A summary of the world’s latest news
By: Nicole Martinez
10 B
Sometimes it's hard to keep up with everything going on around the world, thanks to the amount of work we got to do for school. For that reason, I've prepared a small summary of the main events that have occurred throughout the last months, and that should help you be more informed of the latest news. From more lockdowns in Europe to a historic election in the United States, the world has seen a series of events that challenge the way society works and envisions itself for its future.
COVID-19 and where do we stand regarding it?
Since COVID-19 first appeared in a Chinese market last year, the world has been in a race against the virus to overcome the hardships it has brought and to reinstate life as we knew it before the pandemic. Although different laboratories and companies are pursuing the race to find a vaccine, there is still a lot of uncertainty whether it will work or not, and if it would be accessible for the whole world's population. Definitely, the only solution we have right now is taking care of ourselves and guarantee that we follow the bio-measures every time we go out; however, that is where the problem relies upon. Soon after the first strict lockdown ended in the majority of European countries and the United States, many protests arose against the regulations and legislations taken by the governments due to the pandemic. Many of the protesters pledged that it was their constitutional right to decide whether they wanted to wear a mask or not as they lived in free countries. Furthermore, they argued that the measures that were taken during the pandemic would lead their countries economy to a major collapse in which the entire population would be affected, even more than with the virus. To lower social and political tensions, governments opted to make a gradual economic reopening and the relaxation of many measures taken. However, the irresponsibility of many has led cases of COVID to increase significantly (breaking the records that were established before the strict lockdowns), and that puts at stake the health system of each country. The latter has forced governments to order a new strict lockdown that has caused many people to backfire the decision. Countries like Great Britain, France as well as regions of Italy and Spain have started to apply these new measurements to stop the propagation of the virus. Regarding Colombia, it is important to mention that these last weeks COVID cases have risen, which has made authorities raise the question of whether a new quarantine is what the country needs. There is no doubt that the COVID is not going away any time soon, so it relies on us to decide whether we can go back to our new "normal life" or not. It is not about inhibiting ourselves but about learning to live with our new reality and act responsibly according to the circumstances.
Historic elections in the United States
For October's edition, I wrote about the importance of the presidential elections in the United States and the things that were at stake. With almost the electoral process finished and some clear winners, it is possible to analyze the challenges the elected president, Joe Biden, and his former vice-president, Kamala Harris, will have to face in what has been called by Americans as a new era. Without a doubt, one of their greatest challenges is to reunite a country that has suffered social and political tension throughout the last decades. The elections are proof of that because, despite the fact Biden prevailed in the presidency with a majority of electoral and popular votes, his contender from the Republican Party was not far behind in terms of the intention of the popular vote. Furthermore, one evident problem that the recent elections left is regarding the political polarization presented in the states. While the elected president won in the capital cities and counties of each state, Donald Trump received support from the small regions and provinces. Fortunately, Biden is conscious of the political and social tensions that have arisen in the country and is willing to work not in pro of a specific section of the American population; but in pro of making America a better country. His intentions are distinctly presented on the following phrase mentioned in his victory speech, "I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify, who doesn’t see red states and blue states, only sees the United States." On the other hand, it is an outstanding election not only for the massive voters' participation but for the fact that Kamala Harris has become the first woman to get to the vice-president position. As her following phrase states, "But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities and to the children of our country regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: dream with ambition, lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they've never seen it before." The election is proof that there are opening new possibilities to people that thought they didn't have a chance in their own country. Whereas Americans abide by their elected president or continue to increase the political and social tensions, is a decision that will bring consequences to the country's development. Without unity it is almost impossible to achieve great changes in society, and this specific moment remembers Kennedy's thinking, "ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."
Poland abortion ruling
Poland has taken a further step on Thursday to limit women's reproductive rights. The Constitutional Court has issued a ruling in which it considers the interruption of pregnancy unconstitutional if the fetus suffers a malformation or irreversible disease. The government has assured that the only cases in which they will allow abortion will be with one of the reasons mentioned below: for cases of rape, incest, or where the mother's health is at risk. They have also signed that they reached this constitutional decision since the abortion practiced for reasons that differ from those mentioned previously, go against the Polish constitution as stated in the following argument mentioned in the constitutional court, “[A provision that] legalizes eugenic practices in the field of the right to life of an unborn child and makes the right to life of an unborn child dependent on his or her health ... is inconsistent ... with the constitution.” It caused backfired reactions throughout the whole country and made protestors gather to fight for the constitutional court decision. As many activists stated, the decision violates directly human rights and leaves women with no constitutional guarantees in case they decide to end their pregnancy.