Current Topics
Farmer Protests in India
"In September 2020, the Parliament of India passed three agricultural acts that favor corporations over farmers. Previously, crops were sold at state auctions and farmers were guaranteed a minimum price for them."
Now, farmers are able to sell their crops anywhere and at any price but that minimum value is not guaranteed in each sale. For crops with high supply, it is possible that some farmers will not make enough money. The new laws lack protection for farmers against market volatility. These laws have also expanded the market so large companies could get involved and drive prices down. One of the laws actually prevents farmers from taking a company to court. These protests started out with large numbers and have only grown in size. While most have been peaceful, there have been instances where police used water cannons and tear gas to subdue crowds.Many farmer unions have been engaged in negotiations with the government for months, demanding for the new laws to be repealed. A compromise has not yet been reached.
Famine in Yemen
According to United Nations, Yemen is quickly getting close to the “worst famine the world has seen in decades.”
Mark Lowcock, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, explained that just over 16 million people- out of the 29 million living in Yemen- have no food, including the 5 million people that are close to famine. He also delineated that the “ food insecurity and malnourishment of children in the country, among other issues,” are worsening every year. It was also concluded that nearly 400,000 children under the age of five suffer from severe malnourishment. Due to these tough conditions, the children only have a few weeks to live with the status they currently have. According to Annabel Symington, a spokesperson for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Yemen, the hunger levels in Yemen are present due to the six years of conflict and the economic collapse Yemen is soon to face. This economic collapse resulted in half of Yemen’s population, 16 million people, facing “crisis-level of food insecurity, and 50,000 people living in famine conditions.” Adding to the hardships Yemen is currently facing, a recent attack on Marib city, an important structure for the government, escalated the situation. This attack is said to cause “hundreds of thousands of people again running for their lives at a time when everyone should be doing everything possible to stop famine,” Lowcock explains. Altogether, these current issues that are being overlooked by the majority of the world, are causing millions of innocent lives to be destroyed.
Update on the Coronavirus
Coronavirus pandemic expected to get worse before it gets better, experts say
The U.S. Covid-19 death toll has passed 200,000 this week and continues to rise. The number of new cases every day is increasing as well as the death toll in many states. Just the cases in the United States alone make up over ⅕ of the global cases. The new infections are expected to increase as we approach winter and the temperature drops. Expert Loren Lipworth says that this is still the first wave of Covid-19 because it’s natural to have a resurgence of cases when restrictions are eased. The winter also happens to be flu season and having two potentially lethal viruses going around at the same time makes it more important to wear a mask. Always have a mask on in public areas, keep the mask on, and wear it properly. There are dozens of prospective vaccines being worked on with the company Pfizer planning to distribute theirs by the end of 2020. Even if Pfizer can get their vaccine FDA approved and it works, the pandemic won’t be in control for at least another year. Additionally, many schools are seeing a breakout of covid among the students. Remember to be responsible during this time and make sure to wear a mask!!!
Winter is coming: Why America's Window of Opportunity to Beat Back COVID is Closing
In August 2020, a window for covid to finally “pass” opened; but now that we’re recklessly meeting in large groups without masks, the window of opportunity is rapidly closing. As of October 3, 2020, 209,000 deaths have been reported just from covid in the United States. Imagine how many people we could have saved if we had a plan of action to quickly shut down this virus, if we just took things seriously from the start. An associate director of the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard, Caroline Buckee, discusses the harsh truth that many Americans need to hear: “We seem to be choosing leisure activities now over children’s safety in a month’s time. And I cannot understand that tradeoff.” If people were able to stand in a different perspective and see how unwisely we’re handling the situation, maybe we would finally be able to keep the number of cases down. At the end of the day, though, it’s up to the citizens to decide whether or not they want to keep their country safe. Until then, the best we can do is stay inside and wear masks.
Detention Camps in China
Xinjiang: Large Numbers of new detention camps uncovered in report
There have been over 1 million Uighur Muslims detained in China’s “re-education” centers. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute suspects that there are around 380 of these facilities in the Xinjiang region which is 40% higher than expected. The newer built sites have increased security which is showing a shift toward concentration camp-like centers. The Chinese government claims that they are training people in these centers to increase job opportunities and combat poverty. However, Chinese politicians have allegedly blocked reports from being sent out of China. New evidence states that more Uighur Muslims than ever before are being imprisoned and forced into labor.
Night images reveal many new detention sites in China's Xinjiang region
China has established formidable barriers against foreign journalists to limit their investigation. Officers monitor and harass the select visitors as they are taken on a choreographed tour around the site. The incarcerated Muslims are shown dancing as singing. It is likely that previous Muslims that were said to have rejoined society were actually moved to the newly built and expanded sites. The detention centers are surrounded by tall walls, barbed fencing, and watchtowers. Family members of Uighur Muslims that live outside of China report receiving news of their relatives being imprisoned for ridiculous reasons. The House of Representatives has passed a law stating that the United States will not import anything from the Xinjiang Province unless it is proven to have been produced without forced labor. China changed from denying reports of detention camps to defending their labor policies in practice. They have also criticized the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) for being anti-Chinese, the reason being that ASPI had dug up the most information about the Uighur camps to this point.
China has built 380 internment camps in Xinjiang, study finds
Over the last two years, China has been building nearly 400 internment camps, also knows as prison camps, in the Xinjiang region. Chinese authorities at first denied the existence of these camps, but later switched their story and covered the existence of the camps as re-educating programs that aim to “counter terrorism threats.” Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) researched Nathan Ruser, describes how new evidence shows that “despite Chinese officials claims about detainees graduating from camps, significant investment in the construction of the new detention facilities has continued from 2019 to 2020.” The fact that such a significant issue hasn’t been properly overlooked shows how citizens around the world should educate themselves so they can learn how to help stop such affairs.