btw’s Year in Review: World News
Last week, btw took a look at the big stories from around the United States. This week we move on to the rest of the world.
With the Internet, social media and other various outlets, the world community feels closer than ever. We saw a shift in leadership with the election of a new pope and a new premier of China. Countries joined forces to solve problems with common foes, notably focusing international efforts to fix ongoing problems in Syria and North Korea. Just as citizens of the United States came together to offer support to areas disabled by disaster, people all over the world responded to those countries hit by devastating acts of nature and the consequences of negligence. And those wishing to make the world a better place shared their vision through innovation and awareness.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
- Politics China saw big changes this year. The new premier (or prime minister), Xi Jinping took office and China also announced an end to its long-standing one-child policy. Countries and cultures created significant partnerships. Japan partnered with the United States for the first time on a security plan to better protect both nations from North Korean threats. London implemented banking that adheres to Islamic law. The United States found itself in hot water (by being in foreign waters without the right documentation). And the world fixed a great deal of attention on Vatican City last Spring, as the Catholic Church selected Pope Francis as its new leader.
- Syria The civil war that began with a protest against the extreme punishment of anti-government graffiti artists, continued to rage in the Middle Eastern country throughout 2013. More than 400,000 Syrian refugees have flooded into neighboring nations. In September, President Bashar al-Assad ordered a chemical attack against his citizens, causing considerable devastation. With the help of Russia (a Syrian ally), the United Nations Security Council was finally able to convince the Syrian government to give up their chemical weapons. (To learn one more perspective summary on Syria, visit this link to a Vlogbrothers video.)
- More Unrest Continued tensions with North Korea flared this year when the country violated a United Nations agreement by conducting nuclear tests. Violence in Iraq spiked in the summer between the Sunnis and the Shiites. A protest to protect an urban park turned violent when the Turkish government responded with excessive force. One year after becoming Egypt’s first freely-elected leader, President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown by the people and jailed where he awaits trial. A new election is set to happen in 2014. (To hear another Vlogbrother summary on the situation in Egypt, click on this video link.)
- Disaster & Crisis Across the world, there were events that caused great devastation. Some of them were financial–the worsening recession facing Eurozone countries, a need for a financial bailout in the island of Cyprus. Other disasters were caused by negligence, such as the collapse of a large garment factory in Bangladesh, India or the car explosion in Benghazi. But Mother Nature caused a great deal of damage around the world in 2013. A meteor fell to earth in Russia, killer hornets attacked in China, a polio-outbreak threatened Syrian refugees in Europe, and an earthquake rocked China. Out of all these, however, the super-typhoon in the Philippines caused the world to scramble in an effort to help the Filipinos rebuild.
- Life In the midst of considerable unrest, those committed to improving the quality of our existence pressed on in many different ways. Japan installed windmills as an alternative to its nuclear energy dependence, which was disabled after 2011’s tsunami. Bike sales overtook car sales in Europe as citizens lessen their dependence on gasoline. Canada ceased expensive production of its penny. Non-Muslim’s adorned hijabs for one day in solidarity. The perseverance of a single schoolgirl, targeted and shot by the Taliban, made the world take notice when she returned to school and continues to stand up for the right of girls to receive an education.
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