With classes and campus activities starting, it can be difficult to keep track of current events. Here are four things you didn’t know that are happening in the world right now:
1) Chinese activists push for same-sex marriage:
Last year, Taiwan legalized gay marriage, and awareness for LGBTQIA+ rights circulated around Asia. However, because of their communist LGBTQIA+ discrimination circulating for decades, China would not support it. Sun Wenlin, a gay resident of China, was denied a marriage application from the Chinese court. China’s parliament is expected to pass a landmark legislation, or code, in 2020 which will improve changes on sexual harassment, divorce, and family planning. However, it will not improve LGBTQIA+ rights. As a result, Sun Wenlin posted on social media how people can revise the legislation for the legalization of gay marriage. Wenlin’s post went viral and the code could now potentially help the LGBTQIA+ community in other areas such as childbirth and employment.
2) Amsterdam attempts to solve one of the biggest environmental problems:
Amsterdam has recently been creating and improving environments to help bee populations, such as the creation of “insect hotels” and enforcing a ban on chemical pesticides on public land. Through these processes, Amsterdam’s government has greatly benefited as they have made a $38.5 million sustainability fund. They have also encouraged developers, residents and owners to install green roofs on buildings to help build a better habitat for wildlife. Declining bee populations typically occur due to the loss of habitat and the intensification of urbanization and agriculture. Since Amsterdam has taken precautions to prevent harming wildlife, bee populations are immensely improving.
3) California tries a new method for gun control:
Many cities in the United States having been pushing for stronger gun control laws, but Sacramento views gun violence as a bullet control problem, Usually, purchasing ammunition does not require identification unlike purchasing a gun, but recently, government officials passed laws that required ammunition dealers to have logs of sales. These logs have made it more helpful for investigators seeking a lead for a gun crime. However, these laws have sparked controversy. The National Rifle Association filed a lawsuit against these rules arguing unfairness in the rights of certain gun owners. These rules have certainly made it more difficult to purchase bullets in Sacramento than other American cities.
4) South China hit by a Typhoon:
With wind speeds of 100mph China has experienced a devastating natural disaster. Most methods of transportation have been shut down; flights and trains have been cancelled and most roads have been closed. Hong Kong International Airport recently had to cancel over 900 flights. In addition to the transportation problems, over 64 lives have been taken from the typhoon in the Philippines and two in China, and over 200 people have been reported injured. Approximately 2.45 million people were evacuated prior to the Typhoon but many people still remain in dangerous areas. Water levels rose over twelve feet causing most public services to shut down.
If you are interested in learning more about current events, follow BBC news for more information.