February 7, 2019
By Alex Tang
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2019 has gotten off to a rocky start. Many things have happened, and it is time for an update.
Let’s start with the good news. The Patriots won the Super Bowl, beating the Rams -- a team who probably shouldn’t have even been in the game, given the missed calls in their game against the Saints.
Outside of sports, a pioneering drug designed by the pharmaceutical company Sanofi and its partner, Lexicon, could be the first oral drug for Type 1 diabetes if it is approved by the FDA.
In space exploration, China became the first country in history to land a probe on the far side of the moon. The mission could provide new insight into this relatively unexplored side of the moon, and is a major leap for the Chinese space program.
Now, it is time for the bad news.
The federal government entered its longest shutdown ever, as President Trump sparred with congressional Democrats over the construction of a $5.7 billion border wall. Hundreds of thousands of unpaid government workers and their families were affected. Though the shutdown has reached a temporary pause, a compromise before the Feb. 15 deadline seems unlikely.
With multinational information technology giant Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou under house arrest in Canada, China has stepped up the pressure on Canadian authorities by detaining Canadian citizens.
In France, the Yellow Vests, a populist grassroots movement demanding economic justice, have led a series of violent riots. The group calls for a lower fuel tax, a higher minimum wage, and the resignation of President Emmanuel Macron. Ten people have died in the protests and many others were injured.
The trial of Joaquín Guzmán, also known as “El Chapo,” is taking place in New York. After repeatedly evading Mexican authorities, El Chapo was extradited to the United States. Although he cannot be sentenced to die, prosecutors are seeking maximum jail time. Enrique Peña Nieto, a former Mexican president, was alleged to have received a $100 million bribe from El Chapo’s drug operation, highlighting the rampant corruption that still exists in Mexico.
The Brexit deal has hit a wall as Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to balance the disagreeing sides in the British Parliament.
These are the headlines for now, with more to come in the future.
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