Weekly Snapshot: War and Peace
Welcome to LNGenZ's round up of the week's top news stories.
By: GenZ Staff | March 1, 2022 | 755 Words
Ukrainians living in Mexico protest against Russian attacks in Ukraine (Photo by Daniel Cárdenas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russia Launches Invasion of Ukraine
Attacks have been reported in major cities across Ukraine, as Russian troops move in.
Russia has launched an invasion of its neighbor, Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been sending troops to the Russia-Ukraine border for around a year, adding up to about 190,000 soldiers. This caused the U.S. and many countries in Europe to worry that an invasion could happen, but no one was sure what Putin would do. On February 24, 2022, the attack was launched.
(Photo by Anton VergunTASS via Getty Images)
Putin sent Russian troops across the border and targeted major cities with missiles. According to BBC News, Russia launched offensives by land, air, and sea. Locations across Ukraine report they were bombed, including the capital Kyiv and other cities Chuhuiv, Odessa, Kramatorsk, and Chornobaivka. Infrastructure has also been attacked, such as Ozerne airbase and Kulbakino airport. Read more…
US States Say Farewell to COVID Rules
States and cities across the country are waving goodbye to coronavirus mandates.
States across the U.S. are beginning to loosen the reins when it comes to coronavirus rules. The Omicron variant has reached its peak, and numbers of those suffering from the virus are starting to drop. With fewer patients going to hospital and less people needing intensive care to treat the symptoms, states are beginning to adjust the dial closer to the normal setting.
Some states are keeping their restrictions for fear that the numbers will creep right back up if they don’t. However, officials in other states think the nation needs to learn how to live with the illness, as there is no guarantee it will ever go away.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and his wife Tammy (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The decline in COVID cases has allowed state governors to take another look at the mandates put in place. Many states had already removed COVID restrictions, but some have remained steadfast until now. Recently, Governors in New Jersey, Oregon, California, Connecticut, and Delaware have announced plans to get rid of mask mandates within the next couple of months. Read more…
Ukraine War Continues as Peace Talks Begin
Russia’s attack of Ukraine is still going on, but could new talks end the violence?
On February 24, Russia invaded its smaller neighbor, Ukraine. The conflict has continued for several days. Peace talks between the two countries have begun – will an end to the war be achieved?
Some onlookers have compared this war to the story of David and Goliath, in which the young shepherd David faced the giant Goliath in battle. Many see Russia as the “bully in the playground” compared to the smaller underdog, Ukraine. Russia spends $61.7 billion on its military each year, while Ukraine only spends $5.4 billion. As for active soldiers, Ukrainian forces number 255,000 against Russia’s 1.154 million.
Kiev, Ukraine (Photo By Diego Herrera/Europa Press via Getty Images)
While Russia seems the more powerful country, Ukraine has put up a surprisingly good fight and done better than many people expected. Read more…
50 Years Since Nixon Went to China: Ping-Pong Diplomacy
Half a century ago, President Nixon aimed to open diplomatic ties with China.
China is emerging as one of the big global superpowers, and it seems determined to expand its power and territory. While today the U.S. and China are seen as rivals on the world stage, that wasn’t always the case.
On February 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to travel to China. February 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Nixon’s visit. It was an important event, as it opened a conversation between the two countries.
Nixon on the Great Wall of China (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
When Nixon became president in 1969, China was a closed country. It was two decades after the Communist Revolution, when leader Mao Zedong announced the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The U.S. has never supported communist systems, and so it backed the other side in the revolution – the Nationalists – but lost. With the Communists declaring victory in China, it was not long before ties between the two countries collapsed. For 20 years there was little contact.
It wasn’t until a surprise announcement by Nixon on July 15, 1971, that Americans knew of a plan to rebuild links. Read more…
