Australian fires continued to destroy miles of forest
Australia’s government has pledged a $35m fund for wildlife affected by the bushfires.
More than one billion animals are estimated to have died. pic.twitter.com/aKzjo5pgxp
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 13, 2020
This year has been the hottest and driest in the recorded history of Australia and the fires raging there have destroyed millions of acres and killed up to 1 billion animals. Over the weekend, thousands of Australians protested the country’s delayed reaction towards the fires as well as the government’s inaction regarding climate change.
A commercial plane was accidentally shot down in Iran
A Ukrainian International Airlines flight taking off from Tehran was accidentally shot down by the Iranian military last week, killing all 176 passengers and crew on board. Although Iran initially denied allegations that it had shot down the plane, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps later admitted that they mistook the commercial airplane for an American cruise missile. Many of the passengers on the flight were Iranian immigrants working and studying in Canada.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry distanced themselves from the Royal Family
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced that they plan to step down from their senior duties in the Royal family to become financially independent and split their time between the UK and North America. Markle, who is biracial and from the United States, was criticized by British media so much— often with racist undertones— that Kensington Palace released an official statement in 2016 asking the press to stop harassing her. The couple’s announcement comes only months after a viral video that showed Markle tearing up as she spoke about her mental health with a reporter.
On Monday, the Queen said that she was supportive of the couple’s decision even though she would have them to remain full-time working members of the royal family.”
Cory Booker dropped out of the presidential race
It’s with a full heart that I share this news—I’m suspending my campaign for president.
To my team, supporters, and everyone who gave me a shot—thank you. I am so proud of what we built, and I feel nothing but faith in what we can accomplish together. pic.twitter.com/Fxvc549vlJ
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) January 13, 2020
Cory Booker dropped out of the Democratic Primary Monday, leaving Senator Deval Patrick as the sole Black candidate left in the race. Booker said that he didn’t believe he had a pathway to victory, polling at 2 percent nationally.
Awkwafina became the first Asian-American actress to win at Golden Globes
Awkwafina (Nora Lum) became the first Asian-American woman to win a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical for her starring role in The Farwell just one year after her debut on Crazy Rich Asians. The polarizing actress from New York has been accused of using black lexicon— also known as the “Blaccent”— that stirred conversations around appropriation within communities of color. More recently, the actress announced that she will star in a comedy series about her life, “Nora from Queens”.
This year’s Oscars will have no host… or diversity
.@IssaRae an academy award for this pic.twitter.com/CxxsGewQRQ
— I’m Jo with Beth rising (@ArtsyRJ) January 13, 2020
This year’s Oscars will have no host for the second year in a row after Kevin Hart stirred controvery in 2019 for dropping out following homophobic Tweets that lead to widespread condemnation.
In addition, no female directors were nominated for the best Director category and there were no people of color nominated for the Best Supporting Male or Female Actor categories. Notably, The Farewell and Hustlers.
Janelle Monáe Tweets her support for #IAmNonbinary
#IAmNonbinary https://t.co/9TN13XAAra
— Janelle Monáe, Cindi (@JanelleMonae) January 10, 2020
Janelle Monáe, the Atlanta singer who came out as pansexual in 2018, retweeted a post by a nonbinary person on Friday and added the hashtag #IAmNonbinary. Nonbinary is an all-encompassing term for people who identify as neither man nor woman.
