Thumbs up to… Sweden becoming the 32nd country in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. On March 11, Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, joined NATO’s secretary general in a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the arrival of NATO’s newest member a few days prior. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_223448.htm#:~:text=Sweden%20became%20NATO's%2032nd%20Ally,ceremony%20to%20mark%20Sweden's%20accession.
Thumbs up to… SpaceX sending “Starship” on its third test flight. The space expedition company SpaceX brought another “Starship” rocket out onto the launch pad in Boca Chica, Texas, on March 14, making this the third test of this rocket model after two previous failures. During the test flight, Starship achieved dozens of new milestones, including reaching orbital velocity, opening and closing its payload doors and initiating a propellant transfer. The rocket was sadly lost upon reentry, but the accolades it achieved and the fact that the human race is getting closer to landing on Mars still mark this experience as impressive as it ever could be. https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/14/world/starship-launch-spacex-scn/index.html
Thumbs up to… The Oscars going underway without a hitch. On March 10, the Oscars went live. Throughout the three-and-a-half-hour-long ceremonies, dozens of awards were handed out to bring to attention the best features of all the hands that helped make a film. “Godzilla: Minus One” earned the award for Best Visual Effects, and “Oppenheimer” won Best Picture, among many other recipients. https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/10/entertainment/review-oscars-hits-misses-performances/index.html
Thumbs down to… Putin’s presidential campaign. On March 15, Russia’s longest-serving president, Vladimir Putin, started a presidential election amid its war against Ukraine. Many speculated this political election would be a surefire way to keep Putin in power. On March 18, the election’s results proved that theory correct, as Putin won the presidential election by a landslide, with 87.3% of the votes going to him. The reason why Putin easily won this political conquest was that he had no opposition since most who tried to go up against him had either been killed, jailed, exiled, or barred from running altogether. https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/17/europe/putin-wins-russia-presidential-election-intl/index.html
Thumbs down to… The death of Akira Toriyama at age 68. On the first day of March, the anime world and the worlds beyond were struck with instant tragedy. Akira Toriyama, the creator of “Dragon Ball,” one of the most popular mainstream animes alongside “One Piece,” “Bleach” and “Naruto,” fell victim to an acute subdural hematoma. The entirety of the anime community is now grieving - mourning the loss of one of the greatest, if not the greatest, mangaka known in human history. Many other anime creators whose works were inspired by Toriyama have expressed great sympathy for his sudden death. Some have even stated in interviews that if it weren’t for Toriyama’s work, they would never have thought of becoming mangakas. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68444060
Thumbs down to… Sudan’s sudden hunger crisis. On March 6, reports started to come in from the United Nations that Sudan, in the middle of its civil war, has now begun to show signs of a food shortage, leading to the triggering of the world’s largest hunger crisis. Such a case was only seen once 20 years ago, during the War of Darfur. At that time, hunger was evident, and the world rushed to provide aid and support. However, in this new day and age, Sudan and its people have sadly become forgotten, with the war and otherworldly events drawing everyone’s attention away from the 25 million people who are now starving.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/06/africa/hunger-crisis-rape-sudan-war-un-intl/index.html