From Earth to the red planet and the multiverse beyond - you won’t want to miss these news.
Space
The Hope Probe is the first unmanned Mars mission launched by the United Arab Emirates. Its aim is to reach Mars and send back clear pictures of the red planet and its layers. It will help answer important questions about the Martian atmosphere and the loss of hydrogen and oxygen gases into space over the span of one Martian year. It is also a step to push the UAE and the Arab world into the space race. It was launched on July 19th, 2020 and it was travelling at a speed over 120,000 km/h. During the last two weeks, it has reached a crucial moment of joining Mars’ orbit. On February 9th and after 27 minutes of painful waiting, the Hope Probe successfully joined Mars’ orbit on the first try, creating history. The UAE is now the first Arab and the fifth globally to reach the red planet. We are still waiting for all the pictures and facts about what Mars has to offer.
Social
International women’s day is on March 8th and this year was like no other. As all countries start to recover from an unexpected pandemic, everybody was invited to reflect on the role of women all over the world, especially during quarantine. Women, being mothers or teachers or healthcare workers, were the backbone of the social structure during the past year. This year’s theme, as decided by UNDP, was ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.’ In my opinion, this theme is amazing as it raises awareness about the equality that is still not achieved by some countries. Women still face difficulties when they are finding a job in a governmental or private sector. According to the UNDP, Women are nearly twice as likely than men to lose their jobs during the COVID-19 crisis. Women deserve a chair on the decision-making table beside men. It is important for our world to really see women as a principal component in decision-making bodies as it helps young girls voice their opinion and defend what they believe is right from a young age. Make sure to break down the cultural barriers and appreciate all the women in your life this year.
Entertainment
Egypt mourned Yousief Shaban’s death on February 28th. He died due to COVID-19. Yousief Shaban was one of the most famous Egyptian actors ever. He participated in many movies from black and white drama to modern television. He announced his retirement back in 2017 but he came back with a final movie, filmed in Beirut in early 2021.
On a lighter note, Marvel successfully completed the first show of phase 4: Wandavision. The last episode aired on Friday 5th of March. Many fans took social media to express their opinions. People who didn’t watch it yet are having a hard time avoiding spoilers as memes took over Instagram feeds. One thing that was common between all comments was that Elizabeth Olsen did a magnificent job in the series; her acting skills really carried that show to another level and many now consider Wanda their new favourite Marvel heroine. Fans cannot wait for ‘Falcons and the Winter Soldier’ where new post-blip events will play out.
Economic
The second phase of Egypt’s ‘Decent Life’ initiative is kicking off this March. This initiative first started in 2019 to improve the standard of living and quality of life for the neediest villages in rural Egypt. Now after the COVID-19 economical complications, it is more important than ever. This initiative targets a total of 1,500 villages inhabited by 18 million people. Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Hala Al-Said, said that 255 medical convoys, 1,335 surgeries, the establishment and development of 12 health units etc. were all part of the initiative. Many NGOs also partnered with the Egyptian civil society to help the villages in need. For example, Doaa Mabrouk, founder of the Baseera Foundation for the Visually Impaired, participated in the first phase of the initiative and is looking forward to the second phase.