By: Daniela Fernandez

What is Brexit? Brexit is the UK’s plan to separate themselves from the EU. The original plan was to exit the EU on March 29, 2019. Now, as this plan was rejected, the new deadline for Brexit is on April 12 if all goes well in negotiatios.

3 years ago, the UK voted for Brexit, and made Labour Party Representative, Theresa May, Prime Minister of the UK. With the UK’s plan for Brexit the EU stated that the UK would lose all of their trade benefits with them because they would no longer be a part of the EU. This would include their now trade benefits, such as having no taxes on products from different EU countries. An upside for the UK, with separating from the EU, is that they will now be able to have their own trade deals with EU countries since they are not allowed to have these deals under the EU according to CNBC.

March 29 was the day where Parliament would vote for Brexit. After the votes were counted it was determined the Prime Minister May’s plan was rejected once again after 2 other plans had also been rejected, according to CNN. The first time the plan was rejected, only 202 people were for the plan and 432 against, on January 15. The second vote was on March 12, with 242 for May’s Brexit plan, and 391 against. Then on March 29, the number of people who voted for May’s plan in Parliament was 286 against 344 who opposed.

On April 12, Parliament will again vote on the new Brexit plan. There are 2 ways this vote can go. One way is that if the plan is accepted then the government will try to make a decision on how to continue, and call for an extension on their plan. If the plan is rejected then Brexit will most likely be canceled, and the UK will have many options such as holding a general election on the plan or to continue May’s Brexit deal and have negotiations with the EU.

With all of this back and forth about the plan the plan for Brexit is unclear in the future.

On March 15, 2019, an Australian man opened fire in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 51 people and injuring 50 people. The shooter walked into the first mosque, Al Noor, where he started to live stream the attack on social media. The shooter claimed that he identified as a “white identity.”

That he killed these innocent people, all military style, with semi-automatic weapons, and assault rifles, are to be banned in New Zealand. Prime minister Jacinda Ardern made the decision because this was the worst mass shooting that had happened in the country’s history. Ardern said that the terrorist charged the killings to continue his attack, when he was interrupted by police.

39 people remain in the hospital, 11 who are in critical condition, and in intensive care units. A four-year-old girl, that is in critical condition, is to require multiple surgeries. Christchurch hospitals chief of surgery, Dr. Greg Robertson, said many of the victims will need multiple surgeries as well.

Ardern said that she will not say the killer’s name, “He obviously had a range of reasons for committing this atrocious terrorist attack. Lifting his profile was one of them. And that’s something that we can absolutely deny him.” Ardern met many of the families of the victims on Saturday, March 16. She said that authorities were working to ensure that the bodies could be identified quickly to allow proper Muslim burials.

Authorities in Australia and New Zealand have been asked why the suspect was not listed as a terrorist in the media watchlist. He was planning this attack for many years. The terrorist identified himself as member of a white supremacist group. It is believed that the terrorist was alone, but that there were at least two people helping him. The Christchurch police had two other people in custody, a man and a women, it was later confirmed that they were let go and didn’t have any connections on the attack.

People around the world were devastated about the attack and they couldn’t believe that people that were in a place of worship, that thought were safe, were killed. They were killed by someone who hated them, and for him to live stream the attack of killing innocent people from ages 3-70 was heartbreaking.

Many people were scared to attend the mosque and pray, but wonderful people ensured their safety, and while they prayed they stood behind them during prayer. Others also stood in front of mosque doors so that this will not happen again, in any other mosques in the U.K., U.S., etc., and that the Muslim citizens were be protected during prayer.

The news was devastating, and instead of saying “hopefully this doesn’t happen again, we need to make changes,” Jacinda Ardern made a change. She banned semi-automatic weapons so that something like this will never happen again. And that’s what a lot of countries need to do. Change starts with us.