The News You’re Missing Thanks to COVID-19

COVID-19 is making headline after headline right now, filling up the front pages and many of the back pages of newspapers across the world. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; COVID-19 deserves the attention it’s getting, what with the ways it’s overturning all our lives. But it does mean stories that would’ve been front-page news are shuffled to the back and lost under the coronavirus din. What news stories are you missing?

• The EARN IT Act, an act being considered by Congress, is designed to combat online child pornography. It’s controversial due to the cybersecurity risks it poses, experts say, warning that it will make end-to-end encryption impossible. Read the experts’ objections here and the Senators’ response here.
• A locust outbreak in East Africa is threatening many people’s safety and food security. The outbreak is the worst seen in decades, but outbreaks like this may become more common, thanks to their links to climate change, the Guardian reports.
• At least two asylum seekers were killed in Greece after Turkey encouraged migrants to cross into Greece despite the EU country’s decision to close its borders. Although Greece’s decision to close its borders came in reaction to COVID-19, and that decision played a part in the migrants’ deaths, it has not received much media attention. Amnesty International reports on the case here.
• A severe Ebola outbreak recorded its last infection on February 17th in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The outbreak, the worst in the country’s history and the second-worst in the world’s history, began in 2018 and has killed 2,264 people so far. The outbreak has not been declared officially over; in order for that to happen, its incubation period of 42 days must pass twice. Read about it here.