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Staying on top of the news is no easy feat. To make life simpler, we’ve curated the week’s most important, extraordinary, or just downright jaw-dropping stories for you.
What a week it’s been. As we approached mid-May, massive changes were unfolding. In Asia, an unforeseen election upset sparked a political tremor often associated with terms like “-exit.” Back in the UK, the government appeared on the verge of reconsidering its stance on Brexit. We’ll dive into both of these stories shortly, but first, let’s check out the country dominating the headlines this week: Iran.
10. The Iran Nuclear Deal Goes Up in Flames
Let’s be real. You saw this one coming, didn’t you?
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump officially withdrew the US from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal. Not only did he sever Washington’s ties, but he also reinstated severe sanctions on the Islamic republic.
The JCPOA was initially put in place by the Obama administration to limit Iran’s nuclear capabilities. While it seemed to be achieving that goal on one hand, Iran continued to engage in highly provocative actions throughout the region, even without the nuclear weapons.
When the agreement was struck in 2015, everyone knew it wouldn’t fully dismantle Iran’s nuclear program—this was never a realistic expectation. The aim instead was to extend Iran’s breakout time for acquiring materials to build a nuclear weapon, from a few months to at least a year. The hope was that Iran wouldn’t develop a nuclear weapon for a minimum of 10 years, but that wasn’t guaranteed. Iran also maintained that no one could inspect its military sites.
The immediate fallout from the US’s departure, however, centered more on Europe than Iran itself. The reimposition of sanctions has put Washington on a direct collision course with its European allies in Berlin, Paris, and London, where companies face losing billions in investments made since 2015. Now, the EU finds itself in the unlikely position of teaming up with China and Russia to keep the JCPOA intact.
9. Iran and Israel Might Be On the Verge of War
Surprisingly, the collapse of the JCPOA wasn’t the biggest Iran-related story this week. That distinction likely goes to the sudden eruption of hostilities between Iran and its longtime adversary, Israel, who clashed in Syria.
This escalation has been building for months. Recently, Israel has grown more aggressive in targeting Iranian assets in Syria. In response, Tehran has begun sending armed drones into Israel and amassing troops near the Israeli-held Golan Heights. This Thursday, these forces launched a rocket attack on an Israeli base, prompting Tel Aviv to retaliate with one of its most intense airstrike campaigns in years.
Let’s hope this is just a brief flare-up that won’t spiral further. However, there’s a real possibility that this could ignite a full-scale war between these two regional foes, or at the very least, further complicate the already intricate Syrian conflict.
8. Malaysia Ousted Its Ruling Party After 60 Years
Since gaining independence in 1957, Malaysia had been governed by a single political party. The Barisan Nasional (BN) had won every election in the country, and everyone assumed it would continue its unbroken streak after Wednesday’s vote.
By now, you’ve probably figured out what happened next. BN lost. They couldn’t defeat a 92-year-old man who had once led them.
Mahathir Mohamad served as Malaysia's prime minister for 22 years, from 1981 to 2003. A few years ago, he shocked Kuala Lumpur by defecting to the long-standing opposition party Pakatan Harapan (“Alliance of Hope”). Many thought this was political suicide. Instead, PH triumphed in Wednesday’s election. Mohamad’s bold move paid off. The nonagenarian is now set to return as PM, making him the world’s oldest leader.
But the deal is still not final. As this column was being written, reports surfaced that the BN was attempting to bribe opposition MPs to defect and prevent PH from securing a majority. Furthermore, the king suggested that he might refuse to swear in Mohamad. Is Malaysia heading into a phase of renewal or crisis? We’re about to find out.
7. The Armenian Revolution Has Ended, Long Live the Revolution!
For regular readers, this column has been closely tracking the events in Armenia for almost a month. For those who aren’t regulars, here’s a quick recap: A few weeks ago, Armenia’s long-serving president, Serzh Sargsyan, stepped down and assumed the position of prime minister after signing a bill that transferred all presidential powers to the PM. Armenians saw this as an unconstitutional power grab and took to the streets, led by opposition party leader Nikol Pashinian.
At the peak of the protests, over a third of the country’s population was marching. Sargsyan was forced to resign, and his party vowed to make Pashinian Armenia’s new leader. But then they attempted to backtrack, sparking protests that surpassed anything seen before.
This week, Armenia's peaceful revolution reached its conclusion. Parliament voted to appoint Pashinian as the new prime minister, with even Sargsyan’s own party supporting him. For the first time in Armenia’s post-Soviet history, popular power brought about genuine change.
Pashinian has already pledged to eliminate corruption and end Armenia’s reliance on nepotism and cronyism. It’ll be fascinating to see if his promised political revolution can garner as much support as the one that brought him to power.
6. Uber Set to Launch a Flying Taxi Service
Uber has had a rough few months, plagued by scandal, data breaches, and legal setbacks worldwide. So what better way to distract the public than by unveiling something truly outrageous? On Tuesday, the company announced that it had teamed up with NASA and the US Army to launch a flying taxi service.
That's right. You might soon be flying to work in a regular helicopter.
The timeline for this plan is raising more than a few eyebrows. Uber aims to begin flying this service in Dallas and Los Angeles by 2020, with a full launch slated for 2023. It's likely that major cities everywhere will soon have heliports popping up.
Some have raised doubts, suspecting that this may be Uber's stealthy way of shifting from the taxi industry and into the highly profitable world of defense contracting.
5. Lava Erupts Over Hawaii's Big Island
It wasn't exactly a catastrophe, but it sure was intense. On Friday, the largest earthquake in 43 years rocked Hawaii's Big Island just as the Kilauea volcano was gearing up to erupt. By Saturday, the lava had made its appearance, pouring out from two fissures in the island's crust. Since then, the state has been overwhelmed by slow-moving, destructive rivers of scalding lava.
As of this writing, around 36 homes have been destroyed, sulfur fumes have made entire neighborhoods uninhabitable, and acres of forest have been reduced to ash. For most of us, the most haunting images will likely be of molten lava casually swallowing up cars parked in driveways and along roads, while their owners (presumably) watched in despair nearby.
Although Kilauea's eruption has been relatively mild so far, concerns persist that things could escalate quickly. A steam explosion could send heavy rocks plummeting onto the island, or toxic gases could begin leaking from the continually widening fissures.
4. Britain’s Parliament Began Reversing Its Stance on Brexit
It marked the 14th defeat for the government on Brexit, and it was certainly the most consequential so far. On Tuesday, the House of Lords dealt a major blow to Theresa May's latest EU withdrawal bill. In a stunning move, they added a clause that would require ministers to potentially negotiate for Britain to remain in the European Economic Area (EEA) if a favorable Brexit deal can't be secured. Such a move would effectively nullify Brexit in all but name.
The EEA links the EU with a three-nation bloc consisting of Norway, Lichtenstein, and Iceland. It grants access to the single EU market but leaves out certain policies like fishing. (If this sounds confusing, we’ve written a simple guide here). Crucially, membership in the EEA would require both contributing to the EU budget and accepting the free movement of EU citizens. Within the EEA, the two core principles of Brexit—stopping payments to the EU and ending European immigration—would be impossible to implement.
The vote was noteworthy as both the ruling Conservative party and the opposition Labour party officially back Brexit. The Lords were able to insert the EEA clause only because more than 80 Labour members and nearly 20 Conservative peers defied their parties.
3. Argentina Turned to the IMF
In 2001, Argentina declared the largest debt default in history up to that point. Encouraged by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country struck a deal with a financial predator, triggering a devastating crisis for its citizens. Protests and riots ensued. Governments fell. The middle class was decimated. When things finally settled, the IMF was heavily criticized for its role in the disaster. For years, Buenos Aires avoided any dealings with the institution.
That's why this week's announcement sparked such controversy across Argentina. President Mauricio Macri revealed he was requesting a $30 billion loan from the IMF to prevent the peso from plummeting further. For many in the nation, it brought back memories of their country's darkest times.
The IMF’s loans always come with strings attached. As seen in Greece, these conditions—such as austerity measures and economic contraction—are often essential, yet rarely welcomed. While Athens managed to endure the tough measures, many Argentines still see the IMF as their sworn enemy. If this latest loan starts to mirror the disaster of the early 2000s in any way, it could trigger a political earthquake.
2. Ebola Strikes Again in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
It’s back. After a relatively quiet four years, Ebola has once again reared its ugly head in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). On Wednesday, the Health Ministry confirmed a fresh outbreak of the virus in the country's northeast. At the time of writing, 17 people have already succumbed to the virus.
Although there was an outbreak last year, it affected only eight people, half of whom died. To find an Ebola outbreak this deadly, one has to go back to 2014, when a different outbreak in the Congo—distinct from the infamous West African epidemic—claimed 49 lives. While this year's outbreak may not reach those gruesome levels, it has already sent the town of Bikoro into full panic mode.
The DRC is the country most regularly affected by Ebola, with nine recorded outbreaks in its history. The deadliest of these occurred in 1976. In response to the 2014 outbreak, neighboring nations are now stepping up efforts to prevent the virus from crossing their borders.
1. Berlusconi Exits Italian Politics
Do you remember Italy's election from about nine weeks ago? They're still struggling to form a stable government after voters failed to choose a clear winner. As of now, it remains uncertain whether the country will hold fresh elections or form a broad coalition. However, one factor that may tip the scale towards a coalition is the political downfall of Silvio Berlusconi.
The election divided the country between the generally left-wing, southern populist Five Star Movement and the right-wing populist Northern League. While both movements shared anti-EU and anti-immigrant stances, their views on other issues were vastly different.
In particular, the League had allied itself with Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party. For Five Star, asking their supporters to accept a coalition government that includes Berlusconi would be akin to Donald Trump telling his followers he was bringing Hillary Clinton into the White House.
By this week, Berlusconi seemingly recognized the inevitable. He announced that he wouldn't instruct Forza Italia to vote against a potential Five Star–League grand coalition. Not only does this open the door for Italy to form a government, but it may also mark Berlusconi’s final political chapter.
