Buzz
Staying informed can be a challenge. To save you time and effort, we’ve compiled a list of the most impactful, strange, or downright shocking events each week.
The week began with a slow pace after the Easter celebrations, only to take an unexpected twist. In California, a female gunman opened fire at YouTube's headquarters, injuring several people but fortunately causing no fatalities. Meanwhile, there were other man-made calamities, monumental scientific achievements, and a surprising diplomatic shift in the Middle East.
10. A Female Gunman Attacked YouTube’s Headquarters
Female mass shooters are exceptionally rare. According to FBI data, women account for only around 4 percent of those responsible for massacres in the United States, with the most recent notable female shooter (Tashfeen Malik) being driven by terrorism.
This is just one of the factors that make this week's attempted mass shooting at YouTube’s headquarters so unusual. The shooter, Nasim Aghdam, was a woman and older than most mass shooters. She was also an avid YouTuber with a penchant for posting bizarre videos.
Aghdam was a vegan, animal rights activist, and fitness enthusiast who vlogged about these topics. She also uploaded videos in which she ranted about YouTube and even removed her bright purple dress to reveal fake breasts with a “Don’t Trust Your Eyes” message.
Seemingly upset over the demonetization of some of her videos, Aghdam purchased a gun, traveled across California to YouTube’s headquarters, entered a courtyard, and began shooting. Three individuals were injured, one seriously. Aghdam later took her own life, ending one of the strangest shooting incidents in recent US history.
9. Nelson Mandela’s Controversial Ex-Wife Passed Away
“Necklacing” refers to the brutal act of placing a rubber tire around someone’s neck and setting it on fire. It’s as terrifying and fatal as it sounds, and it’s a grim image to keep in mind as you read about the death of Nelson Mandela’s former wife, Winnie.
Winnie, once hailed as the “mother of the nation” in South Africa for her anti-apartheid activism, played a significant role in preserving her husband’s dream while he was imprisoned. However, she also supported the practice of necklacing individuals deemed traitors by the ANC and was linked to the horrific torture and death of a 14-year-old boy. In essence, her legacy is far removed from the peaceful image her husband cultivated.
Describing Winnie as a divisive figure would be an understatement. She accused Mandela of betraying the black population, promoted the violent expropriation of white-owned property similar to Mugabe's methods, and was convicted of severe fraud in 2001. Her death will likely stir just as much debate as her life did.
8. We Discovered The Farthest Star Ever Observed
Icarus is a deceased star. It perished billions of years ago in a region so far from our Earth that it’s beyond most people’s comprehension. Yet, it made significant waves in the scientific world this week. Researchers writing in the journal Nature Astronomy revealed that they had captured an image of Icarus, making it the most distant star ever observed by humans.
While Icarus holds the record for the farthest star, it’s not the most distant object we’ve detected. Galaxies, supernovae, and gamma bursts have been observed from even farther reaches. But for regular stars, nothing compares to Icarus, which is located 9 billion light-years away.
We were only able to observe this blue supergiant thanks to a strange phenomenon called gravitational lensing. This occurs when the immense gravity of a massive object distorts and amplifies the light from a star situated behind it. In this case, it allowed us to witness the distant blue glow of Icarus.
7. London’s Murder Rate Surpassed New York’s for the First Time in Modern History
The common belief about violence in America and Britain is that while you’re more likely to be severely assaulted in the UK, the US carries a greater risk of homicide. However, when it comes to the largest cities in these two countries, this narrative might have shifted. Recently, a series of shootings and stabbings in London pushed its murder rate past New York City’s for the first time in modern history.
This shift was driven not only by an uptick in crime in London but also by a decline in criminal activity in New York City. 2017 marked the lowest murder rate in New York since the 1950s. However, London’s situation has worsened, plagued by police budget cuts, gang-related violence, and a rise in knife crimes and acid attacks. The British capital’s reputation is swiftly aligning with that of its American counterpart.
What’s most chilling is that this story first appeared in the British press on Tuesday, and by Thursday morning, three more individuals had been fatally stabbed in London, bringing the total number of murders this year to at least 50.
6. We May Be Witnessing the Beginning of a Saudi-Israeli Thaw
“I believe the Palestinians and the Israelis have the right to their own land.” This might seem like a simple and uncontroversial opinion that most people could agree with. However, the person who made this statement last weekend wasn’t just anyone. It was Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the throne in Saudi Arabia, a country that has historically advocated for the elimination of Israel.
Since Israel repeatedly defeated the Arab states in the mid-20th century, those nations have maintained a strong animosity toward Tel Aviv. Saudi Arabia, aspiring to lead the Muslim world, has been at the forefront of this opposition.
Despite this longstanding enmity, there have been indications of cooperation between the two nations in recent years, including a reported intelligence-sharing agreement that Saudi Arabia has officially denied. With bin Salman’s recent remark, it appears that the once-secret Arab-Israeli thaw is beginning to surface publicly.
It’s not difficult to understand the reasoning behind this shift. Saudi Arabia is aggressively pursuing modernization and seeking to be more appealing to Western nations, especially in comparison to its chief regional adversary, Iran. If improving ties with Israel helps that agenda, so be it.
5. A Catastrophic Oil Spill Prompted Indonesia to Declare a State of Emergency
Do you recall Deepwater Horizon? In 2010, an explosion on the oil rig took the lives of 11 workers and released an unfathomable quantity of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This past weekend, Indonesia faced its own disaster of similar magnitude.
A burst pipeline in the port city of Balikpapan set off a huge fire, killing five people and spewing a toxic cloud of gases that sent 1,300 to the hospital. As of now, the region remains under a state of emergency.
It’s still unclear how much oil was released into the ocean during this latest spill, though it’s unlikely to dethrone Deepwater Horizon from its position as the worst spill in history. The Indonesian incident reportedly occurred when a boat struck an underwater pipeline, dragging it along the seabed.
Some reports suggest the leak has been contained, while others insist it persists. Regardless, it is bound to worsen the already dire pollution situation in Indonesia.
4. Kosovo’s Special Court Moves Forward With Its First Indictments
In late 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) concluded its final rulings, marking the end of one of the bloodiest civil wars of the 1990s. However, the legal aftermath of Yugoslavia’s disintegration is far from finished.
As 2018 began, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague started preparing for another round of proceedings. This week, it was reported that they were set to announce their first indictments.
The Kosovo special court is unique in that it does not focus on prosecuting ethnic Serbs. Instead, members of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) will stand trial for crimes including massacring Serbs, harvesting organs from deceased bodies, and killing Albanians who were political adversaries.
This development has significant potential to disrupt the young nation. Many former KLA members hold key positions in Kosovo’s government, including the president, the prime minister, and several influential politicians. While not all KLA members face war crime accusations, the president and prime minister have been notably proactive in attempting to halt the proceedings of the new court. The court’s progress is only happening because of immense pressure from both the EU and the USA.
3. War-Torn Raqqa Sees Early Signs of Recovery
The fall of Raqqa in October 2017 signaled the defeat of the Islamic State as a territorial power. The city, once the heart of ISIS’s Syrian control, faced a brutal occupation followed by a fierce battle for its liberation. Under ISIS rule, Raqqa’s stadium was transformed into a vast site of torture and executions, a place of unimaginable horrors.
This week, the first glimmers of normal life returned to Raqqa. As thousands of refugees began making their way back home and contractors worked to clear explosive remnants, a significant and symbolic moment took place. In the same stadium where ISIS had carried out its cruelest acts, two local soccer teams played the first match in years. The game marked an essential step toward healing for the city.
The match was small and had a limited turnout, with just around 100 fans attending. But for those who were there, it must have been an unforgettable moment. For four years, their city had been under ISIS’s control. The constant fear and lack of any lawful activities to enjoy had turned the stadium into a site of torment.
To be able to watch something as ordinary as a soccer game, on a Wednesday as regular as any in this part of Syria, must have felt like a miracle. Though it was a small gesture for the people of Raqqa, it was a significant step forward. Hopefully, this once-great city will recover and thrive once more.
2. We Discovered the First Galaxy Without Dark Matter
Dark matter plays a huge role in our understanding of the universe. We can't see it (and we've never been able to detect it directly), but it's believed to make up about 27 percent of the cosmos. In contrast, the matter that we can see only accounts for about 5 percent.
Dark matter is believed to play a crucial role in galaxy formation... or at least it was, until now. Last Friday, a team of researchers revealed information about NGC1052-DF2, a galaxy that is entirely devoid of dark matter.
DF2 is like the cosmic version of a vast suburban area, a collection of stars barely held together and seeming insignificant compared to the densely packed, glowing metropolis that is the Milky Way. The mass of DF2 can be accounted for entirely by its stars, raising a big question: How did this galaxy form without dark matter?
DF2 isn’t the only strange galaxy we’ve come across recently. In 2016, another galaxy, Dragonfly 44, was found and it seemed to be composed almost entirely of dark matter. It appears that our understanding of galaxy formation is even more baffling than we imagined.
1. The US and China Started a Series of Reciprocal Tariffs
Although we’re not officially in a trade war yet, things are definitely heating up. After the US announced tariffs on steel, China responded this week with tariffs of its own. The US quickly countered with even more tariffs, and China fired back immediately. There’s still room to de-escalate, but it looks like we might be heading toward a full-fledged trade war.
If the tariffs proceed as planned, US car manufacturers (including Tesla, which gets about 20% of its sales from China), tech companies with ties to Beijing, whiskey producers, and US farmers are all in for a tough ride. However, US meat exporters could see some positive effects.
One of the biggest bargaining chips still on the table is China’s vast holdings of US government debt. If China were to dump it quickly, it could cause a sharp, short-lived shock to American financial markets.
That said, China only gets one shot at playing the nuclear card. Once it’s used, they lose their leverage. So, the mere threat of using this option might prove more powerful than actually following through.
For now, the tariffs are expected to have a relatively small impact on the overall US economy. Some experts believe both countries are simply using these measures as negotiating tactics, and a resolution could come sooner than we think.
