Buzz
Staying on top of current events can be a real challenge. To make things easier, we've taken the time to bring you the week’s most noteworthy, unexpected, or just plain jaw-dropping stories each week.
The first week of December didn’t exactly shock us with its choice of headline-making region. Once again, the Middle East was at the center of global attention, once again edging closer to unrest. In addition to this ongoing saga, we’ll dive into the whirlwind of news emerging from Washington, Africa, and Europe.
10. The US Officially Acknowledged Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel
If anyone were to compile a list of 2017’s most controversial news moments, this would undoubtedly secure the top spot. On Wednesday, President Trump fulfilled his campaign promise to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, making the US the first nation in the world to do so, and vowed to relocate the US embassy there. In doing so, he ignited a firestorm that could potentially destabilize the entire region.
East Jerusalem is one of the most contentious areas on Earth. Taken from Jordan during the 1967 war, it is claimed as the capital by both Israel and any future Palestinian state. The Old City holds religious significance for Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, with an additional ethnic claim by Armenians. (Armenians, while Christian, have had a long-standing historical presence in the city.) As such, the international community has never formally recognized it as belonging to any one party. Until now.
The president’s announcement was met with strong opposition from US allies in the Middle East. Turkey threatened to withdraw its recognition of Israel in response. Both the UK and the EU also condemned the move, warning it could trigger a new intifada.
9. The ICC Initiated A Formal Investigation Into The UK
The International Criminal Court (ICC) stands as the highest legal authority in the world. Emerging from the International Criminal Tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda, its role is to prosecute crimes such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. As of the beginning of this year, it had launched ten formal investigations across nine countries. (The Central African Republic was investigated twice.) This week, it revealed plans to add another country to its list: the United Kingdom.
This is major news, especially considering that the ICC has only ever formally investigated one non-African nation: Georgia, over its 2008 conflict with Russia. The UK investigation will focus on the alleged abuse of detainees in Iraq. If it proceeds, this will mark the first time individuals from an OECD country face charges in the court.
It's important to note that the formal investigation hasn't yet started and could still be canceled. However, that may offer little consolation to London. The ICC is also preparing to launch an investigation into crimes committed in Afghanistan, with the United Kingdom likely to face scrutiny in that case as well.
8. Fake Terrorism Strikes Germany Again
Do you remember the Dortmund bus bombing? Back in April, a bus carrying Germany’s Dortmund soccer team was hit with a roadside bomb, injuring two people. Despite appearances, it quickly became clear that the attack was far from a terrorist act. The man behind it was a white collar criminal who staged the bombing in hopes of profiting from the impact it would have on the team’s stock price.
At first, we thought this was an isolated incident. Apparently, we were wrong. Just last weekend, another ‘fake’ terrorist attack sparked panic in Germany. A bomb found at the Potsdam Christmas market turned out to be a complex scam aimed at stealing millions from delivery company DHL.
The bomb was sent via DHL, who received a threatening message warning it would detonate unless they paid the bomber €10 million. The company refused. It was sheer luck that the bomb was so poorly constructed it didn’t go off when opened.
This bomb was the third to be mailed through DHL in recent months. As strange as it sounds, there seems to be more than one person in Germany willing to carry out acts of terrorism for money.
7. Yemen’s Former President Was Executed by Rebel Forces
Former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh was, until recently, one of the most elusive figures in the Arab world. He ruled Yemen from 1978 to 2012, and spent the last decade of his rule battling Houthi rebels in a devastating civil war. Then came the Arab Spring. Forced out of power, Saleh switched allegiances, joining forces with the Houthi and helping lead the assault that has turned Yemen into a war-torn wasteland.
This week, Saleh tried to play the same game again. He proposed betraying the Houthi and aligning himself with their enemies, Saudi Arabia. But this time, he miscalculated. The Houthi caught wind of his plan, captured him as he attempted to flee the country, and executed him without mercy. With Saleh’s death, the possibility of lasting peace in Yemen seems more distant than ever.
Despite his tyrannical rule, Saleh was at least skilled at managing the competing demands of Yemen’s diverse tribes and ethnic groups. Without his balancing act, Yemen risks descending into a chaotic state that could mirror the endless turmoil in Libya.
6. Belgium’s ‘Snowflake’ Prince Took the Government to Court
Introducing Prince Laurent, the most high-maintenance royal Europe has ever seen. The brother of the Belgian king, Prince Laurent is a walking PR disaster, notorious for his gaffes and lack of the charm that Britain’s Prince Philip is known for. His fashion sense is questionable, often resembling a 1980s South American dictator, complete with military garb and oversized sunglasses.
Over the years, he’s managed to swindle taxpayers into paying for his children’s skiing trips, been caught mingling with Gadhafi’s son, got entangled in shady business deals in the Congo, and generally behaved like a bratty child trapped in the body of a middle-aged, overweight man. Last Friday, his tantrums hit a new low. After the Belgian government proposed cutting his €308,000 annual allowance by 15 percent, the entitled prince sued, claiming a violation of his human rights.
This lawsuit is unlikely to win him any allies in Belgium. Flemish nationalists are targeting him, the king has effectively exiled him from the court, and the prime minister seems determined to rein him in. If all else fails, there’s always revolution.
5. Cameroon Braced for Civil War
Around two months ago, we reported on the growing separatist protests in Cameroon that were on the verge of spinning into a crisis. This week, that crisis might have finally hit. After six soldiers were killed, President Paul Biya declared a “war” on secessionist forces. In practical terms, this seems to be a euphemism for an ethnic purge of Cameroon’s anglophone regions.
Cameroon is made up of two former colonies—one French and one British. While the majority of Cameroonians speak French, an English-speaking minority remains in two states near the Nigerian border. For years, the anglophones have felt sidelined by their francophone rulers. Recently, they began pushing for independence. Leader Sisiku Ayuk Tabe proclaimed the creation of a new state, Ambazonia. Yaoundé disagreed and sent in the military. All of this has led to the current eruption of violence and the looming threat of civil war.
English speakers are fleeing across the border into Nigeria, trying to escape the violence. Whether things will de-escalate or explode into a full-blown war remains to be seen.
4. Japan Set a Date for Its Emperor’s Abdication
Do you remember Emperor Kokaku? Probably not—he passed away in 1840. The vast stretch of time since his reign highlights just how remarkable the news out of Japan is right now. Last Friday, Tokyo announced a date for Emperor Akihito’s abdication. He will be the first monarch to step down since Kokaku relinquished the throne in 1817.
Akihito ascended the throne after his father, Hirohito, passed away in 1989. While incredibly popular in Japan, he’s been quietly lobbying for the right to retire for over a year. Japan has no clear system in place for royal abdications, which led to a minor crisis. After discussions involving the government, opposition, imperial family, and the Supreme Court, it was decided that Akihito will abdicate on April 30, 2019. His son Naruhito will take the throne on May 1.
This may not be the last succession crisis Japan faces. Only males can inherit the throne, and Japan’s imperial family is mostly female. There are only four potential heirs left, one of whom is a child, and another who is as old as Akihito.
3. Former General Michael Flynn Reached A Plea Agreement
With everything else going on around the world, one news story dominated the conversation in Washington, DC, this week. Last Friday, disgraced former general Michael Flynn admitted to lying to the FBI. He then struck a plea deal to assist Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign. Speculation ran rampant across the capital.
Plea deals are typically offered when prosecutors aim to take down someone bigger. As Politico reports, Flynn is already a significant figure. If Mueller is going easy on him, it suggests that he’s got someone more important in his crosshairs. After months of quiet investigation, Mueller’s team is finally heading toward major, drama-filled developments.
Many rumors currently center around whether Flynn has information on the president. While that’s a possibility, the smarter chatter seems to be focused on Jared Kushner as the person Mueller may be targeting. Whether there’s anything to uncover is another question entirely. But one thing is certain: We can expect many more explosive stories from Mueller’s team in the coming months.
2. The Full Extent of the Crisis in the Congo Was Revealed
Worse than Yemen. Worse than Iraq. Worse even than Syria. That’s how aid organizations described the dire situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this week, where 1.7 million people have been displaced since August. A cholera outbreak, delayed elections, escalating armed conflict, and the return of old militia groups have all contributed to what is being labeled a “mega crisis.”
The DRC has been struggling since the 1998–2003 civil war, which claimed over two million lives. Each day, hundreds flee their homes, and dozens more lose their lives. But this year, the violence has intensified, now threatening neighboring countries. On Tuesday, reports emerged that the flood of refugees fleeing the conflict was putting immense pressure on Zambia, threatening to ignite a crisis of its own.
What’s most shocking is how little coverage this violence has received. While the world is acutely aware of the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, and Libya, the devastation in the DRC has largely been ignored.
1. Wildfires Ravaged Los Angeles
California has had a devastating wildfire season. With at least 43 lives lost, many of them during a particularly brutal October, the state is once again facing fires that threaten to engulf its most populous city: Los Angeles.
By Wednesday, flames were already advancing toward the city. By Thursday morning, they had breached city limits, tearing through buildings, shutting down freeways, and causing massive destruction. The Skirball Fire hit the affluent Bel Air area, threatening the Getty Museum, and forcing evacuations across UCLA’s campus. Thousands fled, while the fire continued to burn uncontrollably.
As you read this, the fire may have spread even further, with more devastation in its wake. Let’s hope that California’s worst wildfire season in decades doesn’t culminate in an even greater disaster.
