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Staying on top of the news can feel overwhelming. That's why we’ve made it easier by gathering the most significant, unexpected, or simply jaw-dropping stories every week.
Depending on where you're located, the first week of 2018 either marked a calm start to the year or the coldest, most miserable week you’ve ever endured. The US spent much of the week under a brutal deep freeze, setting all sorts of records, while parts of Europe faced destructive storms.
On a symbolic level, however, politics saw the fiercest storms, as entire countries were rocked by the forces of protest and transformation.
10. Iran Experienced Its Largest Protests in Years
It all began with the rising cost of eggs.
On December 28, 2017, people gathered in Mashhad, an industrial city in Iran, to protest. Protests are uncommon in Iran, where the government takes a hard line on dissent, but these workers felt they had nothing to lose. After enduring years of economic struggles, they had now witnessed the price of eggs and other essential goods soar. Their frustration was palpable, and they were determined to express it.
And express it they did. Before long, the protests spread throughout the country. Some believe conservative clerics may have sparked the unrest in an attempt to remove moderate President Rouhani from office. (Mashhad is known as a conservative stronghold.) If that’s the case, they unintentionally set off a nationwide firestorm. By the time of this writing, tens of thousands are protesting, over 22 have died, and the Iranian government is in full crisis mode.
The last round of protests in Iran, back in 2009, was led by students and was brutally suppressed. These working-class protests present a more difficult challenge. Tehran has long claimed the 1979 Revolution as a working-class movement. If workers are now rising against the Ayatollah, Iran’s religious leaders may be in real jeopardy.
9. Germany's Stringent New Hate Speech Law Takes Effect
Germany already enforces some of the toughest hate speech laws in the democratic world, including penalties for things like downplaying the Holocaust.
This new legislation extends those regulations into the digital realm, holding social media platforms accountable in the same way broadcasters are. Supporters argue it will curb the rise of extremism, while critics claim it pushes companies to excessively censor content before it’s even flagged.
8. Greece and Macedonia Finally Made Progress in Resolving Their Name Dispute
Since its formation, Macedonia and Greece have had a strained relationship, primarily due to the name 'Macedonia.' Greece has a province bordering Macedonia that shares the same name, but Macedonia, as the successor to Alexander the Great, claims ownership of it. Greece counters by asserting that Alexander was Greek.
Although this may seem like a petty argument, it has had serious repercussions. Greece has blocked Macedonia’s attempts to join both the EU and NATO. The dispute nearly led to war, and Macedonian nationalist leader Nikola Gruevski filled Skopje with statues of Alexander as a provocative gesture towards Athens.
However, this New Year may have marked a turning point. Zoran Zaev, the pro-European Prime Minister of Macedonia, met with Yiannis Boutaris, the most influential politician from Greek Macedonia. Both sides agreed it was time to move past the name issue.
Boutaris, supported by Athens, has consented to allow Macedonia to adopt a new name that still includes 'Macedonia' (e.g., New Macedonia). Zaev has stated that both Macedonia and Greece share Alexander’s legacy. These are significant concessions, and if both countries can reconcile, the southern Balkans could see a rare period of stability.
7. DRC’s President Failed to Step Down (Not That It Was Surprising)
Have you ever wondered why the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is in such disarray? Part of the answer lies in its leadership, specifically Joseph Kabila, who has held power since his father’s assassination in 2001. The DRC constitution permits leaders to serve two full terms after being elected. Kabila won two elections after taking over, but his term ended in December 2016.
As you might have guessed, Kabila didn’t step down. This triggered violence, and the Catholic Church negotiated a final deadline for new elections to replace him by December 2017. Fast forward to 2018, and he’s still in power. Kabila now promises he’ll step down in December 2018. If anyone actually believes him, we’ve got a bridge to sell.
Kabila’s refusal to step down is about more than greed. Congo is torn by internal conflict, and the delayed election has only fueled the violence. Hundreds have lost their lives, and countless others have fled. At this point, Kabila’s not just responsible for blood on his hands, but entire rivers of it staining his expensive suit.
6. Belgium Sent Its Final Telegram After 171 Years
Like some outdated technologies, telegrams carry a certain nostalgia. Many of us would love to receive one for a special occasion, if only for the novelty and the sense of sophistication it brings.
In the final moments of 2017, that became much more difficult. After 171 years of continuous service, Belgium shut down its telegram system. It was one of the last countries in the world still offering telegrams for practical, non-novelty purposes.
There’s not much mystery to this tale. Telegrams were overtaken by faxes decades ago, and now email has rendered them obsolete. As reported by Smithsonian Magazine, Belgium sent 1.5 million telegrams annually in the early 1980s. By 2017, that number had dwindled to just 8,000, mostly from 10 business clients. In 2018, it will send none at all.
5. The US Experienced a Seriously Cold Spell
If you're reading this from the US, it's likely that you've spent much of this week battling frigid temperatures. As 2018 kicked off, temperatures plummeted across the country, causing chaos and turning everything into ice. In many areas, the bone-chilling cold set new records.
The cold snap even impacted regions with normally mild weather, like Florida, intensifying the feeling of a nation united in shivering discomfort. To make matters worse, a record-breaking bomb cyclone swept across the East Coast. Who could have predicted that The Day After Tomorrow would come to life as a documentary?
4. Moldova’s President Went to Battle with His Supreme Court
A small sliver of land sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova is home to just over million people. Despite its size, the country is no stranger to political turmoil. On Tuesday, Igor Dodon, the pro-Moscow president, blocked the pro-European government’s new ministerial appointments, branding them as “incompetent.”
In the ensuing standoff, the government requested that Dodon’s powers be temporarily suspended. The Moldovan Supreme Court sided with them. Dodon’s response? He refused to comply with the decision and launched a confrontation with the nation’s highest court.
Moldova finds itself in a civil war scenario similar to that of eastern Ukraine, albeit on a smaller scale. In 1992, Transdniestria declared independence with Russian military backing, becoming a pro-Moscow breakaway entity within Moldova. More recently, Moldova has pursued EU membership, which has sparked a series of diplomatic clashes with Moscow. These tensions are escalating into a full-blown dispute that threatens the stability of the entire country.
At the heart of it all is Moldova’s identity crisis. Should it follow Romania’s lead into the EU, or should it align itself more closely with Putin? If a decision is not made soon, it could tear the government apart.
3. The Trump White House Went to Battle with Its Closest Ally
Steve Bannon is the key figure behind Donald Trump's journey to the White House.
Formerly the editor of Breitbart News, Bannon shaped the ethno-nationalist ideals that Trump would ultimately champion. He took control of Trump’s faltering campaign, transforming it into a winning force that led to his presidential victory. He became the ideological architect of Trumpism, the mastermind behind the Muslim ban, and a trusted confidant of the president.
This week, the very man who crafted Trump’s vision for America turned his sights on his former ally. In a new book, Bannon labeled Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with Russian officials as 'treasonous' and implied that collusion had already been proven. Trump fired back, declaring a public war on Bannon.
On one hand, this is just a minor political skirmish. On the other hand, it could very well become a full-fledged political storm that shapes the landscape of 2018.
Bannon is undeniably tied to the alt-right movement. If he's openly accusing the Trump family of treason, then any attempts to discredit Mueller's investigation as a liberal media conspiracy quickly lose credibility. It seems Bannon might be gearing up to abandon the president in favor of a fresher political figure who aligns more closely with his core values. Whoever this person is, Bannon could likely craft them into the next president.
2. Peruvians Protested the Release of Their Former Dictator
In the hustle and bustle of last week’s 2017 roundup, one of the most significant stories after Christmas flew under the radar. Let’s bring attention to it now. After barely surviving impeachment proceedings, Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczysnki delivered an unexpected surprise to his political adversaries.
Kuczysnki’s strongest opponents are supporters of Peru’s former dictator, Alberto Fujimori. Fujimori is famous for confronting the Shining Path insurgency, but his methods included deploying death squads against his foes, manipulating elections, and getting involved in bribery scandals. In 2007, he was sentenced to prison for abuse of power, with his sentence extended in 2009 due to human rights violations. He was supposed to serve a 25-year term.
Then came the impeachment vote for Kuczysnki. At the last minute, a group of die-hard Fujimori supporters cast their votes in favor of the president. Initially, this seemed baffling. In hindsight, it looks like a behind-the-scenes arrangement to save Kuczysnki’s presidency in return for securing Fujimori’s release.
The pardon has sparked widespread protests across Peru and could have significantly tarnished the country’s reputation on the global stage.
1. Ethiopia Pledged to Free All Political Prisoners
Well, that was a surprise.
On Wednesday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn made a surprising announcement: all political prisoners held at the infamous Maekelawi prison would be released. Located in Addis Ababa, the prison is a brutal site where journalists, activists, and bloggers endure starvation, beatings, and torture for crimes that are often fabricated. People can disappear there for years. The sudden news of its closure is something no one anticipated.
This unexpected move might be linked to the ongoing protests in Ethiopia, which have been escalating since 2015. Ethnic tensions have led to outbreaks of violence, looting, and even instances of ethnic cleansing, pushing the country toward the brink of civil war. Desalegn may be trying to calm the unrest by offering reforms—or at least the hope of reforms—to ease the frustrations of Ethiopia’s diverse ethnic groups.
