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After a two-week break, Morris M. is back to walk you through the past seven days of news. It was a week filled with soccer frenzy, a new Supreme Court nomination, a major execution, and the UK government on the brink of collapse. Ready to dive into the chaotic mess we call the news? Keep reading.
10. The UK Government Came Close to Collapse
In just three months, the UK government and the EU are set to vote on the final transition deal, which will take effect once the UK leaves the union on March 29, 2019. Unfortunately for Theresa May, there must be something substantial to vote on.
This week, after two years of making promises to everyone, May finally got her cabinet to agree on the UK's official Brexit stance. Predictably, the compromise nearly caused the government to implode.
May's white paper takes the UK out of the EU single market and customs union, but it keeps the country so aligned with the EU that it would almost feel like remaining. Pro-Brexit MPs were furious, claiming it was 'Brexit in name only.' Meanwhile, Remain MPs were equally upset, arguing it threw away all the benefits of EU membership while maintaining the drawbacks.
It may all be for nothing. After the agreement, two of May's top ministers resigned, leaving the government in disarray. Now, there's a real possibility her premiership will completely crumble when her plan is put to a vote.
9. Japan Finally Carried Out The Execution of the Cult Leader Behind the Tokyo Sarin Attack
On March 20, 1995, the Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, led by blind yoga master Shoko Asahara, unleashed sarin gas on the Tokyo subway during rush hour, killing 12 (later confirmed as 13) and injuring nearly 6,000. This followed a 1994 sarin attack in Matsumoto (which killed eight and injured over 500), in addition to a series of assassinations using chemical and biological agents that claimed at least 12 lives.
The lengthy trials of Aum’s leaders stretched over 20 years, concluding in January 2018. Recently, this column reported that Japan was preparing to execute the convicted. Last Friday, it finally happened. In the morning, news broke that Asahara had been hanged, and as the day unfolded, six more Aum members followed suit. Japan’s most deadly terrorist group is now officially eradicated.
The executions mark the end of a grim chapter in Japan's history, though the impact of the attacks will leave a lasting scar on the nation's collective memory.
8. The Novichok Attack in Britain Took Its First Life
Continuing with the horrific topic of nerve gas, this week may have seen the first British civilian on British soil killed by a WMD. On June 30, Dawn Sturgess and her partner were poisoned by the Soviet nerve agent Novichok while in Amesbury. Sturgess passed away on Monday. Her death could have far-reaching global consequences.
Amesbury is located near Salisbury, the British city where Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were nearly killed by Novichok in March. (The attack also almost claimed the life of a police officer.) The UK government has accused the Kremlin of being behind the attack, pointing to a previous case where a Russian dissident was killed in London with polonium. Moscow, however, denies any involvement.
The prevailing theory is that Sturgess unknowingly picked up a container still contaminated with Novichok from the earlier assassination attempt. Her death has been classified as murder, which is likely to set London and Moscow on a dangerous collision course.
7. Germany’s Largest Neo-Nazi Terror Trial Has Finally Concluded
Between 2000 and 2007, a small neo-Nazi group known as the National Socialist Underground (NSU) went on a racially motivated killing spree across Germany. Eight ethnic Turks, one ethnic Greek, and a female German police officer were randomly murdered by Uwe Bohnhardt, Uwe Mundlos, and Beate Zschape, who also carried out a bombing in Cologne in 2004. Zschape was the only one arrested, while Mundlos and Bohnhardt took their own lives as the police closed in.
This week, the long-running trial of Zschape finally came to an end. The neo-Nazi terrorist was sentenced to life in prison, and her accomplices were also convicted. However, the verdict led to significant divisions in German society, sparking large protests in several major cities.
The trial revealed that German intelligence and the media had willfully ignored the extremist nature of the killings, instead choosing to label them as the work of 'migrant drug gangs.' These oversights allowed the NSU to operate without interference for years.
6. Croatia’s Dream Run in Soccer Took Them to Their First Final
You may have noticed that the World Cup has been taking place over the past couple of weeks. You might also have realized that it's been one of the most unpredictable tournaments in recent memory.
Germany was eliminated in the group stages for the first time in history. Russia made it all the way to the quarterfinals on a wave of optimism. England, a team that had been humiliated by tiny Iceland on the world stage, reached their first semifinal in 28 years.
But the true underdog story of the FIFA World Cup has been Croatia. A country smaller than West Virginia with a population smaller than the Dallas–Fort Worth metro area, Croatia’s team should have been eliminated long ago. Instead, they defeated England on Wednesday night to become only the 13th nation to reach the finals. In doing so, they gained legions of new fans worldwide.
Now, all eyes are on Croatia to see if they can topple mighty France on Sunday and make soccer history.
5. Thailand’s Divers Pulled Off A Stunning, Impossible Rescue
It was a rescue for the ages. On June 23, a young Thai soccer team and their coach disappeared into a vast cave system after the passageways flooded. Initially presumed dead, they were eventually found alive but trapped over 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) of pitch-black water. Getting them all out alive seemed almost impossible.
Yet, that’s exactly what happened. This week, Thai Navy Seals, along with expert divers from Australia and Britain, managed to bring all 12 boys and their coach to safety. Considering the narrow passageways and total darkness, this was nothing short of a miracle.
The world rejoiced at this miraculous rescue, a shining reminder that sometimes, life surprises us with hope. Yet, there was still sorrow. One of the divers, Saman Kunont, tragically died while trying to bring oxygen to the boys. For his ultimate sacrifice, he was honored as a hero.
4. El Salvador’s President Was Ordered To Testify Over A Kidnapping Charge
On November 28, 1979, South African diplomat Archibald Gardner Dunn was seized outside his embassy in El Salvador’s capital by members of the left-wing rebel group, the Popular Liberation Forces (FPL). Dunn was held hostage for an entire year before being executed, even after a $2 million ransom had been paid.
At the time, Sanchez Ceren was the second-in-command of FPL. In 2014, he became El Salvador's president, making him the first former rebel to hold the position. This week, El Salvador’s Supreme Court ordered him to testify in a civil lawsuit filed by Dunn’s family, raising the possibility that the president could face charges of kidnapping, extortion, and murder.
It remains unclear whether Ceren will actually take the witness stand. Despite the court's ruling, his government has refused to comply, arguing that he wasn’t a leader in FPL at the time of Dunn’s abduction.
3. President Trump Revealed His New Supreme Court Nominee
During the 2016 election, as both major candidates struggled with their popularity among certain parts of their voter base, a common refrain emerged: "You’re not voting for Clinton or Trump. You’re voting for the Supreme Court."
It seems those voices were more prophetic than they realized. After appointing Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court justice early in his presidency, Trump has now nominated his second pick following the retirement of Anthony Kennedy. Enter Brett Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh is the justice that religious conservatives had hoped for. With a solid background supporting right-wing causes, including a previous role in the George W. Bush White House, his confirmation would likely shift the court to the right for years to come. (Kennedy, though conservative, had been a swing vote on social issues.)
However, that "if" is crucial. The GOP has struggled with defections in the Senate on key votes recently, including those on health care and tax reform. There’s still a chance that moderates or unpredictable rebels could derail Kavanaugh’s nomination. On the other hand, this might be the one significant vote that Senate Republicans unite behind.
2. Japan Was Devastated by Deadly Floods
Even for a country accustomed to natural disasters, the floods that struck western Japan over the weekend were particularly harrowing. Unprecedented rainfall inundated Hiroshima and Okayama Prefectures, drowning entire villages. By the middle of the week, it was clear that a true catastrophe was unfolding. At the time of writing, 200 deaths have been confirmed, and that number is expected to climb.
The scope of the destruction was so severe that millions were forced to evacuate their homes. The United Nations has now offered assistance with the recovery efforts.
The floods in Japan were compounded by more troubling news. On Wednesday, former nurse Ayumi Kuboki was arrested in Yokohama, suspected of poisoning patients in 2016 by injecting their IV drips with detergent. It's believed she may have killed between 20 and 48 patients. If convicted, she would become Japan’s deadliest serial killer in the last 70 years.
1. The Communist Party in the Czech Republic Experienced Power After Decades
It was a risky decision that led to protests across the country. After struggling to form a government for nine months following his election, Andrej Babis, the populist leader of the ANO party (which means "yes" in Czech), finally reached out to the Communist Party for support.
In return for getting some of their policies enacted, the Communists joined Babis’s center-left coalition in a confidence vote on Wednesday. Although they will remain outside the formal government, it marked the first time since 1989's Velvet Revolution that they have held significant power in the Czech Republic.
The Czech Republic's communist era is marked by a dark history. In 1948, the Communist Party took control of Czechoslovakia through a coup, starting an era of harsh repression. When Alexander Dubcek became leader in 1968 and tried to loosen censorship, the Warsaw Pact nations invaded. The memories of communism are deeply painful for most Czechs.
Now, the Communist Party is back in the political picture, though not directly in control. With Babis also being investigated for embezzling millions of euros, the newly formed Czech government is already becoming highly unpopular.
