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Staying informed on current events can be a challenge. To make it easier, we've compiled the most impactful, remarkable, or simply mind-blowing stories of the week.
The last full week of September was bursting with political drama, reminiscent of an election campaign. Two major economies took surprising votes, another called for an unpredicted election, and one crucial region voted to become the world’s newest nation. While not all the stories were political, it was impossible to ignore the global political tremors shaking governments everywhere.
10. Germany Endured Two Huge Electoral Surprises
Angela Merkel will continue as Germany's chancellor for another four years.
This was the key takeaway from Sunday’s German election, and it's not surprising at all. However, behind Merkel's victory were two enormous shocks.
The first shock was the rise of the right-wing, anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Founded in 2013 as an anti-Euro party, it evolved around the 2015 migrant crisis. Despite a tumultuous summer, polls consistently predicted the party would secure a spot in Berlin's Bundestag (any party surpassing five percent automatically qualifies). But AfD didn’t just scrape by—they pulled in 12 percent of the vote. They are now Germany’s third-largest party.
The second shock was the downfall of the center-left SPD. Initially riding high, SPD started 2017 with optimism. Their new leader, Martin Schulz, was expected to be Germany's version of Justin Trudeau. His party was polling in the 40s, and he was seen as a strong contender to unseat Merkel.
Instead, Schulz led the party to its worst defeat since 1949. With only 20.5 percent of the vote, the party has stepped away from the government, leaving Merkel to forge a new coalition with the revived pro-business FDP and the Greens. The gap between the parties is so wide that the next German government is likely to be torn apart by internal conflicts.
9. New Zealand’s Election Resulted In A Stalemate
Just one day before Germans woke up to a severely weakened government, New Zealanders found themselves in a similar situation. Prime Minister Bill English’s National Party began the evening as a minority government with enough allies in parliament to pass crucial votes. By the end of the night, they were only six seats ahead of a left-wing coalition between the Greens and a revitalized Labour Party, with two of their partner parties ousted from parliament. No one was able to form a government as a result.
The only clear winner in this chaotic situation was Winston Peters (pictured above), a straight-talking anti-immigrant politician whose New Zealand First party lost three seats but emerged as the kingmaker. With the National Party holding 58 seats and the Labour-Greens coalition at 52, Peters’ nine seats were now crucial to securing a majority of 61 seats to form a government. Peters has made it clear that no deal will be reached before October 7. Until then, New Zealand is effectively without a government.
8. Kurdistan Voted To Become The World’s Newest Nation
After two significant elections, Monday brought another major shock. In a highly contested referendum, Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region voted by an overwhelming 92 percent to secede and form an independent nation. This result united the normally divided Washington, London, Brussels, Baghdad, Tehran, Moscow, and Ankara in their outrage for the first time in many years.
Before Saddam’s fall in 2003, Iraq’s Kurds were severely oppressed. (Saddam once unleashed sarin gas on a Kurdish village, killing more than 4,000 people.) Then, the rise of ISIS gave the Kurds an opportunity to fight back. As they retook cities like Kirkuk, previously controlled by ISIS, they expanded Iraqi Kurdistan’s territory at Iraq’s expense. When Kirkuk was included in the independence referendum this week, Baghdad was furious.
There are concerns that Monday’s referendum could trigger another Middle Eastern conflict. Iraq may attempt to reclaim Kurdistan by force, or countries like Iran and Turkey might intervene to prevent their own Kurdish populations from pushing for independence.
7. Washington Was Hit By Another E-Mail Scandal
A year ago, the name “Clinton” was linked to two words: “e-mail” and “scandal.” Hillary’s use of a private server to send official emails might have cost the Democrats the 2016 election. Now, another e-mail scandal has erupted in Washington. However, this time, the name “Clinton” isn’t involved. Instead, the focus is on three well-known names: Kushner, Bannon...and Trump.
On September 25, it was revealed that six of President Trump’s closest advisors had been using private email servers for official business. First, the news broke that Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, was involved. Then came a cascade of additional revelations: Former White House strategist Stephen Bannon, former chief of staff Reince Priebus, and two lesser-known Trump advisors were also implicated. The biggest shock of all came when Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter, was named as well.
Democrats have launched an investigation into this new e-mail scandal, perhaps as a response to the GOP’s attacks on Hillary. It’s important to note, though, that the scale of these offenses is different. Kushner is under investigation for about 100 emails, while Hillary mishandled tens of thousands.
6. Japan’s Prime Minister Took a Big Risk With a Surprise Election
A few months ago, we shared how a rising political party in Tokyo delivered a major blow to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in regional elections, causing his approval ratings to plummet. At that time, we speculated that Abe’s time in power was running out. Well, now Abe may either confirm our prediction or make us look completely wrong. In a bold and risky move, the Japanese Prime Minister called for an unexpected election on October 22.
Abe’s election strategy was put into motion right after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced she was launching a new national party. Koike, who had previously embarrassed Abe in the Tokyo elections, now presents a real threat that could potentially unravel the government.
Abe is a prominent world leader. Just months ago, he appeared on track to become the longest-serving postwar prime minister of the world’s third-largest economy. But the past two years have been filled with so many unexpected election results that it’s hard to keep count. Japan’s electorate could be about to deliver another surprise and shake the political establishment once again.
And now, let’s move on to something other than politics.
5. Russia Uncovered A Spate Of Horrific Cannibal Killings
It all began with a broken cell phone.
On September 11, a group of Russian builders found a damaged phone lying on the street in Krasnodar. Since it wasn’t locked, they decided to look through the pictures. What they discovered were images of a man and woman posing with dismembered bodies and consuming human flesh.
The phone was traced back to Dmitry Baksheev, a local kitchen porter working at a military hostel. Together with his wife, Natalia Baksheeva, Dmitry was arrested this week. Police uncovered disturbing evidence suggesting the couple may have spent nearly two decades indulging in twisted fantasies of murder and cannibalism. If their confessions are corroborated, they will rank among Russia’s most notorious serial killers.
While details remain sparse, it appears the couple regularly drugged their victims, skinned them alive, and ate their remains. Photos recovered from the phone dated back to 1999, showing a severed human head on a table surrounded by fruit. Human flesh was discovered in their freezer, and there’s evidence they attempted to sell it at the kitchen where Dmitry worked.
Altogether, the couple is believed to have killed 30 people.
4. An Experimental Implant Revived A Man From A Vegetative State
For 15 years, the unidentified patient involved in an experiment this week had been trapped in a persistent vegetative state, meaning he was as close to death as possible without actually passing away. It was long assumed that anyone in this condition for more than a year could never recover. But that assumption may now need to be reevaluated. After doctors implanted a device in the patient's vagus nerve, they were able to revive him to a level of minimal consciousness.
The vagus nerve is essentially the brain's main communication line to the rest of the body. It connects to two brain areas involved in consciousness. By applying electrical stimulation for a month, the doctors were able to get the patient to follow objects with his eyes, show surprise, and even perform basic actions such as turning his head.
This breakthrough is hard to exaggerate. We might one day reach a point where we can fully revive individuals in specific vegetative states, marking a true triumph for science.
3. North Korea Claimed The US Had Declared War
Over the past year, North Korea has shifted from being a subject of ridicule to a source of global fear. Under the leadership of the unpredictable Kim Jong-un, the country has conducted more nuclear tests than ever before, threatened to bomb Guam, launched missiles over Japan, hinted at testing a hydrogen bomb in the Pacific, and generally behaved as though it were single-handedly attempting to ignite World War III.
This week, the situation took another alarming turn. After President Trump’s biting tweets, North Korea’s foreign minister, Ri Yong-ho, claimed that the US had effectively declared war. The result? Pyongyang was now prepared to shoot down any US aircraft that came within 80 kilometers (50 miles) of its airspace.
For clarity, the United States is not engaged in warfare with North Korea over this declaration. However, there's a strong possibility that Pyongyang might begin targeting American aircraft. If even a single plane is shot down, it could spark an actual war, potentially involving thermonuclear weapons. We stand at a crossroads: in one potential future, you’ll look back on this and wonder why we were so concerned. In another, you won’t reflect on it at all because the world may have been reduced to a burnt, smoldering wasteland.
2. Former Congressman Anthony Weiner Was Imprisoned For Sexting An Underage Girl
There’s a strange element of nominative determinism in Anthony Weiner’s downfall. The former congressman from New York was initially known for having one of the most ridiculous names in American politics. Later, he gained infamy for sending an inappropriate picture of himself to a woman who did not consent. This week, his reputation plummeted even further. Now, Weiner’s name is sadly linked to his involvement with an underage girl.
The specifics of the case might lead you to believe that David Icke was right about those in power being sinister ‘lizards’ with a disturbing attraction to child abuse. Weiner persuaded a 15-year-old to send him explicit images, a crime so grievous that even his powerful connections couldn’t shield him. After being convicted in May, Weiner has now been sentenced to 21 months behind bars.
1. A Survivor of the Mexican Earthquake Turned Out to Be a Fabrication
Last week, Mexico was struck by its second catastrophic earthquake within two weeks. One of the most heartbreaking incidents occurred when a school collapsed, resulting in the deaths of many children. The only survivor was 12-year-old Frida Sofia, who was trapped in the debris while rescue teams worked tirelessly to save her. Her story of survival became a beacon of hope in Mexico, a country reeling from the devastation. It soon caught the attention of the world.
On Friday, September 22, the mood shifted from hope to fury. Rescue teams unexpectedly halted their search for Frida, but not because she was dead. It was revealed that Frida had never existed.
The shocking revelation sparked outrage across Mexico. Many felt that the authorities and media had manipulated the public, possibly to divert attention from the failures in planning that contributed to the quake’s deadly impact. Strangely, this wasn’t the first time a similar story had captivated Mexico, only to be debunked. After the 1985 earthquake, a massive effort was made to rescue a young boy trapped under rubble, but like Frida, he was later discovered to be a fabrication.
