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Staying updated with the news is a real challenge. It's so difficult that we've decided to make your life easier by compiling the most important, bizarre, or just downright jaw-dropping stories every week.
This week unfolded like the usual whirlwind we've come to expect in 2018. Washington was full of turmoil. London faced continued unrest. France saw riots. And violence erupted in Brazil, Russia, and France (again). Just another day in this unpredictable year? You decide.
10. Yellow Vest Protests Continue to Shake France
The ‘yellow vests’ movement in France has, by some standards, emerged as one of the most impactful protests in recent history. What started as a reaction to a fuel tax increase quickly expanded into an intense outcry against the current administration, Emmanuel Macron, and nearly a decade of declining living conditions.
On Monday, Macron finally relented. After steadfastly refusing to reverse the fuel tax increase, he not only scrapped it but also raised the minimum wage, reduced certain taxes, and rolled back pension reforms. Had he offered these changes three weeks ago, he’d be back in the public’s favor.
But he didn’t. And now there are growing doubts that his actions came too late to appease the protesters. Many yellow vests have vowed to continue their demonstrations until true change is achieved—a likely reference to Macron stepping down.
The pressing question is: Will public support for the protests endure after Macron's reversal? Some international leaders certainly think so. This week, Egypt even prohibited the sale of yellow vests to prevent locals from copying the French protests.
9. France Endured Another Islamist Attack
Fortunately, 2018 saw only a small number of Islamist attacks in France, especially when compared to the horrific wave of violence in 2015 and 2016, which claimed over 200 lives in just 18 months. However, ‘very few’ still doesn’t mean ‘none.’ On Tuesday, a gunman shouting “Allahu Akbar” opened fire at a busy Christmas market in Strasbourg, located on the German border. His rampage left two dead, 12 injured, and one person with irreversible brain damage.
The shooter was identified as Cherif Chekatt, a 29-year-old minor criminal who appeared on French terrorism watchlists. Like many attackers in Europe over the years, Chekatt seems to have been radicalized while in prison, which highlights deep issues within the prison system. Chekatt was wounded during the attack and was later killed in a police operation in Strasbourg on Thursday.
Although Chekatt's actions were truly disturbing, his attack, fortunately, had a lower death toll. We’ve previously observed that attacks resulting in double-digit fatalities seem to be becoming rarer in Europe. Let’s hope that in time, even attacks like the one in Strasbourg will be consigned to the past.
8. A Gunman Unleashes Havoc in a Brazilian Cathedral
Continuing with the grim theme of mass killings, this week also saw a gunman wreak havoc in the Brazilian city of Campinas. Forty-nine-year-old systems analyst Euler Fernando Gandolfo entered a local Catholic cathedral during midday mass. He sat among elderly worshippers, briefly prayed, and then stood up and opened fire on the congregation. When the violence ended, four lives had been lost. Gandolfo then took his own life.
While Brazil is notorious for its violence, mass shootings like those in the US are a rare occurrence. This makes the massacre in Campinas an outlier, a tragedy that resonates more with American audiences familiar with mass shootings than with those accustomed to Brazil's gang-related violence.
Police are currently suggesting that Gandolfo may have been suffering from mental illness. Regardless of his state of mind, his actions led to the tragic deaths of four defenseless elderly individuals.
7. Angela Merkel Was Finally Replaced as Leader of Her Party
We are now witnessing the twilight of the Merkel era. After last year's disappointing national elections and a series of poor results in regional polls, Germany's chancellor is limping toward a finish line that’s far from guaranteed.
Last Friday, we got our first glimpse of what the future might hold. After a fiercely contested vote, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (AKK) defeated Fredrich Merz to become the new leader of Merkel’s CDU party. Although Merkel remains chancellor for now, her party has clearly moved on from her leadership.
So, what can we expect from the potential next ‘most powerful woman in Europe’? Well, AKK is a complex figure. She’s strongly pro-EU and a staunch advocate for women's rights, but she’s not particularly supportive of LGBT rights, has questioned the right of Turkish citizens in Germany to hold dual citizenship, and supports mandatory military service.
Nevertheless, she was seen as the moderate option compared to Merz, who aimed to shift the CDU closer to the far-right AfD. Whether she can stand up to the growing influence of right-wing and left-wing populism in Germany is still uncertain.
6. Theresa May Withstood a Brutal No-Confidence Vote
It’s interesting to note that the three leading figures of the EU (Macron, Merkel, and May) are all witnessing their authority crumble simultaneously. While Macron struggled with a revolutionary street movement and Merkel was sidelined into a lame-duck role, Theresa May was—once again—desperately hanging on as her party attempted to toss her out.
This week’s challenge to her leadership came in the form of a no-confidence vote, initiated by her own Conservative MPs, frustrated by her Brexit deal. The vote was held in secret on Wednesday night. Had she lost, she would have been ousted as both party leader and prime minister, leaving Britain directionless as the looming disaster of Brexit draws closer.
In the end, May barely survived. A total of 117 of her own MPs voted to remove her, while 200 voted for her to remain. Even her most pessimistic supporters had expected no more than 80 MPs to oppose her. While May survived this time, a third of her party (along with Labour, the SNP, the Liberal Democrats, and various smaller parties) now want her gone. The vote did little to heal the divisions that already exist. As we edge closer to Brexit, these rifts will only deepen. Expect more UK chaos ahead.
5. Russia’s Most Notorious Serial Killer Was Unmasked
It’s telling that 2018 turned out to be the year we identified the likely most prolific serial killers in three different countries. In October, we discovered that Niels Hogel had claimed more victims than any other German serial killer in modern times, and in November, Texas criminal Samuel Little emerged as a potential contender for the most deadly killer in US history.
As December arrived, it was Russia’s turn to reveal its worst. Mikhail Popkov, already imprisoned in 2015 for the murders of 22 women in his Siberian hometown of Angarsk, had his sentence extended this week after being convicted of 56 additional murders. He is now likely the most prolific serial killer in modern Russian history.
Popkov’s story is one of a monster lurking in plain view. A former police officer, he would offer women rides home in his police car, drive them to isolated areas, sexually assault them, and then kill them with an ax or hammer. The only time he killed a man was when he feared a fellow officer might expose him. His brutality earned him the nickname “the Werewolf.”
4. Armenia’s Election Results Spark Major Transformation
Do you remember the Armenian revolution? Earlier this year, we dedicated several weeks to covering the whirlwind events, where one man’s solitary protest turned into a peaceful “velvet” revolution, toppling the entire government without any violence. The man behind it all, Nikol Pashinian, ascended to the role of prime minister. But his journey wasn’t over yet.
Over the weekend, Armenians participated in a snap election called by Pashinian after he expressed frustration with a legislature that was blocking his reform efforts. While his victory was expected, the scale of his win was astonishing. Pashinian’s alliance garnered over 70 percent of the vote, with his nearest competitor securing less than nine percent. The former ruling party, ousted by the peaceful revolution, failed to meet the five-percent threshold to gain parliamentary seats.
With a powerful democratic mandate, Pashinian is now in a prime position to implement his reforms and, hopefully, transform Armenia into a more just and less corrupt nation. We can only hope he succeeds in this ambitious endeavor.
3. Michael Cohen Was Sentenced to Prison
Not long ago, Michael Cohen was one of the most trusted figures in the inner circle of the world’s most powerful leader. The long-serving lawyer and fixer for President Trump was a significant player in Robert Mueller’s investigation. Now, he becomes the first member of Trump’s close team to be sentenced to prison. After allegations of lying post-plea agreement, Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday, which will run concurrently with an additional two-month sentence for perjury before Congress.
Cohen’s offenses included violations of campaign finance laws, tax fraud, and evasion. While the latter two are unrelated to his role with the president, the first charge was directly linked. Cohen was convicted of orchestrating hush-money payments to prevent negative press surrounding Trump’s affairs. His conviction for lying to Congress is tied to his involvement in misleading lawmakers about a Trump Tower project in Moscow.
With Cohen’s sentencing, it appears that the results of Mueller’s investigation are beginning to unfold. Unexpectedly, the special counsel seems to be focusing more on crimes committed by Trump’s business dealings than the much-discussed issue of Russian interference. The future trajectory of this investigation remains uncertain, but it’s clear that the drama will persist for months to come.
2. Charlottesville Attacker Was Recommended For Life In Prison
It’s a sad reflection of the ignorant fringe online that one of the most searched terms related to Alex James Fields Jr. (the man who took a life during the Charlottesville attack) is “Hillary Clinton supporter.” Yes, that’s right—this hate-driven white supremacist, who ended a protestor’s life, is somehow being pegged as a liberal. It's baffling.
Thankfully, the absurd and misguided voices online are in the minority within the American legal system. This week, a jury recommended that Fields be sentenced to life in prison, plus an additional 419 years, for the fatal vehicle attack that killed Heather Heyer. While the judge won't formally sentence him until March of the following year, it’s almost certain that Fields will be incarcerated for an extraordinarily long time.
This is a step in the right direction. The scars from the events in Charlottesville are still fresh in American society, and hate continues to linger ominously beneath the surface. A lengthy prison term for Fields may help bring some measure of justice and healing to those affected by his actions.
1. China And Canada’s Diplomatic Tensions Escalated
Earlier this month, Canada made a surprising move by arresting Meng Wanzhou, the Chief Financial Officer of Huawei, the Chinese telecom giant. This arrest was made at the request of US authorities, who suspect Wanzhou of circumventing US sanctions on Iran and allegedly misleading American banks about it.
In response, Beijing was deeply alarmed by what it saw as a crackdown on one of its key companies by the US. While Wanzhou has not been sent to the US yet, China has already begun ramping up diplomatic pressure. This week, that pressure took a sharp turn. In what appears to be retaliation, China detained two Canadian citizens, including a former diplomat.
This escalation seems to be China’s way of asserting its power against what it deems an unjust attack. It also places Canada in a tricky position. If Wanzhou is extradited, more Canadians in China could be at risk of arrest. If she is released, Washington’s ire will likely intensify. It looks like a no-win situation for Canada.
