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Staying on top of the latest news is no easy feat. To ease your burden, we’ve compiled the most impactful, bizarre, or simply astonishing stories from this week.
This week saw two major scandals in American history explode into the spotlight. The Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment revelations continued to make waves, claiming more victims both in the U.S. and the UK. Meanwhile, the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election finally led to the first set of indictments. And yes, there were other jaw-dropping events surrounding all of this.
10. Allegations of Harassment Continued to Rock the Media, Reaching the UK Parliament
Fall 2017 has seen major shifts. Following the Harvey Weinstein accusations, the media has been flooded with allegations against influential men. This week, three more Hollywood figures faced devastating revelations.
Kevin Spacey was the first casualty. The House of Cards star was accused of sexually harassing two teenage boys (aged 14 and 16) and groping a man in a bar. Another stage actor claimed that Spacey used his role as creative director at London’s Old Vic to harass numerous young men. Despite Spacey denying the charges, the damage has already led to a halt in production of House of Cards.
Next came director Brett Ratner (Rush Hour series), who faced five separate accusations. Now, Dustin Hoffman has also been accused, with only one victim coming forward so far.
The most significant story, however, might have unfolded in the UK. Following harassment allegations against government ministers, Defense Secretary Michael Fallon was forced to resign. UK newspapers suggest he may just be the first of many. With Theresa May’s Conservative Party barely holding onto power, this scandal might just topple the British government.
9. The Catalan President Fled to Belgium From Spain
Much like the harassment scandals in the US and UK, the Catalonia crisis in Spain shows no sign of slowing down. After declaring what Madrid considered an illegal referendum for independence, former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont was removed from office on Friday after proclaiming an independent republic.
This week, Puigdemont fled to Belgium, leaving other independence leaders to face the consequences in the Spanish courts. His departure has the potential to spark a major standoff within the European Union.
The situation escalated last week when Belgium’s migration minister, Theo Francken, effectively extended an invitation for Puigdemont to seek asylum. While Brussels quickly withdrew that offer, the damage had already been done. Puigdemont left Catalonia for Belgium but refused to disclose whether he was seeking asylum.
Meanwhile, Spain threatened to issue an arrest warrant if Puigdemont didn’t show up for a court hearing this Thursday. (He did not.) By the time you read this, Brussels and Madrid could be in the midst of a full-blown diplomatic crisis. Expect this story to unfold for a long time to come.
8. Japan Captures One of Its Most Notorious Serial Killers in Years
Japan is known for having one of the lowest violent crime rates in the world. Therefore, when murders occur, they make major headlines, especially when the victims are women, dismembered, and left to decay in a quiet apartment in suburban Tokyo.
On Tuesday, police discovered such a crime when they arrested 27-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi. He confessed to murdering eight women and one man, luring suicidal individuals to his grim residence.
Shiraishi's case echoes that of Hiroshi Maeue, the infamous “Suicide Website Murderer” who targeted women he met in online suicide forums during the mid-2000s. However, Shiraishi’s crimes are even more gruesome. The severed heads of his victims were found stuffed in a bin, covered with kitty litter, with other body parts hidden throughout his home.
Maeue isn’t the most notorious killer Japan has ever known. Just last year, Satoshi Uematsu killed 19 disabled people at a care home, later claiming that President Trump and ISIS were controlling his mind. It remains the worst massacre on Japanese soil since World War II.
7. Australia Shut Down Its Infamous Manus Detention Facility
For years, Australian policy required newly arrived asylum seekers to be confined in harsh offshore camps, where abuse was rampant. The most notorious of these was Manus Island, a men-only facility run by Papua New Guinea (PNG), where suicide rates were alarmingly high.
Recently, PNG’s supreme court ruled that the facility was unconstitutional and must be shut down. This week, Australia complied, but the closure of the camp has sparked a whole new set of challenges.
Neither PNG nor Australia has taken responsibility for the refugees still housed at Manus Island. Australia claims that they can integrate into life in PNG or be transferred to Australia’s Nauru center, while PNG insists that it’s Australia’s duty to protect them.
This is a critical issue, as locals in PNG have previously attacked Manus Island detainees with rocks and machetes. Fearing mob violence, up to 600 detainees have refused to leave the now-decommissioned facility.
Perhaps the most tragic aspect of this situation is that a solution is already clear. New Zealand has offered to take in up to 150 refugees from Manus Island, but both PNG and Australia have declined the offer.
6. We Broke CO2 Atmospheric Records
When humans put their minds to something, we truly go above and beyond. This week, it was reported that we’ve shattered previous records for CO2 emissions into the atmosphere in 2016. The World Meteorological Organization revealed on Monday that our carbon dioxide levels are now the highest they’ve been in the past 800,000 years.
This can be blamed on a mix of human recklessness toward the environment and a particularly intense El Nino weather event.
El Nino is a recurring weather phenomenon that makes life harder for millions, causing drought in Colombia, damaging Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, and generally behaving like the most troublesome child of Mother Nature. It also hinders trees from doing their CO2-absorbing job, while triggering massive wildfires that release even more carbon dioxide into the air.
To clarify, this new level doesn’t indicate an impending disaster. It’s simply a stark reminder that CO2 levels are still on the rise, and at a faster pace than ever before.
5. Terrorism Struck NYC Again
The last time terrorists successfully attacked New York City was on the morning of September 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people died in the collapse of the World Trade Center.
This week, the city faced another attack, though thankfully with a much lower death toll. An Uzbek immigrant, inspired by ISIS, drove a truck at high speed down a cycle path, deliberately running over pedestrians. By the time he crashed into a school bus, eight lives had been lost.
While the attack occurred in New York City, Argentina was the hardest-hit nation. Five Argentine nationals were among the dead, along with one Belgian and two Americans. Had the attacker not crashed when he did, the death toll would have been much higher.
The attack highlights the fact that vehicle ramming is now a favored tactic for Islamist terrorists, likely inspired by the deadly 2016 Bastille Day truck attack.
Though these kinds of attacks are difficult to prevent, they aren’t impossible to thwart. The 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack resulted in far fewer fatalities than anticipated because the truck’s automatic braking system activated after the initial impact.
4. A Pakistani Woman Accidentally Poisoned 17 Family Members
Forced marriages are an unfortunate reality for many women in Pakistan. Understandably, being coerced into a union with someone you don’t feel any affection for can breed deep resentment.
This week, that resentment led to a heartbreaking incident for one family in Multan, a city in Punjab with a population of 4.5 million. A bride trapped in an unhappy forced marriage attempted to poison her husband’s milk, but instead, she ended up poisoning 17 others.
The tragedy unfolded when her husband didn’t drink the milk as expected, so the bride’s mother-in-law used it to prepare lassi, a yogurt drink, which was served to the entire extended family. Twenty-seven people were hospitalized, 10 of whom remain in serious condition. Among the victims were some of the bride’s closest relatives.
This isn’t the deadliest mass poisoning to have struck Multan. Just last year, 33 people, including five children, were killed by contaminated sweets.
3. The Russia Probe Scores Its First Major Victory
Now things are really heating up.
After a quiet summer, Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation erupted into action on Monday with three major indictments. The first saw Paul Manafort and his associate Richard Gates hit with 12 charges, including conspiracy against the United States and money laundering. Within hours, it was disclosed that former Trump aide George Papadopoulos had agreed to a plea deal for lying to federal authorities.
The accusations are serious, and there's a strong chance all three men will face prison time. That being said, it's important to note that the charges against Manafort and Gates stem from actions they took before their involvement with the Trump campaign, mostly related to their work in Ukraine.
On the flip side, the charge against Papadopoulos is directly tied to his role as an aide to the president. However, at this point, it appears he hasn’t been charged with any crimes related to his work for Trump’s campaign. Instead, he faces charges of lying to the FBI about his involvement.
Papadopoulos may have exaggerated his qualifications as well. Richard Farkas, a professor of Russian politics at DePaul University, commented, “We were aware that his expertise was almost nonexistent. It was very minimal and embellished. Young people often exaggerate their experience when trying to get close to a campaign, and George did it to the extreme—it was the subject of much discussion in our department.”
Where this investigation will go from here is anyone’s guess. Some believe Papadopoulos has crucial information about the Trump campaign and will strike a deal to expose figures like Jared Kushner or Donald Trump Jr. Others think the role Papadopoulos played was minor, and that his involvement has been blown out of proportion.
One thing is certain: this investigation is far from over and will likely continue for quite a while.
2. We Unveiled A New Puzzle in the Pyramids
Despite being massive chunks of stone that have stood for over 4,000 years, the pyramids still manage to guard a multitude of secrets. For instance, before the discovery of Tutankhamen, we had no inkling of his existence. This week, researchers may have uncovered an additional layer of intrigue surrounding Egypt's most mysterious structures. Using a method called muography, they identified a vast empty space in the core of the Great Pyramid at Giza.
The void is just that: a massive, empty cavity situated in the center of what appears to be solid rock. No one can yet explain why it's there or what its purpose might have been for the ancient Egyptians.
One hypothesis is that the void could be designed to ease the strain from the pyramid's immense weight on the narrow Grand Gallery, potentially preventing a collapse. Yet, other experts argue that this explanation might not hold up, considering the vast size of the empty space.
Currently, the team that uncovered the void is planning to send a small robot equipped with a camera inside to explore it more thoroughly. Until that happens, expect the mystery surrounding the pyramids to spark even more conspiracy theories.
1. Eritrea Experienced Historic Protests This Week
Eritrea is often referred to as 'Africa’s North Korea,' which offers a glimpse into how unlikely protests are in this impoverished nation. This week’s events are therefore both remarkable and noteworthy. On Tuesday, student protesters filled the streets of the capital, Asmara. The ensuing clashes may have led to as many as 28 deaths and 100 injuries.
We say 'may have' because reliable information from Eritrea is incredibly difficult to come by. The press is so heavily restricted that there are likely journalists in Pyongyang with better access to independent sources of news.
The numbers were provided to Western media by opposition sources, so they should be viewed with caution. However, any protest in Eritrea, large or small, is still a significant event. Dissenters in this tightly controlled state often face imprisonment, forced disappearances, or are sent to labor camps.
The protest began in response to government plans to shut down an Islamic school. If the unrest escalates into a broader revolt, Eritrea might find itself joining the Arab Spring—seven years behind schedule.
