Buzz
In today's lightning-speed political climate, keeping up with the constant news cycle can feel like an impossible feat. That's where we come in. Every Friday for the past two years, Mytour has been curating the most important stories from the week, ranging from world-shattering to jaw-dropping, and even uplifting.
The week that led us into December started off with heartbreak as a terrorist launched an attack on London Bridge, leaving two dead. While the UK mourned, the rest of the world was still reeling from other monumental stories. In France, protests loomed as Macron’s contentious reforms moved forward. In Germany, political turbulence stirred once again, while in the US, political drama continued to unfold. Ready to have your news feed blown wide open one last time? Wait... last time? Yes, an explanation follows. Keep reading.
10. Terrorism Strikes Again at London Bridge
In June 2017, a group of attackers drove a van into a crowd on London Bridge, then exited the vehicle to stab numerous bystanders. The tragic event left 8 dead and nearly 50 others injured in the horrific aftermath.
We bring this up because just last Friday, the tragic reverberations of this incident shook the streets of London. At approximately 2:00 PM local time, Usman Khan entered a building at the end of the bridge, stabbing five individuals before brave bystanders intervened. The police arrived soon after, fatally shooting Khan. Sadly, two of the victims succumbed to their injuries later.
Khan’s background is particularly notable; he had previously been imprisoned for attempting to attack the London Stock Exchange in 2012, only to be released last year. Following his attack, the UK is now urgently reassessing the status of 74 individuals convicted of terrorism offenses who are currently out of prison.
In a deeply troubling move, Prime Minister Boris Johnson attempted to use the tragedy for political gain, blaming the opposition Labour Party for Khan’s release. The Labour Party has been out of power for 9 years, which would seem like more than enough time for Johnson’s Conservative government to amend any laws they disagreed with.
9. Ohio’s Legislature Unveils an Unthinkably Restrictive Abortion Bill
An ectopic pregnancy is a dangerous and unfortunate complication in which a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, often in a fallopian tube. This results in an unviable pregnancy, with the added danger of potentially life-threatening injuries to the woman involved.
This dark context sets the stage for Ohio's new proposed bill. As reported last Friday, it's an exceedingly strict anti-abortion bill, with a dose of utter absurdity. The bill mandates that doctors must attempt to re-implant ectopic pregnancies into the uterus.
Failure to do so would lead to charges of murder. It's worth pointing out that this procedure doesn’t even exist and is likely beyond the capabilities of current medical technology.
To be fair, the bill is unlikely to become law. Even if it passes in Ohio, it would likely be struck down by the courts, which consistently rule such bills unconstitutional. However, it serves as a disturbing glimpse into the fervor within the far-right pro-life movement. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, brace yourself for more of this extreme fervor.
8. Germany’s Junior Coalition Partner Elects Startling New Leadership
Typically, German politics is about as exciting as watching paint dry—if the paint had already dried and was now stuck in an eternal state of stagnation. “Safe, predictable, boring”—that’s been Germany's post-war political vibe. But then came Saturday, and suddenly, that once-dried paint didn’t seem so dull anymore. The junior partner in the ruling coalition, the SPD, revealed the outcome of their leadership election. Instead of opting for steady leadership, the members chose the candidates most likely to shake things up in government.
Norbert Walter-Borjans and Saskia Esken are the epitome of political anonymity. What sets them apart is their boldness to risk their coalition with Angela Merkel’s CDU. Walter-Borjans campaigned on a promise of increased public spending, declaring they would be willing to bring down the government if the CDU opposed the plan. Should this occur, Berlin would face political chaos.
In a surprising twist, the duo triumphed over current Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, an old-school pragmatist who was the favorite to win. This may signal that the political upheavals shaking the world are finally starting to reach Germany's own ruling parties.
7. France Was Once Again Plunged Into Protest
Has there been anyone in France whom Macron hasn’t managed to stir into protest at some point? Since taking office, the centrist populist has faced countless strikes and demonstrations, most notably the Yellow Vest movement that ignited a little over a year ago.
Although things have settled somewhat since the intense days of late 2018, there’s still room for more unrest. On Thursday, public sector workers in France staged a massive strike in opposition to pension reform, resulting in the largest such protest since 1995.
Hundreds of thousands have flooded the streets, with many train and bus services coming to a standstill. Even the Eiffel Tower was forced to shut down. In addition, teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters, and numerous air traffic controllers are joining the wave of strikes. In essence, the country has come to a halt, and this situation might persist for a while.
However, this isn’t the first time Macron has faced mass protests. He seems to weather the storm each time. The smart bet is that he’ll survive this round as well, but in today’s unpredictable political climate, who can say for sure?
6. Elon Musk’s Defamation Trial Kicks Off
As a result, Musk is now in court, facing charges of defaming Unsworth. What’s astonishing about this case is how far it’s come. Musk is a billionaire, he could have settled out of court with Unsworth multiple times. It’s not like Unsworth has actually been accused of pedophilia, and Musk is taking a stand to expose him. But here we are.
5. Sudan Made Its First Steps Toward Democracy (Maybe)
If anyone ever tells you protests don’t lead to change, remind them to take a good, long look at Sudan’s recent history. After decades of a hardline Islamic dictatorship, Sudan erupted in protests last December against the ruling regime. Despite a brutal crackdown, the protests carried on, and 2019 saw a wild sequence of events unfold.
In April, long-time dictator Omar al-Bashir was ousted in a coup. By August, the transitional government began handing power to civilian leaders. And now, just last Friday, the civilian administration approved a law disbanding the ruling party. Simultaneously, laws restricting women’s dress and behavior, along with other aspects of Sharia Law, were beginning to be removed from the books. It’s possible that Sudan is finally heading down the path to democracy.
However, there’s still a long journey ahead. Free elections must be held, and Khartoum must avoid repeating Egypt’s mistake, where the removal of one dictator led to a hardline Islamist government, and eventually another authoritarian regime. But there may be hope on the horizon.
4. The UK’s NHS Election Leak Could Be Linked to Russia
This one is a surprise. Last week, we briefly covered the leaked documents presented by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn ahead of the UK general election, claiming the NHS was secretly being sold off in post-Brexit trade negotiations with the US. Given the sensitivity of the National Health Service, this revelation could have been a game-changer in the election. But it might also have had another layer to it.
This week, researchers from Oxford University, the Atlantic Council think tank, and Graphika analytics firm claimed to have traced the leak to a group known as Secondary Infektion, a Russia-based operation believed to have ties to the Kremlin. While there’s no suggestion that Corbyn was collaborating with Moscow, it now seems plausible that his bombshell documents were part of a covert Russian campaign aimed at destabilizing Britain’s elections.
It might seem odd that the Kremlin would lend secret support to the Labour Party, especially since far-right populist Boris Johnson seems more like Putin’s preferred candidate. But that’s assuming Putin has a clear agenda to back certain leaders, rather than simply wanting to create chaos in countries he views as adversaries.
3. The Impeachment Saga Continued
Remember back in the late 90s when every news broadcast had at least one image of Bill Clinton looking pale and weary as the impeachment storm raged around him? Well, we’re at that point again, but this time with Trump. As a result, expect this story to stay at the top of the headlines until it either reaches a conclusion or we’re all exhausted from the political drama. Take your pick.
In the meantime, impeachment news came this week in a double blow to the president. On Tuesday, Democrats unveiled their 300-page impeachment report, which they argued showed clear evidence that Trump had actively sought foreign interference in the 2020 election. With proceedings now shifting from the investigation phase to judgment, the next step was a panel of constitutional experts testifying on whether the president’s actions warranted impeachment. As expected, the three experts selected by the Democrats said 'yes,' while the expert picked by the Republicans said 'no.' Quelle surprise.
At this point, opinions on impeachment appear to be firmly divided along party lines, so don’t expect any significant changes. The most probable outcome now seems to be: Trump gets impeached, the trial moves to the Senate, and the Senate ultimately acquits him. All that remains is to see when this plays out.
2. A US Sailor Killed Two at Pearl Harbor
Leading up to December 7, Pearl Harbor is typically in the news to remember those lost in the 1941 Japanese attack, the deadliest assault on Americans before 9/11. This year, however, Pearl Harbor made headlines for a much more recent tragedy. On Wednesday afternoon, a US sailor entered the Naval base and opened fire on three civilian contractors before turning the gun on himself.
This marks the first shooting at a US Naval facility since 2015, and the first in many years carried out by a serviceman. The most striking comparison is likely to the 2014 Fort Hood military base shooting (not to be confused with the more deadly 2009 incident at the same base), in which an angry soldier killed three people before taking his own life. As of this writing, the motive for the Pearl Harbor shooting remains unknown.
Apart from the tragedy itself, the incident underscores just how serious the problem of mass shootings has become in the USA. By mid-November, it was reported that the number of mass shootings in 2019 had outpaced the number of days in the year. The shooting at Pearl Harbor adds another grim statistic to this already shocking tally.
1. Malaysia’s Former PM Went on Trial for Corruption
Back in 2015, a British journalist was secretly given a trove of documents, which contained some explosive information. It revealed that then-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak had been embezzling billions from a national development fund known as 1MDB. The scheme was possibly one of the largest frauds in history, prompting an investigation by Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency. When the investigation seemed to be closing in on Najib, he dismissed everyone involved and appointed a new attorney general, who swiftly cleared him of any wrongdoing.
But the case didn’t fade away. In the 2018 election, a former PM ran on a promise to reopen the 1MDB investigation. The result was a historic defeat for Najib’s ruling party, which had held power since 1957. Following the loss, Najib was arrested.
This week, the former PM finally took the stand to defend himself in what has become a massive corruption trial. While Najib continues to point the finger at a financier currently in hiding, the charges against him are severe. If found guilty on even one count, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
+ The End Of The News
[From JFrater]: This roundup marks the end of an era—specifically, since May 2017! This will be the final weekly news update that Mytour presents for the foreseeable future as we shift back to a more general assortment of lists, similar to our early days. It feels like we’ve reached a point in societal division where presenting the news has become a challenge. The act of sharing news has turned into a battle of ideologies, leaving half of the audience upset no matter the viewpoint.
You’re either for or against impeachment. You’re either a climate change activist or a skeptic. You’re either pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine. You’re either supporting or opposing global political protests. It’s draining. No matter how rational the conversation, neither side is willing to move an inch—so why bother debating? Let's leave news reporting to the so-called 'fake news' networks (Fox News or CNN, depending on your side of the divided world). Mytour is about learning and enjoyment, and unfortunately, mainstream media can no longer offer either.
A big thank you to Morris for years of news updates, but also for the wide range of fantastic lists that everyone enjoyed. Here’s hoping we see more non-news content from him in the future.
