RationalWiki:What is going on in the world?/February 2018

February 2018
A Chinese state-owned chemical firm is spending considerable sums of money to influence American elections. A Pennsylvanian Unification Church plans a congregation with AR-15 rifles, causing an elementary school to relocate students for the day. Duterte says he wants to cede power early. A motion in Parliament to take land from white farmers without compensation has passed. The Supreme Court has stripped all immigrants of the right to periodic bond hearings, meaning they can now theoretically be held indefinitely. CPAC speaker lambasts conservatives for ignoring racism and sexual harassment in the movement. A massive teachers' strike has closed down all public schools in West Virginia. The Chinese Communist Party proposes to abolish presidential term limits, which would enable Xi Jinping to stay in power indefinitely. More and more Democrats support universal healthcare. Colosseum lit red to protest Pakistani blasphemy law. Donald Trump suggests a video game rating system, even though that Arizona professor now facing 10 years in prison for giving immigrants food, water and shelter in a part of the desert where hundreds of crossers have died in recent years. Rare shooting incident in Japan by right wing activists targeting de facto North Korean embassy. After the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Florida, many companies announce plans to sever ties with the NRA.

British lecturers go on strike over pension changes. (Academic commentary on the matter) The new South African president plans to take land from white farmers without compensation. Why does this sound familiar? An alternative explanation also makes sense, and isn't supported by Infowars. The has put Pakistan back on the terrorist financing watchlist. Marco Rubio: "Claiming some of the students on TV after Parkland are actors is the work of a disgusting group of idiots with no sense of decency." One of those idiots lost his government job after spreading this conspiracy theory. Billy Graham, one of the most famous Christian preachers of the last 100 years, has died aged 99. Netanyahu's confidant turns against him in the investigation of government’s fraudulent ties with Telecom giant, in return for lighter sentence. Venezuela launches petro [[cryptocurrency] to bypass US economic sanctions, claiming the first sovereign cryptocurrency]. A study using data collected by NASA and European satellites for 25 years shows that sea levels are rising faster than expected, and the rate is in fact accelerating. Global climate change could release some 58 million liters (15 million gallons) of mercury locked up in the permafrost of the Northern Hemisphere into the natural environment, in addition to various greenhouse gases and "zombie pathogens". This amount of the toxic metal is about twice that found everywhere else on Earth combined. The world's first floating wind farm, Hywind Scotland, is performing better than expected. Arizona puts forth a proposal to produce 80% of its electricity from renewables by 2050, which would put it ahead of California and New York. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has stated that "There is no allegation in this indictment (Russian collusion scandal) that any American was a knowing participant in this illegal activity," adding there "there is no allegation in the indictment that the charged conduct altered the outcome of the 2016 election." Special Counsel Mueller indicts thirteen Russian nationals on charges of meddling in the 2016 US elections. In Switzerland, it will be illegal to boil a conscious lobster as of March. Two New York siblings have been arrested under suspicion of manufacturing a bomb using materials from fireworks. One of whom was a teacher who recently resigned after his school received a bomb threat. A huge step has been made in the development of a silicon-based quantum computer. In equally exciting news, theoretical chemists demonstrated the feasibility of using a quantum computer to accurately calculate the properties of various molecules, paving the way for future progress in quantum chemistry. As various North American cities are trying to be the host of the retail giant Amazon's second headquarters (HQ2), which could mean a multi-billion dollar investment and tens of thousands of jobs, it is important to keep in mind what Amazon does to poor communities. DNA analysis reveals that an early Briton from 10,000 years ago, known as "Cheddar man", had dark skin and blue eyes. In related news, DNA tests unveil unexpected complications in the pedigrees of those who self-identify as "whites". A species of fish in the Amazon challenges what we think we know about genetics. Sexual reproduction may not be as advantageous compared to asexual reproduction than previously thought. It happened again. [https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/us/florida-high-school-shooting/index.html School shooting in Florida kills at least 17. ] (Auto play video.) With the new guy in the White House, fall in popularity of hunting especially among the young & minorities and a large lawsuit in the wings over the AR-15, one of America's largest gun manufacturers Remington Arms has applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with $950 million of debt The Quorn revolution: the rise of ultra-processed fake meat Russia is trying to block a video released last week that has alleged a new link between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign. Because Russian ISPs don't have the technical ability to block specific URLs, the government might take down YouTube and Instagram entirely if the content is not removed. Donald Trump Jr.'s wife is taken to hospital after opening an envelope with white powder, which was later determined to be non-hazardous. When Amtrak is involved in accidents, even when they're not at fault, the private railroad companies bully them into paying. Aetna, a private insurance company, is being investigated after a former employee admitted they did not look at patients' medical records before denying care. (Video link) Eleven cities from around the world that could run out of clean water in the near future. Chinese media attacks Sweden after Chinese authorities arrested a political dissident of Chinese descent but has Swedish citizenship. Three injured when Canadian PM Trudeau's motorcade crashed. How fiction is outperforming reality on YouTube.

South African preacher Lethebo Rabalago has been found guilty of assault after spraying people in the face with insect repellent as a cure for cancer and AIDS. US flu season now as bad as 2009 swine flu epidemic Russian police have arrested several scientists at a nuclear warhead manufacturing facility for using the on-site computers to mine Bitcoin. The Ugandan government has suspended four officials over allegations they exaggerated the number of South Sudanese refugees in the country to profit on donations, with the United States; United Kingdom and the European Union threatening to withhold aid. The former head of the American Nazi Party runs unopposed for the GOP for Illinois's 3rd Congressional District. Hopefully for the better, the Trinity Mirror is set to buy out the nationalist and xenophobic Daily Express. Reuters has accused Myanmar of arresting its journalists on espionage charges to prevent footage of human rights abuses being released. Film director Clint Eastwood and Warner Brothers are being sued by a Moroccan terrorist, as their film depiction of his attack on a French train may influence the court. The White House has been hit by another scandal among its staff, as Rob Porter quits following allegations of systemic domestic abuse against both his ex-wives with questions raised as to whether other staff knew about it. Update: Speechwriter David Sorensen has also been hit with similar allegations. The two remaining members of a notorious British-born DAESH execution group have been captured by Kurdish forces. In a move almost unheard-of in the UK, the Christian anti-LGBT organization Core Issues Trust is considering legal action after a theatre refused to screen a pro-Conversion Therapy film after the group's inviting of a Pink News journalist got media attention. The US federal government again shut down on Thursday night, though a two year budget agreement (with 9% increase on defence) was passed soon after. Among the highlights was Rand Paul speaking out against the apparent hypocrisy of Republicans being fine with a deficit now Obama is gone. Candidate for Illinois governor caught making racially insensitive remarks.

George Soros' Open Society Foundation has donated £400 000 for an advertising campaign for the pro-EU organisation “Best for Britain”, and the right-wing newspaper the Daily Telegraph has published a critique of the donation, featuring numerous borderline anti-Semitic dog whistles. Worst still, it was co-written by Theresa May’s former spin doctor Nick Timothy. There is mounting evidence the food on your plate can alter cancer's growth and spread, say Cambridge scientists. Bermuda becomes first country in world to repeal same-sex marriage [https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2018/feb/06/it-put-an-end-to-my-childhood-the-hidden-scandal-of-us-child-marriage In half of US states, there is no legal minimum age for marriage; a 40-year-old man can, in theory, marry a five-year-old girl. Florida may soon ban the practice for under-18s.] The launch of SpaceX's Falcon heavy is successful. Geothermal power generation, a hitherto forgotten source of renewable energy, heats up in the U.S. Speaking of reducing carbon emissions, Chicago becomes the first American city to tax (possibly unsustainable) ride-sharing services, such as Uber, in order to fund mass transit upgrades. Saudi Arabia is shifting towards renewable energy, especially sunlight, something the kingdom has plenty of. A tsunami warning was accidentally issued, spanning from the eastern seaboard to the Gulf coast. British neo-Nazi convicted of planning a terrorist attack on a pub hosting a gay pride night in Barrow-on-Furness. The attack was only averted because he accidentally invited an innocent woman to the neo-Nazi group on Facebook where he posted about his plans. The Supreme Court won’t let the Pennsylvania GOP delay drawing a new congressional map. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has closed down by 1,175 points in the biggest one day fall since the financial crisis. Newspaper columnist Katie Hopkins collapses after taking ketamine in South Africa Renowned investigator into the illegal ivory trade, Esmond Bradley-Martin, found murdered in Nairobi; environmental campaigners around the world are being killed at an alarming rate. Claude-Éric Gagné, Justin Trudeau’s Deputy Operations Director, Resigns After Investigation [https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/claire-kober-interview-the-only-thing-worse-in-labour-than-sexism-is-the-antisemitism-sj7ngt0x6 Former Haringey council chief Claire Kober interview. "The only thing worse in Labour than sexism is the antisemitism".] Controversy over Olive Branch continues to mount as Turkish-backed rebels are accused of mutilating the body of a young woman tied to the YPJ. Al-Nusra has shot down a Russian fighter jet over Idlib. Moscow believes the pilot successfully bailed out, but was killed in a firefight after landing. Retaliatory missile strikes have since taken place. Six foreign nationals have been injured in a racially-motivated shooting in the Italian city of Macerata, believed to be revenge over the murder of a young woman by a Nigerian immigrant in January. Trump-Russia: Republican memo accuses FBI of abusing power Two were wounded because of a mishandled firearm in LA school. White supremacists are trying to recruit college students like never before.