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

September 2018
California becomes first state to require women on the corporate boards of publicly traded companies. Brexit is costing the UK half a billion pounds per week. After Blasey Ford's testimony, Trump's pick for SCOTUS, Brett Kavenaugh, launches into a toddler-esque rant, blaming Democrats and (bizarrely) the Clintons for the accusations against him. Surprising nobody it turned out he lied through his teeth, while under oath. In a surprising move, his nomination hearing is held back, pending an FBI investigation into the allegations. The Trump administration projects global temperatures being 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than pre-industrial levels by 2100. Mississippi Department of Public Safety refuses to buy Nike over Kaepernick row. A county sheriff went a step further by comparing Kaepernick with bin Laden. The Indian Supreme Court has struck down a law making adultery illegal for men. A former Google employee warns that his old company is developing powerful censorship and mass surveillance tools for Red China. The Conservative Party's attempt to mimic Momentum's social media strength has backfired, after their 40-member Twitter army turned on Theresa May over her Chequers deal. Billionaire Russian-Israeli oligarch and owner of Chelsea FC Roman Abramovich, has been refused a residency permit by the Swiss authorities due to being a danger to public security and linked to possible money laundering. After a complaint by the Venstre Party, a Danish policewoman is undergoing investigation after being photographed hugging a Niqabi. News Corp is to sell its remaining 39% stake in BSkyB to Comcast after three decades. Investigative website Bellingcat has revealed that one of Russian spys in the Skripal poisoning, "Ruslan Boshirov” is actually GRU Colonel Anatoliy Vladimirovich Chepiga, a veteran of the Second Chechen and Donbass Wars. A Spanish actor has been detained for questioning regarding a blasphemous social media post after ignoring previous summons from the courts.  The entire police force of the city of Acapulco has been disarmed due to fears it has been infiltrated by gangs.  British and Greek researchers found that the presence of an ancient retrovirus in the "pleasure gene" may increase the likelihood of addictive behavior. President Donald Trump gets unexpected laugh at United Nations The Swedish PM has been voted out by Parliament. A four-year investigation reveals the scale of sexual abuse in the German Catholic Church. A new film Kler (Clergy) which is headlining the Gdynia Film Festival, which talks about three mischievous priests, has been criticized by the deputy culture minister as being “harmful and untrue”. Theresa May planning snap election for November according to reports from senior advisers. Another woman comes forward with sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh. The Vatican and China have reached a deal on a decades-long dispute over the appointment of bishops in China. Astronomers just found a planet where Star Trek's Vulcans were predicted to exist An 85 mile coral reef has been discovered off the East Coast. 25 were killed in an attack on an Iranian military parade. Texas Republicans face criticism after releasing an ad asking Hindu voters if they would rather vote for a donkey or an elephant Accused of plagiarism, the Spanish prime minister recognizes 'error' in book Amy Chua the Tiger Mother reportedly groomed female clerks for judge Brett Kavanaugh. The Dean of Yale Law School has called for anyone affected to let themselves be heard. Fossilized Edicaran life form Dickinsonia is proven the oldest known animal to date.

Pakistani ex-PM Nawaz Sharif's jail sentence has been suspended. North Korea agrees to dismantle one of its main missile testing and launch sites "in the presence of experts from relevant nations". The State Department has lowered the cap on refugees next year to 30,000.

Germany ousts the head of its domestic intelligence agency over his comments on far-right violence in Chemnitz. Congress passed a package of 70 bills designed to curb the opioid epidemic. A Russian plane has been destroyed by a Syrian antiair response to an Israeli airstrike, creating further diplomatic strains between Moscow and Tel Aviv. Donald Trump Jr. has come out as a Hurricane Florence denier, using footage of Hurricane Ike to prove that CNN is exaggerating destruction. In another twist of irony, a leaked cable from Wikileaks reports that back in 2010, Julian Assange was planning to flee the UK for Russia. Wikileaks denies the cable saying it is untrue. In a twist of irony, Katie Hopkins, who berated people for being poor on the grounds they were bad at personal finance, has applied for an, a form of creditor protection to prevent people from going bankrupt, due to her recent loss in a libel trial against activist Jack Monroe. Russia and Turkey agree to establish a buffer zone to prevent an all-out assault on Syria's last rebel stronghold.

Analysis of gravitational waves data casts doubt on the existence of higher spatial dimensions. The Swiss government confirms reports that two suspected Russian spies allegedly tried to hack a lab investigating the Skripal poisoning. The LDS Church excommunicates a bishop who campaigned for the abolition of sometimes sexually explicit one-on-one interviews between clergy and underage members.

On Saturday, [https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-explosives-and-hand-grenades-hurled-at-idf-troops-in-gaza-border-clashes-1.6471987 450 Palestinians protested at the Gaza border. Some hurled explosives and hand grenades at Israeli Troops during border clashes] in response to three Palestinians killed by Israeli Armed Forces the previous day. The UK Labour Party wants to ban early foetus gender tests amid fears it may lead to abortions of girls. A border patrol agent has been arrested under suspicion of being a serial killer recently targeting women in Texas. The lawsuit over Alex Jones' use of Pepe the Frog has been scheduled for July 16, 2019. Not on Twitter? Don't worry, FEMA is testing a system that will let Trump send "Presidential Alerts" directly to your cell phone. New book reveals extent of British evangelical Christian politician Tim Farron's problems with homosexuality and abortion. Trump reportedly wants to impose another $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports. Pussy Riot activist Pyotr Verzilov is taken to a hospital in serious condition, possibly due to poisoning. Trump's campaign manager Paul Manafort will plead guilty to the multiple criminal charges raised against him and will cooperate with the investigation of interference in the 2016 Presidential election. The number of migrant children in detention centers has risen to the highest level ever recorded. France admits to having carried out systematic torture during the Algerian War of Independence. In a controversial decision, California's Bay Area Rapid Transit will allow ads by the antisemitic hate-group, the Institute for Historical Review. President Trump claims the Democrats inflated the death toll of Hurricane Maria to make him look bad. New York City will start allowing people to change their birth certificates to a third gender. Myanma ruler Suu Kyi admits the treatment of the Rohingya "could've been handled better", but defends the sentencing of two journalists investigating it. The Conservative Party has been accused of apologism for antisemitism by a Jewish group, alleging they voted against the EU resolution to boycott Hungary in order to get support for Brexit. Georgia may legalise the production of cannabis for export if a new bill is passed. A row echoing Kaepernick's protest, after in Australia a 9-year-old girl who refuses at school to stand for the national anthem, saying it doesn’t respect the country’s Indigenous population. As Hurricane Florence bears down on the Carolinas, it's revealed that Trump moved $10 million from FEMA to fund ICE's deportation crackdown. One school in the state of Georgia wants to reintroduce corporal punishment. European Parliament votes to sanction Hungary for undermining democratic values. President Trump's solution to the Israel-Palestine dispute has been revealed: pressure neighbouring countries to make refugees their citizens. Abbas however refuses to work with Netanyahu on such a plan, while Jordan is against naturalising refugees entirely. European Parliament has voted in favor of controversial copyright reforms. Rape apologist Roosh V has had nine of his books removed by Amazon and has been banned from livestreaming on YouTube for three months. Russia is holding its largest war games since the fall of the Soviet Union. A few wind farm protesters are becoming so extreme with threats, intimidation and vandalism that the Dutch counter-terrorism unit,  described them as being ‘radicalised’. Trump makes a statement on the economy so wrong that Fox News corrected it. California has passed legislation to make all retail electricity be carbon-free by 2045. Saudi Arabia has made posting satire attacking religion online an offense punishable by five years in prison. The US will threaten sanctions against International Criminal Court judges if they investigate allegations of war crimes committed by the US in Afghanistan. China reportedly detained a man for terrorist charges after he set his watch 2 hours behind Beijing time. U.S. Charges North Korean Spy Over WannaCry and Sony Pictures Hack CBS CEO Leslie Moonves has stepped down amidst sexual misconduct allegations. A few identitarian activists and Farage loyalists in Ireland are trying to create a localised version of UKIP, with the “Irexit Freedom Party”. This is despite support for the EU being around 90% in Ireland. Nearly 300 protesters against pension reform in Russia have been detained. The PM of the Georgian breakaway region Abkhazia died in a car accident. Bay Area care centers charged with human trafficking and theft The Indonesian province of Aceh has banned men and women who aren't related or married from dining together. Egypt sentences 75 to death over a pro-Morsi sit-in in 2013. Italy and Austria spar over rumors that Austria is making a law that will give German and Ladin speakers in South Tyrol Austrian citizenship. After the Supreme Court in Dublin has rejected all legal challenges to the 36th amendment vote, it is expected to be signed-off by President Higgins next week, making abortion up to twelve weeks legal in Ireland from the beginning of next year. Iraqi protesters set fire to the Iranian consulate. The BBC admits its coverage of climate change is poor with too much time given to denialists and failure to accept climate change is definitely happening. Adding to further insult to Jason Kessler, organiser of the Unite the Right rallies, the man that assaulted him in Charlottesville received a $1 fine after appeal. President Trump is considering taking legal action to out the name of the New York Times' source, insisting it is a matter of "national security". The Brazilian presidential frontrunner was stabbed. Hokkaido Japan hit by deadly 6.7 earthquake and mudslides, where at least nine people are killed and approximately 40 are missing. Twitter has permanently banned Alex Jones and Infowars. Two Russian nationals have been charged with carrying out the nerve agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal. In a historic ruling, the Indian Supreme Court strikes down the country's British-era sodomy law and legalizes homosexuality. In an anonymous op-ed by a senior administration official in the New York Times, there's been suggestions of invoking the twenty fifth amendment (incapacity amendment) over President Trump. Outrage as posters claiming Israel is a racist endeavour spring up at four London bus stops. London's Metropolitan Police investigate validity of the charges of anti-semitism against the Labour party. French president Macron's approval rating has sunk to 31%. According to the Washington Post, Trump would like protesting, a major principle of free speech, to be made illegal. Brazil museum fire: Funding cuts blamed as icon is gutted Jon Kyl has been chosen to serve the rest of John McCain's term. Watergate journalist Bob Woodward reveals in his new book that staffers are so worried about the president Trump, that they snatch and hide papers before he has a chance to sign them. Putin's cult of personality reaches to a new high, with a new entire show dedicated to documenting his activities and praising him on a major TV channel. The founder of prominent Afghan militant group the Haqqani Network has died.

Controversy over religious broadcasting in Belgium after a lay reader during a televised church service quotes : "Women, be submissive to your husband as the husband to the Lord." As a result, the liberal/centrist party Open VLD calls for an end to religious programming on state TV. Trump attacks Sessions because his DOJ indicted two GOP congressmen. Argentina launches fresh austerity measures to stem peso crisis Myanmar has sentenced two journalists who were investigating the Rohingya genocide to seven years in prison. Extensive and growing concern about the democratic decline and corruption in the Pacific island-state of Nauru, and on how Australia is supporting it. Reports by the think-tank the, says as much as AU$62.8 million of last year’s donations to Australian parties are from unknown sources [dark money]. The US will cut $300 million in aid to Pakistan due to perceived failure to tackle militant groups. The US accuses China of an aggressive spy campaign on LinkedIn. A federal judge refuses to order that DACA be shut down despite saying it is most likely illegal. The Saudi government has reportedly tendered for a scheme to dig a huge canal or moat round Qatar, cutting it off from Saudi Arabia, after continued tensions between the two Islamic nations. Don't be giving Trump ideas!