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

June 2018
DAESH have claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing targeting religious minorities in Afghanistan, killing nineteen. The NSA deletes hundreds of millions of call records over privacy violations. The US ambassador to Estonia says he will resign next month over frustration with the Trump administration. The James Webb Space Telescope faces further delays due to technical problems. Due to its considerable scientific potential, however, funding is not cut. The Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) found statistically significant evidence for a, which is a candidate for dark matter. In related news, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is undergoing yet another round of upgrades. It makes economic sense to install specialized turbines in the U.S. state of Alaska and Canada's Northwest Territories to harness arctic winds. A diplomatic disagreement breaks out between the U.S. and China over how airlines refer to Taiwan. Several major non-American airlines have already acquiesced to Chinese pressure. Update: China is now coercing other multinational companies to stop listing Taiwan as a country, even though flights from mainland China to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are listed as "international". Complex Organics Bubble up from Ocean-world Enceladus A federal judge has blocked a Kentucky law that when put into effect would impose work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries. EU leaders have reached an agreement on migration. California has passed the toughest data privacy law in the US. British agencies continued to supply intelligence to allies despite knowing or suspecting abuse of detainees. The South Korean Constitutional Court has ruled alternatives to mandatory military service for conscientious objectors must be provided. Mass shooting, this time at a newspaper.

Iowa's Rep. Steve King retweets and defends tweet from. A BNP member and a Nazi-sympathizer. Domestic terrorist James Alex Fields Jr. has been charged with 29 counts of hate crime. Despite Kim Jong-un stating commitment to denuclearization, rapid upgrades to North Korea's sole known nuclear reactor have been discovered. SCOTUS Justice Anthony Kennedy to retire. Oklahoma has voted in favor of legalizing medical marijuana. Investigations by BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight programme reveal dodgy and possibly illegal financing between the Democratic Unionist Party and the official campaigning body Vote Leave during the Brexit referendum. Iran has the largest protests since 2012 in response to a sharp currency drop and rising cost of living.

The owner and three other admins of a notorious Korean revenge porn site have been arrested by police after a twelve year long investigation, taking place alongside protests against the country's epidemic of spy cameras. Khalid Ali has been found guilty after a months-long trial over a planned knife attack in London last year, with contributions from the Afghan security forces directly tying him to the Taliban. Scientists have discovered the last missing visible matter. Philippine ruler Duterte sparks outrage by calling the god of Christianity "stupid". Separated migrant families will be reunited on the condition they agree to deportation. Similar interethnic violence between hunters and herders in Mali results in the mass-murder of over thirty Fula villagers. Fulani Malians insist the government is supporting ethnic cleansing under the guise of counterterrorism. The annual cycle of inter-ethnic violence between the Berom and Fulani over farmland returns to Nigeria, leaving 86 dead over the weekend. An entire Mexican town's police force has been detained after a mayoral candidate was murdered. Saudi Arabia lifts the world's only ban on female drivers. Trump calls for deporting migrants without due process. A town that was former stronghold declares itself "self governing and is fighting off repression by .  Italy warns  is at risk   Riot police keep Jolene Bunting's far-right "UK Freedom March" calling for the release of Tommy Robinson away from a larger United Against Racism counter-protest in Belfast, though gas bombs are successfully thrown.   The biggest side effect of working in the Trump Administration? Not getting dates or being refused service at D.C. restaurants (bonus points for breaking ethics rules while complaining about it). The far-right Ukrainian nationalist group 'C14' has been linked to a series of attacks on Roma camps this year, and may be responsible for a recent murder. A 79-year old woman risks a jail sentence after praising Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust while standing for the 2017 General Election. Israel fires missile at drone near Syria frontier. A Vatican ex-diplomat has been convicted for distributing child pornography. An assassination attempt on the Zimbabwean president. The Supreme Court has ruled that police need a warrant to get data on past location from cell phones. The UN says Venezuelan security forces have arbitrarily killed hundreds. EU takes first step in passing controversial copyright law that could ‘censor the internet’ Charles Krauthammer dies at the age of 68 due to cancer. The wife of PM Netanyahu has been indicted for misuse of $100000 of state funds. A request to hold a second Unite the Right rally, this time across the street from the White House, has been approved. A documentary made by unqualified celebrity Pete Evans on the Paleo diet is thoroughly fact-checked and debunked by medical experts (again) after being published on Netflix. 146 were arrested in the largest ICE raid in recent history. An executive order ends the separating of migrant families at the border. Hungarian Parliament has approved a bill criminalizing the act of assisting undocumented migrants. Trump's new health insurance rules are expected to hurt Obamacare. Canadian Parliament has voted to legalize recreational marijuana. Child separations: Trump faces extreme backlash from public and his own party The United Methodist Church files a formal complaint against member Jeff Sessions for child abuse, racial discrimination, and for being an asshole in general. A federal judge ruled that Kansas can't require documentary proof of US citizenship to register to vote. The SPLC apologizes to liberal Muslim Maajid Nawaz for labeling him and his organization as anti-Muslim extremist. The Philippines will be giving community leaders free guns for the War on Drugs. The Supreme Court sidestepped a potentially historic ruling on gerrymandering. A proposed bill in Israel seeks to ban photographing or filming soldiers with "harmful intent". Nearly 2000 children were separated from their families during a six-week period of April and May. More Americans back Trudeau on trade than Trump. A car bombing in Afghanistan killed at least 26. The US is reportedly pulling out of the UN Human Rights Council. The leader of the Pakistani Taliban has been killed. 25% tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods have been announced. UPDATE: Chinese retaliation. Jeff Sessions claims there is Biblical justification for breaking up migrant families. The lower house of Argentine Congress has approved a bill legalizing abortion up to fourteen weeks. A growing number of children are missing out on recommended vaccinations in states that permit parents to skip inoculations due to their personal beliefs even when there's no medical reason kids can't be vaccinated, a U.S. study suggests. Antarctic ice is melting three times as fast as five years ago. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have launched an attack on the major Yemeni port city of Hudaida, which the UN warns will affect 250,000 people and worsen the humanitarian crisis. Fact checking Donald Trump on trade. An $85 billion merger of AT&T and Time Warner has been approved. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece have come to a provisional conclusion it the 27-year long Macedonian name dispute, the FYROM will now be known as the “Republic of North Macedonia” (Macedonian: "Република Северна Македонија", Greek: "Δημοκρατία της Βόρειας Μακεδονίας"). Sweet Jesus! The Irish government is planning to hold a referendum in October in repealing the section of the Irish constitution (Article 40.6.1.i.) that bans blasphemy. Plus a referendum on removing the section that states that a women's place is in the home | (Article 41.2).

Trump's North Korean gamble ends with 'special bond' with Kim Sessions ruled that domestic or gang violence isn't enough reason for asylum. The US has officially repealed net neutrality. A Hong Kong pro-democracy activist has been sentenced to six years for rioting and assaulting police. Swiss voters overwhelmingly reject a proposal to prohibit banks from lending more money than they have in their deposits. An Islamic terrorist attack in Somalia killed one and wounded four. 1768 immigrant families were separated at the US-Mexico border between October 2016 and May 2018. Chinese hackers stole 614 gigabytes of sensitive data from the US Navy. The Austrian government will close seven mosques and review the visas of dozens of imams. Trump administration have announced that they will not defend the Affordable Care Act in court cases brought by GOP states. (CNN story). 1600 immigration detainees are being sent to federal prisons. The editor of the Daily Mail Paul Dacre is to leave his post in November, and his nemesis Mail on Sunday editor Geordie Greig is to replace him. Speculation is that Dacre's extreme conservatism was jarring the newspaper’s owner and there is possible plans to merge the three units of Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline into one unit. NASA's Curiosity rover finds organic matter on Mars. Despite attempts to deter crossings, border arrests have risen dramatically. Newly discovered 546 million-year-old "footprints" are the oldest found to date. Afghanistan and the Taliban have negotiated a ceasefire lasting until June 20. A massive workplace raid by the ICE led to 114 arrests. Bermuda re-legalizes same-sex marriage due to a Supreme Court ruling. Betsy DeVos says the school safety panel made in the aftermath of Parkland will not look into the role of guns in school shootings. In Michigan, Medicaid recipients are required to work at least 29 hours per week, unless you live in a largely white county, in which case, it's cool. Mexico imposes retalitory tariffs on $3 billion worth of US exports. The judge who gave Brock Turner a light sentence for sexual assault has been recalled by voters. Ethiopia lifts its state of emergency two months early along with accepting the terms of a peace deal made with Eritrea after the 1998-2000 war. The trust fund for Medicare will run out three years earlier than previously expected. Saudi Arabia issues the first women's driver's licenses as activists remain imprisoned. Prosecutors say Paul Manafort tampered with witnesses in his ongoing criminal case. The Jordanian PM resigns over massive anti-austerity protests. A suicide bombing committed after a group of Muslim clerics issued a fatwa on suicide bombings killed 14.

The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who refused service to a gay couple. Bayer will be buying Monsanto for $30 billion. Illinois becomes the 37th state to pass the equal rights amendment. One more and it's in the constitution... maybe.

The new leader of the reinstated Catalan autonomous government vows to continue efforts for secession. Debate erupts over the possibility of Trump pardoning himself. Six killed in ongoing violence in Nicaragua. Syrian dictator Assad announces plans for a meeting with North Korea. Talks are underway for a US-Russia summit. The Israeli army killed a Palestinian nurse attempting to help a wounded protester. [https://www.apnews.com/c2ef5e4050fd4fe69f3469a5f4d731dc/Ex-chemical-industry-lawyer-to-lead-Superfund-task-force Ex chemical industry lawyer to lead Superfund task force. DRAIN FILL THE SWAMP!] The EPA spent $1560 in taxpayer money on a dozen fountain pens for Pruitt. Ukraine discovered a Kremlin hit-list of 47 people. The US-North Korea summit is back on. US unemployment rates are at their lowest in eighteen years.

Pedro Sánchez becomes the new prime minister of Spain