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

October 2018
Conspiracy theorist discovers running a conspiracy is not too easy when he gets caught trying to pay women to falsely accuse Robert Mueller of sexual harassment. Irony meter hits new high as Trump attacks Ryan for criticising Trump's birthright citizenship plan, saying the speaker should not talk about things he knows nothing about Denmark pushes for further sanction against Iran after an assassination plot by the Iranian intelligence against an Iranian activist based in Denmark. Footage of Cesar Sayok at a Trump rally has been uncovered in the outtakes of Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 11/9. Work has completed on Prime Minister's Narendra Modi's £330 million, 182 metre tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The statue gained controversy when families were forced off their land to find room for it. The Pakistani Supreme Court acquits a woman who has been on death row for nine years for blasphemy charges. An explosion at an FSB office killed one. The Kepler Space Telescope has run out of fuel and shut down. The European Court rules that an Austrian woman's blasphemy conviction for calling the prophet Mohammed a pedophile does not violate freedom of expression. Trump has suggested making an executive order rescinding the right to "jus soli" citizenship for undocumented immigrants, despite being against the Fourteenth Amendment. A right-wing senator from the Flemish city of Bruges has complained that the city's "Wintermarkt" (winter market) should be called "Kerstmarkt" (Christmas market), despite it being called a winter market for the last two years as does many other cities in Northern Belgium. Since federal regulations have been relaxed, several states have purged voters from the rolls, mostly southern states.

Just days after saying people should stop labeling political opponents as enemies, Trump goes back to labeling the media as the "enemy". Angela Merkel says she will not run for re-election as her party's chairwoman and will step down as chancellor in 2021.

Suspect identified in deadly shooting at Pittsburgh synagogue. In an account on the Gab social media platform that authorities are investigating, the suspect is believed to have posted he "can't sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I'm going in." Gab has since been booted from Paypal and its hosting provider. Sri Lankan parliament has been suspended until November 16 amidst worsening political crisis. [https://www.rte.ie/news/2018/1026/1006957-exit-poll-blasphemy-referendum/ Jesus H Christ! According to exit polls by the public broadcaster RTÉ,] 71.1% of Irish people have voted to remove the blasphemy cause (§40.6 (1)) in the constitution. UPDATE: The official result is 64.85% to remove the blasphemy clause to 35.15% let it remain, with all parts of the country voting to remove it. Icelandic woman saves rare delicious goat breed from extinction South Carolina wants federal law to allow discrimination against Jewish families The largest NATO-led military exercise since the end of the Cold War known as, has started in Norway and will continue in the Baltic. The European Parliament has awarded the Crimean filmmaker Oleg Sentsov the 2018. The prestigious, which is famed for producing many academics and leaders, which was founded by George Soros after the fall of communism, has been forced to relocate from Budapest to Vienna due to pressure from the Hungarian government. Pakistan has released the leader of the Afghan Taliban from prison. Anger as huntress shoots goats Apparent explosive devices were sent to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Eric Holder, George Soros, Maxine Waters and CNN. UPDATE: Two more have been sent to Joe Biden and Robert De Niro. UPDATE: Another two have been sent, this time to Cory Booker and James Clapper. UPDATE: An arrest has been made. The bomber was basically a walking Florida Man stereotype, a vitriolic Trump supporter on social media with a long criminal record, a kookmobile, and who claimed to be part of the "Unconquered Seminole Tribe" (a claim disputed by the actual Seminole tribe). Japanese journalist Junpei Yasuda is freed three years after being kidnapped by an Islamic extremist group in Syria.

The Museum of the Bible says five of its Dead Sea Scrolls are fake Arizona cancels an optional vaccine education program after receiving backlash from anti-vaxxers. The Trump administration is considering legally invalidating transgender people's identities and erasing discrimination protections. Saudi Arabia admits journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in its Turkish consulate, but claims it was in a "fist fight". Around 700 000 people marched in central London demanding a “People’s Vote”, which is final vote on the Brexit deal. This is the biggest march in London since the anti-Iraq War march in 2003. The Sydney Anglican Church is set to ban a series of activities it says are "against doctrine" from being practised on any of its 900 properties, including same-sex marriage, indigenous smoking ceremonies and yoga Radical hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who was sentenced to 5 years in prison for encouraging people to join ISIS, has been released after serving just 2 years. Three Afghan officials were killed in an attack claimed by the Taliban. Queensland, Australia, legalizes abortions after a parliamentary vote. Trump's plan to eliminate the national debt was to print more money 18 were killed in an attack on a college in Crimea. Canada becomes the second country to legalize recreational marijuana nationwide. Climate change is causing a shortage of barley in much of the world, which could make beer more expensive. This is from the scientific journal Nature Plants, from researchers from the University of California, Irvine. The has announced from its synod, that it is severing ties with the other Orthodox churches by breaking with the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Political experts are concerned that Belgium could get another stalemate like after the next federal elections in seven months’ time, with the French-speakers voting the extreme-left and the Dutch-speakers voting the extreme-right. This is coming from the back of the most recent municipal elections, which bought swinging results for extremes in all communities President Trump says climate change isn't a hoax, but thinks it might 'change back again' Trump's praise of CSA general Robert E. Lee is called out on by Lee's great-great-great-grandnephew. The US agrees to discuss pulling its troops out of Afghanistan in a meeting with the Taliban. Over 200,000 protest in Berlin against the rise of far-right populism. Two retired Chilean priests have been expelled from the priesthood due to child sexual abuse. With its membership collapsing in on itself, the Conservative Party is suffering a shortage of candidates for the next election. Continuing a trend in Wales, another teenager has been arrested for conspiracy to incite racial hatred after vandalising Cardiff with Nazi graffiti and attempting to recruit people into the terrorist group, System Resistance Network. Despite the police imposing strict conditions, violent clashes in London have taken place between a Democratic Football Lads Alliance demonstration and an anti-fascist counterprotest led by Unite Against Fascism. Rwanda's foreign minister Louise Mushikiwabo has been voted to replace Michaëlle Jean as head of, causing outrage among many due to Rwanda's human rights record and lack of links to the French-speaking world. Many are accusing France's president Emmanuel Macron of causing a stich-up. The head of all the Orthodox churches, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, has decided that the church recognises the autocephaly (independence) of the. There is worry that this act could cause a massive flare between the with the rest of the Orthodox world, with Russia saying it will "defend the interests of the Orthodox". Turkey releases US pastor Andrew Brunson. The Washington state Supreme Court has struck down the death penalty, citing racial bias. US Senators call on Trump to impose sanctions on anyone who may be responsible for Saudi journalist’s disappearance, including Saudi officials and leaders. China's Xinjiang province has officially written its Muslim reeducation camps into law. Pope Francis claims abortion is like "hiring a hit man". The trial has begun for three suspected National Action members arrested last year, alleged to have named a baby Adolf; sent texts calling for the death of Jews and posing in Klan robes. At least one soldier has been discharged after footage of Army recruits chanting with Tommy Robinson led to a government inquest. Bakers who refused to ice "support gay marriage" win in UK Supreme Court. In an event shocking to literally no one but the PIE, one of its founding members has been accused of raping several Filipino children. Shock jock 2GB’s Alan Jones has forced the premier of New South Wales Gladys Berejiklian, to pressure the manager of the world-famous Sydney Opera House, to put advertising for a horse race projected onto its sails, causing outcry among locals. Nikki Haley resigns as the US ambassador to the UN. Two economists won the Swedish Central Bank's Economics Prize in the Memory of Alfred Nobel for their work on environmental economics. The first full-scale Hyperloop capsule was unveiled early this month in Spain and will undergo further optimization and testing in France. PM Netanyahu's wife goes on trial for fraudulent use of $100,000 of state funds. "Final call" for climate change. Five key takeaways from the IPCC report. Bulgarian investigative journalist Victoria Marinova has been murdered and her body dumped into the Danube. This is the third murder of a journalist in the EU, prompting concern of journalism freedom. A proposed ban on same-sex marriage in Romania has failed after turnout of 20.4%, failing the necessary threshold of validation Brett Kavanaugh has been confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke found guilty of second-degree murder in Laquan McDonald killing. Senator Bernie Sanders proposes a bill to break up too big to fail financial institutions. The Senate has voted 51-49 to hold a final confirmation vote on Brett Kavanaugh tomorrow. How China is using a microchip to spy on U.S. tech companies. Slipped under the radar: Arizona education standards official begins push to add creationism and intelligent design to state biology curriculum, defended by state superintendent of education. "We wouldn’t consider Christianity a fringe view," said the superintendent's chief of staff. Microstate and tax haven San Marino, has asked the IMF for a bailout of 250 million euros over debts the country has received due to bad banking practices by seven of country's biggest banks. The loan is equivalent to approximately €7400 per person. A Catholic order is appealing to the Supreme Court in Warsaw against it paying the compensation of one million złoty (€233,000) to a young victim of paedophile priest of its order, who was subsequently jailed for four years in a landmark ruling. Frances Arnold shares the Nobel prize for Chemistry for using directed evolution to produce enzymes that can be used as catalysts to produce biofuels and drugs. The other winners are George Smith and Sir Gregory Winter, who developed a new technique to evolve new proteins. Conservative candidate for mayor of London blamed multiculturalists "removing" Christianity for turning London into a "crime-riddled cesspool". Donald Trump engaged in suspect tax schemes as he reaped riches from his father, and the New York state tax department is reviewing the fraud allegations. Four alleged members of hate group charged in 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Online retailing giant Amazon is raising pay for hundreds of thousands of workers in the US and UK. Trump administration halts visas for unmarried same-sex partners of diplomats, UN employees EPA says a little radiation may be healthy. Finally, Ann Coulter was right about something! Iran fires missiles at militants in Syria over the Ahvaz attack. Scores of diplomats including ambassadors and a gulag-born European commissioner have poured scorn on the British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, when at the Conservative Party Conference he compared the European Union to the Soviet Union.