 "A protester uses a bullhorn as students and others demonstrate at a protest encampment at University Yard in support of Palestinians in Gaza, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, at George Washington University in Washington, on 25 April 2024. Reuters File Photo")
We saw many big developments this week, with the United States grabbing the headlines for the most part.
The pro-Palestine protests have spread across American colleges. The demonstrations that began at Columbia University have gripped dozens of other campuses in the US, which is a staunch ally of Israel.
After months of delay, the US Senate passed a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The development has brought a much-needed relief for Kyiv.
Under Chinese president Xi Jinping, the nation’s spy agency is coming out of the shadows.
Here’s all this and more in our weekly roundup of explainers from the world.
1. Students across US colleges are staging protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. Many demonstrators, including those at Columbia University, have set up pro-Palestinian student encampments on their campuses. From Harvard to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), demonstrations have cropped up across universities.
The new protests come after over 100 protesters who had erected tents on Columbia’s upper Manhattan campus were arrested last week. The police action catapulted other students across the US to stage similar protests. Law enforcement was called to disperse protesters in some varsities such as the University of Southern California (USC) and the University of Texas at Austin.
Some Jewish students have dubbed the protests “antisemitic” and expressed concerns for their safety on the campus. But what are these protesters demanding? We explain .
2. US president Joe Biden signed the legislation green-lighting $95 billion in aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan into law this week. Of this, a much-needed $61 billion assistance is for Kyiv, which is struggling to stall Russia’s advances in the war zone.
Impact Shorts
View AllAs part of the package, the US has said it will provide additional Patriot missiles to Kyiv. Ukraine had for long been seeking American assistance to help in its protracted conflict with Russia. But why is this US aid so important? Read our story to find out.
3. Let’s take a brief break from the happenings in the US. A man in Belgium was recently acquitted of drink-driving after his lawyers proved in a court that his body produced alcohol. No, we are not joking. The 40-year-old man is suffering from auto-brewery syndrome (ABS), a rare medical condition that increases levels of alcohol in the blood and creates the symptoms of alcohol intoxication in patients, even when they have had minimal or no intake of liquor.
How prevalent is ABS and is there a treatment? We explain in this report .
4. In a setback for the #MeToo movement, former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction has been overturned by a New York appeals court. Ordering a fresh trial, the court said there were errors in the 2020 trial.
However, Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct by at least 100 women, including Hollywood stars Ashley Judd, Uma Thurman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, will remain behind bars as he is serving a 16-year term in another rape case.
As the tainted movie mogul grabs headlines again, we list all the sexual assault allegations against him in our story.
5. China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is no longer working from behind the curtains. The powerful spy agency has come to the spotlight, warning citizens that foreign spies are “everywhere” and is seeking their help to stop them.
The MSS, which was set up in 1983, first stepped into the public glare in 2015. Last August, it made its most drastic move by launching its account on WeChat. What is this spy agency and why is it gradually coming out of the shadows? Read our report to find out.
6. The world’s first Sikh court has opened in the United Kingdom. As many as 46 Sikh magistrates and judges took oath at a ceremony at the 15th-Century Old Hall in Lincoln’s Inn in London last weekend. Notably, most of them were women.
They have vowed to uphold the principles of justice, equality, and integrity as the teachings of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and the Sikh faith preach. But why was a Sikh court needed and how will it function? We explain in this story .
You are all caught up on world affairs for this week. If you want to read and support more of our work, you can bookmark this page .