This Week in Explainers: What’s the ‘cursed’ diamond from India that the Louvre thieves didn’t touch?

The headline-grabbers of the week were conmen. A gang of four thieves pulled off the “heist of the century” at the Louvre Museum in Paris. In the US, the FBI uncovered a big illegal betting racket involving famous basketball players and mafia families, who swindled victims out of millions using high-end tech.

Amid this week of extraordinary events, half of the world’s internet was down on Monday (October 20). It was caused by a massive outage of Amazon Web Services, affecting everything from banking services to airlines and social media.

In politics, Donald Trump’s flip-flops continue. After talking about a Budapest summit with Russia’s Vladimir Putin following a two-and-a-half-hour call last week, the US administration decided to cancel the meeting. Then, Trump went ahead and imposed sanctions on Russian oil.

Trump also has big plans to renovate the White House. Presidents in the past have made their own changes. But few moves by the current leader come without controversy. The East Wing of the White House was demolished to make room for a lavish ballroom , and he has been criticised for razing cherished history.

In what is deemed a big labour reform, Saudi Arabia has scrapped a decades-old kafala system linked to the employment of foreign workers. It will benefit 10 million migrant employees, including 2.5 million Indians.

The newsmaker from Asia is Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first woman prime minister. Who is she, and what does her win mean for a patriarchal nation ? In our weekly roundup, we talk about all this and more.

1. It’s the “heist of the century”. In a robbery that seemed straight out of a crime thriller, a gang of four robbers broke into the world’s most famous museum, the Louvre, in broad daylight and decamped with jewels dating back to the 16th century – necklaces, brooches and tiaras – belonging to French royalty and imperial rulers. The thieves entered the museum using a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift, cutting through the windows to gain access to Galerie d’Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) and threatening guards before escaping with their loot. Here’s how it all unfolded under eight minutes .

2. The jewels stolen from the Louvre might be lost forever. But from what was left behind by the thieves is a 140-carat Regent Diamond. The gem was mined from Andhra Pradesh’s Goloconda region. The fact that it was not stolen has left investigators surprised. Attached to this diamond is a story of a curse .

3. Yet another con was uncovered this week. An investigation put the spotlight on an illegal gambling racket in the US. The crackdown led to the arrest of NBA stars and the mafia. The case revolves around an alleged scheme to lure victims into playing rigged poker games along with sports stars and then stealing millions of dollars. From special contact lenses to an X-ray table, the smartest tech was used to dupe people. Here’s everything you need to know .

4. What happens when half of the world’s internet is down? On Monday (October 20), a massive outage of Amazon Web Services (AWS) led to disruptions and chaos. Snapchat, Reddit and Lloyds Bank were among the 1,000 websites and services that were hit. So what caused the glitch? This story explains .

5. Donald Trump is miffed with Vladimir Putin… once again. That long phone conversation and the possibility of a Budapest meeting are all forgotten. The US has slapped sanctions on two of Russia’s largest oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. But why now? And will this pressure the Russian president to change his plans for Ukraine?

6. The White House is seeing a makeover that has become a topic of big debate. The East Wing has been demolished. In its place, Donald Trump wants to build a $300-million ballroom. The world’s most famous address has been revamped since it was first built, with several presidents making their own changes. Yet, Trump’s new structure will be different from the rest. Here’s why .

7. Saudi Arabia has had a poor record of protecting the rights of foreign employees. Its decades-old kafala system was exploitative. Often applied to blue-collar and low-wage workers, it forbade them from joining unions and did not provide them with minimum wages. However, a major labour reform has ended this system of “modern slavery”. Here’s how it will benefit Indian workers .

8. Japan made history by picking its first woman prime minister. Sanae Takaichi of the Liberal Democratic Party won a leadership vote in the legislature. The 64-year-old, who is an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, is known as Japan’s “Iron Lady”. Beyond politics, she’s a heavy metal drummer who plays Iron Maiden and Deep Purple to let off steam. Here’s what we know about her .

9. Our last story is about Gen Alpha. In schools across the world, teachers are facing a rather peculiar problem. In the middle of class, students are screaming “6-7”. It all started with a meme. But what does it even mean? Actually nothing .

That’s our reading list for this Sunday. If you missed catching up on the news, this will have you covered. You can find more such explainers here .