Yes We ‘Khan,’ EU And Turkey Go Separate Ways

PNUT GALLERY

Hey tourists! Just a 126-year-old crumbled statue here, reminding you to think before you selfie. Also, remember not to do math while flying, it scares people. 

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

London Says Yes We ‘Khan’

While the US deals with the emergence of “Trumpism” and its anti-Muslim flair, the UK just elected a Muslim to be the Mayor of London. Sadiq Khan, member of the Labour Party and son of a Pakistani bus driver (no relation to Khan Academy), will be the first Muslim Mayor of a major western city. This isn’t the first time the UK practiced religious inclusion. Benjamin Disraeli was one of the first modern Jewish heads of state when he was elected UK Prime Minister in 1868.

What about other elections in the UK?

It wasn’t all celebrations for the Labour Party as they fell to third place in Scotland – a traditional stronghold for them – and lost council seats in England. The losses will add further pressure on their leader and parliamentary beard of the year, Jeremy Corbyn, who struggles with accusations of lack of leadership and anti-Semitism in the party. 

Erdoğan And EU Go Their Separate Ways

“We’ll go our way, you go yours,” said Turkish President Erdoğan, loosely quoting Fleetwood Mac. The mercurial rise and fall of Turkey’s relationship with the EU is enough to pen a sequel to Rumours, and it looks like that doomed romance may finally be put to rest. Last week, the European Commission offered visa-free travel to Turkey on the condition that Ankara rewrite its anti-terrorism laws, which have been used to prosecute journalists and government critics. But now that Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is stepping down and Erdoğan’s presidency goes unchecked, nobody can stop him from burning a few extra bridges and rejecting the agreement outright. “We are at a point of no return,” he ominously said of the relationship. 

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

North Korea Kindly Sets Limits On Nuclear Use

North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un went out of his way to reassure the world that its nuclear weapons program was only for defensive purposes at a speech over the weekend. Since he took power, he has embarked on a push for bigger, faster, stronger nuclear weapons. That didn’t stop him from saying that he would strive for “global de-nuclearization.” It’s one of those “do as I say, not as I do” kind of speeches. 

Canada Fire Expected To Double In Size

Things aren’t getting better in Alberta. The wildfire has displaced about 88,000 people, destroyed nearly 2,000 structures and sent billows of smoke as far away as Iowa. Now, Canadian officials are saying this fight could last months, given resources and climate predictions. As the fire moves towards Saskatchewan, many fear it could reach a major oil sands mine. 

Crazy Images: NASA satellite photos showing how the fire spread

Yemen Peace Talks Threatened By Another Airstrike

After a relatively calm two weeks during the U.N.-backed peace talks in Kuwait, a truce between the Iran-allied Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed exiled government now hangs in the balance after another airstrike. The Houthi movement has accused a Saudi-led coalition of launching the attack that killed seven people on Sunday. In response to the breach, Houthi representatives refused to attend a meeting with the U.N. Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. This yearlong conflict has sparked a humanitarian crisis that has already killed at least 6,200 people.

Pnut Read: Yemen Explained

KEEPING OUR EYE ON…

Saudi: The Kingdom’s longstanding Oil Minister was fired over the weekend as part of a general government shuffle. Saudi is embarking on an ambitious Vision 2030 program that involves everything from increased investments to getting people to lose weight.

Zimbabwe: To ease the currency shortage, Zimbabwe will now be printing its own local version of the US dollar. With long lines forming outside of banks across the country, the government plans to limit withdrawals. 

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

France Will Pay Pregnant Women To Quit Smoking

The negative effects of smoking during pregnancy are vast and well-documented, but French hospitals feel women may need an extra push. A recent report shows that nearly 20% of women in France continued to smoke during their pregnancies in 2015 (because, France), so 17 hospitals across the country will now begin paying pregnant women to quit. The women will be participating in a study of the effectiveness financial incentives have on helping women quit smoking while pregnant. Participants will earn up to €300 in vouchers during their pregnancy, not to mention the money they’ll save on cigarettes.