Norway Knows Best

Apparently, Galápagos penguin chicks may have trouble moving out of their parents’ basement. Even when they are old enough to hunt on their own, they beg their parents for food—and the parents often give in. Sound familiar?

FBI Snubs Trump: In an extraordinary move, FBI Director James Comey announced on Monday that his agency is investigating whether members of President Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 election. In a break from usual protocol, the FBI director publicly confirmed the investigation into ties between Trump associates and Moscow during the campaign, but declined to say whether or not the FBI had thus far found any proof.

The confirmation of an investigation into Trump and his aides was not the only bombshell dropped. Comey, in a rare public disagreement with the President, denied Trump’s accusation that President Obama wiretapped his phone, stating: “With respect to the President’s tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior Administration, I have no information that supports those tweets. And we have looked carefully inside the FBI.” Comey also clarified that the President of the United States cannot unilaterally order a wiretapping operation against a specific American citizen.

Comey’s first mate at the hearing, National Security Agency head Mike Rogers, also shot down another Trump claim—that President Obama circumvented domestic surveillance laws by requesting that the GCHQ, a British intelligence agency, oversee the wiretapping operation, noting that the accusation “frustrates a key ally of ours.”  

While the FBI Director’s testimony was revealing, will Trump’s most ardent supporters be influenced like the election may have been? It remains to be seen. But Trump did once famously say he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue in New York City and still be elected president. If that’s the case, mere collusion with the Russians should cause him no major problems, right?  

Vatican Asks Forgiveness for its Role in Rwandan Genocide: In a meeting with Rwandan President Paul Kagame at the Vatican on Monday, Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the “sins and failings of the Church and its members” during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

About 200 priests and nuns–from both Tutsi and Hutu ethnic groups– were among those slaughtered in the massacres. But other priests and nuns were complicit, or even took part, in the violence. One priest, Father Athanase Seromba, ordered his church to be bulldozed with 2,000 Tutsis taking shelter inside. An estimated 5,000 people were killed at the Ntarama Catholic church.

Members of the Catholic Church were not only perpetrators of the killings, but a report on the genocide by the Organization of African Unity said the Church in Rwanda also offered “indispensable support” to the Hutu regime during the genocide. In 2014, President Kagame said the Catholic Church’s role in the genocide began decades before, with the Church having “participated fully” in establishing the colonial ideology that created a divide between Hutus and Tutsis, even though the two ethnic groups had lived together peacefully for generations.

In the decades following the genocide, the Vatican admitted that although individual clergy members had committed heinous crimes, the church itself bore no institutional responsibility. After Pope Francis’ plea on Monday, the Rwandan government called it a “positive step forward” that “allows us to build a stronger base for restoring harmony between Rwandans and the Catholic Church.” However, Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo also noted: “Today, genocide denial and trivialization continue to flourish in certain groups within the church and genocide suspects have been shielded from justice within Catholic institutions.”

Divorce Date Set for the UK-EU: British Prime Minister Theresa May has officially announced that she will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty–the article initiating divorce proceedings between the UK and the European Union–on March 29. While the long-time on-and-off partners are trying to separate amicably, the announcement shattered the hopes on both sides of the Channel that Brexit would not happen after all. With less than a month to go until the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the document that kick-started European integration, the EU will be officially down one.

As per the Lisbon Treaty, this means that the EU flag will stop flying proud on the British Isles on March 29, 2019, at which point both sides have either agreed to a new bi-lateral relationship or–the more likely option seeing how hard-line London is pursuing its interests–the UK will crash out of the EU and its single market. In all-or-nothing fashion, the exit process does not allow for changes in mind, only for shifts in the schedule.

Norway Knows Best: Not exactly the land of milk of honey, but rather of solid economic and social policy, affordable and quality healthcare and a trusted government, Norway has just been named the happiest country on earth. If one takes a look at any of the Nordic nation’s promotional videos, it’s not hard to see why. The high living standard coupled with magnificent landscapes make for a blissful life. Norway stole the top-spot from now second-ranked Denmark, whose national cultural ethos of “hygge” (Danish for “cozy/relaxed/chilled”) should stave off the sting of loss. All three Scandinavian countries made it in the top ten, along with their neighbors Iceland (#3) and Finland (#5).

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