Brexit Uncertainty

Brexit, the plan to withdraw the U.K. from the European Union, has been met with turmoil. This turmoil partially results from disagreements about how Brexit should deal with the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

In the 1970s, Northern Ireland experienced a period of conflict known as the Troubles. The fighting between the Irish Republicans and British-funded paramilitary groups ended in 1998 with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. In this treaty, a hard border could not be formed between Northern Ireland and the RoI – the catalyst of the Troubles.

So far every deal put forth for Brexit has been denied by Parliament. The previous deadline of April 12, was moved to Oct. 31.

Sudan Protests

Since Dec. 19, 2018, protests have broken out across Sudan and have recently ended. These protests were in response to the rising costs of living and general deterioration of economic stability. While these protests began with calls for economic reform, they shifted to calling for the resignation of president Omar al-Bashir.

The reason for this shift was a result of the conditions of
al-Bashir’s rise to power, which started from a coup in 1989, and continued for the past 30 years. Additionally, al-Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur, a region in western Sudan.

On April 11, the president was removed in a coup, and a military council is now acting as a transitional government.

Death of Nipsey Hussle

California based hip hop artist Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed on March 31. The shooting took place in the parking lot of his store, Marathon Clothing, at 3:25 p.m. in Los Angeles.

Hussle and three other victims were transported to the hospital. Hussle was declared dead at 3:55 the same afternoon. The shooter was identified as 29-year-old Eric Holder. On April 4, Holder pleaded not guilty.

According to the Los Angeles Times, “on the eve of the release of his debut album [Victory Lap], Hussle unveiled Vector 90, a shared workspace in South L.A. to help connect young talent in impoverished communities with opportunities in Silicon Valley and beyond.” Hussle will likely be remembered for his inspirational career and his community investment and support.