By: Nathaniel Tok, Peak Associate
Protests continue in Armenia
Tens of thousands of Armenians have once again turned to public protests, challenging the standing Republican government.
The public opposition began two weeks ago when Serzh Sargsyan, who served for the past decade as President of the country, was selected to become Prime Minister, even though he had claimed to have no intention of vying for the role in the past.
After Sargsyan resigned, following the clear public opposition to his rule, talks between Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan were planned to determine the process of determining future leadership for the country. After disagreements over meeting format, however, the discussion was cancelled and protesters led by Pashinyan flooded the capital again.
With files from BBC News.
Korean leaders aim for removal of nuclear arms and end to war
North and South Korean leaders have agreed to bring a conclusive end to the Korean War by promising to sign a peace treaty, and plan to remove all nuclear weapons from within their borders during this year.
North Korea heavily pushed for the peace treaty as a requirement for the country to agree to end its nuclear program.The agreement was finalized in the border village of Panmunjom, making it the first known instance of a North Korean leader entering South Korea.
Many believe that the nature of this negotiation might contribute towards the atmosphere of the future meeting between the U.S. and North Korean leadership.
With files from The New York Times.
A research team announces that Uranus smells like rotten eggs
After decades of study, it turns out that the upper layers of Uranus’ gaseous atmosphere contain high levels of hydrogen sulphide.
This discovery comes from data gathered by the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii, and suggests that the planet would smell like rotten eggs, which are one of the more commonly-known sources of hydrogen sulphide. The scientists were able to conclude the identity of the gas by studying infrared light from Uranus. Scientists believe that Neptune’s clouds also contain hydrogen sulfide, in contrast to the regions around the clouds of other gas planets — Jupiter and Saturn — which are thought to contain ammonia instead.
Atmospheric gas composition of planets is useful when hypothesizing about planetary history and formation.
With files from DW.
Israeli teenagers drowned in Dead Sea flood
A flash flood in the Negev desert took the lives of at least nine Israeli teenagers. One more teenager is still missing. A large rescue operation involving military and police assets by the Israeli government was hindered by thunderstorms.
The teenagers were part of a group of 25 hiking in the region as part of their pre-military training program. North Africa and the Middle East have been hit by heavy rainstorms recently as well, with eight others dying in the region.
With files from DW.
