Welcome back to Worldwide Wednesdays everyone, where each week we cover the biggest news in entertainment, business, and politics. This week more turmoil around the globe as the world cup leads to riots and Turkey threatens an invasion in Syria. Additionally, a double volcanic eruption began in tropical Hawaii and a devastating stabbing in Idaho that the authorities are still investigating. On that note, let’s jump right in. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has launched a series of airstrikes on Kurdish military locations in northern Syria. Over the last 6 years, Erdogan has launched multiple small military operations into northern Syria but this freshest round of airstrikes seems to be the most aggressive offensive yet. According to CNN, the Turkish military has vowed to launch a land invasion soon. While some pushback has come from the pentagon, no direct action has been taken by the Biden administration as of Tuesday 11/29.

Over the last week, protests and riots have broken out across China due to a deadly fire in Urumqi. China’s no Covid policy has led to strict lockdowns across major cities in the country, including in Urumqi where many have even been locked in their apartments. A fire in an apartment building along with these locked doors led to 10 dead and 9 injured in a large blaze. Protests against lockdown restrictions have rapidly materialized with Xi Jinping and the Chinese government trying to contain and shut down these riots.

On November 13th, four students from the University of Idaho, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle, and Madison Morgan,  were found stabbed in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho. This was the first murder in the college town since 2015, and as of November 30th, no suspects have been arrested or identified. The local police say that extensive evidence was collected at the scene and many tips have been sent in, but none have given the police a strong lead and very little has been released to the public. Though students are slowly returning to campus, the killer is still considered a public threat and according to CNN, the state of Idaho has dedicated over 1 million dollars to the investigation. Our prayers go out to the families of the students killed. 

While many ecstatic fans celebrated Morocco’s win over Belgium on November 27th, riots across Belgian cities broke out. The game was only Morocco’s third-ever win at the World Cup and its first since 1998. The major upset led to widespread celebration across Morocco, but the picture in Belgium and the Netherlands was quite different. At around 3 pm, right as the game ended, hundreds across major cities in both countries flipped cars and burned electric scooters. Police deployed water cannons and tear gas to contain the riots and most of the violence had subsided by 7 pm. 

Two of the world’s biggest volcanoes are now erupting simultaneously in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii. According to CNN, the smaller of the two volcanos, Kilauea, has been erupting for over a year while the largest active volcano in the world, Mauna Loa, has been erupting for the first time in 38 years just this week. While no direct danger from the lava flows has been observed, the large amount of ash and soot has lowered air quality and disrupted some flights. While the lava flows have died down some since the initial eruption there is not an exact end date for the eruption as of 11/30.