8 News Stories You Need To Know This Week

From the enduring cult status of Charles Manson, some Beatles thievery and a 119-year-old marathon runner to Merkel’s power struggle and Google’s first city, here is a 52 Insights curated selection of the need to know news this week.

The fashion world mourns as the king of the atelier Azzedine Alaïa passed away earlier this week. 

Take a look at his phenomenal 40-year influence on couture through his most memorable Vogue shoots.

A 58-year-old man has been arrested after the discovery of hundreds of stolen John Lennon items in Berlin.

The memorabilia, including the Beatles icon’s personal diaries and pairs of his signature round spectacles, were stolen from Yoko Ono in 2006. They were picked up at a Berlin auction house.

Mr. Dharam Singh claims to be 119 years old, according to 4 different IDs and his own word. If this wasn’t enough, he also runs marathons.

In this charming short film, travel to India to find out how this centenarian defies medical proof to run a marathon, supported by ancient healing practices.

Pizza enters political warfare 

In a highly politicised time, with the added element of social media, companies from Jim Beam whiskey to Keurig coffee are facing backlash from consumers for their apparent political alliances. Find out why brands need to shape up in the current climate.

Angela Merkel’s days may be numbered. What does this mean for Europe?

Another day, another crisis for the EU. In the aftermath of Brexit and numerous nationalist outbursts, Europe’s leading light of stability is struggling to hold on to Germany’s government. This could be a blow to any hopes of regaining a strong EU.

Google is building an 800-acre waterfront digital utopia in Toronto 

The smart city arm of Google’s Alphabet, Sidewalk Labs is aiming to create a smart technology community, built on digital hacks like self-driving cars, public WiFi and other modern city planning advances. Welcome to Metropolis.

Charles Manson died this week after 48 years behind bars. 

The notorious cult leader of the ‘Family’, who orchestrated the killings on Cielo Drive in 1969, still holds a place in the American cultural psyche.While he informs popular culture even today, with directors like Tarantino still telling his story, this is how he was also a product of that very same world.

Indigenous people hold the answer to the sustainability debate.

The territories of indigenous peoples make up almost 24% of the world’s land and 80% of our biodiversity. They have been fighting to protect their land rights for centuries, but now increasing evidence is pointing to the fact that we can learn a lot from their millennia of sustainable practices in our effort to protect the ecosystem. It’s time to listen to Mother Earth.

Nuclear bombs and lightning, what do they have in common? 

The natural phenomena of thunder and lightning have been the subject of awe and intrigue since time began, but things just got even more interesting as it seems that this extreme weather could be contributing to the composition of our atmosphere. Take a look.