AFTER INDIA FIRST, AMERICA FIRST, IT’S SOUTH KOREA FIRST
South Koreans are tired of being sandwiched by North Korea and the United States, and now want their country to stand up to their powerful allies and neighbours. That has translated into the resounding election campaign slogan “South Korea First”.
Many young voters now say their country has been reduced to pawns in a superpower game of chess as the U.S. and China tackle North Korea’s advancing nuclear programs. The youth is likely to turn up in record numbers to cast their vote in the upcoming election on 9 May to elect a new president.
“Sometimes I feel our government is bending over backwards trying not to upset the alliance with the United States,” said one voter.
“We need a strong figure. Look at Trump! He doesn’t care what others say,” another said.
IS EU REALLY MEDDLING IN BRITAIN’S ELECTION CAMPAIGN?
A day after Hillary Clinton accused Russian hackers of influencing the election outcome in the United States, British Prime Minister Theresa May accused European politicians of meddling in the upcoming election in her country in June.
May said that “some in Brussels” did not want the UK to succeed with Brexit. She said that EU politicians and officials have issued “threats against Britain”. She said that the EU will find her to be “a bloody difficult woman” as a Brexit negotiator.
She accused European officials of leaking the details of her tense dinner meeting with them to a German newspaper. One EU official said the negotiations will not be painless.
Critics described May’s charge as xenophobic.
A columnist said that May is negotiating with “27 proud, sovereign governments, not a colourless team of stateless bureaucrats in Brussels”.
FACEBOOK LIVE AND VIOLENT VIDEOS
Days after Facebook said its platform is being misused to spread fake news and political propaganda, it decided to crack down on another controversy surrounding violent video posts.
Now, Facebook will hire 3000 new people to monitor these videos and remove them quickly. The rules against violent content already exist at Facebook, but it takes the company some time to review and remove them. This has led to an outcry among users who mounted pressure on the company.
Since the introduction last year of Facebook Live, the problem has become more acute. Users were shocked by two video posts in April showing killings in Thailand and the United States.
“It is heartbreaking, and I have been reflecting on how we can do better for our community,” company chief Mark Zuckerberg wrote on his page.
TRUMP IS NO AUTHORITARIAN LEADER
Are the liberals making too much of U.S. President Donald Trump’s authoritarian tendencies? A writer in The Guardian says, “Look at his actions, not his words”.
Despite the fact that Trump’s party is in control of all the elected branches of the federal government, he has lost virtually every legislative battle he’s waged, and backed down from virtually every bluff he’s made.
When the judges returned his orders, all Trump managed was to emit a plaintive tweet promising to appeal their ruling: “I’ll see you in court.” Even that Trump couldn’t be bothered, in the end, to do. Instead he withdrew his appeal, revised his travel ban and found his ban back in court. Where it remains.
“Strong leader” is a slogan for Trump, a rhetoric, a performance, but that’s about it.
MELANIA TRUMP’S TWITTER LIKES
Did Melania Trump, the First Lady of the United States, “Like” a tweet that actually mocked her marriage?
It all began with a clip of a viraling video from Donald Trump’s inauguration showing Melania Trump’s forced smile which quickly disappeared the minute her husband looked away.
It generated a “Free Melania” campaign and a lot of public sympathy for a woman who, many said, was in an unequal relationship with Trump.
This week, Melania “Liked” a tweet that made a joke about her marriage. It said: “Seems the only wall that Donald Trump built was between him and Melania Trump.”
It turns out she hasn’t tweeted since November. And she has only liked two tweets – one of them is her own. Either she is a novice, or her phone has been hacked.
Picture Courtesy: Twitter @MoonJaeIn365