Trumps bluster does nothing to help the victims of a vicious chemical attack in Syria. In the Philippines, a live volcano has become the new destination for the perfect Instagram shot. Paul Ryan’s exit from the GoP has Republicans worried ahead of the midterm polls.
Trump’s bluster will not save Syria
As a slew of graphic photos of victims of a chemical attack in Syria surfaced, the international community hit out at President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, demanding retaliation. Further, both Russia and Iran are being blamed for being”callous enablers” of Assad’s barbaric actions in the region.
US President Trump’s limited intervention and lack of a coherent strategy to put an end to atrocities in the war-torn area are by no means helping the situation, The New York Times writes in an editorial.
“President Trump took limited military action against Syria after a chemical weapons attack last year, largely ignored the issue after that and then last week surprised his military commanders by announcing plans to soon withdraw 2,000 troops in the fight against the Islamic State. Mr Trump vowed on Sunday on Twitter that there would be a ‘big price to pay’ for the latest killings.”
The article reprimands the US President for being all talk and no action, saying his inconsistent stance will never be able to stop the violence in Syria and will further empower Assad.
“What to do next in Syria is a crucial test for Mr Trump, who has shirked America’s traditional leadership role. He has tried to seem like a macho leader who would aggressively use American power where President Barack Obama wouldn’t, while talking about pulling out of the Middle East and walking away from international commitments.”
A tweet is significant, but what comes next, asks the article.
Turning sulphur into selfies in Indonesia
It is not uncommon to see a stream of tourists flock to the active volcano in Kawah Ijen, Indonesia, which also happens to be the country’s largest sulphur mine, writes Nadine Frieschland for the South China Morning Post.
Such is the attraction of the site that spotting a lucrative pay day, sulphur miners who once risked their lives to mine sulphur have begun to quit their job to become tour guides.
“At the centre of the site is a pale blue lake, from which gas rises and colours the surrounding rock yellow. At night, the crater presents another visual wonder as the sulphuric gas occasionally combusts, producing eerie blue flames that dance around the rocks,” the report says.
Scores of tourists are attracted to this mesmerising spectacle purely for the photo opportunity, writes Frieschland.
However, she also highlights the dangers of mass tourism at the site as it was never prepared for the same. Accidents occur frequently, leaving several people injured. For instance, on 22 March, a gas explosion at the crater left dozens of people in hospital.
It is also making the work of miners increasingly dangerous as more tourists step in their path. But the government has ignored concerns and instead put in place plans to build a cable car to shuttle tourists, an initiative that would potentially bring in even more visitors, Frieschland writes.
The Paul Ryan crisis
Paul Ryan’s announcement Wednesday that he will not be running for re-election has seemingly caused the bottom to drop out for hopeful Republicans.
“It represents a bright distress flare illuminating the seriousness of the predicament into which President Trump has plunged his party,” writes Karen Tumulty for The Washington Post.
While Republican incumbents were already leaving the Grand Old Party (GOP) in far greater numbers, Ryan’s decision to follow suit will hasten this exodus.
President Trump’s erratic “protectionist trade pronouncements” and his legal jeopardy, with the spectacle of the FBI raiding the home and office of a lawyer who represents the President, have only made the situation worse for the party.
“The prospect that Trump will be impeached is being discussed more openly as a campaign issue — and not just on the fringe left but by Republicans themselves,” the report adds.
In the midst of this and several other debacles, Ryan has only remained a hapless passenger in the sidecar of this chaotic presidency, not the driver of big policy ideas he once imagined himself to be, Tumulty writes.