scorecardresearch
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeGlobal PulseGlobal Pulse: Putin says Trump's not his bride, Britain to limit EU...

Global Pulse: Putin says Trump’s not his bride, Britain to limit EU migrants post Brexit

Follow Us :
Text Size:

Trump is not my bride: Putin 

“Trump is not my bride. I am not his bride, nor his groom. We are running our governments.” Few would have imagined the Trump-Putin bromance to take this nasty a turn, but this is precisely what Putin said when asked if he was “disappointed” with Trump. And this is not even the most scathing of the Russian president’s remarks.

While addressing Russia’s diplomatic row with the United States at the BRICS summit, Putin said “It is hard to conduct a dialogue with people who confuse Austria with Australia, but there is nothing we can do about this. It seems to be the level of political culture in a certain part of the U.S. establishment.” On North Korea, Putin, in an apparent reproach to Trump’s belligerence, called for a more equanimous approach. Arguing that military escalation would lead to a “planetary catastrophe” and a “colossal casualty rate”, Putin said, Pyongyang would “eat grass but will not stop this program unless it feels safe.”

Britain to limit EU migrants post Brexit  

Britain’s intended approach to the question of immigration has been leaked, and it’s unlikely to come as good news for EU migrants. Immediately after Brexit, Britain will end the free movement of labour and introduce restrictions to deter low-skilled EU workers from staying in the UK. The emphasis of the leaked Home Office document is clear: putting British workers first.

“Put plainly, this means that, to be considered valuable to the country as a whole, immigration should benefit not just the migrants themselves but also make existing residents better off,” the document says. While low-skilled workers will be offered residency for a maximum of two years, high-skilled workers will be granted permits for three to five years. The document also proposes a new immigration policy which would effectively end the right to settle in Britain for most European migrants. While the proposals “are subject to negotiations with EU”, they’re certain to have left the hardliners in the Tory party gloating.

China’s dwindling marriage and rising divorce rates

More Chinese couples are seeking divorce, fewer are opting for marriage, and the government is deeply concerned. According to figures released by China’s civil affairs ministry, the number of couples who got divorced last year rose 8.3 per cent from 2015 to a whopping 4.2 million. For a country whose president has vowed to reinforce traditional family values, the situation might even be alarming.

While the government may be worried, sociologists are ringing bells of optimism. The rising divorce rates could be attributed to the fact that women increasingly have a greater sense of self worth. “Women are now less willing to tolerate an unhappy marriage…They are more independent and financially equipped, and they can opt out if things go wrong,” a Hong Kong-based sociologist said.

Pakistan’s govt. needs to wake up to campus extremism

There is a dangerous trend taking deeps roots in Pakistani campuses, and the government is not equipped to handle it. Extremism among students remains unabated in Pakistan, and there is a growing involvement of religiously inspired youth from the mainstream-education system taking to militancy. The Karachi attack on Eid, whose mastermind is a young former student of the University of Karachi, is only an ominous reminder.

While the Sindh chief minister has said that and security audit and verification system will be set up in the province to try and nab students with militant and terrorist leanings, it ought to be implemented carefully and responsibly. It is fairly common for states to arbitrarily use brute force against young individuals whose politics and ideologies differ from their own. But the Pakistani state must narrowly focus on those on the path of violence against state and society.

Distorting DACA

Donald Trump just scrapped an Obama-era policy whose approval rating among Americans is roughly double that of the president himself. And as is often the case with him, it seems as though the US president didn’t entirely fathom the enormity of rescinding the Deferred Action for Children Arrival (DACA) when he did it. To begin with, he didn’t even do it himself, instead hiding in the shadows of his attorney general – a longtime anti-immigrant hard-liner – who he sent to do the “dirty work”.

Jeff Sessions, who was only too happy to oblige, described DACA as a lawless policy that “yielded terrible humanitarian consequences”. This editorial in The New York Times says that DACA recipients are far from being a threat to national security, as is being projected. To be eligible for it, they ought to have an immaculate record. What’s more is that about 9 in 10 of DACA recipients are working taxpayers, whose deportation would cost the country’s GDP heavily.

Subscribe to our channels on YouTube, Telegram & WhatsApp

Support Our Journalism

India needs fair, non-hyphenated and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. ThePrint – with exceptional reporters, columnists and editors – is doing just that.

Sustaining this needs support from wonderful readers like you.

Whether you live in India or overseas, you can take a paid subscription by clicking here.

Support Our Journalism

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Most Popular