Republicans won’t have Trump encouraging neo-Nazis, it seems
Donald Trump “has not demonstrated he understands the character of this nation,” Sen. Bob Corker has just said. As his popularity ratings among voters hit a nadir, the president is more isolated than ever in his own party as well. And Corker’s is only the most recent unveiled criticism against the leader in the wake of Trump’s controversial remarks in the aftermath of the Rightwing protests and violence that rocked Charlottesville.
“I don’t know of any Republican who is comfortable with where we’re at right now based on the president’s comments,” a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. Evidently embarrassed by the president’s remarks describing those marching through the streets of Charlottesville as “fine people”, most republicans had initially chosen to somehow wall themselves from his comments. As the backlash grew, however, some felt compelled to publicly disavow racism. White supremacy is repulsive…There can be no moral ambiguity,” Paul Ryan tweeted.
Spain attacks and the pursuit of making terror simpler
A new, worrying trend is clear. Little or no training, coordination or planning, easily available weapons, a modus operandi extremely difficult to nab, and maximum, indiscriminate damage – the latest vehicle attacks in Spain, which have killed 19 so far, are the ninth in Europe in the last four years, establishing the use of vehicles as weapon as a growing terror tactic. The terrorists are no longer actually part of the groups that inspire them to kill. Worse, they don’t even have the training to carry out complex attacks.
A piece analysing these new terror trends argues that earlier, Islamic militant groups would seek to send specific messages through violence. The goal is different now. It is to target anyone, anywhere, anyhow. “Music fans in Manchester, summer revellers in Nice, pub-goers in London, and of course tourists, whether taking pictures on Westminster Bridge, on a beach in Tunisia, or on an airplane returning to Russia from Egypt,” there has been a mainstreaming of terror.
China to Hong Kong: No activism, please!
Hong Kong may have been consistently fighting and protesting to protect its freedoms and rights under the “one country, two systems” agreement with China for a decade now, but their vision seems to increasingly be at odds with the Asian giant’s. And now the prospect of protest in the semiautonomous city could lead activists in prison – an obvious evidence of Beijing’s insidiously growing influence.
And the precedent in this regard has already been set. Three of Hong Kong’s most influential young activists still in their 20s, have been sent to prison. The activists had been involved in the 2014 Umbrella Movement, a 79-day occupation of the heart of the city. “This is a watershed moment for Hong Kong. It now has political prisoners…For anyone thinking of protesting, the prospect of a harsh jail sentence will now loom over them,” a senior researcher in Hong Kong said.
Post-Brexit, EU citizens can still go to UK, visa-free
Even after Brexit, Britain’s borders would remain open to EU citizens, visa-free. Those wishing to stay or visit the UK would face no immigration restrictions post-Brexit. But the number of people migrating to work would be limited by a set of permits in place.
While EU citizens would be free to look for jobs anywhere in the UK, the onus would instead be on the prospective employers to apply for permits issued by the government. What might prove to be a disincentive for companies though is that they would be charged a fee to issue the permits. However, the plan, which is not yet confirmed, has its loopholes. “It (the proposed new system) will not restrict anybody coming here from Europe who does not intend to work and may push other EU nationals into the black economy.”
Compiled by Sanya Dhingra.