scorecardresearch
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Support Our Journalism
HomeGlobal PulseWhy a US restaurant has Trump fuming, and the Swedish football team...

Why a US restaurant has Trump fuming, and the Swedish football team has something to say

Follow Us :
Text Size:

Iran is facing the biggest protest it has seen since 2012, and crucial city election  in Bangladesh today. 

Restaurant asks White House spokesperson to leave, triggers row 

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave a small restaurant in Virginia over the weekend because of the owner’s opposition to the Trump administration’s policies.

Sanders then took to Twitter to write about the incident.

The owner of the restaurant clarified her position in an interview with The Washington Post, defending her decision. On Monday, the furore seemed to escalate as President Donald Trump weighed in.

“The tweet serves to amplify a controversy that has been seized on by conservatives as an example of harassment of Trump officials by progressives,” CNN reports. 

Iran is facing the largest protests since 2012

In the biggest protests in Tehran since 2012, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against rising prices in the country.

“Riot police later fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators as they marched towards parliament,” reports the BBC. The protests shut down Tehran’s Grand Bazaar.

“Fears about the impact of the US sanctions that will start to be reinstated in August and possibly trigger the collapse of the nuclear deal has led to the rial falling to a record low against the dollar on the unofficial foreign exchange market,” the report adds.

This is the latest in series of protests over economic problems taking place in Iran.

The Swedish football team has a powerful message

After the team’s loss to Germany in the FIFA World Cup Saturday, Swedish footballer Jimmy Durmaz was subjected to death threats and racial slurs.

Durmaz’s parents emigrated to Sweden from Turkey, and are of Syriac descent, reports Russian Times, and his heritage was targeted on social media.

At Sweden’s training session the next day, Durmaz read out a statement while his team mates stood behind him. When he finished, his teammates shouted “Fuck racism!” in unison.

“I am a footballer at the highest level, being criticised is something we live with, but being called ‘fucking immigrant’ and ‘suicide bomber’, and having death threats made against me and my children is completely unacceptable,” Durmaz said. “I am Swedish, and with pride I wear our shirt and our flag. I want to thank the fine, wonderful people who spread joy. It warms us all. We stand united, we are Sweden.”

“The abuse was also reported to police, and the general secretary of the Swedish FA, Hakan Sjostrand, condemned the threats directed at the player,” reports Russian Times.

The world’s best football coach might just be… Xi Jinping

“China’s team is a national embarrassment — but the party chairman has big plans for the game,” writes Jonathan White in Foreign Policy, in light of the world’s most populous country failing to qualify for the World Cup yet again.

“That might be about to change, however, as the same political forces that pushed China to the top of the Olympics have now turned their attention to football,” he adds.

Xi is a big fan of football, and seems to be investing in “grassroots soccer”. “Xi’s original World Cup dream, laid out in 2011, came in three parts: To see China qualify for the World Cup, China hosting the World Cup, and China winning the World Cup,” White writes.

While this vision has been toned down, some of China’s most successful businessmen have begun investing in football after the government’s initial investments. Chinese-owned football clubs are now in plenty, and there is even a league which ensures that “for every foreigner there is a domestic under-23 player on the pitch”.

“The Chinese public has wanted success at the World Cup for years. That hasn’t mattered. Now that the party is onboard, that might change,” he adds.

Trump is barring China from investing in US tech firms

President Donald Trump plans to stop Chinese companies from investing in US technology firms, and wants to block additional technology exports to the country, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The two measures will reportedly be announced at the end of this week as a counter to the ‘Made in China 2025’ programme, a Chinese initiative to become a global leader in technology.

Under the new policy, companies with over 25 per cent of Chinese ownership will be blocked from buying companies involved in “industrially significant technology”.

Trade tensions between the two countries have been escalating over the last few weeks, and US tariffs on goods worth $34 billion are set to kick in next month. China has also announced retaliatory measures.

Four Arab states ‘support US plan’ for peace in the Middle East

According to an Israeli newspaper, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE have confirmed to Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, that they support his plan to bring peace to the Middle East, reports Al Jazeera

“Four Arab states have backed the US plan for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, regardless of the position of Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas,” according to the Israel Hayom

Kushner and the US envoy to the region, Jason Greenblatt, have been on a week-long tour of the Middle East. The plan to bring peace, referred to as the “deal of the century”, is yet to be disclosed.

Crucial city election in Bangladesh today

The Daily Star reports that voters of the Gazipur city corporation, the country’s largest, will decide between the Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in an election today.

“While the ruling AL wants to regain its stronghold and the BNP to demonstrate its popularity, the EC is faced with the test if it can hold a free, fair and peaceful election,” the report adds.

Bangladesh is also set to hold its national election this year, in December.

 

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