Politics
Opinion and Analysis of the local and global Politics
US border security officials have been told to stop and question those of Iranian descent
According to some insider information, US border patrol officers at the Canadian-US border have been told to stop and question every traveler of Iranian descent. They were initially told to do this after the killing of Iranian general Qasim Soleimani. Many people experienced much longer wait times at the border because of this.
security travel us iran airport conflict baghdad escalation
CNN
US to re-position troops across the globe to meet new 'challenges'
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said that the US may re-position its troops across the globe to face the new challenges that both China and Russia are presenting. He said that he will have completed his review of the US's global position before the end of the year.
china us russia army military soldiers troops global-power
Reuters
Brexit law passes in Parliament, awaiting royal assent
UK Conservative prime minister Boris Johnson's Brexit law has finally passed through the British Parliament and is now awaiting royal assent, which should be granted within the next few days. In the House of Lords, Labour party peers had proposed five amendments to the bill, which were all rejected by the Members of Parliament. The peers have chosen not to oppose Parliament's decision.
uk britain parliament prime-minister royal boris-johnson convservative lords peer amendment
BBC
Indian courts refuse to intervene in the situation surrounding the new citizenship bill
India's Supreme Court has refused to put a hold on the new citizenship bill despite numerous claims that the law is unconstitutional. Lawyers are arguing that since the law discriminates between people based on religion it goes against India's secular constitution. Protests against the law have spread all over the country and have even led to the deaths of 30 people.
india modi protest court citizenship hindu religion census
BBC
Harvey Weinstein rape trial begins with the first day of testimonies
Harvey Weinstein's high profile sex crimes case has finally begun as both prosecutors and defense brought forward their opening arguments. The prosecutors claim that he violently assaulted several women and is using testimonies from his victims to establish a pattern of behavior. The defense is arguing that the sex was consensual and that Weinstein and the women maintained warm relations for years.
court abuse sexual-harassment sexual-abuse harvey-weinstein harassment law-suit
Aljazeera
International Court of Justice to decide on Rohingya genocide
The International Court of Justice is set to decide on preliminary measures that should be taken to protect the Rohingya Muslims from genocide. The court has not yet heard the case in full and will most likely not reach a final decision on the matter for a few years. Although these preliminary measures could indicate how the court will later rule.
violence justice court rohingya myanmar genocide law international-court-of-justice
Reuters
US to help India and Pakistan resolve Kashmir issue
US President Donald Trump has said that he has been closely observing the Kashmir issue for some time and would like to help resolve it. He did not reveal how the US would help or when. Trump is scheduled to meet Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at Davos although Khan has said that Afghanistan is currently a more pressing issue for the country.
pakistan india america kashmir trump censorship internet usa law constitution
Aljazeera
Saudi Crown Prince hacked Amazon CEO's phone and stole large amounts of data
According to some insider sources, the Saudi Crown Prince hacked Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos' phone in 2018. The hack was used to extract a large amount of data from the phone within just a few hours although it is unknown what kind of data they were able to extract. This will likely hurt the country's attempts to gain more foreign investors.
ceo amazon jeff-bezos hack saudi-arabia phone-hack saudi-royal-family
Guardian
Trump defends US economy at World Economic Forum 2020
United States president Donald Trump, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, defended his country's economy and reiterated his skepticism of climate change science among a host of criticisms from world leaders and climate activist Greta Thunberg. Trump's keynote address coincided with the beginning of his impeachment trial in the US Senate in Washington, DC.
trump impeachment climate-change economy united-states greta-thunberg activist washington switzerland world-economic-forum davos
AlJazeera
Russian opposition parties plan large protest against Putin's attempts to keep power
Opposition parties in Russia are planning a large protest against Putin's plans to amend the constitution to allow him to 'rule forever''. They intend to hold the protest in Moscow although they will require permission from the Moscow authorities. Most of the Russian government resigned after Putin first proposed these changes.
protest government russia president opposition putin dictatorship
Reuters
UN finds that half a billion people are struggling to find jobs that pay enough
According to a new United Nations report, nearly half a billion people around the world are struggling to find employment that has adequate pay. These people are often unable to meet their basic needs due to very low wages or paid hours. The report also found that global unemployment has gone up for the first time in decades.
employment united-nations poverty job-market
Guardian
FBI claims Saudi Arabia provides shelter to American fugitives
According to a recently declassified FBI memo, Saudi Arabia has been helping Saudi citizens who have become US fugitives by providing them safe harbor back to their home country. Some of these fugitives were facing charges for violent crimes such as rape or child abuse. The memo said that this assessment was made with 'high confidence'.
crime us saudi-arabia fbi illegal fugtives
HuffingtonPost
Iran requests help to collect data from flight black boxes
The Iranian government has asked both the French and American authorities to help them properly download data of the flight they mistakenly downed. Both Ukraine and France have repeatedly asked Iran to hand over the black boxes for analysis but Iran has continued to refuse. Iran has received a large amount of international pressure to hand over the boxes.
us plane ukraine iran missile conflict baghdad escalation shot-down
Reuters
Iran claims it has no plans to send the blackbox of shot down plane to Ukraine or France
A top Iranian official has said that the country currently does not intend to send the black box of the Ukranian plane they shot down to France or Ukraine for analysis. This directly contradicts an earlier statement that the black boxes would be sent and are still usable, albeit a bit damaged.
us plane ukraine iran missile conflict baghdad escalation shot-down
AP
Trump to give first impeachment defense as Senate trial begins
US President Donald Trump has been given a deadline to submit a written defense for his impeachment trial. He has been charged with abusing his powers to force Ukraine to open an investigation into one of his competitors. The document will argue that Trump is innocent of all these charges and should not be removed from office.
america trump impeachment donald-trump us government
Reuters
US reveals new Space Force uniforms, many confused regarding camouflage
The US Space Force has officially revealed a glimpse of their new military uniforms and reactions to the design have not been kind. Many have questioned the use of came print, given the officers will eventually be deployed in space, where came would be completely useless. The army later clarified that this was done to save on costs.
trump us army military space-force uniforms
BBC
Prince Harry and Meghan are giving up their HRH titles along with their royal duties
Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have announced that they will officially be giving up all royal duties and also their HRH titles. They will no longer receive any public funding and will live on their own. The couple is set to have a conversation with the Queen regarding their future although some suspect they might later return to their royal status.
uk britain royal-family harry meghan mexit
BBC
Police clash with protesters in Paris as the Yellow Vest protests restart
Police in Paris began firing tear gas at Yellow Vest protestors as the demonstration steadily grew more and more violent. The Yellow Vest protests began in 2018 and have occurred every Saturday since they began, but recently many more people have joined these marches. The protests initially began due to the government's decision to overhaul the country's pension system.
protest paris europe demonstration right-wing far-right yellow-vest
Aljazeera
Amsterdam to buy the debts of young people to boost participation in the job market
The city of Amsterdam has announced that it will be buying the debts of young people in order to offer them a fresh start. This scheme will help the youth participate in the job market and pursue higher education. The scheme also involves giving these young people guidance to help them pay off these debts.
debt finance bank youth amsterdam millenials
Guardian
China may under reporting the impact of the mysterious new virus
According to some insider information, there have been around 1700 cases of the new mysterious virus that is spreading across China. The Chinese government claims there have only been 45 cases of the virus. Experts have said that the new virus is concerning, especially since there have already been two deaths because of it.
china health disease illness virus contagious
BBC
Khamenei supports guards who shot down Ukrainian plane despite protests
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has thrown his support behind the Iranian Revolutionary Guard despite the fact that they mistakenly downed a Ukrainian civilian aircraft. He made a number of statements in support of the guard and violence against the US. The downing of the plane sparked protests all over the country.
us plane ukraine iran missile conflict baghdad escalation shot-down
Reuters
US formally begins President Trump's impeachment trial
The United States Congress has formally begun President Trump's impeachment trial, having sworn in 100 senators as jurors on Thursday. Trump faces a number of charges, including the abuse of his office by pressuring Ukraine to open an investigation into Joe Biden. It seems highly likely that there will be a vote to acquit Trump.
america trump impeachment usa impeach president-trump
Aljazeera
Chinese economy sees slowest growth in almost three decades
China has announced that its GDP grew by just 6% in 2019, its slowest growth in the last 29 years. Despite being one of the world's largest economies, China has had to deal with a large amount of debt and a crippling trade war with the US. It should be noted however that this 6.1% was also the expected growth rate for the year.
china economy gdp growth economic-growth
CNN
Finland to completely end homelessness within its borders
Finland has steadily been reducing homelessness within its borders using its 'Housing First policy that provides discounted apartments and government aid to all those who find themselves on the street. By 2017 there were only 1,700 homeless people in the country and Finland has enough homeless shelters to house them all.
finland homeless shelter emergency-shelters poverty
Scoop
Amazon tribes gather to oppose destruction of the rain forest
Multiple different tribes living in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil have gathered to discuss how they are going to oppose the government's plans to open up the forest for mining and agriculture. There has been a rise in clashes between tribes and illegal loggers since Bolsanaro came into power. The government has said that it plans it integrate the people of these tribes into the economy.
amazon climate-change global-warming brazil deforestation rain-forest amazon-rainforest
Reuters