Crime News

The European Court of Human Rights has ordered the Italian government to pay a huge sum of 18,400 Euro as compensation to Amanda Knox, the US citizen mistakenly arrested for the murder of her collage mate Meredith Kercher with whom she shared her room when she reached Italy as part of a student exchange program several years ago.

The court has not been completely convinced that she suffered ill-treatment when she was in the custody of Italian police, but it has found that the lady was not allowed to contact her lawyer and not granted the service of an interpreter.

Her main allegation is that she was badly beaten by the police officials in the initial days of the interrogation and was subjected to extreme mental and physical stress.

During the course of the trial, the case has gone through several twists and turns: initially, she was convicted; while she was servicing her third year in prison, she was acquitted and deported to her home country; within a year post her acquittal, a higher court found her acquittal wrong; anyway, when the final judgment of the top court came in the year 2015, she was acquitted of all charges related to the murder.

It was a few months ago that she was allowed by the ECHR to approach them against Italy. Then, there was allegation that it was the pressure from the US that forced the court to accept the lady’s case against Italy.

Most US citizens consider her as the victim of the improper judicial system of Italy. The world media has closely followed each and every development in the case.

Meanwhile, the other part of the story is that the international interference has badly affected the case. Though a person has been arrested in connection with the case, the police have not found answers to all questions necessary to unfold the mystery of the case.

Vignesh. S. G
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News Politics

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that Venezuela will close its embassy and all consulates in the United States. On Wednesday, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido had proclaimed himself acting president. Soon after this, U.S. did the recognition of Guaido as interim president.

Venezuela decided to shut all diplomatic missions in US. Maduro avenge back the US as they supports the opposition against him. Mike Pompeo urged the Venezuelan army to protect Guaido. Maduro added that he agreed with a call by Mexico and Uruguay for dialogue between Venezuela’s government and the opposition for a resolution to the country’s political crisis.

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News Politics

In a blow to US president Donald Trump, the Senate has rejected two bills to end the US shutdown. Trump demands down payment for wall to end shutdown. The US shutdown enters almost 34 days with no end in sight. This is the longest partial government shutdown in the US history.

About 800,000 of federal workers struggle to cover their bills. The senate rejects the bills to open Government. On Monday, the Senate has released a bill flashing an offer that Trump had made to reopen the unfunded quarter of the government. As the chamber plans to take up the measure later this week, it will definitely fail to meet the 60-vote threshold.

The chamber desides to take up that proposal on Thursday afternoon. If this fails, Senate will take up a Democratic-backed bill to fund the government through February.

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News Politics

This year’s European Union parliament election is likely to witness a very unusual phenomenon: the emergence of an anti-elitist group yellow-vest (the group formed in France to protest, in short, against the fuel price hike, and, in large, against the elitist behaviour of the country’s ruling and its remoteness to the genuine grievances of the common people such as the price hike, rent hike and the labour issues).

In the European parliament election which is scheduled to take place on 23 May this year, the yellow-vest, which has jolted the streets of France and forced to the French president, Emanuel Macron, to drop his ambitious plan to increase the fuel tax, has decided to field as many as ten candidate, leaving behind the question whether they will expand the list of candidate in the run-up to the EU election to the imagination of the public.

In the list of ten, Ingrid Levavasseur is the most prominent one. She is a poor care worker, and is the representative of the larger population, which is totally unfamiliar with the elitist faction of the modern France.

Many evaluate the development as the rebirth of socialist populism in France. If the yellow-vest passes this crucial litmus test, the experiment will be repeated in the future elections also in France.

Vignesh. S. G
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News

According to reports, Carlos Ghosn, who is in custody in Japan, has resigned from French car-maker Renault. “Carlos Ghosn just resigned, and now its time to define and to put new Governments in place.”, said Bruno Le Maire (The French finance minister) in an interview he had given.

Carlos Ghosn, is a Brazilian-born businessman. He also has French and Lebanese nationality. Ghosn has served as the CEO of many car-makers, including Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance. Renault’s board meeting is said to be happening on Thursday to replace Ghosn.

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News Politics

The EU Commission had insisted EU states for tight checking on non-EU nationals with ‘golden passports’ through investments. The commission says that the granting of ‘golden visas’ might be leading to tax evasion, money-laundering and other forms of corruption. So, a thorough checking is being planned for the schemes regarding ‘golden visa’ granting residence in exchange for big investments.

According to reports, wealthy candidates for residency or citizenship do not face sufficient security and background checks to prevent them from posing a security risk or laundering money. Some of the non-government organisations have already marked countries such as Malta, Cyprus and Bulgaria for offering wealthy foreigners citizenship that allows them to move freely in most of the 28-nation bloc. Many other countries grant residence permits to foreign investors. Hence the EU commission had presented this stunning report regarding the risks of the ‘golden visa business’

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News Politics

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself as the country’s interim president on Wednesday. He said that he would be willing to assume the presidency on an interim basis with the support of the armed forces to call elections. The US promptly weaved their support for this. The street was brimming with Venezuelans demanding an end to the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro.

“I swear to formally assume the national executive powers as acting president of Venezuela to end the usurpation, a transitional government and hold free elections.” said Guaido to the supporters gathered in front of the National Assembly. He was found to be holding the constitution in his his hand when he did the declaration.

As the other South American Governments and the United States, Columbia and Brazil also have already recognized the MP as President instead of Maduro. The US president Donald Trump, tweeted regarding this situation as “The citizens of Venezuela have suffered for too long at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime. Today, I have officially recognized the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela.”

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News Politics

From Italy and Spain to the Brexit-affected UK, many European countries have already succumbed to the destructive wave of populism. The economic principle of protectionism, which has come as a part and parcel of the political ideology of modern populism, has clandestinely infiltrated into the economic structure of the populism-affected countries, weakening their present economic structure rooted in the economic principle of liberalism.

Definitely, the European Union is worried about this development. It has almost lost one of its arms to this development. It may not sustain another loss.

It is in this backdrop that Germany and France have come together to act. The role they play is the role of a defender, the defender of an economic structure which once gifted life breadth to the embattled European continent.

The latest agreement both has signed means that henceforth Germany and France will not think differently in their internal and external security, economic and political affairs.

Their decision to develop a European army is capable to irritate many, especially the United States and the United Kingdom. To them, the more irritating one will not be the agreement for economic corporation, political corporation and/or defence corporate, but the understanding for cultural corporation.

It is noteworthy that the measures for the increased cultural corporation has been doubled by Germans and France at the time many of their friends are researching on how to segregate people on the basis of culture.

The developments indicate that the France-Germany agreement attempts to launch attacks on the concepts of protectionism and populism from all the four fronts –political, economic, security and cultural- on which these dangerous concepts are pivoted.

Will the new European defenders of liberalism win? How better they execute their plan decides what answer the aforesaid question deserves.

Vignesh. S. G
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News Sports

Football super star Cristiano Ronaldo was fined almost 19 million euros ($21.6 million) for tax fraud on Tuesday. He had accepted the deal with a court in Madrid, accepting the fine. The deal, agreed in advance, includes a 23-month jail sentence.

Immense media pressure was there outside the court, for reporting the news. Ronaldo had requested for a video appearance, but was rejected by the judge. The court appearance lasted only for a few time as Ronaldo accepted the deal offered by prosecutors. Ronaldo was accused of avoiding paying tax in Spain between 2010 and 2014, when he was playing for Real Madrid and based in the Spanish capital.

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News Sports

Argentina Football player Emiliano Sala, feared to be dead in the suspected plane crash. The plane, from France to England was found missing over the English Channel on Monday night. Sala had signed from French club Nantes for a reported fee of 17mil euros on Monday.

The search continued throughout Tuesday. “The search was terminated at 02:00, with all search and rescue assets being stood down, due to strengthening winds, worsening sea conditions and reducing visibility,” – a statement from police said. Reports states that the flight had only two passengers including Sala. Nantes have postponed their French Cup match against third-tier side Entente SSG on Wednesday as a mark of respect.

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright