Crime Trending

Sweden drops rape charges against Julian Assange

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Sweden has dropped the charge of rape registered against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, whose website is famous for its explosive information leaks.

The incident led to the case happened in the year 2010. Shortly after the issuance of an arrest warrant in connection with the case, he sought political asylum in the Ecuadoran embassy situated in the UK.

Recently, he was pulled out of the embassy by the UK with the silent permission of the country of Ecuador.

Now, he is in a UK prison facing a minor punishment for violating his bail terms.

Sweden says that there is clarity in the statement given by the victim. But, the country feels it does not have enough evidence to prove the charge at this moment.

The statute of limitations in the case is about to end in the coming August.

Neither Mr. Assange nor any of his representatives have responded in the issue.


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Politics Trending

UK sold Hong Kong to China, alleges emotionally disturbed pro-democratic activist

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A Hong Kong pro-democratic activist, who has found himself emotionally disturbed due to the ongoing confrontation between the pro-democracy camp and the Hong Kong administration controlled by the mainland, has alleged, in a footage appeared in a leading International Media website, that the United Kingdom sold out his city to the Communist Country of China during the 1980s.

Until the year 1997, the city of Hong Kong was under the UK. In that year, it was handed over to China – but, with a condition that it would not threaten the lifestyle and values the people of the city inherited from their colonial master.

But, the present reality is different. Now, there are many in the city who shares the same opinion as that of the aforementioned activist.

It is the China’s increased interference in the internal affairs of the city that has fuelled the formation of a strong anti-China sentiment in the minds of the youngsters of the city.

At present, China rules Hong Kong as per a one country two system policy. What the pro-democratic faction fears is the gradual transformation of this policy to a much-aggressive one country one system policy – which is capable enough to threaten the present lifestyle and values of the people of the city.

They consider some of the policies the pro-China Hong Kong administration have introduced in the recent past including the much opposed bill seeking the easy extradition of crime suspects from the city to the mainland as the predecessor of that possible transformation.


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International Relations News

West closely observes developments in Hong Kong

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The western powers, such as the US, UK, Germany and France, are closely observing the developments in the Asian city of Hong Kong.

For the last few months, the city has been struggling under the clutches of violence. Several people have lost their life due to violence in the city.

Recently, an elderly man, who was working as a cleaning staff, lost his life when he accidently trapped between two protesting groups aggressively throwing stones against each other. He was struck by a stone. He later succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment in a hospital.

Similarly, a young protester has lost his life last week when he had fallen from a building while resisting a police action.

Protesters say that as the police use fatal weapons against them they find it important to upgrade the materials they use for their defence.

What the streets of the city have been witnessing for the last few days has been nothing less than an aggressive street war between the police and the protesters.

When the police have used real bullets against the protesters, the latter has increased the effectiveness of their defence materials, like petrol bombs and stones, considerably.

With China not ready to pay heed to what its integral part has to say, it is up to the west to decide whether this city deserves peace or not.

The west earlier urged the Asian country of China to take a humanitarian stand on the issue concerning to the city of Hong Kong.

What has China repeatedly proved is the country is not ready to consider the Hong Kong issue through the prism shown to them by the west.

Actually, the west is the backbone of the Hong Kong economy. For that reason, the opinion of the west on the issue cannot be dismissed that easily.


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Crime News

Shocking! Youth gunned down by Police

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A shocking report from Hong Kong has jolted the social media platforms today. It is the report about a young boy who has been gunned down by a policeman.

It is not the first time a report about police atrocity has come from the former British colony.

The region for last few months is in a disturbed state. In the recent past, several time agitated Hong Kongers have confronted the police.

The protesters want China to exercise less authority over the internal affairs of their region.

They are not of the opinion that Hong Kong is an integral part of China. And, they are not happy with the centralised government policy, but are in support of the two government policy – thus, the idea of greater autonomy to Hong Kong.

The continuing police atrocities mean that the Hong Kong government, which is under the control of China, is ready to go to any extent to suppress the protest against the government.

The government has recently attracted severe criticism from the west, especially from the European countries such as Germany.

The government knows very well that it cannot continue like this forever. It is also worried about the warned exist of multinational companies from the region.

The economy of the country heavily relies on the MNCs based in the region. If the MNCs leave this land, it will bring a huge disaster.

It was a bill, which seeks the easy extradition of criminals from Hong Kong to China, triggered the protest. The bill was later shelved permanently. But, the protesters were not ready to settle with that alone. Thus, the protest, emerged as a small agitation against an unwelcoming bill, transformed into a huge political movement aimed to achieve greater autonomy and less foreign (especially, Chinese) intervention.

The entire world is watching the developments in Hong Kong.

Are you in Hong Kong? If it is safe to do so, please share us about the present political situation in the region. The world wants to hear you!


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News

Vietnamese people hesitate not to take risk to reach the UK

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In the recent past, tens of thousands of Vietnamese people have risked their life to reach the United Kingdom.

Unfortunately, most of them have not succeeded in their mission. And, some of them have even fallen under the clutches of death.

Yet, the illegal migrant flow from Vietnamese to the UK is still heavy. Middlemen make millions through the business.

It is poverty in Vietnam that keeps the flow heavy. Even though Vietnam is a booming economy, the wealth is not distributed equality in the country. Therefore, some regions in the country are still poor. It is those in this region more vulnerable compared to the rest.

There are two kinds of travel options available: premium and economy. Even though the latter sounds to be less risky, in reality both are equally risky.

From the moment an illegal migrant steps out of his/her country, he/she is under the mercy of his/her agent. That means anything can happen to a illegal migrant en route to his/her dream country.


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News

N Ireland overturns laws on same sex marriage and abortion

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The United Kingdom region of Northern Ireland has overturned its laws on same sex marriage and abortion.

In the region, abortion is no longer crime, and same sex marriages, unlike before, can be done legally hereafter.

The removal of the laws has come as a result of the decades-old protest of progressive groups against the government.

Most progressive groups have welcomed the move. Many have gathered in the streets of the country to celebrate their victory over the conservative elements of the region, which has been campaigning against the removal of the laws for decades.

As per a report, the first same sex marriage of the region is going to take place in February next year. The identity of the couple has not been publicised yet.

Some has called this the rebirth of Northern Ireland.

The region is very conservative compared to the rest of the United Kingdom. Not many have expected that this would happen to this region.


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International Relations International Trade News

UK, EU negotiators reach new deal on Brexit

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The representatives, who were sent by the European Union and the United Kingdom, have reached a new Brexit deal. UK President Boris Johnson has called the deal as great.

The deal needs the assent of both the European Union parliament and the United Kingdom parliament.

The DUP, the party based in the Ireland region of the UK, has expressed its disagreement with the new deal.

It has declined to give its support to the bill. The party is likely to vote against the bill in the British parliament.

The UK is nearing a deadline given to reach a Brexit deal with the EU and get it passed its parliament.

Day by day, the pressure over the present UK government is increasing. The UK PM is very keen to reach a deal with the EU over the matter of Brexit as soon as possible.

The DUP has a considerable amount of strength in the British parliament. But, it is not as powerful as to get the deal defeated singlehandedly.


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News Technology

British MPs unhappy with the way Facebook addresses fake news

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From the latest developments, it remains clear that the British parliamentarians are not happy with the way the world’s most popular social media platform, Facebook, addresses the sensitive issue of fake news.

A parliament committee, which has conducted an inquiry into the subject of the proliferation of fake news through the social media platforms such as Facebook, has observed that the Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has failed to address the issue of fake news. It has found out that the social media platform has been several times used to destruct the democratic framework of the country by its rivals, primarily its external rivals.

The committee has demanded that the government should impose stricter regulation over the social media platforms such as Facebook. Anyway, the committee has not specifically prescribed how the social media platforms should be regulated.

The Facebook administration has asserted that the company would welcome all kinds of meaningful discussions and deliberations.

In the recent history, many countries have come forward against the proliferation of fake news through the social media platforms, such as Facebook.

Earlier, it was alleged that the social media platform was extensively misused by Russians to help the Republics gain a edge over the democrats during the US presidential race, in which the Republicans crushed the Democrats, paving way for the induction of Donald Trump as the President of the US –in other words, the, so called, Accidental President of the US.

Vignesh. S. G
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International Trade News

West invents a way to evade the US’ sanction on Iran

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The three major western powers, such as Germany, the UK and France, have established a new payment channel to evade the United States’ economic sanction on the Middle Eastern country of Iran.

The new payment channel, the Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), shares no links with the US-linked payment channels the west presently uses widely.

It is this detachment from the popular payment channels that helps the new channel evade the sanction imposed by the US on Iran.

Iran is one of the most important trading partners of the three major European powers. The countries see the Shia-dominated nation not only as a source of cheap oil but also as a potential market for their goods and services.

It was the US’ belief that Iran involved in the destabilisation of some of its prime allies in the region such as Israel and Saudi Arabia that promoted the world’s most powerful country to impose an economic sanction against the Arab country.

The three important western countries were not in the favour of the sanction. It even urged the US to withdraw the sanction.

The latest move is capable to provoke the US. The US’ present regime is already unhappy with the European powers’ attitude against its long standing demand that the European countries should step up their defence spending to pay justice to their financial obligation to the NATO force.

Vignesh. S. G
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News Politics

Germany, France forget differences to shield them from the increasing tide of modern populism

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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
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