'We will build the wall!' Trump expected to sign executive orders restricting immigration
President alluded to expected actions on Twitter: ‘Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!’
OBSERVERS
The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has just overturned a ban on a controversial bull-taming festival, after days of protests turned violent on Monday, January 23. Though the Indian Supreme court banned Jallikattu in 2014 because they deemed it cruel to animals, some supporters of the game were flouting the ban anyway by posting photos of clandestine Jallikattu ceremonies on social media.
Residents of Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, have been protesting for over a week for the right to participate in Jallikattu, a traditional Tamil sport in which people try to show off their courage by taming a bull with their bare hands. The festival has been criticised for being dangerous and for being cruel to the bulls. Two people died after being gored by bulls during one festival in the state on Sunday 22 January. But on Monday the demonstrations changed in tone: protesters burning vehicles and throwing stones clashed with police using tear gas.
The name Jallikattu refers to the bundles of money or “pieces of gold” that are knotted onto the bull’s horns during the game. Tamils have been participating in Jallikattu for at least five centuries as part of the Pongal festival, which starts on January 15 and is in honour of agriculture and livestock.
On Tuesday, China said it had 'irrefutable' sovereignty over the disputed islands, after the White House vowed to defend 'international territories' in the strategic waterway.
President alluded to expected actions on Twitter: ‘Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!’
Donald Trump will sign several executive orders restricting immigration and taking steps on his proposed wall on the Mexican border on Wednesday at the Department of Homeland Security, according to two administration officials and several congressional aides briefed on the matter.
The president alluded to his expected actions on Twitter on Tuesday night, writing: “Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!”
Trump’s orders were expected to involve restricting access to the United States for refugees and some visa holders from Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, said the aides and experts, who asked not to be identified.Is Jallikattu bull-fighting cruel or an important Indian cultural practice?
OBSERVERS
The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has just overturned a ban on a controversial bull-taming festival, after days of protests turned violent on Monday, January 23. Though the Indian Supreme court banned Jallikattu in 2014 because they deemed it cruel to animals, some supporters of the game were flouting the ban anyway by posting photos of clandestine Jallikattu ceremonies on social media.
Residents of Tamil Nadu, a state in southern India, have been protesting for over a week for the right to participate in Jallikattu, a traditional Tamil sport in which people try to show off their courage by taming a bull with their bare hands. The festival has been criticised for being dangerous and for being cruel to the bulls. Two people died after being gored by bulls during one festival in the state on Sunday 22 January. But on Monday the demonstrations changed in tone: protesters burning vehicles and throwing stones clashed with police using tear gas.
What is Jallikattu and why was it banned?
The name Jallikattu refers to the bundles of money or “pieces of gold” that are knotted onto the bull’s horns during the game. Tamils have been participating in Jallikattu for at least five centuries as part of the Pongal festival, which starts on January 15 and is in honour of agriculture and livestock.
George Orwell's '1984' hits bestseller list again
By Eric Levenson, CNN
2017 has been "doubleplusgood" for sales of George Orwell's "1984."
The famed dystopian novel of life in a totalitarian state sat at No. 6 on Amazon's bestseller list Tuesday morning. On Monday, too, the book hovered between No. 5 and No. 7 on that same bestseller list, as CNN's Brian Stelter noted in his Reliable Sources newsletter.
First published in 1949 and imagining a future authoritarian society, "1984" is widely regarded as one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. Its state, Oceania, employs a language called Newspeak (and words like "doubleplusgood") to limit freedom of thought.
Beijing reasserts sovereignty claims over disputed South China Sea islands
On Tuesday, China said it had 'irrefutable' sovereignty over the disputed islands, after the White House vowed to defend 'international territories' in the strategic waterway.
China on Tuesday restated its claims of sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea, calling them “irrefutable,” amid comments suggesting the possibility of military action from the Trump administration.
“The United States is not a party to the South China Sea dispute,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said during a regular news briefing on Tuesday, according to Reuters. “We urge the United States to respect the facts, speak and act cautiously to avoid harming the peace and stability of the South China Sea.”
China claims most of the South China Sea, while Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei all claim parts of the strategic waterway, where fishing grounds, oil, and gas deposits are abundant.
GET READY FOR THE FIRST SHOCKS OF TRUMP’S DISASTER CAPITALISM
WE ALREADY KNOW that the Trump administration plans to deregulate markets, wage all-out war on “radical Islamic terrorism,” trash climate science and unleash a fossil-fuel frenzy. It’s a vision that can be counted on to generate a tsunami of crises and shocks: economic shocks, as market bubbles burst; security shocks, as blowback from foreign belligerence comes home; weather shocks, as our climate is further destabilized; and industrial shocks, as oil pipelines spill and rigs collapse, which they tend to do, especially when enjoying light-touch regulation.
All this is dangerous enough. What’s even worse is the way the Trump administration can be counted on to exploit these shocks politically and economically.
UN condemns Israel's West Bank settlement plans
The United Nations has condemned Israeli plans to build more settlements in the occupied West Bank.
A UN spokesman said "unilateral actions" were an obstacle to peace based on a two-state solution.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would build 2,500 more homes in Jewish settlements "in response to housing needs".
It is the second such announcement by the Israeli authorities since US President Donald Trump took office.
Palestinian officials said the plans undermined peace hopes by building on land they want for a future state.
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