Headlines:
- Trump Forced to Condemn after Charlottesville
- Modi Marks 70th year, Contradicting Himself
- Mudslide kills 200 in Sierra Leone (Freetown)
Trump Forced to Condemn after Charlottesville
US President Donald Trump today condemned various far right groups after the death of a civilian at a counter protest at Charlottesville. During the protest, clashes resulted in 30 people injured with one activist driving a car into protesters which eventually led to the death of a civilian. It has taken 48 hours for Trump to condemn such groups and he has done so hesitantly with such groups forming the back bone of his support both before and during his presidency. It is clear that the public have not yet reached a point where they support such groups but the US establishments rhetoric against minorities, both religious and ethnic has led to such groups coming to the forefront. Now the challenge is for the US government to manage this beast it has created.
Modi Marks 70th year, Contradicting Himself
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said force will not resolve the situation in Kashmir in a speech marking 70 years of Indian independence. His comments on Tuesday come amid an upturn in fighting between Indian soldiers and rebels in the Himalayan region and angry protests against Indian rule. “Abuse and bullets will not solve the Kashmir issue,” Modi said, adding “embracing Kashmiris will”. Comments which are in complete contrast to the current treatment of the people of Kashmir on the Indian side. Just two days earlier in south Kashmir’s Shopian area, three local fighters, two soldiers, and two civilians were killed in a gunfight that led to street protests that wounded more than a dozen people. It is also common practice that young men are regularly killed in Kashmir in “fake encounters”, or incidents where security forces shoot unarmed protesters and later claim they were armed attackers. Modi’s comments are therefore empty words there to appease people on a day where India marks its independence, the reality on the ground is the complete opposite of what the butcher of Gujrat says.
Mudslide Kills 200 in Sierra Leone (Freetown)
A mudslide near the capital of Sierra Leone (Freetown) has killed 200 people. The hillside collapsed following severe rainfall, leaving many houses covered in mud, whilst many slept. Locals were reportedly trying to recover bodies from the rubble and mud with their bare hands. The worst hit area is thought to be the Regent district on the outskirts of Freetown, where dozens of houses were submerged when the hillside collapsed at about 06:00 GMT. Sierra Leone’s Vice-President Victor Bockarie Foh told reporters that he himself felt broken, yet he seemed to forget that the country he helps govern is suffering from his own ineptitude. Sierra Leone is certainly not unfamiliar to flooding, where unsafe housing in makeshift settlements are easily swept away due to poor infrastructure. In 2015, Freetown endured deadly floods sparked by monsoon rains that killed 10 people and left thousands more homeless. It seems then, that Freetown is more deprived that it is free, deprived of basic sewage and infrastructure that the people desperately needed at this time.