World News Briefs For Saturday, 17 August 2019 (updated!)
Hello Australia!! - Israel tries to partially reverse its reversal on barring a US Congresswoman - Trump wants to buy what?!?! - How Hong Kong's protests could spell disaster for Disney - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:
Israel has attempted to reverse its decision barring two US progressive women lawmakers from visiting over their support of the BDS movement by allowing one - Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan - to visit her family. But Ms. Tlaib is rejecting this because Israel would also bar her from talking about politics, which she said imposed "oppressive conditions" on the visit in order to humiliate her. "I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in," she continued, "Silencing me and treating me like a criminal is not what she wants for me." BDS stands for "Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions", and seeks to pressure Israel to change the way it treats the Palestinians.
The other lawmaker banned by Israel is Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who is accusing Israeli officials of lying about the nature of their now-canceled trip to Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the two hadn't scheduled any meetings with Israeli officials during an official, congressional visit. But Ms. Omar says, "I planned to hold meetings with members of the Knesset (both Jewish and Arab) along with Israeli security officials," meet with US Embassy officials, and see for herself what was going on with the bulldozing of Palestinian homes in the West Bank. Omar went on to say that other congressmen with similar itineraries had not been denied entry in the past. Omar and Tlaib are the first Muslim women in the US Congress, and political opponents of Netanyahu's pal Donald Trump.
Danish politicians are actually having to tell Donald Trump that "Greenland is not for sale". The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump ordered White House officials to look into making an offer on the Arctic island, an autonomous territory of Denmark that is rich in natural resources such as pure water, minerals, and seafood. It's not clear why Trump got it into his head that he could purchase land and its 50,000 residents as if these were colonial times, but it has actually unified right-wing nationalist and Left-wing Green and Socialist politicians in Denmark who are openly questioning Trump's sanity.
A setback for the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo - health officials confirm a mother and her child had tested positive for the killer virus in South Kivu, which is hundreds of kilometers from the center of the outbreak. Although new experimental drugs are showing great results, Ebola has killed more than 1,800 people in the latest outbreak.
Egypt's Health Ministry is promising to investigate after a man with AIDS was forcibly kicked out of a hospital. Footage that went viral on social media showed hospital workers in Kafr el-Zayat dragging the patient along the floor and out the door. HIV/AIDS is highly stigmatized in Egypt.
Cathay Pacific Airlines CEO Rupert Hogg has resigned over the trouble in Hong Kong. Several airline workers voiced support for the pro-democracy protests, and many even took part. State media in Beijing turned its sites on the carrier, demanding that it keep its employees in line, and the aviation regulator demanded that workers that supported the protests be kept off of routes that go to or over mainland China. Cathay Pacific was founded by an Australian, but is currently majority-owned by state-owned Air China.
There are calls to boycott Disney's live action remake of Mulan when it comes out next year after the actress playing the title character backed a crackdown on Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. Liu Yifei, a naturalized US citizen, posted a pro-police video on Chinese social media with the message, "I also support Hong Kong police. You can beat me up now." Several protesters have been grievously injured in the protests, including a woman who was shot in the eye with a projectile by police last weekend. The hashtag #BoycottMulan has picked up support on Twitter, with many asking how Ms. Liu could play a character who defies brutal authority, and then support a crackdown on pro-democracy protests (which is poised to get a lot more brutal). This is shaping up to be a potential disaster for Disney, since the budget is said to be north of US$300 Million, and a boycott could make it unlikely for the film to earn a profit.
And Breaking News out of Hollywood: Peter Fonda, star of the 1960's counterculture landmark film "Easy Rider" and later of "Ulee's Gold" is dead of lung cancer at age 79. He was the only son of the legendary Henry Fonda, brother of Jane Fonda, and father of Bridget Fonda.