Jun 09 2019

Six In The Morning Sunday 9 June 2019

 

The week that finally laid bare the Brexit myths

Analysis by Nic Robertson, CNN

Updated 0403 GMT (1203 HKT) June 9, 2019

Three turbulent years after 17 million British people voted to leave the European Union, Brexit has grown from a quaint word to an ugly cloud hanging over the nation.

This week it claimed its second Prime Minister, Theresa May, who was forced to step down after trying, but failing, to grapple with its inconsistencies, the many lies and exaggerations told during the referendum campaign, and the deep divisions within her own party.
The Brexiteers claimed for instance that Britain would “hold all the cards” (David Davis), “getting out of the EU can be quick and easy” (John Redwood) and that a free trade deal with the EU would be the “easiest in history” (Liam Fox).

Sudan’s generals launch renewed crackdown to defeat general strike

 and Khartoum

Arrests of white-collar workers to discourage protest follow assault by regime’s paramilitaries

The military regime in Sudan has launched a new wave of arrests and violent intimidation in an effort to undermine opposition plans for a widespread campaign of civil disobedience.

Pro-reform groups have warned of a “frenzied campaign launched by the military junta to arrest political activists and revolutionaries” this weekend ahead of a general strike set to start on Sunday.

Professionals, including bankers, doctors, air traffic control staff, pilots, electrical engineers and economists, have been targeted by intelligence services in what the Sudanese Professionals Association, one of the main opposition groups, said was an “obvious attempt” to break the strike.

How Green parties are on the march after big wins across Europe

The surge seen at the European elections represents a fundamental shift in politics, says Jon Stone

It was the surprise story of the European elections: across the continent, Greenparties surged. But it hasn’t stopped since then: buoyed by the momentum of their new MEPs, ecologists are making further gains.

In Germany, the latest poll shows the country’s Greens practically neck-and-neck with Angela Merkel’s conservatives, who have dominated the country’s politics for well over a decade. With the governing coalition facing a rough patch, there’s even talk that fresh early elections could put the ecologists in charge at the head of a centre-left alliance.

Other countries are also seeing ecologists get in on power. In Finland, the Greens are a key part of the new governing coalition, formed on Thursday, and have even taken over the country’s foreign ministry. There are gains in places like Ireland, France and Belgium too. In Britain, they are doing as well as they have ever done in the polls for Westminster, fresh from doubling their MEPs last month.

Sustainable Cruise Ships?A New Way Forward for a Dirty Industry

The cruise industry is booming — but it is incredibly damaging to the environment. Most companies rely on dirty heavy oil, but some lines are taking a different approach. Can cruise ships become sustainable?

The tallest flat screen display in modern-day seafaring will tower to a height of 17 meters stretching for seven floors from top-to-bottom, all visible to passengers from glass elevators as they travel between decks. The mega-display will often show travelers exactly what they can see out the windows or from the deck: The natural beauty of the Arctic and the Antarctic.

The Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten has focused its efforts on well-educated, environmentally aware explorers who are interested in the polar regions. And the company’s new flagship, an explorer cruise ship with an ice-strengthened hull and room for over 500 passengers, is designed to take the next step toward the goal of sustainable ocean cruises. Its most significant technical innovation isn’t the giant screen. Rather, it is the vast collection of battery packs shelved in two dark stowage areas below deck.

Tens of thousands rally in Hong Kong against China extradition bill

Tens of thousands of people took to Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday in a last bid to block a proposed extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to China to face trial, with police bracing for the biggest march in the city in 15 years.

Police chiefs called for public restraint, government-funded broadcaster RTHK reported, as they mobilised more than 2,000 officers for a march in Honk Kong that organisers expect to draw more than 500,000 people.

This would make it the biggest rally since a similar number turned out in 2003 to challenge government plans for tighter national security laws, which were later shelved.

Venezuela crisis: Border with Colombia reopens after four months

Tens of thousands of people crossed the border with Venezuela and Colombia after it reopened for the first time in four months on Saturday, officials say.

The crossing was closed in February at President Nicolás Maduro’s request as opposition leader Juan Guaidó prepared to bring in US-backed humanitarian aid.

The country has faced shortages of basic supplies as a result of a severe years-long economic crisis.

More than four million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, UN agencies say.

According to Colombia’s foreign ministry, more than 30,000 Venezuelans arrived on Saturday, with almost 37,000 leaving by the end of the day.