No Exit: A New Work by British Parliament

The Himba people of Namibia might actually see the world differently than the rest of us.

House of Lords Says “No Deal!”: In a move that by British standards is the closest thing to a coup d’etat since Simon Cowell created the X-Factor, the lower house of the British Parliament handed the UK government its second defeat over a bill regarding Brexit. The House of Lords (a Senate-like chamber) voted 366 to 268 to give Parliament a veto over any future deal with the European Union regarding the UK’s exit. The amendment, heavily criticized by the Prime Minister Margaret Thatc…Theresa May, was submitted by the opposition Labour party and supported by the majority of peers, even those belonging to the Conservative party.

What does this mean exactly? The UK government plans to make use of Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon later this month (*Brussels Shudders*), giving it two years to negotiate a new relationship with the EU until it is forced to leave. With Parliament now having a veto, a deal with the EU could be rejected by the opposition (led by friendly grandad and socialist heartthrob Jeremy Corbyn) in a move that could see May’s government collapse.

Seeing that Brexit is the only reason she is in power to begin with, the irony shouldn’t be lost on anyone. But no matter what ends up really happening in the halls of British Parliament, Eurocrats in Brussels, Paris, and Berlin will sleep a little better tonight knowing their job just got a whole lot easier.

ISIS Attacks Hospital in Kabul: Yesterday, ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack on Kabul’s largest military hospital that killed 38 and wounded at least 50 more. ISIS began the attack with a suicide bombing and then stormed the hospital disguised as doctors. After several hours of fighting, Afghan security forces killed all four attackers. The Taliban, the main insurgent group in Afghanistan, denied any involvement.

Refugee Quagmire in Hungary: On Tuesday, Hungary’s parliament passed a law that would allow the government to detain all asylum seekers within its borders in enclosed camps. In these camps along Hungary’s southern border, asylum seekers, including children, could be kept for long periods of time in mobile units that resemble shipping containers. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stated that these conditions would have “a terrible physical and psychological impact” on refugees and that “detainment in containers is particularly detrimental for children.” Amnesty International said the law violates EU regulations that prohibit detainment of an individual just because he/she has requested asylum.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a vocal supporter of US President Trump, referred to refugees crossing into his country from neighboring Serbia as a “Trojan horse of terrorism.” A terrible analogy considering that A: Hungary isn’t Troy (more welcoming countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK are the final destinations for most of the refugees) and B: Viktor Orban, while recently voted sexiest man in Hungary, bears little resemblance to Greek beauty Helen of Troy.  

Russia Still Ballistic: Russia deployed a land-based cruise missile that violates the “spirit and intent” of an arms control treaty and poses a threat to NATO, vice-chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff General Paul Selva said on Wednesday. It was the first time the US publicly accused Russia of deploying the cruise missile after reports of the launch first surfaced last month. “The system itself presents a risk to most of our facilities in Europe and we believe that the Russians have deliberately deployed it in order to pose a threat to NATO and to facilities within the NATO area of responsibility,” Selva said during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. He did not mention whether or not the missile carried a nuclear weapon, but did say that the US had already brought up the issue with Russia. It looks like newly-appointed US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman will have more than enough topics to address at the start of his new diplomatic mission.

New York City Celebrates Women, Even Accidentally: It seems that the Big Apple was a good place to celebrate International Women’s Day on Wednesday. Many events took place, including a large rally and march held by a group of New York activists and community organizers. But the day before, two incidents occurred that also piqued our interest. On Tuesday morning, State Street Global Advisors, the world’s third largest asset manager, placed a bronze statue of a little girl in front of the iconic Wall Street charging bull. The statue, which will be on display for about a month, is part of State Street’s new campaign to pressure companies to add more women to their boards.

Later on that evening, the lights on the Statue of Liberty went out for a few hours, which lead the Internet to hypothesize that 1) Lady Liberty was going on strike early for “A Day Without Women” 2) She was protesting Trump’s travel ban or 3) Russia hacked the statue. Turns out it was likely some construction work that caused the blackout. Still, one never knows….