January 06, 2016

Executive Action

 
 
   

THE WORLD IN A NUTSHELL

January 6, 2015  /  

PNUT GALLERY

Plans this weekend? Why don’t you take advantage of El Niño and head up to one of these beautiful ski resorts highlighted in our Pnut’s guide. 

 

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

Mass Sexual Harassment Attack Shocks Europe Details emerged of a mass sexual harassment attack in the German city of Cologne in which hundreds of young men of “North African and Arabic” origin attacked and, in one case, raped, women during New Years celebrations. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her disgust at what happened. The city will be boosting security ahead of a number of drunken street parties it holds in February.
What does this mean? The incident will complicate matters for Merkel who has been facing increasing pressure on her lax stance towards refugees. The Mayor of Cologne was previously stabbed because of her welcoming stance on the issue. The attacks will fuel the fire of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and the anti-immigrant Pegida movement.

Obama Takes Aim At NRA (Pun Intended)Healthcare? Done. Iran Deal? No biggie. TPP? Psh, didn’t even break a sweat. Gun control? Whoah! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. President Obama took on his biggest challenge in the final quarter of his presidency yesterday in an emotional White House address.

Citing a list of massacres he outlined executive action he will be taking until Congress decides to implement “common sense gun laws.” The NRA struck back almost immediately, calling Obama’s proposals exploitative and unserious. The issue will surely be raised again at next week’s State of the Union.   

TOUCHING READ: Email From The Father Of Daniel Barden, Age Seven, Who Was Killed At Sandy Hook

 

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

North Korea Wants Attention Too The hermit kingdom announced it tested a Hydrogen Bomb (a powerful nuclear bomb) yesterday. Experts picked up a seismic shock that resulted from the explosion but couldn’t determine yet if it was an H-bomb or a regular nuclear bomb (which is still quite dangerous). The pot-bellied dictator is proving to be more worrisome than his predecessors.  

Saudi Arabia And Iran Are Never Ever Getting Back TogetherThings continued to simmer in the Persian/Arab Gulf yesterday as Kuwait threw its hat in the ring and withdrew its ambassador from Iran. Kuwait is now the third country to withdraw its ambassador after the execution of a Shiite cleric by Saudi Arabia last weekend caused a diplomatic tiff. Saudi Arabia and Iran have been fighting a lukewarm war via proxies in the Middle East since the US invasion of Iraq. 

GOOD READ: Why Did Saudi Escalate The Regional Conflict?

#pnut4prez: Trump Deploys Heavy Weaponry In CampaignThe Republican populist began deploying new ammo in his bid for the presidential nomination. Politico reports that his team has assembled the data infrastructure needed to get out the vote and his campaign aired their first TV ads. Meanwhile he enters the New Year at the top of the polls. Not a comforting thought for his rivals. 

Keeping Our Eye On…
 

  • US Car Sales: Car companies sold more cars in 2015 than any other year on record. The industry is set for more shake ups with driverless cars, ride sharing and cars-as-platforms becoming more popular. 
  • Fitbit: The wearables company released its Apple Watch competitor, the Blaze. Investors weren’t pleased and the company’s shares tanked 18%.
  • Venezuela: The opposition party entered congress as the leading party for the first time in 16 years with no small degree of swagger, cutting off the Socialist party leader while giving his speech and dismissing other complaints from the President’s party. 
 

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

Whatever You Do, Do Not Fly On These Airlines Do you have a friend who suffers from aviophobia, or fear of flying? This is quite an irrational fear (you are more likely to die by a ladder falling on you than a plane crash), unless you fly one of the world’s most terrible airlines, according to a report published yesterday. The ten worst airlines, all from Indonesia, Suriname or Nepal were given a one star safety rating. Not one to miss the party, the entire Thai aviation industry was also placed under special measure due to safety concerns. Don’t say we didn’t warn you….

Obama’s full speech on new gun control measures.

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