July 11, 2016

Travel Warning For The US, Civil War in South Sudan

 

PNUT GALLERY

Wondering why your friends are walking around town with their phones at eye level? It’s because everyone is hunting Pokémon! The recently released app now has almost as many users as Twitter.

IN A NUTSHELL: MUST READ

Another Country Issued A Travel Warning Against US

Today is Independence Day for the Bahamas, and while many Bahamians travel to the US during the holidays, that might not be the case this year. The country is the latest to issue travel warnings against the US, citing “recent tensions in some American cities over shootings of young black males by police officers.” While the United States has released travel warnings against several countries, police violence and mass shootings have contributed to the increase of travel advisories against them. Earlier this year, the UK Foreign Office warned its LGBT communities to avoid US travel due to the controversial legislation passed in North Carolina and Mississippi.

Are things improving?

While most of the nation mourned the tragedies in Baton Rouge, Minnesota and Dallas, many took their frustration to the streets and demonstrations were held across the country. Thousands marched over the weekend in Baton Rouge, New York, Boston, Miami, Washington, DC and protests are expected to continue. Unfortunately, not every protest ended peacefully. Over 261 people were arrested in protests across several cities.

South Sudan Doesn’t Need Another Sequel

At least 272 people died over the weekend in the South Sudanese capital of Juba, in what many are fearing to be the makings of another civil war. Gunfights broke out between forces loyal to the President Salva Kiir and groups loyal to Vice President Riek Machar. South Sudan is still healing from its two-year civil war that started back in 2013, when President Kiir tried to sack VP Machar. Unsurprisingly things are still tense between them, but until now the peace process was well underway. The problem is the two leaders have yet to integrate their forces. Kiir and Machar’s forces belong to the Dinka and Nuer tribes respectively, the two ethnic groups that were at odds in the war. The UN feels integration is integral to the peace deal and without it, South Sudan could backslide into deeper unrest. 

This is a breaking story. Follow Daily Pnut on Twitter for more updates.

NUTS AND BOLTS: SHOULD READ

Australia Slowly Floats To The Right

After eight days of confusion, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull finally declared victory. Turnbull, who initially said he would win an outright majority, toned down expectations and said he “won the largest number of seats in parliament.” Inspiring stuff. His Liberal-National coalition, which is actually quite conservative, will cobble together a coalition with three other MPs. Turnbull now faces resistance from the anti-immigrant right-wing of his party and a resurgent opposition which did better than expected. Sound familiar? 

 

Spanish Bullfighter Dies From Bullfighting

Whether it’s Harambe the gorilla or the Rio jaguar, 2016 has given us chilling reminders that wild animals are better off in the wild. But the most horrific reminder yet came this weekend after matador Victor Barrio was gored to death on live TV. Activists have long criticized the tradition of bullfighting, which is a horrific scene to watch anyway. To make matters worse, Barrio died the same day a 28-year-old man was killed by a bull near Valencia in another Spanish family-friendly activity: Running with the Bulls. The tradition of letting massive, deadly and terrified bulls run erratically through the streets while people run for their lives is a centuries-old tourist trap. Many of Spain’s towns hold annual festivals that involve bulls and several people die each year. Spain has plenty of other wonderful traditions; it might be time to retire this one.

Euros, Wimbledon, Sports! Sports! Sports!

Serena Williams proved that she’s the world greatest with her 22nd grand slam title at this year’s Wimbledon, winning the final in straight sets. Andy Murray won the men’s title in what was a much more underwhelming match. 

Meanwhile in football (the soccer variety) two struggling European economies faced off in the Euro cup final. Portugal overcame an injury to their dreamy captain Cristiano Ronaldo and a relentless French assault to defeat France 1-0 in overtime and win their first ever Euro Cup. 

Good Video: Top Ten Goals Of The Tournament

 

KEEPING OUR EYE ON…

      • Kashmir: Thousands attended the funeral of Burhan Wani, the 22-year-old commander of the separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen and social media celebrity. After the funeral, police stations and India- controlled military installations were attacked in violent clashes across the region, resulting in 16 dead and over 200 injured. 
       
      • Twitter: Much to our relief, the Obama administration announced that ISIS was finally losing ground in the space that matters: Twitter. US officials believe a drop in ISIS-related social media traffic on Twitter suggests the decline of their propaganda. Either that or ISIS is more into Instagram these days. 
    • Russia:  After a US diplomat was attacked by a Russian policeman in Moscow last month, Russia apologized by expelling him from the country. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister expelled two US diplomats and accused them of being CIA agents.

LOOSE NUTS: FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT

Trip Advisor Now Offers Reviews Of Jail Cells

We learned from Airbnb that we can make a hotel room out of just about anywhere. Perhaps that’s why a man locked up in a Birmingham custody cell decided to review his night in jail on Trip Advisor. “Once in my cell I was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and décor,” the review begins, being sure to take note that his overnight stay was “neutrally decorated to please all parties but done to a high standard.” While the review was mostly positive, he did raise concerns over a hair found near the en-suite toilet. Perhaps book a night for your next visit to Birmingham? 

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