Never Again CCP

Hi Global Recap readers,

On this day in 1989, what started as pro-democracy protests in April ended with a massacre of Chinese people by their own country’s government.

This is most commonly known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, or 8964.

And our first story of the day eerily echoes this situation.

🇭🇰 Hong Kong
Tiananmen’s Echo in Hong Kong

On the brink of Tiananmen’s 35th anniversary, Hong Kong’s air carries whispers of the past, despite Beijing’s best efforts to silence them.

Is history repeating itself?

🔘 Detention: Hong Kong police detained performance artist Sanmu Chen for “air-writing” the Chinese characters for “8964,” paying tribute to the fallen victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre.

• His gestures were met not with applause, but with handcuffs.

• Chen’s performance, a nod to the Chinese mourning tradition, was swiftly interrupted by police, leading to his temporary detention.

🔘 Censorship: As Beijing tightens its grip in Hong Kong, the memory of June 4, 1989, becomes a ghost story that China’s censors desperately chase away.

• Yet, the date’s significance haunts the city, with even private commemorations under threat.

• Hong Kong’s once-vibrant Tiananmen vigils have faded, replaced by a silence as profound as the government’s crackdown on dissent.

🔘 Resistance: Despite the pressure, the spirit of Tiananmen endures, with diaspora groups worldwide lighting candles in defiance.

• Today, Taiwan’s president honored the victims who “bravely marched for change,” reminding us that democracy’s flame is hard to extinguish.

• Remembrance events around the world stands in stark contrast to the mainland’s “enforced amnesia.”

Tank Man

Taken on June 5th, 1989, the day after the CCP slaughtered hundreds of protesters, the above photo humorously captures the reality of the CCP’s “enforced amnesia.”

The photo is commonly known as The Tank Man.

It became a symbol of the pro-democracy protests’ resilience against tyranny.

Social Credit Score: F*ed

Here’s a 60 Minutes video of a chilling collection of footage from the massacre.

Watch it at your discretion, if you don’t mind seeing your social credit score plummet.

🇮🇳 India
Modi’s Narrow Triumph

Now, let’s move on to what’s happening with China’s unfriendly neighbor: India.

In a dramatic twist of political fate, India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, claims a win with a slimmer slice of the parliamentary pie.

🔘 Outcome: Despite a dip in the seat count, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is hanging onto power by a thread, with a projected 239 seats—down from a robust 303.

• It’s a victory, yes, but one that whispers rather than roars.

• The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is expected to snag 294 seats, just over the magic number of 272 needed to form a government.

🔘 Reaction: Modi’s victory lap was met with mixed emotions as the stock market took a nosedive.

• Remember when we reported yesterday that India’s indexes shot up on the expectation of Modi taking a sweeping win?

• The Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex plummeted as low as 8% today, reflecting investor jitters over the BJP’s shrunken majority.

• Modi’s earlier boast in March of his confidence in bagging over 400 seats now seems like a distant dream, replaced by the reality of coalition politics.

🔘 Promises: Undeterred, Modi stood at the BJP headquarters, promising a new dawn of “big decisions” for India.

• He pledged to bolster defense, create jobs, and boost exports, assuring:

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🇺🇸 United States
Biden Closes Southern Border

The White House swings into action with a midnight border shutdown on Tuesday, but is it a band-aid on a much larger wound?

🔘 Details: As anticipated, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to close the southern border at midnight.

• The closure applies when there’s an average of 2,500 crossings a day over a week.

• Exceptions exist for vulnerable groups, ensuring a semblance of compassion amidst the clampdown.

🔘 Political Chess: Biden’s border strategy clearly is a calculated move to fortify his position before voters cast their ballots.

• A recent poll shows that Americans are warming up to the idea of mass deportation of illegal immigrants.

• Former President Trump is widely recognized for his tough stance on illegal immigration, famously represented by the chant “Build the wall.” As this issue gains prominence in the upcoming election, it appears that Biden is attempting to diminish the influence of Trump’s hard-line position.

• The closure seems to be a band-aid response to congressional inaction on bipartisan border legislation.

In a nutshell, it’s a complex juggling act of policy, politics, and principles.

Will it be a masterstroke or a misstep? Only time will tell.

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🇳🇬 Nigeria
Nigeria’s Strike Standoff

Nigeria’s heartbeat skips as strikes paralyze the nation, leaving airports deserted and the power grid down.

It’s a showdown between the government’s wallet and the workers’ wallets.

🔘 Crisis: Nigeria’s labor unions have thrown down the gauntlet, demanding wages that match the soaring cost of living. The country’s economic engine stalls as electricity cuts and airport closures signal a nationwide strike.

• The Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, representing a vast workforce, insist on a minimum wage hike from 30,000 naira ($20) to nearly 500,000 naira ($336).

• The government’s counteroffer? A modest bump to 60,000 naira ($40), but the unions are not biting.

🔘 Reform: At the heart of the turmoil are President Bola Tinubu’s economic reforms.

• His move to end fuel subsidies sent inflation to a 28-year peak, doubling gas prices and spiking the cost of daily life.

• The President also devalued the currency to woo foreign investment, but this only further contributed to inflation.

🔘 Sustainability: Analysts are chiming in with caution, warning that the union’s wage demands could send the economy into a tailspin.

• Most Nigerian states are already grappling with the hefty task of paying existing salaries.

• “It is one thing to sign it (the new wage bill) but it is another thing for you to be able to sustain it,” voices Muda Yusuf, head of the Nigeria Center for Promotion of Private Enterprise.

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🇺🇦 Ukraine
Striking Back

Ukraine’s latest counterpunch isn’t just a statement; it’s a display of defiance, hitting a Russian missile system right where it hurts.

But it is also a dangerous game.

🔘 Permission: Ukraine claims victory with Western weapons inside Russian turf. The picture is worth a thousand words, or in this case, a thousand degrees as a Russian S-300 missile system burns on its own soil.

• The strike follows the US approving Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons for limited strikes in Russia.

• The restriction lift allows Ukraine to use short-range missiles, not the long-range ATACMS.

• This liberty means Ukraine can strike up to 70 kilometers into Russia, not the full 300 kilometers that the mightier missiles could reach.

🔘 Analysis: While President Zelensky hails this as a “step forward,” military analysts are keeping their cheers on hold.

🔘 Precedent: This isn’t Ukraine’s first rodeo with Western munitions on contested lands. They’ve previously targeted Crimea and regions like Kharkiv and Kherson, using UK-supplied “Storm Shadow” missiles.

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📊 Poll
Should immigrants be expected to adapt to the culture of their new country?

Thank you for all the thoughtful responses.

Here are the highlights from yesterday’s results:

It’s comforting to know that others have expressed similar sentiments. I often grapple with feelings of disrespect when visiting foreign countries.

For instance: In Germany, despite most people being proficient in English, I feel compelled to equip myself with German conversational skills and knowledge of their customs or at least attempt.

This is another great point. The integration of diverse cultures and languages undoubtedly offers immense advantages.

However, it’s important to note that the concern arises when a particular group insists that their cultural norms and values are the only correct ones.

Take this for example. This may not be the majority, but it seems like this sort of overt display of insistence from the minority is making even those tolerant of immigration turn their backs.

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