Pope Francis: Muslim leaders should condemn terrorism

Returning from a three-day visit to Turkey, Pope Francis has urged Muslim leaders worldwide to condemn terrorism carried out in the name of Islam. He spoke to the fact that this terrorism harmfully links the entirety of Islam to a stereotype. Pope Francis said a "global condemnation" of the violence would help dispel this stereotype.

His visit to Turkey included a discussion concerning divisions between faiths. He compared the misconception that all muslims are terrorists to the misconception that all Christians are fundamentalists. In Istanbul, Pope Francis called for an end to the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. 

The fact that Pope Francis is advocating to improve the public image of Islam speaks a lot to his character as popes typically have been negligent toward the followers of other religions. A great addition to Catholicism and arguably religion in general, Pope Francis has made humanitarian efforts including statements in favor of gay civil union (not marriage) and female representation in the church. His modern opinions have made the religion more approachable and appealing to an urban demographic. The Pope's highly influential status throughout the world has assisted in progress which may begin to improve conditions for aspiring female leaders, gay individuals, and followers of Islam in Western society.

Swiss Immigration Referendum

Swiss voters are due to go to the polls in decide whether or not to severely restrict immigration.

The ballot marks the second time this year that non-EU country Switzerland has held a referendum on immigration.

In February, voters narrowly backed the reintroduction of quotas, which opted the nation out of a free movement of people agreement with Brussels. Ecopop, the new proposal seeks to limit net immigration to just 0.2% of the overall population of just 8.2 million. 

Despite low unemployment and high living standards, many Swiss worry about overcrowding and environmental degradation. Supports of the initiative claim that restricting immigration will safeguard the Swiss environment by reducing the need for new housing and transport. Opponents claim that Ecopop would have a negative impact on the economy as 25% of the Swiss workforce is foreign and business leaders seek to recruit labor across Europe. 

I believe the Ecopop initiative can be paralleled to the immigration issue in the United States. Many Republicans are seeking to limit immigration but the restriction of immigration would restrict the labor force. Immigrants in the United States, whether illegal or not, fill essential service jobs in fields such as agriculture and retail. What would happen to our already unstable economy if the immigrant workforce was reduced? Also, why can't the Swiss start protecting their environment by adjusting their own lifestyles?

Edit: The vote was rejected as 74% of Swiss voters voted against the measure. 

Modern Slavery in the UK?

Recent estimates state that as many as 10,000-13,000 individuals may be enslaved at the moment in the United Kingdom. Modern slavery victims are said to include women forced into prostitution, "imprisoned" domestic staff and workers in fields, factories, and wishing boats.

Victims are said to have been trafficked from more than 100 countries including Nigeria and Romania as well as British born adults and children.

The Modern Slavery Bill going through Parliament aims to provide courts in England and Wales with new powers to protect individuals who are trafficked into other countries and held against the will. Meanwhile, Scotland and Northern Ireland are planning similar measures. Modern tactics also include raising awareness toward the matter publicly. 

The fact that modern slavery is in place in the UK is sickening. One of the most powerful and developed nations having an institution as primitive and dehumanizing as slavery within its borders bids the question of which other developed nations are facing the same internal threat. Governmental response to these estimates have been effective as leaders are accepting the harsh reality and actively working to combat it. Efforts to promote awareness have also been effective as most individuals are entirely ignorant about the matter.

Satirical Cartoon Analysis

The above satirical cartoon expresses the economic turmoil that is currently being experienced in the Euro Zone as a result of widespread rising inflation and rates of unemployment. The author illustrates the nations in the Zone as competing for the Zone's budget in order to improve conditions within their own respective country. This cartoon portrays the leaders of these countries as selfish, childish, power-hungry, and frustrated due to the crisis. Originally a method to improve a nation's independent currency, the adoption of the Euro has left European countries with an unsustainable and unpredictable economy.

The acronym of P.I.I.G.S. includes the nations most contributing to this crisis: Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain. These countries are the cause of Euro unpredictability as the other nations have had to bail them out in the past. They all want financial assistance but the budget is already stretched as it is, represented in the cartoon above as a blanket.

As the UK has not adopted the Euro and has maintained their stronger Pound Sterling, the Euro Zone has suffered in comparison. The UK is even considering removing their affiliation in the European Union altogether, which would only further destabilize it.

Female Bishops in the Anglican Church and a Portuguese Resignation

UK- The Church of England will be adopting legislation allowing the first female bishops to be ordained next year. I'm not very religious but equality should be promoted in all aspects of society. Obviously there is some internal opposition in the church against the decision, but it looks like the legislation will be established regardless.

Portugal- The Portuguese interior minister has resigned after an investigation on suspected corruption related to the allocation of residence permits. Miguel Macedo claims to not be a part of the scandal but had to resign to preserve state credibility. The main beneficiaries of these permits have been Chinese citizens who have been heavily investing in Portuguese property. Macedo or other government officials are probably actually involved in this scandal since the Portuguese economy just recently recovered from a recession and are probably depending on this investment.

EU/Netherlands- The European Commission will hold an urgent meeting on Monday to investigate how to combat an outbreak of a highly contagious strain of bird flu was discovered at a poultry farm in the Netherlands. It seems the WHO can't catch a break.

A Royal Tweet and a massive Italian Protest

UK- The European Union has presented the UK with a steep fee of £1.7bn (pounds) that would go toward the EU budget as a result of the growth observed in the British pound. On Friday, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron released a statement stating that the EU had "another think coming" if it thought Britain would pay the bill by the December first deadline. I view this "fee" as a ridiculous attempt to take advantage of the prosperous pound in order to stabilize the sporadic euro. I'm interested to see how this situation is going to play out as I have do not believe the UK will end up paying the £1.7bn.

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton's second baby is due in April. Can't wait! 

The Queen posted her first tweet to launch the British Science Museum Gallery saying, "It is a pleasure to open the Information Age exhibition today at the +Science Museum and I hope people will enjoy visiting. Elizabeth R." How urban of her. It really is cool to see such a regal figure in British society in touch (to an extent) with modern trends. 

Italy- A series of mass protests are being held in the Italian capital Rome today, against Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's plans for labor market reform. The PM has planned to loosen labor protection, making it easier for firms to fire workers. The angry responses make sense since Italian youth unemployment is at a record high of 44.2%.  The PM wants workers to earn job protection and benefits over a long period of time. Almost facing its third recession in six years, Italian economic output has contracted by 9% since 2007 so the PM should really focus on making jobs more attainable rather than a struggle. Honestly, what was he thinking? 

EU- The EU has agreed to cut CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions by 40% by 2030, a landmark decision. I hope this paves the way for a new era of environmental awareness (here in the US as well) as I believe the environment is an incredibly significant concern for the future of human progress. 

Ireland- Ireland has recovered economically to an extent as a result of a bailout, largely removing it as a concern for the EU, leaving them to focus on larger concerns (such as the suffering economies of Greece, Italy and Spain). 

Greece- Greece urges international lenders to let is delay pension reform plan. 

Op-Ed : The Scottish Independence Referendum

Allow me to preface this post by stating that although I realize that I had previously made a statement on this blog promoting the maintenance of Scottish dependence on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, I have since changing my position on the argument.

This post will be a response to Niall Ferguson's article published in the New York Times titled, "Scots Must Vote Nae." http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/15/opinion/scots-must-vote-nae.html
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By beginning the article through the discussion of the unity of England and Scotland, Ferguson successfully establishes credibility and provides some background knowledge that I myself, particularly did not previously know: the fact that the two nations were united as equals, unlike the nations of Wales and Northern Ireland (previously the entirety of Ireland).

Unfortunately, this is where the author's insight comes to a complete stop. Not only does he label the movement as encompassing "petty nationalism," he also attempts to cause inconsequential concern for the economic future of a fully autonomous Scotland by reflecting on what currency it would adopt. Scotland is an economic asset to Great Britain. After the 2008 financial crisis, Scotland's finances have been more prosperous than the rest of the United Kingdom's, with relatively higher revenues, lower spending, and smaller deficits. The Scots also have huge amounts of oil and potential for renewable energy. Whatever currency they would have chosen, Scottish prosperity would have been practically assured.

Something Ferguson failed to take into account was the fact that the "Yes" campaign promoted a Scotland full of hope and new opportunity while the "No" campaign simply favored maintaining tradition and an old, potentially obsolete, political dynamic.

Pictured above: the Union Jack which would have been drastically changed if Scottish independence had become a reality.

Considering the grand scheme of things beyond this article, I am satisfied with the results of the vote. It seems that the greater political entity of the United Kingdom will actually give Scotland more political autonomy based on statements by the Prime Minister David Cameron as well as other officials after the results were publicized. Although the results favored maintaining Scottish status in the United Kingdom, there was a significant amount of individuals who favored Scottish independence and the United Kingdom must have taken notice. This vote undoubtably perpetuated a growing cultural divide between the Scottish and the remainder of the UK which will need to be actively considered.

Overall, the referendum resulted in a "happy medium," promising the establishment of increased political freedoms for Scotland while maintaining one of the most powerful and influential political entities on Earth: the United Kingdom.