Lebanon's revolving door, #Save12HKYouths, return of Spitting Image and US women's football stars migrate
19 - 25 October 2020
BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW?
It was definitely an action-packed week: we saw the final face-off between Donald Trump and Joe Biden; deadly clashes in Nigeria; Pope Francis endorsing same-sex civil unions; and Sudan agreeing to normalise ties with Israel.
But let's focus on Lebanon, where a disgraced former prime minister has successfully orchestrated a return to power. Despite resigning last October following widespread civil unrest, Saad Hariri was able to secure a slim majority in the country's parliament on Thursday, making him prime minister-designate.
Hariri has promised to enlist the help of "nonpartisan specialists" (aka technocrats), but hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens are sorely disappointed with this development. They say the PM is a symbol of Lebanon's endemic corruption - plus the nation's problems have only worsened in the aftermath of August's devastating port explosion in Beirut.
Yet it seems fixing Lebanon's economy is a task so gargantuan that it takes an old hand (i.e. a person intimately familiar with the various religious interests) to lead the government, regardless of the scandal tainting him.
THE HONG KONG 12
The uncertain fate of the so-called 'Hong Kong 12' is increasingly gaining international attention, particularly on social media.
To recap: A dozen HK activists allegedly attempted to escape to Taiwan (on a speedboat) in August, but were captured at sea by mainland Chinese authorities. Since then, the young Hongkongers have been held in Shenzhen without access to lawyers or advocates.
Almost all members of the group face charges related to the city's 2019 protest movement. Chinese state media has labelled them "anti-government rioters" and "Hong Kong secessionists", and accused them of violating the recently enacted national security law.
The families of the Hong Kong 12 and pro-democracy lawmakers have urged Carrie Lam's cabinet to ask Beijing to return the detainees so their case can be dealt with locally. But HK's security chief thinks allowing that request would encourage copycat offences.
Separately, the HK government issued a statement on Wednesday criticising "the harbouring of criminals" by other countries after it emerged Germany had granted asylum to a 22-year old HK student who skipped bail and fled to Europe.
A WELCOME DOSE OF HUMOUR
Given that the current political climate feels like an absolute farce, it's perfect timing to have Spitting Image back on the small screen.
The British satirical puppet show has been revived to poke fun at our sorry state of affairs. In keeping with the original series, the jokes are offensive yet hilarious - and no personality is spared. The 2020 iteration lampoons Boris Johnson, Xi Jinping, Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, Prince Harry and Meghan, Angela Merkel, Jacinda Ardern etc.
While a few of the foamed latex models and voices are off the mark, the first three episodes indicate this reboot of Spitting Image is quickly finding its groove.
HOPPING ACROSS THE POND
A £70 million hole in Manchester United's 2019-20 revenue is just one indicator of the impact of Covid-19 on the global sports industry.
Another effect of the pandemic is the relocation of several high profile US women's football players to England. Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath, Christen Press, Sam Mewis and Rose Lavelle surprised their fans in the States when they announced transfers to different FA Women's Super League (WSL) teams, including Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Women's football (or soccer, if you prefer) has long been more popular in North America than the UK. Additionally, Team USA's domination of the 2019 World Cup in France gave the sport a huge boost. But then the coronavirus struck and disrupted everything.
The lack of games on home turf suddenly made the WSL an enticing option for American players. The league's season will run into May, providing regular training, fitness assessments and competitive matches.
It might be a short-term solution (indeed some English commentators have complained about opportunism), however, the WSL stands to benefit as well. For instance, the US players hold strategic marketing and commercial value - Alex Morgan boasts 9.2 million Instagram followers and is a Nike sponsored athlete.
