Week 1: April 2nd to 8th

5th April 2018, Martin Luther King Remembered Across USA. Americans commemorated at different events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King. His equality message “I have a dream,” was recited to honor his desires for a better America. The presentations focused on his story on a rebel leader and the events that occurred in his last 31 hours before his assertion. The central topic opened for debate was the probable dream that Martin Luther King would have had for America in the year 2018 (Amanda). From the contributions presented, it was sure that the pain of Americans following King’s assertions could not just go away.
Opinion
The yearly celebration of the assassination of Martin Luther King does not just remind Americans of his sufferings but also give them an opportunity to interpret the King’s legacy. The interpretation is essential in guiding the actions of activists to be undertaken in the current times. I have observed that the issues of racism, poverty, depressed wages, and heightened wealth gap resurfaces at the commemoration events encouraging the local activists to fight for justice on the multiple fronts continuously. The commemorations are thus beneficial for the social and economic growth of America.
8th April 2018, a Tough Task for Facebook: European-Type Privacy for All. The European Union has instituted comprehensive data protection law that will avail new guidelines on the management of users’ data. The law will apply to companies such as Facebook and Google that handles personal information of their wide range of users. Significant structural and policy changes are needed for the company to adhere to the new consumer protection law that will come into effect from May 2018. Facebook will be required to minimize its data collection, seek users’ consent on all data collected and communicate the personal data that has been retrieved by the company from the web (Singer). Facebook has to make vital changes in its data management to be able to offer the European-level data and privacy protection to all its users.

Opinion

The desired structural and policy changes required of Facebook to execute its mandate of privacy and data protection to be likely to be costly and time-consuming. Nevertheless, since consumers are entitled to the right to privacy protection and confidentiality of personal data, the company is obliged to offer the same. Protection of consumer data is also associated with high level of satisfaction and following positive benefits to the company. In my view, even though, Facebook will have to incur additional costs in their desire to comply with the new consumer protection law, many benefits will be realized.

Week 2: April 9th to 15th

9th April, Weak consumer demand bigger worry for UK firms than Brexit. The uncertainties of Brexit are no longer a significant challenge in the UK. It was perceived that the Brexit vote would have adverse effects on the economy of the nation, following the political uncertainties that it presented. However, the country is not very worried since no significant changes have been observed as it prepares to leave the European Union finally (Isaac). In fact, the UK is now more worried about the changes in the consumer demand for commodity more than Brexit.

Opinion

While significant changes in the economy have not been reported following the Brexit vote, it cannot be assumed that the status quo will remain. The uncertainties in the business and political environment of the UK are still pervasive. As such, the possibility of reporting a stable economic growth and performance even after Brexit is unlikely. In fact, the changes in the consumer demand for goods cannot just be linked to other causes, Brexit also has a hand. The effects of Brexit on UK economy can only be ascertained after the nation entirely exits the EU either through soft or hard Brexit.
14th April, Syria air strikes: US and allies attack ‘chemical weapons sites. The USA and its cronies, France and the United Kingdoms, strike Syria following the suspected chemical attack on the USA. The three nations termed the act barbaric brutality that ought to be countered by such force. The attack was to deter the country from such activities (BBC NEWS). The US president mentioned that such attacks are likely to continue until the nation desists from its involvement in the production and use of prohibited chemicals.

Opinion

The attack on Syria has instigated varying reactions from the public and other governments. The western nations believe that the attack was essential and yielded significant results in deterring Syria from engaging in such attacks. However, I hold the opinion that the attack can strike further war between the country and the western nations. The Syrian government warned that any attack on its military would lead to counter attacks. Unless the western nations calculate their moves aptly, engagement in such attacks other than initiating talks avails the opportunity for further wars.
Week 3: April 16th to 22nd
19th April EU threatens sanctions ahead of Venezuela vote. The European Union has threatened sanctions on Venezuela if the country fails to conduct peaceful elections. The election had been convened amidst controversies and without following the due calendar (Daily hunt News). The opposition has hinted that it will shun the election if the sitting government fails to conduct a free and fair election, creating an environment for possible violence.

Opinion

The EU believes that its threats on sanction against Venezuela will prompt the government to conduct the free and fair election. However, in my opinion, a fair election is only attained when there are policies set in place to manage the election process and when the leadership in place has the will to ensure that maximum transparency is attained. As observed, any threats will not force the leadership into making structural and technical challenges that were already in place to ensure the election is not transparent. As such, the EU ought to have focused on assisting towards the development of policies that will guide the selection process other than issuing sanctions.
20th April, UK businesses face growing threat from cyber-attacks. UK businesses are currently under an increased level of threats to cyber-attack. The breach of data and retrieval of vital information is a norm in most businesses. The attackers take the advantage that most businesses put their actions and activities on the cloud, as such can access vital information from breach of the security platforms set to govern such clouds (MacAskill). Vulnerabilities in the supply chain according to the data analysts also avails the opportunity for cyber-attacks. As such, managing the cybersecurity issue requires the management of both the organization’s data infrastructure and the supply chain.
Opinion

While the increasing incidences of cyber-attacks are attributed to the existing of vulnerable points along the data management process, the advancement in technology has also provided an opportunity for such attacks to occur. Securing the vulnerable points may not completely overly protect an organization from cyber-attacks since new techniques are likely to emerge that will enable the attackers to access the system. Also, the third parties along the supply chain may fail to protect the system further exposing an organization to more attack. Constant monitoring of the system is thus encouraged to support early identification and prevention of any attempts to penetrate the system.

Week 4: April 23rd to 29th

25th April, Reality Check: Who controls your data? BBC News. The European Union Data Protection Regulation will change how companies manage consumer data. The new technology will embrace new approach in individual data collection, storage and sharing of information (Jones). The policy is expected to replace the Data Protection Act 1998 to ensure the process of data storage and use is made transparent and that personal data are highly protected.
Opinion
With the increasing cases of a data breach, the new data regulation policy will ensure that consumers’ personal information is highly protected. The accessibility of the data will be enhanced and protected such that only authorized persons are accorded such access. The implications of the new policy will be enhanced level of privacy and prevention of unnecessary losses including financial loses that mostly occur due to data breaching and stealing personal information.
24th April, Tech Firms Could Face New EU Regulations Over Fake News. The EU security commissioner says that technology-based firms will be subjected to new regulations over the fake news. Companies that mainly operate within the social media platforms and those that support blogs will be required comply with the new regulations EU security commissioner says that technology-based firms will be subjected to new regulations over the fake news (Cybersecurity Review). Companies are mainly operating within the social media platforms and those that supporting blogs will be required comply with the new regulations. These firms will be required to meet certain requirements as well as put up measures to ensure the contents being aired on their platform is credible.
Opinion
The approach is likely to limit the spread of fake news and damaging of people’s reputation and image. Also, the approach will streamline operations of the technology-based firms to ensure they avail credible and quality news to the readers. These firms will be required to meet certain requirements as well as put up measures to ensure the contents being aired on their platform is credible.

Week 5: April 30th to May 6th

30th April 2018 Train Operators Hope To Launch Direct London-Bordeaux Route. Direct trains connecting London to the France capital in Bordeaux, may start operating in the next two years. Following the collaboration between the train service providers in UK and France, the prospect of a 200mph train that supports a fast movement of passengers between the two cities will soon be realized (Topham). The collaborators are however required to agree on routes, traveling schedule, and the potential service providers to initiate the project. Issues of logistics difficulties, network problems, and border controls are the significant challenges that are likely to be encountered. Nevertheless, the identified challenges can be addressed through proper border control and passport checks. Depending on the outcome of the negotiations on the direct route between the two countries, new direct train service will become operational in a couple of years.
Opinion
The direct train services connecting major towns such as London and Bordeaux is long overdue. Such trains do not only save on traveling cost but also reduces the time needed to commute between the two countries. I tend to think that direct rail route connecting the two cities will be a significant competitor to air travel, thus enhancing the opportunity for the consumer to report an increased bargaining power. The proposed project will benefit consumers and the service providers making it a highly viable venture.
5th May 2018, Donald Trump’s Comments on London Knife Crime. Donald Trump’s comment on the London knife crime has instigated mixed reactions from the public and the affected victims. Parents of the children murdered in the attack have condemned the assertion by the president that the violence could have been managed by protecting the rights to bear arm. In his speech following the attack, Trump had claimed that London wards had been turned into war zones following the increasing number of patients with stab wounds (Bird). A claim that has been strongly refuted by surgeons from different hospitals who pointed out that tremendous progress has been undertaken towards the reduction of violence in London. The number of patients returning with additional knife stabs has been reduced from 45% to 1% (Bird). Even though the issue of violence and crime has remained a significant challenge in London, the menace cannot be resolved by introducing another source of crime.
Opinion
The assertion of President Trump is not only offensive to the affected victims in London but the world as a whole. Significant challenges have been reported in an attempt to deal with the problem of knife crime. In my view, legalizing guns will only intensify the challenges as opposed to addressing the issue. Getting the knife out of the streets and intensifying the punishments for knife stabbers is a more realistic approach to managing knife crime.

Week 6: May 7th to May 13th

8th May 2018, Trump withdraws from Iran nuclear deal. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the US has withdrawn from the Iran Nuclear deal. The 2015 accord developed between the US, its close allies and Iran eliminated the earlier imposed sanctions on the country to enable to support Iran from abolishing its dangerous nuclear projects (Liptak and Gaouette). However, as currently observed, the US government has withdrawn from the deal citing that the agreement was rotten and decaying thus cannot allow the nation to prevent the Iranian nuclear activities. Trump posited that new sanctions would be imposed on Iran and any other countries that assist the regime acquire nuclear weapons.

Opinion
The Iran nuclear deal came into effect following the tension over the country’s involvement in Nuclear weapon production. Under the accord, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities and allow international inspectors to monitor its actions, a process that resulted in the lifting of the many economic sanctions imposed on the nation. While it is true that the deal does not support a rigorous inspection mechanism and fails to address Iran’s ballistic missiles, withdrawing from the accord is not the best option for the US. The Trump administration ought to have advocated for strategies to ensure a proper avenue for inspection is created and that the destabilizing activities of the country including support for terrorism are contained. Further sanctions on Iran will only heighten the nuclear weapon problems other than resolving them.
9th May 2018, Iran nuclear deal: UK says it remains committed despite US exit. The UK announced its commitment to the Iran nuclear deal, despite the exit of the US. Theresa May in a communication made to other European nations that were involved in the accord discredited the action taken by the US terming it as a reckless act of subtle sabotage. The UK and other European nations are committed to ensuring that the agreement is upheld.
Opinion
The position taken by the UK government on Iran nuclear weapon is likely to yield better results. The attainment of shared security and availing economic benefits to the Iranian people is only possible through upholding the agreement. Nevertheless, the European nations need to prepare for possible sanction in the case; their banks engage in some form of business with Iran.