Here this sunday its the weekly the big stories that brought you over the last 7 days great to view company 2 well 1st then rushes over old constitution came into effect on saturday following a weeklong vote which wrapped up on wednesday the majority of voters indorse the changes with some 78 percent in favor from a turnout of around 68 percent so it could tailor followed the final day of polling. Now this really was a vote of us the fos time people were in mosques and gloves the fos time they were using disposable patents wilson threw temperatures sconce focusing on law and facade as for the voting process itself while that was a situation where security footage allegedly caught a woman stuffing the ballots now that counting in that area of moscow has been suspended pending an investigation otherwise the central Editorial Commission says that it found no irregularities that was so many amendments on the table 147. 00 in total that its difficult to decide what it was that ultimately secured public back but undoubtedly its the package of social amendments that house particularly white appeal im talking about things like adjusting pensions in line with inflation and showing that the minimum wage never ever fools below the cost of living as well as giving additional Financial Support to low income families these prove popular because they have such a tangible impact on peoples day to day lives but that is not to say that this was an easy decision for anyone old that it was without control to see a few amendments proved to be particularly polarizing and one that paints a lot of media traction was conceding the socalled searing out of president putins previous tubs paving the way for him potentially if you wanted to do so run again twice as president on top of the some of the more conservative amendments proved to be divisive such as defining marriage so many as a union between a man and a woman reiterating traditional family values as well as mentioning goal despite the fact that russia is officially a sect or the nation but thats him the people themselves and what they have to say. Why have i come here to vote because im a citizen of russia and i agree with all of them men women and i am not ok with them and about the president ial term i absolutely do not agree with. The can from it. With all of the amendments in the constitution and the amendment thats the most important to me is the prevalence of russia you know over international the head of the Central Election Commission of said something about voting being like a meal deals you either take everything or you do not take it at all and i already do not like one dish in this meal deal so i will not take Everything Else i think it is nonsense according to all legal logical and ethical norms i love my country and you think everything live has been done is right i think that its needed because the current constitution is out of date it is a modern time and even the view of life is new the bit of a mixed bag in terms of reaction and people decide to show that disapproval not just at the polls but also protests peaceful ones but here in the capital and also in that city petersburg but true to 2024 it was safety fast. It is not. Because. Ultimately the so many who put a tick in the yes box would argue that the russia of 9293. 00 when this current constitution was born was full of political and economic instability it was still finding its feet after the collapse of the soviet union and that russia is not the same as the russia of 2020 that almost entirely Different Countries so i think this is just to the changes was born from a desire for the countrys top document to move with the times to set russia on a new course and shape its future as envisaged by russians now today and not as envisaged by russians almost 30 years ago here that contains a lot too theres a long list of moments in the package on offer but it was just one element the got much of the foreign media fired up. Russias parliament basically paving the way for Vladimir Putin to potentially stay on as russian president hes the longest serving russian leader since Joseph Stalin a lot of your computer wants to stay in power even longer addressing lawmakers abdu words putin said he backed the amendment allowing him to seek another term in office but there are dozens of interesting traditions that should also be discussed and the one that caught my eye was on children the role of children and all fronts i explicitly mentioned in one of the constitutional monarch months which i think is worse while reflecting the Russian Federation of the year 2020 is in many regards i would say in a different situation than was the country in 1903 when we compare the International Circumstances but also of course the National Economic and political situation the early ninetys were marked by the implosion of the soviet union marked by the down communists and. It was more about being a fax s. Of the then the Russian Federation that we have today i think there is a need for. Meeting this new circumstances because a constitution is almost a reflection of a society and also of the circumstances of the country it is in so the future of the legislature the parliament is in order to respond to this new with egypt is. To speak of the news to the campaign to take down structures linked to racism kept up the posts through the week and while some of the links so refutable the vandalism of denmarks Little Mermaid was a little hard to comprehend it was daubed with the racist fish but academics so they can see what could be racially insensitive about the christian or some fairy tale but all that said Big Questions are of course now being asked worldwide about how best to remember our history the good the bad people over in the week explain how germany made just over. When it comes to assessing and dealing with difficult periods of history germany has more experience than most but we havent seen the type of scenes here that have played out in the United States britain belgium. I. I i i. Was. Was. I. Put germany isnt without its own controversial statues otto von bismarck has been dogged with red paint in hamburg while as an Ongoing Campaign to block the renovation of another monument to the high end chancellor in the port city bismarck wasnt just crucial in german unification he was also a driving force in colonialism and by todays standards and anti semite here in berlin selland of district anime is 1920 s. Depiction of a needling a black woman was decapitated last week castleman remains controversial in germany he was a committed nazi and despite that fact his works continue to be displayed across the german capital this particular monument had been slated for removal by city authorities whod already deemed it earlier this year on suitable for display in the city of berlin and if it had Diverse Society cannot exist with this kind of bigotry and prejudice you cannot live together if you do not treat each other equally people shouldnt be discriminated against based on the color of their skin so what happens to start choosing germany that no longer justify. Exhibition well here in berlin theyve got just the place for them the spandau citadel although the 16th century fortress has its own troubled past it was used as a chemical weapons storage by the nazis but the proposal was to bring you to a museum to show it was an example of racism so these mistakes are not repeated this racial stereotypes should not be demonstrated on the streets but in a museum where we could demonstrate to people within context as we move through the exhibition we see hundreds of years of prussian military strongman into monuments of naziism the 3rd reich didnt really do sculpture but this the castle it was one of few described by hitler is irreplaceable the nazis preferred buildings as their monuments to time and theres plenty of those still visible in modern berlin one of the most i cant change in this collection of discarded start to see is this gigantic granite head of blood to me at lenin its all that remains of a 19 meter high monument that was built in 1970 to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth. In the United States and also in Great Britain the red discussions at the moment about what to do with dismantle memorials but here we have already found a possible solutions for memorials that are so to speak toxic if you put them in you seem that doesnt mean its over we put them here so that people can continue to Pay Attention to them but in a different context. Germany is often cited as the example to follow when it comes to assessing periods of history troubling to modern sensibilities even if there are 2 barracks named after nazi fieldmarshal or when rubble that the German Military calls home to this day they glossed over as they dont fit the particular narrative because history has a tendency not to be as neat as we might like it when its really examined peter oliver r. T. Berlin. This was a worry in the we part of spains kudlow the region is back on the lockdown after a surge in coronavirus cases the the Authorities Say it was a difficult decision to keep over 200000 people at home just weeks after the nation began easing restrictions. In the last hours in the day weve seen an exponential growth in the number of infections and thats prompted us to take action its a difficult decision the government must prioritize lives and the health of peoples and well take all the necessary measures. Lonely as we want to spains worst affected regions with more than 12000 dead the area now back under restrictions as seen new cases more the double over the past week around 200 Police Officers to bring to plod to try to help them force the checkpoints locals though say they were braced for the move. Us in the back and i thought this is right because we had too many spikes too many infractions and eventually they would have to close out of the region in more will come it seems this is necessary because were seeing whats of cases this is a good decision at the moment spain ranks 4th in europe for the number of corona virus related deaths and over 28000 the countrys logged nearly 300000 cases in total spain had been moving to reopen its borders to attract much needed to resume income during the peak of the Summer Season just ahead once upon a doctor we spoke to believes a selective strategy is needed but on the other hand worries to a big tourism bruno could lead to an even bigger problem. Ensure my belief that given the current circumstances this is the only option going back to a choice to look to the supplies to a whole country is not the way to go the other issues here is that the e. U. Countries have acted on their own since the stance of the lockdown and now the 27. 00 countries have opened their borders except to americans brazilians and russians but theyre still allowed to preach to students and visit Spanish Islands with little or no screening its very important to even debate the need for a biological passport so to at least acquire a virus 23. 00 days before any trip within europe. Youre still a mess isnt it this is our international from moscow how the whole weekend is going good coming up. In the week chess is it racist because the white pieces move 1st well astray is National Broadcaster thought it would make a good radio talking point instead its now accused of inflaming racial tension just one of the stories sort of cross so this were back. Now states their world over. Gender quarter compromised by what is a sure National Interest the gridlock in Congress Hear people talk about. The right. Radicals in both bodies. This. Bipartisan centrist approach to politics both domestic and foreign. Policy thats for sure. Join me every thursday on the alex salmond show and obviously going to get out of the world of politics or business im show business ill see you there. The way the chess was in the u. S. Chess may be a game of strategy skill and patients but for australias National Broadcaster this week it became another poll in the global racism debate the a. B. C. The plan to upgrade the audiences is chess racist because white pieces move 1st didnt go down well for a start with a former Australian Chess Federation representative it was us to take part in the debate john adams refused and instead took to twitter to rebuke the a. B. C. Saying the taxpayer funded National Broadcaster is raising a relevant topics during a pandemic is anger was echoed to by world class players like russian grandmaster anatoly karpov. The period of total insanity has become what does it have in common with the centuries old game john adams whose tweet propelled the row into the open on tuesday then says the order of who goes 1st has got nothing to do with race and called out the a. B. C. For inflaming racial tension. I was on the phone call the a. B. C. Wanted to have a discussion about whether they should change the rule because of the current racial context i think its a big scandal the fact that what has nothing to do with race it all comes down to a convention in the late eightys i think in western democracies there is an agenda to push for increased racial tension and the a. B. C. Tried to jump on the bandwagon by including chance the fact that the a. B. C. Decided to pick chess as a topic i think it fully exposed what their agenda is and we dont need more tension would only to divide people i think its dangerous if we allow our games that have nothing to do with race to leave. For its part the a. B. C. Later said its a mostly misunderstood the radio host to show plan to hold the discussion is since they werent looking for people to say chess racist instead James Valentine says they were looking instead to quote fresh conversation about the world. Police finally moved in to clear out the celtic lead autonomys protozoan in seattle on wednesday or the pockets of protests are ongoing in neighboring districts activists occupy the citys capitol hill which became a chop for about a month after police moved out of their precinct building there the campaigners had said theyd hoped to create a Peaceful Police free utopia but didnt last long in the 3 weeks of protests the zone saw 4 shootings 2 of them fatal that also been reports of assaults burglaries and rape the protesters some armed were warned that they could face arrest if they didnt leave in the end over 30 were detained Seattle Police released video of some of the violence to. Oh my god. I wish. At 1st the man wanted to leave the activists to take over hoping that would be a summer of love but she was late to forsake action her decision came after protest has marched on the home demanding Police Funding be slashed and the activist of the sites watched as police moved to protest as all men. So i am outside of the pine street entrance of the shop right now where a bunch of police have set up a barricade and the protesters are now beginning to gather not just. You know but their block in the street trying to cause a little bit more awareness and the officers took that as an opportunity to play enforce their version of law. Yeah i dont know where you thought it was but the police came into a shop and ousted the remaining people who were staying there says that of around 30 to a rest spray people pepper spray them in their addresses from your perspective what exactly happened basically i was that far and thats our end and it all started when bang bang bang screams and my house but there were a couple individuals who were speaking loudly red megaphone switching the crowd energized to actually bringing people in off the streets and the cops in a little bike brigade actually charging targeted those people arresting them individually and throwing them into the back of a cop cars far end of chalk. Not too long ago there were a bunch of tents in these areas there were people hanging out just living but within 5 hours everyone has been evacuated you know like you had a right. To do. Thats right now. My matches. Are over there and you know i dont think anybody in seattle did not see this coming ever since the string of 45 shootings that have. Recently found out that the last shooting was a 14 of a 16 year old kid who were killed so i think it was. The cops side that it was time to prevent theres a lot of demoralization right now specially in the crowd of protesters because i think a lot of people are taking this is a bit of a loss is basically where i. Feel. This entire idea. Seems to have. Come to an end. Donald trump had a hurdle on wednesday in his efforts to bring american troops back from afghanistan the Congress Armed Services committee put a block on the withdrawal by approving a new amendment to the National Defense bill the amendment targets the planned pullout of more than 4000 troops from afghanistan by this autumn according to 2 Administration Officials the move would reduce the number of troops to the lowest number since the very beginning of the war in afghanistan back in 2001 the panel also wants an assessment as to whether any state actors provide incentives to the taliban to attack u. S. Troops or its allies over the last 2 years now part of that was driven by claims reported in the New York Times that russia paid bounties to militants to kill american soldiers in afghanistan and that donald trump was told about it months ago while they were flatow denials all round about that from russia trump and even the pentagon but the paper sticking to its story even if its sources are in the shadows as caleb maupin reports. What makes a bombshell news story outrageous accusations u