The three weeks leading up to Ukraine's presidential run-off are set to become an all-out spectacle, as the two contenders – incumbent Petro Poroshenko and comedian Volodymyr Zelensky – stop at nothing in their absurd duel. The comedian not only managed to win almost twice as many votes as the president in the first round, but has cranked up his trolling campaign to the max. A video of Zelensky accepting Poroshenko's challenge, and in turn setting his conditions for a duel, shows him fully tapping into his showman vibe. Walking in epic slow motion into the center of Ukraine's Olimpiyskiy stadium, with blues guitar music playing in the background, he speaks in his signature gravelly voice. You challenge me to a debate. Did you hope I would run, tune out, hide? No. I’m not you in 2014. '2014' is a reference to Poroshenko's refusal to hold a similar debate that year with Yulia Tymoshenko, when he said war is no time for political shows. This time, however, he … [Read more...] about Drug tests & stadium debate: How Ukraine presidential duel has turned into a reality TV SHOW
Debate
This Morning debate on Ascot etiquette descends into chaos over ‘shouting match’
A debate on etiquette ironically descended into chaos on This Morning today after it awkwardly turned into a shouting match. Lizzie Cundy and etiquette expert Liz Brewer appeared on the ITV daytime show to speak about whether we should stop being so judgemental about Ladies Day style. This comes after coverage of Ascot saw some publications 'shame' women who have dressed up for the occasion and enjoyed themselves with the booze on offer. Lizzie insisted that she had been left feeling humiliated over her outfits and that those going to the event should just be left to enjoy the day. However Liz said that those at Ladies Day should have more respect for the event and be able to conduct themselves with more integrity. "Why do we always pick on the women?" Lizzie asked. "The men do far more at Ascot." However Liz insisted that if you are in the royal enclosure you should follow the dress code and that if you didn't you shouldn't be there. But things became awkward when the pair's debate … [Read more...] about This Morning debate on Ascot etiquette descends into chaos over ‘shouting match’
Can a Return to Rational Political Debate Be Achieved?
Guests: Piers Robinson — Chair in Politics, Society and Political Journalism at The University of Sheffield | Attacks of Anti-Semitism against Jeremy Corbyn & The Ongoing Information War Dr. Bosworth — Internal Medicine Physician & Author | How to Raise Smart Kids James Corbett — Founder of CorbettReport.com | Breaking Down RussiaGate and its Lasting Legacy Danny Sjursen — Retired US Army Officer and Former History Instructor at West Point | The Quest for a Progressive Foreign Policy Jeremy Corbyn, the Leader of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, has been under attack by a sustained campaign seeking to brand him as anti-semitic. Professor Piers Robinson joins the show to talk about these ongoing attacks against Corbyn, efforts to shutdown rational debate on highly charged political issues, and the propaganda/information war related … [Read more...] about Can a Return to Rational Political Debate Be Achieved?
Ukrainian presidential rivals take televised drug tests before debate
The two remaining candidates in Ukraine's presidential race underwent televised drug and alcohol tests on Friday, capping a week in which they traded jibes in tit-for-tat social media videos and goaded each other to agree to a live policy debate. President Petro Poroshenko is facing Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comedian with no political experience who plays a fictional president in a TV series, in a run-off on April 21 after neither obtained a majority of votes in the first round last Sunday. Zelenskiy won nearly twice as many votes as Poroshenko, but the incumbent is fighting back by painting his rival as a lightweight who would put Ukraine's security at risk. The comedian had demanded they both be tested for drugs after he accepted Poroshenko's challenge for a policy debate in an apparent attempt to up the ante in their rivalry. Early on Friday, Zelenskiy, 41, was shown in a livestream on his Facebook page undergoing a blood test at a private laboratory. "I took a blood test. They pumped … [Read more...] about Ukrainian presidential rivals take televised drug tests before debate
Euthanasia debate reignites in Spain after man arrested for helping his wife die
The debate over the right to euthanasia has been reignited in Spain after a man was arrested on Thursday for helping his terminally ill wife bring an end to her life. On Wednesday, Ángel Hernández, aged 70, confessed to giving his partner, María José Carrasco, 61, a lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital, and spent a night in a prison cell at a police station in Madrid. He gave his statement to a court the following day and has since been released. Just before her death, the couple filmed a video to prove that it was Carrasco who had decided to end her life. The 61-year-old had spent the last three decades fighting multiple sclerosis and had reached the terminal stage of the illness. In the video, Hernández asks his wife: “Do you still want to kill yourself?” She nods and replies: “Yes,” adding: “The sooner the better.” Hernández then passes Carrasco, who had lost the movement in her hands, a cup of water and a straw to see … [Read more...] about Euthanasia debate reignites in Spain after man arrested for helping his wife die