#UK: Actress Says Timing for Labour Support for Palestinian State "Sucks"; Ends 5 Decades of Support

[world politics news]

British actress Maulrine Lipman has withdrawn support for the Labour Party after party leader Ed Miliband voiced support for a Palestinian State. The lifelong Labour Party supporter said his timing "sucked," citing rising European anti-Semitism, and said she would vote for "almost any other party" in next year's general election.

#BURKINAFASO: Gov't Cancels Vote To Extend Pres. Term After Violent Protest

[world politics news]

After violent protests, in which the parliament building was set on fire, the government will no longer seek to amend the constitution to allow Pres. Blaise Compaore to extend his term in office next year, when it was scheduled to end.

#UK: #Merkel To Oppose #Cameron's Call to Renegotiate Low-Skilled Migration Within #EU

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#TUNISIA: Secular Pty Defeats Islamist Party in Parliamentary Election

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#ITALY: Nationalist Ptys Criticize American Military's Ebola Containment Plans in Italy

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Luca Zaia, the speaker of the Veneto Assembly and a member of the nationalist Northern League, has criticized plans by the American military to quarantine US soldiers returning from Liberia in Italy while they are tested for Ebola. Members of other parties also expressed concern.

#INDONESIA: Politicians, Corruption-Fighters, Call for Pres. Widodo to Appoint a "Brave" Attorney General

[world politics news]

Politicians and corruption fighters have called on President Joko Widodo to pick a new attorney general who can reform the law enforcement agency, long beleaguered by graft cases. The post, previously occupied by career public prosecutor Basrief Arief, is now vacant after his term ended last week.

#NEWZEALAND: PM #JohnKey Confirms 2 Referenda Over 2 years On Flag Design

[world politics news]

One proposal for a revised New Zealand flag is the "silver fern" flag of the popular All Blacks rugby team.

#CANADA: #JohnTory Wins #Toronto Mayoral Race

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#BRAZIL: Incumbent #DilmaRousseff Wins Narrow Re-Election Victory After Bitter Campaign

[world politics news]

Brazilians re-elected incumbent President Dilma Rousseff Sunday by a narrow margin. Results Sunday night showed her winning 51.6 percent of the vote against her opponent, Aecio Neves, who was viewed as a more pro-business candidate.

#BRAZIL: Poll Shows #AécioNeves Leading #DilmaRousseff, But Most Show Incumbent Winning

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#SPAIN: New Laws Toughen Fines on White Collar Crime

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#JAPAN: Osaka Mayor Forum on "Hate Speech" Ends in Shouting Match With Anti-Korea Group

[world politics news]

A public meeting called by the mayor of Osaka on "Hate speech" ended in a shouting match that nearly led to blows between the mayor and a disgruntled leader of an anti-Korean group.

#DENMARK: New Pro-Immigrant Pty Reports Facebook Death Threats to Police

[world politics news]

Three brothers of Pakistani descent is challenging the populist Right wing and asserting their patriotism by forming the "National Party." The party opposes banning religious symbols and supports more open immigration policies and the establishment of a Palestinian State.

https://www.facebook.com/nationalpartiet2014

#UK: A Furious PM #Cameron Says He "Won't Pay" Surprise £1.7 Bill from the EU

[world politics news]

Prime Minister David Cameron says the UK will not pay a surprise bill of £1.7bn in adjusted dues demanded by the European Union. "If people think I am paying that bill on 1 December, they have another think coming. It is not going to happen."

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg99qHvO808

#CANADA: #Ontario Pol Apologizes After Campaign SUV Parks in Handicapped/Stroller Spots

[world politics news]

An SUV covered in ads for Tito-Dante Marimpietri, an Oshawa Regional and City Councillor seeking re-election this month, was spotted in a parking lot in Oshawa on the weekend. Marimpietri later posted an apology online, saying a family member was using the van and inadvertently parked in the reserved spaces.

#GERMANY: #Merkel Pulls a Perry, Forgets the "Third Thing" During Speech

[world politics news]

During a speech on the future of digital technology, Chancellor Angela Merkel forgot the word "Landline" in a list of three things important for the country's digital future. The slip was reminiscent of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's failure to remember the third agency he'd eliminate during a 2012 presidential debate.

Link to video (in German): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qymKx6Vu7g

#JAPAN: PM #Abe Faces Crisis After Two Women Cabinet Ministers Resign in Financial Scandals

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#TUNISIA: Officials Fear Fallout from War-Torn Libya As Sunday's Election Nears

[world politics news]

Beji Caid Essebsi (right) campaigns ahead of the October 26th parliamentary election.

Election officials in Tunisia fear escalating violence in the western half of neighboring Libya will spill over into Tunisia as Tunisians go to the polls Sunday to elect a new 217-member parliament.

#LIBYA: Gov't Orders Civil Disobedience, Military Campaign, To Win Back Capitol From Islamic Extremists

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#UK: For First Time, Majority in Parliament Support Referendum on Cutting Ties With #EU

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#SOUTHAFRICA; #ANC Calls Democratic Alliance Whip's Question of Chief Whip's Education "Racist"

[world politics news]

A private request by the Whip of the opposition Democratic Alliance Party for the ANC's Chief Whip to provide evidence that she had actually earned a Doctorate in Philosophy was made public, with ANC officials calling it "racist" to question her qualifications, something she has yet to make public. The DA Whip says the request was not racist.

#JAPAN: Liberal Democratic Pty Seeks Law to Ban "Revenge Porn"

[world politics news]

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party will submit a bill to the Diet to criminalize so-called revenge porn, the act of posting sexually explicit images of former partners online without their consent.

#CANADA: Harper Sets Nov. 17 for By-Elections in Ontario and Alberta

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#BOSNIA: Nationalists With Diverging Visions Elected to 3-Person Presidency

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Graveyard in Sarajevo, Bosnia

#CHINA: Premier Li Says Public Officials Being "Lazy" and "Slackers" Are Just As Bad As Being Corrupt

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#EU: Protests Continue Across EU Capital Cities Against #TTIP EU/US Trade Deal

[world politics news]

Demonstrations against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) continued this past weekend across EU capital cities, focusing on the EU-US trade deal and opposition to a wide variety of issues, from shale gas to corporate finance.

#UK: #UK Independence Pty Scores Highest Poll Numbers, 25%, After Winning 1st Parliament Seat

[world politics news]

#MADAGASCAR: Exiled Frmr. Pres. Marc Ravalomanana Arrested Upon Return, Whereabouts Unknown

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#GERMANY: Greens Urge Reluctant #Merkel Gov't to Send Ground Troops to #Syria to Fight #ISIS

[world politics news]

#UK: Conservative MP Resigns After Admitting Affair With Married Women, Sexting, "Battling Demons"

[world politics news]

Conservative MP Brooks Newmark, who has revealed he is quitting Parliament over a second sex scandal, said he has been “battling demons - and losing to them”. The MP for Braintree in Essex quit as minister for Civil Society in September following a newspaper scandal in which he sent an explicit photo of himself to a Sunday Mirror journalist posing as a young Tory party activist.

#BOLIVIA: Socialist Pres. #Morales Wins Landslide Unprecedented Third Term

[world politics news]

Amid a growing economy bolstered by high worldwide natural gas prices, Bolivia's Socialist President Evo Morales won an unprecedented third term in Sunday's election, winning by nearly 60 points, far ahead of his nearest rival, Samuel Doria Medina, who garnered only 24 percent.

#DENMARK: PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt Offers Referrendum on Opting Out of EU Justice, Home Policy Rules

[world politics news]

PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt has promised to support a referrendum after the next election (sometime after Sept. 2015) on whether to opt out of EU rules on Justice and Home Affairs policies. The EU has warned a Justice opt-out would end participation in EUROPOL, the joint police agency.

#UK: France Fines Royal Mail For Anti-Trust Violations

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#DENMARK: Two Parties Seek to Send Immigrants Back, Help them In Home Countries Instead

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The Danish People’s Party and the libertarian Liberal Alliance are calling for Denmark to stop accepting refugees and instead send them back where they came from and offer them help closer to home.

#ITALY: PM #Renzi Vows To Simplify Tax Code

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#CANADA: NDP Ldr #TomMulcair Accuses #StephenHarper of Serving "Bloody Dictator" #Assad

[world politics news]

In parliament Wednesday, New Democratic Party Leader Tom Mulcair accused Stephen Harper's Conservative government of being at the service of "a bloody dictator" due to the Prime Minister's openness to extend air strikes to Syria, but only with Bashir Al-Assad's permission.

#IRELAND: Senator Warns: Paper Publishing Political Poll "Could Influence" Outcome of Elections

[world politics news]

Fianna Fáil Party Senator Terry Leyden criticised The Irish Times for publishing a political opinion poll so close to the two byelections taking place tomorrow. The poll doesn't mention the two districts in contention, but says party support nationally has dropped five points. He says the "Unhelpful" survey "it could influence the outcome of the byelection."

Link to the poll is here.

#NORTHKOREA: Kim Jung-Un Misses Another Important Meeting, Further Stirring Coup Rumors

[world politics news]

North Korea held a national meeting Tuesday marking the 17th anniversary of late leader Kim Jong-il's ascension to power. The nation's current leader, Kim Jong-un, however, was absent from the annual event to commemorate his father, further stirring rumors that he has been overthrown. He has not been seen in public in over a month.

#GERMANY: #Bavarian Farmer Diapers Cows to Protest New #EU Rules on Where They Can "Go"

[world poliltics news]

#NAMIBIA: Christian Democrats Eye #Zimbabwe-Style Forced Land Redistribution Plan if Elected

[world politics news]

Namibian Christian Democratic Party Pres. Gothard Kandume urges radical land reform

#HONGKONG: Low Expectation for Friday Talks Between Gov't and Dwindling Pro-Democracy Occupy Movement

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#EU: #Kurdish Protesters Occupy Dutch, EU Parliaments to Protest Failure to Repel ISIS Attacks

[world politics news]

Ethnic European Kurds stormed and occupied the Dutch parliament building last night and the European Parliament this morning to protest what they view as a lackluster military response by Europe to the ongoing advance of the ISIS terror group.

#RUSSIA: #Putin Signs Law Banning Nighttime Meetings After 10 p.m.

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#SWITZERLAND: Swiss Voters Reject State-Run National Healthcare System By 62-38% Margin

[world politics news]

Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a measure backed by Leftist parties to abandon the nation's private healthcare system in favor of a national healthcare plan in a late-September referrendum. Sixty-two percent of voters decided to keep the current private system.

#BRAZIL: Business-Friendly Aecio Neves to Face Pres. Rousseff in Run-Off; Green Cand. Out of Race

[world politics news]

 

Brazil's presidential race will go to an Oct. 26 run-off after Pres. Dilma Rousseff received just 42% of the vote Sunday. Rival Aecio Neves received 34%. Environmentalist Marina Silva got only 21% and will not move on to the run-off.

#ROMANIA: Pres. Campaign Kicks Off; PM Ponta Leads Ethnic German Rival

[world politics news]

Klaus Iohannis, leader of the Christian Liberal Party of Romania, campaigning.

Several polls suggest Prime Minister Victor Ponta, also a leader of the Social Democrat Party, is most likely to win the Nov. 16 presidential election, with his main rival, ethnic German Klaus Iohannis, who heads the Christian Liberal party, trailing behind.

#SPAIN: Catalonia Vows to Go Forward With Independence Vote, Despite Spanish Court Ban

[world politics news]

The leader of Catalonia, Artur Mas, said he and representatives of the four parliamentary groups that support self-determination reiterated their intention to press ahead with a Nov. 9 referrendum on the region's independence from Spain, despite a Spanish court ruling that suspended the vote last week.

#NORWAY: Liberal Pty Opposes Gov't Plan to Keep State-Run Wine Stores Open Christmas Eve

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#JAPAN: PM #ShinzoAbe Blames Newspaper for "Groundless Slander" That Wartime Japan Used Korean Sex Slaves

[world politics news]

PM Shinzo Abe blamed the Asahi Shimbun newspaper for spreading "false reports" around the world about Imperial Japan's involvement in enslaving Koreans to serve as "Comfort Women" during World War II to serve Japanese soldiers, which Abe denies. Koreans have been demanding an apology and it's an ongoing diplomatic irritation.

#HONGKONG: Pro-Government Mobs Swarm Protesters to Shut Down Demonstration

[world politics news]