Friday, October 31, 2014

#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British actress Maulrine Lipman has withdrawn support for the Labour Party after party leader Ed Miliband voiced support for a Palestinian State.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.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

#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

[world politics news]


Wednesday, October 29, 2014

#TUNISIA: Secular Pty Defeats Islamist Party in Parliamentary Election

[world politics news]


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

[world politics news]


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.

Monday, October 27, 2014

#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.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

#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

Friday, October 24, 2014

#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

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Friday, October 17, 2014

#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.


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

#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.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

#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.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

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


[world politics news]


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

[world politics news]


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.

Friday, October 10, 2014

#ITALY: PM #Renzi Vows To Simplify Tax Code

[world politics news]


#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.

Thursday, October 09, 2014

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

[world politics news]


Fianna FƔil 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]




Tuesday, October 07, 2014

Monday, October 06, 2014

#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.

Sunday, October 05, 2014

#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

[world politics news]


Saturday, October 04, 2014

#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]