#THEPHILIPPINES: Bill Would Punish Those Who Refuse To Sing National Anthem With Gusto

[world politics news]

Filipino citizens could be fined or jailed for refusing to sing their national anthem with appropriate gusto under a new bill proposed by the country’s parliament. The law, approved by the House of Representatives, requires that singing along when the anthem, the Lupang Hinirang, is played a public gatherings "shall be mandatory and must be done with fervor."

[FULL STORY HERE]

#ALBANIA: Pro-EU Socialist Party Wins PM Vote, Secures Parliamentary Majority

[world politics news]

Albania's left-wing Socialist Party secured a second governing mandate in the June 25 parliamentary elections, winning a majority of seats in parliament, nearly complete results show. The election is seen as a key benchmark to the country's bid to launch membership negotiations with the European Union. With more than 95 percent of the ballots counted, the Socialists of Prime Minister Edi Rama won about 48 percent of the votes, or 74 places in the 140-seat parliament.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CANADA: Liberals Consider "Booze Tax" Hike To Match Inflation

[world politics news]

Among many agenda items Parliament is considering before its Canada Day break is legislation that would mandate that the excise tax on alcoholic beverages will increase annually at the rate of inflation from now on. The move would preclude Parliament from taking annual votes on increases, something lawmakers would surely appreciate.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#UK: Hackers Mount A "Determined" Cyber Attack On Parliament, MPs User Accounts

[world politics news]

The UK's Parliament has been hit by a cyber attack, officials say. The "sustained" hack began on Friday night, prompting officials to disable remote access to the emails of MPs, peers and their staff as a safeguard. Parliamentary authorities say hackers mounted a "determined attack" on all user accounts "in an attempt to identify weak passwords." Government sources say it appeared the attack has been contained but it will "remain vigilant."

[FULL STORY HERE]

#QATAR: Saudi-Led Bloc Gives Qatar 10 Days To Meet "Anti-Terror" Demands Blockade/Cut Relations

[world politic news]

A Saudi-led bloc had given Qatar a 10 days to comply with 13 demands, which included shutting down the Al Jazeera Media Network, closing a Turkish military base and scaling down ties with Iran. In the document, the countries also demanded that Qatar sever all alleged ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups, including Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and ISIS. Qatar has dismissed a list of demands submitted by four Arab nations as neither reasonable or actionable.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#UK: Scotland Wants Seat At The Table During Brexit Talks To Guarantee Cooperation

[world politics news]

The Scottish National Party is set to demand a seat at the Brexit talks in return for ensuring the Scottish Parliament does not disrupt Theresa May's plans. The Prime Minister has admitted the Government's flagship Repeal Bill - which is essential to Brexit - may require a 'legislative consent motion' in Holyrood. Her admission potentially hands a veto to the Parliament in Edinburgh where the SNP governs as a minority administration.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#ITALY: PM Calls Brexit A "Tough Wake Up Call" For The EU

[world politics news]

Ahead of this week’s European summit, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni told the country’s Senate that the Brexit vote was not a catastrophe for the European Union but serves as a tough wake-up call.

[FULL STORY HERE]


Pictured: Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, left, chats with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at an EU meeting last month.

#EGYPT: Parliament Debates Status Of Islands At The Center Of Controversial Court Decision

[world politics news]

Parliament’s Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee began discussing the maritime border demarcation deal between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Sunday. The deal, which places the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir in Saudi maritime waters, was signed during Saudi King Salman bin Abdel-Aziz’s visit to Cairo in April 2016. The agreement has faced a number of legal challenges since it was made public.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#EU: EuroParl Supports New Carbon Cuts For Europe

[world politics news]

Following a debate on the announced US withdrawal from the Paris agreement, members of the European Parliament at the their plenary meeting on June 14 backed plans for new compulsory greenhouse gas cuts under the Paris agreement. The law covers close to two third of EU carbon emissions. These cuts, they believe, will help deliver on the EU’s overall target for 2030 on all policies – a 40% cut from 1990 levels, the European Parliament said in a press release, adding that the EU is committed to these cuts in the framework of the Paris Agreement.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#FRANCE: Emmanuel Macron's Party En Marche! Wins Majority In National Assembly

[world politics news]

Newly-elected President Emmanuel Macron's party En Marche!, which did not exist a year ago, has obtained an absolute majority in the French parliament. With 97 per cent of votes counted, the interior ministry said the President’s party had won 43 per cent of the vote, gaining 301 out of 577 seats in the National Assembly.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#MALTA: Court Rules Against Labour Pty; Nationalist Pty Retains Seats Given In Last Election

[world politics news]

The Constitutional Court has ruled against a Labour Party argument that the Nationalist Party should not have been given two extra seats in parliament following the general election. The Constitutional Court has ruled against a Labour Party argument that the Nationalist Party should not have been given two extra seats in parliament following the general election.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#POLAND: PM Tells EU It Will Fight Penalties For Not Taking Refugees

[world politics news]

Polish ministry of foreign affairs will contest European Commission plans to penalize the country for refusing to accept any refugees as part of an EU relocation plan. The Polish ministry said the nation had shown solidarity in the migrant crisis by protecting its external borders.

[FULL STORY HERE]

Pictured: Dimitris Avramopoulos, European Commissioner for Migration, and Beata Szydło.

#UK: Liberal Democrat Leader Farron Resigns After Election Results, Gay Comments Controversy

[world politics news]

Tim Farron has resigned as Liberal Democrat leader after senior party figures triggered a coup against him. It follows the resignation of his home affairs spokesman Lord Brian Paddick over the leader's views on gay marriage. Lord Paddick, formerly one of the country's most senior gay policemen, said he felt unable to continue in his role because of Farron's views on "various issues."

[FULL STORY HERE]

#SINGAPORE: Brother, Sister Of Prime Minister Fleeing City-State In Public Feud

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's younger brother Lee Hsien Yang says he feels compelled to leave Singapore amid a family dispute since their father's death two years ago. Lee Hsien Yang wrote in a six-page joint statement with his sister Lee Wei Ling that they had "lost confidence" in their brother's leadership. "I have no desire to leave. Hsien Loong is the only reason for my departure," they said. The prime minister issued a statement denying allegations made by his siblings and said he regretted their public comments

[FULL STORY HERE]

#JAPAN: Parliament Passes Bill To Allow Emperor To Abdicate

[world politics news]

Japan's parliament has passed a one-off bill to allow Emperor Akihito to abdicate, the first emperor to do so in 200 years. The 83-year-old said last year that his age and health were making it hard for him to fulfil his official duties.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#SPAIN: Catalan Politicians Defy Spanish Courts And Set Another Independence Referendum For Oct 1

[world politics news]

Catalonia's regional government has chosen October 1 as the date for a referendum on independence from Spain, standing up to the country’s central government, which sees the vote as illegal. Regional president Carles Puigdemont said Catalans will be asked to answer yes or no to a single question: "Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?" The country’s Constitutional Court has invalidated previous attempts to gain more autonomy.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#KOSOVO: Snap Election Held Today After Gov't Loses "Confidence" Motion In Parliament

[world politics news]

Voters in Kosovo have begun casting their ballots in a snap parliamentary election overshadowed by concerns over the economy and tensions with neighboring Serbia. Sunday's poll takes place a year early following the collapse of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa's cabinet last month, which ended Kosovo's first grand coalition.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#ITALY: Parliament Begins Debating Electoral Reforms, Including Lessening Small Parties' Influence

[world politics news]

Italy's parliament has begun debating election reforms that could see a new election as early as this Fall and lessen the influence of smaller parties during formation of coalitions. The proposed law would introduce a proportional voting system - the so-called German model - whereby fringe groups that get under 5% of votes would be excluded from parliament, in theory leading to less political fragmentation. Larger, more stable coalitions could lead to greater electoral reforms. The election mandate of the current center-left government runs out in spring 2018.

[FULL STORY HERE]

Pictured: Former Italian PM Matteo Renzi

#UK: Two Top Advisers To PM May Leave Following Disastrous Election Results

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Theresa May's two closest advisers have quit after the Conservatives failed to win a majority of MPs in the general election. They are being widely blamed for several election missteps that led to the unsatisfactory results for the ruling party. May was warned she faced a leadership challenge unless she sacked Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, according to the BBC. Labour said the pair had "taken the fall" for the prime minister.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#EU: Europarl Votes For Precise Definition of Anti-Semitism

[world politics news]

The European Parliament has voted in favor of a resolution endorsing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of anti-Semitism, drawing praise from Jewish groups. The resolution calls on EU Member States, institutions and agencies to adopt and apply the working definition of antisemitism. The text urges members to: protect their Jewish citizens and Jewish institutions from hate crime and hate speech.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#NEWZEALAND: Parliament Will Get A Vote On Euthanasia Bill

[world politics news]

MPs will be forced to vote on whether or not euthanasia should be legal, after the End of Life Choice bill was drawn from Parliament's ballot. The euthanasia bill, by ACT leader David Seymour, has laid dormant in the House's infamous biscuit tin since 2015. Since then, the Government has batted away a number of calls to put the issue on its own work program.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#QATAR: Neighboring Nations Cut Ties With Qatar Over Iranian & Alleged Terror Ties

[world politics news]

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Yemen have cut ties, claiming the energy-rich monarchy is undermining stability in the region by supporting in the Iran-aligned militant groups. Authorities gave Qataris living in and visiting their countries two weeks to leave.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#THEPHILIPPINES: Pres. Duterte Declares Martial Law After Southern City Taken By Terrorists

[world politics news]

Pres. Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in the southern Philippines in response to a burst of militant activity. Islamic State-linked militants had taken full control of Marawi City in Mindanao. The military reported that 13 soldiers, two policemen, and 41 militants had been killed so far since the battle to retake Marawi City from the militants started on May 22. Around 45 soldiers were also wounded.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#BAHRAIN: Terrorists Hack, Temporarily Take Over, Foreign Minister's Twitter Account

[world politics news]

Hackers temporarily took over the Twitter account of Bahraini foreign minister Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa on Saturday. Bahrain's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Saturday afternoon acknowledging al-Khalifa's Twitter account had been taken over by "terrorists." al-Mukhtar Brigades, a Shia group with a strong online presence, claimed responsibility for the hacking and posted anti-government videos and images.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#UK: Theresa May, Conservatives, Stumble Slightly In Lead-Up To June 8 Snap Election

[world politics news]

Even parties that win general elections handsomely - as opinion polls suggest Theresa May will on June 8 - often suffer from a mid-campaign wobble. Last Wednesday, the Conservative Party suffered a series of minor blunders along the way to their expected election victory.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CAMBODIA: Local Elections Sunday Will Set Stage For 2018 National Vote

[world politics news]

Premier Hun Sen has threatened war if the rival Cambodia National Rescue Party outpaces his ruling party at bellwether local elections on Sunday

[FULL STORY HERE]

#EU: Eastern EU Nations Revolt Against Paris Accords

[world politics news]

Four Eastern European EU nations - Poland, Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia - are mounting a behind-the-scenes revolt against the Paris Agreement, blocking key measures needed to deliver the pledge that they signed up to 18 months ago. The US is also withdrawing from the Accords.

 [FULL STORY HERE]