#UK: Wales First Minister To Resign Following "Dark Times" Of Former Member's Suicide

[world politics news]

Carwyn Jones has announced he will stand down as Wales' first minister this fall. The Welsh Assembly Member made the announcement at Welsh Labour party conference in Llandudno which he said would be his last as leader. The move comes after another member, Carl Sargeant, committed suicide after being expelled from the party.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#MALAYSIA: Crackdown On "Fake News" Increasingly Used As Cover For Crushing Dissent, Free Press

[world politics news]

Inflammatory stories masquerading as real news pose a particularly toxic threat in Asian countries with long-standing religious and ethnic divides, but promises by some regional leaders to tackle the problem carry equal menace.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CUBA: Miguel Diaz-Canel Set To Become First Post-Castro Strongman

[world politics news]

Miguel Diaz-Canel, 57, the hard-line First VP of the Communist Party, is the pre-ordained choice of Raul Castro as he steps down Thursday as Cuba's new leader.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#NORWAY: PM Solberg Warns Trump Against "Protectionist" Trade Policies

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Erna Solberg says she is concerned by the current trend of protectionism in the light of tariffs on metal imports implemented by Donald Trump and retaliatory measures by China. Speaking at the Conservative party’s annual conference, Solberg warned against the historical precedent set by trade wars.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#SPAIN: Prosecutors Claim Senior Member Of Ruling Party Forged Grades To Gain Masters Degree

[world politics news]

Prosecutors have opened a probe into a senior member of the ruling conservative party over allegations she doctored documents to gain her masters degree. Cristina Cifuentes, head of the Madrid region and a member of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party (PP), is suspected of obtaining the qualification from the public Rey Juan Carlos university by forging the grades for two units.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#NIGERIA: Pres. Buhari Gets Early Support For 2019 Election From Pro-Democracy Group

[world politics news]

A pro-democracy group, the Northern Alternative Forum, NAF, has endorsed Nigerian Pres. Muhammadu Buhari for a second term ahead of 2019 national elections, saying Buhari remains the most credible presidential candidate from the region.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CANADA: Ontario Liberals Cast Spending Spree, Min. Wage Hike, As "Investments" In June Election

[world politics news]

The Ontario Liberals will go to voters in June painting their recent massive spending on child care and other social programs as pro-business investment. Government officials have admitted that some business owners have expressed concern about the government raising the hourly minimum wage from $11.60 to $14 now and to $15 next Jan. 1.

Pictured: Steven Del Duca, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development and Growth

[FULL STORY HERE]

#AUSTRIA: Chancellor Kurz's Center-Right Coalition Seeks Ban On Pre-Teen Muslim Girls Wearing Headscarves

[world politics news]

The center-right coalition government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz wants to ban girls in kindergarten and primary schools from wearing headscarves. It's unclear how many children will be affected as most Muslim girls only start wearing the hijab from puberty.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#FRANCE: Legislation Would Reduce Number Of Politicians By 30%; Seeks To Restore Confidence in Politics

[world politics news]

Newly proposed legislation seeks to reduce the number of politicians and see the partial introduction of proportional representation. The changes are aimed at restoring French voters' confidence in the political class.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CHINA: Foreign Min. Gives Blessing To Upcoming US/N. Korea Talks

[world politics news]

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi says that China supports North Korea's upcoming summit meetings with Seoul and Washington and that China will continue to work for denuclearization and the establishment of a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula. The statement comes after a rare out-of-country visit to China by North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jun-un.

Pictured: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) shakes hands with Ri Yong-ho, foreign minister for North Korea, in Beijing.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#EGYPT: Pres. Al-Sisi Wins Re-Election With Near 100% Of Vote On Reduced Turnout

[world politics news]

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has been re-elected for a second four-year term, after winning 97% of the vote last week, official results show. The amount is the same as he won in the last election in 2014. But turnout, at 41%, was six percentage points lower. Electoral officials also said 7% of the 24 million ballots cast were spoiled.

[FULL STORY HERE]