#JAPAN: Nation Will Achieve Zero Carbon Emissions By 2050, Says PM

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Japan will achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared Monday in his first policy speech as leader, outlining an ambitious agenda as the country struggles to balance economic and pandemic concerns.

The policy speech at the outset of the parliamentary session reflects Suga’s pragmatic approach to getting things done. Suga, formerly chief cabinet secretary, took office on Sept. 16 after his boss Shinzo Abe resigned over health problems.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#MALAYSIA: Former Prime Minister Says Muslims Have "The Right To Kill Millions Of French" During Mohammed Pic Controversy

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Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has sparked an uproar by claiming that Muslims have “a right to be angry and kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past."

The comments appeared on the 95-year-old’s blog on Thursday evening as part of Mahathir’s response to calls from Muslim nations to boycott French products. Twitter has since removed one of the elder statesman’s tweets containing his latest remarks after deeming it violated its rules. Earlier, it left the tweet accessible “in the public interest”.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#UK: Former Labour Party Leader Corbyn Suspended From Party Over Anti-Semitism Charges

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Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been suspended from the party and has had the whip removed.

A party spokesman said it was "in light of his comments made today and his failure to retract them subsequently."

Corbyn had reacted to a damning report into antisemitism by saying that the number of complaints made during his tenure were "dramatically overstated for political reasons." 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#CANADA: Health Minister Says China Must Be 'Held To Account' If They Misled On Covid-19

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Health Minister Patty Hajdu says that if China misled the world in the early stages of the pandemic, then they will need to be held to account.

Multiple other countries have also questioned China's early response, including the U.S., U.K., and France.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#KUWAIT: New Emir Takes Office After Death Of Brother

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In a speech delivered to the Kuwait National Assembly, Kuwait’s new emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, called for national unity as the country gears up for parliamentary elections in December.

National unity is the “most powerful weapon” against the country’s current crises, the Gulf state ruler said, according to state news agency KUNA.

“I would also like, God willing, to reaffirm our commitment to democracy, respect of the constitution, state of law and institutions,” he said.

Sabah, 83, told lawmakers he would continue in the path of his brother, the late Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. The 91-year-old died late last month after ruling the Gulf state for more than a decade.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#CANADA: Parliament Votes To Probe Govt's Coronavirus Response

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Opposition parties won their bid Monday to launch a probe of the Liberals’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic following a week of parliamentary turbulence over how to review their management of the crisis.

Members of Parliament from all four opposition parties voted to pass a motion that orders the Trudeau government to turn over to the House of Commons health committee all records on a raft of issues related to the coronavirus response.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#FRANCE: Outrage Over President's Comments About Islam Grows

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The backlash over French President Emmanuel Macron’s critique of Islam has intensified after Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan questioned his counterpart’s mental health, while Muslims in several countries are demanding a boycott of France.

The French debate on Islam was deepened after the beheading of a teacher who had shown caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad – previously published by a satirical magazine – in a class on freedom of expression. Muslims believe that any depiction of the Prophet is blasphemous.

Earlier this month, Macron described Islam as a religion “in crisis” worldwide and vowed to present a bill in December to strengthen a law that officially separated church and state in France.

Despite outrage in the Muslim world, Macron has found much support in Europe for his stance in favor of freedom of speech.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#MALAYSIA: King Rejects Government's State Of Emergency Request

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In the latest twist to Malaysia’s ongoing political saga, its King surprisingly rejected a controversial plan proposed by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to impose emergency measures on the country, after discussing the matter with other state monarchs.

Muhyiddin’s suggestion was ostensibly aimed at tackling the Covid-19 pandemic without political distractions. His opponents, however, claimed he no longer commanded a majority support in Parliament, and was using the pandemic as an excuse to stay in power.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#ROMANIA: Legislature Approves Extended Confiscation Of Property For Convicted Criminals

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Romania's Chamber of Deputies voted unanimously to pass a bill to introduce extended confiscation in the Criminal Code.

This means that the unjustified wealth of a criminal sentenced to at least four years in prison, for gaining material benefits through illegal activities, can be confiscated unless legally justified, G4media.ro reported.

The court's conviction may also be based on the disproportion between the lawful income and the person's wealth. Furthermore, "extended confiscation may also be ordered on goods transferred to third parties who knew or could have known that the purpose of the transfer was to avoid confiscation," according to the bill that amends the Criminal Code.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#ISRAEL: Knesset Approves Historic UAE Peace Deal

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Israel's parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of formally ratifying the country's historic agreement normalizing diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates.

Israel and the UAE announced the US-brokered agreement in August, signing a deal in a White House ceremony last month.

The approval by the 120-seat Knesset, which passed with a 80-13 vote, was largely a formality.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#EU: Parliament Discusses First Legislation Governing Artificial Intelligence

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Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have adopted proposals on how the EU can best regulate Artificial Intelligence (AI) in order to boost innovation, ethical standards and trust in technology.

The European Parliament is among the first institutions to put forward recommendations on what AI rules should include with regards to ethics, liability and intellectual property rights. These recommendations will pave the way for the EU to become a global leader in the development of AI. The Commission legislative proposal is expected early next year.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#EGYPT: Overseas Voters Cast First Ballots In Election

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The first phase of parliamentary elections kicked off, Monday by allowing voters to find their ballot papers online on the National Elections Authority website in order to resend them to the embassies and diplomatic missions in different countries during the voting days.

A period of "electoral silence" for the House elections started Sunday ahead of the parliament elections. During the electoral silence period all candidates are prohibited from practicing any form of electoral advertising, in order to allow voters to choose freely.

According to the elections schedule, the candidates’ campaigns ended October 18.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: PM Trudeau Threatens Snap Election If Conservative Motion To Form COVID Committee Passes

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he will call an election that “nobody wants” this week if the House of Commons passes a Conservative Party motion that he says will confirm it has lost confidence in his minority government.

The prime minister was responding to a high-stakes motion introduced earlier in the day by Conservative Pary Leader Erin O’Toole that calls for a new parliamentary committee to investigate alleged misuse of public money on COVID-19 relief programs, including the WE Charity controversy. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#THAILAND: Government Seeks To Censor Coverage Of Bangkok Protests

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Thai authorities are trying to stem ongoing protests calling for the Prime Minister to resign by threatening to censor news coverage, raiding a publishing house, and attempting to block the Telegram messaging app used by demonstrators.

The efforts by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's Government to drain the student-led protests of support and organisational abilities comes as demonstrations continue to swell in the capital and spread around the country.

This is despite an emergency decree which bans public gatherings of more than four people in Bangkok.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#NEWZEALAND: Prime Minister Ardern Wins Re-Election In Landslide

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New Zealand Prime Minister and Labour Party Leader Jacinda Ardern has been rewarded by voters with a landslide win — delivering her power in her own right, and an absolute drubbing to the National Party.

Labour has almost 50% of the vote - the most any party has achieved under MMP and easily enough to govern without relying on another party, meaning it will get more than the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#ISRAEL: Parliament Votes To Restrict Demonstrations Amid Seoond National Lockdown

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Members of Israel Parliament (Knesset) voted to limit anti-government protests after an all-night debate over the controversial move. 

At around 4:30 am, the chamber finally voted 46 to 38 to pass a bill severely restricting demonstrations amid a second national lockdown in an effort to drive down rapidly rising coronavirus cases. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#CANADA: PM Trudeau Survives Confidence Vote After Throne Speech

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberal government has survived a key confidence vote.

The Liberals survived the vote with the support of the opposition NDP, avoiding a possible snap election.

Parliamentarians voted 177-152 in support of Trudeau's Throne Speech, which laid out his party's agenda.

The NDP had secured an agreement on new Covid relief measures and had been expected to support the Liberals.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#GERMANY: Parliament Sets Price For CO2 At 25 Euros Per Metric Tonne

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The German parliament has voted in favor of a higher starting price for the country’s new CO2 reduction scheme in the heating and transport sectors. 

The majority of MPs agreed to setting the price for one metric tonne of CO2 at 25 euros. As of 1 January 2021, companies that bring petrol, diesel, heating oil and natural gas into circulation will have to buy emission allowances. The price will increase to 55 euros per metric tonne by 2025 and as of 2026 the price will be determined by auctions within a frame of 55-65 euros.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#BULGARIA: Gov't Angered By EU's Resolution Praising Anti-Gov't Protesters

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Bulgaria's ruling coalition has reacted with irritation to a sharply worded European Parliament resolution adopted on October 8 that has cheered the street protesters demanding the government’s resignation.

The resolution cited high levels of corruption, deterioration in media freedoms and lack of diversity in media ownership, Bulgaria’s failure to ratify the so-called Istanbul convention on gender-based violence, or to prevent hate speech on sexual and gender grounds and against Roma people and asylum seekers.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#UK: Police Questioning Of Conservative Commentator Raises Free Speech Issues

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Conservative commentator Darren Grimes has been asked to attend a police station to be interviewed, after he was accused of a public order offense of "stirring up racial hatred."

He published an interview on his podcast on July 2 in which his interviewee, the historian David Starkey, said slavery was not genocide because there are "so many damn blacks."

The charges against him have caused a serious backlash among those seeking to protect freedom of the press and freedom of speech in the UK. Home Secretary Priti Patel has signalled her support for Darren Grimes, saying "it's important the law protects freedom of speech."

The Home Secretary said the right was a "general principle" which should not be violated.

Starkey has lost his job and a book deal since the comments were broadcast.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#FRANCE: Lawmakers Vote To Return Artifacts To Two African Nations

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French lawmakers have unanimously voted to return prized artefacts to Benin and Senegal more than a century after they were looted by colonial forces and hauled back to Paris to be displayed in museums.

The pieces include a royal throne and statues taken by the French army during a war in Benin—then the wealthy African kingdom of Dahomey—as well a sabre once wielded by a 19th-century Muslim sheik in what is today Senegal.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#CANADA: New Green Party Leader Seeks Seat In Parliament

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Newly elected Green Party Leader Annamie Paul said today she will consider running in other ridings if she is defeated in the upcoming Toronto Centre by-election.

She was elected without first being a member of Parliament.

Paul — the first Black permanent leader of a major federal political party in Canada — said that being "a first" in politics means she'll have to fight much harder to get where she wants to go.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#IRELAND: Supreme Court Rules Subway Bread Contains Too Much Sugar To Be Considered "Bread"

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Ireland's Supreme Court has ruled that sandwiches made by Subway contain too much sugar to legally be considered bread. 

The ruling today arose from an appeal from Bookfinders Ltd, a Subway franchisee, which claimed that it should not have to pay Value Added Tax, as many products it sells are “staple foods” and should attract a 0% VAT rate. 

However, the five-judge court ruled that the sandwiches must attract a rate of VAT due to its sugar content. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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