#RUSSIA: US, Other Western Nations Fly Pride Flags At Embassies

[world politics news]

The U.S., British and Canadian embassies in Russia last Friday hung rainbow flags on their buildings in Moscow in honor of LGBT Pride Month, celebrated worldwide.

In a joint statement with colleagues from Australia, Iceland and New Zealand, the Western diplomats said the actions affirm the countries’ “commitment to protecting the human rights of all individuals, including #LGBTI+ persons.”

The Kremlin, which last year decried the rainbow flag displays on embassy buildings as illegal under Russian law, has not yet commented on the LGBT flag sightings.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#NORTHERNIRELAND: Sinn Fein Urges Commitment To NI Protocol

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Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald has said calls to abolish the Northern Ireland protocol are “not grounded in reality” as she urged the DUP to commit to “real powersharing” with her party at Stormont.

In a keynote address in the Balmoral Hotel in west Belfast to fellow Sinn Féin members, Ms McDonald claimed that a DUP “failure to accept rights and equality” was a contributory factor in the “political storm” that has hit unionism in recent days.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: US/Canada Border Closure Extended To July 21, Says Public Safety Minister

[world politics news]

The Canadian government has confirmed it is extending restrictions on non-essential travel from around the world and the United States until July 21.

Bill Blair, Canada’s minister of public safety confirmed the news Friday morning via Twitter.

:

"Our number one priority as we fight #COVID19 is keeping Canadians safe. In coordination with the U.S., we are extending restrictions on non-essential international travel and with the United States until July 21st, 2021."

Blair also tweeted that more information will become available this Monday: “As we have said, the government is planning measures for fully vaccinated Canadians, Permanent Residents, and others who are currently permitted to enter Canada and will provide further details on Monday, June 21."

Canada has greatly lagged behind the United States in vaccinations, with those having recieved both shots against the Coronavirus remaining in the single digits.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Health Secretary Quits After Breaking COVID Rules With Mistress

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Health Secretary Matt Hancock has resigned after admitting breaking coronavirus rules, the prime minister's office said Saturday.

In his letter of resignation, Hancock said: "The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.

Closed caption television images of Hancock kissing his mistress, a subordinate working in the health ministry, were published by The Sun newspaper. The images were from May 6 - more than a week before the easing of social distancing rules around close contact indoors for people from separate households.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#RUSSIA: After Opinion Piece By Putin, New Openness By EU For "Partnership"

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After Russian President Vladimir Putin published an op-ed in the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit which urged openness to positive Russia-Europe relations toward "partnership" and not confrontation - an op-ed wherein he dubbed NATO "a relic of the Cold War" - there are fresh, somewhat unexpected reports that Germany and France are now urging a new EU strategy for "closer engagement" with Moscow.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Health Sec. Hancock Broke Social Distancing Rules, Having Affair With Aide

[world politics news]

Britain's health secretary has been accused of violating social distancing rules by having an affair with an aide in the health department.

  

Gina Coladangelo, a university friend of Hancock, was handed a £15,000-a-year role last year as a non-executive director at the Department of Health.

On May 6, when images of the two kissing are said to have been taken, England's law banned indoor social gatherings of people from different households - while guidance urged people to stay two meters apart and avoid "face to face contact."

The Labour Party is calling for his resignation, while Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he had apologized and considers the matter "closed." Hancock says he will not resign.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CZECHIA: Constitutional Amendment Approved To Ensure Legal Gun Ownership For Self-Protection

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The Czech Chamber of Deputies has approved a constitutional amendment that explicitly gives citizens the right to use firearms when necessary to protect one’s life.

The proposal, first submitted by Martin Červíček of the Civic Democratic Party last year, is based on cementing the right to self-protection, which he says is the most basic human right.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#HONGKONG: Gov't Pressure Closes Pro-Democracy Newspaper

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At 2 a.m. on Jun 24 in Hong Kong's Mongkok neighborhood, newspaper vendors received the second batch of Apple Daily from the printer.

The first batch of 800 copies had sold out immediately. The second print run was increased to 10,000 copies.

As the copies arrived, journalists and civilians rushed to take pictures of the last edition of the most outspoken pro-democracy paper in Hong Kong, which has been printed for 26 years.

Authorities, who are closely aligned with the mainland Communist Chinese government, have used different means of stopping the truth-seeking newspaper from operating, including charging editors and executives with violating the draconian Beijing-inspired National Security Law, which clamps down on Free speech in the city-state, and by freezing the assets of the paper and three connecting companies.

Many see this as an end to press freedom and local culture that Hongkongers have enjoyed under its "one state, two systems" rule, originally put in place by the British when they left the city to mainland communist China in 1997. That plan now seems dead after several such crackdowns.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#HUNGARY: New Law Prevents "Promotion Of Homosexuality" To Children

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Hungary’s parliament passed legislation on Tuesday that bans the dissemination of content in schools deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change, amid strong criticism from human rights groups and opposition parties.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who faces an election next year, has grown increasingly vocal on social policy, railing against LGBT people and immigrants in his self-styled illiberal regime.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#PAKISTAN: PM Khan Blames Clothes Women Wear For Rise In Rapes

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Pakistan Prime minister Imran Khan drew flak after he once again blamed a rise in the cases of sexual violence on how women dress in the country. 

"If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on the men, unless they are robots. It’s just common sense," Imran Khan said in an interview with 'Axios on HBO'. "This is cultural imperialism. Whatever is acceptable in our culture, must be acceptable everywhere else. It's not," he added.

Khan's comments in the interview have caused outrage on social media, with opposition leaders and journalists expressing anger and disgust against the misogynistic ideology.

"Nadia," who identifies herself as a dentist from Karachi, tweeted:

"Someone needs to sit Imran Khan down and educate him on sensitivity towards issues like rape. He should have absolute clarity in his views which should solely hold men accountable without pointing towards women in the slightest."

Pakistan has faced a crisis in violence against women in recent years.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#IRAN: Hardline Judge Wins Presidential Vote

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Iran's current judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi has comfortably won the country's presidential election in a vote marked by low turnout and calls for a boycott.

Many nations throughout the world noted that the elections were held without international monitors, and questioned its legitimacy. 

Last month, Iran’s Guardian Council disqualified all non-hardliner candidates for the election, including the country’s vice president and a former parliamentary speaker, leaving only seven hardliners as official candidates.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#MEXICO: Elections Continue To Be Marred By Murder, Violence

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Last month, the largest elections in the history of México were held. But this electoral process was tainted by the murder of at least 91 politicians — 36 of them candidates and aspiring candidates — from different parties, taking place since campaigning began in September 2020.

These homicides make this election the second most violent in the country's history since 2000. 

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

#TURKEY: Ruling Party Chair Rejects "Pipe Dream" Of Early Election

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Turkey's ruling Nationalist Movement Party Chairman Devlet Bahçeli dismissed early election request from the opposition party, stressing that Turkey’s elections would be held on the designated date in 2023.

Speaking at his parliamentary group meeting in the capital Ankara, Bahçeli said the opposition People Alliance’s requests for snap polls are nothing but a pipe dream.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Police Arrest People's Party Leader #Bernier For Violating Quarantine Order In Manitoba

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Police in Manitoba have arrested People's Party of Canada leader Maxime Bernier during his provincial tour for violating covid-19 quarantine regulations.

Bernier was in Manitoba with a plan to host events in multiple cities, but was warned by the province's public health authorities that he would be required to quarantine for 14 days upon arriving in the province.

The People's Party leader instead vowed to continue on with his rallies in spite of the warning.

Bernier said in a TV interview that the $1,200 fine he received as a result of the rally he attended violated his constitutional rights under Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

He said that after his arrest, police followed him back to his hotel.

"The police were very strict with me and they said you must leave the province early tomorrow morning and they followed us when I was driving to my hotel to be sure that I'm going to my hotel. I was feeling like being in a communist country," he said, on the Right-leaning Ezra Levant Show on Rebel News.

In court, the judge issued a $1,000 Bond for his release, and set a July 27th court appearance.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#HONGKONG: Police Arrested Top Executives Of Newspaper Critical Of Government

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Hong Kong’s national security police have arrested two executives and three news staff of Apple Daily, the only pro-democracy newspaper in the city, for foreign collusion, and raided its office.

Media say over 500 police officers swarmed the building during the arrests.

CEO Cheung Kim-hung, COO Royston Chow, Chief Editor Ryan Law, Associate Publisher Chan Pui-man and Platform Director of Apple Daily Digital Cheung Chi-wai were taken by police officers early on Thursday morning. 

They are accused of breaking Article 29 of the Beijing-imposed national security law, which prohibits “collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security.” Police say they wrote op-eds and stories encouraging foreign sanctions on China.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Leaked Message Has PM Johnson Calling His Health Minister "F-ing Hopeless"

[world politics news]

In an embarrassing leak to the British media, Boris Johnson's former chief aide has shared a WhatsApp message in which the prime minister appears to call Health Secretary Matt Hancock's efforts during the height of last year's coronavirus pandemic "totally f***ing hopeless."

Dominic Cummings, who has been engaged in a weeks-long feud with Downing Street, published a lengthy blog post that he claimed showed details of how "Number10/Hancock have repeatedly lied about the failures last year."

In one WhatsApp exchange, which Cummings said was part of late-night messages on March 26, 2020, he and Johnson are shown to be discussing actions from "MH" in boosting the UK's COVID testing capacity.

The screenshot shows a reply from the prime minister stating: "Totally f***ing hopeless."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Trade Deal With Australia Inked

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The broad terms of a trade deal between the UK and Australia have been agreed to, the BBC has reported, with a formal announcement expected this week.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison agreed the deal over dinner at Downing Street.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#SWITZERLAND: Voters Reject Carbon Tax Hikes In Referendum

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Switzerland’s strategy to abide by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change has hit a roadblock with a narrow majority of voters rejecting a law to radically curb greenhouse gases by hiking carbon taxes. The CO2 law was rejected on Sunday by 51.6% of voters.

The negative outcome represents a major upset. In 2018, French government proposals to hike gasoline and carbon taxes sparked civil unrest throughout the country. the government of Emmanuel Macron eventually back down and put the proposed tax hikes "on hold," permanently.

Swiss politics has long been characterized by putting mini issues before voters in frequent popular referenda.

[FULL STORY HERE] (Warning: BIAS)

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

#ISRAEL: Netanyahu Loses Confidence Vote, Naftali Bennett Becomes Prime Minister

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Yamina Party chairman Naftali Bennett was sworn in as Israel's 13th prime minister, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's 12 consecutive years in office Sunday. Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid Party was sworn in as the alternate prime minister. They will switch positions after 2 years.

The new Bennett-Lapid government narrowly won a Knesset confidence vote, with 60 voting for, 59 against and one abstaining. 

Netanyahu reportedly vowed to make it a short coalition and come back into power quickly.

President Joe Biden rushed to congratulate Bennett, as did many other world leaders.

Bennett, 49, has made pitches to hard-right voters throughout his career, leads the Yamina Party, which has called for Israel to annex parts of the occupied West Bank.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CHINA: In Secret, Parliament Rushes Through Law To Counter Foreign Sanctions

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China’s parliament rushed through a law on Thursday designed to counter sanctions imposed by foreign governments against Chinese officials and companies, escalating its legal battles with the US and the EU.

The law was passed in secret by the National People’s Congress standing committee after two readings, rather than the usual three, and built on earlier measures unveiled by China’s commerce ministry in January. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#ELSALVADOR: Bitcoin Approved As Legal Tender

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El Salvador has become the first country in the world to officially classify Bitcoin as legal currency.

Congress approved President Nayib Bukele's proposal to embrace the cryptocurrency, with 62 out of 84 possible votes on Tuesday night.

The president said the government had made history, and that the move would make it easier for Salvadoreans living abroad to send money home.

In a simple three-page bill, which the president, Nayib Bukele, posted on Twitter in Spanish and English, explained that Bitcoin would be legal tender for all transactions, including paying taxes.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#GERMANY: Merkel's CDU Wins Big In Saxony-Anhalt State Election

[world politics news]

Germany's center-right ruling party has fended off a challenge by the anti-immigrant Right in the last regional test before a national election in September, partial results show. 

The Christian Democrats (CDU) of Chancellor Angela Merkel won 37% of the vote in the state election in Saxony-Anhalt, in the former East Germany. The Alternative for Germany Party took just 21%.

The Chancellor's beleaguered party did much better than opinion polls had predicted.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#NIGERIA: Attorney General Likely Violated Twitter Ban

[world politics news]

Nigeria’s Attorney General Abubakar Malami, likely violated the nation's Twitter ban to deactivate his account this week.

A media investigation showed that a Twitter account can’t be deactivated unless you have access to the app, meaning Malami must have logged in to deactivate it, violating the law.

The Nigerian government banned Twitter nationwide last Friday after the App deleted a controversial comment made by President Muhammadu Buhari, in which he made reference to the Nigerian Civil War, which many Nigerians described as distasteful. 

Despite the threat of prosecution, many Nigerians have been using Virtual Private Networks to access Twitter.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#PERU: Leftist Teacher Has Narrow Lead In Presidential Vote Tally

[world politics news]

Left-wing candidate Pedro Castillo has edged into the lead in a dramatic twist in Peru's presidential election.

With 94% of votes counted, Castillo overtook his right-wing rival, Keiko Fujimori, who is running for the presidency for the third time.

He has a lead of 0.1 percentage point, with just over 25,000 votes currently separating the two candidates.

They have both called for calm while the count is under way. This is Peru's most polarized election in recent history.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#DENMARK: New Law To Make Migrants Apply For Asylum Outside Of The Country

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Denmark's parliament has passed a law that will see asylum seekers sent to countries outside of Europe to have their cases considered.

The legislation -- which was approved by 70 votes to 24 on Thursday -- is the latest anti-migration measure passed by the Danish parliament and aims to discourage migrants from ever setting foot in the country.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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