#IRAN: All But One Of Pres. Raisi's Cabinet Ministers Approved By Parliament

[world politics news]

After five days of debates, the Iranian parliament gave its vote of confidence to all the ministers proposed by President Ebrahim Raisi, except for Hossein Baghgoli, who was nominated as minister of education.

Although lawmakers pointed out more than a handful of shortcomings in Baghgoli's credentials and plans, what makes his rejection notable is parliament's determination to prove to Raisi that they are not going to surrender to all his wishes.

Baghgoli is reportedly a relative of Raisi's wife, and the fact that he did not win the vote of confidence while others with credentials at his level got it, signifies a direct message from the hardline parliament to the hardliner president.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#SOUTHKOREA: Debate Continues On "Fake News" Bill

[world politics news]

Lawmakers Monday continued to debate the timing of a final vote on a bill on penalizing the press for “fake news,” with fierce opposition from those outside the ruling party likely pushing the date back.

In face of fierce protest from the media and opposition People Power Party lawmakers, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea was debating within its members whether to walk back from its plan to push the bill through the National Assembly within this month’s provisional session.

The bill has faced severe criticism, with opinions divided even within the ruling party. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Greens Join Coalition With Scottish National Party

[world politics news]

 

The Scottish Greens will join the Scottish National Party in the Scottish Government after party members voted in favor of the “historic” power sharing deal.

The agreement will see the Scottish Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater become government ministers – the first time any Green representative has held political office in a government in the UK.

First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon announced the plans for the parties to work together, having agreed a “transformative” policy program.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CHINA: Xi Unveils Plans To Restructure The World Order

[world politics news]

 

The White House has confirmed that U.S. President Joe Biden plans to meet later this year with his Japanese, Australian and Indian counterparts — a four-country grouping dubbed the “Quadrilateral Security Dialogue” or QUAD.

The announcement came just days after Chinese Communist Party General-Secretary Xi Jinping marked the centenary of the party with an incendiary oratory that was short on Marxism but long on nationalist promises “to build a new type of international relations.”

This is Xi’s doctrine of “the community of the common destiny of mankind” under future People’s Republic of China (PRC) global domination, which includes making irrelevant the current institutions that promote peace, prosperity and justice, such as the United Nations, World Trade Organization, G-20 and G-7.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Women and Gender Equality Minister Calls Taliban "Our Brothers"

[world politics news]

While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made the point of calling the Taliban in Afghanistan a terrorist group, his minister for women and gender equality is calling the Taliban “our brothers.”

Maryam Monsef made the comments while speaking on a call with other ministers regarding the evacuation efforts in Afghanistan.

She later clarified that it was a "cultural reference."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CHINA: Factories Cutting Ties With Suppliers Using Forced Labor

[world politics news]

Chinese factories that supply Apple Inc. and Nike Inc. and make other products sold in the U.S. are shunning workers from Xinjiang, as Western countries increase scrutiny of forced labor from the remote northwestern region where Beijing has been accused of committing genocide against local ethnic minorities.

Lens Technology Co. Ltd, a Chinese maker of smartphone touch screens and supplier to Apple and other companies, phased out Uyghur factory workers transferred from Xinjiang through a state-backed labor program last year, according to former staff and shop owners near one of its factories. The company has also ceased hiring Uyghur workers, according to current staff.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Deputy Prime Minister Has Tweet Labelled "Manipulated Media"

[world politics news]

A video tweeted by incumbent Liberal candidate Chrystia Freeland, who served as deputy prime minister in Justin Trudeau's government, was given a warning label Sunday from Twitter, which marked it as "manipulated media."

Freeland's tweets, posted in both English and French, contain several edits and show Conservative leader Erin O'Toole answering a question about privatized health care during an online question-and-answer session in July 2020 during the Conservative leadership race.

The tweet shows O'Toole being asked, during his party leadership race, if he would bring private, "for-profit" health care to Canada. He quickly responds: "yes." 

However, in the original recording of O'Toole's remarks on heath care — which can be seen here at about the 12:30 mark — the Conservative leader also noted that "universal access remains paramount."

On Sunday, the party accused the Liberals of spreading misinformation.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#POLAND: Region Declared "LGBT-Free" Zone By Council; EU To Pull Funding

[world politics news]

A Polish regional council has voted to re-affirm its status as an “LGBT -free zone” despite the EU threatening to remove billions of euros in funding.

The council of Malopolska – a southern region of Poland which includes the country's second city Krakow and 3.4 million citizens – passed a resolution in 2019 which declared itself an “LGBT-free” region.

This prompted a rebuke by the European Commission , which sent a letter to the council demanding it revoked the resolution by the middle of September. If it did not, it could lose the more than €2.5bn (about £2.1bn) in funding it receives from the EU.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CHINA: New Law Would Protect Consumers From Discrimination By Internet Companies

[world politics news]

Chinese lawmakers are reviewing a new privacy law this week that will ban internet companies from using data to set discriminatory prices for users, according to state media.

A revised version of the Personal Information Protection Law is expected to be passed by China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The draft has several revisions, including the ban on “algorithmic discrimination” – a common practice among Chinese internet companies where a platform charges different prices to different users based on how much it thinks they are willing to pay.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CUBA: Cybersecurity Law Criticized As Way To Crack Down On Protests

[world politics news]

The Cuban government had published decrees spelling out its first cybersecurity law, which has been criticized as an attempt to limit political and civic freedoms on the island. 

The decrees, which lay out the Caribbean nation's laws against the use of social media or the internet to insult the state or stir up protests, were published in the Official Gazette weeks after Cuba saw the largest protests it has seen in recent years.

The protests were fed, in part, by messages on social media. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#MALAYSIA: New Prime Minister Set To Be Sworn In After PM's Resignation

[world politics news]

Just days after the resignation of embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, his deputy Ismail Sabri Yaakob has won the support of 114 of the coalition government’s 115 MPs, constituting a 51.8 per cent bare majority in the 220-member parliament, and he is expected to be sworn in this weekend.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Trudeau Taking "Wait And See" Approach To Taliban, Consults Hillary Clinton

[world politics news]

At a campaign stop in Markham, ⁦Ontario, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau⁩ mentioned that he consulted ⁦Hillary Clinton⁩ about the situation in Afghanistan and his concern for women and girls. He says his government is taking a “wait and see” approach on the Taliban.

Conservative Party Leader Erin O'Toole, meanwhile, said his government wouldn't recognize the Taliban government.

“A Conservative government will not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan,” O’Toole said.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Conservatives Win Provincial Election In Nova Scotia

[world politics news]

Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservatives surged to a stunning upset election win Tuesday over the governing Liberals after capitalizing on their main opponent's early stumbles and promising a big-spending fix to the troubled health system.

During the 32-day campaign, Tory Leader Tim Houston unveiled a left-leaning platform that promised hundreds of millions of dollars in the first year of the party's mandate to increase the number of family doctors, bolster the mental health system and create more nursing home beds.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#POLAND: Parliament Moves To Approve Media Reform Bill

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The lower house of Poland’s parliament voted 228-216 to narrowly pass a media reform legislation on Wednesday that the US Department of State fears will “significantly weaken the media environment the Polish people have worked so long to build.”

The bill aims to prevent non-European owners from having controlling stakes in Poland-based media companies as part of an effort to nationalize the media.

Effectively, this would force US-based Discovery Inc. to sell its controlling stake in TVN24 network—a flagship evening news program that has a large viewership base and is known to be critical of the current Polish government.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Chinese Ride-Share App Raises Spying Concerns In Parliament

[world politics news]

 

British MPs are calling for a ride-hailing app based in Beijing, China to be blocked from launching in Britain amid concerns that users’ data will be harvested by Chinese spies.

DiDi Global has obtained its first licences to operate in Salford, Sheffield, Wolverhampton and Manchester. It is expected to seek further licences as it competes for market share with Uber, the American ride-share app.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: PM Trudeau Calls September Election

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to Rideau Hall today and is expected to ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and launch a federal election.

The prime minister's itinerary, released Saturday night, showed a meeting with Governor General Mary Simon set for 10 a.m. ET

If Simon approves Trudeau's request, delivered in the form of a document called an "instrument of advice," she will then authorize the dissolution of Parliament and the issuance of election writs, formally beginning Canada's 44th federal election.

It will likely occur on Sept. 20, and involve the five major political parties.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#SCOTLAND: New Gov't Guidance Allows Four-Year-Olds To Choose Their Gender At School

[world politics news]

Children as young as four will be able to change their gender at school without their parents’ consent under guidance introduced in Scotland.

Any pupil who decides they want to switch gender must be supported and listened to in school following the Scottish Government advice.

The guidance applies in primary schools, where the youngest children are only four or five, because "recognition and development of gender identity can occur at a young age."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Vax Passports Ready For International Travel

[world politics news]

Vaccination passports from the federal government are a go.

Canada’s Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino announced Wednesday the Liberals are working with provinces across the country to get the passports ready for international travel.

“The government is collaborating with provinces, territories and indigenous communities to address the matter of vaccine credentials,” said Mendicino.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CHINA: Leader Xi Threatens Japan With Nuclear Bombs Over Taiwan "Interference"

[world politics news]

In a video broadcast on a Communist Party of China-approved channel, the government threatened to deploy "continuous nuclear bombs" against Japan over its intervention in Taiwan, Fox News reported.

The five-minute video has received over two million views on China's YouTube-like platforms.

It was eventually removed, but copies of the film were uploaded to YouTube and Twitter by some individuals. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Former Politician, Journalist Martin Dsubney Named Dep. Leader Of Reclaim Party

[world politics news]

Martin Daubney, 51, a former member of the European Parliament for the Brexit Party, and long time journalist, has become deputy leader of the UK's recently formed Reclaim Party.

The Anti-Lockdown Party Leader and founder Laurence Fox, a former actor, made the announcement online Monday.  

“I’m hugely honoured that @MartinDaubney has agreed to take the position of Deputy Leader of The Reclaim Party. I look forward to working with him and the rest of the team, to fight for your right to disagree. Freedom. Fairness. Common sense.” @LozzaFox 

This past spring, Fox ran for mayor of London under the party's banner. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRALIA: Former Green Party Candidate Condemned For Calling Israelis Nazis

[world politics news]

Jewish leaders rejected an apology by controversial former Green Party candidate Julian Burnside, who last week equated Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians to Nazi Germany, saying it was "difficult to accept” after he subsequently repeated the comparison in an email published in The Australian newspaper.

The controversy started when Burnside – an attorney who previously sparked anger after sharing an image depicting federal MP Peter Dutton as a Nazi officer – tweeted, “The curious thing about the Israeli stance is that their treatment of Palestinians looks horribly like the German treatment of the Jews during the Holocaust."

Adam Bandt, Leader of the Green Party distanced himself from the comments, saying, "The treatment of the Palestinian people can be condemned on its own facts."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#PERU: New Leftist President To Strengthen Trade Ties With China

[world politics news]

In his first week in office, Peru’s new left-wing administration under President Pedro Castillo has been quick to extend a friendly hand to China, the Andean nation’s most important commercial partner and the main buyer of its copper, a crucial source of tax revenue. 

Since Castillo was inaugurated on July 28, administration officials have met with the Chinese ambassador and Chinese mining executives to discuss not just policies for their industry but also to strengthen a previous free trade agreement first signed in 2009, government sources told media.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: London Mayor Wants Masking Mandatory On "Tube" Subway System

[world politics news]

 

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said that failing to wear a face mask on the city's underground "tube" network should become a criminal offense.

The mayor has been pushing the government to allow Transport for London (TfL) to impose a by-law requiring face coverings on the capital's transport network.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Quebec To Introduce Vax Passports As Infections Spike

[world politics news]

 

Quebec plans to adopt a vaccine passport given a recent increase in COVID-19 cases in the province, Premier François Legault announced Thursday.

The premier said Quebecers are on the cusp of a fourth wave of the pandemic and that a vaccine passport will be implemented as a response. 

On Thursday, the province recorded 305 new coronavirus cases — the highest daily increase since May 30, 2021 — but stated that 72 are "under investigation."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRALIA: PM Morrison defends MP's Right to Organize Anti-Lockdown Rallies

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has sought to defend government MP George Christensen for anti-lockdown activism in Queensland, stating Australians have “free speech” and can attend rallies where public health orders allow, while condemning rally-goers in Sydney as “selfish."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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