#KENYA: Chinese Debt Paid Through Borrowing

[world politics news]

Kenya paid off a Chinese principal loan of Sh17.5 billion with another debt in the last financial year exposing the country’s limited reserves, a National Treasury document shows.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#RUSSIA: Parliament Speaker: Fire Professors Who Oppose Ukraine Invasion

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State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said during parliamentary hearings on the development of higher education in Russia that teachers of higher education institutions who oppose Russia's invasion of Ukraine should be asked to resign.

"Anyone who begins to distort and try to use the department, conducting this [anti-war] Propaganda to students, must take and go," he said.

[FULL STORY HERE] (translated from Ukrainian)

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

#CANADA: Chief Public Health Officer Gets 22% Pay Hike

[world politics news]

The Liberal Party government has greenlit a 22% hike to Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam’s salary. 

According to a published report, Tam will now be earning $324,000 a year – a $59,400 boost from her previous salary of $265,000. Additionally, Tam had her contract for the role extended by another three years. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#DENMARK: Canada Agrees To Split Tiny Arctic Island With Danes, Ending Friendly Territorial Dispute

[world politics news] 

Denmark and Canada have struck a deal to settle almost 50 years of good-natured squabbling over the ownership of a small, uninhabited Arctic island.

Since 1971, the countries have been "fighting" the "Whisky Wars" to settle competing claims over Hans Island.

Successive expeditions from Ottawa and Copenhagen have braved icy conditions to plant bottles of alcohol on the tiny 1.2sq km (0.75sq-mile) rock.

But now officials have agreed to divide the outpost roughly in half.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CHINA: Cash-Strapped Cities Accused Of Misusing Bond Funds

[world politics news]

Dozens of local governments and small- to medium-sized banks in China have been found to be in breach of financial rules, as authorities in Beijing crack down on systemic risks amid growing pressure on the economy.

A total of 10 regions misused the proceeds of 13.66 billion yuan (US$2.03 billion) worth of special purpose bonds – which are allocated primarily for infrastructure spending – on business operations and personnel wages last year, according to China’s National Audit Office.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Labour Party MPs March, Praise Stalin, Che, Ho Chi Minh

[world politics news]

Labour Party deputy leader Angela Rayner and Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting joined the militant mob of protesters who chanted; “Ho, Ho, Chi Minh!, Che Guevara! Stalin!” – three 20th Century Communist leaders whose forces murdered hundreds of thousands of men, women and children across South America and Asia.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#SLOVENIA: Robert Golob Forms Government

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Parliament elected Robert Golob prime minister by a 54 to 30 vote on Wednesday, just over a month after his green Freedom Movement won the general election in a landslide on a pledge to reform politics in the country.

Immediately after being sworn in, Golob submitted his cabinet line-up to parliament with hearings of ministerial candidates before the parliamentary working bodies set to start this weekend.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Labour Party Shadow Foreign Secretary Under Investigation

[world politics news]

David Lammy has become the latest Labour Party front bencher to be investigated by Parliament's Standards Commissioner.

The shadow foreign secretary is being probed after allegedly failing to declare financial interests worth more than £27,000 on time. According to the Commissioner's website, the inquiry was opened on June 15.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#FRANCE: Pres. Macron Loses Majority In Parliamentary Election

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President Emmanuel Macron faced calls for his prime minister to resign on Monday and doubt hung over his ability to rule decisively after his camp lost parliamentary majority. Macron's centrist camp is under pressure to secure support from rivals to salvage Macron's reform agenda after weekend elections delivered a hung parliament. 

If it fails, France could face a long spell of political paralysis.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

##COLOMBIA: Former Marxist Guerrilla Elected President

[world politics news]

When he takes office on August 7th Gustavo Petro will become the country’s first left-wing president. He offers a radical departure from two decades of right-wing and center-right rulers. Petro’s running-mate, Francia Márquez, a 40-year-old environmental activist, will become the country’s first black vice-president.

Petro won by 50.4% to 47.3%, a wider than expected margin, in a run-off against Rodolfo Hernández, a property tycoon. His 11.3m votes, helped by a record turnout of 58%, mark the highest tally in Colombia’s electoral history. Petro is a former mayor of Bogotá and once belonged to m19, a leftist guerrilla group.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#ISRAEL: Knesset Dissolved, New Elections Planned, As Coalition Fails

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Israel is heading to its fifth election in three and a half years, after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid gave up Monday on their efforts to stabilize the coalition. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#EU: Parliament Rejects "Fine-Tuned" Tech Bill

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A majority of Members of the European Parliament has pushed back against the version of the Digital Services Act that was ‘fine-tuned’ after the informal agreement that was reached in April, as in their view some crucial parts of the final text were not part of the agreement.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Gov't Weighs Funding For New Nuclear Plant Development

[world politics news]

The UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said the government had published documents which show significant progress towards implementing a new funding model which will give nuclear projects the financial support they need and attract private investment.

The new Regulated Asset Base model will see projects receive a regulated payment from electricity suppliers. The Sizewell C project in Suffolk could be the first nuclear project to use this model, subject to the outcome of current negotiations.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#RUSSIA: Lower House Considers Ban On Crypto For Domestic Uses

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The lower house of Russia's parliament is considering legislation that would bar crypto platforms from hosting purchases with crypto assets, Bitcoin.com reported.

According to Bitcoin.com, the backers of the legislation specifically want to stop the use of digital assets for real-world transactions within the Russian Federation. Crypto could still be used for international trade.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: PM Johnson's Ethics Advisor Quits

[world politics news]

Boris Johnson's ethics adviser says he quit after the PM forced him into an “impossible and odious” position.

Lord Geidt's job was to advise the PM on the ministerial code - a set of rules governing standards of behaviour.

In his resignation letter, he said he had come close to quitting over Covid law-breaking in Downing Street.

But he said he had been asked for advice this week on another issue he believed would amount to a deliberate breach of the code.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#FRANCE: Macron Appeals To Voters Ahead Of Final Round Of Elections

[world politics news]

 

French President Emmanuel Macron is appealing to voters to give him a "solid majority" in Sunday's parliamentary polls, warning against adding "French disorder to global disorder."

Macron said that "the months ahead will be difficult" but called for people to back him in the name of "the higher national interest" and "common sense."

The appeal comes after strong gains in the first round of elections for the Right-leaning  Rassemblement National ("National Rally") Party of Marine Le Pen.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#EU: Euro Parliament Considers Sanctions Against Georgia's Former PM

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The European Parliament has called on the EU to consider personal sanctions against Georgian billionaire and former prime minister Bidzina Ivanishvili and claimed that his alleged ties to the Russian government influence his country’s cautious position on the war in Ukraine. 

On June 9, European lawmakers passed a harshly worded resolution on the worsening state of media freedom in Georgia, an increasingly sore spot in EU-Georgia relations. The document contains a call to consider sanctions against Ivanishvili for “his role in the deterioration of the political process in Georgia." He is believed to have considerable control in the country from behind the scenes.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Member pf Parliament Threatened With Expulsion After Refusal To Disclose Vax Status

[world politics news]

When the member of parliament for the riding of Yorkton—Melville in Saskatchewan Cathay Wagantall took the decision of finally coming back to Ottawa's Federal parliament building in order to better serve her constituents, the Liberals and NDP in the House of Commons threatened to kick her out of Parliament. Therefore she preemptively decided to leave, before security would need to get involved. Earlier his week, guards at the building could be seen with photos of her, to help identify her and prevent her from entering the building.

After this occurred, she staged a press conference in front of the parliament building (West Block) to explain what the situation was, and what actions had been taken. “There’s no way that any of our public servants are being nearly as efficient as they should be working from home,” she said. 

Wagantall explained that she believes “there are very good reasons why an exemption should be given to a number of Canadians – actually the majority of them. Because there are a lot of reasons why an individual may choose not to get vaccinated.”

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#TURKEY: Media Groups Concerned Over "Disinformation" Legislation

[world politics news]

A years-old piece of draft legislation that seeks to criminalize the spread of disinformation is moving toward a vote in the Turkish parliament. The bill is being met with deep concern by media rights groups across the country.

If passed, the so-called "disinformation" law put forward by ruling majority parliamentarians would carry a sentence of up to three years in prison for the spread of fake new or disinformation as defined by government officials.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#GERMANY: Transport Minister Opposes Ban On Internal Combustion Engines

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Germany’s transport minister has voiced strong opposition to plans to ban the sale of new cars with combustion engines across the European Union in 2035, arguing this would discriminate against vehicles powered with synthetic fuels.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Alberta Premier Kenney Out As United Conservative Leader

[world politics news]

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's decision to resign as leader of the United Conservative Party has set the stage for a tumultuous contest for the job, leading to questions about what's to come. 

Kenney narrowly survived the UCP leadership review last Wednesday, only to announce that he was quitting the top job anyway.

To gasps of surprise from supporters at an invitation-only event in Calgary, Kenney said the 51.4 per cent support he received was not enough to stay on.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

RUSSIA: Parliament Considers Expanding Penalties For Treason

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Russia’s criminal code could be expanded to include an article that outlaws public calls to actions aimed at undermining the country’s security. A parliament committee has recommended that MPs approve a draft law on the matter.

The draft law envisages a fine of up to 500,000 rubles (around $8,000) or a prison term of from two to four years for the violation. If those calls are coming from a group of people or include threats of violence, the penalty increases to up to seven years behind bars with a fine of up to 2.5 million rubles (around $40,000).

The proposed legislation also suggests criminalizing the participation of Russian citizens in warfare abroad that is aimed against the interests of the country. The proposed penalty here is imprisonment for up to 20 years with a fine of up to 500,000 rubles (around $8,000).

These penalties are on top of penalties passed recently that criminalizes criticism of the government's military actions in Ukraine. Thousands of protesters and a few news reporters have faced criminal penalties for speaking out against the war, which is said to be quite unpopular.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Opposition Parties Urge Liberals To Act On Inflation

[world politics news]

The Conservatives and the New Democrats are demanding that the federal government introduce new measures to address the rising cost of living for Canadians, with different approaches to tackle the inflation crisis.

The Conservatives have put forward an opposition day motion asking that the government temporarily suspend the Goods and Services tax collected on gasoline and diesel, freeze the carbon tax, and eliminate tariffs on fertilizer, among other requests, in order to provide immediate relief to Canadians.

But NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh argued the way to tackle risk ng prices is by imposing an excess profit tax on big companies.

“We see clearly that corporations are making these massive profits. They’re making record-setting profits and their record-setting profits are directly contributing to the cost of living going up,” Singh said.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRALIA: Google Ordered To Pay Damages To Former Dep. Premier Over Cyberbullying ato

[world politics news]

Google has been ordered to pay former New South Wales deputy premier John Barilaro more than $700,000 over a series of “racist” and “abusive” videos published on YouTube channel Friendlyjordies.

On Monday, federal court justice Stephen Rares ruled that Barilaro had been left “traumatized” by a campaign of “relentless cyberbullying” by comedian Jordan Shanks, who uses the nom de plume Friendlyjordies.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: PM Johnson Survives Confidence Vote

[world politics news]

 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said his Government can now “move on” following a “convincing” and “decisive” result in a Monday vote of confidence among conservative members of parliament.

He told broadcasters: “I think this is a very good result for politics and for the country.”

Johnson added that it was “a convincing result, a decisive result, and what it means is that as a Government we can move on and focus on the stuff that I think really matters to people."

The vote was 211 stating they had confidence in Johnson's leadership, with  148 saying they did not.

Had Johnson lost the confidence of his party, he would likely have stepped down as prime minister and head of the party, facilitating new elections.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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