#CANADA: Commons Passes Internet Streaming Bill

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government have passed the controversial Bill C-11 after rushing it through the Commons without debate.

Bill C-11 is the Online Streaming Act, sometimes called the Online Censorship bill, as it would give the Canadian government the power to tell broadcasters like YouTube and Netflix what they should and should not recommend to viewers online.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#SCOTLAND: Yusaf Wins SNP Leadership Race

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Former Scottish Health Minister Humza Yousaf has been elected the first minority ethnic leader of the Scottish National party, in a narrow victory that will force him to confront deep divisions within the party.

He is almost certain to be confirmed as Scotland’s next First Minister after the Scottish Greens said they would back his nomination on Tuesday, but he faces a significant internal challenge bringing the SNP’s warring wings together.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRALIA: Government Considering TikTok Ban For Civil Servants

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The federal government is considering a ban on TikTok that would bring it in line with other nations including the US, UK, and New Zealand.

Ministers are reportedly using burner phones to run the app, which has sparked fears that data could be accessed by Chinese officials.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CUBA: Communist Nation Holds "Sham" Election

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Cuba is holding elections Sunday to pick lawmakers at a time when the ruling communist party is struggling to keep a lid on public anger caused by rampant inflation, hunger and blackouts.

The vote, decried as a sham by human rights groups, will pick 470 candidates who were pre-selected by the government to the powerful National Parliament for a five-year term. The system has allowed the Communist Party to control the parliament since its inception in 1976.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#THEMALDIVES: Bill Would Restrict Media Coverage Of Elections

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The Maldives parliament has opened debate on an amendment to the country’s General Elections Act proposed in mid-February by a lawmaker with the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party, which would allow only journalists working for media outlets registered with the government and approved by the Election Commission to report from voting and vote-counting sites on election days, according to multiple news reports and Ahmed Naif, secretary-general of the Maldives Journalists Association.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRALIA: Victoria State Lawmakers To Ban Nazi Salute

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Legislation banning the Nazi salute in Victoria will be fast-tracked in state parliament but it will still be months before it comes into effect.

Victorian Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes on Monday confirmed the government would expand current legislation banning the Nazi swastika to include the salute.

It comes after National Socialist Movement members repeatedly performed the salute on the steps of the Victorian parliament on Saturday at an anti-transgender rights rally.

Ms Symes described the behaviour as disgraceful and cowardly, noting the salute was being used to incite hatred.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#IRAQ: Provincial Election Set For November

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Iraq’s provincial council elections are set to take place on November 6 after parliament approved the date for the vote.

A showdown over a controversial new national election law, however, has been delayed.

After the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein’s regime, parliamentary and provincial council elections were introduced as the main pillar for democracy. The last provincial election was held in 2013.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRALIA: Victoria Legislator Faces Expulsion From Party After Attending Rally With Neo-Nazis

[world politics news]

Victoria Liberal Party opposition leader John Pesutto will move to expel controversial Liberal MP Moira Deeming from the State's parliamentary party after she attended a rally that has been associated with neo-Nazis.

Deeming attended the Let Women Speak rally organized by British anti-trans rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull at Parliament House last Saturday. 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

BREAKING: #JAPAN: Prime Minister Visits Ukraine

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida haa to made a surprise visit to Kyiv for a face-to-face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry announced that Kishida would meet with Zelenskyy on today in the Ukrainian capital and then visit neighboring Poland tomorrow for talks with President Andrej Duda.

Kishida is scheduled to return to Japan on Thursday.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#FRANCE: Macron Survives Two Confidence Votes

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The French government has narrowly survived two votes of no-confidence in parliament after President Emmanuel Macron pushed through a pension reform that was met with fierce opposition from workers and some politicians.

The motions on Monday were tabled by lawmakers who were infuriated by Macron’s decision last week to bypass parliament and raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by using special constitutional powers.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#FRANCE: Macron Faces Confidence Vote Over Pension Executive Order

[world politics news]

The French government will face a no-confidence vote on Monday, as MPs said they feared for their safety, strike action intensified and police banned demonstrators from parts of central Paris after Emmanuel Macron’s decision to push through an unpopular rise in the pension age without a parliament vote sparked widespread and often violent demonstrations.

It is a dramatic turnaround for Macaron, who just last year was overwhelmingly re-elected president for a 7-year term.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#KAZAKHSTAN: Snap Election May Consolidate President's Power

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Kazakhstan holds snap parliamentary elections Sunday as the leader of the Central Asian country pushes political reforms that critics say are designed to consolidate power one year after deadly protests.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#FRANCE: Macron Bypasses Parliament To Push Thru Pension Reforms

[world politics news]

French President Emmanuel Macron imposed a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 on Thursday by shunning parliament and invoking a special constitutional power.

Lawmakers were shouting, their voices shaking with emotion as Macron made the risky move, which is expected to trigger quick motions of no-confidence in his government. Riot police vans zoomed by outside the National Assembly, their sirens wailing. And the streets of Paris and other municipalities were rocked by violent protests late Thursday.

The proposed pension changes have prompted major strikes and protests across the country since January. Macron, who made it the flagship of his second term, argued the reform is needed to keep the pension system from diving into deficit as France’s population ages and life expectancy lengthens.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#JAPAN: Absent YouTuber Expelled From Parliament

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A YouTuber-turned-lawmaker was expelled from the Upper House on Wednesday for not attending any parliamentary sessions since being elected last year, making him the first member of parliament to be removed in more than seven decades.

The expulsion of Yoshikazu Higashitani, who goes by the name GaaSyy, is the most serious reprimand of four levels under the national Diet law. He lost his status as a lawmaker while abroad.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#RUSSIA: Duma Adopts More Media Restrictions

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Days after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia adopted repressive legislation at full speed, aiming to criminalize any independent reporting or social media mentions of the war. 

Just over a year later, Russian lawmakers tightened these laws even further. On March 15, the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, adopted even more restrictive legislation in a third and final reading. IPI condemns Russia’s latest efforts to build a parallel reality inside the country by silencing independent media and critical voices.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#GERMANY: Bill Would Shrink Bloated Parliament

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Germany’s parliament is bulging at the seams — and the coalition government wants to put it on a diet.

A new draft law would fix the number of lawmakers in the Bundestag at 630 (down from the current 736.)

“If we don’t change anything, the Bundestag will continue to grow,” Green Party lawmaker Till Steffen told journalists in Berlin. “We want to safeguard the parliament’s ability to act.”

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: British Columbia To Adopt "Inclusive" Language In Laws

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British Columbia will become the first province in Canada to systematically amend provincial laws to remove "outdated gendered and binary language, better reflecting the diversity of the province and ensuring everyone can access provincial programs and services," according to a government press release.

Brenda Bailey, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, has introduced new modernizing legislation to correct outdated language by amending more than 2,300 instances of "outdated gendered and binary terms" from 21 ministries across 210 provincial statutes.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#FRANCE: Senate Votes To Raise Retirement Age To 64 In Rare Win For Macron

[world politics news]

France's Senate has voted to raise the retirement age by two years to 64 as widespread strikes against the government's controversial overhaul of the pensions system continued.

It was a rare win for Pres. Emmanuel Macron, who has pushed the pension system overhaul for several years with little success, and at great damage to his popularity.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UGANDA: New Law Would Make Identifying As Gay A Crime

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New legislation being proposed in the parliament of Uganda would criminalize identifying as a homosexual or engaging in same sex relations.

Under the proposed law, anyone who engages in same-sex activity or who "holds out" as LGBTQ could face up to 10 years' imprisonment.

The speaker of the parliament says hearings will begin on the bill this week. Uganda has notoriously strict anti-homosexual laws, already.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#SOUTHAFRICA: Parliament Downgrades Israeli Embassy, Israel Condemns

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Israel has slammed as “disgraceful” the South African parliament’s decision to downgrade Jerusalem’s embassy in Pretoria to a liaison office.

The measure in the South African legislature was backed by 208 lawmakers, with 94 opposing.

“The symbolic resolution taken yesterday by the South African parliament calling for the downgrading of relations between South Africa and Israel is shameful and disgraceful,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#ESTONIA: Pro-Ukraine PM's Party Wins Big

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Voters in Estonia elected a new parliament Sunday with initial results suggesting the center-right Reform Party of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, one of Europe's most outspoken supporters of Ukraine, had won overwhelmingly with nearly all votes counted.

Kallas faced a challenge from the far-right populist EKRE party, which seeks to limit the Baltic nation's exposure to the Ukraine crisis and blames the current government for Estonia's high inflation rate.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#GERMANY: Russian Withdrawal Is Only Basis For Ukraine Peace Talks

[world politics news]

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the onus for ending the war in Ukraine remains on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“To my view, it is necessary that Putin understands that he will not succeed with his invasion and his imperialistic aggression and that he has to withdraw troops. This is the basis for talks,” he said in an interview that aired Sunday.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#GEORGIA: Opposition Says "Foreign Agents"Bill Threatens Authoritarianism

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Protesters on Thursday disrupted committee hearings in the Georgian parliament on a controversial “foreign agents” bill backed by the ruling party, which critics have said represents an authoritarian shift in the country.

Footage published by Georgian  also showed physical fights between opposition lawmakers and those ismrom the ruling Georgian Dream Party, which announced last month that it would support the bill.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#MOLDOVA: In Anti-Russian Move, Parliament Changes Languages

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The Moldovan parliament has voted through a law to replace the Moldovan language with the Romanian language in official legislation in what has been regarded as a symbolic stand against Russia as tensions grow in the region.

The law, which will see all official legislation written in Romanian, rather than Moldovan, as well as replacing the phrases "official language", "state language" and "mother tongue" with “Romanian”, is set to be implemented in 30 days. The Moldovan language is very similar to Romanian, however, has historically been written using Cyrillic script, like Russian, rather than Latin letters, like Romanian.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#FINLAND: Parliament Votes to Move Forward With NATO Application

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The Finnish parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining the NATO military alliance. The Nordic nation will need to wait for ratification from Turkey and Hungary but looks set to move ahead of neighbor Sweden.

The vote in Parliament was 184 to 7.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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