#LIBYA: Elections Postponed Until January Amid Divided National Parliaments

[world politics news]

 

Libya's legislative elections have been postponed until January, the country's eastern-based parliament said on Tuesday, instead of being held on December 24 as planned.

"The election for members of the House of Representatives will take place 30 days after the presidential vote," still scheduled for December 24, parliamentary spokesman Abdullah Bliheg told a press conference.

Elections are supposed to help unify the country after years of conflict and division, but disputes over their legal and constitutional basis have laid bare the extent of the split between the country's east and west.

The House of Representatives, based in the eastern city of Tobruk, has been in disagreement over electoral laws with a rival body, the equivalent of Libya's senate, in the western city of Tripoli.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#FRANCE: Military Upset With Second Letter From Soldiers Warning Of Civil War

[world politics news]

The French army's chief of staff has called on a group of soldiers who signed an open letter warning about the risk of "civil war" in France to quit the armed forces.

The letter by the soldiers had warned of unrest in the country because of what they called "concessions" to Islamism by French President Emmanuel Macron.

The document, posted on the website of the right-wing Valeurs Actuelles magazine late Sunday, echoes a letter published by the same publication last month but appears to have been written by an unknown number of younger troops still in active service.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#ETHIOPIA: Gov't Seeks To Remove Leaders In Rebel Region

[world politics news]

Ethiopia's government has voted to remove leaders in the northern region of Tigray as the country appears to be on the brink of a civil war.

Fighting erupted between regional forces in Tigray and those of the federal government this week after months of unrest.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CZECHIA: Pres.Zeman Says Turkey Is An "Ally" Of The ISIS Terror Group

[world politics news]

President Milos Zeman has called Turkey an ally of Islamic State.

Czech Television reports that President Zeman called Turkey a de facto ally of the terror organisation, the Islamic State.

He alleged that Turkey had supported the Islamic State by selling its oil and providing logistical support when the group controlled parts of Syria and Iraq.

He added that Turkey was no longer the secular state founded by Kemal Ataturk, having aligned itself with radical Islam under Pres. Recep Erdogan.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UKRAINE: Former Pres. Viktor Yanukovych Convicted Of Treason

[world politics news]

Nearly five years after being driven from power by a pro-democracy revolution that saw more than 100 people killed by security forces, Ukraine’s disgraced pro-Russian former President Viktor Yanukovych was tried, found guilty of treason, and sentenced in absentia by a Kyiv court to 13 years in prison for his role in trying to suppress the movement that eventually led to his overthrow. He was also found guilty of initiating the Russian-sponsored rebellion in the Ukraine’s eastern Donbass Region, which has cost over 10,500 lives to date.


[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#SOUTHSUDAN: Rebel Leader To Return As Vice President As Part Of Power-Sharing Deal To End Civil War

[world politics news]

A power-sharing deal has been signed between South Sudan Pres. Salva Kiir and his deputy-turned-rebel leader Riek Machar, who will return to his position as one of the nation's four vice presidents, in the latest attempt to end a bloody civil war. The unitary government the two men will form together is the second attempt since 2013, when the Kiir accused Machar of plotting a coup, triggering a civil war. The last attempt, in 2015, collapsed when intense clashes broke out in Juba, the capital, a year after a similar deal was signed.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#TURKEY: Pres. Erdogan Says US Is Arming ISIS In Syria & Kurd Separatists Within Turkey

[world politics news]

Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the United States of arming ISIS, as well as Syrian Kurds, which he believes are allied with Kurdish separatists within Turkey. Erdogan also took the Barack Obama administration to task for giving ammunition to the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party and its armed wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG). Turkey considers the PYD an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought Turkey for independence and autonomy in southeast Turkey since 1984. The US embassy in Ankara denied the Turkish government’s allegations.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#AUSTRIA: Chancellor Says Of Migrants Attempting To Enter EU Thru Greece: "Send Them To Turkey"

[world politics news]

Austria wants the EU's border agency Frontex to send directly back to Turkey the migrants it picks up trying to reach Greece, media quoted Chancellor Werner Faymann as saying. Faymann said this approach was "the only totally effective measure to break the human trafficking" of migrants

#LIBYA: Parliament Rejects UN-Backed Unity Gov't; Cabinet "Too Large"

[world politics news]

Libya’s internationally recognized parliament in Tobruk has voted to reject a UN-backed initiative to form a unity government with a Tripoli based militia alliance. The proposal was aimed at resolving the political deadlock in the crisis-ridden country.According to the lawmakers, the 32-member unity government was rejected because its cabinet was too large.

#GERMANY: Interior Min. Says EU Approach To Migration "Not Working" As 3,200/Day Enter Germany

[world politics news]

A German official - in the presence of the EU Commissioner for Migration - has said that European policies to tackle the refugee crisis are not working properly, and as a consequence the number of refugees arriving in Germany has not declined. Ole Schröder, Parliamentary Secretary of State at the German Federal Ministry for the Interior, said that the average influx was of 3,200 refuges per day in Germany.

#FRANCE: At UN, Foreign Min. Demands That #Assad Leave Power

[world politics news]

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has demanded that talks on Syria’s future yield assurances that Pres. Bashar al-Assad will leave power after the adoption of a resolution endorsing a peace process. The resolution calls for a ceasefire and peace talks to begin in early January, but does not address the issue of Assad’s future.

#USA: Bi-Partisan House Bill Would Prevent US From Overthrowing Assad

[world politics news]

A US House bill would prevent military efforts aimed at overthrowing Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, presumably cutting off efforts to support any Syrian rebels. H.R. 4108 is sponsored by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), both members of the House Armed Services Committee. Gabbard says it would stop the "illegal, counter-productive war to overthrow" Assad.

#RUSSIA: PM Medvedev: Turkish Pols Back ISIS Oil Refineries; Threatens To End Joint Ventures

[world politics news]

Russian prime minister Dmitri Medvedev is accusing Turkish officials of have "a direct financial interest" in the oil trade with the terrorist group Islamic State. He also detailed possible moves to retaliate against Turkey, which downed a Russian warplane on Tuesday, including cuts to joint business ventures.

#RUSSIA: Nearly 70% Of Russians Oppose Intervention Supporting Assad

[world politics news]

A recent poll by Moscow's Levada Center shows only a small minority of Russians support giving Syria's Bashar al-Assad direct military support. Only 39% said they supported Russia's policy toward the Assad regime, and 69% opposed direct military intervention. Only 14% said Russia should send troops to Syria.

#GERMANY: #AngelaMerkel Sees Poll Numbers Dip As Refugee Euphoria Meets Fiscal Reality

[world politics news]

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s bold open-door policy for refugees has sparked a backlash in her conservative ranks, and a rare dip in her popularity ratings. After the party-like atmosphere, in which many euphorically welcomed Syrians at train stations, lawmakers in her own coalition are questioning the economic costs of Germany's generosity.

#HUNGARY: PM Orban Mobilizes Troops, Prisoners, Unemployed To Build Border Fences To Keep Migrants Out

[world politics news]

Built in a matter of weeks by soldiers, prison laborers and cadres of the unemployed, a vast new wall along Balkan frontiers is a monument to the ruthless efficiency with which Prime Minister Viktor Orban has mobilized Hungary against Syrian migrants.

#GERMANY: Gov't Introduces Temp. Border Controls As Refugees Overwhelm Southern Germany

[world politics news]

Germany is planning to temporarily reintroduce border controls, beginning with the border to Austria, in view of the massive influx of refugees. The government of Bavaria called for help from federal police to help monitoring those trying to enter Germany. Nearly 10,000 entered Austria just on Sunday.

#NEWZEALAND: PM #JohnKey Says NZ Has No Mandate To Follow Australia Into Combat In Syria

[world politics news]

Prime Minister John Key says New Zealand will not take part if other countries send troops into Syria and it would take a Security Council resolution for New Zealand to consider involvement. Key met with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday to discuss the response to Syria, including refugee intakes.

#SOUTHSUDAN: Gov't And Rebels Sign Power-Sharing Agreement, Even As Fighting Continues

[world politics news]

President Salva Kiir has signed a power-sharing agreement with rebels led by former Vice-President Riek Machar, even though he says he has "reservations" about the deal. With all parties having signed, it will mean an immediate ceasefire for both sides. Machar signed the agreement last week, though fighting resumed shortly thereafter.

#NORWAY: Progress Party Ldr. Calls On Cities To Reject Syrian Refugees

[world politics news]

Progress Party leader and Finance Minister Siv Jensen has called on municipalities under her party’s governance to refuse Syrian refugees. At the start of the national municipal election campaign, she asked them to ignore the agreement which the majority of parliamentary parties agreed in June - to accept 8,000 quota refugees from Syria.