#FRANCE: LePen Leads Macron By 12 Points In Latest Poll

[world politics news]

Emmanuel Macron has been dealt a major blow as Marine Le Pen’s National Rally soars ahead in the latest EU Parliament poll of polls.

National Rally, which is led in Brussels by Le Pen’s protege Jordan Bardella, registered 30 per cent support, up seven-points compared to the last election.

The election is slated for next month.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#NIGERIA: Ebonyi State Governor Slashes Univ. Fees, Raises Univ. Staff Wages

[world politics news]

Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has slashed the tuition fees of the Ebonyi State University by 10 per cent.

Mr Nwifuru has also approved the increment of salaries of both academic and non-academic staff of the state-owned institution by 20 and 10 per cent, respectively.

Nwifuru, governor of Ebonyi State since 2023, previously served as speaker of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly from June 2015 to May 2023. He's also a lawyer.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

CANADA: Population Boom Lowered Productivity, Says Bank Study

[world politics news]

As Ottawa overhauls its temporary immigration programs, a new analysis by Bank of Nova Scotia warns that the unchecked population surge of the past two years is behind two-thirds of the “massive” decline in productivity over the same time period.

The drop stems from a combination of two factors: chronically-low business investment in Canada and the sudden explosion in population, which grew by 1.25 million last year alone.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CUBA: Protests Spread As Blackouts, Food Shortages Paralize Nation

[world politics news]

Cuba is "on the verge of total collapse" as the country has been hit by blackouts with residents taking to the streets calling for "food and power".

The crisis has seen the Cuban government approach the United Nations for aid to address its food shortage. As the Caribbean island goes through its harshest economic crisis in three decades, the communist regime is resorting to hitherto unseen cries for help to other countries.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#ARGENTINA: Pres. Milei's Reform Bill Passes Lower House

[world politics news]

Argentina’s lower chamber of deputies has given overall approval to libertarian president Javier Milei’s sweeping “omnibus” reform bill in a vote on Friday after days of debate, paving the way for a decisive vote in the Senate.

The controversial reform package was approved on a vote of 144 votes in favor and 109 against.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#KAZAKHSTAN: President Issues "Shoot-to-Kill" Order To Quell Riots Protesting Steep Price Hikes

[world politics news]

 

Kazakhstan’s government resigned last Wednesday after protesters angry at a sharp rise in motor fuel prices took to the streets in several key cities, marking a big test for the country’s president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Kazakhstan’s president as well as international media are saying that Kazakh security forces have taken control of most of the city streets in Almaty, where days of riots have raged and central government buildings have been torched. Heavy military vehicles and armaments have also been seen deployed across other major cities. 

This after Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ordered his security forces to "shoot to kill without warning" - according to state media.

[FULL STORY HERE AND HERE]

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

#SRILANKA: Land Reclaimed From The Sea Will Become A Special Economic Zone

[world politics news]

The Sri Lanka Parliament has passed the Port City Economic Commission Bill, which officially declares hundreds of acres of land reclaimed from the ocean and annexed to the city of Colombo as the country’s first special economic zone for services-oriented industries.

The bill was passed with 149 votes in favor and 58 against.

Under the legislation, a President-appointed commission will be established to govern the SEZ.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#HONGKONG: Heritage Foundation Drops City-State From Freest Economy List

[world politics news]

Hong Kong used to dominate the annual Heritage Foundation ranking of the world’s freest economies. 

But the Asian City-State has disappeared entirely from the latest list. Together with Macau, it is now counted as part of China to reflect to he Communist staye's increasing sway over policy following months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. 

In the latest edition published on Mar 3, China resides in 107th place in the ranking, sandwiched between Uganda and Uzbekistan among economies rated as “mostly unfree.”

The move to scrap Hong Kong and Macau’s independent ratings comes as top Communist Party officials prepare to meet in Beijing for the National People’s Congress.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRIA: Economy Slumped Worse In 4th Quarter Than Any Other In EU

[world politics news]

In the fourth quarter of the year, from October to December, the Austrian economy shrunk by - 4.3 percent compared to the previous quarter, figures show.

That figure represented a bigger drop in GDP than any other EU economy for which data was available, according to the statistical office of the European Union.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Free Trade Deal With Singapore Signed

[world politics news] 

Singapore and the UK has signed a free trade deal in the Southeast Asian city-state.

The deal will cover a trade relationship worth more than $22bn (£17bn).

The agreement largely mirrors an existing deal between Singapore and the European Union (EU).

It is part of a broader set of trade negotiations for the UK, as it seeks to replicate trade pacts which will cease when the EU transition period ends.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: PM Johnson Bans Christmas Gatherings With Tough Lockdown

[world politics news]

 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has cancelled Christmas for a third of England - with London and the South East to be moved into a new Tier 4 lockdown.

Travel and different households mixing will be banned under the new highest level tier - with families elsewhere only allowed to form ‘Christmas bubbles’ on December 25 itself.

The drastic move will dash families' hopes of Christmas together after a torrid year, and force millions of people to stay home for weeks to come.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#JAPAN: Gov't Agency Unveils Aid For 87 Companies To Relocate From China

[world politics news]

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has unveiled the first group of Japanese companies to subsidize for shifting manufacturing out of China to Southeast Asia or Japan.

Eighty-seven companies or groups will receive a total of 70 billion yen ($653 million) to move production lines, in a bid to reduce Japan's reliance on its large neighbor and build resilient supply chains.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#SOUTHKOREA: Parliament Unanimously Supports Cryptocurrency Law

[world politics news]

The South Korean National Assembly has voted in favor of the country’s first Cryptocurrency law.

The amendment of the Special Financial Transactions Information Act, which was submitted last November, now has crypto-specific laws that creates a framework for Cryptocurrency holders and exchanges in the country.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#LEBANON: Former Foreign Min. Grilled Over Lack Of 24-Hour Electricity

[world politics news]

Former Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil was grilled on his government’s record by fellow panelists at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Fellow panelists Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag and CNBC anchor Hadley Gamble challenged Bassil’s former role as electricity minister and the Lebanese government’s continued failures to provide basic infrastructure, including electricity.

When asked by Gamble what had happened to Bassil’s plan to provide 24-hour electricity, Bassil said that the Lebanese system was hampered by immigration and confessionalism - the unique merger of religious and political system that keeps governments in the country unstable.

He's currently the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, the largest bloc in parliament, which includes Hezbollah.

Bassil's attendance at the elite conference drew criticism in his home country, which is currently experiencing widespread anti-government protests amid corruption and economic crises. He denies the protesters are targeting him and his party.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Nation's Economy Is "Sound And Growing," Says Finance Minister

[world politics news]

Despite a global manufacturing slump and rising world trade tensions, Canada's economy is "sound and growing" at a solid pace, according to an economic update delivered by Finance Minister Bill Morneau.

The optimistic update points to low unemployment, growing wages and solid business profits as signs the national economy remains strong despite international challenges. His update offered no new plans to reduce the growing national deficit.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#KENYA: World Bank Warns Gov't Over Debt Ceiling Hikes

[world politics news]

A World Bank report released this week warns that Kenya is drifting towards debt distress, owing to the government’s huge appetite for expensive loans.

The Kenyan Parliament, on the same day when the World Bank report was released, approved the National Treasury’s push to raise the borrowing cap from about 50% of the nation's Gross Domestic Product to an absolute figure of 9 trillion Kenyan Shillings.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CHINA: Gov't Cutting Value-Added Taxes In April; Tax Cuts Seek To Spur Economic Growth

[world politics news]

Starting next month, China's massive reduction of value-added tax will take effect, with manufacturing sector VAT dropping by 3% from the current 16%, to lower burdens on enterprises and boost the economy.

The move was first announced by Premier Li Keqiang in his Government Work Report to National People's Congress deputies when the annual session of the top legislature kicked off on March 5. It is expected to cut 2 trillion yuan (US$297 billion) in taxes for more than 30 million enterprises in China.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#GERMANY: Despite Slower Growth, Finance Min. Insists Economy Is "Not In Crisis"

[world politics news]

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has rejected claims Germany is heading for a recession and played down the Eurozone powerhouse’s economic troubles. "It’s not a crisis and it won't be in the next few years, it's just a slowdown in growth," he said, in an interview with London's Financial Times. But Scholz did warn the slowdown could put the strain on Germany’s public finances.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#RUSSIA: Loyalty Of The Kremlin To Venezuela May Last As Long As Debt Payments Continue; And They Might Not

[world politics news]

How seriously should the US take Russian determination to stand by Venezuelan strongman Maduro? Perhaps not very strongly. Their loyalty may last as long as they continue to make payments on Russian loans.

Reports are circulating that Russia expects Venezuela to make its next scheduled debt repayment to Moscow on schedule at the end of March. Venezuela has sunk into economic and political turmoil under Maduro, with inflation seen rising to 10 million percent this year, leading to food shortages, protests and mass emigration.

The opposition disputes the legitimacy of Maduro's re-election to a second term last year, and opposition leader Juan Guaido, 35, proclaimed himself interim president this month. The US, along with Canada and several neighboring Central and South American nations, have recognized Guaido as Venezuela's rightful leader, while Russia has continued to back Maduro.

When asked if the new Venezuela may have trouble making payments on Russia's loans, Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak said  "There will probably be problems. Everything now depends on the army, on the soldiers and how faithful they will be to their duty and oath. It is difficult, impossible to give a different assessment."

For its part, the Russian Finance Ministry issued a separate statement saying it still expected the next payment to be made on time.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#PAKISTAN: Desperate, Cash-Strapped Nation Cannot Afford To Boycott Saudi Conference, Says Prime Minister

[world politics news]

Newly installed Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says his country must continue its good relations with Saudi Arabia, despite the killing of Jamal Khashoggi because of its dire economic crisis.

Khan was slated to travel to the Saudi capitol of Riyadh Tuesday to attend an investment summit that has been boycotted by many western officials and companies following the murder of the journalist. In an interview with foreign journalists, Khan admitted that he could not afford not to attend.

He said the Pakistani government needed urgent access to Saudi loans to avoid defaulting on record levels of debt within months. "We’re desperate at the moment," Khan said. He also blamed Pres. Trump with stoking conflict in the region with continued sanctions on neighboring Iran, which he says is hurting Pakistan's economy.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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