#CANADA: Tax Group Slams Edmonton For Bike Lanes

[world politics news]

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says Edmonton city council is “blowing” $100 million on bike lanes for a handful of winter cyclists.

Councillors voted on Friday to give $100 million to implement the city-wide bike lane network.

Kris Sims, Alberta Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says city politicians should “read the room.”

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Gov't Funding Small Nuke Reactors

[world politics news]

The Conservative Government has committed £210m (US$281m) to develop Small Modular Reactors (SMR) in the UK to help reduce dependency on fossil fuels.

The government will be funding Rolls-Royce SMR to develop the world’s first SMRs, delivering on the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan and creating high-skilled jobs.

Matched by £195 in private sector funding and over £250m in government funds, today’s investment will take forward phase two of the Low-Cost Nuclear project to develop SMR design.

Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said: “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for the UK to deploy more low carbon energy than ever before and ensure greater energy independence.”

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#BRAZIL: Gov't Forecasts 'Dramatic' Increase In Deficit Spending For 2020-21

[world politics news]

Even if the Brazilian government monitors coronavirus spending this year, Bolsonaro's government predicts that public spending will increase dramatically in 2020. Thus, the government is predicting and even larger fiscal deficit in 2020 and 2021.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Ruling Liberal Party Backs Off Plan To Push For 21-Month "Blank Check" To Spend, Tax, Without Parliament

[world politics news]

Hours before introducing a bill to spend up to $82 billion and increase federal powers to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the Liberals backed off a measure that the Opposition decried as an attempt to get Parliament to sign them a blank check.

While Conservatives said they were prepared to quickly approve the billions in emergency financial aid and economic stimulus as promised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week, they balked at a proposal to give the government sweeping new powers for up to 21 months to unilaterally spend, borrow and tax Canadians without seeking Parliament's approval.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#KENYA: Budget Office Warns Of Overspending By Gov't Departments

[world politics news]

A parliamentary office that advises lawmakers on financial, budgetary and economic matters has raised the red flag over a 78 billion shilling (US$770 million) increase in the budget for the financial year starting July above parliament-approved spending limits.

The Parliamentary Budget Office has warned that such an upward adjustment may widen the deficit in the budget resulting in increased borrowing or growth in pending bills and stalling of budgeted projects. The office noted that many government departments were overspending their allocated budget estimates.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#HONGKONG: All Students To Get US$254 Gov't "Caring And Sharing" Cash Handout Because Of Budget Surplus

[world politics news]

A HK$2,000 (US$254.) cash handout looks likely for all Hong Kong students as Finance Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po sweetens his budget. Chan had indicated there would be less giveaways in this year's budget compared with 2018 due to a lower surplus.

That has led to an expectation there will be no HK$4,000 handouts under a "Caring and Sharing" plan. But two large pro-establishment parties - the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Federation of Trade Unions - suggested that Chan should not only continue with a HK$2,000 (US$509.) cash handout for a defined scope of students but extend it to all students in Hong Kong.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#INDONESIA: Pres. Candidate Prabowo Subianto Would Halt Work On Chinese-Funded High-Speed Rail Project If Elected

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Infrastructure projects Indonesia signed up to as part of China's Belt and Road Initiative are likely to be reviewed if former general Prabowo Subianto wins next year’s presidential election, his brother and campaign leader has said. One of the projects that would be reviewed was the US$4.5 billion high-speed railway currently being built to connect Jakarta and the city of Bandung, about 150km apart. The railway is being funded by loans from China Development Bank.

WHY SHOULD AMERICANS CARE?
This and other projects being put on hold and cancelled throughout Asia signal a bit of push-back and concern raised by Asian nations about China's influence and reach in the region. Those who counted the USA out as a positive influence in the region perhaps were ascribing too much "inevitability" to the idea that this was China's Century, and China's alone. There's still room for other players, at least.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#MALAYSIA: High Speed Rail Project With Singapore Delayed "Until Economy Improves," Says Economic Affairs Minister

[world politics news]

Malaysia’s Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali says the country has reached an agreement with Singapore to postpone a High-Speed Rail project until 2020 without any compensation or fines. Speaking to reporters Azmin said the Malaysian government would defer the project, "for a period where we are confident that the Malaysian economy would improve by then." The project had ballooned in costs from US$17.7 billion to over $27 billion. Azmin signaled in July that the project had become too costly as the country faced a national debt of US$246 billion.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#NORWAY: Speaker Of Parliament Resigns Over Ballooning Costs Of Renovation Project

[world politics news]

President of the Norwegian parliament Olemic Thommessen has resigned over controversy relating to a construction contract renovating the grounds and facilities at the Storting Assembly that has seen costs balloon from 1.1 billion kroner in 2015 to 2.3 billion kroner in a February 2018 estimate.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CANADA: Alberta Gov't Will Spend $600 Million To Educate Kids About Climate Change

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Alberta’s New Democratic Party-led government is spending $600,000 on a new grant program to fund climate education and literacy initiatives. Non-profit community and youth groups will be able to access the grant, which will be funded by revenues from the carbon tax - the funding of which is itself controversial.

[FULL STORY HERE]

Pictured: Shannon Phillips, center, the Alberta minister responsible for climate change policy.

#ZIMBABWE: Parliament Meets For 2-Minute Session, Costs Over $15,000

[world politics news]

The day after a wasted session, due to a lack of quorum, a Friday session of Zimbabwe's parliament was held on Dec. 23 but was adjourned after meeting for just two minutes. Finance minister Patrick Chinamasa ended the session without any motion being discussed, wishing MP's a Merry Christmas. The meeting reportedly cost over $15,000 in expenses for legislators. Seventy MPs who attended the brief session will be paid $75 each, along with $80 for hotel accommodation and fuel. They will meet again Jan. 24. On several occasions in 2016, Parliament had to incur extra expenses by meeting on Fridays due to lack of quorum.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CANADA: Parliamentary Office Investigates Trudeau Spending On Fighter Jet Costs

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Six years after ripping into the Conservative government's cost estimates for F-35 stealth fighters, Parliament's budgetary watchdog says it is digging into the "interim" Liberal plan to purchase Super Hornet jets. The Liberal government announced last month it wants to buy 18 Super Hornets as a stop-gap measure until a competition can be held in five years to find a replacement for the air force's aging fleet of CF-18 fighter jets.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CANADA: Auditor Slams Ontario Liberal Gov't Spending Practices

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Ontario's Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk has a bucketful of criticism for how Kathleen Wynne's Liberal government is spending tax dollars. In her new annual report released Wednesday, Lysyk bemoans "excessive" wait times for hospital beds, reveals shoddy highway paving by contractors, and unveils that the government's own projection for its cap and trade program will see the majority of its cuts to greenhouse gas emissions come from outside Ontario, despite its $2 billion yearly price tag.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#NORWAY: Small Party Breaks Ranks With Gov't Over Budget, Putting Coalition In Danger

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Norway's minority government is facing a crisis as the small Christian Democratic Party broke off budget negotiations, putting the coalition with the Conservative Party in danger of collapse. Prime Minister Erna Solberg's government has until December 5th to find a majority in parliament with its centrist allies, the Christian Democrats and Liberals, to pass its 2017 finance bill.

[FULL STORY HERE]

Pictured: Norwegian PM Erna Solberg.

#CANADA: PM Trudeau Budgets For 3 New Cabinet Positions

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The opposition in parliament is raising concerns about prime minister Trudeau proposed budget after it was discovered that it included funding for up to 3 new cabinet positions, potentially costing $250,000 each.

#EGYPT: Low Spending For Healthcare, Schools In Proposed Budget May Trigger Constitutional Challenge

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Insufficient funds for healthcare and education have triggered a debate in parliament about the 2016-2017 budget, with some claiming that the amounts allocated to social welfare fields are below constitutional requirements. The figures allocated to healthcare, education and scientific research in the country’s new budget are minimal. This in contrast to the government’s plan to increase spending on infrastructure projects. Debt repayments, salaries and subsidies will claim 31 per cent, 24 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, of the expenditure side of the new budget.

#ROMANIA: An Early Christmas Gift, As Parliament Gives Mayors, City Officials Nationwide Fat New Pensions

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Mayors, Deputy mayors and city councilors across the nation got a huge Christmas gift this year, as parliament voted to give them pensions equal to 55% of their salaries, based on the number of terms they've served. 86 senators voted for the law, one voted against, and 30 senators from the National Liberal Party decided not to vote and left the room.

#CANADA: Conservative Fury After Liberals Kill Program For First Nation Spending Transparency

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The Liberal government has lifted sanctions against Canada's First Nations that have not complied with a Conservative spending transparency law. The decision was quickly condemned by the Opposition Tories, who warned it would leave First Nations people in the dark about how their elected leaders spend public money.

#CHINA: Premier Pledges More Education Equality Between Rural, Urban Communities

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Premier Li Keqiang is vowing to "guarantee" equality and quality in the education system by deepening reform in the next five years. The government will strive to bridge the educational resource gaps between rural and urban areas to make sure that more students, especially those in the less-developed middle and western regions, have access to better education, Li said.

#SPAIN Two Months Before Elections, Conservative Gov't Slapped By #EU For Deficits

[world politics news]

Spain has been reprimanded by The European Commission, which ordered the country to submit a new draft budget with lower deficit estimates to avoid violating the bloc's tough spending rules, a blow for the government ahead of the Dec. 20 general election.

Pictured: Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy.