#CANADA: Conservative Leader, Western Premiers, Condemns Justice Minister Over Provincial Resources Statement

[world politics news]

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and three western premiers are calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to disassociate his government from comments made by his justice minister — who promised last week to "look at" a decades-old law that gives control over natural resources to the four western provinces.

"The federal government cannot unilaterally change the Constitution," the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba said in a joint statement Tuesday. "It should not even be considering stripping resource rights away from the three Prairie provinces.

Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre accused Justice Minister David Lametti of threatening to overturn the Constitution and take federal control over provincial resources.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRALIA: New South Wales Hopes To Spur Green Energy Boom

[world politics news] 

The Australian state of New South Wales hopes to lead the nation in renewable energy.

The NSW government hopes to drive the transition to renewable energy by attracting $32 billion of private investment in infrastructure, delivering thousands of jobs and creating among the cheapest and most reliable electricity in the world.

In the most ambitious energy plan in the country, the state government will support the private sector to build critical energy infrastructure by 2030 as NSW faces the end of the coal-fired power generation.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#GERMANY: Parliament Votes To Phase Out Coal-Burning Power Plants By 2038

[world politics news]

Germany’s lower house of parliament has voted to pass new legislation finalizing the country’s long-awaited phase-out of coal, over objections from environmental groups the plan is not ambitious enough.

The upper house was expected to approve the plan later Friday that lays out a roadmap for phasing out coal by 2038. It also earmarks some 40 billion euros ($45 billion) to affected regions to support them with the transition.

Germany is already phasing out nuclear power by the end of 2022.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#JAPAN: Environment Minister Questions Gov't Funding Of Vietnam Coal Plant

[world politics news]

Japanese Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has called into question Japan's financing of a coal-fired power plant in Vietnam.

Environment Ministry officials say a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation and others are planning to build the Vung Ang 2 power plant in Vietnam's Ha Tinh Province. The government-affiliated Japan Bank for International Cooperation is among those considering funding the project.

Koizumi told reporters on Tuesday that he finds it odd that Japan is financing the construction of a power plant that will be built by Chinese and US companies.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#IRELAND: Varadkar Announces End Of Oil, Natural Gas Exploration

[world politics news]

Ireland will pursue a policy of ending fossil fuel exploration on foot of scientific advice about its climate impact, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has announced – though the search and extraction of gas will be permitted for some time as the country transitions to a carbon-free economy.

“In the last week, on foot of a request from me, our independent Climate Change Advisory Council recommended that exploration for oil should end, as it is incompatible with a low-carbon future,” he told the UN Climate Summit.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Trudeau Gov't To Impose Federal Carbon Tax; If Alberta Repeals Theirs

[world politics news]

The Federal government has announced that the federal carbon tax will go into effect on January 1st, in part as a reaction to Alberta's plan to end its provincial carbon tax. Since his election earlier this year, Alberta’s Premier Jason Kenney has tabled legislation to do away with the province’s own self-imposed carbon tax which sat at $30/ton.

Since Kenney and his United Conservative Party of Alberta promised to end the carbon tax, the federal government, led by Liberal Justin Trudeau, has warned that it would level the federal-level tax on the provinces. Now the federal government has followed through with that threat, telling the provinces that the federal levy will go into effect on January 1, 2020.

Conservatives note that the tax is contingent on Trudeau's Liberals winning re-election this October, with the national Conservative Party vowing to oppose New carbon taxes.

Pictured: Environment & Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: People's Party Leader Decries Gov't Inaction On Pipeline; Outlines Agenda

[world politics news]

People’s Party of Canada Leader Maxime Bernier made a stop in Calgary this past weekend to rally Alberta supporters with a message targeting Ottawa. The Quebec Member of Parliament, who founded the party last year, said he has proposed to "put an end to Ottawa’s intrusions in provincial matters such as health care and education, and to transfer tax points to provinces and let them manage their affairs with complete autonomy."

Bernier said his proposed plan for pipeline construction is to scrap the federal government’s oil tanker and environmental assessment bills, streamline the process for approving pipeline construction and find a private buyer for the Trans Mountain pipeline. The People's Party is a breakaway party from the Conservative Party, led by Andrew Scheer, who narrowly defeated Bernier for the party's leadership contest in 2017.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Cutting Alberta Oil Production Will Raise Gas Prices, Help Address Province's Fiscal Crisis

[world politics news]

When gas prices suddenly rise again in January all across America, they will have Alberta Premier Rachel Notley to blame, in part.

The head of government for Canada's oil-rich province says cutting provincial oil production will push up the price of Alberta crude, which she says will help to temporarily address the province’s economic crisis.

It's the province's first cut in output of oil since 1980, by about 325,000 barrels per day.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#JAPAN: Island Dispute Flares Up After China Denounces Japanese Mayor's Plan To Rename Islands Claimed by Both Nations

[world politics news]

The Chinese government has condemned a Japanese mayor's plan to change the name of a small group of islands in the East China Sea. Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama wants to change the name of the Japanese-controlled islands from "Tonoshiro, Ishigaki City,” to “Senkaku, Ishigaki City." China and Taiwan claim the islands, with China calling them the the Diaoyu Islands, Taiwan, the Tiaoyutai Islands. They are located between Okinawa and Taiwan, and are said to be close to undersea oil fields. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, "Whatever tricks Japan plays, it will not change the fact that the Diaoyu Islands belong to China."

[FULL STORY HERE, also HERE]

#EGYPT: New Round Of Talks To Begin On Controversial Ethiopian Nile Dam

[world politics news]

Preparations are underway for the resumption of talks between negotiators from Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan to examine the fate of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a mega-dam that Ethiopia is currently building on the River Nile that Egypt's government believes disadvantages Egypt’s water needs.  A one-month deadline has been set for laying out ways to break the deadlock on the negotiations, which could restart as early as next week depending on the agendas of each delegation.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#CANADA: Liberal Bill Would Ban Oil Tankers Off British Columbia's Northern Coast

[world politics news]

The federal Liberal government has introduced legislation that will turn into law the informal ban on crude oil tanker traffic off B.C.'s North Coast. The law would prohibit oil tankers from carrying crude and persistent oils as cargo from stopping, loading or unloading at ports or marine installations in northern B.C. The moratorium area would extend from B.C.'s northern border with the U.S down to the mainland adjacent to the northern tip of Vancouver Island, including Haida Gwaii. Vessels will be permitted in the moratorium area to deliver shipments to northern communities.

[FULL STORY HERE]

#MONGOLIA: Parliament Votes To Nationalize Natural Resources After Scandal

[world politics news]

Mongolia’s parliament approved a resolution to nationalize copper, gold and iron-ore assets in the country following a probe that found a $400 million transaction with a closely held company was illegal.

[FULL STORY HERE]