#IRAQ: Foreign Minister Says Iraq Won't Join Others in Recognizing Israel

[world politics news]

Iraq doesn’t plan to normalize ties with Israel in the near future, its Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told a security conference in Bahrain over the weekend.

“As for the question, is Iraq going to be part of the Abraham Accords soon? – in short, I can say no,” Hussein said in response to queries from participants at the conference IISS Manama Dialogue 2021 on Saturday.

Other Abraham Accord countries include the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Sudan. 

The Accord is viewed by many as a regional bulwark against Iran. Iraqi politics features several pro-iran parties. Such an agreement might be very difficult to get through Iraq's Parliament, even if it's leaders were inclined to sign it.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#THEPHILIPPINES: Marcos-Duterte Ticket Unites Rival Families

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Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's eldest daughter will be the running mate of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in next year's presidential election, the two candidates said on Tuesday, confirming weeks of speculation of an alliance between two powerful families.

Sara Duterte-Carpio, 43, who is seeking the vice-presidency, announced in a video message her intent to run on the same ticket as Marcos, the latest twist in the Philippines' political drama that has gripped the country.

For his part, Pres. Duterte has insinuated that the younger Marcos is a user of cocaine. The Marcos camp has denied the accusation. The president says he will not support Marco's and his daughter in their bid for the presidency, and will instead focus on a run for the Federal Senate when his term ends next year.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRIA: Gov't Will Require mandatory Vaccinations For All; Fine, Jail For Unvaxxed

[world politics news]

Austria is to become the first European country to make vaccinations against Covid 19 mandatory, and will go into its third nationwide lockdown for at least 10 days from Monday, the chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, has announced.

The government said it was preparing the legal groundwork for a general vaccine mandate to come into effect from 1 February, with exemptions for those unable to receive a jab on medical grounds.

Those refusing to be vaccinated are likely to face administrative fines, which can be converted into a prison sentence if the fine cannot be recovered.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: Conservative Senator Seeks "Review" Of Party Leader O'Toole

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Conservative Saskatchewan Senator Denise Batters is calling on the Conservatives to hold a review of Erin O’Toole’s leadership within the next six months.

In a video statement, Batters launched a petition for Conservative members to seek a referendum on O’Toole’s leadership, accusing him of causing division within the party. 

“On behalf of Conservative activists and members from coast to coast, we started this petition because we don’t want to see the party ripped apart again,” said Batters.

Batters excited the poor results of the 44th general election held earlier this year in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won re-election. O'Toole has come under fire for running on "moderate" positions during the campaign, such as supporting a carbon tax.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#VIETNAM: Man Gets 8-Year Jail Sentenced For Posting Gov't Criticism On Facebook

[world politics news]

A court in Vietnam has sentenced a man to eight years in prison after finding him guilty of uploading anti-state posts on his Facebook account, the security ministry said.

Despite sweeping economic reform and increasing openness to social change, Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and tolerates little criticism.

Nguyen Quoc Duc Vuong, 29, was charged with “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the state” at a one-day trial in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, the Ministry of Public Security said in a news release.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#RUSSIA: Gov't Seeks Vax Passports As Cases Surge

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The Russian government has submitted to parliament two bills that will introduce mandatory health passes to access restaurants and public transport, amid a new wave of coronavirus cases.

With more than 8.9 million cases registered since the start of the pandemic, Russia is one of the worst-hit countries in the world and a devastating wave this autumn has seen infections and deaths reach new records.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#POLAND: Prime Minister Asks EU Help After Migrant Incursion From Belarus

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Poland's border police have announced that about 50 migrants have made it across the border this past weekend into the EU from Belarus after forcing their way through fences and barriers, amid a standoff which has seen multiple thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers set up camps just meters from Polish guards. 

NATO must take "concrete steps" to resolve the migrant crisis on the Belarus border, the Polish prime minister was quoted as saying on Sunday, adding that Poland, Lithuania and Latvia may ask for consultations under Article 4 of the alliance's treaty.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRIA: Gov't Puts Unvaxxed On Lockdown

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Austria has put all unvaccinated residents into lockdown from midnight on Sunday, the government has said.

Anyone over the age of 12 who has not been double-jabbed will only be allowed to leave their homes for work, school, exercise and buying essential supplies.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#BENIN: Abortion Legalized In First Trimester

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Legislators in Benin have voted to legalize abortion in the West African country, where it was already authorized under very restricted conditions.

Under the new law, women In the West African nation, can terminate a pregnancy within the first three months if it is likely to “aggravate or cause material, educational, professional or moral distress, incompatible with the woman or the unborn child’s interest."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#ISRAEL: Bennett Gov't Gets 2021, 2022 Budgets Thru Knesset

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Israel's parliament approved a 2022 national budget on Friday by a vote of 59 to 56, giving a greater measure of fiscal stability to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's cross-partisan coalition government.

It was the first national budget approved by parliament in 3 years.

The spending package was ratified after the Knesset had earlier passed a belated 2021 budget ahead of a deadline which, if unmet, could have triggered a snap election.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#TURKEY: Parliament Reauthorizes Cross-Border Military Operations

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Amid rumors of a Turkish military offensive in northern Syria, the Turkish parliament ratified today a motion that extends the government’s mandate of carrying out cross-border operations in Iraq and Syria for another two years.

In a surprise move an hour before the General Assembly, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) announced it would vote against the motion. The party, which has 135 deputies in the 583-seat parliament, had voted for the motion last year, and many Ankara pundits thought it would do so again this year.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#PORTUGAL: Parliament Passed Revised Euthanasia Bill

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Portugal’s parliament voted Friday to legalize euthanasia for the second time this year, approving a revised bill that aims to fix objections raised by the Constitutional Court.

Lawmakers voted 138 to 84 with five abstentions to back the amended proposal, which clarifies circumstances under which doctors can assist patients with “grave, incurable and irreversible” conditions who want to end their lives.

[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

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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.

#FRANCE: Le Pen To Meet With Hungarian PM Orban To Discuss Unity

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The two euroskeptic politicians will meet for the first time today as Marine Le Pen continues with her electoral campaign to replace Emmanuel Macron in 2022.

The National Rally leader had so far been ignored by Viktor Orban but the two have become closer allies since the Hungarian Prime Minister's party left the European People's Party in the EU Parliament in March.

The two leaders, together with Matteo Salvini in Italy, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and 11 others, signed a declaration in July pledging to create a new far-right group in the European Parliament.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CZECHREPUBLIC: Three Parties Form Coalition Gov't

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The Czech Republic gained a new government Monday after two party coalitions that garnered a sizeable chunk of votes in the country's parliamentary election last month signed a power-sharing deal.

A three-party, liberal-conservative coalition dubbed Together, composed of the Civic Democratic Party, Christian Democrats and the TOP 09 party, led the election with a 27.8% share of the vote.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#UK: Scotland's Sturgeon Calls For Partnerships With City Of London

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Scotland and London have more to gain from being partners than competitors, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Speaking at a Scottish Government event on Tuesday in Glasgow alongside London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the First Minister said the skills in the capital and north of the border are “complementary."

The event – a green investment showcase hosted by Scottish Enterprise chief executive Adrian Gillespie – was held as Cop26 delegates discussed how private finance can contribute to reaching net zero on the summit’s “finance day."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#CANADA: NDP, Liberals in Talks To Avoid Confidence Votes For Three Years

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Senior Liberals and New Democrats are quietly kicking around the idea of reaching a deal that would allow the government to go three years without falling on a confidence vote.

Justin Trudeau and Jagmeet Singh have met secretly to discuss the parliamentary session ahead.

If the NDP, with 25 MPs, agrees to support the government, the Liberals, who have 159 MPs, they would together have 184 MPs, more than enough to avoid defeat in the Commons during a vote of "no confidence."

When such a vote is lost, a new, snap, election is called. Having just held an election in September, all parties are eager to avoid that situation.

[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 Imposes $11k Fine/Jail For Lying About Vax Status

[world politics news]

New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard signed a public health order yesterday which prevents a person from wrongfully claiming they are vaccinated against Covid-19.

The public health order states: “A person must not provide, display or produce to another person information or evidence, including vaccination evidence, purporting to show the person is a fully vaccinated person, unless the information or evidence is true and accurate.”

Those violating the order can be fined up to 11,000 and face 6 months in jail.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#TAIWAN: US Diplomat Says Defense Ties With Island "Rock Solid"

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Washington’s defence ties with Taiwan are rock solid, the top US diplomat in Taipei said, as Beijing denounced as a political gesture this week’s confirmation that a few  American troops were present on the island nation.

“The United States has a commitment to help Taiwan provide for its self-defence,” said Sandra Oudkirk, the new head of the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy in the absence of formal diplomatic ties. “The value of our partnership and our support for Taiwan is rock solid.”

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#SPAIN: Those Fined For Violating Lockdown In 2020 Will Be Reimbursed

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Spanish citizens who were fined for violating a nearly three-month COVID-19 lockdown last spring will be reimbursed.

In the announcement Friday, the Ministry of Territorial Affairs said the measure would apply to the 1.1 million fines that were issued to hundreds of thousands of people for violating stay-at-home orders that began in March 2020.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#ITALY: Senate Kills Gay Anti-Discrimination Bill Over Free Speech Concerns

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The Italian Senate has voted down a proposed law against homophobia which faced vehement opposition from right-leaning parties and the Vatican.

The bill, known as the ‘ddl Zan." after its 2018 author, sought to punish acts of discrimination and "incitement to violence" against gay, lesbian, transgender and disabled people.

It was proposed in May 2018 by Alessandro Zan, a member of parliament from the centre-left Democratic Party, in response to what he called an “exponential rise in the number and seriousness of acts of violence towards gay and transgender people."

Critics of the law said it risked endangering freedom of expression - because incitement could be interpreted as lack of approval of the gay lifestyle - and would have paved the way for “homosexual propaganda” in schools.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#AUSTRALIA: Law With $90K Fines For Protesting Condemned As "Attack On Democracy"

[world politics news]

 

New powers will allow Victoria Premier Dan Andrews to impose a state of emergency any time he likes - and citizens could face $90,000 fines or two years in jail if they protest.

Under the legislation, opposition MPs fear the premier could use public health orders to target individuals on age, gender, sexual orientation, political belief, or activity, hand raised civil rights concerns about the abridgment of a citizen's right to protest.

Health minister Martin Foley insisted the new legislation was designed to be transparent, but it was savaged by the opposition as 'an attack on democracy.'

Australia, and Victoria state in particular, have recently endured some of the most stringent and brutal lockdowns in the world.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#RUSSIA: Tatarstan Rejects State Duma Law Banning The Title "President" For Its Leader

[world politics news]

Lawmakers in the Autonomous Russian republic of Tatarstan have voted against a bill initiated in Russia's lower chamber of parliament -- the State Duma -- that would eliminate the title of "president" currently held by the head of the  republic.

The bill put forward late last month by a group of State Duma lawmakers proposed among other things to replace the title of president of regional administrations with the more generic title of "head."

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#NORTHERNIRELAND: DUP MP Condemns "Climate Hysteria" In UK Budget

[world politics news]

A senior Democratic Unionist Party MP has accused the UK government of “climate hysteria” as he demanded an “explanation” over the relative spending level on Northern Ireland.

Responding to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Budget, chief whip Sammy Wilson told the UK House of Commons he was “encouraged at the path which he has outlined."

But the MP for East Antrim warned those people in low paid and medium paid jobs “are going to face a rather bleak period in the near future." 

[FULL STORY HERE]

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

#QATAR: Amir Appoints Two Women To Legislature

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Two women have been appointed to Qatar's legislative assembly, two weeks after an election selected 30 members, all men.

Qatar’s Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, appointed the remaining 15 Shura Council members, completing the country’s legislative body.

The amir also issued a decree inviting the Shura Council to hold its first ordinary session on 26 October.

According to the list released by the Qatar News Agency, the new Shura Council will include two women.

The decision was made almost two weeks after eligible citizens voted in 30 members of the Shura Council in the country’s first-ever judicial body.

The Shura Council, consisting of 45 members, has now been concluded. Thirty were elected, and 15 now appointed. Two hundred thirty-three candidates across 30 districts ran in which there was a high voter turnout (63.5%).

[FULL STORY HERE]

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