#SLOVAKIA: Small Town Votes 97% Against Hosting Refugees; Defies Gov't Deal With Austria To Share Burden

[world politics news]

The small southwestern Slovak town of Gabčíkovo voted 97% against placing a refugee camp within its borders. The Slovak government recently made an agreement with Austria on placing 500 refugees seeking asylum in Austria on a temporary basis at the Gabčíkovo branch of the Slovak University of Technology.

#SPAIN: #Catalonia Calls Sept. Vote That Could Set Secession For Region In Motion

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Catalan president Artur Mas will set September 27 as the date for the vote in the wealthy northeastern region, and if an alliance of pro-secession parties wins a majority, they will aim to split from Spain within 18 months despite opposition from the central government in Madrid.

#CANADA: Leaders Of Four National Parties Debate Energy, Senate Reform, Quebec Separatism, Terrorism

[world politics news]

Leaders of Canada's four major parties met Thursday to debate Canada's role in fighting terrorism at home and abroad, Quebec separatism, the economy, and the XL pipeline and other energy transportation plans. New Democratic Party Leader Tom Mulcair was taken to task for introducing the volatile issue of Quebec separatism into the campaign, while Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended his handling of Canada's unpopular appointed Senate.

#JAPAN: PM #ShinzoAbe Seeks Improved Working Conditions For Women

[world politics news]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he wants to reform working conditions in Japan to make it easier for women to actively participate in the workforce. Abe told an international conference of business women in Tokyo that long working hours discourage women from getting jobs, and that shorter working hours are needed to help resolve the issue of Japan's declining population.

#GREECE: PM #AlexisTsipras Warns Rebels In His Party Opposing Deal Of Early Elections

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Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has warned rebels in his Syriza Party that he could be forced to call early elections if he no longer has a parliamentary majority. Many left-wingers in his party are angry that bailout terms negotiated with the EU are more stringent than those rejected by voters in the recent referendum.

#CANADA: PM #StephenHarper Officially Calls Oct. 19 Federal Election; Longest In History

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Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper has officially called the next Federal election for October 19, kicking off the longest election campaign in Canada's history. he hopes to be the first PM since 1908 to win a fourth consecutive term. The New Democrats and Liberals have an equal shot of winning, say observers.

#SCOTLAND: MP Accused Of Assaulting Voter At Polling Station Walks Free After "Blunder"

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A Labour MP charged with attacking a woman at a polling station on the day of Scotland's Independence referendum has walked free. Marie Rimmer allegedly kicked a woman outside a Glasgow polling station last September, the trial was stopped when it was realized prosecutors hadn't included the word "Glasgow" in the charges.

#EU: Air Quality Legislation Called "Ambitious" And "Unrealistic" By Conservative EU Parliamentarians

[world politics news]

The EU parliament's environment committee has backed ambitious air quality legislation, requiring binding national targets on six toxic pollutants. But members of the European Conservatives and Reformists group say the targets are unrealistic and counterproductive.

#ITALY: Five Star Party, Founded in 2009 By Comedian, "Ready To Govern" With New, 29-Year-Old Leader

[world politics news]

Italy's anti-establishment Five Star party, founded in 2009 by former comedian Beppe Grillo, is itching to govern. The movement won a shocking 25.5% of the vote in 2013's election, becoming the second-largest party. Party Leader Luigi di Maio, 29, is the youngest deputy president of the lower house of parliament in Italian history.

#PUERTORICO: U.S. Commonwealth Defaults; Gov. Says Island In "Death Spiral"

[world politics news]

Puerto Rico just went into default for the first time in its history. The commonwealth paid a mere $628,000 toward a $58 million debt bill due Monday to creditors of its Public Finance. The default is a historic moment in Puerto Rico's economic "death spiral," a term used by the island's governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla.

#SWITZERLAND: Politician Suggests Greece Give Up One Of Its 300 Islands To Settle Debts To The Swiss

[world politics news]

National Council member Pierre Rusconi has suggested that Greece sell one of its islands to Switzerland to settle its debts with the landlocked nation. Pierre Rusconi, a member of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party said Switzerland could put one of 300 islands that Greece up for sale as payment for loans, "Switzerland will probably never see again."

#KOSOVO: Parliament Debates Special Courts To Deal With KLA War Crimes During 1999 War With Serbia

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Kosovo's national assembly is debating a constitutional amendment to set up a special court to deal with war crimes committed by the KLA during Kosovo's war for independence from Serbia in the late 1990s. The debate took place in a nearly empty hall, after Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and then Deputy Prime Minister Hashim Thaci left. Most LDP members of the assembly also left the sitting, Thaci strongly supports the amendment.

#TURKEY: Nationalist Party Slams People's Democrats For Seeking Votes From "Dishonorable, Whiskey-Drinking Rich People"

[world politics news]

A dust-up between two Turkish parties is gaining attention because of an insulting tit-for-tat among their leaders. Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli attacked the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), criticizing the "dishonorable, whisky-drinking rich people" who voted for the HDP instead of the MHP. The word "dishonorable" can be interpreted in a vulgar way in Turkish.

Pictured: Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahçeli

#GERMANY: Chancellor #AngelaMerkel Will Seek Fourth Term, Reports Der Spiegel Magazine

[world politics news]

According to Germany's most influential political magazine, Der Spiegel, Angela Merkel has decided to run for a fourth term in power and has already started talks on who will run her campaign. The magazine says Merkel has already met with Christian Democratic Union Party secretary to discuss who will coordinate her push for re-election in 2017.

#YEMEN: Exiled PM Bahah Returns to War-Weary Capitol of Aden To Rebuild Gov't"

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Yemen's Prime Minister Khaled Bahah flew into the devastated port of Aden from Saudi exile Saturday, two weeks after loyalist forces ousted Shiite rebels from the city, an airport source said. He was followed by several more officials, whose task will be to restore normality and public services to a city battered by four months of ferocious combat.

#GERMANY: Justice Minister Seeks To Eliminate "Nazi Language" Left In German Laws

[world politics news]

Some laws in Germany still bear traces of the Nazi past, 70 years after the fall of Nazi Germany. The criminal code descriptions of murder and manslaughter were written in 1941 and parts of the original text still remain today, judging crimes based on the character of those committing them. Justice Minister Heiko Maas wants to change this.

#UK: PM #DavidCameron Pledges Action Against Migrants "Swarming" France/UK Channel Tunnel

[world politics news]

The illegal migrant crisis in the UK has hit a new milestone as thousands of migrants from North Africa attempted to enter the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France this week. PM David Cameron said this "Swarm" migrants must be stopped from entering illegally, and called a high-level cabinet meeting to deal with the crisis.

#LIBYA: Islamist-Backed Rival Parliament Rejects Peace Deal, But Will Keep Talking

[world politics news]

The Islamist militia-backed rival parliament in Tripoli has rejected a UN proposal to resolve Libya's political crisis but the General National Congress said it wanted to press on with talks with the internationally-recognized parliament in Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya. UN envoy Bernardino Leon had appealed to both sides to endorse his proposals for a merged administration during talks in Morocco.


Pictured: Libyan protesters set a portrait of United Nations envoy Bernardino Leon on fire during a demonstration outside the General National Congress in Tripoli. 

#UK: Lib. Dem. Ldr. Tim Farron Apologizes for "Hacked" Tweet Suggesting Homosexuality Can Be Cured Like "Fish And Frogs"

[world politics news]

Newly elected Liberal Democratic Party leader Tim Farron has apologized for a tweet coming from his Twitter account saying gay people can be cured and comparing them to fish and frogs. The tweet responded to another citing a study saying some health workers believe homosexuality is curable. Farron says his account was hacked.

#AFGHANISTAN: Parliament Rejects First Woman Nominated As Supreme Court Justice

[world politics news]

The first female to be nominated for Afghanistan's Supreme Court by Pres. Ashraf Ghani, Anisa Rasouli, has been rejected by the Parliament, the latest hurdle for the government. Ghani has struggled to move his agenda forward after nine months in office, and has been unable to complete the cabinet.