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☆ Russia's resilience to sanctions shows it is 'costly and unattainable' to isolate a large and globally integrated economy, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"The primary lesson is that seeking complete isolation of a large, complex and globally-integrated economy is costly and unattainable," Elina Ribakova wrote in the Financial Times on Tuesday. Russia's economy has managed to keep humming because Russian President Vladimir Putin has been preparing for sanctions since 2014. Failures in Russia, lessons for the futureEven so, the West can glean valuable lessons from its experience sanctioning an economy as large as Russia, said Ribakova. Advertisement"In the case of China, the US would need to look for vulnerabilities while remaining realistic about the limitations of sanctions," wrote Ribakova in FT.She added there must be steeper penalties for those who evade sanctions. "The experience with Russia is an invaluable opportunity to sharpen sanctions as a foreign policy tool," she wrote Ribakova.

Persons: —, Elina Ribakova, Vladimir Putin, Ribakova Organizations: Service, Financial Times, Business, Monetary Fund, Peterson Institute for International Economics, International Affairs Program, Kyiv School of Economics, Russia Locations: Ukraine, Russia, Moscow, Beijing, China, Taiwan

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) announced the coalition late Tuesday, naming former premier Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister and Asif Ali Zardari as president. Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty ImagesIndependent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Khan’s Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) party secured the most parliamentary seats, in a stunning victory for the jailed cricket icon. But none of the three major parties that contested won the necessary seats to declare a majority in parliament. Shortly after the coalition announcement, the PTI accused the PMLN and PPP of stealing their mandate to govern. Sharif is on course to become prime minister for the second time, with Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of Pakistan’s slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, by his side.

Persons: Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, “, ” Sharif, Aamir Qureshi, Khan’s, ”, Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Asim Hafeez, Sharif, Pakistan’s, Benazir Bhutto Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, Getty, PTI, Pakistan People's Party, Bloomberg Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Kasur, Punjab, Khan’s Pakistan, Karachi

☆ Shehbaz Sharif Set for Pakistan's Top Job as Elder Brother Steps Aside
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Before his stint as prime minister, the younger Sharif was known more as a good administrator than a politician, having served as chief minister thrice in the country's largest province, Punjab. The deal was signed after Sharif personally called on IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva last June. Although defence and key foreign policy decisions are largely influenced by the military, Sharif will have to juggle relations with the U.S. and China, both major allies. He started his political career as the chief minister of Punjab in 1997 with a signature "can-do" administrative style. As chief minister, the younger Sharif planned and executed a number of ambitious infrastructure mega-projects, including Pakistan's first modern mass transport system in Lahore.

Persons: Asif Shahzad, Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif's, Maryam, Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Khan, Shehbaz, Kristalina Georgieva, Tehmina Durrani, Ariba Shahid, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Monetary Fund, IMF, U.S Locations: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam ISLAMABAD, Sharif, London, country's, Punjab, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, China, India, Iran, Afghanistan, Lahore, Panama, Karachi

☆ House Speaker Mike Johnson in no rush to address foreign aid request while others weigh rewriting Senate-passed plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Melanie Zanona | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But some conservatives say they won’t support any Ukraine aid, even if it’s just narrow military aid. “There’s the possibility that the Republican majority would support Ukraine aid paid for, with real border security attached to it,” Good said. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, also a Freedom Caucus member, laid out a number of conditions he would need in order to support Ukraine aid. One option that was discussed during the meeting was stripping the aid package of its humanitarian assistance for Ukraine and only including military aid for Ukraine. And I think we should have been focused on military aid,” Rep. Don Bacon, a swing district Republican from Nebraska, told CNN.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Brian Fitzpatrick, “, ” Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick, Joe Biden, Dan Crenshaw, Bob Good, ”, Chip Roy, ” Roy, ” Rep, Don Bacon, Ann Wagner, ” Johnson, Hakeem Jeffries, “ Mike Johnson, Jeffries, ” “, Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Bacon, ” Wagner, ” Bacon, CNN’s Manu Raju, Mario Diaz, “ I’ll, we’re, CNN’s Annie Grayer, Manu Raju, Sam Fossum Organizations: Republican Conference, GOP, Republican, Pentagon, Virginia Republican, Freedom Caucus, Caucus, ”, Republicans, CNN, “, Missouri Republican, Democrat Locations: Ukraine, Israel, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Taiwan, Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Texas, United States, Nebraska, Missouri, Florida

☆ Coalition government deal in Pakistan leaves Imran Khan’s party out of power
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Sophia Saifi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Two of Pakistan’s major political parties - the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) - say they will form a coalition government after last week’s inconclusive elections. The move means the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan will not be in power, despite independent candidates affiliated with it gaining the most votes. The PMLN also released a statement that Shahbaz Sharif would be the party’s candidate for prime minister. Earlier on Tuesday, the PPP’s chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had said his party would support the PLMN candidate for prime minister. The party would also field its candidates for the National Assembly speaker, chairman of the Senate, and president, he said.

Persons: Imran Khan, Shahbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Imran Khan’s, Nawaz Sharif, Khan, ” Zardari, Sharif, “, ” Bhutto Zardari Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, PPP, PTI, National Assembly, Senate Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Lahore, Wahdat

☆ Analysis: Pakistan’s youth deliver stinging rebuke to military elite by backing jailed leader Khan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —His political party is effectively banned, his speeches are barred from television, and he faces at least 14 years in prison. But as the Pakistan election results show, Imran Khan cannot be suppressed. Independent candidates affiliated with the former prime minister’s Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) party secured the most parliamentary seats in last week’s nationwide election, the election commission announced Sunday. “Now show the strength of protecting your vote.” Khan’s team has previously used AI to deliver his speeches from behind bars. Akhtar Soomro/Reuters/FileWhen he rose to power in 2018, it was, according to analysts, with the backing of the military.

Persons: Pakistan CNN —, Imran Khan, Khan, “, ”, Khan’s, –, Hashim Ali Dogar, Shayan Bashir Nawaz, Raoof Hassam, Madiha Afzal, Akhtar Soomro, Rabiya Arooj, Nawaz Sharif, Husain Haqqani, Anwar Gargash, Manahil Ahmed, Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sundas Kalsoom, Insaaf, Gohar Ali Khan, Hasham Ahmed, Fahd Humayun Organizations: Pakistan CNN, Independent, PTI, CNN, Foreign, Brookings Institution, Pakistani, United, Hudson Institute, Washington D.C, Getty, Haqqani, Political, Neubauer, Tufts University, “ Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Lahore, “, Punjab, Washington, Imran Khan Pakistan, British India, It’s, United States, Pakistani, Abu Dhabi, Peshawar, Buner, AFP, Egypt

While election winners were celebrating victory, PTI and other parties refused to accept their defeat in dozens of constituencies. Dozens of Khan’s supporters were briefly detained in the eastern city of Lahore over the weekend while protesting alleged vote-rigging. Khan could not run in the election because of the criminal convictions against him that he says are politically motivated. No party won a majority, however, so the parties will have to hold talks on forming a coalition government. The Pakistan Muslim League-N party led by three-time premier and ex-felon Nawaz Sharif secured 75.

Persons: Pakistan's, Imran Khan, Khan, Jan Achakzai, Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Bilawal Bhutto, Zardari, establishment’s Organizations: National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party, PML Locations: QUETTA, Pakistan, Lahore, Baluchistan

☆ What's Next in Pakistan Election Deadlock
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-11 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Gibran Naiyyar PeshimamISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's national election ended with no party winning a majority in parliament, in polls marred by militant violence, political turmoil and questions of transparency. The two, along with other smaller parties, form a coalition government in which Sharif or his brother is prime minister and important positions are given to other parties. The two parties were in government together for 16 months till August, with Bhutto Zardari as foreign minister and Sharif's brother Shehbaz as prime minister. BHUTTO ZARDARI PUSHES TO HEAD COALITION GOVERNMENTWhile Sharif and Khan's candidates won the most seats, no party can form government without the PPP. With both looking to keep the other out of power, the PPP strikes a deal to make the young Bhutto Zardari prime minister.

Persons: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, SHARIF, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Bhutto Zardari, Shehbaz, Khan, BHUTTO ZARDARI, Sharif's, Gibran Peshimam, Sonali Paul Organizations: Monetary Fund, National Assembly, Pakistan Peoples Party Locations: Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam ISLAMABAD, Sharif, Pakistan

U.S. Sen. Chris Coons and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz were seeing double when they met in Washington, D.C., this week and went on social media to share their mirror image with the world. Scholz met with President Joe Biden as well as members of Congress, where he and Coons posed for the lighthearted image shared on their respective accounts on X, formerly Twitter. Scholz was in Washington to emphasize the stakes of the Ukraine conflict for the U.S., Europe and others. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week repeated his claim that the February 2022 invasion was intended to protect his nation’s interests. “Without the support of United States, and without the support of the European states, Ukraine will have not a chance to defend its own country,” Scholz said.

Persons: Sen, Chris Coons, Olaf Scholz, Coons, Scholz, Joe Biden, ” Coons, ”, —, ” Scholz, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Washington , D.C, Delaware Democrat, Ukraine, Economic Locations: Washington ,, Russia, Davos, Switzerland, Washington, Ukraine, Europe, Russian, United States

If no party wins a majority of 169 seats, the one with the biggest share can form a coalition government. The vote was overshadowed by violence, an unprecedented national shutdown of all mobile phone services and allegations of vote rigging. Pakistan’s national human rights body said there was no excuse for the hold-up and expressed concern about the lack of transparency. DEALS, DEALS, DEALSNo party won a majority of National Assembly seats. She accompanied her father at rallies, giving fiery and uncompromising speeches, and escorted him on polling day when he went to cast his vote.

Persons: hadn't, Imran Khan's, Salman Akram Raja, hasn’t, Nawaz Sharif, kingmaker, Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto, Zardari, Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif’s, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto, Benazir’s, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Maryam Nawaz, Bilawal, Maryam, Shehbaz, Hamza Organizations: —, National Assembly, U.S, Union, Court, Fair, PTI, Pakistan People’s Party, Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Locations: LAHORE, Pakistan, — Pakistan, Lahore, Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan, Punjab province

The strongly worded reaction from the Foreign Ministry insisted the vote was peaceful and successful. The U.S. State Department said that Thursday's vote was held under undue restrictions on freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly. In Thursday's vote, no political party gained a simple majority and independent candidates backed by imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan took a lead in the vote count. Candidates backed by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party won 100 out of the 266 seats up for grabs in the National Assembly. Also Saturday, the leader of a political party was wounded and two police officers killed in a clash in the country's northwest.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan's, Nawaz Sharif, Khan, Mohsin Dawar, Zahid Khan Organizations: —, Foreign Ministry, U.S . State Department, European Union, National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League Locations: ISLAMABAD, — Pakistan, Pakistan, North Waziristan

☆ Independents Win 47 of 106 Seats Counted in Pakistan Poll, Most Backed by Imran Khan - Geo News
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Independent candidates contesting Pakistan's national election, most of whom are backed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, won in 47 of 106 parliamentary seats as counting progressed on Friday, according to projections by broadcaster Geo News. Results have been declared by the Election Commission of Pakistan in a total of 57 seats so far, according to the panel's website. Elections were held to 264 of the 265 seats in the national assembly and a political party needs 133 seats for a simple majority. Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)(PML-N), which has won at least 17 seats so far, may form a coalition government with independent candidates, Sharif's aide Ishaq Dar suggested on Friday, Geo reported. "I am confident that we will form a government," Dar said, adding that his party would concede if any other party emerged a clear winner.

Persons: Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif's, Nawaz, Sharif's, Ishaq Dar, Geo, Dar, Asif Shahzad, Sakshi Dayal, YP Rajesh Organizations: Pakistan's, Geo, Former, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League, YP Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan

☆ Factbox-Who Are the Key Players in Pakistan's General Elections?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan holds its national elections on Thursday as the country grapples with an economic crisis and political uncertainty following the ouster of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2022. Here are some facts about the main political figures trying to lead the nuclear-armed nation of 241 million people. NAWAZ SHARIFFormer prime minister Nawaz Sharif is considered a front-runner to lead the country, having buried a long-running feud with the country's powerful military, analysts say. Maryam, 50, was jailed along with her father shortly before the 2018 elections on corruption charges, which were later overturned. Nevertheless, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has tried to wage an unorthodox election campaign using social media and covert canvassing.

Persons: Imran Khan, NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz Sharif, MARYAM NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz, Maryam, SHEHBAZ SHARIF, Shehbaz Sharif, IMRAN KHAN, BILAWAL BHUTTO ZARDARI Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Bhutto Zardari, Asif Ali Zardari, Charlotte Greenfield, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, International Monetary Fund, Khan's Locations: ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Punjab, Pakistan's, Khan's Pakistan, Sindh province

FORMER PRIME MINISTER NAWAZ SHARIF, PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUEBusiness mogul, multi-millionaire and three-time premier, Nawaz Sharif hails from one of the top two families that have dominated Pakistani politics for decades. He also has a personal stake in keeping imprisoned Imran Khan out of the picture. FORMER PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHAN, PAKISTAN TEHREEK-E-INSAF PARTYA former cricket star turned Islamist politician, Imran Khan triumphed on an anti-corruption, anti-establishment platform in the 2018 election to form a coalition government. FORMER PRIME MINISTER SHEHBAZ SHARIF, PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUEShehbaz Sharif, 72, the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif, succeeded Imran Khan as prime minister in April 2022. He won his first parliamentary seat in 2018 and became foreign minister after Imran Khan was ousted as prime minister.

Persons: it's, NAWAZ SHARIF, Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Imran Khan, Khan, ASIM MUNIR, Asim Munir, Munir, IMRAN KHAN, Osama bin Laden, ” —, SHEHBAZ SHARIF, BILAWAL BHUTTO, ZARDARI, Pakistan’s, Bilawal Bhutto, Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Bhutto, Asif Ali Zardari Organizations: —, National Assembly, PAKISTAN MUSLIM LEAGUE Business, Pakistan Muslim League, Supreme, Sharif, GEN, ARMY CHIEF, LEAGUE, International Monetary Fund Locations: ISLAMABAD, — Pakistan, PAKISTAN, United Kingdom, Pakistan, Iran, Tehran, Islamabad, United States, U.S, Washington, LEAGUE Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab, London, Sindh

☆ Israeli Hostage Families Gain Clout as Political Landscape Shifts
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Some respondents did not mention names but wrote variants of "hostage families", reflecting the impact of the Forum itself and its "Bring them home now" campaign. Political scientist Tamar Hermann of the IDI said solidarity with the hostage families was blending with broader anti-government sentiment, partly rooted in a huge pre-war protest movement against Netanyahu's plan to overhaul the judiciary. New or existing left-wing parties could be a natural fit for any hostage relatives who did decide to go into politics. Conversely, the hostage families are seen as opponents by some on the right, and especially on the ultra-nationalist far right, which has sway over Netanyahu because it is part of his fragile coalition. Some of Netanyahu's hard-right supporters in politics and media portray the hostage families as leftists abusing public sympathy to further their anti-government agenda, said political scientist Gideon Rahat of the Hebrew University.

Persons: Emily Rose, Estelle Shirbon, pollsters, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Nimrod Nir, Gil Dickmann, Carmel Gat, Jonathan Shamriz, Alon, Israel, Dror, Yonat, Netanyahu, irked Netanyahu, Sunday Israel, Tamar Hermann of, IDI, Tomer Reznik, implacably, Gideon Rahat, Eliyahu Libman, Elyakim, Libman, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Reuters, Truman Research Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Families Forum, Israel, Hamas, Sunday, Truman Institute, Israel Democracy Institute, IDI, Hebrew University, West Bank Locations: Estelle Shirbon JERUSALEM, LONDON, Gaza, Israel, Qatar, Egypt, United States, Kiryat Arba

☆ New Zealand Govt Ministers Heckled by Protesters Ahead of National Day Celebrations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

During the welcome, or powhiri, Luxon's speech only went ahead after a Maori elder called for respect. The government has also said it will introduce, but are not committed to passing, a bill that would reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi. Organiser are expecting upwards of 60,000 people to attend Waitangi Day events, which started on Saturday making it the biggest event since the 150-year celebrations in 1990. Protest has long been part of Waitangi celebrations and in 1995 official events had to be cancelled due to anger over government policies. In 2016, a minister was struck in the face by a dildo thrown by a woman protesting a trade agreement.

Persons: Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Christopher Luxon, we’d, there’d, Luxon, Lucy Craymer, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, New, British Crown, Waitangi Locations: New Zealand, Waitangi

☆ Who are Israeli settlers and why are they so controversial?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Abbas Allawati | Abbas Al Lawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

On Thursday, the State Department announced the first round of sanctions targeting Israeli settlers accused of perpetrating violence in the West Bank. There are more than 450,000 Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank. Settlers in the West Bank fall under Israeli civilian rule and have their own road and transportation networks, while Palestinian residents fall under Israeli military rule, are forced to go through Israeli military checkpoints, and are largely barred from entering Jewish settlements. And in Area C, which is 60% of the West Bank, Israel retains full security and administrative control. The report rejected the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention to the West Bank, arguing that the West Bank was never a legitimate part of any Arab state.

Persons: Biden, Israel, Israel’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ronaldo Schemidt, –, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, State Department, West Bank, White, Israeli, Getty, The West Bank, Oslo Accords, Bank, West, West Bank . Settlers, Palestinian Authority, Israel, Geneva Convention, United Nations Security, Fourth, Fourth Geneva Convention Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, East Jerusalem, Huwara, Nablus, AFP, West, Jordan, Sinai, Egypt, Syria, Oslo, Hebron, West Bank, Oslo Accords, Ramallah, United States, Fourth Geneva, Judea, Samaria

☆ U.S. Needs to Work With Greater Intensity in the Pacific - NZ for Min
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

“Pillar two (of AUKUS) is the examination we're going to look at beginning tonight and tomorrow and going forward," he told Reuters in an interview. New Zealand has had a nuclear free policy since the 1980s and there has been no indication this will change. Peters also said the U.S. had neglected the Pacific since the Second World War, and that had created a vacuum that others had filled. "They've have certainly upped their game, but they need to work with greater intensity on the immediate problems at the ground level of many of the island nations,” he said. Peters did not mention China by name, but jostling between Washington and Beijing for influence in the Pacific has increased in recent years over issues including security, defence, aid and infrastructure.

Persons: Lucy Craymer WELLINGTON, Winston Peters, Peters, ”, Lucy Craymer, Lincoln Organizations: Reuters, Foreign, Pacific Locations: New Zealand, Australia, Britain, U.S, Washington, Wellington, “, China, Beijing

☆ Analysis: In Poland, Donald Tusk is spoiling for a fight. His populist opponents are hitting back
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The country’s public television channel, TVP, which essentially became a mouthpiece for the previous government, has been ripped off the air. Omar Marques/Getty ImagesBut Tusk – a politician with a reputation for pragmatism and restraint – showed his intentions within days of taking office. “It became symbolic of the excesses of the PiS government,” Bill said of TVP’s transformation into a Hungarian-style state-captured medium. “One of the unifying forces of PiS supporters is distrust, or even hatred, of Donald Tusk,” Kucharczyk said. Nonetheless, after eight years of populist rule that hardened the battle lines of Polish politics, much of the public is spoiling for a fight.

Persons: Donald Tusk, ”, “, Jacek Kucharczyk, Tusk, ’, Kucharczyk, Stanley Bill, Bill, “ It’s, Andrzej Duda, PiS, Omar Marques, –, Duda, ” Bill, ” Kucharczyk, TVP, ” Tusk, Ursula von der Leyen, Tusk’s, Jaap Arriens, messier Organizations: CNN, Law, Justice, of Public Affairs, Polish Studies, University of Cambridge, TVP, Twitter, National Media Council, Police, European Union, “ Locations: Poland, Polish, Warsaw, Hungarian, Tusk’s, Brussels, TVP

☆ Taiwan's political disrupter could be kingmaker in a split parliament. Here's why it matters
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Taiwan People's Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je speaks during an interview in New Taipei City on December 12, 2023. He urged his disappointed young supporters, some of them crying, not to give up, and framed himself as a one-man social movement crusading for political change. Since this social movement has not fully materialized, let's keep working hard," the former Taipei City Mayor told supporters in Mandarin. That kind of populist messaging appeals to people who feel like Taiwan's current economic and political system is not benefiting them. Taiwan's young and restlessIn any case, Taiwan's two major parties now face a battle to cater to younger voters that could come at the expense of older votes or a focus on broader strategic interests.

Persons: Ko Wen, Cheng, we'll, Ko, let's, Wei, Ting Yen, Sara Newland, Taiwan's, Newland, Lai Ching, Taiwan People's Party —, —, Yuan, Beijing's, Tsai Ing, Annice Lyn, Xi Jinping, Lily, Hwa CHENG, HWA CHENG, Ho Organizations: Taiwan People's Party, AFP, Getty, TAIPEI, Taipei City Mayor, Democratic Progressive Party, Kuomintang, Franklin, Marshall College, CNBC, Sara Newland Smith, Ko's, Taipei, KMT, Smith College, National Taiwan University, Democratic, Chinese Communist Party, HWA, Afp, Sunflower Movement Locations: Taiwan, New Taipei City, China, Taipei, Xinzhuang, AFP

☆ Spain's Top Court Rules Mass Deportation of Minors to Morocco Was Illegal
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID (Reuters) - The deportation of hundreds of Moroccan youths from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in August, 2021 after a mass border crossing was illegal, Spain's Supreme Court ruled on Monday, dealing a blow to the leftist coalition government's immigration policy. The judges dismissed the government's appeal against an earlier ruling by a local court in Ceuta that had ordered Madrid to ensure the youths' return to Spain as it deemed their expulsion unlawful. Around 700 of them were sent back to Morocco in mid-August following an agreement between the neighbouring countries. The Supreme Court said the minors' collective expulsion flouted not only domestic immigration laws, but also breached the European Human Rights Convention. Authorities in Ceuta failed to meet any of these conditions, the Supreme Court ruled, adding that the minors' rights to physical and moral integrity were violated, as they were "put in serious danger of suffering physical or psychological harm".

Persons: flouted, David Latona, Andrei Khalip, Ed Osmond Organizations: Interior Ministry, Human Rights, European Locations: MADRID, Ceuta, Madrid, Spain, Rabat, Western, Morocco

On December 22, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for further extended humanitarian pauses to allow more aid into Gaza. People carry some of their belongings as they walk to Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on January 4, fleeing central Gaza. But even as foreign aid to Gaza rose in the wake of the Hamas takeover, the amount of aid fluctuates annually, OECD data shows. In 2018, the Trump administration cut about $200 million in Palestinian aid and halted contributions to UNRWA. Medicine for Israeli hostages and Palestinians entered Gaza last Wednesday after Qatar brokered a deal with Israel and Hamas.

Persons: Khan Younis, —, Majdi, Fatah, Mohammed Abed, ”, Yara Asi, Israel, René Wildangel, Wildangel, ” Asi, Trump, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, United Nations, West Bank, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Service, Aid, World Health Organization, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, UN, Assembly, UNRWA, IDF, UN Security, World Food, Palestinian, Statistics, World Bank, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, West Bank ., Getty, University of Central, “, International Hellenic University, Amnesty, Palestinian Central Bureau, European Union, Organization for Economic Co, Development, Obama, Qatar Locations: Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem, UN, Rafah, South Africa, Oslo Accords, AFP, Palestine, University of Central Florida, Oslo, Thessaloniki, Greece, United States, Europe, Qatar

☆ Germany the ‘tired man’ of Europe, finance minister admits
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Vicky Mckeever | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 15: German Finance Minister Christian Lindner gives a statement to the media at the Chancellery following the weekly government cabinet meeting on November 15, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. "I know what some of you are thinking, Germany probably is a sick man. Germany is not the sick man," Christian Lindner told World Economic Forum delegates at a Bloomberg panel on Friday. References to Germany as the "sick man of Europe" resurfaced last year. The "sick man" title had first been used to describe Germany's economy in 1998 as the country navigated the costly challenges of a post-reunification economy.

Persons: Christian Lindner, Sean Gallup, Lindner Organizations: German Finance, German, Court, Getty, Economic, Bloomberg Locations: BERLIN, GERMANY, Berlin, Germany, Europe

☆ Polish Lawmaker Who Extinguished Hanukkah Candles Loses Immunity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's parliament has voted to remove the immunity from prosecution of a lawmaker who used a fire extinguisher to put out Jewish Hanukkah candles in the country's parliament in December, an incident that caused international outrage. The vote opens the way for prosecutors to press charges against Grzegorz Braun from the far-right Confederation party for seven acts committed during 2022 and 2023, including the incident involving the candles. The largest opposition party, the nationalist law and Justice (PiS), also voted in favour of removing Braun's immunity. After extinguishing the candles in the parliament on Dec. 12, Braun took to the podium where he described Hanukkah as "satanic" and said he was restoring "normality". Asked later if he was ashamed of his action, he said: "Those who take part in acts of satanic worship should be ashamed."

Persons: Grzegorz Braun, Agnieszka Pomaska, Mariusz Dubowski, Braun, Alan Charlish, Gareth Jones Organizations: Civic Coalition, Warsaw, European Union Locations: WARSAW, Ukraine

☆ Dutch Senate Defies Prospective Government Parties Over Migration Law
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Bart H. MeijerAMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch Senate will support a law to evenly spread asylum seekers over municipalities in the Netherlands, despite strong resistance from far-right election winner Geert Wilders' Freedom Party and other parties looking to form a new government. In the end, Rutte's own party members in the Senate made a surprising U-turn on Tuesday and said they would support the law, giving it a decisive majority in the upper chamber. If they reach an agreement, they would be forced to deal with the law that the Senate is now set to officially adopt on Jan. 23. "My god," Wilders said in a post on X in response to news about the VVD's Senate decision. Ruben Brekelmans, a VVD lawmaker in the lower chamber, said he wished his Senate colleagues had waited for an agreement on stricter migration policies before handling the spread of asylum seekers.

Persons: Bart H, Geert Wilders, Wilders, Mark Rutte, Ruben Brekelmans, Bart Meijer, Paul Simao Organizations: Meijer, Dutch, Freedom Party, Party, Senate Locations: Netherlands

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