Politics
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Mexican President declared persona non grata in Peru by a Congress Commission
The Foreign Relations Commission of the Peruvian Congress declared the Mexican President persona non grata in Peru after he said Dina Boluarte was a usurper.
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The mystery around the purchase of useless ventilators by Hungary remains
Hungary bought thousands of useless ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic. But documents about a deal signed with a Malaysian company would have already been shredded by authorities.
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The Czech Republic asks for rent for land Russia was using for free
The Czech Republic canceled resolutions from the Soviet Union era that allowed Russia to use Czech land for free.
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Russian government requests to Google to remove content grew by 71% in 2022
The Russian government has been the most active in asking to remove content from Google for years. In 2022, the number of requests increased by 71 percent. But unlike what Google displays on its website, it mostly complied with takedown requests from Russian authorities.
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In Uganda, the “embarrassing” death of a Minister of State
Uganda State Minister Charles Engola was shot dead last week by one of his guards. For President Yoweri Museveni, the event is "an embarrassment" for the army whose soldiers "turn into mercenaries" seeking to earn money with civil jobs.
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In Chile, the Republican Party gets the lead to replace a constitution it wants to keep
With the election to choose new advisers of the Constitutional Council, Chile's right-wing parties will have broad autonomy in drafting a new constitution. But the far-right Republican Party always wanted to keep the current one.
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Towards the end of lotteries financing Swedish political parties?
In Sweden, the government will work on a ban on lotteries financing political parties, advancing the negative consequences of gambling. But it also aims to deprive an important source of funds from the Social Democrats, the country's largest party now in the opposition, that other parties don't have.
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South Africa backpedals after controversial comments about withdrawal from the International Criminal Court
As the president of Russia Vladimir Putin is expected to visit South Africa during a BRICS meeting in August, the government is embarassed to have to deal with the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.
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Mexico announced the presidential jet was finally sold to Tajikistan
Mexico finally sold the presidential jet after years without finding a client. The aircraft bought for 219 million dollars eleven years ago has now been sold for 92 million dollars to Tajikistan.
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U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak against the “anti-maths mindset”
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to improve the numeracy of the population by changing the "anti-maths mindset" with a plan to teach some form of maths to students between 16 and 18.
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New Zealand sends its last live cattle shipments to China before a ban is enforced
In New Zealand, farmers make their last live cattle exports by sea before the end of April as the government banned them for animal welfare.
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In Israel, the issue of leavened food in hospitals resurfaces with Passover coming
Israel's government passed last week a law related to leavened food, hametz, in hospitals during Passover, resurfacing a controversial matter before the holiday starts. Supporters of the law play down its impact, while the opposition considers it shows how the government inserts more conservative religious views into Israeli society.
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Mexico Senate approves a registry to track parents who don’t pay for alimony
To solve the issue of divorced parents who don't pay for alimony for their children, Mexico will create a registry and a certificate that will be required for a number of procedures.
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Belarus expands death penalty to military and civil servants convicted of treason
Belarus expanded the death penalty to all military and public administration staff convicted of treason against the State. Belarus is the only country in Europe still applying capital punishment.
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French citizenship comes up in Serbia in a political argument over patriotism
The French citizenship of a Serbian politician has been exposed by the prime minister of Serbia Ana Brnabić in an argument to defend criticism of nationalist Serbian politicians in light of a normalization agreement with Kosovo. An ultranationalist claimed Ms. Brnabić was Croatian as a way to undermine her legitimacy and patriotism.
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South Korea seeks to improve ties with Japan with a plan for compensating victims of forced labor
South Korea released a plan for compensating Korean victims of forced labor under Japanese occupation. By not seeking reparation from the Japanese companies, relations between the two countries are expected to improve amid concerns about regional security with North Korea.
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Brazil announced tax on crude oil exports to mitigate the sensitive issue of ending fuel tax exemptions domestically
The government of Brazil announced a tax on crude oil exports as it aims to compensate for taxes of fuel waived by Jair Bolsonaro last year that are only partially applied again. The matter is politically sensitive.
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Ordered trains too wide for tunnels in Spain
Spain ordered new trains for the provinces of Cantabria and Asturias but they would have been too wide for some old tunnels. The head of Renfe and the secretary of State for Transport stepped down as a consequence of the mistake.
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Number of European Parliament member declarations attending paid-for events skyrocketed
The number of declarations from members of the European Parliament disclosing events paid for by third parties has never been so high in three and a half years since the Qatargate broke out in December.
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Northern Ireland organ donation law blocked by political stalemate, sent to UK Parliament
An organ donation law in Northern Ireland set to make all people potential organ donors and inspired by Dáithí Mac Gabhann, a 6-year-old waiting for a heart transplant, is blocked by a local political stalemate over Northern Ireland protocol.
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South Korea’s Ministry of Education changes college funding criteria to curb the ‘invasion of liberal arts’
The ministry of Culture of South Korea relased new criteria to grant funds to high education facilities as an attempt to curb the 'invasion of liberal arts'. The high school exam acting as the entry test in top universities favors science students.
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In Germany, the Free Democratic Party calls again to make English used in all public offices
Germany faces a shortage of skilled workers and the Free Democratic Party advocates for public administration to be more welcoming to workers who don't speak German with the use of English. It's not that simple.
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Moldova Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita resigned
Moldova Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita announced her resignation on February 10. President Maia Sandu appointed the secretary general of the Supreme Security Council Dorin Recean as the candidate to become the new prime minister.
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Pakistan restores access to Wikipedia after a ban for ‘sacrilegious’ content
Pakistan Prime Minister ordered the restoration of access to Wikipedia in the country after it was blocked for a few days because it included "sacrilegious" content.
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Japan government plans to raise the age of consent from 13 to 16
In Japan, a bill is being worked on to substantially amend the penal code related to sex crimes. The age of consent for sexual intercourse could be raised from 13 to 16 years old.
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Mexican National Guard required to record arrests but not to notify the police, the Supreme Court rules
The National Guard of Mexico, the army group with national police functions, needs to register the arrests they make, but don't need to notify the police about them the Supreme Court rules. Human rights defenders criticize the military opacity.
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German Constitutional Court invalidates 2018 law that increased state funding for political parties by 15%
The Constitutional Court of Germany ruled that the 15% increase of overall state funding for political parties and decided by politicians in 2018 was unconstitutional.
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Guatemala Attorney General’s office wants to arrest the Colombian Minister of Defense
Guatemala Attorney General's office seeks the arrest of its former head along with Iván Velásquez Gómez, the current minister of Defense of Colombia. The Special Prosecutor against Impunity accuses the minister of being connected to the Odebrecht corruption scandal.
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Ruling political party of Slovenia, Freedom Movement, decided to leave Twitter
The leading political party of Slovenia, Freedom Movement, left Twitter saying they realized they didn't need to use the platform when their account was locked. It also considers Twitter is used too much to deepen polarization and hate speech.
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During official defense visit, South Korea President wears for the first time sunglasses received as gift from U.S. President Biden
Yoon Suk Yeol wore sunglasses offered by the United States President Joe Biden when he came to Seoul back in May. Mr Yoon was on an official visit to the defense industry as he plans to boost exports.
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Colombia President ready to expropriate private properties to relocate families affected by harsh winter and heavy rains
The president of Colombia instructed the use of a law that enables acquisition and expropriation of private properties in order to relocate families because of the intense rainfall caused by El Niña that lead to the declaration of a state of national disaster.
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Why the Greek minister of Foreign Affairs didn’t want to get off the plane in Tripoli
Nikos Dendias, the Greek minister of Foreign Affairs decided to stay on the plane in Tripoli because he didn't want to meet the minister of Foreign Affairs of Libyan interim government who came at the airport.
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Convicted former Malaysia PM can claim back seized Richard Mille watches, Hermès handbags and jewelry after High Court ruling
The former prime minister of Malaysia Najib Razak, convicted in the 1MDB corruption case, can claim back the thousands of seized jewelry pieces, watches and handbags as the prosecution failed to prove they came from illegal activities, according to a Malaysian court.
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Elected French-Romanian politician in Bucharest accused of conflict of interest for a project against corruption
Clotilde Armand, mayor of a sector in Bucharest municipality, is suspected by the National Integrity Agency of conflict of interest for having appointed herself manager of, and receiving compensation for, a project funded by the European Union meant to reduce corruption.
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Bolivia officials meet in the hope to find an agreement on the date of the census and end social tensions
Officials and leaders of Bolivia gather with the hope to find a solution on a date for the next census which has been the source of social protests. The date of the census will define resource distribution and political representation across the country.
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Facing resignations of public employees, Vietnam plans to raise the salary index by 21%
With almost 40,000 public employees who resigned in two and a half years, especially in healthcare and education, Vietnamese authorities want to increase the public salary index by 21 percent.
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Norway’s second largest airport closed for 2 hours after a drone alert in a tense security context
The airport of Bergen Flesland closed for two hours after several observations of drone flying in the area. In a tense security context given Russia-Ukraine conflict, Norwegian authorities are on the lookout.
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Investigations open for the use of spyware Pegasus by Mexico, but not on the current government despite recent accusations
Mexico was a big client of the spyware Pegasus and two investigations are open for its use in the previous government. But there is no investigation against the current administration despite recent reports Pegasus is still being used.
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The ‘ambitious’ plan of the Netherlands to reduce nitrogen emissions with the buy-out of hundreds of farms
The Netherlands is trying to reduce its nitrogen emissions between unsuccessful measures and distrust among farmers. The latest plan is to buy out the largest nitrogen emitters, mostly hundreds of farms.
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Congress of Peru denies President Pedro Castillo a trip to Europe
Led by opposition parties, the Congress of Peru denied President Pedro Castillo a trip to Europe.
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