House GOP won't show secret Russia memo to Justice Department
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/22/house-gop-wont-show-secret-russia-memo-to-justice-department-357876?lo=ap_d1
House Republicans have refused to share with the Justice Department a secret memo alleging misconduct by federal officials investigating the 2016 Trump campaign’s Russia ties, even they build a case that President Donald Trump should authorize the memo's public release.
An official at the Justice Department, helmed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy Rod Rosenstein, confirmed to POLITICO on Monday that the department has requested access to the classified document but has not been able to see it. The FBI, too, has been denied access to the document.
The FBI has also confirmed that Congress is refusing to give the bureau access to the classified memo, despite several requests from the bureau.
【一蓮托生】國際時事政治選舉集中理性討論區（二）
濕鳩塞鷗
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Spanish court rejects issuing EU arrest warrant for Puigdemont
https://www.politico.eu/article/carles-puigdemont-denmark-spanish-court-rejects-issuing-eu-arrest-warrant/
Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday rejected the state prosecutor’s request to reactivate a European arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont — the exiled former Catalan president and now the sole candidate nominated to become the region’s new leader.
The court said in a statement it would postpone the decision until the Catalan parliament has been fully restored to normal activity, Reuters reported. This will likely be after regional lawmakers elect a new leader by the end of the month.
The Catalan parliament’s new speaker, Roger Torrent, said Monday that Puigdemont is the only candidate nominated to become regional president.
https://www.politico.eu/article/carles-puigdemont-denmark-spanish-court-rejects-issuing-eu-arrest-warrant/
Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday rejected the state prosecutor’s request to reactivate a European arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont — the exiled former Catalan president and now the sole candidate nominated to become the region’s new leader.
The court said in a statement it would postpone the decision until the Catalan parliament has been fully restored to normal activity, Reuters reported. This will likely be after regional lawmakers elect a new leader by the end of the month.
The Catalan parliament’s new speaker, Roger Torrent, said Monday that Puigdemont is the only candidate nominated to become regional president.
Russian court shuts down opposition leader Navalny’s foundation
https://www.politico.eu/article/alexei-navalny-russian-court-shuts-down-opposition-leader-foundation/
A Moscow court on Monday decided to shut down the foundation of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, just a week after authorities first pressed charges against it.
The court found Navalny guilty of using the Fifth Season of the Year foundation to illegally fund his presidential campaign, along with listing a fake address and violating a law on the use of personal data, the New York Times reported. It took judge Irina Afanasieva less than three hours to reach the verdict.
Navalny, one of the most outspoken critics of the Kremlin, was formally barred last month from running in the March 18 presidential election due to a fraud conviction — which he and his supporters say was politically motivated. He then turned his election campaign into a drive to persuade people to boycott the vote.
https://www.politico.eu/article/alexei-navalny-russian-court-shuts-down-opposition-leader-foundation/
A Moscow court on Monday decided to shut down the foundation of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, just a week after authorities first pressed charges against it.
The court found Navalny guilty of using the Fifth Season of the Year foundation to illegally fund his presidential campaign, along with listing a fake address and violating a law on the use of personal data, the New York Times reported. It took judge Irina Afanasieva less than three hours to reach the verdict.
Navalny, one of the most outspoken critics of the Kremlin, was formally barred last month from running in the March 18 presidential election due to a fraud conviction — which he and his supporters say was politically motivated. He then turned his election campaign into a drive to persuade people to boycott the vote.
北韓領導人金正恩前女友玄松月，日前率領代表團到南韓視察平昌冬奧的比賽及表演賽地，期間在首爾車站遇到有南韓民眾焚燒金正恩肖像抗議。北韓官方發言人周二（23）對此表達強烈抗議，要求南韓政府道歉並防止再次發生，甚至稱可能不參加奧運。
南韓為左北韓肯黎冬奧，要忍辱負重到邊個地步呢
南韓為左北韓肯黎冬奧，要忍辱負重到邊個地步呢
其實班on9唔去咪唔去囉
Boris Johnson to push for more cash for NHS
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-42783247
Boris Johnson is to push for an extra £100m a week for the NHS in England after Brexit, the BBC understands.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will give the cabinet a routine update on how the NHS is coping with winter pressures.
The foreign secretary is expected to call for extra money and warn against "abandoning the territory".
Chancellor Philip Hammond, speaking as he arrived in Brussels, said the NHS got an extra £6bn in the Budget adding: "Mr Johnson is the foreign secretary".
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-42783247
Boris Johnson is to push for an extra £100m a week for the NHS in England after Brexit, the BBC understands.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will give the cabinet a routine update on how the NHS is coping with winter pressures.
The foreign secretary is expected to call for extra money and warn against "abandoning the territory".
Chancellor Philip Hammond, speaking as he arrived in Brussels, said the NHS got an extra £6bn in the Budget adding: "Mr Johnson is the foreign secretary".
'We loot or we die of hunger': food shortages fuel unrest in Venezuela
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/21/venezuela-looting-violence-food-shortages
On the night of 9 January, for example, a hungry mob took just 30 minutes to pick clean a grocery store in the eastern city of Puerto Ordaz. By the time owner Luis Felipe Anatael arrived at the bodega he’d opened five months earlier, the looters had hauled away everything from cold cuts to ketchup to the cash registers.
Evidence for his prediction can be found in towns and cities across Venezuela that have been hit by an outbreak of looting and mob violence. Angry about empty supermarket shelves and soaring prices, some people are breaking into warehouses, ransacking food trucks and invading outlying farms.
During the first 11 days of January the Venezuelan Observatory for Social Conflict, a Caracas rights group, recorded 107 episodes of looting and several deaths in 19 of Venezuela’s 23 states.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/21/venezuela-looting-violence-food-shortages
On the night of 9 January, for example, a hungry mob took just 30 minutes to pick clean a grocery store in the eastern city of Puerto Ordaz. By the time owner Luis Felipe Anatael arrived at the bodega he’d opened five months earlier, the looters had hauled away everything from cold cuts to ketchup to the cash registers.
Evidence for his prediction can be found in towns and cities across Venezuela that have been hit by an outbreak of looting and mob violence. Angry about empty supermarket shelves and soaring prices, some people are breaking into warehouses, ransacking food trucks and invading outlying farms.
During the first 11 days of January the Venezuelan Observatory for Social Conflict, a Caracas rights group, recorded 107 episodes of looting and several deaths in 19 of Venezuela’s 23 states.
Turkey battles Syrian Kurds 'on two fronts' in Afrin
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/turkey-battles-syrian-kurds-fronts-afrin-180123075112364.html
Turkish troops have taken control of 11 Kurdish positions and created "safe zones" in neighbouring Syria's northwestern region of Afrin, according to Turkish media.
Reports on Tuesday said the army, aided by Free Syria Army rebels, is pushing towards the southern part of the Syrian region with fronts on the west and the east.
The Turkish army, which launched the Afrin operation on Saturday, captured the villages of Shankal, Qorne, Bali and Adah Manli, as well as the rural areas of Kita, Kordo and Bibno and four other hills in Afrin, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/01/turkey-battles-syrian-kurds-fronts-afrin-180123075112364.html
Turkish troops have taken control of 11 Kurdish positions and created "safe zones" in neighbouring Syria's northwestern region of Afrin, according to Turkish media.
Reports on Tuesday said the army, aided by Free Syria Army rebels, is pushing towards the southern part of the Syrian region with fronts on the west and the east.
The Turkish army, which launched the Afrin operation on Saturday, captured the villages of Shankal, Qorne, Bali and Adah Manli, as well as the rural areas of Kita, Kordo and Bibno and four other hills in Afrin, Turkish daily Hurriyet reported.
Turkey 'terror propaganda' crackdown sees dozens arrested for social media comments
http://www.dw.com/en/turkey-terror-propaganda-crackdown-sees-dozens-arrested-for-social-media-comments/a-42266585
The German daily Tagezeitung said on Tuesday that journalists from its Turkish publication Taz Gazete had been arrested by anti-terror police.
"As we write, the Ankara apartments of journalists who took positions against the war in Afrin are being stormed and searched," the newspaper wrote on Twitter, referencing Turkey's decision to send ground troops into Kurdish areas of Syria.
Turkish authorities are reportedly highly concerned about opposition to its new military mission in Afrin, particularly how social media could be used to spread that opposition. DW's Dorian Jones in Istanbul said that Prime Minister Binali Yilidirim called journalists to a meeting on Sunday to lay out a 15-point plan on how the operation in Afrin should be covered in order to quash any criticism of the move.
There were dozens of arrests made on Monday night and early Tuesday over opposition to the Afrin mission, which were seen as part of a wider crackdown on press freedom in Turkey. On Monday, Ankara announced that rallies and protests were temporarily banned in the capital until the Afrin mission is finished.
http://www.dw.com/en/turkey-terror-propaganda-crackdown-sees-dozens-arrested-for-social-media-comments/a-42266585
The German daily Tagezeitung said on Tuesday that journalists from its Turkish publication Taz Gazete had been arrested by anti-terror police.
"As we write, the Ankara apartments of journalists who took positions against the war in Afrin are being stormed and searched," the newspaper wrote on Twitter, referencing Turkey's decision to send ground troops into Kurdish areas of Syria.
Turkish authorities are reportedly highly concerned about opposition to its new military mission in Afrin, particularly how social media could be used to spread that opposition. DW's Dorian Jones in Istanbul said that Prime Minister Binali Yilidirim called journalists to a meeting on Sunday to lay out a 15-point plan on how the operation in Afrin should be covered in order to quash any criticism of the move.
There were dozens of arrests made on Monday night and early Tuesday over opposition to the Afrin mission, which were seen as part of a wider crackdown on press freedom in Turkey. On Monday, Ankara announced that rallies and protests were temporarily banned in the capital until the Afrin mission is finished.
Sessions interviewed in Russia probe
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/370239-sessions-interviewed-in-russia-probe-report
Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed last week by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team as part of the Russia investigation.
The Justice Department confirmed a report in The New York Times that Sessions was questioned for several hours. It is the first time that Mueller’s team has interviewed a member of President Trump’s Cabinet.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/370239-sessions-interviewed-in-russia-probe-report
Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed last week by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s team as part of the Russia investigation.
The Justice Department confirmed a report in The New York Times that Sessions was questioned for several hours. It is the first time that Mueller’s team has interviewed a member of President Trump’s Cabinet.
Kentucky school shooting: Two teenagers dead and 17 injured
[url]http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42797684
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Two people have been killed and 17 injured in a high school shooting in the US state of Kentucky.
A 15-year-old girl died at the scene at Marshall County High School in the town of Benton and a 15-year-old boy died in hospital, said Kentucky's governor.
The unidentified attacker was a 15-year-old male student, who was arrested and is in custody.
State police said he was detained about 15 minutes after opening fire at 08:00 local time on Tuesday.
[url]http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42797684
[/url]
Two people have been killed and 17 injured in a high school shooting in the US state of Kentucky.
A 15-year-old girl died at the scene at Marshall County High School in the town of Benton and a 15-year-old boy died in hospital, said Kentucky's governor.
The unidentified attacker was a 15-year-old male student, who was arrested and is in custody.
State police said he was detained about 15 minutes after opening fire at 08:00 local time on Tuesday.
Trudeau announces Pacific trade agreement without US
http://thehill.com/policy/international/370285-trudeau-announces-pacific-trade-agreement-without-us
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Canada — along with the 10 other remaining countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — would work toward creating a revised trade agreement.
Trudeau said in a statement that the countries involved — not including the U.S. — finished talks in Tokyo on a "new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)."
http://thehill.com/policy/international/370285-trudeau-announces-pacific-trade-agreement-without-us
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Canada — along with the 10 other remaining countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) — would work toward creating a revised trade agreement.
Trudeau said in a statement that the countries involved — not including the U.S. — finished talks in Tokyo on a "new Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)."
TPP Members Reach Agreement on Major Trade Pact
https://www.wsj.com/articles/tpp-members-reach-agreement-a-year-after-u-s-exit-1516709064
TOKYO—Negotiators from 11 Pacific Rim nations agreed Tuesday on a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, the Japanese minister in charge of TPP said, a year after President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the talks.
The 11 nations were close to a deal at a summit in Vietnam in November but fell short at the last minute after Canada raised objections.
Negotiators gathered again in Tokyo Tuesday and cleared away the remaining sticking points, said Toshimitsu Motegi, the Japanese minister handling the talks. He said the 11 nations aim to sign the agreement on March 8 in Chile.
The TPP agreement could also provide a framework for a future Nafta deal should the current one be scrapped by the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the trade talks. Senior Mexican officials see the TPP agreement as an indication that the free-trade train is rolling forward with regional pacts, with or without the U.S. aboard, as Nafta is being renegotiated.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/tpp-members-reach-agreement-a-year-after-u-s-exit-1516709064
TOKYO—Negotiators from 11 Pacific Rim nations agreed Tuesday on a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, the Japanese minister in charge of TPP said, a year after President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the talks.
The 11 nations were close to a deal at a summit in Vietnam in November but fell short at the last minute after Canada raised objections.
Negotiators gathered again in Tokyo Tuesday and cleared away the remaining sticking points, said Toshimitsu Motegi, the Japanese minister handling the talks. He said the 11 nations aim to sign the agreement on March 8 in Chile.
The TPP agreement could also provide a framework for a future Nafta deal should the current one be scrapped by the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the trade talks. Senior Mexican officials see the TPP agreement as an indication that the free-trade train is rolling forward with regional pacts, with or without the U.S. aboard, as Nafta is being renegotiated.
又乘機拉人加強控制
Venezuela calls early election, Maduro to seek second term
http://www.dw.com/en/venezuela-calls-early-election-maduro-to-seek-second-term/a-42281230
Venezuela's National Election Council has been authorized to set an exact date for the next presidential election after the Constituent Assembly — a body dominated by supporters of current leader Nicolas Maduro — approved plans for an early vote.
Delegates ordered the election to take place before April 30, seven months ahead of schedule — a move widely seen as allowing Maduro to take advantage of disarray in the country's opposition despite a worsening economic crisis.
http://www.dw.com/en/venezuela-calls-early-election-maduro-to-seek-second-term/a-42281230
Venezuela's National Election Council has been authorized to set an exact date for the next presidential election after the Constituent Assembly — a body dominated by supporters of current leader Nicolas Maduro — approved plans for an early vote.
Delegates ordered the election to take place before April 30, seven months ahead of schedule — a move widely seen as allowing Maduro to take advantage of disarray in the country's opposition despite a worsening economic crisis.
German far-right AfD politician resigns after converting to Islam
http://www.dw.com/en/german-far-right-afd-politician-resigns-after-converting-to-islam/a-42280561
The far-right, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Tuesday confirmed reports in the German media that one of its politicians, Arthur Wagner, has converted to Islam.
Wagner, a leading AfD member in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, resigned his position on the party's national executive committee on January 11 for personal reasons, AfD spokesman Daniel Friese said.
He (Friese) insisted the AfD's national party included groups representing the interests of Muslims, as well as Christians and homosexuals.
http://www.dw.com/en/german-far-right-afd-politician-resigns-after-converting-to-islam/a-42280561
The far-right, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD) party on Tuesday confirmed reports in the German media that one of its politicians, Arthur Wagner, has converted to Islam.
Wagner, a leading AfD member in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, resigned his position on the party's national executive committee on January 11 for personal reasons, AfD spokesman Daniel Friese said.
He (Friese) insisted the AfD's national party included groups representing the interests of Muslims, as well as Christians and homosexuals.
US blames Russia for Syria chemical weapons attacks
[url]http://www.dw.com/en/us-blames-russia-for-syria-chemical-weapons-attacks/a-42279833
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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday said Russia bore the responsibility of Syria's continued use of chemical weapons after aid workers earlier this week reported an attack in Eastern Ghouta, the last rebel bastion near Damascus.
"Only yesterday, more than 20 civilians, mostly children, were victims of an apparent chlorine gas attack," Tillerson said in the wake of a Paris conference on chemical weapons.
[url]http://www.dw.com/en/us-blames-russia-for-syria-chemical-weapons-attacks/a-42279833
[/url]
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday said Russia bore the responsibility of Syria's continued use of chemical weapons after aid workers earlier this week reported an attack in Eastern Ghouta, the last rebel bastion near Damascus.
"Only yesterday, more than 20 civilians, mostly children, were victims of an apparent chlorine gas attack," Tillerson said in the wake of a Paris conference on chemical weapons.
Brazil poised for Lula appeal verdict
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42798542
Three judges in Brazil will shortly decide whether to uphold a prison term given to the country's former President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The ruling could prove vital to Brazil's political future.
Despite being convicted of corruption and money-laundering in July 2017, Lula is hoping to win another term as president at elections on 7 October.
He firmly denies the allegations against him, which he says are designed to stop him running for office again.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42798542
Three judges in Brazil will shortly decide whether to uphold a prison term given to the country's former President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The ruling could prove vital to Brazil's political future.
Despite being convicted of corruption and money-laundering in July 2017, Lula is hoping to win another term as president at elections on 7 October.
He firmly denies the allegations against him, which he says are designed to stop him running for office again.
Save the Children offices in Afghanistan hit by attack
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42800271
Attackers have detonated explosives before storming the offices of the Save the Children charity in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. It started at about 09:10 local time (04:40 GMT) when a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at the entrance to the Save the Children compound, Ataullah Khogyani, a provincial government spokesperson, told the BBC.
At least 11 people are reported injured so far. It is believed about 50 staff were in the building at the time.
A suspected suicide car bomb blast began the assault, with the gunmen now said to be using machine guns and RPGs from higher floors in the building.
No group has yet said it is behind Wednesday's attack.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42800271
Attackers have detonated explosives before storming the offices of the Save the Children charity in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad. It started at about 09:10 local time (04:40 GMT) when a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at the entrance to the Save the Children compound, Ataullah Khogyani, a provincial government spokesperson, told the BBC.
At least 11 people are reported injured so far. It is believed about 50 staff were in the building at the time.
A suspected suicide car bomb blast began the assault, with the gunmen now said to be using machine guns and RPGs from higher floors in the building.
No group has yet said it is behind Wednesday's attack.
Syria war: US strikes on IS headquarters 'kills 150 militants'
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42802151
The US-led coalition against the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) says it has killed up to 150 militants in air strikes on a headquarters in Syria.
A statement said the strikes took place on Saturday near al-Shafah, in the Middle Euphrates river valley in the south-eastern province of Deir al-Zour. A combination of intelligence and continuous target observation ensured no civilians were harmed, it added.
There was no confirmation of the attack from IS or its supporters.
The coalition says the group has lost 98% of the territory that it seized across Iraq and Syria in 2014, when it proclaimed the creation of a "caliphate".
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42802151
The US-led coalition against the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) says it has killed up to 150 militants in air strikes on a headquarters in Syria.
A statement said the strikes took place on Saturday near al-Shafah, in the Middle Euphrates river valley in the south-eastern province of Deir al-Zour. A combination of intelligence and continuous target observation ensured no civilians were harmed, it added.
There was no confirmation of the attack from IS or its supporters.
The coalition says the group has lost 98% of the territory that it seized across Iraq and Syria in 2014, when it proclaimed the creation of a "caliphate".
Presidents Club: Scandal-hit charity dinner organiser quits post
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42801178
A man who helped organise a men-only charity dinner, where hostesses were allegedly groped, has quit the Department for Education board, MPs have been told.
David Meller joined the department as a non-executive board member in 2013.
Charities have also said they will be refusing donations from the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, held at London's upmarket Dorchester Hotel.
A Great Ormond Street Hospital spokeswoman said the hospital will return previous donations from the organisers of the dinner.
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-42801178
A man who helped organise a men-only charity dinner, where hostesses were allegedly groped, has quit the Department for Education board, MPs have been told.
David Meller joined the department as a non-executive board member in 2013.
Charities have also said they will be refusing donations from the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, held at London's upmarket Dorchester Hotel.
A Great Ormond Street Hospital spokeswoman said the hospital will return previous donations from the organisers of the dinner.
'IS' claims deadly attack on Save the Children office in Afghanistan
http://www.dw.com/en/is-claims-deadly-attack-on-save-the-children-office-in-afghanistan/a-42281761
An attack on Save the Children's office in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad has ended with at least two people killed and 20 wounded, an official said on Wednesday.
The four assailants — reportedly dressed as police — fired a rocket propelled grenade from a car outside the British charity's compound in the eastern city of Jalalabad. They then clashed with security forces for about three hours, a provincial government spokesman said. Afghan TV news channels showed a plume of black smoke coming out of the compound and a vehicle on fire outside the office.
The so-called Islamic State (IS) group later on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the attack.
http://www.dw.com/en/is-claims-deadly-attack-on-save-the-children-office-in-afghanistan/a-42281761
An attack on Save the Children's office in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad has ended with at least two people killed and 20 wounded, an official said on Wednesday.
The four assailants — reportedly dressed as police — fired a rocket propelled grenade from a car outside the British charity's compound in the eastern city of Jalalabad. They then clashed with security forces for about three hours, a provincial government spokesman said. Afghan TV news channels showed a plume of black smoke coming out of the compound and a vehicle on fire outside the office.
The so-called Islamic State (IS) group later on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the attack.
Czech Republic's Andrej Babis gets new shot at forming government
http://www.dw.com/en/czech-republics-andrej-babis-gets-new-shot-at-forming-government/a-42290559
The minority government formed by Andrej Babis ANO party officially stepped down on Wednesday, less than six weeks after the swearing-in ceremony. Last week, the cabinet failed a confidence vote in the parliament.
Immediately after the government stepped down on Wednesday, conservative President Milos Zeman gave the 63-year-old billionaire and acting Prime Minister Babis a new mandate to form another cabinet.
According to the Czech constitution, every new government is due to automatically face a vote of no-confidence within weeks of being appointed. The populist ANO party won 78 out of 200 parliamentary seats in the October vote, putting far above any of the rival parties. However, due to graft accusations against Babis, smaller parties have so far refused to back him.
If Babis once again fails to ensure enough votes in the parliament, it would be up to the chairman of the parliament to suggest the new head of government. This position is held by ANO deputy Radek Vondracek.
http://www.dw.com/en/czech-republics-andrej-babis-gets-new-shot-at-forming-government/a-42290559
The minority government formed by Andrej Babis ANO party officially stepped down on Wednesday, less than six weeks after the swearing-in ceremony. Last week, the cabinet failed a confidence vote in the parliament.
Immediately after the government stepped down on Wednesday, conservative President Milos Zeman gave the 63-year-old billionaire and acting Prime Minister Babis a new mandate to form another cabinet.
According to the Czech constitution, every new government is due to automatically face a vote of no-confidence within weeks of being appointed. The populist ANO party won 78 out of 200 parliamentary seats in the October vote, putting far above any of the rival parties. However, due to graft accusations against Babis, smaller parties have so far refused to back him.
If Babis once again fails to ensure enough votes in the parliament, it would be up to the chairman of the parliament to suggest the new head of government. This position is held by ANO deputy Radek Vondracek.
Madrid orders Brussels reps to bar Puigdemont meeting
[url]http://www.dw.com/en/madrid-orders-brussels-reps-to-bar-puigdemont-meeting/a-42286339
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Madrid on Wednesday demanded that Catalonia's representative in Brussels not allow a meeting between the sacked regional president Carles Puigdemont and the speaker of the region's parliament, Roger Torrent, who traveled to Brussels to meet with Puigdemont.
"The representative of the Catalan government in Brussels has been instructed not to allow this meeting to take place in the building of the Catalan diplomatic mission," a source told the French news agency AFP before the meeting was due to take place.
Puigdemont was formally designated last week by Torrent — another separatist — as the candidate to lead the region again.
[url]http://www.dw.com/en/madrid-orders-brussels-reps-to-bar-puigdemont-meeting/a-42286339
[/url]
Madrid on Wednesday demanded that Catalonia's representative in Brussels not allow a meeting between the sacked regional president Carles Puigdemont and the speaker of the region's parliament, Roger Torrent, who traveled to Brussels to meet with Puigdemont.
"The representative of the Catalan government in Brussels has been instructed not to allow this meeting to take place in the building of the Catalan diplomatic mission," a source told the French news agency AFP before the meeting was due to take place.
Puigdemont was formally designated last week by Torrent — another separatist — as the candidate to lead the region again.
Brazil ex-President Lula loses appeal against corruption conviction
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42810464
An appeals court in Brazil has unanimously upheld a corruption conviction imposed last July on ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
While he can still take his appeal to a higher court, the decision could rule Lula out as a candidate for October's presidential election.
On Wednesday, all three judges at the appeals court in the city of Porto Alegre said Lula had broken the law by accepting special favours over a seafront apartment from a construction company involved in a major corruption scheme.
They increased his original sentence from nine-and-a-half years to 12 years and one month in jail.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-42810464
An appeals court in Brazil has unanimously upheld a corruption conviction imposed last July on ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
While he can still take his appeal to a higher court, the decision could rule Lula out as a candidate for October's presidential election.
On Wednesday, all three judges at the appeals court in the city of Porto Alegre said Lula had broken the law by accepting special favours over a seafront apartment from a construction company involved in a major corruption scheme.
They increased his original sentence from nine-and-a-half years to 12 years and one month in jail.