國際時事政治選舉集中理性討論區（三）

不過中國銀彈多，四國點推行要諗d計仔
東盟食兩邊茶禮

而家唔夠膽出聲

Syria war: Dozens of civilians killed in Eastern Ghouta strikes

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43121547

Bombardments by Syrian government forces have killed dozens of civilians in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area outside Damascus, activists say.

At least 77 civilians, including 20 children, were killed in air strikes and rocket fire on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The army is believed to be preparing a ground offensive.

Urging a halt to the bombardment, a UN official said the situation was spiralling out of control.

Fujimori: Former Peruvian president to stand trial for murder

http://www.dw.com/en/fujimori-former-peruvian-president-to-stand-trial-for-murder/a-42651906

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori will face trial for a 1992 massacre despite being recently pardoned by current President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski and released from prison.

The 79-year-old had been serving a 25-year sentence for crimes that included commanding death squads that killed suspected civilian sympathizers of left wing guerrillas before he was pardoned in late December on the grounds of his ill health.

The pardon was roundly criticized by international rights groups as a blow in the struggle against impunity and led to street protests in Peru.

Germany

Merkel taps possible successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as next CDU secretary general

http://www.dw.com/en/merkel-taps-possible-successor-annegret-kramp-karrenbauer-as-next-cdu-secretary-general/a-42639522

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, premier of the small western German state of Saarland, was nominated on Monday to take over as secretary general of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU).

Kramp-Karrenbauer, one of Merkel's closest allies, is respected in the CDU for helping the party win Saarland's state election last year and played a key role in coalition talks between the conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD).

According to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, Merkel and Kramp-Karrenbauer agreed she would take over the post months ago once it became clear that the current secretary general would not continue. The outgoing CDU secretary general, 43-year-old Peter Tauber, is stepping down from his post following a serious illness, party sources said on Sunday.

Kramp-Karrenbauer's nomination is significant as the center-right party starts to look for someone who will lead the party and possibly Germany after Merkel.

It's the first time Kramp-Karrenbauer, also referred to as "AKK," will have played a role on the national political stage. The move could prove risky, however, as Kramp-Karrenbauer isn't a member of parliament, and could put her in conflict with the CDU's powerful parliamentary group, reported Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Germany's far-right AfD overtakes Social Democrats in poll

http://www.dw.com/en/germanys-far-right-afd-overtakes-social-democrats-in-poll/a-42648964

A poll published on behalf of German tabloid Bild has found that 16 percent of voters would choose the right-wing, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), half-a-percent more than those who would vote for the Social Democrats (SPD).

The figures released by the INSA polling institute show the SPD in free fall. Germany's oldest political party has seen its polling figures plummet even further since it garnered just 20.5 percent of the vote in September's federal election, its worst result in the post-war era.

US

WH: Trump supports efforts to improve gun background checks

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/374506-white-house-trump-supports-efforts-to-improve-federal-background

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump indicated Monday he supports gun-background-check legislation in response to last week’s mass shooting at a Florida high school.

“The president is supportive of efforts to improve the federal background check system,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

Sanders said Trump spoke Friday with Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) about a bill he co-authored with Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to bolster the federal background check system. She cautioned that “discussions are ongoing and revisions are being considered” to the measure.

The bipartisan measure is narrowly focused on background checks; it would require states and federal agencies to produce plans to report offenses that would bar people from passing a check needed to purchase a firearm.

It also reiterates that federal agencies must report all violations to the National Instant Criminal Background Check system and creates new financial incentives for states to report information.

Trump endorses Romney in Utah Senate race

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/374576-trump-endorses-critic-romney-in-utah-senate-race

President Trump endorsed Mitt Romney in the Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) on Monday night, despite reportedly urging Hatch to run for reelection to block Romney out.

“He will make a great Senator and worthy successor to @OrrinHatch, and has my full support and endorsement!” Trump tweeted.

HE WAS BEGGING FOR MY ENDORSEMENT.
I COULD HAVE SAID, MITT, DROP TO YOUR KNEES, HE WOULD HAVE DROPPED TO HIS KNEES.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_XCy-vYMJs&app=desktop

Trump to take steps to ban bump stocks

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/374722-trump-to-take-steps-to-ban-bump-stocks

President Trump said Tuesday he has directed the Department of Justice to propose regulations that would ban bump stocks, devices that allow semi-automatic guns to be modified to shoot hundreds of rounds per minute.

Bump stocks came to the forefront of the gun control debate after the deadly mass shooting at a Las Vegas music festival in October that left nearly 60 dead and more than 500 injured. The gunman in that incident allegedly used a bump stock device while firing rounds on the crowd of concert-goers from a hotel room above them.

It does not appear that a bump stock device was used in the Florida shooting, nor does it appear a prohibition on the devices would have stopped that shooter. Still, Trump's remarks illustrate a desire on the part of the White House to show action on the issue of guns as students from the school and around the country demand change.

The National Rifle Association has said bump stocks should be subject to additional regulation but has opposed legislation to ban the device.

In a statement Tuesday, the gun lobby said it cannot comment until an actual rule is published with specifics it can review.

左膠又會點 spin

有啦

話緊佢唔禁半自動步槍

Report: Pence agreed to secret meeting with North Korean officials before last-minute cancellation

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/20/pence-north-korea-417889

Vice President Mike Pence was set to hold a secret meeting with North Korean officials during his visit to South Korea for the Olympics before the other side pulled out at the last minute, Pence’s office told The Washington Post on Tuesday.

Pence was to meet with Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, as well as with the head of state, Kim Yong Nam, Pence’s office told The Post. But they pulled out less than two hours before the scheduled meeting after Pence spoke in favor of sharp sanctions and denounced the North Korean leadership during a tour of Asia.

May Under Pressure After 62 Tory Hardliners Demand Clean Brexit

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-20/may-under-pressure-after-62-tory-lawmakers-demand-hard-brexit?

Prime Minister Theresa May is facing a potentially dangerous outcry from 62 members of her own party who are demanding a quick, clean break from the European Union, just as she tries to finalize her Brexit plans.

The group of Conservative lawmakers challenged May to take a harder approach on two key issues: how far British rules should move away from those of the EU after Brexit, and the nature of the transition period that businesses desperately want.

While insisting they back May’s leadership, the Tories link their support to her delivering the kind of decisive split that they want Brexit to be. They number more than enough to trigger a leadership bid against May, whose government lacks a parliamentary majority.

While May hasn’t yet formalized her plans, the broad shape of the deal she wants is becoming clear: The U.K. will stay closely aligned to EU rules in many areas, including manufactured goods, while breaking away immediately in others, such as agriculture and financial services.

Brexit Secretary David Davis proposed that both sides could mutually recognize each other’s regulations as acceptable in future, removing the need for cumbersome negotiations on developing shared regulatory regimes. Euroskeptics see a risk this would lead to the U.K. following EU rules.

Kushner resisting giving up top access amid scrutiny over security clearances: report

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/374787-kushner-resisting-giving-up-access-to-classified-info-amid-scrutiny

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is resisting giving up his high-level access within the administration as chief of staff John Kelly moves to address questions concerning the security clearance process, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

Kushner has reportedly told other White House officials that he is hesitant to give up his access to the classified information, putting him at odds with Kelly. Kushner is one of several White House appointees still operating on an interim security clearance.

Kelly announced in a memo last week that the administration would change its handling of interim security clearances and cut off certain clearances.

Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, reportedly have a tense relationship with Kelly. According to the Times, President Trump, who is Kushner's father-in-law, spent the weekend at Mar-a-Lago surveying people about whether he should fire Kelly.

Confidant of Israel's Netanyahu turns state witness in corruption case: media

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-israel-politics-corruption/confidant-of-israels-netanyahu-turns-state-witness-in-corruption-case-media-idUSKCN1G50HS

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to turn state’s witness in one of several corruption investigations posing a serious threat to the conservative leader’s political survival, local media said.

Shlomo Filber’s decision to testify for the state against his former boss is a dramatic turn for Netanyahu, whose inner circle had so far seemed watertight. Filber’s change of heart could leave the tough-talking Netanyahu at his most vulnerable yet, with one critic writing him off as a “political corpse”.

The development has also fueled speculation that Netanyahu, 68, will call a snap election to try to stall legal proceedings during the campaign and rally his right-wing power base behind him.

The prime minister denies all the allegations against him and has said he will seek a fifth term in office in a national ballot due in late 2019. So far, partners in his governing coalition have stood by him, showing little appetite for bringing down the government over the affairs and risking an early poll.

Polls before Filber’s decision suggested Netanyahu would just about survive if an election was held now, despite widespread suspicion against him.

A survey published on Feb. 14 showed that almost half of Israel’s electorate believe police allegations of bribery against Netanyahu, while 25 percent said they believed Netanyahu’s denials. The remainder said they did not know whom to believe.

But when people were asked whether he should remain in office or temporarily step aside, 49 percent said he should stay put, while 43 percent that he should step down temporarily

U.S. looking at potential new sanctions against Russia

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia/u-s-looking-at-potential-new-sanctions-against-russia-idUSKCN1G600D?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is considering new sanctions against Russia in response to election meddling and a devastating cyber attack last year, senior U.S. officials said on Wednesday, pushing back against criticism that it has been slow to act.

Both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress, which nearly unanimously passed a new sanctions bill against Russia last summer, criticized President Donald Trump for not punishing Moscow and accused him of being soft on his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Their recrimination followed a decision by the Trump administration in January not to announce sanctions against Russia for now under the new law.

In a briefing for a group of reporters, three senior administration officials involved in sanctions work described a process that is slow moving for legal reasons and cannot be accelerated in response to negative headlines.

“The process on sanctions is long; it’s arduous; it’s not pretty, but when the evidence is there and we’re ready, we go ahead with the sanctions,” one official said.

Switzerland hints it won’t extradite Catalan separatist leader

https://www.politico.eu/article/catalonia-independence-spain-switzerland-hints-it-wont-extradite-separatist-leader/

The Swiss government indicated Wednesday that it will not extradite a leading figure in the Catalan independence movement to Spain if it determines that the charges she faces are political in nature, El País reported.

A Spanish Supreme Court judge on Wednesday issued a national arrest warrant for Anna Gabriel, a former deputy and spokesperson for the pro-independence Popular Unity Candidacy, after she skipped a court hearing. Gabriel traveled to Switzerland recently to avoid charges of rebellion and sedition related to her role in a push for Catalan independence last year.

A spokesman for the Swiss justice department said the charges against Gabriel are “in all likelihood a political crime,” and that if this is indeed the case, Swiss authorities “could not act on a potential extradition request.” Swiss law prohibits extradition if authorities deem the case to be “predominantly political” in nature.

Venezuela's Maduro wants 'mega-election' amid opposition boycott

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-43149871

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has proposed holding a "mega-election" after the opposition coalition said it would boycott a planned presidential poll in April.

Mr Maduro said he wanted to add legislative, state and municipal votes to provide "democratic renewal".

Opposition parties say the presidential election will be "fraudulent and illegitimate".

Mr Maduro said elections would be held "with or without" the Democratic Unity opposition coalition, which he accused of "erratic conduct".

"A great parliamentary mega-election in the country, I am proposing it officially to the National Constituent Assembly for its consideration and let's go for some powerful, powerful elections for a democratic renewal of the country," he said.

He said he wanted to bring forward other elections to "leave 4 years clear [of elections] at least".

Macron proposes tougher migration policies

https://www.politico.eu/article/france-emmanuel-macron-proposes-tougher-migration-policies/

Emmanuel Macron’s government released a proposal Wednesday for tighter immigration and asylum policies, which has already been criticized by members of the French president’s own party.

The bill aims to speed up the deportation process, and includes measures such as doubling the amount of time authorities can detain failed asylum applicants to 90 days, and halving the time that applicants can appeal decisions, according to AFP.

“It’s a well-balanced law, in line with European law above all, and it is absolutely necessary that countries like Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden have the same type of procedures,” said French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb. “If we don’t take on this problem, we will not be able to guarantee the right to asylum in France anymore.”

What to Know About Italy’s 2018 Elections

https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-know-about-italys-2018-elections

What are the dominant issues?

The continent’s migration crisis has rocked Italian politics, as the country has borne the brunt of migrant and refugee arrivals from nearby North Africa. Italy absorbed more than six hundred thousand migrants over the last four years, with more than 180,000 arriving in 2016.

The Italian economy was hit hard by the 2008–2009 financial crisis, shrinking by nearly 9 percent by 2013. Many analysts say that the economy needs deeper reforms to promote hiring and investment, while some Italian politicians blame the euro common currency and EU budget rules for hindering the recovery. Some worry that continued low growth or another recession could lead to a debt crisis that could threaten the eurozone.

he banking system remains a major problem. Italian banks hold more than $220 billion in bad loans, which stifles lending and investment across the economy.

Who are the primary contenders?

Democratic Party: Since the 2013 elections, the PD passed labor legislation that economists say has created jobs and begun a program of recapitalizing Italy’s banks, but some on the left wing of the party have split with Renzi, weakening his bid to return as prime minister. Renzi remains the party leader, but some observers say that in the case of an inconclusive election, Gentiloni could be reappointed as a compromise choice for head of a grand coalition government.

Coalition of the Right: Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who, at age 81, last held office in 2011, has achieved a comeback of sorts by assembling a coalition of right-wing parties. More radical is his ally the Northern League, a party originally devoted to the independence of Italy’s northern regions. Its leader, Matteo Salvini, has rebranded it into a national party based on an anti-immigration and Euroskeptic platform. Salvini has said he would take Italy out of the eurozone, though Berlusconi disagrees.

Five Star Movement: Polls show the most popular party ahead of the elections is the Five Star Movement (M5S), founded in 2009 by comedian Beppe Grillo. The party is an eclectic mix of ideologies and personalities, loosely united by a spirit of protest against Italy’s political establishment, which it sees as corrupt and outmoded. Its leaders have often criticized Italy’s participation in the euro and EU budget rules, and have called for tighter immigration policies.

左膠： far right