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Narrow rule feared after Russia lifts leader limits | MOSCOW -- The Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, voted yesterday to overturn a ban on political party leaders becoming ministers, raising fears that Soviet-style one-party rule could make a comeback. | Zimbabwe's main opposition party ruled out taking part in elections yesterday unless President Robert Mugabe's regime complies with tough new rules established | eng_Latn | 1,400 |
Italy head to dissolve parliament and call elections | Italy's president was due to dissolve parliament on Wednesday ahead of snap elections, likely in mid-April, that could mark a return to power of media magnate Silvio Berlusconi. | A Berlusconi dico che nuovo esecutivo sarebbe popolarissimo | eng_Latn | 1,401 |
Belarus president Lukashenko has a right to reign forever | Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko will have a right to run at forthcoming presidential election in the country. This is the outcome of the national referendum, which took place in Belarus on October 17th. | Initial results from Botswana's election were delayed on Sunday but President Festus Mogae's ruling party has won the first seat and is seen as safe to win the overall poll in the world's largest diamond producer. | eng_Latn | 1,402 |
Megawati concedes defeat | INDONESIA'S outgoing President Megawati Sukarnoputri today tearfully conceded defeat in last month's elections, clearing the way for the winner, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to begin forming a new government. | Direct vs indirect war is over The channel model wars are over, and Dell lost, one industry pundit declared today.⦠| eng_Latn | 1,403 |
Zimbabwe's splintered opposition seeks to unite against Mugabe | Zimbabwe's splintered opposition should unite to block plans by President Robert Mugabe's ruling party to extend his rule by another two years to 2010, the head of a faction has said. | Politics: 11 November 2004, Thursday. Organized crime groups in Bulgaria are not strong enough to threaten the economic and financial stability of the country, Bulgaria's Parliamentary Speaker Ognian Gerdzhikov ... | eng_Latn | 1,404 |
Cambodia's King Sihanouk abdicates | PHNOM PENH: Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk has abdicated, sick and dismayed at political infighting in his impoverished country as it tries to recover from the "Killing Fields" era, his son says. | Ukraine's outgoing President Leonid Kuchma accepted the resignation of defeated presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovich from the post of prime minister, according to the presidency. | eng_Latn | 1,405 |
Gambia opposition unite to fight | Gambia's five main opposition parties form a coalition to run against President Yahya Jammeh in next year's elections. | Lawyers today tried to block moves to unveil more of the supposed financial backers of the alleged coup attempt in Equatorial Guinea. | eng_Latn | 1,406 |
Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah ( February 16 , 1932 -- March 13 , 2014 ) was the third President of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007 . | Alhaji Ahmad Tejan Kabbah ( February 16 , 1932 -- March 13 , 2014 ) was a Sierra Leonean politician , economist and lawyer . He was the third President of Sierra Leone from 1996 to 1997 and again from 1998 to 2007 . | The foundation is named in honor of Azerbaijan 's former leader , President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev ( 1923 -- 2003 ) , who was the father of Aliyeva 's husband , the current President of Azerbaijan , Ilham Aliyev . | eng_Latn | 1,407 |
New Kingdom Egyptian king lists , such as the Turin Canon ( 13th century BCE ) and the Abydos king list ( reign of Seti I , 1294 -- 1279 BCE ) , identify Menes ( probably Narmer ) ( c. 3100 or 3000 BCE ) as the first king of the first dynasty and so credit him with unifying Egypt . | New Kingdom Egyptian king lists , such as the Turin Canon ( 13th century BCE ) and the Abydos king list ( reign of Seti I , 1294 -- 1279 BCE ) , say that Menes ( probably Narmer ) ( c. 3100 or 3000 BCE ) was the first king of the first dynasty . | Muhammadu Buhari , GCFR ( born 17 December 1942 ) is the President-elect of Nigeria and a retired Major General in the Nigerian Army who was Head of State of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985 , after taking power in a military coup d'état . | eng_Latn | 1,408 |
Since the December 2008 national election , the current majority party is the Bangladesh Awami League . | The current majority party is the Bangladesh Awami League . | In 1963 , a terrorist group that became known as the Front de Libération du Québec ( FLQ ) began doing bombings , robberies and attacks on government offices . | eng_Latn | 1,409 |
Ntibantunganya left office when he was deposed by Pierre Buyoya in a military coup in 1996 . | Ntibantunganya left office when he was deposed by Pierre Buyoya in a military coup of 1996 . | Johnson was dismissed from these high-profile posts in November , 2004 over accusations that he lied to Michael Howard about a four-year extramarital affair with Petronella Wyatt , The Spectator 's New York correspondent and former deputy editor . | eng_Latn | 1,410 |
In the late 20th century , the situation was different in that each district had its own District Office ( Okresný úrad ) , representing the state in the district , but as from January 1 , 2004 these offices were abolished and replaced by Circuit Offices ( Obvodný úrad ) , which are usually responsible for several districts ( except for the Nové Zámky District , which is one district with two Circuit Offices ) and have little responsibilities . | The current districts exist since 1996 , which at first had their own offices , but in 2004 , they were abolished and replaced by the Circuit Offices , which are usually responsible for several districts ( except for the Nové Zámky District , which has two Circuit Offices ) , reducing districts to a little more than statistical units . | He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with responsibility for the Ministry of Postal Services , Telephones , and Telecommunications in the second cabinet of Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito . He became Acting Prime Minister on 6 March 2012 , following the resignation of Prime Minister Muzito . | eng_Latn | 1,411 |
In early 1959 , French Sudan ( which changed its name to the Sudanese Republic ) and Senegal united to become the Mali Federation . | In early 1959 , Mali and Senegal united and they became the Mali Federation . | In February 2006 , Ban announced his candidacy to replace Kofi Annan as UN Secretary-General at the end of 2006 . He was the first South Korean to run for Secretary-General . | eng_Latn | 1,412 |
Fernando de Araújo , also known as Lasama ( 26 February 1963 -- 2 June 2015 ) was an East Timorese politician who was President of the National Parliament of East Timor from 2007 to 2012 . | Fernando de Araújo ( 26 February 1963 -- 2 June 2015 ) was an East Timorese politician . He was the President of the National Parliament from 8 August 2007 until 30 July 2012 . | The foundation is named in honor of Azerbaijan 's former leader , President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev ( 1923 -- 2003 ) , who was the father of Aliyeva 's husband , the current President of Azerbaijan , Ilham Aliyev . | eng_Latn | 1,413 |
Now , this community 's leader is Mahmud Esad Coşan 's son , Muharrem Nureddin Coşan . | When he died , the community 's leader was Mahmud Esad Coşan . Now , this community 's leader is Muharrem Nureddin Coşan . | The celebration was organized by the Asociación Cultural de la Llingua Llïonesa El Fueyu with the help of the Asociación Berciana en Defensa de la Llingua Llïonesa El Toralín , La Barda ( Leonese language association from Salamanca ) and Pro Monumenta . | eng_Latn | 1,414 |
Liberals expel Romanian politician | Liberal leaders expelled one of the country's most popular politicians from the party Saturday after she admitted to having collaborated with the Securitate secret police under the communist dictatorship of Nicolae Ceausescu. | 'Non entreremo mai in Telecom',ente romano tra piu' virtuosi | eng_Latn | 1,415 |
Serbian minority boycotts Kosovo election | The beleaguered Serbian minority in Kosovo spurned a legislative election yesterday, heeding claims by hard-line nationalists in Belgrade that voting would | Survivors of the Srebrenica massacre in 1995 criticise honours given to Dutch peacekeepers in the city. | eng_Latn | 1,416 |
Kibaki declared winner of Kenya election | President Mwai Kibaki has beaten opposition rival Raila Odinga by a narrow margin to win re-election in Kenya's closest ever vote, the head of the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) said on Sunday. | Investor's Business Daily - Politics: In a fundraising e-mail, Sen. John Kerry charges that Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell tried to "suppress the Democratic vote." But it wasn't Blackwell who paid off registrars with cocaine. | eng_Latn | 1,417 |
Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk abdicates | His son and national assembly president, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, says a message from the king, who is currently in Beijing, has been read to the national assembly. | Ukraine's outgoing President Leonid Kuchma accepted the resignation of defeated presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovich from the post of prime minister, according to the presidency. | eng_Latn | 1,418 |
Sudan's ruling parties try to relaunch partnership | Sudan's ruling parties are seeking to relaunch their strained partnership after a period of mutual sniping and chilly relations, Sudanese media said. | : Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is preparing a five-year program for Indonesia's new government after winning three in five votes in the presidential election, M. Lufti, a spokesman for Susilo, said late last night. | eng_Latn | 1,419 |
Nepal, rebels OK deal on constitution | Nepal's ruling parties and communist rebels reached an agreement on an interim constitution Saturday, a crucial development in the country's peace process, officials said. | Ukraine's fractious lawmakers reached a tentative agreement yesterday to end a political stalemate before a new presidential election this month. | eng_Latn | 1,420 |
Abe elected as new Japan PM | Japan's parliament elects Shinzo Abe as the country's new prime minister, replacing Junichiro Koizumi. | Nepal's government agrees for the first time to abolish the country's 240-year-old monarchy. | eng_Latn | 1,421 |
Zuma Elected as Leader of African National Congress | POLOKWANE, South Africa Dec. 18 -- Jacob Zuma, who was fired as South Africa's deputy president less than three years ago, was elected leader of the ruling African National Congress on Tuesday, a victory that cements his position as favorite to become president of South Africa in 2009. | Neo-Nazi parties took seats in German legislatures this week for the first time in 36 years. | eng_Latn | 1,422 |
Somalia's PM demotes his deputy | Somalia's PM gives his deputy a lower-profile ministry in a cabinet reshuffle in an effort to exert his authority. | Congo Dem. Rep. REUTERS, STOCKHOLM:Dec 31: Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds, who returned on Friday from tsunami-devastated Thailand, said she believed the total death toll from the disaster in the ... | eng_Latn | 1,423 |
Togo Swears in New Leader as World Protests | Togo's Faure Gnassingbe was formally sworn in as president on Monday after his father's sudden death, despite strong condemnation from former colonial power France and African leaders who branded the succession unconstitutional. | The Fijian PM returns to the capital Suva amid claims that the army is in charge of the country. | eng_Latn | 1,424 |
Mugabe calls for ruling party unity | The Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, has called for unity during a speech to thousands of ruling party members in the capital Harare. | Comment is free: Ian Buruma: Repressive regimes are playing on our colonial guilt, but we must stand up for those values to which oppressed people aspire | eng_Latn | 1,425 |
South Africa's divided ANC starts leadership vote | POLOKWANE, South Africa - South Africa's ruling ANC on Tuesday began voting in an acrimonious leadership election expected to put Jacob Zuma on track to become the country's president in 2009. | First election since the military coup 15 months ago fuels fears of further political uncertainty in Thailand | eng_Latn | 1,426 |
Kenya govt turns on critics, Odinga hailed | Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki's government went on the offensive against critics on Monday, condemning opposition economic boycott plans as "sabotage" and summoning the British ambassador for a ticking off. | Georgia's opposition ups its challenge to presidential election results, threatening a mass rally and a hunger strike. | kor_Hang | 1,427 |
Haitian President to Fight Corruption | Haitian President Rene Preval declared a "war without end" against corruption Friday, calling crooked state officials traitors who rob the deeply impoverished nation of vital investment and jobs | PM praises Peter Hain's record while conceding for the first time that the minister might have to resign | eng_Latn | 1,428 |
Nepal King Sacks Government, Assumes Power | Nepal's King Gyanendra sacked the government, declared a state of emergency and assumed power on Tuesday, saying the leadership had failed to hold polls or restore peace amid an escalating civil war with Maoist rebels. | First election since the military coup 15 months ago fuels fears of further political uncertainty in Thailand | eng_Latn | 1,429 |
Megawati refuses to concede defeat | President Megawati Sukarnoputri has urged Indonesians to accept the results of the country's first direct election of a leader, but has stopped short of conceding defeat. | Direct vs indirect war is over The channel model wars are over, and Dell lost, one industry pundit declared today.⦠| eng_Latn | 1,430 |
Pakistan's Bhutto vows no surrender to militants | Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto said on Friday she would carry on her struggle for democracy, despite an attack on her motorcade that killed 133 people as she returned home after eight years of exile. | The defeated Indonesian president accepts the poll result, without formally stating she has lost. | eng_Latn | 1,431 |
Bolivian parties agree on constitutional assembly | Bolivia's political parties agreed to revive the assembly working to rewrite the constitution, which had been stalled for weeks, Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera said on Thursday. | Estonia pioneers internet voting in parliamentary elections, claiming a world first. | eng_Latn | 1,432 |
Uzbek leader scorns "revolutions" in election | democracy. Critics say it is a travesty of free choice in a country where thousands of dissidents are in jail and human rights abuses are said to. | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 9 -- On Oct. 12, 1999, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif refused landing rights to a plane carrying his army chief, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, setting off a military coup that resulted in Sharif's exile. On Monday, the roles will be reversed. | eng_Latn | 1,433 |
Regional leader to use Islamic law | MOGADISHU -- The president of a semiautonomous region in northeastern Somalia said yesterday he will rule according to Islamic law, a surprising announcement in an area that has resisted the spread of Islamic militants who control much of the country's south. Puntland President General Addeh Museh did not cite a reason for his decision, but it comes amid increasing fears ... | Somalia's PM gives his deputy a lower-profile ministry in a cabinet reshuffle in an effort to exert his authority. | eng_Latn | 1,434 |
Romania Opposition Demands Election Rerun, Alleges Fraud | BUCHAREST, Romania - Romania's centrist opposition Tuesday demanded a rerun of Sunday's general elections, alleging fraud in the electronic vote counting had helped the ruling ex-communists, who held a slim lead. | (AGI) - Roma, 16 dic. - La reazione del Presidente della Camera sulla protesta della Lega contro l'ingresso della Turchia nella UE "e' sproporzionata e spropositata". Lo ha detto il Ministro del Welfare, il leghista Roberto Maroni. | eng_Latn | 1,435 |
Italians cry out over free funerals for politicians | A free funeral is not everyone's idea of a perk but some politicians in northern Italy's Veneto region defended Wednesday the right to expense their final send-off amid a public outcry about freeloading politicians. | A Berlusconi dico che nuovo esecutivo sarebbe popolarissimo | eng_Latn | 1,436 |
Ex-Rebel Group Pulls Out of Congo Government | Former rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo pulled out of a power-sharing government on Monday, dealing a major blow to the peace process in a country emerging from civil war. | Italy resumes the forced expulsions of migrants to Libya, brushing aside criticism from the UN. | eng_Latn | 1,437 |
UN congratulates new Cambodia king | UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Thursday congratulated King Norodom Sihamoni for his election as Cambodia's new king and head of state. | The Venezuelan president causes a stir with his U.N. attack on Bush - and that's just the way the leftist leader likes it | eng_Latn | 1,438 |
Lady Heads Sofia Police Department | Bulgaria in Brief: 21 December 2004, Tuesday. For the first time in Sofia's history a lady headed a police department in the capital. | Congo Dem. Rep. REUTERS, STOCKHOLM:Dec 31: Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds, who returned on Friday from tsunami-devastated Thailand, said she believed the total death toll from the disaster in the ... | eng_Latn | 1,439 |
Burundi's president sacks deputy | Burundi's vice-president is sacked for insubordination, amid serious divisions in the ruling party. | Initial results from Botswana's election were delayed on Sunday but President Festus Mogae's ruling party has won the first seat and is seen as safe to win the overall poll in the world's largest diamond producer. | eng_Latn | 1,440 |
Botswana Ruling Party Wins Election by Landslide | The party that has governed Botswana for the past 38 years has won another election by a landslide. The Botswana Democratic Party has taken 38 of the 50 parliamentary seats that have been declared so far, leaving | If you thought RIPA was bad... Proposed telecoms interception laws in Zimbabwe have created a furore with the government apparently awarding itself unlimited snooping powers.⦠| eng_Latn | 1,441 |
Pressure Serbia, Bosnia | The chief U.N. war crimes prosecutor urged the Security Council on Friday to pressure Serbia and Bosnia to arrest fugitive leaders from the Bosnian war, saying it was clear after 11 years that neither country ...Comment | Il Cska Mosca ha battuto a Bologna la VidiVici 92-68 (24-5, 51-24, 72-48) in un incontro valido per ... | eng_Latn | 1,442 |
Chissano 'baffled' by voter apathy | Mozambique's long-time President Joaquim Chissano expressed surprise on Thursday at the abysmal turnout in elections to choose his successor, and blamed the poor showing on widespread illiteracy and ignorance of political systems. | Nei 69 comuni superiori ha votato il 44,9% contro il 54,4% del primo turno. Alla provincia di Genova duello. Le sfide in 7 capoluoghi | eng_Latn | 1,443 |
Macao SAR government swears in | shakes hands with Macao Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau Wah at the inauguration ceremoney for the second term government in Macao December 20, 2004. | PM praises Peter Hain's record while conceding for the first time that the minister might have to resign | eng_Latn | 1,444 |
Kenyan president heads for defeat | Odinga poised to replace Kibaki by big majority as ministers lose seats in beating for ruling party | Vicepresidente Usa ha lasciato Kabul dopo incontro Karzai | eng_Latn | 1,445 |
Botswana election results delayed | Results from Botswana's parliamentary election on Saturday will emerge later than expected, officials said on Sunday, but the poll is still expected to return President Festus Mogae's party to power. | BBC Monitoring profiles the two men battling to become Sweden's next prime minister in Sunday's election. | eng_Latn | 1,446 |
Nepal's former rebels to rejoin government: minister | Nepal's former Maoist rebels Sunday agreed to rejoin the government after striking a deal with political parties to end the country's long-running peace process deadlock, a senior minister said. | First election since the military coup 15 months ago fuels fears of further political uncertainty in Thailand | eng_Latn | 1,447 |
Nicaraguan President Faces Removal by Congress | MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Nicaragua's unpopular president faces possible removal from office after a special Congressional committee was created on Thursday to explore corruption charges against him. | Nelson Acosta ritira le dimissioni: continuerà a guidare la nazionale cilena fino alla scaden... | eng_Latn | 1,448 |
SKorea grants amnesty to ex-Daewoo chief | South Korea announced a New Year's Eve amnesty Monday for 75 politicians and businessmen, including the former chairman of collapsed conglomerate Daewoo Group. | The transfer of blacklisted North Korean assets from a Macau bank started Thursday, a report said, raising hopes of resolving the drawn-out dispute which has held up a nuclear disarmament deal. | eng_Latn | 1,449 |
Pressure Grows on Romanian Left to Give Up Power | Romania's centrist opposition, buoyed by a presidential election victory of their leader Traian Basescu, put pressure on the ruling left on Wednesday to abandon its bid to cling to power or face early elections. | Comment is free: Ian Buruma: Repressive regimes are playing on our colonial guilt, but we must stand up for those values to which oppressed people aspire | eng_Latn | 1,450 |
Corruption marred Morocco vote: observers | Ballot-box corruption marred Morocco's legislative elections this month, a report from a group of Moroccan observers alleged Thursday, despite an all-clear from international monitors. | First election since the military coup 15 months ago fuels fears of further political uncertainty in Thailand | eng_Latn | 1,451 |
Elections could be two years off in coup-hit Fiji | Fiji's military-appointed caretaker prime minister said on Thursday elections in his country might be two years away and Fiji would build ties with Asia to circumvent sanctions imposed after a coup. | French Polynesia's former President, Oscar Temaru, goes on hunger strike in protest against his ouster. | eng_Latn | 1,452 |
Zimbabwe Ruling Party Congress Ends | Zimbabwe's ruling party, ZANU-PF, has ended its congress by announcing the members of its central committee. It was almost business as usual at the end of the three-day gathering as the majority | Politics: 11 November 2004, Thursday. Organized crime groups in Bulgaria are not strong enough to threaten the economic and financial stability of the country, Bulgaria's Parliamentary Speaker Ognian Gerdzhikov ... | eng_Latn | 1,453 |
At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Achaicus ( or , less frequently , year 608 `` Ab urbe condita '' ) . | At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lentulus and Achaicus ( or , less often , year 608 Ab urbe condita ) . | On April 29 , 2013 , Longueira was nominated by the UDI as its candidate for the 2013 presidential election , replacing Laurence Golborne . | eng_Latn | 1,454 |
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , first president of Bangladesh also cancelled the citizenship of Golam Azam , the leader of Jamaat . | Sheikh Mujibur Rahman , the first president of Bangladesh , also cancelled the citizenship of Golam Azam , the leader of Jamaat . | Former Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader John Bruton said FitzGerald would `` stand out as a man who changed Ireland '' and that he had changed attitudes to in the Republic to Northern Ireland and to Europe and that he saw that `` Ireland could do best in Europe if it contributed creatively to goals and ambitions of other members '' . | eng_Latn | 1,455 |
Since his ascension to the Imamate of Nizari Ismailis in 1957 , the Aga Khan has been involved in complex political and economic changes which have affected his Nizari Ismaili followers , including the independence of African countries from colonial rule , expulsion of Asians from Uganda , the independence of Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan from the former Soviet Union and the continuous turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan . | These events included the independence of African countries from colonial rule , the expulsion of Asians from Uganda , the independence of Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan from the former Soviet Union and the continuous turmoil in Afghanistan and Pakistan . | In 2010 Asil was one of four women in the Baghlan Provincial Council . In 2012 she was the head of the Baghlan Provincial Culture and Information Department . | eng_Latn | 1,456 |
18th member of the National Assembly of South Korea . | She was a member of the 18th National Assembly of South Korea . | According to Anania Shirakatsi 's Ashkharatsuyts ( `` World Atlas , '' 7th century ) , Tsopk was the 2nd among the 15 provinces of Greater Armenia . | eng_Latn | 1,457 |
Rede Globo ( `` Globo Network '' ) , or simply Globo , is a Brazilian television network , launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26 , 1965 . | Rede Globo ( `` Globe Network '' ) , or simply Globo , is a Brazilian television network , launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26 , 1965 . | He was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo with responsibility for the Ministry of Postal Services , Telephones , and Telecommunications in the second cabinet of Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito . He became Acting Prime Minister on 6 March 2012 , following the resignation of Prime Minister Muzito . | eng_Latn | 1,458 |
Boris Aleksandrovich Balashov ( ; 7 December 192720 January 1974 ) was Editor-in-Chief of the Soviet magazine `` Filateliya SSSR '' ( `` Philately of the USSR '' ) . | Boris Aleksandrovich Balashov ( 7 December 1927 -- 20 January 1974 ) was Editor-in-Chief of the Soviet magazine `` Filateliya SSSR '' ( `` Philately of the USSR '' ) . | Muhammadu Buhari , GCFR ( born 17 December 1942 ) is the President-elect of Nigeria and a retired Major General in the Nigerian Army who was Head of State of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985 , after taking power in a military coup d'état . | eng_Latn | 1,459 |
Demosthenes ( ; `` Dēmosthénēs '' ; 384 -- 322 BC ) was a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens . | Demosthenes ( 384 -- 322 BC , Greek : Δημοσθένης , Dēmosthénēs ) was a well-known Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens . | Winnie Madikizela -- Mandela ( born Nomzamo Winfreda Zanyiwe Madikizela ; 26 September 1936 ) is a South African politician . She has held several government positions and headed the African National Congress Women 's League . | eng_Latn | 1,460 |
In late December , Albay governor Joey Salceda had placed his province under a state of emergency after the rains caused the deaths of two people and the displacement of 4,000 . | In late December , Albay governor Joey Salceda had placed his province under a state of emergancy after the rains caused the deaths of two people and the displacement of 4,000 . | New for the 2005 election was the alliance between the newly formed Electoral Alternative for Labor and Social Justice ( WASG ) and the PDS , planning to join into a common party ( see Left Party . | eng_Latn | 1,461 |
Alhaji Dr. Ado Abdullahi Bayero ( CFR , LLD , JP ) ( 25 July 1930 -- 6 June 2014 ) was the Emir of Kano in Nigeria , from 1963 to his death . | Alhaji Dr. Ado Abdullahi Bayero ( CFR , LLD , JP ) ( 25 July 1930 -- 6 June 2014 ) was the Emir of Kano in Nigeria from 1963 to his death in 2014 . | Ilham Aliyev succeeded his father Heydar Aliyev who was president of Azerbaijan from 1993 to 2003 . | eng_Latn | 1,462 |
The National Olympic Committee for Burundi was created in 1990 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1993 . | The National Olympic Committee for Burundi was started in 1990 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1993 . | In February 2006 , Ban announced his candidacy to replace Kofi Annan as UN Secretary-General at the end of 2006 . He was the first South Korean to run for Secretary-General . | eng_Latn | 1,463 |
In 2002 and in 2007 , she led CNN 's coverage of the respective French presidential elections . | In April 2007 , she led CNN 's coverage of the 2007 French presidential election . | He became well known in 1960 after his report on the independence of the Congo `` Afrika im Jahre Null '' ( `` Africa in Year Zero '' ) . This included a photo of an African boy standing next to the steel scabbard of Belgian King Baudouin . | eng_Latn | 1,464 |
When the National Assembly is dissolved he continues in his office , till a new Speaker is elected These are the names of Speakers and presidents of the National Assembly of Pakistan . | When the National Assembly is dissolved he continues in his office , till a new Speaker is elected | In the United States , a political action committee ( PAC ) is a type of organization that gives money to campaigns from members and donates those funds to campaign for or against candidates , ballot initiatives , or legislation . | eng_Latn | 1,465 |
( July 9 , 1249 - October 4 , 1305 ) was the 90th emperor of Japan , according to the traditional order of succession . | ( 9 July 1249 - 4 October 1305 ) , was the 90th emperor of Japan , according to the traditional order of succession . | Muhammadu Buhari , GCFR ( born 17 December 1942 ) is the President-elect of Nigeria and a retired Major General in the Nigerian Army who was Head of State of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985 , after taking power in a military coup d'état . | eng_Latn | 1,466 |
He resigned in 1976 after a clash with the government . | He was elected after the death of President Childers , but he resigned in 1976 after a clash with the government . | His family 's move to Beitar Illit in 1998 did not help stop his wildness . | eng_Latn | 1,467 |
On 12 December 2011 , he was elected as President of Tunisia by the Constituent Assembly . | On 12 December 2011 , he was elected President of Tunisia . | After his graduation , he spent from 1967 to 1973 as a freelance journalist , first in Malawi , then in Uganda . | eng_Latn | 1,468 |
The first was added to the list in 1979 and the latest in 2015 . | The first was added to the list in 1979 and the latest in 2011 . | Official Indonesian presidential decrees from 1947-1968 , however , printed his name using the 1947 spelling . | eng_Latn | 1,469 |
After college , she worked on an anti-corruption campaign in Damascus suburbs . | After college , Majd worked on an anti-corruption program in the Damascus suburbs . | Following the revolution he organized the first election process in Egyptian universities to choose his successor as Dean of the Faculty in March 2011 , as he left the country on 15.05.2011 in the capacity of cultural counselor at the Egyptian Embassy to Berlin and head of educational mission there . | eng_Latn | 1,470 |
She was elected to Parliament in 2010 and was a member of the parliamentary group of Lehet Más a Politika ( LMP ) , or Politics Can Be Different Party . | She went to Parliament in 2010 . She was a member of the parliamentary group of Lehet Más a Politika ( LMP ) , or Politics Can Be Different Party . | In 1965 , when the country was facing one of its worst political , social , and economic crises -- a result of dictatorial misrule -- he founded a new political party in Quito called the Democratic Institutionalist Coalition ( Coalición Institucionalista Demócrata , CID ) . | eng_Latn | 1,471 |
Arvind Mahankali correctly spells "tokonoma," then "knaidel" in Scripps National Spelling Bee .
Mahankali says he thought, "I got this," when the judges told him the winning word .
Prize package includes $32,500 in cash and savings bonds .
It was final year to compete for Mahankali, who twice before finished third in contest . | (CNN) -- New York eighth-grader Arvind Mahankali is the fiercest speller around. No word can foil him, as he proved Thursday when he beat out other Scripps National Spelling Bee contestants by spelling "knaidel" correctly. "I know this. I got this," he told CNN's "Early Start" on Friday morning, recalling how he confidently steadied himself before enunciating every letter in the Yiddish word of German origin meaning dumpling. When he uttered the final letter, the audience erupted in wild applause. The 13-year-old is feeling good even though he knows he won't be able to compete again since there's a limit on contestants beyond the eighth-grade. Mahankali isn't the type of kid who stops at spelling domination. "Next year I'll try to go somewhere in the Math Olympiad and the Physics Olympiad," he said. The Bayside Hills, New York, teen, who wants to become a physicist, finished third in two previous national bees. He was eliminated after misspelling words with German roots. "I thought that the German curse had turned into a German blessing," he said. It didn't hurt that he studied constantly, telling CNN that he browsed through the dictionary and let his mother quiz him. "My dad collects words. I look up those words and get familiarity with those words." Ending his Scripps career with a victory means he's "retiring on a good note," he said. "I shall spend the summer," he said, "maybe (an) entire day, studying physics." Pranav Sivakumar, a 13-year-old from Tower Lakes, Illinois, finished second. He missed on "cyanophycean." Then Mahankali nailed "tokonoma" and "knaidel," and the rest is history. The annual contest offers the winner a healthy dose of classroom cred, $32,500 in cash and savings bonds, a trophy and a library of reference materials. Contest isn't bee-all and end-all . Eleven million schoolchildren participated in preliminaries leading up to the national contest this week. Of those, 281 children made the trip to Oxon Hill, Maryland, outside Washington, for the national bee. Eleven spellers made it through to the finals. Among them were 63 children who had been to at least one national bee before, and had to prepare for some changes in the rules for this year's events. For the first time, participants had to demonstrate proficiency in vocabulary in addition to spelling. Organizers also added an additional computer test for the semifinals, imposed time limits on computer-based spelling and vocabulary tests, and added a rule that resulted in automatic elimination for any participant who misspelled a word on stage in the second or third rounds. CNN's Athena Jones and Michael Pearson contributed to this report. | Washington (CNN) -- Protesters rallied in Washington on Saturday to raise awareness of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo following contested elections there in November. They said they traveled from 25 states to deliver an urgent message to U.S. President Barack Obama. "We need President Obama to help restore the leadership the Congo needs," said George Alula, president of the Movement of the Congolese Unity. He urged the international community to recognize opposition candidate Etienne Tshisekedi as the election's legitimate winner. Congo's highest court struck down a lawsuit challenging the election results in December, declaring incumbent Joseph Kabila the winner. "We are frustrated because the Congolese people gave their voice in the November elections ... We know that the election organized in Congo was fraudulent," said Alula. International and national election observers have strongly questioned the veracity of the results, citing a lack of credibility and transparency. Late last month, Human Rights Watch said security forces have killed more than 24 people and arbitrarily detained dozens more since Kabila was declared the winner. Ben Kalala, who returned from Kinshasa just a few days ago and is president of the Congolese Foundation of America, accused the Congolese president of intimidating citizens and denying them their political voice. "You see the military in cities ready to kill -- like the country is at war," he said. The November elections were only the second democratic vote in the country since the end of its civil war in 2003. The 2006 election, which brought Kabila to power, was declared largely free and fair by international observers. | eng_Latn | 1,472 |
Nairobi is the only African city to make it to the world's top21 "intelligent communities"
The Kenyan capital, however, missed out of the top seven finalists . | (CNN)For a second year in a row, Kenya's busy capital city of Nairobi has been named the most intelligent city in Africa -- failing, however, to make it to the world's top seven finalists. According to the Intelligent Community Forum, "intelligent communities" are those that have taken "conscious steps" to create an economy that can prosper in the "broadband economy." The group has recently released its latest rankings, recognizing the achievements of communities that have built inclusive, prosperous economies on a basis of information and communication technologies. Nairobi was the only African city to appear on their shortlist of 21 hubs throughout the world for 2015. Intelligent Community Forum co-founder Robert Bell says: "We see a strong foundation being put into place [in Nairobi]: sensible, pro-growth government policy, a more diversified economy, and an innovation ecosystem of startups, international companies and universities. "Nairobi certainly has the opportunity to build an exciting future for its citizens, businesses and institutions." The Kenyan capital, however, didn't make it to the next round that will see seven communities around the world contesting in June for the 2015 Intelligent Community of the Year award -- in alphabetical order, the 2015 Top7 Intelligent Communities were Arlington County (U.S.), Columbus, (U.S.), Ipswich (Australia), Mitchell (U.S.), New Taipei City (Taiwan), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and Surrey (Canada). Click through the gallery to find out more about how Nairobi is dealing with the challenges of the broadband economy. More from Marketplace Africa . Read this: Robotics revolutions hits classrooms . Read this Inside Africa's biggest wind power project . | Washington (CNN) -- Protesters rallied in Washington on Saturday to raise awareness of violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo following contested elections there in November. They said they traveled from 25 states to deliver an urgent message to U.S. President Barack Obama. "We need President Obama to help restore the leadership the Congo needs," said George Alula, president of the Movement of the Congolese Unity. He urged the international community to recognize opposition candidate Etienne Tshisekedi as the election's legitimate winner. Congo's highest court struck down a lawsuit challenging the election results in December, declaring incumbent Joseph Kabila the winner. "We are frustrated because the Congolese people gave their voice in the November elections ... We know that the election organized in Congo was fraudulent," said Alula. International and national election observers have strongly questioned the veracity of the results, citing a lack of credibility and transparency. Late last month, Human Rights Watch said security forces have killed more than 24 people and arbitrarily detained dozens more since Kabila was declared the winner. Ben Kalala, who returned from Kinshasa just a few days ago and is president of the Congolese Foundation of America, accused the Congolese president of intimidating citizens and denying them their political voice. "You see the military in cities ready to kill -- like the country is at war," he said. The November elections were only the second democratic vote in the country since the end of its civil war in 2003. The 2006 election, which brought Kabila to power, was declared largely free and fair by international observers. | eng_Latn | 1,473 |
Indonesian presidential election results are expected Tuesday .
Candidate Prabowo Subianto rejects election process .
Joko "Jokowi" Widodo declared victory after polls closed on July 9 . | Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- Jakarta governor and former furniture salesman Joko "Jokowi" Widodo won Indonesia's presidential election, officials said Tuesday, setting him up to be the first person who didn't boast a military or elite background to take the office. His challenger rejected the election hours before the result was announced, citing what he said was massive cheating. It wasn't immediately clear what effect his complaint would have. Widodo won 53% of the July 9 vote, the country's election commission said. His challenger, former military man Prabowo Subianto, a onetime son-in-law to the late Indonesian dictator Suharto, received 47%. The charismatic Widodo styled himself a man of the people, and his background appealed to the country's poor. Before entering politics, Widodo worked in his family's furniture business and started his own export company, which he made a huge success. Comparing the candidates: Prabowo and Widodo . In 2005, he was elected mayor of Surakarta and became known for his spontaneous visits to slums, which drew media attention, and unannounced drop-ins at government offices to catch underperforming workers. He rose to become Jakarta governor in 2012, where he piloted new health care and education programs. In the presidential election, he overcame his critics, who said he was Widodo too inexperienced and hadn't finished his work in Jakarta. Several major projects, including a new railway, remain behind schedule. Subianto withdraws . Before official results were announced, Prabowo on Tuesday declared he was rejecting the election process and withdrawing. In a speech aired live, Prabowo cited "massive, structural and systematic cheating during the 2014 election," and said, "we will exercise our constitutional right to reject the presidential election and declare it unconstitutional. "We withdraw ourselves from the process." When told of Prabowo's announcement, Widodo replied: "I am sure Prabowo is a statesman who will put the national interest above everything else." There had been indications that a challenge was likely to be launched from Prabowo, but his allegations are unprecedented, said Douglas Ramage, an analyst from Bower's Asia Group, based in Jakarta. "This is the first time anyone has questioned the legitimacy of the democratic process itself," he said. "Since 1999, no participant in the process has asserted that the process itself has been illegitimate. "We're in uncharted territory here." The election commission said Tuesday that the result would be legally binding if no complaints are filed at the constitutional court within 72 hours. Under Indonesia's election laws, either of the presidential candidates has the right to lodge a legal challenge in the court. Whether Prabowo would do so wasn't immediately clear. Prabowo, the leader of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) party, had touted his military service and projected the image of a decisive man capable of taking charge. He became part of one of the most influential families when he married Suharto's daughter, Siti Hediyati Hari, in 1983. They have since divorced, but his ex-wife backs his candidacy, even appearing publicly in his campaign events. Hours after the polls closed on voting day, unofficial quick counts, or samples from polling stations, revealed a slight edge for Widodo. Widodo declared victory after seeing results of the unofficial quick vote earlier this month, telling his supporters: "It's not a victory for the party, not a victory for the team but this is a victory for all Indonesian people." Jokowi declares victory . Ramage said that the election process has been transparent as results were posted as they've been counted. "The key thing in the next few hours and the next day will be to see the reaction of the rest of Indonesia's political elite and the heads of the country's democratic institutions" Over the weekend, Prabowo asked the election commission to delay the results, because of what he and his camp claimed were cheating and manipulation across polling stations. He asked the election commission to stop counting the votes until the alleged cheating cases were resolved. But on Monday, the election commissioner, Arif Budiman, denied Prabowo's request to delay the release of the election results. Nearly two weeks have passed since election day, meaning the paper ballots have been counted. Fadli Zon, one of the leaders of Prabowo's Gerindra party, said they would not accept the results and will fight "in a non-violent way." Jokowi eyes Mideast involvement . CNN's Kathy Quiano reported from Jakarta, Indonesia and Madison Park wrote from Hong Kong. CNN's Casey Tolan and Jason Hanna contributed to this report. | Tunis, Tunisia (CNN)Thousands of demonstrators marched in Tunisia's capital Sunday, protesting against terrorism less than two weeks after gunmen attacked a museum and killed more than 20 people there. "We came to express our support and to fight this danger that's threatening our society and our stability," said Rafik Abdessalem, Tunisia's former foreign minister, who was among the crowd. "Fortunately, all Tunisians are united here today. We will be able to defeat terrorism, which is threatening Tunisia and all the neighboring countries." As a heavy police presence stood guard, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi marched alongside dignitaries and world leaders, including French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who led the crowd to the steps of the Bardo Museum. Protesters held banners that said "We are not afraid" and "Je suis Bardo" as they chanted "Tunisia is free, and out with terrorism." On March 18, the art, culture and history museum was the site of a drastically different scene, as gunmen opened fire on tourists in a siege that also forced the evacuation of the neighboring Parliament. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in an audio message posted online the next day. Hours before Sunday's demonstration began, Tunisia's Prime Minister announced that Algerian national Khaled Shayeb, the alleged architect of the museum assault, was one of nine suspected militants killed in a raid in the south of the country. Arab Spring aftermath: Revolutions give way to violence, more unrest . CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report. | eng_Latn | 1,474 |
Protests take place in 13 provinces Saturday, an organizing committee says .
Demonstrator: Saleh "killed many, and now the opposition wants to forgive him"
Ali Abdullah Saleh will step down from power in exchange for immunity .
Yemen's parliament also accepts Vice President Hadi's presidential nomination . | Yemen's parliament approved a controversial law Saturday that ensures President Ali Abdullah Saleh complete immunity from prosecution. The law was delayed for weeks as Saleh insisted on specific changes guaranteeing his aides partial protection from legal actions. In return, Saleh will step down from power in Yemen next month after ruling the country for more than 33 years. Yemeni Information Minister Ali al-Amrani said the law was the best option for the country and that people can now look forward for change and development. "The law was a pivotal point of debate, and now we are looking forward to February 21 (when) a president would lead the country," al-Amrani said. "Many changes took place in the law to make it accepted by all factions, but in the end, the efforts were worth it," he added. During the same session, the parliament also accepted Vice President Abdurabu Hadi's nomination for presidency. The vice president's office hailed the move and called it a success after long negotiations over the past week. The immunity law was always linked with parliament accepting Hadi's nomination for president. Saleh supporters refuse to pass Hadi's nomination until the immunity law passed. The immunity law was a key element in a Gulf Cooperation Council power transfer deal. Since the president signed the power transfer deal in November, tens of thousands of young activists have marched in provinces across Yemen. They have vowed to have Saleh tried for the deaths of hundreds of unarmed protesters. The United Nations' envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, arrived in the country last week to ease the tension after fears grew that the deal would collapse. Though the deal was hailed by opposition parties in Yemen, youth protesters and international rights groups called the immunity a violation of international law. Youth protesters continued marching on Saturday, rejecting any immunity for Saleh or those who served under him over the last three decades. Protests took place in 13 provinces across Yemen, according to the Revolution Youth Organizing Committee. The largest protests took place in Sanaa, where many continued pushing for Saleh's prosecution. "He killed many, and now the opposition wants to forgive him," said Salma al-Nusari, a youth activist in Sanaa. Blood that Saleh spilt will not be forgiven, and we will continue demanding his prosecution until our demands are met." Presidential elections are expected to take place February 21. | FIFA president Sepp Blatter has welcomed the challenge to his position by Jordanian Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein - suggesting there would be no glory in winning without a proper fight. Prince Ali, a FIFA vice-president, is the first credible challenger to emerge against Blatter and is likely to embraced by reformers in the football world, including England. Blatter told Swiss newspaper Le Matin: 'I can only rejoice in this nomination. We are a democracy, and this can only be beneficial for debate.' FIFA president Sepp Blatter has welcomed the challenge to his position by Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein . FIFA vice president Prince Ali of Jordan, 39, will run for football's top job against Blatter . He then went on to quote a French proverb, adding: 'And do not they say that win without peril is to triumph without glory?' Blatter is standing for a fifth term as FIFA president but has been elected unopposed since 2002. He is the strong favourite to retain his position as Prince Ali will find it hard to win the majority of national associations even within his own Asian confederation, whose president has already pledged allegiance to Blatter. Nominations close at the end of January and the only other person to have come forward, French former FIFA official Jerome Champagne, is uncertain of even gaining the requisite five nominations from among the 209 FIFA members. | eng_Latn | 1,475 |
Newt Gingrich says Mongolia was influenced by Contract with America .
He says Republicans signed Contract 20 years ago; it helped GOP win the House .
He says it was detailed commitment to passing specific bills, guided GOP in governing .
Gingrich: Too many leaders abandon ideals of Contract once they join the political class . | (CNN) -- On Wednesday I had the privilege of meeting with S. Ganbaatar, a member of the Mongolian Parliament. When he entered the room, Ganbaatar walked up excitedly to examine a framed document that has hung for years in my offices. The document is a list of commitments to the people, signed by dozens of candidates for public office who promised to vote on a specific policy agenda if they were elected to office. It's framed alongside a picture of the candidates who signed and campaigned on it. Many of them went on to be elected in a historic vote that tossed out a party that had held power since the 1920s. Ganbaatar was looking at a framed copy of the 1996 "Contract with the Mongolian Voter." That contract was, as the Washington Post reported the next year, "the most widely distributed document in Mongolian history." The Mongolian voters -- with a 91% turnout -- elected the democratic opposition, which four years earlier had held just six seats. With a program of "private property rights, a free press and the encouragement of foreign investment," they defeated the Communist Party that had ruled since 1921. Ganbaatar, who was elected to Parliament as an Independent in 2012 and is already one of his country's most popular politicians, recounted emotionally how the Contract with the Voter was a watershed event in modern Mongolian history. The ideas in that document, he told me, "gave us our freedom." Mongolia's peaceful, democratic transition of power from the communists to a republican government was one of the few hopeful stories to come out of the former Soviet states in the early years after the Cold War. It was fitting, but only a coincidence, that Ganbaatar visited just a few days before the 20th anniversary of the Contract with America, the inspiration for Mongolia's Contract with the Voters. On September 27, 1994, more than 350 candidates for Congress gathered on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to sign a pledge to the American people, a promise to vote on 10 key reforms if we won a majority in the House of Representatives. That campaign, which I helped organize, earned Republicans control of the House for the first time in 40 years. The Contract was a campaign document. It laid out a common-sense program that was designed to earn the support of the broadest possible range of Americans. Its assortment of policies included everything from changes to how the House did business to items on the budget, welfare and tax policy. But more than any particular proposal, the important thing about the document was its form: It was a contract, a real commitment to reform and accountability and renewal. It sought above all to "restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives." We knew Americans deserved a clear and unambiguous account of what we planned to do, and believed reform required their explicit support -- and that if we broke faith with them, we wouldn't deserve to hold power. So we invited people to vote us out again if we didn't follow through. But we did follow through -- in an extraordinary first hundred days that kicked off one of the most productive Congresses in American history. In addition to being a campaign document, the Contract was a management document that told us how we would govern. It led directly or indirectly to all of the achievements that would soon follow, including four straight balanced budgets, welfare reform, and the largest capital gains tax cut in American history. In retrospect, it's clear that the Contract also marked an enduring political realignment. When the Republican House majority was sworn in in 1995, there was only one Republican in the House (Bill Emerson from Missouri) who had ever served under a majority -- and he had done so as a page. Two years later, we became the first Republican majority that had been reelected since 1928. And since the Contract, Republicans have held the House for 16 of the past 20 years, and should continue to hold it for the foreseeable future. As a detailed commitment to passing specific bills, the Contract was the first document of its kind in American history. It has now been replicated in other countries, like Italy and Mongolia, not because of its policy content, but because it expressed a hope in the heart of every voter -- an aspiration that, in the case of the U.S. -- didn't end with the election of 1994 and certainly did not begin there. The Contract was, quite literally, a renewal of a pre-existing commitment, one that had not been honored. It was the commitment that elected representatives of the people remain accountable to the people. This social contract is essential to self-government, but too often, our leaders abandon it once they join the political class. They forget about who put them there, they contrive to shield themselves from "tough votes," and they stretch further the restraints on their powers under the law. There's nothing like a visit by a legislator from a place where, for the better part of the last century, lawlessness reigned, to remind you that the contract between the people and their representatives must be constantly renewed and ardently defended. | By . Kerry Mcdermott . PUBLISHED: . 09:51 EST, 30 November 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 10:55 EST, 30 November 2012 . Egypt's Muslim-led assembly has raced through approval of a new draft constitution without the participation of liberal and Christian members. Critics fear the move, which saw the assembly vote unanimously to retain the principles of Islamic law as the main source of legislation, could lead to restrictions on women's rights and freedom of speech. The draft charter is at the heart of the struggle between Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi and opposition parties that was sparked when the Muslim Brotherhood leader granted himself sweeping new powers last week. Struggle: President Mohamed Morsi, seen flanked by bodyguards, sparked a crisis in Egypt when he granted himself sweeping new powers . The president's decision to put himself above the power of the courts triggered days of violent protests in Egypt. Opposition activists had likened Morsi to a 'pharaoh' and refused to enter into dialogue with the leader. The latest development in the ongoing power struggle saw the controversial draft charter approved after a marathon all-night assembly session. The document, which is expected to be put to a nationwide referendum in the coming weeks, is being viewed as the 'Muslim Brotherhood constitution', according to an Al Jazeera report. Many liberal, secularist and Coptic . Christian representatives have been boycotting assembly sessions in . recent months. Just four women participated in last night's vote, and not a single Christian member was present, the report said. Human rights activists have warned that some elements of the document resemble a 'penal code'. The new draft retains the principles of Islamic law as the basis of legislation, but adds an article stating that al-Azhar, Egypt's leading Islamic institution, must be consulted on matters related to Sharia. It says the state will protect the 'true nature of the Egyptian family' and promote its 'morals and values'. The document also states that a woman must balance her duties towards her family with those towards outside work, implying that a woman could be held accountable if her public role is deemed to be in conflict with her duty towards her family. Tahrir Square: Thousands of demonstrators filled Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest against Morsi's assumption of broad new powers . The charter will replace the one suspended when President Hosni Mubarak's regime was overthrown in 2011. The president has been locked in a stand-off with senior judges in Egypt since he issued an emergency decree last week which said his decisions could not be revoked by any authority - including the judiciary. Morsi has insisted the decree was a temporary emergency measure, but opponents have described his assumption of new powers as 'dictatorial', and the high appeals court - known as the Court of Cassation - went on strike in protest. Thousands of Egyptians also took to the streets in cities across the country as pressure mounted on the president to rescind his decrees. Last night's marathon assembly session has further fuelled outrage Morsi, whose actions have led pro-democracy activists to claim he is acting too much like Hosni Mubarak, the authoritarian leader he replaced. | eng_Latn | 1,476 |
More than 200 people were discharged from Maoist camp in Nepal .
They are former fighters and other members of the Maoist People's Liberation Army .
Part of a group deemed "disqualified" by United Nations findings in 2007 .
Their discharge is seen as in important part of the Nepal's ongoing peace process . | (CNN) -- More than 200 former fighters and other members of the Maoist People's Liberation Army -- including minors -- were discharged from a Maoist camp Thursday in line with Nepal's ongoing peace process, officials said. Those being discharged were part of a group deemed "disqualified" by United Nations findings in 2007, which identified at least 4,008 such combatants -- including 2,973 minors. The "disqualified" status applied to anyone under the age of 18 who was serving in the liberation army, and those who joined the Maoist group after its 10-year insurgency to abolish the country's monarchy ended in 2006. More than 15,000 died in the fighting and more than 100,000 people were displaced, according to the United Nations Web site. Nepal became a republic in 2008 following elections in which the people voted to abolish the monarchy. "Those who left the Sindhuli camp today are no more members of the [Maoist] People's Liberation Army," Nanda Kishore Pun, commander of the Maoist People's Liberation Army, told CNN in a phone interview from Sindhuli, about 150 km (93 miles) southeast of Kathmandu. The discharge process is expected to end in about a month. As part of the rehabilitation package for the disqualified combatants, the United Nations has offered to provide vocational skills training and education up to high school to those who want such opportunities, but Pun said that these offers are still being discussed. The process of the discharge is seen as in important part of the Nepal's ongoing peace process. The Maoists and other political parties in the country are discussing ways to integrate the 19,602 verified Maoist combatants into Nepal's security forces -- a move that made up part of the peace deal signed in 2006 to bring the peace process to a conclusion. Once the minors remain out of the command and control of the Maoist military structure for six months to a year, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M) can be considered for removal from the list of parties that recruit and use children, which is included in the annual U.N. Secretary-General's report on Children and Armed Conflict. As the discharge and rehabilitation process began, about a dozen of the disqualified combatants were listed as being under the age of 16 and about 500 were under the age of 18. Though called combatants, the United Nations said the minors were used as messengers, cooks and porters during the fighting. | (CNN) -- Angola's ruling party was declared the winner of weekend elections Sunday after taking nearly three-quarters of the vote. With about 85% of the boxes counted, the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) had 73% of the nearly 4.9 valid votes cast, according to figures from the country's National Electoral Commission. The MPLA's nearest rival, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), trailed far behind with 18%. Seven other parties split up the rest of the vote. The win means a new term for President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has held power since 1979, the state-run Angola News Agency reported. Under the terms of a constitution approved in 2010, the leader of the party that won Friday's parliamentary vote automatically becomes Angola's president. Friday's election was only Angola's third since it gained independence from Portugal in 1975. The country was wracked by civil war for the next 27 years, and the vote was widely viewed as an indicator of the country's progress after a decade of peace. Elections in 1992 were abandoned midway and led to an outbreak of further violence. The MPLA won a 2008 parliamentary vote with a landslide 82%, with UNITA, its former civil war enemy, the leading opposition in the 220-seat National Assembly. UNITA saw its share of the vote nearly double from the 10% share it won in 2008. The movement has alleged fraud in previous elections and voiced concerns about apparent irregularities in election campaigning this time around. But on Saturday, UNITA spokesman Alcides Sakala said his party would recognize the election results, the ANA reported. They include the scheduling of the vote only three days after a public holiday for the president's birthday, questions about voter rolls, and "what seems like a concerted effort by certain security forces to tell people in rural areas that if they do not vote for the ruling party, the country will be back to war," said Domingos Jardo Muekalia, UNITA's deputy secretary for external relations, speaking at the Chatham House think tank in London. In 1992 and 2008, there were "substantial irregularities -- some intentional such as manipulation, fraud and intimidation and others resulting from inexperience," he said. Human Rights Watch also accused the government of "numerous incidents of political violence, intimidation of protesters, and crackdowns on peaceful demonstrations," in a report issued on August 1. "The human rights environment in Angola is not conducive for free, fair and peaceful elections," said Leslie Lefkow, deputy Africa director for the rights monitoring group. "The Angolan government needs to stop trying to stifle peaceful protests, gag the independent press or use the state media for partisan purposes if these elections are to be meaningful," Lefkow said. Angola, sub-Saharan Africa's second-largest oil producer, pumps out more than 1.9 million barrels per day and boasts an expanding investment portfolio in its former colonial power, Portugal, and in other parts of Africa. But despite big spending on infrastructure and social programs since the end of its brutal civil war in 2002, corruption, poor governance and economic inequality remain serious issues for much of the country's population of about 18 million. Angola ranked 168th out of 183 countries on Transparency International's 2011 Corruption Perceptions Index, and was 148th out of 187 countries in the U.N.'s Human Development Index. A number of small but consistent demonstrations have taken place in Angola since last year, revealing a growing frustration with the economic hardship that many still face in the country. Over the last few months, civil war veterans have taken to the streets to demand overdue subsidy payments, and disgruntled youths and civil rights activists have staged rallies to voice their concerns about the lack of jobs and opportunities. The protracted civil war killed up to 1.5 million people, according to the CIA World Factbook. About 4 million people were internally displaced, more than half of them children, the United Nations said. After peace was established, the country faced the challenge of reestablishing civil institutions, rebuilding damaged infrastructure, clearing land mines and demobilizing large numbers of former fighters. Opinion: Is oil-rich Angola a development success? | eng_Latn | 1,477 |
Police commission assures on regular promotion of policemen | The Police Service Commission (PSC) says it will continue to ensure that promotions in the Nigeria Police Force were regular and exemplary performance recognised.
The Head of Press and Public Relations of the commission, Mr Ikechukwu Ani, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.
Ani said that the Chairman of the commission, Mr Mike Okiro, stated this when he decorated three newly-promoted officers serving in the commission with their new ranks.
He said the newly-promoted officers are: Joseph Ugwu Onaji, Personal Assistant to the chairman who was promoted to the next rank of Superintendent of Police, Telfum Falle and Ozoana Chidozie who were serving in the commission’s liaison office who were promoted to SP and DSP, respectively.
The chairman said that the commission had promoted 31, 652 senior police officers between 2013 and 2017, stressing that promotion was another way of enhancing the welfare of the officers.
He said that Okiro reminded the promoted officers that the promotion and higher ranks came with higher responsibilities and commitment.
Okiro said the promotion was an appreciation of their hard work, capability and capacities in the discharge of their official duties.
“This is recognition of a good job done in accordance with the tenets of the Act of the Nigeria Police Force,” he said.
Okiro urged them to rededicate themselves to the service of their fatherland, adding that they should be proud to be worthy officers of the Force. | The CCAP General Assembly has distanced itself from the planned demonstrations slated for December 13 organised by Public Affairs Committee (PAC).
In an interview with MBC radio, CCAP General secretary said all the synods of the Church comprising of Livingstonia, NKhoma and Blantyre will not take part in the Demos which were early aimed at forcing government to bring electoral reforms bill to parliament to allow the President to be elected with 50+ 1 majority.
Government has presented the electoral reform bills and if passed into law, the president, MPs and councilors will be chosen by 50+1 % of the total votes cast .
This development has left opposition and PAC in limbo as they thought the arrangement was only necessary for the presidential candidates.
Like this: Like Loading... | eng_Latn | 1,478 |
Many experts say an Arab Spring nominee will win the peace prize .
WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange have also been nominated .
The Nobel committee received a record number of nominations this year .
The winner will be announced Friday at 11 a.m. (5 a.m. ET) in Oslo, Norway . | (CNN) -- Twitter was abuzz Thursday with the death of Apple visionary Steve Jobs but another topic was gathering steam as the day progressed. Who will win this year's coveted Nobel Peace Prize? Not Jobs, though many among his huge global following posted messages that he should. The Nobel is never awarded posthumously and that rule also eliminates Mohamed Bouazizi, the unemployed college graduate whose self-immolation in Tunisia sparked a popular uprising that led to the fall of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali's government. The Tunisian revolt began this year's so-called Arab Spring. Some years, there are clear frontrunners -- Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi. This year, it's anyone's guess with a record number of nominations -- 241 -- received by the Nobel committee. Of those, 53 are organizations, including WikiLeaks -- the website founded by Julian Assange that facilitates the publication of classified information and made headlines for leaking documents and videos related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also released thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables. "Liu Xiabao was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his struggle for human rights, democracy and freedom of speech in China," blogged Norwegian lawmaker Snorre Valen of the Socialist Left Party, who nominated WikiLeaks. "Likewise: WikiLeaks have contributed to the struggle for those very values globally, by exposing (among many other things) corruption, war crimes and torture -- some times even conducted by allies of Norway." Liu's win upset the Chinese and set off a diplomatic squabble. The year before, the world gasped collectively at Barack Obama's win, a shocker that the U.S. president had won even before he had completed his first year in office. Despite the controversy that has swirled around perhaps the world's most prestigious prize, some experts say this year is a no-brainer, given the seismic events that have gripped the Arab world. Kristian Berg Harpviken, director of Norway's Peace Research Institute Oslo shortlisted men and women who did their share in fomenting peaceful revolts against repressive regimes. Harpviken's top choice is Israa Abdel Fattah, who helped organize Egypt's online April 6 Youth Movement in 2008. She was arrested by Egyptian security that year and soon became a symbol of defiance against Hosni Mubarak's government. She has earned the monikers "cyber dissident" and "Facebook girl" and was named one of Arabian Business Magazine's 100 most powerful women in 2011. The peace research institute's website said that Fattah is a good choice because the Nobel committee "has emphasized its wish to be relevant, to speak to dominant themes of the present, and to see the prize giving leverage in unfolding processes. Secondly, Harpviken believes that the prize is likely to be awarded to a female leader or activist who has been an innovator of new tools for bringing about peace." Another potential winner is Wael Ghonim, the former Google executive who used social media to jump-start social change in Egypt. Ghonim fired off a steady stream of messages on Twitter and Facebook and worked behind the scenes to galvanize thousands to march on the streets to demand change. Tunisian blogger Lina Ben Mhenni is also on many top lists. Censored in her own country, she criticized the regime long before the uprisings began, dispersing information to the outside world. "A prize to Mhenni would be a prize to independent reporting, in the form of social media, as well as recognition of the peaceful protests of the Tunisian people at large," the peace institute website said. Some experts think that Gene Sharp, an American scholar who founded the Albert Einstein Institution in Boston, could be recognized for his work on the principles of non-violence, including "From Dictatorship to Democracy." The downloadable writings in many languages have proved a source of inspiration around the world, including the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa. Harpviken also named Memorial, a Russian civil rights group known for its fight for to protect refugees and victims of political persecution and human rights violations in war zones. Natalya Estemirova, Memorial's lead researcher in the Chechen republic, was abducted and killed in July 2009. Human Rights Watch said it "appeared to be clearly connected to her work uncovering human rights violations in Chechnya. " Bookmakers Paddy Power listed Sima Samar, head of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, as a favorite at 5/4 odds. A physician and trailblazer for women's rights, Samar was named deputy premier after the toppling of the Taliban in 2001, the first woman to win such a high government post. She has been threatened with death and harassed for questioning conservative Islamic laws and practices, including the burqua, the head-to-toe garment Afghan women have been forced to wear. Paddy Power picked the right winner last year. That bodes well for Samar. Other names on global shortlists include: . -- Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader who was released from house arrest last year. Suu Kyi is already a Nobel laureate -- she was awarded the peace price in 1991. No individual has won it twice, though two organizations -- the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees -- are repeat winners. -- German Chancellor Helmut Kohl . -- Cuban dissident Oswaldo Payas Sardinas . -- Ghazi bin Muhammad, a Jordanian advocate of interfaith dialogue . The winner will be announced Friday. Until then, the speculation continues to heat up. Twitter user Alu Abunimah (@avinunu) offered one last candidate for consideration to his more than 16,000 followers. "Maybe the Nobel Peace Prize will go to The Markets, to help Calm them and make them Feel Better," he said. "Also they need the money." The Nobel Peace prize laureate will win about $1.5 million. CNN's Joe Sterling contributed to this report. | Mexico City (CNN) -- The runner-up in Mexico's presidential election said Friday he still won't accept a vote count, even after the country's electoral tribunal upheld the legality of the election and officially declared Enrique Pena Nieto as the winner. Leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has not conceded the July 1 election, citing allegations of electoral fraud by the victorious Institutional Revolutionary Party, known as the PRI. The electoral tribunal on Thursday rejected a demand by Lopez Obrador's coalition, the Progressive Movement of Mexico, to invalidate the presidential election, which he lost by 6 percentage points. On Friday, it validated the final results, officially naming Pena Nieto as president-elect. "The elections were not clean or free or authentic. As such, I will not recognize the illegitimate power that came from vote-buying and other grave violations of the constitution and the laws," Lopez Obrador said. The candidate called on his followers to demonstrate in Mexico City's historical square, the Zocalo, on September 9. Lopez Obrador narrowly lost another presidential race in 2006. Back then, he refused to recognize the new government and called his supporters into the streets. He went on a national tour, where he drummed up support, calling himself the "legitimate president of Mexico." It was unclear if he would call for similar demonstrations now. In a unanimous decision announced Thursday, the electoral tribunal ruled that the demand to invalidate the election was "unfounded." The tribunal found that the leftist coalition that brought the charges didn't prove any constitutional violations and didn't show that the process wasn't free and fair. Critics of the process said the irregularities included illegal campaign spending, secretive financing and coercion of voters. Read more: Vote-buying allegations persist after Mexican election . When the allegations surfaced immediately after the vote, election officials recounted the votes in more than half of the ballot boxes individually. Among the bigger controversies were allegations that PRI campaigners passed out hundreds of supermarket gift cards in exchange for votes. The electoral tribunal said that the coalition could prove only that PRI officials gave the cards to supporters, and not to the general public in exchange for votes. Pena Nieto is expected to be sworn in on December 1. CNNMexico's Belen Zapata and Tania Montalvo contributed to this report. | eng_Latn | 1,479 |
Egyptian president names navy, air force and air defense force commanders .
The move comes just days after he shook up the country's powerful military leadership .
Morsy assumed office June 30 and moved quickly to assert his authority . | (CNN) -- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy appointed three new commanders Tuesday, just days after he shook up the country's powerful military leadership. He tapped leaders to head the navy, the air force and the air defense force, Morsy spokesman Yasser Ali announced on state TV. The president sent the previous leaders into "retirement" on Sunday, alongside Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and Lt. Gen. Sami Anan, once the country's top military rulers. Morsy appointed Staff Maj. Gen. Abdel-Monen Bayoumi al-Terras as head of the air defense force, Staff Vice-Marshal Younes Elsayed Hamed as commander of the air force, and Staff Rear Adm. Osama Ahmed el-Gendy as head of the navy, Ali said. The fact the announcement came from Morsy directly, and not his defense minister, suggested the president is determined to take control of the military, which has been a mainstay of Egyptian politics for the past 60 years. Morsy assumed office June 30 and has moved quickly to assert his authority. Is Morsy making himself an emperor? Also Tuesday, the president honored Tantawi, presenting him with the country's top state medal, the Order of the Nile. Anan received the distinguished Order of the Republic medal later in the day. Both men have been named as advisers to Morsy, the country's first freely elected president. No details of the new posts have been announced. Tricky game of power . Meanwhile, Egyptian forces continue to battle militants in the Sinai Peninsula, the state-run al-Ahram newspaper reported, citing security sources. One soldier was wounded and one militant was captured in the clashes, the sources said. Source: Yemen forces attack Defense Ministry . The military campaign was launched after an attack at a border post last week that left more than a dozen troops dead. Morsy dismissed several security officials and the governor of northern Sinai province in the wake of the attack. | (CNN) -- Myanmar convened its first parliament in more than two decades on Monday in the capital, Naypyidaw. Members are expected to vote for chairman and vice chairman during the session. November's elections, which were also the first in 20 years, drew fire from critics, who said the voting was aimed at creating a facade of democracy. The regime refused to allow international monitors to oversee the elections and would not allow international journalists to cover the voting from inside the country. Journalists who reported from inside Myanmar had to do so surreptitiously. The military junta also recently overhauled Myanmar's constitution in a way that critics say was aimed at tightening the regime's grip. The constitution now requires more than 100 military nominees in parliament. Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been under military rule since 1962. Parliament began a day after opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy launched its first official website. "A good communication system is essential to our endeavour to set up a people's network for democracy that will span the whole world," Suu Kyi said in a message on the site, which went live Sunday. "By communication, through the web page, with strong supporters of our cause, as well as with those who want to know more about our movement for democracy and about the NLD, I believe we shall be able to achieve our goal of a democratic union at a faster pace." The web address for the site is: www.nldburma.org. The daughter of General Aung San, a hero of Burmese independence, Suu Kyi has repeatedly challenged Myanmar's regime over the years. For her efforts, she won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. She was released from house arrest on November 13, after spending most of the past 20 years under house arrest or in prison. Her release came after the national elections which her National League for Democracy party boycotted, describing them as a sham. | eng_Latn | 1,480 |
Classroom revolution? New curriculum for Kenya kids | In Kenya, teachers are getting a new curriculum for the first time in 32 years.
The new curriculum focuses more on life skills, technology, and nurturing talent, and less on final exams.
Many teachers and parents say it is a welcome change.
But critics say the government also needs to build more schools, buy more books and employ more teachers.
Al Jazeera's Catherine Soi reports from Nairobi, Kenya. | A deal has been signed to end Joseph Kabila's 15-year rule in the Democratic Republic of Congo - but the president himself has yet to add his signature.
Senior ministers backed the deal, which would see Mr Kabila stay on until elections are held by the end of 2017.
The country has faced a crisis since Mr Kabila failed to step down earlier in December, when his mandate expired.
Elections should have been held in November, and dozens of people have died in protests since then.
After the electoral commission cancelled the scheduled vote, citing logistical and financial difficulties in organising them, Mr Kabila formed a 74-member transitional government and said elections would be held in 2018.
Representatives of Mr Kabila and his long standing rival Etienne Tshisekedi have been locked in negotiations brokered by Catholic Church leaders since 8 December.
Neither man has yet signed the final deal, but representatives of both sides said the two men would put their names to the transition agreement later.
In the meantime, members of the government and the opposition signed it in the final minutes of 2016.
"Today, we are happy to head up a political compromise," said Archbishop Marcel Utembi, who heads the church body which mediated the talks.
Under the deal, Mr Kabila is to lead a transitional government until elections which must be held by the end of 2017.
During that period, an opposition politician will serve as prime minister.
The document states that Mr Kabila will not seek a third term. The constitution bars him from doing this, but the opposition had feared he might try to amend it to enable him to do.
Archbishop Marcel Utembi sees further challenges ahead.
"It's one thing to have a political compromise but putting it into place is another," he said, after the signing ceremony on Saturday.
DR Congo has not had a smooth transfer of power between any leaders since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Mr Kabila took over in 2001 following the assassination of his father Laurent Kabila. | eng_Latn | 1,481 |
Prabowo Subianto: Gerindra Door is Open for General Gatot, if He Wants… | Gerindra Party’s door is still open for Gatot Nurmantyo. The statement was said by the Chairman of Gerindra Party Prabowo Subianto. He opens the door for the former commander of Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) General Gatot Nurmantyo, if he wants to join his party after retirement.
“If for such a character, we will invite. If interested, of course we are grateful,” said Prabowo in Hambalang, Bogor, Saturday (12/9/2017) night. However, Prabowo did not want to force General Gatot to join the party. According to him, General Gatot still needs to rest after serving for decades.
“But, we do not want to burden him, let him after so many years of work, a few months he wants to consolidate first,” said Prabowo Subianto who has twice failed in presidential election before.
For information, TNI General Gatot Nurmantyo officially handed the baton to the new TNI Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto at TNI Headquarters Cilangkap, East Jakarta, Saturday (12/9).
Reported, after giving up his position as commander of the TNI, the four-star general is entering the retirement phase. The reason, Gatot is going to wait for his retirement in March 2018. | Indonesia's metalhead president received a thrash-worthy present from his Danish counterpart Wednesday.
Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, was presented with the recently launched, re-mastered box set of U.S. heavy metal band Metallica's 1986 album "Master of Puppets".
The 56-year-old Jokowi is a well-known Metallica fan -- several years ago he received a signed guitar from the band's bassist Robert Trujillo.
A spokesman said Indonesia's leader was "pleasantly surprised" by the unusual diplomatic gift from Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who was in Jakarta on an official visit.
The box set was signed by Metallica drummer and Danish native Lars Ulrich.
"Indonesia's president @jokowi seemed eager to dig into his diplomatic gift from Denmark: A #MasterOfPuppets box signed by #heavymetal fans' all-time favorit (sic) drummer @larsulrich," Rasmussen wrote on Twitter.
But Jokowi may not be able to keep it, as politicians have to report gifts to graft-riddled Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
The instrument Jokowi got from Trujillo is now displayed in a KPK gallery and considered a state asset.
"The KPK will decide whether the president should return the gift or if he can keep it," his spokesman said Wednesday.
And what did Rasmussen get in return? A traditional Indonesian dagger called a rencong. | eng_Latn | 1,482 |
Libya's December election goal faces political, legal, security hurdles | TUNIS (Reuters) - A commitment by key Libyan actors to hold elections in December faces multiple obstacles, including the lack of a legal framework for polls and escalating conflict in parts of the country.
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron, Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, Khalifa Haftar, the military commander who dominates eastern Libya, and the participants of the International Conference on Libya listen to a verbal agreement between the various parties regarding the organization of a democratic election this year at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 29, 2018. Etienne Laurent/Pool via Reuters/File Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron called the agreement reached in Paris on Tuesday a historic step towards reunifying and stabilising Libya, which has been in turmoil since a NATO-backed revolt toppled Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Tripoli Prime Minister Fayez Seraj, eastern commander Khalifa Haftar and the leaders of two rival parliamentary assemblies endorsed - but did not sign - an eight-point statement that set the date for parliamentary and presidential elections on Dec. 10, with a commitment to establish the constitutional and legal basis by Sept. 16.
But the question of how such a basis will be set - whether by a vote on a constitutional draft, a new election law, or an adaptation of Libya’s post-uprising constitutional declaration - was left open.
The issue is central because opponents of Haftar, the dominant figure in eastern Libya and a possible candidate for president, want to ensure that presidential and civilian powers over the military are clearly defined before polls are held.
Haftar’s rivals suspect that, given the chance, he would return the country to authoritarian rule. They also blame him for destroying parts of Benghazi and displacing large numbers of residents in a three-year campaign for control of Libya’s second-largest city.
Haftar says he is ridding Libya of Islamist extremists and is committed to the electoral process.
As the meeting in Paris took place, Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) pressed on with a campaign against Islamists and other opponents in the eastern city of Derna, where the United Nations says fighting is having a “devastating” impact.
Conflict has also flared in recent weeks in the southern city of Sabha, on the dividing line between two loose alliances that have supported rival political camps in Tripoli and the east since disputed elections in 2014.
There was no mention of the fighting in the Paris statement, though Seraj told reporters he had “appealed for an end to combat in all of Libya - enough blood has been spilt”.
Analysts say the conflict and the several hundred thousand people displaced by it could skew the outcome of an election. Some Libyans have said the country is too divided to cope with a national vote.
Security is another challenge. Suicide attackers targeted the offices of the electoral commission in Tripoli in May, killing at least 12 people.
Libya has no national security forces to oversee polls, or effective national institutions that can settle legal challenges. There is no consensus over how to unify the security forces and other divided bodies including the central bank - a further goal set out in the Paris statement.
Suspicion is visible on both sides. Some west Libyan armed groups, including from the key military power base of Misrata, see France as too close to their rival Haftar and stated their opposition to the Paris talks before they began.
A senior LNA source stressed that Haftar had not put his signature to any deal. “Sitting does not mean agreeing, and no agreement was signed at the Paris meeting,” he said.
More than 40 eastern members of parliament issued a statement supporting pledges referenced in the Paris declaration to move parliament to Benghazi and to encourage a military unification dialogue in Cairo, a process seen to favor the LNA.
“It’s very easy to get Libyans to agree to agree to something but when it comes down to hashing out the details that’s when the squabbles tend to start,” said Tarek Megirisi, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. | Municipalities from within Huron County hosted a Candidate Information Session for anyone interested in running as a candidate in the 2018 Municipal Election. The session took place last Wednesday, June 27 at Libro Hall in Clinton.
Over 50 prospective candidates and individuals wanting to learn more about municipal elections were in attendance, and presentations were made to address candidacy regulations and the election process.
As there have been many changes enacted to the Municipal Elections Act, the session benefited newcomers to the municipal election process, as well as those who have participated in past elections. Topics discussed at the session included:
•Presentation by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs
•Role of council and head of council
•Role of municipal staff
•Role of school board trustees
•Nominations, key dates and process
•Eligibility to run for various offices
•Candidate duties
•General campaign rules
•Compliance audits and penalties
•Voter’s list and proxy voting
•Scrutineers
•Recounts
•Resources
•Endorsements and Nominations
Election Day is October 22, 2018 and nominations will be accepted during regular business hours from Tuesday, May 1 to Friday, July 27, 2018 at 2 p.m. By attending the Candidate Information Session, potential municipal council and school board trustee candidates, potential third party advertisers, spouses or partners and anyone interested in learning more about local government had an opportunity to become familiar with the overall election process, pick up an election package from their municipality and learn the specific requirements related to the nomination process such as advertising, financial reporting, etc. prior to submitting nomination forms. | eng_Latn | 1,483 |
BRIEF-Belimo To Nominate Sandra Emme For Election To Board Of Directors | Feb 2 (Reuters) - BELIMO HOLDING AG:
* BELIMO TO NOMINATE SANDRA EMME FOR ELECTION TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Gdynia Newsroom) | Fielmuo, (UWR), Jan. 2, GNA - The Fielmuo Community in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region, is appealing to the government to upgrade the local clinic to a polyclinic to cater for the health needs of the people.
Referral patients from the clinic travel a distance of 30 kilometres to Nandom Hospital to seek medical attention.
Mr Ivan Maayir, National Chairman of the Fielmuo Development Association (FADA) made the appeal at the annual Kukr-Bagr festival of the chiefs and people of the Fielmuo on Saturday.
He said the clinic had no ambulance to convey patients to the Nandom Hospital, and the sick as well as pregnant women in labour were transported on motorcycles and tricycles to Nandom Hospital.
He said the situation had caused the death of some patients while a pregnant woman who was in labour and was being transported on motorcycle to Nandom Hospital in October, 2016 delivered in the bush.
Mr Maayir appealed to benevolent organisations, public- spirited individuals to help provide an ambulance to the clinic to help facilitate the transportation of patients and also reduce the incidence of women deliveries in the bush.
The services of an ambulance will avert a possible untimely death of patients and maternal mortality, Mr Maayir said.
Naa Francis M. Danikuu, Chief of Fielmuo said he and his people were looking forward to the day when both the Sissala and Daagaba ethic groups in the District would come together in unity and in peace.
He said the disunity between the two groups was a source of worry and urged the people to preach peace and work for unity and progress.
He appealed to government to consider providing Fielmuo with small-town water project and facilitate the process of getting the proposed senior high technical school established in the community.
GNA
By Bajin D. Pobia, GNA | kor_Hang | 1,484 |
Diko members say they will leave party over Enosis vote | Two Diko members announced their intention of leaving the party following the party’s support of far-right Elam’s proposal to introduce an annual commemoration in public schools of the January 1950 Enosis (Union) referendum.
The first announcement came on Tuesday night from former municipal councillor Yiannis Armeftis, who had served two terms as Diko’s Limassol municipal councillor between 2007 and 2016, and was also a candidate in last December’s municipal elections.
“In reaction to the latest developments and statements, I place myself outside the Democratic Party until its leadership changes,” Armeftis said on his Facebook page.
Diko, from a democratic party, he said, has turned into a “stooge of nationalism and extremism”. He said that he would issue an announcement later in the week.
Another Diko member, Aglandjia municipal councillor Marinos Cleanthous, replied under the Armefti’ post that he would too follow suit.
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people,”Cleanthous said, quoting Martin Luther King.
The controversial proposal to introduce an annual commemoration in public schools of the Enosis referendum, in which 96 per cent of Greek Cypriots voted their preference for the island to be annexed to Greece, was voted by parliament on Friday.
In a plenary vote, just 19 votes from the smaller parties – excluding ruling Disy, which abstained, and main opposition Akel, which opposed – were enough for the proposal, tabled by nationalist Elam deputy Linos Papayiannis, to be approved.
The proposal made it to the plenum through the Education committee, with three votes from Disy and one each from Diko, the Citizens’ Alliance, and Solidarity.
The desire for ‘enosis’, or union with Greece, is considered one of the main reasons for the breakdown of the independent bicommunal Republic of Cyprus established in 1960. | Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic's young entrepreneurs grouped in ANJE on Tuesday said it's high time for the State to "send a clear and forceful signal" of "zero tolerance" on corruption cases and the full independence of powers, to the population and to politicians as well.
ANJE's statement comes just two days after prominent attorney and political leader Marino Vinicio Castillo (Vincho) slammed the organization for in his view, failing to speak out against the rampant government corruption.
In a statement, the young entrepreneurs stressed the importance of the Justice Ministry sending a strong message to the population, which mitigates the public perception of a questioned independence of branches of Government.
"It's also time to send a direct message to society as a whole that there will be no tolerance for cases of corruption, abuse of power, embezzlement of public funds or any other kind, involving a lack of transparency in the handling and theft of state funds," said ANJE president Eugene Rault Grullón. | eng_Latn | 1,485 |
Community Focus - Hui Makaala Holds Fundraising Fashion Show | Hui Makaala held its 48th annual Scholarship Fund Luncheon and Fashion Show on July 30 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom. The show featured fashions by three Hawai‘i designers — Allison Izu, Janice Tsujimura and Jeanie Chun. The audience was also treated to a program of cultural entertainment that included Okinawan dances by Hooge Ryu Hana Nuuzi no Kai Nakasone Dance Academy, led by grandmaster and artistic director Lynne Yoshiko Nakasone-Sensei; Okinawan music by Ryukyu Koten Afuso-Ryu Ongaku Kenkyu Choichi Kai USA, Hawaii Shibu, led by Grant “Sandaa” Murata; and energetic eisä drumming and dancing by Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii, led by Akemi Martin-Sensei and Melissa Ching.
All nine of the new Hui Makaala scholarship recipients attended the event. It gave them an opportunity to see how the scholarship monies they received are raised each year. In 2017 alone, Hui Makaala awarded $20,000 in scholarships to the following nine students.
• Briana Campbell, daughter of Paul and Roxanne Campbell. Briana, a Mililani High School graduate, is a student at the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, where she plans to major in kinesiology. She hopes to become a physical therapist assistant.
• Nikki Chinen, daughter of Stephen and Emi Chinen. Nikki graduated from Mililani High School and is currently a student at Creighton University in Nebraska, majoring in psychology, with her eyes set on becoming a clinical psychologist.
To read the rest of this article, please subscribe to The Herald! | WRITE to highlight certain candidates vying for the Central province regional seat in the 2017 National Generation Elections.
I was in Rarai village in the Kairuku Hiri district on June 5 when candidate Boe Eno Daera visited this village with food stuff and presented K1,000 to Chiefs Mateo Ainie and Opu Mali on behalf of the Kinapuisa clan.
This is a clear sign of bribery with the intent of influencing voters.
I urge the Electoral Commission to investigate and talk to the above two named Chiefs.
Let me warn all candidate that there are corruption fighters watching you and ready to capture your pictures as evidence of your corrupt activities.
Corruption Watcher
Bereina CP
Like this: Like Loading... | eng_Latn | 1,486 |
ODM backs calls for referendum to create PM's post | | Published Wed, April 25th 2018 at 00:00, Updated April 24th 2018 at 22:07 GMT +3
ODM Chairman John Mbadi (left), Suna East MP Junet Mohamed (centre), ODM party leader Raila Odinga flanked by ODM MPs during an ODM parliamentary group meeting at Orange house. [Beverlyne Musili/Standard]
ODM Chairman, however, says Premier should assume all key executive functions, as proposed in Tiaty MP Kassait Kamket's bill.
Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party has backed the push to amend the Constitution to create the position of Prime Minister, a proposal Deputy President William Ruto has opposed.
ALSO READ: Raila blames leaders, rows for slow progress
ODM Chairman John Mbadi said ODM supports the proposal for reintroduction of the Premier seat, but is against the Office of the Prime Minister assuming all key executive functions.
"We want it harmonised in such a way that the President is not only ceremonial but also retains the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces," Mr Mbadi told The Standard.
"ODM was one of the first to propose such a parliamentary system of democracy akin to the United Kingdom, but later dropped it. We may have to revisit it," Mbadi said.
MPs Mark Nyamita (Uriri), Paul Abuor (Rongo), Jared Okello (Nyando), Glady's Wanga (Homa-Bay Woman Rep) and Onyango K'Oyoo (Muhoroni) also supported the push to amend the Constitution.
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Ruto has opposed the proposed amendment to the Constitution to create positions, terming it a self-serving initiative to accommodate a few individuals.
Mbadi said while they support Tiaty MP Kassait Kamket's Bill to change the Constitution to create the post of a Prime Minister, they want limits as to the scope of the executive authority. The MPs pointed out gaps in Kamket's philosophy that aims to redress electoral injustices and promote wide dispersal of power.
Mr Kamket has called for a single seven-year ceremonial President and the scrapping of the position of Deputy President altogether.
He wants a ceremonial President, to be elected by Parliament, and who will be in office between elections to ensure smooth transition.
ALSO READ: ODM discounts cleric's poverty allegations
Term limits
He will be Head of State and will have the duty to ask the leader of the largest parliamentary party to appoint a Prime Minister to form government.
The Prime Minister, on the other hand, will be a leader with no term limits, and will name his Cabinet from among elected parliamentarians as opposed to appointing professionals.
The National Council of Churches of Kenya had made similar proposals, preferring a Prime Minister with two deputies to answer questions fielded in Parliament.
The ODM legislators called for a referendum to legitimise important constitutional issues such as devolution, electoral reforms and key governing institutions.
Mbadi said when very important issues are involved, it is appropriate to let the people make the final decision.
"In the wake of increasing voter apathy and disenchantment with traditional forms of democracy, direct democracy can help to re-engage voters with politics," he said.
ALSO READ: Law of unrelated things at play in political events
Mbadi enumerated some of the issues that have forced them to opt for a referendum. They include proposals by most MPs that they should serve for 10 years as opposed to five-year terms.
Some of them claim a five-year term is too short to make any meaningful impact and this is to blame for many abandoned and incomplete projects.
"So we have tasked some of our members to explore alternative provisions that will not be effected without seeking the consent of the voters in a referendum," he said.
Already, the lawmakers are drafting a Motion to this effect, which could soon be tabled in the House for debate.
Mbadi said some newly-elected MPs were abandoning good or viable projects started by predecessors, resulting in either duplication of projects, or wastage of public resources.
"This is one of the reasons some of us propose that we come up with a new electoral system, where the legislators serve for one term of 10 years," Mbadi said.
An MP elected in a by-election mid-way through a Parliament, regardless of how long they have occupied the seat, would not be exempted from the election.
Another petition to change the Constitution has been presented to the National Assembly by Ezekiel Njeru Namu from Embu.
In his petition, Namu wants the presidential term reduced to four years, MPs to serve six years and senators seven.
ALSO READ: It won’t be business as usual, ACK warns Nyanza politicians
Local languages
The petitioner wants county assemblies to use local languages in their deliberations. He also wants MPs to increase the number of constituencies from 290 to 300 and scrap academic qualifications for lawmakers and members of county assemblies.
There is also a petition by Mohammed Sheikh from Wajir, who wants presidential age limit capped at 50 years ahead of 2022.
These ballot questions, MPs Abuor and Okello said, can be best answered by voters at the referendum.
Catholic Church bishops led by Cardinal John Njue last week called for changes to the Constitution to help heal the country. | Five big ideas of Modi govt's Budget 2018 that look way beyond next election and might well be irreversible | eng_Latn | 1,487 |
Nobody will stop election in Anambra North - MASSOB, BIM | By Chimaobi Nwaiwu
The Anambra North Zone of Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB and Biafra Independent Movement, BIM, has affirmed that no one can stop the November 18, 2017 Governorship election in the zone.
Leader of MASSOB-BIM in Anambra North Zone, Chief Vincent Iloh who disclosed this in an interview with Vanguard said, the group has already perfected arrangements for hosting the founder of MASSOB and BIM, Chief Ralph Uwazurike, who will be visiting Onitsha on September 13th 2017 to address the people of the state on the need to participate actively in the election.
He said: “Chief Uwazurike chose the day 13, September because of its significance to the struggle for actualization of Biafra. It will interest you to know that it was the day MASSOB was born, in 1999, we will also celebrate the day in Onitsha, as all Biafrans from different states of South East, South South and Middle Belt and those residing in other parts of the federation to celebrate the day.”
“He will also tell the people and residents of the state that the governorship election will hold in Anambra state on November 18, 2017, because it has nothing to do with Biafra actualization agitation”, he said. | A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba, has emerged as head of a newly formed political group in Kano State called ‘Siyasar Kano Ina Mafita’. At the official launching of the political group yesterday, Na’abba said the formation became necessary because of the way and manner politicians were being deprived […] | eng_Latn | 1,488 |
Tight security as Chengannur byelection counting today | By Express News Service
ALAPPUZHA: All arrangements have been made for counting votes for the Chengannur bypoll held on Monday. The Election Commission (EC) has made tight security arrangements at the counting centre at Christian College in Chengannur, said District Election Officer and Collector T V Anupama.
“The electronic voting machines (EVMs) kept in the strong room will be shifted to the counting centre by 6 am on Thursday. The strong room will be opened in the presence of EC chief observer K D Kunjam. Postal ballots will be counted in the first phase at 8 am,” said Anupama. The EC has arranged 14 tables for counting. Counting assistants, a counting supervisor and a micro observer will be present at each table. In the first round, EVMs of 14 polling stations will be counted. As many as 181 polling booths were set up for the bypoll.
After each round of counting, the micro observer and presiding officer will examine the result. Once the data is entered into the computer system, the next round will begin. The counting process will go on for 13 rounds and the result will be finalised by 12 noon, said Anupama.
The EC has appointed 69 officials for the counting process and they were trained in the presence of observer Kunjam. The EC has banned the use of mobile phones at the counting centre. Representatives of political parties and counting agents won’t be allowed to use cell phones or any other communication system at the centre, said officials. | WRITE to highlight certain candidates vying for the Central province regional seat in the 2017 National Generation Elections.
I was in Rarai village in the Kairuku Hiri district on June 5 when candidate Boe Eno Daera visited this village with food stuff and presented K1,000 to Chiefs Mateo Ainie and Opu Mali on behalf of the Kinapuisa clan.
This is a clear sign of bribery with the intent of influencing voters.
I urge the Electoral Commission to investigate and talk to the above two named Chiefs.
Let me warn all candidate that there are corruption fighters watching you and ready to capture your pictures as evidence of your corrupt activities.
Corruption Watcher
Bereina CP
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Its Economy in Crisis, Angola Readies for a New Leader | TALATONA, Angola—This upmarket new suburb on the edge of Angola’s capital stands as a ghostly monument to the challenges facing one of Africa’s biggest oil producers as it braces for its first political transition in almost four decades.
Dozens of gated communities sit mostly empty, gathering dust. They were built during the first half of this decade for a middle class that never materialized and a foreign elite that largely packed... | BY OKECHUKWU OBETA, Awka
The governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano is the only contestant in today’s primary being conducted by the Chief Victor Oye- led faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA) to choose the party’s flag- bearer for the November 18, Anambra State governorship election.
Chief Oye who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in a press briefing in his Amawbia country home in Awka South local government area of the state, revealed that a total of 1,109 delegates made up of three delegates elected from each of the 326 wards in the state and 150 statutory delegates of the party will be taking part in the primary.
He stated that the party printed a lot of forms for the governorship primary sold at the sum of N5 million per aspirant but only Governor Obiano purchased and returned the form duly filled before the close of the exercise as stipulated by the party.
He said the party’s primary election would be held at the Professor Dora Akunyili Civic Centre, Awka, the Anambra State capital, and, would commence with the accreditation of delegates.
He stated that he had notified the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), and, that the Commission had drafted some of its officials to monitor the exercise, adding that the security agencies, including the police, Department of the State Services ( DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC), and other paramilitary agencies have been mobilized to ensure adequate security.
Oye stated that the party would submit the name of its gubernatorial candidate to INEC on August 17, stating that so far all the due processes for the exercise starting from the conduct of the ward congresses, screening of the aspirant had been strictly complied with as stipulated in the APGA constitution, adding that APGA would retain the governorship seat come the November 18 governorship election.
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Lai Mohammed: NGOs acting like opposition | Non-governmental organisations in Nigeria have constituted themselves as opposition party against the ruling All Progressives Congress, the Federal Government has declared.
According to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, many civil society organisations in the country fail to appreciate the fight against corruption by the current administration.
The minister said this in Abuja while playing host to the Chair of Transparency International, Delia Ferreria Rubio, and the Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, the local chapter of TI, Auwal Rafsanjani.
Mohammed was quoted in a statement issued by CISLAC on Wednesday as saying, “TI and CISLAC fail to see and appreciate the sociological dynamics of fighting corruption.
“They do not look at the picture but condemn the efforts of the government, like in the case of the Corruption Perception Index. NGOs have constituted themselves as an opposition party. There should be constant interaction with the government instead.”
The minister, however, welcomed the TI chair to Nigeria and thanked her for making Nigeria her first point of call in Africa.
Mohammed also told his guests that there was no government that has been as transparent as the current administration.
Earlier in her remarks, Rubio told the minister that although rules were necessary, they were not enough.
She said TI, through its local chapter in Nigeria, CISLAC, was willing to cooperate with the ministry in the fight against corruption.
Rubio requested that the fight against corruption be institutionalised so that the same issues do not arise when another government assumes power.
Reacting to the minister’s claims against NGOs, Auwal pointed out that the TI only collates the report of the perception of corruption from various institutions like the World Bank and analyses it.
He said NGOs support the government whenever it is doing well and raise red flags in areas where government is not doing well.
He argued that CISLAC had in various capacities interacted with government and had assisted in capacity building in so many areas, an indication that the organisation is interested in the success of the country. | Amnesty Ireland has insisted tonight there is nothing underhand about the funding they have received from the American based Open Society Foundation.
The Standards in Public Office Commission - SIPO - has ordered Amnesty to return the €137,000 donation from the George Soros funded foundation.
The donation was used to fund a campaign for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment.
SIPO says foreign donors can’t legally contribute to election or referendum campaigns and the money must be returned.
Colm O'Gorman
The CEO of Amnesty in Ireland, Colm O’Gorman, has said the group will not be complying with SIPO’s order.
"We believe the law in this case is both unjust and inappropriately applied.
"We will not comply with this instruction and we are exploring every possible avenue which we can use to ensure the flaws in this legislation are addressed.
George Soros
In April RTE reported that the Abortion Rights Campaign confirmed it had returned a grant it received from a US-based foundation led by the billionaire George Soros, following communications from the Republic’s Standards In Public Office Commission, also known as SIPO. | eng_Latn | 1,491 |
Kashamu urges court to void PDP disciplinary decisions | A Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Buruji Kashamu, on Friday asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to nullify the disciplinary actions taken against him by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
Kashamu, in a suit he filed before the court, argued that all disciplinary steps, including the query dated September 7, 2017 issued against him and his referral to the Disciplinary Committee of the party, were in violation of the judgment of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, in a suit FHC/L/CS/605/2016.
He said the action of the party was also in disobedience of an order by Justice Babatunde Quadri of the Federal High Court, Abuja, made in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/732/2017 on September 5, 2017.
The Senator said the PDP, as a party in “serial disobedience of court orders in the management of its affairs in the South West and disdain for the rule of law”, unless the court intervened in the matter, would unjustifiably expel him or block him from seeking nomination for future elections on its platform.
In the fresh suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/866/2017, Kashamu alleged that some national leaders of the PDP were moving against him just because he insisted on observance of internal democracy in the management of the affairs of the party, particularly in the South West.
Respondents in the suit are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the PDP and the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.
Other respondents are the Chairman of the PDP Disciplinary Committee, Chief Tom Ikimi; Makarfi, and another member of the party Caretaker Committee, Ben Obi. | The CCAP General Assembly has distanced itself from the planned demonstrations slated for December 13 organised by Public Affairs Committee (PAC).
In an interview with MBC radio, CCAP General secretary said all the synods of the Church comprising of Livingstonia, NKhoma and Blantyre will not take part in the Demos which were early aimed at forcing government to bring electoral reforms bill to parliament to allow the President to be elected with 50+ 1 majority.
Government has presented the electoral reform bills and if passed into law, the president, MPs and councilors will be chosen by 50+1 % of the total votes cast .
This development has left opposition and PAC in limbo as they thought the arrangement was only necessary for the presidential candidates.
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BRIEF-Jazz pharmaceuticals and Nippon Shinyaku enter into license agreements for development and commercialization of Defitelio and Vyxeos in Japan | March 30 Jazz pharmaceuticals:
* Jazz Pharmaceuticals Plc - co and Nippon Shinyaku enter into license agreements for development and commercialization of Defitelio and Vyxeos in Japan
* Jazz Pharmaceuticals - will manufacture, supply Defitelio and Vyxeos to Nippon Shinyaku; will receive revenue based on percent of product sales in Japan Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Bengaluru Newsroom) | UDPS opposition party leader Felix Tshisekedi gestures to supporters as he arrives to address a rally in Kinshasa on April 24, 2018, the first opposition rally authorized since September 2016. By Junior D. KANNAH (AFP)
The first authorised mass rally by the Democratic Republic of Congo's opposition in nearly two years passed off peacefully on Tuesday, months ahead of a key presidential election in the vast, mineral-rich state.
Thousands of members and supporters of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) gathered in the capital Kinshasa to hear their leader, Felix Tshisekedi, outline some of his party's electoral aims.
In a major climbdown from the government, Tuesday's rally was given the go-ahead by authorities after several opposition protests in recent months were met by a deadly security crackdown.
"We applaud the police's restraint. They are going to have to learn to treat us like citizens and not like adversaries," Tshisekedi told the crowd.
The mood at the rally, in a UDPS stronghold district of the capital, was upbeat amid a discreet police presence.
Public demonstrations have been officially banned in the country since September 2016, when dozens of demonstrators were killed in Kinshasa after calling for the departure of President Joseph Kabila, whose second and final mandate ended in December 2016.
A new vote is due to take place on December 23 after two postponements that have stoked fears of renewed unrest.
Kabila should have stepped down at the end of 2016 but has remained in office under a provision allowing him to retain power until a successor is chosen.
In addition to a deepening political crisis, DR Congo is struggling with armed conflict in its vast, lawless east, which is under the sway of multiple rebel groups.
'A new beginning'
The date of Tuesday's rally was significant as it came 28 years to the day that a multi-party system was first introduced when former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko lifted a ban on opposition parties.
But the country has never had a peaceful transfer of power. Recent banned opposition demonstrations have seen dozens killed, according to the UN, many near the headquarters of Tshisekedi's party.
The opposition leader Tuesday addressed a recently signed agreement with the government to repatriate the body of his late father, Etienne Tshisekedi, a historic opposition figure, who died in February 2017 in Brussels.
But he firmly denied rumours that he was in discussions with Kabila to be appointed prime minister.
"Apart from the discussions around the funeral, there are no other discussions," said Tshisekedi, who was chosen as the UDPS's presidential candidate in March.
"You chose me as a presidential candidate so why would I want to be prime minister?" he asked.
He also repeated his opposition to the proposed use of electronic voting machines during the December 23 vote.
UDPS Christian Mokonkole told AFP that Tuesday's rally represented "a new beginning for our leadership".
"If we have elections organised at the end of this year, we are supporting him (Tshisekedi) to win this election and to start our project to develop this country," Mokonkole added.
DR Congo -- home to the world's largest UN peacekeeping force -- has vast mineral wealth and natural resources but decades of chronic unrest has severely hampered development.
Meanwhile, Lumuna Sando, a former spokesman for Mobutu and government heavyweight, said "nothing much has changed" since Mobutu lifted the ban on the opposition.
"There are similarities in the debate, the behaviour and the positions taken by Congolese politicians," he said. | eng_Latn | 1,493 |
Kilgore College names 320 students to dean’s list | Kilgore College has named 320 students to its fall 2016 dean’s list.
Students earning a 3.5 to 4.0 grade point average who are enrolled in at least 12 credit hours (excluding developmental classes) have been named to the list.The list of students can be found here: | BY OKECHUKWU OBETA, Awka
The governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano is the only contestant in today’s primary being conducted by the Chief Victor Oye- led faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance ( APGA) to choose the party’s flag- bearer for the November 18, Anambra State governorship election.
Chief Oye who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in a press briefing in his Amawbia country home in Awka South local government area of the state, revealed that a total of 1,109 delegates made up of three delegates elected from each of the 326 wards in the state and 150 statutory delegates of the party will be taking part in the primary.
He stated that the party printed a lot of forms for the governorship primary sold at the sum of N5 million per aspirant but only Governor Obiano purchased and returned the form duly filled before the close of the exercise as stipulated by the party.
He said the party’s primary election would be held at the Professor Dora Akunyili Civic Centre, Awka, the Anambra State capital, and, would commence with the accreditation of delegates.
He stated that he had notified the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC), and, that the Commission had drafted some of its officials to monitor the exercise, adding that the security agencies, including the police, Department of the State Services ( DSS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps ( NSCDC), and other paramilitary agencies have been mobilized to ensure adequate security.
Oye stated that the party would submit the name of its gubernatorial candidate to INEC on August 17, stating that so far all the due processes for the exercise starting from the conduct of the ward congresses, screening of the aspirant had been strictly complied with as stipulated in the APGA constitution, adding that APGA would retain the governorship seat come the November 18 governorship election.
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Quebec singer Patrick Bourgeois laid to rest | Quebec singer Patrick Bourgeois’s funeral was held at Sainte-Thérèse-d’Avila Church Monday afternoon in Ste-Thérèse.
Bourgeois, a songwriter and performer best known for being the singer of the band Les BB, died of cancer on Nov. 26 at the age of 55.
Several personalities from the artistic community were present, including members of Rock and Belles Oreilles, Guy A. Lepage, Yves P. Pelletier and Bruno Landry, singer-songwriters Sylvain Cossette, Éric Lapointe and Martin Deschamps as well as TV host Geneviève Borne.
Fans and family paid their respects for more than an hour. The queue was very long and at Bourgeois’s request, the public was welcome.
At the front of the church, someone had placed a cage with a white dove inside. On the white cage were several red and white roses and, underneath, a guitar and a sign that read “Je marcherai sur l’eau, volerai comme l’oiseau, je parlerai aux anges…” (“I will walk on water, fly like a bird, I will talk to the angels …) Words from a song by Bourgeois’s band: “Donne-moi ma chance.”
At the beginning of the ceremony, the singer’s three children laid a wreath near his urn.
His children, Penelope, Ludovick and Marie-William, as well as Bourgeois’s wife, Mélanie Savard, all spoke during the ceremony.
Savard said that the sadness of having lost her husband is partially compensated by the chance to have spent all these years with him.
She emphasized his great sense of humour and his ability to de-dramatize situations.
“Thank you darling for this wonderful legacy, with which we will continue life without you,” Savard said, in the same church where they were married.
Tributes poured in at the announcement of the singer’s death. The BB, Bourgeois’s band, also included François Jean and Alain Lapointe.
Winners of several Félix awards for their albums, the band was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The ceremony ended with the song “Tu ne sauras jamais,” played by the band’s bassist, Lapointe.
The family then released the dove outside the church.
By Stéphanie Marin. | Former Governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang, has disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were destroying democracy in the country ahead of 2019.
He, however, noted that Buhari-led-APC wants Nigeria to become a one party state with no opposition.
The senator representing Plateau North stated this while briefing newsmen in Jos, the state capital.
According to Jang, the democracy that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) worked for in the past 16 years is dying.
“I am the senator representing Plateau North, I may be re-contesting the Senate, and I may be contesting a higher position,” Jang said.
“That decision is in the making and the PDP is working very hard to win the election on the Plateau and I am a key figure here on the Plateau.
“So, there seems to be a very deliberate plan to get me out of the way so that I don’t participate in any of the electoral processes.
“I just want to make it very clear that if this is the way our politics is going to be, then I am sorry to say that the democracy that we worked hard for is dying.
“I was part of the G-18, G-34, that fought for this democracy to come, and the G34 formed the PDP, and PDP nurtured democracy for 16 years.
“But now, the APC as a party has come and wants to destroy it by trying to make sure that there is no opposition.
“They want Nigeria to become a one party state, and I believe that this is a subtle way of destroying democracy in Nigeria.
“But by the grace of God, it will not happen. This democracy has come to stay, and we are going to participate fully and no amount of threat will stop us from taking over power as a party in Nigeria in 2019.” | eng_Latn | 1,495 |
Burundi's president sets May date for referendum on power | KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) - Burundi's president has signed a decree setting May 17 for a referendum on changes to the constitution that could keep him in power until 2034, days after some ruling party members bestowed on him the title of "eternal supreme guide."
The decree, shared online Sunday by Burundi's U.N. ambassador and other officials, could lead to more unrest in the East African country that saw deadly political violence after the president's disputed decision in 2015 to seek a third term.
Opposition and human rights groups have called the referendum a plot by Nkurunziza to stay in power for life.
The proposed changes to the constitution include extending a presidential term from five years to seven. Nkurunziza's current term expires in 2020.
At least 1,200 people were killed and more than 400,000 fled the country in the chaos after Nkurunziza's decision in 2015 to run for a third term. In November, International Criminal Court judges authorized an investigation into allegations of state-sponsored crimes including murder, rape and torture, announcing the decision shortly after Burundi became the first country to formally quit the court.
The referendum in May will leave Burundians more divided, said Hussein Radjabu, a former secretary-general of the ruling party.
"The ruling party is also divided on the matter, so we are likely to see more bloodshed in Burundi as people opposed to lifting term limits will be killed," Radjabu told The Associated Press.
Human rights activists say some opposing the referendum already have been arrested. Others have fled into exile, said local activist Vital Nshimirimana.
Nkurunziza rose to power in 2005 following the signing of the Arusha accords to end Burundi's 13-year civil war that killed about 300,000 people. He was re-elected unopposed in 2010 after the opposition boycotted the vote. Nkurunziza said he was eligible for a third term because lawmakers, not the people, had chosen him for his first term, but critics called the move unconstitutional. | By Ben Agande
Kaduna—Youths in their hundreds, yesterday, staged a peaceful procession to drum support for President Muhammadu Buhari, who has been in the United Kingdom on medical vacation.
The Kaduna procession is coming a few days after two groups of pro- and anti-Buhari protesters held rallies in Abuja.
The Kadunà rally drew youths from various states of the north and termiñated at Government House, where they were addressed by government officials, led by the Commissioner in Charge of Stakeholders’ Affairs, Shehu Balarabe, and Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Kaduna Youths Network Support Buhari,” “We support Buhari to stay in office, not to step down”and “Budget Padding is corruption” among others.
Spokesman of the group, Ibrahim Garkuwa, said the rally was called to drum support for the President, adding that they are happy with the manner President Buhari’s administration has governed the country in the last two years.
Another member of the group, Muhàmmed Sani, noted that in spite of repeated attempts to portray the present administration as not performing, the President has achieved far better than his predecessors.
He said President Buhari has fulfilled his campaign promises, especially in areas of anti-corruption fight and security, despite the challenges he met on ground.
According to them, those calling for his resignation are enemies of the country who are not happy with the successes recorded by his administration in ridding Nigeria of corruption.
The group maintained that the President has not violated the Constitution to warrant the call for his resignation after he had properly handed over to Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. | eng_Latn | 1,496 |
Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL)- Graduate govt. job- Chief Conservator Posts - 61 posts-Apply | Educational Qualification : Graduate Important Date: Starting date for applying: 20-12-2016 Ending date for applying: 12-1-2017 61 Posts View More Details Apply Online Registration … | 0 SHARES Share Tweet
Incumbent Mabatini MCA in Mathare Constituency Wilfred Odalo yesterday trounced his rivals in ODM repeat nominations held yesterday in Mathare.
Odalo beat his five rivals garnering 239 votes against his closest rival John Obonyo’s 98 votes.
The High Court had ordered ODM party to repeat nominations in the area after it nullified Odalo’s win.
Odalo expressed satisfaction with the way nominations promising to serve Mabatini MCAs better if elected the second term.
about the author: Ghetto Radio | eng_Latn | 1,497 |
Fayose wrong to announce presidential ambition - Ekiti PDP factional chair | Factional Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman in Ekiti State, Chief
Williams Ajayi, has faulted Governor Ayo Fayose for announcing his
presidential ambition at the non-elective National Convention held on
Saturday in Abuja.
Ajayi said Fayose’s declaration of a presidential ambition was at variance
with the party’s position that the presidential ticket had been zoned to
the North, while vice presidential ticket has been ceded to Southeast and
Southsouth.
He said the Ekiti governor’s presidential ambition, proclaimed through banners, posters and T-shirts worn by members of Ekiti State House of Assembly and local government chairmen was at variance with the party’s position that
the presidential ticket has been zoned to the North while vice presidential ticket has been ceded to Southeast and Southsouth.
He said Fayose was to blame for the free-for-all which erupted at Ekiti’s
stand at the convention which he said was sparked by governor’s order that party leaders that did not wear lemon green colour “Fayose-for-President” T-shirt should vacate the place.
Speaking with reporters on Monday, Ajayi wondered why the governor allegedly left the VIP stand to order his
security personnel and House of Assembly members to force party leaders who
are not members of his caucus out of the convention venue.
He maintained that he remained the authentic state party chairman on grounds
that “the July 12 Supreme Court judgment which affirmed Senator Ahmed Makarfi as the National Caretaker Chairman did not affect his (Ajayi’s) position as Ekiti PDP boss.”
Ajayi disclosed that the Gboyega Oguntuase-led faction is presently before the Court of Appeal, Ado-Ekiti challenging the judgment of the Federal High
Court, Ado-Ekiti which affirmed him (Ajayi) as the valid chairman before appeal coming up for hearing on 4th October.
Giving account of what happened at the Abuja convention, Ajayi said: “When
we got there on Saturday, it was a non-elective convention and it was all
about unity and reconciliation and we in Ekiti stand were exchanging
banters and hailing one other until Governor Fayose came from the VIP stand.
“We noticed that local government chairmen and House of Assembly members
wore branded lemon colour Fayose-for-President T-shirts, going about with
placards announcing his ambition for 2019 presidency.
“Fayose came from the VIP stand and ordered that delegates that did not put
on the T-shirts should leave the venue and this did not go down well with
those affected. He ordered that House of Assembly members and security
personnel should start attacking and molesting these party leaders that
refused to obey his order.
“It became a free-for-all at the Ekiti stand; after the intervention of
Prof. Tunde Adeniran, some leaders withdrew by wlaking away from the event because of their position that Fayose’s declaring for President was an
affront on the position of the winning strategy of the party as approved by the last Port Harcourt convention.
“At the Port Harcourt convention, it was agreed that the North should
produce the presidential candidate while the vice presidential slot should go to the Southeast and the Southsouth and the National Chairman should go to the Southwest.
“We strongly condemn Fayose’s behaviour and show of shame in Abuja because this is a party that believes in the rule of law and a party of
knowledgeable people. Fayose’s ambition is at variance to the winning
strategy of the PDP in 2019.” | WRITE to highlight certain candidates vying for the Central province regional seat in the 2017 National Generation Elections.
I was in Rarai village in the Kairuku Hiri district on June 5 when candidate Boe Eno Daera visited this village with food stuff and presented K1,000 to Chiefs Mateo Ainie and Opu Mali on behalf of the Kinapuisa clan.
This is a clear sign of bribery with the intent of influencing voters.
I urge the Electoral Commission to investigate and talk to the above two named Chiefs.
Let me warn all candidate that there are corruption fighters watching you and ready to capture your pictures as evidence of your corrupt activities.
Corruption Watcher
Bereina CP
Like this: Like Loading... | eng_Latn | 1,498 |
Retired Gen. Otto Perez Molina pledges to take a tough stand on crime .
"Today, there is an air of hope," he says .
Security issues loomed large during last year's campaign . | Retired army Gen. Otto Perez Molina was sworn in as Guatemala's president Saturday, pledging to take a tough stand on crime amid growing insecurity in the Central American nation. "We have a country in crisis ... a nation very close to an economic and moral breakdown," he said. "Today, there is an air of hope." Concerns about violence in Guatemala, which has worsened as Mexican drug cartels have stepped up operations in parts of the country, dominated last year's vote. In a Vox Latina national survey in July, more than two-thirds of Guatemalans said violence was what concerned them most, far outpacing the combined totals for the economy, unemployment, poverty and lack of education. The 61-year-old retired general pledged to bring a "mano dura" -- firm hand -- to Guatemala's highest office. In a debate co-hosted by CNN en Español last year, Perez Molina called for "elite units of the army" to play a larger role in the nation's battle against gangs and drug cartels. That approach -- and Perez Molina's high rank in the military during Guatemala's decades-long civil war -- worries human rights groups in Guatemala and abroad. Concerns stem from the fact that the Guatemalan military committed multiple atrocities during the civil war, although Perez Molina has never been directly implicated in any of them. Poverty is endemic in Guatemala, and the country has one of the worst crime rates in Latin America. Forty-three percent of children under 5 are chronically malnourished. And the murder rate in 2010 was 42 per 100,000 people -- one of the highest in the world. Last year marked only the fourth time that Guatemala has held presidential elections since peace accords were signed in 1996, officially ending a civil war that devastated the country for 36 years. The conflict left more than 100,000 people dead and a million refugees. | Tokyo (CNN) -- Fifty rebel lawmakers resigned Monday from Japan's governing party, weakening the majority of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda as he pushes a controversial increase in the sales tax through parliament. Led by the influential Ichiro Ozawa, 40 members of the lower house and 12 members of the upper house have left the Democratic Party of Japan, said Kenji Yamaoka, a senior lawmaker allied with Ozawa. However, two of the lower house lawmakers on the list announced by Yamaoka -- Megumu Tsuji and Takeshi Shina -- subsequently said they were not leaving the party, their offices said. The exodus is in protest over Noda's plan to double the sales tax from 5% to 10% to try to tackle Japan's huge public debt, Yamaoka said. The lower house passed the measure last week despite opposition from the group led by Ozawa, a former party leader known for his political power-broking. The departures Monday whittle down Noda's majority in the lower house, leaving the Democratic Party of Japan with 251 out of 480 seats. In the upper house, which is still to vote on the sales tax legislation, the party now holds 92 out of 242 seats. Noda, who took office in September, is the latest in a string of politically fragile Japanese leaders. He is the sixth prime minister in the six years since the departure of Junichiro Koizumi, who was in power for more than five years. The Ozawa-led exodus has fueled speculation about a possible vote of no confidence being introduced against Noda. But Ozawa has so far failed to lure away enough Democratic Party of Japan members to threaten Noda immediately. If a vote of no confidence were to be called and Noda lost, he would have to step down or call a snap election. Ozawa said last week that he expected a general election could be called "in the near future." | eng_Latn | 1,499 |
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