Posts Tagged ‘World’
Russia to keep blocking UN sanctions on Syria
Tweet Russia's foreign minister said Wednesday the country will continue to block any U.N. sanctions on Syria and that any resolution by the world body must exclude the possibility of international military involvement such as in Libya.Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said U.N. approval for sanctions against Syria mirroring those by other nations would be "unfair and counterproductive."The U.S., the European Union, the Arab League and Turkey all have introduced sanctions against Damascus in response to Syrian President Bashar Assad's violent crackdown on opponents. The uprising has left more than 5,400 people dead, according to the U.N. estimates.The U.N. Security Council has been unable to agree on a [...]
Scotland: Let 16-year-olds vote on independence
Tweet Teenagers of 16 and 17 would be eligible to cast ballots in a Scottish independence referendum that could see the breakup of Britain within four years, under proposals announced Wednesday by Scotland's leader.First Minister Alex Salmond announced the Scottish government's preferred options for the vote on whether to sever ties from Britain, which it plans to hold in the fall of 2014. A "yes" vote would lead to independence taking effect with a May 2016 election for the Scottish Parliament.Salmond told Scottish lawmakers in the Edinburgh assembly the ballot would ask "Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?" but could also include a third option, for increased autonomy [...]
Russian tycoon Prokhorov on presidential ballot
Tweet Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov was officially registered as a presidential candidate Wednesday, the only political newcomer allowed to challenge Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for the Kremlin job.The three others on the ballot for the March vote are veteran party leaders who pose little challenge to Putin, who is seen as all but certain to win the election and return to the post he held from 2000 to 2008.Putin, however, is under heavy pressure to show that he can win a fair election. Evidence that vote rigging boosted the results of his party in the Dec. 4 parliamentary election led to mass protests in Moscow. Another demonstration to demand free elections is planned for Feb. 4.Prokhorov, who [...]
Public spending fuels Ecuador leader’s popularity
Tweet Amparo Martinez's universe is two small, tidy rooms in a poor Quito neighborhood that she shares with her 83-year-old mother and a severely handicapped daughter.Her predicament makes holding a job impossible, so the three depend on a $240-a-month government stipend introduced by President Rafael Correa under a program for the disabled.Martinez adores Correa."I hope he's re-elected many times," she says.Correa is regularly assailed by human rights, press freedom and business groups as intemperate, autocratic and intolerant of dissent. Yet he is popular among millions of Ecuadoreans for programs which, like the initiative for the disabled, have improved their lives.An array of state-funded programs [...]
UK could send more navy assets to Strait of Hormuz
Tweet Britain could send extra military assets to the Strait of Hormuz to deter any attempt by Iran to block Persian Gulf oil tanker traffic, the country's defense secretary said Tuesday, as Tehran insisted an EU ban on the purchase of its oil would have little sting.Two British and French warships and the American aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln entered the Gulf Sunday to warn Iran any interference with global shipping won't be tolerated, Philip Hammond told reporters.Iranian leaders have repeated long-standing threats to close off the Strait, which handles a fifth of the world's oil, after the European Union imposed the embargo Monday as part of sanctions to pressure Tehran into resuming talks on the [...]