Us 2020 election

NAIROBI: Kenyans have elected a record number of women to positions of power in this month's polls, with the list including seven governors, three senators and 26 MPs, in a step towards gender equality. The East African nation has long struggled to get women into politics, with men accounting for the overwhelming majority of elected officials and female politicians largely consigned to serving as one of Kenya's 47 women representatives. In the populous Rift Valley town of Nakuru for instance, female candidates were elected to eight positions, including governor, senator and woman representative — with Susan Kihika, Tabitha Karanja and Liza Chelule claiming those victories. "Now sit and watch and see what women can do in office," said newly elected senator Karanja. Governor-elect Kihika thanked the voters of Nakuru "for being progressive and electing three women to the leadership of this county". Broken barriers All three women belong to president-elect William Ruto's … [Read more...] about Kenyan women make history with record election wins

Italian politician Giorgia Meloni is riding a wave of support that could see her become the country's first female prime minister and its first far-right leader since World War II. Even though her Brothers of Italy party has neo-fascist roots, and promotes a message of Christianity, patriotism, motherhood and traditional family values, Meloni has sought to dispel concerns about its legacy, saying voters have grown tired of such discussions. Still, there are nagging signs that such a legacy can't be shaken off so easily: Her party's symbol includes an image of a tricoloured flame, borrowed from a neo-fascist party formed shortly after the end of the war. If the Brothers of Italy prevails at the polls on 25 September, and the 45-year-old Meloni becomes premier, it will come almost 100 years to the month after Benito Mussolini, Italy’s fascist dictator, came to power in October 1922. Meloni proudly introduced Caio Giulio Cesare Mussolini, a great-grandson of the … [Read more...] about Italy election: Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni rides wave of support

E' fissata al 20 febbraio 2020 la data della prima udienza per decidere se estradare o meno negli Stati Uniti Julian Assange . Richiesta contro cui il giornalista e fondatore di Wikileaks, arrestato il 12 aprile scorso, si è già appellato. Lo ha deciso un tribunale britannico, inaugurando il processo alla corte di Westminster con la raccolta dei documenti e una prima audizione delle parti. "Nessun editore, nessun giornalista dovrebbe essere mai estradato per aver fornito informazioni accurate, informazioni per le quali ha anche vinto dei premi giornalistici internazionali. Si sta stabilendo un precedente e nessun governo democratico dovrebbe accettarlo", sono le parole dell'avvocato di Assange, Jennifer Robinson. Il fondatore di Wikileaks rischierebbe 175 anni di carcere sulla base dell'accusa americana di spionaggio ( Espionage Act ) per aver diffuso documenti coperti da segreto. Il verdetto di primo grado sarà stabilito in 5 udienze. La legge, un retaggio … [Read more...] about Assange: a febbraio 2020 la prima udienza sulla richiesta di estradizione

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email The announcement that ministers are to ban charities from using taxpayers’ money to lobby the Government or political parties was greeted with predictable howls of anguish by the charity sector. The story looked like a one-day wonder, but it may be part of a wider pattern of behaviour in which the Conservatives are quietly but ruthlessly using their Commons majority to tip the scales permanently in their favour. Labour is crying foul, but it would do that, wouldn’t it? More serious is the criticism from Lord Kerslake, until 2014 the head of the Civil Service, who accuses the Government of having “a worrying authoritarian streak.” The crossbench peer has turned into a thorn in the side of the ministers with whom he once clashed. Lord Kerslake accuses ministers of “double standards”, planning curbs to the Freedom of Information Act … [Read more...] about The ban on charity lobbying is yet another change that is leading us toward a permanent Tory government

Published 18 hours ago Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Boris Johnson will be kept informed of any "urgent issues" while on holiday this week, Downing Street has said. The prime minister - who was criticised for taking a holiday earlier this month amid growing economic turmoil - is now on another break. It comes as removal vans were spotted in Downing Street earlier on Monday. The PM's spokesman confirmed Mr Johnson would return from holiday at the weekend, when he will have two weeks to move out of his No 10 flat. The prime minister, who was forced to announce his departure in July after a cabinet mutiny, will officially stand down on 6 September. It is not known if he will return to the Downing Street flat before it is handed over to Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak, who are competing to take over as Conservative leader and prime minister. Labour vows to freeze … [Read more...] about No 10 defends PM’s holiday as removal vans seen in Downing Street

Britain is set to launch dispute proceedings against the European Union over alleged breaches of the post-Brexit trade deal for the first time. Ministers could trigger "formal consultations" as soon as this week over Brussels’ refusal to sign off on the UK’s membership of the bloc’s flagship research programme, according to government sources. The move would mark the first time either the UK or EU have used the dispute resolution mechanisms within the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, signed in December 2020, to settle a row. Despite the UK agreeing a £15 billion membership fee for the seven-year Horizon programme, the European Commission has refused to finalise the agreement because of tensions over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Britain has also been denied access to the EU’s Copernicus satellite system and Euratom, its atomic energy regulation treaty. Short of legal action, the escalation will likely fuel tensions between London and Brussels after a number … [Read more...] about UK to launch dispute proceedings against EU for first time over alleged Brexit deal breaches

How we sighed with relief when Jeremy Corbyn lost the 2019 general election and it became clear that he wasn’t going to turn Britain into Venezuela. But now it looks as if we’ll have Keir Starmer do it instead . Or, for that matter, the Conservative government. Whoever wins the Conservative leadership election, and whoever goes on to win the next general election, it seems we are doomed to go down the same path as Venezuela; the only question is how far. I am not surprised that three quarters of Conservative voters told a YouGov poll this morning that they back Starmer’s proposal to freeze the energy price cap at its current level for a further six months, funded, he claims, through a further windfall tax on oil companies, this one backdated to January. Who, save for the wealthy, doesn’t fear their energy bills this winter, and wonder how they are going to keep warm? Once the details sink in, however, I suspect attitudes might change. Starmer’s six month price cap will cost … [Read more...] about Keir Starmer’s fantasy economics will only worsen the energy crisis

Composing an immediate response to the attack on Salman Rushdie was the easy part. Political leaders and public figures quickly took to social media on Friday evening to reassure their followers that they were utterly united in condemnation of the attack on the author in New York by a man wielding a knife. “Unacceptable” was the general consensus. And they were, of course, right. But it wasn’t nearly enough. In fact, offering sympathy to the victim – who, mercifully, survived – and condemning the violence that put him in hospital with life-changing injuries is about as fruitful as sending the victims of an earthquake your “thoughts and prayers”. It certainly presents you as a concerned and sensitive human being, and maybe that’s all you care about – the image you present to the world. But it says nothing about what you believe should be done about the root cause of this kind of violence . It’s easy to harp on about the importance of free speech and to concede the fact that … [Read more...] about The Left must never be allowed to ignore the attack on Salman Rushdie

Nicola Sturgeon’s attempt to hold a second independence referendum should be thrown out of court because a new vote would not be an “abstract opinion poll” but a clear attempt to terminate the Union, UK Government lawyers have claimed. In a legal submission to the Supreme Court , Lord Stewart of Dirleton, the Advocate General for Scotland, said a plebiscite on Scottish independence would “plainly” relate to the union between England and Scotland, a reserved matter for which Holyrood does not have the power to legislate. Dorothy Bain, the Lord Advocate – Ms Sturgeon’s top law officer – has asked the court to rule on whether the Scottish Parliament could hold a referendum without Westminster’s permission . She has submitted that it could be argued an “advisory” poll is within devolved powers because it would not, in itself, break up the UK. However, lawyers for the UK Government said it could not “credibly be suggested” that any such referendum would be merely advisory, … [Read more...] about Nicola Sturgeon’s Indyref2 plan should be thrown out of court, claims UK Government

Growing numbers of middle-class Scots were fined for breaking Nicola Sturgeon’s Covid laws during last year’s second lockdown as patience with the rules waned, according to the UK’s first academic analysis of who was penalised. Research conducted by Edinburgh University found people living in the poorest areas of Scotland were 2.6 times more likely to be fined for breaking the laws than those in the wealthiest parts. The difference was far greater during the first lockdown, introduced in March 2020, when people living in the most deprived areas were 12.6 times more likely to be fined. But the ratio shrank to only 1.8 during the second lockdown, between January and May last year, as police started to deal with more people from wealthier backgrounds breaching lockdown rules. Prof Susan McVie, who led the project, found that “over time, non-compliance became more widespread across the Scottish population”. She said it was “almost unheard of” for the wealthiest Scots to be … [Read more...] about Middle-class Scots ran out of patience with Covid rules in second lockdown, study finds