WESTERN EUROPE
Britain is using genetic tests on some African asylum seekers in an effort to catch those who are lying about their nationality. This move has drawn criticism from scientists and provoked outrage from rights groups. Also a group of British lawmakers proposed new laws last week to ban the use of airports, harbors or highways in the secret rendition of suspected terrorists. Meanwhile Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Washington's closest ally in Afghanistan, tou
ghened his tone last week with a harsh message for the Afghan leadership demanding a crack down on corruption.
The British government moved Tuesday to break up the country's two biggest retail banks, imposing a major shakeup on the financial sector as it exacts payback for last year's massive state bailout.
Last week in Paris prosecutors said they will not appeal a judge's decision to order former French President Jacques Chirac to stand trial in an alleged corruption case that predated his presidency. The case would mark the first time a former leader of modern France would be forced to defend him self in court. Meanwhile President Nicolas Sarkozy's government is drawing up a reform plan to do away with investigating judges, a two-century-old Napoleonic legacy, who enjoy sweeping powers including ordering phone taps, home searches, interrogating terrorists and even bring down politicians.
With the Czech President Vaclav Klaus’s signing of the Lisbon Treaty the last major hurdle, the resolution looks set to become law within weeks. Meanwhile senior U.S. and Czech defense officials held talks Friday to discuss ways for the Czech Republic to participate in a reworked U.S. missile defense plan
Last week in Scotland, Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 countries gathered to negotiate the imbalances weighing on the world economy. Meanwhile Sweden and Finland approved a Baltic Sea pipeline project that would ship Russian natural gas to Germany.
SOUTHERN EUROPE
An Italian judge found 23 Americans and two Italians guilty last week in the kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect, delivering the first legal convictions anywhere in the world against people involved in the CIA's extraordinary renditions program. Meanwhile the Vatican has denounced a ruling by the European court of human rights that said the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms.
Due to Africans' demands, most of the rest of this week's Climate Change talks in Spain will be devoted to discussing carbon-cutting pledges rather than other issues including carbon offsets and action by developing countries.
SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
Romanian Authorities have banned all visits to hospitals to prevent the spread of swine flu. Over the past week alone, 174 new cases of the H1N1 virus have been registered, bringing the total number to 555. Meanwhile Romanian Prime Minister-designate Lucian Croitoru lost a vote of confidence in parliament last week against his proposed cabinet.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Milorad Dodik announced last week his withdrawal from talks on constitutional reforms aimed at speeding BiH's EU and NATO accession. Meanwhile Serbian President Boris Tadic announced that Serbia could apply for EU membership by the end of the year.
Croatian Presidential elections are due to be held on December 27th. Also the Croatian cabinet has approved an arbitration agreement with Slovenia that should result in solution to the year-long border dispute between the two states.
US/CANADA
Last week the US Senate voted unanimously to extend aid for jobless workers and broaden tax breaks for homebuyers and businesses in a bid to breathe life into the struggling economy. Meanwhile according to news reports President Barack Obama and the Democrats, heading into next year's elections for control of Congress are losing independents to the Republicans and parts of their own Democratic base to apathy.
According to a report, Preparations for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games have given the Canadian city an economic boost comparable to those enjoyed by past host cities. However, overall Canada lost more jobs in October than previously predicted, dashing hopes for a quick economic rebound and suggesting a recovery in the labor market may have gotten off to a false start. Meanwhile close to 6 million Canadians, or about 18 percent of the population, will be vaccinated against H1N1 flu by early next week.
LATIN AMERICA
An agreement to end a four-month political crisis in Honduras collapsed last week after the ousted President Manuel Zelaya and de facto leader Roberto Micheletti failed to form a government of unity to heal the damage from a June coup.
Meanwhile Haitian senators have taken a key first step toward replacing the prime minister they ousted a week ago. In a 22-0 vote, lawmakers affirmed that planning and external cooperation minister Jean-Max Bellerive meets constitutional requirements to be prime minister.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government is sending 15,000 soldiers to the border with Colombia, claiming the military buildup is needed to combat drug trafficking and root out paramilitary groups.
Israeli President Shimon Peres is to visit Brazil next week, just days before Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to also arrive. Also Presidents Peres of Israel, Mahmud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela are due to visit Argentina this month and according to a diplomat, Peres and Kirchner will discuss the "conflict in the Middle East" and address "Iran's growing influence in Latin America and its hate-filled ideology and intention to obtain nuclear arms”. Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America where almost 300,000 Jews reside.
Chilean government economists are upbeat about the country's growth, but Argentina is struggling with endemic stoppages by farmers and workers angry over government policies; recently Buenos Aires was hit by a series of strikes.
Meanwhile the last military president in Argentina's 1976-1983 dictatorship went on trial on last week on charges of kidnapping, torture and murder of 56 people in a concentration camp.
In a bid to cope with the economic crisis Brazilian president Lula de Silva is pushing a bill in Congress that would increase government control over the oil sector. Also the congress passed a bill which gives greater control to Brazil on its oil off shores. The new pre-salt oilfields are expected to cost an estimated $400 billion and could make Brazil one of the world's top ten oil exporters.
Showing its commitment to environmental preservation Brazil has promised to reduce 80 percent of the deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest by 2020.
Mexico has reopened its embassy in the Nigerian Federal capital of Abuja. The move is aimed at improving relationship with countries in the West African region were Mexico has no diplomatic representatives.
AUSTRALASIA
Australian authorities have declared a natural disaster along parts of the country's east coast as heavy floods cut the main road linking major cities, stranding thousands of people. Also the government launched an inquiry last week into a major oil spill off the coast which has been described as one of the country's worst environmental disasters.
Britain is using genetic tests on some African asylum seekers in an effort to catch those who are lying about their nationality. This move has drawn criticism from scientists and provoked outrage from rights groups. Also a group of British lawmakers proposed new laws last week to ban the use of airports, harbors or highways in the secret rendition of suspected terrorists. Meanwhile Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Washington's closest ally in Afghanistan, tou
ghened his tone last week with a harsh message for the Afghan leadership demanding a crack down on corruption.The British government moved Tuesday to break up the country's two biggest retail banks, imposing a major shakeup on the financial sector as it exacts payback for last year's massive state bailout.
Last week in Paris prosecutors said they will not appeal a judge's decision to order former French President Jacques Chirac to stand trial in an alleged corruption case that predated his presidency. The case would mark the first time a former leader of modern France would be forced to defend him self in court. Meanwhile President Nicolas Sarkozy's government is drawing up a reform plan to do away with investigating judges, a two-century-old Napoleonic legacy, who enjoy sweeping powers including ordering phone taps, home searches, interrogating terrorists and even bring down politicians.
With the Czech President Vaclav Klaus’s signing of the Lisbon Treaty the last major hurdle, the resolution looks set to become law within weeks. Meanwhile senior U.S. and Czech defense officials held talks Friday to discuss ways for the Czech Republic to participate in a reworked U.S. missile defense plan
Last week in Scotland, Finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 countries gathered to negotiate the imbalances weighing on the world economy. Meanwhile Sweden and Finland approved a Baltic Sea pipeline project that would ship Russian natural gas to Germany.
SOUTHERN EUROPE
An Italian judge found 23 Americans and two Italians guilty last week in the kidnapping of an Egyptian terror suspect, delivering the first legal convictions anywhere in the world against people involved in the CIA's extraordinary renditions program. Meanwhile the Vatican has denounced a ruling by the European court of human rights that said the display of crucifixes in Italian public schools violates religious and education freedoms.
Due to Africans' demands, most of the rest of this week's Climate Change talks in Spain will be devoted to discussing carbon-cutting pledges rather than other issues including carbon offsets and action by developing countries.
SOUTH-EAST EUROPE
Romanian Authorities have banned all visits to hospitals to prevent the spread of swine flu. Over the past week alone, 174 new cases of the H1N1 virus have been registered, bringing the total number to 555. Meanwhile Romanian Prime Minister-designate Lucian Croitoru lost a vote of confidence in parliament last week against his proposed cabinet.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Republika Srpska (RS) Prime Minister Milorad Dodik announced last week his withdrawal from talks on constitutional reforms aimed at speeding BiH's EU and NATO accession. Meanwhile Serbian President Boris Tadic announced that Serbia could apply for EU membership by the end of the year.
Croatian Presidential elections are due to be held on December 27th. Also the Croatian cabinet has approved an arbitration agreement with Slovenia that should result in solution to the year-long border dispute between the two states.
US/CANADA
Last week the US Senate voted unanimously to extend aid for jobless workers and broaden tax breaks for homebuyers and businesses in a bid to breathe life into the struggling economy. Meanwhile according to news reports President Barack Obama and the Democrats, heading into next year's elections for control of Congress are losing independents to the Republicans and parts of their own Democratic base to apathy.
According to a report, Preparations for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games have given the Canadian city an economic boost comparable to those enjoyed by past host cities. However, overall Canada lost more jobs in October than previously predicted, dashing hopes for a quick economic rebound and suggesting a recovery in the labor market may have gotten off to a false start. Meanwhile close to 6 million Canadians, or about 18 percent of the population, will be vaccinated against H1N1 flu by early next week.
LATIN AMERICA
An agreement to end a four-month political crisis in Honduras collapsed last week after the ousted President Manuel Zelaya and de facto leader Roberto Micheletti failed to form a government of unity to heal the damage from a June coup.
Meanwhile Haitian senators have taken a key first step toward replacing the prime minister they ousted a week ago. In a 22-0 vote, lawmakers affirmed that planning and external cooperation minister Jean-Max Bellerive meets constitutional requirements to be prime minister.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's government is sending 15,000 soldiers to the border with Colombia, claiming the military buildup is needed to combat drug trafficking and root out paramilitary groups.
Israeli President Shimon Peres is to visit Brazil next week, just days before Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is to also arrive. Also Presidents Peres of Israel, Mahmud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela are due to visit Argentina this month and according to a diplomat, Peres and Kirchner will discuss the "conflict in the Middle East" and address "Iran's growing influence in Latin America and its hate-filled ideology and intention to obtain nuclear arms”. Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America where almost 300,000 Jews reside.
Chilean government economists are upbeat about the country's growth, but Argentina is struggling with endemic stoppages by farmers and workers angry over government policies; recently Buenos Aires was hit by a series of strikes.
Meanwhile the last military president in Argentina's 1976-1983 dictatorship went on trial on last week on charges of kidnapping, torture and murder of 56 people in a concentration camp.
In a bid to cope with the economic crisis Brazilian president Lula de Silva is pushing a bill in Congress that would increase government control over the oil sector. Also the congress passed a bill which gives greater control to Brazil on its oil off shores. The new pre-salt oilfields are expected to cost an estimated $400 billion and could make Brazil one of the world's top ten oil exporters.
Showing its commitment to environmental preservation Brazil has promised to reduce 80 percent of the deforestation in the Amazon Rain Forest by 2020.
Mexico has reopened its embassy in the Nigerian Federal capital of Abuja. The move is aimed at improving relationship with countries in the West African region were Mexico has no diplomatic representatives.
AUSTRALASIA
Australian authorities have declared a natural disaster along parts of the country's east coast as heavy floods cut the main road linking major cities, stranding thousands of people. Also the government launched an inquiry last week into a major oil spill off the coast which has been described as one of the country's worst environmental disasters.
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Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and jointly developed by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
Business and Politics in the Muslim World (BPM)refers to the project entitled, "Globalized Business and Politics: A View from the Muslim World.' The blog development project has been undertaken and jointly developed by the Gilani Research Foundation and BPM as a free resource and social discussion tool.
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