ELECTIONS

The Houses of Parliament are seen through snow covered trees in London

UK campaign to tighten immigration fails to take off

UK campaign to tighten immigration hits a setback, but the Coalition is set on keeping up its election promise. David Coleman, Professor of Demography at Oxford University, asserts that Britain should tighten immigration policy and explains negative effects.

Belarus polls 'seriously flawed': International observers

A riot policeman chases an opposition protester in Minsk
International observers slammed the Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, alleging that fraud and violence were widespread in Sunday's polls. They maintained that the results were 'seriously flawed' and at least six of the nine presidential candidates were arrested and reportedly beaten up by the police.
Soldiers patrol Ivory Coast's violence-hit Yopougon

EU to ban Ivory Coast's Gbagbo; West mulls sanctions

The European Union agreed on Monday to ban Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent President, Laurent Gbagbo and his aides, the BBC reported. The Gbagbo regime is likely to be slapped with harsh sanctions from the West. The sanction could also include freezing the personal overseas assets of the president and his men and issuing visa bans.
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ICC names Kenya suspects

ICC names Kenya chaos 'suspects'

The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) has named six high-profile Kenyans including senior politicians and a former police chief who were suspected to be behind the violence that followed the disputed 2007 elections. Close to 1,200 people lost their lives while over 650,000 were displaced in the riots. Kenyan police are on high alert after the announcement which observers say could spark renewed clashes in the region.
Kosovo awaits poll results, most Serbs boycott elections

Kosovo awaits poll results, most Serbs boycott elections

Caretaker Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) is leading in Kosovo's Sunday polls, reports suggest. The results are expected to be declared in the late hours of Sunday. The country is holding its first election since unilaterally declaring independence in 2007 from Serbia.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, touches the replica police badge of Detective James Zadroga before a news conference calling for the passage of The James Zadroga 9/11 Healthcare and Compensation Act on Capitol Hill in Washington, November 29, 2010.

Senate Republicans block Zadroga bill

Senate Republicans delivered a serious setback to the community of Ground Zero responders and their families today by blocking the Zadroga bill from coming to a vote.
U.S. President Barack Obama departs after making a statement on tax cuts and unemployment insurance at the White House in Washington December 6, 2010. Obama said on Monday he had reached an agreement with Republicans on how to extend expiring tax cuts and

ANALYSIS: Compromise is Republican win

Obama has compromised with the Republicans. The wealthiest Americans will see their tax break continued for at least the next two years and the millions of unfortunate Americans who are out of work will see their unemployment insurance extended for 13 months.
U.S. President Barack Obama looks through a microscope as he tours Bio Tech Facilities at Forsyth Technical Community College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, December 6, 2010.

Obama says U.S. faces 'Sputnik moment' as tax-benefits deal nears

President Barack Obama melded a long-term vision for more science research and education spending with the short-term need to secure a deal with Congressional Republicans to extend both tax breaks for higher-income earners and unemployment benefits for struggling workers.
U.S. Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY.

OPINION: Trickle nowhere

The American people have spoken!By means of the mid-term elections the American people have sent a mandate to the American Congress. The message could not be clearer.
Myanmar's junta leader wanted to buy Man U

Myanmar's junta leader wanted to buy Manchester United: Wikileaks

The leader of Myanmar's military junta considered bidding for the popular Manchester United Football Club, US diplomatic cables revealed. Military leader Than Shwe was urged by his grandson to invest $1bn to acquire the club. Quoting a 'well connected source' of the Junta, US officials stated that Than Shwe, after contemplation, rejected the proposal.
Ivory Coast Polls

Leaders unwilling to concede defeat hinder Africa's path to democracy

Burning tyres, rebel checkpoints, an angry mob and a placard that reads, Gbagbo thief... The West African state of Ivory Coast seems to be rapidly descending into a state of crisis. Acknowledged as the most expensive polls in Africa, the recent run-off was aimed at unifying the country which suffered bitter divisions and wrath of an armed uprising in 2002. But instead, they bared the discrepancy within the nation's population.
South Africa's Mbeki to mediate over Ivory Coast poll result

South Africa's Mbeki to mediate over Ivory Coast poll result

A day after both candidates claimed Presidency in Ivory Coast, African Union said it would dispatch former South African premier Thabo Mbeki for mediations. Local media has reported of at least a dozen people killed in post-election violence in the former capital of Abijdan.
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Putin 'in charge' of Russia, even after 2012 polls: Wikileaks

US diplomatic cables leaked by whistle-blower site Wikileaks suggest that even as Russians are eagerly awaiting the dates of elections in 2012, the outcome is almost decided. American officials believe that Vladimir Putin, the current Prime minister would continue to influence the course of the country's politics no matter what role he plays in it.
Pakistan's former President Pervez Musharraf (L)

Pak army wanted to depose President Zardari, UK diplomats call him a 'numbskull'

Pakistan army wanted to bring down President Zardari, but at the same time avoid elections to avoid Nawaz Sharif taking charge, US diplomatic cables leaked by Wikileaks stated. The cable dated 12 March 2009 reported U.S. diplomat Anne W. Patterson meeting General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Pakistan's Chief of Army staff. The UK also expressed concerns over Zardari's leadership.
U.S. President Barack Obama between Senate Mitch McConnell, R-KY and Congressman John Boehner, R-OH

Obama meets with GOP leaders for a good start

The American people did not vote for political gridlock in Washington, according to President Barack Obama who today met with Congressional leaders from both parties to discuss what they consider the main components of the national agenda.
With New York's Empire State Building behind them, a group of friends play in the snow in a park along the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey

It may be cold, but historically December is hot month for stocks

While investors currently grapple with a number of very troubling geopolitical and economic issues -- namely the threat of war in Korea and the potential sovereign debt contagion in Europe, interest rate hikes by China, among others – some might take solace in the fact that December has consistently been the best-performing months for U.S. going back more than sixty years.
Haiti goes to polls

Voters shy away from polls in Haiti

Voting is underway to elect a new president in the cholera-hit Haiti. International observers are on the watch hoping that the elections will lead to a stable government capable of administering the humanitarian aid flowing into the country. Almost $900 million of the pledged $2.12 aid has been disbursed by 24 donor nations. Armed peacekeepers are on guard at polling booth across the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Zuma heads to Harare as Zimbabwe coalition appears to be on the verge of collapse

Zuma heads to Harare to save Zimbabwe coalition from collapse

South African president Jacob Zuma set off to Harare on Friday expecting to even out the disputes of Zimbabwe's power-sharing government which is almost on the verge of collapse. The Zimbabwe standoff worsened as Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai filed a lawsuit against ruling president Robert Mugabe accusing him of violating the global political agreement (GPA) signed between them.
Nitish Kumar on the victory trail in Bihar elections

Development mantra hogs limelight in India's Bihar

Bihar, India’s third most populous state voted Janata Dal (United)’s-Bharatiya Janata Party combine to power with a thumping majority to give Nitish Kumar a second term as chief minister of the state, giving a drubbing to the rival combine of Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan, decimating the Congress.

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