Author: Randall Benson

Eleven Greek lawmakers announced on Monday the formation of a new left-wing political party, Nea Aristera (New Left), after leaving SYRIZA amid discontent among leftist members about the election of Stefanos Kasselakis as the party’s leader last month. The head of New Left’s parliamentary group, Alexis Charitsis, said that it is “a new project of collective participation and the return of politics to the lives of left-wing and progressive citizens”. The 11 MPs who set up the new party include Effie Achtsioglou, who ran as a candidate for the SYRIZA party’s presidency but lost to Kasselakis. They announced they were…

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Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has condemned far-right Sweden Democrats leader Jimmie Åkesson for saying mosques should be demolished, calling the statement “disrespectful.” “In Sweden, we don’t tear down places of worship,” Kristersson said on Monday, Swedish outlet SVT reported. Åkesson came under fire on Saturday for saying that Sweden should ban the establishment of new mosques, while suggesting it should also demolish existing ones in the country. “We also need to start confiscating and demolishing mosque buildings where anti-democratic, anti-Swedish, homophobic, antisemitic propaganda or general disinformation about Swedish society is spreading,” he said during a speech. While not an official part of the ruling coalition,…

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In an alternate reality, the prime-time showdown between California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday could have been a preview of a 2024 general election debate. Instead, it was a hard-to-explain 90-minute clash that pitted one struggling Republican presidential hopeful against a Democratic rival who may or may not seek the presidency in four years. But for a night, at least, the big-state governors were eager to represent their parties on the national stage as they battled over the economy, pandemic restrictions and President Joe Biden’s leadership in a Fox News faceoff peppered with…

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Lady Justice should be blind. The U.S. legal system should not use its full weight and resources to target political enemies. But these ideals obscure a key fact about American justice: Crime is political. It was designed to be. And it perhaps it should be. The multiple criminal cases now being prosecuted against former President Donald Trump provide a good case study. One need not agree with Trump’s claims of political martyrdom, or with would-be House Speaker Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) threats to investigate local prosecutors, to understand the perverse incentives of a politicized criminal legal system. Reeling in a big fish can reward even…

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It was the prime minister’s day in court today, and he really needed a win. Instead, the linchpin of his immigration plan – to send asylum seekers to Rwanda – is not just loose but lost. For a leader who has said, on repeat, that he will stop the boats, Rishi Sunak had little option after this almighty setback to double down on the plan. Appearing before the media after losing this case in the Supreme Court, Mr Sunak sounded determined and tough: Rwanda not safe for migrants? No matter – parliament will pass emergency laws to declare it safe…

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Law

Rep. Jared Golden was one of five House Democrats who voted against legislation last year that would have banned assault weapons. In a reversal, Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine said he now supports a ban on assault-style rifles following shootings this week in his home state that left at least 18 people dead. During a news conference Thursday, Golden discussed his previous stance on legislation largely backed by fellow Democrats that would prohibit assault weapons and said he was wrong to oppose those measures. “I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war, like the assault rifle used to…

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Bangladesh’s main opposition leader and more than 100 other top party members were charged on Sunday with the murder of a policeman killed in demonstrations that have erupted ahead of upcoming elections. “At least 164 Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) including Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir were accused of murdering the police officer,” police official Salahuddin Mia said, adding that charges had been filed against them. Those being charged make up the bulk of the BNP leadership, and potentially face up to a death penalty if they are found guilty. Alamgir, 75, the BNP’s secretary-general, has led the party since BNP chairwoman…

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Terrorists hibernating in the Tumbuns on the fringes of Lake Tchad in Borno State were at the receiving end of Nigeria Airforce’s firepower as air strikes obliterated their hideouts, destroying their structures and strategic logistics base. Specifically, it was learned that Tumbun Fulani and Tumbun Shitu were struck between 27-30 September 27, 2023, to eve of Independence Day, when activities of terrorists in the locations were confirmed to have constituted a threat to military formations and law-abiding Nigerians residing within the locations. Air Force headquarters disclosed that at Tumbun Fulani, terrorists were observed loading jerricans in two gun trucks concealed…

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78-year-old Khaleda Zia, who has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhaka since Aug. 9, remains in a life-and-death situation, say her doctors. Bangladesh on Sunday barred ailing opposition leader and two-time prime minister Khaleda Zia from traveling abroad for treatment Law Minister Anisul Huq said no to an appeal forwarded by Zia’s family, noting his ministry cannot allow her to travel overseas in line with existing law. “The government has no opportunity to give legal permission. All work has to be done according to the legal framework. Bypassing the law, in any case, results in a bad example,”…

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The Joint Operations Command in Iraq announced on Wednesday the killing of three terrorists belonging to the ISIS group in an air strike in Salah Al-Din governorate, north of Baghdad. The Iraqi Joint Operations Command mentioned in a statement that the Iraqi air force carried out a successful strike on Wednesday using F-16 fighter jets, targeting the remnants of the terrorist group ISIS. The statement elaborated that, aside from the elimination of the three terrorists, tunnels and caves used by ISIS terrorists were destroyed in the geographically complex area. The Elysee Palace in Paris announced on Tuesday that a member…

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