List of All Articles with Tag 'pol'

AMSTERDAM Dutch Justice Minister Dilan Yesilgoz on Wednesday announced her candidacy to lead outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's

President Joe Biden enters day two of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, facing questions about Ukraine's path to becoming a member of the alliance, with concerns from his Ukrainian counterpart on full display and fissures among NATO leaders on the thorny issue.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he plans to “fight” for more security guarantees from allies as Group of

Iowa’s Republican-led legislature has enacted a new bill prohibiting the vast majority of abortions after approximately six weeks of pregnancy. This comes just weeks after a deadlock in the Iowa Supreme Court that rendered a six-week abortion ban unenforceable. On Tuesday, however, legislators reconvened at the Iowa State Capitol and successfully passed a nearly identical set of restrictions on the procedure. Republican governor Kim Reynolds plans to sign the bill into law on Friday, her office said. “I believe the pro-life movement is the most important human rights cause of our time,” she said in a statement on Tuesday night. “The Iowa Supreme Court questioned whether this legislature would pass the same law they did in 2018, and today they have a clear answer. The voices of Iowans and their democratically elected representatives cannot be ignored any longer, and justice for the unborn should not be delayed.” Under the new Republican bill, abortions are permitted up until approximately six weeks of pregnancy – a timeframe that critics say could pass before many women are even aware of their pregnancies. The legislation does incorporate exceptions beyond this point, such as in cases of rape or incest, when the woman’s life is at significant risk, when she faces the possibility of certain permanent injuries, or when there are foetal abnormalities deemed “incompatible with life”. “Unborn people, in my opinion, are babies, and the government’s job is to protect the rights of every person, including babies,” Republican representative Brad Sherman said on the House floor. The neighbouring Republican-led states of Missouri, South Dakota and Wisconsin have already implemented stringent abortion bans, effectively prohibiting the procedure in almost all cases. Additionally, Nebraska recently passed a new ban at the 12-week mark. Illinois and Minnesota, which have Democratic leaderships, maintain permissive abortion laws and reports suggested these may emerge as potential destinations for Iowans seeking abortions. “If this bill becomes law, women will die in Iowa. Common sense has walked out the door,” Democrat representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell told her colleagues on Tuesday night. “The ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood, and the Emma Goldman Clinic remain committed to protecting the reproductive rights of Iowans to control their bodies and their lives, their health, and their safety – including filing a lawsuit to block this reckless, cruel law,” Mark Stringer, the executive director of ACLU’s Iowa chapter, said in a statement. Protesters gathered ahead of the vote at the capitol in Des Moines on Tuesday, holding signs that read “My Body, My Choice” and “Unborn Lives Matter”. Read More Iowa Legislature will take up 6-week abortion ban during special session Tuesday Republican presidential candidates jump to defend Iowa governor from Trump attacks Abortion numbers in Indiana drop amid ‘fear and uncertainty’ of possible state ban Republican presidential candidates jump to defend Iowa governor from Trump attacks Paraguay’s president-elect recommits to ties as Taiwan’s last ally in South America Thailand's Election Commission says top candidate for prime minister may have broken election law

China-based hackers have breached email accounts at two-dozen organizations, including some United States government agencies, in an apparent spying campaign aimed at acquiring sensitive information, according to statements from Microsoft and the White House late Tuesday.

Thailand’s parliament will meet on Thursday to select a new prime minister, with the path looking increasingly difficult

Thailand’s election body said it has decided to seek a court ruling on whether prime ministerial candidate Pita

Paraguay’s president-elect, Santiago Pena, landed in Taipei on Tuesday for a visit meant to reinforce relations between Taiwan and one of its few remaining diplomatic allies. Pena, who takes office next month, is to meet with top political leaders including President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President William Lai, who is also the governing Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate in the January presidential election. Pena promised during his campaign to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Paraguay is one of only 13 countries that recognize Taiwan as a country and do not have diplomatic relations with China. Beijing, which considers self-governed Taiwan a breakaway province, prohibits its diplomatic partners from having formal ties with Taipei. Taiwan's remaining diplomatic allies are generally smaller countries in Central America, the Caribbean and South Pacific, along with Eswatini in southern Africa and Vatican City. China has intensified its campaign to win over Taiwan’s diplomatic allies since independence-leaning Tsai took office in 2016, in part by offering infrastructure investments to developing countries. It recently managed to sway Honduras, which broke ties with Taipei and opened an embassy in Beijing. “I want to spend the next five years bringing us together,” Pena said after arriving at Taipei's airport. “We are close, but I think that in these moments, we need to be closer, we need to be together.” Pena is traveling with members of his incoming government, including the future ministers of foreign affairs and finance. Members of his team earlier told Paraguayan media that he is looking to expand trade and investment between Paraguay and Taiwan. Pena is to join festivities on Wednesday marking the 66th anniversary of Taiwan-Paraguay ties. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Singapore’s rising rents are set to be a key issue among voters in the next general election, a

SYDNEY Australia's central bank Governor Philip Lowe said on Wednesday it remains to be determined whether there is

Scroll through TikTok in Taiwan, and you’ll find a rolling stream of videos covering the heated campaign for

Iowa's state House passed a bill Tuesday night that would ban most abortions in the state as early as six weeks into pregnancy, acting quickly in the special session ordered by GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds with the sole purpose of restricting the procedure in the state.