Europe
Miliband to act against migrant workers
Ed Miliband, leader of Britain’s Labour Party, has promised today to deter firms from employing foreign workers should he win a general election. He has said Labour “got it wrong” on immigration in government and that immigration is undermining wages and working conditions in Britain. The speech comes as projections by the Office for National Statistics show the British population will be 70 million by 2027 due largely to immigration.
Breivik should be considered sane, defence argues
In Norway the defence for Anders Behring Breivik, the extreme right-wing killer who killed 77 people and injured 242 in July last year, has today argued he should be considered sane. Geir Lippestad, Mr Breivik’s main defence lawyer, said his client was motivated by his political beliefs and should be acquitted or given the mildest possible sentence. The prosecution has called for him to be considered insane. Mr Breivik is himself due to address the court today, the last scheduled day of the trial, along with several of his victims’ friends and relatives. He has previously justified his crimes as necessary to prevent the “Islamisation” of Norway.
Monti warns of market attacks on the eurozone
Ahead of talks in Rome today between the leaders of France, Germany, Spain and Italy, Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has warned that eurozone economies risk coming under speculative attacks from investors unless decisive, joint action is agreed and taken to solve the eurozone crisis. The Rome talks are in preparation for a major EU summit next week and may also see Spain’s government formally request eurozone financial assistance.
United States
Romney talks immigration, courts Hispanics
Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney made a speech to a national Hispanic group in Florida yesterday in which he softened his tone on immigration, yet offered few concrete policy proposals. He promised to “put in place [his] own long-term solution that will replace and supersede the president’s temporary measure”, referring to President Barack Obama’s announcement last week that offered major concessions to hundreds of thousands of immigrants brought to the country illegally by their parents, which would keep them from being sent home. That announcement has caused immigration to dominate the agenda for the past week, which has damaged Mr Romney given his hard line on immigration during the Republican primary season and his relative silence on the issue since securing the nomination. Polls show President Obama has a lead of roughly 75 to 25 percent among Hispanic voters, whose support will be critical in swing states such as Florida and Colorado.
Voting rules in Floria discriminatory – Justice Dept
In Florida last year a series of measures were passed to prevent voter fraud – they require people who moved counties to file provisional ballots, allow counties to adjust voter precinct hours and reduce the number of early voting days. A District Court panel in Washington DC has declared the changes discriminatory against minority voters. At the 2008 election, roughly 55 percent of African-Americans voted during the early period that would be reduced under the changes, according to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The changes were introduced by a Republican governor and passed by a Republican-controlled state legislature; critics have said these and similar electoral changes are political calculations to lower the participation of minorities, as they tend to vote Democrat.
Latin America
Paraguay leader impeachment vote today
Impeachment proceedings against Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo will conclude today with the Senate due to vote on whether he should be removed from office. The proceedings were initiated earlier in the week by the country’s lower house following a fierce battle between landless farmers and the police, who were attempting to evict them from private land. At least nine farmers and seven police died. President Lugo appeared on television insisting he would not resign and promising an investigation into the events. The vote to remove him in the lower house was near-unanimous, and both chambers of the country’s parliament are controlled by the opposition; reports suggest only five of 45 senators support the President.
Africa and Middle East
USA names Boko Haram leaders terrorists
Three leaders of Nigeria’s Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group, have been identified as terrorists by the US State Department. Abubakar Shekau is the group’s leader, while two of his senior lieutenants are thought to have ties with a branch of Al-Qaeda. Being placed on America’s terrorist register will mean that any assets belonging to the men in the USA will be frozen and they will be banned from contact with US citizens. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for several attacks since 2009, with more than 640 people having died in 2012 alone in attacks blamed on the group.
Asia and Russia
China and Brazil agree currency swap
China and Brazil have agreed a currency swap deal in a move to guard against future financial crises and strengthen trade ties. The deal allows the countries’ central banks to exchange local currencies worth up to $30 billion. This could shore up reserves in times of crisis or be used to boost bilateral trade. Brazil’s finance minister, Guido Mantega, said: “as international credit remains scarce, we will have enough credit for our transactions”. China has agreed several such deals with its trading partners – analysts agree this is part of a determined effort by Beijing to create a bigger international role for the yuan and to challenge the dominance of the US dollar.
South China Sea territorial dispute continues
In a move that will aggravate an ongoing territorial dispute with its neighbours in the South China Sea, China yesterday announced the founding of a new city, Sansha, under the authority of Hainan province. The new city’s government will replace three offices that manage the Pratas, Paracel and Spratly archipelagos in the South China Sea – Vietnam claims the Pracels and Spratlys, the Phillippines claims the Spratlys, and Taiwan claims all three groups, as does China.
Russia to change gas field consortium
Russia will change the members of a consortium assembled to develop the vast Shtokman gas field, according to a report that emerged today. It is thought Royal Dutch Shell will be brought in instead of France’s Total. Norway’s Statoil will remain. The International Oil Daily newsletter cited sources close to Russia’s gas monopoly Gazprom, the leader of the project, as saying the changes have been approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Shtokman, in the Arctic, is one of the world’s largest gas fields. It was discovered in the Soviet era but development has been repeatedly delayed.
Australasia
Australia abandons Assange
In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio, Julian Assange has said he sought refuge in Ecuador’s London embassy because his native Austrialia had made an “effective declaration of abandonment” by refusing to intervene in his case. Mr Assange is seeking asylum to prevent his extradition to Sweden, where he is charged with rape and assault. There is the additional risk that if he is sent to Sweden he could be extradited to the USA, where he faces charges over Wikileaks that could lead to him facing the death penalty. He also faces arrest in the United Kingdom for breaching bail conditions. Enquiries by Ecuadorian diplomats into his case are ongoing, but Mr Assange has admitted in his interview there was no guarantee his bid for asylum would succeed.
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