Asia
China prepares for Communist Party congress to choose new leaders
Final preparations are underway in Beijing ahead of a Communist Party congress at which a new generation of leaders will be unveiled. All delegates have arrived in the Chinese capital for the meeting which begins the once-in-a-decade power transfer. The Congress will begin tomorrow and will last one week. The meeting’s delegates, of which there are more than 2,000, will choose a central committee. This committee in turn chooses the country’s highest decision-making body, the Standing Committee of the Politburo. The current Standing Committee has nine members, of whom seven are expected to step down, including all members over the age of 68 and current Premier Wen Jiabao. The remaining two members, Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang, are expected to become Party Leader and Premier respectively. Mr Xi is also expected to take over from President Hu Jintao in March 2013. Ahead of the congress there has also been speculation that the number of seats on the committee will be reduced from nine to seven. Their names have already been decided in secret, and none are elected. The exact selection process is unclear.
Middle East
Israeli Prime Minister ‘ready’ to order strike on Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is ready to order a strike on Iran if international sanctions do not stop its nuclear programme. “I am, of course, ready to press the button if necessary”, he said, speaking on Israeli television. He also indicated Israel was prepared to act unilaterally, with his government failing to get the US to set a clear “red line” for military action against Iran. This has put a strain on relations with the Obama administration in Washington. “In the final reckoning, the responsibility lies with the prime minister and as long as I am prime minister, Iran will not have the atomic bomb,” said Mr Netanyahu.
David Cameron meets Syrian refugees as UK begins talks with rebels
British Prime Minister David Cameron says he is determined to give Syria a brighter future as he met refugees of the conflict at a camp on the Syrian-Jordanian border. Britain is to begin talks with armed Syrian rebels in a bid to unite the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad, Mr Cameron said. The discussions are due to take place in Jordan and Turkey. Visiting the refugee camp today, Mr Cameron said the suffering of refugees was “horrendous”. Up to 500 people a day have been arriving at the Za’atri camp, he was told, with some having walked 15 days in search of shelter. Mr Cameron has promised that UK humanitarian support for the victims of the 18-month conflict would be increased by £14m to more than £50m – making the UK the second-largest donor after the USA. It is thought that Mr Cameron is the first leader of a G20 country to visit Syrian refugees in Jordan. Meanwhile in Syria, a spate of car bomb attacks has rocked Damascus since yesterday afternoon, leaving at least 10 people dead and many others wounded. Gunfighting, shelling, explosions and air raids were also reported in different parts of Syria throughout Tuesday.
Europe
Cameron attacks ‘ludicrous’ EU budget increase
British Prime Minister David Cameron has attacked a “ludicrous” proposed rise in the European Union budget, ahead of talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Downing Street later today. Mr Cameron has indicated he wants a freeze in the budget, but he is under pressure from some in his party to campaign for a reduction in real terms following a surprise defeat over the issue in the House of Commons last week. He has said he would be prepared to veto any unacceptable proposal – which would mean that a deal would not go ahead. Germany has indicated it is sympathetic to the UK’s arguments, but says some rise is necessary. Many in Angela Merkel’s parliamentary party reportedly express exasperation at what they see as a hard line by the British. The talks between Mr Cameron and Mrs Merkel come less than three weeks before a summit of EU member states at which they will thrash out the next set of long-term spending plans for Brussels. Meanwhile, the European Court of Auditors has said there were errors in allocating about €5bn from the 2011 budget. Court President Vitor Caldeira said: “with Europe’s public finances under severe pressure, there remains scope to spend EU money more efficiently.”
France considers legalising same-sex marriage and adoption bill
Plans to legalise same-sex marriage and to allow gay couples to adopt are to be discussed at a meeting of the French Socialist government. France already allows civil unions between same-sex couples, but it was a campaign pledge of President Francois Hollande to extend their rights. He is now facing tough opposition to the idea, which is one of the most divisive issues he has encountered since his election in May: more than 1,000 mayors have signed a petition against the proposed changes, there have been protests in 75 towns and cities, and one opposition politician has even suggested that legalising gay marriage could lead to polygamy. Religious groups have come out in opposition too, with the head of the French Council of Bishops describing gay marriage as “the ultimate deceit” over the weekend. Once the draft law has been presented to Mr Hollande’s cabinet, it will be debated by the French parliament in January 2013. Germany, Sweden and the UK allow gay adoption in Europe.
North America
President Barack Obama defeats Mitt Romney to secure re-election
President Barack Obama has been re-elected to a second term in office, defeating Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The USA’s first black president secured more than the 270 votes in the electoral college needed to win, and his party, the Democrats, retained their majority in the Senate, which they have held since 2007. The Republicans kept control of the House of Representatives, which analysts say will likely result in more of the gridlock that characterised much of Mr Obama’s first term. With only Florida’s 29 electoral college votes still undecided, Mr Obama has won 303 electoral votes to Mr Romney’s 206. The popular vote, which is symbolically and politically important but not relevant to determine the President directly, remains very close.
Latin America
Brazil launches measures to tackle Sao Paulo violence
A new plan has been unveiled to combat rising violence in Brazil’s largest city, Sao Paulo. Among the measures introduced are a new police agency, and the transfer of prisoners to more secure jails, as police say jailed gang members plan many attacks from inside their cells. More than 90 police officers have been killed in the city since the beginning of the year, many by a criminal gang calling itself First Command of the Capital.
Australasia
Tokelau islands shift to solar energy
The South Pacific territory of Tokelau, comprising the three atolls of Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo, has become the first territory able to meet all its electricity needs with solar power. New Zealand, which administers Tokelau, funded a $7m solar project to wean the territory off its former total dependency on diesel. The remote islands of Tokelau lie between New Zealand and Hawaii. Most of its 1,500 islanders live by subsistence farming, with thousands of others choosing to settle in New Zealand or neighbouring Samoa.
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