All posts tagged: Politics

Europe seeks to define extremism out of its politics

Europe seeks to define extremism out of its politics

BERLIN — For years, discussions of extremism across Europe were about Islamic extremism and terrorism, but the debate has now shifted to extreme-right ideologies, with governments saying they need to be regulated to protect their democracies. The issue is arguably most vivid in Germany, where calls for a ban of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) — the country’s second-most-popular political party — are growing and the government wants to cut off funding sources of right-wing extremist networks. In Britain, the government wants to keep extremists from meeting with lawmakers or receiving public funds, and it plans to publish a new list of groups it considers “extremist,” focusing more on beliefs rather than a propensity for violence. The debate over extremism has come a long way from the early 2000s and the terrorist attacks in the United States and Britain. As recently as 2015, then-Prime Minister David Cameron declared that “the fight against Islamist extremism is, I believe, one of the great struggles of our generation.” The threat now is less about extremists planting bombs …

Turkey’s local elections — and whoever wins Istanbul — could dictate future

Turkey’s local elections — and whoever wins Istanbul — could dictate future

As the sunsets, a ferry boat glides across the waters of the Golden Horn with the Suleymaniye Mosque and the city of Istanbul, Turkey in the background.  Vw Pics | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once said that whoever wins Istanbul wins Turkey. If that’s the case, the stakes are high for Sunday’s elections as people across the country of 85 million prepare to select their local leaders and administrators. Such is the importance of this weekend’s vote that political analysts are speculating that a victory for Istanbul’s incumbent mayor, the center-left Ekrem Imamoglu, would make him a frontrunner for the Turkish presidency in 2028. That is the last thing Erdogan wants, having already seen his conservative, Islamist-sympathizing Justice and Development Party, abbreviated in Turkey as AK Party or AKP, trounced by Imamoglu and the more secular, moderate Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) in the city’s elections in 2019. So incensed was Erdogan by the election result that he called a second election, only to see Imamoglu beat the AK …

Post Office aware of Horizon faults during court battles, report shows | Politics | News

Post Office aware of Horizon faults during court battles, report shows | Politics | News

A draft report revealed Post Office bosses knew about the faults in its Horizon IT system during court cases, but still went ahead with the Alan Bates vs the Post Office Ltd case. Campaigner Alan Bates led a group of 555 sub-postmasters to the High Court against the Post Office over the scandal that was finally settled in December 2019. Details of the document, first reported by the BBC, show “Post Office management” knew sub-postmasters may not be to blame for data discrepancies but continued to fight them in court regardless. The draft report, named Bramble, was requested by the Post Office in March 2016 and completed by consultancy firm Deloitte. In this report, the firm stated it had discussed its outcomes with “Post Office management”. Post Office aware of Horizon faults during court battles, secret report shows Errors in the Horizon IT system or remote tampering could have been responsible for losses discovered at branches, the report said. Mr Bates’ story was brought to life in the recent ITV drama titled Mr Bates vs …

More than 10,000 sex offence trials yet to go trial in court backlog | Politics | News

More than 10,000 sex offence trials yet to go trial in court backlog | Politics | News

More than 10,000 sex offences and rapes are yet to go to trial in huge Crown Court backlogs, new figures have revealed. According to the Ministry of Justice, there are now more than 67,500 crimes across England and Wales that are waiting to go to trial – something lawyers say is a 23-year high. The lawyers also say rape victims are being “given false hope” that their cases would come to trial. The figures, released on Thursday, show the overall backlog for court cases has risen eight percent in the last 12 months. That was despite the government hoping to reduce it to 53,000 by this time next year. It comes as senior presiding judge Lord Justice Edis unveiled plans this month that would see all rape cases waiting more than two years heard within five months. Lord Edis wanted 180 of the longest-delayed cases to be heard in court before August, reports The Times. Criminal Bar Association chair Tana Adkin KC is now calling on the government to invest in legal professionals to help …

Soldiers given go-ahead to grow beards as Army axes 100-year-old rule | Politics | News

Soldiers given go-ahead to grow beards as Army axes 100-year-old rule | Politics | News

Soldiers have been given the green light to grow beards following a decision by the Army to overturn a 100-year ban on facial hair. The King, who is Commander in Chief, backed the move on Thursday which means that both officers and soldiers are able to do so from today (Friday). It means soldiers on Easter leave have the opportunity to grow a beard while they are away from work, according to the Telegraph. Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had described the beard ban as “ludicrous” during discussions around the Army’s recruitment drive. Now General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the Army, has taken a decision that “the appearance policy will change” after a survey of both serving and reservist troops. The RAF and Royal Navy already allow its personnel to do so. According to The Times, the new policy will only allow a “full set beard”. The length must be between 2.5mm and 25.5mm (one inch) and must be trimmed off the cheekbones and neck. A document sent to soldiers also says their beards …

Andrew Bridgen ordered to pay Matt Hancock £44,000 in legal costs in libel battle | Politics | News

Andrew Bridgen ordered to pay Matt Hancock £44,000 in legal costs in libel battle | Politics | News

Andrew Bridgen has been ordered to pay former health secretary Matt Hancock more than £40,000 in legal fees after an early stage of their libel battle. Mr Bridgen is suing Mr Hancock over a January 2023 tweet about Covid-19 vaccines. He wants to “clear his name” after allegedly being accused of antisemitism in a “malicious” social media post by Mr Hancock, the High Court in London previously heard. But a judge on Thursday concluded Mr Bridgen must pay Mr Hancock £44,300 and warned the claim would be struck out if amendments were not made in the next few weeks. Mrs Justice Steyn issued a written order in which she made a timetable for changes and made decisions on who should pick up which bills. After the court order was made public on Thursday, Mr Hancock posted on X: “Glad the Court has awarded costs against Mr Bridgen at this stage of his absurd libel action, and explicitly stated that I was the successful party – contrary to Bridgen’s ridiculous claims at the time. “Mr Bridgen …

Biden okays  million in aid after Baltimore bridge collapse as governor warns of ‘very long road ahead’

Biden okays $60 million in aid after Baltimore bridge collapse as governor warns of ‘very long road ahead’

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about on the ongoing response to the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, during brief remarks prior to departing the White House in Washington, U.S., March 26, 2024.  Craig Hudson | Reuters Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned Thursday of a “very long road ahead” to recover from the loss of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge as the Biden administration approved $60 million in immediate federal aid after the deadly collapse. Massive barges carrying cranes streamed toward the site to begin the challenging work of removing twisted metal and concrete as a first step toward reopening a key shipping route blocked by the wreckage of the span. Moore promised that “the best minds in the world” were working on plans to clear the debris, move the cargo ship that rammed into the bridge from the channel, recover the bodies of the four remaining workers presumed dead and investigate what went wrong. “Government is working hand in hand with industry to investigate the area, including the wreck, and remove the ship,” said …

Lee Anderson backs Nigel Farage for bombshell comeback after biggest hint yet | Politics | News

Lee Anderson backs Nigel Farage for bombshell comeback after biggest hint yet | Politics | News

Lee Anderson said he would be “absolutely delighted” if Nigel Farage made a comeback after the Brexit architect dropped his strongest hint yet. The former Ukip and Brexit Party leader, who has been at the centre of ongoing speculation over his political future, said there is a “historic opportunity to really change things”. Speaking to the Express today as he kicked off Reform’s Blackpool South by-election campaign, Mr Anderson said: “Nigel Farage is very popular wherever you go in the country. He’s got the old rock star appeal, I think Boris had that. “Look if he came back into frontline politics I’d be absolutely delighted. It would certainly make my job easier to be re-elected. “It would give the people of this country – the normal, decent, hard-working people that are looking for an alternative – a bit of a lift as well and encourage people to come out and vote whenever the election is.” Mr Anderson unveiled Mark Butcher, who founded the Amazing Grace soup kitchen for the homeless, as Reform’s candidate for the …

TechCrunch Minute: You’re likely seeing less news and politics on Instagram. Here’s why

TechCrunch Minute: You’re likely seeing less news and politics on Instagram. Here’s why

  As the election cycle heats up, Instagram and Threads will be cooling down the amount of political content entering many users’ feeds. These changes, which limit the reach of political content from accounts users don’t already follow, are enacted by default. If you’re already wondering how to get that kind of content back into your feed, you can follow our guide on changing Instagram’s political settings here. Meta has made an effort to decrease the reach of news and political content across its platforms, especially in regards to content that is algorithmically recommended versus being surfaced from a direct connection to an individual or account. Threads will host, but not “amplify” news, per remarks from its head Adam Mosseri’s last year. And Facebook is shutting down the News Tab as it continues to block news content in Canada in an ongoing dispute with legislation requiring platforms to pay publishers for content. And what posts and topics will Instagram actually deem to be political? The answer, as expected, is both far-reaching and vague, covering anything …