South Africans went to the polls on Wednesday in what was poised to be
the closest contested elections since apartheid ended in 1994 with the
overwhelming victory of the African National Congress (ANC), led by the
legendary Nelson Mandela. In these general elections, the fourth since
1994, the ANC led by Jacob Zuma is facing a meaningful challenge from
the Congress of the People (COPE), led by Mvume Dandala, consisting of
mainly Black middle class supporters, most of whom have grown
disenchanted with the ANC, and the official opposition party, the
Democratic Alliance, led by a new white leader, Helen Zille.
Despite the unprecedented challenges faced by the ANC, that party is
still generally expected to win the general elections. However, most
political pundits in and outside South Africa are expecting that the
overwhelming two-thirds parliamentary majority of the ANC will be
reduced. With an ANC victory Zuma, 67, who until recently faced serious
corruption charges, will become the new president of South Africa.
Although Zuma had the charges dropped by South Africa’s primary court
on a technicality his popularity with the rising Black South African
middle class and whites have waned significantly. Most of the ANC
opponents, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, once a fervent ANC
supporter, are frustrated with the charges of corruption against the
ANC, and the poverty and crime that still exists in this the richest
African nation.
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Muntadher al-Zaidi, the Iraqi journalist who gained infamy for throwing
his shoes at U.S. President George W. Bush late last year, was
sentenced to three years in prison Thursday by an Iraqi court.
Al-Zaidi, a journalist who worked for the Iraqi television network
al-Baghdadia, threw both his shoes at Bush during a news conference
with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in December in Baghdad.
Neither shoe hit the president, who skillfully ducked the objects. He
was quickly restrained and arrested.
After news of the verdict reached his family members some were badly
shaken and were seen crying, and shouted courses aimed at al-Maliki and
Bush. Al-Baghdadia had called for his release after the shoe-throwing
incident.
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In a controversial move, President Barack Obama has approved lifting
travel restrictions to Cuba that were enforced five years ago by
President George W. Bush. With this approval Cubans will now be able to
visit their relatives on the island once a year and stay as long as
they want to.
The president also approved the $410 billion federal budget for the
remainder of 2009. In the new budget, Congress removed the U.S.
Department of Treasury's funding for the U.S. enforcement of more
restrictive rules that only allowed visits to immediate relatives once
every three years. Recently, although such trips were still illegal,
the U.S. government did not have the funding to investigate it.
On Wednesday night, the Treasury department lifted the restrictions
altogether, making annual trips to Cuba legal. Cuban Americans can now
follow the regulations that existed prior to Bush's June 2004 toughened
rules.
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TORONTO - A Canadian judge ordered the government to restart efforts to get clemency for a Canadian on death row in Montana.
The Canadian, Ronald Smith was convicted in 1983 of killing two Native Americans and has been battling execution for years.
The former administration was seeking leniency for Smith, but the current administration stopped their efforts after coming to power in 2006 elections, asserting that the government is not obligated to automatically seek clemency for Canadians on death row in democratic countries.
Federal Court Justice Robert Barnes called the move unfair and ordered that the government continues “to apply the former policy of supporting clemency on behalf of Canadians facing the death penalty in any foreign state to Mr. Smith.”
Canada abolished the death penalty in 30 some years ago in 1976.
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