Hungary’s EU presidency marred by their new media law
As Hungary takes over the EU presidency for the first half of 2011, there remain a controversy over the country’s newly approved media law that will impose a rather strict government body control over both public and private media companies,…
Swedish parliament election
The Swedish parliamentary election resulted in a new mandate for the sitting center-right coalition government. The coalition did however lose their majority in the parliament and will continue govern as a minority government.
Polish presidential election
Bronislaw Komorowski, currently acting president of Poland after the death of president Kaczynski in a tragic plane crash in May, has been elected as president after winning the second round of voting by getting 53 percent of the votes cast….
British parliament election
The election to the British Parliament’s House of Commons ended with something for the UK so unusual as a parliament where no party got a majority of the seats – in British terminology a “hung parliament”. The Conservative party became…
Polish president dead in aircraft accident
A Polish government aircraft carrying among others president Lech Kaczyński crashed earlier today during a landing attempt in bad weather at Smolensk in Russia on their way to attend the 70th anniversary cermonies for the victims of the Katyn Forest…
French regional elections
As prognosed, the regional elections in France turned out to be a setback for the UMP who are governing on the national level. The socialists succeeded not only in keeping contol of all the regional governments they already had, but…
German Bundestag election
The German election for the Bundestag (federal parliament) resulted in that the current chancellor Angela Merkel can continue in office, but with a change of coalition partner. Instead of the grand coalition between CDU/CSU and SDP, there will now be…
European Parliament elections
The elections to the European Parliament turned out to be a success for the smaller parties in many of the member states, not the least the green parties. Among the more unexpected outcomes was also the fact that the newly…
The unspeakable population problem?
John Feeney has written on BBC World about the population problem, a problem that is just a little too hot for being a central part in the debates regarding a sustainable development in the future. In reality, the topic is…
The problem with Swiss nudist hikers
The Swiss cantonal government of Appenzell Innerrhoden wants a new law in place to cope with the rise in popularity of nudist mountain hiking. I must admit that until I read this news, I hadn’t even reflected over the possibility…