Tag Archives: democratic

Voting begins in South African elections

South Africans headed to the polls Wednesday, in elections that the ruling African National Congress is expected to win in a landslide. Polls indicate that the ANC might lose its two-thirds parliamentary majority. The ANC, led by Jacob Zuma, has gained votes in every election since 1994, but a new player, Congress of the People, threatens the party’s grip on power.

Somalia parliament votes in Sharia law

Somalia’s transitional federal parliament has unanimously backed the introduction of Islamic Sharia law in the country after a vote over the issue was brought to parliamentarians Saturday. In an announcement on state-run television, the country said it was ready to step up efforts to develop nuclear weapons and poised for a military response to any moves against it. “The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK are always keeping themselves fully ready to go into action any moment to mercilessly punish anyone who encroaches upon the sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK even a bit,” it said

North Korea: Sanctions a declaration of war

North Korea said Saturday any sanctions or pressure applied against it following its rocket launch earlier this month will be considered a "declaration of war." In an announcement on state-run television, the country said it was ready to step up efforts to develop nuclear weapons and poised for a military response to any moves against it. “The revolutionary armed forces of the DPRK are always keeping themselves fully ready to go into action any moment to mercilessly punish anyone who encroaches upon the sovereignty and dignity of the DPRK even a bit,” it said. On Monday the United Nations condemned North Korea — which refers to itself as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK — for launching a rocket.

N. Korea orders out nuclear inspectors

The International Atomic Energy Agency said its inspectors left North Korea on Thursday after being ordered out by the reclusive nation. “IAEA inspectors at the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Yongbyong nuclear facilities, on 15 April, removed all IAEA seals and switched off surveillance cameras,” a statement from the agency said

Right-wing extremism may be on rise, report says

Right-wing extremist groups may be using the recession and the election of the nation’s first African-American president to recruit members, a Department of Homeland Security report contends. Though the nine-page report said it has “no specific information that domestic right-wing terrorists are currently planning acts of violence,” it said real-estate foreclosures, unemployment and tight credit “could create a fertile recruiting environment for right-wing extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and government authorities similar to those in the past.” The report, prepared in coordination with the FBI and published April 7, was distributed to federal, state and local law enforcement officials under the title “Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.” It compares the current climate the 1990s, “when right-wing extremism experienced a resurgence fueled largely by an economic recession, criticism about the outsourcing of jobs, and the perceived threat to U.S. power and sovereignty by other foreign powers.” It cites proposed restrictions on weapons as likely to increase membership in extremist groups and expresses concern the groups might try to recruit veterans.