World News Briefs For Sunday, 29 Sep 2019
Hello Australia!! - Boris Johnson faces multiple possible corruption investigations and a no confidence vote this week - Trouble in Afghanistan's election - Cops defeat haters in Poland - And more in your CareerSpot Global News Briefs:
A deeply flawed election could drive Afghanistan into chaos, but that appears to be the state of the weekend polls. Irregularities were widespread - such as voters' lists that were incomplete or missing, and malfunctioning biometric identification machines intended to reduce fraud, and ill-trained poll workers. Add to that several Taliban attacks, especially in the south and north. Low voter turnout will decide the contest between the incumbent, Ashraf Ghani, and chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah. The Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan expects to announce the results in three weeks.
And now..
UK crossbenchers are pressuring Britain's top civil servant - cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill - to investigate potential conflicts-of-interest in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's drive to lead a no-deal Brexit on 31 October. Specifically, they want to know if Johnson will personally profit from hedge funds that would likely gain from the economic shock of crashing out of the European Union without deals in place to ease the transition. The Tory government already determined that economic chaos and rioting could ensue if food and pharmaceutical prices skyrocket and imports are interrupted.
Johnson was already referred on Friday for a separate potential investigation into his links to American businesswoman who allegedly received favorable treatment when he was mayor because of their friendship. The Sunday Times reported that tech executive Jennifer Arcuri was given money and privileged access while on trade missions that Johnson led as mayor. Arcuri, who describes herself as an entrepreneur and producer, has left London and relocated to California.
And there is a push for a no-confidence vote against Johnson, maybe as early as this week. A Scottish National Party (SNP) official said it was the best way to ensure that Johnson doesn't break the law and push the no-deal Brexit in defiance of legislation passed earlier this month specifically barring him from doing that. However, the opposition would have to get behind Labour's Jeremy Corbyn as an interim PM to lead the country into a proper election, and the Lib-Dems are reportedly not sold on that just yet.
Anyway..
The murder of Sydney man Lucas Fowler in rural Canada earlier this year was a crime of opportunity, and little else is known of the killers' motive. Canadian police say the two killers - British Columbian teens Bryer Schmegelsky and Kam McLeod - recorded a video before they died of apparent suicide on the run in the wilderness, in which they took responsibility for killing Mr. Fowler, his American girfriend Chynna Deetz, and a BC university professor. Police say the two indicated that they wanted to kill again and escape the country for Europe or Africa, but the manhunt apparently thwarted all that.
Heavy monsoon rain killed around 60 people in northern India this weekend, and relief isn't expected until after Monday. That brings this monsoon season's death toll to more than 350 lives lost.
Polish police used water cannons on far right homophobes who tried to break up an LGBTQ pride parade in Lublin, in the socially conservative eastern part of the country. The ruling PiS party has made homophobic rhetoric part of its campaign platform ahead of the 13 October general election. Hundreds of people attended the parade, carrying rainbow flags and signs with slogans such "Love is love".
Hong Kong's latest pro-democracy protest brought out 200,000 to 300,000 people before it devolved into violence, with masked demonstrators hurling rocks and molotovs at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons.
Egyptian police stepped up operations against protesters demanding that autocratic President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi step down. Rights groups say al-Sisi's crackdown on dissent is the worst in recent memory, including the hardline Muslims who were the original targets and extended to democratic and liberal groups.