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SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook will not fact-check the statements politicians post to the site, the social network announced Tuesday ahead of the US 2020 elections, even as it works to discredit false information meant to manipulate public opinion. While the social network relies on third-party fact-checkers, including news organizations such as AFP, to help it discredit viral misinformation, it will stop short of wading into the veracity of political claims. “We don’t […]
by Michel COMTE Agence France Presse OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized Wednesday for wearing brownface makeup at a party 18 years ago, as he scrambled to get on top of a fresh blow to a re-election campaign dogged by controversy. Time magazine published the photograph one week into a federal election campaign with Trudeau’s Liberal Party in a tight contest against the Conservatives led by Andrew Scheer. Trudeau, 47, […]
TEL AVIV, Israel (AFP) — Benny Gantz, the main challenger to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the country’s general election, called for a broad unity government early Wednesday as exit surveys showed a tight race. “We will act to form a broad unity government that will express the will of the people,” Gantz told supporters at a post-election rally in Tel Aviv. He however cautioned that he was waiting for final results. “We will […]
by Guillaume Lavallee JERUSALEM (AFP) — Benjamin Netanyahu has become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister with his right-wing leadership and by repeatedly besting rivals with deft political moves, but he will have to pull another rabbit out of the hat in Tuesday’s elections. The 69-year-old is fighting his second election in five months with a potential corruption indictment looming. After April polls, Netanyahu suffered one of the biggest defeats of his political career when he […]
by Henry Morales / Edgar Calderon GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (AFP) — Conservative Alejandro Giammattei was elected as Guatemala’s president on Sunday, defeating former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off, the central American country’s electoral court said. With the results being updated in real time on the court’s website, the institution’s president Julio Solorzano declared the result “already irreversible.” Giammattei will succeed corruption-tainted outgoing President Jimmy Morales, who leaves office in January. “The aim […]
by Shingo ITO Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe claimed victory Sunday for his ruling coalition in the upper house election but appeared to fail to secure a “supermajority” in the chamber in support of his dream to amend the nation’s pacifist constitution. With the results, the 64-year-old Abe, who is on course to become Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, aims to shore up his mandate ahead of a crucial consumption tax hike later this year, along […]
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian officials on Tuesday refused to register nearly 30 candidates for elections to Moscow’s local parliament, including prominent critics of President Vladimir Putin despite protests over the move. Opposition politicians have been fighting to get on the ballot for September’s elections to the Moscow city legislature as they seek to capitalize on growing public discontent over falling living standards and unchecked corruption. But many observers say authorities have used spurious […]
by Fulya OZERKAN ISTANBUL, Turkey (AFP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suffered a bruising defeat on Sunday as the opposition candidate in Istanbul’s controversial mayoral election re-run romped to victory. Ekrem Imamoglu had won the first mayoral vote in March by a slim margin of 13,000 votes over Erdogan’s chosen candidate, Binali Yildirim, who contested the results and a new election was ordered. After being stripped of that victory over disputed claims of fraud, […]
BRUXELLES, United States (AFP) — The center-right European People’s Party (EPP) won the most seats in the European Parliament but eurosceptic parties made strong gains, officials said Sunday, citing their latest projection. The EPP won 178 seats, down sharply from 216 in the outgoing parliament but more than the 152 won by the Socialists and Democrats, its center-left rival, parliament spokesman Jaume Duch told reporters. The Socialists dropped from 185 seats. “I don’t feel a […]
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani rival Imran Khan sent messages highlighting the need for “peace” Thursday after Modi’s hawkish party won a new term in power. While the nuclear-armed rivals launched cross-border air strikes at each other barely three months ago, some analysts say the return of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a new landslide could help peace prospects. Khan congratulated Modi on the win by the BJP, which has long […]
JARATA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators in downtown Jakarta early Wednesday after a rally opposed to President Joko Widodo’s re-election, an AFP reporter said. The country’s election commission on Tuesday released official results that confirmed Widodo, 57, had beaten retired military general Prabowo Subianto for the presidency in a poll held on April 17. Subianto has said he would challenge the results in court, and warned that his claims […]
by Jalees Andrabi and Abhaya Srivastava NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party said Monday that exit polls from the country’s marathon election showed an “overwhelming” vote in favour of a second term for the Hindu nationalist leader. About 65 percent of India’s 900 million-strong electorate turned out over the six weeks of voting, the election commission said. While the country faces a nerve-jangling three day wait until the official count […]
