Politics

Leaked diplomatic cables between Australia and the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, have raised controversy in the Australian community. The documents were released by the whistle-blowing website Wikileaks. The cables between the then prime minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, and the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, revealed that China may need to be forced to integrate into the international community. The secret documents also contained information of a conversation between Clinton and Rudd in Washington. In the interview, Rudd s

A huge fire at a Chilean prison in San Miguel has killed at least 81 inmates, and injured another 14, including a firefighter and three gendarmerie officers, the Chilean Health Minister Jaime Mañalich reported. Mañalich said that the injured inmates suffered "[...] facial burns, and are currently intubated with mechanical ventilation in different hospitals." Pedro Hernández, representing the Chilean gendarmerie officers union said that "they are trying to identify the 81 dead inmates now." President Sebastián Piñera went to the Santiago's Cent

The controversial plan to raise university tuition fees in England and Wales will be voted on in the House of Commons on Thursday, December 9. The policy has been the cause of protests across the United Kingdom by students, some of which have turned violent. It has also been a source of considerable criticism and political difficulties for the Liberal Democrats and has raised questions as to the long-term viability of the Coalition government. The new policy on tuition fees will allow universities to double the current tuition fees from £3,290

Alassane Ouattara won the Ivory Coast's presidential run-off election on Thursday according to the country's electoral commission. However the Constitutional Council has contested the announcement. Ouattara was the challenger in the run-off against President Laurent Gbagbo. Supporters of Gbagbo have claimed that the vote should be blocked because of fraud in the north of the country. The head of the electoral commission, Youssouf Bakayoko, released the results of the vote while under armed guard. He announced that Ouattara had won 54% of the v

The prime minister of Vanuatu has lost his seat after a motion of no confidence. Edward Natapei was ousted after the vote, passed at 30 votes to 15, took place in parliament. Natapei was out of the country at the time of the vote, attending a climate change summit in Cancun, Mexico. The vote took place after several members of parliament became unhappy with Natapei's decisions. He had tried to suspend five members of parliament from the house. There was also concern about his support for Frank Bainimarama, the military leader of Fiji. Natapei

Last Friday, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair debated the role of religion with atheist author and journalist Christopher Hitchens at the Roy Thompson Hall in Toronto, Canada. Organised under the auspices of the 'Munk Debates', the motion was: "That religion is a force for good in the world". Hitchens argued that religion is "a cruel experiment whereby we are created sick and ordered to be well" and that the omnipresent, omniscient God supposed by many world religions was "a celestial dictatorship, a kind of divine North Korea". Blair

Chief Minister of Gibraltar Peter Caruana has been discussing the possibility of the British overseas territory having joint sovereignty with Spain. He suggested that Gibraltar take an Andorra-style status. Caruana's suggestion has caused controversy in both Gibraltar and the United Kingdom. Many people in Gibraltar have said they want to remain British and Gibraltarian. The media in Gibraltar has also spoken out against the move using the phrase "Give Spain an inch and they will take a mile!" His decision has come as a surprise; in 2002 Carua

Over 800 National Health Service staff in Scotland are earning more than £140,000 each year—more than First Minister Alex Salmond. New figures also reveal that 3,000 NHS workers are earning over £100,000. One NHS board alone, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, employs 893 staff earning more than £100,000, and 181 being paid over £140,000. Jackie Baillie, health spokeswoman for the Labour Party, which uncovered the figures, said they were "astonishing", and urged health boards to examine if savings can be made by reducing salaries of top earners.

Tensions continue to rise between North Korea and South Korea following the shelling of South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island by the North Korean Navy, and return fire by South Korean forces. Both sides have issued statements of increasingly hostile language, and South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak put the military on its highest alert. On his website, the President warned North Korea that "indiscriminate attack on civilians can never be tolerated" and promised "enormous retaliation" if North Korea should attack again. The state-controlled North K

A former Mexican governor has been killed by gunmen. Silverio Cavazos was shot on the steps of his house in the Mexican state of Colima. Cavazos, 41, was transported to hospital where he later died. Cavazos was the governor of Colima from 2005 until November 2009. Mexican media report Cavazos was standing outside his house with Rafael Gutierrez Villalobos, economic development Secretary for Colima. Villalobas was also wounded in the attack, but reports on his condition have not been released. Mexican President Felipe Calderon released a sta

On Saturday, the Iraqi parliament approved a power-sharing agreement, after eight months of negotiations. The agreement, reached on Tuesday, appeared to be falling apart on Thursday after the Sunni-backed al-Iraqiya List, led by Ayad Allawi, walked out of the parliamentary session, expressing disappointment that the parliament had not voted upon the power-sharing agreement before voting for the president. Allawi then spoke to CNN, telling the network that they viewed the power-sharing process to be "dead" and that they were expecting more "ten

The French Prime Minister, François Fillon, resigned yesterday which will allow President Nicolas Sarkozy to reshuffle his cabinet. The resignation took place weeks after the French parliament passed controversial pension reform. France 3 television's senior foreign political analyst, Christian Mallard, said "Fillon's resignation gives Sarkozy the opportunity to shake up the current leadership of some ministries." However Mallard, along with many others believe that it is very possible that Sarkozy will reinstate Fillon and that the Prime M