Issues in Politics
Obama pledges new start with Muslims
President Barack Obama promised to improve US ties with the Muslim world in his inauguration address on Tuesday: “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” said Obama, who was inaugurated at noon on January 20th. Under President Bush, US relations with Muslim nations have often…
Iraqi Bush-shoe-thrower seeks Swiss asylum
Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi, who made headlines after throwing his shoes at US president George W. Bush at a press conference in December, is planning to apply for political asylum in Switzerland. Al-Zaidi, who has been held in Iraq awaiting trial for the act, has reportedly suffered injuries to his eye, broken ribs, and internal…
French Justice Minister Rachida Dati back to work 5 days after birth
Justice Minister Rachida Dati has turned heads in Paris, having moved out of the maternity ward and into a Cabinet meeting five days after giving birth at age 43. While Dati has wide public support, she has largely fallen out of favor with magistrates, lawyers, and President Nicholas Sarkozy, who many claim propelled the daughter…
Headscarved woman leads Amsterdam district council
35-year old Fatima Elatik was appointed leader of Amsterdam’s district council of Zeeberg, and is the first political administrator to wear a headscarf at her job. Elatik, born in Amsterdam, of a Moroccan family background, is a member of the Labor party. Elatik however, has stated that she does not wanted to be identified as…
Ahmed Aboutaleb, Netherlands’ first Moroccan mayor inaugurated
Ahmed Aboutaleb, the first mayor in the Netherlands of Moroccan origin, has officially been inaugurated. 47-year old Aboutaleb, former Labour deputy minister of social affairs, was officially inaugurated as mayor of Rotterdam on the first Monday of 2009. Rotterdam’s major political issues include issues of immigration and crime, but Aboutaleb also faces practical matters like…