prime minister

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Ireland Elects Youngest PM Ever
Ireland Elects Youngest PM Ever
Apr 9, 2024 11:09 AM CDT

Ireland Elects Youngest PM Ever

Simon Harris is just a wee lad of 37

(Newser) - Lawmaker Simon Harris was elected Ireland's prime minister by a vote in parliament Tuesday, becoming at 37 the country's youngest-ever leader. As the AP reports, Harris takes over as head of Ireland's three-party coalition government from Leo Varadkar, who announced his surprise resignation last month. Harris, who...

Heat Intensifies on Netanyahu at Home
Pressure Intensifies
on Netanyahu at Home
the rundown
Apr 1, 2024 12:48 PM CDT

Pressure Intensifies on Netanyahu at Home

Israeli leader once again the subject of mass demonstrations

(Newser) - Benjamin Netanyahu weathered massive protests in Israel before the Hamas attack in October. Now, he's once again under what the BBC describes as "career-ending pressure" as protests resume in force. Details and related coverage:
  • Huge protests: Tens of thousands demonstrated in Jerusalem on Sunday against Netanyahu's government,
...

Poland PM: 'We Haven't Seen a Situation Like This Since 1945'

Donald Tusk warns we're in 'prewar' era, Europe needs to up defense spending and prepare

(Newser) - Poland's prime minister is out with a new warning for the rest of his neighbors in Europe, cautioning that the continent is now in a "prewar" era that requires an increase in defense spending all around to keep everyone safe. "I don't want to scare anyone,...

Groundbreaking Irish PM Abruptly Quits

Leo Varadkar was country's first openly gay and biracial taoiseach, as well as the youngest

(Newser) - Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who made history as his country's first gay and first biracial leader, announced Wednesday that he'll step down within weeks once a successor is chosen. Varadkar said he's quitting immediately as head of the center-right Fine Gael party, part of Ireland's...

As Crisis Envelops Haiti, PM Steps Down

Ariel Henry will make way for a transitional presidential council amid gang violence

(Newser) - Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced early Tuesday that he would resign once a transitional presidential council is created, bowing to international pressure to save the country overwhelmed by violent gangs that some experts say have unleashed a low-scale civil war. Henry made the announcement hours after officials, including Caribbean...

Canadian Leader Who Forged Closer Ties With US Dies

Brian Mulroney was 84

(Newser) - Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who forged close ties with two Republican US presidents through a sweeping free trade agreement that was once vilified but now celebrated, died Thursday. He was 84. The country's 18th prime minister died peacefully and surrounded by family, his daughter Caroline Mulroney said in...

Israel, Brazil Go Further With the Genocide Throw-Down

Brazil's Lula says Gaza war reminiscent of 'when Hitler decided to kill the Jews'

(Newser) - Israel on Sunday condemned Brazil's president for comparing the war in Gaza to the Holocaust, accusing him of being antisemitic and trivializing the Nazi genocide of Jews during World War II. The outcry further strained relations between the countries, which have deteriorated since President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva...

On Valentine's Day, a Big First for Australia

No other prime minister has gotten engaged while in office before Anthony Albanese

(Newser) - Who knows how many people proposed or got hitched this past Valentine's Day , but one name in particular stands out: Anthony Albanese, Australia's first prime minister to get engaged while in office, reports Reuters . "She said yes," Albanese wrote on X after his successful ask, showing...

Ex-Dutch PM, 93, Dies 'Hand in Hand' With Wife by Euthanasia

Dries van Agt led nation from 1977 till 1982

(Newser) - Dries van Agt, the Christian Democrat prime minister of the Netherlands from 1977 until 1982, has died by euthanasia along with his wife, according to the human rights organization he founded. They both were 93. The news was made public on Friday by the Rights Forum, which said the couple...

Jailed Ex-Prime Minister Gets Another 10 Years
Bad News Keeps Piling
On for Imran Khan
UPDATED
Feb 3, 2024 6:00 AM CST

Bad News Keeps Piling On for Imran Khan

Pakistan's former prime minister and his wife get 7 more years in jail, for an apparently illegal marriage

(Newser) - On Saturday, a Pakistani court convicted and sentenced former PM Imran Khan and his wife to seven years in prison on a charge that their 2018 marriage violated the law, officials and a defense lawyer said. The verdict follows another case in which Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were...

Netanyahu May Have Failed 'Test of Basic Humanity'

Failure to engage with hostages' families hurt him, writes David Remnick in 'New Yorker' deep dive

(Newser) - Nobody has held power longer in Israel than Benjamin Netanyahu, writes David Remnick in the New Yorker . But in his in-depth look at the prime minister, now in his sixth term, Remnick notes that Netanyahu's polling is "dismal" in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas raid. He...

Families of Hostages Are 'Escalating Their Campaign'

Relatives of those taken by Hamas on Oct. 7 protest outside Netanyahu's home in Israel

(Newser) - Relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza protested Saturday outside the home of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressing frustration over his government's seeming lack of progress in getting the more than 100 captives released as the war in Gaza drags on. A group representing families of the...

France's New PM Is Nation's Youngest, and Openly Gay

Gabriel Attal, 34, takes over after the resignation of Elisabeth Borne

(Newser) - Gabriel Attal was named Tuesday as France's youngest-ever prime minister, as President Emmanuel Macron seeks a fresh start for the rest of his term amid growing political pressure from the far right. Macron's office announced the appointment in a statement. Attal, 34, rose to prominence as the government...

NZ's New PM: 'We Are Going to Restore Law and Order'

Ex-businessman Christopher Luxon, leader of conservative National Party, wins general election

(Newser) - Conservative former businessman Christopher Luxon will be New Zealand's next prime minister after winning a decisive election victory on Saturday. People voted for change after six years of a liberal government, led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern. The exact makeup of Luxon's government is still...

Big Tobacco Not Thrilled With UK PM's Latest Push

Rishi Sunak's plan for progressively rising smoking age would effectively bar younger generation

(Newser) - If you're a British middle schooler looking forward to the day when you can wander into a Tesco and legally pick up a pack of cigarettes, you have a long wait ahead—as in forever, if Rishi Sunak's plans come to fruition. Per the AP , the UK prime...

Longest-Serving Asian Leader Has Eyebrow-Raising Exit Plan

Autocratic Cambodian PM Hun Sen says he'll step down in 3 weeks, hand reins to son Hun Manet, 45

(Newser) - Longtime Cambodian leader Hun Sen said Wednesday he'll step down in three weeks as prime minister and hand the position to his eldest son, who won his first seat in Parliament in Sunday's election. The announcement came after their Cambodian People's Party won a landslide victory in...

New Zealand PM's Plane Is Very Rickety

'Betty' so prone to breakdowns that NZ sent a backup when Chris Hipkins traveled to China

(Newser) - The United States has Air Force One, a plane that can refuel in midair and act as a presidential command center. New Zealand has "Betty," an aging Boeing 757 that officials on Monday acknowledged was so prone to breakdowns they'd sent an empty backup to ensure Prime...

Silvio Berlusconi Is Dead at 86
Silvio Berlusconi
Is Dead at 86
OBITUARY
Jun 12, 2023 6:05 AM CDT

Silvio Berlusconi Is Dead at 86

Billionaire was Italy's longest-serving prime minister, despite a slew of scandals

(Newser) - Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy's longest-serving premier despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption, died Monday, according to his television network. He was 86. Mediaset announced his death with a smiling photo of the former PM on its homepage and the...

'Gratuitous House Party' Sinks Japan PM's Son

Fumio Kishida's eldest son is resigning as his executive policy secretary

(Newser) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday his eldest son is resigning as his executive policy secretary over what Time calls a "gratuitous house party." The 32-year-old used the prime minister's residence for a private party that was exposed in magazine photos, triggering public outrage. As the...

The Canadian PM's Residence Is a Dump

Rodents, asbestos, sketchy wiring and plumbing explains why Justin Trudeau doesn't live there

(Newser) - The official residence of Canada's prime minister—a 155-year-old, four-floor, 35-room mansion at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa—has been vacant since 2015. When Justin Trudeau came into office that year, he opted to move his family into a smaller, two-floor, 22-room home on the grounds of Rideau Hall...

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