Ethiopian leader dies: Meles Zenawi, who has led Ethiopia as its prime minister since taking power in 1991, has died, according to state media. Zenawi, who helped lead a period of prosperity for the region, nonetheless gained a reputation as being harsh towards dissidents and journalists. Zenawi was 57. (photo via World Economic Forum)
Prime Minister David Cameron accidentally left his daughter behind in a country pub after a Sunday lunch with friends following a mix-up over which car she was meant to be going home in, his Downing Street office said on Monday.
Cameron was swiftly reunited with 8-year-old Nancy, one of his three young children, but the incident will add fuel to critics who accuse him of being overly fond of relaxing, or “chillaxing” as he has called it, when not dealing with affairs of state.
Its disclosure in the Sun newspaper has the potential to embarrass Cameron, coming on the day the government launched a fresh drive to tackle “problem families” who lead chaotic lives and cost taxpayers millions of pounds in policing and welfare costs.
Cameron and his wife Samantha only discovered their eldest child was missing when they returned to their official country residence, Chequers in Buckinghamshire, 40 miles northwest of London.
This sounds like something Hugh Grant would do. Seriously, this could’ve been a deleted scene in “Love, Actually.”
Muammar Gaddafi’s former prime minister and oil minister was found floating in the Danube River, though no obvious signs of violence could be found. An autopsy will take place in the next few days, though it’s unknown if details regarding his death will be made public. Ghanem served as prime minister from 2003-2006, and as oil minister until last year. He defected last summer during the Libyan Revolution, and moved to Vienna to work as a consultant. (Photo via The Friday Times) source
An Israeli soldier has been suspended after video of his violent reaction to bicycle-riding pro-Palestinian activists surfaced on Youtube over the weekend. Lieutenant Col. Shalom Eisner can be seen hitting a protester in the face, with the butt of his rifle, seemingly without provocation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the attack, saying, “such behavior is not characteristic of the soldiers and commanders of the IDF (Israel Defence Forces). It has no place in the IDF and the State of Israel.” source
Zuckerberg is the new Bono: Everybody’s favorite Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Thursday. Though he didn’t go into complete details about the meeting, Zuckerberg expressed “that he believes Facebook can be used to help people in disasters keep in touch and provide them with crucial information.” source
Papademos walks into a tumult: After days of chaotic political wrangling and general panic over Greece’s debt crisis (as well as the euro zone writ large, as Italy teeters on a dire edge), a new Prime Minister has been selected to replace the outgoing George Papandreau. The new man in charge is Lucas Papademos, the former VP of the European Central Bank. “The course will not be easy. But the problems, I’m convinced, will be solved. They will be solved faster, with a smaller cost and in an efficient way, if there is unity, agreement and prudence,” he said. source
Greek officials OK referendum plans: Like we said earlier (sarcastically, kinda), the stock market doesn’t like democracy. Democracy often goes against the best interests of investors. It’s messy. It works in ways that don’t always work in the best interests of the people who vote for it. But you gotta give people the opportunity to take advantage of the democratic system. No matter how much it hurts. That’s what Greece will go through very soon. Democracy. Don’t like it? Take an Alka-Seltzer and give yourself five minutes to get in a happy spot.
The task of the government is not only to pour honey into a cup, but sometimes to give bitter medicine. But this should always be done openly and honestly, and then the overwhelming majority of people will understand their government.Russian Premier Vladimir Putin • Explaining what might be coming next for Russians — that is, austerity measures. The former-and-likely-to-be Russian President grew greatly popular on the back of business-friendly economic measures (a flat tax!) that may not be easy to keep up in the current global economic climate. Will Putin, round two, prove to be as memorable as Putin, round one? source (via • follow)
We were told that if things proceed as planned, the prime minister will express his (resignation) intention on August 26 … We were told to prepare to succeed to the next cabinet.Japanese Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda • Revealing that Naoto Kan is likely about to resign as Prime Minister. Kan, despite serving during one of the worst tragedies in Japanese history and having only served a year and three months, is the longest-serving prime-minister of the past five.
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
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Middle East: Tunisia’s prime minister exits right behind Ben Ali: Ben Ali wasn’t the end of the unrest in Tunisia by a long shot. Now, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has left under the wave of popular unrest. source
Meet Britain’s new Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office: Larry the Cat has one of the most important jobs in Britain – and it’s one that the government, wisely, didn’t put on the chopping block during their recent austerity craze. See, Larry, a 4-year-old former stray, will be in charge of killing mice inside of David Cameron’s 10 Downing Street office. There are many rats in London, and Larry seems like he’s up to the job. We salute you, old chap. source
It has great meaning not to hurt each other, hurt our reputation. Do they want what happened in Tunisia to happen here?Newly-appointed Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq • Talking about yesterday’s “catastrophe” in Cairo on Egyptian television. To answer your question, Ahmed: Yeah, we’re pretty sure that’s the idea. source (via • follow)
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