Category: World

Lithuania is holding the second round of parliamentary elections to elect 63 MPs in single-member districts. Polling stations are open from 7:00 to 20:00, and the turnout is expected to be higher than in the first round, where 78 MPs have already been elected.

The second round of parliamentary elections is taking place in Lithuania, during which 63 members of the Seimas are being elected in single-member districts. This was reported by UNN with reference to LRT.

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Sunday is the main day of the second round of parliamentary elections in Lithuania. The country is electing 63 members of the Seimas in single-member districts, and campaigning for candidates is prohibited until the polls close. Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and residents can vote only at their own polling station.

The total number of voters on the lists exceeds 2 million, while 2.2 million are Lithuanian citizens. The second round of elections is being held for 63 seats in the Seimas, but voters in eight constituencies (Senamiiskis-Zverinas, Antakalnis, Kelme-Silale, Kėdainiai, Žiemgala West, Šalčininkai-Vilnius, Nemencine and Jonava) no longer need to vote, as deputies were elected in the first round.

A total of 78 out of 141 MPs were elected in the first round. According to the Central Election Commission, 10.5% of voters cast early ballots in the second round. On election day, seven hours before the start of the election, a ban on campaigning came into effect.

According to the Electoral Code, the winner in a single-mandate constituency is the candidate who receives the most votes, regardless of voter turnout. If both candidates receive the same number of votes, the winner is the one who received more in the first round.

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The Lithuanian government has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Transport and Communications to terminate the agreement with Russia on merchant shipping.

Parliamentary elections have begun in Uzbekistan, where all parties are loyal to President Mirziyoyev. Electoral reforms have been carried out after constitutional changes, but there are no opposition parties.

On Sunday, parliamentary elections started in Uzbekistan, which will lead to the formation of a legislative body loyal to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Reuters reports UNN.

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The elections were held in the absence of opposition parties, although some changes in the electoral procedure were introduced after the constitutional reform.

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who has been in power since 2016, has gained popularity through liberal economic reforms and the easing of severe restrictions on political, religious and media freedoms left by his predecessor.

Early elections in Japan: the ruling party is in danger of losing its majorityOctober 27 2024, 12:31 AM • 12015 views

Google is developing a new AI project called Jarvis to revolutionize the interaction with web browsers. The project is expected to be presented in December along with the announcement of the new Gemini language model.

Google is working on a revolutionary artificial intelligence technology that will change the way users interact with web browsers. This is reported by The Information, UNN.

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According to the information, the new product, codenamed Project Jarvis, is designed to perform tasks related to information research and shopping with maximum convenience for users.

Google is expected to demonstrate Project Jarvis in December this year as part of the announcement of its new flagship large-scale language model Gemini. According to the sources, the project aims to integrate artificial intelligence into web surfing processes, which will significantly simplify the performance of everyday tasks.

Google invests in nuclear energy to support the development of artificial intelligenceOctober 15 2024, 01:29 AM • 16568 views

After the parliamentary elections in Georgia, opposition parties accuse the government of fraud and threaten to protest. Opposition leaders are demanding a review of the results, and the situation in the country remains tense.

In Georgia, the situation is escalating after the parliamentary elections, the results of which have caused dissatisfaction among the opposition. This was reported by Echo of the Caucasus, UNN.

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The head of the Unity party, Tina Bokuchava, said that their political force would not recognize the results of the vote, accusing the authorities of fraud.

The leader of the Coalition for Change, Nika Gvaramia, also voiced harsh criticism, claiming that the ruling Georgian Dream party was trying to carry out a "constitutional coup." He announced protests demanding that the election results be verified and complaints addressed.

The other two opposition parties that received more than 5% of the vote, the Strong Georgia coalition (9.02%) and Gakharia – For Georgia (8.22%), have not yet expressed their positions.

The situation in Georgia remains tense, and protests could have a significant impact on the country's political stability.

In Georgia, the ruling party has won a majority in parliament: the country is preparing for presidential electionsOctober 26 2024, 09:41 PM • 5612 views

The Israeli military conducted a precision strike on the Hamas command and control center in the former warehouse in Gaza City. Before the attack, measures were taken to minimize the risks to civilians.

The Israeli Air Force carried out a precision strike on terrorists using a command and control center built into a former warehouse in Gaza City. This was reported by the IDF, UNN reports.

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This center served Hamas terrorists to plan and carry out attacks against Israeli troops and the State of Israel. It is noted that before the strike, numerous measures were taken to minimize the risk to civilians, including the use of precision munitions, aerial surveillance and additional intelligence.

Israel strikes at Iran: a series of explosions in TehranOctober 25 2024, 11:46 PM • 18355 views

The terrorist country has provided Iran with intelligence on the activities of US and Israeli military forces. Iran reported limited damage to military facilities in three provinces after the strikes.

russia has passed on information to Iran about a possible Israeli attack. This is reported by Sky News Arabia, according to UNN.

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According to the source, the information was transmitted just a few hours before the Israeli strikes began.

moscow then informed Tehran about the activity of American and Israeli military forces, emphasizing its readiness to cooperate with Iran and its intention to reduce the escalation of the conflict in the region.

In response to Israel's attacks, Iran noted that some facilities had suffered "limited damage". This indicates that the strikes were aimed at military bases in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran.

Iran claims “limited damage” from Israeli attacks on three provincesOctober 26 2024, 03:59 AM • 20733 views

According to the Georgian Central Election Commission, after counting 70.91% of the ballots, the ruling Georgian Dream party gains 52.99% of the vote. The Coalition for Change is in second place with 11.2%, and Unity is in third place with 9.83%.

Previously, the ruling Georgian Dream party won the majority of votes in the elections in Georgia. This is reported by Echo of the Caucasus, UNN reports.

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According to CEC chairman Giorgi Kalandarishvili, the Georgian Dream party gains 52.99% of the vote after counting data from 2,206 polling stations, which corresponds to 70.91% of the total.

The situation with other parties is as follows:

"Coalition for Change – Gvaramia, Melia, Ghirchi, Droa" – 11.2%;

Unity (National Movement, Agmashenebeli's Strategy, European Georgia) – 9.83%;

"Strong Georgia (Lelo, For the People, Freedom Square, Citizens) – 9.02%;

Gakharia – For Georgia – 8.22%;

"Hirchi (Iago Hvichia) – 3.22%;

"Alliance of Patriots / Alt-Info – 2.53%;

The Labor Party – 0.75%.

Parliamentary elections in Georgia: results of the first exit pollsOctober 26 2024, 04:32 PM • 10366 views

Iceland's economy grew by 5% in 2023 after the introduction of a 4-day workweek without a salary cut. 51% of the country's employees switched to a reduced schedule while maintaining productivity.

Iceland's economy grew by 5% in 2023 after the country's authorities introduced a 4-day working week without loss of pay. According to a new study, Iceland's economic growth rate is now ahead of most European countries. UNN writes about this with reference to CNN.

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Last year, Iceland experienced faster economic growth than most European countries, and the country's unemployment rate was one of the lowest in Europe, according to the UK's Institute for Autonomy and the Association for Sustainable Development and Democracy in Iceland (ALDA).

Iceland's economy grew by 5% in 2023, the second fastest growth rate after Malta among rich European economies, according to the International Monetary Fund's latest World Economic Outlook report released this week. This is much higher than the country's average growth rate of nearly 2% in the decade from 2006 to 2015.

According to two think tanks, between 2020 and 2022, 51% of workers in the country accepted the offer of reduced working hours, including a four-day work week. According to them, this figure will be even higher today.

This study demonstrates a real success story: reduced working hours have become widespread in Iceland. Their economy is strong in a number of ways

– said Gudmundur D. Haraldsson, a researcher at Alda.

The Autonomy Institute and ALDA also stated that the low unemployment rate in Iceland is "a strong indicator of the vitality of the economy.

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During an experiment to reduce the workload, civil servants in Iceland worked 35-36 hours a week without a pay cut. Many participants had previously worked 40 hours a week.

The experiment initially involved 2,500 people – more than 1% of the working population of Iceland at the time – and was aimed at maintaining or increasing productivity while improving work-life balance. The researchers found that productivity remained the same or improved in most workplaces, while employee well-being "dramatically" increased across a range of indicators, from perceived stress and burnout to health and work-life balance.

After litigation, Icelandic trade unions agreed to reduce working hours for tens of thousands of their members across the country.

Recall

At the same time, in Greece, starting from July 1, 2024, many employees will be required to work six days a week as part of a labor law reform aimed at combating "black employment" and simplifying management in companies.

Icelandic Parliament approves long-term policy of support for UkraineApril 30 2024, 07:15 AM • 21043 views

At a polling station in Tbilisi, a clash broke out between Georgian Dream activists and observers. Georgia is holding parliamentary elections with the participation of 18 parties under a new proportional system.

A massive clash broke out in Tbilisi near a polling station between several dozen activists of the pro-Russian Georgian Dream party and observers. UNN reports with reference to News Georgia.

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A massive brawl took place near the polling station #60 in the Głdani district.

According to media reports, the fight was attended by supporters of the Georgian Dream and observers. It is known that the deputy of the Tbilisi Sakrebulo from the National Movement party, Irakli Edzgveradze, was also present at the scene.

The police arrived at the scene. The Georgian Interior Ministry has not yet commented.

Some time ago, a fight involving supporters of the ruling party and the opposition was also reported from a polling station in Tbilisi's Isani district.

Recall

On October 26, parliamentary elections are being held in Georgia . 18 parties are running, including the ruling Georgian Dream, which has been in power for 12 years.

For the first time, 150 members of parliament are elected not under a mixed-member system, as before, but under a fully proportional system. To enter the legislature, parties must overcome a five percent threshold.

Violations have already been reported. In particular, police are investigating mass ballot stuffing at a polling station in Marneul. In the Baghdad municipality, a voter smashed electronic voting equipment.

Georgian President voted in parliamentary electionsOctober 26 2024, 06:15 AM • 14111 views

In the state of Guerrero, 16 people were killed in clashes between security forces and criminals. In Guanajuato, car bomb explosions injured three police officers and damaged buildings.

Amid the escalation of cartel violence in Mexico, 16 militants were killed and 3 police officers were wounded in a car bomb explosion. This was reported by the Associated Press agency, UNN writes.

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In Mexico's violent southern state of Guerrero, at least 16 people were killed in multiple clashes between Mexican security forces and suspected criminals on Thursday. On the same day, three police officers were injured when a car bomb exploded near a police station in western Mexico.

The first firefight took place in the city of Tekpan de Galeana, near the Pacific coast, where two people were killed and four others were wounded. Later, security forces clashed with a criminal group that attacked a military base in the same area, killing 14 militants.

Also on Thursday, a car bomb exploded near a police station in the state of Guanajuato, injuring three police officers. The explosion damaged the police station, four buildings and several residential buildings, but only the police officers were injured, the department said.

Authorities reported that another explosion, likely a second car bomb, occurred in the neighboring town of Yerekuaro. Although no one was injured, the force of the second explosion was enough to rip the tiled roof off the building, blacken the facades of surrounding shops, and set a police patrol pickup on fire.

The near-simultaneous attacks in two different cities, located about half an hour away from each other, point to the involvement of drug cartels that have been fighting bloody battles for territory in Guanajuato for years.

Officials say the violence in the state is linked to a conflict between the local Santa Rosa de Lima gang and the Jalisco cartel New Generation, one of the most powerful in all of Mexico.

Libya's Governor Garcia said that an air and ground operation involving state security forces has begun to support the municipal police.

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In Mexico, there have been more than 450,000 drug-related murders since the government began using the army to fight the cartels in 2006.

President Claudia Scheinbaum, who took office on October 1, promised to continue her predecessor's strategy of using social policies to fight crime at its roots and to make better use of intelligence.

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The northwestern region, a stronghold of the Sinaloa cartel, has also seen a surge in violence following the July arrest of drug lord Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada in the United States. Last month, he pleaded not guilty to a drug trafficking case in the United States, in which he is accused of participating in a conspiracy to murder and ordering torture.

On Monday, Mexican troops shot dead 19 suspected Sinaloa cartel members after they were attacked.

Mexico links kidnapping of drug boss Mayo Sambada to the release of drug trafficker Ovidio Guzman in the USAugust 30 2024, 07:14 AM • 11451 view