| Latest Commentary: | Volume VI, Number 144 |
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Putin’s United Russia Sweeps Duma Election -- United Russia, the political party of President Vladimir Putin, won the parliamentary elections held yesterday. The result was entirely predictable. The polls had Putin’s crew ahead by miles all along, and a joint observer team of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe called the voting “not fair.” A rigged election in Russia is a time-honored custom, which surprises no one.
Chavez Loses Venezuelan Referendum -- In a referendum on changing much of the Venezuelan political landscape, the voters told President Hugo Chavez that he had over-reached himself. His 69 proposed amendments to the country’s constitution were voted down 51% to 49%. What is most interesting is his reaction. He has accepted the democratic will of the people. Eurozone’s Inflation up, Unemployment Down --The 13 countries that use the euro as their currency had an unexpected drop in their aggregate unemployment rate. Eurostat, the EU’s statistical office, announced that October’s rate was 7.2% down from 7.3% in September. At the same time, inflation hit a six-year high of 3%. This means that interest rates there won’t be coming down any time soon. Kennedy Center Honors Five -- It wasn’t on TV live; one will have to wait until December 26 to see it. However, over the week-end, the Kennedy Center in Washington honored 5 Americans who have made vibrant contributions to American culture. Musicians Diana Ross, Brian Wilson and Leon Fleischer joined filmmaker Martin Scorsese and comedian Steve Martin on stage to receive this year’s awards. © Copyright 2007 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux. |
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