prime minister

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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

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

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...

Outgoing PM to Incoming PM: 'Try Not to Destroy' Israel

Benjamin Netanyahu is back for 6th term, leading nation's most far-right government yet

(Newser) - Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn into office Thursday, taking the helm of the most right-wing and religiously conservative government in Israel's history and vowing to implement policies that could cause domestic and regional turmoil and alienate the country's closest allies. Netanyahu took the oath of office moments after parliament...

'Freaky' Incident at Ardern's Office Leads to Arrest

Cops nab 57-year-old woman after 'willful damage' to NZ prime minister's office

(Newser) - A woman has been arrested after an incident of "willful damage" at Jacinda Ardern's office in Auckland. Per Stuff , a witness says he saw a person walk toward the New Zealand prime minister's working quarters early Thursday, then use some kind of tool to smash the glass...

These 2 Photos Were Taken Only 7 Weeks Apart

A lot has happened in Britain in the interim

(Newser) - They're two photos taken exactly seven weeks apart, capturing the traditional and ceremonial rites of the monarch meeting the British prime minister-in-waiting to ask them to form a new government. They're also bookends, per the AP . Between the taking of the first and of the second, much elapsed,...

Boris Johnson Returns to London During PM Hunt
Boris Johnson
Says He's Out
of the Running
updated

Boris Johnson Says He's Out of the Running

Running for top spot again wouldn't be right, former prime minister says

(Newser) - Update: He never officially said he was in the running to replace Liz Truss, but Boris Johnson announced Sunday that he's out of the race. In a statement, the recent and former prime minister said he was well-positioned to lead the UK's Conservative Party to victory, the BBC...

Like Truss, These World Leaders Lost Their Jobs in Record Time
Believe It or
Not, Some World
Leaders Lasted
Just Minutes
in case you missed it

Believe It or Not, Some World Leaders Lasted Just Minutes

Liz Truss made it only 45 days as UK prime minister, but others have her beat

(Newser) - Liz Truss didn't even make it two months into her stint as British prime minister, announcing her resignation Thursday amid economic turmoil in the United Kingdom. That makes her the shortest-serving PM in the nation's history. While most world leaders usually stick it out for far longer than...

Meloni Sworn In as Italian Prime Minister

She's the nation's first far-right premier since the end of World War II

(Newser) - Giorgia Meloni, whose political party with neofascist roots secured the most votes in Italy's national election last month, was sworn in Saturday in Rome as the country's first far-right premier since the end of World War II. She's also the first woman to serve as premier. Meloni,...

Lettuce That 'Beat' Truss Gets Its Star Turn in London

It got beamed onto Houses of Parliament Thursday night

(Newser) - Update: The story of how a head of lettuce has shown up soon-to-be ex-UK Prime Minister Liz Truss romaines top news. The Independent reports that hours after Truss announced her resignation on Thursday, an image of the now-infamous piece of produce was beamed onto London's Houses of Parliament at...

On the Short List to Replace Liz Truss Is a Familiar Face

Boris Johnson is expected to stand for the post as UK prime minister

(Newser) - Liz Truss is out as UK prime minister after only six weeks. Might Boris Johnson be back in the post before the end of the month? As the ruling Conservative Party scrambles to pick a new leader, Johnson—who resigned amid scandal in July—appears to be on everybody's...

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