Three American states elected new governors this week. The
key race was considered to be the one in Virginia, where Republican Ken
Cuccinelli faced Democrat Terry McAuliffe. Virginian voters are considered to
be equally divided between Republican and Democrat, so the result was seen as a
predictor of the next presidential election. The key issues were the Obamacare
health legislation (Cuccinelli opposed it; McAuliffe avoided the subject but is
on record as saying it doesn’t go far enough) and abortion (McAuliffe, who
supports late-term abortion, painted pro-life Cuccinelli as an extremist). McAuliffe raised and spent $15 million more
that Cuccinelli on TV adverts and other campaigning materials (including at
least $1 million from commercial abortion providers Planned Parenthood) and won the election, but
by a margin of only 1%.
In the US Senate, a bill to ban abortion after 20 weeks
(with exceptions for rape, incest, or saving the mother’s life) has been
introduced, nearly 5 months after it passed in the House of Representatives.
The 20-week limit is based on scientific evidence that unborn children can feel
pain after this point. The bill’s sponsor admitted that the bill will probably
not pass the Democrat-controlled Senate (or President Obama’s threatened veto)
in this legislative session, but points to other pro-life bills that progressed
slowly through the legislature before eventually becoming law.
Meanwhile, the new Democratic mayor of New York has promised
to expand abortion facilities in the city, in partnership with Planned
Parenthood. He also wants to close down pro-life crisis pregnancy centres
(which offer pregnant women financial and logistical help to keep their
babies); his stated reason is that because they do not offer abortions, they
are not offering legitimate health care.
New York State already has the highest abortion rate in the US (41% of
all pregnancies are terminated); New York City accounts for 7% of all abortions
in the USA.
David Cameron has announced plans to issue a Sharia law
financial bond in the UK, which would make it the first non-Muslim country to
offer one. One aspect of Sharia law is that the bond would charge no interest.
Cameron also announced plans for a new Islamic index on the London Stock
Exchange.
Councillors in Liverpool have called for the banning of
high-stakes gambling machines from betting shops in the city. The machines
allow people to bet up to ₤100 every 20 seconds, and have proved highly
addictive. City leaders want the Government either to ban the machines or to
give local councils the power to ban them.
In sport, Scotland won their final group match in the Rugby
League World Cup to remain unbeaten. However, they will only qualify for the
next stage if Tonga beat group leaders Italy. And Jermaine Defoe became
Tottenham Hotspur’s record scorer in European competitions with his 23rd
goal.
And finally, police in north London received a 999 call from
a house and, when there was no reply to their return call, decided to break
down the front door. Once inside, the only occupant they found was a cat hiding
in a cupboard. “She must have been playing with the phone, and then been scared
by the incoming call,” said her owner.
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