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On Tuesday, Spain witnessed the opening of the Xth legislature, of democracy or its opening of Parliament. King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia were in attendance for the event.
 Click here for more photos at Zimbio Not in attendance for the first time since 1979 were the King’s two daughters, Infantas Elena and Cristina. Many wondered if their absence was linked to Cristina’s husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, and his ties to a corruption scandal. Urdangarin has been excluded from the royal family because of it.
“They did not accept their invitation (to attend) for different reasons,” a royal palace communications official said. “It is their decision.”
In his speech to the new legislature, King Juan Carlos reiterated what he said during his Christmas Eve speech to the nation – such as its “responsibility to strengthen trust in the institutions” of Spain. He also added that no public figure was above the law, another echo of the previous speech.
His Majesty also spoke about the high unemployment rate. “All of you, deputies and senators, are united in the obligation to contribute with decisiveness and efficacy to getting over this crisis and its negative effects on citizens,” he said.
Sources: AFP, Hoy Mujer
After 541 days, Belgium at last has a government.
 Click here to see more images Tuesday saw King Albert II swear in the country’s new prime minister Socialist Elio Di Rupo, the first Francophone premier in 40 years. He is also the first openly gay prime minister in Belgium’s history.
“I swear fidelity to the King, obedience to the constitution and to the laws of the Belgian people,” Di Rupo said in French, and then in Dutch and German, the country’s three languages.
That was swearing in was followed by 13 ministers and 6 state secretaries who also took their oaths before the King.
This is a great sigh of relief for the Belgian people, who grew frustrated with the constant bickering between the Dutch speaking politicians and the French speaking that began in June 2010. The squabbling got so bad, many wondered if Belgium would split into two separate countries.
But the celebration is to be short lived. As the King noted, “there is a lot of work at hand.”
Prime Minister Di Rupo’s task is to now balance the feuding political groups, as well as tackle Belgium’s economic crisis and high debt.
He also has to work on his Dutch. Di Rupo admits his is insufficient with the language, which the majority of Belgians speak. But as a sign he is willing to work on it, he introduced his ministers to King Albert in Dutch.
“I’m going to work on it,” the Prime Minister promised. “I will reply in Dutch in parliament, even with mistakes.”
“My Nigerian maid who’s only been in the country for two years speaks better Dutch than Elio,” said separatist N-VA leader Bart De Wever.
Sources: AP, AFP
 Click here for more photos at Daylife.com The government of Kuwait submitted its resignation to its ruler, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah Monday, after facing pressure from the opposition over corruption accusations.
“We decided to submit our resignation to comply with the national interest and due to the danger the situation had reached,” the state television channel reported Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah as saying.
However, the government will continue as caretakers until a new one is formed, though there is no deadline yet.
This announcement comes less than two weeks after protesters broke into Parliament, demanding for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser, the nephew of the Emir.
Protests over the corruption scandals in the government have been going since before this year’s Arab Spring, but this time it has intensified.
With the announcement that the government will stay on, the demonstrators held a night vigil near Parliament.
“We hope that the next step is dissolving the parliament, because a quarter of the members were referred to the prosecutor over corruption allegations,” Islamist opposition lawmaker Dhaifallah Buramia said, according to Reuters.
The Prime Minister has been questioned by the government over corruption charges before. Tuesday he was scheduled to appear for another round of questioning, but it is unknown if that meeting will take place. Sheikh Nasser is being accused of accepting bribes from members of Parliament, and his removal has been demanded for the past two years.
Kuwait is facing a stalled economy and its people are watching Qatar and the United Arab Emirates develop in wealth in recent years.
Despite the disgruntled attitude among Kuwaitis, there is no call to remove the royal family or ban the monarchy.
Source: AP, Gulf News, Reuters
On Sunday, 70 members of Jordan’s Parliament demanded that King Abdullah II dismiss not only Prime Minister Maarouf al-Bakhit, but also the cabinet, for failing to implement reforms.
 Click here for image gallery at Daylife.com The King told his PM, whom he appointed back in February, to step down Monday, and now he has been replaced by Dr. Awn al-Khasawneh, a judge at the International Court of Justice. This is the third time this year that Jordan has had a new PM.
The difference between Bakhit and Khasawneh is that the new PM is respected by most Jordanians, whereas Bakhit was disliked by tribal leaders and Islamists.
Former military general Bakhit also angered the populace when he made it against the law to accuse someone of corruption. That was seen as anti-freedom of speech, something many Jordanian protesters wanted earlier this year.
Khasawneh, age 61, has worked at The Hague since 2000 and negotiated the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty in 1994. He is expected to start right away on setting up a new cabinet.
A spokesman for retired military service members, Gen. Ali Habashneh, said, “Awn Khasawneh is known for his integrity, and has no corruption issues in his past like the rest, and more importantly, he has very high legal capabilities, which is essential now in this phase of constitutional amendments, laws and legislation which will define the future of Jordan.”
Another seat that has been changed is the Intelligence Chief. King Abdullah gave that over to Maj. Gen. Faisal al-Shobaki, a longstanding intelligence operative.
Source: NYTimes, BBC
During a meeting with the Brunei Islamic Religious Council Monday, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah urged for the establishment of Islamic Criminal Law in his country.
 View more photos of the Sultan here at Daylife.com “What else are we waiting for?” the Sultan said.
“We have the (Syariah) court building, in its grandeur, intellectuals and experts are also in abundance, and the country is independent, what more are we waiting for?”
The Sultan also pointed out that he initially wanted to see Islamic Criminal Law set up back in 1996, during his 50th birthday celebrations. He criticized how much time has lapsed after that.
“Fifteen years has since passed, and there are still some that would say, ‘we are not ready, we are still unable to’ and ‘there is still much to do’ and that our preparations would require another eight or five years and so on,” stressed His Majesty.
“After that (five to eight years) there will be others who will immediately say we require a further five to eight years. If that is the case, when will the additional timeframes mentioned end?”
“I am certain that if we wanted to implement the laws of Allah (SWT), it is not impossible to be carried out,” he said.
The Sultan said that if Brunei is not able to do so, “then carry out what we are able to do so in a gradual manner”, with cases that can be heard in the Syariah courts.
One issue the Sultan discussed was alcohol, which is banned in Islam. “Those who are caught drinking alcohol or drinks that intoxicate, if there is enough evidence why not carry out the law of God.”
Finally, the Sultan told those in attendance that once Islamic Criminal Law was established, there won’t be any problems between that court and civil court.
“To simplify it, both the Civil Courts and the Syariah Court can run parallel without affecting one or the other, this is the uniqueness of Brunei, may Allah (SWT) bless us with peace, prosperity and justice.”
Source: Brunei Times
 Click here for slide show at Tageblatt Online Members of the Grand Ducal family of Luxembourg came out to do their patriotic duty by voting in the tiny country’s local elections Monday. Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and his brother Prince Felix voted in the capital’s municipality, while younger brother Prince Louis and wife Princess Tessy cast their ballots in Colmar-Berg.
Luxembourg is voting for politicians running for such offices as the mayor of Luxembourg, the capital not the country.
Source: Tageblatt
This Tuesday was Prinsjesdag for the Netherlands – the day Her Majesty Queen Beatrix gives a speech from the throne to officially open the Dutch parliamentary year. This day is also called Budget Day, as the Queen outlines the annual budget in her speech.
 Click here for more recent photos of Queen Beatrix Like so many other governments in the world, the Dutch have to cut back in order to preserve funds due to tough economic times, and that affects all citizens. Beatrix discussed that in her speech.
“The economic and social uncertainties are putting our stamina to the test,” the Queen told the politicians at Knight’s Hall in The Hague.
“The government is making an appeal to everyone to contribute to this — an appeal in this difficult period for everyone to build together a stronger society and a stronger economy in the best traditions of our country.”
But she spoke of hope and optimism during the difficult times.
“Our starting position is positive. The government is looking forward to an involved and open exchange of views. We would like to work with you towards solutions which are widely accepted.”
After giving her speech, the Queen and other members of the Dutch royal family, including Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Maxima, rode in gold trimmed carriages to Noordeinde Palace where they went out onto the balcony to wave to the many Dutch below.
The Netherlands’ budget cuts include raising the retirement level from 65 to 66 in 2020, and deep fund reduction to the social security system.
Source: Reuters, Radio Netherlands, AP
Over the weekend, Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein warned his people that if they vote to allow abortion into their tiny Alpine principality, he would veto the law, forbidding the procedure to take place. This means when Liechtenstein votes next week, their votes may mean little.
 Click here for more images of Prince Alois at Daylife.com “We think fewer people will vote because they’ll ask themselves, what’s the point? It really is an attempt to actively influence the referendum,” said Helen Konzett, who helped gather the 1,500 signatures necessary to call the vote, set for Sunday, September 18th.
Many voters in Liechtenstein are angry at Prince Alois, who seems to have inherited his father’s – Prince Hans Adams II – staunch Roman Catholic views.
During National Day last month, Alois made a speech in regards to allowing abortion into the country. He said doing so would lead to late term abortions for a fetus with a disability. “Until now we have been proud to support people with disabilities in our country. The proposal would discriminate against such people and allow them to be eliminated in the womb,” he said.
Currently, any woman in Liechtenstein who gets an abortion could face one year in prison, unless her life was in danger or she was younger than 14 at the time. She could even face imprisonment if she gets the procedure outside of the country. Because of the risk, many women are afraid to discuss abortion in the principality.
As for the doctor who performs it, that person could be in prison for three years.
If Prince Alois vetoes the law, he would be the first Prince of Liechtenstein to do so since his grandfather, Prince Franz Joseph II, blocked hunting laws in the 1980s.
While many monarchs worldwide have been losing their powers over the years, the Princes of Liechtenstein saw theirs increase in 2003. That was when Prince Hans Adam II pushed for a constitutional amendment allowing sovereign Princes more power.
Source: Scotsman News
 Click here for more images of the Emperor here On Friday, Japan’s Emperor Akihito took part in a ceremony before Parliament in which he endorsed incoming prime minister, Yoshihiko Noda. Later that day, the Emperor also sworn in Noda’s new cabinet.
The new government inherits a country still reeling from the March 11 9.0 earthquake, followed by a tsunami and a meltdown from one of its nuclear plants.
The new Prime Minister has vowed to renew Japan, but he is experiencing low expectations. Noda is the 6th Prime Minister for the country in five years.
Source: CNN
 View more pics of Queen Beatrix here Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders is looking to propose a bill that will limit Queen Beatrix’s influence over the Netherlands’ government.
Wilders announced this proposal during a press conference on Monday and said he will present the bill to Parliament on September 1st. While he does want to preserve the monarchy, he wants the Queen to be solely ceremonial and not involved in politics.
Currently, Her Majesty meets once a week with Prime Minister Mark Rutte to discuss how to run the country.
Rutte denies the Queen has any influence and reportedly does not want any changes towards the Queen’s role in the Netherlands.
Geert Wilders is the head of anti-Islam party, Freedom Party, that is dedicated to restricting immigration. Wilders has caused plenty of controversy over his criticism of Islam and multiculturalism.
Source: Nieuws.nl
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