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The United States embassy will have "no further dealings" with the speaker of the Polish parliament after claims he insulted President Donald Trump, its ambassador said Thursday.Tom Rose said the decision was made because of speaker Wlodzimierz Czarzasty's "outrageous and unprovoked insults" against the US leader."We will not permit anyone to harm US-Polish relations, nor disrespect (Trump), who has done so much for Poland and the Polish people," Rose wrote on X.Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk responded the same day, writing on X: "Ambassador Rose, allies should respect, not lecture each other.""At least this is how we, here in Poland, understand partnership."On Monday, Czarzasty criticised a joint US-Israeli proposal to support Donald Trump's candidacy for the Nobel Peace Prize."I will not support the motion for a Nobel Peace Prize for President Trump, because he doesn't deserve it," he told journalists.Czarzasty said that rather than allying itself more closely with Trump's White House, Poland should "strengthen existing alliances" such as NATO, the United Nations and the World Health Organisation.He criticised Trump's leadership, including the imposition of tariffs on European countries, threats to annex Greenland, and, most recently, his claims that NATO allies had stayed "a little off the front lines" during the war in Afghanistan.He accused Trump of "a breach of the politics of principles and values, often a breach of international law".After Rose's reaction, Czarzasty told local news site Onet: "I maintain my position" on the issue of the peace prize."I consistently respect the USA as Poland's key partner," he added later on X."That is why I regretfully accept the statement by Ambassador Tom Rose, but I will not change my position on these fundamental issues for Polish women and men."The speaker heads Poland's New Left party, which is part of Tusk's pro-European governing coalition, with which the US ambassador said he has "excellent relations".It is currently governing under conservative-nationalist President Karol Nawrocki, a vocal Trump supporter.In late January, Czarzasty, along with several other high-ranking Polish politicians, denounced Trump's claim that the United States "never needed" NATO allies.The parliamentary leader called the claims "scandalous" and said they should be "absolutely condemned".Forty-three Polish soldiers and one civil servant died as part of the US-led NATO coalition in Afghanistan. 

The Iraqi Parliament elected MP Hebat Al Halbousi as its Speaker during the first session of the legislature's sixth term on Monday.Al Halbousi, representing the Taqaddum Party, won with 208 votes after Muthanna Al Samarrai, head of the Azm Alliance, withdrew from the race, leaving the competition between the three candidates: Hebat Al Halbousi, Salem Al Issawi, and Amer Abdul-Jabbar.The Iraqi National Political Council, which includes Sunni majority forces, announced the nomination of Hebat Al Halbousi for the speakership of the new parliament the day before the session.According to the Iraqi constitution, the election of the Speaker of Parliament is to be followed by the election of his two deputies, and then the election of the President of the Republic within 30 days of the first session. The President will then task the largest bloc with forming the new government.

Kosovo went to the polls Sunday, with nationalist Prime Minister Albin Kurti's party seeking a majority to end a year-long political deadlock that has paralysed parliament and delayed international funding for Europe's youngest nation.The ⁠vote is the second this year in ⁠Kosovo after Kurti's Vetevendosje (VV) party fell short of a majority in February.Months of failed coalition talks prompted President Vjosa Osmani to dissolve parliament in November and call an early election.Failure to form a government and reopen parliament would prolong the crisis at a critical time.Lawmakers must elect a new president in April and ratify €1bn ($1.2bn) in loan agreements from the European Union and World Bank that expire in the coming months.Polls opened at 7am (0600 GMT) and close at 7pm (1800 GMT), with the first official results expected soon after voting ends.VV won the most votes in February's parliamentary elections, but its 42% was not enough to secure a majority in the 120-seat parliament.MPs needed more than 50 sessions to agree on a speaker, but no coalition or government emerged, forcing the country to go back to the polls.By 11am local time (10 GMT), 8.27% of citizens had voted, broadly in line with turnout in February, which ended with just 40.6% of voters turning out.Arben Xhelili, 42, an economist from Pristina, was not optimistic after casting his vote."I expect the same situation after the elections," he said.Brikenda Rexhepi, editor-in-chief of Koha Media Group, said that "beyond political instability and public disappointment, the deadlock has had clear economic and diplomatic costs”.She said this election offers the opportunity to form "functioning institutions after a year of failed attempts".In front of one of the polling stations in Pristina, Arefik Mexhmejli, a 66-year-old pensioner, said whoever wins "should work harder for the economy"."We want the next government to create conditions for the youth to stay here and not leave," one voter, 58-year-old Rexhep Karakashi, told Reuters.Opinion polls are not published in Kosovo, giving no clues to the possible outcome, and some voters said they did not expect the vote to bring significant change."There wouldn't be great joy if Kurti wins, nor would there be if the opposition wins. This country needs drastic changes, and I don't see that change coming," ⁠said Edi Krasiqi, a doctor.Seen as the frontrunner, Kurti hopes, after a rapid two-week campaign, to "win by a wide margin" and "go beyond 50%", he told AFP in an interview on Tuesday.While he campaigned in February on a promise to govern Kosovo "from one end to the other" – including Serb-majority areas where Belgrade's influence often outweighs Pristina's – Kurti has now focused on the economy, sidelining relations with Serbia – which has never recognised the secession of its former province in 2008."Beyond the controversies, the economy is doing very well and this year again we will record GDP growth of 4%. Throughout my term, we have never fallen below 4%," Kurti told AFP.In recent days, he has also announced that the government would pay €100 ($117) to pensioners and to every family with young children by the end of the year."Electoral corruption," responded the two other main parties, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).They have also campaigned on the economy and the most vulnerable groups – but by attacking the government record."Kosovo has been poorly governed. Prices have risen by 40-50%, electricity has become more expensive, while wages and pensions have remained almost unchanged. That will change with a PDK government," promised PDK leader Bedri Hamza."Development projects have never progressed because of poor political choices," and "inflation has eaten away at incomes," echoed Lumir Abdixhiku, the LDK candidate.He criticised Kurti's hardline policy towards the Serb minority, which has also been lambasted by allies, including the United States."We have lost allies, we have lost the trust of the international community, institutions have been blocked," Abdixhiku accused.More than 2mn people are eligible to vote – including tens of thousands registered abroad – in the election."We expect better than what it is now," Suzana Simnica, 53, said after voting in Pristina.High expectations were also voiced by Fatmir Vehapi, 65, who came from Switzerland just to vote.In addition to the three main parties, voters must also choose representatives for the 20 seats reserved for minorities – 10 for the Serb minority, four for Roma, Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians, three for Bosniaks, two for Turks and one for Gorani.Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with US backing, including a 1999 North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) bombing campaign against Serbian forces trying to crush an uprising by the 90% ethnic Albanian majority.Despite international support, the country of 1.6mn has struggled with poverty, instability and organised crime.Kurti's tenure, which began in 2021, was the first time a Pristina government completed a full term. 

Pakistan's parliament approved a sweeping constitutional amendment Thursday granting lifetime immunity to the president as well as the current army chief, a move critics warned would erode democratic checks and judicial independence.The 27th amendment, passed by a two-thirds majority, also consolidates military power under a new Chief of Defence Forces role and establishes a Federal Constitutional Court.The changes grant army chief Asim Munir, promoted to field marshal after Pakistan's clash with India in May, command over the army, air force and the navy.He and other top military brass will enjoy lifelong protections.Under the amendment, any officer promoted to field marshal, marshal of the air force, or admiral of the fleet will now retain rank and privileges for life, remain in uniform, and enjoy immunity from criminal proceedings.Such protections were previously only reserved for the head of state."This constitutional amendment will increase authoritarianism and whatever little semblance of democracy existed in this country will fade away," said Osama Malik, an Islamabad-based lawyer."It will not only remove civilian oversight from the military's activities, it will also completely destroy the military hierarchy where all service chiefs were considered equal under the joint chief system," he told AFP.Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of more than 250mn people, has long struggled to balance civilian authority with the military's role in politics.The amendment also shields President Asif Ali Zardari from any criminal prosecution, although that immunity will not apply if he or any other former president later holds another public office.Zardari has faced multiple graft cases, although proceedings were previously stayed.He signed the bill into law following the parliamentary vote.Opposition parties, led by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), tore up copies of the bill in both chambers over the past few days.The amendment also bars courts from questioning any constitutional change "on any ground whatsoever".The bill also creates a Federal Constitutional Court with exclusive jurisdiction over constitutional cases, stripping the Supreme Court of its original powers and transferring pending petitions.Another clause empowers the president to transfer High Court judges on the recommendation of the Judicial Commission, a change critics say could be used to sideline dissenting judges."This is the final nail in the coffin of an independent judiciary and a functioning democracy," PTI spokesman Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari told AFP.PTI secretary general Salman Akram Raja described the amendment as "deeply undemocratic at its core"."They have given lifetime immunity from criminal prosecution to the president and created a system that concentrates power in one military office," he told AFP.The Senate initially passed the bill on Monday. It was then tweaked and passed by the National Assembly, the lower house, two days later before returning to the upper house for final approval."Sixty-four members are in favour of the passage of the bill and four members are against, so the motion is carried," Senate Chairman Yusuf Raza Gilani said Thursday.It also cleared the 336-member lower house with the required two-thirds majority.

Lecornu faces divided parliamentBudget draft must be presented by MondayLecornu pledges cabinet of 'renewal and diversity'Sebastien Lecornu began his second stint as French prime minister under a cloud of uncertainty on Saturday, forced to pick a new cabinet to present a budget by a Monday deadline as rivals pledged to topple his government.French President Emmanuel Macron reappointed his staunch supporter late on Friday, just days after Lecornu had resigned from the post, saying there was no way to form a government capable of passing a slimmed-down 2026 budget through a deeply divided parliament.Lecornu's 27 days in office made him the shortest serving prime minister in modern French history, but there is no guarantee he will last any longer this time round.Macron's decision to reappoint Lecornu enraged some of his fiercest opponents who have argued the only way out of France's worst political crisis in decades is for the president to call fresh legislative elections or resign. Leftist, hard-left and far-right parties all said they would vote to topple Lecornu, leaving him reliant on the Socialists, whose leaders have so far kept mum on their plans.Lecornu's inbox is pressing. By Monday, he must present a draft budget bill - first to cabinet, and then on the same day to parliament. That means, at a minimum, the ministers responsible for finance, budget, and social security must be appointed by then.Neither the Elysee palace nor Lecornu's office, Matignon, gave immediate indication on when he could name his cabinet, or who could be in it.In an X post on Friday, Lecornu said that whoever joined his government would have to renounce their personal ambitions to succeed Macron in 2027, a contest that has injected instability into France's weak minority governments and fractious legislature. He pledged a cabinet of "renewal and diversity".Lecornu has not disclosed any details about what is in the draft, but he did say after he resigned that the budget deficit must be reduced to between 4.7% and 5% of economic output next year, a bigger gap than the 4.6% targeted by his predecessor. The deficit is forecast at 5.4% this year.It remains to be seen what he will do about repealing Macron's pensions reform and adding a billionaires' tax - two measures the Socialists had made their price to support his weak minority government.

The Arab Parliament welcomed the outcomes of the Arab-Islamic Emergency Summit, which was held in Doha. The Arab Parliament affirmed that the summit reflected the unity of the Arab and Islamic ranks in confronting the arrogance of the Israeli entity.In a statement, President of the Arab Parliament Mohamed bin Ahmed Al Yamahi praised the summit's outcomes, saying that they embodied a unified Arab and Islamic stance against the brutal aggression carried out by the occupying entity against the State of Qatar, as well as a rejection of the ongoing genocide committed against the Palestinian people for the past two years.Al Yamahi also praised the summit's Final Communique for its full support of the State of Qatar, its rejection of any attempts to target the country, and its call for unified solidarity with Qatar in responding to any threats to its sovereignty or security and in all measures it takes to respond to this brutal aggression. This comes from a deep belief in the unity of the Arab and Islamic destiny and the necessity of preserving regional stability, he added.The President of the Arab Parliament also lauded the Final Communique's strong and clear positions expressing the collective will of Arab and Islamic states to support the Palestinian people and their just cause, urging the international community to fulfill its legal and humanitarian responsibilities to stop the war of genocide and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the occupation, and to hold it accountable before international courts.He affirmed that this summit represented a unified voice of the Arab and Islamic worlds against the arrogance of the occupying entity and sent a strong message to the international community on the urgent need to act to stop the occupation's crimes and impose deterrent measures.He stressed that the Arab Parliament will continue to support all collective Arab and Islamic positions and will work in international parliamentary forums to reinforce these outcomes in defense of the just causes of the Arab and Islamic nations, foremost among them the Palestinian cause, and in support of the sovereignty and security of the State of Qatar and all Arab and Islamic states.

The Arab Parliament condemned in the strongest terms the aggressive attacks launched by the Israeli occupation entity on the State of Qatar, stressing that this treacherous attack represents a flagrant and unacceptable violation of Qatari sovereignty and a blatant breach of the United Nations Charter and international laws and norms.In a statement Tuesday, Speaker of the Arab Parliament Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Yamahi, stressed that this serious and heinous crime constitutes a direct threat to Arab national security and regional and international stability.He emphasized the Arab Parliament's full solidarity with the State of Qatar, its leadership, government, and people, in confronting this treacherous aggression.The Speaker of the Arab Parliament called on the international community and the Security Council to assume their legal and moral responsibilities to halt the repeated attacks by the Israeli occupation entity against the sovereignty of states and hold it accountable for its crimes.He also warned that the continuation of these aggressive policies would complicate the situation, threaten further escalation, and destabilize the entire region.He called for urgent international action to deter the occupying entity, which has become a violation of all international laws and norms, halt all its violations, and take swift and decisive measures to protect the sovereignty of states and the security of their peoples.

Doctors Michele Ghielmini, Brenno Balestra, Alessandra Guaita and Marco Franzi sit outside the Swiss Parliament building (Bundeshaus) at the start of their hunger strike over Gaza, calling on their government to apply targeted sanctions on Israel over its alleged violations of international law and to recognise a Palestinian state, in Bern, Switzerland.