Why Obama-McCain race deserves 'historic' label Nov 3, 2008
Obama would be not only the first black U.S. president, but "so far as I know, this would be the first time a white-majority country has ever elected a nonwhite head of state," said Boston University historian Bruce Schulman. It would be the equivalent, he said, of a Jamaican-descended prime minister of Britain, an Algerian-descended president of France, or a Turkish German chancellor. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Fashion-alysis of Sarah Palin Nov 3, 2008
You can have a pair of red glasses and be a serious head of state. Or you can be an awful head of state in serious glasses. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Black presidents we have known Nov 3, 2008
The same might be said of Mays Gilliam, the D.C. alderman of "Head of State" (2003) who is tossed into the presidential race as a sacrificial lamb so that a more deserving candidate can win four years down the road. (The film is a kind of downscaled black version of Michael Ritchie's "The Candidate.") Star-director Chris Rock at least takes the honorable course of showing that Mays' street wisdom and common-man empathy make him at least as deserving of high office as the white stuffed suit he's... (Salon)
Correspondents pack an epistle Nov 1, 2008
Saying sections 59 and 60 are inoperative is much more defensible than saying 'we already have an Australian head of state' [as Smith asserts ... "I simply observe that in the many years my assertion about the head of state has been on the public record, it has not been controverted, nor has any of the evidence on which it is based. To return to the nub of our correspondence, the Odgers reference to sections 59 and 60 are clearly wrong. They need to be corrected. Yours etc, David Smith" ...... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
200 ECOWAS observers for Ghana's polls Oct 29, 2008
Accra, Oct. 28, GNA - The ECOWAS Commission is to send a 200-man observer team, headed by former Nigerian Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, to monitor Ghana's December 7 polls, the body's pre-election fact-finding mission to Ghana disclosed in Accra on Tuesday. Professor Amos Sawyer, former interim president of Liberia, who heads the mission, said ECOWAS considered Ghana a "trail blazer" of democracy in the sub-region and on the continent, and thus would make its presence felt continuously in... (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Lithuania centre-right claims win Oct 27, 2008
Ex-stunt pilot Mr Paksas was the first European head of state to be removed by impeachment. He quit four years ago amid corruption allegations, which he has always denied. (BBC News)
Lithuania poised for Conservative election comeback Oct 26, 2008
Paksas, a former prime minister and ex-stunt pilot, was elected president in 2003, but a year later became Europe's first head of state to be removed by impeachment after he was embroiled in a corruption scandal. The Social Democrats, who have held office since 2001 by forming various coalitions, won 13 seats in the first round. (Yahoo! Asia News)
Anti-United Nations measure stalls in House vote Oct 25, 2008
They have either achieved, or set into motion a Constitution (Charter), a Legislature, a Head of State, an International Judicial System, a system of World Taxation, World Army. It thats not a government, what do you call it. (Yahoo News -- United Nations)
Taylor trial delayed until 2008 Oct 25, 2008
Charles Taylor is the first former African head of state to face an international war crimes court. He is accused of responsibility for atrocities committed by rebels during the war in neighbouring Sierra Leone. (Yahoo News -- Liberia)
Black Presidents Oct 25, 2008
Head of State (2003)Actor: Chris RockPOTUS: Mays Gilliam ... Clips from The Man 1972 Paramount Pictures, Deep Impact 1998 Paramount Pictures, Head of State 2003 Dreamworks, and Idiocracy 2006 20th Century Fox. (Slate)
Country profile: Turkey Oct 20, 2008
He is Turkey's first head of state with a background in political Islam in a country with strong secularist principles. Abdullah Gul. (BBC News -- Europe)
Sarkozy to boost EU-Libya links Oct 20, 2008
He is the first European head of state to visit Libya since the release. The medics were pardoned on their arrival in Bulgaria by the president, but the children's families have demanded that they be re-arrested. (Yahoo News -- France)
Read the story Oct 18, 2008
May Gilliam in Head of State. Not Chris Rock s finest hour. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
'W' to be released, portrayal questioned Oct 17, 2008
Even though President George W. Bush has less than a month left in the Oval Office, a new film will leave the current head of state in the minds of many. Hollywood producer Oliver Stone is the director of W., released nationally today. (Daily Collegian, PA)
Obama, Palin wouldn't be 'first' Oct 17, 2008
May Gilliam in "Head of State" ... May Gilliam (Chris Rock) in Head of State. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Legal legacy Oct 16, 2008
"If I had been head of state, I would have declared it a public holiday," said Roberto Garreton, a Chilean lawyer who documented hundreds of cases of torture and murder during the general's 1973-1990 rule ... For the first time, lawyers were using the principle of universal jurisdiction against a former head of state ... It was the first time that a former African head of state had been charged with atrocities by the court of another African country. (BBC News)
Bush on Film Oct 16, 2008
By , there had been only two movies depicting a current head of state before Bush came to office: Mission to Moscow (1943), featuring FDR, and PT-109 (1963), which placed JFK at the center of his own war epic. But whatever reluctance Hollywood had about rendering the president disappeared when Bush came to Washington. (Slate)
Azerbaijan: Presidential Election Offers Seven Candidates, but Only One Choice Oct 15, 2008
"The monitoring shows that materials about the incumbent president dominated all TV channels and print media. Even if they are not related to the presidential elections, they are devoted to the official activity of the head of state or the ruling party s members," Yeni Nesil s head, Arif Aliyev, said in an October 6 presentation. One senior presidential administration official sharply disagrees with the general perception that mass media outlets have heavily favored the incumbent. (EurasiaNet.org)
Shahrukh conferred Datuk title in Malaysia Oct 15, 2008
With this, SRK becomes one of the 750 chosen ones to be given awards to mark the 70th birthday of Malacca's nominal head of state, Mohamad Khalil Yaakoob. The sad part is that this move has not gone well with many Malaysian residents. (Oneindia)
* Philippine opposition file for Arroyo impeachment Oct 14, 2008
Arroyo is the longest serving and the least popular Philippine head of state after dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was overthrown in 1986 after ruling the country for more than two decades. De Venecia and other complainants tried but failed to file the 97-page impeachment complaint late on Saturday at the House of Representatives because its secretary-general, Marilyn Yap, who receives such complaints, had gone on a foreign trip. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Award For Bollywood Star Upsets Locals Oct 12, 2008
The 42-year-old Bollywood star was among more than 750 people given awards to mark the 70th birthday of Malacca's nominal head of state, Mohamad Khalil Yaakob. (AP). (Sin Chew Jit Poh)
Standby Force - AU Signs MOU for Training Oct 10, 2008
This is as former Head of State and Patron of Association of Peace-keeping Trainers in Africa , General Abubakar Abbulsalami (rtd), has described as frustrating, the continued crisis in Darfur, adding that there is no longer a clear cut distinction between the actors. Commandant of the Nigerian Defence College (NDC), Rear Admiral John Jonah, who is President of APSTA, said it was a pragmatic step aimed at realising its dream of having a stand-by force for peace-keeping operations in the... (allAfrica.com)
Round two to Obama: Bruce Wolpe Oct 8, 2008
The only worry I have for Obama is when the American voter steps into the voting booth on election day, and they have one final think about whether they want a 50% African American and someone with a surname of Obama to be their head of state, the answer might just come back as NO, and that would be a pity. Posted by: Matt on October 8, 2008 3:08 PM. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
* World News Quick Take Oct 7, 2008
In Nepals changed political context, President Ram Baran Yadav has taken the responsibility of approving the Kumari as hes now head of state, said Hemraj Subedi, an official on the board that selected the girl in Kathmandu. Three-year-old Matine Shakya was chosen to replace the current Royal Kumari, 12-year-old Kumari Preeti Shakya, because the older girl is close to puberty, after which she will be considered ritually unclean. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Sierra Leone: The Ups And Downs of Zainab Bangura Oct 6, 2008
There, she was again in contact with the person she most admires in the world, Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson, Liberia's president and Africa's first female head of state, whom she knew from her activist days. But she wouldn't stay far from national politics for long. In 2007, the newly elected government of president Ernest Bai Koroma brought her home as minister of foreign affairs. (allAfrica.com)
Paksas Taps Stunt-Pilot Biopic in Lithuania Comeback Bid After Impeachment Oct 6, 2008
Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Former Lithuanian President is using a movie about his life as a stunt pilot to pull off another trick: resurrecting his political career after becoming the only European head of state ever impeached out of office. The movie, ``The Pilot,'' has helped push Paksas's party to second place in opinion polls, giving it a shot at joining the next coalition government after parliamentary elections on Oct. 12. (Bloomberg -- Europe)
Should people aspire to virginity until they are married? Oct 3, 2008
How many women are now the head of state for their countries. Out of all the countries in the world, I counted 9. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
McCain has no pulse on America Oct 3, 2008
WestOfTheRest wrote on Oct 1, 2008 11:52 PM:" dj wrote on Oct 1, 2008 1:57 PM:Funny how people like to mention Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. DJ- My reference to Hugo Chavez was only intended to show that countries deemed as "rogue" would in fact deal with our country if treated with the respect they feel they deserve as a "Head of state". I do not know, nor frankly care, about the policies of Chavez reletive to the governing of Venezuela. My point is that, we have isolated ourselves in the... (Logan Herald Journal, UT)
Chris Rock hip-hops into Oscar gig Oct 3, 2008
Getting the world laughingRock isnt a member of the academy, despite acting in Head of State, Bad Company, New Jack City, Im Gonna Git You Sucka. and, of course, Pootie Tang. (MSNBC -- Academy Awards)
Journalists Given 40 Seconds With Palin Sep 24, 2008
She has never met a foreign head of state and first traveled outside North America just last year. At least two news organizations, including The Associated Press, objected to the exclusion of reporters and were told that the decision was not subject to discussion. (KSBW 8, CA)
It's all foreign for Palin Sep 24, 2008
Palin - who did not get her first passport until 2007 and had never met a foreign head of state - held brief separate meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Palin also met former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a giant of 20th century US diplomacy. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
Vietnam leader warned over rights Sep 24, 2008
Mr Triet is making the first visit to the US by a Vietnamese head of state since the Vietnam War ended in 1975. Critics of his government had urged Mr Bush before the meeting to focus on Vietnam's poor human rights record. (Yahoo News -- Vietnam)
Nepal 'to scrap' royal allowance Sep 24, 2008
Since massive street protests forced King Gyanendra to withdraw from politics last year, he is no longer head of state or head of the army. He is being forced to pay tax for the first time on his substantial private wealth, and the government also plans to nationalise the royal parks and palaces. (Yahoo News -- Nepal)
Tutu Warns of 'Banana Republic' Sep 23, 2008
Tutu described African National Congress (ANC) deputy leader Kgalema Motlanthe as a "conciliatory person who wants to act out of integrity. I suppose I shouldn't be saying this as it might be the kiss of death for him, but he is someone many people would not be too embarrassed to have as a head of state.". However, SA need not have been in this position as Mbeki had only six months to serve out his term. (allAfrica.com)
Most Australians want to dump British monarch: poll... Sep 23, 2008
Most Australians want to dump the British monarch as head of state and become a republic, an opinion poll showed Tuesday ... But opinion polls have shown that if her heir-apparent, Prince Charles, is crowned, support for a republic with an Australian head of state would surge. (The Drudge Report)
South Africa's ANC picks successor to Mbeki Sep 22, 2008
CAPE TOWN (AFP) - South Africa's ruling ANC on Monday named its deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe as head of state after Thabo Mbeki bowed to pressure and announced his resignation, a spokesman told AFP. ... Motlanthe is to serve as head of state until elections are held in seven months' time ... "A defiant President Mbeki has bowed down from office, proclaiming his innocence while pledging loyaty to the organisation that unceremoniously ousted him as head of state," the Star newspaper... (Yahoo News -- Top Stories)
George Lee, jazz icon and mentor passes away Sep 22, 2008
So profound were his talents that his namesake, then head of state, the late Kwame Nkrumah, appointed him Ghanas cultural emissary when he was barely 25. As a songwriter, composer, arranger and stage director, his international career has been phenomenal. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
McCain happy to exploit stars' attack on Sarah Palin Sep 21, 2008
Welcome to Herald Sun. Hollywood stars attack Palin. (Melbourne Herald Sun)
Congo-Kinshasa: TV Station Raided, Manager Detained After Broadcast of Controversial News Conference Sep 20, 2008
For the examining magistrate, "the broadcast of this press conference violated the code of professional ethics of Congolese journalists because it contained hateful remarks and insults directed against the head of state, Joseph Kabila.". JED denounces the ridiculous nature of such an accusation, which was made against a technician who is in no way linked to the remarks of a known politician, who, for his part, has never faced any consequences over the incident. (allAfrica.com)
SOS Craig Ferguson: We need Canadian pols mocked Sep 18, 2008
I am informed that this will be his first appearance on The Daily Show and the sixth appearance by a former or current head of state. Fine. (Globe and Mail)
Thaksin's Brother-in-Law Elected Thai Prime Minister, May Inflame Protests Sep 17, 2008
Somchai's appointment must be endorsed by head of state. More than 10,000 mainly middle-class protesters who have occupied Government House since Aug. 26 said they wouldn't accept Somchai. (Bloomberg -- Asia)
A royal stamp of approval still produces sales Sep 17, 2008
But when the autumn-winter 2008 styles appeared, it became clear that Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana had based their D&G line on the queen - both on the current head of state and on the character who won Helen Mirren an Academy Award in the movie "The Queen"; Paul Smith sent out Her Majesty's oh-so-proper head scarf look for autumn; and even fashion's eternal bad boy, Alexander McQueen, added a regal tribute with a ball gown printed with Pop Art portraits of the monarch. But beyond the... (International Herald Tribune)
"With apologies to fans of the Dear Socks, Dear Buddy audiobook, I think it's safe to call Carla Bruni's new album the greatest ever released by the wife of a sitting head of state."First DivaBy Jody Rosen Sep 17, 2008
Now comes a new record, Comme si de rien n'tait, which I think it is safe to callwith apologies to fans of the the greatest album ever released by the wife of a sitting head of state. It's also a strong record on its own terms. (Slate)
Tsvangirai moves to assure Mugabe Sep 17, 2008
The division of cabinet posts have not yet been finalised but the deal proposes a 50-50 division of power, with Mr Mugabe remaining head of state and head of the cabinet. Mr Tsvangirai will head a council of ministers, which will be responsible for the day-to-day managing of the country's affairs. (BBC News -- Africa)
New head for Australia opposition Sep 17, 2008
Prime Minister Rudd appeared to capitalise on this when he said he looked forward to working with Mr Turnbull on national issues, not least the country's possible move toward letting go of Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. Mr Turnbull was environment minister in the Howard government and says an emissions trading scheme should be brought in by 2011, in contrast to the government's much faster plans for carbon trading. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
US and EU keep Zimbabwe sanctions Sep 16, 2008
The full details and content of the deal have not been confirmed but it proposes a 50-50 division of power, with Mr Mugabe remaining head of state and head of the cabinet. DEAL'S KEY POINTS Robert Mugabe: President Chairs cabinet Chairs National Security Council (ministers + security chiefs) Zanu-PF has 15 ministers Morgan Tsvangirai: Prime minister Chairs council of ministers Runs the country day-to-day Member of National Security Council MDC has 16 ministers - 3 from smaller faction Other... (BBC News)
Advice to Obama: no Foxworthy Sep 16, 2008
The pundits were fussing the next day because she had "never met a foreign head of state." So what. I have never met the dictator of Venezuela, but I can tell you he is a bad dude not to be trusted. (Seantobia Democrat, MS)
Holocaust Scholars Urge Al-Bashir Prosecution Sep 16, 2008
Al-Bashir, who is the first sitting head of state to face genocide charges, has in the past dismissed the ICC prosecutor's allegations against him as politically motivated and aimed at destabilizing his government. The appeal from the scholars came as Moreno-Ocampo published an expanded version of his charges against al-Bashir, accusing him of employing all the tools of state in an attempt to eliminate three rebellious tribes in the Darfur region of western Sudan. (Newsmax)
Zardari to retain PPP co-chairmanship Sep 14, 2008
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People's Party's CEC is likely to make a formal request to President Asif Ali Zardari to remain party's co-chairman along with his constitutional status as the head of state. Some of the CEC members, when contacted by the Post, said there was no constitutional bar on the president to hold two offices simultaneously therefore Zardari was the most suitable man to run the party affairs while sitting in the presidency. (The Post)
Campaign check: Lies and half-truths outed Sep 13, 2008
" As a state senator, Obama supported a bill - which never was passed out of the Illinois Legislature - which included teaching "age-appropriate sex education" - for younger children that could include topics like what is inappropriate touching. Parents could opt out of the unit if they were uncomfortable with their kids hearing this material.Palin's office asked for $256 million in earmarks last year and $197 million this year. As mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (pop. 7,000), the town sought $11.9... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
The Palin bounce Sep 13, 2008
Sarah Palin has never met a foreign head of state. She hasn't travelled much, and didn't have a passport until last year. (Globe and Mail)
Newspaper chief jailed in Senegal Sep 13, 2008
The court in the capital, Dakar, found Mr Seck guilty of offending the head of state, publishing false news, and acts that could lead to public disturbances. But Sambou Biagui, editor of 24 Heures Chrono, told Reuters news agency that Mr Seck had been sentenced "simply because our paper put in the open the wrongdoings of those who are running this country". (BBC News -- Africa)
Details of Zimbabwe deal emerge Sep 13, 2008
"We wanted a titular head of state with an executive prime minister but that did not happen," he said. "So what we got at the end of the day perhaps was probably nearly a sister-sister power-sharing, so I'm saying it's not exactly initially what we wanted.". (BBC News -- Africa)
Holding pattern Sep 12, 2008
No, she had never met another head of state. But she knew about Russia - because you can "actually see it" from Alaska. (BBC News)
Palin tries to defend qualifications in interview Sep 12, 2008
But she struggled with foreign policy, unable to describe President Bush's doctrine of pre-emptive strikes against threatening nations and acknowledging she's never met a foreign head of state ... She also said she had never met a head of state and added: "If you go back in history and if you ask that question of many vice presidents, they may have the same answer that I just gave you.". (San Francisco Chronicle -- Politics)
N. Korea: Kim is not seriously ill Sep 11, 2008
On Wednesday, North Korea's No. 2 leader and ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong Nam, said there is "no problem" with the supreme leader, and senior diplomat Song Il Ho also said reports about Kim Jong Il's health are "not true," according to Japan's Kyodo News agency. advertisement. (MSNBC -- International)
N. Korea officials deny leader Kim is ill... Sep 11, 2008
On Wednesday, North Korea's No. 2 leader and ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong Nam, said there is "no problem" with the supreme leader, and senior diplomat Song Il Ho also said reports about Kim Jong Il's health are "not true," according to Japan's Kyodo News agency. "We see such reports as not only worthless, but rather as a conspiracy plot," Song told Kyodo in what the agency said was North Korea's first reaction to the reports. (The Drudge Report)
Anti-United Nations measure stalls in House vote Sep 10, 2008
They have either achieved, or set into motion a Constitution (Charter), a Legislature, a Head of State, an International Judicial System, a system of World Taxation, World Army. It thats not a government, what do you call it. (Yahoo News -- United Nations)
Russia, France reach new deal on Caucasus Sep 9, 2008
According to the new agreement read live on local TV channel by the head of state, Moscow agreed to withdraw its troops from the buffer zone around South Ossetia within one month and after international forces were deployed there. Russia will also remove its checking-points and troops from the Black Sea port of Poti given a non-use-of-force guarantee from Georgia to its nearby breakaway region of Akbhazia, according to the new deal. (Xinhuanet, China)
Rawlings Roars Like a Lion -Maame Dokono Sep 8, 2008
Former presidential spokesman, Mr. Kwabena Agyapong, reminded the people that Mr. Rawlings is the only head of state in Ghanas history to have destroyed several businesses and crippled the economy. He therefore urged the electorate never to give power to the NDC since they have nothing good to offer Ghanaians. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Canada's Parliament is Dissolved Sep 8, 2008
The governor general is the representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, who is Canada's head of state, but the position is purely ceremonial and obeys the wishes of the prime minister. "Between now and Oct. 14, Canadians will choose a government to look out for their interests at a time of global economic trouble," Harper said after the meeting. (Time.com)
Central Asia: Russia and United States Intensify Energy Competition Sep 6, 2008
"The head of state and his guest specifically stressed the wide potential for cooperation in the energy sector, in which Turkmenistan, with its hydrocarbon resources of planetary scales, is implementing a diversification strategy," said a commentary posted on the official Turkmenistan web site. In trying to woo Turkmenistan, the United States is also relying on surrogates, especially Turkey, a country with strong cultural and linguistic ties to Turkmenistan. (EurasiaNet.org)
Something rotten in every state Sep 6, 2008
If it didn't matter so much, then perhaps the election of the US head of state would be akin to an entertaining laugh around a dinner party table at the expense of the folks down the road. My second thought was, why did I order the marinara. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
The Fall of America's Hip-Hop Mayor Sep 6, 2008
Chris Rock has said he partly used Mayor Kilpatrick as a model for his role as the first black president in the movie "Head of State." But in the short stint that I covered him a few years ago for The Detroit News, while reporting on the Detroit City Council, I came to see other images: A father of three, former schoolteacher married to his college sweetheart. I found a self-described "citizen of the world" who loved to quote the Bible. (Slate)
Zardari Set to Assume Sep 5, 2008
Now that Mr. Zardari is on the brink of becoming Pakistan's head of state, his supporters say he is motivated more by his ambition to serve Pakistan than revenge. "At least from our side, we are very clear: We want to forgive and forget," says Dr. Mirza. (Wall Street Journal)
