France: Sarkozy enters election race on Wednesday

Nicolas Sarkozy is set to formally enter France’s 2012 presidential race on Wednesday, kicking off a rapid-fire re-election campaign with the odds stacked in favor of Socialist challenger Francois Hollande.

The conservative leader is expected to declare his candidacy on prime time television on Wednesday evening and hold his first campaign rally on Thursday in the Alpine town of Annecy, where his ruling UMP party expects a deluge of supporters.

Read details: First Post World

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Putin and party suffer election blow

[ Yahoo News ] 5 Dec

Russian voters have dealt Vladimir Putin's ruling party a heavy blow by cutting its parliamentary majority in an election that showed growing unease with his domination of the country as he prepares to reclaim the presidency, Yahoo News reports quoting Reuters.

Incomplete results showed Putin's United Russia was struggling even to win 50 percent of the votes in Sunday's election, compared with more than 64 percent four years ago. 

The result is a blow also for Medvedev, who led United Russia into the election. His legitimacy as the next prime minister could now be in question.

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Russians Poll for Duma

[ BBC Europe ] 4 Dec

Russians are voting in polls that will decide the shape of the lower house, or Duma, for the next five years.

While there are reports of violation of election laws, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who leads the ruling United Russia party, has accused foreign powers of meddling in election preparations.

Duma members have questioned why the foreign-funded organisation - whose name means "voice" or "vote" - is allowed to monitor Russian elections.

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Cain Suspends 2012 Campaign For President

[ Huffington Post ] 3 Dec

Herman Cain announced on Saturday that he is suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

The news comes in the wake of Cain being accused of having an extramarital affair and sexual harassment charges from more than a decade ago resurfacing. The former CEO of Godfather's Pizza has vehemently denied any wrongdoing amid the controversy.

Watch video here.

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