Foreign Digest Updates: Italy, Syria, Algeria and Austria

Italy

            The European Union warned Italy last week that the budget deficit of the Italian Republic was billions of dollars too high and that a penalty would be imposed for violation of the EU’s budgetary rules.  The Italian Government is attempting to clarify.  Italy has one of the highest debt burdens in the world.  It was also among the foreign States cited last week by the United States for budgetary concern.

Syria

            Israel struck targets in Syria late last week, as it has been doing occasionally during the Syrian Civil War and as I have posted about before.  As usual, Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist organization and Iranian forces, were the targets.  Iran, a state terrorist sponsor, sponsors Hezbollah.  Both are supporting the Syrian Assad regime, which itself is a state sponsor of terrorism. 

Algeria

            Algeria’s constitutional council late last week annulled the scheduled presidential elections after rejecting the candidacy of the only two candidates, without explanation.  The head of state will announce the new date for elections.  Algeria’s longtime president had resigned in the face of opposition to his seeking a fifth term, despite his advanced age and ill health. 

Austria

           A new technocratic government appointed by the center-left President of Austria has been sworn into office, after the loss of parliamentary confidence of the Chancellor of the main center-right party, whose coalition collapsed after the Vice Chancellor from the far-right “nationalist” junior partner was caught last month soliciting campaign finance contributions from the Russian Federation.  The far-right Cabinet had resigned.  Their party performed poorly in the European Parliamentary elections, despite gains by far-right anti-immigrant parties elsewhere.  New Austrian parliamentary elections will be held this summer.