World in Focus: Sputnik’s Daily Current Affairs Program | 19/12/16

Monday: As Donald Trump is officially confirmed as US President we ask how democratic the electoral college system really is and UK Government analysis suggests British-made cluster bombs are being used by the Saudi coalition in Yemen.

As the US Electoral College prepares to officially confirm Donald Trump as the next American President we ask: when the winning candidate has LESS votes — almost three million less in fact — just how democratic a system is it? We speak to Tara Ross, Lawyer and author of “Enlightened Democracy: The Case for the Electoral College.”
 
There are fears that violent protests could erupt across the Democratic Republic of Congo tonight as President Kabila’s legal mandate comes to an end at midnight. It is looking less and less likely that Kabila will cede power, while opposition leaders view his delaying of the national elections by seventeen months as an attempt to prolong his rule.  We speak to Vava Tampa, founder of Save the Congo.
 
UK government analysis suggests that British-made cluster munitions are being used by Saudi Arabia in the current conflict in Yemen, backing up earlier media reports. Meanwhile, is Saudi Arabia’s economy hitting the rocks?
 
Protests and unrest are continuing in Poland as an increasingly bitter political crisis grips the country, after the Government introduced plans to introduce a range of restrictions on journalists covering parliamentary business. The plans have attracted criticism across the EU but will that rhetoric result in penalties or even sanctions for Poland if press freedoms are restricted as planned?
 
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