The World Cup begins in a few weeks. It is the most popular sporting event in the world and it is being hosted by Brazil. The expense of hosting the tournament has been considerable and has caused incredible resentment within many sectors of Brazilian society. The protests against the tournament have been extensive, but there is an element of the protest movement that has many worried: an anarchist wing called the Black Bloc. Anarchists have been active in many protests throughout the world over the last 20 years, but the dissatisfaction with governance throughout the world has apparently increased their number.
The Thai military has seized control of the government, and is tightening its control over other parts of Thai society as well. The coup follows months of political unrest, but the move seems unlikely to ease the tensions within Thai society. Reports from the country suggest that the situation is more or less calm right now, but the US military has cancelled plan exercises with the Thai military to show its disapproval of the undemocratic move.
The elections for the European Parliament will end on Sunday. They have been going on for three days and the preliminary results suggest that anti-European Union parties will do quite well, though not enough to change the basic orientation of the Parliament. The prevailing attitudes in Europe are decidedly sour after nearly five years of slow economic growth. Ukraine will also hold its presidential election on Sunday and it is predicted that pro-Western candidates will fare well in the elections. We shall see how Russian President Putin reacts to that outcome.
World Politics News 
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