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The opening of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly

Politics is the activity of settling affairs in an organized society. Politics is usually concerned with resolving issues within a society via a government. Politicians are individuals engaged in the activity of politics. The branch of social science that studies politics and government is referred to as political science.

A variety of methods are deployed in politics, which include promoting one's own political views among people, negotiation with other political subjects, making laws, and exercising internal and external force, including warfare against adversaries. Politics is exercised on a wide range of social levels, from clans and tribes of traditional societies, through modern local governments, companies and institutions up to sovereign states, to the international level.

In modern states, people often form political parties to represent their ideas. Members of a party often agree to take the same position on many issues and agree to support the same changes to law and the same leaders. An election is usually a competition between different parties.

A political system is a framework which defines acceptable political methods within a society. The history of political thought can be traced back to early antiquity, with seminal works such as Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Politics, Confucius's political manuscripts and Chanakya's Arthashastra.

Politics may be used positively in the context of a "political solution" which is compromising and non-violent, or descriptively as "the art or science of government", but the word often also carries a negative connotation. (Full article...)

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"Donald Trump" is a segment of the HBO news satire television series Last Week Tonight with John Oliver that is devoted to Donald Trump, later the president of the United States. It first aired on February 28, 2016, as part of the third episode of Last Week Tonight's third season, when Trump was the frontrunner for the Republican Party nomination for the presidency. During the 22-minute segment, comedian John Oliver discusses Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and his career in business. Oliver outlines Trump's campaign rhetoric, varying political positions, and failed business ventures. The comedian also criticizes Trump for making offensive and false statements, and says the Trump family name was changed at one point from the ancestral name Drumpf.

Credit: Fritz Cohen

David Ben-Gurion (born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first Prime Minister of Israel. Adopting the name of Ben-Gurion in 1909, he rose to become the preeminent leader of the Jewish community in British-ruled Mandatory Palestine from 1935 until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, which he led until 1963 with a short break in 1954–55.

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Samuel Gompers
Let the inspiring watchword go forth that-

We will stand by our friends and administer a stinging rebuke to men or parties who are either indifferent, negligent, or hostile, and, wherever opportunity affords, to secure the election of intelligent, honest, earnest trade unionists, with clear, unblemished, paid-up union cards in their possession.

Samuel Gompers, The American Federationist, May 1906

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Rt. Hon. Edmund Burke

Edmund Burke PC (12 January [NS] 1729– 9 July 1797) was an Irish statesman, author, orator, political theorist and philosopher who, after moving to England, served for many years in the House of Commons of Great Britain as a member of the Whig party. He is mainly remembered for his support of the cause of the American Revolutionaries, and for his later opposition to the French Revolution. The latter led to his becoming the leading figure within the conservative faction of the Whig party, which he dubbed the "Old Whigs", in opposition to the pro–French Revolution "New Whigs", led by Charles James Fox. Burke was praised by both conservatives and liberals in the 19th century. Since the 20th century, he has generally been viewed as the philosophical founder of modern Conservatism, as well as a representative of classical liberalism.

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Political news

21 July 2026 – 2026 Delhi Jantar Mantar protests
Indian police detain Lok Sabha opposition leader Rahul Gandhi during education-reform protests in New Delhi after he called for prime minister Narendra Modi's resignation. Parliament adjourns as demonstrators demand accountability for examination scandals and education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's removal. (AFP via The New Zealand Herald) (The Hindu) (The Times of India)
21 July 2026 – Republican People's Party absolute nullity crisis
Özgür Özel, the leader of the Turkish opposition Republican People's Party, who was ousted in May by a judicial ruling, announces that he will establish a new political party. (AP) (Al Jazeera)
21 July 2026 –
The French Parliament approves legislation allowing limited use of acetamiprid and flupyradifurone, pesticides banned nationally but permitted in the European Union. Environment minister Monique Barbut says she will resign over the measure. (AFP via News.com.au)
20 July 2026 – 2026 Delhi Jantar Mantar protests
Indian riot police baton-charge protesters marching toward the Parliament House in New Delhi over irregularities involving the NEET. Thousands demand education minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation, while Delhi Police restrict internet access and say the demonstration lacked permission. (AFP via RFI)
20 July 2026 – 2026 São Toméan presidential election
Santomean president Carlos Vila Nova wins re-election with 55.94% of the vote, while his main opposition candidate Nito Abreu comes second with 41.42% of the vote. (Reuters)

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