Obama still a winner in Europe, poll shows

LONDON -- The U.S. presidential election remains too close to call, but there’s one place where the polls show President Obama blowing Mitt Romney out of the water: Europe.

A survey of seven European nations, including longtime U.S. allies Britain and France, has found that Obama would win more than 90% of the vote if the respondents could cast ballots in Tuesday’s race. The survey was conducted by YouGov, a respected British-based polling organization that has also tracked Obama’s and Romney’s numbers within the U.S.

“No doubt many Americans are not overly concerned about who Europeans think they should vote for,” said Joe Twyman, YouGov’s director of political and social research. “On the other hand, history has shown that when a president is unpopular with the people of Europe, it can have a far-reaching
effect on how those people view the whole United States.”

The poll, which covered Britain, France, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, found that Romney failed to garner more than 10% support in any of those countries. In Sweden and Denmark, the former Massachusetts governor fared even worse: Only 1 in 20 people named him as their choice.

The results attest to Obama’s enduring popularity on this side of the Atlantic even as he has struggled to maintain support at home.

Are the media free? What people said around the world

Where do people believe that their media are free? A Gallup Poll in 133 nations around the world asked whether residents  believed journalists in their countries were free to report the news.

Worldwide, nearly two of three people said yes. But the numbers differ greatly from country to country. In Belarus, less than one of four people thought the media were free, the lowest level found in the poll. Belarus has a repressive government that persecutes journalists, according to Human Rights Watch:

Severe restrictions on freedoms of association, assembly, and media remain and the level of repression is unprecedented. ... The authorities routinely threatened the independent print media, and on several occasions blocked social media and other websites. Police arrested dozens of journalists covering pro-democracy protests in December and the later “silent” protests. For example, in May 2011 a court handed independent journalist Iryna Khalip a two-year suspended sentence on trumped-up riot charges in connection with the December protests. In May the authorities initiated closure proceedings for the independent newspapers Nasha Niva and Narodnaya Vola. Although legal proceedings were discontinued in August, both newspapers received fines for trumped-up violations of media law. In July a court convicted Andrzej Poczobut, a correspondent for the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, for defaming Lukashenka. In his articles Poczobut called President Lukashenka a dictator. He was handed a three-year suspended sentence. In September a higher court upheld the conviction.

The Times reported last year on the tension in Belarus: "The country lives in fear and people are arrested every day on fake charges as [President Alexander] Lukashenko is preparing the nation for big political trials of the opposition leaders," editor Svetlana Kalinkina said, fearful her newspaper would be shuttered.

People were also dubious of media freedom in Gabon, Armenia, Mauritania, Congo and the Palestinian territories. Their perceptions of media freedom usually matched the ratings given by Freedom House, an international free speech group; the exceptions were Botswana, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait and Liberia, where 80% of people or more thought the media were free but Freedom House disagreed.

In contrast, almost everyone polled in Finland and the Netherlands thought the media were free. People also were highly likely to believe that media were free in Australia, Ghana, Germany and Sweden.

Gallup created this map showing where people believe the media are free and where they don't. The darker green the country is on the map, the fewer people believe that the media are free:

To see an interactive version of this map, check out the Gallup blog.

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Photo: A Tibetan woman looks at a newspaper page Tuesday with photos of a man who immolated himself Monday during a protest in New Delhi. Credit: Altaf Qadri / Associated Press

Germany signals willingness to boost Europe's bailout fund

REPORTING FROM BERLIN -- Bowing to international pressure, German Chancellor Angela Merkel signaled Monday that her country could agree to a boost in Europe's bailout resources for financially ailing nations, a move she and other German leaders had resisted in their attempts to beat back the euro debt crisis.

Merkel told a gathering of her fellow Christian Democrats that it might be possible for Europe's temporary rescue fund to run in tandem with its permanent successor. The arrangement would see the 200 billion euros (about $265 billion) already earmarked for bailouts of Greece, Ireland and Portugal operating alongside the 500 billion euros (about $665 billion) committed to the permanent rescue fund, known as the European Stability Mechanism, or ESM. The ESM is scheduled to come online this summer.

"We could see the 200 billion euros running parallel to the ESM's 500 billion euros until they've been paid back by the bailed-out countries," Merkel said Monday.

But after that, Merkel insisted, the permanent bailout fund would remain set at 500 billion euros and shouldn't be enlarged beyond its current size.

Are Finns tolerant enough for a gay president?

If you're Finnish, Pekka Haavisto wants your vote. He’s an environmentalist. He was elected to the parliament in 1987. He represented the European Union in peace talks over Darfur. And he’s gay.

That last detail could be a sticking point for Finnish voters in Sunday's election, despite the fact that Nordic nations take pride in being progressive and tolerant, the Associated Press reports.

He and his conservative opponent "are very similar in their views on foreign policy -- the president's traditional domain -- and there is no obvious clash there," political analyst Olavi Borg told the AP. "But a majority of Finns are not prepared … to be represented by a homosexual."

If Haavisto does win over the voters, he won't  be the first openly gay leader in the world. Iceland elected Johanna Sigurdardottir as prime minister three years ago. In Belgium late last year, Elio Di Rupo was sworn in as prime minister.

Here in the U.S., there's also a  gay presidential candidate, Fred Karger, a Republican who spent nearly 30 years advising the top Republicans in California. It's no surprise if you haven't heard of him; Karger has struggled to get attention and credibility, The Times reported in August:

Trying to wedge his way onto the debate stage, Karger has lobbied TV networks and event organizers, urged pollsters to include him in their surveys — poll numbers being one criterion to participate — and started a website, http://www.letfredin.com, to make his case. So far it has been to no avail; he will look on Thursday night as others participate in the third debate of the campaign.

What may be most frustrating, though, is the way Karger, a skilled and respected political pro, is so often treated as a kook. He mentions a New Hampshire visit where a local reporter showed him photos of Lobsterman, a costumed crustacean and perennial candidate, suggesting a kinship. "Not even Pat Buchanan or Alan Keyes," Karger lamented, citing Republicans who at least debated their opponents before voters ushered them away.

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Photo: Presidential candidate Pekka Haavisto, left, talks with his partner, Nexar Antonio Flores, at a news conference in Helsinki on Jan. 23. Credit: Markku Ulander / Agence France-Presse