Gaza cops trade bullets for laser-tech in training

Gaza City, Palestine (AFP)
April 14, 2014

Security forces in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip are using technology to practice shooting on laser simulators, saving money spent on ammunition in the cash-strapped Palestinian territory.

In a converted gym, four uniformed officers aim at targets with Kalashnikov assault rifles converted to fire beams of laser light, whose path is recorded on a computer in a control room and monitored by an instructor.

"Electronic shooting has great advantages," said Colonel Mohammed al-Nakhala, head of training in Gaza's National Security organization.

"This is a leap forward in training provided by the interior ministry which saves a great deal of ammunition, money and work," he told AFP.

The ministry's training director, Mahmud Shubaki, says the simulators allow trainees to practice extensively before graduating to use of live fire.

"On a real shooting range we are limited by the number of rounds we can fire," he said.

Shubaki said four Kalashnikovs had been converted to fire electronically and fitted with an air-powered mechanism to simulate the recoil of shooting live rounds.

The 32-year-old Shubaki, who received military training in Algeria, said the new system had cut the cost of a firearms course from $20,000 to $1,000 (14,500 to 720 euros).

But trainee Omar al-Halabi, a 32-year-old lieutenant, said he prefers live fire exercises over the simulator which "feels like a video game".

Hamas, shunned as a terrorist movement by Israel, the United States and the European Union, seized control of Gaza from the rival Fatah after a week of fierce fighting in 2007 but is undergoing a worsening budget crisis.

The Strip's borders with Israel are tightly controlled by land, sea and air, and passage across the frontier with neighboring Egypt has been severely restricted since last July when its army deposed Hamas' ally, president Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Last month a Cairo court barred the militant Islamic group from operating in Egypt and said it would seek to seize the movement's assets there.

After Morsi's overthrow, the army destroyed hundreds of smuggling tunnels under the border, reducing the flow of cash to Hamas coffers.

It is now struggling to pay the wages of 51,000 civil servants and budget cuts will no longer be able to spare the security services.

Hamas officials and security personnel, whose fuel bills were in the past paid in full by the government, are now being asked to pay half from their own pockets, security sources say.

And police are moving over more and more to using motorcycles rather than cars because of constant fuel shortages.

The destroyed tunnels were widely used for the import of fuel, food, construction materials and military supplies.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Gaza_cops_trade_bullets_for_laser-tech_in_training_999.html.

Gaza celebrates Erdogan's victory

Tuesday, 01 April 2014

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip took to the streets yesterday evening to celebrate the victory of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Palestinians described the resounding victory of Erdogan's party as a kind of "landslide victory" for political Islam when it has a free democratic atmosphere.

Gaza residents respect Turkey because of its outspoken stances against the Israeli-Egyptian, internationally backed, siege on them.

Turkey has refused to restore diplomatic relations with Israel before the latter lifts the siege on Gaza and allows Turkish aid organizations access.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/10653-gaza-celebrates-erdogans-victory.

Women keep Jordan's traditions alive

07 Jun 2014

Women in Jordan earn money by expertly crafting a traditional yogurt sauce called Jameed.

Karak, Jordan - Nouf al-Jarajreh, better known as Um Faisal, has become a national icon for making Jameed, a Jordanian specialty consisting of balls of salted and dried yogurt, made with sheep or goat milk.

The yogurt acts as a key ingredient in Jordan's famous lamb-based dish, Mansaf, which symbolizes Bedouin hospitality. Jordanians say the country's Bedouin citizens invented Jameed so that they would have something to offer their guests year-round.

"Our Bedouin ancestors are generous people and their main concern was to provide guests with something to eat," said Um Faisal, as she sipped cardamom-flavored coffee beneath an arch of grapevines in her garden.

After her husband's alleged death by gunshot in Iraq, where he worked as a truck driver, 20 years ago, she became the sole breadwinner for her eight children.

"If life turns against you, you have to turn to your skills," she told Al Jazeera. "I began making Jameed to sell it."

Now, the 70-year-old uses modern technology to make the traditional dish, and producing enough to meet orders from hundreds of clients.

Abu Mahmoud, a local farmer, delivers fresh sheep's milk to Um Faisal every day during the early hours of the morning. Jameed's busy season runs between March and May, and according to local folklore, the city of Karak is known as the best place to make it.

The secret lies in the quality of milk that sheep produce in Jordan's southern governorate, Um Faisal explained. "Here, [Karak] herds get to eat some herbs like Artemisia and Achillea, which makes the milk taste better," she said, as stirred the milk in steady circles with a big wooden spoon.

Once foam forms on top of the milk, Um Faisal switches the stove off and lets it cool. She then works on perfecting homemade yogurt - made by mixing the milk with active cultures and some ready-made yogurt - which she later leaves to ferment for 24 hours.

Meanwhile, she opens plastic buckets of already-made yogurt from the night before and pours them, with some ice, in a whirlpool washing machine for about 20 minutes. "Ice is crucial here as it picks up butter very well," Um Faisal explained.

Decades ago, before washing machines existed, women would use a piece of goat leather, known as Sigaa, and hung it between two wooden sticks. "By moving Siqaa back and forth, butter would form from the mixture of yogurt and cool water brought from the well... It was really hard work for us," Um Faisal said.

This year, Um Faisal has upgraded to a locally-designed washing machine, specifically used to produce Jameed in large quantities. As the machine swirls, butter begins to build in the middle, and the yogurt turns into a creamy liquid known as Shaneenah.

Um Faisal's daughter, Lamya, brings out cotton sheets, which they fill with the liquid after it had cooled. During the busy season of Jameed, the 29-year-old beautician takes some time off from work to help her mother. "I can only help with simple things as I have not mastered the art of making Jameed yet," Lamya said.

They fill several bags carefully and slowly without wasting a drop. After they filled each bag, they squeeze all the juice and then rope it. "This is important to drain all the whey," Um Faisal said.

Finally, Um Faisal lines Jameed balls in rows on the table in her veranda, which is covered with a clear, cotton cloth. "I would leave them to dry here for a few days before taking them out," she said. "Jameed is sensitive to heat and dust, especially during its first few days."

During Jameed season, her terrace space functions as a drying and display space. She has trays of Jameed lined up to dry and to sell for clients, and says that she can make up to 100 balls of Jameed per hour.

Um Faisal has produced an average of 5,000kg of Jameed every year for the past 20 years, she says. She has regular clients who buy it every season, and who recommend her work to others.

An increasing number of women have begun producing the traditional food for extra income.

"In recent years, selling Jameed has become a major source of income for several families, especially those headed by women," said Wesal Qsous, president of Women of Shihan Mountain Association.

"We have seen that women turn their basic knowledge and home kitchens into a workstation to survive financial hardships," she said.

Fahmi Zubi, a member of the Jordanian anthropologists society, says changes to the economic situation of families have made certain social behavior acceptable.

"It used to be terribly shameful if a Bedouin sold Jameed and that is why families made enough to save for them and for their guests," he told Al Jazeera.

"But economical systems have evolved from self sufficiency and bartering to capitalism, certain social norms and values have changed," he added.

Despite increasing demand for Jameed, Um Faisal is concerned about keeping the tradition of making Jameed alive. "It has become commercialized as more people make it to live off it," she said. "Maintaining good quality is the key challenge, as more elderly die without training youngsters to do that."

Source: al-Jazeera.
Link: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/05/women-keep-jordan-traditions-alive-201452181427487308.html.

Jordan expels Syrian envoy in diplomatic tussle

May 26, 2014

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan expelled Syria's top envoy Monday, prompting Damascus to do the same in a diplomatic tussle that could signal the start of unraveling ties between the neighbors.

The move came a week before an election in Syria expected to keep President Bashar Assad in power. The highly contentious vote, being held amid a ferocious civil war, has been called a mockery by Western countries.

It was unclear what specifically caused Jordan to expel Syrian Ambassador Bahjat Suleiman. Jordan has hosted an envoy from Syria since the start of the 2011 uprising despite quietly supporting rebels trying to overthrow Assad.

Suleiman was ordered to leave the country within 24 hours in a humiliating public announcement first made on state-run media. He was declared persona non grata because of "continued offensive statements, through his personal contacts or writing in the media and the social media, against the kingdom," Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Sabah al-Rafie said in a statement carried by the state-run Petra news agency.

His statements were a "sheer departure from all diplomatic norms and conventions," she said. Al-Rafie said Suleiman used Jordan as a platform to offend other Arab countries, likely referring to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, both chief supporters of the Syrian rebels.

Syrian officials and diplomats regularly launch diatribes against the leaders of those countries and Turkey. Soon after the announcement from Amman about Suleiman, Syria's Foreign Ministry said it would expel the Jordanian charge d'affaires in retaliation, although he was not in the country. It said it requested the Jordanian Embassy in Damascus to inform the diplomat that he is banned from entering Syria.

"Jordan's reprehensible and unjustifiable decision does not reflect the deep fraternal relations between the two peoples in Syria and Jordan," it said. Jordanian Information Minister Mohammad al-Momani said the ambassador to Syria retired a month ago and a replacement had not been assigned.

The main Western-backed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, welcomed Jordan's move, calling it an "important step" in supporting the Syrian people. In a statement, the coalition urged other Arab states to follow Jordan's lead to increase the Assad government's isolation.

Experts expressed surprise at the Jordanian announcement, saying it was not in keeping with diplomatic protocol. "The dramatic way he was expelled was strange. It's as if Jordan is cutting off its diplomatic relations with Syria," said analyst Hisham Jaber, a retired brigadier general in the Lebanese military.

"The ambassador could have been summoned, and a complaint could have been lodged. But to say: 'Get out' — that's very tough." A Facebook page created by Suleiman's supporters suggested his defiance and loyalty to Assad. The "Network of those who love Mr. Ambassador Dr. Bahjat Suleiman" posted what it said was his expulsion notice from Jordan. The page later contained a photo claiming to show Suleiman being carried on the shoulders of his backers. "Syria needs you more," was emblazoned across it.

Suleiman had headed one of Syria's most powerful internal intelligence branches and was sent to Jordan as ambassador in 2009, perhaps after a falling out with Assad's inner circle, Jaber and Syria analyst Aron Lund said.

It was unclear if the diplomatic tussle will have any long-lasting repercussions, including on the two countries' shared border. Rebels control Syria's borders with Iraq and Turkey, leaving only the Lebanese and Jordanian border posts in the government's hands. The corridor with Jordan allows Syrian products to reach wealthy Gulf markets, helping an economy shattered by three years of civil war.

Jordan also hosts nearly 600,000 registered Syrian refugees — although Jordanian officials say the number is far higher. In an interview with The Associated Press, Syria's ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdel-Karim Ali, said the upcoming election will be the resounding answer to those who doubt Assad's government will prevail in the conflict. He said he expects a huge turnout for the vote, to be held abroad Wednesday and inside Syria on June 3.

He said Western leaders such as U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande criticize and oppose the election because they fear the results.

"The Syrian people will say their word in these elections, and their word is the one that counts. Not Obama's word, Cameron's or Hollande's," Ali said. Assad is all but guaranteed victory because opposition groups are boycotting the vote, which will only be held in government-held areas of the fragmented country. Rebels control vast territory of Syria.

More than 160,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the uprising began in March 2011 and became a civil war.

Associated Press writers Omar Akour in Amman, Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Diaa Hadid in Beirut contributed to this report.

Libyan Premier Unveils Government Priorities

8 May 2014
By Essam Mohamed

Tripoli — Less than 48 hours after being elected Libya's interim premier, Ahmed Miitig announced his government's priorities.

"After consulting with opinion-makers, I'll try to form a slimmed-down crisis government taking national consensus into consideration as much as possible," Libya's youngest and fifth premier since Kadhafi's ouster said on state TV Tuesday (May 6th).

Miitig was confirmed as the next premier by the General National Congress (GNC) on Monday and given 15 days to form a government. He quickly vowed to focus on security.

"This requires us to activate the general investigations and intelligence agencies as soon as possible," he said, adding: "We shall take decisive security measures and build the military and security institutions according to advanced standards."

He also said he would focus on "activating the judiciary and national reconciliation", providing work opportunities and diversifying the economy into production, services and knowledge.

"This is in addition to restructuring public services so all can take part in building the nation," he noted.

"We need to co-operate with the international community to complete the march we started three years ago," he added. "Building the state won't be made by seclusion, doubts or accusations of treason, but through openness and interaction with the other and pursuit of joint interests."

The premier also called for respecting diplomatic missions. "The government will repel all those who manipulate Libya's national security," he vowed.

"We'll use the democratic process and maintain the peaceful nature of transfer of power," he concluded, pledging to ensure suitable conditions for the upcoming elections.

According to political analyst Ashraf al-Shoh, Miitig's speech meant "to give indications and reassure public opinion that he won't resort to political quotas".

"We have a government that doesn't govern, and we have an army, but in the form of armed groups," he noted.

"The government's mission won't be easy," the analyst told Magharebia. "Time is short until the next House of Representatives is elected."

He added: "Appointing Miitig will renew hopes about taking tough security measures in Libya."

The government "must form a crisis team to deal with the security deterioration in Libya using foreign experts", he said.

Libyans were mostly hopeful about the new appointment.

"Let the new government take over and move forward; we've had enough stumbles and we don't want to go backwards and see disputes with the General National Congress (GNC)," said teacher Mahasen Beshir.

"It seems that the Islamic current wants to monopolize power in Libya after it fell in Egypt and retracted in Tunisia," journalist Youssef Ali said. "However, I think the head of new government will stand at the same distance from all political entities; at least he has said so."

In his turn, public sector employee Salem Bin Amer said, "Libya needs a government of deeds. I hope this government will be strong and handle the security file so the economy can be revitalized. Without security, nothing will be achieved."

Economics student Suleiman Ibrahim praised al-Thani's government for announcing that Ansar al-Sharia was responsible for the attack on Benghazi security directorate. "Previous governments always talked about an unknown armed group," he said.

"I ask Miitig to move in the same direction so he can win people's approval and so that he can have a strong government capable of controlling the situation," he added.

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201405091534.html?viewall=1.

Algerians Fear FIS Comeback

by Nazim Fethi
12 June 2014

Algiers — The idea that radical Islamists held responsible for the "Black Decade" would ever return to the Algerian political scene once seemed impossible. Not anymore.

For the first time since the 1990s, the government invited certain leaders of the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) and its armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army (AIS), to take part in a dialogue.

The FIS has never come as close to making a political comeback as it has now, with an offer from the government to join discussions about Algeria's constitution.

Although invitations were extended to several figures from the former FIS, only Islamic Salvation Army (AIS) leader Madani Mezrag has accepted. The other founding members of the party, such as Abassi Madani and the more outspoken Ali Belhadj have refused to take part, as has Abdelkader Boukhamkham.

Talks on proposed amendments to the Algeria constitution kicked off on June 1st. Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal has said that national reconciliation should be consolidated, which suggests that steps will be taken in relation to the ex-leaders of the former FIS.

As well as inviting the members of the group to the negotiating table, the authorities lifted the ban on their leaving the country. Other measures are expected.

Out in the countryside, however, forgiveness is hard to find.

In Haouch Gros, a stronghold of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), the scars of the "Black Decade" are still present. On the old farms where makeshift homes have been built, every family has a story.

"Here, there are families of terrorists and families of patriots," said 60-year-old Saadia Louzni, who lost her sons, husbands and neighbors. "We still glare at each other and we don't forgive."

"It's up to them if they want to talk about reconciliation or politics, but here the memory of the people we lost continues to haunt us and the idea of vengeance has never left us," she told Magharebia.

Another hamlet on the vast Mitidja Plain, Bentalha, was the site of the biggest massacre of all: 400 people killed in one night.

"I was ten years old," said Rachid Hamouni, 30. "I lost my parents, my brothers and my sisters. I was only narrowly saved by my aunt, who hid me underneath the bodies of my sisters. My life can never be normal again."

"So when I hear talk of reconciliation, of a return of the FIS or an amnesty, it's as if the scene of the crime committed against my family right in front of me is being recreated," he noted.

He delivered a parting message: "Tell the authorities that they murder us once again every time they give gifts to the terrorists and the politicians who were guiding them."

Students at the Faculty of Law in Algiers also expressed concerns over the potential return of the FIS.

"We're not against religion, we're against the parties that want to use religion to stir up disorder, as is currently happening in Libya, Egypt and Syria," Karim Haddad told Magharebia.

"Every time people talk about a revolution, they bring out these religious extremists," the student added. "We've experienced this and we saw what it led to. If the authorities would like to rehabilitate these Islamists, they must demand that they seek forgiveness from the people."

Meanwhile, the government is attempting to reassure the public about the rumored legalization of the FIS.

"The FIS, as a party, is not on our agenda," El Watan quoted the prime minister as saying on Tuesday (June 10th).

Source: allAfrica.
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201406130755.html?viewall=1.

Top Bahrain activist released from prison

May 24, 2014

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — A prominent human rights activist in Bahrain was released from prison on Saturday after spending nearly two years behind bars.

Nabeel Rajab, who heads the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, was sentenced to three years in 2012 on charges of encouraging "illegal gatherings" tied to anti-government protests in the country. An appeals court later reduced his term by a year.

After his release from prison, Rajab was greeted by dozens of supporters and stopped to visit his mother's grave before heading home. The activist is a key icon for the protest movement against the Gulf Arab monarchy's Sunni rulers. Since 2011, the country's majority Shiites have been protesting, demanding greater rights and political freedoms.

A statement from the Bahrain Center for Human Rights said Rajab was imprisoned for "advocating peaceful demonstrations to defend the civil and human rights of all the citizens in the country." Rajab told The Associated Press that he is happy to be out after more than 600 days in prison, and called for the release of all political prisoners. He said stability can only be achieved "through respect for human rights."

"After two years in prison, I see Bahrain's political environment as more difficult and still without a roadmap for real reforms," he said. In mid-2012, Rajab was also sentenced to three months for his comments on Twitter about Bahrain's prime minister. His conviction was overturned on appeal during his prison sentence for taking part in protests.

Also on Saturday, thousands of people marched in a funeral for 15-year old Sayed Mohsen, who died during protests earlier this week in Sitra, south of the capital, Manama. The procession turned violent when mourners clashed with security forces nearby. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

Mohsen's family and the country's main opposition group Al Wifaq said the teenager died after being shot in the chest at close range with bird shot — a weapon commonly used by Bahraini police. The country's Interior Ministry said police were investigating the circumstances of the death. The ministry said police in Sitra reacted after being attacked with firebombs Wednesday during a funeral procession of a man who had died earlier in a bomb blast.

"While the specific circumstances in which Sayed Mohsen was shot remain unclear, the use of force in policing public assemblies ... must conform to the requirements of necessity and proportionality; and firearms may only be used as a last resort," Amnesty International said in a statement.

The rights group urged an independent and transparent inquiry into the teenager's death. The opposition in Bahrain, which is home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, claims that at least 100 people have been killed in the past three years of protests.

Spain's Parliament backs king's abdication

June 11, 2014

MADRID (AP) — Spain's Parliament on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of urgent government legislation allowing King Juan Carlos to abdicate this month and hand over his duties to Crown Prince Felipe.

The legislation was approved by 299 lawmakers, while 19 voted against and 23 abstained. The bill was backed by the majority-ruling Popular Party and the leading opposition Socialist Party, while some regional nationalist and left-wing parties rejected it or abstained.

Several left-wing deputies held up signs demanding a referendum on whether to scrap the monarchy. The bill will now go to the Senate on Tuesday, with 46-year-old Felipe likely being proclaimed king two days later.

Juan Carlos earned wide respect for steering Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy four decades ago, but recent scandals — including going on a luxurious elephant-hunting safari as Spaniards struggled through an economic crisis — have tarnished his image.

The 76-year-old monarch said he was stepping aside so that fresh royal blood could rally the nation. The change comes as Spain limps out of a double-dip recession that has left some 6 million people unemployed. It is also under political strain from growing drives for independence in northeastern Catalonia and the northern Basque region. Those challenges await Felipe.

Debating the bill, conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Spaniards saw the monarchy as the best way to guarantee "political stability, the continuity of (the country's) institutions and peaceful coexistence."

The abdication announcement last week triggered widespread demonstrations calling for a referendum on reinstating a republic. A recent poll found 62 percent of respondents said they wanted a referendum on the monarchy "at some point." Forty-nine percent said they favored a monarchy with Felipe as king, while 36 percent wanted a republic. Others did not answer or expressed no opinion.

Juan Carlos became king in 1975, two days after the death of longtime dictator Gen. Francisco Franco. He won massive support by staring down a 1981 coup attempt.

Spain PM, cabinet approve king abdication plan

June 03, 2014

MADRID (AP) — The cabinet of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Tuesday approved a proposal for emergency legislation that allows King Juan Carlos to abdicate and hand over his duties to Crown Prince Felipe.

A vote is scheduled for June 11 in the Spanish Parliament on the proposal, which is expected to pass easily because Rajoy's center-right Popular Party has the majority of seats and the leading opposition Socialist Party also supports the legislation.

Jesus Posada, who leads the Parliament's lower house, predicted the law will take effect by June 18. Felipe will likely be announced king before lawmakers on that day or shortly afterward, though officials declined to confirm a date for the proclamation.

"It will be a totally smooth changeover," Queen Sofia told reporters during a visit to New York. The 76-year-old king and Felipe, 46, participated Tuesday at a military ceremony outside Madrid as Rajoy met with his cabinet.

Juan Carlos appeared frail as he emerged from a car with his son, pacing slowly with a cane to a podium where the two watched soldiers parading decked out in dress uniforms. As Juan Carlos and Felipe arrived, people shouted "Long Live the King!" and "Long Live the Prince."

Juan Carlos is widely respected for leading Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy and staring down a 1981 coup attempt, but was hit hard by royal scandals over the last several years. He announced Monday he was abdicating because his son is ready for the job and because Spain needs a "new era of hope."

The most disastrous scandal for Juan Carlos was a secret 2012 elephant hunting trip he took to Botswana at the height of Spain's financial crisis. It became public after he fell and broke his hip, requiring him to take a private jet back to Spain for treatment.

The monarchy's popularity has also been hurt by a criminal investigation into the king's son-in-law, Inaki Urdangarin, on suspicion of embezzling large amounts in public contracts. Juan Carlos' youngest daughter, Princess Cristina, was forced to testify this year in the fraud and money-laundering case targeting her husband, an Olympic handball medalist turned businessman.

Barry Hatton contributed to this report from Lisbon, Portugal.

Spain: King abdicates for his more popular son

June 02, 2014

MADRID (AP) — Spain's King Juan Carlos, who led Spain's transition from dictatorship to democracy but faced damaging scandals amid the nation's financial meltdown, announced Monday he will abdicate in favor of his more popular son so that fresh royal blood can rally the nation.

While the monarchy is largely symbolic, Juan Carlos' surprise decision may hold implications for a burning Spanish issue: the fate of wealthy Catalonia, which plans to hold a secession referendum this fall.

Abdication in favor of Crown Prince Felipe is expected to bring constitutional revisions to guarantee the new king's daughter will succeed him. That could create momentum for further constitutional changes aimed at easing Catalan secessionist fervor, analysts say.

The 76-year-old Juan Carlos said Felipe, 46, is ready to be king and will "open a new era of hope." The son certainly has greater command over the hearts of his people: Felipe's 70 percent approval in a recent El Mundo newspaper poll dwarfs Juan Carlos' 40.

Juan Carlos didn't mention the scandals or Catalonia by name or specify what issues his son must prioritize as the next head of state for Spain. He only stressed that Felipe will need to "tackle with determination the transformations that the current situation demands and confront the challenges of tomorrow with renewed intensity and dedication."

The king told Spaniards in his nationwide address that he started making a plan to give up the throne after he turned 76 in January. Since then, Spain has embarked on what appears to be a sluggish but steady economic recovery. Its biggest problems are a 25 percent unemployment rate and the drive by the wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia to hold a secession vote in November — one labeled illegal by the central government in Madrid.

Now that Felipe is set to become king, Spain is expected to change its constitution to make sure his first-born daughter Leonor can succeed him. The royal family has said its wants the change to ensure she is next in line to the throne in the event that Felipe's wife gets pregnant again and gives birth to a boy, who would become monarch under the current constitution.

Analysts say that could open the door to political negotiations for additional proposed constitutional changes, including demands by the leading opposition Socialist Party to grant Catalonia more autonomy or special financial benefits to blunt Catalonian separatist sentiment.

"I think both parties could agree on a change to accommodate the needs of Catalonia," said Antonio Barroso, a London-based analyst with the Teneo Intelligence political and business risk consulting firm. He cautioned that the process could take months.

Artur Mas, the president of Catalonia, declared that the king's abdication would not derail his plans to hold the vote asking Catalans whether they want to secede from Spain. "We have a date with our future on Nov. 9," Mas told reporters after the king gave his speech.

In a statement issued later, Mas added that "there will be a change in king, but there won't be a change in the political process that the people of Catalonia are following." The abdication was first announced Monday by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who did not say when the handover would happen because the government must now craft a law creating a legal mechanism for the abdication and for Felipe's assumption of power.

Rajoy, however, said he would preside over an emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday to draft the law which is assured of passing because his center-right Popular Party has an absolute majority in Parliament.

Far-left parties called for a national referendum to abolish Spain's monarchy after the king made his announcement and said they would hold nationwide protests Monday night. They surprised the nation May 25 by polling much stronger than expected in the European Parliament elections, taking away seats from the mainline Popular and Socialist parties.

Juan Carlos has been on the throne for 39 years and was a hero to many for shepherding Spain's democratic and economic transformation, but has had repeated health problems in recent years. His longstanding popularity took a big blow following royal scandals, including a 2012 elephant-shooting trip he took at the height of Spain's financial crisis during which he broke his right hip and had to be flown from Botswana to Spain aboard a private jet for medical treatment.

The king's image was also tarnished by the investigation of his son-in-law, who is being investigated on suspicion of embezzling large amounts in public contracts. Juan Carlos' daughter Princess Cristina in January was forced to testify in the fraud and money-laundering case targeting her husband Inaki Urdangarin, an Olympic handball medalist turned businessman. She became the first Spanish royal to be questioned in court since Juan Carlos took the throne.

In his speech the king did not mention any of the scandals, played down his health issues and praised the crown prince. "My son Felipe, the heir to the throne, embodies stability," Juan Carlos said. Felipe would presumably take the title King Felipe VI. He has a law degree from Madrid's Autonomous University, obtained a master's in international relations from Georgetown University in the United States and was a member of Spain's Olympic sailing team at the Barcelona games in 1992.

Felipe is married to Princess Letizia, a former television journalist. Their daughters are ages 8 and 7. Like his father, Felipe has traveled the globe trying to maintain Spain's influence especially in former Latin American colonies, while seeking to promote the nation's international business interests.

King Juan Carlos came to power in 1975, two days after the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco. He endeared himself to many Spaniards, in large part by putting down an attempted military coup in 1981 when he was a young and largely untested head of state.

As Spain's new democracy matured over the years and Spain transformed itself from a European economic laggard into the continent's fourth largest economy, the king played a largely figurehead role, traveling the globe as an ambassador for the country.

He was also a stabilizing force in a country with restive, independence-minded regions like Catalonia and the northern Basque region. "He has been a tireless defender of our interests," Rajoy said. Juan Carlos melded the trappings of royalty with down-to-earth, regular-guy charm. The king is an avid sports fan and after the Madrid terror bombings of March 11, 2004, showed he could grieve like anyone else.

At an emotional state funeral for the 191 people killed in the train bombings by Islamic militants, Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia slowly went row-by-row through Madrid's Almudena Cathedral, clasping the hands of sobbing mourners or kissing them on the cheek.

But his patient work nearly came undone during the financial crisis, with people questioning after the elephant-hunting trip whether a hereditary monarchy was needed and whether it was worth the cost because of deep austerity measures imposed on Spaniards to prevent the country from financial collapse.

The World Wildlife Fund's branch in Spain ousted Juan Carlos as its honorary president — a title he'd held since 1968 — after deciding the hunt was incompatible with its goal of conserving endangered species. Juan Carlos took the unprecedented step of apologizing to Spaniards for his actions.

He recently said that he wanted to be remembered as "the king who has united all Spaniards." Juan Carlos goes down a path increasingly traveled by European royalty. Last year Belgium's King Albert handed over the throne of his fractious kingdom to his son, Crown Prince Philippe. Two months earlier, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands stepped down after a 33-year reign in favor of her eldest son, who was appointed King Willem-Alexander.

It was a break with tradition, but not as big as the decision early last year by Pope Benedict XVI to resign, a move that stunned Catholics around the world. The two royal successions in Belgium and the Netherlands have been smooth and successful.

Associated Press writer Raf Casert contributed to this report from Brussels.

Leader of Spain's Socialist party to step down

May 26, 2014

MADRID (AP) — The head of Spain's main opposition Socialist party will step down following dismal results in the European Parliament election.

Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said Monday he took full responsibility for the "unreservedly bad" results. The Socialists won 14 seats, down from 23 in 2009. The ruling conservative Popular party won the most seats but it too suffered a drop, from 24 to 16. It was both parties' worst result ever.

Rubalcaba said the Socialists will hold a party congress on July 19-20 to name a new leader. A member of three Socialist governments, Rubalcaba, 62, declined to say what his own plans were. Many Spaniards blame the Socialists for allowing Spain to slide into economic crisis but are also angry with the Popular Party for imposing tax hikes and cuts.

Portugal ends bailout constraints; pain won't end

May 17, 2014

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Portugal is emerging from the painful economic constraints imposed by a three-year bailout that saved the country from collapse, but EU officials are warning that tough controls must continue to create stable employment.

With the government taking control of its finances once again, Portugal on Saturday became the second eurozone country after Ireland to free itself from the austerity and oversight imposed by its European partners and the International Monetary Fund as part of the 78-billion-euro ($107 billion) bailout.

But European Commission Vice President Siim Kallas in Brussels it was essential to keep an "unwavering commitment to sound budgetary policies and growth-enhancing reforms." The Cabinet officially took back control of the economy at a meeting in Lisbon and presented its strategy for "medium-term reforms."

"We want everyone to know that we're not going to stop," said Carlos Moedas, assistant secretary of state to the prime minister and the Portuguese official responsible for overseeing the implementation of the bailout.

He said the government was determined to maintain a "reformist impulse." As with Greece and Ireland, Portugal's rescue came at a price of cutting spending sharply and implementing unpopular measures that stripped away cherished welfare and labor entitlements.

In the streets, many people interviewed Saturday by Jornal de Noticias television said the pain of the harsh austerity measures had not ended. And although many felt it was good for the government to be in control of its own finances again, EC and IMF oversight officials are still due to return to review the health of Portugal's economy twice a year until 2035, when 75 percent of the loan will be paid back, according to President Anibal Cavaco Silva.

Airports in Japan striving to become friendlier to Muslims

December 22, 2013

TOKYO -- International airports in Japan are striving to become friendlier to Muslims amid a steep increase in visitors from the Islamic world following the Japanese government's relaxation of regulations for issuing visas.

An increase in private prayer rooms for Muslims, who pray five times a day, and availability of meals in compliance with Islamic rules are among efforts taken by airports.

Airport officials stress that they will show the heart of Japanese hospitality at the thresholds into Japan as Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.

On Dec. 1, Narita Airport in Chiba Prefecture put up a new sign saying "Prayer Room" for Muslims in front of private rooms in its first and second terminals. Each room is covered with a carpet and a direction panel on the ceiling so that Muslims can readily fall to their knees and pray in the direction of their holy place Mecca.

The rooms, called Silence Rooms, could be used for prayer in the past but had no Prayer Room sign.

In the past, there were Muslims who performed prayers on the terminal building floor after arriving at Narita as they did not know of the existence of the private rooms, according to a 35-year-old member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Japan, an association of Muslims in Japan.

Japan relaxed the rules for issuance to visas to visitors from Indonesia, Malaysia and three other Southeast Asian nations in July. Muslims account for an estimated 90% of Indonesia's 240 million population and 60% of Malaysia's 29 million.

A total of 28,000 people visited Japan from Indonesia and Malaysia in October, up 40% from a year earlier.

A public relations official at Narita Airport said the operator of the airport near Tokyo should have done more to publicize the presence of prayer rooms for Muslims and make facilities there friendlier to them.

"We will seek to create a user-friendly airport for Muslims and other people who will visit Japan for the Olympic Games," the official added.

The company has already started taking necessary steps. For example, it will install by January washing equipment in the prayer rooms for Muslims to purify themselves before performing prayers. By next summer, furthermore, two prayer rooms will be built in the area where passengers walk through after embarkation procedures.

Kansai Airport, which created a prayer room in 2006, announced a plan in August to open two more rooms by next spring.

The airport in Osaka has also started joint efforts with tenants in its passenger terminal building to better receive visitors from the Islamic world. Starting this summer, a noodle shop and another restaurant began serving meals prepared in compliance with Islamic cooking rules, called Halal, which include a ban on the use of pork.

Haneda Airport in Tokyo will open a prayer room by next March.

Major airports in Europe, a popular destination of tourists from the Islamic world, have already completed prayer rooms for Muslims, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Airports in Japan have begun earnest efforts at last to become friendly to Muslims, said Ken Fujita, head of a project at the ASEAN Promotion Center on Trade, Investment and Tourism in Tokyo to provide information on Islam to airports.

More Muslims should visit Japan if the efforts are recognized widely in the Islamic world, he added.

(Nikkei)

Source: Nikkei.
Link: http://asia.nikkei.com/Viewpoints/Culture/Airports-in-Japan-striving-to-become-friendlier-to-Muslims.

Kyoto aims to be Muslim-friendly city

Dec 22, 2013
By Eric Johnston

KYOTO – Kyoto, a city known worldwide as a major center for Buddhism and as the home of some of the country’s most famous Shinto shrines, is stepping up efforts to better welcome one particular group of foreign visitors: Muslims.

With the number of Muslim tourists from Malaysia on the rise, thanks to visa restrictions that were eased last July and the growing number of international conferences in the ancient capital being attended by Muslims from Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia, the city decided earlier this year to formally research better ways meet their needs.

Of the nearly 845,000 foreign visitors to Kyoto in 2012 who spent at least one night at a hotel, only about 13,000 were from Malaysia and Indonesia. But that was up from the combined 8,000 or so who visited in 2011, and the figure is expected to grow.

In response, Kyoto established a study group to make the city more Muslim-friendly. It consists of hotel managers, convention bureau officials, restaurateurs and others interested in attracting more Muslims. The group receives advice from the Kyoto Muslim Association, which allows Muslims to visit and pray at the mosque inside and which provides information on halal and Muslim-friendly restaurants in Kyoto.

Some hotels, such as Hotel Granvia and Kyoto Century Hotel, already offer Muslim-friendly meals, while the Kyoto Rose Café, not far from the association’s headquarters, offers halal meals. There are also Japanese- and English-language websites that list halal and Muslim-friendly establishments in Kyoto.

But one idea that the group, under the direction of the Kyoto Muslim Association, is looking at is a more detailed guide to restaurants that are classified as not only “Muslim-friendly” but also “halal,” “Muslim-welcome” and “pork-free.”

A restaurant is designated halal when all of its menu items are halal-certified and contain no pork or pork products, and when no alcohol, including cooking wine or mirin (a sweet cooking wine made from rice), is used during the cooking process. Muslim-friendly means the restaurant has both halal and non-halal menus. Muslim-welcome means no pork or alcohol was used in the cooking, but non-halal meats and alcohol are available. Pork-free means just that, but alcohol may have been used in the cooking and the menu is non-halal.

In addition to offering prayer rooms facing toward Mecca or taking care to ensure the food served meets the requirements of Muslim customers, there are other issues.

Rie Doi, director of tourism promotion at the Kyoto Convention Bureau, notes it is especially important that Kyoto businesses interested in selling their wares to Muslim tourists understand the cultural background of their customers.

“For example, some companies may wish to offer certain kinds of souvenirs in colors that are particularly popular in the Muslim world and different from (those) other foreign customers might want,” she said.

At the same time, Muslim tourists, no matter where they’re from, ask the same kinds of questions any tourist might ask. A recent report presented to the study group noted that Malaysian Muslims asked their travel agents why they were going to a particular Kyoto temple or shrine and what, exactly, they could do while there.

The report said addressing these questions was extremely important to Muslim visitors. But not a few tourists — most with limited time, little or no understanding of Japanese, and a minimal understanding of Kyoto’s history — are likely to want the answers as well.

Source: Japan Times.
Link: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/12/22/national/kyoto-aims-to-be-muslim-friendly-city/.

Spain fans shocked after 5-1 World Cup defeat

June 14, 2014

MADRID (AP) — Football fans in Spain are in shock after watching the national team's 5-1 humiliation in its World Cup opener against the Netherlands.

It was Spain's worst defeat in 64 years and comes after "La Roja" had dominated world soccer since 2008 with consecutive European Championships and a World Cup win in South Africa. "Disaster," said newspaper El Pais on Saturday while El Mundo rated the performance a "Humiliation" and La Vanguardia called it "A failure."

City streets, accustomed to noisy celebrations after Spain wins, were eerily quiet after Friday's rout as fans filed silently out of bars. Some refused to accept it meant the "end of an era" but others said it was time for the coach to make radical changes.

Security tight on eve of Tiananmen anniversary

June 03, 2014

BEIJING (AP) — Beijing put additional police on the street and detained government critics Tuesday as part of a security crackdown on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the crushing of pro-democracy protests centered on the capital's Tiananmen Square.

Police manned checkpoints on Tuesday and officers and paramilitary troops patrolled over pedestrian overpasses and streets surrounding the square in the city center. The increased security comes on top of heightened restrictions on political activists, artists, lawyers and other government critics. Dozens have been taken into detention, forced out of Beijing or confined to their homes in other parts of the country.

"June 4 has come again and the plainclothes officers are here to protect us. I can't leave the house to travel or lecture," said Jiangsu province-based environmental activist Wu Lihong in a text message.

Artists and former activist Guo Jian was also taken away by authorities on Sunday night, shortly after a profile of him appeared in the Financial Times newspaper in commemoration of the crackdown's anniversary. As he was being detained, Guo, an Australian citizen, told an Associated Press reporter he would be held until June 15.

A writer and officer of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, who goes by the pen name Ye Du, was also taken from his home in the southern city of Guangzhou to join in a forced "tour trip," his wife, Wang Haitao, said by phone. Such compulsory trips are a common method of keeping government critics under 24-hour watch without the need to initiate a legal process.

China allows no discussion of the events of June 3-4, 1989, when soldiers accompanied by tanks and armored personnel carriers fought their way into the heart of the city, killing hundreds of protesting citizens and onlookers. The government has never issued a complete, formal accounting of the crackdown and the number of casualties involved.

Beijing's official verdict is that the student-led protests aimed to topple the ruling Communist Party and plunge China into chaos. Protest leaders said they were merely seeking greater democracy and freedom, along with an end to corruption and favoritism within the party.

Authorities regularly tighten security ahead of June 4, but this year's suppression has notably harsher than in past. Activists who in past would receive no more than a warning have been taken into custody and police have told foreign journalists they would face unspecified serious consequences for covering sensitive issues ahead of the anniversary.

A French broadcaster said its journalists were interrogated for six hours by Beijing police when they were found interviewing people on the street about the events 25 years ago. Despite China's discouragement, the crackdown is recalled with rallies and commemorations in Chinese communities worldwide, especially in Hong Kong, a former British colony that retains its own legal system and civil liberties since returning to Chinese rule in 1997.

Thousands marched through the city on Sunday in remembrance of the crackdown, and organizers said they expected about 150,000 people to join in a candlelight vigil in a city park Wednesday.

Associated Press writer Didi Tang contributed to this report.

Ukrainian troops drive rebels out of Mariupol

June 13, 2014

MARIUPOL, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops attacked pro-Russia separatists Friday in the southern port of Mariupol, apparently driving them out of buildings they had occupied in the city.

About 100 soldiers emerged triumphant from the previously rebel-occupied buildings, shouting the name of their battalion, Azov, and singing the Ukrainian national anthem. They also destroyed an armored vehicle and a heavy truck used by the separatists, leaving the vehicles scorched and riddled with large-caliber bullet holes.

Mariupol is the second-largest city in the eastern Donetsk region, where armed separatists have declared independence from the government in Kiev. The Azov Sea port sits along the main road leading from Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in March from Ukraine.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said four government troops were wounded in what he called a successful operation. Witnesses said they saw troops capture at least four separatist fighters. There was no immediate word of casualties on the rebel side, and Associated Press journalists at the site were blocked from entering the buildings.

Ukraine and the West have accused Moscow of fomenting the unrest in eastern Ukraine and supporting the separatist fighters. Russia, however, has denied sending troops or weapons to Ukraine and has described the Russian citizens fighting with the separatists as volunteers.

The renewed fighting Friday came as rebel leaders confirmed they had obtained three tanks. Government officials say the tanks were part of a column of armored vehicles that crossed the porous border into Ukraine from Russia, but there has been no independent confirmation that they came from Russia.

Denis Pushilin, a leader of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic, told Russian state television Friday that they had the tanks but it was "improper to ask" where they had gotten them. "They are in Donetsk and are the minimum that we have to defend the city," he said.

Both the U.S. State Department and NATO have said if the tanks did come from Russia, it would be a "serious escalation" of the crisis. "I am concerned about reports that pro-Russian armed gangs are acquiring heavy weapons from Russia, including Russian tanks," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement Friday. "We have seen reports that Russian tanks and other armored vehicles may have crossed the border into eastern Ukraine. If these reports are confirmed, this would mark a serious escalation of the crisis in eastern Ukraine."

Rasmussen urged Russia "to complete the withdrawal of its military forces on the border with Ukraine, to stop the flow of weapons and fighters across the border, and to exercise its influence among armed separatists to lay down their weapons and renounce violence."

Russia has not commented on the tanks, but its border guard service said two Ukrainian armored vehicles crossed the border in the opposite direction Friday, into Russian territory near the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. Russian news agencies quoted a spokesman for the border guard service as saying that the Ukrainian troops were able to return to Ukraine but left behind one of the vehicles after it apparently broke down.

Pushilin repeated the separatists' call for Russia to send peacekeeping troops into eastern Ukraine. Russia has said this could only be done with U.N. authorization. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who took office on June 7, rallied support for his plan to end the fighting in phone calls Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Poroshenko told Merkel he is willing to negotiate, but not with those he calls terrorists. He said he could offer amnesty only to people who don't have "blood on their hands." According to his spokesman, Svyatoslav Tsegolko, Poroshenko told Putin it was "unacceptable" that tanks had crossed the border. A Kremlin statement said Poroshenko told Putin about his plan for resolving Ukraine's crisis.

McHugh reported from Kiev, Ukraine.

Ukraine president orders civilian corridor in east

June 10, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's new president on Tuesday ordered security officials to create a corridor for safe passage for civilians in eastern regions rocked by a pro-Russian insurgency, as he began to form his government team by tapping a media mogul as chief of staff.

Petro Poroshenko ordered security agencies to organize transport and relocation to help civilians leave areas affected by fighting between rebels and Ukraine's military, his office said in a brief statement published online. It gave no details on where the civilians could be relocated, or what accommodation was available.

Ukraine's Interior Ministry later elaborated that civilians who want to leave the area of fighting could do so through government checkpoints, where they will be provided with documents allowing access to pensions and other social payments, health care and education. They would be able to move to any other region of Ukraine where authorities could provide temporary accommodation, the ministry said in a statement.

It said that a special center will be created under the Emergency Situations Ministry to help coordinate assistance to those who flee the fighting. Poroshenko also announced the appointments of media executive and business ally Boris Lozhkin as chief of staff, and Svyatoslav Tsegolka, a journalist at the TV station owned by Poroshenko, as press secretary. Lozhkin, who sold his major news holding last year, has never been publicly involved in politics. He hails from the country's eastern city of Kharkiv.

The new president did not announce any shakeup in the defense or foreign ministries, where changes could be pivotal for Ukraine's ongoing offensive in the east. Ukrainian officials say at least 200 people, including 59 servicemen, have been killed in clashes in the east.

It is unclear how many civilians have fled the fighting. The United Nations' refugee agency in May said Ukraine's tensions had resulted in about 10,000 displaced people, both from Russia's annexation of Crimea and from the violence in the east.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday said some 30,000 Ukrainian refugees are now in Russia's Rostov region, which borders Ukraine. Lavrov, after meeting with his German and Polish counterparts in St. Petersburg, said the announcement on establishing safe passage was "a step in the right direction," but criticized Ukraine for continuing the offensive.

"The key to toning down the situation in our view is ending this military operation against protesters. Then, I am convinced, these people who you call separatists will take reciprocal action," he said.

The government in Kiev calls the security sweep an "anti-terrorist operation." Russian officials deny allegations by Kiev and Western countries that it is fomenting or supporting the uprising in the east and it is uncertain how much influence Moscow can exert on the insurgents.

Poroshenko's statement gave no indication that he was planning to wind down the government's operation against the rebels, who have continued to seize administrative buildings, police stations, border posts and garrisons across the region.

At his inauguration on Saturday, Poroshenko said he would grant amnesty to any insurgents who laid down their arms and had not been involved in bloodshed, and encouraged the creation of a safe corridor for rebels to go to Russia. He ruled out negotiations with any "gangsters and killers" among them.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who spoke to journalists briefly in Kiev on Tuesday, praised Poroshenko's plan to resolve the conflict and promised that $48 million pledged by Vice President Joe Biden to Kiev on Sunday would be used "in eastern Ukraine in conjunction with the president's peace plan."

Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

Q&A: Who is Ukraine's new president?

June 07, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — More than three months after Ukraine's president fled to Russia in the wake of months of street protests, Petro Poroshenko was sworn in Saturday as the troubled country's new president. The billionaire, widely called "the Chocolate King" because his fortune is rooted in the candy business, faces huge challenges posed by the violent insurgency in Ukraine's east and the country's stumbling, corruption-plagued economy. A look at Poroshenko and what's ahead for him:

WHO IS THE CHOCOLATE KING? The 48-year-old, who is estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth $1.6 billion, started his rise by importing cocoa beans into the Soviet Union in 1991. The project ballooned into the immensely popular candy manufacturer Roshen, the foundation of a business empire that now includes ship-building and one of the country's most influential TV stations.

Unlike many other Ukrainian billionaires, Poroshenko did not make his money in murky post-Soviet privatizations, boosting his reputation as a "good tycoon." WHAT ARE HIS POLITICS? Poroshenko began his political career in 1998 as a lawmaker in a Russia-friendly party and went on in 2001 to help found Party of Regions, the political engine behind ousted president Viktor Yanukovych. But in 2004 he threw his weight behind the Orange Revolution protests that arose after fraud-plagued presidential elections.

He served as head of national security for a few months, but stepped down after months of feuding with the prime minister and allegations of improperly trying to help one of Ukraine's major tycoons. He later returned to serve as foreign minister, and briefly as economics minister after Yanukovych came to power in 2010. He catapulted back into the public eye by allying himself early and openly with the anti-Yanukovych protest movement that broke out in late November 2013.

Supporters regard his moving among factions as a sign of pragmatism amid Ukraine's highly polarized politics. Poroshenko allied with a potential rival, former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, endorsing him for Kiev mayor as Klitschko endorsed Poroshenko for president.

Poroshenko supports signing an association agreement with the European Union, but has spoken against holding a vote on whether Ukraine should seek NATO membership. He says it's important to mend ties with Russia quickly; relations with Moscow should be equal and should not undermine Ukrainians' desire for closer ties with the European Union, he says.

WHAT WILL HE DO NEXT? Poroshenko faces a growing pro-Russian uprising in the east of the country, where officials say more than 200 people have been killed in clashes between insurgents and Ukrainian forces.

Moments after being sworn in, Poroshenko called on armed groups to lay down their weapons and offered amnesty to "those who do not have blood on their hands. " He also promised dialogue with citizens in the east, but not with the insurgents who have declared two regions to be independent "peoples' republics."

Ukraine's cash-strapped government, desperate to receive the full $17 billion loan package promised by the International Monetary Fund, will have to undertake serious reforms early in Poroshenko's tenure as president.

Poroshenko also faces a major hurdle in encouraging lawmakers in parliament to agree to hold elections this year instead of in 2017 as scheduled. If he fails, he could face the same challenges as the Orange Revolution government, which took two years to hold parliamentary elections and soon became bogged down by infighting.

Poroshenko sworn in as Ukraine's president

June 07, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's new president on Saturday called for dialogue with the country's east, gripped by a violent separatist insurgency, and for armed groups to lay down their weapons but said he won't talk with rebels he called "gangsters and killers."

Petro Poroshenko spoke in parliament after taking the oath of office and assumed leadership of a country mired in an uprising, severe economic troubles and tensions with its giant neighbor Russia. The 48-year-old Poroshenko, often called "The Chocolate King" because of the fortune he made as a confectionery tycoon, was elected May 25 and replaces an interim leader who had been in office since Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych fled the country in February after months of street protests against him.

The fall of Yanukovych aggravated long-brewing tensions in eastern and southern Ukraine, whose majority native Russian speakers denounced the new government as a nationalist putsch that aimed to suppress them.

Within a month, the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was annexed by Russia after a secession referendum and an armed insurgency arose in the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukrainian forces are fighting the insurgents in those regions and officials say more than 200 people have been killed.

Ukraine accuses Russia of fomenting the unrest. In his inaugural address, Poroshenko promised amnesty "for those who do not have blood on their hands" and called for dialogue with "peaceful citizens" in the east.

"I am calling on everyone who has taken arms in their hands — please lay down your arms," he said, according to a translator. He also called for early regional elections in the east and promised to push for new powers to be allotted to regional governments, but he rejected calls for federalization of Ukraine, which Moscow has called for.

Poroshenko also insisted that Ukrainian would remain the sole state language of the country, but promised "new opportunities for the Russian language," without giving specifics. He assumed power a day after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin at D-Day commemoration ceremonies in France.

Despite the outreach to Putin, Poroshenko said he will not accept Russia's annexation of Crimea. "Crimea was, is and will be Ukrainian. There will be no trade-off," Poroshenko said. Russia annexed the territory in March after its troops took control of the Black Sea peninsula and Crimea held a secession referendum that Kiev and Western countries regard as illegitimate.

Putin has denied allegations by Kiev and the West that Russia has fomented the rebellion in the east, and he insisted Friday that Poroshenko needs to speak directly to representatives from the east.

Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

Ukraine military launches offensive against rebels

June 03, 2014

SLOVYANSK, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian troops on Tuesday launched an offensive against pro-Russian insurgents in the eastern city of Slovyansk and advanced through the city's outskirts, the nation's interior minister said.

Arsen Avakov said that government troops broke through rebel positions around the village of Semenovka on the eastern fringe of Slovyansk. "An active offensive stage of the counterterrorist operation is underway in Slovyansk," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Local residents said that several Ukrainian combat jets and helicopter gunships attacked rebel positions on the eastern outskirts of Slovyansk, and heavy artillery barrages have continued throughout the day.

An AP journalist heard sustained gun and artillery fire and saw plumes of black smoke rising over the city. Ukrainian combat jets could be seen flying over the city. Avakov warned residents in Slovyansk and the nearby cities of Kramatorsk and Krasny Liman to stay at home.

A Ukrainian military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media, said one serviceman was killed and 13 others were wounded when their vehicle came under rebel fire near Slovyansk.

The Interfax news agency quoted Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the leader of insurgents in Slovyansk, as saying that his men downed a Ukrainian jet and a helicopter gunship. The information, which was denied by the Ukrainian military, couldn't be independently confirmed.

Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly announced an escalation in armed operations, only to eventually back down. Government forces have in recent days been noticeably reinforced to the north of Slovyansk, however, and deployment of air power over the past week has signaled increased determination.

Slovyansk, which sits on a strategic highway, has seen daily fighting between government forces and the rebels, who have seized government buildings and set up checkpoints around the eastern provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk that form Ukraine's industrial heartland.

The fighting has escalated following the May 25 presidential election won by billionaire candy magnate Petro Poroshenko, with rebels launching an attack on Donetsk airport and shooting down a government helicopter over Slovyansk.

On Monday, hundreds of rebels armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades mounted a daylong siege of a border guards base on the outskirts of Luhansk that coordinates the protection of Ukraine's border with Russia. Border guards said they killed at least five rebels in repelling the attack.

Rebels in Luhansk said that eight people were killed and another 28 were wounded Monday when a Ukrainian jet fired rockets at the regional administration building that the insurgents had turned into their headquarters.

The Ukrainian military denied launching the attack and said that the building was hit by a rebel rocket that misfired, but an observer mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Tuesday that the building was hit by an air raid.

Ukraine's acting chief prosecutor, Oleh Makhnitskiy, said Tuesday that 181 people, including 59 Ukrainian servicemen, have been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine and another 293 have been wounded. With the insurgents controlling several cities in the east, the death toll released by Makhnitskyi is likely to be incomplete.

Efrem Lukatsky near Izyum, Ukraine contributed to this report.

Rebel says 30 insurgents killed in eastern Ukraine

May 27, 2014

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — At least 30 bodies of killed fighters have been brought to a hospital following a day of heavy fighting in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, in which government forces used combat jets against pro-Russia rebels, an insurgent said Tuesday.

The rebel fighter, who wouldn't give his name because of security concerns, said outside the hospital in Donetsk that 30 bodies of his fellow insurgents were delivered there. He said the truck carrying the bodies was still parked outside the hospital, waiting for explosives experts to check it for any unexploded ordnance.

Donetsk, a city of 1 million, was engulfed by heavy fighting Monday when rebels moved to seize the airport, Ukraine's second largest, and were repelled by government forces using combat jets and helicopter gunships. Associated Press journalists witnessed sustained intensive gun fire throughout the day and into the night. Plumes of black smoke rose in the air.

The battles came just as billionaire candy magnate Petro Poroshenko claimed victory in Sunday's presidential vote. Poroshenko, who is yet to be sworn in, has vowed to negotiate a peaceful end to an insurgency in the east, where rebels have seized government offices and fought Ukrainian troops for more than a month.

Officials closed Donetsk airport and police shut nearby streets for traffic amid the fighting. The city mayor went on television advising residents to stay at home. Early Tuesday, a group of unidentified men stormed Donetsk's main ice-hockey arena, which was to host the 2015 world championships and set it ablaze, according to the mayor's office.

In the neighboring Luhansk region, the Ukrainian Border Guards Service said that its officers engaged in a gunbattle with a group of gunmen who were trying to break through the border from Russia. It said one intruder was wounded and the border guards seized several vehicles loaded with Kalashnikov assault rifles, rocket grenade launchers and explosives.

The interim government has pledged to press ahead with the operation against insurgents, which has angered local residents, many of whom see the authorities in Kiev as nationalists bent on repressing Russian speakers in the east.

Speaking at a televised government session on Tuesday, Vitaly Yarema, a deputy prime minister in the interim cabinet said the "anti-terrorist operation" in eastern Ukraine will go on "until all the militants are annihilated."

Poroshenko has described the separatists as "Somali pirates," saying that arms should be used against "killers and terrorists," but he also indicated that he wants a quick end to the military operation in the east.

"The anti-terrorist operation cannot and should not last two or three months," he said Monday. "It should and will last hours." Poroshenko, known for his pragmatism, supports building strong ties with Europe but also has stressed the importance of mending relations with Moscow. Upon claiming victory, he said his first step as president would be to visit the east.

He said he hoped Russia would support his efforts to bring stability and that he wanted to hold talks with Moscow. Russia welcomed his intention to engage in talks with people in the east and said it would be ready to work with Poroshenko.

Moscow has denied accusations by the Ukrainian interim government and the West that it has fomented the insurgency in the east. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stonewalled the insurgents' appeal to join Russia and welcomed the Ukrainian presidential election in an apparent bid to de-escalate tensions with the West, which has plunged to a post-Cold War low after Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that Moscow was ready for direct talks with Poroshenko and doesn't want the United States and the European Union as mediators. But Ukraine's acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that Ukraine has no intention to talk to Russia directly. "Regarding the negotiations with the Russian Federation, the government's stance is unchanged: bilateral talks without the presence of the United States and the European Union do not seem possible under current conditions," he said.

Russia has kept pushing for Ukraine to decentralize its government, which would give more power to regions, including those in the east, and wants Kiev to withdraw its troops from the area. __ Nataliya Vasilyeva in Kiev, Ukraine contributed to this report.

Early returns show Poroshenko winning Ukraine vote

May 26, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Exit polls and early returns Monday suggested candy tycoon Petro Poroshenko was elected president of Ukraine in the first round of balloting. In taking on the leadership of the bitterly divided country, he vowed to "put an end to war, chaos, crime, and bring peace to the Ukrainian land."

The 48-year-old billionaire who supports strong ties with Europe but also wants to mend relations with Russia claimed victory after Sunday's vote, which took place amid weeks of fighting in eastern Ukraine where pro-Moscow separatists have seized government buildings and battled government troops.

The rebels had vowed to block the ballot in the east, and less than 20 percent of the polling stations were open there after gunmen intimidated local residents by smashing ballot boxes, shutting down polling centers and issuing threats.

But nationwide, about 60 percent of 35.5 million eligible voters turned out, the central elections commission said, and long lines snaked around polling stations in the capital, Kiev. With votes from about 30 percent of precincts counted early Monday, Poroshenko was leading with 54 percent in the field of 21 candidates. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko was running a distant second with 13 percent.

Both results were in line with exit polls, which showed Poroshenko with nearly 56 percent and Tymoshenko with 13 percent. If that margin holds, Poroshenko would avoid a runoff election next month with the second-place finisher.

Viewing the exit polls as definitive evidence of victory, Poroshenko said his first steps as president would be to visit the Donbass eastern industrial region, home to Ukraine's coal mines. He also promised a dialogue with residents of eastern Ukraine and said he was ready to extend amnesty to those who did not commit any crimes.

Ukraine holds presidential vote; rebels reject it

May 25, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Long lines snaked around polling stations in Kiev on Sunday for Ukraine's crucial presidential election — a stark contrast to the country's troubled east, where heavily armed pro-Russia rebels intimidated voters by smashing ballot boxes and blocking off voting centers.

Sunday's ballot is taking place despite weeks of fighting in the sprawling eastern regions that form Ukraine's industrial heartland, where pro-Russia insurgents have seized government buildings, battled government troops and vowed to disrupt the ballot.

The election, which authorities in Kiev hope will unify the divided nation, came three months after the country's pro-Russia leader fled, chased from power by months of protests over corruption and his decision to reject a pact with the European Union and forge closer ties with Moscow.

Yet the question of who was able to vote Sunday loomed large over the democratic process. Some 35.5 million Ukrainians were eligible to vote, but separatists in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions — which have 5.1 million voters — have vowed to stop the vote.

Military operations had eased for the day, but an AP reporter heard heavy gunfire in the afternoon in the Luhansk region town of Novoaidar. Little voting was taking place in the east. The regional administration in Donetsk said only 426 of 2,430 polling stations in the region were open Sunday, and none in the city of Donetsk, which has 1 million people. There was no voting in the city of Luhansk either, but some stations appeared to be open in the wider Luhansk region, according to local officials.

Twenty-one candidates are running for president but polls have shown 48-year-old billionaire candy-maker Petro Poroshenko far ahead of the others. If no one gets an absolute majority, a runoff is expected on June 15.

"I am convinced that this election must finally bring peace to Ukraine, stop lawlessness, stop chaos, stop bandit terror in the east," Poroshenko said after casting his ballot in Kiev, where many people wore traditional embroidered shirts in a sign of Ukrainian patriotism.

"People with weapons must be removed from Ukrainian streets, Ukrainian villages and cities," Poroshenko said. Russian President Vladimir Putin promised Friday to "respect the choice of the Ukrainian people" and said he would work with the winner, in an apparent bid to ease Russia's worst crisis with the West since the Cold War and avoid a new round of Western sanctions.

Many voters appreciate Poroshenko's pragmatism and his apparent knack for compromise, making him stand out in a political environment long dominated by intransigent figures. Poroshenko strongly backs closer ties with the 28-nation EU, but also speaks about the need to normalize ties with Russia.

"He is a very smart man who can work hard compared to others, and he is also a businessman and knows that compromises are necessary even if unpleasant," said 55-year old Kiev teacher Larisa Kirichenko, who also voiced hope that Poroshenko will negotiate a peaceful solution to the problems in the east.

Overall, about 40 percent of the nation's eligible voters cast their ballot by 3 p.m., the Ukrainian Election Commission said. Poroshenko's nearest challenger is Yulia Tymoshenko, the charismatic and divisive former prime minister. The 53-year-old blond-braided heroine of the 2004 Orange Revolution, who spent 2 1/2 years in prison on abuse of office charges denounced as political by the West, is still admired by many for her energy, but detested by others over her role in the political infighting that weakened the country.

Tymoshenko said after casting her ballot that Ukraine must join the EU and NATO — moves that would be sure to anger neighboring Russia. "I am convinced that Ukraine can be strong, happy and prosperous if it becomes a member of the European Union," she said. "It is time to conduct a referendum on NATO membership in order to bring peace back to the country."

Vladislav Golub, a 31-year old lawyer, said he voted for Tymoshenko because "Ukraine must stop being an oligarchic state and be part of Europe, instead of serving the interests of the Russian Federation."

The interim Kiev government and the West have accused Russia of backing the separatist uprising. Moscow has denied the accusations but annexed Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea after a separatist vote there.

Ukraine and the rest of the world have not accepted Moscow's annexation of Crimea, so residents there who wanted to vote Sunday were allowed to travel to other areas in Ukraine. It was not clear how many were doing so.

Ukrainian election officials said they have received as little as 26 percent of the election registers for the Donetsk region and 16 percent for the Luhansk region. Ukraine's deputy interior minister, Serhiy Yarovyi, said police could only ensure security at polling stations in just nine of the 34 electoral districts in the east.

There were plenty of disruptions Sunday in Donetsk. A convoy of an armored personnel carrier and seven trucks carrying several hundred heavily armed men drove through central Donetsk early Sunday. The gunmen got out of the trucks, stood to attention and shot into the air in jubilation as several thousand supporters cheered them and chanted: "Heroes!"

A team of insurgents visited polling stations Sunday in Donetsk to make sure they were closed. At one station, Vyacheslav Kucher, 36, tested the front door and gave a thumbs-up sign after finding it locked.

"I am checking to see everything is normal, to see that there is no nonsense, so this junta doesn't come to power," Kucher said. Outside the Donetsk administration building, which has been occupied by rebels since early April, a group of masked men drove up carrying confiscated ballot boxes and made a show of smashing them in front of news cameras.

One polling station in Donetsk opened but minutes later a group of gunmen arrived and forced the election commission out, its chief, Nadia Melnyk, told Ukraine's Channel 5. Gunmen also stormed the Donetsk region village council in Artemivka that was hosting a polling station and set it ablaze, the Ukrainian Interior Ministry said.

Yet some parts of the Donetsk region remain under greater government control so voting could take place. In the Azov Sea port of Mariupol, 202 out of the city's 216 polling stations were working. Just over a week ago, Rinat Akhmetov, the billionaire metals tycoon who is Ukraine's richest man, had workers from his factories in Mariupol join police to patrol the city and evict the pro-Russia insurgents from the government buildings they had seized.

"I want order in this country. We can't continue without a president. We need order," voter Gennadiy Menshykov said in Mariupol. In the town of Krasnoarmeisk, in the western Donetsk region, a trickle of people came out to cast their ballots.

Ivan Sukhostatov, 37, said he had voted for peace. "We came to show that this whole situation is contrived," he said. "One side are called terrorists, the others get called fascists. But we have no differences between us. We have one faith, we speak one language. We just want there to be peace."

Leonard reported from Donetsk, Ukraine. Nebi Qena in Novoaidar, Alexander Zemlianichenko in Slovyansk, Dmitry Kozlov in Mariupol, Ed Brown in Krasnoarmeisk and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Kiev contributed to this report.

A long line signals hope in a Ukraine neighborhood

May 25, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The line for the voting booths, a half-dozen flimsy plywood enclosures draped with blue curtains, stretched down the main hallway of Educational Institution No. 323. It went past the election officers sitting beneath paintings of talking rabbits and blond princesses. It turned the corner into the lobby, with the photographs celebrating school plays and Christmas parties, and then out the door and onto the courtyard steps.

By noon, there were 150 or so people in line. The wait was about an hour. But to the people in this crowded, middle-class neighborhood on the fringes of Kiev, that hour-long wait was a sign of hope. "It's a good sign that the lines are long," said Yelena Dneprovaya, a former civil servant who hasn't worked for a year. "This means people are motivated, that people believe in change."

"I can't call this (election) a victory, but there's some good to it," she continued, sweeping a tuft of her reddish-blond hair behind an ear. "The victory will happen when we are confident in our tomorrow."

Few people are confident about tomorrow in Ukraine. Particularly in the east, where support for Russia runs deep, many Ukrainians see the interim government as a junta that took power from a democratically elected president, albeit one who had grown deeply unpopular in much of the country. In some eastern cities, pro-Russian militias destroyed voting materials and frightened away election workers, ensuring there would be no election at all in places. Pessimists worry that Ukraine's many divisions — ethnic, linguistic, cultural — could eventually lead to a Yugoslavia-style civil war.

Even in Kiev, where support was widespread for the winter protests that eventually sent President Viktor Yanukovych fleeing into exile in Russia, talk of hope is always undercut by resignation and cynicism. They've seen too many governments drown in corruption and infighting, too many hero politicians who turned out to be ineffectual.

"Look at what is happening now in the east," said Lena Pushakova, her pink flip-flops flapping on the sidewalk as she made her way to the school to vote, past clusters of concrete apartment towers where paint flakes off in fist-sized blisters.

"But I still have hope in spite of that that something will change," she said, recalling the protests that she took part in. "I expect the new politicians will remember what happened." "This is just the beginning," she said of the elections. "What do you expect?"

The neighborhood is called Pozniaki. It's about 10 miles (15 kilometers) or a $5 taxi ride across the Dnipro River from Kiev's Independence Square, which was home to months of protests calling for closer ties to the European Union and an end to Yanukovych.

In Pozniaki, there are few signs of politics. The inexpensive neighborhood, where a one-bedroom apartment rents for less than $350 a month, is full of young families, and there were times Sunday when it seemed half the women at the polling station were pregnant.

Across the river in Independence Square, graffiti call for democracy, or the ouster of Yanukovych, or show the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin with a Hitler mustache. Here, they offer English lessons, baby massages and taekwondo classes. Someone with a summer camp for children in first through third grade has scrawled their phone number on the sidewalk next to a bus station. There are a couple of political billboards — "Come to the Elections! Don't Lose Your Country" one urges — but they are vastly outnumbered by banks offering free gifts to the first customers and travel agencies selling cheap beach holidays.

Polling puts billionaire candy magnate Petro Poroshenko far in the lead of the nearly two dozen candidates for president, though unless he captures more than half the votes a runoff election will be held on June 15.

Poroshenko has plenty of support in Pozniaki. People here like the fact that he is already rich, and so perhaps would not be as greedy as his predecessors. But Henadiy Musyt disagreed, worrying that Poroshenko would put his personal business interests first. He supports Yulia Tymoshenko, the heroine of the 2004 protests and former prime minister who spent 2 ½ years in prison.

Musyt, who lost his job as a printer three years ago and has been unable to find work since, said he joined in the Kiev protests, though he never really believed they would change much. On Sunday, he was still a confusing mixture of optimism and pessimism.

"I don't expect any good to come of this," he said after casting his vote. But he said he had to do something: "I just didn't want thieves to run the country anymore."

Ukraine presidential vote hopes to restore order

May 25, 2014

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainians are casting ballots Sunday in a presidential election seen as essential for stabilizing the country rocked by a deadly uprising in the east, where pro-Russia rebels have vowed to block the ballot.

The vote is held three months after the ouster of the country's pro-Russia leader, who was chased from power by months of protests triggered by his decision to reject an association agreement with the European Union and keep close ties with Moscow.

Polls have shown billionaire candy-maker Petro Poroshenko far ahead of 20 other candidates, but short of the absolute majority needed to win in the first round, so a runoff set for June 15 is expected. Poroshenko's nearest challenger is Yulia Tymoshenko, the divisive former prime minister who is far behind.

Vera Potemkina, 65, a retired university professor in Kiev, said she cast her ballot for Poroshenko because she hopes he will steer Ukraine out of Russia's orbit and closer to the West. "We are part of Europe, we do not need Asia," she said.

Another Kiev resident, 83-year old Mykhailo Matsko, said he also voted for Poroshenko. "Even though he is an oligarch, I still voted for him because the country must be united in such a difficult time and have a strong leadership."

Sunday's ballot is taking place despite deadly fighting in the east, where pro-Russia insurgents have seized government buildings and are clashing with government forces. The rebels, who have declared two sprawling regions of Donetsk and Luhansk independent, have said they wouldn't allow the vote, which they described as an election in "a neighboring country."

Ukraine's deputy interior minister, Serhiy Yarovyi, said Saturday that police are ready to ensure order and security at polling stations in just nine of the 34 electoral districts in the east. The interim Kiev government and the West are accusing Russia of backing the uprising after it annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March. Moscow has denied the accusations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said the Kremlin would "respect the choice of the Ukrainian people" and would be ready to work with the winner, in an apparent bid to ease the worst crisis in relations with the West since the Cold War and avoid a new round of Western sanctions.

Ukraine's acting prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, said in a televised address late Friday that the election will be the first step to stabilize the situation in the east. "I would like to assure all my compatriots in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions who will be prevented from going to the polling stations by the war waged on Ukraine: The criminals don't have much time left to terrorize our land," Yatsenyuk said.

Chocolate king tipped as Ukraine's next president

May 22, 2014

UMAN, Ukraine (AP) — In Ukraine's superheated political scene, presidential front-runner Petro Poroshenko cuts a notably cool figure.

The soft-spoken candy tycoon has a pragmatic bent and a penchant for compromise — which may be an asset for Ukraine as it tries to cool tensions with Russia while cultivating closer ties with the European Union.

Since independence in 1991, Ukraine's politics has been dominated by figures holding dogmatic positions even to the point of self-destruction. Poroshenko, in contrast, gets criticized for lacking any obvious ideology, making him an enigma at a time when Ukraine is struggling to find a clear direction.

But as Ukraine struggles through a complex and frequently violent crisis, voters seem to think a flexible man is what the country needs right now. Opinion polls show the 48-year-old Poroshenko far ahead of the other 20 candidates in Sunday's presidential election. His 35 percent support is not enough to win the first round outright, but the same polls indicate he'd win the runoff three weeks later.

The presidential election is a critical step for Ukraine. Russia, which the West alleges is fomenting the unrest in eastern Ukraine, claims the acting government is a junta. A credible election would bring a level of legitimacy to Ukraine's government and undermine Moscow's argument that it needs to intervene in the country's affairs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has cautiously endorsed the election, describing it as a "step in the right direction." Moscow, however, stopped short of endorsing any candidate and made it clear that it does not support anyone in particular, because it views the ouster of Russia-friendly president Viktor Yanukovych as illegitimate.

Poroshenko is a staunch EU supporter but says it's important to mend ties with Russia quickly. Relations with Moscow should be equal and should not undermine Ukrainians' desire for closer ties with the European Union, he says.

"We must build a relationship with our neighbor, Russia, in a way that they would first of all ensure the security of Ukrainian citizens," he said on a campaign trail earlier this week. But "in order to speak with Russia as equals, we have to build a strong state."

Facing criticism for his stint in Yanukovych's government as economics minister in 2012, Poroshenko told the Ukrainian Korrespondent magazine last year that he was ready to "put his reputation at risk" in preparing the ground for a trade deal with the European Union.

Above all, it's Poroshenko's levelheadedness — after years of an almost soap opera-like atmosphere in Ukrainian politics — that seems to inspire hope in Ukraine. "Poroshenko is a rational man and a realist who prefers negotiations to hostilities," said analyst Vadim Karasyov. "Poroshenko is an industrialist; he's not a man of ideology."

Once elected, Karasyov says, he will be talking to the Kremlin and to Ukraine's richest men, Rinat Akhmetov and Ihor Kolomoisky, in an effort to defuse the tensions and put an end to violence in the east.

Unlike many other Ukrainian billionaires, Poroshenko did not make his fortune in murky post-Soviet privatizations, but instead was seen to have built his chocolate empire brick by brick. His kingdom is not the coal mines with underpaid workers and poor safety standards, but Willy Wonka-like chocolate stores and candies on sale in every kiosk across the country. As a result, Poroshenko is largely perceived as the "good tycoon."

Poroshenko, estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth $1.6 billion, wasn't a leader of the massive protests that precipitated President Yanukovych's ouster in February. Still he was the first of Ukraine's tycoons to publicly support the demonstrations and has remained a prominent figure since then, as Ukraine has helplessly watched Crimea split off and join Russia, followed by pro-Russia insurgents seizing government buildings in the east and declaring independence.

Some see Poroshenko as a protean political survivor, others as an opportunist without loyalty to anyone but himself. Poroshenko, who comes from the south of Ukraine, evenly divided between Ukrainian and Russian speakers, began his career in politics in 1998 as a lawmaker in a Russian-friendly party. In 2001, he was one of the founders of the Party of Regions, the political power behind Yanukovych.

Yet he soon parted ways with that party to throw his support behind the 2004 Orange Revolution that brought Yanukovych's arch-rival Viktor Yushchenko to power. He served as Yushchenko's head of the national security council, but stepped down within months amid allegations of corruption and after consistent feuding with Yulia Tymoshenko, then prime minister.

Tymoshenko, who lost the last presidential election to Yanukovych, is Poroshenko's closest challenger in Sunday's vote, attracting about 6 percent support. Poroshenko later returned to government as foreign minister. And after Yanukovych became president, ousting the Orange Revolution team, Poroshenko served as economics minister for a few months in 2012.

Voters "see in him what they want to see," said Karasyov, noting how Poroshenko's line-crossing abilities appear to bolster his support. Some Ukrainians admit they will be voting for him even though their hearts are elsewhere.

"I'm going to vote for him because he's the only electable candidate in this election," said 39-year-old businessman Yuri Asesorov. "It's a technical choice because I would like to see other faces without a past in Ukrainian politics. But I'm going to vote for Poroshenko, for the future of Ukraine."

If he does not inspire the devotion enjoyed by Tymoshenko and Yanukovych, whose rallies routinely featured weeping women, that may be a sign that Ukraine's voters are maturing, said commentator Vitaly Portnikov.

"The majority of citizens are not expecting the new president to come and change everything, which means that there are more and more people among us who are ready to take on the responsibility for their lives and their country," he wrote in the magazine Focus.

Poroshenko has been known as a dealmaker open to compromise. In March, he scored a major victory by forging an alliance with former boxing champion Vitali Klitschko who had been viewed as the strongest contender for the presidency. Klitschko endorsed Poroshenko as a presidential candidate while Poroshenko promised him support in the Kiev mayor campaign.

Although he allied himself with Ukraine's pro-West demonstrations, Poroshenko has spoken against holding a vote on whether Ukraine should seek NATO membership. After Russia occupied Crimea ahead of the March secession referendum, pro-NATO sentiment spiked in much of Ukraine, but many in the eastern regions oppose it.

Like most other candidates, Poroshenko promises a wide devolution of powers that will allow regions to manage revenues, taxes as well as other issues on their own. Poroshenko says Ukraine should move fast to improve its investment climate and attract investors, which he sees as key to the country's well-being.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Uman, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Kiev, Poroshenko stressed the importance and even urgency of a first-round win — which remains a possibility given a last-minute surge in support for him.

"We need to unite in order to win as early as in the first round," Poroshenko told hundreds of supporters. "A victory on May 25 will be our common victory. This means, on May 26 there will be a commander-in-chief, success in the operation in the east, an end to chaos."

Volodymyr Melnichiuk, a 79-year-old pensioner, says he will be voting for Poroshenko because he seems to care about thousands of the workers he employs. "He invested his time and health to make his fortune," he said. "He's a real master; he's not an evil person."