Turkey imprisons lawmaker for 25 years for revealing secrets

June 14, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — A Turkish court on Wednesday sentenced a prominent opposition lawmaker to 25 years in prison on espionage charges, prompting an outcry from his party. Enis Berberoglu, a 61-year-old former journalist and a member of the pro-secular Republican People's Party, or CHP, was convicted of revealing state secrets, Turkey's official Anadolu news agency said.

The case stems from a May 2015 report in the Cumhuriyet newspaper suggesting Turkey's intelligence service had smuggled weapons to Islamist rebels in Syria a year earlier — which the government denied. Berberoglu was accused of giving journalists images used in the report.

He faced a life sentence but the court reduced it for "good behavior." Berberoglu said justice had been "slaughtered" as he was led out of the court following the verdict. "I know you won't forget me and I won't forget you," he told reporters.

His lawyer said the verdict would be appealed. Can Dundar, Cumhuriyet's then editor-in-chief who is now abroad, and its Ankara representative, Erdem Gul, are also on trial on similar charges. Separately, the three are being tried for "aiding a terror organization without being members," referring to the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen who Turkey claims orchestrated last summer's bloody coup. Gulen has denied the claims.

CHP lawmakers left parliament to protest the verdict Wednesday. "Can there be a country with no justice, can there be a state with no justice?" party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu asked. "They are putting dynamite to the foundations of the state."

He said he would begin a protest in Ankara on Thursday and also organize a march to the Istanbul prison where Berberoglu has been incarcerated. Earlier this year, the Istanbul court said the leaked images — also blamed on Gulen — aimed to manipulate international opinion and "have Turkey put on trial as a country supporting terror," Anadolu said.

Cumhuriyet said the images were from 2014 and showed local authorities searching Syria-bound trucks carrying mortar rounds and getting into a standoff with Turkish intelligence officials. Turkish leaders denied supporting Islamic rebels and said the trucks contained aid to Turkmens in Syria.

Last year Berberoglu told Turkish media that Cumhuriyet's story was accurate but would not confirm he was the source of the images. CHP leader Kilicdaroglu tweeted, "In this country, the punishment for covering the news of a truck filled with weapons heading to terror groups is 25 years in prison but illegal arm shipments are allowed!"

Berberoglu is the first CHP legislator to be imprisoned since a constitutional amendment stripped parliamentary immunities last year. A dozen pro-Kurdish lawmakers are already in prison for allegedly supporting terror and more than 50,000 people have been arrested for purported links to Gulen.

Separately, Cumhuriyet's online editor Oguz Guven was released from prison pending trial after his arrest last month for allegedly spreading "terror propaganda" for Gulen.

Turkey says Kurds' referendum plan is 'grave mistake'

2017-06-09

ANKARA - Turkey on Friday warned that a decision by Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to hold an independence referendum would be a "grave mistake."

Iraq's Kurdish region, with which Turkey has forged close trade ties, announced this week that it would vote on whether to split from the rest of Iraq and form an independent region.

"We believe that the announcement by the (Iraqi Kurdish region) to hold an independence referendum on September 25 ... will constitute a grave mistake," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Kurds are touted as the world's largest stateless people after being denied their own country in the wake of World War I and they are spread between Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.

Turkey has a large Kurdish minority with which the government has been engaged in a multi-decade armed conflict, and Ankara fears that Iraqi Kurdish independence could fuel increased calls for a similar move within its territory.

Ankara had in the past shared worries over the independence plan of Iraqi Kurds, saying it would not be beneficial for Iraq and would cause further instability, the ministry said.

"To preserve Iraq's territorial integrity and political unity is one of Turkey's fundamental Iraq policies," it said.

Ankara also said the major issue faced by Iraq was the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group and to rebuild the country after the offensive, which appeared to be reaching a conclusion soon.

The solidarity shown in the fight against IS "should be pursued in the post-Daesh period and the issues that concern the future of the country should be tackled with international and constitutional legitimacy," the foreign ministry said, using the Arabic name for IS.

"It is clear that under those extraordinary conditions, a referendum on regions whose status are disputed will be far from reflecting the people's will."

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=83461.

Turkey's ruling party elects President Erdogan as leader

May 21, 2017

ISTANBUL (AP) — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned as leader of Turkey's ruling party Sunday, pushing back criticism that his tenure has curtailed freedoms and polarized the country as he vowed to serve the nation and combat terror.

The Justice and Development Party, or AK Party, re-elected Erdogan, its co-founder, at a congress where he was the only candidate for chairman. A narrow victory in a referendum last month to expand the powers of the Turkish presidency allows him to be both the head of state and of a political party.

Speaking to tens of thousands of people in Ankara, Erdogan said he was back after "998 days of separation" from the party and outlined a vision for its immediate future and elections scheduled for November 2019 with new executive and grassroots teams.

"This congress is the AK Party's rebirth," he said before the vote. "AK Party is not just its voters' party, it's the party for all of our 80 million citizens." Elected with 1,414 votes, Erdogan set the party's course for what he called a "new era" of reforms.

"The upcoming months will be a period of soaring in all areas, including combatting terror, the economy, expanding rights and freedoms and investments," the president said. Erdogan was forced to cut his formal ties to the party when he became the country's first directly elected president in 2014. Last month's referendum eliminated a constitutional requirement mandating that presidents be neutral and cut ties with their political parties.

Critics say the referendum transforming Turkey's parliamentary governing system to an executive presidency was marred by allegations of election fraud. The vote took place under a state of emergency imposed in the wake of last year's failed coup.

Erdogan defended the state of emergency and said it would remain in place "until the situation reaches peace and welfare." He said it had not affected civil rights. Turkey blames the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen for the July 15 coup attempt that left nearly 270 dead— a charge Gulen has denied.

Under the state of emergency, more than 47,000 people have been arrested and 100,000 dismissed from public service for alleged connections to the cleric and groups Turkey deems terror organizations. A dozen lawmakers from the pro-Kurdish opposition party, including its co-presidents, are behind bars along with some 160 journalists.

Calling the purge necessary for the country's survival, Erdogan said, "Nothing in Turkey will be like what it was before July 15. A new era has begun in combatting terror organizations inside and outside our country's borders."

Hours before the congress convened, 2 suspected Islamic State militants were killed in an Ankara police operation. Police said they recovered weapons and explosives. Turkey's state-run news agency said the men were believed to be planning an attack in the capital.

The operation follows a string of attacks blamed on the Islamic State group, which led to Turkey's cross-border operation into northern Syria to combat both IS and U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish militants.

Erdogan's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump last week resolved little of the discord over his administration's decision to more heavily arm Syrian Kurdish militants as part of the fight against IS.

Turkey considers the considers the People's Protection Units, or YPG, in Syria a terror organization and an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade-long insurgency against the Turkish state and is blamed for multiple deadly bombings since 2015.

Erdogan has said he would retaliate if the YPG posed a security threat, signaling more cross-border operations. "Those who use terror organizations to keep us in line will soon recognize their mistakes," he said. "We would be glad to solve our problems with our friends and our allies. But if that option is no longer there, we cannot sit with our hands tied."

Erdogan also criticized Turkey's European allies, saying, "We do not have to tolerate the European Union's two-faced attitude." Erdogan called on the EU to grant visa-free travel to Turkish citizens, give promised aid for migrants hosted in Turkey and to speed up Turkey's accession bid in return for the country's work in curtailing the flood of migrants to Europe.

"Despite everything, our choice is still to continue with the EU," he said. "The decision here belongs to the EU."

Wrecks, sunken treasures lie under Albania's coastal waters

August 02, 2017

SARANDA, Albania (AP) — Descending beneath the waves, the cloudy first few meters quickly give way to clear waters and an astonishing sight — dozens, perhaps hundreds, of tightly packed ancient vases lie on the seabed, testament to some long-forgotten trader's unfortunate voyage more than 1,600 years ago.

A short boat ride away, the hulking frame of an Italian World War II ship appears through the gloom, soldiers' personal items still scattered in the interior, its encrusted railings and propeller now home to growing colonies of fish and sponges.

Off the rugged shores of Albania, one of the world's least explored underwater coastlines, lies a wealth of treasures: ancient amphorae — long, narrow terracotta vessels — that carried olive oil and wine along trade routes between north Africa and the Roman Empire, wrecks with hidden tales of heroism and treachery from two world wars, and spectacular rock formations and marine life.

"From what I've seen so far, you can't swim more than a few meters without finding something that's amazing, whether it's on the cultural history side or the natural history side, here in Albania," said Derek Smith, a coastal and maritime ecologist and research associate who has been working with the non-profit RPM Nautical Foundation to explore the Albanian coastline for the past decade.

Now Albania's National Coastline Agency is examining how best to study and protect its sunken attractions while opening them up to visitors in a nation that is virgin territory for the lucrative scuba diving industry.

"The idea of presenting the Albanian underwater heritage is a new idea for the country, because so far there is very little known about the rich history of the Albanian coastline, and in particular the shipwrecks," said agency head Auron Tare, who has been involved for the past 12 years with RPM Nautical Foundation's underwater research. "I believe the time has come now that we should present to the world the wealth of this heritage that we have in our waters."

Once more isolated than even North Korea, Albania has gradually opened up to international tourism and shrugged off its former image as a hermit state that briefly turned into lawless bandit territory in the late 1990s. But coastal land development has been burgeoning in an often anarchic fashion, and there are fears the more accessible wrecks could be plundered unless adequate protections are put into place.

Legislation is expected to be passed soon to protect the country's underwater heritage while also granting some access to visitors. Neighboring Greece, to Albania's south, has struggled with balancing tourism with protecting its ancient artefacts. Greece was so fearful of losing its underwater antiquities it banned diving outright in all but a handful of places. Even today, diving is forbidden on any wreck — ship or plane — built more than 50 years ago, regardless of when it sank.

Albania is going for a more balanced approach. "I'd say that in the near future the ancient wrecks should be open to scholars and research," said Tare, who noted the country has also lost some of its underwater heritage to plundering in the last 20 years. "Where(as) some of the modern wrecks which do not have much to lose in the sense of looting might be opened up to the dive industry."

He estimated that with access to the more modern wrecks from WWI or WWII, diving could pick up in Albania in the next five years. The RPM Nautical Foundation, in cooperation with the coastal agency, has mapped out the seabed along about a third of the Albanian coastline, from Saranda near the Greek border to Vlora. Using a combination of divers and high-tech equipment including sonar and a remotely operated underwater vehicle, or ROV, its research vessel has discovered nearly 40 shipwrecks.

"So far RPM has documented from about 3rd and 4th century BC through to World War I and World War II contemporary shipwrecks," said Smith. "So we've got quite a big range of maybe 2,500 years, 2,300 years' worth of cultural resources here on the Albanian coastline that have really largely been unexplored."

One of them is the tightly-packed amphora pile near the shore. Known as the Joni wreck, it was a merchant vessel estimated to have had about four crew members and a cargo of mainly of north African amphorae.

The fact that the pottery was north African "is really important because it shows the trade connections between the Adriatic and the north African coast," said underwater archaeologist Mateusz Polakowski, who has been working with RPM.

Small fish peer out from the necks of the jugs, which the passage of time has concreted into the seabed. The site hasn't been excavated and archaeologists believe several more layers of amphorae, as well as the wooden hull of the ship, might still lie intact beneath the seabed.

"A lot of these wrecks are very important as national heritage treasures," said Polakowski. "Just as much as the biology of it is, just as important as the reefs and the fish populations are, I think these shipwrecks not only become artificial reefs, but they also instill a sense of cultural identity, cultural heritage."

Albania sits at a strategic point at the entrance of the Adriatic Sea and along ancient trade routes from Italy to the Balkan peninsula, Polakowski said. Much more remains to be explored. "They have about 200 miles of coastline here," said Smith, the maritime ecologist. "Even though we feel like we've covered a tremendous amount of it ... there's always more to be discovered."

Albania Socialists win polls, can govern without partner

June 27, 2017

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania's left-wing Socialist Party has secured a second mandate in a general election, winning a majority of seats in parliament, nearly complete results showed Tuesday. The election is seen as a key benchmark to the country's bid to launch membership negotiations with the European Union.

The Central Election Commission said that with more than 95 percent of the ballots counted, the governing Socialists of Prime Minister Edi Rama had won about 48 percent of the votes, or 74 places in the 140-seat parliament.

The previous government was a coalition of the Socialists and the Socialist Movement for Integration, or LSI, often creating problems for Rama. The opposition Democratic party of Lulzim Basha won 29 percent, or 43 seats. The LSI is third with 19 seats.

Turnout in Sunday's election fell to 46.6 percent, 7 points lower than in 2013. International observers who monitored the polling hailed the generally calm campaign and voting, but also noted the continued political fight that has negative impacts on the country's democracy.

The U.S. embassy in Tirana said that the incidents "were not so widespread as to change the overall outcome of the elections." Federica Mogherini, EU's foreign policy chief, and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn urged the new Cabinet to continue the reform process.

"The continuation of the justice reform and the fight against drug trafficking and cultivation will be of particular importance in this respect," their statement said. The governing Socialists had agreed in May to give the opposition Democrats a greater role in oversight on election transparency.

The two parties also pledged to work together toward eventually joining the European Union. Rama had pledged that his new cabinet would work hard on a reform agenda to root out corruption and fight drug trafficking, achieve faster economic growth, improve pay and lower unemployment.

The nation of 2.9 million, a NATO member since 2009, received EU candidate status in 2014.

Albania's governing Socialists far ahead in early vote count

June 26, 2017

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Preliminary results show that Albania's left-wing Socialist Party appeared headed for a new governing mandate in crucial elections in the country's bid to launch membership negotiations with the European Union.

The Central Election Commission's preliminary results after counting one-third of the votes Monday morning show the Socialist party of Prime Minister Edi Rama winning almost half the votes compared to 28 percent of the opposition Democratic party of Lulzim Basha.

Election authorities said the partial count pointed to the Socialists winning at least 75 seats in the 140-member parliament. Turnout fell to 47 percent, or 6 points lower than in previous polls in 2013.

Holding a free and fair election is key to launching EU membership talks for the nation of 2.9 million, which is already a NATO member and that earned EU candidate status in 2014. Rama wrote on Monday in his Facebook page wishing Albanians "a beautiful day with this still-unfinished masterpiece of this country's common people," referring to the expected significant difference in winning results.

Basha spoke to reporters late Sunday evening thanking Albanians for voting "with a European dignity" in a religious day and under extreme hot temperature. The voting was extended by one hour due to low turnout that was attributed to religious festivities and temperatures that reached 39 degrees (102 Fahrenheit.)

Albania with a two-third Muslim majority celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Sunday, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. International observers are expected to hold a news conference with a preliminary statement in the afternoon.

Low turnout expected in Albanian election key to EU bid

June 25, 2017

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albanians voted in what was expected to be low numbers Sunday in a general election that was aimed at giving the country's two biggest political parties a chance to look past their bitter differences and work toward eventually joining the European Union.

The voting ended at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) after the Central Election Commission decided to extend voting by one hour due to low turnout that was attributed to religious festivities and hot temperatures that reached 39 degrees (102 Fahrenheit.)

The decision caused chaos in some places as more people waited in line to cast ballots. When the polls closed, the preliminary turnout from the 19 percent of stations reporting participation figures was 43.9 percent, compared to 53.5 percent four years ago. Preliminary election results are not expected until Monday.

Holding a free and fair election is key to launching EU membership talks for the nation of 2.9 million, which is already a NATO member. After earning EU candidate status in 2014, Tirana has struggled to pass important reforms vital for its bid to advance to EU — namely deeply reforming its corrupted justice system.

Eighteen political parties are running for 140 seats in parliament in Sunday's vote. The main contenders are Prime Minister Edi Rama's Socialist Party and the opposition Democratic Party led by Lulzim Basha.

An agreement reached in May ended the three-month parliamentary boycott by the Democrats, who claimed that voting was open to manipulation. The election date was delayed a week and Rama's Socialists promised greater oversight on election transparency.

All main parties campaigned on a reform agenda, pledging faster economic growth, pay hikes and lower unemployment, which stands at about 14 percent. Some 6,000 police officers were on duty for election security, while more 300 international observers came to monitor the vote.

"We expect a better Albania and leaders to work to do what they have pledged at the campaign," Zenel Caka, 47, said at a polling station in Tirana. Luan Rama of the Socialist Party for Motivation, the third main political party, said one member was injured following a quarrel and a shooting incident outside a polling station in Shengjin, 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of the capital, Tirana.

Police investigating the incident said they found a cartridge but no injured person was taken to the hospital. They said it did not disrupt the voting. The Interior Ministry also reported hundreds of attempts to buy votes, a crime that may result in a jail term.

Central Election Commission said partial turnout at a quarter of polling stations by 10 a.m. was 12.6 percent, almost the same as in the previous election. Albanians also celebrated Eid al-Fitr on Sunday, the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. In the early morning, thousands of Muslim believers said prayers at the recently-renovated Skanderbeg Square in Tirana.

All top leaders cast their ballots, congratulating Muslims on the holiday and urging citizens to vote. "Today, Albania needs God more than ever," Rama said. The western city of Kavaja was also holding a mayoral election.

Afghan police: Car bombing targets Iraq Embassy in Kabul

July 31, 2017

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A car bombing targeted the Iraqi Embassy in central Kabul on Monday, followed by gunfire, Afghan police officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The attack was still underway as witnesses reported hearing gunshots and several subsequent explosions in the area of the embassy. Details were sketchy as police cordoned off the area of the firefight.

Two police officials told The Associated Press that the car bomb exploded outside the embassy, followed by an attempt by gunmen to enter the building, which is located in the center of the Afghan capital. The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Interior Minister spokesman Najib Danish told the AP that the Iraqi diplomats were safe and had been rescued. He said it's believed three gunmen were involved in the attack. A police officer in the area, who identified himself only as Abdullah, said the gunfire was initially intense but was now sporadic. The area was surrounded by armored vehicles and a large contingent of police and Afghan soldiers.

More than an hour later, witnesses reported hearing another powerful explosion and saw black smoke billowing skyward. It wasn't immediately clear what had caused the last explosion. At least one eyewitness, a store owner who goes by the name of Hafizullah — many Afghans use only one name — said he saw the bodies of two policemen on the ground before armored personnel carriers and police arrived to cordon off the area.

"The explosion was so strong. I was so afraid," said Maryam, a woman crying near the site of the attack said. She said she works at the nearby office of Afghanistan's National Airline Ariana. The Iraq Embassy is located in a part of the city known as Shahr-e-Now, which lies outside the so-called "green zone" where most foreign embassies and diplomatic missions are located and which is heavily fortified with a phalanx of guards and giant cement blast walls.

By comparison, the Iraqi Embassy is located on a small street in a neighborhood dominated by markets and businesses. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, though both the Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate have previously carried out such attacks in Kabul.

After Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, recaptured the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group earlier in July, the Iraq Embassy had called reporters to its offices in Kabul to express concerns that the local IS affiliate might stage large-scale attacks elsewhere to draw away attention from the militant group's losses in Iraq.

Ex-war crimes prosecutor quits panel probing Syria abuses

August 07, 2017

GENEVA (AP) — Former war crimes prosecutor Carla Del Ponte says she is resigning from the U.N.'s independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria, decrying Security Council inaction to hold criminals accountable in the war-battered country where "everyone is bad."

In comments published Sunday by the Swiss magazine Blick, Del Ponte expressed frustration about the commission and criticized President Bashar Assad's government, the Syrian opposition and the international community overall.

"We have had absolutely no success," she told Blick on the sidelines of the Locarno film festival Sunday. "For five years we've been running up against walls." Del Ponte, who gained fame as the prosecutor for the international war crimes tribunals that investigated atrocities in Rwanda and Yugoslavia, has repeatedly decried the Security Council's refusal to appoint a similar court for Syria's 6½-year-old civil war. Permanent member Russia, which can veto council actions, is a key backer of Assad's government.

"I give up. The states in the Security Council don't want justice," Del Ponte said, adding that she planned to take part in the last meeting in September. "I can't any longer be part of this commission which simply doesn't do anything."

Appointed in September 2012, Del Ponte was quoted by Blick as saying she now thinks she was put into the role "as an alibi." "I've written my letter of resignation already and will post it in the coming days," she said.

She did not immediately respond to a text message from The Associated Press seeking comment. In her comments to Blick, Del Ponte described Syria as a land without a future. "Believe me, the terrible crimes committed in Syria I neither saw in Rwanda nor ex-Yugoslavia," she said. "We thought the international community had learned from Rwanda. But no, it learned nothing."

At first in Syria, "the opposition (members) were the good ones; the government were the bad ones," she was quoted as saying. But after six years, Del Ponte concluded: "In Syria, everyone is bad. The Assad government is committing terrible crimes against humanity and using chemical weapons. And the opposition, that is made up only of extremists and terrorists anymore."

The commission issued a statement saying it was aware since mid-June of Del Ponte's plans to leave and insisted that its work "must continue" to help bring perpetrators in Syria to justice. Del Ponte's resignation shrinks the commission to two members after Thai professor and former human rights investigator Vitit Muntarbhorn left last year to become the first-ever U.N. independent expert investigating violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation.

The commission was set up in August 2011 by the Human Rights Council to investigate crimes in Syria, no matter who committed them. Since then, it has compiled thousands of interviews and keeps a list of suspected war criminals under lock and key at the offices of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva.

But Del Ponte said that as long as the Security Council didn't put in place a special tribunal for war crimes in Syria, all commission reports were pointless. The issue of accountability for war crimes in Syria has largely taken a back seat to diplomatic efforts to end the war in recent months.

The commission's relevance has also come into question after the U.N. General Assembly, acting in the face of the Security Council inaction, voted in December to set up an investigative body to help document and prepare legal cases to possibly prosecute the most serious violations in Syria's war that is estimated to have left at least 400,000 dead.

Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

Iconic girl from Gaza beach massacre graduates

July 28, 2017

Eleven years after the 2006 Gaza beach massacre that killed seven members of her family, Huda Ghalia has graduated after completing her undergraduate studies in Sharia and Law at the Islamic University of Gaza.

On the afternoon of 9 June 2006, the Ghalia family were picnicking on the Sudaniya beach near Beit Lahia in northern Gaza when Israeli artillery and naval shelling struck the beach, killing seven members of her family, including her father, stepmother and five siblings.

Huda’s heart wrenching cries for her father as she ran towards his dead body not long after the blast were broadcast around the world. The images of her collapsing besides his body, weeping have turned her into an icon of the Palestinian struggle.

Before handing Huda an honorary award, the head of the Islamic University of Gaza Adel Awadallah said:

Huda is not an average person; she is a piece of every Palestinian. She got into our souls and into our hearts, and it is our duty to take care of her and stand by her.

“I am particularly grateful for my mother who stayed up with me, did so much to take care of me, raised me and encouraged me to finish my education,” Huda said during her graduation ceremony.

Israel initially took responsibility for the bombing, saying it regretted the civilian deaths. Later, however, it retracted and said the Israeli army was not responsible, concluding that the bombing was caused by a bomb planted by Hamas on the beach.

Following the incident, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning, describing the incident a “bloody massacre”.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170728-iconic-girl-from-gaza-beach-massacre-graduates/.

Jordan MPs demand closure of Israeli embassy

August 3, 2017

Some 78 Jordanian members of parliament have signed a motion demanding the closure of the Israeli embassy in Amman following an Israeli shooting that left two Jordanians dead last month.

The motion, submitted on Tuesday, also demanded that the Jordanian ambassador leave Israel immediately in order “to express rejection of the Jordanian government’s handling of the issue and returning the killer to Israel”, according to Ma’an news agency.

“Jordanian blood and Jordanians’ dignity are not cheap and the government was supposed to stand for the right of the blood that was shed and maintain their dignity strongly and firmly,” the motion read.

Read: Jordan should stop bowing to Israel

Deputy Khalid Ramadan Awada added that further action would be taken if the government did not respond to their demands.

The petition comes a week after hundreds of people protested outside the Israeli embassy in Amman calling for the cancellation of Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel known as “Wadi Araba”.

Tensions have been high since the Jordanian government returned the shooter to Tel Aviv, followed by the release of images of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcoming the soldier. Jordan’s King Abdullah has since demanded that the guard be tried for murder.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170803-jordan-mps-demand-closure-of-israeli-embassy/.

Jordanian parliament repeals 'marry the rapist' clause

August 01, 2017

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The lower house of Jordan's parliament on Tuesday scrapped a provision in the kingdom's penal code that allowed a rapist to escape punishment if he married his victim. Cheers erupted from the spectators' gallery as legislators narrowly voted for repeal, following an emotional debate.

The vote was hailed as a major step forward for women in the conservative kingdom. "This is a victory for the women's movement and human rights movement in Jordan," said Salma Nims, the secretary general of the Jordanian National Commission for Women.

Despite the country's pro-Western political orientation and cosmopolitan urban elites, many areas of Jordan remain socially conservative, with entrenched notions of "family honor." This includes the belief that having a rape victim in the family is shameful, and that such "shame" can be expunged through marriage.

In Tuesday's debate, some lawmakers had argued that an amended version of Article 308 was needed to protect rape victims against social stigma by giving them the marriage option. In the end, lawmakers voted in line with the recommendations of the government and a royal committee on legal reforms.

Moussa Maaytah, the Cabinet minister for parliamentary affairs, said that Tuesday's "progressive decision" capped years of debate in the Jordanian society. The decision must still be approved by parliament's appointed upper house, or Senate, and by King Abdullah II. After the expected final approval, Jordan would join Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt which have canceled their "marry the rapist" clauses over the years.

The international rights group Human Rights Watch said Lebanon's parliament is also considering repealing such a provision. The clause remains on the books in several other countries in the Middle East and Latin America, as well as in the Philippines and Tajikistan, HRW said.

In a statement issued before Tuesday's vote, the New York-based watchdog said that scrapping Article 308 "would be a positive step to strengthen the rule of law and end impunity for violence against women."

Ahead of Tuesday's vote, several dozen activists rallied outside the parliament in Amman, the Jordanian capital, calling for repeal. They held up banners reading "Article 308 is a disgrace to the Jordanian justice system" and "Article 308 does not protect honor, it protects the culprit."

Nims said before the vote that many of the lawmakers had been undecided. She said some saw the provision as a form of "protection" for women who can demand marriage rather than suffer further social stigma for having been raped.

The need for such "protection" indicates a fundamental problem in how Jordanian law and society perceive women, said Eva Abu Halaweh, executive manager of Mizan for Law, a human rights group. "The law still looks at women as bodies, linked with 'honor,'" Abu Halaweh said.

Earlier this week, parliament took another step toward legal reform, closing a legal loophole that had given courts the discretion to impose sentences of as little as six months on those who killed female relatives in the name of "family honor."

Under the new amendment, killing "in a fit of rage" can no longer be considered a mitigating circumstance in such cases.

Associated Press writer Reem Saad in Amman, Jordan, contributed to this report.

Despite Arab anger, Qatar to continue support for Gaza

July 11, 2017

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Qatar will continue to support development projects in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, a Qatari envoy said Tuesday, defying a boycott by powerful Arab neighbors imposed in part over its support for the Islamic militant group.

Mohammed al-Amadi, the head of Qatar's Gaza Reconstruction Committee, made his promise as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in the region pressing for an end to the Gulf crisis. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar last month, accusing the energy-rich sheikhdom of supporting Islamic extremists, including Hamas, across the region. Qatar denies the charges.

"My current visit is to emphasize to the Palestinian people that we are still here to continue projects and launch new ones," al-Amadi said at a ceremony to sign a contract for building eight residential buildings. He stressed that the timing of the visit was "calculated."

One of the main goals of the Saudi-led isolation of Qatar is to convince it to cut ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, the historical parent of the militant Hamas group. Qatar has been the largest single donor to Gaza over the past five years, disbursing about $500 million for housing, reconstruction, infrastructure development, and health projects.

Al-Amadi stressed that his country doesn't support Hamas, but the massive projects are widely seen as indirectly aiding the group. Qatar also hosts exiled Hamas leaders. Qatar notes that its aid to Gaza is coordinated with Israel, which controls most land crossings into the blockaded territory, and the rival government of President Mahmoud Abbas, who still claims authority over Gaza after losing control of the territory a decade ago.

Nickolay Mladenov, a U.N. envoy who attended the ceremony, thanked Qatar for its role in alleviating the humanitarian crisis. His office released a report predicting a bleak future for Gaza, 10 years after the Hamas takeover and a subsequent blockade by Israel and Egypt. The countries say the restrictions on the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza are needed to prevent Hamas from arming.

The U.N. had warned five years ago that Gaza would be "unliveable" by 2020 due to the deterioration of the economy and natural resources. Tuesday's report says things have only gotten worse. "Today's update shows that unfortunately things have speeded up and have deteriorated more quickly than expected," Mladenov said.

Maduro vows 'maximum penalty' for attack on Venezuela base

August 07, 2017

VALENCIA, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolas Maduro vowed that a band of anti-government fighters who attacked a Venezuelan army base will get the "maximum penalty" as his administration roots out his enemies.

Troops killed two of the 20 intruders who slipped into the Paramacay base in the central city of Valencia early Sunday, apparently intent on fomenting a military uprising, Maduro said in his weekly broadcast on state television.

One of the invaders was injured, seven captured and 10 got away, the embattled leader said. "We know where they are headed and all of our military and police force is deployed," Maduro said. He said he would ask for "the maximum penalty for those who participated in this terrorist attack."

The attack came as Venezuela's controversial constitutional assembly is getting down to work, signaling in its initial decrees last week that delegates will target Maduro's foes as he had warned. The new assembly, whose powers supersede all other branches of government, voted to remove the nation's outspoken chief prosecutor Saturday. On Sunday, Maduro announced that a new "truth commission" created by the assembly had been installed to impose justice on those fueling the unrest that has wracked the country since early April.

The constitutional assembly is expected to meet again Tuesday, while lawmakers in the opposition-controlled National Assembly scheduled their own session for Monday, vowing to continue fulfilling their responsibilities no matter what the assembly might do. Leaders of opposition groups, which boycotted the July 30 assembly election, called for renewed protests on Monday, though turnout at demonstrations has been sparse in recent days.

Residents who live near the army base in Valencia attacked Sunday said they began hearing bursts of gunfire around 4:30 a.m. A video showing more than a dozen men dressed in military fatigues, some carrying rifles, began circulating widely on social media around that time. In the recording, a man who identified himself as Capt. Juan Caguaripano said the men were members of the military who oppose Maduro's socialist government and called on military units to declare themselves in open rebellion.

"This is not a coup d'etat," the man said. "This is a civic and military action to re-establish the constitutional order." Maduro said 20 men entered the base and managed to reach the weapons depot undetected, but then an alarm sounded alerting troops to the incursion. He said 10 of the invaders fled, some carrying off arms, while those left behind exchanged gunfire with soldiers until about 8 a.m. before all were either killed or captured.

"Today we had to defeat terrorism with bullets," Maduro said. Nearby residents who saw the dissident group's video online gathered around the military base chanting "Freedom!" Other protests also emerged around Valencia into the afternoon. Troops dispersed protesters with tear gas and a man was fatally shot at a demonstration less than a mile from the base, said Haydee Franco, coordinating secretary of the opposition Progressive Advance party.

More than 120 people have been reported killed in four months of unrest that has been fueled by anger at the socialist government over food shortages, soaring inflation and high crime. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez characterized the attackers as a "paramilitary" expedition, saying the intruders were civilians dressed in uniforms. He did not identify any of the participants, but said they included a lieutenant who had abandoned his post. He said the man who recorded the video was a former officer dismissed three years ago after being charged with rebellion and betraying the homeland.

In 2014, Caguaripano released a 12-minute video denouncing Maduro during a previous wave of anti-government unrest. He later reportedly sought exile after a military tribunal ordered his arrest, appearing in an interview on CNN en Espanol to draw attention to what he said was discontent within military ranks.

Venezuela's latest bout of political unrest erupted in protest to a Supreme Court decision in late March ordering the National Assembly dissolved. Although the order was quickly lifted, near-daily demonstrations snowballed into a general protest calling for a new presidential election.

Opposition leaders have urged the military, which historically has served as an arbiter of Venezuela's political disputes, to break with Maduro over what his foes consider violations of the constitution. But the president is believed to still have the military's support.

Like Sunday's uprising, most manifestations of dissent among troops have been small and isolated so far. "It's still very hard to know to what extent there are significant divisions within the military," Michael Shifter, president of the Washington-based Inter-American Dialogue, said recently.

Venezuela official: Military quashes attack at base

August 06, 2017

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Ruling party chief Diosdado Cabello said Venezuelan troops quashed a "terrorist" attack at a military base Sunday, shortly after a small group of men dressed in fatigues released a video declaring themselves in rebellion.

Cabello reported on Twitter that troops quickly contained the early morning assault at the Paramacay base in the central city of Valencia. Military officials said seven people were detained. The announcement came after the group of men, some armed with assault rifles, announced they were disavowing the government of embattled President Nicolas Maduro and said any unit refusing to go along with their call for rebellion would be declared a military target.

"This is not a coup d'etat," a man who identified himself as Capt. Juan Caguaripano said in the video. "This is a civic and military action to re-establish the constitutional order." Cabello, a former military man and vice president under the late President Hugo Chavez, called the attackers "mercenary terrorists." Socialist party loyalists also regularly use the term "terrorist" to describe opposition leaders and protesters.

The South American nation has for months been in the throes of a political crisis with protests that have left more than 120 dead, nearly 2,000 wounded and over 500 detained. The political standoff heightened this week with the installation of an all-powerful constitutional assembly that opposition members fear Maduro will use to tighten his grip on power, install a one-party state and remove foes from office.

Caguaripano, the leader of the alleged plot, has a history of rebellion. In 2014, while a captain in the national guard and amid a previous wave of anti-government unrest, he released a 12-minute video denouncing Maduro. He later reportedly sought exile after a military tribunal ordered his arrest, appearing in an interview on CNN en Espanol to draw attention to dissatisfaction within the ranks over Venezuela's demise.

He returned to Venezuela to lead Sunday's uprising, said Giomar Flores, a mutinous naval officer who said he is a spokesman for the group from Bogota, Colombia. Videos circulating on social media showed a police convoy speeding down a road amid the sound of apparent gunfire.

The Paramacay base, surrounded by a residential neighborhood in Valencia, is one of Venezuela's largest and houses some of the country's most important armaments including Russian-made tanks. Cabello is the first vice president of the ruling socialist party and a member of the constitutional assembly. He has been a vocal proponent of using the legislative super-body to strip lawmakers in the opposition-controlled National Assembly of the immunity from prosecution that comes with office.

While in the military he took part in a failed 1992 coup led by Chavez, and he has held various high-ranking positions in the government. U.S. officials have accused him of involvement in drug trafficking, a charge he denies.

On Twitter Sunday, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said the fact that Cabello had announced the news of the attack "shows who's in charge of security forces" in Venezuela. Maduro is widely considered to still have the backing of the military, though it is difficult to know whether any discord may be brewing among the rank and file.

The rebellion took place a day after the constitutional assembly voted unanimously to remove the nation's chief prosecutor, a longtime government loyalist who has become one of Maduro's most outspoken critics. Delegates shouted "traitor" and "justice" as they proceeded with her removal.

Luisa Ortega refused to recognize the decision to oust her and vowed to continue fighting "with my last breath" against what she considers unconstitutional overreach by the government. The assembly later swore in as her replacement Ombudsman Tarek William Saab, who was recently sanctioned by the Trump administration for failing to protect protesters from abuses in his role as the nation's top human rights official.

Also Saturday prominent opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was returned home to serve his sentence under house arrest, days after being hauled back to prison in the middle of the night in a move that drew international condemnation.

The activist's wife Lilian Tintori said in a message on Twitter that she and her husband remained committed to achieving "peace and freedom for Venezuela." Lopez was released from prison July 8 and placed under house arrest after serving three years of a 13-year sentence on charges of inciting violence at opposition rallies. Many human rights groups considered him a political prisoner.

But he was taken back into custody last Tuesday along with former Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma in what many believed was a renewed crackdown on the opposition following the election of delegates to the constitutional assembly.

Goodman reported from Bogota, Colombia.

Venezuela constitutional assembly removes chief prosecutor

August 06, 2017

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A newly installed constitutional assembly ousted Venezuela's defiant chief prosecutor Saturday, a sign that President Nicolas Maduro's embattled government intends to move swiftly against critics and consolidate power amid a fast-moving political crisis.

Cries of "traitor" and "justice" erupted from the stately, neo-classical salon where 545 pro-government delegates voted unanimously to remove Luisa Ortega from her post as the nation's top law enforcement official and replace her with a staunch government supporter.

They said they were acting in response to a ruling by the government-stacked Supreme Court, which banned Ortega from leaving the country and froze her bank accounts while it weighs criminal charges against her for alleged irregularities.

Ortega, a longtime loyalist who broke with the socialist government in April, refused to recognize the decision and vowed to continue defending the rights of Venezuelans from Maduro's "coup" against the constitution "with my last breath."

"This is just a tiny example of what's coming for everyone that dares to oppose this totalitarian form of government," Ortega said in the statement she signed as chief prosecutor. "If they're doing this to the chief prosecutor, imagine the helpless state all Venezuelans live in."

Earlier Saturday, Ortega was pushed and barred from entering her office by dozens of national guardsmen in riot gear who took control of the entrance to the building. She alleged that authorities were desperate to get their hands on dossiers containing information on dirty dealings by high-level officials, including sensitive details about millions of dollars in bribes paid by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

Assembly delegates later swore in as her replacement Ombudsman Tarek William Saab, who was recently sanctioned by the Trump administration for failing to protect protesters from abuses in his role as the nation's top human rights official.

Even as the all-powerful constitutional assembly moved quickly against Ortega, there were signs it may be rethinking about extending its crackdown. Late Saturday, opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was returned to house arrest after being taken into custody in the middle of the night Tuesday. Lopez was released from prison last month and placed under house arrest after serving three years of a 13-year sentence on charges of inciting violence at opposition rallies. He returned home again Saturday.

The constitutional assembly was seated despite strong criticism from the United States, other countries and the Venezuelan opposition, which fear that it will be a tool for imposing dictatorship. Supporters say it will pacify a country rocked by violent protests.

Its installation is virtually certain to intensify a political crisis that has brought four months of protests in which at least 120 people have died and hundreds more have been jailed. Maduro also wants the assembly to strip opposition lawmakers of their constitutional immunity from prosecution, saying their constant conspiring to oust him shouldn't be protected.

While members of congress say they will only be removed by force, the opposition is struggling to regain its footing in the face of the government's strong-arm tactics and the re-emergence of old, internal divisions.

Several opposition activists have been jailed in recent days, others are rumored to be seeking exile and one leader has broken ranks from the opposition alliance to say his party will field candidates in regional elections despite widespread distrust of the electoral system.

In a sign of its cowed, demoralized state, only a few hundred demonstrators showed up for a Friday protest against the constitutional assembly, one of the smallest turnouts in months. Those who did turn out said fear of arrest — rights groups claim there are more than 600 "political prisoners" jailed during the protests — may be keeping people at home but urged Venezuelans to remain mobilized.

"We shouldn't think the government is winning," said Julio Borges, president of the opposition-controlled congress, making an emotional plea for Maduro's opponents to remain on the streets and capitalize on the government's increasing international isolation. "The only thing it's doing is destroying itself and committing suicide."

President Juan Manuel Santos of neighboring Colombia called Saturday's removal of Luisa Ortega "the first dictatorial act" of an "illegitimate" assembly and vowed solidarity with the Venezuelan people. On Saturday, the South American trade bloc Mercosur moved to suspend Venezuela for failing to follow democratic norms.

Venezuela was previously suspended in December for failing to uphold commitments it made when it joined the group in 2012. The new decision will make it harder for the country to return to good standing since the new suspension can be lifted only when the bloc is satisfied that Venezuela has restored democratic order.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert called the removal of Ortega an attempt to tighten the "authoritarian dictatorship" of Maduro and said her government applauded the action by Mercosur.

Maduro responded by calling Mercosur's move part of a dirty campaign led by the Trump administration to discredit Venezuela and get its hands on its vast oil reserves. "They come walking down the middle of the street barking orders, treating rulers like their maids," Maduro told Argentina's Radio Rebelde in an interview.

The opposition boycotted the July 30 election for the constitutional assembly, saying the rules were rigged to further entrench Maduro's "dictatorship." The results have come under mounting scrutiny after the international company that provided the electronic voting machines said that "without any doubt" the official turnout had been tampered with — a charge dismissed by Maduro and the National Electoral Council.

The constitutional assembly is made up of delegates from an array of pro-government sectors such as trade unionists, students and even representatives of Venezuelans with physical disabilities. But the agenda is expected to be set by bigger-name loyalists, including Maduro's wife, son and several Cabinet ministers who resigned to join the body.

It will have sweeping powers to upend institutions and in theory could even remove Maduro, a fact held up by government supporters as a sign of its independence.

Goodman reported from Bogota, Colombia. Associated Press writers Alba Tobella in Bogota and Sarah DiLorenzo in Sao Paulo contributed to this report.

Venezuelan opposition leader Lopez back under house arrest

August 06, 2017

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was returned home to serve his sentence under house arrest, days after being hauled back to prison in the middle of the night in a move that drew international condemnation.

The activist's wife Lilian Tintori said in a message on Twitter late Saturday that she and her husband remained committed to achieving "peace and freedom for Venezuela." Lopez was released from prison on July 8 and placed under house arrest after serving three years of a 13-year sentence on charges of inciting violence at opposition rallies. Many human rights groups considered him a political prisoner.

But he was taken back into custody last Tuesday along with former Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma in what many believed was a renewed crackdown on the opposition following the election of delegates to the constitutional assembly.

Some saw his return home as a sign Venezuelan officials may be rethinking the crackdown, even as the new, all-powerful constitutional assembly ousted the defiant chief prosecutor. Cries of "traitor" and "justice" erupted as the 545 pro-government delegates voted Saturday unanimously to remove Luisa Ortega from her post as the nation's top law enforcement official and replace her with a staunch government supporter.

They said they were acting in response to a ruling by the government-stacked Supreme Court, which banned Ortega from leaving the country and froze her bank accounts while it weighs criminal charges against her for alleged irregularities.

Ortega, a longtime loyalist who broke with the socialist government in April, refused to recognize the decision and vowed to continue defending the rights of Venezuelans from Maduro's "coup" against the constitution "with my last breath."

"This is just a tiny example of what's coming for everyone that dares to oppose this totalitarian form of government," Ortega said in the statement she signed as chief prosecutor. "If they're doing this to the chief prosecutor, imagine the helpless state all Venezuelans live in."

Earlier Saturday, Ortega was pushed and barred from entering her office by dozens of national guardsmen in riot gear who took control of the entrance to the building. She alleged that authorities were desperate to get their hands on dossiers containing information on dirty dealings by high-level officials, including sensitive details about millions of dollars in bribes paid by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

Assembly delegates later swore in as her replacement Ombudsman Tarek William Saab, who was recently sanctioned by the Trump administration for failing to protect protesters from abuses in his role as the nation's top human rights official.

The constitutional assembly was seated despite strong criticism from the United States, other countries and the Venezuelan opposition, which fear that it will be a tool for imposing dictatorship. Supporters say it will pacify a country rocked by violent protests.

Its installation is virtually certain to intensify a political crisis that has brought four months of protests in which at least 120 people have died and hundreds more have been jailed. Maduro also wants the assembly to strip opposition lawmakers of their constitutional immunity from prosecution, saying their constant conspiring to oust him shouldn't be protected.

While members of congress say they will only be removed by force, the opposition is struggling to regain its footing in the face of the government's strong-arm tactics and the re-emergence of old, internal divisions.

In a sign of its cowed, demoralized state, only a few hundred demonstrators showed up for a Friday protest against the constitutional assembly, one of the smallest turnouts in months. Those who did turn out said fear of arrest — rights groups claim there are more than 600 "political prisoners" jailed during the protests — may be keeping people at home but urged Venezuelans to remain mobilized.

"We shouldn't think the government is winning," said Julio Borges, president of the opposition-controlled congress, making an emotional plea for Maduro's opponents to remain on the streets and capitalize on the government's increasing international isolation. "The only thing it's doing is destroying itself and committing suicide."

President Juan Manuel Santos of neighboring Colombia called Saturday's removal of Luisa Ortega "the first dictatorial act" of an "illegitimate" assembly and vowed solidarity with the Venezuelan people. On Saturday, the South American trade bloc Mercosur moved to suspend Venezuela for failing to follow democratic norms.

Venezuela was previously suspended in December for failing to uphold commitments it made when it joined the group in 2012. The new decision will make it harder for the country to return to good standing since the new suspension can be lifted only when the bloc is satisfied that Venezuela has restored democratic order.

Maduro responded by calling Mercosur's move part of a dirty campaign led by the Trump administration to discredit Venezuela and get its hands on its vast oil reserves. "They come walking down the middle of the street barking orders, treating rulers like their maids," Maduro told Argentina's Radio Rebelde in an interview.

Goodman reported from Bogota, Colombia. Associated Press writers Alba Tobella in Bogota and Sarah DiLorenzo in Sao Paulo contributed to this report.

Open conflict triggers concern Poland might leave EU next

August 05, 2017

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Since British voters endorsed leaving the European Union, politicians and pundits have ruminated on which of the bloc's remaining 27 nations could be next. "Grexit" and "Frexit," for Greece and France, were two subjects of speculation.

Now, months of open conflict between Poland's conservative nationalist government and the rest of the EU has some Poles wondering if their leaders are putting the country on a path that could take it out of the union.

"There is a question mark over Poland's European future today," European Council President Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister who is a critic of the ruling Law and Justice party, said Thursday.

The EU is widely popular in Poland, so the idea of the country abandoning the bloc strikes many people here as farfetched. Several surveys have shown public support for the EU standing at over 70 percent, approval stemming from the economic boom and freedom of travel that came with membership in 2004.

But members of the opposition in Poland increasingly are voicing fears that the conflicts between Warsaw and Brussels could eventually lead to a parting of ways. They point to the defiant stance Law and Justice and its leader, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, adopted when the EU raised concerns about changes to Poland's justice system and the extensive logging the government has ordered in a primeval forest that has been classified as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Government spokesman Rafal Bochenek insisted that Polish leaders intend to keep Poland in the bloc. "Poland is a member of EU and is going to be a leading partner to other member states within the structure," Bochenek told The Associated Press on Friday. "We have got many ambitious projects and challenges to realize in the EU. We will cooperate with our European partners."

Law and Justice has never publicly advocated leaving the bloc, but criticizes what it views as unnecessary EU bureaucracy and infringements on the authority of member countries to make their own decisions.

In that vein, Poland's government aggressively pushed through legislation to put the court system under the ruling party's control. The EU's executive arm has said the moves violate democratic norms by reducing judicial independence.

With Warsaw refusing to give in to the bloc's calls for it to respect the separation of powers, the European Commission is threatening steps that could lead to Poland losing its EU voting rights. The government also has continued logging in the Bialowieza Forest even though the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg ordered it last week to stop felling trees immediately. If it continues, Poland could be hit with massive fines.

Katarzyna Lubnauer, a lawmaker with the opposition Modern party, said recently that because Poles are such "Euro-enthusiasts," nobody in the ruling Law and Justice party would admit that leaving the bloc is their aim.

"But when we look at what is happening now, we have a deep sense that this departure is taking place," Lubnauer said. "But it will happen in stages." Tusk made a similar argument Thursday, saying he viewed the "arrogant" refusal to obey the EU court's logging decision as an "attempt to put Poland in conflict with the European Union."

"It seems to me like a prelude to an announcement that Poland does not need the European Union and that Poland is not needed for the EU," he said. "I think such a moment would be one of the most dangerous in our history. I am afraid we are closer than further to that moment."

Bochenek, the government spokesman, called Tusk's statement one of the many "lies" the former prime minister has told about Poland. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker sees the formal steps taken over Poland's judiciary as a way to maintain dialogue with Warsaw and resolve the problems, spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said.

"We are working to keep this union together," Andreeva said.

Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

Popularity of France's upstart new president fading fast

August 06, 2017

PARIS (AP) — Emmanuel Macron's honeymoon didn't last long. Less than three months after his election, France's energetic and image-conscious president has seen his popularity drop after announcing budget cuts, launching a divisive labor reform and engaging in a damaging dispute with the military.

A series of opinion polls last week showed the percentage of French citizens who said they were satisfied with Macron's policies and trusted their young leader to deal with the country's problems plunging. The reversal might not affect the visible international profile he has cut since taking office, but it could hurt Macron's ability to secure his ambitious domestic agenda.

France's Ifop polling agency put it bluntly: "Apart from Jacques Chirac in July 1995, a newly elected president has never seen his popularity rate falling as quickly during the summer after the election."

Four polls over the past week showed Macron's support down sharply from earlier surveys, though each one measured popularity differently. The polls by Ifop, Harris Interactive, YouGov and Elabe showed between 36 and 54 percent of respondents with positive views of Macron's presidency, a decline from previous gauges of public opinion that also had shown his approval ratings down since he won 66 percent of the vote in the May election.

His declining approval is striking given that Macron was being credited two months ago with giving France a boost of much-needed confidence after years of security fears and economic stagnation. Increasingly, he instead is portrayed as power-hungry and inexperienced.

The French media have started calling Macron "Jupiter," a reference to the mythological king of the Roman gods and what is perceived as the president's superior attitude after he upended France's political landscape and shot from relative obscurity to the nation's top post at age 39.

While struggling at home, Macron has succeeded in raising France's diplomatic profile, hosting meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump and Libyan peace talks in Paris.

Jean-Daniel Levy, director of the Policy and Opinion Department at the Harris Interactive polling institute, connects the president's popularity slide to the government's plans to reduce housing aid for students and to initiate tax reform. The reform aims to help lower-income employees, but could weigh on retirees.

Macron's image also took a hit during his standoff with the French military chief over budget cuts. Gen. Pierre De Villiers resigned and was quickly replaced, but some saw last month's public dispute as evidence of the president's authoritarian tendencies.

Macron has promised to boost defense spending to 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2025 as part of France's commitments to NATO, but the government announced a reduction of 870 million euros in military spending for this year.

The government also launched the labor reforms that were central to Macron's campaign promise to boost France's lagging economy through pro-free market policies. Changes would include capping the potential financial penalties for companies sued for firing employees and giving businesses greater leeway to set workplace rules instead of relying on collective bargaining agreements.

Labor unions and France's far-left parties are fighting the reforms, saying they would weaken hard-won worker protections. Critics also resent the way Macron is trying to speed their approval. The government is invoking a special procedure to avoid a lengthy debate in parliament.

Daniel Fasquelle, a lawmaker from the conservative The Republicans party denounced Macron for what he called the "will to weaken all opposition" and for refusing to give interviews. Except for carefully choreographed photo opportunities, the president has distanced himself from the media. He canceled the traditional Bastille Day television interview.

"These are excesses the French judge more harshly and they are right," Fasquelle said on France's Info radio. "It simply means the president is not up to the task... He's paying for his own lack of experience. Maybe he got too quickly, too soon, high responsibilities that are overwhelming him."

Macron has repeatedly warned that his promised spending cuts and labor reforms would be difficult at first and hinted that critics are just scared of change. Presidential aides refused to comment on last week's poll numbers as they had done during Macron's election campaign.

Government spokesman Christophe Castaner acknowledged that Macron has been standoffish with the press, but offered an alternative explanation to inexperience or overwhelm. "No one can blame him (Macron) for rarely speaking," Castaner told reporters. "I understand it can irritate a bit. I understand it can be questioned. But I think you and I should get used to it because the president has decided not to be a commentator (of the news), but an actor."

Macron is expected to return from his August vacation to a tough September, with unions and far-left parties calling for street protests against his proposed labor reforms.

Ethiopia lifts state of emergency imposed in October

August 04, 2017

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Ethiopia's government on Friday lifted a state of emergency imposed in October after hundreds of people were killed in anti-government protests demanding wider political freedoms. It was some of the country's worst violence since the ruling party came to power in 1991.

Lawmakers in the East African nation voted to end the emergency law that restricted a number of rights and led to the arrests of more than 21,000 people. It also hurt one of Africa's fastest-growing economies.

More than 600 people were killed in nearly a year of protests that first ignited in the Oromia region and spread into the Amhara region and the capital, Addis Ababa. Demands included an end arbitrary arrests and respect for regional autonomy.

The state of emergency was imposed after a deadly stampede at a religious celebration in October as police confronted protesters. The emergency law was extended in March. "We have been able to deal with armed terrorists, anti-peace elements and troublemakers," Defense Minister Siraj Fegessa said, adding that the government was now able to deal with "a few" remaining security threats.

The minister said more than 8,000 people are still behind bars and are being prosecuted for crimes they are accused of committing during the unrest. Rights groups have claimed that many people were beaten and subjected to arbitrary detentions under the emergency law. The government has maintained that those arrested by mistake were released and those who unwillingly took part in the unrest were released after what it described as "trainings."

Restrictions under the state of emergency included arbitrary arrests without court orders; limits on radio, television and theater; and dawn-to-dusk prohibitions on unauthorized movements around infrastructure facilities and factories.

Al-Jazeera denounces Israel's decision to close its bureau

August 07, 2017

JERUSALEM (AP) — Al-Jazeera has denounced Israel's decision to close the Jerusalem bureau of Qatar's flagship satellite network, saying that the measure is "undemocratic" and that it will take legal action.

Israel's move follows in the footsteps of four Arab countries that are aligned against Qatar as part of a months-long political dispute over Doha's politics and alleged support for extremists. The channel and its affiliate sites have been blocked in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain.

On Sunday, Israel announced it would revoke the press credentials of Al-Jazeera journalists, effectively preventing them from working in Israel. The news organization, in turn, denounced the decision it said came from a country claiming to be "the only democratic state in the Middle East" and said it would take legal action.