In final push, Merkel seeks to reach undecided German voters

September 23, 2017

BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged her supporters to keep up the momentum in the final hours before Sunday's national election, urging a last push to try to sway undecided voters. Merkel is seeking a fourth term in office and her conservative bloc of the Christian Democratic Party and Bavarian-only Christian Social union has a healthy lead in the polls. Surveys in the last week show it leading with between 34 to 37 percent support, followed by the Social Democrats with 21 to 22 percent.

Still, the support has been gradually eroding over the past week. Merkel told supporters in Berlin on Saturday that they needed to keep up their efforts to sway undecided voters, saying "many make their decision in the final hours."

After handing out coffee and chatting with the campaign workers in Berlin, Merkel headed north to her own riding, walking through the streets of the city of Stralsund shaking hands, posing for photos and signing autographs.

She also campaigned in the northern city of Greifswald and planned a stop as well on the island of Ruegen in the Baltic. Her main challenger, Social Democrat Martin Schulz, was in western Germany at a rally in the city of Aachen.

At a rally Friday night in Berlin, Schulz urged Germans not to vote for the anti-migrant Alternative for Germany party, known by its German initials AfD, which appears assured of gaining seats in the national parliament for the first time. The nationalist party has 10 to 13 percent support in the polls.

Calling the AfD a "party of agitators" and "the enemies," Schulz said his Social Democrats were the best option to fight them. "We will defend democracy in Germany," he said. In addition to the AfD, the Greens, the Free Democratic Party and the Left Party were all poised to enter parliament with poll numbers between 8 and 11 percent.

With the numbers so close, several different coalition government combinations could be possible. Merkel on Friday night told supporters in Munich not to be complacent with her bloc's lead. "We don't have a single vote to give away," she said. "We can't use any experiments — we need stability and security."

After humdrum German campaign, Merkel hopes for fourth term

September 22, 2017

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel appears all but certain to win a fourth term when Germans vote Sunday after a humdrum campaign produced few divisive issues but saw smaller parties gain support — including the nationalist, anti-migration Alternative for Germany, which is set to become the most right-wing party in parliament for 60 years.

Merkel, already chancellor for 12 years, has run a low-key campaign emphasizing the country's sinking unemployment, strong economic growth, balanced budget and overall stability in a volatile world. Pre-election polls give her conservative Union bloc a lead of 13 to 17 points over the center-left Social Democrats of her challenger, Martin Schulz. The two are traditional rivals but have governed together in a "grand coalition" of the biggest parties for the past four years.

Schulz returned to German politics in January after years as the European Parliament's president. He has struggled to gain traction with a campaign that centered on righting perceived economic injustices for Germany's have-nots. It's also been difficult for him to carve out clear differences with the conservatives.

Merkel offered Germans "a combination of the experience of recent years, in which we have achieved plenty, and curiosity for the new" during the pair's only head-to-head debate of the campaign. Merkel is pledging to get from Germany's current 5.7 percent unemployment rate — down from 11 percent when she took office in 2005 — to "full employment" by 2025. She pledges limited tax cuts and to keep Germany's borrowing at zero.

And she offers a steady hand internationally, with long experience of European Union negotiating marathons, tough talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and now of engaging cautiously with President Donald Trump.

Polls suggest that Merkel's Christian Democratic Union and their Bavaria-only allies, the Christian Social Union, will come in a few points short of the 41.5 percent support they had in 2013 — Merkel's best result yet. They put Schulz's Social Democrats around or below the 23 percent they won in their worst showing yet in post-World War II Germany, in 2009.

Hans Kundnani, an expert at the German Marshall Fund think-tank, said it's a "foregone conclusion" that Merkel will be the next chancellor. The difficult part may be forming a new government. Merkel can hope for a narrow majority for a center-right coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats, with whom she ran Germany from 2009 to 2013, or the traditionally left-leaning Greens.

More likely is a result that leaves her either seeking an untried coalition with both those parties, or another "grand coalition" with the Social Democrats. The latter party has pledged to ballot its membership on any coalition deal, which could be tricky if it performs very badly.

A government with the Free Democrats aboard might take a tougher stance on efforts to reform the eurozone and bail out strugglers. The Greens want a faster transition away from gas and diesel cars and a wealth tax on the rich — neither of which the conservatives are likely to swallow.

The junior partners, whoever they are, will have "limited influence over the overall direction of policy," Kundnani wrote in an analysis. He added that "in so far as differences exist between the four parties that could become part of the government, they are a matter of details and nuances."

Polls show four parties competing for third place, with support between 7 and 12 percent: the Free Democrats, who look set to return to parliament after a four-year absence; the Greens, the Left Party and Alternative for Germany, or AfD.

AfD has swung right since it narrowly missed entering parliament in 2013. It has been helped by shrill opposition to Merkel's decision to allow in large numbers of refugees and other migrants in 2015.

Many of Merkel's campaign appearances have been marked by loud heckling from pro-nationalist demonstrators. "This is a kind of intolerance that is very, very difficult," Merkel said recently. It remains to be seen just how strong AfD's appeal to protest voters dissatisfied with other parties is. If there's another "grand coalition," a third-place finish would make it the opposition leader in the next parliament — a prospect many in Germany view with distaste.

Merkel has regained ground over the past year after gradually shifting to a more restrictive stance on migrants, stressing the need to deport those who have no right to stay and to prevent so-called "economic migrants" from Africa and the Balkans from coming.

But she has kept her focus firmly on the center ground, long a secret of her success. Over the years, she has dropped military conscription, accelerated Germany's exit from nuclear power, embraced the Social Democrats' demand for a national minimum wage and, in June, cleared the way for parliament to legalize same-sex marriage. That deprived liberal rivals of one awkward issue before campaigning even began.

Schulz says he still hopes to win over undecided voters, arguing that Merkel has no vision for the future. "There is someone who wants to administer the past. She is called Angela Merkel," he said recently. "And there is someone who wants to shape the future. He is called Martin Schulz."

Election may reflect Germany's management of migrant influx

September 20, 2017

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel adopted a mantra when citizens questioned her decision to open the country to refugees fleeing wars: "We'll manage." She kept repeating it as the lines at immigration offices circled city blocks, school gyms turned into temporary housing and the questions devolved into angry criticism.

But as Merkel campaigns for a fourth term, the German obsession with "Ordnung"— order — looks to have been assuaged. Most of the 890,000 asylum-seekers who entered Germany two years ago are in language and job training courses. Students are again playing sports in the gyms. Rejected asylum applicants are being deported.

A national election on Sunday could show how well voters think Merkel's government managed the refugee influx. For the chancellor and her Christian Democrats, the signs are promising. The far-right Alternative for Germany party has struggled to make immigration a major election issue. While the party is expected to win seats in parliament for the first time, the support it drew when thousands of newcomers were arriving daily has fallen along with the number of migrants trying to enter the country.

At the same time, Merkel has changed her rhetoric. Along with working to streamline and improve services for new arrivals, she now emphasizes that migrants not deserving of asylum will be sent home and that other European nations need to share the work of assisting eligible refugees.

"Merkel's government started a highly risky maneuver with its policy of the absolute opening of the borders," University of Heidelberg political scientist Manfred Schmidt said. "It led to a loss of control which was interpreted as a big, big problem by the people. However, the politicians realized themselves that they had a huge problem and started facing the issues."

German opinion has been divided since large numbers of job-seeking migrants from economically depressed countries and refugees from Middle East nations wracked by civil wars and extremist groups poured into Europe in 2015.

Tens of thousands of Germans pitched in to help the refugees, bringing food and water to train stations, waving welcome signs and volunteering at shelters. Tens of thousands more took to the streets in the nationalist Pegida demonstrations, a German acronym for "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West."

The friction between the two sides came to a head in October 2015 in Cologne, Germany's fourth-largest city. Henriette Reker, a mayoral candidate who oversaw municipal services for the refugees who sometimes arrived at a rate of 500 per week, was stabbed and nearly killed by a far-right extremist at a campaign event.

Reker, an independent who went on to win the election while still in a coma, concedes Germany was not prepared to take in so many desperate foreigners, yet defends Merkel's decision to welcome refugees.

"The chancellor did the only right thing: she didn't close the borders for purely humanitarian reasons," Reker, 60, a career civil servant, said in an interview. "If she had closed it, and this is really not being mentioned enough, than hundreds of thousands of people would have languished."

Two months after Reker's stabbing, Cologne again became a flash point in the immigration debate. Hundreds of women reported being groped and sexually assaulted by migrants during the city's New Year's Eve celebration, causing attitudes toward young men from the Middle East and Africa in particular to harden into hostility.

The New Year's Eve assaults marked a low point in Merkel's popularity, they also served as a catalyst for reforms that seem to have brought the country back on track The German parliament quickly passed a number of bills making it easier for victims of sex crimes to file complaints, enforcing the deportation of criminal foreigners and toughening asylum standards.

Merkel also benefited from an EU deal with Turkey to prevent migrants from setting out for Europe. In addition, the German government is working to slow the flow of migrants from Africa by initiating partnerships to address the conditions that cause people to leave their homelands.

Today in Cologne, most people say that while they haven't forgotten the nearly 1 million new arrivals, their initial concerns that Germany would be overwhelmed have been allayed now that the country is running smoothly.

Not everyone was convinced, however. "I think not everything is under control as planned," Moritz Bertram, 20, who is from a small village northeast of Cologne, said. "Everything is overcrowded, also for the people who, of course, need the help, but don't get it because it's all too much."

Reker conceded that getting people through the asylum process, out of shelters and into more permanent housing has been slow going and more needs to be done, but said progress has been steady. Before school started in Cologne this fall, the city was able to return to local schools the last final gyms that had been serving as temporary refugee shelters.

"We've fulfilled all the basic requirements," Reker said. "Now, it's all about getting these people really integrated into our society."

Macron: Europe is too slow, blind to dangers of nationalism

September 26, 2017

PARIS (AP) — Calling Europe slow, weak and ineffective, French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said the EU should embrace a joint budget, shared military force and harmonized taxes to stay globally relevant.

With Brexit looming, Macron warned the rest of Europe against the dangers of anti-immigrant nationalism and fragmentation, saying it goes against the principles of a shared Europe born from the tragedy of world wars.

"We thought the past would not come back ... we thought we had learned the lessons," Macron told a crowd of European students at the Sorbonne university Tuesday. After a far-right party entered the German parliament for the first time in 60 years, Macron said this isolationist attitude has resurfaced "because of blindness ... because we forgot to defend Europe."

"The Europe that we know is too slow, too weak, too ineffective," he said. To change that, he proposed a joint budget for European countries sharing the euro currency that would allow investment in European projects and help stabilize the eurozone in case of economic crisis. This budget would at some point need to come from national budgets of countries sharing the euro currency, for instance using domestic taxes on businesses.

Macron said the only way to make Europe strong in a globalized world is to reshape "a sovereign, united and democratic Europe." While re-elected German Chancellor Angela Merkel has signaled openness to some of Macron's ideas, one potential ally in her new government is deeply skeptical about a eurozone budget. Macron's office says he wants his Europe strategy to play a role in Germany's coalition-building talks.

To reduce inequalities across the EU, Macron also suggested greater harmonization of EU tax policies — notably on corporate taxes, and taxing internet giants where they make money and not where they are registered.

Macron is also proposing that every EU country guarantee a minimum wage and payroll charges. Macron said, "I believe deeply in this innovation economy," but insisted that "we must have this debate" about making taxation more fair.

Macron also proposed a shared European military intervention force and defense budget. He suggested the creation of a European intelligence academy to better fight terrorism, and a joint civil protection force.

He wants to open the French military to European soldiers and proposed other EU member states do the same on a voluntary basis. To deal with Europe's migration flux, Macron wants a European asylum agency and standard EU identity documents.

Macron's policies have met resistance at home, and riot police held back a few dozen protesters outside the Sorbonne. Macron doesn't want to wait for Britain to leave the EU in 2019 to tie European economies closer together.

He's well-placed to kickstart those efforts: at just 39, he came of age under the EU, and won a strong electoral mandate this year. And he's already held one-on-one meetings with 22 of the union's 27 other leaders to market his EU strategy.

Macron recalled he won the presidential election on a pro-European platform, against anti-European, anti-immigration far-right candidate Marine Le Pen. His biggest challenge may be the German political calendar. The outgoing government there goes into caretaker status in a few weeks and is not going to be taking any major decisions on the future of Europe, and it may take months for Merkel to form a viable coalition.

The pro-business Free Democrats, a key potential partner for Merkel, is against a joint budget because the party says that would result in automatic, uncontrolled money transfers from Germany to struggling eurozone partners.

Answering a question about Germany's potential reluctance to a joint budget, Macron said he is open to discussion and insisted this budget would not be based on an automatic, uncontrolled transfer of money, but rather on common projects that would be democratically approved and financed.

Merkel herself said Monday she wouldn't rule anything out and that she is in touch with Macron about his plans. "What is important to me above all is that we could use more Europe, but that must lead to more competitiveness, more jobs, simply more clout for the European Union," she told reporters in Berlin.

Macron plans to discuss his proposals with all leaders of EU member states that are interested in the integration process by the end of the year. He then wants "transparent, free" debates involving all citizens to be organized in all EU countries early next year, with the aim of combating euroskepticism by giving a voice to Europeans, instead of imposing decisions.

He said EU leaders should be ready to propose a detailed, agreed roadmap to reform Europe by 2019, when elections for the European parliament are to be held.

Angela Charlton in Paris and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

French truck drivers block roads, reject labor reforms

September 25, 2017

PARIS (AP) — French truck drivers have organized road blockades on highways and near fuel depots across the country to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's changes to labor laws. Two major unions, CGT and FO, have called on a nationwide protest action Monday.

Protesters fear the new rules Macron formally signed last week will lead to a deterioration in working conditions and ease the firing of workers. Government spokesman Christophe Castaner called on French drivers not to rush to gas stations, to avoid fuel shortages.

The government has started unblocking roads through police intervention in order to allow access to fuel depots. Macron says labor reforms are essential to reviving the French and European economies.

France: Macron's party faces likely blow in Senate elections

September 24, 2017

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron's unconventional political party is fighting to make its mark on the Senate in elections Sunday for half the seats in the upper house — but the results are likely to reflect mounting disenchantment with Macron's leadership.

His centrist Republic on the Move! party, created just last year, won a large majority in the lower house of parliament in June elections, but is unlikely to do the same in the Senate. Polls suggest the conservative Republicans party will consolidate its dominance of the chamber's 348 seats instead. Macron's party is likely to seek alliances in the Senate with other centrists and moderate Republicans and Socialists to approve his business-friendly economic reforms.

The senators are not chosen by the public but by some 75,000 elected officials — mayors, legislators, regional and local councilors — casting ballots in town halls across the country. Results are expected Sunday night. Nearly 2,000 candidates are running for 171 Senate seats.

It's the first time Macron's party is competing in Senate elections since he created it to shake up French politics and attract voters tired of the status quo. The party is hoping to win 50 seats. The Senate voting system tends to give an advantage to locally rooted politicians from traditional parties, instead of candidates of Macron's party, many of whom are political newcomers. Also, many local elected officials are upset by Macron's plan to slash budgets of local authorities, and that could see the president's allies getting fewer votes than might have been the case a few months ago.

The election also comes as Macron's popularity is on the wane, just four months into his presidency. Tens of thousands of people massed in Paris on Saturday to protest changes to labor law that they fear are dismantling the French way of life — and more protests and strikes are ahead. Truckers plan blockades of streets and fuel blockades Monday.

Macron insists the changes — which reduce union powers and hand companies more freedom to lay off workers — are need to create jobs and compete globally. The lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, has the final say in French lawmaking, but Macron also needs broad support in the Senate to follow through on other major changes he has promised, notably to unemployment benefits, the pension system and the French Constitution.

French marchers fill Paris streets to protest new work rules

September 23, 2017

PARIS (AP) — French far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon urged protesters Saturday to take to the streets and mount strikes to force President Emmanuel Macron to withdraw the labor law changes that are key to his business-friendly economic vision.

Speaking to tens of thousands in Paris, Melenchon assailed the president's new labor decrees as a gift to greedy corporations and the financial markets that have both fueled income inequality. Macron, for his part, says the decrees are crucial to creating jobs and tackling France's chronic high unemployment.

"The battle isn't over — it is beginning," Melenchon told the crowd packed onto the Place de la Republique in eastern Paris. Earlier, marchers stretched along Paris boulevards waving French tricolor flags, union banners and signs reading "Macron, Resign!"

"It's the street that brought down the kings. It's the street that brought down the Nazis," said Melenchon, who is trying to position himself as France's main opposition figure. The labor decrees that Macron signed Friday reduce French unions' influence over workplace rules and make it easier for companies to fire workers — but Saturday's demonstration reflected wider frustration with the new French president's leadership.

"Everything that's done in terms of fiscal policies is in favor of the rich, the wealthy and big companies," complained marcher Cedric Moulinier, 26. "We're asking for things to start going the right way, a more social, humanist and environmentalist way."

Many were angry at a reference Macron made to the "lazy" people who opposed the changes. While the president has already signed the decrees and they are expected to be ratified by parliament soon, Melenchon still insisted it is not too late to overturn them.

He said he would reach out to unions to join forces against the labor decrees, which he said threaten the French way of life. "All of Europe is watching us. .... What is happening is the battle for France," he said.

The crowd, which police estimated at 30,000 and organizers estimated at 150,000, repeatedly broke into chants of "Resistance!" or "Get out!" The protesters are also angry that Macron used a special procedure allowing the government to change labor law by executive order instead going through a lengthy debate to pass a bill in parliament.

Macron lauded the "unprecedented wave of changes" to France's social model, along with changes to unemployment benefits and a training plan for jobless people that will be set up next year. While Macron shone at the U.N. General Assembly in New York last week and has made a strong mark on the international stage, he has struggled with myriad critics at home. Farmers, riot police and carnival workers have held protests in recent weeks over work policy changes under Macron, and truckers plan road blockades on Monday.

Among Melenchon's suggestions to pressure the government to withdraw the reforms is a "pots and pans party." "Grab your pots next Saturday to make as much noise as possible," he said. "This is what our message will be: You make our lives miserable. You prevent us from dreaming so we will prevent you from sleeping."

Alex Turnbull and Oleg Cetinic contributed in Paris.

French far-left leader rallies Macron critics to the streets

September 23, 2017

PARIS (AP) — French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon rallied disaffected voters Saturday against President Emmanuel Macron's plan to weaken worker protections, amid spreading discontent with Macron's vision of a more business-friendly economy.

Thousands gathered at the iconic Place de la Bastille for a march through eastern Paris, including Melenchon supporters, environmental activists, anti-capitalism campaigners and others just seeking an outlet for their frustration with France's new, young president. Melenchon's Defiant France party said it bused in protesters from more than 150 French towns.

A huge balloon on top of a truck read "Macron, Resign!" The protesters' anger is centered on labor decrees that Macron signed Friday reducing French unions' influence over workplace rules and making it easier for companies to fire workers. Macron says the change is needed so France can compete in the global economy. Opponents say he is dismantling the French lifestyle.

Melenchon, seeking to position himself as France's leading opposition figure after a strong fourth-place showing in this year's presidential election, wants the labor law decrees withdrawn. The protesters are also angry at what Melenchon calls the "authoritarian" way Macron imposed the reforms. He used a special procedure allowing the government to change labor law by executive order instead going through a lengthy debate to pass a bill in parliament.

Macron said during the signing ceremony Friday that the first labor measures will start being applied next week, and all will be implemented by the end of the year. Among the most contested reforms is one that caps the financial penalties awarded by courts for wrongful dismissals. Another eases regulations governing when and why companies can dismiss workers.

Macron lauded the "unprecedented wave of changes" to France's social model, along with changes to unemployment benefits and a training plan for jobless people that will be set up next year. While Macron shone at the U.N. General Assembly in New York last week and has made a strong mark on the international stage, he has struggled with myriad critics at home.

Farmers, riot police and carnival workers have also held protests in recent weeks over work policy changes under Macron, and truckers plan road blockades on Monday.

Thousands in France march to protest Macron's labor law

September 21, 2017

PARIS (AP) — Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Paris and other French cities against President Emmanuel Macron's contested labor law reforms Thursday — a day before he adopts them by executive order.

The nationwide action, backed by the powerful, hard-left CGT trade union, saw protesters take to the streets in the second round of public opposition to the long-touted changes that will give more power to employers to hire and fire workers. Macron says that's needed to power the stagnant French economy and boost jobs.

In cities across the country, demonstrators waved anti-capitalist placards and angry personal messages against Macron, whose popularity has recently taken a hit. In Paris, huge crowds turned out to a protest that police said was attended by 16,000 people. Organizers put the figure at 55,000.

That protest was largely peaceful, but some localized, brief scuffles broke out between a few dozen violent protesters wearing black hoods and riot police using tear gas. Demonstrators brandishing posters reading "The state ruins the people" marched past the posh La Rotonde restaurant where Macron was branded arrogant for prematurely celebrating his victory in the first round of the elections before he had won the presidency.

The latest protests come a week after hundreds of thousands of protesters — 220,000 according to police and half a million according to the unions — took to the streets in many French cities in the first major challenge to Macron's fledgling presidency.

Macron is waving away the opposition and his government is pressing ahead with the labor reforms. Macron used a special procedure that enabled him to pass the measures without a lengthy debate at parliament. Opponents criticized the method as a sign of authoritarianism.

He is due to sign a series of executive orders Friday following a Cabinet meeting. Left-wing leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has called for more street protests on Saturday.

Britain hopes for Brexit progress; EU leaders cautious

September 23, 2017

LONDON (AP) — Britain and the European Union are preparing to head back to the Brexit negotiating table after a speech by Prime Minister Theresa May that received a cautious welcome from the bloc's leaders.

May stressed in her Friday speech that Britain wants to keep closes ties with the bloc and offered to keep paying the EU and following its rules during a two-year transition period after the U.K.'s formal departure in March 2019.

EU leaders welcomed the constructive tone of May's speech, but called for more detail. French President Emmanuel Macron said clarity still is needed on three big issues: the rights of European citizens affected by Brexit, the amount Britain must pay to settle its obligations to the EU, and the status of the border between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

"If those three points are not clarified, then we cannot move forward on the rest," Macron said. Negotiators are due to start a fourth round of Brexit talks in Brussels on Monday. In a blow for May's government, credit rating agency Moody's downgraded Britain a notch to Aa2, the third-highest level, citing the country's debt burden and uncertainty about Brexit.

The agency said it was not confident Britain "will be able to secure a replacement free trade agreement with the EU which substantially mitigates the negative economic impact of Brexit." The downgrade decision was made before May's speech. But Alastair Wilson, head of sovereign ratings at Moody's, said Saturday that nothing in the speech would have changed the decision.

Ex-rebel Serb commander sentenced to 15 years in Croatia

September 26, 2017

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A Croatian court on Tuesday sentenced a former Serb paramilitary commander and Australian citizen to 15 years in prison for war crimes in the 1990s, including the killing and torture of prisoners.

Judges at the municipal court in the coastal town of Split said that Dragan Vasiljkovic, also known as Captain Dragan and Daniel Snedden, is guilty of war crimes committed while he commanded Croatian Serb rebels during the 1991-95 war when Serbs took up arms against Croatia's secession from Yugoslavia.

The 62-year-old Vasiljkovic, who was born in Serbia, went to Australia as a teenager, but returned to the Balkans to train Croatian Serb rebels in 1991. In Australia, he was an army reservist and a golf instructor.

Vasiljkovic was extradited from Australia in July 2015 after a 10-year legal battle against being handed over to Croatia's judiciary. He became Australia's first extradited war crimes suspect. The three-judge Croatian court panel found Vasiljkovic guilty of two of the three charges, which included torturing and beating imprisoned Croatian police and army troops and commanding a special forces unit involved in the destruction of Croatian villages. He was found responsible for the death of at least two civilians.

"They were beating prisoners with their guns, ... pushing gun barrels into their mouths," judge Damir Romac said reading the verdict. "He (Vasiljkovic) did nothing to prevent this and punish the perpetrators."

About 60 prosecution witnesses were questioned during the trial, including those who said they were tortured by Vasiljkovic. Vasiljkovic, who was widely believed during the war to be working for Serbia's secret service, has claimed innocence throughout the one-year trial, saying the whole process was rigged.

"This is an oppressive fascist process," Vasiljkovic said during his closing statements last week. "Not only did I not commit any crimes that I am charged with, I can only ask why I was brought here and charged in the first place."

Serbia's Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin blasted Vasiljkovic's conviction as a "mockery of truth." Vulin accused Croatia of fueling tensions in the Balkans with the ruling. The judges ruled that they will take into account the time Vasiljkovic served in detention in Australia and in a Croatian prison, meaning he has three-and-a-half years of his sentence remaining. His lawyers said they will appeal.

Associated Press writer Dusan Stojanovic contributed from Belgrade, Serbia.

US builds permanent military base in Israel

September 20, 2017

The United States established on Monday its first permanent military base in the heart of the Negev in Israel, local media reported.

According to the Israeli media, the military base is located inside the Israeli Air Force’s Mashabim Air Base, west of the towns of Dimona and Yerucham.

Brigadier General Tzvika Haimovitch, head of the Israeli Air Force’s Aerial Defense Command, said this demonstrates the “years-old alliance between the United States and the State of Israel.”

Israeli army sources said that cooperation between the Israeli Air Force and the US Army has been routine.

According to the Times of Israel, Haimovitch also said that this base “allows us to improve our defense in discovery and in interception and in preparedness.”

He added that the new air base, along with other recent improvements to Israel’s air defense program, “will improve our abilities significantly. It will not get us to 100 per cent, but it will get us much closer to achieving important things during war.”

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20170920-us-builds-permanent-military-base-in-israel/.

South Korea says natural North Korea earthquake detected

September 23, 2017

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea's weather agency said a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was detected in North Korea on Saturday around where the country recently conducted a nuclear test, but it assessed the quake as natural.

The quake was detected in an area around Kilju, in northeastern North Korea, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) southeast of where the North conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3, according to an official from Seoul's Korea Meteorological Administration.

China's official Xinhua News Agency said earlier that the country's seismic service detected a magnitude 3.4 quake in North Korea and saw the likely cause as an explosion. But the official from the South Korean agency said the analysis of seismic waves and the lack of sound waves clearly showed that the quake wasn't caused by an artificial explosion. She spoke on condition of anonymity, citing office rules.

While there was media speculation that the earthquake may have been caused by the collapse of a tunnel weakened by this month's nuclear test, another Korea Meteorological Administration official, who also didn't want to be named, said the agency sees such possibilities as low.

The U.S. Geological Survey said that it detected a magnitude 3.5 quake in the area of previous North Korean nuclear tests, but that it was unable to confirm whether the event was natural. North Korea's weakest nuclear test, its first one, conducted in 2006, generated a magnitude 4.3 quake. The USGS measured this month's nuclear test at magnitude 6.3. The latest test was followed by a second magnitude 4.1 quake that some experts said could have been caused by a tunnel collapsing after the explosion.

North Korea has been maintaining a torrid pace in nuclear and weapons tests as it accelerates its pursuit of nuclear weapons that could viably target the United States and its allies in Asia. North Korea said its recent nuclear test was a detonation of a thermonuclear weapon built for its developmental intercontinental ballistic missiles. In two July flight tests, those missiles showed potential capability to reach deep into the U.S. mainland when perfected.

Defiant N. Korea leader says he will complete nuke program

September 16, 2017

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country is nearing its goal of "equilibrium" in military force with the United States, as the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the North's "highly provocative" ballistic missile launch over Japan on Friday.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency carried Kim's comments on Saturday — a day after U.S. and South Korean militaries detected the missile launch from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

It traveled 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) as it passed over the Japanese island of Hokkaido before landing in the northern Pacific Ocean. It was the country's longest-ever test flight of a ballistic missile.

The North has confirmed the missile as an intermediate range Hwasong-12, the same model launched over Japan on Aug. 29. Under Kim's watch, North Korea has maintained a torrid pace in weapons tests, including its most powerful nuclear test to date on Sept. 3 and two July flight tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles that could strike deep into the U.S. mainland when perfected.

The increasingly frequent and aggressive tests have added to outside fears that the North is closer than ever to building a military arsenal that could viably target the U.S. and its allies in Asia. The tests, which could potentially make launches over Japan an accepted norm, are also seen as North Korea's attempt to win greater military freedom in the region and raise doubts in Seoul and Tokyo that Washington would risk the annihilation of a U.S. city to protect them.

The KCNA said Kim expressed great satisfaction over the launch, which he said verified the "combat efficiency and reliability" of the missile and the success of efforts to increase its power. While the English version of the report was less straightforward, the Korean version quoted Kim as declaring the missile as operationally ready. He vowed to complete his nuclear weapons program in the face of strengthening international sanctions, the agency said.

Photos published by North Korea's state media showed the missile being fired from a truck-mounted launcher and a smiling Kim clapping and raising his fist while celebrating from an observation point. It was the first time North Korea showed the missile being launched directly from a vehicle, which experts said indicated confidence about the mobility and reliability of the system. In previous tests, North Korea used trucks to transport and erect the Hwasong-12s, but moved the missiles on separate firing tables before launching them.

The U.N. Security Council accused North Korea of undermining regional peace and security by launching its latest missile over Japan and said its nuclear and missile tests "have caused grave security concerns around the world" and threaten all 193 U.N. member states.

Kim also said the country, despite "limitless" international sanctions, has nearly completed the building of its nuclear weapons force and called for "all-state efforts" to reach the goal and obtain a "capacity for nuclear counterattack the U.S. cannot cope with."

"As recognized by the whole world, we have made all these achievements despite the U.N. sanctions that have lasted for decades," the agency quoted Kim as saying. Kim said the country's final goal "is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the U.S. and make the U.S. rulers dare not talk about military option for the DPRK," referring to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

He indicated that more missile tests would be forthcoming, saying that all future drills should be "meaningful and practical ones for increasing the combat power of the nuclear force" to establish an order in the deployment of nuclear warheads for "actual war."

Prior to the launches over Japan, North Korea had threatened to fire a salvo of Hwasong-12s toward Guam, the U.S. Pacific island territory and military hub the North has called an "advanced base of invasion."

The Security Council stressed in a statement after a closed-door emergency meeting that all countries must "fully, comprehensively and immediately" implement all U.N. sanctions. Japan's U.N. Ambassador Koro Bessho called the missile launch an "outrageous act" that is not only a threat to Japan's security but a threat to the whole world.

Bessho and the British, French and Swedish ambassadors demanded that all sanctions be implemented. Calling the latest launch a "terrible, egregious, illegal, provocative reckless act," Britain's U.N. Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said North Korea's largest trading partners and closest links — a clear reference to China — must "demonstrate that they are doing everything in their power to implement the sanctions of the Security Council and to encourage the North Korean regime to change course."

France's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the country is ready to work on tougher U.N. and EU measures to convince Pyongyang that there is no interest in an escalation, and to bring it to the negotiating table.

Friday's launch followed North Korea's sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3 in what it described as a detonation of a thermonuclear weapon built for its developmental ICBMs. The Hwasong-12 and the Hwasong-14 were initially fired at highly lofted angles to reduce their range and avoid neighboring countries. The two Hwasong-12 launches over Japan indicate North Korea is moving toward using angles close to operational to evaluate whether its warheads can survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric re-entry and detonate properly.

While some experts believe North Korea would need to conduct more tests to confirm Hwasong-12's accuracy and reliability, Kim Jong Un's latest comments indicate the country would soon move toward mass producing the missiles for operational deployment, said Kim Dong-yub, an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies. He also said that the North is likely planning similar test launches of its Hwasong-14 ICBM.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a liberal who initially pushed for talks with North Korea, said its tests currently make dialogue "impossible." "If North Korea provokes us or our allies, we have the strength to smash the attempt at an early stage and inflict a level of damage it would be impossible to recover from," said Moon, who ordered his military to conduct a live-fire ballistic missile drill in response to the North Korean launch.

Lederer reported from the United Nations.

Japan's Abe faces new challenge as he calls snap election

September 28, 2017

TOKYO (AP) — A surge of popularity for a freshly minted opposition party in Japan is making Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's decision to call a snap election look riskier than initially thought. Abe dissolved the lower house of parliament Thursday, setting the stage for an Oct. 22 vote.

The Party of Hope, launched earlier this week by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, may not dethrone Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party but analysts say it could put a dent in the LDP's majority. A major setback could derail Abe's presumed hope to extend his rule for three more years at a party leadership meeting next year.

Minutes after the lower house dissolution, Abe made a fiery speech to party members. He said he is seeking a public mandate on his tough diplomatic and defense policies to deal with escalating threats from North Korea, and that party members would have to relay his message to win voter support during the campaign.

"This election is about how we protect Japan, the people's lives and peaceful daily life," Abe said. "The election is about the future of our children." Abe's decision to dissolve parliament is widely seen as an attempt to reconsolidate his hold on power within the LDP, after a series of scandals and missteps earlier this year. A big enough victory could help ensure his re-election as party leader in September 2018.

The move is not without risks, but analysts say the timing may be better now than later. The Democratic Party, the largest opposition group, is in disarray, and the sudden election gives the Party of Hope little time to organize candidates and a campaign strategy.

Media polls, though, show the new party off to a respectable start, though still trailing the LDP. Jeff Kingston, a professor at Temple University's Japan Campus in Tokyo, called Koike's new party a game changer.

"I think it is really bad news for Abe," he said. "She doesn't actually have to win, but she has to inflict a bloody nose on Abe ... If her party does better than expected, expect the long knives to come out in the LDP, and Abe could be ushered to the exit."

Koike, at a news conference, denied speculation that she might run for parliament herself. "I will stay in the city and put my energy to lead Tokyo's preparations ahead of the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics," she said.

Still, a relatively good showing by her party could allow it to influence Abe on policies such as constitutional change, an issue both politicians have an interest in, said Stephen Nagy, a professor at International Christian University in Tokyo.

Working in Abe's favor, he said, are the LDP's nationwide electoral organization and his handling of North Korea, which has sent two missiles over Japan in recent tests. "Another missile test would likely put him in the limelight further, casting a shadow on the Party of Hope's policy credentials," Nagy said.

The Democratic Party, whose predecessor party held power in 2009-2012, is splintering, and many members have defected to Koike's party. Party leader Seiji Maehara said the Democrats would do whatever it takes to bring down the Abe government.

Lower house members all stood up and chanted "banzai" three times in a dissolution ritual, then rushed out of the assembly hall. The other chamber, the less-powerful upper house, will not be up for election but remain closed until parliament is reconvened after the vote.

AP journalist Richard Colombo contributed to this story.

50 nations ink UN nuclear ban treaty opposed by big powers

September 21, 2017

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Fifty countries on Wednesday signed a treaty to ban nuclear weapons, a pact that the world's nuclear powers spurned but supporters hailed as a historic agreement nonetheless. "You are the states that are showing moral leadership in a world that desperately needs such moral leadership today," Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said as a signing ceremony began.

Before the day was out, 50 states as different as Indonesia and Ireland had put their names to the treaty; others can sign later if they like. Guyana, Thailand and the Vatican also have already ratified the treaty, which needs 50 ratifications to take effect among the nations that back it.

They would be barred from developing, testing, producing, manufacturing, otherwise acquiring, possessing or stockpiling nuclear weapons "under any circumstances." Seven decades after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan during World War II — the only use of nuclear weapons — there are believed to be about 15,000 of them in the world today. Amid rising tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile tests, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that the threat of a nuclear attack is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War.

"This treaty is an important step towards the universally held goal of a world free of nuclear weapons," he said Wednesday. Supporters of the pact say it's time to push harder toward eliminating atomic weapons than nations have done through the nearly 50-year-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Under its terms, non-nuclear nations agreed not to pursue nukes in exchange for a commitment by the five original nuclear powers — the U.S., Russia, Britain, France and China — to move toward nuclear disarmament and to guarantee other states' access to peaceful nuclear technology for producing energy.

More than 120 countries approved the new nuclear weapons ban treaty in July over opposition from nuclear-armed countries and their allies, who boycotted negotiations. The U.S., Britain and France said the prohibition wouldn't work and would end up disarming their nations while emboldening "bad actors," in U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley's words.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has called the treaty "wishful thinking" that is "close to irresponsible." The nuclear powers have suggested instead strengthening the nonproliferation treaty, which they say has made a significant dent in atomic arsenals.

Brazil was the first country to sign onto the ban Wednesday, followed by nations from Algeria to Venezuela. "Those who still hold nuclear arsenals, we call upon them to join this date with history," Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis said as he prepared to sign.

UN chief to open signing for 1st nuclear ban treaty

September 20, 2017

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will open the signing ceremony for the first treaty to ban nuclear weapons and the Security Council hold a high-level meeting on its far-flung peacekeeping operations as world leaders tackle a wide range of crises and challenges on the second day of their annual gathering.

More than 120 countries approved the treaty in early July over strong opposition from nuclear-armed countries and their allies, who boycotted negotiations. The U.N. treaty office said 51 countries are expected to sign during Wednesday's opening day.

Guterres is also expected to brief the Security Council meeting on reforming U.N. peacekeeping — a key item on the Trump administration's agenda, which will be represented by Vice President Mike Pence.

Ethiopia's U.N. Mission, which holds the council presidency, said nine presidents, three vice presidents, six prime ministers, three deputy prime ministers and more than 30 foreign ministers are scheduled to attend the day-long session where 71 countries have signed up to speak.

In the General Assembly, leaders from several dozen countries will address the 193-member world body including the presidents of Iran and Ukraine, the prime ministers of Japan and the United Kingdom, and the Palestinian leader.

North Korea's race to develop nuclear weapons that could hit the United States dominated Tuesday's opening ministerial session of the assembly. President Donald Trump threatened to "totally destroy" the Asian nation if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies against aggression. Guterres warned that the threat of a nuclear attack is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War and "fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings."

The treaty bans all countries that eventually ratify it "never under any circumstances to develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters Monday that France refused to take part in negotiations on the treaty because it can only weaken the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, considered the cornerstone of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. He called the nuclear ban treaty "wishful thinking" that is "close to irresponsible."

But Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said countries signing the treaty will be taking a stand against nuclear weapons, "the only weapons of mass destruction not yet prohibited despite their immense destructive power and threat to humanity." She said that with Trump threatening to use nuclear weapons, the need for the treaty is even greater.

In the Security Council, members are expected to vote on a resolution that would recognize "the primacy of politics" including mediation, monitoring cease-fires and assisting the implementation of peace accords in the U.N.'s approach to resolving conflicts. The draft resolution also underscores the need to enhance the overall effectiveness of peacekeeping operations and "the critical importance of improving accountability, transparency, efficiency and effectiveness."

Global differences abound as leaders address UN

September 20, 2017

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — This year's U.N. gathering of world leaders put an immediate spotlight Tuesday on deep differences on tackling crises from North Korea to global warming: France's president urged world leaders to work together, while America's emphasized nations' own sovereignty.

And U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the threat of a nuclear attack is at its highest level since the end of the Cold War and cautioned about the dangers of fiery rhetoric. All three men made their debut appearances at the U.N. General Assembly, where presidents, prime ministers and monarchs are gathered for six days of discussion of matters ranging from nuclear peril to climate change to refugees. But on day one, the spotlight was on U.S. President Donald Trump and France's Emmanuel Macron.

Macron, a centrist who embraced internationalism during his campaign, vowed to press ahead with the Paris accord to combat global warming, although the U.S. has said it's withdrawing from the agreement. In his speech and a subsequent news conference, Macron said he respects Trump's decision but thinks it's a mistake and will continue trying to persuade the American to reconsider.

Macron also said France won't "close any door to dialogue" with North Korea and said it would be "a grave error" to unwind the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, which faces strong criticism from Trump. Macron also called for investing in education and health and proposed appointing a U.N. representative for press freedom.

Seven decades after the end of World War II and the creation of the United Nations, international bodies are confronting doubts that they are merely venues for "a game for diplomats sitting around a table" and come up short on addressing such major threats as climate change.

But "today, more than ever before, we need multilateralism" to work on global warming, war, terrorism and other issues, Macron said. "We can only address those challenges thought multilateralism," he said, "not through survival of the fittest."

Trump, a couple of hours earlier, portrayed "a coalition of strong and independent nations that embrace their sovereignty to promote security, prosperity, and peace," but keep their own citizens' interests foremost.

"I will always put America first," and his counterparts "should always put your countries first," Trump said. "America first" was one of his slogans from a campaign in which he often belittled the U.N.; he now says it has "tremendous potential."

He told leaders that the United States seeks harmony and friendship, not strife, but he warned that America "can no longer be taken advantage of." In his speech, Trump had harsh words for North Korea — he threatened to "totally destroy" the Asian nation if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies against aggression — and for the Iran pact, which Trump called "an embarrassment" to the U.S. He hinted that his administration could soon declare Iran out of compliance with the deal, which could unravel it.

North Korea's mission said its ambassador and a senior diplomat left the chamber to boycott Trump's speech, but left a note-taker to listen. Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency said Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called Trump's remarks "impudent and ignorant."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heaped praise on Trump's comments and told the General Assembly that the Iran deal should be scuttled or changed to put more pressure on Tehran. Israel sees Iran as its most dangerous adversary because of its nuclear program, development of long-range missiles and support for militant groups in the region. Netanyahu warned that Israel would fiercely defend itself, but he made a point of telling everyday Iranians that Israel doesn't see them as enemies — he even broke into Farsi, one of Iran's main languages, to say: "You are our friends."

Guterres, meanwhile, put "nuclear peril" as the leading global threat and added that "fiery talk can lead to fatal misunderstandings." His message was implicitly directed at North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but also at the U.S. and Trump. The two have traded tough rhetoric amid Pyongyang's continuing nuclear and missile tests.

Guterres said a solution to North Korea's activities must be political. "This is a time for statesmanship," he stressed. Beyond the nuclear threat, Guterres painted a grim picture of a troubled world facing grave challenges as people see rising insecurity, inequality, conflict and climate change in a world of polarized politics and fragmented societies.

"We are a world in pieces. We need to be a world at peace," he said, later tweeting that "only together, as truly United Nations, can we build a peaceful world." By long tradition, Brazil's leader is first to address the 193-member General Assembly — a custom carried on this year by President Michel Temer, who was charged last week with obstruction of justice and leading a criminal organization. Temer denies wrongdoing.

He said that at "this time in history, marked by so much uncertainty and instability, we need more diplomacy, not less — and "we need the U.N. more than before." But Temer said it needs reform, particularly expanding the powerful Security Council to align it with the reality of the 21st century. Brazil is part of a group with Germany, India and Japan seeking permanent seats on the council.

Not far behind North Korea on the list of issues needing urgent international attention is the plight of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims, victims of what Guterres calls a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" that has driven nearly 400,000 to flee into Bangladesh in the past three weeks. He called for the authorities in Myanmar to end military operations, allow unhindered humanitarian access and address the Rohingya's grievances.

In Myanmar's capital of Naypyitaw, leader Aung San Suu Kyi defended the government earlier in the day and said her country does not fear international scrutiny. She invited diplomats to see some areas for themselves.

Guterres told leaders in his address that "I take note" of Suu Kyi's speech. The world leaders gathered as Hurricane Maria pounded the small Caribbean nation of Dominica with 160 mph winds. On Monday, Guterres and top government officials from several countries devastated by another Category 5 storm, Hurricane Irma, addressed a hastily called U.N. meeting and appealed for help to rebuild following that storm's destruction.

Putin to meet Erdogan as Russia-Turkey ties deepen

September 28, 2017

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to Turkey for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on developments in Iraq and Syria, and Turkey's decision to purchase a Russian-made missile defense system.

Putin's visit on Thursday comes as Turkey and Russia are deepening ties in a turnaround for the two nations, which have backed opposing sides in Syria and nearly came to blows over Turkey's downing of a Russian plane in 2015.

Russia and Turkey, together with Iran, are now working on setting up de-escalation zones in Syria that have helped reduce fighting. On Iraq, Turkey has strongly opposed an Iraqi Kurdish referendum on independence which Russia neither supported nor condemned.

Some of Turkey's NATO allies have expressed concern over Turkey's decision to purchase the Russia's S-400 missile defense system.

Russian navy launches barrage of cruise missiles in drills

September 19, 2017

MOSCOW (AP) — The Russian military says its warships have test-fired cruise missiles in an exercise that comes along with weeklong war games held by Russia and Belarus. The Defense Ministry said Tuesday that the Northern Fleet's flagship, the nuclear-powered Peter the Great missile cruiser, two nuclear submarines and a destroyer launched cruise missiles at mock targets. As part of the drills, crews also launched the Bastion anti-ship missiles.

The Zapad (West) 2017 maneuvers began Thursday at several firing ranges in Belarus and western Russia. They run through Wednesday. Russia and Belarus kept the stated number of troops involved in the drills just below 13,000, a limit allowing them to dodge more intrusive inspections by NATO. They rejected claims by some NATO countries that estimated up to 100,000 troops could be involved.

Japan's baby panda now has a name: Xiang Xiang, or fragrance

September 25, 2017

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's baby panda now has a name: Xiang Xiang, or fragrance. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced Monday that the 3-month-old giant panda is called Shan Shan in Japanese, or Xiang Xiang in Chinese.

The name, whose Chinese characters mean fragrance, was chosen from more than 320,000 suggestions and was approved by Chinese authorities. The Ueno Zoo in Tokyo says the panda is healthy and growing rapidly. She now weighs 6 kilograms (13 pounds) and measures 65 centimeters (26 inches) long, nearly twice as big as she was a month ago, according to the latest measurement marking the 100th day since birth.

Videos released last week showed the fluffy black-and-white cub crawling, and some teeth coming in. Xiang Xiang was born on June 12 to the zoo's resident giant panda, Shin Shin.