Erdogan: 80 FETO brought back to Turkey from abroad

15.04.2018

By Nilay Kar Onum

ISTANBUL

Turkey has brought back 80 Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) members from abroad so far, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

Speaking at the sixth ordinary congress of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in Istanbul, Erdogan said: “We’ve brought 80 FETO [terrorists] back from abroad so far.

“We will chase them [the remaining ones] as well.”

Referring to U.S.-based FETO leader Fetullah Gulen, he said: “You, who are in Pennsylvania, will also come.”

Last week, Turkish intelligence officers brought three senior Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) members to Turkey following an anti-terror operation against the group in Gabon, a Central African country, security sources said.

In March, Turkish intelligence officers also brought six senior FETO members back to Turkey following operations against the terror group’s branch in the Balkans, according to security sources.

In cooperation with Kosovo’s intelligence agency, Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) arrested the six men, who were said to be in charge of getting FETO members out of Turkey and into Europe and the U.S. alongside their activities in the Balkans

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated July 2016 defeated coup in Turkey which left 250 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

Erdogan also said 4,163 terrorists have been neutralized so far as part of the Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin region.

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorist groups from Afrin in northwestern Syria amid growing threats from the region.

On March 18, Turkish-backed troops liberated Afrin town center, which had been a major hideout for the YPG/PKK since 2012.

Also, 337 PKK terrorists were neutralized in northern Iraq and 190 others inside Turkey have also been neutralized, the president added.

Turkish authorities often use the word "neutralized" in their statements to imply that the terrorists in question either surrendered or were killed or captured.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the death of some 40,000 people.

The PYD/YPG are Syrian branches of the terrorist PKK and the focus of Turkey's successful counter-terrorist Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, Syria, near the border with Turkey.

Source: Anadolu Agency.
Link: https://aa.com.tr/en/todays-headlines/erdogan-80-feto-brought-back-to-turkey-from-abroad/1119095.

Turkish spy agency has snatched 80 people from 18 countries

April 05, 2018

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — In covert operations in 18 countries, Turkey's intelligence agency has snatched around 80 Turkish citizens who the government wanted for alleged links to the country's 2016 failed coup, a top Turkish official said Thursday.

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag's comments in an interview with Haberturk television came after Turkey secretly arranged the deportation from Kosovo of six Turkish men — five teachers and a doctor — accused of supporting the coup attempt.

The move angered Kosovo's prime minister, who fired the country's interior minister and intelligence chief for not telling him about it, and drew sharp criticism from human rights groups. Bozdag said the National Intelligence Agency had similarly "bundled up and brought back" suspects linked to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen in covert operations in 18 countries. He did not name the countries but said such operations would continue.

Turkey has accused Gulen of being behind the failed coup attempt that resulted in more than 250 deaths, a claim that he denies. Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin denied, however, that the suspects were abducted through illegal operations. He insisted the six men from Kosovo were brought back in agreement with the country's authorities.

"We have never engaged in any illegal act in our struggle against (Gulen's movement)," Kalin said. "The event in Kosovo took place ... within the framework of an agreement on the return of criminals."

Those deported from Kosovo worked in schools and clinics supported by Gulen's movement. At home, Turkey has arrested more than 38,000 people for alleged links to Gulen and fired some 110,000 public servants since the coup attempt. Many of those arrested or fired have proclaimed their innocence.

Erdogan: Turkey to keep pushing Kurds out of Syria's north

April 04, 2018

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday that his military "won't stop" trying to oust Syrian Kurdish fighters from northern Syria, as he met with the leaders of Russia and Iran for talks on trying to resolve the conflict.

The three countries, which have teamed up to work for a Syria settlement despite their differences, reaffirmed their commitment to Syria's territorial integrity and the continuation of local cease-fires. They called on the international community to provide more aid for war-ravaged Syria.

Erdogan, President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani were holding their second summit to discuss Syria's future since attending a similar meeting in Sochi, Russia, in November. Russia and Iran have provided crucial support to President Bashar Assad's forces, while Turkey has backed the rebels seeking to overthrow him.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Erdogan said Turkish troops, which last month took control of the northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin, would move eastward into Manbij and other areas controlled by the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia, the Peoples' Protection Units, or YPG, which Turkey considers to be terrorists.

"I say here once again that we will not stop until we have made safe all areas controlled by the (YPG), starting with Manbij," Erdogan said. He stressed that Turkey's fight against the YPG would not distract from efforts to eliminate remnants of the Islamic State group from the country.

Wednesday's summit came as the White House said its military mission to eradicate IS in Syria was coming to a "rapid end," though it offered no timetable for withdrawal of the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops currently in Syria as part of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic militants since 2014. President Donald Trump had said a day earlier that the U.S.'s primary mission was to defeat IS and "we've almost completed that task."

With allies anxious about a hasty U.S. withdrawal, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday that the U.S. would stay in war-torn Syria to finish off the job of defeating the Islamic State group and was committed to eliminating the militants' "small" presence that "our forces have not already eradicated."

But Sanders suggested that would not be a long-term endeavor, and she described the extremist group that once controlled vast swaths of Syria and Iraq as "almost completely destroyed." Trump's comments conflict with views of his top military advisers, some of whom spoke at a separate event in Washington on Tuesday about the need to stay in Iraq and Syria to finish off the militant group, which once controlled large swaths of territory in both countries.

Asked about a possible U.S. pullout, Rouhani suggested Wednesday that the U.S. threat to withdraw from Syria was an excuse for soliciting money from countries that want U.S. forces to remain there. "One day they say they want to pull out of Syria. ... Then it turns out that they are craving money," he said. "They have told Arab countries to give them money to remain in Syria."

It was unclear what Rouhani was referring to. But Trump in recent weeks has asked Saudi Arabia to contribute $4 billion for reconstruction in Syria as part of his efforts to get other countries to help pay for stabilizing the country, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the conversations publicly.

Rouhani also reiterated that there can be no military solution to the Syrian crisis. "It should be resolved through political solutions," he said. Russia, Iran and Turkey have sponsored several rounds of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition, and brokered local truces in four areas, helping to reduce hostilities. Their next tripartite meeting will be held in Tehran.

Erdogan said the Turkish and Russian militaries were discussing the possibility of establishing field hospitals in Syria's Tal Abyad town to care for people injured in the Syrian government offensive on the rebel-held Damascus suburbs of eastern Ghouta. "Be it the Turkish armed forces, be it the Russian armed forces, (we) want to quickly establish a field hospital so that initial treatment can be provided," Erdogan said.

Meanwhile, the Russian military said Wednesday that it expects a rebel evacuation from the suburbs of the Syrian capital to be completed in the coming days. The Russian Defense Ministry and Syrian rebels struck a deal on Sunday for the Army of Islam, the biggest opposition group in eastern Ghouta, to leave the area for the rebel-controlled north.

The rebels were still leaving the town of Douma, but the evacuation was expected to wrap up in the coming days, said Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy of the Russian General Staff. Earlier, Russia's Defense Ministry said that more than 3,000 rebels and their family members had evacuated Douma since Sunday.

The evacuation comes after a blistering five-week government offensive in February and March that killed hundreds of people and caused catastrophic damage in the besieged suburbs.

Associated Press writers Josh Lederman in Washington, Zeina Karam and Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow, Cinar Kiper in Istanbul and Amir Vahdat in Tehran contributed to this report.

Turkey, Russia deepen ties amid troubled relations with West

April 02, 2018

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Ties between Russia and Turkey are growing closer than ever, as Russia runs into widespread diplomatic fallout from the poisoned spy scandal and Turkey's relations with its Western allies worsens over human rights issues and its military operations against Kurdish militia in Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin heads back to Turkey on Tuesday, joining Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for a Russian-made nuclear power plant being built on Turkey's Mediterranean coast at Akkuyu. On Wednesday, Putin, Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are expected to hold a summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara to discuss Syria's future.

Turkey and Russia have put aside their traditional rivalries and differences on regional issues to forge strong economic ties. In December, they finalized an agreement for Turkey to purchase Russia's long-range S-400 missile defense system, a deal that raised eyebrows among some of Turkey's NATO allies. Aside from the power plant, the two countries are also building the "Turkstream" pipeline to transport Russian gas to Turkey.

"Turkish-Russian relations are in a better mood compared with two years before . both parties are working together," said Mitat Celikpala, a professor of international relations at Istanbul's Kadir Has University.

"They managed to compartmentalize issues," Celikpala said, citing Turkish and Russian divisions, including over the divided island of Cyprus and Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea. "If you set aside all those issues . they are good partners for the resolution of immediate interests."

Their warming relations come as ties between European Union nations and Turkey have become increasingly testy. Turkey's EU membership talks have stalled and many EU countries have voiced concerns over the Turkish government's growing authoritarian turn and its crackdown on rights and freedoms, especially following an attempted coup in 2016 that Turkey blames on a U.S.-based Islamic cleric.

Turkey in turn, accuses EU countries of supporting Kurdish rebels as well as the alleged perpetrators of the 2016 failed coup. Turkey's relations with the United States have fared even worse, with Turkey accusing Washington of harboring the cleric, Fethullah Gulen, and backing Syrian Kurdish militia that Turkey considers to be terrorists.

Last week, Turkey announced it would not be following NATO and EU allies in ousting Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning in Britain of a former Russian spy. Britain has accused Russia of being behind the nerve agent attack on former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, prompting nearly two dozen nations to expel over 150 Russian diplomats. Russia has responded by expelling a similar number of envoys.

Turkey condemned the nerve agent attack on British soil without naming Russia, adding that it enjoyed "positive" relations with Moscow. "Just because some countries took a step based on an allegation, we don't have to take the same step," Erdogan said.

Putin and Erdogan have met several times in the past year and regularly speak on the phone. Russia and Turkey — along with Iran — are also working together to create "de-escalation zones" to reduce the fighting in Syria and bring the sides of the conflict together to negotiate Syria's future.

The cooperation comes despite their positions on opposing sides in the Syrian conflict —with Moscow siding with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Turkey supporting his foes since the start of the Syrian war seven years ago.

The conflicting interests led to the downing of a Russian warplane by a Turkish jet at the Syrian border in November 2015, which put the two nations on the verge of a direct military conflict. Russia responded by barring packaged tourist tours to Turkey and halting the imports of agricultural products. The two reconciled after Erdogan issued an apology.

Wieting reported from Istanbul.

Peru court gives ex-rebel leader life sentence for car bomb

September 12, 2018

LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian court convicted and gave a second life sentence to imprisoned Shining Path leader Abimael Guzman on Tuesday for a 1992 car bombing in the capital that killed 25 people and injured 155.

The 83-year-old Guzman is already serving a life sentence for a 1983 massacre in an Andean village. The Maoist-inspired group began its fight against Peru's government in 1980 but was badly weakened by the 1992 capture of Guzman and many of its other leaders.

In their ruling Tuesday, the judges sided with prosecutors' claims that Guzman masterminded the deadly car bombing in a middle-class Lima neighborhood. The attack was part of a wave of car bombings in Lima that came as the Shining Path focused its attacks on Peru's capital.

Guzman's defense had argued that he nothing to do with the attack. A truth commission found that between 1980 and 2000 fighting among rebel groups, the government and self-defense patrols left up 70,000 dead.

Romania parliament votes in favor of man/woman marriage only

September 12, 2018

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romanian Senators approved a measure that could pave the way for the constitution to be changed to explicitly state that marriage is a union of a man and a woman. Senators on Tuesday voted 107-13 with seven abstentions to allow a referendum that could change the constitution, which currently states that marriage is a union between "spouses." The vote comes after Parliament's Chamber of Deputies last year overwhelmingly approved the same measure.

The vote comes after 3 million Romanians signed a petition demanding that the constitution be changed to redefine marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Social Democrat chairman Liviu Dragnea has indicated Romania will hold a referendum on the issue in October.

A senator for the ruling Social Democratic Party, Serban Nicolae, said the vote was on religious grounds: "we've been a Christian nation for 2,000 years." Accept, a Romanian group that fights for equality for same-sex couples, condemned the vote, accusing the Senate of "raising homophobia to state value and sacrificing constitutional protection for many families."

While the ruling could limit the definition of marriage, it would not preclude a law that would recognize same-sex civil partnerships. Romania, along with Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Latvia, doesn't recognize same-sex marriage or offer legal protection to same-sex couples.

Diplomats from Iran, Russia, Turkey meet UN envoy on Syria

September 11, 2018

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. envoy for Syria hosted key diplomats from Iran, Russia and Turkey on Tuesday to discuss work toward rewriting the country's constitution, amid concerns about a possibly devastating military offensive on rebel-held Idlib province.

The talks led by Staffan de Mistura started and ended with little or no comment to reporters at the U.N. offices in Geneva, and offered a sideshow to the concerns about a looming battle for the northern province — the last remaining rebel stronghold in Syria after 7½ years of war and now home to some 3 million civilians.

De Mistura's spokesman, Michael Contet, said in an email that any debriefing by the envoy about the meeting will be "reserved" for comments that he plans to make to U.N. Security Council next Tuesday.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said the diplomats discussed the formation of the constitutional committee, "which constitutes a significant step in the struggle to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis," as well as procedural rules.

It said the sides confirmed their "agreement in principle" to lists of participants proposed by the Syrian government and the opposition and held consultations on which civil society groups would also participate in the committee.

The ministry said the Turkish, Russian and Iranian officials would hold more talks on the issue at a "technical level." On Monday, the head of the U.N. humanitarian agency, Mark Lowcock, warned that Idlib could see "the worst humanitarian catastrophe, with the biggest loss of life of the 21st century."

Iran and Russia have backed a military campaign on Idlib involving Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces, despite Turkey's pleas for a cease-fire. Before Tuesday's meeting, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, a special envoy for Iran's foreign minister, said a "good result" could emerge. Asked whether Iran shared the concerns about a possible humanitarian catastrophe in Idlib, Jaberi Ansari replied: "We are worried too. We are trying to avoid this."

Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, declined to answer a question on his way into the talks about whether Russia would stop its airstrikes. De Mistura met informally with members of the three delegations on Monday.

The talks are set to focus on creating a constitutional committee under Syria's Russian- and Iranian-backed government. Russia, Turkey and Iran have been working together as "guarantors" for a series of talks around ending Syria's war. Turkey has taken in 3.5 million refugees from its neighbor.

On Monday, airstrikes on Idlib and Hama provinces forced some people to flee their homes, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Bombings and air raids kill 4 in Syria's rebel-held Idlib

September 08, 2018

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian government and Russian warplanes on Saturday targeted the southern edge of Idlib province in what activists described as the most intense airstrikes in weeks, ratcheting up military pressure on the densely populated rebel-held bastion.

More than 60 air raids killed at least four civilians in southern Idlib, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and rescue workers. The bombings also included indiscriminate barrel bombs, dropped from choppers, invariably blamed on the government.

The bombings, including shelling from government areas, came a day after Iran and Russia backed a military campaign in the rebel-held area despite Turkey's pleas for a cease-fire. Turkey has troops and 12 observations points that circle Idlib.

State-run Al-Ikhbariya TV said the government was retaliating against overnight shelling from rebel-held areas on a government-held town in Hama province, south of Idlib. The shelling late Friday in Mhradah killed nine civilians, according to state media. The state news agency SANA said government forces have shelled "terrorist" posts in northern Hama.

But the government and Russian raids targeted a wide swath of rebel-held area in the southern edge of the rebel-held enclave that includes most of Idlib province and northern Hama province. More than 3 million people live in the area, nearly half of them already displaced from fighting elsewhere in Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 68 air raids and 19 barrel bombs dropped Saturday on several of towns and villages in southwestern Idlib and Hama province. The area targeted over the past few days overlooks government-controlled areas.

The Observatory described the attacks on the rebel-held areas as the "most intense" since August and said they killed four in Abdeen, west of Khan Sheikhoun town, including two children and a woman. The raids forced schools to close in Khan Sheikhoun, a town under attack, according to the Observatory.

The White Helmets, a team of first responders, also reported on the four people killed in Abdeen. A video posted by the White Helmets from the town shows their rescuers pulling a woman who was still alive from under the rubble of a caked building, as other team members warn of government helicopters hovering above them.

The rescuers said another was killed in Halba, a village farther north. The group said one of its already damaged centers had been hit in the wave of airstrikes. In another village in central Idlib, Hass, an area hospital was hit by the airstrikes, putting it out of service and injuring two of its staff members, according to Coordinators of Response, a group of volunteers operating in northern Syria. The group also said the airstrikes caused a limited amount of internal displacement, uprooting nearly 700 families from their homes in several parts of Idlib.

The local council of Morek, a town that serves as a crossing between Hama and Idlib, sent an urgent appeal, asking Turkey to intervene. "We need a quick solution or our town will burn!" the official pleaded in an audio recording shared on social media platforms.

Separately, clashes broke out in eastern Syria in Qamishli, a town close to the border with Turkey, between government and Kurdish security members. The Observatory said the clashes left 10 government security personnel and seven Kurdish fighters dead.

The town is run by Kurdish-led administrators and forces, but Syrian government troops hold pockets of territory there, including the airport. Occasional clashes erupt there over turf control and authority, reflecting deepening political tension between the uneasy partners.

Kurdish security forces, known as Asayish, said in a statement that a government patrol entered the areas controlled by the Kurdish militia in Qamishli and began arresting civilians, then shot at a Kurdish checkpoint sparking the gun battle. The Asayish said seven of its members and 11 government personnel were killed.

A journalist and area resident, Arin Sheikmos, said the government security troops carried out an arrest campaign in Kurdish-controlled areas, detaining people it accused of dodging military conscription. This prompted the clashes that lasted no more than 20 minutes, Sheikmos said.

There was no immediate comment on the clashes by the government. The U.S.-backed Kurdish administration has recently begun talking with the Syrian government, seeking government recognition of its self-rule areas. But in recent days, the Damascus government announced that it will be holding local administration elections, including in Kurdish-ruled areas, undermining the negotiations with the Kurds and their proposal for self-rule.

The Kurdish-led administration control nearly 30 percent of Syria, mostly in the northeastern part of the country, including some of Syria's largest oil fields. They seized the territories, with the backing of the U.S.-led coalition, after driving out Islamic State militants.

Brazil's da Silva names successor, but will voters follow?

September 12, 2018

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — In a letter from his jail cell, former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called on tens of millions of supporters to vote for the man he named to lead his Workers' Party ticket in October's presidential election.

"I want everyone who would vote for me to vote for Fernando Haddad for president of Brazil," da Silva, who Brazilians universally call Lula, said on Tuesday, the deadline for the party to pick another candidate after da Silva's candidacy was barred. "From now on he will be Lula for millions of Brazilians."

While long anticipated, the formal designation of Haddad both settled one question and launched another: Will da Silva's supporters actually listen? The two men are close in their political views and said to be friends, but for many voters in Latin America's largest nation they are also very different.

While da Silva is easily the country's most recognizable politician after being president between 2003 and 2010, Haddad is largely unknown outside of Sao Paulo, where he was governor four years, a liability in a nation slightly larger than the continental U.S. While da Silva is charismatic and has an every-man touch, Haddad is a political science professor turned education minister who comes off as professorial. He also got trounced in his re-election bid as mayor in 2016, raising questions about how well he is at winning over voters.

Haddad, 55, also only begins his campaign in earnest on Wednesday, less than four weeks before voters go to the polls. Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper university, believes the strength of the party and da Silva's endorsement will be enough to help Haddad get to a second round of voting. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent on Oct. 7, as expected, the top two finishers will meet in an Oct. 28 runoff.

"He was introduced as the candidate very late, we have to see if there is time for him to get all the votes he needs," Melo said. Before running for mayor in 2012, Haddad served as education minister under da Silva and his predecessor, President Dilma Rousseff.

He was confirmed as the replacement to da Silva on Tuesday after a meeting of his party's executive committee in the southern city of Curitiba, where the former president is jailed for a corruption conviction. He will be joined on the ticket by Manuela D'Avila, a member of Brazil's Communist Party.

Recent polls show Haddad with less than 10 percent of voter intentions, but the party hopes he will now rise with da Silva's endorsement. The current poll leader is far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro.

A Datafolha poll published on Monday shows Haddad in fourth place, favored by 9 percent support. That was a rise of 5 percentage points in just a few weeks, but still behind Bolsonaro's 24 percent, left-leaning Ciro Gomes' 13 percent, centrist Marina Silva's 11 percent and right-leaning Geraldo Alckmin's 10 percent.

The poll had a margin of error of 2 percentage points. All the 2,804 voters sampled were interviewed on Monday, days after da Silva's candidacy was barred by the electoral court and Bolsonaro was stabbed in an incident that might put him in hospital until election day.

The move to put Haddad on the top of the ticket was an acknowledgement that the left-leaning party could not get da Silva on the ballot despite numerous attempts in the courts. One of the last appeals of the former president was denied by Brazil's top court after Haddad was announced as his replacement.

Haddad met with da Silva after the decision, then delivered his first speech as the candidate in front the federal police building where da Silva is jailed. "I feel the pain of many Brazilians who won't be able to vote for who they want," he said, standing next to D'Avila and other Workers' Party heavyweights. "But now is not the time to have your head down."

Da Silva is serving a 12-year sentence for trading favors with construction company Grupo OAS for the promise of a beachfront apartment. The former president has always denied wrongdoing, arguing this case and several others pending against him are meant to keep him off the ballot.

Da Silva led polls for more than a year, but his candidacy was recently barred by the country's top electoral court. The strategy of holding on to da Silva's candidacy until the last minute caused much internal fighting within the party. Many believed that leaving Haddad so little time to present his case to voters was risky, while others thought it was best to keep da Silva front and center as long as possible.

Since the beginning of the year the Workers' Party hinted Haddad could be the candidate. When he was named candidate for vice president in mid-August the choice became obvious. "Haddad and I are like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez," da Silva once said, referring to superstar teammates on FC Barcelona's soccer club. "We play together and we don't even need to look at each other to know what the other is doing."

Brazil race begins in earnest with da Silva off party ticket

September 11, 2018

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil's Workers' Party on Tuesday replaced jailed former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as its candidate for October's general election, clarifying one of the biggest question marks hanging over the vote to lead Latin America's largest nation.

The party confirmed the move after a meeting of its executive committee in the southern city of Curitiba, where da Silva is jailed. Fernando Haddad, a former Sao Paulo mayor, will lead the ticket and be joined by Manuela D'Avila, a member of Brazil's Communist Party.

The move, while long expected, was an acknowledgement that the party could not get da Silva, who Brazilians universally call Lula, on the ballot despite numerous attempts in the courts. "The struggle has just begun. Let's go, Haddad! Haddad is Lula!" the Workers' Party Twitter account said. "He was a Lula minister, he is a Lula attorney and best of all: he is a friend of Lula's."

The political science professor turned education minister and later politician met with da Silva Tuesday after the decision, then delivered his first speech as the candidate in front of hundreds of supporters in front the federal police building where da Silva is jailed.

"I feel the pain of many Brazilians who won't be able to vote for who they want," said Haddad, standing next to D'Avila and other Workers' Party heavyweights. "But now is not the time to have your head down."

Da Silva is serving a 12-year sentence for trading favors with construction company Grupo OAS for the promise of a beachfront apartment. The former president, who governed between 2003 and 2010, has always denied wrongdoing, arguing this case and several others pending against him are meant to keep him off the ballot.

Da Silva led polls for more than a year, but his candidacy was recently barred by the country's top electoral court. The court gave the party until Tuesday to replace da Silva. In a lengthy letter distributed by the Workers' Party, da Silva recounted what he called "lies and persecution" that he and his family had suffered and urged supporters to vote for Haddad.

"Today and going forward, Fernando Haddad will be Lula for millions of Brazilians," wrote da Silva. The strategy of holding on to da Silva's candidacy until the absolute last minute caused much internal fighting within the party. Many believed that leaving Haddad so little time to present his case to voters was risky, while others thought it was best to keep da Silva front and center as long as possible.

"Haddad and I are like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez," da Silva once said, referring to super star teammates on FC Barcelona's soccer club. "We play together and we don't even need to look at each other to know what the other is doing."

Rival candidates have frequently taken shots at Haddad, attacking the centerpiece of the party's strategy: his dependence on da Silva. Brazil will have "a little president" if Haddad is elected, said left-leaning candidate Ciro Gomes last month.

"The theater of the Workers' Party is over," right-leaning Geraldo Alckmin said Tuesday. Recent polls show Haddad far behind, but the party hopes he will now rise with da Silva's endorsement. The current poll leader is far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro, consistently over 20 percent in a race that puts several candidates at around 10 percent.

Haddad was education minister under da Silva and his successor, Dilma Rousseff. In 2012 he was elected mayor of Sao Paulo, the most populous city in South America, but failed to get re-elected four years later.

A Datafolha poll published on Monday shows Haddad in fourth place, favored by 9 percent. That was a rise of five percentage points in just a few weeks, but still behind Bolsonaro's 24, Gomes' 13, centrist Marina Silva's 11 and Alckmin's 10 percent.

The poll had a margin of error of 2 percentage points. All the 2,804 voters sampled were interviewed on Monday, days after da Silva's candidacy was barred by the electoral court and Bolsonaro was stabbed in an incident that might put him in hospital until election day.

If no candidate gets more than 50 percent on Oct. 7, a runoff will be held on Oct. 28. Political science professor Alberto Almeida, who has written several books on Brazilian polls, believes Haddad has a lot of potential to gain popularity, despite the little time for his campaign.

"By next week, it is possible that Haddad grows enough to see Marina and Ciro behind him. That was predictable because of Lula's high support at around 40 percent in the polls," Almeida said, adding: "The race is clearer now."

Romanians protest corruption a month after violent demo

September 10, 2018

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Hundreds of Romanian protesters have vented their anger a month after an anti-corruption protest degenerated into violence leaving 450 people injured. Demonstrators gathered Monday outside government offices, holding Romanian, European Union and U.S. flags. They shouted "Resign!" and "We won't give in!" There were smaller protests in other cities.

A 54-year-old technician, Nicolae Badea, said he received medical help after he inhaled pepper spray squirted by riot police during the Aug. 10 protest. He said "we have to stand together. They want to pass an amnesty to help" people convicted of corruption.

Protesters have held anti-corruption rallies regularly since the left-wing Social Democrats won Romania's 2016 election and embarked on a contentious judicial overhaul. Government critics say the changes will make it harder to prosecute high-level graft.

Poland's ruling party leader says he has no plans to retire

September 10, 2018

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The 69-year-old leader of Poland's ruling party says he has no plans to quit politics, even as he's pushing judges to retire earlier. Critics accused Jaroslaw Kaczynski on Monday of double standards. His Law and Justice party is forcing judges to retire at 65 — five years earlier than before — as part of a judicial overhaul that has put Poland at odds with European Union leaders.

Asked about a successor, Kaczynski said that being 69 in politics "is certainly a lot, but it is not yet retirement age." He pointed to the example of former German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer who took the position in 1949 at the age of 73.

Kaczynski had recently been hospitalized for a knee problem that has raised questions over his health condition and who would succeed him. He is to undergo a knee surgery but is currently involved in a campaign ahead of the Oct. 21 local elections in which his party is hoping to strengthen its grip on power.

Kaczynski founded Law and Justice with his identical twin brother, the late President Lech Kaczynski, who was killed in a 2010 plane crash.

Wired Icelanders seek to keep remote peninsula digital-free

September 06, 2018

HORNSTRANDIR, Iceland (AP) — The passenger boat arrives at the bottom of Veidileysufjordur, a short inlet with a long name, to drop off backpackers for a multi-day trek. A weather-beaten group that's completed the trip waits to board, eager to get back to a part of Iceland where they can reconnect with the world via Wi-Fi.

By boat, that will take about a half-hour. No roads lead to the Nordic country's northernmost peninsula, a rugged glacial horn that reaches for the Arctic Circle. Making a phone call requires walking up a mountain for a cell signal so weak, clouds seem capable of blocking it.

But internet service soon could be reaching the Hornstrandir Nature Reserve, one of the last digital-free frontiers in what might be the world's most-wired nation. The possibility has most hikers, park rangers and summer residents worried that email, news and social media will destroy a way of life that depends on the absence of all three.

"We see a growing appreciation for the lack of online connection," Environment Agency of Iceland ranger Vesteinn Runarsson, who patrols the peninsula's southern end on his own. "Looking to the future, we want to keep Hornstrandir special in that way."

The area has long resisted cell towers, but commercial initiatives could take the decision out of Icelanders' hands and push Hornstrandir across the digital divide. Companies such as Elon Musk's SpaceX are racing to deliver high-speed internet service to every inch of the world by putting thousands of small satellites into low Earth orbit. Their success would have global implications, bringing the benefits and downsides of internet communication to places that are off the grid because of poverty or war, or where internet access is reserved for the wealthy.

That's also true for sparsely populated communities and far-flung destinations in Canada, Russia, Alaska and elsewhere in the vast Arctic region, where broadband service generally is prohibitively expensive. Yet in Iceland, the prospect of constant connectivity has called up an old debate on whether Hornstrandir's wilderness should stay unwired.

Despite or because of its remoteness, Iceland ranks first on a U.N. index comparing nations by information technology use, with roughly 98 percent of the population using the internet. Among adults, 93 percent report having Facebook accounts and two-thirds are Snapchat users, according to pollster MMR.

Many people who live in northwestern Iceland or visit as outdoor enthusiasts want Hornstrandir's 570 square kilometers (220 square miles), which accounts for 0.6 percent of Iceland's land mass, to be declared a "digital-free zone." The idea hasn't coalesced into a petition or formal campaign, so what it would require or prohibit hasn't been fleshed out.

The last full-time resident of the rugged area moved away in 1952 — it never was an easy place to farm — but many descendants have turned family farmsteads into summer getaways. Alexander Gudmundsson, who vacations in the home where his great-grandmother grew up, doesn't have to look far down the family tree to see the effect of digital devices: his teenage daughter refused to come to Hornstrandir this summer because it would mean not having online access.

"But once the kids are here, all they do is play outside," Gudmundsson said. Northwest Iceland's representative in parliament is less sentimental about the value of isolation. Since her election last year, Halla Signy Kristjansdottir has urged the Ministry of Transport to fund cell towers for the safety of sailors and travelers whose mobile devices currently are useless in and near Hornstrandir.

"I don't see anything romantic about lying on the ground with a broken thigh bone and no cellphone signal," Kristjansdottir said in an interview. In a written response to the lawmaker, Minister of Transport Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson noted that huts along the hiking trails are equipped with radiophones for emergencies. He defended the absence of digital connectivity in Hornstrandir as a factor in "advancing visitor's experience."

Police and rescue workers have suggested creating an illustrated map that marks the mountain summits with the strongest signals. The Environment Agency of Iceland estimates that 3,000 people trek through Hornstrandir every summer, moving from one fjord to the next. Some are rewarded with sightings of the arctic fox, Iceland's only native land mammal. The few structures — abandoned farm houses and a decommissioned U.S. Air Force radar station — were abandoned decades ago.

When The Associated Press visited in August, the travelers interviewed there unanimously favored making the reserve a digital-free zone, though their notions of what that meant varied. "If phones worked here, I am sure many people would go as far as carrying battery packs to charge their devices," said Mikko Ronkkonen, a hiker from Finland who had just completed an eight-day trip.

When Runarsson, who works as a police officer during the winter, wanted to ask the ferry captain about the next arrival, he took a short cairn-marked trail to the higher ground known locally as Telephone Mountain.

He walked in circles, as if searching for something on the ground. "One bar. Two bars," he murmured with his eyes fixed on his phone. The bars quickly disappeared as the mountain shrugged off the faint signal.

"Maybe the clouds are interfering," Runarsson said without a hint of frustration. "No phone calls today, I guess."

Hungary's leader rejects criticism in EU parliament debate

September 11, 2018

BRUSSELS (AP) — Hungary's prime minister on Tuesday strongly rejected criticism of his government's policies, as European Union lawmakers debated whether to sanction Budapest for allegedly undermining the bloc's values.

The European Parliament was debating whether Hungary should face action over its policies on migration, the media, corruption and civil society that opponents say are against the EU's democratic values and the rule of law.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as expected, claimed during the debate in Strasbourg, France, that Hungary was being attacked for its tough anti-immigration stance. "This report does not give respect to the Hungarian nation," Orban told the lawmakers. "You think you know better than the Hungarian people what the Hungarian people need."

Orban said that political sanctions being considered against Hungary would be the first time in the EU that "a community condemns its own border guards." "I reject that the European Parliament's forces supporting immigration and migrants threaten, blackmail and with untrue accusations defame Hungary and the Hungarian people," he said during a feisty speech.

"Whatever decision you make, Hungary will not give in to extortion, Hungary will defend its borders, will stop illegal migration and will protect its rights, if needed, from you, too." Lawmakers will vote Wednesday on a proposal to launch the rule-of-law procedure, based on a report by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, that could lead to Hungary losing its EU voting rights under a process known as Article 7.

The European Commission, the bloc's executive body, launched Article 7 proceedings against Poland over an alleged erosion of judicial independence late last year. But Hungary's case is the first time that the EU parliament is considering calling for the launch of the sanctions process for a member state because of a perceived threat to European values.

Orban said the EU lawmakers had been given a 108-page documents detailing what the Hungarian government viewed as "basic errors" in the report on Hungary drafted by Judith Sargentini, a Dutch politician in the European Green Party.

For years, Orban has successfully deflected much of the international condemnation about Hungary's electoral system, media freedoms, independence of the judiciary, mistreatment of asylum-seekers and refugees and limitations on the functioning of non-governmental organizations, but criticism has been growing even within the European People's Party, to which his Fidesz party belongs.

EPP leader Manfred Weber, nominally an Orban political ally in the assembly, conceded that "the start of a dialogue based on Article 7 could be needed." Weber said the EPP would decide later Tuesday whether to support the Article 7 action. Should the EPP move against it, Fidesz would be under huge pressure to leave the group.

European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans, who has been supervising Article 7 discussions with Poland, said he shared the findings in the parliamentary report. "Democracy in our member states and in our European Union cannot exist without the rule of law," Timmermans said, and went on to list concerns about fundamental rights, corruption in Hungary and the treatment of migrants.

Timmermans said the European Commission has launched "audits and other investigations" into the alleged misuse in Hungary of EU funds. "The commission will not hesitate to take further action if necessary. My promise to you is that we will be relentless," he told the lawmakers.

Timmermans also attacked Orban for attempting to turn criticism of his government into an attack on Hungary. "To say that criticizing laws, criticizing the government would amount to criticizing a nation or a people, frankly speaking Mr. Orban, that's the coward's way out," Timmermans said near the end of the debate. "Don't try to deflect the attention from criticism of the actions of your government by saying that those who criticize your government attack your nation or your people."

Socialist leader Udo Bullmann branded Orban "the head of the most corrupt government here inside the European Union," while liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt described the Hungarian leader as "the seed of discord that will ultimately destroy our European project."

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz told ORF television on Monday that his Austrian People's Party — like Fidesz, a member of the EPP, the biggest and most powerful party group in the assembly — would vote in favor of opening Article 7 proceedings against Hungary.

"There are no compromises on the rule of law," Kurz said. "Fundamental values have to be protected." Despite the criticism, Orban said he was "readying to support the EPP" in next year's European Parliament elections.

"We are not going to leave the EPP," Orban said. "We are staying and we are fighting." Asked about his expectations about the result of Wednesday's vote on the report, Orban said he was sure it would gather the two-thirds support needed for approval and then attempts would be made to expel Fidesz from the EPP. "The decision has been made," Orban said.

Gorondi reported from Budapest, Hungary. Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

Sweden faces weeks of uncertainty after close election

September 10, 2018

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden was looking at weeks of uncertainty and complex coalition talks after the country's two rival blocs failed to secure a clear governing majority in elections that saw a boost for a far-right party — considered political pariahs — amid growing discontent with large-scale immigration.

The governing center-left bloc had a razor-thin edge over the center-right opposition Alliance, with roughly 40 percent each. However, both have vowed not to work with the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigrant party with roots in a neo-Nazi movement, that won 17.6 percent in Sunday's election, up from the 13 percent it gained four years earlier.

The party, which has worked to moderate its image in past years and wants the country to leave the European Union, gained votes amid a backlash against the challenges of integrating hundreds of thousands of immigrants who arrived in the Scandinavian nation over the past years.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, who brought the Social Democrats to power in 2014, said he intended to remain in the job. His party emerged with the greatest share of the vote — 28.4 percent as the count neared completion — yet looking at holding fewer parliament seats than four years ago.

"I will not exclude any alternative to the (present) government. What I can exclude is any direct or indirect cooperation with the Sweden Democrats," Interior Minister Anders Ygeman, a Social Democrat said.

"I believe that it must be the largest party in Sweden that forms a government. Historically it has been always been this way in Sweden," he said. Political horse-trading began to try to form a government which could "takes week, months," Ygeman said, according to Swedish news agency TT.

The leader of the Moderates party that came in second, Ulf Kristersson, has already called on Lofven to resign and claimed the right to form Sweden's next government. The center-right, four-party Alliance has said it would meet Monday to discuss how to move forward and demand that Lofven, head of the minority, two-party governing coalition, resign.

However, the Sweden Democrats have said they could not be ignored in coalition negotiations and vowed to use its grown influence. "This party has increased and made the biggest gains. Everything is about us," its leader Jimmie Akesson said on election night. "I am ready to talk with others."

Final election returns were expected later in the week. The preliminary results made it unlikely any party would secure a majority of 175 seats in the 349-seat Riksdag, Sweden's parliament. With the prospect of weeks or months of coalition talks before the next government is formed, Swedish tabloid Expressen headlined its front page Monday: "Chaos."

Both the left-leaning bloc led by the Social Democrats and the center-right bloc in which the Moderates is the largest of four parties have said they would refuse to consider the Sweden Democrats as a coalition partner.

Lofven told his supporters the election presented "a situation that all responsible parties must deal with," adding that "a party with roots in Nazism" would "never ever offer anything responsible, but hatred."

"We have a moral responsibility. We must gather all forces for good. We won't mourn, we will organize ourselves," he said. Sweden — home to the Nobel prizes and militarily neutral for the better part of two centuries — has been known for its comparatively open doors to migrants and refugees. Sunday's general election was the first since Sweden, which a population of 10 million, took in a record 163,000 refugees in 2015 — the highest per capita of any European country.

Turnout in the election was reported at 84.4 percent, up from 83 percent in 2014.

Jan M. Olsen reported from Copenhagen, Denmark; Frank Jordans reported from Berlin; Vanessa Gera from Warsaw.

US regrets Turkey's boycott of Europe's rights conference

September 11, 2018

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A U.S. official said Tuesday that Washington is disappointed that Turkey is staying away from Europe's largest human rights conference for a second straight year because it wasn't allowed to prevent the participation of non-governmental organizations that it finds objectionable.

The Helsinki Commission, a U.S. government agency, tweeted Monday that "Turkey is the only country boycotting ... because it insists on having the ability to veto NGOs wishing to participate." Ambassador Michael Kozak, the head of the U.S. delegation to the conference, said that Washington "regrets that Turkey chose not to attend" this year's meeting, known officially as the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting.

"Turkey's presence would have ensured that its point of view was heard," Kozak said in a statement to The Associated Press on Tuesday. The yearly two-week conference, which opened Monday in Warsaw, is devoted to democracy and human rights. It is organized by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which comprises 57 states from North America, Europe and Central Asia.

The conference is unique because it allows civil society groups, no matter how small, to participate on an equal footing with governments. With many of the participants from countries with authoritarian governments in the former Soviet space, it is sometimes the only chance some democracy activists have to address government representatives from their own countries.

The Turkish delegation staged a walkout of the meeting last year after failing to block groups affiliated with cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for a failed 2016 coup. This year, no Turkish delegation showed up at all, its seat empty.

The Turkish government alleges that groups affiliated with Gulen's movement are part of terrorist movements. It frequently accuses the West of sheltering Gulenists and not providing it with sufficient support against the network.

The OSCE's position is that allegations from a government against an organization without evidence or due process aren't enough for a ban. Nate Schenkkan, director for special research at Freedom House, a U.S.-based human rights group, said that other countries, including Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, have also in the past objected to the presence or activities of certain groups at the conference. To give governments veto power, he said, "would send a very worrisome precedent."

"They would strike off lots of names, and then it would be a closed garden and there would be no discussion," Schenkkan told the AP by phone on Tuesday.

N. Korea revives iconic mass games for 70th anniversary gala

September 08, 2018

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — North Korea is bringing back one of its most iconic art forms — mass games performed by tens of thousands of people working in precise unison — to mark its 70th anniversary this weekend.

The performance, which takes months if not years of intense preparation and training, is being called "Glorious Country" this year. It is literally the embodiment of socialist ideals — North Korea's most ubiquitous slogan, seen in posters and beaming from neon signs from atop tall buildings, is "Single-minded Unity." Pyongyang sees the performances, last held in 2013, as one of its most highly effective forms of propaganda, highlighting its social and political agenda both at home, where it will be televised repeatedly for months to come, and abroad.

To make sure it is seen around the world, North Korea has invited a large contingent of foreign media to cover it and the other events marking the 70th anniversary of its founding day on Sunday, including a major military parade.

The games are also a time-tested source of tourist dollars for North Korea. Tourists from the United States are still banned by their government from traveling to the North in response to the death of American college student Otto Warmbier, who was convicted of theft at a Pyongyang hotel and died shortly after his release in June last year. But ticket sales to tourists from China and Europe are reportedly brisk despite prices that start at 100 euros ($115) and go all the way up to 800 euros ($925) for VIP seating.

The games generally follow an epic narrative with a historical and revolutionary theme and are divided into a number of segments. Because so many people are involved — they once were given a world record for having more than 100,000 participants — the performers have been likened to pixilated humans. With the individual so totally melded into the larger whole, performing for the glorification of the leader, the games have been criticized as an insouciant homage to authoritarianism.

The games in the past have been held in Pyongyang's May Day Stadium, which according to North Korea can seat 150,000 people. Officials won't comment on details, but the performances are expected to continue, three or four times a week, until at least early October.

North Korea first staged its mass games in 2002, when Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, was the country's leader. They continued almost without interruption on an annual basis until 2014, when they were not held at all.

Kim Jong Un's touch may already be apparent in the naming of the games. Previously they were called the Arirang games after a famous Korean folk tale about separated lovers. The current games' more nationalistic name may reflect the younger Kim's ambitions for his time as the country's ruler.

Death toll rises, flights resume, power back in Japan quake

September 08, 2018

SAPPORO, Japan (AP) — Japanese rescue workers and troops searched Saturday for the missing for a third straight day in a northern hamlet buried by landslides from a powerful earthquake. Power was restored to most households and international flights resumed to the main airport serving the Hokkaido region.

The Hokkaido government said Saturday that 30 people are dead or presumed dead and nine remain missing. All but three of the victims are in the town of Atsuma, where landslides crushed and buried houses at the foot of steep forested hills that overlook rice fields.

Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it would suspend nearly all its production in Japan on Monday. Toyota makes transmissions and other parts in Hokkaido and also has suppliers on what is the northernmost of Japan's four main islands.

The magnitude 6.7 earthquake that struck about 3 a.m. on Thursday knocked out power to the entire island of 5.4 million people, swamped parts of a neighborhood in the main city of Sapporo in deep mud and triggered destructive landslides.

Backhoes were removing some of the solidified mud to clear a road in Kiyota ward on the eastern edge of Sapporo. In parts of Kiyota, the earth gave way as it liquefied, tilting homes and leaving manhole covers standing one meter (three feet) in the air. In parking lots, cars were still stuck in mud that reached part way up their wheels.

The return of electricity came as a huge relief for residents. About half of Hokkaido got power back Friday, and all but 20,000 households had power Saturday morning. "It was a relief that it was back yesterday evening, but it feels it took time," said 66-year-old Sapporo resident Tatsuo Kimura, adding that the blackout was a reminder "of how important electric power is in our life."

Tourists from South Korea and China were able to head home from New Chitose Airport, outside of Sapporo. About 1,600 people spent the previous night at the airport, according to Japanese media reports.

Hokkaido has become a popular destination for tourists from other parts of Asia.

Associated Press business writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.

In 1st key speech, new UN human rights chief airs concerns

September 10, 2018

GENEVA (AP) — The new U.N. human rights chief warned Monday about abuses worldwide, citing among others the Trump administration's "unconscionable" separations of migrant families and urging the European Union to create a dedicated search and rescue operation for migrants in the Mediterranean sea.

Michelle Bachelet (bah-cheh-LET') made her first address to the Human Rights Council as it opened a three-week session on Monday. The former Chilean president, once a political detainee herself, became U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights this month.

Bachelet denounced a lack of "redress" for migrant families who were separated by U.S. authorities after being detained in a now-discontinued practice of separating children from their families. She encouraged the European Union to ensure access to asylum and rights protections, and faulted the government of member country Italy in particular for "political posturing" with its policy of denying entry to NGO rescue ships.

According to her prepared remarks, Bachelet said "attacks and persecution appear to be continuing" against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Bachelet echoed calls by U.N. investigators last month for the creation of an independent "mechanism" to collect and analyze information about rights abuses in Myanmar for possible future use in national or international courts. She urged the council to pass a resolution referring the issue to the U.N. General Assembly, which could create such a mechanism.

As for Syria, Bachelet expressed concern about "ongoing military operations" in rebel-held Idlib province, saying the suffering of Syrian people has been "interminable and terrible" and appealing for justice for victims of human rights violations during the 7-1/2-year civil war.

Russia launches biggest ever war games involving China

September 11, 2018

CHITA, Russia (AP) — Hundreds of thousands Russian troops swept across Siberia on Tuesday in the nation's largest ever war games also joined by China — a powerful show of burgeoning military ties between Moscow and Beijing amid their tensions with the U.S.

Moscow said the weeklong Vostok (East) 2018 maneuvers will span vast expanses of Siberia and the Far East, the Arctic and the Pacific Oceans and involve nearly 300,000 Russian troops — nearly one-third of the country's 1-million-strong military. They will feature more than 1,000 aircraft, about 36,000 tanks and other military vehicles and 80 warships.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has described the drills as even bigger than the country's largest Cold War-era exercise called Zapad 1981 that put NATO allies on edge. A retired Russian general said that the giant war games come as a warning to the U.S. against ramping up pressure on Russia.

"The maneuvers are aimed at deterring the aggressive intentions of the U.S. and NATO," Ret. Gen. Leonid Ivashov said. He was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that the drills are "also a response to the U.S. sanctions."

China is sending about 3,200 troops, 900 combat vehicles and 30 aircraft to join the drills at a Siberian firing range, a significant deployment that reflects its shift toward a full-fledged military alliance with Russia. Mongolia also has sent a military contingent.

Asked if the U.S. is worried about a possible military alliance between Russia and China, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told Pentagon reporters Tuesday that, "I think that nations act out of their interests. I see little in the long term that aligns Russia and China."

As the maneuvers kicked off, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Russia on Tuesday to attend an economic forum in Vladivostok. President Vladimir Putin treated Xi to pancakes with caviar and shots of vodka in a show of their warm rapport.

Moscow and Beijing have forged what they described as a "strategic partnership," expressing their shared opposition to the "unipolar" world, the term they use to describe perceived U.S. global domination. However, the military drills they had until now were far smaller in scale, reflecting China's caution about alliances.

Some experts pointed out that the U.S. helped spawn closer Russia-China military ties by labeling them strategic competitors. "They feel they need to embrace to deal with the increasingly high pressure and containment from the U.S.," said Yue Gang, a military expert and retired Chinese army colonel.

He noted that China feels that the Washington's hostile attitude and actions, such as deploying the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea, relieve it of any need to take U.S. views into consideration when deepening strategic trust with Moscow.

"The war games have laid a foundation for China and Russia to enhance cooperation on international arena and will lift the combat proficiency of both sides," he said. The Chinese media touted the Chinese involvement in the maneuvers as the country's largest-ever dispatch of forces abroad for war games.

Some noted that the People's Liberation Army, which hasn't fought a war since the attempted invasion of Vietnam in 1979, is keen to learn from Russia's experience in the Syrian campaign, where it tested its latest weapons and tactics.

From China's perspective, the emerging military alliance with Russia sends a strong signal to the U.S. and its ally Japan as Beijing moves to defend its interests in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, as well as Taiwan and the Senkaku and Diaoyu islands controlled by Japan but claimed by Beijing.

Hong Kong-based commentator Song Zhongping said China is anxious to acquire more experience in large-scale operations that might become a factor in a conflict with the U.S. and others over territorial claims in Asia.

"Russia has very strong real combat abilities and the participation of the PLA in such a large-scale military exercise that is specially tailored for an anti-invasion war indicates China's intention to learn more valuable combat practices and lift its ability for joint combat," Song said.

For Russia, the increasingly robust alliance with China is particularly important amid the growing tensions with the U.S. and its allies and a looming threat of more biting U.S. sanctions. "The scale and the scenario of those drills are in line with the current military-political situation," said Ivashov, the retired Russian general. "They demonstrate the seriousness of our intentions."

The U.S. and its NATO allies are closely eyeing the exercises for what they reveal about military cooperation between Russia and China and their mounting military might. "We're obviously aware of it, we're watching it closely," said Army Col. Rob Manning, a Pentagon spokesman. "We're aware of Russia's right to sovereignty and to exercise in order to ensure their readiness."

NATO Spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said that the training "fits into a pattern we have seen over some time: a more assertive Russia, significantly increasing its defense budget and its military presence."

She also noted that "China has growing military capabilities and is playing an increasingly significant global role," adding that "it's important for NATO to engage with China."

Vladimir Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and Lorne Cook in Brussels, contributed to this report.

Russian rights group says over 1,000 detained at protests

September 10, 2018

MOSCOW (AP) — More than 1,000 people were detained at anti-government protests across the country in what the Kremlin on Monday called a legitimate response to unauthorized rallies. The OVD-Info group, which tracks police detentions and posts the names of the detainees on its website, said that 1,018 people were detained during Sunday's demonstrations against a government plan to increase the ages at which Russians collect their state pension.

Nearly half of those detained were rounded up in St. Petersburg, according to the OVD-Info. Russia's second-largest city arguably saw the most robust response with riot police charging at protesters with batons. Minors and elderly people were among those arrested.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the police acted in accordance with the law in response to unauthorized protests. He added that "hooligans and provocateurs" mixed up with protesters and assailed police.

In Moscow, authorities charged two men with assailing police. On Monday, several activists tried to launch another protest in a tree-lined boulevard in central Moscow but they were quickly rounded up by police.

Sunday's rallies, which had been called by opposition leader Alexei Navalny, were held in dozens of towns and cities across Russia. Navalny, the anti-corruption activist who is Putin's most visible foe, had called for protests against the government's pension proposal before he was sentenced to 30 days in jail for organizing an unsanctioned January protest over a different issue.

The government's plan calls for the eligibility age for retirement pensions to be raised by five years, to 65 for men and 60 for women. It has irked both older Russians, who fear they won't live long enough to collect significant benefits, and younger generations worried that keeping people in the workforce longer will limit their own employment opportunities.

The government's proposal has dented Putin's popularity. The president responded by offering some concessions, but argued that the age hike is necessary because rising life expectancy in Russia could exhaust pension resources if the eligibility age remains the same.