Transport disruptions hit Greece as union protests cutbacks

November 28, 2018

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Nationwide train and island ferry services have been suspended for a day in Greece, together with most Athens public transport, as the country's biggest labor union strikes against persisting austerity measures.

Tuesday's strike is being organized by the GSEE umbrella private sector union, which also includes many categories of civil servants. The GSEE and a smaller Communist labor union are also planning separate protest marches through Athens to the house of parliament.

The unions want the left-led government to scrap key income and pension cuts imposed at the demand of international creditors during Greece's eight-year bailout program. The program formally ended in August but the measures are expected to remain in place for years to ensure Greece can keep its budgets balanced and pay off its bailout debts.

Germany closes last of black coal mines that shaped country

December 21, 2018

BERLIN (AP) — Germany is closing its last black coal mines, ending an industry that laid the foundations for the country's industrial revolution and its post-war economic recovery. On Friday, Miners planned to hand German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier a symbolic last lump of coal hauled up from 1,200 meters (3,940 feet) below ground at the Prosper-Haniel mine in the western city of Bottrop. Along with another mine, in the town of Ibbenbueren about 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the north, it will be formally shuttered at the end of the year.

"This marks the end of a significant era in Germany," government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said. "Black coal enabled the industrialization of the region and with it prosperity in all of Germany," she added. "This should be honored because we all benefit, even indirectly, to this day."

Black coal mines once dominated the Ruhr region surrounding Bottrop, employing up to half a million people at their peak in the 1950s. But they have since been in steady decline, surviving only thanks to generous subsidies.

The region has received more than 40 billion euros ($46 billion) in federal funds since 1998 and is slated to get another 2.7 billion euros through 2022, in part to deal with mine maintenance and environmental cleanup efforts. The figures don't include money spent supporting economic redevelopment in the Ruhr region, which has seen a growth in universities, research facilities and IT start-ups in recent years.

The end of the deep-shaft mines is seen as a test for the planned closure of open-cast lignite, or brown coal, mines still operating in Germany. The country generates almost two-fifths of its electricity from burning coal, a situation that scientists say can't continue if Germany wants to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in line with international efforts to curb climate change.

But some fear that other sources of energy — chiefly renewables — may not be sufficient, especially as Germany plans to shut down its nuclear plants by 2022. A government-appointed panel is due to deliver a report in February laying out proposals for the gradual phasing out of lignite mines. The experts, including party officials, environmentalists and miners union representatives, will also propose ways in which tens of thousands of people whose jobs still depend on the coal industry can find new work in future.

One of the panel's members said the hundreds of billions in subsidies paid to prop up black coal in Germany were a cautionary tale. "This time we cannot do it incrementally, in a piecemeal way," Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, founder of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, told The Associated Press.

With about 420 coal mining regions around the globe facing similar pressure to shut down in the coming years, Schellnhuber said Germany could become a pioneer in the transition away from fossil fuels.

At Friday's ceremony, miners were expected to pay their respects to colleagues who lost their lives underground. The dangers were highlighted Monday, when a 29-year-old worker was crushed to death by a metal door in the Ibbenbueren shaft. And overnight Friday, news emerged of the death of 13 miners in an explosion at a colliery in the Czech Republic.

New head of Merkel party seeks to build bridges with rivals

December 08, 2018

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel's successor at the helm of Germany's main center-right party sought to consolidate her power on Saturday after a narrow victory, installing a young conservative in a key leadership post in an effort to build bridges with her rivals.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, a Merkel ally close to her centrist stance, was elected as chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union on Friday. She narrowly defeated Friedrich Merz, a one-time Merkel rival representing a more traditionally conservative approach and a clearer break from the longtime chancellor's era. Another sometime Merkel critic, Health Minister Jens Spahn, was eliminated in earlier voting.

Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, showed Saturday that she is keen to prevent lasting divisions and give conservatives and younger members a strong voice. She nominated Paul Ziemiak, the 33-year-old leader of the party's youth wing, to serve as her general secretary — the official in charge of day-to-day political strategy and the job she held herself until she was elected leader.

"This party is not split — we all have the task of working on the unity of this party," she told a party congress in Hamburg. Ziemiak, who ran unopposed, won the support of 62.8 percent of delegates, a result suggesting Kramp-Karrenbauer still has plenty of work to do.

Ziemiak is further to the right than Kramp-Karrenbauer, is considered a friend of Spahn and comes from the same region as Merz. Kramp-Karrenbauer, a Catholic who is herself a shade more conservative than Merkel on social and security issues, faces pressure to improve the CDU's electoral fortunes after a dismal year in which Merkel's uneasy governing coalition with the center-left Social Democrats lurched from one crisis to the next.

Four state elections loom next year, including three in the ex-communist east, where the anti-migration Alternative for Germany is strongest. That party's co-leader, Alice Weidel, described Kramp-Karrenbauer as "Merkel 2.0" and said that "the last conservative Christian Democrats have lost their battle."

Kramp-Karrenbauer will need to prove her wrong. She says she plans to review her party's migration and security policies early next year. And she faces a first nationwide vote in May's election for the European Parliament, often a painful experience for governing parties.

Kramp-Karrenbauer served for years as the governor of Saarland state, a western border region with strong ties to neighboring France, Germany's traditional partner in leading European integration. Setting out her pitch on Friday, she called for "a strong Europe that completes Schengen," Europe's border-free travel area, and advocated for a European army, something France's president has called for.

"There must be no doubt that we are the party that really stands for Europe," she said on the campaign trail last month. Kramp-Karrenbauer is promising to give her party the first say in discussing policies, rather than digesting decisions already made by the government. It's unclear how much friction that could cause with Merkel.

Merkel plans to continue as chancellor for the rest of this parliamentary term. The next election isn't due until 2021, but it's uncertain whether her governing coalition will last that long. Kramp-Karrenbauer is the favorite to run for chancellor in the next election, though that isn't automatic.

Merkel ally becomes German conservative party's leader

December 07, 2018

HAMBURG, Germany (AP) — Angela Merkel's center-right party elected an ally of the longtime German chancellor as its new leader on Friday, opting for continuity and experience as it handed her the challenge of opening a new chapter and improving the party's electoral fortunes.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, narrowly defeated one-time Merkel rival Friedrich Merz to become the Christian Democratic Union's new chairwoman. The vote came hours after the party feted Merkel with a lengthy standing ovation as she wrapped up 18 years at the helm.

Merkel has said she plans to remain chancellor until Germany's next election, which is due in 2021 but could come earlier. Kramp-Karrenbauer, the CDU general secretary since February and previously a popular state governor, is now the favorite to run for chancellor in that vote.

That isn't automatic, but all but two of Kramp-Karrenbauer's seven predecessors as CDU leader became chancellor. She was quick to call for party unity after defeating Merz 517-482 on Friday, saying "there is a place in this party" for Merz and Health Minister Jens Spahn, who was eliminated in a first round of voting at a congress in Hamburg.

Merz stood for a more conservative, business-friendly approach than Merkel, while Kramp-Karrenbauer — often known as "AKK" — was closer to Merkel's centrist stance. Kramp-Karrenbauer said she wants to ensure that the CDU avoids the fate of shrinking center-right parties in France and elsewhere.

"We're a bit like the last unicorn in Europe — the last big people's party that still exists," she told delegates before the vote. "I want that to be the case tomorrow too. This Europe, this Germany, this world needs a strong CDU."

Kramp-Karrenbauer has shown a greater willingness than Merkel to cater to conservative rhetoric, and on Friday rejected the notion that she would be a Merkel clone. "I've read a lot about what I am and who I am — 'mini,' 'a copy,' 'simply carrying on the same way,'" she said. "I stand here as I am and how life has formed me, and I am proud of that."

She described herself as a mother of three "who knows herself how difficult it is to reconcile family and professional life" and listed her long experience in regional government. Kramp-Karrenbauer was the first woman to be a German state's interior minister, or top security official, and served as the governor of western Saarland state, defying expectations to win re-election by a wide margin last year. In February, she gave up the governor's job to become the CDU's general secretary, managing the party's day-to-day political strategy.

In 18 years of experience, she said she "learned that leadership is more about internal strength then external volume." And she said the CDU must attract voters with its own ideas, not by competing to see "who attacks our political opponents the hardest."

In his speech, Merz highlighted the need to tackle the "intolerable" success of the far-right Alternative for Germany party and called for a more combative approach toward the CDU's rivals in the political center ground.

Merz, who was the CDU's parliamentary leader until he was pushed out of the job by Merkel in 2002, had sought a spectacular comeback in Friday's vote after a decade away from front-line politics. Merkel has been CDU leader since 2000 and chancellor since 2005. She has moved her party relentlessly to the center, dropping military conscription, accelerating Germany's exit from nuclear energy and introducing benefits such as encouraging fathers to look after their young children. She also allowed the introduction of gay marriage, which Kramp-Karrenbauer was more vehement in opposing.

Most controversially, Merkel allowed in large numbers of migrants in 2015. Kramp-Karrenbauer has talked tough on immigration issues in recent weeks, but warned that endlessly rehashing the debate about Merkel's 2015 decision on migrants is a turn-off for voters

In her farewell speech as leader, the 64-year-old Merkel said Friday that "our CDU today is different from the year 2000, and that is a good thing." For years, Merkel's popularity lifted the CDU and its Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union. In the 2013 election, they won 41.5 percent of the vote and only just fell short of an outright parliamentary majority.

At present, the center-right bloc is polling around or below 30 percent. Merkel's fourth-term governing coalition with the center-left Social Democrats has lurched through a series of crises since taking office in March, and the CDU has lost supporters both to the liberal Greens and to Alternative for Germany.

Merkel, however, recalled that the CDU was in a deep crisis when she took over in 2000, mired in a party financing scandal surrounding ex-Chancellor Helmut Kohl. She said it "kept a cool head" to recover.

"I wasn't born as chancellor or as party leader," she said. "I have always wanted to do my government and party jobs with dignity, and one day to leave them with dignity ... now it is time to open a new chapter."

Kramp-Karrenbauer said the competition to succeed Merkel "has given us lift." It was the first contested CDU leadership election since 1971. "This upswing must continue," she said.

Moulson reported from Berlin.

Germany marks 20th anniversary of Nazi looted art agreement

November 26, 2018

BERLIN (AP) — German officials, Jewish leaders and others are marking the 20th anniversary of the international agreement on returning art looted by the Nazis with concrete pledges and proposals aimed at breathing new life into the process.

Culture Minister Monika Gruetters said Monday it is Germany's responsibility to improve upon the so-called Washington Principles to restore cultural objects to their original Jewish owners or heirs, noting their meaning is much more than financial.

She says "behind every stolen object is the fate of an individual." Germany is implementing measures to make both research of looted items and restitution easier. World Jewish Congress head Ronald Lauder says Germany has been "exemplary" in many ways but he called for more to be done and noted several other countries that endorsed the Washington Principles have largely ignored them.

French police brace for New Year's Eve unrest

December 30, 2018

PARIS (AP) — France is deploying more than 147,000 security forces nationwide to gird for New Year's Eve unrest as yellow vest protesters prepare to join the public revelry. The Interior Ministry said in a statement issued Sunday that the heavy security measures are needed because of a "high terrorist threat" and concerns about "non-declared protests."

Police in Paris say they will put a security perimeter around the Champs-Elysees, the site of an annual New Year's Eve light show and celebration. Anti-government protesters angry over taxes and President Emmanuel Macron's pro-business policies are planning to be on the famed avenue.

The Interior Ministry says extra security across France will focus on popular gathering places, public transportation, roads and shopping areas. Previous New Year's Eves in France have produced burned cars and other disorder.

Yellow vest protesters target French media as movement ebbs

December 29, 2018

PARIS (AP) — Yellow vest protesters marched on the headquarters of leading French broadcasters Saturday, as small groups turned out in Paris and around France despite waning momentum for their movement.

Hundreds of demonstrators — some chanting "Journalists - Collaborationists!" — gathered at the central offices of television network BFM and state-run France Televisions. Some protesters hurled stones and other objects during scattered skirmishes with riot police firing tear gas.

Some members of the broad-based yellow vest movement accuse French leading news media of favoring President Emmanuel Macron's government and big business and minimizing the protests — even though the demonstrations have been the leading news story in France since they kicked off Nov. 17.

Dozens of protesters twice tried to march on the elegant, tourist-filled Champs-Elysees, the site of repeated clashes between police and demonstrators in recent weeks. Blue police car lights flashed along the avenue glittering with red holiday decorations.

Another small group of yellow vest demonstrators gathered near the Eiffel Tower, where police officers arrested several. But by nightfall, tourists and couples were back at adjacent Trocadero plaza to enjoy spectacular views of the tower.

Both police and protesters appeared to be out in much smaller numbers than previous weekends. The holiday season and winter chill may have put a damper on Saturday's turnout, along with a raft of concessions by Macron to calm the movement after rioting nearly reached his presidential palace earlier this month.

Despite Macron's offers of tax relief and other aid, many people remain frustrated with his pro-business leadership and are continuing to stage roadblocks at roundabouts around the country. Peaceful gatherings were held Saturday in several cities, from Marseille on the Mediterranean to Albertville in the Alps and Rouen in Normandy. Protesters continued blocking roundabouts in several sites, tangling traffic and letting just a few drivers through at a time, on a busy weekend of holiday travel. They brandished French flags and placards with a range of demands.

New protests are expected on the Champs-Elysees on New Year's Eve, when Paris puts on a light show that typically attracts large crowds of spectators. Paris police plan extra security for the annual event, which sometimes degenerates into violence after midnight.

The yellow vest movement was launched to express anger over fuel tax hikes hurting working people who commute by car, but grew to encompass broader anger over Macron's economic policies. It's named after the fluorescent protective gear French motorists must keep in their cars.

Respite in Paris; Fewer protesters take to the streets

December 22, 2018

PARIS (AP) — France's yellow vest protesters, who have brought chaos to Paris for weeks with their economic demands, turned out in sharply reduced numbers Saturday at the start of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Still, some violent incidents in the French capital marred the end of a largely peaceful day. The number of protesters on the French capital's elegant Champs-Elysees Avenue was down sharply. Paris police said only 2,000 protesters took to the streets, compared to 4,000 a week before and 10,000 the prior week. Police arrested 142 people and detained 19, compared to the several hundred arrested two weeks ago when the protests turned violent.

Tensions arose at nightfall when protesters gathered on the Champs-Elysees and police fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse some demonstrators. A video circulating on social media showed three police on motorcycles surrounded and attacked by protesters. At some point, one of the policemen appeared to pull his weapon out on charging protesters. Paris police told The Associated Press the officer pulled out it to deter the assailants but did not use his weapon.

Earlier in the day, in stark contrast to the last few weekends, tourists strolled down the avenue near the Arc de Triomphe monument, holiday shoppers were out in force and the grandest of Parisian boulevards remained open for traffic.

Protesters appeared disorganized, with scattered groups walking randomly across the capital. A few hundred protesters cordoned by police marched toward the Madeleine Church near the presidential Elysee Palace but were stopped in a small adjacent street. Tempers frayed and police with batons fired tear gas to repel a few demonstrators trying to break through a police line.

The protests, which have morphed from an outcry against a fuel tax hike to incorporate a wide array of economic concerns, are still having a knock-on effect across France. The palace of Versailles just outside Paris was shut down for the day Saturday after yellow vest protesters said they will demonstrate there. The famous chateau was home to a succession of French kings until the French Revolution in 1789.

But only a few protesters showed up in Versailles. Most gathered peacefully at the foot of the Sacre-Coeur basilica in the picturesque Paris neighborhood of Montmartre. The French capital's other big tourist hotspots such as the Louvre museum and the Eiffel Tower, which had closed for an earlier protest this month, both remained open.

French President Emmanuel Macron appears to have taken some of the anger out of the protests by offering concessions like tax-free overtime for workers and a freeze on gas and electricity prices this winter. The measures are expected to cost an estimated 10 billion euros ($1.14 billion).

Much of France, but particularly Paris, has endured weeks of protests that at times descended into violence. Ten people have died since the start of the yellow vest movement in November, mostly in traffic accidents. French media said a man died Friday night near the southern city of Perpignan after his car slammed into a truck that had stopped near a group of protesters.

Protesters take their name from the fluorescent yellow vests that French motorists must keep in their vehicles. Outside Paris, around 200 traffic roundabouts remained occupied by protesters across the country. In southern France near the Spanish border, dozens of demonstrators blocked trucks and chanted "Macron, resign!"

In central France near the city of Saint-Etienne, protesters blocked a major road and set fires but shops remained open. In the Belgian capital of Brussels, police scuffled with some protesters during a march inspired by France's yellow vest movement.

French govt offers 300-euro bonus to protest-weary police

December 18, 2018

PARIS (AP) — Seeking to soothe police forces demanding improved working conditions, the French government on Tuesday proposed giving 300-euro ($340) bonuses to officers deployed to the aggressive and disruptive protests that started last month.

French President Emmanuel Macron committed to the idea of protest duty pay earlier this month. The government's offer came a day after two police unions announced work slowdowns to protest staffing and other budget issues.

It wasn't clear if the proposed premiums would calm the growing anger in police ranks. Discussions between police union representatives and Interior Ministry officials Tuesday were suspended after three hours and set to resume Wednesday morning, according to the primary unions represented at the meeting.

"We are not for sale and we can't be bought. It's certainly not with this bonus that the crisis will be resolved," Yves Lefebvre, of the Unite-SG Police FO union, said before the ministry meeting. According to government figures, the bonus will be paid to 111,000 police officers and military personal and will cost 33 million euros ($37.5 million.) The National Assembly is expected to debate it during discussions on the 2019 budget.

Instead of a bonus, police unions are asking for the payment of thousands of hours of unpaid overtime work that has accumulated over the years. The Alliance union urged the government to invest in rebuilding the country's police forces while calling for a work slowdown Wednesday. Alliance is encouraging police forces to stay inside their stations and only to respond to emergency calls.

The unions also have complained about what they said are strained resources as officers have been sent in to clear road blockades and to control trouble-makers at street demonstrations over the past month.

The yellow vest protests, named after the fluorescent safety vests French motorists must carry, started last month over rising fuel prices. They since have morphed into a mass show of dissatisfaction involving pensioners, people without jobs and small business owners.

The UNSA union threatened to mimic yellow vests protests and to occupy roundabouts if its demands were not met.

Yellow vest protesters still block French traffic circles

December 16, 2018

PARIS (AP) — Yellow vest protesters occupied dozens of traffic roundabouts across France on Sunday even as their movement for economic justice appeared to be losing momentum on the fifth straight weekend of protests.

The road blockades remained despite a call by Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to free the roundabouts from the traffic chaos created by the protests. Eight people have died in incidents tied to the yellow vest movement, mostly from traffic accidents linked to roads blocked by protesters.

The demonstrators are demanding more measures to help France's workers and retirees and want top officials in President Emmanuel Macron's centrist government to resign, including Macron himself. Despite the cold weather, protesters occupying a roundabout near the southern city of Orange close to a major highway pledged to keep holding more demonstrations, including blocking fuel depots.

"Mr. Castaner, if you want us to clear roundabouts, you will need to offer your resignation. We don't need bandits of your kind," a protester identified as Nicolas told the BFM TV channel. Some yellow vest protesters — whose movement takes its name from the safety garb that all French motorists must carry — set up a small fire with wooden planks and held a barbecue at a roundabout near the city of Reims in the Champagne region. Some of them wore Santa hats and deployed a banner that read "Revolution 2018."

On Saturday, yellow vest demonstrators took to the streets in cities across France, including in Paris, but in far fewer numbers than on previous weekends: 69,000 compared to 125,000 a week before. Paris police had to fire tear gas and water cannon across the Champs-Elysees and some protesters scuffled with police.

In an effort to defuse France's social crisis, Macron has announced a series of measures aimed at improving people's spending power. The package, which includes a 100-euro ($113) monthly increase to the minimum wage, might have played a role in deterring protests but did not help improve Macron's popularity. According to an opinion poll published Sunday by the Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper, Macron's approval rate dipped to 23 percent in the last month.

The yellow vests movement brings together people of all political backgrounds with a multitude of demands. Among the most popular in recent days is the demand to introduce in the French constitution a "citizens' initiative referendum" that would allow citizens to propose new laws. This idea is supported by politicians across the political spectrum, including far-right leader Marine Le Pen and leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon.

Tear gas in Paris, but fewer protesters and bigger demands

December 16, 2018

PARIS (AP) — A protest movement that has brought the French into the streets for five Saturdays in a row in a major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron lost momentum in its latest nationwide outcry, but the smaller crowds pushed fervently for one of their expanding demands, a citizen's referendum to help define policy.

The most resonant call Saturday was a leap from the demand for relief from fuel tax hikes that gave birth to the protest in mid-November by rank-and-file French wearing yellow safety vests to slow vehicles at the traffic circles that dot France's countryside.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced in a tweet the death of an eighth person since the start of the protests, implying it occurred at a traffic circle, some of which have been manned day and night by protesters.

"Traffic circles must be freed and the security of all must again become the rule," he said, in a new effort to tamp down a movement that appears to be losing momentum. The government put 69,000 security forces into the streets and called for calm after the last two Saturdays of major violence, including vandalization of the outside and inside of the Arc de Triomphe, which cradles the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

"Protesting is a right. So let's know how to exercise it," the French government tweeted. Some 8,000 police, with 14 armored vehicles and water cannons, were out anew in Paris to guard against property destruction and looting that marred the two previous protests.

They fired rounds of tear gas into crowds on the famed Champs-Elysees, where chic shops and restaurants were boarded up, and at dusk turned water on protesters bundled against frigid weather to disperse them.

Police said 115 people were taken into custody in Paris, most for banding together to commit acts of violence. Seven people were slightly injured. Police in riot gear were seen tackling one protester and dragging him off the Champs-Elysees.

Police estimate Paris protesters numbered 3,000 maximum — less than half the number a week ago — and the sharp downturn in violence was reflected in demonstrations across the country. But the smaller crowds were fervent — and more demanding, with signs carried high or scrawled on the backs of vests calling for a referendum system that would let citizens directly impose national policies.

Among the yellow vests on the Champs-Elysees was Francis Queruel, a 70-year-old retiree from the small town of Goussainville, about 35 miles (60 kilometers) southwest of Paris, who said he was angered by "the violence of money," whereby the rich thrive and the rest are squeezed.

"There are 9 million poor in France and people who work but have no money at the end of the month to eat," said Queruel. While he said he has a good pension at 3,600 euros a month, he complained it's not indexed to the cost of living. Above all, Queruel worries for his grown children and the French who can't make ends meet.

"When you're hungry, it's terrible," said Queruel. "People were silent for a long time and now it's the eruption of a volcano," he said. Pricillia Ludosky, one of several figures credited with helping trigger the movement, spoke to hundreds of people filling the square at the Paris Opera house and denounced "colossal fiscal oppression ... while a small elite constantly escapes paying taxes."

Without any clear leadership, the yellow vest movement has attracted a wide range of disgruntled people across France's political spectrum, including political parties trying to win new backers. On Monday, Macron, whose popularity is plummeting, offered a package of measures in a bid to placate protesters, including a 100-euro monthly increase to the minimum wage. However, he refused to reinstate a wealth tax he slashed at the start of his presidency, a move that enforced a perception that he is the "president of the rich."

Lionel Fraisse, 63, a retired worker for the state agency that runs Metros and suburban trains, said the measures were simply "to put the people to sleep." Fraisse, who arrived from the Essonne region south of Paris with former colleagues, said what he wants most is for Macron "to validate his legitimacy" with a referendum.

Until then, "the movement must lose neither its vigor nor its legitimacy," he said.

Elena Becatoros and Raphael Satter in Paris contributed to this report.

Macron urges calm; Paris police brace for more violence

December 14, 2018

PARIS (AP) — Anticipating a fifth straight weekend of violent protests, France's president on Friday called for calm and the Paris police chief warned that armored vehicles and thousands of officers will be deployed again in the French capital.

Police chief Michel Delpuech told RTL radio that security services intend to deploy Saturday in the same numbers as last weekend, with about 8,000 officers and 14 armored vehicles protecting the streets of Paris during a planned anti-government protest by the yellow vest movement.

Delpuech said the biggest difference will be the deployment of more groups of patrol officers to catch vandals, who last weekend roamed the streets around the elegant Champs Elysees, looting and causing damage. Police arrested more than 1,000 people in Paris last weekend and 135 people were injured, including 17 police officers.

French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner also urged protesters to express themselves peacefully after a police shootout on Thursday ended a two-day manhunt for a man suspected of killing four people near a Christmas market in the eastern city of Strasbourg. Hundreds of police were mobilized in the search, which ended with the suspect being shot dead.

"I can't stand the idea that today people applaud police forces and that tomorrow some people will think it makes sense to throw stones at us," Castaner said from Strasbourg. A sixth "yellow vest" protester was killed this week, hit by a truck at a protest roadblock. Despite calls from authorities urging protesters — who wear the fluorescent safety vests that France requires drivers to keep in their cars — to stop their violence demonstrations, the movement rocking the country since mid-November has showed no signs of abating.

"Last week, we pretty much handled the yellow vests but we also witnessed scenes of breakage and looting by criminals," Delpuech said. "Our goal will be to better control this aspect." The protests began Nov. 17 against a rise in gas taxes but have morphed into an expression of rage against France's high taxes and a sense that President Emmanuel Macron's government does not care about French workers.

Macron has acknowledged he's partially responsible for the anger and has announced a series of measures aimed at improving French workers' spending power but has refused to reinstate a wealth tax that was lifted to spur investment in France.

On Friday, Macron called for calm and order ahead of another weekend of protests. "I don't think our democracy can accept" the "occupation of the public domain and elements of violence," Macron said in Brussels, speaking after attending a European Union summit there.

"Our country needs calm. It needs order. It needs to function normally again," Macron said. He insisted he had heard the protesters' concerns and defended his promises to speed up tax relief. He also dismissed calls for his resignation, which is now among the protesters' disparate demands.

Some trade unions are now calling for rolling strikes across the country. "The best action is to go on strike," said Philippe Martinez, the head of leftist trade union CGT. "There are inequalities in this country and we need to make big company bosses pay."

One group of yellow vests has urged a non-violent protest on the Place de la Republique in Paris under the slogan "Je Suis Strasbourg" ("I am Strasbourg") to show solidarity with those killed and injured in Strasbourg on Tuesday night.

That refers to the "Je Suis Charlie" motto used by supporters of freedom of speech after a 2015 attack in which 12 people were killed at the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo. A fourth person died Friday from wounds suffered in an attack on the Christmas market in Strasbourg, as investigators worked to establish whether the main suspect had help while on the run.

Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz, who handles terror cases throughout France, told a news conference that seven people are in police custody for the Strasbourg attack, including four family members of suspect Cherif Chekatt.

Chekatt, 29, was shot dead Thursday during a police operation. "We want to reconstruct the past 48 hours in order to find out whether he got some support," Heitz said.

Angela Charlton in Brussels, Belgium contributed to this report.

EU leader concerned about Romania holding bloc presidency

December 29, 2018

BERLIN (AP) — The head of the European Union's executive branch has questioned whether Romania is ready for the political give-and-take of holding the EU presidency, though he says the country is "technically well-prepared" for the role.

EU countries take turns occupying the presidency for six-month terms. The position involves setting the bloc's agenda and acting as a diplomatic go-between among the 28 members. Romania takes over the rotating role on Jan. 1 amid deep political divisions at home and a contentious domestic judicial overhaul.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was quoted Saturday as telling Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper that Romania is "technically well-prepared" in part thanks to the Commission's help.

"But I think the government in Bucharest hasn't yet fully understood what it means to take the chair over the EU countries," he added. "For judicious negotiations, you also need a readiness to listen to others and the firm will to put your own wishes aside. I have some doubts there."

Juncker also pointed to Romania's domestic divisions. There are long-running differences between President Klaus Iohannis and Liviu Dragnea, the chairman of the governing Social Democratic Party. Iohannis last month said Romania wasn't up to the presidency. Dragnea then asked party colleagues to find a way to prosecute him for treason over those remarks. The president has since struck a more optimistic note.

Juncker was quoted as saying that Romania's domestic situation means it can't present itself as a "compact unit" in Europe. "There needs to be a united front at home to foster unity in Europe as well during the presidency," he said.

Romania succeeds Austria in the EU presidency. Its six months at the helm will include Britain's planned exit from the bloc in March and elections to the European Parliament in May. Maria Grapini, a European Parliament lawmaker with Romania's Social Democrats, said Juncker was being "duplicitous."

She told the private Mediafax news agency that, during a recent meeting with Romanian officials in Brussels, Juncker had said it was "clear ... that Romania was up to the presidency." "You can't say it's black today and tomorrow it's white," she said.

Congo counts votes in presidential election, after delays

December 31, 2018

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo's election officials are counting votes Monday in a presidential election that the opposition and observers say has had numerous irregularities. The ballot counting and compiling is taking place across this vast Central African country, after an election day beset by problems but in which many Congolese showed a calm determination to register their votes.

Election observers reported multiple difficulties in voting for a successor to President Joseph Kabila who is stepping down after 17 years in power. The election had been delayed since late 2016, prompting the opposition to charge that Kabila was trying to stay on past his mandate.

Congo's presidential election is hoped to enable the country's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960. The official results are to be announced on Jan. 15, although preliminary results are expected before then.

Life resumed to normal in Kinshasa, the capital, after voting day in which electoral officials rushed voting lists to polling stations across the city. Many polls stayed open in the night to allow those waiting in line to cast their ballots. At least one Kinshasa polling station, only managed to open after the official closing time.

Among some 21 candidates, top opposition leaders Martin Fayulu and Felix Tshisekedi are challenging Kabila's preferred successor, former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who is under European Union sanctions for a crackdown on people protesting delays to the election.

In Kinshasa, an opposition stronghold, many voters reported trouble finding their names on the voting lists. Nearly 50 Kinshasa polling centers were idle for hours because lists of registered voters had not been delivered, electoral commission chief Corneille Nangaa told The Associated Press.

At stake is a country rich in minerals including those crucial to the world's smartphones and electric cars, and yet Congo remains desperately underdeveloped with widespread corruption and insecurity.

Election unrest had been feared after a last-minute decision to bar an estimated 1 million people from voting because of a deadly Ebola virus outbreak in the east. The decision was widely criticized as threatening the credibility of the election and putting health workers in danger as people protest.

Voting in the Ebola-affected cities of Beni and Butembo was delayed until March, long after Congo's new leader will be inaugurated in January. On Sunday, well over 10,000 people lined up in Beni to stage their own election, vowing to deliver the results to the electoral commission. People cast paper ballots and sang in Swahili, "Voting is our right and nobody can stop us."

N. Korean leader calls for more talks with South in new year

December 30, 2018

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a letter to South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Sunday calling for more peace talks between the leaders in the new year following their active engagement in 2018, South Korea's presidential office said.

Moon's office said Kim also expressed regret that he couldn't make a planned visit to Seoul, South Korea's capital, by the end of December as pledged by the leaders during their last summit in September in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital. The Blue House didn't fully disclose Kim's letter.

Moon later thanked Kim for his "warm" letter in a tweeted message and said without elaborating that Kim expressed strong willingness to carry out the agreements he made this year during a series of inter-Korean summits and a historic June meeting with President Donald Trump.

"There will still be a lot of difficulties ahead," Moon said in his message. "However, our hearts will become more open if we put in that much effort. There's no change in our heart about welcoming Chairman Kim (to the South)."

The tweet also included a photo that showed a ruby-colored folder emblazoned with the seal of Pyongyang's powerful State Affairs Commission and the top part of Kim's letter, which started with: "Dear your excellency President Moon Jae-in. Our meeting in Pyongyang feels like yesterday but about 100 days have already passed and now we are at the close of an unforgettable 2018."

Through three summits between Moon and Kim this year, the Koreas agreed to a variety of goodwill gestures and vowed to resume economic cooperation when possible, voicing optimism that international sanctions could end to allow such activity.

The rivals have also taken steps to reduce their conventional military threat, such as removing mines and firearms from the border village of Panmunjom, destroying some front-line guard posts and creating buffer zones along their land and sea boundaries and a no-fly zone above the border.

"Chairman Kim said that the leaders by meeting three times in a single year and implementing bold measures to overcome the long period of conflict lifted our (Korean) nation from military tension and war fears," Kim Eui-kyeom, Moon's spokesman, said in a televised briefing.

"Chairman Kim said he will keep a close eye on the situation and expressed strong will to visit Seoul. ... Chairman Kim also expressed his intentions to meet President Moon frequently again in 2019 to advance discussions on the Korean Peninsula's peace and prosperity and discuss issues on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," the spokesman said.

Moon's office did not reveal how Kim Jong Un's letter was delivered or whether he made any comments about his planned second summit with Trump in 2019. The letter comes days before Kim is expected to address North Koreans in a New Year's speech that North Korean leaders traditionally use to announce major policy decisions and goals.

Kim used his New Year's speech a year ago to initiate diplomacy with Seoul and Washington, which led to his meetings with Moon and a historic June summit with Trump. In his meetings with Moon and Trump, Kim signed on to vague statements calling for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula without describing when or how it would occur.

Post-summit nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang quickly settled into a stalemate as the countries struggled between the sequencing of the North's disarmament and the removal of U.S.-led international sanctions against the North. There continue to be doubts about whether Kim will ever voluntarily relinquish his nukes, which he may see as his strongest guarantee of survival.

Kim and Trump are trying to arrange a second summit in early 2019.

President Tsai says Taiwanese want to maintain self-rule

January 01, 2019

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese treasure their autonomy from China, the leader of the self-governing island said Tuesday, warning city and county officials to be open about and exercise caution in any dialogue with the Chinese.

President Tsai Ing-wen's remarks come after major gains by a Beijing-friendly opposition party in local elections in late November. "The election results absolutely don't mean Taiwan's basic public opinion wants us to give up our self-rule," she said in an 11-minute New Year's address at the presidential office. "And they absolutely don't mean that the Taiwanese people want us to give ground on our autonomy."

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since the Chinese civil war of the 1940s, when Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists lost to Mao Zedong's Communists. The Nationalists rebased their government to Taiwan, but China insists that the two sides must eventually unite, by force if necessary.

The Nationalist Party, which in recent years has favored closer ties with Beijing, won 15 of 22 major seats in the local elections, reversing an advantage held by Tsai's Democratic Progressive Party. Tsai takes a more guarded view toward relations with China.

"What's really needed between the two sides is a practical understanding of the differences between values, beliefs and lifestyles," she said. China resents Tsai for declining to recognize its condition for dialogue: that each side sees itself as part of one China. Beijing has sent military aircraft near the island, squeezed Taiwan's foreign diplomacy and scaled back Taiwan-bound group tourism.

A New Year's statement from the Chinese official in charge of Taiwan affairs accused Tsai's party of obstruction and deliberate provocation. "The broad masses of Taiwan compatriots are strongly dissatisfied with the hostility caused by the DPP authorities across the Taiwan Strait," Liu Jieyi, the director of the Taiwan Affairs Office, said, referring to Tsai's party by its acronym.

"To achieve the complete reunification of the motherland and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the common aspiration of all Chinese people," he said in a message published in an official magazine.

Experts say that China will likely offer economic incentives to Taiwanese cities and counties where officials take pro-Beijing views. Tsai warned officials against any reliance on "vague political preconditions" or "forced submission of secret passwords," a reference to giving away secrets.

"We don't oppose normal cross-strait exchanges, and even more we don't oppose city-to-city exchanges," she said. "However, exchanges across the strait need to be healthy and they need to be normal." Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to give a speech Wednesday aimed at Taiwan on the 40th anniversary of the "Message to Compatriots in Taiwan," a pro-unification statement from China that called for steps to end the isolation between the two rivals.

Tsai would probably condemn any local official talking privately with Xi, said Shane Lee, political scientist at Chang Jung Christian University in Taiwan. "She thinks that's not only immoral but even illegal, because foreign affairs are the power of the central government, not the local government," Lee said.

Lo Chih-cheng, who heads the international department of the Democratic Progressive Party, said Tsai cannot do more with China, because Beijing would credit any progress to the Nationalists. She will do nothing radical to provoke China, but some voters are looking for more action, he said in an early December interview. "People enjoy the status quo, but it's not enough to win the elections," Lo said.

Tsai also announced that her government was introducing a three-year plan to attract Taiwanese investors home from China, where some face import tariffs raised by Washington in the U.S.-China trade dispute.

She said that Taiwan wants China to share data on an outbreak of African swine fever. Taiwanese officials are on alert against any infection on their island, which lies 160 kilometers (100 miles) across the Taiwan Strait.

Associated Press researcher Henry Hou in Beijing contributed to this story.

Israel protests Jordanian minister's walk over its flag

Monday 31/12/2018

JERUSALEM/AMMAN - Israel protested to Jordan on Sunday after the spokeswoman for the government in Amman was photographed stepping on the Israeli flag during a meeting with trade unionists.

Jumana Ghunaimat, Jordan's minister for media affairs and communications and the government spokeswoman, on Thursday walked over an Israeli flag painted on the floor of the headquarters of Jordan's professional unions in Amman.

She was on her way to attend a meeting between Jordanian Prime Minister Omar al Razzaz and union representatives. Razzaz, however, entered the building through a rear door, avoiding having to walk over the flag.

Israel's Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Sunday deploring the flag "desecration", and said it had summoned acting Jordanian ambassador Mohammed Hmaid for a reprimand and that the Israeli embassy in Amman had also issued a "sharp protest".

The flag was painted on the floor of the building several years ago to encourage passers by to tread on it, a mark of disrespect, unions said at the time.

Despite the neighbours' 1994 peace deal and commercial and security ties, many Jordanians resent Israel and identify with the Palestinian struggle against it.

Jordan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Qatarneh confirmed in a statement issued via state media that the Israeli embassy in Amman had asked for clarifications over the incident and that Israel had called in the Jordanian charge d'affaires in Tel Aviv to "discuss" the matter.

Qatarneh said that Jordan respects its peace treaty with Israel and that Ghunaimat had entered a private building by its main entrance to attend an official meeting.

The flag had been painted at a time when the unions were controlled by Jordan's mainly Islamist opposition, fierce ideological foes of Israel. They have since lost influence and Jordan's professional unions are mostly now run by nationalist and secular parties that avoid party activism.

Still, some union members were unhappy that union leaders had allowed Razzaz to avoid the flag.

"The unions took a cowardly stance by allowing the prime minister to enter from a back door and his aides no doubt told him of the presence of the flag at the entrance," Masira Malaas, a leading union activist, said.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: https://middle-east-online.com/en/israel-protests-jordanian-minister%E2%80%99s-walk-over-its-flag%C2%A0.

2 dead, nearly 30 wounded in bomb blast at Philippine mall

December 31, 2018

COTABATO, Philippines (AP) — Suspected Muslim militants remotely detonated a bomb near the entrance of a mall in the southern Philippines on Monday as people did last-minute shopping ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations, killing at least two and wounding nearly 30, officials said.

The bomb went off near the baggage counter at the entrance of the South Seas mall in Cotabato city, wounding shoppers, vendors and commuters. Authorities recovered another unexploded bomb nearby as government forces imposed a security lockdown in the city, military and police officials said.

Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said by phone that an initial investigation showed the design of the bomb was similar to those used in the past by local Muslim militants who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

Government forces launched an offensive against the militants belonging to a group called Daulah Islamiyah last week and at least seven of the militants died in the fighting, Sobejana said. "This is a part of the retaliation, but the problem is they're victimizing innocent civilians," he told reporters.

Supt. Romeo Galgo Jr., the deputy police director of Cotabato, said witnesses saw a man leave a box in a crowded area near the mall's entrance where vendors and shoppers were milling. The explosion shattered glass panels and scattered debris to the street fronting the mall.

Two of the roughly 30 people hit by the blast died while being brought to a hospital, Sobejana said. Cotabato Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi condemned the bombing and called on residents to help fight terrorism.

"This is not just another terroristic act but an act against humanity. I cannot fathom how such evil exists in this time of merry making," she said. "It is unimaginable how some people can start the new year with an act of cruelty but no matter how you threaten us, the people of Cotabato are resilient. ... We will stand up against terrorism," she told reporters.

The bombing, the latest in a number of attacks blamed on militants in the volatile region, occurred despite on-and-off military assaults against pockets of militant groups operating in the marshlands and hinterlands not far from Cotabato and outlying provinces.

Hundreds of militants aligned with the Islamic State group laid siege in the southern Islamic city of Marawi in May last year, sparking five months of intense fighting and military airstrikes that left more than 1,100 mostly militants dead and displaced hundreds of thousands of villagers.

President Rodrigo Duterte placed the southern third of the country under martial law to deal with the Marawi siege, the worst security crisis he has faced since taking office in mid-2016.

Russia: 4 dead in apartment collapse, apparent gas explosion

December 31, 2018

MOSCOW (AP) — At least four people died Monday when sections of an apartment building collapsed after an apparent gas explosion in Russia's Ural Mountains region, officials said. The authorities said five others were hospitalized with injuries, and 68 other residents remained unaccounted for in the accident in Magnitogorsk, a city of 400,000 about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southeast of Moscow.

The nation's top investigative agency, the Investigative Committee, said the collapse of a section of the ten-storey building was apparently caused by a gas leak. It happened before dawn when most residents were still asleep on the New Year's Eve.

Nearly 1,400 rescuers were searching for those who could have been buried under debris. Emergency workers have evacuated residents of nearby sections of the building, fearing they could also tumble down.

The Kremlin said that President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the situation. Cabinet officials arrived in Magnitogorsk to oversee the rescue efforts. Gas explosions in Russian homes and businesses are common, and they are usually blamed on neglect of safety rules or poor maintenance.

Russian and Turkish ministers meet for Syria talks

December 29, 2018

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian and Turkish foreign and defense ministers met in Moscow on Saturday to discuss northern Syria as U.S. forces prepare to withdraw and Turkey threatens to launch a military operation against U.S.-backed Kurdish forces controlling nearly a third of the country.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said before the talks began that they would focus on the situation in and around Idlib, as well as "what can and should be done" when the U.S. withdraws from Syria.

After the meeting, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters that much of the discussion focused on the pending U.S. withdrawal, and that Russia and Turkey managed to agree on coordinating their steps in Syria "to ultimately eradicate the terrorist threat."

Turkey's official Anadolu news agency said the meeting lasted an hour and a half. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said only that "we will continue our close cooperation with Russia and Iran on Syria and regional issues."

The Syrian military said it entered the Kurdish stronghold of Manbij on Friday as part of an apparent agreement between the two sides. The Kurds are looking for new allies to protect against a threatened Turkish offensive as U.S. forces prepare to leave.

With President Donald Trump's surprise decision to withdraw troops earlier this month, Turkey announced it will pause a threatened offensive against Kurdish militants. It has, however, continued amassing troops at the border as it monitors the situation.

The movements follow days of equipment transfers across the border into a Turkish-held area of northern Syria near Manbij. Turkish-backed Syrian opposition fighters said they have started moving along with Turkish troops to front-line positions near the town as a show of readiness.

A statement released by the rebels said they are ready to "begin military operations to liberate the city in response to calls by our people in the city of Manbij." Turkish news agency IHA showed video of at least 50 tanks arriving at a command post in Sanliurfa province early Saturday. The province borders Kurdish-held areas east of the Euphrates river in Syria.

The Russian side was represented in Saturday's talks by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Shoigu, and Kremlin foreign affairs aide Yuri Ushakov. The Turkish delegation includes Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin, intelligence chief Hakan Fidan and Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow on Saturday that, in addition to the foreign and defense ministers of each country, the meeting was attended by intelligence chiefs from both sides.

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan did not attend the meeting. Peskov said the two would later schedule a separate meeting.

Bilginsoy reported from Istanbul. Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed from Beirut.

Iranian students protest over bus crash

Sunday 30/12/2018

TEHRAN - Hundreds of Iranian students held protests for a second day on Sunday, calling for university officials to resign over a bus crash that killed 10, state news agency IRNA said.

The demonstrating students reportedly carried photos of victims of Tuesday's crash at a square leading to the university, in a rare display of dissent at Tehran's Islamic Azad University.

They demanded the university's chairman of the board of trustees Ali-Akbar Velayati resign, the sports and youth ministry's news agency Borna reported.

The bus was carrying 30 students along a mountainous road within the university's science and research campus in northwestern Tehran when it veered off the road and hit a concrete column.

Seven were killed instantly, state TV said, while an updated death toll of 10 was reported by the conservative Tasnim news agency the day after the crash.

The university initially blamed Tuesday's crash on the driver having a stroke, which was later denied by the coroner's office.

On social media, the public and students have pointed to the university's ageing bus fleet and poor maintenance.

Several mid-tier managers were fired in the wake of the accident and some arrested, the university told semi-official news agency ISNA on Wednesday.

Students have called for the university's bus fleet to be replaced.

They want an emergency center to be set up on-campus and for guard rails to be erected along the entire mountainous road where the accident happened.

Iran's prosecutor general Mohammad-Jafar Montazeri visited the protesting students and called for calm.

He promised them he would follow up on the case personally and punish wrongdoers "if they were found guilty."

Iran is the world's seventh deadliest country per capita for road accidents, according to 2013 data -- the latest available -- published by the World Health Organization.

Efforts to modernize Iran's ageing and highly polluting vehicle fleet have been hampered by a lack of investment.

Foreign companies Peugeot and Renault were forced to withdraw this year due to the return of US sanctions.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: https://middle-east-online.com/en/iranian-students-protest-over-bus-crash.