France's Macron faces tough challenges at home and in Europe

January 08, 2019

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is facing a mountain of challenges in the new year — starting with yellow vest protesters who are back in the streets to show their anger against high taxes and his pro-business policies that they see as favoring the wealthy rather than the working class.

Once Europe's rising star, Macron is now fighting to save his image and his vision for transforming France's welfare state and economic model. Here's a look at three major issues he will need to tackle in 2019:

YELLOW VEST CRISIS

Since November, demonstrations initially triggered by a tax hike on diesel fuel and expanded to encompass the high cost of living have led to violent clashes with police in Paris and other cities — including most recently on Saturday.

Macron made multiple concessions that failed to extinguish the anger of the yellow vest movement, named after the fluorescent protective garments the protesters wear. He abandoned the tax hike and announced last month a series of measures to boost purchasing power. The package, estimated at 10 billion euros ($11.5 billion), includes a 100-euro ($114) monthly increase to the minimum salary.

The big challenge now is containing the protest violence that's hitting Paris tourist quarters. In his New Year's speech, Macron adopted a tougher stance against any violence, denouncing "heinous crowds" and urging a restoration of order.

Hoping to calm tensions, the government called on the French to express their views during a "national debate" organized in the coming weeks in all regions.

REFORMS AHEAD

Despite the protests, Macron has vowed to keep reforming the country this year to fulfill some of his electoral promises. Planned changes concern highly inflammatory topics: an overhaul of the indebted pension system and of France's relatively generous unemployment benefits.

The government wants to apply the same rules to all new pensioners in order to replace the dozens of different systems specific to certain jobs. Macron promised the legal retirement age will remain at 62 but the changes might reduce some other advantages.

The government also plans to apply stricter rules to obtain unemployment benefits. Other measures would allow job cuts among civil servants. The government appears politically weakened by the yellow vest movement but can still pass new bills at parliament, where Macron's centrist party holds a strong majority. Macron and his parliamentary majority don't face new elections until 2022.

EUROPEAN ELECTIONS

European Parliament elections in May could turn in France into a vote for or against Macron's policies. Opinion polls last month saw Macron's popularity at its lowest level, with support from just about a quarter of respondents. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen's far-right, anti-immigration party National Rally is expected come out on top in the European elections.

Some yellow vest protesters are consider launching their own bid, which potentially could shuffle the cards. Elected on a pro-European platform, Macron is advocating for common rules that he promises will protect European workers, and wants to strengthen EU unity.

He had ambitions to create a new centrist alliance of European lawmakers, but the yellow vest crisis cast doubts on his capacity to do so. It notably damaged his European credibility by pushing France over the EU deficit limit. That's bad news both for the European economy and for the man who won the French presidency in 2017 on promises to revive the dream of European unity.

France: Year's 1st yellow vest event brings tear gas, fires

January 05, 2019

PARIS (AP) — French security forces fired tear gas and flash-balls after a march through picturesque central Paris went from peaceful to provocative Saturday as several thousand protesters staged the yellow vest movement's first action of 2019 to keep up pressure on President Emmanuel Macron.

A river boat restaurant moored below the clashes on the Left Bank of the Seine River caught fire. Smoke and tear gas wafted above the Orsay Museum and the gold dome of the French Academy as riot police, nearly invisible at the start of the demonstration, moved front and center when protesters deviated from an officially approved path.

Police boats patrolled the river while beyond the Seine, motorcycles and a car were set on fire on the Boulevard Saint Germain, a main Left Bank thoroughfare. Riot police and firefighters moved in, and barricades mounted in the middle of the wide street also glowed in orange flames.

Protesters made their way to the Champs-Elysees Avenue, the famed boulevard that has been at the center of previous yellow vest demonstrations, many removing their distinctive vests and mixing with shoppers.

Riot police moved in with a water cannon to evacuate the avenue. A line of parked cars burned on a nearby street. In a first, the building housing the office of the French government spokesman was attacked. Government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux was evacuated from his Left Bank office at the Ministry for Parliamentary Relations after the front door of the building was partially destroyed.

"It wasn't me who was attacked ... It was the institutions, the democratic form of government," Griveaux said later, explaining on French TV that he and a half-dozen colleagues were taken out a back door while a group attacked the front door with construction equipment.

Those who did this "attacked the house of France," he said. It was the first such attack on government property since the yellow vest movement began weekly protests eight Saturdays ago, in mid-November. Protesters have tried to reach the presidential Elysee Palace, which is protected like a bunker.

Saturday's march had been declared in advance and approved, in contrast to some illegal December demonstrations that degenerated into vandalism, looting and chaos. The latest demonstration was a sort of test of the movement's staying power after proposals by Macron to address concerns of the French who have a hard time making ends meet, including canceling the fuel tax hikes at the origin of the protests.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner estimated that about 50,000 people participated in protests around France on Saturday. Police counted some 3,500 protesters in Paris. The atmosphere was initially calm in the French capital, but turned when some protesters tried to cross the river on a pedestrian bridge not on the official route from City Hall to the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament. Police used clubs and tear gas, then held the bridge in a standoff while violence broke out.

Video on French TV showed a man repeatedly stomping on an officer in riot gear on the ground and hitting the shield of another officer. Some confrontations took place in other cities around France, with tear gas fired in Bordeaux and in Rouen in Normandy.

Protesters were looking to breathe new life into the yellow vest movement, named after the fluorescent protective gear French motorists must keep in their cars. The protests were launched in anger over fuel tax hikes, but have swelled with broader anger over Macron's economic policies, deemed to favor the rich.

On Saturday, protesters reiterated a call for Macron to resign. "Resolution 2019: Demacronize," read one sign. "Power to the people," read another. Government spokesman Griveaux had said on Friday that those who show up to protest "want insurrection" as the movement appears to wane and radicalize.

He called on the French people to express their views during an upcoming "national debate" rather than by taking to the streets.

Malta allows migrants off rescue ships in 8-nation EU deal

January 10, 2019

VALLETTA, Malta (AP) — Racing an approaching storm, Maltese military vessels took to shore 49 migrants who were kept in limbo on private rescue ships until the island nation reached a deal Wednesday for the asylum-seekers to be distributed among eight other European Union members.

The deal ended an impasse that kept the migrants stuck on the rescue boats while European governments negotiated which countries would take them. A ship operated by German rescue group Sea-Watch picked up 32 people on Dec. 22. Another aid group, Sea-Eye, rescued 17 in waters off Libya on Dec. 29.

"After 19 days at sea, our guests finally have a safe haven," a tweet from Sea-Watch's account read. "It is a testament to state failure; politics should never be played at the cost of people in need."

When the deal was announced, the aid boats were about 5 nautical miles off the coast of Malta, which denied them permission to port but let the vessels shelter in its territorial waters for days. The Maltese government continued to deny the boats permission to dock, but arranged for the 49 migrants to be transferred to the military vessels offshore and then brought to the island nation.

Upon their arrival not long before the storm whipped up the sea, many of them waved and cheered at cameras recording the event. One man formed the shape of a heart with his hands as he stepped off a military boat.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the ad hoc deal illustrated anew that the EU needs a comprehensive policy on migrants who are rescued while trying to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea.

"I think it is obvious that we need something more structured and long-term," he told reporters. "However, right now, I think it would be delusional to think that there is the political climate for this to happen."

The deal also met Malta's demand for other countries to take many of the 249 migrants Maltese military vessels rescued in late December. The agreement calls for 131 to be relocated to other EU nations, 74 to remain in Malta and to have EU experts review the circumstances of 44 migrants from Bangladesh before their destinations are decided.

Germany agreed to take 60 migrants from Malta, some from the stranded rescue ships and some Maltese boats rescued in December. Italy was another of the eight countries that agreed to let in migrants from the Sea-Watch and Sea-Eye ships.

The other countries in the deal are France, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Romania, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Like Malta, Italy has refused to let private aid vessels dock in its ports since last year. The latest standoff at sea sharply divided the partners in Italy's populist government, the right-wing League party and the euroskeptic 5-Star Movement.

Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte had said Italy was willing to receive 15 children and their parents, but Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini, Italy's anti-migrant interior minister, reacted angrily to Malta's announcement of a deal.

"I am and remain absolutely contrary to new arrivals in Italy," he said. At EU headquarters in Brussels, "they pretend to not understand and facilitate the work of (migrant) smugglers and NGOs," Salvini said.

"To give in to the pressures and the threats of Europe and NGOs is a signal of weakness that Italians don't deserve," he added in a possible jab at Conte and the leader of the 5-Star Movement. Aggravating tensions within the coalition government, Salvini later declared that he would disregard Italy's consent to the deal and refuse to let any of the 49 migrants into the country. It was unclear if he would follow through in defiance of Conte.

Salvini was in Warsaw on Wednesday for meetings with officials from Poland's government, which refused to accept any of the 49 migrants. He has been pushing for far-right political parties and sovereignty-advocating movements like his League to join forces for European Parliament elections in May and the chance to steer EU policy on immigration.

The migrants at the center of the EU-brokered deal are among the waves of people from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who fled poverty and armed conflicts and risked their lives aboard smugglers' boats bound for Europe in recent years.

Police in Spain said Wednesday they broke up a gang that allegedly smuggled people and drugs on boats from Morocco and charged migrants up to 2,000 euros ($2,300) a trip. The number of migrants reaching Spain by sea has surged amid Italy's refusal to let private rescue vessels into its ports. European Union border agency Frontex says about 57,000 migrant crossings were detected last year in Spain, twice as many as during 2017.

Frances D'Emilio reported from Rome. AP writers David Rising and Geir Moulson in Berlin and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, contributed to this report.

Winter storm blasts Europe, with avalanches, high winds

January 08, 2019

BERLIN (AP) — Hundreds of people were snowed-in in Alpine regions and warned of a high risk of avalanches, parts of Scandinavia were left without electricity, and high winds caused flight delays and cancellations in the Netherlands as deadly winter weather continued to blast Europe on Tuesday.

Several people have already been killed in weather-related incidents over the last week, and in Norway attempts to find the bodies of four skiers were again put on hold due to poor visibility and heavy snowfall. A 29-year Swedish woman and three Finns, aged 29, 32 and 36, were presumed dead after a 300-meter-wide (990-foot-wide) avalanche hit the Tamok valley, near the northern city of Tromsoe, last week.

In Austria, hundreds of residents were stuck in their homes due to blocked roads, and some regions experienced power outages after snow-laden trees took down power lines. Schools in some Austrian regions remained closed for a second day and homeowners were advised to remove snow from their roofs after several buildings collapsed. A 78-year-old man was severely injured when he fell of the roof of his home in Turrach while shoveling snow, Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported.

On Monday night, 11 German hikers had to be rescued by mountaineers from a cabin near Salzburg, after having been snowed in without electricity and little food since Friday. Several people were killed by avalanches in recent days and authorities warned continuing snowfall is increasing the already high risk of more avalanches.

In southern and eastern Germany, people were also bracing for further snowfall, while in the northern coastal city of Hamburg residents were preparing for a storm flood caused by a winter gale, the German news agency dpa reported.

In neighboring Netherlands, Amsterdam's busy Schiphol Airport warned of delays and cancellations. Dutch carrier KLM canceled 159 flights to and from European destinations. In northwestern Dutch coastal regions expected to be hardest hit by strong winds and wild seas, local water authorities began checking dikes to make sure they were not damaged.

The Noorderzijlvest water authority said it was monitoring dikes because of debris floating in the sea after nearly 300 containers tumbled off a cargo ship in a storm last week. Many of the containers are still at sea and some have broken open, spilling their contents.

"A fridge or container that is rammed against a dike can cause damage," the authority said on its website. Heavy snowfall and strong winds were reported Tuesday over central Scandinavia, hampering efforts to restore electricity after a hefty storm swept through northern Europe on Jan. 2.

Swedish media reported several fender-benders and stranded vehicles along roads but nothing unusual for the season in this part of Europe. Meanwhile in southeastern Europe, schools in the Greek capital and many surrounding areas remained shut due to weather conditions after snowfall blanketed Athens, with temperatures in some parts of the country plunging well below freezing.

Courts in Athens were also to remain shut Tuesday, with only fast-track prosecutions being heard, the Justice Ministry said. Some rural roads, particularly those leading up to the mountains near the capital, were shut overnight and in the early morning.

Greece has been experiencing a cold snap for the past few days, with heavy snowfall, particularly in the north of the country and in mountainous areas. Temperatures have reached minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 5 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of northern Greece, while many islands have also experienced snowfall.

Mike Corder contributed reporting from The Hague, Netherlands; Jan M. Olsen reported from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Elena Becatoros from Athens, Greece.

UK lawmakers rebuff May as she tries to salvage Brexit deal

January 09, 2019

LONDON (AP) — Britain's battle over Brexit turned into political trench warfare between Parliament and the government Wednesday, as Prime Minister Theresa May brought her little-loved EU divorce agreement back to lawmakers who appear determined to thwart her plans.

A month after postponing a vote on the deal to avert near-certain defeat, May urged Parliament to support it to prevent Britain leaving the EU on March 29 with no agreement on exit terms and future relations, an outcome that could cause economic and social upheaval.

"The only way to avoid 'no deal' is to vote for the deal," May told lawmakers in the House of Commons on the first of five days of debate ahead of a vote on Tuesday. May postponed the vote in mid-December when it became clear lawmakers would resoundingly reject the agreement, a compromise deal that has left both pro-European and pro-Brexit politicians unhappy.

Rather than warming to May's deal since then, lawmakers have tried to wrest control of Brexit from the government and put it in the hands of Parliament. An alliance of governing Conservative and opposition legislators has dealt May two defeats in as many days — symbolic setbacks that suggest a power shift from the executive to the legislature.

On Wednesday, the House of Commons voted to prevent the government delaying key decisions as Brexit approaches. Lawmakers approved a motion saying that if Parliament rejects May's divorce deal, the government must come up with a "Plan B" within three working days. Lawmakers would have the power to amend that plan.

Pro-EU Conservative lawmaker Dominic Grieve, who proposed the measure, said it was intended to speed up decisions, to help avoid a no-deal Brexit and "the calamitous consequences that would follow on from it."

The government previously had 21 days to report back to Parliament. In a sign of the anger and division Brexit has sown among lawmakers, the motion prompted bad-tempered scenes in Parliament, as Conservatives accused Speaker John Bercow of contravening parliamentary convention by allowing a vote on the amendment.

Late Tuesday, legislators backed an amendment to the Finance Bill that puts roadblocks in the way of government spending on no-deal Brexit measures. The vote, which saw 20 legislators from May's Conservative Party rebel and side with the opposition, indicates that a majority in Parliament opposes leaving the EU without an agreement and will try to stop it happening.

May has refused publicly to consider an alternative plan, battling instead to shore up political support for the withdrawal agreement struck between Britain and the EU after months of painstaking negotiations. Last month she promised to seek reassurances from the EU on the most contentious issue, the status of the Northern Ireland-Ireland border. But the bloc refuses to reopen the agreement, and opposition to the negotiated deal remains strong among British lawmakers.

May insisted Wednesday that "further clarification" from the EU was possible, "and those talks will continue over the next few days." Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labor Party, said that "not one single dot or comma has changed" since December's aborted vote.

"Isn't the prime minister bringing back exactly the same deal she admitted would be defeated four weeks ago?" he asked. Amid the political stalemate, pro-Brexit members of Parliament are urging the government to ramp up preparations for leaving the EU without a deal. Economists and businesses warn that would cause economic turmoil, as goods moving between Britain and the EU suddenly faced customs checks, tariffs and other barriers.

A majority of members of Parliament oppose a no-deal Brexit, but it remains the default option if May's deal is rejected. And there is no clear majority in Parliament for any single alternate course. Among the competing proposals are postponing Brexit to seek a new deal, calling a general election or holding a second EU membership referendum.

Labor said it would try to trigger an election by calling for a no-confidence vote in the government if May's deal is defeated next week. There's no guarantee Labor could marshal the majority support in Parliament needed to topple the government — and even if it did, a new election would not automatically stop the Brexit countdown clock.

A top European parliamentarian urged British lawmakers to show "responsibility" over the divorce deal. Manfred Weber, a German conservative who heads the biggest group in the European Parliament, said in Berlin that "our colleagues in Britain's lower house carry great responsibility now — the agreement is on the table."

Weber said a no-deal withdrawal would "lead to very difficult, perhaps even chaotic situations." Britain's de-facto deputy prime minister, David Lidington, said politicians must abandon "fantasies about magical alternative deals that are somehow going to sort of spring out of a cupboard in Brussels."

He said the choice was between May's deal, no deal or "to reverse the 2016 referendum entirely."

Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

UK rules out Brexit extension as May seeks EU help on deal

January 08, 2019

BRUSSELS (AP) — The British government on Tuesday ruled out seeking an extension to the two-year period taking the country out of the European Union as Prime Minister Theresa May continued to seek further concessions from the EU ahead of a crucial parliamentary vote next week on her Brexit deal.

In a move that has massive trade, business and political implications, Britain will leave the EU on March 29 when the two-year period that governs the process by which a country can leave the bloc times out, the so-called Article 50 of the EU's governing treaty.

Without a withdrawal agreement, Britain faces the prospect of crashing out of the bloc on that date with no deal, a development that could see tariffs slapped on British exports to the EU, widespread disruption at ports and shortages of food and pharmaceuticals.

As things stand May does not appear to have the numbers to win the support of enough lawmakers for the Brexit deal that she forged with the EU last November. And that's raised concerns of a "no-deal" Brexit and prompted talk of an extension to the two-year process or even another referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

"Article 50 will not be extended. We are leaving the EU on the 29th of March this year, because that's what Article 50 says, that's what Parliament voted for, and that's now what domestic British legislation says as well," Britain's minister of state for exiting the EU, Martin Callanan, told reporters in Brussels.

Britain can request an extension to the Brexit procedure, but all 27 other EU countries must agree, and the bloc's leaders said last month that they would need good reasons to prolong it. Officials have said a second Brexit referendum could be one good reason to do so.

May is set to put the deal to lawmakers next week, and has been in talks with several EU leaders about fresh guarantees. She postponed a scheduled vote on the deal in December after it became clear she would lose.

France insisted Tuesday that the EU can only offer political reassurances to help May persuade reluctant lawmakers to accept the Brexit deal. French European affairs minister Nathalie Loiseau urged reluctant British lawmakers to back the deal, which lays out things like Britain's future financial obligations, the rights of citizens hit by Brexit and steps to keep goods flowing freely across the Irish border.

"We really need to have a ratification of the withdrawal agreement. This is the best solution for both parties," Loiseau told reporters. Any help for May to convince parliament, Loiseau said, would amount to "political assurances, but there is nothing more that we can do."

The withdrawal agreement, which is required before more wide-ranging discussions on future relations can commence, foresees relatively close economic ties with Europe, particularly in the immediate aftermath of Brexit, in order to avoid the imposition of a hard border between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K.

As well as frustrating a number of lawmakers who want a complete break from the EU, the plan also raises the prospect that the U.K. could be "trapped" in a customs arrangement if no agreement on future trade ties is reached. There are also a number of lawmakers who have said they will vote against the deal because they want another referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

Meanwhile, some 55 British legislators have expressed safety concerns in a letter to London's police chief after a lawmaker was verbally abused while discussing Brexit outside Parliament. The letter was sent to Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick Monday night following verbal assaults on Conservative Party legislator Anna Soubry.

The letter says there have been "months of peaceful and calm protests" by groups holding a wide variety of views on Brexit but that recently "an ugly element of individuals with strong far right and extreme right connections" have moved in.

There have been a number of recent incidents in the area outside Parliament where politicians routinely do live broadcast interviews. Soubry was repeatedly called a Nazi by protesters while she was being interviewed by BBC. Police say they are investigating.

Gregory Katz in London contributed.

Britain testing 'no-deal' scenario as Brexit vote nears

January 07, 2019

LONDON (AP) — Britain is testing how its motorway and ferry system would handle a "no-deal" Brexit by sending a stream of trucks from a closed local airport to the port of Dover — even as some legislators try to pressure the government to rule out the scenario.

The tests began Monday morning and are intended to gauge how severe the disruption would be if Britain leaves the European Union on March 29 without an agreed-upon withdrawal deal. It is widely expected that an abrupt departure would lead to the introduction of tariff and customs barriers that would slow fast-moving ferry and rail traffic that links Britain to continental Europe. There are concerns that major traffic jams leading in and out of ferry ports like Dover would greatly hamper trade and leave Britain without adequate food and medicine.

Parliament is expected to resume its debate over the government's planned withdrawal deal Wednesday, with a vote widely expected a week later. There are no indications that lobbying over the Christmas and New Year holiday period has garnered Prime Minister Theresa May more support for her plan.

The withdrawal agreement, which is required before more wide-ranging discussions on future relations can commence, foresees relatively close economic ties with Europe, particularly in the immediate aftermath of Brexit, in order to avoid the imposition of a hard border between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K.

As well as frustrating a number of lawmakers who want a complete break from the EU, the plan also raises the prospect that the U.K. could be "trapped" in a customs arrangement if no agreement on future trade ties is reached. There are also a number of lawmakers who have said they will vote against the deal because they want another referendum on Britain's membership of the EU.

A vote that had been scheduled in December was delayed as May admitted it would face certain defeat. May said Monday she is still trying to get more from EU leaders, who insist they are not willing to sweeten the deal. She told hospital workers in Liverpool there has been "some further movement" from the EU but did not provide specifics.

"We are continuing to work on further assurances on further undertakings from the European Union in relation to the concern that has been expressed by parliamentarians," she said. She was castigated in Parliament by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who said the prime minister is wasting precious time by pushing a deal that has no support.

The prospect of the bill's possible defeat next week has renewed concern about a "no-deal" scenario. Fears about economic disruption Monday prompted roughly 200 legislators including some from the prime minister's Conservative Party to write to May asking her to rule out the no-deal scenario.

May has not spelled out how she will respond if the withdrawal bill is voted down next week. Brexit minister Kwasi Kwarteng said Monday that the government is still focused on winning the vote. "A week is a very long time in politics. We don't know what the numbers are," he told BBC. "We have got a week. I think the situation — as it always does — has developed, it evolves. I am very hopeful that the deal will be voted through next week."

Avalanche risk in Austria grows as snowfall continues

January 09, 2019

BERLIN (AP) — Austrian authorities are issuing the highest avalanche warning possible for several regions, while more than 350 residents in Bavaria were snowed in and a teacher was killed while skiing in the Alps.

At least 14 weather-related deaths have been reported in Europe over the last week. Schools remained closed in parts of Austria and southern Germany on Wednesday, several roads and highways were blocked leading to a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) traffic jam near Munich and trucks had to deliver food to the snowed-in Bavarian community Buchenhoehe near Berchtesgarden as snow continued falling across the northern Alps.

Austrian news agency APA reported that a 62-year-old teacher was killed while skiing in Mariazeller Buergeralpe in Austria when he fell and got buried in a snowbank. Many slopes have been closed as a precaution.

6 killed, 16 injured in Danish bridge train accident

January 02, 2019

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A passenger train on a bridge linking central Denmark's islands hit an "unknown object" early Wednesday, killing six people and injuring 16 others, Danish police said. The rail operator, Danish Railways, earlier told Denmark's TV2 that the victims were passengers on a train going from the city of Odense, on the central Danish island of Fyn, to Copenhagen when the accident took place about 8 a.m. local time.

Danish media reported that a tarpaulin on a freight train hit the passenger train, which was going in the opposite direction, prompting it to brake violently. Police spokesman Arne Gram said the passenger train "hit an unknown object," but did not further comment.

Photos from the scene show the freight train was carrying crates of beer, and the tarpaulin that covered the train was torn in pieces. Kasper Elbjoern, spokesman for Danish brewery group Carlsberg, confirmed that a freight train transporting its cargo was involved in the accident.

Jesper Nielsen, who was on the passenger train, told Denmark's TV2 the train "was out on the bridge when there was a huge 'bang' .... very quickly thereafter, the train braked." The Storebaelt bridge is part of a system of bridges and a tunnel linking the Danish islands of Zealand and Funen.

Flemming Jensen, the CEO of state-owned Danish Railways, said police and the Danish Accident Investigation Board are investigating the damages. He said the operator "will contribute everything that we can to the investigations."

In a statement, police urged passengers to contact next of kin to inform them of their safety and urged people not to share photos and videos of the accident. The accident took place on a road-and-rail bridge, part of a transport system consisting of a road suspension bridge and a railway tunnel.

The transport system was closed to cars overnight because of strong winds but trains could pass. Road traffic resumed Wednesday with a 50 kph (31 mph) speed limit.

Court orders Guatemala to let UN investigator enter

January 07, 2019

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A member of a U.N.-sponsored anti-corruption commission has been allowed into Guatemala by a court order after he was held for almost a day at the capital's airport. Guatemala's Constitutional Court ordered the government to admit Colombian Yilen Osorio, who was detained by immigration officials upon arrival at the airport Saturday.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales has sought to end the commission known as CICIG, which has investigated Morales' son and his brother. They deny accusations of corruption. Osorio heads an investigation of alleged bribery implicating the vice president of Congress and others. He also participated in a campaign finance investigation into the dealings of Morales' political party.

Morales refused to renew CICIG's mandate last year, and barred its chief from returning to Guatemala from a trip to the United States.

Congo says Felix Tshisekedi wins presidential poll

January 10, 2019

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi has been declared the winner of the long-delayed, disorganized and controversial presidential election, in an announcement by the electoral commission early Thursday that surprised many, as the vast country braced for possible protests over alleged rigging.

Tshisekedi, who received more than 7 million votes, or 38 percent according to the electoral commission's results, had not been widely considered the leading candidate and is relatively untested. The son of late opposition leader Etienne, who pursued Congo's presidency for many years, he startled Congolese shortly before the election by breaking away from an opposition effort to unite behind a single candidate.

Tshisekedi's victory was quickly contested by opposition leader Martin Fayulu, who charged the results were rigged. Fayulu denounced the results as an "electoral hold up" that were "rigged, fabricated and invented" and do "not reflect the truth of the ballots." Speaking to the press shortly after the results were announced, Fayulu called on the Congolese people to "rise as one man to protect victory."

Fayulu, who vowed in his campaign to to clean up Congo's widespread corruption, received more than 6 million votes, or 34 percent, of the electoral commission's results. He claims that he won a majority of the votes and that he was deprived of victory because a deal was made with Tshisekedi.

"How long are we going to negotiate results?" said Fayulu. "In 2006, Jean-Pierre Bemba's victory was stolen, in 2011 Étienne Tshisekedi's victory was stolen. In 2018 victory won't be stolen from Martin Fayulu."

Fayulu urged the Catholic Church to release the results from its team of 40,000 observers who recorded voting tallies posted at each of the polling centers. Last week, the Catholic Church said their observations showed a clear winner, and many say that was Fayulu.

Several diplomats briefed on the matter told The Associated Press that the figures compiled by the Catholic Church showed that Fayulu won an absolute majority of the votes. Two diplomats also said that all major observation missions, including from the African Union and the Southern African Development Community, showed similar results with Fayulu the winner. The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Some observers suggested that President Joseph Kabila's government made a deal with Tshisekedi to declare him the winner, as hopes faded for ruling party candidate Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, who received just 23 percent of the official results.

The constitutional court has 14 days to validate them. The election may enable Congo to achieve its first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960. Kabila has ruled since 2001 in the troubled nation rich in the minerals key to smartphones around the world and has amassed vast wealth. He is barred from serving three consecutive terms, but during more than two years of election delays many Congolese feared he'd find a way to stay in office.

Tshisekedi's supporters wasted no time in celebrating. "This is the coronation of a lifetime," the deputy secretary-general of Tshisekedi's party, Rubens Mikindo, said shortly after the announcement that his candidate had won, above the cheers at party headquarters. "This is the beginning of national reconciliation."

Scores of people in the capital, Kinshasa, danced after the election results were announced long after midnight, but observers waited to see how other Congolese would respond. Fayulu, who once tweeted that "When the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn," was backed by two popular opposition figures barred from running, former Vice President Jean-Pierre Bemba and former governor Moise Katumbi. Fayulu, a former Exxon manager and Kinshasa lawmaker, accused the government of impeding his campaign by blocking flights and assaulting his supporters, which Kabila dismissed.

Attention now turns to Congo's powerful Catholic church and whether it will dispute the official results. If the church found Fayulu won, "how will population react?" Stephanie Wolters, analyst with the Institute for Security Studies, posted on Twitter ahead of the announcement. She added, will the African Union "consider a power transfer 'enough' or will they push for investigation and real result?"

The delayed results came after international pressure to announce an outcome that reflected the will of the people. The United States threatened sanctions against officials who rigged the vote. The largely peaceful election was marred by the malfunctioning of many voting machines that Congo used for the first time. Dozens of polling centers opened hours late as materials went missing. And in a last-minute decision, some 1 million of the country's 40 million voters were barred from participating, with the electoral commission blaming a deadly Ebola virus outbreak.

Defiantly, tens of thousands of voters in one of the barred communities held their own ballot on election day. Fayulu won easily. Congo's government cut internet service the day after the vote to prevent speculation on social media. As the electoral commission met this week, anti-riot police moved into place outside.

Some Congolese weary of Kabila's 18-year rule, two turbulent years of election delays and years of conflict that killed millions of people said they simply wanted peace. Some said they would be happy as long as Fayulu or Tshisekedi won, while recalling the violence that followed past disputed elections.

Many Congolese objected to Shadary, suspecting that Kabila would continue to rule from behind the scenes. Now Congo faces a new leader who is little known after spending many years in Belgium and living in the shadow of his outspoken father.

The 56-year-old Tshisekedi took over as head of Congo's most prominent opposition party in early 2018, a year after his father's death. Some Congolese have said Tshisekedi lost support by splitting the opposition. He was less visible in campaigning than Fayulu and did not make himself available to reporters after the vote. As he cast his ballot, he accused Congo's government of deliberately creating a mess to spark a court challenge that could allow Kabila to extend his time in power.

"I deplore all the disorder," Tshisekedi said.

Congo criticizes Catholic church over election statements

January 05, 2019

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo's election commission on Friday scolded the Catholic church for saying its data show a clear winner in Sunday's presidential election, asserting that the announcement could incite an "uprising."

The church, a powerful voice in the heavily Catholic nation, has called on the electoral commission to publish the true results in "respect of truth and justice." The church, which deployed some 40,000 electoral observers in all polling centers, cannot say publicly who the clear winner appears to be, as Congo's regulations forbid anyone but the electoral commission to announce results. The commission accused the church of violating the regulations.

Observers have reported multiple irregularities as this vast, mineral-rich Central African country voted for a successor to departing President Joseph Kabila. This could be Congo's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from Belgium in 1960.

The ruling party loyalist whom Kabila put forward as his preferred successor, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, already has said he expected to win, while polling before the election had top opposition candidate Martin Fayulu ahead.

The electoral commission's statements on Friday were in a letter to the church and were confirmed to The Associated Press by the commission's president, Corneille Nangaa. In a separate statement, Congo's ruling party called the church's attitude "irresponsible and anarchist."

International pressure is growing on Congo to restore internet service — blocked in an apparent attempt to calm election speculation — and release accurate election results, with the United States warning that those who undermine the democratic process could face U.S. sanctions.

"This being a very sensitive, a very tense period, we are concerned that these efforts to silence dissent could backfire considerably when the results are announced," a spokeswoman for the U.N. human rights office, Ravina Shamdasani, said Friday, also noting intimidation of journalists, observers and rights activists. "We are watching carefully, and we are calling on all sides to refrain from the use of violence."

Some Congolese have expressed doubt that the first election results will be released on Sunday as expected, as observers have said the internet and text messaging outage has slowed the transmission of election information. As of Thursday, the electoral commission's president said it had collected results from about 20 percent of polling stations.

No Western election observers were invited to watch the vote, which was meant to occur in late 2016, after Congo's government was annoyed at international pressure amid concerns that Kabila was trying to stay in power. Ruling party candidate Shadary, a former interior minister, is under European Union sanctions for a crackdown on Congolese who protested the delayed election.

The U.N. Security Council met behind closed doors to discuss Congo on Friday, at France's request. The council didn't issue any joint statement, at least for now — it's due to talk about Congo again in a public session Tuesday.

Friday's meeting underscored that the council is keeping close watch on the electoral process, French Ambassador Francois Delattre said. Meanwhile, vote counting continued slowly by hand at more than 175 compilation centers around the country. At one center in the capital, Kinshasa, dozens of large bags full of opaque envelopes were piled up while electoral commission agents sat in a courtyard and opened them one by one. A separate team counted ballots as observers and political parties' witnesses watched.

"We want the electoral commission to be able to work in good conditions because we want peace and we want the true results to be published," said Fiskas Kalombo, a witness for Fayulu's opposition coalition. "Only the electoral commission can do that and we are here to check that this is what is done."

Associated Press writer Jennifer Peltz at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Gabon government thwarts coup attempt, 2 plotters dead

January 07, 2019

LIBREVILLE, Gabon (AP) — Gabon's government has retained control of the West African country after an attempted military coup early Monday in which two plotters were killed, the government said. Five army officers who took over state radio in the coup attempt have been arrested, government spokesman Guy-Betrand Mapangou, told Radio France International.

Authorities regained control of state broadcasting offices and a major thoroughfare in the capital, Libreville, which were the only areas taken over by the officers, the spokesman said. Two of the coup participants were killed when security forces took over and freed some hostages, according to a presidential statement reported by RFI.

Earlier Monday a soldier who identified himself as Lt. Obiang Ondo Kelly, commander of the Republican Guard, read out a statement saying the military had seized control of Gabon's government in order to "restore democracy." He was flanked by two other soldiers holding weapons; all were dressed in camouflage uniforms and green berets.

Those soldiers have been taken into custody and President Ali Bongo's government remains in control, the government spokesman said. A curfew has been imposed over the capital, Libreville, and the internet was cut. The city on the Atlantic Ocean coast was being patrolled by military tanks and armed vehicles.

The African Union affirmed its support for the Bongo government. "The African Union strongly condemns the coup attempt this morning in Gabon," the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said on Twitter. "I reaffirm the AU's rejection of all anti-constitutional change."

Bongo, in power since 2009, has been out of the country since October amid reports that he had a stroke. He recently addressed the country in a New Year's message that was filmed in Morocco, where he has been receiving medical treatment.

Gabon, which is sub-Saharan Africa's third-largest oil producer, has been ruled for more than half a century by Bongo and his father, Omar, who died in 2009. Critics have accused the family of profiting from the country's natural resources while not investing enough in basic services for the population of more than 2 million. About one-third of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the World Bank.

In his brief New Year's address, the 59-year-old Bongo declared that the country was "indivisible" and acknowledged his health problems without giving details. "A difficult period," he called it, and a challenge that he surmounted "thanks to God." He promised to put all of his efforts into improving the daily quality of life for Gabon's people.

The French-educated Bongo, who was the country's defense minister before becoming president, narrowly won re-election in 2016 in a vote opposition rival Jean Ping claimed was plagued by irregularities, and he continues to call himself the country's real president.

China lands first spacecraft on far side of moon

JAN. 3, 2019
By Allen Cone

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- A spacecraft has landed on the far side of the moon for the first time, China's National Space Administration announced Thursday.

The rover Chang'e-4, which is named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology, landed at 10:26 a.m. Beijing time in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, which is an impact crater, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The United States and the Soviet Union have made a "soft landing" on the moon -- China landed a rover there in 2013 -- but no other country has touched down on the dark side of the moon, which always faces away from the Earth.

"This space mission shows that China has reached the advanced world-class level in deep space exploration," Zhu Menghua, a professor at the Macau University of Science and Technology who has worked closely with China's space administration, told The New York Times. "We Chinese people have done something that the Americans have not dared try."

China plans to put astronauts on a lunar base in about 10 years. The United States first landed a man on the moon in 1969.

"China views this landing as just a stepping stone, as it also views its future manned lunar landing, since its long-term goal is to colonize the moon and use it as a vast supply of energy," Namrata Goswami, an independent analyst who wrote about space for the Defense Department's Minerva Research Institute, told the Times.

The rover later transmitted back the world's first image of the far side of the moon.

With no direct way to communicate with the spacecraft from the moon, China put a relay satellite in orbit around the moon in May.

On Dec. 8, the spacecraft lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province and entered the moon's orbit four days later, according to Chinese state media.

The craft, which is 5 feet long and about 3.3 feet wide and tall, made its final descent from a landing orbit 9.3 miles above the moon's surface.

"Since the far side of the moon is shielded from electromagnetic interference from the Earth, it's an ideal place to research the space environment and solar bursts, and the probe can 'listen' to the deeper reaches of the cosmos," Tongjie Liu, deputy director of the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center for the China National Space Administration, told CNN.

The U.S. Congress has banned NASA from working with China on space exploration because of national security concerns.

"A high percentage of space technology is [civilian-military] dual use," Joan Johnson-Freese, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College told CNN. "The U.S. sees pretty much everything China does in space -- including things the U.S. has done in space -- as threatening."

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine praised the achievement.

"Congratulations to China's Chang'e-4 team for what appears to be a successful landing on the far side of the moon," he posted on Twitter. "This is a first for humanity and an impressive accomplishment!"

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2019/01/03/China-lands-first-spacecraft-on-far-side-of-moon/4121546491737/.

Anatoly Lukyanov, ex-Soviet parliament speaker, dies at 88

January 09, 2019

MOSCOW (AP) — Anatoly Lukyanov, a Communist politician who as parliament speaker was imprisoned for his role in a coup attempt that precipitated the Soviet Union's collapse, has died. He was 88. Russia's Channel One state television said Lukyanov died Wednesday. It didn't specify the cause.

During the 1980s, Lukyanov, a senior Communist Party official, was a top associate of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. A lawyer by training, he had known Gorbachev since they were university students.

Lukyanov moved into the speaker's seat in parliament, presiding over the intense political infighting that marked the waning years of the Soviet Union. He also played a key role in revamping the country's laws amid Gorbachev's political and economic reforms, but eventually grew critical of Gorbachev's policies and openly spoke against them.

Lukyanov hadn't formally joined a group of hard-line Communist officials that staged a botched coup to topple Gorbachev in August 1991, but still was charged with complicity. He was arrested along with others and spent more than a year in prison until he was released.

During 1993-2003, Lukyanov served in the Russian parliament after winning elections on the Communist Party ticket. His burial is set for Friday at Moscow's Troyekurov cemetery.

Turkey: 28 on trial over Russian ambassador's slaying

January 08, 2019

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The trial has opened of 28 people accused of involvement in the 2016 killing of Russia's ambassador to Turkey, including U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for a failed coup the same year.

An off-duty police officer fatally shot Andrei Karlov at a photo exhibition in Ankara on Dec. 19, 2016. The officer was later shot dead at the scene by police. Turkish prosecutors say Gulen's network was behind the killing, which they say aimed to derail warming ties between Turkey and Russia. Nine people were arrested. Others, including Gulen, are on trial in absentia on Tuesday.

Prosecutors are seeking life prison sentences for some of the defendants and maximum 15-year terms for others. Gulen has denied involvement in the coup and in Karlov's killing.

Russian apartment collapse death toll rises to 37

January 03, 2019

MOSCOW (AP) — The death toll from the collapse of a Russian apartment building has risen to 37 after more bodies were discovered by crews searching the huge pile of concrete rubble. State news agency Tass cited an emergencies ministry official on Thursday as saying four people who lived in the collapsed section of the building in Magnitogorsk remain unaccounted for.

The collapse on Monday followed an explosion that officials say likely was caused by a gas leak. An 11-month-old boy was extracted from the wreckage alive on Tuesday and was flown to Moscow for treatment of injuries including frostbite. Nighttime temperatures in the city 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southeast of Moscow have fallen to about minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit).

Death toll in Russian apartment collapse reaches 19

January 02, 2019

MOSCOW (AP) — Search crews have pulled more bodies from a huge pile of rubble at a collapsed Russian apartment building, bringing the known death toll to 19. The bodies found on Wednesday in Magnitogorsk included a 3-year-old girl, Russian news agencies cited the emergencies ministry as saying.

An 11-month-old boy who was pulled alive from the wreckage on Tuesday nearly 36 hours after the building collapsed was in serious but stable condition in a children's hospital in Moscow. He was flown about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) to the capital in a plane dispatched by the Health Ministry.

Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova said Wednesday that the boy suffered superficial head wounds but no apparent brain damage. More than 20 people who lived in the building remain unaccounted for, including five children.

Russian baby rescued after nearly 36 hours in frozen rubble

January 01, 2019

MOSCOW (AP) — Laboring through sub-freezing temperatures, Russian rescue workers were digging into a sprawling heap of jagged rubble from a collapsed apartment building when one heard the faintest sound.

It was the sound of life. On Tuesday, to everyone's delight and surprise, they pulled a baby boy out of the rubble alive, nearly 36 hours after the disaster that blew apart his home. His father called it "a New Year's miracle."

The building collapse in the Russian city of Magnitogorsk before dawn Monday has killed at least nine people so far, and officials say 32 people who lived in the building have still not been accounted for.

The collapse followed an explosion that was believed to have been caused by a gas leak. The boy, an 11-month-old named Ivan Fokin, was in extremely serious condition, officials said, with fractures, a head injury and suffering from hypothermia and frostbite after his ordeal in temperatures around minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit).

He was flown to Moscow late Tuesday in a desperate attempt to save his life. He was in stable condition on arrival in the capital, the head of the national public health institute Vladimir Uiba was quoted as telling state news agency Tass.

Although Ivan's prospects for survival appeared dire, "it's a New Year's miracle," his father Yevgeny was quoted as saying by the RT satellite TV channel. The father was at work when his wife phoned to say the building had collapsed. She escaped the rubble with a 3-year-old son, Russian news reports said.

"I was sleeping on the couch with my older son, hugging him and the young one was sleeping in his baby bed," mother Olga Fokina said on Russian TV. "I and the older one fell down and quickly got out and I didn't know what happened to the baby bed afterward."

Rescue worker Pyotr Gritsenko said on Russian television that baby's discovery came after one of the crew heard faint cries. "They stopped all the equipment. He began to cry louder," but the crew couldn't find him, he said. A search dog was brought in and confirmed that someone was under the rubble, focusing the rescue effort.

The father said he helped rescuers dig in the rubble and "showed them a place where he approximately could be." Regional governor Boris Dubrovsky was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency that the child apparently had been protected by being in a crib and being wrapped warmly.

The rescue operation, aided by powerful heaters and lights, was continuing overnight into Wednesday in the city about 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southeast of Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the accident site on Monday and went to a local hospital, where he spoke to a 13-year old-boy who had head injuries and frostbite after spending an hour under the rubble.

"You will get well soon, you are a fighter," Putin told the boy, one of five people hospitalized from the building collapse. Russian officials say the odds of finding anyone else alive in the debris look increasingly slim, given the extreme weather.

Late Tuesday, three people died in Magnitogorsk about two kilometers (1.2 miles) down the same street as the collapsed building when their passenger van exploded and caught fire. Police said the vehicle was carrying gas canisters.

In other Russian holiday disasters, seven people including a couple and their three children died in a house fire in the town of Orsk, 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) southeast of Moscow, Interfax reported. The fire early Tuesday is believed to have been caused by an electrical short-circuit, the report said.

In Moscow, the mayor fired the director of the city's renowned Gorky Park after 13 people were injured when a wooden pedestrian bridge packed with New Year's celebrants collapsed. Video on Russian television showed a section of the bridge collapsing early Tuesday as the national anthem played on loudspeakers, marking the beginning of 2019. The park in central Moscow is a popular gathering place for the holiday.

The bridge, 350 meters (1,100 feet) long, runs along the park's enormous outdoor ice rink.

Activists call on Australia to accept fleeing Saudi woman

January 08, 2019

BANGKOK (AP) — Human Rights Watch has called on the Australian government to allow entry to a Saudi Arabian woman who's being processed by UN refugee authorities in Thailand after fleeing her homeland.

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun was detained after arriving in Bangkok on Saturday, but has come under the protection of the UN's refugee agency after refusing to return home. The 18-year-old says she had a visa to continue to Australia, but media reports say the Australian government has now cancelled it. Australian officials have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Human Rights Watch's Australian director Elaine Pearson says since Australia has expressed concern in the past about women's rights in Saudi Arabia, it should "come forward and offer protection for this young woman."

Hasan Minhaj jokes about 'Patriot Act' episode pulled from Saudi Arabia

JAN. 3, 2019
By Wade Sheridan

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Patriot Act host Hasan Minhaj has poked fun at Netflix for pulling an episode of the series from Saudi Arabia due to its content revolving around slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The streaming service announced they had removed the episode on Wednesday following a valid legal request from the Saudi government.

Minhaj is featured in the episode blaming Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for having Khashoggi -- a Saudi citizen, U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist -- killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. The CIA concluded in November that Salman ordered the killing.

"Clearly, the best way to stop people from watching something is to ban it, make it trend online, and then leave it up on YouTube," Minhaj said on Twitter.

Minhaj's comments refer to how the episode can still be accessed globally on YouTube.

Minaj also asked for donations to help the International Rescue Committee in Yemen. "Let's not forget that the world's largest humanitarian crisis is happening in Yemen right now. Please donate," he said.

The IRC is asking for donations to help save lives in war-torn Yemen, stating that 22 million are in need of humanitarian aid.

Netflix launched Patriot Act in October. The talk show features Minhaj, a former star on The Daily Show, discussing politics and culture.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2019/01/03/Hasan-Minhaj-jokes-about-Patriot-Act-episode-pulled-from-Saudi-Arabia/1501546519504/.