Protests continue in tense Ukraine capital

November 25, 2013

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Hundreds of angry Ukrainians clashed with riot police outside the government building Monday as protests continued in Kiev over the government's abrupt decision to pause integration with the West and tilt toward Moscow.

Demonstrators called for the government's ouster, and some of them clashed with riot police, throwing traffic cones and other objects at officers wearing gas masks and armed with rubber batons. The opposition said that one protester was injured.

The scuffle follows a protest in the heart of Kiev Sunday that was the biggest since the 2004 Orange Revolution that helped bring a pro-Western government to power. Tens of thousands of people protested against President Viktor Yanukovych's decision to snub a potentially historic deal with the European Union and focus on ties with Moscow, after immense pressure from Russia.

Yanukovych's government suddenly announced last week that it was halting its plans to sign the political association and trade deal with the 28-member EU in order to boost ties with Russia instead, after several years of preparations and firm promises from Yanukovych that he would sign it.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said in a statement Monday that the deal remains on the table. They criticized Russia for pressuring its neighbor, arguing that the agreement with Ukraine was conceived as "a win-win where we all stand to gain."

The Ukrainian government argues that the nation's economy would not survive a trade war with Russia, after the Kremlin imposed restrictions on Ukrainian exports and warned Kiev it would raise new trade barriers if it goes ahead with the EU deal

Kiev also blamed the International Monetary Fund for imposing stringent conditions for a bailout loan to aid its struggling economy. Another sticking point was the imprisonment of Yanukovych's main foe, former premier and Orange Revolution heroine Yulia Tymoshenko.

Protests continued overnight, with demonstrators camping out in tents on a central square. Round-the-clock rallies are planned for the rest of the week in a bid to urge Yanukovych to change his mind and sign the agreement at a summit in Lithuania on Friday. But it is unclear how much patience the government will have with the protesters. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov hinted that authorities would not tolerate the kind of 24/7 sit-in that brought Orange Revolution leaders to power in 2004.

Yakunovych's office has not commented on the protests, but his ally Azarov staunchly defended the turn toward Moscow Sunday evening. In an interview with Ukraine's ICTV channel Azarov snubbed the economic aid offered by the EU as "a pittance" and said that Moscow, by contrast, has offered a discount for Russian natural gas imports, which Ukraine has been seeking for several years.

Dozens of protesters were rallying on European Square in downtown Kiev Monday morning, dancing to patriotic music blaring from loudspeakers, hiding from rain under umbrellas and waving Ukrainian and EU flags.

"I have been to Europe and seen how people live there. I want my children and grandchildren to have a normal life," said Halyna Polychuk, 50, a retired store manager who came to Kiev from the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk to join the demonstrations.

Scotland sets out blueprint for independence

November 26, 2013

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — An independent Scotland would continue to use the pound sterling as its currency, remain in the European Union and join the NATO military alliance, Scotland's government said Tuesday.

In the first detailed outline of Scotland's political future as an independent country, First Minister Alex Salmond's administration set out the ways it said the nation would prosper if it left the United Kingdom. In a referendum on Sept. 18, 2014, Scots will be asked whether they want Scotland to become independent.

The document says independence will create a more democratic Scotland and a more prosperous country. Scotland is part of the U.K. but it has had its own Parliament since 1999 and has its own set of laws. The governing Scottish National Party supports independence, while the opposition Labor and Conservative parties both oppose it. Independence day would be on March 24, 2016, if the people of Scotland vote 'yes' to going it alone.

"It will be a decision by the people of Scotland, Scotland's future is in Scotland's hands," Salmond said at the launch of the 670-page document setting out the terms of separation. Political battles in the run-up to the referendum could come down to straightforward pocketbook politics.

The independence movement is strongly opposed by British Prime Minister David Cameron. The British government argues that people living in Scotland would pay an extra £1,000 ($1,600) a year in tax. However, Salmond said that if Scotland had had power of its finances over the past five years, each Scot would have been £2,400 better off.

Salmond called for the historic referendum after his Scottish National Party in 2011 won a one-seat majority in the Scottish Parliament, the devolved assembly in Edinburgh that has powers over health, education and law.

Polls have consistently put support for independence at between 25 percent and 30 percent over the past three years, with support for remaining in the union at between 45 percent and 50 percent. But the number of undecided voters is significant.

The vote is open to all residents of Scotland. While the 'Better Together' campaign in favor of continued union has been criticized for lacking energy, the 'yes' camp has sought to capitalize on Scotland's tricky relationship with England.

In a theatrical nod to history, the March 24 date is also the anniversary of the 1603 Union of the Crowns of England and Scotland. Next year is the 700th anniversary of the 1314 Battle of Bannockburn when a Scottish army led by Robert the Bruce defeated a larger English army near Stirling.

Italy Senate expels 3-time ex-Premier Berlusconi

November 27, 2013

ROME (AP) — Three-time former Premier Silvio Berlusconi was ousted from Parliament on Wednesday after two decades as a lawmaker, defiantly calling it "a day of mourning for democracy" and pledging to continue in politics.

After weeks of maneuvering, appeals and even an attempt to bring down the government, Berlusconi's delay tactics ran their course when the Senate voted to kick him out of the chamber due to a tax fraud conviction.

Ever a populist, the 77-year-old billionaire chose the piazza over the Senate floor, addressing a crowd of cheering supporters outside his Roman palazzo as the vote was under way just a short walk away.

"We are here on a bitter day, a day of mourning for democracy," Berlusconi declared. He said his political enemies — including the judiciary he accuses of mounting a campaign against him — were "toasting" his demise.

"They are actually euphoric," he said. Berlusconi pledged to remain in politics — effectively launching a campaign in which he won't be able to stand for office — noting that other political leaders are not lawmakers.

He cited Beppe Grillo, the former comic and founder of the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement, and Matteo Renzi, the Florence mayor who is a Democratic Party star widely tipped as a future premier candidate.

The Senate vote bars Berlusconi from running or holding office for at least six years under a 2012 law applied to anyone sentenced to more than two years in prison. Berlusconi was sentenced to four years on a tax fraud conviction relating to the purchase of TV rights to U.S. films on his Mediaset network, charges he continues to deny. The sentence was automatically reduced to one year by a general amnesty, which he will serve either under house arrest or doing public service.

In the last election, Berlusconi's now-defunct and splintered People of Freedom Party garnered 7.3 million votes, or 21.5 percent of the vote. Berlusconi's charisma remains compelling to many Italians despite his ongoing judicial woes.

"I think for the time being he still controls a substantial number of voters," said Roberto D'Alimonte, a political analyst at Rome's LUISS University. "He hasn't lost the hardcore voters." But D'Alimonte said to maintain them he will have to "be aggressive, be his usual Berlusconi" and not appear to be weakening, even physically due to age.

Seeking to reinvigorate himself politically, Berlusconi has relaunched the Forza Italia party that catapulted him to power in 1994. On the eve of the Senate vote, he bolted the government and joined the opposition, a move that may ultimately free his hand in a political campaign.

But he also has suffered a defection from his one-time political heir, Angelino Alfano, who split from his mentor earlier this month and formed a new center-right party that remains loyal to Premier Enrico Letta's hybrid government. Alfano's allegiance to the government ensured that it survived a confidence vote early Wednesday to pass the annual budget, despite Berlusconi's switch.

Berlusconi's expulsion makes the government majority "slimmer but more cohesive," said Federico Santi, an analyst with the Eurasia Group. At least for the short-term, Alfano's new party will avoid triggering a crisis to build a party structure and the Democratic Party will remain committed to the government "in light of opposition of among its voters to early elections and fears of electoral stalemate." Meanwhile, Berlusconi still faces other legal problems, including a seven-year prison term and lifetime ban from holding public office for his conviction of paying an underage prostitute for sex at his infamous "bunga bunga" parties and trying to cover it up. He has professed his innocence and plans to appeal.

Colleen Barry reported from Milan. Patricia Thomas contributed to this report.

Merkel, center-left reach deal on new German gov't

November 27, 2013

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives agreed Wednesday to form a new government with their traditional center-left rivals, a coalition that will shift Germany leftward but likely mean little change in Berlin's approach to Europe's debt crisis.

Merkel's Union bloc and the Social Democrats signed their deal to form a "grand coalition" of Germany's biggest parties after a 17-hour final round of talks capped weeks of wrangling following Sept. 22 elections.

A potentially tricky hurdle still remains before Merkel can be sworn in for a third term: the Social Democrats are putting the agreement to a ballot of their roughly 470,000 members, some of whom are deeply skeptical about going into government with the chancellor. The result is expected Dec. 14.

"The spirit of this agreement is that we are a grand coalition to master grand tasks for Germany," Merkel told reporters, identifying the main priorities as "solid finances, secure prosperity and social security."

At her conservatives' insistence, the new government is pledging not to raise taxes and to stop running up new debts during its four-year term. The Social Democrats secured key demands such as the introduction of a mandatory national minimum wage, which Germany is unusual among rich industrial powers in lacking. The 8.50-euro ($11.50) hourly minimum is to be introduced in 2015, though exceptions will be possible for the first two years.

Both sides secured potentially expensive changes to the pension system. The center-left wanted to allow some workers to retire early on full pensions, and the conservatives sought higher pensions for mothers who stayed home rather than working.

In a change championed by the Social Democrats, people born in Germany who also hold a passport from a non-European Union country will no longer have to choose one citizenship — something that will apply largely to the children of Turkish immigrants.

"For them, it will be a great signal that we're saying, 'you belong to us and we don't want to build artificial obstacles,'" Social Democrat leader Sigmar Gabriel said. Merkel has pushed other European countries to get their budgets in order during the continent's debt crisis and objected to pooling Germany's debt with that of weaker countries.

On Wednesday, she made clear she was sticking to that line, declaring that "solid finances mean, for our common Europe, placing value on having not a debt union but a stability union." The Social Democrats have voted in the past for Merkel's crisis policies but, before the election, advocated a European debt-redemption fund. They dropped that demand; the coalition deal makes clear that the new government opposes pooling debt or pooling bank countries' deposit insurance funds.

Merkel's Union bloc finished first in the Sept. 22 elections but her partners in Germany's center-right government of the past four years, the pro-business Free Democrats, lost all their seats in parliament. Her conservatives, meanwhile, fell short of a majority to govern alone.

That left her reaching across the aisle for a new coalition partner, leading to lengthy negotiations with the Social Democrats, who were her junior partners in her first term from 2005 to 2009. The "grand coalition," while popular among voters, is disliked by party activists — and the Social Democrats suffered a heavy electoral defeat in 2009 after governing with Merkel. The party finished a distant second in this year's vote, and Gabriel will have to work hard to bring members on board.

"The coalition agreement is one for ... ordinary and hard-working people," he said. "A lot of things are set out here that should improve Germany's economic but also social development." The parties won't determine who gets what job in the new government until the Social Democrats have completed their membership ballot.

In the meantime, Merkel's second-term government remains in office on a caretaker basis.

France to send 1,000 troops to C. African Republic

November 26, 2013

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — France promised Tuesday to send 1,000 troops to Central African Republic amid warnings about the potential for genocide in the near-anarchic former French colony.

Whether the French forces will save lives largely depends on how far the foreign soldiers venture outside the capital, Bangui, to the lawless provinces where mostly Muslim rebels have been attacking Christian villages, and Christian militias have recently launched retaliatory attacks.

The French move comes less than a week after French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned "the country is on the verge of genocide" and marks the second time this year that France has sent troops to a former colony in Africa.

In January, thousands of French soldiers launched an offensive to free northern Mali's major towns from the control of al-Qaida-linked militants. After that success, the French military is stepping up its efforts in Central African Republic, a lawless country in the heart of the continent.

No other country is expected to take action if France, the former colonial power, doesn't get involved, said Francois Heisbourg, a French analyst at the Foundation for Strategic Research think tank in Paris.

"We are a prisoner of history and geography: This is our neighborhood, and yes, we have troops in the area for historical reasons," Heisbourg said. "And given the humanitarian situation and the political pressure, there is no way we can avoid doing this."

However, it is not clear how much can be accomplished by 1,000 French troops in a country of 4.6 million people where many roads have not been repaved since independence in 1960. An international presence is needed given the limited capacity of Central African Republic's own security forces, said Christian Mukosa, a researcher with the Africa division of Amnesty International.

"It's really very important that the French don't stay only in Bangui, but go to Bouca and other hot spots where currently there are serious human rights abuses and where populations are at risk," he said.

In the northwest town of Bouca, nun Angelina Santaguiliana said she lives in fear of a rebel attack on her Catholic mission. Already some 2,400 people have sought refuge there in the past week, crowding the floors of the church at night and taking shelter under trees on the mission's yard.

"If the French come to help with disarmament in our region, it will be a good thing, but if there is fighting it would make things worse," she said by telephone Tuesday, with the sounds of children wailing in the background.

More than 35,000 other people have sought refuge at another Catholic mission in Bossangoa, according to church officials there. Central African Republic's current chaos started late last year when a number of rebel groups joined forces to form the coalition known as Seleka. In March the rebels overthrew the president of a decade and installed their leader in power. But rebel leader-turned-president Michel Djotodia now exerts little control over the renegade fighters in the provinces, most of whom are Muslim and who are accused of committing killings, torture and rape, and forcibly recruiting child soldiers.

France has warned for months about the deteriorating security in Central African Republic, and its pledge follows warnings from the U.N. special adviser on the prevention of genocide who called the crisis in the country "one of the worst human rights and humanitarian crises of our time."

The conflict's toll is difficult to determine as the most vicious attacks have taken place in remote villages. About 1 in 10 people have been displaced from their homes, according to international aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Borders.

Details only trickle in when survivors make their way to safety and the insecurity in the region makes it impossible for aid groups to determine how many have died. And many of the rebels accused of committing atrocities have been integrated into the national army, rendering the country's security forces unable to combat the cycle of violence.

Reports of killings of civilians and looting emerged in Bangui soon after the rebel invasion in March. The crisis deepened several months later when the rebels began targeting the area of Bossangoa, the home region of ousted President Francois Bozize and many of his perceived supporters. Some villages have been completely decimated with homes burned to the ground. The Christian self-defense militias that emerged are also accused of attacking Muslim civilians, many of whom have suffered under the Seleka rebellion already.

In one attack documented by Human Rights Watch, fearful residents only came out of their houses when a local official reassured them it was safe to talk to the Seleka rebels. Five of those who did venture out were then tied together and grouped under a tree. The fighters shot them one by one, Human Rights Watch said. When one victim did not die, his throat was slit.

A French defense official, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the mission, has said its mandate would authorize troops to end such massacres and restore order throughout the country. France already has about 420 soldiers in the country, though they are based in the capital of Bangui and primarily provide security at the city's airport. A regional peacekeeping mission also has helped patrol the capital and has a presence in a limited number of communities across the north.

A plan to transform that regional effort into one led by the African Union went into effect in August, but not all of the expected 3,000 troops are yet on the ground. The stepped up French deployment is envisioned as a "bridging force" until an African force is fully operational and France would take a backup role.

French diplomats also circulated a draft U.N. Security Council resolution calling for additional support for the African Union-led mission. A copy obtained by The Associated Press indicates that they plan to deploy an African Union-led force in the Central African Republic for an initial period of six months to protect civilians and restore security.

The draft would also authorize French forces, for a temporary period, "to take all necessary measures" to support the African Union-led mission. The French draft would also impose an embargo on all types of arms and ammunition to the Central African Republic, and a travel ban on individuals who undermine peace.

France, a former colonial power in West Africa, has a greater military presence in the region than any other Western country, with thousands of troops in countries including Senegal, Chad, Ivory Coast and Gabon.

At the height of this year's operation in Mali, France had about 4,000 troops whose mission was to dislodge rebels and al-Qaida-linked militants who were advancing on the capital last winter. About 2,800 French soldiers are still there.

Le Drian dismissed any comparisons between the Mali and CAR missions. "In Mali there was an attack of jihadists, terrorists who wanted to transform Mali into a terrorist state. This is a collapse of a country with a potential for religious clashes," he said. "France has international responsibilities, is a permanent member of the Security Council, has history with Central African Republic, and the United Nations is asking us to do it."

Hinnant reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten and Sylvie Corbet in Paris, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

Latvian prime minister resigns in wake of tragedy

November 27, 2013

RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Latvia's prime minister resigned Wednesday in the wake of supermarket collapse that killed 54 people and provoked outrage among the Baltic country's citizens.

Valdis Dombrovskis' unexpected announcement, which automatically triggers the fall of the entire center-right government, followed his meeting with President Andris Berzins. "Considering the ... tragedy and all the related circumstances, the country needs a government that has a majority support in parliament and can solve the situation that has arisen in the country," Dombrovskis told journalists after meeting the president.

Police have opened a criminal investigation into the cause of last week's tragedy. Possible explanations for the disaster include a flawed design, substandard construction materials, and corruption. Some people have suggested that the abolition of a construction authority by Dombrovskis' budget-slashing government weakened oversight.

Many Latvians have expressed deep skepticism that the guilty parties will be bear criminal liability and have gone so far as to demand that foreign engineers be invited to help the investigation. Dombrovskis, the country's longest-serving prime minister, denied that he was pressured by the president and said that he had been mulling such a move since last week's collapse of the Maxima supermarket, the worst disaster since Latvia declared its independence from Soviet Union in 1991.

Dombrovskis told journalists that country needed a new, broad-based coalition that would enjoy the trust of Latvia's 100-seat parliament. President Berzins will appoint a new candidate based on who could form a coalition that will receive the necessary majority approval by parliament.

Dombrovskis came to power in 2009 as Latvia's economy was sinking into a deep recession and was charged with leading harsh budget cuts and tax increases while at the same time implementing tough structural reforms demanded by international organizations such as the International Monetary Fund.

Dombrovskis was re-appointed twice as prime minister since then, and is widely credited with preventing the small Baltic nation from going bankrupt. Latvia's economy has returned to growth and was the fastest-growing in the European Union over the past two years.

On Jan. 1, Latvia will become the 18th member of the euro area.

Secession Movement Sweeping Maryland and Colorado

November 23, 2013

Could we soon have 52 states? The succession movements in Colorado and Maryland are at full speed. Citizens in Alleghany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties don’t feel that their interests are being represented in Annapolis any longer. Now they are looking to split off from the rest of the state to form Western Maryland. This effort is being called: A New State initiative.

Scott Strzelczyk, leader of the Western Maryland initiative puts it bluntly, “people are fed up with the liberal majority and want an “amicable divorce.”

The five counties make up about 11% of the entire state and lean heavily Republican.

Meanwhile, a similar effort is underway in rural Colorado where citizens in 8 counties are weighing the idea to break away to form Northern Colorado in reaction to gun control and a push for expanded renewable energy measures from the state legislature in Denver.

“The people of rural Colorado are mad, and they have the right to be,” said U.S. Rep. Cory Gardner, who represents Yuma county in northern Colorado. “The Governor and his Democrat colleagues in the statehouse have assaulted our way of life, and I don’t blame these people one bit for feeling attacked and underrepresented by the leaders of our state.”

The U.S. Constitution allows for regions to split apart to form new states with the approval of the state legislature and Congress, but odds are it won’t happen anytime soon. The last time a region split away to form a new state was in the case of West Virginia; about 150 years ago.

Written by Ben Walters

Source: Mr. Conservative.
Link: http://www.mrconservative.com/2013/11/27809-secession-movement-sweeping-maryland-colorado/.