Britain's pro-EU side nervous as odds slashed on 'leave'

June 14, 2016

LONDON (AP) — Nervous "remain" supporters stepped up campaigning in Britain's European Union referendum Tuesday after odds on a vote to leave the bloc dramatically narrowed following a string of polls showing a surge in "leave" sentiment.

The pound fell to a two-month low against the dollar on Monday, to $1.4131, and the FTSE-100 share index fell below 6,000 points for the first time in nearly four months, as bookmakers cut the odds of an exit vote in the June 23 referendum to as short as 6-5. "Remain" was still the favorite, but only just, after several phone and online polls suggested growing support among voters for leaving the 28-nation bloc.

Senior Labour Party figures warned that leaving the EU could cause a recession and trigger big public-sector job losses. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said trade unions across Europe had "bought us better working conditions, longer holidays, less discrimination and maternity and paternity leave."

"We believe that a Leave vote will put many of those things seriously and immediately at risk," he said. Employment Minister Priti Patel, a "leave" supporter, insisted there would be "more than enough money to go round" if Britain doesn't have to pay millions a week to the bloc.

Polls suggest the "leave" campaign has had success by focusing on public anxiety about immigration, which has soared from other EU countries over the past decade. Free movement of people within the bloc is a key EU principle.

In a bid to regain ground on the issue, a senior Labour politician suggested the party could seek to limit free movement if it formed a government after a "remain" vote. "I think a future Europe will have to look at things like the free movement of labor rules," deputy leader Tom Watson told the BBC.

The Rupert Murdoch-owned Sun tabloid on Tuesday urged its readers to vote for an EU exit, with a front-page editorial under the headline "BeLeave in Britain." The newspaper — which has a history of backing the winning side in elections — urged voters to reject a "dictatorial" EU that "has proved increasingly greedy, wasteful, bullying and breathtakingly incompetent in a crisis."

The Sun has seen its readership decline in the online news era, but it remains Britain's biggest selling newspaper, with a circulation of more than 2 million. Meanwhile, a top EU official said "the world needs the European Union," in a remark seen directed at Britain ahead of next week's vote.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini had so far declined to comment on the referendum. During Tuesday's opening of a two-day conference in Oslo, Norway on conflict mediation, Mogherini said the EU internationally is "strong voice for peace on our global stage."

Mogherini said "the world needs also this kind of European Union," adding "it is sad to me to see that some European citizens have to be reminded of that from the outside."

Associated Press Writer Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to this story.

Austrian minister: Hitler birth house could be demolished

June 12, 2016

BERLIN (AP) — Austria's interior minister says he can imagine having the house where Adolf Hitler was born demolished, calling it "the cleanest solution." The Austrian government wants to expropriate the house in Braunau am Inn on the German border where the future Nazi leader was born in 1889 to ensure that it doesn't become a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis.

The Interior Ministry has rented the house since 1972 to prevent its misuse, subletting it to various charitable organizations. The building has stood empty since a care center for adults with disabilities moved out in 2011.

Interior Minister Wolfgang Sobotka told ORF television late Saturday that the expropriation is "necessary." He said that "we have tried to clear up all possibilities for using it and buying it with the owner, but with no results."

"For me, a demolition ... would be the cleanest solution," Sobotka said. Sobotka's ministry described that Sunday as the minister's personal opinion and noted that it would have to be clarified whether the demolition is legally feasible, the Austria Press Agency reported.

A commission of historians is to consider the house's future.

Kenya: Protests over talk of assassinating opposition leader

June 14, 2016

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Demonstrations erupted in Kenya's largest slum Tuesday over footage appearing to show a pro-government legislator saying top opposition leader Raila Odinga can be assassinated, an opposition official and witnesses said.

Analysts say the remarks reflect long-simmering tribal tensions that are heating up again, eight years after they exploded into violence that left more than 1,000 people dead in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election. Kenya is holding general elections next year.

A coffin marked with the name of the legislator, Moses Kuria, was burned during Tuesday's protests, said the head of the Orange Democratic Party in Kibera slum, Sam Ochieng. Odinga is the party's leader, and Kibera is an opposition stronghold.

An Associated Press reporter saw police fire tear gas at demonstrators, who responded with stones. Kuria and seven other legislators have been questioned by police over remarks that police say may amount to hate speech. The legislators include four opposition members of parliament who threatened to storm the office of the police chief if he doesn't take action against Kuria.

In a video shot at a party over the weekend, Kuria apparently refers to recent opposition demonstrations to remove Kenya's electoral commission, which the protesters accuse of corruption and bias. "He should be careful because he can as well bite a bullet," Kuria says. "We won't be disturbed by one person. He can bite a bullet, we bury him the next Monday, they (Odinga supporters) throw stones for one week and life continues, isn't it so?" He made the remarks in his mother tongue, Kikuyu.

Kuria is out on bond for two separate charges of incitement to violence and hate speech related to previous remarks.

UN says 65 million people displaced in 2015, a new record

June 20, 2016

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. refugee agency says persecution and conflict in places like Syria and Afghanistan raised the total number of refugees and internally displaced people worldwide to a record 65.3 million at the end of last year.

The previous year, 2014, had already seen the highest number of refugees worldwide since World War II, with 60 million displaced people. But last year — when Europe staggered under the arrival of large numbers of migrants — topped that record by nearly 10 percent, the UNHCR said Monday in unveiling its annual Global Trends Report.

The Geneva-based agency urged leaders from Europe and elsewhere to do more to end the wars that are fanning the exodus of people from their homelands. "I hope that the message carried by those forcibly displaced reaches the leaderships: We need action, political action, to stop conflicts," said Filippo Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. "The message that they have carried is: 'If you don't solve problems, problems will come to you.'"

With stark detail, UNHCR said that on average, 24 people had been displaced every minute of every day last year — or 34,000 people a day — up from 6 every minute in 2005. Global displacement has roughly doubled since 1997, and risen by 50 percent since 2011 alone — when the Syria war began.

More than half of all refugees came from three countries: Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia. Turkey was the "top host" country for the second year running, taking in 2.5 million people — nearly all from neighboring Syria. Afghan neighbor Pakistan had 1.6 million, while Lebanon, next to Syria, hosted 1.1 million.

Grandi said policymakers and advocacy groups admittedly face daunting challenges helping the largest subset of displaced people: Some 40.8 million internally displaced in countries in conflict. Another 21.3 million were refugees and some 3.2 million more were seeking asylum.

More than a million people fled to Europe last year, causing a political crisis in the EU. Grandi called on countries to work to fight the xenophobia that has accompanied the rise in refugee populations, and decried both physical barriers — like fences erected by some European countries — as well as legislative ones that limit access to richer, more peaceful EU states.

Such European policies were "spreading a negative example around the world," he said. "There is no plan B for Europe in the long run," Grandi said. "Europe will continue to receive people seeking asylum. Their numbers may vary ... but it is inevitable."

Iran to build military bases near Iraq-Saudi border, claims Lebanese cleric

June 11, 2016

A senior Lebanese Shia cleric has claimed that Iran is planning to build military bases in Iraq near the border with Saudi Arabia, AlKhaleejonline.com reported on Friday. Sayed Mohamed Ali Al-Husseini said that the bases will be supervised by Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Speaking to the Italian news agency AKI on Thursday, Al-Husseini claimed that he had received “credible information” from multiple sources who follow Iranian and Iraqi issues closely, that Iran is planning to “crawl” towards Saudi Arabia through its long border with Iraq. Similar measure will be taken on the border with Kuwait, he pointed out.

Al-Husseini is the Secretary General of the Arab-Islamic Council, which is the political reference point for Arab Shia, much as Wilayat Al-Faqih provides political guardianship in Iran. The group is adopted by Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

He told AKI that claims by the Iraqi foreign minister that Iran’s Major-General Qasim Suleimani is simply a “military adviser” in Baghdad are an attempt to cover up his open role targeting the Arabs. “The ongoing battle in Fallujah,” the cleric said, “is a large military parade for Al-Quds Brigade led by Suleimani, which includes militias from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Afghanistan.”

The Arab Shia official added: “Today, there are clear calls by Wilayat Al-Faqih demanding the establishment of Iraqi Revolutionary Guards in the presence of weak and collaborating governments.” He pointed the finger of blame at Arab silence in the face of such Iranian measures and warned that the ambition of Wilayat Al-Faqih might not stop at the Iraqi borders. Targeting Iraq is based mainly on Iran’s vision for its project across the Arab region, he explained. If such plans are not stopped, Al-Husseini concluded, then the whole future of Arab identity is at risk.

Source: Middle East Monitor.
Link: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20160611-iran-to-build-military-bases-near-iraq-saudi-border-claims-lebanese-cleric/.

Election campaign begins in Spain for June 26 national vote

June 09, 2016

MADRID (AP) — Spain's political parties are launching a two-week campaign leading up to a June 26 election aimed at breaking six months of political paralysis after a December vote shattered the nation's traditional two-party system and politicians failed to create a governing coalition.

Campaigning begins at midnight with rallies led by acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of the conservative Popular Party, Pedro Sanchez of the Socialists, Pablo Iglesias of the far-left Podemos party and Albert Rivera of the business-friendly Ciudadanos party.

Polls suggest the Popular Party will win the most votes as it did on Dec. 20 but again fall far short of the parliamentary majority it held from 2011-2015. The surveys have indicated the Socialists and Podemos will vie for 2nd place and Ciudadanos will come in fourth.

The Popular Party and the Socialists alternated running Spain for decades after the country returned to democracy following the long dictatorship of Francisco Franco. But voters angry with high unemployment, unpopular austerity measures and corruption scandals gave strong support to upstart newcomers Podemos and Ciudadanos in December and appear poised to do so again on June 26.

Analysts predict the result will again yield a political stalemate forcing the parties to negotiate to try to form a coalition government. Spain would face a third election in the fall if they fail. "This will likely be a drawn-out process and the outcome cannot be taken for granted, even if the parliamentary math supports it," said Federico Santi, a London-based analyst with the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy.

Possible coalitions include the Popular Party with Ciudadanos, the Socialists with Podemos or a so-called grand alliance of the Popular and Socialist parties that has never happened before in Spain but has elsewhere in Europe.

"Any deal will be very challenging to negotiate," Santi said in a note to clients. "Indeed, a repeat of events earlier in the year, with interlocking vetoes preventing any agreement, cannot be ruled out. This would likely leave the country without a functioning government for over a year."

Spanish lawmakers ban bull-spearing at Tordesillas festival

June 08, 2016

MADRID (AP) — Spanish lawmakers have voted to ban the spearing to death of bulls at one of the country's goriest spectacles. Wednesday's decision by lawmakers in the Castile and Leon region confirms an earlier government decree to prohibit bull killing at September's annual Toro de la Vega festival in the town of Tordesillas 200 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of Madrid. The vote does not affect traditional bullfighting in the region.

During the centuries-old festival, men on horseback traditionally have chased a bull and speared it in front of onlookers. The event has attracted increasing protests in recent years by animal rights activists.

Bullfight and bull spectacle supporters who demonstrated Wednesday outside the regional parliament argued that the ban would violate the cultural heritage of Tordesillas and Spain.