Venezuelans mass for year's largest anti-government protests

May 30, 2015

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands donned white and took to the streets in cities across the country Saturday in the biggest show of frustration with Venezuela's socialist administration since a wave of bloody anti-government protests a year ago.

The day of marches was called less than a week ago by imprisoned opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. In a video leaked from his prison cell, Lopez urged demonstrations to demand a firm date for this year's legislative elections and freedom for jailed opposition politicians like himself who human rights groups consider political prisoners.

A Harvard-educated former mayor, Lopez has been jailed for 15 months in connection with his leadership of the spring of 2014 protests that resulted in dozens of deaths on both sides of Venezuela's yawning political divide.

The opposition coalition did not endorse Saturday's rallies, underscoring longstanding fissures among critics of the country's 16-year socialist government. Before his imprisonment last year, Lopez clashed with other high-profile politicians, including moderate opposition leader Henrique Capriles, about the wisdom of organizing nationwide protests.

Capriles, who came close to beating President Nicolas Maduro in the 2013 presidential election, led a march through the inland town that is home to a prison where former opposition mayor Daniel Ceballos was transferred from a military jail last week.

In Caracas, a sea of sweltering protesters shut down a main thoroughfare in wealthy eastern Caracas for hours, slurping up sweetened crushed ice, shading themselves with umbrellas and waving flags among the mango trees and half-finished buildings.

Ceballos' wife, Patricia, who won a landslide election victory to replace her husband as mayor of the restive western city of San Cristobal was a crowd favorite. "They'll never divide us. Don't ask, don't beg; demand freedom," she shouted, prompting the blocks of protesters to chant back "liberty!"

Other opposition leaders stood under a banner reading "Venezuela United for Change" and shaved their heads in solidarity Ceballos, whose hair was reportedly cut off when he was transferred. Maria Fernanda Zerpa, a student wearing a tie-dye T-shirt and peace sign necklace, had shaved her head, too. She came out to support Lopez, who opinion polls peg as Venezuela's most popular politician, but she doesn't trust the rest of the opposition coalition and has little interest in the coming elections.

"The elections are like whatever, because we know the people who run them have been bought by the government. And Capriles is a scaredy-cat who didn't fight Maduro for the presidency," she said. Protesters were most eager to talk about the country's pervasive problems of shortages, inflation and violent crime, the same issues that fueled last year's demonstrations and have worsened in the months since.

Lopez has hardly been seen since his arrest, and the short video calling the day of protest electrified his supporters in a way other calls to take to the streets in the past months have not. Venezuela blocked two conservative former Latin American presidents from visiting Lopez or Ceballos this week. State ombudsman Tarek Saab said the former Bolivian and Colombian presidents were wrongly attempting to give Venezuela condescending "human rights classes."

On Friday, Maduro warned that top Caracas police officials would be imprisoned if they allowed violence to break out during Saturday's march. "There are two Venezuelas: the bloodthirsty, coup-mongering ultra-right wing minority, and the majority that loves their country," he said.

For Franz Yustiz, who brought his grandchildren to the Caracas protest, a coup sounded like just the thing. "They need to send in the in marines quick, come what will," said Yustiz, who works as a bodyguard, a profession that has exploded as violent crime soars here. "I'm so fed up. I want my grandchildren to know true democracy."

Former RI governor set to announce 2016 campaign next week

May 29, 2015

PROVIDENCE R.I. (AP) — Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee, once a Republican, then an independent, then a Democrat, plans to announce his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination next week.

Chafee will do so Wednesday during a speech at George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia, spokeswoman Debbie Rich said. Chafee surprised many when he formed an exploratory committee in April. He has never won elected office as a Democrat and had only discussed his plans with a few family members and supporters. But after that, he said he was likely to announce his candidacy in June.

He's a distinct longshot. By his own admission, he's not been actively raising money or building the organization needed for a credible bid for the nomination, although he's traveled to the early-voting states of New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Chafee has criticized Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton for her Senate vote to authorize the 2003 Iraq invasion and says the next president shouldn't be someone who supported the war. Then a Republican, Chafee was the lone GOP senator to vote against the invasion.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is challenging Clinton for the 2016 nomination and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to join the contest Saturday. Chafee, 62, was appointed to the Senate as a Republican when his father, Sen. John Chafee, died in office, and he won election to the seat the following year. While in Washington, he became known for bucking his party. In addition to opposing the Iraq invasion, he refused to vote to re-elect President George W. Bush in 2004, writing in George H.W. Bush instead.

Chafee lost the seat in 2006 to a Democrat. He left the Republican Party and became an independent in 2007. In 2010, he was elected to the governor's office. He became a Democrat in 2013 but a few months later decided not to run for a second term. He had poor approval ratings and the 2014 race was expected to be fierce.

Chafee's plans to announce his run Wednesday were first reported by Politico.

Kicking the plastic: Senegal among latest to ban flimsy bags

May 29, 2015

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — At a market in Senegal's capital, the sandy paths are strewn with them. They blow around like feathers in Dakar's coastal breezes, piling up alongside buildings on city streets and clogging canals.

Thin plastic shopping bags, and pieces of them, litter this seaside capital and the nearby waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The number of discarded bags is staggering — a total of 5 million in Senegal, according to Environment Minister Abdoulaye Balde.

Now, the government is set to impose a ban, joining a global shift against the bags. Street vendors wonder how they will do business without them. Dauda Ndiaye sells hundreds of plastic bags a day to other vendors, who sell fish, meat and other goods in the Ouakam neighborhood. For 500 francs (about $1), a customer can buy a packet of 100.

Banning the bags will "be a huge problem because all the vendors here use plastic to sell nuts, glass, meat, fruit and vegetables," said Ndiaye, a 23-year-old father of three. "If they are going to ban plastic, I won't be able to feed my family."

Another merchant, Ami Ndiaye, says she must keep using plastic to protect the charcoal she sells wrapped in small paper rolls which are then neatly piled into plastic. "The problem isn't the plastic, it's the people," she said. "People must put it in the garbage and not on the streets so animals don't eat it and it doesn't pile up."

But Pascaline Ouedraego fully supports the measures, saying she worries about chemicals from the sacks getting into the food she buys. She moved to Senegal four years ago from Burkina Faso, which adopted a ban.

"The problem is no one understands what else to use, so it's been difficult," she said of Burkina Faso. "Little by little people can learn" to use safer alternative products, like paper and reusable bags.

In April, Senegal's National Assembly unanimously prohibited the production, importation, possession and use of the black bags that are so thin they can barely hold several cans of soda without falling apart and are usually discarded after one use. Implementation was planned for six months later.

In 2013, Mauritania imposed a ban, saying an estimated 70 percent of cattle and sheep in the capital were dying from ingesting plastic bags, according to the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute. Cameroon, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia and Malawi are also among countries that have adopted or announced bans, according to the institute. Botswana and South Africa require a certain thickness of plastic bags, so they can be reused, and added levies saw a reduction in use, the institute added.

Rwanda banned the use of non-biodegradable plastic at a certain thickness in 2008 and carries out strict enforcement, including taking plastic off of luggage and seizing bags that don't meet specifications from visitors flying into the country.

In France this week, the National Assembly approved a bill that would ban plastic bags in all supermarkets and stores on January 1, 2016. And in April, The European Parliament approved rules to clamp down on the use of flimsy plastic bags, removing the last major hurdle to pass the legislation. It would require member states to reduce the use by some 80 percent by 2025.

The U.S. is seeing most bans imposed on local levels, by cities and counties. Senegal's government hasn't announced details on how it will enact the bans, but said alternative solutions to the flimsy bags will have to be found. The discarded bags are an eyesore, shredded and hanging in trees and beautiful flowering branches. And they are a danger to fish, sheep and other animals that may ingest the bags and their toxins.

Modou Fall, who has dedicated himself to getting Senegalese to stop littering and quit using plastic bags, is optimistic about the ban, though he notes that garbage bins are needed around the city so people can properly dispose of trash.

Clad in more than 7,000 thin plastic sacks and a dome cap made from 100 plastic cups stapled together, the tall 42-year-old is a familiar, although bizarre, sight in Dakar. Wearing the plastic items that he gathered from the streets and cleaned, he looks like a creature that emerged from a swamp, the litter clinging to him.

He walks 15 kilometers (9 miles) every day, urging people over a microphone and speaker to stop littering and to switch to paper bags that he sells. He pushes a cart with two Senegalese flags protruding from it and speakers playing military music.

Fall buys bulk paper sacks from a factory and sells about 1,000 per day, including to a pharmacy and other stores. "Plastic sticks around for hundreds of years, beyond anyone's lifetime," he said. "We must think of future generations."

Burundi elections to be postponed after weeks of unrest

June 04, 2015

BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) — Presidential and parliamentary elections have been postponed in Burundi, an official said Thursday, following weeks of unrest in the capital over President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in office.

Regional bloc, the East African Community, on Sunday asked the Burundian government to postpone elections for at least 45 days and use that time to ensure there is a conducive environment to hold the polls. More than 90,000 Burundians have fled the country fearing violence. Burundi has had a long history of political upheaval that has been characterized by political assassinations and coups.

Officials are waiting for the electoral commission to propose new election dates, said Willy Nyamitwe, presidential adviser for media and information. He said the latest date the presidential poll can be held is July 26 — a month before the scheduled expiration of Nkurunziza's term.

Before the postponement, parliamentary elections had been scheduled for Friday, and presidential polls for June 26. The capital Bujumbura has been rocked by weeks of protests following the April 25 announcement of Nkurunziza's bid for a third term in office, which many viewed as unconstitutional. At least 20 people have died in street battles with police. The protests gave rise to an attempted coup in mid-May which was soon crushed.

In New York, the U.N. Security Council welcomed the government's commitment to postpone elections and called on all Burundian parties to reach agreement on a new electoral timetable. It also called for the reinstatement of private media and protection of civil and human rights including the right to peaceful assembly so opposition politicians can campaign freely.

A press statement issued Thursday after a closed briefing by Said Djinnit, the U.N. special envoy for the Great Lakes Region, called for those responsible for the violence to be held accountable and urged the disarmament of all armed youth groups allied to political parties.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged "the swift implementation of measures to help create the conditions for the holding of peaceful, inclusive and credible elections," his spokesman said. The U.N. chief expressed concern about the potential for violence in Burundi to escalate further and called for "calm and restraint." Ban also called for the resumption of political talks facilitated by Djinnit, the spokesman said.

Some African leaders have been in power for decades after altering their countries' constitutions to extend their tenures. Burkina Faso's president of 27 years, Blaise Compaore, stepped down in October amid mounting opposition to his bid to seek yet another term in office.

Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Tom Odula in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed to this report

What would happen if Western powers boycotted World Cup?

May 30, 2015

NEW YORK (AP) — What would happen if Sepp Blatter hosts a World Cup and most of Europe, several South American powers and the United States don't show up?

Blatter was voted to a fifth term as FIFA president on Friday, but the governing bodies of soccer's wealthiest region, the world's biggest economy and several nations in soccer-crazed South America opposed him following a string of scandals.

As the 79-year-old was celebrating defeating Jordan's Prince Ali bin al-Hussein 133-73 for another four-year term, his opposition was figuring out how to pressure him for change. The Union of European Football Associations could threaten what's become known as soccer's nuclear option: prominent nations breaking away and holding their own tournament, call it a Clean Cup. At FIFA's World Cup qualifying draw on July 25 in St. Petersburg, Russia, there could be scores of empty seats in the Constantine Palace.

"Blatter's supporters are Vladimir Putin, the invader; the Qatari government and their supposed slave employees to build the facilities; and about 80 or 90 tiny countries that he has given each one a vote and a ton of money to," said Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based consulting firm SportsCorp.

"He needs to be careful not to overplay his hand," Ganis said. "He was given an opportunity to do what he said, which is reform FIFA. If he uses that opportunity to extract retribution against those who are opposed to him, he's setting up a confrontation that if it goes all the way to the end, he can't win. He's never demonstrated that level of ignorance, so I don't expect that he will do so."

With a one-nation, one-vote system, Blatter has support of a majority of FIFA's 209 nations. But most of the world's best clubs, the strongest economies and the most lucrative television audiences are in countries that want Blatter out

FIFA's $5.72 billion in revenue from 2011-14 included $4.83 billion from last year's World Cup in Brazil — of which $2.43 billion was generated by television rights sales, $1.58 billion from marketing agreements and $527 million in tickets.

The majority of FIFA's money came from deals in Europe and the United States, where governments — other than Russia — are pressing for reform. Visa has threatened to "reassess our sponsorship" if changes are not made. The Coca-Cola Co. expressed concern, saying the controversy "tarnished the mission and ideals" of the World Cup.

"They do have tremendous leverage, but it remains to be seen whether they have legal grounds to abrogate their deals," said former CBS Sports President Neal Pilson, who runs a media consulting firm. UEFA President Michel Platini, the former French national team star, did not applaud Blatter after the election. He said before the vote UEFA would be "open to all options" if Blatter gained re-election, and UEFA will meet in Berlin ahead of the Champions League final on June 6.

Europe supplies 13 of the 32 teams for the World Cup (plus Russia as the host in 2018), and UEFA holds eight of the 25 voting seats on FIFA's executive committee. Blatter said after his victory that FIFA "must have a better representation of the confederations and the number of members" on the executive committee. "We need more respect for the Oceanian confederation," he added.

"The Solomon Islands are going to have a spot? But Germany, nah, not so much?" Ganis said. "Sepp Blatter can get 140 votes from the Trinidad and Tobagos of the world, these island nations whose FIFA representative is one of the wealthiest persons on the island in part because he's the FIFA representative. And he'll be able to hold onto power as long as he wants in part because of the voting process."

FIFA could be headed toward an internal fight, much as college sports in the United States went through last year when the NCAA — the body that oversees competition — agreed to give its five biggest conferences greater autonomy.

"FIFA World Cup" is trademarked, but if UEFA boycotts the tournament or breaks away from FIFA, and it is backed by the United States and South America's top powers, the World Cup would be about as interesting as the African Cup of Nations or the Asian Cup.

Blatter downplayed the possibility. "They need FIFA, and FIFA needs UEFA," he said Saturday. But would television networks and sponsors pay all that money for an audience to watch 97th-ranked Malawi play No. 99 Qatar?

What if UEFA told European clubs — which have the best players from around the world — to ignore FIFA's regulations and refuse to release players to national teams for World Cup qualifiers? "This isn't over by any means," England Football Association chairman Greg Dyke said.

Sepp Blatter wins re-election as FIFA president

May 29, 2015

ZURICH (AP) — Sepp Blatter was re-elected as FIFA president for a fifth term on Friday, chosen to lead world soccer despite separate U.S. and Swiss criminal investigations into corruption.

The 209 FIFA member federations gave the 79-year-old Blatter another four-year term after Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan conceded defeat after losing 133-73 in the first round. Prince Ali's promise of a clean break from FIFA's tarnished recent history was rejected despite the worst scandal in the organization's 111-year history.

The election went ahead Friday after U.S. and Swiss federal investigations struck at the heart of Blatter's "football family" this week. Two FIFA vice presidents and a recently elected FIFA executive committee member were still in custody Friday as the votes were counted.

Still, soccer leaders worldwide stayed loyal to their embattled president of 17 years, even though Prince Ali pushed the election to a second round by getting a surprising 73 votes. Before the second round started, Prince Ali stood and before the congress and conceded.

Blatter has blamed others for bringing shame and humiliation on the sport. In a pre-election address to voters on Friday, Blatter said it was "impossible" for him and FIFA to "keep an eye" on everyone and be responsible for everything that happened in world soccer.

Blatter won despite calls for his resignation from UEFA president Michel Platini and others. Platini said Thursday that UEFA could pull out of FIFA and withdraw from the World Cup if Blatter was re-elected.

FIFA's big-money sponsors have also called for change within FIFA. Visa warned Thursday that it could pull out of its contract, which is worth at least $25 million a year through 2022. The defeated 39-year-old prince was a FIFA vice president for the past four years with a close-up view of Blatter's previous scandal-hit mandate.

Blatter was re-elected unopposed in 2011 after promising to fight corruption and support key investigations of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding contests and a bribery scandal which removed his Qatari opponent from the presidential ballot.

Those probes were conducted in-house by FIFA's own judicial bodies. The latest investigations promise deeper trouble for FIFA with federal law enforcement agencies delving into soccer's affairs. Raids on FIFA's favorite luxury downtown Zurich hotel and its own headquarters were launched early Wednesday by Swiss police.

Senior FIFA officials were among seven men arrested at the request of American federal prosecutors investigating bribery, money-laundering and wire fraud. The 2018 and 2022 World Cups — awarded to Russia and Qatar, respectively — are the focus of a separate Swiss federal probe of suspected financial wrongdoing.

Last November, Blatter and FIFA filed a criminal complaint with the Swiss attorney general's office against non-Swiss nationals.

Indian president on 3-day state visit of Sweden

May 31, 2015

HELSINKI (AP) — Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has met with Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at the start of a three-day state visit.

The president was welcomed at the airport on Sunday afternoon by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, before being officially welcomed by the royal couple and a ride in a horse-drawn cortege through the streets of the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Later, Mukherjee will meet Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, Stockholm city officials and lawmakers. He will visit the Nobel Institute and attend a banquet at the Royal Palace.

In a prepared statement before the visit, Wallstrom said India and Sweden enjoy "good cooperation" and that the two countries would discuss climate change, energy and the environment during the three days.