Turkey to hold congress as Davotuglu’s fate hangs in balance

Text by NEWS WIRES

Latest update : 2016-05-05

Turkey's ruling party is set to replace Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu at an extraordinary congress in the coming weeks, officials said on Wednesday, plunging the country into political uncertainty.

The decision, confirmed to Reuters by five AK Party officials, came after a meeting of more than 1-1/2 hours between Davutoglu and President Tayyip Erdogan that followed weeks of increasingly public tension between the two men.

Erdogan wants an executive presidency in Turkey to replace the current parliamentary system, a plan for which Davutoglu has offered only lukewarm support. His departure is likely to pave the way for a successor more willing to back Erdogan's ambition of changing the constitution and strengthening the presidency, a move opponents say will herald growing authoritarianism.

"The president and prime minister reached agreement on the congress ... I don't think Davutoglu will be a candidate again," one of the officials told Reuters.

The leader of the AKP, which has governed Turkey since 2002, also serves as prime minister. Davutoglu's likely departure looms as Turkey faces mounting security challenges, with a Kurdish insurgency in its southeast and the spillover of the war in Syria on its southern border.

The European Union is counting on Turkey to help stop migrants streaming into the continent under a landmark accord brokered by Davutoglu, and Washington is drawing on NATO member Ankara's support in fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

The lira weakened more than 4 percent to 2.976 to the dollar, its weakest since the end of February, as investors balked at the prospect of more uncertainty.

"Davutoglu's likely early exit as party leader and PM constitutes another episode that show that Erdogan's dominance over the AKP and the executive is absolute and unchallenged," said Wolfango Piccoli, head of research at Teneo Intelligence.

"In the short term policy paralysis will prevail and then, once a new party leader is elected, a more incisive effort to amend the constitution could ensue," he told Reuters.

The AKP official said the congress would be held as soon as May 21 and no later than June 6, the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and that Erdogan was adamant there should be no vacuum of power at the head of government.

Three sources close to the presidency said possible successors included government spokesman Numan Kurtulmus and Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag. Transport Minister Binali Yildirim and Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, Erdogan's son-in-law, had also been touted as possible names, they said.

Rift

Erdogan's drive to tighten his grip on power has caused an increasingly open rift with Davutoglu, encompassing issues from relations with Europe to the pre-trial detention of government critics.

Erdogan, a political fighter hardened by a childhood in Istanbul's rough Kasimpasa district, wants a robust presidential system as a guarantee against the fractious coalition politics that hampered Turkey in the 1990s. His opponents see a stronger presidency as a vehicle for his own ambition.

Such a system would have seen Davutoglu, a more mild-mannered academic and former diplomat who lacks Erdogan's natural appeal to crowds, sidelined.

The two have governed in a strained alliance since Erdogan won the presidency in 2014 and Davutoglu replaced him as prime minister. Aides to Davutoglu had largely dismissed the tensions as matters of style rather than substance.

But in the clearest sign yet of a power struggle, the authority to appoint provincial AKP officials was taken from Davutoglu last week. The move reduced Davutoglu's hold over the party grassroots and cemented Erdogan's influence.

The two leaders have appeared at odds over the deal with the EU to stem the flow of illegal migrants from Turkish shores to the Greek islands, in return for which Ankara has been promised accelerated EU accession talks, visa liberalisation and financial aid. The deal has been Davutoglu's project, and its future may be less certain after his departure.

Erdogan, frequently critical of the EU, has at times appeared to belittle Davutoglu's progress, most notably efforts to win visa-free travel to Europe by June, the main prize in the eyes of many Turks.

"During my time as prime minister it was announced (this) would come in October 2016," Erdogan said recently. "I don't understand why bringing it forward four months is presented as a win. I'm saddened by the presentation of small things in a bigger light."

Former diplomat and political commentator Sinan Ulgen said the two leaders had always faced a "fundamental dilemma".

"Erdogan's end goal is to consolidate enough popular support to switch to a presidential system. Davutoglu's end goal is to consolidate his own power and be a successful prime minister," said Ulgen, head of the EDAM think-tank in Istanbul.

(REUTERS)

South Africa protesters torch schools in Limpopo province

Protesters have burnt 13 schools in two areas in South Africa's northern Limpopo province in a violent dispute over district boundaries, police say.

Government officials appealed for an end to the violence, saying it affected the education of hundreds of children.

Protesters say moves to include their neighbourhoods into a new municipality would delay efforts to get them better housing and water.

South Africa is due to hold key local government elections in August.

Opposition parties hope to make gains at the polls, arguing that the governing African National Congress (ANC) has failed to improve basic services during its 22-year rule.

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The ANC disputes this, saying most people have a far better standard of living since it took power at the end of minority rule in 1994.

Eight of the 13 schools were torched overnight, bringing to 13 the number of schools targeted since Monday, reports the BBC's Pumza Fihlani from the main city Johannesburg. 

On Friday, protesters failed in a court bid to prevent the inclusion of the mainly poor Vuwani and Livubu areas into a new district authority.

The government says the plan is vital to developing the two communities.

South Africa has a history of violent demonstrations, going back to the days when people protested minority rule and it seems that this attitude still remains, our correspondent says.

People are often so frustrated about the lack of basic services like electricity and water that they resort to vandalism, targeting schools, libraries and even clinics, she adds. 

The government has often criticised the violence, saying it would leave communities worse off.

Limpopo is one of South Africa's poorest provinces, where the ANC has won previous elections by an overwhelming majority.

The main opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), hope to weaken the ANC's hold in the province in the August elections.

Brazil: Former leader Lula 'played key role' in Petrobras corruption

Brazil's Attorney General Rodrigo Janot has asked the Supreme Court to authorise an investigation against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for alleged corruption.

Mr Janot accused Lula of playing a key role in the huge corruption scandal at the state oil company, Petrobras.

Local media report that Mr Janot also requested that current President Dilma Rousseff be investigated.

The reports say she is suspected of obstructing the corruption inquiry.

However, there has been no official confirmation yet of the request for investigation of President Rousseff.

Allegations against Lula

Mr Janot accused Lula of playing a key role in the huge corruption scandal at the state oil company, Petrobras.

He said the corruption could not have taken place without the participation of the former leader.

Lula, who was in office between 2003 and 2011, denies the allegations.

Lula returned to frontline politics in March, when President Dilma Rousseff nominated him as her chief of staff.

But within an hour of being sworn in, a judge suspended his nomination saying it had been aimed at protecting him from possible prosecution on corruption charges.

Under Brazilian law, members of the cabinet can only be investigated by the country's top court, the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court has yet to rule on whether he can take up his post.

Conspiracy allegations

The former president was previously accused of getting a penthouse flat in favourable conditions from a building company involved in the Petrobras scandal.

But the accusations filed now by the Brazilian attorney general are much more serious.

Mr Janot said Lula and other senior politicians conspired to create a scheme that siphoned off vast amounts of money from Petrobras.

He requested authorisation to investigate Lula and 29 other senior politicians, officials and businessmen.

The speaker of the lower house of Congress, Eduardo Cunha - a former government ally who is now in the opposition - and ministers from President Dilma Rousseff's cabinet are on Mr Janot's list.

Car Wash Operation

Prosecutors say the corruption scheme is estimated to have cost the company more than $2bn (£1.45bn).

Part of the money was used to finance the electoral campaign of top Brazilian politicians, they allege.

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The accusations are part of Operation Car Wash, which was launched two years ago by a group of prosecutors focusing initially on money laundering.

Their investigations led them to allegations of a complex corruption scheme at Petrobras.

Several politicians and Petrobras executives have been arrested and sentenced.

Some of them have agreed to testify against other suspects in exchange for more lenient sentences, taking the investigation to a new level.

Until now, 39 people were being officially investigated in Operation Car Wash.

Mr Janot has asked for the inclusion of another 30 names on that list.

He has acted on new information from suspects who agreed to a plea bargain, Brazilian media reported.

On Monday, Mr Janot requested authorization to investigate prominent opposition leader and former presidential candidate Senator Aecio Neves.

He has been accused of receiving bribes from officials at the state electric company, Furnas.

Mr Neves has rejected the allegations.

Ms Rousseff, who defeated Mr Neves by a narrow margin in 2014, was head of the Petrobras board of directors when much of the corruption took place, but she is not facing any official accusations against her.

Migrant crisis: EU plans penalties for refusing asylum seekers

The European Commission has proposed reforms to EU asylum rules that would see stiff financial penalties imposed on countries refusing to take their share of asylum seekers.

The bloc's executive body is planning a sanction of €250,000 (£200,000; $290,000) per person.

The Commission wants changes made to an asylum system which has buckled amid an influx of migrants.

The plans would require support from most member states as well as MEPs.

EU officials hope that, twinned with a deal with Turkey that has already reduced migrant numbers, tensions over migration within the bloc can be reduced.

'Fair share'

The basic Dublin regulation would be kept, requiring refugees to claim asylum in the member state in which they arrive.

However, there would be several changes, including plans to help countries receiving "disproportionate numbers" of asylum claims.

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The EU already has a flagship scheme to redistribute 160,000 migrants around the continent, but it has met only a tiny fraction of this target since it was agreed in 2015. 

The planned figure of €250,000 per refused claimant could be revised but the Commission is known to want a punitive level.

The UK and Ireland can opt out of asylum policies, and the British government has already indicated it will not take part. Denmark is also exempt.

Under the fresh proposals, if a country receives more than 150% of its annual "fair share" of asylum seekers, the relocation scheme would kick in.

That share is calculated according to a country's population and economy.

"There's simply no way around it: whenever a member state is overwhelmed, there must be solidarity and a fair sharing of responsibility within the EU," Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans said.

Countries refusing to accept their quota would effectively be fined - with the money going to frontline states such as Italy and Greece that have carried the burden.

The proposals for sanctions are likely to alarm Central European countries that have refused to implement the refugee quota deal. One senior Polish official said last week that the plan was dead.

Poland had agreed to take some 7,000 asylum seekers and could face a fine of at least €1.75bn if the proposals go through.

Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia were outvoted when the quota plan was agreed.

Slovakia's interior minister, Robert Kalinak, has complained that the proposed "fair share" system fails to respect reality.

The government in Budapest on Tuesday announced plans for a referendum on the EU's resettlement plans.

Flaws exposed

The Dublin regulation is designed to stop what has become known as "asylum shopping", whereby migrants make multiple asylum claims across Europe.

Since 2005, the UK has used the Dublin rule to return 12,000 asylum seekers to where they first entered the EU.

But the migration crisis has exposed flaws in the policy, leaving Greece and Italy dealing with the majority of cases.

Germany effectively suspended the Dublin rule last August, when it said it would take in all Syrian asylum seekers, prompting an influx of migrants and refugees into the EU via Greece and the Western Balkans.

The numbers travelling the route fell when countries along the way set up fences or imposed border controls, but that has left some 50,000 migrants and refugees stranded in Greece.

The Commission says a European Union Agency for Asylum should be set up to oversee fairness within the overhauled rules.

There would be "stronger guarantees" for unaccompanied children seeking asylum as well as a change in the way family members are viewed when seeking refugee status.

 

A note on terminology: The BBC uses the term migrant to refer to all people on the move who have yet to complete the legal process of claiming asylum. This group includes people fleeing war-torn countries such as Syria, who are likely to be granted refugee status, as well as people who are seeking jobs and better lives, who governments are likely to rule are economic migrants.

Canada wildfire may worsen amid mass evacuation

High winds and hot temperatures may worsen a huge wildfire that has forced the entire population of a Canadian city to be evacuated, officials say.

Some 80,000 people in Fort McMurray, in Alberta province, fled as the flames headed to the centre of the city.

One district lost 80% of its homes. Extra firefighters were deployed to tackle a fire of 26.5 sq km (2,650 hectares). No injuries were reported.

Help from the army and air force is being sent but may take two days.

The blaze broke out south-west of the city on Sunday. Firefighters appeared to have a measure of control by Tuesday until a drastic wind shift overwhelmed them.

'Devastated'

Alberta agriculture and forestry manager Bernie Schmitte said: "The worst of the fire is not over. We're still faced with very high temperatures, low relative humidity and some strong winds."

The chief of Fort McMurray's fire department, Darby Allen, said on Wednesday that wooded areas in the city were still ablaze and he was concerned about the wind direction.

"It could be even more devastating, unfortunately," he told CBC.

He said of the task facing his staff on Wednesday: "I think, based on the conditions ... we're going to face a day that's fairly similar [to Tuesday]. We may... still be in fire extinguishment mode."

He added: "It's a nasty, ugly fire and it's not showing any forgiveness. The community is going to be devastated. This is going to go on. This is going to take us a while to come back from."

Brian Jean, leader of Alberta's opposition, said on Tuesday night: "I'm afraid that huge parts of my home town.. may burn tonight and will continue to burn.

"My home of the last 10 years and the home I had for 15 years before that are both destroyed."

The Beacon Hill suburb was said to have lost 80% of its homes, with serious losses also reported in Abasand and Waterway. One street in Timberlea lost a dozen trailer homes.

Some 150 firefighters are tackling the blaze, backed up by nine air tankers and more than a dozen helicopters, officials say.

'Roofs coming down'

Tens of thousands of people took to the roads that were still passable to flee the city, creating long lines of vehicles.

Communities were throwing open their doors to help the evacuees, although many headed towards Edmonton, Alberta's capital, some 270 miles (430km) away.

Alberta Premier Rachel Notley called it the "biggest evacuation... in the history of the province".

She said the priority was to get people safely out of the city and find enough spaces in evacuation camps for everybody.

One fleeing city resident, Cassie White, told the Globe and Mail flames had crossed a road and blown up a petrol station.

She told the paper: "There were flames maybe 15ft high right off the highway. There was a dump truck on fire - I had to swerve around it - and there was a pickup truck on fire as well. The entire trailer park on my right was in flames. Roofs were coming down."

The federal government said it was closely monitoring the situation and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it stood ready to help.

Fort McMurray is a major centre of Canada's oil sands industry - with vast oil reserves - and a major evacuation of staff was ordered.

Suncor Energy said its main plant was so far safe but crude production was being cut.

Shell Canada said it was opening its camp to evacuees.

Fort McMurray: Canada's 'manliest' city

On its tourism website, Fort McMurray describes itself as the "gateway to the north" - a region which is home to the third largest reserves of oil in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

It may be remote, but Fort McMurray's proximity to Canada's rich oil sands has helped it to become a hugely prosperous place, drawing oil workers from across the world.

It is not strictly speaking a city, but such has become Fort McMurray's importance in the region that it is commonly referred to as one.

Canada's National Post called Fort McMurray 'Canada's manliest city' where men outnumber women by roughly three to two.

US election 2016: Trump nomination divides Republicans

Top Republicans are divided on whether to support Donald Trump after the businessman all but secured the party's presidential nomination.

Some took to social media to disavow their membership in the party by burning their voter registration forms.

Others though started to fall in line behind the candidate, saying Mr Trump is vastly preferable to Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee.

Mr Trump is deeply unpopular among many key voting blocs in the US.

"If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed... and we will deserve it," South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham said on Tuesday after Texas Senator Ted Cruz dropped out of the race, effectively clearing a path for Mr Trump.

Others such as former Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who have been harsh critics of Mr Trump in the past, said they would support him in the general election.

"There's a lot about Donald Trump that I don't like, but I'll vote for Trump over Hillary any day," said Ari Fleischer, press secretary for former President George W Bush.

Considered a long shot when he launched his campaign in June, Mr Trump has decisively won a large number of states across the US, defeating an experienced field of rivals.

Some Republican analysts fear Mr Trump's candidacy could have a crippling effect on down-ballot races, giving Democrats the chance to retake the Senate and possibly, but less likely, the House.

Republican senators up for re-election in Democratic leaning states such as Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire and Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania have sought to distance themselves from Mr Trump.

There are concerns about some of his policies on immigration and national security, like building a wall on the southern US border paid for by Mexico, a ban on Muslims coming to the US and the killing of the families of terrorists.

The unease among top Republicans is likely to complicate Mr Trump's search for a running mate.

Mr Trump has said he wants a vice-presidential nominee with political experience to balance the ticket.

A senior adviser for Jeb Bush merely laughed when the New York Times asked whether the former Florida Governor would consider being Mr Trump's running mate.

Ed Goeas, an adviser to Scott Walker also ruled out the Wisconsin governor.

"Scott Walker has a visceral negative reaction to Trump's character," Mr Goeas told the Times.

Australia general election slated for July 2

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed he will call an election within the next week. The ruling Liberal-National coalition has lost its lead against Labor in the latest polls, but hopes to cling to power. 

Australia's rightist government unveiled a budget on Tuesday, even as the premier announced he'll use a political deadlock over industrial relations to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.
"You can expect there to be an election on the second of July," Turnbull said in an interview on Australia Broadcasting Corp radio, adding that he would call the poll "between now and the 11th of May."
Labor catching up?
The Liberal-National coalition, which returned to power in 2013, has lost much of its lead against the opposition Labor party in the latest polls, with the two sides now running neck-and-neck.
But Turnbull , who seized his party's top spot eight months ago, said he expected to win. That's despite a pair of scandal-driven resignations within his cabinet.
"I am quietly confident that the Australian people will give us another term in government," he told Channel 9 TV.
The government handed down its budget the same day that the Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates to a record low of 1.75 percent, seeking to restrain a rising currency and stem deflation.
Stalemate over construction industry watchdog
The dissolution will be triggered by a rarely invoked parliamentary procedure. The Senate blocked the government's bill aimed at re-establishing the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) that was scrapped by the former Labor government.
The government claims there has been a spike in "unlawful industrial action” since the ABCC was repealed. But critics say the ABCC is used for union-busting.
Now that the bill has been rejected twice, Turnbull is empowered to dissolve parliament and call new elections. The last time Australia's elections were invoked by double dissolution was in 1987.
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