Brazil court suspends key Rousseff rival Cunha

Text by NEWS WIRES

Latest update : 2016-05-06

Brazil’s Supreme Court Thursday suspended a powerful lawmaker at the center of efforts to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, on grounds he tried to obstruct a probe into his alleged corruption.

Eduardo Cunha, the speaker of Brazil’s lower house of Congress, is the architect of the impeachment drive that is expected to force Rousseff to step aside from office on Wednesday.

He said his suspension, the latest in a whirlpool of corruption scandals, was retaliation for his campaign against Rousseff.

Her supporters argued it was grounds for the impeachment drive now to be dropped, though it was not expected to spare her now that her case is in the hands of the Senate.

Despite facing criminal charges including bribery and hiding money in Swiss bank accounts, Cunha has survived months of attempts by prosecutors and a congressional ethics committee to see him brought to justice.

A master backroom political operator, he is widely seen as the key figure in getting the impeachment proceedings green-lighted by the lower house in April. The Senate will vote Wednesday on whether to open a trial and suspend Rousseff.

But the man Brazilians refer to as a real-life Frank Underwood—the corrupt US politician in the hit Netflix series “House of Cards”—appeared finally to have been brought down by the high court.

Justice Teori Zavaski slapped the suspension on Cunha Thursday morning, and the full court ratified it later in the day.

Zavaski said that Cunha had obstructed justice “to prevent the success of investigations against him.”

With Rousseff likely to be suspended and replaced by her vice president, Michel Temer, next week, Cunha would have moved up to first on the presidential succession list.

Zavaski said Cunha was not fit for that job.

‘Retaliation’

Rousseff ruefully welcomed her enemy’s fate.

“Better late than never,” she said. “The only thing I regret... is that he was able to sit there stone-faced and preside over these shameful (impeachment) proceedings in the lower house.”

Cunha told reporters there was “no chance” he would resign.

“I will not give up anything,” he said.

“I am suffering political retaliation for the impeachment process.”

The government’s top lawyer Jose Eduardo Cardozo said the suspension “shows that Mr Cunha abused his office.” He called for the impeachment process to be abandoned.

Bribes

Rousseff is accused of manipulating government budget accounts with illegal loans, a charge which she describes as technical and not worthy of impeachment.

If she is suspended she will be put on half pay pending the outcome of the trial, which could take several months.

Cunha is accused of taking bribes as part of the massive corruption scheme centered on Petrobras, the huge state oil company. He rejects the charges.

He is also being investigated by the congressional ethics committee over allegedly lying to Congress about possessing secret Swiss bank accounts.

The congressional deputy next in line to replace Cunha as speaker, Waldir Maranhao Cardoso, is himself being investigated for alleged Petrobras-related crimes, including money-laundering.

Meanwhile, Temer, who has been named by cooperating witnesses as involved in the Petrobras scheme but is not being formally investigated, faced a new legal problem of his own Thursday.

After being found guilty earlier this week by an electoral court of breaking campaign finance rules, he risks being barred from seeking elected office for eight years, a spokesman for the court told AFP.

The ban however does not affect his current position—or his likely rise to become acting president next week.

‘Gridlock’

A conservative member of Brazilian politics’ growing Evangelical wing, Cunha belongs to the center-right PMDB party. It used to be the key partner in Rousseff’s ruling coalition, but broke away and backed impeachment.

Brazil is suffering its deepest recession in decades. On Thursday, Fitch followed other ratings agencies in downgrading Brazil’s credit score.

It was already classed as speculative or “junk” grade and on Thursday Fitch shifted the rating down to BB from BB+.

The downgrade “reflects the deeper-than-anticipated economic contraction, failure of the government to stabilize the outlook for public finances and the sustained legislative gridlock and elevated political uncertainty,” Fitch said.

(AFP)

North Korea stages once-in-a-generation party congress

Text by NEWS WIRES

Latest update : 2016-05-06

North Korea raised the curtain on Friday on its biggest political show for a generation, aimed at cementing the absolute rule of leader Kim Jong-Un and shadowed by the possibility of an imminent nuclear test.

The first ruling party congress for nearly 40 years drew thousands of selected delegates from across the country to Pyongyang for what, in theory at least, was a gathering of North Korea’s top decision-making body.

The 33-year-old Kim, who was not even born when the last Workers’ Party Congress was held in 1980, was expected to deliver a keynote address which will be minutely scrutinised for any policy shift or personnel changes in the governing elite.

The 1980 event was staged to crown Kim’s father Kim Jong-Il as heir apparent to his own father, the North’s founding leader Kim Il-Sung.

While the agenda—and even the duration—of the event is still unknown, its main objective is widely seen as confirming Kim Jong-Un’s status as legitimate inheritor of the Kim family’s dynastic rule which spans almost seven decades.

The congress is also expected to confirm as party doctrine Kim’s “byungjin” policy of pursuing nuclear weapons in tandem with economic development.

Propaganda party

Ahead of the gathering, national and Workers’ Party flags lined the broad, rainswept streets of Pyongyang, while banners carried slogans such as “Great comrades Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il will always be with us”.

Another slogan stretched across the street defiantly proclaimed: “Defend the headquarters of the Korean revolution at the cost of our lives.”

Since Kim took power after the death of his father in December 2011, North Korea has carried out two nuclear tests and two successful space rocket launches that were widely seen as disguised ballistic missile tests.

Even as the international community responded with condemnation and sanctions, Kim pressed ahead with a single-minded drive for a credible nuclear deterrent with additional missile and technical tests.

There has been widespread speculation about the North preparing another nuclear test to coincide with the congress, as a defiant gesture of strength and intent.

Nuclear state

Just hours before the party congress opened, the North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea issued a statement underlining the country’s status as a genuine, and unapologetic, nuclear power.

“Regardless of whether someone recognises it or not, our status as a nuclear state that is armed with H-bombs cannot change,” the statement said.

Analysing the most recent satellite pictures of the North’s test site at Punggye-ri, the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University on Thursday said there was no clear evidence one way or the other of whether an underground test was imminent.

South Korean government officials believe the North is ready to conduct a test as soon as the order is given, and say a decision might have been taken to test during the congress, which the world’s media have been invited to cover.

Officials in Seoul say they expect the event to last four days, with the opening day devoted to Kim’s speech and a lengthy report on the party’s achievements.

State television set the tone with its first broadcast Friday morning, with an announcer voicing the people’s “deepest gratitude” to Kim Jong-Un for preparing this “grand political festival”.

Some analysts predict significant personnel changes as Kim brings in a younger generation of leaders, picked for their loyalty to him.

Preparing for the congress involved mobilising the entire country in a 70-day campaign that New York-based Human Rights Watch denounced as a mass exercise in forced labour.

(AFP)

Scottish nationalists claim ‘historic’ victory as UK votes in local polls

Text by NEWS WIRES

Latest update : 2016-05-06

Early results Friday from British local and regional elections seen as a key test for opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn showed strong gains for Scottish nationalists, as London looked set to elect its first Muslim mayor.

Initial results showed the Scottish National Party winning what their leader called a "historic" victory in Scotland, as it seeks a mandate to move towards a second independence referendum.

Some counts were expected to stretch into the weekend as 45 million eligible voters were asked to cast their ballots in contests across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The results of local elections were already emerging early Friday, while the outcome of the vote for a new mayor of London to replace Conservative Boris Johnson was expected later in the day.

Labour lawmaker Sadiq Khan, a former government minister and son of a bus driver from Pakistan, is tipped to beat Conservative multimillionaire environmentalist Zac Goldsmith in the race to run the British capital.

The voting day dubbed "Super Thursday" came after a bitter few weeks of political sniping between the Conservative party of Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour.

Corbyn set up an inquiry into anti-Semitism and racism in Labour after former London mayor Ken Livingstone was suspended from the party for claiming Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler supported Zionism.

Several other Labour politicians were also suspended.

With results in from 78 out of 124 councils in England, Labour has suffered losses though they were not as bad as expected, damping down talk of a potential leadership challenge to Corbyn.

Of the two main parties, Labour held 40 councils, down one, and 768 seats, down 7 and the Conservatives had 19 councils and 467 seats, up 9.

Cameron is also grappling with deep splits in his party ahead of the June 23 referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union.

Retired head teacher Mary White, 66, said that for her the biggest issues in the London mayoral election were "housing and transport".

"I don't think that any of the candidates have a magic solution so it's incredibly difficult to chose between them," White said as she voted in London.

Divisive campaign

The mayoral campaign has been ugly, with Khan forced to deny support for Islamic extremists and Goldsmith rejecting claims of playing on voters' religious prejudices.

But many Londoners were more concerned with concrete issues such as health and wages.

"Muslim or non-Muslim, it doesn't... matter for the community," said 57-year-old Koyruz Zoman, a Muslim cook from Whitechapel in the ethnically diverse East End.

"Whoever comes in, we want what they've promised."

Twelve candidates are standing for mayor of London but polls point to a straight fight between Khan and Goldsmith, with the former between 12 and 14 points ahead.

If the polls are correct, Khan would become the first Muslim mayor of an EU capital.

The two men come from very different backgrounds. Khan, 45, grew up in social housing and worked as a human rights lawyer before entering politics, while Goldsmith, 41, is the son of the late tycoon financier James Goldsmith.

Khan has dismissed attempts to link him with Islamic extremists as "desperate stuff", but Cameron repeated the claims in angry clashes with Corbyn in parliament on Wednesday.

Cameron said Khan had shown a "pattern of behaviour" in appearing publicly alongside people such as Sajeel Shahid, "the man who trained the ringleader of the 7/7 attacks (in London)."

Scottish split?

In Scotland, SNP chief and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: "What is now beyond doubt is that the SNP has won a third consecutive Scottish Parliament election."

She added: "We have tonight made history."

After early counting Friday, the SNP had won 58 seats. A total of 65 are needed to win a majority in the 129-seat parliament and at the last election in 2011, the SNP had 69.

Sturgeon has said June's referendum on Britain's EU membership could fuel calls for another independence vote if Britain as a whole elects to leave the EU but Scotland votes to stay in.

Scotland rejected independence at a referendum in 2014.

The Conservatives look set to become the main opposition party in Scotland, a major victory in a country where they have been deeply unpopular since Margaret Thatcher's premiership in the 1980s.

In Wales, polls put Labour on course to retain its dominance in the Welsh Assembly, with the Conservatives and nationalists Plaid Cymru vying for second place.

In Northern Ireland, the delicate balance in the power-sharing executive set up after decades of sectarian violence also looks set to continue.

(AFP)

Iraq PM sacks commander after Green Zone breach

By Ismaeel Naar Al Arabiya English 

 Thursday, 5 May 2016

Iraq's prime minister has sacked the commander of special forces in Baghdad's Green Zone after protesters breached the fortified area over the past week, a military statement said late on Wednesday.

The removal of Staff Lieutenant General Mohammed Ridha is being seen as an indication of tightening security as authorities plan on taking a harder line against planned protesters over the weekend.

Iraqi analyst Taif Jany told Al Arabiya English that angry protesters, most of them supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, broke into the Green Zone and stormed parliament on Saturday in an unprecedented security breach after years of frustration with the political elite.

“The fortifications reinforce a literal barrier between Parliament and the people. Not only is the government's business conducted without our input, but we are also cut off by razor wire, guards, and enormous concrete fences,” Jany, Program Manager at Education for Peace in Iraq Center, told Al Arabiya English.

Iraqi premier Haider al-Abadi issued commander Ridha’s relief order and replaced him with Maj. Gen. Karim Aboud al-Tamimi, according to a statement from Iraq's Joint Operations Command.

Warning signs

Ridha was seen kissing Sadr's hand when he entered the heavily fortified Green Zone in late March during a sit-in organized by the cleric, who has demanded the government carry out reforms.

Demonstrators are expected to protest on Friday and may attempt to re-enter the Green Zone, which is home to Iraq's main government institutions as well as various embassies, including those of the United States and Britain.

Angry protesters broke into the area after lawmakers again failed to approve new ministers proposed by Abadi.

Abadi has called for the current cabinet of party-affiliated ministers to be replaced by a government of technocrats. But his efforts have been opposed by powerful political parties that rely on control of ministries for patronage and funds.

Jany, the Iraqi analyst, told Al Arabiya English that the green zone has become a point of contention and the next couple of days are likely to see more protesters returning to the area.

“The Green Zone contains the homes of Members of Parliament and high-ranking officials and this represents a significant class difference which begs the question: how can you represent us if you don't live among us?,” he asked.

(With AFP)

Turkish premier quits as Erdogan tightens grip

Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Thursday, 5 May 2016

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Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced his resignation on Thursday, paving the way for the country’s president to pursue a tighter grip on power.

Davutoglu, who had fallen out with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his long-standing ally, announced he was stepping aside following a meeting with executives of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, which has dominated Turkish politics since 2002. 

Erdogan was a co-founder and most prominent leader of the AKP, before stepping down when he became president in 2014.
The decision is not effective immediately. The party will hold an emergency convention May 22 to select a new party leader who would also replace the premier.

Despite the rift between him and President Erdogan, Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara that he bore his former boss no ill-will. 

“No one heard or will ever hear a single word from my mouth, from my tongue or my mind against our president,” he said, according to AFP.

Davutoglu indicated he did not plan to resign from the party, saying he would “continue the struggle” as a ruling party legislator. He also pledged loyalty to Erdogan, saying the president’s honor was his honor, and suggested he would not be a party to any efforts to divide the party.

“I feel no reproach, anger or resentment against anyone,” Davutoglu said.

The shake-up is seen as the outcome of irreconcilable differences between Erdogan, who would like to see the country transition to a presidential system, and his once-trusted adviser. It comes a day after Davutoglu’s government scored a victory of sorts, with the European Union’s executive commission recommending approval of a deal to give Turkish citizens the right to travel to Europe without visas.
After being elected president in 2014, Erdogan chose Davutoglu to succeed him as premier and leader of the AKP party. Davutoglu was expected to play a backseat role as Erdogan pushed ahead with plans to make the largely ceremonial presidency into an all-powerful position.

Uncertain bloc

But the former professor, foreign minister and adviser to Erdogan tried to act independently on a range issues and often proved to be a more moderating force to Erdogan, who has adopted an increasingly authoritarian style of government.

Crisis talks between the former political allies dragged out for nearly two hours late Wednesday but clearly failed to resolve their differences.

Meanwhile, the European Union is unsure how the departure of Turkey’s prime minister will affect the deal he struck with the EU to curb migration, the EU’s foreign affairs chief said on Thursday, as Brussels watched events in Ankara with unease.

“It’s a bit too early to define if it will have implications and in that case of what kind,” Federica Mogherini said during a visit to Kosovo, Reuters reported.

“We will obviously discuss this [Davutoglu's resignation] first of all with the Turkish authorities and define together how to move forward.”
 

(With the Associated Press, AFP and Reuters)

Yazidi women leave behind lives, family to fight ISIS

Ahmed Jadallah with Emily Wither , Reuters Thursday, 5 May 2016

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When ISIS swept into the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar in 2014, a few young Yazidi women took up arms against the militants attacking women and girls from their community.
“They took eight of my neighbors and I saw they were killing the children,” Asema Dahir told Reuters last month at a checkpoint near a front line north of Mosul.

 

Dressed in military fatigues, the 21-year-old is now part of an all-female unit in the Kurdish peshmerga forces, which have played an important role in pushing back ISIS in northern Iraq.
The killing and enslaving of thousands from Iraq’s minority Yazidi community focused international attention on the group’s violent campaign to impose its radical ideology and prompted Washington to launch an air offensive.

 

It also prompted the formation of this unusual 30-woman unit made up of Yazidis as well as Kurds from Iraq and neighboring Syria. For them, only one thing matters: revenge for the women raped, beaten and executed by the militants.
Dahir said she was stunned by the brutality of the militants, some of whom were neighbors and others from outside the area.
“They killed my uncle and took my cousin’s wife who had only just married eight days earlier,” she said, her piercing eyes clouding over. The bride, like thousands of other Yazidi women, is still being held by the militants.

During the firefights that raged across Sinjar in 2014, Dahir said she killed two ISIS fighters before being shot in the leg. Reuters could not independently verify the fighters’ personal accounts.
Well-worn photographs of children and families tucked into the edge of mirrors or pressed onto walls in the women’s spartan barracks are reminders of what they have sacrificed to join the fight.
Haseba Nauzad, the unit’s 24-year-old commander, lost her marriage. She was living with her husband in Turkey when ISIS swept through northern Iraq and announced its so-called caliphate over areas that included traditional Kurdish lands.

“I saw them raping my Kurdish sisters and I couldn’t accept this injustice,” Nauzad said.

Her husband wanted to pay human smugglers to take them to Europe along with more than a million others fleeing conflict in the region, but she insisted on going home to fight the Islamists.
“I put my personal life aside, and I came to defend my Kurdish sisters and mothers and stand against this enemy,” she said. She has lost contact with her husband since he arrived in Germany.
In a conservative society where women are often expected to stay at home, these women say gender does not keep them from entering battle.
“If a man can carry a weapon, a woman can do the same,” said Nauzad. “The men are inspired to fight harder when they see women standing in the same battlefield as them.”
The women in the unit are convinced ISIS militants are scared of women fighters “because they think if they are killed by a woman, they will not go to heaven,” said Nauzad.
“This story encourages more women to join the fight.”

ISIS militants seize gas field in eastern Syria

Reuters, Amman Thursday, 5 May 2016

ISIS militants on Thursday captured the main Shaer gas field in eastern Syria in the first gain for the ultra hardline fighters in the Palmyra desert area since they lost the ancient city in March, rebel sources and a monitor said.

Amaq, a news agency affiliated to the militants, said they had taken over the gas field area and its facility where Syrian troops were stationed and killed at least 30 soldiers and gained large caches of heavy weapons including tanks and missiles.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the militants seizure of the gas field area that lies roughly 150 km northwest of Palmyra after a three-day assault. The militants were able to seize the area despite heavy aerial bombing to push them back, it said.

The militants had captured the gas field and nearby gas facilities in Homs province on several occasions but had lost it late in 2014 although they continued to attack government forces stationed in the area.