Greece braces for new austerity-induced pension cuts

Greece's government is set to pass controversial pension cuts on Sunday. Retirees are livid, and unions are on strike, Jannis Papadimitriou reports from Athens. 

Dimitris is bitter. The retired construction worker has to live on a measly 406 euros ($463) per month. And now even that paltry sum, which is just enough to survive on in the mountains near the central city of Lamia, is about to be cut.

"I had to help on the farm when I was 5, later I became a truck driver, then a construction worker, and in my later years I was a subcontractor in the building industry," the 75-year-old Dimitris said. "I slaved away my whole life until I had my heart attack. And it was all for nothing!"

Because he retired early for health reasons, Dimitris receives a basic monthly pension payment of 253 euros. On top of that, he receives a government financed "solidarity supplement" of 153 euros - but that is now hanging in the balance. Greece's international creditors disapprove of anything that exceeds a barebones retirement payment and have ordered such funds partially or, better still, completely cut. Should Athens acquiesce, the 75-year-old Dimitris told DW, he would be forced to ask for money from his children - who themselves are barely getting by.

In April, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras presented his proposed pension cuts to parliament. The plan calls for increasing individual social security contributions, as well as a total reduction of about 3 billion euros in disbursements to pensioners by 2019. Parliaments appears likely to pass the cuts on Sunday - in time for Monday's meeting of EU financial ministers, where Greece's cost-cutting efforts are to be evaluated. Unions responded with a two-day strike. In an attempt to calm worries, Labor, Social Insurance and Social Solidarity Minister Georgios Katrougalos has claimed that nine in 10 insured persons would be better off after the pension changes than they are now. Dimitris does not believe a word of that. "What didn't these people promise us when they were in the opposition?" he said of the prime minister's Syriza party, which was elected on an anti-austerity platform in early 2015. "They were going to raise minimum salary, overturn retirement cuts. They didn't keep any of their promises." Dimitris doesn't have any faith in the right-wing New Democracy, nor with the Socialists, who once ran the country and are now protesting against retirement cuts: They pushed through several rounds of internationally demanded austerity themselves.

Austere enough?

Tsipras presented the cuts to parliament without first seeking the approval of Greece's international creditors and will likely face criticism from all sides: domestically for his government's repeated breaching of pre-election promises, and internationally from austerity-minded financiers who could say the cuts still do not go far enough. "This administration's plans are risky," Marietta Giannakou, a member of the European Parliament for New Democracy, said in a radio interview. She expects creditors to reject the cuts that Tsipras has proposed.

The economic analyst Kostas Stoupas thinks that Tsipras is intent on demonstrating courage in an almost "theatrical fashion" in order to differentiate himself from his political rivals. "Tsipras' message is: Unlike previous administrations that simply nodded in consent, we are willing to make our own decisions - and capable of it," Stoupas said.

Creditors have been able to pressure many changes into Greece's pension system in recent years: Retirement age has been raised to 67 for insured people who entered the labor market after 1993, for example, and on average pensioners receive 25 percent less than they did before the demands for austerity began, which means that half of retirees now live below the poverty line. And the pension system still depends on government subsidies - if for no other reason than the fact that after the "haircut" for private creditors in 2012, retirement funds lost half of their reserves.

Stoupas said the problem lay elsewhere. One in three Greeks still take early retirement, rendering the system not financially viable and placing an unfair burden on workers who still pay into it. The economist said the proposed cuts would not solve this fundamental problem.

'Tax storm' coming

Parliament will likely raise taxes on gasoline, tobacco, cable television and gambling on Sunday. There is talk of an internet tax and a special levy on bank transactions, and value-added tax is to be raised to 24 percent, too. Media are warning of a brewing "tax storm." The government is expected to take in 1.8 billion euros in additional annual income.

Dimitris, a passionate smoker, naturally dreads the planned cigarette tax. But the retiree said the rise in value-added tax would be much more painful: The prices of groceries, medicine, electricity and water would all increase.

The pensioner mostly blames previous administrations for Greece's current financial miseries. But creditors are not free from guilt. "They certainly know that reforms cannot be paid for simply by raising taxes and cutting pension payments," Dimitris said. "Still they insist upon it." What disgusts him even more, though, is that parliamentarians would be spared from future pension cuts. Social Minister Katrougalos has an astonishingly simple explanation for the privilege, one that angers many in Greece, Dimitris among them: Parliamentary pensions are paid out by the state and not financed by social security contributions.

Egypt sentences two Al Jazeera journalists and four others to death

Six people have been sentenced to death in Egypt for sharing state secrets. Ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi is still awaiting his fate. 

An Egyptian court has asked for the death penalty for three journalists and three others charged with endangering national security by leaking state secrets and documents to Qatar, a close ally of deposed President Morsi's now-banned Muslim Brotherhood party. They can appeal.

Two of the journalists work for the Qatari-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera. The three journalists, who include one Jordanian national, were sentenced in absentia.

The codefendants have been sentenced to death by hanging. But before the sentence can be carried out, it must be approved by the top religious authority, the Grand Mufti, the official interpreter of Islamic law. The final ruling is expected on June 18.

Morsi sentencing to come later

The Cairo Criminal Court has set June 18 as the date for Morsi's trial, when he and four other defendants will stand charged with similar crimes.

Morsi has already received three different sentences in three separate trials. He was first sentenced to death, then life in prison, then life behind bars for 20 years.

The Muslim Brotherhood has dismissed the charges as being politically motivated.

The former leader was deposed by the military in June 2013 after being elected democratically following uprisings in Egypt, part of what became known as the Arab Spring.

blc/jm (AFP, dpa)

Iran media report 13 Revolutionary Guards killed, many more wounded, in Syria fighting

Iranian media has reported that 13 of its military advisers have been killed and 21 wounded near Aleppo in Syria. The ongoing battle for the war-torn country continues to draw other countries into the fold. 

Reports surfaced on Saturday that 13 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards had been killed in battle near the city of Aleppo, which has seen renewed fighting over the past several weeks.

Fars, an Iranian state news agency, said that in addition to those killed, 21 had also been wounded. The soldiers were there working as military advisers.

The fighting occurred in the village of Khan Touman, about 15 km (9 miles) southwest of Aleppo, after an attack by a coalition of al Qaeda-affiliated Islamist insurgents known as Jaish al-Fatah.

Ceasefire in place, but fighting continues

The news came shortly after the US and Russia agreed to extend a ceasefire to include Aleppo, which has seen hundreds of civilian deaths since the fighting intensified in April.

Photos of the dead soldiers were posted on social media showing wallets and money to prove they were affiliated with Iran. The Revolutionary Guards subsequently issued a statement urging the public not give in to the terrorists' psychological fear tactics.

Iran has been ambiguous regarding its exact role in the ongoing Syrian conflict, although the government has explicitly stated it supports the rule of President Bashar al Assad, putting it at odds with the US and other Western powers.

blc/jm (Reuters, AFP)

Opinion: Erdogan wants to rule Turkey without Davutoglu

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won his power struggle with Ahmet Davutoglu. But, DW's Reinhard Baumgarten writes, the battle made clear that resistance to Turkey's president is growing - even within his own party. 

There is great cause for alarm in Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has gone to unprecedented lengths to consolidate his power. He is determined to change the constitution and make himself the boundless ruler of the Turkish people by hook or by crook. Voters have declined to help him to that end in two successive parliamentary elections. Both times his Justice and Development Party (AKP) came up clearly shy of the votes needed to assemble a parliamentary majority.

Yet Erdogan, who constantly points out that he is the first Turkish president to be directly elected, refuses to accept the message that voters have sent him. Erdogan appointed Ahmet Davutoglu to succeed him as prime minister because he saw him as a willing executor of his political will. That obviously didn't work out. Despite his abundant loyalty toward Erdogan, Davutoglu remained too independent. 

Tensions have been simmering within the AKP for months now. Party grandees such as Abdullah Gül and Bülent Arinc have openly expressed their displeasure with Erdogan's shameless lust for power. Nevertheless, such criticism hasn't changed anything. Quite the opposite: Erdogan, who is obliged by the current constitution to remain neutral on a party level, has strengthened his control over the AKP.

Relationship in tatters

A few days ago, the AKP's executive body revoked party leader Davutoglu's right to appoint district chairmen. On May 1, a blog bearing the title Pelican Brief popped up online. The blog bludgeoned Davutoglu. Turkish commentators suspect that the presidential palace is behind the defamation campaign.

The relationship between Erdogan and Davutoglu soured months ago. The president has called Davutoglu too pro-European and has accused him of doing too little to shield Erdogan from his growing list of enemies. The arguments against Davutoglu sound like something from the 19th century.

Who will replace Davutoglu? Perhaps Transportation Minister Binali Yildirim or possibly Energy Minister Berat Albayrak; the latter is the president's son-in-law. Erdogan will no doubt see to it that the replacement is more pliant than Davutoglu was. With that, democracy in Turkey will come under further threat.

The increasing concentration of influence in Erdogan's hands has long given rise to questions about the state of the constitutionally mandated separation of powers in Turkey. And it is not only the opposition that is worried: Recent reports by the European Parliament and Commission have expressed similar concerns. The more that power is consolidated under Erdogan, the greater the threat to democracy and stability in the EU candidate country.

Thousands of pro-EU, pro-democracy demonstrators march on Warsaw

A massive demonstration has taken place in the Polish capital to show support for the EU. Poland's conservative government has alienated many on the right and the left, as well as Brussels. 

Around 240,000 people marched through Warsaw on Saturday, the same day a smaller, pro-government rally took place.

The rally of nearly a quarter of a million people gathered in the Polish capital to express support for both democracy and the EU, as the country's right-wing government, headed by the Law and Justice Party (PiS), continues to draw criticism for suppressing opposition and alienating Brussels.

"We are here because we believe in Polish law, Polish freedom and common action in the EU," ex-President Bronislaw Komorowski told demonstrators.

At the same time, anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 nationalists gathered in the city to protest what they saw as the EU's interference in Polish life.

Hand-picked news

PiS drew strong condemnation earlier this year when its representatives signed into law a bill that allows the government to hand-pick officials in charge of state-run news organizations. Critics - including Reporters Without Borders, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and the Association of European Journalists (AEJ) - have said the measures curtail free speech.

Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski raised eyebrows across the 28-member bloc when he said that EU criticism of the bill was hypocritical.

"In the past eight years there was no pluralism in the public media [in Poland] and no EU Commissioner deplored it," he told German newspaper "Bild."

He went on to say that PiS wanted to cure Poland of "some diseases," insisting the country was on its way to becoming a world of "bikers and vegetarians," things that "had nothing more to do with traditional Polish values."

Former presidents speak out

In April, Komorowski and fellow former presidents Lech Walesa and Aleksander Kwasniewski had a letter published in Polish daily "Gazeta Wyborcza," arguing that PiS has "no intention of abandoning this path of demolishing the constitutional order" and "paralyzing the work of the Constitutional Tribunal and all of the judicial authorities."

The three leaders also reiterated their support for both the EU and NATO, saying that under PiS, "we're on our way to becoming a nation of sorrow."

blc/jm (dpa, AFP)

Erdogan warns EU Turkey will not change anti-terror law

Turkish President says his country will not change its anti-terror law for sake of visa-free travel for Turks to EU.

Middle East Online

"Pardon me but we are going our way and you can go yours" ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the European Union Friday that Ankara will not change its anti-terrorism law, despite it being a condition laid down by Brussels to ensure visa-free travel for Turks. "The EU says: you will change the anti-terror law for visas," Erdogan said in a televised speech in Istanbul. "Pardon me but we are going our way and you can go yours." Erdogan was speaking one day after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who had championed the accord, announced that he was stepping down. Turkey must complete five more benchmarks by the end of next month to complete the EU's list of 72 criteria -- which include changes to anti-terror law as well as protection of personal data. The promise of visa-free travel for Turks is a key pillar of a deal between Brussels and Ankara to reduce the flow of migrants from Turkish territory to the European Union. A Turkish official said this week talks with the EU were under way to meet the five remaining criteria including changes to the anti-terror law. "I don't think it will be a problem," the official said. But Erdogan's comments came a day after Davutoglu announced he would not run in this month's party congress after a series of disputes with the president. Davutoglu was the architect of the migrant deal with the EU and had repeatedly held talks with EU leaders on its implementation, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "Why aren't you changing your mindset when you allowed terrorists who put up tents close to the EU Parliament?" Erdogan said in a swipe at Brussels, in apparent reference to tents set up by Kurdish activists near the EU Council building in Brussels in March.

Kenya to stop hosting Somali refugees

Government cites security concerns after scheme to encourage refugees to return home voluntarily fails.

Middle East Online

Kenya frustrated that refugees haven't returned NAIROBI - Refugees from Somalia will no longer be accepted in Kenya, the government said Friday citing security fears. "The Government of the Republic of Kenya, having taken into consideration its national security interests, has decided that hosting of refugees has to come to an end," said a statement signed by interior ministry official Karanja Kibicho. Under the directive, newly-arrived asylum seekers will not automatically receive refugee status, and the government will step up efforts to have those already living in the country removed. Kenya hosts around 550,000 refugees in two camps at Kakuma and Dadaab, the world's largest, many of whom have fled decades of war in neighbouring Somalia. "The message is clear, we are closing the camps and we will not accept more refugees in the country," said Mwenda Njoka, interior ministry spokesman. Njoka added that the new regulations were aimed at refugees from Somalia but those from other countries may also be affected. "The problematic ones are the Somalis. They're the ones we're starting with," he said. In 2013 the governments of Kenya and Somalia together with the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) signed a so-called tripartite agreement aimed at encouraging Somali refugees to return home voluntarily. Only a few thousand have taken up the offer, however, leaving Kenya frustrated at the slowness. "Kenya has been forced by circumstances to reconsider the whole issue of hosting refugees and the process of repatriation," Kibicho said, adding that the Department of Refugee Affairs (DRA) responsible for refugee registration and management had been "disbanded". - Refugees fled Shebab - A DRA employee reached by phone at work on Friday afternoon expressed surprise, saying he knew nothing of the directive. Government and security officials regularly assert that Islamic militants from the Shebab group hide, thrive and recruit among Somali refugees, claims denied by independent observers and by refugees themselves who point out many of them have fled Shebab's depredations. Following deadly Shebab assaults on Nairobi's Westgate mall and Garissa university senior officials threatened to close Dadaab and kick out the refugees. In April 2015, days after the Garissa attack, Deputy President William Ruto promised to close Dadaab "in three months", but that deadline -- like previous ones -- passed. Friday's statement again conflated refugees and terrorists emphasising, "the immense security challenges such as threat of the Shebab and other related terror groups that hosting of refugees has continued to pose to Kenya." New arrivals from Somalia will no longer receive 'prima facie' refugee status but will have to argue their cases individually, however the agency tasked with processing those applications, the DRA, is to be shut down.