sputnik--2019-10-01--Early General Elections in Peru Set For 26 January As Nation Grapples With Political Crisis Fallout

Early parliamentary elections have been set in Peru for 26 January amidst the raging political crisis in the South American nation.  "To call elections to a new Congress on Sunday, 26 January, 2020 to end the constitutional period of the dissolved Congress," reads the decree, signed by President Martin Vizcarra and new Prime Minister Vicente Zeballos, as cited by El Peruano newspaper.  The decree stated that the votes of no confidence in two cabinets formed under the current government's term (2016-2021) as the reason for the Congress' dissolution.  In line with Article 134 of the Peruvian Constitution, the president has the right to dissolve parliament should two cabinets be removed over no-confidence motions.  According to the document, legislative powers will be exercised by a special congressional committee consisting of 27 people, which cannot be dissolved, until the new convocation.  The recent developments follow a decree to dissolve the country's congress by President Martin Vizcarra after lawmakers boycotted his calls for anti-graft reform.  In a televised address, Vizcarra explained his move as a consequence of lawmakers proceeding with a controversial vote to replace almost all the members of the Constitutional Tribunal.  “We are making history that will be remembered by future generations. And when they do, I hope they understand the magnitude of this fight that we are in today against an endemic evil that has caused much harm to our country,” he said.  In turn, the dissolved legislature declared Vizcarra temporarily unfit to govern and appointed Vice President Mercedes Araoz as acting head of state.  The country's military and police have expressed support for the current president of the country, Martin Vizcarra, the administration of the head of state said on Twitter.  Earlier this month, lawmakers in the country failed to pass a constitutional reform seeking to hold presidential elections in 2020, a year earlier than scheduled.  The reform was proposed as part of Vizcarra’s anti-corruption drive, in a bid to overcome a political stalemate with right-wing lawmakers.  In June, Peru’s government won a confidence vote in the country’s Congress, avoiding special legislative elections.  As opposition leaders denounced Vizcarra’s moves, Peruvians are anticipated to applaud his decision, writes Time, as new congressional elections were hoped for to replace the majority party, led by former presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who is now behind bars.  Last year Vizcarra, then vice president, rose to the presidency as he championed anti-corruption initiatives after President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned in the wake of revelations that his private consulting firm had received secret payments from Odebrecht, the Brazilian construction giant that has confessed to making million-dollar payments to politicians in the Latin American region to secure lucrative public works contracts.  Vizcarra struggled to push legislation through congress, instead repeatedly utilising a “vote of confidence” through which he could threaten to dissolve the legislature if lawmakers didn’t approve his proposals.


sputnik--2019-10-01--Peruvian Foreign Minister Finance Minister Resign Amid Political Crisis Reports

Peruvian Foreign Minister, Finance Minister Resign Amid Political Crisis – Reports

On Monday, Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra dissolved the country’s Congress after lawmakers boycotted his calls for an anti-graft reform. The dissolved legislature, in turn, declared Vizcarra temporarily unfit to govern and appointed Vice President Mercedes Araoz as acting head of state.  Vizcarra thanked Popolizio and Oliva for their work, the Republica newspaper reported, citing Minister of Women and Vulnerable Populations Gloria Montenegro.  Peru’s constitution states that the president can dissolve the Congress if lawmakers deliver two votes of no-confidence; one such vote has already been delivered. In June, Peru’s government won a confidence vote in the country’s Congress, avoiding special legislative elections.  Earlier in the day, the president signed a decree, announcing early parliamentary elections on 26 January 2020.


sputnik--2019-10-11--Live From Quito Amid Political Crisis - Video

Led by the country's indigenous peoples, the protests have turned violent.  Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno has announced the decision to move the government from Quito to Guayaquil.  *Follow Sputnik's live feed to find out what the situation in Quito is currently like.


sputnik--2019-11-01--Trump Extends Sanctions on Sudan Over Failure to Fix Cause of Political Crisis

Trump further said he determined it is necessary to extend US sanctions imposed on Sudan for the last two decades, which blocks Sudanese government property and prohibits US persons from engaging in transactions with Sudan.  The United States imposed these sanctions over concerns of human rights abuses in Sudan and the government's alleged support for international terrorism.  Long-standing protests in Sudan culminated in a military coup on April 11, when then-President Omar Bashir was overthrown and detained after almost 30 years in power. Following those events, the Sudanese Transitional Military Council held power until the creation of the Sovereign Council, which will be presided over by civilians and the military on a rotational basis.


sputnik--2019-11-13--Twitterati Steals Laughter Amid Political Crisis in Maharashtra; Hilarious Memes Flood Social Media

With political parties failing to arrive at a consensus to form a government in Maharashtra state, prompting imposition of the President’s Rule, people on Twitter are projecting the situation in the funniest ways possible.  Be it bickering among political parties or fighting for the chief minister’s post, Twitter has memes for every situation. The four major political parties in Maharashtra are – Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP); its ally Shiv Sena (SS), a right-wing Hindu party; the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), and the Congress.  The state was ruled for five years by the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance before state legislatively elections delivered a fractured mandate without giving any single party or alliance enough seats required to form a government on its own.  In the state of Maharashtra, Shiv Sena, the second-largest party in the 288-member State Assembly with 56 legislators after the BJP (105), was initially asking the latter to agree to provide it with half of the full five-year term to run the new government. Shiv Sena claimed it had a tacit understanding of the 50:50 formula ahead of the state elections.  The BJP, however, said it doesn’t wish to adopt any 50:50 formula to form the new state government. The BJP gave up its claim to form the government and conveyed it to the governor.  Shiv Sena approached its arch-rival the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress alliance after the former was invited by the state governor to show its strength. The party was given 24 hours to prove its political strength, but after it sought an extension of the deadline, Governor Bharat Singh Khoshiyari extended the offer to form the government to the NCP instead.  While the political discussions were continuing, the governor recommended President’s Rule be imposed, leaving all parties flabbergasted.  The confusion and disagreements have led to Twitter being flooded with memes that are tickling the funny bones of netizens.  On many occasions both the BJP and the Shiv Sena have become fodder for memes on the internet because both parties have been known in the past for publicly criticising each other yet forming coalition governments in the state to retain power.  President’s Rule is a situation when the state is administered by the governor on behalf of the president of the country.


sputnik--2019-11-15--Bolivia Expels Venezuelan Diplomats 'for Interfering in Internal Affairs' Amid Political Crisis

Bolivian Foreign Minister Karen Longaric announced that all Venezuelan diplomats would be expelled from the country for "violating diplomatic norms" following the resignation of President Morales and the appointment of Jeanine Anez as interim president. The minister also promised that the country would "go a bit further" in regards to Venezuela, but refused to delve into details.  Longaric further accused Venezuela of meddling in Bolivia's internal matters and vowed to file a complaint against the country's alleged actions. She also stated that relations with both Venezuela and its regional ally Cuba would be reviewed.  Earlier, Bolivian President Evo Morales fled the country to Mexico after announcing his resignation. He did so soon after the Bolivian military sided with protesters demanding the president's resignation over alleged manipulations during the recent elections.  President of the Senate of Bolivia Jeanine Anez then assumed the post of interim Bolivian president, which she will hold until a new election is held in the country. She recently recognised Juan Guido's claim to be Venezuela's interim president.  Caracas itself has called Morales' resignation and the change of power in Bolivia a "coup".


sputnik--2019-11-21--Political Crisis in Indian State of Maharashtra Enters Final Stretch, Solution in Sight - Reports

A final decision on forming a government in the Indian state of Maharashtra is expected by 23 November after its main political parties – Shiv Sena (SS) and National Congress Party (NCP) – indicated an agreement on an administration-sharing arrangement had been reached in principle late Wednesday.  Both parties revealed to the media that there would be another round of discussions on Thursday to firm up the proposed alliance before approaching the governor of the state to formally create a government.  Shiv Sena will have its nominee occupy the chief minister’s chair for the first half of the five-year term, while the NCP nominee will take over the post in the second half i.e. by the middle of 2022, media reports quoted NCP sources as saying on condition of anonymity.  The Congress Party, the third political partner in the proposed alliance, is likely to occupy the deputy chief minister's post for the full five-year term of the state government, they further stated.  Maharashtra is currently under central government rule after elections held in the region on 21 October to elect 288 members to the state assembly threw up a hung verdict, giving none of the contesting political parties an absolute majority in terms of votes.  With none of the political parties able to give an assurance on forming a stable government, the governor of the state recommended President’s Rule (the central government).  On Wednesday, according to media reports, there was a minor hiccup in ongoing negotiations when the Congress Party appeared to insist that the proposed alliance focus on the word “secularism” and that there should be no communal agenda due to the differing ideologies of all three political parties. However, by Thursday morning, the matter appeared to have been resolved.  Former state chief of Maharashtra and Congress Party leader Prithviraj Chavan told media after participating in a marathon meeting with NCP top brass on Wednesday that representatives of all three political parties would be meeting again in Mumbai on Thursday and Friday.  In the October 21 elections in Maharashtra, the then governing BJP-Shiv Sena alliance secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats respectively (161 seats) in the 288-member assembly, but differences over who would occupy the chief minister’s chair and who would be included in the state cabinet led to a collapse of the over decade-and-a-half-old alliance. Pre-poll allies Congress and NCP won 44 and 54 seats respectively.


sputnik--2019-11-23--US is Behind Political Crisis in Bolivia - Russian Foreign Intel Head

Washington is involved in the violent clashes that led to the change of government in Bolivia in November, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergey Naryshkin stated on Saturday. According to the official, the US needed a crisis in Bolivia to change the nation's policy, adding that the situation will remain rocky for awhile.  He also noted that the crisis was akin to the unrest in Venezuela, stating they belong to the same strategy.  The statement comes amid growing tensions in La Paz, as interim Interior Minister Arturo Murillo announced that a criminal investigation would be opened against ousted President Evo Morales due to the latter's alleged instigation of the protests.  Morales fled Bolivia earlier in November after the military and police refused to support him amid mass rallies against the results of a presidential vote, in which he secured a fourth term in office.  His supporters, however, refused to recognise Jeanine Anez, who was proclaimed interim president following his ouster, so the country is still being rocked by violent protests, resulting in a growing death toll.


sputnik--2019-11-25--UK Foreign Secretary Sees Hong Kong Elections as Chance to Overcome Political Crisis

On Sunday, after months of anti-government rallies, Hong Kong held direct elections to the councils of 18 urban districts — the councils deal with local issues, such as transportation and utilities — with a total of 452 seats at stake. With 98 per cent of the votes counted, supporters of the opposition got an absolute majority of 344 seats, while the pro-government bloc secured only 58 seats, and independent candidates got 41 seats. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said she and the rest of her government respect these results. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang has, meanwhile, reiterated the central government's full support of Lam.  Sunday’s elections are considered to be a test of support for both the local pro-establishment authorities and the so-called pro-democracy lawmakers after six months of protests. On the eve of the vote, instead of arranging new weekend protests, activists urged their supporters to go to the polls and vote for pro-democracy candidates.  Hong Kong has been facing waves of rallies since June. The protests eventually escalated into violent confrontations between demonstrators and the police. Beijing views the situation in Hong Kong as a direct result of foreign interference in China's domestic affairs.


talkingpointsmemo--2019-01-25--Some US Diplomats Leave Venezuela Over Political Crisis Security Concerns

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Some U.S. diplomats in Venezuela headed for the Caracas airport early Friday amid a political power struggle between President Nicolas Maduro and an opposition leader who has declared himself interim president.  A letter by a U.S. Embassy security officer requesting a police escort for a caravan of 10 vehicles was leaked earlier in the day and published on social media by a journalist for state-owned TV network Telesur. Its authenticity was confirmed by a U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security arrangements.  A defiant Maduro called home all Venezuelan diplomats from the U.S. and closed its embassy in Washington on Thursday, a day after ordering all U.S. diplomats out of the country by the weekend. That followed President Donald Trump’s decision to support the claim to power by opposition leader Juan Guaido.  Washington has refused to comply with Maduro’s order but has ordered its nonessential staff to leave the tumultuous country, citing security concerns. The Trump administration said Maduro’s order isn’t legal because the U.S. no longer recognizes him as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.  “They believe they have a colonial hold in Venezuela, where they decide what they want to do,” Maduro said in an address broadcast live on state TV. “You must fulfill my order from the government of Venezuela.”  The diplomats were likely to leave Caracas around midday on one of two daily flights to Miami by American Airlines, the last-remaining U.S. carrier to serve Venezuela after Delta and United Airlines pulled out in 2017 amid a political crisis that has forced millions to flee the country.  Backed by Venezuela’s military, Maduro has refused to show any hint he’s ready to cede power, setting up a potentially explosive struggle.  Guaido is expected to show up for a news conference later Friday in Caracas amid speculation he could be arrested. The 35-year-old lawmaker’s whereabouts have been a mystery since he was symbolically sworn in Wednesday before tens of thousands of cheering supporters, promising to uphold the constitution and rid Venezuela of Maduro’s dictatorship.  Speaking from an undisclosed location, Guaido told Univision he would consider granting amnesty to Maduro and his allies if they helped return Venezuela to democracy.  “Amnesty is on the table,” said Guaido, who just weeks earlier was named head of the opposition-controlled congress. “Those guarantees are for all those who are willing to side with the constitution to recover the constitutional order.”  Besides the U.S., Canada, much of Latin America and many countries in Europe threw their support behind Guaido. Trump promised to use the “full weight” of U.S. economic and diplomatic power to push for the restoration of Venezuela’s democracy.  Maduro has been increasingly accused of undemocratic behavior by his opponents and has presided over skyrocketing inflation, a collapsing economy and widespread shortages of basic goods.  Russia, China, Iran, Syria, Cuba and Turkey have voiced their backing for Maduro’s government.  China’s Foreign Ministry called on the U.S. to stay out of the crisis, while Russia’s deputy foreign minister warned the U.S. against any military intervention in Venezuela. Alexei Pushkov, chairman of the information committee at the Russian Federation Council, called Guaido’s declaration “an attempted coup” backed by the U.S.  Russia has been propping up Maduro with arms and loans. Maduro visited Moscow in December, seeking Russia’s political and financial support. Over the last decade, China has given Venezuela $65 billion in loans, cash and investment. Venezuela owes more than $20 billion.  At an emergency meeting Thursday, 16 nations from the Organization of American States recognized Guaido as interim president.  Attention was focused on Venezuela’s military, a traditional arbiter of political disputes in the country, as a critical indicator of whether the opposition will succeed in setting up a new government.  Venezuela’s military brass pledged unwavering support to Maduro, delivering vows of loyalty Thursday before rows of green-uniformed officers on state television.  A half-dozen generals belonging largely to district commands and with direct control over thousands of troops joined Maduro in accusing Washington of meddling in Venezuela’s affairs and said they would uphold the socialist leader’s rule.  Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez, a key Maduro ally, dismissed efforts to install a “de-facto parallel government” as tantamount to a coup.  “It’s not a war between Venezuelans that will solve our problems,” he said. “It’s dialogue.”  Guaido’s father, who has lived in Spain for the last 16 years, has called on the military to drop its allegiance to Maduro.  Wilmer Guaido, a taxi driver on the island of Tenerife, told private Antena 3 television Friday that Venezuela’s armed forces should be loyal to the country, but not to a specific leader.  “(Simon) Bolivar used to curse against soldiers who give their back to the people,” Guaido said, referring to Venezuela’s independence hero. “I think the military should choose the right side of history.”  Juan Guaido has said he needs the backing of three key groups: The people, the international community and the military. While Thursday’s protest drew tens of thousands to the streets and over a dozen nations in the region pledged support, the military’s backing is crucial.  Although many rank-and-file troops suffer the same hardships as countless other Venezuelans when it comes to basic needs like feeding their families, Maduro has worked to cement their support with bonuses and other special benefits.  In a video earlier this week, Guaido said the constitution requires the military to disavow Maduro after his May 2018 re-election, which was widely condemned by the international community because his main opponents were banned from running.  But there were no signs that security forces were widely heeding Guaido’s call to go easy on demonstrators.  Gunfire during the protests and looting left 21 dead between Wednesday and early Thursday in the capital of Caracas and throughout the country, according to Marco Ponce, coordinator of the nonprofit Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict.  U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called for independent investigations into the violence linked to protests. Her office in Geneva said she “urged all sides to conduct immediate talks to defuse the increasingly incendiary atmosphere.”  Many Venezuelans are awaiting Guaido’s guidance on the often-beleaguered opposition’s next steps.  A virtually unknown lawmaker at the start of the year, Guaido has reignited opposition hopes by taking a rebellious tack amid Venezuela’s crushing economic crisis. He escalated his campaign Wednesday by declaring the constitution gives him, as president of the congress, the authority to take over as interim president and form a transitional government until he calls new elections.


tass--2019-01-16--Political crisis in UK too deep Russias EU envoy says

Political crisis in UK too deep, Russia’s EU envoy says

BRUSSELS, January 16. /TASS/. The political crisis in the United Kingdom is too deep, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told Russian reporters on Wednesday.  "The political crisis is too deep in the United Kingdom as the British lawmakers have extremely divergent views on the future relations with the EU and on their country’s role in the world," Chizhov said commenting on the results of the Brexit vote at the House of Commons.  "It is not accidental that in recent months there has been a flow of resignations in the cabinet, of those members who were either dissatisfied with concessions to Brussels or of those who viewed Brexit as a big mistake," he added.  The European Union responded in a predictably reserved manner to the Brexit vote in the British parliament, Chizhov continued. "The first reaction to these events was predictably restrained on this side of the English Channel. Everyone expressed regret over this turn of events, but at the same time underlined that the text of the approved agreement would never be renegotiated. Moreover, the European Union appears poised to go ahead with its ratification," Chizov said.  According to the diplomat, "the outcome of the vote, unprecedented in the history of British parliamentarism, has made a strong impression." "I believe we were watching a rare and even unnatural phenomenon when stances of two and more camps opposing the governmental line — both from opposition parties and the ruling Tories — coincided," the Russian diplomat said.  Chizhov pointed out that in spite of criticism of the deal, another option had been never put forward."What is typical is that behind that wave of criticism of the deal signed not just by Theresa May, but also by the leaders of other 27 EU nations, no positive proposals could be heard on some alternative options," he stressed. "That allowed the British prime minister to claim that none of the debated options — Brexit’s termination through a second referendum, a no-deal Brexit, an early parliamentary election and so on — would win a majority at the Commons."  On Tuesday, the British House of Commons voted by 432 votes to 202 to turn down the Brexit deal Prime Minister Theresa May had negotiated with the European Union. It is the biggest defeat ever for a sitting British government, as the deal was rejected by 230 votes. The deal needed to be approved by the British parliament to enter into force. The United Kingdom is scheduled to withdraw from the European Union on March 29, 2019, while a transition period is planned to last until the end of 2020.


tass--2019-03-24--Russia is vital for political solution to Syrian crisis German foreign minister says

Russia is vital for political solution to Syrian crisis, German foreign minister says

### German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas  © EPA-EFE/ADAM BERRY  BERLIN, March 24. /TASS/. The Syrian crisis can be solved only with Russia’s assistance provided that Moscow wishes to take part in searching for political levers, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said in an interview published by Welt Am Sonntag newspaper on Sunday.  "Russia is trying to compensate its insufficient economic influence in the world by military influence. For example, in Syria. If we want to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict, we won’t manage to do this without Russia. Russia will get a chance to show that it can take part in conflicts not only militarily and that it can search for political solutions," Maas said.  The search for solutions in these conflicts as a rule is "very and very long," the minister said, noting that at this stage he does not see any preconditions for returning Syrian refugees home because there they will face "repressions and tortures."  "Until this changes, no one wants to come back home and we won’t deport anyone who is facing this threat," Maas stated.  Human rights will play a vital role on the path towards free elections in Syria, which should involve all social groups, he said.  In other media


tass--2019-06-15--Moldova overcomes political crisis president says

Moldova overcomes political crisis, president says

CHISINAU, June 15. /TASS/. Moldova has overcome a political crisis, the country’s President Igor Dodon told TASS on Saturday, commenting on the Constitutional Court’s move to review its decisions made on June 7-9.  "At my request, the court has reviewed the decisions that led to a political crisis in the country. All questionable legal interpretations have been overturned. The political and constitutional crises in the country are over. I welcome this decision," Dodon said.  Moldova’s Constitutional Court earlier revoked the decisions made on June 7-9, which had dissolved the country’s parliament, called a snap parliamentary election and declared the appointment of a new parliament speaker and the formation of a new government illegal.  Moldova’s parliament was unable to create a ruling coalition and form a government following the February elections. Only on June 8, the Party of Socialists supporting President Igor Dodon managed to reach an agreement with the pro-EU ACUM bloc to oppose the Democratic Party led by oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, which controlled the former parliament and cabinet. The leader of the Party of Socialists Zinaida Greceanii was elected the parliament’s speaker, and the government was formed with Maia Sandu, the leader of the Party of Action and Solidarity, a part of the ACUM bloc, as the prime minister.  The Democratic Party refused to recognize the new government and turned to the Constitutional Court, which ruled that the parliament’s resolutions were invalid as the parliament had failed to form a government within 90 days (starting on March 9, when the lawmakers received their mandates).  After that, the Constitutional Court authorized acting Prime Minister and member of the Democratic Party Pavel Filip to sign a decree on the parliament’s dissolution instead of the president. Dodon described the move as an attempt to usurp power.  Russia, the United States and the European Union expressed support for Moldova’s parliament.  On Friday, the Democratic Party announced the resignation of Pavel Filip’s cabinet. According to a party source, the decision was made after US Ambassador to Chisinau Derek Hogan’s visit to the party office.


tass--2019-06-29--OAS supports peaceful resolution of political crisis in Venezuela

MEDELLIN, June 29. /TASS/. The Organization of American States (OAS) supports restoring democracy in Venezuela by peaceful means and calls for holding presidential elections in the Bolivarian Republic, according to the declaration adopted on Friday at the session of the OAS General Assembly.  "We support peaceful restoration of democracy in Venezuela by Venezuelan people through constitutional means. We call for holding free, honest, transparent and legitimate presidential elections in the nearest future," the declaration said.  Nineteen countries voted for the document, while eight voted against it and six abstained.  On January 23 Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaido proclaimed himself as the country's acting president. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described it as a coup attempt and announced severing diplomatic relations with the United States. On January 28 the US imposed sancitons on Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA oil company.  Guaido was recognized as interim president by the Lima Group countries (except for Mexico), as well as by Albania, Georgia, the United States, and the Organization of American States. Several EU countries came forward with support for the Venezuelan parliament and expressed hope for new elections to resolve the crisis. Maduro was supported by Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salavador, Syria and Turkey.


tass--2019-08-21--Political dialogue between Kiev and Donbass only way to resolve crisis Russian envoy

Political dialogue between Kiev and Donbass only way to resolve crisis — Russian envoy

MINSK, August 21. /TASS/. Political dialogue between Kiev and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) is the only way to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, Russia’s envoy to the Contact Group for the settlement in eastern Ukraine Boris Gryzlov stated on Wednesday.  "The current Ukrainian government has an opportunity to change the situation for the better. However, this opportunity can only be implemented based on the Minsk Agreements, through political dialogue with Donetsk and Lugansk. There is no other way to exit the crisis, and the previous Kiev government proved that," he told reporters.  According to the Russian envoy, the Ukrainian side makes many statements on its commitment to the Minsk Agreements; however, it takes few practical steps to implement them. "However, Kiev has all political opportunities to adhere to its obligations now," he stressed.  Gryzlov recalled that in October, Ukraine’s law on the special local government regime in separate regions of the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions ceases to be in force. By introducing the law on the special status of these regions in its full form, the Kiev government can prove its willingness to regulate the Ukrainian conflict, the Russian envoy noted.


tass--2019-11-13--Russian embassy concerned about political crisis in Moldova

CHISINAU, November 13. /TASS/. The Russian embassy in Moldova is concerned about the political crisis in the country following a split in the ruling coalition and the government’s resignation, the embassy issued a statement on Facebook.  "The Russian embassy in Moldova is closely monitoring the political process in the country. We call for maintaining domestic stability for the sake of the country’s people and the rule of law," the statement reads.  On November 12, Moldova’s parliament passed a vote of no confidence against Maia Sandu’s cabinet as initiated by the Party of Socialists and supported by the oppositional Democratic Party.  The crisis concerns the election of a new prosecutor general, who, according to the country’s authorities, will play a key role in reforming Moldova’s judicial system. The prime minister attempted to choose candidates herself but the Party of Socialists opposed the move, saying that it ran counter to the constitution.


tass--2019-11-15--Bolivian businesses sustain $1.1 billion in losses over political crisis

MOSCOW, November 15. /TASS/. /TASS/. Bolivia's businesses and industry sustained at least $1.1 billion in losses because of the political crisis in the last three weeks, La Razon newspaper reported on Thursday citing Bolivia's National Industry Chamber.  "The new government should guarantee us security, so that we can continue working, and peace, as well as ensure the steady transition period before the new election," the chamber's head Ibo Brazicevic said. He added that it is important that the authorities show businesses that Bolivia remains attractive to investors.  The presidential election in Bolivia was held on October 20. According to the Supreme Electoral Court, incumbent President Evo Morales won in the first round. His main competitor, Carlos Mesa, said that he does not recognize Morales' victory in the first round. After the results of the election were announced, large-scale protests and strikes started across the country. At least 10 people were killed in protests and over 500 more were injured.  On November 10, Morales announced his resignation and characterized the situation in the country as a coup. He was earlier asked to leave his post by the country's armed forces, opposition and labor unions. Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera and several ministers and parliament members resigned as well.  The Mexican authorities granted political asylum to Morales. Morales arrived in Mexico on November 12. Later on that day, Bolivian Senator Jeanine Anez declared herself as interim president.


theindependent--2019-02-08--Venezuela crisis Beyond the political drama normal people are struggling to survive

Venezuela crisis: Beyond the political drama, normal people are struggling to survive

Venezuela is on the brink. Grocery shelves lie empty as food becomes increasingly scarce and expensive. People are fleeing the country at record rates, flooding neighboring countries. Inflation is set to reach 10 million per cent in 2019.  In this landscape of desperation, public outrage was already coming to a head when last week, Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader and head of the National Assembly, declared himself interim president. The recently re-elected president Nicolás Maduro has vowed to continue on.  International attention swiftly turned to the two men at the centre of the struggle for control of the country. But in the midst of the political push-and-pull, average Venezuelans are still struggling to get by in a country that has grown increasingly violent and where food shortages, electricity cuts and water shortages are the new normal. Deadly crackdowns on dissent are regular.  Anti-government demonstrations are planned for Caracas today, and with discontent growing, new groups are taking to the streets, including those who were once staunch supporters of Maduro and his predecessor, Hugo Chávez.  We asked residents of the city to describe what their living situation is like these days, and if it is a factor driving them to take part in the demonstrations.  The government benefits that Donawa and her family have long relied on – like many of those from poor neighborhoods of Caracas – are no longer enough.  “We are starving here,” she says, describing how she and her son Dixon Bront are struggling to provide for her grandchildren. “He has a nine-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old boy, and he can’t buy anything for them. This is becoming impossible.”  Donawa never voted for Maduro or Chávez, but her son was a supporter of the socialist government.  “I don’t know if he voted for Chávez, but he sympathised with him,” she says.  Bront and Donawa are beneficiaries of several government programmes like Misión Vivienda, which provides housing for the poor, and a food distribution programme known as “Clap”.  But Donawa says the government food box is often limited to sugar, pasta and powdered milk.  As benefits have deteriorated, Bront, once a supporter of the government, decided to join the protesters calling for its demise.  Two weeks ago, he was injured during demonstrations – shot in the stomach at close range by security forces – and is now bedridden after two surgeries, putting a further strain on the family.  “I can’t be here in a hospital, sleeping in a chair,” Donawa says from her son’s bedside. “It’s not that I do not agree with him protesting, he is doing it like any other Venezuelan that is unhappy with this communist government.”  Her son has leukemia, but his hospital has no medicine  “It is like the world opens in half and you just want to jump into the crack,” says Cedeño, describing how she felt six years ago when she first found out her son, Miguel, had leukemia.  Things were still manageable then. Her son was moved from a private hospital to the public Central Hospital of Venezuela where he was given medical treatment paid for by the state.  He went into remission for years, but in 2017, Miguel’s cancer returned. That’s when, Cedeño says, everything changed. It was a race against time to get him proper treatment.  “I had to buy everything,” she says. “The chemotherapy, the antibiotics, the needles. But now it’s even worse. I have to buy gloves, cotton, alcohol, water, even the tubes for the lab if I need to ask for a blood test.”  Venezuela’s main hospital has become a symbol of the catastrophic unravelling of the country’s healthcare system. It is often without running water, medicine and even doctors. The electricity regularly cuts out, which has resulted in patient deaths, opposition politicians say.  Cedeño says she has never been a fan of the protests, but her son has told her he is eager to attend them.  “He said, ‘Mom, I want to go out and make them feel the rage I feel everyday I am at this hospital without any help’,” she says  Balza, 35, was a captain in the Venezuelan National Guard and quickly moved up the ranks, gaining the trust of officials who grew to rely on him, including Nicolás Maduro Guerra, Maduro’s son. But he didn’t always support the decisions of his superiors.  “I never agreed with their lines, ever,” he says.  Two years ago, he fled Venezuela for the United States, where he now manages a company. Guaidó, as interim president, has proposed amnesty for members of the armed forces who are willing to break with Maduro’s government, but Barza is unsure whether he will return.  “I worked from the inside against the government,” Barza says, adding that he didn’t necessarily think he needed to ask for amnesty. While he would like to get involved with some of the protests being held in the United States, he doesn’t have time with his busy work schedule. But for the first time in years, he sees a way forward for his country.  “I have faith and hope,” he says.  She was detained for 118 days in a windowless room  Añez knows what the government’s crackdown on dissent looks like. She was arrested in May 2017, accused of involvement with groups organising daily anti-government protests.  “I gave them food, I offered them shelter,” she says. “That is why they call me mamá.”  For 118 days, she was held in a windowless room with another woman accused of gas smuggling. After the protests ended that year, Añez couldn’t go back to her old life, saying being in jail had changed her.  “I can only tell you I am a better person now, and that I also knew true evil,” she says.  Since the latest round of protests began last month, Añez has scavenged for supplies for those wounded by the military and security forces. She has treated at least three protesters who were injured during recent demonstrations.  Añez says earlier protests in 2014 and 2017 were too violent and not effective.  “Protests have to be like the one we had on the 23rd,” she says, referring to largely peaceful mass anti-government protests held the day Guaidó swore himself in as interim president, “the kind that you can’t hide.”  ‘I will be out there with my gas mask’  Born in Spain but raised in Venezuela, Zugasti has been active in the opposition protest movement since Maduro first came to power in 2013. He plans to join the large demonstrations planned this weekend.  “This Saturday, I will be out there with my gas mask, my helmet and vest, to see what I can show the world,” he says.  Zugasti owned a family printing company for two decades, which enabled him to provide for his family. But profits dwindled, and in 2018, he closed the business.  He says new people from different walks of life have been joining the recent protests. Before, he says, the movement was largely driven by the middle and upper classes.  “I used to see the same face every day, now it’s different,” he says.  Zugasti takes his camera with him when he protests, and took one especially memorable photo on 4 April 2017, of a young congressman confronting police who were blocking a march on Libertador Avenue.  He didn’t know it then but the politician in the photo was Guaidó, who would become a major player in the country’s current political standoff.  “Every time I hear that he is someone that just started in politics, I know it’s not true,” Zugasti says. “He was always on the front line during protests. I remember him at every demonstration I went to.”


theindependent--2019-02-11--California to withdraw troops from border calling Trumpaposs immigration crisis aposmanufactured

California to withdraw troops from border calling Trump's immigration crisis 'manufactured political theatre'

A second US state is planning on pulling National Guard troops away from its border with Mexico, calling Donald Trump’s claims of a crisis at the border a “manufactured” problem and “political theater”.  California Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to say as much on Tuesday during his state of the state address, his first since his election in November.  “The border 'emergency' is a manufactured crisis, and California will not be part of this political theatre,” Mr Newsom plans to say, according to excerpts released by his office.  Mr Newsom’s decision follows after New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced she would do the same last week.  Both governors are new to their jobs, and their decisions to pull troops reverses the policies of the previous administrations in their states. The decision is a broad stroke rejection of Mr Trump’s immigration messaging, which led to the longest government shutdown in US history earlier this year.  California will leave 100 of the 360 troops that have been deployed to the border under the plan expected to be unveiled on Tuesday, and the remaining troops will focus on transnational crimes like drug and gun trafficking. They will not be instructed to enforce immigration laws.  Another 100 of the National Guard troops are expected to be redirected to help with wildfire prevention and preparation efforts.  The original orders from former Governor Jerry Brown — who was also a Democrat — had a a deadline for deployment to end set for March 31. The new plan calls for immediate troop removal.  The decision comes as politicians in Washington have struggled to reach a deal to extend government funding, with immigration issues tying up negotiators. Democrats have demanded a limit on the number of migrants who can be detained by the US. Mr Trump, meanwhile, has branded that demand as one in support of criminal immigrants.  During Mr Trump's State of the Union speech last year, the president said that he planned on sending more troops to the border to deal with the migrant caravans he frequently cites as proof of an immigration crisis. The Pentagon said that increase will mean 4,350 troops on the US-Mexico border.


thetelegraph--2019-08-28--Political crisis in Italy as Five Star clinches deal with centre-Left rivals to form new government

Italy was on the verge of having a new government on Wednesday after the centre-Left Democratic Party and the anti-establishment Five Star Movement said they were prepared to form a coalition.  The deal will avert a general election which would likely have resulted in Matteo Salvini becoming prime minister at the head of a hard-Right alliance.  Giuseppe Conte, who resigned as prime minister just last week, is poised to be reinstated as premier and to lead the new government.  He will meet Sergio Mattarella, the president, on Thursday morning and is likely to be given a mandate to try to form the new government.  The breakthrough in the country’s tortuous political crisis came after President Mattarella held talks with all the major parties at his official residence, the 16th-century Quirinale Palace in Rome.  After days of disagreement, the Democratic Party (PD) agreed to Five Star’s demand that Mr Conte be reinstated as prime minister.


thetelegraph--2019-11-26--Political crisis brews in Pakistan as Supreme Court blocks extension of powerful army chief and Imra

Political crisis brews in Pakistan as Supreme Court blocks extension of powerful army chief and Imran Khan ally

Pakistan's top court blocked an extended term for the country's powerful army chief, potentially setting the judiciary on a collision course with the powerful military and a key ally of Imran Khan.  The supreme court suspended a government decision to give Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa a fresh three-year-term in office and ordered a detailed investigation into his extension.  The court's surprise questioning of a decision previously seen as a formality threatened to trigger a confrontation between the country's powerful military and its civilian institutions.  Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa questioned the whole basis for extending the term for the chief of army staff.  The chief justice of Pakistan on Tuesday suspended the earlier government decision until Wednesday, saying a “detailed examination of the matter of extension/re-appointment of General Qamar Javed Bajwa, chief of the army staff” was needed.  The supreme court's three-judge panel questioned the legal basis for the extension. Imran Khan's government immediately defended the August announcement.


thetorontostar--2019-07-05--Both sides in Sudan political crisis hail power-sharing deal

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudan’s ruling military council and its pro-democracy movement both welcomed a new power-sharing agreement reached Friday, raising hopes that the deal would end a three-month political crisis that has paralyzed the country and led to scores of deaths following a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters by authorities. News of the deal, which one analyst said followed regional and international pressure on both sides, touched off street celebrations in the capital of Khartoum with hundreds dancing and waving Sudan’s flag as drivers honked their horns. The crisis has gripped Sudan ever since the military ousted longtime autocrat Omar el-Bashir in April.  The sides agreed to form a joint military and civilian sovereign council to lead the country during a transition period of three years and three months, said a statement by the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which has spearheaded the protests. The joint council had been a sticking point in the negotiations. The council will include five civilians representing the protest movement and five military members. An 11th seat will go to a civilian chosen by both sides. A military member will preside over the council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian member after that, according to the statement. That suggested a significant concession by pro-democracy forces, which had insisted that the sovereign council have only a civilian president. But the deal also secured a key demand by protest leaders: that they select the members of a technocratic Cabinet to be formed independently from the generals.  The creation of a legislative council will be postponed for three months, during which time the sovereign council will make the nation’s laws. “Today, our revolution has won and our victory shines,” the SPA said in the statement, which was posted on its Facebook page.  The generals also hailed the deal, with the military-controlled Al-Sudan TV channel playing national songs and rerunning excerpts of the news conference by both sides announcing the agreement, with the caption: “Congratulations to the Sudanese people.” “This deal will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone and will meet the ambitions of the Sudanese people and their victorious revolution,” said Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy chief of the ruling military council, speaking at the news conference with protest leaders and African mediators. The talks had collapsed when security forces razed a protest camp outside the military headquarters in Khartoum on June 3, and protest leaders said more than 100 people have been killed since then. In the ensuing weeks, protesters stayed in the streets, demanding that the generals hand power to civilian leadership.  Omer El-Digair, a leader of the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition representing the protesters, said they hoped that forming the transitional institutions “marks the beginning of a new era.” “We hope it is an era where we can shut off the sound of pistols and destroy for good prisons of arbitrary detention,” he said at the news conference.  Tarek Abdel Meguid, another FDFC leader, told The Associated Press that pro-democracy leaders had to make concessions to avoid further bloodshed. “I am not fully satisfied but it is a step forward to bring peace to our people,” Abdel Meguid said. “We had a civilian revolution, and the very idea of power sharing with the military was already rejected by the Sudanese people, but this is what the balance of power dictated.” The African Union and Ethiopia made intensive efforts to bring the generals and the protesters back to the negotiating table. The negotiations had resumed this week after tens of thousands of people flooded the streets of Sudan’s main cities last weekend in the biggest demonstrations since the sit-in camp was razed. At least 11 people were killed in clashes with security forces, according to protest organizers. Amani el-Taweel, a Sudan expert at Egypt’s Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, said regional and international pressures on both parties were the main reason the agreement was reached. “Sudan has a sensitive geopolitical location, and leaving things as they were would have led to violence, which could undermine regional stability and lead to more terrorism,” she said. Also as part of the deal, both sides agreed to launch “a national independent investigation” into the killing of protesters since al-Bashir was ousted. The lawmaking sovereign council could be “a bone of contention,” el-Taweel said, “because each of the two parties will seek to maximize its political weight through the laws that will be passed.”

Fay Abuelgasim And Noha Elhennawy - The Associated Press


unian--2019-02-01--Venezuelas Guaido refuses to rule out accepting US military support amid escalating political cri

Venezuela's Guaido refuses to rule out accepting U.S. military support amid escalating political crisis – CNN

Guaido told CNN that he has been in talks with members of the military, but did not present a clear plan of how he would get them to withdraw their support from Maduro.  Self-declared interim president of Venezuela Juan Guaido has refused to rule out accepting U.S. military support amid the escalating political crisis, saying that the Venezuelan people want to end President Nicolas Maduro's dictatorship with "whatever pressure is necessary."  But Guaido cautioned that he hopes it doesn't come to that.  Asked by CNN's Christiane Amanpour whether he would accept U.S. military support, he said through an interpreter: "Here in Venezuela we are doing everything we can to put pressure, so that we don't have to come to a scenario that no one would wish to have."  "We are trying to restore the sovereignty of this country, to restore the liberty and democracy of Venezuela," he added.  Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself acting president of Venezuela last week, invoking an obscure constitutional rule to open a rare challenge to Maduro's claim to the presidency.  The announcement was welcomed by huge crowds in the capital and recognized by a chorus of world leaders, including U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who issued a video message supporting Guaido's "courageous decision."  Guaido told CNN that he was appreciative of the U.S. support, which included a phone call Wednesday from President Donald Trump, adding that he has also spoken with a number of other world leaders.  Until very recently, Guaido, an industrial engineer and former student leader, was almost virtually unknown on the global stage.  The 35-year-old was head of the Venezuela's assembly for merely three weeks before making the move, but has quickly energized the movement against Maduro, who was sworn in for a second term in January.  Writing in an opinion piece published in The New York Times on Thursday, Guaido called Maduro's re-election on May 20, 2018, "illegitimate" and that, by continuing to stay in office, he was "usurping the presidency."  "Mr. Maduro's time is running out, but in order to manage his exit with the minimum of bloodshed, all of Venezuela must unite in pushing for a definitive end to his regime," Guaido wrote, adding that any transition of power could not happen without support from "pro-democratic governments" and "key military contingents."  Guaido told CNN that he has been in talks with members of the military, but did not present a clear plan of how he would get them to withdraw their support from Maduro.  "We're asking that the armed forces are on the side of the constitution, which is very different from it being a coup here in Venezuela," Guaido said, rebutting Maduro's accusation that the United States was orchestrating a military coup in the country.  Maduro was re-elected to a six-year term last year, and though he asserted the elections were fair, international observers have questioned their legitimacy.  Guaido has promised a transitional government and free elections to end the rule of the socialist Maduro regime, which has overseen the once-wealthy oil nation's descent into economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis.  Asked whether he has had any talks with Maduro, Guaido said simply: "No."


unian--2019-04-15--Possible snap parliamentary elections to entail protracted political crisis Poroshenko

Possible snap parliamentary elections to entail protracted political crisis – Poroshenko

The next parliamentary elections should take place on October 27, 2019.  Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said possible early parliamentary elections would entail a protracted political crisis, which would affect the national economy.  "Hints of early and, by the way, illegal, dissolution of the Verkhovna Rada in case of a change of president have already been voiced. This would mean a political crisis, a long pause in relations with partners; it would question our ability to overcome peak debt burdens in May and September and in 2020," he said during a meeting with businesses.  Read alsoRada speaker says parliament to work until late October  As UNIAN reported, on April 10, member of the Batkivschyna parliamentary faction, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement Activities Andriy Kozhemiakin said the information had been spread in the Verkhovna Rada about the possibility of holding early parliamentary elections in July.  On April 14, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko said there were no constitutional grounds for the early termination of the Verkhovna Rada.  The next parliamentary elections should take place on October 27, 2019.


westernjournal--2019-01-24--Venezuela crisis Familiar geopolitical sides take shape

Venezuela crisis: Familiar geopolitical sides take shape

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.  MOSCOW (AP) — Russia, China, Iran, Syria and Cuba have come down on one side. The United States, Canada, and countries in Western Europe are on the other.  As the crisis in Venezuela reaches a new boiling point — with embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro facing a challenge from opposition leader Juan Guaido — the geopolitical fault lines look familiar.  President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued statements Wednesday proclaiming U.S. recognition of Guaido, saying the U.S. would take all diplomatic and economic measures necessary to support a transition to a new government. Canada said it was recognizing Guaido as the interim president, and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called him “the right person” to take Venezuela forward.  But Washington’s adversaries are issuing warnings against U.S. intervention. Russian officials have called the move a “coup” orchestrated by the U.S.  The U.S. and Russia already are at odds over Syria’s civil war, and the Venezuelan crisis has the potential to add further strain. Russian-U.S. ties have sunk to post-Cold War lows over Moscow’s support of separatists in Ukraine and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.  “We view the attempt to usurp power in Venezuela as something that contradicts and violates the foundations and principles of international law,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.  In a phone call with Maduro, President Vladimir Putin expressed support, noting that “destructive foreign interference tramples on basic norms of the international law,” and called for a peaceful dialogue, according to the Kremlin.  Venezuela’s status as a major oil producer — it has the world’s largest underground oil reserves, but crude production continues to crash — means its political instability has deep implications globally.  And Russia has taken a special interest. Last month, Russia sent two Tu-160 nuclear-capable bombers to Venezuela for several days in what was seen as a precursor for a possible long-term military presence.  Pompeo criticized the move at the time as “two corrupt governments squandering public funds and squelching liberty and freedom while their people suffer. Peskov dismissed the comment as “undiplomatic” and “inappropriate,” saying that half of the U.S. military budget “would be enough to feed the whole of Africa.”  Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday the crisis now “has reached a dangerous point” and urged the international community to mediate between the government and the opposition.  Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev even injected some domestic U.S. politics into the equation, citing the partial government shutdown and the differences between Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  “Let’s imagine, just for an instant, how the American people would respond, for example, to the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives declaring herself the new president against the backdrop of the budget crisis and government shutdown,” Medvedev said on Facebook. “What would be the reaction from the current U.S. president, especially if this move was supported by the leadership of another country, for example, Russia?”  Russia frequently decries popular uprisings like the “color revolutions” that have taken place in Ukraine, Georgia and other countries in its former sphere of influence.  China’s Foreign Ministry also sternly urged against interference by Washington in Venezuela. Beijing’s allies, including Iran and Syria, followed suit.  China “opposes external intervention in Venezuela,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said. “We hope that Venezuela and the United States can respect and treat each other on an equal footing, and deal with their relations based on non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.”  In the last decade, China has given Venezuela $65 billion in loans, cash and investment. Venezuela owes it more than $20 billion. China’s only hope of being repaid appears to lie in Venezuela ramping up oil production, although low oil prices and the country’s crashing economy appear to bode poorly for such an outcome.  The Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft has invested heavily in Venezuela, and its chief executive, Igor Sechin, visited Caracas in November, pressuring the Maduro government to make good on its commitments to his company. Russia, a major oil producer itself, has been buying oil from the state-run Venezuelan company PDVSA, and Sechin reportedly went to Caracas to raise concerns about Venezuela halting oil supplies.  Russia is estimated to have poured in at least $17 billion in Venezuela in loans and investment since Maduro’s populist predecessor, Hugo Chavez, came to power in 1999. The Economic Development Ministry said Russia has invested around $4 billion in Venezuela, mostly in joint oil projects.  Asked if Russia would be willing to grant asylum to Maduro, the Kremlin spokesman Peskov refused to speculate and insisted that Moscow views Maduro as the only legitimate leader. Maduro visited Moscow in early December, seeking political and economic assistance as Venezuela has faced sky-high inflation and food shortages.  For Iran, its relationship with Venezuela hinges on their mutual enmity toward the U.S.  Chavez traveled to Iran in 2006 and received the country’s Islamic Republic Medal, its highest award, from hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who called Chavez a “brother and a trench mate.” Chavez vowed Venezuela would “stay by Iran at any time and under any condition.” Both leaders faced criticism from then-U.S. President George W. Bush and offered their own withering criticism of him.  After Maduro took power upon Chavez’s death in 2013, Iran has maintained its support of Venezuela. On Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi criticized the U.S. and other countries over meddling in Venezuela.  “The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the government and people of Venezuela against any foreign intervention in the internal affairs of Venezuela or any other illegitimate and illegal measure such as a coup d’etat,” Ghasemi said.  Strong endorsement for the current Venezuelan government also came from Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message of support: “My brother Maduro! Stay strong, we are by your side.”  Turkey also has cultivated close economic and political ties with Maduro. During a visit to Venezuela in December, Erdogan blamed U.S. sanctions for the country’s economic hardships.  Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Turkey, under Erdogan, would “maintain its principled stance against coup attempts.” Erdogan himself faced a military coup attempt in 2016.  Syria also came to the defense of Maduro’s government.  Damascus reaffirmed its “full solidarity with the leadership and people of the Venezuelan Republic in preserving the country’s sovereignty and foiling the American administration’s hostile plans,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said.  Cuba’s Foreign Ministry said Havana “expresses its unwavering solidarity” with the Maduro government. Cuba has sent its closest ally tens of thousands of workers, from doctors to intelligence officials, and in return has received tens of thousands of barrels a day in heavily subsidized oil.  Associated Press writers Christopher Bodeen in Beijing, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Suzan Fraser in Ankara and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed.  The Associated Press contributed to this report.  We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.


dailyheraldchicago--2019-10-18--Lebanese prime minister gives political adversaries 72-hour ultimatum to back his reform agenda amid

BEIRUT -- Lebanese prime minister gives political adversaries 72-hour ultimatum to back his reform agenda amid growing protests.


fortune--2019-04-09--A Quiet Force in Algerias Political Protests the US Shale Boom

A Quiet Force in Algeria’s Political Protests: the U.S. Shale Boom

The last time the kleptocracy at the top of the Algerian political system faced an existential threat, they reached for a simple but effective tool: oil money.  This time around, it wasn’t so easy.  The country’s coffers have been depleted by years of weak oil prices, as the U.S. shale boom unleashed cheap energy into every corner of the world, spurring fights for market share and undercutting the revenues of the world’s petro-economies.  For countries like Algeria, which relies on oil and gas exports for one-third of its GDP, that meant an old economic balm wasn’t available as millions of Algerians took to the streets last month in opposition to ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s announcement that he would stand for a fifth term.  After having a stroke in 2013, Bouteflika reportedly can’t stand or speak, and has rarely appeared in public. Algerians say his brother and a cabal of elites, known as “le pouvoir”—literally, “the power”—have been running the country instead. Unable to quell the demonstrations, Bouteflika agreed to stand down. Compare that to the country’s fate during the Arab Spring; it was able to evade the uprisings that engulfed its neighbors partly by pouring money into public spending.  “The government managed to ‘buy off’ the protests,” in 2010, says Charles Gurdon, managing director at Menas Associates in London. “It pumped a lot of money into the economy and fought its way out of trouble, out of social change.”  On Tuesday, the country’s Parliament announced an interim leader for the next 90 days while a new presidential election is organized. But the choice of leader—Abdelkader Bensalah, speaker of Algeria’s upper house of Parliament—is a Bouteflika ally, meaning his appointment immediately drew further protests.  The sudden upheaval in Algeria is not purely about low oil prices, experts say, given that oil prices have partly recovered from their multi-year low in 2016. But for the inner circle now clinging to power there, the shifting dynamics of global oil markets don’t help.  By 2014, U.S. shale—domestic oil extracted via non-traditional methods like fracking—had exploded onto global markets, causing oil prices to drop and spurring efforts by OPEC to cut production to stabilize prices. Five years later, there’s no sign shale is slowing down, with the U.S. now the world’s second largest producer, and set to surpass Russia as an exporter by 2024, according to the International Energy Agency.  The impact of shale has been long-lasting for many oil-producing countries, from Venezuela to Nigeria, where lower revenues have constrained investment and maintenance, and restricted a time-honored tool for dampening social unrest: cash.  Years of lower oil prices have had a marked economic impact on Algeria. Strong oil prices had allowed the country to invest in infrastructure and dramatically reduce poverty, according to the World Bank, but those programs are no longer affordable.  As a result, GDP growth has slowed, unemployment has risen and foreign currency reserves have also taken a hit, according to the IMF. Consumer energy subsidies, too, have had to be cut back.  Starting in late 2017, the country embarked on a push to modernize its oil industry and its state-run oil company, Sonatrach. The plan includes deals to explore offshore, purchases of refineries outside Algeria, and a push, ironically, to extract shale gas in the country’s south.  The reforms are intended to draw further investment, restore the company’s image after accusations of corruption and security plans, and provide enough domestic energy to prevent the country from cutting back on exports—in other words, to protect Algeria’s oil revenue.  “If they are able to do that, it will be exactly what Algeria needs,” says Valérie Marcel, an associate fellow and expert in energy policy at Chatham House in London.  Any government in Algeria would have to lean heavily on oil and gas revenue to support the economy. But the current political uncertainty throws into question the fate of those reforms to the oil and gas sector, says Marcel—just when Algeria needs them most.


france24--2019-03-29--Algerias protesters expand focus to political elite beyond Bouteflika

Algeria's protesters expand focus to political elite beyond Bouteflika

Ryad Kramdi, AFP | Mass demonstration in the streets of Algiers on March 22, 2019.  Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Algiers again on Thursday to demand the resignation of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and changes to the political system after the powerful army called for the veteran leader to be removed.  The army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, on Tuesday asked the constitutional council to rule whether the ailing 82-year-old president is fit for office.  State radio said on Thursday that the council has not yet held any meeting so far to decide on Bouteflika’s fate.  Salah’s call received backing from the ruling FLN party and the main trade union, signalling that Bouteflika’s time was all but up after 20 years in power.  But leaders of the protest movement that has staged five weeks of peaceful demonstrations reject the army’s transition plan and demand the overthrow of the entire ruling elite.  In another blow to Bouteflika, one of his few remaining allies, leading businessman Ali Haddad, resigned as head of the influential FCE business forum, a resignation letter seen by Reuters showed.  Haddad, who was awarded large public works projects by the government and has investments in the media, has helped to fund Bouteflika’s election campaigns over the years.  Hundreds of Algerians rallied again on Thursday to criticise not just Bouteflika but also the political system, which for decades has been built around veterans of the 1954-1962 war of independence against France, military officers and business tycoons.  “Thieves, you have destroyed the country,” they chanted.  “Our battle will continue until we get rid of the system,” said architect Belaid Hakimi, 36,  The General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA), long a staunch supporter of the president, has also said it supported the army call for Bouteflika to step down.  In an unusual development suggesting further disarray in Bouteflika’s inner circle, the owner of a TV station close to the government, Ali Fodil, was detained by the authorities for several hours on Thursday, his Echorouk TV channel reported.  He was later released on the order of the general prosecutor. Officials had no immediate comment on the matter. On Wednesday evening, Echorouk broadcast a programme critical of Bouteflika’s influential younger brother Said. Another TV station, Ennahar, said Fodil had been detained by intelligence personnel.  Any ruling by the constitutional council on Bouteflika’s future would have to be ratified by a two-thirds majority in the two houses of parliament.  Under the constitution, the chairman of parliament’s upper house, Abdelkader Bensalah, would serve as caretaker president for at least 45 days after Bouteflika’s departure.  But even if Bouteflika quits, there is no clear long-term successor.  And even if both sides dig in, no Algerian wants to risk returning to the dark days of the 1990s, when the army’s cancellation of elections that Islamists were on the verge of winning triggered a civil war that killed 200,000 people.


globalresearch--2019-12-30--Political Instability and the Protest Movement: President of Iraq – The Decision Is Mine

Iraqi President Barham Salih has shown that he is in control of the country and has made a show of his contempt for the Iraqi constitution. In a dramatic gesture, Salih made a play for public support by declaring his willingness to resign. He then departed for Suleimaniya, after rejecting the decision of the largest Parliamentary coalition, in accordance with article 76 of the constitution, to nominate their chosen candidate. Only he will decide who can be nominated as the future Prime Minister of the country, notwithstanding the constitution’s provisions for respecting the will of the parliamentary majority.  The resignation of caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdel Mahdi and the struggle to nominate a new Prime Minister have shown the divisions between political parties and above all among the Shia majority in Parliament. It has also shown Iran’s handicap in attempting to unite these groups and bring them together to agree on a single Shia Iraqi personality! The limits of Iran’s influence in Iraq are evident. What does the future hold for Iraq?  The Iraqi constitution gives the largest parliamentary coalition the right to choose its candidate for prime minister, and then forward the name to the President, who announces it publicly. However, in this case, the constitution was not followed: President Barham Salih tried to delay the nomination of the largest coalition, Al-Bina’, asking the Parliament to confirm the identity of this coalition. He managed to gain some time by responding to al-Bina’ that “he would rather wait until the Friday sermon of the Marjaiya in Najaf, to make the announcement later”.  Salih was aware that the Marjaiya had taken a clear decision not to intervene in favour of or against any candidate or parliamentary coalition. The Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Sistani has set the road map for any future candidate: an end to corruption, early elections with a new law, an independent judiciary system, together with the creation of job opportunities, listening to people’s requests, protecting protestors, and ending foreign intervention in the country’s internal affairs.  All politicians and heads of political coalitions have interpreted the Marjaiya’s guidelines according to their own lights.  Hadi al-Ameri, the head of al-Bina’ coalition told others in Baghdad that “the Marjiaiya rejected Qusey al-Suheil as future Prime Minister”. But sources in Najaf described all politicians as “liars who are avid for power, and unwilling to listen to protestors’ requests”. Hadi al-Ameri did propose himself as a candidate but the offer was spurned by his allies, who saw his candidacy as a provocation for the protestors.  President Barham Salih delayed the announcement of al-Suheil in the hope that protestors would reject him. Saleh saw in al-Suheil a threat to his own candidate, Mustafa al-Kazemi, and to his political agenda. Any candidate can be timed out in Iraq by letting the clock run since it is nearly impossible to select a candidate agreeable to all political parties, the Sunni, the Shia and the Kurds.  Qusey al-Suheil, told political party leaders, as al Suheil told me, that he “rejected the distribution of power and ministerial positions among the political parties who had made this a pre-condition to supporting him”. His ploy is to claim, “I shall offer my resignation and leave with dignity. Political parties want to hold on to their corrupt style of governance, and that is unsuitable for me. I refuse to divide the cake among those who are unwilling to reconstruct the country”, as a rationalization for defying the constitution.  Al Bina’ letter asking the Parliament to adopt legal measures against President Barham Salih for violating the constitution  Well-informed sources in Baghdad told me that “President Salih repeatedly asked why Adel Abdil Mahdi doesn’t remain in power like Nouri al-Maliki who was a caretaker for 7 months? The country can wait”.  After Qusey al-Suheil withdrew his candidacy, the dominant al-Bina’ coalition decided to back the governor of Basra Asaad al-Idani as Prime Minister. However, President Salih wanted to wait for the Marjaiya’s Friday Sermon to decide but was told that Sayyed Sistani would take no position. Salih then again rejected the most significant parliamentary coalition’s choice and, in a letter to the Parliament, expressed his readiness to resign (but without resigning, of course).  President Salih has delayed announcing a new Prime Minister; this temporizing has led protestors on the street to rejecting any candidate offered by the largest coalition. He is taking his time to announce the name of the new Prime Minister. The constitution seems irrelevant and each politician expounds on its articles as he sees fit. Each coalition is asking for its share of power using the terms “agreement”, “balance’, “understanding” – and each is ignoring constitutional procedures. Even within the same coalition, great differences have been manifested. The impotence of the Iraqi judiciary to impose respect for the constitution is evident.  Another important aspect is the position of Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the largest single parliamentary group, which does not belong to the larger Parliamentary coalition. Moqtada said he was not willing to intervene and pulled out from the consultation to form a new Prime Minister. In reality, he reminded candidates and political leaders of the power of his share. He tweeted his refusal to Mohammad al-Sudani and to al-Suheil and reminded the Basra governor of his share in the new cabinet, and General Directors’ positions. Moqtada has not only the largest number of MPs but also the largest number of Ministers and General Directors.  Moqtada offered three names as candidates: Mustafa al-Kadhemi, Raheel al Ukeili and Fair al-Sheikh Ali. In reality, according to sources within Moqtada’s office, he supports the head of the intelligence service Mustafa al-Kadhemi. President Barham Salih followed Moqtada’s wish and supported al-Kadhemi.  Iran failed to unite all coalitions or even the largest number of political groups under one candidate. Iraqi politicians showed how divided they really are, and that Iran’s effort to support a chosen Iraqi candidate was doomed to failure. The current impasse recalls 2017 when Hadi al-Ameri opposed the Lebanese-Syrian decision to remove ISIS militants from Iraq’s common borders with Deir-Ezzour. On another occasion, al-Ameri rejected Qassem Soleimani’s suggestion that he combine forces with those of Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi before the parliamentary elections.  Today al-Ameri wants to become Prime Minister again; he rejected Qusey al-Suheil secretly after initially promoting him, signed the document approving al-Suheil and now supports al-Idani.  The US has been somewhat distant from the political dynamic of choosing a Prime Minister for the first time since 2003 and did not intervene. This is an indication that President Donald Trump is not deeply engaged with events in the Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. He seems preoccupied with domestic affairs and the Chinese-Russian economic threat. Trump is busy imposing sanctions on his enemies and allies alike and seems unconcerned with Iraq.  Iraq is now in the hands of President Salih, who is using the demonstrations as a pretext for expanding his power: He openly tells Parliament “the decision is mine or I resign.” President Salih has abused the constitution while hiding behind the protestors. His offer to resign is a ruse to ask for the support of the protestors; he means to show the public that he stands against the political parties. Salih is aware that the Iraqi population is very emotional and may well stand behind him.  The people can and will reject any political candidate for the position of Prime Minister. It is likely that Adil Abdel Mahdi will remain as the caretaker for some time, perhaps until a new military personality takes over. Iraq in 2020 is heading towards an uncharted territory and an uncertain future.  Note to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.  All images in this article are from the author


sputnik--2019-12-30--Protests Against Citizenship Law Example of Blatant Political Opportunism in India - Analyst

The ongoing nationwide agitation against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is a blatant exploitation of opportunism in Indian politics, an Indian economic and political analyst has said, warning that these disturbances have the potential to destroy the country if not stopped.  “Opportunism in politics I can understand from the point of power is important, but the most pertinent from the point of power, and currently disgusting form of opportunism in (Indian) politics is in the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)", said Swaminathan Gurumurthy, Chairman of the Vivekananda International Foundation, a New Delhi-based public policy think tank.  Participating in a talk on “Opportunism in Indian Politics” in New Delhi, Gurumurthy admitted that Indian politics has been in a constant state of flux since 1989 owing to its diversity and increasingly growing regional character.  The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) needs to be understood in an objective and unbiased manner as well as in its historical context, said Gurumurthy, who is one of the members of the Board of Directors of the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s apex bank, besides being a well-known journalist and author.  Gandhi even said that “all Hindus and Sikhs who are persecuted there (in Pakistan) are free to come to India and we will take care of them”.  He recalled that even India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had made a statement in Parliament, where he said: “We owe a duty to these people and if the citizenship law has to be amended for this purpose, we will amend the law".  He identified the country’s main opposition Congress party, the Communist Party of India (CPI), and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) as political groups that had once been champion supporters of granting citizenship to persecuted minorities in neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh.  To substantiate this view, he said it is ironic that Tarun Gogoi, former chief of the Indian state of Assam where the anti-CAA protests have been most vociferous, is petitioning the Supreme Court to tell the government to withdraw the legislation.  He recalled, in 2012, Gogoi had submitted a memorandum to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “pleading that those who had to flee due to discrimination and religious persecution at the time of partition (of India in 1947) should not be treated as foreigners”.  “This is precisely what the CAA says and these are the very people opposing it today. Is there a greater opportunism than this? And this opportunism is not for power, it is for disturbing India. If it is not stopped, it can destroy India. You cannot allow the majority community people from Pakistan or Bangladesh into India unless you want to destroy India", Gurumurthy said.  “The problem is with the national parties (read Congress and the BJP). How many regional parties are supporting it, very few. Like those who have stakes like Bengal. We must understand that regional parties are not necessarily the disturbing factor; a greater disturbing factor can be the national parties themselves", he added.  The CAA has evoked widespread protests in different parts of the country for allowing Indian citizenship to only non-Muslim communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The Muslim community, however, views the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC) as a means to confine them to being second-class citizens. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dismissed these concerns, saying that the law doesn't discriminate against Muslims.


tass--2019-10-09--Kremlin says no political aspect to verdicts in protest-related cases

MOSCOW, October 9. /TASS/. There is no political aspect to courts’ verdicts in cases related to the summer’s protest rallies, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.  When asked if the Kremlin saw a political aspect to the verdicts, he answered in the negative. "You know, we don’t comment on them. There is and can be no political aspect," Peskov pointed out.  Levada Center earlier issued a poll saying that 38% of respondents considered the sentences handed to Moscow protesters to be unfair and politically motivated. At the same time, 24% of those surveyed believe the verdicts to be impartial and fair.


theindependent--2019-09-29--Russia protests Thousands take to streets in Moscow demanding release of political prisoners

Russia protests: Thousands take to streets in Moscow demanding release of political prisoners

Thousands of Russians have taken to the streets in Moscow to demand the release of Kremlin critics apprehended in the run up to the country’s local elections.  Waving flags while chanting “let them go” and “freedom for political prisoners”, monitors say 25,200 people marched in the Russian capital for a rally featuring opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.  The protest was approved by the city’s mayoral office – a change from those of previous months which saw some 2,000 people briefly detained in one of the largest crackdowns against opposition supporters in the country’s recent history.  Activists assembled to challenge the detention of campaigners arrested at a series of rallies that flared across the city in July - when opposition politicians were barred from taking part in the local government poll.  Since then several have been given four year prison sentences, while others are being prosecuted for crimes including violence against police officers.  The arrests, along with allegations of police brutality has prompted unusual public outcry in the country.  "No one can get a fair hearing in Russian courts” opposition politician Lyubov Sobol told the crowd, “injustice and lawlessness can happen to anyone now".  The march is unlikely to pose a threat to Vladimir Putin following his landslide re-election last year.  However it does coincide with a dip in the Russian president’s approval ratings, caused by falls in real incomes and a push to raise the retirement age which was approved by Mr Putin in October last year.  And activists hope the scale of the protest could pressure authorities to release arrested protestors – a theory bolstered by the release of one person on bail and the dropping of charges against another in the run up to the event.  "I'm sure more people will be released because of this rally” Mr Navalny told the crowd.  After his allies were barred from the September vote, the opposition leader called on supporters to vote tactically for opponents of the ruling United Russia party, regardless of their political stripe.  United Russia, which supports Putin, lost a third of its seats in the Moscow city assembly, a setback for the authorities that Mr Navalny said was a victory for the Kremlin's opponents even though the governing party kept its majority.


theseattletimes--2019-07-25--Sudan protesters to march against political party allocation

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s pro-democracy movement is calling for marches in the capital, Khartoum, and in other locations across the country.  The movement wants people to take to the streets Thursday to insist that the upcoming transitional government be made up of experts and technocrats, rather than political parties.  This comes just hours after the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, which represents the protesters, said they’d reached a deal to reconcile their differences with rebel groups that are also part of the movement.  Those rebel groups had rejected the final part of a power-sharing deal with Sudan’s ruling generals, arguing it fails to meet their demands for peace.  The FDFC said the rebels had agreed that the transitional government should be responsible for achieving a peace deal.


theindependent--2019-04-17--Extinction Rebellion protesters are getting arrested because our political system has left them no c

Extinction Rebellion protesters are getting arrested because our political system has left them no choice

Extinction Rebellion (XR) is one of the most remarkable grassroots movements of the 21st Century. Spurred on by dire warnings about climate breakdown, it has mobilised thousands of people who are willing to get arrested, or even face prison, to make their voices heard.  How is it that in our supposedly democratic society so many feel compelled to break the law to make such an overwhelmingly reasonable point: that we shouldn’t destroy the environment on which all life depends?  The answer is that our broken democracy leaves little choice. XR may be a global movement, but a glance at their map of local groups reveals just how heavily weighted their activity is towards the UK – the only European country that still uses the antiquated first past the post voting system.  Germany has eleven local XR groups. Norway has two. The Republic of Ireland, four.  The UK, on the other hand, has over one hundred and thirty local XR groups – each consisting of dozens or hundreds of otherwise law-abiding citizens; citizens so desperate for their politicians to listen that they are willing to go to jail. And in second and third place globally for number of XR groups are the US and Canada – the only other two major developed countries to use first past the post.  This makes perfect sense. Our first past the post voting system has systematically denied representation to the people who care the most about the protecting the natural world. In 2015, over a million people voted for the Green Party and their policies aimed at averting climate disaster. In 2017, despite the hundreds of Green candidates standing down in the hope of unseating Tory MPs, they still received half a million votes. Yet at both elections they won just a single MP.  The rebels have tried playing by the rules by turning out and voting in their hundreds of thousands. And what impact has it had on parliament? None. Our electoral system silences them almost as if they’d never voted at all.  It’s obvious why XR is nowhere near as big anywhere else in Europe. Almost all other European countries use some of proportional representation – so seats match votes and all votes count equally. When a party wins a million votes, it picks up a lot of seats in parliament. It’s then able to represent the views of its voters, shape the debate and influence legislation.  Some Germans are just as worried about climate breakdown as their British equivalents. A few are even willing to risk arrest. But in Germany, every climate activist could instead choose to spend their time campaigning to elect environmentally friendly MPs – and their efforts will be rewarded in proportion to votes they win.  Indeed, the Germany’s Green Party has surged in national and regional elections in response to rising concern about climate breakdown. It’s not surprising that most European activists decide the parliamentary approach has a much better risk/reward ratio than getting arrested.  First past the post doesn’t merely make people feel unrepresented; it stops vital change from happening in response to public demand. There’s a wealth of academic evidence showing that countries with proportional representation far outperform those with winner-takes-all systems like first past the post when it comes to climate action and environmental protection.  Countries with PR slowed their greenhouse gas emissions faster, perform significantly better on the Environmental Protection Index, ratified the Kyoto Agreement faster, and have deployed significantly more renewable energy.  Most countries have still done nowhere near enough. But there is hope in countries with PR – because these democracies are responsive to rising public demands and are able to build consensus in order to address these serious long term threats.  Compare this to the depressing situation in the UK. In 2017, most people voted for parties promising to ban fracking for shale gas (no surprise given overwhelming public opposition to the idea). Yet our voting system handed a majority of seats to two parties that shared just 43 per cent of the vote; the only parties in parliament that are pro-fracking. Together the Conservatives and DUP are rushing to create a whole new fossil fuel industry: something no other country in Europe is doing and – according to the scientists – something the planet cannot afford to happen.  For the UK, the climate crisis is a crisis of democracy – and as much as anything else Extinction Rebellion is a rebellion against the way crucial voices are systematically shut out of our politics. To create a democracy capable of addressing the most urgent challenges of our time, we need proportional representation. As the chant goes, ‘Change the system, not the climate!’  If you agree then, whatever else you do to make your voice heard, join the movement to Make Votes Matter and help us win PR.  Klina Jordan is a lifelong environmental activist and the co-chief executive of Make Votes Matter


thetorontostar--2019-07-25--Sudan protesters to march against political party allocation

CAIRO - Sudan’s pro-democracy movement is calling for marches in the capital, Khartoum, and in other locations across the country.  The movement wants people to take to the streets Thursday to insist that the upcoming transitional government be made up of experts and technocrats, rather than political parties.  This comes just hours after the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, which represents the protesters, said they’d reached a deal to reconcile their differences with rebel groups that are also part of the movement.  Those rebel groups had rejected the final part of a power-sharing deal with Sudan’s ruling generals, arguing it fails to meet their demands for peace.  The FDFC said the rebels had agreed that the transitional government should be responsible for achieving a peace deal.


yna--2019-12-21--Poll respondents pick fine dust air pollution as top environmental news story of 2019

Meanwhile, 41.2 percent of the respondents said mounting plastic waste threatening marine wildlife is the most important international environmental news story of this year, while 20.7 percent pointed to Fukushima radioactive pollution ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and 8.9 percent a U.N. agreement to prohibit exports of waste disguised as recyclable materials, the center said.


yna--2019-12-08--Environmental survey on THAAD base still pending: sources

According to the sources, the survey has been pushed back because USFK submitted a report on how it will use the site only in February, and nearby residents have continued fierce protests against the deployment.


yahoonews--2019-06-03--Discounting climate change EPA chief faults the media for the rise of bad environmental news

Discounting climate change, EPA chief faults the media for the rise of bad environmental news

WASHINGTON — Borrowing one of President Trump’s favorite refrains, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler criticized the news media at length Monday for focusing on only dire environmental news.  “We need to fix this perception, and we need the help of the press,” Wheeler said at a luncheon at the National Press Club on Monday. “The public needs to know how far we’ve come, as a nation, protecting the environment.” He then read a number of statistics he deemed deserving “more attention,” including ones regarding the reduction of air pollutants, the decrease in particulate matter, the decrease in carbon emissions and the remediation of waterways.  “The media does a disservice to the American public, and sound policymaking, by not informing the public of the progress this nation has made,” Wheeler argued.  Though he did not say so specifically, Wheeler was clearly alluding to the growing media attention to climate change. Though virtually nonexistent in previous decades, coverage of global warming has risen sharply in recent years, spurred in part by a rise in catastrophic weather events, such as floods, wildfires and hurricanes.  A former energy lobbyist, Wheeler has previously downplayed the effects of climate change, and Monday’s remarks began and ended with media criticism, which Wheeler delivered firmly but without employing Trump’s favored slight: “fake news.”  Wheeler began his speech by saying he needed to address his “friends” in the media. He pointed out that Americans have an increasingly negative impression of the environmental condition of the nation, citing a Gallup poll.  Wheeler did not acknowledge climate change as a possible reason Americans have an increasingly pessimistic view of the nation’s environmental health. The same Gallup poll he cited found that an increasing number of Americans believe there is insufficient coverage of global warming in the media.  Wheeler concluded his address by listing “five things that the press gets wrong about this administration and the EPA.” The first of these was that “the environment is getting worse.” Another gripe was the news media’s common reference to Wheeler as a lobbyist for the coal industry. He pointed out that he had lobbied for other aspects of the energy sector as well, including nuclear. Wheeler also disputed news reports of a “feud” between career EPA staffers and Trump political appointees.  Later, during a question-and-answer session, Wheeler accused the press of alarmist coverage of the National Climate Assessment, which was released in November and was widely seen as an urgent call to action. He said too much coverage had been afforded to Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5, or RCP 8.5. Of the four scenarios sketched out by the National Climate Assessment, RCP 8.5 is the most catastrophic. It assumes that emissions would remain where they are today. Wheeler discounted the RCP 8.5 scenario as the result of “political interference” in scientific work by the Obama administration.  The moderator asked Wheeler if his agency ought to be preparing for the worst-case scenario laid out by the National Climate Assessment. “It depends,” Wheeler said, then explained he did not necessarily trust the report’s most dire conclusions.