Germany's Far-Right Party Defeated In Closely Watched Mayoral Election - NPR

Enlarge this image

Octavian Ursu of the German Christian Democrats won a runoff for mayor of the small town of Görlitz in the country's east, beating an opponent from the far-right Alternative for Germany. Sean Gallup/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has lost its first mayoral contest, handing embattled Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) a solid victory.

In the small eastern town of Görlitz, near the border with Poland, Octavian Ursu, a 51-year-old Romanian immigrant and classical musician, easily won Sunday's runoff vote against AfD's Sebastian Wippel, 36, who stood on an anti-immigrant platform.

Ursu won by 55.1% to Wippel's 44.9%, according to The Associated Press. Görlitz lies in the heart of a region in eastern Germany seen as a stronghold of support for the far-right party.

In the first round of voting on May 26, Wippel won 36.4% to Ursu's 30.3%.

The election has been closely watched as a possible bellwether for Sept. 1 German state elections in Saxony, where Görlitz is located, and neighboring Brandenburg. Despite Sunday's outcome in Görlitz, AfD remains neck-and-neck with the CDU in Saxony and the party is polling ahead of the CDU's ally, the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), in the state of Brandenburg.

Elections in Thuringia, another eastern state, are to be held in late October.

Enlarge this image

Right-wing party AfD candidate Sebastian Wippel reacts after the announcement of the results of the runoff mayoral election in Görlitz, Germany, on Sunday. Matthias Rietschel/REUTERS hide caption

toggle caption

Matthias Rietschel/REUTERS

Wippel was quoted by Reuters as saying Sunday's loss was "not a vote for Mr. Ursu but more ... against me."

"The CDU had to rely on support from many groups including from the far-left extremists without whom they would not have made it," he said, predicting that the AfD was still in "a good position" to win in Saxony in September.

A victorious Ursu said Görlitz, a town of just 56,000 that is known for the Hollywood movies shot there, such as The Grand Budapest Hotel and Inglourious Basterds, had refused to give in to his opponent's nativist message.

"[I]t is not about two candidates but the orientation of this town to the outside world and that we remain an open society and do not isolate ourselves," Ursu was quoted by Reuters as saying.

In an open letter published ahead of the election, German and international actors, directors and producers urged the town's residents not to "give in to hate, hostility strife and marginalization."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.npr.org/2019/06/17/733302298/germanys-far-right-party-defeated-in-closely-watched-mayoral-election

2019-06-17 06:16:00Z
52780314766398

'Massive failure' leaves Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay with no power, utility says - CNN

Parts of Chile and southern Brazil are experiencing outages as well, said Edesur, the Buenos Aires-based company.

The company later posted an updated statement removing Uruguay and Paraguay from the list of countries that were entirely without electricity, but it isn't clear how many residents in those two countries have had their power restored. Power was only partially restored in Uruguay, the country's energy authority said.

In a statement on its website, Edesur said a "collapse" in its system occurred around 7 a.m. (6 a.m. ET).

Edesur is prioritizing any customer who depends on electricity for health reasons, it said, but because the power outage is so serious, anyone experiencing problems should go to a medical center.

A tweet posted just before 10 a.m. (9 a.m. ET) said the company had begun generating electricity in Buenos Aires and the surrounding area. It said restoring power in greater Buenos Aires would take several hours.

Lucas Rodriguez tweeted a video of the Argentine capital in darkness before dawn, saying he'd never seen anything like it.

"The funny part is that we don't have electricity, but we have internet in our phones," he told CNN.

Edesur had restored service to about 450,000 customers by noon, the company said.

Power was also restored to parts of western Uruguay that border Argentina, and to some regions in the south, including Montevideo, said National Administration of Power Plants and Electrical Transmissions, the country's energy authority.

The cause of the failure is under investigation, said Edesur, which has launched an "emergency operational plan" to deal with the situation.

The Argentine Interconnection System, which experienced the failure, handles the bulk of Argentina's electricity. It is one of two such systems in the country, the other being in the Patagonia region.

The utility won't be able to fully restore power to the region until the interconnection system is running normally again, which could take all day, it said.

The three countries experiencing total blackouts are home to a collective 55 million people.

CNN's Amanda Jackson and Tatiana Arias and CNN en Espanol's Esteban Campanella and Daniel Silva Fernandez contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/16/world/power-outage-argentina-uruguay-paraguay/index.html

2019-06-16 16:09:00Z
52780315611794

'Massive failure' leaves Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay with no power, utility says - CNN

Parts of Chile and southern Brazil are experiencing outages as well, said Edesur, the Buenos Aires-based company.

The company later posted an updated statement removing Uruguay and Paraguay from the list of countries that were entirely without electricity, but it isn't clear how many residents in those two countries have had their power restored. Power was only partially restored in Uruguay, the country's energy authority said.

In a statement on its website, Edesur said a "collapse" in its system occurred around 7 a.m. (6 a.m. ET).

Edesur is prioritizing any customer who depends on electricity for health reasons, it said, but because the power outage is so serious, anyone experiencing problems should go to a medical center.

A tweet posted just before 10 a.m. (9 a.m. ET) said the company had begun generating electricity in Buenos Aires and the surrounding area. It said restoring power in greater Buenos Aires would take several hours.

Lucas Rodriguez tweeted a video of the Argentine capital in darkness before dawn, saying he'd never seen anything like it.

"The funny part is that we don't have electricity, but we have internet in our phones," he told CNN.

Edesur had restored service to about 450,000 customers by noon, the company said.

Power was also restored to parts of western Uruguay that border Argentina, and to some regions in the south, including Montevideo, said National Administration of Power Plants and Electrical Transmissions, the country's energy authority.

The cause of the failure is under investigation, said Edesur, which has launched an "emergency operational plan" to deal with the situation.

The Argentine Interconnection System, which experienced the failure, handles the bulk of Argentina's electricity. It is one of two such systems in the country, the other being in the Patagonia region.

The utility won't be able to fully restore power to the region until the interconnection system is running normally again, which could take all day, it said.

The three countries experiencing total blackouts are home to a collective 55 million people.

CNN's Amanda Jackson and Tatiana Arias and CNN en Espanol's Esteban Campanella and Daniel Silva Fernandez contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/16/world/power-outage-argentina-uruguay-paraguay/index.html

2019-06-16 15:33:00Z
52780315611794

Hong Kong's leader apologizes after extradition bill fuels massive protests - Fox News

The embattled leader of Hong Kong apologized over the handling of a controversial extradition bill after hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets Sunday as outrage over the legislation continues to boil over.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam apologized to the people with  “utmost sincerity and humility” after massive crowds jammed the city's streets for a second Sunday in a row in a vehement show of opposition to the legislation that has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing in the former British colony.

"The government understands these views have been made out of love and care for Hong Kong," according to a statement from an unidentified government spokesman.

HONG KONG SUSPENDS CONTROVERSIAL EXTRADITION BILL AFTER THE BIGGEST PROTESTS IN YEARS

Hong Kong residents have been outraged over the proposed extradition bill that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial, with many fearing the bill would threaten civil liberties and an independent judicial system that were promised for 50 years when communist-ruled China took control in 1997.

Tens of thousands of protesters march through the streets as they continue to protest an extradition bill, Sunday, June 16, 2019, in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

"The chief executive admitted deficiencies in the government's work had led to substantial controversies and disputes in society, causing disappointment and grief among the people," a government spokesman said. "The chief executive apologized to the people of Hong Kong for this and pledged to adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public."

Lam, who was chosen by Beijing to be the highest-level local official, suspended her effort to force passage of the bill on Saturday in an attempt to quell protests.

But pro-democracy activists say that's not enough, instead demanding the proposal be withdrawn in addition for calls that Lam step down.

“She should have apologized for not improving people’s livelihood. She should resign,” music teacher Chau Chong told the South China Morning Post. "But sadly, we know that even if she does step down, Beijing will just find another puppet to run Hong Kong.”

Well after dark on Sunday, crowds gathered outside the police headquarters and Lam's office. The crowds filled a wide thoroughfare and side streets paralleling the waterfront of Victoria Harbor as tourists and shoppers who drive much of the Asian financial hub's economy looked on.

Tens of thousands of protesters march through the streets with a banner reading "Hong Kong stand firm" as they continue to protest an extradition bill, Sunday, June 16, 2019, in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

"Our demands are simple. Carrie Lam must leave office, the extradition law must be withdrawn and the police must apologize for using extreme violence against their own people," bank worker John Chow said as he marched with a group of his friends. "And we will continue."

HONG KONG EXTRADITION BILL DEBATE DELAYED AS POLICE REVEAL THEY USED OVER 150 ROUNDS OF TEAR GAS ON PROTESTERS

Protesters have mainly focused their anger on Lam, who had little choice but to carry through dictates issued by Beijing, where President Xi Jinping has enforced increasingly authoritarian rule. There has also been anger over the way police used tear gas, rubber bullets and other forceful measures as demonstrators broke through barricades outside the city government's headquarters in that smaller but more aggressive protest.

The police presence Sunday was considerably more relaxed, with officers deployed mainly to direct traffic as the protesters wound their way through Hong Kong's commercial center from a sprawling downtown park to government headquarters, according to the Associated Press.

Pro-democracy activists were calling for a general strike on Monday despite Lam's decision to suspend work on the legislation. Some labor unions, teachers associations and other groups were planning boycotts of work and classes, demanding the Lam administration retire the proposed amendments and not bring them up again for passage at a later stage.

"We encourage all the public to carry on the campaign," said Bonnie Leung, a leader of the pro-democracy group Civil Human Rights Front. "If any new violence takes place, it will be the responsibility of the police."

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

After Lam announced she was suspending the legislation to avoid more violence and allow additional debate, Chinese government officials issued multiple statements backing that decision. Lam, however, made clear she was not withdrawing it. She has also sidestepped questions over whether she should quit and also defended how the police dealt with last week's clashes with demonstrators.

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam arrives holds a press conference in Hong Kong on Saturday, June 15, 2019. Lam said she will suspend a proposed extradition bill indefinitely in response to widespread public unhappiness over the measure, which would enable authorities to send some suspects to stand trial in mainland courts. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Lam maintains that the extradition legislation is needed if Hong Kong is to uphold justice, meet its international obligations and not become a magnet for fugitives. The proposed bill would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.

"China just wants to turn Hong Kong into another Chinese city," Alex To told the AP. "Carrie Lam is just a figurehead. Everything depends on the attitudes of the leaders in Beijing."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/world/hong-kongs-leader-apologizes-after-extradition-bill-fuels-massive-protests

2019-06-16 15:41:02Z
52780315047681

Pompeo blames Iran for tanker attacks, says US does not want war but will take action if needed - Fox News

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated on Sunday President Trump’s claim that Iran was behind last week’s attacks on oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz and that the United States is ready to take action if necessary.

Pompeo said that Washington does not want to go into an armed conflict with Tehran, but hoped that the threats of force will be enough to draw Iranian leaders to the negotiating table.

“These were attacks by The Islamic Republic of Iran on commercial shipping, on the freedom of navigation, with a clear intent to deny transit through the strait,” Pompeo said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” “There's no doubt. The intelligence community has lots of data, lots of evidence -- the world will come to see much of it.”

Pompeo added: “We don't want war. We've done what we can to deter this. The Iranians should understand very clearly that we will continue to take actions that deter Iran from engaging in this kind of behavior.”

TRUMP NOT 'WORTHY' OF RESPONSE, IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER SAYS AS JAPAN'S ABE TRIES TO EASE TENSIONS

By pointing the finger at Iran, Trump was keeping a public spotlight on an adversary he accuses of terrorism but also has invited to negotiate. The approach is similar to his diplomacy with North Korea, which has quieted talk of war, but not yet achieved his goal of nuclear disarmament. Iran has shown little sign of backing down, creating uncertainty about how far the Trump administration can go with its campaign of increasing pressure through sanctions.

Iran denied any involvement in the attacks and accused Washington of waging an "Iranophobic campaign" of economic warfare.

Trump last year withdrew the United States from an international agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program that was signed in 2015 under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. He has since then re-instated economic sanctions aimed at compelling the Iranians to return to the negotiating table. Last month, the U.S. ended waivers that allowed some countries to continue buying Iranian oil, a move that is starving Iran of oil income and that coincided with what U.S. officials called a surge in intelligence pointing to Iranian preparations for attacks against U.S. forces and interests in the Gulf region.

In response to those intelligence warnings, the U.S. on May 5 announced it was accelerating the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier battle group to the Gulf region. It also sent four nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to Qatar and has beefed up its defenses in the region by deploying more Patriot air defense systems.

IRAN RESPONSIBLE FOR 'BLATANT ASSAULT' ON OIL TANKERS, POMPEO SAYS

Officials said that Pentagon deliberations about possibly sending more military resources to the region, including more Patriot missile batteries, could be accelerated by Thursday's dramatic attack on the oil tankers.

Pompeo called on the international community to ramp up pressure on Iran, but said the U.S. reserves the right to take matters into its own hands to ensure safe passage for ships heading through the Strait of Hormuz.

“What you should assume is that we're going to guarantee freedom of navigation throughout the strait,” he said. “This is an international challenge. This is important to the entire globe. The United States is going to make sure that we take all the actions necessary, diplomatic and otherwise, that achieve that outcome.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

One country that has sided with the U.S. in castling blame on Iran for the attacks is Saudi Arabia, with the Kingdom’s controversial Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman saying in remarks published Sunday that the country will not hesitate to confront threats to its security.

In an interview with the Arabic-language newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, Prince Mohammed said Iran disrespected the visit to Tehran by the Japanese prime minister last week and responded to his diplomatic efforts to reduce regional tensions by attacking the two tankers.

The crown prince, however, offered no evidence to back up his allegation.

"The problem is in Tehran and not anywhere else," Prince Mohammed said. "Iran is always the party that's escalating in the region, carrying out terrorist attacks and criminal attacks either directly or through its militias."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pompeo-cast-blame-on-iran-for-tanker-attacks-says-us-does-not-want-war-but-will-take-action-if-needed

2019-06-16 14:30:59Z
52780314857086

Hundreds rally in Moscow over journalist case - Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Several hundred protesters gathered in Moscow on Sunday in a small, government-authorized rally supporting investigative journalist Ivan Golunov and decrying abuse of power over his five-day arrest this month on drug charges.

People attend a rally organised by Union of Journalists and approved by authorities in support of the investigative journalist Ivan Golunov in Moscow, Russia June 16, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

The 36-year-old reporter, known for exposing corruption among Moscow officials, was freed following an outcry by supporters who said he was framed by corrupt police.

Journalists critical of Russian authorities have led a dangerous existence since the 1990s - sometimes threatened, attacked or even murdered over their work - but Golunov’s case triggered an unusually strong backlash.

An unsanctioned rally on June 12, the day after he was released, led to more than 500 detentions, including opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

But Sunday’s event was given the go-ahead, raising questions over whether President Vladimir Putin’s government was trying to provide a safety valve for public anger.

The rally, called by the Russian Union of Journalists and named “Justice and Fairness to Everyone”, had drawn a few hundred people by early afternoon, a Reuters witness said. State news agency TASS cited police saying around 1,600 were there.

Computer programmer Sergey, 28, said he was attending in the hope the protest would help stop others having drugs planted on them as he believes happened to Golunov. “Someone has to (protest),” he said, noting the small number at the rally.

Other demonstrators drew attention to detentions of regional journalists. “Moscow, Golunov is free. What about the others?” one of the banners read.

Putin fired two police generals over the case on Thursday, and other officers involved have been suspended pending an investigation.

Golunov was invited to Sunday’s event but did not turn up.

Reporting by Polina Ivanova; Writing by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-journalist/hundreds-rally-in-moscow-over-journalist-case-idUSKCN1TH0GA

2019-06-16 13:20:00Z
CBMicGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnJldXRlcnMuY29tL2FydGljbGUvdXMtcnVzc2lhLWpvdXJuYWxpc3QvaHVuZHJlZHMtcmFsbHktaW4tbW9zY293LW92ZXItam91cm5hbGlzdC1jYXNlLWlkVVNLQ04xVEgwR0HSATRodHRwczovL21vYmlsZS5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL2FtcC9pZFVTS0NOMVRIMEdB

Saudi prince vows to confront threats after U.S. blames Iran for tanker attacks - NBC News

Saudi Arabia will not hesitate to confront regional threats, the country's powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said in an interview published days after the U.S. blamed Iran for attacking two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

“The kingdom does not want war in the region, but we will not hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, our sovereignty and our vital interests," Salman told influential pan-Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat.

In the interview published Sunday, the crown prince blamed Saudi Arabia's arch rival Iran and its agents for carrying out “acts of sabotage” to four tankers near the port of Fujairah, including two Saudi carriers, last month.

June 15, 201901:29

The attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz earlier this week stoked fears of a broader conflict in the region. Iran has denied any role in the incidents.

The U.S. alleges Iran used limpet mines to target the tankers. The Japanese owner of the tanker later said it was struck by a flying projectile, contradicting reports by U.S. officials and the military on the source of the blast.

The explosions occurred while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Iran’s capital Tehran trying to help ease rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

"The Iranian regime did not respect the Japanese prime minister's visit to Tehran, and while he was there replied to his efforts by attacking two tankers, one of which was Japanese," Salman told al-Awsat.

Meanwhile, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that Iranian officials will on Monday announce additional steps to reduce the country's commitments under the landmark 2015 nuclear pact, which Washington withdrew from last year.

Salman, who is also defense minister and oversees all major levers of power in the country, said recent events in the region underscore the importance of the kingdom's demands for the international community to take “a firm stand” against Iran.

“The choice is clear to Iran,” the crown prince said in the interview, ratcheting up the rhetoric on Tehran. “Do you want to be a normal state with a constructive role in the international community, or do you want to remain a rogue state?”

Salman’s government is at the head of a coalition involved in a bloody, four-year war with Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen, which has led to one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world.

Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of arming the Houthis, who claimed responsibility for a missile strike on a Saudi airport in the city of Abha that the kingdom said wounded 26 passengers last week. The Houthis also carried out a drone strike last month on a key Saudi oil pipeline.

Salman said Saudi Arabia will continue its operations in Yemen and support its people “in their quest to protect their independence and sovereignty."

The crown prince also touched on other topics, such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, which he called “a very painful crime.”

The death of the Washington Post writer, a longtime Saudi insider who became a critic of Salman, caused international outrage and left the crown prince’s reformist image in tatters. U.S. intelligence services have said it was inconceivable that bin Salman had no connection to the journalist’s killing.

The crown prince told al-Awsat the Kingdom is seeking “full justice and accountability” in Khashoggi’s murder.

Yuliya Talmazan

Yuliya Talmazan is a London-based journalist.

Associated Press contributed.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/saudi-prince-vows-confront-threats-after-u-s-blames-iran-n1017981

2019-06-16 12:58:00Z
52780315656993