US President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail for the first time with presumptive Democratic White House nominee Hillary Clinton next Tuesday in North Carolina, her staff announced. 
 
&quot;In Charlotte, President Obama and Hillary Clinton will discuss building on the progress we&#39;ve made and their vision for an America that is stronger together,&quot; Clinton&#39;s campaign said in a statement. 
 
Their debut joint campaign appearance for the 2016 election had been scheduled for June 15 in the state of Wisconsin, but was postponed due to the massacre in Orlando, Florida - the worst mass shooting in US history. 
 
Obama came out and endorsed Clinton on June 9 after months of assiduously avoiding tipping the scales of the Democratic presidential primaries. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t think there&#39;s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office,&quot; Obama said in a video message that day as he offered his full-throated endorsement of the former secretary of state, senator and first lady. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m with her, I am fired up, and I cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary,&quot; added Obama, who won a brutal, months-long Democratic primary battle against Clinton in 2008. 
 
Their joint appearance comes with US Senator Bernie Sanders refusing to bow out of the race for the Democratic nomination, despite rival Clinton amassing the necessary number of delegates to clinch it outright at next month&#39;s party convention. 
 
Clinton, aiming to make history as the nation&#39;s first female commander in chief, is expected to square off against Republican billionaire businessman Donald Trump in November&#39;s general election. 
 
(AFP)

The two were scheduled to hit the campaign trail together June 15, but delayed because of the Orlando massacre

US President Barack Obama will hit the campaign trail for the first time with presumptive Democratic White House nominee Hillary Clinton next Tuesday in North Carolina, her staff announced. "In Charlotte, President Obama and Hillary Clinton will discuss building on the progress we've made and their vision for an America that is stronger together," Clinton's campaign said in a statement. Their debut joint campaign appearance for the 2016 election had been scheduled for June 15 in the state of Wisconsin, but was postponed due to the massacre in Orlando, Florida - the worst mass shooting in US history. Obama came out and endorsed Clinton on June 9 after months of assiduously avoiding tipping the scales of the Democratic presidential primaries. "I don't think there's ever been someone so qualified to hold this office," Obama said in a video message that day as he offered his full-throated endorsement of the former secretary of state, senator and first lady. "I'm with her, I am fired up, and I cannot wait to get out there and campaign for Hillary," added Obama, who won a brutal, months-long Democratic primary battle against Clinton in 2008. Their joint appearance comes with US Senator Bernie Sanders refusing to bow out of the race for the Democratic nomination, despite rival Clinton amassing the necessary number of delegates to clinch it outright at next month's party convention. Clinton, aiming to make history as the nation's first female commander in chief, is expected to square off against Republican billionaire businessman Donald Trump in November's general election. (AFP)

Obama, Clinton to make first joint campaign stop next week: official

Spain votes again on Sunday, six months after an inconclusive election which saw parties unable to agree on a coalition government.

Here are the key numbers of the election:

4 -- the main candidates standing in the election. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, 61, of the conservative Popular Party (PP) faces three younger challengers, the same ones as in the December election: Socialist Pedro Sanchez, 44, 37-year-old Pablo Iglesias of far-left coalition Unidos Podemos and Albert Rivera, 36, of market-friendly Ciudadanos.

176 -- the number of seats needed to form an absolute majority in Spain&#39;s 350-seat lower house of parliament. Polls indicate no party will win an absolute majority on its own.

Most suggest the PP and its natural ally centre-right Ciudadanos will not win an absolute majority even if they form a coalition, nor will the two leftist parties -- the Socialists and Unidos Podemos.

131 -- the number of lawmakers who voted on March 4 in favour of Sanchez&#39;s attempt to form a centre-left coalition government following the December polls. The remaining 219 lawmakers voted against.

189 -- the number of days between the two elections. During this time Rajoy&#39;s government remained in power in a caretaker capacity with limited powers and could not approve projects that involve new spending. Spain is far from the example set by Belgium which went 541 days without a fully functioning government following the 2010 election -- a European record.

11 -- the number of groupings that make up far-left coalition Unidos Podemos. The main parties are anti-austerity Podemos, an ally of Greece&#39;s ruling Syriza, and Izquierda Unida, the heirs of Spain&#39;s Communist party. The two parties stood separately in the last election.

47 -- the number of seats up for grabs in Spain&#39;s wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia, where a pro-independence movement has gathered pace.

After December polls, 17 elected separatist lawmakers from this region contributed to Spain&#39;s political stalemate by demanding an independence referendum in exchange for their support for a new government -- a demand rejected by three of the four main parties.

5 -- the number of times Spaniards have been called to the polls since 2014. They voted in European Parliament elections in May 2014, regional elections in 15 of Spain&#39;s 17 semi-autonomous regions in 2015, municipal elections in May 2015 and general elections in December -- to be repeated on Sunday.

22.7 -- the percentage of votes lost by the PP and Socialists between polls in 2011 and 2015, as upstarts Podemos and Ciudadanos leapt onto the scene and gnawed away at their support base, putting an end to the country&#39;s two-party dominance.

73.2 -- the voter turnout in the December election. Polls indicate the turnout could drop to between 64.6 per cent and 72 per cent this time round.

36,518,100 -- the number of eligible voters in Sunday&#39;s election -- 7,148 more than in December. 
 
(AFP)

Voters go back to the polls six months after parties were unable to agree on a coalition goverment

Spain votes again on Sunday, six months after an inconclusive election which saw parties unable to agree on a coalition government. Here are the key numbers of the election: 4 -- the main candidates standing in the election. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, 61, of the conservative Popular Party (PP) faces three younger challengers, the same ones as in the December election: Socialist Pedro Sanchez, 44, 37-year-old Pablo Iglesias of far-left coalition Unidos Podemos and Albert Rivera, 36, of market-friendly Ciudadanos. 176 -- the number of seats needed to form an absolute majority in Spain's 350-seat lower house of parliament. Polls indicate no party will win an absolute majority on its own. Most suggest the PP and its natural ally centre-right Ciudadanos will not win an absolute majority even if they form a coalition, nor will the two leftist parties -- the Socialists and Unidos Podemos. 131 -- the number of lawmakers who voted on March 4 in favour of Sanchez's attempt to form a centre-left coalition government following the December polls. The remaining 219 lawmakers voted against. 189 -- the number of days between the two elections. During this time Rajoy's government remained in power in a caretaker capacity with limited powers and could not approve projects that involve new spending. Spain is far from the example set by Belgium which went 541 days without a fully functioning government following the 2010 election -- a European record. 11 -- the number of groupings that make up far-left coalition Unidos Podemos. The main parties are anti-austerity Podemos, an ally of Greece's ruling Syriza, and Izquierda Unida, the heirs of Spain's Communist party. The two parties stood separately in the last election. 47 -- the number of seats up for grabs in Spain's wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia, where a pro-independence movement has gathered pace. After December polls, 17 elected separatist lawmakers from this region contributed to Spain's political stalemate by demanding an independence referendum in exchange for their support for a new government -- a demand rejected by three of the four main parties. 5 -- the number of times Spaniards have been called to the polls since 2014. They voted in European Parliament elections in May 2014, regional elections in 15 of Spain's 17 semi-autonomous regions in 2015, municipal elections in May 2015 and general elections in December -- to be repeated on Sunday. 22.7 -- the percentage of votes lost by the PP and Socialists between polls in 2011 and 2015, as upstarts Podemos and Ciudadanos leapt onto the scene and gnawed away at their support base, putting an end to the country's two-party dominance. 73.2 -- the voter turnout in the December election. Polls indicate the turnout could drop to between 64.6 per cent and 72 per cent this time round. 36,518,100 -- the number of eligible voters in Sunday's election -- 7,148 more than in December. (AFP)

Key facts about Spain's Sunday election

More than two dozen people have signed up to run for Haiti&#39;s presidency, authorities said on Wednesday, including the four leading candidates from an earlier election aborted after a commission found widespread fraud. 
 
Unless registrations rise significantly before a midnight (0400 GMT) deadline, the number of presidential candidates will be about half those who contested the last ballot in Haiti, the hemisphere&#39;s poorest country. 
 
Fewer candidates could make the election due on October 9 easier to organise, with several politicians who ran last time pledging support for Jude Celestin, who came second in the previous ballot. 
 
&quot;This joint effort is a choice for stability and democracy, against corruption and fraudulent election,&quot; Celestin told reporters. 
 
Jovenel Moise, who came first last time, again registered to run, as did Jean-Charles Moise and Maryse Narcisse who came third and fourth last time. 
 
The registration of Moise removes uncertainty over whether his PHTK party would take part in the new election. The party&#39;s position had been that irregularities in the first round were not large enough to alter the outcome and that it would be better to hold a run-off vote between Celestin and Moise, a position supported by Washington and other donors. 
 
&quot;There is no question of abandoning the election process because we believe in democracy, and the only way to access power in a democracy is through election,&quot; &nbsp; said&nbsp;Rudy Heriveaux, a spokesman for Moise&#39;s PHTK party,. 
 
Haiti&#39;s last elected president left office without an elected successor, paving the way for an interim government led by President Jocelerme Privert. He failed to organise elections by May in a timeline set in a multi-party deal, but may end up staying on to organise the next vote. 
 
&quot;We continue to believe that Jocelerme Privert should leave power because his term is over, and he is manipulating the election process in favor of his political family,&quot; Heriveaux said. 
 
&quot;If the election is free, fair and democratic, there is no doubt that Jovenel Moise will win,&quot; he said. 
 
Former presidential candidate, Sauveur Pierre Etienne, who is now supporting Celestin, said he made that choice because he believes Celestin is the best man to lead the country. 
 
&quot;I support Jude Celestin because he showed that he is a man of character,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

Several politicians who ran last time pledge support for Jude Celestin, who came second in the previous ballot

More than two dozen people have signed up to run for Haiti's presidency, authorities said on Wednesday, including the four leading candidates from an earlier election aborted after a commission found widespread fraud. Unless registrations rise significantly before a midnight (0400 GMT) deadline, the number of presidential candidates will be about half those who contested the last ballot in Haiti, the hemisphere's poorest country. Fewer candidates could make the election due on October 9 easier to organise, with several politicians who ran last time pledging support for Jude Celestin, who came second in the previous ballot. "This joint effort is a choice for stability and democracy, against corruption and fraudulent election," Celestin told reporters. Jovenel Moise, who came first last time, again registered to run, as did Jean-Charles Moise and Maryse Narcisse who came third and fourth last time. The registration of Moise removes uncertainty over whether his PHTK party would take part in the new election. The party's position had been that irregularities in the first round were not large enough to alter the outcome and that it would be better to hold a run-off vote between Celestin and Moise, a position supported by Washington and other donors. "There is no question of abandoning the election process because we believe in democracy, and the only way to access power in a democracy is through election," said Rudy Heriveaux, a spokesman for Moise's PHTK party,. Haiti's last elected president left office without an elected successor, paving the way for an interim government led by President Jocelerme Privert. He failed to organise elections by May in a timeline set in a multi-party deal, but may end up staying on to organise the next vote. "We continue to believe that Jocelerme Privert should leave power because his term is over, and he is manipulating the election process in favor of his political family," Heriveaux said. "If the election is free, fair and democratic, there is no doubt that Jovenel Moise will win," he said. Former presidential candidate, Sauveur Pierre Etienne, who is now supporting Celestin, said he made that choice because he believes Celestin is the best man to lead the country. "I support Jude Celestin because he showed that he is a man of character," he said. (Reuters)

More than two dozen register to run for Haiti presidency

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Obama, Clinton to make first joint campaign stop next week: official

Key facts about Spain's Sunday election

More than two dozen register to run for Haiti presidency