Republican presidential candidate Donald&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;has parted ways with his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, the New York Times reported on Monday. 
 
&ldquo;The Donald J.&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign,&rdquo; campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement provided to the newspaper. 
 
Lewandowski, who has been with the New York billionaire since the beginning of his White House bid, was accused of manhandling a female reporter in Florida during the primary campaign. 
(Reuters)

Corey Lewandowski was accused of manhandling a female reporter

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has parted ways with his campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, the New York Times reported on Monday. “The Donald J. Trump Campaign for President, which has set a historic record in the Republican primary having received almost 14 million votes, has today announced that Corey Lewandowski will no longer be working with the campaign,” campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement provided to the newspaper. Lewandowski, who has been with the New York billionaire since the beginning of his White House bid, was accused of manhandling a female reporter in Florida during the primary campaign. (Reuters)

Donald Trump 'sacks' campaign manager : Reports

Just two months after it came to power, the Congress lost its government in the eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday as 43 of its 44 lawmakers led by chief minister Pema Khandu merged with the People&#39;s Party of Arunachal, &nbsp;a regional party owing allegiance to the India&#39;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA).&nbsp; 
 
The Congress government had come to power two months back after Khandu and his group of Congress rebels deserted the PPA to return&nbsp;to the grand old party to form the government. 
 
Khandu, who replaced&nbsp;Nabam Tuki following a dissident campaign in July, paraded &nbsp;the 42 members of legislative assembly (MLA) before assembly speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, Indian news agency PTI reported. The assembly sources said the speaker accepted their joining the PPA. &nbsp; 
 
Khandu had become the chief minister on July 16 following months of political turmoil that unseated Tuki, who himself was reinstated as chief minister by the apex court only two days before. The Supreme Court ruling had overturned BJP government formed by Congress rebels headed by Kalikho Pul, who was forced to resign on July 13.&nbsp; 
 
The merger would be notified in the assembly bulletin, formalising the political development that leaves Congress, one of India&#39;s largest political parties, with governments only in Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram in the northeast. 
 
NEDA convenor and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarmah was quoted as saying that with PPA entering the NEDA, in which the 11-member BJP has considerable influence, &quot;the Khandu government is for all purposes an NDA government (ruling the country).&quot; &nbsp; 
 
Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Congress dubbed the new government in Arunachal as an &quot;illegitimate child of BJP&quot; and &quot;a diabolical design to decimate democracy&quot;. 
 
The Congress had 44 lawmakers in a house of 60. However, following chief minister Kalikho Pul&#39;s death, one seat had fallen vacant. BJP, on the other hand, has 11 members including two independents.&nbsp; 
 
The status of two Congress MLAs is yet to be decided as they put in their papers before the recent series of political developments that led to first Tuki government falling in January this year, imposition of President&#39;s rule and installation of the late Kalikho Pul government on February 19 for a short span, according to PTI.&nbsp; 
 
(WION with inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

The grand old party came to power only two months back after a top court ruling overturned the BJP government formed by Congress rebels

Just two months after it came to power, the Congress lost its government in the eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh on Friday as 43 of its 44 lawmakers led by chief minister Pema Khandu merged with the People's Party of Arunachal, a regional party owing allegiance to the India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). The Congress government had come to power two months back after Khandu and his group of Congress rebels deserted the PPA to return to the grand old party to form the government. Khandu, who replaced Nabam Tuki following a dissident campaign in July, paraded the 42 members of legislative assembly (MLA) before assembly speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, Indian news agency PTI reported. The assembly sources said the speaker accepted their joining the PPA. Khandu had become the chief minister on July 16 following months of political turmoil that unseated Tuki, who himself was reinstated as chief minister by the apex court only two days before. The Supreme Court ruling had overturned BJP government formed by Congress rebels headed by Kalikho Pul, who was forced to resign on July 13. The merger would be notified in the assembly bulletin, formalising the political development that leaves Congress, one of India's largest political parties, with governments only in Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram in the northeast. NEDA convenor and Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarmah was quoted as saying that with PPA entering the NEDA, in which the 11-member BJP has considerable influence, "the Khandu government is for all purposes an NDA government (ruling the country)." Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the Congress dubbed the new government in Arunachal as an "illegitimate child of BJP" and "a diabolical design to decimate democracy". The Congress had 44 lawmakers in a house of 60. However, following chief minister Kalikho Pul's death, one seat had fallen vacant. BJP, on the other hand, has 11 members including two independents. The status of two Congress MLAs is yet to be decided as they put in their papers before the recent series of political developments that led to first Tuki government falling in January this year, imposition of President's rule and installation of the late Kalikho Pul government on February 19 for a short span, according to PTI. (WION with inputs from PTI)

India: Congress loses Arunachal Pradesh yet again, 43 lawmakers including chief minister walk out

For the first time, activists demanding outright independence from Beijing will run for office

Hong Kong goes to the polls today and for the first time the semi-autonomous city will see young independence activists calling for a complete break from China run for office. The election for the Legislative Council is the most important one since 2014, when mass pro-democracy protests, calling for political reforms, got the city to a standstill. The election comes in the midst of increasing concerns in Hong Kong that Beijing is tightening its control over the politics, media and education. This fear has grown ever since five Hong Kong booksellers known for controversial titles about top Beijing politicians disappeared last year only to resurface in detention on the mainland. The disappearance fuelled a “localist” movement which grew out of the failure of the 2014 protests to win concessions on political reform from Beijing and is seeking a greater distance from China. The election comes in the midst of increasing concerns in Hong Kong that Beijing is tightening its control over the politics, media and education. While some young campaigners are demanding an outright independence, there are a few who demand a referendum. The harsher independence activists, slammed by Beijing and Hong Kong authorities for acting illegally by promoting the breakaway, were banned by the government from running in the election, leading to an outrage over political censorship. Polls predict some will win seats and victory for those who are standing would be a massive coup for the movement. But their numbers are still too small and the election is only partially democratic, making it almost impossible for the anti-Beijing camp ever to gain a majority. Forty of the Legislative Council’s 70 members will be directly elected by the public on today and the rest will be chosen by small voting blocs from special interest groups representing businesses and social sectors. Those seats usually go to pro-Beijing candidates. The pro-democracy camp wants to ensure it holds on to enough seats to block important bills, that need to be voted through by a two thirds majority. A loss of four seats would mean losing the veto power. On Saturday, five democrats dropped out of campaigning to consolidate voting behind those candidates with the best chance of winning. (WION with inputs from AFP) ?

Hong Kong prepares for first big vote since 2014 pro-democracy protests

Waseem Akhtar, the mayor elect of Karachi, one of Pakistan&#39;s largest and most populous cities, vowed on Wednesday to run the city from his prison cell after he was detained last month on allegations that he helped militants and criminals.&nbsp; 
 
Akhtar&#39;s Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had &nbsp;swept the local elections in December, but was prevented from taking office because of delays in finalising local council elections in parts of the city. The final voting took place on Wednesday. 
 
He arrived in an armoured police vehicle at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation building to vote in elections that give MQM a secure lead. 
 
&quot;Thank you Karachi, which has gone through this election in such difficult times,&quot; Akhtar said after he voted, according to media reports. 
 
&quot;It will go down in history that such an election has never before taken place in Pakistan.&quot; 
 
Under Pakistan law, politicians can govern from police custody but there is still ambiguity over how Akhtar will run the city from a prison cell. According to media reports, he is not expected to be released before taking his oath, the ceremony for which might take place on August 30. 
 
Media reports also quoted Akhtar&rsquo;s lawyer saying that the new mayor would run Karachi through video link for the whole term of office if necessary. 
 
Akhtar has reportedly said that he would ask the chief minister of Sindh to allow him to open an office in jail and make &quot;new rules&quot; so that people can access him. 
 
MQM has dominated Karachi, which is also Pakistan&rsquo;s richest city, for decades but a paramilitary crackdown since 2013 has chipped away its power base. 
 
A number of MQM members were arrested last year after being accused of murder, torture and racketeering. The party however denies any link to crime and accuses security forces of extra-judicial killing of its members, 
 
Senior Karachi-based members in the &nbsp;MQM pledged this week &nbsp;to reduce the influence of the party&rsquo;s London-based leader, Altaf Hussain, who on Monday urged supporters to attack the office of a TV channel in clashes that left one dead. 
 
(Reuters)

Akhtar was detained last month over allegations of helping militants and is not due to be released before the oath ceremony

Waseem Akhtar, the mayor elect of Karachi, one of Pakistan's largest and most populous cities, vowed on Wednesday to run the city from his prison cell after he was detained last month on allegations that he helped militants and criminals. Akhtar's Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) had swept the local elections in December, but was prevented from taking office because of delays in finalising local council elections in parts of the city. The final voting took place on Wednesday. He arrived in an armoured police vehicle at the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation building to vote in elections that give MQM a secure lead. "Thank you Karachi, which has gone through this election in such difficult times," Akhtar said after he voted, according to media reports. "It will go down in history that such an election has never before taken place in Pakistan." Under Pakistan law, politicians can govern from police custody but there is still ambiguity over how Akhtar will run the city from a prison cell. According to media reports, he is not expected to be released before taking his oath, the ceremony for which might take place on August 30. Media reports also quoted Akhtar’s lawyer saying that the new mayor would run Karachi through video link for the whole term of office if necessary. Akhtar has reportedly said that he would ask the chief minister of Sindh to allow him to open an office in jail and make "new rules" so that people can access him. MQM has dominated Karachi, which is also Pakistan’s richest city, for decades but a paramilitary crackdown since 2013 has chipped away its power base. A number of MQM members were arrested last year after being accused of murder, torture and racketeering. The party however denies any link to crime and accuses security forces of extra-judicial killing of its members, Senior Karachi-based members in the MQM pledged this week to reduce the influence of the party’s London-based leader, Altaf Hussain, who on Monday urged supporters to attack the office of a TV channel in clashes that left one dead. (Reuters)

Karachi mayor-elect: Will run city from prison cell

South Africa&#39;s opposition Democratic Alliance led in three major cities on Thursday as votes were counted in local elections, threatening to deal the biggest electoral blow to the African National Congress (ANC) since the end of apartheid two decades ago. 
 
The ANC, which ended white-minority rule when it swept to power in the country&#39;s first democratic elections in 1994, &nbsp;held a big lead in the national count. 
 
But it was behind the opposition DA in the municipalities that include the cities of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, areas which it has held virtually unopposed since the end of apartheid. 
 
A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could reshape the political playing field ahead of the 2019 national election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma&#39;s rivals within the ANC to challenge him. 
 
The vote comes against the backdrop of increasing anger among voters at high unemployment and a lack of basic services as Africa&#39;s most industrialised country teeters on the edge of a recession, as well as a string of corruption scandals surrounding Zuma. 
 
Many ANC supporters are switching allegiances to the DA, bolstering its attempts to attract black voters and shake off its image of a party that chiefly serves the interests of the minority white community. 
 
With about half of the vote counted in the national count, the ANC held a 52 per cent lead, against 31 per cent for the DA and 9 per cent for the radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. Final results are expected by Friday. 
 
The DA, which last year elected its first black leader Mmusi Maimane, was leading the ANC in Tshwane municipality, home to the capital Pretoria, in Johannesburg and in Nelson Mandela Bay, the area named after the anti-apartheid hero who led the ANC to power and which includes the city of Port Elizabeth. 
 
The DA is expected to maintain its control of Cape Town, the only big city currently not run by the ANC, where it had a large lead over the ruling party. 
 
The DA said it was &quot;buoyant&quot; about the growth in support across the country. &quot;It looks like we are going to be in government in a whole lot of places where we weren&#39;t in government before,&quot; said James Selfe, a senior DA executive. 
 
The ANC said it expected to retain Tshwane municipality but was not so sure about Johannesburg or Nelson Mandela Bay. 
 
Frustration 
 
The DA had 45 per cent of the votes in Tshwane municipality against the ANC&#39;s 40 per cent although only 40 per cent of the votes had been counted. In Johannesburg, the opposition party led with 44 per cent to 40 per cent for the ANC, with 23 per cent of the votes tallied, while in Nelson Mandela Bay it led with 55 per cent versus 35 per cent, with 59 of the votes in. 
 
&quot;It&#39;s becoming increasingly clear that we will be the majority party here,&quot; said the DA&#39;s Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral candidate, Athol Trollip. 
 
&quot;It is not yet clear if we will win an outright majority.&quot; 
 
Opponents say defeat in a region named after the ANC&#39;s liberation hero would be a major embarrassment for the ruling party. 
 
Analysts said it was still too early to call the vote. 
 
&quot;The projections that I give most credence to is that the DA will be the biggest single party in Nelson Mandela Bay but won&rsquo;t get 50 per cent,&quot; 
 
Daryl Glaser, lecturer in political studies department at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg said. &quot;In the case of Tshwane and Johannesburg the ANC will be the biggest party, but very significantly, it will fall below 50 per cent, so we are looking at a major setback for the ANC and we are into an era of coalition politics.&quot; 
 
The DA had 69 per cent of the vote in Cape Town against the ANC&#39;s 22 per cent, with 60 per cent of the votes in. 
 
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which is led by firebrand Julius Malema, Zuma&#39;s one-time protege and former ANC youth leader is participating in only its second election and was running a distant third in the national count. 
 
It is, however, winning some support from voters frustrated about inequality in country where black people make up 80 per cent of the 54 million population, yet most of the economy in terms of ownership of land and companies remains in the hands of white people, who account for about 8 per cent of the population. 
 
Many South Africans who queued up to vote across the country said they were worried about Zuma&#39;s performance and the state of the economy, where one in four in the labour force is unemployed. 
 
Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home. 
 
In December, he rattled investors after changing his finance minister twice in a week, sending the rand plummeting. The currency has since recovered. Zuma has said he would repay some of the funds spent on his home and rejected criticism of his conduct.. 
 
(Reuters)

The voting comes at time when there is an increasing anger among people at high unemployment and a lack of basic services in the country

South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance led in three major cities on Thursday as votes were counted in local elections, threatening to deal the biggest electoral blow to the African National Congress (ANC) since the end of apartheid two decades ago. The ANC, which ended white-minority rule when it swept to power in the country's first democratic elections in 1994, held a big lead in the national count. But it was behind the opposition DA in the municipalities that include the cities of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, areas which it has held virtually unopposed since the end of apartheid. A significant loss of support for the ruling party in these areas could reshape the political playing field ahead of the 2019 national election, and may also embolden President Jacob Zuma's rivals within the ANC to challenge him. The vote comes against the backdrop of increasing anger among voters at high unemployment and a lack of basic services as Africa's most industrialised country teeters on the edge of a recession, as well as a string of corruption scandals surrounding Zuma. Many ANC supporters are switching allegiances to the DA, bolstering its attempts to attract black voters and shake off its image of a party that chiefly serves the interests of the minority white community. With about half of the vote counted in the national count, the ANC held a 52 per cent lead, against 31 per cent for the DA and 9 per cent for the radical left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters. Final results are expected by Friday. The DA, which last year elected its first black leader Mmusi Maimane, was leading the ANC in Tshwane municipality, home to the capital Pretoria, in Johannesburg and in Nelson Mandela Bay, the area named after the anti-apartheid hero who led the ANC to power and which includes the city of Port Elizabeth. The DA is expected to maintain its control of Cape Town, the only big city currently not run by the ANC, where it had a large lead over the ruling party. The DA said it was "buoyant" about the growth in support across the country. "It looks like we are going to be in government in a whole lot of places where we weren't in government before," said James Selfe, a senior DA executive. The ANC said it expected to retain Tshwane municipality but was not so sure about Johannesburg or Nelson Mandela Bay. Frustration The DA had 45 per cent of the votes in Tshwane municipality against the ANC's 40 per cent although only 40 per cent of the votes had been counted. In Johannesburg, the opposition party led with 44 per cent to 40 per cent for the ANC, with 23 per cent of the votes tallied, while in Nelson Mandela Bay it led with 55 per cent versus 35 per cent, with 59 of the votes in. "It's becoming increasingly clear that we will be the majority party here," said the DA's Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral candidate, Athol Trollip. "It is not yet clear if we will win an outright majority." Opponents say defeat in a region named after the ANC's liberation hero would be a major embarrassment for the ruling party. Analysts said it was still too early to call the vote. "The projections that I give most credence to is that the DA will be the biggest single party in Nelson Mandela Bay but won’t get 50 per cent," Daryl Glaser, lecturer in political studies department at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg said. "In the case of Tshwane and Johannesburg the ANC will be the biggest party, but very significantly, it will fall below 50 per cent, so we are looking at a major setback for the ANC and we are into an era of coalition politics." The DA had 69 per cent of the vote in Cape Town against the ANC's 22 per cent, with 60 per cent of the votes in. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which is led by firebrand Julius Malema, Zuma's one-time protege and former ANC youth leader is participating in only its second election and was running a distant third in the national count. It is, however, winning some support from voters frustrated about inequality in country where black people make up 80 per cent of the 54 million population, yet most of the economy in terms of ownership of land and companies remains in the hands of white people, who account for about 8 per cent of the population. Many South Africans who queued up to vote across the country said they were worried about Zuma's performance and the state of the economy, where one in four in the labour force is unemployed. Zuma survived an impeachment vote in April after the Constitutional Court said he breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home. In December, he rattled investors after changing his finance minister twice in a week, sending the rand plummeting. The currency has since recovered. Zuma has said he would repay some of the funds spent on his home and rejected criticism of his conduct.. (Reuters)

South Africa: Opposition takes election lead in major cities

Spain may be forced to hold a third round of elections, acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned on Tuesday after his Socialist rival refused to back his efforts to form a government. 
 
Spain has been without a fully functioning government for more than seven months following two inconclusive polls, leaving it in political limbo in a sensitive economic and political period. But even as parties reiterate the crucial need for a stable government after repeat elections in June, none appear ready as yet to overcome their differences and seal a coalition deal, including Socialist party chief Pedro Sanchez. 
 
&quot;If Mr Sanchez continues to say no, we will go to repeat elections,&quot; Rajoy, whose conservative Popular Party (PP) came first in June polls and who has therefore been tasked by the king to form a coalition or minority government, told reporters. &quot;A country that holds three elections in a year, or one in which its political leaders are incapable of agreeing, will not see its reputation improve,&quot; he said, adding it would be an &quot;absurdity&quot;. 
 
Spain is currently ruled by a caretaker conservative government with limited room for manoeuvre just as it needs to take urgent steps to reduce its deficit, establish a budget for the coming year and address a growing separatist movement in the Catalonia region. 
 
The country&#39;s political paralysis started after elections on December 20 failed to give any party an absolute parliamentary majority, as upstart groupings Ciudadanos and Podemos shook up Spain&#39;s long-established two-party system. 
 
Fed up with years of crisis-sparked austerity and repeated corruption scandals, millions of Spaniards tasked the two upstarts to revitalise the country. But efforts to forge a coalition were unsuccessful as rival parties were unable to overcome their differences, prompting repeat elections in June with a similar result. 
 
Rajoy&#39;s PP, in power since 2011, won the June 26 vote but fell short of an absolute majority, winning 137 seats out of 350. He has since been tasked by the king to form a coalition or minority government, which he will have to push through a parliamentary vote of confidence. 
 
In order to do so, Rajoy will need an absolute majority in the vote. If he fails, a second vote will be held in which he would only need a simple majority. 
 
But Sanchez, whose Socialist party came second in June elections and whose 85 seats would give any Rajoy-led government proposal a significant boost in a parliamentary vote refuses to back him. &quot;We are not going to back something we want to change... the left will not back the right,&quot; Sanchez told reporters after meeting the acting prime minister. &nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
However, he appeared to leave the door open for the possibility that the Socialists would abstain in a vote of confidence, saying that the party&#39;s leadership committee would have the ultimate say in whether the grouping changes its posture or not. 
 
Several high-ranking members of the Socialist party, including former prime minister Felipe Gonzalez, have pushed for an abstention to let a minority government led by Rajoy through, and thus end the political paralysis. And a high-ranking Socialist party source, who refuses to be named, has said an abstention in the second parliamentary vote is the most likely scenario. 
 
Rajoy is also due to meet Albert Rivera, the chief of centre-right upstart Ciudadanos, on Wednesday as his search for support continues.&nbsp;Rivera has said his party would be willing to abstain in the vote of confidence, but with just 32 seats, that would not be enough to push Rajoy&#39;s government proposal through. 
 
(AFP)

The country has been without a fully functional government for more than seven months following two inconclusive polls

Spain may be forced to hold a third round of elections, acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned on Tuesday after his Socialist rival refused to back his efforts to form a government. Spain has been without a fully functioning government for more than seven months following two inconclusive polls, leaving it in political limbo in a sensitive economic and political period. But even as parties reiterate the crucial need for a stable government after repeat elections in June, none appear ready as yet to overcome their differences and seal a coalition deal, including Socialist party chief Pedro Sanchez. "If Mr Sanchez continues to say no, we will go to repeat elections," Rajoy, whose conservative Popular Party (PP) came first in June polls and who has therefore been tasked by the king to form a coalition or minority government, told reporters. "A country that holds three elections in a year, or one in which its political leaders are incapable of agreeing, will not see its reputation improve," he said, adding it would be an "absurdity". Spain is currently ruled by a caretaker conservative government with limited room for manoeuvre just as it needs to take urgent steps to reduce its deficit, establish a budget for the coming year and address a growing separatist movement in the Catalonia region. The country's political paralysis started after elections on December 20 failed to give any party an absolute parliamentary majority, as upstart groupings Ciudadanos and Podemos shook up Spain's long-established two-party system. Fed up with years of crisis-sparked austerity and repeated corruption scandals, millions of Spaniards tasked the two upstarts to revitalise the country. But efforts to forge a coalition were unsuccessful as rival parties were unable to overcome their differences, prompting repeat elections in June with a similar result. Rajoy's PP, in power since 2011, won the June 26 vote but fell short of an absolute majority, winning 137 seats out of 350. He has since been tasked by the king to form a coalition or minority government, which he will have to push through a parliamentary vote of confidence. In order to do so, Rajoy will need an absolute majority in the vote. If he fails, a second vote will be held in which he would only need a simple majority. But Sanchez, whose Socialist party came second in June elections and whose 85 seats would give any Rajoy-led government proposal a significant boost in a parliamentary vote refuses to back him. "We are not going to back something we want to change... the left will not back the right," Sanchez told reporters after meeting the acting prime minister. However, he appeared to leave the door open for the possibility that the Socialists would abstain in a vote of confidence, saying that the party's leadership committee would have the ultimate say in whether the grouping changes its posture or not. Several high-ranking members of the Socialist party, including former prime minister Felipe Gonzalez, have pushed for an abstention to let a minority government led by Rajoy through, and thus end the political paralysis. And a high-ranking Socialist party source, who refuses to be named, has said an abstention in the second parliamentary vote is the most likely scenario. Rajoy is also due to meet Albert Rivera, the chief of centre-right upstart Ciudadanos, on Wednesday as his search for support continues. Rivera has said his party would be willing to abstain in the vote of confidence, but with just 32 seats, that would not be enough to push Rajoy's government proposal through. (AFP)

Spain PM warns third round of elections possible as deadlock continues

The leader of Nepal&#39;s Maoist party appeared certain to be the next prime minister after the deadline for nominations expired on Tuesday with only his name on the ballot. 
 
Lawmakers in the Himalayan nation are due to elect a new prime minister on Wednesday after KP Sharma Oli resigned last week, minutes before facing a no-confidence motion in parliament. 
 
&quot;We have only received the nomination of Pushpa Kamal Dahal for the prime minister&#39;s post,&quot; deputy parliament spokesman Sudarshan Kuinkel told AFP, referring to the Maoist party leader. Dahal, better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda or &quot;the fierce one&quot;, led a decade-long Maoist insurgency before transforming the rebel movement into a political party after a 2006 peace deal. 
 
He has served as prime minister once before, after the Maoists won elections in 2009, but only lasted nine months in office before resigning.&nbsp;The party lost ground in the last elections in 2013 and is now only the third-biggest force in parliament. But neither of the two larger parties have enough seats to govern alone. 
 
Dahal secured the backing of the largest party, the Nepali Congress, after pulling out of Oli&#39;s coalition three weeks ago. If elected, Dahal faces the twin challenges of rebuilding the country after a devastating earthquake and resolving simmering unrest over a divisive new constitution adopted last September. 
 
Oli faced fierce criticism over his handling of protests against the charter, which triggered a months-long border blockade by demonstrators from the Madhesi ethnic minority. 
 
More than 50 people died in clashes between police and protesters, who say the constitution has left them marginalised. The new charter, the first drawn up by elected representatives, was meant to bolster Nepal&#39;s transformation to a democratic republic after decades of political instability. 
 
But continuing discussions between the government and protesters over the constitution, particularly over the rights of marginalised communities, have failed to yield an&nbsp;agreement. 
 
(AFP)

He has served as prime minister once before, after the Maoists won elections in 2009, but resigned after nine months in office

The leader of Nepal's Maoist party appeared certain to be the next prime minister after the deadline for nominations expired on Tuesday with only his name on the ballot. Lawmakers in the Himalayan nation are due to elect a new prime minister on Wednesday after KP Sharma Oli resigned last week, minutes before facing a no-confidence motion in parliament. "We have only received the nomination of Pushpa Kamal Dahal for the prime minister's post," deputy parliament spokesman Sudarshan Kuinkel told AFP, referring to the Maoist party leader. Dahal, better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda or "the fierce one", led a decade-long Maoist insurgency before transforming the rebel movement into a political party after a 2006 peace deal. He has served as prime minister once before, after the Maoists won elections in 2009, but only lasted nine months in office before resigning. The party lost ground in the last elections in 2013 and is now only the third-biggest force in parliament. But neither of the two larger parties have enough seats to govern alone. Dahal secured the backing of the largest party, the Nepali Congress, after pulling out of Oli's coalition three weeks ago. If elected, Dahal faces the twin challenges of rebuilding the country after a devastating earthquake and resolving simmering unrest over a divisive new constitution adopted last September. Oli faced fierce criticism over his handling of protests against the charter, which triggered a months-long border blockade by demonstrators from the Madhesi ethnic minority. More than 50 people died in clashes between police and protesters, who say the constitution has left them marginalised. The new charter, the first drawn up by elected representatives, was meant to bolster Nepal's transformation to a democratic republic after decades of political instability. But continuing discussions between the government and protesters over the constitution, particularly over the rights of marginalised communities, have failed to yield an agreement. (AFP)

Nepal's Maoist leader, Prachanda, set to become next prime minister

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif&#39;s party has swept polls in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, local media reported on Friday. 
 
&quot;The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has swept the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections and is all set to form a government in the Valley, unconfirmed reports received from the 41 constituencies of the self-governing administrative division indicate,&quot; reported Pakistan Today.&nbsp; 
 
The daily newspaper said that according to unofficial results, the PML-N had bagged 32 seats, while the Muslim Conference three.&nbsp;&quot;Both the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf)&nbsp;and PPP &nbsp;(Pakistan Peoples Party) managed to secure two seats each.&nbsp;One seat was won by an independent candidate.&quot;

Forty-one AJK or Pakistan-controlled Kashmir&nbsp;constituencies went to polls with 423 candidates contesting for the seats.&nbsp;

&quot;Twenty-nine&nbsp;seats were meant for all 10 districts of the AJK and 12 for Pakistan-based refugees from Azad Jammu and Kashmir&quot;. 
 
Pakistan Today said that according to the AJK Election Commission, there were 2,674,586 registered voters in all 10 districts&nbsp;and out of the 44 registered political parties in AJK, a strong standoff was&nbsp;between candidates of the PML-N, PTI and PPP. 
 
(WION)

The twenty-nine seats were meant for all 10 districts of the area and 12 for Pakistan-based refugees from the region

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party has swept polls in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, local media reported on Friday. "The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has swept the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly elections and is all set to form a government in the Valley, unconfirmed reports received from the 41 constituencies of the self-governing administrative division indicate," reported Pakistan Today. The daily newspaper said that according to unofficial results, the PML-N had bagged 32 seats, while the Muslim Conference three. "Both the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) and PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party) managed to secure two seats each. One seat was won by an independent candidate." Forty-one AJK or Pakistan-controlled Kashmir constituencies went to polls with 423 candidates contesting for the seats. "Twenty-nine seats were meant for all 10 districts of the AJK and 12 for Pakistan-based refugees from Azad Jammu and Kashmir". Pakistan Today said that according to the AJK Election Commission, there were 2,674,586 registered voters in all 10 districts and out of the 44 registered political parties in AJK, a strong standoff was between candidates of the PML-N, PTI and PPP. (WION)

PM Sharif's party sweeps poll in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, say local media reports

Australians have elected a divided parliament stacked with fractious independents and minor parties but the nation&#39;s weary political leaders are united on at least one front: the need for electronic voting. 
 
Counting in Australia&#39;s July 2 election dragged into its 10th day on Tuesday, drawing unfavourable comparisons with Japan, Iceland and Spain, where recent elections were all decided in less than a day. 
 
Britons took just seven hours to calculate their contentious Brexit vote to leave the European Union last month. 
 
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition leader Bill Shorten have backed e-voting as a solution to Australia&#39;s snail-paced count, although experts warn of security issues and others bemoan the potential loss of typically Australian election day quirks like the &quot;sausage sizzle&quot;. 
 
Shorten said on Sunday, after already more than a week of hand-counting of ballot papers, that it shouldn&#39;t take &quot;a grown-up democracy&quot; so long to figure out who has won. 
 
Counting in Australia, where voting is compulsory, is usually resolved on the same evening that Australia&#39;s 15 million voters cast their ballots. 
 
But a tight election this year and a close-run poll in 2010 demonstrate how polls can drag on for weeks before final results are declared, with electoral officials recounting by hand as they painstakingly pore over slender margins and wait for postal ballots to arrive. 
 
By comparison, more than 45 million votes were cast in Japan on Sunday and more than 33 million were cast in the Brexit referendum. Both polls produced results within hours. 
 
E-voting could solve Australia&#39;s quandary by delivering an instant, computer-counted result, but experts warn the risks might outweigh the benefits. 
 
Electronic voting is currently available to vision-impaired voters via an automated telephone system. It has also been trialled at state polls. In a 2015 trial in New South Wales, Australia&#39;s most populous state, internet security experts found the process vulnerable to hacking. 
 
&quot;Security issues around electronic voting are not solved. Software errors and security problems could potentially impact the election result,&quot; said Vanessa Teague, a lecturer in computer and information systems at University of Melbourne. 
 
(Reuters)

E-voting is available for vision-impaired voters, though in a 2015 trial in New South Wales, experts found the process vulnerable to hacking

Australians have elected a divided parliament stacked with fractious independents and minor parties but the nation's weary political leaders are united on at least one front: the need for electronic voting. Counting in Australia's July 2 election dragged into its 10th day on Tuesday, drawing unfavourable comparisons with Japan, Iceland and Spain, where recent elections were all decided in less than a day. Britons took just seven hours to calculate their contentious Brexit vote to leave the European Union last month. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition leader Bill Shorten have backed e-voting as a solution to Australia's snail-paced count, although experts warn of security issues and others bemoan the potential loss of typically Australian election day quirks like the "sausage sizzle". Shorten said on Sunday, after already more than a week of hand-counting of ballot papers, that it shouldn't take "a grown-up democracy" so long to figure out who has won. Counting in Australia, where voting is compulsory, is usually resolved on the same evening that Australia's 15 million voters cast their ballots. But a tight election this year and a close-run poll in 2010 demonstrate how polls can drag on for weeks before final results are declared, with electoral officials recounting by hand as they painstakingly pore over slender margins and wait for postal ballots to arrive. By comparison, more than 45 million votes were cast in Japan on Sunday and more than 33 million were cast in the Brexit referendum. Both polls produced results within hours. E-voting could solve Australia's quandary by delivering an instant, computer-counted result, but experts warn the risks might outweigh the benefits. Electronic voting is currently available to vision-impaired voters via an automated telephone system. It has also been trialled at state polls. In a 2015 trial in New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, internet security experts found the process vulnerable to hacking. "Security issues around electronic voting are not solved. Software errors and security problems could potentially impact the election result," said Vanessa Teague, a lecturer in computer and information systems at University of Melbourne. (Reuters)

In rare consensus, Australian MPs call for e-voting as poll count drags into 10th day

Australia&#39;s opposition Labour Party conceded defeat in the federal election today, clearing the way for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to retain power. 
 
Counting of votes in the marathon election continues, but Bill Shorten, the leader of the Labour Party, said the ruling coalition government led by Turnbull would gain enough seats to hold on to power. 
 
&quot;It is clear that Mr Turnbull and his coalition will form a government,&quot; Shorten told a news conference in Melbourne. &quot;Whether it is a minority government or majority government with one or two seats, it is clear they will form the government.&quot; 
 
The coalition has won 74 seats in Parliament. With vote counting continuing into an eighth day, it is expected to win at least two of the five seats that remain in doubt, giving Turnbull the support needed to form a majority government. 
 
Although Turnbull is expected to form a majority government, he is likely to be forced to depend on several independent members to get legislation through the lower house, raising questions about the long-term functioning of his government. 
 
Labour vowed not to unduly disrupt the new Parliament, however. 
 
&quot;Australians have made it clear, with the representatives they have selected, that they expect us to work together,&quot; said Shorten. &quot;I pledge, and I have indicated to Mr Turnbull, that where there is common ground, we work very hard to accomplish it.&quot; 
 
(Reuters) 
 
&nbsp;

The counting of votes continues but party leader says the ruling coalition will gain enough seats to hold on to power

Australia's opposition Labour Party conceded defeat in the federal election today, clearing the way for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to retain power. Counting of votes in the marathon election continues, but Bill Shorten, the leader of the Labour Party, said the ruling coalition government led by Turnbull would gain enough seats to hold on to power. "It is clear that Mr Turnbull and his coalition will form a government," Shorten told a news conference in Melbourne. "Whether it is a minority government or majority government with one or two seats, it is clear they will form the government." The coalition has won 74 seats in Parliament. With vote counting continuing into an eighth day, it is expected to win at least two of the five seats that remain in doubt, giving Turnbull the support needed to form a majority government. Although Turnbull is expected to form a majority government, he is likely to be forced to depend on several independent members to get legislation through the lower house, raising questions about the long-term functioning of his government. Labour vowed not to unduly disrupt the new Parliament, however. "Australians have made it clear, with the representatives they have selected, that they expect us to work together," said Shorten. "I pledge, and I have indicated to Mr Turnbull, that where there is common ground, we work very hard to accomplish it." (Reuters)

Australia's opposition Labour Party concedes defeat in national poll

Voting to elect a new government on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru began on Saturday, with international observers invited to monitor the polls for the first time in more than a decade after criticism over human rights in the world&#39;s smallest republic.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights last year urged Nauru to take action to improve its standing in a range of areas including freedom of expression, the independence of the judiciary and crackdowns on media access.

Nauru&#39;s government rejected the majority of the UN&nbsp;criticism.

There were 67 candidates vying for support from just under 8,000 registered voters for the 19 seats in parliament in Nauru, which lies about 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles) northeast of Australia.

The island also hosts a controversial detention centre housing asylum seekers on behalf of Australia,&nbsp;its biggest foreign aid contributor. Under Australian law, anyone intercepted trying to reach the country by boat is sent for processing offshore.

The detention centre houses about 500 people and has been widely criticized by the United Nations and human rights agencies for harsh conditions and reports of systemic child abuse. 
 
Many staying there have self-harmed.&nbsp;Political instability has plagued Nauru, with reports of frequent government crackdown&#39;s on dissent.

The election is being monitored by international observers for the first time in 12 years including a team from The Commonwealth led by the former president of Kiribati Anote Tong, the government of Nauru said.

&quot;The success of these elections will depend on every individual playing their part to ensure the process is inclusive, transparent and peaceful,&quot; Tong said in a statement.

The Commonwealth observer team is expected to issue a report on the credibility of the elections before July 13.

(Reuters)

An international monitor will oversee elections in Nauru, known its widely-criticized detention centre for asylum seeke

Voting to elect a new government on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru began on Saturday, with international observers invited to monitor the polls for the first time in more than a decade after criticism over human rights in the world's smallest republic. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights last year urged Nauru to take action to improve its standing in a range of areas including freedom of expression, the independence of the judiciary and crackdowns on media access. Nauru's government rejected the majority of the UN criticism. There were 67 candidates vying for support from just under 8,000 registered voters for the 19 seats in parliament in Nauru, which lies about 3,000 kilometres (1,800 miles) northeast of Australia. The island also hosts a controversial detention centre housing asylum seekers on behalf of Australia, its biggest foreign aid contributor. Under Australian law, anyone intercepted trying to reach the country by boat is sent for processing offshore. The detention centre houses about 500 people and has been widely criticized by the United Nations and human rights agencies for harsh conditions and reports of systemic child abuse. Many staying there have self-harmed. Political instability has plagued Nauru, with reports of frequent government crackdown's on dissent. The election is being monitored by international observers for the first time in 12 years including a team from The Commonwealth led by the former president of Kiribati Anote Tong, the government of Nauru said. "The success of these elections will depend on every individual playing their part to ensure the process is inclusive, transparent and peaceful," Tong said in a statement. The Commonwealth observer team is expected to issue a report on the credibility of the elections before July 13. (Reuters)

Tiny Pacific island of Nauru goes to polls

Economists on Monday warned that a hung parliament may risk Australia&#39;s coveted AAA credit rating with the inconclusive result of weekend elections seen as bad news for the economy and investment markets. 
 
A final outcome from the polls won&#39;t be known for days, if not weeks, with millions of postal and absentee votes still to be processed, which could prove crucial in a race too close to call. 
 
It adds to the global trend of rising political uncertainty, amid concern about Donald Trump&#39;s run for the White House and Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union (EU). 
 
Despite this, markets were undeterred with the benchmark ASX/200 only marginally lower at 5,235.4 in morning trade while the Aussie dollar being down by 0.4 per cent at 74.66 US cents. 
 
So far Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull&#39;s Liberal/National coalition and the Labor opposition both have 67 seats, the Greens one and independents four, according to results from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 
 
That leaves 11 seats to be decided with 76 needed to rule outright in the 150-seat House of Representatives, raising the prospect of a second hung parliament in three years, where neither side can form a majority government. 
 
Instead, support would be needed from the often obstructionist minor lawmakers. A similar scenario is forecasted for the upper house Senate, which does not bode well for getting legislation passed, potentially causing policy gridlock. 
 
Economists said this could stymie efforts to rein in debt and deficits, undermining business and consumer confidence with repercussions for the economy. 
 
&quot;Even if the coalition does win government it won&#39;t have control of the Senate with the balance of power remaining with the Greens and minority parties which will act as a huge constraint on the government,&quot; said AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver. 
 
&quot;The end result will be poor prospects for getting government spending and the budget deficit under control over the next three years and for the coalition implementing its policy to cut corporate taxes let alone undertaking serious productivity enhancing economic reforms.&quot; 
 
Australia is one of only a handful of nations to hold the top AAA credit rating from all three major agencies, having dodged recession during the global financial crisis. 
 
They are yet to pass judgement on the weekend polls but Oliver said political uncertainty never boded well. 
 
&quot;Whoever wins it means that the risk of a sovereign credit rating downgrade has increased further,&quot; he said, in a view echoed by leading independent economist Saul Eslake. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t know whether any of them will formally downgrade Australia&#39;s rating, or put Australia on a &#39;negative watch&#39;, but I wouldn&#39;t be surprised if at least one of them does,&quot; he told the Australian Financial Review. 
 
A downgrade would mirror what happened in Britain in the days after its decision to exit the EU, due to the economic uncertainties. 
 
Generally, losing a AAA rating means the nation would be forced to pay higher interest on its debt. 
 
TD Securities analyst Annette Beacher said hung parliaments had never historically been conducive to good governance and policy reform and &quot;the risk of losing AAA/stable is not insignificant&quot;. 
 
&quot;There is a significant probability that Australia experiences another three years of fiscal policy paralysis,&quot; she said, adding that it would leave the Reserve Bank of Australia &quot;as the only public authority with tools to manage the business cycle&quot;. 
 
The central bank holds its monthly board meeting on Tuesday. With rates already at a historic low of 1.75 per cent, most economists do not expect it to intervene again just yet. 
 
But they see a possibility of a cut to 1.5 per cent in August should official inflation figures continue to point to benign price pressures, a sign of a flagging economy. 
 
(AFP)

Australia is one of the only nations to hold top AAA credit rating, having dodged recession during the global financial crisis

Economists on Monday warned that a hung parliament may risk Australia's coveted AAA credit rating with the inconclusive result of weekend elections seen as bad news for the economy and investment markets. A final outcome from the polls won't be known for days, if not weeks, with millions of postal and absentee votes still to be processed, which could prove crucial in a race too close to call. It adds to the global trend of rising political uncertainty, amid concern about Donald Trump's run for the White House and Britain's vote to leave the European Union (EU). Despite this, markets were undeterred with the benchmark ASX/200 only marginally lower at 5,235.4 in morning trade while the Aussie dollar being down by 0.4 per cent at 74.66 US cents. So far Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Liberal/National coalition and the Labor opposition both have 67 seats, the Greens one and independents four, according to results from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. That leaves 11 seats to be decided with 76 needed to rule outright in the 150-seat House of Representatives, raising the prospect of a second hung parliament in three years, where neither side can form a majority government. Instead, support would be needed from the often obstructionist minor lawmakers. A similar scenario is forecasted for the upper house Senate, which does not bode well for getting legislation passed, potentially causing policy gridlock. Economists said this could stymie efforts to rein in debt and deficits, undermining business and consumer confidence with repercussions for the economy. "Even if the coalition does win government it won't have control of the Senate with the balance of power remaining with the Greens and minority parties which will act as a huge constraint on the government," said AMP Capital chief economist Shane Oliver. "The end result will be poor prospects for getting government spending and the budget deficit under control over the next three years and for the coalition implementing its policy to cut corporate taxes let alone undertaking serious productivity enhancing economic reforms." Australia is one of only a handful of nations to hold the top AAA credit rating from all three major agencies, having dodged recession during the global financial crisis. They are yet to pass judgement on the weekend polls but Oliver said political uncertainty never boded well. "Whoever wins it means that the risk of a sovereign credit rating downgrade has increased further," he said, in a view echoed by leading independent economist Saul Eslake. "I don't know whether any of them will formally downgrade Australia's rating, or put Australia on a 'negative watch', but I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them does," he told the Australian Financial Review. A downgrade would mirror what happened in Britain in the days after its decision to exit the EU, due to the economic uncertainties. Generally, losing a AAA rating means the nation would be forced to pay higher interest on its debt. TD Securities analyst Annette Beacher said hung parliaments had never historically been conducive to good governance and policy reform and "the risk of losing AAA/stable is not insignificant". "There is a significant probability that Australia experiences another three years of fiscal policy paralysis," she said, adding that it would leave the Reserve Bank of Australia "as the only public authority with tools to manage the business cycle". The central bank holds its monthly board meeting on Tuesday. With rates already at a historic low of 1.75 per cent, most economists do not expect it to intervene again just yet. But they see a possibility of a cut to 1.5 per cent in August should official inflation figures continue to point to benign price pressures, a sign of a flagging economy. (AFP)

Australia may risk its AAA credit rating over possible hung Parliament

Hopes for democracy in the Chinese village of Wukan, where an uprising against corruption five years ago gained global notice and led to direct village-wide elections, have all but evaporated, with protest leaders either in detention, in exile, facing arrest or quitting their posts. 
 
Villagers have been marching in protest every day since the middle of June in a fresh flare-up of unrest, but the so-called &quot;Wukan model&quot; whereby authorities seemingly take a more tolerant approach towards unrest by kicking out corrupt officials and allowing a free vote, appears to have been a one-off. 
 
Wukan is about a four-hour drive northeast of Hong Kong, where a 79-day &quot;umbrella revolution&quot; in late 2014 demanding Beijing allow full democracy, brought chaos to the streets. 
 
This time the turmoil in Wukan focused on the arrest by local authorities of elected leader Lin Zuluan, one of the last of the 2011 protest leaders to remain in office, for bribery after he urged demonstrations against new land grabs and graft. 
 
&quot;The corrupt are very proficient in deceiving the people,&quot; the 72-year-old Lin wrote in a signed letter to the village dated March 2, adding that the seized land had been &quot;raped by power, money and gangsters&quot;. 
 
In 2011, rampaging villagers ransacked the Wukan police station and government offices before barricading themselves against riot police for months. This time, the villagers have held thousand-strong protests for 12 straight days in sweltering summer heat, watched by riot police, with no sign of stopping. 
 
&#39;Couldn&#39;t bear it anymore&#39; 
 
Lin had become increasingly dismayed with authorities stonewalling attempts to reclaim plots of land knotted up in dodgy deals and for brokering fresh deals behind his back, relatives said. 
 
Lin &quot;couldn&#39;t bear it anymore,&quot; said one of his relatives who declined to be identified. &quot;The Lufeng (city) government sold this land, a new piece of land, without telling anyone.&quot; 
 
Officially stamped documents provided by people close to Lin and reviewed by Reuters give substance to his increasing frustrations. 
 
In December, Lin wrote several letters to a developer, Hua Hui Real Estate, that he said had acquired a 110,000sqmt plot in Wukan without Lin&#39;s knowledge or the approval of the Wukan village committee that oversees land use and is the main administrator of the village. Lin is the committee head. 
 
The committee had demanded the company give evidence of the land deal and provide a detailed survey map of the &#39;Long Hu Bay&#39; area it planned to develop, according to a letter dated December 28.&nbsp; 
 
The company replied to the committee three days later that it had acted &quot;in accordance with law and procedures&quot;, but declined to provide any documents, directing further inquiries to the &quot;relevant government departments&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
After repeated correspondence over several months, there was still no clarification. The company also declined to clarify details of the land deal to Reuters.&nbsp; 
 
The Lufeng government that oversees Wukan said in a written reply to Reuters that Long Hu Bay was &quot;state-owned land which does not belong to the villagers&quot; and that Hua Hui had now halted construction given Wukan&#39;s objections. It added that it had been actively helping resolve Wukan&#39;s land issues with 646 acres of land having been handed back since 2011, but 1,221 acres are still being contested between Wukan and 7 nearby villages. 
 
Midnight raid 
 
A few days after his call for new protests, on June 18, Lin was arrested by officers who stormed his walled compound after midnight and bundled him away, pushing his elderly wife, Yang Zhen, to the ground as she tried to intervene, she told Reuters. 
 
Lin&#39;s 22-year-old grandson was detained less than 48 hours later in another late night raid and interrogated for 12 hours straight. A confession by Lin admitting taking large bribes was aired on state television on the morning of June 21, and the grandson was released hours later. 
 
&quot;When they captured me, they were very excited,&quot; said the grandson, Lin Liyi. &quot;I think they used me to pressure my grandfather&quot; to make a confession. 
 
Reuters was unable to contact Lin, and it wasn&#39;t clear whether Lin has legal representation after two lawyers who were hired by his family were barred by authorities from taking on his case. 
 
&quot;The intervention violates the rule of law,&quot; one of the lawyers, Ge Yongxi, told Reuters by phone. &quot;They obstructed a lawyer&#39;s daily business and abused Lin&#39;s human rights.&quot; 
 
Lin&#39;s arrest was the latest move on the core group of Wukan protest leaders from 2011. Lin remains in police custody and investigations continue into allegations that he took bribes of up to 600,000 yuan ($90,200) for land deals and public works projects, according to the official China Daily newspaper. 
 
In 2014, two former deputy village chiefs, Yang Semao and Hong Ruichao, were jailed for two and four years respectively for bribery, around the time of another village election. Those who knew the men, including Hong&#39;s father, Hong Tianbin, said they were framed. Chinese authorities say they took bribes linked to public work projects. 
 
Another leader, Zhuang Liehong, fled China and sought asylum in the United States, fearing for his safety amid what he told Reuters was &quot;political persecution&quot;. Two others quit, while Sun Wenliang, a former accountant, has an arrest warrant on his head, village sources said. 
 
The Lufeng government said in its statement to Reuters that it &quot;has not discovered any situation of unfair suppression or punishment&quot; of Wukan&#39;s protest leaders, or of undermining village rights and interests.&nbsp; 
 
Hundreds of riot police were sent to the village when the protests started but there has been no crackdown. There are, however, signs of authorities tightening their grip.&nbsp; 
 
Some reporters in Wukan said they were accused of inciting unrest and told to leave, which they did, while three other sources said authorities had been aggressively going after potential ringleaders to quash any escalation. 
 
Few have dared lead from the front this time round. 
 
&quot;Everyone can see the old leaders were all caught and are afraid,&quot; Lin&#39;s grandson told Reuters. 
 
(Reuters)

Five years after an anti-corruption movement led to village-wide elections, the revolt lost its leaders to detention or exile

Hopes for democracy in the Chinese village of Wukan, where an uprising against corruption five years ago gained global notice and led to direct village-wide elections, have all but evaporated, with protest leaders either in detention, in exile, facing arrest or quitting their posts. Villagers have been marching in protest every day since the middle of June in a fresh flare-up of unrest, but the so-called "Wukan model" whereby authorities seemingly take a more tolerant approach towards unrest by kicking out corrupt officials and allowing a free vote, appears to have been a one-off. Wukan is about a four-hour drive northeast of Hong Kong, where a 79-day "umbrella revolution" in late 2014 demanding Beijing allow full democracy, brought chaos to the streets. This time the turmoil in Wukan focused on the arrest by local authorities of elected leader Lin Zuluan, one of the last of the 2011 protest leaders to remain in office, for bribery after he urged demonstrations against new land grabs and graft. "The corrupt are very proficient in deceiving the people," the 72-year-old Lin wrote in a signed letter to the village dated March 2, adding that the seized land had been "raped by power, money and gangsters". In 2011, rampaging villagers ransacked the Wukan police station and government offices before barricading themselves against riot police for months. This time, the villagers have held thousand-strong protests for 12 straight days in sweltering summer heat, watched by riot police, with no sign of stopping. 'Couldn't bear it anymore' Lin had become increasingly dismayed with authorities stonewalling attempts to reclaim plots of land knotted up in dodgy deals and for brokering fresh deals behind his back, relatives said. Lin "couldn't bear it anymore," said one of his relatives who declined to be identified. "The Lufeng (city) government sold this land, a new piece of land, without telling anyone." Officially stamped documents provided by people close to Lin and reviewed by Reuters give substance to his increasing frustrations. In December, Lin wrote several letters to a developer, Hua Hui Real Estate, that he said had acquired a 110,000sqmt plot in Wukan without Lin's knowledge or the approval of the Wukan village committee that oversees land use and is the main administrator of the village. Lin is the committee head. The committee had demanded the company give evidence of the land deal and provide a detailed survey map of the 'Long Hu Bay' area it planned to develop, according to a letter dated December 28. The company replied to the committee three days later that it had acted "in accordance with law and procedures", but declined to provide any documents, directing further inquiries to the "relevant government departments". After repeated correspondence over several months, there was still no clarification. The company also declined to clarify details of the land deal to Reuters. The Lufeng government that oversees Wukan said in a written reply to Reuters that Long Hu Bay was "state-owned land which does not belong to the villagers" and that Hua Hui had now halted construction given Wukan's objections. It added that it had been actively helping resolve Wukan's land issues with 646 acres of land having been handed back since 2011, but 1,221 acres are still being contested between Wukan and 7 nearby villages. Midnight raid A few days after his call for new protests, on June 18, Lin was arrested by officers who stormed his walled compound after midnight and bundled him away, pushing his elderly wife, Yang Zhen, to the ground as she tried to intervene, she told Reuters. Lin's 22-year-old grandson was detained less than 48 hours later in another late night raid and interrogated for 12 hours straight. A confession by Lin admitting taking large bribes was aired on state television on the morning of June 21, and the grandson was released hours later. "When they captured me, they were very excited," said the grandson, Lin Liyi. "I think they used me to pressure my grandfather" to make a confession. Reuters was unable to contact Lin, and it wasn't clear whether Lin has legal representation after two lawyers who were hired by his family were barred by authorities from taking on his case. "The intervention violates the rule of law," one of the lawyers, Ge Yongxi, told Reuters by phone. "They obstructed a lawyer's daily business and abused Lin's human rights." Lin's arrest was the latest move on the core group of Wukan protest leaders from 2011. Lin remains in police custody and investigations continue into allegations that he took bribes of up to 600,000 yuan ($90,200) for land deals and public works projects, according to the official China Daily newspaper. In 2014, two former deputy village chiefs, Yang Semao and Hong Ruichao, were jailed for two and four years respectively for bribery, around the time of another village election. Those who knew the men, including Hong's father, Hong Tianbin, said they were framed. Chinese authorities say they took bribes linked to public work projects. Another leader, Zhuang Liehong, fled China and sought asylum in the United States, fearing for his safety amid what he told Reuters was "political persecution". Two others quit, while Sun Wenliang, a former accountant, has an arrest warrant on his head, village sources said. The Lufeng government said in its statement to Reuters that it "has not discovered any situation of unfair suppression or punishment" of Wukan's protest leaders, or of undermining village rights and interests. Hundreds of riot police were sent to the village when the protests started but there has been no crackdown. There are, however, signs of authorities tightening their grip. Some reporters in Wukan said they were accused of inciting unrest and told to leave, which they did, while three other sources said authorities had been aggressively going after potential ringleaders to quash any escalation. Few have dared lead from the front this time round. "Everyone can see the old leaders were all caught and are afraid," Lin's grandson told Reuters. (Reuters)

How hope of democracy was crushed in the Chinese rebel village of Wukan

Iceland is expected to elect a political newcomer as president on Saturday with polls predicting a landslide victory for Gudni Johannesson, a history professor and political commentator who has never held public office. 
 
Johannesson, 47, only decided to run for the post after the &quot;Panama Papers&quot; leak in April detailing offshore accounts implicated several senior Icelandic politicians, including the then-prime minister who was forced to resign. 
 
Johannesson has vowed to restore Icelanders&#39; faith in the system after years of public anger toward politicians for miring the country in scandals and financial woes. 
 
But while outraged Icelanders massed in the streets for days in April calling for the prime minister&#39;s ouster, that anger appeared to dissipate somewhat in the final days of the presidential campaign, overshadowed by euphoria after the Icelandic football squad achieved an historic feat at the Euro 2016. 
 
A North Atlantic island of just 334,000 people, Iceland beat Austria 2-1 on Wednesday to qualify for the last 16 in the country`s Euro debut, facing off against England on Monday. 
 
The news dominated headlines, with only sparse election coverage in the final days of the campaign.Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union also dominated the news on the eve of the election in Iceland, a country that itself applied for EU membership in 2009 but abandoned the bid six years later. 
 
Like most of Iceland&#39;s voters, Johannesson is opposed to EU membership. 
 
The president holds a largely ceremonial position, acting as a guarantor of the constitution and national unity. 
 
The constitution does allow the president to dissolve parliament, as well as veto bills in parliament and put them to a referendum, though those powers have rarely been used. 
 
The current president, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, is stepping down at 73 after five straight terms spanning 20 years. The only president to ever do so, he exercised his veto right three times over two decades. 
 
More important legislative elections are due in the autumn. 
 
In opinion polls, Johannesson has held a commanding lead over the other eight candidates since announcing his candidacy in early May.&nbsp; 
The latest polls credited him with between 45 and 49 &#39;per cent of voter sympathies. 
 
David Oddsson, a 68-year-old former prime minister and central bank chief who has been Johannesson`s closest rival for most of the campaign, garnered around 16 &#39;per cent. 
 
Oddsson, who served as Conservative prime minister from 1991 to 2004 and central bank governor from 2005 to 2009, is a divisive figure in Iceland, inextricably linked to the excesses of the banking boom that led to the country`s devastating 2008 financial crisis.Johannesson meanwhile was until recently known to Icelanders as one of the country`s most prominent political commentators from the University of Iceland. 
 
Contrary to Oddsson, Johannesson is non-partisan, putting &quot;emphasis on presenting himself as a neutral candidate,&quot; Gretar Eythorsson, a political science professor at the University of Akureyri, told AFP. 
 
In a nation basking in a strong economy, low unemployment and robust purchasing power, Johannesson`s views are generally seen as moderate and centrist.&nbsp; 
 
His calm nature, conciliatory tone, and consensus-oriented approach, as well as his stated desire to restore Icelanders` faith in the political system, has appealed to voters. 
 
He has also vowed to modernise political life and give voters more of a voice, by, among other things, introducing citizen-initiated referendums. 
 
The president &quot;is expected to unite the people rather than scatter them,&quot; Johannesson told AFP in an interview. 
Oddsson`s campaign has meanwhile been more combative and &quot;is all about trying to harass Johannesson and find weak spots,&quot; says Eythorsson. 
 
Polling stations open across the country at 0900 GMT and close at 2200 GMT, with the first results expected shortly afterwards. 
 
(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Gudni Johannesson is a history professor, only decided to run after the Panama Papers implicated several senior Icelandic politicians

Iceland is expected to elect a political newcomer as president on Saturday with polls predicting a landslide victory for Gudni Johannesson, a history professor and political commentator who has never held public office. Johannesson, 47, only decided to run for the post after the "Panama Papers" leak in April detailing offshore accounts implicated several senior Icelandic politicians, including the then-prime minister who was forced to resign. Johannesson has vowed to restore Icelanders' faith in the system after years of public anger toward politicians for miring the country in scandals and financial woes. But while outraged Icelanders massed in the streets for days in April calling for the prime minister's ouster, that anger appeared to dissipate somewhat in the final days of the presidential campaign, overshadowed by euphoria after the Icelandic football squad achieved an historic feat at the Euro 2016. A North Atlantic island of just 334,000 people, Iceland beat Austria 2-1 on Wednesday to qualify for the last 16 in the country`s Euro debut, facing off against England on Monday. The news dominated headlines, with only sparse election coverage in the final days of the campaign.Britain's vote to leave the European Union also dominated the news on the eve of the election in Iceland, a country that itself applied for EU membership in 2009 but abandoned the bid six years later. Like most of Iceland's voters, Johannesson is opposed to EU membership. The president holds a largely ceremonial position, acting as a guarantor of the constitution and national unity. The constitution does allow the president to dissolve parliament, as well as veto bills in parliament and put them to a referendum, though those powers have rarely been used. The current president, Olafur Ragnar Grimsson, is stepping down at 73 after five straight terms spanning 20 years. The only president to ever do so, he exercised his veto right three times over two decades. More important legislative elections are due in the autumn. In opinion polls, Johannesson has held a commanding lead over the other eight candidates since announcing his candidacy in early May. The latest polls credited him with between 45 and 49 'per cent of voter sympathies. David Oddsson, a 68-year-old former prime minister and central bank chief who has been Johannesson`s closest rival for most of the campaign, garnered around 16 'per cent. Oddsson, who served as Conservative prime minister from 1991 to 2004 and central bank governor from 2005 to 2009, is a divisive figure in Iceland, inextricably linked to the excesses of the banking boom that led to the country`s devastating 2008 financial crisis.Johannesson meanwhile was until recently known to Icelanders as one of the country`s most prominent political commentators from the University of Iceland. Contrary to Oddsson, Johannesson is non-partisan, putting "emphasis on presenting himself as a neutral candidate," Gretar Eythorsson, a political science professor at the University of Akureyri, told AFP. In a nation basking in a strong economy, low unemployment and robust purchasing power, Johannesson`s views are generally seen as moderate and centrist. His calm nature, conciliatory tone, and consensus-oriented approach, as well as his stated desire to restore Icelanders` faith in the political system, has appealed to voters. He has also vowed to modernise political life and give voters more of a voice, by, among other things, introducing citizen-initiated referendums. The president "is expected to unite the people rather than scatter them," Johannesson told AFP in an interview. Oddsson`s campaign has meanwhile been more combative and "is all about trying to harass Johannesson and find weak spots," says Eythorsson. Polling stations open across the country at 0900 GMT and close at 2200 GMT, with the first results expected shortly afterwards. (AFP)

Iceland elects a new President today, probably a man who has never held public office

Spain, which goes to the polls&nbsp;on Sunday&nbsp;in a repeat general election, is the eurozone&#39;s fourth largest economy and one of the fastest-growing nations in Western Europe, although it suffers from high unemployment and debt. 
 
GROWTH 
 
Spain&#39;s gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 3.2 per cent in 2015 and growth has remained steady this year despite a political stalemate that has left the country without a government since inconclusive December elections. 
 
GDP expanded by 0.8 per cent between January and March from the previous three months, higher than the average in the eurozone. 
 
Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy&#39;s conservative government predicts the economy will expand by 2.7 per cent this year, then slow to 2.4 percent in 2017. 
 
Spain in 2014 posted its first full-year of growth since a 2008 property crash sent the economy into a tailspin. 
 
Consumer spending is up as is investment by firms while export growth, which help lift Spain out of recession, has lost some of its steam. 
 
FAVOURABLE TAILWINDS 
 
Spain has benefited from favourable tailwinds that have propelled growth such as low interest rates set by the European Central Bank, a favourable euro exchange rate that helps exports, and falling oil prices that have reduced production costs. 
 
Spain is highly dependent on energy imports and the price of a barrel of oil has dropped to around 50 euros from the record highs of over 140 euros a barrel reached in 2008. 
 
But the Bank of Spain warned earlier this month that these beneficial conditions will progressively fade, leading to a slower pace of economic expansion. 
 
LABOUR MARKET REFORM 
 
The outgoing conservative government reduced the amount of compensation which companies must pay workers that they fire and created a new open-ended contract with a one-year trial period. 
 
The government and its backers argue these reforms helped lower Spain&#39;s unemployment rate from a record 26.94 per cent in the first quarter of 2013 to 21 per cent in the first quarter of 2016. 
 
They say the flexibility it introduced especially helped the auto sector. Spain is the second-largest automobile producer in Europe after Germany. 
 
Critics charge that part of the fall in unemployment is due to the drop in the size of Spain&#39;s total workforce as emigration has risen due to the lack of jobs. 
 
The bulk of the jobs that have been created are short-term and low-wage, they add. 
 
The average duration of a new contract in 2015 was just 53.4 days. Spain&#39;s monthly minimum wage, which is paid 14 times a year as in other southern European nations, is 655 euros ($740). 
 
The average annual income in Spain is 10,400 euros per person, according to national statistics institute INE. 
 
DEBT 
 
Spain&#39;s public deficit came in at 5.1 per cent of GDP in 2015, compared with 2.2 per cent in 2007, the year before the country&#39;s property bubble burst. 
 
Spain is facing possible sanctions from the European Commission for repeatedly violating its deficit targets. 
 
The European Union has set a public deficit limit of 3.0 per cent of GDP. The outgoing government predicts it will take Spain until 2018 to bring the deficit below this limit. 
 
EDUCATION 
 
The other Achilles heel of the Spanish economy is education and professional development. 
 
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), over 27 per cent of Spaniards aged 15-29 are not employed or in school, compared with an average of 15 per cent in the 34 nations that make up the body. 
 
Spain also struggles to retrain unemployed workers, especially low-skilled ones from the construction sector which was hit hard by the collapse of a property bubble in 2008. 
 
(AFP)

Critics say that the bulk of jobs created in Spain in the recent past are short-termed and offer low wages

Spain, which goes to the polls on Sunday in a repeat general election, is the eurozone's fourth largest economy and one of the fastest-growing nations in Western Europe, although it suffers from high unemployment and debt. GROWTH Spain's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 3.2 per cent in 2015 and growth has remained steady this year despite a political stalemate that has left the country without a government since inconclusive December elections. GDP expanded by 0.8 per cent between January and March from the previous three months, higher than the average in the eurozone. Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government predicts the economy will expand by 2.7 per cent this year, then slow to 2.4 percent in 2017. Spain in 2014 posted its first full-year of growth since a 2008 property crash sent the economy into a tailspin. Consumer spending is up as is investment by firms while export growth, which help lift Spain out of recession, has lost some of its steam. FAVOURABLE TAILWINDS Spain has benefited from favourable tailwinds that have propelled growth such as low interest rates set by the European Central Bank, a favourable euro exchange rate that helps exports, and falling oil prices that have reduced production costs. Spain is highly dependent on energy imports and the price of a barrel of oil has dropped to around 50 euros from the record highs of over 140 euros a barrel reached in 2008. But the Bank of Spain warned earlier this month that these beneficial conditions will progressively fade, leading to a slower pace of economic expansion. LABOUR MARKET REFORM The outgoing conservative government reduced the amount of compensation which companies must pay workers that they fire and created a new open-ended contract with a one-year trial period. The government and its backers argue these reforms helped lower Spain's unemployment rate from a record 26.94 per cent in the first quarter of 2013 to 21 per cent in the first quarter of 2016. They say the flexibility it introduced especially helped the auto sector. Spain is the second-largest automobile producer in Europe after Germany. Critics charge that part of the fall in unemployment is due to the drop in the size of Spain's total workforce as emigration has risen due to the lack of jobs. The bulk of the jobs that have been created are short-term and low-wage, they add. The average duration of a new contract in 2015 was just 53.4 days. Spain's monthly minimum wage, which is paid 14 times a year as in other southern European nations, is 655 euros ($740). The average annual income in Spain is 10,400 euros per person, according to national statistics institute INE. DEBT Spain's public deficit came in at 5.1 per cent of GDP in 2015, compared with 2.2 per cent in 2007, the year before the country's property bubble burst. Spain is facing possible sanctions from the European Commission for repeatedly violating its deficit targets. The European Union has set a public deficit limit of 3.0 per cent of GDP. The outgoing government predicts it will take Spain until 2018 to bring the deficit below this limit. EDUCATION The other Achilles heel of the Spanish economy is education and professional development. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), over 27 per cent of Spaniards aged 15-29 are not employed or in school, compared with an average of 15 per cent in the 34 nations that make up the body. Spain also struggles to retrain unemployed workers, especially low-skilled ones from the construction sector which was hit hard by the collapse of a property bubble in 2008. (AFP)

Spain struggles to reduce unemployment, debt despite growth

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton&#39;s campaign on Wednesday signaled plans for a big assault on Republican Donald Trump, even as she battles to hold off rival Bernie Sanders in California.

Clinton, a former Secretary of State, is to deliver what her campaign described as a major speech today&nbsp;in San Diego to underscore what she feels would be the threat posed by Trump to U.S. national security if he is elected president on Nov. 8.

Her language to describe Trump has grown more aggressive by the day. On Wednesday, she seized on testimony released in a lawsuit against Trump University, in which some former workers said they believed Trump&#39;s for-profit school was fraudulent.

&quot;Trump and his employees took advantage of vulnerable Americans encouraging them to max out their credit cards, empty their retirement savings, destroy their financial futures, all while making promises they knew were false from the beginning,&quot; Clinton told a campaign event in Newark, New Jersey.

&quot;This is just more evidence that Donald Trump himself is a fraud.&quot;

Lawyers for Trump have said most students were satisfied with Trump University, dismissing the former workers&#39; testimony as discredited.

Trump, anticipating Clinton&#39;s foreign policy attacks on him, tried to raise doubts about her leadership skills at a rally in Sacramento, Calif.

&quot;She is a person with absolutely no natural talent,&quot; he said. &quot;All you have to do is watch her speak.&quot;

Repeatedly referring to Clinton as &quot;crooked Hillary,&quot; Trump sharply criticized her handling of foreign policy, including the Sept. 11, 2012, attack by Islamic militants on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador.

&quot;She went to sleep,&quot; Trump added.

Clinton&#39;s effort to define Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief comes as she faces fierce opposition from Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who has insisted on staying in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination despite Clinton&#39;s nearly insurmountable lead.

California&#39;s primary next Tuesday is shaping up to be pivotal in the Democratic contest, with Clinton holding a 13-point advantage over Sanders, 51 percent to 38 percent, according to the Hoover Institution&#39;s Golden State Poll in the state. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll gave Clinton a much narrower lead of 49 percent, to 47 percent for Sanders.

Clinton, with 2,312 delegates, needs 71 more delegates to reach the required 2,383 for the Democratic nomination. Sanders has 1,545. At stake in the California primary are 548 delegates who are awarded proportional to the vote. Five other states also vote next Tuesday, including New Jersey, which could also turn the tide for Clinton.

Despite Clinton&#39;s perceived advantage, there are lingering concerns among some Democrats about possible weakness, given the protracted battle with Sanders, a democratic socialist whose calls for free college tuition have energized young voters.

Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster, wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that California voters appeared to be leaning toward Sanders in recent days.

Sanders has been holding events every day this week in the state. Clinton canceled a New Jersey event planned for today&nbsp;to go to California a day earlier than anticipated and is to stay there until Monday.

&quot;The inevitability behind Mrs. Clinton&rsquo;s nomination will be in large measure eviscerated if she loses the June 7 California primary to Bernie Sanders,&quot; Schoen wrote. &quot;That could well happen.&quot;

&nbsp;

&#39;CAN&#39;T IGNORE TRUMP&#39;

Other Democrats expressed confidence in Clinton&#39;s position and her move to assail Trump on foreign policy.

&quot;I think she has to,&quot; said Democratic strategist Jim Manley. &quot;Leaving aside California, I think they can&rsquo;t just ignore Donald Trump in that they should be spending a majority of time focusing on him instead of Sanders at this point, because based on the math Sanders can&rsquo;t win.&quot;

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has faced criticism for a variety of positions on foreign policy, such as his willingness to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his idea that Japan and South Korea might need to develop nuclear arsenals.

On the other hand, past Republican presidents and current Democratic President Barack Obama have, like Trump, said NATO nations should pay more for their defense to ease the U.S. burden. Trump, however, has declared NATO obsolete and in need of reconfiguring.

A Clinton aide said &nbsp;Hillary Clinton,&nbsp;would say Trump had not outlined a coherent foreign policy doctrine and had proven himself to be temperamentally unfit to serve as president.

Democratic Presidential front runner Hillary Clinton plans for a big assault on Republican Donald Trump, even as she battles another Democratic rival Bernie Sanders

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton's campaign on Wednesday signaled plans for a big assault on Republican Donald Trump, even as she battles to hold off rival Bernie Sanders in California. Clinton, a former Secretary of State, is to deliver what her campaign described as a major speech today in San Diego to underscore what she feels would be the threat posed by Trump to U.S. national security if he is elected president on Nov. 8. Her language to describe Trump has grown more aggressive by the day. On Wednesday, she seized on testimony released in a lawsuit against Trump University, in which some former workers said they believed Trump's for-profit school was fraudulent. "Trump and his employees took advantage of vulnerable Americans encouraging them to max out their credit cards, empty their retirement savings, destroy their financial futures, all while making promises they knew were false from the beginning," Clinton told a campaign event in Newark, New Jersey. "This is just more evidence that Donald Trump himself is a fraud." Lawyers for Trump have said most students were satisfied with Trump University, dismissing the former workers' testimony as discredited. Trump, anticipating Clinton's foreign policy attacks on him, tried to raise doubts about her leadership skills at a rally in Sacramento, Calif. "She is a person with absolutely no natural talent," he said. "All you have to do is watch her speak." Repeatedly referring to Clinton as "crooked Hillary," Trump sharply criticized her handling of foreign policy, including the Sept. 11, 2012, attack by Islamic militants on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador. "She went to sleep," Trump added. Clinton's effort to define Trump as unfit to be commander-in-chief comes as she faces fierce opposition from Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont who has insisted on staying in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination despite Clinton's nearly insurmountable lead. California's primary next Tuesday is shaping up to be pivotal in the Democratic contest, with Clinton holding a 13-point advantage over Sanders, 51 percent to 38 percent, according to the Hoover Institution's Golden State Poll in the state. An NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist poll gave Clinton a much narrower lead of 49 percent, to 47 percent for Sanders. Clinton, with 2,312 delegates, needs 71 more delegates to reach the required 2,383 for the Democratic nomination. Sanders has 1,545. At stake in the California primary are 548 delegates who are awarded proportional to the vote. Five other states also vote next Tuesday, including New Jersey, which could also turn the tide for Clinton. Despite Clinton's perceived advantage, there are lingering concerns among some Democrats about possible weakness, given the protracted battle with Sanders, a democratic socialist whose calls for free college tuition have energized young voters. Doug Schoen, a Democratic pollster, wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday that California voters appeared to be leaning toward Sanders in recent days. Sanders has been holding events every day this week in the state. Clinton canceled a New Jersey event planned for today to go to California a day earlier than anticipated and is to stay there until Monday. "The inevitability behind Mrs. Clinton’s nomination will be in large measure eviscerated if she loses the June 7 California primary to Bernie Sanders," Schoen wrote. "That could well happen." 'CAN'T IGNORE TRUMP' Other Democrats expressed confidence in Clinton's position and her move to assail Trump on foreign policy. "I think she has to," said Democratic strategist Jim Manley. "Leaving aside California, I think they can’t just ignore Donald Trump in that they should be spending a majority of time focusing on him instead of Sanders at this point, because based on the math Sanders can’t win." Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has faced criticism for a variety of positions on foreign policy, such as his willingness to talk to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his idea that Japan and South Korea might need to develop nuclear arsenals. On the other hand, past Republican presidents and current Democratic President Barack Obama have, like Trump, said NATO nations should pay more for their defense to ease the U.S. burden. Trump, however, has declared NATO obsolete and in need of reconfiguring. A Clinton aide said Hillary Clinton, would say Trump had not outlined a coherent foreign policy doctrine and had proven himself to be temperamentally unfit to serve as president.

Battling to hold off Sanders,Clinton to assail Trump on foreign policy

Jordanian King Abdullah swore in a new government led by a business-friendly politician on Wednesday, and charged him with preparing for parliamentary elections by September and&nbsp;pushing&nbsp;legislation to spur sluggish growth.

Hani Mulki, 64, who has held a string of senior diplomatic and ministerial posts, is a former chief commissioner of Jordan&#39;s economic zone in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba.

He was appointed by the king on Sunday to replace Abdullah Ensour shortly after the monarch dissolved parliament as it neared the end of its four-year term. Elections must be held within four months under the constitution.

Official sources said the government is expected to maintain traditional support for U.S. policies in the region and continue with IMF-guided reforms.

They say the monarch chose Mulki to help spur investment, especially from main Gulf oil producer Saudi Arabia, which has shown interest in investing in the debt-laden kingdom.

Jordan&#39;s finances have been hit by a drop in Gulf aid which traditionally tops up its coffers and worsened investor confidence hit by regional uncertainty. The economy has also been strained by a flood of refugees from the five-year-old civil war in neighbouring Syria.

The new government is expected to maintain traditional support for US policies in the region and continue IMF-guided reforms.

Jordanian King Abdullah swore in a new government led by a business-friendly politician on Wednesday, and charged him with preparing for parliamentary elections by September and pushing legislation to spur sluggish growth. Hani Mulki, 64, who has held a string of senior diplomatic and ministerial posts, is a former chief commissioner of Jordan's economic zone in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba. He was appointed by the king on Sunday to replace Abdullah Ensour shortly after the monarch dissolved parliament as it neared the end of its four-year term. Elections must be held within four months under the constitution. Official sources said the government is expected to maintain traditional support for U.S. policies in the region and continue with IMF-guided reforms. They say the monarch chose Mulki to help spur investment, especially from main Gulf oil producer Saudi Arabia, which has shown interest in investing in the debt-laden kingdom. Jordan's finances have been hit by a drop in Gulf aid which traditionally tops up its coffers and worsened investor confidence hit by regional uncertainty. The economy has also been strained by a flood of refugees from the five-year-old civil war in neighbouring Syria.

Jordan king swears in new government to prepare for elections

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