The head of the Democratic Party, Deborah Wasserman Schultz, on Sunday announced her intention to resign after this week&#39;s Democratic convention amid a furor over embarrassing leaked emails, as the Clinton team hopes to head off a growing rebellion by Bernie Sanders supporters on the eve of the convention to nominate Hillary Clinton for the White House. 
 
Lingering bitterness from their heated primary campaign erupted after more than 19,000 Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails, leaked on Friday, seemed to confirm Sanders&#39; frequent charge that the party played favourites in the race. 
 
The cache of emails leaked by the WikiLeaks website revealed DNC officials explored ways to undermine Sanders&#39; insurgent presidential campaign. This included raising questions about whether Sanders, who is Jewish, was really an atheist, so as to undermine him and his campaign in highly religious states. 
 
Wasserman Schultz will be replaced by interim chair Donna Brazile, a Democratic stategist and television commentator who has openly criticised the Sanders campaign. 
 
In a statement, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the best way for the party to accomplish its goal of putting Clinton in the White House was for her to step down. Sanders had demanded earlier in the day that Wasserman Schultz resign.&nbsp;Shortly after Wasserman Schultz did indeed make this announcement, Clinton named her honorary chair of the Clinton campaign team. 
 
The furor was a blow to a party keen on projecting stability in contrast to the volatility of Republican candidate Donald Trump, who was formally nominated at a raucous convention last week, and overshadowed preparations in Philadelphia for Clinton&#39;s coronation as the nominee to face Trump in the November 8, US presidential election. 
 
Sanders said Wasserman Schultz, a member of Congress from Florida, had made the right decision for the future of the Democratic Party. &quot;The party leadership must also always remain impartial in the presidential nominating process, something which did not occur in the 2016 race,&quot; he said. 
 
The emails angered many Sanders supporters who were already dismayed by Clinton&#39;s choice on Friday of low-key US Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia as her vice presidential running mate. Kaine, who could appeal to independents and moderates, has never been aligned with party liberals. Kaine is a vocal proponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an enormous free trade deal involving 12 countries, including those from South America, Asia and North America. 
 
Thousands of protesters took to the streets of downtown Philadelphia, livid over the treatment Bernie Sanders received from the DNC and were happy to hear Wasserman Schultz had resigned from her post. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m exited that Debbie Wasserman Shultz has resigned, I think there&#39;s hope for Bernie, it&#39;s not over yet,&quot; Bruce Eichbauer told Reuters. 
 
A Sanders campaign worker said Wasserman Shultz needs to apologise. 
 
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton&#39;s campaign manager Robby Mook blamed Moscow for hacking into the party&#39;s email, then sending the stolen messages to Wikileaks so as to advance the Trump campaign. As he said live on CNN: 
 
&quot;What is disturbing to us is that experts are telling us that Russians broke into the DNC, stole these emails and other experts are now saying that the Russians are now releasing these emails for the purpose of actually helping Donald Trump. I don&#39;t think it&#39;s coincidental that these emails were released on the eve of our convention here and that&#39;s disturbing.&quot; 
 
Sanders, who has endorsed Clinton and will speak on her behalf to the convention on Monday, waged a heated months-long battle for the nomination. Branding himself a democratic socialist, Sanders galvanised young and liberal voters with his calls to rein in Wall Street and eradicate income inequality. 
 
Earlier Sunday the hashtag #BernieMustDisavow was trending, as Sanders supporters were urging him to pull away from the Democratic party altogether, believing the Democratic party is too rigged against Sanders and that it&#39;s best for him to join Dr Jill Stein, the leader of the Green Party.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
There&#39;s still time for <a href="https://twitter.com/BernieSanders">@BernieSanders</a> to do the right thing - not for the DNC, but for America. <a href="https://t.co/P7MHWurKQJ">https://t.co/P7MHWurKQJ</a>
&mdash; Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrJillStein/status/757315692907655169">July 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
 
 
For good measure, Donald Trump posted a tweet about Wasserman Schultz, who is Jewish, which was seen by many as anti-Semitic: 
&nbsp;
<div class="twitter-block">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
The highly neurotic Debbie Wasserman Schultz is angry that, after stealing and cheating her way to a Crooked Hillary victory, she&#39;s out!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/757343025983057922">July 24, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div>
 
 
The four-day Democratic convention will open on Monday. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP and Reuters)

Shortly after resignation speech, Clinton appointed her honorary chair of her campaign

The head of the Democratic Party, Deborah Wasserman Schultz, on Sunday announced her intention to resign after this week's Democratic convention amid a furor over embarrassing leaked emails, as the Clinton team hopes to head off a growing rebellion by Bernie Sanders supporters on the eve of the convention to nominate Hillary Clinton for the White House. Lingering bitterness from their heated primary campaign erupted after more than 19,000 Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails, leaked on Friday, seemed to confirm Sanders' frequent charge that the party played favourites in the race. The cache of emails leaked by the WikiLeaks website revealed DNC officials explored ways to undermine Sanders' insurgent presidential campaign. This included raising questions about whether Sanders, who is Jewish, was really an atheist, so as to undermine him and his campaign in highly religious states. Wasserman Schultz will be replaced by interim chair Donna Brazile, a Democratic stategist and television commentator who has openly criticised the Sanders campaign. In a statement, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the best way for the party to accomplish its goal of putting Clinton in the White House was for her to step down. Sanders had demanded earlier in the day that Wasserman Schultz resign. Shortly after Wasserman Schultz did indeed make this announcement, Clinton named her honorary chair of the Clinton campaign team. The furor was a blow to a party keen on projecting stability in contrast to the volatility of Republican candidate Donald Trump, who was formally nominated at a raucous convention last week, and overshadowed preparations in Philadelphia for Clinton's coronation as the nominee to face Trump in the November 8, US presidential election. Sanders said Wasserman Schultz, a member of Congress from Florida, had made the right decision for the future of the Democratic Party. "The party leadership must also always remain impartial in the presidential nominating process, something which did not occur in the 2016 race," he said. The emails angered many Sanders supporters who were already dismayed by Clinton's choice on Friday of low-key US Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia as her vice presidential running mate. Kaine, who could appeal to independents and moderates, has never been aligned with party liberals. Kaine is a vocal proponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an enormous free trade deal involving 12 countries, including those from South America, Asia and North America. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of downtown Philadelphia, livid over the treatment Bernie Sanders received from the DNC and were happy to hear Wasserman Schultz had resigned from her post. "I'm exited that Debbie Wasserman Shultz has resigned, I think there's hope for Bernie, it's not over yet," Bruce Eichbauer told Reuters. A Sanders campaign worker said Wasserman Shultz needs to apologise. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook blamed Moscow for hacking into the party's email, then sending the stolen messages to Wikileaks so as to advance the Trump campaign. As he said live on CNN: "What is disturbing to us is that experts are telling us that Russians broke into the DNC, stole these emails and other experts are now saying that the Russians are now releasing these emails for the purpose of actually helping Donald Trump. I don't think it's coincidental that these emails were released on the eve of our convention here and that's disturbing." Sanders, who has endorsed Clinton and will speak on her behalf to the convention on Monday, waged a heated months-long battle for the nomination. Branding himself a democratic socialist, Sanders galvanised young and liberal voters with his calls to rein in Wall Street and eradicate income inequality. Earlier Sunday the hashtag #BernieMustDisavow was trending, as Sanders supporters were urging him to pull away from the Democratic party altogether, believing the Democratic party is too rigged against Sanders and that it's best for him to join Dr Jill Stein, the leader of the Green Party. There's still time for @BernieSanders to do the right thing - not for the DNC, but for America. https://t.co/P7MHWurKQJ — Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) July 24, 2016 For good measure, Donald Trump posted a tweet about Wasserman Schultz, who is Jewish, which was seen by many as anti-Semitic: The highly neurotic Debbie Wasserman Schultz is angry that, after stealing and cheating her way to a Crooked Hillary victory, she's out! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 24, 2016 The four-day Democratic convention will open on Monday. (WION with inputs from AFP and Reuters)

Head of Democratic Party to resign amid email leak indicating anti-Sanders bias

US President Barack Obama urged Americans on Tuesday to shed despair and rise above racial divides to honour five police officers slain in Dallas in a racially motivated attack, even as he admitted that bias remains a persistent national problem. 
 
Obama&#39;s address to a memorial service for the officers killed last Thursday also followed a series of high-profile police killings of black men in the past two years, including two last week, that have sparked the most intense debate on race and justice the country has seen since the 1960s civil rights movement. 
 
&quot;I understand how Americans are feeling. But Dallas, I&#39;m here to say we must reject such despair. I&#39;m here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. And I know that because I know America. I know how far we&#39;ve come against impossible odds,&quot; Obama said at the service that was also attended by Vice President Joe Biden and former president George W Bush. 
 
The five Dallas officers were gunned down by military veteran Micah Johnson, who told police he was angered by police killings of black people. Johnson was killed by an explosive-laden robot sent in by police. 
 
Obama noted that the attack in Dallas came during a protest against racial bias in policing that followed the fatal police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and outside St Paul, Minnesota. Obama said no institution was immune from prejudice. 
 
&quot;Perhaps we&#39;ve heard prejudice in our own heads and felt it in our own hearts. We know that. And while some suffer far more under racism&#39;s burden, some feel to a far greater extent discrimination&#39;s stain. Although most of us do our best to guard against it and teach our children better, none of us is entirely innocent. No institution is entirely immune, and that includes our police departments. We know this,&quot; Obama said. 
 
Obama also praised the police in Dallas and around the country.&nbsp;&quot;When anyone, no matter how good their intentions may be, paints all police as biased or bigoted, we undermine those officers we depend on for our safety,&quot; said Obama. 
 
Bush also addressed the packed hall, where five chairs were empty of people, holding folded American flags, in memory of the slain officers. He also sought to strike a note of unity. 
 
&quot;At times it feels like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity,&quot; Bush said. &quot;Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our intentions.&quot; 
 
After a week when Americans saw video images of angry crowds protesting the police killings of black men and heard the screams of 
Thursday&#39;s sniper attack on police in Dallas, the memorial ended with Obama, Bush and Dallas&#39; police chief and mayor joining hands in a gathering that crossed racial and party lines as a choir sung a hymn.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

Obama, Bush and Dallas' police chief and mayor crossed racial and party lines to join hands as a choir sang a hymn

US President Barack Obama urged Americans on Tuesday to shed despair and rise above racial divides to honour five police officers slain in Dallas in a racially motivated attack, even as he admitted that bias remains a persistent national problem. Obama's address to a memorial service for the officers killed last Thursday also followed a series of high-profile police killings of black men in the past two years, including two last week, that have sparked the most intense debate on race and justice the country has seen since the 1960s civil rights movement. "I understand how Americans are feeling. But Dallas, I'm here to say we must reject such despair. I'm here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. And I know that because I know America. I know how far we've come against impossible odds," Obama said at the service that was also attended by Vice President Joe Biden and former president George W Bush. The five Dallas officers were gunned down by military veteran Micah Johnson, who told police he was angered by police killings of black people. Johnson was killed by an explosive-laden robot sent in by police. Obama noted that the attack in Dallas came during a protest against racial bias in policing that followed the fatal police shootings of black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and outside St Paul, Minnesota. Obama said no institution was immune from prejudice. "Perhaps we've heard prejudice in our own heads and felt it in our own hearts. We know that. And while some suffer far more under racism's burden, some feel to a far greater extent discrimination's stain. Although most of us do our best to guard against it and teach our children better, none of us is entirely innocent. No institution is entirely immune, and that includes our police departments. We know this," Obama said. Obama also praised the police in Dallas and around the country. "When anyone, no matter how good their intentions may be, paints all police as biased or bigoted, we undermine those officers we depend on for our safety," said Obama. Bush also addressed the packed hall, where five chairs were empty of people, holding folded American flags, in memory of the slain officers. He also sought to strike a note of unity. "At times it feels like the forces pulling us apart are stronger than the forces binding us together. Argument turns too easily into animosity," Bush said. "Too often we judge other groups by their worst examples, while judging ourselves by our intentions." After a week when Americans saw video images of angry crowds protesting the police killings of black men and heard the screams of Thursday's sniper attack on police in Dallas, the memorial ended with Obama, Bush and Dallas' police chief and mayor joining hands in a gathering that crossed racial and party lines as a choir sung a hymn. (Reuters)

Obama, George W Bush address memorial for slain Dallas policemen

London: Stock markets traded within sight of their highest levels this year on Wednesday as the prospect of stimulative economic policy across the developed world eased immediate concern over Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union. 
 
The swift moves by the Conservative Party that see Theresa May replacing David Cameron as prime minister on Wednesday have helped fund a recovery that, aside from sterling itself, has wiped out the negative reaction to the June 23 vote. 
 
Asian markets outside Japan gained another third of a percent to come within a hair&#39;s breadth of the year&#39;s highs from April, while European shares rose 0.2 percent, on course for their fifth straight day of gains. 
 
Traders say that concerns over the economic and political impact of what promise to be torturous exit talks between London and Brussels have not gone away, but they are certainly on the back burner for a moment. 
 
U.S. stock futures showed Wall Street set to build further on record highs hit on Tuesday. Expectations that sterling&#39;s fall will help British companies has London&#39;s FTSE index at its highest since last August. 
 
&quot;This is a short term relief rally thanks to some certainty around the swift handover to a new PM,&quot; said Tobias Davis, Head of Corporate Treasury Sales at Western Union in London. 
 
&quot;The path ahead still looks incredibly challenging. Equities are only rallying thanks to negative yields across most of the curve in Swiss, German and Japanese markets. In reality, the economic landscape is deteriorating.&quot; 
 
Sterling, whose 14 percent fall made it one of the main victims of last month&#39;s referendum, hit its highest in more than a week at $1.3340. 
 
But for every blip higher for the pound at the moment there are more sellers ready to bet it will fall further in the months ahead and it quickly fell back to stand just 0.2 percent stronger on the day at $1.3280. 
 
The yen, investors&#39; go-to currency in times of market stress was also up half a percent against the euro and dollar after falling sharply on the back of Japan&#39;s move into another round of stimulative policy. 
 
The debate among currency traders around Thursday&#39;s Bank of England meeting is also now not whether it will cut interest rates but by how much -- some measure of the concern over the economy&#39;s fate for the rest of the year. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m struck at the enthusiasm of all and sundry to tell us that European and U.S. growth rates will hardly be affected by the UK post-referendum slowdown,&quot; Societe Generale&#39;s Kit Juckes said in a note to clients. 
 
&quot;That flies in the face of the increased correlation of major economies&#39; growth rates in an ever more connected world.&quot; 
 
Stimulus 
In commodities, oil prices dropped after industry group American Petroleum Institute (API) reported a surprise build of 2.2 million barrels in US crude stockpiles last week. [O/R] 
 
Brent crude futures fell 1.6 percent to $47.71 after surging roughly 5 percent on Tuesday on broad improvement in risk sentiment. 
 
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered a new round of fiscal stimulus spending, as expected, after an election victory on Sunday. His meeting with former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, a proponent of &quot;helicopter money&quot; policies - printing money and directly handing it to the private sector to stimulate the economy - fuelled speculation that some of the stimulus plan could be funded by Bank of Japan easing. 
 
The European Central Bank is also widely expected to take a dovish stance when it holds its policy review a week later. 
 
&quot;After being faced with the prospect of a major slowdown in global activity in the wake of the Brexit vote, governments and central banks worldwide are now expected to do their utmost to reassure markets and provide stimulus,&quot; wrote Angus Nicholson, market analyst at IG in Melbourne. 
 
(Reuters)

Swift moves by the Conservative Party that see Theresa May replacing David Cameron as prime minister have helped fund a recovery

London: Stock markets traded within sight of their highest levels this year on Wednesday as the prospect of stimulative economic policy across the developed world eased immediate concern over Britain's vote to leave the European Union. The swift moves by the Conservative Party that see Theresa May replacing David Cameron as prime minister on Wednesday have helped fund a recovery that, aside from sterling itself, has wiped out the negative reaction to the June 23 vote. Asian markets outside Japan gained another third of a percent to come within a hair's breadth of the year's highs from April, while European shares rose 0.2 percent, on course for their fifth straight day of gains. Traders say that concerns over the economic and political impact of what promise to be torturous exit talks between London and Brussels have not gone away, but they are certainly on the back burner for a moment. U.S. stock futures showed Wall Street set to build further on record highs hit on Tuesday. Expectations that sterling's fall will help British companies has London's FTSE index at its highest since last August. "This is a short term relief rally thanks to some certainty around the swift handover to a new PM," said Tobias Davis, Head of Corporate Treasury Sales at Western Union in London. "The path ahead still looks incredibly challenging. Equities are only rallying thanks to negative yields across most of the curve in Swiss, German and Japanese markets. In reality, the economic landscape is deteriorating." Sterling, whose 14 percent fall made it one of the main victims of last month's referendum, hit its highest in more than a week at $1.3340. But for every blip higher for the pound at the moment there are more sellers ready to bet it will fall further in the months ahead and it quickly fell back to stand just 0.2 percent stronger on the day at $1.3280. The yen, investors' go-to currency in times of market stress was also up half a percent against the euro and dollar after falling sharply on the back of Japan's move into another round of stimulative policy. The debate among currency traders around Thursday's Bank of England meeting is also now not whether it will cut interest rates but by how much -- some measure of the concern over the economy's fate for the rest of the year. "I'm struck at the enthusiasm of all and sundry to tell us that European and U.S. growth rates will hardly be affected by the UK post-referendum slowdown," Societe Generale's Kit Juckes said in a note to clients. "That flies in the face of the increased correlation of major economies' growth rates in an ever more connected world." Stimulus In commodities, oil prices dropped after industry group American Petroleum Institute (API) reported a surprise build of 2.2 million barrels in US crude stockpiles last week. [O/R] Brent crude futures fell 1.6 percent to $47.71 after surging roughly 5 percent on Tuesday on broad improvement in risk sentiment. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered a new round of fiscal stimulus spending, as expected, after an election victory on Sunday. His meeting with former U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, a proponent of "helicopter money" policies - printing money and directly handing it to the private sector to stimulate the economy - fuelled speculation that some of the stimulus plan could be funded by Bank of Japan easing. The European Central Bank is also widely expected to take a dovish stance when it holds its policy review a week later. "After being faced with the prospect of a major slowdown in global activity in the wake of the Brexit vote, governments and central banks worldwide are now expected to do their utmost to reassure markets and provide stimulus," wrote Angus Nicholson, market analyst at IG in Melbourne. (Reuters)

Brexit, what Brexit? Global shares near 2016 highs

British Labour Party lawmakers voted massively against their leader on Tuesday amid political turmoil in Britain after a vote to leave the European Union, as candidates to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron vied for power behind the scenes. 
 
Labour&#39;s Jeremy Corbyn lost a non-binding confidence motion, with 172 Labour MPs voting against him and only 40 in favour out of a total of 229 Labour lawmakers in the House of Commons lower house. But the veteran socialist insisted he would not stand down. 
 
&quot;I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 per cent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning. Todays vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy,&quot; he said in a statement. 
 
Five days after the shock referendum vote, the two parties that have dominated Westminster for nearly a century were in almost complete disarray. 
 
Pro-EU finance minister George Osborne, long tipped to succeed Cameron, ruled himself out on Tuesday while British media reported that Work and Pensions Minister Stephen Crabb, a virtual unknown to the British public, would put his name forward. 
 
Former London mayor and &quot;Leave&quot; figurehead Boris Johnson -- now a bogeyman for many in the &quot;Remain&quot; camp -- is tipped as one of the favourites. 
 
The other is interior minister Theresa May who is reportedly seeking support for a rival bid that British media tipped as the &quot;Stop Boris&quot; campaign. 
 
The Conservatives have set a Thursday deadline for nominations, and the party said the winner would be announced on September 9. 
 
Cameron has said he would leave it to his successor to invoke Article 50 -- the formal procedure for exiting the European Union.On the opposition side, over half of Corbyns shadow cabinet -- the leadership of his party -- have now resigned since Sunday in a coordinated series of resignations against the 67-year-old, who only became leader in September. 
 
Corbyn, a veteran socialist and eurosceptic who voted against EU membership in a 1975 referendum, has come under heavy criticism from pro-EU lawmakers for his lukewarm campaigning in favour of Britain staying in. Many experts have blamed the strong anti-EU vote in Labour heartlands in northern England on Corbyn. 
 
But Corbyn himself has blamed Conservative austerity measures for creating disenchantment in many working-class areas, and said the media had not covered Labours referendum campaign, focussing instead on rifts within the ruling Conservatives. 
 
The Conservatives are meanwhile scrambling to choose a successor to Cameron, who announced his resignation within hours of the Brexit result last Friday. 
 
A new poll Tuesday put May in the lead with 31 per cent, against 24 per cent for Johnson. 
 
Nominations for the party leadership open Wednesday, and close Thursday. 
 
If more than two candidates stand, Tory MPs will vote next week to whittle down the field to two nominees, before the new leader is chosen by a postal ballot of party members, who currently number around 150,000. 
 
The new Tory leader is expected to be announced on September 9, the party announced Tuesday. 
 
Critics have questioned whether the &quot;Leave&quot; camp -- and Johnson in particular -- has any idea how to manage the unprecedented situation left by last week&#39;s vote. 
 
&quot;He has still to offer anything like a concrete plan on how he would negotiate the post-Brexit future,&quot; wrote former BBC political editor Nick Robinson. 
 
He added: &quot;The fallout from the biggest exercise in popular democracy has already been dramatic... It has, though, only just begun.&nbsp;The old order has been smashed. It may be a very long time -- not weeks, not months but years -- before the shape of the new order and the answers to all those questions become clear.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

Actually, both major British parties are in disarray after last week's decision to leave the EU

British Labour Party lawmakers voted massively against their leader on Tuesday amid political turmoil in Britain after a vote to leave the European Union, as candidates to succeed Prime Minister David Cameron vied for power behind the scenes. Labour's Jeremy Corbyn lost a non-binding confidence motion, with 172 Labour MPs voting against him and only 40 in favour out of a total of 229 Labour lawmakers in the House of Commons lower house. But the veteran socialist insisted he would not stand down. "I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 per cent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning. Todays vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy," he said in a statement. Five days after the shock referendum vote, the two parties that have dominated Westminster for nearly a century were in almost complete disarray. Pro-EU finance minister George Osborne, long tipped to succeed Cameron, ruled himself out on Tuesday while British media reported that Work and Pensions Minister Stephen Crabb, a virtual unknown to the British public, would put his name forward. Former London mayor and "Leave" figurehead Boris Johnson -- now a bogeyman for many in the "Remain" camp -- is tipped as one of the favourites. The other is interior minister Theresa May who is reportedly seeking support for a rival bid that British media tipped as the "Stop Boris" campaign. The Conservatives have set a Thursday deadline for nominations, and the party said the winner would be announced on September 9. Cameron has said he would leave it to his successor to invoke Article 50 -- the formal procedure for exiting the European Union.On the opposition side, over half of Corbyns shadow cabinet -- the leadership of his party -- have now resigned since Sunday in a coordinated series of resignations against the 67-year-old, who only became leader in September. Corbyn, a veteran socialist and eurosceptic who voted against EU membership in a 1975 referendum, has come under heavy criticism from pro-EU lawmakers for his lukewarm campaigning in favour of Britain staying in. Many experts have blamed the strong anti-EU vote in Labour heartlands in northern England on Corbyn. But Corbyn himself has blamed Conservative austerity measures for creating disenchantment in many working-class areas, and said the media had not covered Labours referendum campaign, focussing instead on rifts within the ruling Conservatives. The Conservatives are meanwhile scrambling to choose a successor to Cameron, who announced his resignation within hours of the Brexit result last Friday. A new poll Tuesday put May in the lead with 31 per cent, against 24 per cent for Johnson. Nominations for the party leadership open Wednesday, and close Thursday. If more than two candidates stand, Tory MPs will vote next week to whittle down the field to two nominees, before the new leader is chosen by a postal ballot of party members, who currently number around 150,000. The new Tory leader is expected to be announced on September 9, the party announced Tuesday. Critics have questioned whether the "Leave" camp -- and Johnson in particular -- has any idea how to manage the unprecedented situation left by last week's vote. "He has still to offer anything like a concrete plan on how he would negotiate the post-Brexit future," wrote former BBC political editor Nick Robinson. He added: "The fallout from the biggest exercise in popular democracy has already been dramatic... It has, though, only just begun. The old order has been smashed. It may be a very long time -- not weeks, not months but years -- before the shape of the new order and the answers to all those questions become clear." (AFP)

Corbyn fights to maintain grip on Labour party after Brexit vote

Protesters burnt vehicles and set tires on fire to barricade roads in South Africa&#39;s capital on Tuesday, June 21, after the ANC named a mayoral candidate not nominated by the ruling party&#39;s regional branches. 
 
The violence spread overnight from the townships and started after a member of the African National Congress (ANC) was shot dead on Sunday, June 19, as factions clashed at a meeting in Pretoria to decide on the candidates for mayor of Tshwane municipality, where Pretoria is located. 
 
The ANC then named senior party member and former cabinet minister, Thoko Didiza, as its candidate for Tshwane, saying that it made the decision after wrangling between members at the party&#39;s headquarters over who should lead the municipality. 
 
According to local media, residents want the incumbent mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa to be allowed to run on the ANC ticket but Ramokgopa has publicly backed Didiza&#39;s selection and called for calm. 
 
The ANC said its members were not to blame for the violence. 
 
Local elections in August pose a major test for the ANC as it gears up for a 2019 presidential vote in the face of a slowing economy and a strong challenge from the opposition 
 
(Reuters)

The violence spread overnight, starting after a member of the African National Congress was shot dead on Sunday

Protesters burnt vehicles and set tires on fire to barricade roads in South Africa's capital on Tuesday, June 21, after the ANC named a mayoral candidate not nominated by the ruling party's regional branches. The violence spread overnight from the townships and started after a member of the African National Congress (ANC) was shot dead on Sunday, June 19, as factions clashed at a meeting in Pretoria to decide on the candidates for mayor of Tshwane municipality, where Pretoria is located. The ANC then named senior party member and former cabinet minister, Thoko Didiza, as its candidate for Tshwane, saying that it made the decision after wrangling between members at the party's headquarters over who should lead the municipality. According to local media, residents want the incumbent mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa to be allowed to run on the ANC ticket but Ramokgopa has publicly backed Didiza's selection and called for calm. The ANC said its members were not to blame for the violence. Local elections in August pose a major test for the ANC as it gears up for a 2019 presidential vote in the face of a slowing economy and a strong challenge from the opposition (Reuters)

Protesters in Pretoria burn cars, tires after unnominated man becomes mayoral candidate

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