Hundreds of thousands rally in Turkey for Erdogan

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters at an Istanbul parade ground on Sunday as riot police fired teargas several kilometers away in the city center to disperse anti-government protesters.

Erdogan told a sea of flag-waving supporters that two weeks of protests had been manipulated by "terrorists" and dismissed suggestions that he was behaving like a dictator, a constant refrain from those who have taken to the streets.

Riot police fired teargas into side streets around the central Taksim Square as he spoke, trying to prevent protesters from regrouping after hundreds were evicted from the adjoining Gezi Park, the center of the protests, late on Saturday.

"They say 'you are too tough', they say 'dictator'. What kind of a dictator is this who met the Gezi Park occupiers and honest environmentalists. Is there such dictator?," Erdogan said to roars of approval from the crowd.

"The attitude across Turkey with the pretext of Taksim's Gezi Park is not sincere. It is nothing more than the minority's attempt to dominate the majority ... We could not have allowed this and we will not allow it," he said.

Bulldozers removed barricades and municipal workers swept the streets around Taksim, sealed off by police on Sunday after thousands took to the streets overnight following the raid by riot police firing teargas and water cannon.

The umbrella protest group behind the Gezi Park campaign, Taksim Solidarity, called for demonstrators to gather peacefully again in the square, but Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu made clear they would not be allowed to do so.

"Any call for (people to gather in) Taksim will not contribute to peace and security," he told reporters, as riot police fired teargas in several locations to disperse groups of demonstrators trying to reach the square.

"After the current environment becomes stable, they can continue exercising their democratic rights. Under current circumstances we will not allow any gathering."

Erdogan, who also addressed supporters of his ruling AK Party in Ankara on Saturday, said the rallies were to kick off campaigning for local elections next year and not related to the protests, but they are widely seen as a deliberate show of strength.

Image tarnished

The blunt-talking prime minister has long been Turkey's most popular politician, overseeing a decade of unprecedented prosperity, and his AK Party has won an increasing share of the vote in three successive election victories, but his critics complain of increasing authoritarianism.

While the protests pose no immediate threat to his government, they have tarnished Turkey's image as a haven of stability in a turbulent Middle East.

Two union federations said on Sunday they would stage a one-day nationwide strike on Monday in protest at the forced eviction of the Gezi Park protesters.

The protesters, who oppose government plans to build a replica Ottoman-era barracks in the leafy park adjoining Taksim Square, had defied repeated calls to leave but had started to reduce their presence in the park after meetings with Erdogan and the local authorities.

A similar police crackdown on peaceful campaigners in Gezi Park two weeks ago provoked an unprecedented wave of protest against Erdogan, drawing in secularists, nationalists, professionals, trade unionists and students.

The unrest, in which police fired teargas and water cannon at stone-throwing protesters night after night in cities including Istanbul and Ankara, left four people dead and about 5,000 injured, according to the Turkish Medical Association.

NEWS SOURCE:http://www.haaretz.com

Turkey protests: Istanbul erupts as Gezi Park cleared

Protesters have clashed with Turkish police in Istanbul, after riot squads used tear gas and water cannon to eject demonstrators from Gezi Park.

The protesters quickly fled the park, but later erected barricades across nearby streets and lit bonfires.

Witnesses said it was one of the worst nights of unrest since the park was occupied 18 days ago.

Police blocked off the Bosphorus Bridge to stop demonstrators reaching Taksim Square, where the park is located.

Clashes continued into Sunday morning in the streets around the square, eyewitnesses say. On the square itself, bulldozers went to work, clearing away the protesters' abandoned barricades.

Thousands of people also took to the streets of the capital, Ankara, to express support for the protests.

The Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) also said it would call a nationwide strike on Monday, while another union grouping is deciding whether to join the action.

Medical officials estimate that 5,000 people have been injured and at least four killed since protests began in earnest on 31 May.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to hold a rally in Istanbul later on Sunday.

The protests began as a local protest against a plan to redevelop Gezi Park, but snowballed into nationwide anti-government protests after the perceived high-handed response of the authorities.

Earlier in the week the police cleared Taksim Square, in which the park is located, but the government had since appeared to be more conciliatory.

Mr Erdogan, a hate figure for the protesters, had agreed to postpone the redevelopment while the courts considered the project's legality.

However, in a speech to supporters of his Justice and Development (AK) Party in Ankara on Saturday he said the park had to be "evacuated" by the security forces.

And late on Saturday riot squads moved in, taking just 30 minutes to dislodge the protesters.

The BBC's James Reynolds, who was at the park, says the officers advanced slowly, wearing gas masks and carrying riot shields, amid a cloud of white tear gas.

Most protesters chose to leave to avoid getting hurt. Some regrouped in nearby streets, but police fired more tear gas in an effort to disperse them.

Clashes then erupted around the city, with protesters ripping up paving stones and tearing down fences to use as barricades. In some areas they chanted: "Tayyip resign."

Police chased protesters to hotels where they had taken refuge, and some activists claimed medical facilities were targeted with water cannon and tear gas.

Taner Akcesme, who lives 10 minutes from Gezi park, told the BBC he had been woken at 06:00 (03:00 GMT) on Sunday by the noise of police chasing protesters. People had to shut their windows, he said, because of the tear gas filling the street.

In Ankara, thousands of protesters gathered for a rally near the US embassy.

International concern

Our correspondent says the prime minister has won back the ground that he lost to protesters two weeks ago.

But it is not yet clear which side has won the larger fight for the country's support.

Last month, an Istanbul court issued an initial injunction against the plan to cut down trees in the park to make way for a shopping centre and replica 18th-Century military barracks. The government has appealed against the ruling.

Mr Erdogan's offer was presented as a major concession. But after discussions in Gezi Park on Friday night, the protesters said their movement was more than just a conservation protest and vowed to stay on.

Demonstrators have accused Mr Erdogan's government of becoming increasingly authoritarian and of trying to impose conservative Islamic values on a secular state.

The police crackdown on protesters in Istanbul, Ankara, and other towns and cities has drawn international concern, especially from Europe

NEWS SOURCE:http://www.bbc.co.uk

Hassan Rouhani leads Iran presidential election vote count

Early results from Iran's presidential election put the reformist-backed candidate, Hassan Rouhani, in the lead.

Official figures give him more than half the 12 million votes counted so far - well ahead of second-placed Tehran mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

Mr Rouhani could win in the first round if he finishes with more than 50.1%.

Electoral officials said turnout was high among the 50 million Iranians eligible to vote on Friday for a successor to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

His eight years in power have been characterised by economic turmoil and Western sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

Surge of support

Final results are expected later in the day.

Preliminary figures began to emerge early on Saturday after a delay of several hours.Officials at the election headquarters said that with more than 12 million votes counted (11.7 million of them being valid):

• Hassan Rouhani has 6,049,655
• Mr Qalibaf is in second place with 1,844,463
• Mohsen Rezai lies third with 1,518,964, followed by Saeed Jalili with 1,400,712.

Voting was extended until 23:00 local time (18:30 GMT) on Friday to allow more people to cast their ballots. Iranian Press TV said turnout was 80%.

Although all six candidates are seen as conservatives, analysts say Mr Rouhani - a 64-year-old cleric often described as "moderate" who has held several parliamentary posts and served as chief nuclear negotiator - has been reaching out to reformists in recent days.

The surge of support for him came after Mohammad Reza Aref, the only reformist candidate in the race, announced on Tuesday that he was withdrawing on the advice of pro-reform ex-President Mohammad Khatami.

Mr Rouhani thus went into polling day with the endorsement of two ex-presidents - Mr Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was disqualified from the race by the powerful Guardian Council, a 12-member body of theologians and jurists.

However, Mr Rouhani faced a tough challenge from hardline candidates, including Mr Qalibaf - who is seen as a pragmatic conservative - and nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili - who is said to be very close to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The other three candidates are Mohsen Rezai, a former head of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, and former Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Gharazi.

Earlier, Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar told state TV that any presidential candidates unhappy with the results would have three days to lodge complaints to the Guardian Council.

'Intimidation'

After the last presidential election in June 2009, millions of Iranians took to the streets to demand a re-run, when the supreme leader dismissed claims by the three defeated candidates of widespread fraud.

Two of them, former Prime Minister Mir Hussein Mousavi and senior cleric Mehdi Karroubi, became leaders of a nationwide opposition known as the Green Movement, after its signature colour.

They were placed under house arrested in February 2011 when they applied to stage a protest in support of the anti-government uprisings which were sweeping the Arab world. They are still being detained.

No foreign observers monitored this year's election and there have also been concerns that media coverage in the run-up has been unfair.

Many reformist newspapers have been shut down, access to the internet and foreign broadcasters has been restricted, and journalists have been detained.

On Thursday, the BBC accused the Iranian authorities of "unprecedented levels of intimidation" of BBC employees' families.

It said Iran had warned the families of 15 BBC Persian Service staff that they must stop working for the BBC or their lives in London would be endangered.

Tehran has so far made no comment on the allegation.

NEWS SOURCE:http://www.bbc.co.uk

Erdogan offers concessions to Turkey’s protesters

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a delegation of protesters in a closed-door meeting in Ankara that he would be willing to soften his approach to redevelopment in Istanbul’s central Gezi Park, the issue that originally sparked demonstrations. Erdogan said that he will not press ahead with razing the park while a court case to stop the construction is pending, saying that if he wins the court case, he will put the matter to a referendum in Istanbul, according to a spokesman and a member of an umbrella group for protesters.

Protesters hailed the move as a positive step hours after Erdogan had warned that his patience for the demonstrations was running out.

“The prime minister said that if the results of the public vote turned out in a way which would leave this area as a park, they will abide by it,” Tayfun Kahraman, a member of Taksim Solidarity, the umbrella protest group told reporters after the meeting, Reuters reported.

“His comments that the project will not be executed until the judiciary makes its decision is tonight’s positive result,” Kahraman said.

Erdogan’s decision was confirmed by a spokesman for his Justice and Development Party.

It was unclear whether the decision would be enough to put an end to the protests, which are largely leaderless and comprised of demands that range far beyond the issue over the park. Many on Thursday said the meeting with representatives from Taksim Solidarity was a positive step, but the group does not speak on behalf of all the protesters. Members of the delegation in Ankara said that they would take the news back to Taksim Square on Friday to see what the thousands of people encamped there thought of the decision.

Many protesters have been skeptical of plans for a referendum, saying that they do not believe elections can be fair when Erdogan holds tight sway over the media. Others mistrust the judiciary, saying that Erdogan controls them too.

Many rejected the idea of a referendum.

“It’s a silly sign of democracy,” said Burcu Gozetici, 30, a dentist. “We’ve seen lots of referendums in Turkey. But we don’t believe the electoral system is fair.”

If one clear winner has emerged in the battle over personal freedoms in Turkey, it may be modern Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

As Erdogan met Thursday for the first time with representatives from some of the main groups behind the protests that have swept his country for two weeks, Ataturk flags fluttered on both sides of the conflict.

For years, Erdogan and his conservative Islamist associates have been unenthusiastic about Ataturk, resentful of his legacy of such strict secularism that until recently women who wear head scarves could not attend college. But with Erdogan on Thursday delivering a “final warning” to protesters, his forces have embraced Ataturk’s image — an effort, critics say, to justify a pending crackdown and to pit the demonstrations against the Turkish nation.

NEWS SOURCE:http://www.washingtonpost.com

Massive storm system surges toward Mid-Atlantic

Chicago — A massive storm system originally forecast to affect one in five Americans from Iowa to Maryland surged Thursday toward the Mid-Atlantic after causing widespread power outages but largely failing to live up to its billing in ferocity through the Upper Midwest.

Authorities in Ohio reported early Thursday that high winds from possible tornadoes had damaged barns in the northwest and left thousands in the Buckeye State without power.

Meteorologists warned about the possibility of a weather event called a derecho, which is a storm of strong straight-line winds spanning at least 240 miles.

By early Thursday, a derecho hadn’t developed. And Greg Carbin of the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said, “With each hour that goes by, it’s less likely.”

While the Midwest dodged a derecho, several tornadoes, large hail and flooding did some damage.

In the small town of Belmond, Iowa, about 90 miles north of Des Moines, Duwayne Abel, owner of Cattleman’s Steaks & Provisions restaurant, said a tornado demolished part of the building. No one was in the restaurant at the time.

“I was, oh, 8 miles west of town and I looked toward town and I could see a funnel cloud, having no idea it was exactly where our restaurant was,” Abel said. His wife and an employee were able to get out of the restaurant and sought shelter in a basement.

In Iowa, at least two businesses and a home were damaged, authorities said. A storm ripped through a farm in rural Alexander, destroying a motor home. Tens of thousands of people across the Upper Midwest lost power.

In Wisconsin, authorities said thunderstorms packing heavy rain and high winds caused a Wal-Mart roof to partially collapse. Lake Delton Fire Chief Darren Jorgenson says two employees had minor injuries, but no customers were hurt.

“We’re just happy that we don’t have reports of injuries or fatalities,” said Stephanie Bond with Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management. “We just hope the extent of the damage is minimal.”

Even before the storms moved through, officials postponed Wednesday night’s Chicago White Sox game against the Toronto Blue Jays and canceled a symphony concert at the city’s downtown Millennium Park. The Metra commuter rail system temporarily halted service, and Northwestern University canceled classes and finals at its campuses in Chicago and suburban Evanston. Airlines canceled more than 120 flights at O’Hare International Airport.

Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency spokesman Cory Angell said a standby worker was added at the emergency operations center in Harrisburg and officials had ensured two National Guard helicopters were ready if needed for water rescues.

In New Jersey, officials planned to open the state’s Emergency Operations Center on Thursday morning to monitor the storm’s progress.

Last year, a derecho caused at least $1 billion in damage from Chicago to Washington, killing 13 people and leaving more than 4 million people without power, according to the weather service. Winds reached nearly 100 mph in some places. In addition to the people who killed in the storm, 34 more people died from the heat wave that followed in areas without power.

For Washington, Philadelphia and parts of the Mid-Atlantic the big storm risk continues and even increases a bit Thursday, according to the weather service. In Washington, the Office of Personnel Management said federal agencies in the area would open but that workers would be allowed to take unscheduled leave or work from home.

The term derecho was coined in 1888, said Ken Pryor, a research meteorologist at the Center for Satellite Applications and Research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in College Park, Md. The word is Spanish for “straight ahead” or “direct,” Pryor said.

The structure of a derecho-producing storm looks distinctive in radar and satellite imagery, Pryor said. “The systems are very large and have signatures that are very extreme,” he said. “You get large areas of very cold cloud tops that you typically wouldn’t see with an ordinary thunderstorm complex. The storms take on a comma or a bow shape that’s very distinctive.”

Associated Press writers Charles Wilson in Indianapolis, Barbara Rodriguez in Des Moines, Iowa, and Seth Borenstein in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

NEWS SOURCE:http://www.detroitnews.com

Greek unions join protests after state broadcaster taken off air

Athens, Greece (CNN) -- Greek workers are due to rally in central Athens on Thursday after unions called a general strike to protest the government's sudden decision to halt activities at the country's state broadcaster.

Thousands of people demonstrated Wednesday outside the headquarters of the broadcaster, ERT, whose TV channels and radio services were pulled off the air overnight.

Government officials are defending the decision as budget-cutting move as the country struggles with a debt mountain, soaring unemployment and a lengthy recession.

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has described ERT as a "symbol of waste and lack of transparency" that needed to be changed.

But the General Confederation of Greek Workers and the Civil Servants Confederation are opposing the measure and are planning industrial action through the day Thursday that is likely to affect flights and public transportation.

They also urged union members to join ERT staff in their demonstration outside the broadcasting headquarters Wednesday.

Most of those taking part in the peaceful protest Wednesday outside ERT's Athens headquarters were employees, but others were ordinary Greeks who turned out in a show of support.

Some held banners that read, "All in the streets," urging fellow Greeks to join their cause.

No room for 'sacred cows'

Government spokesman Simon Kedikoglou cited chronic corruption and mismanagement of funds as reasons why the broadcaster was closed down, at least temporarily.

"At a time when the Greek people are enduring sacrifices, there is no room for delay, hesitation or tolerance for sacred cows," Kedikoglou said in announcement shown on the broadcaster.

ERT has said the decision means 2,656 employees will lose their jobs.

To meet its commitments to its creditors -- the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund -- the Greek government has to dismiss 2,000 people from the wider public sector by the end of the year and 15,000 by the end of 2014.

Kedikoglou said a new television and radio broadcaster would open with a much smaller staff, with existing employees able to apply for new positions.

A "modern television and radio broadcaster will be established that will operate as soon as possible," he said.

An exact time frame for the new organization has not been announced, but a government spokesman said the new broadcaster should be operational before the end of the summer.

The General Secretariat of Information and Communication said the new state broadcaster would be called the Organization of Modern State Television.

Journalists dismayed

The European Commission said Wednesday it had not sought the closure of ERT, "but nor does the Commission question the Greek Government's mandate to manage the public sector."

It added that the commission "supports the role of public broadcasting as an integral part of European democracy."

Reporters Without Borders expressed dismay over what it said was a "bizarre" decision by the government to shut down ERT's activities while carrying out the overhaul of its services.

"Greece has fallen almost 50 places in the past three years in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index, a record fall in such a short period for a European Union member state," a statement said.

"The reasons include violence against reporters covering anti-austerity demonstrations, which goes completely unpunished, and threats against journalists and other news providers by the Golden Dawn party's neo-Nazis.

"Against this backdrop, the closure of ERT's TV stations has dealt a devastating blow to pluralism and freedom of information in Greece."

Greek lawmakers agreed in April to cut thousands of government workers to secure another 8.8 billion euros ($11.5 billion) in international bailout funds.

NEWS SOURCE:http://edition.cnn.com

Edward Snowden intends to stay in Hong Kong, fight extradition

BEIJING — Edward Snowden, the former U.S. government contractor who says he leaked National Security Agencysecrets, told Hong Kong media Wednesday that he intended to remain in the self-ruled Chinese territory and fight extradition to the United States.

"I have had many opportunities to flee Hong Kong, but I would rather stay and fight the United States government in the courts, because I have faith in Hong Kong's rule of law," Snowden told the South China Morning Post in an interview. "My intention is to ask the courts and people of Hong Kong to decide my fate. I have been given no reason to doubt your system."

The interview was the first public word from the 29-year-old Snowden since midday Monday, when he checked out of the Hong Kong hotel where he had been staying.

Snowden revealed himself Sunday as the primary source of unauthorized disclosures of highly classified U.S. telephone and Internet surveillance systems, calling America's spying capabilities "horrifying." He is now believed to be staying in a private home.

Other Hong Kong media reported as well that there was no indication from immigration authorities that Snowden had left Hong Kong, although in theory he is free to go as there are no outstanding charges against him. The U.S. Justice Department was expected to file criminal charges against Snowden.

Snowden also told the South China Morning Post that the Internet surveillance program code-namedPRISM is used to spy on people in Hong Kong and elsewhere in China.

"Unfortunately, the U.S. government is now bullying the Hong Kong government to prevent me from continuing my work," he said.

Snowden's strategy in Hong Kong appears to be a high-risk geopolitical play in a most unique place, where the British common law overlaps with the dictate of the Chinese Communist Party. The former British colony is a special administrative zone, which unlike mainland China has an extradition treaty with the United States. But Beijing gets final say in cases where "surrender of a fugitive would harm defense, foreign affairs or essential public interest or policy."

Despite the rivalry between the United States and China, and the mutual recriminations over hacking and cyber espionage, few experts expect Beijing to go out of its way to shelter Snowden.

"The Chinese leader is pretty new and has just had an amicable round of chats with PresidentObama," said Martin Lee, one of Hong Kong's most respected democracy advocates and a senior lawyer.

Lee acknowledged that Snowden could keep the case tangled up in the courts for years. Snowden's advocates are expected to argue that extradition to the United States could subject him to cruel and unusual punishment, citing the treatment of Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of giving documents to WikiLeaks.

Snowden might be counting on Hong Kong's activists — who zealously treasure their rights to hold commemorative marches over the Tiananmen Square crackdown and to protest against China — to rally to his defense. Their involvement could make it a political headache for Beijing to kick him out.

Beijing faces powerful opposition from Hong Kong activists who allege the Chinese Communist Party is encroaching on the freedoms it promised.

Eleven activist groups are planning a rally Saturday in support of Snowden, with a number of prominent pro-democracy figures expected to speak.

In a preview of what may come, rally organizers Wednesday suggested slogans for posters such as: "Defend Free Speech, Protect Snowden"; "No Extradition"; "Respect Hong Kong Law"; "Shame on NSA"; "Stop Internet Surveillance"; and "Betray Snowden = Betray Freedom."

barbara.demick@latimes.com

NEWS SOURCE:http://www.latimes.com

Girl dying of cystic fibrosis receives lung transplant

 

Sarah Murnaghan, the 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl dying of cystic fibrosis, is receiving her long-awaited lung transplant. According to a Facebook post from Sarah’s mother, Janet, the family received word this morning of new lungs that had been made available, and Sarah is currently in surgery.  The operation will take many hours.
A spokeswoman from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where Sarah has been hospitalized, said they do not have any information to release.
In the Facebook post, Janet said the family is overwhelmed with emotions, and she thanked everyone for their unending support.  She also asked her followers to pray for Sarah's donor.
"Please pray for Sarah's donor, her HERO, who has given her the gift of life," Janet Murnaghan wrote. "Today their family has experienced a tremendous loss, may God grant them a peace that surpasses understanding."
United States Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) released the following statement after being informed by the family of Sarah’s good news:
"I am deeply grateful to the organ donor and his or her family for the potentially life-saving gift to Sarah. Now that a suitable donor has been found, a prayer would help, too - a prayer Sarah's body accepts the new organ the way doctors believe it can. The judge gave Sarah a chance to receive a new lung.  Now the surgical team at CHOP is giving her a chance at life.”
Sarah has been in desperate need of a lung transplant for the past 18 months.  She has been hospitalized at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for the past three months, where she has been on a ventilator.
Under the current guidelines for organ donation, children under the age of 12 must wait for pediatric lungs to become available.  Adult lungs cannot be offered to children under 12, until they are offered to adults and adolescents first.
The Murnaghans have been in the midst of a legal battle over the established rules for organ donation after they filed a lawsuit last week to have the guidelines changed, arguing the rule keeping Sarah off the list was "discriminatory."
A federal court judge granted a temporary order on June 5 that allowed Sarah to join an adult organ transplant list. It is not yet clear whether Sarah’s donor is an adult or a child.
Judge Michael Baylson made his ruling after hearing oral arguments on the case and had scheduled a preliminary injunction hearing for June 14.
Baylson's order told Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to direct the group that manages the organ transplant list to cease application of it in Sarah's case.
Secretary Sebelius declined to intervene in the case early last week, despite urgent pleas from several members of Congress from Pennsylvania. Sebelius said that such decisions should be made by medical experts and noted that there were three other children at Children's Hospital alone in the same condition.
Over the weekend, Sarah's condition worsened, and she was intubated on Saturday after she experienced additional trouble breathing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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