World/Nation Briefs 6.18.2012
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By -
CAIRO (AP) — The Muslim Brotherhood declared early Monday that its candidate, Mohammed Morsi, won Egypt’s presidential election, which would be the first victory of an Islamist as head of state in the stunning wave of protests demanding democracy that swept the Middle East the past year. But the military handed itself the lion’s share of power over the new president, sharpening the possibility of confrontation.
With parliament dissolved and martial law effectively in force, the generals issued an interim constitution granting themselves sweeping authorities that ensure their hold on the state and subordinate the president. They will be Egypt’s lawmakers, they will control the budget and they will determine who writes the permanent constitution that will define the country’s future.
But as it claimed a narrow victory over Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in a deeply polarizing election, the Brotherhood challenged the military’s power grab. The group said Sunday it did not recognize the dissolution of parliament, where it was the largest party. It also rejected the military’s right to issue an interim constitution and oversee the drafting of a new one.
That pointed to a potential struggle over spheres of authority between Egypt’s two strongest forces. The Brotherhood has campaigned on a platform of bringing Egypt closer to a form of Islamic rule, but the military’s grip puts it in a position to block that. Instead, any conflict would likely center on more basic questions of control — if the Brotherhood pushes a fight. It has reached accommodations with the military in the past.
Official final results are not due until Thursday, and Shafiq’s campaign challenged the Brotherhood claim, which was based on the group’s compilation of election officials’ returns from nearly all polling centers nationwide.
———
Businessmen, leaders gathering in Mexico for summit express relief over pro-Euro Greek vote
LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) — World leaders expressed relief on the eve of a G20 summit that Greek voters had stepped back from the edge and elected a government that supports painful reforms in exchange for a European Union bailout of the country’s troubled economy.
Fears that Greek voters would instead choose an anti-bailout government and possibly force the country’s exit from the currency union had haunted the gathering in this sunbaked Mexican resort, where the crisis facing Greece, Spain, Italy and other European economies have taken center stage.
Instead, world leaders said they saw Sunday’s vote as a boost for European unity even in the face of economic turbulence.
———
Greek parties head into coalition negotiation; fears of imminent euro exit recede
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras will launch coalition talks Monday after coming first in national elections that follow weeks of uncertainty over the debt-crippled country’s future in Europe’s joint currency.
The campaign was closely watched by global leaders and markets, while central banks stood ready to intervene in case of financial turmoil as the Sunday’s election was seen as a vote on whether Greece should stay among the 17 nations that use the euro.
A Greek exit would have potentially catastrophic consequences for other ailing European nations, while the fallout would hit the United States and the entire global economy.
Leaders of the European Union appeared relieved that a pro-austerity government could now be formed. The EU ‘‘is convinced that continued fiscal and structural reforms are Greece’s best guarantee to overcome the current economic and social challenges,’’ it said in a statement.
Asian stock markets climbed early Monday on the news, as did those in Greece with Athens stocks gaining 5.1 percent in early trading.
———
’Can we all get along?’: Rodney King, whose 1991 beating sparked LA race riots, dies at 47
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just a few months ago, Rodney King was once again the center of attention as the world checked back in on the man whose videotaped beating by police sparked one of the nation’s worst race riots.
King had left Los Angeles behind, moving an hour east to a home where neighbors would often hear him splashing in the pool late at night.
The scars from the more than 50 baton blows — those both inside and out— remained, but King struck an upbeat note on his life.
‘‘America’s been good to me after I paid the price and stayed alive through it all,’’ he told The Associated Press. ‘‘This part of my life is the easy part now.’’
But King was found around 5:30 a.m. Sunday at the bottom of the swimming pool at his Rialto, Calif. Home.
———
Israeli airstrike kills 2 Palestinians in northern Gaza shortly after infiltration from Egypt
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says it has carried out an airstrike against suspected Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip.
Palestinian medical officials in Gaza say two men were killed in the airstrike as they were riding a motorcycle. They say the attack took place near the town of Beit Hanoun along the Israeli border.
The officials said the two men have not yet been identified. But the Israeli military says they were wanted militants.
The attack took place shortly after militants infiltrated Israel from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula nearby. It was not known whether the airstrike was a retaliation.
———
US, Russian leaders jockey for leverage on Iran, Syria in first meeting since Putin’s return
SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico (AP) — President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin need one another, an uncomfortable truth for the superpower leader facing a tough re-election and the newly elected Russian leader who is deeply suspicious of the United States.
The two men will use their meeting Monday, the first since Putin returned to Russia’s top job, to claim leverage. Much of the rest of the Group of 20 economic meeting will be devoted to the European fiscal crisis and the fate of Greece as a part of the euro zone.
‘‘I expect that it will be a candid discussion, it will get down to business,’’ White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said ahead of the lengthy morning meeting between Obama and Putin.
‘‘We’ll be able to sustain cooperation in some areas, we’ll have differences in other areas, and we’ll work to try to bridge those differences.’’
The G-20 gathering is a natural forum for sideline discussions of the urgent crisis in Syria as well as diplomatic efforts to head off a confrontation with Iran. Russia is a linchpin in world efforts to resolve both crises, and to U.S. goals for the smooth shutdown of the war in Afghanistan. In the longer term, Obama wants Russia’s continued cooperation in nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.
———
Sandusky defense about to put on witnesses, possibly including testimony by defendant himself
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — The defense in Jerry Sandusky’s child sexual abuse trial could begin putting on its own witnesses early this week, and one of them could be the former Penn State assistant football coach himself.
Sandusky’s lawyer suggested in opening statements that Sandusky, 68, may take the stand, although that is a risk that defense attorneys usually avoid.
It can be difficult for any defendant to hold up under the questions of a skilled cross-examiner, said David A. Harris, a University of Pittsburgh law professor.
‘‘If they put him on, that’s really a sign that they think they cannot succeed unless they put him on,’’ Harris said. ‘‘Because it’s a huge risk.’’
Jurors have already heard Sandusky deny the allegations, in the form of an audio recording of a stilted television interview Sandusky conducted shortly after his November arrest.
———
SPIN METER: Candidates fight over who’s misquoting whom as both sides seize opponent’s words
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney can speak with authority when they complain about their words being taken out of context. They’ve not only been victims of the tactic, they’ve also used it to great effect themselves.
In an unforgiving election season, every sentence spoken by the candidates is sliced and diced by the opposition for political gain, and unflattering statistics are cherry-picked to pack the most devastating punch. The campaigns pounce on any ill-advised remark and cry foul when their own slip-ups get similar treatment.
The tussle over recent comments by Obama and Romney on the economy is a skirmish in which both sides have lobbed out-of-context complaints after snippets of their words were isolated and held up to ridicule.
Obama, at a news conference June 8, spoke six words that quickly came back to bite him: ‘‘The private sector is doing fine.’’
Romney’s response boomeranged, too. Noting that the president had said the country needs more firefighters, police officers and teachers, Romney said the public thinks ‘‘it’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.’’
———
Lima’s unlikely superhero, a simple man with dreams
LIMA, Peru (AP) — It’s not easy being Superman.
It only earns about $160 a month for Avelino Chavez, who dresses up daily as the caped hero.
But oh, the adventures!
The 52-year-old Chavez can’t fly but does seem to be everywhere in Lima: at political rallies and speeches, at a wedding shoot for Peru’s famed opera tenor Juan Diego Florez, hawking tours and flights on behalf of a travel agency in the central Plaza de Armas.
‘‘Hola Superman!’’ people shout to him.
———
James scores 29, Heat rally from 10-point 2nd-half deficit to beat Thunder 91-85 in Game 3
MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat have been here before, two wins from an NBA title.
The difference now? LeBron James isn’t letting his head get in the way of his talent.
James had 29 points and 14 rebounds, and the Heat took a 2-1 series lead with a 91-85 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
Miami also won Game 3 of the finals last year, but that was its last victory as the Dallas Mavericks stormed to the title. It was a painful failure for James, who looks determined to prevent a similar collapse.
‘‘He had a game where he struggled and he kind of let that get into his mind a little bit and he was thinking too much. Now he’s playing, he’s on attack and being very aggressive,’’ Dwyane Wade said. ‘‘He’s playing very aggressive and that’s the difference obviously from last year to this year, and the difference in our team.’’
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CAIRO (AP) — The Muslim Brotherhood declared early Monday that its candidate, Mohammed Morsi, won Egypt’s presidential election, which would be the first victory of an Islamist as head of state in the stunning wave of protests demanding democracy that swept the Middle East the past year. But the military handed itself the lion’s share of power over the new president, sharpening the possibility of confrontation.
With parliament dissolved and martial law effectively in force, the generals issued an interim constitution granting themselves sweeping authorities that ensure their hold on the state and subordinate the president. They will be Egypt’s lawmakers, they will control the budget and they will determine who writes the permanent constitution that will define the country’s future.
But as it claimed a narrow victory over Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in a deeply polarizing election, the Brotherhood challenged the military’s power grab. The group said Sunday it did not recognize the dissolution of parliament, where it was the largest party. It also rejected the military’s right to issue an interim constitution and oversee the drafting of a new one.
That pointed to a potential struggle over spheres of authority between Egypt’s two strongest forces. The Brotherhood has campaigned on a platform of bringing Egypt closer to a form of Islamic rule, but the military’s grip puts it in a position to block that. Instead, any conflict would likely center on more basic questions of control — if the Brotherhood pushes a fight. It has reached accommodations with the military in the past.
Official final results are not due until Thursday, and Shafiq’s campaign challenged the Brotherhood claim, which was based on the group’s compilation of election officials’ returns from nearly all polling centers nationwide.
———
Businessmen, leaders gathering in Mexico for summit express relief over pro-Euro Greek vote
LOS CABOS, Mexico (AP) — World leaders expressed relief on the eve of a G20 summit that Greek voters had stepped back from the edge and elected a government that supports painful reforms in exchange for a European Union bailout of the country’s troubled economy.
Fears that Greek voters would instead choose an anti-bailout government and possibly force the country’s exit from the currency union had haunted the gathering in this sunbaked Mexican resort, where the crisis facing Greece, Spain, Italy and other European economies have taken center stage.
Instead, world leaders said they saw Sunday’s vote as a boost for European unity even in the face of economic turbulence.
———
Greek parties head into coalition negotiation; fears of imminent euro exit recede
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek conservative leader Antonis Samaras will launch coalition talks Monday after coming first in national elections that follow weeks of uncertainty over the debt-crippled country’s future in Europe’s joint currency.
The campaign was closely watched by global leaders and markets, while central banks stood ready to intervene in case of financial turmoil as the Sunday’s election was seen as a vote on whether Greece should stay among the 17 nations that use the euro.
A Greek exit would have potentially catastrophic consequences for other ailing European nations, while the fallout would hit the United States and the entire global economy.
Leaders of the European Union appeared relieved that a pro-austerity government could now be formed. The EU ‘‘is convinced that continued fiscal and structural reforms are Greece’s best guarantee to overcome the current economic and social challenges,’’ it said in a statement.
Asian stock markets climbed early Monday on the news, as did those in Greece with Athens stocks gaining 5.1 percent in early trading.
———
’Can we all get along?’: Rodney King, whose 1991 beating sparked LA race riots, dies at 47
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just a few months ago, Rodney King was once again the center of attention as the world checked back in on the man whose videotaped beating by police sparked one of the nation’s worst race riots.
King had left Los Angeles behind, moving an hour east to a home where neighbors would often hear him splashing in the pool late at night.
The scars from the more than 50 baton blows — those both inside and out— remained, but King struck an upbeat note on his life.
‘‘America’s been good to me after I paid the price and stayed alive through it all,’’ he told The Associated Press. ‘‘This part of my life is the easy part now.’’
But King was found around 5:30 a.m. Sunday at the bottom of the swimming pool at his Rialto, Calif. Home.
———
Israeli airstrike kills 2 Palestinians in northern Gaza shortly after infiltration from Egypt
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says it has carried out an airstrike against suspected Palestinian militants in the northern Gaza Strip.
Palestinian medical officials in Gaza say two men were killed in the airstrike as they were riding a motorcycle. They say the attack took place near the town of Beit Hanoun along the Israeli border.
The officials said the two men have not yet been identified. But the Israeli military says they were wanted militants.
The attack took place shortly after militants infiltrated Israel from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula nearby. It was not known whether the airstrike was a retaliation.
———
US, Russian leaders jockey for leverage on Iran, Syria in first meeting since Putin’s return
SAN JOSE DEL CABO, Mexico (AP) — President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin need one another, an uncomfortable truth for the superpower leader facing a tough re-election and the newly elected Russian leader who is deeply suspicious of the United States.
The two men will use their meeting Monday, the first since Putin returned to Russia’s top job, to claim leverage. Much of the rest of the Group of 20 economic meeting will be devoted to the European fiscal crisis and the fate of Greece as a part of the euro zone.
‘‘I expect that it will be a candid discussion, it will get down to business,’’ White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said ahead of the lengthy morning meeting between Obama and Putin.
‘‘We’ll be able to sustain cooperation in some areas, we’ll have differences in other areas, and we’ll work to try to bridge those differences.’’
The G-20 gathering is a natural forum for sideline discussions of the urgent crisis in Syria as well as diplomatic efforts to head off a confrontation with Iran. Russia is a linchpin in world efforts to resolve both crises, and to U.S. goals for the smooth shutdown of the war in Afghanistan. In the longer term, Obama wants Russia’s continued cooperation in nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.
———
Sandusky defense about to put on witnesses, possibly including testimony by defendant himself
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — The defense in Jerry Sandusky’s child sexual abuse trial could begin putting on its own witnesses early this week, and one of them could be the former Penn State assistant football coach himself.
Sandusky’s lawyer suggested in opening statements that Sandusky, 68, may take the stand, although that is a risk that defense attorneys usually avoid.
It can be difficult for any defendant to hold up under the questions of a skilled cross-examiner, said David A. Harris, a University of Pittsburgh law professor.
‘‘If they put him on, that’s really a sign that they think they cannot succeed unless they put him on,’’ Harris said. ‘‘Because it’s a huge risk.’’
Jurors have already heard Sandusky deny the allegations, in the form of an audio recording of a stilted television interview Sandusky conducted shortly after his November arrest.
———
SPIN METER: Candidates fight over who’s misquoting whom as both sides seize opponent’s words
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney can speak with authority when they complain about their words being taken out of context. They’ve not only been victims of the tactic, they’ve also used it to great effect themselves.
In an unforgiving election season, every sentence spoken by the candidates is sliced and diced by the opposition for political gain, and unflattering statistics are cherry-picked to pack the most devastating punch. The campaigns pounce on any ill-advised remark and cry foul when their own slip-ups get similar treatment.
The tussle over recent comments by Obama and Romney on the economy is a skirmish in which both sides have lobbed out-of-context complaints after snippets of their words were isolated and held up to ridicule.
Obama, at a news conference June 8, spoke six words that quickly came back to bite him: ‘‘The private sector is doing fine.’’
Romney’s response boomeranged, too. Noting that the president had said the country needs more firefighters, police officers and teachers, Romney said the public thinks ‘‘it’s time for us to cut back on government and help the American people.’’
———
Lima’s unlikely superhero, a simple man with dreams
LIMA, Peru (AP) — It’s not easy being Superman.
It only earns about $160 a month for Avelino Chavez, who dresses up daily as the caped hero.
But oh, the adventures!
The 52-year-old Chavez can’t fly but does seem to be everywhere in Lima: at political rallies and speeches, at a wedding shoot for Peru’s famed opera tenor Juan Diego Florez, hawking tours and flights on behalf of a travel agency in the central Plaza de Armas.
‘‘Hola Superman!’’ people shout to him.
———
James scores 29, Heat rally from 10-point 2nd-half deficit to beat Thunder 91-85 in Game 3
MIAMI (AP) — The Miami Heat have been here before, two wins from an NBA title.
The difference now? LeBron James isn’t letting his head get in the way of his talent.
James had 29 points and 14 rebounds, and the Heat took a 2-1 series lead with a 91-85 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night.
Miami also won Game 3 of the finals last year, but that was its last victory as the Dallas Mavericks stormed to the title. It was a painful failure for James, who looks determined to prevent a similar collapse.
‘‘He had a game where he struggled and he kind of let that get into his mind a little bit and he was thinking too much. Now he’s playing, he’s on attack and being very aggressive,’’ Dwyane Wade said. ‘‘He’s playing very aggressive and that’s the difference obviously from last year to this year, and the difference in our team.’’
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