國際時事政治選舉新聞張貼及討論區（七）

Spain: Sanchez wins narrow vote to become PM

https://www.dw.com/en/spain-sanchez-wins-narrow-vote-to-become-pm/a-51919677

After nearly a year of political uncertainty in Spain, Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez was chosen by parliament to form a government. Sanchez won the vote by a razor-thin margin of 167 in favor versus 165 against, after losing a first vote on Saturday.

Sanchez initially became prime minister in June 2018, when his predecessor Mariano Rajoy lost a confidence vote in the midst of a political crisis with Catalonia, whose government has been seeking independence from Madrid. Sanchez had vowed to reestablish dialogue with Catalan leaders after Rajoy's crackdown on the independence movement.

However, Sanchez's government struggled to get legislation passed, and in early 2019, the prime minister called an early election after his proposed budget was rejected. Inconclusive elections in both April and November left his socialists in first place but without enough seats in parliament to form a government.

In response, Sanchez's second government will be a coalition with far-left party Podemos, although he had previously said he could not countenance an alliance with them.

Iran attack: US airbases in Iraq hit by ballistic missiles

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51028954

At least two airbases housing US troops in Iraq have been hit by more than a dozen ballistic missiles, according to the US Department of Defence.

Iranian state TV says the attack is a retaliation after the country's top commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in a drone strike in Baghdad, on the orders of US President Donald Trump.

The Pentagon says at least two sites were attacked, in Irbil and Al-Asad.

It is unclear if there have been any casualties.

"We are aware of the reports of attacks on US facilities in Iraq. The president has been briefed and is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with his national security team," White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the attack was in retaliation for the death of Soleimani on Friday.

"We are warning all American allies, who gave their bases to its terrorist army, that any territory that is the starting point of aggressive acts against Iran will be targeted," it said via a statement carried by Iran's state-run IRNA news agency.

Iran launches missiles at US forces in Iraq at al-Asad and Erbil – live updates
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/jan/07/trump-news-today-live-impeachment-articles-iran-latest-updates-democrats

Iran has launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles at US and coalition military sites in Iraq in retaliation for the killing last week of top general Qassem Suleimani.

Al-Asad air base in Iraq’s Anbar province, which hosts a US contingent, was hit at least six times, the US military confirmed. The Pentagon said at least one other base in the northern city of Erbil was targeted in the attack which commenced around 1.30am local time on Wednesday (10.30pm GMT).

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), of which Suleimani was a member, issued a statement saying: “The brave soldiers of IRGC’s aerospace unit have launched a successful attack with tens of ballistic missiles on Al Asad military base in the name of martyr General Qassem Suleimani.”

There were also unconfirmed reports of missile attacks elsewhere in Iraq.

The semi-official Tasnim new agency reported a second wave of strikes against the al-Asad base took place at around 3.20am.

Iran plane crash: Trudeau believes that missile downed jet

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51055219

Evidence suggests an Iranian missile brought down a Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near Tehran, possibly in error, Western leaders say.

The leaders of Canada and the UK called for a full and thorough investigation into the crash, which killed all 176 people on board.

Iran has ruled out a missile strike by its air defences.

The crash came just hours after Iran carried out missile strikes on two airbases housing US forces in Iraq.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had received intelligence from multiple sources indicating that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to air missile, adding that it was possible that this was unintentional.

"This reinforces the need for a thorough investigation," he said. "Canadians have questions and they deserve answers."

But he said it was too early to apportion blame or draw any conclusions, and he refused to go into detail about the evidence.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson echoed Mr Trudeau's words and said Britain was working closely with Canada and other international partners affected by the crash.

Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill heads for Lords after MPs’ vote

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/09/boris-johnsons-brexit-bill-heads-for-lords-after-mps-vote

Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill cleared the House of Commons on Thursday in a major milestone that means the UK is on track to leave the EU on 31 January.

The prime minister won a vote on the EU withdrawal bill at third reading by 330 votes to 231, a majority of 99.

Before the election, MPs had thwarted Theresa May’s Brexit bill and threatened to do the same to Johnson’s revised deal.

However, the make-up of the new parliament is now strongly pro-Brexit, with Johnson’s sizeable Tory majority.

The bill will now go to the House of Lords where peers could give it a more challenging hearing but are still unlikely to block its passage.

The prime minister’s official spokesman warned the House of Lords, where Johnson does not have a majority, not to frustrate the progress of the legislation.

“The country did deliver a very clear message that they want Brexit to be resolved,” he said.

The bill passed without amendment in the Commons in marked contrast to torturous previous efforts of May and Johnson to get Brexit legislation through before the election.

Iran plane crash: Ukrainian jet was 'unintentionally' shot down - state TV

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-51073621

The statement said it had done so due to "human error" after the plane flew close to a sensitive site belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

Those responsible would be held accountable, the statement said.

Iran had previously rejected suggestions that one of its missiles brought down the plane near the capital, Tehran, on Wednesday.

But pressure mounted after the US and Canada, citing intelligence, said they believed Iran had brought the plane down with a missile, possibly accidently.

Iran plane downing: Pressure mounts on officials amid protests

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51081833

Iran's leaders are facing growing calls to dismiss senior officials after a Ukrainian passenger plane was shot down killing all 176 people on board.

Thousands of protesters demanded accountability on Saturday after the military said it had mistakenly downed the jet, having earlier denied it.

Riot police have been deployed and there are reports that protesters have gathered for a second day of action.

The plane was shot down amid rising tensions with the US.

It happened shortly after Iran launched missiles at two airbases housing US forces in Iraq. Those strikes were a response to the US killing of senior Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad on 3 January.

Iran plane crash: Britain condemns Tehran's arrest of UK ambassador
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51077897

Britain has condemned the arrest of the UK ambassador to Iran as a "flagrant violation of international law".

Rob Macaire was detained after attending a vigil for those who died when Iran's military shot down a passenger plane on Wednesday.

He left when it turned into a protest before being arrested and accused of helping to organise the demonstrations.

Iran's deputy foreign minister said he was arrested "as an unknown foreigner in an illegal gathering".

Mr Macaire was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry on Sunday after his arrest on Saturday night.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, deputy foreign minister of Iran, who denied Mr Macaire was detained, said in a tweet that he thought it "impossible" when police first told him that the UK ambassador had been arrested.

A phone conversation confirmed Mr Macaire's identity and he was released 15 minutes later, Mr Araghchi added.

Britain has condemned the arrest of the UK ambassador to Iran as a "flagrant violation of international law".

Rob Macaire was detained after attending a vigil for those who died when Iran's military shot down a passenger plane on Wednesday.

He left when it turned into a protest before being arrested and accused of helping to organise the demonstrations.

Iran's deputy foreign minister said he was arrested "as an unknown foreigner in an illegal gathering".

Mr Macaire was summoned to the Iranian foreign ministry on Sunday after his arrest on Saturday night.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, deputy foreign minister of Iran, who denied Mr Macaire was detained, said in a tweet that he thought it "impossible" when police first told him that the UK ambassador had been arrested.

A phone conversation confirmed Mr Macaire's identity and he was released 15 minutes later, Mr Araghchi added.

Thailand: Thousands protest against government with run

https://www.dw.com/en/thailand-thousands-protest-against-government-with-run/a-51971259

A large protest against Thailand's military-backed government on Sunday saw thousands join the "Run Against Dictatorship" in Bangkok, with some runners also giving the three-finger salute made popular by the Hunger Games movies.

Protesters gathered at a public park for an anti-government run early on Sunday, with Thai billionaire and opposition leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit leading the event.

Organizers said over 10,000 people registered to join the "Run Against Dictatorship," marking what appeared to be the biggest anti-government protest since the 2014 military coup, which saw the current prime minister and then-army chief, Prayut Chan-ocha, seize power.

"I want a government that takes care of the people and spends money on our well-being and the environment instead of buying tanks and submarines," one of the runners said.

Protesters chanted "Get out, Prayut" and "Long live democracy." Before running the 2.6-kilometer (1.6-mile) course, many of the protesters also flashed the three-finger salute inspired by The Hunger Games.

Angela Merkel and Vladmir Putin push ahead with pipeline

https://www.dw.com/en/angela-merkel-and-vladmir-putin-push-ahead-with-pipeline/a-51968258

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Moscow on Saturday, discussing the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, the crisis situation in Iran, and a proposal to host Libya peace talks in Berlin.

The Nord Stream 2 is set to deliver Russian gas to Germany, which relies heavily on Russian firms for its energy needs. The pipeline has been the target of sanctions by the US government, which says that the pipeline, which belongs to the state oil company Gazprom, could be used as a "tool of coercion" and could turn Germany into a "hostage of Russia."

"I hope that by the end of this year, or in the first quarter of next year, work will be finished and the gas pipeline will start operating," Putin said at a joint press conference with Merkel.

For her part, Merkel said she "does not agree with the US approach" of imposing sanctions, which have already been decried by the German government for impinging on national sovereignty.

She added that "despite the sanctions it will be possible to complete Nord Stream 2... There is a certain delay but it will be completed."

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'Clerics get lost!': Iran protests rage on over plane disaster

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-crash/clerics-get-lost-iran-protests-rage-on-over-plane-disaster-idUSKBN1ZC0P1

DUBAI (Reuters) - Protesters denouncing Iran’s clerical rulers took to the streets and riot police deployed to face them on Monday, in a third day of demonstrations after authorities acknowledged shooting down a passenger plane by accident.

Demonstrations, some apparently met by a violent crackdown, are the latest twist in one of the most serious escalations between the United States and Iran since the 1979 Iranian revolution swept the U.S.-backed shah from power.

Video from inside Iran showed students on Monday chanting slogans including “Clerics get lost!” outside universities in the city of Isfahan and in Tehran, where riot police were filmed taking out positions on the streets.

Images from the previous two days of protests showed wounded people being carried and pools of blood on the ground. Gunshots could be heard, although the police denied opening fire.

Former Pope Benedict breaks silence on celibacy debate after synod
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-benedict-book/former-pope-benedict-breaks-silence-on-celibacy-debate-after-synod-idUSKBN1ZB0O4?il=0

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Former Pope Benedict, in a new book written with a conservative cardinal, defends priestly celibacy in the Catholic Church in what appears to be a strategically timed appeal to Pope Francis to not change the rules.

Benedict wrote the book, “From the Depths of Our Hearts,” with Cardinal Robert Sarah, 74, a Guinean prelate who heads the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.

Excerpts were published on Sunday on the website of the French newspaper Le Figaro. The Vatican had no immediate comment on the book, which is due to be published on Monday.

Exclusive: 'Grieving nations' to discuss legal action against Iran over downed airliner - Ukraine
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-crash-ukraine-exclusive/exclusive-grieving-nations-to-discuss-legal-action-against-iran-over-downed-airliner-ukraine-idUSKBN1ZC1A3

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Five nations whose citizens died when an airliner was shot down by Iran last week will meet in London on Thursday to discuss possible legal action, Ukraine’s foreign minister told Reuters.

Speaking at the sidelines of an official visit to Singapore on Monday, Vadym Prystaiko said the countries would also discuss compensation and the investigation into the incident. All 176 people on board the flight died in the crash on Wednesday, minutes after the plane took off from Tehran airport.

Prystaiko said suggestions from Iran that the Ukrainian International Airlines plane was downed as it flew near a sensitive military base during a time of heightened tensions were “nonsense”. He said Tehran had agreed to hand over the plane’s black boxes to Kiev for investigation.

“We have created this group of foreign ministers from the grieving nations. On Jan 16, we will meet in person in London to discuss the ways, including legal, how we are following this up, how we are prosecuting them (Iran),” Prystaiko said.

Libyan rivals to sign ceasefire deal in Moscow

https://www.dw.com/en/libyan-rivals-to-sign-ceasefire-deal-in-moscow/a-51978194

The meeting between Fayez al-Sarraj and Khalifa Haftar follows a ceasefire implemented over the weekend. If signed, the pact would end nine months of fighting in the North African country.

The warring factions in Libya's conflict are set to sign a ceasefire agreement on Monday in Moscow.

The head of Libya's UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj and his rival, the leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Khalifa Haftar, are likely to confirm the terms of a pact that went into effect over the weekend and is expected to end nine months of fighting.

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- 分享自 LIHKG 討論區

Russian government resigns as Putin plans future

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-51120166

The Russian government is to resign, hours after President Vladimir Putin announced plans in parliament to change the constitution.

Mr Putin has proposed a nationwide vote on changes that would shift power from the presidency to parliament.

He has asked Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to take up the post of deputy head of the National Security Council.

Mr Medvedev said the president's proposals would significantly change Russia's balance of power.

"These changes, when they are adopted... will introduce substantial changes not only to an entire range of articles of the constitution, but also to the entire balance of power, the power of the executive, the power of the legislature, the power of judiciary," Mr Medvedev said.

"In this context... the government in its current form has resigned."

US and China sign deal to ease trade war

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51114425

The US and China have signed an agreement aimed at easing a trade war that has rattled markets and weighed on the global economy.

Speaking in Washington, US President Donald Trump said the pact would be "transformative" for the US economy.

Chinese leaders called it a "win-win" deal that would help foster better relations between the two countries.

China has pledged to boost US imports by $200bn above 2017 levels and strengthen intellectual property rules.

In exchange, the US has agreed to halve some of the new tariffs it has imposed on Chinese products.

However the majority of the border taxes remain in place, which has prompted business groups to call for further talks.

"There's a lot of work to do ahead," said Jeremie Waterman, president of the China Center at the US Chamber of Commerce. "Bottom line is, they should enjoy today but not wait too long to get back to the table for phase two."

Trump impeachment: House sends historic case to Senate

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51126431

The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution to submit articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump to the Senate for a trial.

The resolution passed largely along party lines by 228 votes to 193.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signed copies of the articles alongside the team of Democratic lawmakers who will prosecute the case against Mr Trump.

The House, controlled by opposition Democrats, impeached the president last month.

The Senate, controlled by Mr Trump's Republican Party, will decide whether to convict and remove him from office.

At a press conference before the signing of the articles, Mrs Pelosi said: "Today we will make history. When the managers walk down the hall, we will cross a threshold in history - delivering articles of impeachment against the president of the United States for abuse of power and obstruction of the House."

The articles were then transferred to the Senate, where Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said they would be exhibited on Thursday at noon, followed by a reading on the floor of the upper chamber. He said the trial would begin on Tuesday.

Meng Wanzhou: Extradition hearings to begin for Huawei executive
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51126901

The formal extradition hearings for a Chinese Huawei executive who was arrested in Canada slightly more than a year ago are to begin on Monday.

Meng Wanzhou was held in late 2018 in Canada on suspicion of fraud and breaching US sanctions on Iran.

The US wants Ms Meng to stand trial on charges including fraud linked to the alleged violation of sanctions on Iran.

The case is being watched for its possible repercussions for ties between China and the US and Canada.

This week's hearings will run from 20-24 January in the British Columbia supreme court in Vancouver and will focus on Ms Meng's double criminality motion.

That motion is a step in the extradition process in which the court hears arguments related to whether the crime Ms Meng is accused of by the US would also be considered a crime in Canada.

The judge must be satisfied that it meets the key test of double criminality before agreeing to an extradition.

Venezuela crisis: Juan Guaidó defies travel ban for Colombia meeting
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-51169801

Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaidó has travelled to Colombia for a counter-terrorism meeting, the second time he defies a travel ban imposed by the pro-government Supreme Court.

He is expected to meet the US secretary of state in Bogotá on Monday. The US and more than 50 countries recognise Mr Guaidó as Venezuela's rightful leader.

President Nicolás Maduro accuses the US of orchestrating a coup to oust him.

But in an interview he seemed to open the door for direct talks with the US.

Speaking to the Washington Post, Mr Maduro said: "If there's respect between governments, no matter how big the US is, and if there's a dialogue, an exchange of truthful information, then be sure we can create a new type of relationship."

Mr Maduro and Mr Guaidó have been at loggerheads for more than a year, after Mr Guaidó - who heads the National Assembly - declared himself interim president, claiming Mr Maduro's re-election in 2018 was fraudulent.

Despite international pressure and US sanctions on the crucial oil sector, Mr Maduro has managed to stay in power supported by Russia, Cuba and a handful of other countries as well as the powerful Venezuelan military.

Mr Guaidó was received by Colombian President Iván Duque with full presidential honours.

Lebanon urgently needs new government to avoid collapse: Hariri

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-crisis-hariri/lebanon-urgently-needs-new-government-to-avoid-collapse-hariri-idUSKBN1ZJ17J

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon needs to quickly form a new government to stop a cycle of collapse and worsening economic and security conditions, caretaker prime minister Saad al-Hariri tweeted on Monday.

Politicians have failed to agree on a government or an economic rescue plan since protests pushed Hariri to quit as prime minister in October.

Beirut has been rocked in recent days by some of the worst violence since the unrest began, with 370 injured in clashes between protesters and security forces on Saturday.

President Michel Aoun met security chiefs on Monday to work out a plan for deterring violent groups that “security services have detailed information on” while protecting property and peaceful protesters, sources at the meeting said.

Malta minister quits in latest fallout from journalist murder

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-malta-politics/malta-minister-quits-in-latest-fallout-from-journalist-murder-idUSKBN1ZJ18Y

VALLETTA (Reuters) - Another Maltese minister has quit after a paper reported links between her policeman husband and the man suspected of masterminding a journalist’s murder, the government said on Monday.

Corruption investigator Daphne Caruana Galizia was blown up by a car bomb in October 2017, prompting a lengthy inquiry that has caused political turmoil on the Mediterranean island, including the resignation of the prime minister.

The latest official to quit was Justyne Caruana, a lawyer who was minister responsible for the small island of Gozo.

The Sunday Times of Malta said her husband, former assistant police commissioner Silvio Valletta, went to London to see a soccer match with businessman Yorgen Fenech in September 2018 when Fenech was already of interest in the investigation.

“I am submitting my resignation as minister with immediate effect in view of the press story issued, even though I am completely extraneous to it and have no connection to the facts,” the outgoing minister wrote in a letter, extracts of which the government published on Monday.

Meng Hongwei: China sentences ex-Interpol chief to 13 years in jail
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51185838

A former Interpol chief accused of bribery was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in jail by a Chinese court on Tuesday.

Meng Hongwei, who was the first Chinese head of Interpol, vanished on a trip back to the country from France in September 2018.

China later confirmed he had been detained as part of President Xi Jinping's drive against corruption.

Meng has admitted to taking more than $2m (£1.6m) in bribes.

The 56-year-old was also ordered by the Tianjin No 1 Intermediate People's Court to pay a fine of two million yuan ($289,540; £222,711).

The court statement said Meng would not appeal against the verdict.

Setback for Boris Johnson as Lords amend Brexit bill

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/20/boris-johnson-suffers-first-parliamentary-defeat-since-election

Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has received a setback in the Lords after three amendments to the bill were passed.

In the government’s first parliamentary defeat since the general election, peers voted for EU citizens to have the right to be given official documentation if they lawfully reside in the UK after Brexit.

They backed a cross-party amendment to the withdrawal agreement bill allowing for physical proof of status.

The second defeat was over the power of British courts to depart from European court of justice judgments and the third swiftly followed when peers backed a move to allow cases to be referred to the supreme court to decide whether to depart from EU case law.

However, because of Johnson’s big majority, the results are expected to be overturned by the Commons.

The Lords passed the first amendment, moved by Liberal Democrat peer Jonny Oates, by 270 votes to 229. It would give EU citizens in the UK the automatic right to stay, rather than having to apply to the Home Office, and would ensure they can get physical proof of their rights.

Afterwards the Home Office minister Brandon Lewis issued a statement rejecting outright the calls for a physical card to prove settled status, adding that the government’s policy would not change.

Trump impeachment: Senate prepares for opening of historic trial

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/21/donald-trump-impeachment-trial-senate

As Donald Trump prepared on Tuesday to address the billionaires in Davos, the US Senate prepared to hear opening arguments in an impeachment trial that could remove Trump from the presidency, if not from his seemingly unassailable perch in the public eye.

For only the third time in history, prosecutors sent by the House of Representatives will rise on the Senate floor to charge the president with “high crimes and misdemeanors” and declare that he must be turned out of the White House.

Trump “is the framers’ worst nightmare come to life”, Adam Schiff, chair of the intelligence committee and the lead impeachment prosecutor, wrote in a brief filed Monday, referring to the authors of the US constitution.

Trump was impeached in a party-line vote on two articles, or charges, in the House last month, for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, relating to accusations that he threatened US national security with his conduct towards Ukraine.

But as his Senate trial got under way in earnest, Trump received a powerful boost of support from the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, who on Monday night unveiled a resolution designed to move the trial forward with unanticipated speed.

The schedule laid out by McConnell would consign key proceedings to late, potentially post-midnight hours and left in doubt whether the Senate would admit evidence gathered in the House – much less call any witnesses to testify about Trump’s conduct.