Putin: New Sanctions Will 'Complicate' Russia-US Ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting in Moscow, Russia, Friday, June 16, 2017. The meeting was focused on the Russian military's claim that it had killed the Islamic State group's leader in an airstrike in Syria. (Alexei Druzhinin/Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW (AP, JUNE 17, 2017) — Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that new U.S. sanctions on Russia will damage ties between the two countries. Putin said Saturday that "it will of course complicate the Russian-American relationship," according to an interview reported Saturday by the TASS news agency. The Russian leader said it was too early to speak about a possible response.

The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve sanctions against Russia for its alleged interference in the 2016 election. The bill, which passed 98-2, targets Russian individuals accused of corruption and key sectors of the Russian economy.

Putin said that Russia would be forced to make changes because of the sanctions, but they wouldn't lead to a "collapse." The penalties have been criticized by Austria and Germany for promoting U.S. economic interests.

New French revolution? Novices Set To Take Over Parliament

A woman walks past electoral posters displaying posters of the parliamentary elections in Paris, France. French President Emmanuel Macron's 14-month-old party is set to win a huge majority in parliamentary elections Sunday, meeting one of his most emblematic campaign promises: bringing new faces into politics. A village schoolteacher, a farmer, a math genius, a female bullfighter.


PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron's 14-month-old party appears set to win a huge majority in parliamentary elections Sunday, meeting one of his most emblematic campaign promises: to bring new faces into politics.

While some worry that the new National Assembly will be full of people whose only common ideology is loyalty to the pro-business, pro-European president, many voters seem excited about Macron's promise to renew France's political landscape.

"We cannot do worse" than past legislators, farmer and candidate Jean-Baptiste Moreau told The Associated Press, "and I even think we're going to do better." "For 30 years there were full of very experienced people, and we cannot say it's a great success," said Moreau, a 40-year-old from the Creuse region in central France who has a good chance to win his race Sunday as a member of Macron's movement, The Republic on the Move!

On Sunday, 513 candidates will compete under the party banner for the 577 seats in the National Assembly, France's lower house of parliament, in the second round of the two-part legislative elections. Two others were already elected outright in the first round.

Half are women, many candidates are young, and they are often unknown to most of the voters in their districts. Observers stressed that Macron's success, and the low turnout rate of less than 50 percent last Sunday, show the disaffection of French voters from traditional politics.

Mireille Robert, 55, heads a primary school in a village in the Aude region, in southwestern France. She decided to get into politics under Macron's banner and was chosen among 19,000 people who applied to seek a legislative seat.

She expressed surprise at her first position in the first round, 10 points ahead of Socialist rival in a district that had voted for the left for decades. "It all went so fast," she said in a phone interview this week, just after getting pupils into school. "I live day by day."

French voters "want to see people that look like them at National Assembly," she said. Robert is not worried about her lack of political experience if she's elected Sunday. "Unlike old politicians, our daily life is complicated ... Everyday, we must adapt, we are facing concerns, problems, and we make it work, we overcome them. So there's no reason why we couldn't do the job," she said.

Robert compared the situation to 1789 French Revolution when the people's representatives came to Paris. She feels as if living "something very strong, probably historic, and we're going to take part in it."

Farmer Moreau said his decision to run for parliament has already changed his life. He travelled 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles) in a month to campaign, didn't see much of his family, and now plans to hire a manager to take care of his farm if he's elected.

Another supporter of Macron, Laetitia Avia, a 31-year-old lawyer, won almost 40 percent of the votes in her Paris district last Sunday, eliminating from the race a well-known Socialist contender who used to be vice president of the National Assembly.

She said the government should be aware that new lawmakers won't just follow ministers' voting instructions; they intend to debate the laws. "Yes we have character, yes we have ideas, yes we're going to challenge the government. That's also the role of the lawmakers to monitor government action," she said on France Info radio.

Macron's movement was comfortably leading after last Sunday's first round, with more than 32 percent of the vote. Pollsters estimate The Republic on the Move! could end up with as many as 450 seats. Candidates from the conservative party, The Republicans, are expected to form the largest opposition group, with about 70 to 110 seats. Others parties will share the rest.

The Socialists, who dominated the outgoing Assembly, could win as few as 20 seats, probably just slightly more than the far-left. The far-right National Front should get a few seats — up from only two under previous term — including one for its leader, Marine Le Pen, competing in Henin-Beaumont in northern France.

Macron plans to use his expected majority to start passing a string of laws as soon as the new parliamentary session opens on June 27. The government will present a bill to make some extraordinary security measures permanent beyond the end of the state of emergency that has been in place since 2015 attacks in Paris.

Another bill aims at introducing more ethics into politics after years of corruption scandals. The most sensitive measure is a pro-free-market labor reform that would notably ease hiring and firing has already prompted criticism from unions. The government wants to push it through a special procedure at parliament that goes faster and doesn't allow lawmakers to amend the text, with the aim of implementing it by the end of the year.

All bills have to pass through both houses of parliament, with the National Assembly having the final word over the Senate, currently led by a conservative majority.

Qatar Says Blockade By Arab States Is Collective Punishment

Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, Chairman of the Qatari National Human Rights Committee, speaks during a press conference about the blockade against Qatar and its impact on human rights of citizens of GCC Countries, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, June 16, 2017. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

GENEVA (AP, JUNE 16, 2017) — The head of Qatar's human rights committee on Friday denounced moves by several Arab states to isolate his country, calling it "collective punishment" that affects families, students and those in ill health — even as three other Gulf countries defended the measures and announced steps to ease the impact on "our brotherly Qatari people."

Speaking in Geneva as the diplomatic dispute rages among Gulf Arab states, Ali Bin Samikh Al-Marri appealed to United Nations experts to investigate the impact of the blockade. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and last week, they severed ties with Doha and banned Qatari planes from the Arab nations' airspace.

Qatar denies the allegations but its ties to Iran and embrace of various Islamist groups have put the country under intense scrutiny. While the dispute hasn't escalated to a military confrontation, Qatar's military is dwarfed by neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two of its biggest opponents in the crisis.

Al-Marri said the Qatari National Human Rights Committee was seeking U.N. action through creation of a "fact-finding commission" and deployment of U.N. rights investigators to assess the impact in Qatar.

Earlier this week, U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, a Jordanian prince, expressed alarm at the possible impact of the move against Qatar on the lives of thousands of people. But Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates shot back at Zeid, according to a joint statement e-mailed Friday to The Associated Press by the Saudi mission in Geneva.

The statement said their decisions to cut ties with Qatar were a "sovereign right" and meant to defend their national security from terrorism and extremism. It added that "for the sake of our brotherly Qatari people ... it was decided to take many measures aimed at addressing humanitarian and health cases, establish hot lines in each country so that cases can be reported and appropriate action be taken" in line with humanitarian traditions and international human rights law.

Al-Marri focused on measures that impacted people on both sides of the dispute — how the Gulf Arab states behind the blockade ordered all Qataris to leave within 14 days while calling their own citizens back from Qatar.

"Because of these measures taken, there were violations of freedom of expression and opinion, the right to work, the right to education, the right to health, and we see that this siege and these measures have led to what are called collective punishment or sanctions," Al-Marri said, speaking through a translator. "It was harsher than the Berlin Wall that separated families."

He also said his committee was in contact with lawyers abroad to help plan a legal response to the blockade.

Trump Confirms He's Under investigation

President Donald Trump walks with National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster from the Oval Office to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, June 16, 2017, for a short trip to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., then onto Miami.

WASHINGTON (AP, JUNE 16, 2017) — President Donald Trump confirmed Friday he was under investigation and appeared to take aim at a senior Justice Department official, in a tweet that seemed to encapsulate his frustration with the ongoing focus on Russia's involvement in the 2016 election.

"I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt," the president wrote in his tweet. In another tweet earlier Friday, Trump writes, "After 7 months of investigations & committee hearings about my 'collusion with the Russians,' nobody has been able to show any proof. Sad!"

The Trump tweets come after the top lawyer for his transition team warned organization officials to preserve all records and other materials related to the Russia probe. An official of Trump's transition confirmed the laywer's internal order sent Thursday.

The transition official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss post-election decisions publicly. Trump's tweet that he's being investigated "by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director" may refer to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein in a memo to Trump raised concerns over FBI Director James Comey. Trump cited the memo in firing Comey.

And it was Rosenstein who appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign. Also unclear was whether the president's comment confirming he was under investigation was based on direct knowledge or media reports that Mueller is examining whether the president obstructed justice by firing Comey last month.

The White House has directed questions to outside legal counsel, which has not responded. Trump is under increasing pressure on the Russia probe. The order by the general counsel for his transition team casts a wide net on documents that could shed light on ties between Trump's presidential campaign and representatives of Russia's government. The order also covers separate inquiries into several key Trump associates including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, campaign adviser Paul Manafort, foreign policy aide Carter Page and outside adviser Roger Stone.

The transition order came the same day that Vice President Mike Pence's confirmed that he had hired a private lawyer to represent his interests in the expanding probe. Pence headed the Trump transition until inauguration day.

The transition official said the organization has also separately asked the General Services Administration to preserve records from the Trump transition that were transferred to its facilities after Trump's inauguration. The transition, a nonprofit structurally separate from the Trump campaign, continues to operate with a small staff.

The memo sent Thursday asks for records related to foreign travel, contacts with Russian "officials, agents or nationals" and background investigations into the top Trump associates now targeted by Mueller's probe. The memo asks for preservation of electronic communications and data, telephone logs, audio recordings, videos, calendars and other items.

Friday's tweets are the latest in a week of angry social media responses by the president over a report by The Washington Post that Mueller was looking into whether Trump obstructed justice. "Why is that Hillary Clintons family and Dems dealings with Russia are not looked at, but my non-dealings are?" he asked at one point.

"They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice," Trump wrote in his first tweet. "You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people! #MAGA."

__ Associated Press writer Stephen Braun contributed to this report.

The Latest: Moscow Court Jails Opposition Leader For 30 Days

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny walks before hearing in a court in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, June 12, 2017. Navalny was arrested earlier this morning at his house when he was going to a protest spearheaded by him.

MOSCOW (AP, JUNE 12, 2017) — The Latest on Russian opposition protest (all times local): 12:05 a.m. A Moscow court has ruled that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny should be jailed for 30 days for staging an unsanctioned rally in Moscow.

The anti-corruption rallies called for by Navalny were held in more than 100 Russian towns and cities on Monday. In Moscow, thousands of angry protesters held an unsanctioned rally on Tverskaya, the capital's main street. More than 1,000 people have been arrested across Russia.

The judge at the Simonovsky district court ruled after midnight Monday that Navalny should be jailed for repeated violations of the law on public gatherings. Navalny was detained outside his home an hour before the rally was to start.

11:05 p.m.

The White House has condemned the arrests of protesters at anti-corruption rallies in Russia.

Tens of thousands rallied in more than 100 Russian towns and cities on Monday, and hundreds were arrested. In Moscow, thousands of angry protesters held an unsanctioned rally on the capital's main street with riot police snatching hundreds of protesters from the crowd at random.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters on Monday that the United States "strongly condemns the detention of hundreds of peaceful protesters" which he described as an "affront to core democratic values." Spicer called on the Russian government to immediately release all peaceful protesters.

A court in Moscow has yet to pass a ruling on opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who faces charges of disobeying police orders and calling for an unsanctioned protest.

8:35 p.m.

Hundreds of people were arrested Monday in protests across Russia. The demonstrators are demanding an end to corruption they say is endemic among government officials.

While there are no official figures on how many people have been detained, an Associated Press reporter counted about 500 people forced into police buses In St. Petersburg.

The demonstrators appeared to skew predominantly younger — those who were born or grew up during Vladimir Putin's 17 years of leading Russia. Similar crowds turned out in March, rattling officials who had perceived the younger generation as largely apolitical.

Putin is expected to seek another term as president in 2018, and opposition leader Alexei Navalny has already announced his intentions to run.

Navalny was among those arrested Monday.

4:15 p.m.

Demonstrators in Monday's opposition protests across Russia say they are fed up with endemic corruption among officials.

The protest gatherings in cities from Far East Pacific ports to St. Petersburg were spearheaded by Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner who has become the Kremlin's most visible opponent.

"We are against the corruption that is costing the future of our young people," said 33-year-old Maria Badyrova, one of the demonstrators who gathered on a main Moscow thoroughfare for an unsanctioned protest.

In Vladivostok, where hundreds of people assembled for a protest, demonstrator Alexei Borenko said after eluding police attempts to detain him, that he was "here first of all because of the corruption in Russia which is becoming incredibly big in Russia."

3:45 p.m.

An Associated Press reporter has counted more than 200 people arrested by police at an unsanctioned opposition rally in St. Petersburg.

About 1,000 people had gathered Monday in the city's Mars Field park for a protest that was part of a nationwide wave of demonstrations called for by Alexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition figure.

After the detentions, the protest appeared to be breaking up, but some demonstrators remained.

3:15 p.m.

Riot police in Moscow have begun detaining demonstrators in an unsanctioned opposition rally in the center of the city.

An Associated Press reporter saw at least three demonstrators detained on Tverskaya Street, a main thoroughfare leading from the Red Square area.

The Moscow demonstration was one of a nationwide day of protests Monday spearheaded by Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner who has become the Kremlin's most prominent critic.

The demonstration had received official sanction to be held in another location, but Navalny called for a last minute change, citing interference in building a stage for speakers.

Navalny was arrested outside his home en route to the rally.

3 p.m.

Russian police say opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been arrested on charges of that could bring him 15 days in jail.

Navalny was arrested Monday afternoon outside his home in Moscow as he headed for an unsanctioned protest rally. Authorities had given permission for the rally, but Navalny late Sunday called for the location to change to one of Moscow's main avenues. He said interference had prevented contractors from building a stage at the agreed venue.

In a statement reported by state news agency Tass, police said Navalny would be charged with failure to follow police orders and violation of public order.

2:35 p.m.

Police in Russia's second-largest city have arrested scores of people who gathered in a park in St. Petersburg's center for an unsanctioned opposition protest.

An Associated Press reporter saw about 50 protesters seized by police in the gathering at Mars Field.

The protest Monday was part of a day of demonstrations throughout Russia spearheaded by Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner who has emerged as Russia's most prominent opposition figure and who has announced he intends to run for president next year.

As police detained demonstrators, hundreds of others shouted slogans including "Putin is a thief" and "Shame!"

2 p.m.

A spokeswoman for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says electricity has been cut at Navalny's offices in Moscow.

Kira Yarmysh tweeted the information shortly after Navalny was reportedly arrested outside his Moscow home while on his way to an unsanctioned protest demonstration.

Navalny's Fund for Fighting Corruption had been providing updates on protests throughout the country Monday.

Moscow authorities had agreed to a location for a protest rally in the capital, but Navalny at the last minute called changing it to one of Moscow's main thoroughfares, citing interference in building a stage at the agreed-upon rally site.

There was no immediate comment from police on why Navalny had been arrested or where he was taken.

1:40 p.m.

The wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny says that he has been arrested outside his Moscow home on his way to the main demonstration in the capital.

Although city authorities had agreed to a location for the Moscow protest, Navalny called for it to be moved to one of Moscow's main thoroughfares.

Navalny said contractors hired to build a stage at the agreed-upon venue couldn't do their work.

Navalny's wife Yulia said on his Twitter feed that he was arrested outside his home about a half-hour before the demonstration was to begin.

11:15 a.m.

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, aiming to repeat the nationwide protests that rattled the Kremlin three months ago, has called for a last-minute location change for a Moscow demonstration that could provoke confrontations with police.

Although city authorities had agreed to a location for the gathering that is to be the centerpiece of Monday's protests, Navalny called for it to be moved to one of Moscow's main thoroughfares. He said contractors hired to build a stage at the agreed-upon venue could not do their work after apparently coming under official pressure.

After the change, Moscow police warned that "any provocative actions from the protesters' side will be considered a threat to public order and will be immediately suppressed."

More than 1,000 protesters were arrested at a similar rally March 26.

Germany's Merkel Promotes African Development Ahead Of G20

Front from left, the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the Chairman of the African Union and President of Guinea, Alpha Conde, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of Tunisia, Beji Caid Essebsi, pose for a photo during the conference 'G20 Africa Partnership – Investing in a Common Future' in Berlin, Germany, Monday, June 12, 2017.

BERLIN (AP, JUNE 12, 2017) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought to drum up global support for African development as she hosted African leaders Monday ahead of next month's Group of 20 summit. Merkel gathered the leaders of current African Union chair Guinea, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Mali, Tunisia and others in Berlin to discuss a so-called "compact with Africa" to help finance countries' development needs. She acknowledged that "development is only possible if security is assured."

Merkel contrasted Germans' average age of 43 with an average age in Niger and Mali of 15 as she underlined the population pressure African countries face. "If we don't give young people any prospects, if we don't invest in education and qualifications, if we don't strengthen the role of girls and young women, the development agenda won't succeed," she said, noting that if the young have no hope they'll feel they have to seek a life elsewhere.

"By working together with you for your countries, we will create more security for ourselves" and put people smugglers out of business, she added. The German government said Monday that it had agreed "reform partnerships" with Tunisia, Ivory Coast and Ghana, part of a planned investment of up to 300 million euros ($335 million) to help African nations.

The programs aim to expand the use of renewable energy, improve energy efficiency and develop the financial and banking sector, the Development Ministry said. It said Tunisia, Ivory Coast and Ghana "stand out by virtue of their reform-oriented policies."

Merkel will host the annual summit of the G-20 global economic powers in Hamburg in early July.

US Opts Out Of G7 Pledge Committing To Paris Climate Accord

Grass covers the round table where environment ministers sit at the opening of a two-day G7 summit on the environment, in Bologna, Italy, Sunday, June 11, 2017. (Giorgio Benvenuti/ANSA via AP)

BOLOGNA, ITALY (AP, JUNE 12, 2017) — The United States refused Monday to sign on to a Group of Seven pledge that calls the Paris climate accord the "irreversible" global tool to address climate change. The G-7 environment ministers issued a final communique Monday after their two-day meeting, the first since the United States announced it was withdrawing from the Paris climate pact. In a footnote to the communique, the United States said it wouldn't join with the other six countries in reaffirming their Paris commitments, but said it was taking action on its own to reduce its carbon footprint.

"The United States will continue to engage with key international partners in a manner that is consistent with our domestic priorities, preserving both a strong economy and a healthy environment," the footnote read.

As a result, the U.S. said it would not join those sections of the communique on climate and multilateral development banks. The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, had attended the first few hours of the summit Sunday, but then left to attend a Cabinet meeting in Washington.

Presenting the communique Monday, Italy's environment minister, Gian Luca Galletti, called the Paris accord "irreversible, non-negotiable and the only instrument possible to combat climate change." He said the other G-7 countries hoped to continue "constructive dialogue" with the U.S., but insisted on the Paris parameters.

"Everything else for us is excluded," he said. The 2015 Paris agreement aims to prevent the Earth from heating up by any more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) since the start of the industrial age. Since the world has already warmed about 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit), the accord aims to ensure the threshold is not breached, with each nation setting goals to curb heat-trapping emissions.

All but a very few scientists say the overwhelming majority of global warming is man-made. Scientists have known since the 19th century that burning coal, oil and gas spews carbon dioxide into the air, which then acts like a blanket to trap heat on Earth.

President Donald Trump announced the U.S. was withdrawing from the Paris accord earlier this month, framing it as a "reassertion of America's sovereignty." He has said the U.S. could try to re-enter the deal under more favorable terms, but the European Union — and in particular Italy, France and Germany — have said the Paris accord cannot be renegotiated.

In a statement, the EPA said the U.S. had "reset the climate change discussion" at the G-7 meeting and stressed that it was a party to the 15-page communique, except for the four pages dealing with climate change and financing for sustainable development.

"Today's action of reaching consensus makes clear that the Paris Agreement is not the only mechanism by which environmental stewardship can be demonstrated," Pruitt said in a statement. In fact, the final text doesn't say the Paris accord is the only tool for tackling climate change. Rather, it says that the accord is "the global instrument for effectively and urgently tackling climate change and adapting to its effects."

It says the six G-7 nations — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Commission — agree that the Paris accord is "irreversible and its full integrity is key for the security and prosperity of our planet, societies and economies."

While voicing dismay at the U.S. position, which was expected, environmental groups and concerned countries voiced optimism that the remaining six nations reaffirmed the Paris process and that the U.S. withdrawal had led to a groundswell of support elsewhere for the accord.

"Our hope is that together with big emerging economies we can turn our commitments into action — boldly enough and quickly enough — to protect the most vulnerable among us," said Thoriq Ibrahim, the Maldives environment minister and chair of the Alliance of Small Island States.

France's environment minister, Nicolas Hulot, said he hoped many countries would follow France's lead in scaling up their pledges and accelerating the timetable on implementing Paris benchmarks in response to the U.S. withdrawal. He repeated that there is a new "economic model" to be found in developing clean energy.

"Let us make sure that Europe takes its part in this economic opportunity," he said.

Winfield reported from Rome.

June 12: Afenifere Laments Anti-Igbo Threat, Insists On Restructuring

BY BOLA BADMUS

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

LAGOS, NIGERIA (NIGERIAN TRIBUNE, JUNE 12, 2017) - Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has lamented that it is sad that Nigeria is now marking another June 12, 24 years after the annulment of the freest and fairest presidential poll won by late Chief MKO Abiola, amidst an October 1 quit order to Ndigbo by Arewa youths, who have also secured endorsement from the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) and Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).

This was just as the group declared that the country had fumbled and wobbled through 18 years of pretending that its unity was settled, restating the Yoruba nation’s belief that the only way that Nigeria would be able to fulfill its destiny as one country was for all Nigerian nationalities to run their lives according to their civilisations in a restructured polity that practices federalism in its truest form.

Afenifere said this on Sunday in a release entitled: “24 Years After June 12:Whither Nigeria?” signed and made available to newsmen by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, just as it further lamented that the country is marking this year’s June 12 still labouring under intense strain because it has failed to learn the lessons of history.

“Nigeria marks today, the 24th anniversary of the cleanest election ever held in its history. Unhappily, Nigeria marks this day still labouring under intense strain, palpable uncertainty and extreme apprehension, because Nigeria has failed to learn the lessons of history. And this has confirmed the wisdom of Confucius that, A man who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is making another mistake,” Afenifere said.

Afenifere, while recalling the sad fallout of the annulment of the June 12 election by the General Ibrahim Babangida’s junta, which propelled a five-year resistance during which Abiola and Kudirat, his wife, were assassinated alongside many prominent pro-democracy activists, said Nigeria was faced with another June episode in the making with the anti- Igbo agitation in the North.

“We now mark another June 12 amid an October 1 quit order to Ndigbo by Arewa youths who have also secured endorsement from the Northern Elders Forum, with the Arewa Consultative Forum conceding what they called ‘the frustrations of the youth’ with Ndigbo.

“While the primary targets of the Arewa youths’ quit order are the Ndigbo residents in the North, we are not deceived that when the rubber hits the road, the Almajaris and the Mujaheedin would pick and choose among all Southerners in the North in the baying for blood,’’ the group added.

It said: “This is why the Yoruba nation is warning that this is a déjà vu and that no country has ever survived two civil wars. We recall how events cascaded in the 1960s from the moment emergency rule was imposed on the Western Region until war broke out in 1967.The same arrogance of power, insensitivity and atrocious impunity that were at play then are still very much at play today. The same section of Nigeria that rejected the outcome of Aburi is still shouting down the strident calls of most peoples of Nigeria for restructuring today, because command and control is more important to them than equity, justice, fairness, peaceful coexistence, harmony and a progressing country.

“A climate of fear, apprehension and anxiety now pervades the country as no one knows what can happen, with the absence of a leadership that can rise up to the occasion to save the republic.”

Afenifere pointed out: “Not one member of the group of ‘youth’ organisations who had unfettered access to Arewa House to threaten the unity of Nigeria has been arrested is a clear signal that the butterfly that is dancing on the surface of the Arewa river is dancing to some drummer beneath the water surface.

“When we attained independence in 1960, Nigeria’s pot was standing on a tripod. Two legs out of the three are now in a near-war face-off. It would be an illusion of grandeur to think that this pot can continue to stand in this way!

“To this end, we, Afenifere, restate the Yoruba belief that the only way Nigeria would be able to fulfill its destiny as one country is that all Nigerian nationalities should be able to run their lives according to their civilisation in a restructured polity that practices federalism in its truest form. That remains the unchangeable preference of the Yoruba nation.

“If, however, our compatriots from the North and East are not averse to the continuation of Nigeria as a country, the only acceptable path towards this end is political restructuring. Fortunately, we have a road map in the recommendations of the last confab, which must now be pursued and implemented.

“But in the event that our co-citizens do absolutely insist that we the peoples of Nigeria can no longer live together, we Yoruba nation will not want a violent termination such as happened in Yugoslavia. Even though our Yoruba nation boasts a history of great wars, gallant warrior leaders and warlike people who fear no war, we nevertheless abhor war and bloodshed.

“We are sure that the Nigerian situation can be resolved in whatever direction through a peacefully negotiated settlement. In due recognition of the right to self-determination of all nationalities, we believe in the Czechoslovakia kind of peaceful resolution, so that the various nationalities in Nigeria may peacefully determine their status and their future.

“In accordance with the character of our nation, we Yoruba do not, and cannot, discount the fact that we nations that are members of the Nigerian state today were peacefully interacting peoples for millennia before the coming of Nigeria, and that we need to create the conditions for our being peacefully interacting peoples in all our future.”

France, Ivory Coast Vow To Strengthen Military Cooperation

French President Emmanuel Macron, right, welcomes Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara upon his arrival at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Sunday, June 11, 2017.

PARIS (AP JUNE 11, 2017) — French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to strengthen France's cooperation with Ivory Coast on military and intelligence issues in an effort to help fight Islamic extremism in the region.

Macron said "we are facing a challenge, the fight against terrorism and for security in our countries and our region," according to a joint statement with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara following a meeting Sunday at the Elysee Palace.

Macron said both countries will reinforce their partnership on these issues in the coming weeks. Ouattara praised France for its military presence in the Sahel region and said his country will "do its part" in the fight against extremism in West Africa.

In March 2016, Islamic extremists attacked an Ivory Coast beach resort, killing 19 people, including tourists and special forces members.

Pope To Nigerian Priests: You'll Be Fired If You Don't Obey

BY FRANCIS D'EMILIO

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JUNE 11, 2017

Pope Francis delivers his blessing from his studio window overlooking St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican, Sunday, June 11, 2017.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has laid down an ultimatum to defiant Nigerian priests: lose your job if you don't obey me and your bishop. Francis met June 8 at the Vatican with a delegation from the Ahiara diocese, where priests have been refusing to accept the 2012 appointment by the then pontiff, Benedict XVI, of the local bishop.

Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, reporting the pope's unusually harsh order, said Sunday that Francis was acting "for the good of the people of God" by threatening to suspend the priests from the ministry if they didn't pledge in a letter, by July 9, "total obedience" to Francis and accept Bishop Peter Okpaleke's appointment.

Francis told the visiting delegation he was "very sad" about the priests' refusal to obey and ruled out tribal loyalties as explaining the refusal. Africa has been one of the continents where the Catholic church is growing. The faithful and clergy there often imbue their practices with local culture in dynamic contrast to more traditional routines in Europe or North America.

Francis' move to end disobedience to the Vatican aims at ensuring the growing church there will be loyal to the pontiff. His remarks to the visiting delegation indicated how dangerous he viewed any rebellion against papal authority.

Those priests opposing Okpaleke's taking up of his office "want to destroy the church, which is not permitted," Francis said in his address to the delegation. Francis added: "the pope can't be indifferent" to the rebellion.

He has often taken a conciliatory tone in resolving disputes, but in this one he was entertaining no diplomacy. He demanded that each priest in the diocese write to him asking forgiveness and "clearly manifest total obedience to the pope."

They must also accept the bishop chosen by Rome. If, within a month, each priest doesn't do so, he will be "ispo facto suspended," such as from the celebration of the sacraments, and "will lose his current office," Francis warned.

Francis acknowledged that his move "seems very harsh." He added that he had even considered the extraordinary remedy of suppressing the entire diocese but didn't, so as not to hurt rank-and-file faithful.

He said he thought the rebellious priests might have been manipulated from outside the diocese or even abroad, but named no culprits. In 2015, the diocese served around 520,000 Catholics, out of a local population of about 675,000, and had 128 diocesan priests and seven other priests. It wasn't immediately clear how many of the priests were involved in the rebellion against the bishop's appointment.

Frances D'Emilio is on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fdemilio

US Spy Planes Help Philippine Troops Quell Siege

A U.S. P3 Orion surveillance plane flies over Marawi city, southern Philippines as Philippine Air Force helicopters and bombers continue air strikes on Friday, June 9, 2017. It's unclear how many people remain trapped in Marawi as government troops battle Muslim militants led by the so-called "Maute" group but army officers have put the figure this week at anywhere from 150 to 1,000.

ILIGAN, PHILIPPINES (AP JUNE 10, 2017) — American spy planes are helping Filipino troops quell a nearly three-week siege by Muslim militants in a southern city where 13 Philippine marines were killed in the biggest single-day loss for government forces, officials said Saturday.

A U.S. Navy aircraft provided surveillance for the local troops as the battle raged in Marawi on Friday, confirming the involvement of the U.S. military in helping to end the urban insurrection at the request of the Philippine government, Philippine military officials said.

An Associated Press journalist and photographer saw a U.S. Navy P3 Orion plane hovering in cloudy skies above Marawi on Friday. The aircraft flew above rocket-firing Philippine helicopters that struck militant positions, causing plumes of smoke to billow skyward.

"We don't have adequate surveillance equipment, so we asked the U.S. military for assistance. It's noncombat assistance," military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said by phone, citing a Philippine government policy that bars foreign troops from local combat.

The U.S. Embassy in Manila said without elaborating that U.S. special operations forces were providing help to Filipino troops battling the Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants in Marawi. "The United States is a proud ally of the Philippines, and we will continue to work with the Philippines to address shared threats to the peace and security of our countries, including on counterterrorism issues," the embassy said in a statement.

Philippine marines were conducting a house-to-house search for militants allied with the Islamic State group who are still occupying parts of Marawi when the battle erupted Friday, said Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, spokesman for the Philippine army's 1st Infantry Division.

About 30-40 militants used civilians as human shields, making it hard for troops to operate, and also positioned themselves in the city's many mosques. Forty other marines were wounded, Herrera said. Philippine military officials say the violence has left at least 138 militants and 58 government troops dead. At least 21 civilians have been killed, including a boy who was hit by suspected militant gunfire inside a Marawi mosque where his family had taken refuge, Padilla said.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled the city, parts of which were reduced to rubble by fighting and government airstrikes in an attempt to dislodge the rebels. "This temporary setback has not diminished our resolve a bit," said military spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo. "It instead primed up our determination to continue our prudent advances to neutralize the enemy, save the innocent lives trapped in the fight, and set the conditions for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi."

Filipino forces, meanwhile, captured on Friday the mother of two top militant leaders leading the siege. Ominta Romato Maute, who is also known as Farhana, was arrested with two wounded men and several woman allegedly with assault rifles and other weapons in Masiu town in Lanao del Sur province.

Maute's husband, Cayamora, was arrested at a police checkpoint in the southern city of Davao on Tuesday. The two were detained on suspicion of providing financial and other support to their children who are involved in the fighting in Marawi, officials said.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in the Mindanao region, the southern third of the Philippines and home to a decades-long Muslim separatist rebellion. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the designated administrator of martial law, has ordered the arrest of nearly 200 militants, politicians and other suspected civilian backers of the unprecedented uprising in Marawi, the mosque-studded heartland of Islamic faith in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation.

The Marawi siege followed a May 23 army raid that failed to capture a top terror suspect, Isnilon Hapilon, who has been designated by the Islamic State group as its leader in Southeast Asia. The raid, however pre-empted a plot by hundreds of militants waving Islamic State group-style black flags to capture Marawi and kill Christians, military officials say.

Associated Press writer Jim Gomez and photographer Aaron Favila contributed to this report.