Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 28 March 2017
Russian protest leader Alexei Navalny gets 15 days in jail

N. VASILYEVA devise more artful means anti-corruption foundation I strive to be their political technically disqualify him,
V. ISACHENKOV for keeping a lid on dissent. has promised to offer legal representative.” he has announced a presi-
Associated Press On Monday, a Moscow assistance to all those who Journalists and well-wishers dential bid for 2018.
MOSCOW (AP) — The wave court handed a 15-day jail were arrested. packed the courtroom in With his colorful and sar-
of nationwide demonstra- term to the protest organiz- “Even the slightest illusion of central Moscow, where castic expose of Prime Min-
tions that shook Russia’s er, Alexei Navalny, whose fair justice is absent here,” Navalny, in a selfie posted ister Dmitry Medvedev’s
long dormant political charisma and social me- Navalny told reporters on Twitter, declared: “A alleged collection of man-
scene over the weekend dia savvy helped rally the Monday from the defen- time will come when we’ll sions, villas and vineyards
showed a new face of pro- young. Navalny was arrest- dant’s bench, complain- put them (the authorities) — which garnered over 13
test: mostly teenage dem- ed as he walked to a pro- ing about the judge striking on trial too — and that time million views on YouTube —
onstrators driven by accu- test in Moscow on Sunday down one motion after an- it will be fair.” Navalny managed to draw
sations of high-level official and spent the night in jail other. “Yesterday’s events The 40-year-old Navalny, tens of thousands to the
corruption, glaring amid before showing up in court. have shown that quite a Russia’s most popular op- streets across Russia in the
the nation’s painful two- Police have arrested more large number of voters in position leader, has had biggest show of defiance
year recession. than 1,000 people for tak- Russia support the program three convictions on fraud since a 2011-2012 wave of
A year before facing re- ing part in the unauthorized of a candidate who stands and embezzlement charg- protests rattled the Kremlin
election, President Vladimir protest in the capital, and for fighting corruption. es that he dismisses as po- and led to harsh new laws
Putin has a dilemma: to fur- many of them face jail sen- These people demand po- litically motivated. Even aimed at suppressing dis-
ther tighten the screws or to tences or fines. Navalny’s litical representation — and though the convictions sent. q
Merkel celebrates German election win, challenger deflated

GEIR MOULSON Sunday’s outcome showed
Associated Press “we shouldn’t worry per-
BERLIN (AP) — German manently about polls. We
Chancellor Angela Merkel should work toward con-
on Monday celebrated an vincing people,” she told
encouraging win for her reporters. “I’m simply hap-
conservatives in a state py about the result, and
election, declaring that her that’s what counts. I don’t
party has “every chance” permanently occupy my-
in upcoming votes. Her self with effects.”
center-left challenger in Two more state elections
Germany’s national elec- in May will be followed
tion later this year vowed by a national parliamen-
not to be put off his stride tary election on Sept. 24 in
by a deflating result. which Merkel is seeking a
Merkel’s Christian Demo- fourth term as chancellor.
crats easily beat challeng- “It will be a difficult elec-
er Martin Schulz’s center- tion campaign and we
left Social Democrats in have every chance,” she
Saarland state on Sunday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel addresses the media during a press conference after a party added. “We have it in our
meeting at the headquarters of the German Christian Democratic Party (CDU) in Berlin, Germany,
A much tighter race had Monday, March 27, 2017 one day after the elections in the German state of Saarland. Slogan in hands.”
been expected after the the background reads ‘The Centre.” Schulz was keen to high-
Social Democrats were (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) light regional factors in
boosted in polls by nomi- explaining Sunday’s disap-
nating Schulz, a former ary. er, apparently trumped A satisfied Merkel, who has pointing vote in Saarland,
European Parliament presi- The popularity of Saarland’s what has become known largely ignored Schulz so a region of nearly 1 million
dent but a newcomer to conservative governor, An- as the “Schulz effect” in this far, brushed off a question people on the French bor-
national politics, in Janu- negret Kramp-Karrenbau- year’s first electoral test. about the “Schulz effect.” der. q

Police: ‘No evidence’ London attacker associated with IS

DANICA KIRKA interest in jihad,” but police other attacks.” Sunday and a 58-year-old Masood was born Adri-
JILL LAWLESS have no indication he dis- Masood was shot dead man arrested shortly after an Elms, but changed his
Associated Press cussed his attack plans with by police after his deadly Wednesday’s attack. Both name in 2005, suggesting a
LONDON (AP) — Police others. rampage, which police were detained in the cen- conversion to Islam.
have found no evidence Basu, who also serves as Brit- have revealed lasted just tral England city of Birming- His mother, Janet Ajao, said
that the man who killed ain’s senior national coordi- 82 seconds. Police believe ham, where Masood had Monday she was “deeply
four people in London last nator for counterterrorism Masood — a 52-year-old recently lived. shocked, saddened and
week was associated with policing, said Wednesday’s Briton with convictions for Prime Minister Theresa May numbed” by his murderous
the Islamic State group attack — in which Masood violence who had spent said last week that Masood actions.
or al-Qaida, a senior Brit- ran down pedestrians several years in Saudi Ara- was “a peripheral figure” In a statement released
ish counterterrorism officer on London’s Westminster bia — acted alone, but are in an investigation into vio- through the police, Ajao
said Monday. Bridge before fatally stab- trying to determine wheth- lent extremism some years said that “since discovering
Deputy Assistant Com- bing a policeman guard- er others helped inspire or ago. But Basu said he was that it was my son that was
missioner Neil Basu of the ing Parliament — “appears direct his actions. not a “subject of interest” responsible I have shed
Metropolitan Police said to be based on low-sophis- Detectives on Monday for counterterrorism police many tears for the people
Westminster attacker Kha- tication, low-tech, low-cost continued to question a or the intelligence services caught up in this horren-
lid Masood clearly had “an techniques copied from 30-year-old man arrested before last week’s attack. dous incident.”q