World

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump dismissed a brewing storm over Russian cyber meddling in the US election, rejecting as "ridiculous" reports that the CIA has concluded that Moscow was trying to help him win the White House.

"I think it's just another excuse. I don't believe it," Trump said in an interview recorded on Saturday but broadcast Sunday on Fox News.

"I think it's ridiculous," Trump said.

But the controversy over the latest US intelligence consensus on Russia and Trump's scepticism of the findings dominated the conversation at a time of deepening political divisions over how to respond to the hacking attacks.

Two top Republican senators — John McCain and Lindsey Graham — joined leading Democrats on Sunday in calling for greater public disclosure about "recent cyber attacks that have cut to the heart of our free society".

"This cannot become a partisan issue. The stakes are too high for our country," they said in a joint statement with Chuck Schumer, the incoming Democratic leader in the Senate, and Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

They pledged to work across party lines to have the incidents investigated, but other Republicans said the evidence does not support the conclusions that the Russian meddling was aimed at helping Trump.

"These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction," Trump's transition team said on Saturday, in an extraordinary rebuke of the spy agency.

Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the hacking was definitely the work of the Russians.

"This was not China. This wasn't a 400 pound guy in New Jersey or anyone else," Schiff said, mocking similar comments Trump has made. "This was the Russians."

 He added: "The fact that we have a president-elect who is willing to disregard the overwhelming evidence of the intelligence community just on the basis of the Russian involvement in the hacking of institutions, tells me this will be a president who will disregard even the best assessments of the intelligence community when it doesn't suit his own version of events. That is extraordinarily damaging."

 CIA finding 

US intelligence has previously linked Russia to leaks of damaging e-mail from Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign but saw it as a broad bid to undermine confidence in the US political process.

On Friday, however, The Washington Post reported that the CIA has concluded that the aim of the cyber intrusions was to help Trump win the election.

The New York Times quoted a senior administration officials as saying there was "high confidence" that the Russians hacked both the Democratic and Republican National Committees, but leaked only documents damaging to Clinton through WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has denied links with Russia's government.

Trump dismissed the reports as an attempt by Democrats to excuse their embarrassing election loss, asserting that US spy agencies were fighting among themselves and there is "great confusion" over the issue.

"Nobody really knows," he said. "They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place. They have no idea."

 Trump suggested he had little confidence in the US intelligence agencies and would clean house once in office.

"We're going to have different people coming in because we have our people, they have their people. And I have great respect for them. But if you read the stories, the various stories, they're disputing. And certain groups don't necessarily agree."

 Trump has kept the US intelligence community at arms length since his election, pointedly eschewing their daily briefing on world threats.

"I get it when I need it," he said.

"You know, I'm a smart person. I don't have to be told the same thing and the same words every single day for the next eight years. Could be eight years."

 "I don't need that. But I do say if something should change, let us know."

 Exxon chief for state? 

Moscow's motives have drawn attention in part because Trump has often praised Russian President Vladimir Putin as a strong leader, and talked of working more closely with Russia to defeat the Daesh group.

Rex Tillerson, said to be Trump's top choice for secretary of state, would bring to his Cabinet a man with extensive business dealings with Russia as well as other problematic countries.

"In his case, he's much more than a business executive. He's a world class player," Trump said of Tillerson, a 64-year-old Texan who has run Exxon since 2006, making oil and gas deals worldwide.

"To me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players. And he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive deals for the company, not for himself," he said.

SEOUL — Protesters demanding that South Korean President Park Geun-hye step down marched on Saturday for a seventh straight weekend, a day after parliament voted overwhelmingly to impeach her and put the fate of her presidency in the hands of a nine-judge court.

The crowd estimated by organisers at 200,000 packing a large square in downtown Seoul was significantly smaller than in recent weeks but festive, with performances of music between speeches calling for the early removal of Park.

"We demand that the constitutional court make a decision of conscience and justice and do not act against the will of the people," Jung Kang-ja, one of the leaders of a coalition of civic groups backing the rally, said in a speech.

Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who became acting president late Friday after the impeachment vote, called on authorities to ensure that rallies are peaceful and sought to calm anxiety over national security and to reassure financial markets

"So far, financial and foreign exchange markets have been relatively stable and there are no signs of unusual movements by the North, but all public servants should bear vigilance in mind as they conduct their duties," Hwang told a meeting.

Park's powers were suspended after 234 of parliament's 300 members voted to impeach her, meaning more than 60 members of her own party backed the motion against her.

The impeachment, which has to be reviewed and approved by the constitutional court within 180 days to remove Park from office, sets the stage for her to become the country's first elected leader to be ousted in disgrace.

Park, 64, the daughter of a former military ruler, is accused of colluding with a friend and a former aide — both of whom prosecutors have indicted — to pressure big businesses to donate to foundations set up to back her policy initiatives.

Park, who is serving a single five-year term ending in February 2018, has denied wrongdoing but apologised for carelessness in her ties with her friend, Choi Soon-sil.

‘Impeachment discounts’

Crowds have gathered in central Seoul in demonstrations calling for Park to step down. On Saturday, some restaurants in central Seoul were offering "impeachment discounts", according to TV channel YTN.

The candle-lit rallies have been peaceful, with parents bringing children and many demonstrators using smartphone apps with candlelight images and maps for bathrooms.

Lee Youl-woo, a 48-year-old office worker, was at a booth giving out free LED candles.

"The impeachment was passed but this is the beginning, not the end," he said.

The rally capped a historic week that saw the heads of nine of the country's biggest conglomerates subjected to a 13-hour grilling by a parliamentary panel on whether they sought favours by agreeing to pay into the foundations controlled by Choi.

"Imprison Jay Y. Lee," said a sign held at the rally by Democratic Party presidential hopeful Lee Jae-myeong, referring to the scion of the Samsung Group, who was among the nine.

None of the companies has been accused of wrongdoing.

If Park leaves office early, an election must be held within 60 days. She would also lose presidential immunity from prosecution. Prosecutors have named Park as an accomplice in their investigation.

Park's approval rating is just 5 per cent, according to a poll released before Friday's impeachment vote, but some Koreans turned out to support her at a march earlier on Saturday.

"Nothing has been proven yet," said Kim Han-gone, a 49-year-old office worker carrying an "against impeachment" sign.

"After the investigation, after everything's been revealed, it's not too late to impeach then," he said.

The United States, which has about 28,500 troops stationed in South Korea, was in close contact with South Korea and remained a strong ally, the White House said late Friday.

While North Korean state media has been scathing in its coverage of South Korea's presidential scandal, which erupted in October, the official KCNA news agency's first report on the impeachment was a simple three-sentence item on Saturday.

KABUL  — Afghan and American officials are increasingly worried that any deepening of ties between Russia and Taliban militants fighting to topple the government in Kabul could complicate an already precarious security situation.

Russian officials have denied they provide aid to the insurgents, who are contesting large swathes of territory and inflicting heavy casualties, and say their limited contacts are aimed at bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.

Leaders in Kabul say Russian support for the Afghan Taliban appears to be mostly political so far.

But a series of recent meetings they say has taken place in Moscow and Tajikistan has made Afghan intelligence and defence officials nervous about more direct support including weapons or funding.

A senior Afghan security official called Russian support for the Taliban a “dangerous new trend”, an analysis echoed by the top US commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson.

He told reporters at a briefing in Washington last week that Russia had joined Iran and Pakistan as countries with a “malign influence” in Afghanistan, and said Moscow was lending legitimacy to the Taliban.

Russia’s Ambassador to Kabul Alexander Mantytskiy told reporters on Thursday that his government’s contacts with the insurgent group were aimed at ensuring the safety of Russian citizens and encouraging peace talks.

“We do not have intensive contacts with the Taliban,” he said through an interpreter, adding that Russia favoured a negotiated peace in Afghanistan which could only happen by cultivating contacts with all players, including the Taliban.

Mantytskiy expressed annoyance at persistent accusations of Russian collaboration with the Taliban, saying the statements by American and Afghan officials were an effort to distract attention from the worsening conflict.

“They are trying to put the blame for their failures on our shoulders,” he told Reuters.

Another ‘great game’?

Afghanistan has long been the scene of international intrigue and intervention, with the British and Russians jockeying for power during the 19th century “Great Game”, and the United States helping Pakistan provide weapons and funding to Afghan rebels fighting Soviet forces in the 1980s.

Taliban officials told Reuters that the group has had significant contacts with Moscow since at least 2007, adding that Russian involvement did not extend beyond “moral and political support”.

“We had a common enemy,” said one senior Taliban official. “We needed support to get rid of the United States and its allies in Afghanistan and Russia wanted all foreign troops to leave Afghanistan as quickly as possible.”

 Moscow has been critical of the United States and NATO over their handling of the war in Afghanistan, but Russia initially helped provide helicopters for the Afghan military and agreed to a supply route for coalition materials through Russia.

Most of that cooperation has fallen apart as relations between Russia and the West deteriorated in recent years over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria.

Incoming US President Donald Trump, who takes office in January, has signalled a desire to improve relations with Russia, meaning future US and Russian policies could change.

Foreign meetings

In recent months, Taliban representatives have held several meetings with Russian officials, according to Taliban and Afghan government sources.

Those meetings included a visit to Tajikistan by the Taliban shadow governor of Kunduz province, Mullah Abdul Salam, said Kunduz police chief Qasim Jangalbagh.

Another recent meeting occurred in Moscow itself, according to an official at the presidential palace in Kabul.

Earlier this week Afghan lawmakers said they planned to investigate reports of Russian aid to the Taliban, and had sent a letter to Moscow seeking clarification.

Afghan officials did not produce evidence of direct Russian aid, but recent cross-border flights by unidentified helicopters and seizures of new “Russian-made” guns had raised concerns that regional actors may be playing a larger role, Jangalbagh said.

“If the Taliban get their hands on anti-aircraft guns provided, for example, by Russia, then it is a game-changer, and forget about peace,” said another senior Afghan security official.

Daesh or United States?

According to Afghan and US officials, Russian representatives have maintained that government security forces, backed by US special forces and air strikes, have not done enough to stem the growth of Daesh in Afghanistan.

Militants loyal to the radical Middle East-based network have carved out territory along the border with Pakistan, and have found themselves fighting not only Afghan and foreign troops but also the Taliban, who compete for land, influence and fighters.

Taliban officials dismissed the idea that their ties to Russia had anything to do with fighting Daesh.

“In early 2008, when Russia began supporting us, ISIS [Daesh terror group] didn’t exist anywhere in the world,” the senior Taliban official said. “Their sole purpose was to strengthen us against the US and its allies.”

 That was echoed by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who said “ISIS is not an issue”.

Nicholson said the talk of Daesh is a smokescreen designed to justify Russian policies.

“Their [Russia’s] narrative goes something like this: that the Taliban are the ones fighting Daesh, not the Afghan government,” Nicholson said.

“So this public legitimacy that Russia lends to the Taliban is not based on fact, but is used as a way to essentially undermine the Afghan government and the NATO efforts and bolster the belligerents.”

MEUREUDU, Indonesia — Rescuers scrabbled through the rubble of shattered homes, shops and mosques in search of survivors on Wednesday after a powerful earthquake struck western Indonesia and killed at least 97 people.

The shallow 6.5-magnitude quake struck Pidie Jaya district in Aceh province at dawn as many in the mainly Muslim region on Sumatra island were preparing for morning prayers.

“So far 97 people have been killed and the number keeps growing,” Aceh military chief Tatang Sulaiman told AFP after the army took over responsibility for the search and rescue.

“When we retrieve bodies sometimes there’s five, sometimes 10 corpses.”

 More than 1,000 soldiers and about 900 police have been deployed to the worst-hit areas to set up shelters and evacuation points, he added.

It was the second time in just over a decade that tragedy had struck the province’s east coast, following the 2004 tsunami disaster.

Hundreds of houses and shops were levelled by the quake, leaving countless people homeless and in need of basic supplies like food and water, officials said.

“The electricity is still off. Some places have generators, but there are not many,” local disaster agency head Puteh Manaf told AFP.

“If it rains there will be disease.”

‘Everything was destroyed’ 

The sole hospital in Pidie Jaya was quickly overwhelmed, with patients treated on the grass out front or sent to neighbouring districts with better facilities.

The district health office chief Said Abdullah said nearly 200 injured had arrived since the quake, but many would not enter the hospital for fear of aftershocks.

“We are treating people outside. We took the beds out because nobody is daring to enter the hospital,” he told AFP.

Another regional hospital had suffered serious damage in the quake, along with schools and other key infrastructure, a national disaster agency spokesman said.

In the hard-hit town of Meureudu, terrified residents rushed outside as their homes buckled and crumbled.

“Everything was destroyed,” said Hasbi Jaya, who pulled his two children unconscious from the rubble of their home.

“It was pitch black because the electricity was out. I looked around and all my neighbours’ homes were completely flattened.”

 An AFP correspondent said dazed residents were wandering debris-strewn streets, unable to return to their damaged homes in fear of aftershocks.

Some fled to higher ground for fear of a tsunami although no alert was issued.

A huge undersea earthquake in 2004 triggered a tsunami that engulfed parts of Aceh and other countries around the Indian Ocean, killing more than 170,000 people in Indonesia alone.

Indonesian seismologists said the latest earthquake was felt across much of Aceh province, with many aftershocks following the initial tremor.

The US Geological Survey upgraded the magnitude to 6.5 from an initial reading of 6.4 and issued a yellow alert for expected fatalities and damage.

Indonesia experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, where tectonic plates collide.

Aceh lies on the northern tip of Sumatra island, which is particularly prone to quakes.

In June a 6.5-magnitude quake struck off the west of Sumatra, damaging scores of buildings and injuring eight people.

ESSEN, Germany — Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday lashed at populists seeking to exploit Germany's refugee influx, but set down a tough line on integration — including a ban on the veil — as she launched into election campaign mode. 

Outlining a strategy to counter populism that has consumed key allies abroad, Merkel vowed there would be no repeat of last year's record refugee arrivals.

She also stressed it was legitimate for Germany to expect newcomers to integrate, and this included a rejection of the niqab full-face veil.

"The full veil must be banned wherever it is legally possible," she told the annual gathering of her centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Next year's polls will "not be a walk in the park" as Germany is deeply polarised, Merkel warned, but urged the population to remain "sceptical about simple answers".

"Rarely is it the simple answers that bring progress to our country," she said, in a clear reference to the upstart anti-Islam and populist AfD, which Merkel had previously criticised as offering no solutions to problems.

'We are the people' 

Merkel, who has led Germany for 11 years, last month confirmed she would run for a fourth term but acknowledged that the election would be "more difficult" than any other she has contested. 

There have also been questions about whether the 62-year-old has fresh ideas to offer in a world upended by Brexit, the surprise election of Donald Trump and the departure of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi following a crushing referendum defeat championed by populists.

The CDU has suffered setbacks in five consecutive state polls as voters punished Merkel for her liberal refugee policy, with more than a million people seeking asylum in Germany since 2015.

Tackling the hot button issue head-on, Merkel vowed that "a situation like that of summer 2015 can and must not repeat itself".

She also stressed that each asylum request would be examined carefully, and "not all can and will stay" in Germany. 

Merkel's CDU and its Bavarian sister party CSU secured a decisive win of 41.5 per cent at the last election in 2013 — its best result since national reunification in 1990, on the back of strong approval for her tough stance on austerity for debt-stricken EU nations.

Three years on, there are rumblings of discontent — even within her own party — following her September 2015 decision to admit refugees fleeing war in mostly-Muslim nations, a move that deeply polarised Europe's biggest economy.

Reflecting the mood, party faithful re-elected on Tuesday Merkel as chief for the next two years, but gave her just 89.5 per cent — her second worst score, and the worst since she became chancellor in 2005. Her lowest was in 2004, when she was approved by 88.4 per cent.

National media had suggested that a score below 90 per cent would be a slap in the face.

Party members are particularly anxious to halt a haemorrhage of support to the AfD, which has gained a firm footing as a protest platform for disgruntled voters.

The upstart party now enjoys around 12 per cent support, according to opinion polls. At the last general election it fell short of the five-per cent threshold to ensure representation.

Hitting out directly at the populists as well as the xenophobic PEGIDA movement, Merkel wrestled their "we are the people" rallying cry back, declaring to sustained applause: "We all get to determine who 'the people' are — not just a few, no matter how loud they are."

'Disgrace' 

Beyond domestic issues, Merkel also devoted a large part of her address to crises abroad as she noted that in 2016, "the world has not become stronger and more stable, but weaker and more unstable".

She deplored the failure of the international community to alleviate the suffering in Syria's besieged city of Aleppo, calling it a "disgrace". 

Merkel said she was shocked to see tens of thousands of Germans hitting the streets to demonstrate against free trade deals but virtually no protests against the bloodletting in Syria. 

"There is something wrong there," she said.

She also underlined the importance of holding the European Union together, saying Germany will do well "only when Europe does well too."

In the face of the mountain of challenges, Merkel urged her delegates: "You must, you must, help me."

VIENNA —  Austria's voters have resoundingly rejected anti-immigration and eurosceptic Norbert Hofer's bid to become the European Union's first far-right president, a result greeted with relief from centrist politicians across the continent.

Instead, Greens-backed independent candidate Alexander Van der Bellen swept 53.3 per cent of Sunday's vote against 46.7 per cent for his rival from the anti-immigration Freedom Party (FPOe), according to public television projections.

"Today it is not an exaggeration if I say that today we see a red-white-red — the flag of Austria — as a signal of hope and change. A red-white-red signal from Austria to all the capitals of the European Union," Van der Bellen, 72, said in Vienna.

The official result of what has been an ugly and polarising election in normally peaceable Austria, lasting 11 months, was not expected until Monday. But on Sunday an "incredibly sad" Hofer conceded defeat.

"I congratulate Alexander Van der Bellen on his success and call on all Austrians to stick together and work together," Hofer said on Facebook.

Establishment politicians in Austria and Europe had been nervous about a possible Hofer victory in a year that has seen two monumental political upsets already: Donald Trump winning the US presidential election and Britain deciding to leave the EU.

It came shortly before exit polls suggested Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi had lost a high-stakes constitutional referendum also held on Sunday — following a "No" campaign spearheaded by the populist Five Star Movement — on which he has staked his job.

Hofer, like Trump and "Brexit" proponents, had stoked concerns about immigration and globalisation, vowing to "get rid of the dusty establishment", seek closer ties with Russia and fight against "Brussels centralising power".

Following the arrival of a record number of migrants last year including many fleeing war in Syria, Hofer had also declared that Islam has "no place in Austria", seeing Muslims as a danger to the country's values, traditions and security.

 'Good omen' 

The role of the Austrian president is largely ceremonial, but there had been fears that a Hofer victory would embolden other anti-establishment forces ahead of elections next year in France, Germany and the Netherlands.

The relief across Europe was palpable on Sunday evening, with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier calling the outcome a "good omen against populism in Europe".

Van der Bellen's "victory is a heavy defeat of nationalism and anti-European, backward-looking populism", said European Parliament president Martin Schulz in a tweet.

"The Austrian people have chosen Europe and open-mindedness," said French President Francois Hollande.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Van der Bellen's victory was "a breath of fresh air in times when Europe is threatened by the rise of the far-right".

And at Van der Bellen's election party his supporters were pleasantly surprised, many having thought that Trump and Brexit would boost Hofer's chances and fearing voter fatigue. 

"It was all worth it. Later I think I might cry out of relief," said social worker Christoph Krottmayer, 35.

At FPOe headquarters there was deep disappointment that the "elite" had won yet again. Several people including Hofer's young daughter burst into tears after the results emerged. 

"It's clear that nothing will change in Austria because with Van der Bellen the two main parties can continue without being challenged," FPOe lawmaker Johannes Huebner, 60, told AFP.

Many Hofer voters turned to the internet, where the FPOe has a huge following, to vent their anger.

"I am really thinking about leaving this country for good," bemoaned Manfred Stadler on FPOe leader Heinz-Christian Strache's Facebook page.

"I can predict that pretty soon we will be betrayed by the EU and overrun by radical refugees. I can't be bothered wasting my energy and my money," Stadler said.

What next for the far-right? 

Marine Le Pen of France's far-right National Front, who visited Hofer earlier this year, congratulated him for "fighting bravely" and said the FPOe would win the next general elections.

The prediction may not be wide of the mark, with the FPOe currently leading opinion polls, stealing voters from the two centrist parties in Chancellor Christian Kern's unhappy "grand coalition".

The two parties, which were forced to watch the presidential election from the sidelines after their candidates were knocked out in April's first round, may even throw in the towel before the government's term ends in late 2018.

But political analyst Peter Hajek, while expecting early elections, was not so sure the FPOe would emerge triumphant. "Anything is possible. They might come first, or they might come third," he told AFP.

ROME — Prime Minister Matteo Renzi voted Sunday in a constitutional referendum that has put his future on the line, divided Italy and raised fears of political and economic turmoil across Europe.

Renzi, who has vowed to quit if he loses, was counting on a last-minute turnaround in voter sentiment to win backing for his proposals to streamline parliament and centralise some powers currently held at regional level in the name of more effective and stable government.

“Have you decided how you are going to vote, prime minister?” a female voter cheekily asked Renzi as he turned up at a voting station in his home town of Pontassieve near Florence.

“Now I’m thinking about it!” Renzi quipped back before spending ten minutes standing in line to register his vote.

Opposition parties have denounced the proposed amendments to the 68-year-old constitution as ill-considered and dangerous for democracy because they remove important checks and balances on executive power.

Spearheaded by the populist Five Star Movement, the biggest rival to Renzi’s Democratic Party, the No campaign has also sought to capitalise on the Renzi’s declining popularity, a sluggish economy and the problems caused by tens of thousands of migrants arriving in Italy.

“God willing it’s over. A new era starts tomorrow I hope,” said Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right Northern League, after voting in Milan.

Brisk voting 

Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who belatedly backed the No side, was also out early as the interior ministry reported brisk morning voting.

By midday nearly one in five of the 47 million Italians entitled to vote Sunday had cast their ballot.

Polls close at 11.00 pm with the result, anxiously awaited across Europe, expected in the early hours of Monday.

If Renzi goes, some short-term market turbulence is inevitable. Some analysts fear a deeper crisis of investor confidence that could derail a rescue scheme for Italy’s most indebted banks, triggering a wider financial crisis across the eurozone.

If he wins, Italy’s youngest ever prime minister will take it as a mandate to accelerate reforms in areas such as public administration, the judicial system and education.

“If we miss this chance it won’t come back for 20 years,” Renzi warned voters before campaigning was suspended at midnight on Friday.

Voters have spent weeks passionately debating the pros and cons of the proposed reforms.

Polls have been banned since November 18. Up until then the “No” camp was leading comfortably — but with a quarter of the electorate undecided.

After the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s victory, populism has been a factor, and Five Star, led by comic Beppe Grillo, would see a “No” vote as its stepping stone to government.

But the campaign has also caused many voters to reconsider the merits of a much-loved constitution, crafted in the aftermath of World War II and the bitter experience of fascist dictator Benito Mussolini’s disastrous rule.

‘He has to go’ 

Under the proposed reform, the Senate, currently a body of 315 directly-elected and five lifetime lawmakers, would have only 100 members, mostly nominated by the regions. 

The chamber would also be stripped of most of its powers to block and revise legislation, and to unseat governments.

Other envisioned changes involve transferring some regional powers to the national government, making it easier to get major infrastructural works approved, and abolishing a costly policy agency in Rome.

Inevitably in light of his pledge to stand down should he lose, the vote has focused on Renzi himself.

And on that score there were mixed messages at a farmers market in downtown Rome on Sunday morning.

“I am voting Yes for change. Renzi’s better than the others and our governments have always been too short-lived to really change things”, said Teodoro, 56, an olive grower selling his extra-virgin oil.

Mario Baczak, a 23-year-old economic graduate working at the Slow Food stall, said Renzi was trying to create a “democratic dictatorship” and had to go. “He may be young but he has been moulded by the old political class.”

 And Ana-Maria, a pensioner, said she was voting No because “Renzi is not someone you can trust. He has not shown he has the capacity to finish what he starts”.

LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May’s government launches a challenge on Monday against a court ruling that it requires parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the European Union, a decision that could upset Britain’s Brexit plans.

If the supreme court, the United Kingdom’s highest judicial body, dismisses the government appeal it could derail May’s timetable for triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and leaving the EU.

The government’s legal fight comes against a backdrop of claims by some politicians and newspapers that establishment judges want to thwart the Brexit process.

It will be the most high-profile and complex case the court has considered since it came into being seven years ago and is due to last for four days. For the first time all its 11 justices will sit on the panel with the verdict due later in January.

“The case raises difficult and delicate issues about the constitutional relationship between government and parliament,” Brenda Hale, the supreme court’s vice president said in a speech last month.

“What is meant by the exercise of the executive power of the state? We do not have a written constitution to tell us the answer. But I doubt whether many written constitutions would tell us the answer either.”

 If May wins, she can proceed with her plans to invoke Article 50 by the end of March.

But if she loses, parliament could in theory block Brexit as most lawmakers (MPs) supported staying in the EU in a referendum in June, though few observers expect such an outcome. Even so, lawmaker approval could open the process to greater scrutiny and delay.

Investors believe the greater parliament’s involvement the less chance there is of a “hard Brexit” in which tight controls on immigration are prioritised over European single market access. The pound surged after November’s high court ruling.

In a sign of how thorny the process could be for May, the opposition Labour Party plans to table an amendment to any Article 50 bill to try to keep market access to the bloc, its leader Jeremy Corbyn told Sky News on Saturday.

The addition of amendments could risk derailing May’s timetable, although the BBC has reported that the government has prepared a very short bill which would be “bomb-proof” against changes by lawmakers who may try and add conditions to the approval.

Meanwhile the pro-EU Liberal Democrat Party says it would vote against Article 50 unless there is a new referendum on the final Brexit deal, a concession May is highly unlikely to make.

The party won a ninth seat in parliament on Thursday in a local by-election vote.

The high court challenge was brought by investment fund manager Gina Miller with hairdresser Deir Tozetti Dos Santos the second claimant.

Other parties will also be allowed to offer legal arguments this week, including the devolved Welsh government, a group of expatriate Britons, and the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain which represents mainly low-paid migrant workers.

So too will the Scottish government, which strongly opposes Brexit and has been seeking ways to keep Scotland in the EU.

The case hinges on whether the government can use a historical power known as “royal prerogative” to invoke Article 50 without lawmakers’ assent.

Useful distraction?

The challengers argued that Britons would inevitably lose rights granted under an act of parliament when leaving the EU, and that under Britain’s unwritten constitution such rights could only be taken away with parliamentary approval.

The high court agreed with this, rejecting the government’s assertion parliament had given its approval by allowing a referendum and that it was established the executive alone could make or leave international treaties.

The government’s prepared argument for the supreme court is little changed from before. Miller has told Reuters she suspected May might be happy to lose, with the court battle providing a useful distraction to ministerial divisions and Brexit indecision.

June’s vote to leave the EU exposed deep divisions in Britain, and some pro-Brexit politicians condemned the high court for flouting democracy. The Daily Mail newspaper called the three senior judges involved “enemies of the people”.

Miller herself has become a target of hate and has received abuse and death threats.

Some lawmakers in May’s Conservative Party have also called for supreme court president, David Neuberger, to stand down because his wife had posted anti-Brexit messages on Twitter.

One of the court’s justices, Brian Kerr, said judges would not be swayed by personal views.

“That’s not to say we don’t have personal views, but we are all extremely conscious of the need to set aside our personal views and apply the law as we conceive it to be,” he told the BBC last month.

Meanwhile, upsetting the media, politicians and some of the public is unlikely to faze Neuberger and the other justices.

“Parliament no doubt appreciates that the unelected judges sometimes are more easily able to do what is right, but temporarily unpopular, than politicians who need to submit themselves at least every five years to the electorate,” Neuberger said in a 2011 speech. 

SEOUL — Battered by massive protests and an impeachment push, South Korea's president cried Thursday during her first public appearance among her citizens since a huge political scandal exploded in October, as police arrested a man accused of setting fire to her dictator father's birthplace in a nearby city.

President Park Geun-hye's visit to a rural market came as opponents in parliament squabble over whether to impeach her.

Police said they arrested a 48-year-old man who told investigators he used paint thinner to set fire to the birthplace of Park's late father on Thursday because he was angry over her refusal to step down immediately over the scandal involving a confidant accused of influence peddling and extortion.

A memorial hall for Park's parents, ex-president Park Chung-hee and Yook Young-soo, was nearly burned down. The hall is a popular tourist attraction. The suspect was previously convicted of setting fire to the birthplace of another former president, Roh Tae-woo, in 2012, according to police.

Park did not immediately comment publicly on the arson. Earlier Thursday, she visited a market in the nearby city of Daegu where hundreds of shops had been destroyed by a previous fire.

Daegu is Park's political home turf where she was elected as a national lawmaker four times before becoming president in 2013.

Local TV showed dozens of people at the market shouting "Park Geun-hye! Park Geun-hye!" and using cellphones to photograph her as she walked through the fire-ravaged shops. One middle-aged woman wiped away tears. Near the market, though, dozens of anti-Park citizens staged rallies calling for her ouster, according to media reports.

"Merchants [here] supported me whenever I had difficulties and I'm really sorry," Park said during her visit, according to her office. "I agonised a lot over whether I should come here in the current situation."

 Park cried after returning to her car, her office said, citing presidential security staff who travelled with her.

On Tuesday, Park said she would step down if parliament arranges a safe transfer of power, drawing fierce criticism from main opposition parties that described her overture as a tactic to buy time that would allow her to survive the scandal.

Park's offer appears to have caused cracks among dissenters in her ruling party who earlier supported her impeachment. A group of anti-Park lawmakers are now saying they will not join an impeachment drive if Park resigns in April and helps ensure a stable power transfer until a new president takes office following a presidential by-election.

A meeting between leaders of the main opposition parties on Thursday ended without any major breakthrough. They differ over whether they should push for Park's impeachment this week or delay it.

Much of the hesitation over Park's impeachment is because the opposition does not have enough lawmakers to pass an impeachment in parliament, and they would need help from dissenters in Park's ruling Saenuri Party.

Passage of an impeachment motion requires at least 200 votes in the 300-member National Assembly, but the three opposition parties and anti-Park independent lawmakers have a total of 172 seats.

If impeached, Park's presidential powers would be suspended until the constitutional court rules on her fate. The court would have 180 days to deliberate.

Park has denied accusations by prosecutors that she colluded in the criminal activities of her longtime friend Choi Soon-sil, who, despite having no official role in government, allegedly had a say in policy decisions and exploited her presidential ties to bully companies into giving millions of dollars to businesses Choi controlled.

Choi and two of Park's former advisers have been detained and indicted on charges including extortion and leaking confidential information.

Choi is a daughter of a cult leader who served as Park's personal mentor after her mother's assassination in 1974. Park's father was gunned down by his spy chief in 1979 following an 18-year rule.

SEOUL — South Korean opposition parties vowed on Wednesday to push ahead to try to impeach President Park Geun-hye, rejecting her offer to resign amid a growing influence-peddling scandal, and called on members of her Saenuri Party to join them.

In a dramatic move that shifted the burden of resolving the crisis engulfing her presidency, Park asked parliament on Tuesday to decide how and when she should quit, which opposition lawmakers dismissed as a ploy to buy time and avoid impeachment.

The leaders of the three opposition parties, which together hold 165 of the single-chamber parliament’s 300 seats and can initiate an impeachment motion, said they would not negotiate with Park’s party on her proposal to step down.

“The only way left to go is impeachment under the constitution,” the head of the Democratic Party, Choo Mi-ae, said at a meeting with the leaders of two other opposition parties.

The leader of the opposition People’s Party, Park Jie-won, said a motion would be put to a vote on Friday, or on Friday week if necessary.

“Impeachment is the only way,” he said.

Park, who has immunity from prosecution in the case as long as she remains in office, is alleged by prosecutors to have colluded with a friend, Choi Soon-sil, to enable her to wield improper influence in government affairs and in fundraising by two foundations set up to back Park’s initiatives.

She has denied wrongdoing but acknowledged carelessness in her ties with Choi.

The opposition parties have said Park missed the chance to step down voluntarily and the public wanted nothing short of her immediate removal from office.

Ruling party divided

They need a minimum of 28 votes from Saenuri to pass the impeachment bill, which will immediately suspend Park’s powers while the constitutional court takes up to six months to decide the validity of the motion.

The court is more likely to take as little as two months, most legal experts said. If Park is unseated, a new election must be held in 60 days to pick a successor for a full five-year term.

The prime minister, normally a figurehead post, would serve as acting head of state in the interim.

The Saenuri Party has been in disarray over the crisis and on Wednesday remained divided.

Party floor leader Chung Jin-suk said it would be best to set a deadline of April 30 for Park to step down, but a breakaway faction of more than 40 members demanded she leave sooner.

Hwang Young-cheul, a member of the breakaway group, said on Tuesday it was willing to negotiate for an exit plan for Park but if all sides failed to reach an agreement by Friday week, it would join the opposition’s impeachment motion.

The crisis has started to weigh on consumer confidence and has dealt a blow to the reputation of the “chaebol” conglomerates, accused of kowtowing to Park and her aide to contribute funds to her foundations.

Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said on Wednesday the economy faced greater downside risks due to the crisis and a recovery was showing signs of slowing because of uncertainties in South Korea and abroad.