Poland’s senators approve contentious court overhaul
Poland’s senators approve contentious court overhaul
WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s Senate approved a contentious law on Saturday that gives politicians substantial influence over the Supreme Court, in defiance of European Union criticism.
The bill proposed by the populist ruling party only needs the signature of President Andrzej Duda to become binding. Duda has so far followed the ruling party line.
The vote was 55-23 with two abstentions.
It was met with boos from protesters gathered in front of the Senate building.
EU leaders say the bill would kill judicial independence and threaten the rule of law in the EU’s largest member in Central and Eastern Europe. The U.S. Department of State voiced concern on Friday.
3 Palestinians, 3 Israelis killed in violence over holy site
JERUSALEM — Escalating Israeli-Palestinian tensions over the Holy Land’s most contested shrine boiled over into violence on Friday that killed six people — three Palestinians in street clashes in Jerusalem and three Israelis in a stabbing attack at a West Bank settlement.
After nightfall, a Palestinian sneaked into a home in the Israeli settlement of Halamish in the West Bank and stabbed to death three Israelis.
The military said the attacker apparently jumped over the fence and infiltrated the family’s home, surprising them as they ate the traditional Sabbath evening meal. It said the Palestinian killed a man and two of his children, while a woman was wounded and taken to hospital. The man’s grandchildren were present but not harmed, it said.
The army released footage showing a blood-covered kitchen floor. It said senior military officials are meeting overnight to discuss how to proceed.
In Senate, ailing lawmakers given plenty of time to recover
WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain’s treatment for brain cancer could keep him out of Washington for weeks, perhaps months, and yet it’s unlikely anyone will challenge his extended leave.
Congress has a long tradition in which no one questions ailing lawmakers taking time to recover. For starters, it’s just poor form. And, frankly, it’s up to the stricken member of Congress and their doctors to decide when — or even if — they return to work. Some have recuperated away from the Capitol for a year or more.
It’s an unwritten courtesy that often doesn’t extend to the real working world where employees are forced to file for medical disability or take unpaid leave.
Julie Tarallo, McCain’s spokeswoman, said Friday that “further consultations with Sen. McCain’s Mayo Clinic care team will indicate when he will return to the United States Senate.”
McCain had taken to Twitter on Thursday promising a quick return.
Trump Jr., Manafort in talks with Senate panel
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s eldest son and his former campaign chairman are discussing being privately interviewed by a Senate committee investigating Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election, the panel confirmed Friday.
The committee initially called for Donald Trump Jr. and Paul Manafort to appear publicly next week. But the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee now say the men are negotiating the terms of their appearances, and lawmakers don’t currently plan to issue subpoenas to force them to publicly testify.
In a joint statement, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., also said they are negotiating with Trump Jr. and Manafort about possibly turning over documents.
Both men face questions about attending a Trump Tower meeting with a Russian lawyer in June 2016 that was described to Trump Jr. in emails as part of a Russian government effort to help his father’s campaign. Trump Jr. was told the lawyer had damaging information that could be used against Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and top White House aide, also attended the meeting. He is scheduled to speak behind closed doors with the Senate intelligence committee Monday and with the House intelligence committee Tuesday.
2 dead, 500 hurt as deadly quake rattles Greece, Turkey
KOS, Greece — A powerful earthquake shook beach resorts Friday in Greece and Turkey, killing two tourists crushed when a building collapsed on a bar in the Greek island of Kos and injuring nearly 500 others across the Aegean Sea region.
Only a few miles apart, Kos and the Turkish resort of Bodrum were hit hours before dawn by the shallow undersea quake that caused a two-foot (0.6-meter) sea swell and havoc among residents and thousands of vacationers at bars and restaurants.
The U.S. Geological survey measured the quake as being of magnitude 6.7, with Greek and Turkish estimates a fraction lower.
“It was shocking, terrifying,” Kos resident Vassilis Megas told The Associated Press. “The whole house shook back and forth. People ran out into streets. We did too, and stayed out all night.”
Two men — from Turkey and Sweden — were killed when a collapsing wall smashed into White Corner Club, a popular a bar in the Old Town of Kos. Several others were seriously injured and airlifted to larger hospitals in Greece — one person had to have a leg amputated and another had life-threatening head injuries, doctors said.
By wire sources