Six In The Morning Saturday June 10

Merkel says EU is 'ready to start Brexit negotiations'

Angela Merkel has said she sees no obstacles in the way of beginning Brexit talks as scheduled after Theresa May failed to win a majority in Thursday's UK election.

The German chancellor said she believed Britain would stick to the timetable, adding the European Union was "ready".

Mrs Merkel added she hoped Britain would remain a good partner following the talks, due to begin on 19 June.

It is her first comment since Mrs May's Conservative party lost 13 seats.

The loss left the Conservatives eight MPs short of a majority in parliament, plunging negotiations into uncertainty. Mrs May called the snap election in order to secure a clear mandate for her vision of Brexit.

Saudi Arabia and allies release Qatar 'terror list'

A group of Arab countries that cut ties with Qatar earlier this week has produced a list of people it claims are linked to terrorism. Qatar has vowed it would not "surrender" to the mounting pressure.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Bahrain issued a statement on Friday listing 59 people and 12 entities that the countries accuse of being Qatar-based and/or funded by Qatar and are connected to terrorism.

The "terror list" includes 18 Qataris, Egyptians, Kuwaitis, Bahrainis and Libyans. Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Yousef al-Qaradawi was among those included. Qatari-funded charities Qatar Charity and Eid Charity were among the entities named in the statement.

"This list is connected to Qatar and serves suspicious agendas in an indication of the duality of Qatar policies," read the statement from the four countries, adding "they won't be lenient in pursuing" those on the list.

Brazil top court acquits president in campaign corruption case

Brazil’s top electoral court dismissed a case on Friday that threatened to unseat President Michel Temer for alleged illegal campaign funding in the 2014 election, when he was the running mate of impeached President Dilma Rousseff.

The ruling gives Temer some breathing room but will not end a political crisis enveloping the beleaguered center-right leader. He is being investigated separately by federal prosecutors for corruption, obstruction of justice and racketeering.

“We cannot be changing the president of the Republic all the time, even if the people want to,” said the court’s chief judge, Gilmar Mendes.

Mendes, who backed the impeachment of Rousseff, said the country should not expect the court to solve the current political crisis.

African asylum seekers wait in vain to enter the Promised Land

• Violeta Santos-Moura

After fleeing their war-torn countries, genocide and repressive regimes, many of the estimated 45,000 African asylum seekers in Israel face formidable resistance from state institutions and are stuck in legal limbo from the day they arrive.

Mostly coming from Eritrea and Sudan, they hope to obtain asylum in Israel in greater numbers than in previous years after turmoil in Libya in 2011 made the route through Libya to Europe nearly impossible.

Israel has recognised fewer than 1 per cent of asylum claims, the lowest percentage in the Western world, and has been notoriously sluggish in assessing asylum claims. It granted refugee status to only one Sudanese and to a handful of Eritreans. The overwhelming majority remain in a vulnerable situation, in constant fear of detention, forced deportation and under pressure to be "voluntarily" deported.

U.K. Election 2017: What is the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)?

by SAPHORA SMITH

 A party founded by a firebrand Protestant preacher-politician who once objected to line dancing because it was sinful is now set to hold the balance of power in the British government.

Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday visited Queen Elizabeth II seeking permission to form a minority government with the help of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party after her Conservative Party failed to win a majority in the general election.

"Negotiations on our exit from the European Union are about to commence and we now face uncertainty at Westminster," the party's leader Arlene Foster told reporters after May met with the queen. "The prime minister has spoken with me this morning and we will enter discussions with the Conservatives to explore how it may be possible to bring stability to our nation at this time of great challenge."