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ByAlanClendenning The Associated Press MADRID King Juan Car- los, who led Spain's tran- sition from dictatorship to democracy but faced dam- aging scandals amid the nation's financial melt- down, announced Monday he will abdicate in favor of his more popular son so that fresh royal blood can rally the nation. While the monarchy is largely symbolic, Juan Car- los' surprise decision may hold implications for the burning issue of Catalonia, which is to hold a secession referendum this fall. A constitutional revi- sion is required to ensure Crown Prince Felipe's first- born daughter will succeed him, and there was specu- lation other changes might be made to dull secessionist fervor in the wealthy north- eastern region. Juan Carlos said 46-year-old Felipe is ready to be king and will "open a new era of hope." The son already has greater command over the hearts of his people: Felipe's 70 percent approval in a re- cent El Mundo newspaper poll dwarfs Juan Carlos' 41 percent. Juan Carlos didn't men- tion the scandals or Catal- onia, or specify what issues his son must prioritize as the next head of state. He stressed only that Felipe will need to "undertake the transformations and reforms demanded by to- day's circumstances and to address the challenges of tomorrow with renewed intensity and dedication." In his nationwide ad- dress, the king said he started making plans to give up the throne after he turned 76 in January. Since then, Spain has embarked on a sluggish but steady economic recovery. Its biggest problems are a 25 percent unemployment rate and Catalonia's drive to hold a secession vote in November — labeled illegal by the central government in Madrid. Spain is expected to change its constitution to ensure Felipe's daughter, Leonor, can succeed him, should Felipe's wife get pregnant again and give birth to a boy, who would become monarch under the current constitution. Changing the rule on succession could open the door for additional changes, including de- mands by the opposition Socialist Party to grant Catalonia more autonomy or special financial bene- fits to blunt separatist sen- timent there. ROYALTY Spain: King abdicates for his more popular son GERARDJULIEN,POOL—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Spain's Crown Prince Felipe, centre, Spain's King Juan Carlos, le , and Spain's Queen Sofia, right, attend the annual Pascua Militar Epiphany ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, in January. By Nebi Qena The Associated Press LUHANSK, UKRAINE Hun- dreds of pro-Russia insur- gents mounted a daylong as- sault on a border guard base in eastern Ukraine on Mon- day, with some firing rocket- propelled grenades from the roof of a nearby residential building and prompting the deployment of air support by government forces. At least five rebels were killed when the guards re- turned fire, a border guard service spokesman said. Some 6 miles away, a blast at an administrative building held by insurgents claimed more lives. A health official for the Luhansk region told Interfax news agency that at least seven people had been confirmed dead in the inci- dent, which rebels described as a government airstrike. Authorities denied carry- ing out a strike and said the blast was caused by misdi- rected rebel fire from a por- table surface-to-air missile launcher. Russia's Foreign Minis- try swiftly condemned what it described as a government attack on the rebel-held building and urged U.S. As- sistant Secretary of Defense Derek Chollet, who was visit- ing Kiev on Monday, to help calm unrest in Ukraine. "We urge our Western partners to use their influ- ence on Kiev, to stop Ukraine from descending into a na- tional catastrophe," the min- istry said in a statement. On the edge of Luhansk, in the Mirny district, rebels in camouflage promised safety for troops at a border guard service base if they surren- dered and laid down their arms. The pro-Russian in- surgents, who have seized government and police build- ings across eastern Ukraine, have waged increasingly ag- gressive attacks on govern- ment-held checkpoints and garrisons in an attempt to seize weapons and ammuni- tion from Ukrainian forces. Serhiy Astakhov, the spokesman for the border guard service, told The As- sociated Press by telephone that a preliminary assess- ment indicated that five rebels were killed and eight wounded in the attack on the walled compound on the western fringes of Luhansk, a major city not far from the Russian border. He also said seven servicemen were wounded, three seriously. The initial attack by about 100 insurgents was met by gunfire from the bor- der guards, and the num- ber of attackers swelled to around 400 a few hours later. Astakhov said the Ukrai- nian armed forces had sent aircraft to the area, but had been unable to quell the at- tack. At least one fighter jet was seen flying overhead. UKRAINE Pr o- Ru ss ia r eb el s at ta ck b or de r gu ar ds VADIM GHIRDA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Pro-Russian rebels reload weapons during clashes with Ukrainian troops on the outskirts of Luhansk, Ukraine, on Monday. By Diaa Hadid The Associated Press DAMASCUS, SYRIA With security heightened in Da- mascus and thousands fear- ing rebel attacks in other cit- ies, Syria holds an election Tuesday in the middle of its bloody civil war — a vote that President Bashar Assad is expected to win easily and that critics have denounced as a sham. Assad's re-election to an- other seven-year term would show the tenacity of a ruler who had only a tenuous grip on power just over a year ago. In the past 12 months, his troops have clawed back to regain lost ground and sig- nificantlystrengthenhisposi- tion,givinghimlittlereasonto seekapoliticalcompromisein a conflict that has killed more than 160,000 people. Still, the Syrian gov- ernment has gone to great lengths to present the vote as a way to resolve the cri- sis and move forward. For the first time in more than 50 years, more than one candidate will be on the bal- lot. Assad faces two govern- ment-approved challengers in the race, Maher Hajjar and Hassan al-Nouri, both of whom were little known in Syria before declaring their candidacy in April. The Syrian opposition and its Western allies have dis- missed the vote as a farce, questioning the credibility of an election taking place dur- ing a raging civil war. Much ofnorthernandeasternSyria is in rebel hands, and polling will only be done in govern- ment-controlled areas. Ahmad al-Jarba, the leader of the Western- backed Syrian National Co- alition, described the vote as "theater written with the blood of Syrians." He urged his countrymen to stay home, alleging that Assad was planning to bomb and shell voting centers in order to blame the opposition. Campaigning officially ended Monday, and workers across central Damascus took down banners, posters and pictures of the candi- dates. Blue and yellow tents were set up to shade the crowds expected at polling stations from the sun. MIDDLE EAST Syria tightens up on security ahead of presidential vote Landscape/Fence Steve's Tractor &LandscapeService •FenceBuilding•Landscaping • Trenching • Rototilling • Disking • Mowing • Ridging • Post Hole Digging • Blade Work • Sprinkler Installation • Concrete Work Cont. 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