Trump says he expects meeting with North Korea's Kim soon, denies urging rapid denuclearization

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he had received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and expected to meet him again soon as part of the U.S. administration’s efforts to press Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump defended his negotiations with Kim and said he had never emphasized the speed of Pyongyang’s denuclearization. Kim vowed to work toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula when he met with Trump for the first time at a summit in Singapore in June, but there has been little concrete progress since. Kim said in a nationally televised New-Year address that he was ready to meet again with Trump anytime but warned he may take a “new path” if U.S. sanctions and pressure against the country continued. A day earlier, South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported that Kim had sent a message to Trump regarding the stalled nuclear talks. The report did not include details about the “letter-like” communication. Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the letter was great and that he would love to read it out loud, but did not do so. Trump has said previously that a second summit with Kim was likely in January or February, though he wrote on Twitter last month that he was “in no hurry.” In his address on Tuesday, Kim said denuclearization was his “firm will” and North Korea had “declared at home and abroad that we would neither make and test nuclear weapons any longer nor use and proliferate them.” However, he warned that North Korea might be “compelled to explore a new path” to defend its sovereignty if the United States “seeks to force something upon us unilaterally … and remains unchanged in its sanctions and pressure.” Kim’s comments have fueled doubts over whether North Korea intends to give up a nuclear weapons program it has long considered essential to its security. Analysts said Kim’s message sent clear signals that North Korea was willing to stay in talks with Washington and Seoul this year — but on its own terms. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made several trips to Pyongyang last year but the two sides have yet to reschedule an abruptly canceled November meeting between him and senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol aimed at paving the way for a second summit. As well as demanding a lifting of sanctions, Pyongyang has been seeking an official end to the 1950-1953 Korean War in response to its initial, unilateral steps that have included dismantling its only known nuclear testing site and a key missile engine facility. U.S. officials have said the extent of initial North Korean steps were not confirmed and could be easily reversed. Washington has halted some large-scale military exercises with South Korea to aid negotiations, but has called for strict global sanctions enforcement until North Korea’s full, verifiable denuclearization.

north korea
denuclearization
donald trump
kim jong un
mike pompeo
u.s .


North Korean diplomat seeking asylum in Italy: report

Abstract: SEOUL - North Korea’s top diplomat in Italy has sought asylum, a newspaper said Thursday, in what would be another high-profile defection by one of Pyongyang’s envoys. Jo Song Gil, the acting North Korean ambassador to Rome, applied for asylum to an unidentified Western country with his family, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources in Seoul. “He sought asylum early last month,” the newspaper quoted one source as saying. Italian authorities were “agonizing” over what to do, the official was quoted as saying, but added that they were “protecting him in a safe place.” The last senior North Korean diplomat to defect was Thae Yong Ho, who abandoned his post as deputy ambassador in London in 2016. Jo, 48, has been acting ambassador in Rome since October 2017 after Italy expelled Ambassador Mun Jong Nam in protest over a nuclear test by the North a month earlier in violation of U.N. resolutions. He is “known to be a son or son-in-law of one of the highest-level officials in the North’s regime,” the JoongAng newspaper cited an unnamed North Korea expert as saying. Most North Korean diplomats serving overseas are required to leave several family members — typically children — behind in Pyongyang to prevent their defection while working abroad. Jo, however, came to Rome in May 2015 with his wife and children, suggesting that he may be from a privileged family, the paper said, adding that the reason for his defection bid was still unclear. Thae, who at the time of his defection was the deputy ambassador to London, said he had switched sides partly to give his three children a better future after being ordered to return to the North. The Kim dynasty has ruled the impoverished but nuclear-armed state for three generations with little tolerance for dissent. The regime stands accused of widespread human rights abuses. North Korea’s main state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary on Thursday that last year saw “wonderful changes” and “great movements” in North Korea’s relations with South Korea and the United States, but that progress in inter-Korean relations are for now “locked up in stagnation” because of U.S. policies. “The U.S. still remains unchanged in the policy hostile towards the DPRK,” the paper wrote, using the initials of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The paper accused the United States of having a “sinister intention to deprive the DPRK of its nuclear weapons and bring it to its knees without goodwill to build a new, good relationship with the DPRK.” “The U.S. is urged to do what it should do for the improvement of the DPRK-U.S. relations, not making useless admonition while meddling in the issue of north-south relations, an internal issue of the Korean nation,” it said. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made several trips to Pyongyang last year, but the two sides have yet to reschedule an abruptly canceled November meeting between him and senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol aimed at paving the way for a second summit between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. Donald Trump, following their meeting in Singapore in June. As well as demanding a lifting of sanctions, Pyongyang has been seeking an official end to the 1950-1953 Korean War in response to its initial, unilateral steps that have included dismantling its only known nuclear testing site and a missile engine facility. U.S. officials have said the extent of initial North Korean steps has not been confirmed and could be easily reversed. Washington has halted some large-scale military exercises with South Korea to aid negotiations, but has also called for strict global sanctions enforcement until North Korea’s full, verifiable denuclearization.


One dead, 15 injured after women defy traditionalists to enter Indian temple

Abstract: NEW DELHI/KOCHI, INDIA - One person was killed and at least 15 injured in violence that broke out in southern India’s Kerala state after two women defied traditionalists to enter one of Hinduism’s holiest temples, police said Thursday. Clashes were reported across the state after the two activists, escorted by police, entered the Sabarimala temple in a surprise pre-dawn operation on Wednesday. The Supreme Court in September overturned a decades-old ban on women of menstruating age — deemed as those between 10 and 50 — setting foot inside the gold-plated Sabarimala temple. Several female activists, including the two women, have made unsuccessful attempts in the past to reach the temple since the order but have faced stiff resistance from thousands of devotees — both men and women — who see it as an attack on tradition. “The person who died was part of a BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) demonstration yesterday and got injured when some stones were hurled,” Kerala police spokesman Pramod Kumar said. “His injuries were serious, and he died late Wednesday night. At least 15 others were injured in incidents across the state.” Local media reports said the demonstrators from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP were hit by stones from a local office of the state’s ruling Communist Party. Kerala remained tense Thursday, and the police said additional forces had been deployed to prevent further violence from breaking out. The police Wednesday used tear gas, stun grenades and a water cannon to control clashes between the rival groups, largely conservatives and cadres of the state’s ruling left-wing parties. Journalists were also assaulted during the disturbances in the state’s capital, Thiruvananthapuram, and nearby Kollam city. The uproar has put the issue of religion, which can be highly contentious in India, squarely on the political agenda months before a general election, which is due by May. The possibility of more confrontations was raised by a call from an umbrella group of right-wing Hindu groups in Kerala, the Sabarimala Karma Samithi, which is supported by the BJP, for a state-wide protest strike on Thursday. The BJP called for protesters to be peaceful. Earlier, the Kerala state president of the BJP described the women’s visit as “a conspiracy by the atheist rulers to destroy the Hindu temples.” The party’s state president, P.S. Sreedharan Pillai, told TV channels the BJP would “support the struggles against the destruction of faith by the Communists.” “Let all the devotees come forward and protest this,” he said. Officials from the main opposition Congress party in the state, in a rare alignment with their main rival for power at the national level, the BJP, also called for protests. “This is treachery. … The government will have to pay the price for the violation of the custom,” K. Sudhakaran, vice president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, said in a statement. Conservative Hindu groups say they believe women of menstruating age would defile the temple’s inner shrine. News channels reported the chief priest briefly shut the temple for “purification” rituals after the women visited. Later, media reported it had reopened. The two women, identified by police as Bindu Ammini, 42, and Kanaka Durga, 44, had tried to go in on Dec. 24 and later approached police for help, an officer said. “There was an elaborate arrangement for them to come just after the temple was opened early morning,” said the officer, who declined to be identified, fearing reprisals from protesters. “The darkness gave them, and us, cover.” Police were guarding the homes of the women after they left the temple and were prepared to let more women enter the temple, he said. A video from a police official posted online by ANI showed two women in the temple with their heads covered. Ammini told a television channel about their stealthy trek to the temple in the middle of the night. “We reached Pampa, the main entry point to the temple, at 1:30 a.m. and sought police protection. … We walked two hours, entered the temple around 3:30 a.m. and did the ‘darshan,'” the woman said, referring to a ritual of standing in front of the temple’s Hindu image. The state government defended its decision to protect the women as they went into the temple, saying it was a matter of civil rights. “I had earlier made it clear that the government will provide protection if any women come forward to enter the temple,” said Kerala’s chief minister, Pinarayi Vijayan. Vijayan told a news conference the women faced no obstruction on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear how they managed to avoid devotees guarding the temple. On Tuesday, the state government backed a protest by thousands of women, who formed a 620-km (385-mile) human chain, termed the “women’s wall,” in support of “gender equality” and access to the temple. September’s verdict by the Supreme Court was the latest progressive ruling from the court, with judges also overturning bans on gay sex and adultery last year. In rare comments regarding the Sabarimala temple on Tuesday, Modi — running for a second term in elections later this year — appeared to support the ban, saying the matter was related to tradition. “There are some temples which have their own traditions, where men can’t go — and men don’t go,” Modi told Indian media. The Supreme Court is to start hearing a legal challenge on its ruling to allow women into the temple from Jan. 22. Women are still barred from a handful of Hindu temples in India. The entry of women at Sabarimala was taboo for generations and was formalized by the Kerala High Court in 1991.

women tradition india religion discrimination


China lands probe on far side of moon: state TV

Abstract: BEIJING - A Chinese lunar rover landed on the far side of the moon Thursday, a global first that boosts Beijing’s ambitions to become a space superpower. After touching down, the Chang’e 4 probe sent a photo of the far side to the Queqiao satellite, which is relaying communications to controllers on Earth, state broadcaster CCTV said. Beijing is pouring billions into its military-run space program. It hopes to have a crewed space station by 2022 and eventually send humans to the moon. The Chang’e 4 lunar probe mission — named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology — was launched in December from the southwestern Xichang launch center. It is the second Chinese probe to land on the moon, following the Yutu (Jade Rabbit) rover mission in 2013. Unlike the near side of the moon, which offers many flat areas to touch down on, the far side is mountainous and rugged. The moon is tidally locked to Earth in its rotation, so one side always faces us. Chang’e 4 is carrying six experiments from China and four from abroad, including low-frequency radio astronomical studies, which aim to take advantage of the lack of interference on the far side. The rover will also conduct mineral and radiation tests, the China National Space Administration has said, according to state news agency Xinhua. It was not until 1959 that the Soviet Union captured the first images of the moon’s mysterious and heavily cratered far side. No lander or rover has ever previously touched the surface there, and it is no easy technological feat — China has been preparing for this moment for years. A major challenge for such a mission was communicating with the robotic lander, because there is no direct line of sight for signals to the far side of the moon. As a solution, China in May blasted the Queqiao (“Magpie Bridge”) satellite into the moon’s orbit, positioning it to relay data and commands between the lander and Earth. In another extreme hurdle, during the lunar night — which lasts 14 Earth days — temperatures drop to as low as minus 173 degrees Celsius (minus 279 Fahrenheit). During the lunar day, also lasting 14 Earth days, temperatures soar as high as 127 C (261 F). The rover’s instruments have to withstand those fluctuations and it has to generate enough energy to sustain itself during the long night. Adding to the difficulties, Chang’e 4 was sent to the Aitken Basin in the lunar south pole region — known for its craggy and complex terrain. Yutu also conquered those challenges and, after initial setbacks, surveyed the moon’s surface for 31 months. Its success provided a major boost to China’s space program. Beijing is planning to send another lunar lander, Chang’e 5, next year to collect samples and bring them back to Earth.

china
moon
lunar rover
space
lunar probe
chang ' e-4


'Why don't you die?': Australian's fight with a spider sparks police call

Abstract: SYDNEY - An Australian man triggered an emergency police response after a noisy exchange with a spider startled a passerby into reporting what sounded like a violent disturbance to the authorities, media reported. A neighbor was walking past a house in the west coast city of Perth on Wednesday when they heard a man repeatedly yelling “why don’t you die?” and a toddler screaming. The neighbor then called the police emergency number, according to media reports. “Multiple police units responded (with) lights and sirens,” the reports said, quoting from a Twitter post that appeared to have been posted by police in Wanneroo, just to the north of Perth. The post has since been deleted. The tweet showed what appeared to be a law enforcement communication log that included the initial emergency call, followed by an update 15 minutes later that said “police spoke with all parties who advised that husband had only been trying to kill a spider (has serious fear of spiders).” The log said the man “apologized for inconvenience to police” and that there were “no injuries sighted (except to spider)” and “no further police involvement required.” The reports did not identify the man, or the type of spider. An out-of-hours call to the Western Australia state police’s administration number went unanswered. Australia has one of the world’s highest populations of spiders compared to its number of people, and biologists have said a Southern Hemisphere summer heat wave has raised the likelihood of finding arachnids indoors.


Japanese kamikiri performer's elaborate pieces draw interest from readers of Nagoya newspaper

Abstract: Hayashiya Niraku is a 51-year-old practitioner of kamikiri , a Japanese performance art that involves cutting silhouette images out of a plain piece of paper based on requests from the audience. Adding to the challenge, artists create their pieces without drawing an outline beforehand. His performances, mainly at yose storytelling theaters and rakugo stages in Tokyo, are classified as iromono — or variety acts other than rakugo that include magic and juggling. During a performance at a yose theater in Tokyo’s Asakusa district, Niraku takes requests from the audience while he explains kamikiri and, accompanied by the sound of shamisen music, rhythmically uses scissors to complete pieces in a couple of minutes. He has recently attracted attention as his designs have been published on the culture page of Chunichi Shimbun’s evening editions for the past three months alongside writer Kyoko Okuyama’s essay series on the Tenshiki Cup, a student rakugo championship held every summer in the city of Gifu. The newspaper received a lot of feedback from its readers on the humorous and surprisingly elaborate pieces, with many asking how they are made and whether there will be an exhibition. In contrast with his speedy work during performances, he says that it sometimes takes him as long as three hours to cut an image to go with an essay by Okuyama, 52, a Nagoya resident who is well-versed in Japanese performing arts. Okuyama serves as one of the judges for the Tenshiki Cup and in her essays she writes about different feelings and relationships associated with the championship, while also introducing readers to the joy of rakugo. Niraku carefully reads over the essays to come up with designs that reproduce the scenes that are described. He says creating images for the essays is different from his performances on stage, where cutting and talking are part of the performance. Sometimes he offers images he has produced on the stage to accompany the essays. “Since newspaper readers can’t see the process of cutting images, I want them to recognize kamikiri also as performance art,” he said. His works include portrayals of a number of well-known rakugo performers, which Okuyama says “are immediately recognizable just by looking at the silhouettes.” Niraku also creates images depicting rakugo works and phrases referenced in the essays. Although it is challenging to make images for a series that runs five days a week, he says he enjoys coming up with interesting designs based on his interpretations of the essays. Having read essays on the contest, he has become interested in the differences between the state of mind of students who decide to become professional rakugo performers and those who remain amateurs. He also said he has felt the strong passion those involved in the contest have for rakugo, including Okuyama. “I hope (the contest) will last for a long time, because I’m sure the audience is emotionally moved, too,” he said. “I want the contest organizers to create a section for iromono acts,” he said. “That would make it more like a real yose.”


South Korea to release video to counter Japan's radar claim

Abstract: SEOUL - South Korea’s Defense Ministry plans to release a video to counter Japan’s claim that a South Korean warship locked its fire-control radar on a P-1 patrol plane of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force last month, a ministry official said Thursday. The ministry is in the final stages of compiling the video and will post it on its website or elsewhere once it is ready, the public relations official said. The ministry is making efforts to post the video as soon as possible, the official added. According to the official, the P-1 patrol plane will not be captured in the video. The video will point to problems with video footage published by Japan last week and explain what South Korea has found, the official said. It will also seek answers from Japan, the official added. Japan’s Defense Ministry released the footage Friday, saying it shows that the lock-on incident took place above waters in the Japanese exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan on Dec. 20. Wednesday, the South Korean ministry demanded that Japan apologize for what it claims was a flight at a threateningly low altitude by the Japanese plane around the South Korean destroyer that was conducting a humanitarian rescue operation in the high seas. It urged Japan to stop distorting the fact. Later on Wednesday, Masahisa Sato, Japanese state minister for foreign affairs, argued against the South Korean claim, saying the Japanese plane did not engage in a dangerous act. The patrol plane was flying at an altitude of 150 meters at a location about 500 meters from the South Korean warship, which raises no problem under the civil aeronautics act. But the South Korean ministry official countered Sato’s statement, saying on Thursday that his statement is good for civilian aircraft but that a different position is needed for an armed military plane.


Quake-battered Kumamoto shaken by temblor with intensity of lower 6

Abstract: KUMAMOTO - A magnitude 5.0 earthquake that registered lower 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale to 7 hit Kumamoto Prefecture at around 6:10 p.m. Thursday, the Meteorological Agency said. No tsunami warning was issued. Municipalities, police and firefighters scrambled to gauge the impact of the quake, but the extent of the damage had not yet confirmed as of Thursday evening. According to the agency, the quake’s focus was about 10 km deep. The quake struck as a lower 6 in the town of Nagomi in northern Kumamoto and a 4 in southern Fukuoka Prefecture, while some regions in nearby Saga, Nagasaki, Oita and Miyazaki prefectures recorded an intensity of 3, the agency said. As of early Thursday evening, local officials in Nagomi reported that there was no information regarding injuries. There was also no information on injuries from the city of Kumamoto, where the earthquake registered as a lower 5. A bullet train was brought to an emergency stop when the quake struck, according to Kyushu Railway Co. (JR Kyushu). Bullet train services on the Kyushu Shinkansen Line were suspended between Hakata and Shin-Yatsushiro stations. Vehicles were banned from entering expressways in the Kumamoto region in case there was any damage on the road that could trigger accidents, operators said. Kumamoto Airport briefly closed its runways, its operator said, adding that no damage to the airport’s facilities had been identified. No abnormalities were found at nuclear power plants in the region, utilities said. Kyushu Electric Power Co. said the quake did not cause a power outage in the prefecture. “The quake was worse than the 2016 quake and I thought that a building would collapse. It was frightening,” said a male shopkeeper in Nagomi. “There were so many natural disasters last year throughout the country, so I did not expect that there would be an earthquake so early in the year. I am afraid of aftershocks,” said a 45-year-old man who manages a hot spring facility in the same town. In a hastily arranged news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the government had established an emergency task force at the Prime Minister’s Office to deal with the quake. In April 2016 the region was rocked by a series of major earthquakes, including deadly temblors on April 14 and 16 that killed dozens of people and destroyed thousands of houses. During the previous quakes, the renowned Kumamoto Castle in the city of Kumamoto was heavily damaged and remains under reconstruction to restore it to its original state — work that is expected to take years. It was unclear if the latest quake had caused further damage to the castle. Thursday’s earthquake came as many were spending New Year’s holidays in their hometowns or were preparing to return to major cities.

earthquakes
kumamoto prefecture
natural disasters


Japan to step up research on high-output military laser

Abstract: The Defense Ministry will crank into high gear its research to develop a high-output military laser that can intercept mortar rounds and enemy drones flying at low altitudes. The ministry included development outlays of ¥8.7 billion for such research in the fiscal 2018 budget. It plans to open bidding soon for the building of a prototype land-based laser weapons system for research use and hopes to complete a technical evaluation by fiscal 2023, sources said. Many countries, including the United States and China, have begun to develop laser weapons. The U.S. military has already started operating such weapons installed on landing ships. The time available to intercept missiles and similar weapons has become increasingly short due to improvements in the stealth capabilities of fighter jets, the lowering of missile flight altitudes and increasing missile speeds. Laser weapons can destroy targets instantly, reducing the need for trajectory calculations that are essential for current missile interceptors. Unlike missiles and anti-aircraft artillery shells, the lack of debris from laser weapons means less damage at ground level. The operational costs of laser weapons, with little chance of missing their targets, are believed to be much lower than those of missile defense systems, which require missile replacement after firing. In the U.S. military, a single laser beam is said to cost about one dollar. The ministry is grappling with the issue of raising laser output. It is developing equipment capable of firing lasers of up to 50 kilowatts, but destroying a target requires output of some 100 kilowatts. The sources said the ministry plans to promote research and development with the intent of using laser weapons to intercept long-range cruise missiles and fighter jets in the future.


One missing, four unresponsive and 16 rescued after Hawaii-bound ship from Japan catches fire in Pacific

Abstract: HONOLULU - A crew member who abandoned a vessel that caught fire in the Pacific Ocean while carrying cars from Japan to Hawaii remains missing after 16 were rescued. Four others were listed as unresponsive after rescue ships spotted them and lowered life rings but got no reply. The Sincerity Ace, a 198-meter car carrier, had 21 crew members on board when the fire started Monday. The U.S. Coast Guard coordinated the rescue effort with merchant ships as the Sincerity Ace was 3,333 km northwest of Honolulu. Although the ships were able to rescue 16 of the crew, life rings attached to lines were thrown to four crew members who didn’t pull themselves up to safety. “If the person in the water can’t grab onto something there’s not much these … vessels can do for them,” said Coast Guard spokesman Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew West. The lowest deck on some of the massive vessels is 7.6 meters to the water, West explained, noting the four were not in life rafts. Japanese shipping company Shoei Kisen Kaisha Ltd. owns the Panamanian-flagged vessel, which was still on fire Wednesday, company spokesman Darrell Wilson said in a statement. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy aircraft are searching a 10,800-km area for the missing crewmember, but don’t have any ability to land, West said. The nearest Coast Guard ships are days away, he said. It’s not clear what plans are in place to retrieve the four who were unresponsive. The company, based in Imabari, Ehime Prefecture, has dispatched commercial tugs to the vessel, which are estimated to be four to five days away, Wilson said. The cause of the fire was unknown.

hawaii
japan
sincerity ace
u.s. coast guard
marine accidents


Tokyo car attacker says he kept foot on gas pedal when hitting crowd

Abstract: A man arrested for deliberately plowing a rented car into a New Year’s crowd on a popular Tokyo street has said he kept his foot on the gas pedal during the attack, police officers said Thursday. As no tire marks have been found on Harajuku’s Takeshita-dori, the Metropolitan Police Department believes the 21-year-old man, identified as Kazuhiro Kusakabe, intended to commit murder. After his arrest in the early hours of Tuesday, Kusakabe confessed to wanting to kill pedestrians. Kusakabe was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after knocking down eight men aged between 19 and 51 from behind as he drove the wrong way for about 140 meters on the narrow one-way street, finally crashing the minicar into a building. The street, known as a center of Japanese youth culture and fashion, was closed to vehicles at the time of the attack as it was expected to be crowded with people, including those making New Year’s wishes at the nearby Meiji Shrine. A 19-year-old university student remains unconscious. The rest of the eight men suffered serious or minor injuries. In addition, Kusakabe, whose home address and occupation remain unknown, wounded a 19-year-old male witness after fleeing on foot. The police have said they found a 20-liter tank of kerosene and a spray extraction machine in the car, adding Kusakabe has told them he arrived in Tokyo from Osaka on New Year’s Eve planning to enter the famous shrine but was unable to do so because traffic was being redirected.


After 45 days in a Tokyo jail, what next for Carlos Ghosn?

Abstract: Almost two months after his shock arrest in Tokyo, Carlos Ghosn remains at the mercy of the Japanese legal system as prosecutors continue to build their case against the car industry titan. A Tokyo court extended the detention of the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman for another 10 days on New Year’s Eve after he was re-arrested on fresh charges Dec. 21. Meanwhile, Ghosn’s former aide Greg Kelly, who was detained with the executive back in November on allegations of helping him under-report his compensation, was released on bail on Dec. 25. So, what’s next for Ghosn? His current detention period will end on Jan. 11. By then, prosecutors will need to announce whether they intend to indict him officially on the charges of breach of trust, which they are likely to do. If indicted, Ghosn will be legally permitted to apply for bail. A decision will be made by the court and can be appealed by prosecutors. There is also the possibility that Ghosn may be re-arrested on new charges, which would start the detention period anew and allow prosecutors to hold him for up to another 20 days. Ghosn has already been re-arrested twice since he was originally taken into custody on Nov. 19. How long is this going to go on? There’s no clear answer to this. In Japan, the powers given to police and prosecutors to incarcerate suspects during an investigation without charging them are unique in the developed world. While in the U.K. suspects can be held for up to 96 hours for serious crimes such as murder, and up to 14 days under the Terrorism Act, Ghosn has already spent more than 40 days in jail in Tokyo. Bail isn’t possible until someone is indicted, but there’s no limit to the number of times prosecutors can re-arrest on new charges. Legal experts say this is all a strategy to secure a confession and make a trial easier. Japanese prosecutors rarely risk a not guilty verdict. Less than 1 percent of cases in Japan’s district and county courts in 2017 resulted in a not guilty verdict or the defendant being released, according to prosecution data. What allegations is Ghosn facing? He’s been accused of understating his pay, which would be a violation of Japan’s Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Prosecutors also say the executive acted in a way that constituted breach of trust — an allegation that would put him in violation of the Companies Act, and carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail and a ¥10 million ($92,000) fine. Ghosn has denied wrongdoing through his lawyers. Nissan has separately alleged that Ghosn misused company funds, including purchases of homes from Brazil to Lebanon and hiring his sister on an advisory contract. Where’s Kelly, Ghosn’s former aide? After posting bail, Kelly departed the detention center in a cab late Dec. 25. He was taken to a hospital in Ibaraki Prefecture, about 65 miles north of Tokyo, for treatment of his spine. He had no plan to meet the press immediately, his lawyer said. The court has set conditions for the bail, including a ban on leaving Japan. He isn’t allowed to get in touch with people involved in the allegations, and needs to live at an address approved by the court. How are things at Nissan? The arrest of Ghosn has rocked the world’s biggest auto alliance, raising questions over how the two-decade partnership between Nissan and Renault SA will change. While both have reaffirmed their faith in the tie-up, Renault’s 43 percent stake in Nissan with voting rights and the French state’s holdings in Renault have been a source of tensions. Renault has repeatedly asked the Japanese firm to hold an extraordinary general meeting of its shareholders to address corporate governance issues. Nissan has also been indicted for breach of Japan’s financial laws. In an internal memo last month, Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa sought to reassure staff that the carmaker is addressing shortcomings in corporate governance. “We continue to conduct an internal investigation to uncover all of the facts, and we will take firm action going forward,” he wrote in the memo.

carlos ghosn
nissan
greg kelly
carmakers
scandals


Eyeing China, U.S. to hold missile drill in Okinawa: report

Abstract: The U.S. military will conduct this year its first ever missile drill around Okinawa, according to a report Thursday, as Washington seeks to counter an increasingly assertive China. The U.S. military has told the Self-Defense Forces that it plans to deploy surface-to-ship missiles in the strategically important prefecture this year for the first such drill by Tokyo’s key ally, the Sankei Shimbun reported without citing sources. The drill would involve a mobile rocket launcher seen as a countermeasure to potential attacks from Chinese surface-to-sea ballistic missiles, the paper said. In recent years Chinese warships have frequently sailed through waters near Okinawa, where the majority of U.S. troops in Japan are based. Experts say China’s increasingly active maritime activities are part of a plan to establish control of waters within the so-called first island chain that links Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines. Some analysts believe Beijing seeks to end U.S. military dominance in the western Pacific by exerting control of the second island chain that links Japan’s southern Ogasawara islands, the U.S. territory of Guam, and Indonesia. China’s rapid military build-up has unnerved Asian neighbors, with Japan’s defense chief last year saying China had been “unilaterally escalating” its military activities in the previous year. Beijing insists the activities are for self-defense. Despite increasing military rivalry the U.S. and China are each other’s largest trading partners, and China is one of the largest holders of U.S. national debt. A massive bilateral trade imbalance has, however, caused frictions between the world’s top two economies, with Washington and Beijing imposing tit-for-tat tariffs on more than $300 billion worth of goods in total two-way trade last year.

okinawa
u.s. military
self defense forces


Google shifted $23 billion to tax haven Bermuda via shell firm in 2017, filing shows

Abstract: AMSTERDAM - Google moved €19.9 billion ($22.7 billion) through a Dutch shell company to Bermuda in 2017, as part of an arrangement that allows it to reduce its foreign tax bill, according to documents filed at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. The amount channelled through Google Netherlands Holdings BV was around €4 billion more than in 2016, the documents, filed on Dec. 21, showed. “We pay all of the taxes due and comply with the tax laws in every country we operate in around the world,” Google said in a statement. “Google, like other multinational companies, pays the vast majority of its corporate income tax in its home country, and we have paid a global effective tax rate of 26 percent over the last ten years.” For more than a decade the arrangement has allowed Google owner Alphabet to enjoy an effective tax rate in the single digits on its non-U.S. profits, around a quarter the average tax rate in its overseas markets. The subsidiary in the Netherlands is used to shift revenue from royalties earned outside the United States to Google Ireland Holdings, an affiliate based in Bermuda, where companies pay no income tax. The tax strategy, known as the “Double Irish, Dutch Sandwich,” is legal and allows Google to avoid triggering U.S. income taxes or European withholding taxes on the funds, which represent the bulk of its overseas profits. However, under pressure from the European Union and the United States, Ireland in 2014 decided to phase out the arrangement, ending Google’s tax advantages in 2020. Google Netherlands Holdings BV paid €3.4 million in taxes in the Netherlands in 2017, the documents showed, on a gross profit of €13.6 million.

google
taxes
bermuda
alphabet
ireland
double irish
dutch sandwich
u.s .
eu


'Clean the house': Bolsonaro regime purges Brazil state contractors not on the same far-right page

Abstract: BRASíLIA - The administration of Brazil’s new President Jair Bolsonaro said Thursday it is starting a purge of government contractors to get rid of those who don’t share its far-right ideology. The government “will clean the house,” chief of staff Onyx Lorenzoni told a news conference after the first Cabinet meeting with Bolsonaro, who took office this week. “It’s the only way to govern with our ideas, our concepts and to carry out what Brazil’s society decided in its majority,” he said. The sweep will target contractors deemed sympathetic to the centrist and left-wing parties that have ruled Brazil for most of the period since the country shucked off military dictatorship in 1985. Bolsonaro and his team routinely identify those parties — particularly the Workers Party that governed between 2003 and 2016 — derogatively as “Socialists” or “Communists.” Bolsonaro in October decisively beat the Workers Party candidate in elections for the presidency. The 63-year-old former paratrooper and veteran lawmaker won by promising to combat crime, corruption — and left-wing ideology that he blamed for Brazil’s recent record-busting recession and barriers to business. He has pledged to roll back protections for the environment and minorities, boost investment, and ease gun laws. Lorenzoni said the ideological purge of contractors aimed “to do away with the Socialist and Communist ideas that during 30 years have led us to the chaos in which we live.” The measure does not affect government employees, who enter Brazil’s public service through a competitive exam and are protected from partisan politics by the constitution. As chief of staff, Lorenzoni holds ministerial rank and is seen as the second most powerful member of the executive after Bolsonaro. He said that 300 contractors in his ministry had been dismissed under the purge, but added some might be rehired if they passed an “evaluation” of their ideological leanings. The same shake-up could be extended to other ministries, he said. “It doesn’t make sense to have a government with a profile like ours to keep on people who support another way of thinking, another political system,” he said. “We are having the courage to do what maybe the previous government failed to do: clean the house right at the beginning.” He was referring to the previous administration of President Michel Temer, a center-right politician who took over as a caretaker figure after the last Workers Party president, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed from office in 2016. Bolsonaro has repeatedly railed against the Workers Party and its supporters. During his campaign, he said his “red” opponents — the color of the Workers Party flag — would have to “either go overseas or go to jail” if he won. On Tuesday, in his first public speech as president, he vowed Brazil’s green-and-yellow flag “will never be red.”

brazil
contractors
jair bolsonaro
government
communists
recession


U.S. delegation to visit China next week for trade talks since truce agreed in trade war

Abstract: BEIJING - A U.S. government delegation will visit China next week for the first face-to-face talks since U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, agreed on a temporary truce in the trade war, Beijing said Friday. The U.S. and China have exchanged tit-for-tat tariffs on more than $300 billion worth of goods in total two-way trade, locking them in a conflict that has begun to eat into profits and contributed to stock market plunges. Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jeffrey Gerrish will lead the Washington delegation and will discuss “implementing the important consensus” reached by Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina last year, China’s Commerce Ministry said. Word of the meetings next Monday and Tuesday follows small signs of progress — and the absence of new threats from Trump — while the two sides work to ease trade tensions by March 1. Trump initiated the trade war because of complaints over unfair Chinese trade practices — concerns shared by the European Union, Japan and others. The cease-fire began Dec. 1 in Buenos Aires after the two heads of state agreed to hold off on further tariffs or retaliation for 90 days. In December, the Commerce Ministry in Beijing said China and the U.S. “made new progress” on the issues of trade balance and intellectual property — one of the main sticking points of the trade dispute — during a phone call between officials from the two countries. China’s major state-owned grain stockpiler also said it had resumed buying U.S. soybeans, and Beijing announced it will suspend extra tariffs on U.S.-made cars and auto parts starting Jan. 1. The bruising trade war comes as China grapples with a slowing domestic economy. The government expects growth to have eased to about 6.5 percent in 2018, down from 6.9 percent in 2017. The country’s manufacturing sector has also been hit by the trade dispute, contracting last month for the first time in over two years, according to official data. U.S. firms that rely on Chinese consumers have also been impacted by the country’s economic slowdown. Shares in Apple slid 9 percent after it announced late Wednesday that it is trimming its sales forecast for the most recent quarter, citing steeper-than-expected “economic deceleration” in China — one of its largest overseas markets — amid the U.S.-China trade war.


Carlos Ghosn to finally have his day in Tokyo court

Abstract: Carlos Ghosn will finally see the inside of a court room next week, almost two months after his arrest on financial crimes. The embattled car titan will attend a hearing of the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday, according to his chief lawyer, Motonari Otsuru. The session was called after Ghosn’s legal team requested an explanation on why the former Nissan Motor Co. chairman — who was taken into custody Nov. 19, and has had his detention extended repeatedly — remains in jail. The request means that a reason for the detention, which was extended for another 10 days on Monday, must be disclosed within five days. The court said Friday it has decided to begin necessary procedures from 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The confinement of Ghosn, who was credited with saving Nissan when it was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy in the late 1990s, has sparked overseas criticism regarding the possibility his detention could be legally prolonged indefinitely and the absence of lawyers during interrogations, a norm in Japan. While Ghosn has been indicted by prosecutors on allegations of underreporting his compensation, the unusual length of the detention and the lack of clarity provided on the case has drawn criticism. The architect behind Nissan’s alliance with France’s Renault SA, Ghosn was initially held without charge for longer than would be permitted in the United Kingdom for a suspected terrorist. His arrest has rocked the world’s largest auto pact amid speculation it was part of a coup by forces within Nissan aimed at staving off a merger of the carmakers. The two-month saga has taken several twists and turns, with Ghosn re-arrested on fresh, potentially more serious charges on Dec. 21, just when it looked like he might be able to apply for bail. Prosecutors have accused him of transferring personal trading losses to Nissan, but have yet to indict him on this allegation. In Japan, indictment paves the way for prosecutors to lay formal charges. Nissan has also been indicted over underreporting of Ghosn’s income, while his former aide, Greg Kelly — a former Nissan representative director — was released on bail Dec. 25. He is alleged to have helped the car industry legend underreport his compensation from the carmaker by billions of yen. Both Ghosn and Kelly have denied the allegations through their lawyers. Ghosn’s downfall has raised questions about the future of the decades-old alliance. While Nissan dismissed him as chairman shortly after his arrest, Renault retained Ghosn as chairman and chief executive officer, saying it needs evidence of his wrongdoing. His arrest came after a monthslong investigation by Nissan into his conduct, a probe that was largely kept secret from its French partner. That lack of transparency and concern that Nissan will use Ghosn’s absence to push for more power within the alliance has heightened tensions between the automakers. If proven, each of Ghosn’s alleged offenses may carry a sentence of as much as 10 years, prosecutors have said. Nissan has also accused Ghosn of misusing company funds, including in connection with homes from Brazil to Lebanon and for hiring his sister on an advisory contract.


Tokyo stocks dive over 400 points to kick off ominous 2019

Abstract: Stocks ended the first trading day of 2019 with heavy losses Friday as a sharply stronger yen and an overnight plunge in U.S. equities spurred broad selloffs on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The 225-issue Nikkei average tumbled 452.81 points, or 2.26 percent, to close at 19,561.96, after losing 773 points briefly in morning trading. On Dec. 28, the final market day of 2018, the key market gauge lost 62.85 points. The Topix index of all first-section issues finished down 22.93 points, or 1.53 percent, at 1,471.16, after falling 7.54 points the previous trading day. A slide in the Chinese manufacturing purchasing managers’ survey for December and weaker than expected readings in the U.S. Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index for the month, both released during the year-end and New Year holidays in Japan, left investors increasingly risk averse, temporarily sending the yen below ¥105 during the holiday period. U.S. technology giant Apple Inc.’s rare downward revision to its sales outlook over sluggish iPhone sales in China also weighed on market sentiment, brokers said. Both the Nikkei and Topix cut losses in the afternoon, helped by the yen’s weakening, higher Dow Jones industrial average futures and a rise in Shanghai stocks, brokers said. Friday’s plunge reflected what happened over the year-end and New Year holidays, an official at a Japanese brokerage said. The Nikkei’s downside was supported by the price-book value ratio line of 1.0, which stood at 19,240 on the index, said Mitsuo Shimizu, chief strategist at Aizawa Securities Co. Stocks are “oversold” if the Nikkei’s PBR falls below this line, he said. Falling issues outnumbered rising ones 1,475 to 598 in the TSE’s first section, while 56 issues were unchanged. Volume increased to 1.551 billion shares from 1.195 billion shares on Dec. 28. Apple-related issues met with heavy selling after the U.S. company lowered its sales forecast for October-December. Murata Manufacturing lost 9.80 percent and TDK sagged 4.40 percent. China-linked issues suffered sharp losses following the weak Chinese purchasing managers data. Major losers included industrial robot producer Fanuc and construction machinery-maker Komatsu. Other major losers included automaker Subaru and game maker Nintendo. By contrast, road transport companies held firm as investors sought safe bets amid the heightened risk-off mood. Major gainers included JR Tokai and JR West. Also on the plus side were power utility Tepco and drugmaker Takeda. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key March contract on the Nikkei average slumped 360 points to end at 19,480.

stocks
tokyo stock exchange
nikkei
topix


Yen's recent surge a red flag for world markets and global economy in 2019

Abstract: LONDON - A gradual rise by the yen in recent weeks culminated in a dramatic surge — firing a warning shot for world markets and the global economy in 2019. Historically, outsized gains in short periods, such as the Russian default in 1998 and the global market meltdown in 2008, are a harbinger of stress for global markets. Market watchers say the yen’s latest ascent is a sign that the global economy is set for a rocky ride ahead. Signs are growing that the global economy is headed for a slowdown. In an environment like that, the yen tends to thrive. Japan’s large current account surplus means global markets consider it a safe haven. Global surveys this week showed activity in European and Chinese factories are slowing. And falling demand forced Apple to issue a rare cut in its sales forecast, sending tremors through global markets. The yen’s roaring higher was a sign of just how widespread concern over the health of the global economy has become, said Ulrich Leuchtmann, head of currency trading research at Commerzbank. Japanese investors tend to invest a large portion of their savings overseas, then bring the money home during extreme market stress, driving the yen higher. That outward investment pressure has only surged in recent years. According to Morgan Stanley, foreign investments in U.S. assets has nearly doubled over the last decade to $1.25 trillion — a sign of the magnitude of the flows that could head back into the yen. The dollar collapsed to as little as ¥104.10, its lowest reading since March 2018, in early Asian trading Thursday, before recouping some losses. The yen strengthened at least 1 percent against all its G10 peers. On Friday in Tokyo, the dollar traded above ¥108.30. At session lows, the Japanese currency has gained more than 6.5 percent in the last five trading sessions and is the best performing major currency since early December. But even as evidence mounts that the global economy is struggling, central banks, led by the United States, are signaling more interest rate increases are coming. That is raising fears they may be tightening policy too much into an economic slowdown. “It tells you there is a lot of anxiety and nervousness and concern about a more material slowdown in the economy,” said Bob Michele, chief investment officer and head of fixed income at JP Morgan Asset Management. Real U.S. interest rates adjusted for inflation are at their highest in nearly three years. Nominal interest rates are greater than dividend yields in U.S., China and Japan. “U.S. real yields are too high, productivity problems are emerging in China and the glut of global surpluses is falling, exposing structural flaws in developed markets,” said Hans Redeker, global head of currency trading strategy at Morgan Stanley in London. Unusually though, this time around, the surge in the yen has occurred a few months after a sell-off in emerging markets last summer. That suggests the bulk of Japanese investment is concentrated in developed markets such as the United States. Between late March and early October, U.S. stocks rose by 13 percent and the dollar gained more than 9 percent against the yen as rate increases in the United States and trade tensions boosted the U.S. currency. Sam Lynton-Brown, a currency strategist at BNP Paribas in London, said Japanese investors typically hold much of their investments in developed markets and the widening cracks in those markets resulted in the yen strongly exhibiting its safe-haven characteristics only in recent weeks. Morgan Stanley strategists said Japanese investors have stepped up buying of riskier U.S. assets such as equities and credit in recent weeks to capture higher yields. Since 2010, they have added more than $400 billion in U.S. assets, most of it in equities, they said. As Japan’s financial market was closed for New Year’s holidays until Thursday, the latest moves had been credited to retail investors. Those investors generally behave like the rest of the currency market bar exceptional circumstances, said Commerzbank’s Leuchtmann. Emerging-market currencies such as Turkey’s lira and South Africa’s rand felt the biggest pain. The lira tumbled more than 7 percent overnight against the yen. The rand dropped nearly 4 percent. Investors have been nervous about both countries, which rely heavily on foreign investors to plug their gaping current account deficits. “These dislocations demonstrate the impact of unwinding (quantitative easing) on market structures and it means that the truly more vulnerable markets out there need to watch their back, so to speak,” said Koon Chow at UBP. Japanese investors, who had cut back on their protection against currency moves, are also expected to take advantage of reduced hedging costs and protect their overseas portfolios from further losses — a move that market watchers say may be the catalyst for further gains. “Even if the yen consolidates around these levels in the near term, we think it will continue to strengthen on balance in 2019,” said BNP Paribas’s Lynton-Brown, who expects the dollar to weaken to ¥100 by the end of the year. For Jane Foley, a currency strategist at Rabobank, the dollar at ¥100 is an indicator of a U.S. economy in recession.


Dollar sinks below ¥107.90 in Tokyo after brief surge to ¥118.40

Abstract: The dollar was weaker below ¥107.90 in Tokyo late Friday after heavy short-covering of the dollar ran its course in midafternoon trading. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥107.84-85, down from ¥110.40-40 at the same time on the previous trading day on Dec. 28. The euro was at $1.1407-1407, down from $1.1455-1455, and at ¥123.02-03, down from ¥126.51-52. The dollar traded below ¥107.70 in the early morning, carrying over its weakness in foreign trading during the New Year’s holidays in Japan. After rising to around ¥107.90 before 9 a.m., the U.S. currency dropped below ¥107.60 in midmorning trading as the benchmark 225-issue Nikkei average sank deeper into the red after a weak start, traders said. Dollar buybacks gained strength around the ¥107.50 level, sending the greenback above ¥118.40 in the early afternoon. But the short-covering dried up later and the dollar fell below ¥108 in late trading. A media report on a meeting of officials from the Finance Ministry, the Financial Services Agency and the Bank of Japan on Friday afternoon served as a cue for investors to buy back the dollar, a currency broker said. “Selling on a rally hit the dollar after the repurchases ran its course,” as investors waited to see the U.S. government’s jobs data for December, due out later Friday, the broker said. “Strong concerns over a possible slowdown in the U.S. economy may send the dollar lower,” an analyst at a bank-affiliated securities firm said.


Tokyo stocks plunge on first trading day of 2019

Abstract: Stocks tanked on the first trading day of the new year as Apple Inc.’s outlook warning helped spark global growth concerns, sending technology shares tumbling. The blue-chip 225-issue Nikkei average closed 2.26 percent, or 452.81 points, lower at 19,561.96, after briefly dipping more than 3.8 percent to 19,241.37, as it was catching up with other markets after the New Year’s break. The broader Topix index lost 1.53 percent, or 22.93 points, to 1,471.16. Since the previous session in Tokyo on Dec. 28, heavy selling has hit global markets. “Players were trying to catch up with the downward trend following the long New Year’s holidays,” said Shinichi Yamamoto, a broker at Okasan Securities. On Wall Street on Thursday, stocks plunged as China’s slowing economy forced Apple to slash its revenue forecast. Sentiment in the United States was further dented by Institute for Supply Management data showing U.S. manufacturing activity at a two-year low. The weak data was “more proof, if needed, that President (Donald) Trump’s trade actions against China are now hurting the U.S. as much as they are China,” said Ray Attrill, head of foreign-exchange strategy and markets at National Australia Bank. It is “more reason to think a Sino-U.S. trade deal is in the offing in coming weeks,” he said in a note. Seiichi Suzuki, senior market analyst at Tokai Tokyo Research Institute, said the strong yen dampened sentiment greatly as it clouds the outlook for Japanese exporters. “Investors here hate the yen’s appreciation, which exacerbated today’s drop,” Suzuki said, while noting many market players had yet to come back from their holidays. “Some people may say today’s trade indicates the course of trade this year, but you should take it with a pinch of salt,” he said. In afternoon trading, the dollar edged up against the yen as the Bank of Japan, the Finance Ministry and the Financial Services Agency held an emergency meeting following the yen’s surge. “We must acknowledge this with strong concern,” Masatsugu Asakawa, the vice finance minister, told reporters after the meeting, warning Tokyo is ready to take “appropriate measures” if necessary. The emergency meeting was the third since Dec. 20, and these have come amid turmoil in the financial markets that has seen sharp drops in Tokyo stock prices and long-term interest rates falling into negative territory. The meetings aim to calm anxiety among market participants by showing the close cooperation among the financial and currency authorities. The yen briefly hit 104.70 to the dollar, its highest since March 2018, on Thursday while Japanese traders were away for the New Year’s holidays. A stronger yen generally hurts Japanese exporters by making their products less price competitive abroad and shrinking their overseas earnings. “We will continue to stringently monitor (financial markets) for such speculative moves,” Asakawa, Japan’s top currency diplomat, said. “Excessive volatility isn’t conducive to economic and financial stability, as the Group of Seven and the Group of 20 have affirmed. We have repeatedly confirmed that our currency authorities will cooperate as necessary, and Japan will act in line with that understanding,” he said. In the U.S., Apple late on Wednesday cut its revenue outlook for the latest quarter, citing steeper-than-expected “economic deceleration” in China and emerging markets, factors that have contributed to sharp falls across stock markets since late last year. Apple’s warning contributed to a rally by the yen, which tends to benefit from a “flight to safety” when investor anxiety is high. In Tokyo trade, Nintendo plunged 4.28 percent to ¥28,030 as Sony lost 2.70 percent to ¥5,182. Automakers were also among losers. Toyota lost 0.93 percent to ¥6,346 as Honda fell 0.41 percent to ¥2,882.5, with Nissan down 1.19 percent at ¥869.8.


British navy deployed to tackle U.K.-bound migrants aboard dinghies trying to cross English Channel

Abstract: LONDON - A British navy ship was preparing Thursday to patrol the Channel in response to a wave of mostly Iranian asylum seekers risking the crossing from France in dinghies. An Iranian and a British national have been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal migration across the Channel, the world’s busiest shipping lane. Attempts to get to Britain aboard small craft have surged in the last three months, with numbers spiking over the Christmas holidays. The offshore patrol vessel HMS Mersey — currently in the Channel port of Portsmouth — was “available and ready” to be deployed, a Ministry of Defence source told the domestic Press Association news agency. An MoD spokesman told AFP: “Our armed forces stand ready to provide additional capacity and expertise to assist the Home Office with the response to migrant crossings. “Royal Navy ships continue to conduct patrols to protect the integrity of U.K. territorial waters.” Some 539 people crossed the Strait of Dover — the Channel’s narrowest part at 21 miles (33 km) wide — in 2018. Eighty percent made the journey in the last three months, said Home Secretary Sajid Javid, the interior minister. Almost all those who have made it to Britain have requested asylum, Javid said Wednesday, but he questioned whether someone who had left the safety of France could be a “genuine asylum seeker.” He immediately faced a barrage of criticism from opposition MPs. Javid said any migrants picked up in British waters would be taken to a U.K. port. Meanwhile a 33-year-old Iranian and a 24-year-old British man were arrested in Manchester, northwest England, on Wednesday “on suspicion of arranging the illegal movement of migrants across the English Channel into the U.K.,” a National Crime Agency spokeswoman said. The investigation is ongoing. Britain is redeploying two Border Force cutters from the Mediterranean in response to the situation. The Sunday Times newspaper, reporting from a migrant camp on the French coast, said a growing number of well-educated Iranians were attempting the Channel crossing. It cited Ali, 34, a car salesman from Tehran, as saying his journey from the Iranian capital to Britain would end up costing £15,000 ($18,900), with payments in stages to a Kurd-dominated people smuggling gang.

migrants
english channel
france
britain
royal navy
human smugglers
marine accidents


Italian mayors defy far-right leader Matteo Salvini on migrants, call law violation of human rights

Abstract: ROME - The mayors of three large Italian cities are refusing to obey a controversial anti-immigration law penned by far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, slamming it as unconstitutional. Salvini, also interior minister, on Thursday demanded the resignations of the rebellious leaders of Florence, Palermo and Naples, with the last escalating the row by also offering to take in migrants stranded at sea that Italy has turned away. “This (law) incites criminality, rather than fighting or preventing it,” Palermo Mayor Leoluca Orlando said. “It violates human rights. There are thousands, tens of thousands of people who legally reside here in Italy, who pay their taxes, who pay into pensions, and in a couple of weeks or months they will become … illegal,” he claimed. The tough new anti-migrant law, adopted by parliament on Nov. 28, makes it easier to expel new arrivals and limits residence permits in a country that has become the main gateway for migrants crossing the Mediterranean. It also abolishes humanitarian residence permits granted until now to vulnerable people, families or single women with children. Salvini, head of the far-right League party, was quick to suggest Orlando “take care of the many problems in his city instead. But his rebuke proved counterproductive with other mayors joining in the protest. Florence Mayor Dario Nardella said his city would “not bow to” a law that “expels asylum-seekers and, without repatriating them, throws them out onto the street. Naples Mayor Luigi de Magistris vowed that the parts of the law that he said were unconstitutional, “such as those on the right to asylum, will under no circumstances be enforced. He then upped the ante by offering to take in 32 migrants who are blocked in limbo at sea after being rescued by an NGO but denied a safe port in Europe. “I hope the boat approaches the port of Naples, because — contrary to what the government says — we will launch a rescue plan and let them dock. I will oversee the rescue operation myself,” he told a local radio. He accused Salvini of having “a stone instead of a heart. Salvini snapped back on Facebook that those who helped illegal migrants “hate Italians and will answer to the Law and History. Orlando said he would seek legal advice on whether the law was unconstitutional.

italy
matteo salvini
migrants
florence
naples


Major tsunami in 1076 caused 'drastic cultural decline' along south China coast now dotted with nuclear plants

Abstract: HONG KONG - Major tsunami struck China’s southern coast in 1076 causing “drastic cultural decline,” Chinese researchers say in a study with implications for a densely populated region that now boasts multiple coastal nuclear power plants. There is a growing body of scientific evidence suggesting that an earthquake in the Manila Trench sent a wall of water coursing into what is now China’s Guangdong province around 1,000 years ago. Now scientists believe they have narrowed down the date to an exact year — 1076 — and say the new data should set alarm bells ringing over whether enough is being done to defend against future tsunami. “This study confirms the risk of tsunamis in the South China Sea,” the teams from the University of Science and Technology and East China Normal University wrote in January’s issue of Chinese Science Bulletin. “Such risk should be considered in future planning and construction of nuclear power plant, harbor and petroleum reserve structures on the coastlines of China,” they added. A number of nuclear power plants sit on China’s southern coast, including at Fuqing, Daya Bay and a soon-to-open plant at Taishan. The wider area is also one of the world’s most densely populated regions and includes multiple major coastal cities, such as Hong Kong, Macau, Xiamen and Quanzhou. The vulnerability of nuclear power plants to seismic events has become a major cause for concern ever since a 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in northeastern Japan crippled the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. The Chinese research team first found evidence of a destructive historical wave on Dongdao Island, which is located in the middle of the South China Sea, in 2013. They discovered rocks and corals that had been moved about 200 meters inland from the shoreline and concluded only a major force of water could have achieved this. Another team found shards of ceramics in tsunami sediment from the Song Dynasty (960-1279) on the island of Nan’ao, some 250 km (155 miles) up the coast from Hong Kong’s eastern side. Professor Gao Shu at the East China Normal University told Xinhua that the southeast tip of the island used to be a town with official kilns for making porcelain. Researchers struggled to find any archaeological artifacts from after the suspected wave until the later Ming dynasty. They also found a shipwreck with 20,000 coins from around the time the tsunami might have struck. “This cultural evidence indicates a drastic cultural decline caused by the tsunami,” they wrote. China has begun moves to gather data in the South China Sea about potential tsunami threats, deploying early warning buoys off the the Manila Trench last year.

tsunami
china
fukushima no . 1
nuclear energy


Prague zoo hopes rare Asiatic lion insemination sows seed for survival

Abstract: PRAGUE - After two suitors failed to get a rare Asiatic lioness pregnant, Prague zoo now hopes that artificial insemination will finally plant the seed for her species’ survival. “Ginni, our female Asiatic lion from Gujarat in India, underwent artificial insemination on Wednesday evening,” the zoo said in a statement on Thursday. With some 600 Asiatic lions living in Gujarat and another 143 in European facilities, zoo director Miroslav Bobek said he held “great hope” in Prague’s Asiatic lions to preserve the dwindling species on a global scale. The zoo has been attempting to breed its three Asiatic lions from India since they arrived in 2015, so far with no success. Female Suchi proved to be sterile while Ginni repeatedly snubbed her nose at Jamvan, a male that zookeepers say was too passive. Sohan, another male borrowed from a zoo in the eastern Czech city of Ostrava, also failed to get Ginni pregnant but did manage to trigger ovulation. In the end, zookeepers opted to use Jamvan’s sperm to inseminate Ginni during Wednesday’s procedure, which, if successful, should see cubs born in about four months. The procedure was carried out by a team from the Berlin-based Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research and Prague zoo vets. They pegged the probability of success at 60-70 percent. Last autumn, authorities in Gujarat reported dozens of dead Asiatic lions, killed by the canine distemper virus and a parasitic infection caused by ticks.

prague
lioness
artificial insemination
ginni
india
endangered species


Researchers say breakthrough in plant engineering could boost productivity and feed millions more people

Abstract: ROME - A new process that adjusts the way plants turn sunlight into energy could boost the yields of many staple crops by 40 percent, potentially feeding hundreds of millions more people, American researchers said Thursday. Crops such as rice, wheat and soybeans, as well as fruits and vegetables, have a natural “glitch” in the way they photosynthesize that causes them to use up energy and resources. “The annual loss in production from wheat and soybean in Midwestern United States … is enough to feed roughly 200 million more people from this area alone,” said Paul South, a molecular biologist and lead author of a report in the journal Science. Scientists from the University of Illinois and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agriculture Research Service inserted genes from bacteria, green algae and other plants into tobacco plants, changing how they process sunlight. They tested and compared three genetic variations and found that the most successful one saved enough energy and resources to increase productivity by 40 percent in real-world conditions. In more than two years of field studies, the genetically engineered tobacco plants developed faster and put out more leaves and stems than plants that weren’t modified, researchers said. The photosynthesis process is “nearly identical in plants, so we expect that benefits observed in tobacco will result in changes to food crops,” said South. Efforts are now underway to transplant these findings to boost yields of potatoes, cowpeas, soybeans and rice, he added. “It takes 10 to 15 years for technologies like this to undergo rigorous regulatory approval process, which examines engineered crops for health and environmental impacts. Thus, it is all the more urgent to invest in these types of technologies today,” said South. The study is part of an international project to boost global food production sustainably. Funders include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the British government. Experts, however, say increased production of nutrient-rich foods, not just staple crops, is crucial to tackle the global malnutrition crisis, which has left 1 in 8 adults obese while 1 in 9 people are hungry. “Well, we need more of everything. The population alone is almost inevitably going up to 10 billion and people are eating richer (diets),” said Timothy Searchinger, lecturer at Princeton University and senior fellow at the World Resources Institute. So the latest findings provide “important, promising work as it may open up new ways to expand crop yields,” said Searchinger, who authored a recent report on sustainable food systems. “Lots more work to be done … but glad the researchers have started focusing on some important C3 crops,” he added. The term “C3 crops” refer to most major food crops that uses the C3 photosynthesis process. Crops that use a different form of photosynthesis are maize, sugarcane and sorghum. Unlike many technological innovations in agriculture, which come with costly intellectual property rights, researchers say smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia would have royalty-free access to these breakthroughs. Smallholder farmers managing between 1 to 10 hectares (2.5 to 25 acres) of land provide up to 80 percent of the food supply in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa but many are also extremely poor, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.


Germany wants looser rules on shooting wolves

Abstract: BERLIN - Germany’s agriculture minister wants to loosen restrictions on shooting wolves to reduce a growing population that threatens sheep and goats. Wolves disappeared from Germany a century ago after many were killed, in part because they are symbols of cunning and wickedness in German folklore but also because they attack farm animals and even humans. They have made a comeback across Germany, and the ministry says more than 600 now roam a northern belt from the border with Poland and the Czech Republic to the Dutch frontier. Wolves killed more than 1,000 farm animals in 2016, said the ministry. Farmers say their animals are being ravaged and hunters say wolves eat game they want to shoot and even damage trees. But their legal protection is viewed as sacrosanct by animal welfare and biodiversity groups. The wolf population will likely rise by an annual 30 percent, the ministry said on its website. “This excellent success in terms of species protection is a challenge for those keeping grazing animals,” it said. Agriculture Minister Julia Kloecker wrote last month to her counterpart in the environment ministry, Svenja Schulze, to lobby for a change in the rules to allow more wolves to be shot as part of a moderate regulation of the wolf population. It was unclear who would be licensed do to do the shooting. She said an earlier suggestion by Schulze to allow the removal of individual wolves that pose a danger was a step in the right direction but was insufficient. Wolf management is a political issue and there was even a clause on the need to come up with a strategy on wolves in last year’s coalition deal between the conservatives of Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Social Democrats. Currently, farmers can get compensation for farm animals that fall prey to wolves and subsidies for electric fences are available to help keep them out. The latest data from the Federal Office for the Protection of Nature shows Germany has 73 packs of wolves, 13 more than a year earlier, and for the first time, the southern state of Bavaria has its own pack.


World Economic Forum recommends dropping beef to save millions of lives and cut greenhouse gas emissions

Abstract: GENEVA - Switching from beef to alternative proteins could save millions of lives and dramatically slash greenhouse gas emissions, the World Economic Forum said Thursday. New research conducted by the Oxford Martin School for WEF showed that efforts to replace meat and especially beef could provide huge benefits for human health and the environment. The organization, famous for the plush gathering of the world’s rich, famous and influential at the luxury Swiss ski resort of Davos each January, said 2.4 percent of global diet-related deaths could be avoided by moving away from beef. And for wealthier countries, a full 5 percent of such deaths could be avoided, according to the school’s white paper Alternative Proteins. “The most positive effects are found in wealthier countries, where beef consumption is high and where there is a particular benefit of consuming more fiber,” it found. The paper did not provide figures on how many people are estimated to die annually from diet-related causes, nor what diseases or conditions were included in that category, but WEF maintained that switching from meat “could prevent millions of unnecessary deaths per year.” It also pointed out that demand for meat is projected to keep growing even as the global population is predicted to swell to 10 billion around the middle of this century. “It will be impossible to sustainably satisfy the world’s future demand for meat,” WEF Managing Director Dominic Waughray said in the statement. He stressed that “innovation in products, improvements in how we produce beef, pork and chicken, and an effort on the part of the consumer to embrace a more diverse diet,” could make it possible to improve global health, even without giving up meat altogether. The report analyzed 13 sources of protein, including beef, pork and chicken, along with fruits and vegetables such as beans, processed meat substitutes like tofu, and novel products including insects. It found that switching from meat to alternative proteins could have both a negative and a positive effect on nutrient intake, but that overall, increasing consumption of alternatives offered health improvements. Beans, mycoprotein and peas offered the biggest health boost, with the possibility to reduce mortality rates by up to 7 percent, it found. The white paper also highlighted 2010 data showing that beef production alone accounts for a quarter of all food-related greenhouse gas emissions, stressing that soaring protein demand could put huge pressure on the environment unless alternatives are found. Livestock farming poses a triple threat to the atmosphere, as animals produce huge amounts of the greenhouse gas methane, coupled with the loss of carbon-absorbing forests that are felled to open grazing areas. Immense amounts of water are also needed to sustain the livestock. “The evidence is clear, our food system needs to be transformed for the sake of our planet and the future of humankind,” WWF International head Marco Lambertini said in the WEF statement. “We are the last generation that can do something about this before the system collapses.”


U.S. Justice Department probing Trump's ex-Interior chief Ryan Zinke for alleged lying: Washington Post

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating whether President Donald Trump’s former Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, lied to Department of Interior investigators in what could be a potential criminal violation, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. The Post, citing three people familiar with the matter, said the former Cabinet official was the center of two probes by his department’s inspector general: one involving his real estate transactions in Montana and another over his role in a review of a Connecticut casino project proposed by Native American tribes. Zinke left the administration on Wednesday but had made no public mention of the ethics investigations upon his departure from Interior, which oversees America’s vast public lands. Trump did not give a reason for the departure when he announced it last month. The people familiar with the matter said Interior investigators had referred the matter to the Department of Justice after coming to believe that Zinke had lied to them about his dealings, according to the Post. Representatives for Zinke could not be immediately reached for comment on the Post report. A spokesman for Zinke told the Post that the former secretary had not been contacted by the Justice Department, the Post said. Zinke had voluntarily been interviewed by Interior investigators regarding the casino, he also told the Post. “As a general matter, the department doesn’t confirm or deny the existence of any ongoing investigation,” Justice Department spokesman Wyn Hornbuckle said. The Post, citing people familiar with the matter, said Justice Department officials have not decided yet whether to charge Zinke. Zinke, a former Navy Seal and U.S. congressman, had served as Interior secretary since early 2017 but had faced investigations into his use of security details, chartered flights and a real estate deal in his home state of Montana. Trump had said in November he would look at the allegations.

ryan zinke
washington post
donald trump
casino
interior department
u.s. justice department


Michael Flynn's ex-business partner seeks trial delay in Turkey lobbying case

Abstract: ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - Lawyers for Bijan Rafiekian, the ex-business partner of former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn, said Thursday they want to delay the upcoming February criminal trial into whether their client covertly lobbied for Turkey. During a hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Rafiekian’s attorney, Robert Trout, said he needs more time to review evidence turned over on Thursday morning, and plans to ask the judge to move the trial from Feb. 11 to sometime in September. Rafiekian, a former U.S. Export-Import Bank director and co-founder of the consultancy firm Flynn Intel Group, is facing charges that he covertly lobbied for Turkey to discredit and extradite Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen from the United States to Turkey. He was indicted in December along with Ekim Alptekin, a Turkish-Dutch businessman, for failing to disclose their lobbying and lying about the nature of their work. Rafiekian is facing two criminal counts, including acting as a foreign agent and conspiracy, while Alptekin is facing six. Rafiekian has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and Alptekin has previously denied the allegations through a spokesperson. Rafiekian’s indictment came about a year after Flynn was charged by special counsel Robert Mueller for lying to the FBI about his contacts with the former Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak. President Donald Trump fired Flynn in early 2017. As part of his plea deal, Flynn also admitted to lying about his role in the Turkish lobbying effort. The case against Rafiekian is being brought by prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia, and not by Mueller’s office. However, prosecutor James Gillis told the judge on Thursday that much of the evidence turned over came from Mueller’s investigators. Last month, a federal judge in Washington fiercely criticized Flynn for lying to the FBI in connection with Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and delayed his sentencing until he has finished helping prosecutors. It is unclear whether Flynn could be called upon to testify in the case against Rafiekian. Trout said Thursday that as part of his plans to mount a defense, he may seek evidence abroad, including possibly deposing relevant witnesses overseas. Judge Anthony Trenga ordered the defense to file a motion to requesting the trial delay by Jan. 21, and scheduled a hearing on the matter for Feb. 7.

turkey
bijan rafiekian
fethullah gulen
robert mueller
fbi
donald trump
russia probe


Saudi prosecutor seeks death for five of 11 suspects in Jamal Khashoggi slaying

Abstract: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Saudi Arabian prosecutors is seeking the death penalty for five of the 11 suspects detained over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the state news agency SPA said on Thursday, as a Saudi court held a first hearing on the case. Saudi Arabia said it also sent new letters to the Turkish public prosecutor asking for “any evidence connected to this case,” which has rattled the Saudi royal court and damaged the reputation of 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Khashoggi was close to the royal circles before becoming a critic of Prince Mohammed, writing for the Washington Post and speaking to international media about Saudi politics when he moved to the United States last year. Saudi officials have rejected accusations that the crown prince ordered his murder in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, in which Khashoggi’s body was dismembered, removed from the building and handed over to an unidentified “local cooperator. The whereabouts of Khashoggi’s remains is still unknown. A Turkish television channel on Monday showed men carrying suitcases purportedly containing the remains into the residence of the Saudi consul general in Istanbul. “The initial hearing for the 11 individuals indicted by the Public Prosecution in the case of the murder of citizen Jamal Khashoggi was held today … in the Criminal Court of Riyadh,” a statement from the Saudi prosecutor carried by SPA said. The prosecutor’s office said it was seeking the death penalty for five individuals among the 11 indicted. Ten other suspects were still under investigation. Without naming them, the prosecutor said last November the five individuals facing by the death penalty were “charged with ordering and committing the crime. SPA added that the defendants’ lawyers attended the hearing and the court approved a request from the 11 for more time to prepare their defense. It gave no details on the next hearing. Saudi King Salman sacked Saud al-Qahtani, a former top aide to Prince Mohammed, Istanbul Consul General Mohammed Alotaibi and former deputy intelligence chief Ahmed al-Asiri in connection with Khashoggi’s murder. The kingdom has come under heavy international pressure, including from the United States, its closest ally, whose Senate has voted in favor of a resolution blaming the crown prince for the murder. U.S. senators were briefed by U.S. intelligence agencies, which concluded that Prince Mohammed ordered the operation to kill Khashoggi. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Khashoggi’s killing was ordered by the highest level of Saudi leadership. Thursday’s statement said the kingdom was still awaiting responses to requests for information sent to Turkish officials. Last week, King Salman put Ibrahim al-Assaf, a veteran former finance minister, in charge of foreign affairs, in an effort to improve the kingdom’s image after the crisis caused by the killing. Assaf replaced Adel al-Jubeir, and experts in Saudi politics said the move reflected a perception that Jubeir was tainted by having served as Riyadh’s chief global defender during the Khashoggi affair.

jamal khashoggi
saudi arabia
death penalty
murder
mohammed bin salman
senate
recep tayyip erdogan
u.s .
turkey
donald trump


Gatwick and Heathrow airports order military-grade anti-drone equipment

Abstract: BANGALORE, INDIA - London’s Gatwick and Heathrow airports have ordered military-grade anti-drone defenses after drones caused three days of disruption at Gatwick last month, the airports confirmed late on Thursday. “While I can’t go into detail about exactly what we have, I can confirm this was an investment of several million pounds to ensure we are at an equivalent level to that provided by the Armed Forces,” a Gatwick spokeswoman said in an emailed statement. Gatwick said the new equipment had been in place for over a week. The statement did not give further details. Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, also said it had ordered the equipment. It said it was working closely with authorities, including the police, and looking at relevant technology to combat the threat of drones. Transport Minister Chris Grayling met police, aviation and defense chiefs on Thursday to discuss the issue, according to The Times newspaper, which first reported the orders. Drone sightings caused chaos last month at Gatwick, Britain’s second-busiest airport, disrupting the travel plans of tens of thousands of people in the run-up to Christmas. The incident led to about 1,000 flight cancellations and affected the travel of 140,000 passengers. It revealed a vulnerability that is being scrutinized by security forces and airport operators worldwide. The military was drafted to deploy specialist equipment, enabling authorities to reassure the airport that it was safe for planes to take off and land. Media reports suggested the technology that was used to combat the drone disruption included the Israeli-designed Drone Dome system. Security Minister Ben Wallace said late last month that Britain’s security forces had detection systems that could be deployed throughout the country to combat the threat of drones.


'Trump of the tropics' Bolsonaro seen rushing to dismantle Brazil's past progressive achievements

Abstract: BRASILIA - The new government of Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro hit the ground running on its first day of business Thursday, rushing through changes to put a conservative stamp on the country by trashing progressive achievements of past administrations. The quick reshaping of Brazilian politics spoke to Bolsonaro’s desire to reform Latin America’s biggest economy while in his initial electoral honeymoon phase, before fractures might appear in his atypical Cabinet or his ad hoc legislative alliances. It also echoed the changes President Donald Trump brought to U.S. politics. Bolsonaro, sometimes called “the Trump of the tropics,” is an avowed admirer of the U.S. leader and wants Brazil and America to form an axis through the Western Hemisphere. Brazil’s new 22-minister Cabinet, staffed with seven ex-military officers, a former anti-corruption judge and a free-market economist, held its first meeting Thursday. The measures passed so far have been by temporary decree, pending approval by the incoming Congress that starts its new session next month. They include stripping the indigenous affairs agency, FUNAI, of the power to define native land. Bolsonaro tweeted that fewer than a million people out of Brazil’s population of 210 million lived in territories set aside for indigenous communities and those descended from slaves. “Together we will integrate these citizens,” he said. He also removed LGBT issues from the remit of the human rights ministry. A lawyer active in the LGBT community, Juliana Maggi, said that move was “an affront,” though she added that constitutional changes would be needed to overturn gay rights to recognized partnerships and family. Bolsonaro also tasked the government secretary with the monitoring of international organizations and nongovernmental organizations in Brazil. The Americas division of Human Rights Watch expressed concern, saying it showed a misunderstanding of “the independent role these entities have in an open and democratic society.” Bolsonaro is also removing fishing from the responsibility of the environment ministry. Other areas Bolsonaro has said he wants to tackle is removing “Marxist garbage” from educational curricula and setting Brazil on a collision course with the leftist-ruled regimes of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. Bolsonaro’s stated aim, voiced on Tuesday when he took office, is to “free Brazil from socialism” — to do away with decades of center-left policies brought in between 2003 and 2016, when the Workers’ Party ruled the country. The icon of the Workers’ Party, popular former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is now in prison serving time for corruption. Bolsonaro has said he hopes da Silva will “rot” behind bars. The Bolsonaro administration also said Thursday it is starting a purge of government contractors to get rid of those who don’t share its far-right ideology. The government “will clean the house,” chief of staff Onyx Lorenzoni told a news conference after the first Cabinet meeting. “It’s the only way to govern with our ideas, our concepts and to carry out what Brazil’s society decided in its majority,” he said. In terms of the economy, which is still fragile after exiting a record-busting recession two years ago, Bolsonaro has handed much of the control over to his economy minister, Paulo Guedes, a U.S.-trained free market advocate. Guedes on Wednesday reaffirmed his determination to cut Brazil’s public spending and debt, with reform of the unsustainable pension system a priority. Markets reacted favorably to the new government, propelling the Sao Paulo stock market index to a record high on Wednesday, though one day later it was treading water. Bolsonaro said Thursday he expected allowing private control of rail lines, airports and ports would “quickly” bring in around $1.8 billion in investment and boost infrastructure. An economist, Victor Candido of Guide Investments in Sao Paulo, said the initial market ebullience reflected hopes Bolsonaro and Guedes would streamline bureaucracy and boost productivity. “The market feels not only that there’s going to be a lot of privatizations, but also that the climate as a whole is going to be better, that the climate will be positive for all companies in general,” he said. But Candido cautioned the optimism will only hold if Congress confirms Bolsonaro’s measures, but so far “this government has the momentum.”

brazil
jair bolsonaro
economy
lgbt
socialism
native tribes


U.S. Congress convenes, attempts to end partial government shutdown

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. Democrats swept back to power Thursday in the House of Representatives with veteran Nancy Pelosi at the helm, but they came face to face with what may be a new divided government normal in Washington: legislative gridlock. After a historic opening session of the 116th Congress in which Pelosi was elected as speaker for the second time in her storied career, lawmakers took aim at a bipartisan priority of ending an embarrassing partial government shutdown that was stretching into its 13th day. The House passed two measures that would re-open government agencies whose funding had lapsed, but provide no money for a border wall demanded by Donald Trump. They are all but dead on arrival in the Senate, where the Republican leadership has vowed not to bring them up for a vote because they do not pass muster with the president. Trump has demanded that Congress approve $5.6 billion for construction of a wall on the southern U.S. border with Mexico — an oft-repeated pledge from his 2016 presidential campaign. The bills that passed the House contain no wall funding. “We’re not doing a wall,” Pelosi told reporters shortly before the votes largely along party lines. “A wall is an immorality between countries. It’s an old way of thinking, it isn’t cost-effective,” she said, arguing that money would be better spent on border security technology such as drones and cameras, and on hiring more border agents. Republican leaders immediately blasted the vote as a pointless political gimmick that would do little to provide the resources necessary to secure the border, and said Democrats were not negotiating in good faith. “The president made it clear, we’re here to make a deal,” Vice President Mike Pence told Fox News late Thursday. “We will have no deal without a wall.” Democratic congressional leaders said they would head to the White House on Friday morning in a bid to break the impasse, but lawmakers have warned the shutdown could extend for several more days, even weeks. Democrats’ new majority in the House of Representatives marked a dramatic power shift on Capitol Hill less than two years before the Republican president’s re-election bid, as Democrats intend to put a check on Trump’s turbulent White House. Several lawmakers cheered and applauded at length when Pelosi reclaimed the speaker’s gavel — a striking comeback for the only woman ever to hold the post. In her opening speech, Pelosi vowed the new Congress would be “bipartisan and unifying” but acknowledged the reality of Washington’s bitter divisions. “We have no illusions that our work will be easy, that all of us in this chamber will always agree,” she said. “But let each of us pledge that when we disagree, we will respect each other and we will respect the truth,” she added, in a likely dig at the president’s aggressive style and his propensity to embellish facts. While the “blue wave” swept dozens of House Republicans out of Congress last November, Trump’s Republicans managed to modestly expand its majority in the Senate, meaning Washington gridlock is almost certain to deepen. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Democrats would have to “get serious about border security so that a government funding agreement may be reached that can pass the House, earn 60 votes here in the Senate, and receive a presidential signature.” Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy said divided government was “no excuse for gridlock or inaction,” before handing the gavel to Pelosi, who was elected with 220 votes in a free-wheeling session that included children scampering in the chamber. Pelosi will preside over the most diverse Congress in history. One hundred House freshmen took the oath of office, including trailblazers like New York’s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who at 29 is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. The first two Native American women and first two Muslim women were also elected. “It’s a new day in America,” tweeted Ilhan Omar, a former Somali refugee elected from Minnesota. Progressives will be eager to push back with greater effect against an administration they believe has overstepped its authority. They will have that opportunity, as congressional panels now led by Democrats are expected to unleash a barrage of investigations on everything from Trump’s income taxes to his ties with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. That is bad news for White House already besieged by Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia collusion probe. And hovering in the background in Washington will be the threat of impeachment. While it is almost certain that some Democrats will introduce proceedings to remove Trump from office, Pelosi has downplayed the idea. “It would be very divisive,” she told Elle magazine. “It’s not something that I’m stirring the pot on.”

congress
nancy pelosi
donald trump
immigration
budgets