ANA launches Tokyo to Honolulu service using Airbus A380, the world's biggest passenger jet

Abstract: All Nippon Airways has launched Japan’s first commercial service employing an Airbus SAS A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, on its Narita to Honolulu route. The 520-seat double-decker jet will initially make three round trips per week on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays departing from Narita airport, near Tokyo, with the number increasing to 10 round trips per week from July 1 after a second A380 starts operating in June, according to ANA. It made its first trip Friday. The airline is planning to eventually operate three A380 aircraft. The plane, with a livery featuring Hawaiian Honu sea turtles, has “an overwhelming presence,” said ANA Holdings Inc. President and CEO Shinya Katanozaka. The aircraft, 72.7 meters long and 24.1 meters high with a wingspan of 79.8 meters, is the first four-engine passenger jet introduced in Japan since the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The A380 has twice as many seats as the Boeing 787s currently used on ANA’s cash-cow Honolulu routes. “It is a complicated but well-made plane equipped with multiple safety systems. I hope passengers will feel (the atmosphere of) Hawaii on board,” said Osamu Furukawa, a 55-year-old ANA captain and pilot instructor. ANA’s first A380 aircraft arrived at Narita airport in Chiba Prefecture from France on March 21, and the second one arrived earlier this month. The first one is called the Sky Blue Flying Honu and the second one is named the Emerald Green Flying Honu, based on the color of their exterior. With the launch of the A380 service, ANA aims to increase its share of flights connecting Honolulu and its home market. It currently ranks third after Japan Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. The new aircraft features “COUCHii seats” that can be used as beds, a bar lounge and a room for changing clothes and breastfeeding. In 2018, 1.57 million Japanese visited Hawaii by air, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. Furukawa, who had prepared for the launch of the A380 service since 2016, said before the inaugural flight he felt the aircraft was “heavy.” He and the other A380 pilots have previously flown the smaller A320. “Even though there are commonalities, we need to study a lot” about operation of the A380, Furukawa said. ANA began training flights for the A380 in April. Generally, larger aircraft require longer runways for takeoffs and landings, and the A380 needs a runway of around 2,500 meters. That means only a limited number of airports can handle emergency landings of the aircraft during long-distance international flights. The aircraft have been designed on a fail-safe principle: If one system fails another will take over so that safety is not jeopardized. The planes have backup computers, electrical and hydraulic systems, as well as multiple braking systems. When on the ground, the aircraft utilize a number of cameras to cover blind spots for pilots. Singapore Airlines was the first carrier to begin commercial operation of an A380 in 2007 and there were about 230 in use by airlines around the world as of late April. However, the European aircraft manufacturer said in February it will stop manufacturing the A380 due to slumping orders, with the last one scheduled to be delivered in 2021. ANA Holdings chief Katanozaka said Airbus has assured the airline that its supply of aircraft components and backup services will not be affected, but industry sources have expressed concerns that it will become difficult to secure A380 parts in the long term.


Albinism pageant held in Zimbabwe joyfully breaks down prejudice

Abstract: HARARE - Ayanda Sibanda, a model with albinism, has invariably been called “yellow” or “white” by friends and even some relatives. But she hardly recalls anyone referring to her by her actual race. “I am black, that’s what I thought, but then I am always made to feel otherwise,” said the 18-year-old who was crowned Miss Albinism Zimbabwe on Friday night. At the pageant, competitors and organizers spoke frankly about color and prejudice. About 70,000 of Zimbabwe’s estimated 16 million people were born with albinism, according to government figures. They often stand out, making them a subject at times of discrimination, ridicule and dangerously misguided beliefs. “Some have superstitions that we can bring luck or cure HIV,” said Brenda Mudzimu, organizer of the pageant, one of a growing number of such events in Africa . In nearby Malawi and Tanzania, albinos are sometimes killed for their body parts for use in witchcraft. Although no such killings have been recorded in Zimbabwe, people with albinism say life is still tough. The Mr. and Miss Albinism Zimbabwe competition, now in its second year, is a chance to push back. “I want it to be normal for an albino girl to achieve without it being a newspaper headline,” Ayanda said. “They never say a black girl won Miss Zimbabwe. But if I were to win it, they would all say an albino girl won.” Friday night’s crown was her second in just weeks. Last month she was crowned second princess of Miss Teen Zimbabwe. “It was open to every race,” she said. But she said she has been told she lost some other pageants only because of her albinism. She and others, including university students and a nurse, strutted down the tiny runway Friday night to Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Perfect,” posed for judges and answered questions to cheers from the crowd. The loudest cheers were for the male models, competing for the first time. “My God, he is such a hunk,” shouted one woman in the crowd. “This is what I call a real man,” yelled another as the eventual winner of Mr. Albinism, Edson Mambinge, a 21-year-old fitness trainer, strolled by. “When I am modelling, albinism is not my peculiarity. My fitness is,” Mambinge said. Amping up the energy, poet Rufaro Chinyanga went lyrical to unpack the racial complexities. “Walking down the streets I hear these voices, ‘You ghost, you pig, you half caste’ and I go home with my heart in my hands and I say, ‘Mother, tell me the truth, did you have an affair with a white man?’ And she looks at me and says, ‘My son, you are just white yet black, black as they are.’ “ The crowd snapped fingers in eager response. “These are life experience lyrics. I am speaking on behalf of myself and for all the people with albinism,” Chinyanga said later. The battle to impress pageant judges started three days earlier at a boot camp with lessons in catwalking and confidence-building. Beauty pageants are popular in this southern African country, and even pre-school children compete for regional titles. Putting this event together was a “nightmare,” however, because of lack of adequate sponsorship, said organizer Mudzimu. Winners walked away with mobile phones, and the Miss Albino winner will attend a confidence-building and women’s workshop in neighboring Botswana, she said. The male winner will travel to neighboring South Africa for a grooming session. Mudzimu said she hopes more sponsors will chip in as the pageant grows and gains more popularity “like the so-called normal ones.”


Promising jobs and to deal with corruption, Cyril Ramaphosa is sworn in as South Africa's new president

Abstract: PRETORIA - Trade unionist-turned-businessman Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in Saturday as South Africa’s president, vowing to create jobs and tackle deep-rooted corruption that has strangled economic growth. Ramaphosa, who becomes the country’s fourth democratically elected president since the end of apartheid, took the presidential oath before a crowd of about 32,000 people in a rugby stadium in the capital, Pretoria. “Today our nation enters a new era of hope and renewal,” said Ramaphosa, 66, who was flanked by foreign leaders including Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. “Let us forge a compact for growth and economic opportunities, for productive land and wider opportunities. . . . A compact of an efficient, capable and ethical state. A state that is free from corruption,” said Ramaphosa, a former antiapartheid activist and trade union leader who has wide-ranging business interests. Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) clinched a 57.5 percent majority in a general election held earlier this month, down from 62 percent in 2014 as voters turned against the ruling party due to revelations about government corruption and record unemployment. Ramaphosa narrowly won the ANC leadership race in late 2017 and his replaced scandal-plagued predecessor, Jacob Zuma, as state president in February 2018, a year before the latter’s term was due to expire. Since then he has struggled to mend factions in the party opposed to his reform plans, especially at cash-strapped state power supplier Eskom. His promises to punish party members accused of corruption have also stuttered. The challenges facing Ramaphosa were highlighted Friday by the resignation of Eskom’s chief executive, who quit only a year since he was appointed to stabilize the utility and keep the lights on after nationwide blackouts. Also on Friday, S&P Global Ratings kept South Africa’s credit rating unchanged one notch below investment grade. The economy is set for a first quarter contraction after mining and manufacturing weakened, prompting the central bank to cut its 2019 growth forecast to 1 percent, well below the rate of at least 3 percent needed to bring down debt, budget deficits and joblessness. “The challenges our country faces are huge and are real but they are not insurmountable. They can be solved and I stand here to say they are going to be solved,” Ramaphosa said in his speech Saturday. Many in the crowd at Pretoria’s packed Loftus Stadium were optimistic. “I love my president Cyril Ramaphosa. I know that as long as we have him here he is going to give us jobs and change many things,” said Patience Shabangu, 45, a volunteer at a local clinic. Political analysts say a key test of Ramaphosa’s ability to deliver reforms will be his announcement of new Cabinet, which is expected to take place next week. “The speech was an honest and brutal reflection of South Africa’s recent problems. But it was also optimistic,” said Daniel Silke, director of the Political Futures Consultancy. “He will be judged on a very high bar and the next step is the Cabinet. If it contains any semblance of the dead wood from the past he will be severely critiqued,” Silke added.

cyril ramaphosa
south africa
pretoria
jacob zuma
politics


U.S. defense chief tells U.S. Naval Academy graduates to embrace the mantra of the samurai

Abstract: ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan had a message for the next generation of naval officers Friday: What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. Speaking at the U.S. Naval Academy’s commencement ceremony in Annapolis, Maryland, on Friday, Shanahan encouraged new graduates to embrace the mantra of Japanese samurai in their service to the United States. “If you ever studied the samurai culture in feudal Japan, you know the most feared, most dangerous of all samurai were those who had felt the cut of their opponent’s sword, and lived to fight the next battle,” Shanahan said, according to a transcript of his speech. “Why? Because they no longer feared the sword. They could — and would — press the fight, knowing the danger but unafraid of it.” More than 1,000 midshipmen graduated from the military school in Annapolis. Each received a Bachelor of Science degree and most were commissioned as either navy ensigns or second lieutenants in the marines. Shanahan, who worked for Boeing for more than three decades, served as the Pentagon’s No. 2 official from July 2017 until he was appointed acting secretary in January. He took over after former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis resigned in December over policy differences with President Donald Trump. Mattis, a former marine general, did not attend Friday’s ceremony but was recognized as an honorary member of the class of 2019 for being the “perfect example” of service to the midshipmen. The White House earlier this month announced Trump intends to nominate Shanahan as defense secretary, ending months of speculation. The nomination announcement came two weeks after the Pentagon’s watchdog agency cleared Shanahan of wrongdoing in connection with allegations that he had used his official position to favor Boeing. As the acting secretary, Shanahan has focused on implementing the national defense strategy that was developed during Mattis’ tenure and emphasizes a shift from the resources and tactics required to fight small wars against extremist groups to what Shanahan calls “great power competition” with China and Russia. Shanahan also urged graduates to change the status quo and stand their ground in the face of ethical failure, urging them to “set the standard on preventing sexual harassment and assault” among ranks. He called on midshipmen to “set the climate,” transform the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and be an example for subordinates, peers and leaders. “When you see ethical failure — in uniform or out, by military members or others — you must become gravity. You and your commitment must be unshakable, regardless of the circumstances …,” he said. “Sexual assault and harassment degrades the dignity of our teammates, and we are on the side of personal dignity in this era of renewed great power competition.” He told the graduates to seek out difficult jobs others don’t want and encouraged them to “think, don’t copy” others should they encounter organizational failures. “Failure often manifests itself when people become too comfortable replicating what worked in the past,” he said. “In an era of renewed great power competition, with massive changes driven by new technology, we simply cannot replicate what worked in the past.” In a final note, Shanahan also urged the graduates to adhere to the ideals of the navy and Marine Corps and to “soothe our allies and partners” and “frighten the hell out of our foes.” The graduating class included 756 men and 296 women. Of them, 769 will be commissioned as U.S. Navy ensigns, and 265 will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the Marine Corps.


At $2 million, priciest ever medicine treats fatal genetic disease

Abstract: NEW YORK - U.S. regulators have approved the most expensive medicine ever, for a rare disorder that destroys a baby’s muscle control and kills nearly all of those with the most common type of the disease within a couple of years. The treatment is priced at $2.125 million. Out-of-pocket costs for patients will vary based on insurance coverage. The medicine, sold by the Swiss drugmaker Novartis, is a gene therapy that treats an inherited condition called spinal muscular atrophy. The treatment targets a defective gene that weakens a child’s muscles so dramatically that they become unable to move, and eventually unable to swallow or breathe. It strikes about 400 babies born in the U.S. each year. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the treatment, called Zolgensma, for all children under age 2 who are confirmed by a genetic test to have any of the four types of the disease. The therapy is a one-time infusion that takes about an hour. Novartis said it will let insurers make payments over five years, at $425,000 per year, and will give partial rebates if the treatment doesn’t work. The one other medicine for the disease approved in the U.S. is a drug called Spinraza. Instead of a one-time treatment, it must be given every four months. Biogen, Spinraza’s maker, charges a list price of $750,000 for the first year and then $350,000 per year after that. The independent nonprofit group Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which rates the value of expensive new medicines, calculated that the price of the new gene therapy is justifiable at a cost of $1.2 million to $2.1 million because it “dramatically transforms the lives of families affected by this devastating disease.” ICER’s president, Dr. Steven D. Pearson, called the treatment’s price “a positive outcome for patients and the entire health system.” The defective gene that causes spinal muscular atrophy prevents the body from making enough of a protein that allows nerves that control movement to work normally. The nerves die off without the protein. In the most common type, which is also the most severe, at least 90 percent of patients die by age 2, and any still alive need a ventilator to breathe. Children with less-severe types become disabled more slowly and can live for up to a couple decades. Zolgensma works by supplying a healthy copy of the faulty gene, which allows nerve cells to then start producing the needed protein. That halts deterioration of the nerve cells and allows the baby to develop more normally. In patient testing, babies with the most severe form of the disease who got Zolgensma within 6 months of birth had limited muscle problems. Those who got the treatment earliest did best. Babies given Zolgensma after six months stopped losing muscle control, but the medicine can’t reverse damage already done. Evelyn Villarreal was one of the first children treated, at eight weeks. Her family, from Centerville, Virginia, had lost their first child to spinal muscular atrophy at 15 months. Two years later when Evelyn was born a test showed she also had the disease, so the family enrolled her in the gene therapy study at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Evelyn is now 4½ years old and showing no muscle problems other than minor trouble standing up, said her mother, Elena Villarreal. She has been feeding herself for a long time, she draws and speaks well, and will be starting kindergarten in the fall. “She’s very active and goes to the playground a lot,” said Elena Villarreal. “She’s walking and even jumping.” It is too early to know how long the benefit of the treatment lasts, but doctors’ hopes are rising that they could last a lifetime, according to Dr. Jerry Mendell, a neurologist at Nationwide Children’s. Mendell led one of the early patient studies and is Evelyn’s doctor. “It’s beginning to look that way,” he said, because a few children treated who are now 4 or 5 still have no symptoms. Early diagnosis is crucial, so Novartis has been working with states to get genetic testing for newborns required at birth. It expects most states will have that requirement by next year. The FDA said side effects included vomiting and potential liver damage, so patients must be monitored for the first few months after treatment.


British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: The EU's worst nightmare?

Abstract: BRUSSELS - For European leaders watching Theresa May’s political death throes, a sense of inevitability has been replaced by one of fear. Rather than break the deadlock over Brexit, the departure of the British prime minister raises the prospect of what they’ve long considered their worst nightmare: a U.K. run by Boris Johnson, the man many inside the European Union blame for causing the mess with his campaign based on false promises and then by undermining his leader. If May was predictable and her strategy clear, albeit flawed, many EU chiefs think of Johnson as a lying populist who wants to destroy the bloc. Privately, officials use his name as shorthand for a British government that would deliver, in their eyes, the most economically catastrophic form of Brexit — one without a U.K.-EU deal to smooth the departure. As recently as April, when EU governments were discussing whether to allow the U.K. to postpone its exit from the EU, officials in Brussels talked about ensuring they could “Boris-proof” the decision to prevent him disrupting EU business should he become premier. Their concerns are long-held. In the month before the referendum on EU membership in June 2016, world leaders including then- U.S. President Barack Obama and then-British Prime Minister David Cameron were gathering for a Group of Seven summit in Japan. In Britain, Johnson, a former mayor of London, was campaigning to leave the EU with his red bus emblazoned with the now discredited message that the U.K. sent £350 million ($443 million) a week to the EU that could instead be spent on hospitals. In the corridors of the summit, Johnson’s name was mentioned several times, a person familiar with the meeting said. Diplomats from across Europe were worried that his Brexit message was hitting home. From Japan, Martin Selmayr, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s chief of staff and now the executive’s most senior civil servant, tweeted his worst-case prediction for the following year’s summit. He grouped Johnson with Donald Trump and leaders of French and Italian populist movements. “G7 2017 with Trump, Le Pen, Boris Johnson, Beppe Grillo?” he said. That’s the “horror scenario.” With the EU sticking to its policy of a united front and isolating a belligerent, Brussels now faces a U.K. spiraling into deeper political turmoil. Rather than serve as a warning to supporters of nationalist forces across the continent, it’s only emboldened them during pivotal elections to the European Parliament. Indeed, the Brexit Party founded by arch euroskeptic Nigel Farage was leading opinion polls before the British vote held on Thursday. Results are due Sunday. “In hindsight, failing to rebut the claim that the U.K. sent £350 million per week to Brussels without drawing any benefit was a mistake,” Juncker told Austria’s Der Standard newspaper earlier this month. “So many lies were told.” Although the EU’s worst fears weren’t realized in 2016 when, following Cameron’s resignation, Johnson failed in his bid to become leader, officials considered his appointment by May as foreign secretary nearly as dangerous. Several spoke privately at the time of their concerns that he would wreak havoc at meetings with his EU counterparts. “During the campaign, he told a lot of lies to the British people,” France’s foreign minister at the time, Jean-Marc Ayrault, told Europe 1 radio shortly after Johnson’s appointment. In response to accusations made by EU officials and politicians, a person close to Johnson said he wouldn’t get involved in name-calling or talking ill of European allies. He wants the best for the U.K. The characterization in Europe of Johnson as untrustworthy is a common theme. It’s not helped by his period as Brussels correspondent for the Daily Telegraph between 1989-1994. Then, he earned a reputation for whipping up euroskeptic sentiment with headline-grabbing stories that weren’t always credible. More recently, the Independent Press Standards Organization, a U.K. body monitoring newspapers and magazines, upheld a complaint that Johnson had inaccurately reported polling support for a “no-deal” Brexit in an opinion piece for the Telegraph published in January. He angered European governments further when, in 2016, he likened the EU’s ambitions to Adolf Hitler’s attempt to dominate the continent. Speaking at a conference in Switzerland on Friday, Johnson set out what his Brexit strategy might be: He would prepare for no-deal, try to renegotiate the much-hated “backstop” for the Irish border, and make clear he’s prepared to leave without a deal if Brussels says “no.” “To get things done you need to be prepared to walk away,” Johnson said. The EU has said many times that it won’t countenance changing the backstop. There will be few, if any, new concessions from the European side if Johnson becomes prime minister, an EU official said. His reputation will make negotiating with him very difficult, other officials said. The main reason why the EU wanted May to stay in the post until the negotiations were complete was that they knew where she stood and they understood her strategy. Brexit diplomats have already discussed how to confront a Johnson premiership, according to one EU official. He is likely to stiffen the EU’s resolve to refuse to reopen discussions on the deal and could make EU leaders less likely to agree to postpone Brexit still further, the official said. Ironically, that could make the “no-deal” Brexit that EU officials fear Johnson wants, a more likely outcome, the official said.

boris johnson
eu
theresa may
brexit
u.k .


Defying Congress, Trump OKs $8 billion-plus in weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. The Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales. Members of Congress had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey. Lawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier in the week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency. “President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove. … There is no new ’emergency’ reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there,” said Sen. Chris Murphy. Murphy, a Democrat, made public on Twitter on Wednesday that Trump was considering the loophole in the Arms Control Export Act to clear the sales. Several of Trump’s fellow Republicans, as well as Democrats, said they would object to such a plan, fearing that blowing through the “holds” process would eliminate Congress’ ability to check not just Trump but future presidents from selling weapons where they liked. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that U.S. partners in the Middle East needed the contracts to be completed to help deter Iran, and that the decision to circumvent Congress was meant to be a “one-time event.” It is not the first time Congress and Trump have clashed over policy in the region, or the division of powers between the White House and Capitol Hill. The House and Senate voted to end U.S. military support for the campaign in Yemen earlier this year, but Trump vetoed the resolution. In documents sent to Congress, Pompeo listed a wide range of products and services that would be provided to the countries. They include Raytheon precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co. F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp. Other companies that will benefit include General Electric, now cleared to sell engines for use in F-16 fighter jets operated by the UAE and the U.S. unit of French firm Thales, which was cleared to sell a fuzing system for Paveway IV precision guided bombs to Britain and the UAE. It will also likely be welcome news for Britain’s BAE Systems PLC and Europe’s Airbus, clearing the way for installation of Paveway laser-guided bombs on European-built Eurofighter and Tornado fighter jets sold to Saudi Arabia, as well F-15 fighters built by Boeing. “I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,” Sen. Bob Menendez said in a statement. Menendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vowed to fight the action, and said he was in talks with both Democrats and some of Trump’s fellow Republicans on ways to preserve congressional review of arms sales. The Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Republican Sen. Jim Risch, said he had received formal notification of the administration’s intent to move forward. In a statement, Risch said, “I am reviewing and analyzing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications.” In his memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, Pompeo listed years of actions by Iran. “Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,” he wrote, and cited “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Tehran. Trump’s administration also announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran against what it sees as a threat of potential attack. Members of Congress from both parties have worried that Trump is pushing toward war with Iran. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said the administration was responding to important needs from partners. “This is about deterrence and it’s not about war,” he said in a telephone interview.

congress
weapons
saudi arabia
jordan
donald trump
iran
united arab emirates
military
conflict


Trump considers pardons for soldiers accused of war crimes

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he has been considering pardons for several American military members accused of war crimes, including headline-grabbing cases of shooting unarmed civilians and killing an enemy captive. Trump, leaving the White House for a trip to Japan, said he was “looking” at the pardons after being asked about reports that he was considering clemency for the soldiers around the upcoming Memorial Day holiday. “Some of these soldiers are people that have fought hard and long,” the president said. “You know, we teach them how to be great fighters, and then when they fight, sometimes they get really treated very unfairly.” But, Trump cautioned, “I haven’t done anything yet. I haven’t made any decisions.” “There’s two or three of them right now,” the president continued. “It’s a little bit controversial. It’s very possible that I’ll let the trials go on, and I’ll make my decision after the trial.” A number of veterans groups have registered opposition to the possible pardons, including one that could reportedly go to Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL. Gallagher is charged with killing a wounded Islamic State prisoner under his care in Iraq in 2017. Dozens of Republican congressmen have championed Gallagher’s cause, claiming he’s an innocent war hero being unfairly prosecuted. Trump got him moved from the brig to better confinement in a military hospital with access to his lawyers and family. Prosecutors said Gallagher fatally stabbed a wounded teenage Islamic State fighter, shot two civilians in Iraq and opened fire on crowds. Gallagher has pleaded not guilty to all counts. His lawyers said that he did not murder anyone and that disgruntled SEALs made the accusations because they wanted to get rid of a demanding platoon leader. Several major veterans groups said they had not been consulted by the White House about the possible pardons and were not provided with information they had requested about who was being considered and why. Jeremy Butler, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, urged Trump to exercise caution and not rush to act before Memorial Day, expressing concern that pardons could be issued before trials were held or fully adjudicated. “These are not the types of decisions to be rushed and should be made after long and careful consideration,” he said. “We want to hear from the administration as to their rationale — what additional information they have and why they are taking this course.” The Vietnam Veterans of America said it was opposed to the idea of issuing pardons to those accused or convicted of war crimes, which they believe could sidestep justice. Officials there said they saw no reason for the U.S. to deviate from its norm of abiding by the code of conduct and the Nuremberg principles, as embodied in the Universal Code of Military Justice, for more than 70 years. “It is mind-blowing that these are the persons this administration is considering for pardons,” said Kristofer Goldsmith, an associate director for policy and chief investigator at Vietnam Veterans of America. A number of influential Trump outside advisers have pushed the president to pardon the soldiers. Others believed to be considered for pardons are Mathew Golsteyn, a former U.S. Army commando being charged with murder for killing a suspected Taliban bomb maker in Afghanistan, and Nicholas Slatten, one of four former Blackwater guards who were found guilty at trial in the fatal shooting of unarmed Iraqi civilians in a crowded Baghdad traffic circle. Prosecutors argued that Slatten, of Sparta, Tennessee, fired the first shots in a massacre that left more than a dozen dead and many others injured. His attorney has said that’s not the case and pointed to statements that he says show another member of the Blackwater team initiated the shooting. The case took a long and winding path over the course of a decade. An appeals court in 2017 overturned the first guilty verdict against Slatten, ruling that he should have been tried separately from his three co-defendants. A second trial ended in a mistrial, and he was found guilty of murder last December in a third trial in federal court in Washington. He was sentenced to life in prison. Slatten, who joined Blackwater after leaving the army’s 82nd Airborne Division, has long maintained his innocence. Trump had said in December that he would be “reviewing” the case against Golsteyn, calling him a “U.S. Military hero” who could face the death penalty “from our own government.” The former Green Beret could face the death penalty if convicted. Golsteyn was charged with killing the suspected bombmaker during a 2010 deployment in Afghanistan. Golsteyn was leading a team of Army Special Forces troops at the time and believed that the man was responsible for an explosion that killed two U.S. Marines. The possible pardons were first reported by The New York Times .

pardons
war crimes
donald trump
military
murder
conflict
violence


Ireland's Green Party surges in European, local elections, exit poll finds

Abstract: DUBLIN - Support for Ireland’s Green Party surged in European and local elections, an exit poll Saturday showed, putting it in line to take its first seats in the European Parliament and make the biggest gains in county and city councils. The Greens were set to win as many as three of the 13 European seats up for grabs and increase their local vote to 9 percent from less than 2 percent five years ago, according to the RTE-TG4 RED C exit poll, a showing that would put the party in contention for government formation if repeated at a parliamentary poll. While Ireland does not hold a significant share of the 751-seat EU chamber — and will initially send 11 MEPs until Britain actually leaves the bloc — an ebb in support for mainstream parties is raising hopes among Europe’s Greens that they could act as kingmakers. “If we return with three seats, it would actually be a big European story because the next European Parliament is critical, it hangs in the balance between a lot of parties like our own,” Green Party leader Eamon Ryan told national broadcaster RTE. “There is a green wave of public consciousness in Ireland. It’s been happening throughout Europe and it landed, I think, in Ireland and it is those climate strikes, it’s those young people standing up and saying we have to protect our future.” The exit poll showed that almost 90 percent of voters feel that the government needs to prioritize climate change more. Health Minister Simon Harris of the governing Fine Gael party said the topic came up on the doorsteps more in the last six months than through all of his last eight years as a member of parliament. Fine Gael and the two main opposition parties, Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein, looked set to share most of the remaining European seats with counting to begin Sunday and likely to run for days. Counting was underway on Saturday to fill the almost 1,000 council seats, the first electoral test for Prime Minister Leo Varadkar since he took over as Fine Gael leader two years ago. The exit poll put Fine Gael and fellow center-right Fianna Fail level on 23 percent, both down slightly on 2014 when Fianna Fail emerged as the biggest party, setting it up to close the gap on its rival in parliamentary elections two years later. The left-wing Sinn Fein was set to fall to 12 percent from 15 percent, suggesting a further fragmentation of party support in Ireland, although no one party would be “terribly upset” by the predicted outcome, said Theresa Reidy, a politics lecturer at University College Cork. “The clear message from Ireland: The center is holding on the back of a Green tsunami,” Reidy said.

ireland
eu
dublin
european parliament
politics


U.N. court rules Russia must free detained Ukraine ships, sailors

Abstract: BERLIN - A U.N. maritime tribunal ruled Saturday that Russia must immediately release three Ukraine Navy vessels captured by Russia in November and also free the 24 sailors it detained. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea issued its order at its Hamburg headquarters following a hearing earlier this month. Russia stayed away from both the hearing and Saturday’s session. The confrontation in the Kerch Strait, which links the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea, marked a flash point in the simmering conflict over Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. Russia seized Crimea in a move that Ukraine and most of the world view as illegal but which gives Russia a much bigger shoreline along the Black Sea. The Kerch Strait separates Crimea from mainland Russia. Russia, which did submit a memorandum to the tribunal, argued that the rights Ukraine claimed in the case do not apply because they are covered by an exception for military activity. Kiev’s lawyers contested this claim, saying Russia itself previously described the arrest as a law enforcement operation. The tribunal sided with Ukraine’s argument on that point. However, tribunal President Jin-Hyun Paik said “the tribunal considers it appropriate to order both parties to refrain from taking any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute.” He said Russia must return the ships to Ukrainian custody and allow the servicemen to go home. But the tribunal “does not consider it necessary to require (Russia) to suspend criminal proceedings against the 24 detained Ukrainian servicemen and refrain from initiating new proceedings,” Paik added. Kiev had called for legal proceedings to be ended. The tribunal’s decisions are legally binding, but it has no power to enforce them. It called for both sides to report back on their compliance by June 25. Paik said Russia “was given ample opportunity to present its observations” in the case. The tribunal made its decision by a 19-1 vote, with a Russian judge dissenting. Olena Zerkal, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister for European integration, said on Facebook: “We expect that Russia will quickly and fully fulfill the tribunal’s order.” In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry did not address the details of the order but underlined its argument that the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea’s dispute resolution procedures cannot be applied to this dispute. In subsequent arbitration proceedings at the tribunal, “we intend to consistently defend our position, including the lack of jurisdiction,” it said.


U.S. beefing up forces in Middle East to counter Iran

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The U.S. will send hundreds of additional troops and a dozen fighter jets to the Middle East in the coming weeks to counter what the Pentagon said is an escalating campaign by Iran to plan attacks against the U.S. and its interests in the region. And for the first time, Pentagon officials on Friday publicly blamed Iran and its proxies for recent tanker bombings near United Arab Emirates and a rocket attack in Iraq. President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that the 1,500 troops would have a “mostly protective” role as part of a build-up that began this month in response to what the U.S. said was a threat from Iran. The announcement caps three weeks of elevated tensions with Iran, as the administration hurled accusations of an imminent attack and abruptly deployed navy warships to the region. The moves alarmed members of Congress, who demanded proof and details, amid fears the U.S. was lurching toward open conflict with Iran. Adding to the uncertainty, Trump alternated between tough talk toward Iran and a more conciliatory message, insisting he is open to negotiations with the Islamic Republic. On Friday he seemed to downplay the prospect of conflict when he spoke at the White House. “Right now, I don’t think Iran wants to fight and I certainly don’t think they want to fight with us,” he said. In a related move, the Trump administration on Friday used an emergency legal loophole to move ahead with the sale of $7 billion in precision-guided munitions and other military support to Saudi Arabia, citing threats the kingdom faces from Iran. Vice Adm. Michael Gilday told Pentagon reporters that the U.S. has “very high confidence” that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was responsible for the explosions on four tankers, and that Iranian proxies in Iraq fired rockets into Baghdad. He said Iran also tried to deploy modified small boats that were capable of launching cruise missiles. The deployments announced Friday include a squadron of 12 fighter jets, manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft, and a number of military engineers to beef up protection for forces. In addition a battalion of four Patriot missile batteries that was scheduled to leave the Middle East has been ordered to stay. The total number of troops involved is about 1,500, with roughly 600 included in the Patriot battalion. None of those troops will go to either Iraq or Syria. “We are going to be sending a relatively small number of troops, mostly protective,” the president said at the White House before setting off on a trip to Japan. “Some very talented people are going to the Middle East right now and we’ll see what happens.” Briefing reporters at the Pentagon, Gilday, the Joint Staff director, did not provide direct evidence to back up claims tying Iran to the attacks. He told reporters the conclusions were based on intelligence and evidence gathered in the region, and officials said they are trying to declassify some of the information so that it could be made public. “This is truly operations driven by intelligence,” Gilday said, adding that the U.S. continues to see intelligence suggesting that Iran is actively planning attacks against the U.S. and partners in the region by the Revolutionary Guard and Iranian proxies in Yemen and Iraq. When pressed for proof of Iran’s involvement, he said the mines used in the tanker attacks were attributed directly to the Revolutionary Guard and he said threats could be traced back to senior leaders in Iran. “I’m not reverse engineering this,” he said. “The Iranians have said publicly they were going to do things. We learn more through intelligence reporting. They have acted upon those threats and they’ve actually attacked.” The announcement of additional forces was met with mixed reviews. The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Democrat Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, called the build-up “unsettling.” “Leaders from both sides of the aisle have called for de-escalation. At first blush, this move does not fit the bill,” Smith said in a statement Friday. “Without a clearly articulated strategy, adding more personnel and mission systems seems unwise, and appears to be a blatant and heavy-handed move to further escalate tensions with Iran.” The senior Republican on the committee, Rep. Mac Thornberry of Texas, called it “a prudent step to protect our forces and deter Iran,” and said requests from commanders should “never be subject to a partisan debate.” The administration notified Congress earlier in the day about the troop plans. Gilday and Katie Wheelbarger, the acting assistant defense secretary for international affairs, said the mission is strictly defensive, and is not designed to provoke Iran into carrying out additional attacks. They said the Pentagon will continue to evaluate the number of troops in the region in case more are needed later. Earlier this week, officials said military planners had outlined options that could have sent up to 10,000 military reinforcements to the region. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan later said planners hadn’t settled on a figure. The U.S. has about 70,000 troops across the Middle East, including at a major navy base in Bahrain and an Air Force base and operations center in Qatar. There are about 5,200 troops in Iraq and 2,000 in Syria. Earlier this month, the U.S. sent thousands more into the region around Iran, including an aircraft carrier strike group, four bomber aircraft, a Patriot missile battery and fighter jets. Tension had been rising with Iran for more than a year. The Trump administration withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers and reinstated American sanctions that have badly damaged the Iranian economy. The president has argued that the nuclear deal failed to sufficiently curb Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons or halt its support for militias throughout the Middle East that the U.S. argues destabilize the region.


Iran can sink U.S. warships with 'secret weapons,' military official in Tehran claims

Abstract: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Iran can sink U.S. warships sent to the Gulf region using missiles and “secret weapons,” a senior Iranian military official was quoted as saying by the semi-official news agency Mizan on Saturday. The United States on Friday announced the deployment of 1,500 troops to the Middle East, describing it as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran as it accused the country’s Revolutionary Guard of direct responsibility for this month’s tanker attacks. “America … is sending two warships to the region. If they commit the slightest stupidity, we will send these ships to the bottom of the sea along with their crew and planes using two missiles or two new secret weapons,” Gen. Morteza Qorbani, an adviser to Iran’s military command, told Mizan. The U.S. actions were the latest by the Trump administration as it highlights what it sees as a threat of potential attack by Iran, and follows decisions to speed the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group as well as send bombers and additional Patriot missiles to the Middle East. Western experts say Iran often exaggerates its weapons capabilities, although there are concerns about its missile program and particularly its long-range ballistic missiles. The remarks came the same say another senior military commander said “rational Americans and experienced U.S. commanders” are likely to rein in Washington’s “radical elements” and prevent a war with Iran. “We believe rational Americans and their experienced commanders will not let their radical elements lead them into a situation from which it would be very difficult to get out, and that is why they will not enter a war,” Brig. Gen. Hassan Seifi, an assistant to Iran’s army chief, told the country’s semi-official news agency Mehr on Saturday.

iran
military
middle east
conflict
iran nuclear deal
donald trump


Mount Everest 'traffic jams' block path to summit as week's death toll hits 10

Abstract: KATMANDU/MADHYAMANCHAL, NEPAL - Huge lines of climbers forming near the summit of Mount Everest have vexed organizers in recent days as the death doll on the world’s highest mountain hit 10 for the week. The deaths of an Irish and a British climber were reported over the weekend. “A British climber made it to the summit this morning, but collapsed and died only 150 meters down,” said Murari Sharma of Everest Parivar Expedition. Another expedition organizer confirmed the death of an Irishman on Friday on the Tibet side of Everest. On Wednesday, more than 200 climbers were taking advantage of clear weather to attempt to summit from both Nepal and China, but teams had to line up for hours to reach the top — risking frostbite and altitude sickness. An American and Indian climber died that day, their expedition organizers said, on one of the busiest-ever days on the 8,848-meter (29,029-foot) peak. Donald Lynn Cash, 55, collapsed at the summit on Wednesday as he was taking photographs, while Anjali Kulkarni, also 55, died while descending after reaching the top. Kulkarni’s expedition organizer, Arun Treks, said heavy traffic at the summit had delayed her descent and caused her death. “She had to wait for a long time to reach the summit and descend,” said Thupden Sherpa. “She couldn’t move down on her own and died as Sherpa guides brought her down.” Pasang Tenje Sherpa, of Pioneer Adventure, said that Cash collapsed on the summit and died close to Hillary Step as guides were bringing him back.They were among hundreds of foreigners and their Sherpa guides attempting to scale Everest and other Himalayan peaks during the popular spring climbing season, when only a few windows of good weather each May allow them the best chance of success. Cash, 55, from Utah, had a long-held dream to climb the seven summits — the highest mountains on the seven continents — his daughter Danielle Cook posted on Facebook on Wednesday. Santa Bir Lama, the president of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said Cash’s body was still near Hillary Step. “Many others who are at the summit are still there. When the Sherpas come down, then they can bring his body down,” he said.Mountaineering in Nepal has become a lucrative business since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of Everest in 1953.The Himalayan nation has issued a record 381 permits costing $11,000 each for this year’s spring climbing season, sparking fears of bottlenecks en route to the summit if poor weather cuts down the number of climbing days. Most Everest hopefuls are escorted by a Nepali guide, meaning more than 750 climbers will tread the same path to the top in the coming weeks. At least 140 others have been granted permits to scale Everest from the northern flank in Tibet, according to expedition operators. This could take the total past last year’s record of 807 people reaching the summit. At least six other foreign climbers have died on other 8,000-meter Himalayan peaks this season, while two are missing


U.S. defense chief to meet Chinese counterpart during Singapore defense forum

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will meet China’s defense minister at an Asia defense forum in Singapore, a senior U.S. defense official said Friday, at a time of strained relations between Beijing and Washington over trade and security. Tensions between China and the United States have intensified in the past year, over an ongoing trade war and over the disputed South China Sea and U.S. support for self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own. “We’re doing a pull aside (meeting) with the Chinese counterpart at Shangri-La,” said the official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe will deliver a speech on June 2 at the Shangri-La Dialogue, the first time since 2011 that a Chinese defense chief will be at the forum, having in recent years sent lower level officials. “We’ve got a relationship with China that contains elements of both competition and cooperation,” the senior U.S. defense official said. Shanahan’s predecessor, Jim Mattis, met Wei in Singapore last year. Separately Friday, the Pentagon said U.S. and Chinese officials met in Washington earlier this week. “The dialogue emphasized a constructive, results-oriented military relationship with a focus on maintaining open and clear communication, especially in times of crisis,” a Pentagon statement said. The two sides discussed topics that included South China Sea and North Korea.

patrick shanahan
china
south china sea
taiwan
military


After rare Tibet visit, U.S. ambassador urges China to have talks with Dalai Lama

Abstract: BEIJING - Terry Branstad, the U.S. ambassador to China, urged Beijing to engage in substantive dialogue with exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama during a visit to the Himalayan region over the past week. An embassy news release Saturday said Branstad also expressed concerns about Chinese government interference in Tibetan Buddhists’ freedom to organize and practice their religion. It said Branstad also raised long-standing concerns about the lack of consistent access to the Tibetan Autonomous Region. The rare visit to the TAR and neighboring Qinghai province began last Sunday and ended on Saturday. China tightly restricts access to Tibet by foreigners, especially journalists and diplomats. In response to those restrictions, the U.S. Congress last year passed an act that would deny entry into the United States for those involved in formulating or enforcing such policies.


North Korean missile tests violated U.N. resolution, top Trump official says

Abstract: U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said on Saturday that North Korea’s recent missile launches violated a U.N. Security Council resolution and urged leader Kim Jong Un to return to denuclearization talks. It was the first time a senior U.S. official has described the tests as a violation of U.N. resolutions aimed at halting North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and came ahead of a four-day visit to Japan by U.S. President Donald Trump who was to arrive later in the day. “The U.N. resolution prohibits the launch of any ballistic missiles,” Bolton said at a press roundtable. North Korea’s test firings included short range ballistic missiles and so there was “no doubt” it was a violation, he added. Earlier this month, Kim Jong Un oversaw the first flight of a previously untested weapon — a relatively small, fast missile experts believe will be easier to hide, launch and maneuver in flight. Bolton said that the United States was still open to talks with Kim’s regime but that it had not changed its position from the one outlined at the last summit between the United States and North Korea in Hanoi. “Trump has held the door open for Kim, the next step is for Kim to walk through it,” he said. Bolton also urged Kim to agree to a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which he said could help restart dialogue on North Korea’s weapons programs. An Abe Kim summit “could be substantive assistance to that,” he said. Trump, who will play golf with Abe on Sunday before watching Sumo wrestling, is expected to discuss topics ranging from North Korea to China and two-way trade when they sit down for a summit on Monday. The two leaders will also discuss rising tensions with Iran, Bolton said. Abe is considering a visit to Iran as early as mid-June, public broadcaster NHK said on Friday, the first such trip in four decades. Washington has said it will stop waivers for countries buying Iranian oil and has designated Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. The United State is also deploying a carrier strike group and bombers to the Middle East in response to what the Trump administration described as troubling “indications and warnings” from Iran. Bolton, who has spearheaded an increasingly hawkish U.S. policy on Iran, described recent attacks on tankers off the United Arab Emirates and a pipeline pumping station in Saudi Arabia, as well as a rocket attack in Baghdad’s Green Zone in Iraq, as “manifestations of concern.” The United States has “deep and serious” intelligence on the threat posed by Iran, said Bolton, who declined to provide details.

north korea
john bolton
kim jong un
donald trump
shinzo abe
iran
nuclear weapons
u.s.-japan relations


Indian police charge owners of private Gujarat school as fire death toll hits 20

Abstract: GANDHINAGAR, INDIA - Indian police Saturday charged the owners of a private school which turned into an inferno that killed 20 teenagers, some who died jumping from the building in a desperate bid to escape the flames, officials said. Sixteen of the dead were young women who had been preparing for exams at the tuition center illegally set up on the top of a commercial building in the western city of Surat, the officials said. Horrifying images of students leaping from upper floors of the building Friday afternoon have spread on social media. A youth died in hospital Saturday, increasing the toll, as an inquiry revealed that the victims were studying in a plastic dome that was quickly engulfed by flames. The victims were aged between 15 and 22, police said. More than 50 students were in classes when the fire broke out. Government officials said five of the dead had been due to receive exam results determining their university entrance Saturday. All had passed with flying colors, one official said. Police have charged three owners of the tuition center at the Takshashila Arcade with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and attempted culpable homicide. Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma told reporters that one of the accused, Bhargav Bhutani, had been detained. Media reports said the other two were on the run. Sharma appealed for calm after some groups called for public protests while there were angry skirmishes Friday night at the hospital where the injured were taken. But 22-year-old Ketan Chodvadiya has been hailed as a hero of the tragedy after he was shown in videos climbing the side of the flaming building to try to save some of the teenagers. “I climbed to the spot where I was seen in the video with the help of a ladder,” he told the Indian Express newspaper. “One student fell down and I couldn’t catch her. I could see her lying dead and I can’t forget the sight and I will always regret that I couldn’t save her, but I am happy I could help around eight to 10 students escape,” he added. Widespread safety breaches were found at the center, officials said. “The fire was caused by a short-circuit in one of the air-conditioning ducts on the ground floor . . . and spread to the third floor,” said Surat’s fire and emergency services commissioner, U. Upadhyay. The Takshashila Arcade had permission for just one floor but two additional stories had been illegally constructed, according to Basant Parekh, a chief fire official. “The coaching class owners had illegally occupied the terrace and had put up a makeshift dome,” he added. Officials in the city of Surat have set up a team to identify other illegal structures being used for tuition classes during the exam season. Images showing flames and black smoke billowing out of the building and students jumping from the upper floors have been widely shared. Widespread public grief and anger has been expressed over the disaster. Bollywood superstar actor Amitabh Bachchan said on Twitter that he felt “grief beyond expression.” R. Madhavan, another leading actor and a producer, said on Twitter: “Those breaking the norms should be EXECUTED.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who comes from Gujarat state, also expressed his condolences.

india
gujarat
fire
students
narendra modi


3/11 'Miracle Pine' and Hiroshima's Atomic Bomb Dome to be included on 2020 Tokyo Olympics torch relay route

Abstract: The route for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic torch relay has been revealed and it will pass numerous cultural and World Heritage Sites, as well as landmarks from recent natural disasters, after it kicks off in March next year. With the Tokyo Games employing a theme of reconstruction and renewal in the aftermath of recent natural disasters, various sites related to the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, including Iwate Prefecture’s “Miracle Pine” monument, will be included in the route, it was learned Friday. The Miracle Pine is a monument to a 27.7-meter-tall tree that withstood the 2011 tsunami when the rest of the 70,000-tree forest that surrounded it was destroyed. Although the tree has since died, it has been restored artificially and remains a symbol of hope for the region. The torch is also scheduled to visit Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto Prefecture. The castle was heavily damaged in a series of strong earthquakes in 2016 that wreaked havoc on Kyushu. The Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is among the World Heritage sites to be included, while cultural heritage sites on the intended route will include the Grand Shrines of Ise in Mie Prefecture. The torch relay will depart March 26 from the J-Village, in Fukushima Prefecture. The national soccer training center, used as a base of operations for cleanup in the wake of the 2011 nuclear disaster, has recently reopened as a sports facility. The 121-day relay will conclude on July 24, when the Olympic flame is carried into Tokyo’s new National Stadium during the opening ceremony.


Mayor in Yamaguchi Prefecture asks Tokyo to scrap Aegis Ashore deployment

Abstract: Norihiko Hanada, mayor of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, has petitioned the central government to scrap its plan to deploy the Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system within the prefecture. The Defense Ministry plans to deploy Aegis Ashore units at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Mutsumi training area in Hagi, Yamaguchi, and the Araya training area in Akita, the capital of the prefecture of the same name. The Mutsumi training area is adjacent to Abu. “We can’t accept the deployment, which would be a crisis posing a life-or-death question to our town,” Hanada said during a Friday meeting with Kenji Harada, state minister of defense. Harada, however, sought the understanding of the mayor and the town. “We hope you’ll let us explain carefully so that anxieties and concerns among local people are swept away,” he said. Harada plans to visit each of the prefectures where the systems will be deployed, on Monday and Tuesday, to report the results of local environmental surveys.

aegis ashore
military
weapons
self defense forces


Abe says double election not necessarily in the cards even if tax hike is delayed

Abstract: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he will not necessarily call a Lower House election even if his government decides to delay an unpopular consumption tax hike planned for Oct. 1. Speaking before the Lower House’s Committee on Health, Labor and Welfare on Friday, Abe reiterated that there remained no change in the government’s plan to raise the consumption tax rate from 8 percent to 10 percent as planned, noting that nothing short of a financial calamity as devastating as the 2008 global financial crisis, triggered by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers, would justify postponing the hike yet again. Abe was answering a question from Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the opposition Democratic Party for the People. The tax must be raised in order to strengthen Japan’s social security net, improve fiscal soundness and maintain confidence in the country, Abe said. Asked how the government would respond in the event of a major financial crisis, the prime minister refused to be drawn into the topic, saying that he would make the appropriate decision if that happened. Tamaki said the Japanese economy’s future course is extremely uncertain, to which Abe noted the country’s strong economic fundamentals, which support domestic demand, pointing to improvements in employment and the environment for rising incomes. Abe said that in steering the economy the government will work hard to ascertain the impact of factors in the global economy, including developments on trade issues and the future of the Chinese economy. Tamaki later told reporters that if the tax hike is delayed, the Abe Cabinet should resign en masse to take responsibility — not call an election.

elections
shinzo abe
consumption tax
diet


With Trump visit to Tokyo, Japan and U.S. look to highlight strengthened alliance and avoid trade differences

Abstract: U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived in Tokyo on Saturday for a four-day state visit, will get down to business on Sunday with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — by playing golf and watching sumo. But, as strange as it may seem, these are serious diplomatic events for the two leaders, who have enjoyed a close personal relationship since Trump became president in January 2017. Officials and experts have said the top priority for Trump’s visit for both sides is to show off the two leaders’ ties and highlight a strong Japan-U.S. alliance in the face of threats from China and North Korea. On Thursday, a senior Japanese diplomat briefing reporters in Tokyo on the visit emphasized that the purpose is “to send out signals” that “the Japan-U.S. alliance is stronger than ever” and that the two countries will take the lead in maintaining peace and stability in the region. Separately, in news that would have been well-received in Tokyo, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday that trade would not be a top issue, according to media reports. “I don’t think that the purpose of this trip is to focus on trade. It’s really to be state guests of their majesties,” the official said, referring to Trump’s scheduled meeting with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. For Abe, playing golf with Trump is not merely a chance to cut loose. Rather, Abe has built up a close relationship with the U.S. president, one of the most world’s most unpredictable leaders, by using his time on the links with Trump to discuss a number of pressing diplomatic issues, according to Japanese officials. As a result, he is now widely seen as one of the only — if not the only — foreign leaders who can speak comfortably with Trump. Abe has pinned most of his key diplomatic policies, including those on China and North Korea, on Japan’s alliance with the U.S. and his strong personal ties with Trump are often considered a huge advantage for Tokyo — though some have criticized him for having too cozy of a relationship with the U.S. leader. For Trump, trade issues with Japan are likely to weigh heavily on his mind. Even before he became president, Trump was known to lament what he called unfair trade surpluses with the U.S. that Japan, China and other countries enjoyed. This was even one of the key campaign mantras he deployed to drum up support with his base ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. But while bilateral trade talks with Japan will still continue, Tokyo is unlikely to give any critical concessions on agricultural and auto trade issues before this summer’s Upper House election. Experts say it’s simply too early for the two leaders to reach any conclusions on the trade front for now. “Abe and Trump met in Washington just last month,” said Yasushi Watanabe, a professor of American studies at Keio University. “I don’t think there are any urgent agenda items that should be discussed by the top leaders right now.” Instead, reconfirming their mutual “understanding” of key diplomatic issues and “showing off an unshakable Japan-U.S. alliance” will probably be the top priority for the two, he added. On Saturday evening, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer met with economic revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo to discuss bilateral trade issues. That meeting will likely set the tone for Abe and Trump’s planned one-hour summit talks Monday. The talks will be followed by a working lunch and a joint news conference later in the day. However, unlike Trump’s first official visit to Japan in 2017, Abe and Trump don’t plan to issue a joint statement, according to a senior Foreign Ministry official. This may be because there are few reasons for the two to rush sensitive issues, especially with Trump due to visit Osaka next month for the Group of 20 summit, where the two will hold another round of bilateral talks. But one item the two leaders are expected to talk about is their approach to North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. According to a key senior Japanese diplomat, the North has recently stopped actively contacting the U.S. and other countries, leaving denuclearization talks between the two “deadlocked.” “North Korea has shut itself up recently” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “I think the U.S. is now monitoring what move Pyongyang will make first.” On Tuesday, the final day of Trump’s visit, in what experts say is part of a concerted effort to demonstrate strong ties, Trump and Abe are scheduled to board the Kaga — Japan’s largest warship along with its sister ship, the Izumo — at the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. The Kaga and Izumo helicopter carriers are due to be remodeled into de facto aircraft carriers. The Izumo is on deployment in the Indian Ocean after conducting joint exercises with the U.S. and several other countries in the disputed South China Sea. Trump will try to “demonstrate that the Japan-U.S. alliance is effective and firm against China and North Korea” during his visit, said Kazuhiro Maeshima, a professor at Sophia University and an expert on American politics and diplomacy. “That’s a very important message, although it may look like (Abe and Trump) are just having fun,” he said. Separately, a senior Foreign Ministry official emphasized that the two leaders would touch on a wide range of diplomatic topics during Monday’s summit meeting and that it was very difficult to predict what they would talk about, given their strong personal relationship. Japanese diplomats, meanwhile, were preparing to pull out all the stops for Trump, arranging a red-carpet treatment to play up the strong bilateral relationship angle, the official said. Officials are apparently trying to take advantage of the festive mood in the country in welcoming Trump after the start of the Reiwa Era earlier this month. On Monday, Trump will meet Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, becoming the first state guest to meet the imperial couple since the emperor ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1. “He is the first state guest of the Reiwa Era,” the official said. “We definitely want to make this visit a success.” “The Foreign Ministry is working as one toward that goal.”

donald trump
shinzo abe
north korea
u.s.-japan relations
trade war


Japan's ruling bloc to delay submission of bill to revise referendum law

Abstract: The ruling bloc has decided not to submit a bill to revise the country’s referendum law to the ongoing ordinary Diet session, informed sources have said. The Liberal Democratic Party-led camp apparently hopes to avoid confrontations with opposition forces ahead of the House of Councilors election in the summer, the sources said Friday. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and other major opposition parties are increasingly wary over the ruling camp’s possible submission of a bill that would set no limit on TV commercials airing parties’ views on referendums and make referendums to amend the country’s Constitution more convenient for voters. The opposition is concerned that ruling parties with ample funds to run TV commercials would sway voters. They also fear that providing easy ways to vote — by setting up common polling stations mainly at train stations and commercial facilities as is done for elections of both parliamentary chambers — would work against them. The LDP had hoped to enact the bill during the ongoing session so that it can present its draft of constitutional amendments to the Diet. A bill approved at the Commission on the Constitution of the House of Representatives and sent to its counterpart at the House of Councilors is likely to be scrapped unless it is enacted before the Upper House elections. LDP members in the Upper House are reluctant to see the referendum bill pass the Lower House commission quickly if it means overriding resistance from opposition parties.

referendums
diet
constitution
ldp
shinzo abe
self defense forces
article 9


Japan bill banning parents from physically punishing children set to pass Diet

Abstract: A bill banning parents and guardians from physically punishing children is set to pass the Diet during the current session, after the ruling and opposition parties agreed on some modifications, lawmakers have said. The bill is more or less the same as the original one submitted by the government. But it has been modified and will also urge local governments and child welfare centers to offer guidance to parents who have abused children, based on medical and psychological expertise, to prevent the abuse from happening again. The ruling and opposition parties jointly submitted the modified bill, which passed the Lower House committee on welfare issues Friday. The bill is likely to make it through the plenary session of the House of Representatives before it is sent to the House of Councilors for passage during the current parliamentary session scheduled to end next month. The move to revise the child abuse prevention law and related legislation follows fatal cases of abuse conducted in the name of disciplining children. In March last year, 5-year-old Yua Funato died in Tokyo’s Meguro Ward after leaving desperate pleas for her parents to “forgive” her and stop mistreating her. In January this year, 10-year-old Mia Kurihara died in Chiba Prefecture due to suspected physical abuse by her father, which her mother allegedly failed to stop. The current child abuse prevention law stipulates that assault and lewd acts constitute abuse. But when it comes to disciplining children, it only says people “shall give due consideration to appropriate exercise” of parental authority. The planned amendment would also seek to strengthen the ability of child welfare centers to “intervene” in abuse cases by separating staff members in charge of taking children into protective custody from those dealing with their guardians. While there will be no penalties for offenders under the envisioned legislation, experts on child abuse believe the move will serve as a chance for society to think about what is the appropriate way of disciplining children.


Weather agency warns of heatstroke as temperature rises above 30 C in some parts of nation

Abstract: Temperatures rose across Japan on Saturday to highs usually not seen until the height of summer, prompting the weather agency to issue heatstroke warnings. The city of Taketa, in Oita Prefecture, marked 35.0 C, the hottest in the country so far this year, while central Tokyo, Nagoya and the cities ofOsaka and Fukuoka all saw the mercury rise above 30.0 C. Other cities including Yamaguchi and Matsuyama marked record-high temperatures for the month of May. As of 1:15 p.m., the Meteorological Agency warned the public to be wary of heatstroke in eight prefectures, including Fukushima and Hiroshima. More than 95,000 people were taken by ambulance to hospitals to be treated for heatstroke between May and September last year, a record-high amid a heat wave so severe that it was designated a natural disaster by the government.


News outlets debate the ethics behind prenatal testing

Abstract: Last month, the Diet enacted legislation to pay ¥3.2 million to each person who was sterilized as part of the Eugenic Protection Law passed in 1948. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also said he will apologize to the roughly 25,000 victims on behalf of the state. Many of them feel the amount of money is insufficient — lawsuits demanding more are ongoing — and that the apology is too little too late. The wording of the compensation bill is also problematic, since it isn’t specific about the government’s responsibility. The victims’ ire seems justified in that the government has dragged its feet over the sterilization issue for more than 20 years, prompting some people to believe that the authorities are not really sorry for having subjected to sterilization people deemed “inferior” by reason of intellectual disability, mental illness or hereditary disorder. Even after the eugenics legislation was changed in 1996, the government defended its actions by saying that sterilizations were conducted in accordance with the law. Coincidentally, news outlets are now debating the ethics of a prenatal testing method that is easier to carry out than prior methods. In the past, pregnant women who wanted to find out whether there were any health or genetic problems with their fetuses had to undergo amniocentesis, which is inherently risky for both the baby and the mother. The newer method, introduced in Japan in 2013, is a blood test that comes with little risk. In March, the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) decided to allow doctors with private practices to conduct the blood tests. So far, only certain hospitals were authorized to administer them. In a sense, the JSOG is facing up to reality since many women were already receiving the blood test at unauthorized clinics. By expanding permission, the JSOG is hoping to also expand counseling for women who undergo the test. According to data provided by authorized hospitals, as many as 90 percent of women who test positive for chromosome abnormalities choose to abort their fetuses. Shiro Namekata attempted to explain the matter in the Asahi Shimbun on April 14, saying that journalists who attended a Japan Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists media symposium last year were taken aback by the reported abortion rate. The tests were positive for three genetic abnormalities — trisomy 13, 18 or 21, which describe an extra chromosome on the DNA strand. Children with trisomy 13 and 18 often die not long after they are born. Children with trisomy 21 are born with Down syndrome, and nowadays many can live fairly normal lives into their 60s thanks to medical advances and improved living environments. Professor Akihiko Sekizawa of Showa University told Namekata that parents whose children test positive for trisomy 13 or 18 may allow them to be born thinking they will “make an effort” so that the children can “complete their lives.” According to Namekata, since children with Down syndrome can live much longer, parents of trisomy 21 babies more likely choose abortion, worrying that it could be difficult to take care of their children when they are older. An April 15 news report on Abema TV looked at several couples who ended up with positive test results. One mother said she had decided beforehand that she would give birth regardless of the results. However, her husband wanted to terminate the pregnancy after the results were positive for Down syndrome. In such cases, amniocentesis is carried out to confirm the results, meaning more time is needed. In this couple’s case, the final results came back in the 19th week of pregnancy. In Japan, abortions can only be carried out until the 22nd week, so the couple had to decide right away and the wife managed to change her partner’s mind. Another couple profiled chose to abort their fetus after it tested positive for Down syndrome and the wife, at least, has since had misgivings. Another couple who went through a similar process ended up getting a divorce, with the wife saying that she couldn’t live with her husband after he displayed unalloyed relief when the fetus was cremated. The report raised a question commonly asked in media coverage: Is the relative convenience of the prenatal blood test increasing the abortion rate? It’s a claim that’s difficult to prove given that abortion is basically illegal in Japan and can only be carried out for reasons having to do with the mother’s health or economic circumstances. Nevertheless, it gives rise to a corollary question: Are doctors recommending the blood test, which is not covered by health insurance, unnecessarily? Perhaps a more significant question is how far has society progressed from the idea that people with disabilities are an insupportabl burden. A documentary that opened earlier this year, “ Michikusa ,” showed how people with severe mental disabilities could live on their own if the social environment was accepting. This idea was one of the subtexts of a biweekly column by pediatric surgeon Tadashi Matsunaga in the Yomiuri Shimbun that ended in April. Looking back on the column in a recent interview , Matsunaga discussed babies with disabilities and the decisions their parents made. He was intrigued and sometimes dismayed by the public reaction eto his writing. Many people are negative about allowing children with disabilities into the world. They say that in nature these children would not survive, and spending tax money to support them is a drain on resources. Facilities unauthorized to administer the blood test tend to offer it more cheaply, which is why there is usually no counseling involved. The decision to abort a child that could be born with a disability is a personal one, but Matsunaga’s remark suggests there has not been enough public discussion of the matter. “A disability doesn’t mean the person is inferior or necessarily unable to do something,” Matsunaga says . “It just indicates that there are social barriers in place for this person. Disabilities are a nondisabled person’s issue, and knowing that is the first step toward understanding.”

prenatal testing
obstetrics
gynecology
pregnancy


Fatal traffic mishaps put drivers in the media spotlight

Abstract: “Heartbreaking accidents have continued to occur although measures have been taken,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said ruefully at a meeting of government officials on May 21. Specifically, Abe was referring to two recent traffic incidents that occurred less than three weeks apart. He hopes someone can find a way to prevent similar incidents from occurring. On April 19, an 87-year-old driver shot through a red light at an intersection near Tokyo’s Ikebukuro Station and ran down 11 people as dozens of eyewitnesses looked on. The accident proved fatal for a 31-year-old woman on a bicycle and her 3-year-old daughter. Eight others suffered various degrees of injuries. The driver, a high-ranking official who had retired from the former International Trade and Industry Ministry, was also hospitalized for about one month with several fractures. On May 8 in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, meanwhile, two toddlers died when two cars collided at an intersection and one careened into a group of nursery school children walking along the roadside. Another dozen were injured. Both drivers were arrested. While the Shiga accident involved two middle-aged drivers, it’s been elderly motorists who have been taking the brunt of media brickbats. According to National Police Agency figures, at the end of 2018 the number of licensed drivers who were older than 75 numbered 5.63 million. Statistically the number of those age 75 or older involved in a fatal accident, based on every 100,000 license holders, was 8.2 cases, as opposed to 3.4 for younger drivers. According to Weekly Playboy (June 3), the most common type of accidents involving elderly drivers is head-on collisions, particularly at intersections that lack traffic signals and when making right turns across oncoming traffic. “One of the first functions to deteriorate with age is vision,” says veteran driving instructor Takayuki Saito. “I was assigned to teach older people and noticed their judgment of distances and depth perception tends to worsen. On level streets, they have problems with timing when turning right or merging into a major street, making accidents more likely.” As for accidents involving so-called pedal misapplication, the Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis found such accidents total from 5,000 to 7,000 per year. Among drivers above age 75, the rate is between two to five times higher than for other age groups. “The functions of legs decline with age, so a driver might think they’re pressing the brake pedal, unaware their foot is still on the accelerator,” Saito says. “Drivers who confuse the accelerator and brake pedals suddenly find their vehicle shooting forward and they panic. There have been numerous cases of people testifying to this.” Another problem involving elderly drivers is dementia. In 2017, according to NPA statistics, of 1.73 million elderly drivers who were tested when renewing their license, 46,991 (approximately 3 percent) were judged to be in Category 1, suggesting the possibility of dementia. Of these, 1,351 were later so diagnosed by a physician. However, obtaining a clean bill of health from a physician is not as difficult a matter as it might seem. “Under existing legislation, even an ear-nose-throat specialist or plastic surgeon can issue a statement attesting to mental competence,” a dementia specialist was quoted as saying. “And there’s nothing to prevent drivers from going to another hospital until they get the desired diagnosis.” Shukan Bunshun (May 23) published a five-page article titled “20 rules for elderly drivers” that included such warning signs as increased problems in getting into the garage or when parking, forgetting to signal for turns, or a driver becoming irritable when a passenger starts a conversation while the car is in motion. The magazine also urged elderly drivers to consider the cost of car ownership vis-a-vis taking taxis. For the former, estimated costs for fuel, parking, maintenance and safety inspection, insurance and taxes came to ¥40,475 per month. If taking a taxi a total of 48 times — broken down as 30 short trips, 16 medium trips and two longer trips of 14 kilometers — came to a total of ¥35,040 in fares, representing a saving of more than ¥5,000. “In reaction to the Ikebukuro accident, seniors in Tokyo are being pressured to give up their licenses,” a reporter for a nationally circulated daily tells Shukan Taishu (June 3). “And following the accident in Otsu, more voices have been raised about reconsidering the road environment. It’s certain that awareness toward traffic safety has increased.” Apparently enforcement of traffic rules in Japan is not uniform. For instance, Ehime and Ibaraki prefectures do less to discourage cars from turning right when a vehicle is approaching from the opposite direction — a practice that often startles visiting tourists. Okayama is lax about requiring use of turn signals when changing traffic lanes and Tokushima is said to be notorious for treating an amber light as a sign to zip ahead rather than slow down. Worst of all, notes Shukan Taishu, are Nagoya drivers, reflected in the fact that Aichi Prefecture led the nation in both number of accidents (35,358) and traffic violations (37,594) in 2018. The propagation of autonomous vehicles, hopefully, will resolve safety issues for drivers of all ages. Unfortunately their introduction is still years away. In the meantime, Friday (May 31) reviewed five options being offered to enhance driver and pedestrian safety. Naruse Machinery Co., Ltd. in Kumamoto is pushing its “one pedal,” which ingeniously combines brake and accelerator into a single unit. Obviously, this will prevent drivers from hitting the wrong pedal — since there’s only one. Subaru and Volvo have developed external air bags at the front of the vehicles designed to protect pedestrians. Accessory retailer Autovacs offers a “doze-off watcher,” using an infrared camera to monitor eye movements and issuing an alarm if it detects signs of drowsiness. Already used by some railways, a driver response system — somewhat ominously nicknamed “dead man’s switch” — monitors a driver’s face and heartbeat, and can automatically force a car onto the road’s shoulder. Finally, certain Toyota, Subaru and Daihatsu models offer “smart assist” that has been designed to warn drivers of an impending collision.

ikebukuro
shiga
elderly drivers
traffic accidents


Susaki mascot Chiitan runs afoul of Twitter's social media rules

Abstract: Chiitan the otter was riding high this spring. After becoming one of the most popular characters in the country thanks to its chaotic online behavior, Chiitan started appearing everywhere in the media. Chiitan’s star dimmed somewhat after the city of Susaki, Kochi Prefecture, attempted to distance itself from the independent mascot, but this only gave Chiitan further encouragement. HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” featured the otter in one segment , crescendoing with the debut of the host’s own interpretation of the character. Suddenly, a whole new demographic knew about the otter. Then everything took a turn. Twitter last week suspended Chiitan’s Japanese account @love2chiitan alongside a variety of handles in other countries. Chiitan’s English-language account @ogecebel immediately attempted to rally support by using memes, but it didn’t take long before its account was also suspended. Thus began an ongoing saga that combines many elements of modern online life into an incident centered around a giant otter prone to shenanigans . The furor touches on fandom in the digital age, conflicting information and the rules of social media that users typically don’t think too much about. Chiitan wasn’t alone in seeing its Twitter presence iced. Twitter appears to have started suspending accounts operated by a handful of entertainers on May 14, including members of the idol pop group Kamen Joshi and virtual YouTuber Kagura Mea. Interested parties looked closer and noticed that many of these handles had lost a huge number of followers after Twitter removed fake accounts, the type of creations made for those purchasing followers. Chiitan quickly became caught up in this. One person who spoke to domestic media outlets on condition of anonymity claimed the Chiitan account had bought followers, but a spokesperson from Kleeblatt, Chiitan’s management company, denied that allegation . Another spokesperson from Kleeblatt separately told The Japan Times the agency had no idea a suspension was in the works and that it was trying to work something out with Twitter in an attempt to resolve the situation. “We only want them to cancel the suspension, so we’ll keep asking,” the spokesperson said. Nevertheless, people are still trying to work out why Chiitan’s account was suspended in the first place. Some have claimed Susaki is responsible for the account being suspended (a claim the city itself rejected in an article by The New York Times — yes, The New York Times covered this issue as well). Mondo Mascots founder Chris Carlier suggested that concerned parents might be behind the move, while others believed TV host Oliver might have initiated the action as part of their “feud.” Risa Nakanishi, head of policy communications at Twitter Japan, says the company does not comment on individual accounts due to privacy and security considerations. However, an inside source familiar with the matter said the Chiitan account had accrued multiple violations of Twitter’s spam rules . The specific violations weren’t disclosed. Whatever the reason, Chiitan fans have vigorously jumped to the defense of the otter. A petition on change.org titled “Bring Chiitan Back to Twitter” gained some traction, although such online petitions rarely result in change . Myriad tweets expressed shock at the suspension or took the opportunity to criticize Twitter’s priorities at a time when many individuals with extreme nationalist and racist views can be found on the platform. One has to wonder why Kamen Joshi fans haven’t been quite so vocal? It’s a messy situation that shows how difficult it can be to regulate social media. Chiitan’s case, however, might just reach a happy conclusion. Several days after this started, a new official Japanese-language account launched , and hope remains that other suspended accounts can return. It’s probably a good idea for Chiitan to double-check Twitter’s policies before the otter gets distracted by such things as pummeling a punching bag, falling off a pogo stick, failing to keep up with a running machine or losing control of a bicycle while trying to fire an arrow from a bow.

mascots
chiitan
twitter
social media
japan pulse


Japanese police arrest 15 men over suspected large-scale phone scam in Thailand

Abstract: Japanese police have arrested 15 suspects transported from Bangkok in connection with a large-scale phone scam involving what is believed to be hundreds victims. The 15 Japanese men in their 20s to 50s arrested Friday are suspected of having called people across Japan from a rented luxury house in the Thai beach resort city of Pattaya. The callers are believed to have told the victims they had failed to pay subscription fees for a website. They are suspected of swindling more than 200 people out of over ¥200 million in total Three suspects have been identified as Yasutaka Toyama, 54, Ryu Iwamoto, 23, and Seiji Ikehara, 33. Tokyo police have found that ¥70 million was fraudulently obtained by the group in at least 80 cases between January and March, they said. Authorities also believe there are more suspects who instructed the 15 men to make phone calls. The 15 were arrested as they attempted to board flights to Japan for allegedly scamming a Fukui Prefecture woman in her 50s, by sending her a phony email in late March that alleged she had failed to pay website subscription fees. The woman purchased electronic gift certificates worth some ¥300,000 in line with the group’s instructions after responding to the email over the phone, according to the police. The person who spoke to her pretended to be a customer service representative with a major online retailer, the police said. The suspects were transported on two flights, which arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda and Narita airports, respectively, Friday afternoon. Japanese investigators arrived in Thailand on Wednesday to take custody of the suspects from Thai authorities. Thai police arrested the 15 men in March on suspicion of working illegally in the country. In a search of the house they were staying in, authorities seized some 50 phones that use voice over internet protocol, a method of transmitting sound data over the internet, as well as a scammer’s handbook on specific procedures used to trick people.


Nissan to cancel plans to make X-Trail SUV in U.K. with less than two months before scheduled EU exit: Sky News

Abstract: LONDON - Nissan Motor Co. is canceling plans to make the next model of its X-Trail sports utility vehicle in Britain, less than two months before the country is due to leave the European Union, broadcaster Sky News said Saturday. Nissan first said four months after Britain voted in June 2016 to leave the EU that it would manufacture a new model of the SUV in Britain, which was seen as a major vote of confidence in the country’s manufacturing future. The main production plant for the current X-Trail is in Japan, while Nissan’s plant in Sunderland, northeast England, makes the smaller Qashqai SUV and other models. “Precise details of Nissan’s impending announcement were unclear this weekend, but sources said it was likely to initially involve abandoning the X-Trail production plans which had been announced in the autumn of 2016,” Sky reported. A U.K.-based spokesman for Nissan declined to comment. Local Member of Parliament Bridget Phillipson tweeted that the reports “represent deeply troubling news for the north east economy — So many jobs and livelihoods depend on Nissan’s success.” The car giant is a major employer in the region, a former industrial powerhouse that has suffered decades of economic decline, and which voted heavily in favor of Brexit. Sky said the announcement due Monday is not expected to lead to immediate job losses at the Sunderland plant, as the X-Trail is not currently made there, but will raise doubts about further Nissan investment in Britain. As well as the X-Trail, Nissan said in 2016 it would build the next generation Qashqai SUV in Britain after receiving government assurances over Brexit, in what was seen at the time as a boost for Prime Minister Theresa May. However, the failure of Britain’s government so far to negotiate a smooth exit plan from the EU has made car manufacturers less willing to use Britain as a European manufacturing center. Investment in Britain’s car industry halved last year, data showed Thursday, and car production by Nissan in Britain fell by more than 10 percent. Industry body the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said leaving the EU on March 29 without a transition deal to preserve the smooth flow of parts and finished vehicles across EU borders will cause “permanent devastation” to the British car industry.

nissan
sunderland
brexit
u.k .
carmakers