Dollar firms to above ¥108.60 in late Tokyo trading

Abstract: The dollar was firmer above ¥108.60 in Tokyo trading late Tuesday, supported by higher Japanese and Chinese stock prices. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥108.65-65, up from ¥108.33-33 at the same time Friday. The euro was at $1.1469-1470, down from $1.1525-1526, and at ¥124.62-63, down from ¥124.86-86. The Tokyo market was closed Monday for a national holiday. After moving around ¥108.10-20 in early trading, the dollar gradually firmed and rose above ¥108.50 around noon thanks to buybacks induced by the Nikkei 225’s upturn to positive territory, as well as real demand-backed purchases, traders said. The greenback hovered above ¥108.70 in afternoon trading in line with a rise in Chinese stock prices before falling back below the threshold in late trading. Risk appetite increased after hope for measures by Chinese authorities to boost the economy pushed up Chinese stock prices, a currency broker said. An official of a bank-affiliated securities firm said market players “want to assess scenarios after the (possible) rejection” by Britain’s parliament of the Brexit agreement negotiated with the European Union in a vote to be held later Tuesday. A rejection of the deal has been factored into the market, traders said.


Tokyo court denies Carlos Ghosn bail again, leaving Renault chief to languish as prosecutors build case

Abstract: Carlos Ghosn’s latest bail application was rejected Tuesday by the Tokyo District Court, extending his detention and helping prosecutors build their case against the fallen car titan who has already been behind bars for almost two months. Ghosn’s lawyers submitted the bail application last week after the executive was indicted for a second count of financial misconduct accusations. The rejection is a win for the prosecutors who want to keep questioning Ghosn as they continue to build their case ahead of an eventual trial. The ousted Nissan Motor Co. chairman has been indicted for understating his income by billions of yen and for breach of trust by acts including passing on trading losses to the carmaker. The arrest of the high-flying executive on Nov. 19 at Tokyo’s Haneda airport has rocked the world’s biggest auto alliance, raising questions over whether the two-decade partnership between Nissan and French partner Renault SA will survive his downfall. While Nissan dismissed Ghosn as chairman shortly after his arrest, Renault has retained him as chairman and chief executive officer, saying it needs evidence of his wrongdoing. The time behind bars has already taken its toll on Ghosn. He appeared in public for the first time on Jan. 8 looking gray and gaunt, and was led into a courtroom handcuffed and with a rope tied around his waist. Ghosn’s wife, Carole, painted a glum picture of her husband’s state, saying she’s fearful for his health and that he’s been denied access to his family since his arrest. It’s not uncommon in Japan for suspects to endure lengthy pretrial detentions. Suspects are often re-arrested on suspicion of new charges periodically to keep them in custody while prosecutors attempt to build a case, and bail is the exception more than the rule. Legal experts say this is all a strategy to secure a confession and make a trial easier. In Ghosn’s case, the judge at the Jan. 8 session said his continued detention was due to flight risk and the risk of witness or evidence tampering. Early last week, Ghosn’s lawyers said their client might remain behind bars until a trial begins, which may not happen for another six months. Prosecutors said Friday that Ghosn’s detention could last for another two months. Ghosn holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian passports and his children live in the U.S. His wife said that her husband is living in “harsh” conditions and enduring “unfair treatment,” and that authorities have not let the family speak with medical personnel at the detention center. He’s lost almost 7 kilograms, she said. In his court appearance, Ghosn gave a forceful rebuttal to the allegations against him, saying he has been wrongfully accused, is innocent and the accusations are meritless. An indictment in Japan allows prosecutors to lay formal charges, a step that takes them close to trial. Since Ghosn’s initial arrest, prosecutors have repeatedly extended his detention and re-arrested him over new allegations. The prosecutors have faced criticism for a lack of clarity and communication on how they are handling the case, with Ghosn held in detention without charge for longer than would be permitted in the U.K. for a suspected terrorist. If Ghosn is granted bail, his movements would likely be restricted to his home or a hotel, and he would need permission from the court to leave the country, legal experts have said. If proven, each of Ghosn’s alleged offenses may carry a sentence of as much as 10 years, prosecutors have said. Nissan has also accused Ghosn of misusing company funds, including over homes in Brazil and Lebanon, and hiring his sister on an advisory contract. The prosecutors haven’t officially charged him over these allegations. In court, Ghosn said his actions were backed by managers inside the company as well as external lawyers. For example, his retirement payments were reviewed by legal experts inside Nissan as well as independent lawyers, and showed no intention of breaking the law. Another accusation — that he rolled personal investment losses onto Nissan — came to no cost to the company, Ghosn said. All told, Ghosn said he always acted with integrity and had never been accused of any wrongdoing in his professional career. Ghosn has been widely credited with saving Nissan from failure in the late 1990s and bringing it together with Renault. His arrest came after a monthslong investigation by Nissan into his conduct, a probe that was largely kept from its French partner. That lack of transparency and concern that Nissan will use Ghosn’s absence to push for more power within the alliance has heightened tensions between the two automakers. Nissan’s board removed Ghosn from the post of chairman on Nov. 22. Renault, which is the biggest shareholder in Nissan, has refrained from removing Ghosn, instead appointing interim replacements. Renault’s most powerful shareholder, the French state, says Ghosn is presumed innocent until proven guilty and has demanded Nissan share the evidence it’s collated against him. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa said Renault should reach the same conclusion as the Japanese automaker and oust Ghosn if and when it gains access to all the relevant information, according to an interview with the French newspaper Les Echos published Monday.

courts
carlos ghosn
renault
nissan
scandals


ANA considers debuting its first direct flights to Russia in 2020

Abstract: ANA Holdings Inc. is considering launching its first direct flights to Russia as early as 2020 as part of its business strategy to expand overseas services, a source close to the matter said Tuesday. ANA Holdings, the parent of All Nippon Airways Co., aims to start daily flights to Moscow and another daily service to Vladivostok from the Tokyo area in spring next year, as Japan and Russia deepen economic cooperation, the source said. ANA is in the process of boosting its number of international flights under its medium-term business plan and will open a route linking Tokyo’s Haneda airport with Vienna in February and flights between Perth in Western Australia and Narita airport, near the capital, in September.


Google Japan failed to report ¥3.5 billion in income, tax officials determine

Abstract: Tokyo tax authorities have found that Google Japan failed to declare about ¥3.5 billion in income for 2015, a source close to the matter said Tuesday. The authorities are believed to have determined that the Japan unit of the American tech giant reduced its income by shifting locally derived ad revenue to Google’s branch in Singapore, where tax rates are lower. The Japanese unit has already paid back taxes and penalties amounting to some ¥1 billion, the source said. Although the unit sold advertising and offered consulting services domestically, payments by its clients were allegedly made to the Singapore entity. The Japan unit received remunerations equal to its total business expenses plus an 8 percent commission from the Singapore office, according to the source. The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau pointed out that the company’s remunerations failed to match the ad revenue, the source said. The alleged understatement of income at the Google unit came amid growing concerns that multinational tech giants including Apple Inc. are reducing their tax burdens by transferring profits to countries with lower corporate tax rates. After the tax office highlighted the questionable accounting practices for 2015, Google Japan voluntarily reported an extra ¥6 billion in corporate income for 2016, the source said. Google Japan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Japanese unit was established in 2001 as a stock company but became a limited liability company in 2016, meaning it is not required to release financial earnings reports.


Squid profits squeezed as Japan's catch hits record lows

Abstract: HAKODATE, HOKKAIDO - With the country’s catch of Pacific flying squid continuing to reach record lows, wholesale prices for the seafood have more than doubled for companies that process it into delicacies such as shiokara and what are normally inexpensive dried squid snacks. Not only has the scarcity in waters around Japan taken a bite out of profits, but the situation has grown dire as prices of foreign squid products have also skyrocketed because of a global slump in squid catches. For the time being, researchers predict difficulty in securing a recovery in seafood resources and a continued escalation in prices. “There’s no squid,” lamented 69-year-old Toyoji Sato of Hakodate, Hokkaido, who has been fishing squid for more than 50 years. “This is the first time I’ve ended fishing this early. Fuel costs are also high, so if I take my boat out I just sink deeper into debt.” In Hakodate, well-known as a “squid town,” Pacific flying squid are normally caught from June through January the following year. But according to the Hakodate Fisheries Cooperative Association, this season as many as 90 percent of about 20 small squid fishing vessels have stayed in port since mid-October. In 2017, the catch of Pacific flying squid was 61,000 tons, or 13 percent less than the previous year and less than 30 percent of the squid catch from 10 years earlier. In fact, it was the first time since 1956 that an all-time low was recorded for two consecutive years. In 2018 it was more of the same, with the pace falling below that of the previous year through the end of October. The average price of Pacific flying squid nationwide was once around ¥200 per kilogram, but since 2016 it has risen to more than ¥600. According to the National Cooperative Association of Squid Processors, a report from union members will be issued stating that the cost of squid procured from overseas has more than doubled from the average year. Along with the worldwide slump in squid catches, experts point to overfishing by South Korean and Chinese boats, as well as fears of illegal operations by North Korean vessels in Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan. Yotchan Foods Co., a company based in Chuo, Yamanashi Prefecture, famous for producing dagashi cheap candies and snack food, had an effective price hike of its Cut Yotchan squid snack after changing its packaging to a uniform size last June — resulting in real price increases of 11 to 38 percent. Because of ballooning squid wholesale prices, the company has also done away with offering a free package to consumers who draw a prize from inside the bag. In Hakodate alone, there are as many as 70 seafood processing companies. But many of them are small and medium-size enterprises, some of which are betting their fortunes on changing to fish products other than squid to stay afloat. Mikiya, known for its shredded squid snack delicacies, had relied on products from its base in Hakodate but now must procure 20 to 50 percent of its squid from outside Japan, such as shortfin squid from Argentina. Indeed, in order to survive, companies like Mikiya are developing new products such as stingray fin jerky. But according to Tokyo Shoko Research Ltd., which conducts market research for businesses in Japan, about 70 percent of seafood processing companies in Hakodate are currently operating in the red. Shiokara, a Japanese cuisine consisting of salted, semi-fermented squid guts, is considered one of the chinmi (delicacies) of Japan. “Chinmi are seen as luxury items now, and if the prices go up any further they won’t sell,” said one executive of a seafood processing company. “There is a limit to price pass-through (to consumers). Nowadays making shiokara is like running a charity.” Yasunori Sakurai, a professor emeritus of Hokkaido University who specializes in cephalopods, says in recent years incubations have not gone well in the East China Sea, which is a spawning ground for Pacific flying squid. Colder than average temperatures there mean that fewer eggs are surviving in winter. “Because each year we see a drop in the resources of adult squids the poor catch looks like it will only continue,” he said.


At least two killed, 40 rounded up in new gay purge in Chechnya: report

Abstract: MOSCOW - The Russian republic of Chechnya has launched a new crackdown on gays in which at least two people have died and about 40 people have been detained, LGBT activists in Russia charged Monday. The new allegations come after reports in 2017 of more than 100 gay men arrested and subjected to torture, and some of them killed, in the predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia. The Associated Press and other media outlets have interviewed some of the victims, who spoke about torture at the hands of Chechen law enforcement officers. Chechen authorities have denied those accusations, and federal authorities conducted a probe into the earlier reports but said they found nothing to support the charges. Alvi Karimov, a spokesman for Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, told the Interfax news agency on Monday that the latest reports are “complete lies and don’t have an ounce of truth in them.” Karimov insisted that no one has been detained in Chechnya on suspicion of being gay. But the Russian LGBT Network, which has been monitoring the situation in Chechnya and helping victims, said in a statement Monday that about 40 men and women have been detained on suspicion of being gay since December and that at least two of them have died of torture in detention. The detainees are believed held at the same facility that was named in the 2017 reports. The crackdown was first reported Friday but the activists didn’t release full details at the time. “Widespread detentions, torture and killings of gay people have resumed in Chechnya,” said Igor Kochetkov, program director at the Russian LGBT Network. “Persecution of men and women suspected of being gay never stopped. It’s only that its scale has been changing.” Kochetkov said the new wave of anti-gay persecution started at the end of the year when Chechen authorities detained the administrator of a social media group popular with LGBT people in the North Caucasus. Kochetkov said the mass detentions began after the authorities got hold of contacts on his phone. LGBT activists in 2017 helped to evacuate around 150 gay men from Chechnya to help them restart their lives elsewhere in Russia. Many of them have sought asylum and resettled abroad. Russian authorities have strenuously denied that killings and torture took place in the predominantly Muslim region where homosexuality is taboo, even after one man came forward to talk about the time he spent in detention in Chechnya. Maxim Lapunov said he was detained by unidentified people on a street in the Chechen capital, Grozny, in 2017 and kept in custody for two weeks, where he was repeatedly beaten. He was let go after he signed a statement acknowledging that he was gay and was told he would be killed if he talked about his time in detention. Lapunov, who is not an ethnic Chechen and is from Siberia, was the first to file a complaint with Russian authorities over the wave of arrests of gay people. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe last month called on Russia to investigate the reports and cited Lapunov’s case specifically. Kadyrov and his government in Chechnya have been accused of widespread human rights abuses against many dissidents, not just gay men.


Czech court jails man who staged train attacks to stoke resistance to Muslim immigrants

Abstract: PRAGUE - A Czech court has jailed a 71-year-old man for causing two passenger trains to derail in 2017 and attempting to blame Muslim immigrants, local media reported on Monday. The Central Bohemian court sentenced Jaromir Balda to four years in jail and ordered him to undergo psychiatric treatment, according to video on news website www.aktualne.cz . Balda felled trees onto railway lines north of Prague causing two trains to derail. No-one was hurt. He left behind leaflets in Arabic reading Allahu akbar , which means “God is greatest” in Arabic. Balda said he had aimed to stoke public resistance to accepting migrants, media reported. He was the first man to be convicted under Czech terrorism laws, according to state attorney Martin Bily. There has been no significant growth in the number of asylum seekers entering the Czech Republic despite a sharp rise in immigration to Europe in 2015 that raised public debate over accepting migrants from the Middle East and north Africa. The Czech Republic has rejected attempts by fellow EU countries to force member states to accept a quota system for the relocation of migrants and refugees. Judge Jiri Wazik said Balda had been manipulated by public figures who preyed on people’s gullibility and fear. “The defendant is in a way a victim of this manipulation, however that does not mean he is not criminally and humanly responsible for his actions. Perhaps he should have realized that hate breeds more hate,” the judge said in the video footage. Czech media said Balda had made donations to the far-right, anti-Islam SPD party. The party condemned Balda’s actions on its website. Balda and the state attorney can appeal the verdict.

train
muslims
immigration
prague
jaromir balda
terrorism
czech republic
sabotage


Desalination plants producing 50% more toxic waste than clean water, study shows

Abstract: PARIS - More than 16,000 desalination plants scattered across the globe produce far more toxic sludge than fresh water, according to a first global assessment of the sector’s industrial waste, published Monday. For every liter of fresh water extracted from the sea or brackish waterways, a liter-and-a-half of salty slurry, called brine, is dumped directly back into the ocean or the ground. The super-salty substance is made even more toxic by the chemicals used in the desalination process, researchers reported in the journal Science of the Total Environment. Copper and chlorine, for example, are both commonly used. The amount of brine produced worldwide every year — more than 50 billion cu. meters — is enough to cover the state of Florida, or England and Wales combined, in a 30-cm (1-foot) layer of salty slime, they calculated. “The world produces less desalinated water than brine,” co-author Manzoor Qadir, a scientist at the Institute for Water, Environment and Health at United Nations University in Ontario, Canada, told AFP. “Almost all the brine goes back into the environment, mostly in the ocean.” All that extra salt raises the temperature of coastal waters, and decreases the level of oxygen, which can create “dead zones. “It is difficult for aquatic organisms to breathe in these conditions — they need O2 to survive,” said Qadir. More than half of the brine comes from only four countries: Saudi Arabia (22 percent), United Arab Emirates (20.2 percent), Kuwait (6 percent) and Qatar (5.8 percent). North Africa, the Middle East, and water-starved small island states in the Pacific and elsewhere also rely heavily on desalination to provide safe drinking water, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of consumption. The rest is used in industry, as a coolant in energy production, and in agriculture. Around 1 in 4 people live in regions where water resources are insufficient during part of the year, and half-a-billion experience water scarcity year round, according to the United Nations. Since 2015, the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risk Report has consistently ranked “water crises” as among the global threats — above natural disasters, mass migration and cyberattacks. Water scarcity is caused by many things, starting with a global population closing in on 8 billion. Major rivers no longer reach the sea, aquifers are being sucked dry, and pollution is tainting water above ground and below. With climate change, the situation will get worse. For each degree of global warming, about 7 percent of the world’s population — half-a-billion people — will have 20 percent less freshwater, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). “Desalination technology has benefited a large number of people,” said Qadir. “But we cannot ignore the production of brine, which is going to become an even greater problem in the future.” Industrial-scale technology for removing salt from water has been around since the 1960s. By 1990, there were already 3,000 plants in operation around the globe. On current trends, the sector will see a total of at least 17,500 plants by 2025, Qadir said, noting that one large plant can produce as much fresh water — and brine — as 200 or 300 small ones. More than 90 percent of desalination plants are in wealthy economies. This reflects the fact that the technology remains expensive, especially in energy costs. But it also means that rich nations have the capacity to develop ways to dispose of toxic brine that are less harmful to ocean and land environments, he added. Some pilot projects have even shown that modified brine can boost yields of certain fish species in aquaculture.

desalination plants
water
brine
oceans
pollution
warming
toxins


'Blood moon': Jan. 20-21 total lunar eclipse will be last one until 2022

Abstract: WASHINGTON - People in North and South America, a large part of Europe and Africa may get a glimpse of a total lunar eclipse overnight from Jan. 20 to 21, the last such event until 2022. For those in Europe and Africa, the total eclipse will unfold shortly before sunrise. For those in North and South America, the eclipse can be viewed at the beginning or in the middle of the night. The full moon will be in Earth’s shadow from 03:34 GMT to 06:51 GMT. When the eclipse begins, a shadow will move in from the left, as if taking a bite out of the moon. The total eclipse will last about an hour, beginning at 0441 GMT, according to NASA. During the eclipse, the moon will still be visible, but in a shade of red. That’s why a lunar eclipse is often called a “blood moon.” The red color is due to the same phenomenon that causes sunsets to appear pink, orange or red. “A little bit of sunlight is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere and reaches the moon, bending around the edges of the Earth,” explained Walter Freeman, an assistant teaching professor at Syracuse University’s physics department. “This small amount of red light still illuminates the moon enough for us to see it. Instead of being bright and white, the Moon will be very dim and red, 10,000 or so times dimmer than usual.” Although total lunar eclipses happen, on average, about one to three times per year, after this one there will be a gap of three years until another is visible. “It’s the last chance for a little while to see a total lunar eclipse,” said Bruce Betts, chief scientist at The Planetary Society. The next total eclipse will be visible from Europe on May 16, 2022. Some partial lunar eclipses will happen in the meantime. Total eclipses happen only when the Earth moves precisely between the sun and moon. Cloudy weather can interfere with viewing, but experts say that unlike in the case of a solar eclipse, there is no need for special eyewear to step outside and view a lunar eclipse. That’s because the moon does not produce light of its own, but only reflects the sun’s light. “The moon is never bright enough to hurt our eyes like the Sun is,” said Freeman. “A blood moon is one of the few opportunities we have to see both the moon and the stars in the sky at the same time, since the moon is usually too bright.”


New app gives throat cancer patients their voices back

Abstract: PRAGUE - Vlastimil Gular’s life took an unwelcome turn a year ago: minor surgery on his vocal cords revealed throat cancer, which led to the loss of his larynx — and with it, his voice. But the 51-year-old father of four is still chatting away using his own voice rather than the tinny timbre of a robot, thanks to an innovative app developed by two Czech universities. “I find this very useful,” Gular said, using the app to type in what he wanted to say, in his own voice, via a mobile phone. “I’m not very good at using the voice prosthesis,” he added, pointing at the hole the size of a large coin in his throat. A small silicon device implanted in the throat allows people to speak by pressing the hole with their fingers, to regulate airflow through the prosthesis, and so create sound. But Gular prefers the new hi-tech voice app. It was developed for patients set to lose their voice due to a laryngectomy, or removal of the larynx, which is a typical procedure in the advanced stages of throat cancer. The joint project between the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Prague’s Charles University and two private companies — CertiCon and SpeechTech — kicked off nearly two years ago. The technology uses recordings of a patient’s voice to create synthetic speech that can be played on their mobile phones, tablets or laptops via the app. Ideally, patients need to record more than 10,000 sentences to provide scientists with enough material to produce their synthetic voice. “We edit together individual sounds of speech so we need a lot of sentences,” said Jindrich Matousek, an expert on text-to-speech synthesis, speech modelling and acoustics who heads the project at the Pilsen university. But there are drawbacks: patients facing laryngectomies usually have little time or energy to do the recordings in the wake of a diagnosis that requires swift treatment. “It’s usually a matter of weeks,” said Barbora Repova, a doctor at the Motol University Hospital, working on the project for Charles University. “The patients also have to tackle issues like their economic situation — their lives are turned upside down, and the last thing they want to do is to make the recording,” she said. To address these difficulties, scientists came up with a more streamlined approach for the app, which is supported by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic. Working with fewer sentences — ideally 3,500 but as few as 300 — the revised method uses advanced statistical models such as artificial neural networks. “You use speech models with certain parameters to generate synthesized speech,” said Matousek. “Having more data is still better, but you can achieve decent quality with less data of a given voice.” The sentences are carefully selected and individual sounds have to be recorded several times as they are pronounced differently next to different sounds or at the beginning and end of a word or sentence, he added. So far, the Pilsen university has recorded 10 to 15 patients, according to Matousek. Besides Czech, the Pilsen scientists have also created synthesized speech samples in English, Russian and Slovak. Gular — an upholsterer who lost his job due to his handicap — managed to record 477 sentences over the three weeks between his diagnosis and the operation. But he was stressed and less than satisfied with the quality of his voice. “Throat cancer patients often suffer from some form of dysphonia (hoarseness) before the surgery, so in combination with a limited speech sample it makes the voice sound unnatural,” said Repova. In a studio at the Pilsen university, entrepreneur Jana Huttova is recording outlandish phrases. The 34-year-old mother of three faces the risk of losing her voice to minor throat surgery — an operation on her parathyroid gland. “The Chechens have always preferred a dagger-like Kalashnikov,” she says, reading from the text before her. “I have small kids and I want them to hear my own voice, not a robot,” Huttova said. Then she moved on to her next sentence: “We were attacked by a tyrannosaur’s baby dinosaurs.” Matousek believes that in the future, patients will be able to use the app to record their voice at home using a specialised website to guide them through the process. And he hopes that one day it will go even further. “The ultimate vision is a miniature device connected to the brain, to the nerves linked to speech — then patients could control the device with their thoughts,” he said. This kind of advanced solution is a very long way off, said Repova. “But look at cochlear implants — 40 years ago when they started, we had no idea how it would develop, how widely they would end up being used,” she said, referring to the inner-ear implants used to tackle severe deafness. “A happy end would be a device implanted in the throat that could talk with the patient’s own voice,” she said. “It’s realistic: it may not come in a year or even in 10 years, but it’s realistic and we’re on the way.”


French police pair stand trial for alleged 2014 rape of drunk Canadian tourist at former Paris HQ

Abstract: PARIS - Two French policemen went on trial Monday over the alleged gang-rape of a drunk Canadian tourist in the former headquarters of the Paris police, one of several scandals to roil the force in recent years. The alleged crime took place in April 2014 at the 36 Quai des Orfevres, the celebrated police headquarters that features in the novels of crime writer Georges Simenon and a popular French film of the same name. The tourist, identified as Emily S., now aged 39, met the policemen at an Irish pub near the imposing riverside police building, which sits on an island in the Seine in central Paris. After a long drinking session, the off-duty policemen from an anti-gang brigade accompanied her to their offices. “I had drunk a lot and couldn’t see myself getting back to my hotel in the state I was in, and I thought that by going to a police station I would feel safer there,” Emily told investigators. Her testimony then differs as to what took place over an hour and a half inside the police headquarters, after which Emily reportedly left the building minus her tights and in a state of shock. “Four policemen wearing condoms raped me,” she told investigators the next day when she reported the matter to police. She was unsure, however, whether she was raped by three or four men. Those charged, named as 49-year-old Nicolas R. and 40-year-old Antoine Q., deny the charges. Both admit to sexual relations, but said the woman consented. One policeman’s DNA was found on her underwear and a medical examination found Emily had suffered a traumatic gynacological injury. DNA from a third man was also found on her underwear, but while more than 100 policemen working in the building were tested, investigators failed to identify this suspect. The two accused officers wiped all messages and videos from their mobile phones, but one message found on a colleague’s phone suggested they were engaging in sex. Investigators said medical tests revealed Emily had taken a cocktail of anti-depressant medication, opiates and cannabis on the night of the alleged assault. In 2016, investigative magistrates decided to drop the case, suggesting the young woman’s testimony was confused. But prosecutors later demanded a trial, which is expected to last until Feb. 1. The accused, who have retained their jobs, could face up to 20 years’ imprisonment if found guilty. The allegations in 2014 heaped further scandal on the Paris criminal police, known as the “police judiciaire” in France, which has since moved to a new headquarters in a modern building in northeast Paris. In the same year, 50 kg (110 pounds) of seized cocaine, with an estimated street value of €2 million ($2.2 million) vanished from a secure room in the police headquarters. In 2015, the head of the force, Bernard Petit, was suspended after allegedly leaking sensitive information to another senior police officer who was being investigated over fake documents.


Effects of #MeToo movement expected to continue through U.S. 2020 race

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The #MeToo movement helped sweep Democrats to victory in November’s midterms, but some of the party’s leading lights, including potential 2020 candidates, appear set to face scrutiny from the women’s anti-harassment drive that has brought men to account for sexist behavior. A diverse field of Democrats, potentially including senators Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker, and the notoriously tactile former vice president Joe Biden, will likely enter the race to determine who squares off next year against President Donald Trump. Their campaigns and those of others could either be boosted or tainted by the fight for gender equality in the run up to 2020. “Clearly, it’s going to play a role,” said David Redlawsk, chairman of the political science department at the University of Delaware. “It potentially complicates the primaries to some degree, but we don’t know how much in the end.” It has already complicated the path for Sanders, who apologized Thursday after fresh allegations by women who said they were harassed by fellow campaign members in 2016. The mistreatment allegations “speak to unacceptable behavior that must not be tolerated in any campaign or any workplace,” Sanders said. The #MeToo movement has existed since 2006, but it took on renewed urgency after explosive sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein broke in October 2017. The Hollywood mogul’s career was stopped cold, and the floodgates opened for victims to tell their survival stories. Many men were toppled from their prime perches in entertainment, business and the media. The movement also swept through Washington, ousting Republican congressmen and spurring the departure of two White House staffers. It also cast an unflattering light on the president, whose admissions of harassment on an “Access Hollywood” tape that leaked in 2016 nearly derailed his campaign against Hillary Clinton. Frustration with Trump’s perceived misogyny helped a record number of women, mostly Democrats, get elected to Congress in 2018. But Democrats were not unscathed. Accusations of inappropriate behavior felled Senator Al Franken, who was a potential 2020 contender, and congressman John Conyers. And #MeToo now threatens to dent the aspirations of presidential contenders, as it brings gender equality front and center with the budding 2020 race. Booker has acknowledged he groped a girl while they were teenagers, and that the experience taught him to be a better person. Biden faces renewed focus on how he handled the 1991 hearings in which Anita Hill, a former aide to Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas whom she accused of sexual harassment, testified before an all-male Senate committee. And Biden’s reputation as too touchy-feely could come into play. But Debra Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families, says there should be no “false comparison” between the behavior of these potential candidates, each an advocate for women’s empowerment, and Trump. “Sexual harassment is not something we should tolerate no matter who or where it’s coming from,” Ness said. As for Biden’s handling of the Hill hearings, for which he has expressed regret, it is up to women voters to assess that, she added. “But I do not put Joe Biden in the same category as Donald Trump, by any stretch of the imagination.” When Trump was heard on tape in October 2016 saying powerful men can “do anything” to women including grabbing their genitals, Democrats bridled. But some Republicans accepted Trump’s explanation that it was “locker room banter,” and he survived the crisis. Even in a post-Weinstein world, #MeToo plays differently among Republicans and Democrats. “The dynamics may not have changed that much,” as voters are inclined to defend their party’s candidate, said Kelly Dittmar, a scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics. “Partisanship really is a strong factor in people’s decision.” But #MeToo could boomerang more strongly against Democrats than Republicans, Redlawsk argues. “Democrats take this stuff pretty seriously in general, and so I think Democratic candidates are much more likely to find themselves challenged for prior words or behaviors than Republicans,” he said. The movement could face a backlash. An NPR-Ipsos poll from October showed 43 percent of Americans believe it has gone too far. Three-quarters of those were Republicans, many angered by the weaponization of #MeToo during the Senate confirmation process for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, whom multiple women accused of assault. The long march towards gender equality nevertheless should remain a 2020 priority, stressed Michael Ceraso, Sanders’s 2016 California campaign director. “We have to hold people accountable and protect women from any of this type of behavior, and that’s hard sometimes (in a big campaign) but that shouldn’t be an excuse,” Ceraso said. “If our campaign can’t reflect our goals then what can we offer?”

# metoo
democrats
harassment
donald trump
republicans
elections


Burgers by candlelight: Trump lays out fast food for college football champs and a meme is born

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump laid out a White House feast fit for a government shutdown on Monday: silver platters heaped high with McDonald’s quarter pounders and the red-and-white burger wrappers of Wendy’s. White House chefs normally would serve much fancier fare underneath the stern gaze of the portrait of Abraham Lincoln in the State Dining Room. But they are furloughed, staying home without paychecks as Trump fights with Congress over funding the federal government. The White House said Trump himself sprang for what he pronounced to be “great American food” for the visiting Clemson Tigers, winners of the U.S. college football championship. “We have pizzas, we have 300 hamburgers, many, many french fries, all of our favorite foods,” Trump told reporters, as one White House worker still on the job lit tapered candles. “I want to see what’s here when we leave, because I don’t think it’s going to be much,” Trump said, before the players, dressed in dapper suits, flooded the room and piled their plates high. About a quarter of the federal government has been shut down for the past 24 days after Trump dug in on a campaign pledge to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico, demanding $5.7 billion from Congress for the project. Democrats have rejected his demand. Trump told the players afterward that he did not want to postpone the event until after the shutdown — which is already the longest in history — ended. Images of the fast-food smorgasbord — served with White House china and silverware — quickly made their way to social media, and video showed the sharply dressed players digging in. Some Twitter users used the scene to criticize the president, while others came to his defense. “I love how Lincoln is skeptically surveying tonight’s surreal scene over Trump’s right shoulder. What could he be thinking?” user @AtomicAnalyst wrote. I love how Lincoln is skeptically surveying tonight’s surreal scene over Trump’s right shoulder. What could he be thinking? pic.twitter.com/9HFLXcaWHn — Stephen Schwartz (@AtomicAnalyst) January 15, 2019 “It’s like the Nixon-Elvis photo, except in a universe where Nixon and Elvis have fused into a single organism,” user @kjhealy wrote. It’s like the Nixon-Elvis photo, except in a universe where Nixon and Elvis have fused into a single organism. pic.twitter.com/0tXRJH9xqQ — Kieran Healy (@kjhealy) January 15, 2019 “Trump is seriously serving Wendy’s burgers in the White House tonight. Get ready for the Left to be triggggggered!!!” wrote @jmontemiletto.


U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo walks diplomatic tightrope in Saudi talks over Jamal Khashoggi slaying

Abstract: RIYADH - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo faced a tough balancing act Monday as he pressed Saudi Arabia’s crown prince over critic Jamal Khashoggi’s murder while shoring up strategic ties with Riyadh. The top U.S. diplomat, on an extensive Middle East tour, held talks with King Salman and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that also focused on the conflict in Yemen and countering threats from Iran. Pompeo walked a diplomatic tightrope on his second politically sensitive visit to Saudi Arabia since Khashoggi’s murder as he demanded that all those involved in the crime be held accountable. The king and crown prince “both acknowledge that this accountability needs to take place,” Pompeo said in Riyadh following talks with them. “They reiterated their commitment,” he added. Relations between Riyadh and Washington have remained strained after journalist Khashoggi was murdered on Oct. 2 inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Riyadh said the murder was carried out by “rogue” Saudi agents, but the Central Intelligence Agency reportedly concluded that Prince Mohammed very likely ordered the hit. Pompeo’s meeting with the crown prince lasted around 45 minutes. The U.S. diplomat appeared more reserved than his previous visit at the height of the Khashoggi affair, when his broad smiles with the crown prince outraged many Americans. U.S. President Donald Trump has brushed aside critics to stand by Prince Mohammed, who faces international opprobrium over the killing. Riyadh prosecutors have announced indictments against 11 people and are seeking the death penalty against five of them, but they have exonerated Prince Mohammed. Trump has said Washington wants to preserve the alliance with the oil-rich kingdom, which he sees as a bulwark against common foe Iran and a lucrative buyer of U.S. arms. Furious over the murder, U.S. lawmakers have demanded Washington pull back its support to the Saudi-led military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen. But backing the Saudi position, Pompeo accused the rebels of failing to comply with a truce agreement for the lifeline port city of Hodeida reached last month at U.N.-sponsored talks in Sweden. “The work that was done in Sweden on Yemen was good, but both sides (need) to honor those commitments,” Pompeo said. “Today, the Iranian-backed Houthis have chosen not to do that.” Rights groups called on Pompeo to also press Prince Mohammed over the jailing of women activists in the kingdom, amid claims that some of them faced sexual harassment and torture during interrogation. Pompeo on Monday said he discussed human rights issues with the Saudis, including the plight of women activists, without giving any details. Pompeo was in Riyadh as part of an extensive week-long trip to the Middle East that included stops in Amman, Baghdad, Cairo, Manama, Abu Dhabi and Doha. After Riyadh, Pompeo wrapped up his Middle East tour with a trip to Muscat, but canceled a scheduled visit to Kuwait in order to attend a family funeral at home, U.S. officials said. Pompeo met Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Sunday in Doha, where he refused to comment on reports Washington had recently considered military action against Tehran. He also called on Qatar and other Gulf Arab countries to end their worst political rift in years, which has seen Doha diplomatically and economically isolated by neighboring former allies for the past 19 months. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt — all U.S. allies — cut ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorist groups and seeking closer ties to Saudi arch-rival Iran. Qatar — also a U.S. ally — denies the allegations and accuses the countries of seeking regime change. “As for the GCC … we are all more powerful when we’re working together when we have common challenges in the region and around the world,” Pompeo said, referring to the six member nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council. He added that “President Trump and I both believe the ongoing dispute in the region has gone on too long. Mediation efforts by the United States, which at first appeared to back the boycott of Qatar, have stalled, as highlighted by the recent resignation of U.S. envoy Anthony Zinni. For Washington, turning the page on the crisis is essential for the successful launch of the Strategic Alliance of the Middle East (MESA), a NATO-style security pact that includes Gulf countries as well as Egypt and Jordan.

jamal khashoggi
mike pompeo
saudi arabia
murder
middle east
mohammed bin salman
yemen
donald trump
houthis
qatar


Trump's pick for attorney general to face questions on criticism of Russia probe

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William Barr, will likely have to explain his past criticism of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian election meddling at his Senate confirmation hearing starting on Tuesday. Senators were expected to seek assurances that he will protect Mueller’s inquiry — a frequent target for criticism by Trump and his allies — from political attack. Previously attorney general under Republican President George H.W. Bush in the 1990s, Barr was expected to testify under oath that if he becomes the nation’s top law enforcement officer, he will allow Mueller to complete the probe. In advance testimony released ahead of his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Barr said it was “very important” that Mueller be able to finish and that the findings from his inquiry become public. Barr will have to square that promise with an unsolicited, 19-page memo he wrote last year that called Mueller’s probe “fatally misconceived” for examining whether Trump obstructed justice by firing FBI Director James Comey in 2017. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said last week that the memo should disqualify Barr from the job. The Mueller probe, which has been a cloud over the 2-year-old Trump presidency, is focused on Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election in Trump’s favor, any possible collusion between Moscow and Trump’s campaign and any subsequent obstruction of justice that followed. Trump frequently criticizes the probe as a “witch hunt.” Russia has denied U.S. intelligence agencies’ findings that it interfered in the 2016 election. Trump has denied any collusion. In his two-day confirmation hearing, Barr was also expected to face questions about his views on prison sentencing, antitrust enforcement and other issues he would face as head of the Justice Department. But the Mueller probe will likely dominate the committee’s discussion. Barr’s nomination is expected to win approval in the Senate, where he has broad support among Republicans who control the chamber. Barr could also benefit from the fact that some Democrats view him as a better option than the man who currently holds the job, acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker. In the advance testimony, Barr said his memo from last year did not question the legitimacy of the probe as a whole but only expressed concerns that Mueller might be improperly interpreting a law governing obstruction of justice. The memo did not “argue, as some has erroneously suggested, that a president can never obstruct justice,” Barr will say. Mueller has secured indictments against or guilty pleas from 33 people and three Russian companies, including former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort. Some Democrats say the memo from last year underscores Barr’s expansive views of presidential power, which could be important as prosecutors and House of Representatives Democrats intensify investigations of Trump’s personal business practices and his presidency. Democratic Sen. Chris Coons said he planned to ask Barr about “some of his previous actions around executive power and its application to civil liberties.”

russia probe
donald trump
robert mueller
espionage


Belarusian model claiming to have Trump secrets to be deported after Thai trial

Abstract: PATTAYA, THAILAND - A Belarusian model who claimed she had proof of Russian efforts to help Donald Trump win the U.S. presidential election was set to be deported after being convicted Tuesday nearly a year after her arrest in Thailand for participating in a “sex training course.” Anastasia Vashukevich, known by her pen name Nastya Rybka, has been held with several others since a police raid in the sleazy seaside resort city of Pattaya last February. She had traveled to Thailand after becoming embroiled in a political scandal with Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska, a one-time associate of Trump’s disgraced former campaign chief Paul Manafort. She set off a scramble for details after promising to reveal “missing puzzle pieces” regarding claims the Kremlin aided Trump’s 2016 election victory. But the material never surfaced and critics dismissed it as a publicity stunt. The Pattaya Provincial Court convicted her and seven other co-defendants after they suddenly pleaded guilty to multiple charges including solicitation and illegal assembly. “The court found them all guilty of soliciting sex,” said a judge on the panel, handing them three-year sentences and $6,000 fines but reducing the sentences to time served. “The court releases them today,” the judge added. Thai immigration chief Surachate Hakparn said they would be transferred to an immigration detention centre in Bangkok and deported. “The next step, I will coordinate with the Russian government for their deportation, which will likely take one week for all the processes to complete,” Surachate said. “They are blacklisted from Thailand permanently for conducting bad deeds.” The risque seminar was led by self-styled Russian seduction guru Alex Kirillov and some participants wore shirts that said “sex animator” even though one participant at the time described it as more of a romance and relationship course. Kirillov, who has served as a spokesman for the mostly Russian group, told reporters as they arrived at court Tuesday that he believed they were set up. “I think somebody ordered (our arrest) … for money,” he said. Vashukevich and Kirillov had once expressed fear of being deported back to Russia and at one stage called on Washington for help. But Vashukevich later blamed the U.S. for their imprisonment. Both Washington and Moscow publicly had shrugged off Vashukevich’s story, which the U.S. State Department described as “bizarre.” A friend of theirs who has been involved in the case and was at the court said they were “very happy” with the verdict. Vashukevich, who has penned a book about seducing oligarchs, also faces legal problems in Russia. Deripaska won an invasion of privacy lawsuit against her and Kirillov in July after a video apparently filmed by the model showed the tycoon vacationing with an influential Russian deputy prime minister. Kremlin-connected Deripaska and Manafort, Trump’s ex-campaign manager, did business together in the mid-2000s. Manafort has since been convicted in the U.S. of financial crimes related to political work he did in Ukraine before the 2016 election as well as witness tampering. He has also admitted to providing polling data to a Russian with intelligence ties during the 2016 presidential race.

thailand
donald trump
scandals
russia probe


Stephen King steps in to save Maine paper's book reviews

Abstract: NEW YORK - When Stephen King’s local newspaper, under financial pressure, announced it would cut regional book reviews, the horror author swooped in — and managed to save the section with just a few tweets. The story began on Friday, when King shared that The Portland Press Herald, a prominent newspaper in his home state of Maine, would no longer publish locally written reviews of books set in the northeasternmost U.S. state. “Tell the paper DON’T DO THIS,” tweeted the 71-year-old author, a master of horror and fantasy known for such novels as “Carrie” and “The Shining.” “Many of (the writers) depend on those reviews to buy bread and milk,” he added. More than 8,000 fans retweeted the message. In response, the paper challenged King to help raise the funds needed to pay for the reviews — which cost “thousands” of “freelance dollars,” according to executive editor Cliff Schechtman. “If you can get 100 of your followers to buy digital subscriptions to the @PressHerald, we will reinstate the local book reviews immediately,” tweeted the newspaper, which employs some 70 journalists but has fewer than 10,000 subscribers. By Monday, that goal had been met: Schechtman said almost 250 people had signed up, paying $15 for 12 weeks. “Thanks to everybody who subscribed to the Press-Herald. You saved the day. There are countries where the arts are considered vital. Too bad this isn’t one of them,” King said. “The financial pressures are no less, the industry is being hit by tremendous changes and pressures that are very difficult — but in this case it was a good end to this story,” Schechtman said.


Turkish and U.S. leaders consider creating 'security zone' in Syria

Abstract: ANKARA - Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. counterpart Donald Trump mooted Monday the creation of a “security zone” in north Syria as tensions rose over the fate of Kurdish fighters in that country. In a telephone conversation, the leaders “discussed the idea of creating a security zone cleared of terrorism in the north of the country,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement. This came after Turkey vowed it “will not be intimidated” by Trump’s threats of economic devastation if Ankara attacked Kurdish forces as U.S. troops withdraw from Syria. Trump on Sunday warned the U.S. would “devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds.” Ankara has repeatedly threatened to carry out a cross-border operation against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which have been working closely with the United States in the war on Islamic State group jihadis. U.S. support for the YPG has been a major source of friction between the NATO allies. The While House said in a statement that Trump had warned Erdogan against harming Kurdish military units. “The President expressed the desire to work together to address Turkey’s security concerns in northeast Syria while stressing the importance to the United States that Turkey does not mistreat the Kurds and other Syrian Democratic Forces with whom we have fought to defeat ISIS,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said, using another acronym for the Islamic State group. The strained relationship between Ankara and Washington initially seemed to improve after Trump announced last month that 2,000 U.S. troops would withdraw from Syria. Ankara welcomed the decision and Erdogan told Trump that Turkey could finish off the last remnants of IS. Trump has been pushing for the creation of a 30-km (20-mile) “safe zone” in Syria. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Monday talks were underway on Washington’s proposal to establish the zone in flash point border areas of northeast Syria. “We want to make sure that the folks who fought with us to down the (Islamic State group) have security … and also that terrorists acting out of Syria aren’t able to attack Turkey,” Pompeo said on a visit to Riyadh. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier that Turkey was “not against” a “security zone” in Syria. And in their conversation Monday, Erdogan assured Trump that Turkey was ready to provide “any kind of support” to the United States in its withdrawal from Syria. Turkey views the YPG as a “terrorist offshoot” of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984. The PKK is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by Ankara, the United States, and the European Union. Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Ankara would “continue to fight against them all,” referring to IS and the YPG. There has been growing tension between Turkey and the U.S. over the fate of the YPG, especially after Pompeo this month said Washington would ensure Turkey does not “slaughter” Kurds. And before a visit to Ankara last week, White House national security adviser John Bolton said the U.S. retreat was conditional on the safety of Kurdish fighters, provoking angry retorts from Turkish officials. Turkey previously launched military offensives in northern Syria in 2016 and 2018 respectively against IS and the YPG. In early 2018, Syrian rebels backed by Turkish military forces captured the YPG’s northwestern enclave of Afrin. Ankara, which supports Syrian opposition fighters, is also involved in the last rebel bastion of Idlib, where Turkey has agreed a buffer zone deal with Damascus ally Russia. But the deal has not stopped an assault by jihadis in Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an alliance led by jihadis from al-Qaida’s former Syrian affiliate, last week extended its administrative control over the whole of the Idlib region. Syria’s National Coalition, the leading opposition body, on Sunday called for a “radical solution” to put “an end to its (HTS) presence” in Idlib. Cavusoglu however said the Idlib deal was being “successfully applied” and that statements that HTS took 50 percent of Idlib are “not true.”

syria
turkey
recep tayyip erdogan
donald trump
kurds
terrorism
war
isis
u.s .
diplomacy


Kim Jong Un's right-hand man expected to visit Washington for meeting with Pompeo and Trump

Abstract: The right-hand man of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is expected to meet this week with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — and possibly even President Donald Trump — as deadlocked denuclearization talks look to get a fresh injection of momentum. Senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, Pompeo’s counterpart, was heading for Washington on Thursday and Friday for discussions on the agenda and venue for a second meeting between the U.S. and North Korean leaders, multiple South Korean media reports said, citing diplomatic sources. Asked about the prospect of Kim Yong Chol visiting Washington for the second time in less than a year, the U.S. State Department demurred, telling The Japan Times that it did not have any meetings to announce. However, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying Pompeo and Kim Yong Chol could meet this week, while CNN reported that a North Korean delegation could also visit “as soon as this week.” The CNN report, which also cited an unnamed diplomatic source, said plans had not been finalized. It said that ahead of the possible meetings, a letter Trump sent to Kim Jong Un was flown to Pyongyang and hand-delivered over the weekend. Separately, the Chosun Ilbo daily reported the same day that there was a “strong chance” that Kim, a former spy chief and current head of the North’s United Front Department — which oversees relations with South Korea — could meet Trump. Pompeo, who made several trips to Pyongyang last year, had sought to meet his counterpart in November, but those talks were called off at the last minute. Washington and Pyongyang have yet to decide on a time and location for a second Kim-Trump summit but are aiming for early this year, according to U.S. officials. Vietnam has reportedly emerged as a top contender to host the site, but Thailand and Hawaii have also been mentioned as candidates. Pompeo told CBS News on Sunday that the two sides are “working out” the details. Speculation has grown that the White House is seeking to break the nuclear deadlock by backing off its demand for the North’s “final, fully verified denuclearization” and is instead looking into a deal that would at least partially ease crushing sanctions imposed on Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons and missile programs in exchange for a cap on long-range missiles believed capable of striking the United States. According to the Chosun Ilbo report, “the U.S. has been discussing with the [South] Korean government the possibility of a partial easing of sanctions in exchange for North Korea giving up its intercontinental ballistic missiles and freezing its nuclear weapons development.” Officials from both the U.S. and South Korea have suggested that such ideas are interim measures and not an end result. But recent comments by Pompeo about conversations with the North have stoked concern that the Trump administration may be eager to reach a quick deal that focuses on the threat to the U.S. and hands the president a diplomatic win in a time of need. “We’re moving forward in these conversations, lots of ideas about how we might continue to decrease the risk to the American people,” Pompeo said Friday in an interview with Fox News. “Remember … at the end that’s the objective; it’s the security of American people. And so reducing the threat from North Korea, whether that’s by our success to date in stopping their missile testing, stopping their nuclear testing, those are the important elements.” Experts said that any visit by Kim Yong Chol was almost certainly a signal that the two sides were nearing agreement on terms for a second U.S.-North Korea summit that Pyongyang can accept. “Kim wouldn’t come and meet with Pompeo — and possibly Trump — if he thought he was coming to get the short end of the stick,” said Mintaro Oba, a former U.S. State Department official who worked on North Korean issues. “That probably means cosmetic compromises at best but no major substantive concessions on either side, though Kim will probably want to make the case that big steps forward on denuclearization from North Korea are possible but only with some reciprocal measures, particularly sanctions relief, on the U.S. side.” If this week’s visit does come to fruition, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s top priority will be to assure that Japan is closely consulted ahead of a second summit — and to make sure the Japanese public knows it, Oba said. “That might mean Prime Minister Abe will move to secure a phone call with President Trump as soon as possible after a summit announcement is made, perhaps even a U.S. visit,” he added. “But with Abe re-elected as LDP leader this fall, scandals fading away, and U.S.-Japan trade tensions abated for now, a lot of the domestic political pressure that made it so urgent for Abe to seem looped in with Washington on North Korea has gone away.” Regardless, if there is any real prospect of a U.S.-North Korea deal, especially one that would leave Pyongyang still in possession of its arsenal of shorter-range missiles capable of hitting Japan while also sidestepping the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North in the 1970s and 1980s, Tokyo will likely attempt to enter the fray. “Japan doesn’t have a whole lot of leverage here, but the more comprehensive and more serious a deal becomes, the more Japan could matter, because it has a lot of the economic goodies that could serve as part of a major agreement,” Oba said.

kim jong un
north korea
donald trump
kim yong chol
south korea
kim-trump summit
nuclear weapons
u.s .
north korea nuclear crisis
north korea-japan relations


South Korea's top sports body apologizes as athletes disclose a litany of sexual abuse cases

Abstract: SEOUL - The head of South Korea’s top sports body Tuesday apologized for a litany of sexual assault cases between young athletes and their coaches and vowed to impose lifetime bans on offenders. The move comes after double Olympic short track speedskating gold medalist Shim Suk-hee accused her former coach last week of raping and sexually molesting her multiple times, prompting several other victims to come forward. Korean Sport and Olympic Committee President Lee Kee-heung apologized for the “systematic flaw” that failed to prevent repeated misconduct. “I will root out the coaches who try to manipulate the future of our athletes and use their status to commit unfair actions,” Lee said. “I will impose a lifetime ban on sexual offenders and completely block them from local and overseas recruitment,” he added. South Korea is a regional sporting power and is regularly among the top 10 countries by medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics. But in an already intensely competitive society, winning is everything in its sports community — where coaches hold immense sway over athletes’ careers, and physical and verbal abuse are known to be rife. The country also remains socially conservative and female sex crime victims can face public shaming.

south korea
sports
athletes
sexual assault
korean sport and olympic committee
ksoc


Age is just a number for China's growing ranks of senior runway models

Abstract: SHANGHAI - Wearing a bright floral ensemble with her short hair dyed blonde, Chinese model Ma Yinhong struts a Shanghai catwalk with a style and swagger that belie her 56 years. She made her modelling debut just two years ago and is already in demand, working for leading fashion brands such as Dolce & Gabbana. Ma is one of a growing number of older models sought after by Chinese and international labels trying to court the country’s growing faction of “silver spenders.” She seems to embody this target market of older Chinese who are spending more on themselves. “I never go out without dressing up and getting made up. I never let myself look like an old granny,” Ma said at a recent show for Uooyaa, which used a mix of younger Chinese and foreign models, as well as seniors. Once confined largely to life insurance and health care ads, today glamorous Chinese seniors are in demand for high fashion. “They save me as ‘best for last’ in fashion shows after young models, so I am quite visible,” Ma said. By 2050, one in three people in China, or 487 million people, will be over the age of 60 — more than the population of the United States — according to the official Xinhua news agency. This graying population, combined with rising incomes and living standards, means an explosion in consumption by China’s elderly is forecast in coming decades. Once expected to selflessly stay home and mind the grandchildren, seniors — particularly women — have become a coveted market for products like clothing, fashion accessories, cosmetics and travel, according to consumer research firm Mintel. Portraying older models in active, youthful lifestyles sells well in a culture with a strong tradition of respect and deference toward elders, part-time model Liu Wei said. “A sense of sophistication can show in the facial expressions of seniors,” explained the 52-year-old. He added: “Handsome young men, even with their good bodies, cannot convey maturity.” Liu only began modeling two months ago and does it as a hobby. The owner of two listed companies, he typically appears in advertisements as a successful businessman. “The market for senior models in China is not huge yet but it is growing,” said Michelle Chien, a modeling agent with ESEE Model Management, one of Shanghai’s largest agencies. This echoes a trend now well established in Western markets, where brands have been keen to tap the pockets of the affluent baby boomer generation. In the past five years, catwalks globally have seen greater age diversity and models such as Jacky O’Shaughnessy, Jan de Villeneuve, and Elon Musk’s mother Maye Musk, making names for themselves as fashion stars in their 60s and 70s. In her youth, Ma had hoped for a career in fashion design. She moved to Japan to study in the 1980s but did not graduate as she could not afford tuition. But she did not start modeling until getting her first gig two years ago, after sending her photo to a Shanghai fashion house. Despite fashion brands embracing the gray hair and wrinkles that come with older models, Ma said it was still important to stay stylish and in shape. She gets her hair done every three weeks, and stays fit with daily breathing exercises and regular workouts at the gym. Ma explained: “Keeping in good health keeps me on the catwalk. There is no age limit in fashion, so hopefully my dream can continue.”


Death penalty for Canadian escalates China-Canada tensions

Abstract: TORONTO - A Chinese court sentenced a Canadian to death in a sudden retrial of his drug smuggling case, while another Canadian man has been denied diplomatic immunity, ratcheting up the tensions following Canada’s arrest of a top Chinese technology executive last month. The Liaoning provincial court in northeastern China announced the death sentence for Robert Lloyd Schellenberg on Monday, reversing a 15-year prison term from a November 2018 sentencing. Schellenberg first went on trial in 2016. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau strongly condemned Monday’s proceeding, suggesting that China was using its judicial system to pressure Canada over the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. In his strongest comments yet, Trudeau said “all countries around the world” should be concerned that Beijing is acting arbitrarily with its justice system. “It is of extreme concern to us as a government, as it should be to all our international friends and allies, that China has chosen to begin to arbitrarily apply a death penalty,” Trudeau said. Canada later updated its travel advisory for China urging Canadians to “exercise a high degree of caution due to the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws.” Further escalating the diplomatic rift between the two countries, a Chinese spokeswoman said earlier Monday that Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat taken into custody in apparent retaliation for Meng’s arrest, was not eligible for diplomatic immunity as Trudeau has maintained. A senior Canadian government official said Chinese officials have been questioning Kovrig about his diplomatic work in China, which is a major reason why Trudeau is asserting diplomatic immunity. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the case, spoke on condition of anonymity. Kovrig, a Northeast Asia analyst for the International Crisis Group think tank, was on a leave of absence from the Canadian government at the time of his arrest last month. Schellenberg was detained more than four years ago and initially sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2016. But within weeks of Meng’s Dec. 1 arrest, an appeals court suddenly reversed that decision, saying the sentence was too lenient, and scheduled Monday’s retrial with just four days’ notice. The court gave no indication that the death penalty could be commuted, but observers said Schellenberg’s fate is likely to be drawn into diplomatic negotiations over China’s demand for the release of Meng. “Playing hostage politics, China rushes the retrial of a Canadian suspect and sentences him to death in a fairly transparent attempt to pressure Canada to free the Huawei CFO,” Human Rights Watch executive director Kenneth Roth said in a tweet. The Chinese media began publicizing Schellenberg’s case after Canada’s detention of Meng, the daughter of Huawei’s founder, at the request of the United States, which wants her extradited to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about the company’s business dealings in Iran. Days after Meng’s arrest, Kovrig and Canadian businessman Michael Spavor were detained on vague national security allegations. Meng is out on bail in Canada awaiting extradition proceedings that begin next month. Schellenberg’s lawyer, Zhang Dongshuo, said prosecutors had not introduced new evidence to justify a heavier sentence during the one-day trial, during which Schellenberg again maintained his innocence. He said his client now has 10 days to appeal. “This is a very unique case,” Zhang said. He said the swiftness of the proceedings was unusual but declined to comment on whether it was related to Meng’s arrest. The court said it found that Schellenberg was involved in an international drug-smuggling operation and was recruited to help smuggle more than 220 kilograms (485 pounds) of methamphetamine from a warehouse in the Chinese city of Dalian to Australia. A Chinese man convicted of involvement in the same operation was earlier given a suspended death sentence. Fifty people, including Canadian diplomats and foreign and domestic media, attended Monday’s trial, the court said in an online statement. Earlier Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said authorities had determined Kovrig was not entitled to diplomatic immunity, rejecting a complaint from Trudeau that China was not respecting longstanding practices regarding immunity. Hua told reporters that Kovrig is no longer a diplomat and entered China on an ordinary passport and business visa. “According to the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations and international law, he is not entitled to diplomatic immunity,” Hua said at a daily briefing. “I suggest that the relevant Canadian person carefully study the Vienna Convention … before commenting on the cases, or they would only expose themselves to ridicule with such specious remarks.” A former Canadian ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques, said interrogating Kovrig about his time as a diplomat in China would violate Vienna Convention protections of residual diplomatic immunity that mean a country is not allowed to question someone on the work they did when they were a diplomat. “It’s difficult not to see a link” between the case and Canada’s arrest of Meng, Saint-Jacques said. Hua said the allegation that China arbitrarily detained Canadian citizens is “totally groundless.” Canada has embarked on a campaign with allies to win the release of Kovrig and Spavor. The United States, Britain, European Union and Australia have issued statements in support. Trudeau called U.S. President Donald Trump about their case last week and the White House called the arrests “unlawful.” Last week, Poland arrested a Huawei director and one of its own former cybersecurity experts and charged them with spying for China. The move came amid a U.S. campaign to exert pressure on its allies not to use Huawei, the world’s biggest maker of telecommunications network equipment, over data security concerns. The arrests raised concerns over the safety of Poland’s nationals in China, although Hua brushed off such worries, emphasizing China’s desire for the “sound and steady” development of relations with Poland. “As long as the foreign citizens in China abide by Chinese laws and regulations, they are welcomed and their safety and freedom are guaranteed,” Hua said.

china
canada
drugs
robert lloyd schellenberg
justin trudeau
meng wanzhou
huawei
michael kovrig
capital punishment


Trip to Canada? 'Travel cautiously,' China tells its citizens amid growing spat

Abstract: BEIJING - China on Tuesday warned its citizens of the risks of traveling to Canada after the “arbitrary detention” of a Chinese citizen, in what appears to be a tit-for-tat move. “Recently in Canada, a Chinese citizen was arbitrarily detained on the basis of a request of a third-party country,” the foreign ministry said in a post on an official social media account, asking citizens to “travel cautiously.” The statement, which came hours after a similar advisory from Ottawa, appeared to reference the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on the request of the United States, which has accused her of violating Iran sanctions.


People in flood-hit western Japan area frustrated by sluggish recovery and population loss

Abstract: With Jan. 6 marking six months since deadly floods devastated parts of western Japan, many residents in the area are still living in temporary housing, towns with declining populations are seeing more people leave and some farmers with destroyed fields have decided to quit farming. A cosmetics store that had been open for half a century quietly closed down in December. The shop in the town of Saka, Hiroshima Prefecture, was submerged and heavily damaged by the torrential rain last year. The cosmetics shop also sold medicine, daily goods and clothing. Since the only supermarket in the district was closed following the disaster, Mayumi Tatehata, the 66-year-old owner, felt compelled to quickly reopen the shop after seeing that elderly people needed a place where they could get their daily necessities. The store, which was also Tatehata’s home, was completely repaired and reopened in mid-November. However, not enough customers used it sustain the business. “There is simply no one here,” she said, expressing resentment over closing the store she inherited from her mother-in-law. “I hate that it looks like I have lost in a battle against the rain, but I have to move on.” The town’s Koyaura district, which had about 3,000 people in the early 1960s, has seen a continued decline. The current population is around 1,800. The pace of depopulation appears to be picking up after the disaster. In the five months following the torrential rain, the population dwindled by 119 people — 7.5 percent — in the three areas of the district that suffered significant damage. Sixteen people died in mudslides. The delay in recovery efforts is impeding residents stuck in temporary housing from returning home. “I couldn’t have imagined the situation would drag on even into the new year,” said Kousou Oshita, 73, vice head of the district’s regional development promotion association. “It’s as if time has stopped only in this district.” Vacant, windowless homes covered in mud are scattered throughout the area. Floodwaters uprooted a sidewalk along a river, leaving some parts on the verge of collapse. Houses in other areas of the prefecture destroyed during the disaster are being torn down. Demolishing damaged homes is deemed an important step toward recovery, but it’s not making progress in Koyaura. The central government offers subsidies to municipalities to tear down houses heavily damaged or destroyed in a disaster if an affected homeowner applies. As of Dec. 5, in response to 212 applications in the town of Saka, only three houses, or 1.4 percent, had been torn down. In the prefecture as a whole, there were 932 applications from 16 cities and towns, out of which 199 houses, or 21.4 percent, had been taken down. A lack of contractors and rising personnel expenses have further delayed the progress. The town plans to complete public-funded demolition of damaged properties by the end of this year, but Mayor Takayuki Yoshida candidly acknowledges recovery has been slow. “I sympathize with the disaster victims. But there weren’t sufficient staff to deal with this unprecedented disaster,” Yoshida said. “The community may fall apart,” said Hideaki Touda, 71, head of one the neighborhood associations in Koyaura, explaining that about 10 of the 32 households in his association are expected to leave the district. Another neighborhood association is considering scaling back operations because many families have moved to temporary housing. “There will be no recovery in Koyaura unless residents come back,” said Touda. His house was severely damaged, but he managed to return in December after repairs were finished. “It can be anything,” he said. “I simply want some kind of hope that makes everyone want to come back.”

saka hiroshima disasters koyaura depopulation


Moscow calls Russia-held isles an outcome of WWII and sees 'significant differences' with Tokyo over sovereignty

Abstract: MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dampened expectations of a breakthrough in a dispute with Japan over four islands off Hokkaido that’s prevented the signing of a World War II peace accord, saying the two countries “still have significant differences.” The government in Tokyo must recognize Russian sovereignty over the islands as part of the outcome of the war, before progress can be made on a peace treaty, Lavrov told reporters Monday after talks in Moscow with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono. “This is our basic position and without a step in this direction it is very difficult to count on any movement forward on other questions,” he said. It’s “unacceptable” for Russia that the islands are described as the Northern Territories in Japan’s laws and “we asked a number of questions about how our Japanese colleagues plan to move to overcome this particular problem,” Lavrov said. Even so, Russia has “sufficient readiness and patience” to negotiate a settlement for a peace treaty, he said. The apparent hardening in Russia’s tone came after the Foreign Ministry in Moscow last week summoned the Japanese ambassador to protest recent comments by his government. The ministry accused Japanese officials of creating tension around the issue and distorting a 1956 offer by the Soviet Union to resolve the dispute by handing back two of the islands seized by its forces near the end of the war. Russia also criticized the description of 2019 as a “turning point” in the talks. The two sides had a “frank exchange” of views during the Moscow talks, Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesman Takeshi Osuga told reporters after the meeting. Still, he stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have a “strong determination” to bring an end to the decades-old territorial dispute. Putin and Abe will discuss issues related to a peace treaty at talks in Moscow on Jan. 22, the Kremlin said in a statement Monday. This will be their 25th meeting since 2012. The two leaders agreed in Singapore in November to accelerate efforts to resolve the dispute, using the 1956 declaration as the basis for negotiations. Abe said then that the issue “will be solved by Putin and me, and not left for the next generation.” Lavrov said it was “outrageous” that an adviser to Abe from his Liberal Democratic Party had stated that the U.S. should be interested in Russia and Japan reaching a peace agreement in order to strengthen deterrence against China. “We said this today with complete frankness” at the meeting with Kono, Lavrov said. Kono said at the start of the talks that Japan expects Putin to visit the country in June. Unusually, the two ministers didn’t hold a joint press conference after their meeting. Lavrov told reporters at his briefing that this was at the request of the Japanese side. The Soviet Union seized the islands in 1945, expelling all 17,000 Japanese residents. Japan’s official position is that the islands — home to rich fishing grounds — are an inherent part of its territory and are under illegal occupation. Russia insists it owns them. Kono meanwhile said Monday he wants to make 2019 a “historic year” as he met with his Russian counterpart to inject fresh momentum into talks toward concluding a postwar peace treaty amid a decades-long territorial dispute. “I’d like to have an intensive discussion on a peace treaty,” Kono said at the outset of a meeting with Russian Lavrov in Moscow. “With an eye to making the year 2019 a fruitful and historic one, my hope is to work with Foreign Minister Lavrov to proceed with our work,” Kono said. Lavrov, for his part, expressed his desire to elevate bilateral relations to a “higher level” but he also urged Tokyo to fulfill a promise between Russian President Putin and Prime Minister Abe to carry out talks without “distorting past agreements.” The meeting was the first since Kono and Lavrov were tapped by their leaders in December to oversee the peace treaty talks. They were tasked with identifying and discussing each side’s concerns and laying the groundwork for a planned summit next week between Abe and Putin in Russia. Abe and Putin agreed during a summit in November to step up talks based on a 1956 joint declaration. The document mentions the transfer of two of the four disputed islands off Hokkaido — Shikotan and the Habomai islet group — to Japan by the Soviet Union following the conclusion of a peace treaty. The November agreement to negotiate on the basis of the 1956 document has led to the view that Japan will focus on the transfer of the two Russian-held islands first, despite its conventional policy of seeking to resolve the status of all four islands. Abe has made it a priority to settle diplomatic issues outstanding since the end of World War II and the conclusion of a peace treaty with Russia by resolving the standoff over the islands is one of them. Abe, who has held 24 summit talks with Putin, is believed to be seeking a broad agreement in June when Putin is expected to visit Japan for a summit of the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies in Osaka. Still, Japan and Russia remain far apart over the islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia. Japan has maintained that the four islands, also including Etorofu and Kunashiri, have been illegally occupied by Russia, which, as the Soviet Union seized them following Tokyo’s 1945 surrender in World War II. Moscow has urged Tokyo to recognize the outcome of the war, including Russian sovereignty over the islands. Ahead of the Kono-Lavrov meeting, Japanese government officials trod carefully so as not to negatively influence ongoing negotiations. But Russia has been stepping up its rhetoric, accusing Japan of escalating tensions and misleading the public in both countries. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov summoned Japanese Ambassador Toyohisa Kozuki on Wednesday and protested recent remarks by Abe and other Japanese government officials over the disputed islands. Abe has said Russian residents of the islands need to understand that their territorial status will change and that their lives will improve by living alongside Japanese people.

russia
sergey lavrov
japan
hokkaido
taro kono
vladimir putin
shinzo abe
russia-held islands
wwii peace treaty


Abe pledges to advance peace treaty talks with Putin despite show of differences

Abstract: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday he wants to advance postwar peace treaty talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin “as much as possible,” a day after a ministerial-level meeting demonstrated the differences between the nations’ positions on disputed islands. At a gathering of senior government and ruling bloc officials, Abe explained his plan to make a four-day trip from next Monday, during which he will hold a summit with Putin on Jan. 22. The trip will also take him to the Swiss resort town of Davos to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting. The prime minister said he wants to “have a candid discussion” with Putin on a peace treaty, which the two countries never agreed to after the end of World War II. The remarks came a day after Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov held a meeting in Moscow aimed at laying the groundwork for the 25th Abe-Putin summit, but the two sides remained apart on the issue of a group of Russian-held islands off Hokkaido. The dispute over the sovereignty of the four islands between the two countries, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, has long kept them from signing a postwar peace treaty. Abe and Putin agreed during their meeting in Singapore in November to step up talks on the basis of a 1956 joint declaration, which mentioned the transfer of two of the four islands following the conclusion of a peace deal. The November agreement prompted the view that Japan will first focus on the transfer of the smaller two — the Habomai islet group and Shikotan — despite its long-stated position on seeking a resolution on the status of all four islands, including Etorofu and Kunashiri. However, Lavrov told reporters after the meeting Monday that it would be difficult to make progress in the peace treaty talks without Japan’s acceptance of the outcome of WWII and Russia’s sovereignty over the islands. Abe, who has made the settlement of the peace treaty issue one of his top diplomatic priorities, is believed to be seeking a broad agreement in June when Putin is expected to visit Japan for the Group of 20 summit in Osaka.

shinzo abe
vladimir putin
disputed islands
hokkaido
northern territories
russia-japan relations


South Korea says Japan failed to show definitive proof of radar lock-on

Abstract: SEOUL - The South Korean Defense Ministry on Tuesday said Tokyo failed in talks the previous day to provide definitive evidence backing its claim that a South Korean warship locked its radar on a Japanese plane. Speaking at a news briefing, ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo also said that during Monday’s talks Japan demanded to see radar data of the destroyer as a condition for disclosing some information of its own in connection with the incident last month. She criticized the request, calling it “extremely rude.” In the meeting “Japan did not disclose the radar frequency data that it has about our warship … and instead only asked for information from South Korea. Such a demand is extremely rude and unacceptable,” Choi said. She added that Tokyo’s attitude cannot be interpreted as anything else but a lack of desire to settle the matter. Regarding Seoul’s claim that the Japanese surveillance plane was flying menacingly low toward the South Korean ship, another key point of contention in the incident, Japan seemed to take some responsibility, Choi said. In response, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that Japanese officials and South Korean officials have discussed “major issues” but “have failed to narrow gaps in understanding” over whether or not the South Korean destroyer locked its fire-control radar on the Japanese plane. Suga declined to comment when asked if Tokyo had shared electric wave data that could serve as evidence. The defense authorities of both countries held talks in Singapore on Monday over the alleged radar lock-on incident, which has chilled bilateral ties. Both sides said after the talks that they could not iron out differences over what happened in the Sea of Japan last month. No date was set for subsequent talks. Tokyo maintains that the destroyer locked its fire-control radar on a Maritime Self-Defense Force surveillance plane on Dec. 20. Seoul contends that the warship was merely using radar to search for a drifting North Korean fishing boat and has demanded an apology from Japan. Also Tuesday, Seoul removed a description labelling North Korea an “enemy” in its latest defense white paper, reflecting the dramatic improvement in inter-Korean relations over the past year. The move is in line with an agreement reached at the inter-Korean summit held in April last year to halt “all hostile acts” against each other. A South Korean government official said it would be contradictory to negotiate measures to resolve hostilities with North Korea while continuing to describe it as an enemy. The previous defense white paper released two years ago stated, “The North’s weapons of mass destruction … pose a major threat to our security. … As long as these threats continue, the North Korean regime and its military are our enemy.” The latest edition, however, still says the North’s weapons of mass destruction “pose a major threat to the peace and security of the Korean Peninsula,” a defense official said in a briefing about the white paper. The paper also mentioned the “high state of readiness” of South Korea’s army against an “unexpected provocation,” adding that the two Koreas will continue to build trust based on the military agreement signed during the third inter-Korean summit. In the white paper, a section was removed that described Seoul’s relationship with Tokyo as one comprising “(shared) basic values of democracy and the market economy.” Some Korean media outlets opined that the move reflects worsening bilateral relations over a series of court rulings on wartime forced labor and the radar incident.

south korea
radar lock-on
msdf
south korea-japan relations


Cherry blossoms in Japan are predicted to arrive earlier than usual again in 2019

Abstract: Although some parts of Japan have yet to see this year’s first snowfall, experts say they already know when spring will come. Residents of Kochi Prefecture in the Shikoku region will be the first to see cherry blossoms of the Somei-Yoshino tree this year, as early as March 18, according to a forecast by an Osaka-based meteorological company that predicts Japan’s iconic sakura may bloom earlier than usual. Last year, spring arrived surprisingly early across the country, with buds starting to appear in Tokyo on March 17. In this year’s forecast, released Thursday, Japan Meteorological Corp. announced the blossoming in Kochi is likely to be followed by early flowering in Fukuoka, where blossoms are due to emerge on March 20. Soon after that, sakura flowers will begin to bloom in the cities of Tokyo and Nagoya on March 22, in Kyoto on March 25 and Osaka on March 27. The firm has concluded that relatively warm temperatures throughout the country over the months since October have delayed the trees’ dormancy period, which allows sakura buds to survive the winter. But the delay to the start of the dormancy period is not expected to affect blooming, and the warm weather could even speed up the blooming process. According to the forecast, cherry trees will be in full bloom in Kochi on March 25, and in Tokyo and Fukuoka on March 29. The firm has also said the last weekend of March will offer the most enjoyable cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo, Kyushu and the Tokai region, and that the first weekend of April will be the best time for picnics under sakura trees in the Kinki region and other parts of Shikoku, as well as other places in the Kanto region. In northern parts of Japan, spring arrives a little later. In Sendai and other parts of Miyagi Prefecture, cherry blossoms are expected to be seen on April 9. The first buds are due to appear in Aomori Prefecture on April 24, and on May 4 in Hokkaido. The forecasts cover about 1,000 locations across the country. They are based on data derived from studying the blooming characteristics of the Somei-Yoshino tree — the most common type of sakura tree, known for its pale pink flowers.


Observation deck for Tokyo's renowned tuna auctions opens to public at new Toyosu market site

Abstract: Visitors formed long lines before daybreak on Tuesday to catch a glimpse of Tokyo’s renowned tuna auctions — now at the Toyosu wholesale fish market — as an observation deck opened to the public for the first time since the relocation from Tsukiji in October. “When you smell the fish you know that you’re part of the auction process,” said 62-year-old Canadian Jeff Graham. “You see them close up inspecting the tuna, grading it like you would any kind of commodity, so it was interesting to watch the process and how they did it.” Visitors who won coveted spots to the viewing area — an elevated, glass-panelled deck with a partly open space overlooking the tuna auction rooms — huddled up against the glass in the early hours of the morning, watching as the auctioneers chanted prices while bidders made hand signals indicating their bids. Atsuto Nakano, 54, who lives nearby and often jogs in the vicinity of the market, had often visited the site and watched the action from the windows of a second-floor corridor that runs the length of the auctioning area. “You can’t hear what’s going on from the second floor though,” he said, explaining why he wanted to try the observation deck. “I wanted to smell and hear what goes on during the tuna auctions up close.” Unlike at Tsukiji, where people were able to watch the auctions on a first-come, first-served basis, visitors must enter a lottery about a month prior to secure one of the 120 spots available. Some visitors without bookings had to make do with watching the auctions from the second-floor corridor, but even with the limitations the experience won positive reviews. “I thought that we could be up close, but it was still amazing to see all of the fish laid out and see the process of how it’s done,” said Alexander Tagiev, a 30-year-old designer visiting from Germany. Markus Wolbert, a 33-year-old hotel manager based in Switzerland, agreed that the scene was “impressive” despite the distance. “It’s not so important for us to hear everything or get as close as possible,” he said, adding that “just to see” the auctions was enough. Public access to the tuna auctions had been suspended for a few months while the market moved from its previous location in Chuo Ward to its new site about 2 kilometers away in Koto Ward. Visitors can register to enter the lottery for a spot on the observation deck either by phone or through the Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market website. Admission is free.


NGT48 agency removes manager from post over handling of assault on idol group member Maho Yamaguchi

Abstract: The operator of popular all-girl band AKB48 and its sister groups said Monday it has removed one of its officials from a key post amid criticism of its handling of an assault against a member of idol group NGT48. The company, AKS, announced the change in personnel and issued an apology five days after Maho Yamaguchi, a 23-year-old member of NGT48, revealed that she had been grabbed by the face by two men at her home on Dec. 8 last year. Despite being the victim, Yamaguchi was made to apologize to fans during a performance on Thursday for revealing the incident on Twitter and thereby “causing trouble.” Rino Sashihara, a leading member of HKT48, another sister group under the same management as AKB48, criticized the managing company for having the victim of an assault remain silent and then make a public apology. Takumi Matsumura, an AKS official, apologized Monday for having caused anxiety among fans and the members of NGT48, and said the firm had replaced Etsuro Imamura, manager of the theater used by the group in Niigata, with AKS official Maiko Hayakawa. The move was generally interpreted to mean he would be terminated from the company. Matsumura is responsible for operations of all musical units under management by AKS, with AKB48 as the leading group. Matsumura declined to go into detail about exactly what happened to Yamaguchi in the incident and said that the company had not taken any public action before Monday because it needed to consider the investigation by police. The two men who assaulted Yamaguchi were arrested but were subsequently released without charge. AKS said Thursday it had “confirmed” one of the members of NGT48 helped the pair of attackers by telling them the time Yamaguchi was likely to return home. The company said Monday that it would set up a third-party panel to look into whether other members did anything inappropriate. The cohort of idol groups has many affiliates not only in other Japanese cities but also overseas, such as JKT48 in Indonesia, BNK48 in Thailand and MNL48 in the Philippines.

ngt48
assaults
idols
maho yamaguchi
niigata
j-pop