Candidate Bernie Sanders to outline 'what democratic socialism means to me'

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Seeking to rebut President Donald Trump’s attempts to cast him and Democrats as too liberal, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders plans to give a speech Wednesday on democratic socialism, the economic philosophy that has guided his political career. He made similar remarks during his first presidential campaign in 2016, when he faced questions about his decadeslong association with democratic socialists. He’s again confronting criticism from in and out of his party during his second presidential bid, and the speech, which the campaign is billing as a major address, is an attempt to directly speak to the scrutiny. But he’s doing this in a reshaped political landscape in which he’s no longer the sole progressive taking on an establishment candidate. He’s one of nearly two dozen Democratic White House hopefuls, several of whom are also unabashed liberals. And they’re all operating in an environment dominated by Trump. “We now have a president who is attacking me and others because we believe in democratic socialism,” Sanders said in a Tuesday interview with The Associated Press in which he previewed his speech. “This is a president who believes in socialism, but the difference is he believes in socialism for large corporations and the wealthy, not the working people.” “What tomorrow is about,” he added, “is defining what democratic socialism means to me.” Trump and his allies have lambasted Sanders and Democrats, warning against what they call the threat of creeping socialism. In this year’s State of the Union address, Trump declared that America “will never be a socialist country.” Weeks later, when Sanders entered the race, a spokeswoman for his campaign said that Sanders had “already won the debate in the Democrat primary because every candidate is embracing his brand of socialism” and that Trump is the only candidate who will keep the country “free, prosperous and safe.” Last month in Louisiana, Trump referred to Sanders as “crazy” and told the crowd the senator had “not good energy.” Sanders last spoke in depth about democratic socialism in November 2015. Also speaking in Washington, he invoked the legacies of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., arguing that democratic socialism was reflected in their priorities. While in Tuesday’s interview Sanders promised he would be more explicit this time in describing his belief in democratic socialism, some of the themes he will discuss echo the 2015 remarks, including positioning himself as the heir of the ideals that originated with Roosevelt in 1944. “Over 80 years ago, Franklin Delano Roosevelt helped create a government that made huge progress in protecting the needs of working families,” Sanders will say, according to prepared remarks. “Today in the second decade of the 21st century, we must take up the unfinished business of the New Deal and carry it to completion. This is the unfinished business of the Democratic Party and the vision we must accomplish.” As he did in his first presidential run, much of Sanders’ campaign speech is focused on promising a wholesale revolution, including a fundamental rethinking of the political system. Asked Tuesday how he would tangibly change Washington’s centers of political power to make his visions a reality, he said he would do so “by taking politics out of Washington.” “What the political revolution means to me, above and beyond democratic socialism, is getting millions of people who have given up on the political process, working people and young people, to stand up and fight for their rights. So those are the profound changes that we will be bringing about,” he said.

bernie sanders
democratic socialism
donald trump
u.s .
franklin roosevelt
2020 u.s. presidential election


Enemy of the people? CNN's Jim Acosta defends press, and himself

Abstract: NEW YORK - Wherever CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta goes, he’s followed by the g-word, grandstand. He even heard it when he met Ted Olson, the former U.S. solicitor general who was part of the legal team that beat back President Donald Trump’s attempt to pull Acosta’s reporting pass. “I can’t believe there is grandstanding going on at the White House,” Olson told him, and they both laughed, Acosta recounts in his new book. Usually, it’s no laughing matter. Trump’s detractors love Acosta’s willingness to talk back to the president in attention-getting confrontations. Trump’s supporters seethe. Acosta takes Trump on again with the book “The Enemy of the People,” which uses as its title the derisive phrase the president calls the press. The incident that required Olson’s intervention came after a contentious White House news conference last November at which Acosta was called on and said, “I wanted to challenge you on one of the statements that you made in the tail end of the campaign in the midterms.” “Here we go,” Trump said, and off they went. It ended with a back-and-forth about how many questions Acosta got to ask, and a White House intern unsuccessfully trying to grab Acosta’s microphone. The administration later pulled Acosta’s pass to the White House grounds, triggering the court battle won by CNN. “Jim Acosta is just somebody who gets up and grandstands,” Trump later told the Daily Caller in an interview. “He doesn’t even know what he’s asking you half the time.” Conservative activists L. Brent Bozell and Tim Graham unloaded on Acosta in their own book, “Unmasked: Big Media’s War Against Trump.” “No man in the world of journalism has made a mockery of his profession quite like this man,” they wrote. “He lives to be obnoxious.” Washington Post media columnist Erik Wemple countered that news organizations are free to choose reporters with their own styles. “Yes, it’s grandstanding and who cares?” Wemple said in an online commentary. Acosta mostly deflects the question in an interview, although he said he takes exception to the characterization. He takes it on much more strongly in his book. “Call me a showboater or a grandstander or ‘fake news,’ ” he wrote. “I will go to my grave convinced deep down in my bones that journalists are performing a public service for the good of the country. The country is better off with reporters in the White House briefing room asking the hard questions, even if we sometimes sound a little over the top. That noise is the sound that a healthy, functioning democracy makes.” After a series of unexploded pipe bombs were sent to CNN and others, Acosta tried to get White House press secretary Sarah Sanders to state publicly which outlets and journalists the administration considered enemies of the people. If anyone thinks he was showboating, Acosta writes, “they can shove it.” Acosta said he wrote the book because he didn’t want his two children to grow up in a country where the press is called the enemy. “I know that sounds corny or like I’m on a soapbox,” he said. “I just think that’s kind of baseline. The press is here to do a job … And we just can’t have that sort of thing going on.” His book explores the origin of the much-tweeted “enemy of the people” phrase. His sources pointed to former Trump aide Steve Bannon, with the president’s help. Acosta recounts a phone call with then-Trump aide Hope Hicks in the early days of the president’s attacks on the media; she said Trump told her that Acosta “gets it.” He took that to indicate that, at least in the beginning, the “fake news” and “enemy of the people” charges were primarily an act. It’s gone far beyond that, to the point where Acosta and other White House reporters are repeatedly threatened and subject to angry chants when they work a Trump rally. Acosta criticizes Sanders and her predecessor, Sean Spicer, with whom he had plenty of verbal sparring matches when the White House conducted regular press briefings. He’s offended by his sense that Trump aides aren’t motivated to serve the public that pays their salaries. Acosta also writes that there are not two sides to a story when it is a matter of right and wrong. As examples, he cites the separation of migrant children from their families, and Trump’s comments after a demonstration that included white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, that there were good people on both sides. So will Acosta take sides when right and wrong are not clear-cut? He said he’s not referring to debates over tax policy or climate change, for example. But he said he had no problem telling Trump, in one encounter, “Mr. President, there are no fine people in the Nazis.” White House reporters never expected to spend so much time fact-checking an administration, but Acosta believes that most of those covering Trump will be seen by history as having done tough jobs well. “As reporters these days, we’re not just here to report the news. We’re here to defend the truth,” he said. “We didn’t put ourselves in that position. He essentially put us in that position.” Besides the jeers he gets at Trump rallies, Acosta writes of receiving disturbing death threats. He’s disheartened that so many Americans are at each other’s throats, and he wants to call Trump out on language he believes contributes to it. Despite the job’s difficulties, Acosta’s not looking to leave. You sense that he’d like nothing more than to outlast Trump. “I kind of want to see how the movie ends,” he said.

cnn
jim acosta
donald trump
media
journalism
fake news
u.s .


GOP's Justin Amash, impeachment supporter, quits Freedom Caucus

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Rep. Justin Amash, the lone Republican calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment, has quit the Freedom Caucus of House conservatives, his spokeswoman confirmed Tuesday. The split comes a few weeks after Amash called for the House to impeach Trump based on the details of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Several members of the Freedom Caucus said they were blindsided by Amash’s move, but he has stood by it, repeating his argument in detail on Twitter. Trump and many of his allies on Capitol Hill say the report and the Democrats’ investigations of Trump are drummed-up partisan exercises. Amash’s departure from the caucus — he was one of the group’s founders — is a reflection of how closely the group is now tied to the president. While Amash’s views on small government have not changed, his break on impeachment has strained ties with his GOP colleagues. Asked about Amash on Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., criticized his voting record and said Amash “can determine his own future.” Philosophically, he said, Amash is “probably in a different place than the majority of all of us.” Trump also has said he’s not impressed by Amash. But the Grand Rapids-area Republican hails from a state that Trump swiped from Democrats in 2016 and is driving to win again in 2020. For his part, Amash has not said whether he will run for re-election to his House seat. He has left open the prospect of running for president in 2020 as a Libertarian, which could take away support from Trump. At a town hall in his district May 28, he received standing ovations from many who saluted his “courage.” Amash also sparred with some former supporters who faulted him for embracing a Democratic “smear attack” against Trump. Citing Mueller’s report, Amash said Trump had asked former White House counsel Don McGahn to create a “false record” denying that he had asked for Mueller’s removal as special counsel. “Things like that to me reflect incredible dishonesty and really harm the office of the presidency. I don’t think that you can just let that stuff go,” Amash told his constituents. “I think you have to have proceedings to deter this kind of conduct even if ultimately the person is not convicted.” Amash’s resignation from the Freedom Caucus was confirmed by spokeswoman Poppy Nelson and was first reported by CNN.

justin amash
impeachment
freedom caucus
republicans
donald trump
robert mueller
kevin mccarthy
russia probe


Trump and Joe Biden trade insults during dueling Iowa visits

Abstract: DES MOINES, IOWA - President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are assailing each other during overlapping visits to Iowa on Tuesday, previewing what the country might get in next year’s election if Biden becomes his party’s nominee. Even before he left the White House, Trump unleashed a series of schoolyard taunts, declaring that “Joe Biden is a dummy.” Biden quickly retorted that the president is “literally an existential threat to this country.” The back-and-forth laid bare the rising political stakes for each, even with Election Day 2020 still about 17 months away. Trump has zeroed in on Biden as a potential threat to his re-election chances and is testing themes to beat him back. Biden, meanwhile, is campaigning as a front-runner, relishing the one-on-one fight with Trump while making sure he doesn’t ignore the demands of the Democratic primary. “I’d rather run against Biden than anybody,” Trump told reporters before flying to Iowa. “I think he’s the weakest mentally and I like running against people that are weak mentally.” Biden said such behavior is beneath the office of the presidency. He noted that Trump “found time to go after Bette Midler in the middle of the D-Day ceremonies,” referring to the president’s ongoing online feud with the actress. Biden began the day in Ottumwa, the heart of Wapello County, a meat-packing and agricultural manufacturing center Trump was the first Republican to carry since Dwight D. Eisenhower. It’s part of Biden’s dual-track approach: campaigning for the caucuses while projecting himself as someone who can win in territory Trump snatched from Democrats in 2016, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The former vice president hit Trump on the economy — an issue the president often promotes as his chief strength in a time of low unemployment. “I hope his presence here will be a clarifying event because Iowa farmers have been crushed by his tariffs toward China,” Biden said. “It’s really easy to be tough when someone else absorbs the pain, farmers and manufacturers.” Biden added that Trump “backed off his threat of tariffs to Mexico basically because he realized he was likely to lose” in manufacturing states such as Michigan and Ohio. For Trump, the biggest concern in this state dominated by agriculture interests is trade. He’s beginning his trip in Council Bluffs to tour and speak at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, which produces and sells the corn-based fuel additive ethanol, before addressing an Iowa GOP dinner in Des Moines. The president is expected to highlight his efforts to help farmers hurt financially from Chinese tariffs on U.S. agriculture products, measures that were imposed last year after Trump slapped levies on Chinese imports. Trump also is likely to try to sell farmers on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal, which remains to be ratified by lawmakers in each country. Supporters of the deal, which is an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement, feared that Trump’s recent threat to impose tariffs on Mexico over illegal immigration would jeopardize the pact’s passage by U.S. lawmakers. But Trump announced an agreement with Mexico late last week and delayed the tariffs for the time being. The president, however, has been stung by criticism that what he announced Friday resembled steps Mexico had already agreed to take. He lashed out Monday in a pair of tweets in which he teased a secret deal with Mexico to be announced soon. Mexico countered that no secret deal was in the works.

joe biden
iowa
donald trump
tariffs
u.s .
jobs
trade war
2020 u.s. presidential election


Yemen's Houthi rebels launch attack drones into Saudi Arabia

Abstract: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Yemen’s Houthi rebels said on Tuesday they launched at least two drones targeting a southwest Saudi city that’s home to an air base. The Houthis’ Al-Masirah satellite news channel reported the rebels launched Qasef-2K drones to strike the city of Khamis Mushait. The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported Tuesday, quoting military spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki, that soldiers “intercepted” two drones launched by the Houthis. The Iranian-allied Houthis increasingly have targeted the kingdom with bomb-carrying drones. Khamis Mushait, some 815 km (510 miles) southwest of the capital, Riyadh, is near the kingdom’s border with Yemen. The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of Sanaa, by the Iran-backed Houthis. A Saudi-led coalition allied with Yemen’s government has been fighting the rebels since 2015. The civil war in the Arab world’s poorest country has killed thousands of civilians, left millions suffering from food and medical care shortages and pushed the country to the brink of famine. In December, both sides signed a U.N.-brokered peace deal in Stockholm under mounting international pressure. But an international charity said on Tuesday that violence in Yemen has continued unabated since then. The Norwegian Refugee Council said the violence has displaced a quarter of a million Yemenis in the past six months. “The Stockholm Agreement remains nothing but ink on paper if warring parties and their backers do not act now,” warned Mohamed Abdi, the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Yemen country director. The deal included a cease-fire and a mutual withdrawal from the key port city of Hodeida, which handles 70 percent of Yemen’s food imports and humanitarian aid, as well as the two smaller ports in the provinces. But the deal was vague on who would control Hodeida’s strategic ports after the withdrawal, saying only that a “local force” would take over. The rebels said last month they withdrew their forces from Hodeida, a claim disputed by the internationally recognized government. The Norwegian Refugee Council said over 26,000 people were made homeless in the port city since the signing of the agreement.

yemen
houthis
drones
saudi arabia
khamis mushait
conflict
refugees


Kim Jong Un sister pays respects to late South Korea first lady at the DMZ

Abstract: SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister paid a rare visit to the country’s militarized southern border to deliver a condolence message over the death of a former South Korean first lady who promoted unity between the rivals. Kim Yo Jong extended the offering Wednesday to South Korea’s national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, at the Panmunjom truce village that straddles the border, a presidential spokesman in Seoul said. It was a gesture of appreciation for Lee Hee-ho, the wife of former President Kim Dae-jung, who died Monday at the age of 96. Her funeral proceedings are continuing through Friday. North Korea’s government has had a special relationship with Lee Hee-ho and Kim Dae-jung, who was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for his “Sunshine Policy” of rapprochement to coax the reclusive state out of its shell. This resulted in him traveling to Pyongyang in 2000 with Lee for the first summit of the leaders of the two Koreas. He and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il shared hugs, held hands and sang traditional songs together. The visit may quiet questions about the status of Kim Yo Jong after Kim Jong Un’s reshuffle of his inner circle after a failed summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in February. She was conspicuously absent from state media reports for weeks until attending a gymnastics and artistic performance with her brother this month. Blue House spokesman Yoon Do-han said in a briefing Wednesday that Kim Yo Jong hoped the family of the former president and first lady could overcome their sadness and pursue their wishes of inter-Korean cooperation. She was in Panmunjom for about 15 minutes and Yoon didn’t mention further details of her conversation with the South Korean security official. Part royal representative, part personal assistant, Kim Yo Jong was once one of her older brother’s closest aides. While she became the first member of the ruling family to visit Seoul and accompanied Kim Jong Un in his summits with Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, she’s also performed mundane tasks, such as helping the leader extinguish a cigarette during a train stop in China. North Korea sent a delegation to Seoul for Kim Dae-Jung’s funeral in 2009 and the group had talks with then President Lee Myung-bak. The rare visit to the South Korean capital helped ease a thaw between the two Koreas, where there had been no high-level official talks in about two years. The visit by Kim’s sister and contact between the Korean officials at Panmunjom Wednesday comes at a delicate time in relations. North Korea has significantly reduced its dialogue and engagement with South Korea since February, when the high-stakes nuclear summit between Kim and Trump collapsed over disagreements on exchanging sanctions relief for disarmament. Negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea have also been at a standstill and Kim has declared that the Trump administration has until the end of the year to offer mutually acceptable terms for a deal to salvage the negotiations.

kim jong un
south korea
dmz
north korea
kim yo jong
lee hee-ho


Cambodian political rivals use noodles in event with hard-nosed political undertones

Abstract: PHNOM PENH - The bitter rivalry between Cambodian strongman Hun Sen and his self-exiled chief political rival Sam Rainsy has sometimes played out in deadly violence. But this week, soup rather than blood was likely to be spilled. The two titans of Cambodian politics normally agree over nothing but made stunningly similar calls to their followers this past week. They both said all Cambodians should gather with their neighbors on Sunday and sit for a meal of num banh chok , a popular Cambodian rice noodle soup usually eaten at breakfast. From his prime minister’s perch of unchallenged authority, Hun Sen promoted eating “the Khmer (Cambodian) noodles of unity and solidarity.” Sam Rainsy, co-founder of the country’s only credible but now disbanded political party, called for “eating Khmer noodles for the sake of friendship in the framework of the entire, giant Cambodian family.” Both encouraged sharing the meal with folks from the other side of the political fence. It sounds utopian, but its roots are in hard-nosed politics. The Cambodia National Rescue Party was dissolved by the Supreme Court in 2017 in what was widely seen as a maneuver to ensure victory by Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party in the 2018 general election. The 118 opposition lawmakers were kicked out of Parliament and banned from any political activity for five years. Former party members were left at loose ends. Many of its leaders fled the country, fearing arrest. Even those in local political positions were booted from their jobs. Sin Rozeth had been an admired young CNRP commune chief in the northwestern province of Battambang. Forced out of politics, she opened a shop selling Cambodian noodles. Her old colleagues would drop by for a meal and chat about politics, and she and others would post their thoughts on Facebook. Their comments about Sam Rainsy drew the attention of authorities. A court called in Sin Rozeth and about three dozen colleagues for questioning, citing their noodle soup meals as political gatherings in violation of the Supreme Court ban on political activity. Matters escalated. According to Human Rights Watch, authorities this year have issued at least 147 arbitrary court and police summonses against members or supporters of the Cambodia National Rescue Party. “Summons seen by Human Rights Watch lacked legal specifics, containing only vague references to allegations that the person summoned may have violated the Supreme Court ruling that dissolved the CNRP in November 2017,” the rights group said. Soon, word spread that the former CNRP leaders wanted their party members to gather where they could on Sunday and eat the kind of noodles Sin Rozeth sold in her shop — a novel act of political solidarity. Hun Sen, known for his prowess in chess, quickly countered, sending word down to his party members that they should also gather on Sunday to eat noodle soup: “Please don’t forget to eat Khmer noodles together. These are the Khmer noodles of unity and solidarity, not destructive noodles.” Hun Sen also suggested that the activity could kick off a campaign to promote Cambodian food and culture. Effectively co-opted, Sam Rainsy, interviewed in Paris, said his party had forced Hun Sen’s hand with its bid to make a show of strength. “Since people eat noodles all over the country, Hun Sen may first accuse them of being opposition supporters, but after seeing such a tide, so many people joining the noodle parties, Hun Sen said no, we cannot stop these noodle parties. If you can’t beat them, join them,” he said. At a Buddhist temple in Phnom Pehn, Hun Sen’s party set up tables on a stage for about 300 people. As they eagerly slurped the breakfast noodle soup and chatted with one another, some confessed they were unaware of or didn’t care for the event’s political undertones. Others quoted the prime minister’s message of solidarity and national unity. “I have been eating the Khmer noodles since I was young,” said Pov Tha, 43. “I did not hear their appeals but I saw many people eating for free and then I joined them.” Sam Rainsy speculated that the action might improve the political atmosphere. “I think this may be a good sign. A good start to come to some kind of understanding between the ruling party and the opposition, so that the ruling party becomes more tolerant and accepts the very existence of an opposition,” he said. However, Hun Sen denied any such prospect. “Please don’t take what I said to be analyzed outside the intention of eating Khmer noodles, as some people think that it is a step toward negotiations (with the CNRP),” Hun Sen said at a graduation ceremony Thursday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital, according to the English-language Phnom Penh Post. “Don’t be confused,” he said. “I’m talking purely about Khmer noodles and solidarity, about national unity through the eating of Khmer noodles on June 9.”


Human trafficking suspected as 65 Rohingya Muslims are found shipwrecked in south Thailand

Abstract: BANGKOK - Thai officials said they discovered 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees on Tuesday who were shipwrecked and stranded in southern Thailand. The chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, Kanjanapan Kamhaeng, said the boat carrying the Rohingya was found after several Thai and Myanmar citizens told park officials their ship had broken down. They initially denied they were transporting Rohingya. Kanjanapan said the boat was found smashed onto a rocky shore and a preliminary check showed it was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens who were identified by the Rohingya as in charge of operating the ship. Kanjanapan said the Thai navy took the group away to be processed by immigration officials. Navy Cmdr. Thanapong Sudrak said authorities will investigate whether the incident involved human trafficking. Rohingya originate in Rakhine state in Myanmar, where they face extreme persecution by authorities and majority Buddhists, prompting their flight over the years, many on rickety boats that were sometimes pushed back into the open sea by countries such as Thailand. Attacks by Myanmar’s army in 2017 caused more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to overcrowded refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh and elsewhere for safety.

human trafficking
rohingya
thailand
myanmar
islam
maritime accidents


India evacuates hundreds of thousands as Cyclone Vayu builds fury

Abstract: MUMBAI - India evacuated hundreds of thousands of people to shelters along the coast in its western state of Gujarat as a cyclone gathering intensity over the Arabian Sea was expected to hit land on Thursday. Weather officials said Cyclone Vayu, with wind speeds equivalent to those of a Category 1 hurricane, is set to cross the coast with sustained wind speeds of 145 kph to 155 kph (90 mph to 96 mph), and could gust as high as 170 kph (106 mph). The state government said it had begun moving about 300,000 people from the most vulnerable areas into shelters. “We have started evacuation in coastal districts today morning,” a Gujarat disaster management official said on Wednesday. The state’s chief minister, Vijay Rupani, has asked India’s military and its National Disaster Response Force for help with rescue and relief efforts if the cyclone causes widespread damage and disruption. The federal home minister, Amit Shah, also urged officials to ensure swift restoration of utilities such as power, telecoms and drinking water if they are disrupted by the cyclone. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned the cyclone could hold up the progress of annual monsoon rains, as the storm drew rain clouds from over the sea. The monsoon was already about a week late in arriving at Kerala on the southern coast this year, and much of the country has broiled in a summer heatwave in recent weeks. Gujarat is also home to large refineries and sea ports near the storm’s path. India’s biggest oil refinery, owned by Reliance Industries, is in Gujarat, though a company official said the cyclone was expected to weaken by the time it reached the Jamnagar-based refinery. “But in case the course changes or intensifies, the refinery is ready for any contingency,” he added, declining to be identified as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Sikka Ports and Terminals Ltd, which handles crude oil and refined products for Reliance Industries Ltd, halted vessel berthing at a western port on Wednesday over a cyclone warning, according to a port notice. The company’s ports also handle oil and refined products cargo for Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd, a subsidiary of state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd is preparing to move employees at two ports it runs to safer areas, a spokesman said. “Our Mundra and Tuna ports will be closest to the path,” he added. “All the necessary precautions are being put in place.” Nayara Energy, owned by a consortium led by Russia’s Rosneft, said it was monitoring the situation and also taking precautionary measures at its Gujarat refinery. In May, Cyclone Fani, the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, killed at least 34 people on India’s eastern coast, destroying houses and ripping off roofs. Authorities had evacuated more than 1.2 million people in advance of the storm, after an even more powerful cyclone in 1999 killed about 10,000 people and caused damage running into billions of dollars.


Hong Kong police fire rubber bullets as extradition bill protests turn to chaos

Abstract: HONG KONG - Hong Kong police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at demonstrators who threw plastic bottles on Wednesday as protests against an extradition bill that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial descended into violent chaos. Tens of thousands of protesters had gathered peacefully outside the Chinese-ruled city’s legislature before tempers flared, some charging police with umbrellas. Police warned them back, saying: “We will use force.” Ambulances sped towards the protest area as panic spread through the crowd, with many people trying to flee the stinging tear gas, according to a witness. More than 10 people were wounded in the clashes, Cable TV reported. Police used pepper spray, tear gas and batons to force the crowds back. Some shops put up their shutters at the nearby IFC, one of Hong Kong’s tallest buildings. Civil Human Rights Front, which organized a protest on Sunday that it estimated saw more than a million people take to the streets in protest against the extradition bill, accused police of using unnecessary violence. The protesters, most of them young people dressed in black, had erected barricades as they prepared to hunker down for an extended occupation of the area, in scenes reminiscent of pro-democracy “Occupy” protests that gridlocked the former British colony in 2014. The violence had died down by early evening under light rain, but tens of thousands still jammed the streets in and around Lung Wo Road, a main east-west artery near the offices of embattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. “Didn’t we say at the end of the Umbrella movement we would be back?” pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo said, referring to the name often used for the 2014 demonstrations, whose trademark was the yellow umbrella. “Now we are back!” she said as supporters echoed her words. Others once again called for Lam to step down. Opposition to the bill on Sunday triggered Hong Kong’s biggest political demonstration since its handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a “once country, two systems” deal guaranteeing it special autonomy, including freedom of assembly, free press and independent judiciary. But many accuse China of extensive meddling since, including obstruction of democratic reforms, interference with local elections and of being behind the disappearance of five Hong Kong-based booksellers, starting in 2015, who specialized in works critical of Chinese leaders. Lam has vowed to press ahead with the legislation despite deep concerns in the Asian financial hub, including among business leaders, that it could undermine those freedoms and investor confidence and erode the city’s competitive advantages. In a brief evening televised address, Lam “strongly condemned” the violence and urged the city to return to normal as soon as possible. In a separate interview recorded earlier on Wednesday before the worst of the violence, she repeatedly stood by the introduction of the bill, and said the time was right for it to be debated. “I have never had any guilty conscience because of this matter, I just said the initial intention of our work is still firmly right.” She added that “perhaps it is impossible to completely eliminate worry, anxiety or controversy.” The government said debate on the bill that was due to take place in the city’s 70-seat Legislative Council on Wednesday would be delayed until further notice. The legislature is controlled by a pro-Beijing majority. “We won’t leave till they scrap the law,” said one young man wearing a black mask and gloves. “Carrie Lam has underestimated us. We won’t let her get away with this.” British Prime Minister Theresa May said extradition rules in Hong Kong had to respect the rights and freedoms set out in the 1984 Sino-British agreement on Hong Kong’s future. “We are concerned about potential effects of these proposals particularly obviously given the large number of British citizens there are in Hong Kong,” May told parliament. “But it is vital that those extradition arrangements in Hong Kong are in line with the rights and freedoms that were set down in the Sino-British joint declaration.” China reiterated its support for the legislation. “Any actions that harm Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability are opposed by mainstream public opinion in Hong Kong,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters. Asked about rumors that more Chinese security forces were going to be sent to Hong Kong, Geng said that was “fake news.” The rally was within sight of the Hong Kong garrison of China’s People’s Liberation Army, whose presence in the city has been one of the most sensitive elements of the 1997 handover. The protesters, who skipped work, school or university to join the rally, rallied just a stone’s throw from the heart of the financial center, where glittering skyscrapers house the offices of some of the world’s biggest companies, including HSBC . Lam has sought to soothe public concerns about the bill and said her administration was creating additional amendments to the bill, including safeguarding human rights. Under the proposed law, Hong Kong residents, as well as foreign and Chinese nationals living or traveling through the city, would all be at risk if they were wanted on the mainland. The failure of the 2014 protests to wrest concessions on democracy from Beijing, coupled with the prosecutions of at least 100 mostly young protesters, initially discouraged many from returning to the streets. That changed on Sunday. Human rights groups have repeatedly cited the alleged use of torture, arbitrary detentions, forced confessions and problems accessing lawyers in China, where courts are controlled by the Communist Party, as reasons why the Hong Kong bill should not proceed. China denies accusations that it tramples on human rights and official media said this week “foreign forces” were trying to damage China by creating chaos over the extradition bill.

hong kong
police
extradition
protests
china
rights
carrie lam
hong kong extradition protests


U.S. 'gift' to China shows North Korea sanctions going unenforced

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The meeting between acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and his Chinese counterpart began with all the hallmarks of a routine staged and scripted session between two uneasy rivals. First came the posed photo, as the two men shook hands with broad smiles in front of their nations’ flags, and then they moved quickly into the hotel conference room, surrounded by staff. There, Shanahan presented Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe with a gift. But what at first glance looked like a coffee table book was actually 32 pages of photographs and satellite images of North Korean ships getting and delivering shipments of oil. Many of the photos are stamped with dates, times, locations and descriptions, and, according to officials, represent proof that Pyongyang is violating punishing economic sanctions right off China’s coast. “I gave him this beautiful book,” Shanahan said a day after his meeting with Wei and his top staff at a national security conference in Singapore. “I said this is an area where you and I can cooperate.” The pointed message from the acting Pentagon chief comes as the Trump administration is at odds with China over a wide range of issues, including trade, Chinese theft of American technology, the possible sale of U.S. weapons to Taiwan and how to pressure North Korea into giving up its nuclear weapons program. China agreed to the U.N. sanctions against its ally and neighbor North Korea, but, as the photo book illustrates, appears to be allowing violations to take place. On one page of the book viewed by The Associated Press, a photo shows the North Korean-flagged oil tanker Kum Un San 3 next to the M/V New Regent, a Panama-flagged tanker, and a number of lines and hoses are draped between the two ships. The photo is dated June 7, 2018. The U.N., in an October 2018 press release, said the June 7 ship-to-ship transfer was a violation and said it likely involved oil. The U.N. sanctioned the two ships and said they are subject to de-flagging and prohibited from entering U.N. member ports. Another photo in the book shows the North Korean tanker An San 1, and says it is “offloading refined petroleum” through an undersea pipeline at the terminal in Nampo, near Pyongyang. Lt. Col. Joe Buccino, a Pentagon spokesman, said Shanahan devised the book to show that enforcement of U.N. sanctions off the Chinese coast is “an area for potential coordination and collaboration” with the Chinese military. A U.S. defense official said Shanahan had the photographs and information in the book declassified and bound. Shanahan presented the book to Wei at the start of their meeting, saying he had a gift for the minister, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The official said Wei initially appeared taken aback at receiving a gift, but when he realized what it was he quickly turned it over to his staff. During the meeting, Shanahan told Wei that the U.S. and Chinese navies could work together to prevent such violations of the U.N. sanctions, said the official. “It’s actually very clever,” said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China power project at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. “It’s really calling out China. This is a way of telling them that we know what’s going on, we have quite a bit of evidence, and here’s an opportunity for you to expand cooperation with the United States.” Glaser, who also attended the Singapore conference, said she spoke with members of the China delegation and they described the meeting between Shanahan and Wei as positive and upbeat. No one, she said, mentioned the book. “I think it was probably embarrassing,” she said. “They probably thought they were getting something wonderful, that would highlight something positive, not something calling out China for their failure to step up and crack down on North Korea.” The oil and trade sanctions against North Korea have hurt its already struggling economy, and both Russia and China have called for easing them. China isn’t likely to want to openly evade the sanctions and face diplomatic friction with the United States, but more than 90% of North Korea’s foreign trade has gone through China. The U.N. Security Council in March said North Korea was continuing to defy its resolutions through a “massive” increase in ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal. The U.S. Navy has been working with a number of countries, including South Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and France, to catch sanctions violations such as ship-to-ship transfers. Shanahan’s meeting with Wei at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference earlier this month came just the evening before he delivered a speech that denounced China’s efforts to steal technology from other nations and militarize man-made outposts in the South China Sea as a “toolkit of coercion.” But he also made clear the U.S. wants to work with China on other international issues. In a brief mention of the book during questions after his conference speech, Shanahan said the two countries must work through their differences. “Trust is built over time,” he said. “Trust is built by working on projects and being shoulder to shoulder. It isn’t done by conferences or by policies or by speeches. We need to find areas in which we can grow.”

china
north korea
patrick shanahan
wei fenghe
u.s .
donald trump
trade war


Dangerous reservoirs found at 63,722 locations across Japan

Abstract: The agriculture ministry said Tuesday it has found 63,722 reservoirs across Japan that may pose danger to people if they are affected by natural disasters such as torrential rain. The figure as of the end of May was some 5.6 times higher than the number confirmed at the end of fiscal 2017, as the ministry re-examined such reservoirs according to new standards set after heavy rain that hit western Japan in July last year and caused a number of reservoirs to collapse. Local governments will accelerate efforts to draw up hazard maps for areas at risk of damage from such dangerous reservoirs. Under the ministry’s standards, set in November last year, dangerous reservoirs are defined as those that have housing or public facilities located within less than 100 meters of where flooding is expected in the event of heavy rain or other natural disasters. After careful scrutiny, the ministry confirmed some 167,000 reservoirs, including artificial ponds designed to secure water for agricultural use, across the nation, down from 198,000 previously, as it excluded some that no longer exist.


Japan takes step to accelerate landfill work at planned Henoko base site

Abstract: NAHA, OKINAWA PREF. - Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Wednesday urged the central government to immediately stop landfill work as part of land reclamation at a planned U.S. base site in the Henoko coastal area of Okinawa Prefecture, after it took a step to accelerate the work the previous day. The Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Defense Bureau on Tuesday started to unload soil transported by sea to another location in the Henoko area, in addition to the existing unloading point. Previously, for the unloading of soil used for landfill, only a seawall constructed on the north of Oura Bay had been used. The new unloading site is part of a seawall now being built on the south of the bay. When Tamaki made the request in a meeting with Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Iwaya said he wants Tamaki “to understand the central government’s position,” according to Tamaki. The central government plans to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma air station in the city of Ginowan in Okinawa to Henoko in Nago, another city in the prefecture. The construction of the replacement facility continues in Henoko even after a majority of people voted against the plan in a prefectural referendum in February. In waters around the seawall construction site on the south of the bay, there are corals that are planned to be transplanted. But the regional defense bureau believes that the corals will not be affected even after about half of the 515-meter-long planned southern seawall is completed. Tamaki claimed that the land minister’s recent decision to invalidate the prefecture’s cancellation of its landfill approval was “illegal.” Also on Tuesday, the Okinawa government held a symposium in Tokyo to demonstrate local opposition to the planned construction of the new U.S. military base. It is the first time for the prefectural government to hold such a symposium in Tokyo. It aims to hold similar events in other major cities across the country to rally support for its opposition to the base relocation plan. “We want you to think about (Okinawa’s situation) as if it’s your own matter,” Tamaki said in a speech. “You need to believe people will move politics,” he emphasized.

henoko
okinawa
denny tamaki
takeshi iwaya
military
u.s. bases


Prince Hisahito expected to travel to Bhutan with parents for first overseas trip

Abstract: Prince Hisahito, second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, is expected to travel to Bhutan in August with his parents, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, in what would be the 12-year-old’s first overseas trip, sources close to the matter said Tuesday. The imperial family and Bhutan’s royal family have maintained friendly relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1986. The crown prince’s elder brother, Emperor Naruhito, who ascended to the throne in May, visited Bhutan in 1987. Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, then prince and princess, also traveled to Bhutan in 1997, and their elder daughter, Princess Mako, made an official trip to the kingdom two years ago. In November 2011, Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema came to Japan as state guests and expressed their condolences for the victims of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan earlier that year. Born in 2006 as the first new male member of the imperial family in nearly 41 years, Prince Hisahito is currently enrolled in a junior high school affiliated with Ochanomizu University in Tokyo. “I believe it is important for (him) to see Japan from a new perspective when given the chance to travel abroad,” his father said at a news conference two years ago.

prince hisahito
bhutan
crown prince akishino
imperial family


Wide gap remains between Japanese and South Koreans over wartime labor issue, poll shows

Abstract: Japanese and South Koreans have vastly different views on rulings last year by the South Korean Supreme Court ordering Japanese companies to compensate wartime forced laborers, a survey showed Wednesday. Among the roughly 2,000 people polled across both countries, 58.7 percent of Japanese said they do not approve of the court decision, while 75.5 percent of South Koreans expressed support. The issue has caused diplomatic relations between the neighboring countries to deteriorate sharply, with South Korea calling on Japan to own up to atrocities committed during its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Tokyo maintains that Seoul forfeited its right to make compensation claims as part of a 1965 treaty that normalized postwar ties and provided South Korea with what the treaty called huge “economic cooperation” consisting of grants worth $300 million and loans of $200 million over 10 years — funds totaling 1.5 times the annual national budget of South Korea at that time. The annual survey was conducted between May and June by Tokyo-based nonprofit think tank Genron NPO and the Seoul-based East Asia Institute. Asked how the issue should be resolved, 28.4 percent of Japanese said they do not know, followed by 22.2 percent who favored setting up an arbitration panel involving a third country or taking the matter to the International Court of Justice. By contrast, 58.1 percent of South Koreans said the Japanese companies — Nippon Steel Corp., previously called Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp., and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. — should pay the workers in line with the court rulings. The respondents were also asked for their views on an incident last December where a South Korean destroyer allegedly locked its fire-control radar onto a Japanese patrol plane in Japan’s exclusive economic zone outside its territorial waters in the Sea of Japan. South Korea has denied the accusation, hitting back with its own allegations of Japanese planes flying dangerously close to its warships. According to the survey, more than 60 percent of respondents on both sides said they believe the version of events given by their own government. Yasushi Kudo, head of Genron NPO, said that the wartime labor issue and the fire-control radar incident had a direct role in souring ties between the two countries. “Both governments should acknowledge the desire among their people to improve the relationship,” he told a news conference in Tokyo. The survey, however, revealed a contrast in public opinion. On the Japanese side, only 20 percent said they had favorable feelings toward South Korea, the lowest mark since the survey began in 2013, while a record-high 31.7 percent of South Koreans said they had favorable feelings toward Japan. Among those with a negative view of South Korea, the top reason given, at 52.1 percent, was again the country’s criticism of Japan over wartime history. Asked to name positive aspects of South Korea, roughly half of those with a favorable view of the country cited cuisine and shopping, followed closely by TV dramas and music. South Koreans with a favorable view of Japan most often cited the belief, held by 69.7 percent, that Japanese are “kind and honest,” followed by the view that Japan is an “advanced country with a high standard of living.” More than 60 percent of respondents on both sides said Japan-South Korea relations are poor at the moment, though only 40.2 percent of Japanese called for efforts to improve ties compared with 70.8 percent of South Koreans. On the likelihood of North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons amid negotiations with the United States, South Koreans were evenly split between optimists and pessimists at around 30 percent each. Japanese held a more cynical view, with 47.4 percent saying denuclearization is unlikely.

south korea
wartime labor
surveys
wwii
south korea-japan relations


Over 60% of women see rules on heels enforced at work, study finds

Abstract: More than 60 percent of women in Japan have experienced the enforcement of rules requiring them to wear heels in the workplace or while job-hunting, or have witnessed others being forced to wear them, according to a survey conducted by a Japanese business website that reported the findings to a Diet discussion on Tuesday. The survey was conducted by Business Insider Japan, which questioned 207 individuals about workplace dress codes, including 184 women. More than 80 percent of the female respondents said they had suffered health problems as a result of wearing heels, while a quarter were informed during seminars on workplace behavior that wearing them was considered basic etiquette. Discussions were held Tuesday between a group fighting the enforcement of rules on wearing heels in the workplace, members of the labor ministry and other organizations as well as lawmakers. They exchanged viewpoints on confronting and eliminating gender-based workplace discrimination. “I believe we’ve realized that some of the social conventions we take for granted are wrong,” said Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan member Kanako Otsuji. “Let’s raise our voices together. Change will not occur if we remain silent,” she continued. Tuesday’s talks came after Health, Labor and Welfare Minister Takumi Nemoto said he would not support a drive to ban dress codes that force women to wear high heels at work, citing how the shoes were “generally accepted by society” as “necessary and reasonable.” He made the comments in reaction to a petition — signed by over 18,800 people — submitted to his ministry on June 3. It called for the government to ban companies from requiring women to wear high heels in the workplace, citing health and other issues. The group that attended Tuesday’s meeting is part of the #KuToo movement — an amalgam of “#MeToo” and the Japanese words for shoes, “ kutsu ,” and pain, “ kutsū .” A member of the International Labor Organization echoed Otsuji’s remarks, saying, “The reason why women have been told to wear heels despite their suffering is because men, who have been at the top of management for decades, were the ones who established normal social conventions.” “If something is wrong with the norms that we follow, then the law is there to change it,” he said.

women
discrimination
# kutoo
rights
yumi ishikawa


Tokyo government ridiculed for mistake suggesting mascot supports child abuse

Abstract: A Tokyo government website tasked with tackling child abuse unintentionally appeared to do the exact opposite, when a caption under an image of a mascot skipped a vital word, government officials acknowledged Wednesday. The caption displayed beneath an image of the metropolitan government’s official anti-child abuse snail mascot, Osekkai Kun, on the homepage of the Japanese-language website was meant to read “child abuse prevention promotion character,” but instead read “child abuse promotion character.” The mistake was pointed out by a resident and fixed Tuesday, two months after the errant text was first placed on the site following its April 10 relaunch. Work on the project had been outsourced to an external contractor, according to the officials. Before it was addressed the error drew ire on the internet, with people making comments such as “you shouldn’t be promoting child abuse” and “it means the opposite.” “This is a mistake that should not have happened, especially from a standpoint of trying to prevent child abuse,” an official from Tokyo’s Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health said. “We will make all efforts to ensure it doesn’t happen again as we continue to raise awareness and educate people about abuse prevention,” the official said.

mascots
child abuse
internet
tokyo metropolitan government
gaffes


Oil imports and sanctions loom large as Abe visits Iran for talks with its leaders

Abstract: With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Iran, Japan is aiming to leverage their traditionally amicable ties to help de-escalate tensions in the Middle East — a critical region for his resource-poor country. One important aspect of those ties, which date back to 1929 and mark their 90th anniversary this year, is trade in oil. Iran has been among the major exporters of the energy resource to Japan, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Abe arrived in Tehran on Wednesday evening for a bilateral summit with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The two-day visit through Thursday is the first trip to the country by a sitting Japanese leader in more than four decades. It also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s hard-line stance on Tehran has prompted the Japanese government and companies to take a fresh look at their approaches to the Middle Eastern country. In early May, the United States ended sanctions waivers it had granted to Japan and other buyers of Iranian oil. “It’s not the first time that companies have been swayed by U.S. decisions related to Iran. But the impact cannot be ignored,” one industry source said. With rich natural resources that also include natural gas and a population of over 80 million, Iran is seen as having growth potential. But the Iranian economy is also reeling from the impact of the U.S. sanctions imposed following Washington’s withdrawal in 2018 from an international nuclear accord. When the landmark agreement was reached in 2015 between Iran and six other major powers, and the sanctions that had been in place were subsequently lifted in exchange for Tehran curbing its nuclear activity, Japanese companies — from trading houses to automakers — were among those keen to explore business opportunities. In 2016, Japan and Iran signed an investment agreement designed to ensure equal treatment of companies and offer protection of their investments. Trump’s decision in May 2018 to withdraw from the nuclear deal, which had been signed under his predecessor Barack Obama, was based on his view that it was too lenient, and a “disaster.” Of the sanctions now targeting a range of sectors from automobiles to energy, those on financial transactions by foreign entities with Iran’s central bank and designated local banks have been especially biting for Tehran. Industry watchers say multinational companies effectively have to choose whether to do business with Iran or the United States. Before the United States targeted crude oil, Iran supplied nearly 5 percent of Japan’s imports of the precious energy resource. That share stood at 4.7 percent in April, down from 9.1 percent in the previous month, according to the latest government data. Oil wholesalers in Japan have shifted to other crude exporters due to the U.S. sanctions, according to Takashi Tsukioka, who heads the Petroleum Association of Japan. “We hope (the Japanese government) will make strenuous efforts so imports can be resumed,” Tsukioka said at a recent news conference. This is not the first time that the oil sector has been affected by U.S.-Iran relations. Japan had an interest in an oil field in Azadegan, southwestern Iran, which is estimated to have crude oil deposits of around 26 billion barrels. The predecessor of Japanese oil exploration company Inpex Corp. acquired a 75 percent stake in the Azadegan field in 2004, but later reduced its stake as ties between Iran and the U.S. worsened in 2006. In 2010, Inpex decided to withdraw from the project, giving up its 10 percent stake asthe firm endeavored to avoid inclusion on a list of companies subject to U.S. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program. For corporate managers who have offices in Iran, taking a wait-and-see approach may be an option. Japanese firms such as trading, housing, engineering and machinery firms had a total of 32 offices in Iran as of 2017, according to government data. In a survey conducted by the Japan External Trade Organization, or JETRO, between September and October last year, most of the 20 Japanese companies doing business there cited growth potential and a generally good sentiment toward Japan as positive factors. But 95 percent cited instability in the political and social situations in the country as major difficulties in making investments. Amid uncertainty over U.S. sanctions, 60 percent said they will likely downsize their businesses there. “Iran is a resource-rich nation but it also has diverse sectors, from auto to food and medical equipment, that have growth potential,” said Daisuke Yonekura, deputy director of the Middle East and Africa division at JETRO. “But starting new business projects or making investments is now difficult due to the U.S. sanctions,” Yonekura said. “The severe environment for Iran will likely continue for the time being.” The Iranian economy marked a 12.5 percent expansion in 2016 following the nuclear deal that led to the lifting of crippling sanctions on the country. The International Monetary Fund projects that Iran will see negative growth of 6.0 percent in 2019 while inflation will rise 37.2 percent from a year ago, causing pain for many in the country.

oil
iran
shinzo abe
hassan rouhani
donald trump
u.s .
nuclear weapons
nuclear energy
iran nuclear deal
iran-japan relations


Japan's largest warship joins U.S. carrier for military exercises in disputed South China Sea

Abstract: The Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Izumo helicopter carrier has joined the United States’ sole forward-deployed aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, in joint military exercises in the disputed South China Sea, the MSDF and U.S. 7th Fleet said in separate statements Wednesday. The drills, which included joint combat training in the waters and airspace of the South China Sea, kicked off on Monday and were due to wrap up Wednesday, the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a statement. The joint exercises, which were the latest in a spate of multilateral drills in the waters, are likely to be interpreted in Beijing as pushback over China’s moves to extend it’s naval reach further into the Pacific. They also came just a day after the Defense Ministry said that China’s sole operating aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, had passed through the Miyako Strait between the island of Miyako and Okinawa’s main island as it ventured into the Pacific. As part of its push further from its shores, China has constructed a series of military outposts in the South China Sea, including islets that include military-grade airfields and advanced weaponry. It says these are for defensive purposes, but some experts say this is part of a concerted bid to cement de facto control of the waters. The waterway includes vital sea lanes through which about $3 trillion in global trade passes each year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims in the waters, where the U.S., Chinese, Japanese and some Southeast Asian navies also routinely operate. Neither Japan nor the U.S. have claims in the waters, but both allies have routinely stated their commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” “The Navy and JMSDF regularly fly, sail and operate together with other allies and partners to promote security and stability throughout the region,” the 7th Fleet said in a statement. The MSDF’s destroyers Murasame and Akebono joined the Izumo and Reagan in the drills, which also saw several other U.S. vessels take part. The Izumo, together with the Kaga, another helicopter carrier of the same class, are Japan’s largest flat-tops. This week’s joint drills come on the heels of the MSDF’s two separate quadrilateral naval exercises last month that saw the Izumo link up with vessels from the Australian, French, U.S., Indian and Philippine navies in the South China Sea and in waters west of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Japan has worked to bolster its presence in the South China Sea, deploying the Izumo and Murasame as part of the MSDF’s Indo-Pacific deployment this year, which began April 30 and runs through July 10. “The time we are able to spend at sea training and operating with our partners in the Japan Self Defense Forces is invaluable,” said Capt. Pat Hannifin, the Reagan’s commanding officer. “Our alliance has never been stronger, and it’s never been more important to this region than right now.”

military
south china sea
china
izumo
self defense forces
u.s .
disputed islands


After rash of accidents, Tokyo to pay 90% toward equipment to prevent sudden acceleration

Abstract: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will cover about 90 percent of the purchase costs for equipment to prevent vehicles from suddenly moving forward when the accelerator is accidentally stepped on, Gov. Yuriko Koike said Tuesday. The 90 percent emergency subsidy will continue to be available for at least a year so that many elderly drivers will be able to install the equipment quickly, Koike told a Tokyo assembly meeting after a series of traffic accidents by elderly drivers. The metropolitan government is expected to start accepting applications for the subsidy before the end of March 2020, officials said. Details such as restrictions on eligibility will be decided later. Such equipment currently sells for about ¥30,000 to ¥40,000, according to automotive goods retailer Autobacs Seven Co. Koike also said the metropolitan government is considering taking measures to encourage elderly people to return their driver’s licenses, including holding consultation sessions for their families and asking related bodies to expand benefits for those who voluntarily return their license. On Monday, Koike visited an automotive goods store in Tokyo and tried sitting in a vehicle with such equipment installed.

accidents
tokyo metropolitan government
elderly
traffic accidents
aging


Hundreds protest across Japan over acquittals of men in sex crimes

Abstract: Hundreds of people took to the streets across Japan on Tuesday to protest a recent series of court acquittals of men in sex crime cases, including a man found not guilty over having sex with his underage daughter. Holding flowers as a symbol of empathy for victims, participants gathered in Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka and Kagoshima, as the “Flower Demo” movement spread to nine locations. The campaign started in April when hundreds demonstrated in Tokyo and Osaka against rulings including the March 26 decision by the Nagoya District Court’s Okazaki Branch in the incest case, which sparked public outcry and criticism by some legal experts. About 100 people participated at Tuesday’s protest in Fukuoka including author Minori Kitahara, an organizer of the Flower Demo campaign that protests the failure of Japan’s legal system to penalize sex without consent. A woman who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after being sexually harassed 15 years ago emphasized to others at the rally, “Victims can certainly recover if they obtain appropriate support. Let’s work together so we can change our pain to our strength.” Minami Ejiri, a 28-year-old housewife, was among the roughly 120 Flower Demo protesters in Nagoya. She said the ruling by the Okazaki Branch of the local district court came as a huge shock, and that she had worked to organize the rally in the city. Despite recognizing that the 19-year-old victim had sex with her father against her will in 2017 after having been sexually abused by him for years, the branch acquitted the man, ruling that she could have resisted if she had wanted. “Let’s keep raising our voices against something irrational. Although we are nobody, we are not alone,” Ejiri said. Several hundred people gathered at the rally held near Tokyo Station. Other court rulings the demonstrators have protested against include a case in which a man, indicted over raping a woman after she passed out from drinking, was found not guilty by the Fukuoka District Court’s Kurume Branch on March 12. His acquittal was made on the grounds he “misunderstood” that she had consented to having sex with him.

protests
sex crimes
courts
flower demo
women


Emperor Emeritus Akihito concludes abdication-linked rituals with visit to Kyoto mausoleums

Abstract: KYOTO - Emperor Emeritus Akihito concluded a series of Shin’etsu no Gi rituals related to his recent abdication with a tour of the mausoleums of two of his ancestors in Kyoto on Wednesday. The emperor emeritus, accompanied by his wife, Empress Emerita Michiko, visited the mausoleums of Emperor Komei and Emperor Meiji to report his April 30 abdication. The abdication rituals began on March 12. It was the couple’s first visit to the mausoleum of Emperor Komei since November 1999, and the first visit to that of Emperor Meiji since December 2012. Emperor Emeritus Akihito, dressed in a morning coat and with a silk hat in hand, entered the gates of Emperor Komei’s mausoleum shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday. After walking up the 123-meter sloped path to the mausoleum, he offered a tamagushi ritual Shinto offering and prayed. Empress Emerita Michiko, clad in gray clothing for worship, prayed after him. The former emperor arrived at Emperor Meiji’s mausoleum around 1 p.m., where he slowly walked toward the mausoleum and prayed after offering another tamagushi. The former empress followed suit.

emperor emeritus akihito
abdication
kyoto
mausoleum
emperor emerita michiko


Farmers in Hiroshima Prefecture struggle to recover after 2018 flooding wrecked rice paddies

Abstract: As the rice-planting season wraps up, Higashihiroshima, known as a rice-producing city, is still reeling from last summer’s devastating floods. This year, farmers weren’t able to plant rice in 90 percent of the rice fields affected by the flood in the city, officials say. In response, one agricultural association in a disaster-stricken area launched initiatives to adapt, including by turning nonrice farmland into rice paddies and cultivating soybeans instead in rice fields where waterways were destroyed. The city’s Uyama district is supposed to be deep in the throes of rice-planting season at this time of year, however, dirt and driftwood abound instead. According to Agricultural Producers’ Cooperative Corporation Uyama, which handles farmland from about 60 residents, rice planting takes place on 15 hectares of land in the district in an ordinary year. This year, it wasn’t able to plant rice in about 4 hectares because fields and waterways were devastated by the deadly floods. The cooperative, whose revenues heavily rely on the rice harvest, expects this year’s harvest to be significantly lower than usual, like last year’s, which was also heavily affected by the disaster. The organization turned some wheat fields that had escaped the disaster into rice paddies, hoping to minimize the damage by securing some degree of rice acreage. For places where waterways were damaged, the group is planning to grow soybeans, which require less water than rice. “I hope for swift recovery by getting a helping hand from organizations like the city, but the magnitude of the devastation is enormous,” said Masahiro Sakata, 73, who represents the group. “We have no choice but to deal with the situation.” Higashihiroshima, which is home to about 6,200 hectares of paddy fields altogether, was hit the hardest in terms of damage to its farmland in Hiroshima Prefecture. According to the city, 91.93 hectares of paddy fields were damaged because of the heavy rain and floods, and of that figure, about 90 percent weren’t able to plant rice this season. The overall damage is thought to be much larger if waterway damage is taken into account. Some agricultural cooperatives, like Uyama’s, opted to plant different crops, but many individual farmers were forced to give up rice planting this year, according to the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Hiroshima Chuo division. The city is hoping to conclude recovery efforts of farmlands and agricultural facilities by the end of fiscal 2020, but the outlook for the year ahead is unclear. “We are going to prioritize fixing large farmlands and waterways that multiple farmers use, and proceed with repair work as we listen to farmers’ requests,” said a city official who is in charge of disaster recovery.

hiroshima prefecture
floods
higashihiroshima
agriculture
disasters
rain


Rape acquittals spark calls to fix law in Japan, where prosecutors must prove victim 'incapable of resistance'

Abstract: Miyako Shirakawa was a 19-year-old college student when she was raped by an older man. She said that when the attack started, her mind went blank and she froze up. “When I became aware, he was on top of me,” said Shirakawa, 54, now a psychiatrist who treats sexual abuse victims. That type of response “is a common, instinctive reaction — it’s a form of psychological self-protection,” said Shirakawa, who became pregnant because of the rape, which she didn’t report to police, and had an abortion. But under the law, not fighting back can make it impossible for prosecutors to prove rape. Legislators revised the nation’s century-old rape law in 2017 to include harsher penalties and other changes. The reforms, however, left intact controversial requirements that prosecutors must prove that violence or intimidation was involved or that the victim was “incapable of resistance.” A recent series of acquittals has revived outrage over that legal standard, which Shirakawa and other critics say places an unfairly high burden on victims, deterring them from coming forward and hurting their chances in court if they do. They say the law must be revisited to make all nonconsensual sex a crime, without exception, as it is in other developed countries, including the U.K., Germany and Canada. “Discussing sexual violence from the victim’s viewpoint is a world trend, and it’s time to reform the Japanese legal system, and society that cannot do that,” said Minori Kitahara, an author and activist who is among the organizers of protests against the recent rulings. One such ruling came in March, when a court in Nagoya acquitted a father accused of raping his 19-year-old daughter. According to a copy of the verdict seen by Reuters, the court recognized that the sex was nonconsensual, that the father had physically and sexually abused the victim when she was younger and that he had used force. But the judges concluded that doubt remained as to whether she had no option other than to submit. The case is under appeal. “The verdict was extremely strict about proving psychological incapacity to resist,” said Tomoko Murata, a lawyer who handles sexual assault cases. Activists are holding monthly demonstrations where participants carry flowers as a symbol of protest. “The media are reporting about the verdicts and the protests. The increase in the number of people who think that this situation is wrong will give strength to those who cannot speak of their own suffering,” said Jun Yamamoto, head of the sexual assault victims group Spring and a victim herself. In May, Spring presented the Justice Ministry and the Supreme Court with demands for legal reforms. Silenced by fear The #MeToo movement has been mostly subdued in Japan, and only 2.8 percent of sexual assault victims tell police, often for fear of being blamed themselves and publicly shamed, and many tell no one at all. A report last year by the government’s gender equality bureau showed nearly 60 percent of female victims of rape kept it to themselves. “My patients are afraid, and there are many who feel it is impossible to make a legal case, so all they can do is cry themselves to sleep,” Shirakawa said. Murata said the acquittals would further discourage victims from seeking help from the legal system. “In dealing with police, prosecutors and courts, the law is so strict and a guilty verdict so difficult that the victim begins to suffer,” she said. “The repercussions of such verdicts are huge.” Behind the legal burden, experts say, is a traditional view that women are responsible for protecting their chastity. Japan’s rape law was introduced before women could vote and its main intent was to protect family honor and pedigree, legal experts say. “The idea is women must resist to the very limit. That is at the heart of this kind of ruling,” Murata said. “And there is still the view that ‘no means yes.’ It is not yet the common view that a woman’s agreement is necessary before having sex.” Reforms The 2017 reforms widened the definition of “forced sexual intercourse” to include anal and oral sex, thus including men as victims; lengthened the minimum prison sentence to five years from three; and enabled prosecution even if the victim did not press charges. It also dropped the requirement that rape of a person under the age of 18 by a parent or guardian must involve violence, intimidation or incapacity to resist to be considered a crime. Proposals to do the same for adults failed partly because of concerns that doing so would lead to an increase in false charges. Critics say there’s no evidence that is true — the social, psychological and legal barriers to prosecuting a case are too high. “Proof the sex was nonconsensual would still be required, so I don’t think false charges would increase,” Murata said. Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita, asked about the calls for reforms, told a Diet panel last month that his ministry would assess the current situation and consider what action to take. But he gave no deadline for a decision. “We must cautiously consider the impact of completely removing the requirement (to prove) violence or intimidation,” he said, replying to an opposition lawmaker. When reforms were enacted in 2017, the Diet called for a review after three years, and activists hope the recent public outrage will bolster pressure for additional changes. Some members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party are taking an interest in the topic, forming a group called Caucus for a Society Without Sexual Violence. “I felt that the verdicts were unbelievable, impossible,” said Chihiro Ito, 29, a victim of attempted rape who is a member of Spring. “But there are also positive aspects for Spring. The view of ordinary people, the decent reaction that in common sense terms, these verdicts are wrong is spreading in society,” she said. “It would be good if that triggers debate in society and leads to reform.”


Male managers in Japan have higher mortality rate than in Europe, study finds

Abstract: Men in managerial positions or professional occupations in Japan have a higher mortality rate than their counterparts in Europe, according to a scientific study published in late May. The study was conducted on men who were aged between 35 and 64 during the period from 1990 to 2015 in Japan, South Korea and eight European countries including Denmark and Switzerland, by a team of researchers from the University of Tokyo and European institutes. The findings, reported in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, said that the mortality rate of “upper nonmanual workers” increased in Japan in the second half of the 1990s following the collapse of the asset-inflated bubble economy. The trend was possibly due to changes in their social and work environments — such as having to work in dual roles, as a manager and a worker, following restructuring, for example, according to the report. The economic crisis saw managers and the professional class lose decision-making discretion, suffering greater psychological stress and an increasing workload, while overtime hours for most other occupations decreased, the study said. Cancer made the largest contribution to rising mortality in this occupational category, with suicide also factoring heavily. The article also referred to previous studies that suggested heavy job demands and long working hours made it difficult for such workers to make time for health checkups. In 2015, 375 of every 100,000 people in the managerial and professional classes died — almost 1.4 times the figures seen for lower nonmanual workers such as clerical and service employees. While the mortality rate among managers and professionals has been declining since the 2000s, this could be set to reverse once more, as a recent labor reform law in Japan exempts certain categories of skilled professionals with high wages, such as consultants and financial traders, from the legal cap otherwise applied to working hours. Yasuki Kobayashi, professor of public health at the University of Tokyo, noted that managers who are supposed to be able to regulate their own schedules tend to drive themselves to work long hours. “It is necessary to continue labor reforms and to be equipped with statistical analyses to understand the situations of those with bad health,” he said. In South Korea, the mortality rate among managers and professionals rose in the late 2000s, following the 2008 global financial crisis triggered by the collapse of the U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. As in Japan, cancer made the largest contribution. In Europe, the trend was reversed, with manual workers consistently having higher mortality rates than upper nonmanual workers.

university of tokyo
jobs
overwork
karoshi


Japan passes bill requiring microchipping of pets to reduce strays

Abstract: The Diet on Wednesday passed a bill requiring dog and cat breeders to microchip animals, and owners to voluntarily do the same to their pets, in a bid to reduce the number of strays. The pet microchipping rules will take effect in three years after the promulgation of the revised animal protection law, which also toughened penalties for people found guilty of abusing animals. A number of serious cases in which people have shared videos of abuse created momentum for the change. Those found to have injured or killed a pet could be subject to imprisonment of up to five years or a fine of up to ¥5 million ($46,100), increased from the previous penalty of up to 2 years in prison or a fine of up to ¥2 million. The new law also bans the sale of dogs and cats until they are at least 56 days old, as experts have pointed out that animals separated from their mother early in their lives tend to bite more and develop other problems. A similar regulation is already in place in parts of Europe. Before the change, dogs and cats were unable to be sold in Japan until they were at least 49 days old. Direct sales between breeders and owners of protected species of Japanese dogs, including Shiba and Akita dogs, are not subject to the new rules. The animal protection law is reviewed every five years. The 56-day-old sales requirement will take effect in two years after promulgation of the revised legislation, while other regulations will come into force within one year. According to the National Police Agency, the number of reported animal abuse cases totaled 84 last year, a record high since the agency started compiling the data in 2010. The number has been continuously rising since 36 posted in 2013, the agency said, attributing the increase to more people paying attention to the issue and reporting abuse cases to police. The cases include an arrest of a 68-year-old man in Ogaki, Gifu Prefecture, in April last year for allegedly keeping two dogs in a filthy vacant house without giving them food or water. Reports said remains of several other dogs were discovered at the house. In February, a 31-year-old man of Sukagawa, Fukushima Prefecture, was arrested on suspicion of throwing two cats into a waterway, in December and January, shooting a video of the act and posting it on YouTube.

microchips
pets
dogs
cats
animal protection law
abuse


Hair salon at Gifu women's prison gives inmates a chance to learn new skills and rehabilitate

Abstract: There’s a unique hair salon in the village of Kasamatsu in Gifu Prefecture where inmates at the women’s prison work as hairstylists as part of a rehabilitation project that aims to equip them with marketable skills for when they rejoin society. “It is a precious opportunity for inmates to make contact with society. It can also be instrumental for people in the community to feel an affinity with the prison,” a senior official at the prison said. “Let’s make it so the side is longer than the back,” a female prisoner and stylist in her 50s said during a discussion with a female customer. The hair salon looks like any shop you may find in the city, with plenty of natural light and a pile of neatly stacked magazines. But one notable difference is the presence of a corrections officer standing on guard nearby. Hair Salon Midori was set up inside Kasamatsu Prison about 65 years ago and is open weekdays except for the second and fourth Fridays of the month. It offers haircuts and blow drying for ¥900 and perms for ¥1,500, a fraction of comparable prices on the outside. It does not advertise its services but draws customers, many of whom are regulars, through word-of-mouth. A total of 780 customers used the service in the last fiscal year. The prisoner in her 50s has been working there since September, after the previous stylist was paroled. “Some customers say they would come back again and that is encouraging. I want to work as a hairstylist after I’m released,” she said. Due to a sense of security that gossip never spreads outside the prison walls, “some customers say things that they would not normally talk about, and leave feeling refreshed,” she said. Conversations, too, are part of the training, and she never fails to check out the latest hairstyles of celebrities by watching television or reading magazines at the prison. Kasamatsu Prison also offers vocational training for boiler engineers, among other professions. Because it takes at least two years to acquire a professional beautician license, the training is offered to prisoners with a relatively long prison sentence ahead of them. In the past 10 years, 40 prisoners have acquired licenses. Working as a hairdresser is considered part of the penal labor that is a requirement for those serving time in person. The revenue from the hair salon will be deposited at the national treasury, and a monthly “incentive remuneration,” is offered to the hairstylist regardless of the number of customers. The stylist receives the payment upon release. According to the Justice Ministry, similar hair salons that cater to citizens also exist at women’s prisons in Tochigi and Wakayama prefectures. Barber shops also exist at juvenile prisons in Hakodate in Hokkaido, and Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture. Kasamatsu Prison recently received news that its previous hairdresser landed a job as a beautician. “The inmates can view the scenery outside the window of the hair salon, not knowing when they will be released. Wishing that day would come, they have to step up each and every day, feeling a sense of atonement,” said the prison’s general manager, Satoe Maruyama.


Trump leaves China tariff deadline open, calls relationship 'testy'

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump declined to set a deadline Wednesday for levying tariffs on another $325 billion of Chinese goods, and called the relationship with Beijing good but “testy,” after China walked back commitments for a trade deal. The president, who said he still plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month, has repeatedly threatened to escalate an already months-long trade war by putting tariffs on nearly all of the remaining Chinese imports that are not already affected by U.S. levies. Those goods include products such as cellphones, computers and clothing. Asked if he had a deadline for China to make progress toward a deal before facing the further penalty, Trump said no. “I have no deadline; my deadline is what’s up here,” he told a news conference, gesturing to his head. “We’ll figure out the deadline. Nobody can quite figure it out.” Trump has said previously that he would decide after the G20 meeting in Japan at the end of June whether to carry out his threat. Washington has already imposed 25 percent tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods, ranging from semi-conductors to furniture, that are imported to the United States. Trump reiterated his belief manufacturers were pulling out of China under pressure from the tariffs the United States has already imposed, in a boon to U.S. manufacturing. “I think that we’ll end up making a deal with China. We have a very good relationship, although it’s a little bit testy right now, as you would expect. I think they really have to make a deal.” Though Trump has said he plans to meet with Xi at the G20 summit in Japan, Beijing has not confirmed any planned talks. Trade talks between the world’s two largest economies fell apart in May. Trump administration officials said China had watered down commitments it made on issues such as stopping intellectual property theft. “We thought we had a deal, and unfortunately they decided that they were going to change the deal, and they can’t do that with me. But something’s going to happen and I think it’s going to be something very positive,” Trump said. The United States wants China to change its trade practices by not requiring U.S. companies to share their technology in order to do business there, curbing subsidies for Chinese state-owned enterprises and increasing access to Chinese markets.

china
tariffs
donald trump
xi jinping
trade war
u.s .


In trade talks, Japan considers proposal to cut U.S. farm tariffs immediately to TPP levels

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Japan plans to propose immediately reducing tariffs on U.S. agricultural products to current levels for TPP members, according to sources familiar with the matter. The measure would level the playing field for American farmers and ranchers, who have become less competitive in the Japanese market than their Australian and Canadian counterparts following the enforcement last December of a revised Trans-Pacific Partnership. For example, to ensure equal conditions between the United States and members of the revised TPP, Japan would apply tariff rates at third-year levels, as opposed to first, if a Japan-U.S. trade agreement came into force in fiscal 2020, the sources said. In return, Japan plans to call for U.S. concessions in bilateral trade agreement negotiations regarding the automobile sector, such as removing U.S. levies on Japanese automobiles and vehicle parts, the sources said. Economic revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer were scheduled to hold talks later on Thursday in Washington. The two sides were expected to focus on tariff cuts in the farming and auto sectors. Japan may file the proposal depending on how the discussions develop. At a meeting in late May in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to speed up negotiations for a bilateral trade pact. According to the current proposal, Japan would immediately reduce tariffs on American beef to 25.8 percent if a bilateral trade deal took effect in the year starting April 2020. At present, Japan imposes a 38.5 percent tariff on American beef imports. Under the TPP, formally known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, Japan’s 38.5 percent tariff on beef imports will be lowered in stages to 9 percent over 16 years. As part of the process, the rate was lowered to 26.6 percent in April and will be further reduced to 25.8 percent in April 2020, putting American ranchers at even more of a disadvantage against their competitors in TPP members Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Trump withdrew the United States from the TPP in 2017, citing his preference for bilateral trade deals. Japan has been seeking the elimination of U.S. tariffs on its vehicles, including a 2.5 percent levy on cars and a 25 percent duty on trucks, as agreed to by former President Barack Obama’s administration under the TPP. The Trump administration has expressed reluctance to remove auto-related tariffs, though the president appears to be trying to appease American farmers with increased market access to Japan as part of his 2020 re-election bid. Japan and the United States held working-level talks in Washington for two days through Tuesday but the two sides remained apart in their positions, leaving the majority of tariff abolition and other requests to be officially made during the talks between Motegi and Robert Lighthizer.

trade
tariffs
tpp
shinzo abe
donald trump
beef
canada
u.s .


Cocoa prices soar as Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana threaten supply cut

Abstract: LONDON - Cocoa prices rose sharply on Wednesday after key producers Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana threatened to stop selling their production to buyers unwilling to meet a minimum price. The threat pushed the September forward contract for the commodity, listed in New York, to $2,540 a ton, up 1.4 percent on the day. The two African nations, which together account for 60 percent of the world’s cocoa production, summoned buyers to Accra for a two-day meeting demanding a price of $2,600 per ton. At the end of the meeting, Joseph Boahen Aidoo, chief executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board, told a news conference that their demands had been accepted in principle by the participants, but that there would be a follow-up meeting to work out how to implement the agreement. “Ivory Coast and Ghana have suspended the sale of the 2020/2021 crop until further notice for preparation of the implementation of the floor price,” he said. Calling the move “historic,” he said that “this is the first time when the producers have called consumers and the first time whereby suppliers have called buyers to come and engage on price,” he said. “Over the years it has been the buyers who have determined the price for the suppliers.” Earlier, on the sidelines of the meeting, the chief of Cote d’Ivoire’s coffee and cocoa council, Yves Kone, said the industry needed a price that amounted to “a decent compensation” for workers’ efforts. The world’s chocolate market is worth around $100 billion, of which only $6 billion go to cocoa producers. But Casper Burgering, commodities analyst at ABN Amro, told AFP that the current price rise may turn out to be temporary, as supply was more than sufficient to meet world demand. Another analyst, at Commodafrica in Paris, said however that drought in Ivory Coast could lead to a shortfall in the coming cocoa harvest, putting upward pressure on prices.


Emails show Mark Zuckerberg knew of 'problematic' privacy practices at Facebook, WSJ reports

Abstract: NEW YORK - Facebook Inc. uncovered emails that seem to show Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg was aware of potentially problematic privacy practices at the company, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The social media giant discovered the emails in the process of responding to a federal privacy investigation, the Journal reported, raising concerns that it would be harmful to the company if they became public. The potential impact of the internal emails was part of the reason the company sought to reach a quick settlement of the investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, the Journal reported, citing one person familiar with the matter. The FTC has been looking into whether Facebook violated the terms of its 2012 consent decree with the agency related to privacy issues, and the emails sent around that time suggest that Zuckerberg and other senior executives didn’t put compliance with the FTC order at the top of priorities, according to the Journal. Facebook shares dropped about 2 percent on the news before recovering slightly. They were trading 1.5 percent lower at $175.42 at 12:32 p.m. on Wednesday in New York. The stock has gained 33 percent this year. “We have fully cooperated with the FTC’s investigation to date and provided tens of thousands of documents, emails and files,” a Facebook representative said in a statement. “We are continuing to work with them and hope to bring this matter to an appropriate resolution. Facebook and its executives, including Mark, at all times strive to comply with all applicable law, and at no point did Mark or any other Facebook employee knowingly violate the company’s obligations under the FTC consent order.” The Journal said it couldn’t be determined exactly what emails the FTC has requested and how many of them relate to Zuckerberg. It’s also unclear whether any of the emails, described to the Journal, show evidence that the company violated the 2012 agreement. Facebook is at the center of numerous investigations over misinformation and privacy on the social network, and some politicians have called for the company’s breakup. Scrutiny has intensified since reports emerged in March 2018 that the company allowed the personal details of tens of millions of users to be shared with political consultancy Cambridge Analytica. Its repeated mishandling of user data is likely to result in a record-breaking fine from the FTC, with the company in April estimating the loss related to any settlement could be as high as $5 billion. Seeking to stem the tide of criticism, Zuckerberg in March called for new global regulations governing the internet, recommending governments come up with rules on hateful and violent content, election integrity, privacy and data portability. He also announced that Facebook would overhaul its platform to focus on private, ephemeral and encrypted communication, an effort he said would alleviate users’ fears around privacy.

mark zuckerberg
privacy
facebook
social media
ftc
cambridge analytica
internet
u.s .