Japan Supreme Court chief says lay judge system well received but tweaks needed to spur interest

Abstract: The Supreme Court said Wednesday that, while the country’s lay judge system has been well received by the public since it was introduced 10 years ago, improvements are needed in order to get citizens more interested in the administration of justice and ease burdens placed on citizen judges. Surveys conducted annually over the 10-year period on citizen judges showed that over 95 percent of them think participating in trial processes has been a good experience, according to the court. “The system has been accepted positively by the public,” Chief Justice Naoto Otani said during a news conference. “The operation of the system is still in the developing stage, and improvements need to be considered,” he added. Some 91,000 people had served as citizen judges through March this year, overseeing around 12,000 cases, according to the court’s review report. The percentage of people chosen as candidates — but who later declined to serve — has gradually increased since the start of the system in 2009, the report said. Last year, 67.0 percent of candidates declined to serve as citizen judges for various reasons, including their work situation, an increase from 53.1 percent in 2009. The percentage of selected citizens who refused to attend a screening session has also increased, the top court said. While the Supreme Court said the rate of people who asked to be exempted from the duty, averaging 62.5 percent during the 10 years, is not high enough to affect the operation of the lay judge system, the level of public interest in it is declining and longer trials are likely making more people reluctant to accept the task. Under 2004 judicial reform legislation that was enacted with a goal of reflecting the mentality of ordinary people, citizens aged 20 or older chosen at random from the local electorate became eligible to act as lay judges in May 2009. Candidates can refuse to be subjects of the assignment procedure in advance if the court recognizes they have a valid reason. Six lay judges, selected through a lottery, plus three professional judges, are on the bench for some district court trials of heinous crimes such as murder, robbery, arson and rape. They decide by a majority vote whether a defendant is guilty or not, and hand down a sentence following guilty verdicts. The number of cases overturned by high courts initially declined after the system was introduced, but the rate for cases involving lay judges has climbed from 6.6 percent for the first three years to an average of 10.9 percent in the following years, according to the report. In recent years, rulings in trials without lay judges have been overturned at a lower rate than those involving lay judges. In general, crimes of a sexual nature tended to be punished more severely under the lay judge system, according to the report. The report also showed that the length of lay judge trials has been getting longer. The average period from the first hearing until the day of the ruling stood at 10.8 days in 2018, compared with 3.7 days in 2009. Similarly, the average period of pretrial conference procedures, during which a prosecutor, an attorney and a judge narrow down issues, grew from 2.8 months to 8.2 months. One veteran judge commented that lay judges “tend to impose more severe sentences in high-profile cases, but they often give sympathetic rulings” in other types of cases. The judge also attributed the longer trials to “an increase in the number of complicated cases compared to the time when the system was new.” Cases handled by lay judges previously tended to be those in which defendants had made confessions, according to the judge.

supreme court
courts
lay judges
naoto otani


Japanese courts to use web meetings to connect judges and lawyers in suit preparations

Abstract: District courts in Tokyo and seven other cities will begin using web meetings in February 2020 to connect judges and lawyers online to help make necessary preparations for lawsuits easier, according to judicial sources. The new system is designed to allow those involved in civil lawsuits to share materials and confirm the claims of both plaintiffs and defendants online, thereby improving convenience and speeding up proceedings of such suits, sources at the Supreme Court said Thursday. The plan will first be launched at the district courts in Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, as well as the Intellectual Property High Court in Tokyo, the sources said. Web meetings will be rolled out to district courts in five more cities — Yokohama, Kobe, Saitama, Chiba and Kyoto — in May 2020 and to other regional courts in stages at a later date. Currently, the sharing of information and other proceedings in cases involving plaintiffs and defendants living far away from each other are conducted over the phone if needed. The new plan is expected to smooth out the procedures by allowing judges and lawyers for both sides to share lawsuit materials online and hold talks face-to-face via video calls. Courts will also consider using the plan in cases other than long-distance litigation, including allowing lawyers to access the service from not only their offices but also the legal departments of client companies involved in lawsuits, the sources said. The use of web meetings was proposed by a government panel of experts in March 2018 as a way to reduce lawyers’ burden of having to show up at court for lawsuit preparation.


Robots from 'Gundam' series to greet 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic athletes from space

Abstract: Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games announced plans Wednesday to launch robots from the “Mobile Suit Gundam” anime series into space aboard a satellite that will broadcast messages of support to athletes. In the project, conducted in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the University of Tokyo, two 10-centimeter models depicting Gundam and Char’s Zaku robots from the animation series will be sent into orbit on a 30-cm long, 10-cm wide microsatellite. The “G Satellite,” with an electronic bulletin board for displaying messages, will be sent to the International Space Station aboard a supply ship next March and later launched from the ISS. After the satellite enters the Earth’s orbit, it will deploy the robots and the bulletin board. The organizers of the project will then share images taken with an onboard camera, including congratulatory messages in multiple languages, with athletes through social media and other outlets. At an event announcing the project in Tokyo, JAXA astronaut Norishige Kanai, who returned from the ISS last June, drew parallels between the space program and the Olympics. “Like the Olympics, people are excited by space exploration regardless of their country or place of origin,” said Kanai, who added that he is also a fan of the “Gundam” series.

gundam
2020 tokyo olympics
olympics
space
anime
jaxa


Ball in U.S. court to start trade talks, top EU commissioner says

Abstract: BRUSSELS - EU-U.S. talks that could prevent the United States imposing punitive car tariffs have made some progress, but Washington must decide if it wants to negotiate with Brussels on a broad removal of import duties, the EU trade chief said on Monday. EU countries last month cleared the start of formal trade talks with the United States on two fronts: cutting tariffs on industrial goods, and making it easier for companies to show their products meet the standards of the EU or U.S. market. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the two sides had made progress on the latter, conformity assessment, as well as discussing potential for regulatory cooperation, which could avoid the need to test on both sides of the Atlantic. “The aim is not to change our respective systems,” she told a news conference after a meeting of EU trade ministers. “Here, we are making some progress. However, Malmstrom recognized that the two sides had conflicting mandates over tariff reduction, with the United States wanting to include farm products and the European Union united in opposing this. “The ball is now in the U.S. court to start these negotiations,” Malmstrom said. EU trade ministers also discussed on Monday another area of tension with the United States, namely Washington’s blocking of appointments to the World Trade Organization’s appellate body that rules in disputes between WTO members. That body is set to be paralyzed at the end of the year when two of its three remaining members step down. Three are required to hear any case. EU countries agreed the Commission should reach out to other WTO members to find an interim solution that retains the binding character of the appellate body’s decisions and the WTO’s two-tier system of adjudication. One possible avenue is to use article 25 of the WTO’s existing Dispute Settlement Understanding, which allows the settlement of disputes via arbitration, but Malmstrom stressed this was not satisfactory in the long term. “By end of the year we will need to make sure, and other countries feel the same, that there is something to guarantee our interests. There are provisions in article 25, but it would be interim, it would be temporary,” she said.

eu
tariffs
cecilia malmstrom
wto
u.s .
trade war


Huawei reviewing FedEx relationship after packages from Japan meant for China were 'diverted' to U.S.

Abstract: HONG KONG - Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei is reviewing its relationship with FedEx Corp after it claimed the U.S. package delivery company, without detailed explanation, diverted two parcels destined for Huawei addresses in Asia to the United States and attempted to reroute two others. Huawei told Reuters on Friday that FedEx diverted two packages sent from Japan and addressed to Huawei in China to the United States, and attempted to divert two more packages sent from Vietnam to Huawei offices elsewhere in Asia, all without authorization, providing images of FedEx tracking records. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the records. Shown the images of the tracking records, FedEx declined to make any comment, saying company policy prevented it from disclosing customer information. Huawei said the four packages only contained documents and “no technology,” which Reuters was unable to independently confirm. Huawei declined to elaborate on why it thought the packages were diverted. Reuters was given no evidence the incident was related to the U.S. government’s move to place Huawei and its affiliates on a trade blacklist in mid-May, effectively banning U.S. firms from doing business with them on security grounds. “The recent experiences where important commercial documents sent via FedEx were not delivered to their destination, and instead were either diverted to, or were requested to be diverted to, FedEx in the United States, undermines our confidence,” Joe Kelly, a spokesman for Huawei, told Reuters. “We will now have to review our logistics and document delivery support requirements as a direct result of these incidents,” the spokesman said. Huawei acknowledged to Reuters that one package originating in Vietnam was received by Friday, and the other was on its way, according to FedEx tracking records provided by Huawei. FedEx spokeswoman Maury Donahue told Reuters the packages were “misrouted in error” and that FedEx was not requested to divert them by any other party. “This is an isolated issue limited to a very small number of packages,” said FedEx, referring to the four parcels affected. “We are aware of all shipments at issue and are working directly with our customers to return the packages to their possession.” The U.S. Department of Commerce did not reply to a request for comment on whether the incident might be related to its move on May 16 to add Huawei to the so-called “Entity List,” preventing it buying certain items from U.S. companies without U.S. government approval. The United States believes Huawei, the world’s largest telecom network gear maker leading the way in creating the next generation of wireless networks known as 5G, is a potential espionage threat because of its close ties with the Chinese government. Huawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services. The issue has become a flash point in an escalating trade battle between the world’s two biggest economies. The two packages sent on May 19 and May 20 from Tokyo, intended for Huawei in China, ended up in Memphis, Tennessee, the headquarters of the U.S. company, by May 23, according to images of FedEx tracking records shown to Reuters by Huawei. The two packages originating from Hanoi on May 17, destined for Huawei’s Hong Kong and Singapore offices, were held up after arriving in local FedEx stations in Hong Kong and Singapore on May 21 for “delivery exception,” according to other images Huawei showed Reuters. According to FedEx’s website, the status “exception” means an unexpected event is preventing delivery of a package, for example a customs delay, a holiday, or no one being available to accept delivery. FedEx declined to give details on what the exception was in this case. According to Huawei, a FedEx customer service representative in Vietnam replied to their inquiry on May 22 when two expected packages did not arrive on time, saying: “Please be informed that FDX SG received notification from FDX US to hold and return the package to US. Hence, the shipment is not deliver to consignee and now being hold at FDX station and under process to RTS it (return to sender),” the representative wrote in broken English, according to an email Huawei showed to Reuters. Huawei told Reuters that both Vietnam packages were sent by its shipping agent, a contractor to Huawei whom it did not identify, and contained urgent documents. It said the shipping agent refused permission for FedEx to send the packages to the United States and instructed they be returned, Huawei told Reuters. Reuters could not confirm that. Huawei told Reuters it only learned that the Japan-originated packages, which were sent by suppliers that it did not identify, had been diverted to the United States after checking FedEx’s tracking record. The company said it has lodged a formal complaint with China’s postal regulator, which it said is investigating the incident. China’s State Postal Bureau did not return a request for comment.


Canada takes a first step toward ratifying trade deal with U.S. and Mexico

Abstract: OTTAWA - Canada took a first step toward ratifying a new North American trade agreement on Monday just three days ahead of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s trip to Ottawa to discuss passage of the treaty. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland presented what is known as a “ways and means motion” to the House of Commons, which opens the way for the formal presentation of a bill. The deal known as the USMCA, which would replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, has yet to be approved by legislatures of the three participating countries — Canada, Mexico and the United States. The United States struck deals on May 17 to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico, removing a major obstacle to legislative approval. Pence is due to meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on Thursday. The United States is Canada’s top trading partner, taking in 75 percent of its goods exports. Reaching a new trade deal had been a priority for Trudeau’s Liberal government, and a national election is five months away. Freeland said she had spoken over the weekend with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and less than two weeks ago with Mexico’s government about their ratification process. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, a Republican, negotiated the deal but some U.S. Democratic lawmakers demand stronger enforcement provisions for USMCA’s new labor and environmental standards. John Manley, a former Canadian Liberal foreign minister, said on Friday that Canada should pass the new treaty this summer. “To fail to pass it is going to be a signal to the U.S. Congress that it is still open for renegotiations,” Manley told Reuters. Some U.S. lawmakers have said passing the treaty would become more difficult after the congressional summer recess due to budget battles and increased campaigning ahead of the November 2020 presidential election.

canada
trade
mexico
mike pence
chrystia freeland
usmca
justin trudeau
donald trump
u.s .
nafta


Ontario plans to sue opioid makers in bid to recoup health care costs

Abstract: TORONTO - Canada’s most populous province of Ontario on Monday announced plans to sue opioid makers to recover health care costs related to the deadly addiction epidemic. Ontario’s attorney general, Caroline Mulroney, said the province will join a lawsuit launched last year by British Columbia against more than 40 opioid manufacturers and wholesalers. “The opioid crisis has cost the people of Ontario enormously, both in terms of lives lost and its impact on health care’s front lines,” Mulroney said. She unveiled legislation to set up the legal action “to battle the ongoing opioid crisis and hold manufacturers and wholesalers accountable for their roles in it.” More than 10,000 Canadians have died of opioid-related overdoses since 2016, according to government figures. Combatting the crisis is estimated to have cost Ottawa nearly 400 million Canadian dollars ($300 million). Historically, opioid overdose deaths — mainly from the powerful painkiller fentanyl — were concentrated among drug addicts. But many victims became addicted to prescribed painkillers before turning to street drugs and others were experimenting with recreational drugs for the first time. Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario have been the hardest hit provinces but the epidemic has affected every part of the country. The British Columbia suit named opioid manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors as defendants _ including Purdue, whose popular OxyContin drug has been blamed for triggering the crisis. “These opioid manufacturers and wholesalers failed to warn doctors and the public of the dangers of opioids and marketed them as safer and less addictive than other medications when they were not,” Ontario alleged in a statement. Mulroney said Ontario intends to invest any award from the suit in mental health and addiction services. Neither British Columbia nor Ontario have yet said how much they would be seeking in damages.

canada
addiction
drugs
medicine
heath care


Renault to decide by next week whether to proceed with Fiat Chrysler merger talks

Abstract: MILAN/PARIS - Renault SA’s board will hold informal work sessions within days and likely decide next week whether to enter an agreement with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV to proceed with merger talks, two sources said. On Monday, FCA pitched a finely balanced merger of equals to Renault to tackle the costs of far-reaching technological and regulatory changes by creating the world’s third-biggest automaker. If it goes ahead, the $35 billion-plus tie-up would alter the landscape for rivals including General Motors and Peugeot maker PSA Group, which recently held inconclusive talks with Fiat Chrysler, and could spur more deals. Renault said it is studying the proposal from Italian-American FCA with interest, and considers it friendly. Shares in both companies jumped more than 10 percent Monday as investors welcomed the prospect of an enlarged business capable of producing more than 8.7 million vehicles a year and aiming for €5 billion ($5.6 billion) in annual savings. It would rank third in the global auto industry behind Toyota Motor Corp. and Germany’s Volkswagen AG. The carmakers are moving ahead without Renault’s 20-year partner, Nissan Motor Co., and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the other member of their troubled alliance. Fiat has conditioned the merger talks on Renault agreeing not to pursue a transaction with Nissan in the short term, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Japanese company would be welcome to join the merged entity later. Nissan Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa late Monday welcomed a possible merger between the two carmakers, saying it is “positive news for the future as a whole because it provides greater opportunities.” “It would be good for the scope of the alliance to widen,” he said in Tokyo, referring to Nissan’s current partnership with Renault and Mitsubishi Motors. He said Nissan wants to discuss the matter with Renault and Mitsubishi. Top executives of the three automakers are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Japan. FCA proposed an all-share merger under a listed Dutch holding company. After a €2.5 billion dividend for existing FCA shareholders — giving a big upfront boost to the Agnelli family that controls 29 percent of FCA — investors in each firm would hold half of the new entity. The merged group would be chaired by Agnelli family scion John Elkann, sources familiar with the talks said, while Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard would likely become CEO. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini welcomed the merger proposal but said Rome may need to acquire a stake, balancing France’s 15 percent holding in Renault— which is set to be diluted to 7.5 percent of the combined group. A deal could also have profound repercussions for Renault’s 20-year-old alliance with Nissan, already weakened by the crisis surrounding the arrest and ouster of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn late last year. In a letter to employees, FCA Chief Executive Mike Manley cautioned that a merger with Renault could take more than a year to finalize. A deal could help both companies address some of the shortcomings that have led their market valuations to lag behind major rivals, as well as the shift to electric and self-driving technologies amid tightening emissions regulations. The French government, Renault’s biggest shareholder, supports a merger with FCA in principle but will need to see more details, its main spokeswoman said. France will be “particularly vigilant regarding employment and industrial footprint,” another Paris official said, adding any deal must safeguard Renault’s alliance with Nissan, which recently rebuffed a merger proposal from its partner. Seeking to soothe concerns, FCA said the deal plans “are not predicated on plant closures but would be achieved through more capital-efficient investment.” The carmakers have given commitments to maintain industrial jobs and sites, one source said — leaving room for white-collar and engineering layoffs as well as some plant downsizing. Appealing to Nissan, which is 43.4 percent owned by Renault, FCA said the Japanese carmaker would nominate a director to the 11-member board of the new company. Nissan and affiliate Mitsubishi would also benefit from €1 billion in cost and investment savings, it said.

renault
fiat chrysler
merger
carmakers
nissan
mitsubishi motors
acquisitions


In the clear for now, Japan braces for more trade pressure from Trump after July

Abstract: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may have won some respite from U.S. pressure on trade for now, but analysts expect President Donald Trump to push Japan in a few months into making concessions on agriculture and automobiles as he looks for a major win to bolster his 2020 re-election bid. In official and informal talks Sunday and Monday during a state visit to Japan, Trump indicated Washington would not press Tokyo for a bilateral trade deal until after the Upper House elections in July — apparently taking into consideration Abe’s desire to avoid pressure to cut tariffs, which may affect farmers. Trump, however, still complained about the “tremendous” trade imbalance between the two countries and said there would be some announcements regarding bilateral trade “probably in August.” Given that farmers have been a reliable source of votes for Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, he would not want to upset them — especially amid speculation that he may dissolve the Lower House for a snap election to be held simultaneously with the Upper House vote. In a meeting with Abe in Washington just a month ago, Trump said he wants to “get rid of” Japan’s “very massive” tariffs on American farm products in a deal he said he might strike with Abe by late May, although negotiations for a bilateral trade agreement only started in April. “Mr. Trump does Mr. Abe a favor this time,” said Takeshi Minami, chief economist at the Norinchukin Research Institute in Tokyo. “After the Upper House election, the president may use the favor to extract concessions from the prime minister in a deal that would be more favorable to the United States.” Abe and Trump are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in late August in France and at the U.N. General Assembly in September in New York. Trump is likely to press Japan to make concessions, particularly on increased access to its agricultural market to appease American farmers and ranchers amid the 2020 presidential race, according to analysts. Just like Abe, Trump needs votes from U.S. farming states for re-election. “Great progress being made in our Trade Negotiations with Japan. Agriculture and beef heavily in play,” Trump tweeted Sunday. “Much will wait until after their July elections where I anticipate big numbers!” U.S. farmers and ranchers are pushing the administration to level the playing field because they have started losing market share in Japan following the recent enactment of a revised Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 11-nation regional free trade agreement, and an FTA between Japan and the European Union. Trump withdrew the United States from the TPP — which includes Japan and farming nations such as Australia and Canada — in 2017, citing his preference for bilateral trade deals. For its part, Japan has been calling for the elimination of U.S. tariffs on Japanese vehicles, including a 2.5 percent levy on cars and a 25 percent duty on trucks, as had been agreed by President Barack Obama’s administration for the TPP. Tokyo levies no taxes on imported vehicles. But the Trump administration has expressed reluctance to remove those auto-related tariffs. The president regards automobiles as emblematic of the trade imbalance with Japan, as automobiles and car parts accounted for about 75 percent of the U.S. trade deficit as of 2017. In a threat to Tokyo and other major auto exporters, Trump on May 17 delayed his decision on a potential 25 percent tariff on imported cars and vehicle parts for up to six months, and directed U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to negotiate deals with Japan and others to address what his administration claims is a threat to U.S. national security. “I think they both understand that agriculture and automobiles are somehow going to be a part of any deal, but exactly how and when agriculture and autos is going to be addressed is still very much up for debate,” said Matthew Goodman, senior adviser for Asian economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank in Washington. Referring to the 180-day window for negotiations, Goodman said Trump is likely to use what the administration calls “the threatened impairment of national security” as an excuse to demand voluntary export restraints or quotas from Japan and other major auto exporters — a practice that is restricted by the World Trade Organization. Experts say the speed of Japan-U.S. talks will depend on whether the Trump administration demands one-sided concessions from Japan or is willing to live with more realistic compromises. “If the U.S. insists on agricultural concessions beyond the TPP levels or on quotas restraining Japanese auto exports to the U.S., I think we are in for protracted negotiations,” said Mireya Solis, director of the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. Economic revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Lighthizer’s counterpart in the bilateral trade talks, has said Tokyo opposes quotas and other trade-distorting measures that are incompatible with WTO rules. “The fastest scenario would ensue if the U.S. and Japan agree to reinstate the market access schedules they had agreed under the TPP,” Solis said. “Chances of that are slim, however, because of President Trump’s obsession with the trade deficit and his predilection for tariffs.” Underscoring Solis’ concern, Trump blasted the TPP, telling reporters Monday that the multilateral pact “would’ve destroyed our automobile industry and many of our manufacturers.”

trade
donald trump
agriculture
tariffs
tpp
china
u.s .
carmakers
ustr
trade war


Japan to restrict foreign investment in IT firms

Abstract: The government will expand its national security restriction on foreign investors acquiring shares in Japanese firms by adding information technology-related firms in August. The move is aimed at preventing the outflow of sensitive information and technologies to other countries, including China. The announcement Monday followed a U.S. decision earlier this month to effectively ban American companies from supplying parts to Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co., citing national security concerns, and put it on a list of companies that U.S. firms cannot trade with without a license. The Japanese government will add 15 industry sectors, including mobile phone and computer manufacturers, to its restriction list and expand the scope of companies included in five already-covered industries, such as regional and long-distance telecommunications businesses. The arms, airline and nuclear industry sectors have been subject to the restriction in accordance with the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Control Law. Foreign investors will be obliged to notify the government in advance when they seek to obtain more than a 10 percent stake in listed firms or buy shares in unlisted companies in Japan. The government will then screen their notifications to examine whether the stock acquisition would damage the country’s safety.

investments
china
huawei technologies co .


Canada says Microsoft and Facebook will do more to help ensure security of election

Abstract: OTTAWA - Microsoft Corp. and Facebook Inc. have agreed to help boost the security of Canada’s October election by removing fake accounts and cracking down on bots, a top government official said on Monday. The measures are outlined in a nonbinding declaration on electoral integrity, Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould told legislators. Last month Gould complained the world’s major social media companies were not doing enough to help combat potential foreign meddling in the election and said the government might have to regulate them. “The Wild West online era cannot continue — inaction is not an option. Disinformation must not stand,” said Gould. Government officials say they fear Russian actors will try to interfere in the vote. Microsoft and Facebook had also agreed to intensify efforts to combat disinformation, promote safeguards to address cybersecurity incidents and explain their rules about accepting political advertising, Gould said. “I urge other platforms to follow suit in the coming days,” she added in a clear reference to Twitter Inc and Alphabet Inc.’s Google.

canada microsoft facebook elections cyberattacks


Dollar falls to around ¥109.40 in Tokyo trading

Abstract: The dollar fell to around ¥109.40 in Tokyo on Tuesday, weighed down by position-squaring selling. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥109.40-41, down from ¥109.57-57 at the same time Monday. The euro was at $1.1185-1186, down from $1.1196-1197, and at ¥122.38-38, down from ¥122.68-68. After briefly rising above ¥109.60 in the midmorning, the dollar fluctuated around ¥109.50 for the most of afternoon trading amid a dearth of fresh trading incentives. Late in the afternoon, the dollar eased to levels around ¥109.40 on selling to reduce dollar-long positions against the yen, traders said. “Investors were waiting for news,” an official at a foreign-affiliated securities firm said. Players are focusing on the U.S. personal consumption expenditures price index for April and China’s manufacturing purchasing managers index for May, both due out Friday, traders said. “A strong PMI reading could send the dollar above ¥110,” an official at a major Japanese bank said. “But the greenback may drop below ¥109 if the reading turns out to be dismal.”


Tokyo stocks rise again

Abstract: Stocks extended gains Tuesday thanks to a lack of major sellers in dormant trading. The Nikkei 225 average rose 77.56 points, or 0.37 percent, to end at 21,260.14 after adding 65.36 points Monday. The Topix, which covers all first-section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, finished 3.99 points, or 0.26 percent, higher at 1,550.99. It gained 5.79 points Monday. The market opened almost flat, with investors sitting on the fence following the three-day weekend in the United States and Britain. They also refrained from active trading because there were no releases of closely watched economic indicators overseas overnight and in the early Tokyo morning, brokers said. But the market soon started going up and continued the rise until midmorning, as buying in Tokyo Electron swelled following the chipmaking gear manufacturer’s announcement the previous day of a plan to buy back shares, they noted. The Nikkei and Topix both stayed in positive territory throughout the afternoon session. Behind the day’s rise was lethargic trading by foreign investors, who have been major sellers of Japanese stocks recently, after the long weekend, said Tomoaki Fujii, head of the investment research division at Akatsuki Securities Inc. “The Nikkei is expected to move mainly between 21,000 and 21,500 for the time being, with no incentives powerful enough to pull the key price gauge out of the range in sight,” said Hiroaki Hiwada, a strategist at Toyo Securities Co. Despite the rises in the two leading market yardsticks, falling issues slightly outnumbered rising ones 1,040 to 1,012 in the first section, while 89 issues were unchanged. Volume increased to 1.719 billion shares from Monday’s 901 million. Although actual trading was inactive, transactions associated with a reshuffle in the component issues of an important index for institutional investors surged, brokers said. Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors jumped on media reports of a possible merger between their French alliance partner Renault SA and Italian-U.S. auto giant Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. Drugstore chain Kusuri No Aoki soared thanks to a rise in same-store sales. Among other winners were electronics company Sharp and automaker Suzuki. By contrast, Leopalace21 met with heavy profit-taking selling after a recent jump, brokers said. Also on the negative side were daily goods supplier Kao and drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo.


Delivery by robot soon to be reality in China as startup Neolix begins mass production of 'robovans'

Abstract: BEIJING - Forget drones. The future of deliveries may be “robovans.” A Chinese startup called Neolix kicked off mass production of its self-driving delivery vehicles Friday — saying it’s the first company globally to do so — and has lined up giants such as JD.com Inc. and Huawei Technologies Co. as customers. Neolix expects to deliver a thousand of the vehicles, which resemble tiny vans, within the first year as it broadens out. The implications are potentially huge: Billionaire Jack Ma predicts there will be 1 billion deliveries a day in China within a decade and the commercialization of the technology could provide lessons for autonomous vehicles carrying passengers. Neolix isn’t alone in this space as Silicon Valley’s Nuro raised almost $1 billion this year and is starting to deliver groceries in Arizona. “Driverless cars will change the world, just like the shift from the carriage to the automobile,” Neolix founder Yu Enyuan, 45, said in an interview at his office in Beijing. “I have been looking for something that is worth fighting with everything I have and what I am doing now is that.” Yu has been testing more than a hundred of the vehicles in enclosed areas such as Chinese campuses. The vehicles are priced similar to a regular car — a Neolix van costs about $30,000. The entrepreneur, who was previously an inventor of smart tools for the logistics industry, said delivery of goods is just the start. Down the road, he envisages fleets of robovans providing everything from 24/7 mobile vending to help with running errands. His confidence stems from the Chinese e-commerce boom that has spawned behemoths such as Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which is valued at $400 billion. While humans are trying to keep up and becoming more efficient with inventions such as smart lockers, there’s no doubt robots are becoming an increasing threat. With robovans, there’s no need for a messenger who will need a salary, and “robovehicles” are bound to have fewer accidents than humans. One limitation: either a human needs to be present to accept the package, or the vehicle has to leave the parcel at a prearranged accessible location such as a ground-floor locker. One solution proposed by Ford Motor Co. is a small robot that walks on two legs to bring the parcel from the vehicle to the doorstep. While self-driving cars that carry passengers still face significant regulatory obstacles, Yu says the path has been easier for unmanned delivery vehicles. The company’s vans are operating in the new Xiongan economic zone about 100 kilometers southwest of Beijing, as well as in limited areas of the capital and the city of Changzhou. China’s not the only place where “robodeliveries” are emerging. In the U.S., large self-driving trucks are hauling mail between Phoenix and Dallas, and Nuro started a robodelivery service with grocer Kroger Co. in Scottsdale, Arizona, in December. As to Yu, he decided to expand into driverless vehicles in 2016 from logistics products including smart lockers and digital assistants for delivery personnel. He is the largest shareholder of closely held Neolix. Other investors include Autohome Inc. founder Li Xiang, venture-capital firm Yunqi Partners and Glory Ventures. Neolix’s initial production line in the eastern city of Changzhou has an annual capacity of more than 30,000 vehicles, and the company plans to set up factories overseas with partners when sales ramp up, Yu said. Neolix is talking to potential customers in countries including Switzerland, Japan and the U.S. It targets annual sales of 100,000 units in five years. “We want to start with the smallest product,” Yu said. “When ‘robotaxis’ really enter our daily lives, we may already have over a million self-driving delivery vehicles in use, and makers of those vehicles will be a key driver behind the autonomous-driving technology.”

robots china neolix self-driving cars arizona automation


Indonesia and Inpex reach deal on Masela gas block's development

Abstract: JAKARTA - The Indonesian government has reached a deal with Japan’s biggest oil and gas developer, Inpex Corp., on the framework for a $20 billion development plan for an onshore liquefied natural gas facility. An agreement is expected to be signed on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka in June. In a statement Monday, Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said that after over 20 years of negotiations, both sides achieved a win-win solution in which Indonesia will get a 50 percent share in production from the Masela gas block in its eastern province of Maluku. The deal was reached during a meeting between Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Ignasius Jonan and Inpex CEO Takayuki Ueda in Tokyo. It is estimated that the Masela block, located in the Arafura Sea, will be able to produce 1.200 billion standard cubic feet per day of gas and 24,000 barrels per day of condensate for 24 years, according to the ministry. The block is currently 65 percent controlled by Inpex and 35 percent by Royal Dutch Shell PLC. The facility is scheduled to become fully operational in 2024 and start piping gas in 2026, two years before Inpex’s and Shell’s contracts expire.

indonesia
gas
masela block
royal dutch shell
lng
inpex corp .


Toyota and Mazda affiliates to jointly make car seats in U.S.

Abstract: NAGOYA - Toyota Boshoku Corp., an automobile parts manufacturer affiliated with Toyota Motor Corp., and two makers of car seats under the wing of Mazda Motor Corp. have said they will jointly produce car seats in the United States. The seats will be supplied to a joint automobile assembly plant to be built by Toyota and Mazda in Alabama due to start operating in 2021. The announcement of the joint car seat production, made Monday, apparently reflects the companies’ aim to call President Donald Trump’s attention to their efforts to increase production in the United States. The president was on a four-day visit to Japan through Tuesday. For the joint production, a unit of Toyota Boshoku overseeing the company’s operations in the United States will set up a new firm later this year in Alabama together with a joint company between the two Mazda affiliates — Delta Kogyo Co. and Toyo Seat Co. The new company will be capitalized at $60 million.

toyota
mazda
donald trump
u.s .
carmakers


Brazil indigenous chief Raoni meets pope as Amazon threat rises

Abstract: VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis on Monday met Brazil’s legendary indigenous chief Raoni, who is on a European tour to highlight increasingly acute threats to the Amazon since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro took power. The elderly Kayapo chief, internationally recognizable through his traditional lip plate and feather headdress, is seeking to raise €1 million ($1.1 million) to better protect the Amazon’s Xingu reserve — home to many of Brazil’s tribal peoples — from loggers, farmers and fire. Raoni Metuktire, famous for his work campaigning in defense of Brazil’s rain forest alongside personalities like pop star Sting, is accompanied by three indigenous leaders from the Xingu. The Vatican did not release details of Monday’s meeting, but the Amazon region will be the focal point of a world bishops’ meeting, or synod, to take place in October. Local tribal leaders and conservationists are increasingly concerned about rampant illegal gold mining and logging that have devastated ancestral lands. Raoni’s trip comes as the Amazon faces increasing threats from mining and farming lobbies who have found a champion in President Bolsonaro, a climate change skeptic. There are hundreds of demarcated territories in Brazil, established in the 1980s for the exclusive use of their indigenous inhabitants, where access for outsiders is strictly regulated. But Bolsonaro’s anti-environment rhetoric before and after winning last October’s elections has alarmed indigenous communities and green groups. Bolsonaro has said he wants to “integrate into society” Brazil’s estimated 800,000 indigenous people who have long battled to protect their traditional way of life, away from towns and cities. A number of recent reports have sounded the alarm over rampant destruction of the Amazon and threats to indigenous inhabitants. An indigenous alliance warned last month that native peoples in the Amazon faced an “apocalypse. They warned in particular of Bolsonaro’s pledges to allow more farming and logging in the Amazon, and to ease safeguards and grant more licenses for Brazil’s huge mining industry, and build more dams.

brazil
raoni
amazon
vatican
pope francis
jair bolsonaro
indigenous people
environment


Sudan opposition pushes ahead with two-day strike

Abstract: KHARTOUM - Sudan’s alliance of opposition and protest groups said on Monday that it will push ahead with a general two-day strike starting on Tuesday after talks with the ruling military council collapsed. Wagdy Saleh, speaking for the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) alliance, said the Transitional Military Council (TMC) demanded a two-thirds majority, of eight to three, on a sovereign council that would lead the country after the ouster of long-time president Omar al-Bashir last month. The deputy head of the TMC, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said earlier on Monday that the council was ready to hand over power swiftly, but said the opposition was not serious about sharing power. “These people do not want to partner with us,” said Dagalo, who is known as Hemedti and heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, adding they wanted to confine the military to a ceremonial role. “By God, their slogans cheated us. I swear we were honest with them 100 percent,” Hemedti said at a dinner with police and diplomats. “That’s why, by God Almighty, we will not hand this country except to safe hands.”


Blood and thunder at sea: British veteran remembers D-Day, 75 years on

Abstract: LONDON - Seventy-five years ago, a young British sailor stood on the bridge of a warship, its gun barrels pointing out to the coast of France, and watched the devastation being rained down on a country he wanted to liberate. Today, Richard Llewellyn, 93, is among the dwindling number of veterans of the Allied D-Day invasion of Normandy — an operation that turned the tide of World War II and marked the beginning of the end of the conflict. The invasion of France is usually told as the story of brave, young men struggling across beaches and fighting their way inland. However, another battle unfolded at sea that day, between the Allied ships and the massive German coastal guns. Llewellyn describes the thunderous explosions rolling along the shore as every ship in the Allied fleet was blazing away. The enormous firepower sent shells pounding into the cliffs, churning earth, rock and entire landscapes. All the while the German battery guns blasted back. The men on the boats could hear the scream of the shells as they passed overhead. The engines of the bombers above added to the concussion of noise. Dead bodies floated in the sea. Llewellyn compares the scene to watching a spectacular firework display. The warship guns belched out enormous orange balls of flames and mustard-colored smoke. Some of the battleships fired 16-inch shells, almost as heavy as a car, and so big they could be seen as they went past. “The noise was just unbelievable. One of the things that I remember afterwards more than anything else was the noise,” said Llewellyn, who was 18 at the time, and a midshipman on HMS Ajax, which was a light cruiser in the British navy. “If you go to the cinema and you hear a lot of noise and gunfire and so on, it doesn’t really register. But if you are actually there the whole air is vibrating all the time.” The assault by almost 7,000 ships and landing craft along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast remains the largest amphibious invasion in history. In the decades since, the invasion has become a touchstone for the leaders of Britain, the United States, France and other western countries who will gather in Normandy next month to invoke the heroism. The event will take place as the trans-Atlantic relationships that D-Day forged are fraying. Differences over military spending for the NATO alliance, disagreements over how to approach the Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co. and the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union have raised tensions in the decades-old alliance. These concerns are a far cry from the epic mobilization of military machinery and manpower that resulted in the invasion of France in 1944. Then, tens of thousands of men piled into ships and planes to cross the English Channel. Llewellyn, who has a white goatee and is smartly dressed in a navy jacket and beret for his interview on the HMS Belfast in London, is eloquent and perfectly recalls the events that day. He effortlessly climbs the ship’s steep steps without help. He said the mood among the men as they crossed the sea was more anticipation than fear or tension. “It was exciting,” he said. “We were far more patriotic in those days than we are now. We knew that the Germans had to be defeated and anything had to be done to make it possible.” He dismisses the idea that people were praying or savoring their last meal as the invasion began. “We weren’t Americans, I am afraid,” he said with a chuckle. Although only a teenager, his experiences living through the German bombardment of London, known as the Blitz, meant he was familiar with being bombed. On D-Day, Llewellyn’s ship was engaged in a duel with German gun batteries, particularly those at Longues-sur-Mer, nestled high on the cliff tops, situated between where British and American troops were landing on the Gold and Omaha beaches. In what was perhaps one of the most accurate or luckiest shots of the war, his ship situated a few miles offshore, scored a direct hit, landing a heavy shell through the narrow slit of one of the fortifications. On the bridge of the ship, Llewellyn watched the invasion through binoculars as the haze of smoke shrouded the shore. “There were landing craft destroyed,” he said. “They really met a hostile reception and you could see that and you could see the landing craft being hit by shells, there were a lot of fires.” As his ship continued to shell the German positions it faced its own threat from mines, shelling, and the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. At one point, a German plane dropped a bomb that landed just a few meters from his boat. The explosion winded him and sent the ship violently swaying from side to side. Was it terrifying? “I suppose it was in a way,” he said with typical understatement. Llewellyn survived the onslaught and the Allies conquered the coastline. He plans to attend the D-Day anniversary in Normandy next month. He has been back several times and says it is an emotional experience, particularly visiting the graveyards. But he also feels guilty about the destruction caused to France, particularly as the navy began firing shells at targets further inland, some of which fell in nearby villages. “The ordinary citizens come up and say how grateful they are. I found that quite difficult to take actually. I don’t feel that we had done anything special, especially for them,” he said. “Their homes were knocked down by shells and troops. Unfortunately, war leaves a lot of destruction.”

d-day
normandy
conflict
military
anniversaries
wwii
u.k .
nazis


Defying tribunal ruling, Moscow court prolongs detention of 24 Ukraine sailors

Abstract: MOSCOW - A Moscow court on Monday upheld extending the arrest of 24 Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia off Crimea last year, defying an international tribunal that had urged their immediate release. The Moscow City Court declined an appeal against the extension of the sailors’ detention until July, filed by their lawyers. Russia in November fired on and seized three Ukrainian navy vessels, capturing two dozen sailors near the Kerch Strait, as they tried to pass from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea. It was the first open military clash between Kiev and Moscow since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and a pro-Russian insurgency erupted in eastern Ukraine. On Saturday, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, based in the German port city of Hamburg, urged Russia to “immediately” release the sailors and return them to Ukraine. The tribunal was established by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, on Monday dismissed the ruling, saying Moscow would continue to “consistently defend its point of view.” Peskov claimed that the convention did not apply in the current case. Ukraine had taken the case to the tribunal last month. Russia said it does not recognize the Hamburg-based court’s jurisdiction and did not send representatives to the hearings. Moscow accuses the sailors of violating its maritime borders. If convicted, the Ukrainian sailors face up to six years in prison, lawyers have said. Saturday’s ruling by the international tribunal had been hailed as a victory in Kiev. Ukraine’s new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said over the weekend that if Russia complied with the tribunal’s demand to release the sailors, that “could be the first signal from the Russian leadership about a real readiness to end the conflict with Ukraine.” Some 13,000 people have been killed in the war in eastern Ukraine since 2014, according to the U.N.


Shared alerts: Monkey experiments offer clues on origin of language

Abstract: PARIS - Green and vervet monkeys live on either side of Africa and their evolutionary paths diverged 3.5 million years ago, and yet the two species share a hardwired vocabulary when faced with danger, clever experiments have shown. The new research, published Monday, sheds light not only on how primates — including humans — respond to threats, but also on the building blocks of language itself. Vervet monkeys in the savanna of East Africa utter three distinct cries depending on whether they spot a leopard, a snake or an eagle, their three main predators. Fellow monkeys who hear the cries but cannot see the peril react accordingly: The leopard call sends them scurrying up a tree, a snake call prompts them to stand motionless on two legs and the eagle cry makes them scan the sky while seeking shelter. It’s as if a sentinel is shouting, “Freeze, it’s a snake!” or “Get off the ground, it’s a leopard!” The discovery 30 years ago of these unique warning cries sparked debate as to whether they were like primitive words, noted Julia Fisher, head of the cognitive ethology laboratory at the German Primate Center in Gottingen, Germany, and senior author of a study in Nature Ecology & Evolution. It also raised the question of where they came from. Did young vervets learn them through imitation, were the cries genetically imprinted? To deepen their understanding, Fisher and colleagues set up an experiment with a community of green monkeys in Senegal that they have been observing for more than a decade. Like their distant cousins across the continent, green monkeys also emit specific danger calls for big cats and snakes, and react accordingly. But because the raptors in their neighborhood pose no threat, anything like the vervet “eagle call” is simply not in their repertoire. Even when the scientists tried to scare the green monkey with dummy birds, it didn’t work. “Any attempt to get them to vocalize in response to model eagles failed utterly,” said Fisher. But then she had an idea. “We decided to bring in a drone and fly it over the green monkeys, to expose them to something potentially dangerous in the air that they had never seen before,” she explained. The drone flew at an altitude of about 60 meters (200 feet) over the unsuspecting animals. Once the monkeys spotted it, the response was immediate: they gave alarm calls and scurried for cover. Not only was the cry different from the response to leopards or snakes, it was “strikingly similar” to the eagle alarms of East African vervets. “Despite 3.5 million years of evolutionary divergence, the call structure stayed essentially the same,” Fisher noted. In the vocabulary of evolutionary biologists, in other words, the danger cry was “highly conserved.” The fact that the green monkeys reacted to a drone and not other large birds native to the area suggests a subtle but important distinction, Kurt Hammerschmidt, also from the German Primate Center, told AFP. “The alarm call is not linked to eagles per se,” he said by phone. “It seems to correspond to a broader category: ‘things that fly.'” To see what the monkeys might have learned from the drone flyover, the scientists followed up a few days later with a second experiment. They hid a loudspeaker near a lone monkey that was looking for food and played back the sound of the drone. “Upon hearing the sound, the animal looked up and scanned the sky,” Fischer said. Subsequent tests showed that a single exposure to a new threat was enough for the monkeys to know what the sound means, showing a remarkable ability to adapt. The researchers speculate that the hardwired monkey calls — and the meaning attached to them — are similar to noises that infant humans make. “When a child is born, it has the same innate repertoire of pre-verbal sounds such as moaning, laughing and crying,” said Hammerschmidt. Somehow, humans learned to move beyond this built-in vocabulary and produce new sounds associated with new meanings. But underneath all the layers of culture and learning, certain core responses that fall within the domain of evolutionary psychology remained.

monkeys
language
vervet monkeys
africa
green monkeys
animals


U.S. measles outbreak grows to 940 with 60 new cases across 26 states

Abstract: BANGALORE, INDIA - The United States recorded 60 new measles cases last week, taking confirmed cases for the year to 940, the worst outbreak since 1994 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000, federal health officials said on Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a 6.8 percent increase in the number of measles cases in the week ended May 24 in an outbreak that has now reached 26 states. The agency has been providing weekly updates every Monday. Experts warn that the outbreak is not over as the number of cases edges closer to the 1994 total of 958. That was the highest number since 1992, when the CDC recorded 2,126 cases. Public health officials have blamed the measles resurgence on the spread of misinformation about vaccines, as a vocal fringe of parents oppose vaccines, believing, contrary to scientific studies, that ingredients in them can cause autism. Although the virus was eliminated from the United States in 2000, meaning the disease was no longer a constant presence, outbreaks still happen via travelers coming from countries where measles is still common, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Scientists zoom in on bug behind strep throat and scarlet fever

Abstract: LONDON - Scientists studying a bacterium that causes scarlet fever, severe sore throat and a form of heart disease say they are closer to developing a vaccine that could one day prevent hundred of thousands of infections a year. In a study in the journal Nature Genetics, scientists from Britain and Australia found detailed differences between strains of Group A Streptococcus bacteria — known as Strep A — from 22 countries, but also found several molecular targets common across many strains, offering potential for vaccine development. Strep A is one of the world’s top 10 causes of death from infectious diseases. It is estimated to cause more than half a million deaths every year. It can cause several different infections, ranging from strep throat to scarlet fever, which are constant threats in many parts of the world, to an illness called rheumatic heart disease, which can affect certain populations including Aboriginal Australians. There is no effective vaccine for Strep A, and efforts to develop one have been hampered by the huge number and variety of Strep A strains — meaning it is very tricky to develop a vaccine that could be effective against all of them. In this work, researchers from Britain’s Wellcome Sanger Institute and Cambridge University, and from Australia’s Doherty Institute and Queensland University, sequenced the DNA of more than 2,000 Strep A samples from 22 countries, including in Africa and from Australian Aboriginal communities. “Using all the data we collected, we narrowed down common genes in almost all strains of Strep A globally,” said Mark Davies of the Wellcome Sanger and Doherty institutes, who co-led the work. “This is a tremendous step forward in identifying what may work as a global vaccine candidate.” Mark Walker, director of the Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, said the findings should “renew the momentum” and enable a fast-track approach to a global Strep A shot since potential drug developers could use the database to find the molecular targets most likely to lead to an effective vaccine.

scarlet fever
heart disease
disease
australia
bacteria
health
u.k .


U.S. study suggests e-cigarette flavorings may pose heart risk

Abstract: WASHINGTON - E-cigarettes aren’t considered as risky as regular cigarettes, but researchers have found a clue that their flavorings may be bad for the heart. Longtime smokers who can’t kick the addiction sometimes switch to e-cigarettes, in hopes of avoiding the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke. But cigarette smoking doesn’t just cause lung cancer. It’s a leading cause of heart attacks, too, and little is known about e-cigarettes and heart disease. Chemicals in the inhaled vapor may pose unique risks that are important to understand, especially as more and more teens take up vaping. “It’s not possible for me to go into a patient and strip their artery and test it” for a reaction to vaping, said Dr. Joseph Wu, director of Stanford University’s cardiovascular institute. So his team tried the next best thing for a study published Monday: In laboratory dishes, they grew cells that normally line healthy human blood vessels. They exposed the cells to six different e-cigarette flavorings, testing if the flavors — and not just the nicotine — caused any effects. They also tracked what happened when those cells were bathed in blood taken from people right after they had an e-cigarette, the way chemicals from vaping would make their way to the cardiovascular system. They also compared the cells’ exposure to blood from nonsmokers and people who smoked a regular cigarette. Vaping and some flavorings, even without nicotine, triggered blood vessel dysfunction that can increase the risk of heart disease, the researchers reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Cinnamon and menthol seemed the most toxic. But overall, cells showed signs of damage and were inflamed, less able to form new blood vessels or heal wounds. Small laboratory studies like this one can’t prove vaping really does harm, cautioned Dr. Jane Freedman of the University of Massachusetts, who wasn’t involved in the research. But she said the work should spark additional safety testing. The findings “suggest that even without the smoke of combustible cigarette products, there may be a smoldering fire of adverse health effects,” she wrote in an accompanying editorial. Another study at a recent heart meeting looked at health records to conclude e-cigarette users had a higher risk of heart attack than people who neither vape nor use tobacco products, but that, too, was only a clue, not proof. Wu’s team plans additional studies. The researchers are working with iPS cells, ordinary cells taken from healthy volunteers and reprogrammed into a state where they can be grown into any type of tissue. Next up are tests of heart and brain tissue. U.S. public health officials are alarmed by an explosion of underage vaping, but Wu said it’s not just a question for teens. He worries about people who already have heart disease and may think switching from tobacco to e-cigarettes is enough protection. “This is really a warning shot that people should not be complacent and think that these e-cigarettes are completely safe,” Wu said.

e-cigarettes cancer tobacco health medicine


Khalifa Hifter's forces push toward Tripoli's center

Abstract: CAIRO - Heavy clashes have been slowly nearing the center of Libya’s capital, Tripoli, as forces loyal to the military commander Khalifa Hifter battle to seize power, an official and residents said Monday. Hifter opened a military offensive on Tripoli in early April despite commitments to move toward elections in the North African country. Libya is divided between Hifter, whose self-styled Libyan National Army controls the east and much of the south, and Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, who runs the U.N.-supported but weak government in Tripoli. In recent weeks, the clashes had receded with the start of the holy month of Ramadan when Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk. But in the past couple of days, the capital’s siege has intensified. Hifter’s forces have pushed ahead in Tripoli’s eastern and southern suburbs. The LNA’s media office said they have taken control of areas near the Tripoli International Airport, which was largely destroyed in the civil war following the overthrow of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Saraj al-Majbri, an aid to the LNA’s chief of staff, said its forces have also made gains in the area of Salah al-Deen, a few kilometers from the city center. He claimed the forces’ march toward the city center had been slowed in the past weeks because they did not want to use heavy artillery in populated areas. Two residents said heavy fighting was taking place along a strategic road linking the capital with the airport, which the LNA already controls. They spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety. Hifter has said he won’t stop his offensive as long as the militias remained in control of Tripoli — and, he claimed, the militias remain in control of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj’s U.N.-supported government. Six rounds of talks with the government had failed to strike a political deal, he said. “In the last round of negotiations I realized that it’s not him who decides,” Hifter said. “Of course a political solution remains the objective, but to get back to politics we have to finish with the militias.” Hifter’s comments came in an interview last week with France’s Journal du Dimanche during his visit to Paris, where President Emmanuel Macron urged the Libyan leader to work toward a cease-fire and a return to the political process. Hifter and the Tripoli government had agreed to hold nationwide elections in the divided country after a Paris meeting in May 2018. But in the interview, Hifter lashed out at the U.N. special envoy, saying that Ghassan Salame was no longer impartial. “He has now taken sides,” he said, before adding: “Partition of Libya is maybe what our adversaries want. This is maybe what Ghassan Salame also wants.” Forces loyal to the U.N.-supported government said they have hindered LNA advances and cut off supply roads to Hifter’s forces in the southern areas of the capital. The Tripoli-based government said earlier this week that an airstrike by the LNA targeted a civilian facility located in a high populated area, where lawmakers in Tripoli used to meet. The U.N. mission in Libya condemned the airstrike along with a reported kidnapping of a member of a government advisory body. The advisory body said Mohammed Abu Ghamga was kidnapped last week from his hometown of Qasr Ben Ghashir, some 20 km (12.5 miles) south of the capital, after it was seized by Hifter’s forces. It accused the LNA of kidnapping Abu Ghamga, a charge denied by its media office. The fighting has killed at least 562 people, including 40 civilians, a U.N. agency said Monday. It added that among the killed, were two health workers, when shelling hit their ambulance cars south of Tripoli on Thursday.

khalifa hifter
tripoli
libya
conflict
u.n .


EU rights watchdog slams Malta for failing to uphold rule of law after journalist's killing

Abstract: PARIS - The failure of Maltese authorities to identify the masterminds behind the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia raises questions about the rule of law in Malta, according to Europe’s chief human rights watchdog. Caruana Galizia, whose reporting uncovered widespread corruption, was killed by a car bomb in October 2017. Her murder exposed the dark side of the Mediterranean island that is both a member of the EU and a haven for online gambling, offshore finance and cryptocurrencies. In the draft of a report seen by Reuters and due to be released on Wednesday, the Council of Europe concludes Malta’s rule of law is undermined by weak checks and balances on power and says more must be done to strengthen judicial independence and bolster law enforcement. “Malta’s weaknesses are source of vulnerability for all of Europe: Maltese citizenship is European Union citizenship, a Maltese visa is a Schengen visa, and a Maltese bank gives access to the European banking system,” rapporteur Pieter Omtzigt’s writes in the draft. “If Malta cannot or will not correct its weaknesses, European institutions must intervene.” A spokesman for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat did not immediately reply to Reuters requests for comment. However, in response to a leak of the report to Maltese newspapers, Muscat told state television last Wednesday that it was “totally biased. The Council of Europe’s Human Rights and Legal Affairs Commission is expected to adopt the report at a meeting in Paris on Wednesday, before it goes to the council’s assembly in June. In examining where failings lie, the draft report zeroes in on the powerful position of the prime minister’s office. It said Muscat has wide powers of appointment, including senior civil servants, the head of police and the attorney general, judges and magistrates. His office has also overseen a number of activities that present a risk of money laundering, including the sale of passports, it said. “Malta still needs fundamental, holistic reform, including subjecting the office of the prime minister to effective checks and balances, ensuring judicial independence and strengthening law enforcement and other rule of law bodies,” the report says. The government has repeatedly said Malta’s financial services sector is as transparent, solid and compliant as any other European jurisdiction. The government says the gambling and passport initiatives are legitimate. More than a year-and-a-half after Caruana Galizia’s assassination, the main suspects have not gone on trial and Maltese authorities have failed to identify who ordered the hit. The custody time limit expires in two months, after which they will have to be released, the report says. They have pleaded not guilty. Two of the three suspects on Monday protested in court in Malta over the Council of Europe report, saying it ignored their presumption of innocence. The 70-year-old Council of Europe is the guardian of the European Convention on Human Rights and the creator of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.


Baghdad court condemns fourth French Islamic State member captured in Syria

Abstract: BAGHDAD - The French former members of the Islamic State group were brought into the courtroom in Baghdad one after the other on Monday and made to sit inside a wooden cage in the middle. As they spoke in French, a government official typed up the translation into Arabic, which immediately appeared on a large screen behind the judge that the court could read. Mustafa Mohammed Ibrahim became the fourth French citizen to be sentenced to death by a Baghdad court for joining the Islamic State group that once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq before its defeat. His trial comes as questions swirl about the legal treatment of thousands of foreign nationals formerly with the extremist group. Wearing a yellow uniform and plastic flip flops, Ibrahim, 37, told the judge, “I don’t understand the charges.” Judge Ahmad Mohammed responded: “Your charge is a terrorist crime.” The man who came from France to Syria to join the group in 2015, said he was the victim of its propaganda. The self-proclaimed caliphate had promised him a good life including money, work and a house. Jobless back in Europe, Ibrahim came to Syria via Turkey where he took religious lessons and weapons training. He then married a Moroccan widow with four children who later gave birth to his child. When the judge asked Ibrahim if he was guilty, his response was: “I am not guilty of carrying out any crimes. I am guilty because they brainwashed me. I am the victim of the Islamic State. I am not guilty. “I am ready to help France in the fight against terrorism,” Ibrahim added. France said the Iraqi court has jurisdiction to rule in the cases, though a spokeswoman reiterated the French government’s opposition to the death penalty. The five Frenchmen on trial Monday — two were kept outside the courtroom — were among the 12 French IS fighters whom the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces handed over to Iraq in January. The Kurdish-led group spearheaded the fight against IS in Syria and has handed over to Iraq hundreds of suspected IS members in recent months. IS “terrorists must answer for their crimes in court,” said France’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Agnes von der Muehll. As Monday’s proceedings opened, the first to appear was Ibrahim, who is from the Mediterranean city of Nice and of Tunisian origin. “I ask for forgiveness from the people of Iraq and Syria and the victims,” Ibrahim said before the judge who ordered him to remove his top in order to see if there were any signs of torture on his body. None were visible. “No matter what the sentence will be against me I want to go back to my country,” said Ibrahim. He added that he used to work as a driver back in France before joining IS. The judge sentenced Ibrahim to death. Asked by The Associated Press later why the sentencing happened so quickly, Mohammed said the “case was complete and ready for a verdict.” He added that regarding executions, Iraqi law sentences any member of the group to death whether the person “participates in fighting or not.” The second man brought into the courtroom was identified as Fadil Hamad Abdallah, 33, of Moroccan origin. Abdallah said he was subjected to torture while in detention. The judge referred him to a medical committee for investigation and postponed his next session until Sunday. The judge postponed the sentencing of the three other Frenchmen until next Monday. Three French IS fighters had already been sentenced to death on Sunday. Those convicted can appeal their sentences within a month. Human rights groups have criticized Iraq’s handling of IS trials, accusing authorities of relying on circumstantial evidence and often extracting confessions under torture. Nadim Houry, the Human Rights Watch’s director of its terrorism and counterterrorism program, said: “There are few rights for the defense and grave due-process issues — that’s deeply worrying, especially when combined with the death penalty. In-depth investigations are not being carried out.” Houry added that no one should be transferred to a country where there is a risk of torture. “We have visited Iraqi prisons and we’ve seen rampant torture, usually to extract confessions,” he said. Iraqi prosecutors say the 12 French nationals were parties or accomplices to IS crimes, and threatened the national security of Iraq. Simply belonging to the extremist group is punishable by life in prison or execution under Iraq’s counter-terrorism laws. In Paris, von der Muehll said France’s position is that adults detained in Iraq must be tried by the Iraqi justice system, as soon as it declares itself competent. “France respects the sovereignty of Iraqi authorities” she added, though she expressed her country’s opposition to the death penalty, “in principle, at all times and in all places.”

islamic state
syria
iraq
terrorism
france
death penalty
conflict


At least 42 inmates found strangled in Brazil prison gang clashes

Abstract: SAO PAULO - At least 42 prisoners in Brazil were found strangled to death on Monday in four jails in the Amazon jungle city of Manaus, where a fight between rival prison gangs resulted in 15 dead the day before, authorities said. A federal task force is being sent to Manaus in an effort to halt the violence. Prison clashes often spread rapidly in Brazil, where drug gangs have de facto control over nearly all jails. In January 2017, nearly 150 prisoners died during three weeks of violence in north and northeastern Brazil, as local gangs backed by Brazil’s two largest drug factions — the First Capital Command and the Red Command — butchered one another. A statement from the Amazonas state penitentiary department confirmed the number of deaths that took place on Monday and said authorities had regained control of the four prisons. No other details were provided. At least 15 inmates were killed at a jail in Manaus on Sunday, with authorities saying those who died were choked and stabbed to death. Brazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has vowed to regain control of the country’s prisons — along with building many more jails. But the vast majority of jails are administered at the state level. For decades they have been badly overcrowded and out of control of local authorities, essentially serving as recruiting centers for drug gangs.

brazil
prisons
manaus
drugs
jair bolsonaro


Tens of thousands in Illinois may have guns despite revoked permits, probe finds

Abstract: CHICAGO - A Chicago Tribune investigation suggests that tens of thousands of Illinois residents whose gun licenses have been revoked could still have firearms. The problem was underscored in February when a man killed five former colleagues and wounded five police officers in Aurora, Illinois, using a gun he kept despite the revocation of his Firearm Owner’s Identification card in 2014. The Tribune reports that since 2015, nearly 27,000 Illinois residents whose FOID cards have been revoked haven’t updated authorities on what they have done with their guns. Local police departments are supposed to ensure those whose licenses have been revoked surrender their permits and transfer firearms to police or a legal gun owner. Acting Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly says he’s shocked by “the depth and breadth of the problem.”


Spanish ex-monarch Juan Carlos I retires from public life

Abstract: MADRID - Spain’s former monarch, Juan Carlos I, says he wants to completely retire from public life on June 2, five years after abdicating the throne. The king emeritus said in a letter published Monday on the Spanish royals’ website and addressed to his son, King Felipe VI, that “I think the moment has arrived to turn a page over in my life and complete my retirement from public life.” Juan Carlos added that he began thinking about fully retiring when he turned 80 last year and was honored in the Spanish parliament. That event coincided with the anniversary of the country’s 1978 constitution, which marked Spain’s transition from dictatorship to democratic rule. Despite health problems, Juan Carlos had maintained a busy public agenda since stepping down.

juan carlos i
spain
royalty
spanish royalty


Battle just starting for EU's Greens after poll breakthrough

Abstract: PARIS - Green parties achieved a landmark breakthrough in the European elections but the challenge is only now starting for them to use newly found leverage in the EU parliament and further increase popularity to achieve real power. In the U.K., France, Germany and other EU states, environmental parties notched up major successes in the elections, breaking well into double figures and overtaking traditional forces. The gains, on the back of greater mobilization by young voters, came as climate change and environmental issues have been propelled to the forefront of political discourse across the continent. “Our responsibility is to build an alternative in order to win power,” said Yannick Jadot, who headed the list of France’s Europe Ecology — The Greens (EELV), which won 13.5 percent of the vote. The EELV came in third place, well ahead of the traditional socialist and right-wing parties, and will now seek to penetrate the two-way battle between centrist President Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen of the far-right. In Germany, the Greens came in second place with 20.5 percent of the vote, overtaking Chancellor Angela Merkel’s partner, the left-wing SPD, and raising questions about the future of their grand coalition. Data in Germany showed a huge generational rupture in the Green vote, with more 18- to 44-year-olds backing the Greens than Merkel’s CDU-CSU alliance. “It is the mobilization of young people that has produced this result — above all in France and Germany,” said Jean-Francois Julliard, the head of Greenpeace France. “While we feared that young people would abstain, they mobilized for ecology.” The momentum for the green surge had been building over months as the strikes started last November by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, 16, not only refused to lose steam but caught the imagination of youth across the world. Environmental parties were set to win 69 seats in the 751-member EU parliament, results showed, not enough to sway policy alone but a crucial contingent in a tightly contested new chamber. Analysts said that unlike the far right and centrists, the Greens form a much tighter and homogeneous group in the EU parliament, making them a more efficient political force. “There is no problem for the Greens to know what political group they are going to join,” said Vanessa Jerome, researcher at the University of Paris. “They will have to construct alliances but this is nothing new,” she added. French President Emmanuel Macron, for one, is likely to want to broaden his EU parliament coalition to include the Greens even if some consider his record on environmental issues to be mixed. Hugely prominent ecological campaigner Nicolas Hulot, who Macron had named environment minister, spectacularly quit the government last August, complaining that he felt “all alone.” And with the political lines of battle now being redrawn across Europe, environmentalists will now try to gain more power on a national level. Greens in government would not be a novelty in Germany, where they were the partners of SPD chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, with veteran Green campaigner Joschka Fischer serving as a high-profile foreign minister from 1998 to 2005. But in countries like the U.K. and France it would be a huge change if Green forces were to challenge for power, as political parties grapple with the notion the people can vote for altruistic and not just material reasons. Juliet Grange, a professor at the Francois-Rabelais University in Tours, said the challenge for Green parties was to increase their appeal to show the electorate they were not just focused on single issues. “I think that there is a larger electoral potential on the condition that what they offer is more open and possibly more pragmatic,” she said, saying they should “really structure their arguments” and attract experts from outside. And activists from inside the Green movement acknowledge that it is still too early to predict the outcome of the weekend’s successes. “We have to see how much can be translated into in real politics,” said Wendel Trio director of the Climate Action Network Europe. “This is a strong opportunity but we need to wait for the majority that is going to be negotiated,” in the EU parliament.

eu
greens
elections
yannick jadot
greta thunberg


Benjamin Netanyahu, quick to declare victory in last month's Israel vote, could face election rematch

Abstract: JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to declare himself winner of last month’s Israeli election, but he now has until Wednesday to appease an erstwhile ally, form a government and avoid a possible rematch. The man at the center of the crisis in Netanyahu’s coalition-building, former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, is sticking to his guns in a stalemate over military draft exemptions for Jewish seminary students. The brinkmanship six weeks after the April 9 election poses another challenge to the decadelong reign of the right-wing leader some Israelis have hailed as “King Bibi” and deepens political uncertainty in a country riven with division. Barring a breakthrough, Israel could hold a new election, with parliament already making initial moves towards a fresh poll and legislators proposing September for the national vote. Without the support of Lieberman’s far-right Yisrael Beitenu party, which has five seats in the 120-member Knesset, Netanyahu cannot put together a majority government led by his Likud party. Under a deadline mandated by law, he has until Wednesday to announce a new administration. Political commentators were hedging their bets. “Netanyahu is a wounded animal. The man is fighting for his life, and we shouldn’t make light of his abilities,” columnist Yossi Verter wrote in the left-wing Haaretz daily on Wednesday. Rivals had already smelled blood in the water when Israel’s attorney general said in February he intends to charge Netanyahu in three graft cases. Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing, saying he is the victim of a political witch hunt. But in the closely contested April election, Netanyahu — dubbed “crime minister” by his opponents — appeared on course for a fifth term as head of a right-wing bloc. All it would take, according to conventional wisdom, was the usual wheeling and dealing on Cabinet posts and allied factions’ pet projects. Few imagined Netanyahu would not put a coalition together, even after he asked for and received a two-week extension to an original 28-day deadline. Suddenly, Lieberman became a wild card and the clock was ticking, with Netanyahu facing a scenario in which President Reuven Rivlin could pick another legislator to try to form a government if he failed. “A lot can be done in 48 hours,” Netanyahu said on Tuesday after parliament gave initial approval to a motion to dissolve itself. “The voters’ wishes can be respected, a strong right-wing government can be formed,” he said. If efforts to break the political deadlock fail, parliament would take a final vote on an election on Wednesday. A new ballot would mean Rivlin could not choose someone else to put together a governing coalition. But political commentators said it was still unclear if Netanyahu could muster the required 61 votes to pass the motion. The ball would then be in Rivlin’s court, leaving Netanyahu, who last lost an election in 1999, on unfamiliar sidelines looking in. Lieberman, an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, began his climb up the Israeli political ladder as a Netanyahu aide and has long insisted ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students share other Israeli Jews’s burden of compulsory military service. That has put him at odds with United Torah Judaism in the coalition negotiations, a schism that has played well with Lieberman’s support base of Russian-speakers — some of them non-Jews under Orthodox criteria who came to Israel under a right of return for anyone claiming at least one Jewish grandparent. “Yisrael Beitenu’s only motive is standing on principle and the commitments we made to the public before, during and after the election,” Lieberman said on Wednesday. But for long-time Lieberman watchers, it’s a clear power play by a bare-knuckle politician who once worked as a nightclub bouncer and now seeks, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely of Likud, to seize control of the “national camp.” “According to Lieberman’s calculations, Netanyahu’s time in power is nearing its end. To preserve his own, he knows this is the moment to jump ship,” Anshel Pfeffer, who wrote a biography of Netanyahu, said in Haaretz. “And he’s doing so carefully, choosing a matter of principle — the military draft law … as the issue on which to break with Netanyahu.” On Twitter on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on the internal Israeli political dispute, expressing support for an ally he calls by his nickname. “Hoping things will work out with Israel’s coalition formation and Bibi and I can continue to make the alliance between America and Israel stronger than ever,” Trump tweeted, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “A lot more to do!” Both leaders have been in lockstep over policy towards the Palestinians, who have accused Trump of being partial toward Israel, and Iran. Netanyahu featured Trump in election billboards placed prominently in Israeli cities.

benjamin netanyahu
israel
elections
avigdor lieberman


Steve Bannon sees 'friend' Nigel Farage in running to be British PM

Abstract: PARIS - Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said Monday he saw British Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage as being in the running to be prime minister later this year after his victory in European elections. In an interview with AFP, Bannon described Farage as a “friend and colleague,” adding that he had spoken to him during campaigning and had been in touch since results on Sunday night showed his Brexit Party winning 31.6 percent of the vote. “I congratulated him on a stunning victory,” Bannon said from a luxury hotel suite in Paris, where he has been staying during the final stage of the European Parliament election campaign. Bannon, who has attempted to forge links between far-right parties in Europe since leaving the White House in August 2017, said he was now looking ahead to a midterm election for a parliamentary seat in eastern England on June 6. Farage will test his Brexit Party’s new-found strength by fielding a candidate in the contest in the city of Peterborough. “If he wins that seat and they have a member in Parliament, it will be pretty earth-shattering. So I think Nigel Farage right now is set up to be quite competitive to be prime minister of England in the fall of this year.” In Britain’s European election, the ruling Conservatives finished fifth with 9 percent — their worst performance since 1832 — and the main opposition Labour Party was also punished for not clearly spelling out its Brexit stance. Farage only registered his party in February, but succeeded in leveraging his reputation as one of the architects of the 2016 referendum that triggered Britain’s attempt to split from the EU. He attributed his success Sunday to outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May’s failure to turn Brexit into a reality by its original March 29 deadline. Despite Bannon’s prediction about Farage on Monday, many analysts in Britain see a general election as less likely than before. The two main parties — the Conservatives and Labour — are seen as wanting to avoid a snap election after their drubbing in the European polls. Farage became the first British politician to meet with Trump after his election in 2016, congratulating the billionaire in person in New York on his electoral defeat of Hillary Clinton. Farage was photographed, open mouthed in delight, standing next to a tie-less Trump doing a thumbs-up sign in front of the tycoon’s gold elevator doors.

steve bannon
nigel farage
eu
brexit party
theresa may
u.s .
u.k .
donald trump


Macron vs. Matteo Salvini: Two leaders face off over EU's future

Abstract: BRUSSELS - France’s pro-EU president and the leader of Italy’s euroskeptic, far-right movement jockeyed for the role of chief powerbroker on the continent Monday after elections to the European Parliament hollowed out the traditional political middle. The four days of balloting that drew to a close Sunday across the European Union’s 28 countries ended the domination of the main center-right and center-left parties in Parliament and established the anti-EU forces on the right and the environmentalists on the left as forces to be reckoned with. Voters delivered the highest turnout in 20 years, rejecting mainstream politics in France, Germany, Britain and Italy. The results could make the business of governing Europe even trickier, leaving the Parliament deadlocked over key issues to come, including immigration, a major trade agreement with the United States, global warming, regulation of the tech industry and, of course, Brexit. The outcome of the election is already setting off a power struggle. In France, President Emmanuel Macron’s party narrowly lost to the French far-right, led by Marine Le Pen. Macron, whose party was poised to secure 21 seats to 22 for Le Pen’s National Rally, spent Monday busily amassing allies ahead of a summit Tuesday in Brussels, hoping to build a durable pro-EU coalition. In Italy, Matteo Salvini’s right-wing League party won a third of the country’s vote and is poised to become one of the biggest parties in the European Parliament, with 28 seats in the 751-seat legislature. But his ambitions reached higher. By midday, he had already spoken to Le Pen, Hungary’s hard-line anti-immigrant prime minister, Viktor Orban, and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage and was promising to single-handedly bring together a contradiction in terms — an international group of nationalists. “We want to be a group that has at least 100 members and has the ambition to be at least 150, if everyone can overcome jealousies, sympathies, antipathies. To create an alternative, you play. You don’t do it by turning up your nose,” he said. The center-right European People’s Party and the center-left Socialists & Democrats have dominated the Parliament with a combined majority since direct elections were first held in 1979. With results still coming in, the EPP was on track to secure 180 seats, down from 217 five years ago. The Socialists were slated to win 145, down from 187. Riding what they called Europe’s “green wave,” environmentalist parties seeking action on climate change made strong gains, notably in Germany. Another mainstream formation, the free-market ALDE group backed by Macron, saw its stake in the Parliament rise to 109 seats, from 68 in 2014. For the Parliament to choose a European Commission president and ultimately to pass legislation, new and uncomfortable alliances must be forged, and nearly all will require some combination of ALDE and the Greens. Well aware of the far-right’s potential to turn against itself, Macron launched a flurry of meetings ahead of the dinner summit Tuesday where the EU countries’ presidents and prime ministers will take stock of the election results. He started with Spain and was due to hold talks with the leaders of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. “The future majority of the European Parliament goes through us, without question. There isn’t one without us,” Pascal Canfin, one of the leading candidates from Macron’s party, told France Inter radio. In Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right movement also lost ground, leaders of the country’s governing parties met to weigh the fallout from their worst post-World War II showing in a nationwide election. “We are facing a shrinking center,” a subdued EPP candidate Manfred Weber said. “From now on, those who want to have a strong European Union have to join forces.” Senior figures from the EPP hold the top posts in the EU’s three main institutions: Parliament president; head of the EU’s powerful executive commission; and European Council president, who chairs summits of European presidents and prime ministers. Just over 50 percent of the EU’s more than 400 million voters cast ballots. While real power in Europe remains in the hands of the 28 member states, the Parliament’s influence has grown. It has helped improve air flight safety in Europe, cut down on plastics use, end mobile telephone roaming charges inside the bloc, boost data privacy, and cut carbon dioxide emissions from cars. Steve Bannon, who helped propel Donald Trump’s populist campaign to the White House, was in Paris on Monday to celebrate the victories of like-minded parties in Europe and gird for the battle ahead. “You see the trend, and it’s definitely nationalist-versus-globalist,” he said. He predicted the far-right will prevail by grinding the European Parliament to a halt: “Every day will be like Stalingrad.”

matteo salvini
eu
france
italy
brexit
emmanuel macron
nigel farage
u.k .