Shadow banking crisis raises risk of renewed Indian bad-loan reckoning

Abstract: MUMBAI - Just as India’s banks emerge from under a pile of bad loans to large energy, steel and other industrial companies, they are facing a new reckoning from the accelerating crisis in the country’s shadow banking sector. A year after a series of defaults by Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd. forced the government to intervene and exposed weaknesses in the sector, the problems of India’s non-bank financial companies are entering a new phase. Other weaker lenders such as Dewan Housing Finance Corp. and Anil Ambani’s Reliance Capital Ltd. are struggling, putting the loans they received from a handful of the regulated banks at risk. “There will be some defaults, some additional slippages on banks’ books from the NBFC sector and that will be reflected in the performance of some of the bank stocks, which are more exposed to the weak NBFCs,” said Suresh Ganapathy, an associate director overseeing financial research at Macquarie Capital Securities in India. Among the most vulnerable is Yes Bank Ltd., which has seen its shares plunge 65 percen t in the past year amid wider worries about its lending policies. Last week, Moody’s Investors Service put Yes Bank under review for a downgrade, citing its “sizable exposure” to weaker companies in the NBFC sector. Yes Bank and IndusInd Bank Ltd. may face higher than expected credit costs due to their lending to companies related to large leveraged corporates, UBS AG wrote in a June report. The lenders showed the greatest vulnerability to new risks emerging in this area and from nonbanks and real estate firms, it said. Credit Suisse Group AG in April identified the two banks as having greater exposures to four stressed groups — Anil Ambani’s conglomerate, Dewan, IL&FS and Essel — along with Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and State Bank of India. Loans from the shadow banking sector expanded rapidly in the period up to the IL&FS defaults, a time in which the regulated banks were in the depths of a bad-loan crisis, weighed down by some $200 billion of soured credit. Nonbanks accounted for nearly a third of all new credit over the previous three years, with some of the loans going to riskier sectors like infrastructure and property development. The lending binge was funded by bond issues and credit from India’s mutual fund companies, in addition to loans from banks. Since last year, the process has gone into reverse, with Dewan the latest to fall victim to tightening liquidity among NBFCs. The firm’s short-term credit was downgraded to default by the Indian unit of Standard & Poor’s earlier this month. Ambani’s Reliance Capital has been selling assets to meet its repayments. The spreading debt woes have fueled talk that the shadow banking crisis is entering a second, more dangerous, phase, posing broader risks to the Indian financial system. Some — including Ambani — have been calling on the government and the Reserve Bank of India to take emergency steps to revive lending, such as flooding the banks with liquidity. For the moment, however, the regulator doesn’t appear to view the crisis as systemic. At its policy meeting earlier this month, the RBI indicated it viewed liquidity conditions as broadly sufficient and would improve transparency around how it assesses this. A spokesperson for IndusInd Bank said its exposure to NBFCs and housing finance companies, as a proportion of the loan book, is modest at 3.2 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively, and standard. Bank of Baroda’s exposure to NBFCs and housing finance firms “is high, however, we are derisking ourselves by entering into pool purchase, co-origination of loans etc., by which we get an adequate feel on the underlying assets,” Executive Director Papia Sengupta said by email. Yes Bank, State Bank of India and Bank of India didn’t respond to emails seeking comment. Ganapathy at Macquarie said NBFCs will face a continuing credit squeeze but the spillover to the banks will be limited and is unlikely to create a system-wide problem. Indian banks as a whole have extended no more than 6-7 percent of their total loans to NBFCs, and only 10 percent of that is likely to sour, Ganapathy added. That’s also the verdict of the Indian markets, which have seen bank stocks recover strongly following the dip after the IL&FS defaults last year. The S&P BSE Bankex index is up about 8 percent since the end of August, and has only wavered briefly during the latest phase of the crisis.


Dollar rises to around ¥108.60 in quiet Tokyo trading

Abstract: The dollar firmed around ¥108.60 in subdued Tokyo trading Monday, pushed up by higher U.S. long-term interest rates. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥108.56-56, up from ¥108.20-20 at the same time Friday. The euro was at $1.1213-1213, down from $1.1284-1284, and at ¥121.74-74, down from ¥122.10-10. The dollar rose above ¥108.60 in midmorning on real demand-backed purchases by Japanese importers and buying sparked by a rise in U.S. long-term interest rates in off-hours trading. After scaling to around ¥108.70, however, the U.S. currency met with selling to take profits, traders said. Trading lacked vigor as players found it difficult to move ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting from Tuesday, a domestic bank official said. Investors are keenly waiting for the FOMC meeting as well as the upcoming Group of 20 summit in Osaka at a time when “central banks around the globe show more bearish economic outlooks than economic indicators do,” a trust bank official said.


Nikkei rises modestly on firmer Chinese stocks

Abstract: The benchmark Nikkei average extended its gain, albeit marginally, in lackluster trading on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, helped by firmer Chinese stocks. The 225-issue average rose 7.11 points, or 0.03 percent, to end at 21,124.00, after rising 84.89 points Friday. On the other hand, the Topix index of all first-section issues finished down 6.97 points, or 0.45 percent, at 1,539.74. It gained 5.21 points the previous trading day. The Tokyo market made a dismal start following a fallback on Wall Street on Friday. The market was dampened further by selling of semiconductor-related issues prompted by U.S. chipmaker Broadcom Inc.’s forecast of a substantial sales decline for the year ending in October, brokers said. The Nikkei, however, returned to positive territory late in the morning thanks to Shanghai shares regaining strength. Although the key index lost steam later, it managed to stay above the previous session’s closing level for the rest of Monday’s trading. The Topix index remained under selling pressure for the most of the day’s session. The Nikkei’s downside was supported by purchases of its heavily weighted components SoftBank Group and Fast Retailing, brokers said. Yutaka Miura, senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities Co., said that the key market yardstick was also underpinned by expectations that the U.S. Federal Reserve would hint at an interest rate cut in July at its two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting starting Tuesday. Meanwhile, Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co., pointed out that investors refrained from active purchases in the afternoon to wait for a Fed statement to be released after the FOMC meeting. “A wait-and-see mood would prevail” until before the release of the statement, he added. Falling issues outnumbered rising ones 1,483 to 570 in the TSE’s first section, while 90 issues were unchanged. Volume shrank to 934 million shares from Friday’s 1.07 billion shares. Shopping website operator Enigmo jumped 8.97 percent, following the firm’s announcements of a stock split plan and rosy earnings estimates for February-April. Online brokerage house Monex Group attracted purchases thanks to a Bitcoin price rise. Other winners included pay parking lots operator Park24 and convenience store chain FamilyMart Uny. Japan Display tumbled 7.02 percent due to Taiwanese touch screen maker TPK Holding Co.’s decision to cancel its planned investment in the ailing Japanese firm. Among other losers were telecommunications equipment maker Anritsu and machinery producer Ebara. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key September contract on the Nikkei average rose 40 points to end at 21,070.


Inpex inks $20 billion deal on Abadi LNG project, the largest investment ever in Indonesia

Abstract: Japan’s Inpex Corp. reached a new deal with Indonesia on the $20 billion Abadi liquefied natural gas project, a key step toward reviving work on the long-stalled venture that’s expected to be the biggest-ever investment in the Southeast Asian nation. A heads of agreement between the two includes an extension of the company’s contract to operate the Masela block by 27 years until 2055, Inpex President Takayuki Ueda told reporters Sunday at a G20 energy and environment ministers meeting in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture. Inpex will start front-end engineering and design work after the government approves its development plan, which it will submit within weeks. A final investment decision is expected in two to three years, with output to begin in the second half of next decade, he said. “This is a massive LNG project,” Ueda said. The venture, which will produce about 9.5 million tons of LNG annually once it’s fully operational, is “extremely significant” for Inpex and Indonesia, because the nation doesn’t have any other large natural gas fields, he said. The agreement is a small move forward for the project, which Inpex had to redesign as an onshore plant after the Indonesian government rejected its proposal for a floating-LNG facility in 2016. Developing the Abadi field in the Masela block and the accompanying LNG export project will cost $18 billion to $20 billion, the largest single investment activity in Indonesia, the nation’s energy ministry said in a statement. The project, which will also supply 150 million cubic feet of gas by pipeline, is targeted to come onstream in 2027, it said. Inpex signed an agreement with the Indonesian government in 1998 to explore the offshore Masela block and discovered the Abadi field in 2000. Inpex has a 65 percent stake in the project, with the rest held by Royal Dutch Shell PLC.


Suzuki starts minicar production in Pakistan

Abstract: Suzuki Motor Corp. said Monday it has started production and sales of its all-new Alto minicar in Pakistan as the automaker seeks to boost sales in the South Asian country, where there is strong demand for compact cars. This is the first time for Suzuki to manufacture vehicles with engine displacements of up to 660 cc overseas. Using the same body and engine as the Alto currently sold in Japan, the model launched in Pakistan is being assembled at Suzuki’s Karachi plant. Before the launch of the new model, Suzuki used the same Alto body but with 800 cc to 1,000 cc engines. The introduction of a fuel-efficient minivehicle engine used in Japan allows for comfortable driving while the air conditioning is working, in a country with high temperatures. Suzuki sells some 37,000 units of its Alto in Pakistan annually, according to the company.


Revival of Fiat-Renault deal hinges on Nissan's backing and France's role

Abstract: As Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Renault SA move on from their failed merger talks, a revival of discussions would depend on overcoming at least two major obstacles. Fiat blamed “political conditions in France” when it withdrew its proposal, and a signal from the French state that it would give up its sway over Renault would be necessary for a resumption of talks, people with knowledge of the situation said. One option would see France agreeing to reduce its 15 percent stake after obtaining commitments by Fiat on French jobs and plants, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private matters. For Renault and the state, its most powerful shareholder, repairing the relationship with longtime partner Nissan Motor Co. will take priority over looking at a Fiat deal, officials have said. France in particular views securing the Japanese carmaker’s explicit backing as crucial for the success of a Fiat-Renault combination. Nissan representatives on Renault’s board abstained in an informal vote on the deal last week, leading France to seek a delay. Despite the finger-pointing that followed the failed talks, Renault, Fiat and France have left the door ajar for a possible deal as they brace for the costly changes sweeping the industry, such as developing electric and autonomous vehicles. “The project remains, in my head, absolutely remarkable and exceptional,” Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard told shareholders Wednesday. Fiat, in pulling the offer, said it remained “firmly convinced of the compelling, transformational rationale” of its proposal. Bruno Le Maire, the French finance minister, said Thursday that it’s an “interesting opportunity” and that talks could resume once the Renault-Nissan alliance has been reinforced. Fiat Chief Executive Officer Mike Manley may have met with Renault executives in Paris on Friday to begin new talks, Il Sole 24 Ore reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. A Fiat spokesman declined to comment. Le Maire said earlier this month that the French state would consider cutting its Renault holding to help shore up the alliance with Nissan, which has bridled at the state’s influence over its dominant shareholder. A French government official who was later asked about those comments, however, said any stake sale wasn’t imminent. In a move that may ease tensions between the carmakers, Nissan is ready to accept Renault demands for more representation on its board committees, a person with knowledge of the matter said Friday. That follows a threat from Senard to abstain from supporting Nissan’s corporate governance plan at its annual general meeting on June 25, an apparent riposte after Nissan refused to back the Fiat tie-up. Given Renault’s 43 percent stake, its abstention could torpedo the governance measures, formulated to shore up oversight following the Carlos Ghosn scandal. Nissan and Renault representatives declined to comment. Strengthening the alliance, which includes Mitsubishi Motors Corp., is likely to take time. Distrust grew after the November arrest in Tokyo of Ghosn, who oversaw all three companies and their alliance, and worsened after Renault began talks with Fiat without telling Nissan.

renault
nissan
france
fiat chrysler
mergers
carmakers


China's Harvest Tech investment fund postpones decision on ¥80 billion package for Japan Display

Abstract: Japan Display Inc. said Monday that China’s Harvest Tech Investment Management Co. has notified it that the fund will postpone making a final decision until June 27 on whether to offer financial aid to rescue the struggling Apple Inc. supplier. The move by the fund, part of a consortium that has been considering a capital injection of up to ¥80 billion ($740 million), means Japan Display failed to formally secure the fresh funding ahead of its annual shareholders’ general meeting Tuesday. Of the consortium’s two other members, Taiwanese panel-maker TPK Holding Co. has dropped out from the bailout plan, Japan Display said in a statement. The other member, Taiwanese private equity fund CGL group, has not notified Japan Display of any decision yet, the display-maker said. Japan Display said Friday it expected a final decision from the consortium by that day, after the Chinese-Taiwanese group had twice delayed confirming what was happening. However, Oasis Management Co. of Hong Kong has stepped forward as a potential new sponsor with Harvest Tech Investment, Japan Display said. “There is no change in the sum of the bailout scheme of up to ¥80 billion as disclosed in April,” it said. The Japanese maker also said some domestic and other overseas companies have shown interest in investing, without naming them. Japan Display said Wednesday it will cut 1,200 jobs, a quarter of its total workforce in Japan, and suspend operations at its plant in Ishikawa Prefecture from July to September as part of restructuring The display-maker incurred a group net loss for the fifth straight year in fiscal 2018 ended in March at ¥109.43 billion on sales of ¥636.66 billion, down 11.3 percent from a year earlier, hit by falling demand from its main client, Apple. Japan Display was established in 2012 following the merger of the display operations of Sony Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. with support from state-backed fund INCJ Ltd. The company also plans to receive additional financial support from INCJ, including cancellation of a debt of ¥45 billion in return for passing on all of its 27.2 percent stake in Joled Inc., an affiliate that makes advanced displays, to the state-backed fund. Yoshiyuki Tsukizaki, CEO and president of the ailing company, will quit in September to take responsibility for years of sluggish performance by Japan Display. His successor will be Chief Financial Officer Minoru Kikuoka.

harvest tech
investment
japan display
apple
capital


Yahoo Japan is under fire for its China-like rating system

Abstract: Some users of Yahoo Japan Corp. are rising up against Japan’s biggest web portal after the rollout of a new rating system that’s being compared with a social-scoring initiative in China. The 48 million people with a Yahoo! Japan ID will have to opt out within a privacy settings webpage if they don’t want to be rated. The score is based on a variety of factors and is calculated based on inputs such as payment history, shopping reviews, whether a user canceled bookings and the amount of identifiable personal information. Unless users opt out, their ratings may be accessible to freelance jobs site Crowdworks Inc., Yahoo’s bike-sharing service and other businesses. Makoto Niida, a longtime Yahoo user, opted out of the rating system when he learned about it. “It’s a big deal that the service was enabled by default,” Niida said. “The way they created services that benefit businesses without clear explanations to their users reminds me of China’s surveillance society.” Yahoo’s new credit-score program follows efforts by Mizuho Financial Group Inc., NTT Docomo Inc. and other companies to use algorithms to assign ratings to consumers. Japan doesn’t have a system similar to FICO in the U.S., so businesses in the world’s third-largest economy have come up with their own solutions to determine financial trustworthiness. Yahoo’s program shares some elements with China’s Sesame Credit, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., according to Masahiko Shoji, a professor at Musashi University specializing in policy and governance issues. “When China’s scoring system started, people said it was scary, but now they’re starting to realize that it’s being turned into a business in Japan,” Shoji said, adding that Yahoo makes it difficult for users to find where to opt out on its website. Yahoo Japan officially launches the scoring service on July 1. A pilot program with 13 companies provided high-scoring users with special offers and matched preferred freelancers to companies, Yahoo said in a statement on June 3. Yahoo Japan, partly owned by SoftBank Group Corp., said users consented to the program when they first registered their IDs, eliminating the need for opt-ins. Yahoo said it uses the score within its services, but won’t share personal information without additional user consent. “We are aware of the opinions on social media,” the company said in an emailed statement. “We regret causing any concerns, and will work to improve our communication around this issue.”

yahoo japan
china
privacy
shopping
email
internet
social credit


Mexico says 791 migrants found packed in four tractor-trailers

Abstract: MEXICO CITY - Mexican authorities say they have intercepted four trucks packed with nearly 800 migrants in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. The National Migration Institute says in a statement that the 791 people were taken to a migration facility and the drivers of the trucks were arrested. Migrants are routinely transported through Mexico in packed semis, sometimes in dangerous conditions without food or water or sufficient fresh air. Government video showed officials breaking the lock on the door of one cargo truck and helping migrants down. The Saturday night statement said 1,000 immigration agents have been deployed in the north and south of Mexico. The country is under U.S. pressure to reduce the surge of mostly Central American migrants through its territory.

mexico
veracruz
immigration
u.s .
refugees
human trafficking


Scores protest outside Florida detention center for immigrant kids

Abstract: HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - Clutching signs and umbrellas against a drenching downpour, scores of people protested Sunday outside a South Florida facility that has become the nation’s biggest location for detaining immigrant children. A coalition of religious groups and immigrant advocates said they want the Homestead detention center closed. Protesters held signs that read “Homes Instead!” and “Stop Separating Families” as they beat drums and sang civil rights-era protest songs. “Shut it down! Shut it down!” protesters shouted. Lucy Duncan, an official with the American Friends Service Committee, asked protesters for a moment of silence to remember children who have died in federal custody, though not at the Homestead facility. She poured water into a potted plant as each of the seven names was read. “It’s a moral outrage,” Duncan said. “We need for justice to break through. We need to remember those names.” Organizer Kristin Kumpf said 800 people from 22 states had RSVP’d for the protest being held on Father’s Day. Immigrant advocates have filed legal documents trying to force President Donald Trump’s administration to quickly release immigrant children from the Florida detention center, which officials said in April could house up to 3,200 migrant teens. The advocates accuse the administration of violating a decades-old settlement that they say requires immigrant children to be promptly released to relatives or other sponsors, or sent to child care facilities. The immigrant advocates have filed court papers with hundreds of pages of teens describing “prison-like” conditions endured in the Homestead facility. The children testified that they are allowed limited phone calls and told to follow numerous strict rules or risk prolonging their detention or facing deportation. Many said they had limited access to their social workers and described frustration at the process of reunification with relatives or sponsors. “The law is not being followed in this case,” said Danielle Levine Cava, a Miami-Dade County commissioner who spoke at the protest.

florida
immigration
homestead
american friends service committee
u.s .
refugees
u.s.-mexico border


Record number of African migrants reaching Mexican-U.S. border after harsh ordeal north

Abstract: PORTLAND, MAINE - Undaunted by a dangerous journey over thousands of miles, people fleeing economic hardship and human rights abuses in African countries are coming to the U.S.-Mexico border in unprecedented numbers, surprising Border Patrol agents more accustomed to Spanish-speaking migrants. Officials in Texas and even Maine are scrambling to absorb the sharp increase in African migrants. They are coming to America after flying across the Atlantic Ocean to South America and then embarking on an often harrowing overland journey. In one recent week, agents in the Border Patrol’s Del Rio sector stopped more than 500 African migrants found walking in separate groups along the arid land after splashing across the Rio Grande, children in tow. That is more than double the total of 211 African migrants who were detained by the Border Patrol along the entire 2,000-mile (3,200-km) U.S.-Mexico border in the 2018 fiscal year. “We are continuing to see a rise in apprehensions of immigrants from countries not normally encountered in our area,” said Raul Ortiz, head of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Del Rio sector. The immigrants in Texas were mostly from the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. Cameroonians have also been traveling up through Mexico and into the U.S. in larger numbers and seeking asylum at ports of entry. On recent Saturday in Tijuana, there were 90 Cameroonians lined up to get on a waiting list to request asylum that has swelled to about 7,500 names. Also on the waiting list are Ethiopians, Eritreans, Mauritanians, Sudanese and Congolese. Cameroonians generally fly to Ecuador because no visa is required and take about four months to reach Tijuana. They walk for days in Panama through dense forest, where they are often robbed and held in government-run camps. They come from Cameroon’s English-speaking south with horrifying stories of rape, murder and torture since late 2016 by soldiers of the country’s French-speaking majority, which holds power. A few days after the big groups of African immigrants were apprehended in Texas, federal officials dropped off dozens of them in San Antonio. Officials in the Texas city sent out a plea for French-speaking volunteers for translating work “and most importantly, making our guests feel welcome.” Many were bused to Portland, Maine, about as far as one can get from the Mexican border and still be in the continental United States. Word has spread among migrants that the city of 67,000 is a welcoming place. Somali refugees were resettled in Portland in the 1990s. A total of 170 asylum seekers arrived in recent days. Hundreds more are expected in an influx that City Manager Jon Jennings called unprecedented. With one shelter already full, a basketball venue called the Portland Exposition Building was converted into an emergency shelter. Portland officials tweeted Thursday that rumors some of the migrants are carrying the Ebola virus “are patently false,” and said that as asylum seekers, they are in the United States legally. On Thursday afternoon, families in the Expo chatted in French and Portuguese as children kicked a soccer ball near rows of cots. One of the men, 26-year-old Prince Pombo, described himself as a pro-democracy activist and said he had fled his native country, the Democratic Republic of Congo, because of political oppression. He went to neighboring Angola, then flew to Brazil. There, he met a local woman and they had a baby they named Heaven. Now 16-months old, she giggled as she played with her mother in the Expo. Pombo said his journey from Congo to America took three years. More migrants are on the way. Mexico is on pace to triple the number of African immigrants it is processing this year, up from 2,100 in 2017. Mbi Deric Ambi, from Cameroon, is among them. In a recent interview in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, Ambi said he was waiting for a document from the Mexican authorities that would allow him to proceed north to the U.S. He traveled overland through South and Central America after flying to Ecuador, one of the few countries that do not require visas of Cameroonians. Ambi is from the English-speaking part of Cameroon, which has been oppressed by the French-speaking majority. Human Rights Watch says 1,800 people have been killed and half a million have fled their homes in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon since late 2016. A United Nations official says 4.3 million people need humanitarian assistance. “We don’t have jobs in the English part, the educational system is poor, they are looking at us as dogs,” Ambi said as a crowd of migrants jostled outside an immigration center in Tapachula, waiting for their names to be called to collect their travel document. Ambi has been waiting every morning for six weeks. “We just have to be patient, because there is nothing we can do,” he said. The explosion in immigration to the United States from sub-Saharan Africa coincides with a steep drop in the migration flow across the Mediterranean to Europe after European countries and two main embarkation points — Turkey and Libya — decided to crack down. From Jan. 1 to June 12, only 24,600 migrants arrived in Europe by sea, compared to 99,600 over the same period in 2017, according to the International Organization for Migration. But IOM spokesman Joel Millman doubts the migrant path for Africans has swung over from Europe to America. Pombo, who was a teacher in Congo, learned in an internet search and by asking around that Portland is good place for migrants. He said his next step is to start rebuilding a life for himself and his family. “I’d like to feel safe. I’d like to build a decent life,” he said. “I need to start again.”

africa
portland
maine
u.s.-mexico border
mexico
immigration
refugees
u.s .


As Peru tightens its border, desperate Venezuelans cling to asylum lifeline

Abstract: TUMBES, PERU - Thousands of Venezuelans crossed into Peru despite a crackdown on migrants without passports or visas meant to stem the flood of immigration from their crisis-stricken nation, as many lacking those documents filed asylum requests instead. Venezuela’s economic collapse under President Nicolas Maduro has unleashed the biggest migratory crisis in recent Latin American history, forcing countries like Peru — a developing nation of 32 million people — to grapple with an unprecedented surge in immigration. Under the new rules imposed on Saturday, migrants must have passports and visas before coming to Peru — closing a door to many Venezuelans who cannot afford the fees needed to acquire them. However, asylum seekers are not required to have passports under international law, providing poor Venezuelans with a way around the changes. Desperate Venezuelans rushed to reach Peru before the crackdown took effect. A record 4,700 asylum claims were filed in Peru on Friday, part of more than 8,000 Venezuelans who entered the country that day, according to the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR. Thousands of Venezuelans waited in lines at the border checkpoint in Tumbes on Saturday, as immigration officials struggled to process a backlog of paperwork. Some of them had walked for weeks to reach Peru, U.N. officials said. Families spread out their luggage on sidewalks and streets, with children playing and adults napping. “This is my last resort. I hope they let me in,” Yaisy Segovia said, as she waited to fill out a form requesting asylum at tents set up by the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR. Inside the tents, U.N. assistants helped Venezuelans answer questions on the forms. Segovia, 32, said she left her three children with their grandparents in Venezuela to seek work in Peru. After trekking and taking buses through Colombia and Ecuador, she made it to Tumbes, only to be robbed of her immigration documents and cash late on Friday, she said. “I just want this trip to be over.” The United Nations estimates that 4 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants have fled widespread shortages of basic foods and medicines as well as political violence in their homeland. The crisis has deepened since the United States imposed tough sanctions on the OPEC nation’s oil industry in January in an effort to oust leftist President Maduro in favor of opposition leader Juan Guaido. Peru is home to some 800,000 Venezuelan migrants, the government says — the second-largest population outside Colombia, which houses more than 1.2 million. Just two years ago, Peru had introduced new migratory laws to accommodate Venezuelans. It doled out hundreds of thousands of special residency cards so they could work legally, go to school and access public health care. But the tide has since turned, amid growing fears fanned by media reports and politicians that Venezuelan migrants are driving down wages and fueling crime. Regina de la Portilla, a UNHCR spokeswoman in Peru, said she was unaware of any Venezuelans seeking asylum who were barred from entering Peru. She said that most Venezuelans leaving their homeland in mass should be considered refugees, given the acute humanitarian crisis. But Peru applies a narrower definition of refugee. Peru President Martin Vizcarra’s government has said that 99 percent of Venezuelans who request asylum in Peru do not qualify for it, raising the prospect of nearly 280,000 Venezuelans eventually losing legal protections provided to them under the refugee system. The UNHCR said that the latest waves of migrants were the neediest yet. Too poor to acquire passports, many were women with children who were rushing to join their partners in cities across South America before it was too late. “People are arriving in a more and more vulnerable situation,” said Federico Agusti, UNHCR’s representative in Peru, said in a statement. “Some have been walking for 30 or 40 days through various countries in the region. We see people suffering from malnutrition or dehydration.” Josverrelly Pena, a 29-year-old pregnant mother, said she and her husband arrived by bus just hours before the midnight deadline. Lacking a passport for her son, she said they decided to leave everything to join her mother in Peru. “We had been thinking about it for more than a year,” Pena said as she washed her hands over a sewage grate. “It was now or never.”

peru
venezuela
immigration
nicolas maduro
refugees
unhcr
juan guaido
u.n .


New Quebec law stresses migrants' skills, prompting thousands to reapply

Abstract: MONTREAL, QUEBEC - The Quebec provincial legislature on Sunday approved a controversial immigration bill that will replace a first-come, first-served standard for accepting migrants with one tied to an applicant’s skills. The law is similar to a proposed plan from U.S. President Donald Trump that would shift his country’s visa system from family-based immigration toward bringing in more skilled workers. The law will attempt to more closely match the skills offered by would-be immigrants with the needs of the labor market in Quebec, Canada’s second most-populous province. Under the new law, some 18,000 applications now on file will be shredded, affecting as many as 50,000 people, many of whom already live in the province. The 18,000 spurned applicants will have to restart the immigration process. The provincial government promised to expedite processing of their new applications, saying qualified workers would have answers within six months rather than the current 36 months. The 62-to-42 vote on the bill took place around 4 a.m. (0800 GMT) at the end of a marathon session convened by the governing center-right Coalition Avenir Quebec, immigration minister Simon Jolin-Barrette announced on Twitter. “We are modifying the immigration system in the public interest because we have to ensure we have a system which meets the needs of the labor market,” Jolin-Barrette told the National Assembly. All three opposition parties opposed the measure, calling it “inhuman” and saying the government didn’t justify dropping the 18,000 pending applications. “Honestly, I don’t think this bill will be seen positively in history,” Liberal Party MP Dominique Anglade said, according to the Montreal Gazette. “It’s the image of Quebec which gets tarnished.” Premier Francois Legault’s government resorted to a special parliamentary procedure to limit debate over the proposal. His party won power in October with a promise to slash by more than 20 percent the numbers of immigrants and refugees arriving each year in Quebec. After a brief night’s rest, the assembly reconvened on Sunday to take up another controversial bill, this one banning the wearing of religious symbols by several categories of government officials or employees, including police, judges and teachers. The proposal, also backed by Legault, puts the premier at odds with the multiculturalism advocated by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

quebec
immigration
donald trump
canada
coalition avenir quebec
simon jolin-barrette
u.s .


Hunt begins for cause of massive power outage across Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay

Abstract: BUENOS AIRES - As lights turned back on across Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay after a massive blackout that hit tens of millions of people, authorities were still largely in the dark about what caused the collapse of the interconnected grid and were tallying the damage from the unforeseen disaster. Argentine President Mauricio Macri promised a thorough investigation into what he called an “unprecedented” outage, one that raised questions about flaws in South America’s grid, which connects many of the region’s largest countries. Energy officials said the results of the investigation will be available in 10 to 15 days, and they could not immediately provide details on the economic impact of the outage, which came on a Sunday, and a day before a national holiday in Argentina. Argentine Energy Secretary Gustavo Lopetegui said the blackout began with a failure in the country’s “interconnection system,” adding that it happens in other countries as well. But he said a chain of events took place later, causing total disruption. “This is an extraordinary event that should have never happened,” he told a news conference. “It’s very serious. We can’t leave the whole country all of a sudden without electricity.” He did not discount the possibility of a cyberattack, but said it was unlikely. The collapse began at about 7 a.m. Sunday, with Argentina’s population of 44 million and residents of neighboring Uruguay and some areas of Paraguay waking up to Father’s Day in the dark. Public transportation halted in Buenos Aires, while phone and internet communications were disrupted, water supplies were cut off and shops were forced to close. Patients dependent on home medical equipment were urged to go to hospitals with generators. Power was fully restored by Sunday night. But the outage ignited questions about Argentina’s preparedness and lack of investment in the power system at a time when the country is going through a deep economic crisis with soaring inflation, a tumbling of the local currency and a spike in utility bills fueled by austerity measures ordered by Macri. The conservative leader has seen his popularity ratings plunge during a crisis where he has struggled to tame one of the world’s highest inflation rates and poverty has reached about one-third of the population. Argentines are also frustrated with high utility costs and the blackout could trigger more protests against Macri’s government just as he seeks re-election in October. “The country is already in a weird moment and then you wake up and can’t see anything,” said Julieta Dodda, 27, a saleswoman at a clothing store in downtown Buenos Aires. “Many people were going to meet for lunch to celebrate the day. I saw many online who joked: “Happy Father’s Day from Edesur and Edenor, which are our electricity companies.” Energy officials defended the strength of the Argentine system, saying it is “robust” and supplies exceed demand. But the grid has been known for being in a state of disrepair, with substations and cables that were insufficiently upgraded as power rates remained largely frozen for years. An Argentine independent energy expert said that systemic operational and design errors played a role in the power grid’s collapse. “A localized failure like the one that occurred should be isolated by the same system,” said Raul Bertero, president of the Center for the Study of Energy Regulatory Activity in Argentina. “The problem is known and technology and studies (exist) to avoid it.” The blackout raised questions about flaws in the region’s grid. Although Brazil was spared this time, a similar outage in the region’s largest country left more than 60 million in the dark in 2009, just as authorities scrambled to boost confidence in its infrastructure before soccer’s 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. Sunday’s power failure came three months after crisis-torn Venezuela suffered its worst power outage with the lack of electricity endangering hospital patients. Other parts of the world have also been hit by major outages. Bertero said that about 50 million people were affected by a blackout in the U.S. and some provinces in Canada in 2003, and about as many were hit by another in Italy that same year. Argentina has had a history of blackouts, but none like Sunday’s failure, in which the power outage was more geographically widespread. Only the southern archipelago of Tierra del Fuego was unaffected because it is not connected to the main power grid. “It’s something that had never happened,” said Alejandra Martinez, a spokesperson for the Argentine electricity company Edesur. The failure originated at an electricity transmission point between the power stations at the country’s Yacyreta dam and Salto Grande in the country’s northeast. Uruguay’s energy company UTE said the failure in the Argentine system also cut power to all of Uruguay for hours and blamed the collapse on a “flaw in the Argentine network.” In Paraguay, power in rural communities in the south, near the border with Argentina and Uruguay, was also cut. The country’s National Energy Administration said service was restored by afternoon by redirecting energy from the Itaipu hydroelectric plant the country shares with neighboring Brazil. Many residents of Argentina and Uruguay took to social media to post pictures of their cities in the dark. Others blamed the electricity companies or the government or simply lamented that their plans had been disrupted. Several Argentine provinces had scheduled gubernatorial elections Sunday, which proceeded with voters using their phone screens and built-in flashlights to illuminate their ballots. “I don’t remember anything like this in Uruguay,” said Valentina Gimenez, a resident of the capital, Montevideo. “What is really striking about this is that no one understands well what really happened.”

argentina
paraguay
uruguay
electricity
utilities
latin america


Saudi crown prince accuses rival Iran of tanker attacks

Abstract: DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday that the kingdom will not hesitate to confront threats to its security and joined the U.S. in accusing its bitter rival, Iran, of being behind the attacks on two vessels traveling near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital trade route for Arabian energy exports in Asia. The U.S. has blamed Iran for the suspected attacks on two oil tankers, denouncing what it called a campaign of “escalating tensions.” The U.S. alleges Iran used limpet mines to target the tankers, pointing to black-and-white footage it captured that American officials describe as Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops removing an unexploded mine from the Japanese-operated tanker Kokuka Courageous. The Japanese tanker’s crew members described “flying objects” as having targeted the vessel, seemingly contradicting the assertion that limpet mines were used. In an interview with the Arabic-language newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, Prince Mohammed said Iran disrespected the visit to Tehran by the Japanese prime minister last week and responded to his diplomatic efforts to reduce regional tensions by attacking the two tankers. The crown prince, however, offered no evidence to back up his allegation. “The problem is in Tehran and not anywhere else,” Prince Mohammed said. “Iran is always the party that’s escalating in the region, carrying out terrorist attacks and criminal attacks either directly or through its militias.” Iran rejects accusations it was responsible for Thursday’s attacks, saying it stands ready to play an active and constructive role in ensuring the security of maritime passages. It said the massive U.S. military presence in the region and U.S. sanctions are the main sources of insecurity and instability in the Persian Gulf. In recent weeks, the U.S. has sent an aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets to the region in what the military says is defensive posturing aimed at Iranian deterrence. Tensions have escalated since the Trump Administration re-imposed punishing economic sanctions on Tehran and its oil exports after unilaterally pulling the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which America’s European allies are struggling to salvage. Similar to the recent attacks, four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates were apparently targeted in acts of sabotage, which U.S. officials have blamed on Iran. Two of those vessels belonged to Saudi Arabia. Days later, Iranian-allied Yemeni rebels claimed they were behind a drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline. In his first public comments since the start of these incidents, the powerful Saudi prince, who is also defense minister and oversees all major levers of power in the country, said the attacks “confirm the importance of our demands of the international community to take a decisive stance” against Iran’s behavior. “The kingdom does not seek war in the region, but we will not hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, sovereignty and vital interests,” he said. He also touted U.S.-Saudi relations as “essential to achieving regional security and stability.” Last month, an English-language Saudi newspaper close to the palace had called for the U.S. to launch “surgical” strikes against Iran in retaliation for the earlier vessel and pipeline attacks. Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of arming Yemeni rebels known as Houthis, who claimed responsibility for the pipeline attack and a subsequent missile strike on a Saudi airport that wounded 26 passengers. Saudi Arabia has been at war against the Houthis in Yemen since early 2015. “The choice before Iran is clear. Do you want to be a normal state with a constructive role in the international community or do you want to be a rogue state?” the crown prince was quoted as saying. His comments mirrored those made by his father, King Salman, at emergency summits held in Mecca last month that drew heads of state from Arab and Muslim countries to address the sharp rise in tensions with Iran. Thursday’s apparent attacks in the Strait of Hormuz forced the evacuation of all 44 sailors aboard the two vessels. On Saturday, Associated Press journalists saw the crew members of the Norwegian-owned oil tanker MT Front Altair arrive at Dubai International Airport, after spending two days in Iran. The Front Altair, which caught fire after the apparent attack, limped into anchorage Sunday off the eastern coast of the United Arab Emirates, near the port city of Khorfakkan.

iran
mohammed bin salman
oil
saudi arabia
conflict
u.s .
gas
uae
shipping
hormuz tanker attack


Iran to break stockpile limit set by nuclear deal, atomic agency says

Abstract: TEHRAN - Iran will break the uranium stockpile limit set by Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in the next 10 days, the spokesman for the country’s atomic agency said Monday while also warning that Iran has the need for uranium enriched up to 20 percent, just a step away from weapons-grade levels. The announcement indicated Iran’s determination to break from the landmark 2015 accord, which has steadily unraveled since the Trump administration pulled America out of the deal last year and re-imposed tough economic sanctions on Iran, sending its economy into freefall. The spokesman for Iran’s nuclear agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, made the announcement during a press conference with local journalists at Iran’s Arak heavy water facility that was carried live on Iranian state television. The development comes in the wake of suspected attacks on oil tankers last week in the region, attacks that Washington has blamed on Iran, and also as tensions have spiked between Iran and the United States, a year after U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America for the nuclear deal. Kamalvandi acknowledged that the country already quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium and said Tehran would increase uranium enrichment levels “based on the country’s needs.” That increase could be to any level, from 3.67 percent which is the current limit set by the nuclear deal. Iran’s needs 5 percent enrichment for its nuclear power plant in southern Iranian port of Bushehr and it also needs 20 percent enrichment for a Tehran research reactor, the spokesman said. When uranium is mined, it typically has about 140 atoms of this unwanted isotope for every atom of U-235. Refining it to a purity of 3.67 percent, the level now allowed by the nuclear deal, means removing 114 unwanted atoms of U-238 for every atom of U-235. Boosting its purity to 20 percent means removing 22 more unwanted isotopes per atom of U-235, while going from there to 90 percent purity means removing just four more per atom of U-235, he noted. Ninety percent is considered weapons-grade material. That means going from 20 percent to 90 percent is a relatively quicker process, something that worries nuclear nonproliferation experts. The U.S. alleges Iran used limpet mines to target the tankers last Thursday, pointing to black-and-white footage it captured that American officials describe as an Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel removing an unexploded mine from the Japanese-operated tanker Kokuka Courageous, one of the two ships that were targeted. The Japanese tanker’s crew members appeared to contradict the assertion that mines were used. They described “flying objects” as having targeted the vessel. Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated the U.S. official position. He claimed that intelligence officials have “lots of data, lots of evidence” tying Iran to the attacks, though he did not provide any specifics. He called the alleged shipping attacks “an international challenge, important to the entire globe.” In Brussels on Monday, European Union foreign ministers said they were still looking for more information on who might be behind the incident involving the tankers. Germany and others insisted they need a clearer picture before wading into a diplomatic conflict which could have serious implications in the Middle East. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that U.S. and British intelligence needs to be compared with other information from allies. “We have to be very careful,” he said. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said it was not a time to jump to action without proper information. “The maximum restraint and wisdom should be applied,” she said ahead of the monthly foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg.

iran
donald trump
u.s .
nuclear weapons
nuclear energy
iran nuclear deal


Paris zoo gives orangutan Nenette a 50th birthday party

Abstract: PARIS - Nenette, one of the world’s oldest Borneo orangutans in captivity, has celebrated her 50th birthday at a zoo in Paris, where she has lived almost all her life. Birthday cake, wrapped boxes and visitors singing “Happy Birthday” were part of the party held Sunday for Nenette at Menagerie, a zoo in the Jardin des Plantes gardens. She was treated to exotic fruits and ate a strawberry cake. Some of her favorite activities — painting and do-it-yourself workshops — were also on the party’s program. Nenette is one of the last orangutans living in a zoo to be born out of captivity. She settled in Paris in 1972 at age 3. The zoo says orangutans in the wild have experienced sharp population declines in the past 20 years.

paris zoos orangutans nenette france animals endangered monkeys


LAPD investigates officer's actions in fatal Costco shooting

Abstract: LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Police Department is gathering evidence and video footage in an administrative investigation into an off-duty officer who shot and killed a man authorities say attacked him inside a Southern California Costco Wholesale warehouse store. Authorities remained tight-lipped Sunday, not responding to requests for comment about what provoked the Friday night confrontation and whether anyone but the officer was armed. Two others were critically injured in the shooting in Corona, which is about 40 miles (64 km) east of Los Angeles. Los Angeles Police Commission President Steve Soboroff said Sunday it is Chief Michel Moore’s decision whether to put the officer on leave, but it remained unclear if that happened. The officer’s identity has not been released. The officer opened fire after Kenneth French, 32, of Riverside, “assaulted” him “without provocation” as the officer held his young child, Corona police said Saturday. Bullets struck French and two of his family members, according to police. The officer was the only person who fired shots in the store, police said. The officer was treated and released at a nearby hospital. The officer’s child was not injured, the department said. The department’s policies allow off-duty officers to carry concealed weapons as long as they are authorized for on-duty use, according to the LAPD manual. The LAPD will continue its internal probe as Corona police and the Riverside County district attorney’s office conduct a separate investigation into the shooting. The LAPD said Sunday it had no further information. Corona police and the district attorney’s office did not respond to requests for comment Sunday. A relative of French’s reached on Facebook declined comment Sunday and asked for privacy. Joseph Giacalone, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a retired New York City Police Department sergeant, said it’s justifiable to use deadly force even in a crowded store if the attacker has a weapon. “If the guy pulled out a pocketknife and approaches him, game over,” Giacalone said Sunday. Police have not said if French had any weapons or if the officer identified himself as police before firing. Giacalone said video footage from Costco’s cameras and shoppers’ cellphones will be critical to the dual investigations. While it’s not unusual for police to delay releasing information such as an officer’s name in a shooting for safety reasons, Giacalone said it’s important to get details out as quickly as possible. “People start filling in the timelines for you” in the meantime, he said. The shooting prompted a stampede of frightened shoppers, some who fled the store as others sought cover inside. Witnesses reported seeing an argument between two people near a freezer section when shots rang out at least six times. The Costco reopened later Saturday.

shootings
los angeles
police
corona
guns
u.s .
cosco


Hundreds rally in Moscow to decry state abuse of investigative journalist

Abstract: MOSCOW - Several hundred protesters gathered in Moscow on Sunday in a small, government-authorized rally supporting investigative journalist Ivan Golunov and decrying abuse of power over his five-day arrest this month on drug charges. The 36-year-old reporter, known for exposing corruption among Moscow officials, was freed following an outcry by supporters who said he was framed by corrupt police. Journalists critical of Russian authorities have led a dangerous existence since the 1990s — sometimes threatened, attacked or even murdered over their work — but Golunov’s case triggered an unusually strong backlash. An unsanctioned rally on June 12, the day after he was released, led to more than 500 detentions, including opposition politician Alexei Navalny. But Sunday’s event was given the go-ahead, raising questions over whether President Vladimir Putin’s government was trying to provide a safety valve for public anger. The rally, called by the Russian Union of Journalists and named “Justice and Fairness to Everyone,” had drawn a few hundred people by early afternoon, a Reuters witness said. State news agency TASS cited police saying around 1,600 were there. Computer programmer Sergey, 28, said he was attending in the hope the protest would help stop others having drugs planted on them as he believes happened to Golunov. “Someone has to (protest),” he said, noting the small number at the rally. Other demonstrators drew attention to detentions of regional journalists. “Moscow, Golunov is free. What about the others?” one of the banners read. Putin fired two police generals over the case on Thursday, and other officers involved have been suspended pending an investigation. Golunov was invited to Sunday’s event but did not turn up.

ivan golunov
alexei navalny
vladimir putin
media
russia
journalism


Population 10: Israel renames Golan settlement 'Trump Heights'

Abstract: RAMAT TRUMP, GOLAN HEIGHTS - The Trump name graces apartment towers, hotels and golf courses. Now it is the namesake of a tiny Israeli settlement in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet convened in this hamlet Sunday to inaugurate a new settlement named after President Donald Trump in a gesture of appreciation for the U.S. leader’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory. The settlement isn’t exactly new. Currently known as Bruchim, it is over 30 years old and has a population of 10 people. Israel is hoping the rebranded “Ramat Trump,” Hebrew for “Trump Heights,” will encourage a wave of residents to vastly expand it. “It’s absolutely beautiful,” said U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, who attended Sunday’s ceremony. Noting that Trump celebrated his birthday on Friday, he said: “I can’t think of a more appropriate and a more beautiful birthday present.” Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. Most of the international community considers the move illegal under international law. But during a visit to Washington by Netanyahu in March, just weeks before Israeli elections, Trump signed an executive order recognizing the strategic mountainous plateau as Israeli territory. The decision, the latest in a series of diplomatic moves benefiting Israel, was widely applauded in Israel. “Few things are more important to the security of the state of Israel than permanent sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” Friedman said. “It is simply obvious, it is indisputable and beyond any reasonable debate.” After the Cabinet decision, Netanyahu and Friedman unveiled a sign trimmed in gold with the name “Trump Heights” and adorned with U.S. and Israeli flags. Addressing the ceremony, Netanyahu called Trump a “great friend” of Israel and described the Golan, which overlooks northern Israel, as an important strategic asset. “The Golan Heights was and will always be an inseparable part of our country and homeland,” he said. Developing Ramat Trump will not be easy. Ringed by high yellow grass and landmines, it is roughly 20 km (12 miles) from the Syrian border and a half hour drive from the nearest Israeli town, Kiryat Shmona, a community of about 20,000 people near the Lebanese border. According to Israeli figures, almost 50,000 people live in the Golan, including about 22,000 Jewish Israelis and nearly 25,000 Arab Druze residents. While Israel has encouraged and promoted settlement in the Golan, its remote location, several hours from the economic center of Tel Aviv, has been an obstacle. The area is home to small agriculture and tourism sectors but otherwise has little industry. The eight-year Syrian civil war, which at times has resulted in spillover fire into the Golan, also could present an obstacle to luring new residents. Rosa Zhernakov, a resident of Bruchim since 1991, said the community was excited by Sunday’s decision. “We hope it will benefit the Golan Heights,” she said, standing outside her bungalow on one of Bruchim’s few streets. She said the revitalization of the settlement will mean “more security” for residents from any possible return of the Golan Heights to Syria as part of a future peace treaty. Syria has demanded a return of the strategic territory, which overlooks northern Israel, as part of any peace deal. After the devastating civil war in Syria, the prospects of peace talks with Israel anytime soon seem extremely low. Vladimir Belotserkovsky, 75, another veteran resident, said he welcomed any move to build up the settlement. “We certainly thank, and I personally, am satisfied by the fact that they’re founding the new settlement named for Trump,” he said. Ramat Trump joins a handful of Israeli places named after American presidents, including a village for Harry S. Truman, who first recognized the Jewish state, and George W. Bush Plaza, a square the size of a modest living room in central Jerusalem. Following Sunday’s decision to rename the community, developing the settlement still requires overcoming several additional bureaucratic obstacles. With Netanyahu running for re-election in the second national election this year, it remains unclear whether he will be able to complete the task. Zvi Hauser, an opposition lawmaker who formerly served as Netanyahu’s Cabinet secretary, called Sunday’s ceremony a cheap PR stunt. “There’s no funding, no planning, no location, and there’s no real binding decision,” he said.

israel
ramat trump
golan heights
benjamin netanyahu
donald trump
david friedman
syria


Taking aim at Boris Johnson, British prime minister hopefuls make Brexit case

Abstract: LONDON - Several hopefuls vying to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May turned their fire on favorite Boris Johnson on Sunday, questioning his pledge to leave the European Union by the end of October no matter what. With former London Mayor and foreign minister Johnson keeping a low profile, the other candidates have targeted the air waves to present their cases to lead the governing Conservative Party. But the question always returns to “Boris. At a Channel 4 debate, his absence was marked by an empty lectern. That left the five other candidates to argue over which man was best placed to deliver Brexit in testy exchanges International Development Minister Rory Stewart described as a competition of “machismo. But Johnson, who unlike many politicians is better known by his first name, was often mentioned and his relative silence has so far done little to dent his popularity. He secured a large lead in the first round of voting by Conservative lawmakers and his team hopes for an increased share this week in the second. Knowing Johnson is the man to beat, candidate after candidate questioned his ability to navigate Britain’s departure from the EU, saying his pledge to leave on Oct. 31 was nigh on impossible and would set Britain on track for a no-deal Brexit. “The difference between me and Boris is that I would try for a deal,” said Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is placed third favorite in the leadership contest. “I am not going to create a set of circumstances that makes it all but impossible to get a deal because I think we should be offering the country some better choices,” he told the BBC. He later poked fun at Johnson, using the television debate to ask “Where is Boris?” “If his team won’t allow him out to debate with five pretty friendly colleagues how is he going to fare with 27 European countries? He should be here to answer that very question.” Almost three years since Britain voted to leave the EU, the country, Parliament and both main parties are still deeply divided over how, when and even whether Brexit should happen. Brexit has claimed two prime ministers. David Cameron resigned shortly after a 2016 referendum, and now May is making way for a successor because of her failure to get a deal she agreed with the EU through Parliament. Brexit is dominating the Conservative leadership race, with several of the candidates, albeit some of them reluctantly, saying they would lead the nation out without a deal. Rory Stewart, who wants to rule out a no-deal Brexit, took issue with Johnson’s and other candidates’ arguments that the only way to get an improved deal from the EU was to prepare for leaving without an agreement and using that as leverage. “They are not scared of it because it is not a credible threat. The European Union knows no deal cannot get through Parliament,” said Stewart, a relative unknown who has shot up the bookmakers’ odds to be placed second. “How is Boris going to deliver Brexit, how? … I don’t even know what he believes. He won’t talk to me, he won’t talk to you, he won’t talk to the public. We want to know what he believes.”

boris johnson
brexit
theresa may
rory stewart
jeremy hunt
u.k .
elections


Team Trump reportedly dumps pollsters after persistent low numbers

Abstract: WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign has severed ties with some of its pollsters after the leak of months-old surveys showed him trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in key states, according to multiple reports. The moves come ahead of the official launch of Trump’s campaign at a Tuesday rally in the battleground state of Florida, and as an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday showed that a majority of voters are “uncomfortable” with voting for Trump. Assessments of the economy have weakened in other surveys, and the public increasingly doubts the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. NBC News first reported that the Trump pollsters were ousted following revelations that internal campaign polling from March showed Trump trailing Biden in traditionally Democratic-leaning states such as Pennsylvania that cemented the president’s victory in 2016, as well as in swing states and some typically Republican strongholds such as Georgia. Even in the solidly Republican state of Texas, which last voted for a Democrat for president in 1976, Trump led by just 2 percentage points in the March polls, NBC said. In 2016 Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in Texas by 9 percentage points. The campaign’s move, which saw the purge of three of its five pollsters, was aimed at limiting the number of outsiders who could leak unfavorable poll numbers, according to the New York Times. Biden is the front-runner in the large Democratic primary field, but his strength and Trump’s possible weakness could change greatly in the months ahead. Trump famously surprised pollsters and pundits, most of whom confidently predicted right up until the 2016 election that he would lose. The Trump campaign and the White House didn’t immediately return requests for comment. Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, told the Times in a statement that the leaked figures were “ancient” and didn’t reflect current dynamics, such as the end of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. The campaign has “seen huge swings in the president’s favor” and the president isn’t trailing in any states the campaign has tested him against particular Democrats, Parscale said. Trump tweeted on Saturday that, “Despite the Greatest Presidential Harassment of all time by people that are very dishonest and want to destroy our Country, we are doing great in the Polls, even better than in 2016.”

donald trump
surveys
joe biden
brad parscale
u.s .
2020 u.s. presidential election


Fox News poll shows Trump trailing Joe Biden and four other Democrats

Abstract: WASHINGTON - A nationwide Fox News poll released Sunday shows President Donald Trump trailing former vice president Joe Biden and no fewer than four other Democratic contenders as early campaigning for the 2020 election begins to gain steam. A separate survey of battleground states, by CBS, shows Democrats strongly favor Biden as the candidate most likely to beat Trump in next year’s elections. The Fox poll showed Biden leading Trump by 49 percent to 39 percent among all registered voters nationwide, while Sen. Bernie Sanders held nearly the same advantage over the president, at 49 percent to 40 percent. Holding edges of 1 or 2 points over Trump — albeit within the poll’s 3-point margin of error — were Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris, as well as Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana. The polling comes more than 500 days before the Nov. 3, 2020, election, an eternity in the political world. One widely viewed tweet this week shows five presidential candidates in recent decades who trailed at this point in their campaigns — including Trump — but who went on to win. The president does not officially launch his re-election campaign until Tuesday, at a rally-style event in a huge arena in Orlando, Florida. Still, the Fox poll, conducted June 9 to June 12, is seen as heartening by Democrats eager to chip away at Trump’s popularity, particularly in key battleground states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trump’s campaign recently dismissed leaked data from its own pollsters showing Biden with double-digit leads in battleground states. The campaign at first denied the data, but then acknowledged it, branding it as “ancient” because it dated from March. But the new CBS poll confirms a clear Biden lead in battleground states among Democratic voters, as the crowded race for that party’s nomination begins to take shape. A belief among Democratic voters that Biden is best positioned to defeat Trump in 2020 was cited by three-quarters of Democrats as a decisive factor in their support. The CBS News/YouGov Battleground Tracker survey, conducted May 31 to June 12, said Biden had the backing of 31 percent of Democratic primary voters in 18 key early-voting states. Biden was trailed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (17 percent), Sanders (16 percent) and Kamala Harris (10 percent). The poll, with a 1.5 percent margin of error, looked at states including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — which hold primary elections in February, at the top of the electoral calendar — as well as states in the upper Midwest, where Trump eked out narrow but decisive victories in 2016. Elizabeth Warren has been steadily rising in the polls, only recently reaching statistical equivalency with Sanders, whose support has been slipping. Sanders acknowledged on Sunday that “polls go up and polls go down” but insisted that the survey showed he was the strongest candidate to defeat Trump. “I think we can win in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan and some of the other battleground states,” the self-styled democratic socialist said on “Fox News Sunday.” Democrats begin more earnestly winnowing down their field of nearly two dozen candidates when they hold successive nights of televised debates on June 26 and 27. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the 29-year-old New Yorker who has emerged as a heroine to young progressives, suggested Sunday that Democrats could be in trouble in 2020 if they fail to nominate an energizing candidate with working-class appeal. She said she would support the 76-year-old Biden if he wins the nomination but added on ABC that “we have to really factor in the enthusiasm of voters … an issue that we had in 2016.” “We need to pick a candidate that’s going to be exciting to vote for — all people, women, people of all genders, races, income levels.” But the Fox poll found that Democratic voters, by roughly three-to-one, wanted a nominee who would provide “steady, reliable leadership” rather than a “bold new agenda.”

fox news
joe biden
democrats
donald trump
bernie sanders
elizabeth warren
kamala harris
2020 u.s. presidential election


Far-right Alternative for Germany fails to get its first mayor but bags 45% of the vote

Abstract: BERLIN - In a bellwether election Sunday ahead of three key regional polls, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party lost its bid to capture its first mayor’s office in the country. In a runoff ballot in Goerlitz, Octavian Ursu, 51, a Romanian-born classical musician from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right CDU party, drew 55.1 percent of the vote against 44.9 percent for the AfD’s Sebastian Wippel, 36, a former policeman. The contest for Goerlitz’s city hall was seen as a litmus test for three upcoming state elections in the former communist east, with the future of Merkel’s fragile right-left coalition potentially on the line. The AfD made strong gains in Goerlitz’s economically struggling Saxony state in May’s European elections and hopes to beat Merkel’s CDU party in the upcoming regional poll. With a population of 55,000, Goerlitz, on the Polish border, boasts a quaint historic town center that has turned the town into a tourist magnet and attracted top Hollywood directors. Goerlitz has served as a location for films such as “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Inglourious Basterds,” “Around the World in 80 Days” and “The Reader.” But many of its young citizens have turned their backs on the town due to a lack of job opportunities. Wippel had won the first round three weeks ago with 36.4 percent against Ursu’s 30.3 percent. However, Ursu had since attracted the support of the two smaller parties that were out of the race — one of them the Greens, who came third with 27.9 percent last time. The CDU’s Saxony state premier, Michael Kretschmer, who hails from Goerlitz, had urged voters to reject the AfD, arguing that “many people underestimate how radical the party is.” The anti-immigration, anti-Muslim AfD — already represented in Germany’s parliament and all 16 regional assemblies — is polling as the strongest party in Saxony as well as Brandenburg state. Both of those regions will go to the polls on Sept. 1, followed by another eastern state, Thuringia, on Oct. 27. The AfD’s parliamentary group leader in Berlin, Alice Weidel, said the neck-and-neck result in Goerlitz in the face of strong opposition marked an “enormous success” for her party. “He nearly managed to become the first AfD mayor: Sebastian Wippel won an unbelievable 44.9 percent of the vote — it could hardly have been closer,” she tweeted. Goerlitz, a major trading hub in the Middle Ages, was spared damage by Allied bombing during World War II, preserving its cobblestone lanes and Baroque architecture. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall almost 30 years ago, hundreds of millions of euros in German and EU funds have been poured into renovating the pretty old town on the Neisse river. Despite its expensive facelift, Goerlitz long struggled to attract tenants for its renovated buildings, where many shops have “For Sale” signs in the windows. Leading filmmakers and authors also called on the people of “Goerliwood” — as the town is also known in Germany — to shun political extremists or risk isolation. “Don’t give in to hate and hostility, conflict and exclusion,” read a petition signed by actor Daniel Bruehl (“Goodbye Lenin”) and British director Stephen Daldry.


Al-Bashir appears for first time since ouster, as military leader vows crackdown perpetrators will be executed

Abstract: KHARTOUM - Sudan’s former President Omar al-Bashir appeared in public on Sunday for the first time since his ouster, as he was led away to a prosecutor’s office in a corruption probe. The deposed strongman has been held under arrest in the capital, Khartoum, since the military removed him from power in April amid mass protests against his 30-year rule. The military has since been locked in a tense standoff with the protest movement demanding civilian rule, even as it has promised reforms and strung along talks with opposition leaders. A judicial official with the prosecutor’s office said al-Bashir was questioned over corruption accusations that include money laundering and the possession of large amounts of foreign currency without legal grounds. He said the probe partly related to millions of dollars worth of cash in U.S. dollars, euros and Sudanese pounds that were found in al-Bashir’s home a week after his ouster. A spokesman with the military’s media office confirmed that this is the first time the former president was taken out from his prison in Khartoum. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk about ongoing investigations. Al-Arabiya television footage showed al-Bashir wearing a traditional white robe and turban, as he was led to a Toyota Land Cruiser. The official SUNA news agency quoted a spokesman for the police as saying that al-Bashir’s defense lawyers attended the questioning, and he was moved back to his prison in Khartoum after. Al-Bashir has the right to appeal within a week, SUNA reported. In May, al-Bashir was charged with involvement in killing protesters and incitement to kill protesters during the popular uprising that started in December, initially over the prices rises of basic goods and a failing economy, but which later turned into calls for his ouster. The military toppled him on April 11. Al-Bashir is also wanted by the International Criminal Court over charges of war crimes and genocide linked to the Darfur conflict in the 2000s, but the military has said it would not extradite him to The Hague. He was the only sitting head of state for whom an international arrest warrant has been issued. Meanwhile, the deputy head of Sudan’s ruling military council said on Sunday that demands from protester leaders for the composition of a transitional legislative body might not be acceptable. Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo told a gathering of pro-military supporters in the capital on Sunday that “our problem is a non-elected legislative body which would root out all of us.” He said that a legislative body formed with a majority from protest movement leaders, who are demanding civilian rule, is a problem because it is not formed by elections. This would suggest a reversal to previous deals between the military and protest leaders, which included a three-year transition period, a Cabinet appointed by the protester leaders, and a legislative body with a civilian majority. Dagalo also vowed that those proved responsible for the bloody break-up of the protesters’ sit-in outside the military’s headquarters in Khartoum on June 3 would be given the death sentence. “We are working hard to take those who did this to the gallows,” he said. The ruling generals have already said several military officers were in custody for alleged “deviation” from the action plan set by their leaders to clear a problematic area, known as Colombia, near the sit-in area. More than 100 people were killed and hundreds wounded since then, according to protest organizers, in a sweeping clampdown by security forces. The military-backed authorities say only 61 people have died, including three security forces. Dagalo’s comments on the legislative body came less than a week after an Ethiopian envoy to Sudan said that all previous deals between the generals and protest leaders, despite the break in talks earlier this month, have been restored. Mohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association which has led the protests, told The Associated Press that they expected the military council to withdraw the deal on the legislative body. “Dagalo’s comments were serious indication that the council wouldn’t stick to the previous deals despite the Ethiopian mediation,” he said. He said the agreement on the legislative body was the most important victory for the protesters. “The government will be paralyzed without a legislative body supporting its agenda,” he said. The Arab League chief, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, arrived in Khartoum on Sunday to meet with both sides. Aboul Gheit told reporters that he had met with the head of the military council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, to discuss ways to break the political impasse.

sudan
omar al-bashir
corruption
darfur
mohammed hamdan dagalo
icc


Guatemalans vote for president amid distrust and mass flight to U.S.

Abstract: GUATEMALA CITY - Guatemalans voted for a new president Sunday following an electoral process that generated widespread disillusion and distrust, and came as tens of thousands were fleeing poverty and gang violence to seek a new life in the United States. Marco Rene Cuellar, the first to vote at the Mixed Rural School in the municipality of Santa Catarina Pinula, said he hoped for the good faith of the winner because the country needed changes. “There is a belief that instead of advancing in these four years of government, we’ve gone backward,” said the 39-year-old, adding that the candidates had little to offer. “We’ve lost our way as a country, but we should not lose faith in the democratic process we have.” Voters are choosing between 19 candidates for a four-year presidential term that begins next January. The winner needs an absolute majority, making an August runoff between the two top vote-getters likely. More than 8.1 million citizens of the Central American nation will also be eligible to vote for the vice president, congressional representatives and mayors. The top five candidates for president are: former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party, who is expected to finish first but without enough votes to win in the first round; former prison director and four-time presidential candidate Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla; businessman Roberto Arzu; lawyer and journalist Edmond Auguste Mulet Lesieur; and Thelma Cabrera, the only indigenous candidate. But the campaign season has been most noticeably marked by a chaotic flurry of court rulings, shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the runs of two of the three front-runners, including Chief Prosecutor Thelma Aldana. Aldana gained international renown for leading crusading anti-corruption investigations in tandem with a U.N. anti-graft commission operating in Guatemala, but was booted from the race on the grounds that she lacked a document certifying that she didn’t have any outstanding accounts from her time overseeing a public budget as prosecutor. A recent poll from CID Gallup Latinoamerica found that nearly a third of Guatemalan adults surveyed believe the election will be plagued by fraud. Another 20 percent said the election’s legitimacy would be suspect because so many candidates were kept from running. Guatemalans have long grown accustomed to an unpredictable political landscape. Three of the last four elected presidents have been arrested post-presidency on charges of corruption. Graft allegations have also targeted current President Jimmy Morales and his inner circle, though he denies wrongdoing and has been protected from prosecution due to his immunity while in office. The current election marks the first time that Guatemalans can cast ballots from abroad: At least 60,000 are eligible to vote in Los Angeles, New York, Maryland and Washington, D.C., all home to large numbers of Guatemalan emigres. Unemployment, violence, corruption, rising costs of living and the shoddy state of the country’s highways are among top concerns for the country’s electorate. But Fernando Barrillas, 44-year-old Guatemalan citizen, said surging migration was also an issue for him. “As long as the root causes that propel migration are not addressed, which are poverty and inequality, we will continue to remain without the best men and women, young people who they are the engine of the country,” he said. An estimated 1 percent of Guatemala’s population of some 16 million people has left the country this year. On Sunday, municipal officials and police stood guard as many waited in line to cast their ballot. The prosecutor’s office also said that Luis Enrique Mendoza, an associate of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, was arrested while going to vote. Previously, Gustavo Berganza, of the Mirador electoral watchdog group, had said that elections were taking place peacefully. “There are no significant events, despite the uncertain climate we’ve had in recent days,” he said.

guatemala
elections
corruption
jimmy morale
u.s .
immigration
refugees


Libya leader Serraj will not sit down with rival Khalifa Hifter to end war on Tripoli

Abstract: TRIPOLI - Libya’s internationally recognized Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj said on Sunday he was not prepared to sit down with eastern commander Khalifa Hifter to negotiate an end to the two-month offensive against Tripoli. His comments to Reuters suggest low prospects for a ceasefire soon in the battle for Libya’s coastal capital, where Serraj and his administration are based. In the latest turmoil since the toppling of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Hifter’s Libyan National Army (LNA) force has been unable to take Tripoli despite fighting that has caused havoc in southern suburbs and displaced tens of thousands of people. “I will not sit down again with this person because what he has done in past years shows he won’t be a partner in the political process,” the 59-year-old Serraj said in an interview at his wood-panelled office in central Tripoli. The longest-serving in a succession of Tripoli-based prime ministers since 2011, Serraj has met Hifter, a 75-year-old former general in Gadhafi’s army, six times in the past few years. The last meeting was in February in Abu Dhabi as foreign powers sought to broker a power-sharing deal between the rival eastern and western administrations. “He was only trying to gain time,” Serraj said, pointing out that his rival had sent planes to bomb Tripoli. Serraj struck a defiant tone, saying his troops, from armed groups in western cities, would continue to fend off Hifter, whom he views as a would-be dictator like Gadhafi. “Our primary military goal is to defend Tripoli,” he said. “In the coming days there will be positive news … progress,” he said, without giving further details. Calls from abroad for a cease-fire have fallen on deaf ears, particularly given diplomatic divisions over Libya. Egypt and the United Arab Emirates back Hifter and have armed him since 2014 as a perceived bastion against Islamists, according to U.N reports. Hifter depicts himself as the man to reunite Libya and combat jihadis. Most Western countries work with Serraj and Turkey recently sent him arms. France and other countries have proposed an unconditional cease-fire — without putting real pressure on Hifter — which would allow his troops to stay in western Libya. But Serraj’s camp has rejected that. “You cannot ask the person defending himself to cease fire,” he said. He also earlier on Sunday proposed a national conference to prepare for elections by year-end. “Libyans should meet to overcome this struggle for power,” Serraj said. The United Nations — which had proposed its own such forum just before the war — and the European Union welcomed the idea. But eastern lawmakers allied to Hifter predictably rejected it. The prime minister said he was concerned the OPEC member’s oil facilities could become embroiled in the conflict. Libya produces around 1.25 million barrels a day, the Tripoli-based economy minister told Reuters last week. “For us, it is very important that oil production continues,” he said. “But there are dangers coming from the other side which has turned ports into military positions.” State oil firm NOC has repeatedly warned its facilities could become dragged into the conflict. Last week, state oil firm NOC accused an LNA commander of arriving with 80 soldiers at the eastern oil port of Ras Lanuf. The LNA controls all major oilfields and most ports. Serraj said his forces would avoid attacking any oil facilities even if the LNA was stationed there. The war was hurting Libya’s development and basic services as funding had to be diverted to equip troops and treat the wounded, he said. “There could be a (national power) blackout anytime,” he said. As well as threatening to disrupt oil supplies, there are fears the conflict will increase migration across the Mediterranean to Europe and encourage jihadis to exploit the chaos.

libya
khalifa hifter
tripoli
fayez al-serraj
opec
conflict


44 million without power amid massive South American blackout

Abstract: BUENOS AIRES - A massive blackout left more than 44 million people without electricity in Argentina and Uruguay on Sunday after an unexplained failure in the neighboring countries’ interconnected power grid. Authorities were working frantically to restore power but only about a half a million in Argentina had electricity back by early afternoon. Voters cast ballots by the light of cellphones in gubernatorial elections in Argentina. Public transportation halted, shops closed and patients dependent on home medical equipment were urged to go to hospitals with generators. “I was just on my way to eat with a friend, but we had to cancel everything. There’s no subway, nothing is working,” said Lucas Acosta, a 24-year-old Buenos Aires resident. “What’s worse, today is Father’s Day. I’ve just talked to a neighbor and he told me his sons won’t be able to meet him.” In Uruguay, power was being more steadily restored, with lights back on in at least three regions by early afternoon. Officials said they expected most of the country of 3 million people to have light back soon. Argentina’s power grid is generally known for being in a state of disrepair, with substations and cables that were insufficiently upgraded as power rates remained largely frozen for years. The country’s energy secretary said the blackout occurred around 7 a.m. local time when a key interconnection system collapsed, but the causes were “being investigated and are not yet determined.” Brazilian and Chilean officials said their countries had not been affected. Officials were not immediately available for comment, but many residents of Argentina and Uruguay said the size of the outage was unprecedented in recent history. “I’ve never seen something like this,” said Silvio Ubermann, a taxi driver in the Argentine capital. “Never such a large blackout in the whole country.” Argentine energy company Edesur said on Twitter that it was “slowly beginning to restore” electricity, and power had been returned to 290,000 customers as of Sunday morning, at least some of whom were in the capital. It said the failure originated at an electricity transmission point between the power stations in Yacyreta and Salto Grande on the Argentine coast. Uruguayan energy company UTE said the failure in the Argentine system cut power to all of Uruguay at one point and much of Argentina. The company said that some Uruguayan coastal cities had service by early afternoon and blamed the collapse on a “flaw in the Argentine network.” Argentina’s secretary of energy said the power failed at 7:07 a.m. Only the southernmost province of Tierra del Fuego was unaffected. “The cause is still under investigation,” the energy secretary’s office said. Argentine electric company Edesur said that some 450,000 clients had power restored by 11:53 a.m., with hospitals taking priority. Uruguayan officials did not provide the number of clients with power back, but a growing list of regions with service indicated that restoration was progressing faster there. Several Argentine provinces had elections for governor on Sunday, which proceeded with voters using their phone screens and built-in flashlights to illuminate their ballots. “This is the biggest blackout in history, I don’t remember anything like this in Uruguay,” said Valentina Gimenez, a resident of the capital, Montevideo. She said her biggest concern was that electricity be restored in time to watch the national team play in the Copa America football tournament Sunday evening. Since taking office, Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri has said that gradual austerity measures were needed to revive the country’s struggling economy. He has cut red tape, and tried to reduce the government’s budget deficit by ordering job cuts and reducing utility subsidies, which he maintained was necessary to recuperate lost revenue due to years-long mismanagement of the electricity sector. According to the Argentine Institute for Social Development, an average family in Argentina still pays 20 times less for electricity than similar households in neighboring countries. The subsidies were a key part of the electricity policy of President Nestor Kirchner’s 2003-2007 administration and the presidency of Kirchner’s wife and successor, Cristina Fernandez in 2007-2015. Fernandez is now running for vice president in October elections.

blackouts electricity argentina uruguay ute


A Utah veteran turning 101 gets over 5,000 birthday cards

Abstract: OREM, UTAH - When John Frey’s family requested 101 birthday cards to celebrate the World War II veteran’s 101st birthday in Utah, they were expecting to get 500 at most. At a celebration on June 8, a day after his birthday, Frey ended up with well over 5,000 cards, the Daily Herald reports. According to the report, Frey’s request spread quickly after The Associated Press picked up the story from the Daily Herald in May and it appeared in news outlets across the country. The cards came from all 50 states and at least 12 countries. Entire classrooms of children, military veterans and Utah’s elected officials wanted to wish the former mechanic/machinist for the U.S. Army a happy birthday. Frey said he had not expected to ever get so many cards. Jeanne Waters, the front desk receptionist at the Mervyn Sharp Bennion Central Utah Veterans Home where Frey lives, said she had to ask the Postal Service for an extra tub just to sort his cards every day. “These have been overfilled with letters and packages and everything for him,” Waters said. “It’s been fun. It really has.” Frey celebrated with family and friends last week at home. His daughter Janice Carlson helped him use a letter opener to open one envelope including a sea shell and a note. “Holy mackerel!” Frey exclaimed after opening another card that played music. Carlson said they are going to load up his room with as many cards as they can, but it will take a few days to open them all. The excitement has been a bit tiring, Frey added. “I just want to get in my car and take off for a while,” said Frey, who lived in his own home until he was 100 and enjoys going for drives in his car.


Mike Pompeo vows U.S. will guarantee passage through Strait of Hormuz

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed Sunday that the U.S. will guarantee free passage through the vital Strait of Hormuz, as he accused Iran of recent attacks on oil tankers and the downing of a U.S. drone. Pompeo confirmed in an interview with CBS that a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone was shot down June 6 with a missile fired from Yemen “that we assess had Iranian assistance.” Pompeo would not be drawn on what options the U.S. is considering to protect shipping — or to punish Iran — in the wake of Thursday’s attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, but reiterated that President Donald Trump is not seeking war with Iran. “What you should assume is we are going to guarantee freedom of navigation throughout the strait,” he said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.” Iran has denied the U.S. charges as “baseless” and said they were made without “a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence.” A third of the world’s seaborne oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel bordered to the north by Iran that links the Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. “This is an international challenge, important to the entire globe. The United States is going to make sure that we take all the actions necessary, diplomatic and otherwise, that achieve that outcome,” Pompeo said. The rising tensions have raised fears of an outbreak of hostilities in the tinderbox region. “We don’t want a war. We’ve done what we can to deter this,” Pompeo said. “The Iranians should understand very clearly that we will continue to take actions that deter Iran from engaging in this … kind of behavior.” The secretary would not lay out U.S. evidence for Iran’s involvement in the Gulf of Oman explosions, but insisted: “It’s unmistakable what happened here. “These were attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran on commercial shipping, on the freedom of navigation, with the clear intent to deny transit through the strait.” The Pentagon had previously released a video showing what it said was an Iranian boat that pulled up alongside one of the stricken tankers and removed a limpet mine attached to its hull. Some allies, skeptical of U.S. intentions, have said they wanted to see more evidence before reaching a conclusion. “I will concede that there are countries that wish this would just go away,” Pompeo said. He expressed confidence that “as we continue to develop the fact pattern, countries around the world will not only accept the basic facts, which I think are indisputable, but will come to understand that this is an important mission for the world.” Adam Schiff, head of the House Intelligence Committee and a leading Democratic critic of the administration, said the evidence of Iranian involvement “is very strong and compelling.” “And in fact, I think this was a Class-A screw-up by Iran to insert a mine on the ship,” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “It didn’t detonate, they had to go back and retrieve it. I can imagine there are some Iranian heads rolling from that botched operation,” he said. The administration’s struggle to persuade its allies, however, “shows just how isolated the United States has become,” he added.

mike pompeo
iran
oil
shipping
donald trump
adam schiff
u.s .
gas
saudi arabia
hormuz tanker attack


Turkish post in Idlib hit 'deliberately' by Syrian attack

Abstract: ISTANBUL - Turkey said Syrian government forces “deliberately” attacked on Sunday a Turkish military observation post in northwestern Syria. In a statement, the defense ministry said Turkish troops responded with “heavy weapons” after the artillery attack in Idlib province. Syrian forces launched an offensive to take the last rebel-held territory in Idlib late April, leading to the collapse of a ceae-fire negotiated by Turkey and Russia last year. Turkey set up 12 posts in Idlib as part of the de-escalation zone agreement struck with Russia and Iran in September 2017. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said airstrikes from Syrian warplanes struck the southern edge of the rebel-held enclave with nearly 42 raids, including one that hit near the Turkish observation point in Morek that resulted in a fire in the area. The strike solicited a Turkish response against Syrian government positions, the first such retaliation, which included missiles and rockets as well as auxiliary attacks launched by Turkey-allied Syrian fighters. The Syrian strike on Morek is the second such targeting of Turkish forces this week, following an attack Thursday when three Turkish soldiers were injured at an observation point in Sheir Maghar. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday that the country would not tolerate Syrian military attacks on its troops. “We’ll put you in your place. Everyone should know their place,” he was quoted as saying by the official Anadolu news agency. Russia supports Syrian President Bashar Assad while Turkey backs opposition groups. The Turkish military said Russian officials were contacted after Sunday’s attack.

idlib
syria
turkey
russia
morek
bashar assad
conflict