Jobs and Nissan will be safe with any Fiat Chrysler deal, Renault's Jean-Dominique Senard says

Abstract: Tapped to lead a Franco-Italian carmaking giant formed by merging Renault SA and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Jean-Dominique Senard is in Tokyo to make what may be the sales pitch of his career. In an interview Thursday, he painted a picture of a grand alliance making and selling cars across the globe, keeping people employed and churning out profits. Convincing the stakeholders of the two auto firms on the merits of a merger may have been the easy part. The hard task is selling the deal to Renault’s alliance partner Nissan Motor Co., as well as labor groups and politicians wary of job cuts. “It can only happen if people are open to it,” said Senard, 66, after attending a meeting for the board overseeing the alliance between Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. He came to explain the merits of the Fiat-Renault deal to the Japanese executives, who started Wednesday’s meeting with many questions. By the end, the mood lightened and they were positive, he said. “A closer partnership can only improve the alliance,” Senard said. Nissan, which has pushed back in the past at attempts for closer integration, “understood the message I brought here, although obviously they can’t digest it in one night,” he added. After spending three days in Japan, Senard will return to Europe to work on bringing Fiat Chrysler and Renault together. He does not anticipate any serious regulatory hurdles for the merger. Asked whether the joining of two European automakers will result in job cuts, Senard said the deal “doesn’t call for human sacrifice.” The merger will not involve any plant closures, according to Fiat, although it did not say anything about the risk of job cuts when the deal was announced. The combination also has the blessing of the Italian and French governments, which are constantly on guard against the risk of labor unrest. The transaction would be structured as a 50-50 ownership through a Dutch holding company, with Renault shareholders — including the French government — getting an implied premium of about 10 percent. Renault’s board is expected to give preliminary approval to the proposal as soon as next week, people familiar with the matter have said. Senard said Thursday that the deal will take about a year to complete. Behind the push to consolidate are the various headwinds the industry is facing. Sales are slowing in the world’s biggest car markets — China, the U.S. and Europe — bringing fresh urgency to consolidate. Automakers worldwide are facing intense pressure to spend heavily on electrification and autonomous vehicles, and adapting to trends such as car-sharing. Renault and Fiat Chrysler estimate cost savings of more than €5 billion (¥611 billion) from the merger. The automakers will focus on reducing platforms, simplifying product lines and focusing on quality and branding, Senard said. “All of the brands are very famous,” he said. “Some have to be re-enhanced.” In order to sell more cars, Senard indicated that profit-eroding price cuts in North America by Nissan and Chrysler will have to end. “It needs to be about quality boosting market share,” he said. Asked about recent comments by Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Peugeot owner Groupe PSA and former protege of deposed Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn, calling the deal a “virtual takeover” of Renault and that it could weaken or unwind the alliance with Nissan, Senard said, “Everyone is free to say what they think.” Nissan could be a key part of forging a global group that could produce 15 million vehicles a year. The Yokohama-based company would complement the merged entity because of its strong presence in China, Japan and the rest of Asia, as well as its electric-car technology. There are signs that Senard’s charm offensive is yielding some results. Following the meeting, Nissan Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa said he saw potential opportunities for the existing alliance in Fiat Chrysler’s merger proposal, though he plans to study the matter further. As Saikawa put it, “we don’t consider this as a minus.” Senard has noted that Nissan is already benefiting from the proposed merger given the increase in the Japanese carmaker’s shares on news of the deal. Nissan, 43 percent owned by Renault, will also finally have more tangible influence by gaining greater say in the alliance, he said. Under the proposed merger of Fiat Chrysler and Renault, Nissan would get 7.5 percent of the combined entity. The Japanese carmaker would be able to vote with those shares — unlike with its current holdings, which carry no voting rights. A merger would also dilute the French state’s control over Renault, and indirectly over Nissan, easing a concern it has had for years. Nissan needs some good news. The company recently forecast weak operating profit and cut its dividend for the first time in a decade. Senard said Nissan currently needs to focus on its profitability, and that it’s in Renault’s interest for its Japanese partner to turn itself around. Fiat also said the combination would help cut costs by an additional €1 billion for Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors. The alliance was destabilized late last year with the arrest of Carlos Ghosn, its architect and chairman, for alleged financial crimes during his time as leader of Nissan. Ghosn has denied all charges and is preparing for his trial next year. Although Nissan and Renault have been partners for two decades, the Japanese automaker isn’t in a position to block the deal because the merger wouldn’t breach the terms of their partnership. Senard, who replaced Ghosn as chairman of Renault and the alliance, has sought to restore stability following his predecessor’s arrest last November in Tokyo. The former Michelin CEO worked earlier this year with Nissan to craft a new governance structure to oversee the partnership, giving up concessions over board seats to assuage the Japanese firm’s concerns. “With Nissan, this is the first truly global car alliance,” Senard said.

nissan
fiat chrysler
renault
jean-dominique senard
carmakers
mergers
mitsubishi motors


Japan sets target of 20% cut in industrial food waste by 2030

Abstract: Japan will aim for a cut of around 20 percent in industrial food waste by fiscal 2030 compared with fiscal 2016, a basic policy outlined by a government panel stated Wednesday. The policy seeks to slash the annual amount of food discarded by convenience stores, restaurants and other businesses to 2.73 million tons by fiscal 2030 — half the amount logged in fiscal 2000. In fiscal 2016, industrial food waste across the country totaled 3.52 million tons. The outline, compiled by the Environment Ministry’s Central Environment Council, is based on the country’s Food Recycling Law and follows the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, which call for halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels by 2030. Based on the policy, the government will soon set goals specific to each business — ranging from fast-food establishments to Japanese-style pubs and bento suppliers — and step up efforts to monitor the entire process from food production to retail sales. As for household food waste, in June last year the government set a goal of halving the amount by fiscal 2030 from 4.33 million tons in fiscal 2000. In fiscal 2015, food discarded by households totaled 2.89 million tons. “To achieve this goal, consumer cooperation in efforts such as reducing the amount of food left over when dining out is essential,” a member of the panel said, stressing the importance of campaigns to raise awareness. Last Friday the Diet enacted legislation to promote the reduction of food waste. The government will formulate measures backed by the law to cut back such waste and municipalities will be obliged to devise their own action plans toward that end. Major convenience store operators Seven-Eleven Japan Co. and Lawson Inc. have also said they will start discounting rice balls and lunch boxes that are nearing the end of their shelf life to trim food waste.

food
waste
convenience stores
restaurants
environment ministry


El Al to start first direct flights between Japan and Israel in March

Abstract: JERUSALEM - El Al Israel Airlines said Wednesday it will launch direct flights connecting Tel Aviv with Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, according to Israeli media. The airline will operate three round-trip flights a week, starting in March. The launch of the first regular direct flights between Japan and Israel comes as the two countries deepen ties on the economy and tourism.

el al
israel
airlines
tel aviv
narita airport


Mexican authorities push out camping migrants in south

Abstract: TAPACHULA, MEXICO - Mexican immigration authorities have cleared a park of camping Central American migrants and another makeshift encampment of Haitians and African migrants outside an immigration detention center near the Guatemala border. About 100 migrants were pushed out of the Tapachula park overnight Tuesday. Families grabbed bedding and guided sleepy children away, not knowing where they were going. Meanwhile, about 1,000 migrants were taken from outside the detention center where they had camped for weeks awaiting word on requests for asylum or permits that would allow them to continue north. Tapachula is about 23 miles (37 km) from the border crossing with Guatemala. Mexican authorities have become more active in trying to break up migrant caravans recently. On Tuesday afternoon, they also raided at least two hotels where Cuban migrants were staying.

mexico immigration guatemala cubans refugees


Iraq hands over 188 kids of Islamic State suspects to Turkey and condemns militant pair to death

Abstract: BAGHDAD - Iraq on Wednesday handed over 188 Turkish children of suspected Islamic State militants to Turkey, while a court sentenced two former Islamic State members to death for joining the extremist group. They included one Frenchman and a Tunisian resident of France, bringing the number of French nationals condemned to death in the past week to seven. The two developments Wednesday point to the enormous legacy left behind by IS and its “caliphate” that once spanned a third of both Iraq and Syria. Besides the atrocities and devastation the group wreaked, thousands of foreigners — including hundreds of children born to parents who lived under or fought with the Islamic State group — have been caught in Iraq’s justice system. At Baghdad airport, the 188 Turkish children were handed over to Turkish government representatives in the presence of Iraqi government officials and the U.N. children’s agency, Judge Abdul Sattar Bayraqdar said. The French citizens are among 12 Frenchmen whom the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces handed over to Iraq in January. The Kurdish-led group spearheaded the fight against IS in Syria and has handed over to Iraq hundreds of suspected IS members in recent months. Trials for the 12 began Sunday and are considered a test for how the international community handles the thousands of foreign nationals who stayed, or were trapped, with the Islamic State group through its dying days. Iraqi prosecutors say the French nationals are accused of belonging to IS, were parties or accomplices to its crimes, and threatened the national security of Iraq. Simply belonging to the extremist group is punishable by life in prison or execution under Iraq’s counter-terrorism laws. On Wednesday, the Iraqi Criminal Court in Baghdad’s Karkh district sentenced a French man identified as Yassin Sakkam, 29, who left France in 2014 to fight with IS. The court also sentenced to death Mohammed Berriri, a 24-year-old who told the judge he worked as a sentry at an IS camp and did not take part in any battles in Syria, and never traveled to Iraq. He said he regretted joining IS but did not regret traveling to Syria, adding that his goal was to help the Syrian people after watching videos of Syrian government bombardment of civilians. The judge said Berriri, a Tunisian, was a resident of France. “I did not kill anyone, the Tanzeem kills. … I am innocent and I regret joining this group,” he said, using an Arabic word that means “organization” to refer to IS. The sentencings in Iraq come amid controversy about the legal treatment of Iraqis and foreigners suspected of joining IS at the height of its power in Syria and Iraq, when the militant group declared its self-styled caliphate. Human rights groups are concerned they are being rushed through Iraqi counterterrorism courts in trials that raise questions over whether justice is being done. Convictions are often based on confessions that defendants and rights groups say are extracted by intimidation, torture and abuse and without due process. Although European IS members have been sentenced to death, none has actually been executed in Iraq. France has said Iraq does have jurisdiction to put the French men on trial, but said it will fight the death penalty. In a statement, Judge Bayraqdar said there were also a few adults among the group of children handed over to Turkish authorities. They had been convicted of illegally crossing the border and have served out their sentences. In an interview with Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency earlier in May, Turkey’s ambassador in Baghdad said he aimed to repatriate all children of Turkish IS families from Iraq ahead of Eid. Ambassador Fatih Yildiz also said Turkey asked Iraq to return all Turkish citizens but the process was complicated by an agreement that barred suspects with terror links from repatriation. Iraqi President Barham Salih made a brief visit to Turkey on Tuesday and held talks with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

iraq
islamic state
turkey
france
terrorism
tunisia


Louisiana lawmakers pass ban on abortions after fetal heartbeat detected

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Louisiana lawmakers on Wednesday passed a bill banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining a string of other U.S. states restricting the termination of pregnancies as early as six weeks. The bans are expected to be blocked in lower courts, but supporters plan to appeal such decisions until they reach the Supreme Court. They hope this will lead to the long-sought conservative goal of overturning the landmark 1973 ruling known as Roe v. Wade, which recognized women’s right to abortion. The measure — which includes exceptions for cases in which a woman’s life is at risk or the fetus has a fatal condition — passed the Louisiana House of Representatives with a vote of 79-23 after being approved in the Senate by 31-5, according to the legislature’s website. It now goes to the desk of the governor, who said he plans to endorse it. “As I prepare to sign this bill, I call on the overwhelming bipartisan majority of legislators who voted for it to join me in continuing to build a better Louisiana that cares for the least among us and provides more opportunity for everyone,” Governor John Edwards said in a statement posted on Twitter. Planned Parenthood, which offers abortion services, said Louisiana “is part of an alarming and widely-opposed national trend of bans criminalizing abortion before many women even know they’re pregnant, threatening women with investigation, and promising to throw doctors in prison for doing their jobs.” “Banning abortion will not stop abortion — but it will end access to safe, legal abortion care,” Leana Wen, the president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, said in a statement. “These politicians in 2019 are deliberately putting women’s lives at risk. This is not about medicine or science, but power over women’s bodies,” she said. Several other conservative southern U.S. states have passed similar measures in recent weeks, including Alabama, whose anti-abortion law is the strictest in the country. It amounts to a near-total ban on ending a pregnancy, even in cases of rape and incest. Performing an abortion would be a crime that could land doctors in prison for 10 to 99 years. Like the Louisiana measure, the Alabama bill includes exceptions if the life of the mother is in danger or the fetus has a fatal condition. The new abortion restrictions sparked widespread protests by activists last week, with demonstrators turning out in cities including Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, Georgia. Conservatives are ultimately counting on support at the highest court in the land. Since taking office, President Donald Trump has appointed two conservative justices — Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — leaving liberal members of the court outnumbered five to four. Conservative-leaning Chief Justice John Roberts is seen as the potential swing vote if the constitutionality of abortion eventually comes before the court. Around two-thirds of Americans say abortion should be legal, a Pew Center poll found last year.

louisiana
abortion
pregnancy
women
rights
family planning


Climate change blamed in mass deaths of Bering Sea puffins

Abstract: WASHINGTON - When an unusually large number of puffin carcasses began to wash ashore on Alaska’s remote St. Paul Island in the fall of 2016, the local tribal population grew alarmed. At first they suspected the seabirds might have avian flu — but labs on the mainland soon ruled out any disease, finding that the seabirds known for their brightly colored beaks and thick tufts had instead starved to death. In a new study published Wednesday researchers concluded the deaths, which occurred between October 2016 and February 2017, ran into the thousands — and were part of a growing number of mass die-offs recorded as climate change wreaks havoc on marine ecosystems. The paper, which appeared in the journal PLOS ONE, found that although locals recovered only 350 carcasses, between 3,150 and 8,500 birds may have succumbed to starvation. The majority were tufted puffins and the remainder were crested auklets. The research team, which included scientists from the University of Washington and the Aleut Community of St. Paul Island Ecosystem Conservation Office, said that from 2014 increased atmospheric temperatures and decreased winter sea ice led to declines in energy-rich prey species in the Bering Sea. Tufted puffins breeding in the Bering Sea feed on small fish and marine invertebrates, which in turn eat ocean plankton. “There was no fat there, the musculature was literally disintegrating,” co-author Julia Parrish said of the birds, which washed up on the island, some 300 miles (480 kilometers) east of the mainland. According to scientists, Alaska as a whole has been warming twice as fast as the global average, with temperatures earlier this year shattering records. “The puffins are one among several signals recorded that connect the physics of the system — how cold or warm it is — to the biology of the system,” she told AFP. “They just happen to be a very visible, graphic signal because it’s really hard to avoid hundreds or thousands of birds dying and washing up at your feet.” The researchers also realized that most of the dead birds had begun molting, the process by which they lose their feathers and gain new plumage. During this time their ability to dive and hunt for food is diminished. By the time they began molting, the birds should already have migrated to resource-rich waters to the west and south. The energy-intense nature of the transformation appears to have contributed to their starving. “So all of those things indicated that they did not have enough to eat, they were late in migrating, they literally ran out of gas,” said Parrish. The paper noted “multiyear stanzas of warm conditions,” such as those seen from 2001 to 2005 and 2014 to the present, may be particularly detrimental to seabirds, whose future viability will depend on their resilience to these changes. “I’m tremendously worried,” said Parrish. “If I had only seen this puffin die-off I might be a bit more circumspect, but this is 1 of about 6 die-offs since about 2014-15” that collectively account for the deaths of millions of birds. “Not just the Bering Sea, the whole north Pacific is changing,” she added. “I think the ecosystem is screaming at us and we ignore it at our peril.”

climate change
bering sea
alaska
nature
u.s .
animals
endangered


Women who suffer stress during pregnancy may produce boys with lower sperm counts and testosterone

Abstract: PARIS - Men whose mothers suffered stressful events such as divorce or job loss in early pregnancy are more likely to have fewer and less active sperm, researchers said Thursday. Among Australian 20-year-olds born of women who experienced at least three such events during the first 18 weeks of fetal growth, sperm count was a third lower and mobility down by 12 percent compared to other men their age, they reported in the journal Human Reproduction. Testosterone levels were also lower, by about 1 percent. “Maternal exposure to stressful life events during early pregnancy, a vulnerable period for the development organs, may have important life-long adverse effects on men’s fertility,” concluded senior author Roger Hart, a professor of reproductive medicine at the University of Western Australia. The link between stress and sperm count disappeared when the challenging events — the death of a close relative or friend, marital problems, severe money woes — occurred only during the final trimester of pregnancy. Mice experiments have suggested that early gestation — between eight to 14 weeks in humans — is a critical period for male reproductive development. The new findings, the authors note, establish a clear link between stress and sperm health, but not necessarily a cause-and-effect relationship. Other factors that can accompany stress such as drug use and smoking may turn out to play equally or more important roles. But the rodent experiments bolster the theory that stress leads to reduced testosterone production in fetal testes, said Richard Sharpe, an honorary professor at the Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh not involved in the study. “That would support the view that too much stress in early pregnancy might be detrimental to optimal male reproductive development,” he wrote in a comment. Even the lowest sperm count reported among the men whose mothers had experience repeated stress would not on its own result in infertility, though it might be a contributing factor, the researchers said. Other factors that impact male fertility included obesity, drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and possibly exposure to chemicals. To tease out the impact of maternal stress, Hart’s team combed through data from an ongoing, multigenerational study in Western Australia that recruited some 3,000 women in their 18th week of pregnancy between 1989 and 1991. The mothers completed questionnaires at Week 18 and Week 34, answering questions about stressful life events during the previous months. A total of 1,454 boys born from this cohort were monitored by researchers over the next two decades as they grew up. When then turned 20, 643 had testicular ultrasound exams, and provided both semen and blood samples for analysis. There is a growing evidence that sperms counts among men of European ancestry have, in general, declined over the last 40 years. A review study in 2017 covering 43,000 men found that sperm concentration had gone done by nearly 50 percent over that period, while still remaining within the “normal” range established by the World Health Organization. At the same time, there was no significant decline in South America, Asia and Africa.


Tracking trillions of microbes people carry may predict future health

Abstract: WASHINGTON - We share our bodies with trillions of microbes that are critical to staying healthy, but now scientists are getting a much-needed close look at how those bugs can get out of whack and spur disease. One lesson: A single test to see what gut bacteria you harbor won’t tell much. Research published Wednesday found repeat testing spotted the microbial zoo changing in ways that eventually may help doctors determine who’s at risk of preterm birth, inflammatory bowel disease, even diabetes. At issue is what’s called the microbiome, the community of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live on the skin or in the gut, nose or reproductive tract. “The instability of our microbiome might be an early indicator of something going awry,” said Dr. Lita Proctor, who oversees microbiome research at the National Institutes of Health. A HOT FIELD There’s lots of research identifying the thousands of species that inhabit our bodies and interact in ways important for health, such as good digestion. Microbiomes start forming at birth and are different depending on whether babies were born vaginally or via C-section. And they change with age and different exposures, such as a course of antibiotics that can wipe out friendly bacteria along with infection-causing ones. But cataloging differences in microbes in healthy and unhealthy people isn’t enough information. What jobs do the bugs perform? Do they temporarily rev up or shut down if you get an infection or become pregnant or put on 20 pounds? When is a shift in your microbiome not just temporary but bad for long-term health — and is it possible to fix? A trio of NIH-funded studies tracked three microbiome-related health conditions to learn how to start finding those answers. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES For a year, a Harvard-led research team tracked 132 people with conditions such as painful Crohn’s disease and some healthy people for comparison. They took stool samples every two weeks, and checked how microbes affected the immune system or metabolism. As the diseases wax and wane, so does microbial activity, researchers reported in the journal Nature. Surprisingly, many times a patient’s gut microbiome changed radically in just a few weeks before a flare-up. Some of the microbes produce molecules that keep the intestinal lining healthy, likely one reason the disease worsened when those bugs disappeared, Proctor said. PREMATURE BIRTH About 1 in 10 babies is born prematurely, and researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University found a warning sign in the vaginal microbiome, which changes over the course of pregnancy. Researchers tracked nearly 600 pregnancies, and reported in Nature Medicine that women who delivered preterm — especially African-Americans — tended to have lower than normal levels of a type of Lactobacillus bacteria as early as the first trimester. They also harbored higher levels of certain other bacteria species, which are linked to inflammation. TYPE 2 DIABETES Also in Nature, a Stanford University-led research team tracked 106 people for four years, some healthy and some pre-diabetic. Up to 10 percent of pre-diabetics will develop diabetes each year, but there’s little way to predict who. The researchers did quarterly tests for microbial, genetic and molecular changes, plus testing when the volunteers caught a respiratory infection and even while some deliberately put on and lost weight. Not surprisingly, they found a list of microbial and inflammatory early warning signs of brewing diabetes. But most interestingly, people who are insulin-resistant showed delayed immune responses to respiratory infections, correlating with tamped-down microbial reactions. WHAT’S NEXT The studies provide “an amazing and overwhelming amount of data” but more work is needed to tell if the clues will pan out, said immunologist Ken Cadwell of NYU Langone Health, who wasn’t involved in the new research. But the take-home message, especially since at-home gut bacteria tests already are sold: “If you test your microbiome on Tuesday, it’s going to tell you about your microbiome on Tuesday,” cautioned Cadwell. To one day monitor important changes will require easier, cheaper tests, he added.

microbes
diabetes
microbiome
digestion
u.s .


Russian pair venture into open space from Space Station

Abstract: MOSCOW - Two Russian crew members on the International Space Station ventured into open space Wednesday to conduct scientific research and help maintain the orbiting outpost. Oleg Kononenko and Alexey Ovchinin worked to retrieve scientific experiments intended to study the impact of space flight that were mounted on the space station’s exterior. They also cleaned one of the space station’s windows and performed other maintenance. The spacewalk is expected to last 6½ hours. It’s the fifth one for Kononenko and the first one for Ovchinin. Their crewmates — NASA’s Anne McClain, Nick Hague and Christina Koch and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency — are watching their progress from inside the orbiting outpost. Kononenko is set to return to Earth with McClain and Saint-Jacques next month following a 6 1/2-month stint in orbit. Ovchinin will replace him as the station’s commander. For the spacewalk, the two attached stickers to their spacesuits paying tribute to Alexei Leonov, a legendary Russia cosmonaut who became the first human to walk in space on March 18, 1965. Speaking from the open space, they congratulated Leonov on his 85th birthday, which is coming Thursday.


San Diego hospital reveals world's tiniest surviving baby

Abstract: SAN DIEGO - When she was born, the baby girl weighed about the same as an apple. A San Diego hospital on Wednesday revealed the birth of the girl and said she is believed to be the world’s tiniest surviving micro-preemie, who weighed just 8.6 ounces (245 grams) when she was born in December. The girl was born 23 weeks and three days into her mother’s 40-week pregnancy. Doctors told her father after the birth that he would have about an hour with his daughter before she died. “But that hour turned into two hours, which turned into a day, which turned into a week,” the mother said in a video released by Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women & Newborns. More than five months have passed, and she has gone home as a healthy infant, weighing 5 pounds (2 kilograms). The baby’s family gave permission to share the story but wanted to stay anonymous, the hospital said. They allowed the girl to go by the name that nurses called her: “Saybie.” Her ranking as the world’s smallest baby ever to survive is according to the Tiniest Baby Registry maintained by the University of Iowa. Dr. Edward Bell, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa, said Saybie had the lowest medically confirmed birth weight submitted to the registry. But “we cannot rule out even smaller infants who have not been reported to the Registry,” he said in an email to The Associated Press. The hospital said the girl officially weighed 7 grams less than the previous tiniest baby, who was born in Germany in 2015. In the video produced by the hospital, the mother described the birth as the scariest day of her life. She said she was taken to the hospital after not feeling well and was told she had pre-eclampsia, a serious condition that causes skyrocketing blood pressure, and that the baby needed to be delivered quickly. “I kept telling them she’s not going to survive, she’s only 23 weeks,” the mother said. But she did. The tiny girl slowly gained weight in the neonatal intensive care unit. A pink sign by her crib read “Tiny but Mighty.” Other signs kept track of her weight and cheered her on as the girl, whose birth weight compared to that of a hamster, gained pounds over the months. “You could barely see her in the bed she was so tiny,” nurse Emma Wiest said in the video. It shows photos of Saybie wearing a mint bow with white polka dots that covered her entire head, her tiny eyes peering out from under it. Nurses put a tiny graduation cap on her when she left the unit. The girl faces enormous challenges as a micro-preemie, who is an infant born before 28 weeks of gestation. Micro-preemies can experience vision and hearing problems, developmental issues and a host of other complications. Many do not survive the first year, said Michelle Kling of the March of Dimes, a nonprofit that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. So far Saybie has beaten the odds. “She’s a miracle, that’s for sure,” said Kim Norby, another nurse featured in the video.

san diego
pregnancy
u.s .
children
records


Link to stress, health of whales might be found in giant mouths

Abstract: PORTLAND, MAINE - Whale researchers in New England believe they’ve found a new way to measure the amount of stress felt by whales when they experience traumas such as entanglements in fishing gear, and they say the technique could help protect the massive sea creatures from extinction. The scientists, with the New England Aquarium in Boston, said the method involves measuring stress hormones by studying baleen, the bristly filter-feeding system in the mouths of the biggest whales on the planet. The baleen serves as a record that shows a spike in stress hormones when whales encounter threats such as a changing climate, ship strikes and entanglements, lead author Rosalind Rolland said. Scientists can use the data to read the stress levels a whale experiences over the course of many years, somewhat similar to reading the rings on a tree. The data are important because whales experiencing more chronic stress are less likely to reproduce, and they can become more susceptible to disease — a bad combination for populations that are perilously low. “A whale responding to any type of stressor could be interacting with a ship. It could be fishing gear. It could be environmental changes that stress the whale out,” Rolland said in a telephone interview. “This shows the stress hormones are related to what was going on with the whale.” The group published its research online in the journal Marine Mammal Science in March. The scientists reported the appearance of a whale’s baleen reflects the adrenal glands pumping out stress hormones as they fight a life-threatening circumstance. By analyzing the baleen after whales die, scientists can learn about spikes in stress hormones. The scientists performed their work on a baleen plate from a bowhead whale that had been badly entangled in fishing gear. The whale was killed off Alaska in 2017 by Inuit hunters who found it dragging fishing gear and appearing lethargic. The baleen showed a spike of stress hormones 20 times greater than normal, according to the aquarium. The research builds on a body of work that shows stress hormones elevate when whales become entangled in fishing gear, which some scientists estimate kills up to 300,000 whales and dolphins annually. The aquarium has touted the work as a “significant” breakthrough in the way whales’ stress hormones can be studied. The scientists published an earlier pilot paper on the subject in 2014. The work on whale baleen is being revealed as fishermen, conservationists and the governments struggle with how to protect marine mammal species in decline due to accidental deaths and climate change, which has made key food sources less available to some whales. The endangered North Atlantic right whale is of particular concern, because its population is so small and is steadily falling — only 411 of the whales are left, down from 480 less than a decade ago. The U.S. lobster fishing industry is bracing for new restrictions this year designed to protect the species. The research at the New England Aquarium provides a chilling perspective on human influences on whale health as well as a new scientific tool to help save them, said Regina Asmutis-Silvia, a biologist with Whale and Dolphin Conservation in Plymouth, Massachusetts who was not involved in the study. “This study demonstrates that chronic entanglements are not simply restricting a whale’s movements, damaging their tissues or impacting their ability to feed, but are triggering a physiological response that can alter their immune systems, their ability to reproduce, and even their ability to grow,” she said. “We clearly understand that stress is bad for humans, but we also need to understand that stress is not exclusive to humans.”

whales
baleen
endangered
u.s .
mental health


Ex-Roger Stone aide agrees to testify before grand jury

Abstract: WASHINGTON - A former aide to Trump confidant Roger Stone has agreed to testify this week before a grand jury initially used in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, his attorney said Wednesday. Andrew Miller, who has fought the subpoena for nearly a year, is scheduled to appear Friday before a grand jury in Washington. The decision to testify comes after an appeals court rejected Miller’s challenge of Mueller’s authority and a federal judge on Wednesday denied his last effort to avoid going before the grand jury. Mueller initially sought Miller’s testimony as part of his investigation of Stone, who was arrested earlier this year and charged with lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstruction. That investigation has continued after Mueller issued his final report and handed off the case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia. Miller’s agreement to testify, first reported by CNN, came after a hearing Wednesday in which U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sided with prosecutors from Mueller’s office. Miller attorney Paul Kamenar had argued that prosecutors no longer needed Miller’s testimony and couldn’t use the grand jury to gather information about Stone’s already public case. But after a sidebar with Mueller team member Aaron Zelinsky, Howell upheld the subpoena. The judge did not provided further details other than noting that even after prosecutors bring an indictment, they can continue to use a grand jury to bring additional charges not already made public, Kamenar said. Prosecutors have not shared what they plan to ask Miller or whether it relates to Stone or any others, Kamenar said.

roger stone
robert mueller
andrew miller
cnn
u.s .
donald trump
russia probe


Trump on Robert Mueller probe: 'The case is closed'

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Robert Mueller’s first public statement on his high-stakes probe into Russian election meddling contained nothing new — declaring the case “closed.” “Nothing changes from the Mueller Report. There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent,” Trump tweeted, moments after the special counsel’s appearance. “The case is closed! Thank you.” Mueller stressed that his report did not exonerate Trump of the crime of obstruction of justice, but explained that charging him was not an option because of Justice Department policy not to indict a sitting president.

robert mueller
donald trump
u.s .
russia probe


Democratic 2020 candidates call for Trump's impeachment

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Several candidates seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination seized upon remarks on Wednesday by special counsel Robert Mueller to call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump. “What Robert Mueller basically did was return an impeachment referral,” California Sen. Kamala Harris said in a tweet. “Now it is up to Congress to hold this president accountable. “We need to start impeachment proceedings,” Harris said. “It’s our constitutional obligation.” Mueller, in his report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, outlined at least 10 possible acts of obstruction of justice by Trump. But Mueller, in his first public remarks on Wednesday since issuing the report, said longstanding Justice Department policy prohibited him from charging a sitting president with a crime. Under the Constitution, any further action was up to Congress, the former FBI director said. “Mueller’s statement makes clear what those who have read his report know: It is an impeachment referral, and it’s up to Congress to act,” said Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. “They should.” New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, another 2020 Democratic hopeful, said, “Mueller’s statement makes it clear: Congress has a legal and moral obligation to begin impeachment proceedings immediately.” Former San Antonio, Texas, Mayor Julian Castro, another Democrat seeking the 2020 nomination, said Mueller “made clear this morning that his investigation now lays at the feet of Congress.” “No one is above the law — Congress should begin an impeachment inquiry,” Castro said. “There must be consequences, accountability, and justice,” said former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke. “The only way to ensure that is to begin impeachment proceedings.” Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, where impeachment would take place, appeared to be in no hurry to launch such proceedings against the Republican president. “I thank Special Counsel Mueller for the work he and his team did to provide a record for future action both in the Congress and in the courts regarding the Trump Administration involvement in Russian interference and obstruction of the investigation,” Pelosi said in a statement. “The Congress holds sacred its constitutional responsibility to investigate and hold the President accountable for his abuse of power,” she said. “The Congress will continue to investigate and legislate to protect our elections and secure our democracy,” Pelosi said. “The American people must have the truth.” Asked about impeachment, the Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, said “all options are on the table and nothing should be ruled out.”

democrats
impeachment
robert mueller
donald trump
u.s .
russia probe
2020 u.s. presidential election


Special counsel probe did not exonerate Trump but charging him wasn't an option, says Robert Mueller

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Special counsel Robert Mueller said Wednesday he was legally barred from charging President Donald Trump with a crime but pointedly emphasized that his Russia report did not exonerate the president. If he could have cleared Trump of obstruction of justice he “would have said so,” Mueller said. The special counsel’s remarks, his first in public since being tasked two years ago with investigating Russian interference to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election, stood as a strong rebuttal to Trump’s repeated claims that he was exonerated and that the inquiry was a “witch hunt” that found no crime. Mueller made clear he was barred from indicting a sitting president and that it was the job of Congress to hold the president accountable for any wrongdoing. “If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so,” Mueller said. “We did not however make a determination as to whether the president did commit a crime.” Under pressure to testify before Congress, Mueller did not rule it out. But he seemed to warn lawmakers that they won’t be pulling more detail out of him. His report is “my testimony,” Mueller said, and he won’t go beyond what is written in the report. He strongly indicated that Congress is the proper venue, not the criminal justice system, for deciding whether action should be taken against the president in connection with allegations that Trump and aides obstructed the investigation. Trump, who has repeatedly and falsely claimed that Mueller’s report cleared him of obstruction of justice, modified that contention somewhat shortly after the special counsel’s remarks. He tweeted, “There was insufficient evidence and therefore, in our Country, a person is innocent. The case is closed!” Mueller’s comments, one month after his report on Russian efforts to help Trump win the presidency, appeared intended to both justify the legitimacy of his investigation against complaints by the president and to explain his decision to not reach a conclusion on whether Trump had obstructed justice. Indicting Trump, he said firmly, was “not an option” in light of a Justice Department legal opinion that says a sitting president cannot be charged. But, he said, the absence of a conclusion should not be mistaken for an exoneration of the president. “The opinion says the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing,” Mueller said, referring to the Justice Department legal opinion. That would shift the next move, if any, to Congress, and the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which would investigate further or begin any impeachment effort, commented quickly. It falls to Congress to respond to the “crimes, lies and other wrongdoing of President Trump — and we will do so,” said New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler. Trump has blocked the committee’s subpoenas and other efforts to dig into the Trump-Russia issue, insisting Mueller’s report has settled everything. Mueller’s statement came amid demands for him to testify on Capitol Hill about his findings and tension with Attorney General William Barr over the handling of Mueller’s report. That report found no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia to tip the outcome of the 2016 presidential election in Trump’s favor over Democrat Hillary Clinton. But it also did not reach a conclusion on whether the president had obstructed justice. Barr has said he was surprised Mueller did not reach a conclusion on whether the president had criminally obstructed justice, though Mueller in his report and again in his public statement Wednesday said that he had no choice. Barr decided on his own that the evidence was not sufficient to support an obstruction charge against Trump. “Under longstanding department policy, a president cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office,” Mueller said. “That is unconstitutional. Even if the charge is kept under seal and hidden from public view that, too, is prohibited.” Mueller, for his part, complained privately to Barr that he believed a four-page letter from the attorney general summarizing his main conclusions did not adequately represent his findings. Mueller also appeared to put Congress on notice that he would not break new ground in the event he testifies on Capitol Hill. “I do not believe it is appropriate for me to speak further about the investigation or to comment on the actions of the Justice Department before Congress.”

robert mueller
donald trump
congress
jerrold nadler
william barr
u.s .
russia probe


Israel heads to election as Netanyahu fails to form coalition

Abstract: JERUSALEM - Israel’s parliament voted to dissolve itself early Thursday, sending the country to an unprecedented second snap election this year as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition before a midnight deadline. The dramatic vote, less than two months after parliamentary elections, marked a dramatic downturn for Netanyahu and sent the longtime leader’s future into turmoil. Netanyahu, who has led Israel for the past decade, had appeared to capture a fourth consecutive term in April’s election. But infighting among his allies, and disagreements over proposed bills that would protect Netanyahu from prosecution stymied his efforts to put together a majority coalition. Rather than concede that task to one of his rivals, Netanyahu’s Likud party advanced a bill to dissolve parliament and send the country to the polls for a second time this year. Had the deadline passed, Israel’s president would have given another lawmaker, most likely opposition leader Benny Gantz, an opportunity to put together a coalition. After the vote, Gantz angrily accused Netanyahu of choosing self-preservation over allowing the country’s political process to run its course. Gantz said that instead of following procedure, Netanyahu opted for “three crazy months” of a new campaign and millions of wasted dollars over new elections because he is “legally incapacitated” by looming indictments. “There is no other reason,” Gantz said. Netanyahu’s Likud party won 35 seats in the April 9 election, and his religious and nationalist allies won another 30, appearing to give him a solid majority in the 120-seat parliament. But discord between his ultra-Orthodox allies and former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s secular nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party resulted in a deadlock. After the vote, Netanyahu angrily accused Lieberman of making unrealistic demands and forcing an unnecessary election. “He is dragging the entire country for another half a year of elections,” he said. Wednesday’s vote sends the country into uncharted political waters, no less because Netanyahu, the interim prime minister, still faces a likely indictment for a battery of corruption charges just around the time of the election.

israel
elections
benjamin netanyahu
likud
benny gantz


In UAE, Trump's adviser warns Iran of 'very strong response' to any attack

Abstract: ABU DHABI - President Donald Trump’s national security adviser warned Iran on Wednesday that any attacks in the Persian Gulf will draw a “very strong response” from the U.S., taking a hard-line approach with Tehran after his boss only two days earlier said America wasn’t “looking to hurt Iran at all.” John Bolton’s comments are the latest amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran that have been playing out in the Middle East. Bolton spoke to journalists in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which only days earlier saw former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warn there that “unilateralism will not work” in confronting the Islamic Republic. The dueling approaches highlight the divide over Iran within American politics. The U.S. has accused Tehran of being behind a string of incidents this month, including the alleged sabotage of oil tankers off the Emirati coast, a rocket strike near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and a coordinated drone attack on Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthi rebels. On Wednesday, Bolton told journalists that there had been a previously unknown attempt to attack the Saudi oil port of Yanbu as well, which he also blamed on Iran. He described Tehran’s decision to back away from its 2015 atomic deal with world powers as evidence it sought nuclear weapons, even though it came a year after America unilaterally withdrew from the unraveling agreement. Bolton stressed the U.S. had not seen any further Iranian attacks in the time since, something he attributed to the recent military deployments — America recently sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf. But he warned the U.S. would strike back if again attacked. “The point is to make it very clear to Iran and its surrogates that these kinds of action risk a very strong response from the United States,” Bolton threatened, without elaborating. Bolton spoke before talks with Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He declined to have his remarks recorded by journalists. A longtime Iran hawk, Bolton blamed Tehran for the recent incidents, at one point saying it was “almost certainly” Iran that planted explosives on the four oil tankers off the UAE coast. He declined to offer any evidence for his claims. “Who else would you think is doing it?” Bolton asked at one point when pressed. “Somebody from Nepal?” Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has repeatedly criticized Bolton as a warmonger. Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said later Wednesday Bolton’s remarks were a “ridiculous accusation.” Separately in Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani said that the “road is not closed” when it comes to talks with the U.S. — if America returns to the nuclear deal. However, the relatively moderate Rouhani faces increasing criticism from hard-liners and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the collapsing accord. Meanwhile, acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said some 900 troops coming to the Mideast over the perceived Iran threat to reinforce the tens of thousands already in the region would be placed in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Another 600 attached to a Patriot missile battery have had their deployment in the region extended. “The Iranian threat to our forces in the region remains,” Shanahan said. Speaking in Abu Dhabi, Bolton linked the rocket fire in Baghdad, the alleged sabotage of the ships and the drone attack by Yemen’s rebels, describing them as a response from Iran and its proxies. “I think it’s important that the leadership in Iran to know that we know,” Bolton said. He then brought up what he said could be a considered a fourth, previously unknown attack. “There also had been an attack, an unsuccessful attack, on the Saudi port of Yanbu a couple of days before the attack on the tankers,” he said, without elaborating. Saudi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Bolton’s claim on Yanbu, which is the terminus, or end point, of the kingdom’s East-West Pipeline. The Houthis have already targeted two pumping stations on that pipeline during a coordinated drone assault. Bolton also said the U.S. would boost American military installations and those of its allies in the region. Earlier this month, on the first anniversary of Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Tehran announced it would begin to back away from the agreement. The accord saw Iran limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Trump pulled out of the accord as he said it didn’t go far enough in limiting the Iranian nuclear program, nor did it address Iran’s ballistic missile program. Bolton said that without more nuclear power plants, it made no sense for Iran to stockpile more low-enriched uranium as it now plans to do. But the U.S. also earlier cut off Iran’s ability to sell its uranium to Russia in exchange for unprocessed yellow-cake uranium. Iran has set a July 7 deadline for Europe to offer better terms to the unraveling nuclear deal, otherwise it will resume enrichment closer to weapons level. Bolton declined to say what the U.S. would do in response to that. “There’s no reason for them to do any of that unless that’s part of an effort to reduce the breakout time to produce nuclear weapons,” Bolton said. “That’s a very serious issue if they continue to do that.” Bolton’s trip to the UAE comes just days after Trump in Tokyo appeared to welcome negotiations with Iran. “We’re not looking for regime change — I just want to make that clear,” Trump said. “We’re looking for no nuclear weapons.” But Bolton himself, for years before becoming national security adviser, called for overthrowing Iran’s government in interviews and in paid speaking engagement before an Iranian exile group. “I don’t back away from any of it. Those are positions I took as a private citizen,” Bolton said when asked about his prior remarks. “Right now I’m a government official. I advise the president. I’m the national security adviser, not the nation security decision-maker. It’s up to him to make those decisions.” He also dismissed reports that he faced criticism from Trump over his hard-line stance with what he described as an old proverb: “The dogs bark and the caravan moves on.”

uae
iran
donald trump
john bolton
saudi arabia
yemen
u.s .
iraq


White House wanted USS John S. McCain out of Trump's view during visit to Yokosuka base

Abstract: NEW YORK - The White House wanted the U.S. Navy to keep a warship named for the late Sen. John McCain out of President Donald Trump’s view during his recent trip to Japan, three U.S. officials said Wednesday. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan “was not aware of the directive to move the USS John S. McCain, nor was he aware of the concern precipitating the directive,” said his spokesman, Joe Buccino. As first reported by The Wall Street Journal, a U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official wrote an email to navy and air force officials about Trump’s arrival in Japan over Memorial Day weekend. It included instructions for the proper landing areas for helicopters and preparations for the USS Wasp, the ship on which the president was to speak. The official then issued a third instruction: “USS John McCain needs to be out of sight,” according to the email, which was obtained by the Journal and whose existence was confirmed to AP. The three U.S. officials spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss private email correspondence. When a navy commander expressed surprise at the instruction, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command official answered, “First I heard of it as well,” the Journal reported. The official said he would talk to the White House Military Office to get more information about the directive, the newspaper reported. In response to the story, Trump — who has feuded with McCain publicly for years, including by mocking his military service — tweeted that he “was not informed about anything having to do with the Navy Ship USS John S. McCain during my recent visit to Japan.” The president notably does not say that he was not informed about the ship before his visit to Japan. A message seeking clarification was left late Wednesday for White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. The newspaper reported that a tarp was placed over the USS John S. McCain’s name before Trump’s arrival, according to photos it reviewed, and that sailors were instructed to remove any coverings from the ship that included its name. U.S. Navy Cmdr. Clay Doss, spokesman for the U.S. 7th Fleet, told AP that the tarp was on the ship on Friday but was removed by Saturday morning, the day Trump arrived. He said, “All ships remained in normal configuration during the president’s visit.” Two U.S. officials told the AP that all the ships in the harbor were lined up for Trump’s visit, and they were visible from the USS Wasp. The officials said, however, that most of their names probably could not be seen since they were side by side but that the name of the USS John S. McCain could be seen from the pier. Asked if the tarp was meant to block Trump’s view of the ship, the officials said the tarp had been placed on the ship for maintenance and removed for the visit. Rear Adm. Charlie Brown, navy public affairs officer, tweeted Wednesday night: “The name of USS John S. McCain was not obscured during the POTUS visit to Yokosuka on Memorial Day. The navy is proud of that ship, its crew, its namesake and its heritage.” Two U.S. officials said a paint barge was in front of the USS John S. McCain on Saturday morning when 7th Fleet officials walked the pier to see how everything looked for the visit. The barge was then ordered to be moved and was gone by the time Trump arrived, the officials said. The Journal reported, based on people familiar with the matter, that sailors on the USS John S. McCain, who usually wear hats with the ship’s name on it, were given the day off when Trump visited. Two U.S. officials told AP that sailors on the USS John S. McCain were not told to stay away but that many were away for the long weekend. The officials also said that about 800 sailors from more than 20 ships and navy commands were on the USS Wasp during the president’s visit, and all wore the same navy hat that has no logo, rather than wearing individual ship or command hats. Trump and McCain had a frosty relationship and that continued, on Trump’s part, even after McCain died in August 2018 of brain cancer. In 2015, McCain, a Republican senator from Arizona, had gotten under then-candidate Trump’s skin by saying he had “fired up the crazies” at a rally in Phoenix. Trump, also a Republican, later told a crowd in Iowa that McCain was only a war hero “because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” After Trump took office, McCain established himself as a leading critic, opposing Trump’s immigration-limiting order, warning him against coziness with Moscow and lecturing him on the illegality of torture. The senator incensed the president with his thumbs-down vote that foiled the president’s efforts to repeal former President Barack Obama’s health care law. Trump was not welcome at McCain’s funeral and had the White House’s U.S. flag raised back to full-staff shortly after McCain’s death, despite the U.S. Flag Code stating that it should remain at half-staff for another day. The flag returned to half-staff later in the day. McCain’s daughter, Meghan, tweeted Wednesday that Trump will “always be deeply threatened by the greatness of my dads incredible life.” Trump is a child who will always be deeply threatened by the greatness of my dads incredible life. There is a lot of criticism of how much I speak about my dad, but nine months since he passed, Trump won’t let him RIP. So I have to stand up for him. It makes my grief unbearable. https://t.co/gUbFAla1VE — Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) May 30, 2019 She added, “There is a lot of criticism of how much I speak about my dad, but nine months since he passed, Trump won’t let him RIP. So I have to stand up for him. “It makes my grief unbearable.”

yokosuka
john mccain
donald trump
military
u.s .


Venezuela's Guaido says Norway mediation talks will continue

Abstract: OSLO - Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido said that talks hosted by Norway between his delegation and that of President Nicolas Maduro would continue despite Wednesday’s discussions ending “without agreement.” “We thank the Norwegian government for its desire to contribute to a solution to the chaos our country is suffering. We’re prepared to continue alongside them,” Guaido said in a statement. Delegations representing the Venezuelan rivals met face-to-face in Oslo for the first time this week in a process begun two weeks ago under Norwegian auspices to find a solution to the South American country’s economic and political crises. Venezuela has been ravaged by five years of recession marked by shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicines. It was plunged deeper into political turmoil in January when National Assembly speaker Guaido declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to Maduro’s authority. He was quickly backed by more than 50 countries in his bid to oust the socialist leader that the National Assembly has branded illegitimate over his controversial re-election last year in polls the opposition claims were fraudulent. Despite agreeing to talks, Guaido insisted in his statement that the opposition’s aims have not changed. “We’ve ratified our plan: the end of the usurpation, a transitional government and free elections, as a route to solve the tragedy our Venezuela is suffering today,” said Guaido. He also insisted that the Oslo talks “don’t stop the opposition’s efforts in every constitutional area” to force Maduro from power. The idea of talks has proved unpopular with opposition supporters in Venezuela where months of street protests and even an uprising supported by around 30 members of the armed forces have failed to dislodge Maduro. “The parties have demonstrated their willingness to move forward in the search for an agreed-upon and constitutional solution for the country, which includes political, economic and electoral matters,” the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement after the talks concluded Wednesday. “In order to preserve a process that can lead to results, the parties are requested to show their utmost caution in their comments and statements regarding the process,” it added. No details about the exact contents of the discussions were revealed. Oil-rich but cash-strapped Venezuela is suffering its worst economic crisis in recent history, with inflation expected to reach 10,000,000 percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund. A quarter of its 30 million population is in urgent need of aid, according to the United Nations, while its people face failing public services such as water, electricity and transport. The U.N. also says 3 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2015. As the host country of the Nobel Peace Price and the place where Israeli-Palestinian Oslo agreements were negotiated, Norway has a tradition of being a “facilitator” in peace processes, including the accord struck between the Colombian government and FARC rebels in 2016.

venezuela
norway
oslo
juan guaido
nicolas maduro


GOP's Mitch McConnell: 'We'd fill' any Supreme Court vacancy in 2020

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell says that if a vacancy occurs on the Supreme Court during next year’s election cycle the chamber would likely confirm a GOP nominee selected by President Donald Trump. In an appearance Tuesday in Paducah, Kentucky, McConnell told a questioner that if a Supreme Court justice died next year, creating a vacancy, “Oh, we’d fill it.” Three years ago, during President Barack Obama’s final year in office, McConnell orchestrated a blockade of Obama’s choice of Merrick Garland to fill a vacancy created with the sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia. McConnell said then the choice should be left to voters in an election year. McConnell’s change of heart drew attacks from Democrats still smarting from his success in cementing the high court’s conservative majority. Scalia’s vacancy went to conservative Neil Gorsuch, while swing vote Anthony Kennedy was replaced by Justice Brett Kavanaugh in an acrimonious brawl last year. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the fifth-ranking House Democrat, called McConnell “a shameless individual” and accused him of “stealing a Supreme Court seat that Barack Obama had the right to present to the American people.” McConnell spokesman David Popp said the Kentucky Republican was being consistent, since he took care in 2016 to say that vacancies occurring when the White House and Senate are held by different parties should be held up. The current situation involves the Senate and the White House being held by Republicans. “You’d have to go back to 1888 when Grover Cleveland was in the White House to find the last time a vacancy created in a presidential year was confirmed by the party opposite the occupant of the White House,” McConnell said in March 2016, a month after Scalia died. There is no announced vacancy and no justice has made moves indicating they’re about to leave, but there’s internet chatter that GOP Justice Clarence Thomas, the current court’s longest serving justice, would consider retirement if his seat could be filled by a Trump-named younger conservative.

mitch mcconnell
barack obama
clarence thomas
u.s .
u.s. supreme court


Boris Johnson to faces court over claim of Britain's '£350 million weekly payment' to EU

Abstract: LONDON - Boris Johnson, considered the front-runner to become Britain’s next prime minister, must appear in court over allegations that he knowingly lied during the Brexit referendum campaign, a judge ruled Wednesday. Johnson, the former foreign secretary, will be summoned to appear over allegations of misconduct in public office, Judge Margot Coleman said in a written decision, without specifying the date. The case concerns Johnson’s claim that Britain sends £350 million ($440 million) a week to the European Union. While this was Britain’s gross contribution, the net figure accounts for a budget rebate from the EU as well as payments to Britain’s public sector from the EU budget, and is substantially less. Businessman Marcus Ball has crowd-funded a private initiative to bring Johnson to court. “The allegations which have been made are unproven accusations, and I do not make any findings of fact,” the judge said. “Having considered all the relevant factors I am satisfied that this is a proper case to issue the summons as requested,” she wrote. Referring to Johnson as the “proposed defendant,” Coleman said he would be required to attend a preliminary hearing that could then result in a trial. Political observers consider Johnson the favorite among 11 candidates vying to replace Theresa May as leader of the governing Conservative Party, and therefore prime minister. May will quit as Conservative leader on June 7, with the new prime minister due to be in place before July 20. The application brought by Ball’s lawyers alleges that Johnson “repeatedly lied and misled the British public as to the cost of EU membership” and “knew that such comments were false or misleading.” “Lying on a national and international platform undermines public confidence in politics.” The maximum penalty for misconduct in public office is life imprisonment. Johnson was not present at last week’s hearing to determine whether he must be summoned, but the politician’s lawyer, Adrian Darbishire, said the pro-Brexit figurehead staunchly denied acting in an improper or dishonest manner. Coleman considered whether the case had been brought purely to annoy Johnson. The former London mayor contends the application is a politically motivated stunt as part of a campaign to undermine the referendum result or prevent its consequences. Britain is due to leave the EU on Oct. 31. “I accept the defense submission that when the applicant commenced his consideration of whether to bring a private prosecution against the proposed defendant, some three years ago, there may have been a political purpose to these proceedings,” Coleman said. “However, the information for the summons was laid on Feb. 28, 2019, and that argument in my view is no longer pertinent. I do not accept the application is vexatious.” In her 14-page decision, the judge added, “This is an unusual and exceptional application with a considerable public interest and it is right that full reasons are provided.” Conservative Member of Parliament Jacob Rees-Mogg, who backs Johnson for the leadership, said the accuracy of the £350 million claim was not a matter for the courts. “Politicizing justice is a really bad idea and it’s actually what happens in totalitarian regimes where people get prosecuted for free speech,” the hard-core Brexiteer said. During the 2016 EU membership referendum, the official Leave campaign’s battle bus had “We send the EU £350 million a week” printed on the side. The claim was hotly contested. According to Finance Ministry figures available at the time, Britain’s gross contribution to the EU budget was about £17.8 billion in 2015 (£342 million a week). It actually turned out at £19.5 billion (£376 million a week). In 2016, the gross contribution was £17 billion (£327 million a week). But Britain had a rebate of £3.9 billion — applied before the money is paid — which would mean payments of about £250 million. Meanwhile, EU payments back into the British public sector, for example into regional development and agriculture, totaled £3.5 billion. The 2016 net public sector contribution was therefore £9.6 billion, or some £185 million a week. The EU also makes payments via the private sector — for example, to research organizations — that are not included in the Treasury figures.


Rare color footage brings D-Day memories to life, 75 years on

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Seventy-five years ago, Hollywood director George Stevens stood on the deck of the HMS Belfast to film the start of the D-Day invasion. The resulting black-and-white films — following Allied troops through Normandy, the liberation of Paris, the Battle of the Bulge, the horror of the Dachau concentration camp — form the basis of Americans’ historical memory of World War II, and were even used as evidence in Nazi war crimes trials. But the director was also shooting 16-mm color film for himself of the same events, creating a kind of personal video journal of his experiences. As veterans and world leaders prepare to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day next week, Stevens’ surprising color images bring an immediacy to wartime memories, a powerful reminder of the war’s impact and its heros as those who witnessed the war are dying out . “You’ve seen it in black and white. And when you see it in color, all of a sudden it feels like today,” his son, George Stevens Jr., said in an interview. “It doesn’t seem like yesterday. And it has a much more modern and authentic feeling to it.” Next week’s D-Day commemorations are about honoring the thousands killed and wounded on June 6, 1944 — and people like Stevens Jr.’s father. Then 37, Stevens was already a famous American director who had made Hollywood classics like “Gunga Din” and “Swing Time.” “My father was beyond draft age. And he had a dependent child. So there was no chance of him being called up,” Stevens Jr., a filmmaker in his own right, told The Associated Press. But his father felt compelled to enlist in the U.S. military after seeing the power of Nazi propaganda films, including Leni Riefenstahl’s “Triumph of the Will.” “The next day he started calling up to find out how he could get into the service. He couldn’t sit on the sidelines in Hollywood, and wanted to make his contribution,” his son said. General Dwight Eisenhower assigned Stevens to head up the combat motion-picture coverage. From D-Day on, Stevens and his team stormed through France and across Europe following U.S. forces. George Stevens Jr., now 87, was a child when his dad left to cover the war. Only after his father’s death, decades later, did he discover reels of the color film in storage. They could have been anything — his father used the same camera during the war that he had used to film his son’s birthday parties. But what his son found that day in 1980 was no normal home video. “I was sitting alone, and on the screen came images of a gray day and rough seas and a large ship and barrage balloons up in the sky. And I realized it was D-Day. “And I realized that my eyes were probably the first other than those who were there to see this in color,” he recalled. “I’m watching this footage and seeing the men on the ship … and around the corner walks into the frame a man with a helmet and a flak jacket. It’s my 37-year-old father on the morning of D-Day.” Stevens Jr., a writer, director and founder of the American Film Institute, later made a documentary with the footage, “George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin.” “My father referred to his experience in World War II as having a seat on the 50-yard line. And seeing men at their best and at their worst,” his son said. Long before social networks and smart phones, the outside world had little visual evidence of the Nazis’ attempted genocide of the Jews. His father’s unit “went into Dachau, the concentration camp, and nobody had anticipated what they were going to find there,” Stevens Jr. said. “It was this harrowing sight of these emaciated prisoners and typhus and disease and dead bodies stacked like cordwood. … Rather than just being a recorder of events, he became a gatherer of evidence, and he himself took a camera and went into these boxcars, with snow on the ground, with frozen bodies.” Stevens documented the scenes both in black and white and in color, and images he shot at Dachau were among those shown at the Nuremberg war crimes trials, according to his son. He also filmed Allied war generals working together during the war to defeat fascism. Now, 75 years on, the trans-Atlantic alliance is fraying and Europe’s extreme right is resurging, making remembrance of the war especially important. “I think that common interests and purpose will keep us together,” Stevens Jr. said. He praised the U.S.-led postwar effort “to embrace the defeated and help them, help Germany become a great nation,” calling it a “very American idea … that will serve us far into the future.”

d-day
george stevens
nazis
france
wwii
u.s .
history


Hungarian river tour boat carrying South Koreans capsizes on Danube; seven dead, 21 missing

Abstract: BUDAPEST - At least seven people were killed and nearly 20 were missing after a pleasure boat carrying South Korean tourists capsized on the flooding Danube in the Hungarian capital on Wednesday, police and ambulance officials said. The boat reportedly collided with another tourist vessel near the Hungarian parliament building, before turning over on the river, which has been flooding, with very strong currents, while a rainstorm enveloped Budapest. In Seoul, the foreign ministry said the vessel sank with 33 South Korean tourists and a crew of two Hungarians aboard, adding that seven of the tourists were rescued but seven died, and 19 were missing. An emergency rescue team is among the 18 officials South Korea plans to send to Budapest, the ministry said in a statement, and it will offer counselling to victims’ families. A Hungarian ambulance spokesman told state television that 14 people were pulled from the water. Seven have died, with the rest suffering from hypothermia but stable. A massive rescue effort deployed boats, divers, spotlights, and radar scanning to scour the river for several kilometers downstream from the accident site. Journalists at the scene said they saw children’s ambulances on the riverbank, showing that children were also aboard. But the hours that have passed since the accident, soon after 9 p.m. (1900 GMT), make it less likely for new survivors to be found in the central Budapest area, as strong currents have carried people far downstream, emergency rescue chiefs told state media. The National Ambulance Service mounted searches along a stretch of the river downstream from Budapest and was on alert along a section further south in Hungary, where all boat traffic has been halted. Television images showed the bank of the Danube closed off by police on the Pest side, across from the World Heritage site of Buda Castle. The Danube’s flooding and currents made rescue efforts extremely difficult, a rescue diver told the state broadcaster, with water temperatures ranging between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius (50 and 54 degrees F). The boat, the Mermaid, was a 27-meter (89-foot) double-decker river cruise boat with a 150-horsepower engine and could hold up to 60 people, its owner, Panorama Deck Ltd., told state media. “We are mobilizing every resource we have to protect human lives,” it said, adding that the Mermaid had been in its fleet since 2003, with regular maintenance. Boat registry Hajoregiszter.hu showed the ship, originally built in the Soviet Union in 1949, received a Hungarian-made new engine in the 1980s. Neither the registry nor the operator could be immediately reached for comment on the boat’s age. A shipping expert told state television it was likely the pleasure boat had collided with a very large vessel that had sunk it very quickly. The hull was found on the riverbed just a few hundred meters from its usual mooring point.


U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency believes Russia is secretly conducting low-yield nuclear tests

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The United States believes Russia may be conducting low-level nuclear tests, a U.S. intelligence official on Wednesday, while the head of a body monitoring a global nuclear treaty said there was no sign of such violations by Moscow. Negotiated in the 1990s, the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) enjoys wide global support but must be ratified by eight more nuclear technology states, among them Israel, Iran, Egypt and the United States to come into force. Russia ratified it in 2000. However, the head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said, “The United States believes that Russia probably is not adhering to its nuclear testing moratorium in a manner consistent with the ‘zero-yield’ standard.” At an arms control forum at the Hudson Institute, DIA head Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley said, “We believe they have the capability in the way they are set up” to conduct low-level nuclear tests that exceed the zero yield limit set in the CTBT, There was no immediate response from the Russian government, but the head of the Russian State Duma Defense Committee, Vladimir Shamanov, told the Interfax news agency that Ashley “could not have made a more irresponsible statement.” “Nuclear tests cannot be carried out secretly,” it quoted him as saying. “These kinds of statements reveal that the professionalism of the military is systemically falling in America,” Shamanov said. The head of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), Lassina Zerbo, said media reports appeared to “probably overstate” Ashley’s comments. “It wasn’t about Russia conducting any low-yield tests but that Russia may have the capability for doing so,” he told Reuters in an interview during a visit to Seoul on Thursday. The organization’s global detection systems have not detected any tests, Zerbo said. “We’re pretty confident that any militarily significant explosive test would not go undetected. So far we haven’t had any signal to that effect and we’re looking for further evidence.” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus referred specific questions to the DIA, but said Russia “routinely” disregarded its international obligations and was in breach of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. “They have been in breach for several years and they have tested, produced, fielded an INF weapon … We are certainly alarmed that they continue to disregard their international obligations as it relates to arms control.” Russia announced last month it was suspending the INF treaty after the United States said it would withdraw because of violations by Moscow. Russia denies flouting the accord and has accused Washington of breaking the accord itself. Ashley’s comments underscore the need for countries like the United States to ratify the CTBT, Zerbo said. “You’re not ready to ratify the CTBT but you’re asking for someone to comply with it, so you’re referring to a treaty that seems to be important,” he said. “If the treaty is important, why don’t we lock it in?”

russia
ctbt
weapons
u.s .
nuclear weapons
arctic
wall street journal
novaya zemlya


Pentagon pick focuses on China despite Mideast tensions and deployment

Abstract: JAKARTA - Tensions may be high in the Middle East, but the man chosen by President Donald Trump to run the Pentagon is turning his focus to China. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan arrived Wednesday in Asia on a high-profile weeklong trip that is intended to reinforce that China is the administration’s main foreign policy priority. It comes as the U.S. deploys thousands of more troops and military assets to counter Iran in the Middle East, and will test the Pentagon nominee ahead of his expected Senate confirmation hearing. In his five months as acting secretary, Shanahan has tried to focus on implementing a new national defense strategy that shifts away from fighting extremist groups to what he calls “great power” competition with China and Russia. But instead, much of his time has been spent juggling a host of other issues: Iranian threats, North Korean missile launches, the ongoing war in Afghanistan, the battle against Islamic State militants and a divisive struggle to cobble together billions of dollars for Trump’s wall on the southern border. Even as he prepared for the Asia trip, Shanahan shuttled back and forth to the White House for meetings on how much more military might he should send to the Middle East in coming weeks to protect American forces and interests from Iranian threats. Speaking to reporters traveling with him to Asia on Wednesday, Shanahan acknowledged the competing interests, but insisted he spends “quite a bit of time” on China issues. “Implementation of the national defense strategy is my top priority,” he said, adding that the department has “the capacity to spin a lot of plates.” Trump has not yet sent Shanahan’s formal nomination as defense chief to Capitol Hill, but he is expected to do so in the coming days. If that happens, the Senate could hold a hearing and vote on Shanahan’s confirmation some time later next month. The acting defense chief’s Asia trip will take him to Indonesia, South Korea, Japan and Singapore, where he will attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, a national security conference. While there, he will also hold talks with Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya and South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, the South Korean Defense Ministry said Thursday. Jeong is expected to bring up denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and cooperation for permanent peace in the region, it added. Jeong will deliver a speech at the conference on Saturday in which he will call on other countries to cooperate in easing tensions on the peninsula, according to the ministry, and then hold talks with Shanahan in Seoul on Monday. Among the items on the agenda are joint military exercises between the two nations. U.S. officials say Shanahan will arrive in Japan later Monday for the last stop of his tour. He is expected to seek support for the United States’ Indo-Asia Pacific strategy in meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Iwaya, NHK has reported, and the two sides are expected to confirm security cooperation on North Korea. Shanahan has said his trip will give him a week “solely dedicated to the issues of the region.” One key meeting at the Singapore conference will be with Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe. For the first time since 2011, China is sending a top-level leader to Shangri-La, and it is unclear what triggered the change. Observers suggest the move underscores Beijing’s desire to re-engage with neighbors in the region, perhaps at a time it believes the U.S. is distracted by strains in the Middle East and hampered a bit by Shanahan’s status as acting secretary. Asked about his goals for the meeting, Shanahan said he wants to identify areas where the two nations can cooperate, and “talk about things that I think are important for us to be transparent and candid about.” Tensions between Washington and Beijing have spiked in recent months, as the Trump administration set off a trade war with China, raising tariffs on billions of dollars of imports. The U.S. also sanctioned Chinese tech giant Huawei and approved a weapons sale to Taiwan, the self-ruled island the Communist mainland claims as its own territory. Two U.S. government reports this year criticized China over its militarization of man-made islands in the South China Sea and its continued campaign to steal high-tech trade secrets from defense programs. And defense intelligence officials expressed worries that China’s growing military might could lead to an attack against Taiwan. Shanahan has repeatedly signaled that he believes America’s most pressing security problem is China’s rapidly growing military. It is not a new theme. Several of his predecessors pursued what the Obama administration called a “pivot” to the Pacific, all aimed at countering China’s growing prominence in the region. But Shanahan sees it as an increasingly urgent and long-ignored problem, and his proposed budget includes billions of dollars in new programs designed to keep pace with China’s strides in hypersonic weapons, nuclear technology and space launches. A senior U.S. official said there is a lot going on in the world now, and Shanahan’s weeklong trip demonstrates that Asia is a priority for the administration. The U.S. will also release a new report in conjunction with the visit, to lay out what the department has done so far to implement the defense strategy. A former U.S. official familiar with the region said the trip will give Shanahan a chance to show his foreign policy expertise and deliver a speech that continues pressure on China and assures allies of American’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss trip details before they are made public. Shanahan’s chance to deliver his message will come Saturday morning, when he takes center stage at the security conference. How well he does in front of the international audience — which traditionally includes senior members of Congress — could also have an impact on his job status.

china
donald trump
patrick shanahan
military
indonesia
south korea
takeshi iwaya
shinzo abe
u.s .
u.s.-japan relations


Mexico auctions seized vehicles outside presidential mansion in symbol of AMLO's anti-graft drive

Abstract: MEXICO CITY - Seventeen black, bulletproof Chevrolet Suburbans stretched in a neat, polished row outside the onetime official residence of Mexico’s presidents. Nearby stood a 2007 Lamborghini Murcielago and a 2016 Ford Shelby pickup truck with a video camera embedded in the front grill and a hand-held radio next to the driver’s seat. All were put up for auction Sunday by the Institute to Return the Stolen to the People, the new name for a branch of the Finance Ministry that is in charge of selling property seized from purported drug dealers and tax cheats, as well as government vehicles and other property that are no longer in use. Holding the auction outside Los Pinos, a mansion nestled on the edge of the capital’s Chapultepec Park, carried extra significance since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador turned the once heavily guarded compound into an open cultural center when he took office Dec. 1. Ricardo Rodriguez Vargas, head of the institute, said the goal Sunday was to raise 30 million pesos ($1.5 million) from the sale of 82 vehicles. The money is to be sent to two poor communities in the southern state of Oaxaca to improve roads, schools and other infrastructure. Those municipalities were chosen because almost all their residents live in poverty, he said. Some of the vehicles put up for sale had been collecting dust in government warehouses for 10 years. It was the most heavily attended auction in the history of the Finance Ministry, Rodriguez said, with 800 people registering to bid. For every person sitting in the auction area under the shade of a white tarp there were at least another five outside ogling the vehicles, taking selfies with their favorite cars or watching the bids rise from beyond the cordoned auction pit. Holding the auction on the grounds of the former presidential mansion was symbolic, said Ricardo Alvarado, a researcher with Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity, a watchdog group. “Using a space that’s characteristic of the luxury of past administrations is without a doubt a symbol of what this government intends to do with austerity,” he said. Lopez Obrador has slashed government salaries, including his own, and aggressively trimmed budgets. He plans to sell the presidential jet and travels on commercial airplanes, wears a Timex watch and claims to own fewer than a dozen suits. He is also targeting corruption and theft of state-produced gasoline. The armored Suburbans, many of which were at least a decade old, drew little interest from bidders Sunday, but the competition was fierce for three classic Volkswagen sedans — the original Beetles — as well as for pristine Audi and BMW hatchbacks with leather bucket seats. Muscle cars, such as an orange Corvette and canary yellow Chevrolet Camaro, also saw intense bidding. Men in fluorescent yellow vests floated between bidders, yelping like Mariarchi crooners as offers got loftier and loftier. Red auction paddles soared in the air, encouraged by a moderator in a little black dress who seduced buyers with warnings such as “Don’t let it go!” The top seller was the cherry red Shelby pickup with a license plate from the northern state of Sinaloa, home to one of Mexico’s most brutal drug cartels. The fully loaded monster truck, a virtual office on wheels with leather seats and oversized side-view mirrors, went for 1.9 million pesos. People who placed winning bids declined interviews with the media, citing security concerns. Several would-be buyers, though, said that the vehicles were going for above-market prices. Eduardo Aburto hoped to snag the 2004 special edition Volkswagen Beetle — one of the last ever produced — for the equivalent of $7,500, but the little beige Beetle went for $17,000. Alejandro Santana, a luxury vehicle mechanic, traveled from the northern state of Durango with hopes of winning a bargain price Mini Cooper or pickup. He left empty-handed, describing the winning bids as “very high.” Tania Arenas, a researcher at a public university, also watched with dismay as prices soared past her budget ceiling on several vehicles. “The price starts to shoot up in the first seconds — they rise too much,” she said with incredulity. Nonetheless, she credited the highly visible event with providing voters with proof that the government is raising money and putting it to good use. Bonifacio Rodriguez Correa, a farmer in a cowboy hat, traveled two hours by bus from what he described as a “forgotten” ranch in central Mexico just to feast his eyes on the vehicles. “I don’t have any money,” he confessed, adding that if he did, he would have bid for a hardy VW to help in his corn fields. He was overcome with emotion, though, when he talked about this display by Lopez Obrador. “I cry because I’m happy,” Rodriguez Correa said. “I have a lot of faith, a lot of confidence that he’ll get us out of this quagmire. He’s a man who does what he says.”

mexico
cars
andres manuel lopez obrador
corruption


New Zealand's first 'well-being budget' targets mental health in wake of Christchurch attacks

Abstract: WELLINGTON - New Zealand’s government announced Thursday it will spend billions of dollars more on mental health services and combatting child poverty as part of a new approach to its finances. The Labour-led government unveiled the country’s first so-called well-being budget. It aims to measure social outcomes like health and the environment alongside traditional metrics such as economic growth. The new approach has been lauded by some internationally but criticized by the conservative opposition as meaningless window-dressing. The budget was the first since a gunman killed 51 people at two Christchurch mosques in March, and it included money for a gun buyback program after the government introduced new laws banning the types of semi-automatic weapons often used in mass shootings. The budget also increased funding for the nation’s intelligence agencies, which didn’t identify the man accused of the slaughter as a potential threat. Overall, new spending was up significantly on previous forecasts. But while government borrowing was forecast to rise, the net debt was expected to stay at about 20 percent of GDP as the size of the economy also expanded. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the increased spending was worth the extra debt and would help stimulate the economy as global economic growth slowed. “The old way of doing things has left too many people behind,” Robertson said. “New Zealanders want us to measure our success, and invest on their behalf, in line with their values. The values of fairness, the protection of the environment, the strength of our communities.” Under the budget, spending on mental health will increase by 1.9 billion New Zealand dollars ($1.2 billion) over the next four years. Part of that will include extra money for suicide prevention services as the country tries to tackle its high suicide rate. “One death from suicide is one death too many, and the effects of each suicide on friends and family is devastating,” Robertson said. Budget documents indicate an extra 81,000 people will be able to access free mental health and addiction services. Robertson said at least 180,000 children were living in poverty and the government had set an ambitious 10-year target to cut that number in half. The budget also included NZ$1 billion over four years to rebuild the country’s aging rail network and NZ$300 million over that time to help start-up companies grow larger. It also included extra money to help clean waterways and improve forestry. Opposition leader Simon Bridges said the budget had been “botched.” He said families wanted more money for food, gas and rent, but instead taxes were being spent on rail, defense and trees. “The economy is sharply declining and the government is doing nothing to encourage growth,” Bridges said. He said the budget included extra money for classrooms but not for teachers, who have been striking for better pay and conditions. “This budget is style over substance,” he said. “It might have a glossy cover with nice pictures, but it’s hollow inside.” Treasury forecasts indicate New Zealand’s economy will expand by about 3 percent next year before the rate slows to a 2.4 percent annual increase in 2022. The unemployment rate remains at just over 4 percent and is forecast to remain steady. The budget includes NZ$150 million for the gun buyback program and NZ$50 million extra over four years for the intelligence agencies. Robertson said it would increase the funding for the buyback program if needed.

new zealand
budgets
mental health
christchurch
poverty
guns
mass shootings
children