Four killed in shootout between rival Indian political parties

Abstract: KOLKATA - Three supporters of India’s ruling right-wing party and another from a rival regional party have been killed in a gun battle in West Bengal state, police and a local politician said Sunday. At least 18 others were injured in the clashes that broke out Saturday in the eastern state that has been on edge since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched an aggressive campaign to win parliamentary seats last year. “Three of the dead were BJP workers while the other was a (regional) Trinamool party supporter,” a police official said. Local BJP leader Mukul Roy tweeted from his official handle that three BJP workers were “shot dead” in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal.

india
crime
politics
narendra modi
bjp
kolkata


In wake of Easter terrorist attacks, and with an eye on China, Indian leader vows support for Sri Lanka

Abstract: COLOMBO - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday honored those killed by Islamist militants in Sri Lanka’s Easter bombings, vowing support for the island nation as New Delhi seeks to counter the rise of China in the region. The hours-long stop in Sri Lanka was part of Modi’s first overseas trip after winning a second term. He arrived from the Maldives, where on Saturday he called for a global conference to tackle the threat of terrorism. In recent years, China’s presence has grown in both in Sri Lanka and in the Maldives as Beijing financed infrastructure projects and sought closer military ties, especially for its navy. The debt from those projects has, however, become a burden for both countries. India is pursuing what it calls a “neighborhood first” foreign policy centered on its allies in South Asia, although there is little sign of a warming in relations with archrival Pakistan. “India never forgets her friends when they are in need,” Modi, the first foreign leader to visit Sri Lanka since the attacks, tweeted after touching down. Modi later prayed and placed flowers at St. Anthony’s Shrine, a Catholic church in Colombo that was bombed on April 21 along with two other churches and four hotels. “I am confident Sri Lanka will rise again. Cowardly acts of terror cannot defeat the spirit of Sri Lanka,” Modi later tweeted. On Thursday, Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said India would continue to provide support to Sri Lanka in the fight against extremist groups. New Delhi is also looking at more multilateral investment projects, modelled on a draft agreement to develop a port terminal with Japan in Colombo that was signed last month, he said.

india
terrorism
sri lanka
narendra modi
colombo


During upcoming visit to Tehran, Abe likely to propose Trump-Rouhani meeting

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during his visit to Iran this week, is likely to propose a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, in September, according to an expert. “My understanding is that Prime Minister Abe is likely to suggest a meeting between President Trump and President Rouhani on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September,” Ali Vaez, project director for Iran at the think tank International Crisis Group, said in a recent interview. “I would say that can only happen if President Trump is willing to make a first concession to the Iranians as a goodwill gesture,” Vaez said, citing a possible suspension of the U.S. oil sanctions on Iran. But the Republicans and U.S. allies in the Middle East “would really not like the president to relieve the pressure at this stage,” he added. Abe is scheduled to visit Iran for three days from Wednesday in an effort to mediate U.S.-Iran tensions over the 2015 nuclear deal. Vaez said he thinks Abe “stands a good chance of trying to mediate or at least . . . de-escalate tensions at this point.” “But the challenge in front of him is really monumental,” he added. Given Abe’s “very special relationship” with Trump, “the Iranians would also listen carefully to what he has to say,” Vaez said. On Abe’s meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Vaez said that if he is taking a direct message from Trump, “then I think he would hear the Iranian counteroffer.” Vaez said that “a card that the Iranians can play, which is also very close to President Trump’s heart,” is the release of U.S. prisoners in Iran. “That is potentially something that could be an icebreaker and a clear outcome of a summit between the two leaders,” he said. According to Vaez, Trump and his national security team pursue the same strategy, which is “the maximum pressure strategy,” but have different objectives. Trump is primarily motivated to get a better deal with Iran, whereas his national security team, especially national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are “primarily interested in bringing about either economic collapse in Iran or regime change,” he said. “And so they’re not much interested in diplomacy.”

shinzo abe
u.s .
middle east
nuclear weapons
iran
hassan rouhani
iran nuclear deal
donald trump
ali vaez


The week ahead for June 10 to June 16

Abstract: Monday House of Councilors’ audit committee to hold concluding debate on the state’s financial statement for fiscal 2017, attended by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Cabinet members. Opposition parties are expected to take up the consumption tax hike slated for October and Japan-U.S. trade negotiations. Cabinet Office to release revised gross domestic product data for the January-March quarter. Preliminary data showed that Japan’s economy grew at an annualized real 2.1 percent for the second consecutive quarterly gain, mainly owing to technical factors. Economists forecast the revised GDP figure is likely to remain at the same level as the preliminary data. Finance Ministry to release preliminary balance of payments statistics for April. Cabinet Office to release monthly “economy watchers” survey for May. Tuesday Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko to visit Kyoto through Thursday. Wednesday Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to leave on two-day trip to Iran, the first trip to the country by an incumbent Japanese prime minister in over four decades. Arrangements are being made for Abe to meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani in a bid to mediate between Iran and the United States and save the 2015 nuclear deal Tehran agreed to with world powers. Cabinet Office to release machinery orders data for April. Renault SA to hold a general shareholders meeting in Paris, with attention focused on what the French automaker will say about its alliance with Nissan Motor Co. after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV withdrew its proposal to merge with Renault. Giant panda cub Xiang Xiang, a star attraction at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, to turn 2 years old. Thursday Revised law banning flying drones over U.S. military bases and Self-Defense Forces’ facilities to take effect. Friday Law to ban ticket scalping for concerts and sports events to take effect in run-up to 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Saturday G20 energy, environment ministers to gather in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture through June 16. Sunday Ceremony to be held at Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo, which became operational this month ahead of 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.


G20 finance chiefs discuss measures to guard against economic risks in Fukuoka meeting

Abstract: FUKUOKA - With the outlook of the global economy clouded by the ongoing U.S.-China trade war, finance leaders from the Group of 20 nations kicked off a two-day meeting Saturday in Fukuoka to discuss measures to guard against economic risks. The meeting came as U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he was calling off planned tariffs on imports from Mexico after reaching a deal on migration, a decision that was welcomed by Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda. Still, trade friction is an unpredictable factor that might drag down growth, although the global economy will likely regain momentum in the second half of the year, Kuroda told reporters. “We will discuss the current situation of the global economy and its outlook … and what to do if something happens,” Kuroda said Saturday. “I think (calling off the tariffs) is not only good for the United States and Mexico, but also it is positive for the global economy,” Kuroda added. Trump planned to put a levy on Mexican goods from Monday but Mexico apparently agreed to implement “strong measures” to control the number of migrants illegally crossing the border and entering the United States. As the chair country, Japan aims to lead discussions to explore risks for the world economy and specific programs to strengthen growth during the meeting among finance ministers and central bank governors. Finance Minister Taro Aso told reporters after the first day’s session that recent positives have been seen with Japan and other developed countries showing steadier GDP growth than expected. Yet, the “bad news is that it is unclear how the U.S.-China trade talks will turn out. Failing to find common ground might further damage trust from the markets,” he said. He said he stressed the importance of structural reforms and outlined Japan’s plan to raise the consumption tax from the current 8 percent to 10 percent in October as a countermeasure against aging demographics. During Sunday’s sessions in the city of Fukuoka, Aso is set to argue that the primary cause of global current account inequalities is an excess of savings or investments among countries, not unfair trade practices as has been vehemently argued by Trump, according to Japanese Finance Ministry officials. In general, a higher level of savings contributes to a current account surplus, while a current account deficit is related to excessive investment. For instance, Japan, which saw a ¥19.4 trillion current account surplus in fiscal 2018, has an excessive amount of savings coupled with a low level of investment, the opposite of the United States’ situation. Thus, the issue of current account imbalances should be corrected through international cooperation on macroeconomic policies rather than bilateral trade deals, Finance Ministry officials have argued. “Bringing up the issue of global current account imbalances may imply Japan is doing the United States a favor” because the Trump administration is keenly interested in trade account issues, Takahide Kiuchi, an economist at the Nomura Research Institute, said in his report released prior to the Fukuoka meeting. The current account of a country covers not only the balance of trade and services but also profits from investments. But Japan also appears to be attempting to persuade Washington to share its view that bilateral trade wars will do little to improve the situation for the United States, he added. “President Trump seems to believe that the U.S. trade deficit is because of unfair trade customs and competitive devaluation engaged in by trade partners” when the imbalance of savings and investment is actually a major factor, Kiuchi said. Aso is expected to meet his U.S. counterpart, Steven Mnuchin, on the sidelines of the G20 meeting Sunday. Media outlets have speculated that Mnuchin may argue that a provision to prevent currency manipulation should be included in a possible Japan-U.S. bilateral trade pact, but he reportedly denied during comments to reporters that he will raise the issue during his meeting with Aso. On Saturday, the finance leaders also issued a statement recognizing the importance of universal health coverage in developing nations, saying that such a health care system fosters healthy human resources, which then serves as the foundation for a country to become prosperous. The statement adds that it is more effective to prepare universal health coverage at the early stage of economic development to achieve “long-term sustainable and inclusive growth.” But as it is a costly system, health ministries should work closely with finance authorities, it says. Paving the way for new tax rules designed to impose fair levies in the age of a digital economy is another item on the agenda at the Fukuoka meeting. The finance chiefs are likely to endorse draft proposals compiled by the OECD. Focal points of the new rule will likely include the possible implementation of more flexible tax systems that won’t necessarily depend on where companies’ physical headquarters or branches are based. Regulations for cryptocurrencies will also be discussed at the meeting. Japan is one of the first countries to introduce legal regulations on such assets. Kyodo News reported that G20 member countries may agree that cryptocurrency exchange operators should receive government approval before launching new businesses, which is already a requirement in Japan. The G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.

taro aso
bank of japan
haruhiko kuroda
g20


Ministry eyes sharply lower penalties for mobile phone contract termination

Abstract: The communications ministry is planning to lower penalty charges imposed by mobile phone service providers on early contract termination from the current ¥9,500 to ¥1,000 or less, it was learned Saturday. The reduction is designed to make it easier for users to switch mobile phone carriers, encouraging competition. The ministry will also propose to limit discounts on handset prices to ¥20,000, informed sources said. The proposals come after the revised telecommunications business law was enacted in May. The new law, aimed at lowering mobile phone fees, requires changes to the current system, such as mandating the introduction of pricing schemes that separate handset purchase costs from monthly communications fees. The proposed rules are part of the ministry’s efforts to revise a ministerial ordinance to reflect the new law. The ministry will present the proposals to an expert panel Tuesday and its discussions will be used for revising the ordinance. The ministry plans to draft a new ordinance as early as this month and hopes to put it into effect around this autumn. Under typical contracts by major mobile phone service providers, users are tied to a two-year contract in exchange for sharply lower basic monthly rates for smartphones and other devices. If customers terminate their contracts before a designated three-month renewal period preceding the contract expiration date, they must pay a penalty charge of ¥9,500. Unfixed-term contracts are also available at many providers, but such plans set the basic monthly fees at a much higher level, usually ¥1,500 or more higher per month. The high rates effectively block users from subscribing to the plan, making it possible for companies to use the hefty penalties to keep customers from switching to competitors. As for handset discounts, the ministry called for the ¥20,000 ceiling after major service provider NTT Docomo Inc. said at an expert panel meeting in May that “¥30,000 is reasonable” for the proposed limit. The ministry is apparently pushing for a stricter limit in order to lower high communications fees, which are believed to have enabled companies to recoup the handset discounts. However, this measure will only be in place for two years, after which it may be revoked if the ministry determines that the market prices for handsets have reached a suitable level.


Boeing delayed fix of defective 737 MAX warning light for three years, lawmakers say

Abstract: SEATTLE - Boeing Co. learned that a cockpit warning light on its 737 MAX jetliner was defective in 2017 but decided to defer fixing it until 2020, U.S. lawmakers said on Friday. The defective warning light alerts pilots when two sensors that measure the angle between the airflow and the wing disagree. Faulty “angle of attack” data is suspected of playing a role in two deadly crashes involving Boeing’s best-selling 737 MAX in Indonesia in October and in Ethiopia in March. Those crashes, which killed 346 people, have triggered investigations by aviation regulators and U.S. lawmakers and left Chicago-based Boeing facing one of the biggest crises in its more than 100-year history. Boeing decided in November 2017 to defer a software update to correct the so-called AOA Disagree alert defect until 2020, three years after discovering the flaw, U.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen said in a press release on Friday. Boeing only accelerated this schedule after the Lion Air accident in Indonesia, they added. Boeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said by email that a company safety review found the absence of the AOA Disagree alert did not adversely impact airplane safety or operation. “Based on the safety review, the update was scheduled for the MAX 10 entry into service in 2020,” Johndroe said. “We fell short in the implementation of the AoA Disagree alert and are taking steps to address these issues so they do not occur again.” Boeing has said it discovered the problem in 2017, soon after it began delivering its top-selling 737 MAX aircraft to customers. But it did not inform the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the defect until after the Lion Air crash more than one year later, the lawmakers said. The House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure sent letters to Boeing, supplier United Technologies and the FAA requesting further details on the AoA Disagree alert, the lawmakers said.


Weak U.S. employment report raises red flag on economy

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. job growth slowed sharply in May and wages rose less than expected, raising fears that a loss of momentum in economic activity could be spreading to the labor market, which could put pressure on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates this year. The broad cool-off in hiring reported by the Labor Department on Friday was before a recent escalation in trade tensions between the United States and two of its major trading partners, China and Mexico. Analysts have warned the trade fights could undermine the economy, which will celebrate 10 years of expansion next month, the longest on record. Adding a sting to the closely watched employment report, far fewer jobs were created in March and April than previously reported, indicating that hiring had shifted into a lower gear. The labor market thus far has been largely resilient to the trade war with China. “Today’s report makes a cut more likely, and supports our view that the trade tensions will ultimately slow growth enough for the Fed to respond in September and December with cuts,” said Joseph Song, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in New York. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 75,000 jobs last month, the government said. It was the second time this year that job gains dropped below 100,000. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls rising by 185,000 jobs last month. Job growth in March and April was revised down by 75,000. U.S. President Donald Trump in early May slapped additional tariffs of up to 25 percent on $200 billion of Chinese goods, which prompted retaliation by Beijing. Last week, Trump said he would impose a tariff on all goods from Mexico to force authorities in that country to stop immigrants from Central America from crossing the border into the United States. Talks to prevent the duties from kicking in at 5 percent on June 10 continue. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said on Tuesday the U.S. central bank was closely monitoring the implications of the trade tensions on the economy and would “act as appropriate to sustain the expansion.” Trump, who has routinely tweeted about the strong labor market, made no comment about May’s weak hiring, but defended duties on Chinese goods. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told Fox Business Network that bad weather in the Midwest was to blame and described the meager job gains as “a little bit of a blip down.” Economists, however, said there was nothing to suggest the weather was the culprit. “The weakness in job growth was broadly experienced across industry groups and not obviously driven by distortions such as weather or strikes,” said Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan in New York. U.S. House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said the employment report was “a disturbing sign that the administration’s disastrous special interest agenda is hollowing out our economy.” Following the report financial markets priced in a rate cut as early as July and two more later this year. Economists, however, believe the Fed will probably wait for more signs of labor market weakness and clarity on the trade issues before easing monetary policy. Fed officials are due to meet on June 18-19. “Fed officials are likely to remain cautious at the June meeting and keep all their options open,” said Michael Hanson, head of global macro strategy at TD Securities in New York. The dollar fell to a 2½-month low against a basket of currencies, while U.S. Treasury prices rose. Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher. Last month’s slowdown in job gains, however, probably understates the labor market’s health as layoffs remain low. Employment gains over the last three months have averaged 151,000, above the roughly 100,000 needed per month to keep up with growth in the working-age population. In the four months since the first hiccup in hiring appeared in February, however, monthly payrolls gains have averaged just 127,000, the slowest pace over a comparable stretch in nearly seven years. Some of the weakness in hiring could be because of worker shortages, especially in the construction, transportation and manufacturing sectors. But the worker shortage argument is somewhat undercut by moderate wage growth. Average hourly earnings grew just 3.1 percent year-over-year, the slowest annual increase since September. Just three months earlier, wages had been rising at their fastest rate in a decade but gains have moderated since. The tepid employment report added to soft data on consumer spending, business investment, manufacturing and homes sales in suggesting the economy was losing momentum in the second quarter following a temporary boost from exports, inventory accumulation and defense spending. Growth is cooling as the massive stimulus from last year’s tax cuts and spending increases fades. The Atlanta Fed is forecasting gross domestic product rising at a 1.4 percent annualized rate in the second quarter. The economy grew at a 3.1 percent pace in the first quarter. The unemployment rate remained near a 50-year low of 3.6 percent in May. A broader measure of unemployment, which includes people who want to work but have given up searching and those working part-time because they cannot find full-time employment, dropped to 7.1 percent last month, the lowest since December 2000. Hiring slowed across all sectors in May, with the share of industries showing job gains during the month the smallest since July 2016. Manufacturing payrolls increased by 3,000 last month, after gaining 5,000 positions in April. The sector is struggling with an inventory overhang that has resulted in businesses placing fewer orders at factories. Employers in the construction sector hired 4,000 workers in May after adding 30,000 jobs to payrolls in April. Professional and business services employment rose by 33,000. Transportation and warehousing payrolls fell as did retail employment. Government shed 15,000 jobs, the most in 16 months.


Video games battle for the cloud as industry girds for change

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO - The knock-down, drag-out battle in the video game world heads to the cloud as the premier industry event looks to adapt to a consumer shift to streaming services. New blockbuster titles will be on center stage as usual at the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) opening in Los Angeles on Tuesday, but the big question for the sector will be how consumers play. The E3 opens with gamers gradually moving away from traditional console play and Google seeking to capitalize on that trend with a new Netflix-style service allowing people to play cloud-powered games on any connected device. Adapting to the new trends will be critical for players in the massive video game industry, which last year generated more than $135 billion globally, and $43.4 billion in the United States. According to the Entertainment Software Association, which runs E3, more than 164 million adults in the United States play video games, and 3 out of 4 U.S. households have at least one video game player. Xbox maker Microsoft will hold a keenly anticipated press event on Sunday where it is likely to say more about its Project xCloud, a streaming video game service it recently began letting employees test outside the office. “Microsoft will play a major role at this E3 as it lays out its vision for a hybrid future of getting people access to content wherever, whenever,” NPD video game analyst Mat Piscatella said. Major games expected to be shown off at E3 included new installments of Call of Duty, Apex Legends, FIFA, Pokemon, and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon. At least some of those titles will be available later this year on Google Stadia, which has inked a deal with French-based video game giant Ubisoft. “Streaming is going to be what we think about at E3,” said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and chief executive of Ubisoft. “It is really fantastic. It is a way to reach more players.” Streaming games from the cloud could make console-quality play possible on all kinds of internet-linked devices, and let the massive power of data centers be used to ramp-up features, graphics, effects and the number of simultaneous players, Guillemot noted. Microsoft and Sony last month announced an alliance to improve their platforms for streaming entertainment from the internet cloud. Sony, whose PlayStation consoles are a key force in the industry, won’t be holding an E3 event this year, but Microsoft may provide more insight into its collaboration with its Japan-based console rival. Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform will be used by the companies to support game and digital content streaming services, according to the two firms. Google on Thursday released new details about Stadia, which will be available in 14 countries starting in November. For the launch, Google will sell its “founders edition bundle” hardware pack for $129, with a monthly subscription price of $9.99. In Europe, the price will be €129 and €9.99 per month. The Stadia tech platform aims to connect people for interactive play on PCs, tablets, smartphones and other devices. The new gaming platform disrupt the gaming industry by allowing users to avoid consoles and game software on disc or download. Subscribers will have access to free games and will be able to purchase some blockbuster titles as well. The first free title will be the shooter game Destiny 2 from developer Bungie. Stadia will launch in the United States, Britain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden. NPD analyst Piscatella expected a few surprises at Xbox and Ubisoft press events being held before E3 opens its show floor as the industry gears up for the cloud and new-generation consoles. “We’ll get peeks at products and concepts that won’t really potentially impact the market meaningfully until perhaps mid-2020 or later,” Piscatella said. Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said the new games will remain the stars of the E3 show this year. “This is a software and streaming show, not much on the hardware front,” he said.


G20 ministers agree on guiding principles for using artificial intelligence

Abstract: TSUKUBA, IBARAKI PREF. - Ministers from the Group of 20 major economies Saturday kicked off two days of meetings on trade and the digital economy, during which they agreed on guiding principles for using artificial intelligence. They also faced another round of discussions likely to highlight divisions over trade issues such as reform of the World Trade Organization. The ministers agreed on the AI principles, which are created based on those adopted last month by the 36-member OECD and an additional six countries. The G20 guidelines call for users and developers of AI to be fair and accountable, with transparent decision-making processes and to respect the rule of law and values including privacy, equality, diversity and internationally recognized labor rights. Meanwhile, the principles also urge governments to ensure a fair transition for workers through training programs and access to new job opportunities. China and Russia are among the G20 participants but are not signatories to the OECD principle On Saturday, the ministers also agreed to work toward enabling the free flow of data across borders based on trust, a concept introduced by Japan, noting that information is a powerful resource for driving economic growth while acknowledging privacy and security concerns. The concept, called Data Free Flow with Trust, or DFFT, was proposed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his speech in January at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Hiroshige Seko, minister of economy, trade and industry, said, “There were differences in what element of trust each country values, but we could at least share the idea that trust promotes the free data flows, which lead to the economic development of the world as a whole.” “It is meaningful that the term Data Free Flow with Trust was included in the joint statement,” he added. For the trade meeting, which will begin on Sunday, the focus is likely to be on conflicting views of the multilateral trade system and WTO reform. While Japan backs a rules-based multilateral trade system under the WTO, the U.S. favors bilateral trade negotiations. At the same time, the U.S., Japan and Europe are all pushing for the organization do more to address issues like industrial subsidies that distort markets, with China in mind.


U.S. billionaire Michael Bloomberg pledges $500 million to fight climate change

Abstract: NEW YORK - U.S. billionaire Michael Bloomberg pledged half a billion dollars on Friday to fight climate change, saying “our lives and our children’s lives depend on it.” The former New York mayor and philanthropist said the money will go toward closing coal plants — through lobbying state and local governments and utility commissions — and helping elect politicians who make battling climate change a priority. Bloomberg, in a commencement speech at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), took aim at climate change skeptics in the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. “We will get deeply involved in elections around the country because climate change is now first and foremost a political problem,” he said. “At least for the foreseeable future, winning the battle against climate change will depend less on scientific advancement and more on political activism,” Bloomberg told the graduates of the prestigious university. “We will defeat at the voting booth those who try to block action,” he said. “Our message to elected officials will be simple: face reality on climate change, or face the music on Election Day. “Our lives and our children’s lives depend on it. And so should their political careers,” Bloomberg said. In a statement, Bloomberg said the $500 million investment was part of an initiative called Beyond Carbon, which aims to close nearly 250 coal plants throughout the country by 2030 and prevent new ones from being built. “We’re in a race against time with climate change, and yet there is virtually no hope of bold federal action on this issue for at least another two years,” Bloomberg said. “Mother Nature is not waiting on our political calendar, and neither can we.” Bloomberg’s new campaign means he has pledged a total $1 billion toward fighting climate change, including the 2011 Beyond Coal effort, which has so far closed 289 coal plants in the United States. On its website, Beyond Carbon said it plans to work toward a “100 percent clean energy economy” and will also campaign against the construction of new gas plants in the United States. The initiative will “turbo-charge work that is under way” and uphold U.S. commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement, from which the Trump administration has withdrawn, it added. Bloomberg, who is the U.N. secretary-general’s climate change envoy, said it was “the largest-ever coordinated campaign to tackle the climate crisis our country has ever seen. This is the fight of our time.” Bloomberg, 77, was the centrist mayor of New York from 2002 to 2013. His vast fortune was estimated at some $55.5 billion last year, according to Forbes. Political observers have long speculated over whether he would run for president, but in March he ruled himself out as a Democratic candidate, writing on his Bloomberg media platform he wanted to affect change outside of Washington. Bloomberg vowed to devote his considerable financial muscle toward addressing some of the nation’s major challenges, including climate change, gun violence, the opioid crisis, failing public schools and college affordability. “I love our country too much to sit back and hope for the best as national problems get worse,” he said. “But I also recognize that until 2021, and possibly longer, our only real hope for progress lies outside of Washington.” The 2015 Paris accord enjoins nations to work towards limiting global temperature rises to “well below” 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) and to a harder cap of 1.5 degrees C if possible. To do so, governments must commit to curbing greenhouse gas emissions — the leading source of which is burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal for power. The U.N. Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change warned last October that warming is currently on track towards a catastrophic 3-4 degrees C rise. Fifty coal-fired power plants have shut in the U.S. since Trump came to office two years ago, environmental organization The Sierra Club reported in May.

pollution
energy
coal
emissions
climate change
environment
michael bloomberg
rewables


Solar eclipse frenzy fuels astronomical tourism in Chile

Abstract: LA SERENA, CHILE - The total solar eclipse expected in northern Chile early next month is already drawing flocks of visitors eager to glimpse a rare view of the phenomenon through the region’s clear skies. In Coquimbo, a region spanning the Pacific coast and the Andes, tourism demand has already eclipsed offerings of some services, forcing hotels there to put up signs warning they have no rooms left by the July 2 event. Flights to Coquimbo offered by Chile’s Latam Airlines as well as budget carriers Sky and Jetsmart are being snapped up, as a clock in the coastal town of La Serena in Coquimbo counts down to the big day. “People have gone mad. They want the day to come as soon as possible,” local resident Patricia said about the frenzy. Together with parts of Argentina and New Zealand, northern Chile is one of the few places in the world that will be directly facing the sun when the moon passes in front of the earth, blocking its light completely and darkening skies for several minutes. Total solar eclipses occur at any specific location on average every 360 years, according to the European Southern Observatory. Chile prides itself on being an astronomer’s paradise, home to dozens of telescopes and ambitious studies at its observatories. The eclipse is expected to draw some 400,000 visitors to Coquimbo, according to the government. “It’s a unique occasion,” Chilean astronomer Ivo Saviane said from the La Silla Observatory that he manages. “For everyone, whether from Chile or abroad, it’s exciting.” Chilean President Sebastian Pinera is one of 150 “VIPs” with tickets to watch the eclipse at La Silla. Pinera has touted the eclipse as among the most important events in Chile this year, among with major international summits that will bring world leaders to the South American country. “You have to be here to see it, even if it is just a couple of minutes,” said Luis Calderon, an engineer in La Serena.


U.S. starts withdrawing Turkey from F-35 program over Russia defense deal

Abstract: WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL - The United States on Friday raised the stakes in its standoff with Turkey over Ankara’s deal to acquire a Russian air defense system, laying out a plan to remove the NATO ally from the F-35 fighter jet program that includes immediately halting any new training for Turkish pilots on the advanced aircraft. Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart, seen by Reuters on Friday, that laid out the steps to remove Turkey from the program unless Turkey changes course. Reuters on Thursday first reported the decision to stop accepting more Turkish pilots for training in the United States, in one of the most concrete signs that the dispute between Washington and Ankara is reaching a breaking point. The United States says Turkey’s acquisition of Russia’s S-400 air defense system poses a threat to the Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 stealthy fighters, which Turkey also plans to buy. The United States says Turkey cannot have both. Shanahan’s letter explicitly states there will be “no new F-35 training.” It says there were 34 students scheduled for F-35 training later this year. “This training will not occur because we are suspending Turkey from the F-35 program; there are no longer requirements to gain proficiencies on the systems,” according to an attachment to the letter that is titled, “Unwinding Turkey’s Participation in the F-35 Program.” Turkish personnel already in the United States will see their training on the F-35 discontinued at the end of July. In his letter, Shanahan also warned Ankara that its deal with Moscow risked undermining its ties to NATO, hurting the Turkish economy and creating over-dependence on Russia. “You still have the option to change course on the S-400,” Shanahan wrote. The Turkish lira declined as much as 1.5 percent on Friday before recovering some losses. The currency has shed nearly 10 percent of its value against the dollar this year in part on fraying diplomatic ties and the risk of U.S. sanctions if Turkey accepts delivery of the S-400s. Turkey is one of the core partners in the F-35 program and expressed an interest in buying 100 of the fighters, which would have a total value of $9 billion at current prices. Turkish companies produce some 937 parts of the F-35, largely for the aircraft’s landing gear and center fuselage, the Pentagon says. The United States is now planning to move that production elsewhere, ending Turkey’s manufacturing role by early next year. The Pentagon believes that it can minimize the impact on the broader program if Turkey abides by the U.S. timeline. “What we are doing is working to do a very disciplined and graceful wind-down,” Ellen Lord, an under secretary of defense, told reporters at the Pentagon. But if Turkey were removed from the F-35 program, the ramifications would be felt far beyond the Turkish air force. It would be one of the most significant ruptures in recent history in the relationship with the United States, experts said. Strains in ties between the United States and Ankara already extend beyond the F-35 to include conflicting strategy in Syria, Iran sanctions and the detention of U.S. consular staff in Turkey. Still, Turkey seems to be moving ahead with the S-400 purchase, regardless of the U.S. warnings. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday it was “out of the question” for Turkey to back away from its deal with Moscow. Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on May 22 that Turkish military personnel were receiving training in Russia to use the S-400, and that Russian personnel may go to Turkey. The head of Russian state conglomerate Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, was quoted as saying on Friday that the country would start delivering S-400 missile systems to Turkey in two months. Erdogan said the United States had not “given us an offer as good as the S-400s.” Still, Lord held out hope for Turkey, noting that none of the U.S. decisions so far were irreversible. “We’re hopeful that they will stop the acquisition of the S-400. We would very much like them to stay in the (F-35) program,” Lord said.


London police arrest fifth teen after lesbian couple attacked on bus

Abstract: LONDON - British police on Saturday arrested a fifth teenager following a homophobic attack on a lesbian couple who refused to kiss for a gang of youths on a London night bus. Melania Geymonat, 28, said she and her girlfriend, Chris, were robbed and left covered in blood after the incident on a bus in the north of the British capital last week. London’s Metropolitan Police on Friday arrested four teens aged between 15 and 18 on suspicion of involvement in what a senior officer called the “disgusting attack.” On Saturday officers picked up another 16-year-old male on suspicion of robbery. All of those detained remain in custody at London police stations, according to the Met. “They surrounded us and started saying really aggressive stuff, things about sexual positions, lesbians and claiming we could kiss so they could watch us,” Geymonat told the BBC on Friday. “They started throwing coins. The next thing I know Chris is in the middle of the bus and they are punching her,” she said. “So I immediately went there by impulse and tried to pull her out of there and they started punching me. I was really bleeding.” Police said the incident happened in the early hours of May 30 after the two women got on the bus in north London headed to the Camden Town neighborhood. The women were punched several times before the males ran off the bus after also stealing a phone and bag, the Met added. Both women were taken to hospital for treatment to facial injuries. “This was a disgusting attack on two women,” said Detective Superintendent Andy Cox. “CCTV footage from the attack is being reviewed by detectives. “We continue to appeal for information from the public,” he added. Geymonat is from Uruguay while British newspapers reported that her girlfriend is from the U.S. She told the BBC she has previously experienced “a lot of verbal violence” but had never been assaulted before because of her sexuality. “I was and still am angry,” she said. “It was scary, but this is not a novel situation.” British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday condemned the incident. “This was a sickening attack and my thoughts are with the couple affected,” she said. “Nobody should ever have to hide who they are or who they love and we must work together to eradicate unacceptable violence towards the LGBT community.”


Germany going green? Nation's next leader could hail from environmental party

Abstract: BERLIN - With the popularity ratings of Angela Merkel’s favored successor plunging and the center-left SPD in disarray, speculation is growing that Germany’s next chancellor might hail from the Greens. The environmental group recorded rocketing support in European elections in late May, boosted by the youth-led Fridays for Futures school strikes urging action on global warming. With an all-time high 20.5 percent of votes in Germany, the Greens overtook Merkel’s junior coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party, coming in second place in the May 26 EU vote. Since then, several surveys have put it neck and neck with Merkel’s center-right CDU-CSU alliance, with one even giving it a 1 percentage point lead for the first time. With the numbers suggesting that Germany’s highest office may be within reach for the Greens, the buzz is not whether the party could fill the seat at the chancellery but which of its two co-chiefs — Annalena Baerbock or Robert Habeck — could seize the top job. Habeck, 49, with his day-old stubble and broad smile, has for months challenged Merkel as Germany’s most popular politician. With momentum clearly on the side of the Greens, the weekly magazine Stern put the charismatic writer and politician on its cover and asked, “Our next chancellor?” The conservative daily Die Welt plumped for his colleague, declaring in a page one commentary this past week that “the next chancellor is named Annalena Baerbock.” “If the misery plaguing the CDU and SPD continues, the Greens could end up installing the next chancellor, and will for feminist reasons decide in favor of the assertive Madame Baerbock,” predicted the newspaper. “She also understands the economy. … At the moment, she doesn’t need to offer more, given the sad state of the competition.” A mother of two, Baerbock, 38, has been described by Spiegel magazine as “the boss” among the two Greens co-leaders and the unifying force within the party. She once aspired to become a journalist, but after an internship with the Greens at the European Parliament decided that politics was her future. Credited with finding compromises on tough topics, she has also been praised for ensuring that policy implemented by regional Greens squares with the party’s national line. But in public, it is Habeck who gets the pop-star welcomes. A father of four, the personable doctor of philosophy is not shy about showing his sensitive side. As a writer co-authoring books with his wife from their home in the bucolic countryside by the Baltic coast, Habeck admitted that he had a comfortable family life. But he “started scolding stupid politicians” and finally “pulled (himself) together, drove to a Green meeting and came back as district chairman.” “Since then I’ve been a politician through and through.” Although different in style, the Greens leaders have been described as a “dream team.” With attention now trained on them, both have sought to deflect the limelight, saying, “We don’t want to revolve around ourselves.” For now, the pair can afford to hang back as their competitors struggle to turn the situation around. Merkel’s CDU is under pressure in eastern Germany, where the far-right anti-migrant AfD is expected to make big strides in three state elections in September and October. On a national level, Merkel is also facing heat as Germany fails to meet its own climate target. While she was once dubbed the “climate chancellor” for pushing renewables while committing to phase out nuclear power by 2022, today Merkel’s party is accused of being a party that panders to pensioners in greying Germany. More troubling for the CDU, party chief Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who had been poised to take over from Merkel when her term ends in 2021, is struggling to endear herself to the young. Kramp-Karrenbauer’s clumsy handling of a youth-led online rebellion has pushed some away and raised questions about whether she is suitable to lead the country. The center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD) is meanwhile experiencing a power vacuum after party chief Andrea Nahles resigned following a disastrous showing at European polls. The weekly Die Zeit noted that the Greens’ reticence so far to name its lead candidate for the chancellor job is “politically clever” as polls can prove fickle, and popularity could peak prematurely. But given that the Greens have secured their spot just behind Merkel’s center-right alliance, the party may soon no longer be able to avoid the decision, it said. “If there is a chancellor duel on television, the broadcasters would probably have no choice but to invite a Green candidate as the challenger of the CDU-CSU.”

eu
angela merkel
germany
elections
environment
annalena baerbock
robert habeck


U.S. and Mexico hammer out deal to avoid tariffs in migration row

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement on migration, U.S. President Donald Trump announced late Friday, with the punishing tariffs he had been threatening “indefinitely suspended.” “I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico. The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended,” he wrote on Twitter. “Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States.” Trump’s announcement came at the end of three days of negotiations at the State Department, with Washington demanding a tough crackdown on Central American migrants after hundreds of thousands crossed Mexico to enter the United States in recent months. U.S. border officers apprehended more than 132,000 people crossing from Mexico in May, triple the level of a year earlier and the highest monthly level since 2006. The U.S. president had planned to hit all Mexican imports with a 5 percent tariff starting on Monday — and rising over the coming months to as high as 25 percent — a move which could have clobbered Mexico’s economy. “Thanks to the support of all Mexicans, we were able to avoid tariffs on Mexican products exported to the United States,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Twitter, adding that he would travel Saturday to the border city of Tijuana to “celebrate.” The decision was also welcomed by Republicans and other Americans who warned the tariffs would damage the American economy, hurt job growth and delay or altogether scuttle a trade deal between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, which still needs lawmaker ratification. The tariffs also had drawn unusually strong opposition from Trump’s fellow Republicans, especially lawmakers from farm states who worried about losing the second-largest international market. “Mexico came through,” said Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican opposed to the tariffs, in a tweet soon after Trump’s announcement. Mexico had prepared a list of possible retaliatory tariffs targeting products from agricultural and industrial states regarded as Trump’s electoral base, a tactic China has also used with an eye toward the president’s 2020 re-election bid. The deal came after negotiators met for more than 12 hours on Friday, with Mexico pledging “unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration,” the two sides said in a joint statement. “The Governments of the United States and Mexico will work together to immediately implement a durable solution,” it said. Mexico will deploy National Guard troops throughout the country, “giving priority to its southern border” with Guatemala. It will also target human smuggling and trafficking groups. Meanwhile the United States said it would start sending asylum-seekers back to Mexico to wait as their applications were being processed. “The United States commits to work to accelerate the adjudication of asylum claims and to conclude removal proceedings as expeditiously as possible,” the statement said. The changes, in part, continue steps the Trump administration was already taking. The U.S. announced in December that it would make some asylum-seekers wait in Mexico while their cases were being proceeded — a begrudging agreement with Mexico that has taken months to scale and that has been plagued with glitches, including wrong court dates, travel problems and issues with lawyers reaching their clients. Homeland Security officials have been ramping up slowly, and were already working to spread the program along the border before the latest blowup. About 10,000 people have been returned to Mexico to wait out the processing of their immigration cases since the program began Jan. 29. More than 100,000 migrants are currently crossing the U.S. border each month, but not everyone claims asylum and migrants can wait an entire year before making a claim. The Trump administration has demanded Mexico take tough action to halt the flow of migrants fleeing chronic poverty and violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, who are hoping to request asylum in the United States. In recent months the migrant groups have been dominated by families with children. Trump had announced last week that, starting from June 10, a 5 percent tariff would be applied to all goods from export-dependent Mexico, rising by 5 percentage points each month to a high of 25 percent, until U.S. demands on migrant controls were satisfied. The move took direct aim at Mexico’s economy, which is heavily dependent on trade with the United States. Mexico is the second-biggest source of U.S. imports. The United States imports about $350 billion each year in goods from Mexico including $128 billion in automobiles, auto parts and engines, and $26 billion in agricultural products and processed foods.

u.s .
mexico
tariffs
donald trump
andres manuel lopez obrador


Boris Johnson wins Brexit case hounding his leadership bid

Abstract: LONDON - Former U.K. Foreign Minister Boris Johnson’s bid to succeed Theresa May as prime minister received a big boost Friday when a London court quashed his summons to answer charges that he lied during the Brexit referendum campaign. His lawyers claimed that the private prosecution was “politically motivated” and had no precedent in common law. The two-judge High Court panel said it was persuaded by their case. The ruling was issued after nearly four hours of hearings into whether Johnson knowingly mislead the nation while arguing in favor of Britain’s split from the European Union during the 2016 referendum campaign. Johnson was both a member of Parliament and mayor of London in the run-up to the highly contentious vote. His most famous claim was that Britain would no longer have to make weekly payments of £350 million ($445 million, €395 million) to Brussels. The case against him argued that he had committed the criminal offense of misconduct in a public office by using his position to knowingly make a false claim. A district judge at the lower Westminster Magistrates Court in London decided to summons Johnson to court. The former minister successfully appealed to England’s High Court to overturn the earlier ruling. “We are quashing the decision of the district judge to issue the summonses,” judge Michael Supperstone ruled. The decision left Marcus Ball — a 29-year-old businessman who crowdfunded to pay for the proceedings against one of Britain’s most famous politicians — bitterly disappointed and contemplating an appeal. “We’ve just given the green light to every politician to lie to us about our money for ever. That’s a terrible idea that I refuse to accept,” Ball told reporters outside the court in London. “Mr. Johnson MP, you do not have the right to lie to the public about how their money is being spent. Go on television and tell everybody what the truth is.” The £350 million membership price tag represented Britain’s gross contribution to the 28-nation EU bloc. But the net figure is much smaller because it also includes a budget rebate from Brussels as well as payments to Britain’s public sector from EU coffers. The official pro-Brexit campaign emblazoned the £350 million total on its red touring bus during the 2016 EU referendum. The image became one of the lingering symbols of a campaign that left Britain as divided as it had been before the vote. Johnson’s lawyer Adrian Darbishire argued on Friday that the case was designed to stop Brexit from the start. “This case, on the face of it, represents political origins… in an area of public life that has never been subject to a court of law,” he told the court. “Any form of political motivation is anathema to criminal proceedings.” Ball said he never intended to use the case to either halt Brexit or undermine Johnson’s political career. “The only way that Brexit could ever actually be stopped is if people who voted for it before change their mind. That’s the only way,” he said. “I have very little interest in Boris Johnson. He’s a charming speaker, he’s very funny, he’s charismatic.” May stepped down as the Conservative Party’s leader on Friday and formally triggered the race for a successor — currently being contested by Johnson and 10 other MPs — but will remain prime minister until a new leader is chosen. The entire process is expected to conclude by the end of next month. Johnson said through his spokesman that he would be issuing no comment about his legal victory. But he won support from other Brexit-backing ministers who are rivals for the premiership. “Very glad to see the court case against Boris Johnson thrown out,” interior minister Sajid Javid wrote on Twitter. Johnson’s campaign is built on the promise of getting out of the EU — with or without a deal — when the twice-delayed Brexit deadline arrives on Oct. 31. The pitch is popular among more right-wing rank-and-file Conservatives across the country who will pick the winner from two finalists selected by MPs.


U.K. monarch marks official birthday with pomp and ceremony at London parade

Abstract: LONDON - Queen Elizabeth II on Saturday marked her official birthday with the annual Trooping the Color parade, a traditional display of British pageantry. About 1,400 soldiers in ceremonial scarlet coats and bearskin hats marched past the monarch in a ceremony on Horse Guards Parade in Westminster. Royals taking part included Prince Charles, Prince William and his wife, Kate, and Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan. Thousands of spectators lined the parade ground and gathered in nearby St. James’s Park to watch the spectacle. The ceremony originated from traditional preparations for battle. The colors — or flags — were “trooped,” or carried down the lines of soldiers, so they could be seen and recognized in battle. The regimental flag being paraded this year was from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.


'Aphrodisiac' beavers good for food, says Polish minister

Abstract: WARSAW - Beavers could be a good source of food, Poland’s agriculture minister said on Friday, after he outraged animal rights activists by joking the aphrodisiac qualities of the rodents’ tails could encourage Poles to eat them. Jan Ardanowski made his tongue-in-cheek comment on the tails in May when outlining plans to allow to the eating of beavers and European bison to encourage hunting of the animals to regulate numbers. His comments were only widely reported this past week. Ardanowski stood by his proposals. “Those animals could be used for culinary purposes, and it doesn’t seem to me that would be something completely absurd,” Ardanowski told reporters on broadcaster TVN24. Poland’s ruling nationalists Law and Justice (PiS) are no strangers to conflicts with environmentalists, with decisions to cull wild boars and carry out large-scale logging in the ancient Bialowieza forest provoking widespread opposition. “It’s another step on his (Ardanowski’s) crusade against nature, said Krzysztof Cibor from Greenpeace. “From our point of view it is totally irresponsible.” European bison are a protected species in Poland and viewed by some as symbolic of the country. Beavers are partially protected, meaning some reduction of the population is allowed, but hunting for food is almost unheard of. Polish state-run news agency PAP quoted Ardanowski as saying on Friday there re around 100,000 beavers in Poland, causing problems for farmers and damage rivers. WWF Poland spokeswoman Katarzyna Karpa-Swiderek said that while Ardanowski may have been joking, the reference to beavers’ tails was dangerous. “We know many examples around the world where people believe in some kind of magical power or healing power of part of an animal’s body and this species of animal is on the verge of extinction.”


Almost 300 people questioned following deadly Danube boat collision

Abstract: BUDAPEST - Hungarian police say they have questioned 230 people and 66 witnesses over the deadly Danube River boat collision that killed 18 South Korean tourists. They also said Saturday that the captain of a cruise ship that collided with the sightseeing boat carrying the tourists on May 29 did not reveal details of the incident during questioning. The tour boat sank within seconds after the collision in downtown Budapest. A Hungarian crewman also died, nine others are still missing and seven South Koreans were rescued. A huge floating crane arrived Friday to Margit Bridge, where the Hableany (Mermaid) lies some nine meters (29½ feet) below the surface, as Hungarian and South Korean divers prepared the boat to be raised. Due to heavy rain over the past few weeks, high water levels in the Danube have hindered recovery efforts.


Liberal Democratic Party unveils election pledges with focus on foreign policy ahead of Upper House vote

Abstract: The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday unveiled a set of campaign pledges for an Upper House election this summer, giving more weight to foreign policy as the economy is showing signs of slowing down under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The LDP selected foreign policy and defense as the first of six pillars for its election platform, attaching great importance to strengthening the bilateral alliance between Japan and the United States after Abe hosted U.S. President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, in late May as the first state guests since Emperor Naruhito took the throne. Foreign policy and defense are followed by a strong economy, reliable society, regional revitalization, and disaster relief and prevention. Constitutional reform, the long-held goal of Abe and the LDP, is the sixth pillar. The LDP said it aims to promote domestic debate to achieve the first-ever revision to the Constitution “at an early date,” without giving a specific time frame. Abe has said he hopes to see the Constitution revised in 2020 by changing the war-renouncing Article 9 to formalize the legal status of the Self-Defense Forces. Abe, who has served as the party’s leader since 2012, has expressed his desire to make constitutional reform a major election theme amid little progress in parliamentary debate on the contentious issue. The election needs to be held as the current term for half the Upper House members will expire on July 28, which comes a month after Abe hosts a Group of 20 summit in Osaka where he hopes to showcase his leadership. “We want (voters) to choose the future shape of Japan,” LDP policy chief Fumio Kishida said at a news conference to unveil the 2019 election booklet containing the pledges along with photos of Abe interacting with Trump and other foreign leaders. Abe returned to power in 2012 with a focus on economic revitalization under his Abenomics policy mix. He has struggled not only on the economy but also on the diplomatic front, especially with regard to North Korea and Russia. He is now calling for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without any preconditions, but no date has been set. Ongoing peace treaty talks with Russia, meanwhile, have shown no signs of a breakthrough amid continuing differences over the sovereignty of Russian-controlled islands off Hokkaido. The set of pledges include some wording that the Abe government had been more hesitant to use out of diplomatic consideration. Abe has been perceived as softening his stance on North Korea as Trump engaged in dialogue with Kim, but the LDP calls for “maximum pressure” on Pyongyang in the election booklet. The ruling party also mentions that the islands involved in the dispute with Russia are Japan’s “inherent territory,” a description that Tokyo has long used but has recently avoided amid treaty talks. The islands are called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia. The forthcoming election for the Upper House comes as the world’s third-largest economy faces a slowing of growth momentum amid an escalating trade war between the United States and China. There is also some speculation that Abe may be considering dissolving the Lower House for an election to coincide with the Upper House race. The election platform states that the LDP will seek to raise the consumption tax to 10 percent from 8 percent in October, echoing Abe’s stance that he will go ahead with the plan barring any shock on the scale of the 2008 global financial crisis triggered by the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.


Documentary juxtaposes both sides of contentious debate on 'comfort women'

Abstract: On May 30, three people held a news conference in Tokyo to speak out against a documentary titled “ Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue ,” which focuses on the rhetorical battle over the women who sexually serviced Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. The participants included Nobukatsu Fujioka, vice chairman of the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform, which wants history textbooks to reflect the view that the government at the time did not force these women to work in authorized front-line brothels and that they were, in fact, professional prostitutes. This view is disputed by South Korea, where many comfort women were from, as well as by many Japanese scholars. Fujioka and others claim Japanese-American Miki Dezaki deceived them when the director persuaded them to appear on camera to explain their position. At the time, Dezaki was a graduate student at Sophia University, and the participants believed the interviews were part of Dezaki’s academic research. They had no idea they would end up in a commercially released documentary. They also claim the footage was edited “unfairly” so as to distort their views. It’s a “grotesque piece of propaganda,” Fujioka said, demanding that distribution be halted. Fujioka and six others have decided to take legal action. However, it’s unlikely the screenings will stop. The movie is a hit — or, as much of a hit as can be expected of a low-budget art house documentary on this issue. Screenings at the venue in Tokyo where it has been playing since April 20 have frequently been sold out, thus attracting the attention of the media, which tends to avoid the issue of comfort women. In a May 31 Tokyo Shimbun article , Dezaki denied that he misled his interview subjects. He said the release forms they signed clearly included the possibility that the resulting footage could be publicly shown. All interviewees, including those with views that differed from Fujioka’s and his ilk, were encouraged to speak openly and at length. As filmmaker Tatsuya Mori told the newspaper, it is this parity that makes “Shusenjo” different. “Similar films don’t have both sides in confrontation,” he said. In fact, there is no confrontation, or, at least, not in the direct sense. Although Dezaki presents both sides of the debate in fairly equal proportion, they’re never in the same room together. The arguments put forth have been established for some time, and Dezaki simply juxtaposes them. It is this aspect of the film that Fujioka and other interviewees object to, suggesting that had they known their words would be scrutinized, they wouldn’t have agreed to participate. Several participants use patently discriminatory terms in the film, especially with regard to Koreans, whom one interviewee describes as being inherently dishonest. Another jokingly says feminists are unattractive by definition. Dezaki responded to the charges during a June 3 news conference , insisting that some of the interview subjects had an opportunity to raise their objections before the film’s release. He sent two of them edited footage of their respective interviews and invited them to pre-release screenings. And while objections would not have changed the thrust of the film, Dezaki would have included disclaimers in the credits. However, no one voiced dissatisfaction until after the movie was in theaters. He admitted the film’s structure is that of a graduation thesis. Both sides were allowed to state their views, which Dezaki then analyzes. Significantly, the so-called revisionist position — a term Fujioka and others found offensive but which Dezaki justified semantically — was not touted by any experts, because no experts in that camp agreed to talk to him. The revisionists on screen are not historians, he said, adding that he thought they were less persuasive because they have been fact-checked by people who have studied the issue. The scholars who appear in the documentary also broaden their argument with context about the authoritarian nature of the military government during the war , while the revisionists put forth almost pure dogma. The clincher is an offhand remark by one who admits he has never even read testimonies by former comfort women or, for that matter, anything written by someone with a viewpoint different from his own. Dezaki’s goal was not so much to find out what happened before and during World War II, but rather to probe the current ideological divide in Japan epitomized by the comfort women debate. This becomes obvious when he discusses Japan’s rightward inclination under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the influence of the conservative lobbying group Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi), one of whom appeared on screen. This particular aspect caught a number of viewers off guard. Author and activist Karin Amamiya wrote in the magazine Shukan Kinyobi that, based on the trailer, which focused on “the statements of right wingers” such as journalist Yoshiko Sakurai and American lawyer/TV personality Kent Gilbert, she thought the film would be a polemic but, in fact, the revisionist position comes across as being “sloppy” and ludicrous. Writer Rin Kuboki, commenting in the feminist blog Love Piece Club , said she was dismayed the comfort women had no voice in the film. She was suspicious of Dezaki’s motives but nevertheless flabbergasted by the intellectual laziness of the revisionists. At the news conference, Dezaki explained that some of the revisionists were initially enthusiastic about the project. One even sent him a congratulatory email when he heard it had been picked up for commercial distribution, but the same person condemned it after the release. Dezaki also claimed that Gilbert was willing to promote the film, and then changed his mind. “They had expected I was going to make a film that totally showed their side only. I don’t really understand why they thought this because I told them all that I would be listening to both sides and gradually come to a conclusion,” Dezaki said. “Maybe because they really believe they’re right, they think that it’s impossible for me to hear both sides and come up with my own conclusion.”

shusenjo : the main battleground of the comfort women issue


Japan's convenience stores work hard to stay relevant

Abstract: Ride the Seibu Shinjuku Line to Iriso Station in the city of Sayama, Saitama Prefecture, and you can enjoy shopping at Japan’s oldest franchise convenience store, a Family Mart that opened in September 1973. The following May, the nation’s first 7-Eleven outlet was opened in Toyosu, Koto Ward — not far from the site of Tokyo’s new central fish market. The father of the most successful retailing model in the past half century is 86-year-old Toshifumi Suzuki, who resigned as CEO of Seven and I Holdings Co. in 2016. Credited with building 7-Eleven into Japan’s largest convenience store chain, Suzuki was convinced that such outlets could co-exist with large supermarkets and his vision up to now proved correct. Operated by Seven and I Holdings, 7-Eleven is the industry leader in Japan with 20,925 outlets, followed by FamilyMart (16,426 outlets) and Lawson (14,659 outlets). Minor players in the game include MiniStop (2,183), Poplar (475), New Days, which are operated inside stations by East Japan Railway Co. (more than 900), Daily Yamazaki (1,493) and Seikomart (1,195). “The other day I was on assignment to one of the outer islands, which did not have a single convenience store,” writes telejournalist Jiro Shinbo in Flash (June 18). “I was thinking I’d pick up a magazine to read while eating dessert, maybe some gelatin with fruit, but these were not to be had. A convenience store would have provided an immediate solution.” Shinbo is not to be blamed if he appears a bit jaded as far as access to a retail outlet; in the early 1990s, an ad agency determined that the average resident of Tokyo’s 23 wards lived 4½ minutes on foot from the nearest convenience store. Over the past three decades, that period of time has probably been considerably reduced. Whatever else you might say about convenience stores, they’ve had an amazing run over the past 46 years. Before 1985, Japan still had no 24-hour ATMs and even in Tokyo late-night and all-night businesses were a relative rarity, confined mainly to scattered pockets of “neon” entertainment areas. Then came the vaunted bubble economy and, with it, globalization of financial markets, spurring the need for traders and IT technicians to man keyboards round the clock. Businesses sprang up to serve them — bookstores, restaurants, barber shops, health spas, dentists and so on — spearheading Tokyo’s emergence as a 24-hour city. One by-product of the bubble economy was so-called koshoku (literally “solitary eating”), with parents and children taking more of their meals separately. As the number of single-person households continues to rise, convenience stores have thrived by specializing in small volume or single-portion meals. In its May 24 edition, the Nikkei Marketing Journal, a thrice-weekly newspaper covering retailing and distribution, published the results of a survey conducted by internet survey firm Macromill on convenience store utilization. Valid responses were obtained from 4,841 adults in Japan’s 47 prefectures. The results appeared in an article titled “Twenty-four-hour businesses: What will happen?” Among the reasons respondents gave for entering a convenience store, in second place, named by 43.8 percent, was to use the toilet. And in fourth place, given by 29.6 percent, was to make withdrawals from an ATM. Convenience stores have been in the headlines lately because of the tug-of-war between store owners who want to get off the 24-hour treadmill, and the franchising firms who insist as a condition that they stay open round the clock. Do customers care that much? According to the aforementioned Nikkei survey, those who habitually make purchases between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. accounted for just 3 percent of all customer traffic. And 72.6 percent of respondents — even in large cities where night owls are known to proliferate — agreed that 24-hour store operations should be reconsidered. In contrast to only 8.2 percent of respondents strongly opposed to stores closing during late night/early morning hours, almost 3 out of 4 said they’d be content with operating hours of between 6 a.m. and midnight. A resident of Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward told the Nikkei: “Let the shop decide whether it should operate for 24 hours or not. It should depend on the location.” Meanwhile in a wide-ranging 38-page section titled “Convenience Store Hell,” Weekly Diamond (June 1) examined the various difficulties store franchisers face, along with the two key threats to their wellbeing — the labor shortage and high costs of discarding food items that have passed their consume-by dates. Diamond produced a simulated breakdown of revenue versus expenditure for outlets belonging to the three major chains. In all three cases, while reducing the operating hours resulted in a drop in total sales, franchise owners were still able to realize a slight boost in store profits by closing the store for the night. Among the more notable items in the Diamond issue was a two-page spread of “inside information” on six popular products and services that “torment” store owners, which are unrelated to hours of operation. Each was humorously tagged with the label “ maru-hi ” — with the encircled character “ hi ,” also read kanashii (sad), intended as a pun for a different maru-hi character, meaning “secret.” These include corn dogs on a stick (“It takes two hours to drain off the oil after frying”); handling parcel deliveries (“especially difficult for part-time foreign workers, and the store only earns ¥50 per parcel”); daily products that must be kept in constant supply; oden (hodgepodge stew, due to short shelf life of only six hours before discarding); eat-in counters (“require more cleanup efforts, with coffee spills particularly aggravating”); people who come to pay large denomination tax or utility bills (“a counting error can prove costly”); and in-house coffee dispensers (“customers try to cheat by using a bigger cup”; “machines also malfunction often, requiring more attention from staff”).

convenience stores
lawson
7-eleven
familymart


JAL unit cancels two flights after pilot fails alcohol test

Abstract: Japan Airlines group company Japan Transocean Air canceled two flights Saturday after alcohol was detected when a pilot was tested, JAL officials said. A total of 283 passengers were affected by the cancellation. According to JAL, the male pilot tested positive in the preflight alcohol test at around 6:25 a.m. at Tokyo International Airport in Haneda, effectively barring him from flying. His two flights scheduled for Saturday, one from Haneda to Miyako Island, in Okinawa Prefecture, and the other from Miyako Island to Naha, also in Okinawa Prefecture, were cancelled after the company failed to find a replacement pilot. The captain had consumed a liter of beer and some 720 milliliters of sake between 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Friday, according to the officials. JAL apologized and said that it is working to prevent such incidents from occurring again.

jal
sake
alcohol
beer
japan transocean air


Israel to hold ceremony in Tokyo during 2020 Games for victims of 1972 Munich attack

Abstract: The Olympic Committee of Israel plans to conduct a ceremony at a Tokyo hotel during the 2020 Olympics to honor the 11 Israelis killed by Palestinian guerrillas during the 1972 Munich Olympics, according to its top official. International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach is expected to attend the event on Aug. 2, 2020, along with representatives from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the central government, the Japanese Olympic Committee and spouses of the 11 victims. At the ceremony, 11 candles will be lit and prayers will be offered. Memorial services for the Munich victims have been held during the Summer Olympic since the 2000 Sydney games. “The goal is to ensure this kind of terrorist act does not occur again. This is a reminder, something we must not forget,” said Gilad Lustig, executive director of the Olympic Committee of Israel. Invitations are to be sent to national Olympic committees attending the Tokyo Games. “We are pleading with the representatives of Arab nations to strip away the politics from sports and join us,” Lustig said of nations that are politically opposed to Israel. The attack took place in the Israeli team’s apartments in the athletes’ village. The attack and a botched rescue attempt by German police left 11 coaches, athletes and judges dead in the worst tragedy in Olympic history. Widows of two of the slain Israelis, Ankie Spitzer and Ilana Romano, have petitioned the IOC to remember the fallen Olympians as a part of the games’ opening ceremonies, but so far that plea has been rejected. However, just before the start of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the IOC held a memorial service in the athletes’ village for those who have died during the Olympics, including the Israeli victims.

terrorism
ioc
2020 tokyo olympics
2020 tokyo paralympics


Anniversary of 2008 stabbing spree that claimed the lives of seven people marked in Tokyo's Akihabara district

Abstract: Passersby laid flowers and offered prayers at an intersection in the Akihabara district of Tokyo on Saturday, the site of a deadly stabbing spree 11 years ago. A man in his 30s from Tokyo’s Suginami Ward laid flowers with a message reading: “Ganbaro!! Akiba!!” which means, “Let’s Keep It Up!! Akihabara!!” “I want to express my condolences to the victims,” said the man, who also offered flowers at the scene of the recent stabbing rampage that occurred in Kawasaki and mainly targeted schoolchildren. “I want (Akihabara) to be a peaceful and safe area,” he added. On June 8, 2008, Tomohiro Kato, now a 36-year-old inmate on death row, rammed a truck into a crowd of people in a holiday vehicle-free area near Akihabara Station and then went on a rampage with a dagger. The incident left seven people dead and 10 others injured. Shuitsu Otomo, 42, a company worker from Tokyo’s Adachi Ward who worked at the same security company with Kato around 2003, also offered his prayers to the victims. Otomo had contact with Kato until some two years before the incident. “I feel guilty, as a friend, for failing to prevent the incident from happening,” Otomo said. “To prevent a recurrence of a similar incident, I want to be of help for those who have some problems.”


Trump's top two trade advisers opposed decision to impose tariffs on Mexico, sources say

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Frustrated at an unending flow of migrants across the country’s southern border, U.S. President Donald Trump overruled the advice of his two top trade advisers in abruptly imposing tariffs on Mexico, sources familiar with the situation said on Friday. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were both “blindsided” when Trump made the decision, said one of the sources. Lighthizer had expressed fears that slapping the tariffs on Mexico could complicate efforts to get Congress to approve a recently agreed upon trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada, said the sources, who asked not to be identified. Trump announced on Thursday that as of June 10 he would impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods coming from Mexico and would continue to ratchet it higher until Mexico takes action to stop an increase in mostly Central American migrants crossing the border. Jeff Emerson, a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, said on Friday that Lighthizer “supports the president and supports what the president is doing.” But the sources said Lighthizer had disagreed with Trump on the tariffs. Emerson said the Office of the United States Trade Representative will not be administering the Mexico tariffs, as it has done for duties levied on some $250 billion of Chinese goods in Trump’s trade war with Beijing. Instead, he referred questions about the tariffs on Mexico to the Department of Homeland Security, which will be the lead agency in the effort. Spokespersons for the U.S. Treasury and DHS could not immediately be reached for comment. Trump had grown increasingly agitated in recent days about the situation along the border, frustrated that nothing his administration had tried was stopping the surge in migrant arrivals, two administration officials said. In April, U.S. border officers apprehended nearly 99,000 people crossing the United States’ southern border, the highest monthly figure since 2007. Trump has diverted money from government agencies to pay for a border wall, an effort that has been tied up in courts, and his administration has separated some migrants from their children, but the policies have not had a significant effect on reducing the number of people crossing illegally. He is eager to use immigration as an issue for his 2020 re-election campaign, but is under pressure to show results that he promised during his 2016 presidential run. Trump had in the past talked about getting tougher on Mexico with tariffs but advisers had talked him out of it. This time, however, he decided to go ahead, two sources close to him said. “He’s putting his foot down,” one said. Trump felt that tariffs had forced Mexico to respond to U.S. concerns over trade relations in the past and wanted to try the tactic again. The decision was supported by Stephen Miller, his hawkish immigration adviser, the administration officials said. CNBC, which initially reported the opposition by Mnuchin and Lighthizer, quoted a source as saying Trump made the decision on immigration after becoming “riled up” by conservative radio commentary about the surge in border crossings. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said earlier on CNBC that he believed Mexico will respond “very favorably and very quickly” to Trump’s tariff action. In Mexico, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador predicted that Trump would ease up on his demands and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said he had begun negotiating with officials in Washington. Navarro praised Trump’s tariff plan as a “brilliant move” to pressure Mexico to help secure its own southern border and break up criminal gangs that he said were profiting from facilitating migration from Central America and through Mexico to the United States.

immigration
trade
mexico
tariffs
robert
donald trump
steve mnuchin
lighthizer


Retaliation? China draws up 'unreliables' list

Abstract: NEW YORK/BEIJING - In an ominous but vague warning, China said Friday that it was drawing up a list of “unreliable” foreign companies, organizations and individuals for targeting, which could signal retaliation for U.S. sanctions on the Chinese tech powerhouse Huawei. “We think it may be the beginning of Beijing’s attempt to roll out a retaliatory framework,” said Paul Triolo of the global risk assessment firm Eurasia Group. “That could include a number of other elements, such as restrictions on rare earth shipments” — minerals that are crucial in many mobile devices and electric cars made by U.S. companies. The move follows additional measures earlier in the week that deepen the bite of U.S. sanctions imposed on Huawei in mid-May amid an escalating trade war, whose backdrop is the two powers’ struggle for long-term technological and economic dominance. Several leading U.S.-based global technology standards-setting groups announced restrictions on Huawei’s participation in their activities under the U.S. Commerce Department restrictions, which bar the sale and transfer of U.S. technology to Huawei without government approval. Such groups are vital battlegrounds for industry players, who use them to try to influence the development of next-generation technologies in their favor. Excluding Huawei would put the company at serious disadvantage against rivals outside China. Also Friday, The Financial Times said the company had ordered employees to cancel technical meetings with Americans and sent home U.S. employees working at its Chinese headquarters. Huawei is the world’s No. 1 network equipment provider and second-largest smartphone maker. U.S. officials claim Huawei is legally beholden to China’s ruling Communists, who could use the company’s products for cyberespionage, though the U.S. has presented no evidence of intentional spying. In blacklisting Huawei, the Commerce Department cited the company’s theft of intellectual property and evasion of Iran sanctions. A 90-day grace period allows continued support of existing Huawei equipment. But under the export restrictions, U.S. suppliers including Qualcomm, Intel, Google and Microsoft cannot ship computer chips, software and other components for new Huawei equipment. In apparent response, a spokesman for China’s commerce ministry said Friday in Beijing that it was establishing a list of foreign enterprises, organizations and individuals deemed to be “unreliable entities.” Entities are “unreliable” if they “fail to comply with market rules, break from the spirit of contracts and block or stop supplying Chinese enterprise for noncommercial reasons, seriously damaging the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a news briefing. Gao said “necessary measures” against the transgressors would be announced “in the near future.” He said the creation of China’s list is justified by national security concerns and Beijing’s opposition to trade protection and “unilateralism” — a likely reference to the Trump administration’s go-it-alone approach to global trade and security policy. But China’s options are limited. Triolo of Eurasia Group said China doesn’t have any retaliatory options that don’t also hurt China’s business climate. Cutting exports of rare earth minerals to the U.S., for instance, could also hurt China, as the country is the leading exporter of such materials. In the latest blow to Huawei, the world’s largest association of technical professionals, IEEE, moved this past week to restrict its employees from peer-reviewing research papers, citing the U.S. sanctions. The New Jersey-based IEEE is a leading developer of telecommunications, information technology and power generation standards and claims 422,000 members in more than 160 countries, more than half of them outside the United States. It has about 200 different publications. China’s state news agency, Xinhua, said Chinese scientists have no choice but to leave IEEE, calling the decision a “smear” that will damage the scientific organization’s objectivity and authority. “We all believe that IEEE is an international society, not just one belonging to the U.S,” Zhang Haixia, a nanotechnology scientist at Peking University, posted on her lab’s social media account. She said she was leaving two IEEE editorial boards. Also this past week, two major international standards organizations — the Wi-Fi Alliance and SD Association — said they were temporarily restricting Huawei participation in activities covered by the U.S. restrictions. Kevin Schader, spokesman for the San Ramon, California-based SD Association, said Huawei is unable to participate in developing standards for memory cards. The group has 900 members worldwide. The development of standards for next-generation 5G wireless equipment — in which Huawei has played a central role — is exempt from the U.S. restrictions until the grace period ends on Aug. 21. That exemption could be extended. Many analysts consider the restrictions a pressure tactic by Washington to encourage a wholesale ban by European allies on Huawei equipment in their 5G rollouts, which countries including Britain, France and Germany have resisted. The Financial Times, meantime, quoted Huawei’s chief strategy architect, Dang Wenshuan, as saying that U.S. citizens working in research and development at the company’s Shenzhen headquarters were sent home two weeks ago. It said a workshop under way at Huawei at the time was “hastily disbanded, and American delegates were asked to remove their laptops, isolate their networks and leave the Huawei premises.” The paper quoted Dang as saying that Huawei was also limiting interactions between its employees and American citizens.

china
trade
espionage
telecoms
huawei
donald trump
trade war


Japanese government unveils measures aimed at revitalizing the economy, including increase of minimum wage

Abstract: The government has unveiled a draft package of measures aimed at revitalizing the economy, including raising minimum wages, supporting the “employment ice age generation” and promoting online administrative procedures. The package, part of the government’s annual economic and fiscal policy guidelines to be adopted in late June, was presented at a meeting of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy on Friday. Minimum wages have been raised by some 3 percent per year on average over the past three years. Private-sector members of the panel have called for an increase of some 5 percent this year. For the so-called employment ice age generation — people in their 30s and 40s who struggled to find jobs following the bursting of the country’s economic bubble in the early 1990s — the government plans to implement a three-year intensive support program. Specifically, the program will help people who are working under unstable labor conditions or doing jobs they do not like find different jobs. “We want to support people who pursue new or better careers,” economic revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a news conference after the panel meeting.

ldp
diet
toshimitsu motegi
wages
minimum wage


Tariffs test limit of emergency powers

Abstract: NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - Analysis U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to impose a tariff on all Mexican goods to push Mexico to halt a surge in illegal immigrants is likely to be challenged in court and will test the scope of the president’s emergency powers. Trump dramatically intensified his quest to limit asylum-seekers arriving at the border, including families fleeing violence in Central America, by threatening to impose the tariffs starting on June 10. Financial markets reeled and business leaders on both sides of the border were taken by surprise, prompting discussions of legal action to curtail Republican Trump’s use of a law never previously used to impose tariffs. Jennifer Hillman, a Georgetown Law school trade law professor, questioned Trump’s citation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) in his announcement on Thursday night. “If you read the text of IEEPA, it’s about the president being able to declare a national emergency to be able to stop financial transactions,” said Hillman, a former World Trade Organization judge. The law has been used by presidents to impose sanctions on countries such as Iran and Sudan, but Trump’s proposed novel application of it has never been addressed by the courts, according to legal experts. “It’s clearly beyond the spirit of the law,” said Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School. “But is it within the letter of the law? Possibly.” Some legal experts said that unlike many of Trump’s immigration policies that have been blocked by courts, the tariff threat may survive a challenge because it was wrapped up as a national security measure. Challengers would have to show the president was acting outside the letter of the law and national security interest, a difficult standard to meet because of the wide authority given to the executive branch under the act. Lawyers who advise large corporations said clients were interested in pursuing legal action to block the tariffs. The declined to identify the corporations. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a major business lobby group, said it might sue. The IEEPA gives the president power in times of “unusual and extraordinary threat” to regulate a wide range of economic activity. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat, used the law to block all the assets in the United States belonging to Iran after Americans in Tehran were taken hostage. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the move, saying the IEEPA “was sweeping and unqualified.” Using the law as a tool to cut the flow of immigrants arguably falls outside the intent of Congress, which adopted the IEEPA to respond to violent threats, said Raj Bhala, a professor at the University of Kansas School of Law who specializes in international trade. White House spokesman Judd Deere said on Friday that Trump is acting within his authority to protect national security. “Industry should be in communication with their counterparts in Mexico to encourage the Mexican government to work with the Administration and stave off the dangerous crisis at our southern border as quickly as possible,” Deere said. White House officials say the immigration system is overwhelmed by thousands of migrants, many of whom turn themselves over to U.S. border officials to claim asylum. In April, Trump took a step back from an earlier threat to close the southern border to stanch the flow of people, under pressure from companies worried that a shutdown would cause chaos for businesses. Trump has been unable to get sufficient funding from Congress to fulfill his 2016 campaign promise to build a wall along the border. The Mexican tariffs are to be administered by the Department of Homeland Security, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office. Hillman, the former WTO judge, said that was unusual. Courts tend to defer to the president on national security, as the U.S. Court of International Trade did in March in ruling against a challenge to U.S. steel tariffs imposed by Trump under a different law. There are other avenues to challenge the tariffs outside U.S. courts. Bhala said the tariffs would almost certainly run afoul of both the North American Free Trade Agreement and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). It is not yet clear how Trump’s tariff threat will affect the trade negotiations with Mexico to replace NAFTA. Both agreements allow members countries to initiate disputes against one another, and NAFTA also allows investors to take action against governments. However, Bhala said, the NAFTA and WTO dispute resolution processes are slow, taking years to reach a final judgment, and can be difficult to enforce. Yet another avenue is to go to the U.S. Congress, said Steven Schwinn, a professor at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. “Congress doesn’t need to delegate this kind of authority to the president and particularly this president,” said Schwinn. “If Congress wants to take back that authority, they can take that back.”

congress
immigration
trade
mexico
tariffs
donald trump


G20 to beef up steps against money laundering using crypto-assets at Fukuoka meeting

Abstract: The Group of 20 major economies plan to agree on compiling additional steps by 2021 against money laundering and funding of terrorist groups through the use of crypto-assets, sources close to the matter said Saturday. The G20 finance ministers and central bank governors are set to urge the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body, to devise new measures to prevent the malicious use of cryptocurrency and other advanced technologies when they gather in the city of Fukuoka for a two-day meeting from June 8, the sources said. The chiefs are also expected to formally agree on strengthening regulations on cryptocurrency exchange operators such as requiring government registration. Concerns are growing that cryptocurrencies will be used to fund terrorist organizations and other criminal acts by exploiting their anonymity. A U.N. panel of experts said in March that cryptocurrency has given North Korea a new way to evade sanctions since “they are harder to trace, can be laundered many times and are independent from government regulation.” It said Pyongyang successfully launched attacks on cryptocurrency exchanges in Asia, including Japan, at least five times between January 2017 and last September, leading to a total loss of $571 million. The FATF, an international standard-setting body that promotes steps to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, has been pushing for strengthened monitoring of cryptocurrency exchanges and the verification of customer identities. In Japan, registration is already mandatory for cryptocurrency exchanges due to a revision of the Payment Services Act that came into effect in April 2017. The law also gives authorities the power to issue orders for business improvement and suspension. The G20 chiefs are also set to ask members to report on possible countermeasures utilizing IT such as employing artificial intelligence technology to detect suspicious transactions, the sources said. They will agree to accelerate efforts toward establishing rules on compensating investors and customers for theft of their cryptocurrencies, the sources said.