Pyongyang hits 'evil ambition' of Washington, and says use of strength not a U.S. monopoly

Abstract: WASHINGTON - North Korea on Wednesday accused the United States of showing bad faith in negotiations by conducting nuclear and missile tests and military drills as part of an “evil ambition” to conquer North Korea by force, even while advocating dialogue. In the latest uptick in angry rhetoric from Pyongyang after a failed summit with the United States in February, a North Korean Foreign Ministry statement repeated complaints about an ongoing U.S. sanctions campaign, including the seizure of one of the country’s biggest cargo ships, and warned that “use of strength is not at all a monopoly of the United States.” The statement, attributed to the Policy Research Director of the ministry’s Institute for American Studies and carried by official media, noted that the United States had conducted a subcritical nuclear test on Feb. 13, just days before a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. “The U.S. has thus showcased its ulterior intention that it seeks a strength-based solution of the issues, though outwardly it advocates for dialogue,” the statement said. It aimed fresh attacks at John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, accusing them and other high-ranking U.S. officials of having “insulted the dignity of our supreme leadership and spitted out abusive language” by calling North Korea a “rogue regime.” It also accused the U.S. officials of a “hostile scheme to stifle us by force” by warning that Washington would “change its path” if North Korea did not give up its nuclear weapons. The statement condemned recent joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises and U.S. missile defense drills and test launches of intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The statement also complained of increasing reconnaissance flights over North Korea and accused Washington of “maneuvers” to deploy sophisticated landing craft in Japan and nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missiles around the Korean Peninsula. “All the above clearly shows that the June 12 … Joint Statement is not within the consideration of the United States and there is no change at all in the American evil ambition to conquer (North Korea) by force,” it said, referring to a commitment by Trump and Kim at a first summit last year to establish a new era of relations. “The U.S. should better bear in mind that its hostile acts will only bring about the result of adding tension to the already unstable Korean Peninsula and inviting adverse current. Use of strength is not at all a monopoly of the United States,” the statement said. It comes days after Trump, who says he is keen to pursue talks with Kim even while maintaining a hard-line sanctions policy, sought to play down North Korea’s first missile tests since 2017 conducted earlier in May. Trump said they had involved only short-range weapons and North Korea had stuck to a freeze in nuclear and ICBM tests. He appeared to contradict Bolton, who had said there was “no doubt” the North Korean launches had violated U.N. Security Council resolutions.

u.s .
north korea
nuclear weapons
north korea nuclear crisis
donald trump
mike pompeo
john bolton


Nepal marks first Everest ascent amid debate over permits after crowded, deadly season

Abstract: KATHMANDU - Nepal commemorated the anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Everest on Wednesday amid a climbing season marred by the highest death toll in four years and a debate on whether the government should limit permits to prevent dangerous overcrowding on the world’s highest peak. Government officials said at an event in Kathmandu celebrating the successful climb of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953 that there were no plans to cap permits. Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries, takes in $300 million each year from climbing. A record number of 381 permits were issued this year. Eleven people have died on Everest, including nine in Nepal, likely due to altitude sickness, which is caused by low amounts of oxygen at high elevation and can lead to headaches, vomiting, shortness of breath and mental confusion. Because of the altitude, climbers have just hours to reach the top before they are at risk of a pulmonary edema, when the lungs fill with liquid causing respiratory failure. Mountaineers described traffic jams caused by exhausted rookies in the “death zone,” the final phase of the ascent from Camp Four at 8,000 meters (26,240 feet) to the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) peak. The nine deaths this year on Nepal’s side of the mountain included Don Cash, a sales executive from Utah, and Christopher Kulish, an attorney from Colorado, who both died on their way down from the summit. Kulish, 62, had just reached the top with a small group, according to his brother, Mark Kulish. That earned him a place in the “Seven Summit Club” of mountaineers who have reached the highest peaks on every continent, his brother said. Cash, 55, who also joined the Seven Summit Club with his climb, collapsed at the top and was given CPR and massages by his two Sherpa guides. He got up only to fall again in the same way at Hillary Step, the first cliff face down from the summit. Two other climbers — from Ireland and Austria — died on the northern side of the mountain in Chinese territory, according to media reports. On Wednesday, Nepalese government minister Gokul Prasad Baskota said the congestion on Everest wasn’t due to the mismanagement of climbing permits but rather the inadequate training of some climbers. Renowned mountaineer Um Hong-gil of South Korea, who was honored by the Nepal government at the event commemorating the 66th Everest anniversary, said the number of climbers should be scaled back and only those with proper training and experience should be allowed. “There should definitely be less permits issued and more experienced climbers on Everest,” Um said. He said the endeavor — once only possible for well-heeled elite mountaineers — has changed greatly since he first climbed Everest in 1988, in part because of advanced weather forecasting technology that more accurately predicts clear conditions, leading to pileups at the peak. “Many people are now taking climbing Everest very lightly and as entertainment only, which they think they can do without much training,” Um said. The Nepal Mountaineering Association, an umbrella body of expedition operators, said it would push the government to require climbers to adequately prepare for what Um described as an extremely taxing physical and mental task. “The government needs to come up with strict policies to control the inexperienced climbers from attempting to scale Everest,” said the association’s president, Santa Bir Lama. Lama also faulted private trekking companies that are more focused on expanding their client base than safety. He also said that government permits, which are often issued to climbers just days before their expeditions, should be issued months in advance to give climbers time to fully prepare. A climber from Kashmir who returned to Kathmandu after a failed attempt on Everest agreed that there should be a standard that climbers must meet. “People just throw the cash and get a permit to climb Everest because there are no criteria,” said Rizza Alee. “Lots of people I saw were inexperienced.” Expedition operators said they do vet climbers’ experience and ability before signing up them up and that even seasoned mountaineers sometimes lose their lives on Everest. “In the mountains it is always unpredictable,” said Mingma Sherpa of Seven Summits Treks, one of the biggest expedition companies in Nepal. Sherpa said the government cannot limit the number of permits because of the lasting draw of the world’s highest peak. “People from all over the world would want to come visit Everest and that cannot be stopped,” he said.

mount everest
kathmandu
mountaineering
edmund hillary
tenzing norgay
mountains


Kashmir civilian killed and scores wounded in anti-India clashes

Abstract: SRINAGAR, INDIA - Two gunbattles between Indian troops and Kashmiri rebels triggered a new round of anti-India protests and clashes in the disputed Himalayan region on Wednesday which left one civilian dead and at least 100 others injured, police and residents said. Protesters helped rebels escape at one of the clashes. The fighting erupted after Indian forces raided two villages in the southern areas of Shopian and Kulgam on a tip that rebels were hiding there, and came under fire from them, police said. Residents said troops blasted at least three civilian homes with explosives in both villages, a common anti-militancy tactic employed by Indian troops in Kashmir. As news of the counterinsurgency operations spread, protests and clashes against Indian rule broke out in both areas with hundreds of people trying to reach the sites of the fighting to save the trapped militants. Government forces fired bullets, shotguns and tear gas to stop stone-throwing protesters. A young civilian was killed and at least 100 others were injured during the fierce clashes. In the gunbattle in Kulgam, where most of the injuries occurred, hundreds of residents barraged troops with stones and abuse and forced them to retreat. At least two militants were rescued from the rubble of a blasted home by residents, who celebrated with pro-rebel slogans and cheers, witnesses said. The gunbattle and clashes involving civilians were continuing in Shopian. Hospital officials said many of the injured were hit by shotgun pellets in the eyes and were being treated in a hospital in Srinagar, Kashmir’s main city. International rights groups have repeatedly condemned the use of shotguns against protesters armed only with stones. However, troops have continued using the weapons. India and Pakistan each claim the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989. Most Kashmiris support the rebels’ demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. About 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian crackdown.

conflict india kashmir terrorism islam shopian kulgam


Japan to tighten checks on South Korean fishery products in apparent Fukushima ban tit-for-tat

Abstract: The health ministry said Thursday that it will strengthen inspections on flatfish and some other fishery products from South Korea starting Saturday. The ministry characterized the measure as an effort to safeguard the health of Japanese people ahead of summer, when food poisoning cases tend to increase. But the tighter inspections are likely a de facto countermeasure against South Korea, which has banned imports of fishery products from Fukushima and seven other prefectures since the March 2011 nuclear disaster at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 plant, analysts say. According to the ministry, the tighter inspections will also cover refrigerated shucked arch shells, fan mussels, cockles and sea urchins. For some of the items, imports from countries other than South Korea will also be subject to the stricter checks. The ministry will raise the annual number of South Korean flatfish covered by inspections for parasites that may cause diarrhea and other problems to 600 from the current 300. The number of patients who suffered food poisoning in Japan due to parasites in South Korean flatfish stood at 62 in 2015, 113 in 2016, 47 in 2017 and 82 in 2018. The ministry will also double the number of inspections on other fishery products, such as arch shells, for pathogenic microorganisms. It is considering a further increase in the number of checks depending on the results. In April, the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization overturned a lower body’s ruling that South Korea’s import ban on Japanese fishery products from the eight prefectures amounted to unfair discrimination.

fukushima
fukushima no . 1
food
radiation
tohoku
south korea
fish
3.11
food poisoning
mhlw


Chimps chomp on crabs: In world first, Kyoto professor and team observe apes eating aquatic animals

Abstract: KYOTO - An international research team that included Kyoto University professor Tetsuro Matsuzawa has said it has observed wild chimpanzees preying on river crabs for the first time. The finding is contrary to the common belief that anthropoid apes, such as chimpanzees and gorillas, the closest species to humans, do not eat aquatic animals. A paper on the study was published Wednesday in an online version of the Journal of Human Evolution. In 2012, the team observed chimpanzees eating river crabs at a water hole in the forests of Guinea, in West Africa. The team set up camera traps at four water holes between 2012 and 2014 and managed to record chimpanzees eating the crabs 181 times. “Our study is the first evidence showing that non-human apes regularly catch and eat aquatic fauna,” Kathelijne Koops, researcher at the Department of Anthropology at the University of Zurich, said in the research paper. The research team discovered that chimpanzees living in the rain forest in the Nimba Mountains of Guinea consumed freshwater crabs year-round. The chimpanzees searched for crabs in shallow streams in the mountainous rain forest region by scratching and digging up the riverbed with their fingers. Although the chimpanzees ate the crabs throughout the year, they were seen eating crabs more often when they were not eating ants. According to the team, river crabs and ants have similar nutritional compositions. “Female chimpanzees and their offspring fished for crabs more often and for longer than adult males, which we had not expected,” Koops said. A possible explanation for this finding may be that crabs provide essential fatty acids, as well as micronutrients such as sodium and calcium, which are crucial for maternal and infant health. Studies have found that human ancestors ate fish, turtles and other aquatic animals as far back as 2 million years ago, when they left forests to live in the savanna. Matsuzawa said that humans may have been eating aquatic animals since the earliest humans lived in forests over 4 million years ago. “The study may give us a clue to find out when and how humans began to eat aquatic animals,” Matsuzawa said. The team also said there was no correlation between the crab-fishing activity and the amount of monthly rainfall. The rate of crab-fishing remained the same in both the dry and rainy seasons.

animals
kyoto university
crabs
chimpanzees
monkeys
journal of human evolution


App developed by Keio University and startup proves effective in helping smokers quit

Abstract: Ahead of World No Tobacco Day on Friday, smokers who have been fighting a lonely battle against nicotine addiction were given another option in their quest to kick the habit. Keio University and CureApp Inc., a Tokyo-based medical technology startup, announced Thursday that a clinical trial has proven the effectiveness of their smartphone app designed to help smokers quit. The app analyzes information from patients undergoing smoking cessation treatment, such as their health condition and the level of carbon monoxide in their breath, in order to give them daily advice on what they should do to keep themselves from lighting up. “In normal smoking cessation treatment, doctors are unable to treat patients’ psychological addiction until their next regularly scheduled session. This has been an obstacle for patients who had to fight (the addiction) alone,” said Dr. Kota Satake, president of the organization and a respiratory physician, in a statement. Thus, the patients can check the app every day to ease their psychological addiction. The university and medical venture conducted trials of the app with the cooperation of 572 people who sought medical help at 31 medical institutions in the country from October 2017 to the end of 2018. A total of 285 people used the app during the trial, while 287 didn’t use it. They found 64 percent of the group who used the app remained smoke-free six months later, while only 50 percent of the group without the app had kept themselves from smoking. “To deliver this app, which will make up for the shortcomings of (smoking cessation) treatment, as soon as possible, I will put all my effort into getting government approval for the app as a medical tool, and having it covered under the public medical insurance system,” Satake said. In Japan, 17.7 percent of people in their 20s or older regularly smoked tobacco in 2017, with the percentage decreasing from 24.4 percent in 2007, according to the health ministry. The highest ratio of smokers were males in their 30s and 40s at around 40 percent. While treatment to help people quit smoking has been covered by public medical insurance since fiscal 2006, a study conducted by the health ministry in fiscal 2017 shows that only 27 percent of those who went through it succeeded in staying away from smoking a year after they started treatment. Momentum for a smoke-free environment has been pushed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government ahead of the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. The metropolitan government will submit a bill in June to the metropolitan assembly to fully implement an ordinance that bans smoking in restaurants and bars, regardless of the number of employees and size.

smoking
apps
addiction
keio university
cureapp


Half of Tokyo firms are unprepared for Olympic traffic congestion, survey finds

Abstract: Nearly half of some 500 companies based in central Tokyo that were polled in a recent survey have yet to make plans to circumvent the traffic congestion expected during the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics. Altogether, 44.3 percent of the 475 respondents to the survey conducted in March by the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry said they have not come up with a strategy for the busy period at the time of the games, although they recognize the need to do so. Some respondents to the survey, already facing labor shortages, said they are occupied with more pressing challenges such as the government’s planned consumption tax hike in October. But 80.3 percent said they are open to changing their operations to lessen congestion in the capital, according to the survey, which reached out to 10,000 firms in central Tokyo. The organizing committee of the Tokyo Games predicts congestion on expressways in the metropolitan area next summer will be twice as bad as a non-Olympic year if nothing is done to reduce it. To encourage companies to reduce the movement of staff, the organizing committee is requesting that businesses encourage employees to work from home or implement staggered office hours. To avoid congestion linked to the movement of goods, it is asking companies to shift delivery times and routes. In a multiple-choice question asking respondents about the progress of their preparations, 5.1 percent said they have started discussing the matter internally and 3.4 percent said they began discussing plans with clients, the survey showed. Only 0.6 percent of the responding companies said they were in the process of compiling an action plan, according to the survey. In regards to preparations for traffic jams, 49.9 percent said they expected difficulties in securing workers in off-peak hours, 41.5 percent said it is hard to get customers’ understanding and cooperation, and 29.7 percent said they expect to shoulder additional costs.

transportation
olympics
firms
2020 tokyo olympics
tokyo chamber of commerce and industry


Japan's CDP, DPP and JCP won't face each other in one-seat districts in bid to topple Abe's LDP

Abstract: The main opposition parties have decided to field single candidates in most one-seat districts in this summer’s Upper House election to more effectively face off with ruling party candidates, their members said Wednesday. Under the agreement involving the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and the Japanese Communist Party, the parties have agreed to cooperate in 30 out of the 32 constituencies where one seat will be contested. In 14 of the 30 districts, the parties have agreed not to run against independent candidates. “We are taking an important step toward toppling the government (of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe),” Yukio Edano, leader of the CDP, told reporters after a meeting of the opposition forces. An election needs to be held as the six-year term for half the members of the House of Councilors will expire on July 28. A total of 124 seats will be up for grabs in the upcoming Upper House race, with voters casting two ballots — one to choose electoral district representatives and one under proportional representation. The opposition parties are trying to align with each other to avoid the risk of splitting the vote, as media polls continue to show that their support lags behind Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. They also agreed during the meeting to coordinate candidates for a possible House of Representatives snap election, which they think could be called by Abe to coincide with the Upper House race. Abe has not hinted at such a double election so far, and there are more than two years left until the current term of Lower House members expires. But opposition parties may face an uphill battle if a double election takes place, pundits say. On Wednesday, a close aide of Abe said it is solely up to the prime minister to decide whether to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election, while playing down speculation of a simultaneous vote. “I work closely with the prime minister but the issue has never been raised,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said on a radio program. “It doesn’t feel like (a double election is coming) at all.” LDP election chief Akira Amari also said during a TV program on Monday that he puts the probability of a double election not happening at “99 percent.” Taking into account the schedule of the ongoing regular Diet session, which ends on June 26, and the time needed for preparation, some ruling party lawmakers say that Abe may have to decide by mid-June whether to go for a double election. July 21 has so far been seen as the most likely date for the Upper House election, if the current Diet session is not extended. LDP Diet affairs chief Hiroshi Moriyama on Wednesday said there was no need to consider an extension, telling reporters that deliberations over bills in the Lower House are nearing an end. Of the 30 districts where the opposition will cooperate in the Upper House election, the CDP will field candidates in seven prefecture-based constituencies, such as Aomori and Miyagi, followed by the DPP’s five. The JCP will submit candidates in three districts, including two electoral constituencies that are each made up of two neighboring prefectures — Tottori and Shimane, as well as Tokushima and Kochi. Independent candidates will run in 14 districts. The candidate to run in the remaining district is undecided.


Japan to extend ¥132.7 billion in loans to Bangladesh for construction of commercial port and high-speed railway

Abstract: The government said Wednesday it will extend ¥132.7 billion (about $1.2 billion) in loans to Bangladesh to help the South Asian nation improve its infrastructure. “We will work together for the development of Bangladesh and beyond and achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific region,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a joint news conference after meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Japan views Bangladesh as an important partner as Tokyo seeks to facilitate the flow of people and goods by building infrastructure in the Indo-Pacific region, where China is expanding its influence. The yen loans will be used toward the construction of a commercial port in Bangladesh’s southeast region and a high-speed railway in Dhaka, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Hasina said infrastructure is “critical,” adding that she got assurances from Abe that Japan will continue its support. At the talks, Abe and Hasina also discussed the humanitarian issue pertaining to the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and agreed to cooperate in the fight against terrorism. A 2016 attack in Dhaka killed 22 people, including seven Japanese. “I thank the Japanese government for their generous support to handle the crisis and for their efforts to support the early repatriation of the displaced people to Myanmar,” Hasina said. She called on Myanmar to create an “atmosphere” to realize their return. The Japanese and Bangladeshi leaders agreed on the importance of maintaining U.N. Security Council resolutions until North Korea denuclearizes, Abe said. Hasina expressed support for Japan’s desire to become a permanent member of the U.N. body. Japan and Bangladesh have close economic ties with a number of Japanese companies operating in the South Asian country. Japan exports steel and machinery to Bangladesh, while Bangladesh is a major exporter of clothes to Japan. Hasina is visiting Japan for the fifth time since she became prime minister in 2009.

shinzo abe
rail
bangladesh
infrastructure
sheikh hasina
bangladesh-japan relations


'Give birth to at least three kids': Japan ex-minister under fire for linking single women to low birthrate

Abstract: Just a little over a month after resigning as the Olympics minister over a gaffe, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yoshitaka Sakurada has again found himself in hot water, this time by urging women to have at least three children. While attending a gathering hosted by another LDP lawmaker in Chiba Prefecture on Wednesday, Sakurada addressed the problem of the nation’s shrinking population in a speech where he reportedly urged the audience there to tell their children and grandchildren to “give birth to at least three kids,” according to domestic media. He was also quoted as saying “unfortunately, there has been an increasing number of women who are content to remain single.” Sakurada’s comment was immediately slammed by critics as being insensitive. His remarks echoed a similar gaffe made by Kanji Kato, also an LDP lawmaker, in a faction meeting last year. Kato revealed that when he attends wedding receptions he often tells newlywed couples that they “must raise at least three children.” Kato was immediately forced to apologize and retract his remark. In a statement addressed to media later Wednesday, Sakurada said he had “no intention of hurting anyone’s feelings.” “I only wished to convey the importance of creating an environment where people who wish to have children can give birth and raise them easily and with a sense of security.” The comments have placed Sakurada back into the media spotlight after he was effectively forced out of his post as the Olympics minister just last month over comments he made about reconstruction efforts in Tohoku, large areas of which were devastated by the March 2011 quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster. At a fundraising party for LDP lawmaker Hinako Takahashi, Sakurada reportedly said in a speech that Takahashi was “more important than reconstruction” in Tohoku. Even before that, Sakurada, a seventh-term lawmaker who represents a Chiba constituency, had repeatedly made headlines over misstatements and blunders. He once admitted at a Diet committee that, despite doubling as the minister in charge of cybersecurity, he had never used a computer. Renho, a Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker and the former leader of the now-defunct Democratic Party, posted a series of tweets lambasting Sakurada on Thursday, saying his comment underscored how out of touch he is with the reality faced by women. “When you’re 10 months pregnant, you do feel happiness at the prospect of motherhood, but part of you also feels trepidation about how your maternity/child care leave might affect your work, not to mention the problem of day care shortages. … Giving birth is not easy,” wrote Renho, a mother of two grown children. “The fact a former Cabinet minister thinks the declining number of children is because of unmarried women says so much about why our birthrate never improves.” Gaffes by LDP lawmakers are a recurring issue. The party, ahead of the crucial Upper House elections in July, created a code of conduct to instruct its lawmakers on how to avoid making headlines over ill-advised comments. Lawmakers from other parties have also been prone to putting their foot in their mouth. Hodaka Maruyama, a former Nippon Ishin no Kai lawmaker, was roundly condemned earlier this month for suggesting in an apparently drunken state that Japan wage war with Russia to regain control over the disputed islands off Hokkaido.

children
population
ldp
women
gaffes
yoshitaka sakurada


In bid to prevent more outbreaks of swine fever, two Aichi Prefecture farms to ship pigs early

Abstract: The Aichi Prefectural Government plans to have two farms facing a high risk of being contaminated with swine fever ship their pigs ahead of schedule to prevent the spread of the disease, informed sources said. The early shipments, based on a request by the central government, will start as soon as June, the sources said Wednesday. When all the pigs have been moved out of the farms, the facilities will be thoroughly cleaned and undergo renovations so that wild boars, which are believed to be the disease’s infection source, will not be able to get near the pigs being raised there. In April, the agriculture ministry urged Aichi and neighboring Gifu Prefecture, which both experienced a series of swine fever outbreaks in recent months, to encourage farms within 10 kilometers (6 miles) of locations where infected wild boars were found to send their animals to market earlier than planned. Farms usually send their pigs to be slaughtered after raising them for six months. If the value per pig falls short of the national average of some ¥39,000 due to the early shipments, the central and prefectural governments will make up the difference. Japan confirmed its first swine fever case in 26 years at a farm in Gifu last September. On Saturday, a farm became the 16th facility in the prefecture where a swine fever infection was confirmed. In Gifu, which has had more swine fever cases than Aichi, the prefectural government is prioritizing the vaccination of pigs as a way to prevent the spread of the disease and is cautious about the idea of shipping them out early.

food
agriculture
disease
pigs
aichi
swine fever


Japan Times Bee winner fails to reach final round of U.S. Scripps National Spelling Bee

Abstract: NATIONAL HARBOR, MARYLAND - Wednesday marked the end of the road for Ariya Narayanasamy, winner of this year’s Japan Times Bee, as he failed to advance to the Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals. Despite correctly spelling each word he was given on stage, Narayanasamy’s score on a written exam Monday was not strong enough to place him in the top 50 remaining spellers. The 12-year-old spelled “bandicoot” Tuesday without trouble and deftly navigated his way around the unfamiliar word “pyrexia” Wednesday morning. He had never seen it before but worked methodically to deconstruct the pronunciation of the word and put it back together letter by letter. “Spelling requires concentration and problem solving,” he said later. “You have to know which letters go where. I traced the origins of the word; it was Greek. So I knew there was a ‘y.’ The ‘x’ was challenging to figure out. It’s not usually used in Greek in that way. At the end, I just had to guess a little bit.” With that little educated guess, he went two for two on the stage of the U.S.’s pre-eminent spelling contest held each year in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside Washington. When Narayanasamy first began spelling competitively, he never dreamed of being on such a big stage. His aspirations were more humble, he said. “I just took it as a fun way to express myself.” That enthusiasm, paired with a strong work ethic and appetite for problem-solving, led Narayanasamy to compete at the India International School championship, then the Japan Times Bee, and finally to the U.S. bee. Having done all he could, for the time being, Narayanasamy spent Wednesday afternoon waiting to hear if his written exam score had been enough to put him over the top. But he did not make the cut. “I’m definitely disappointed that I couldn’t make it, but I came this far — and I didn’t expect to. I was proud of myself,” he said. Of the competitors who excelled in both oral on-stage rounds, 50 were selected for the final round Thursday based on the results of the written exam, which tested knowledge of both spelling and vocabulary definitions. Narayanasamy said even though he is not moving on in the competition, he is walking away with new relationships and a better appreciation for the art, science, and competition of spelling. “What I liked the most were the experiences, like making new friends and being on stage. This opens a new area of opportunity. Spelling has helped me a lot,” he said. Narayanasamy’s parents, who accompanied their son to the U.S., said they were proud of his performance and the opportunity he earned to compete. “Him being here in Washington for this competition was a big deal,” said his father, Matheswaran. “Not everybody gets to have this chance. It’s fantastic.” The Japan Times sponsored the younger Narayanasamy’s trip, including airfare for one parent. The Indian remains forward-focused. Soon his attention will shift to the robotics competition he will participate in next month. There will be new friends, something to learn, and another problem to solve.

language
spelling bee
contests
japan times bee


Students and teachers have mixed views on Japanese schools' strict dress and hair codes

Abstract: Many high schools often have regulations on student attire and hairstyles. But in some cases, students as well as teachers are skeptical about the rigorous rules and their strict enforcement. Proponents argue that such rules are necessary to maintain discipline. But what also lies behind the strict guidelines are concerns that sloppy student behavior would tarnish a school’s public image. Regulations vary among schools with some being more detailed than others, regulating such things as the color of socks that are permissible and the length of skirts female students can wear (knee length or longer, for instance). As for hair, some ban bleaching or wavy and curly styles done at salons. “School regulations are minimum rules that we, as an educational institution, want students to abide by,” said a former principal of a private high school in Fukuoka Prefecture. The former principal emphasized that high schools are a place for students to learn, not a place to play around, adding that there would be chaos without a certain amount of discipline. Student behavior also affects the public image of the school, the former principal said. “Even if schools have a high level of after-school activities, English language classes and information and communications technology programs, they will only be praised if students behave respectably,” said the former principal. “That’s why schools place weight on how they dress and wear their hair. In the end, it will be for the sake of the students.” Another teacher in his 30s who works at a Fukuoka Prefecture-run high school agrees that rules benefit the students. “When many students were coming to school dressed in an irregular manner, they performed poorly” in getting into a university or landing a job after graduation, he said. When Nishinippon Shimbun conducted a survey on hairstyle regulations on 95 prefecture-run high schools in Fukuoka Prefecture, many said the rules were instituted so they “wouldn’t negatively affect” a student’s chance of being accepted into a university or in a job hunt. Regulations vary by school. High schools with technical, commercial and other specialty courses, in which many seek a job after graduation, tend to have stricter regulations compared to other high schools where more students aim for higher education. Some of the rules implemented at the schools with special courses include mandating the type and color of shoes and socks to wear, how students should wear their hair, and banning smoking or being around smokers. One high school in the city of Fukuoka, well known for its high academic scores, doesn’t have school regulations, saying it simply asks students to dress properly. “School is a place where students learn to act proactively and be responsible for their actions,” said one of the school’s teachers. “We need to make sure students have a sense of social norms and discipline,” said another teacher at the school. A vice principal of a commercial high school, where company recruiters often come to look for potential hires, says they need to make sure students have the skills and character recruiters are looking for so they can land a job after graduation. When a student is found to have bleached his or her hair in violation of its rules, the school makes sure the student dyes it back to black, the vice principal said. School regulations became stricter in the 1970s amid a time when it was alleged there was increased student violence. Since then, some schools have eased their regulations, including abolishing a rule obliging male students to shave their heads, after lawsuits were filed. But in recent years, some point out that rules have become more detailed and stricter. A teacher in her 40s who works at a high school with special courses in Kagoshima Prefecture admits that regulations help teachers take the same approach in supervising students. She also recalled a school staff meeting in which members called for more detailed regulations, including the appropriate shape and color of belts to be allowed and how long they can wear their bangs. “At that point, there is no way teachers can say that regulations should be eased,” she said. “There is massive pressure to follow suit.” But the disciplinary approach takes a toll on students. In an online post, a Fukuoka Prefecture woman in her 40s shared her discontent over a hair inspection at a public school her son used to attend in the prefecture. One of the teachers told her son to get a haircut. He failed in the subsequent inspection because his hair on the side was still too long. He failed the third time because his bangs were too long and another one for wearing his hair too long in the back. Frustrated, the mother asked how short the hair should be, only to be told to have a proper haircut. He finally passed after he practically shaved his head. “He had to go get a haircut four times” to pass, she said. “The hair inspection criteria seemed to vary teacher by teacher.” The student later entered a university but eventually dropped out and stayed at home, claiming he can’t trust adults anymore. This kind of oppressive approach is not limited to high schools. A male teacher in his 30s who works in a junior high school in Fukuoka Prefecture recalled a case at a school where he used to work. At the school, teachers would provoke them to attack in order to manhandle them and hold them down. “Many staffers just followed what veteran teachers told them to do,” the teacher said. “But using force would only lead students to rebel and hurt them emotionally.” An online survey by consumer products giant Procter & Gamble Japan K.K. showed that about 70 percent of junior high school and high school teachers were skeptical of their schools’ regulations on hairstyles. The survey, conducted in February on 600 junior high and high school students and 400 teachers, also showed that 87 percent of them believe that rules should be revised in line with the times. In their replies, 69 percent of the students said they should be allowed to wear their hair as they liked. Only 9 percent of the students had asked teachers why they have rules on hairstyles.

teachers
education
fukuoka
schools
nishinippon shimbun
fukuoka prefecture


Relatives feared Kawasaki stabbing suspect was becoming a social recluse

Abstract: KAWASAKI - Kawasaki city officials have revealed that relatives of the suspect of Tuesday’s mass stabbing that left a girl and a man dead and injured over a dozen others had been concerned that he was becoming socially isolated. Officials on Wednesday said the city’s mental health and welfare center had been consulted by relatives that 51-year-old Ryuichi Iwasaki “had not worked for a long time and was becoming reclusive.” But the center did not contact the man after a request from his aunt and uncle, with whom he lived, out of concern that it could “incite” him, they said. Iwasaki mostly stayed in his room, hardly speaking to his aunt and uncle in their 80s. The couple gave him some money as he was not working. He ate his meals, which his aunt would prepare and leave in the refrigerator, in solitude. In November 2017, other relatives told the center that they wanted the elderly couple to receive home care but were “worried how (Iwasaki) would react” if nonrelatives entered the house, the officials said. The center spoke multiple times with the couple face-to-face and over the phone, and following the center’s advice, the couple expressed their concerns in a letter in January, which they put it in front of his door. “I take care of myself. I make my meals and do my washing so how dare you say that I am a social recluse,” Iwasaki told his aunt, according to the officials. Iwasaki was sent to live with his uncle and aunt after his parents divorced in his early childhood, according to the officials and other sources. The prefectural police department believes that Iwasaki had scarce contact with others, and that he didn’t own a personal computer nor a mobile phone. The police searched Iwasaki’s home Wednesday for clues on the motive for the attack. Although they seized dozens of items, including a notebook, descriptions about his motives or a suicide note were not found. Footage of the attack has been recovered from a school bus dashcam, police said Thursday. The video shows the suspect approaching a group of Caritas Elementary School students from behind as they waited for their school bus. It also captured the attack and its aftermath, the police said. Iwasaki, who later died of self-inflicted wounds to his neck, wielded two 30-centimeter-long knives in the assault. He wore gloves on his hands in an apparent attempt to prevent the knives from slipping. Police found two smaller knives in a backpack left at the scene and four empty knife boxes at his home Wednesday, they said. Given these findings, police believe that Iwasaki prepared the attack well in advance, with a strong intent to kill a number of people. Hanako Kuribayashi, an 11-year-old student, and Foreign Ministry official Satoshi Oyama, the 39-year-old father of an unharmed Caritas Elementary School pupil, were killed in the mass stabbing, which took place at around 7:40 a.m. Tuesday. Seventeen others, mostly children but also a woman who is the mother of a Caritas Elementary School student, were injured in the incident. Caritas Elementary School remained closed Thursday in the wake of the attack, while a girls’ junior high school and high school run by the same operator reopened after keeping its gates shut the day before. Police officers and school officials stood watch as children arrived at the reopened school, many escorted by their parents. National Police Agency Commissioner General Shunichi Kuryu called the incident “extremely malicious” in a news conference Thursday, and said the police as well as government ministries and agencies concerned aim to strengthen safety measures for children. “We will work with municipalities, schools and parents to reinspect the places in which children gather on their way to and from schools,” he said, adding police will increase patrols.

murder
kawasaki
mental health
kanagawa
hikikomori
stabbings
ryuichi iwasaki
kawasaki attack


Tourists get chance to play ninja and protect Osaka Castle from demons in mall's new VR game

Abstract: OSAKA - A shopping complex in Osaka unveiled its latest attractions to the press Wednesday, including a game that offers visitors the chance to become a ninja through virtual reality. The expansion of the complex, Jo-Terrace Osaka in Osaka Castle Park, comes as the operator has seen a growing number of foreign and local tourists visit the major historical site, which is modeled after a 16th-century castle. The VR attraction, which formally opened Thursday, sees participants dress up as ninja — covert agents in feudal Japan — and don goggles to play a game in which they must protect the castle from demons. The game will be available in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. The complex also includes six new ramen restaurants as well as a restaurant where customers can order wagyu beef and sake. “I want tourists to feel the charm of Japanese culture through the ninja experience and traditional food,” said Yoshinobu Takahashi, president of Digisurf Inc., the operator of the new attractions. The company said it is hoping to attract about 300,000 annual visitors to the complex.

osaka
tourism
ninja
video games
osaka castle
vr
jo-terrace osaka


158 ethics violations found in research by Japan's NCVC medical institute

Abstract: SUITA, OSAKA PREF. - The National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center said Thursday it has found 158 cases of research that was conducted in violation of the country’s ethical standards. The violations include the use of patients’ information without their consent, the NCVC said. There have been no reports of health damage linked to these cases that involved follow-up research, the institute said. “We deeply apologize for the misconduct,” NCVC President Hisao Ogawa said at a news conference in Suita, where the institute is based. One of the violations, in which research on cardiac diseases was conducted without ethics review committee approval, occurred in both fiscal 2013 and fiscal 2018, the NCVC said. The institute said it has requested that related research papers be withdrawn. The NCVC said 156 additional cases have occurred since fiscal 2013, in which treatment data was utilized without being shown to patients. The institute did not post information on its website about the patients’ right to refuse to provide their treatment data. It said some of its researchers wrongly thought that such information would be posted by its clerical workers. The NCVC said it has explained the misconduct to affected patients and apologized to them. The institute said it will consider punishment for officials involved after a panel of third-party experts investigates the details.

national cerebral and cardiovascular center


Lyft unveils Waymo partnership as loss widens to $1.1 billion

Abstract: LOS ANGELES - Lyft said Tuesday its loss in the past quarter widened to $1.1 billion in the ride-hailing giant’s first financial report as a public company, as it announced it was teaming up with former Google car unit Waymo on autonomous taxis. Revenue for California-based Lyft nearly doubled from a year earlier to $776 million and the number of active riders grew to over 20.5 million. Lyft said its losses deepened as a result of $894 million in costs that included stock-based compensation and related tax expenses in connection with its initial public offering in late March. The deficit compared with a loss of $234.3 million in the same period of 2018. “The first quarter was a strong start to an important year, our first as a public company,” said Logan Green, Lyft’s co-founder and chief executive. “Transportation is one of the largest segments of our economy and we are still in the very early stages of an enormous secular shift from personal car ownership to transportation-as-a-service.” Lyft shares, which have lost 15 percent since the IPO, slipped another 2.1 percent in after-market trades following the release. In the current quarter, Lyft said it expects revenue to be between $800 million and $810 million and an operating loss between $270 million and $280 million. Lyft is the second-largest ride-hailing service behind Uber — set to make its own stock market debut this week. Both firms are working on “last mile” transport services including electric bikes and scooters, and both are investing in autonomous driving technology. In a related announcement Tuesday, Lyft said it would partner with Waymo in a pilot “robo-taxi” project launched in Arizona. Waymo, which began the project last year, said in a separate statement it would deploy 10 Waymo vehicles on the Lyft app over the next few months. “Once Waymo vehicles are on the platform, Lyft users in the area will have the option to select a Waymo directly from the Lyft app for eligible rides,” said Waymo CEO John Krafcik.

google carmakers self-driving uber lyft waymo


Japanese government-linked agency suspects fraudulent use of its Flat 35 housing loans

Abstract: Flat 35 long-term fixed-rate housing loans provided by the government-linked Japan Housing Finance Agency may have been fraudulently used for real estate investment, it has been learned. The agency is now investigating the details. If any case of abuse is confirmed, the agency will demand the loans be repaid in a lump sum, sources familiar with the matter said. Under the Flat 35 program, loans are provided for up to 35 years through commercial financial institutions in collaboration with the agency to help individuals buy homes to live in. Use of the loans for real estate investment is prohibited. The agency is an independent administrative agency supervised by the land ministry and the Finance Ministry. Land minister Keiichi Ishii said at a news conference Tuesday that it would be regrettable if any improper use of the loan program is confirmed.

fraud
lending
loans
flat 35
japan housing finance agency


Cattle go on diet as new wagyu brand in Wakayama targets health-conscious meat lovers

Abstract: WAKAYAMA - Some Japanese black cattle in Wakayama Prefecture, renowned for the distinctive fatty marbling of their meat, have been put on a diet. A new less-fatty wagyu brand has been launched in the prefecture in hopes of attracting health-conscious meat lovers looking for leaner beef. Since 2015, the prefectural government has been working on the development of Kishu Waka beef, harvested from cattle that eat low-calorie feed, in cooperation with local farmers. They succeeded in cutting the amount of fat in the meat by about 10 percent while increasing the vitamin content through raising the cattle on so-called ecofeed, an ecological and economical feed made from food waste and ingredients including pomace generated from the production of orange juice and soy sauce, both of which are local specialties of the prefecture. According to the Japan Meat Information Service Center, there are over 150 wagyu brands that produce their meat from Japanese black cattle raised primarily in the Kinki and Chugoku regions. Wagyu beef is graded — from 5 to 1 — based on fat marbling, or the way the fat is distributed through the meat, the brightness of the meat, its firmness and texture, and the brightness and quality of the fat, the center said. Japanese black cattle make up 90 percent of all fattened cattle in the country. Wagyu, marketed with famous regional names such as Kobe beef and Matsusaka beef, is renowned for the flavor of its fat — a creamy, tender texture that melts in the mouth. Generally, beef with more abundant marbling is graded the highest, but the popularity of lean meat has surged lately on the back of health-conscious eaters. In 2015, Ehime Prefecture launched its own low-fat beef brand, Ehime Akane Wagyu. The price gap between less-fatty beef and marbled beef is now narrowing in Japan. However, a Wakayama prefectural official who deals with livestock said that, because of its quality grade, there is no reason to believe Kishu Waka beef will take off anytime soon. “Kishu Waka has a quality grade from 4 to 2. Even if it were delivered now, it would definitely not fetch a high price in the wholesale market, which places a big emphasis on quality grade.” So, for now, the idea is to heighten brand awareness, officials say. The prefectural government started providing Kishu Waka beef to local restaurants on a trial basis from February. The lean meat has been especially favored at yakiniku (grilled meat) shops. Diners can find out which restaurants serve Kishu Waka on the prefecture’s website. “Currently, only one cattle farm raises Kishu Waka beef cattle but we would like to eventually provide a stable supply by increasing the number,” an official said.


Japan's labor shortage eats away at backbreaking work culture

Abstract: When she worked in sales for a bank, Chihiro Narazaki was passed over for the best assignments in favor of older colleagues. Her input was discouraged and she often stayed late just to do routine paperwork. The 29-year-old knew where this was heading: Her father, who works in pharmaceutical sales, had a similar lifestyle, which she describes as “stuck in time.” Determined to avoid that fate, she found a new job, selling software for Cybozu Inc. She says she now sets her own goals, her voice is heard and her presence is not mandatory. “Sometimes I work from home, go visit a client and then go back home to do more work,” said Narazaki, who has taken up yoga. “We have a lot of freedom.” “At my previous employer, what you did was determined by how old you were,” she added. “It was a shame because people couldn’t use or develop their skills.” With unemployment at a 26-year low, companies are facing stiff competition for talent. But younger people entering the workforce often resent everything that made the Japanese corporate environment globally notorious: long hours, strict top-down discipline and rewards based on loyalty and seniority. This generational conflict is reshaping Japan’s infamous work culture. Many firms now ask employees to focus on their clients rather than their bosses, set their own goals instead of waiting for orders, allow them to work from home, avoid overtime and take more vacation. Human resources experts say these shifts are not yet the norm. But they are becoming increasingly common and are already affecting economic growth and labor productivity. Reforms introduced in April could accelerate it. Companies will now face penalties if they don’t limit work hours or make it easier for staff to take vacation. “Companies had created a system that rates you on hours worked, and that’s how you got ahead in the corporate world,” said Yoshie Komuro, head of Work-Life Balance Inc., which advises the government on labor reforms. “Now it’s becoming a question of how you can produce results with limited resources in Japan.” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has gradually reformed labor laws since taking office in 2012, making it easier for mothers to take part-time jobs, cutting hours and reducing the pay gap between full-time and contract workers. Since then, average work hours have fallen at the fastest rate in the Group of Seven industrialized economies, beating the average among members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Japan also leads G7 productivity gains for that period. For Cybozu, those gains translate into double-digit annual growth rates in sales. Older staff say their company once had a bad reputation for working employees into the ground. At one point, 28 percent of its workforce left in one year because of overwork. Now the attrition rate is 5 percent, and the company has stopped advertising positions on third-party websites. “At first I was extremely worried that my generation could not adapt. I’m happier now,” said Takashi Matsukawa, 46, a human resources adviser at Cybozu. During Japan’s late 1980s-early 90s economic boom, when the West faced frequent worker unrest, Japanese companies found an edge in technology, as well as the devotion and discipline of their skilled workers. The culture required maximum effort for any task, regardless of magnitude, and no questioning of orders. But in some cases that developed into an ethos of pleasing bosses rather than customers. Hiroaki Izumi, general manager in charge of the compliance control department at Sumitomo Life Insurance Co., recalls holding unneeded in-house meetings and crafting elaborate summaries of business updates from each branch around the country. That left less time for simple but useful tasks, such as making explanatory brochures for customers or improving their privacy protection, he says. The 50-year-old often had to leave the office at 9 or 10 p.m. Now he rarely stays later than 6 p.m. and has used his spare time in the past three years to earn a doctorate in law. Overall, Sumitomo has reduced overtime by 5 percent since 2016. “We have been doing these reforms out of a sense of crisis,” said Motohisa Kawamura, deputy general manager at Sumitomo’s personnel planning department. “We needed to cut unnecessary jobs and focus on core business. We needed to make sure our employees had time to learn new skills and innovate.” During the boom years, images of exhausted salarymen leaving tall office buildings late at night were a source of national pride, depicting strong work ethics and grit. But after two decades of stagnant economic growth, and numerous reports of suicides and heart attacks at work, they became a symbol of an obsolete seniority system that is holding Japan back. Kaito Fukuda, 20, does not want to become a salaryman. “I’ve been interviewing and I can tell that companies feel they have to compete to hire young people by showing they have an appealing work culture,” he said outside the busy Shibuya Station after leaving a career seminar for fresh graduates. “Of course I want money, but I also want to be able to use my vacation days,” he said. “If work is not fun I won’t last long on the job.”

labor laws
jobs
sumitomo life insurance
overwork
cybozu


Bank of Japan board debated pros and cons of more easing at March meeting

Abstract: Bank of Japan policymakers remained divided on how quickly to ramp up stimulus to hit their elusive price goal, minutes of their March meeting showed, even as slowing global demand clouded the outlook for the export-reliant economy. While most in the nine-member board saw no immediate need to expand an already massive stimulus program, several warned of heightening risks to Japan’s recovery that could warrant additional monetary easing, the minutes showed on Wednesday. “Considering the difficulty in shifting inflation expectations, it was important to respond pre-emptively in the event of a change in economic and price developments,” one member was quoted as saying. Another said the BOJ should be “prepared” to ease if risks to the economy and prices materialize, the minutes showed. But others were more cautious. One member said the BOJ should not respond to short-term fluctuations in economic data, and instead look at the long-term trend in guiding monetary policy, according to the minutes. Those reluctant to ease any time soon also pointed to the rising costs of prolonged easing, such as the hit to financial institutions’ earnings from years of ultralow interest rates. A few board members said the BOJ must pay more attention to the impact its prolonged ultraloose policy was having on regional banks’ profits, the minutes showed. The hit to regional banks’ profits and equity capital could “gradually materialize” and prompt more banks to take excessive risks to secure profits, those board members were quoted as saying. At the two-day rate review that ended on March 15, the BOJ kept monetary policy steady despite cutting its assessments on exports and output amid heightening global economic risks. Apparently based on discussions about the need to keep in step with other central banks, the BOJ decided at a policy-setting meeting in April to clarify its forward guidance by committing to “extremely low” interest rates at least through around spring 2020. At the meeting in March, many BOJ policymakers, worried over high uncertainties regarding the global economy, pointed to the need to pay attention to “the possibility that investors’ risk aversion would heighten and the markets would become unstable,” according to the minutes. Some policymakers said that, while the widely held view is that the global economy will pick up in the latter half of 2019, there are “considerable uncertainties in this regard,” the minutes showed.


U.S. job openings up 4.8%, jumped to nearly 7.5 million in March

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. employers advertised almost 7.5 million jobs at the end of March, a solid figure that signals hiring will likely remain strong in the months ahead. The Labor Department said Tuesday that job openings rose 4.8 percent from the previous month, while the number of people quitting their jobs slipped. There are now 1.2 million more open jobs than there are unemployed Americans, a dynamic that suggests businesses will have to keep raising pay to attract and retain the workers they need. The figures underscore the ongoing strong demand for labor that exists among U.S. companies, as the recovery nears the end of its 10th year. On Friday, the government said that employers added a surprisingly high 263,000 jobs in April, while the unemployment rate fell to a nearly 50-year low of 3.6 percent. Job openings jumped in construction, shipping and warehousing, health care, and a category that mostly includes restaurants and hotels. Tuesday’s report, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, tracks the number of available jobs, as well as total hiring, quits, and layoffs. Since the report began tracking the data in December 2000, there were always more unemployed people that open positions, until 13 months ago. That’s when jobs outnumbered people for the first time. Total hiring has not increased as much as job postings have, which suggests employers are struggling to fill jobs given the dwindling number of those out of work. Job openings have risen 8.6 percent in the past year, while total hiring in the JOLTS report has barely increased. JOLTS tracks overall, or gross hiring, while the monthly jobs report calculates a net figure. Separately, more quits are typically a sign of a healthy job market, as most workers leave a job when they have another one lined up, usually at higher pay. Quits fell 1.1 percent in March from February to 3.4 million, but that is still above last year’s figure. More quitting can also encourage employers to pay more, to discourage their workers from leaving.


Tariff war renewed? How U.S.-China trade talks could play out after Beijing's backtrack

Abstract: WASHINGTON/BEIJING - U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest trade gamble has set the stage for a tense round of negotiations this week between the U.S. and China, which has the markets on edge. Trump’s unpredictability was on full display Sunday, when he took to Twitter to abruptly announce he’s increasing tariffs on Chinese goods. The U.S. says that threat was prompted by Beijing reneging over the past week on some key commitments it made during the talks. A diplomatic cable from Beijing arrived in Washington late on Friday night, with systematic edits to a nearly 150-page draft trade agreement that has blown up months of negotiations between the world’s two largest economies, according to three U.S. government sources and three private sector sources briefed on the talks. In each of the seven chapters of the draft trade deal, China had deleted its commitments to change laws to resolve core complaints that caused the United States to launch the trade war: theft of U.S. intellectual property and trade secrets, forced technology transfers, competition policy, access to financial services, and currency manipulation. Chinese negotiators said they couldn’t touch the laws, said one of the government sources, calling the changes “major.” Changing any law in China requires a unique set of processes that can’t be navigated quickly, said a Chinese official familiar with the talks. Whether the world’s two largest economies will sink deeper into their trade conflict may depend on negotiations Thursday and Friday, when a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He will visit Washington. The hawkish turn by the U.S. has forced investors, many of whom were expecting a deal soon, to adjust their expectations. The S&P 500 index has fallen more than 2 percent since Trump’s tweet. The 225-issue Nikkei average tumbled 321.13 points, or 1.46 percent, from Tuesday to 21,602.59, its lowest close since April 2, amid fears over the trade row, which has renewed concern about global growth. The index lost about 650 points over two days after trading resumed following the unprecedented 10-day holiday through Monday to celebrate the new emperor’s ascension to the throne. “A trade deal had been priced into markets and now we are living through the fallout of altered expectations, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see continued volatility,” said Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist for Invesco Ltd. “We’re going to see both sides playing a game of chicken.” There are several possible outcomes from this week’s negotiations. A first scenario could see tariffs rise amid ongoing talks. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports will increase to 25 percent from 10 percent at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. He also indicated the U.S. wants to keep talking. The Chinese are preparing their own retaliatory duties on U.S. imports should Trump carry out his threat, according to people familiar with the matter. But they, too, are staying at the table. It’s an awkward equilibrium, but it may just hold. Neither country wants a long, bruising trade war that undermines growth. The incentive to reach a deal grows stronger by the day for Trump, who’s seeking re-election in November 2020. “Both sides would walk away angry” if tariffs escalate this week, said Clark Packard, trade policy counsel at the R Street Institute, a think tank in Washington. “But these two countries are the largest economies in the world. After a cooling-off period, they’ll come back to the table.” Another scenario would see tariffs rise and talks collapse, with the stakes arguably higher than ever as both countries prepare to slap more tariffs on each other. In an all-out trade-war scenario, annual gross domestic product may shrink by as much as 0.6 percent in the U.S. and by 1.5 percent in China, according to the International Monetary Fund. “My most likely scenario is that there’s no final resolution, not for some time,” said Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank NA. “They’re talking about changing the way another country is doing business. It’s like another country telling the U.S. to stop being capitalist.” The increase in tariffs could also be delayed by a truce, as was the case late last year. Tariffs have been on hold since Dec. 1, when Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to a truce to give their officials time to work out an agreement. Before then, the two nations had imposed duties on $360 billion of each other’s products. The truce, as well as a dovish shift by central banks, has driven a surge in U.S. stocks. Trump will be reluctant to see the rally end. If talks take a promising turn, he may still hold off on a tariff hike. “This is something you have to take week by week,” said Ed Mills, managing director of Washington policy at Raymond James & Associates Inc. “Our base case for this week is that they find a way to delay the tariffs.” Finally, a deal in principle could still be reached. Before threatening to hike tariffs, Trump expressed optimism about the prospect of a deal. A preliminary agreement could come together quickly if Trump chooses to endorse it, perhaps after speaking by phone with Xi. The outlines of a deal have been apparent for months. It would likely feature a major increase in Chinese purchases of American goods such as soybeans and aircraft. Beijing would probably commit to shoring up protection for U.S. intellectual property and refraining from devaluing its currency. It’s all but certain both sides would tout any pact as a victory. The biggest question left unanswered is whether the existing tariffs would stay in place. But any preliminary accord would probably require final approval by Trump and Xi at a face-to-face summit. Even after a deal is signed, it could take years to see it succeed in correcting the trade imbalance. The threat of renewed hostilities won’t soon fade. “The larger question is: Can you get a deal, and can that deal stick? That’s where we’ve always been skeptical,” said Mills of Raymond James.

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


U.S. FAA convenes multiagency board to review Boeing software fix

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration said on Tuesday it had convened a multiagency Technical Advisory Board to review Boeing’s proposed software fix on the grounded 737 Max. The board consists of experts from the FAA, U.S. Air Force, NASA and Volpe National Transportation Systems Center that were not involved in any aspect of the Boeing 737 Max certification. The board’s recommendations will “directly inform the FAA’s decision concerning the 737 Max fleet’s safe return to service.” The plane was grounded worldwide in mid-March after two Boeing 737 Max crashes, in October and March, killed 346 people. Boeing, which has yet to formally submit the software fix to the FAA for approval, did not immediately comment Tuesday on the new review. Some in Congress have urged the FAA to conduct an independent review into the anti-stall system at the center of investigations into two deadly plane crashes before allowing the planes to resume flying. The board known as TAB will assess Boeing’s proposed fix to the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), the FAA said. “The TAB is charged with evaluating Boeing and FAA efforts related to Boeing’s software update and its integration into the 737 Max flight control system. The TAB will identify issues where further investigation is required prior to FAA approval of the design change,” the FAA said. The world’s largest plane-maker, facing its worst crisis in years and the worldwide grounding of its top-selling jetliner, has said its software upgrade and associated pilot training will add layers of protection to prevent erroneous data from triggering MCAS. The system activated in the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March and also during a separate Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October. There are a number of other reviews ongoing, including a blue-ribbon committee appointed by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao looking at the FAA’s aircraft certification process. Federal prosecutors, the Transportation Department’s inspector general and lawmakers are investigating the FAA’s certification of the 737 Max 8 aircraft. A separate joint review by 10 governmental air regulators started last week and is expected to last about 90 days, but the FAA has said that a decision on ungrounding the plane is not contingent on that review being completed.

nasa
boeing
aviation
software
u.s. air force
ethiopian airlines
737 max
lion air
air accidents
mcas


Tokyo stocks plunge further amid U.S.-China trade war fears

Abstract: Stocks sank deeper across the board on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Wednesday, as heightened trade tensions between the United States and China continued to chill investor sentiment. The 225-issue Nikkei average dived 321.13 points, or 1.46 percent, to end at 21,602.59, a level unseen since April 2 on a closing basis. On Tuesday, the key market gauge tumbled 335.01 points. The TOPIX index of all first-section issues was down 27.51 points, or 1.72 percent, at 1,572.33, after losing 18.09 points the previous day. The market opened sharply lower, tracking a Wall Street tumble Tuesday that came after U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer reaffirmed plans to raise tariffs on Chinese goods worth $200 billion from 10 percent to 25 percent. In his Twitter posting on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose the additional tariffs. Both Nikkei and TOPIX stayed deep in negative territory for the rest of the session, also pressured by the yen’s strengthening against the dollar, brokers said. The United States and China are expected to resume their ministerial-level trade talks in Washington on Thursday, the day before the proposed tariff hike. “A risk-off mood will likely prevail at least until Friday” to see what will happen in the trade negotiations, said Hiroaki Kuramochi, chief market analyst at Saxo Bank Securities Ltd. Yutaka Miura, senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities Co., also attributed the Tokyo market sell-off to the dollar’s plunge below ¥110. Depending on developments related to the U.S.-China trade dispute, the Nikkei may fall as low as its 75-day moving average of around 21,350 in the near term, an official at a major securities firm said. Falling issues far outnumbered rising ones 1,804 to 287 in the TSE’s first section, while 49 issues were unchanged. Volume decreased to 1,496 million shares from Tuesday’s 1,564 million shares. Export-oriented and cyclical issues, in particular, met with heavy selling. Such losers included industrial robot producer Fanuc and chipmaking gear manufacturer Tokyo Electron. JAL was dumped due to an automated check-in system glitch that caused 32 domestic flight cancellations at airports across Japan on Wednesday. Motorcycle manufacturer Yamaha Motor dived as its consolidated operating profit in January-March failed to beat a market consensus. Daily goods supplier Kao and drug maker Takeda also took precipitous falls. Meanwhile, clothing store chain Fast Retailing and job information service firm Recruit Holdings were among a handful of winners. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key June contract on the Nikkei average fell 360 points to end at 21,580.


Nikkei drops to five-week low as U.S.-China trade worries deepen

Abstract: Tokyo stocks continued to fall Wednesday, with the Nikkei index sinking to a nearly five-week low, as investor sentiment was hurt by the escalating trade row between the United States and China, which has renewed concern about global growth. The 225-issue Nikkei average tumbled 321.13 points, or 1.46 percent, from Tuesday to 21,602.59, its lowest close since April 2. The broader Topix index of all first section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange finished 27.51 points, or 1.72 percent, lower at 1,572.33. Every industry category lost ground, led by precision instrument, air transportation, and glass and ceramic product issues. The Nikkei index has lost about 650 points over two days after trading resumed following the unprecedented 10-day holiday through Monday to celebrate the new emperor’s ascension to the throne. Tracking overnight declines on Wall Street, Tokyo shares were weak throughout the day on continued U.S.-China trade concerns. China said Tuesday that Vice Premier Liu He, the country’s chief trade negotiator, will visit the United States later this week for trade talks even as the United States looks set to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports Friday. Beijing is reportedly planning to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, a move that could further roil world markets and affect global growth. “In the worst case, the negotiations could break down. Investors may have to begin pricing in the possibility that the trade conflict will last for a long time,” said Makoto Sengoku, market analyst at the Tokai Tokyo Research Institute. The tit-for-tat tariff war between the world’s two largest economies has increased concerns over the health of the global economy. Before the Golden Week holiday, “the market had widely expected progress in the U.S.-China trade negotiations, but the optimism faded,” said Maki Sawada, vice president of the investment research and investor services department at Nomura Securities Co. “Concerns have grown as investors cannot measure how much impact the additional tariffs would have on the global economy down the road,” Sawada added. Stocks were also affected by the dollar’s fall to around a six-week low below the ¥110 line, with market players seeking the yen, which is perceived as a safe-haven asset. On the first section, declining issues outnumbered gainers 1,804 to 287, while 49 ended unchanged. Cyclical stocks that are vulnerable to macroeconomic changes were battered by investor concerns about global growth. Silicon wafer-maker Sumco Corp. plunged ¥72, or 5.1 percent, to ¥1,330, and industrial robot-maker Fanuc Corp. shed ¥450, or 2.2 percent, to ¥19,655. Trade worries also dented Nikkei heavyweight Toyota Motor Corp., which fell ¥65, or 1.0 percent, to ¥6,759, although the automaker said in the afternoon it expects a 19.5 percent rise in group net profit for the current fiscal year ending March 2020 helped by cost-cutting efforts. Japan Airlines Co. lost ¥137, or 3.6 percent, to ¥3,685 after a glitch that occurred early morning in the company’s automated check-in system caused the airline to cancel 32 domestic flights Wednesday. The system was restored by 10 a.m. Trading volume on the main section fell to 1.50 billion shares from Tuesday’s 1.56 billion shares.


Google debuts privacy controls and principles at its I/O developers event

Abstract: MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA - Alphabet Inc.’s Google business announced new privacy controls Tuesday for its services, including “incognito mode” for Google Maps, and published new privacy commitments for its hardware, showing how increased public scrutiny is forcing greater transparency in Silicon Valley. The announcements were dotted throughout nearly two hours of product updates from the search giant at its annual Google I/O developers conference. Google also launched its lowest-priced smartphone yet, the Pixel 3a, and demonstrated upcoming capabilities for its virtual assistant, such as car rental and movie ticket bookings by voice commands. Google has been fending off some of the growing legislative and regulatory pushes in the United States and elsewhere to regulate data privacy and other issues core to its business model. Proposals being weighed by lawmakers would limit how Google, Facebook Inc. and other internet companies track consumers and distribute information. With revenue growth slowing and costs largely growing, Alphabet has faced questions from investors about the threat of new rules and its ability to commercialize newer services such as the Google Assistant. Incognito mode, which is launching on Google Maps “soon” and Google search later this year, would block the company from storing user activity on those services, the company said. For home-based devices including smart speakers, thermostats and security alarms, Google on Tuesday published a new website with disclosures on how sensors such as microphones and cameras on those devices work. In addition, it committed to giving users the ability to review any sensor recordings and delete them. Further, the company said it would not use “video footage, audio recordings and home environment sensor readings” to personalize ads. Other privacy announcements included more granular control starting later this year over how mobile apps for Google’s Android operating system access location data. “The central focus of the release is security and privacy,” Stephanie Cuthbertson, director of product management for Android, said on stage. The car-booking capability, which Google demonstrated on National Car Rental’s website, builds on the company’s push over the last two years to integrate more artificial intelligence-fueled features into its virtual helper, Google Assistant. It aims to free users from manually filling out forms on websites, Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai told the several thousand conference attendees. It will be available later this year on Android phones in the United States and United Kingdom, Google said. In an update to search, Google introduced augmented reality technology that enables users to view three-dimensional renderings of some visual results through their smartphone cameras. Google said it was working with companies such as New Balance Athletics Inc., Target Corp., Samsung and Volvo AB to make 3D models of their products available in mobile search. Google also brought Google Assistant to new products. Starting at $399 (about ¥43,900) in the United States, the Pixel 3a could help the company reverse flagging sales of more premium phones. The Pixel 3a will be sold in Japan from May 17 starting at ¥48,600. It will be available in the U.S. in T-Mobile and Sprint stores for the first time in addition to Verizon outlets. AT&T, the fourth major wireless carrier, has declined to stock it, people familiar with the matter said. Google said it would rebrand all of its Home hardware as Nest, reflecting the thermostat-maker it purchased in 2014. The Google Nest Hub Max, a larger version of Google’s smart speaker with a display, will arrive in the U.S. later this year, the company said. The product will also be released in Japan, but the release date and price have not been announced. Priced at $229 in the U.S., the Max will include a camera with facial recognition technology to activate the device without a voice command. That camera sensing feature will not send imagery to Google’s servers once it is set up, Google said on its new privacy website.

internet
smartphones
google
privacy
silicon valley
alphabet inc .


GM autonomous vehicle unit to receive $1.15 billion investment from Honda and others

Abstract: NEW YORK - GM Cruise Holdings LLC, a self-driving car unit of U.S. auto giant General Motors Co., said Tuesday it will receive a $1.15 billion (¥126 billion) investment from a group of existing investors, including Honda Motor Co. The parent company of the GM unit and SoftBank Group Corp.’s Vision Fund are also among the investors. According to Honda, the company will invest an additional $37 million in the GM unit, with its equity stake rising to 6.0 percent. Honda announced in October that it would invest $750 million in GM Cruise and spend some $2 billion over the next 12 years to fund projects at the GM unit. The SoftBank Vision Fund, which has already decided to invest $2.25 billion in the GM unit, stopped short of disclosing the amount of the fresh investment.

softbank honda carmakers gm self-driving


Binance says hackers stole 7,000 bitcoin worth $40 million from its exchange, one of the world's largest

Abstract: HONG KONG - Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, said hackers withdrew 7,000 bitcoin worth about $40 million via a single transaction in a “large scale security breach,” the latest in a long line of thefts in the digital currency space. The hackers used a “variety of techniques,” including phishing and viruses, to obtain a large amount of user data, Binance said in a post on its website. There may be additional accounts that have been affected but not yet identified, Binance said. The company will use its Secure Asset Fund for Users, an emergency insurance fund, to cover the incident in full and no user funds will be affected, it said. The transaction was limited to Binance’s bitcoin hot wallet, which contained about 2 percent of the company’s bitcoin holdings, according to the post. Other wallets are secure and unharmed, the exchange said. The 7,000 bitcoin are worth roughly $40 million, based on current bitcoin composite pricing calculated by Bloomberg. Bitcoin had pared some losses as of 10:05 a.m. in Hong Kong after dropping as much as 3.1 percent to a low of $5,665. The broader Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index also dipped. “The hackers had the patience to wait, and execute well-orchestrated actions through multiple seemingly independent accounts at the most opportune time,” according to the post, written by Binance’s Chief Executive Officer Zhao Changpeng. “We must conduct a thorough security review. The security review will include all parts of our systems and data.” Binance estimates the review will take a week, during which time all deposits and withdrawals will remain suspended, while trading will continue to be enabled to allow investors to adjust their positions. The hackers may still control some user accounts and may “use those to influence prices in the meantime,” the exchange said. The hackers structured the transaction to bypass existing security checks, and Binance was unable to block the withdrawal before it was executed, according to the post. Once the transaction was executed, it triggered alarms on Binance’s system and all withdrawals were stopped immediately after that, the post said. In a tweet linking to the post, Zhao said it was “not the best of days, but we will stay transparent.”

hackers theft bitcoin cryptocurrency binance


Toyota's annual sales top ¥30 trillion, a first for a Japanese firm

Abstract: Toyota Motor Corp. became the first Japanese company to report annual sales topping ¥30 trillion, thanks in large part to brisk sales in China. Group sales reached a record ¥30.23 trillion in fiscal 2018, a 2.9 percent increase from fiscal 2017, but this fiscal year sales are projected to dip 0.7 percent to ¥30 trillion, Japan’s largest automaker said Wednesday. The company forecast lower growth in operating profit for the current year based on an expected drop in revenue and weaker vehicle sales in Japan and North America, underscoring the hard task ahead as it gears up to face a rapidly shifting industry. Toyota said it expects profit to rise 3.3 percent to ¥2.55 trillion ($23.20 billion) in the year through March 2020, slightly lower than the ¥2.61 trillion average of 23 analyst estimates compiled by Refinitiv and compared to last year’s 20 percent jump. A weakening yen against the dollar is boosting Toyota and other Japanese exporters’ repatriated profits. Toyota based its forecasts on an exchange rate of ¥110 to the dollar. The automaker, like its rivals, is facing stiff competition as ride-sharing technology and the race to develop self-driving cars has caused rapid — and costly — disruption to the auto industry. And there is also a major shift under way toward electrified vehicles, forcing carmakers to invest billions of dollars in new technologies. Toyota’s bets in transport services, which include stakes in Uber Technologies Inc. and Grab, will take a long time to yield financial returns. U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to raise tariffs and auto parts have pushed Toyota to step up investments in the U.S. The company added about $3 billion to a multiyear plan, with the automaker now planning to invest almost $13 billion over a five-year period ending in 2021. Trump said on April 28 that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited him last month, agreed to put “$40 billion into the United States for new car factories.” Toyota is carefully balancing its pledges in the U.S. and its growth plans in China, where it became the fastest growing global carmaker last year. Toyota plans to boost China sales by 8.5 percent to 1.6 million units in 2019, and this week it approved a $1.64 billion investment to expand one of its Chinese joint ventures’ new-energy vehicle capacity by 400,000 units per year. Toyota’s sales in the U.S., its largest market, fell 4.4 percent in April. Sales in China surged 20 percent to a record 142,600 units in the same month. While it forecast global group retail sales at a record 10.74 million vehicles for the current year, compared with 10.6 million in the previous year, Japan sales were seen down 1.2 percent and North American sales down 1.6 percent. The sales figures include vehicles sold by its subsidiaries, small-car manufacturer Daihatsu Motor Co. and truck maker Hino Motors Ltd.

toyota
carmakers
financial results
hino
daihatsu


Kyocera to acquire U.S. construction tool distributor

Abstract: KYOTO - Kyocera Corp. said Tuesday it will acquire SouthernCarlson Inc., a U.S. distributor of construction tools, for some ¥90 billion. As a result of the acquisition, which will be the most expensive deal for the company to date, Kyocera aims to strengthen sales and expand its market in North America. The company aims to complete the deal in June. SouthernCarlson, based in Nebraska, reported some $60 billion in sales for the full year ending December 2018. It operates more than 150 stores, mainly in the United States. The deal is the latest in a series of Kyocera’s acquisitions in Japan and abroad of construction tool businesses, a sector expected to see demand growth and earnings stability.

u.s .
acquisitions
kyocera corp .
southerncarlson inc .


Over 150,000 displaced in northwest Syria fighting in one week amid Bashar-led assault, says U.N.

Abstract: KAFR NABL, SYRIA - Violence in the northwestern Syrian region of Idlib has displaced more than 150,000 people in the past week, the U.N. said Tuesday, as the regime and Russia upped deadly bombardment of the jihadi bastion. The uptick in strikes and shelling on the region dominated by Syria’s former al-Qaida affiliate has also knocked 12 hospitals and 10 schools out of action, it said. The jihadi stronghold has since September been protected from a massive regime offensive by a buffer zone deal inked by Damascus ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey. But the region of some 3 million people has come under increasing bombardment since the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group took full control of it in January. On Tuesday, airstrikes and shelling killed 13 civilians in an eighth day straight of bombing, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “We are alarmed by ongoing reports of aerial attacks on population centers and civilian infrastructure,” said David Swanson, a spokesman for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “More than 152,000 women, children and men have been displaced in Aleppo and Idlib governorates over the past week alone,” he told AFP. The recent surge in attacks has raised new fears a government offensive is imminent, prompting thousands to hit the road. “This is the third time we have been displaced but this time is the scariest,” said Abu Ahmad, a 40-year-old from southern Idlib who was fleeing Tuesday with his family toward areas near the border with Turkey. “Overflights by warplanes and shelling have been relentless,” said the father of three, his blue pick-up truck stacked with mattresses and household appliances. The Idlib region includes a large part of the province of the same name, as well as adjacent parts of Aleppo and Hama provinces. President Bashar Assad’s regime is in control of around 60 percent of the country eight years into the civil war, but Idlib is among the areas still outside government control. Battles between jihadis and pro-government forces raged overnight around a hilltop in the northern countryside of Hama province, following an advance by Assad’s forces. Twenty-four pro-government fighters and 29 jihadis were killed in fierce fighting, the Britain-based Observatory said. The jihadis were members of HTS, and of the Turkistan Islamic Party, a Uighur-dominated jihadist group. State news agency SANA said Syrian troops launched rocket attacks on armed groups in northwestern Hama province on Tuesday, killing several fighters, but it did not provide any toll. U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has called “for an urgent de-escalation of the situation as the holy month of Ramadan begins” and urged “the parties to recommit fully to the ceasefire arrangements” of the September deal. French President Emmanuel Macron on Twitter demanded “a halt to the violence and support to the UN in backing a necessary political solution. OCHA said that bombardment on the Idlib region since April 28 had also killed three health workers. To the west of the region on Tuesday, the al-Qaida-linked Hurras al-Deen jihadi group attacked pro-government positions, killing nine loyalists and three jihadis, the Observatory said. It remains unclear whether the Syrian government and its Russian ally are planning to launch a full-scale assault. Aron Lund, from the U.S. think tank The Century Foundation, said “a limited offensive into Idlib, peeling off a few areas, should be easily within their capabilities. He said the recapture of two key highways running through Idlib — the M4 and the M5 — could be among the “many goals” behind such an operation. Under the September deal, hard-liners were supposed to withdraw from the planned buffer zone, allowing traffic to once again flow along the two strategic highways, which connect government-held areas with the Turkish border. Turkey has failed, however, to secure the jihadis’ withdrawal, prompting government forces to take matters into their own hands, Syria specialist Fabrice Balanche said. Taking the two highways would help Assad boost the recovery of Syria’s nearby second city Aleppo, which remains cut off from most of its countryside and poorly connected to the rest of the country, he told AFP. “Restoring traffic on these two axes will reduce transport costs to Aleppo,” he said. Retaking the road between the regime’s coastal stronghold of Latakia and Aleppo in particular would cut the rebel-held region in two, making it easier for government forces to recapture its southern part and isolate the jihadis in the north, Balanche added.

conflict
russia
syria
turkey
al-qaida
bashar assad
idlib
hama


U.S. deploys B-52 bombers to Middle East to counter Iran 'threat'

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The U.S. Air Force is deploying massive B-52 Stratofortress bombers to the Gulf in response to an alleged possible plan by Iran to attack American forces in the region, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Several nuclear-capable B-52s are heading to the region along with an aircraft carrier task force following what the Defense Department called “recent and clear indications that Iranian and Iranian proxy forces were making preparations to possibly attack U.S. forces.” “The deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force are considered a prudent step in response to indications of heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations against U.S. forces and our interests,” said acting Pentagon spokesman Charles Summers in a statement. “We emphasize the White House statement that we do not seek war with the Iranian regime, but we will defend U.S. personnel, our allies and our interests in the region.” The deployment was first announced late Sunday by John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, who said the move was “a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force.” The U.S. move comes in response to intelligence about a threat orchestrated by Iran, officials said, but details of the threat have not been disclosed. Navy Capt. Bill Urban, the spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command, which spans the Middle east, said the threat could be land-based or maritime. He said the Lincoln strike group was already scheduled to head to the region on long-planned deployment but that its arrival in the Gulf has been accelerated due to the threat. That led to the cancellation of a planned port visit by the Lincoln to Split, Croatia. The multinational carrier group, including several ships, multiple types of aircraft, and 6,000 personnel, will be deployed “where it will best be able to protect U.S. forces and interests in the region and to deter any aggression.” The deployment comes a year after Trump pulled the United States out of a multinational accord under which Tehran drastically scaled back its sensitive nuclear work. Since then, the Trump administration has ramped up menacing rhetoric against Iran while tightening economic sanctions on the country.

u.s .
middle east
iran
b-52s
donald trump
john bolton
uss abraham lincoln


Ebola medics fear being targeted in Congo after fatal road crash

Abstract: BUTEMBO, CONGO - Medics facing suspicion and hostility as they fight an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo fear their job might become even riskier after one of their vehicles was involved in a fatal crash. The accident, in the town of Butembo, resulted in the death of the motorbike-taxi rider, sparking an angry response from his fellow riders, said a doctor at the town’s hospital, Chrisostome Shako. “A jeep used in the operation against Ebola accidentally hit the motorbike rider, who was killed. His colleagues threw rocks at the hospital when we were taking the body to the morgue,” he told AFP. The outpouring of fury led to all shops and commercial activity in the town grinding to a halt. Police said they deployed mixed patrols with soldiers to restore calm. Shako said he feared the motorbike-taxi riders might start targeting the Ebola medics, undermining their ability to respond to the outbreak. The Ebola epidemic in the Nord-Kivu and Ituri provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo is the second-deadliest on record, with more than 1,000 deaths registered since August last year. The medics’ work has already been hampered since the weekend by an uptick in insecurity that has singled out the medical teams. Efforts to roll back the outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever have also been slowed by resistance within communities to preventative measures, care facilities and safe burials. DR Congo’s health minister, Oly Ilunga, has warned that each time the teams are prevented doing their job there is a spike in the number of new Ebola cases and deaths. The World Health Organization had initially voiced hope it would be able to contain the outbreak, thanks in part to a new vaccine. But in recent weeks senior WHO officials have conceded that insecurity, scarce financial resources and local politicians turning people against health workers had seriously undermined the containment effort.

conflict
disease
who
congo
traffic accidents
ebola
butembo