Expert credited with stopping WannaCry attack admits malware charges

Abstract: BANGALORE, INDIA - A British cybersecurity researcher hailed as a hero for neutralizing the global WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017 has pleaded guilty to U.S. charges of writing malware. Marcus Hutchins, who was charged on 10 counts in the United States, pleaded guilty to two of them, with the U.S. government agreeing to move towards dismissing the remaining counts at the time of the sentencing, according to a filing at the U.S. District Court in the eastern district for Wisconsin. “I’ve pleaded guilty to two charges related to writing malware in the years prior to my career in security,” Hutchins, also known online as MalwareTech, said in a statement. He did not give details. Hutchins had risen to overnight fame within the hacker community in May 2017 when he helped defang the global “WannaCry” ransomware attack, which infected hundreds of thousands of computers and caused disruptions at factories, hospitals, shops and schools in more than 150 countries. He was arrested later that year in Las Vegas on unrelated charges that he had built and sold malicious code used to steal banking credentials. U.S. prosecutors had claimed that he and a co-defendant advertised, distributed and profited from malware code known as Kronos between July 2014 and 2015.


Runaway Saudi sisters in Georgia hope to move to third country for safety

Abstract: TBILISI - Two runaway Saudi sisters said on Friday they have applied for asylum in Georgia but still feared they could be reached by their family and forced back to the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom. Immigration authorities in the former Soviet republic offered the siblings assistance and security on Thursday, days after the two made international headlines by pleading online for protection. But the sisters, Maha al-Subaie, 28, and Wafa al-Subaie, 25, said they would rather move to another country where Saudi Arabians cannot visit without a visa. “We are not safe here and we need to leave as soon as possible,” they told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from their shared Twitter account @GeorgiaSisters. Georgian authorities placed them in a safehouse guarded by police but the sisters said they feared revenge from relatives whom they accused of beating and abusing them, posting photos of bruises and scratches on social media. “We can’t live a normal life. My brothers, my big family, cousins, uncles — anybody can come here,” said Wafa. “We are a big shame for my country, for my family, for all,” said Maha, referring to their escape and appearance in social media videos without wearing headscarves. On Thursday, Georgia’s interior ministry said there were no relatives in the country who posed a danger to two women. The case is the latest to draw attention to Saudi Arabia’s strict social rules, which force women to obtain the permission of a male “guardian” if they want to work, marry or travel. Human rights groups say the system can trap women and girls as prisoners of abusive families. The sisters are not the first Saudi women to seek refuge outside their homeland, which is one of the world’s most gender-segregated nations. “Women and girls in Saudi Arabia who attempt to flee from the control of their families can face very grave consequences,” said Suad Abu-Dayyeh, Middle East consultant for women’s rights group Equality Now. “They are in danger of being locked at home for the rest of their lives, severely punished, and may even be killed.” Earlier this year a Saudi teen holed up in a Thai airport hotel to escape her family and won asylum in Canada. In March two other Saudi sisters who spent six months hiding in Hong Kong were granted humanitarian visas to travel to a third country. The al-Subaie sisters said they evaded family monitoring and flew from Riyadh to Istanbul at the beginning of April. In a tweet, Maha said she had to leave her son behind, which was “devastating,” but she had no other option. Upon arriving in Turkey, the sisters made their way to Georgia by land, fearing their father could find them in Turkey using Absher, a Saudi Arabian government app allowing men to monitor and control female relatives’ travel. They bought a flight to Belarus — another visa-free destination for Saudis — via Amsterdam hoping to seek asylum in transit, but airport staff in Tbilisi grew suspicious of their convoluted travel plan and did not let them leave, they said. After an attempt to get a visa for Australia failed due to passport issues, they took to Twitter to appeal for help, they said. Saudi Arabia denied it had suspended the sisters’ passports. The country’s embassy in Tbilisi did not immediately reply to a further request for comment. The sisters said Georgian authorities have been treating them well but they hoped they would be allowed to move on. “We hope that in the future will live a real life without fear or repression in a safe country, where we can choose what we want to do and try everything that is possible and natural for women to do,” said Maha.

saudi arabia
rights
women
maha al-subaie
wafa al-subaie


Fire-ravaged Notre Dame now stabilized as investigators probe cause

Abstract: PARIS - Architects and construction workers have stabilized the damaged structure of the Notre Dame Cathedral, four days after a fast-spreading fire ravaged the iconic Paris building, and firefighters were leaving the site Friday night, a fire service official said. The promising development came as Notre Dame’s parishioners celebrated Good Friday in a nearby church, praying for the damaged monument and celebrating its rescued relics such as the Crown of Thorns believed to have been worn by Jesus at his crucifixion. “There is no more risk the edifice’s walls could fall down,” said Lt. Col. Gabriel Plus, chief spokesman for the Paris fire service. Plus said firefighters have been able to cool down the walls and debris from the roof inside the cathedral, and there are no more “hot points” inside. “It’s a miracle that the cathedral is still standing, and that all the relics were saved,” he said. Investigators believe the fire was an accident and are studying multiple factors that could have contributed. The cathedral’s rector said a “computer glitch” may have played a role in the rapidly spreading blaze that devastated the 850-year-old architectural masterpiece. Rector Patrick Chauvet did not elaborate on the exact nature of the glitch. “We may find out what happened in two or three months,” he told local business leaders and construction workers. Newspaper Le Parisien reported that a computer bug could have misdirected firefighters responding to the initial fire alarm. The unsourced report said investigators are also looking into whether the fire was linked to temporary elevators being used in a renovation that was underway at the time the cathedral caught fire. The fire burned through the network of enormous centuries-old oak beams supporting the monument’s vaulted stone ceiling, dangerously weakening the building. Chauvet said there were fire alarms throughout the building, which he described as “well protected.” Firefighter spokesman Plus said there could have been “a smoldering fire inside the frame” of the Notre Dame roof that was fueled by the wind. Paris police investigators said they believe an electrical short-circuit most likely caused the fire. It’s believed to be one of multiple leads being investigated. “Is it linked to the renovation work? A human error? The investigation will say,” Plus said. He warned that “the central nave remains dangerous” but said the stones are drying out from the water sprayed from hoses during nine hours of firefighting efforts. The last artworks were taken out of the cathedral Friday and taken to the Louvre for safekeeping pending renovation, he said. Catholic worshippers carried out the Way of the Cross ritual near the cathedral to mark Good Friday, and the Crown of Thorns relic saved from the fire was presented to worshippers at the nearby Saint-Sulpice Church. A public veneration of the crown is normally part of the ceremonies leading up to Easter at Notre Dame. But because of the fire, the crown was shown at a service Friday evening at Saint-Sulpice instead. Judith Kagan, a conservation official at France’s Culture Ministry, said Friday the artworks inside Notre Dame had suffered no major damage from the fire. French President Emmanuel Macron met Friday with officials from the United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO. UNESCO representatives have offered their technical expertise to help with the reconstruction. Macron is moving quickly on the fire-ravaged monument’s reconstruction, which is being viewed both as a push to make it part of his legacy and a way to move past the divisive yellow vest protests over social inequality in France. Notre Dame’s reconstruction is prompting widespread debate across France, with differing views over whether it should involve new technologies and designs. Macron hasn’t offered any specifics on his vision for the roof or whether the frame should be wood, metal or concrete, according to his cultural heritage envoy, Stephane Bern. He has named a general, Jean-Louis Georgelin, former chief of staff of the armed forces, to lead the reconstruction effort. Over $1 billion has already poured in from people from all walks of life around the world to restore Notre Dame. According to an opinion poll by BVA institute published Friday — the first carried out since the fire — Macron has gained three points in popularity in the past month with an approval rating of 32 percent. That puts him back at the support level of September, before the yellow vest crisis, BVA said. Although all French polls show that Macron’s popularity has remained low since a tax increase on retirees last year, they suggest his party may be ahead in France’s May 26 European Parliament election, with Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, the National Rally, close behind. Despite the destruction of Notre Dame dominating the news in France, a new round of nationwide yellow vest protests was planned for Saturday. Interior minister Christophe Castaner said 60,000 police officers were being mobilized and demonstrations near Notre Dame would be be banned as he expects some protests to turn violent. In a hopeful development Friday, 180,000 bees being kept in hives on Notre Dame’s lead roof were discovered alive. “I am so relieved. I saw satellite photos that showed the three hives didn’t burn. I thought they had gone with the cathedral,” said Nicolas Geant, the monument’s beekeeper. Geant has looked after the bees since 2013, when they were installed as part of a city-wide initiative to boost declining bee numbers. Geant said the carbon dioxide in the fire’s heavy smoke put the bees into a sedated state instead of killing them, adding that when bees sense fire they “gorge themselves on honey” and protect their queen. European bees never abandon their hives, he said.

france
religion
history
fires
paris
architecture
disasters
notre dame


California 'House of Horrors' couple jailed for torture and abuse of their children

Abstract: RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA - A California couple were jailed for at least 25 years on Friday after admitting to imprisoning and torturing 12 of their 13 children in a grisly “House of Horrors” case that shocked the world. David Allen Turpin, 57, and his wife, Louise Anna Turpin, 50, had pleaded guilty to 14 felony counts — including cruelty, false imprisonment, child abuse and torture of their children aged three to 30. In an emotionally wrenching hearing, several of the children professed continued love for their parents, from Perris, in Riverside County, 70 miles (110 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. “I never intended for any harm to come to my children,” David Turpin told the court in the city of Riverside. The case came to light last year when one of the children escaped through a window from the couple’s home and called the emergency services. According to excerpts of the call released during court proceedings, she told the dispatcher that two of her siblings were chained to their beds so tightly that their skin was bruised and she struggled to tell the operator the home address. “I’ve never been out. I don’t go out much,” the teen said in the call. She told responding officers that the house was so dirty she couldn’t breathe and that she and her siblings never took baths. “They chain us up if we do things we’re not supposed to,” she said. “Sometimes, my sisters wake up and start crying (because of the pain).” An officer who interviewed the teen after her escape said she was so emaciated that he first thought she was a child. He said the girl described a routine in which the children were forced to sleep 20 hours a day and in the middle of the night ate a combination of lunch and dinner that most often consisted of peanut butter sandwiches, chips and microwaved food. One of the older children also told investigators that the couple would lock him and his siblings in cages as punishment and beat them with paddles. Since their rescue, the children have been in the care of child and adult protective services. The Turpins moved from Texas to California in 2010. Investigators have said it is unclear what prompted the abuse. Under California law, both will be eligible for parole in 25 years because of their age.

children
torture
child abuse
david allen turpin
louise anna turpin


Solemn service marks 20th anniversary of Columbine High School massacre in which 13 victims were slain

Abstract: LITTLETON, COLORADO - A weeklong series of events commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre was to culminate Saturday with a remembrance ceremony celebrating the lives of the 13 victims slain in the rampage. On April 20, 1999, two Columbine students, just three weeks shy of graduation, stormed the suburban Denver school armed with shotguns and semiautomatic weapons, fatally shooting 12 students and a teacher before committing suicide. For the relatives of those they killed, April 20 evokes a mix of emotions from sorrow and anguish to fond memories of loved ones. Betty Shoels, the aunt of murdered student Isaiah Shoels, said her 18-year-old nephew was a fun-loving athlete who was always smiling, despite feeling out of place as one of the school’s few African-American students. “What I miss most is his laugh,” Shoels said. “He was just a great kid who loved to joke.” This year’s remembrances were marred earlier this week when a Florida teenager, who authorities said was “obsessed” with Columbine, traveled to Colorado where she died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. Evan Todd was a sophomore at Columbine two decades ago when he was wounded in the school library, where 10 of the students were killed. He said whenever he hears of school shootings or other tragedies somehow linked to Columbine, it reminds him that he was “part of something so gruesome and so public.” He often recalls Matt Kechter, his football teammate, who was shot dead just a few feet away from him. “Sometimes I wonder what Matt would be doing now, what is life would be like,” said Todd, 35, who is the father of a 1-year-old son. He credits his family and Christian faith for getting him through the months following the tragedy. “I’m just thankful that I survived,” he said.


Robert Mueller's report strengthens resolve on both sides of U.S. political spectrum

Abstract: LAS VEGAS/CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - After months as volunteer activists demanding that U.S. President Donald Trump be impeached, Eileen and Michael O’Brien sat on their couch on Thursday, cracked open a laptop and began to read the 448-page special counsel report that liberals have dreamed would make impeachment a reality. “Hmm, seems like there’s a lot of gray area here,” said Eileen O’Brien, 65, of Clearwater, Florida, reading aloud a line about the findings falling short of a criminal case. “Legally wrong and morally wrong are two different things.” The release of the long-anticipated report by special counsel Robert Mueller on his inquiry into Russia’s role in the 2016 election landed in a stridently divided America: one side convinced Trump acted improperly, the other adamant that the investigation was a politically driven farce. Mueller built an extensive case that Trump committed obstruction of justice but stopped short of concluding he had committed a crime, though he did not exonerate the president. For those like the O’Briens who have been pining for impeachment, the report renewed resolve to oust the president. For those who want to see the president re-elected, there was a sense of vindication. “The White House is going to put out their own version of things, which is basically fish wrapper,” said Michael O’Brien, formerly a service technician who now works on houses. His wife, who a day earlier delivered a can of “impeaches” peaches to a lawmaker, looked up with a quizzical expression. “It’s worthless,” he explained. “You can use it to wrap fish.” Lee Mueller and his wife, Michele Mueller, no relation to Robert Mueller, also paused their Thursday to read through the special counsel’s report. They printed out the table of contents for both volumes along with the executive summaries. “I view the Mueller report as being one battle in a war against the United States of America’s founding principles and against Donald Trump,” Michele Mueller, 61, said in a suburb of Las Vegas. After Attorney General William Barr released his four-page summary of the Mueller report late last month, Americans were dug in on their views. So far, the full report does not appear to have convinced many to change their opinions about the president’s conduct. A Reuters/Ipsos public opinion poll conducted Thursday afternoon to Friday morning found among those respondents of who said they were familiar with the Mueller report, 70 percent said the report had not changed their view of Trump or Russia’s involvement in the U.S. presidential race. Only 15 percent said they had learned something that changed their view of Trump or the Russia investigation, and a majority of those respondents said they were now more likely to believe that “Trump or someone close to him broke the law.” Trump’s approval ratings, however, dipped 3 percentage points after the release of the report, the poll found. Ahead of Thursday’s release of the Mueller report, Trump ramped up his insistence that he was the victim, not the perpetrator, of crimes. James Stratton, 65, also of Clearwater, caught snippets of the news about the report from conservative commentators Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. He looked up Barr’s news conference, held Thursday morning before the report was released online, on YouTube. “Nobody on our side is going to change,” the Republican president of the local Tampa Bay Trump Club said in a phone interview, adding that liberals will grow tired of hearing predictions about Trump’s downfall that never materialize. “We stay focused on the issues. How do we stop socialism? How do we protect our borders?” For the most invested, though, Mueller’s report offered hope for further investigation, but by Democrats in Congress this time. Tom Steyer, a billionaire activist who has spent millions of his own dollars directing pressure at Congress to impeach Trump, said while he thinks the contents of the report implicate the president, he acknowledges the findings alone are unlikely to convince Americans to change their minds. “I think the only way to get voters to notice is to directly publicize, televised hearings,” Steyer said. “We’re all for public hearings so the American people can see and can react themselves.” In Florida, Margo Hammond, 69, who considers herself an independent voter, gleaned highlights by toggling through the coverage of MSNBC, CNN and Fox News. She was unimpressed with Barr. “It’s kind of an insult to the American people that we can’t decide for ourselves,” she said while in an art class. She planned to read as much as she could of the report. “I think it will only affirm what I originally thought,” she said. Then she repeated something she had heard earlier from a news commentator: “There was a whole lot of cheating going on.”

u.s .
congress
russia
robert mueller
donald trump
2016 u.s. presidential election
russia probe


Democrats make legal bid for all Russia probe evidence as Trump poll numbers drop

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats took legal action on Friday to gain access to all of U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller’s evidence from his inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The number of Americans who approve of President Donald Trump dropped by 3 percentage points to the lowest level of the year following the release of a redacted version of Mueller’s report on Thursday, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online opinion poll. Mueller did not establish that the Trump campaign coordinated with Russians but did find “multiple acts by the President that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations.” While Mueller decided not to charge Trump with a crime such as obstruction of justice, he also said the investigation did not exonerate the president. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, issued a subpoena to the Justice Department to hand over the full Mueller report and other relevant evidence by May 1. “My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice. The redactions appear to be significant,” Nadler said in a statement. The Justice Department called the request “premature and unnecessary,” but spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement the department would work with Congress “to accommodate its legitimate requests consistent with the law and long-recognized executive branch interests.” The report provided extensive details on Trump’s efforts to thwart Mueller’s investigation, giving Democrats plenty of political ammunition against the Republican president but leaving them with no consensus on how to use it. The document has blacked-out sections to hide details about secret grand jury information, U.S. intelligence gathering and active criminal cases as well as potentially damaging information about peripheral players who were not charged. Six top congressional Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected U.S. Attorney General William Barr’s offer to give them access to a less redacted version of the report. In a letter to Barr, they repeated their request for the full report but said they were open to “a reasonable accommodation.” Democratic leaders have played down talk of impeachment of Trump just 18 months before the 2020 presidential election, even as some prominent members of the party’s progressive wing, notably Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, promised to push the idea. Sen. Elizabeth Warren became the first major contender for the Democratic presidential nomination to call for the start of impeachment proceedings, saying on Twitter that “the severity of this misconduct” demanded it. Trump, who has repeatedly called the Mueller probe a political witch hunt, lashed out again on Friday. “Statements are made about me by certain people in the Crazy Mueller Report … which are fabricated & totally untrue,” Trump wrote on Twitter. He seemed to be referring to former White House counsel Don McGahn, who was cited in the report as having annoyed Trump by taking notes of his conversations with the president. “Watch out for people that take so-called ‘notes,’ when the notes never existed until needed,” Trump wrote. “It was not necessary for me to respond to statements made in the ‘Report’ about me, some of which are total bulls—- & only given to make the other person look good (or me to look bad).” Phone conversations between the president and McGahn in June 2017 were a central part of Mueller’s depiction of Trump as trying to derail the Russia inquiry. The report said Trump told McGahn to instruct the Justice Department to fire Mueller. McGahn did not carry out the order. According to the Reuters/Ipsos poll of 1,005 adults conducted Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, 37 percent of people approve of Trump’s performance in office — down from 40 percent in a similar poll conducted on April 15, which matches the lowest level of the year. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 4 percentage points. Rep. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said the Democrats’ subpoena “is wildly overbroad” and would jeopardize a grand jury’s investigations. While most Republicans have stood by Trump, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, now a U.S. senator from Utah, criticized Trump and those around him as portrayed in the report. Romney, an on-and-off Trump critic, said on Twitter it was “good news” there was insufficient evidence to charge Trump with a crime. “Even so, I am sickened at the extent and pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection by individuals in the highest office of the land, including the president,” said Romney, who lost the White House race to President Barack Obama in 2012. The Mueller inquiry laid bare what U.S. intelligence agencies have described as a Russian campaign of hacking and propaganda to sow discord in the United States, denigrate 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and boost Trump. Russia said on Friday that Mueller’s report did not contain any evidence that Moscow had meddled. “We, as before, do not accept such allegations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Asked on Friday about Russian interference in 2016, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in Washington that “we will make very clear to them that this is not acceptable behavior.” Half a dozen former Trump aides, including former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, were charged by Mueller’s office or convicted of crimes during his 22-month-long investigation. The Mueller inquiry spawned a number of other criminal probes by federal prosecutors in New York and elsewhere. One reason it would be difficult to charge Trump is that the Justice Department has a decades-old policy that a sitting president should not be indicted, although the U.S. Constitution is silent on whether a president can face criminal prosecution in court. Nadler told reporters on Thursday that Mueller probably wrote the report with the intent of providing Congress a road map for future action against the president, but the Democratic congressman said it was too early to talk about impeachment. But the House Oversight Committee’s Democratic chairman, Elijah Cummings, said impeachment was not ruled out. “A lot of people keep asking about the question of impeachment. … We may very well come to that very soon, but right now let’s make sure we understand what Mueller was doing, understand what Barr was doing, and see the report in an unredacted form and all of the underlying documents,” he told MSNBC.


An ancestor of Paris' Notre Dame still stands in war-torn Syria

Abstract: QALB, LOZEH SYRIA - An arched entrance flanked by two towers, elaborate carvings and a broad-aisled nave: A fifth-century limestone church in northwestern Syria is the architectural forerunner of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral. Standing in the village of Qalb Lozeh (Heart of the Almond), the cathedral is widely hailed as Syria’s finest example of Byzantine-era architecture. And it is believed to have been the source of inspiration for Romanesque and Gothic cathedrals in Europe, including Notre Dame in Paris. “It is the earliest known example of the twin-tower facade flanking a highly elaborate arched entrance, the precursor to what became known as the Romanesque style,” said Middle East cultural expert Diana Darke. Romanesque architecture evolved into the Gothic style that defines Notre Dame, she said. The layout of the church in northwestern Syria has many similarities with Notre Dame, she said. “The specific similarities between Notre Dame and Qalb Lozeh are, first and foremost, the twin-tower design flanking the elaborate arched portal,” said Darke. Inside, “the similarities are in the pillars dividing the church into three broad aisles — the nave and side aisles — a deliberate echoing of the Holy Trinity, with three sweeping arches resting on broad capitals to spread and distribute the weight which carried the clerestory windows and the original wooden roof over the nave,” she added. The abandoned church is within a cluster of 40 “Ancient Villages of Northern Syria” that UNESCO has included on its World Heritage List since 2011. Two years later, as fighting ravaged Syria and its cultural heritage, the villages were placed on UNESCO’s list of endangered sites. UNESCO says the villages, including Qalb Lozeh — home to pagan temples and ancient churches — illustrate “the transition from the ancient pagan world of the Roman Empire to Byzantine Christianity.” Qalb Lozeh was built by Syrian Christians whose wealth was based on production of wine and olive oil, said Darke. The church was frequented by pilgrims and is thought to have been a key stop on the way to the nearby basilica of St. Simeon the Stylite. “Merchants, pilgrims and monks moved constantly between this area and Europe over the centuries,” she said. “So it’s not surprising that the design ideas found their way gradually back to Europe, even before the crusaders of the 12th century.” Syrian historian Fayez Kawsara said crusaders brought Qalb Lozeh’s architectural style to Europe in the 12th century. “Anyone who delves deep in the study of Gothic art, and especially Gothic churches, will find that this architectural style traveled to Europe” from Syria, he said, pointing to the cathedral’s soaring arches, its detailed sculpting and its squared towers. “The biggest proof of this is … Notre Dame Cathedral,” added Kawsara. Qalb Lozeh — which is much smaller in size than the Paris landmark — lies in the jihadi-held region of Idlib. Children used the abandoned church as a playground, and graffiti has been scrawled on the outside and inside walls of the cathedral. Caretakers who guarded the church quickly left after Syria’s conflict erupted in 2011. Since then it has fallen into neglect, said villager Issam Ibrahim. “It was not being protected and as village residents, we took it upon ourselves to protect the site,” he said. Wissam Mohammad, another resident, said the church holds important significance for the local community. “It is not just a pile of old stones. It is a symbol of Syria’s culture,” he said.

france
religion
history
syria
fires
paris
architecture
disasters
notre dame


Paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren dies at 92

Abstract: MONROE, CONNECTICUT - Paranormal investigator and author Lorraine Warren, whose decades of ghost-hunting cases with her late husband inspired such frightening films as “The Conjuring” series and “The Amityville Horror,” died. She was 92. The Warrens founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in Monroe, Connecticut, in 1952 to investigate suspected hauntings. During their 61 years of marriage, Lorraine and Ed Warren investigated more than 10,000 cases in the U.S. and abroad, often writing about their experiences. Their unusual profession has been credited with sparking popular interest in the paranormal, as well as the television shows and films now dedicated to the subject. “When nobody was really even talking about ghosts, they were just two people from Bridgeport, Connecticut, who came together and fell in love and Ed happened to have had a lot of paranormal instances when he was growing up and Lorraine was always the sensitive clairvoyant,” said Larry Dwyer, a staff writer at the Horror News Network, a website that covers the horror film industry. He said the couple realized they could use their “gifts” and Catholic faith to help people who believed they were being tormented by ghosts or demons. Ed Warren died in 2006, and son-in-law Tony Spera now oversees the New England Society for Psychic Research. The organization’s website said Lorraine Warren had “decided to retire from active investigations regarding the areas of haunted homes and demonic infestations/possessions” but was still a consultant to the organization at the time of her death. The Warrens’ work did receive criticism from doubters over the years. The New England Skeptical Society in 1997 said the Warrens’ “copious anecdotal evidence” of reports of hauntings vastly outnumbered their “low-grade physical evidence.” Warren told The AP in a 2013 interview that she understood it was very difficult for people to accept she could see ghosts if they had never seen one themselves. “I hope you never will,” she said. “I really don’t.” The 2013 film “The Conjuring” is based on the couple’s investigation into alleged events at a Rhode Island farmhouse in the 1970s. Lorraine Warren visited the set during the filming. She also spent time at her Connecticut home with actress Vera Farmiga, who portrays Warren in the movie and its sequels.


Thailand's marijuana festival has visitors on a high

Abstract: BURIRAM, THAILAND - A Buddhist monk fishes out a vial of cannabis oil from his robe and puts a drop under his tongue — one of many flocking to a weed festival in northeastern Thailand, where excitement is building over a medical marijuana boom. Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes last year, joining a growing list of governments including Canada, Australia, Israel and more than half the U.S. states. The global market is forecast to reach tens of billions of dollars in under a decade, but slow-moving implementation of the Thai law has lagged behind a wave of local enthusiasm. A political party has endorsed the plant’s benefits while marijuana-themed conferences and panels have sprung up across Thailand, with the three-day festival in Buriram town being the latest showcase for the drug’s uses. The “Pan Buriram” (Buriram Strain) festival, ending Sunday, is a first for the sleepy town located about five hours northeast of Bangkok and known mainly for its football and motor sports competitions. Chaivisit Visitvekin, 67, a monk, was one of thousands who showed up and stood in line to file documents with the Ministry of Health as part of an amnesty for those already using cannabis for pain relief. He said he was taking it for shoulder pain among other ailments. “I used it before and had no side effects,” he said. The atmosphere on the festival’s opening day reflected the mix of caution and excitement over the legislation of medical marijuana in junta-run Thailand. Armed police lingered as Bob Marley songs pumped out over stereos, vendors sold rolling papers and pipes, and the pungent whiff of marijuana filled the outer fringes of the grounds. Lecturers addressed attendees on everything from “the four cannabis varieties” to “quality control” in air-conditioned tents that displayed large marijuana plants. Vendors also showed off fertilizers as well as lighting and greenhouse equipment for those seeking to grow the plant themselves. Recent graduate Surrerat Ruangnoy said she used marijuana to help treat migraines, adding that she hopes the traditional stigma surrounding the drug will ease as a result of such events. “At the festival I saw old people and I took pictures and will show them to my parents,” the 26-year-old said. Buriram is the northeastern stronghold of the Bhumjaithai Party, which ran in last month’s election on a platform of legalizing marijuana and allowing households to grow six plants each. The mega-wealthy Newin Chidchob, a founding member of Bhumjaithai who remains influential in the party and runs the town’s sporting empire, presided over the festival. He said Saturday that the purpose of the event is to help Thais “understand and get access to the benefits of cannabis.” Bhumjaithai is seen as a key coalition partner in the next government after the March 24 vote in which both the junta-backed party and its main rival claimed victory. Full election results are expected by May 9, but Bhumjaithai has said it will not join any government that does not support its policies. Though Thai authorities plan to tightly regulate the marijuana sector for the first five years, Newin predicted the next government will speed up the process. He also pointed to the long-standing use of marijuana in traditional medicine amid ongoing disputes over the plant’s actual health benefits. The secretary-general of The Union of Thai Traditional Medicine Society attended the festival and said he joined Bhumjaithai about a year ago because of its pro-marijuana stance. “It (cannabis-infused medicine) has been used since Buddha’s era,” Sukasom Amratisha said Saturday, standing by a table of sample recipes with plastic marijuana leaves as props. Under the law 16 types of traditional formulas are allowed. Some participants see the festival as part of a shift in conservative mind-sets in Thailand. “The stigma of cannabis is changing,” said Ryan Doran, an American marijuana expert advising Thai farmers. “I’ve never thought I could be around so many (Thai) police and so much marijuana and not be in handcuffs.”


Senior North Korean negotiator calls U.S. national security adviser John Bolton 'dim-sighted'

Abstract: One of North Korea’s top nuclear negotiators with the United States has served up mild criticism of remarks by White House national security adviser John Bolton, calling him “dim-sighted” — the second condemnation of a top U.S. official in days. On Saturday, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency cited First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui as criticizing Bolton over a recent interview with Bloomberg News. In the interview, Bolton said the U.S. would need “a real indication” that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is ready to give up his nuclear weapons before Trump will meet with him for a third summit. “The president is fully prepared to have a third summit if he can get a real deal,” Bolton said in the interview. Choe characterized Bolton’s remarks as “nonsense” and said the North had never expected that the top White House official, long a target of Pyongyang, “would ever make a reasonable remark.” “Bolton’s remarks make me wonder whether they sprang out of incomprehension of the intentions of the top leaders of the DPRK and the U.S. or whether he was just trying to talk with a certain sense of humor for his part,” she said. “All things considered, his word has no charm in it and he looks dim-sighted to me.” DPRK is the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, North Korea’s official name. The remarks were relatively mild for a figure whom the North has in the past described as “human scum” and a “bloodsucker,” and appeared to highlight Pyongyang’s frustration with deadlocked nuclear negotiations. Earlier in the week, the North tested a new weapon and demanded that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be removed from the negotiations. In a statement released Thursday by the North Korean Foreign Ministry and carried by the KCNA news agency, a top official blasted Pompeo, who it said had “spouted reckless remarks hurting the dignity of our supreme leadership,” a reference to Kim. Still, as evidenced by the mild tone, it shows the North is still reining in any harsh rhetoric toward the U.S. and directly criticizing President Donald Trump as it seeks to keep the talks alive. Kim and Trump have held two summits, the first in Singapore last June and the second in Vietnam in February, in part over Kim’s demands for immediate sanctions relief.

u.s .
north korea
kim jong un
nuclear weapons
north korea nuclear crisis
donald trump
john bolton
kim-trump summit


Indian poll watchdog pulls plug on web series featuring Narendra Modi

Abstract: NEW DELHI - Weeks after it banned a Bollywood film and clamped down on a TV channel devoted to the right-wing leader, India’s poll watchdog on Saturday ordered producers to stop streaming a web series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Election Commission of India — an autonomous body tasked with overseeing the world’s biggest democratic exercise — said the online web series was in violation of its rules. Under Indian election regulations, the publication of any content which is deemed as campaign material or propaganda is not allowed during the voting period. Any political advertising must also be approved by the election authorities so that all spending is accounted for. India’s mammoth six-week-long vote began on April 11 and will run until May 19, with results due on May 23. When it ordered a halt to the streaming of the online series, the commission said any biopic material which has the “potential to disturb the level playing field” should not be displayed until after the polls have closed. The series, titled “Modi: Journey of a Common Man” is produced by Eros Now and traces Modi’s journey from childhood to becoming the prime minister of the world’s largest democracy. Earlier this month, the commission banned the release of a flattering movie about Modi until after voting finishes. Days later it ordered a clampdown on NaMo TV, a channel showing 24-hour programs on Modi rallies, speeches, and even rap songs and dance routines devoted to the leader. The Election Commission said NaMo TV had to submit all of its content for approval. The Hindu nationalist Modi, 68, is seeking a tough re-election after storming to power in 2014. He often uses his humble upbringing as a tea-seller’s son to strike a chord with millions of poor voters. The commission — often accused of being ineffective — has been flooded with complaints since campaigning started in March. Last week, the Supreme Court told it to act tough on complaints of poll violations by political leaders.


U.S. and allies to have 200 F-35s in Asia-Pacific region by 2025

Abstract: HONOLULU - The United States and its allies will have over 200 F-35 stealth fighter jets deployed in the Asia-Pacific region by around 2025, according to Gen. Charles Brown, commander of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces. Brown presented the outlook during a recent interview at the headquarters of the Pacific Air Forces in the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu. He said China, which has been expanding its military power rapidly, is posing an “existential” threat to the United States. Noting that the Pacific Air Forces will have F-35A jets within a year, Brown expressed hope for enhancing their capabilities through joint exercises with the F-35s owned by Japan, South Korea and Australia. China has been strengthening its capabilities to strike at U.S. military bases in the Asia-Pacific region by fully deploying the Dongfeng-26 intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of reaching Guam, for example. To counter the move, the Pacific Air Forces plan to adopt tactics that rely on the rapid movements of relatively small units, instead of intensively deploying troops at large bases. Brown said the “real key part” of the F-35 is not only its strike platform but also its sensor. With its sensor, the F-35 can provide helpful information for the U.S. forces’ decision-making and mission execution in times of contingencies, he said. Noting that Singapore is also interested in purchasing F-35s, Brown said the promotion of F-35 deployment by its allies and partner countries would give the United States “flexibility” in its tactics of keeping small units on the move. An Air Self-Defense Force F-35A fighter jet crashed during an exercise over the Pacific Ocean on April 9. A search is still underway for the pilot and the aircraft body. The crash came after the Japanese government unveiled in December last year a plan to procure more F-35 fighters to replace outdated F-15 jets. In fiscal 2019-2023, the country will purchase 45 F-35s.


Probe begins after large sums of cash are found at former Sudanese president's home

Abstract: KHARTOUM - Sudan’s public prosecutor has begun investigating ousted President Omar al-Bashir on charges of money laundering and possession of large sums of foreign currency without legal grounds, a judicial source said Saturday. The source said that military intelligence had searched al-Bashir’s home and found suitcases loaded with more than $351,000 and €6 million, as well as 5 million Sudanese pounds. “The chief public prosecutor . . . ordered the (former) president detained and quickly questioned in preparation to put him on trial,” a judicial source said. “The public prosecution will question the former president in Kobar Prison,” the source added. Relatives could not be immediately reached Saturday for comment about the investigation. Al-Bashir, who is also being sought by the International Criminal Court over allegations of genocide in the country’s western Darfur region, was ousted on April 11 by the military following months of protests against his rule and had been held at a presidential residence. Al-Bashir’s family said earlier in the week that the former president had been moved to the high-security Kobar Prison in Khartoum. As president Bashir often played up his humble beginnings as the child of a poor farming family in Hosh Bannaga, a small village consisting mainly of mud houses on the eastern bank of the Nile some 150 km (93 miles) north of Khartoum. The Sudanese Professionals’ Association, leading the protests, has called for holding al-Bashir and members of his administration to account, a purge of corruption and cronyism and easing an economic crisis that worsened during al-Bashir’s last years in power. On Wednesday, Sudan’s transitional military council ordered the central bank to review financial transfers since April 1 and to seize “suspect” funds, according to state news agency SUNA. The council also ordered the “suspension of the transfer of ownership of any shares until further notice and for any large or suspect transfers of shares or companies to be reported” to authorities.


China to show off new nuclear subs, destroyers for first time at fleet review marking navy's 70th anniversary

Abstract: China will show off some of its new warships — including nuclear submarines and destroyers — for the first time during a massive maritime parade marking the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Navy on Tuesday. A total of 32 Chinese vessels and 39 aircraft will take part in the parade near the eastern port city of Qingdao, the state-run Global Times quoted Vice Adm. Qiu Yanpeng, deputy commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, as saying at a news conference Saturday. “The PLA Navy ship and aircraft to be revealed are the Liaoning aircraft carrier, new types of nuclear submarines, new types of destroyers, as well as fighter aircraft,” Qiu said without elaborating. “Some vessels will make their public debut.” The fleet review is the latest example of military muscle-flexing by China, which has made building up its navy a top priority as it seeks to punch further into the Western Pacific and bolster its presence in the South and East China seas and near Taiwan. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has overseen a massive military buildup, is expected to preside over the fleet review, which comes on the heels of a similar maritime parade last year in the disputed South China Sea that featured a total of 48 vessels and 76 planes, including the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, as well as nuclear submarines, guided-missile destroyers and fighter jets. It was not immediately clear if the country’s second carrier — its first domestically constructed — would also take part, though state media has played up stories about recent sea trials. The Global Times, citing an unidentified expert, said the new nuclear-powered submarine could be the Type 095 attack submarine, a new model of the Type 094 ballistic missile submarine or a new model of the Type 093 attack submarine. The expert said the new destroyer was “very likely” China’s first 10,000 ton-class destroyer, the Type 055. Qiu said more than 10 countries, including Japan, will take part in the fleet review. China has said the parade would also include ships from Russia, Singapore, India, Thailand and Vietnam — which has sparred with Beijing over their claims in the South China Sea. Defense Minister Takeshi Iwakya said last month that the Maritime Self-Defense Force would send a destroyer to visit from April 21 to 26, the first visit to the country by an MSDF vessel in seven years — amid thawing Sino-Japanese ties. While Qiu has also said that while more than 60 countries will send naval delegations, with more than 30 of them featuring major naval leaders, the U.S. is not sending any vessels or top officials. Instead, the Pentagon has said the U.S. Embassy’s defense attache office in Beijing will represent the United States at the events to be held between Monday and Thursday. The Chinese Navy, which has faced growing international scrutiny over its moves in contested waters and elsewhere in recent years, is using this year’s anniversary to reach out to its counterparts across the globe to present a friendlier image. On Saturday, Qiu reiterated Beijing’s stance that its armed forces are not a threat to anyone and that it will never “pursue hegemony.” Still, he said, China’s past history of invasions pointed to its need for a strong defense at sea. “A strong navy is essential for building a strong maritime country,” Qiu said. But the U.S. snub, apparently made out of concerns that China could have used the presence of American warships to bolster its international standing, could put something of a damper on any propaganda victory by Beijing. The U.S. decision comes amid a ramped-up pace of so-called freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) by American warships and aircraft in and over the disputed South China Sea. It also comes less than a year after the Pentagon announced last May that it was disinviting the Chinese Navy from taking part in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) drills — the world’s largest naval exercise. That announcement specifically pointed to China’s militarization of islands in the South China Sea as a reason for the cancelation. A month earlier, China deployed the first advanced anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles to some of its fortified islets in the waterway’s Spratly chain. Beijing has built up a series of military outposts in the South China Sea, which includes vital sea lanes through which about $3 trillion in global trade passes each year. Washington and Beijing have frequently jousted over the militarization of the South China Sea, where China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines all have competing claims. The U.S. does not maintain any claims there, but says its FONOPs are conducted globally with the aim of promoting freedom of navigation. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Philip Davidson said last month that the United States has observed a rise in Chinese military activity in the South China Sea area over the last year. Davidson declined to quantify the increased activity — nor would he say whether the number of FONOPs will increase or remain stable. “It’s building, it’s not reducing in any sense of the word,” Davidson was quoted as saying in Singapore on March 7 when asked about China’s military activities in the waterway. “There has been more activity with ships, fighters and bombers over the last year than in previous years, absolutely.”

china
u.s .
vietnam
philippines
military
disputed islands
south china sea
south china sea ruling


Leica draws China backlash with video invoking Tiananmen crackdown

Abstract: SHANGHAI - Leica Camera AG of Germany is the latest foreign company to spark a backlash in China over marketing material seen as offending local sensibilities, this time for a video that re-creates scenes seemingly from China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The reaction was swift: After appearing on various websites Thursday, by Friday morning China time the word Leica in English or Mandarin had been banned from the microblogging platform Weibo for “violating laws, regulations or the Weibo community guidelines.” Some Weibo commenters lambasted the company, while others left candle emojis — a common symbol of remembrance of victims of Tiananmen Square, an incident Beijing has scrubbed from the country’s official history. The five-minute video, titled “The Hunt,” celebrates Western photographers documenting conflicts in foreign countries with their Leica cameras, even as they’re threatened with personal harm. While the commercial jumps between different scenarios, its main thread follows a photographer who captured the iconic image, known as “Tank Man,” of a lone Chinese protester standing in front of a line of army tanks. Leica joins a growing list of foreign consumer brands that have found themselves on the wrong side of political or cultural sensitivities in China, as the world’s biggest group of consumers flex their might. Companies from Marriott International Inc. to Delta Air Lines Inc. have had to apologize for listing Tibet and Taiwan as nations on their websites, while Italian luxury house Dolce & Gabbana is still blocked from local e-commerce sites after an ad deemed to mock Chinese shoppers went viral last November. The camera-maker — unlike Dolce & Gabbana — did not release the video on Chinese social media channels. Still, the film could have costly implications for the German company as the Chinese government is intensifying its campaign to scrub the domestic internet ahead of the 30th anniversary of the June 4 crackdown this year. Like many western brands, Leica is counting on the growing disposable income of the Chinese middle class to drive sales. Its cameras are sold officially in 13 locations across China, according to its website, and it has a tie-up with Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co. for its camera technology to be used in Huawei smartphones. Leica has reportedly distanced itself from the video, which was produced by agency F/Nazca Saatchi Saatchi. Although the video ends with a flash of the Leica logo, company spokeswoman Emily Anderson told the South China Morning Post that it was not an officially sanctioned marketing film commissioned by the company. Leica “must therefore distance itself from the content shown in the video and regrets any misunderstandings or false conclusions that may have been drawn,” Anderson said, according to SCMP. Anderson did not immediately respond to emails or calls Friday. The agency said in a statement on Saturday that it has worked for the representative for Leica in Brazil since 2012, adding that it has “immense pride” over the commercial that was developed together with its client. F/Nazca “would never harmed it’s huge reputation by creating, producing and airing a work without the proper approval of it’s client,” it said, declining to comment on Anderson’s comment as its work with the brand is restricted to the Brazilian market.

china
rights
tiananmen square
anniversaries


U.S. arrests former marine connected to North Korea Embassy raid in Spain

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. authorities on Thursday arrested a former U.S. Marine who is a member of a group that allegedly raided the North Korean Embassy in Madrid in February and stole electronics, according to two sources familiar with the arrest. Christopher Ahn was arrested and had been expected to be arraigned Friday in federal court in Los Angles, according to a law enforcement official and a source close to the group. Separately, federal agents raided the apartment of Adrian Hong, the leader of the group, The Washington Post reported, citing people familiar with the incident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive law enforcement issue. In a statement to The Post, Hong’s lawyer, Lee Wolosky, said he was “dismayed that the U.S. Department of Justice has decided to execute warrants against U.S. persons that derive from criminal complaints filed by the North Korean regime.” Ahn, who was to appear in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, was involved in the group’s 2017 evacuation of the nephew of Kim Jong Un from Macau when potential threats to his life surfaced, according to Wolosky. The nephew was the son of Kim Jong Nam, the North Korean leader’s exiled half brother who was assassinated in a nerve-gas attack in a Malaysian airport that same year. Kim Jong Nam was widely believed to have been killed by the regime, making his son a likely target. The U.S. Justice Department declined to comment. In April, investigators said the intruders, self-professed members of a group seeking the overthrow of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, removed computers and hard drives from the embassy before fleeing to the United States, where they handed the material to the FBI. Sources said the material had been returned by Spanish authorities to Pyongyang’s mission. A group of at least 10 people stormed into the embassy in February, restrained and physically beat some personnel and held them hostage for hours before fleeing, the Spanish court said earlier. The anti-Kim group, which calls itself Cheolima Civil Defense, said the raid was not an attack and that it had been invited into the embassy. Three of the intruders took an embassy official into the basement during the raid and encouraged him to defect from North Korea, according to a detailed document made public on March 26 by the Spanish court. The document included the names of the leaders of the group, some of whom are believed to be in the United States, while others could have left for other countries. The court is seeking their extradition.

u.s .
north korea
espionage
spain
police


World's smallest baby boy, now a healthy 3.37 kilograms, discharged from Nagano hospital

Abstract: NAGANO - A Japanese baby, who weighed just 258 grams (9.1 ounces) when he was born in October and is believed to be the smallest boy to have survived in the world, left hospital in good health Saturday. “After going home, I want the baby’s brothers and sister to hold him in their arms,” the mother, Toshiko Sekino, said. As of Friday, the baby, Ryusuke, weighed 3.37 kilograms (7 pounds 6 ounces) and is believed to have set a new record as the world’s smallest boy to survive, according to the Nagano Children’s Hospital. His father, Kohei Sekino, expressed his happiness, saying, “I was not expecting to be able to see him outside the hospital this quickly.” According to the University of Iowa’s Tiniest Babies Registry, the previous record holder was a baby boy born last year at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo weighing just 268 grams (9.4 ounces). That baby was discharged from the hospital on Feb. 20.


New operations center eyed for U.S. Air Force's Yokota base in western Tokyo

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The U.S. Air Force is considering building an Air and Space Operations Center (AOC) tasked with drawing up and implementing military operations at Yokota base in western Tokyo, U.S. military sources said. The new AOC will support decision-making by the commander of the 5th Air Force headquartered at Yokota when the force is granted the right to command and control military operations under certain conditions in times of conflict, according to the sources. If realized, the new AOC is expected to strengthen the 5th Air Force’s abilities to carry out operations and enable closer cooperation with the Self-Defense Force. Currently, the 5th Air Force, under the wing of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, does not have the right to control operations. It depends on the 613th AOC at the command of the PACAF in Hawaii for the planning and implementation of operations. If, for example, a military conflict occurs between the United States and China, however, there is the possibility of communications between the 613th AOC and the 5th Air Force being blocked due to cyberattacks and electromagnetic attacks. With possible military clashes with China and Russia in mind, the U.S. military has been scattering operational controls and increasing flexibility in the operations of its units. The planned establishment of the Yokota base AOC is believed to be part of the move. One U.S. military source said that it is important for the 5th Air Force to maintain its abilities to fulfill goals of its missions without losing its functions even under emergency situations, such as disruption of contact with the PACAF command. Under consideration is a plan to set up a small AOC at the Yokota base to help the 5th Air Force commander make decisions in collecting information and selecting attack targets, and grant control rights to enable timely operations of units in case of any emergencies, the source said. Another military source said the AOC may be given the right to make decisions on responses to small-scale conflicts, without needing to wait for orders from Hawaii. If an AOC is created at the Yokota base, cooperation with the SDF in real time would become easier, the source also said. An AOC is especially critical in enhancing air defense and missile defense capabilities that require prompt decision-making, the source said. In any case, the AOC at the Yokota base is expected to operate under the 613th AOC, informed sources said. The United States has been promoting an integrated air and missile defense, or IAMD, initiative, which is designed to comprehensively operate ground, maritime and air defense systems of its military and allied countries in order to counter missile and other threats efficiently. In its new defense guidelines released last December, the Japanese government also showed its plan to establish an IAMD system. The envisaged AOC at the Yokota base may be aimed at helping the two countries build IAMD capabilities, pundits said.

defense
security
u.s. military
yokota base
u.s.-japan relations


'I'm the happiest person on earth': Blind Japanese sailor completes nonstop Pacific crossing

Abstract: FUKUSHIMA - A blind Japanese sailor on Saturday successfully completed a near two-month, nonstop voyage from San Diego to Fukushima Prefecture, making him the first person to make a blind sailing across the Pacific Ocean. Joined by a sighted navigator, it was 52-year-old Mitsuhiro Iwamoto’s second two-person attempt at the 14,000-kilometer journey — his first ended when his boat hit a whale and sank. “I didn’t give up and I made a dream come true. I’m the happiest person on earth,” Iwamoto said. According to the Japan Blind Sailing Association, Iwamoto is the first person in blind sailing, in which a sailor with a visual impairment steers a boat while a sighted navigator informs the person of the surrounding situation, to make a nonstop voyage across the Pacific. Iwamoto, a native of Kumamoto Prefecture currently living in San Diego, left the western U.S. city on Feb. 24 aboard his 12-meter boat Dream Weaver with navigator Doug Smith. Since his first attempt, Iwamoto has taken part in triathlon races to familiarize himself with swimming in open water and to help him overcome the traumatic 2013 sinking of his boat in the middle of the Pacific. He was traveling in the opposite direction on his failed attempt, starting off Fukushima Prefecture and aiming to finish in San Diego, with a Japanese navigator. His boat sank five days after leaving port and the two were rescued by the Self-Defense Forces. “We undertake this voyage not only for personal accomplishment, but to send a message that anything is possible when people come together,” Iwamoto wrote on his website. Iwamoto lost his sight at the age of 16. He and Smith made the voyage to raise money for charity and for efforts to prevent diseases that cause blindness.

fukushima
disability
san diego
sailing
mitsuhiro iwamoto
doug smith


U.S. to send deep-sea recovery ship to aid in finding crashed ASDF F-35A

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan agreed Friday to step up cooperation both in the search for an F-35A fighter that crashed off Aomori Prefecture and in the investigation into the cause of the accident. Iwaya and Shanahan reached the agreement in a meeting at the Pentagon. Both countries are concerned about the implications of the next-generation aircraft being recovered by a rival like China or Russia as it could constitute a major military intelligence security breach. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Iwaya said Shanahan told him that the United States will dispatch a deep-sea search ship to the crash site in a joint effort with the Maritime Self-Defense Force to recover the bulk of the wreckage of the Lockheed Martin-designed aircraft. The plane went down on April 9 in the Pacific Ocean off the northeastern prefecture during an Air Self-Defense Force exercise. The pilot of the single-seat stealth jet remains missing and is presumed dead. Asked by a reporter about the possibility of China retrieving the crashed aircraft, Iwaya played down the odds of that happening. “We are continuing search activities under strict surveillance,” he said. “I don’t see such a possibility.” Despite the crash, Iwaya said Japan will proceed with planned F-35A fighter purchases from the United States. “At this point, we have no specific information that would lead to a change in our procurement plan,” he said. “We have no plan to alter the acquisition and deployment plan.” The defense chief also said he demanded the United States take measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents like the recent death of a U.S. serviceman and a Japanese woman in Okinawa Prefecture. Iwaya said it is “extremely regrettable” that such an incident occurred when the two governments are promoting the realignment of American troops in Japan, including a planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa Prefecture, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military facilities in the country. The serviceman and the woman were found dead April 13 at an apartment in the town of Chatan. U.S. military sources have said the man may have killed the woman and then taken his own life. Shanahan apologized for the incident, saying it was a painful and regrettable case. Iwaya and Shanahan reaffirmed that relocating Futenma from a crowded residential area in Ginowan to the less-populated coastal district of Henoko in Nago is the “only solution” to avoid the safety and noise concerns that have plagued the base.

military
weapons
f-35
u.s.-japan relations
takeshi iwaya
patrick shanahan


U.S. to defend Japan from cyberattack under security pact

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The foreign and defense chiefs of Japan and the United States confirmed on Friday for the first time that Article 5 of the two countries’ security treaty, which sets out Washington’s obligations to defend territories under Tokyo’s jurisdiction, could apply to cyberattacks against Japan. This was clarified in a joint statement adopted at so-called two-plus-two security talks held among the ministers in Washington the same day. The officials affirmed that “a cyberattack could, in certain circumstances, constitute an armed attack for the purpose of Article 5” of the security treaty, the statement said, adding that a decision as to whether a cyberattack would be covered by the article will be made “on a case-by-case basis, and through close consultations” between the two countries. While refraining from citing specific countries, the statement implicitly expressed concerns over rapid technological progress made by China and Russia in the new fields. “Malicious cyber activity presents an increasing threat to the security and prosperity of both the United States and Japan,” it said. Japan-U.S. collaboration in cross-domain operations involving the conventional air, ground and maritime defense fields, and the new domains, is one of the “core objectives” to advance the two nations’ defense relationship, the statement added. It also said the officials highlighted space, cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum as priority areas to better prepare the alliance for cross-domain operations. Friday’s two-plus-two meeting was the first since August 2017. Foreign Minister Taro Kono and Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya took part, while the U.S. side was made up of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. At a joint news conference after the meeting, Pompeo criticized China, which has been boosting activities in cyberspace and other fields. Pompeo said that he and Shanahan shared their concerns with Japan that “geopolitical competition and coercive attempts to undermine international rules, norms and institutions — especially from China — present challenges to the alliance and to continued peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.” Kono said that Japan and the United States will further strengthen their alliance by enhancing bilateral cooperation, including in the new fields. The defense cooperation guidelines that were revised in April 2015 only said that “the United States will provide appropriate support to Japan” in dealing with cyberattacks against the Asian ally. This time, the two countries more clearly showed their intention to work together by saying that Article 5 of the security treaty could apply to cyberattacks against Japan. Beyond the cyber domain, the two-plus-two joint statement also expressed the ministers’ “serious concern” over “unilateral coercive attempts to alter the status quo” in the East China Sea and the South China Sea — a not-so-oblique reference to China. Tokyo and Washington also reconfirmed that the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea are covered by Article 5 of the security treaty. The islands are claimed by China and Taiwan. The joint statement stressed a policy of supporting Southeast Asian countries in a bid to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region. “The Japan-U.S. alliance is now the cornerstone of peace, security and prosperity of the entire Indo-Pacific region,” Kono said. “Both Japan and the United States will conduct joint trainings and capability buildings and others with partner countries in order to jointly expand their presence in the region.” Speaking at the same joint news conference after the meeting, Iwaya requested cooperation from the United States in investigating the crash of an F-35A fighter in the Pacific during an Air Self-Defense Force exercise earlier this month. Despite the accident, Shanahan expressed appreciation for Japan’s continued procurement of F-35s and other U.S. assets as part of efforts to promote interoperability. The top officials welcomed diplomatic efforts by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump “to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” They stressed the need to realize at an early time the relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in the densely populated city of Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to the Henoko coastal district of Nago within the prefecture. The plan is “the only solution” that avoids the continued use of the Futenma base, they said in the statement. In an apparent reference to a case in which a U.S. Navy sailor allegedly stabbed a Japanese woman to death in the Okinawa town of Chatan earlier this month, Kono said it is necessary to reduce the burden on local residents by moving step by step to prevent accidents and other incidents involving U.S. servicemen in Okinawa and deal with issues related to the bilateral status of forces agreement.

china
military
senkakus
cyberattacks
u.s.-japan relations
taro kono
mike pompeo
takeshi iwaya
patrick shanahan


Reiwa topped Japan's new era name candidates after final push by Abe

Abstract: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the end of a meeting of all Cabinet ministers on April 1 that he wanted Reiwa to be the name of the next era, and his preference was approved by other participants, according to a summary of the meeting released Friday. Abe’s final push for Reiwa came despite one minister’s argument that the name sounds similar to Showa, the era that preceded Heisei, which will end on April 30, the summary showed. At a separate Cabinet meeting later on April 1, it was formally decided that Reiwa would be the name of the era to start on May 1. On Friday, the government also released summaries of other era-related meetings held on April 1. None of the summaries identified who proposed Reiwa. Earlier on April 1, the government held a meeting with nine experts — including Nobel Prize-winning scientist Shinya Yamanaka — and met with the heads and deputy heads of both chambers of the Diet to hear their opinions about era name candidates. At the meeting with the experts, the government explained the sources of the candidates. All nine experts were in favor of proposals cited from Japanese classical literature, with eight of the nine supporting Reiwa, according to the summaries. The Diet heads and deputy heads generally noted that all six candidates were appropriate. One said it was fine to leave the decision to the Cabinet. But another was negative about an era name that indicates a specific season, apparently referring to Reiwa, which is derived from a poem about plum blossoms in early spring. The poem is included in “Manyoshu,” the oldest existing collection of Japanese poems, according to the summaries. It had already come to be known that the remark was made by Upper House Vice President Akira Gunji, who is not a member of the ruling camp led by Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party. At the meeting of all ministers, the government explained the candidate names and opinions heard from the experts and the Diet leaders. Four of 10 ministers who made comments at the meeting supported Reiwa, with one of them indicating that it is good for an era name to come from “Manyoshu,” the summaries showed. Nine ministers favored Japanese literature as sources, while one minister pushed for a Chinese literature reference. In winding up the discussions at the meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga proposed leaving the final decision to Abe. “Based on the opinions from the experts and Cabinet members, I want Reiwa, which is derived from ‘Manyoshu,’ a Japanese literature classic, to be the new era name,” Abe said. The government is set to compile detailed minutes from the series of meetings that will include the five candidates other than Reiwa and identify the speakers, but the records will be kept secret for 30 years in principal. It does not plan to reveal the proposers of Reiwa and other candidates even when the minutes are released.


Former Japanese Justice Minister Okiharu Yasuoka dies at 79

Abstract: Former Justice Minister Okiharu Yasuoka has died of cancer, people close to him said Saturday. He was 79. A native of Kagoshima, Yasuoka served as justice minister in 2000 and again in 2008. He died at a Tokyo hospital Friday afternoon. Yasuoka was a lawyer before being elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1972. He served 13 terms in the Lower House before he retired from politics in 2017 to be treated for pancreatic cancer. The lawyer-turned-politician also served as chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party’s constitutional revision panel, becoming a key figure in pushing forward Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s drive to revise the Constitution. He also held other senior positions within the ruling LDP and the Lower House relating to the revision of the country’s Constitution. He also strived to introduce a lay judge system in Japan. The first court session attended by lay judges took place a decade ago in 2009.


Exploring rural Japan from the comfort of your living room with 'The Inaka Project'

Abstract: Video games usually have some level of conflict or pressure — solve this puzzle, blow up this machine, defeat this monster and so forth. That’s not the case with Inasa Fujio ’s “The Inaka Project,” a first-person narrative game that leisurely takes players through Japan’s idyllic countryside. Fujio’s game amassed nearly 60,000 upvotes in Reddit’s largest gaming forum , as well as hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter , when snippets of gameplay footage from “The Inaka Project” made its way onto social media and users realized the game’s potential could be used as another way of “visiting” rural Japan. The discussion on Reddit included users such as Eruptflail who were hoping to use the game as a way to venture back on past memories. “It reminds me so much of where I used to live in Japan,” Eruptflail wrote. “Lots of these scenes felt so much like I was back there in my tiny little machi (town).” Another user, VRisNOTdead, asked whether it would ever be possible to play the game in virtual reality. Fujio admits being a little surprised by the reaction to date. “My Twitter account was there just for logging my progress and it had around 100 dedicated followers for a year,” Fujio says. “Next thing I know, thousands of people are seeing my work and giving positive feedback.” #gamedev #unrealengine #indiegame #indiedev #gameart pic.twitter.com/7j3rKq06uO — Inasa🌻 (@Inasa_Fujio) March 19, 2019 Fujio works under a pseudonym and the creator’s background remains something of a mystery, but he reveals that he was inspired by a summer spent at his grandmother’s house in Osaka where he spent time away from the hustle and bustle of city life. “Popular tourist locations are flashy and exciting,” he says. “Those places have an appeal of their own but I just loved walking around residential districts and farms. I then decided to make a game to replicate that experience.” Gamers in Japan may recognize the game’s similarity to Japan-based developer Millennium Kitchen’s “Boku no Natsuyasumi” series, with “The Inaka Project” placing a special emphasis on exploration. “‘ Boku no Natsuyasumi ’ was the biggest inspiration for me,” Fujio says. “It’s a pretty popular game in Japan but, sadly, it was never localized outside of Japan, and so people who know about this game in the West are rare. The premise is similar: walking around the countryside talking to people until the day ends.” Fujio’s game lets players walk past Japan’s rice paddy fields or ride a quiet train past traditional homes with tiled roofs. The game aims to be a relaxing and immersive adventure, with the bulk of the experience revolving around the player partaking in postman duties — delivering mail from house to house, chatting with locals and discovering forest shrines. Inaka Project, explore the Japanese countryside as a part-time postman while delivering letters and interacting with the local residents, spirits, and yokai. Show @Inasa_Fujio some love ❤ https://t.co/zR5lrnf9QY #indiegame #gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday pic.twitter.com/0560qxzLQC — Octocurio 🐙 (@octocurio) March 1, 2019 Repose and tranquility seem to be a common component of games within the so-called walking simulator genre. Similar to previous titles like “Gone Home,” “Firewatch” and “The Stanley Parable,” walking simulators are known as a cost-effective way of making indie games, offering a chance for new developers to try creating a world without having to fill it with enemies or complex mechanics. “Most of my game development knowledge comes from YouTube tutorials and pre-existing templates,” Fujio says. “One thing many people don’t realize is that I am not a game developer nor studying game design at school. I’m studying illustration currently and am studying 3D modeling in my free time.” Fujio plans on avoiding stress-related anxieties that often arise in game development as a result of outside pressures. Like the protagonist in “The Inaka Project,” Fujio hopes to maintain a peaceful approach to development and take in the scenery, despite the newfound demands from eager users on Reddit and Twitter. “My work schedule hasn’t changed at all after everything, though,” he says. “I’m sticking true to my intention of keeping it as a relaxing hobby and something I work on whenever I feel like it.”


NHK docudrama reveals telephone scam tactics

Abstract: Thai police last month raided a residence in Pattaya where an alleged telephone swindling operation was taking place. They discovered 15 Japanese nationals suspected of calling retired people in Japan and fooling them into purchasing electronic money. Japanese police say they will arrest the suspects after they are deported. The sketchy quality of the reports deepened the general confusion about these kinds of telephone scams, which have been in the news for years and continue to be an ongoing problem . It wasn’t just a lack of information on why the men were making calls from Thailand, but the whole nature of these kinds of swindles, which prey on older people who believe stories that, on the surface, sound ridiculous. Even when media outlets go into detail on a case, readers and viewers will likely scratch their heads. The basic idea is to get a targeted person on the phone and pretend to be a close relative in serious trouble — traffic accident, work-related disaster — whose resolution requires an immediate infusion of cash. Don’t these victims recognize the voice of their own flesh and blood? How could they be so gullible? Obviously, there was a crucial element in these kinds of reports that can’t be conveyed through conventional journalism. It required something more and, until NHK aired a docudrama on March 23 called “ Sagi no Ko ” (“Young Swindlers”), that extra something was missing. One of the characters in “Sagi no Ko” is a junior high school boy who becomes a “receiver” for a cell of swindlers. It is the lowest position in the cell hierarchy. His job is to collect the cash in person after the victim agrees to resolve the fabricated problem. This task is the only face-to-face encounter in the transaction, so if the receiver is caught it is easier for him if he is a minor, since he can’t be prosecuted as an adult. Also, teenagers are more susceptible to threats from senior members of the cell. At first, the nonlinear narrative made for perplexing viewing. It starts at the end of the story, when the receiver, Kazuto, is caught by the police while picking up an envelope of money from an elderly woman. From there, the drama ricochets back-and-forth through time, interrupted occasionally by interviews with actual former cell members who elaborate on certain points. However, this structure soon becomes useful in describing not only how such swindles are carried out, but the socioeconomic circumstances that make them successful. After Kazuto and his 23-year-old monitor, Toyama, are arrested, the narrative proceeds through their court trials and recollections of how they became involved. Cells are set up by crime bosses and installed in rental spaces completely isolated from the outside world. The cells work independently, with the top earners cold calling numbers from lists of names purchased from legally dodgy data supply companies. The callers’ success depends on their ability to improvise, to adapt instantly to something in the interlocutor’s voice and then lead the victim into the trap they’re setting. Once the victim is hooked, the receiver goes to the person’s house to collect the cash as the caller keeps reassuring the victim over the phone. A monitor watches from a distance, on the lookout for police. The cell is self-contained and only contacts the boss when the scam is complete. The cell chief gives all their proceeds to the boss, who then removes a large portion and gives it back to the cell. The chief decides how much each member is paid. Although there are still questions NHK did not answer (for instance, what is to prevent the cell from shorting the boss?), it’s clear from the amount of money these operations take in that the structure is very effective, especially in terms of thwarting police. Cells are nimble and move all the time, leaving no trace of their previous existence to provide the authorities with clues. Most cell members are youths disillusioned with or left off the education track, a cliche that NHK exploits, but it does provide a plausible rationale. When the crime boss recruits, he says he is redistributing wealth being hoarded by retired seniors, a claim that isn’t far off the mark. For years the government has been unsuccessfully trying to get the savings “sleeping” in older people’s possession into circulation. This explanation alleviates some of the self-reproach incurred when cheating people of their life savings, but the main appeal is the group dynamic of the cell. Kazuto doesn’t care so much about the money he’s making. As he tells an official at his detention center, he liked scamming because it was fun to do things with people he called his friends. Callers can go through hundreds of names before finding someone who doesn’t automatically hang up when they pretend to be a relative, and usually it’s because the relationship with that person is fraught with remorse. An effective caller takes advantage of that remorse and, in the drama, the couple who falls for the scam is estranged from their son, so when “he” calls for help, they see a means of reconciliation. After the scam is revealed, however, they are the targets of public derision. The husband commits suicide. The wife survives in a fog of incomprehension, still believing she talked to her son on the phone. NHK’s dramatic license in this case is not only justified but necessary, as it points up the emotional manipulation at the heart of the swindle. Also justified was the melodramatic climax, when the chief of the cell, Daisuke, wracked with guilt, attempts to return the money to the widow and then turns himself in. In court, the prosecution accuses him of cynically blaming society for his transgression because he was raised in poverty by a single mother. So many people in the same situation “properly” work hard to overcome their situation. People like me can’t get ahead like you, Daisuke tells the court, no matter what we do. For that reason, he says, this kind of crime will always be around.

poverty
nhk
wealth
ore ore sagi
it 's me scam
young swindlers
petty crime


Fukushima soccer facility, repurposed after 3/11 disaster, fully reopens

Abstract: FUKUSHIMA - The J-Village national soccer training center in Fukushima Prefecture resumed full operation Saturday, eight years after it was converted into an operational base to cope with the nuclear disaster that hit the prefecture in 2011. The facility, established in 1997, has already been selected as the starting point for the Japan leg of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay, a move aimed at highlighting the country’s efforts to recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, that triggered the meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. The torch relay will start at the facility in March 2020. Until March 2017, the training center was used as a logistics hub and a lodging facility for workers involved in the cleanup and other disaster response operations at the crippled facility located some 20 kilometers to the north. The operational base function has been moved to the power plant. The training complex has been renovated, and an indoor practice field and hotel with conference rooms have been added. A large part of the complex had already resumed operations by July 2018, with the exception of two playing fields. Also on Saturday, East Japan Railway Co. opened a new station near the J-Village. “I hope (the full reopening) will contribute to Fukushima’s revival,” said a 42-year-old woman arriving at the station on Saturday morning. The woman, who lives in the prefecture, was planning to visit the J-Village site.


Japan's Imperial couple return to Tokyo after last trip outside capital before Emperor's abdication

Abstract: Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko returned to Tokyo on Friday after a three-day trip to Mie Prefecture for ceremonies at the Grand Shrines of Ise, where the Emperor reported his abdication set for April 30. About 60,000 people gathered along roads and railway tracks and at train stations to see the couple on their last trip outside of Tokyo as Emperor and Empress. On Wednesday, they arrived at Kintetsu Railway Co.’s Ujiyamada Station in the city of Ise, which hosts the shrine complex, to a welcome from a crowd of about 3,500. Despite light rain, some 1,500 people welcomed the arrival of the couple by taking part in a lantern procession near the main area of the inner shrine on Wednesday night. The couple visited the shrine complex on Thursday. As part of ceremonies related to the abdication, the Emperor brought along the Imperial sword and jewel, two of the family’s three sacred treasures. The last treasure, a mirror, is kept at the shrine. The couple’s only daughter, Sayako Kuroda, was present at the ceremonies as a priest of the shrine. After the key ceremonies, the Imperial Couple looked “deeply moved” and “relieved,” a close aide to them said. Later on Thursday, the couple traveled to Kashikojima, an island in the prefecture. During the train ride, they waved at people along the way, asking their aides to inform them if there were people outside. On Thursday night, Kuroda, who was marking her 50th birthday, had dinner with her parents at the hotel in Kashikojima where the Imperial Couple were staying. When they left Kashikojima Station on Friday, the couple smiled at people who had gathered to express their gratitude. During the Emperor’s 30 years on throne, the couple have made numerous trips around Japan, including trips to encourage people affected by natural disasters and pay tribute to war victims. Emperor Akihito assumed the throne on Jan. 7, 1989, and the country’s current Heisei Era started the following day. Heisei is set to end on April 30 and is to be followed by the start of the Reiwa Era on May 1.

emperor akihito
imperial family
empress michiko
abdication


Body from March 2011 disaster identified from decade-old stamp

Abstract: SENDAI - The Miyagi Prefectural Police have said that a corpse discovered in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami has been identified as that of a 60-year-old woman from the Miyagi town of Onagawa. The identification was made with DNA samples from a postage stamp she mailed a decade ago, the police said Friday. According to the police, the skeletonized body was found on the sea surface near the seawall in Ishinomaki on April 9, 2011. The coastal city was hit by a massive tsunami the previous month following a 9.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred off the coast. The woman had sent the letter to a relative in Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture. The authorities gained access to the letter in March this year and found that the DNA found in the saliva on the stamp matched that of the corpse. The discovery brought the number of unidentified corpses from the disaster in Miyagi down to nine. Authorities are calling on citizens to provide whatever materials they have with links to missing people, noting that even items from a decade ago can lead to identifications.


India's debt-stricken Jet Airways halts all operations; 20,000 jobs in limbo

Abstract: MUMBAI - India’s debt-stricken Jet Airways halted all of its operations Wednesday after failing to secure emergency funding from lenders, leaving it teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. “Jet Airways is compelled to cancel all its international and domestic flights. The last flight will operate today,” it said in statement. Jet had asked a consortium of lenders led by the State Bank of India to urgently provide 4 billion rupees ($57.5 million) but said that this had not been forthcoming. “This has been a very difficult decision but without interim funding, the airline is simply unable to conduct flight operations in a manner that delivers to the very reasonable expectations of its guests, employees, partners and service providers,” it added. The airline was once India’s second-biggest by market share but is on the brink of collapse with debts of more than $1 billion. Jet was operating just five planes on Wednesday because it could not pay its bills, down from a fleet of more than 120 at its peak. The carrier has canceled hundreds of flights in recent weeks, stranding thousands of passengers. It has repeatedly defaulted on loans and failed to pay staff in recent months. The consortium took control of Jet in March, pledging to give $218 million in “immediate funding support” as part of a debt resolution plan. But they have failed to release most of the money and the banks also failed to agree how to proceed after a meeting of several hours on Monday. The SBI-led consortium is looking for a buyer for Jet and a deadline passed on Friday for prospective bidders to express an interest in acquiring a 75 percent stake in the carrier. The SBI is yet to announce a shortlist of prospective bidders but Indian media said four were in the running including Etihad Airways, which already owns a 24 percent stake. “Jet Airways will now await the bid finalization process by SBI and the consortium of Indian Lenders,” the airline said, adding that it hoped to resume services “as soon as possible. A collapse of Jet, and the loss of more than 20,000 jobs, would deal a blow to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pro-business reputation as he seeks a second term in ongoing national elections. Jet CEO Vinay Dube paid tribute to staff in an email to employees and said the airline “must be given another chance” to fly. But analysts said buyers would be reluctant to buy a grounded airline that had lost most of its airport slots. “Is someone willing to take the risk to give this comatose body an electric jolt? I don’t see it happening. At best it might come back in a smaller role,” said Devesh Agarwal, editor of Bangalore Aviation. Bad investments, competition from several low-cost carriers, high oil prices and a weak rupee have led to Jet’s current financial predicament, experts say. Mismanagement has also plagued the airline. Analysts trace the start of Jet’s financial problems to its 2006 purchase of Air Sahara for $500 million in cash. Founder Naresh Goyal reportedly ignored the advice of associates who said the cost was too much. Goyal, 69, launched Jet in 1993 after the Indian government passed a series of reforms designed to make the economy more market-driven. The Mumbai-based carrier quickly gained a reputation for introducing new initiatives — Jet was the first Indian airline to offer a frequent flyer programme and in-flight entertainment. But it began to take a battering from new, well-run budget airlines including IndiGo, GoAir and SpiceJet, which were founded between 2005 and 2006. Alarm bells about Jet’s financial predicament started to ring loudly in August when it failed to report its quarterly earnings or pay staff, including pilots. It later reported a loss of $85 million.

india
airlines
narendra modi
etihad
jet airways


'This has been a nightmare': Carole Ghosn, wife of ousted Nissan chief, fears Japan trial may be unfair

Abstract: Carole Ghosn, the wife of former Nissan and Renault chief Carlos Ghosn, said in an interview that she is worried whether her husband, detained in Japan on financial misconduct allegations, will receive a fair trial, and expressed outrage over a justice system that dragged him back into custody. “This has been a nightmare. We’re devastated, our lives turned upside down. And we see no end in sight. For him to be rearrested, and he is on bail, that’s something unheard of. I’m shocked,” Carole Ghosn said Wednesday in a telephone interview from New York. Carlos Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for 20 years, rescuing it from the brink of bankruptcy, was arrested in November and released on bail last month, but was arrested again on April 4. His wife recalled the scene of his rearrest earlier this month, saying 20 prosecutors came into their Tokyo apartment at 5:50 a.m., when she was still in her pajamas, and seized her cellphone, passport and documents that defense lawyers had been preparing for the trial. Although such seizures might lead to a mistrial in the U.S., prosecutors are allowed such actions in Japan, legal experts say. Early morning arrests and raids are routine. “We are concerned about a fair trial,” she said. “They now know what we were planning as a defense, what evidence we have.” He has been charged with falsifying financial documents in underreporting his retirement compensation and with breach of trust in dubious payments. He says he’s innocent, noting the compensation was never decided and saying the payments were legitimate. In a video prepared before his latest arrest, he accused some executives at Nissan of plotting against him over what he called selfish fears they had about his leadership and Nissan merging with French alliance partner Renault SA. Nissan has said an internal investigation found wrongdoing, ousted Ghosn from its board and promised to fix faulty governance. Ghosn’s detention has been approved through April 22, but that can be extended further. Prosecutors say the latest breach of trust allegations are new, and there is risk evidence may be destroyed. Carole Ghosn said she will return to Japan when her husband is released on bail. She said the conditions of her husband’s detention are harsh, using a term that refers to long detentions without convictions in Japan, “hostage justice.” Like others who undergo detention in Japan, Ghosn is in solitary confinement, and is interrogated by prosecutors all day. He gets fresh air a half hour each day, but is not allowed outdoors over the weekend. Carole Ghosn said she was worried about his health because he has been weakened by the long detention and is not getting enough sunlight. She was also recently questioned in a Japanese court. She declined to give details, but said there was little substance to the questioning. She is not a suspect but agreed to be questioned voluntarily. She stressed that her husband is ready for a fight, and said she was proud of him. “When you’re put in a situation that is so unfair, it eats you up and you want to fight every moment that you can because he knows how unjust it is, and he knows he’s been stabbed in the back,” she said. “Anyone who is put in an unfair situation, you want to fight for your rights. You want to fight for your innocence. You want to fight to clear your name.”

corruption
scandals
nissan
carmakers
renault
carlos ghosn
carole ghosn