Rigging polls 'was at the direction of' Trump, admits his ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, said on Thursday he paid a firm to manipulate online polling data “at the direction of and for the sole benefit of” Trump. The Wall Street Journal reported that Cohen had paid the data firm RedFinch Solutions to manipulate two public opinion polls in favor of Trump before the 2016 presidential campaign. “As for the @WSJ article on poll rigging,” Cohen wrote on Twitter on Thursday, “what I did was at the direction of and for the sole benefit of @realDonaldTrump @POTUS. I truly regret my blind loyalty to a man who doesn’t deserve it.” The attempts to influence the polls ultimately proved largely unsuccessful but shed a light on the tactics of the Trump campaign and Cohen’s role within it. On the campaign trail, Trump frequently referred to his polling numbers to help fuel his candidacy. Cohen was sentenced last month to three years in prison for his role in making illegal hush-money payments to women to help Trump’s campaign and for lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia. Cohen has said Trump had directed him to commit the campaign-finance violations, which Trump has denied. The Journal said Cohen commissioned John Gauger, who runs RedFinch Solutions, to write a computer script to repeatedly vote for Trump in a February 2015 Drudge Report poll on potential Republican candidates. The move came as Trump was preparing to enter the 2016 presidential election race, the newspaper reported. Trump ranked fifth in the Drudge Report poll, with about 24,000 votes, or 5 percent of the total, according to the Journal. Cohen also commissioned Gauger to do the same for a 2014 CNBC online poll identifying the country’s top business leaders, although Trump was unable to break into the top 100 candidates, the Journal reported. “The president has no knowledge of the polls being rigged,” Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani said in an interview with Reuters. Trump tweeted about a CNBC poll on business leaders in 2014, calling it “a joke” and suggested he was removed from the list because of “politics.” Reuters was not immediately able to confirm the details of the newspaper report. Cohen did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did representatives for RedFinch Solutions and the Trump Organization. Charles James, a lawyer for Gauger, declined comment. Gauger said Cohen paid him in cash out of a blue Walmart bag, although not for the total amount he was owed. Cohen also promised Gauger work on the Trump campaign that never materialized, according to the Journal. Cohen worked for Trump for many years as his self-proclaimed fixer, and once said he would take a bullet for Trump. But the relationship has since publicly soured. Trump has called Cohen a “rat,” while Cohen has cooperated with U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of links between the Trump campaign and Russia during the campaign. Both Trump and Moscow have denied any wrongdoing. Cohen has also agreed to testify publicly in front of the House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee in a hearing scheduled to take place next month.

gop
polls
donald trump
rudy giuliani
michael cohen


Trump denies U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi military aircraft for 'public relations trip' to Brussels and Afghanistan

Abstract: WASHINGTON - It took President Donald Trump one day to flex his executive power back at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, denying her an aircraft to visit troops abroad in apparent response to her attempt to delay his State of Union address. The nation’s two most powerful leaders appeared to be engaged in a game of constitutional one-upmanship as negotiations to end the monthlong partial government shutdown failed to produce results. In a letter to Pelosi on Thursday, Trump said the shutdown would have to delay her trip, which was to begin Thursday. “In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I’m sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate,” he said. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said she planned to travel to Afghanistan and Brussels to thank service members and obtain briefings on national security and intelligence “from those on the front lines.” He noted Trump had traveled to Iraq during the shutdown and said a Republican-led congressional trip also had taken place. The political tit-for-tat between Trump and Pelosi underscored the tension between the two leaders, both playing to their core supporters as they battle over the president’s demand for money to build a U.S.-Mexico border wall. The sparring took place as hundreds of thousands of federal workers go without pay and Washington’s routine protocols — a president’s speech to Congress, a lawmaker’s official trip — become inflamed from the budget fight. Pelosi would normally make such a trip on a military aircraft supplied by the Pentagon. According to a defense official, Pelosi did request Defense Department support for overseas travel and it was initially approved. The official wasn’t authorized to speak by name about the matter, so spoke on condition of anonymity. The official said the president does have the authority to cancel the use of military aircraft. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump wanted Pelosi to stay in Washington before Tuesday, a deadline to prepare the next round of paychecks for federal workers. “We want to keep her in Washington,” Sanders said. “The president wants her here to negotiate.” Trump’s move to ground the speaker came after Pelosi threatened Trump’s planned Jan. 29 State of the Union address, saying the shutdown raised concerns about whether the forum could have adequate security. Republicans said she was merely trying to deny the president the stage. While Pelosi did not immediately respond to being denied her trip, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, Rep. Steny Hoyer, called Trump’s action “petty. It is small. It is vindictive.” Some Republicans also expressed frustration. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham tweeted: “One sophomoric response does not deserve another.” He called Pelosi’s State of the Union move “very irresponsible and blatantly political” but said Trump’s effort was “also inappropriate.” Trump has still not said how he will handle Pelosi’s attempt to have him postpone his State of the Union address until the government is reopened so workers can be paid for providing security for the grand Washington tradition. Pelosi told reporters earlier Thursday: “Let’s get a date when government is open. Let’s pay the employees. Maybe he thinks it’s OK not to pay people who do work. I don’t.” Trump declined to address the stalemate over the speech Thursday during a visit to the Pentagon, simply promising that the nation will have “powerful, strong border security.” Pelosi reiterated she is willing to negotiate money for border security once the government is reopened, but she said Democrats remain opposed to Trump’s long-promised wall. “I’m not for a wall,” Pelosi said twice, mouthing the statement a third time for effect. While the shutdown dragged on, the State Department instructed all U.S. diplomats in Washington and elsewhere to return to work next week with pay, saying it had found money for their salaries at least temporarily. In a notice to staff, the department said it can pay most of its employees beginning Sunday or Monday for their next pay period. They will not be paid for time worked since the shutdown began in December until the situation is resolved, said the notice. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had raised eyebrows among the U.S. diplomatic corps last week when he proclaimed that morale at the State Department was “good” despite the shutdown and the fact that 40 percent of its employees in the U.S. and nearly 23 percent overseas had been furloughed and the rest were working without pay.

congress
afghanistan
u.s. shutdown
brussels
nancy pelosi
donald trump


Putin gets hero's welcome in Belgrade as Serbia seeks leverage over EU-leaning Kosovo

Abstract: BELGRADE - Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced Kosovo’s creation of an army as destabilizing for the Balkans during a visit to Belgrade that underscored his ally Serbia’s conflicted approach to joining the European Union. President Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party, which is itself facing anti-government protests, mobilized thousands of its members in the capital Thursday to show support for the Russian leader. Vucic is looking to leverage Moscow’s backing in striking a deal to normalize ties with Kosovo, one of the biggest hurdles to both countries’ EU membership aspirations. Vucic said he didn’t believe that an agreement with Kosovo was close, and Russia would have to sign off on any deal, sending a signal that he doesn’t accept EU opposition to a proposal for the neighbors to redraw their borders. European leaders fear new demarcations could incite similar demands across the region and trigger the kind of ethnic strife that killed more than 100,000 people during the violent breakup of Yugoslavia. Putin, who has drawn criticism for stoking strife in Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, said authorities in Kosovo had made “a series of provocative steps that have seriously aggravated the situation.” In particular, Kosovo’s plans to form an army would violate a United Nations resolution that allows only international forces on its territory, he said. “Russia fully shares the concern of the Serbian leadership,” Putin said at a news conference with Vucic. “Such irresponsible actions of the Kosovo leadership can lead to destabilization in the Balkans.” Since taking power as prime minister in 2012, Vucic has performed a balancing act, pledging to join the EU while also maintaining warm ties with Russia. He has met Putin more than a dozen times, and their close relationship is now playing a role with Kosovo, which declared independence a decade after a 1999 NATO bombing campaign drove Serb troops from its territory. Dragging on for years, the dispute with Kosovo appeared to be near a breakthrough after the two sides floated the idea of redrawing their borders. But, met with a chilly response from the EU, Vucic and Kosovo President Hashim Thaci turned to their old allies. Russia has said it wants an accord that’s good for Serbia. U.S. President Donald Trump urged both sides to quickly reach a deal, with neither country rejecting the proposal. Then the talks halted in November when Kosovo imposed a 100 percent tax on its neighbor’s goods in retaliation to Serbia blocking it from gaining membership in Interpol. Serbia refuses to recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state and has blocked membership in the United Nations and other global organizations. It’s supported by Russia, with which it shares cultural ties such as the Orthodox Church, although the EU is by far Serbia’s biggest foreign investor. Serbia “is supposed to completely align its foreign policy with the EU,” said Sena Maric, a senior researcher at the European Policy Center in Belgrade. But “a considerable number of EU member states perceive Serbia’s relationship with Russia as a matter of their national interest and are ready to block its EU membership.” The visit also coincides with growing unrest against Vucic, who’s facing a second month of protests calling for his government to respect freedom of speech and the rule of law. Following the beating of an opposition politician, thousands of Serbs have taken to the streets in recent weeks in rallies echoing those in eastern European countries including Poland and Hungary where protesters say their governments are backsliding on democracy. Vucic said he wouldn’t bow solely to the EU’s directives, a stance that he says can both include entry in the bloc while also maintaining close ties with Russia. “Serbia is making decisions based on the will of its people and not some other governments,” Vucic said. “Serbia has a strategic goal,” and “it will be free and independent country.”

vladimir putin
russia
eu
ukraine
serbia
balkans
kosovo
aleksandar vucic


Trump administration widens callback of U.S. workers with pay to blunt damage from shutdown

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The State Department told employees they’re going back to work with pay despite the partial government shutdown, as the Trump administration continues to craft exemptions aimed at minimizing the effects of the funding impasse with Congress. “The department expects to be able to resume most personnel operations and fund most salaries,” the department said Thursday in the letter to its worldwide staff. For most workers, that means going back to work on Jan. 22. The department didn’t say where it was finding money to pay its employees. It cautioned that “bureaus and posts are expected to adhere to strict budget constraints with regard to new spending for contracts, travel, and other needs.” Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement that the shutdown “continues to create a real risk for U.S. foreign policy.” “While I believe it is critically important that our diplomacy and development professionals get paid for their service to our nation, trying to hold a government together with duct tape” is “no way to govern,” the senator from New Jersey said in a statement. While visa and passport services overseas that are funded by fees have remained open, many embassy staff members around the world have been on furlough — not working and not paid — along with hundreds of thousands of government workers affected by the shutdown in the U.S. In some cases, unpaid workers have been taking turns coming to offices one or two days a week to keep operations going. About 26 percent of American employees of the State Department overseas and about 42 percent stationed in the U.S. had been furloughed, according to the department. Most non-U.S. citizens working for the department abroad have still been working thanks to labor laws in their countries that prohibit unpaid furloughs, the department said. Embassy employees who were forced to work without pay during Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s visit to the Middle East last week openly complained about the workload. Some said they may be compelled to file for unemployment or look for new jobs. As President Donald Trump battles Democrats in Congress over the funding he demands for a wall at the border with Mexico in the longest shutdown in U.S. history, an increasing number of federal agencies have been calling back workers to limit the impact and protect favored industries and policy initiatives. Unlike the State Department’s announcement that it will be paying workers, the administration has ordered thousands of furloughed federal employees back to work without pay to inspect planes, issue tax refunds, monitor food safety and facilitate the sale of offshore oil drilling rights. The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday that it is bringing back some safety specialists to approve new planes for service, review plane maintenance and conduct airport inspections. That came a day after the Food and Drug Administration said it was recalling workers to resume inspections of high-risk fare such as soft cheeses and seafood. The Internal Revenue Service last week said it is calling back employees to issue tax refunds. And the Interior Department is summoning staff back to ready sales of oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico.


Sudan protest death toll at least 26 after doctor and child killed as police break up march

Abstract: KHARTOUM - A doctor and a child were killed Thursday during protests in Sudan’s capital, organizers of the anti-government demonstrations said, as police dispersed a crowd of hundreds marching towards the presidential palace. At least 26 people have died in protests that have rocked Sudan since they first erupted on Dec. 19 after a government decision to raise the price of bread. The rallies have since escalated into broader demonstrations against President Omar al-Bashir’s three decades of iron-fisted rule and triggered deadly clashes with the security forces. Human rights groups have given a higher death toll, with Amnesty International saying that more than 40 people had been killed and over 1,000 arrested. “One doctor and a child (have been) killed in today’s demonstrations,” the doctors’ committee, part of a protest movement spearheaded by the Sudanese Professionals Association, said in a statement late on Thursday. The committee said the two were killed with “live ammunition” but did not specify who had fired the shots. It also said that some other people had sustained gunshot wounds. The deaths were confirmed to AFP by the relatives of the two victims. Protesters staged a demonstration outside the hospital in Khartoum where their bodies were brought, witnesses said. A police spokesman could not be reached immediately for comment. Earlier, demonstrators chanting “freedom, peace, justice” had gathered in central Khartoum and began their march on the presidential palace but riot police quickly confronted them with tear gas, witnesses told AFP. People also took to the streets in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, in the provincial town of Gadaref and in the agricultural hub of Atbara, where the first protests broke out on Dec. 19. After riot police broke up the march in downtown Khartoum, crowds of residents in the capital’s Buri district staged a new rally, witnesses said. Protesters pelted rocks at riot police who in turn fired tear gas. Video footage showed some protesters wounded but they were treated by fellow demonstrators. People also took to the streets in the Khartoum’s northern district of Bahri, where burned tires and piles of garbage blocked streets to traffic, witnesses said. Three other protests were staged in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman. The Sudanese Professionals Association said the response to Thursday’s call for protests had been “above expectations.” “We are calling on the international community to protect peaceful demonstrators as we fear the authorities will use more violence,” Mohamed Al-Asbat, a spokesman for the association told AFP by telephone from Paris. Al-Bashir has blamed the violence during the demonstrations on “conspirators” working against the interests of the country, without identifying them. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Thursday condemned Sudan’s “repressive response” to the anti-government demonstrations. “I am very concerned about reports of excessive use of force, including live ammunition, by Sudanese state security forces during large-scale demonstrations in various parts of the country since 19 December,” she said in a statement. The U.N. Security Council too called on Sudan to respect the rights of protesters and investigate the violence. “We are appalled at reports that security forces have used tear gas and violence within hospitals against those being treated and against doctors providing medical assistance,” said British Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Allen on Thursday. Sudan’s ambassador, Omer Dahab Fadl Mohamed, told the council that his government was “fully committed to giving citizens a space to peacefully express their views.” But he said the authorities would act to “protect lives and public property against sabotage and arson and all other forms of violence perpetrated by some demonstrators.” More than 1,000 people including protesters, journalists, opposition leaders and activists have been arrested in a sweeping crackdown by security agents since the protests erupted. Despite the tough response, the protest movement has grown to become the biggest threat to al-Bashir’s rule since he took power in an Islamist-backed military coup in 1989. The protesters accuse al-Bashir’s government of mismanagement of key sectors of the economy and of pouring funds into a military response Sudan can ill afford to rebellions in the western region of Darfur and in areas near the border with South Sudan. Sudan has suffered from a chronic shortage of foreign currency since the south broke away in 2011, taking with it the lion’s share of oil revenues. That has triggered soaring inflation that has seen the cost of food and medicines more than double, and frequent shortages in major cities, including Khartoum. A defiant al-Bashir has dismissed calls for his resignation but acknowledged the country faces economic problems for which a slew of reforms were being planned.


Regretful Brexit backers lobby for another vote

Abstract: LONDON - Britons who have changed their minds since voting to leave the European Union in 2016 are among those uniting to call for another chance to reverse the Brexit decision. These “remainer now” voters, former supporters of the U.K.’s exit, are adding their voices to the chorus of calls for a second referendum amid political paralysis over the issue. One of the most prominent campaigners against Brexit, businesswoman Gina Miller, who shot to fame for successfully challenging Theresa May’s government in court, sees little cause for optimism in one of the most tumultuous weeks since the 2016 referendum. Britain, she fears, is hurtling toward a crash-exit from the EU without an agreement after Parliament overwhelmingly rejected May’s divorce deal on Tuesday. It was Miller, a Guyana-born former model and founder of an investment company, who won a court ruling in 2016 forcing May to consult Parliament before firing the Brexit starting gun. Gary Maylin, 38, from Norwich in eastern England, said he originally backed leaving the bloc after more than four decades of membership because he “wanted sovereignty for the U.K.” He recalled facing a barrage of pro-Brexit sentiment at the time that influenced his choice. “So I decided the EU was to blame for a lot of the things that were going wrong — the inability of our government to control our destiny.” The world’s fifth-largest economy is in political turmoil and grasping for solutions that could smooth its planned departure from the bloc just 10 weeks from now. May is scrambling to put together a new Brexit strategy after MPs rejected her EU divorce deal, but admitted Thursday that she cannot rule out a potentially damaging “no-deal” split. Maylin was among 51.9 percent of voters to support leaving the bloc in the nationwide referendum 2½ years ago, trumping the 48.1 percent who went for “remain.” But he says he would now “absolutely” vote the other way. “I’ve come to appreciate that we are not going to … succeed as a nation on our own,” Maylin explained, adding “walking away isn’t working for us.” “We really benefit from being strong as a united Europe rather than independent as a country,” he said, pointing to everything from U.S. President Donald Trump to the continued rise of China. Earlier this week, Maylin joined a dozen or so other Brexit converts who headed to Westminster, the epicenter of political power, to tell British MPs why they now want another referendum. The meeting was organized by RemainerNow, an initiative launched by a Europhile, Andrew Davidson, in his spare time with a presence online. Davidson was left “disturbed” by the 2016 result and spurred into action by meeting regretful Brexit voters. “There was so many people both in my personal life but also I’ve seen on social media or TV that had regrets over their ‘leave’ vote,” he said. His movement is hopeful of seeing a second vote — repeatedly rejected by the government — as opinion polls show a majority would now support remaining in the EU. A recent compilation of surveys by the nonpartisan organization “What U.K. Thinks: EU” found 54 percent now favor staying in. Christopher Oram, from Dorset, is another former Brexit supporter who believes he was lulled into the wrong decision. “We had the MPs who were saying that we could have our cake and eat it,” Oram said, noting campaign promises of money saved, easy trade deals and a prosperous future. “Then I heard that we were going to leave the single market and custom unions so, again, I’m in shock,” added the 28-year-old. “All the promises were broken.” Those who have lost faith in Brexit revealed it had not been easy sharing news of their switch with friends and family who have stayed loyal to the cause. Maylin said he has been harassed on social media, while Oram quarreled with his best friend over the issue. Other friends have shunned Oram in response. “I find upsetting that people don’t accept … I have the right to change my mind,” he added.


U.K.'s Prince Philip, 97, escapes unhurt after car crash near royal Sandringham estate

Abstract: LONDON - Queen Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, 97, was involved in a traffic accident while driving on Thursday near the Sandringham estate in eastern England, Buckingham Palace said. He was not hurt. “The Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a road traffic accident with another vehicle this afternoon,” it said in a statement. “The Duke was not injured. The accident took place close to the Sandringham Estate.” Local police attended the scene, the palace added. The BBC reported that Philip was driving a Range Rover and that the vehicle landed on its side after a collision. It quoted a witness as saying the Duke was very shaken. A palace spokeswoman later confirmed the Duke was at the wheel and that he was checked by a doctor afterwards. He did not go to hospital and was now back at Sandringham. Philip married Elizabeth in 1947 and has been by his wife’s side throughout her long reign. The former naval officer did not accompany the Queen to a church service on Christmas Day last month though a royal source said he was in good health. Philip, who had successful hip replacement surgery last year, retired from public life in 2017.

accidents
u.k .
driving
queen elizabeth ii
prince philip


Trump-Deutsche Bank links in sights of U.S. House investigators

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Democrats now in control of the U.S. House of Representatives are working out which House panels will take the lead in investigating President Donald Trump’s business ties to Deutsche Bank, lawmakers and aides familiar with the plans said. As the new Democratic House of Representatives majority launches a range of investigations into the Republican president and his businesses, the Intelligence Committee and Financial Services Committee are poised to dig into his ties with Deutsche, one of the world’s largest financial institutions. Democratic lawmakers’ aides are discussing how to divide up the investigative work among committees and prevent overlap on requesting documents, aides said. Since U.S. voters on Nov. 6 shifted majority control of the House from the Republicans to the Democrats, the party has been promising to probe the first two years of Trump’s administration and possible conflicts of interest presented by his hotel, golf course and other ventures, as well as Trump family members. White House officials did not respond to a request for comment. The White House in the past has referred questions about Trump businesses to the Trump Organization. Officials at the Trump Organization could not immediately be reached for comment. A Deutsche Bank spokesman said: “Deutsche Bank takes its legal obligations seriously and remains committed to cooperating with authorized investigations. Our recent record of cooperating with such investigations has been widely recognized by regulators. We intend to keep working in this spirit.” The Financial Services Committee, chaired by Democrat Maxine Waters, has the broadest power to look into Trump’s relationship with Deutsche. When the Republicans still controlled the House, Waters tried in 2017 to request documents from the bank on its dealings with Trump and his businesses, as well as information about potential Russian money laundering through the bank. But the bank told Congress that privacy laws prevented it from handing over such information without a formal subpoena. Committee Republicans ignored Waters’ request. As chairwoman, Waters can now issue subpoenas herself. In recent weeks, Waters has been publicly quiet about her plans. In a speech on Monday on committee priorities, she made no mention of the bank. A Waters spokesman declined to comment. Democratic aides outside the committee said Waters plans to move quietly on the Deutsche inquiry. She cannot begin formally issuing subpoenas until after the committee holds its first business meeting, expected by the end of January. Deutsche has extended millions of dollars in credit to the Trump Organization, making the bank one of few willing to lend extensively to Trump in the past decade. A 2017 financial disclosure form showed liabilities for Trump of at least $130 million to Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, a unit of German-based Deutsche Bank AG. House Intelligence Committee Democrats also want to investigate Trump and his Deutsche links, said three congressional officials familiar with committee discussions. A Judiciary Committee spokesman said it has been consulted.

congress
deutsche bank
democrats
donald trump


After once declaring all-clear, Trump missile defense review calls North Korea 'extraordinary threat'

Abstract: WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump unveiled a revamped U.S. missile defense strategy on Thursday that called North Korea an ongoing and “extraordinary threat,” seven months after he declared the threat posed by Pyongyang had been eliminated. The Missile Defense Review, which also detailed concerns about the burgeoning capabilities of Iran, Russia and China, was a broad examination of efforts to shield the United States from enemy missiles, including a push to develop space-based sensors and study the development of space-based weapons. “Our goal is simple: To ensure we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States — anywhere, anytime, anyplace,” Trump said at the Pentagon as he unveiled the report. Trump did not mention the North Korean missile threat in his remarks. But acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan called North Korea’s missiles a “significant concern.” The document was even stronger. “While a possible new avenue to peace now exists with North Korea, it continues to pose an extraordinary threat and the United States must remain vigilant,” the report said. For Trump, who is trying to revive efforts to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal, the report’s release came at an awkward moment. Senior North Korean envoy Kim Yong Chol was headed for Washington on Thursday for expected talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday and a possible encounter with Trump, a person familiar with the matter said. The talks could lead to an announcement of plans for a second Trump summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after their meeting last year in Singapore, the source told Reuters. Trump wrote on Twitter after the June 2018 summit that there is “no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea.” The Missile Defense Review recommended studying experimental technologies, including prospects for space-based weaponry that might be able to shoot down enemy missiles, a throwback to former President Ronald Reagan’s 1980s “Star Wars” initiative. It also called for investments in space-based sensors that can better detect and track incoming missiles, and perhaps counter super-fast hypersonic technology, an area in which China has made major advances. “We will protect the American people from all types of missile attacks,” Trump said. “In the past, the United States lacked a comprehensive strategy for missile defense that extended beyond ballistic missiles. Under our plan, that will change. The U.S. will now adjust its posture to also defend against any missile strikes including cruise and hypersonic missiles.” “We are committed to establishing a missile-defense program that can shield every city in the United States. And we will never negotiate away our right to do this,” Trump added. Trump specifically mentioned Iran’s capabilities. The report said Iran possesses the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East. “Its desire to have a strategic counter to the United States could drive it to field an ICBM,” the report said, referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile. Trump said the United States would not impose any limits on U.S. development of missiles defenses against “any America target — whether before or after launch.” “We will not take any chances. We will only take action,” Trump said. The United States previously announced plans to increase the number of ground-based interceptors over the next several years, hiking the number positioned at Fort Greely, Alaska to 64 from 44. U.S. military officials have said American missile defenses are primarily designed to counter attacks from countries with more-limited arsenals like North Korea, which U.S. intelligence officials believe is still advancing its nuclear program despite a halt to missile launches last year. Pentagon officials contend that American missile defenses are too few to counter a first-strike on the U.S. homeland by a major nuclear power like Russia or China. Washington hopes those countries will instead be deterred from attacks by America’s nuclear arsenal. The report underscored that point, but also acknowledged that in a war with a major power, the United States would use the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) defenses at its disposal. “The GMD system is designed to defend against the existing and potential ICBM threat from rogue states such as North Korea and Iran, but in the event of conflict, it would defend, to the extent feasible, against a ballistic missile attack upon the U.S. homeland from any source,” the report said. Russia views U.S. missile defense advances as a threat. The chairman of Russia’s upper house defense and security committee, Viktor Bondarev, said after Trump’s announcement that the new U.S. missile-defense strategy would ramp up global tensions, according to Interfax news agency. The Pentagon has made no secret about its concerns about Beijing’s pursuit of hypersonic technology that would make missiles far harder to detect and destroy.

china
u.s .
north korea
russia
missile defense
donald trump
hypersonic missiles


Talks between U.S. and North Korea held in Sweden

Abstract: COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - A senior North Korean diplomat has arrived in Sweden to take part an unannounced high-level meeting in Stockholm, officials said Friday. Swedish Foreign Ministry spokesman Vilhelm Rundquist said Deputy Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui has landed in Sweden “to take part in talks in a minor format where international experts take part.” He declined to give further details. Sweden’s TT news agency said Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom also attended the event. It is possible that U.S. special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun will join the meeting later. “I have nothing to say presently. It’s up to the parties and the countries whether there will be a result,” Wallstrom told the TT news agency. “We are proud if we can contribute. If they want us to contribute, we do it.” The location for the talks was not disclosed. Sweden has had diplomatic relations with Pyongyang since 1973 and is one of only a few Western countries with an embassy there. It provides consular services for the United States. In March, Wallstrom held talks with her North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong Ho, in Stockholm, leading to the first-ever meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, in June in Singapore.

u.s .
north korea
diplomacy
north korea nuclear crisis
stephen biegun
sweden . choe son hui


JAL hands details of new checks and rules to tackle flight crew boozing to government

Abstract: Japan Airlines Co. submitted to the government Friday new rules concerning alcohol consumption by flight staff and measures to monitor enforcement, following a series of drinking-related problems at the company, the transport ministry said. While the content of JAL’s report was to be disclosed later in the day, Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Keiichi Ishii said his ministry will conduct inspections on JAL and other domestic airlines in the near future, to check if members of their flight crews are following the regulations set by each airline. “We are making maximum efforts to restore public confidence in aviation safety,” Ishii told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Following drinking incidents involving JAL and other airlines last year, the ministry decided to introduce new rules on alcohol consumption by pilots and other flight crew members. Alcohol tests were made mandatory for pilots before and after flights, and a ban was implemented on pilots being allowed to board if a Breathalyzer test finds them to have even a tiny amount of alcohol in their system. JAL has come under scrutiny since a co-pilot was arrested by U.K. police in October for being around 10 times over the legal alcohol limit set under the country’s aviation law. He was later convicted in the U.K. and dismissed by JAL. JAL has introduced new rules that prohibit pilots from drinking in a 24-hour period before a flight, and have mandated alcohol tests for all flight attendants before departure and after arrival.


Japan ranked 10th in report on global responsiveness to child sexual abuse

Abstract: Japan is among the top 10 countries for effectively tackling the worldwide problem of child sexual abuse but can still do more, according to a groundbreaking report released earlier this week. The Economist Intelligence Unit measured how 40 countries prevent and react to sexual violence and exploitation of children, under its first-ever research program on the subject. Examples of sexual exploitation given in the report include prostitution and trafficking. The study, titled “Out of the shadows: Shining light on the response to child sexual abuse and exploitation,” measured the sociopolitical environment, legal framework, government response and engagement of civil society and industry in each of the countries. The EIU gave Japan an overall score of 63.8, placing it 10th and barely within the first quartile of the countries surveyed. The London-based research firm ranked the United Kingdom at the top, giving it a score of 82.7. Countries that scored higher than Japan include the United States, Germany, South Korea and France. The report credits Japan’s sociopolitical stability, new laws to prevent child exploitation and increased public resources for victims. It also notes that organizations are engaging society by providing services including medical support, emergency accommodations and legal help. Although the report did not survey the scale of the problem in each country, children in Japan are “less vulnerable to sexual violence” because of its political and social stability, said Sumana Rajarethnam, principal of public policy at the EIU. “At the household and community level, there (are) low levels of substance abuse in Japan, which are typically linked to most forms of violence against and among children.” Still, Rajarethnam said there is “room for improvement.” Some of Japan’s shortcomings include a lack of protection for children’s rights in the Constitution, as well as a relatively short statute of limitations for cases of child sex abuse. Furthermore, the EIU report pointed out that Japanese authorities need to collect more data to understand the full scope of the problem and that its media are not covering child sex abuse enough, the report said.

children
child abuse
surveys
economist intelligence unit


Abe Cabinet approves reworked 2019 draft budget after Japan jobs data debacle

Abstract: The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday approved a draft budget for fiscal 2019 that had to be reworked to add ¥650 million in costs arising from the labor ministry’s publishing of faulty jobs data. The update of the spending plan sets an embarrassing precedent for the government. The additional costs will be tacked on to a record ¥101.46 trillion that has been allocated to the general account budget. The earlier version of the budget was approved by the Cabinet in December and was ready to be submitted to the upcoming Diet session, which is expected to be convened on Jan. 28. That changed after the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry was revealed to have published its monthly labor survey without having collected sufficient data over a 15-year period. The lack of data meant nationwide wage figures were calculated to be lower than they actually were. Because the figures are used as the basis to decide benefits, including unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation, the government failed to pay a total of more than ¥56 billion to over 20 million people. The government plans to reimburse the people who were affected by the faulty survey. Finance Minister Taro Aso, whose ministry was forced to recraft the budget after the scandal came to light, appeared vexed on Friday. “Government statistics are the basis for economic and fiscal policy and should be accurate. It’s truly regrettable that the labor survey had to be corrected,” he told reporters after a morning Cabinet meeting. Including related costs, such as for updating computer software, the total hit from the faulty jobs data will come to ¥79.5 billion, according to the Finance Ministry. The bulk of that amount will be paid out of a special account budget that is funded by insurance premiums, in contrast to the general account budget, which is mainly funded by taxes and debt, the ministry said. On Thursday, the labor ministry began a full-scale probe into the matter by convening a meeting of an inspection team including lawyers, with the main focus on whether bureaucrats tried to systematically cover up misconduct related to the botched survey. The government is expected to reprimand the labor ministry’s top bureaucrat and some other officials, a government source said Thursday. The ministry is required to review all businesses in Japan with 500 or more employees, but it collected data from only a third of the roughly 1,400 such companies in Tokyo since 2004, resulting in the statistics showing nationwide wages to be lower than the actual figures. Labor minister Takumi Nemoto has said a manual used by those involved in compiling the data stated that only some of the large companies needed to be surveyed.


Japan launches Epsilon rocket carrying seven satellites, including one supposed to generate fake meteor shower

Abstract: Japan successfully launched on Friday morning a low-cost Epsilon rocket carrying seven satellites built by 10 organizations, including a space venture aiming to create artificial shooting stars. The launch by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) of the Epsilon-4 rocket, from Uchinoura Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture, is the first since new rules were set in November to promote private-sector space development activities. Among the satellites sent into space was one developed by Tokyo-based ALE Co. that plans to replicate a meteor shower by releasing metal pieces into the atmosphere. It was accompanied by a land and weather observer named MicroDragon, developed by engineers from the Vietnam National Satellite Center with the support of professors from Japanese universities. ALE founder and CEO Lena Okajima, 39, and some 20 employees of the space venture took part in a tour to observe the launch along with more than 700 other people at a site about 3 kilometers from the space center. “It was a beautiful launch. It is thrilling and at the same time sobering as the key stage will start from now,” Okajima said. Her company aims to create the world’s first artificial meteor shower next year, above the coastal region of Hiroshima Prefecture along the Seto Inland Sea. With demand growing globally for small satellites, JAXA hopes to attract orders with its Epsilon rockets that are specially designed to carry such satellites at a lower cost. The Epsilon is a solid fuel rocket equipped with artificial intelligence technology that cuts labor and launch costs, and which can be controlled from the ground by just two personal computers. JAXA aims to eventually cut the Epsilon’s ¥5.5 billion ($50 million) launch cost — about half that of its more commonly used H-IIA rocket — to ¥3 billion.

space
jaxa
rockets
satellites
epsilon
ale co .


Cruise ship passengers dip for first time since '13

Abstract: The number of visitors to Japan by cruise ships in 2018 dropped 3.3 percent from the previous year to 2,446,000, the first fall since statistics began in 2013, the transport ministry said Friday. The decline came chiefly because the number of visitors departing from China, which accounted for the largest share, fell 7 percent to 2.02 million, according to the ministry. Cruise ship operators apparently curtailed their marketing campaigns in China, where fares dropped due to intensified competition. Expecting the drop to be temporary, the ministry still aims to achieve the government’s goal of increasing the number of cruise ship visitors to 5 million in 2020. The number of visits by cruise ships to ports in Japan in 2018 increased 5.9 percent from the previous year to a record high of 2,928. Of them, 1,913 visits were made by cruise ships operated by overseas operators. Hakata port in Fukuoka received the largest number of such visits at 263, followed by Naha port at 236 and Nagasaki port at 215.


Banksy does Tokyo? Officials check if years-old graffiti is work of legendary British street artist

Abstract: Officials are trying to verify if a drawing of a rat holding an umbrella, spray painted near a monorail station in central Tokyo, is the work of the famous and mysterious British street artist Banksy. “We noticed there is a drawing of a rat spray painted” on the door near Hinode Station on the Yurikamome Line in central Tokyo, government official Koji Sugiyama said. “We think there’s a possibility it has been done by Banksy.” An image of a rat holding an umbrella is one of Banksy’s most famous artworks. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike posted photos of the painting on Twitter, saying, “There’s a painting of cute rat in Tokyo which could be Banksy’s work! A gift to Tokyo?” あのバンクシーの作品かもしれないカワイイねずみの絵が都内にありました！ 東京への贈り物かも？ カバンを持っているようです。 pic.twitter.com/aPBVAq3GG3 — 小池百合子 (@ecoyuri) January 17, 2019 City maintenance workers removed the door, which was installed to prevent flooding during high tides, and placed it in storage Wednesday night to prevent any damage, Sugiyama said. It is unclear exactly when the work was painted, but the Public Safety Bureau has known about the graffiti for a long time, he added. There are photos on social media that appear to show the same painting, which date back several years. But it was only in December that the government realized it could have been created by Banksy, after local residents contacted them, the official said. The government hopes to find out if it is truly a work by Banksy, but “we still don’t know if there’s an expert in Japan,” Sugiyama admitted, adding that the government will discuss ways to verify who made it. Banksy, whose true identity is known to only a handful of friends, caused a sensation last October when one of his paintings began shredding itself just after selling for $1.4 million (€1.2 million) at Sotheby’s auctioneers in London. Experts say the “Girl with Balloon,” which is now called “Love is in the Bin,” is probably worth even more because the stunt created such a massive media stir.

tokyo
painting
banksy
monorail station
hinode
love is in the bin


Last public school in Iwate wrecked by 3/11 quake and tsunami rebuilt in Rikuzentakata

Abstract: MORIOKA, IWATE PREF. - A ceremony marking the reconstruction of an elementary school — the last public school in Iwate Prefecture heavily damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami to be rebuilt — was held Friday in the city of Rikuzentakata. Kesen Elementary School’s new building stands on higher ground, about 49 meters above sea level, at its new site. The previous three-storied building was destroyed completely by the tsunami, which reached the top floor. On Friday, officials from the prefectural board of education celebrated progress in rebuilding disaster-stricken schools. “The new building uses local wood in abundance to help the area’s reconstruction from the disaster,” Rikuzentakata Mayor Futoshi Toba said at the ceremony. “I hope that students study even harder at the new school.” Kesen Elementary School had been using the building of Osabe Elementary School in the city since April 2011, a month after the tsunami. In 2013, the two schools were merged as Kesen Elementary School, with classes continuing at the same location. A total of 86 municipal schools in coastal areas of the prefecture were hit by the earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Some of the schools were relocated to higher ground while others were renovated at the same sites. Also Friday, workers began preparations to dismantle the former Otsuchi Municipal Government building in the prefecture — where the mayor and 27 employees were killed by tsunami — after the Morioka District Court dismissed the previous day a request from residents to block the demolition in order to maintain the building as a memorial to the disaster. The decision followed Otsuchi Mayor Kozo Hirano’s statement that the work would start on Jan. 18 as planned. The town will consider ways to use a clock and other items from the building to convey the memories of the disaster to future generations.

tsunami earthquakes rikuzentakata disasters otsuchi schools iwate 3.11


Tokyo Metro aims to ease morning rush hour overcrowding — with free soba and tempura

Abstract: Instead of a worm, Tokyo’s early bird commuters could get free soba noodles with tempura if enough of them take part in a new plan to ease congestion on a busy line in the capital. Under the plan, announced this week by Tokyo Metro Co., passengers would stagger their commutes during the morning rush hour on the Tozai Line subway services. Following the launch of the initiative next Monday and continuing on weekdays until Feb. 1, Tozai Line passengers who register with the campaign will be eligible to receive coupons that can be used at Metro An, a soba noodle shop affiliated with the subway operator. Such incentives are part of a broader endeavor, spearheaded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and private companies, known as Jisa Biz, or “flex-hour business,” to stagger commuting hours in an attempt to ease overcrowding. “We hope the campaign will contribute to reducing congestion during peak hours as more people take trains at different times,” wrote Takahiro Yamaguchi, a Tokyo Metro spokesman, in an email. But there are catches. In order to participate, users need to sign up to Tokyo Metro’s early-rising campaign for Tozai Line passengers and register their IC card information beforehand. The campaign is for passengers who embark at stations between Toyo-Katsutadai Station in Chiba Prefecture and Monzennakacho Station in eastern Tokyo. To participate in the initiative they need to go through the ticket gate before a certain time of the morning, which depends on the station. The participants must take part on 10 consecutive weekdays to secure the soba. After 10 days, if at least 3,000 people participate in the program, they will get a coupon that can be exchanged for a bowl of noodles and tempura. If more than 2,500 participants sign up, they will receive a coupon for a bowl of soba noodles, but if only 2,000 or more take part, they will get a coupon for one piece of tempura. No coupons will be handed out if fewer than 2,000 people sign up. The soba noodle restaurants are located at Otemachi, Kinshicho and Shinkiba stations in Tokyo and at Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture. Yamaguchi said the company will establish how many commuters participate based on the registered users’ IC card information, and send coupons to the email addresses they provide. Rush hour congestion in Japan is notoriously overcrowded, and the Tozai Line is one of the most packed train lines in Japan. Transportation ministry data shows that on average 76,616 people rode Tozai Line trains between Kiba Station and Monzennakacho Station between 7:50 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. in 2017. Twenty-seven trains, each consisting of 10 cars, ran between those times. In total, the 27 trains were classified as capable of carrying a total of 38,448 passengers. The figures show that, in fact, almost twice that number of people on those services, giving a load factor of an eye-popping 199 percent. “We are aware that the Tozai Line is chronically overcrowded, which has caused passengers trouble,” Yamaguchi said. Last March the company rolled out a feature on its mobile app that keeps track during weekdays of how crowded trains are on all the nine lines it operates. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is supporting such initiatives in an attempt to alleviate commuting hour congestion, suggesting people go to work either before 8 a.m. or after 9 a.m. It is also encouraging flextime and telework. Some experts have warned that Tokyo’s train system could break down and paralyze the transportation network during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, when visitors heading to various venues are expected to use public transportation at the same time as commuters go to their places of work. A study last year by Chuo University predicted that the games would attract up to 650,000 people to the Tokyo metropolitan area, where 8 million people commute each day on around 47,000 trains. But Yamaguchi said the Tokyo Metro campaign is not directly related to measures to ease congestion during the games.

transportation
rail
tokyo metro
rush hour
subways
tozai line


South Korean high court upholds ruling against Nachi-Fujikoshi over wartime forced labor

Abstract: SEOUL - A South Korean court on Friday upheld a compensation order against machinery-maker Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. over wartime forced labor, the latest in a string of rulings over the issue that has chilled Japan-South Korea ties. The Seoul High Court upheld a lower court ruling that awarded between 80 million and 100 million won ($71,300 to $89,200) in damages to each of 13 Korean women and the families of four others who have since died. In a October 2014 ruling against the firm, the Seoul Central District Court determined that individuals have the right to seek redress even though Japan and South Korea had normalized diplomatic relations and were believed to have settled colonial-era issues and under a 1965 bilateral treaty. The plaintiffs claimed in the lawsuit that they were deceived into going to study in the city of Toyama, and were forced to perform hard labor without sufficient food or sleep. The company subsequently appealed the ruling. In October and November last year, the South Korean Supreme Court ruled against two other Japanese companies, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., in similar cases stemming from conscripted labor during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945. Those decisions and subsequent lower court rulings against Japanese firms have drawn protests from Tokyo, and chilled already frosty ties between the two countries. Friday’s ruling was the first involving Nachi-Fujikoshi since last year’s Supreme Court decisions. Two more rulings are expected to be issued against the company this month. At a news conference after the ruling, lawyers representing the plaintiffs urged Nachi-Fujikoshi not to issue an appeal to the Supreme Court and instead to engage in dialogue with them to determine the best way to issue compensation. “Other Japanese firms have filed revisions or appeals in their cases in light of the rulings at South Korean courts, probably to avoid having their cases finalized,” said Lim Jae-sung, one of the lawyers. “I don’t think these are appropriate courses of action, given that the plaintiffs are getting older.” In Tokyo on Friday, a civic group in Japan visited the head office of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., and handed over a letter from lawyers representing the plaintiffs who won their case at the Supreme Court in November. In the letter the lawyers called on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to hold negotiations over compensation, and said they may pursue seizure of the company’s assets in South Korea if the company fails to respond “sincerely” by the end of February. Japan’s government takes the position that the right to seek compensation was terminated under an accord attached to the 1965 treaty, which stipulates that issues relating to property and claims between the two countries and their peoples have been settled “completely and finally.” The South Korean government has said it must respect court decisions as a matter of the separation of powers, and has cautioned Japanese leaders against inflaming the issue.

wartime labor
south korea-japan relations
nachi-fujikoshi corp .
seoul central district court


Lawyers for Carlos Ghosn again ask Tokyo court to grant bail

Abstract: Lawyers for former Nissan Motor Co. boss Carlos Ghosn on Friday requested for a second time that a Tokyo court grant bail to the 64-year-old, who has been detained for about two months for alleged financial misdeeds. The request came a day after the Tokyo District Court turned down an appeal made by the lawyers to retract an earlier denial of bail. Ghosn was first arrested on Nov. 19 and his detention has been extended multiple times over additional allegations, all of which he denies. Ghosn has been charged with violating the financial instruments law by understating his remuneration in Nissan’s securities reports, as well as with aggravated breach of trust over the transfer of derivative losses from his private asset management company to Nissan’s books. Ghosn was allowed to make his first public appearance on Jan. 8 at the district court to get an explanation for his prolonged detention. At that time he claimed he had been “wrongly accused and unfairly detained.” His lawyers requested bail on Jan. 11, but the court rejected it four days later, saying he is a flight risk and that he might destroy evidence. The previous request may have stated that, were Ghosn granted bail, he would be limited to living in France or at the French ambassadorial residence in Tokyo, sources knowledgeable on the matter said. Under the Japanese judicial system, a bail request can be made as many times as needed. Ghosn’s Tokyo-based chief lawyer, Motonari Otsuru, told a news conference after his first public appearance that he may not be granted bail before the start of his trial, which could take place around June, due to the complexity of the case, which involves documents in both Japanese and English.


Dozens of North Korean boats, some carrying human remains, continue to wash ashore in northern Japan

Abstract: AOMORI - Numerous wooden boats believed to have drifted from North Korea to Tohoku’s Sea of Japan coast have been left where they washed up as local residents lack the financial resources to dispose of them. Local governments cannot keep pace with the number of abandoned boats, some of which arrive carrying human remains. The Japan Coast Guard has confirmed more than 80 such dilapidated and deserted boats have arrived since last November on the shores of Aomori, Akita and Yamagata prefectures. Residents and authorities want the boats removed as they are an eyesore that could have a negative impact on tourism, while local fishermen complain of oil leaks and having their nets caught up in the abandoned vessels. According to the Environment Ministry, removing a boat — which is treated as industrial waste, with the wood and metal divided up and disposed of by contractors — costs around ¥1 million. Municipal governments have used money earmarked for the disposal of oceanic debris, but with North Korean boats continuing to arrive on their shores, their budgets have all but dried up. The central government can provide funds to subsidize the entire cost of the removal but the process for applying for the additional funds takes a considerable amount of time. If the removal work starts prior to the approval, the full cost falls to the local government, making it difficult for a quick resolution. Since November, 12 boats believed to be from North Korea have washed up in Fukaura, Aomori Prefecture, upsetting residents like Kazunobu Shibata, 67, who found a large vessel on the beach behind his house on Nov. 20. The boat remained moored on site by the Japan Coast Guard as of Wednesday. “I see it from morning to night and want it to be taken away as soon as possible,” Shibata said. In Fukaura, where most of the 12 derelict boats have yet to be removed, tourists who ride the popular Resort Shirakami train along the scenic coastal route by the Sea of Japan have their view marred by three deteriorating boats. Numerous reports have been made by concerned tourists, leading a town official to say, “We don’t want the boats to be seen by tourists.” Another official of a coastal municipality called on the central government to facilitate the swift removal of boats following their discovery.


First challenge for Renault's new chiefs: Carlos Ghosn's payout

Abstract: PARIS - Carlos Ghosn may no longer be in the driver’s seat at Renault, but he will remain at the center of vigorous negotiations in the coming weeks over severance pay potentially worth tens of millions of euros. The French government, which owns 15 percent of the carmaker and 22 percent of the voting rights, has already warned it doesn’t intend to let the former CEO walk away with the kind of lavish payouts that he is accustomed to. “I can tell you we will be extremely vigilant, as the largest shareholder, over the exit conditions that will be set by the board,” Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland last week. Ghosn had already raised hackles in France as one of its highest-paid business chiefs, and a huge payout for an executive sitting in a Tokyo jail wouldn’t go down well amid the “yellow vest” protests over declining living standards in France. The 64-year-old Franco-Brazilian-Lebanese executive was arrested in November on charges of underreporting billions of yen in income over eight years as head of Renault alliance partner Nissan. He has denied that and other financial misconduct claims, but his trial may still be months away. He tendered his resignation at Renault last week, having already been sacked as chairman of Nissan and the third carmaker in the alliance, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. But his eventual payout was not discussed by Renault directors when they met Thursday to name his replacements, Thierry Bollore as chief executive and Jean-Dominique Senard as board chairman. “If his payout is being discussed later, it’s because his resignation was immediate and not negotiated,” said Loic Dessaint of the Proxinvest shareholder advisory group. “That’s rare,” Dessaint said, suggesting that by doing so Ghosn was hoping to benefit immediately from any pre-discussed “golden handshake.” “But Renault also has a strong hand to play, because it can file a lawsuit and claim damages” against its former chief if he is found guilty in the Nissan case, he said. As with most CEOs, Ghosn’s pay was a mix of fixed payouts coupled with performance-linked stock grants and cash top-ups. In 2016 the executive known as the “cost killer” for slashing outlays and jobs took home a combined €15.4 million ($17.6 million) from his roles at Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors. But €7 million came from Renault alone, drawing the ire of French officials, and last February he was forced to accept a 30 percent pay cut to secure another four-year mandate as CEO. According to the automaker’s annual report, Ghosn’s resignation means he must forfeit any shares granted for meeting performance milestones. “But what counts is what they will decide about shares already attributed but not yet awarded,” said Dessaint, saying Ghosn could claim a trove of 380,000 shares currently worth some €21 million. “It’s the same story with deferred stock grants” that are worth €4 million to €5 million, he calculates. Company officials have refused to comment on the eventual indemnities. But a source close to the matter said that given the circumstances of Ghosn’s exit, “we’re going to reduce them as much as we can.” Even if an agreement is reached on the standard retirement package, lawyers will still be wrangling over two other questions. The first involves a noncompete clause that provides two years of total pay — both fixed and variable — in exchange for not joining another carmaker. “Renault would be pretty stupid to pay,” Dessaint said, “because the risk is basically nil since he’s in prison.” Ghosn’s lawyers have lost two requests for bail, and under Japanese legal rules he could remain behind bars for months before his trial even opens. And when it does, he will have to face Japan’s 99 percent conviction rate. The second bone of contention involves a retirement pension that would be payable each year to Ghosn until his death. According to Dessaint, Ghosn is eligible to receive €765,000 a year after leading Renault since 2005, forging an alliance that sold more cars than any of its rivals last year.


Malaysia scraps multibillion dollar China-backed rail project

Abstract: KUALA LUMPUR - A multibillion dollar China-backed rail project in Malaysia has been scrapped, government officials said Saturday, adding that the cost of building it was too high. Malaysia has in recent months suspended several major projects signed under the country’s previous scandal-plagued regime, in a bid to cut the country’s massive 1 trillion ringgit ($251 billion) debt. Economics minister Azmin Ali said Malaysia made the decision two days ago on the 81 billion ringgit ($19.6 billion) east coast rail link (ECRL) that would have connected the eastern and western coasts of the peninsula. “The cost of the ECRL development is too big, so we have no financial ability at this time,” he told reporters. He said that if the project was not terminated, Malaysia would have to pay an annual 500 million ringgit interest payment. Malaysia’s previous government under Prime Minister Najib Razak had warm ties with China and signed up to a string of Beijing-funded projects. But critics say many of these deals lacked transparency, fueling speculation they were made in exchange for help in paying off debts from a massive financial scandal involving state fund 1MDB. The scandal was a major factor in Najib’s shock electoral defeat in May last year that saw his former boss Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad return to power. Mahathir then ordered a review of mega-projects signed by Najib during his nine-year rule, adding he would discuss “unfair” terms supposedly set in these deals and high interest rates levied on Chinese loans used to finance the projects. Azmin did not say how much compensation Malaysia would have to pay for canceling the project, adding it would be determined by the finance ministry, which is conducting due diligence process, to ensure that the cost would not weigh on the country’s financial position. While the government had received several proposals, it had yet to decide on whether it would appoint a new developer for the rail project as that would depend on the country’s financial capability, he said. Najib and his associates were accused of plundering billions of dollars from 1MDB, with the former leader charged with corruption over the scandal. He will stand trial over these charges in February, and has denied any wrongdoing.

malaysia
china
corruption
rail
scandals
investment
infrastructure
najib razak
mahathir mohamad


Emmanuel Macron suggests new Renault chairman be Nissan's, too: report

Abstract: French President Emmanuel Macron told Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that it would be appropriate for Renault SA’s new chairman to also be chairman of Nissan Motor Co., according to Fuji News Network. Macron floated the idea to Abe during a phone call on Friday, the network reported, citing a person familiar with the matter. The French leader also said he hoped for the quick release of ousted Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn, who has been in a Tokyo jail since Nov. 19, the report said. France is the biggest shareholder in Renault, which named Jean-Dominique Senard as chairman and Thierry Bollore as chief executive officer Thursday, hours after Ghosn resigned from those roles. Senard, who comes from French tire giant Michelin, will be responsible for managing the French automaker’s three-way partnership with Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. The alliance sold more cars last year than either Volkswagen AG or Toyota Motor Corp. Nissan and Mitsubishi ousted Ghosn as chairman shortly after his arrest on allegations of underreporting his income. The charges have since expanded to include transferring personal trading losses to Nissan, and the 64-year-old could face decades in prison if convicted. He has denied wrongdoing. The leaders of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi plan to hold a meeting later this month, informed sources said Saturday. The leaders’ meeting will be held in the Netherlands, where a company overseeing the Nissan-Renault alliance is located, on the sidelines of a regular board meeting that will start Thursday, according to the sources. They are expected to explore ways to improve the soured relations among the three automakers, which have been vying for control of their alliance since Ghosn’s arrest. Nissan President Hiroto Saikawa and Mitsubishi Motors Chief Executive Officer Osamu Masuko may attend the talks with Senard via a teleconference system from Japan. Observers say the leaders will likely agree that the three automakers will maintain broad-based cooperative ties. Since Ghosn’s arrest, Nissan and Renault have been showing conflicting positions regarding executive appointments and capital ties. In a news conference held after he became Renault’s chairman, Senard said he is eager to strengthen trusting relationships with Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors.

shinzo abe
france
scandals
nissan
renault
carlos ghosn
emmanuel macron


Germany to phase out coal by 2038 in move away from fossil fuels

Abstract: BERLIN - Germany should shut down all of its coal-fired power plants by 2038 at the latest, a government-appointed commission said on Saturday, proposing at least €40 billion ($45.7 billion) in aid to regions affected by the phase-out. The road map proposals, a hard-won compromise reached early on Saturday after more than 20 hours of talks, must now be implemented by the German government and 16 regional states. They embody Germany’s strategy to shift to renewables, which made up more than 40 percent of the energy mix last year — beating coal for the first time — and follow a 2011 decision to halt nuclear power. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet welcomed the plan hammered out by the commission, which included 28 voting members from industry, academia, environmental groups and unions plus three nonvoting members from the ruling parties. “Less CO2, more new jobs, a secure power supply and affordability: a strong signal,” Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Twitter. The panel, which began its work in June, said at least €40 billion in aid should be provided for coal-mining states affected by the move, less than the roughly €60 billion they had sought. “This is a historic accomplishment,” Ronald Pofalla, one of four commission leaders, told reporters in Berlin. He said the deal would allow Germany to meet its climate change targets for 2030, which call for significant cuts in carbon emissions. Another chair of the commission, environmental professor Barbara Praetorius, said the plan would also guarantee “affordable and secure energy supplies.” Armin Laschet, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s biggest coal-producing region and most populous state, said it would pave the way for an economically viable “future without coal” for regions now heavily dependent on it. He said it was up to the government and the states to translate the recommendations into policy and law. Environmental groups vowed to hold the government to account on the targets, saying they would push for an even earlier exit. Business leaders, who had warned that a too-hasty exit from coal could inflate power prices, generally welcomed the plan, though RWE, Germany’s top electricity producer, said 2038 was too soon to shut all coal-fired plants. “It’s a compromise that hurts everyone. That’s always a good sign,” added Andreas Scheidt, a member of both the commission and the executive board of the ver.di trade union. In a first step, plant operators including RWE, Uniper, EnBW and Vattenfall will be asked to shut down about 12.7 gigawatts of capacity by 2022, equivalent to about 24 large power station units, said the report. Under the proposed plans, coal power capacity in Germany would more than halve to 17 GW by 2030. It said compensation and other shutdown details should be agreed with the operators on a contractual basis. In a blow to RWE, the commission said preserving the contested Hambach forest was “desirable,” hitting the group’s key source of lignite where mining operations have already been halted following a court order. If implemented, the proposals would be the second major intervention in Germany’s energy market within a decade. The German government decided in the wake of Japan’s triple core meltdown in Fukushima Prefecture in 2011 to stop producing nuclear power by 2022. While the 2038 date to exit coal was in line with expectations, the report said the phase out could be completed by 2035 — a decision that would be taken in 2032. Compensation for companies and household consumers facing higher power bills due to the phase-out should be €2 billion per year, with the exact amount to be set in 2023, the report said. Stanislaw Tillich, former premier of the coal-producing Saxony region in eastern Germany, said the accord would be exemplary in Europe, showing that new industries and jobs can be developed even as coal is phased out.

pollution
energy
germany
coal
climate change
renewables


Banksy homage to Paris attack victims stolen from Bataclan theater

Abstract: PARIS - A mural by British street artist Banksy on a fire-exit door at Paris’ Bataclan theater, where Islamist militants killed 90 people three years ago, has been stolen, the venue said Saturday. The work, one of a series of murals painted last June in the French capital and attributed to Banksy, showed a veiled female figure in a mournful pose. “We are today filled with a deep sense of indignation. The work of Banksy, a symbol of contemplation belonging to all — residents, Parisians and citizens of the world — has been taken from us,” the Bataclan said in a Twitter post. Thieves with a van had stolen the door on which the mural was painted, a police source said. A source close to the investigation told LCI television that “a group of hooded individuals armed with angle grinders cut the painting and took it away in a truck” on Friday night. This work, along with other similarly themed paintings, popped up in Paris last June and has been attributed to the reclusive British street artist. The Bataclan theater was stormed by militants during a rock concert in November 2015 as part of coordinated attacks in and around Paris that killed 130 people. Some of Banksy’s works in Paris, which also addressed issues like immigration, were vandalized soon after they were put up, while others were protected by screens. The murals of Banksy, who keeps his real name secret, have become prized attractions for collectors. A work created last month in an industrial town in Wales, depicting a child enjoying snow that is in fact pollution, was sold for over £100,000 ($132,000). In Japan, graffiti discovered this month in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture resembling the artist’s work has sparked speculation over whether they are pieces by the elusive street artist. Banksy caused a sensation in October when one of his paintings began shredding itself, just after selling for $1.4 million.


U.S. and Canadian fighters scrambled after Russian bombers buzz North American coastline

Abstract: The U.S. military has said that American and Canadian fighter jets were scrambled after two nuclear-capable Russian heavy bombers entered Canada’s air defense identification zone on Saturday in the Arctic region near the North American coastline. The North American Aerospace Defense Command said that two U.S. F-22 fighter jets, an E-3 early warning aircraft and two Canadian CF-18 fighters had identified and escorted two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers after they entered an area patrolled by the Royal Canadian Air Force on Saturday morning. The Tu-160s remained in international space and did not enter Canadian or U.S. territory, the statement said, and there were no reports of conflict between the Russian and the U.S. and Canadian aircraft. The Russian bombers’ flight was the first known this year, but a similar scenario played out last year, when Russian bombers escorted by fighter jets flew near Alaska on Sept. 11 before the U.S. intercepted them with F-22s. NORAD says it uses radar, satellites and fighter aircraft to patrol the skies and monitor aircraft entering U.S. or Canadian airspace. “NORAD’s top priority is defending Canada and the United States. Our ability to protect our nations starts with successfully detecting, tracking, and positively identifying aircraft of interest approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace,” NORAD head Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy said in the statement. Saturday’s incident also came after a Russian Tupolev Tu-22 bomber crashed in the country’s northwestern Murmansk region, according to media reports. The accident occurred last week, as the long-range bomber was attempting to land, according to Russian state news agency TASS, citing law enforcement officials. The warplane had four crew members onboard, and two were killed, TASS reported. The Tupolev Tu-22 is a supersonic long-range bomber that entered service in Russia during the 1980s.


U.K.'s Prince Philip apologizes to woman injured in car crash

Abstract: LONDON - Britain’s Prince Philip has said he is “deeply sorry” about the injury suffered by a woman in a car crash he was involved in over a week ago, according to a report in the Sunday Mirror. The newspaper published a copy of a letter written by the 97-year-old royal to Emma Fairweather, who broke her wrist when the Kia she was in collided with the prince’s Land Rover. “I would like you to know how very sorry I am for my part in the accident. … I can only imagine that I failed to see the car coming, and I am very contrite about the consequences,” said the letter, signed by Philip in blue pen. The crash, which left the prince’s vehicle on its side, happened as he pulled out of a side road onto a busy main road near the royal country residence in Norfolk, eastern England. Philip was uninjured in the Jan. 17 accident. The driver of the Kia sustained cuts to the knee. Fairweather, a passenger in the Kia, had complained to the Sunday Mirror last weekend that she had not received an apology from the prince. “I was somewhat shaken after the accident, but I was greatly relieved that none of you were seriously injured,” said Philip in the letter, dated Jan. 21, according to this Sunday’s report. “I have since learned that you suffered a broken arm. I am deeply sorry about this injury.” Philip, known for his forthright manner and off-color jokes, retired from public life in 2017 and underwent a hip replacement operation last April. The accident stirred up what The Sun described as Britain’s “age-old debate” about whether and when the elderly should give up driving. Images published the weekend following the crash appeared to show the prince behind the wheel of a replacement Land Rover Freelander on the private Sandringham estate of his wife, Queen Elizabeth II.

accidents
u.k .
aging
queen elizabeth ii
nobility
prince philip


Minister says Britain has martial law option under Brexit no-deal, but has no plans to exercise it

Abstract: LONDON - Britain has the option of using martial law to quell civil disorder that might ensue under a no-deal Brexit, but that is not the focus of the government’s attention, Health Minister Matt Hancock said Sunday. The Sunday Times cited unnamed officials as saying the government has been examining the powers at its disposal if a no-deal Brexit results in civil disobedience, including martial law, curfews and the use of the army to quell rioting. Asked by the BBC’s Andrew Marr if the government is considering the possibility of martial law, Hancock said “Not specifically, no.” Hancock then added: “It remains on the statute book but it isn’t the focus of our attention.” Britain is set to leave the European Union on March 29, but the country’s lawmakers remain far from agreeing a divorce deal, leaving open the default possibility of a disorderly Brexit. Officials have been discussing the practicalities of implementing the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, which will allow the government to make any appropriate provisions to protect human life, health, safety and supplies, the Sunday Times said. “The overriding theme in all the no-deal planning is civil disobedience and the fear that it will lead to death in the event of food and medical shortages,” a source told the newspaper. Hancock said the pharmaceutical industry is doing everything it can to prevent shortages of medicines resulting from any delays at borders resulting from a no-deal Brexit.


Lawyer says Trump golf course knew for years that now-fired workers were illegal immigrants

Abstract: NEW YORK - A dozen immigrant workers at one of President Donald Trump’s golf clubs in New York who are in the U.S. illegally were fired this month even though managers knew about their legal status for years, a lawyer for the workers said Saturday. As the president railed against immigrants coming into the country illegally during the government shutdown, a manager at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County called a dozen immigrant workers into a room one by one Jan. 18 and fired them, said lawyer Anibal Romero. Many of them had worked at the club for a dozen or more years, he said, and managers knew they had submitted phony documents but looked the other way. The firings come after workers at another Trump club in New Jersey came forward last month to say managers there had hired them knowing they were in the country illegally, and had even helped one obtain phony documents. The crackdown at the New York club was first reported by the Washington Post. A message seeking comment was left with the Trump Organization.


U.S. calls on world to 'pick a side' on Venezuela; Europeans are set to recognize Juan Guaido as president

Abstract: UNITED NATIONS/CARACAS - The United States on Saturday called on the world to “pick a side” on Venezuela and urged countries to financially disconnect from Nicolas Maduro’s government, while European powers signaled they were set to follow Washington in recognizing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s rightful leader. In heated back-and-forth exchanges at a United Nations Security Council meeting, the opposing camp led by Venezuela and Russia, which has invested heavily in Venezuela’s oil industry, accused Washington of attempting a coup, and lambasted Europeans’ demand that elections be called within eight days. Guaido, who took the helm of the National Assembly on Jan. 5, proclaimed himself interim president on Wednesday. The United States, Canada and a string of Latin American countries recognized the young leader in quick succession. Maduro, who has led the oil-rich nation since 2013 and has the support of the armed forces, has refused to stand down. But on Saturday Guaido, 35, gained support from a key military official. Venezuela’s defense attache to Washington, Col. Jose Luis Silva, told Reuters that he has broken with the Maduro government and recognized Guaido as interim president. Guaido said on Saturday he had met with government officials to convince them of the need for new elections. Guaido said he was interested in talking to anybody, civilian or military, who would support ending what he calls Maduro’s “usurpation” and back a transition government and free elections. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Speaking at the U.N. meeting, called by the United States, said Maduro’s “socialist experiment” had caused the economy to collapse and reduced ordinary Venezuelans to rooting through dumpsters for food. “Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side. … Either you stand with the forces of freedom, or you’re in league with Maduro and his mayhem,” Pompeo told the council. “We call on all members of the Security Council to support Venezuela’s democratic transition and interim President Guaido’s role.” Pompeo also called on the international community to disconnect their financial systems from Maduro’s government. Washington has signaled it was ready to step up economic measures to try to drive Maduro from power, but on Saturday Pompeo declined to elaborate on any such plans. By overcoming opposition to holding the U.N. meeting on Saturday, Washington successfully put the global spotlight on Venezuela as a Security Council problem. However, any council action to address the crisis would be blocked by veto-powers Russia and China, diplomats said. Britain, Germany, France and Spain all said on Saturday they would recognize Guaido if Maduro failed to call fresh elections within eight days, an ultimatum Russia said was “absurd” and the Venezuelan foreign minister called “childlike.” “Europe is giving us eight days? Where do you get that you have the power to establish a deadline or an ultimatum to a sovereign people?” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza told the Security Council. Russia also said military intervention in Venezuela should be avoided at any cost, while Caracas reiterated that its offer of dialogue with President Donald Trump’s government was still on the table despite his administration’s two-year campaign against Maduro. “If President Trump, like other presidents of the United States, is in search of war to show he can govern and to stimulate the economy, he won’t get that war in Venezuela,” Arreaza told reporters later. Venezuela has sunk into turmoil under Maduro with food shortages and protests amid an economic and political crisis that has sparked mass emigration and inflation that is seen rising to 10 million percent this year. Maduro cruised to re-election last May. The opposition largely boycotted the vote after its senior leaders were blocked from taking part. Critics accused the government of vote buying. The domestic opposition, the United States and right-leaning Latin American governments declined to recognize the result of the ballot. Venezuelan opposition sympathizers had been urging Guaido to assume the presidency since Maduro was inaugurated for a second term on Jan. 10. Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in Caracas earlier in the week, calling on Maduro to step down. Guaido’s declaration of himself as the interim president takes Venezuela into uncharted territory, with the possibility of the opposition now running a parallel government recognized abroad as legitimate but without control over state functions. After the Security Council debate, Guaido sent a letter to Secretary General Antonio Guterres asking the United Nations for help addressing hunger, violence and the lack of medicines in his country. The United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter. Guaido celebrated the support of European countries and also asked them to send humanitarian aid to help relieve the economic crisis. “We woke up today with nothing less than the full support of the European community,” Guaido said at a small political event in a square in the capital Caracas. “Several European countries have been in touch with us and are going to support the entry of humanitarian aid. … We continue adding countries to this great effort,” he said. The Maduro government has previously rejected such aid, denying there is a humanitarian crisis in the country and blaming economic problems on sanctions. After Washington’s declaration of support for Guaido, Maduro cut off diplomatic relations with the United States on Wednesday and gave U.S. diplomats 72 hours to leave the country. Some U.S. Embassy staffer left Caracas on Friday, and Venezuela was withdrawing staff from Washington on Saturday, Venezuela’s foreign ministry said in a statement However, Maduro softened his demand that all U.S. embassy staff withdraw by Saturday. Instead, the two countries will seek an agreement to replace the embassies with “Interest Offices” in their respective capitals within 30 days, the statement said. If that fails, the missions would close.

venezuela
u.n .
nicolas maduro
juan guaido


Foreign troops would exit Afghanistan in 18 months under draft deal, Taliban sources say

Abstract: KABUL/PESHAWAR, PAKISTAN - Taliban officials said U.S. negotiators on Saturday agreed on a draft peace deal setting out the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan within 18 months, potentially ending the United States’ longest war. The details of the draft were given to Reuters by Taliban sources at the end of six days of talks with U.S. special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar aimed at ending the war, more than 17 years since American-led forces invaded Afghanistan. It stipulates that troops would leave within 18 months of the agreement being signed. While no joint statement was issued, Khalilzad tweeted later that the talks had made “significant progress” and would resume shortly, adding that he planned to travel to Afghanistan to meet government officials. “Meetings here (in Qatar) were more productive than they have been in the past. We have made significant progress on vital issues,” he wrote, adding that numerous issues still needed work. “Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and everything must include an intra-Afghan dialogue and comprehensive cease-fire,” he said in the tweets. A U.S. State Department spokesperson declined further comment. A Taliban statement issued later also noted progress on troop withdrawal and other issues but said more negotiations and internal consultations were required. “The policy of the Islamic Emirate during talks was very clear — until the issue of withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan is agreed upon, progress in other issues is impossible,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, using another name the group calls itself. It was not clear if the draft described by the Taliban sources was acceptable to both sides or when it could be completed and signed. According to the sources, the hard-line Islamic group gave assurances that Afghanistan will not be allowed to be used by al-Qaida and Islamic State militants to attack the United States and its allies — a key early demand of Washington. They said the deal included a cease-fire provision but they had yet to confirm a timeline and would only open talks with Afghan representatives once a truce was implemented. Up until now, the Taliban has repeatedly rejected the Afghan government’s offer of holding talks, preferring instead to talk directly to the U.S. side, which it regards as its main enemy. “In 18 months, if the foreign forces are withdrawn and cease-fire is implemented then other aspects of the peace process can be put into action,” a Taliban source said, quoting from a portion of the draft. More talks on the draft are expected in February, again in the Qatari capital Doha, the Taliban sources said. They expect their side to be led by new political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the movement’s co-founder and a former military commander who was released from prison in Pakistan last year. While they said his appointment had boosted momentum for a deal, it was unclear if he joined the talks. News of progress on a deal comes as the Taliban continues to stage near-daily attacks against the Western-backed Afghan government and its security forces. Despite the presence of U.S.-led foreign forces training, advising and assisting their Afghan counterparts 17 years after the U.S.-led an invasion to drive them from power, the Taliban controls nearly half of Afghanistan. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said a week ago that 45,000 members of the country’s security forces had been killed since he took office in 2014. The United States has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led mission, known as Resolute Support, as well as a U.S. counterterrorism mission directed at groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaida. Despite reports in December last year that the United States was considering pulling out almost half of its forces, a White House spokesman said that U.S. President Donald Trump had not issued orders to withdraw the troops. However, the administration has not denied the reports, which have prompted fears of a fresh refugee crisis. The Taliban sources said other clauses in the draft include an agreement over the exchange and release of prisoners, the removal of an international travel ban on several Taliban leaders by Washington and the prospect of an interim Afghan government after the cease-fire is struck. The suggestion to appoint an interim government in Afghanistan comes as top politicians including Ghani have filed their nominations for the presidential polls in July this year. Ghani has repeatedly rejected the offer to agree to the formation of an interim government. The Taliban sources also confirmed provisions in the draft that have broader implications for Afghanistan’s ties with its neighbors, particularly Pakistan, India and China. They said the deal included provisions that separatist militants from Balochistan, a resource-rich southwestern Pakistani province, will not be allowed to use Afghan soil to target Pakistan.

conflict military afghanistan taliban al-qaida