U.K. leadership hopefuls vow to succeed where Theresa May failed on Brexit

Abstract: LONDON - The race to become the U.K.’s next premier has opened in earnest with an array of hopefuls promising to succeed where Theresa May failed and finally pull the divided country out of the EU. But European leaders insisted they had made their final offer after months of acrimonious talks that produced an unpopular compromise for which May ended up paying with her job. May is bowing out with her legacy in tatters and the country in agony over what to do about the voters’ decision in 2016 to abandon the European integration project after nearly 50 years. The markets view the risk of the U.K. crashing out of the EU bloc when the twice-delayed departure date arrives on October 31 as uncomfortably high. Their main concern is that some of the current front-runners to head May’s Conservative Party say they will get Brexit done at any cost. “We will leave the EU on Oct. 31, deal or no deal,” former foreign minister Boris Johnson said Friday in Switzerland. Johnson’s main challenges will come from former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab — viewed as an even more committed euroskeptic — and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Both declared their candidacies in the Sunday papers. Raab wrote in The Mail on Sunday that “I would prefer that we leave with a deal.” But “we will not be taken seriously in Brussels unless we are clear that we will walk away on World Trade Organization terms, if the EU doesn’t budge,” Raab stressed. Hunt had campaigned against Brexit in 2016 but has since reversed his stance. “What matters is whether you believe in Brexit, not how you voted in 2016,” he told The Sunday Times. “We can never take no-deal off the table but the best way of avoiding it is to make sure you have someone who is capable of negotiating a deal,” the U.K.’s top diplomat said. Former House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, whose resignation Thursday pushed May toward stepping down, also confirmed she will run, telling The Sunday Times she would lead the U.K. out of the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a deal. “To succeed in a negotiation you have to be prepared to walk away,” she told the paper, arguing she had the “experience and confidence” to “lead this country into a brighter future.” Brexit-backing Environment Secretary Michael Gove is also expected to throw his hat in the ring in a BBC interview to be aired Sunday evening. The contest is being held against the backdrop of European Parliament elections that the new Brexit Party of the anti-EU populist Nigel Farage is expected to win with about a third of the vote. Polls indicate that the Conservatives will be punished for their bickering over Brexit and could finish as low as fifth — their worst result in a national election. The candidates are also mindful of a party revolt over May’s fateful decision to court the pro-EU opposition with the promise of a second Brexit referendum. The concession was designed to help ram her withdrawal agreement through Parliament on the fourth attempt. But it won her no converts and sparked a party coup attempt that forced May to walk away before she was pushed out. This prompted more EU-friendly hopefuls such as Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd to concede they stood no chance and would not vie for the job. “I am conscious the Conservative Party wants someone who they believe is very enthusiastic about Brexit,” Rudd told The Daily Telegraph. Johnson is a popular figure viewed by many Conservatives as their best answer to Farage. But a long political career that also saw him serve as London’s mayor has made him enemies in Parliament who will try to block his rise to the top. Parliamentary party members will begin whittling down the field of contenders to a final two June 10. The finalists will then be put to a postal ballot of around 100,000 party members in July. The field grew further Saturday when Health Secretary Matt Hancock entered the race with a promise to take a more moderate approach. Leaving the European Union without an agreement is “not an active policy choice that is available to the next prime minister,” Hancock told Sky News. Hancock is viewed as one of the dark horses who might make it through a crowded field of more than a dozen names. International Development Secretary Rory Stewart is also positioning himself as a more consensus-seeking alternative to Johnson. “It now seems that (Johnson) is coming out for a no-deal Brexit,” Stewart told BBC radio. “I think it would be a huge mistake. Damaging, unnecessary, and I think also dishonest.” Yet neither Hancock nor Stewart would say if they would push ahead with May’s current agreement or try to secure added concessions from Brussels.


Final votes set to be cast in European parliamentary elections as the 28-nation bloc chooses future course

Abstract: BRUSSELS - Tens of millions of Europeans will vote Sunday as 21 countries choose their representatives in a battle between the nationalist right and pro-EU forces to chart a course for the bloc. Seven EU member states have already voted, and provisional results will be released late on Sunday once the rest of the union has taken part in the European parliamentary election. Euroskeptic parties opposed to the project of ever closer union hope to capture as many as a third of the seats in the 751-member Strasbourg assembly, disrupting the pro-integration consensus. The far-right parties of Italian deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and France’s Marine Le Pen will lead this charge, and anti-EU ranks will be swelled by the Brexit Party of British populist Nigel Farage. France’s President Emmanuel Macron has taken it upon himself to act as figurehead for the centrist and liberal parties hoping to shut the nationalists out of key EU jobs and decision-making. “Once again Macron is daring us to challenge him. Well let’s take him at his word: On May 26, we’ll challenge him in the voting booth,” Le Pen told a rally in France on Friday. Meanwhile, the mainstream parties are vying between themselves for influence over the choice of a new generation of top European officials, including the powerful president of the European Commission. And Brussels insiders are closely following the turnout figures, fearing that another drop in participation will undermine the credibility of the EU parliament as it seeks to establish its authority. Britain and the Netherlands were first to vote, on Thursday, followed by Ireland and the Czech Republic on Friday and Slovakia, Malta and Latvia on Saturday, leaving the bulk of the 400 million eligible voters to join in on Sunday. At the last EU election in 2014, Slovakia had the lowest turnout of any country, at less than 14 percent, and centrist president Andrej Kiska is worried that the far-right is poised to profit. “We see that extremists are mobilizing, we see a lot their billboards and activities all over Slovakia. We can’t let someone steal Europe from us. It’s our Europe,” Kiska told reporters. But the right and the far-right have not had everything their own way so far. In the Netherlands, the center-left party of EU vice president Frans Timmermans won the most votes and added two seats to the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) bloc in parliament, according to exit polls. A day later, the S&D’s center-right rival the European People’s Party (EPP) was buoyed by exit polls suggesting that Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s pro-EU Fine Gael party was in the lead in Ireland. If Britain leaves the European Union on Oct. 31, the latest deadline for Brexit, then its MEPs will not sit for long in the EU parliament but could still play a role in the scramble to hand out top jobs. Thursday’s votes from Britain won’t be counted until after polls close in Italy, but Farage’s Brexit Party appears on course to send a large delegation to a parliament its wants to abolish. Macron is pinning his hopes on his Renaissance movement joining with the liberal ALDE voting bloc and other centrist groups to give impetus to his plans for deeper EU integration. But much will depend on who gets the top jobs: the presidencies of the Council and the Commission, the speaker of parliament, the high representative for foreign policy and director of the European Central Bank. The 29 EU leaders have been invited to a summit dinner on Tuesday to decide how to choose the nominees, and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to back the lead EPP candidate, Manfred Weber, for the Commission. Macron and some other leaders oppose both Weber, a German conservative MEP with no executive experience, and the idea that the parliament should get to choose one of its own for Brussels’ prime post. But whichever way the leaders’ council leans, there will be no immediate decision. Instead, Council president Donald Tusk will take note of how the debate went and draft the nominations before a June 21 EU summit.


At annual spelling bee, schwas give competitors the most angst

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The word that knocked runner-up Naysa Modi out of last year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee was “Bewusstseinslage” — one of those flashy, impossible-sounding German-derived words that make the audience gasp when they are announced. Naysa believes the seemingly mundane word that knocked her out the year before was just as intimidating, if not more. For the spellers who will gather starting Monday at a convention center outside Washington for this year’s bee, an unremarkable sound is the cause of their angst, their sleepless nights, their lifelong memories of failure. It’s the most common sound in the English language, represented in the dictionary by an upside-down “e,” a gray chunk of linguistic mortar. To the uninitiated, it sounds like “uh.” Spellers know it by its proper name: the schwa. “It’s the bane of every speller’s existence,” Naysa said. “It’s what we hate.” The schwa falls only on unstressed syllables. Any vowel can make the sound, and so can “y.” Sometimes a schwa can show up where vowels fear to tread: Think of the second syllable of the word “rhythm.” And only in the English language can a single sound be so versatile. “It’s why there are spelling bees in English and no other language,” said Peter Sokolowski, a lexicographer at Merriam-Webster who attends the bee regularly. In Romance languages like French and Spanish, vowels are predictable. The same letters rarely make different sounds. Sokolowski cites the example of “banana” — in Spanish the three “a” sounds are identical, but in English, because the stress falls on the middle syllable, the first and third “a” sounds become schwas. And because English absorbs words from every language, words with obvious spellings in their native tongues can become mysterious. Linguistic experts like Sokolowski or ex-spellers like Scott Remer, who placed fourth in 2008 and later wrote a book, “Words of Wisdom,” to guide high-level spellers, can sense the unease provoked by an unfamiliar schwa. “You can usually tell when they are testing the kids on the schwa and you can often tell when the kids are taken aback by it,” said Remer, 25, who coaches spellers in addition to his day job at the Council on Foreign Relations. “The vast majority of instances where kids misspell is due to the schwa.” Naysa, a 13-year-old from Frisco, Texas, who will be back for one last crack at the bee this year, got dinged out in seventh place two years ago by the word “marasmus,” which means a condition of chronic undernourishment. She went with an “e” for the first vowel. If the word were spelled that way, the pronunciation would be exactly the same. “I knew the word. I knew the word. I had heard it before, I knew the definition of it, but I forgot that schwa in that second,” Naysa said. For a while, she would wake up at night thinking about it. “Over time, it will still hurt but you stop thinking about it as much, but when I think about it, it really, really bugs me, because it’s obviously ‘m-a,’ ” Naysa said. “How could I be so stupid?” Spellers have a variety of techniques to deal with the schwa, but nothing is foolproof. Sylvie Lamontagne, a 16-year-old two-time finalist who is coaching five spellers in this year’s bee, said she advises her students to start with the language of origin as they assess which vowel is most likely. “Greek words have ‘o,’ Latin words have ‘i,’ but it doesn’t always hold up and it adds another layer of confusion,” Sylvie said. “It’s just kind of a mess.” Anisha Rao of Corona, California, who tied for 10th in last year’s bee, said she deals with tricky schwas the old-fashioned way: rote memorization. “People don’t like to talk about it,” said Anisha, who is 13 and will compete again this year, “but sometimes the best way is just to memorize the word.” Schwas can be even more confusing when Scripps, in the later rounds of the bee, digs into the dictionary for words with languages of origin that are obscure or unknown, or words that originated as trademarks. “As a general rule, often trademarks and words from unknown languages that might look shorter, might look easier, are actually way hard,” Sylvie said. “You’re sort of in the dark. You have to do what you can to put it together with very limited information.” The schwa is a big reason why, for all the talk about pre-bee favorites like Naysa, there are no sure things. For every Vanya Shivashankar, who in 2015 claimed a title that seemed preordained, there is a Karthik Nemmani, last year’s previously unheralded champion who got in through the bee’s new wild-card program. The wild cards, who pay their own way into the bee rather than winning regional competitions and earning sponsorships, are back this year, and the bee is bigger than ever with 565 competitors. The field is deep, too, with 11 spellers who made last year’s prime-time finals returning. Naysa believes luck is a bigger factor than anyone realizes in the final rounds and bristles at the suggestion the title is hers to lose. Spellers believe they are competing not against each other, but Merriam-Webster’s Unabridged dictionary, and somewhere in that volume is a maddening schwa for everyone. “Elite spellers aren’t truly guessing very often. They can usually make up the constituent parts of the word,” Sokolowski said. “When they take a long time, you can tell when a kid really knows and you can tell when a kid is guessing. . . . It’s rare, and it’s kind of exciting.”


Taiwan changing name of de facto embassy in U.S.

Abstract: TAIPEI - Taiwan said Saturday it is changing the name of its de facto embassy in the U.S. amid the strongest relations between the sides in decades. The Foreign Ministry tweeted that the Coordination Council for North American Affairs was being renamed the Taiwan Council for U.S. Affairs. The addition of the word Taiwan will likely be seen as highly significant, since it appears to drop the pretense that the council is nondiplomatic or political in nature. While the U.S. severed formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1979 in favor of Beijing, the sides retain close unofficial relations that have grown ever-closer in recent years, including stepped-up military-to-military contacts. “Times, they are a-changin,” read the tweet signed by Foreign Minister Joseph Wu. “Really got to love the new name!” The unofficial U.S. embassy in Taipei, the American Institute in Taiwan, recently moved into a substantially larger, purpose-built complex in a suburb of the capital. The U.S. is also considering new arms deals for Taiwan, including fighter jets and tanks. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, objects to all diplomatic and military contacts between Taipei and Washington and has boosted its military threat against the island, with President Xi Jinping saying this year that Beijing would not rule out using force. That comes on top of growing Chinese pressure to isolate Taiwan internationally and inflict economic pain to force independence-leaning President Tsai Ing-wen to agree to Beijing’s contention that Taiwan is a part of China.


Ex-Thai Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda dies at 98

Abstract: BANGKOK - Prem Tinsulanonda, one of Thailand’s most influential political figures over four decades who served as army commander, prime minister and adviser to the royal palace, has died at age 98. His death Sunday in a Bangkok hospital was announced by the government’s Public Relations Department, confirming earlier unofficial reports in Thai media. Prem was best noted for his long-standing devotion to the monarchy, especially the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who appointed him to his Privy Council immediately after he stepped down as prime minister, and named him head of that powerful advisory body in 1998. His close relationship with Bhumibol helped cement the military’s ties with the palace, ensuring they were the country’s two most powerful institutions. Prem served as prime minister from 1980 to 1988. While most Thai army commanders came to the position through coups, Prem was elected by parliament though he never ran for office. Critics questioned his devotion to democracy, and later accused him of encouraging, if not engineering, the 2006 coup that ousted elected Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He denied the charge, but his behind-the-scenes power-brokering underlined the influence he continued to hold in the military. Well-publicized annual pilgrimages to his Bangkok home to convey birthday greetings were undertaken by all army brass. Prem appeared to be in vigorous health for his age until recently. He appeared frail at two most recent public appearances: voting in the March general election and the coronation of Bhumibol’s son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, earlier this month. As prime minister himself, Prem weathered two attempted coups and was reportedly the target of assassination plots by his enemies in the army. Junior officers pushed a reluctant Prem into taking the prime minister’s job in 1980, when Thailand faced an ailing economy and perils on the border with Cambodia, which had been occupied by Vietnamese forces who had driven out the communist Khmer Rouge regime but also sent hundreds of thousands of refugees into Thailand. At the same time, Thailand had expanded ties with China and allies in the West, Japan and Southeast Asia. At home, Prem relied on a general amnesty and other political means to prompt massive defections from the communist guerrilla movement. Prem was born in the major southern fishing port of Songkhla on Aug. 26, 1920. He attended the prestigious Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy in Bangkok and later U.S. Army schools. He began his military career in 1941 as a second lieutenant in a tank regiment. He first achieved national prominence in 1974-77, when as army commander in the Thailand’s poor rural northeast he stressed rural development and civic action instead of military might in a successful campaign against communist insurgents. He was appointed deputy interior minister in 1977 and later army commander in chief and defense minister. He became prime minister in March 1980, after the resignation of Kriangsak Chomanand, another former military leader. The border crisis with Cambodia eased over time, and Prem had the good luck to preside over the birth of the country’s economic boom, which ended only with Asia’s devastating 1997 financial crisis. Prem showed little appetite for public political activity, and was dubbed by some academics as suffering from “reluctant ruler syndrome.” Without a party base of his own, his patchwork Cabinets of opportunistic politicians and technocrats were not models of good governance. As Thailand moved from crisis to prosperity, public sentiment for better, more democratic leadership also rose. Prem’s aloof manner, bordering on arrogance, also earned him little popularity.

history
thailand
obituary
prem tinsulanonda


Thailand's parliament elects pro-army candidate as house speaker

Abstract: BANGKOK - A military-aligned candidate won majority support to become Thailand’s house speaker Saturday, signaling further dominance of the army in the next government, five years after it staged a coup. Former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, 80, was named speaker after the House of Representatives voted 258-235 in his favor in the first working session of the lower chamber. Chuan came up against another candidate who was backed by more liberal parties. The pro-military Palang Pracharath Party, which nominated Chuan, is tipped to lead the new government expected to be formed in the next few weeks and headed by the junta leader, Prayuth Chan-ocha, who staged the coup and has served as prime minister since then. The vote for prime minister is jointly taken by the 500-member House and the 250-member Senate, where Prayuth already has the solid support because he helped appoint the lawmakers for the upper chamber. Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the anti-military Future Forward Party, was earlier ordered out of the Saturday session after a court suspended him for allegedly breaking election rules. He spoke briefly to acknowledge his expulsion but his attempt to address the assembly drew loud and vehement protests from pro-military lawmakers. Thanathorn pressed on before leaving to a sustained standing ovation from his party members. The applause continued despite the acting speaker telling them to stop. “Enough,” said Acting House Speaker Chai Chidchob. “This isn’t a theater. Stop.” The suspension of Thanathorn was widely seen as a further move to weaken anti-military opposition. The newly formed Future Forward party came from nowhere to become the third largest in the lower house. Its progressive agenda, which includes ending conscription and curbing the military’s role in politics, has rattled Thailand’s traditional ruling elite. In the coming weeks, the Constitutional Court is expected to decide whether to turn Thanathorn’s suspension into a disqualification. The court, like the army, is widely seen as being close to the country’s conservative power brokers.

military rights thailand elections coups


Pakistan's Imran Khan congratulates Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on election victory

Abstract: ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Imran Khan has spoken to his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, congratulating him on his party winning a second mandate. A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday said that during the telephone call, Khan expressed his hope the two countries will work closely together to improve their relations. Tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals flared in February when a suicide attack on Indian paramilitary forces in the Indian-controlled portion of disputed Kashmir killed 40 soldiers. India launched an airstrike a few days after on a militant group based in Pakistan, Jaish-e-Mohammed, which claimed responsibility for the assault. Pakistan and India have fought two wars over the disputed Himalayan region, and their troops have engaged regularly in armed skirmishes along the heavily militarized border.

india
pakistan
imran khan
narendra modi
politics . kashmir


U.S. ambassador urges China to talk to the Dalai Lama during Tibet trip

Abstract: BEIJING - China should hold talks with Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad told Chinese officials during a trip to the Himalayan region where he criticized Beijing for interfering in religious freedom. Branstad visited Tibet last week, the first such trip by a U.S. ambassador since 2015, amid escalating trade and diplomatic tension between the two countries. His visit followed the passing of a U.S. law in December that requires the United States to deny visas to Chinese officials in charge of implementing policies that restrict access to Tibet for foreigners, legislation that was denounced by China. Branstad met Chinese government officials and Tibetan religious and cultural figures, and “raised our long-standing concerns about lack of consistent access” to Tibet, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said in an emailed statement on Saturday. “He encouraged the Chinese government to engage in substantive dialogue with the Dalai Lama or his representatives, without preconditions, to seek a settlement that resolves differences,” an embassy spokeswoman said. “He also expressed concerns regarding the Chinese government’s interference in Tibetan Buddhists’ freedom to organize and practice their religion,” she said. Beijing sent troops into remote, mountainous Tibet in 1950 in what it officially terms a peaceful liberation and has ruled there with an iron fist ever since. The Dalai Lama fled to India in early 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, and Beijing still brands him a dangerous separatist. China says its leaders have the right to approve his successor, as a legacy from China’s emperors. But the 83-year-old Nobel peace laureate monk, who lives in exile in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala, has said that his incarnation could be found in India after he dies, and that any other successor named by China would not be respected. Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated in the body of a child on his death. Tibet’s Communist Party secretary, Wu Yingjie, told Branstad how China had made “huge achievements” in “guaranteeing according to law” religious freedom and traditional culture in Tibet, the official Tibet Daily newspaper said late on Saturday. Wu added that he “sincerely welcomed more American friends to visit” the region. China’s Foreign Ministry said last week that China hoped the ambassador would not take any “prejudices” with him on the trip. In December, China criticized the United States for passing the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, which seeks to promote access to Tibet for U.S. diplomats and other officials, journalists and other citizens by denying U.S. entry for Chinese officials deemed responsible for restricting access to Tibet. The U.S. government is required to begin denying visas by the end of this year.


Narendra Modi kept his job, but many Indians worry about theirs

Abstract: NEW DELHI - Asad Ahmed, one of about 1.2 million young Indians entering the cutthroat job market each month, diligently scribbles notes at a computer class in New Delhi. While nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi won a new five-year term promising to step up his campaign for a “new India,” 18-year-old Ahmed is pessimistic about getting a new job. “There are so many people in Delhi and the competition is intense,” said Ahmed, dressed like the other students in a black-and-white uniform at the three-month community course run in a police station in Old Delhi. “I know this stint may not be enough for me to get a job but I am trying my best.” Modi came to power in 2014 promising jobs, but delivering on that has been a challenge. And as soon as the election euphoria settles, Modi’s government will have to find ways to boost investment and revive manufacturing to create new jobs. Like Ahmed, most of the other 60 students at the government-sponsored “skill development” classes at the Old Delhi police station, all from poor families, were also apprehensive. Nudrat Akram, 19, signed up for the course because her family could not afford to pay for higher education. “I want a job in the retail sector where I can earn 10,000 rupees ($143) a month,” Akram said, as she practiced speaking English with pretend customers. India’s conservative prime minister came to power in 2014 on a pro-business platform, promising to create 10 million jobs a year. The world’s fastest-growing major economy has grown about 7 percent a year since, but jobs have been elusive. The promise was barely mentioned in Modi’s triumphant re-election campaign. Nearly two-thirds of India’s 1.3 billion population are of working age, between 15 and 64, but an increasing number are in the unemployed list. No official data has been released for more than two years but a recent leaked report — denied by the government — put the unemployment rate at a 45-year high of 6.1 percent. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, a private research firm, estimates the jobless rate rose to 7.6 percent in April. “The economy is going to be a huge problem. The government simply cannot create jobs for millions entering the workforce,” said political analyst Parsa Venkateshwar Rao. “Modi will rely on businesses but they are also struggling so he has a real problem on his hands.” Unemployment is particularly dire for women. A Deloitte consultancy report in March said female labor force participation fell to 26 percent in 2018 from 36 percent in 2005 because of poor education and socio-economic barriers. The manifesto of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party promised a $1.4-trillion infrastructure boost to create jobs if it won the election. It offered metro trains for 50 cities and to double the national highway network. But analysts say the government, which has drastically increased its debt over the past five years, will have to borrow huge new amounts to pay for the works. In 2015, Modi launched a Skill India program aiming to train 500 million people by 2022. But the results have been mixed. According to 2018 data, only a quarter of people who joined the program found jobs. “The Skill India mission has not had as much success as say the highway program,” said economist Arvind Virmani. “The real crisis is about job skills and basic education.” India’s rural jobs guarantee program offers work to about 70 million people at a minimum wage for 100 days a year, but there is no equivalent for the growing numbers of urban youth. Experts say the government must consider an urban employment guarantee plan in order to reap the true benefit of its economic growth. At the Delhi classes, 18-year-old Sehar, who uses one name, is worried about helping her poor family, including four younger sisters. Her father, who works at a hospital, is the only earner. “I am the eldest and I want to help my family, it’s not easy to survive in this city.”


Thousands march in Hong Kong to commemorate 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre

Abstract: HONG KONG - More than 2,000 people marched in Hong Kong on Sunday to mark 30 years since a pro-democracy protest in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square ended in bloodshed. Demonstrators took to the streets during the afternoon holding yellow umbrellas that had “Support Freedom, Oppose Evil Laws” written on them. Some people carried a black coffin, while others pushed wheeled white crosses and the numbers 6 and 4 — a nod to June 4, 1989, when leaders of China’s ruling Communist Party ordered the military to re-take Tiananmen Square from student-led protesters. Hundreds, if not thousands, of unarmed protesters and onlookers were killed late on June 3 and in the early hours of June 4 as a result of the martial action. Commemorations to mark the event are strictly banned in mainland China.

china
hong kong
beijing
tiananmen square
prodemocracy


China's censors crank up ahead of 30th anniversary of 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre

Abstract: BEIJING - It’s the most sensitive day of the year for China’s internet, the anniversary of the bloody June 4 crackdown on pro-democracy protests at Tiananmen Square, and with under two weeks to go, China’s robot censors are working overtime. Censors at Chinese internet companies say tools to detect and block content related to the 1989 crackdown have reached unprecedented levels of accuracy, aided by machine learning and voice and image recognition. “We sometimes say that the artificial intelligence is a scalpel, and a human is a machete,” said one content screening employee at Beijing Bytedance Co., who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak to media. Two employees at the firm said censorship of the Tiananmen crackdown, along with other highly sensitive issues including Taiwan and Tibet, is now largely automated. Posts that allude to dates, images and names associated with the protests are automatically rejected. “When I first began this kind of work four years ago there were opportunities to remove the images of Tiananmen, but now the artificial intelligence is very accurate,” one of the people said. Four censors, working across Bytedance, Weibo Corp. and Baidu Inc. apps said they censor between 5,000-10,000 pieces of information a day, or five to seven pieces a minute, most of which they said were pornographic or violent content. Despite advances in AI censorship, current-day tourist snaps in the square are sometimes unintentionally blocked, one of the censors said. Bytedance declined to comment, while Weibo and Baidu did not respond to requests for comment. Sensitive period The Tiananmen crackdown is a taboo subject in China 30 years after the government sent tanks to quell student-led protests calling for democratic reforms. Beijing has never released a death toll but estimates from human rights groups and witnesses range from several hundred to several thousand. June 4th itself is marked by a cat-and-mouse game as people use more and more obscure references on social media sites, with obvious allusions blocked immediately. In some years, even the word “today” has been scrubbed. In 2012, China’s most-watched stock index fell 64.89 points on the anniversary day, echoing the date of the original event in what analysts said was likely a strange coincidence rather than a deliberate reference. Still, censors blocked access to the term “Shanghai stock market” and to the index numbers themselves on microblogs, along with other obscure references to sensitive issues. While companies’ censorship tools are becoming more refined, analysts, academics and users say heavy-handed policies mean sensitive periods before anniversaries and political events have become catch-alls for a wide range of sensitive content. In the lead-up to this year’s Tiananmen Square anniversary, censorship on social media has targeted LGBT groups, labor and environment activists and NGOs, they say. Upgrades to censorship tech have been urged on by new policies introduced by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). The group was set up — and officially led — by President Xi Jinping, whose tenure has been defined by increasingly strict ideological control of the internet. The CAC did not respond to a request for comment. Last November, the CAC introduced new rules aimed at quashing dissent online in China, where “falsifying the history of the Communist Party” on the internet is a punishable offense for both platforms and individuals. The new rules require assessment reports and site visits for any internet platform that could be used to “socially mobilize” or lead to “major changes in public opinion,” including access to real names, network addresses, times of use, chat logs and call logs. One official who works for CAC said the recent boost in online censorship is “very likely” linked to the upcoming anniversary. “There is constant communication with the companies during this time,” said the official, who declined to directly talk about Tiananmen, instead referring to “the sensitive period in June.” Companies, which are largely responsible for their own censorship, receive little in the way of directives from the CAC, but are responsible for creating guidelines in their own “internal ethical and party units,” the official said. Secret facts With Xi’s tightening grip on the internet, the flow of information has been centralized under the Communist Party’s Propaganda Department and state media network. Censors and company staff say this reduces the pressure of censoring some events, including major political news, natural disasters and diplomatic visits. “When it comes to news, the rule is simple. . . . If it is not from state media first, it is not authorized, especially regarding the leaders and political items,” said one Baidu staffer. “We have a basic list of keywords which include the 1989 details, but (AI) can more easily select those.” Punishment for failing to properly censor content can be severe. In the past six weeks, popular services including a Netease Inc. news app, Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s news app TianTian, and Sina Corp. have all been hit with suspensions ranging from days to weeks, according to the CAC, meaning services are made temporarily unavailable on apps stores and online. For internet users and activists, penalties can range from fines to jail time for spreading information about sensitive events online. In China, social media accounts are linked to real names and national ID numbers by law, and companies are legally compelled to offer user information to authorities when requested. “It has become normal to know things and also understand that they can’t be shared,” said one user, Andrew Hu. “They’re secret facts.” In 2015, Hu spent three days in detention in his home region of Inner Mongolia after posting a comment about air pollution onto an unrelated image that alluded to the Tiananmen crackdown on Twitter-like social media site Weibo. Hu, who declined to use his full Chinese name to avoid further run-ins with the law, said when police officers came to his parents’ house while he was on leave from his job in Beijing he was surprised, but not frightened. “The responsible authorities and the internet users are equally confused,” said Hu. “Even if the enforcement is irregular, they know the simple option is to increase pressure.”

china
censorship
history
rights
tiananmen square


Two die and nearly 600 taken to hospitals as heat wave roasts much of Japan

Abstract: Unseasonably hot conditions gripped wide areas of Japan on Sunday, with the town of Saroma in Hokkaido setting the highest temperature ever recorded in the country for the month of May. Two men — one in Shimizu, Hokkaido, and the other in Tome, Miyagi Prefecture — died and at least 575 people nationwide were taken to hospitals by ambulance suffering from symptoms that appeared to point to heatstroke, according to data compiled by Kyodo News. The mercury hit 39.5 degrees in the northeastern coastal Hokkaido town at 2:07 p.m. Sunday — the hottest at any observation point in Japan for the month, according to the Meteorological Agency. The previous record, set on May 13, 1993, was 37.2 degrees in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. Temperatures had never before reached 35 C in Hokkaido in May or 38 C at any time of the year in the prefecture. The previous record high temperature recorded there was 37.8 degrees in the town of Otofuke on June 3, 2014, and in the city of Obihiro on July 12, 1924. Temperatures climbed to 38.8 degrees in Obihiro and in the town of Ikeda on Sunday. The agency issued high temperature warnings across wide areas, from Hokkaido to the Kinki region, and called for caution against heatstroke. Hokkaido Railway Co., or JR Hokkaido, canceled the operation of a number of trains, mainly those departing from and arriving at stations in the eastern part of Hokkaido, due to fears of rail distortion by the strong heat wave. On Sunday, temperatures reached 35.8 degrees in Hatoyama, Saitama Prefecture, 35.7 degrees in Date, Fukushima Prefecture, 35.5 degrees in Daigo, Ibaraki Prefecture, and 35.4 degrees in Kiryu, Gunma Prefecture, according to the Meteorological Agency. Temperatures rose above 30 degrees also in Chiba, Tottori, Fukuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. The weather agency expects the unusually hot conditions to continue Monday.


Duvets discarded, cushions thrown as teams vie for stop spot in the All-Japan Pillow Fighting Championships

Abstract: ITO, SHIZUOKA PREF. - The Japanese may be known for their neatness, particularly when it comes to making their bed in the morning, but all social norms went out the window Saturday during qualifying for the All-Japan Pillow Fighting Championships in Shizuoka Prefecture. In the small fishing town of Ito, 150 kilometers south of Tokyo, teams gathered from across the region to compete in the event that has been one of the country’s quirkiest since 2013. Started by a group of high school students in Shizuoka, the game is based on the age-old ritual of pillow fighting that occurs at sleepovers or on school trips. The game starts with all five players “sleeping” under duvets on futons before the whistle goes and they leap to their feet and reach for a pillow. A mix between dodgeball and chess, the aim is to protect each team’s king from being hit by pillows while trying to hit the opposition’s king during two-minute sets. One player on each team can also use a duvet as a shield. Saturday’s regional tournament contained 16 teams vying for the qualification for the national competition, which has 64 entrants and is held in February. The teams comprise a wide range of participating organizations, including local businesses, high school basketball teams and local athletic clubs. “Through track and field activities, the team have been in touch a long time,” said Kazuteru Takigawa, who at 75 was the oldest participant on Saturday. “(My team) are all married and brought their children and families today to enjoy a day out.” Team BlancWhite, including 9-year-old Soda Wamanobe — the second youngest competitor — won the tournament. As their prize, the team received an array of local produce as well as the all-important qualification for next year’s nationwide tournament.


Ceremony held to mark 50 years since Tomei Expressway was fully opened

Abstract: A ceremony was held Sunday to mark the 50th anniversary of the full opening of the 347-kilometer-long (215-mile-long) Tomei Expressway, which connects Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward and the city of Komaki in Aichi Prefecture. At the event, held at the expressway’s Ashigara service area in the town of Oyama, Shizuoka Prefecture, participants including Saori Yoshida, a three-time Olympic gold medalist in women’s wrestling, unveiled a commemorative monument with a design of 3,776-meter Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan which can be viewed from the expressway. The Tomei Expressway went into partial service in April 1968 and fully opened on May 26, 1969. Since then, the key artery has continued to support the movement of people and goods. Economic ripple effects from the expressway over the past half century are estimated at some ¥60 trillion, according to Central Nippon Expressway Co. (Nexco-Central) which operates the route. After 50 years, however, the expressway finds itself in urgent need of renovation to some of its facilities, such as tunnels, due to aging. Nexco-Central has launched a large-scale repair program. “We’ll continue making efforts to keep our roads safe so that people can drive without anxiety,” Nexco-Central President Yoshihito Miyaike said at the ceremony.

tokyo
anniversary
aichi
tomei expressway


Melania Trump takes part in a digital art session with Japanese students

Abstract: Melania Trump and her host Akie Abe joined dozens of schoolchildren at an interactive digital museum in Tokyo on Sunday where they drew aquatic animals for a digitally projected aquarium that was displayed on a wall. The two first ladies managed to stay perfectly cool in the air-conditioned facility while their husbands played golf under a scorching sun. The U.S. first lady drew a fish for a girl named Julia and wrote underneath it: “Julia, Best Wishes, Melania Trump.” The student’s later lined up for her autograph, which she signed on the back of their individual artworks, along with the message “Be Best!” — her public awareness initiative that advocates against cyberbullying and other well-being issues for children. The 30 students, ranging from third to sixth graders from a Tokyo elementary school, were a bit shy when the first lady, who was wearing a stylish navy-color jumpsuit, first entered the museum. But eventually, one by one, and then in groups, they approached her. “Nice to meet you. Can you show me what you drew?” Melania Trump asked a boy whose name sticker on his chest identified him as Aoi. He showed her a green turtle with yellow feet, which was projected on the wall where it moved around. Akie Abe drew a pink turtle with three little red hearts on the back. She wrote “Peace” on her drawing as well as the new imperial era name, “Reiwa,” which started this month. The two first ladies also toured other exhibits that included the crystal room and the lamp room where they stopped for photo ops. Melania Trump arrived Saturday in Tokyo with her husband for a four-day state visit that is largely ceremonial and aimed at deepening personal ties between the two countries.

shinzo abe
akie abe
donald trump
melania trump
mori building digital art museum


Three missing after one ship sinks following collision off Chiba Prefecture

Abstract: YOKOHAMA - Three people remained missing as of Sunday evening after two Japanese cargo ships collided during the early morning hours off the coast of Chiba Prefecture, the Japan Coast Guard said. The Japan-flagged cargo ships Sensho Maru and Sumiho Maru, both 499-ton vessels, collided about 12 km off Cape Inubosaki in Chiba Prefecture at around 2:10 a.m., and the Sensho Maru sank. Hiraku Fujita, the captain of the Sensho Maru, was rescued, and one of the ship’s crew members was later confirmed dead. But as of Sunday evening the other three were still missing, a local coast guard official said. According to the 3rd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Yokohama, a special rescue team discovered the sunken ship lying on the seabed with its starboard side facing up in about 30 meters of water. The regional coast guard office in the port of Choshi said Akira Yano, 72, of Shizuoka Prefecture, was found inside the ship and was later confirmed dead. The remaining missing crew members had been named as Kazufumi Kamimura, 60, of Ibusuki, Kagoshima Prefecture, Hiroshi Seno, 69, of Akita Prefecture and Saigo Umakoshi, 67, of Imabari, Ehime Prefecture. The Sensho Maru, based in Imabari, put out a distress call following the collision. All four crew members aboard the Sumiho Maru, based in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, were safe, the coast guard said. That ship later returned to Kashima port. The Sensho Maru was carrying about 1,300 tons of steel from Kashima, Ibaraki Prefecture, to Osaka Prefecture, it added. Visibility was poor in the area at the time of the accident due to fog, the coast guard said. An oil spillage was confirmed at the site, it added. The coast guard sent five patrol vessels, a helicopter and a special search-and-rescue unit in a bid to find the missing men, and they were still searching after it got dark on Sunday evening. A separate, specialized unit was working to contain the oil leak, local coast guard official Hiromitsu Kawaguchi said. The captain and the missing crew members are all Japanese, Kawaguchi added. “I’m extremely worried about the missing crew members. I hope they will be discovered safe,” said Fumiko Fujita, wife of the Sensho Maru’s 60-year-old captain who was rescued.

collision
chiba
cargo ships
sumiho maru
sensho maru


Damaged or inaccessible Fukushima shrines consider consolidation as way forward

Abstract: FUKUSHIMA - A plan has been forged to establish a new shrine in Fukushima Prefecture as a substitute for the many others that were damaged or made inaccessible by the 2011 quake-tsunami disaster and nuclear crisis, local authorities have said. The local branch of the Association of Shinto Shrines said earlier this month they plan to build the new place of worship on the grounds of the tsunami-hit Hachiman Shrine by the end of March 2021. The shrine is located in the town of Futaba, one of the host communities of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, but it is in an area where radiation levels are relatively low. At least 30 shrines in the prefecture remain badly damaged after the disasters and 44 are in areas where access is restricted due to high radiation levels. Representatives of each of the 74 affected shrines will decide whether to join the project or not. According to the Association of Shinto Shrines based in Tokyo, it is the first case in which a shrine will be built to replace others that have been unable to operate due to a disaster. The move, which is said will bring together deities worshipped at each shrine, is also intended to help preserve traditional performing arts and festivals associated with each community, it said. “The revival of the shrines that have served as local community hubs should offer solace to people affected by the calamities,” said Masahiro Tanji, who heads the Fukushima branch of the association. All of Futaba’s residents continue to live outside the town following the nuclear crisis, one of the world’s worst ever, that resulted in three reactor core meltdowns. But the Hachiman Shrine, located in a coastal district of Nakano, was selected as a candidate site for the project because it experiences lower radiation levels and is located near the site of an envisioned memorial park Fukushima Prefecture is planning to build. The town of Futaba hopes that an evacuation order for Nakano and some neighboring areas will be lifted by next spring, earlier than other parts of the municipality. There are a total of 240 shrines within a 20-kilometer radius of the Fukushima No. 1 plant, which was designated as a no-go zone soon after the nuclear crisis began. Of the 74 struggling shrines, not all are within a radius of 20 kilometers. Many shrines have struggled in the wake of the disaster due to the displacement of parishioners and their inability to secure government reconstruction support due to the principle of separation of religion and government. Their predicament led the shrines to come up with the consolidation plan and their chief priests agreed to go ahead with the project in June last year. While some parishioners have expressed sadness at the change, Hirohisa Takakura, the 57-year-old chief priest of Hachiman Shrine, said “there will be shrines that will rust away and be unsustainable” unless they act. Takakura now makes a 90-minute journey from his residence to the shrine twice a month to clean the grounds. He remembers fondly how, before the disaster, the shrine grounds would become crowded with local residents gathering for the Bon festival dance, but he maintains the only solution is “to move forward.


Fukushima aims to boost school-trip visitors with new plan focused on teaching about 3/11 disaster

Abstract: In an effort to increase the number of students visiting for school trips, Fukushima Prefecture has created a series of travel routes it will propose this fiscal year to schools outside the prefecture to provide them with an opportunity to learn about the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and the subsequent nuclear meltdowns. In the past, educational tours that focused on the 2011 disasters — promoted by the prefecture as “Hope Tourism” — were offered mostly to high school students, while plans focused on history and nature were tailored to children in elementary and junior high schools. By combining the two, the prefecture hopes to provide students with a more comprehensive experience and hopefully dispel any prejudice they may have about Fukushima. The plan also involves having officials visit high schools in other areas to talk about the importance of visiting Fukushima Prefecture. For example, the prefecture proposed to a high school a three-day trip: On the first day, students will visit the Hamadori coastal region damaged by the 2011 tsunami, experience nature and wildlife in the Urabandai region on the second and study history in the city of Aizuwakamatsu on the third. Sites like J-Village, which fully reopened on April 20, along with the Tepco Decommissioning Archive Center in the city of Tomioka and the prefecture-run archive facility on the March 2011 disasters — which is set to open in July 2020 — will serve as central locations for the tours. The prefecture is looking to use such locations to highlight travel routes that will bring visitors to the region and promote them by collaborating with organizations like Fukushima Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Association. “The truth is we haven’t been able to bring back the levels we saw before the disaster. But we’re determined to revive the educational trips that appreciates the local area,” an official at the prefecture’s tourism department said. Before the disaster, the number of annual visitors participating in educational trips from outside the prefecture who stayed overnight was 710,000. In fiscal 2011, that number sharply declined to roughly 130,000. In fiscal 2017, the figure recovered to about 490,000. Most of the trips focus on the history and nature of the Aizu region. A series of routes will take visitors to locations in the city of Aizuwakamatsu including Tsuruga Castle and Nisshinkan, which served as a school in the early 1900s and is now a museum with educational facilities. Another stop will be the Hideyo Noguchi Memorial Museum in Inawashiro. The routes also include the cities of Kitakata and Minamiaizu and the village of Kitashiobara, which will have a focus on experiencing nature. Hope Tourism, which began around 2016, involves having visitors to the Hamadori coastal region learn about the earthquake-triggered tsunami and nuclear disasters and meet people actively involved in helping the area recover. The number of junior and high school students who have taken part has increased from 35 students in fiscal 2016 and about 230 in fiscal 2017 to roughly 600 students in fiscal 2018.


The week ahead for May 27 to June 2

Abstract: Monday U.S. President Donald Trump to become first foreign leader to meet new Emperor Naruhito since enthronement on May 1. Trump is then to hold talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss security and trade issues before attending banquet at Imperial Palace. Tuesday Trump to visit Maritime Self-Defense Force helicopter carrier Kaga at Yokosuka base with Abe. Trump to also address troops during visit to U.S. Yokosuka Naval Base before wrapping up his four-day state visit. Sendai District Court to hand down ruling in case of two women seeking compensation from government over their forced sterilization under now-defunct eugenics protection law, which was effective from 1948 to 1996. It is said to have led to forced sterilization of some 16,500 people. Wednesday New management body of Nissan Motor Co., Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. to hold second round of meetings. Thursday Japan, Russia to hold meeting of foreign and defense ministers in Tokyo. They are slated to discuss cooperation in regional security and recent developments surrounding North Korea, while Japan is expected to voice its concerns on Russia’s military buildup on a group of disputed islands lying off Hokkaido. Friday Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry to release ratio of job offers to job seekers for April. Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry to release unemployment rate for April. Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry to release preliminary industrial production index for April. Cabinet Office to release survey on consumer trends for May. Kanazawa Hyakumangoku Festival, known for big parade with traditional dancing and music on streets of Kanazawa, to run for three days. Saturday Major companies to begin recruitment interviews with senior university students. A severe labor shortage means companies are eager to hire, with 97.6 percent of new graduates this year seeking work successfully finding jobs — second-highest on record. Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo for 2020 Olympics and Paralympics to become operational. Revised criminal procedure law requiring interrogations to be recorded in cases involving prosecutors’ special investigations or lay judge system to take effect. This law was revised amid concerns over a lack of transparency that could lead to forced confessions or evidence tampering. Sunday Emperor Naruhito to attend National Arbor Festival in Aichi Prefecture — his first official duty outside Tokyo since ascending the throne. Gubernatorial election in Aomori Prefecture to take place.


Japan, U.S. likely to hold ministerial-level trade talks in run-up to this week's Trump visit

Abstract: Japan and the United States plan to hold ministerial-level trade talks as early as this week, with tariffs on agricultural and industrial products expected to top the agenda, according to government sources. The talks will likely be held before Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s meeting with President Donald Trump in Tokyo. The two leaders are scheduled to meet next Monday. Before economic revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer sit at the negotiating table, officials of the two countries were to hold working-level talks Tuesday afternoon in Washington, the sources said Monday. As Trump pushes what he calls fair and reciprocal trade, Japan and the United States launched negotiations in April. Since then, Motegi and Lighthizer have met twice. Differences remain in the negotiations, and Abe and Trump, who is scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Saturday as a state guest for a four-day visit, will not likely be able to strike a trade deal. Under such circumstances, the two leaders are unlikely to issue a joint statement following their discussions, according to the sources. To coordinate various polices ahead of Trump’s visit, the first since November 2017, Foreign Minister Taro Kono spoke to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by phone on Monday night, according to the Foreign Ministry. Their conversation lasted about 20 minutes, the ministry said, without providing further details.

shinzo abe
u.s .
trade
tariffs
donald trump


American Airlines asks U.S. court to halt 'illegal slowdown' by mechanics

Abstract: DALLAS - American Airlines Group Inc. asked a federal court to halt an “illegal slowdown campaign” by unionized employees, saying the action had disrupted the travel plans of 125,000 passengers in the last three months. Mechanics are taking too long to repair jetliners and refusing to work overtime in an effort to gain leverage in contract talks, American said in a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Fort Worth, Texas. The alleged slowdown will crimp travel for 3,400 passengers a day if it continues into the summer, the airline said. The lawsuit raises the stakes in a standoff after federal mediators suspended talks last month, saying they didn’t see a way to resolve differences between the two sides. The TWU-IAM Association, which represents 30,000 employees in 12 work groups, is the only major union at American that still lacks a complete contract following the carrier’s merger with US Airways in 2013. American and the union haven’t been able to agree on issues including pay, health and retirement benefits, and limits on outsourcing work. The National Mediation Board is overseeing negotiations between the two sides and will determine the next steps, which could include moving closer to a possible strike. The union didn’t immediately comment. American said its mechanics “en masse” were “taking an inordinately long time to repair aircraft.” The company also said employees refused overtime and maintenance trips, including weeks “with a 100 percent field trip refusal rate” at its Charlotte, Phoenix and Philadelphia hubs. The number of out-of-service aircraft at 7 a.m. each day rose to an average of 44 on May 13 from 36 on Feb. 4, the carrier said. The union and the company had their 17th negotiating session with federal mediators on April 25, according to the filing. American said mechanic productivity should be higher than normal due to the grounding of the Boeing Co. 737 Max. American has 24 of the single-aisle planes, with another 16 scheduled for delivery this year. Regulators barred the plane from flying more than two months ago, following the second deadly crash in a five-month span. “Based on the amount of maintenance that American’s 737 Max fleet would require on a daily basis, the grounding of these aircraft has freed up an estimated 180 man-hours on average of mechanics’ time per night to work on other aircraft,” American said. “As detailed in this complaint, however, mechanic productivity has significantly decreased.”

u.s .
american airlines
union
dallas
mechanics
twu-iam association


Taro Aso says no link between Japan's October sales tax hike, speculation over snap election

Abstract: Finance Minister Taro Aso said Tuesday that the scheduled consumption tax hike and whether to dissolve the Lower House for a snap election should be considered separately. The tax “has nothing to do with” the question of whether to call an election, Aso, who is also deputy prime minister, told a news conference. He was commenting on speculation that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will dissolve the Lower House for a general election to ask voters whether the tax hike from 8 percent to 10 percent should be carried out in October as planned, or postponed again. Aso added that the economy will continue to recover thanks to fiscal stimulus after government data released Monday showed surprising growth. “It’s not at all bad,” he said in reference to the 2.1 percent rise in January-March real gross domestic product, apparently rejecting analysts’ view that the headline figure was up due to a technical reason and does not reflect the actual economic situation. “I knew the economy would improve” as the government is implementing stimulus measures under the fiscal 2019 budget, Aso said. The increase in inflation-adjusted GDP for the final quarter of fiscal 2018 marked a second straight quarterly expansion, despite weaker exports amid an economic slowdown in China. It beat market forecasts of slower growth or even a contraction. But the data also signaled sluggish consumption and business investment, adding to the view that the economy will likely be supported by government spending, including on public works projects. Many private sector analysts said the GDP increase was due to a faster decline in imports than exports, which pushed real GDP higher. Aso’s comments came amid market speculation that the consumption tax hike may be postponed in a bid to safeguard growth, and that Abe may call a general election this summer to seek voter approval for such a delay. The government will steer its economic policy while closely watching developments in the U.S. and Chinese economies as well as progress in the execution of the initial fiscal 2019 budget, Aso noted. Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshige Seko also sounded positive about the economy. Employment and income conditions as well as corporate earnings have remained “extremely firm,” Seko told a separate news conference. “Japan’s economy will remain on a moderate recovering track” with stable capital spending, he said.

shinzo abe
u.s .
taro aso
gdp
consumption tax


Trump wants trade deal with Japan in 'weeks,' U.S. Ambassador William Hagerty says

Abstract: U.S. President Donald Trump wants trade talks with Japan to be concluded in “weeks,” Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty said Tuesday. In a speech in Tokyo, Hagerty said he hopes “significant progress” toward a deal will be made at a summit between Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Monday. Trump will visit Japan for four days starting Saturday. Hagerty said the timing of a deal is up to negotiations between fiscal and economic policy minister Toshimitsu Motegi and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. The ambassador said the U.S. agriculture and livestock industry has fallen into a disadvantageous position in trade with Japan since the 11-country TPP free trade agreement that took effect in December last year. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the TPP.

shinzo abe
u.s .
trade
tariffs
donald trump
william hagerty


In break with FCC, U.S. Justice Department leans against T-Mobile takeover of Sprint

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The Justice Department is leaning against approving T-Mobile U.S. Inc.’s proposed takeover of Sprint Corp., according to a source familiar with the review, even after the companies won the backing of the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. The remedies proposed by the wireless carriers Monday don’t go far enough to resolve the department’s concerns that the deal risks harming competition, said the source, who asked not to be named because the investigation is confidential. Opposition to the deal by the Justice Department’s antitrust chief, Makan Delrahim, would mark a rare break with the FCC. The two agencies work side by side on merger reviews and typically emerge on the same page about whether to approve deals. Earlier on Monday, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said he would recommend approval of T-Mobile’s $26.5 billion deal for Sprint after the companies offered a package of concessions, including spinning off Sprint’s Boost pre-paid brand, to win regulators’ blessing. The news whipsawed Sprint and T-Mobile shares. Sprint pared gains on the report about the Justice Department’s opposition, then began climbing from session lows when it was reported that T-Mobile’s outside counsel, Rob McDowell, said the Justice Department “will” approve the deal. T-Mobile also bounced back. With Pai’s support, the deal’s fate rests with Delrahim. While the FCC considers whether a merger is in the public interest, the Justice Department’s considers a different standard: whether a deal hurts competition and would raise prices for consumers. The Justice Department and the FCC declined to comment. Sprint and T-Mobile had no immediate comment. McDowell later tweeted that he’s “optimistic about @TheJusticeDept & remaining states green lighting the deal bc conditions should allay their concerns & it’s ultimately good for #consumers.” Attorneys general from more than a dozen states are also investigating the deal and have raised concerns about harm to consumers. The states have signaled they may sue to block the deal even if the Justice Department clears it. Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said Monday on the sidelines of a conference in Washington that he had to learn more about the specifics of the companies’ proposed fixes but said he is “skeptical” they would address his objections to the consolidation the deal would entail. “It’s hard to say that our concerns could be alleviated by that kind of tinkering,” Frosh said. “It means that consumers are going to suffer in terms of price, in terms of quality, in terms of opportunities.” T-Mobile’s acquisition of Sprint would combine the No. 3 and No. 4 wireless carriers in the U.S., leaving just three national competitors. The tie-up has been widely criticized by consumer advocates and lawmakers for consolidating the market and risking harm to consumers. The FCC and DOJ have never reached different conclusions on a merger, Paul Gallant, a Washington-based analyst with Cowen & Co., said in a note Monday before news emerged of the Justice Department’s dissatisfaction with the deal. “Makan Delrahim has proven to be unpredictable, so we don’t assume anything regarding his ultimate decision,” Gallant wrote. Delrahim shocked many antitrust experts when he sued in 2017 to block AT&T Inc.’s planned takeover of Time Warner Inc. That deal was expected to win antitrust approval because it combined companies in different parts of a supply chain rather than uniting direct competitors. Those deals are typically approved with conditions on how companies operate. Delrahim, in a break with the past, demanded asset sales and later sued the companies to block the deal. He lost on appeal. “I still think the White House’s strong support for beating China in 5G will lead DOJ to clear the deal,” Cowen & Co.’s Gallant said after news emerged that the Justice Department is leaning against the deal.


Huawei mobile users ponder switching brand after Google news

Abstract: LONDON/MUMBAI - Time to abandon the Huawei phone? That was what some owners asked after U.S. tech giant Google said it would suspend its business with China’s top mobile maker, threatening future access to Gmail, YouTube and Chrome. Google said on Monday it would comply with an order by U.S. President Donald Trump to stop supplying Huawei, meaning it would no longer be able to offer its popular Android apps to buyers of new Huawei phones. The order to U.S. companies could affect tens of millions of consumers in Europe, its biggest market outside mainland China. “I was absolutely shocked,” Luna Angellica, the Dutch owner of a new Huawei P smart+ contacted by Reuters in London, said after the Google news. She was already “considering saving up” for a rival model, she added. Trump’s move, said to be motivated by spying concerns amid a bitter trade war with China, could at a single blow derail Huawei’s ambitions to overtake Samsung as the world’s biggest phone maker. “I like the phone so much — I’m just kinda scared one day I’ll be forced to buy another phone,” said Anthony Chiringa, who lives in Nairobi and bought his Huawei Y7 for $180 two weeks ago. “Buying a new phone to replace another one will be another expense for me. Rather Huawei should come up with a way whereby the current Huawei users can be able to replace their phones for free,” he said. Emerging economies such as Kenya are key to Huawei’s ambitions as it seeks to sell more low- to mid-priced handsets outside China. India, where Huawei now has only single-figure market share, is also potentially vital. “I was already in two minds about buying the phone,” said Sumeet Lyallpuri, 46, a businessman in Mumbai who had been considering upgrading his existing Huawei to the brand’s P30. “Now if Google updates are not available for Huawei phones, Google Play or apps such as YouTube are not there I wouldn’t want to buy the phone at least for the time being,” he said. Manish Khatri, the owner of a smartphone shop in Mumbai, India’s financial hub, said some customers had been looking for Huawei phones. “Now with Google deciding to have a limited relationship with Huawei I will direct customers to other smartphones brands such as Samsung or Apple,” he said. Huawei said on Monday it would continue to provide security updates and services for its smartphones and tablets that have already been sold. And Google’s team working on the Android operating system told Huawei users on its Twitter @Android account it would comply with U.S. requirements while ensuring “services like Google Play & security from Google Play Protect will keep functioning on your existing Huawei device.” Replies to the tweet ranged from frustration to worry. “So because of a US law, you actually punish millions of international users by banning them?” wrote Andreas Benjaminsen, who described himself as an open source enthusiast on @photolsen account. Twitter user Ania K. wrote on @kuleczka1983: “I am very worried … I’m the owner of a P30 Pro. Neither user could immediately be reached for comment. Operators, who tie phones into their networks with mobile line contracts for calls and data, were also racing to determine the impact on their businesses from Google’s decision. “We are reviewing the details of the executive order to understand any potential implications for our customers,” Spain’s Telefonica, Europe’s third largest mobile operator. Hutchison’s British network operator Three told customers that Huawei’s routers and devices would continue working, but also said it was seeking further information. “We are in discussions with Huawei and will provide a further update as soon as we can,” the firm said in statement. Huawei, which is also the global leader in telecoms networking equipment, is embroiled in a long-running row with the United States over the security of its systems and devices. The U.S. administration has said Huawei equipment could be used by China for espionage and Washington has pressed its allies to use other suppliers. Huawei denies the U.S charges. Huawei’s founder and chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, had said before Google’s announcement on Saturday that growth of the Chinese tech giant “may slow, but only slightly” due to recent U.S. actions.

china
u.s .
google
eu
youtube
cybersecurity
android
huawei
donald trump
5g


Tokyo stocks follow Wall Street into negative territory

Abstract: Stocks turned lower Tuesday, hurt by an overnight drop of U.S. equities. The Nikkei 225 average finished down 29.28 points, or 0.14 percent, at 21,272.45. On Monday, it rose 51.64 points. The Topix, which covers all first-section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, fell 4.62 points, or 0.30 percent, to end at 1,550.30 after gaining 0.67 point Monday. Both indexes declined for the first time in three market days. The Nikkei dipped soon after the opening and stayed in negative territory throughout the morning session, after all three key U.S. stock indexes dropped Monday. The Wall Street slump came as Google and some other companies are reported to be planning to stop dealing with China’s Huawei Technologies after U.S. President Donald Trump, apparently targeting Huawei, signed an executive order last week to ban the use of foreign communications equipment that could seriously jeopardize U.S. national security, brokers said. The Nikkei briefly pared its losses and entered into positive territory in the afternoon, backed by a rise in Shanghai shares, they said. But it fell back later, due to a dearth of positive incentives, while its downside was supported by stability in dollar-yen rates, market sources said. Ryuta Otsuka, strategist at the investment information department of Toyo Securities Co., said the advance of Shanghai equities reflected bullish remarks made by Huawei Chief Executive Officer Ren Zhengfei in an interview with state-run China Central Television. In the interview, Ren said the United States is underestimating the company’s capabilities and that the firm is prepared for the U.S. ban. The Nikkei failed to extend its gain in the afternoon, however, amid growing skepticism about Ren’s bullish view, Otsuka said. Falling issues outnumbered rising ones 1,320 to 743 on the first section, while 78 issues were unchanged. Volume increased to 1.254 billion shares from 1.178 billion Monday. Technology companies dropped on selling triggered by the U.S. sanctions on Huawei. They included Sony, Tokyo Electron, TDK and Murata Manufacturing. Shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines dropped for the first time in three trading days. Among other losers were oil distributor Cosmo Energy, apartment rental firm Leopalace21 and online fashion mall operator Zozo. Technology investor SoftBank Group gained 3.53 percent after U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Monday showed support for the planned merger of fourth-ranking U.S. mobile phone carrier Sprint, which is affiliated with SoftBank, and third-ranking T-Mobile. Other winners included clothing store chain operator Fast Retailing and Kyoei Steel.


Dollar almost flat at around ¥110.10 in late Tokyo trading

Abstract: The dollar was almost unchanged at around ¥110.10 in late Tokyo trading Tuesday. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥110.12-12, against ¥110.10-11 at the same time Monday. The euro was at $1.1155-1155, down from $1.1163-1163, and at ¥122.84-85, down from ¥122.91-91. After moving around ¥110 in early trading, the dollar rose to around ¥110.20 later in the morning thanks to a rise in the benchmark long-term U.S. Treasury bond yield in off-hours trading. Toward noon, the greenback slipped below ¥110.20, as the Treasury yield fell back after Reserve Bank of Australia Gov. Philip Lowe indicated that the Australian central bank plans to cut its policy interest rate. The U.S. currency rose back above ¥110.20 in the afternoon, but the strength proved short-lived. “We had both positive and negative incentives (for the dollar),” an official at a foreign exchange margin trading service firm said, citing an upward trend of the long-term Treasury yield as a favorable factor and sluggish U.S. stocks as an unfavorable factor. “I’m keeping a close tab on to what extent the Treasury yield will test its upside after hitting bottom around 2.35 percent recently,” the official said.


New themed area in Tokyo DisneySea to be named Fantasy Springs

Abstract: CHIBA - A new area to open at Tokyo DisneySea in the 2022 business year will be named Fantasy Springs, operator Oriental Land Co. said Tuesday. The themed area will add four new attractions to the park based on popular Disney movies. Two will feature “Peter Pan” while the others will highlight “Frozen” and “Tangled.” The extension includes three restaurants and a new 475-room hotel that will look out over the theme park in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, the operator said. “We’d like this to become the only one of its kind in the world,” Oriental Land CEO Toshio Kagami said at a groundbreaking ceremony held in a tent at the site amid heavy rain and strong winds. Visiting Walt Disney Co. Chairman and CEO Robert Iger said, “We are extremely excited to be adding magic to this world of fantasy and wonder. … I can’t wait to see these new magical worlds come to life.” Approximately ¥250 billion will be invested in the construction, making Fantasy Springs the most costly expansion project at Tokyo Disney Resort, which also includes Tokyo Disneyland, according to the operator. The size of the planned expansion — an extra 140,000 square meters — is the largest in Tokyo DisneySea since its opening in 2001.

tokyo disneyland
oriental land
tokyo disneysea
walt disney co .


Japan Post invests in Daiwa Securities to cement ties

Abstract: Japan Post Holdings Co. has acquired an equity stake of 1.91 percent in Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Daiwa revealed the deal in a notice Monday for its upcoming general shareholders meeting. According to the notice, Japan Post Holdings had 30 million shares in Daiwa as of the end of March, making it the seventh-largest shareholder of the major securities company. The postal service group is estimated to have spent some ¥16 billion on the share acquisition. Ties between the two companies are strong, with Daiwa having lead-managed the stock listings of the postal holding company and its two financial units, Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance Co., in November 2015. Last week, they announced an agreement to jointly develop asset management products for individual clients. “We decided on the investment in order to fortify our ties with Daiwa,” a Japan Post Holdings official said.

japan post
shareholders
daiwa securities


MUFG president tells investors of bank's plans to shutter 80 more outlets in Japan

Abstract: Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. President Kanetsugu Mike said core unit MUFG Bank will scrap about 80 more branches in Japan in a bid to further cut costs and improve earnings. He announced the plan at a meeting Monday with investors. Previously, the bank planned to reduce its domestic branches by some 100 from 500 by fiscal 2023. In the business year to March, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial’s real net profit from its core banking operations fell 25 percent from the previous year. Mike said that the Mitsubishi UFJ group will join all forces to push ahead with structural reforms. Mike also said MUFG Bank will likely be able to reduce its duties equivalent to over 10,000 jobs by fiscal 2023, more than the 9,500 jobs earlier estimated, mainly by automating some of its operations through the use of information technology. Banks in Japan have been facing earnings deterioration due to ultralow interest rates stemming from the Bank of Japan’s very accommodative monetary policy. Among other major banking groups, Mizuho Financial Group Inc. said last week that it will reduce the number of its domestic branches by 130 by fiscal 2024, more than the earlier planned 100.


Seeing rough road ahead, Ford sheds 7,000 white-collar jobs

Abstract: DETROIT - Ford revealed details of its long-awaited restructuring plan Monday as it prepared for a future of electric and autonomous vehicles by parting ways with 7,000 white-collar workers worldwide, about 10 percent of its global salaried workforce. The major revamp, which had been underway since last year, will save about $600 million per year by eliminating bureaucracy and increasing the number of workers reporting to each manager. About 2,300 jobs will be cut in the U.S. through buyouts and layoffs. About 1,500 have left voluntarily or with buyouts, while another 300 have already been laid off. About 500 workers will be let go starting this week, largely in and around the company’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, just outside Detroit. The layoffs are coming across a broad swath of the company, including engineering, product development, marketing, information technology, logistics, finance and other areas. But the company also said it is hiring in some critical areas, including those developing software and dealing with self-driving and electric vehicles. In a memo to employees Monday, CEO Jim Hackett said the fourth wave of the restructuring would start Tuesday, with the majority of U.S. cuts being finished by Friday. “To succeed in our competitive industry, and position Ford to win in a fast-charging future, we must reduce bureaucracy, empower managers, speed decision-making and focus on the most valuable work, and cost cuts,” Hackett’s wrote. It’s the second set of layoffs for Detroit-area automakers, even though the companies are making healthy profits. Sales in the U.S., where the automakers get most of their revenue, have fallen slightly but are still strong. In November, General Motors announced it would shed up to 14,000 workers as it cut expenses to prepare for a shift to electric and autonomous vehicles. The layoffs included closure of five factories in the U.S. and Canada and cuts of another 8,000 white-collar workers worldwide. About 6,000 blue-collar positions were cut, but most of the laid-off factory workers in the U.S. will be placed at other plants mainly that build trucks and SUVs. Both companies have said the cuts are needed because the companies face huge capital expenditures to update their current vehicles and develop them for the future. At GM, the cuts brought withering criticism from President Donald Trump and Congress, especially the closing of a small-car factory in Lordstown, Ohio. Trump campaigned on bringing factory jobs back to the industrial Midwest. GM has since announced a possible deal to sell the Lordstown plant to a startup electric vehicle maker, but it hasn’t been finalized. Ford’s white-collar employees had been fearful since last July when the company said the restructuring would cost $7 billion in cash and hit pretax earnings by $11 billion over the next three to five years. Many have been upset that it took so long for the company to make decisions. Factory workers have not been affected by the restructuring thus far, as the company has retooled car plants so they can build more popular trucks and SUVs. The layoffs, while large, weren’t as bad as many had expected. Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas predicted 25,000 white-collar job cuts late last year, a number that Ford would not deny. Hackett said in the memo that Ford is departing from past practices and letting laid-off employees stay a few days to wrap up their jobs and say good-bye to colleagues. In the past, laid-off workers would have had to pack up and leave immediately. “Ford is a family company and saying goodbye to colleagues is difficult and emotional,” Hackett wrote. He told workers that under the restructuring, managers now will have seven people reporting to them on average, up from five before changes were initiated. That reduces management bureaucracy by one-third from before the “Smart Redesign” began. Before the restructuring, Ford had 14 organizational layers, but that will drop to nine or less by the end of the year, Hackett’s memo said.

u.s .
jobs
carmakers
gm
ford
ev
jim hackett


Huawei ban clouds outlook for world's growth engine

Abstract: HONG KONG/BEIJING - U.S. restrictions on Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technologies Co. threatens to snuff out a nascent recovery in semiconductor demand, a key driver of economic growth in technology powerhouses including South Korea and Taiwan. China dominates purchases from Asian semiconductor exporters and bought 51 percent of their exports in 2017, according to analysis by Citigroup Inc. economists Jin-Wook Kim and Johanna Chua. China and Hong Kong took 69 percent of South Korea’s chip shipments, 56 percent of Taiwan’s, 51 percent of Vietnam’s, 43 percent of Japan’s and 39 percent of Malaysia’s exports, according to the Citi note. Citi’s Asia Semiconductor Leading Index “significantly stalled” in May having shown signs of recovery since January and could worsen from here if trade tensions deepen. “In our view, China’s restocking efforts for electronic goods will likely weaken and be delayed if the tensions and the ban stay longer, which likely will hurt overall demand,” they wrote. Evidence of weaker demand was on display Tuesday. South Korean exports during the first 20 days of the month fell 11.7 percent from a year earlier, pointing to a sixth straight full-month drop, driven by tumbling prices of semiconductors and falling exports to China, the country’s biggest export market. Semiconductor shipments, which account for about a fifth of South Korea’s exports, fell 33 percent, while total exports to China dropped 16 percent. “As trade wars hurt demand in the U.S. and China, Asian electronics manufacturers will feel considerable pain, in our view,” Tieying Ma, an economist at DBS Group Holdings Ltd., wrote in a note. If China buys more South Korean chips instead of U.S. ones, then it could offset some of the negative effects in Asia, Citi noted. The International Monetary Fund has estimated that the Asia-Pacific region is the biggest driver of world economic growth. “It seems that the trade war is increasingly showing signs of becoming a tech war,” Seema Shah, senior global investment strategist at Principal Global Investors, said in emailed remarks. “The further this trend develops, the bigger the collateral damage will be — particularly in Asia and the U.S., but the ripple effect will be significant across the globe.” Meanwhile, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei struck a defiant tone Tuesday against American attempts to block his company’s global ambitions, saying the U.S. “underestimates” the telecom giant’s strength. Ren spoke to Chinese state media days after President Donald Trump issued orders aimed at thwarting Huawei’s business in the United States, the latest salvo in a months-long effort to stop the company’s charge to the top of the leader board in next-generation 5G technology. “The current practice of U.S. politicians underestimates our strength,” Ren said, according to CCTV. “Huawei’s 5G will absolutely not be affected. In terms of 5G technologies, others won’t be able to catch up with Huawei in two or three years,” he said. Last week, Trump declared a “national emergency” empowering him to blacklist companies seen as “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States” — a move analysts said was clearly aimed at Huawei. At the same time, the U.S. Commerce Department announced an effective ban on American companies selling or transferring U.S. technology to Huawei. U.S. internet giant Google LLC, whose Android mobile operating system powers most of the world’s smartphones, said this week it was beginning to cut ties with Huawei in light of the ban. The move could have dramatic implications for Huawei smartphone users, as the telecoms giant will no longer have access to Google’s proprietary services — which include the Gmail and Google Maps apps — a source close to the matter said. But the U.S. Commerce Department on Monday issued a 90-day reprieve on the ban on the transfer of technology by allowing temporary licenses. “The U.S. 90-day temporary license does not have much impact on us, we are ready,” Ren said. Half of chips used in Huawei equipment come from the United States and the other half are made by the Chinese company, he said. “We cannot be isolated from the world,” Ren said. “We can also make the same chips as the U.S. chips, but it doesn’t mean we won’t buy them.” The Huawei confrontation has been building for years, as the company has raced to a huge advantage over rivals in next-generation 5G mobile technology. U.S. intelligence believes Huawei is backed by the Chinese military and that its equipment could provide Beijing’s intelligence services with a back door into the communications networks of rival countries. For that reason, Washington has pushed its closest allies to reject Huawei technology, a significant challenge given the few alternatives for 5G. The battle over Huawei has added to tensions in a trade war that has escalated between the world’s top two economies, with both sides exchanging steep increases in tariffs as negotiations have faltered. Asked how long Huawei may face difficult times, Ren said: “You may need to ask Trump about this question, not me.”

china
taiwan
trade
south korea
tariffs
huawei
donald trump


Officials say Iran quadruples production of enriched uranium, but levels still under nuclear deal limit

Abstract: TEHRAN - Iran quadrupled its uranium-enrichment production capacity amid tensions with the U.S. over Tehran’s atomic program, nuclear officials said Monday, just after President Donald Trump and Iran’s foreign minister traded threats and taunts on Twitter. Iranian officials made a point to stress that the uranium would be enriched only to the 3.67 percent limit set under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, making it usable for a power plant but far below what’s needed for an atomic weapon. But by increasing production, Iran soon will exceed the stockpile limitations set by the accord. Tehran has set a July 7 deadline for Europe to set new terms for the deal, or it will enrich closer to weapons-grade levels in a Middle East already on edge. The Trump administration has deployed bombers and an aircraft carrier to the region over still-unspecified threats from Iran. Already this month, officials in the United Arab Emirates alleged that four oil tankers were sabotaged; Yemeni rebels allied with Iran launched a drone attack on an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia; and U.S. diplomats relayed a warning that commercial airlines could be misidentified by Iran and attacked, something dismissed by Tehran. A rocket landed Sunday near the U.S. Embassy in the Green Zone of Iraq’s capital of Baghdad, days after nonessential U.S. staff were ordered to evacuate from diplomatic posts in the country. No one was reported injured. Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul said that the rocket was believed to have been fired from eastern Baghdad, an area home to Iran-backed Shiite militias. The Iranian enrichment announcement came after local journalists traveled to Natanz in central Iran, the country’s underground enrichment facility. There, an unidentified nuclear scientist gave a statement with a surgical cap and a mask covering most of his face. No one explained his choice of outfit, although Israel is suspected of targeting Iranian nuclear scientists. The state-run IRNA news agency later quoted Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, as acknowledging that capacity had been quadrupled. He said Iran took this step because the U.S. had ended a program allowing it to exchange enriched uranium to Russia for unprocessed yellowcake uranium, as well as ending the sale of heavy water to Oman. Heavy water helps cool reactors producing plutonium that can be used in nuclear weapons. Kamalvandi said Iran had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency of the development. The Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog did not respond to a request for comment. Tehran long has insisted it does not seek nuclear weapons, though the West fears its program could allow it to build them. Before Iran’s announcement, Trump tweeted: “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” Trump’s remarks reflect what has been a strategy of alternating tough talk with more conciliatory statements he says is aimed at keeping Iran guessing at the administration’s intentions. He also has said he hopes Iran calls him and engages in negotiations. He described his approach in a speech Friday, saying, “It’s probably a good thing because they’re saying, ‘Man, I don’t know where these people are coming from,’ right?” But while Trump’s approach of flattery and threats has become a hallmark of his foreign policy, the risks have only grown in dealing with Iran, where mistrust between Tehran and Washington stretch four decades. While both sides say they don’t seek war, many worry any miscalculation could spiral out of control. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif soon responded by tweeting that Trump had been “goaded” into “genocidal taunts.” Zarif referenced both Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan as two historical leaders that Persia outlasted. “Iranians have stood tall for a millennia while aggressors all gone,” he wrote. “Try respect — it works!” Zarif also used the hashtag #NeverThreatenAnIranian, a reference to a comment he made during intense negotiations for the 2016 nuclear accord. Trump campaigned on pulling the U.S. from the deal, which saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Since Trump withdrew the U.S. a year ago from the pact, Washington has re-imposed previous sanctions and come up with new ones, as well as warning other nations they would be subject to sanctions as well if they import Iranian oil. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told journalists in Geneva that Iran should not doubt the U.S. resolve, warning that “if American interests are attacked, they will retaliate.” “We want the situation to de-escalate because this is a part of the world where things can get triggered accidentally,” Hunt said. Meanwhile, Oman’s minister of state for foreign affairs made a previously unannounced visit Monday to Tehran, seeing Zarif, the state-run IRNA news agency said. The visit by Yusuf bin Alawi comes after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said last week. Oman long has served as a Western backchannel to Tehran and the sultanate hosted the secret talks between the U.S. and Iran that laid the groundwork for the nuclear deal negotiations. In Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s military intercepted two missiles fired by the Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen. The missiles were intercepted over the city of Taif and the Red Sea port city of Jiddah, the Saudi-owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya reported, citing witnesses. The Saudi Embassy in Washington later confirmed the interceptions. Hundreds of rockets, mortar rounds and ballistic missiles have been fired into the kingdom by the rebels since a Saudi-led coalition declared war on the Houthis in March 2015 to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government. The Houthis’ Al-Masirah satellite news channel denied the rebels had any involvement with this round of rocket fire. Between the two targeted cities is Mecca, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba toward which Muslims pray. Many pilgrims are in the holy city for Ramadan. Early Tuesday, Saudi Arabia said the Houthis targeted civilian infrastructure in the kingdom’s border city of Najran, without elaborating. The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge such an attack.

nuclear weapons
iran
iran nuclear deal
donald trump


Iraq caught in the middle of U.S.-Iran face-off

Abstract: BAGHDAD - Scarred by two decades of conflict, Iraq finds itself caught in the middle of a U.S.-Iran tug-of-war, fearing it could pay the price of any confrontation between its two main allies. Analysts say third parties may seek to exploit the latest spike in tensions between Tehran and Washington to spark a showdown that serves their own interests. Iraq “pays a disproportionate tax on Iranian-American tensions and (has) an unenviable frontline position in any future conflict between the two,” said Fanar Haddad, an Iraq expert at the National University of Singapore. During the three-year battle to oust the Islamic State group from Iraqi cities, powerful Iran-backed Shiite militias on the ground effectively fought on the same side as U.S.-led coalition warplanes in the skies. But since Iraq declared victory over the jihadis in December 2017, relations between Washington and Tehran have deteriorated sharply. In May last year, U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and later reinstated tough sanctions. In April, Washington dubbed the Revolutionary Guard Corps a “foreign terrorist organization,” prompting Iran to designate U.S. troops across the region as “terrorists.” Tensions escalated this month, with Washington deploying a carrier group and B-52 bombers to the Gulf over alleged, unspecified Iranian “threats.” The Trump administration last week ordered nonessential diplomatic staff out of Iraq, alleging Iran-backed armed groups posed an “imminent” threat. On Sunday, a rocket was fired into the “Green Zone” of Baghdad that houses government offices and embassies, including the U.S. mission. There has been no claim of responsibility. For Iraqi political analyst Essam al-Fili, the rocket attack was a sign that some sides want to pull Tehran and Washington into a confrontation in Shiite-majority Iraq. “There are those who want to fight Iran with other people’s weapons, and those who want to fight the U.S. with other people’s weapons,” he said. But he added that Iran has “so far favoured restraint in Iraq, a country which is vulnerable on the security front.” Several groups in the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary coalition that battled IS denied any link to the rocket attack, with Assaib Ahl al-Haq chief Qais al-Khazali pointing a finger at “Israeli interests.” Analyst Karim Bitar stressed that “the stakes are so high that Iranian proxies cannot act without an explicit green light” from Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard force. Tehran and Washington “know perfectly well that it’s an unwinnable war and that an all-out confrontation would be devastating for both the U.S. and Iran,” said Bitar, an expert at France’s Institute for International and Strategic Affairs. But, he added, “the inflammatory rhetoric of the past few weeks plays right into the hands of Iran’s hardliners” as well as pleasing Saudi Arabia and Israel, “bent on settling old scores with Iran.” Tehran accuses its regional Sunni rival Riyadh and archfoe Israel of pressing the Trump administration to adopt a hard line. But experts doubt the crisis will result in a head-on confrontation with Washington. “There won’t be a direct war. The United States is counting on a collapse of the (Iranian) economy, which could be accompanied by limited airstrikes,” said Iraqi political scientist Hashem al-Hashemi. He said Washington may also urge Israel to carry out airstrikes against Iran’s militia allies in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. Meanwhile, memories of American interventions in recent years could also dampen Washington’s appetite for an offensive. “The U.S. foreign policy and security establishment knows full well that attacking Iran would make the Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya wars look like walks in the park,” Bitar said. “So besides some messages that could be sent on the Iraqi arena, unless utter madness prevails, a large, open, direct war is still unlikely.”