Okinawan fishermen reel in two live oarfish, eat portion of one

Abstract: Two rare deep-sea oarfish caught in fixed nets off Toya port on the southwest side of Okinawa stunned the local fishing community last month for simply being alive. The oarfish, netted about 2.5 km away from the coast on Jan. 28, were about 4 meters and 3.6 meters long, according to the village of Yomitan’s fisheries cooperative association. Local fishermen later ate part of one of them. “Although I’ve seen oarfish specimens before, it was the first time for me to see them alive,” said Hajime Kinjo, head of the association. The rare occurrence even prompted radio station FM Yomitan to broadcast the haul as breaking news. Unfortunately, the two fish died before arriving at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in the town of Motobu. The remains were to be preserved as specimens. According to the aquarium’s records, the last time oarfish came ashore in Okinawa was about two decades ago near Iejima island, a 30-minute ferry ride away. The Okinawa Times reported an oarfish landing off Kumejima island in 2011. One of the fish caught on Jan. 28 was torn in half while being unloaded from a ship, prompting local fishermen to eat its fin side as sashimi. They described the texture as jiggly. Satomi Higa, a 27-year-old member of the fishing association, said she saw the two fish swimming vigorously in the nets. “They looked like real dragons,” she said. Hokkaido University Professor Emeritus Kunio Amaoka, who is knowledgeable about deep-sea fish, said it is rare to find an oarfish, even one as long as 4 meters. He said oarfish generally swim vertically in waters 100 to 300 meters deep. He surmises that the captured fish “somehow gravitated to the surface waters.” Oarfish, which get as long as 5.5 meters, have long, silvery bodies and a red dorsal fin along the spine that rises to a crest. The elongated species lives in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans. Some people believe the species is an harbinger of earthquakes. Numerous sightings of the fish have been reported in waters around Japan since the start of the year, generating fears a quake could strike soon. But no scientific relationship between oarfish sightings and earthquakes has been established.


The week ahead for Feb. 18 to Feb. 24

Abstract: Monday Meeting to be held of state panel tasked with settling dispute between central and Okinawa governments over relocation plan for key U.S. air base within Okinawa Prefecture. Cabinet Office to release machinery orders for December. Tuesday Otsu District Court to hand down ruling in damages suit filed by family of junior high school student who killed himself in 2011 after being bullied. Wednesday Finance Ministry to release customs-cleared trade statistics for January. Japan Tourism Agency to release estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in January. In 2018, foreign tourists reached a record 31.19 million, up for the seventh straight year. Thursday First meeting of third-party committee set up by Chiba Prefectural Government to be held over high-profile death of 10-year-old girl Mia Kurihara, who was repeatedly abused by her father. Panel members will review how local and school officials handled her case despite receiving her plea for help and once placing her in protective custody. Friday Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaches 2,616 days in office, matching Shigeru Yoshida’s fourth-longest stint. Abe is on course to surpass Taro Katsura, who was prime minister for a record of 2,886 days in the early 1900s, in November 2019. Abe secured his third three-year term as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in September 2018. Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry to release nationwide consumer price index for January. Eighth anniversary of earthquake that devastated the city of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island in 2011, killing 185 people, including 28 Japanese students. Japan’s space probe Hayabusa2 to land on asteroid Ryugu and collect samples. Saturday Crown Prince Naruhito’s 59th birthday. Sunday Okinawa Prefecture to hold referendum on planned relocation of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan to the Henoko district in Nago. It will ask voters their opinion of the Tokyo-Washington plan to relocate the base within the island prefecture, where U.S. military bases in Japan are concentrated. Voters are asked to choose from three options — “yes,” “no” or “neither.” Okinawa’s governor, who opposes relocation within the prefecture, must respect an outcome supported by at least one-quarter of eligible voters, but the result is not binding on the central government. Ceremony marking 30th anniversary of Emperor Akihito’s enthronement to be held in Tokyo. Emperor Akihito will become first Japanese Emperor to abdicate in about 200 years on April 30, and Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend throne on May 1. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to announce this year’s winners of Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Two Japanese films are nominated, with “Mirai,” directed by Mamoru Hosoda, competing for best animated feature film and “Shoplifters,” by Hirokazu Kore-eda, up for best foreign language film.

shinzo abe
okinawa
emperor akihito
weekly events
the week ahead
schedule
emperor naruhito


Japan sees David Malpass as 'a powerful candidate' to lead the World Bank, finance minister says

Abstract: Finance Minister Taro Aso on Sunday held talks with David Malpass, a senior U.S. Treasury Department official who has been nominated by Washington to lead the World Bank, and expressed positive views about him. After the meeting in Tokyo, Aso told reporters Japan thinks highly of Malpass as “a powerful candidate.” U.S. President Donald Trump last week nominated Malpass, undersecretary of the Treasury for international affairs, as the next president of the World Bank. Malpass, regarded as a China hawk, called for support from Japan to help him become the head of the Washington-based development institution. Japan is the bank’s second-largest shareholder. But Aso stopped short of saying clearly whether Japan will back him, given that the World Bank will accept nominations through March 14. “It remains to be seen what kind of candidates there will be,” Aso said, adding he requested that the World Bank focus on developing countries in desperate need of assistance and reduce its lending to China and other fast-growing countries, if he succeeds Jim Yong Kim, who stepped down Feb. 1. Malpass was quoted as saying that he will do his best to reform the lending institution owned by 189 countries. Once the nomination process closes, the board of executive directors of the World Bank will select a new president before it and the International Monetary Fund hold annual spring meetings in April. Traditionally, an American takes the helm of the World Bank, while a European assumes the post of managing director of the IMF, its twin multinational lender in Washington.


Renault legal team denounces Nissan over Ghosn investigation: report

Abstract: PARIS - Lawyers for French carmaker Renault have criticized their Japanese alliance partner Nissan for its handling of an internal probe into the Carlos Ghosn scandal, a Sunday newspaper has reported. In a letter to Nissan dated Jan. 19, the lawyers said they had “serious concerns about the methods used” by the company and its legal team, including the way they treated some Renault employees, according to France’s Le Journal du Dimanche. Ghosn, the former head of the alliance, is being held in Japan on charges he underreported millions of dollars in pay as head of Nissan. “Renault has gathered sufficient evidence to understand and regret the methods used by Nissan and its lawyers to seek interviews with Renault employees through the Japanese public prosecutor’s office,” they said. Nissan was seeking “evidence to support allegations against Carlos Ghosn after his arrest” and failed to consult its French partner, according to the newspaper. The firm also tried to search Ghosn’s apartments in Brazil, Lebanon and the Netherlands without informing Renault, the letter added. So far, the French car giant has said its internal probe into its former boss has found his pay was in compliance with French law. The executive’s arrest in November has exposed rifts between Renault and Nissan, which some analysts say was bristling at Ghosn’s efforts to bring the two automakers’ operations even closer together. Ghosn was the lynchpin of the three-way alliance, which also includes Mitsubishi, earning industry plaudits for driving together a sometimes fractious threesome with headquarters some 10,000 km apart. Much of the tension between the partners stems from a complex ownership structure that gives Renault 43 percent of Nissan, whereas Nissan owns just 15 percent stake in the French company — and no voting rights.

corruption
scandals
nissan
carmakers
renault
carlos ghosn


U.S. reform of skilled visas draws broad praise

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The Trump administration’s new rules for a U.S. visa program that is widely used for technology workers are getting cautious praise from Silicon Valley amid surging demand for high-skill employees. Under a final rule published by the Department of Homeland Security, the H-1B visa program — which admits 85,000 foreign nationals each year — will give higher priority to people with postgraduate degrees from U.S. universities. “U.S. employers seeking to employ foreign workers with a U.S. master’s or higher degree will have a greater chance of selection in the H-1B lottery” under the new rule, said Francis Cissna, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, in announcing the change on Jan. 30. The changes come as the tech industry pleads for more immigrants to fill key skilled positions and are partly a response to concerns that the program has been exploited by some tech giants and outsourcing firms to depress wages and displace U.S. employees. “The changes are, on the whole, a positive step in the right direction,” said Todd Schulte of the immigration reform group FWD.us , which is backed by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and others in the industry. Ed Black of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which represents several major tech firms, said the program has not always been administered as well as it could have been. “We are hopeful something in the newly announced revisions will improve efficiency, but it’s too soon to say what the impact will be in practice,” he said. The H-1B program, in place since 1990, has been used for a variety of skilled occupations, including nurses and pastry chefs, but in recent years two-thirds have been for computer-related jobs; three-fourths of the employees have come from India. Because visa holders can stay up to six years, the number currently living in the United States is estimated at more than half a million. Ron Hira, a Howard University political scientist who has followed the visa program for two decades, said it has been exploited by some large tech companies and outsourcing firms to keep wages down and in some cases displace American employees. Hira said that the visas have not been allocated to the “most pressing needs” of the labor market and that “the typical H-1B employee is working in a back office through an outsourcer.” He said the reform “inches us a little closet to a better quality pool, but it’s still not selecting the ‘best and brightest’ — you could reform it much better.” Hira said the system has been disappointing up to now because of large outsourcing firms that flood the system with thousands of applications, and some Silicon valley firms that use it to keep wages down. A U.S. Labor Department complaint alleged that Oracle discriminated against some Americans by bringing in large numbers of H-1B visa holders, who were paid less than U.S. nationals. The new DHS rule reverses the order of two lotteries for H-1B visas by selecting the first 65,000 from the pool of all applications, and subsequently choosing 20,000 with advanced degrees. Officials expect this will mean an increase of some 5,000, or 16 percent, for holders of advanced degrees. Hira said this potentially changes the mix of visa holders to positions with higher pay and skill levels. William Kerr, a Harvard professor who heads the university’s Future of Work initiative, agreed the changes could slightly shift the mix of those receiving H-1B visas to bring in more people with advanced skills. “It’s a modest change in a system in a need of substantial reworking, but I support the change,” he said. Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank focused on the sector, said the changes should be viewed in the context of Trump administration rhetoric about shutting out foreigners and hiring more Americans. “People were talking about shutting down this program and making it hard for companies to use (visa holders) at all, so it could have been a lot worse,” Atkinson said. The reform is a “reasonable compromise.” The change, he said, “sends a nice message to foreigners who have been dropping their enrollment in U.S. universities and who were feeling uncertainty about Trump was going to do.”

u.s .
immigration
jobs
computers
universities


U.S.-backed Syria force announces final push against Islamic State group

Abstract: QAMISHLI, SYRIA - The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said Saturday it had begun the “final battle” to oust the Islamic State group from the last scrap of territory it holds in eastern Syria. IS overran large parts of the country and neighboring Iraq in 2014, declaring a “caliphate” there, but various military offensives have reduced it to a fragment. Backed by airstrikes of the U.S.-led coalition against IS, the Kurdish-Arab alliance has in recent months cornered the jihadis in a final pocket of territory in Syria’s eastern province of Deir Ezzor. After a pause of more than a week to allow civilians to flee, the SDF said Saturday it had resumed the fight to seize the last 4-sq.-km (1-sq.-mile) patch from the jihadis. “The SDF have launched the final battle to crush IS … in the village of Baghouz,” the SDF said in a statement. “After 10 days of evacuating more than 20,000 civilians … the battle was launched tonight” to wipe out the last remnants of the organization, it said. SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said: “The battle has started. This battle will be sealed in the coming days.” Bali said there could be up to 600 IS fighters still inside the pocket, most of them foreigners. Hundreds of civilians are also believed to be inside. “We have special units whose job it is to direct civilians to corridors they can cross” to safety, he said. Near the battlefield, an SDF spokesman at the Omar oil field turned military base said “progress is slow.” He said that when the SDF detects movement from IS fighters, they bomb them, but added: “There have not been any major changes.” At the height of its rule, IS controlled territory the size of Britain. But a series of separate military operations, including by the SDF, have left its proto-state in tatters. On Thursday, the coalition said the “caliphate” had massively shrunk. Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, the coalition’s deputy commander, described the size of the last IS pocket as “now less than 1 percent of the original caliphate.” More than 37,000 people, mostly wives and children of jihadi fighters, have fled IS territory since the SDF intensified its offensive in December, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Britain-based war monitor has said that figure includes some 3,200 suspected jihadis. Bali, of the SDF, said that “in the last two months, most who handed themselves in or were arrested were foreign.” The SDF launched an operation to expel IS from Deir Ezzor in September, and has slowly advanced against IS despite the jihadis putting up fierce resistance. In that time, more than 1,200 IS militants, more than 670 SDF fighters, and around 400 civilians have been killed in the fighting, the Observatory says. The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and their female equivalent, the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), have formed the backbone of the SDF. In the northeastern Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on Saturday, SDF fighters stood to attention at the funeral of a YPJ fighter who died fighting IS. Fellow combatants carried a coffin draped in the Kurdish colors of red, yellow and green, covered in pink flowers and adorned with a picture of the young woman. Near her coffin, a mourner held up a doll dressed in a bridal gown, part of tradition for young women fighters who die before they are married. Despite its caliphate being on the brink of collapse, IS still retains a presence in Syria’s vast Badia desert and has carried out deadly attacks in SDF-held territory. Syria’s war has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions since it erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. The country’s Kurds have largely stayed out of the conflict, instead developing semi-autonomous institutions in parts of the country’s northeast under their control. Neighboring Turkey sees Syrian Kurdish fighters as “terrorists” and has repeatedly threatened to attack YPG-held areas along its southern border. The U.S. military presence in Syria has offered the Kurds a measure of protection against any Turkish offensive. But in December Washington announced it would pull out all its troops from Syria, sending Kurdish authorities scrambling to mend fences with the regime in Damascus. Almost eight years into the war, President Bashar Assad’s regime has advanced against rebels and jihadis, and holds nearly two-thirds of the country. Damascus has rejected Kurdish self-rule, and has said it would eventually return the oil-rich third of the country now held by the SDF to government control.

conflict
terrorism
syria
kurds
islamic state
syrian democratic forces


Russian Arctic archipelago sounds alarm over aggressive polar bears

Abstract: MOSCOW - A Russian Arctic archipelago on Saturday declared an emergency over an “invasion” of dozens of aggressive polar bears that have entered homes and public buildings. The northeastern Novaya Zemlya archipelago, which has a population of around 3,000, has appealed for help to tackle “a mass invasion of polar bears into inhabited areas,” regional authorities said. Russian authorities have so far refused permission to shoot the bears but are sending a commission to investigate the situation and have not ruled out a cull. Polar bears are affected by global warming, with melting Arctic ice forcing them to spend more time on land, where they compete for food. They are an endangered species in Russia, and hunting them is banned. Russia has air force and air defense troops based on Novaya Zemlya. Since December, 52 polar bears have regularly visited the archipelago’s main settlement, Belushya Guba, with some displaying “aggressive behavior,” local official Alexander Minayev said in a report to regional authorities. This included “attacks on people and entering residential homes and public buildings,” said Minayev, the deputy chief of the local administration. “There are constantly six to 10 bears inside the settlement,” he said. “People are scared, they are afraid to leave their homes. … Parents are frightened to let their children go to schools and kindergartens.” The head of the local administration Zhigansha Musin said that the numbers of polar bears are unprecedented. “I’ve been on Novaya Zemlya since 1983 and there’s never been such a mass invasion of polar bears,” he told regional officials. Bears are constantly inside a military garrison and “literally chase people,” he said, as well as going into the entrances of apartment blocks. Local officials complained that measures to scare off polar bears such as vehicle and dog patrols have not been effective because the bears no longer react. The federal environmental resources agency has refused to issue licenses to shoot the most aggressive bears. A working group of regional and federal officials is set to visit the archipelago to assess the situation and the measures taken so far. The Arkhangelsk regional authorities, which oversee Novaya Zemlya, said that if all else failed, “shooting the animals could be the only possible forced measure.” In January, a Defense Ministry official said that hundreds of disused military buildings had been demolished on Novaya Zemlya because polar bears were settling inside them.

nature
russia
animals
endangered
climate change
arctic
polar bears


Chief Justice John Roberts emerges as U.S. Supreme Court's swing vote

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Pivotal votes cast by U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts in abortion and death penalty cases have underscored his new standing as the Supreme Court’s ideological center and the outsize role he may play in major rulings for years to come. Roberts, a genial 64-year-old conservative appointed in 2005 by Republican President George W. Bush, sided with the nine-member court’s four liberals on Thursday night in blocking a restrictive Louisiana abortion law from taking effect. He also sided on Thursday night with the four other conservative justices in allowing the execution of a Muslim convicted murderer in Alabama. His vote in the abortion case was particularly noteworthy because it represented a turnaround from his vote in a 2016 abortion case in which he had joined two other conservatives in dissent when the Supreme Court ruled 5-3 to strike down similar regulations targeting abortion doctors in Texas. The role of Supreme Court swing vote had been filled by Justice Anthony Kennedy, who sided with its liberal bloc on divisive issues including abortion and gay rights before retiring last July. Following Republican President Donald Trump’s appointment in the past two years of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who replaced Kennedy, and Justice Neil Gorsuch, Roberts now appears to be the most centrist of the five conservative justices who make up the court’s majority. “He’s now the center, and the center has moved to the right,” American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Jennifer Dalven said. Most court-watchers expect Roberts to side with his fellow conservatives on a wide range of issues, including business disputes, challenges to Trump’s actions and divisive social issues beyond abortion. Roberts takes his institutional role seriously and is a defender of the federal judiciary at a time when Trump often criticizes judges and accuses the courts of political motives. As chief justice, he presides over oral arguments in cases before the court and leads private meetings among the justices. The court on Thursday granted an emergency application by abortion provider Hope Medical Group for Women to stop Louisiana’s law from taking effect. The justices did not rule on the merits of the case. The Supreme Court is now likely to take up the clinic’s appeal of a lower court ruling allowing the law, with a decision on the merits possible in 2020, just months before the presidential election. Whether Roberts will oppose the Louisiana abortion restrictions as well as others pursued in conservative-leaning states remains an open question. Trump, seeking re-election next year, has seized on the abortion issue, which appeals to his conservative base. In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, Trump urged lawmakers to pass legislation banning late-term abortions. The court will decide soon whether to hear Indiana’s bid to revive a state ban on abortions performed due to the sex or race of the fetus or evidence of disability. Indiana last week asked the Supreme Court to hear another abortion case concerning a law to require fetal ultrasounds before abortions take place. Those cases do not turn on the 2016 precedent, meaning Roberts may feel less inclined to side with the liberals. “I think it’s still quite likely that he will be voting and casting a fifth and decisive vote to uphold a variety of abortion regulations that fall short of outright prohibitions,” Cornell law professor Michael Dorf said. The court has a handful of major cases during its current term that will test to what extent Roberts differs from Kennedy on key issues. The court on Feb. 27 will hear arguments in a religious rights dispute about a towering cross on public land in Maryland. Kennedy and Roberts likely would not differ on that issue. In 2010, both were in the majority when the court ruled that a cross on federal land in the Mojave National Preserve in California could remain, upholding the government’s decision to transfer the land into private ownership. The court’s action on the death penalty case was an example of Roberts siding with his fellow conservatives in allowing Alabama to execute death row inmate Domineque Ray, who said that as a Muslim his constitutional religious rights were violated by the state’s refusal to let him have an imam present. The state allows inmates to be accompanied by a Christian chaplain but not clergy representing any other religion.

u.s .
abortion
death penalty
supreme court
john roberts


Yellow vest protests turn violent in Paris

Abstract: PARIS - A French yellow vest protester’s hand was ripped apart Saturday during violent clashes in Paris as demonstrators tried to storm the French National Assembly in a 13th consecutive week of unrest. Police said the injured protester lost four fingers as police swooped in to stop protesters from breaching the parliament’s exterior. Police could not confirm French media reports that the demonstrator’s hand was blown up by a grenade used to disperse unruly crowds. As scuffles broke out in front of the National Assembly and French police responded with tear gas, paramedics huddled around the injured protester at the National Assembly gates, providing emergency treatment and stopping bystanders from getting too close. Police used batons and fired tear gas in Paris to disperse demonstrators, some of whom threw debris at riot police hunkered down. Fire department spokesman Gildas Lecoeur told The Associated Press that the injured man was taken to a hospital, but he couldn’t confirm his current condition. A car, motorbikes and multiple trash bins were set ablaze as the protest moved toward the city’s Invalides monument but France’s Interior Ministry said this new protest was significantly smaller than the previous week’s. Police said 21 demonstrators had been arrested as scuffles broke out between protesters and police near the Champs-Elysees Avenue and the National Assembly. The protest march is due to end up near the Eiffel Tower. The yellow vest activists, who have brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets over the past three months, are now trying to achieve electoral success but the movement is politically divided and has no appointed leader. French President Emmanuel Macron — the target of many demonstrators’ anger — seems to be clawing back support from the public as he tries to address the movement’s anger with a national political debate on economic injustice. Recent polls show Macron’s approval ratings are rising. Earlier Saturday, activists in Latvia staged a picket in front of the French embassy in Riga, the capital of the small Baltic EU country, to support the yellow vest movement and urge Latvians to demand higher living standards. The activists waved Latvia’s red-and-white flag, shouting slogans like “the French have woken up, while Latvians remain asleep.”

france
protests
emmanuel macron
yellow vests


May to promise new Brexit debate in push for more negotiating time

Abstract: LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May will pledge this week to give Parliament another chance to voice their opinions on Brexit by Feb. 27 as she tries to buy more time to negotiate a new deal with the European Union. As the clock ticks down to Britain’s scheduled exit on March 29, May is trying to persuade the EU to change a deal that was agreed on between London and Brussels late last year but overwhelmingly rejected by Parliament in January. May wants to win over lawmakers in her Conservative Party with changes relating to the Northern Irish border, but the EU has refused to reopen that part of the deal and instead wants May to pursue a compromise with the main opposition Labour Party by agreeing closer U.K.-EU ties. The impasse has left the world’s fifth-largest economy facing an uncertain future, rattling financial markets and businesses about the prospect of a disorderly exit from the bloc that could damage the economy. Housing minster James Brokenshire said on Sunday May would commit to giving Parliament another debate on Brexit with the chance to vote on alternative options if a deal had not yet been agreed on and voted upon by then. May is already due to update Parliament on her progress toward a deal on Wednesday and then on Thursday to give Parliament a chance to express their opinion. The new pledge would be for a repeat of this process by Feb. 27. “That gives that sense of timetable, clarity, and purpose on what we’re doing with the EU- taking that work forward and our determination to get a deal — but equally knowing that role that Parliament very firmly has,” Brokenshire told the BBC. Brexit minister Stephen Barclay will meet EU negotiator Michel Barnier on Monday to discuss changes to the part of the exit deal relating to the “backstop,” an insurance policy against the return of a hard border between EU member Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland. Labour’s Brexit policy chief Keir Starmer told the Sunday Times newspaper that his party would seek to use the debate in Parliament this week to prevent May from waiting until the last minute to come back with a deal, and compel her to present a fresh accord for lawmakers to consider before Feb. 26. “We shouldn’t be put in a position where the clock is run down and the prime minister says it’s either my deal or even worse. That isn’t right in terms of the respect for Parliament,” said Starmer. The head of business lobby group the Confederation of British Industry warned that the chances of Britain leaving the EU next month without a deal have increased and the country has now entered “the emergency zone.” May will ask lawmakers on Thursday to reaffirm that they support her bid to renegotiate the backstop, a government source said. The backstop is the main obstacle to securing agreement on the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU. May’s opponents are expected to put forward a series of alternative approaches which will be voted upon, although it is not clear yet whether any will have sufficient support to pass, and if they do, whether they will force the government to act. Labour’s plan, which has yet to be published in detail, will be among the options discussed on Thursday. An opinion poll published in the Independent newspaper on Sunday showed 53 percent of British voters would support a delay in Brexit, while 33 percent would back a no-deal Brexit even it that harmed the economy.


Democratic star Elizabeth Warren makes presidential bid official with call for change

Abstract: LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS - Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren made her bid for the presidency official on Saturday in the working-class Massachusetts city of Lawrence, grounding her 2020 campaign in a populist call to fight economic inequality and build “an America that works for everyone.” Warren delivered a sharp call for change at her presidential kickoff, decrying a “middle-class squeeze” that has left Americans crunched with “too little accountability for the rich, too little opportunity for everyone else.” She and her backers hope that message can distinguish her in a crowded Democratic field and help her move past a controversy surrounding her past claims to Native American heritage. Weaving specific policy prescriptions into her remarks, from Medicare for All to the elimination of Washington “lobbying as we know it,” Warren avoided taking direct jabs at President Donald Trump. She aimed for a broader institutional shift instead, urging supporters to choose “a government that makes different choices — choices that reflect our values.” The president “is not the cause of what’s broken,” Warren told an elated crowd without using his name. “He’s just the latest — and most extreme — symptom of what’s gone wrong in America.” Warren announced her campaign in her home state at a mill site where factory workers went on strike in the early 20th century — a fitting forum for the longtime consumer advocate to advance her platform. Warren was the first high-profile Democrat to signal interest in running for the White House, forming an exploratory committee on New Year’s Eve. She was endorsed and introduced Saturday by Massachusetts Democrats Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Kennedy’s backing could prove valuable for Warren, given his status as a rising young Democratic star and his friendship with one of her potential 2020 rivals, former Texas Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke. Warren enters the race as one of the party’s most recognizable figures. She has spent the past decade in the national spotlight, first emerging as a consumer activist during the financial crisis. She later led the congressional panel that oversaw the 2008 bailout of the financial industry. After Republicans blocked her from running the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency she helped create, she ran for the Senate in 2012 and unseated a GOP incumbent. She has $11 million left over from her commanding 2018 Senate re-election victory that can be used on her presidential run.Still, Warren must compete against other popular Democrats who will be able to raise substantial money. A recent CNN poll found that fewer Democrats said they would be very likely to support Warren than those who said the same of former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris of California and Sanders. Still, about as many Democrats said they would be at least somewhat likely to support Warren as those who said the same of Harris or Sanders. That challenge was on display this weekend as Democratic presidential contenders — or those considering a run — fanned out across the crucial early voting states. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was in Iowa, while New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was visiting South Carolina. Another possible presidential rival, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, planned to be in New Hampshire on Saturday. Sen. Amy Klobuchar is announcing her bid Sunday in her home state of Minnesota. Warren’s launch comes at a challenging moment for the 69-year-old senator. She has apologized twice over the past two weeks for claiming Native American identity on multiple occasions early in her career. That claim has created fodder for Republicans and could overshadow her campaign. On Saturday, Trump’s re-election campaign manager was quick to respond to her candidacy and called her “a fraud.” Closing the gap between the country’s rich and poor — a pursuit of Warren’s that dates back to her time as a Harvard law professor — is set to be a dominant theme of her campaign. She recently unveiled a proposal that pushes the frontier to a new place: directly taxing the very rich. Her new plan would impose an annual 2 percent levy on wealth above $50 million, rising to 3 percent on assets above $1 billion. “It’s about dealing with extreme concentrations of wealth,” said Stephanie Kelton, a professor at Stony Brook University in New York and former senior economic adviser to the Sanders campaign. “There is an awareness that income and wealth inequality has reached levels that Democrats want to interrupt.” Warren said she would put the revenue raised by a tax on the ultrawealthy toward programs to cut student debt and expand access to child care. Another threat could come from a fellow senator who has yet to announce his own plans for 2020: Sanders. They are both leaders of the Democrats’ liberal vanguard, but some Sanders supporters are still upset that Warren didn’t support him during his 2016 primary run against Hillary Clinton. And as a senator from Vermont who won the New Hampshire primary, he would likely go into the Granite State as an early favorite if he decided to run again. Despite their similarities, Warren and Sanders have taken somewhat divergent paths in recent months as they prepare for the primary. After proposing an “ultramillionaire tax” that would hit the wealthiest 75,000 households in America, Warren told Bloomberg News last week that she continues to “believe in capitalism” but wants to see stricter rules to prevent gaming the system — a marked contrast with the self-described democratic socialism of Sanders.

congress
elections
elizabeth warren
donald trump


Thousands protest in Madrid against government's Catalonia policy

Abstract: MADRID - Thousands of people demonstrated in Madrid on Sunday against Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s proposed talks to ease political tensions in Catalonia, in a protest organized by center-right and far-right opposition parties. Demonstrators waving Spanish flags filled the Plaza de Colon in the city center in the largest protest Sanchez has faced, with their slogan “For a united Spain, elections now!” a reminder of the pressure on his minority government. The Socialist government’s proposal last Tuesday to appoint a rapporteur in talks among political parties to address the Catalan independence crisis galvanized the opposition, which has deemed it a betrayal and a surrender to pressure from Catalan separatists. The opposition has called for early elections. Sanchez, who replaced a conservative government last June, holds just a quarter of the seats in Parliament and relies on backing from anti-austerity party Podemos, Catalan nationalists and other small parties to pass laws. The government faces a key vote next Wednesday on its 2019 budget proposal, which will likely fail without the support of Catalan parties. But those parties have said their vote for the budget is conditional on the Catalan talks including the issue of independence, something the government will not include. Failure by Parliament to approve the budget bill could prompt a snap election before the next scheduled vote in 2020. Center-right parties Popular Party and Ciudadanos organized Sunday’s protest, and the newly emerged far-right party Vox also participated. “The time of Sanchez’s government has ended,” Popular Party leader Pablo Casado said at the protest. Sanchez said on Saturday that the gathering would show a “Spain in black and white that simply proposes to go backwards.” Ana Puente, a 73 year-old retiree, said she was protesting for a “united Spain.” “The government is giving many things to supporters of Catalan independence and is going to break Spain apart,” said Raquel Garcia, 76, who was carrying a Spanish flag. The protest took place two days before the start of the trial of 12 Catalan independence leaders, who face up to 25 years in prison on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds for their role in a failed secession bid from Spain that they are accused of spearheading in 2017. The government is squeezed on both sides of the Catalan issue: Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said on Friday talks were on track to fail because Catalan pro-independence groups had rejected the government’s proposed framework. The Catalan groups want a referendum on independence included on the agenda, which Madrid will not accept. Recent opinion polls have shown the Popular Party, Ciudadanos and Vox could win a majority of seats in parliament if elections were held, allowing them to replace the Socialist government.


Armed with new power, Democrats push for stricter U.S. gun laws

Abstract: NEW YORK - Democratic lawmakers are pushing stricter gun laws in statehouses across the country, emboldened by sweeping electoral victories in 2018 and confident that public opinion is on their side a year after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Last year’s wins handed Democrats control of the governorship and legislature in several more states, including New Mexico, New York, Colorado, Maine and Nevada, and lawmakers are using their new power to draft or pass gun laws. In Colorado, Tom Sullivan spent years urging lawmakers to tackle gun violence after his 27-year-old son, Alex, was killed in the 2012 movie theater shooting there. Now Sullivan is helping write those bills after winning a state Assembly seat, part of a Democratic wave in November that gave the party full control of Colorado’s government for the first time in five years. “People are standing up and having their voices heard,” said Sullivan, who wears his son’s leather jacket to the capitol. “Now they have to see me every single day.” Polls show Americans favor tougher gun laws after decades of mass shootings, including the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 students and staff members. But the political might of the National Rifle Association — and its deep coffers — made supporting gun restrictions a risky proposition for many officials. That changed last year, when Democratic candidates ran on the issue of gun violence in unprecedented numbers. At the federal level, where Democrats captured the U.S. House of Representatives after eight years of Republican control, nearly 80 percent of the 62 freshman Democrats elected in November included gun safety in their campaign platforms, a Reuters analysis found. That far outstripped the proportion of candidates who did so in 2016. House Democrats have introduced a bill requiring criminal background checks for private and gun show firearm sales, closing what advocates call a deadly loophole in federal law. But with Republicans, who typically oppose gun restrictions, still in control of the U.S. Senate, the legislation’s prospects appear dim. Republican U.S. Senator Pat Toomey said a Democratic House could put pressure on the Senate to reconsider a bipartisan background checks measure he sponsored after the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, that killed 20 first-graders. The bill narrowly failed to get the 60 votes needed for passage. Now, he said, “there is a distinct possibility that we could have enough Republicans to get to 60, but that’s still an open question.” National gun safety groups are more optimistic about making progress outside Washington, with nearly 20 states poised to take up gun safety bills this year, they said. Lawmakers are focusing on bills with widespread approval in public polling, including background checks, “red flag” bills that allow judges to confiscate guns from dangerous people and bans on domestic abusers owning guns. Several states passed similar laws last year, including some with Republican governors or legislatures, and advocates say they hope to draw Republican votes in numerous states this year. Gun rights groups also are pursuing new state laws. South Dakota in January began allowing residents to carry concealed handguns with no permit, while other states are considering arming teachers. “We continue to defeat gun control legislation across the country while passing gun rights legislation,” said NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker. So far this year, gun safety advocates have found success in several states while encountering roadblocks in others, including from some Democrats. New York last month passed a red flag law, extended waiting periods and prohibited armed teachers in schools. In Nevada, where the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history occurred at a 2017 music festival in Las Vegas, Democratic leaders have vowed to implement the background checks approved by voters in a 2016 referendum. The state’s former Republican attorney general had refused to do so. “It’s a high priority,” said Jason Frierson, speaker of the state Assembly. “We have a new class of candidates who feel passionately about this issue.” In New Mexico, newly elected Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has called for red flag, domestic abuser and background check bills. The Democratic-led legislature is expected to pass all three within weeks, said Speaker of the House Brian Egolf. Some Democratic lawmakers in Maine, which has a strong hunting culture, introduced a raft of measures including a large-capacity magazine ban, a background check bill and a red flag law. But newly elected Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has said she opposes the background check bill after voters rejected a similar measure in 2016. Gun safety advocates privately concede they do not expect any of the major legislation to become law. Perhaps no state better encapsulates the political volatility around guns than Colorado, which has both a deep tradition of gun ownership and a history of mass shootings, including the 1999 Columbine school massacre and the Aurora movie theater killings. In 2013, after the Aurora attack, the legislature passed background checks and a high-capacity ammunition magazine ban. In response, an NRA-backed recall election removed the Democratic state Senate leader and another member, and Democrats lost their Senate majority the following year. John Morse, the ousted Senate leader, said Democrats should be even more aggressive now in passing gun laws. “No one in Colorado needs to fear what happened to us,” he said. “The country is starting to get that the gun lobby has no interest whatsoever in any kind of common sense things.” For now, however, Colorado Democrats say they will focus solely on a red flag bill before considering other measures. “I’m a fourth-generation Coloradan, and gun ownership is a way of life,” said Alec Garnett, the state Assembly Democratic majority leader. “What I’ve learned in this business is there’s no clear path for anything.”

guns
u.s .
republicans
democrats
shootings


Tunisia imprisons seven for life over massacres at museum and hotel in 2015

Abstract: TUNIS - A Tunisian court imprisoned seven people for life on Saturday for their involvement in two deadly militant attacks in 2015, one on a museum in Tunis and the other on a hotel in a Mediterranean resort. Other defendants received sentences ranging from 16 years to six months, state news agency TAP quoted court spokesman Soufiane Sliti as saying. In all, 51 suspects stood trial, of whom 27 were acquitted, in hearings that lasted 18 months. The assault on the Bardo National Museum left 21 people dead; 38 were killed in the beach resort of Sousse, some 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of the capital. Islamic State claimed both attacks. The twin massacres, which took place within three months of each other, devastated Tunisia’s economy — tourism is a major earner of foreign currency that accounts for about 8 percent of gross domestic product — as major European tour operators took flight. The attacks also acted as a brake on political reforms hailed as a model of democratic transition following its 2011 “Arab Spring” uprising. Tunisia remains one of the most secular countries in the Arab world, but authorities estimate about 3,000 of its citizens have joined Islamic State and other jihadi groups in Iraq, Syria and Libya. Tourists have gradually returned as security has been stepped up, and Tunisia attracted a record 8.3 million visitors in 2018 as hotels were filled with holidaymakers from Algeria, Russia and other parts of Europe.


Saudi Arabia says it has 'nothing to do' with Jeff Bezos-AMI dispute

Abstract: DUBAI - Saudi Arabia had “absolutely nothing to do” with the National Enquirer’s reporting on an extramarital relationship involving Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Bezos, the kingdom’s minister of state for foreign affairs said. Bezos on Thursday accused American Media Inc. (AMI), the Enquirer’s owner, of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing “intimate photos” he allegedly sent to his girlfriend unless he said in public that the U.S. tabloid’s reporting on him was not politically motivated. In a blog post, he alluded to Saudi Arabia’s displeasure at the Bezos-owned Washington Post’s coverage of the murder of its columnist and Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He also referenced media reports about alleged links between AMI and Saudi Arabia. “This is something between the two parties, we have nothing to do with it,” Adel al-Jubeir told CBS’ “Face the Nation” when asked if the Saudi government was involved in the Enquirer leaks. “It sounds to me like a soap opera,” he said in an interview to be aired on Sunday, excerpts of which were posted on CBS’ website. Jubeir said he was not aware of any links between the Saudi government and AMI or its CEO David Pecker. AMI said on Friday its reporting on Bezos was lawful and it would investigate his claims. The killing of Khashoggi at the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate last October strained Saudi Arabia’s ties with Western allies, exposed the kingdom to possible sanctions and tarnished the image of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

saudi arabia
jeff bezos
national enquirer
jamal khashoggi


Hitler paintings fail to sell at Nuremberg auction amid doubts about authenticity

Abstract: NUREMBERG, GERMANY - Five paintings attributed to Adolf Hitler failed to find buyers at an auction Saturday held amid anger at the sale of Nazi memorabilia. High starting prices of between €19,000 and €45,000 ($21,000 and $50,000) and lingering suspicions about the authenticity of the artworks were thought to have scared off potential buyers. The Weidler auction house did not comment on the reasons for the failure but said the paintings could be sold at a later date. Nuremberg Mayor Ulrich Maly had earlier condemned the sale as being “in bad taste.” Among the items that failed to sell were a mountain lake view and a painting of a wicker armchair with a swastika symbol presumed to have belonged to the late Nazi dictator. The Weidler auction house held the “special sale” in Nuremberg, the city in which Nazi war criminals were tried in 1945. Days before the sale a number of the artworks were withdrawn on suspicion they were fakes, with prosecutors stepping in. Sales of alleged artworks by Hitler — who for a time tried to make a living as an artist in his native Austria — regularly spark outrage over collectors who are willing to pay high prices for art linked to the country’s Nazi past. “There’s a long tradition of this trade in devotional objects linked to Nazism,” Stephan Klingen of the Central Institute for Art History in Munich said. “Every time there’s a media buzz about it . . . and the prices they’re bringing in have been rising constantly. Personally, that’s something that quite annoys me,” Klingen said. In Germany, public displays of Nazi symbols are illegal but exceptions can be made, in educational or historic contexts, for instance. To comply with the law, the auction house pixelated the swastikas on the wicker chair and a blue-and-white Meissen porcelain vase in catalogue photos, and covered them up on-site. But none of the paintings included any of the totalitarian party’s insignias. According to Klingen, Hitler had the style of “a moderately ambitious amateur” but his creations did not stand out from “hundreds of thousands” of comparable works from the period — making their authenticity especially hard to verify. The watercolors, drawings and paintings bearing “Hitler” signatures featured views of Vienna or Nuremberg, female nudes and still-life works, the auction house said. They were offered by 23 different owners. Prosecutors on Wednesday collected 63 artworks from the Weidler premises bearing the signature “A.H.” or “A. Hitler,” including some not slated to go under the hammer. The Nuremberg-Fuerth prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation against persons unknown “on suspicion of falsifying documents and attempted fraud,” the chief prosecutor, Antje Gabriels-Gorsolke, said. “If they turn out to be fakes, we will then try to determine who knew what in the chain of ownership,” she said. Weidler said in a statement that the paintings’ withdrawal from sale did “not automatically mean they are fakes.”

wwii
history
germany
art
auctions
painting
adolf hitler


Suspected foreign jihadis caught in Syria may face harsh justice in Iraq as home countries shun them

Abstract: BAGHDAD - Their home countries don’t want them and holding trials in Syria isn’t an option. Now suspected foreign jihadis could end up facing tough justice over the border in Iraq. Both countries have suffered for years at the hands of the Islamic State group and Iraqi courts have already meted out hefty sentences to hundreds of foreign people detained on its soil, often after lighting-quick trials. As the final shred of the once-sprawling jihadi “caliphate” crumbles in eastern Syria, Kurdish-led forces backed by the United States have captured hundreds more diehard foreign fighters. The American military — which spearheads an international coalition fighting IS — has in the past shown itself willing to hand those captured in Syria to the authorities in Iraq. In August AFP attended the Baghdad trial of 58-year-old French citizen Lahcene Gueboudj, who said he had been spirited from Syria to Iraq by U.S. troops. Belkis Wille of Human Rights Watch said the organization knows of at least five instances in which U.S. forces handed foreign detainees over to Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service. They include Australian and Lebanese citizens transported out of Kurdish-controlled areas, at least one of whom was eventually sentenced to death in Iraq. Iraqi justice can be harsh, and its courts have doled out death or life sentences to hundreds of foreign people accused of being IS members, including some 100 women. Others who come from Syria can expect similar treatment. “They are at risk of torture and unfair trials in Iraq,” Wille warned. The fate of foreign fighters in Syria has come into sharper focus since President Donald Trump’s announcement in December that the U.S. will withdraw its troops from the war-torn country. Washington has stepped up pressure on its reluctant allies to bring home hundreds of jihadis, but the issue is politically sensitive in countries like Britain and France. Governments have been grappling for weeks with the question of foreign fighters detained by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who have warned that they may not be able to guard their jails once U.S. troops leave. France, hit by repeated deadly IS attacks, has so far opposed returning jihadis. But since Trump’s announcement, Paris has said it is studying “all options.” On a visit to Iraq last week, French Defense Minister Florence Parly warned of the need “to avoid some jihadis ending up in the wild and dispersing.” Hisham al-Hashimi, a researcher on jihadi movements, said a deal appears to have been struck with Iraq “at the very highest level and in secret” to tackle the issue. Such a pact allows foreign fighters’ countries of origin to avoid politically fraught repatriations; in exchange, Iraq will receive “ultra modern arms and crucial military equipment,” Hashimi said. “Iraq can put anyone on trial who passed through its territory, even if they didn’t fight there and just headed to Syria,” he said. But while such a deal might solve a headache for politicians, it has raised serious concerns among the relatives and representatives of those detained. French lawyer Vincent Brengarth, who is handling the cases of some of those detained, asked “how it could be justified that Iraqi courts would have jurisdiction” over crimes committed in Syria. French officials say Kurdish forces in Syria are currently detaining some 60 adult French citizens. Veronique Roy, a member of a group of around 70 French families with relatives who went to IS territory, said it would be “tragic” if captives were handed over to Baghdad. Under Iraqi law, anyone found guilty of joining a “terrorist group” can face the death penalty, and its justice system has been accused of providing scant chance for a fair trial. A number of foreign fighters have already been sentenced to death in Iraq, although three French jihadis tried have been handed life terms that equate to 20 years in prison. The families of those in Syria insist that their home countries should take responsibility. “We are pushing the problem back but not settling it,” said Roy. “France should not subcontract this out.”

courts
terrorism
syria
iraq
islamic state


Malaysia's former Prime Minister Najib Razak gears up for graft trial with charm offensive

Abstract: KUALA LUMPUR - Disgraced former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been out in recent weeks campaigning as if for an election, trying to shed the image of a wealthy politician and elicit public sympathy before his corruption trial begins on Tuesday. Najib has pleaded not guilty to charges of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering, in what is set to be the first of many trials over suspected multibillion-dollar fraud at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was set up by Najib. The trial starts nine months after Malaysians voted Najib out of office in a general election dominated by public disgust over allegations that some $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB, and that about a quarter of it went into his personal bank accounts. The money was purportedly used to fund a global shopping spree — a $250 million superyacht, high-end real estate, and Monet and van Gogh artworks were among the items allegedly bought with cash plundered from public coffers. The scandal ensnared celebrities, with the fraud’s suspected mastermind seen partying with Leonardo DiCaprio and Paris Hilton. The new Malaysian government has also accused Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs of stealing billions during its work with 1MDB. Police found nearly $300 million worth of goods and cash at properties linked to Najib soon after the May 2018 election. But as the trial date nears, Najib — who has maintained his innocence — has sought a radical change of image, painting himself as a victim of a vindictive government led by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The 65-year-old son of Malaysia’s second prime minister is also trying to build an image as a folksy voice of working people, especially members of the ethnic Malay majority. Najib, in a viral video last month, crooned a Malay-language version of the 1970s hit “Kiss and Say Goodbye,” surrounded by a chorus of somber young singers, criticizing Mahathir’s coalition for failing to live up to election promises. “On May 9, 2018, I was ousted. All this time, I have been fighting with my life for the people I love. But what can I do?” an earnest Najib says of his “saddest day” in the introduction to the song. Najib has also been hitting out online. His jibes against ruling party politicians on Facebook and Twitter have some social media users referring to him as “King of Trolls.” A relaxed, casually dressed Najib also paid a visit this month to Langkawi, Mahathir’s island constituency, where he pottered around town, visiting markets, eating at hawker stalls and rubbing elbows and posing for selfies with passers-by. Mahathir was not impressed. He told a news conference a week ago that Najib seemed to be getting popular on social media because “he provides a lot of stories.” Harvinderjit Singh, one of Najib’s lawyers, declined to comment on the former premier’s public appearances but said the 1MDB trials were unlikely to be affected by the hoopla. “The case is going to be determined by what happens in court, not out of it,” he said. While Najib has been trying to build public support, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) has been building a formidable team to prosecute Najib, his wife and a host of other former top officials charged for corruption. All of them have pleaded not guilty. The prosecution has been recruiting top-notch criminal attorneys, including former federal Judge Gopal Sri Ram and Sulaiman Abdullah, a lawyer with a background in cases of white-collar crime. The AGC has also recalled several prosecutors from state offices to join the team, two lawyers with knowledge of the matter said. The start of the first trial may relieve pressure on the new government following criticism that it has been slow to act over 1MDB. “It’s an important moment, albeit a very delayed one,” said Cynthia Gabriel, who was a member of a government committee set up to investigate the scandal. “It is very critical for the new government to address and resolve past scandals,” added Gabriel, head of the nonprofit Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism. Trial dates have been set until the end of March, and prosecutors are expected to call dozens of witnesses. Najib has a defense team of eight lawyers, led by Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who once represented the government in a sodomy case against former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Najib could face years in prison. He faces 39 criminal charges over losses at 1MDB and other state entities. Seven of those charges will be the subject of Tuesday’s trial, relating to transfers totalling 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) into Najib’s personal bank account from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit. Prosecutors have handed nearly 3,000 pages of documents to the defense ahead of the trial, said Najib lawyer Singh. The documents include statements from 26 witnesses, some of whom were SRC officials, who will likely be called to testify. Najib, who has not been asked to testify in his own defense, hopes only for a fair trial, Singh said. “Our client is of the view that if he gets a fair trial, then the truth will show itself to the public,” he said.

malaysia
courts
corruption
najib razak
mahathir mohamad
1mdb


U.S. and North Korea set to hold talks 'in a third Asian nation' next week

Abstract: The United States and North Korea plan to hold a fresh round of talks in a third Asian nation next week as preparations for the second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ramp up, the South’s presidential office said Sunday. Trump announced Friday that his second summit with Kim will be held in Hanoi on Feb. 27 and 28 as the two sides seek to inject fresh momentum into denuclearization talks. The announcement came after the top U.S. envoy to North Korea wrapped up three days of talks with his counterpart in Pyongyang. Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in also plan to hold discussions over the phone soon about the summit, presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said. “We are going to announce details as soon as preparations are complete,” Kim said. U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun met with his counterpart, Kim Hyok Chol, the North’s Special Representative for U.S. Affairs of the State Affairs Commission, from Wednesday through Friday in the North Korean capital. Biegun said late last month that his talks Pyongyang would be aimed at seeking progress on commitments made in Singapore and mapping out “a set of concrete deliverables” for the second summit. Details of the talks were scant, though the U.S. side did reveal that they agreed to meet again before the summit. The South Korean presidential spokesman said the new round of talks will be held sometime “in the week beginning Feb. 17 in a third nation in Asia.” He did not provide further details, but sources close to negotiators said the talks could take place in China. Trump and Kim met in Singapore last June in the first summit between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader, a meeting that resulted in a vaguely worded pledge “to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Just weeks ahead of the planned summit the two sides have at times appeared far from bridging significant gaps over how and if the North will relinquish its nuclear weapons program. Pyongyang has yet to take concrete steps in that direction, observers have said, and nuclear talks had been effectively deadlocked in the months since the Singapore summit. The North has repeatedly blasted the U.S. for doing little to reciprocate for the actions it says it has taken to dismantle and destroy some nuclear weapons facilities, demanding that punishing U.S.-led sanctions be lifted and urging a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, which concluded with an armistice, not a peace treaty. However, in a possible breakthrough, Biegun has said that the United States had told North Korea it is prepared to pursue commitments made in Singapore “simultaneously and in parallel,” and that Washington is willing to discuss “many actions” to improve ties and entice Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and that Trump was ready to end the Korean War.

china
u.s .
north korea
kim jong un
nuclear weapons
south korea
north korea nuclear crisis
donald trump
moon jae-in
kim-trump summit


Party that nominated Thai princess as leader could face ban

Abstract: BANGKOK - The Thai political party that nominated a princess as its candidate for prime minister could be banned from a general election in March after an activist said on Sunday he would file a petition seeking its dissolution. Thailand’s Election Commission is to meet on Monday to consider the candidacy of Princess Ubolratana, 67, who stunned the nation on Friday when she said she would be the prime ministerial candidate for a populist party loyal to ousted ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Her announcement drew a swift rebuke from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, the princess’s younger brother, who issued a statement hours later saying it was “inappropriate” for members of the royal family to enter politics. The March 24 election is the first since a military coup in 2014 toppled an elected pro-Thaksin government. The current junta leader, Prayuth Chan-ocha, is also contesting the race for prime minister, as the candidate of a pro-military party. The nomination of the king’s elder sister, who has starred in soap operas and an action movie and gave up her royal titles after marrying an American, was a shocking move by forces loyal to Thaksin, who face an uphill battle in the election. The Election Commission has until Friday to rule on the princess’s candidacy. It is unlikely its members would disregard the wishes of the king, who while a constitutional monarch, is considered semi-divine in Thai society. On Sunday, an activist said he would file a petition to disqualify the Thai Raksa Chart party, which nominated the princess. “The royal announcement made it clear that the party violated electoral law,” Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association for the Protection of the Constitution, told Reuters. Srisuwan said his complaint to the Election Commission would ask it to recommend that a Constitutional Court dissolve the party. Thai Raksa Chart’s executive chairman Chaturon Chaisaeng declined to comment on the request to disband it. The party said in a statement on Saturday it “graciously accepts” the king’s message and would abide by election regulations and royal tradition. The royal family has a long-standing tradition of staying out of politics, and electoral law forbids parties from using the monarchy in campaigns. Parties loyal to former telecommunications tycoon Thaksin have defeated pro-establishment parties to win every election since 2001, but every time have been removed by court rulings or coups. The gambit to nominate a member of the royal family could backfire on Thai Raksa Chart, said Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the faculty of political science at Ubon Ratchathani University. “Things are now more unpredictable,” Titipol told Reuters. If the party is dissolved, it could give more seats to anti-Thaksin affiliated parties like the pro-junta, Phalang Pracharat and progressive Future Forward party, he said. Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, lives in self-imposed exile after being convicted of corruption in absentia. He responded to the events on Twitter late on Saturday telling supporters to “keep moving forward” and “learn from past experiences but live for today and the future.”

military
thailand
elections
royalty
thaksin shinawatra
king maha vajiralongkorn
princess ubolratana


Turkey blasts China's treatment of Uighurs as 'embarrassment for humanity'

Abstract: ANKARA - Turkey on Saturday condemned China’s treatment of its Muslim ethnic Uighur people as “a great embarrassment for humanity,” adding to rights groups’ recent criticism over mass detentions of the Turkic-speaking minority. “The systematic assimilation policy of Chinese authorities towards Uighur Turks is a great embarrassment for humanity,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement. The northwest Xinjiang region of China, where most Uighurs live, has been under heavy police surveillance in recent years, after violent inter-ethnic tensions. Nearly 1 million Uighurs and other Turkic language-speaking minorities in China have reportedly been held in re-education camps, according to a U.N. panel of experts. Beijing says the “vocational education centres” help people steer clear of terrorism and allow them to be reintegrated into society. But critics say China is seeking to assimilate Xinjiang’s minority population and suppress religious and cultural practices that conflict with communist ideology and the dominant Han culture. “It is no longer a secret that more than 1 million Uighur Turks, — who are exposed to arbitrary arrests — are subjected to torture and political brainwashing in concentration centres and prisons,” Aksoy said in the Turkish Foreign Ministry statement . “Uighurs who are not detained in the camps are also under great pressure,” he added. Turkey called on the international community and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “to take effective steps to end the human tragedy in Xinjiang region.” Most mainly Muslim countries have not been vocal on the issue, not criticizing the government in China, which is an important trading partner. Aksoy also said Turkey had learned of the “tragic” death in custody Saturday of Uighur poet and musician Abdurehim Heyit. “We’ve learned with great sorrow that dignified poet Abdurehim Heyit, who was sentenced to eight years in prison for his compositions, died in the second year of his imprisonment,” he said. “This tragic incident has further strengthened the Turkish public’s reaction to the serious human rights violations in Xinjiang Region.”

china religion terrorism rights prisons turkey ethnicity uighurs


South Korea officially signs deal to pay more for U.S. troops after Trump demand

Abstract: SEOUL - Officials signed a short-term agreement on Sunday to boost South Korea’s contribution toward the upkeep of U.S. troops on the peninsula, after a previous deal lapsed amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for the South to pay more. The new deal must still be approved by South Korea’s National Assembly, but it would boost its contribution to 1.03 trillion won ($890 million) from 960 billion won in 2018. Unlike past agreements, which lasted for five years, this one is scheduled to expire in a year, potentially forcing both sides back to the bargaining table within months. “It has been a very long process, but ultimately a very successful process,” South Korean Foreign Minister Kyung-wha told reporters before another official from the Foreign Ministry initialled the agreement. While acknowledging lingering domestic criticism of the new deal and the need for parliamentary approval, Kang said the response had “been positive so far.” U.S. State Department senior adviser for security negotiations and agreements, Timothy Betts, met Kang before signing the agreement on behalf of the United States, and told reporters the money represented a small but important part of South Korea’s support for the alliance. “The United States government realizes that South Korea does a lot for our alliance and for peace and stability in this region,” he said. About 28,500 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea, where the United States has maintained a military presence since the 1950-53 Korean War. The allies had struggled to reach a breakthrough despite 10 rounds of talks since March, amid Trump’s repeated calls for a sharp increase in South Korea’s contribution. South Korean officials have said they had sought to limit its burden to $1 trillion won and make the accord valid for at least three years. A senior South Korean ruling party legislator said last month that negotiations were deadlocked after the United States made a “sudden, unacceptable” demand that Seoul pay more than 1.4 trillion won per year. But both sides worked to hammer out a deal to minimize the impact of the lapse on South Korean workers on U.S. military bases, and focus on nuclear talks ahead of a second U.S.-North Korea summit, Seoul officials said. Trump said in his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Feb. 27-28 in Vietnam, following their unprecedented meeting in June in Singapore. After the June summit, Trump announced a halt to joint military exercises with South Korea, saying they were expensive and paid for mostly by the United States. Major joint exercises have been suspended, but some small-scale drills have continued, earning rebukes from North Korea’s state media in recent months. About 70 percent of South Korea’s contribution covers the salaries of some 8,700 South Korean employees who provide administrative, technical and other services for the U.S. military. Late last year, the U.S. military warned Korean workers on its bases they might be put on leave from mid-April if no deal was agreed.

u.s .
north korea
military
kim jong un
south korea
budgets
donald trump


New Zealand wildfires show no sign of easing; 3,000 flee

Abstract: SYDNEY - Strong winds are expected to fan forest fires that have been burning for a week through New Zealand’s South Island, forcing thousands of people from their homes, with more residents expected to flee, officials said. The Pigeon Valley fire covers 2,300 hectares (5,700 acres), with a 25-km (15-mile) perimeter, NZ Civil Defence said on its website. No deaths have been reported and only one home destroyed. “There is some concern about predicted high winds this afternoon, which are expected to test the control lines,” the agency said. Early on Sunday, 155 firefighters were battling the blaze on the ground with air support from 23 helicopters and three planes, the agency said, making it the largest aerial firefight on record in New Zealand. Up to 3,000 people have been forced to leave the Wakefield and Pigeon Valley areas, NZ Civil Defence Controller Roger Ball told a Saturday news conference on Saturday. More people were likely to be forced from their homes on Sunday. New Zealand Red Cross Communications Manager Ellie van Baaren said evacuees were tired and frustrated. “When you have to leave your home and in some cases your livestock and animals and you don’t know what’s become of them, and you’re staying with friends and family, then it’s an uncertain situation for everybody,” she said. Much of the affected area south of Nelson was used for forestry but it also has many small farms. Some livestock has also been moved to safety. Fires started last Monday and Tuesday and quickly spread. On Wednesday, authorities declared a state of emergency. Hundreds of volunteer and professional firefighters, police, civil defense and military personnel are battling the fires.


Screening sessions and interviews for 2020 Games volunteers begin in Tokyo

Abstract: The organizing committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government have begun briefing sessions and interviews for people who want to volunteer to help run the games. During the kickoff Saturday, the screening venue, which is capable of accommodating 480 people, was almost packed. The number of people who applied to work as so-called “field cast,” those who will help run the venues in cooperation with the organizing committee, totaled 204,680, far more than the target of 80,000. For the metropolitan government’s “city cast,” or those whose jobs will include providing tourist information, the number of applicants came to 36,649 versus the target of 20,000. The organizing committee will decide on the applicants based on the results of the interviews. The metropolitan government, for its part, plans to accept all volunteers, in principle. At the briefing session, Hanae Ito, a public relations official with the organizing committee, who herself competed in women’s swimming in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Games, said, “I want you to work so that you will become part of the performances of Olympic and Paralympic athletes.” In the interviews, applicants were asked to indicate the dates they would be available for volunteering and if they had any requests. Toshiyuki Kubota, 54, an applicant from Tokyo’s Arakawa Ward, said working as a volunteer in the 2020 Games will be “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” “I want to boost the mood of the games with like-minded people,” he added.


Japanese government secretly weighed five dates for era name change to Heisei

Abstract: Before Emperor Hirohito died in 1989, the government secretly weighed five dates for Japan to adopt a new era name, official documents have shown, giving a glimpse into the process leading up to the country’s transition from Showa to Heisei. To avoid public confusion, internal discussions at the time revolved around changing the era name of Showa a day after the emperor’s death, according to the documents, obtained by Kyodo News on Saturday through a right-to-know request. The government does not say how and when it decided on the current era name Heisei, meaning “achieving peace,” and whose idea it was, fearing that disclosing such information would affect future decision-making. The findings, which historians regard as very precious, came to light when Japan is preparing for another era name change on May 1. A gengo , or era name, is used for the length of an emperor’s reign. The current Heisei era commenced on Jan. 8, 1989, the day after Emperor Hirohito, posthumously known as Emperor Showa, died. The era name is widely used in Japanese calendars, newspapers and official documents. According to the declassified documents, the other four options at the time were adopting a new era name retrospectively, on the day of the Emperor’s death, at the start of the following month or the following year. The documents were compiled by the Cabinet Legislation Bureau after Emperor Hirohito vomited blood on Sept. 19, 1988. Isao Tokoro, professor emeritus at Kyoto Sangyo University, said the documents are valuable as it was a taboo to consider an era name change prior to an emperor’s death. “The documents specifically reveal the reality (of how the government held secret discussions). I have never seen such documents before and they are extremely precious,” he said. What new era name Japan may have is of high public interest. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in his New Year’s news conference that the new era name will be announced April 1, a month before Crown Prince Naruhito will ascend to the throne. Emperor Akihito will become the first living Japanese monarch to abdicate in about 200 years on April 30. The 85-year-old expressed his desire to step down in a rare video message aired in 2016, citing his concern that he might not be able to fulfill his official duties due to his advanced age.

shinzo abe
history
emperor akihito
emperor hirohito
imperial family
abdication
heisei


Sightings of rare deep-sea oarfish around Japan stoke concerns of an impending quake

Abstract: Numerous reports of oarfish — a rarely seen deep-sea species — captured or spotted in waters around Japan since the beginning of the year have sparked concern that an earthquake could strike soon. According to local folklore, sighting the fish is a harbinger of a pending quake, with over a dozen such sightings or captures being reported in Japan so far this year. Still, experts have called on people to remain calm, assuring that there is no direct correlation between the fish and earthquakes. The oarfish, which can grow as long as 5.5 meters and has a long and thin silvery body, is believed to live in the northern Pacific and the Indian Ocean at a depth of about 200 meters. The fish migrates to Sea of Japan waters on the Tsushima Current. Called ryūgū no tsukai in Japanese, meaning the messenger from the palace of the sea god, they are seldom caught in fishing nets. However, a total of six oarfish have been recently caught or found beached in Toyama Bay in Toyama Prefecture. Two have been caught in fishing nets off the village of Yomitan in Okinawa Prefecture, and one each off the city of Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture, the city of Toyooka in Hyogo Prefecture and the city of Nanao in Ishikawa Prefecture. And just this month, one each was found off Sado Island and the city of Joetsu, both in Niigata Prefecture. An oarfish was also found in waters off the northeastern South Korean province of Gangwon-do on Jan. 8, according to the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper, a local daily. Some researchers speculate that oarfish may move into shallower waters due to electromagnetic changes that occur when there is tectonic movement related to faults. Some people have voiced concern on the internet. One person said, an “oarfish was seen before the March 2011 great earthquake” that struck the Tohoku region. Another said that the recent sightings of the fish may have something to do with a possible huge quake that could occur in the Nankai Trough in the Pacific. Still, Yoshiaki Orihara, a professor at Tokai University’s Institute of Oceanic Research and Development in the city of Shizuoka, who has researched potential links between sightings of the fish and earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher, said he found “almost no correlation” with earthquakes that have hit Japan since 2000. “Many oarfish were found in the Sea of Japan in the winter of 2009, but nothing happened,” said Orihara. “This time, too, there is nothing to particularly worry about.” An official at Uozu Aquarium in the city of Uozu, Toyama, said: “Changes in the ecosystem and temperatures in the Sea of Japan could possibly be behind the recent series of sightings. “The situation now is similar to that of 10 years ago,” the official added. “But the precise reason (for the sightings) cannot be known unless changes in each of the captured fish’s (ecosystem and seawater temperatures) are investigated.”


LDP OKs terse plan to revise Constitution as it seeks to avoid divisive issue ahead of coming elections

Abstract: The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Sunday adopted a concise plan for its long-cherished goal of revising the nation’s pacifist Constitution at its annual convention, apparently in consideration of local and national elections later this year. In his address to the gathering, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who also serves as LDP president, reiterated his desire to amend the supreme law by clarifying the status of the Self-Defense Forces in the war-renouncing Article 9 so as to end academic debate over its constitutionality. “Finally, it is time to work toward constitutional revision, which has been our dearest wish since the establishment of the party,” Abe told the LDP’s convention in Tokyo. However, he stopped short of mentioning detailed steps or a time frame. The party’s action plan endorsed at the convention, for the most part, though, backpedaled on the push to realize the first-ever amendment to the 1947 Constitution, merely touching on the issue in just one paragraph in its preamble. Last year, an entire chapter was dedicated to the subject. “We are committed to igniting public interest and paving the way toward amending the Constitution so that it conforms to the current time,” the plan said. The curt statement apparently reflects the reluctance of party members — particularly in regional chapters — to highlight the divisive topic in the upcoming elections. The party did not present its own proposal to the commissions on the Constitution in the two houses of the Diet during an extra parliamentary session last year. Abe, who was elected for his third and a final three-year term as LDP president by the party last September, for his part, still maintains he wants to amend the supreme law by 2020. Currently, pro-constitutional reform forces have a two-thirds majorities in both Diet chambers, meeting the requirement to initiate the amendment process. Any proposals must eventually be approved by a majority in a national referendum. Abe had hoped that the LDP’s proposals put together in March last year would be submitted during the extraordinary Diet session that started in late October. But an intensifying confrontation between the ruling and opposition parties over a bill that was aimed at allowing more foreign workers into Japan made it difficult for lawmakers to engage in full-fledged and highly-sensitive constitutional discussions. As for a series of local government elections in April and the House of Councilors election in the summer, the annual strategy for 2019 urged candidates to strengthen their support bases to clinch victories even if they face unexpected circumstances. “Although the elections are bound to be tough, I’m resolved to stand at the forefront of the battle until the last minute,” Abe said. “Local assemblies are the foundation of the LDP,” Abe said in his speech at the convention. On foreign policy, Abe reaffirmed his resolve to advance negotiations with Russia toward concluding a postwar peace treaty, which has not been signed due to a territorial dispute over a group of islets off of Hokkaido. Among domestic issues, the prime minister apologized for the labor ministry’s release for years of faulty jobs statistics that resulted in the underpayment of work-related benefits to tens of millions of people and the undermining of trust in the accuracy of government statistics. Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of Komeito, the coalition partner of the LDP, who was invited to the convention, also underscored the importance of seriously addressing the issue of survey irregularities to make the public feel secure.


Japanese government panel criticized over watered-down sexual harassment countermeasures

Abstract: Disappointment is growing among experts and activists over discussions by a government panel tasked with tackling sexual harassment, an issue drawing increasing attention amid the #MeToo movement and after a top bureaucrat’s resignation last year due to alleged harassment of a female reporter. A report recently compiled by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s panel on workplace harassment and female empowerment did not call for punitive measures for sexual harassment, apparently out of consideration for the business community, which is said to be concerned about facing higher litigation exposure. The report, which included proposals for revisions of labor and female empowerment laws, only recommended including a statement saying that any form of harassment “should not be tolerated” and urged private companies to take preventive measures. “What many victims want is formal recognition that they have been sexually harassed, apologies from the perpetrators and prevention of such acts. It is regrettable that their voices were not taken into account,” said Kaori Sato, chairwoman of Purple Union, which deals with workplace harassment and discrimination cases across Japan. Sato criticized the report for containing only ideals rather than actions. Five labor unions, including Purple Union, sent a petition last November requesting that the panel include a provision in its report that explicitly bans sexual harassment. There was disagreement between the labor side on the panel and representatives of management, who argued that each company should be responsible for dealing with sexual harassment before taking matters to regional labor bureaus. “Management is perhaps wary that their responsibility will be questioned through litigation and in other ways,” said Kumie Inoue, executive director of the Gender and Employment Equality Department at the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, the country’s largest labor organization. Shino Naito, a researcher at administrative agency Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training who is versed in sexual harassment issues, says Japan remains far behind other nations in addressing the problem through regulatory measures. “It’s a shame that the (panel’s) debates have made no progress,” Naito said. Some experts say the government started off on the wrong foot by trying to conclude discussions without fully studying actual harassment cases and understanding what the key issues are. “Many victims became mentally ill and had their job contracts terminated or were forced to retire,” said Purple Union’s Sato. “The first thing we want to see is a nationwide survey on victims including those who left their jobs.” In addition to harassment itself, consideration needs to be given to victims’ economic difficulties, she said. Those who are forced to give up their jobs and live in destitution as a result are denied the right to live, she added. According to a labor ministry survey of some 3,600 firms in fiscal 2017, 10 years after the government made it mandatory for companies to set up a dedicated office for receiving complaints and offering consultations about sexual harassment, only 39.4 percent of firms had such sections. Labor bureaus across the nation received 6,808 requests for advice on dealing with sexual harassment in fiscal 2017. Dispute settlement was sought in just 34 cases. Experts say the low number is attributable to the current settlement system under which responsibility typically does not rest entirely with harassers, and victims are often forced to compromise. Victims tend to avoid taking their cases to court out of fear that their privacy will be threatened and that they could draw accusations of having invited harassment. “It is evident that the current system of relief is insufficient,” said Naito. “It is necessary to have a human rights protection body that can rapidly determine whether sexual harassment has occurred and can order relief measures sought by victims.”

shinzo abe
rights
harassment
women
discrimination
# metoo


Abe vows to tackle growing child abuse cases in Japan after 10-year-old's death

Abstract: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to crack down on the increasing number of child abuse cases in Japan after the death of a 10-year-old girl who was allegedly killed by her abusive father shocked the country. Mia Kurihara was found dead in the bathroom of her home in Chiba last month after authorities failed to respond to her repeated pleas for help. Her parents have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting their daughter after the father reportedly abused her regularly and refused to let her go to school. The tragedy came more than a year after she asked a teacher to help stop her father from “beating and kicking” her. She was temporarily protected by child welfare officials but handed to relatives about two months later. She was then returned to her parents in March last year. Police have found a video on her father’s mobile phone showing him hitting her, local media said, adding she was crying and said: “Dad, I’m sorry.” The high-profile case has drawn huge media attention, prompting the government to take action amid growing public awareness of child abuse. Abe told members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday that his government had ordered child welfare centers across the nation to confirm within a month the safety of all children suspected to have been abused. He also said the government would raise the number of child welfare workers by some 1,000 for fiscal 2019 starting in April from the current 3,200. “It was a painful case that is all too regrettable,” Abe said. “Protecting children’s lives is our adults’ responsibility,” he added. Police reported the suspected abuse of a record-high 80,104 minors to child welfare authorities in 2018, Kyodo News said. The figure rose by 22.4 percent from a year earlier, it said.


Environmental study for new train link to Haneda airport eyed for this spring

Abstract: East Japan Railway Co. will begin an environmental impact survey this spring in preparation for building a faster access line to Haneda airport from central Tokyo, according to sources on Saturday who also said the announcement of the study could come as early this month . With the new line, the 15-kilometer journey from Haneda airport to Tokyo and Shinjuku stations will take about 18 and 23 minutes, respectively. Tokyo Station is a transit hub for bullet train services bound for regions throughout the country. If it all goes according to plan, the new train line will be completed around 2029 after three years of the assessment surveys and seven years of construction work. Travelers will benefit from easier and faster access via three routes to the airport with the completion of the lines now expected to cost over ¥300 billion ($2.7 billion). JR East, which has requested financial support from the central and the Tokyo Metropolitan governments, has already conducted a boring survey at the airport to build a new station. Under the current plan, a 5.7-kilometer tunnel will be built to connect a new station at the airport and an existing freight terminal in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward. At present, JR East does not have a direct train link to Haneda, officially known as Tokyo International Airport. The monorail service that goes to the airport is run by a subsidiary. In 2017, Haneda airport’s passenger count totaled about 85.41 million, ranking fourth in the world, according to Airports Council International, a global nonprofit trade entity representing the world’s airport authorities. Haneda was once the capital city’s primary international air hub before Narita airport opened in 1978. Until it resumed hosting international flights in 2010, it handled mostly domestic flights. In recent years, the airport on Tokyo’s waterfront has rapidly expanded as a result of the government’s policy of promoting tourism and the capital city being picked to host the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

rail
haneda airport
airports
tokyo 2020 olympics


Japanese cities worried about taking in more foreign workers, survey finds

Abstract: Nearly half of cities and towns across Japan are concerned about how to appropriately deal with to foreign workers as they prepare for an influx starting this spring due to a new government policy aimed at addressing a chronic labor shortage, a survey conducted by Kyodo News showed Sunday. But the survey, covering all of Japan’s more than 1,700 municipalities, also found that 47 percent of them are in favor of having more workers from abroad, as many companies continue to struggle with a labor crunch amid the country’s aging population and falling birthrate. Japan will introduce a new visa system in April as part of efforts to attract more foreign workers for the country’s labor-hungry sectors, including nursing care, construction, farming and restaurants. Of the municipalities surveyed, 12 percent said they are concerned about whether they can ensure that employers treat foreign workers properly, such as providing necessary livelihood support and salaries on a par with their Japanese colleagues, and 35 percent said they generally feel the same concern. Combining the two figures, 47 percent are worried about how to coexist with foreign workers, with some citing the government’s lack of specific measures as a major reason for their anxieties. Among other opinions, the city of Odate in Akita Prefecture said that “many companies have no know-how about accepting foreigners” and called for support from the central and local governments. Some of the municipalities that are not so positive about accepting more foreign workers said they think higher priority should be given to efforts to secure jobs for elderly Japanese people and women. The nationwide survey was conducted between November and January. It covered all of Japan’s 1,788 municipalities, of which 99 percent, or 1,768, responded. Under the new visa system, Japan plans to accept up to around 345,000 foreign workers over the next five years. They are mainly expected to come from nine Asian countries, including China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. With the policy to grant new visa statuses, Japan will formally open its doors to foreign blue-collar workers for the first time. In the past, the country has granted working visas only to people with high skills and professional knowledge such as doctors, lawyers and teachers.


Three Japanese win prizes at Lausanne ballet competition in Switzerland

Abstract: LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND - Japan’s Sumina Sasaki won third prize Saturday at this year’s Prix de Lausanne, a prestigious international competition for young ballet dancers. Two other Japanese, Yu Wakizuka and Mio Sumiyama, took fourth and eighth, respectively, at the 47th annual competition in the Swiss city of Lausanne. Sasaki, 18, from Higashiosaka in Osaka Prefecture, started to attend a ballet school run by her grandmother at the age of 3. She now studies ballet in Zurich. “I didn’t expect to win a prize. It’s just like a dream,” Sasaki told reporters. “With the award, I’ve taken a step to become a professional ballet dancer,” said Sasaki, who aims to perform with a European ballet troupe. “This is my starting point.” “I could dance comfortably,” said Wakizuka, 17, from the city of Osaka. “Although I made a mistake, I don’t regret it. I had a good experience,” he added. “I could dance without becoming nervous,” Sumiyama, 18, from Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward, said. “I’m really happy to win a prize.” This year’s top winners were Brown Mackenzie of the United States, followed by Figueredo Gabriel of Brazil. A total of 74 dancers from 19 countries competed in this year’s Prix de Lausanne. Of the total, 21, including four Japanese, were selected as finalists. Prize winners are each awarded a scholarship and one year of free tuition at one of the Prix de Lausanne’s partner ballet schools.

ballet
prix de lausanne
sumina sasaki
yu wakizuka
mio sumiyama