Hong Kong's top appeals court issues landmark ruling for LGBT rights

Abstract: HONG KONG - The top appeals court in Hong Kong issued a landmark ruling granting spousal benefits to a married gay couple, the latest rebuke to leader Carrie Lam’s government over the issue of equal rights for LGBT people. In a unanimous ruling, the five justices ruled in favor of a local civil servant who argued that his husband, whom he had wed overseas in a country that recognizes same-sex marriage, was entitled to the same benefits as heterosexual spouses. Hong Kong doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage. Leung Chun Kwong, who works in the city’s Immigration Department, brought the case after his 2014 marriage to Scott Adams in New Zealand. The Hong Kong government had rejected giving Adams medical and dental benefits, arguing that their marriage was invalid. The Court of Final Appeal dismissed the government’s argument that the court should defer to the prevailing views of the local community, saying that reasoning was “inimical in principle to fundamental rights.” The justices also rejected the government’s argument that by denying rights to same-sex couples it was protecting the institution of marriage for heterosexuals. “It is difficult to see how any person will be encouraged to enter into an opposite-sex marriage in Hong Kong because a same-sex spouse is denied those benefits,” they said. “Second, it is circular logic to justify the restriction of these benefits to opposite-sex married couples simply because heterosexual marriage is the only form of marriage recognized in Hong Kong law.” Following a court ruling last July ordering the government to give the equivalent of dependent visas to the same-sex spouses of expatriate married couples, Leung’s victory is another sign that the courts are driving Hong Kong’s movement toward equal rights for LGBT people, said Suen Yiu Tung, the founding director of the sexuality research program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “It shows that especially in Hong Kong, when the Legislative Council on any social issue is not moving ahead, then the legal channel is the one to be relied on,” he said. Lower courts in Hong Kong are considering several cases challenging the city’s ban on same-sex marriages, and Suen said the new ruling will complicate the government’s attempt to keep the prohibition in place. “I think the government will have a much harder task,” he said. Yet Hong Kong continues to grapple with the issue of LGBT rights while same-sex marriage is legal in other international financial hubs like New York, London and Sydney. Last month a Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. advertisement showing two men dressed conservatively strolling hand-in-hand on a beach set off a controversy. The city’s subway and airport operators initially declined to run the ad though quickly reversed course. The ad is now on display in stations. Taiwan last month became the first government in Asia to legalize marriage equality, while Japan’s major opposition parties on June 3 submitted a bill calling for same-sex marriage in the country. The court rulings on LGBT issues show that the rule of law is still strong in Hong Kong, Suen said. “It’s good that the legal system so far in Hong Kong can be considered as relatively independent and is ruling in favor of LGBT rights,” he said. In a 2016 survey of more than 1,000 lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in Hong Kong, about 5 percent had same-sex marriages or civil partnerships registered overseas, he said.


Rights group cheers Bhutan's move toward legalizing gay sex

Abstract: NEW DELHI - A global rights group on Sunday welcomed Bhutan’s move toward becoming the latest South Asian nation to decriminalize homosexuality. The tiny Himalayan kingdom’s lower house of Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Friday to repeal provisions that said “unnatural sex” is illegal. The bill still needs to be passed by the upper chamber before being sent for royal assent. “Taking steps to end the criminalization of same sex relationships is a welcome and progressive step by Bhutan,” Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at New York-based Human Rights Watch, said in an email. Bhutanese Finance Minister Namgay Tshering had proposed to repeal the penal code provisions, saying the law, despite never being used, had become “a stain” on the country’s reputation. The minister said he was optimistic that the upper house in the nation of 750,000 people would back the lower house decision when it votes on Monday. Ganguly said the campaign for wider acceptance of gay rights should get more attention in South Asia, which is conservative and culturally and religiously diverse with major religions such as Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Bhutan’s move follows India, whose Supreme Court last year decriminalized homosexuality by declaring related British-era laws unconstitutional. Ganguly said that Nepal has made “some good efforts” as well. “The rest of South Asia, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, should follow suit and outlaw these legal provisions that are a part of their colonial past,” she said. In Bangladesh and Pakistan, both Muslim-majority nations, gay relationships are illegal, and gay rights activists routinely face discrimination. In a report last year, Human Rights Watch urged Buddhist-majority Sri Lanka to follow India and decriminalize colonial-era laws that had criminalized gay sex.

islam sex lgbt sexuality buddhism bhutan hinduism


'Foreign forces' seek to create havoc in Hong Kong, Chinese state media claims

Abstract: BEIJING - Certain “foreign forces” are trying to hurt China by creating chaos in Hong Kong over an extradition bill that has prompted mass protests in the former British colony, an official Chinese newspaper said on Monday. Riot police surrounded Hong Kong’s parliament early on Monday after what had been a peaceful million-strong protest against the bill descended into running clashes between police and protesters. Earlier on Sunday, hundreds of thousands had jammed Hong Kong’s streets to protest the bill in the biggest demonstration in years. Many said they feared it put the city’s vaunted legal independence at risk. In an editorial, the China Daily said that the law was much needed legislation. “Any fair-minded person would deem the amendment bill a legitimate, sensible and reasonable piece of legislation that would strengthen Hong Kong’s rule of law and deliver justice,” it said. “Unfortunately, some Hong Kong residents have been hoodwinked by the opposition camp and their foreign allies into supporting the anti-extradition campaign.” Some protesters in the Special Administration Region have been misled about the changes proposed in the law, while others are trying to promote “a political agenda,” the English-language publication added. “They have failed to realise that the opposition camp is using them merely as pawns in its manoeuvres to reap political gains by damaging the SAR government’s credibility and reputation, or that some foreign forces are seizing the opportunity to advance their own strategy to hurt China by trying to create havoc in Hong Kong.” It did not say who the foreign forces may be. Foreign governments have expressed concern at the law, warning of the impact on Hong Kong’s reputation as an international financial hub, and noting that foreigners wanted in China risk getting ensnared in Hong Kong. Human rights groups have repeatedly cited the alleged use of torture, arbitrary detentions, forced confessions and problems accessing lawyers in China. Hong Kong officials have defended the plans, even as they raised the threshold of extraditable offenses to crimes carrying penalties of seven years or more.

china
hong kong
rights
protests
extradition bill
hong kong extradition protests


Wheelchair-accessible hotel rooms still an issue ahead of Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and Olympics

Abstract: A shortage of wheelchair-accessible hotel rooms remains an issue for Tokyo 2020 organizers, who say they are committed to using the Paralympic Games to make Japan a more inclusive place. As the clock ticks down to the Aug. 25, 2020, opening ceremony for the games, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government admits that by its own estimations it is still about 300 rooms short of the projected 850 accessible rooms needed each night during the two-weeklong sporting festival. “We’re nowhere near the number. There’s no denying that we’re behind schedule,” said a representative of a disability organization. In April, Britain’s The Guardian newspaper reported that British Paralympic officials were “left stunned” when hotels in Yokohama were uncooperative in accommodating the needs of athletes, demanding payment to make the rooms accessible. According to the paper, hotels near the team’s training camp for the Paralympics said they would charge extra for construction to make the rooms accessible and demanded that they pay again to convert the rooms back after the games. “How embarrassing. Come on, Japan,” Japanese Paralympic swimmer Mei Ichinose tweeted in response to the story. イギリスのパラチームが東京2020に向けて横浜でホテル取ろうとしたら部屋がバリアフリーじゃなくて、しかもホテル側が、 “バリアフリーにするためのリフォーム代、あと使い終わってから元の状態に戻す費用そっちが払って”って言った話。 恥ずかしすぎるやろ、日本しっかりしよ https://t.co/rNboQlhpMO — 一ノ瀬メイ (@mei_ichinosse) April 30, 2019 The report caused an uproar on social media, with people questioning the country’s commitment both to the Paralympic movement and to following through on its pledge to promote social inclusion. A public relations officer from the hotel in question declined to disclose details of the requests by the British Paralympic team, but said they were wide-ranging and if the hotel was to implement all of them, it would cost “an astonishing sum of money.” A British Paralympic source, who requested anonymity, said that the conflict has been resolved. However, the source expressed concerns over not just the insufficient supply of accessible rooms in Tokyo, but how the city might squander the chance to reap the economic and reputational benefits that come from hosting a welcoming Paralympics. In April, the city of Yokohama started offering financial assistance to accommodation facilities with at least 1,000 square meters of total floor space in the form of a subsidy should they be refurbished to meet the requirements of a barrier-free ordinance. Yokohama City authorities eventually agreed to pay for the accessibility modifications for the British Paralympians through the fund, through which the city will cover as much as half the renovation costs up to a cap of ¥20 million. The official in charge said, “It’s true the British Paralympic team’s case was one of the reasons that spurred (the creation of the subsidy program).” Despite the pressure to fast-track preparations, Hiroshi Ichihashi, a vice chairman of the National Conference to Support the Life and Right of Disabled Persons, says the focus should be more on quality than on speed. “A quick fix could mean the facility is technically barrier-free, but there’s the fear that it could be inconvenient for guests,” Ichihashi said. International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, who visited Tokyo in May, said there are hotels in central Tokyo with accessible guest rooms, and he has seen access improvements among existing facilities. “Everyone knows we have the issue of accessibility when it comes to hotel rooms in Japan, and the number of accessible rooms in hotels. … But we are working with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, we are working with Tokyo 2020,” said Parsons. “(People with impairments) do travel, so it’s important that they have accessible accommodation. An expected legacy from the Tokyo Games will be to improve this area. We are working … to face the challenge and find solutions, positive solutions,” he said.

olympics
hotels
yokohama
disability
2020 tokyo olympics
paralympics
2020 tokyo paralympics


Men force feet into high heels as Japan's #KuToo movement seeks to build on media attention

Abstract: Men jam their feet into high-heeled shoes and walk back and forth, some falteringly, others with unlikely confidence. Some women watch, gauging the men’s reactions while sympathizing with each other’s stories about wearing the torturous items masquerading as fashion. They were all participants in a recent event in Tokyo held to highlight the plight of many women — the forced wearing of heels in the workplace — in an extension of the #KuToo online movement. The social media hashtag references the Japanese words for shoes (“ kutsu “ ) and pain (“ kutsū “ ) , with a nod to the worldwide #MeToo movement, which has rallied awareness about the scourge of sexual harassment and violence against women. Organizers of the event — which had the tag line “Is job hunting in sneakers acceptable?” — gave the men stilettos with 5-centimeter-high heels and asked them to quite literally walk in a woman’s shoes. The experience allowed the men to understand the discomfort and inconvenience that come from walking with one’s heels raised. “I’d be quite annoyed if someone asked me to wear these,” shoemaker Jun Ito, 34, said as he put on a pair of black heels. He promptly took the shoes off after posing for a photo. “Wearing heels makes me feel unstable and my feet got sweaty,” he added. The event, organized by petition website Change.org to “reflect upon ideal working conditions from one’s feet,” questioned the necessity of heels in the workplace from various viewpoints as it challenged etiquette norms in Japan. “I hope there will come a day when women don’t have to wear heels in the workplace. … Why do we have to injure our feet while working when men are allowed to wear flat shoes?” asked Yumi Ishikawa, 32, creator of the #KuToo movement. In January, the actress and writer tweeted her frustration about the unfairness of having to wear heels. In her part-time job at a funeral parlor, Ishikawa worked as an usher and was on her feet for the majority of the day, often finishing her shift with bleeding pinky toes. Regardless, the dress code at the parlor required women to wear black strapless closed-toe heels between 5 and 7 cm high. One workday, she noticed that her male colleague was wearing light flat shoes. Annoyed, Ishikawa casually tweeted about the disparity in the dress code, and to her surprise received over 67,000 likes and nearly 30,000 retweets. Encouraged by the replies, she created the hashtag #KuToo. “People tend to feel they shouldn’t make a fuss, but this movement started from a complaint I made,” Ishikawa said at the gathering. “If you think something isn’t right, then I don’t think it’s such a bad thing to talk about it.” What began as a rant soon became a trend on the platform and quickly garnered enough support that an online petition questioning gender-based dress codes was born, with a focus on women and heels. Her petition against forced heel wearing in the workplace now has nearly 20,000 signatures. “I realized that it’s a problem so many people sympathize with,” she said. Ishikawa submitted the online petition to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry on June 3 to coincide with the start of the screening process for the recruitment of new university graduates, during which many female applicants wear heels. The petition calls on the government to tell companies to ban rules enforcing the wearing of heels. However, labor minister Takumi Nemoto indicated Wednesday that he will not support a drive to ban such dress codes. “It’s generally accepted by society that (wearing high heels) is necessary and reasonable in workplaces,” Nemoto said during a Diet committee session. Some supporters of the campaign tweeted that forcing women to wear high heels in earthquake-prone Japan can even pose a threat to their lives. Countries around the world have also been cracking down on workplace dress codes in recent years. In Britain, professional services firm PwC, also known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, became the target of ridicule after receptionist Nicola Thorp was sent home without pay for not wearing the required 5- to 10-cm-high heels in December 2015. Dissatisfied, Thorp began an online petition that garnered over 150,000 signatures, subsequently triggering a debate in Parliament. Although the British government concluded the existing law was adequate in banning gender-based discrimination, it published guidelines in May 2018 titled “Dress codes and sex discrimination — what you need to know” outlining how the law could be applied in the workplace. At the 2016 Cannes Film Festival in France, Julia Roberts and many other actresses stunned photographers when they walked the red carpet barefoot or in sneakers to cast light on the event’s dress code. Their protest came after a number of women were barred from entering a screening for not wearing high heels the year before. British Columbia and the Philippines have also moved to ban workplaces from forcing women to wear heels, according to Shino Naito, vice senior researcher at the Japan Institute for Labor Policy and Training. Japan has a law prohibiting gender-based discrimination in certain phases of employment, such as recruitment, promotion, training and renewal of contracts, but there is no reference to dress codes, she said. “Japan is a society where people are often hesitant to speak up. But once one person does speak out, others tend to follow,” Naito said at the event. Ishikawa said women who enjoy wearing heels, of course, have the right to continue doing so, “and even men who wish to wear heels should be permitted,” she said.

gender
women
discrimination
shoes
# kutoo
yumi ishikawa


Support groups deluged by inquiries after Kawasaki and Tokyo murders involving social recluses

Abstract: Following recent stabbing incidents involving middle-aged hikikomori , or social recluses, and their parents, the number of inquiries received by support groups and similar organizations that support such individuals has surged. A stabbing rampage in Kawasaki by a recluse and the murder of a reclusive man by his father, a former top agriculture ministry bureaucrat, in Tokyo have seen extensive coverage, and have prompted some hikikomori and their families to further distance themselves from society, experts have said. Following the two incidents, Rakunokai Lila, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization supporting social recluses, was swamped by phone calls from people seeking advice. Many of the calls came from recluses in their 40s and 50s. “I can’t go outside for fear of being seen in public,” one such individual was quoted as saying. Requests for advice from parents also increased, the support group said. “The most difficult thing is to call for help the first time,” said Otochika Ichikawa, a 72-year-old senior official of the support group, whose daughter was once a social recluse. “The stabbing incidents became a turning point in a way, in that they led to encourage people (to seek help), and we hope to continue providing support,” Ichikawa said. One challenge is how to help those who have not reached out or called for help. Many reclusive people feel rejected by society or have a sense of inferiority over not securing work, and their parents sometimes have similar feelings due to the criticism they see aimed at their children. Strong fears of prejudice in the wake of the shocking stabbing incidents have also made them reluctant to seek external support, the group said. Ichikawa said he is concerned that some social recluses may “become further isolated and make the wrong decisions,” citing past problems in which such people and their families felt pushed into a corner and then sometimes considered killing themselves. Consultation requests are accepted by private support groups as well as regional support centers and welfare offices across the country. Noting that the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has abolished age limits for consultations from social recluses, Rakunokai Lila noted that the position taken by administrative organizations toward the issue is changing. “You can consult with any such organization as they can work together,” Ichikawa said. “The state of shutting oneself in for a long time cannot be resolved only by family members,” he said. “The important thing is to call for help from anyone, including relatives who are living separately.”

murder
kawasaki
mental health
hikikomori
stabbings
ryuichi iwasaki
kawasaki attack


Pilot's 'spatial disorientation' was likely cause of F-35A crash, Japan defense minister says

Abstract: Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Monday the crash of an Air Self-Defense Force F-35A stealth fighter in the Pacific Ocean off Aomori Prefecture two months ago was likely caused by “spatial disorientation” of the pilot rather than technical problems with the aircraft. According to a preliminary report by the Defense Ministry, there were no signs the 41-year-old pilot tried to eject. He is believed to have lost his bearings during an ASDF exercise just before the crash. Verification work to identify the cause of the crash has received considerable attention as Tokyo’s plan to purchase from Washington 105 F-35As, at a cost of about ¥11.6 billion ($107 million) each, could be affected by its outcome. Iwaya told a news conference he will not review the F-35A deployment plan. He added that the ministry is taking measures such as special inspections of the remaining 12 F-35As at Misawa Air Base, in Aomori Prefecture, and more rigorous training of pilots so they can avoid losing their bearings. The advanced fighter that crashed in April was one of the first 13 F-35As deployed in Japan, and the crash was the first involving an F-35A anywhere in the world. Since the accident the ASDF has suspended operations of the remaining 12 F-35A jets at Misawa, but plans to resume flights soon. “We will fully enforce training to avoid spatial disorientation and will fully explain to local residents before deciding to resume flights” of the remaining F-35As, Iwaya said. Since the cutting-edge jet went down off Aomori Prefecture at around 7:25 p.m. on April 9, the ASDF has analyzed radar data and records of communication with three other F-35A fighters that were flying alongside it during the drill. According to the ASDF, to maintain the necessary distance from U.S. aircraft that happened to be flying nearby, the pilot began descending from an altitude of about 9,600 meters after receiving instructions from ground control. After descending to an altitude of about 4,700 meters with a speed of at least 900 kph and receiving additional instructions, it began veering to the left and continued its descent for another 15 seconds to below an altitude of about 300 meters before going off the radar about 135 kilometers off Misawa Air Base. It is believed that moments before it crashed the jet was traveling at a speed of at least 1,100 kph. Right after it began veering left, the pilot said “Hi, knock it off” in a calm voice indicating his wish to suspend the drill, so the ASDF determined that the possibility of an aircraft malfunction or a loss of the pilot’s consciousness was “extremely low.” Japan stopped searching for the single-seat stealth jet earlier this month after retrieving some fragments of it, including the flight data recorder, but that was heavily damaged. Last Friday, the ministry confirmed the death of Maj. Akinori Hosomi, the pilot, after parts of his body were found in the ocean near the area where debris from the jet was recovered.

defense ministry
aomori
arms-makers
defense procurement
misawa air base
takeshi iwaya
f-35a
air accidents


Osaka Ishin no Kai candidate Hideki Nagafuji wins Sakai mayoral election

Abstract: SAKAI, OSAKA PREF. - A candidate from regional party Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka) won Sunday’s mayoral election in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, likely giving a boost to the party’s push for local administrative reorganization. Hideki Nagafuji, a 42-year-old former Osaka Prefectural Assembly member, defeated two other contenders. Voter turnout stood at 40.83 percent. The regional party’s so-called Osaka metropolis plan calls for reorganizing the prefectural capital of Osaka into special wards. In April, the party won the Osaka prefectural and mayoral elections. Nagafuji collected 137,862 votes, against 123,771 votes garnered by Tomoaki Nomura, 45, a former Sakai Municipal Assembly member, and 14,110 votes by Takashi Tachibana, 51, a former assembly member for Katsushika Ward, Tokyo. Sunday’s election came after former Mayor Osami Takeyama stepped down in April to take responsibility for a political funding scandal. During his campaign, Nagafuji harshly criticized Takeyama’s funding scandal and pledged to pursue strong growth in Osaka Prefecture through closer collaboration with the Osaka prefectural and municipal governments. On the metropolis plan, he said he would closely observe developments from the Osaka Municipal Government. Nomura’s campaign focused on opposition to the metropolis plan, while Tachibana proposed measures such as enacting an ordinance that would curb viewer fee collection by NHK.

osaka
elections
osaka prefecture
local government
sakai
osaka ishin no kai
hideki nagafuji


Double-election fever starts to dissipate in Japan's political circles

Abstract: Speculation that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will dissolve the Lower House for a “double election” this summer began to dissipate Monday, as an official close to him said such a move would not be needed when the Cabinet has stable support. Some had speculated that the prime minister would be tempted to call a snap election to coincide with the triennial election for half of the Upper House, in an apparent bid to boost voter interest and turnout. There were also expectations that Abe would delay the planned consumption tax hike in October and seek a mandate for his decision. However, the general view of ruling party lawmakers now seems to be that current economic conditions do not warrant delaying the tax hike. It is now expected that the current regular Diet session through June 26 will not be extended, which paves the way for the House of Councilors’ election to go ahead on July 21 after official campaigning from July 4. “Cabinet support ratings have been stable and we can secure solid wins even if we only hold the Upper House election,” the senior official within the Abe administration said. The current six-year terms of half of the Upper House members will expire on July 28. Those Upper House lawmakers completing their terms in July won their seats in the 2013 election, when Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party scored a landslide victory — which has prompted some to wonder if the ruling bloc may struggle to maintain its strength. Some LDP members believe it would be prudent to take advantage of the start of the new Reiwa Era following the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito, which created a festive mood in Japan and could be a plus for the ruling coalition between the LDP and Komeito. But a senior LDP lawmaker said: “Results of our surveys on the outlook for the Upper House election are not bad.” Abe is expected to make a final decision after he returns on Friday from a two-day trip to Iran. His schedule is tight as he will host a Group of 20 summit in Osaka on June 28 and 29. Regarding the timing of the Upper House election, Natsuo Yamaguchi, who heads the LDP’s junior coalition partner Komeito, said Sunday during a stump speech that “it will likely be held on July 21.” Komeito has been against the idea of holding a double election. In a set of election pledges unveiled Friday the LDP placed greater emphasis on foreign policy and defense as one of its “six pillars,” following indications that Japan’s economic growth may be fragile despite the prime minister’s Abenomics policy mix. Other so-called pillars include a strong economy, reliable society, regional revitalization and disaster relief and prevention. Constitutional reform, a long-held goal of Abe and the LDP, is the sixth pillar. The LDP said in its election platform that it would aim to go ahead with an increase to the consumption tax rate, from the current 8 percent to 10 percent, in October. Abe has already postponed the tax hike to 10 percent twice. Another delay is seen as difficult as the government has already decided to allocate part of its expected revenue from the hike to enhancing child care support. Abe has said the tax hike plan will go ahead barring a shock on the scale of the 2008 financial crisis, which followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Although a technical factor in the data played a big part and domestic demand lacked strength, Japan’s economy grew at an annualized rate of 2.2 percent in January-March, government data showed Monday.

shinzo abe
taxes
ldp
elections
diet
consumption tax


Tohoku residents try to keep memory of 3/11 quake and tsunami alive through VR and wreckage

Abstract: Conveying the fear of when a massive earthquake and tsunami strike is no easy feat. But eight years on from the disaster that shook the nation to its core, schools, municipalities and museums in the Tohoku region devastated by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 are trying to keep the memory of the national crisis alive and raise awareness of the importance of disaster prevention. The city of Akita created a tsunami simulation system incorporating virtual reality, with viewers walked through a mock evacuation in the event of a massive earthquake, allowing them to get a more realistic experience of what would happen should a disaster strike. The simulation system, and an accompanying video, shows what would happen in the event that an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.7 hit the sea off Akita Prefecture, triggering an upper 6 quake on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in the city of Akita. Takanobu Kamataki, an associate professor at Akita University, oversaw the simulation system and video. The city created the system in the hope that the realism and fear conveyed through VR and the video clip will raise awareness of disaster prevention. A trial event was held on May 27 in Tsuchizaki Ward, where Akita Bay is located. The participants put on VR devices after watching the short clip showing what a tsunami engulfing Tsuchizaki Ward might look like. It showed a situation in which evacuees were unable to make their journey because one of the roads was caved in. Through VR, the participants tried to reach the nearest evacuation center through the debris and devastation left by the tsunami. “I found it difficult because I didn’t know how to navigate the roads, but I learned a lot” from the simulation system, said 8-year-old Shotaro Sato. The simulation system will be available at the Hokubu Civic Service Center located in Tsuchizaki Ward, and it will be used for future disaster prevention courses as well. The video is available on Akita’s official YouTube channel. On the other hand, farther south in Miyagi Prefecture, the city of Kesennuma is keeping the memory of the 2011 disasters alive by preserving the wreckage left by the tsunami at what used to be the building for Kesennuma Koyo High School. The building reopened in March as the Ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake Kesennuma City Memorial Museum. Throughout May, the site attracted junior high and high school students from outside Miyagi Prefecture who were visiting as part of school excursions to learn about the Great East Japan Earthquake. “I felt personally affected seeing the havoc wreaked by the tsunami with my own eyes,” said Akito Sawada, a 14-year-old student from Sapporo who visited the facilities in May with his classmates from Yamahana Junior High School. After listening to the first-hand experiences of those who had survived the earthquake and tsunami, the students went to the uppermost floor of the building to see the annex buildings that had been submerged, as well as a connecting corridor that still had the wreckage of cars piled up on top of one another by the tsunami. “The tsunami had reached much higher than I’d thought, which was really surprising,” said Rin Takeuchi, 14, from the same school. The school had usually spent its class excursions visiting tourist spots around Aomori, Iwate and Akita prefectures. However, it decided to change its plans this year and included the museum in the itinerary. “I wanted the students to learn about disaster prevention and mitigation. I also hope they’ll take something home from seeing the people of Kesennuma rebuild their lives after the disaster,” said Takateru Ichiki, the supervising teacher. Some 600 students from six junior high schools, some as far away as Chiba Prefecture, visited the facilities in May alone, but the museum is also urging middle and high schools within the prefecture to visit the facility as well. “Here, at this facility, you can learn about the realities of the disaster as it happened. I’m hoping that many junior high and high school students visit and learn from the disaster,” said Katsumi Sato, the museum’s president.

tohoku
virtual reality
akita
disasters
kesennuma
miyagi
3.11


Kyoto team retains its seat in 'Isu-1' office chair grand prix

Abstract: HANYU, SAITAMA PREF. - The rattle of tiny plastic wheels echoed through the normally sleepy streets of Hanyu, Saitama Prefecture, on Sunday morning as the small city about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Tokyo played host to the Japan office chair “Isu-1” Grand Prix. Founded 10 years ago and inspired by Formula One and Le Mans endurance racing, the race sees teams of three battle it out on ordinary office furniture across two grueling hours to see who can complete the most laps of the 200 meter course. Propelling the chair backward was the universal tactic employed by the racers, who were at least spared the added constriction of business dress with competitors choosing their own outfits. The three team members rotated during the race — Le Mans-style — to try and stay fresh, but in the summer humidity it proved a tough battle for even the most experienced racers. The series, which started with a race in Kyoto in 2009, was the brainchild of Tsuyoshi Tahara, and will feature at 10 different grand prix events across Japan this year. “The origin of this race came into my head when I saw a tricycle endurance race,” Tahara explained. “Eventually I created the race, which we can hold on a street, three persons per team for two hours of endurance. “I wanted to create something no one has made before.” Tahara’s idea has proved surprisingly popular, with 55 teams entering the Hanyu Grand Prix alone and hailing from as far away as Wakayama Prefecture, 600 km (about 400 miles) to the southwest. Sunday’s winning team, Kitsugawa Unyu, came from Kyoto and had also traveled several hours with their chairs for the race. Their reward was retaining the title they won last year and a prize of 90 kilograms (198 pounds) of local rice, which the “drivers” struggled to pick up such was their fatigue. The endurance test had taken its toll on the participants but spirits remained high as tired bodies staggered away from the event. “I was tricked (into doing it),” joked 45-year-old Satoru Taguchi, who had formed a team with other fathers from his children’s school. “My body is really sore.” Mayu Negishi, who had just enough energy left to dance at the closing ceremony, said the support of the crowd had helped greatly. “So many people cheered for us every time we passed and came around the corners,” said the 18-year-old. “We were very touched. They are our fans and supporters.” The next “Isu-1” Grand Prix takes place in Iwate Prefecture next month.


Giant panda cub Xiang Xiang at Tokyo's Ueno zoo to turn 2 this week

Abstract: Few birthdays call for greater celebration than that of Xiang Xiang, a female giant panda cub living in Tokyo’s Ueno zoo who will turn 2 years old on Wednesday. Ahead of her birthday, the zoo released on Monday an update on her growth. Xiang Xiang was born on June 12, 2017, at just 147 grams to Shin Shin and Ri Ri, both of whom arrived in Japan in February 2011 and live in adjacent enclosures. The panda cub was supposed to be returned to China after two years, but China has agreed to extend her stay in Japan until the end of 2020. As of last Wednesday, Xiang Xiang weighed 61.6 kilograms. That is about half the weight of a fully grown giant panda, according to Yasumasa Tomita, director and general curator at Ueno Zoological Gardens. “Xiang Xiang is still a child but she’s well on her way to adulthood,” Tomita told reporters Monday. “I’m grateful that she’s been able to live a healthy life so far.” Xiang Xiang appeared oblivious to the journalists surrounding her enclosure. She was preoccupied by an endless supply of tasty bamboo branches, trees and other wooden structures just begging to be climbed, and a pathway surrounding the enclosure — which she ran with a noticeable spring in her step. “Xiang Xiang doesn’t seem to mind the rain,” Tomita said. “Actually I think she quite likes it.”

china
animals
pandas
ueno zoo
xiang xiang


71-year-old arrested over threat to attack 'noisy' kindergartners

Abstract: A 71-year-old man in Tokyo was arrested over the weekend for allegedly sending threatening letters to the parents of kindergartners he claimed were too noisy, suggesting he might attack the kids unless they were quieter, police said Monday. Yutaka Arai, a resident of Adachi Ward, Tokyo, is suspected of leaving threatening letters inside the mailboxes of the children’s homes last week. He lives near a school bus stop for a kindergarten and told investigators he had been annoyed by the loud voices of children awaiting buses, the police said. Arai has denied the letters were intended as threats. One of the letters said, “Don’t let your children raise their voices. If you can’t do that, don’t complain no matter what happens,” according to the police. The case was brought to light after one of the parents consulted the police over the letter.

violence
children
schools
police
yutaka arai


Ailing California utility PG&E to pay $1 billion over deadly wildfires

Abstract: SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - A California utility blamed for igniting several wildfires caused by downed power lines that killed dozens and destroyed thousands of homes agreed Tuesday to pay $1 billion in damages to local governments. Attorneys representing 14 local public entities announced the settlement with Pacific Gas & Electric to cover “taxpayer losses.” More than half of the settlement is related to the 2018 fire in Northern California that killed 85 people and destroyed more than 13,000 homes. It included $270 million to the town of Paradise, which was mostly destroyed in the fire. The money also covers damage from a 2015 in Butte County and a series of 2017 fires in Northern California wine country The Texas-based Baron & Budd law firm announced the settlement on behalf of the 14 local governments. “This money will help local government and taxpayers rebuild their communities after several years of devastating wildfires,” Baron & Budd said in a news release. “The cities and counties will be in a better position to help their citizens rebuild and move forward.” PG&E Corp. filed for bankruptcy earlier this year citing billions of dollars in expected losses, mostly from lawsuits filed by individual fire victims, businesses and insurance companies. A judge overseeing that case must approve the settlement announced Tuesday. PG&E spokesman Paul Doherty called the settlement “an important first step toward an orderly, fair and expeditious resolution of wildfire claims.”

california
fires
utilities
pg & e
paradise


Japan's antitrust law amended to encourage companies under investigation to cooperate with FTC

Abstract: The Diet enacted Antimonopoly Law amendments on Wednesday designed to provide companies involved in anti-competitive practices with stronger incentives to cooperate in investigations under a leniency system. The House of Councilors approved the amendments by a unanimous vote at a plenary session. The amendments passed the House of Representatives in May. The revised law will come into force within 18 months following its promulgation. Under the existing system, which permits penalty exemptions and reductions for companies that step forward to confess to their roles in anti-competitive practices, penalty reduction rates are set uniformly in accordance with the order in which confessions come through. By adopting flexible rates, the revised law is aimed at better encouraging violator companies to cooperate with the Fair Trade Commission and help facilitate its antitrust investigations. Ahead of the law’s enforcement, the FTC plans to compile guidelines as to what types of cooperation will be considered for penalty exemptions and reductions. Under the amendments, the first company that owns up to its antitrust practice before investigations begin will be fully exempted from penalties, as was the case before the revision. In addition to revised penalty reduction rates of 20 percent to 5 percent for the second and subsequent companies, the revised law calls for additional rates of up to 40 percentage points according to the degree of cooperation. The upper limit of five on the number of businesses covered by the leniency system will be scrapped to allow as many companies as possible to report their antitrust activities even after investigations are launched. Stricter standards will also be adopted for calculating penalties. The scope of company sales used for figuring out penalties will be expanded to include those at subsidiaries that were ordered by their parent companies to join in on the wrongdoing. The maximum period for sales covered for penalty calculation will be extended from three years to 10 years, while calculations based on estimated figures will be permitted when related documents are lost. The penalty rates will be unified at 10 percent, with lower industry-specific rates that have been applied to wholesalers and retailers scrapped. Also under the revised law, the maximum fine imposed on corporations for obstructing investigations will be raised from ¥3 million to ¥200 million. In line with the enforcement of the law, a rule for secrecy will be codified to allow companies to protect documents on their communications with outside lawyers to receive legal opinions. The rule will apply only to administrative investigations into cartels and bid-riggings. Companies will be allowed to reject FTC requests for disclosure of such documents when certain conditions are met.

diet
business ethics
ftc
fair trade commission
antitrust


U.S. trade representative calls for prioritizing initial deal with Japan on farm tariff cuts

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Tuesday called for prioritizing a deal with Japan on agricultural tariff cuts as part of efforts to strike a bilateral trade agreement. “What I have proposed doing is to try to take care of a couple of the issues, particularly agriculture, early. … We don’t want to wait the length of time for an entire negotiation,” Lighthizer said at a congressional hearing. “Beyond that, we want to negotiate across the board with the Japanese,” he said. Japanese officials have suggested they would reduce tariffs on American agricultural products to levels agreed to under a revised Trans-Pacific Partnership if the United States agrees to remove levies on Japanese industrial goods, including automobiles. U.S. President Donald Trump appears determined to appease American farmers with increased market access to Japan as part of his 2020 re-election bid. But his administration has expressed reluctance about removing auto-related tariffs. The administration has grown concerned that the recent enforcement of the revised TPP — an 11-member free trade agreement including farming nations such as Australia and Canada — as well as an FTA between Japan and the European Union have put American farmers and ranchers at a disadvantage in the Japanese market. “We’re treated worse than we were before relative to our strongest competition, and that’s an unacceptable situation from the United States’ point of view,” Lighthizer told the Senate Finance Committee. Trump withdrew the United States from the TPP in 2017, citing his preference for bilateral trade deals. In reference to the revised TPP, which has lowered tariffs on farm and other products among its 11 members, Lighthizer said, “The biggest single issue that’s troubling to me on that front in the short run particularly is the hit to our farmers.” The USTR said he hopes to reach a trade deal with Japan that covers agriculture “in the next few months.” “I think that we are making headway and we are in a situation where if we don’t make headway quickly, people will lose customers and never get that market share back,” Lighthizer said. “The Japanese are fully engaged, they fully understand what needs to be done,” he said. “We’ve been quite clear about it and my hope is that we are just in the next few months, we’ll have an agreement.” Last week, economic revitalization minister Toshimitsu Motegi suggested the two governments will aim for a swift conclusion of trade agreement negotiations after a House of Councilors election in the summer. Lighthizer said he and Motegi are planning to have another round of talks on the margins of the Group of 20 summit on June 28 and 29 in Osaka, apparently to prepare for a meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

shinzo abe
u.s .
agriculture
trade
tariffs
donald trump
robert lighthizer
trade war


Boeing 737 Max boosted by IAG plan to order 200 jets

Abstract: PARIS - Boeing’s grounded 737 Max jet received a boost on Tuesday after British Airways-owner IAG signed a letter of intent to order 200 of the planes and said it was confident that it would return to service in the coming months. Boeing said the deal had a value of more than $24 billion at list prices. IAG said the mix of 737-8 and 737-10 aircraft, to be delivered between 2023 and 2027, would be powered by CFM Leap engines and used across a number of its airlines including British Airways, Vueling and Level. The 737 Max was grounded in March following two deadly crashes, and Boeing has been working on a software fix to get the jet back flying by the end of the year. IAG Chief Executive Willie Walsh said he had experienced Boeing’s MCAS anti-stall software in person, adding it was “very helpful to see it in operation” and to “understand the changes” that Boeing was proposing. “It gave me confidence both in terms of the aircraft and the changes that Boeing introduced,” he said at the announcement of the deal at the Paris Airshow. “I am confident in Boeing.” Boeing shares rose 2 percent on the announcement. The company is working towards a certification flight with regulators soon. Boeing commercial airplanes boss Kevin McAllister said the decision of when the Max flies again was in the hands of the regulators.

airlines
boeing
aviation
stocks
british airways
737 max
air accidents
iag


Japan incurs goods trade deficit in May amid U.S.-China tensions

Abstract: Japan’s goods trade balance logged its first deficit in four months in May on sluggish exports to China amid Beijing’s economic friction with the United States, government data showed Wednesday. The deficit stood at ¥967.1 billion ($8.9 billion) with exports dropping 7.8 percent from a year earlier to ¥5.84 trillion, down for the sixth consecutive month, and imports declining 1.5 percent to ¥6.80 trillion, the first decline in three months, according to a preliminary report by the Finance Ministry. Trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies escalated in the reporting month, with U.S. President Donald Trump imposing heavy sanctions on Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies Co., citing national security concerns. Yota Hirono, researcher at the Daiwa Institute of Research, said exports were weak because of the one-off 10-day Golden Week holiday through May 6 in addition to a slowdown in the global economy. “The trend of sluggish exports is likely to continue in June and beyond as China on June 1 raised tariffs in retaliation for Washington’s hike in duties on Chinese goods and the United States plans additional levies that could cover almost all Chinese items later in the month,” Hirono said. Japan’s China-bound exports, including semiconductor manufacturing equipment and auto parts, tumbled 9.7 percent from a year earlier for the third straight month of decline. Imports from China dipped 0.9 percent, leaving Japan with a deficit of ¥391.7 billion against its largest trading partner. Japan’s trade surplus with the United States grew 14.8 percent to ¥395 billion, up for the third straight month, on solid demand for automobiles, although Trump hopes to reduce Washington’s massive deficit with Tokyo. With the European Union, Japan had a record trade deficit of ¥251.5 billion due to imports of aircraft from France. Against the whole of Asia, including China, Japan’s trade surplus plunged 94.1 percent due in part to a decrease in exports of tech-related manufacturing machinery to South Korea as major makers in the country adjusted their production apparently to deal with the negative impact of the U.S.-China trade spat. The figures were compiled on a customs-cleared basis.

china
u.s .
trade
trade deficit
tariffs
exports
imports
trade war


Trump says U.S. and Chinese teams to restart trade talks ahead of meeting at Osaka G20

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he had spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping and that the two leaders’ teams would restart trade talks after a long lull in order to prepare for a meeting at the Group of 20 summit in the city of Osaka later this month. The United States and China are in the middle of a costly trade war that has pressured financial markets and damaged the world economy. Talks between the two sides to reach a broad deal broke down last month and interaction since then has been limited. Trump has made no secret that, despite his threat to escalate the dispute with more U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, he would like to meet with Xi at the G20 meeting next week. Though he has repeatedly said the two parties would talk, the Chinese side has not confirmed a meeting would take place. In a Twitter post, Trump said he and his Chinese counterpart had agreed to start preparations during a phone call. “Had a very good telephone conversation with President Xi of China. We will be having an extended meeting next week at the G-20 in Japan. Our respective teams will begin talks prior to our meeting,” Trump tweeted. Chinese state media said Xi agreed to the meeting and emphasized in the call that economic and trade disputes should be solved through dialogue. “The key is to show consideration to each other’s legitimate concerns,” Xi said. “We also hope that the United States treats Chinese companies fairly. I agree that the economic and trade teams of the two countries will maintain communication on how to resolve differences.” The confirmation of a meeting avoids the possibility of a snub to Washington that could have triggered another round of tariffs. “This is a very positive development,” said Clete Willems, a trade negotiator with Trump’s team, who cited the importance of a meeting between Xi and the U.S. president at the last G20 in Argentina. “Leader level engagement at last year’s G20 was critical to jumpstarting the talks. It will be essential to managing the current political dynamic and getting the talks back on track once again.” Washington has already imposed 25 percent tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese goods, ranging from semiconductors to furniture, that are imported to the United States. Trump has threatened to put tariffs on another $325 billion of goods, covering nearly all of the remaining Chinese imports into the United States, including products such as cellphones, computers and clothing.

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


Japanese businesses see economy peaking out, want more stimulus: poll

Abstract: The nation’s economy is likely to stop expanding this year and into next with the Sino-U.S. trade war and a planned sales tax hike expected to crimp activity, a Reuters poll of Japanese companies found, with most calling for fresh stimulus to prop up growth. The gloomy outlook suggests that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s reflationary policy mix, known as Abenomics, is sputtering. “A combination of the U.S.-China trade friction and the tax hike in October will almost certainly tip Japan into recession,” an electric machinery-maker wrote in the monthly survey. The Corporate Survey found 42 percent of respondents see the economy contracting into next year, while 52 percent believe growth will remain stagnant. Just 5 percent foresee it expanding, the June 4-13 poll showed. China and the United States, the world’s two largest economies, have been locked in a tit-for-tat tariff war for nearly a year, which has curbed global trade and upended supply chains, pressuring Japan’s exports and factory output. Some 55 percent of Japanese firms said harsher U.S. punitive tariffs against China were affecting their business profits, with much higher proportions of transport machinery firms and chemical-makers taking a hit, the Reuters Corporate Survey showed. But only 7 percent of Japanese firms were considering moving their operational base or supply chains outside of China, suggesting they see the trade spat calming down or are waiting to see how long it lasts. Some 57 percent said this wasn’t something they are considering while 36 percent said they had no businesses in China. Japanese businesses are also worried that raising the sales tax to 10 percent from 8 percent — to cover rising social welfare costs as the nation rapidly ages — will undermine consumer spending. Previously, when the tax rate was raised from 5 percent in April 2014, it triggered a slump. To keep the economy from faltering, nearly two-thirds of companies called for fresh stimulus, with a quarter of respondents wanting an individual income tax cut and nearly as many demanding the government postpone the sales tax hike. The next two most popular choices were investment tax breaks, picked by 22 percent, and more fiscal spending, picked by 20 percent. Only 5 percent picked further monetary easing as a stimulus option, underscoring a widespread market view that the Bank of Japan’s stimulus has done about all it can. “Additional stimulus is necessary if the sales tax hike goes ahead even as the global economy is in a downtrend,” a machinery-maker manager wrote in the survey, which collects anonymous comments. “We must stop a sales tax hike for good, or even cut it to 5 percent or below,” a retailer said. The survey’s outlook reinforces the growing view that Japan’s economy may already be in recession after having likely peaked out last autumn, said Yasunari Ueno, chief market economist at Mizuho Securities. Both Ueno and business respondents expressed concerns about a slump in the economy after the nation hosts the Summer Olympics next year. “As Tokyo Olympics-related capex (capital expense) runs its course, a stronger yen lifted by expectations of Fed rate cuts will add downward pressure on growth,” Ueno said. “Moreover, if the sales tax rises to 10 percent as planned in October, that will hurt consumer sentiment.” The economy has shown signs of slowing since late last year. In the most recent quarter ended in March, it grew at an annual pace of 2.2 percent but key GDP components — consumption, capital expenditure, exports and imports — all slowed sharply from the prior quarter. Meanwhile, as U.S. President Donald Trump demands that the U.S.-Japan trade gap be fixed, nearly two-thirds of Japanese firms saw no need to reduce the country’s trade surplus with the United States, the survey showed. The survey, conducted for Reuters by Nikkei Research, canvassed 505 large and midsize companies, of which 240 to 260 companies responded on condition of anonymity.

china
shinzo abe
u.s .
trade
economy
abenomics
poll
tariffs
trade war


Germany's Siemens announces 2,700 job cuts at power and gas unit

Abstract: BERLIN - German industrial equipment maker Siemens says it is cutting 2,700 jobs globally at its power and gas company as it seeks to make cost savings. Siemens said Tuesday that the cuts include 1,400 jobs in Germany and would take place over the course of several years. The layoffs come in addition to the 10,400 from its core units that the company already announced last month. Siemens in May said it was undertaking a major restructuring that would involve spinning off its oil, gas and power generation business and creating new areas of growth. The company plans to save €2.2 billion ($2.5 billion) in costs by 2023.

energy gas germany jobs utilities electricity siemens


Trump and Xi stoke trade optimism with plan to resume talks at Osaka G20

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The U.S. and China said their presidents will meet in Japan next week to relaunch trade talks after a monthlong stalemate, triggering a rally in financial markets. U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had a “very good” phone conversation with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. The two leaders will hold an “extended meeting” at the G20 summit on June 28 and 29 in Osaka and “our respective teams will begin talks prior to our meeting,” Trump said on Twitter. The U.S. president had repeatedly threatened more tariffs if Xi spurned the opportunity to talk. “The meeting might very well go well,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House to officially launch his re-election campaign in Orlando, Florida. China wants to make a deal, he added. “That is working out pretty much as I anticipated,” he said. Later, at a rally in Orlando, Trump said, “We’re either going to have a good deal, and a fair deal, or we’re not going to have a deal at all. And that’s OK too, because we are taking in billions and billions of dollars into our treasury and companies are leaving China because they want to avoid paying these large tariffs.” Xi said he’s willing to meet with Trump and exchange views, the state-run China Central Television reported. The two nations’ economic and trade teams should keep in contact on how to solve differences, according to the statement. China’s official Xinhua News Agency said that Trump initiated the phone call with Xi. Their dispute covers areas ranging from tariffs to Chinese intellectual-property protections. U.S. stocks extended gains on the news, while Treasurys retreated. The S&P 500 rose about 1 percent in New York. Asian stocks advanced Wednesday. Talks broke off last month after the U.S. accused China’s leaders of reneging on provisions of a tentative trade agreement, and Beijing said the U.S. raised its demands. Trump raised tariffs on about $200 billion of Chinese imports to 25 percent, and said he would expand the tariffs to cover another $325 billion in goods — essentially everything the country exports to the U.S. — unless Chinese leaders reversed course. “The fact that both sides are talking should at least postpone thoughts of a further increase in tariffs, for a while at least,” Iris Pang, an economist at ING Bank NV in Hong Kong, wrote in a report. “Both sides will repeat their views on the already drafted terms. But it is difficult to see any concrete progress that would either lead to a deal or improve the current deadlock situation.” U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told senators at a hearing in Washington on Tuesday that the Trump administration will stay tough. “Our economic relationship with China has been unbalanced and grossly unfair to American farmers, ranchers and businesses for decades,” Lighthizer said in testimony to the Senate Finance Committee. On top of existing tariffs, the administration is prepared to do more “if certain issues cannot be resolved satisfactorily,” he added. But while expectations have been raised for a breakthrough during the leaders’ face-to-face meeting, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross over the weekend downplayed the prospect of a major deal in the near term. “I think the most that will come out of the G20 might be an agreement to actively resume talks,” possibly with new ground rules and a schedule, Ross said in an interview Sunday with the Wall Street Journal. Trump has said that China must return to concessions it made in earlier rounds of talks. The U.S. president has repeated his claim that Chinese exporters pay the tariffs, disputing the consensus of economists that the costs are largely borne by U.S. importers and consumers. “They subsidize their industry, so our people are not paying,” Trump said Friday in an interview with Fox News. “There’s this big thing about tariffs, ‘Oh, our people pay.’ It’s a lot of nonsense. You know what happens, really? Companies move back.” Trump’s announcement of the call came shortly after a tweet in which he again accused China and other countries of manipulating their currencies, “making it unfairly easier for them to compete with the USA.” China made moves to strengthen its currency earlier this month. During Trump’s presidency the U.S. Treasury Department has repeatedly refrained from officially accusing China of manipulating the yuan.

china
u.s .
osaka
g20
xi jinping
tariffs
wall street
donald trump


Eviation targets commuters with electric plane Alice

Abstract: LE BOURGET, FRANCE - An electric plane capable of flying up to 650 miles with nine passengers made its debut at the Paris Airshow on Tuesday, with its manufacturer targeting regional commuter routes such as the French capital to the southern city of Toulouse. Eviation Aircraft said the plane — called Alice — was a radical rethinking of the cost, experience and environmental impact of regional travel. The impact of air travel on the environment has become a key focus of climate campaigners and airlines have long been looking at ways to address emissions and their costs through new designs and cleaner technologies. “Operating at a fraction of the costs of conventional jetliners, our Alice will redefine how people travel regionally and usher in a new era of flying that is quieter, cleaner and cost effective,” Eviation CEO Omer Bar-Yohay said. The company said it would be aimed at high traffic commutes such as Paris to Toulouse, Norway’s Oslo to Trondheim and California’s San Jose to San Diego. It said its first commercial customer would be Cape Air, one of the largest independent regional airlines in the United States, serving 35 cities there and in the Caribbean. Cape Air has a “double-digit” purchase option for Alice, a statement said. “We see tremendous opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of our operations,” Cape Air founder and CEO Dan Wolf said in a statement released from the airshow, which has been dominated by deals for industry heavyweights Boeing and Airbus. Following test flights this year and certification in 2021, Eviation said it planned to begin shipping the aircraft for commercial use in 2022.

u.s .
aviation
paris air show
cape air
eviation
omer bar-yohay
alice


Facebook wants its cryptocurrency to one day rival the greenback

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK/PORTLAND, OREGON - Facebook Inc. unveiled plans for a new cryptocurrency Tuesday that the social media giant hopes will one day trade on a global scale much like the U.S. dollar. Called Libra, the new currency will launch as soon as next year and be what’s known as a “stablecoin” — a digital currency that’s supported by established government-backed currencies and securities. The goal is to avoid massive fluctuations in value so Libra can be used for everyday transactions in a way that more volatile crypotcurrencies, like Bitcoin, haven’t been. Libra is the culmination of a yearlong effort to devise an easy way for Facebook users to send and receive money through its messaging services. Private messaging is one of the company’s fastest growing products, and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg is embracing this by integrating all Facebook’s messaging products to let users communicate between its different apps. This focus comes at a time when user growth of the main social network has plateaued in some major markets, and regulators are scrutinizing the company’s frequent privacy failures. Payments are a potential way to turn messaging into a business that complements Facebook’s advertising operation, which generates almost all its revenue. To come anywhere close to matching the U.S. dollar for utility and acceptance, Libra will need to be widely trusted. So Facebook and its partners are mimicking how other currencies have been introduced in the past. “To help instill trust in a new currency and gain widespread adoption during its infancy, it was guaranteed that a country’s notes could be traded in for real assets, such as gold,” the companies wrote in a white paper. “Instead of backing Libra with gold, though, it will be backed by a collection of low-volatility assets, such as bank deposits and short-term government securities in currencies from stable and reputable central banks.” The total number of Libra can change, and new digital coins can be issued whenever someone wants to exchange their Libra for an existing fiat currency, so the price shouldn’t fluctuate any more than other stable currencies, according to David Marcus, head of the Facebook blockchain team that’s spearheading the project. “It would make a scenario where there’s a run on the bank completely impossible, because we are backed one-for-one,” he said. Libra will also be audited, he added, an important step in an industry with limited transparency. Facebook has closely guarded its crypto plans for more than a year, though many of the details have already been reported by Bloomberg News and other outlets. Marcus, who used to run Facebook Messenger, said Facebook plans to build a new digital wallet that will exist inside Messenger and its other standalone messaging service, WhatsApp. Once Libra is up and running, the currency and the digital wallet should make it easier for people to send money to friends, family and businesses through the apps. Libra will run on the so-called blockchain, a database that can use millions of computers to verify transactions, eliminating risks that come with information being held centrally by a single entity. Facebook created a new subsidiary, called Calibra, to build the new wallet and focus on the company’s blockchain efforts. Facebook’s track record in payments and commerce has been spotty. A few years ago, it began letting people buy flowers or hail an Uber through its Messenger service. Those features have not been huge hits. In 2010, it began offering Facebook Credits, a way to buy virtual goods inside Facebook games. But in 2012 it scrapped Credits, and in 2013 it started working with third-party services like PayPal process some payments. Facebook’s revenue from “payments and other service” was less than 2% of total sales in 2018. If successful, Libra could make Facebook a much bigger player in financial services. That’s a big “if,” though. Cryptocurrency companies have been trying to build cross-border, digital currencies on the blockchain to disrupt traditional banking and payments for a decade. Nothing has caught on at the scale of traditional money yet. When it finally arrives, Libra will be late to a party that’s been going on so long, many of the partygoers have either left or collapsed. Some past attempts to make coins usable for commerce, such as Bitcoin, haven’t widely caught on yet because price volatility mainly attracted traders and speculators. Predecessor stablecoins, like Tether, have been used by some traders to park funds during times of high volatility, but have not been broadly adopted for commerce. U.S. regulations may represent another hurdle for Facebook. Creating a digital currency doesn’t just require buy-in from financial institutions who need to accept it, and consumers who need to trust it, but it requires approval from regulators, too. The Securities and Exchange Commission has shut down about a dozen businesses issuing their own tokens for violations of securities law. Marcus said Facebook has been in contact with regulators and central banks, but added that the company hasn’t received a “no-action” letter from the SEC yet. That would have safeguarded the project from regulatory action by the agency. One way Facebook hopes to appease regulators is through the Libra Association, a governing body tasked with making decisions about Libra. At least 27 other firms, including Visa Inc., Uber Technologies Inc. and PayPal Holdings Inc., are part of the group. Marcus described these members as “co-founders,” and said they will have an equal say in how the cryptocurrency is managed. “Facebook will not have any special privilege or special voting rights at the association level,” said Marcus, the former president of PayPal. “We will have competitors and other players on top of this platform that will build competing wallets and services.” All Libra Association members are putting a minimum of $10 million into a reserve to help support the cryptocurrency’s value. This buy-in comes with voting privileges. However, the association’s governance structure is still in flux, and most of the group’s crucial decisions, including the creation of its charter, have not yet been decided, according to several members of the group. They asked not to be identified discussing private details.

google
facebook
hate speech
content
fake news


Dollar firms around ¥108.40 in Tokyo

Abstract: The dollar firmed around ¥108.40 in Tokyo trading Wednesday, buoyed by rekindled hopes for a U.S-China trade deal and resulting higher stock prices. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥108.38-42, up from ¥108.23-28 at the same time Tuesday. The euro was at $1.1200-1200, down from $1.1237-1237, and at ¥121.39-39, down from ¥121.64-65. The dollar topped ¥108.60 early in the morning amid growing expectations for progress in U.S.-China trade talks following U.S. President Donald Trump’s Twitter announcement that he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka later this month. The U.S. currency maintained strength around that level supported by the Nikkei stock average’s rise of over 300 points. But in the afternoon the greenback came under selling pressure generated by a media report that Trump is considering slapping fresh sanctions on Turkey. “Players moved to lock in profits due to concerns over the geopolitical risk,” said a bank official. Investors put active transactions on hold before the U.S. Federal Reserve’s two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting ends later on Wednesday, an official at a foreign exchange margin trading service firm said. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell’s news conference after the meeting also drew attention, the official added.


Tokyo stocks soar on hopes for progress in U.S.-China talks

Abstract: Stocks turned sharply higher on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Wednesday, with investors hunting a wide range of issues amid rekindled hopes for progress in trade talks between the United States and China. The 225-issue Nikkei average jumped 361.16 points, or 1.72 percent, to end at 21,333.87, the highest finish since May 20. The key price indicator plunged 151.29 points Tuesday. The Topix index of all first-section issues finished up 26.60 points, or 1.74 percent, at 1,555.27, after shedding 11.07 points the previous day. The market spurted from the outset of the Wednesday session, in the wake of a powerful advance on Wall Street on Tuesday triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Twitter feed clarifying that he will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka on June 28-29, brokers said. After a pile of initial buy orders were executed, however, stocks grew top-heavy, forcing both the Nikkei and Topix indexes to move narrowly for the rest of the day’s trading. Trump’s Twitter remarks swept away fears that the U.S. and Chinese leaders would not hold their talks in the western Japan city. “Now investors expect the two leading economies to resume their stalled trade talks,” said Yoshihiko Tabei, chief analyst at Naito Securities Co. “If Trump and Xi make a deal, the market would respond positively,” an official at a bank-affiliated brokerage firm said. On the market’s failure to extend gains after the initial rally, Masahiro Ichikawa, senior strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co., said participants “retreated to the sidelines to wait for the outcome” of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting ending later on Wednesday. Rising issues overwhelmed falling ones 1,910 to 187 in the TSE’s first section, while 47 issues were unchanged. Volume increased to 1,167 million shares from Tuesday’s 1,023 million shares. Tokyo Electron, Advantest and other semiconductor-related issues went up following brisk performance of the U.S. chip sector in New York Tuesday. Nomura surged 10.54 percent, after the brokerage giant announced on Tuesday a plan to repurchase own stocks. Among other winners were textile maker Nisshinbo Holdings and trading house Marubeni. By contrast, Sushiro Global Holdings tumbled 10.34 percent on its announcement the previous day of the rupture of merger negotiations with Genki Sushi, another conveyor-belt sushi restaurant chain. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key September contract on the Nikkei average rose 360 points to end at 21,270.


Nomura shares jump on ¥150 billion buyback and governance tweaks

Abstract: Nomura Holdings Inc. surged the most in more than two years in Tokyo trading after it announced a surprise ¥150 billion ($1.4 billion) share buyback along with plans to reduce its chairman’s role to bolster governance. Just days before its annual shareholders meeting, Japan’s biggest brokerage said Tuesday that it will trim its stake in an affiliate that was involved in a damaging information leak and use the proceeds to fund the stock repurchase. The stock closed 11 percent higher on Wednesday, the biggest gain since November 2016, paring this year’s decline to 10 percent. Nomura’s shareholders are scheduled to gather Monday, with one influential proxy adviser calling for the ouster of Chief Executive Officer Koji Nagai after the firm was penalized for leaking sensitive stock market information. Nagai is trying to restore investor confidence by cutting costs at its global investment banking and markets business and trimming retail branches at home following its first annual loss in a decade. “We believe the firm’s relative share price and earnings momentum is bottoming,” SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. analysts including Shinichiro Nakamura wrote in a note. “The firm could well have put the worst behind it for now, though we will need to monitor the longer-term picture in terms of cost cuts through restructuring and a bottom for earnings at the retail and wholesale divisions.” On Tuesday, Nomura Research Institute agreed to buy back its shares from Nomura for ¥160 billion ($1.5 billion), pushing down the brokerage’s stake in NRI to 23.1 percent from 36.6 percent. NRI shares rose 3.9 percent Wednesday. Nomura withdrew its proposal to re-elect Chairman Nobuyuki Koga as head of the compensation and nominating committees, it said in a statement. It is now asking shareholders to vote in favor of outside director Hiroshi Kimura for those positions, a move that it said “will help further enhance governance.” Proxy advisory firms Glass, Lewis & Co. and Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. had urged shareholders to vote against Koga, 68, due to concerns over governance. Glass Lewis said having an inside director as chairman of the two committees made oversight of executive performance and pay “more complicated and less rigorous.” ISS recommended that shareholders also vote against Nagai, 60, saying he should be held responsible for the information leak. The Financial Services Agency ordered Nomura to improve internal controls over the incident, and companies dropped the firm from managing fundraising deals. Nagai took a 30 percent pay cut for three months, but vowed to stay on as CEO. The leak began with a Nomura Research Institute employee, who was on a Tokyo Stock Exchange panel considering an overhaul of the bourse’s sections of listed stocks. The person gave information on the potential threshold for the changes to a strategist at Nomura’s main securities unit, and the brokerage’s employees then shared the information with institutional clients.

stocks
scandals
shareholders
nomura holdings


Japan Post Bank to cap international transfers to counter money laundering

Abstract: Japan Post Bank Co. plans to set a limit on over-the-counter international cash transfers of ¥5 million ($46,000) to combat money laundering, sources close to the matter said Tuesday. Japan Post Bank with around 120 million account holders, the most among domestic banks, currently has no limit on overseas remittances and is seeking to address concerns that such transfers could be used for illicit activities, including terrorist financing, the sources said. The move by the state-backed bank comes as Japan faces an assessment this fall by the Financial Action Task Force, an international standard-setting body that promotes steps to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The FATF singled out Japan as not having sufficient measures to fight money laundering. Japan Post Bank would join other major banks — Mizuho Bank, MUFG Bank and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. in stepping up anti-money laundering measures. The three banks implemented stricter ID checks on holders of savings accounts from June 10, including verifying the purpose for opening or holding an account. Regional banks plan to take similar measures.


Gyoza no Ohsho to ban plastic straws and spoons from July in bid to address environmental concerns

Abstract: OSAKA - Ohsho Food Service Corp., the operator of the Gyoza no Ohsho chain of Chinese-style restaurants, said Tuesday it will stop supplying customers with single-use plastic straws and spoons at all of its 729 restaurants from July to address environmental concerns. From July 1, the chain, which serves fried dumplings and other dishes, will introduce in stages biodegradable straws in stores and spoons made of biomass plastics for takeout dishes, the Kyoto-based company said. Takeout accounts for around 17 percent of sales at Ohsho stores and the company aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by switching from fossil-fuel-derived plastic straws and spoons. Skylark Holdings Co., another major firm in the restaurant industry, said in August last year it will ban plastic straws at all of its restaurants by 2020 in an effort to address marine pollution from plastic waste. As a first step, plastic straws at all of its 1,367 Gusto restaurants were replaced by biodegradable ones as of December, according to the company.

restaurants
plastics
straws
ohsho food service corp .


Nissan to accept Renault request for more representation on new committee: sources

Abstract: TOKYO/PARIS - Nissan Motor Co. has decided to accept Renault SA’s request for more representation on the Japanese carmaker’s new board committees in a bid to secure approval for its governance reform proposal at an upcoming shareholders meeting, sources said Wednesday. Nissan will give Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard and CEO Thierry Bollore seats on committees to be established as part of measures to bolster governance after the arrest of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn for alleged financial misconduct, the sources said. Nissan initially proposed giving only Senard a seat because it wanted the majority of the committees to be comprised of outside directors. Senard has been a Nissan board member since April, while Bollore has been nominated as a new director subject to approval at the shareholders meeting. But Renault — Nissan’s largest shareholder with a 43 percent stake — threatened to abstain from voting on the proposal unless it was given more representation, the sources said. A two-thirds majority will be necessary for the proposal to pass at an annual shareholders meeting next Tuesday. Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa said last week that Renault’s plan was “most regrettable.” Nissan offered the new proposal to Renault and the two partners have broadly agreed on it, the sources said. “We will no longer have a dispute” between the two companies, one of the sources said. The development raised the likelihood of the proposal being approved at next week’s meeting, allowing Nissan to start operations under a new management team. Nissan has worked for months on overhauling its corporate governance structure following the arrest and ouster of Ghosn last November. It plans to establish three statutory board committees to enhance oversight on audit, executive remuneration and nomination. Ghosn, who faces charges of understating remuneration and misuse of company assets, had effectively handled this aspect as chairman of the board and the company. Ghosn denies all the charges against him. Meanwhile, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire on Tuesday urged Renault to back governance reforms at Nissan, saying it would be a “positive sign” for the future of the alliance between the two carmakers. Le Maire told Europe 1 radio that he hoped that Renault would back the reforms when they come up for a vote at Nissan’s annual shareholders meeting on June 25. Le Maire on Tuesday reiterated that building up the alliance was the state’s priority. “Once the alliance has been reinforced and its solidity is beyond doubt then and only then can we think about consolidation,” he said, referring to the proposed tie-up with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

nissan
carmakers
renault
integration
shareholders
mergers
fiat chrysler


Apple is considering providing aid to struggling Japan Display, WSJ reports

Abstract: NEW YORK - Apple Inc. has shown a willingness to help its cash-strapped supplier Japan Display Inc., The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. While Apple has agreed to loosen the repayment terms for its loans extended to Japan Display, the U.S. tech giant may also consider waiving some of Japan Display’s debt, injecting new cash of up to ¥20 billion ($184 million) and guaranteeing orders to the panel-maker for this year and the following year, the report said, citing comments from people involved in the talks. Such rescue measures were requested of Apple by prospective investors in Japan Display, the newspaper said. Apple has signaled that it could consider the requests, sources were quoted as saying. Japan Display incurred a group net loss for the fifth straight year in fiscal 2018, mainly due to falling demand from Apple, its main client whose orders comprise nearly half of the Japanese manufacturer’s sales. Apple has previously financed Japan Display’s construction of a factory to make liquid crystal display panels for iPhones. The report came as a bailout plan for Japan Display involving a consortium of Chinese and Taiwanese companies has been thrown into doubt. Taiwan’s TPK Holding Co., a maker of touch panels, has walked out of the consortium led by China’s Harvest Tech Investment Management Co., which had agreed to a bailout plan including up to ¥80 billion in financial aid. Japan Display was established in 2012 following the merger of the display operations of Sony Corp., Hitachi Ltd. and Toshiba Corp. with support from state-backed fund INCJ Ltd.

china
u.s .
taiwan
tech
apple
investments
japan display


Survivors recall horror of Congo ethnic attacks

Abstract: BUNIA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO - Machete-wielding attackers descended on Esther Nzale’s village in northeastern Congo eight days ago around noon, setting houses on fire and hacking to death her husband and others. “Some people were burned alive inside the houses,” Nzale said from a camp for displaced persons more than 12 km (8 miles) away. “They killed people with machetes and we don’t even know what they did with the bodies.” Nzale comes from Kpatsi, one of the villages inhabited by Hema herders that was attacked last week by armed men believed to belong to the rival Lendu farming community. Civil society groups said the resurgent violence in Ituri province, long a flash-point for ethnic tensions in Congo’s volatile east, had killed at least 240 people since last week, and they expect the toll to rise. More than 300,000 others have fled their homes, according to the United Nations. The violence has reawakened painful memories of clashes between Hema and Lendu from 1999-2007 that resulted in an estimated 50,000 deaths. Among the causes were disputes over grazing rights and political representation. After that conflict ended, Iturians experienced a decade of relative respite from ethnic violence, though local militias continued to battle government forces and prey on the local population. Fighting between Hema and Lendu flared again in late 2017 and early 2018, killing about 300 people before a fragile calm returned. But last week four Lendu traders were killed in attacks the community blamed on the Hema, which locals say sparked the latest violence. Nzale fled Kpatsi with the surviving members of her family. They found shelter under white and blue tarps in a makeshift camp in Ituri’s capital city, Bunia. In the nearby village of Tche, 161 bodies were found in a single mass grave. “They were all burned down and these hooligans are still there now,” said Etienne Kadho, a 59-year-old who had fled from Malili 2, rattling off a list of five villages that were attacked. “The bodies are lying on the ground and they haven’t even thought of burying them.”


Marijuana use among pregnant women in U.S. doubles to 1 in 14

Abstract: CHICAGO - Pot use in pregnancy has doubled among U.S. women and is most common during the first trimester, government research shows. Overall, 7 percent of pregnant women, or 1 in 14, said they used marijuana in the past month. That’s from a nationally representative health survey in 2016-17 and compares with a little over 3 percent in 2002-03. Some studies have linked marijuana use during pregnancy with increased chances of premature birth and low birthweight. Animal studies have linked high doses early in pregnancy with fetal brain abnormalities, but whether typical use in humans poses similar risks is unknown, said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Because we don’t know exactly how harmful it is, it’s better to err on the side of caution,” said Volkow, one of the authors of the government study. Marijuana use during pregnancy “is not worth the risk,” she said Tuesday. The study was presented at a medical meeting Tuesday and published online in the Journal of the American Medical Association. First trimester use jumped from almost 6 percent to 12 percent. Many women may have used pot before they learned they were pregnant, or used it to ease morning sickness, although few women said a doctor had recommended it, Volkow said. Among women who weren’t pregnant, the rate of marijuana use increased from almost 7 percent to nearly 12 percent, or 1 in 8. The results are based on health surveys involving nearly half a million U.S. women who were questioned during a period when rising numbers of states legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use. It’s legal in 10 states for both uses but remains illegal federally. A separate study on marijuana use among pregnant Canadian women, published in the same journal, adds to evidence suggesting that pot use in pregnancy may lead to premature birth. A journal editorial notes that like similar previous studies, the Canadian research can’t rule out whether other factors that may have contributed. The editorial warned against relying on imperfect data to make judgments about potential harms from marijuana use and said more rigorous research is needed. Volkow said U.S. government restrictions on marijuana research are “very much an issue” and have hampered efforts to answer fundamental questions about pot use.


Anger in India mounts as lychee-linked brain fever child death toll hits 113

Abstract: BIHAR, INDIA - Ten more children died Tuesday from a mysterious brain fever potentially linked to lychees, officials said, taking the death toll to 113 this month and sparking angry protests in India’s poorest Bihar state. Sixty children, mostly under the age of 10 and malnourished, are undergoing treatment after an outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur district of the eastern state. Bihar health department official Ashok Kumar Singh told AFP that 10 children died on Tuesday, taking the overall death count in June to 113. “Six children were discharged after being treated for AES,” Singh said. He warned that the toll may rise with fresh cases trickling in, as dozens undergo treatment in packed hospital wards. Television images showed several children to a bed. On Tuesday, dozens of people gathered outside the main hospital in Muzaffarpur to accuse local authorities of acting too slowly and of not caring. The state’s health minister came in for particular criticism after asking reporters about the score in India’s cricket match against Pakistan on Sunday during a news conference on the crisis. “Bihar’s Health Minister Mangal Pandey seems more worried about cricket score than the death of children,” tweeted Randeep Surjewala of the opposition Congress party. Rabri Devi, another opposition figure, called the deaths “cold-blooded murder. “Children are dying because of a lack of medicines and treatment,” she tweeted. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Tuesday faced angry protesters as he made his first visit to the state-run Sri Krishna Medical College, where most of the children have died. Reporters were barred from entering the facility, and the families of sick children were kept away from the premises. The disease sets in rapidly and is characterized by plummeting blood sugar, high fever, convulsions and paralysis. It is caused by viruses, bacteria and toxins spread in different ways. Outbreaks have occurred annually during summer months in the same districts since 1995, typically coinciding with the lychee season. Apart from 2014 when a record 357 children died in the state, the annual death toll is usually much lower. Several years ago U.S. researchers said the brain disease could be linked to a toxic substance found in lychees, the tropical fruit. They also said more study was needed to uncover the cause of the illness, known locally as Chamki Bukhar, which is fatal in a third of cases. The National Human Rights Commission has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and Kumar state authorities to report any “possible flaw” in implementation of vaccination and awareness programs. An editorial in the Hindu newspaper Tuesday said the deaths could have “easily been prevented with some foresight and early care. It said in 2014 an Indo-U.S. expert team had saved 74 percent of sick children through a simple medical intervention. “It is appalling that this year the government failed to raise awareness on this strategy.” Bihar is one of India’s poorest states and home to almost 100 million people. It has also been hit by a heatwave in recent weeks with temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) that has left 91 people dead since the weekend. Most of the children affected by the brain fever come from poor families who struggle to get even one healthy meal a day. Often the kids gorge on free-growing lychees on an empty stomach.

india
children
disease
bihar
acute encephalitis syndrome
lychees


Ex-Trump aide Hope Hicks to talk behind closed doors to U.S. House investigators

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Hope Hicks, once a close aide and communications director for President Donald Trump, will become on Wednesday the first member of his inner circle to testify to the congressional panel leading a probe into possible obstruction of justice by Trump. Democrats who control the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee believe Hicks can provide important insights into five episodes of potential obstruction by Trump that were described in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. They also expect Hicks to shed light on alleged hush payments during the campaign to two women who said they had affairs with Trump, including porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump has denied the affairs. Hicks will be the committee’s “first fact witness,” said Jamie Raskin, a Democratic lawmaker on the committee, which is planning for a lengthy inquiry. “Having somebody talking about what happened from a personal perspective will be a dramatic debut for the committee,” Raskin said. Hicks, who was part of Trump’s inner circle during the 2016 campaign and in the first 14 months of his presidency, was subpoenaed to testify and is due to appear at 9 a.m. (1300 GMT) on Wednesday for a closed-door interview that aides said could run well into the evening. The committee will afterward release a transcript of her testimony that is expected to feature prominently in a House Judiciary hearing on Thursday. At that time, lawmakers plan to examine an ABC News interview in which Trump said there would be nothing wrong with accepting damaging information on a U.S. political opponent from a foreign government. Democrats see those comments as an invitation to foreigners to interfere in the 2020 campaign as Trump seeks reelection. Mueller’s 448-page report concluded there was insufficient evidence to establish that the Trump campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Moscow in 2016, despite extensive contacts between the campaign and Russia. It is unclear how helpful Hicks, a 30-year-old public relations consultant, will be, given White House efforts to prevent former Trump aides from cooperating with a string of congressional investigations into Trump. The White House is expected to have at least one lawyer in the room with Hicks on Wednesday. The administration has already directed her not to give the committee any documents pertaining to her White House tenure, which ended in March 2018. But she has handed over documents related to the 2016 campaign, raising expectations she will testify on those topics. Hicks’ attorney did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Democrats want Hicks to discuss a June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower in New York, where the Mueller report said campaign officials, including the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., met with Russians offering “dirt” on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. A key question is whether Trump himself was aware of the meeting at the time. Aides said the committee’s main focus, however, was on alleged obstruction by Trump involving former White House Counsel Don McGahn, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, former FBI Director James Comey and former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The Mueller report described the president’s efforts to impede Mueller’s probe, but stopped short of declaring that he committed a crime. The report recounts how in July 2017, Trump directed Hicks to issue a misleading statement to the press saying only that the Trump Tower meeting had been about Russian adoption. “I would like to know about her involvement in that process and what she personally knew happened,” said Ted Lieu, a Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. “She was involved in that whole chain of events, where the president lied about what actually happened.” Hicks was also present for two separate episodes that Mueller cited as offering relevant evidence of obstruction after Trump took office: his efforts to get Sessions to redirect the Russia probe away from his 2016 election campaign team, and his attempts to persuade McGahn to deny that Trump asked him to remove Mueller. Lawmakers expect Hicks to decline to answer questions on key topics by citing Trump’s executive privilege over the Mueller report. At such points, aides said the committee would try to negotiate an agreement to allow testimony. Experts said lawmakers could also seek a federal court order directing her to testify, an action the full House authorized in a party-line vote last week. House Republicans dismiss the committee probe as political overreach calculated to placate Democratic voters who want Trump impeached. “It just seems like the Democrats are trying to influence the 2020 election and using the committees to do so,” said Debbie Lesko, a Republican on the panel.

u.s .
congress
robert mueller
donald trump
russia probe
hope hicks