¥100 million in old bank notes donated to western Japan prefecture

Abstract: MATSUYAMA, EHIME PREF. - An anonymous donation of around ¥100 million ($900,000) in old bank notes has been delivered to the Ehime Prefectural Government, the prefecture said Thursday. The prefectural government intends to use the money to finance rebuilding efforts to recover from last summer’s heavy rain in the region, Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura said at a news conference. A cardboard box addressed to the governor, containing wads of ¥10,000 bank notes, arrived at the prefectural government office on Jan. 29. In a handwritten letter in the box, the donor asked for the money to be put to good use, according to the prefecture. As some of the faded bank notes are stuck together and difficult to separate, the prefectural government will ask the Bank of Japan to verify their authenticity and replace them with new ones. “We will use it for the welfare of people in the prefecture in accordance with the donor’s wishes,” Nakamura said.


Hiroshima students receive origami crane, a symbol of peace, from Barack Obama

Abstract: HIROSHIMA - Students at the Prefectural University of Hiroshima on Friday said that they have received a paper crane from former U.S. President Barack Obama to complete their senbazuru (1,000 origami cranes) wishing for a peaceful future. Earlier this month, students who are part of the school’s Obama Project visited Washington and met with a staff member of the Obama Foundation in order to hand over a piece of origami paper and a letter asking Obama to visit Hiroshima again. Paper cranes are viewed as a symbol of peace in Hiroshima. The following day they received a paper crane with Obama’s signature and a letter that said: “I am pleased to share the one-thousandth crane with you — a symbol of the limitless potential in each of you and each one of the students who wrote me such thoughtful and inspiring letters.” “Michelle (Obama) and I believe in you, we are rooting for you, and we are counting on you to pick up the baton, continue talking about the tough issues your generation will soon need to get to work on solving, and help lead our world toward our brighter, more beautiful shared future.” Hiromasa Hara, 21, a fourth-generation hibakusha who leads the project, said: “We are happy that Mr. Obama, who always sends powerful messages, has taken an interest in our project. We hope this will offer an opportunity for the rest of the world to learn about Hiroshima.” The 999 paper cranes were made by students in Hiroshima, ranging in age from elementary school pupils to university students. The university will consider how best to preserve the paper cranes and the letter from Obama. Obama visited Hiroshima in May 2016 as the first sitting U.S. president to visit the city, which was hit by an atomic bomb in 1945. He called for the elimination of nuclear weapons in a speech delivered at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, met with three survivors of the bombing and offered four paper cranes.

barack obama
hiroshima
atomic bombing
paper cranes


South Korean lawyers to start sale of Nippon Steel's assets over wartime labor

Abstract: Lawyers representing South Koreans seeking reparations from Japanese steel-maker Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp. over wartime labor issues declared Friday they will soon start the process of liquidating the company’s seized assets. The move came after the lawyers, who are now in Japan, were rebuffed by Nippon Steel when they sought to hold talks on compensation the company has been asked to pay in line with a South Korean top court ruling in October. “It’s regrettable that we could not even see the faces of (Nippon Steel) officials in charge of this matter even though we have made visits three times since last year” to the steel-maker’s headquarters in central Tokyo, said Lim Jae-sung, one of the lawyers. They said they will start the liquidation process as soon as they return to South Korea. The declaration is set to draw a fierce protest from Tokyo, which takes the position that the issue of claims stemming from Japan’s 1910 to 1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula has been settled under a bilateral accord signed alongside a 1965 treaty that established diplomatic ties. The government has called on firms not to agree to compensate the plaintiffs, while requesting that Seoul come up with measures to protect the business activities of Japanese companies in South Korea and launch consultations to resolve the issue. On Thursday, top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga expressed grave concerns over the plan to liquidate the seized assets of the steel-maker. “We take the situation extremely seriously as the plaintiffs’ move advances while the South Korean government has still not taken concrete steps to correct the state of violating the bilateral accord,” Suga said at a news conference in Tokyo. South Korean courts have in recent months granted compensation to plaintiffs in wartime forced labor cases involving Japanese firms. In Nippon Steel’s case, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that ordered the company to pay four South Koreans 100 million won (¥9.76 million; $88,600) each. In the wake of the ruling the plaintiffs moved to seize the company’s assets in South Korea, leading a court to approve the seizure of shares it held in a joint venture with South Korean steel-maker Posco.

wwii
history
nippon steel & sumitomo metal
south korea-japan relations


Activists file suit to stop dolphin hunting in Taiji

Abstract: Environmental campaigners have filed an unprecedented lawsuit in a bid to halt the so-called drive hunting of dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, arguing that the practice is cruel and illegal. In drive hunting, fishermen force dolphins into a cove by beating on boats to disorient them. The panicked animals often get tangled in nets, suffocate and drown. Activists say some dolphins smash into rocks and die of injuries, while others are killed by fishermen who thrust a long metal rod repeatedly into the part of the body just behind the blowhole to damage the spinal cord. In the suit filed last week, the plaintiffs are demanding the governor of Wakayama Prefecture revoke a three-year drive hunting permit in the port town of Taiji. The lawsuit is the first-ever legal challenge to the hunt in Taiji, according to a lawyer involved in the filing. The practice was filmed in the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove,” which sparked controversy when it placed the annual hunt into the global spotlight. Many in Japan felt the film unfairly targeted the town’s fishing community, but others were horrified by the disturbing footage. The drive hunting of dolphins is conducted every year in Taiji for about six months starting in September. According to prefectural police, a total of roughly 600 protesters opposed to the hunting of dolphins and whales have visited the town over the five years since fiscal 2013. The lawsuit argues that the hunting method violates Japan’s animal welfare act, which stipulates that animals shall not be abused or killed unnecessarily and that — when they must be killed — their pain must be minimized. “Many Japanese see dolphins as fish and mistakenly believe the animal welfare act does not apply to them,” said Ren Yabuki, head of Life Investigation Agency, an environmental nongovernmental agency based in Nagano Prefecture, who brought the action along with a Taiji resident who asked for anonymity. “I’ve seen many times that half-killed dolphins are taken away on small boats, thrashing about in pain,” Yabuki said, adding it can take 10 or 20 minutes, or even longer, for the animals to die. The suit challenges the way the hunt is carried out, rather than all kinds of dolphin hunting. It also claims fishermen are catching more dolphins than is allowed under legal caps. No immediate comment was available from Wakayama officials on the lawsuit. Defenders of the hunt say dolphins are traditionally caught for meat in Japan, that it is an important part of local culture and that dolphins are not endangered. Nowadays, an increasing number of dolphins are being trapped and sold live for aquariums rather than being killed, as demand rises from China or elsewhere, Yabuki said. Japan has strongly defended its hunting of dolphins and whales — a rare example of provocative diplomacy for the country, which has generally pursued an uncontroversial foreign policy since its World War II defeat. It sparked outrage in December when it decided to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission, saying it would return to commercial whaling as part of its cultural heritage.

dolphins
taiji
lawsuit
wakayama
drive hunting
life investigation agency


Man arrested over stabbing of two, said to be former colleagues, near Korakuen Station

Abstract: A 26-year-old man was arrested for allegedly stabbing two people with a knife on a street near Tokyo Metro Co.’s Korakuen Station in the capital’s Bunkyo Ward on Thursday night. The suspect, Takashi Kaneda, was arrested at the scene on attempted murder charges. The victims of the attack, a 66-year-old male company executive and a 58-year-old female office worker, were apparently former colleagues of the assailant. The man suffered serious nonlife-threatening wounds while the woman sustained slight injuries. Kaneda, who is believed to have worked at the same company as the victims several years ago, reportedly told investigators he “held a grudge” against them because he was allegedly “forced to leave the company during a six-month training period.” The scene is near Tokyo Dome and the Bunkyo Ward office. “There was a person lying on the street face up and another person leaning on a handrail,” said Yusuke Yamaguchi, an 18-year-old from Tomi city, in Nagano Prefecture, who witnessed the attack. He was in Tokyo to take his college entrance exam. “Both of them were bleeding, and I saw a man was restrained nearby,” Yamaguchi said.


Japan to recognize indigenous Ainu people for first time

Abstract: The government approved a bill Friday to recognize the country’s ethnic Ainu minority as an “indigenous” people for the first time, after decades of discrimination against the group. The Ainu people — many of whom live in northern Hokkaido — have long suffered the effects of a policy of forced assimilation. While discrimination has receded gradually, income and education gaps with the rest of Japan persist. “It is important to protect the honor and dignity of the Ainu people and to hand those down to the next generation to realize a vibrant society with diverse values,” top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters. “Today we made a Cabinet decision on a bill to proceed with policies to preserve the Ainu people’s pride.” The bill is the first to recognize the Ainu as “indigenous people” and calls for the government to make “forward-looking policies,” including measures to support communities and boost local economies and tourism. Ainu have lived for centuries on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido, as well as nearby areas including Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. They struggled to pass down their language and culture after the Japanese government implemented an assimilation policy beginning in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), as Japan was modernizing. The Ainu traditionally observed an animist faith, with men wearing full beards and women adorning themselves with facial tattoos before marriage. But like many indigenous people around the world, most of Japan’s Ainu have lost touch with their traditional lifestyle after decades of forced assimilation. The Ainu population is estimated to be at least 12,300, according to a 2017 survey, but the real figure is unknown as many have integrated into mainstream society and some have hidden their cultural roots. In 1997, a law was enacted aimed at preserving Ainu culture and guaranteeing their human rights, about 100 years after the government introduced the assimilation policy. It was the first legislation acknowledging the existence of an ethnic minority in Japan, but stopped short of saying the Ainu are indigenous. The new bill states its purpose is to “realize a society where the Ainu people can live with their ethnic pride, which will be respected” by others. The government will subsidize projects aimed at promoting Ainu culture and organized by local municipalities. The law would also simplify procedures for Ainu to get permission from authorities to collect timber from national forests for their rituals, and to catch salmon in rivers in a traditional way. In addition to the new law, the central government also plans to open a national Ainu museum and park in the Hokkaido town of Shiraoi in April 2020. In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a declaration on the rights of indigenous people, asking each country to take legislative steps to protect their rights. Japan was among the countries that supported the declaration. “It is the first step for ensuring equality under the law,” Mikiko Maruko, who represents a group of Ainu people in eastern Japan near Tokyo, said. “There are lots of things to be done, for example, creating a scholarship for families who struggle to send their children to high schools,” she added, a system currently only available to Ainu in Hokkaido. “It is a major step forward on policies towards the Ainu people,” said Masashi Nagaura, chief of the Ainu policy bureau of the Hokkaido Prefectural Government that has spearheaded policies for the ethnic minority.


Cabinet approves limiting health insurance coverage to residents of Japan

Abstract: The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a bill Friday that will make Japan’s health insurance program for employees applicable only to workers and their dependents residing in the country, to prevent abuse by people from overseas. Japan is seeking to revise the system as it prepares to open up and accept more foreign workers from April. The planned revision is aimed at blocking the use of the national health insurance by foreign nationals who have never lived in Japan, including relatives of incoming laborers. The new insurance system is expected to take effect in April 2020, a year after Japan starts accepting more blue-collar workers under a new visa program aimed at tackling labor shortages caused by the rapidly graying population. The employee health insurance system covers workers’ dependents living abroad, but authorities have faced difficulty when checking whether the dependents are actually kin or just people who are financially dependent on the workers. Medical workers have reported cases in which foreign nationals received expensive health care treatments or services while claiming to be family dependents of workers in Japan but were not. In those cases the costs were partially covered by the Japanese insurance system, prompting some conservative lawmakers to call for a revision. As exceptions, the health ministry plans to introduce ordinances to allow health insurance coverage for those temporarily living overseas for study or work, regardless of nationality. The Cabinet also approved a bill to amend legislation so people can present their national My Number ID cards in place of the standard health insurance certificates for the state-run program. Japan plans to introduce the system from March 2021. Through another law revision, the government also aims to link state medical and nursing care databases, and provide anonymized information to users such as research organizations and drugmakers for a fee. In the face of a graying population and falling birthrate, the Diet passed a bill in December to attract foreign workers to labor-hungry sectors including construction, farming and nursing care. It marked a major policy shift for the country, which had effectively granted working visas only to doctors, lawyers and others with professional knowledge and high skills. The number of foreign workers in Japan had tripled over a decade to a record-high 1.46 million as of October, according to the labor ministry. The new visa system allows foreign workers aged 18 or older to apply for two new resident statuses — Type 1 for people who will engage in work that requires a certain level of knowledge and experience, and Type 2 for work that requires higher skill levels. Those with the first type, which is valid for up to five years, will not be allowed to bring family members to Japan. Those with Type 2 status will be allowed to do so, as well as renewing their visas indefinitely. Under the new visa system, Japan will accept up to around 345,000 over the next five years. But it is far from certain that the numbers entering will reach the level desired by the government. For example, the government has said it expects to accept up to 60,000 caregivers over five years — a projection some experts call overly optimistic in the face of competition from other countries, such as Germany, Singapore and the United States, which also have a shortage of care workers. Without taking into consideration the expected influx of foreign workers, a ministry panel forecast that the country’s workforce could drop 20 percent by 2040 from 2017.

foreign workers
health insurance
my number cards


Interpreter for Oita marathon closes blog after calling African athletes 'chimpanzees' in post

Abstract: A woman in her 50s who served as a volunteer interpreter at a marathon in Oita Prefecture has apologized for an online blog post in which she referred to African marathoners under her care as “chimpanzees.” The woman, who volunteered during the Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon on Feb. 3, decided to close the blog after an interview with local newspaper Oita Godo Shimbun on Wednesday, an official of the annual race’s secretariat said Friday. The blog was not her personal one and featured reports on the activities of a sports club to which she belongs, the official said. Organizations involved with the race include Oita Prefecture, the cities of Oita and Beppu, Mainichi Newspapers Co. and Oita Broadcasting System Inc. In an entry published Sunday, the woman said she had difficulty communicating with the African athletes. She then described the situation, writing, “it was as if I was communicating with primitive people,” adding, “the chimpanzees were shy at first but began opening their minds gradually.” The entry carried a picture showing her and the athletes, whose caption billed them as “cute chimpanzees.” The official called the action “truly regrettable and inappropriate.” The Japan Times could not reach the woman for comment. The official quoted her as saying she is sorry for the “discriminatory and rash comments.” To prevent a similar incident, the official said, the secretariat will make staff members aware of their responsibilities when involved in the event through training. It will also instruct them not to upload information about their duties on social media sites without permission. The woman also worked as a volunteer interpreter for last year’s race at the invitation of an event official.

marathon chimpanzees interpreter africans atheletes


Apple iPhone sales in China fell by 20% last quarter as Huawei units surged 23%: IDC

Abstract: SHANGHAI/MUMBAI/BANGALORE, INDIA - Apple Inc. iPhone sales in China fell 20 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter of 2018, while sales for smartphones made by home-grown rival Huawei soared by 23 percent, according to data from industry research firm IDC. It is the first time a firm number has been placed on the scale of Apple’s declining fortunes in the world’s second-largest economy, after Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook pointed to China as a big factor in a rare cut in the company’s quarterly sales forecast last month. Apple no longer breaks out detailed numbers on iPhone shipments in its quarterly results, meaning surveys and channel checks by the likes of IDC are often the clearest indicator of shifts in sales. The figures in the IDC report released Monday showed a 19.9 percent fall in Apple’s smartphone shipments in the final quarter of 2018, while Huawei’s grew 23.3 percent. That reduced Apple’s market share to 11.5 percent from 12.9 percent a year earlier, the report said. “Besides regular performance upgrades in 2018 and small changes to the exterior, there has not been any major innovation that supports users to continue to change their phones at the greatly increased price,” the report said. “The severe macroenvironment in China and the assault of domestic brands’ innovative products have also been reasons for Apple’s continued decline.” A separate report from another common industry source, Hong Kong-based Counterpoint, earlier this month confirmed a similar sharp fall in sales in India — another big emerging market where Apple is struggling. Counterpoint said iPhone sales in the fourth quarter, which includes the Diwali festival when electronics sales are heavy, fell 25 percent on the year, reducing total sales in 2018 to 1.7 million units from 3.2 million a year earlier.

china
smartphones
apple
iphone
tim cook
huawei
idc


Trump wants to meet with Xi 'very soon' over trade war, adviser says

Abstract: WASHINGTON/BEIJING - The Trump administration said the U.S. president still wants to meet China’s Xi Jinping in an effort to end the trade war, a sign of optimism as negotiators from the world’s two biggest economies start their latest round of talks this week. “He wants to meet with President Xi very soon,” White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said Monday on Fox News. “This president wants a deal. He wants it to be fair to Americans and American workers and American interests.” Uncertainty whether the leaders will meet to finalize an agreement has stoked concerns that negotiations are faltering as the March 1 deadline approaches. If there’s no deal by then, President Donald Trump has threatened to more than double the rate of tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports. Negotiators from the two countries are meeting this week in Beijing, with U.S. officials pressing China to commit to deeper reforms to a state-driven economic model that they say hurts American companies. Mid-level officials began discussions Monday in preparation for two days of talks starting Thursday involving U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He. Aides to Trump say this week’s talks are important as they need to demonstrate credible progress to both the president and financial markets. But the two sides are only just starting the work of drafting a common document and are still tussling over how a deal may be enforced, which U.S. officials have repeatedly called a crucial element. As a result, some aides privately acknowledge the most likely scenario is for the March 1 deadline to be extended, and for tariffs on some $200 billion in Chinese imports not to be raised to 25 percent as Trump has threatened. The question they are mulling is how to do that while maintaining pressure on China and the urgency that has accompanied the current discussions. For that reason, some officials are keen for any extension not to be open-ended. They are also eager not to let the timing of a Trump-Xi meeting aimed at closing the deal slip much past the end of March. Trump told reporters in January that he planned to meet Xi in late February, though he backtracked on that last week and said a gathering wouldn’t take place this month. It’s still possible the leaders may get together in March at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, Conway said Monday, when asked about a report from news agency Axios to that effect. The U.S. president has said no deal will be final until he meets with his Chinese counterpart. “He has forged a mutually respectful relationship with President Xi,” Conway said. “They will meet again soon.” The last round of talks in Washington late last month resulted in China importing American soybeans as it implemented promises to buy more U.S. goods. While those purchases will provide relief to U.S. farmers, there has been no breakthrough on the structural issues separating the two nations, such as industrial policy, government subsidies, protection of intellectual property or forced transfers of technology. Facing an economic slowdown at home, the Chinese government has a strong motivation to address American demands and put an end to the trade war. It has fast-tracked approval of a law that would ban theft of intellectual property and forced technology transfers, but the question is how much more it can compromise. With the U.S. now pushing a plan of prioritizing spending on artificial intelligence research, it will be difficult to talk China out of its policies to dominate advanced technologies. And with March 1 approaching, speculation is growing that it will be hard for negotiators to agree to the complete deal Trump demands. “The key is whether the U.S. and China can find common ground,” said He Weiwen, a former commerce ministry official and now a senior fellow at the Center for China and Globalization, an independent research group. “It can’t be ruled out that the U.S. would extend the deadline, but still, it’s too early to predict anything.”

china
u.s .
trade
imf
xi jinping
donald trump


Germany woos U.S. in battle over gas pipeline to Russia opposed by much of Europe

Abstract: BERLIN - Germany will put on a show of unity with the United States in talks this week over importing natural gas, as Berlin battles accusations that a pipeline now under construction will deepen European energy dependence on Russia. Economy Minister Peter Altmaier was scheduled to meet the U.S. deputy energy secretary, Dan Brouillette, Tuesday morning at a conference his ministry is hosting on liquid natural gas. “Germany and the U.S. share an interest in secure and dependable energy supplies,” Altmaier said in a statement Monday. “With LNG we can get gas from even more suppliers and increase our security of supply.” Economy ministry sources said Altmaier will unveil a policy paper proposing regulatory changes to allow easier imports of the gas. LNG as a potential alternative to Russian gas became a hot topic as construction on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline got underway last year. The pipeline will double the capacity of an existing link between Russia and Germany, and combined with the planned Turkstream connection, could remove the need to pump gas to Europe via Ukraine. Kiev fears that eliminating its role as a transit country will expose it to further aggression from Moscow, after Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and backed separatist rebels in Ukraine’s east. Meanwhile, eastern EU member states, including Poland and the Baltic nations, backed by the U.S., have complained the pipeline also undermines their security. “We aren’t fundamentally against Russian gas in Europe. But we’re against too much Russian gas driving our partners into dependency,” U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper. Around 16 of the EU’s 28 member nations share Washington’s fears, he added. Chancellor Angela Merkel has always dismissed such fears, describing Nord Stream 2 as a “purely business” project. On Friday she reiterated that “Germany has the right to secure its energy supply in a diverse way.” “That includes Russian natural gas, but not exclusively. … We’ve made it clear that in (the) future we will land LNG in Germany.” Earlier last week, the intra-EU battle came to a head, when France said it would vote for common oversight of the pipeline — potentially allowing opposing member states to strew obstacles in its path. But Paris agreed at the last minute to leave the responsibility with Germany. A near-unanimous final vote in favor of the compromise revealed “growing displeasure among the EU states over the attempted U.S. influence,” a European diplomat said Friday on condition of anonymity. The Kremlin capitalized on the failure of American lobbying, as spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Washington of “underhanded competition” by trying to encourage Europeans “to buy more expensive American gas.” Altmaier said Monday his meeting with Brouillette was simply an opportunity to “discuss the development of the LNG import market with companies and energy industry federations” from both sides of the Atlantic. “Competitive prices” for gas were a precondition of any import business, he underlined.

energy
gas
russia
germany
lng
eastern europe


Hotel groups hail new offensive on Airbnb in Paris over alleged illegal rentals

Abstract: PARIS - Hotel groups in Paris on Monday hailed a new legal offensive by city authorities against home-sharing group Airbnb, which is being taken to court over illegal rentals. The French government has gradually tightened controls over the San Francisco-based firm, which critics blame for reducing the number of homes available for long-term rent in central areas of Paris and driving up property prices. Under a law passed in 2018, owners are obliged to register their rentals with tax authorities and display their number on their advertisements, while property owners cannot rent them out them for more than 120 days a year in the biggest cities. Paris city authorities filed a legal complaint last Friday demanding a fine of €12.5 million ($14 million) against Airbnb for 1,000 properties without a registration number that were identified by local officials. The National Group of Independent Hotelleries and Restaurants (GNI) and hotel industry lobby group AhTop hailed the move as a “strong signal” to Parisians. “By demanding the payment of €12.5 million, the Paris mayor’s office has underlined its desire to continue the fight against the damaging effects of these platforms,” they said in a statement. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo signaled on Sunday that she intended to take a tough line on the American firm, which is the market leader in online home-sharing. “I don’t have anything against Parisians hiring out their homes for a few days a year to earn a bit of extra money,” she told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper. “The problem is people with multiple properties who rent year-round to tourists without declaring it and the platforms are complicit and welcome them,” she added. Under the 2018 legislation called the “Elan law,” home-sharing platforms are liable for a fine of €12,500 per ad violating the registration requirement. Last September, the Paris city council member in charge of housing said he would seek an outright ban on rentals in the heart of the capital, noting that Airbnb was making the city too expensive for locals. The move to tightly regulate Airbnb echoes actions taken in other tourist hotspots in Europe like Amsterdam, Barcelona, Spain, Berlin and New York. Airbnb is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO) as soon as the middle of this year at a valuation estimated by analysts to be more than $30 billion. The lodging startup last year said its quarterly revenues topped $1 billion for the first time.


EU launches process to suspend Cambodia trade privileges over rights abuses

Abstract: BRUSSELS - The EU launched a process on Monday that could temporarily strip Cambodia of its valuable trade privileges with the bloc over “serious and systematic” rights abuses. Brussels has repeatedly warned Cambodia it risks losing the highly preferential tariff arrangement it enjoys, known as “everything but arms” (EBA), a move that would cripple the country’s billion-dollar garment industry, its largest formal employer. Cambodia’s elections in July, which returned veteran strongman Hun Sen to power, were widely criticized internationally as undemocratic and prompted EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom to announce the start of punitive measures. The European Commission, which manages trade issues as the bloc’s executive arm, said there was “evidence of serious and systematic violations of core human rights and labor rights in Cambodia, in particular of the rights to political participation as well as of the freedoms of assembly, expression and association. Monday’s announcement begins a six-month period of intensive monitoring and after 12 months the commission will decide whether to suspend Cambodia’s EBA deal, which gives duty-free and tariff-free access to the EU market for all products except weapons and ammunition. “It should be clear that today’s move is neither a final decision nor the end of the process. But the clock is now officially ticking and we need to see real action soon,” Malmstrom said in a statement. “When we say that the EU’s trade policy is based on values, these are not just empty words.” In December, Cambodia said banned opposition members may be allowed back into political life and shuttered media outlets could reopen, in an apparent effort to appease EU concerns. Rights groups fear Cambodia is sliding towards authoritarianism with the help of China, which showers the government with loans and infrastructure while asking few questions about how Hun Sen runs the country. The leader has been in power for 33 years using a mix of wily political gambits and networks of alliances in the army and police.

trade
rights
eu
cambodia
hun sen
cecilia malmstrom


SoftBank fund invests $940 million in Silicon Valley startup's self-driving delivery vehicles

Abstract: LOS ANGELES - A Silicon Valley startup working on self-driving delivery vehicles has announced nearly a billion dollars in fresh funding from the SoftBank Vision Fund. The $940 million in financing from SoftBank brought the total amount of funding raised by Nuro to more than $1 billion, with investors including Greylock Partners and Gaorong Capital, the company said Monday. The move comes amid surging interest in robotic delivery among companies ranging from small startups to retail giant Amazon. “We’ve spent the last 2½ years building an amazing team, launching our first unmanned service, working with incredible partners and creating technology to fundamentally improve our daily lives,” Nuro co-founder Dave Ferguson said in a release. “This partnership gives us the opportunity to take the next step in realizing our vision for local commerce and the broad application of our technology.” Last year, Nuro — which includes team members who came from Google, Waymo, Apple, Uber, Tesla and General Motors — began testing its boxy, driverless delivery vehicles in Arizona in a partnership with the large grocery store chain Kroger. The service lets people place online orders and have them delivered by the robotic vehicles, which operate independently by are followed to make sure all goes to plan. “Nuro’s world-class team has successfully scaled their self-driving technology out of the lab and into the streets,” SoftBank Investment Advisers managing partner Michael Ronen said in the release. Nuro planned to use the funding to expand its delivery service to new locations, increase its fleet of vehicles and make new alliances. The SoftBank fund, led by entrepreneur Masayoshi Son, has set a goal of investing at least $100 billion promising new technologies.

softbank
masayoshi son
silicon valley
self-driving
vision fund
nuro


Tokyo stocks rebound sharply on yen's fall

Abstract: Stocks staged a strong rally Tuesday, buoyed by buybacks that swelled in line with the yen’s drop against the dollar. The Nikkei 225 average soared 531.04 points, or 2.61 percent, to end at 20,864.21. On Friday, the key market gauge tumbled 418.11 points. The market was closed Monday for a national holiday. The Topix, which covers all first-section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, ended 33.20 points, or 2.16 percent, higher at 1,572.60. It fell 29.63 points Friday. Repurchases boosted “mainstay stocks of exporters,” said Yoshihiko Tabei, chief analyst at Naito Securities Co. Ryuta Otsuka, strategist at the investment information department of Toyo Securities Co., attributed Tuesday’s surge to buybacks by short-term players after stocks were oversold Friday. Foreign investors hunted major firms that reported brisk earnings Friday, according to an official of a bank-linked securities firm. Investor sentiment was also buoyed by a media report that U.S. lawmakers struck a tentative agreement to avert another federal government shutdown, brokers said. Winners overwhelmed losers 1,791 to 301 in the first section, while 35 issues were unchanged. Volume edged down to 1.460 billion shares from 1.463 billion Friday. Chipmaker Renesas Electronics closed 16.26 percent higher with a daily-limit gain as its consolidated operating profit for the year ended in December beat market expectations, brokers said. Automakers such as Toyota, Mazda and Subaru were upbeat on the yen’s depreciation, according to market sources. Other major winners included air conditioner manufacturer Daikin and clothing store chain operator Fast Retailing. By contrast, Shiseido ended 1.50 percent lower as the cosmetics maker’s consolidated operating profit forecast for the year ending next December fell short of market consensus, brokers said. Also on the minus side were Takeda Pharmaceutical and oil company JXTG.

stocks
nikkei
tokyo stock exchange
topix


Dollar stronger above ¥110.60 in late Tokyo trading

Abstract: The dollar was stronger above ¥110.60 in Tokyo trading late Tuesday, supported mainly by higher Japanese share prices. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥110.61-61, up from ¥109.74-74 at the same time Friday. The Tokyo currency market was closed Monday for a national holiday. The euro was at $1.1284-1285, down from $1.1338-1338, and at ¥124.83-83, up from ¥124.45-45. The U.S. currency also got a boost from a rise in long-term U.S. interest rates. It briefly lost ground on the Bank of Japan’s decision to reduce its purchase amount of outstanding Japanese government bonds but bounced back later. Other dollar-bullish factors included news reports that U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, will hold telephone talks before a March 1 deadline for a trade deal and that U.S. lawmakers reached a basic agreement to avert another federal government shutdown, according to a currency broker. “A risk-averse mood receded, and dollar purchases and yen selling were promoted,” the currency broker said. But the broker added that the dollar “may fall below ¥110 again,” depending of the results of U.S.-China trade talks this week. In late hours, the dollar’s topside versus the yen grew heavy as currency market players retreated to the sidelines to see the course of the U.S.-China trade talks, traders said.


Nissan CEO Saikawa and new Renault chief Senard to discuss post-Ghosn alliance in Japan this week

Abstract: Nissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa said Tuesday he plans to meet the new Renault SA chairman in Japan soon, with the focus of the talks apparently to be on the future of the alliance following the arrest of the two carmakers’ former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. The talks between Saikawa and Jean-Dominique Senard, who will be making his first visit to Japan since being appointed Renault chairman in late January, will be held Thursday and Friday, according to a source close to the matter. “I’ve been hoping for an early visit by him. It is good that it will likely be realized. I hope he will become well-acquainted with (Renault’s) relationship with Nissan and with our members at Nissan,” Saikawa told reporters in Tokyo. The automakers have been working on a management revamp nearly three months after their former boss Ghosn was arrested in Japan over alleged financial misconduct at Nissan. He was dismissed as chairman by Nissan in November and resigned as Renault chairman in late January. Nissan intends to appoint Senard as a new member of the board at an extraordinary shareholders meeting April 8. But tensions remain between the two automakers over who will be the new chairman at Nissan or who will lead the alliance, which, with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. as a third partner, has become the world’s second-largest car group. The French government, the top shareholder in Renault, apparently wants to secure influence over Nissan by having Senard become its chairman. Nissan has been reluctant to move quickly on the issue, saying it wants to make a decision based on proposals to be compiled by a committee on enhancing corporate governance by the end of March. Saikawa has been critical of the concentration of power under Ghosn, who led the automaker for nearly two decades. Ghosn’s arrest by Japanese prosecutors in mid-November has fueled speculation that the structure of the three-way alliance may be reviewed. Renault holds a 43.4 percent stake in Nissan with voting rights. But some Nissan executives feel that the structure of the alliance is unfair, given that the Japanese automaker holds only a 15 percent stake in Renault without voting rights but now contributes about half of its net profit.

nissan
carmakers
renault
carlos ghosn
hiroto saikawa
jean-dominique senard


Japan Display may receive ¥80 billion bailout from China-Taiwan group

Abstract: Japan Display Inc. is planning to receive a bailout of up to ¥80 billion ($724 million) from a group of Chinese and Taiwanese companies in a bid to improve its competitiveness against South Korean rivals, sources close to the matter said Tuesday. The group, including China’s state-owned Silk Road Fund and Taiwan’s TPK Holding Co., which supplies touch panels for smartphones, is planning to own 30 to 50 percent of Japan Display, an Apple Inc. supplier, the sources said. The two sides are still in discussions and aiming to reach an agreement by the end of March, according to the sources. Japan Display intends to limit the group’s ownership to around 30 percent of shares but the group is hoping to obtain a majority stake, the sources said. Japanese electronics makers have been facing fierce competition from South Korean rivals such as Samsung Electronics Co. in developing advanced display panels. Japan Display has been making turnaround efforts with the help of Japanese government-backed fund INCJ Ltd., its biggest shareholder, with a 25.3 percent stake. But it expects to book a net loss for the fifth consecutive year, due partly to slowing sales of display panels for Apple products.

smartphones
apple
iphone
japan display inc .


Nissan reports Carlos Ghosn's alleged ¥9.2 billion in understated income on firm's earnings statement

Abstract: YOKOHAMA - Nissan Motor Co. recorded ¥9.2 billion in its latest earnings statement, issued Tuesday, that ousted Chairman Carlos Ghosn had allegedly failed to report as his income. The automaker also slashed its full-year profit forecasts amid sluggish demand in the North America market and other markets worldwide. Nissan now expects its operating profit to fall to ¥450 billion, down 21.7 percent from the previous year, and its net profit to ¥410 billion, 45.1 percent lower from a year earlier. Ghosn has claimed that he never received undisclosed incomes and that he had no binding agreement with Nissan regarding the ¥9.2 billion payment, which he was apparently going to receive after his retirement. He also said the matter related to his post-retirement allowance was checked by lawyers, stressing that he had no intention of performing an unlawful act. The ¥9.2 billion, which was posted as “salary and allowance,” is a “conservative estimate” and not a finalized figure, as the investigation is still ongoing, Hiroshi Karube, Nissan’s chief financial officer, said during a news conference at the firm’s headquarters in Yokohama. Asked whether Nissan plans to pay Ghosn the income, President and CEO Hiroto Saikawa said that is undecided but added that he personally doesn’t think it will happen. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office arrested Ghosn, often credited with saving Nissan after he came to lead the firm in 1999, and his aide Greg Kelly, a former representative at the firm, in November on suspicion of underreporting some ¥5 billion of Ghosn’s ¥10 billion salary between 2010 and 2015. The prosecutors subsequently arrested him again for allegedly understating about ¥4.2 billion between April 2015 and March 2018, bringing the total in allegedly unreported income to about ¥9.2 billion. This was the first earnings report since Ghosn’s arrest. As for the April-December earnings, although sales increased to ¥8.57 trillion — from ¥8.52 trillion in the same period the previous year — the nine-month operating profit fell 13.9 percent to ¥313.7 billion. Net profit plunged 45.2 percent to ¥316.7 billion. Factors for the slump included weak sales in North America and Europe, where unit sales were down 8.4 percent and 15.8 percent, respectively. Saikawa said the firm failed to meet its business goals in the October-December period, which led to downward revision of the full-year forecast. He added that it would be unrealistic to expect everything to be recovered in the final quarter. The partnership with Renault SA has been going through a challenging period due to the allegations against Ghosn, but Saikawa said he seeks to build a relationship of trust with new Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard, who is scheduled to visit Japan this week.

scandals
nissan
carmakers
renault
carlos ghosn


Fleeing Islamic State bastion, French women say more foreigners are still trapped inside

Abstract: NEAR BAGHOUZ, SYRIA - Two French women who fled the Islamic State group’s last pocket in Syria told AFP on Monday more foreigners were trapped inside, barred from leaving by Iraqi jihadis. The Muslim converts said they paid smugglers to take them out of the battered IS-held holdout of Baghouz to territory held by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. They said “massacres” had taken place in Baghouz, where others are still trapped with “nothing to eat. “There are many French, many muhajireen (foreign women who joined IS) and others who are trying to leave but they (IS) don’t let us,” said one. “They said only the Syrians and Iraqis can be smuggled out,” said the woman, who said her first name was Christelle, from the city of Bordeaux. She spoke to AFP from the back of a pickup truck packed with women and wailing children who would be taken to Kurdish-run prison camps in northern Syria. Her two children, 1 and 3, were lying on her lap, but she said her husband had died. “What do I ask the French government? Just let me keep my kids. I just want my kids,” she said. France has said it is considering repatriating around 130 of its nationals currently held by Kurdish authorities in Syria, but Christelle was not keen to go home. “I would prefer to return to a different country where there is more Islam. We can’t practise our religion (fully) in France,” she said. Like everyone else in the truck, Christelle kept her black veil on but her skeletal, dirty hands were visible. She wore a cheap-looking silver ring. She told AFP that she converted to Islam and entered Syria in 2014 “for religion. Initially happy under the group, she now felt “tricked. “Propaganda. ‘Come to us, look at this beautiful life.’ We were robbed,” she said. “Of course we regret it. We lost everything by coming here,” she said, adding sourly of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: “His family isn’t being massacred in there.” She said she had never seen Baghdadi or senior French jihadis Jean-Michel and Fabien Clain, all of whom are still at large. But, she claimed, the group’s Iraqi leadership “left a long time ago. “Daesh is Iraqis. It’s not an Islamic state, it’s an Iraqi state,” she said, using a Arabic acronym for IS. A second French woman who escaped and was aboard the same truck said she also hoped to keep her two remaining children with her — but not necessarily in France. “They don’t let us live our religion (to the full) in France. We have no rights. You cannot wear the niqab,” she said of the full veil. She kept hers on during the interview, with only her pale blue eyes visible. Also a Muslim convert, she said she left France in 2012 because of pressure by French authorities to assimilate or leave. “So we left,” she said frankly. About 10 other trucks packed with fleeing civilians were parked on a plain outside of Baghouz. Locals driving the trucks said a total of 18 foreigners were among the dozens of civilians there on Monday, including Russians, Turks, and Ukrainians. Journalists clamored over the edges of the trucks to find non-Arabs among the fleeing civilians, shouting “France? France?” Closer to the front, coalition troops were seen standing over about two dozen men who were suspected IS fighters.

conflict
terrorism
syria
islam
iraq
islamic state
syrian democratic forces


E-cigarette use 'skyrocketing' among young Americans, says U.S. health agency

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The number of young Americans using e-cigarettes grew by 1.5 million in 2018, undermining years of progress in reducing youth smoking, health authorities said Monday. Some 3.6 million junior high and high school students were current users of vaping products, up from 2.1 million the year before, while the number of cigarette smokers and consumption of other tobacco products remained stable, according to the report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A current user is defined as a person who has used a product in the past 30 days. “The skyrocketing growth of young people’s e-cigarette use over the past year threatens to erase progress made in reducing youth tobacco use,” said CDC Director Robert Redfield. “It’s putting a new generation at risk for nicotine addiction.” Authorities have tightened regulations, with market leader Juul in particular coming under particular scrutiny. “All policy options are on the table,” warned Mitch Zeller, director of the Center for Tobacco Products at the Food and Drug Administration, which regulates vaping and in November restricted the sale of certain flavors such as fruit and chewing-gum. Vaping began to take off among young Americans in the 2010s, and overtook cigarette smoking in 2014. While the number of middle and high school cigarette smokers has been falling steadily since 2011, the number of vapers in that group has increased dramatically, from 1.5 percent then to 20.8 in 2018. The survey estimates 4.9 percent of college students vape. The U.S. categorizes e-cigarettes as tobacco products, a definition not shared by all countries.

u.s .
children
health
teens
e-cigarettes
tobacco
vaping


Earth's earliest mobile organisms lived 2.1 billion years ago, Gabon shale fossils indicate

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered in 2.1-billion-year-old black shale from a quarry in Gabon the earliest evidence of a revolutionary development in the history of life on Earth, the ability of organisms to move from one place to another on their own. The researchers on Monday described exquisitely preserved fossils of small tubular structures created when unknown organisms moved through soft mud in search of food in a calm and shallow marine ecosystem. The fossils dated back to a time when Earth was oxygen-rich and boasted conditions conducive to simple cellular life evolving more complexity, they said. Life emerged in Earth’s seas as single-celled bacterial organisms perhaps 4 billion years ago, but the earliest life forms lacked the ability to move independently, called motility. The Gabon fossils are roughly 1.5 billion years older than the previous earliest evidence of motility and appearance of animal life. The Gabonese shale deposits have been a treasure trove, also containing fossils of the oldest-known multicellular organisms. “What matters here is their astonishing complexity and diversity in shape and size, and likely in terms of metabolic, developmental and behavioral patterns, including the just-discovered earliest evidence of motility, at least for certain among them,” said paleobiogeochemist and sedimentologist Abderrazak El Albani of the University of Poitiers in France. The identity of these pioneering mobile organisms remains mysterious. The fossils did not include the organisms themselves. The tubular structures, up to 6.7 inches (170 mm long), originally were made of organic matter, perhaps mucus strands left by organisms moving through mud. The researchers said the structures may have been created by a multicellular organism or an aggregation of single-celled organisms akin to the slug-like organism formed when certain amoebas cluster together in lean times to move collectively to find a more hospitable environment. “Life during the so-called Paleoproterozoic Era, 2.5 to 1.6 billion years ago, was not only bacterial, but more complex organisms had emerged at some point, likely only during some phases and under certain environmental circumstances,” El Albani said. In comparison, the first vertebrates appeared about 525 million years ago, dinosaurs about 230 million years ago and Homo sapiens about 300,000 years ago. The evolutionary experimentation with motility may have encountered a setback relatively soon after the Gabon organisms lived because of a dramatic drop in atmospheric oxygen 2.08 billion years ago. The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

france history archaeology fossils gabon


Global 'catastrophic collapse' of insects threatening pollination and food chains: study

Abstract: PARIS - Nearly half of all insect species worldwide are in rapid decline and a third could disappear altogether, according to a study warning of dire consequences for crop pollination and natural food chains. “Unless we change our way of producing food, insects as a whole will go down the path of extinction in a few decades,” concluded the peer-reviewed study, which is set for publication in April. The recent decline in bugs that fly, crawl, burrow and skitter across still water is part of a gathering “mass extinction,” only the sixth in the last half-billion years. “We are witnessing the largest extinction event on Earth since the late Permian and Cretaceous periods,” the authors noted. The Permian endgame 252 million years ago snuffed out more than 90 percent of the planet’s life forms, while the abrupt finale of the Cretaceous 66 million years ago saw the demise of land dinosaurs. “We estimate the current proportion of insect species in decline — 41 percent — to be twice as high as that of vertebrates,” Francisco Sanchez-Bayo of the University of Sydney and Kris Wyckhuys of the University of Queensland in Australia reported. “At present, a third of all insect species are threatened with extinction.” An additional 1 percent join their ranks every year, they estimated. Insect biomass — sheer collective weight — is declining annually by about 2.5 percent worldwide. “Only decisive action can avert a catastrophic collapse of nature’s ecosystems,” the authors cautioned. Restoring wilderness areas and a drastic reduction in the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizer are likely the best way to slow the insect loss, they said. The study, to be published in the journal Biological Conservation, pulled together data from more than 70 data sets from across the globe, some dating back more than a century. By a large margin, habitat change — deforestation, urbanization, conversion to farmland — emerged as the biggest cause of insect decline and extinction threat. Next was pollution and the widespread use of pesticides in commercial agriculture. The recent collapse, for example, of many bird species in France was traced to the use insecticides on industrial crops such as wheat, barley, corn and wine grapes. “There are hardly any insects left — that’s the number one problem,” said Vincent Bretagnolle, an ecologist at Centre for Biological Studies. Experts estimate that flying insects across Europe have declined 80 percent on average, causing bird populations to drop by more than 400 million in three decades. Only a few species of insects — mainly in the tropics — are thought to have suffered due to climate change, while some in northern climes have expanded their range as temperatures warm. In the long run, however, scientists fear that global warming could become another major driver of insect demise. Up to now, rising concern about biodiversity loss has mostly focused on big mammals, birds and amphibians. But insects comprise about two-thirds of all terrestrial species, and have been the foundation of key ecosystems since emerging almost 400 million years ago. “The essential role that insects play as food items of many vertebrates is often forgotten,” the researchers said. Moles, hedgehogs, anteaters, lizards, amphibians, most bats, many birds and fish all feed on insects or depend on them for rearing their offspring. Other insects filling the void left by declining species probably cannot compensate for the sharp drop in biomass, the study said. Insects are also the world’s top pollinators — 75 percent of 115 top global food crops depend on animal pollination, including cocoa, coffee, almonds and cherries. One in six species of bees have gone regionally extinct somewhere in the world. Dung beetles in the Mediterranean basin have also been hit particularly hard, with more than 60 percent of species fading in numbers. The pace of insect decline appears to be the same in tropical and temperate climates, though there is far more data from North America and Europe than the rest of the world. Britain has seen a measurable decline across 60 percent of its large insect groups, or taxa, followed by North America (51 percent) and Europe as a whole (44 percent).

global warming
pesticides
insects
insecticides
pollination
food chains


Mike Pompeo says U.S. is 'not covering up' Saudi slaying of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

Abstract: BUDAPEST - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday denied Washington was “covering up” the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and promised further action. “America is not covering up for a murder,” Pompeo told reporters in Budapest when asked about criticism by a senior Democrat. The remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump missed a deadline set by Congress to reply by Friday on whether Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of the Washington Post contributor. Pompeo said that Trump’s administration was “working diligently” on its investigation. “The president has been very clear — couldn’t be more clear — as we get additional information, we will continue to hold all of those responsible accountable,” he said. Khashoggi, who lived in the United States, was strangled and dismembered in October after entering the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul to take care of paperwork for his marriage, according to officials. Trump said nothing on the congressional deadline, while congressional aides said Pompeo had sent them a letter in which he outlined actions over the killing. The administration revoked the visas of nearly two dozen Saudi officials and froze the assets of 17 others. But Trump has openly said that he does not care if Prince Mohammed was responsible for the killing as Saudi Arabia buys weapons from the United States and shares his hard line on Iran.

u.s .
murder
saudi arabia
turkey
donald trump
mike pompeo
mohammed bin salman
jamal khashoggi


Russia and Turkey agree on decisive action in Syria's Idlib, news agency RIA reports

Abstract: MOSCOW - Russia and Turkey agreed on Monday that they needed to take decisive measures to stabilize the situation in Syria’s Idlib province after talks between the two country’s defense ministers, Russia’s RIA news agency reported. The announcement, made after talks between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar in Ankara and outlined in a joint statement, did not specify what the decisive measures would be or when they might be taken. The statement was released ahead of a Syrian summit between the leaders of Turkey, Russia and Iran in Russia on Thursday. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier this year said Moscow had floated the idea of Russia and Turkey mounting a joint operation to push militants out of Idlib, but did not say how Ankara felt about the idea. Monday’s statement, as reported by RIA, spoke of “the need in particular to take decisive measures to ensure security in the Idlib demilitarized zone.” “Despite provocations, we underlined the importance and need to continue partnerships between our two countries’ intelligence and military forces to establish peace and to support stability in Idlib,” it said. Russia, one of the Syrian government’s staunchest allies, and Turkey brokered a deal in September to create a demilitarized zone in the northwest Idlib region that would be free of all heavy weapons and jihadi fighters. The deal helped avert a government assault on the region, the last major bastion of opponents of President Bashar Assad. However, Moscow has complained about escalating violence in the area and said that militants who used to belong to the Nusra Front group are in control of large swaths of territory. Moscow last week called on Turkey to do more to tackle militants there.

conflict
russia
syria
turkey
bashar assad
nusra front
idlib


U.S. Democratic Muslim lawmaker Illhan Omar's tweet draws anti-Semitism charges and apology

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Freshman Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar “unequivocally” apologized Monday for tweets suggesting that members of Congress support Israel because they are being paid to do so, which drew bipartisan criticism and a rebuke from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Minnesota Democrat said she had no intention offending anyone, including Jewish Americans. “We have to always be willing to step back and think through criticism, just as I expect people to hear me when others attack me about my identity,” Omar tweeted. “This is why I unequivocally apologize.” The statement was the latest reckoning among Democrats of intense differences in their ranks over the U.S.-Israeli relationship, highlighted by criticism from Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. They are the first Muslim women to serve in Congress. Pelosi and other Democrats, including leaders and chairmen, laid down a marker making clear that Omar had overstepped. In a pair of tweets over the weekend, Omar criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” she wrote, invoking slang about $100 bills. Asked on Twitter who she thought was paying members of Congress to support Israel, Omar responded, “AIPAC!” That sparked Pelosi’s first public rebuke of a freshman lawmaker who had helped flip the House from Republican control and is part of a record number of women in Congress. “Congresswoman Omar’s use of anti-Semitic tropes and prejudicial accusations about Israel’s supporters is deeply offensive,” Pelosi said in a statement issued by her office and signed by other Democratic leaders after a bipartisan backlash against the Minnesota Democrat. “We condemn these remarks, and we call upon Congresswoman Omar to immediately apologize for these hurtful comments.” It also was a stark exposure of an increasingly tense split among Democrats over U.S.-Israeli policy ahead of the 2020 elections. None of the Democratic presidential hopefuls weighed in publicly as their party’s House leaders chastised Omar. Omar’s fellow freshmen felt the strain. Some, such as Jewish Reps. Elaine Luria of Virginia and Max Rose of New York, explicitly denounced her remarks. But Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., refused to condemn them, saying they referred to money in politics and “not anything else.” Senior Democrats dealt the new lawmaker a swift schooling. “There is an expectation of leaders — particularly those with a demonstrated commitment to the cause of justice and equality — that they would be extremely careful not to tread into the waters of anti-Semitism or any other form of prejudice or hate,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York said in a statement. “Rep. Omar failed that test of leadership with these comments.” Republicans called on Democrats to strip Omar of her seat on the House Foreign Relations Committee, but Chairman Eliot Engel stopped just short of that. He said in a statement that he expects his committee members to discuss policies on merits. And though he did not name Omar, he left little doubt that his statement was a response to her tweets. “It’s shocking to hear a Member of Congress invoke the anti-Semitic trope of ‘Jewish money,'” Engel said. AIPAC is a nonprofit organization that works to influence U.S. policy toward Israel. While it is barred from directly donating to candidates, it encourages its more than 100,000 members to do so and to be politically active. One way the organization has made a mark on Congress is through expense-paid junkets to Israel, which are paid for by an affiliated nonprofit that does not have to disclose its donors. The popular weeklong excursions for members of Congress, their families and some senior staff can cost upward of $12,000 per person and are intended to “educate political leaders and influencers about the importance of the U.S. — Israel relationship through firsthand experiences.” The nonprofit responded Sunday night: “We are proud that we are engaged in the democratic process to strengthen the US-Israel relationship. Our bipartisan efforts are reflective of American values and interests. We will not be deterred in any way by ill-informed and illegitimate attacks on this important work.” Omar supports a movement known as BDS, for “boycott, divestment and sanctions” aimed at Israel. And it’s not the first time she’s fought accusations of anti-Semitism. She insists her rejection of the Israeli government refers to its stance toward Palestinians and is not directed at Jewish people. Omar has expressed regret for tweeting in 2012: “Israel has hypnotized the world, may Allah awaken the people and help them see the evil doings of Israel.” She said the statement came in the context of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. “It’s now apparent to me that I spent lots of energy putting my 2012 tweet in context and little energy in disavowing the anti-Semitic trope I unknowingly used, which is unfortunate and offensive,” she tweeted last month. The controversy over Omar’s remarks stretched beyond Capitol Hill to the crowded Democratic presidential race. Less than a week earlier, all but one high-profile Democratic senator eyeing the White House in 2020 voted against a Middle East policy measure that included a provision cracking down on BDS activism against the Israeli government. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar supported the Middle East bill, while her potential presidential rivals — Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sherrod Brown of Ohio — all opposed it. Several of those Democrats had raised concerns that the bill’s bid to rein in anti-Israel boycott efforts risked violating the constitutional rights of activists, although all the senators are opposed to the Palestinian-led push itself. Among the yellow notes of support posted on Omar’s office nameplate on Capitol Hill Monday was one that read, “Mazel Tov.”

religion
u.s .
congress
israel
anti-semitism
democrats
aipac
illhan omar


Venezuela opposition envoys visit Vatican, as Holy See pushes Guaido's cause with divided Italy

Abstract: VATICAN, CITY/CARACAS - Envoys for Venezuela’s self-declared caretaker leader, Juan Guaido, met Vatican officials and lobbied the Italian government for support on Monday in their quest to keep international pressure on socialist President Nicolas Maduro. The Vatican, which has offered to mediate, called for respect for rights and avoidance of bloodshed after Guaido’s bid to end two decades of increasingly authoritarian leftist rule in the volatile OPEC member nation of 30 million people. Members of the Vatican Secretariat of State met a delegation including Francisco Sucre, president of the foreign affairs commission of Venezuela’s National Assembly, and Antonio Ledezma, former mayor of Caracas. They also met Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini. “We’re in Italy to seek more support for our President @jguaido,” tweeted Ledezma. “We’re doing well, but we need to finish this with victory.” The Vatican “underscored the deep concern that a just and peaceful solution could be found urgently to overcome the crisis while respecting human rights, seeking the good of all the country’s people and avoiding bloodshed,” it said in a statement. Pope Francis has said the Vatican could mediate if both sides asked. Maduro wants that, but Venezuela’s opposition is skeptical, given past dialogue failures, and Guaido says the starting point for any talks must be Maduro’s exit. Venezuela’s opposition regards Maduro as an incompetent dictator who has wrecked their economy and crushed dissent, while he calls them puppets of Washington seeking a coup in order to control the nation’s vast oil reserves. Rank-and-file opposition supporters, though often Roman Catholics, are suspicious of the Vatican given its support of past talks that have enabled Maduro to win time and survive various waves of protests. Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin calls the Holy See’s stance “positive neutrality,” saying it has to stay above both sides if it is to help. The Venezuela conflict has fed into a wider geopolitical struggle. Along with U.S. President Donald Trump, numerous Latin American and European nations have recognized Guaido as interim president and backed his calls for a new, free election. But other powers, including Russia and China, which have billions of dollars invested and loaned to Caracas, have denounced outside interference and backed Maduro. Breaking the unity of other major European countries, Italy’s coalition government is divided over Venezuela. Salvini, far-right leader of the Northern League party and also interior minister, favors recognizing Guaido, but its coalition partner, the 5-Star Movement, believes that is a bad precedent. Salvini telephoned Guaido while the Venezuelan delegation was visiting him, stressing his opposition to Maduro and support for a new vote, his office said. Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s opposition-led National Assembly, invoked a constitutional provision last month to declare himself president. As well as the Vatican, Norway, another traditional international mediator, has also offered to help with dialogue.

u.s .
venezuela
vatican
nicolas maduro
pope francis
donald trump
matteo salvini
juan guaido


Desperate Venezuelan migrants turn to Colombia coca plantations

Abstract: PACELLI, COLOMBIA - They were once manual laborers, taxi drivers, fishermen and merchants. But Venezuelan migrants fleeing poverty and shortages of basic necessities have been forced into new work: picking coca leaves for Colombia’s drug traffickers. Hundreds of Venezuelans work grueling days on coca leaf plantations, seduced by better pay despite harsh conditions, painful labor — and uneasiness about contributing to illegal cocaine production. “The problem is the hands,” said 23-year-old Eduar, who wanted to hide his true identity for fear of repercussions back home. “When you grab the bush, they bleed,” he said, showing his blistered hands wrapped in cloth for protection. “After this you’re afraid and don’t want to do it again.” Like the other Venezuelans working here, Eduar never imagined he would end up working for the narcos. A father of two young children, he came here two years ago, giving up his job as a motorcycle taxi driver after Venezuela’s hyperinflation — which hit an estimated 1.3 million percent last year — devoured his savings. Leaving central Venezuela, he arrived in Colombia’s Catatumbo border region where initially he worked as a builder. That was less exhausting and painful than the 10-hour days he now spends bent over coca plants, his shirt soaked in sweat and sporting a wide-brimmed hat, come rain or beating sun. He cannot stand the heat on his feet, so he takes off his shoes and rubs his threadbare socks with coca leaves. But nonetheless, as a coca leaf picker he earns $144 a month — three times more than he did in construction. Like all the Venezuelan migrants, he keeps just enough to live on and sends the rest to his family back home. It used to be only Colombians who came to Catatumbo, a region infested with armed groups and home since 2017 to 16.5 percent of the country’s illegal coca plantations. Since 2016, they’ve had to vie for work with Venezuelans. An oil region rich in carbon, it’s a dangerous place to work. Rivers of blood have flowed due to the multifaceted armed conflict pitting leftist guerrillas, drug traffickers, paramilitaries and the armed forces against each other. Eduar did not know what he was letting himself in for. Another Venezuelan, Naikelly Delgado, 36, arrived in the small town of Pacelli with her sister in 2016. She used to work in the petrochemical industry and initially found employment as a cook, but ended up in the plantations to earn more money. After her first day of work, she couldn’t even wash her clothes. Her hands were “covered with a fungal infection, the skin was discolored,” she said, adding that she felt guilty “contributing to evil” and asked God for forgiveness. Endy Fernandez, 36, sold milk products and worked as a builder in Venezuela before taking to the road in 2017, crossing the border and walking 16 hours to reach Pacelli. “I didn’t know what the (coca) plant looked like, what color it was or how big it was,” he said. He climbed to the top of a mountain where he was given his equipment, a bag to strap to his waist and strips of cloth to protect his hands. Missing their families back home and suffering physically at work, disdain for Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro is growing among the plantation workers. Although those who shared their experiences said they previously supported Maduro’s socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez, they now want Maduro out. “We wouldn’t have needed to leave the country, leave behind family, if they hadn’t made us broke,” said Fernandez. “We’re desperate … for something to happen or for there to be a coup d’etat.” Pacelli, a small town of just 3,200 inhabitants, has already seen its numbers swell by 1,000 Venezuelans since 2016. The majority end up working in plantations in place of locals, said community leader Gerson Villamizar. “On the whole, Venezuelans work and send home money,” he said. “So the money doesn’t circulate (here) and that has a negative impact, especially for shopkeepers.” Those who come have to abide by strict rules that ban prostitution, drug consumption or carrying weapons. They also need a letter of recommendation from a Colombian to work, even in the plantations. Around 100 Venezuelans have been expelled for crimes including theft, attempted murder and drug use. Villamizar says that was to “save their lives” otherwise the drug traffickers would have killed them. But despite it all, Fernandez says: “We’re happy to have found this.” “Otherwise, what would we do?”

drugs
venezuela
colombia
politics
refugees
cocaine
migrants
drug trafficking


U.S.-led coalition warplanes hit last Islamic State enclave in eastern Syria

Abstract: NEAR BAGHOUZ, SYRIA - U.S.-led coalition warplanes struck Islamic State’s last stronghold in eastern Syria and hundreds of civilians fled the besieged enclave on Monday as U.S.-backed fighters pressed their campaign to seize it. Coalition jets roared overhead as columns of white smoke rose from the Islamic State-held Baghouz area a short distance from the Iraqi border, a Reuters witness said. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which have driven Islamic State (IS) from swaths of northern and eastern Syria with U.S.-led coalition support, launched an offensive on Saturday to capture the enclave in Deir al-Zor province. The jihadis are putting up stiff resistance and had sought to counterattack again on Monday morning, according to Mustafa Bali, head of the SDF media office. Around 1,500 civilians had fled the enclave on Monday, he added. SDF combatants watched as a column of at least 17 trucks filled with men, women and children left Baghouz along a dusty track into SDF-held territory. Women and children were crammed into the back of one of the trucks. Some of those fleeing identified themselves as Iraqis. “It seems there are still many civilians inside Baghouz,” Bali said. “We are compelled to go cautiously and accurately in this battle.” On the outskirts of Baghouz, the people who had left stood in lines to be questioned by coalition and SDF forces apparently trying to identify whether any were jihadis. Ahead of launching the attack, the SDF said more than 20,000 civilians had left Baghouz in the preceeding 10 days. The SDF believes 400 to 600 jihadis may be holed up there, including foreigners and other hardened militants. Islamic State redrew the map of the Middle East in 2014 when it declared a caliphate across large tracts of Syria and Iraq. But the group steadily lost ground and its two main prizes — the Syrian city of Raqqa and Iraq’s Mosul — fell in 2017. The SDF, which is spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG militia, advanced southward into Deir al-Zor province after capturing Raqqa. Their operations have been focused in areas east of the Euphrates River. To the west of the Euphrates, in territory otherwise held by the Syrian government and its allies, Islamic State retains a foothold in mountainous terrain. U.S. President Donald Trump said in December he was pulling all 2,000 U.S. troops out of Syria, saying the battle against Islamic State there was almost won. The top U.S. commander overseeing American forces in the Middle East said on Sunday that the United States is likely just weeks away from starting the withdrawal. Islamic State is still widely seen as a threat, however. A top U.S. general said last week IS would be an enduring menace following the U.S. withdrawal, as it retained leaders, fighters, facilitators and resources that would fuel further insurgency. Italian freelance photographer Gabriele Micalizzi was wounded on Monday while covering the battles, Italian media reported. The reports said Micalizzi was badly hurt but had not suffered life-threatening injuries and was being flown to Baghdad, where he would be evacuated to Italy.

conflict
terrorism
syria
islamic state
syrian democratic forces
baghouz


In valley where Soviets were routed, Afghans are uneasy about prospect of U.S. withdrawal

Abstract: PANJSHIR, AFGHANISTAN - The last time Abdul Karim saw Soviet forces he was a teenage mujahedeen fighter shivering on an Afghan mountainside, clutching his Kalashnikov and wondering if winter or the Russians would bring death first. “But then I heard (mujahedeen commander) Ahmad Shah Massoud over the walkie talkie saying the Russians had withdrawn, and we could come down,” Karim told AFP in Afghanistan’s legendary Panjshir Valley, where the Red Army was bled into retreat. It would be several more years before the Soviets left Afghanistan for good on Feb. 15, 1989 having suffered the loss of 15,000 men — many in the unforgiving mountain passes of Panjshir. But for Karim, peace was short-lived — Afghanistan fractured into a ruinous civil war, and the young fighter was back on the front lines. Thirty years later, Afghans who experienced the bloody aftermath of the Soviet withdrawal fear a repeat of that chaos as another invader — the United States — negotiates an exit from its longest war. The parallels are not lost on veterans whose dogged resistance brought a superpower to its knees. It was in the stronghold of Panjshir, north of Kabul, that Massoud lured the Soviets into high, narrow mountain passes where his loyal mujahedeen lay in wait. Massoud, dubbed the “The Lion of Panjshir,” is venerated not just in the valley — where his mujahedeen rebuffed nine Soviet offensives — but across Afghanistan, where he is a celebrated national hero. His death at the hands of al-Qaida assassins, two days before Sept. 11, 2001, is mourned every year and is marked by an official holiday. The road through Panjshir is punctuated by towering images of his likeness and the rusted skeletons of Soviet tanks, helicopters and heavy guns — “a graveyard of empires,” another former mujahedeen, Mohammad Mirza, said. Three decades on, talk of Massoud’s military cunning — outmaneuvering tanks and fighter helicopters through ambush and attrition — still evokes immense pride from his devoted foot soldiers. “Nine times they tried (to take the valley), and nine times they failed,” boasted another former mujahedeen, who asked not to be named because he is now an Afghan police commander. Flicking open his phone, he scrolled through grainy photographs of his younger self at a feast with fellow mujahedeen after the Red Army’s capitulation. “Of course we celebrated, like all countries celebrate their great victories,” he said, gazing wistfully at the photos. “But always I remember those we lost. I cannot forget.” Wali Mohammad was 14 when he joined the mujahedeen. He said every anniversary was “a reminder that anyone who invades this country will face the same fate.” But the victory was bittersweet: it failed to deliver the lasting peace that has eluded Afghanistan for four grinding decades. “After the Russians left, we were sure peace was coming. But our neighbors, and regional powers, had their own agendas,” the 52-year-old said. Karim, today burly and with a snowy beard, was also circumspect about the mujahedeen’s fabled victory, even before a crowd of admiring young Panjshiris reared on tales of their invincibility. “We were happy that one enemy had left, but we also knew that war was not over,” Karim said, twirling prayer beads and dressed in a traditional wool “pakol” hat and heavy scarf to shield him from the cold. Overlooking a sweeping ravine, the corroded hulk of a Russian troop carrier lies semi-submerged in snow, spray-painted with a rousing slogan: “Long live Afghanistan. Death to the Taliban.” Panjshir, with its fierce warriors and natural defenses, was largely spared the violence that plagued Afghanistan after the Soviet expulsion, and remains one of its most peaceful provinces. But the looming prospect of a U.S. withdrawal and Kabul riven with infighting and uncertainty as the Taliban takes center stage, has stoked worry that history could repeat itself. Massoud’s son, Ahmad, said his father “had his doubts” about the haste of the Soviet withdrawal, fearing the country was too divided and the government too weak to keep Afghanistan together. “He was concerned that this might actually lead Afghanistan into a greater chaos, which is exactly what happened,” 29-year-old Massoud told AFP via WhatsApp. “He strongly believed that the Russians were leaving Afghanistan too soon.” Graeme Smith, from the International Crisis Group, said the mujahedeen understood that without a solid plan once the enemy leaves “the inferno of violence that follows might be much worse.” “They remember the brutal civil war of the early 1990s, and they don’t want to repeat that,” he said. Sitting atop a Russian tank abandoned on the roadside, Mirza bitterly recalled the violent legacy that trailed the vanquished Soviets. “The day they left was both a sad and happy day for us,” the softly-spoken former mujahedeen said. “Now that the U.S. has decided to leave, we fear the same thing could happen again.”

conflict
u.s .
afghanistan
cold war
ussr
donald trump
panjshir valley


AI system made in China spots childhood disease as well as or better than doctors

Abstract: PARIS - An artificial intelligence program developed in China that combs through test results, health records and even handwritten notes diagnosed childhood diseases as accurately as doctors, researchers said Monday. From the flu and asthma to life-threatening pneumonia and meningitis, the system consistently matched or out-performed primary care pediatricians, they reported in Nature Medicine. Dozens of studies in recent months have detailed how AI is revolutionizing the detection of diseases including cancers, genetic disorders and Alzheimer’s. AI-based technology learns and improves in a way similar to humans, but has virtually unlimited capacity for data processing and storage. “I believe that it will be able to perform most of the jobs a doctor does,” said senior author Kang Zhang, a researcher at the University of California, San Diego. “But AI will never replace a doctor,” he added, comparing the relationship to an autonomous car that remains under the supervision of a human driver. “It will simply allow doctors to do a better job in less time and at lower costs.” The new technology, said Zhang, is the first in which AI absorbs unstructured data and “natural language” to imitate the process by which a physician figures out what’s wrong with a patient. “It can mimic a human pediatrician to interpret and integrate all types of medical data — patient complaints, medical history, blood and imaging tests — to make a diagnosis,” he said. The system can be easily transferred to other languages and settings, he added. By comparing hundreds of bits of information about a single patient with a vast store of acquired knowledge, the technology unearths links that previous statistical methods — and sometimes flesh-and-blood doctors — overlook. To train the proof-of-concept system, Zhang and a team of 70 scientists injected more than 100 million data points from 1.3 million pediatrics patient visits at a major referral center in Guangzhou, China. The AI program diagnosed respiratory infections and sinusitis — a common sinus infection — with 95 percent accuracy. More surprising, Kang said, it did as well with less common diseases: acute asthma (97 percent), bacterial meningitis and varicella (93 percent), and mononucleosis (90 percent). Such technologies may be coming in just the nick of time. “The range of diseases, diagnostic testing and options for treatment has increased exponentially in recent years, rendering the decision-making process for physicians more complicated,” Nature noted in a press release. Experts not involved in the research said the study is further proof of AI’s expanding role in medicine. “The work has the potential to improve health care by assisting the clinician in making rapid and accurate diagnoses,” said Duc Pham, a professor of engineering at the University of Birmingham. “The results show that, on average, the system performed better than junior doctors.” “But it will not replace clinicians,” he added. Machine learning — which forms general rules from specific training examples — “cannot guarantee 100 percent correct results, no matter how many training examples they use.” AI-based tools for diagnosis abound, especially for interpreting machine-generated images such as MRI and CAT scans. A method unveiled last month in the United States to detect lesions that can lead to cervical cancer found precancerous cells with 91 percent accuracy, compared to 69 percent for physical exams performed by doctors and 71 percent for conventional lab tests. Likewise, a cellphone app based on AI technology out-performed experienced dermatologists in distinguishing potentially cancerous skin lesions from benign ones, according to a study in the Annals of Oncology.

china
medicine
doctors
artificial intelligence
ai


Contrite Thai party leader says group acted 'sincerely with good intentions' after princess has PM candidacy nixed

Abstract: BANGKOK - A Thai political party leader expressed public contrition on Tuesday for selecting a princess as a candidate for prime minister, days after the move provoked a rebuke from her brother, King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Thai Raksa Chart, a party linked to the powerful Shinawatra clan, on Friday proposed Princess Ubolratana as its prime ministerial candidate for March polls, an unprecedented bid in Thailand where the royal family is seen as above the political fray. But Thai monarchs have intervened in times of political crisis since 1932 when the country became a constitutional monarchy. King Vajiralongkorn quashed the candidacy the same day it was filed in a royal command calling it “highly inappropriate,” prompting an immediate reversal from the party. Thailand’s wealthy and powerful monarchy is revered by Thais and protected by a draconian lese majeste law, and the king’s word is seen as final. The princess was disqualified Monday by the Election Commission, which is currently discussing whether it should recommend that Thai Raksa Chart be disbanded. A contrite party leader Preechaphol Pongpanit reiterated Tuesday his party’s compliance with the royal command and said it did everything “sincerely with good intentions.” “Above us is His Majesty and the monarchy,” he told reporters at the party’s headquarters, bowing his head and pressing his palms together in a gesture of respect. “We are ready to be investigated.” If Thai Raksa Chart is disbanded, it will amount to a crippling setback for Pheu Thai — the country’s most popular party affiliated with ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra — which had hoped to secure a large number of seats in the lower house to offset the junta-appointed senate. Junta leader Prayuth Chan-ocha has agreed to stand for premier again under a military-aligned party. Prayuth led the coup that toppled the administration of Thaksin’s sister Yingluck in 2014. The events of recent days have seeded unease in a country known for behind the scenes plotting. After rumors swirled of a fresh coup, Prayuth dismissed it as “fake news.” Meanwhile another organization affiliated with the Shinawatras was in the crosshairs on Tuesday. Voice TV, owned by Thaksin’s son Ponthongtae, was ordered by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to go off-air for 15 days. The NBTC said the channel had aired content that caused “confusion and provocation.” The two programs in question were reported to be “Tonight Thailand” and “Wake Up News.” Voice TV CEO Mekin Petplai said the move was unfair and “affects freedom of the press” in the run-up towards the election. He added that Voice TV has been suspended three times since the 2014 coup, and they will fight this latest decision in court.

thailand
elections
king maha vajiralongkorn
princess ubolratana


China defers key New Zealand tourism event amid concerns of growing diplomatic rift

Abstract: WELLINGTON - China has postponed a major tourism campaign in New Zealand days before its launch and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s visit to Beijing has been further delayed as concerns mount of strained ties over China’s growing influence in the Pacific. Ardern on Tuesday acknowledged there were “complexities” in the relationship with China, but dismissed concerns of a rift with New Zealand’s largest trading partner. “Our relationship with China is a complex relationship and sometimes it will have its challenges,” Ardern told TVNZ in an interview. New Zealand said on Tuesday that an event to launch the China-New Zealand Year of Tourism 2019 in Wellington next week was postponed by the Chinese and Ardern told reporters that dates for her trip to China, planned for the end of 2018, has still not been finalized. “I have been issued with an invitation to visit China, that has not changed. We continue to find dates that would work,” Ardern said. Ties with China have been tense under Ardern’s government which has openly raised concerns about Beijing’s growing influence in the South Pacific, and rejected Chinese telecoms giant Huawei’s first local bid to build a 5G mobile network. Opposition National Party leader Simon Bridges blamed Ardern and her deputy, Winston Peters, for “steadily deteriorating relations” with China, and said the ties were at the worst ever. Opponents and local media reports questioned if an Air New Zealand flight which was recently refused entry to China may be a part of the deteriorating relationship, although the airline, the government and Chinese authorities have all said it was due to some administrative issue. Ardern also dismissed claims that the Huawei ban had any impact on the diplomatic ties, and insisted that New Zealand was not pushed into the decision by other countries. “Some of the issues of Huawei has been raised a couple of times. But actually the decision around 5G and how that is rolled out is governed by a regulation, a process that checks that whatever decision we make is in the best interest of New Zealanders data and security,” she said. Huawei faces international scrutiny over its ties with the Chinese government and suspicion Beijing could use its technology for spying. No evidence has been produced publicly and the firm has repeatedly denied the claims, but the allegations have led several Western countries to restrict Huawei’s access to their markets. Last year, New Zealand issued a defense policy statement in which it said China’s rising influence in the South Pacific could undermine regional stability, and alluded to tension in the disputed South China Sea, sparking complaint from China.

china
taiwan
new zealand
tourism
jacinda ardern


In the face of trade threat from EU over 2018 election, Cambodian leader warns against 'interference'

Abstract: PHNOM PENH - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen warned against interference in the country’s affairs Tuesday, his first comments since the European Union launched steps to cancel trade benefits that would hammer the local garment industry. The bloc announced Monday it would begin a process of intensive monitoring to decide whether to suspend duty-free preferences under the Everything But Arms (EBA) deal. The move would deal a crippling blow to Cambodia’s robust garment and footwear industry, which exports more than $4 billion worth of products to the bloc. It comes after repeated warnings from Brussels and in response to elections in Cambodia last year held without a credible opposition after the Supreme Court dissolved the party in the run-up to the vote. Cambodia is the EU’s sixth-largest garment supplier and the industry currently employs more than 700,000 workers, according to the country’s factory association. Analysts say Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 34 years, is eager to retain the trade preferences, but does not want to be seen bending to international pressure. In recent months he has requested pardons for dozens of activists and opposition members arrested ahead of the July vote, but he has also lashed out at trade threats in defiant speeches. Cambodia “cannot exchange its independence and sovereignty for anything,” he wrote on his official Facebook page, which has more than 10 million followers. “We want to be good friends with other partner countries that want to see Cambodia progress without interference in the country’s internal affairs,” he added. He did not explicitly mention the EBA deal, but the country’s ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement the same day calling the decision from the bloc an “extreme injustice.” The EU is still at least a year away from making a decision on whether to scrap the preferences. Union leaders and businesses said the loss would have a disastrous impact on the industry. “The competitiveness of our sector will unduly be put at risk, the reputation of our industry will be harmed, and Cambodia’s development will be halted,” the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia said in a statement in response. Tariffs on garments will rise by 12 percent and it will more than double for footwear exports from eight to 17 percent, the statement added. The loss of EBA could cost Cambodia up to $700 million a year, said union leader Pav Sina. “We fear that investors might move to other countries that have EBA, so it will affect the jobs for Cambodians.” The U.S. embassy in Phnom Penh said in a statement that it “shares the EU’s concerns” and called for the charges against Kem Sokha, the leader of the now dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party, to be dropped. It also called on Cambodian leaders to restore a “true, multiparty democracy.” Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party won all seats in parliament in the election, effectively turning the country into a one-party state.


Embattled Australian prime minister suffers historic defeat over refugees

Abstract: CANBERRA - Australia’s conservative minority government suffered a monumental political defeat Tuesday, becoming the first administration in nearly a century to lose a vote on major legislation and fueling calls for a snap election. Despite a bruising and highly personal lobbying effort, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was defeated by members of parliament who insisted refugees held in offshore facilities have the right to be transferred to Australia for medical treatment. It is the first time in decades that an Australian government has lost a vote on a substantive piece of legislation, sparking applause and cheers from observers in the parliamentary viewing gallery in Canberra. Morrison lost his parliamentary majority last year and has been relying on crossbenchers to keep control of the lower House of Representatives. The 75-74 vote — which came on the first sitting day of Parliament this year — is a blow to the already embattled prime minister and raises questions about whether he can remain in office. When the sitting government last lost a vote on substantive legislation in 1929, Prime Minister Stanley Bruce immediately called an election, and lost it. The government of Prime Minister Arthur Fadden lost a symbolic budget vote in 1941 and immediately resigned. Morrison last week ruled out calling a snap election if his government was defeated over the “stupid” bill. His coalition has to call an election by May and has been trailing the opposition centre-left Labor Party in opinion polls. The bill was first mooted by independent MP Kerryn Phelps last year after she won the Liberal Party stronghold of Wentworth when former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was ousted in a party coup. Since then, the government had lurched from crisis to crisis, and a disastrous showing in elections in Victoria state sparked fears that it would also lose the national poll. Under a harsh policy meant to deter asylum-seekers from reaching Australia by boat, Canberra sent arrivals to Nauru and Papua New Guinea for processing and barred them from resettling in Australia. But criticism of the camps has grown amid reports of abuse, suicides and lengthy detention periods, even as the government says the policy is discouraging asylum-seekers from embarking on dangerous sea voyages.

australia
refugees
scott morrison
parliament