Japan rejects South Korea's proposal to settle wartime labor row through diplomatic channels

Abstract: Japan rejected an offer by South Korea to settle a wartime labor dispute through diplomatic channels Wednesday, saying the time for talks had already passed and it is now seeking to proceed with an arbitration process involving other countries. Bilateral ties have been frayed following South Korean court decisions last year ordering Japanese firms to pay damages to victims of forced labor during Tokyo’s 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. South Korea said Wednesday it is willing to hold discussions with Japan on the condition that companies of the two countries chip in funds to compensate the victims. Japan argues that the issue of compensation was settled by a 1965 bilateral accord under which it provided $500 million in funds to the South Korean government and a further $300 million in private credit. Under Seoul’s proposal, the implicated Japanese companies, including Nippon Steel Corp. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., as well as South Korean firms that benefited from the financial aid would contribute to a joint fund. It is the first time that South Korea has made a specific settlement proposal since the court rulings. But Japan quickly shot down the proposal, with Foreign Minister Taro Kono saying in a Twitter post, “This will not correct the situation of South Korea being in violation of international law.” If South Korea continues to ignore the request to establish an arbitration panel and allow lawyers to seize and liquidate the Japanese companies’ assets, Kono has said he would consider taking the dispute to the International Court of Justice. The highly charged comments came a day after a deadline for South Korea to name their own member to an arbitration panel, along with Japan and a third country, came and went. As outlined in the 1965 accord, Japan has asked South Korea to take part in forming an arbitration panel along with members selected by other countries. Underscoring the frosty relations, Japanese officials say Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to forgo holding talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit next week in Osaka. Kono and his South Korean counterpart, Kang Kyung-wha, are planning to meet on the fringes of the June 28-29 G20 summit to discuss the issue, according to the officials.

wwii
history
south korea
wartime labor
south korea-japan relations


After record 16,927 dementia patients went missing in Japan in 2018, expert urges community support

Abstract: As the number of people with dementia who were reported missing continues to rise in rapidly graying Japan, an expert in the field is underscoring the importance of community-wide support. The National Police Agency said Thursday that the number of people with dementia who wandered from home and were reported missing reached a record 16,927 last year, up 1,064 from the previous year and nearly doubling since police began collecting such data in 2012. Of the nearly 17,000 people who wandered off in 2018, 197 could not be found by the end of the year, while 16,227, including those reported missing in 2017 or earlier, were located, according to the police data. The remainder includes cases where a search request was withdrawn for some reason. With around seven million elderly people in Japan expected to be suffering from dementia in 2025, when all baby boomers will be age 75 or over, the government approved a new program Tuesday on dementia that focuses on delaying the onset of symptoms and slowing the progress of the illness as well as helping patients live more comfortably. For 2018, the data showed that 73.4 percent of missing people with dementia were found on the day that their disappearance was reported to police, while 99.4 percent were located within a week. Two people were found more than two years after they were reported missing. A total of 508 missing dementia patients died in accidents or due to other reasons, the data showed. Yoshimasa Takase, an expert on in-home care for dementia patients, said the primary cause of dementia-related wandering is “the desire to return to the home where the patients were born.” The symptom, he said, is often induced by disorientation over time and place, including losing track of dates and a sense of direction, that almost all people with Alzheimer’s disease will develop. One of Takase’s patients had even traveled alone from his clinic, the Takase Clinic in Tokyo’s Ota Ward, to an area near the edge of Kawasaki. In many cases, the missing patients were discovered after their families reported their disappearance to police, he said. Takase said wandering tends to become a habit but will not persist for a long time due to patients’ declining physical strength. To support patients who tend to wander, he said, smartphones come in handy. One example is a service provided by map publisher Shobunsha Publications Inc., which allows people who come across such dementia patients to notify family members by scanning a QR code sticker attached to their belongings. Takase encourages young people, who are more familiar with smartphones, to “raise awareness of the dementia issue.” He urges the patients’ family members to “connect with an appropriate medical institution and seek advice from a community general support care center in their local area.” The overall number of people who went missing last year, including those not suffering from dementia, reached 87,962, the highest in a decade. Those in their 20s were the leading age group at 18,518. Of the total, 64.1 percent were male and 35.9 percent female. By reason, diseases including dementia were the largest cause of disappearances, accounting for 23,347, or 26.5 percent, followed by family problems at 14,866, or 16.9 percent, and business troubles at 10,980, or 12.5 percent.

aging
elderly
dementia
mental health
police


Visitors to Tokyo Olympics website face long waits as lottery winners announced; overseas sales begin

Abstract: Over a million people nationwide logged on to the 2020 Tokyo Games website Thursday to see if they had secured seats at their favorite events through the Olympic ticket lottery. More than 7.5 million people registered for a Tokyo 2020 ID to enter the lottery before the May 28 deadline, according to a spokesperson for the Tokyo Organising Committee. Ticket winners are required to submit payment by 11:59 p.m. on July 2 unless they wish to opt out and forfeit all of the tickets they won, the spokesperson explained. At around 10 a.m. on Thursday, the day the results were announced, the 2020 official ticket website was backed up with more than 1.1 million people waiting to access the site and had a wait time of more than an hour. Many took to Twitter to express their frustration, with some even questioning how many people actually won tickets and why Tokyo taxpayers were denied the opportunity to attend an event funded largely by their taxes. The spokesperson said that, while the number of people who won tickets will not be publicly released, the number of tickets sold and how many remain won’t be certain until the deadline to submit payments has passed. “Those who didn’t get tickets this time will still be able to purchase tickets during the next phases,” the spokesperson said. “Tokyo 2020 is still working on the final number of tickets for the Olympic Games. For every event, more tickets will be made available.” The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department issued a warning that any email instructing you to follow a link to claim your tickets is fake, adding that an authentic email from the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee will not contain a link. For residents of Japan, the next opportunity to buy tickets will be through a first-come, first-served sale that will begin in autumn this year. For people outside Japan, the Tokyo Organising Committee will commence a third wave of ticket sales on a first-come, first-served basis in spring 2020. On Thursday, Authorized Ticket Resellers verified by 206 National Olympic Committees around the world were also allowed to start selling tickets to the 2020 Games. Whether they actually started selling tickets on that day and by what means — a ticket lottery or on a first-come, first-served basis, or both — was up to each of the resellers and their respective national organizing committee. Each reseller can choose to sell tickets in a travel package that might also include plane tickets and hotel reservations. In Japan, however, the Tokyo Organising Committee will only sell tickets to the games. Ticket holders will be able to sell their tickets through an official ticket reselling service that will launch in spring 2020. About 7.8 million tickets are available for the 2020 Games but this number is expected to change — possibly by a few hundred thousand but probably not by more than a million, the spokesperson said — after venues and arenas are finished and the seating arrangements for specific sporting events are finalized. The vast majority of tickets to the Olympics — around 70 percent — have traditionally gone to residents of the host country and that is also expected to be the case for the 2020 Games.


Tokyo's Shibuya Ward bans drinking in some areas for Halloween and New Year's

Abstract: The Shibuya Ward Assembly approved an ordinance Wednesday banning the consumption of alcohol on some of the area’s streets and parks during Halloween and New Year’s events to address an increasing number of incidents by rowdy partygoers. The ordinance calls on restaurants to refrain from serving customers alcohol, bans the use of audio equipment blasting loud noises and prohibits individuals from climbing up street lamps in areas near Shibuya Station, one of the capital city’s most popular entertainment districts. There are, however, no penalties stipulated for offenders of the ordinance, which will apply to celebrations starting this year. “It’s unfortunate that a law needs to be laid down because of the negative attention gained from events like Halloween,” Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe said. “It’s a problem that should have been resolved through proper etiquette and morals.” “As long as concerns remain over people who cause trouble and commit crimes, we will carry out our duty and make this ban widely known,” he said. More than 300,000 people, mostly aged from their late teens to their 30s, gathered around Shibuya’s iconic scramble crossing on Halloween and the previous weekend last year, according to police. Ten men, both Japanese and foreign nationals, were referred to prosecutors in January after they allegedly overturned a small truck near the station during a Halloween event in late October last year. A panel was set up by Shibuya Ward to discuss what to do with escalating pranks in public spaces in the district during the celebrations. They issued an interim report in May calling for the establishment of regulations.

tokyo
new year
shibuya
drinking
halloween


Japan's junior high school teachers face longest average working hours in OECD survey

Abstract: Japanese junior high school teachers worked the longest hours on average among 48 countries and regions surveyed by the OECD, it said Wednesday. Junior high teachers in the country worked 56 hours per week on average, compared with 38.3 hours a week among all of the participants in the “2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey.” It is the second time in a row that the OECD has found that Japanese teachers work the longest hours, and their hours increased an average of 2.1 hours from the previous survey in 2013. Similarly, primary school teachers in Japan worked 54.4 hours a week, longer than their peers in 15 countries and economies surveyed. The survey for Japan was conducted by the Paris-based institution from February to March 2018, with questionnaires sent to 3,568 junior high school teachers, 3,321 elementary school teachers and around 400 principals. The education ministry decided in January to cap overtime for teachers at 45 hours per month, or 360 hours over 12 months. A junior high school teacher spent an average of 7.5 hours per week on students’ extracurricular club activities, compared with the overall average of 1.9 hours a week, while administrative work took up 5.6 hours, compared with the total average of 2.7 hours. Primary school teachers in Japan spent longer on planning, preparing lessons and paperwork than those in other countries. Such teachers devoted an average of 0.6 hour to extracurricular activities. Japan’s new curriculum guidelines promote deeper learning through independent and interactive means, but the percentage of secondary school teachers who frequently or always gave “tasks that require students to think critically” was 12.6 percent, the lowest figure and a far cry from the 61 percent average among all the countries surveyed. Further, only 16.1 percent of teachers in Japan presented “tasks for which there is no obvious solution,” compared with the 37.5 percent average among all the countries surveyed. A 57-year-old teacher at a public junior high school in Saitama Prefecture said much of the overtime at his school is not recorded. As a veteran teacher, he is loaded with tasks, such as helping managers and taking care of younger teachers. He arrives at work just after 6 a.m. and finishes work at 7 p.m. at the earliest. On his busiest days, he works until around 9 p.m. He sometimes has to clear his backlog of work before and after the school’s extracurricular activities that he supervises on weekends. A board of education in his local area has set a goal of not exceeding 80 hours of overtime per month, which is regarded as the threshold for karōshi , or death caused by overwork. His school introduced a system to keep track of teachers’ work hours about six months ago. The teacher’s amount of monthly overtime topped 80 hours in April, yet his managers only prodded him to leave work as early as possible, and the school has shown little intention of overhauling teachers’ assignments in detail. The man has since learned to record fewer hours than he has actually worked. Many of his colleagues do likewise. “The number of work hours has decreased, when you take it at face value,” the teacher said. “But that is meaningless.” Another teacher at a public junior high school in Tokyo said he now has reduced workloads related to extracurricular activities and other tasks. But the 35-year-old still works 80 to 100 hours of overtime per month. He said he spends a lot of time attending to students’ parents and other things. “The amount of work for teachers has been increasing for the sake of students. We should consider what it really means to ‘serve students well’ and review our work,” he said.

teachers
education
jobs
oecd
high schools
overwork


Tokyo to allow students to bring smartphones to school

Abstract: Tokyo’s Board of Education said Thursday it has decided to allow students at metropolitan junior high and high schools to bring their mobile electronic devices, including smartphones, to school. For elementary and junior high schools run by cities and other municipalities in the capital, the decision will be left up to each board of education. Until now, mobile devices were banned in principle at metropolitan junior high and high schools. Following the decision, it will be up to each school’s principal to decide whether to permit mobile devices in classrooms. Schools that decide to lift the ban will draw up guidelines and inform students of their rules on smartphone use. In Tokyo, some schools have already started allowing the use of smartphones in class on a trial basis. Furthermore, the metropolitan board started seeing the devices as a useful tool to confirm the safety of students in a disaster situation. A fiscal 2018 survey by the board found that 97.3 percent of the metropolitan high school students used smartphones. In its 2009 guidelines, the education ministry banned elementary and junior high school students from bringing mobile devices to school and restricted the use of such devices by high school students at school. But following a strong earthquake in Osaka Prefecture during the morning commuting hours in June last year, the Osaka Prefectural Government changed its policy to allow students to bring mobile devices to school as a communication tool in an emergency. In May this year, the ministry established a panel of experts to review its policy.

tokyo
smartphones
education
phones
schools
high schools
junior high schools


13 women sue Juntendo University in Tokyo over rigged entrance exams

Abstract: A total of 13 women filed a damages suit Thursday against a medical school in Tokyo after it rigged its entrance exams in favor of male candidates. The plaintiffs, who took entrance examinations at Juntendo University between 2011 and 2018 but were not accepted, are seeking a combined ¥42.7 million ($3.7 million) in damages in the scandal that came to light last year, according to their lawyers. The group, comprised of women in their teens through their 20s, said they suffered emotional distress and their respect for the examination process was betrayed by the school’s gender-based discrimination. Juntendo University admitted it rigged its exams and accepted some female candidates who should have been admitted earlier for 2017 and 2018. None of the plaintiffs are among those additionally accepted applicants. A series of entrance exam manipulations were exposed last year after Tokyo Medical University was found to have rigged exam results, prompting the education ministry to survey medical schools across the country. Of the 13 plaintiffs, 11 have also filed a damages suit against Tokyo Medical University which has admitted to manipulating exam results to curb female enrollment. The unfair treatment of female applicants at Tokyo Medical University was aimed at preventing a shortage of doctors at affiliated hospitals in the belief that women tend to resign or take long periods of leave after getting married or giving birth. “Acceptance rates for female candidates were systematically lowered by Juntendo University,” Arata Yamazaki, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said at a news conference. The practice “is clearly discriminatory and should be strongly condemned.”

tokyo
women
universities
discrimination
hospitals
juntendo university
medical schools


Japanese-American director of 'comfort women' documentary sued by interviewees

Abstract: A group of seven Japanese intellectuals and activists has sued the director and the distributor of a documentary film that covers the political debates over “comfort women,” demanding the screenings be terminated and seeking compensation totaling ¥13 million. The term comfort women is a euphemism used to refer to women who provided sex, including those who did so against their will, for Japanese troops before and during World War II. The film is titled “Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue.” The plaintiffs, including scholar Nobukatsu Fujioka, journalist Yoshiko Sakurai and lawyer Kent Gilbert, allege that director Miki Dezaki used videos of their interviews for a commercial film in violation of written agreements. The documentary features the plaintiffs’ interviews alongside opinions of Japanese scholars who support South Koreans’ arguments that the women were forced to work as “sex slaves.” Meanwhile, the plaintiffs have denied that the women were forcibly recruited by Japanese authorities and argued they were not sex slaves. Following the news conference, Dezaki issued a statement saying he would respond to the accusation as soon as he sees the contents of the lawsuit. “This movie means a lot to us and we want as many people as possible to watch it,” Dezaki said. According to the lawsuit, Dezaki approached the plaintiffs in 2016 when he was still a graduate student at Sophia University in Tokyo. The plaintiffs claimed they had only agreed to share their views for Dezaki’s academic research, and the film, which portrayed them as “history revisionists,” also violated their portrait rights and copyrights. “We believed that we were being interviewed for his master’s degree video,” said Fujioka, vice chairman of the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform, during a news conference at the Tokyo District Court after filing the lawsuit. “I didn’t expect that he was planning to make profits from screening it,” Fujioka said. The documentary has been screened at 46 theaters across the country. About 30 scholars, politicians and activists from Japan, South Korea and the United States were interviewed for the documentary. Shunichi Fujiki, who is also among the plaintiffs, admitted to having congratulated Dezaki on his accomplishment after the director informed him that the movie was submitted to a film festival in Busan, South Korea. Fujiki now claims that Dezaki breached the statement of mutual agreements he signed and his comments were used out of context. Meanwhile, Tony Marano, a YouTuber known as “Texas Daddy,” whose videos back Japanese conservative nationalist views, has claimed his videos were used in Dezaki’s film without consent.

film
wwii
history
south korea
comfort women
south korea-japan relations
yoshiko sakurai
miki dezaki
shusenjo
nobukatsu fujioka


Niigata and Yamagata schools reopen and trains resume operations two days after magnitude 6.7 quake

Abstract: NIIGATA - Most schools and trains in quake-hit areas on the Sea of Japan coast resumed operations on Thursday, the latest signs of recovery from the magnitude 6.7 earthquake Tuesday that caused landslides and power outages and left dozens of people injured. Children returned to elementary and junior high schools in the hardest-hit cities of Murakami in Niigata Prefecture and Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture, with the exception of some areas. “I am thankful they are coming here safe and sound,” said Satoshi Oda, principal of Murakami Minami Elementary School. The school confirmed the safety of all of its 295 students shortly after the quake. “I called my friends and heard they were okay, but seeing their faces was a relief,” said 11-year-old Aoi Aizawa, who returned to her elementary school in Tsuruoka. The JR Uetsu Line resumed services Thursday morning after facilities were checked and repair work completed between Murakami and Tsuruoka stations. Trains will not stop at Koiwagawa Station in Tsuruoka, however, as part of the station platform remains tilted. The Murakami Municipal Government, meanwhile, began inspecting damage to residential buildings in the Fuya district, which has a total of about 400 households. Eighteen inspectors working in pairs placed red, yellow or green cards on each building depending on the seriousness of the damage, with red indicating it is dangerous to enter, yellow signaling that people should be cautious and green indicating that the residence is habitable. They are scheduled to complete their work by Saturday. The quake occurred at around 10:22 p.m. Tuesday at a depth of about 14 kilometers, with its epicenter located off Yamagata Prefecture in the Sea of Japan, according to the Meteorological Agency. A tsunami advisory was issued but lifted hours later. At least 30 people were injured. The largest number of injuries were reported in Yamagata Prefecture, followed by Miyagi, Niigata, Akita and Ishikawa prefectures. A 27-year-old Vietnamese woman training at a sewing factory in Murakami’s Fuya district recalled the horror of waking up to the big jolt. The woman, who came to Japan in January last year as part of the government’s technical intern program, said she had never experienced an earthquake back home. “I was scared and thought this is the end,” she said, recalling how dishes broke, a refrigerator door swung open and chairs fell over. She huddled together with eight other trainees in front of her dorm’s entrance, covering herself with a blanket, but ran to higher ground after Minoru Onozuka, 71, president of their company, came to tell them that a tsunami was coming. They waited until the tsunami advisory was lifted at around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday. “It was something I never want to experience again,” the woman said. The weather agency had said heavy rain and lightning may hit the quake-affected region Thursday afternoon, heightening the risks of mudslides as the ground has loosened in some areas due to the temblor.

niigata earthquake landslides yamagata trainees


Boeing dealt new blow as Airbus launches long-range A321

Abstract: LE BOURGET, FRANCE - Boeing suffered a fresh setback on the opening of the Paris Airshow on Monday as its engine supplier announced a delay for the U.S. planemaker’s all-new 777X jet while Airbus launched a rival plane aimed at the middle of the market. GE Aviation said it had found unexpected wear in a part for the GE9X engine it is making for the 777X, the world’s largest twin-engined jet, forcing a delay of several months while it redesigns and tests the part. The news is another headache for Boeing as it continues to grapple with the grounding of its top-selling 737 Max aircraft in March after two deadly crashes. European arch-rival Airbus, meanwhile, launched a long-range version of its A321neo jet, aiming to carve out new routes for airlines with smaller planes and steal a march on Boeing’s own plans for another potential all-new jet, the NMA. “We can fly from Northeastern Asia into South Asia, from the Middle East to Bali or from Japan deep into Australia, and so on,” said Airbus chief salesman Christian Scherer. “It is therefore the lowest-risk investment for airlines on these kinds of routes.” Leasing company Air Lease Corp. became the first customer of the new aircraft — the A321XLR — lining up for 27 as part of a deal for 100 Airbus planes. Sources familiar with the matter said Airbus would announce close to 200 orders for the new model at the air show, with JetBlue Airways Corp. and U.S.-based private equity firm Indigo Partners among the buyers. The aerospace industry’s biggest annual event, which alternates with Britain’s Farnborough Airshow, is traditionally a slugging match between Airbus and Boeing sales teams in the $150 billion a year commercial aircraft market. But analysts expect this year’s gathering to be relatively subdued, with slowing economies, trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainties unsettling airlines — highlighted by a profit warning from Germany’s Lufthansa late on Sunday. Airbus and Boeing are also grappling with their own problems, with the U.S. firm striving to bring the 737 Max back into service and Airbus occupied with a long-running corruption scandal. Analysts expect anything from 400 to 800 commercial aircraft orders and commitments at the show, compared with 959 at Farnborough last year, though it can be hard to identify truly new business against firmed-up commitments and switched models. Boeing commercial airplanes boss Kevin McAllister said he was “staying very close to the situation” with the GE9X engine, and that it was premature to make any predictions on delays for the 777X program. Boeing is targeting a maiden flight this year and 2020 entry into service, but Gulf airline Emirates has said it expects the first plane in June of that year. Flight tests often take more than a year. The Airbus A321XLR will be the longest-range narrow-body jetliner and arrives as airlines look to maximize the flexibility of more fuel-efficient, single-aisle aircraft. Its range of up to 4,700 nautical miles — about 15 percent more than the previous A321LR — will leapfrog the out-of-production Boeing 757 and nudges it into the long-jump category occupied by more costly wide-body jets. Airbus shares were up 0.7 percent at 123.30 euros in afternoon trade The A321XLR also eats into a range category targeted by the possible NMA midmarket, twin-aisle jet under review by Boeing. “It does provide a very effective airplane for many of the same routes as the NMA, and it does so many years earlier,” Air Lease CEO John Plueger said of the new Airbus jet. But there is a debate over whether passengers will enjoy flying longer distances in medium-haul planes and at what price. In particular, the rise of the single-aisle, long-distance jet involves revisiting years of industry marketing about the benefit of roomier cabins to counter jet lag on long trips. Airbus did not give a price for the A321XLR. The current A321neo has a list price of $129.5 million. Boeing Chairman and CEO Dennis Muilenburg on Sunday said the A321XLR would only “scratch an edge” of the market segment targeted by the NMA. He added that Boeing expected to announce orders for wide-body jets at the Paris show but its main focus at the event was safety, with executives taking turns to apologize for the 737 Max crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people. “This is the most trying of times,” Boeing commercial airplanes boss Kevin McAllister told a press briefing. “But without a doubt this is a pivotal moment for all of us. It’s a time to capture learnings. It’s a time to be introspective. And it’s a time for us to make sure accidents like this never happen again.”

airlines
boeing
aviation
ge
airbus
777x
paris air show
737 max


Japan Post Bank to cap international transfers to counter money laundering

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

banks
japan post
money-laundering
japan post bank


Another Japanese government estimate indicates up to ¥30 million in savings needed per couple after retirement

Abstract: Japan’s Financial Services Agency had estimated that ¥15 million to ¥30 million in life savings would be necessary per elderly couple in addition to pension benefits for 30 years of post-retirement living, informed sources said Tuesday. The estimate was made separately from the controversial report by a working group of the agency’s Financial System Council that suggested that an elderly couple living on pensions need to amass ¥20 million in life savings, according to the sources. Many different provisional figures regarding medical, welfare and other costs were used to make the estimates about how much life savings would be needed, a senior official of the agency said. The working group ultimately adopted the ¥20 million estimate as it was calculated based on reliable household spending data compiled by the internal affairs ministry. The alternative estimate was presented to the working group at a meeting on April 12. It is based on the assumptions that an elderly couple receives ¥80 million in public pension benefits and ¥10 million to ¥20 million in retirement allowances and private pension benefits over the 30-year period. On the spending side, living expenses are estimated at ¥90 million, medical and housing maintenance costs at ¥5 million to ¥10 million, expenses for nursing care at zero to ¥10 million and housing loan balances at zero to ¥10 million. The gaps between the assumed income and expenditures became the basis of the suggestion that ¥15 million to ¥30 million in life savings would be necessary. Finance Minister Taro Aso told a news conference Tuesday that the alternative estimate was made while discussion was still in progress and was eventually not included in the final report by the working group, stressing that it was not intended to indicate the amount of savings that would be necessary for every elderly couple. Aso, who doubles as minister for financial services, refused last week to accept the report, saying the panel’s estimate contradicted the government’s view that the pension system serves as the basis of household finances during post-retirement years, sparking criticism from opposition and ruling parties and even some Cabinet members ahead of an Upper House election next month. The report, released earlier this month, admitted there were limits to the public pension system. It calls on individuals to take on more risk than in the past when planning their financial future, but careful selection of financial products will be necessary due to a potential loss of principal when investing. Pension problems have been a major issue in past elections. In the 2007 House of Councilors election, when Shinzo Abe was serving his first term as prime minister, his ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered a defeat over issues including the mishandling of public pension records.

taro aso
retirement
elderly
savings
financial services agency


Facebook reveals plans for Libra cryptocurrency, targeting first half of 2020 for launch

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO/NEW YORK - Facebook Inc. revealed plans on Tuesday to launch a cryptocurrency called Libra, the latest development in its effort to expand beyond social networking and move into e-commerce and global payments. Facebook has linked with 28 partners in a Geneva-based entity called the Libra Association, which will govern its new digital coin set to launch in the first half of 2020, according to marketing materials and interviews with executives. Facebook has also created a subsidiary called Calibra, which will offer digital wallets to save, send and spend Libras. Calibra will be connected to Facebook’s messaging platforms Messenger and WhatsApp, which already boast more than a billion users. The Menlo Park, California-based company has big aspirations for Libra, but consumer privacy concerns or regulatory barriers may present significant hurdles. Facebook hopes it will not only power transactions between established consumers and businesses around the globe, but offer unbanked consumers access to financial services for the first time. The name “Libra” was inspired by Roman weight measurements, the astrological sign for justice and the French word for freedom, said David Marcus, a former PayPal executive who heads the project for Facebook. “Freedom, justice and money, which is exactly what we’re trying to do here,” he said. Facebook shares were the most actively traded across U.S. exchanges in pre-market trading, gaining 2.6% to $194. Facebook also appears to be betting it can squeeze revenue out of its messaging services through transactions and payments, something already happening on Chinese social apps like WeChat. The Libra announcement comes as Facebook grapples with public backlash due to a series of scandals, and may face opposition from privacy advocates, consumer groups, regulators and lawmakers. Some Facebook adversaries have called for the company to incur penalties, or be forcibly broken up, for mishandling user data, allowing troubling material to appear on its site and not preventing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election through a social media disinformation campaign. It is not clear how lawmakers or regulators will react to Facebook making a push into financial services through the largely unregulated world of cryptocurrency. In recent years, cryptocurrency investors have lost hundreds of millions of dollars through hacks, and the market has been plagued by accusations of money-laundering, illegal drug sales and terrorist financing. Markus Feber, a senior German lawmaker in the European Parliament, called for the European Union to begin work on regulating cryptocurrencies. “If Facebook will expose its 2 billion users to the risks of virtual currencies, this would be a good reason for the European Commission to start work on a proper regulatory framework governing the rules of virtual currencies” he said in a statement. Facebook has engaged with regulators in the United States and abroad about the planned cryptocurrency, company executives said. They would not specify which regulators or whether the company has applied for financial licenses anywhere. Facebook hopes it can bring global regulators to the table by publicizing Libra, said Kevin Weil, who runs product for the initiative. “It gives us a basis to go and have productive conversations with regulators around the world,” he said. “We’re eager to do that.” The Swiss financial watchdog FINMA said it was in contact with the initiators of the Libra project. It declined to comment on whether the project was in the process of obtaining specific regulatory permission or status. Britain’s financial regulator declined to comment. Other major regulators did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bitcoin, the most well-known cryptocurrency, was created in 2008 as a way for pseudonymous users to transfer value online through encrypted digital ledgers. Early developers believed that the world needed an alternative to traditional currencies, which are controlled by governments and central banks. Since then, thousands of bitcoin alternatives have launched, and Facebook is just one of dozens of blue-chip companies dabbling with the underlying technology. But its status as a Silicon Valley behemoth that touches billions of people around the world has created significant buzz around Libra’s potential. Partners in the project include household names like Mastercard Inc., Visa Inc., Spotify Technology SA, PayPal Holdings Inc., eBay Inc, Uber Technologies Inc and Vodafone Group PLC, as well as venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz. They hope to have 100 members by Libra’s launch during the first half of 2020. Each member gets one vote on substantial decisions regarding the cryptocurrency network and firms must invest at least $10 million to join. Facebook does not plan to maintain a leadership role after 2019. Though there are no banks among the inaugural members, there have been discussions with a number of lenders about joining, said Jorn Lambert, executive vice president for digital solutions at Mastercard. They are waiting to see how regulators and consumers respond to the project before deciding whether to join, he said. Major European and U.S. investment banks did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Libra Association plans to raise money through a private placement in the coming months, according to a statement from the association. Although Libra backers who spoke to Reuters or provided materials are hopeful about its prospects, some said they were aware that consumer privacy concerns or regulatory barriers may prevent the project from succeeding. Calibra will conduct compliance checks on customers who want to use Libra, using verification and anti-fraud processes that are common among banks, Facebook said. The subsidiary will only share customer data with Facebook or external parties if it has consent, or in “limited cases” where it is necessary, Facebook said. That could include for law enforcement, public safety or general system functionality. Transactions will cost individuals less than merchants, Facebook said, though executives declined to provide specifics. Each Libra will be backed by a basket of government-backed assets. The company plans to refund customers who lose money because of fraud, Facebook said. Sri Shivananda, Paypal’s chief technology officer said the project was still in its “very, very early days.” Mastercard’s Lambert characterized Libra similarly, noting much needed to happen before the launch. If the project receives too much regulatory pushback, he said, “we might not launch.”

tech
social media
facebook
cryptocurrency
libra


Canada in talks with Malaysia about taking back plastic waste

Abstract: TORONTO - The government of Canada said on Monday it is in discussions with Malaysia about retrieving plastic waste that originated from Canada and is currently in Malaysia. In late May, the Malaysian government said it would send 3,000 tons of plastic waste back to 14 countries of origin, including Canada, the United States, Japan, France, Australia and Britain. There was no indication of how much of the plastic waste was of Canadian origin. “The Government of Canada is indeed working with Malaysian authorities to address any issues related to the shipment of waste from Canada to Malaysia,” the Environment and Climate Change Canada Department said in a statement. The Canadian government reached a deal last month with Manila to take back household waste, which is expected to be in Canada by late June. But Environment and Climate Change Canada clarified that the ship bringing back plastic waste from the Philippines is not being used to retrieve waste from Malaysia. Foreign waste has caused diplomatic friction in recent months within Southeast Asia. The Philippines recalled diplomats to Canada in May over illegally disposed household waste from Canada that was not returned to Canada by the deadline.

malaysia
philippines
canada
waste
environment
plastic
environment and climate change canada


Beyond rivers, Midwestern floodwaters hurt Gulf seafood catches

Abstract: NEW ORLEANS - This is a bad year for people who make their living from seafood in Louisiana and Mississippi. Floods from the Midwest are killing oysters, and driving crabs, shrimp and finfish out of bays and marshes, into saltier water where they can survive. “On a scale of 1 to 10, we are 9-and-a-half destroyed,” said Brad Robin, whose family controls about 10,000 acres (4,000 hectares) of oyster leases in Louisiana waters. “The light at the end of the tunnel right now is about out,” he said. Many species that depend on a brackish mix of fresh and saltwater in coastal estuaries are decamping as this year’s huge floods flush in fresh water, laden with pollution from farms and cities in the Mississippi River basin. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant asked the federal government on May 31 for a fisheries disaster declaration to make federal grants, loans and other aid available to affected people. Gov. John Bel Edwards has prepared to follow suit, asking for details to support a request for Louisiana, state fisheries officials said Thursday. The situation is grim: Louisiana’s oyster harvest is 80 percent below average for this time of year and more oysters are expected to die as temperatures rise, according to a preliminary report on the department’s website. Shrimp landings were down 63 percent and blue crab landings down 45 percent in April from the five-year average. There’s been a drop in the fish catch, but it hasn’t reached the statewide average of 35 percent needed for a federal fisheries disaster declaration, the report says. “We’ve been dealing with the river since October,” said Acy J. Cooper Jr., president of the Louisiana Shrimp Association “That’s a long time it’s been high.” The die-offs are as bad in Mississippi. Joe Spraggins, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, said fresh water has killed 80 percent or more of the state’s oysters. He said crabs are down about 40 percent and brown shrimp landings are down more than 70 percent from a five-year average. Marine animals require certain amounts of salt in their water. Oysters can tolerate a wide range of salinity, but a long spell of fresh water coupled with high temperatures can be lethal. Shrimp, crabs and fish simply swim to saltier areas. Shrimp are now in places only larger boats can reach, said Cooper. “Some of the big ones are catching a few,” he said. “The smaller boats are just catching hell.” In addition, nutrients in river water nourish algae blooms so intense that their decomposition on the sea floor consumes oxygen, creating a dead zone every summer for thousands of square miles off the coast. This year’s floods could bring a near-record dead zone, scientists have said. The Mississippi River watershed drains 41 percent of the continental United States, and the middle of North America has had an awfully wet year. The prolonged flooding has raised the Mississippi so high for so long that for the first time ever, the Army Corps of Engineers opened a major spillway twice this year, displacing Lake Pontchartrain’s usually brackish water and flushing out the Mississippi Sound. The water is also high to the west, where the Atchafalaya River distributes Mississippi River water through Cajun Country swamps. The floodwaters have killed many of the adult oysters grown at Mississippi’s experimental oyster farm on Deer Island, oyster expansion agent Jason Rider said. That island is just off Biloxi, but the spillway’s water has reached it via Lake Pontchartrain, about 55 miles (90 km) west. Rider trained 13 people to grow oysters in raised cages on private farms there. They lost market-sized oysters, but were able to move seed oysters to more hospitable waters in Alabama, said Doug Ankersen of Theodore, Alabama, who sold them the fingernail-sized seed oysters. A disaster declaration would open the way for Congress to appropriate money to help fishermen and businesses that rely on them. For instance, $200 million was provided last June to help fishing communities recover from hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in 2017. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists said Friday that they’re investigating whether the floodwater and lingering effects of the BP oil spill contributed to the deaths of at least 279 bottlenose dolphins from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, triple the usual number for this time of year. The high water may last “well through the summer,” said Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Assistant Secretary Patrick Banks. “The difficulty is,” he said, “when will this even be over?”

pollution
u.s .
food
oceans
floods
seafood
oysters
gulf of mexico


Japan eyes boosted public spending to fend off post-Olympics economic slowdown

Abstract: The government and the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling coalition plan to boost public investment to counter a potential slowdown of the economy after the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, informed sources said Tuesday. The plan is expected to be a focal point in deliberations over the government budget for fiscal 2020, slated to go into full swing from this summer. At a meeting of LDP members Tuesday, the government proposed including the plan in an item on building disaster-resistant infrastructure in the government’s draft economic and fiscal policy guidelines to be hammered out soon. The proposal calls for the inclusion of a sentence that states that the government “will steadily promote such efforts to ensure economic growth after the Olympics,” according to the sources. The proposal, which was supported by the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Policy Division of the LDP, was broadly accepted at the meeting. The government also proposed adding a clause on “considering regional differences” concerning the minimum wage, an expected point of contention. The government and ruling coalition plan to discuss the draft guidelines further, aiming for approval at a Cabinet meeting this week.

ldp
budgets
2020 tokyo olympics
fiscal spending
2020 tokyo paralympics


Japanese government keeps economic view unchanged, says economy 'recovering at moderate pace'

Abstract: The government kept its basic economic assessment unchanged in its monthly report released on Tuesday. “The Japanese economy is recovering at a moderate pace while weakness in exports and industrial production continues,” said the monthly economic report for June compiled by the Cabinet Office and submitted to a meeting of relevant economic ministers. The government has used the same wording for two months in a row and maintained its view that the economy has continued to grow since December 2012, as consumer spending is recovering although production has been weighed down by the protracted U.S.-China trade friction. While consumer sentiment is on a weak note, the government left its assessment on private consumption unchanged, saying that private consumption is “picking up,” on the back of brisk sales of new automobiles and strong demand for consumer electronics. Business investment is “on the increase at a moderate pace, while weakness is seen recently in machinery investment,” the report said, keeping its assessment unchanged. It also left its view on the employment situation intact, saying it is “improving steadily.” In the report, the government revised up its assessment on corporate profits for the first time in 27 months. “Corporate profits hold firm at a high level,” it said. “Corporate profits that serve as financial resources for capital investment … are on a firm note mainly in the nonmanufacturing sector and remain at a high level,” an official of the Cabinet Office said. The government changed its assessment on corporate goods prices, saying they are leveling off. The change came as prices for copper and other nonferrous metals fell, reflecting a drop in demand stemming from a slowdown in the Chinese economy. It previously said that these prices were rising moderately. Looking ahead, the report said the Japanese economy “is expected to continue recovering,” supported by policy measures, in line with improvements in employment and income. It called for “further attention” mainly to the effects trade issues have on the global economy and the prospects for the Chinese economy.

economy
cabinet office
economic indicators


Ministry plan will see Japan's mobile phone carriers slash cancellation fees in fall

Abstract: The government said Tuesday it will require mobile phone operators this fall to drastically cut cancellation fees for users who quit in the middle of a two-year contract to promote competition and lower the country’s relatively high communication charges. Under the plan approved by the communications ministry’s panel, major mobile phone operators will be obliged to cut cancellation charges by 90 percent to ¥1,000 or less from the current ¥9,500, enabling users to switch companies more easily. The new regulations are expected to prompt mobile phone operators to overhaul their price plans, as they will only be able to offer discounts of up to ¥170 on monthly communication fees for users who purchase mobile phones under a two-year contract. In Japan, many mobile phone users are reluctant to change companies frequently because of the financial burden in canceling the two-year contract introduced by the three major phone companies — NTT Docomo Inc., SoftBank Corp. and KDDI Corp. — under their strategy to retain users. The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry aims to spur competition in the industry by having the three companies launch basic fees that are not bound by a specific time frame and helping low-cost smartphone operators attract users. Budget smartphone operators with subscriptions of less than 1 million will be exempt from the new regulations. Such companies provide low-cost wireless communication services by leasing their network capacity from the major companies. To introduce the regulations, the ministry will revise an ordinance and introduce it this fall in line with the entry into force of the revised telecommunication law that bans mobile phone operators from offering plans that cover both the price of a mobile phone handset and connection fees in one package. The ministry also plans to limit discounts on handsets to a maximum of ¥20,000, effectively ending operators’ discounting of mobile device purchases in exchange for relatively high data usage fees, a long-held practice that has been criticized as causing communications fees to remain high. It will also place a cap on benefits that are offered by the mobile phone companies to long-term subscribers, officials said. Japan’s three major mobile phone operators have recently been targeted by the government over what are deemed relatively high mobile phone charges compared with other countries. In addition to the three major mobile phone operators, the regulations will be imposed on e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc., which plans to join the telecommunications market in October. The government has been aiming to spark greater competition among the wireless carriers after the its top spokesman, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, said last August that the carriers have room to cut phone bills by about 40 percent amid criticism that Japan’s carriers charge too much compared with those in other countries.

smartphones
softbank
phones
ntt docomo
rakuten
kddi
internal affairs ministry


How cryptocurrencies can replace other pay options

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO - Cryptocurrencies live in a volatile, roller-coaster world, which Facebook is seeking to change with its new Libra digital money. The new digital currency will be overseen by a nonprofit association and backed with real assets to serve as a reliable, stable form of globally accepted money that lives essentially on smartphones. How do cryptocurrencies work? To use currencies like Libra, people will need to install software referred to as a digital wallet. Several digital wallets are available, but one called Calibra is being built by a Facebook subsidiary for Apple- and Android-powered smartphones and integrated with the social network’s Messenger and WhatsApp mobile services. This system “lets everyone store their money securely in their phone,” said Kevin Weil, Calibra vice president of product. A digital wallet chosen by the user is linked to bank accounts or credit cards for transfers or online transactions. “The same way you can pick any browser to go on the internet, you can pick any digital wallet,” Weil said. What are the advantages?- Libra was released as an open ecosystem, so any business or service may accept it for payments. Financial institutions could also offer credit or loans in Libra. “Imagine storing your life savings in your house; it is safer to take it with you on the go on your phone,” Weil said. Calibra, for example, could be used to send money to friends or family members in another country, or shop at stores online or in the real world the same way they might use Apple Pay or Google Pay. More than a billion people already use WhatsApp and Messenger to communicate, so providing a way to send money makes sense. “Over time, as the Libra ecosystem grows and Libra is built into products and services, there will be more things you can just do with Libra,” Weil said. How is cash converted to crypto? People without access to banks could go to a currency exchange or merchant to convert cash into Libra. Once on a smartphone, Libra could be sent text-message style, with recipients having the option to save it in their own wallets for future use or convert it to their local currency. “We make it easy to go back and forth to local currency,” Weil said. “If you are unbanked, you will have locations like money exchanges that operate with Libra.” Currency exchange fees would be market-driven, but likely less than remittance fees charged by businesses that wire funds. Calibra has built-in fraud and password recovery protections, and there is a “know-your-customer” process that requires people to initially provide some form of government identification. “This is people’s money; we feel a huge responsibility to keep it safe,” Weil said.


Greenpeace claims it forced BP oil rig to make U-turn in North Sea

Abstract: LONDON - Greenpeace said Monday that its seafaring campaigners had forced British energy giant BP to turn around an oil rig before it could start drilling a new well. The environmental pressure group’s ship Arctic Sunrise has been shadowing BP’s rig for nine days as it tries to reach its North Sea destination from Scotland. Greenpeace said it forced the platform to return toward the coast on Saturday and then again on Monday. “We are determined to stop BP drilling new oil wells in the North Sea,” Greenpeace activist Sarah North said in a statement. The group said it was “following BP’s oil rig as it makes its second U-turn in less than 48 hours. BP issued no comment when contact by AFP on Monday. It said when the standoff began that while “we recognize the right for peaceful protest, the actions of this group are irresponsible and may put themselves and others unnecessarily at risk. Greenpeace said 11 of its activists have been arrested for planting themselves on the rig since last week. BP’s £200-million ($250-million, €225-million) Vorlich project off Scotland’s eastern shore is a two-well development that the energy group believes can produce up to 20,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day. It received U.K. government approval last September. BP and other energy multinationals are under intensifying pressure from campaigners to halt carbon fuel development and focus on renewable forms of energy. The British government outlined plans this month to cut greenhouse gas emissions to a net level of zero by 2050.

u.k .
oil
bp
scotland
environment
drilling
greenpeace
north sea


Nikkei plunges on yen's rise to end below 21,000

Abstract: Stocks plunged on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday amid the yen’s appreciation against the dollar, sending the key Nikkei average below the 21,000 threshold. The 225-issue Nikkei average fell 151.29 points, or 0.72 percent, to end at 20,972.71, after gaining 7.11 points on Monday. The market yardstick last closed below 21,000 on June 7. The Topix index of all first-section issues finished down 11.07 points, or 0.72 percent, at 1,528.67. It fell 6.97 points the previous day. The market showed resilience after getting off to a weak start, supported by a rise in Shanghai stocks and bargain hunting. But stocks went south later in the morning as selling pressure built up as the dollar weakened vis-a-vis the yen, brokers said. Also weighed on by selling stemming from a drop in the Nikkei futures price, both indexes expanded losses toward Tuesday’s closing. The dollar dropped against the yen after the Australian dollar tumbled versus the Japanese currency on selling triggered by the just-released minutes of the Australian central bank’s policy-setting meeting earlier this month suggesting the possibility of a fresh interest rate cut, traders said. Some brokers also offered the view that the dollar’s weakness was brought about by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tweet on Monday declaring the start next week of the process of “removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States.” Ryuta Otsuka, strategist at the investment information department of Toyo Securities Co., said investors put active buying on hold in the afternoon “to wait for the outcome” of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting through Wednesday. Falling issues outnumbered rising ones 1,781 to 307 in the TSE’s first section, while 55 issues were unchanged. Volume increased to 1.023 billion shares from Monday’s 934 million shares. Tateru dived 18.61 percent after news reports said the land ministry plans to slap a business suspension order on the apartment management firm due to its data manipulation. Clothing store operator Nishimatsuya Chain fell 6.73 percent following the company’s announcement of a sharp profit drop in March-May. Other major losers included electronic parts producer Taiyo Yuden and cybermall operator Rakuten. On the other hand, drug store chain Tsuruha Holdings shot up 3.97 percent after the company reported brisk earnings for the business year that ended in May. Among other winners were electronics maker Fujitsu and machinery producer Toshiba Tec. In index futures trading on the Osaka Exchange, the key September contract on the Nikkei average fell 160 points to end at 20,910.


Dollar drops below ¥108.30 in Tokyo trading

Abstract: The U.S. dollar fell below ¥108.30 in Tokyo trading Tuesday, dragged down by drops in the Australian dollar and Tokyo stock prices. At 5 p.m., the U.S. dollar stood at ¥108.23-28, down from ¥108.56-56 at the same time Monday. The euro was at $1.1237-1237, up from $1.1213-1213, and at ¥121.64-65, down from ¥121.74-74. The U.S. currency fell below ¥108.40 in the morning as the Australian dollar plunged against the yen after the minutes of the Australian central bank’s policy-setting meeting earlier this month suggested a fresh interest rate cut possibility. The U.S. greenback lost further ground in the afternoon, in step with the Nikkei stock average and U.S. long-term interest rates in off-hours trading, traders said. “Risk-averse selling hit the dollar-yen pair,” an asset management firm official said. “Investors refrained from active trading ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting” starting later on Tuesday, a bank official said. “If the Fed fails to show a dovish stance at the meeting, dollar buybacks may emerge,” a securities house official said.


Huawei chief says U.S. sanctions will cost it $30 billion in revenue

Abstract: SHENZHEN, CHINA - Huawei Technologies Co.’s founder said Monday that the Chinese telecom giant’s revenue will be $30 billion less than forecast over the next two years, as he compared the company to a “badly damaged plane” as a result of U.S. government actions against it. “We never thought that the U.S.’s determination to attack Huawei would be so strong, so firm,” Ren Zhengfei, who is also the CEO, said during a panel discussion at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China. Ren said Huawei will reduce capacity and expects revenue of about $100 billion annually for the next two years, compared with $105 billion in 2018. In February, he said the company was targeting $125 billion in 2019. Huawei’s overseas cellphone sales will drop by 40 percent, Ren said, confirming a Bloomberg report published Sunday. But the Chinese market is growing rapidly, he said, and Huawei will not allow restrictive measures to curb its research and development. Huawei is embroiled in a trade dispute between China and the U.S., which has accused Chinese companies such as Huawei of committing forced technology transfers and stealing trade secrets. Last month, the U.S. placed Huawei on its “Entity List,” which effectively bars American companies from selling components to Huawei without government approval. U.S. suppliers are taking a hit, too. Micron Technology Inc., Qualcomm Inc., Qorvo Inc. and Skyworks Solutions Inc. have all listed Huawei as a major customer. Last week, chipmaker Broadcom Corp. reduced its 2019 revenue forecast by $2 billion, saying customers are trimming orders because of the trade tensions, including the U.S. curbs on sales to Huawei. Broadcom previously estimated full-year revenue of $24.5 billion. The research firm IHS Markit said Micron and Western Digital Corp. will also suffer, as they lose a leading buyer of memory chips and storage devices. Huawei is expected to face challenges finding alternative suppliers for components, though IHS says Micron and Western Digital could eventually be replaced by South Korean and Taiwanese suppliers. More broadly, U.S. businesses are expressing alarm at the Trump administration’s aggressive policies toward China. Hundreds of companies, trade groups and individuals have written the U.S. trade representative to protest the administration’s plan to extend tariffs of up to 25 percent on the $300 billion worth of Chinese sales to the United States that haven’t already been hit by import taxes. Some are showing up in person for seven days of hearings that began Monday. They want the administration to cancel the tariffs — or at least spare the imports they rely on. Washington claims Huawei poses a national security threat because it is beholden to China’s ruling Communist Party. But American officials have presented no evidence of any Huawei equipment serving as intentional conduits for espionage by Beijing. Huawei’s placement on the Entity List is widely seen as intended to persuade resistant U.S. allies in Europe to exclude Huawei equipment from their next-generation wireless networks, known as 5G. Ren denies that Huawei would share user data with the Chinese government if ordered to do so. He said Monday there are no back doors in its equipment that anyone could access, and that Huawei is willing to enter into a no-back-door agreement with any nation that wants one. Huawei has brought a lawsuit in the U.S. this March challenging the constitutionality of a national security law which prevents the U.S. government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment. The complaint, filed in Plano, Texas, where Huawei’s American operations are headquartered, alleges that the law singles out Huawei for punishment while denying the company due process. The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Huawei is asking Verizon to pay licensing fees for more than 200 of its patents. While Huawei declined to comment on the matter, company spokesman Joe Kelly said it will hold a briefing later this month on being more aggressive about collecting intellectual property licensing fees. Ren said during the panel discussion that Huawei will not use its many patents as a “weapon,” but did not rule out seeking royalties for usage. He emphasized that Huawei will not stop collaborating with other countries and businesses. The company’s current situation “is not caused by American businesses, but rather by certain politicians’ different perspectives,” Ren said. “I think both sides will suffer. No one will win.” The panel, organized by Huawei, also included Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of the media lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and writer and investor George Gilder. In December, Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou — Ren’s daughter — was arrested in Vancouver at the request of U.S. authorities. The U.S. alleges that Meng misled American banks about the company’s business dealings with Iran, and that Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment in Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. An extradition hearing is expected to begin in January.

china
u.s .
tariffs
huawei
donald trump
5g
ren zhengfei


Apartment management firm Tateru to get business suspension order over data fraud

Abstract: The land ministry plans to slap a business suspension order on Tateru Inc. over data manipulation at the apartment management firm, it has been learned. The order will be issued based on the residential land and building business law, after the ministry’s Kanto Regional Development Bureau conducts a hearing with the Tokyo-based company Friday, informed sources said. Details of the order, including the duration and the scope of operations subject to suspension, will be decided later. Around between July 2015 and July 2018, Tateru committed wrongdoing such as overstating the amounts of customers’ deposits to make it easier for them to receive loans from financial institutions in a total of 336 cases of residential land transactions in Tokyo and nine prefectures, according to the ministry. The nine prefectures are Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Fukuoka and Kumamoto. A total of 31 Tateru employees were involved in the irregularities, according to a report released last December by an investigation panel comprising outside lawyers. Tateru is listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

fraud
scandals
real estate
tse
mlit
tateru


Mitsubishi displays SpaceJet, formerly known as the MRJ, at Paris Air Show

Abstract: PARIS - Japan’s Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. is displaying its SpaceJet at the biennial International Paris Air Show, which opened Monday, marking the first public exhibit of the plane since it was renamed from the Mitsubishi Regional Jet last Thursday. The aircraft is among the exhibits from some 2,400 companies at the event in Le Bourget, on the outskirts of Paris. The name change for the first Japanese-developed small passenger jet came amid prolonged development and subsequent repeated delays in its deliveries. “We faced difficulties and delayed schedules, but we have come to amass abilities never held before by Japanese companies,” Hisakazu Mizutani, president of Mitsubishi Aircraft, a unit of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., told a news conference at the show. Mizutani said that Mitsubishi Aircraft hopes to put the M100, a 70-seater model from the SpaceJet family, on the market in 2023. “We’d like to set our outlook soon for commercializing the model,” he said. The company aims to make the first delivery of the 90-seater M90 SpaceJet model in mid-2020. Organizers of the air show expect over 300,000 people, including industry figures and members of the general public, to visit the weeklong event through Sunday. Elsewhere in the event, one of the largest air shows in the world, U.S. aircraft giant Boeing Co. is drawing attention as its 737 Max new passenger jet has been grounded following two fatal crashes involving the aircraft. On June 2, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered Boeing to fix faulty wing parts for 737 Max planes.

aviation
mitsubishi
mitsubishi heavy
mitsubishi aircraft
paris air show
spacejet


Japanese firms under pressure to hire more women as board members

Abstract: Major Japanese companies are increasingly turning to women to fill future positions as board members due to increased pressure from overseas asset management and proxy advisory firms. Some firms are taking measures to raise awareness among the female workforce, including presenting female staff members with detailed plans for future career paths. Since last year, U.S. financial services firm State Street Corp., which invests in over 2,000 Japanese companies, has voted against the selection of chairmen and presidents at shareholders meetings if companies have no women on their boards. Starting in 2021, State Street also plans to oppose the selection of members of board nominating committees at companies with no female board members. Benjamin Colton of State Street said firms with a lot of female board members tend to post better earnings and produce more innovation, leaving them more likely to survive tough business environments. U.S. proxy adviser Glass, Lewis & Co. has called on 100 major Japanese firms listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange to appoint female directors this year. Glass Lewis has recommended its clients oppose the selection of chairmen, presidents and nominating committee heads at companies without women board members. Starting next year, it plans to do more to have women appointed board members. Approval of Glass Lewis’ recommendations may become widespread, given its strong influence among overseas investors. The TSE’s corporate governance code also urges companies to employ more women as board members to increase diversity. The proportion of female executives at listed Japanese firms stands at around 3 percent, far lower than U.S. and European counterparts. The government has set a goal of increasing the figure to 10 percent by 2020, but this is seen as unachievable due to a lack of female managers who are future candidates for executive positions.


Boko Haram suspected as triple suicide bombing in northeast Nigeria kills 30

Abstract: KANO, NIGERIA - Thirty people were killed late Sunday in a triple suicide bombing in northeast Nigeria, emergency services reported, in an attack bearing the hallmarks of the Boko Haram jihadist group. Three bombers detonated their explosives outside a hall in Konduga, 38 km (24 miles) from the Borno state capital Maiduguri, where soccer fans were watching a match on TV. “The death toll from the attack has so far increased to 30. We have over 40 people injured,” Usman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said on Monday. An earlier toll from the blasts, the bloodiest in months, gave 17 dead and 17 wounded. The attack happened around 9:00 p.m. (1800 GMT), said Ali Hassan, the leader of a self-defense group in the town. The owner of the hall prevented one of the bombers from entering the packed venue. “There was a heated argument between the operator and the bomber who blew himself up,” Hassan said by telephone. Two other bombers who had mingled among the crowd at a tea stall nearby also detonated their suicide vests. Hassan said most of the victims were from outside the soccer viewing center. “Nine people died on the spot, including the operator, and 48 were injured,” Hassan said. Kachalla blamed the high number of fatalities on the emergency responders’ inability to reach the site of the blast quickly. Nor were they equipped to deal with large numbers of wounded. “Lack of an appropriate health facility to handle such huge emergency situation and the delay in obtaining security clearance to enable us (to) deploy from Maiduguri in good time led to the high death toll,” he said. Witnesses also said inadequate facilities and a lack of medicines contributed to the high death toll. “The people that are currently dying is because of lack of hospital: because some have passed the night bleeding … even the doctors are complaining that there is no drug,” said witness Garba Abdullahi. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack bore the imprint of Boko Haram, which has led a decade-long campaign to establish a hard-line Islamic state in northeast Nigeria. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari condemned “the heinous acts,” releasing a statement urging the security agents to track down the perpetrators and devise strategies to prevent a recurrence. Buhari, who was re-elected in February, is facing mounting demands to boost security. The last suicide attack was in April when two female suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the garrison town of Monguno, killing a soldier and a vigilante and injuring another soldier. Konduga has been repeatedly targeted by suicide bombers from a Boko Haram faction loyal to longtime leader Abubakar Shekau. The faction typically carries out suicide attacks against soft civilian targets such as mosques, markets and bus stations, often using young women and girls as bombers. The jihadis are believed to sneak into the town from the group’s haven in nearby Sambisa forest. Eight worshippers were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in the town last July. Boko Haram’s insurgency has claimed more than 27,000 lives and forced some 2 million to flee their homes. The violence has spilled into neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to battle the insurgents. In 2016, a faction of Boko Haram split from the group, becoming the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Attacks by the rival groups play into efforts to assert greater influence, according to Yan St-Pierre, a counterterrorism consultant for MOSECON, a law firm based in Berlin. He blamed Sunday’s suicide attack on the original faction, saying it was to “send a message, to say that they are still very present” despite dwindling resources. Countering ISWAP’s strong effective media production and propaganda — with ISWAP distinguishing itself as avoiding civilian deaths — was an emerging focus for the rival faction, he said. “In recent weeks it has been noticed that the Shekau Boko Haram faction has tried to redo its image,” St-Pierre added. The nation of 200 million, the most populous in Africa, is grappling with violence between herder and farmer communities in its fertile central region in addition to the jihadis’ revolt.

terrorism
boko haram
nigeria
abubakar shekau
konduga


12 dead, 31 rescued after Greece-bound migrant boat sinks off Turkey

Abstract: ANKARA - A boat carrying migrants to Greece sank off the Turkish coast on Monday, leaving at least 12 migrants dead, Turkey’s coast guard said. The coast guard said 31 other migrants were rescued after the boat capsized in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Bodrum. The region is close to the Greek island of Kos. The 12 bodies were found inside the wreck of the boat at a depth of 32 meters (105 feet), the coast guard said in a statement. It said the search-and-rescue operation involving two coast guard boats, a helicopter and a team of divers, is continuing. It was not immediately clear why the boat sank. There was no immediate information on the migrants’ nationalities. Although the number of people heading to the Greek islands from the Turkish coast has decreased since the height of the refugee crisis in 2015, hundreds continue to make the crossing each week. In Spain, the maritime rescue service said it rescued 292 migrants Monday who were attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe from North Africa. Spain in recent years has become the biggest entry point for unauthorized migration to Europe. However, Spanish Interior Ministry statistics show migrant arrivals are down by almost 18 percent on last year, at just over 8,800.

immigration
greece
refugees
turkey
kos
bodrum
maritime accidents


In historic shift, Vatican to consider married priests for Amazon region

Abstract: VATICAN CITY - An upcoming Vatican global synod dedicated to the Amazon is set to discuss allowing married men in remote areas to be ordained as priests, according to a preview of the meeting made public on Monday. The much-anticipated discussion, which will form part of the Oct. 6 to 27 synod, is aimed at boosting the stock of potential clergy in far-flung areas where they are currently scarce. “It is requested that the possibility be studied of priestly ordination of elders in the most remote areas, preferably indigenous people, respected and accepted by their community, even if they already have a stable and established family,” according to the working paper. Pope Francis has repeatedly said there is no doctrinal prohibition on married men who have reached a certain age from becoming priests, and therefore the discipline could be changed. But in January he seemed to retreat from the idea, describing celibacy as “a gift to the Church. “I don’t think optional celibacy should be allowed. No,” he said. The pope nevertheless conceded “some possibilities for far-flung places,” such as Pacific islands or the Amazon where “there is a pastoral necessity,” though he added that the decision was not his to make. Saint Peter, the church’s first pope, had a mother-in-law, according to the Bible. Celibacy was imposed in the 11th century, possibly partly to prevent descendants of priests inheriting church property. Some within the church believe it is time to join many Eastern rite Catholic Churches in permitting married men to take the cloth. Married Anglican priests keen to convert to Catholicism have already been welcomed over. The Vatican’s number two, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, suggested in an interview last year that the church could “gradually look in depth” at the issue, while ruling out any “drastic change. Some 60,000 priests have given up their vocation over the past few decades, often to marry. Pope Francis suggested in 2017 that the church “reflect” on the question of ordaining “viri probati,” married men of proven virtue, particularly in far-flung places where priests are thin on the ground. The synod discussion paper also raises the prospect of a more inclusive role for women in the Amazon, adding their presence “is not always adequately taken into consideration. It suggested women could have a greater educational participation. The synod will also consider the environmental challenges facing the Amazon, a vast area of rain forest mainly in Brazil but also touching eight other countries. Last month, Brazil’s legendary indigenous chief Raoni met the pope to highlight increasingly acute threats to the Amazon. The elderly Kayapo chief, internationally recognizable through his traditional lip plate and feather headdress, is seeking to raise €1 million ($1.1 million) to better protect the Amazon’s Xingu reserve — home to many of Brazil’s tribal peoples — from loggers, farmers and fire.

religion
christianity
catholic church
amazon
marriage
pope francis
priests


World population expected to rise to 9.7 billion by 2050, says U.N.

Abstract: UNITED NATIONS - The world’s population is getting older and growing at a slower pace but is still expected to increase from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050, the United Nations said Monday. The U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Population Division said in a new report that world population could reach its peak of nearly 11 billion around the end of the century. But Population Division Director John Wilmoth cautioned that because 2100 is many decades away this outcome “is not certain, and in the end the peak could come earlier or later, at a lower or higher level of total population.” The new population projections indicate that nine countries will be responsible for more than half the projected population growth between now and 2050. In descending order of the expected increase, they are: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Egypt and the United States. In sub-Saharan Africa, population is projected to nearly double by 2050, the report said. Undersecretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Lu Zhenmin said in a statement: “Many of the fastest growing populations are in the poorest countries, where population growth brings additional challenges in the effort to eradicate poverty,” promote gender equality and improve health care and education. The report confirmed that the world’s population is growing older due to increasing life expectancy and falling fertility levels. The global fertility rate fell from 3.2 births per woman in 1990 to 2.5 births in 2019 and is projected to decline further to 2.2 births by 2050. A fertility rate of 2.1 births per woman is needed to ensure population replacement and avoid declines, according to the report. In 2019, the fertility rate in sub-Saharan Africa was the highest at 4.6 births per woman, with Pacific islands, Northern Africa, and Western, Central and Southern Asia above the replacement level, said the report. But since 2010, it said 27 countries or areas have lost one percent or more of their population. “Between 2019 and 2050 populations are projected to decrease by one percent or more in 55 countries or areas, of which 26 may see a reduction of at least 10 percent,” the U.N. said. “In China, for example, the population is projected to decrease by 31.4 million, or around 2.2 percent, between 2019 and 2050.” Wilmoth, the head of the Population Division, told a news conference launching the report that the population growth rate is slowing down as the fertility level gradually decreases. That decrease usually follows a reduction in the mortality level that initially instigated growth, he said. Wilmoth stressed that multiple factors lead to lower fertility, including increasing education and employment, especially for women, and more jobs in urban than rural areas, which motivate people away from costly large families to smaller families. But to achieve this, he said, people also need access to modern methods of contraception. According to the “World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights” report, migration is also a major component of population growth or loss in some countries. Between 2010 and 2020, it said 14 countries or areas will see a net inflow of more than 1 million migrants while 10 countries will experience a similar loss. For example, some of the largest outflows of people — including from Bangladesh and the Philippines — are driven by the demand for migrant workers, the report said. But some migrants are driven from their home countries by violence, insecurity and conflict, including from Myanmar, Syria and Venezuela. The U.N. said countries experiencing a net inflow of migrants over the decade include Belarus, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.


'Revolutionary escalation': Sudan protesters urge night rallies amid standoff with army

Abstract: KHARTOUM - Sudan’s protest leaders on Monday called for nighttime demonstrations and marches in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country, amid a tense standoff with the ruling military over who should lead the transition after the ouster of the autocrat Omar al-Bashir. The protest leaders said they’ve begun a “revolutionary escalation” to pressure the country’s generals to hand over power to civilians and to condemn the military’s violent dispersal of their sit-in camp in Khartoum earlier this month. At least 128 people have died since the security force’s crackdown on June 3, according to the protest organizers. The military-backed authorities, however, say 61 people died, including three members of the security forces. The group representing the protesters — known as the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change — said the night rallies will begin on Tuesday and marches on Thursday. The calls came a day after the deputy head of Sudan’s ruling military council, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, pushed back against demands from protest leaders concerning the composition of a transitional legislative body, seen by protest leaders as their “most important victory” in talks with the military. Dura Gambo, an activist with the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has spearheaded the protest movement since December, said the protest leaders chose to return to the streets after they realized that the military “started to pull out of the previous deals.” “There is a total impasse. The negotiations have been suspended, internet services remain blocked, and the Ethiopian mediations apparently did not make progress,” she said. Negotiations between the military and protesters were called off after the deadly sit-in dispersal on June 3. The FDFC announced a package of conditions to be met before resuming talks, which included the formation of an international commission to investigate the killings of protesters, restoring internet services, and adherence to any deals struck before the breakdown in talks. The military council rejected the idea of an international investigation, but the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry had said the council had agreed to adhere to the previous deals. Both Ethiopia and the U.S., which has sent a special envoy to Sudan, have made efforts to revive the talks and find a peaceful solution. In a sign of continued international pressure, the European Union on Monday called for military and protest leaders to refrain from unilateral moves, and resume negotiations “immediately,” based on agreements reached so far. The statement, issued by an EU council representing its member states, urged the military to take confidence-building measures, including lifting restrictions on freedom of assembly, freedom of the media, civic space and access to the internet, and for the FDFC to respond accordingly. Gambo warned that the protesters were still facing deadly repression as long as the feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and other security units were left on the streets in Khartoum and other cities. “Street demonstrations are risky. It means more crackdown and deaths,” she said. In a press conference in Khartoum on Monday, prominent activist Mohammed Naji al-Asam reiterated the demand for an internationally backed investigation into the protesters’ deaths, before resuming talks with the military. “We are ready for any scenario. It seems that the military council intends to cling to power to rule Sudan alone,” he said. “This will not happen,” he added. He says 12 alleged rape cases were documented in the crackdown. He did not elaborate. Last week, Pramila Patten, a U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict zones, expressed “grave concern” over reports of the rapes of protesters and female medical personnel by security forces and militias in Sudan. Over the weekend, the hashtag #blueforSudan began to trend locally and internationally on social media, as a sign of solidarity with Sudan’s embattled protest movement. Gambo, the activist, said the hashtag was created in memory of a protester, Mohammed Hashim Matter, a young engineer who was killed in the sit-in dispersal earlier this month. “Mohammed had written on his social media: ‘I have painted the sky blue,” she said, referring to hopes for change in Sudan aroused by the protesters. “After his death, his friends launched a social media campaign and changed their profile pictures to blue, Mohammed’s favorite.”

protests
sudan
omar al-bashir
mohammed hamdan dagalo


Mohammed Morsi, who ruled Egypt between two revolts, dies at 67

Abstract: CAIRO - Mohammed Morsi, a bespectacled Muslim Brotherhood foot-soldier elevated from obscurity to become Egypt’s first freely elected civilian president, has died. He was 67. He collapsed and died while attending a court hearing, Egyptian state media reported. He suffered a “sudden heart attack,” state-run Ahram Gate said. Egypt’s public prosecutor said there was no evidence of marks or injuries to his body but investigators would conduct a full autopsy and examine courthouse video for evidence. Amnesty International urged a transparent probe into the circumstances of Morsi’s death, while other rights advocates seized on it as proof authorities were denying him proper medical care. A former opposition lawmaker, Morsi was elected to the country’s top office in June 2012, less than 18 months after joining a prison break amid the chaos of a mass uprising that swept away the three-decade rule of dictator Hosni Mubarak. While he sought to project himself as the “voice for all Egyptians,” that aspiration was divorced from the reality of his Islamist credentials. He spent much of his yearlong presidency unable to emerge from the shadow of top Brotherhood officials, who were viewed as the nation’s real power brokers. His fall was as crushing as his rise to power was stratospheric. Ousted by his army chief — the future President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi — Morsi languished in prison after being convicted for espionage and conspiring with foreign militants in the prison breakout. Rights groups and el-Sissi critics have decried the trials as unfair. “He was held in solitary confinement for almost six years, placing a considerable strain on his mental and physical well-being and violating the absolute prohibition against torture and other ill-treatment under international law,” Amnesty International said. The Brotherhood, a near-century-old movement that seeks to build societies centered on Islamic law, faced a sweeping crackdown in the wake of Morsi’s removal, with security forces killing hundreds of its supporters and imprisoning thousands. “There’s no way to divorce Morsi’s fate from that of the Brotherhood,” said Hani Sabra, founder of the Alef Advisory consultancy in New York. “They were one and the same. He went the way of the Brotherhood.” Morsi’s journey to the presidency was a stark contrast to his humble start. Born on Aug. 8, 1951, in Sharqiya province, his father was a farmer and his mother a housewife. He moved to Cairo in the late 1960s to study engineering at Cairo University. After completing his military service, Morsi returned to the university, earning a master’s degree and subsequently a doctorate from the University of Southern California. His rule became synonymous with a dangerous polarization as violent protests pit his backers against secularists and youth activists who played a key role in the 2011 Arab Spring revolt. Despite his claims of pursuing democracy, Morsi issued a constitutional decree in November 2012 that effectively granted him absolute power and the ability to direct the judiciary. That move, which he later rescinded, put him on a collision course with Egypt’s judicial establishment in a battle that ultimately saw the Islamist-dominated parliament disbanded by court order. Critics maintain that the Brotherhood, subsequently outlawed as a terrorist organization, was looking to monopolize power at the expense of reviving the economy as growth plunged to its lowest level in almost two decades. Morsi was also seen by many as ill-suited to correct decades of corruption under Mubarak, when an autocratic establishment relied on the might of security forces to keep it in power. Power outages were rife and a gasoline shortage emerged almost overnight, further stoking public rage that would reach a peak a year after his election. His supporters blamed those failures on so-called deep state institutions plotting to undermine his rule. In the final days of his presidency, Morsi, in a throwback to his predecessor, attempted to appease a roar of protest — tossing out platitudes to masses willing to accept nothing short of his ouster. “Polarization has reached a state of emergency that endangers our nascent democratic experience and threatens chaos,” he said in a June 2013 speech. “I took power at a difficult time — at times I was right, at times I was wrong.” He said the opposition was “aligning itself with enemies of the revolution.” Foreign leaders who’d had ties to Morsi and his Islamist movement were quick to express their shock at his death. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a fierce critic of Morsi’s overthrow, described him on Twitter as a “martyr.” Meanwhile, Rashid Ghannouchi, head of the Brotherhood-aligned Ennahda party in Tunisia, said the group hoped his passing would lead to the release of political prisoners and an open dialogue between parties. Morsi’s health had reportedly deteriorated in prison, where he faced conditions harsher than those of his predecessor, Mubarak, who spent much of his incarceration in a military hospital. While the Brotherhood has been driven underground by a crackdown that later expanded to include activists and other critics, analysts say his death could again ignite tensions. Morsi is survived by his wife and five children.

egypt
muslim brotherhood
mohammed morsi
obituary


Climate talks held as Arctic ice melts and concerns mount

Abstract: BERLIN - Diplomats and climate experts gathered Monday in Germany for U.N.-hosted talks on climate change amid growing public pressure for governments to act faster against global warming. Officials meeting in the western city of Bonn for the June 17-27 talks are focusing on resolving issues that couldn’t be agreed upon at last December’s climate summit in Poland. This includes the rules governing the international trade in carbon certificates, which allow countries or companies to offset greenhouse gas emissions by paying for projects in poor nations. The talks are taking place against a backdrop of mounting concerns about global warming that have been heightened by extreme weather events and other signs that man-made climate change may already be leaving its mark on the planet. Over the weekend, a picture taken by Danish climate researchers showing sled dogs on the ice in northwest Greenland with their paws in melted ice water was widely shared on social media. Greenland’s ice melting season normally runs from June to August but the Danish Meteorological Institute said this year’s melting started on April 30, the second-earliest time on record going back to 1980. Students in Europe and beyond have staged regular street protests demanding leaders do more to meet the 2015 Paris accord’s goal of keeping average temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) — ideally 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F) — by the end of the century, compared to pre-industrial times. While experts discuss technical issues in Bonn, European Union leaders will be debating the 28-nation’s long-term strategy on climate change Thursday in Brussels. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has indicated that she backs proposals to stop adding further greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere by 2050 — a move that will require ending almost all fossil fuel use by then. Britain, Germany and France are expected to pass national legislation this year enshrining this “net zero” target in law. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invited world leaders to outline their countries’ efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in September. They’ll likely face no letup in pressure there. Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old Swedish activist who has inspired the student protests and harangued the global elite in Davos and elsewhere, has announced she will take a year off from school to attend the New York summit and the U.N.’s annual climate meeting, being held this year in Chile. “The tricky thing is that it’s on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. And there are no trains going there,” she said Monday on Instagram . “And since I don’t fly, because of the enormous climate impact of aviation, it’s going to be a challenge. I haven’t quite figured that out yet.”

carbon
angela merkel
germany
climate change
greenland
bonn