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jp0001294
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Eyeing Russia, EU on high alert for cyberthreats to upcoming European Parliament vote
|
PARIS - With campaigning for May’s European Parliament elections shifting into high gear, security officials are preparing for potential attempts by Russia-linked hackers to sway the vote — and potentially deepen divisions in the bloc. “There’s a strong likelihood that people will try to manipulate the debates and falsify the European election results,” the EU’s security commissioner, Julian King, told France’s Alsace newspaper last week. The vote is shaping up as a continental clash between populist and euroskeptic movements on the one hand, and pro-European internationalists on the other. “It is already clear this will be the most consequential parliamentary vote in the EU’s history,” the European Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a recent report. Moscow has long denied allegations of hacking and meddling in foreign elections through social media disinformation campaigns thought to be piloted by Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency. But suspicions are rife that Russia has much to gain by helping populist and euroskeptic movements, some of which want to end EU sanctions on Moscow over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The biggest threat, officials say, is a three-pronged attack seen in other high-stake votes: the hacking of a political party; targeted leaks of any sensitive data, either raw or manipulated; and surreptitious social media campaigns to keep the information in the headlines. That was the scenario that played out in the U.S. presidential election of 2016, when Russian hackers were suspected of trying to tilt the outcome by hacking the Democratic Party. Russian hands were also seen behind an 11th-hour hacking of Emmanuel Macron’s party ahead of the 2017 French presidential elections, when thousands of files were leaked online. So-called state actors are also thought to have been involved in Britain’s Brexit vote, and in the hacking of Australian political parties last month. “We stand a good chance of being hit with something big” ahead of the May 23-26 election, said a source in the French security services, who requested anonymity to discuss the risks. In January the European Commission urged platforms like Google and Twitter, but also advertising firms, to make more progress on their pledge to fight “fake news” by removing bogus accounts and curbing suspect sites. “Several actions are being taken or already implemented to allow the EU and member states to react quickly, efficiently and in coordination in case of attacks,” according to an internal report by a European security service. “But for now they are mainly declarations of intent that have yet to be tested,” it added. One cyberspying group in particular — known as APT28, Pawn Storm, Fancy Bear or other monikers — is thought to have staged many of the recent attacks targeting European institutions and political groups, including NATO and the German parliament. The common thread in all these attacks “is the exfiltration of information without being detected,” said Loic Guezo of the Japanese IT security firm Trend Micro. “The group suspected in these operations always targets Western institutions involved in elections or political decision-making in Western countries that could have an impact on Russian government policy,” Guezo said. The stolen data is then strategically leaked to discredit their target. “The advantage is that because it’s intercepted information, it gives people the impression that they have access to the ‘truth,’ to raw, unfiltered information,” according to a recent report by the French Foreign and Defense ministries. While that may indeed be the case, often the stolen data is first tweaked or manipulated before being leaked and spread by viral social media campaigns. “Russia has developed an information arsenal, with manipulation strategies that use bots and fake accounts” to propel the disinformation into the mainstream media, said Kevin Limonier, a researcher at the French Geopolitical Institute in Paris. Media outlets and personalities are then charged with amplifying the leaked data or misinformation into the mainstream. Limonier described “an ecosystem revolving around a few structures in Russia, hidden behind shell companies, that lead to Yevgeny Prigozhin,” a businessman with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Such campaigns could be even more disruptive in an increasingly polarized Europe, where bitter divisions have emerged over the arrival of hundreds of thousands of migrants since 2015. A recent French study, for example, found that “yellow vest” anti-government protesters are more prone than other citizens to conspiracy theories, including a belief that establishment elites are organizing mass immigration to replace native populations. Given the risks, French authorities in particular plan to move much more aggressively to keep potential interference efforts from crossing “red lines,” an intelligence agency source said. “But you have to be careful, because the more you publicize this war, the more you risk making the threat seem bigger than it is,” Limonier said.
|
europe;russia;hacking;eu;elections;cyberattacks
|
jp0001295
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Fighting fierce as U.S.-backed Syrian forces close in on Islamic State's last stand
|
BAGHOUZ, SYRIA - Columns of black smoke billowed from the last small piece of territory held by Islamic State militants on Sunday as U.S.-backed fighters pounded the area with artillery fire and occasional airstrikes. Commanders of the Kurdish-led fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces said fierce clashes were taking place as they advance toward the last speck of land controlled by the Islamic State group. The militants fought back with snipers, suicide bombs and booby traps. Fires still smoldered from the area and ammunition exploded time and again, a day after an airstrike hit a building, setting off a huge blast. “It must be a main weapons depot,” said Sefqan, an SDF commander using only his nom de guerre. The U.S.-backed forces resumed an offensive to recapture the tiny area in the village of Baghouz in eastern Syria on Friday night, after a two-week pause to allow for the evacuation of civilians from the area. Retaking the sliver of land would be a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to end Islamic State’s self-proclaimed Islamic caliphate that once straddled vast territory across Syria and Iraq. However, the group continues to be a threat, with sleeper cells in scattered desert pockets along the porous border between the two countries. A few hundred IS militants, many of them believed to be foreign fighters, remain holed up inside Baghouz, with an unknown number of civilians. Machine guns could be heard echoing across the territory. Associated Press journalists in Baghouz saw black smoke from an apparent strike on a barrel of fuel. Gunfire followed another strike on the edge of the camp. Burned vehicles could be seen, abandoned in farmland beyond the village. Through binoculars, IS fighters could be seen walking around. Mustafa Bali, the SDF spokesman, said coalition airstrikes destroyed several car bombs during the past two days of battle in Baghouz. In a tweet, he said three car bombs that were trying to hit SDF positions were destroyed. Overnight, machine gun tracers could be seen in the skies over Baghouz and aircraft circled overhead. “The night for us and the morning for them,” said Abu Ghadab, another commander of the SDF. The militants usually attack during the day as they don’t have night vision goggles while the SDF advances at night, he explained. The U.S.-backed fighters say IS militants are mostly hiding underground, in tunnels. The global fight against the Islamic State group is one conflict in a country that has been at civil war for nearly eight years. Near the northwestern province of Idlib, a Syrian jihadist group linked to al-Qaida killed 21 Syrian soldiers and allied militiamen, in one of the most serious violations of a months-old truce in the area, according to activists and a Syria war monitor. Sunday’s attack by Ansar al-Tawhid fighters was carried out in the village of Massasneh in the north of Hama province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. A statement by the Syrian Foreign Ministry confirmed the attack, saying “terrorist groups” launched a pre-planned attack on armed forces stationed along the main road of Massasneh, killing and wounding a number of soldiers. “Syria confirms the full readiness and integrity of the Syrian army in dealing with these crimes and violations,” the statement added.
|
conflict;u.s .;terrorism;syria;islamic state;syrian democratic forces;baghouz
|
jp0001296
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
U.K. launches global fund to tackle stigma of menstruation and end 'period poverty' by 2050
|
LONDON - Britain launched a global “period poverty” fund and task force on Monday to help all women and girls access sanitary products by 2050 and to tackle the stigma around menstruation. It is estimated that half of all women and girls in poor countries are forced to use rags, cloths, grass and paper during their periods since many can’t afford to buy sanitary products, the U.K. government said. A survey by the children’s charity Plan International found that 10 percent of girls in Britain alone have been unable to afford sanitary products. The government pledged to give £2 million ($2.64 million) to organizations working to end period poverty globally, and has also earmarked £250,000 to create a task force of government departments, charities and private enterprises to tackle the issue. “Empowerment starts when you are young. Girls should be able to focus on their education and their future without being worried about or embarrassed by their periods,” said Penny Mordaunt, minister for women and equalities, in a statement. Menstruation is still taboo in many countries. In Nepal, the centuries-old Hindu practice of “chhaupadi,” where women are banished from their homes during their periods, has led to four deaths since the start of this year. In Britain, about one in four young women aged 11-21 feel embarrassed to talk about their periods, according to girls charity Girl Guiding UK. Coding consortium Unicode, which distributes emojis across mobile devices, said it will include a period emoji — a drop of blood — this month after Plan campaigned for one to help people talk openly about menstruation. “This is a global issue. Without education, women and girls around the world won’t be able to take the steps to reach their true potential,” said Mordaunt, who is also Britain’s international development minister. Globally, about 288 million women are on their period each day, yet one in three don’t have access to a toilet to use during menstruation, according to the charity WaterAid. The United Nations estimates that due to a lack of facilities, one in 10 girls in Africa will miss school during their period and will eventually drop out of school as a result.
|
u.k .;women;menstruation
|
jp0001297
|
[
"world",
"science-health-world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
In race with Boeing, SpaceX takes giant leap toward resuming crewed U.S. flights to ISS
|
SAN FRANCISCO - The successful voyage of SpaceX’s unmanned Crew Dragon to the International Space Station this weekend put the U.S. one tantalizing step closer to the day when American rockets will again ferry the nation’s astronauts into space. Sometime this summer, both Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and Boeing Co. are scheduled to launch crews toward the ISS, ending a long drought in which the U.S. has had to hitch rides in Russia’s Soyuz capsules. NASA awarded them contracts worth as much as a combined $6.8 billion in 2014 to fly U.S. astronauts to the ISS, splitting what’s known as the Commercial Crew program to avoid a monopoly. Saturday’s launch of the crew cabin from Florida and Sunday’s docking at the ISS mark “a major milestone for SpaceX and for the nation,” said Taber MacCullum, chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, in a statement. “This mission puts us a step closer toward re-establishing American access of American astronauts, on American rockets, from American soil to the ISS for the first time since the Space Shuttle retired in 2011.” SpaceX may get there first, in July based on how the test schedules are shaping up, with Boeing following just a few weeks later. In addition to the lucrative launch business, both companies see space tourism as a future source of revenue. Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg congratulated Musk in a tweet for reaching the testing milestone. “This is a huge milestone and shows how far NASA and the industry have come together,’ said Lori Garver, a former deputy NASA administrator, via email. “Lots more important milestones ahead, but the team can be very proud of this accomplishment — I know I am!” For SpaceX, the next big test comes later this week. Crew Dragon, which carried some supplies to the ISS along with a sensor-laden mannequin, is slated to undock from the space station at 2:31 a.m. New York time on Friday, then return to Earth and splash down into the Atlantic Ocean with the help of four parachutes. Though dates can shift, the latest schedule from NASA has SpaceX conducting an in-flight abort test in June and then following up in July with Demo-2, a flight that will take NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS. That’s the final hurdle before the system would be certified to enter the official rotation of crew-carrying flights. NASA says that Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner continues to undergo testing in preparation for its Orbital Flight Test, slated for no earlier than April. If all goes well, Boeing would then have a launch-pad abort test no earlier than May and a crewed flight test no earlier than August. Beyond the test flights, Boeing and SpaceX could use their vehicles to offer space rides to tourists and others with the means to pay. SpaceX is interested in flying Crew Dragon passengers other than government astronauts but hasn’t begun prospecting for customers, Musk said Saturday at a news conference at the Kennedy Space Center.
|
u.s .;iss;nasa;space;boeing;spacex;soyuz;ripley
|
jp0001298
|
[
"world",
"science-health-world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Underground fire smoldering for seven months at Arkansas dump raises health fears
|
LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS - More than seven months after residents first noticed a fire at an illegal dumping site in northwest Arkansas, it’s still smoldering, sending noxious smoke throughout the town and seeping into homes, with costs to extinguish the fire estimated at tens of millions of dollars. Chris Nelson, 40, lives with his wife and 4-year-old son in a house that’s a little more than 1000 feet (305 meters) from the shuttered dumping site. He said his family has experienced a persistent cough since the blaze started, his wife has been diagnosed with bronchitis and his son has been on multiple rounds of antibiotics. “I’m a veteran and this is probably one of the worst, most stressful situations to live in,” Nelson said. “It’s been hell.” The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality have been monitoring the air around the site, and most of the readings have come back at “good” or “moderate” levels. But one EPA reading in December came back with an “unhealthy” level, prompting the Arkansas Department of Health to issue a health alert, warning residents to “avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors,” including “running, playing or yardwork.” The fire burning at least 70 feet (21 meters) underground in this community of about 28,500 people some 170 miles (2.74 km) northwest of Little Rock has raised questions about how and why the dump operated without a state license for several years. No one is sure how the underground fire started at the illegal dumping site in the northwest Arkansas community of Bella Vista, though city officials suspect a small brush fire ignited debris below ground. At least two lawsuits have been filed against former and current owners of the 4.75-acre (1.9-hectare) plot of land, as well as the Bella Vista Property Owners Association, which shuttered the dump in 2016 before the owner sold it to a tree trimming and disposal service early last year. The association began leasing the site in January 2004 from the storage company that owned it. The association allowed residents to dispose of brush, wood and other organic materials in it. The state says the site never should have been operating as a dump of any kind. But state inspectors and contractors say it’s clear nonorganic items such as car batteries, wiring, swimming pool liners were dumped there at some point, complicating efforts to put out the blaze and clean up the mess. The original owners and the current owners did not return messages for comment. The Bella Vista Property Owners Association declined to answer questions about legality of the site. After the association closed the dump in 2016, it was capped with soil and vegetation, said Kim Carlson, director of marketing for the association. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality said it could not answer questions about why the dump stayed open after an inspector went to the site in 2008 in response to a complaint that cement mixer drums from Bella Vista’s developer had been dumped there. The mixers were removed, according to local news reports. Last July, residents began to notice what they thought was a brush fire and reported the smoke to the state. Inspectors visited the site in early August and the Department of Environmental Quality sent warning letters to the current and former owners. But the state and federal government didn’t start monitoring air quality until November, after frustrated residents began to complain of respiratory problems and fears of decreased property values. Kelly Strain, 56, lives less than 800 feet (244 meters) from the edge of the shuttered dumping site. He said the fire initially produced smoke that smelled like wood burning in a campfire. But within a few months, that changed. “The smell started to be pungent, toxic smelling. Really disgusting,” he said. “If you were outside and the wind was coming this way, you actually had to get back inside.” State officials and contractors in January began preparation for cleanup. Extinguishing the blaze is more complicated than just dumping water on it, said department spokeswoman Donnally Davis. Air pockets and various vents are interspersed between layers of dumped material compacted under dirt and more waste. Even flooding the site could leave small fires burning. Plus runoff could contaminate a nearby lake or seep into the groundwater. The exact cost to put out the fire and get rid of the waste is unknown. Davis said estimates so far have ranged from $15 million to $37 million. State lawmakers are considering a $20 million appropriation to help. State Sen. Jim Hendren, a Republican whose district includes Bella Vista, said he anticipates the bill will “move fairly quickly” through the Legislature. U.S. Sens. John Boozman and Tom Cotton and U.S. Rep. Steve Womack, all Republicans, wrote a letter Tuesday to the EPA asking for “any and all options from which the state may receive financial assistance.” Meanwhile, residents are growing weary. “People need help,” Nelson said. “It’s been going on for seven months and it doesn’t look like there’s an end in sight any time soon.”
|
pollution;u.s .;health;republicans;arkansas
|
jp0001301
|
[
"world",
"crime-legal-world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Islamic State teen's Dutch husband says he wants to head home with her and baby
|
LONDON - The Dutch husband of Shamima Begum, a British-born teenager who fled to join Islamic State, wants to live with her in the Netherlands, the BBC reported Sunday after finding him in Syria. Yago Riedijk, who is being held in a Kurdish-run detention center in northeast Syria, married Begum days after she arrived in territory held by IS when he was 23 and she was 15, he told BBC television. Begum, 19, from east London and now in a refugee camp, has said she would like to return to Britain but has been stripped of her British citizenship by the government, which calls her a security threat. Riedijk, who is 27 and says he now rejects IS, having fought for the jihadi group, says he wants to return home to the Netherlands with his wife and their newborn son. Their first two children died. In a first extract from the interview released by the BBC, he was asked if he thought marrying a girl of that age was acceptable. “When my friend came and said there was a girl who was interested in marriage, I wasn’t that interested because of her age, but I accepted the offer anyway,” he replied. “We sat down and she seemed in a good state of mind. It was her own choice, she was the one who asked to look for a partner for her. “Then I was invited and yeah, she was very young and it might have been better for her to wait a bit. But she didn’t, she chose to get married and I chose to marry her.” Riedijk, from Arnhem, told the BBC that he had been imprisoned and tortured after IS suspected him of being a Dutch spy. He surrendered to Syrian fighters. The case of Begum has highlighted a dilemma facing many European countries, divided over whether to allow jihadis and IS sympathizers home to face prosecution or bar them as the so-called caliphate crumbles.
|
conflict;terrorism;u.k .;netherlands;bbc;islamic state;shamima begum;yago riedijk
|
jp0001302
|
[
"world",
"crime-legal-world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou sues Canada for alleged wrongful search in Vancouver
|
OTTAWA/VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - The Huawei Technologies Co. chief financial officer whose detention in Canada has sparked a diplomatic standoff has filed a civil lawsuit against Canadian authorities, alleging she was wrongfully detained and searched. Meng Wanzhou claims that her constitutional rights were breached and is seeking damages for “false imprisonment.” The suit was filed March 1 in the Supreme Court of British Columbia against the Canadian Border Services Agency, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and the Canadian government. The notice alleges that the police officer and several border guards detained, searched and interrogated Meng under the guise of a routine customs or immigration case, and used “that opportunity to unlawfully compel her to provide evidence and information.” It alleges they did so without immediately arresting her under the warrant to avoid affording Meng her constitutional rights. Meng’s claim was filed the same day that the Canadian government agreed to begin an extradition process that was sparked by her arrest on Dec. 1 at the request of the U.S., which alleges that Meng lied to banks to trick them into processing transactions for Huawei that potentially violated Iran trade sanctions. China has demanded the release of Meng, who is under house arrest in Vancouver. Canada’s justice department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday. Meng was arrested on the jet bridge in Vancouver after getting off a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong while on her way to Mexico. The claim alleges the Chinese telecom executive was not informed promptly of the reasons for her detention, or given an opportunity to contact a lawyer. Meng was ordered to surrender all of her electronic devices, including two personal cellphones, an iPad and a personal computer, it alleges. A border officer then “demanded the plaintiff surrender the passwords,” and Meng did so, according to the claim. The officials then “unlawfully opened and viewed the contents of the seized devices in violation of the plaintiff’s right to privacy” and also “performed a thorough, invasive and focused search of all of the plaintiff’s luggage,” the claim alleges. It says that officials interrogated her over two sessions. Meng was formally arrested about three hours after her initial detention, the claim says. The police officer “intentionally delayed the arrest for the purpose of allowing the unlawful” detention in Vancouver, which “culminated in the unlawful detention, search and interrogation of the plaintiff by the CBSA Officers under the false pretense of a routine border check of a foreign traveler,” it alleges. The claim alleges Meng’s rights under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms were violated. Meng suffered “mental distress, anxiety and loss of liberty,” it says. The claim seeks declarations that her charter rights were infringed, various damages and costs, all unspecified.
|
china;courts;tech;canada;iran;sanctions;huawei;police;meng wanzhou
|
jp0001303
|
[
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
After diplomatic spat with Italy, French President Emmanuel Macron calls for reconciliation
|
ROME - French President Emmanuel Macron has launched a call for reconciliation with Italy following a diplomatic spat between the neighbors that saw Paris briefly recall its ambassador. Relations between the two countries have fractured due to repeated clashes between centrist Macron and Italy’s populist coalition government. In February, Paris recalled Ambassador Christian Masset for a week in protest at “unfounded attacks and outlandish claims” by the Italian government. “There has been intemperate talk. There have been various twists and turns and I think we owe it to our people, to our history and to Europe, to get past that,” Macron said Sunday on Italian television. In the spirit of reconciliation, Macron said he will host his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella, at Amboise, central France, on May 2 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci “with French and Italian youth.” “We will talk about the future and Europe,” he added. The two presidents intend to go “beyond the misunderstandings that can sometimes arise in political or economic life and which are, for me, secondary,” Macron said, without mentioning Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte or other Italian leaders. With the exception of a question about the planned Lyon-Turin rail link — which he stressed the importance of — Macron did not mention other divisive subjects such as Italian populist leaders’ support of the “yellow vest” protesters in France or the merger between French shipbuilder Chantiers de l’Atlantique (formerly STX France) and Italy’s Fincantieri. On the other hand, he spoke at length about his love of Italy and his travels. “There are so many French people who love Italy and Italians who love France and the French. But suddenly, we almost forgot that we have to keep on learning to understand each other,” Macron said. “I do not underestimate any of the difficulties of everyday life and the impatience, but I believe that between our countries there is and always has been a lot of heart, that is to say, friendship, love,” he said in a final message before the cameras. In Italy, the interview provoked controversy even before its release as Macron chose to be interviewed by Fabio Fazio, a nemesis of Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini and nationalists who consider him an archetypal “trendy” journalist. During his interview, the French president also quoted writer Roberto Saviano, one of Salvini’s most virulent critics, and lambasted “the simplification of the message of some nationalists.” “No country, no one in Europe, nor Italy, nor France, will solve its own problems by opposing other European countries and by withdrawing back to the national level,” he insisted. He also felt Europe was like living “on a volcano.” “There are people who think we can continue like sleepwalkers, as if nothing has happened, they will be buried. Me, I’m aware of the tragedy,” he said. “We need some real, complex philosophical thought and to re-inspire our peoples.”
|
france;italy;emmanuel macron
|
jp0001306
|
[
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Adviser John Bolton says Trump feels he 'gave nothing away' in North Korea summit
|
WASHINGTON - The White House national security adviser on Sunday described President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a success despite the lack of an agreement providing for the verifiable dismantling of the North’s nuclear sites. John Bolton, in three television interviews, tried to make that case that Trump advanced America’s national security interests by rejecting a bad agreement while working to persuade Kim to take “the big deal that really could make a difference for North Korea.” The U.S. and North Korea have offered contradictory accounts of why last week’s summit in Vietnam broke down, though both pointed to American sanctions as a sticking point. Bolton said that the leaders left on good terms and that Trump made an important point to North Korea and other countries that negotiate with him. “He’s not desperate for a deal, not with North Korea, not with anybody if it’s contrary to American national interests,” Bolton said. Bolton also sought to explain Trump’s comments about taking Kim’s word about Otto Warmbier, the American college student who was held prisoner in North Korea, then sent home in a vegetative state before dying shortly afterward. Trump said he didn’t believe Kim knew about or would have allowed what happened to Warmbier. “He tells me that he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word,” Trump said at a news conference last week. Bolton said Trump’s “got a difficult line to walk to” in negotiating with North Korea. “It doesn’t mean that he accepts it as reality. It means that he accepts that’s what Kim Jong Un said,” Bolton said. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., a close Trump ally, broke with the president. “I think Kim knew what happened, which was wrong,” McCarthy said. Some have been critical for Trump letting Kim stand with him on the world stage given North Korea’s poor human rights record. Kim will be able to portray himself to his people and supporters as the charismatic head of a nuclear-armed power, not an international pariah that starves its citizens so it can build weapons. But Bolton said that Trump’s view is that he “gave nothing away.” Asked whether that was his view, too, Bolton replied: “The president’s view is he gave nothing away. That’s what matters, not my view.” Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, summarized the summit as a “spectacular failure” made all the worse by Trump’s comments on the “murder of an American citizen, Otto Warmbier.” “This is, I think, the result of a president who is not prepared for these kind of negotiations, a staff that is not well-prepared and that is essentially flying by the seat of its pants, and it has real-world consequences,” Schiff said. “Those reactors continue to spin on, producing more material that can threaten us and our allies,” said Schiff, D-Calif. Bolton said Trump has “turned traditional diplomacy on its head, and after all in the case of North Korea, why not? Traditional diplomacy has failed in the last three administrations.” Bolton spoke on “Fox News Sunday,” CNN’s “State of the Union” and CBS’s “Face the Nation.” McCarthy was on ABC’s “This Week,” and Schiff was on CBS.
|
u.s .;north korea;kim jong un;donald trump;otto warmbier;john bolton
|
jp0001307
|
[
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Democratic presidential hopefuls mark Selma 'Bloody Sunday' anniversary
|
SELMA, ALABAMA - Several Democratic White House hopefuls are gathering at one of America’s seminal civil rights sites on Sunday to pay homage to that legacy and highlight their own connections to the movement. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who already are in the 2020 race, and Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, who could soon join them, are scheduled to participate in events surrounding the anniversary of “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Alabama. On March 7, 1965, peaceful demonstrators were beaten back by Alabama state troopers as they attempted to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It was a moment that galvanized support for the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year. This year’s commemoration comes in the early days of a Democratic primary that has focused heavily on issues of race. Several candidates have called out President Donald Trump as a racist while others have voiced support for the idea of reparations for the descendants of enslaved black Americans. The candidates visiting Selma intend to highlight how civil rights have shaped their narratives. Booker, who announced his candidacy at the start of Black History Month, is the keynote speaker at Brown Chapel AME Church for a service before the symbolic bridge crossing later in the day. He has spoken of himself as a direct beneficiary of the civil rights era after his family was denied housing in a white neighborhood. In January, Booker traveled through Georgia with Georgia Rep. John Lewis, an Alabama native and civil rights leader who was nearly killed in Selma 54 years ago. Sanders attended the 1963 March on Washington where Lewis spoke and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech. Sanders has highlighted his civil rights and activist background as a young man at the University of Chicago. He is working to reset his relationship with black voters, with whom he struggled to connect in the 2016 Democratic primary that Hillary Clinton won. Clinton also is set to attend commemoration events in Selma. Brown, currently on a “Dignity of Work” tour inspired by King, is returning to Selma for the fifth time. He frequently draws connections between civil rights and worker’s rights. A former secretary of state in Ohio, Brown also has a reputation as a leader on expanding voter participation. The backdrop of Selma provides a spotlight on voting rights. Advocates say the gains achieved as a result of “Bloody Sunday” have been threatened in recent years, particularly by the 2013 Supreme Court decision gutting the landmark Voting Rights Act. Voter suppression emerged as a key issue in the 2018 midterm elections in states such as Georgia and North Carolina, where a Republican congressional candidate was accused of rigging the contest there through absentee ballots. House Democrats signaled they plan to make ballot access a priority in the new Congress, introducing legislation aimed at protecting voting rights in 2020 and beyond.
|
u.s .;rights;hillary clinton;democrats;african-americans;alabama;bernie sanders;selma;corey booker
|
jp0001308
|
[
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Guaido calls for mass protests ahead of his return to Venezuela, but doesn't say how he'll get back in
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CARACAS - Venezuela’s opposition leader called for mass protests across the country on Monday as he announced his return to the country after a week touring Latin American allies. “I’m announcing my return to the country. I am calling on the Venezuelan people to mobilize all over the country tomorrow at 11:00 am (1500 GMT),” Guaido said on Twitter. Guaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries as interim president, gave no details of when or how he would return. He asked supporters to pay close attention for messages of where the demonstrations would take place on Monday. “Let’s go Venezuela,” he said. Defying a travel ban by President Nicolas Maduro, Guaido slipped across the border to Colombia last week to try to bring in the aid and to meet with visiting U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. The 35-year-old political newcomer continued on to Brazil, where he met the new right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, and on Friday traveled to Paraguay and Argentina. He has spent the weekend in Ecuador. Guaido stunned the world on Jan. 23, proclaiming himself Venezuela’s acting president after the National Assembly he leads declared Maduro a usurper and illegitimate over his May re-election, which was widely criticized as fraudulent. Guaido wants to oust Maduro and set up a transitional government ahead of new elections. Maduro — who retains the support of Venezuela’s powerful military — enjoys strong support from Russia, which accuses Washington of interventionism, and China, which is concerned over the fate of billions of dollars in loans to Maduro’s regime. The socialist president warned last week that Guaido should “respect the law” and would have to “face justice” if he returns to the country. Guaido said last week he intended to return to Venezuela “despite threats” to arrest him. The U.S. and other allies have expressed concern for his safety.
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u.s .;brazil;venezuela;nicolas maduro;mike pence;jair bolsonaro;juan guaido
|
jp0001309
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
A right to vacation? NYC idea prompts debate over having paid days off
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NEW YORK - A debate over whether New York City should require paid vacation in a pioneering move has both sides saying: Give me a break. Mayor Bill de Blasio wants New York to become the first place in the 50 states to make private businesses provide time off with pay. He casts the idea, which is awaiting City Council action, as a next frontier in workers’ rights. His plan resonates with people like Barbara Vasquez, a former Manhattan retail worker who has struggled with health problems that exhausted the sick leave she accrued as a part-timer. The 25-year-old likes working and needed the money, but she quit after a little over a year to nurture her health. “Paid vacations would have helped,” said Vasquez. “I actually think I would have been a much better employee because I wouldn’t have been so burned out.” But some owners of small business in the city say paid vacation would pile on pressures following increases in the minimum wage and a requirement for paid sick leave in recent years. Under the Democratic mayor’s proposal, most businesses would have to give full-time workers at least 10 paid vacation days a year, pro-rated for part-timers, besides sick time. Dawn Casale, the founder of One Girl Cookies, a Brooklyn bakery with three retail shops and about 40 employees, said, “I would love to be able to provide vacation time to my employees … but the reality of it is not whether or not we want to give it — it’s whether we can give it.” They get paid time off after five years, or if they are managers; others can arrange unpaid vacation, she said. Casale says she is not against the mayor’s proposal but feels the city needs to help small businesses make ends meet, perhaps by helping them negotiate health insurance as a group. “You can’t weather every storm,” said Casale, who said she stopped searching for a fourth location because she doesn’t find the city conducive to expanding her business. Many countries require paid vacation, as does the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico. But experts on labor law aren’t aware of any similar laws within the 50 American states. Still, about three-quarters of private-sector workers had the benefit as of 2017, the latest federal Bureau of Labor Statistics data show. Federal employees and most state and local government workers also get paid time off. An estimated 500,000 full- and part-time workers in New York City shops, restaurants and other businesses don’t, city officials estimate. “They miss parent-teacher conferences, they miss school plays, they miss weddings, they miss family occasions, they miss funerals,” de Blasio said in January. And “sometimes people just need a break,” the mayor said. “You ever hear the phrase ‘mental health day?'” Proposals for a paid vacation law have been floated in the Democrat-dominated City Council for five years, and Speaker Corey Johnson says he supports the concept. He said he is reviewing the mayor’s plan, which would apply to all businesses with five or more employees, and monitoring a different version that has been introduced in the council. Eleven states and dozens of cities have passed laws on paid sick leave in the last 13 years, though several other states blocked them. Advocates see paid vacation as a logical next step. “We shouldn’t have to argue that people have more than one reason that they need time,” said Ellen Bravo, director of Family Values @ Work, a national network of campaigns for paid sick leave. They have pitched sick days partly as a public-health benefit: Encouraging ailing people to stay home would help curb contagion. De Blasio acknowledged vacation doesn’t have the same impact on the population at large. But he said it is “not a healthy society” when half a million New Yorkers can’t take a personal day without taking a financial hit. Andrew Rigie, who runs the industry group NYC Hospitality Alliance, says that what is not healthy is the business climate for some members of the group. Many restaurants have told the alliance they plan to cut jobs or workers’ hours this year because of minimum wage hikes — they vary by business size and other factors — let alone any potential paid vacation requirement, Rigie said. “We’re concerned that there may not be the types of opportunity that there have been for people” in a field traditionally accessible to immigrants, students and others, he said. The mayor questions the argument that paid vacations will cost jobs overall. He notes that similar arguments were made about the 2014 sick-leave law, but employment grew. The total number of jobs in New York City was up 11.8 percent over the five years that ended in December, compared to 9.4 percent in the nation as a whole. Vasquez, meanwhile, is feeling better and job-hunting with some help from the Retail Action Project, a workers’ advocacy group. She says if she someday got a job with paid days off, she wouldn’t use them lightly. “For me, vacations would be more for my health,” she said.
|
u.s .;labor laws;holidays;new york city;bill de blasio
|
jp0001310
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Al-Qaida-linked jihadis kill at least 33 Assad regime ranks in Syria despite truce, monitor says
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BEIRUT - At least 33 pro-regime fighters were killed Sunday in attacks mounted by jihadi groups near Idlib province, in the deadliest day in six months for loyalist forces, a monitor said. Twenty-seven fighters were killed in two attacks by Ansar al-Tawhid jihadis, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “Five jihadists were also killed,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based monitoring group. Ansar al-Tawhid has ties to the larger Hurras al-Deen group, which is also active in the area of northwest Syria. Both are considered semi-official franchises of al-Qaida in Syria. The area of Idlib and small parts of the adjacent provinces of Hama and Aleppo are mostly controlled by the rival Hayat Tahrir al-Sham organization. HTS is led by fighters who formerly belonged to al-Qaida’s ex-affiliate in Syria. The attacks by Ansar al-Tawhid were carried out against regime positions in Masasna, a village in Hama province, the Observatory said. A military source quoted by state news agency SANA confirmed soldiers had been killed and wounded in the attacks on their positions near Idlib province. Loyalists forces had killed some assailants, the source added without giving figures. The foreign ministry said Syria “will not allow terrorists and those who are behind them to carry on with their attacks against innocent civilians and the armed forces. In Latakia province, also northwest of the capital, at least six pro-regime fighters were killed in attacks by HTS militants later on Sunday, the Observatory said. According to Abdel Rahman, the latest spate of attacks caused “one of the highest casualty figures among regime ranks since the Putin-Erdogan deal. He was referring to an accord struck in the Russian resort of Sochi by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Under the Sept. 17 truce deal, Turkey would exert its influence over anti-regime groups in the Idlib region to have them pull back fighters and heavy weapons from a demilitarized zone. It was meant to stave off a planned offensive by the regime and its Russian backers that aid groups feared could spark the eight-year-old Syrian conflict’s worst humanitarian crisis to date. The government assault on the last major bastion of rebel forces has been held off but the deal’s provisions have not been implemented. Since the Sochi agreement, HTS has consolidated its grip on Idlib province.
|
conflict;russia;syria;turkey;al-qaida;bashar assad;recep tayyip erdogan;idlib;hama
|
jp0001311
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Two young California sisters missing since Friday found 'safe and sound' after frantic search
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EUREKA, CALIFORNIA - Two young sisters missing from their Northern California home since Friday afternoon were found alive Sunday following a massive search that included helicopters and tracking dogs. Leia Carrico, 8, and Caroline Carrico, 5, were found “safe and sound” on Sunday morning by a fire captain and firefighter who had followed the girls’ boot tracks, Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said. “This is an absolute miracle,” he said. Though the girls were dehydrated and cold, they were uninjured and “in good spirits,” Honsal said. He said the girls were trained in outdoor survival through their local 4-H club and that authorities believed that helped them. They also were wearing boots and had eaten granola bars at some point while they were missing, he said. “To have a positive outcome like this is just absolutely amazing,” Honsal said. Using helicopters and tracking dogs, dozens of police and rescue personnel combed a vast and rugged rural area in the frantic search for the sisters. The girls had last been seen around 2:30 p.m. Friday outside their home in Benbow, a small community about 200 miles (320 km) northwest of Sacramento. The searchers included National Guard members from Fresno and the U.S. Coast Guard, which provided one of its helicopters on top of a Black Hawk helicopter also being used. Rescuers were hopeful about finding the girls Saturday after they came across prints from the girls’ rubber boots and wrappers from the granola bars, Lt. Mike Fridley said. “The wrappers showed us a direction from where they started to where the wrappers ended up at,” Fridley said. Fridley said he was the one who got to call the girls’ mother and tell them her daughters were alive. “She melted on the phone,” he said. Honsal described the search area as vast, rugged and rural and the conditions as cold and sporadically rainy.
|
u.s .;california;benbow
|
jp0001312
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Five years on, Malaysia open to resuming MH370 hunt as firm offers 'no cure, no fee' search
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KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia’s transport minister said Sunday that the government is open to new proposals from U.S. technology firm Ocean Infinity or any other companies to resume the hunt for Flight 370, as families of passengers marked the fifth anniversary of the jet’s mysterious disappearance. Ocean Infinity mounted a “no cure, no fee” search for the plane in the southern Indian Ocean in January 2018 that ended in May without any clue on where it could have crashed. But the company’s CEO, Oliver Plunkett, said in a video shown at the public remembrance event at a mall near Kuala Lumpur that the company hopes to resume the hunt with better technology it obtained in the past year. The Ocean Infinity mission came a year after an official search by Malaysia, Australia and China ended in futility. Plunkett said his company has better technology now after successfully locating an Argentinian submarine in November, a year after it went missing. He said the firm is still reviewing all possible data on Flight 370 and thinking about how it can revive its failed mission. “We haven’t given up hope. … We hope we can continue the search in due course,” Plunkett said. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said it’s been frustrating that the two searches failed to produce any clues and that he “welcomes credible leads and also concrete proposals to resume the search.” He told reporters later Sunday that the government is “waiting for specific proposals, in particular from Ocean Infinity.” He brushed off suggestions of offering rewards to find the plane, but said the government is willing to discuss proposals from any companies prepared to resume the search. “There must be a proposal from a specific company … we cannot just be out there without credible leads. That’s the most practical thing to do,” Loke said. The plane vanished with 239 people on board on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Confirmed debris that washed ashore in the western Indian Ocean helped narrow the search area where Ocean Infinity focused, but it failed to uncover any evidence. A Malaysian-led independent investigation report released last July showed lapses in the government’s response and raised the possibility of “intervention by a third party.” Investigators, however, said the cause of the disappearance cannot be determined until the wreckage and the plane’s black boxes are found. The report reiterated Malaysia’s assertion that the plane was deliberately diverted and flown for over seven hours after severing communications. But it said there was no evidence of abnormal behavior or stress in the two pilots that could lead them to hijack the plane. All the other passengers were also cleared by police and had no pilot training. Voice 370, a support group for next-of-kin, expressed hope that the new government that won a general election in May last year will do more to encourage search missions and seek new clues. The group’s spokeswoman, Grace Nathan, urged the government to set aside up to $70 million — the amount it agreed to pay Ocean Infinity had it found the plane — to encourage exploration companies to take on “no cure, no fee” missions so that Flight 370’s passengers will not have died in vain. “It is a wound that cannot heal” if there is no closure, Nathan said. Another family member, K.S. Narendran of India, said the burden is on Malaysia’s government to be proactive and not wait for credible evidence to fall on its lap. He said there has been no government effort to find more debris on African beaches and Indian Ocean islands, where scattered pieces of the Boeing 777 have been found. Two of three pieces of debris confirmed to be from the plane were on public display for the first time at the remembrance event, where family members lit candles and sang songs in tribute to their loved ones. Relatives and supporters wore light blue T-shirts that read, “It’s not history, it’s the future. Fly safely,” as they reminded the government that the mystery must be solved to ensure aviation safety.
|
malaysia airlines;flight mh370;ocean infinity;air accidents
|
jp0001313
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/04
|
U.S. and South Korea kick off smaller-scale military drills as Trump blasts costs
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The U.S. and South Korea militaries began a new, smaller-scale joint exercise Monday after the Trump administration canceled large-scale drills just days after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in Hanoi for their second summit that ended without any deal on denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. The Combined Forces Command said in a statement Monday that the two militaries will conduct the new exercise, named “Dong Maeng” in Korean, or “Alliance” in English, and other lower-level drills to replace the Foal Eagle field training. The Alliance drills are to run for nine days — half the duration of the computer-simulated Key Resolve tabletop exercise. The new drill will focus on “strategic, operational, and tactical aspects of general military operations,” the statement said. Trump has repeatedly criticized the joint military drills — which he calls “war games” — as a waste of money, a view he reiterated in a tweet Sunday. “The reason I do not want military drills with South Korea is to save hundreds of millions of dollars for the U.S. for which we are not reimbursed,” Trump tweeted. “That was my position long before I became President. Also, reducing tensions with North Korea at this time is a good thing!” The decision to halt the large-scale exercises came after Trump’s second summit with Kim last week collapsed. Asked about any potential impact of the change, Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s top government spokesman, said he believes Washington’s commitment to the defense of its allies, including Japan, remains unchanged. “We intend to continue to work closely with the United States and South Korea to realize regional peace and stability,” the chief Cabinet secretary told a news conference in Tokyo on Monday. The Pentagon and the Defense Ministry in Seoul formally announced the cancellation of the Key Resolve and Foal Eagle exercises over the weekend. The move “reflected our desire to reduce tension and support our diplomatic efforts to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in a final, fully verified manner,” the Pentagon said. South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed the decision, saying it was done to pursue “permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.” Ending the military drills meets a long-standing demand of North Korea, which has long viewed the exercises with suspicion, calling them a rehearsal for invasion. In his annual New Year’s speech, Kim called for an end to the joint drills, as well as the deployment of U.S. “strategic assets” such as B-52 bombers, stealth warplanes, nuclear-powered submarines and aircraft carriers. “Given that North and South committed themselves to advancing along the road of peace and prosperity, we maintain that the joint military exercises with foreign forces, which constitute the source of aggravating the situation on the Korean Peninsula, should no longer be permitted and the introduction of war equipment including strategic assets from outside should completely be suspended,” he said in the address. Asked about the exercises at a news conference following the Hanoi summit, Trump alleged that the drills cost the U.S. “$100 million every time we do it.” However U.S. defense officials have said that another, similar exercise that Trump suspended last year, known as Ulchi Freedom Guardian, would have cost around $14 million. The U.S. military has a budget of more than $700 billion. “We spent hundreds of millions of dollars on those exercises, and I hated to see it. I thought it was unfair,” he said at the news conference. “And, frankly, I was, sort of, of the opinion that South Korea should help us with that. You know, we’re protecting South Korea. I think they should help us with that.” In comments that were likely to send a shiver down the spines of Japanese officials, Trump also alluded to other countries where U.S. troops are stationed — including Japan, which has parried with Trump over basing costs for American forces. “We don’t get reimbursed — we’re spending a tremendous amount of money on many countries, protecting countries that are very rich that can certainly afford to pay us and then some.” Some critics have lambasted Trump over his views on U.S. alliances, saying he sees them merely as “protection rackets,” while others have lamented the move as “an alarming development.” In an editorial Monday, the South Korean JoongAng Ilbo daily said that “if such pivotal drills are cut back, it will . . . certainly weaken the combat capability of the Combined Forces Command. “That’s like taking a test without studying,” it said. Still, some have called the idea of ending the joint exercises an idea whose time has come as the U.S. comes to grips with the North as a de facto nuclear power. “The president deserves credit for taking a long overdue and politically difficult step,” retired U.S. Army Col. William McKinney, a North Korea expert, wrote after Trump’s announcement at the conclusion of last year’s Singapore summit with Kim that he would scrap some exercises. Instead of the large-scale exercises, McKinney recommended an approach that appeared similar to the newly announced Alliance drills. “Given how much the North Koreans detest exercises that are intended to demonstrate the U.S.-ROK capacity to ‘decapitate’ the North Korean leadership and overthrow the Kim regime, his surprising commitment is the most strategically significant confidence-building measure that could be made,” McKinney wrote last June on the North Korea-monitoring 38 North website, using the acronym for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.
|
u.s .;north korea;military;kim jong un;nuclear weapons;south korea;north korea nuclear crisis;donald trump;kim-trump summit
|
jp0001314
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/04
|
China vows 'reasonable' rise in defense spending ahead of budget's release
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China will maintain “a reasonable and appropriate growth rate” for defense spending this year, a top government spokesman said Monday ahead of the release of the country’s defense budget — a closely watched indicator of Beijing’s strategic intentions. Zhang Yesui, the spokesman for the second session of the 13th National People’s Congress, the country’s rubber-stamp national legislature, said China’s “limited defense spending,” which he said is aimed at safeguarding national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, “poses no threat to any other country,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported. “China maintains a reasonable and appropriate growth rate in its defense expenditure to meet its demand in safeguarding national security and military reform with Chinese characteristics,” Zhang Yesui, a former ambassador to Washington, said. The legislature is expected to unveil the defense budget Tuesday. Last year, China boosted its defense spending 8.1 percent from 2017 to 1.11 trillion yuan ($165 billion), the largest increase in three years as leader Xi Jinping seeks to turn the country’s military into a “world-class” force. Under Xi, China’s military has undergone a massive modernization push to turn it into one that can protect Beijing’s interests as disputes roil relations with the U.S., its neighbors and old foe Japan. The focus on creating a more potent fighting force has seen Beijing pour cash into projects such as a second aircraft carrier, integrating stealth fighters into its air force and fielding an array of advanced missiles that can strike air and sea targets from long distances. It has also seen the Chinese military increasingly sent further from its shores, sometimes facing off with the U.S., Japan and others near disputed islands in the South and East China seas. Zhang, however, touted Beijing’s “peaceful development,” reiterating the ruling Communist Party’s boiler-plate line that its defense policy “is defensive in nature.” Preparing for a possible backlash when the budget is released Tuesday, Zhang zeroed in on his country’s policies, calling them key to understanding China’s intentions. “Whether a country is a military threat to others or not is not determined by its increase in defense expenditure, but by the diplomatic and national defense policies it adopts,” he said. China has seen its defense budgets grow at a single-digit clip since 2016 after five consecutive years of double digit increases. Those years of double-digit growth have given China the world’s second-largest defense budget after the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will seek $750 billion from Congress for defense spending next year. In December, Japan’s unveiled a record-high draft defense budget for fiscal 2019 that saw expenditures rise to ¥5.26 trillion (approximately $47 billion) from ¥5.19 trillion the previous year. But despite China’s claims, both the Pentagon and U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency have said that Beijing’s “poor accounting transparency” meant the numbers could be significantly lower than its actual expenditures. “The formal defense budget process does not include funding for foreign weapons procurement, some research and development (R&D), and certain personnel benefits,” the DIA wrote in its 2019 China Military Power Report released in January. “Other government ministries distribute defense funds in addition to extrabudgetary funds that supplement personnel living subsidies, equipment maintenance, and other budgetary items.”
|
china;u.s .;military;budgets;xi jinping
|
jp0001316
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"crime-legal-asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/04
|
China says detained Canadian is suspected of spying
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BEIJING - China suspects detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig of spying and stealing state secrets, state media reported Monday, turning up the heat in a diplomatic row between Beijing and Ottawa as a top Huawei executive faces possible extradition. Another Canadian in Chinese detention — businessman Michael Spavor — was one of Kovrig’s main sources of intelligence, the official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing authorities. The pair were detained in December in what observers see as retaliation just days after Canada arrested Chinese telecom giant Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, at the request of the United States. Chinese authorities had previously said the two Canadian men were under investigation on suspicion of endangering national security. Spying charges could expose them to tough prison sentences. Kovrig, who now works for the International Crisis Group think tank, had often entered China using a nondiplomatic passport and business visas and has been gathering intelligence since 2017, Xinhua said. The new allegations come three days after Canada launched the extradition process against Meng, angering Beijing, which called the action a “severe political incident.” Meng will be in court in Vancouver on Wednesday to schedule a date for her extradition hearing. The United States wants to put her on trial on fraud charges for alleged Iran sanctions-busting and lying to U.S. banks about it. Ottawa has said the two Canadian citizens were “arbitrarily” detained and that interrogations of Kovrig breached the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations — allegations Beijing flatly rejected. A group of Canadian parliamentarians had earlier complained to Chinese authorities that Kovrig and Spavor have been denied access to lawyers, and remain in “completely unacceptable” detention conditions. “China’s approach is no different from the rest of the world in dealing with such cases involving national security cases,” foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular briefing Monday. China will handle their case in “strict accordance with the law, guarantee the legitimate rights of Kovrig and Spavor,” and arrange for consular visits, a report by a Communist Party organ overseeing state and public security said in a report on a news website it operates. Meanwhile, Meng, 47, has filed suit against Canadian authorities for violating her constitutional rights when she was detained at Vancouver International Airport. Her lawyers charge impropriety in the conditions under which Meng was interrogated for three hours by the customs officers, officially as part of a routine inspection, before being served with her arrest. During those three hours, the customs officers searched her phones and computers as well as her luggage, in violation of her rights, the lawyers said. The U.S. Justice Department accuses Huawei and its chief financial officer of circumventing U.S. sanctions against Iran, but also, via two affiliates, stealing trade secrets from U.S. telecommunications group T-Mobile. The daughter of Huawei’s founder, Meng was released on parole in mid-December in Vancouver, where she owns two residences, on a bond deposit of 10 million Canadian dollars ($6.6 million), wearing an electronic bracelet and handing over her passports. The extradition procedure can take months or even years because of the many appeal possibilities.
|
china;canada;michael kovrig
|
jp0001317
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"crime-legal-asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Myanmar police seize massive haul of 10 million meth pills, likely bound for Bangladesh
|
YANGON - Myanmar authorities seized more than 10 million meth pills worth $13.3 million over the weekend, police said Monday, another massive haul in a country widely believed to be the world’s largest methamphetamine producer. High-grade crystal meth — or ‘ice’ — is smuggled out of Myanmar via sophisticated networks to lucrative developed markets as far away as Japan, South Korea and Australia. Lower-quality pills, cut with caffeine and known in the region as “yaba” or “crazy medicine,” are pumped out to feed the voracious domestic market as well as large drug-addicted communities in nearby Thailand and Bangladesh. Two different busts took place in the west of the country at the weekend, state-run media said Monday, one in Magway region and one in Maungdaw in Rakhine state. “It’s the biggest drugs seizure this year in the country and the biggest ever in Maungdaw region in Rakhine state,” police Col. Win Ko Ko said. The pills were likely destined for Bangladesh, where they have become an easy source of income for the Rohingya Muslim refugees who have poured across the border since a 2017 military crackdown. Most of the drug production, however, takes place on the other side of Myanmar, in conflict-ridden eastern Shan state. Much of the state lies outside of central control with a complex web of rebel ethnic armed groups and militias wielding power and linking up with trafficking networks. Opium farming is also rife, and Myanmar remains the world’s second largest producer of the drug after Afghanistan. The poppy-covered hills also provide an ideal location for illicit meth labs, with a largely unchecked supply of precursor chemicals flooding-in from China. Accurate production figures are impossible to obtain, but experts say that large seizures have had no effect on drug prices — suggesting they are only a small proportion of the total.
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drugs;myanmar;bangladesh;rohingya;meth
|
jp0001318
|
[
"national"
] |
2019/03/04
|
As pool of candidates in rural Japan dwindles, Kochi village to allow councilors to retain side jobs
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OSAKA - Faced with a rapidly shrinking population of elderly residents reluctant to run for seats on the local council, the village of Okawa, Kochi Prefecture, passed a referendum Monday designed to make it easier serve on the council while concurrently holding side jobs. The measure goes into effect on April 1. Okawa’s six seats are up for re-election in the April 21 nationwide local town and village assembly elections. Japanese law forbids residents from serving as local assembly members while working as private contractors for the municipalities they serve. But the exact definition of a contractor is not clear. Okawa’s new rules will allow contractors to continue to receive income from their businesses if there is little danger that doing so will damage the impartiality of their public duties. Local firms whose public works contracts with the village come to less than 50 percent of the income of their main business are exempt from the rule forbidding them to run for an assembly seat. The mayor will make yearly announcements of the names of firms who meet these requirements, thus allowing their owners to run for seats. Okawa, with a population of 406, made national news in 2017 when its mayor, Kazuhito Wada, warned that the declining population made finding candidates to run for local office ever more difficult. At the time, Wada said it was time to discuss dissolving the town council and introducing direct democracy. Ultimately, it was decided that the council would continue with prefectural assistance. But in a 2017 interview with The Japan Times, Wada said the strict rules governing side jobs by local assembly members needed to be reconsidered. “Many of our residents are engaged in private businesses. But they rely on that income and don’t want to run for office if they have to give it up,” Wada said. Data from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications shows that just over a fifth, or 21.8 percent, of Japan’s town and village assembly seats in the 2015 local elections went uncontested. As many localities have elderly and declining populations, the problem is expected to get worse in the coming years without fundamental changes to local elections laws, Wada added.
|
population;elections;elderly;kochi;depopulation;local government
|
jp0001319
|
[
"national",
"social-issues"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Few foreign residents aware of public nursing care plan but more expected to tap it as Japan grays
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The number of foreign people living and retiring in Japan is expected to increase following the overhaul of the nation’s immigration control law in April, which will introduce new types of working visas. However, only a small number of these residents appear fully aware of the fact they can benefit from the public nursing care insurance program once they turn 65. As complicated procedures and language barriers hinder use of the program by many foreign residents, those here working as nursing care workers or interpreters are helping their peers at the Homi Danchi apartment complex in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, where over half of the residents are foreign, obtain proper care. Katherine Namisato, 42, a Peruvian of Japanese descent employed as a nursing care worker at home-visit nursing agency Care Center Homi in Toyota, took care of her mother at home for about five years until she died in April last year at the age of 80. Her father, 74, had mainly taken care of her mother, who suffered from liver cancer and back pain. But since her mom had been certified as level 3 under the nursing care insurance program, which requires round-the-clock care, the family also received home visits from care workers every day on weekdays and was able to get her taken to a nursing care facility about three days a week. “While my mother was at the nursing care facility, my father could relax and was able to avoid being stressed out,” Namisato said, adding the services helped save her job. “I don’t know how we could have managed without the services.” According to the Justice Ministry, foreign residents hit a record high of 2.64 million in June last year, with those 65 or older rising to 172,000, or about 6 percent of the total. Foreign people are eligible for nursing care if they are registered residents, have lived in Japan for three months or more, paid their insurance premiums and are certified as needing long-term care. But not everyone is aware of the system. Aichi Prefecture — which has the nation’s second-largest population of non-Japanese — conducted a survey on foreign residents in fiscal 2016 that found only 15 percent of the 2,603 respondents were aware of the program and only 8 percent were enrolled. “Some of the people who are staying for work purposes may not care much about pensions or nursing care insurance,” said a prefectural official in charge of the program. “We hope to create multilingual pamphlets on the program to be handed out at counters in city or town offices.” Care Center Homi is making efforts to inform foreign residents about the program, such as by creating Spanish and Portuguese translations of documents outlining it for people who sign contracts for nursing care services. But Namisato says there are many people who don’t even know where to go to find information about them. Furthermore, the nursing care system does not offer interpretation services for people who don’t speak Japanese. “Care managers can’t make proper nursing care plans unless they can accurately grasp what kind of services users are looking for, and users will not be convinced of the services they get unless they understand the explanations given by care managers,” said Mie Asakura, 58, a professor at Kinjo Gakuin University in Nagoya who specializes in community welfare. “It is necessary to assure that people of all nationalities receive interpretation services,” Asakura pointed out. An official at the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, however, said the ministry does not plan to offer interpretation services under the program because it only deals with services directly related to nursing care, such as helping the elderly go to the bathroom. “Interpretation services do not match with the program and we have not received requests from local governments for such services,” said the official. The government released a package of policy measures in December to provide greater support for foreign workers, whose numbers are expected to swell under the revised law. The measures include training for medical interpreters, but there is no mention of nursing care interpreters. In Aichi, Care Center Homi provides interpretation on a volunteer basis at the apartment complex, and three nonprofit organizations based in Nagoya have jointly launched a project to dispatch paid Chinese-speaking nursing care interpreters mainly for Japan’s aging war orphans — those left behind in China during the war who could only return to Japan years later. The Aichi Prefectural Government is preparing to set up a nursing care interpretation system as part of its new five-year Multicultural Coexistence Promotion Plan, which started in fiscal 2018. “It is necessary, per se, to create a system friendly to elderly foreign nationals together with the government’s plan to invite more foreign workers,” said an Aichi Prefectural Government official. “If the government includes interpretation services in nursing care insurance plans, it will encourage the nurturing of interpreters across the nation.”
|
immigration;toyota;elderly;expats;nursing care;social welfare;aichi;homi danchi
|
jp0001320
|
[
"national"
] |
2019/03/04
|
'Captain Tsubasa' and friends from popular soccer manga take over Yotsugi Station in Tokyo
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A local train station in Tokyo has been covered from floor to ceiling with images from the famous soccer manga and anime series “Captain Tsubasa,” and the train arrival chime now features the show’s theme song. The new interior of Keisei Electric Railway’s Yotsugi Station was unveiled Monday at a ceremony attended by “Captain Tsubasa” author Yoichi Takahashi and Spanish soccer superstar Andres Iniesta, who is known to be a big fan of the manga. The Vissel Kobe midfielder revealed at the ceremony that he had watched the anime as a child before going to school. “I remember the characters’ unique playing styles and am happy to be playing in Japan, where the anime was made,” he said. The station in Tokyo’s Katsushika Ward is seen as a mecca among “Captain Tsubasa” fans because Takahashi hails from the area. Huge murals of protagonist Tsubasa Ozora and his friends adorn the concourse walls and station signboard, while goalkeeper Genzo Wakabayashi is featured blocking a goal on the stairs while urging passengers not to rush onto the train. In addition, Tsubasa’s voice is featured in station announcements, and the anime’s ending theme song “Moete Hero” (“Hero on Fire”) is used as the platform chime. The “Captain Tsubasa” manga series, first published in 1981 in Shueisha’s Weekly “Shonen Jump” comic book, is a worldwide hit. It has been adapted into video games in addition to the anime. It remains popular about four decades on and is still broadcast on television.
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manga;soccer;anime;rail;captain tsubasa;andres iniesta;yotsugi station;keisei electric
|
jp0001322
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Tensions within Japan's LDP rise over backing of ex-DPJ heavyweight Goshi Hosono in Shizuoka poll
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Tensions are intensifying between two internal factions of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in a Lower House district in Shizuoka Prefecture currently represented by a former key opposition figure. In the Shizuoka No. 5 district, the faction led by LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai is moving to support former opposition member Goshi Hosono, 47, who served as environment minister and in other senior positions during the administration of the Democratic Party of Japan. Hosono, currently an independent lawmaker, is believed to be seeking to join the LDP. Backing his move, the Nikai faction has recently accepted him as a “special” member. At the same time, the faction led by former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, currently chairman of the party’s Policy Research Council, has a member working to be elected from the Shizuoka district. The Kishida group member, 36-year-old Takeru Yoshikawa, lost to Hosono in the district in the 2012, 2014 and 2017 Lower House polls. In the 2012 election, however, he secured a proportional representation seat for the LDP. Last week, Kishida attended a meeting of Yoshikawa’s supporters in the city of Gotemba. “He will certainly make it through an election and return to the Diet in the near future,” Kishida told the crowd. “We’ll join forces to support him.” Also last week, Nikai organized a welcome party for Hosono at a traditional Japanese restaurant in Tokyo. The participants included LDP Deputy Secretary-General Motoo Hayashi, who is close to Nikai. Asked about the current situation over the Shizuoka district, Nikai told a news conference last week that the electorate “will make the right decision.” Nikai was apparently indicating his confidence in Hosono, who easily beat Yoshikawa in the last three elections. Nikai is slated to visit the Shizuoka district soon in a bid to hand Hosono’s campaign his support. But the visit will almost certainly provoke a backlash from the Kishida faction. A senior member of the Nikai group downplayed any possible criticism. “How do they dare to complain after Yoshikawa was repeatedly beaten by Hosono?” the member asked. The Nikai and Kishida factions have a long history of conflict in another Lower House district in Yamanashi Prefecture. Although momentum for reconciliation grew after the two groups worked together for an LDP-backed candidate in January’s Yamanashi gubernatorial election, the positive mood has been dampened by the new feud in Shizuoka. The Nikai faction has strengthened its push for Hosono since then-faction member Tsuyoshi Tabata left the LDP in February following a sex scandal. On Wednesday, Tabata offered to resign as a lawmaker. With the resignation accepted on Friday, Yoshikawa is set to take over Tabata’s Lower House seat in line with the LDP’s list of proportional representation candidates in the 2017 election. His return to the Diet may further escalate tensions between the Nikai and Kishida factions, observers said.
|
ldp;elections;lower house;shizuoka;goshi hosono;toshihiro nikai
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jp0001323
|
[
"national"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Public will be invited to greet Japan's new Imperial Couple on May 4, earlier than planned
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Members of the public will have the chance to greet the new Emperor on May 4, just days after Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne, Imperial Household Agency officials said Monday. Emperor Akihito is set to abdicate on April 30 — the first living Japanese monarch to do so in about two centuries — and the Crown Prince will succeed him the following day. The agency had planned to allow commoners to make congratulatory visits to the Imperial Palace after the Sokuirei Seiden no Gi ceremony on Oct. 22 to proclaim the enthronement. But it decided to bring this forward because the traditional Golden Week holiday — starting April 27 — is this year extended to 10 days to incorporate the abdication of the Emperor on April 30 and the Imperial succession the following day. The Prime Minister’s Office also strongly requested that the public greeting be held earlier, according to agency sources. During the event, the Emperor and the Empress will appear on a palace balcony along with other members of the Imperial family. While the agency is still considering which members will join the event, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, who will use the titles emperor emeritus and empress emerita following the abdication, are not expected to attend. The agency opens the palace to the public on limited occasions, such as New Year’s Day and the Emperor’s birthday. The last congratulatory visit for Emperor Akihito, in January, attracted 154,800 people, the largest crowd recorded during his 30-year reign. Emperor Akihito received his first congratulatory visit on Nov. 18, 1990, six days after the proclamation ceremony. On that occasion, he appeared eight times and offered greetings to well-wishers. The 85-year-old Emperor expressed his desire to resign in a rare video message in 2016, citing concern that he might not be able to fulfill official duties due to his advanced age. In 2017, the Diet enacted one-off legislation enabling him to step down.
|
royalty;emperor akihito;imperial family;empress michiko;abdication;emperor naruhito
|
jp0001324
|
[
"national"
] |
2019/03/04
|
Skating star Alina Zagitova helps Japan showcase its regional specialties in Moscow
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MOSCOW - A Japanese festival in Moscow showcased regional specialties from across the country such as food, artisanal goods and tourism spots, with the participation of Russian figure skating star Alina Zagitova. Zagitova, who won gold at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea last year, appeared with her dog Masaru — an Akita breed gifted from Japanese fans — at the weekend Sakura Festival, which ended Sunday. “Japan is almost like a country in a dream,” she said at the two-day festival organized by Japan’s Foreign Ministry and which involved five prefectures, including Niigata and Okinawa. Surrounded by decorations based on sakura (cherry blossoms), Muscovites stopped by to enjoy demonstrations of Japanese tea ceremony, flower arrangement and cooking. The pounding of taiko drums punctuated the air and the strumming of koto — a traditional Japanese zither — could be heard. Authorities from each prefecture gave presentations and their individual booths introduced attractions from the regions. Okinawa, known for its beautiful beaches and residents’ longevity, showed off its health foods and promoted the shores along its emerald-colored sea. The remote islands of the subtropical chain have been popular with Russian tourists recently. Yamaguchi Prefecture introduced its Ouchinuri lacquers, which have flourished for 600 years and been designated a traditional Japanese handicraft. Russian matryoshka dolls painted in this fashion were also displayed. Niigata Prefecture drew interest for its famous cutlery, including saws from Sanjo, a city known for blacksmithing since the 17th century. Ibaraki Prefecture promoted its alcohol, such as plum wine, while Hokkaido aimed to raise its profile by displaying its abundant regional foods, including a latte made with matcha and cookies.
|
russia;tourism;japan-russia relations;alina zagitova
|
jp0001325
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Japan Cabinet OKs bill forcing firms to separate mobile phone and data costs in bid to lower prices
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The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday approved a proposed legal revision to lower fees for mobile phone services amid criticism that domestic carriers charge too much compared to other countries. The bill to revise the telecommunications business law will next move to the Diet. It would ban carriers from offering plans that cover both the price of the phone itself and connection fees. Carriers currently place large fees on data usage in exchange for subsidizing device purchases, a model many users say is needlessly complicated. Instead, the companies would need to charge separately for data and devices. By adding such a requirement, it would become easier for users to compare services, leading to increased competition and lower prices, communications minister Masatoshi Ishida told a news conference following a Cabinet meeting. Two of the country’s three major carriers, SoftBank Corp. and KDDI Corp., through its au brand, say they already comply with the new rules, while NTT Docomo Inc. has said it plans to do so this spring. More than 60 percent of Japanese own smartphones, and the number jumps to 84 percent when including tablets and other devices. Households spent an average of ¥100,250 on mobile fees in 2017, about 3 percent of their overall expenditures, according to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry. From a global perspective, Japan’s mobile fees are relatively high. It costs about ¥7,000 a month to use 20 gigabytes of data in Tokyo, tops among comparable cities including New York, London and Seoul, the ministry’s latest statistics show. The issue came into the spotlight back in August when Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga made a rare remark on individual companies, saying the three major carriers could reduce their fees by around 40 percent. A panel of the communications ministry later began discussing a possible legal revision, and in January recommended making changes to the law governing the telecommunications industry. The proposed revision would put the three companies, which together control nearly 90 percent of the domestic mobile phone market, in direct competition with smaller rivals, which have gained popularity in recent years for their cheaper, no-frills services. The changes, which Abe’s government hopes to pass during the current Diet session through June, would also ensure that carriers cannot stop users from opting out in the middle of contracts, which often span two or four years. Other additions include a registration requirement for retailers that would give the government greater oversight, and new penalties for companies that use misleading sales tactics to attract users.
|
smartphones;phones;internal affairs ministry
|
jp0001326
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
U.S. to end preferential trade status for India over tariffs and Turkey due to recent growth
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At U.S. President Donald Trump’s direction, Washington intends to scrap the preferential trade status granted to India and Turkey, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The move comes as the U.S. and China seek to negotiate an exit from a costly trade war that is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to address what it views as inequitable commercial relationships with other states. Washington “intends to terminate India’s and Turkey’s designations as beneficiary developing countries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program because they no longer comply with the statutory eligibility criteria,” the trade chief’s office said Monday in a statement. India has failed to provide assurances that it will allow required market access, while Turkey is “sufficiently economically developed” that it no longer qualifies, it added. Under the GSP program, “certain products” can enter the U.S. duty-free if countries meet eligibility criteria including “providing the United States with equitable and reasonable market access.” India, however, “has implemented a wide array of trade barriers that create serious negative effects on United States commerce,” the statement said. It said Turkey, after being designated a GSP beneficiary in 1975, has meanwhile demonstrated a “higher level of economic development,” meaning that it can be “graduated” from the program. The changes cannot take effect for at least 60 days following notification to the U.S. Congress as well as the countries affected — a process Trump began Monday with letters to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president of the Senate. The change for India came after “intensive engagement” between New Delhi and Washington, Trump wrote in one letter, the text of which was released by the White House. “I will continue to assess whether the government of India is providing equitable and reasonable access to its markets, in accordance with the GSP eligibility criteria,” the letter states. In his letter on Turkey, Trump said the country’s economy “has grown and diversified,” and noted that Istanbul has already “graduated from other developed countries’ GSP programs.” Trump has made taking aim at what he considers imbalanced trade relationships a central plank of his presidency — sparking a trade war with Beijing that has dragged on for nearly a year. The U.S. and China eventually agreed to a 90-day truce to work out their differences, and Beijing and Washington have been edging closer to an agreement in recent weeks. The truce was scheduled to end Friday, but Trump lifted the ultimatum to further increase tariffs, satisfied by progress made in several rounds of talks. Under an agreement taking shape, Beijing would lower some barriers on U.S. companies’ operations in China and purchase large amounts American agricultural and energy goods if the United States lowered most of the tariffs in return. However, leading news reports have said significant details remained unresolved.
|
india;u.s .;trade;turkey;donald trump
|
jp0001327
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Trump tightens trade embargo on Cuba over aid to Venezuela and OKs suits against firms using seized properties
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HAVANA - The Trump administration announced Monday that it is tightening the six-decade trade embargo on Cuba by allowing lawsuits against Cuban companies using properties confiscated after its 1959 revolution. The announcement limits lawsuits to a list of about 200 Cuban businesses and government agencies that are already subject to special U.S. sanctions because they are tied to the Cuban military and intelligence ministries. Most of the businesses have no ties of any sort to the U.S. legal or financial systems, meaning the ability to sue them will almost certainly be symbolic. Other businesses, like hotels, are joint ventures with foreign companies, but it is does not appear that the Trump administration measure allows the foreign companies themselves to be sued. That means the new measure will likely have very little real-world impact. Every president since Bill Clinton has suspended a section of the 1996 Helms-Burton act that would allow such lawsuits because they would snarl companies from U.S.-allied countries in years of complicated litigation that could prompt international trade claims against the United States. Major investors in Cuba include British tobacco giant Imperial Brands, which runs a joint venture with the Cuban government making premium cigars; Spanish hoteliers Iberostar and Melia, which run dozens of hotels across the island; and French beverage-maker Pernod-Ricard, which makes Havana Club rum with a Cuban state distiller. The measure is being presented as retaliation for Cuba’s support of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the U.S. is trying to oust in favor of opposition leader Juan Guaido. After nearly 60 years of trade embargo, the Cuban economy is in a period of consistently low growth of about 1 percent a year, with foreign investment at roughly $2 billion, far below what it needs to spur more prosperity. But tourism, remittances and subsidized oil from Venezuela have allowed the government to maintain basic services and a degree of stability that appears unshaken by the Trump administration’s recent moves against Cuba and its major remaining allies in Latin America — Venezuela and Nicaragua.
|
u.s .;venezuela;cuba;nicolas maduro;donald trump;helms-burton act
|
jp0001328
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Japan's IHI admits unqualified workers inspected airplane engines
|
Heavy machinery maker IHI Corp. said Tuesday it has discovered unqualified workers inspected airplane engines after routine repair and maintenance operations, becoming the latest Japanese manufacturer involved in quality control misconduct. The company launched an investigation into whether any improper checks had been conducted after such inspections were discovered by the transport ministry during on-site inspections in January and February. “We will consider taking necessary administrative measures,” transport minister Keiichi Ishii told a news conference, adding that the matter is “extremely regrettable.” Unqualified workers conducted visual inspections of repaired engine parts at a factory in Tokyo that maintains around 150 engines a year mainly for low-cost carriers, IHI said. In some cases, the workers compiled inspection documents under the names of qualified employees and IHI is delving deeper into the issue. Unauthorized workers conducted inspections during part of the maintenance process, and hundreds of engines may have been affected, the IHI officials said. “We deeply apologize for causing concern and worries to our stakeholders, including customers and clients,” the company said in a statement. IHI said there have been no reported disruptions to flights because of the affected engines and it currently does not plan to recall them as it knows of no safety problems that must be dealt with immediately. IHI is investigating details including when the wrongdoing started. The company will cooperate in the ministry’s investigation, the officials said. The company joins a number of major Japanese manufacturers in admitting to improper quality control in recent years. Carmakers Subaru Corp. and Nissan Motors Co. revealed they conducted inspections by unqualified workers, while Kobe Steel Ltd. and Mitsubishi Materials Corp. said they fabricated product data. Japan Airlines Co. and All Nippon Airways Co. said Tuesday that IHI told them no engines inspected by the company have safety issues. The two airlines consign some of their engine repairs and maintenance operations to IHI. IHI makes engines for Boeing Co. and Airbus S.A.S. and has been strengthening the maintenance side of its business. The company is building a new plant in Saitama Prefecture to begin maintenance operations later this year. Regional airliner Fuji Dream Airlines Co. Ltd., which uses two airports in central Japan as its hub, has its engines inspected by IHI. The airline said it has not yet received any notification from IHI regarding the matter but added that there was no immediate impact on operations. Low-cost carrier Jetstar Japan Co. Ltd. said IHI had told the firm there was no direct impact to operation of the engines inspected by the company. Four other domestic low-cost carriers said they have no ties with IHI for engine maintenance.
|
aviation;ihi corp .;transport ministry
|
jp0001329
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn set to be released on bail after court rejects appeal by prosecutors
|
Ahead of his 65th birthday on Saturday, former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn may see his birthday wish come true: regaining his freedom, albeit conditionally. After 107 days behind bars, starting with his sudden detention at Tokyo’s Haneda airport when he was accused of engaging in financial misconduct, the Tokyo District Court on Tuesday granted Ghosn bail. The court rejected a last-ditch effort by prosecutors to reverse its decision to release Ghosn on bail, paving the way for him to be released as soon as Wednesday. He is expected to be released once a bond of ¥1 billion is paid. “I am extremely grateful for my family and friends who have stood by me throughout this terrible ordeal,” Ghosn said in a statement released Tuesday night. “I am also grateful to the NGOs and human rights activists in Japan and around the world who fight for the cause of presumption of innocence and a fair trial. I am innocent and totally committed to vigorously defending myself in a fair trial against these meritless and unsubstantiated accusations.” The request for bail, submitted Thursday, was the third attempt to secure his release. This time, though, there was a twist: The request was put forward under a new legal team appointed in mid-February. Experts say legal strategies under the new team might have played a role in the court’s decision to grant him bail despite the allegations put forward by the powerful Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office special investigation unit. Junichiro Hironaka, one of the attorneys representing Ghosn, is an experienced attorney who earned the nickname “Razor” for his sharp acumen and long track record of winning not-guilty verdicts in some of the country’s most high-profile cases. He noted earlier that he believes Ghosn is innocent based on his “gut feeling” as a lawyer, interactions with him and reading his books. The 73-year-old attorney said Monday the legal team listed measures in its latest bail appeal that would diminish Ghosn’s chance of destroying evidence — such as restricting his ability to communicate with people on the outside and being placed under surveillance. As is usual with bail, he will be barred from traveling overseas. “I believe that we have presented our own convincing application showing that there is indeed no flight risk or risk of tampering with evidence,” Hironaka told reporters Monday. Nobuo Gohara, an attorney who has insisted on Ghosn’s innocence from the time of his arrest, said reshuffling the legal team was integral to the successful bail appeal. The new team, unlike the first one, was able to demonstrate and convince the judge that Ghosn does not pose a threat to stifle evidence, a sticking point the prosecutors have used to argue that he should not be granted bail. “I think the requests were not granted because the previous legal team wasn’t able to refute the prosecutors sufficiently,” Gohara said. On the decision itself, Gohara said it was “a matter of course” that should have been approved the first time. But he also characterized it as “a landmark” that the court sided against the prosecutor’s special investigation unit, an unusual occurrence in the Japanese criminal justice system. The court rejected the previous requests after prosecutors brought new allegations against Ghosn in January. The district court said it was not authorizing bail due to the flight risk and potential destruction of evidence. Attorney Yasuyuki Takai acknowledged the importance of including specific steps in the conditions for the bail but downplayed the importance of the legal team shake-up. Rather, Takai said that Ghosn being granted bail is a reflection on the country’s changing legal system. Like many advanced countries, Japan used to release a suspect on bail shortly after arrest, he said. But protracted detention became an issue in the late 1970s amid a major political scandal, establishing the questionable practice, he said. However, in recent years judges have been more prone to grant bail because they specifically focus on the risk of destroying evidence, instead of whether the suspect is admitting guilt or not, he said. “Judges had been hesitant in granting bail,” Takai said. “However the mindset of judges toward it has been changing.” The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office arrested the 64-year-old Brazilian-born French auto executive on Nov. 19, on suspicion of underreporting his income. The prosecutors later rearrested him on two additional counts of financial misconduct, including aggravated breach of trust for the alleged transfer of private investment losses to Nissan during the global financial crisis in 2008. The decision to grant him bail also comes amid growing outcry from critics, particularly outside the country, toward Japan’s legal system that they say is skewed in favor of accusers. Lawyers aren’t allowed to be present during interrogations, and suspects can be held for months before appearing in a trial, especially when they do not admit guilt. Apparently fed up with Ghosn’s long detention, his family was ready to appeal to the United Nations in a bid to have him released, one of his lawyers said Monday. “We have decided to appeal to those U.N. bodies dealing with fundamental rights compliance,” Francois Zimeray said, reading a statement issued by Ghosn’s family. “Carlos Ghosn has now been held for over 100 days in Japan,” in a place “with medieval rules,” the statement said. The lawyer represents Ghosn’s wife, Carole — who in a recent interview with Paris Match magazine described her husband’s detention conditions as “deplorable” — and children Caroline, Maya, Nadine and Anthony.
|
courts;corruption;scandals;nissan;renault;carlos ghosn;junichiro hironaka
|
jp0001330
|
[
"business",
"economy-business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Evidence grows that Trump's trade wars are hitting U.S. economy and Americans are footing the tariffs
|
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump regularly declares that he’s winning his trade wars. Yet evidence is growing that the U.S. economy is a net loser so far. In two separate papers published over the weekend, some of the world’s leading trade economists declared Trump’s tariffs to be the most consequential trade experiment seen since the 1930 Smoot-Hawley tariffs blamed for worsening the Great Depression. They also found the initial cost of Trump’s duties to the U.S. economy was in the billions and being borne largely by American consumers. In a study published on Saturday, economists from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Princeton University and Columbia University found that tariffs imposed last year by Trump on products ranging from washing machines and steel to some $250 billion in Chinese imports were costing U.S. companies and consumers $3 billion a month in additional tax costs and companies a further $1.4 billion in deadweight losses. They also were causing the diversion of $165 billion a year in trade leading to significant costs for companies having to reorganize supply chains. Significantly, the analysis of import price data by Mary Amiti, Stephen Redding and David Weinstein also found that almost all of the cost of the tariffs was being paid by U.S. consumers and companies. That contradicts Trump’s claim that China is paying the tariffs. “This is kind of the worst-case scenario in terms of consumers,” Weinstein said in an interview. “It’s pretty unclear that this trade war is a net win for the economy at this point.” The trade war was only one factor affecting the U.S. economy, Weinstein said, and with the U.S. less exposed to trade than other major Western economies such as Germany, it was not having as much of an impact as it might. But the numbers were still consequential, he insisted. They also did not capture all of the costs to the U.S. economy. The three economists are now working on quantifying the amount of investment that has been put on hold as a result of the heightened uncertainty caused by the trade wars, Weinstein said. In a separate paper published on Sunday four economists, including Pinelopi Goldberg, the World Bank’s chief economist and a former editor-in-chief of the prestigious American Economic Review, put the annual losses from the higher cost of imports alone for the U.S. economy at $68.8 billion, or almost 0.4 percent of gross domestic product. That was offset by the gains from protectionism derived by U.S. producers benefiting from the tariffs, the economists found. After accounting for the impact of higher tariff revenue and the benefits of higher prices to domestic producers the study found the aggregate annual loss for the U.S. economy fell to $6.4 billion, or 0.03 percent of GDP. The study by Goldberg, Pablo Fajgelbaum of UCLA, Patrick Kennedy of the University of California, Berkeley, and Amit Khandelwal of Columbia also found that consumers and U.S. companies were paying most of the costs of the tariffs. But it also went a step further: After factoring in the retaliation by other countries, the main victims of Trump’s trade wars had been farmers and blue-collar workers in areas that supported Trump in the 2016 election. “Workers in very Republican counties bore the brunt of the costs of the trade war, in part because retaliations disproportionately targeted agricultural sectors, and in part because U.S. tariffs raised the costs of inputs used by these counties,” the authors wrote. The studies are the most authoritative yet to document the negative effect of Trump’s tariffs on the U.S. economy, though others have shown the negative consequences. Economists at the Institute of International Finance last week calculated Chinese retaliatory tariffs alone were causing roughly $40 billion a year in lost U.S. exports. Official trade data due to be released on Wednesday also are expected to show the U.S. trade deficit in goods with the world hitting a new record in 2018 because of the combination of a surge in imports to get ahead of the new tariffs last year and slowing exports. A spokeswoman for Trump’s Council of Economic Advisers declinedcomment on the new papers and referred inquiries to the office of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Spokespeople for USTR did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a speech Saturday to conservative activists Trump dismissed criticism of his tariffs and boasted that he was simply following what he argued was a glorious history of using import taxes in American history. “I found some very old laws from when our country was rich — really rich — the old tariff laws. We had to dust them off. You could hardly see, they were so dusty,” Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference. At a minimum, Trump said, tariffs were “the greatest negotiating tool in the history of our country,” pointing to talks now underway with China that appear increasingly likely to result in a deal in the coming weeks.
|
china;tariffs;donald trump;trade war
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jp0001331
|
[
"business",
"economy-business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
China to slash taxes and boost lending as government sets growth target of at least 6%
|
BEIJING - China lowered its goal for economic growth and announced a major tax cut, as policymakers seek to pull off a gradual deceleration while grappling with a debt legacy and the trade standoff with the U.S. The gross domestic product growth target released Tuesday morning in Premier Li Keqiang’s annual work report to the National People’s Congress was set at a range of 6 to 6.5 percent for 2019. The shift to a band from the previous practice of using a point figure gives policy makers room for maneuver and compares with last year’s “about” 6.5 percent goal. The lower bound of the GDP target would be the slowest pace of economic growth in almost three decades, a consequence of China’s long deceleration as policy makers prioritize reining in debt risks, cleaning up the environment and alleviating poverty. Warning of a “tough economic battle ahead,” Li announced tax cuts worth 2 trillion yuan ($298 billion) for the year. “These targets accommodate structural deceleration but not cyclical, which means that policy makers will need to flex their muscles to stimulate the economy,” said Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief Asia-Pacific economist at Natixis SA in Hong Kong. “It’s good news for the market in the short term; bad news for China in the medium term as more leverage will need to be piled up.” Chinese stocks continued rising on Tuesday, after climbing to their highest level since June on Monday as signs of progress in trade talks buoyed investors. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg see output growth slowing to 6.2 percent this year from 6.6 percent in 2018, before easing further in 2020 and 2021. The report pledged to keep China’s leverage ratio “basically stable” in 2019. Policymakers are trying to rekindle lending to the private sector while avoiding an accelerated run up in debt, with the total debt pile now approaching 300 percent of GDP. Unlike in previous years, there were no targets for retail sales growth or fixed-asset investment in the reports. In his speech, Li said the government would “improve the exchange rate mechanism,” phrasing which was missing from the 2018 and 2017 reports. He also pledged to keep the currency “generally stable and at an adaptive and balanced level.” A cut of 3 percentage points to the top bracket of value added tax was announced in a move aimed at benefiting the manufacturing sector. In addition, a 1 percentage point cut to the 10 percent VAT bracket was announced. Combined, the VAT cuts are equivalent to as much as 800 billion yuan and will boost corporate earnings, according to Morgan Stanley. The target budget deficit for 2019 was set at 2.8 percent of GDP, versus last year’s goal of 2.6 percent. The report pledged a “noticeable decrease” in the tax burdens of major industries, with the total of reductions in tax and social security fees coming to 2 trillion yuan. The more modest growth target paired with further targeted stimulus measures typifies the government’s attempt to steady the economy after a bruising 2018 and marks a shift from last year’s edition, when the emphasis was on reining in financial risks and trimming budget outlays. Maintaining employment was given a higher priority than last year. The report reiterated that monetary policy will remain “prudent,” while fiscal policy will be “proactive, stronger, and more effective.” Further cuts to the required reserves ratio for smaller banks are planned, according to the work report. The U.S. and China are close to a trade deal that could lift most or all U.S. tariffs as long as Beijing follows through on pledges ranging from better protecting intellectual-property rights to buying a significant amount of American products. While that would remove one cloud hanging over the economy, debt risks and signs of weakening consumption at home remain. “China will face a graver and more complicated environment as well as risks and challenges that are greater in number and size,” Li said. “China must be fully prepared for a tough struggle.”
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china;u.s .;taxes;trade;gdp;trade war
|
jp0001332
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
NHK, Japan's public broadcaster, to start simultaneous online streaming
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The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe approved a bill Tuesday to revise the broadcast law to allow NHK to start simultaneous online streaming of its television programs. “We would like to meet public demand for the ability to watch programs on their smartphones,” communications minister Masatoshi Ishida said. The bill is expected to be enacted during the current Diet session. NHK aims to start the service in fiscal 2019, ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Under the current law, NHK’s simultaneous streaming is limited to disaster and live sports coverage, since expansion of its services could have an impact on private TV networks. Anyone who installs a TV receiver capable of receiving NHK programs is obliged to sign a subscription contract with the broadcaster under the law. Those who have contracts with NHK are expected to be able to watch programs online without extra fees. NHK plans to maintain the current cost of subscriptions in October when the consumption tax is raised to 10 percent from the current 8 percent and reduce it in October 2020 by 2.5 percent of its subscription contract income. The bill would make it mandatory for NHK to disclose the costs of online distribution to strengthen its disclosure policy, as some worry that the simultaneous online streaming would boost NHK’s dominance. It would also give authority to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry to oversee distribution operations. In exchange for granting permission for online streaming, a communications ministry panel that oversaw discussions on the new rules had also stressed that NHK should be more careful about preventing misconduct. The bill will also stipulate measures to improve corporate governance as requested by the government panel.
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internet;nhk
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jp0001333
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
China's Huawei opens Brussels security lab in bid to win over EU
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BRUSSELS - Chinese tech company Huawei on Tuesday opened a cybersecurity lab in Brussels, the heart of the European Union, as it tries to win over government leaders and fight back U.S. allegations that its equipment poses a national security risk. Company executives inaugurated the Huawei European Cybersecurity Center, which will allow the wireless companies that are its customers to review the source code running its network gear. The launch comes amid a standoff between the U.S. and China over Huawei Technologies Co., the world’s biggest maker of telecom infrastructure for new high-speed 5G networks. The U.S. has been lobbying allies to shun Huawei because of fears its equipment could facilitate digital espionage by China’s communist leaders. The new lab in the Belgian capital gives Huawei a venue to reassure the EU’s policymakers about its cybersecurity credentials. It opened a similar center in Bonn, Germany, in November and funds a government-run British testing site, the Huawei Cyber Security Evaluation Centre, which opened in 2010. Ken Hu, deputy chairman at Huawei, told a crowd gathered for the opening in Brussels that all regulators, standards organizations and customers were welcome to use the center. “Both trust and distrust should be based on facts, not feelings, not speculation, and not baseless rumor,” he said, in a thinly veiled hint at the U.S. allegations. Europe is Huawei’s biggest market outside China, and the company hopes to play a key role in building the continent’s 5G networks, in competition with Nordic rivals Ericsson and Nokia. Fifth-generation mobile networks enable lightning fast download speeds and reduce signal lag, advances that will be used in smart factories, self-driving cars and remote surgery. Both sides went public with their fight last week at MWC Barcelona, the world’s biggest wireless industry show, with Huawei’s rotating chairman saying in a keynote speech that “we don’t do bad things” and would “never plant backdoors” in its equipment. U.S. officials told reporters at the same event that they were pressing other governments and companies to consider the threat posed by Huawei but did not offer any specific evidence it was a risk. Washington’s campaign against Huawei includes criminal charges against its chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, who the U.S. wants to extradite from Canada to face charges she misled banks about the company’s business with Iran. Despite the U.S. campaign, there are signs that European governments and mobile companies are resisting a blanket ban on Huawei equipment. GSMA, the mobile industry’s trade group, has recommended a testing and certification program. In an annual review of Huawei’s engineering practices published in July, Britain’s cybersecurity agency noted “shortcomings” that “exposed new risks in the U.K. telecommunication networks.” But none were deemed of medium or high priority.
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china;eu;espionage;cybersecurity;huawei;brussels
|
jp0001334
|
[
"business",
"tech"
] |
2019/03/05
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'Minority Report' gets real as Japan startup develops AI cameras to spot shoplifters before they steal
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It’s watching, and knows a crime is about to take place before it happens. Vaak, a Japanese startup, has developed artificial intelligence software that hunts for potential shoplifters, using footage from security cameras for fidgeting, restlessness and other potentially suspicious body language. While AI is usually envisioned as a smart personal assistant or self-driving car, it turns out the technology is pretty good at spotting nefarious behavior. Like a scene out of the movie “Minority Report,” algorithms analyze security camera footage and alert staff about potential thieves via a smartphone app. The goal is prevention: If the target is approached and asked if they need help, there’s a good chance the theft never happens. Vaak made headlines last year when it helped to nab a shoplifter at a convenience store in Yokohama. The company had set up its software in the shop as a test case, which picked up on previously undetected shoplifting activity. The perpetrator was arrested a few days later. “I thought then, ‘Ah, at last!'” said Vaak founder Ryo Tanaka, 30. “We took an important step closer to a society where crime can be prevented with AI.” Worldwide, shoplifting cost the retail industry about $34 billion in lost sales in 2017, the biggest source of shrinkage, according to a report by Tyco Retail Solutions. While that amounts to approximately 2 percent of revenue, it can make a huge difference in an industry known for razor-thin margins. The opportunity is huge. Retailers are projected to invest $200 billion in new technology this year, according to Gartner Inc., as they become more open to embracing technology to meet consumer needs, as well as improve bottom lines. “If we go into many retailers whether in the U.S. or U.K., there are very often going to be CCTV cameras or some form of cameras within the store operation,” said Thomas O’Connor, a retail analyst at Gartner. “That’s being leveraged by linking it to an analytics tool, which can then do the actual analysis in a more efficient and effective way.” Because it involves security, retailers have asked AI-software suppliers such as Vaak and London-based Third Eye not to disclose their use of the anti-shoplifting systems. It’s safe to assume, however, that several big-name store chains in Japan have deployed the technology in some form or another. Vaak has met with or been approached by the biggest publicly traded convenience store and drugstore chains in Japan, according to Tanaka. Big retailers have already been adopting AI technology to help them do business. Apart from inventory management, delivery optimization and other enterprise needs, AI algorithms run customer-support chatbots on websites. Image and video analysis is also being deployed, such as Amazon.com Inc.’s Echo Look, which gives users fashion advice. “We’re still just discovering all the market potential,” Tanaka said. “We want to keep expanding the scope of the company.” Founded in 2017, Vaak is currently testing in a few dozen stores in the Tokyo area. The company began selling a market-ready version of its shoplifting-detection software this month, and is aiming to be in 100,000 stores across Japan in three years. It has ¥50 million in funding from SoftBank Group Corp.’s AI fund, and is in the middle of its series A round, seeking to raise ¥1 billion. What makes AI-based shoplifting detection a straightforward proposition is the fact that most of the hardware — security cameras — is usually already in place. “Essentially this is using something that’s been underutilized for decades,” said Vera Merkatz, business development manager at Third Eye. Founded in 2016, the startup offers services similar to Vaak in the U.K. market, where it has a deal with a major grocery chain. Third Eye is looking to expand into Europe. The ability to detect and analyze unusual human behavior has other applications. Vaak is developing a video-based self-checkout system, and wants to use the videos to collect information on how consumers interact with items in the store to help shops display products more effectively. Beyond retail, Tanaka envisions using the video software in public spaces and train platforms to detect suspicious behavior or suicide jumpers. At Third Eye, Merkatz said she’s been approached by security management companies looking to leverage their AI technology. “The potential is broad since it can be applied outside of shoplifting prevention and outside of retail — such as with manufacturing or other types of marketing,” said Hiroaki Ando, a retail consultant at Ernst & Young Advisory & Consulting Co. in Tokyo.
|
startups;surveillance;shoplifting;ai;vaak;third eye
|
jp0001335
|
[
"business",
"tech"
] |
2019/03/05
|
From 'third arms' to talking walkers, Panasonic ramps up ties with Japan academia on human-help robots
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A wearable “third arm” for construction workers is among the latest innovations under development in Panasonic Corp.’s burgeoning collaboration with academia to make robots an increasing part of people’s lives in aging Japan. Panasonic already has expertise in using robots in manufacturing but has reached out to academia for robots that can safely assist with everyday human tasks, given the wide range of technologies involved, such as image analysis, voice recognition and artificial intelligence. “Robots previously had the purpose of facilitating automation in the manufacturing sector but are now expected to expand their role to enlarging human capabilities … amid the rapid aging of society and the labor shortage,” Panasonic executive Tatsuo Ogawa said at the opening of the Robotics Hub, a new site in Tokyo for the company’s collaboration with academia. “We lack a lot of knowledge when it comes to robots used in interaction with humans,” said Ogawa, who leads Panasonic’s manufacturing innovation division. “We want to work with academia to speed up the development of robots that humans can cohabitate with and to lower the barrier for their implementation.” The “third arm” is an initiative the company is working on with Waseda University professor Hiroyasu Iwata. It launched the project after learning from group firm Panasonic Homes Co. that construction workers face particular difficulties attaching ceiling boards. The robotic arm, which attaches to the user’s shoulder, is controlled via eye movements and grasps objects in response to voice instructions. “Through the robotic arm, I want to explore opportunities for humans to feel that they can do more and be more productive,” Iwata said. “It could free us from a preset image we have of our bodies. Through a collaboration of our ideas with the techniques of companies like Panasonic, which has expertise in product manufacturing, I hope we can make a product that is attractive to consumers.” Panasonic said it will first collaborate at the Robotics Hub with six universities strong in robotics, including Waseda, the University of Tokyo, Chiba Institute of Technology and Ritsumeikan University, with the number of partners expected to grow. With Chiba Institute of Technology, Panasonic aims to put on sale later this year an AI-powered robot vacuum cleaner that can recognize objects and cope with uneven surfaces by, for instance, lifting itself onto rugs. It can detect the shape of rooms as well as the movements of people within them. Users can remotely control the robot by smartphone or tablet, for instance to make it clean a certain spot or have it travel back to its recharging station. In collaboration with Nagoya University, Panasonic has developed a robot to help the elderly take walks. The device is expected to be particularly useful at nursing homes and hospitals, where there is currently a fear of letting the elderly walk outside since they might fall or be forced to ask for assistance. The robot, shaped like a handcart, plays light music while moving and encourages the elderly user by saying, “Let’s walk more.” It has sensors attached to the handles to measure and collect data on the user’s walking speed and distance covered, from which it can recommend the most suitable usage time. After conducting trials at a nursing facility in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, Panasonic hopes to start leasing the robots this summer. “With more elderly expected to live by themselves in the future, this robot can perhaps become like another family member by always being at their side and helping them walk,” said Kazunori Yamada, lead engineer at Panasonic’s Robotics Solutions Division. “I hope to develop the robot so that it will be something fun to exercise with.” The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization estimates that the domestic market for robots used in the services sectors will be worth about ¥5 trillion in 2035, up from ¥373 billion in 2015.
|
robots;panasonic;waseda university;construction industry
|
jp0001336
|
[
"business",
"tech"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Toyota and Subaru hope to launch jointly developed electric vehicle as early as 2021
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NAGOYA - Toyota Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp. have started jointly developing a new electric car, aiming to put it on the market possibly in 2021, sources said Monday. The joint production of a midsize car is an expansion of their collaboration in recent years in the development of basic EV technology. Subaru, of which Toyota is a top shareholder, is set to freeze its own EV development project due to the large cost of going it alone, deciding to gain experience from working with Toyota first, according to the sources. Co-developed EVs will be sold under their respective brands, the sources said. The two companies have been working together on interior and exterior equipment for EVs, with Subaru sending several dozen engineers to Toyota. With the transition from conventional vehicles to EVs expected to occur slowly, many automakers are choosing to develop EVs by forming a partnership to share investment and other resources. Toyota has led the industry in the area of hybrid vehicles but is said to be lagging behind rivals in the race to commercialize mass-market EVs. Volkswagen and Ford Motor Co. have joined hands for EVs and autonomous vehicles. Honda Motor Co. and General Motors Co. are jointly working on EV batteries, while the alliance of Nissan Motor Co., Renault SA and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. plans to expand its EV lineup using common chassis.
|
toyota;subaru;ev
|
jp0001337
|
[
"business",
"financial-markets"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Dollar almost flat around ¥111.90 in Tokyo
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The dollar moved in a tight range around ¥111.90 amid a dearth of trading incentives in Tokyo trading Tuesday. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥111.88-89, down slightly from ¥111.90-91 at the same time Monday. The euro was at $1.1326-1326, down from $1.1357-1357, and at ¥126.73-74, down from ¥127.09-10. The dollar rose to around ¥111.90 in the midmorning on purchases by Japanese importers after fluctuating between ¥111.70 and ¥111.80. The greenback eased on selling triggered by worsening in Chinese indexes on nonmanufacturing activities, traders said. In the afternoon, the U.S. currency firmed back above ¥111.90 as the Nikkei 225 stock average cut losses but failed to top ¥112. Players retreated to the sidelines before the Institute for Supply Management’s announcement later Tuesday of the U.S. nonmanufacturing index, an official at a foreign exchange margin trading service firm said. The official pointed out that the dollar was underpinned by rosy views on the ongoing U.S.-China trade negotiations and the euro’s weakening ahead of the European Central Bank’s policy-setting meeting. But the dollar’s sharp advance would be unlikely as long as U.S.-linked trade issues remain unresolved, a domestic bank official said.
|
forex;currencies;fx
|
jp0001338
|
[
"business",
"financial-markets"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Tokyo stocks turn lower on profit-taking
|
Stocks fell back Tuesday, hit by selling to lock in profits following their two-session winning streak. The Nikkei 225 average lost 95.76 points, or 0.44 percent, to end at 21,726.28 after rising 219.35 points Monday. The Topix, which covers all first-section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, closed 8.36 points, or 0.51 percent, lower at 1,619.23. It scaled 11.87 points Monday. From the outset, a wide range of issues came under profit-taking pressure exerted by an overnight drop on Wall Street in the wake of the release of weaker than expected U.S. construction spending in December. Both the Nikkei and Topix failed to become buoyant for the whole day, as investors retreated to the sidelines amid a dearth of fresh trading incentives, brokers said. Despite growing hopes for an end to the U.S.-China trade dispute, “investors find it difficult to buy stocks further,” said Tomoaki Fujii, head of the investment research division at Akatsuki Securities Inc. Optimism cannot be warranted over the course of trade talks between the two largest economies, Fujii noted. He was commenting on recent media reports that U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, would meet as early as late this month to make a deal. Profit-taking became active as a sense of achievement spread in the market after the Nikkei, as of Monday, recouped half the losses it incurred between October and December, an official of a major brokerage firm pointed out. Falling issues outnumbered rising ones 1,382 to 663 in the first section, while 87 issues were unchanged. Volume decreased to 1.106 billion shares from 1.127 billion Monday. Heavy machinery maker IHI slumped 2.71 percent, hit by an aircraft engine inspection scandal. Semiconductor-linked Advantest lost 2.72 percent on profit-taking following its three-session winning streak. Other noticeable losers included technology conglomerate SoftBank Group and industrial robot producer Fanuc. On the other hand, clothing retailer Fast Retailing gained 2 percent on a rise in Uniqlo sales on a same-store basis. Drugmaker Eisai and cosmetics giant Shiseido also attracted purchases.
|
stocks;nikkei;tokyo stock exchange;topix
|
jp0001339
|
[
"business",
"corporate-business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Japan's Itochu invests in Singapore operator of doctor-focused social networking service
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Major trading house Itochu Corp. is investing in Docquity Holdings, a Singapore-based operator of a specialized social media network for doctors, to expand its health care business in Southeast Asia. By investing $6 million through private share placements, Itochu became a “major” investor in Docquity last month, Itochu spokesman Kenji Katsumoto said Monday. Docquity does not charge doctors to use its networking service. Instead, it earns fees from pharmaceutical firms and makers of medical equipment in exchange for allowing them to post information about their products and services, Katsumoto said. It currently connects about 80,000 doctors across Southeast Asia, Itochu said in a statement. Katsumoto said the number of doctors registered with the networking service initially increased between 3,000 and 5,000 a month. The service enables doctors to share up-to-date information about treatments and medication with a goal of narrowing the gap in medical expertise among Southeast Asian countries. More than 50,000 doctors are registered for the service in Indonesia, over half of the country’s total physicians, while the remaining members practice in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. There are an estimated 41,000 doctors in Malaysia, 126,000 in the Philippines and 27,000 in Thailand, according to Katsumoto. The spokesman said Itochu aims to expand the number of Docquity doctors via its network of medical institutions in Asia, while also involving Japanese pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies to enhance the content of the platform. Docquity was founded by Indranil Roychowdhury in India in 2013 and is headquartered in Singapore.
|
medicine;social media;doctors;itochu
|
jp0001340
|
[
"business",
"corporate-business"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Tepco and other nuclear firms to loan Japan Atomic Power cash for safety work at idled Tokai No. 2 plant
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Japan Atomic Power Co. is expected to receive around ¥300 billion in loans to fund safety work at its idled Tokai No. 2 nuclear plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, according to informed sources. Of the total, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., which plans to buy electricity from the nuclear plant, is likely to provide about ¥190 billion in loans and debt guarantees. Tohoku Electric Power Co., Kansai Electric Power Co., Chubu Electric Power Co. and Hokuriku Electric Power Co. will also offer financial support to Japan Atomic Power, the sources said Monday. The five electricity companies and major banks aim to finalize their plans by May. But they may face difficulty in coordinating the assistance, due partly to differences in opinion over their respective shares of financial contributions and methods, a senior bank official said. In draft aid plans, Japan Atomic Power is seen restarting the nuclear plant in the village of Tokai in 2023. The company needs to gain approval from nearby municipalities to reactivate the plant. If Japan Atomic Power fails to get their backing for the restart and ends up scrapping the plant, Tepco and others offering financial aid are highly likely to suffer losses, the sources said. Tepco may face criticism for playing a leading role in the financial aid, as it was placed under effective government control after the March 2011 disaster at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, industry sources said. By the end of 2022, Japan Atomic Power is expected to receive some ¥120 billion in financial assistance, of which ¥96 billion is likely to be shouldered by Tepco and ¥24 billion by Tohoku Electric, according to the draft aid plans. Tepco plans to borrow funds from a major bank for its financial support to Japan Atomic Power, while Tohoku Electric is considering utilizing its cash reserves for loans to Japan Atomic Power or providing a debt guarantee to the company, sources familiar with the situation said. After the 2023 restart of the Tokai plant, Japan Atomic Power is expected to receive ¥180 billion in loans from major banks, including Mizuho Bank and the government-backed Development Bank of Japan. For these loans, Tepco and Tohoku Electric are considering providing debt guarantees of some ¥96 billion and ¥24 billion, respectively. Although Kansai Electric, Chubu Electric and Hokuriku Electric have no plans to buy electricity generated at the Tokai plant, they see a need to support Japan Atomic Power’s finances, looking to provide debt guarantees of ¥24 billion in total. But the three electricity companies may face opposition from their shareholders, as the support would not have direct effects on their electricity operations, the sources said.
|
tepco;chubu electric;tohoku electric;nuclear energy;japan atomic power;kansai electric;hokuriku electric;tokai no . 2
|
jp0001341
|
[
"world",
"social-issues-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Hope dims to find missing Yazidi women enslaved by Islamic State, sold to its fighters
|
DAHUK, IRAQ - Baseh Hammo was 38 when she was enslaved by militants of the Islamic State group. Raped and abused, she was sold 17 times among members of the so-called “caliphate,” and moved from city to city across a vast stretch of territory IS once controlled in northern Iraq and Syria. Her ordeal came to an end in January in the Syrian village of Baghouz, when an IS member took pity on her as the final battle loomed with U.S.-led Syrian Kurdish forces. He put her on a truck with his own family and allowed them to leave the village. She was picked up by Syrian Kurdish forces and reunited with her two daughters in Iraq a few days later. Yet many Yazidis, followers of a minority faith, are still missing, five years after IS militants stormed Yazidi towns and villages in Iraq’s Sinjar region and abducted women and children. Women were forced into sexual slavery, and boys were taken to be indoctrinated in jihadi ideology. Hopes surged last month during a two-week pause in the U.S.-led coalition’s assault on Baghouz that some of the estimated 3,000 Yazidis still unaccounted for would emerge. But few turned up among the thousands who streamed out of the tiny village. Hussein Karo, who heads the Yazidi Rescue Bureau in Iraq’s regional Kurdish government, said only 47 Yazidis were rescued. Now, as U.S.-backed forces resume their final assault on Baghouz, Hammo and Farha Farman, another rescued Yazidi woman, told The Associated Press they fear many may never return home and that the offensive endangers Yazidis who are still in the village. The two said some are refusing to leave their children behind with their IS fathers while others are staying out of conviction, having adopted the jihadi ideology. Many are simply too terrified to flee. Hammo said her days as a slave were consumed with loneliness and violence. She was sold 17 times. One of her owners, a Swede, would lock her in the home for days without food while he went to fight. Another man, an Albanian, stomped on her hands in his military boots, after she scolded him for buying a 9-year-old slave girl. In the Syrian town of Raqqa, once the seat of the caliphate, her nephews, 12 and 13 years old, carried guns and served as guards to a German IS fighter. When she invited them to eat with her, they refused, saying she was an infidel. She snapped back at them, “You’re one of us. You’re infidels, too.” Hammo’s final months in captivity were especially trying as hunger gripped what was left of the caliphate. Bread grew scarce, and she began making dough for herself out of chicken feed. By the time she was brought to Baghouz, she was eating grass and leaves. “I cannot even look at anything the color green anymore,” said a frail Hammo, her face gaunt, and her hands scarred from the abuse. She had heard there were still 1,000 Yazidis inside Baghouz, including 130 boys training to become jihadis. Farman, 21, who arrived in Iraq in early February, feared for her sister and nine young male relatives still missing after being abducted five years ago. Both Farman and Hammo, now staying in bleak camps for the displaced in Iraq, said international airstrikes had killed some Yazidis living as slaves in the caliphate. Hammo said she had urged a Yazidi woman married to an Uzbek IS fighter to leave Baghouz with her, but the woman, who has had two children with the man, refused. “She said she’d blow herself up first,” said Hammo. Another Yazidi woman in Bahgouz, who had been married off to a Saudi man, was forced to give up two of her boys to be trained as IS fighters. “She said she couldn’t leave without them,” Hammo said. In 2014, when the Islamic State group was at the height of its power and its self-styled caliphate spanned a third of both Syria and Iraq, IS militants stormed Yazidi communities in Iraq’s Sinjar region. The extremists, who consider the Kurdish-speaking religious minority to be heretics, enslaved, raped and killed thousands of Yazidis. Close to 200,000 members of the minority fled their homes. Farman was 17 when she was abducted by IS from Sinjar. She was sold to a Syrian man who went on to carry out a suicide operation for IS. His family then sold her to a Saudi man who beat her savagely for trying to escape — twice. The first time she tried to flee, she slipped out with a group of other Yazidi women to the countryside. “But we couldn’t get anywhere, so we gave ourselves up,” she said, speaking to AP in a tent she is staying in with her aunt. She said she is haunted by nightmares that keep her from sleeping. IS jailed her for a week after her first escape attempt, then turned her over to her captor who beat her savagely with cables and hoses. The second time she tried to escape, her parents sent a paid smuggler to bring her to safety, but he was caught and gave up her name under IS interrogation. The Saudi man again punished Farman. All the while, the militants were losing territory against advancing Syrian government and Syrian Kurdish forces, and she moved from city to city with her abuser along the Euphrates River, until they were finally trapped in Baghouz. “I got to see half of Syria,” she said, ironically. Finally, the Saudi man asked if she would flee with him to Turkey. She refused, so he sold her to a smuggler for $10,000, money arranged by the Yazidi community in exile, to help her leave on her own. Farman made it out, but the Saudi man did not. He was caught by the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish forces outside Baghouz, and has not been heard of since, she said.
|
conflict;terrorism;syria;iraq;slavery;islamic state;yazidis;baghouz
|
jp0001342
|
[
"world",
"science-health-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Higher education: U.S. colleges add cannabis to curriculum amid pot and hemp boom
|
NEW YORK - Grace DeNoya is used to getting snickers when people learn she’s majoring in marijuana. “My friends make good-natured jokes about getting a degree in weed,” said DeNoya, one of the first students in a new four-year degree program in medicinal plant chemistry at Northern Michigan University. “I say, ‘No, it’s a serious degree, a chemistry degree first and foremost. It’s hard work. Organic chemistry is a bear.’ ” As a green gold rush in legal marijuana and its nondrug cousin hemp spreads across North America, a growing number of colleges are adding cannabis to the curriculum to prepare graduates for careers cultivating, researching, analyzing and marketing the herb. Research shows there are high times ahead for all kinds of careers in cannabis, ranging from greenhouse and dispensary operators to edible product developers, marketing specialists, quality assurance lab directors and pharmaceutical researchers. Arcview Market Research, which focuses on cannabis industry trends, projects the industry will support 467,000 jobs by 2022. And even in states where recreational marijuana remains illegal, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, some colleges have launched cannabis studies programs in anticipation of legalization or to prepare students for jobs in other states. “We’re providing a fast track to get into the industry,” said Brandon Canfield, a chemistry professor at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Two years ago, he proposed a new major in medicinal plant chemistry after attending a conference where cannabis industry representatives spoke of an urgent need for analytical chemists for product quality assessment and assurance. The four-year degree, which is the closest thing to a marijuana major at an accredited U.S. university, has drawn nearly 300 students from 48 states, Canfield said. Students won’t be growing marijuana, which was recently legalized by Michigan voters for recreational use. But Canfield said students will learn to measure and extract medicinal compounds from plants such as St. John’s Wort and ginseng and transfer that knowledge to marijuana. A similar program is being launched at Minot State University in North Dakota this spring. The college said students will learn lab skills applicable to medical marijuana, hops, botanical supplements and food science industries. “All of our graduates are going to be qualified to be analysts in a lab setting,” Canfield said, noting that experience could lead to a position paying $70,000 right out of school. Those wishing to start their own businesses can choose an entrepreneurial track that adds courses in accounting, legal issues and marketing. “I came in planning to do the bioanalytical track, maybe go work in a lab,” said DeNoya, 27, who was considering nursing school when she heard about the NMU program. “I just switched to the entrepreneurial track. I figured that would better position me, as the industry is still expanding and changing and growing so much.” The expected boom in cannabis-related jobs has colleges responding with a range of offerings. Colorado State University offers a cannabis studies minor focusing on social, legal, political and health impacts. Ohio State University, Harvard, the University of Denver and Vanderbilt offer classes on marijuana policy and law. Universities have done little research on marijuana because of federal restrictions, but that’s starting to change. UCLA’s Cannabis Research Initiative, which bills itself as one of the first academic programs in the world dedicated to the study of cannabis, has studies underway ranging from medical treatments to economic impacts. Agricultural schools are also getting in on the action. The University of Connecticut is launching a cannabis horticulture program this spring. “We’re following the market,” said Jennifer Gilbert Jenkins, an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Morrisville, a college in rural central New York that’s launching a new minor in cannabis studies in its horticulture department this year. Students work with hemp and other plants rather than marijuana, but can take internships at medical marijuana facilities, Jenkins said. In New Jersey, Stockton University started an interdisciplinary cannabis minor last fall and recently forged an academic partnership with Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia that gives students the opportunity for internships and research work in medical marijuana and hemp. “Most of the students are interested in novel business opportunities,” said Kathy Sedia, coordinator of the cannabis minor at Stockton. Cannabis businesses range from medical and recreational marijuana to foods, fabrics and myriad other products derived from industrial hemp. The basis for all is the cannabis sativa plant. Marijuana is produced by varieties with high levels of THC, the chemical compound that makes people high. Hemp has only a trace of THC, but produces cannabidiol, or CBD, used in a broad range of nutritional and therapeutic products that are all the rage right now. Marijuana is legal for medical purposes in 33 states and as a recreational drug in 10. While marijuana remains illegal federally, the 2018 Farm bill cleared the way for widespread cultivation of hemp. In New York, where legislators are moving to legalize recreational use of marijuana, hemp has become a new source of income for farmers as well as jobs at processing and manufacturing businesses. The state’s first legal hemp crop was harvested in 2016 under a Morrisville research license, which gave rise to the new cannabis minor. “I see a lot more farmers reaching out and trying to find people who know about this new crop,” said Colton Welch, an agriculture business student pursuing the cannabis minor at Morrisville. “We’re only beginning to see the wide application this plant has.” Karson Humiston, founder of Vangst, an employment agency specializing in cannabis jobs, said the industry outlook is bright for students. “More jobs are being created in this space than in any other space in North America, with salaries sometimes more competitive than other industries,” Humiston said. “With every new state that legalizes, tons of jobs are opening up.”
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u.s .;medicine;drugs;universities;cannabis;chemistry;hemp
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jp0001343
|
[
"world",
"science-health-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
More marine heat waves threatening fish and corals: study
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OSLO - The frequency of ocean heat waves has surged more than 50 percent since the early 20th century in a threat to fish, corals and other marine life stoked by global warming, an international study showed on Monday. Abrupt local spikes in temperatures, far less researched than heat waves on land, add to pressures on marine life such as over-fishing and plastic pollution, they wrote in the journal Nature Climate Change. Around the world’s oceans, the number of days of marine heat waves per year rose 54 percent in the period 1987-2016 from 1925-54, according to the scientists in Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Spain and the United States. “Extreme temperature events may be one of the most important stresses on the oceans in coming decades,” lead author Dan Smale of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom told Reuters. “Whether it’s seaweeds or corals, fish, seabirds or mammals, you can detect the adverse effects of marine heat waves,” he said. Marine heatw aves, defined as at least five days with temperatures far above average, are caused by heat from blazing sunshine and by shifting warm currents. Among impacts, a 2011 marine heat wave off western Australia killed abalone stocks and a 2012 heat wave off the Eastern United States drove lobster stocks north toward Canada. Many tropical corals have suffered from harmful “bleaching” in recent years. The scientists said marine heat waves were “emerging as forceful agents of disturbance” that could “restructure entire marine ecosystems,” disrupting livelihoods and food supplies for millions of people. Most previous studies about climate change in the oceans have focused on a gradual rise in average temperatures, which hit a new record annual high in 2018, forcing fish to swim towards the poles or into the cooler depths. Heat waves often have natural causes but the report said “there is growing confidence that the observed intensification is due to human activities,” led by the burning of fossil fuels. “Multiple regions in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans are particularly vulnerable to marine heat wave intensification,” they wrote. Joaquim Garrabou, of the Institute of Marine Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, who was not involved in the study, said the Mediterranean was also at risk because creatures cannot shift north in an almost landlocked sea. In recent years “massive impacts” in the Mediterranean, especially on corals, sponges and mollusks in a devastating 2003 heat wave, he told Reuters.
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oceans;global warming;climate change;heat waves;corals
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jp0001344
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Death toll from EF-3 Alabama twisters likely to rise beyond 23 confirmed as searches resume
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BEAUREGARD, ALABAMA - Rescuers in Alabama stepped up the search for survivors Monday after two back-to-back tornadoes ripped across the southern state, with the death toll of 23 expected to rise further. “The devastation is incredible,” Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told the local CBS affiliate. “It looks almost as if someone took a giant knife and scraped the ground,” he said. “There are slabs where homes formerly stood, there is debris everywhere, trees are snapped, whole … forested areas are just snapped.” “I cannot recall at least in the last 50 years … a situation where we have had this loss of life,” Jones said. He said the death toll stood at 23, some of them children. One of the dead was just 6 years old, with the toll likely to rise. “We have several people who are still unaccounted for,” Jones said. “Unfortunately, we anticipate the number of fatalities may rise as the day goes on.” Other people were hospitalized, some with “very serious injuries.” Search operations for those still missing had to be halted on Sunday night due to hazardous conditions, but were renewed Monday morning with agencies from across the state and from neighboring Georgia joining the hunt. The swath of destruction left was a quarter mile (0.4 km) wide and stretched for the “several miles that it traveled on the ground,” according to Jones. The powerful winds picked up a billboard from the Lee County Flea Market in Alabama and dumped it some 20 miles away, across the state line in Georgia, local media reported. More than 6,000 homes were left without power in Alabama, according to PowerOutage.US , while 16,000 suffered outages in neighboring Georgia. The search for missing people was focused in the area around Beauregard, about 60 miles (95 km) east of the state capital Montgomery. While the heavy rains that accompanied the high winds had relented overnight, many roads in the worst-hit areas were blocked by debris, hindering search efforts. Residents in the town of Smith Station told local TV news crews of their shock at turning up to work to find their businesses destroyed, and seeing crying co-workers comforting one another. One bar in the town appeared to have lost its roof and most of its walls, in images screened by MSNBC, while a cell tower was completely destroyed. “My sister and niece have been under tornado watch and warnings all day in Montgomery … Prayers up for Alabama,” Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Ava Duvernay tweeted Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his condolences to those affected and said on Twitter that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, “has been told directly by me to give the A Plus treatment to the Great State of Alabama and the wonderful people who have been so devastated by the Tornadoes.” The National Weather Service (NWS) had issued a tornado warning for areas including Lee County on Sunday, calling on residents to: “TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows.” The warning for the first twister was issued at 2:58 p.m., the NWS said. The warning for the second came less than an hour later, at 3:38 p.m. NWS Birmingham said the first tornado to hit was “at least an EF-3 & at least 1/2 mi wide.” The EF-3 designation — on a scale of 0 to 5 — means the tornado had winds of 136 to 165 mph (218 to 266 kph). Around a dozen tornadoes were reported to have touched down in Alabama and Georgia in the course of the day, CNN reported.
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disaster;tornadoes;alabama;donald trump;fema;nws
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jp0001345
|
[
"world",
"crime-legal-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
National emergency: Two more teens killed as knife murders in Britain soar to year tally of at least 24
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LONDON - Two teenagers were killed in knife attacks in Britain over the weekend, bringing the number of people killed in stabbings this year to at least 24 and pushing the bloodshed to the forefront of national concern. British Interior Minister Sajid Javid said he would be meeting police chiefs this week to find ways to tackle the problem as he called for an end to the “senseless violence. “There is no hiding from this issue … serious violence is on the rise, communities are being torn apart and families are losing their children,” Javid said in parliament. Police say the surge in knife crime in a country where guns are hard to obtain has been driven by several factors, including rivalries between drug gangs, cuts to youth services and provocations on social media. Many have occurred in poor pockets of London. The issue has shot to the top of the political agenda after figures show the number of deaths from stabbings reached a record last year. The number of children in England aged 16 and under being stabbed rose by 93 percent between 2016 and 2018. At the same time, police have suffered big cuts in staffing and funding under austerity measures imposed by Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, particularly during her tenure as interior minister in the years before she took the top job. In the latest deaths, 17-year-old schoolboy Yousef Ghaleb Makki was stabbed in a village near Manchester while he was visiting a friend. Two boys, also aged 17, have been arrested on suspicion of murder. Jodie Chesney, a 17-year-old Girl Scout, was killed in a knife attack in a park in east London. Her family have called her murder a “totally random and unprovoked attack. “A Knife to the Heart of Britain,” the Daily Mail splashed across its front page on Monday along with a photograph of Chesney. British media also made much of the fact that Makki lived in an affluent area and went to a private school. Most attacks take place in more deprived areas with higher general crime rates. Two weeks ago, three teenagers were stabbed in Birmingham, central England, prompting a senior regional police official to say Britain was facing a national emergency. A total of 285 knife and sharp instrument homicides recorded in the year ending March 2018, the highest number since Home Office records began in 1946. The previous high was in the year ending in March 2008, with 268 homicides by stabbing. Nineteen murders have taken place in London this year, according to London Metropolitan Police. The force had arranged more officers to be on duty in response to the violent crime wave, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Graham McNulty said. Prime Minister May rejected claims that falling police numbers following funding cuts was fueling the rise in knife crime. “If you look at the figures what you see is there is no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers,” she said. The government said it had set out a range of actions to tackle violent crime, including a £200 million ($265 million) youth fund and an independent review of drug misuse. It has also proposed an extra £970 million in police funding for 2019-20. “We’re taking action on many fronts & I’ll be meeting police chiefs this week to hear what more can be done. Vital we unite to stop this senseless violence,” Javid said.
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teens;u.k .;crime;theresa may;knives
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jp0001346
|
[
"world",
"crime-legal-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
House Judiciary panel launches sweeping Trump probe, targeting 81 people
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WASHINGTON - The House Judiciary Committee is launching a sweeping new probe of U.S. President Donald Trump, his White House, his campaign and his businesses, sending document requests to 81 people linked to the president and his associates. Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Monday the investigation will be focused on possible obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power. The aggressive, broad investigation could set the stage for an impeachment effort, although Democratic leaders have pledged to investigate all avenues and review special counsel Robert Mueller’s report before trying any drastic action. Nadler said that the document requests, with responses to most due by March 18, are a way to “begin building the public record” and that the committee has the responsibility to investigate and hold public hearings. “Over the last several years, President Trump has evaded accountability for his near-daily attacks on our basic legal, ethical, and constitutional rules and norms,” Nadler said in announcing the beginning of the probe. “Investigating these threats to the rule of law is an obligation of Congress and a core function of the House Judiciary Committee.” Now that Democrats hold a majority in the House, the new probe is a sign that Trump’s legal and political peril is nowhere near over, even as the special counsel’s Russia investigation winds down. The move all but guarantees that potentially damaging allegations will shadow Trump for months to come as Democrats try to keep them in the public eye. Nadler’s announcement comes after the House intelligence panel has already announced a separate probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and Trump’s foreign financial interests. The House Oversight and Reform Committee has launched multiple investigations. Several other committees are probing related matters as well, and while many might overlap, the committee chairmen and chairwomen say they are working together on the investigations. The list of 81 names touches on all parts of Trump’s life — his businesses, his campaign, the committee that oversaw the transition from the campaign to the White House and the White House. There are also people connected to Russian interference in the 2016 campaign, including participants in a meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer before the election. In a letter to the White House, the committee asks for information surrounding former FBI Director James Comey’s termination, communications with Justice Department officials, the Trump Tower meeting and multiple other matters. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday the White House had received the letter and that “the counsel’s office and relevant White House officials will review it and respond at the appropriate time.” The list includes two of the president’s children, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and many of his current and former close advisers, including Steve Bannon. It also includes his embattled charitable foundation, which he is shutting down after agreeing to a court-supervised process, and officials at the FBI and Justice Department. The committee is expected to use the information to amass information that officials can then comb through, according to a person familiar with the investigation. The person declined to be named to discuss the committee’s internal process. The committee expects some people to produce right away, and others may eventually face subpoenas, the official said. It is unclear how many will eventually be called in for interviews. The announcement of the new investigation follows a bad political week for Trump. He emerged empty-handed from a high-profile summit with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un on denuclearization, and Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, in three days of congressional testimony, publicly characterized the president as a “con man” and “cheat.” Nadler previewed the announcement on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, contending it’s “very clear” that Trump obstructed justice. He said House Democrats, now in the majority, are simply doing “our job to protect the rule of law” after Republicans during the first two years of Trump’s term were “shielding the president from any proper accountability.” “We’re far from making decisions” about impeachment, he said. In a tweet on Sunday, Trump blasted Mueller’s Russia investigation, calling it a partisan probe unfairly aimed at discrediting his win in the 2016 presidential election. “I am an innocent man being persecuted by some very bad, conflicted & corrupt people in a Witch Hunt that is illegal & should never have been allowed to start — And only because I won the Election!” he wrote. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, on Sunday accused House Democrats of prejudging Trump as part of a query based on partisan politics. “I think Congressman Nadler decided to impeach the president the day the president won the election,” McCarthy said. “Listen to exactly what he said. He talks about impeachment before he even became chairman and then he says, ‘you’ve got to persuade people to get there.’ There’s nothing that the president did wrong.” “Show me where the president did anything to be impeached,” he said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, has kept calls for impeachment at bay by insisting that Mueller first must be allowed to finish his work, and present his findings publicly — though it’s unclear whether the White House will allow the full release.
|
u.s .;congress;robert mueller;democrats;donald trump;russia probe;michael cohen;jerrold nadler
|
jp0001347
|
[
"world",
"crime-legal-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Democrats demand details of Trump-Putin talks from White House amid reports records were destroyed
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WASHINGTON - Senior U.S. Democrats on Monday demanded the White House provide details of communications between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, after reports that such information was destroyed or hidden. The chairmen of three U.S. House committees — on intelligence, foreign affairs, and oversight — wrote the White House seeking information on the substance of the leaders conversations, any notes or documents related to the talks, and whether Trump or anyone acting on his behalf concealed or misrepresented the substance of the communications — a violation of federal law. “According to media reports, President Trump, on multiple occasions, appears to have taken steps to conceal the details of his communications with President Putin from other administration officials, Congress, and the American people,” committee chairmen Adam Schiff, Elliot Engel and Elijah Cummings wrote in a statement.
|
u.s .;congress;vladimir putin;russia;democrats;donald trump;adam schiff
|
jp0001348
|
[
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Colorado ex-Gov. John Hickenlooper joins growing list of Democrats making 2020 White House bid
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WASHINGTON - Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper announced his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on Monday, the second governor and 14th candidate to join the field seeking to take on Republican Donald Trump in 2020. In a video announcing his candidacy, the 67-year-old Hickenlooper said he’s seeking the White House “because we’re facing a crisis that threatens everything we stand for.” “I’ve proven again and again I can bring people together to produce the progressive change Washington has failed to deliver,” he said. A former geologist and self-described “nerd,” Hickenlooper went into politics after earning a fortune opening up a string of brewpubs in Denver, Colorado’s largest city, and other towns. A political moderate, Hickenlooper took aim at Trump in his campaign launch video. “As a skinny kid with Coke bottle glasses and a funny last name, I’ve stood up to my fair share of bullies,” he said. Hickenlooper served as mayor of Denver from 2003 to 2011 and as governor of Colorado from 2011 to January 2019. He oversaw Colorado’s economic boom during his tenure as governor, which was also marked by devastating wildfires, floods and a mass shooting at a movie theater that left 12 people dead. Colorado passed tough gun control legislation following the 2012 shooting and the state also moved to legalize marijuana while Hickenlooper was in office. A former chair of the National Governors Association, Hickenlooper is well known in Democratic leadership circles, but not to the larger public outside his home state. Speaking on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday, Hickenlooper said the United States is suffering from a “crisis of division.” “I think it’s probably the worst period of division that we’ve had in this country since the Civil War,” he said. “Ultimately I’m running for president because I believe that not only can I beat Donald Trump but that I am the person that can bring people together on the other side and actually get stuff done.” Others who have announced bids to become the Democratic nominee are U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, 77, Kamala Harris, 54, Elizabeth Warren, 69, Cory Booker, 49, Amy Klobuchar, 58, and Kirsten Gillibrand, 52. Also running are Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee, 68, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, 37, of Hawaii, former Maryland congressman John Delaney, 55, Obama-era housing secretary Julian Castro, 44, of Texas, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 37, who would be the first openly gay nominee of a major party. Two nonpoliticians are also in the race — Andrew Yang, 44, a technology executive, and Marianne Williamson, a 66-year-old self-help author. And several other potential candidates are waiting in the wings, including former vice president Joe Biden, 76, former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke, 46, and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown, 66. Four former U.S. governors have become president since 1976. Democrat Jimmy Carter, a former governor of Georgia, was elected to the White House in 1976 and was followed by former California Gov. Ronald Reagan, a Republican, in 1980. Former Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, a Democrat, won the 1992 presidential election and was succeeded by former Texas Gov. George W. Bush, a Republican.
|
colorado;democrats;donald trump;2020 u.s. presidential election;john hickenlooper
|
jp0001349
|
[
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Guaido returns to Venezuela and calls for more street protests
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CARACAS/WASHINGTON - A defiant Juan Guaido returned home to Venezuela on Monday despite concerns the opposition leader might be detained and urged supporters at a rally to intensify their campaign to topple the government of President Nicolas Maduro. The 35-year-old leader of Venezuela’s National Assembly showed off his passport before climbing onto scaffolding and pumping his fist during the demonstration in Caracas, delighting euphoric followers whose efforts to oust Maduro have fallen short in a nation gripped by a humanitarian crisis. There were few security forces nearby and no immediate comment from Maduro’s government, which has tried to divert the public’s attention to carnival festivities Monday and Tuesday. While thousands of Venezuelans heeded Guaido’s call for protests coinciding with his return, many wonder whether he can maintain momentum against a government that, while under extreme pressure itself, has relentlessly cracked down on opponents in the past, jailing or driving into exile top opposition leaders. “We know the risks that we face. That’s never stopped us,” Guaido said after arriving at Venezuela’s main airport and going through immigration checks. He was greeted by top diplomats from the United States, Germany, Spain and other countries who possibly hoped to head off any move to detain Guaido by bearing witness to his return. “We hope there won’t be any escalation and that parliamentary immunity is respected,” said Spanish Ambassador Jesus Silva Fernandez. The United States and some 50 other countries have recognized Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, arguing that Maduro’s re-election last year was invalid because popular opposition candidates were barred from running. At the rally, Guaido called for massive protests Saturday and said he would meet Tuesday with public employee unions controlled by the government of Maduro, who retains the support of military generals despite the desertion of hundreds of lower-ranking military personnel. “The regime must understand, the dictatorship must understand … that we’re stronger than ever. We’ll continue protesting, we’ll continue mobilizing,” said Guaido, who had ignored an official ban on foreign travel to leave Venezuela last month. Guaido visited Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Ecuador over the past week — all countries that support his claim to be Venezuela’s interim president and call on Maduro to resign so that the country can prepare for free and fair elections. The United States, which warned Monday of a “swift response” to any threats or violence against Guaido, congratulated the opposition leader on his return to Venezuela. “The international community must unite and push for the end of Maduro’s brutal regime and the peaceful restoration of democracy in Venezuela,” U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said. Colombian President Ivan Duque tweeted that Guaido’s homecoming was part of the “irreversible path that Venezuela has taken toward democracy.” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for dialogue by all parties to end the political impasse. “We obviously remain very concerned about the situation in Venezuela,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. “It’s important from the secretary-general’s viewpoint that all actors — all political actors in Venezuela and abroad — make all efforts to lower tensions.” Maduro has said he is the target of a U.S.-backed coup plot after the Trump administration joined dozens of other countries in backing Guaido. The United States has also imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela, which has the world’s largest oil reserves. Guaido’s return is a moment of reckoning not only for the opposition leader, whose presence in Venezuela was essential for his movement to regain momentum, but also for Maduro, analysts said. The fact that Guaido was not detained, at least so far, reflects the pressure Maduro faces not to intervene, said Luis Vicente Leon, head of the Caracas-based polling firm Datanalisis. “But it seems to indicate the beginning of a negotiation, local and international, whose details are not yet clear,” Leon said in a tweet. Venezuela’s vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, did not directly address a question about whether Guaido could face arrest during an interview with Russian state-owned TV channel RT. But she left open the possibility, saying Guaido had broken the law and is “a Venezuelan who conspires with foreign governments to overthrow a constitutional government.” The Maduro government has in the past jailed and driven into exile some of Venezuela’s most prominent opposition leaders, including Leopoldo Lopez, who lives under house arrest and another lawmaker holed up at the home of Chile’s ambassador in the Venezuelan capital. For his part, Maduro has somewhat incongruously urged Venezuelans to enjoy the carnival season, even though most people don’t have the resources to travel to beaches or other holiday spots. On Sunday, he tweeted that Venezuelans nationwide were enjoying the carnival “in peace and happiness.” Among the demonstrators who waited for Guaido at the Caracas rally was Wilfredo Moya, a 55-year-old former construction worker who said Venezuelans hoping for change should be patient. “It’s a long process,” he said.
|
u.s .;brazil;venezuela;nicolas maduro;juan guaido
|
jp0001350
|
[
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Hillary Clinton won't run for president in 2020, but also won't rule out another public role in future
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WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton says she won’t run for U.S. president in 2020, but vows she’s “not going anywhere.” “I’m not running, but I’m going to keep on working and speaking and standing up for what I believe,” Clinton said Monday in an interview with News 12, a local TV channel in New York. Clinton was the frontrunner in 2016 but ended up losing to Donald Trump. “I want to be sure that people understand I’m going to keep speaking out,” Clinton said. “I’m not going anywhere. What’s at stake in our country, the kinds of things that are happening right now, are deeply troubling to me.” Clinton has held meetings with some of the Democrats who are now vying for the party nomination or considering a run. CNN has reported that they include former Vice President Joe Biden, who has not yet said if he is running. “I’ve told every one of them, don’t take anything for granted, even though we have a long list of real problems and broken promises from this administration that need to be highlighted,” Clinton said. Asked if she would run again for some kind of public office, she seemed to avoid ruling that out. “I don’t think so, but I love living in New York and I’m so grateful that I had the chance to be a senator for eight years and to work with people across our state,” said the former secretary of state and New York senator.
|
u.s .;elections;hillary clinton;democrats;donald trump;2020 u.s. presidential election
|
jp0001351
|
[
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
'We could have had chefs': Trump serves up fast food to visiting athletes at White House again
|
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump didn’t have to change the menu Monday for his second hosting of college athletes at the White House this year: it was time to pile the table with fast food again. Trump greeted the players of the North Dakota State Bison football team in the State Dining Room to celebrate their latest championship in the FCS Division I. “We could have had chefs,” Trump told the players and coaches assembled in front of a varnished table heaped in Big Macs and bags of Chick-fil-A chicken meals. Another table was laden with fries. But “I know you people very well,” Trump said. In January, Trump welcomed another champion U.S. college team, the Clemson Tigers, with what he called an “all American” feast of burgers and pizzas. The president is a noted fan of unhealthy comfort food, defying doctors’ orders to lose weight and also boasting about how little exercise he does. Despite that lifestyle, Trump, 72, passed his annual medical exam in February with flying colors and was declared to be “in very good health.” He certainly wasn’t apologizing for his latest culinary offering. “Go grab yourself something, we can eat right here,” Trump told the North Dakota State Bisons. He joked how he’d like to “have one right up here” at the podium but pointed to the assembled White House journalists and complained “they’ll say: Isn’t it horrible, isn’t it inappropriate?”
|
u.s .;fast food;offbeat;donald trump
|
jp0001352
|
[
"world",
"politics-diplomacy-world"
] |
2019/03/05
|
As second Canadian minister quits over handling of scandal, Trudeau says he's taking it 'seriously'
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OTTAWA - In a serious blow to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a second member of his Cabinet resigned on Monday, saying she had lost confidence in how the government had dealt with an escalating political scandal. The departure of recently appointed Treasury Board President Jane Philpott, who was in overall charge of government spending, deprives Trudeau of another powerful female Cabinet minister just months ahead of an election that polls show he could lose. Philpott expressed unhappiness about the government’s response to allegations that officials inappropriately pressured former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould last year to help major construction company SNC-Lavalin Group Inc avoid a corruption trial. “Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised,” Philpott said in a statement. Trudeau told a Liberal Party rally in Toronto that he was disappointed but understood why she had left. “Concerns of this nature must be taken seriously and I can ensure you that I am,” said Trudeau, who did not specifically address Philpott’s stated reasons for leaving. He also thanked her for serving in his Cabinet- something he notably did not do when Wilson-Raybould quit. Philpott is a close friend of Wilson-Raybould, who resigned on Feb. 12 after she was unexpectedly demoted in January. Wilson-Raybould said last week she was convinced her refusal to help SNC-Lavalin was behind the demotion. Andrew Scheer, head of the official opposition Conservative Party, repeated calls for Trudeau to quit amid the “ethical rot” he said was undermining the rule of law. The departure of Philpott, who was appointed on Jan. 14, is another setback for a prime minister who came to power in November 2015 promising “sunny ways,” more accountability in politics and a greater number of women ministers. “What should be worrisome for the Trudeau Liberals is that the two Cabinet resignations have been on issues of principle and ethics,” said Nanos Research pollster Nik Nanos. “The second resignation begs the question — what did happen and could there be more resignations,” he said by email. Other members of the government, including Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, have said they will stay in the Cabinet. Philpott said evidence of efforts by politicians and officials to pressure Wilson-Raybould had raised serious concerns. Wilson-Raybould tweeted to Philpott that “you are a leader of vision and strength and I look forward to continuing to work alongside you.” Philpott, 58, was widely regarded as one of the best of Trudeau’s Cabinet ministers. She had previously served as minister of health and minister of indigenous services. Most Liberal members of parliament have so far backed Trudeau but there are signs of strain. Legislator Wayne Long said he was “deeply troubled” by Philpott’s departure, and called for a full public inquiry into the matter — something Trudeau has rejected. Celina Caesar-Chavannes, a parliamentarian who is not seeking re-election, tweeted that “when you add women, please do not expect the status quo. Expect us to make correct decisions, stand for what is right and exit when values are compromised.” Gerald Butts, who quit as Trudeau’s principal secretary last month over the SNC-Lavalin affair, will testify to the House of Commons justice committee on Wednesday. In her testimony to the committee last week, Wilson-Raybould singled out Butts as one official who tried particularly hard to change her mind. Under questioning, she said she did not consider officials had broken any laws.
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canada;scandals;justin trudeau;jane philpott
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jp0001353
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[
"world"
] |
2019/03/05
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Hundreds quit Islamic State's Baghouz redoubt in lull in fighting amid threat of human shield casualties
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BAGHOUZ, SYRIA - Hundreds of people, including fighters from the Islamic State group, evacuated their last foothold in eastern Syria Monday hours after U.S.-backed Syrian fighters said they were forced to slow their advance because the extremists are using civilians as human shields. But despite this hindrance, the spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mustafa Bali, tweeted that the battle to retake Baghouz, the last territory in Syria held by the Islamic State group, was “going to be over soon.” Later Monday, an SDF official said some 500 people, including fighters, have surrendered and evacuated the village of Baghouz and its surrounding areas. Ciyager, the nom de guerre of an official with the Kurdish-led SDF, added that 200 more people are expected to evacuate the village of Baghouz later Monday. Dozens of men, women and children climbed hills on foot and were later seen getting into small trucks after they were searched by SDF fighters manning the evacuation corridor. Shortly before sunset, more than 20 cars came out of the area carrying men, women and children some of whom appeared to be foreigners. Some of the men were of fighting age and appeared able while others carried crutches. One woman covered in black flashed a victory sign as she left. An SDF official who goes by Mervan The Brave said many IS gunmen are still inside and prepared to fight. “This is not the end. We may be on the threshold of a new battle,” he said. He said those who left the IS-held area on Monday include people from Bosnia, Turkestan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Syria and a man who claims he’s French. An airstrike followed but it was not exactly clear what it targeted. An SDF spokeswoman said the offensive has slowed down but pressure is being kept up away from the corridor to prevent fighters from infiltrating or sabotaging the area. She spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to the press. The U.S.-backed forces resumed their offensive on Baghouz last Friday, after a two-week pause to allow for the evacuation of civilians. Retaking the sliver of land would be a milestone in the devastating four-year campaign to end Islamic State’s self-proclaimed “caliphate” that once straddled a vast territory across both Syria and Iraq. The extremist group continues to be a threat, however, with sleeper cells in scattered desert pockets along the porous border between the two countries. “We’re slowing down the offensive” due to a small number of civilians held as human shields, Bali said. The previous night, an SDF statement said the Kurdish-led forces would continue their military campaign “to take control of the last ISIS-held pocket in Baghouz and to liberate the remaining civilians who are being used as human shields.” ISIS is an alternative acronym for the extremist group. “In order not to harm them, we are advancing slowly but we assert that the battle of Baghouz will end in a short period of time,” it said. IS militants are desperately fighting to hang on to the last tiny piece of land in eastern Syria, deploying snipers and guided missiles and using dug-out tunnels for surprise attacks. On Sunday, black smoke billowed over the besieged speck of land in the village after airstrikes hit several targets. SDF fighters had tightened the noose on the militants the day before, advancing from two fronts and cutting off their access to the river in Baghouz.
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conflict;u.s .;terrorism;syria;islamic state;syrian democratic forces;baghouz
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jp0001354
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/05
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Hopes dim for finding missing Italian and British climbers on Pakistan's 'killer' peak
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ISLAMABAD - Hopes dimmed for two climbers, from Britain and Italy, who went missing in northern Pakistan on a peak known as “killer mountain” as helicopters failed to spot signs of the mountaineers Monday, an army aviation official said. Climbers Tom Ballard and Daniele Nardi were last heard from on Feb. 24 as they climbed the Nanga Parbat, which at 8,125 meters (26,660 feet) is the world’s ninth-highest peak. They were attempting a route that has never before been successfully completed. Two helicopters flew a Spanish climbing team from the base of K2 — the world’s second-highest mountain and also in northern Pakistan — to Nanga Parbat Monday afternoon to look for the missing climbers, according to a top army aviation official. He said the helicopters carried out an aerial search with the help of Pakistani mountaineer Rehmatullah Baig — who was climbing with the missing men before turning back — but could not find anything. “The helicopters flew for more than 30 minutes in the targeted area but there was no sign of life,” the official said, requesting anonymity. Baig told AFP the Spanish team would begin a search with drones on Tuesday. Ballard is the son of British mountaineer Alison Hargreaves, the first woman to conquer Mount Everest solo and without bottled oxygen. She died descending K2 in 1995. The search was delayed because rescue teams were forced to wait for permission to send up a helicopter after Pakistan closed its airspace on Wednesday in response to escalating tensions with India.
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pakistan;italy;u.k .;mountaineering;climbers;mountains
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jp0001356
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/05
|
North Korea's Kim arrives home after 'successfully' wrapping up Trump summit, state media says
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SEOUL - North Korea’s Kim Jong Un arrived home early Tuesday, state media said, completing his marathon journey through China after his Hanoi summit with U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a nuclear deal. Kim’s return to Pyongyang marked the end of an epic 4,000-km (2,500-mile) journey — onboard his olive green armored train — from Vietnam, where his much-hyped second summit with Trump came to an abrupt halt last week. His talks with the U.S. leader were followed by an official visit to Vietnam, with Kim paying tribute to the country’s late revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. “Kim Jong Un … arrived at home on Tuesday after successfully wrapping up his official goodwill visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,” the official Korean Central News Agency said. “At 3 o’clock in the early morning, his train entered the railway station yard” in Pyongyang, KCNA said, adding that senior officials “greeted him with their ardent congratulations.” A smiling Kim boarded his train at the Dong Dang border station in Vietnam on Saturday, waving to crowds at the station. His route through China was not known, nor was it clear whether he would stop to meet President Xi Jinping along the journey — although it now appears that he did not. Earlier Saturday, Kim made a highly unusual stop at the stark concrete monument where the body of Vietnam’s independence hero Ho Chi Minh is on display. On historic North Korean anniversaries, Kim regularly pays tribute to his predecessors, his father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, at the sprawling memorial palace on the outskirts of Pyongyang where their preserved remains lie in state. But he is not known to have previously done anything similar for a foreign leader. Kim’s trip to Vietnam was the first by a North Korean leader since 1964, when Kim Il Sung also travelled by rail for his journey to the southeast Asian nation. Talks between Kim and Trump in Hanoi finished abruptly, with a signing ceremony scrapped after the pair failed to reach an agreement on walking back North Korea’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. In the aftermath, each sought to blame the other’s intransigence for the deadlock. Trump insisted Pyongyang wanted all sanctions imposed on it over its banned weapons programs lifted, and that this was a bridge too far. But in a rare late-night press briefing, the North Korean foreign minister said Pyongyang had only wanted some of the measures eased, and that its proposal to close “all the nuclear production facilities” at its Yongbyon complex was its best and final offer. Despite the stalemate, both sides said they were open to further talks, though a third summit has not been scheduled.
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china;u.s .;north korea;vietnam;kim jong un;xi jinping;hanoi;donald trump
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jp0001357
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[
"national"
] |
2019/03/05
|
'Human security' in focus at U.N. symposium cosponsored by Japan
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NEW YORK - A recent high-level symposium at the United Nations hosted by Japan and other member states emphasized “human security,” tracing the framework’s evolution through decades of U.N. efforts to cope with humanitarian and environmental crises around the world. The event, which took place on Feb. 28 at the U.N. headquarters, coincided with the 25th anniversary since human security as a paradigm for state decision-making first appeared in a landmark United Nations Development Program report. It also marked the 20th anniversary of the Japan-led effort to establish a trust fund supporting a “people-centered approach” when providing for those in need. Since that time, the concept has grown and been defined in greater detail, including in a 2012 General Assembly resolution describing it as “the right of people to live in freedom and dignity, free from poverty and despair.” UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, one of the event’s two keynote speakers, outlined the influence of human security in shaping the international body’s 2030 agenda and the 17 objectives that make up its Sustainable Development Goals. “There is no question the power of human security remains so acute and relevant today because it is an integrated tool,” Steiner said, calling it “identical” to the SDGs in tackling complex, interrelated issues that stand in the way of development. The goals, meant to be achieved by 2030, were crafted to prompt simultaneous efforts to help lift millions out of poverty, improve health and education, protect the environment and more. Yukio Sato, the event’s other keynote speaker, served as Japan’s ambassador to the United Nations from the late 1990s. He was instrumental in bringing forward the human security concept while working with other diplomats and former Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Sato spoke of a paper on human security that he prepared for Non-Aligned Movement members in the lead-up to the international body’s widely touted Millennium Summit. The principles laid out by the ambassador gained influence through that September 2000 meeting of world leaders, whose group declaration paved the way for the later adoption of the Millennium Development Goals. These eight goals included halving poverty and stopping the spread of HIV and AIDS within 15 years. Recalling a 2004 visit by Annan to the Diet, Sato said the U.N. chief credited Japan’s technology and its “focus on human security” as instrumental in establishing the MDGs. “Human security was meant to ensure the safety and survival of individuals and protection of their dignity,” he explained. “We also pointed out that the threats to human security varied broadly — from poverty to conflicts, from environmental degradation to displacement of people, from land mines, small arms, terrorism, organized crimes to infectious diseases and drugs and so forth. Natural disasters would also pose serious threats to security in our view.” Nearly two decades after that summit, Sato noted the world is still “rife” with a range of threats and said that efforts “to enhance human security should remain the central focus to achieve the SDGs.” Japan’s Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Toshiya Hoshino also made remarks stressing the importance of human security in addressing today’s global challenges. “With our collaborative efforts through the application of human security, we can greatly contribute to realize the future where people everywhere can thrive and prosper,” he said. The 90-minute program, which also included a panel discussion, was sponsored by the missions of Japan, Norway, Thailand and South Africa, as well as the U.N.’s Human Security Unit and UNDP.
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u.n .;symposium;undp;human security;sdg
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jp0001358
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[
"national"
] |
2019/03/05
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Hitachi told to improve or else after its firms are caught again deploying foreign trainees illegally
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Hitachi Ltd. and its 10 group firms have been slapped with improvement orders for using foreign trainees illegally, including paying them less than the minimum wage, sources close to the matter said Tuesday. It is the second time in eight months that Hitachi has come under scrutiny for the way it employs and deploys trainees. The Organization for Technical Intern Training carried out inspections at 12 plants between April and September last year. It found technical interns engaged in work outside the remit of their training programs, in violation of a law on the government-sponsored program, the sources said. If the OTIT finds Hitachi firms have not taken sufficient steps to improve the situation, it will report the cases to the justice and labor ministries, and their training programs could be withdrawn. The technical internship, introduced in 1993 to transfer skills to people from developing countries in Japan, has faced criticism at home and abroad over perceptions it is used as a cover for companies to import cheap labor. Many companies depend on the trainees amid a severe labor crunch in the rapidly graying country, but long working hours and harsh conditions have been reported by recruits. Hitachi denied having paid the trainees below the minimum wage but did admit receiving an advisory for improvement and instruction from the OTIT. “We have already implemented improvement measures and reported them to the OTIT,” Hitachi’s public relations and investor relations office said, while declining to elaborate on the instructions its firms have received. In July last year, the Justice Ministry and OTIT conducted a joint investigation at Hitachi’s Kasado train factory in Yamaguchi Prefecture over allegations it assigned interns to tasks other than those prescribed in their training programs. Authorities including the Justice Ministry, which supervises the technical intern training program, are considering taking disciplinary action against Hitachi over the Kasado plant case. At that factory, 99 Philippine trainees were fired last fall after their training programs failed to obtain approval from the government, preventing the renewal of their visas as technical interns. In December, the OTIT approved training programs for 26 of them, allowing their reemployment as trainees performing welding work. For the remaining 73, originally accepted as electric equipment assembly trainees, a decision was not made at that point, and 46 of them returned to the Philippines.
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labor laws;jobs;justice ministry;hitachi;foreign trainees;otit
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jp0001359
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[
"national"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Japan plans drone ban over U.S. military and SDF facilities, but media fear restrictions on reporting
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The government on Tuesday approved a bill to revise the drone regulation law to prohibit the flying of drones over U.S. military bases and Self-Defense Forces’ facilities as part of its measures to prevent terrorist attacks using drones. The government plans to submit the bill to the current Diet session, but news organizations are protesting the move on the grounds it could potentially disrupt newsgathering. Under the bill, the government would also ban drones from flying over venues for this year’s Rugby World Cup and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. During those sporting events, only drones controlled by the media providing coverage would be allowed to fly over the venues. Under the existing law, Japan already prohibits drone flights over key facilities such as the Prime Minister’s Office and the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The bill on the law revision stipulates a drone flight ban over and within a 300-meter radius of U.S. military and SDF facilities as designated by the defense minister. Police officers and SDF personnel will be allowed to destroy drones operating in restricted zones without permission. Violators face imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to ¥500,000. Last month, the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association — funded and operated by daily newspapers, news agencies and broadcasters — submitted a written statement to the government arguing the revised law could “substantially restrict news coverage activities and infringe on the people’s right to know.”
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media;censorship;terrorism;drones;u.s. bases;self defense forces
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jp0001360
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[
"national",
"science-health"
] |
2019/03/05
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Japan relaxes rules on iPS cell research, potentially paving way for growth of human organs in animals
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The green light has been given to a controversial research process that involves implanting human stem cells inside animals and could eventually lead to growing human organs for transplant inside animal hosts. The decision by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on Friday to revise its guidelines means researchers in Japan can now apply for permits to carry out studies employing the technique, a ministry official said. The process involves implanting embryonic animals — probably pigs first — with human “induced pluripotent stem” cells, which can transform into the building blocks of any part of the body. The idea is for the iPS cells to grow into transplantable human organs inside the animal embryos. Japan had previously required researchers to terminate animal embryos implanted with human cells after 14 days “due to ethical concerns over the vague line between human beings and animals,” the official said. The old regulations also prevented researchers from placing the embryos into animal wombs to allow them to develop. But the ministry has dropped both restrictions “as we have concluded that there is technically zero risk of producing a new organism mixing human and animal elements under the research,” the official added. Researchers will now, for instance, be allowed to create a pig embryo with a human pancreas and transplant it into the womb of an adult pig, which could in theory result in the birth of a baby pig with a human pancreas. In practice, where similar research has been carried out elsewhere, the embryos have been terminated before delivery, avoiding the thorny moral issues raised by creating creatures that contain both human and animal cells. Research involving the hybrids — sometimes called “chimeras” after the monster in Greek mythology with a lion’s head, a goat’s body and a dragon’s tail — has been controversial elsewhere too. Ethical questions have been raised about the status of animals containing human cells, and whether human iPS cells implanted into animals could develop into brain matter or reproductive organs. But a shortage of transplantable human organs means researchers around the world are racing to create mixed human-animal embryos nonetheless.
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medicine;animals;ips;transplants;pigs;mext
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jp0001361
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2019/03/05
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South Korea taps new ambassador for Japan
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SEOUL - South Korea has named a former National Security Office official as its next ambassador to Japan as part of its regular spring reshuffle of senior diplomats, according to local media reports. Yonhap News Agency and other media reported that the government has tapped Nam Gwan-pyo, who recently stepped down as deputy chief of the NSO, to replace Ambassador Lee Su-hoon. Nam, 62, was first secretary of the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo between 1992 and 1995 and also served as ambassador to Hungary and Sweden. He handled treaty issues while working at the Foreign Ministry, thereby gaining experience that could be helpful in addressing current legal issues with Japan arising from its 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. One focal point in the recent downturn in bilateral relations has been Supreme Court rulings in South Korea ordering Japanese firms to compensate for wartime forced labor, which Japan sees as a breach of a 1965 pact that settled the issue of compensation “finally and completely.” The two governments have also verbally clashed over an incident in which a South Korean warship allegedly locked its fire-control radar on a Japanese patrol plane, as well as Seoul’s accusations of extremely low flights over its ships by the Self-Defense Forces. Another recent flash point was comments made by South Korea’s National Assembly speaker seeking an Imperial apology to resolve a dispute over women who provided sex — including those against their will — for Japanese troops before and during World War II. But in a speech last Friday marking the 100th anniversary of the launch of a popular uprising against Japanese colonial rule, President Moon Jae-in refrained from direct criticism of Japan in an apparent effort not to aggravate tensions further. He pledged to beef up cooperation with Japan to ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula “We cannot change the past but can transform the future,” he said. “When Korea and Japan firmly join hands while reflecting on history, the era of peace will approach our side with large strides. When the pain of victims is substantively healed through concerted efforts, Korea and Japan will become genuine friends with heart-to-heart understanding.”
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comfort women;wartime labor;south korea-japan relations;nam gwan pyo
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jp0001362
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike grilled for abandoning plan for 'food theme park' at Tsukiji fish market site
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Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike came under fire at a committee meeting of the metropolitan assembly on Monday over the metropolitan government’s plan to redevelop the former Tsukiji market site. Assembly members from the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party argued that a recently published draft of the redevelopment plan, featuring the establishment of an international convention center, is inconsistent with Koike’s earlier proposal to keep some market functions at the Tsukiji site. “We haven’t necessarily changed our policy,” Koike told the assembly meeting, suggesting that the proposal is aimed at utilizing the food culture associated with the Tsukiji brand. The redevelopment plan is set to be adopted later this month and implemented in stages after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The plan is likely to attract attention in the next Tokyo gubernatorial election, expected to take place shortly before the 2020 Games. In August 2016, soon after she took office, Koike announced a postponement of the market relocation — then scheduled for November that year — from the Tsukiji area in Chuo Ward to the Toyosu district in neighboring Koto Ward, citing concerns about soil contamination in Toyosu and other reasons. In June 2017, Koike declared that the metropolitan government would carry out the market relocation in October 2018, after taking additional measures against the pollution. At the same time, the governor revealed a basic policy of using the Tsukiji site as a “food theme park” where existing businesses would be allowed to continue to operate. In the following month, the Koike-backed Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First) performed strongly in a Tokyo assembly election, while the LDP’s share of assembly seats sank to a record low. The new Toyosu market was opened last October, and the metropolitan government released the draft Tsukiji redevelopment plan in January. But the LDP and others criticized Koike for a “breach of faith” in relation to the plan, as well as an abrupt policy change, during the assembly meeting on Monday. “We’ll develop a new face of Tokyo with innovative and international features, making full use of the capacities of the private sector,” Koike said. “We’ll create a new Tokyo brand,” the governor added, while not mentioning any commitment to maintaining the established Tsukiji brand.
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tokyo;tsukiji;yuriko koike;toyosu;tokyo assembly
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jp0001363
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[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Head of Japan's ground forces discusses defense cooperation with Philippine counterpart
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MANILA - The chief of staff of the Ground Self-Defense Force met with his Philippine counterpart on Monday and discussed defense cooperation and regional security. Gen. Koji Yamazaki held talks with Maj. Gen. Macairog Alberto at the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, one of two military forts in Manila. Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said they discussed regional security, including the situation in the South China Sea, and other issues of mutual concern. “It encompasses all, not just disputes, but also terrorism,” Zagala said. He said they also discussed such matters as humanitarian and disaster response, joint logistical training plans and plans for the Philippines to acquire defense equipment from Japan essential to logistics and logistics support. Yamazaki’s visit highlights the continuing good relationship between the two countries, both of which are facing mounting security concerns in their surrounding seas, officials said. His four-day visit will include a trip to the Philippine Army’s largest military installation, Fort Magsaysay in the northern province of Nueva Ecija.
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philippines;gsdf;ground self-defense force
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jp0001364
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[
"national"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Evidence suggests Tokyo Medical University rigged scores for donors' relatives, panel says
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A third-party panel probing admission irregularities at Tokyo Medical University strongly suspects there was a relation between donations and some score adjustments. According to an additional report released by the university on Monday, the names of 11 successful entrance exam takers were included in a memo created by Masahiko Usui, former chairman of the university’s board of regents. Also on the memo were numbers written alongside 10 of the 11 names, with some of those corresponding to donations made by the applicants’ relatives. The 10 exam takers were admitted to the university while people related to them made donations to the institution. The donation amounts matched the numbers on the memo for five of the 10 applicants. The remaining applicant, for whom no figure was on the memo, was also admitted to the university although no donations were made. For two of the 11 applicants, for whom the memo cited the figures of “10 million,” it is “strongly suspected” that talks related to donations took place before the announcement of successful exam takers, the report said. The amount of donations made by the relatives of the 10 applicants totaled ¥141 million, with each paying between ¥3 million and ¥30 million. Score-rigging may have been carried out for seven of the 11 applicants, according to the report. The possibility cannot be ruled out that alumni of the university were aware of “unwritten rules” that massive donations should be made to the university if some consideration is sought from the applicant’s side, as well as if they actually pass the tests and are enrolled in the university, the report noted. The report revealed that email exchanges between Usui and a parent of an applicant showed a promise of donations. In one of the emails, Usui replied to the parent to “prepare 3 million (before the exam), and make another big one after being enrolled.” The parent is believed to be an alumni of the university and had sounded out Usui about donations in an e-mail. A subsequent email showed that the parent actually made the donation of ¥3 million. The report also said that members of the panel tried to conduct a hearing with a then-lawmaker who is suspected of asking for a favor from Usui and then helping an applicant be accepted as an additional successful test taker in the fiscal 2013 entrance exam for the university’s school of nursing. But the then-lawmaker rejected the hearing, noting that a criminal case involving people including Usui is ongoing, according to the report. Tokyo Medical University late last year released a final report on the investigation of the admission scandal. But the education ministry urged the university to conduct an additional probe. The university has been under fire since revelations emerged last year that it has been altering entrance exam results to exclude some women.
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corruption;universities;scandals;medical schools;tokyo medical university
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jp0001365
|
[
"national"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Japan getting more Muslim prayer rooms, but some are seeing only limited use
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HIROSHIMA - With an increase in Muslim visitors to Japan, more prayer rooms are being installed in commercial facilities across the country, but the number of users remains limited due to reasons such as lack of awareness and difficulty of access. The prayer rooms are often equipped with a washing area for cleaning hands and feet before prayers, and a sign indicating the direction of prayer. According to the operator of a website providing information for Muslims, there are about 170 prayer rooms in Japan, and the number is increasing as more tourists visit Japan from Southeast Asia. Travelers from Malaysia and Indonesia, which both have large Muslim populations, totaled around 700,000 in 2017, a sevenfold increase from a decade earlier, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization. As more prayer rooms open up, making the most of them remains a challenge, however. A prayer room installed recently in a shopping mall in Hiroshima Prefecture has been used only two or three times a month. Some customers misunderstood the purpose of the room and tried to use it as a place to rest. “It is difficult to promote the room,” an official of the facility said. At LaLaport Expocity, a major shopping mall in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, a prayer room has been used not only by travelers but also people working in the area since the mall opened in 2015. It gets about 30 uses a month. “The news has spread through word of mouth and the number of users has been rising,” said Sachiko Kato, who manages the room. But there is room for improvement. People who want to use the room have to ask staff at the service counter to unlock it, and this instruction is written in English and Japanese only. “It is hard to leave the room open because it is located where many people come and go,” Kato said. Ken Miichi, an associate professor at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies of Waseda University, pointed out that just increasing the number of prayer rooms is not enough. “First we need to understand why (the rooms) are necessary by learning (Muslim) customs and culture, and then develop an environment where people can use them easily,” Miichi said.
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religion;islam;tourism
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jp0001366
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[
"national"
] |
2019/03/05
|
Moomins are settling in Saitama: Cuddly characters' first theme park in Japan to open March 16
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SAITAMA - An amusement park themed on the world of Finland’s Moomin fairy-tale characters will open March 16 in Saitama Prefecture, near Tokyo, its operator said Tuesday. The 7.3-hectare Moominvalley Park — the first Moomin-themed amusement park in Japan — is located within Metsa Village, a Nordic-centric attraction in the city of Hanno, according to the operator Moomin Monogatari Ltd. Visitors will be able to watch shows that feature the characters from the stories and visit an exhibition that provides insight into the series’ creator, Tove Jansson. The Moomin characters, created by the Finnish author-illustrator, boomed in popularity in Japan when an animated television series starring the white hippopotamus-like creatures debuted in 1969. Tickets cost ¥1,500 ($13) for those of junior high school age and above, and ¥1,000 for those at elementary school or age 4 and above.
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children;saitama;theme parks;moomin;tove jansson;moomins;hanno;moominvalley park;metsa village
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jp0001368
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[
"national"
] |
2019/03/05
|
In first, liquid baby formula released in Japan
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OSAKA - Japanese food-maker Ezaki Glico Co. on Tuesday released a liquid baby formula product, the first of its kind in the country. Liquid baby formula is useful in the event of disasters as it can be stored at room temperature for a long time and does not require hot water, unlike powdered baby milk. But it was only in August last year that the health ministry lifted a ban on the manufacturing and sales of liquid baby formula in the country. The ban had been in place since long before sanitary problems were solved. As the ready-to-drink products are good for use outside the home, they are expected to help reduce the burden on families raising children. Ezaki Glico obtained the permission needed for the sale of such products from the Consumer Affairs Agency on Tuesday. The company released a 125-milliliter pack of liquid baby formula, priced at ¥216, on its online shopping site. The product can be stored for six months at room temperature. Ezaki Glico will sell the item at drugstores and baby products stores across the nation in stages, starting Monday. Rival Meiji Co., a unit of Meiji Holdings Co., which also received permission on Tuesday, will launch its own baby formula product in the near future.
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milk;meiji;ezaki glico
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jp0001369
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/02
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Former Takata employees accused of insider trading
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The Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission has accused nine former employees of Takata Corp. of insider stock trading in connection with the firm’s bankruptcy. The commission recommended Friday that the Financial Services Agency impose a total of ¥7.73 million in fines on the former Takata employees for violating the financial instruments and exchange law. The former employees sold Takata shares after they learned that the company would announce its bankruptcy plan on June 26, 2017, and evaded losses totaling ¥7.39 million as a result, the SESC said. Takata, which had controlled 20 percent of the global air bag market, fell into financial difficulty due to recalls mainly in the United States of its rupture-prone products. It left debts of over ¥1 trillion.
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corruption;scandals;takata
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jp0001370
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Seven-Eleven Japan to test shorter operating hours at 10 corporate-run stores
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Seven-Eleven Japan Co. will test shorter operating hours at 10 of its corporate-run convenience stores across the country from mid-March. The chain said Friday it will conduct such a test for the first time, as frustration builds among some franchisees over its policy of keeping stores open around the clock. The 10 Seven-Eleven stores, spread nationwide, including in Tokyo and Miyagi, Tochigi, Chiba, Aichi, Hyogo, Fukuoka and Kumamoto prefectures, will operate between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily in the coming months. The Seven & I Holdings Co. unit will consider whether to permanently introduce shorter hours after analyzing the results, including on sales, visitor numbers and logistics. Currently, 96 percent of all Seven-Eleven stores operate 24 hours a day, with those located inside train stations, office buildings and other facilities being the primary exceptions. The company has stuck to its around-the-clock policy, fearing that some stores with shorter opening hours could affect the overall efficiency of its production and distribution system. But there are growing calls to allow shorter hours, due mainly to difficulties in securing the necessary number of workers for the night shift. Among other major convenience store operators, Lawson Inc. and FamilyMart Co., a unit of FamilyMart Uny Holdings Co., currently allow some stores to have shorter opening hours. Many smaller chains, including Secoma Co. and Poplar Co., allow stores to close overnight.
|
seven & i holdings;convenience stores;seven-eleven japan
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jp0001371
|
[
"business",
"economy-business"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Trump asks China to immediately remove agricultural tariffs
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WASHINGTON/DENVER - President Donald Trump said he has asked China to immediately remove all tariffs on U.S. agriculture, including beef and pork, citing progress in trade talks between the two nations. In making the demand, Trump noted in a tweet Friday that he refrained from increasing U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods to 25 percent from 10 percent on March 1, as he said he would in the absence of progress toward an agreement. Faxes and phone calls to China’s ministries of commerce and foreign affairs, and the office in charge of trade talks, went unanswered Saturday outside office hours. China imposed retaliatory tariffs on American agricultural products last year. But Trump did not indicate that his demand was limited to those penalties. It’s unclear what effect Trump’s demand could have on ongoing talks, which the president signaled earlier this week were moving toward an agreement. American officials are preparing a final trade deal that Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping could sign within weeks, people familiar with the matter have said, even as a debate continues in Washington over whether to push the Beijing government for more concessions. Trump, speaking to reporters in Hanoi Thursday after a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, said: “Speaking of China we’re very well on our way to doing something special. But we’ll see.” “I am always prepared to walk,” he said. “I’m never afraid to walk from a deal, and I would do that with China, too, if it didn’t work out.” If China were to remove the tariffs, it would likely be a huge boon to U.S. crop markets that have been caught in the trade war crossfire. Soybean, pork and ethanol shipments have all languished amid the duties. China is a key destination for most of the world’s biggest agriculture markets. Farmers and lawmakers have long decried the tariffs, and the U.S. agriculture economy has suffered under the weight of falling crop prices. China has already made some good-faith purchases of American soybeans after declaring a trade truce with the U.S. in December. Last week, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said more soybean purchases were coming. Ending the tariffs would dovetail with a proposal by Beijing to buy an additional $30 billion a year of American agricultural products including corn, soybeans and wheat as part of a possible agreement. “The markets are a little tired of some of the ups and downs and the eight or 12-hour news cycle of tweets,” said Greg Grow, the director of agribusiness at Archer Financial Services in Chicago. “The market needs to see some confirmation of a deal getting done. If this is a confirmation, and we start to see agreements that are signed, we’ll see a positive reaction for prices. But we need to see confirmation of the news,” Grow said in a telephone interview on Friday. The preparations for a Trump-Xi summit come amid conflicting signals from the Trump administration over the prospect of a deal. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday the two nations are working on a 150-page document that would turn into a “very detailed agreement,” though he cautioned that “we still have more work to do.” Speaking shortly before Mnuchin, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the countries are on the verge of an “historic” pact that would commit Beijing to cut subsidies on state-owned companies and disclose when its central bank intervenes in currency markets. His optimism came just a day after Trump’s top trade negotiator struck a more cautious tone. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told lawmakers that more work needs to be done and said the administration won’t accept a deal that doesn’t include significant “structural” changes to China’s state-driven economy. He also stressed the need for a enforcement mechanism, allowing the U.S. to take unilateral action if China breaks the rules.
|
china;u.s .;trade;donald trump
|
jp0001372
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/02
|
German carmakers will invest €60 billion in electric cars, automation over next three years: auto executive
|
FRANKFURT, GERMANY - Germany’s car industry is to invest nearly €60 billion ($68 billion) over the next three years on electric cars and automated driving, the head of the VDA car industry association said ahead of the Geneva motor show. “We will invest over €40 billion in electric mobility during the next three years, and another €18 billion will be invested in digitization and connected and automated driving,” VDA President Bernhard Mattes said in a statement Saturday. The range of electric car models from German manufacturers will treble to around 100 in that period, he said. The Geneva International Motor Show, where manufacturers showcase their latest models and concepts, runs from Thursday until March 17. “The ramp-up of electric mobility is coming in Europe,” Mattes said. “Without it, the EU’s CO2 targets cannot be achieved by 2030,” he added, calling for what he labeled appropriate regulatory conditions across Europe. Germany, together with a few other major European economies, is set to have a much higher share of electric vehicles among its new registrations than the EU average, he said. Charging infrastructure for electric cars must be expanded and incentives offered to buyers of e-cars, he said.
|
eu;germany;electric vehicles;automobile
|
jp0001373
|
[
"business",
"financial-markets"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Rakuten's Hiroshi Mikitani set to be big winner in Lyft's impending initial public offering
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NEW YORK/LONDON - A Japanese retail billionaire, rather than a Silicon Valley wunderkind, is the biggest beneficiary of Lyft Inc.’s impending initial public offering. Hiroshi ‘Mickey’ Mikitani’s e-commerce group Rakuten Inc. owns 13.1 percent of the ride-hailing company, offering documents show. That would be worth more than $2.9 billion if Lyft goes public with a valuation in the middle of its anticipated range of $20 billion to $25 billion. Rakuten, Japan’s largest online retailer, owns an eclectic assortment of side businesses including a professional baseball team and a bus service. It first invested in Lyft in 2015, acquiring an 11.9 percent stake for $300 million. ‘We have seen the future and this is it,’ Mikitani, now 53, said at the time. Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, a Lyft investor since 2013, is the second-largest owner with a 6.3 percent holding that would be worth about $1.4 billion. The stake held by Lyft’s actual wunderkinds, co-founders John Zimmer, 34, a former Lehman Brothers analyst, and Logan Green, 35, is relatively small after multiple dilutive funding rounds. Green, Lyft’s chief executive officer, and Zimmer, its president, each hold shares worth about $113 million at the middle valuation. By contrast, Travis Kalanick, who helped launch rival Uber Technologies Inc., owns 7 percent of that business even after selling almost a third of his stake last year. He and fellow co-founder Garrett Camp are both billionaires, given Uber’s $72 billion private-market valuation. It has already been a lucrative year for Rakuten founder Mikitani, Japan’s sixth-richest person with a $4.9 billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His net worth has climbed by $680 million in 2019, fueled by a 20 percent surge in Rakuten shares. Rakuten also owns a stake in Middle East ride-hailing firm Careem, which is in advanced talks to be acquired by Uber in a potential $3 billion deal, people familiar with the matter said earlier this week.
|
stocks;hiroshi mikitani;rakuten;ipos;lyft
|
jp0001374
|
[
"world",
"science-health-world"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Russian physics Nobel Prize winner Zhores Alferov dies aged 88
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MOSCOW - Zhores Alferov, the 2000 Noble Prize winner in physics and a member of the Russian parliament, has died aged 88 in St. Petersburg, the Russian Communist Party said Saturday. Alferov shared the nearly $1 million award, which recognized his research work in the 1970s in information technology — which paved the way for computers, CD players and mobile telephones — with two U.S. scientists, Herbert Kroemer and Jack Kilby. A staunch believer in communism, Alferov was born in 1930 in Belarus, then part of the Soviet Union. He was a member of the party faction in the Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament. His work won him many scientific awards and he was an honorary member of research institutions including the American National Academy of Sciences. He was the first Russian to win a Nobel Prize since Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev won the peace prize in 1990. Alferov was named after a French socialist, Jean Jaures, while his older brother was named Marx after Karl Marx, a German philosopher and socialist revolutionary. Marx was killed during World War II. In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Alferov noted that physics had brought both benefits and disasters to mankind in the 20th century and warned that the mass media could be abused in the wrong hands. “Knowledge is power, but power must be based on knowledge,” he said. Alferov recalled his years of research into lasers in St Petersburg on a light-hearted note in verse: “Our purpose was both great and bright no more the dark! Let there be light! So to release eternal light we did the work all day and night. And when we could neither work nor think we had the Russian vodka drink . . .”
|
science;mikhail gorbachev;nobel prize;karl marx;zhores alferov
|
jp0001375
|
[
"world",
"science-health-world"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Easter Islanders seek outside help for iconic statues' 'leprosy'
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EASTER, ISLAND CHILE - In just 100 years, the emblematic stone sculptures that guard the coastline of Easter Island could be little more than simple rectangular blocks, conservation experts are warning. Carved centuries ago, the heads represent the ancestors of Easter Island’s Polynesian people, the Rapa Nui, and have brought it UNESCO World Heritage site status. Dozens of giant Moai statues dominate the hillsides surrounding the island’s Rano Raraku wetland, but they are facing the threat of what locals describe as a kind of leprosy: white spots that are appearing on their iconic facades. Caused by lichens, a marriage of fungi and algae, the patches eat away at the sculptures, softening them to a clay-like consistency and deforming their features. The statues must also contend with coastal erosion, rising sea levels, high winds and damage from freely roaming livestock. “I imagine that in a century more, these Moai will basically be rectangular figures,” said Tahira Edmunds, adviser to Chile’s National Forestry Corp., who has worked on cleaning the sculptures to remove the lichen. Archaeologist Sonia Haoa, an Easter Island native, is compiling an inventory of its heritage, including the Moai. She estimates that about 70 percent of the more than 1,000 statues are affected by lichens. Although the deterioration can appear shocking to visitors who flock to the volcanic island 3,500 kilometers (2,200 miles) from mainland Chile, Haoa said it is still possible to save them through laborious cleaning and coating with sealant chemicals to curb moisture and prevent the porous volcanic rock from collapsing. The most famous Moai groupings — such as the Ahu Tongariki, 15 statues arranged along a platform by the sea, and those scattered around the source of the stone, the Ranu Raraku quarry — are already being cared for by heritage experts and the indigenous community’s administrators of the Easter Island tourism park. But the island has at least 30,000 archaeological sites spread across its 166 square kilometers (64 square miles), most of which are exposed to the environment. Protecting all the statues could cost as much as $500 million, and international help will be needed, according to local authorities and experts. “You will never be able to entirely prevent the impact of time or the weather, but you can hold it back so that more people can see them first,” Haoa said. With no government fund specifically dedicated to preserving the island’s heritage, the community allocates a large part of its income from tourism to repair and protection. They say resources are scarce. The mayor of Easter Island has come up with an innovative solution: seeking royalty payments from nations whose explorers took some of Easter Island’s statues into their possession centuries ago. Among them is the Hoa Hakananai’a, a 7-foot-tall (2.1-meter) basalt statue that has become one of the British Museum’s most popular exhibits since it was removed from the island by British sailors more than 150 years ago. The Easter Island authorities and the Chilean government sent a delegation to London in November to request the return of the 4-ton statue. The museum responded that it was happy to consider a long-term loan of the Moai. Mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa instead suggested the Hoa Hakananai’a could act as an “ambassador” for Easter Island, and Britain could keep it in return for regular payments to ensure the upkeep of its Easter Island counterparts. “We would win much more,” he said. Although Easter Island’s heritage is more than just statues, their celebrity could be the key to sustaining it all. “What do you leave to a 10-year-old boy, what will there be in Easter Island for the European or Chilean tourist to come see if we don’t save them?” Paoa asked. “It’s the only oil well we have.”
|
archaeology;sculptures;world heritage;easter island
|
jp0001376
|
[
"world",
"science-health-world"
] |
2019/03/02
|
In dress rehearsal for manned space flights, SpaceX's Dragon capsule successfully separates from rocket
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CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon astronaut capsule was on its way to the International Space Station on Saturday after it successfully launched from Florida on board a Falcon 9 rocket. With only a dummy named Ripley on board, the launch was a dress rehearsal for the first manned test flight — scheduled for later this year with two NASA astronauts. The rocket blasted off without incident at 2:49 a.m. from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, lighting up Florida’s coastline. Eleven minutes later, the confirmation came from SpaceX mission control: “Dragon separation confirmed.” That triggered cheers at the firm’s headquarters and at the Kennedy Space Center. The capsule is scheduled to reach the ISS by Sunday at around 1100 GMT, with a return to Earth next Friday. It will splash down in the Atlantic Ocean, from where it will be brought back to Cape Canaveral. In another success, the rocket’s first stage returned to Earth, landing on a platform 500 kilometers (about 300 miles) off the Florida coast in the Atlantic. It marks the 35th such recovery by SpaceX. After its shuttle program was shuttered in July 2011 following a 30-year run, NASA’s manned flights came to an end. Since then, it has been buying seats in Russian Soyuz rockets — the only ones capable of transporting humans there. Keeping its options open, the U.S. space agency in 2014 awarded contracts to both SpaceX and Boeing for them to take over this task. Boeing’s Starliner capsule will be tested in April at the earliest.
|
u.s .;nasa;space;russia;international space station;cape canaveral;space-x
|
jp0001377
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Wounded and alone, children emerge from last Islamic State enclave
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DEIR AL-ZOR PROVINCE, SYRIA - Hareth Najem fled Islamic State’s last enclave in eastern Syria wounded and alone. The Iraqi orphan’s family had died two years earlier in airstrikes across the border in al-Qaim region. “I had two brothers and a sister. They all died, and then I was by myself,” Hareth said, tears filling his eyes. “My little sister, I loved her a lot. I used to take her with me to the market.” Lying in a cattle truck beside another injured boy at a desert transit point for U.S.-backed forces, he huddled under a blanket. His face was covered in dirt and the side of his head wrapped with bandages covering wounds incurred days earlier. Hareth was 11 years old when Islamic State (IS) carved out its “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria, killing thousands of civilians and attracting an array of enemies that have fought from the air and on the ground to uproot the jihadis. Now 16, he was among the children swept up this past week in the civilian evacuation of Baghouz, the last shred of land under the jihadis’ control where they are on the brink of defeat at the hands of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Some of the children are foreigners whose parents brought them to be raised under IS rule, or child fighters conscripted into what the group dubbed “cubs of the caliphate.” Others, including members of the Yazidi minority, were enslaved by the jihadis. Many have seen their parents die in the fighting or be detained by rival forces. As the IS faces territorial defeat, their fate remains uncertain. The SDF investigates all men and teenage boys arriving from Baghouz to determine possible IS links. Around 20 children crossed the frontline on their own over the last few days, including Iraqis, Syrians, Turks and Indonesians, said Adnan Afrin, an SDF commander. The fathers of some were identified as IS fighters and arrested immediately. “These kids have nobody. They need somebody to take care of them, to provide mental health support,” said Afrin, adding that some had gone hungry for a long time. The SDF plans to hand over the children to aid groups, he said. Hareth said his family had been running a market stall when IS overran their town and they had no links to the group. After his family was killed in an aerial bombardment, he crossed into Syria with other Iraqis who feared Shiite Muslim militias advancing against IS forces would take revenge on Sunnis — a fear that other Iraqis have cited as their reason for entering IS-held Syria. Hareth said he tried to avoid the jihadis and denies attending their schools or receiving military training. Their morality police would sometimes arrest and whip him. “They gave speeches at the mosques, jihad and whatnot,” he said. “I was scared of them. My whole family died because of them.” When he reached Baghouz, he worked in a field in return for a room to sleep in. He tried saving enough money to go home, but said the militants stopped him. Hareth was wounded recently when a shell fell near where he was standing along the Euphrates River, injuring his ear, hand and stomach. He wants to get medical care and return to relatives still in Iraq. “I want to go look for them. . . . When I get better and my body recovers, when I can walk,” he said. “I want to go back, to become a young man again, to build a future again.”
|
militants;syria;iraq;islamic state
|
jp0001378
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Mountain lion strangled by Colorado man was orphaned cougar cub
|
DENVER - The mountain lion strangled by a Colorado man after it attacked him on a jogging trail last month was a young cub, weighing no more than 40 pounds (18 kg) and likely orphaned but not starving, state wildlife officials said on Friday. The encounter between the young predator and Travis Kauffman garnered international headlines when authorities revealed that the 31-year-old man had not only survived a rare mountain lion attack but had suffocated the cat by stepping on its throat. A necropsy — the animal equivalent of an autopsy — showed the cougar was 4 to 5 months old, based on the condition of its teeth, and the results confirmed Kauffman’s account of the struggle, Colorado Parks and Wildlife said in a statement. “The cause of death was determined to be … blunt trauma and strangulation,” the agency said. Kauffman recounted his harrowing tale at a news conference on Feb. 14. He said on Feb. 4, he was jogging on the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, about 65 miles (105 km) northwest of Denver, when he heard pine needles rustling and turned to see a cougar staring him down. “I was bummed out to see a mountain lion,” he told reporters. The environmental consultant said he raised his arms and yelled, but the cougar pounced, clamping its jaws on his right wrist, and slashing his face and neck with its claws. During the three-minute struggle, Kauffman said he unsuccessfully tried to dislodge the cat by hitting it with a rock and stabbing it with sticks. Ultimately he was able to get on top of the cat and place his foot on its throat until it stopped thrashing. Kauffman suffered multiple lacerations but no permanent injuries. He could not be reached for comment on Friday. Veterinarians who performed the necropsy could not determine the gender or precise size of the dead cat because other animals had fed on the carcass by the time rangers reached it. But the examiners surmised the cougar was likely a male that weighed between 35 pounds and 40 pounds (16 and 18 kg), authorities said. Parks and Wildlife spokesman Jason Clay told Reuters that mountain lions normally stay with their mothers for 12 to 18 months before striking out on their own, and two other cubs believed to be from the same litter were later trapped. The cats were taken to an animal rehabilitation facility to give them a better chance for survival when they are released back into the wild at some point, Clay said.
|
u.s .;nature;colorado;animals
|
jp0001379
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Brazil to launch corruption probe into Vale dam disaster
|
BRASILIA - Brazil’s authorities will investigate miner Vale SA over possible corruption in misleading officials about the safety of its dam that burst and killed hundreds, a spokeswoman for the Mines and Energy Ministry said on Friday. If found to have violated Brazil’s 2013 anti-corruption law, Vale could face a fine of up to 20 percent of its 2018 gross revenue. In 2017, the company reported 109 billion reals ($28.79 billion) in revenue and net income of 17.6 billion reals. Vale is due to report fourth-quarter 2018 earnings on March 27. Bloomberg first reported that the ministry’s mining secretary Alexandre Vidigal de Oliveira said in an interview that he had requested an investigation be opened into whether Vale had colluded with auditors to misrepresent the safety of the dam. Vale shares fell as much as 5.4 percent after that report was published, before partly recovering to be down 0.4 percent in early afternoon trading. Vale said in a securities filing on Friday that it had not been informed of the investigation and denied that any of its actions could fall under the scope of the anti-corruption law. The company said it has always acted within the law and denied any interference in the government’s oversight of dams. A tailings dam at Vale’s Corrego do Feijao iron ore mine in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais burst on Jan. 25, releasing a torrent of mining waste that buried its workers and local residents. The disaster in the town of Bruamdinho has left at least 182 confirmed dead and more than 100 missing and presumed dead. The National Mining Agency (ANM) will initiate the investigation, the spokeswoman said. ANM has focused its initial efforts in the aftermath of the disaster on verifying that similar dams are not at risk of imminent collapse. Last month the agency banned upstream tailings dams similar to the one that burst, setting the deadline for decommissioning them by 2021. The government has yet to determine a cause of the collapse in Brumadinho. Earlier in the week, Brazil’s Senate approved a bill that would impose a slew of measures to tighten dam safety, including a ban on upstream tailings dams as well as requiring new monitoring technology and detailed emergency plans.
|
brazil;mining;dams;disasters;vale
|
jp0001380
|
[
"world"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Chlorine was used in 2018 attack on rebel Syrian town of Douma, OPCW watchdog says
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THE HAGUE - The world’s chemical weapons watchdog said Friday that chlorine was used against the rebel-held Syrian town of Douma in 2018, in a long-awaited final report on the deadly attack. The report by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was based on a visit by inspectors to the site of the attack which witnesses said killed 43 people. Western powers led by the United States blamed the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad for the incident and unleashed airstrikes on military installations in response. The Hague-based watchdog said two cylinders likely containing chlorine smashed into a housing block in the town. The OPCW report said that there were “reasonable grounds that the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon has taken place on 7 April 2018. This toxic chemical contained reactive chlorine.” It said however that it found no evidence of the use of nerve agents in Douma, which had been previously alleged by some parties in the conflict. The findings confirmed an interim OPCW report released last July saying that traces of chlorine were found. The report does not place blame because it was not in the OPCW’s remit at the time, although the watchdog has since been given powers to investigate responsibility for all chemical attacks in Syria back to 2014. Russia, which backs Assad, rejected the report and said the attack was “staged” by Syrian rescue volunteers known as the White Helmets. “In spite of all the evidence presented by Russia, Syria, and even British journalists that the Douma incident is no more than ‘White helmets’ staged provocation, Technical Secretariat of OPCW states in today’s report that chlorine was used in Douma as a chemical weapon,” the Russian Embassy in The Hague tweeted. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt however said Syria should now honor its 2013 vow to destroy all its chemical weapons, made after 1,400 people were killed in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta in what the U.N. said was an attack using the nerve agent sarin. “Confirmed today by @OPCW — chemical weapons WERE used in Douma, Syria in April 2018. The Assad regime must cease, declare and destroy its chemical weapon program. We remain committed to seeking justice for the victims,” Hunt tweeted. France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian echoed the comments, calling for “the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime to end and for the perpetrators of such acts to be punished.” A team of OPCW inspectors took more than 100 samples from seven sites in Douma when they gained access to the town after being denied access for several weeks. The OPCW said it reached its conclusions based on “witnesses’ testimonies, environmental and biomedical samples analysis results, toxicological and ballistic analyses from experts.” The report said “two yellow industrial cylinders dedicated for pressurised gas” were found, one of which had landed on top of the housing block and crashed through it. It said it was “possible that the cylinders were the source of the substances containing reactive chlorine.” The OPCW said witnesses told the team there were “43 decedents related to the alleged chemical incident, most of whom were seen in videos and photos strewn on the floor of multiple levels of an apartment building and in front of the same building.” The videos “indicate exposure to an inhalational irritant or toxic substance” and show burns to the eyes and foaming from the mouth, although it could not directly link those to any specific substance. The watchdog also rejected claims by the Syrian regime that the gas came from an alleged rebel chemical weapons facility and storehouse in the area. “From the analysis of the information gathered during the on-site visits to the warehouse and facility suspected of producing chemical weapons, there was no indication of either facility being involved in their manufacture,” it said. The report will now go to the U.N. Security Council. The OPCW has been at the forefront of investigating chemical attacks during the eight-year Syrian civil war, with investigators previously confirming the use of “chlorine, sulphur mustard, and sarin as chemical weapons” in other incidents. But the watchdog is now riven by political divisions between Russia and the West, particularly over its new powers to attribute blame. A nerve agent attack on a Russian ex-spy in the English city of Salisbury in 2018, which the West blamed on Moscow, has further poisoned relations.
|
syria;chemical weapons;bashar assad;opcw
|
jp0001381
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Pro-Shinawatra parties rally across Thailand as crucial court ruling looms
|
BANGKOK - Parties aligned with Thailand’s powerful Shinawatra clan are staging major rallies this weekend ahead of a court ruling that could deal a gut punch to their prospects in national elections later this month. Public gatherings were held across the country Saturday — including in the Chiang Mai hometown of divisive billionaire and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, who lives in self-exile to avoid jail in Thailand, is adored by rice farmers and large sections of urban working-class voters for his pro-poor policies and steering of the economy. But he is despised by the royalist elite, whose allies have failed to beat him at the polls since 2001 and instead have relied on coups and court rulings to topple Shinawatra-backed governments. Thousands of people massed in Bangkok’s historic center late Friday for a defiant campaign by Thai Raksa Chart, one of several parties linked to the Shinawatra clan. But Thai Raksa Chart could be dissolved by the Constitutional Court on Thursday, after its bid to run a princess as candidate for prime minister spectacularly unraveled. Supporters say the court has the future of Thai democracy in its hands — with the junta determined to return as a civilian government. “If it is dissolved it will damage our hopes for democracy badly,” said Chailerm Phothijad, 55, at Friday night’s rally in Bangkok. Thailand, which has been stuck on a carousel of coups, violent protests and short-lived civilian governments since 2006 when the army booted Thaksin from office, remains deeply polarized. Nerves are mounting inside Thai Raksa Chart as the crucial ruling nears. But the party “will continue to campaign as we have been . . . and leave the issue of judiciary to the court,” said Umesh Pandey, a Thai Raksa Chart party list candidate. Thailand’s contentious junta-drafted constitution allows the junta to appoint the 250-member senate, whose votes will count toward choosing the next prime minister. There are 500 Lower House seats up for grabs, 350 through constituencies and the remainder through the party list — a system of proportional representation meant to give smaller parties a foothold. Junta leader Prayut Chan-ocha, who took power in a 2014 coup, wants to return as prime minister. With Thai Raksa Chart’s political fate in the balance, another anti-junta party led by a billionaire is emerging as an untested — but significant — force. Future Forward, led by Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the 40-year-old scion of Thailand’s biggest auto-parts maker, has won favor among the kingdom’s millennials. More than 7 million people aged between 18 and 25 are eligible to vote this month for the first time, according to the Interior Ministry. Analysts say if Thai Raksa Chart is disbanded its supporters may cast votes for Future Forward.
|
election;thailand;politics;thaksin shinawatra;chan-ocha
|
jp0001382
|
[
"asia-pacific",
"politics-diplomacy-asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Australian defense chief Christopher Pyne latest to quit as election looms
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SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a new Cabinet member on Saturday after a wave of high-profile ministerial resignations added to opinion polls that suggest the center-right government faces heavy defeat at elections due in May. Morrison will need to retain all the parliamentary seats held by his coalition government, but his chances are at risk from a wave of incumbent lawmakers in marginal seats set to retire. Australia’s Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and Defence Industry Minister Steven Ciobo both announced on Saturday morning that they would not stand in elections due in May. Sen. Linda Reynolds, Australia’s first female brigadier in the Army Reserve, was appointed the new Minister for Defence Industry. Morrison said Reynolds would become Defence Minister should his coalition government be returned to power at the next election. “We have two members of the Cabinet who have decided not to re-contest the next election. That’s true,” Morrison said in a televised press conference from Canberra. “What has also changed today is we have elevated Sen. Reynolds into the Cabinet, which means there will now be seven women in Cabinet.” Morrison said it was important for Defence Minister Pyne, who was responsible for a $200 billion ($141.60 billion) build-up of Australia’s military capability, to retain his portfolio until the election. “In Christopher Pyne’s portfolio, we are dealing with some quite sensitive issues,” he said, adding that for “the sake of continuity” it was “very wise and responsible” for Pyne to continue in that role through the election period. The prime minister said he intended to fill any other vacancies after the next election if his coalition party was successful. Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion announced his retirement last week after Human Services Minister Michael Keenan said he was stepping down. Minister for Jobs Kelly O’Dwyer also resigned, and former Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said last month she would not stand for re-election. A Newspoll for The Australian newspaper showed the opposition Labor party retained a lead of 53 percent to 47 percent over the Liberal-National government last month, unchanged from the poll in December.
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australia;elections;scott morrison
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jp0001385
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/02
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Pakistan and India step back from the brink, but unease continues
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MUZAFFARABAD, PAKISTAN/SRINAGAR INDIA - A flare-up between archfoes India and Pakistan appeared to be easing on Saturday after Islamabad handed back a captured Indian pilot amid efforts by global powers to prevent a war between the nuclear-armed neighbors. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who became the face and symbol of the biggest clash between India and Pakistan in many years, walked across the border just before 9 p.m. on Friday in a high-profile handover shown on live television. Shelling on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC), which acts as a de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region, continued for a few hours after his release, resulting in four deaths, but then stopped overnight, officials said. Pakistan touted Abhinandan’s return as “a goodwill gesture aimed at de-escalating rising tensions with India” after weeks of unease that threatened to spiral into war after both countries used jets for bombing missions earlier in the week. The flare-up has unnerved global powers, including China and the United States, which urged restraint to prevent another conflict between neighbors, which have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947. Tensions escalated rapidly following a suicide car bombing on Feb. 14 that killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of harboring the Jaish-e-Mohammad group behind the attack — which Islamabad denied — and Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised a strong response. Indian warplanes on Tuesday carried out airstrikes inside Pakistan on what New Delhi called militant camps. Islamabad denied any such camps existed — as did villagers in the area. Pakistan on Wednesday retaliated with its own aerial mission, which led to both sides claiming to have shot down jets. The standoff came at a critical time for Modi, who faces a general election that must be held by May and who had been expected to benefit from nationalist pride unleashed by the standoff. Pakistani leaders say the ball is now in India’s court to de-escalate the tensions, although Pakistan’s army chief on Friday told top military leaders of the United States, Britain and Australia that his country would “surely respond to any aggression in self-defense.” The Indian pilot’s ordeal since being shot down on Wednesday had made him the focal point of the crisis. He returned to his homeland to a hero’s welcome, with crowds thronging the Wagah border crossing and waving Indian flags. Before his release, Pakistani television stations broadcast video of Abhinandan in which he thanked the Pakistani Army for saving him from an angry crowd who chased him after seeing him parachute to safety. “The Pakistani Army is a very professional service,” he said. “I have spent time with the Pakistan Army. I am very impressed.” On Friday, four Indian troops and one civilian were killed in a clash with militants in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, where a further three people were killed and one was wounded from Pakistani shelling. One person was killed and three were wounded on Pakistan’s side of Kashmir from a barrage of India shelling. Pakistani officials say the shelling stopped around midnight, but residents said they were afraid another conflagration is likely. “The way situation is developing along the LoC makes me feel that both sides may collide head-on anytime now,” said Chaudhry Jahangir, a Pakistani resident of the Samahni sector in Kashmir.
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conflict;india;pakistan;military;nuclear weapons
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jp0001386
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[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/02
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Pakistan to lodge 'eco-terrorism' complaint against India over damage to trees from airstrikes
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ISLAMABAD - Pakistan plans to lodge a complaint of “eco-terrorism” against India after airstrikes in Pakistani territory damaged dozens of trees, its climate change minister said on Friday. “Eco-terrorism is exactly what happened,” Malik Amin Aslam said, adding that environmental assessments were underway. “We will explore all appropriate international bodies including U.N. to raise the issue and lodge the protest,” he said, adding that it was “not a joke.” Aslam spoke after India claimed to have killed “a very large number” of militants in an airstrike carried out near Balakot in northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday. Pakistan rejected the claim as “self-serving, reckless and fictitious.” Residents of the area reported hearing explosions in the night, but said only one person was injured and no infrastructure had been destroyed. An AFP reporter visited the site where residents and the military said the strike hit, and saw a crater, two trees snapped in half and three mud houses, one of which had a collapsed wall. Aslam said the only damage was done to the Billion Tree Tsunami, a massive reforestation project launched in 2014. He said “dozens” of trees had been killed, including mature ones and newly regenerated ones.
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india;pakistan;nature;forests;conservation
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jp0001387
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Melting missiles: Just one problem with F-35s stopping North Korean weapons
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WASHINGTON - Looking for a quick way to stop North Korean missiles immediately after liftoff, the Pentagon is studying as a near-term option whether a group of F-35 fighter jets hovering around North Korean airspace could pick off freshly launched rockets. In its current form, the idea defies physics, missile defense experts say. It calls for interceptor missiles that fly so fast they could melt, one expert said, and the only surefire way for U.S. military aircraft to defeat a missile with current technology would be to fly in hostile airspace, according to three experts. The idea, part of a six-month study launched in January, shows how the Pentagon is seeking ways to neutralize the threat posed by Pyongyang even as President Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this past week in Vietnam in his effort to stop Kim’s nuclear program. Concern over U.S. missile defenses has grown with the escalating threat from North Korea. Two years ago North Korea conducted about a dozen missile tests, some with multiple rockets, including the launch of a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit the U.S. mainland. They also tested a purported hydrogen bomb. The F-35 plan under study would likely involve continuously flying a group of the stealthy jets within range of known North Korean missile sites. Once a missile is launched toward U.S. territory, the F-35’s advanced sensors would detect and then fire a special air-to-air missile before the Pyongyang projectile exits the atmosphere, the latest missile defense strategy and Pentagon leadership have said. Military officials say the F-35 option is the one they want to test first because it could use existing military hardware and potentially be operational sooner than other strategies, and at a relatively low cost. At the same time, Pentagon leaders say the tests may reveal a new interceptor is needed, or that the F-35 may only have a role in detecting the just-launched missile and not necessarily also shoot it down. Speaking about that option after January’s release of the defense strategy review, Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin said, “We do think it could be both cost effective and … within the bounds of math and physics.” Among other proposals included in the review was one involving lasers mounted on drones — proposed to stop missiles just after takeoff in what is called the boost phase. During this portion of the flight, the missile is most vulnerable, flying at its slowest speed, easily detected by the heat from its engines and incapable of evading interceptors as it accelerates to break out of the earth’s atmosphere. Geography complicates the F-35 plan. Tom Karako, a missile defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington noted that jets lying in wait for a North Korean missile would in theory need to respect North Korean airspace. But remaining at such a distance could leave the jets too far from the missile launch to be effective. Theodore Postol, a missile defense expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said even a modified air-to-air missile would be too slow to take out an intercontinental ballistic missile before it exited the atmosphere. Air-to-air missiles like those made by Raytheon Co. would only have an estimated 200 seconds to hit a ballistic missile before reaching an altitude where the air is too thin to maneuver. Given that it would take an F-35 approximately 50 to 60 seconds to detect, lock onto and launch an air-to-air missile, Postol said, the jet would need to be very close to the ballistic missile to take it out. “If you are on top of it you can shoot it down,” the retired rocket scientist said. “But the odds are going to be very low that you can be on top of it.” Even if a much faster and lighter version air-to-air missile was mounted in an F-35 jet, depending on the distance the weapon would have to fly so fast it would begin to melt, Postol added. Despite the obstacles, the very fact that Pentagon was weighing such an option was significant, Karako said. “This shows a broader cultural shift.” Rather than some giant program, Karako said, the Pentagon is considering “a mission that is integrated into a broader mesh of tactical programs the Department of Defense can call on.” Making it work will be a challenge, though. “You would need to be very close to the launch site, within North Korea itself, said physicist Laura Grego, who studies missile defense at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Grego said that even if the air-to-air missile traveled at five times the speed of sound, the F-35 would need to be within about 50 miles (80 km) of the missile, “probably closer, to be realistic.” That gives a huge advantage to the stealthy F-35 which could get much closer to a possible launch area than a non-stealth aircraft. “This is one of the advantages of the F-35,” said retired U.S. Gen. David Deptula. He added that the radar-evading jets “can get in much closer to an adversary launch area than … a nonstealthy aircraft.” That suggests that by using the F-35 made by Lockheed Martin, the U.S. could secretly monitor for ballistic missile launches with jets flying inside North Korean airspace.
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u.s .;north korea;kim jong un;weapons;nuclear weapons;f-35;north korea nuclear crisis;donald trump;kim-trump summit;_analysis
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jp0001388
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/02
|
We have your back in South China Sea, U.S. assures Philippines
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MANILA/WASHINGTON - U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has assured the Philippines that a defense treaty would apply if its vessels or planes are attacked in the South China Sea, sparking a debate within the Southeast Asian nation over whether it should drop plans to review the 1951 agreement. “China’s island-building and military activities in the South China Sea threaten your sovereignty, security and therefore economic livelihood, as well as that of the U.S.,” Pompeo said at briefing Friday with Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin in Manila. “As the South China Sea is part of the Pacific, any armed attack on Philippine forces, aircraft or public vessels will trigger mutual defense obligations” under the treaty. In response, Locsin said there was no need to review the U.S. Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty, adding Pompeo and President Donald Trump assured that “We have your back.” Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said the statements showed the U.S. was backing Philippine claims to disputed parts of the South China Sea, and said American troops could be deployed in a shooting war. “This is the first time that U.S. made a policy statement that any attack on any Philippine vessel is tantamount to attacking the U.S.,” President Rodrigo Duterte’s office said in a statement. But Filipino Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who had called initially for the defense treaty to be re-examined, wasn’t convinced and said the review would continue. “If we find that there’s no need, then we will tell them to drop the review, but our people are still doing it,” Lorenzana told reporters Friday. He noted that ambiguities in the treaty remained unclear, such as if China occupies an island claimed by the Philippines. “Where will that fall under?” he said. The conflicting statements out of Manila come while ties are improving between the U.S. and the Philippines, which shifted toward China after Duterte took power in 2016. Duterte has previously questioned whether the U.S. would defend the Philippines if China seizes disputed shoals and reefs in the South China Sea — skepticism that has persisted in Manila for decades. The treaty says it covers armed attacks “on the metropolitan territory of either of the Parties, or on the Island territories under its jurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean, its armed forces, public vessels or aircraft in the Pacific.” But a U.S. diplomatic cable from 1976, since declassified, states that the treaty does not cover disputed areas such as the Spratly Islands. Pompeo fell short of acknowledging Philippine sovereignty over the reefs and atolls it occupies in the disputed South China Sea, and didn’t explicitly say they were covered by the treaty. “The U.S. has left itself some ambiguity,” said Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore. “Pompeo’s comment goes some way towards assuaging Philippine concerns over whether the U.S. would come to its assistance if its armed forces came under attack from China in the South China Sea.” Beijing has built seven artificial structures in the Spratly Islands where Manila also has claims. Philippine fishermen and vessels resupplying Philippine-occupied features in the waters have also been harassed by Chinese vessels. “What is important about this is that they are saying it in public and under the spotlight,” said Richard Heydarian, a Manila-based academic and author of “Asia’s New Battlefield: U.S., China and the Struggle for Western Pacific.” The Obama administration “was diffident about giving assurances to the Philippines in a way that could slight China,” Heydarian said. “This administration doesn’t have any problems with that.” Pompeo also warned the Philippines against using Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. to build up its 5G network, saying its infrastructure backbone must be free and transparent. While the Southeast Asian nation will make its own decision on how to proceed, Pompeo said the Philippines runs the risk that the U.S. “may not be able to operate in certain environments if there is Huawei technology adjacent to that.”
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china;u.s .;vietnam;philippines;military;disputed islands;south china sea;huawei;south china sea ruling;mike pompeo
|
jp0001389
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Indians angry over 'forced' Pakistan video of downed pilot amid new Kashmir deaths
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NEW DELHI - A furious backlash erupted in India on Saturday over a video of an Indian pilot shot down by Pakistan praising his captors, as deadly tensions simmered between the neighbors with fierce shelling across their Kashmir frontier. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, whose MiG fighter was shot down Wednesday as he chased Pakistani jets over disputed Kashmir, crossed over at the Wagah frontier late Friday, several hours after the scheduled time. His capture had become the centerpiece of hostilities between the archrivals after a Feb. 14 suicide bombing in Kashmir killed 40 Indian paramilitary officers. Abhinandan, who ejected to safety but was set upon by a crowd on the Pakistani side of the Kashmir cease-fire line, had a noticeable black eye and was immediately taken for a medical checkup before a debriefing by military and intelligence agencies. Media reports said Abhinandan’s return to India had been held up because the pilot was forced to make the video before getting his freedom. In the heavily edited video distributed by the Pakistani military just before his release, he praised the professionalism of the Pakistan Army and criticized Indian media for creating war hysteria. “The army personnel saved me from the mob. The Pakistani Army is very professional and I am impressed by it,” he said. Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, said the video tainted Pakistan’s gesture to return the pilot so quickly. “Sadly the image you paint for us is marred terribly by the video he’s forced to record just before you sent him back,” Abdullah said on Twitter. “That high moral ground you had bequeathed to yourselves slipped at the end.” Indian media slammed the video as “distasteful” and said it breached international norms for prisoners of war. “There is no peace without dignity and Pakistan just forgot that basic lesson in violation of Geneva convention,” wrote Rajdeep Sardesai, a top editor with the India Today group. India’s feverish social media also slammed the video, which was tweeted by the Pakistan government but later taken off its official account. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the country had acted with prudence in releasing the pilot. “There was no pressure on Pakistan to release him nor any compulsion,” he told BBC Urdu. “We wanted to convey to them that we do not want to increase your sorrow, we do not want to mistreat your citizens, we just want peace.” Pakistan media praised the government for releasing the pilot, with lawyer Shahzaib Khan writing in the Express Tribune that Prime Minister Imran Khan had “done Pakistan proud by not engaging in chest thumping or war-mongering for political gain.” Some social media users, though, criticized the military video, calling it “cheap” and “unnecessary.” “Not a good idea. This will backfire,” said Gul Bukhari, a prominent critic of the government and the powerful military. Abhinandan was captured a day after Indian planes bombed what New Delhi said was a militant camp in Pakistan, in retaliation for the Kashmir suicide bombing claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group. The end of the air raids did not stop more violence raging in Kashmir, with both sides firing mortars and artillery over the frontier Saturday. Two Pakistan Army soldiers were killed in Nakiyal sector in one cross-border exchange of fire, the Pakistan military said. “Pakistan Army troops gave a befitting response by targeting Indian posts,” said a statement that accused the Indian Army of deliberately targeting civilians. At least 12 civilians have been killed on either side of the frontier since earlier this week, including a mother and her two children whose house was pulverized by a mortar shell on the Indian side on Friday. Two civilians on the Pakistan side have also been killed since Friday afternoon. Five Indian security personnel were killed Friday in a gunfight after troops laid siege to a house where militants were hiding in Handwara district.
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india;kashmir;imran khan;palistan;abhinandan varthaman
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jp0001390
|
[
"asia-pacific"
] |
2019/03/02
|
After rebuke from Warmbier family, Trump says comments were 'misinterpreted'
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WASHINGTON - The parents of Otto Warmbier rejected President Donald Trump’s comments that he took North Korea’s Kim Jong Un “at his word” in denying responsibility for the torture and death of their son. Hours after the Warmbiers released their statement, Trump responded with a tweet saying that his comments on their son’s death had been “misinterpreted,” though he didn’t explain how. “We have been respectful during this summit process. Now we must speak out,” Fred and Cindy Warmbier said in a statement released Friday. “Kim and his evil regime are responsible for the death of our son Otto. Kim and his evil regime are responsible for unimaginable cruelty and inhumanity. No excuses or lavish praise can change that.” Trump later took issue with their rebuke, saying in a series of tweets that “I got Otto out” of imprisonment and “Of course I hold North Korea responsible for Otto’s mistreatment and death.” He added that Warmbier “will not have died in vain.” But while insisting that he held North Korea responsible for the student’s death, he did so without directly blaming Kim — or even mentioning him. After a meeting in Hanoi on Thursday that ended without progress on eliminating North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, Trump told reporters that Kim “felt bad” about the imprisonment and torture of Warmbier, who died shortly after returning to the U.S. in a coma after being detained for more than 17 months. “In those prisons and those camps you have a lot of people, and some really bad things happened to Otto, some really, really bad things,” Trump said. “But he tells me he didn’t know about it, and I will take him at his word.” Warmbier, an Ohio native who studied at the University of Virginia, had traveled to North Korea on a tour. He was pulled away at the Pyongyang airport and charged with crimes against the state for allegedly taking down a propaganda poster in his hotel. He was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. After lengthy negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, Warmbier was released but died a few days later on American soil. In 2017, Trump took credit for obtaining Warmbier’s release. “Otto was tortured beyond belief by North Korea,” Trump said at the time. That year, he also labeled Kim a “madman who doesn’t mind starving or killing his people.” The president had sought to forge a bond with the family as part of the U.S.-led “maximum pressure” campaign on the Kim regime in 2017 and early 2018 that helped lead to the June summit in Singapore, the first between a sitting U.S. president and a North Korean leader. Trump called the family several times during that period, and Vice President Pence also maintained contact with the Warmbiers, media reports said, and the parents were among the guests of first lady Melania Trump at the 2018 State of the Union address, during which Trump cited their son’s death to highlight the cruelty of the Kim regime. But the Warmbiers had been growing increasingly exasperated with Trump’s embrace of Kim since their first meeting, The Washington Post reported Friday, citing a person with close ties to the family. Trump’s comments in Hanoi provoked immediate criticism from human rights advocates and both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. “Look, the blood of Otto Warmbier is on Kim Jong Un’s hands,” Republican Sen. Cory Gardner said. “He’s responsible for the death. There’s no doubt in my mind about that.’ Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said the U.S. should “be unflinching and unapologetic in identifying, condemning, and punishing Kim’s human rights atrocities, including the torture and murder of Otto Warmbier.” Some members of Congress compared Trump’s reluctance to criticize Kim with his refusal to condemn Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for his alleged role in the murder of U.S.-based columnist Jamal Khashoggi last year, or to dispute Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denial that his country interfered in the 2016 U.S. election to help Trump win. “Our intel community is telling us what Putin knew about the election, what MBS knew about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and what Kim Jong Un knew about the brutalization and murder of Otto Warmbier,” said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine. “And I don’t know why the president would want to come to the aid of people who have done these horrible things.’ After Warmbier’s death, the U.S. government supported his parents in a lawsuit against Pyongyang. On Dec. 24, a U.S. judge ordered North Korea to pay $501 million over Warmbier’s death from apparent torture. A judge said that Warmbier had been used “as a pawn in that totalitarian state’s global shenanigans and faceoff with the United States.” Fred Warmbier described to Fox News in 2017 Otto’s condition when he returned: making an “involuntary, inhuman sound,” “staring blankly into space, jerking violently,” and was blind and deaf, with his head shaved. Doctors in Cincinnati said he had suffered severe brain damage, although they weren’t sure what led to it. North Korea denied mistreating him, saying he fell into a coma that resulted from botulism and a sleeping pill.
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u.s .;congress;north korea;kim jong un;nuclear weapons;north korea nuclear crisis;donald trump;otto warmbier;kim-trump summit
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jp0001391
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[
"national"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Yasuta Sato, founder and former president of toymaker Takara, dies at age 94
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Yasuta Sato, the founder and former president of Japanese toy maker Takara Co., died of old age Tuesday. He was 94. Born in Fukushima Prefecture, Sato launched a business in Tokyo’s Katsushika Ward in 1953. The company hit the jackpot with the inflatable “Dakko-chan” plastic doll in 1960 and was renamed Takara in 1967. Under Sato’s initiative, Takara released many products that captured the hearts of children, including the smash-hit “Licca-chan” cute doll series, the “Choro-Q,” or Penny Racers, minicar line and the “Game of Life” board game played with a roulette wheel. He retired as supreme adviser to Takara in 2002.
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obituary;licca-chan;obit;takara
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jp0001393
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[
"national"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Japan Tobacco, British American Tobacco and Philip Morris lose appeal in $13 billion Quebec lawsuits
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LONDON/MONTREAL - Subsidiaries of Japan Tobacco Inc., British American Tobacco PLC and Philip Morris International Inc. were ordered to pay damages of more than 17 billion Canadian dollars ($12.8 billion) after losing an appeal of class-action lawsuits filed by smokers in Quebec. The Quebec Court of Appeal upheld a lower court decision with minor changes, according to a ruling released Friday. The smokers sought damages for addiction and smoking-related diseases, arguing they were never warned of the risks of smoking. The judgment involves class-action suits that were consolidated against the Canadian subsidiaries of British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International and Japan Tobacco International, known respectively as Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd.; Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Inc. (RBH); and JTI-Macdonald Corp. JTI-Macdonald said in a statement it “fundamentally disagrees” with the court’s judgment and that Canadians “have had a very high awareness of the health risks of smoking.” RBH said in a statement that it will try to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada. JTI-Macdonald said it would consider that option. “The risks associated to tobacco use have been known in Canada for decades. Consumers were aware and that’s why we think we shouldn’t be held responsible,” said Eric Gagnon, the head of corporate and regulatory affairs for Imperial Tobacco. “Today’s judgment is disappointing.” Ben Stevens, British American Tobacco finance director, told analysts on Thursday that the Canadian cases would likely take years to play out in the courts. While big tobacco companies in the United States have faced lawsuits for decades, the Quebec class action marked the first time tobacco companies went to trial in a civil suit in Canada. “This is a complete and resounding defeat for the tobacco industry,” said Rob Cunningham, a senior policy analyst for the Ottawa-based Canadian Cancer Society. The industry “has engaged in decades of wrongful behavior resulting in vast suffering, disease and death.” The judgment comes as Big Tobacco firms are pouring billions into vaping devices that deliver nicotine through vapor they say is less harmful than smoke, and as smoking rates fall in many countries. The two Quebec suits, called the Letourneau and Blais cases, were filed in 1998 and certified as class actions in 2005. They were consolidated into one before the 2012 start of trial proceedings, which ended in 2014.
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courts;health;smoking;canada;lawsuits;cancer;japan tobacco;diseases
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jp0001394
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2019/03/02
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Japan's labor minister survives no-confidence motion over data scandal
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The Lower House has rejected a no-confidence motion against labor minister Takumi Nemoto that was submitted by opposition parties in protest over his handling of the ministry’s release of faulty jobs data. The motion, which called for Nemoto’s resignation, was voted down Friday by the ruling bloc led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, which holds a majority in the Lower House. The rejection reflects “an understanding that I have done my duties properly,” Nemoto told reporters after the vote. Kiyomi Tsujimoto of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan told reporters that the motion was submitted over Nemoto’s inappropriate handling of the scandal. The faulty collection of monthly labor data over nearly 15 years resulted in the underpayment of work-related benefits to more than 20 million people and raised doubt about the accuracy of government statistics. Opposition parties accused Nemoto of involvement in an alleged government attempt to make the prime minister’s Abenomics economic policy package appear more successful by inflating wage data. In monthly labor surveys, the ministry is required to gather results from all businesses in the country with 500 or more employees. But it had only surveyed a third of the roughly 1,400 such businesses in Tokyo since 2004. In January last year, the ministry began using software to make it appear that the necessary data had been collected, leading to a sudden rise in wage figures. Opposition parties also accuse Motoya Nakae, a former Abe secretary, of exerting his influence when the labor ministry changed its methodology for the collection of wage samples, contributing to increased figures for real wages. They also claim that Nemoto is hiding figures that suggest average real wages actually dropped in 2018 from the previous year.
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shinzo abe;ldp;diet;jobs;scandals
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jp0001395
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2019/03/02
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Lower House OKs record ¥101 trillion budget for fiscal 2019
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The Lower House approved a record ¥101.46 trillion ($913 billion) budget for fiscal 2019 early Saturday, ensuring its enactment before the new fiscal year begins on April 1. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition pushed the spending plan through the House of Representatives past midnight, after opposition lawmakers halted deliberations the previous day by submitting a no-confidence motion against labor minister Takumi Nemoto over his handling of a faulty jobs data scandal. The initial general-account budget topped ¥100 trillion for the first time amid swelling social security costs and defense spending, as well as fiscal stimulus aimed at underpinning domestic demand after the second half of a consumption tax hike is completed in October. Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito had initially hoped to get the budget through the Lower House on Thursday, but the plan was delayed when the opposition camp tabled a vote of no confidence against Nemoto, calling for his resignation. Kiyomi Tsujimoto of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan told reporters Nemoto was being “insincere” in dealing with the revelation that his ministry has been publishing an improperly compiled monthly labor survey for nearly 15 years. Nemoto, who was appointed in October, said he had done his job “to the best of (his) ability.” The motion was voted down by the ruling bloc. The budget will now be sent to the House of Councilors, but it is certain to be enacted before fiscal 2018 ends on March 31 because the Constitution stipulates that decisions by the Lower House take precedence over those by the Upper House. The budget will thus automatically take effect 30 days after the Lower House passes it. The spending plan has already been through twists and turns. Less than a month after being approved by Abe’s Cabinet in December it had to be reworked to include ¥650 million in costs related to the labor data scandal, which caused the underpayment of work-related benefits to more than 20 million people. More than a third of the budget, a record ¥34.06 trillion, will go toward social security programs such as pensions and health care. Government spending on such programs has continued to rise as the elderly make up an increasingly large part of the population. Defense spending will also hit a record high at ¥5.26 trillion, partly because of the government’s purchase of the Aegis Ashore missile defense system and half a dozen F-35A stealth fighters. As part of efforts to alleviate negative economic impacts when the consumption tax is increased from the current 8 percent to 10 percent on Oct. 1, the government has earmarked ¥2.03 trillion in fiscal measures, including a rebate program for cashless purchases and shopping vouchers for households with low incomes or small children.
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shinzo abe;budget;lower house
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jp0001396
|
[
"national",
"politics-diplomacy"
] |
2019/03/02
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Russia calls U.S.-Japan security alliance an impediment to peace treaty talks
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MOSCOW - Russia has stiffened its stance against advancing talks with Japan on a peace treaty, calling Tokyo’s security alliance with the United States a threat and an impediment to improving bilateral ties, diplomatic sources said Saturday. The position apparently reflects Russia’s deteriorating relations with the United States over Washington’s decision to withdraw from a Cold War-era nuclear arms control treaty. It is a setback for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is seeking to resolve a decades-old territorial dispute with Moscow over three islands and a group of islets off Hokkaido and sign a broad agreement on a postwar peace treaty in June when Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to visit Japan for the Group of 20 summit. Russia has been increasingly looking at the U.S.-Japan alliance as a major negative factor for Japan-Russia ties and has requested that Tokyo not side with the United States in imposing economic sanctions on it, the sources said. Abe and Putin agreed in November to accelerate peace treaty talks based on a 1956 joint declaration which mentions the transfer from Moscow to Tokyo of Shikotan and the Habomai islet group — once a peace pact is concluded. But their talks have made little progress as deep divisions remain over the territorial dispute, with Russia stressing that Japan must recognize the acquisition by Moscow of the four islands as the outcome of World War II, while Tokyo maintains the islands were illegally seized by the Soviet Union following Japan’s 1945 surrender. The feud over the islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, has prevented the conclusion of a peace treaty to formally end World War II. Russia has already aired concerns about Japan’s security alliance with the United States, citing the possibility that the U.S. military may be deployed in the territories if they are to be handed to Japan. It also opposes Japan’s plan to install a U.S. land-based Aegis Ashore missile defense system that could be used to attack Russia. Tokyo has said the deployment is to counter the threat posed by North Korean missiles. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed wariness about Japan maintaining close ties with the United States in an interview with Chinese and Vietnamese media last month, saying Washington has declared Russia as “its main adversary.” Japan’s military alliance with the United States gives Washington “the right to deploy its armed forces anywhere in Japan and they are already deploying their missile defense system there, which creates risks for both Russia and China,” Lavrov said. “It would be a mistake to ignore the fact that, contrary to the declared goal, this actually worsens the quality of our relations (with Japan),” he said in the interview. U.S. President Donald Trump said in early February the United States is withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty struck in 1987 that banned the development and possession of land-based missiles with ranges of between 500 and 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,410 miles). The announcement raised concerns about a new arms race.
|
shinzo abe;vladimir putin;disputed islands;russia-japan relations
|
jp0001397
|
[
"national"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Next era name might draw from classical Japanese literature, say sources
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Candidates for the new era name apparently include at least one inspired by classical Japanese literature, according to informed sources. In line with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s wishes, one or more potential era names appear to be based on books written in Japan, the sources said. All of Japan’s past and current era names are believed to be linked to Chinese classics. Possible names for the new era proposed by experts in fields such as Chinese literature, Asian history and Japanese literature have already been presented to the Cabinet Secretariat and are being closely managed by Assistant Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuyuki Furuya. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga is set to announce the name of the new era on April 1, ahead of Crown Prince Naruhito’s accession to the throne on May 1. The government will hear opinions from an expert panel as well as the speakers and vice speakers of both chambers of the Diet before the Cabinet adopts the new name. Suga is expected to call a meeting this month to set a detailed schedule that will lead to the announcement of the era name and to select members of the panel. The government plans to appoint several women as members, the sources said. A similar advisory panel formed at the time of the 1989 era name change from Showa to the current Heisei had eight members, mainly from mass media and academia. It had only one female member, Yoko Nuita, then the president of the predecessor of the National Women’s Education Center. At a news conference on Friday, Suga said the government has yet to begin discussions on selecting the name.
|
shinzo abe;royalty;emperor akihito;imperial family;emperor naruhito
|
jp0001398
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Google Maps could point users down the wrong path
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One could almost be forgiven for thinking that con artists are a dime a dozen in Japan. They’ve been terrorizing elderly folk over the telephone in recent years with their ore-ore sagi (“It’s me” scams) and sending threatening emails that warn recipients their computer has been hacked and compromising information will be published online unless that unfortunate individual pays a ransom in the form of a cryptocurrency. Such activity is a form of phishing in which fraudsters attempt to obtain confidential information such as bank and credit card details by posing as a trustworthy individual or institution when they initiate contact. According to reports in the Nikkei Shimbun and other news outlets in recent weeks, a variation of this tactic has emerged. It’s basically phishing in reverse, where the person being scammed initiates the contact with a fraudster instead of the other way around. Google Maps, it seems, is key to the success of such an approach. Fraudsters use a function on Google Maps that allows them to edit important business details of institutions listed on the web-mapping service such as their telephone number and email address. Cybersecurity experts say virtually anyone can suggest changes to information on Google Maps. Fraudsters typically target a financial institution, adjust the contact information and hope someone takes the bait. Should a person call one of these institutions by accessing it through Google Maps, the inquiry will be answered by a fraudster who will then press the caller to divulge their bank details or credit card information before subsequently attempting to take as much money as possible. In some cases, people who have been deceived into calling the fake number have even been asked to send their ATM card to the “bank” by post. Naturally, victims of such a scam don’t realize they’ve been had until the next time they check their bank balance. It’s a simple scam, but it’s easy to fall for. The first reports of such reverse phishing incidents emerged in India last fall, but domestic media organizations and the authorities are now sounding the alarm. Unfortunately, Google didn’t respond to my request for a comment but they did reply to an Indian newspaper which was one of the first to report it. “Overall, allowing users to suggest edits provides comprehensive and up-to-date info, but we recognize there may be occasional inaccuracies or bad edits suggested by them,” a spokesperson from Google was reported as saying. “When this happens, we do our best to address the issue as quickly as possible. The Google Safety Center outlines tips to help consumers stay safe online.” In other words, you’re on your own. To be honest, the best advice is simply don’t trust Google Maps. Be sure to check the contact information you have for a financial institution is the same online and on Google Maps. If the number provided by Google Maps for a bank branch is a mobile phone number … you should probably treat that listing with suspicion. Google Maps has undoubtedly become an essential tool in navigating cities such as Tokyo by mobile phone and yet it seems to have its own shortcomings. Perhaps it’s time to start lugging those weighty street atlases around Tokyo again?
|
google;fraud;google maps
|
jp0001399
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Reaction to Niigata bullying video reflects changing attitudes in Japan
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A video of a first-year high school student in Niigata being bullied appeared online in mid-February and quickly became a topic of discussion. The clip shows a group of male students pushing, kicking and eventually striking the victim with a stick, all while throwing insults the victim’s way, too. The attack was broadcast on Instagram Live, which is how others came across it. An article on Nico Nico News dissected the footage and the comments section was soon awash with netizens who were outraged at the actions of the assailants. The anger spilled over to platforms such as Twitter, where users called for any information regarding the identity of those involved. At present, authorities in Niigata have identified the high school the victim is enrolled in as well as those involved. The video struck a nerve with many online and it isn’t hard to see why. Bullying is an ever-present issue that attracts plenty of media attention in Japan, but it’s never resolved in spite of the fact that everyone agrees it’s one of the bigger problems facing the nation’s youth. And as conversations have migrated to social media and allowed a wider number of people to control them, individuals who have actually experienced bullying firsthand can offer their perspective. Social media has changed the way the topic is discussed online and it continues to evolve with each new case, including the Niigata incident. At one point, bullying was not considered to be much of an issue in Japan. According to a site devoted to preventing bullying , the country has experienced four “peaks,” starting in the mid-1980s. During that decade, however, it sounds like most people and media downplayed the negative impact associated with bullying (Twitter users support this view , reflecting on times when teachers didn’t consider it a real thing). When the second peak came in the 1990s, though, the general public started thinking that bullying was no longer acceptable. A greater effort was taken to stop it, including Advertising Council Japan debuting their first anti-bullying commercials . Since then, the government and media have made more overt efforts to stop bullying, including recent news that our future robot overlords are now going to help reduce the number of incidents that occur . However, the real change is happening online. Over the past two decades, a common message board and social media trope features someone reaching out to their old tormentors — or former bullies themselves being confronted by their past sins — to tell them how they were hurt by it. In extreme cases (and, of course, as with most internet lore, you should take it with a certain amount of skepticism), you get something like the story of a person leaving their fiance because they found out they were formerly a bully. It also helps art and stories against bullying generally attract a lot of love, such as a Keyakizaka46 performance or the story of a kid in Turkey getting revenge on bullies by putting glue in their water (netizens lapped this one up). The Niigata incident brought all of these feelings to the fore. People spoke of their own trauma , while others celebrated efforts to make the situation better for their kids . Some Twitter users tried to think up ways to stop bullying — such as fighting back — while others argued that violence of all forms should be avoided . Naturally, plenty of online Sherlocks tried to figure out the names of the people responsible for this specific case of violence. While leaving it up to random people on Twitter to solve cases is probably not a viable solution moving forward, the internet is helping to move the general discussion on bullying in Japan in a way traditional platforms rarely do. Besides being another example of social media shining a light on wrongdoings , a number used this incident as a way to remind others that bullying should be considered a crime and not simply brushed off. Moreover, getting the message beyond school grounds is vital to stopping it. This topic has been written about extensively on the web before, with one sociologist writing an essay on how schools feel like their own self-contained worlds, and that often stops efforts from outside. However, the Niigata case shows that maybe this attitude is changing beyond the internet, as the police are actually involved and the school didn’t try to cover anything up. Although erasing bullying once and for all might be impossible, social media in Japan is offering a space for empathy and applying pressure on everyone to call out violence against others.
|
niigata;children;teens;bullying;japan pulse
|
jp0001400
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Dealing with gun issues in a nation with few guns
|
Japan’s reputation as a country relatively free of gun crime is borne out by official statistics. In terms of individuals charged with crimes committed using firearms, the 2018 white paper issued by the National Police Agency listed eight homicides in 2017 — all of which involved members of crime syndicates — and five armed robberies (of which two involved gang members). The last year in which the number of homicides by firearms exceeded a single digit was 2014 (with 13 incidents). Apart from crime involving guns, the white paper reported 13 fatalities in 2017, of which 11 were believed to have been suicides. The 2017 body count is all the more amazing, considering that from four years ago, Japan has found itself in the crosshairs of an ongoing gang war. A schism in the nation’s largest crime syndicate, the Kobe-based Yamaguchi-gumi, has led to heightened tension, with rival gangs in Tokyo and elsewhere reportedly attempting to form new alliances or exploit the vacuum. Some might be inclined to think that — just like in a Mario Puzo story — Japan’s gang members would “go to the mattresses” (that is, move away from their family homes) and prepare to shoot it out in barber shops, restaurants and apartment elevators. Indeed, a few decades ago, when the Yamaguchi-gumi was previously rocked by internecine violence after a faction rejected the gang’s new boss and broke away to form the Ichiwa-kai, the casualty count over an 18-month period reached 18 dead and 47 wounded. Thanks to tougher laws, declining ranks of aging gang members, full employment and proactive police efforts to crack down on gangs, the past four years have pretty much been a “sitzkrieg” — warfare marked by a lack of aggression. Japan’s Constitution has nothing like America’s Second Amendment, and its current laws regarding ownership of firearms and swords essentially preserved regulations put into force by the Allied Occupation at the end of World War II. An article by MSN News estimated the ratio of firearm ownership in Japan is roughly 0.6 out of every 100 citizens, as opposed to 88.8 out of 100 in the United States. According to the white paper issued by the National Police Agency, the number of legally owned firearms in 2013 totaled 236,979 (including 159,574 shotguns and 32,136 rifles). In 2017, the figure had fallen to 206,306, of which 138,383 were shotguns and 29,506 rifles). Gun ownership in this country is discouraged by draconian regulations. By virtue of owning a shotgun or rifle, you waive your right to privacy; police have the right to appear unannounced at your doorstep to confirm that the firearm is being correctly stored according to stringent regulations (in a sturdy concealed locker) and that its ammunition is stored separately. (Using a firearm to defend one’s family from invaders is out of the question.) The declining number of legally owned firearms has actually become something of a problem because, in addition to fewer people who hunt for sport, some rural residents are being overrun by growing populations of wild boar, monkeys and other animals, which damage crops and occasionally pose a physical threat. As a result, concerns have arisen that Japan might not have enough guns. Whatever feelings — positive, negative or neutral — the average citizen may harbor toward the police, it is safe to say that the notion of being shot dead by an officer of the law exists only in the remote depths of his subconscious, if at all. While certainly not enough to inspire a movement along the lines of Black Lives Matter, however, cases do occur when police officers in Japan draw their sidearms (infrequently), fire off a shot (extremely uncommon), and injure or kill a suspect (extraordinarily rarely). Writing for the December issue of investigative magazine Kami no Bakudan (Paper Bomb), journalist Masakatsu Adachi listed dates, locations and particulars for 18 cases over the previous five years in which a police officer shot and killed, or wounded, a suspect. The incidents were distributed throughout the country, from rural areas such as Niigata Prefecture to two each in Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka. Five occurred in or adjacent to a police box. The number appears to have picked up, with at least seven incidents last year. Behind the increase, Adachi points to a revision in the protocol concerning gun use by police officers issued by the National Police Agency back in December 2001, to the effect that firing a warning shot would no longer be required. This was because officers generally found the factors requiring such a snap judgment were too vague to process when under immediate threat. When the 2001 revision was announced, the Mainichi Shimbun voiced guarded agreement. “With the rapid increase in violent incidents, hesitation in use of a firearm may lead to cases of officers being killed in the line of duty or suffering injuries,” the paper said. “The purpose (of the revision) is to dispel officers’ hesitance toward the use of their firearms out of concern over accidents.” Summing up his article, Adachi wrote: “We should not allow ourselves to forget that police officers, as part of their work to protect public safety, must confront dangers on a daily basis. Nevertheless, they must be able to prove their use of a firearm was justified. After all, power is in the hands of the authorities, leaving citizens with no option but to comply. “The decision by an officer to use his sidearm is not at his or her free discretion but in accordance with the law. Even when gun usage is compliance with the Police Duties Execution Act, such use must be held to the minimum required to achieve the officer’s objective.” Even a country with practically no guns, it seems, must still deal with gun problems.
|
guns;weapons;law enforcement
|
jp0001401
|
[
"national",
"media-national"
] |
2019/03/02
|
NHK's restructuring plan sparks concern over influence
|
In a recent post for the progressive website Common Dreams , consumer advocate and one-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader bemoaned public broadcasting in the United States. Created by the government “to provide serious programming without any advertisements,” the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio were designed as alternatives to commercial TV and radio, which, because of economic prerogatives, tended toward entertainment. Public broadcasting was meant to provide information that is edifying and useful. Over the years, however, public broadcasters have been subjected to what Nader calls “continual right-wing antagonism” that has led to leaner government funding, thus forcing stations to depend on “support” from large corporations. Content is carefully curated so as not to upset these corporations, and programming has skewed toward the same mix of music and entertainment you find on commercial stations. In Japan, progressives have criticized public broadcaster NHK in a similar way. Because the government approves NHK’s budget, there’s a suspicion that management tends to avoid content that might offend the authorities. Since the advent of the second administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2012, these suspicions have become more acute. Allies of Abe were appointed to executive positions . In 2014, NHK Chairman Katsuto Momii said that if the government says go right, then NHK cannot go left. These suspicions were retriggered last month when NHK announced structural changes that will lead to the cancellation or curtailment of certain programs, including the award-winning “ETV Special,” a documentary series on NHK’s educational channel that offers in-depth coverage of social issues, and “Heart Net TV,” a discussion and information show that is often about minority concerns. The weekly magazine Shukan Post added fuel to the fire with a self-described scoop that focused on a protest letter from 72 employees of NHK’s Culture and Welfare Program Section, which is being dissolved. According to Shukan Post, the signatories were “not convinced” by the explanation they received from management about the reasons for the restructuring and were concerned that NHK programming would lose its diversity. Production for all of NHK’s TV stations is overseen by either the News Bureau, which handles news-related programming, or the Production Bureau, which handles dramas, variety shows and information programs. The restructuring affects the Production Bureau, which currently consists of eight sections. These sections will be reorganized into six sections for the purpose of improved efficiency. The present system is vertically-oriented, meaning a top-down type of management. After the change, which goes into effect in June, management will be horizontal, meaning section chiefs can move staff among themselves with relative ease. NHK says the reorganization will not affect content. However, the Culture and Welfare Section will be absorbed by other sections and will thus cease to exist. It is this section that produces “ETV Special” and “Heart Net TV,” which, as one staff member told Shukan Post, cover topics that are sometimes seen to be in opposition to government policy. Shukan Post suggests that one purpose of the restructuring is to cut programming that may irk the administration, and points to decisions made by NHK that some see as indicative of the broadcaster’s desire to curry favor with those in power. Akiko Iwata, a reporter who covers the prime minister’s office at NHK and who is said to be close to Abe, was given NHK’s chairman award in 2017. Hiroko Kuniya, the longtime host of NHK’s nightly in-depth news show, “Close-up Gendai,” who, unlike many NHK on-air talent, asks penetrating questions, was compelled to leave three years ago. Shukan Post notes, however, that the shows produced by the Culture and Welfare Section typically do not earn high ratings, which means in-house support for the protest is mixed. The point of the letter, according to another employee, is “the meaning of public broadcasting.” As Nader might say, it’s not the mission of a public broadcaster to aim for higher viewer share, but rather to provide the public with information they can’t get elsewhere. In its Feb. 23 Media Times column, the Asahi Shimbun examined NHK’s restructuring plan, concluding that the main impetus is the 2013 suicide of an NHK reporter from overwork. NHK determined that the woman’s heavy schedule was caused by a workload imbalance. A horizontal structure would distribute the burden more evenly among employees. Some staff expressed to the Asahi Shimbun their annoyance with media such as Shukan Post and another weekly, Shukan Kinyobi , which claim that restructuring is being carried out to please the government. Former NHK producer Kozo Nagata, who is often critical of his old employer, told the newspaper that while NHK’s political coverage doesn’t always maintain proper distance from those in power, in this instance he thinks reorganization is appropriate. Nagata elaborated on this view during a discussion on the web channel Democracy Times , saying that the NHK establishment has always gravitated toward the government position, while certain sections and programs have not, and he doesn’t see that changing. At the same time, he thinks the broadcaster’s flagship show, “NHK Special,” has become less relevant, recycling the same safe topics. Yoshiyuki Niwa, an associate professor at Tokyo University, told the Asahi Shimbun that NHK is increasingly focused on ratings, an inclination that is just as compromising to journalistic integrity as bowing to power is. What no media outlet mentions is how similar NHK programming has become to that of commercial broadcasters. The Saturday night lineup on NHK-G, a parade of drama and variety shows, is almost indistinguishable from the fare on other stations. Just because NHK hasn’t sold its soul to the government doesn’t mean it hasn’t sold its soul.
|
shinzo abe;nhk
|
jp0001402
|
[
"national",
"history"
] |
2019/03/02
|
Japan Times 1969: Exploding balloons injure eight people
|
100 YEARS AGO Friday, March 21 1919 Tokyo buildings damaged by rare gale THE JAPAN TIMES Eight persons suffered burns when toy balloons exploded during a public demonstration for fire prevention co-sponsored by the Yokohama Fire Station. The sudden gale that visited Tokyo on Wednesday evening for over an hour was a rare phenomenon at this season of the year, according to Dr. Okada of the Central Meteorological Observatory. It was caused by the sudden appearance of a small depression about noon that day on the Saku Plain, Nagano Prefecture, which proceeded east at a velocity of 30 miles an hour and passed out to the Pacific, crossing Ibaraki and Tochigi prefectures. Tokyo was out of the center of the zone, luckily, and the damage here was limited. Owing to the remarkably rapid progress of the low pressure, the Central Meteorological Observatory had no time to issue a special warning. In Tochigi Prefecture, the violent storm was accompanied by hail and thunder. A newly built primary school in course of construction was blown down by the storm and a bridge over the Tone River at Menuma was badly damaged, stopping traffic. In Kumagae, the storm fanned the sparks from the engine of a passing freight train and set an uncovered freight car on fire, destroying it and the cargo, causing a loss of ¥900. In Mito, the storm caused the failure of the electricity supply for nearly four hours, plunging the whole city into darkness. In Yokohama, a severe hail storm lasted for nearly an hour. 75 YEARS AGO Wednesday, March 8, 1944 Aluminum coins to be replaced by tin THE JAPAN TIMES The 10 sen, 5 sen, and 1 sen aluminum coins now in circulation will, beginning the end of this month, be replaced by those made of tin to economize on the consumption of aluminum which is an important war material. The tin coins of all three denominations will be slightly smaller than the respective aluminum ones, the diameters of the new 10 sen, 5 sen, and 1 sen coins being respectively 19 millimeters, 17 millimeters and 15 millimeters as against the 22 millimeters, 19 millimeters and 16 millimeters of the aluminum coins of the same face value. Therefore, the 10 sen tin coin will be of the same size as the 5 sen aluminum coin, while all the tin coins will be 2½ times as heavy as the aluminum coins of the same value. The 10 sen and 5 sen tin coins have holes of five and four millimeters in the center, and look like the nickel coins of old days. There is no change in the design of the 10 sen and 5 sen tin coins, each bearing the Imperial Crest of the Chrysanthemum at the top and the Imperial Crest of the Paulownia and auspicious clouds below the hole. The new 1 sen coin, however, has the Imperial Crest in the center with an arabesque design of the chrysanthemum on both sides of the Imperial Crest. The new coins are silvery grey in color. The 10 sen and 1 sen coins will make their appearance toward the end of this month, while the 5 sen coin will appear a little later, about the middle of April. The aluminum coins will be left in circulation as at present for some time to come. 50 YEARS AGO Sunday, March 2, 1969 Exploding balloons injure eight people THE JAPAN TIMES Eight persons suffered burns when toy balloons exploded Saturday afternoon during a public demonstration for fire prevention cosponsored by the Yokohama Fire Station. The explosions occurred at about 1 p.m. when an official for the demonstration was distributing publicity balloons to spectators at a plaza in front of the JNR Yokohama Station. Altogether, 10 balloons held by the campaigner exploded one after another. The balloons, each 30 centimeters long and 15 centimeters in diameter, contained hydrogen. The injured persons, including Miyuki Natori, a 9-year-old girl, were taken to a nearby hospital. Police suspected a smoker’s carelessness may have caused the explosion. 25 YEARS AGO Sunday, March 13, 1994 Food Agency issues reminder to mix rice THE JAPAN TIMES The Food Agency has issued a notice to local governments and concerned sectors that they should make sure rice sellers in their areas are mixing domestic and at least 20 percent of Thai rice for sales to consumers. The agency’s notice also banned sales of sets of domestic rice and imported rice in separate bags. It noted the policy is intended to maintain stable supplies and prevent hoarding of domestic rice. If only domestic grain is purchased, the supply will be completely consumed before rice grown this year comes onto the market, the notice said. Blended rice will likely be put on the market as early as next week despite much opposition from consumers and sellers. Consumers say they want freedom of choice and if domestic and imported rice have to be sold in a certain proportion, then they want to have the rice in separate bags so they can cook it in different ways according to the type. Rice sellers likewise say they want to sell the different types separately. Some wholesalers also want to sell sets of foreign and domestic rice instead of blended rice. Japan has imported 721,100 tons of rice since last November, according to the Food Agency. The figure is broken down into 521,000 tons for direct consumption and 200,000 tons for processing. The agency plans to import a total of 1.37 million tons of table rice from March through June. Of the 721,000 tons, Thai rice accounted for 61.9 percent, or 446,400 tons, including all of the 200,000 tons for processing. Imports totaled 148,300 tons from China, 99,400 tons from the United States and 27,000 tons from Australia.
|
weather;world war ii;rice;currency;balloons;wind;hydrogen
|
jp0001403
|
[
"national"
] |
2019/03/02
|
'Empty words': Rights groups say Japan's bill recognizing Ainu as indigenous group falls short
|
Rights groups criticized the government Friday over a recent bill recognizing the Ainu people for the first time as “an indigenous group,” saying that despite the wording, it treats them as a tourist attraction and does not do enough to reverse the historical discrimination they have suffered. Calling the bill “deplorable,” some representatives of the ethnic minority, which has roots in Hokkaido, said the group’s voices and rights have been ignored. The bill, which the Cabinet approved on Feb. 15, says its objective is to “realize a society which will respect the pride of the Ainu,” who also live in parts of Russia. “There has been no apology. … The bill refers to the Ainu as indigenous people but they are empty words,” Yuji Shimizu, chairman of Ainu Kotan no Kai, recently told the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, demanding the bill’s “immediate withdrawal and resubmission.” The government is seeking to enact the legislation during the ongoing Diet session, which will end in late June if it is not extended. “There is no content in any of the articles mentioning indigenous rights, in other words the right to self-determination, the right to land, et cetera,” Shimizu said, noting that the government had stripped the Ainu of their entitlements and resources starting in the late 19th century. Beginning with the government’s assimilationist policy in the Meiji Era (1868-1912), the ethnic minority has suffered discrimination, spilling over into income and educational disparities. The Ainu have also struggled to maintain their culture and language. Government policy has made it difficult to ascertain the actual number of Ainu. A 2017 Hokkaido survey lists the Ainu population as slightly more than 13,000, but some estimates put it as high as 250,000. A 1997 law replaced the almost century-old assimilationist law and acknowledged for the first time the existence of an ethnic minority in Japan, but it did not call the Ainu an indigenous group. The new bill aims to reverse that. It also comes more than a decade after Japan supported a U.N. declaration in 2007 that confirmed the rights of indigenous people as a group. The bill says it aims to realize a society that will respect the Ainu people, which is a “duty” for both the central and local governments. Municipal projects aimed at preserving Ainu culture and developing their communities will be subsidized by the government. “Positioning Ainu culture at the center for proposals to promote tourism is nothing other than a scheme to sacrifice or exploit living Ainu as a resource for tourism,” Shimizu said, adding he has “very strong reservations and unease about the system of financial subsidies.” A new national Ainu museum and park is scheduled to open in the Hokkaido town of Shiraoi in April 2020, three months before the Tokyo Olympics. It is expected to bring in 1 million visitors. “This is going to feed a few mouths but this is not a typical situation in our Ainu society,” said Satoshi Hatakeyama, chairman of the Mombetsu Ainu Association. “I would like to see actualization of inherent indigenous rights such as the right to fish and to harvest whales.” The bill would also relax restrictions on traditional Ainu salmon fishing and timber collection in national forests for their rituals. However, Mochihiro Ichikawa, a lawyer at the news conference, said this too was for cultural promotion and was not based on collective rights. Article 13 of the Constitution already protects the rights of individual citizens, including the Ainu. But the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is based on the recognition of group rights. “What’s been talked about is the right of the group as a collective and that’s what the Japanese government refuses to acknowledge. The fundamental stance is that they will not recognize collective rights on certain activities,” Ichikawa said. “The new bill is the consummation of the assimilation policy,” he said.
|
rights;ainu;ethnicity;hokkaido
|
jp0001405
|
[
"business"
] |
2019/03/20
|
Trump renews attack alleging social media's political bias favoring Democrats
|
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused social media platforms Facebook, YouTube and Twitter of favoring his Democratic opponents over him and his fellow Republicans. “But fear not, we will win anyway, just like we did before! #MAGA,” he said in a tweet. MAGA refers to Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. declined comment. Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which owns YouTube, did not immediately comment. The president and other conservatives have repeatedly complained that these big tech platforms treat them unfairly. Trump has previously accused Twitter of restricting the visibility of prominent U.S. Republicans, without any providing evidence, and the avid social media user has promised to investigate the company’s practices. Trump and other conservatives say Twitter targets fellow Republicans with a practice dubbed “shadow banning,” limiting the visibility of a Twitter user, including in the platform’s auto-populated dropdown search box. Rep. Devin Nunes of California has sued Twitter over the alleged practice, according to court documents. Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey has said that algorithms have been changed to fix that issue. The Justice Department held a meeting last fall between federal officials and state attorneys general to discuss allegations that conservative ideas are suppressed online, but so far no concrete action has been taken as a result.
|
google;social media;republicans;twitter;facebook;democrats;donald trump;devin nunes
|
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