Month: June 2018

Business Leader: Iran Lost 50,000 Jobs in Three Months

Posted on by SeeEA

A prominent Iranian business leader said his country has lost tens of thousands of private sector jobs in recent months, the latest sign of a worsening Iranian economy as the U.S. re-imposes tough sanctions.

In a Thursday report, state news agency ISNA quoted the deputy head of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture as saying 50,000 jobs were lost from March to May. The three-month period referenced by Hossein Salavarzi represents the first quarter of the Persian year. 

ISNA said Salavarzi made the comment in a meeting with lawmakers from Tehran province. The report gave no details of how the 50,000 jobs were lost. But reports from state media, social media and rights activists in Iran have described frequent layoffs and factory closures around the country this year. ​

Target of million jobs

Salavarzi also is quoted as saying the aim was to create 1 million jobs in the current Persian year that began in March. It was unclear to whose aim he was referring, but his disclosure of job losses in the first quarter of the year suggests Iran is lagging far behind that job creation goal. 

The United States withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal last month, starting the process of re-imposing tough sanctions on the Iranian energy sector that produces the country’s main export, oil. 

Since then, Iran’s rial has weakened to a record low against the dollar on the black market on fears the U.S. sanctions will curb oil exports that serve as the country’s main revenue source.

Value of rial drops

In a Thursday interview on VOA Persian’s NewsHour program, Iran analyst and former Glasgow University political science professor Reza Taghizadeh said the plunging value of the rial has exacerbated Iran’s job losses, particularly in manufacturing. 

“With the declining value of the national currency, the incentive to invest in Iran’s economy, for domestic investors or foreign investors, drops substantially,” Taghizadeh said. “And if there are no imports coming into Iran [because the rising dollar makes them more expensive], that will significantly affect what domestic manufacturers can make.”

Dependent on imports

He said Iran’s industries are heavily dependent on imports of unfinished products and of machinery needed to assemble the parts of those products. 

Iran’s official unemployment rate for the March 2017 to March 2018 Persian year was 12.1 percent. 

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA’s Persian Service.
…

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Business Leader: Iran Lost 50,000 Jobs in Three Months

Posted on by SeeEA

A prominent Iranian business leader said his country has lost tens of thousands of private sector jobs in recent months, the latest sign of a worsening Iranian economy as the U.S. re-imposes tough sanctions.

In a Thursday report, state news agency ISNA quoted the deputy head of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture as saying 50,000 jobs were lost from March to May. The three-month period referenced by Hossein Salavarzi represents the first quarter of the Persian year. 

ISNA said Salavarzi made the comment in a meeting with lawmakers from Tehran province. The report gave no details of how the 50,000 jobs were lost. But reports from state media, social media and rights activists in Iran have described frequent layoffs and factory closures around the country this year. ​

Target of million jobs

Salavarzi also is quoted as saying the aim was to create 1 million jobs in the current Persian year that began in March. It was unclear to whose aim he was referring, but his disclosure of job losses in the first quarter of the year suggests Iran is lagging far behind that job creation goal. 

The United States withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal last month, starting the process of re-imposing tough sanctions on the Iranian energy sector that produces the country’s main export, oil. 

Since then, Iran’s rial has weakened to a record low against the dollar on the black market on fears the U.S. sanctions will curb oil exports that serve as the country’s main revenue source.

Value of rial drops

In a Thursday interview on VOA Persian’s NewsHour program, Iran analyst and former Glasgow University political science professor Reza Taghizadeh said the plunging value of the rial has exacerbated Iran’s job losses, particularly in manufacturing. 

“With the declining value of the national currency, the incentive to invest in Iran’s economy, for domestic investors or foreign investors, drops substantially,” Taghizadeh said. “And if there are no imports coming into Iran [because the rising dollar makes them more expensive], that will significantly affect what domestic manufacturers can make.”

Dependent on imports

He said Iran’s industries are heavily dependent on imports of unfinished products and of machinery needed to assemble the parts of those products. 

Iran’s official unemployment rate for the March 2017 to March 2018 Persian year was 12.1 percent. 

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA’s Persian Service.
…

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US Delegation Attends Kenya’s Inaugural Economic Summit 

Posted on by SeeAF

A U.S. delegation traveled to Kenya on Thursday to attend the inaugural economic summit of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya.

About 500 delegates, including Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Gilbert Kaplan, U.S. undersecretary of commerce for international trade, other high-ranking government officials from both nations and representatives from nearly 30 major U.S. corporations, gathered at the summit, which was aimed at creating partnerships between the two nations’ public and private sectors in order to foster economic growth. 

The Kenyan agenda was centered on advancing Kenyatta’s “Big Four” priorities — universal health care, manufacturing, food security and affordable housing — that he set out after his re-election to a second term last year.

American companies in attendance were looking for opportunities to expand and to increase trade and investment in Africa.

Kaplan told VOA that increasing business and economic development in Africa would benefit many Americans, which aligns with the promises of President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda. 

“If we can export more and do more transactions here, do more investment here, that’s going to be incredibly helpful for the United States, for the people back home, because we’ll be making profitable ventures, and that will naturally help,” he said.

But the U.S. delegation also had a strong message for Kenya: Real, meaningful economic growth can’t happen unless Kenya commits to fighting corruption.

‘It’s got to stop’

“Corruption is undermining Kenya’s future,” said Robert Godec, U.S. ambassador to Kenya. “It’s clearly a major problem for the country. We welcome President Kenyatta’s commitment and the push recently to address this problem. Corruption is theft from the people, and it’s got to stop.”

In his speech to the delegation, Kenyatta pledged to “fight this animal called corruption and ensure that it is a beast that shall never infect or inflict future generations” of Kenyans. 

Kaplan told VOA that the U.S. government was providing support and training to the Kenyan government to help tackle corruption.

“We’ve dealt with that — the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, rule of law and international standards,” he said. “I think we can convince Kenya that following those rules is ultimately to their benefit because it brings more businessmen and women into the system and being able to be successful.” 

Part of the objective of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is to make it illegal for companies and their supervisors to influence foreign officials with personal payments or rewards.

C.D. Glin, president and chief executive of the U.S. African Development Foundation, told VOA that the U.S. government’s and private sector’s support of businesses in Africa that had ramped up under the previous administration was being continued by Trump.

For instance, the President’s Advisory Council for Doing Business in Africa, begun under the Barack Obama administration and still in force, “really is looking at Africa from a business standpoint and from an opportunity standpoint so that Africans can benefit from U.S. support, but also can support the U.S.,” Glin said.

Major boost

Nicholas Nesbitt, chairman of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, said the increased U.S. private sector investment had been hugely beneficial for the Kenyan economy.

“We see a lot more tourism coming to Kenya, a lot more trade and a lot more business,” he said. “We’re very excited to see the numbers of American companies — small, midsize and even large corporations — looking at Kenya as a destination. It’s also a gateway to east Africa, where there are 200 million potential consumers. So, the investments, the energy, the excitement is absolutely tremendous today at this summit between American and Kenyan business.”

Six commercial deals between Kenyan and American companies were signed at the summit. Maxwell Okello, chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya, called that a sign that significant economic change would be driven by private sector innovation.

“I think at the end of the day, with what we’re hearing today here, it’s really down to what the private sector wants to do from a commercial engagement,” he said. “And I believe conversations such as this is really where you spark that interest, where you create those linkages and the sort of engagement that you need. And the opportunities are there for anyone. They’re obvious.

“So, I think that various policies aside, from a commercial business engagement perspective, the sky is wide open.” 
…

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US Delegation Attends Kenya’s Inaugural Economic Summit 

Posted on by SeeAF

A U.S. delegation traveled to Kenya on Thursday to attend the inaugural economic summit of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya.

About 500 delegates, including Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Gilbert Kaplan, U.S. undersecretary of commerce for international trade, other high-ranking government officials from both nations and representatives from nearly 30 major U.S. corporations, gathered at the summit, which was aimed at creating partnerships between the two nations’ public and private sectors in order to foster economic growth. 

The Kenyan agenda was centered on advancing Kenyatta’s “Big Four” priorities — universal health care, manufacturing, food security and affordable housing — that he set out after his re-election to a second term last year.

American companies in attendance were looking for opportunities to expand and to increase trade and investment in Africa.

Kaplan told VOA that increasing business and economic development in Africa would benefit many Americans, which aligns with the promises of President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” agenda. 

“If we can export more and do more transactions here, do more investment here, that’s going to be incredibly helpful for the United States, for the people back home, because we’ll be making profitable ventures, and that will naturally help,” he said.

But the U.S. delegation also had a strong message for Kenya: Real, meaningful economic growth can’t happen unless Kenya commits to fighting corruption.

‘It’s got to stop’

“Corruption is undermining Kenya’s future,” said Robert Godec, U.S. ambassador to Kenya. “It’s clearly a major problem for the country. We welcome President Kenyatta’s commitment and the push recently to address this problem. Corruption is theft from the people, and it’s got to stop.”

In his speech to the delegation, Kenyatta pledged to “fight this animal called corruption and ensure that it is a beast that shall never infect or inflict future generations” of Kenyans. 

Kaplan told VOA that the U.S. government was providing support and training to the Kenyan government to help tackle corruption.

“We’ve dealt with that — the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, rule of law and international standards,” he said. “I think we can convince Kenya that following those rules is ultimately to their benefit because it brings more businessmen and women into the system and being able to be successful.” 

Part of the objective of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act is to make it illegal for companies and their supervisors to influence foreign officials with personal payments or rewards.

C.D. Glin, president and chief executive of the U.S. African Development Foundation, told VOA that the U.S. government’s and private sector’s support of businesses in Africa that had ramped up under the previous administration was being continued by Trump.

For instance, the President’s Advisory Council for Doing Business in Africa, begun under the Barack Obama administration and still in force, “really is looking at Africa from a business standpoint and from an opportunity standpoint so that Africans can benefit from U.S. support, but also can support the U.S.,” Glin said.

Major boost

Nicholas Nesbitt, chairman of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance, said the increased U.S. private sector investment had been hugely beneficial for the Kenyan economy.

“We see a lot more tourism coming to Kenya, a lot more trade and a lot more business,” he said. “We’re very excited to see the numbers of American companies — small, midsize and even large corporations — looking at Kenya as a destination. It’s also a gateway to east Africa, where there are 200 million potential consumers. So, the investments, the energy, the excitement is absolutely tremendous today at this summit between American and Kenyan business.”

Six commercial deals between Kenyan and American companies were signed at the summit. Maxwell Okello, chief executive of the American Chamber of Commerce, Kenya, called that a sign that significant economic change would be driven by private sector innovation.

“I think at the end of the day, with what we’re hearing today here, it’s really down to what the private sector wants to do from a commercial engagement,” he said. “And I believe conversations such as this is really where you spark that interest, where you create those linkages and the sort of engagement that you need. And the opportunities are there for anyone. They’re obvious.

“So, I think that various policies aside, from a commercial business engagement perspective, the sky is wide open.” 
…

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UN: 10,000 Children Killed, Maimed in Conflicts Worldwide in 2017

Posted on by SeeAF

More than 10,000 children were killed or maimed last year in armed conflicts around the world, a U.N. report said this week.

More than 21,000 “grave violations” of children’s rights were reported in 2017, a sharp increase from the year before, according to the annual Children and Armed Conflict report that was released Wednesday.

“Despite some progress, the level of violations remains unacceptable,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. 

The report covers 20 countries, including hot spots such as Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. 

According to the report:

— The Saudi Arabia-led coalition was responsible for at least half of the more than 1,300 child deaths in Yemen. It was also responsible for injuring more than 300 children. 

— Nigeria and Iraq imprisoned 2,200 and 1,000 children, respectively, because their families were allegedly associated with terrorist groups. 

— Al-Shabab extremists in Somalia abducted more than 1,600 children to use as soldiers or sex slaves. 

— In South Sudan, more than 1,200 children were recruited as soldiers. 

— In Yemen, there were more than 840 cases of boys as young as 11 being recruited and used as soldiers.

“The point is, these kids should not be treated like children of a lesser God; they deserve the same rights as every kid to live their lives at least meaningfully and to be given a chance at recovery,” said Virginia Gamba, the U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict.

Gamba said crises in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen were the main reasons for the “serious increases” in violations reported. 
…

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UN: 10,000 Children Killed, Maimed in Conflicts Worldwide in 2017

Posted on by SeeAF

More than 10,000 children were killed or maimed last year in armed conflicts around the world, a U.N. report said this week.

More than 21,000 “grave violations” of children’s rights were reported in 2017, a sharp increase from the year before, according to the annual Children and Armed Conflict report that was released Wednesday.

“Despite some progress, the level of violations remains unacceptable,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. 

The report covers 20 countries, including hot spots such as Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan. 

According to the report:

— The Saudi Arabia-led coalition was responsible for at least half of the more than 1,300 child deaths in Yemen. It was also responsible for injuring more than 300 children. 

— Nigeria and Iraq imprisoned 2,200 and 1,000 children, respectively, because their families were allegedly associated with terrorist groups. 

— Al-Shabab extremists in Somalia abducted more than 1,600 children to use as soldiers or sex slaves. 

— In South Sudan, more than 1,200 children were recruited as soldiers. 

— In Yemen, there were more than 840 cases of boys as young as 11 being recruited and used as soldiers.

“The point is, these kids should not be treated like children of a lesser God; they deserve the same rights as every kid to live their lives at least meaningfully and to be given a chance at recovery,” said Virginia Gamba, the U.N. special representative for children and armed conflict.

Gamba said crises in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen were the main reasons for the “serious increases” in violations reported. 
…

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France Charges 10 in Alleged Plot to Attack Muslims

Posted on by SeeEU

French authorities have charged 10 suspected far-right extremists in connection with an alleged plot to attack Muslims, a judicial source said Thursday.

The nine men and one woman, who ranged in age from 32 to 69, were arrested in raids across France on Saturday. They appeared before a judge on Wednesday evening and were charged with “criminal terrorist conspiracy,” the source said.

Several were also charged with violations of firearms laws and the manufacture or possession of explosive devices.

Police have linked the 10 to a little-known group called Action des Forces Operationnelles (Operational Forces Action), which urges French people to combat Muslims, or what it calls “the enemy within.”

The suspects had an “ill-defined plan to commit a violent act targeting people of the Muslim faith”, a source close to the investigation told AFP on Monday.

Rifles, handguns and homemade grenades were found during the raids in the Paris area, the Mediterranean island of Corsica and the western Charentes-Maritimes region.

Firearms, ammunition seized

Prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday that 36 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition were seized, as well as items in one suspect’s home that could be used in the manufacture of a type of organic peroxide explosive.

The suspects include a retired police officer, identified only as Guy S., who was the alleged leader of the group, according to a source close to the investigation. The group also includes a former soldier.

France remains on high alert following a wave of jihadist attacks that have killed more than 240 people since 2015.

Officials have urged people not to confuse the actions of radicalized individuals with those of France’s estimated 6 million Muslims, but anti-Islamic violence is on the rise.

The Guerre de France (War for France) website of the shadowy Operational Forces Action depicts an apocalyptic battle scene under the Eiffel Tower, and claims to prepare “French citizen-soldiers for combat on national territory.”

France’s TF1 television has said the group planned to target radicalized imams and Islamist prisoners after their release from jail, as well as veiled women in the street chosen at random.

France registered 72 violent anti-Muslim acts last year, up from 67 in 2016.
…

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France Charges 10 in Alleged Plot to Attack Muslims

Posted on by SeeEU

French authorities have charged 10 suspected far-right extremists in connection with an alleged plot to attack Muslims, a judicial source said Thursday.

The nine men and one woman, who ranged in age from 32 to 69, were arrested in raids across France on Saturday. They appeared before a judge on Wednesday evening and were charged with “criminal terrorist conspiracy,” the source said.

Several were also charged with violations of firearms laws and the manufacture or possession of explosive devices.

Police have linked the 10 to a little-known group called Action des Forces Operationnelles (Operational Forces Action), which urges French people to combat Muslims, or what it calls “the enemy within.”

The suspects had an “ill-defined plan to commit a violent act targeting people of the Muslim faith”, a source close to the investigation told AFP on Monday.

Rifles, handguns and homemade grenades were found during the raids in the Paris area, the Mediterranean island of Corsica and the western Charentes-Maritimes region.

Firearms, ammunition seized

Prosecutors said in a statement Wednesday that 36 firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition were seized, as well as items in one suspect’s home that could be used in the manufacture of a type of organic peroxide explosive.

The suspects include a retired police officer, identified only as Guy S., who was the alleged leader of the group, according to a source close to the investigation. The group also includes a former soldier.

France remains on high alert following a wave of jihadist attacks that have killed more than 240 people since 2015.

Officials have urged people not to confuse the actions of radicalized individuals with those of France’s estimated 6 million Muslims, but anti-Islamic violence is on the rise.

The Guerre de France (War for France) website of the shadowy Operational Forces Action depicts an apocalyptic battle scene under the Eiffel Tower, and claims to prepare “French citizen-soldiers for combat on national territory.”

France’s TF1 television has said the group planned to target radicalized imams and Islamist prisoners after their release from jail, as well as veiled women in the street chosen at random.

France registered 72 violent anti-Muslim acts last year, up from 67 in 2016.
…

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Shootings Reported at Maryland Newspaper

Posted on by SeeUS

Multiple people were reportedly shot Thursday afternoon at The Capital newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. 

The Baltimore Sun, which owns the Annapolis newspaper, said a reporter told Sun staffers of the shooting.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was responding to the shooting report.

Marc Limansky, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Police Department, said officers were searching the newspaper building in Annapolis. He said the situation was “active and ongoing.” But he said he had no details about potential victims and could not confirm the exact location of the building.
…

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Shootings Reported at Maryland Newspaper

Posted on by SeeUS

Multiple people were reportedly shot Thursday afternoon at The Capital newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. 

The Baltimore Sun, which owns the Annapolis newspaper, said a reporter told Sun staffers of the shooting.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it was responding to the shooting report.

Marc Limansky, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Police Department, said officers were searching the newspaper building in Annapolis. He said the situation was “active and ongoing.” But he said he had no details about potential victims and could not confirm the exact location of the building.
…

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Pope to 14 New Cardinals: Defend Dignity of Poor

Posted on by SeeEU

Pope Francis gave the Catholic Church 14 new cardinals Thursday, exhorting them to resist any temptation toward haughtiness and instead embrace “the greatest promotion” they can achieve:  tending to those neglected or cast aside by society.

Among those receiving the cardinals’ biretta — a crimson-red square cap with three ridges — was his point man for helping Rome’s homeless and poor. Polish Monsignor Konrad Krajewski has handed out sleeping bags to those spending cold nights on the Italian capital’s streets and driven vans taking the poor on seaside daytrips arranged by the Vatican.

The choices of many of the new cardinals reflected Francis’ determination that the church be known for tireless attention to those on society’s margins. He also turned his attention to countries located far from the Vatican after centuries of European dominance of the ranks of cardinals, honoring churchmen from Peru, Madagascar and Japan, which has a tiny minority of Catholics.

With Thursday’s ceremony, there are now 226 cardinals worldwide, 74 of them named by Francis during his 5-year-old papacy.

Of that total, 125 cardinals are younger than 80 and can vote in a conclave for the next pope when the current pope dies or resigns: 59 of them appointed by Francis, 47 by Pope Benedict XVI, his predecessor, and 19 named by Pope John Paul II. 

Three of those named Thursday are too old to participate in selecting the next pope.

In his homily, Francis told the new cardinals to avoid the “quest of honors, jealousy, envy, intrigue, accommodation and compromise.”

“What does it gain the world if we are living in a stifling atmosphere of intrigues that dry up our hearts and impede our mission?” the pope asked during the ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica. He lamented the “palace intrigues that take place, even in curial offices.”

“When we forget the mission, when we lose sight of the real faces of our brothers and sisters, our life gets locked up in the pursuit of our own interests and securities,” Francis said. “The church’s authority grows with this ability to defend the dignity of others.”

“This is the highest honor that we can receive, the greatest promotion that can be awarded us: to serve Christ in God’s faithful people,” Francis said, going on to cite the “hungry, neglected, imprisoned, sick, suffering, addicted to drugs, cast aside.”

Other top issues

At a post-ceremony reception, Peru’s new cardinal, Huancayo Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno, a Jesuit like Pope Francis, was asked which pressing questions churchmen should urgently address.

The cardinal told the AP that the “social exclusion” of migrants is an issue “all must address.”

Francis recently has appealed to all nations to be more welcoming to the refugees they can adequately integrate into society.

The Peruvian cardinal also cited the need to fight corruption worldwide. Francis has made battling corruption inside the church also one of his papacy’s priorities.

After the ceremony, the pope and the new cardinals took minivans to the monastery on Vatican City grounds where Benedict XVI, who retired from the papacy in 2013, lives. The cardinals each went up to greet the frail 91-year-old Benedict, who was sitting in a chair, taking his hand and briefly chatting with the emeritus pontiff.

New cardinals

The new cardinals include Iraqi churchman Louis Raphael I Sako, the Baghdad-based patriarch of Babylonia of the Chaldeans.

Sako told Francis that he welcomed the pope’s “special attention” to the “small flock who make up the Christians in the Middle East, in Pakistan and in other countries who are undergoing a difficult period due to the wars and sectarianism and where there are still martyrs.”

A Pakistani prelate, Joseph Coutts, archbishop of Karachi, was another new cardinal.

Addressing his “dear brother cardinals and new cardinals,” the pope said the “only credible form of authority is born of sitting at the feet of others in order to serve Christ.”

In a sign of the pope’s attention to ordinary people’s suffering, Monsignor Giuseppe Petrocchi, the archbishop of L’Aquila, an Italian mountain town devastated by a 2009 earthquake, was among the newest cardinals.

Other new cardinals include:

Monsignor Antonio dos Santos Marto, bishop of Leiria-Fatima, which includes Portugal’s popular shrine town;

Monsignor Desire Tsarahazana, archbishop of Toamasina, Madagascar;

Monsignor Thomas Aquinas Manyo, who was bishop of Hiroshima before Francis made him archbishop of Osaka, Japan;

Monsignor Luis Ladaria, a Spanish theologian who heads the powerful Vatican office in charge of ensuring doctrinal orthodoxy;

Monsignor Giovanni Angelo Becciu, an Italian whose diplomatic career includes serving as ambassador to Cuba;

Monsignor Angelo De Donatis, the Rome vicar general;

The three new prelates too old to vote in a conclave included Sergio Obeso Rivera, Emeritus Archbishop of Xalapa, Mexico; Spanish priest Aquilino Bocos Merino; and Bolivian Monsignor Toribio Ticona Porco.
…

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Pope to 14 New Cardinals: Defend Dignity of Poor

Posted on by SeeEU

Pope Francis gave the Catholic Church 14 new cardinals Thursday, exhorting them to resist any temptation toward haughtiness and instead embrace “the greatest promotion” they can achieve:  tending to those neglected or cast aside by society.

Among those receiving the cardinals’ biretta — a crimson-red square cap with three ridges — was his point man for helping Rome’s homeless and poor. Polish Monsignor Konrad Krajewski has handed out sleeping bags to those spending cold nights on the Italian capital’s streets and driven vans taking the poor on seaside daytrips arranged by the Vatican.

The choices of many of the new cardinals reflected Francis’ determination that the church be known for tireless attention to those on society’s margins. He also turned his attention to countries located far from the Vatican after centuries of European dominance of the ranks of cardinals, honoring churchmen from Peru, Madagascar and Japan, which has a tiny minority of Catholics.

With Thursday’s ceremony, there are now 226 cardinals worldwide, 74 of them named by Francis during his 5-year-old papacy.

Of that total, 125 cardinals are younger than 80 and can vote in a conclave for the next pope when the current pope dies or resigns: 59 of them appointed by Francis, 47 by Pope Benedict XVI, his predecessor, and 19 named by Pope John Paul II. 

Three of those named Thursday are too old to participate in selecting the next pope.

In his homily, Francis told the new cardinals to avoid the “quest of honors, jealousy, envy, intrigue, accommodation and compromise.”

“What does it gain the world if we are living in a stifling atmosphere of intrigues that dry up our hearts and impede our mission?” the pope asked during the ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica. He lamented the “palace intrigues that take place, even in curial offices.”

“When we forget the mission, when we lose sight of the real faces of our brothers and sisters, our life gets locked up in the pursuit of our own interests and securities,” Francis said. “The church’s authority grows with this ability to defend the dignity of others.”

“This is the highest honor that we can receive, the greatest promotion that can be awarded us: to serve Christ in God’s faithful people,” Francis said, going on to cite the “hungry, neglected, imprisoned, sick, suffering, addicted to drugs, cast aside.”

Other top issues

At a post-ceremony reception, Peru’s new cardinal, Huancayo Archbishop Pedro Barreto Jimeno, a Jesuit like Pope Francis, was asked which pressing questions churchmen should urgently address.

The cardinal told the AP that the “social exclusion” of migrants is an issue “all must address.”

Francis recently has appealed to all nations to be more welcoming to the refugees they can adequately integrate into society.

The Peruvian cardinal also cited the need to fight corruption worldwide. Francis has made battling corruption inside the church also one of his papacy’s priorities.

After the ceremony, the pope and the new cardinals took minivans to the monastery on Vatican City grounds where Benedict XVI, who retired from the papacy in 2013, lives. The cardinals each went up to greet the frail 91-year-old Benedict, who was sitting in a chair, taking his hand and briefly chatting with the emeritus pontiff.

New cardinals

The new cardinals include Iraqi churchman Louis Raphael I Sako, the Baghdad-based patriarch of Babylonia of the Chaldeans.

Sako told Francis that he welcomed the pope’s “special attention” to the “small flock who make up the Christians in the Middle East, in Pakistan and in other countries who are undergoing a difficult period due to the wars and sectarianism and where there are still martyrs.”

A Pakistani prelate, Joseph Coutts, archbishop of Karachi, was another new cardinal.

Addressing his “dear brother cardinals and new cardinals,” the pope said the “only credible form of authority is born of sitting at the feet of others in order to serve Christ.”

In a sign of the pope’s attention to ordinary people’s suffering, Monsignor Giuseppe Petrocchi, the archbishop of L’Aquila, an Italian mountain town devastated by a 2009 earthquake, was among the newest cardinals.

Other new cardinals include:

Monsignor Antonio dos Santos Marto, bishop of Leiria-Fatima, which includes Portugal’s popular shrine town;

Monsignor Desire Tsarahazana, archbishop of Toamasina, Madagascar;

Monsignor Thomas Aquinas Manyo, who was bishop of Hiroshima before Francis made him archbishop of Osaka, Japan;

Monsignor Luis Ladaria, a Spanish theologian who heads the powerful Vatican office in charge of ensuring doctrinal orthodoxy;

Monsignor Giovanni Angelo Becciu, an Italian whose diplomatic career includes serving as ambassador to Cuba;

Monsignor Angelo De Donatis, the Rome vicar general;

The three new prelates too old to vote in a conclave included Sergio Obeso Rivera, Emeritus Archbishop of Xalapa, Mexico; Spanish priest Aquilino Bocos Merino; and Bolivian Monsignor Toribio Ticona Porco.
…

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Atlanta to Bring Human Rights Murals to City for Super Bowl

Posted on by SeeUS

In the months leading up to the 2019 Super Bowl, some of Atlanta’s bare walls will get a makeover.

The city of Atlanta and the Super Bowl Host Committee have partnered with arts group WonderRoot to launch “Off the Wall.” The project will create up to 30 murals focusing on Atlanta’s past, present and future role in civil and human rights. Brett Daniels, chief operating officer of the host committee, said the murals will transform the city in hopes of sparking a community-wide conversation. 

The artwork will start going up this fall and will remain as a permanent part of Atlanta’s cultural scene after the game. Students from Freedom University, which provides services for immigrant students in the country illegally, will aid in the design and installation of the murals.
…

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Atlanta to Bring Human Rights Murals to City for Super Bowl

Posted on by SeeUS

In the months leading up to the 2019 Super Bowl, some of Atlanta’s bare walls will get a makeover.

The city of Atlanta and the Super Bowl Host Committee have partnered with arts group WonderRoot to launch “Off the Wall.” The project will create up to 30 murals focusing on Atlanta’s past, present and future role in civil and human rights. Brett Daniels, chief operating officer of the host committee, said the murals will transform the city in hopes of sparking a community-wide conversation. 

The artwork will start going up this fall and will remain as a permanent part of Atlanta’s cultural scene after the game. Students from Freedom University, which provides services for immigrant students in the country illegally, will aid in the design and installation of the murals.
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Self-Styled Utah Prophet Gets Additional 15-Year Prison Term

Posted on by SeeUS

A self-styled prophet who led a doomsday cult and secretly married young girls because of his beliefs in polygamy and has already been sentenced to 26 years in prison has been given a 15-year term following another guilty plea.

Samuel Shaffer, 35, was sentenced Wednesday in Manti, Utah, after pleading guilty to one felony count of child sodomy, the Deseret News reported . Other charges including bigamy, lewdness involving a child and an additional sodomy count were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea.

He had previously pleaded guilty to separate child rape and abuse charges in another Utah court, and was sentenced last month to at least 26 years in prison. The new sentence will be served concurrently and won’t extend his prison term but will be reviewed when determining his parole, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say Shaffer led a group called the Knights of the Crystal Blade based on arcane Mormon ideas long abandoned by the mainstream church.

He and his fellow self-styled prophet, John Coltharp, 34, proclaimed to each secretly marry two young girls aged 4 through 8 related to the other man.

Coltharp pleaded guilty to sodomy and child bigamy charges earlier this month. His sentencing is scheduled for August.

Shaffer was charged in December 2017 after police with helicopters and dogs raided a remote makeshift desert compound made out of shipping containers about 275 miles (440 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Authorities found the girls hiding in flimsy plastic barrels and a nearby abandoned trailer where Shaffer said he had placed them to protect them from the winter weather.

The men had taken the children to the compound months before in preparation for an apocalypse or in hopes of gaining followers, authorities said.

At the hearing Wednesday, Shaffer told Judge Marvin Bagley that he had hoped to have a family and grow old with one of the girls.

“I sincerely believed that child marriage was a correct principle from God. And I’ve seen the consequences of what’s happened, and I know that I shouldn’t have done it now,” Shaffer said. “But I sincerely believed that the practice was correct at the time.”

“I’m not aware of any religion in this world that justifies an adult having a sexual relationship with an 8-year-old girl,” the judge said. “Certainly it’s a violation of Utah law.”

A third man, Robert Shane Roe, 34, of Castro, California, was charged earlier this month with sodomy of a child in connection with the group. He allegedly met the cult’s founders in a Facebook discussion group last year and traveled to Utah to join them.
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Self-Styled Utah Prophet Gets Additional 15-Year Prison Term

Posted on by SeeUS

A self-styled prophet who led a doomsday cult and secretly married young girls because of his beliefs in polygamy and has already been sentenced to 26 years in prison has been given a 15-year term following another guilty plea.

Samuel Shaffer, 35, was sentenced Wednesday in Manti, Utah, after pleading guilty to one felony count of child sodomy, the Deseret News reported . Other charges including bigamy, lewdness involving a child and an additional sodomy count were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea.

He had previously pleaded guilty to separate child rape and abuse charges in another Utah court, and was sentenced last month to at least 26 years in prison. The new sentence will be served concurrently and won’t extend his prison term but will be reviewed when determining his parole, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors say Shaffer led a group called the Knights of the Crystal Blade based on arcane Mormon ideas long abandoned by the mainstream church.

He and his fellow self-styled prophet, John Coltharp, 34, proclaimed to each secretly marry two young girls aged 4 through 8 related to the other man.

Coltharp pleaded guilty to sodomy and child bigamy charges earlier this month. His sentencing is scheduled for August.

Shaffer was charged in December 2017 after police with helicopters and dogs raided a remote makeshift desert compound made out of shipping containers about 275 miles (440 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. Authorities found the girls hiding in flimsy plastic barrels and a nearby abandoned trailer where Shaffer said he had placed them to protect them from the winter weather.

The men had taken the children to the compound months before in preparation for an apocalypse or in hopes of gaining followers, authorities said.

At the hearing Wednesday, Shaffer told Judge Marvin Bagley that he had hoped to have a family and grow old with one of the girls.

“I sincerely believed that child marriage was a correct principle from God. And I’ve seen the consequences of what’s happened, and I know that I shouldn’t have done it now,” Shaffer said. “But I sincerely believed that the practice was correct at the time.”

“I’m not aware of any religion in this world that justifies an adult having a sexual relationship with an 8-year-old girl,” the judge said. “Certainly it’s a violation of Utah law.”

A third man, Robert Shane Roe, 34, of Castro, California, was charged earlier this month with sodomy of a child in connection with the group. He allegedly met the cult’s founders in a Facebook discussion group last year and traveled to Utah to join them.
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At UN, South Sudan Cease-fire Welcomed With Cautious Optimism

Posted on by SeeAF

African countries on the U.N. Security Council welcomed Thursday the signing of a permanent cease-fire between South Sudan’s president and his former vice president, but they expressed concern that, like previous agreements, it may not last. 

President Salva Kiir and his rival and former vice president, Riek Machar, signed the framework on Tuesday in Khartoum. 

South Sudan’s U.N. ambassador, Akuei Bona Malwal, said the declaration includes other warring parties, and they have all pledged to work together to bring peace to the country.

“While the document signed is a framework for peace, we are hopeful and very optimistic that a final agreement will be concluded in the very near future,” Malwal said.  “At this juncture, I would like to announce that in the next few hours President Salva Kiir will decree a comprehensive cease-fire all over South Sudan.”

Security Council members welcomed the sign of progress after more than four years of a bloody civil war that has seen thousands killed and more than 4 million displaced from their homes or made refugees. The fighting has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, with 7 million South Sudanese requiring humanitarian assistance this year. 

Equatorial Guinea’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Job Obiang Esono Mbengono, said the peace declaration is a step on the right path. 

“However, we are cautious when comes to optimism, since it is not first time the parties have reached agreements and not respected them,” Mbengono said through an interpreter. “Hence, we call on leaders to show responsibility.”

Ethiopian envoy Tekeda Alemu said the coming days would be critical. 

“What matters now is, of course, for the parties to honor this commitment and implement the cease-fire,” Alemu said.

Cote d’Ivoire’s envoy also urged the parties to honor their commitments and said his government supports deploying a joint IGAD and African Union force to enforce the cease-fire.

 

 

 
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At UN, South Sudan Cease-fire Welcomed With Cautious Optimism

Posted on by SeeAF

African countries on the U.N. Security Council welcomed Thursday the signing of a permanent cease-fire between South Sudan’s president and his former vice president, but they expressed concern that, like previous agreements, it may not last. 

President Salva Kiir and his rival and former vice president, Riek Machar, signed the framework on Tuesday in Khartoum. 

South Sudan’s U.N. ambassador, Akuei Bona Malwal, said the declaration includes other warring parties, and they have all pledged to work together to bring peace to the country.

“While the document signed is a framework for peace, we are hopeful and very optimistic that a final agreement will be concluded in the very near future,” Malwal said.  “At this juncture, I would like to announce that in the next few hours President Salva Kiir will decree a comprehensive cease-fire all over South Sudan.”

Security Council members welcomed the sign of progress after more than four years of a bloody civil war that has seen thousands killed and more than 4 million displaced from their homes or made refugees. The fighting has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, with 7 million South Sudanese requiring humanitarian assistance this year. 

Equatorial Guinea’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Job Obiang Esono Mbengono, said the peace declaration is a step on the right path. 

“However, we are cautious when comes to optimism, since it is not first time the parties have reached agreements and not respected them,” Mbengono said through an interpreter. “Hence, we call on leaders to show responsibility.”

Ethiopian envoy Tekeda Alemu said the coming days would be critical. 

“What matters now is, of course, for the parties to honor this commitment and implement the cease-fire,” Alemu said.

Cote d’Ivoire’s envoy also urged the parties to honor their commitments and said his government supports deploying a joint IGAD and African Union force to enforce the cease-fire.

 

 

 
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Republicans Unleash Attack on Russia Probe Investigating Trump

Posted on by SeeUS

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives supportive of President Donald Trump launched an all-out attack Thursday on two of his key law enforcement officials handling the continuing criminal investigation of Trump campaign links to Russia in 2016.

In a House Judiciary Committee hearing, the lawmakers accused Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein of hiding thousands of pages of documents on the origins of the two-year investigation into Russian interference in the election that was aimed at helping Trump win the White House over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

They also attacked Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray for what he acknowledged was the bias against Trump of a handful of FBI agents working on the investigation and an earlier probe of Clinton’s handling of classified material on a private email server while she was secretary of state.

The hearing came as the Republican majority in the full House, ignoring the opposition of Democrats, pushed through a nonbinding resolution rebuking Rosenstein for not fully complying with a subpoena to turn over all the documents and ordered him to do so by July 6.

Rosenstein told the judiciary panel that thousands of the documents have already been handed to the committee and that 100 Justice Department staff members are working around the clock sifting through thousands more pages of material to comply with the lawmakers’ demands.

Rosenstein appointed special counsel Robert Mueller and has overseen his work for the last 13 months conducting the Russia investigation and whether Trump obstructed justice by firing James Comey, a former FBI director who was handling the Russia probe before Mueller took over.

One Republican lawmaker, Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, never asked Rosenstein a question in the hearing, but delivered a scathing five-minute monologue on the Mueller investigation.

“If you’ve got evidence [of Trump wrongdoing], finish it the hell up because this country is being torn apart,” Gowdy demanded of Rosenstein.

Gowdy and other Republican lawmakers condemned Peter Strzok, an FBI agent working on the probe, for telling his lover, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, in an email exchange that “we’ll stop” Trump from becoming president.

Gowdy, a one-time prosecutor, said it was “more bias manifested by an agent” than he had ever seen.

Rosenstein acknowledged that Strzok’s comments were “highly inappropriate.”

“It’s more than that,” retorted another Republican lawmaker, Congressman Ron DeSantis of Florida.

Strzok, who was recently escorted out of the FBI while the agency further examines his conduct, spent 11 hours answering lawmakers’ questions behind closed doors Wednesday, telling them the exchange with Page was a private comment and did not impact his impartiality in working on both the Clinton email probe and later the Mueller investigation. Mueller dismissed Strzok from his investigative staff months ago when his anti-Trump emails first surfaced.

A Justice Department watchdog recently concluded there was no political bias in the Clinton email probe, but that FBI agents and Comey had not adhered to agency rules in the way they conducted the probe and other aspects of their work.

DeSantis told Rosenstein he ought to remove himself from oversight of the Mueller investigation because he played a role in the initial White House justification for Trump’s firing of Comey in May 2017.

“I can assure you that if it were appropriate for me to recuse, I’d be more than happy to do so,” Rosenstein replied.

The House Republican support for Trump came as the U.S. leader unleashed a new barrage of dismissive Twitter comments targeting Mueller’s probe, calling it “a disgraceful situation!” He noted that Russia continues to deny interfering in the investigation. 
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Republicans Unleash Attack on Russia Probe Investigating Trump

Posted on by SeeUS

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives supportive of President Donald Trump launched an all-out attack Thursday on two of his key law enforcement officials handling the continuing criminal investigation of Trump campaign links to Russia in 2016.

In a House Judiciary Committee hearing, the lawmakers accused Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein of hiding thousands of pages of documents on the origins of the two-year investigation into Russian interference in the election that was aimed at helping Trump win the White House over Democrat Hillary Clinton.

They also attacked Federal Bureau of Investigation director Christopher Wray for what he acknowledged was the bias against Trump of a handful of FBI agents working on the investigation and an earlier probe of Clinton’s handling of classified material on a private email server while she was secretary of state.

The hearing came as the Republican majority in the full House, ignoring the opposition of Democrats, pushed through a nonbinding resolution rebuking Rosenstein for not fully complying with a subpoena to turn over all the documents and ordered him to do so by July 6.

Rosenstein told the judiciary panel that thousands of the documents have already been handed to the committee and that 100 Justice Department staff members are working around the clock sifting through thousands more pages of material to comply with the lawmakers’ demands.

Rosenstein appointed special counsel Robert Mueller and has overseen his work for the last 13 months conducting the Russia investigation and whether Trump obstructed justice by firing James Comey, a former FBI director who was handling the Russia probe before Mueller took over.

One Republican lawmaker, Congressman Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, never asked Rosenstein a question in the hearing, but delivered a scathing five-minute monologue on the Mueller investigation.

“If you’ve got evidence [of Trump wrongdoing], finish it the hell up because this country is being torn apart,” Gowdy demanded of Rosenstein.

Gowdy and other Republican lawmakers condemned Peter Strzok, an FBI agent working on the probe, for telling his lover, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, in an email exchange that “we’ll stop” Trump from becoming president.

Gowdy, a one-time prosecutor, said it was “more bias manifested by an agent” than he had ever seen.

Rosenstein acknowledged that Strzok’s comments were “highly inappropriate.”

“It’s more than that,” retorted another Republican lawmaker, Congressman Ron DeSantis of Florida.

Strzok, who was recently escorted out of the FBI while the agency further examines his conduct, spent 11 hours answering lawmakers’ questions behind closed doors Wednesday, telling them the exchange with Page was a private comment and did not impact his impartiality in working on both the Clinton email probe and later the Mueller investigation. Mueller dismissed Strzok from his investigative staff months ago when his anti-Trump emails first surfaced.

A Justice Department watchdog recently concluded there was no political bias in the Clinton email probe, but that FBI agents and Comey had not adhered to agency rules in the way they conducted the probe and other aspects of their work.

DeSantis told Rosenstein he ought to remove himself from oversight of the Mueller investigation because he played a role in the initial White House justification for Trump’s firing of Comey in May 2017.

“I can assure you that if it were appropriate for me to recuse, I’d be more than happy to do so,” Rosenstein replied.

The House Republican support for Trump came as the U.S. leader unleashed a new barrage of dismissive Twitter comments targeting Mueller’s probe, calling it “a disgraceful situation!” He noted that Russia continues to deny interfering in the investigation. 
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Russia Cracks Down on Women-Shaming Online During World Cup

Posted on by SeeEU

Russia’s leading social network is cracking down on chat groups created to shame women during the World cup amid growing complaints of sexist abuse during the tournament.

Social network VKontakte told The Associated Press on Thursday it issued warnings to the administrators of such groups. VKontakte reminded administrators that “offensive behavior is unacceptable” and told them to better moderate their sites, including blocking content.

But sexist comments continued to appear Thursday on at least one of the targeted sites, which was named after an offensive Portuguese phrase for the female anatomy.

The site’s administrators openly criticize what they call inappropriate behavior by Russian women who celebrate with foreign fans during the World Cup.

Several female fans, journalists and others have complained of groping, sexist comments or other misconduct at the World Cup, being hosted in 11 Russian cities.
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Russia Cracks Down on Women-Shaming Online During World Cup

Posted on by SeeEU

Russia’s leading social network is cracking down on chat groups created to shame women during the World cup amid growing complaints of sexist abuse during the tournament.

Social network VKontakte told The Associated Press on Thursday it issued warnings to the administrators of such groups. VKontakte reminded administrators that “offensive behavior is unacceptable” and told them to better moderate their sites, including blocking content.

But sexist comments continued to appear Thursday on at least one of the targeted sites, which was named after an offensive Portuguese phrase for the female anatomy.

The site’s administrators openly criticize what they call inappropriate behavior by Russian women who celebrate with foreign fans during the World Cup.

Several female fans, journalists and others have complained of groping, sexist comments or other misconduct at the World Cup, being hosted in 11 Russian cities.
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Trump to Tout Economic Policies at Foxconn Ground-Breaking

Posted on by SeeUS

President Donald Trump was highlighting his economic policies Thursday by taking part in the ceremonial ground-breaking for a $10 billion Foxconn factory complex that may bring thousands of jobs to a state he barely carried in the 2016 presidential election.

But Trump’s celebration comes amid less-rosy economic news, with Harley-Davidson’s announcement it’s moving some motorcycle production overseas to avoid European Union tariffs that are a product of Trump’s escalating trade dispute with long-standing U.S. allies.

The president was irked by the Milwaukee-based company’s announcement this week and tweeted about it for three straight days, writing that any shift in production “will be the beginning of the end” for the iconic American manufacturer and even threatening retaliatory taxes.

Trump’s presence in Wisconsin was the subject of protests both in Milwaukee, where he spent a rare weeknight away from the White House, and in Mount Pleasant, where final preparations were under way for the ground-breaking.

Chants of “Hey, hey, Ho, ho. Donald Trump has got to go” were heard near the Pfister Hotel, where Trump overnighted and attended a pair of closed-door campaign events before heading to the groundbreaking and tour of an existing Foxconn facility. Gov. Scott Walker and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., were among those joining the president at the fundraisers. 

About 50 people walked from a downtown park to as close as they could get to the roped-off hotel, hoping Trump hears their calls to reunite migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border after the president decide to prosecute everyone trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

As the president hobnobbed with supporters, his wife, Melania, was making her second trip in a week to the southern border to visit detention centers housing migrant children. She toured a Texas center last Thursday.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant rights organization, said the family separation issue is not unique to border communities. She said it’s also happening in the U.S. interior where deportations have increased.

“The scale of human rights violations that are being inflicted on children and families by the current administration should shake us to our core,” she said.

Protesters were also gathering near the Foxconn Technology Group campus in Mount Pleasant, about 30 miles south of Milwaukee.

Nearly 40 groups representing students, environmentalists, civil rights advocates, teachers, union workers and others have organized an event featuring dozens of speakers, a marching band, singers and musicians who plan to play ominous “Star Wars” music.

Foxconn is the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer and assembles Apple iPhones and other products for tech companies. Based in Taiwan, it chose Wisconsin after being prodded by Trump and others, including Ryan, whose district will include the plant.

The project could employ up to 13,000 people, though opponents say it is costing Wisconsin taxpayers too much.

The ceremonial groundbreaking was supposed to be evidence that the manufacturing revival fueled by Trump’s “America First” policy is well underway. But Harley-Davidson’s announcement, spurred by the trans-Atlantic tariff fight, appears to have turned that on its head.

Walker is counting on a strong economy as part of his case for re-election in November. Wisconsin’s unemployment is at record-low levels and Walker argues that the Foxconn project, the largest economic development deal in state history, shows the state is on the right track.

When the deal, reached with assistance from the White House, was signed last year, Walker said critics could “suck lemons” and “all of us in the state should be smiling, Republican and Democrat, doesn’t matter.”

A year later, opinion polls show Wisconsin voters are split on the project and the state of the economy.

Trump carried Wisconsin by less than 1 point — just under 23,000 votes. He’s underwater in popularity, with only 44 percent of respondents in last week’s Marquette University Law School poll approving of the job he’s doing, while 50 percent disapproved.

Republicans were mostly unified in support of Foxconn, saying it is a once-a-generation opportunity to transform the state’s economy. But most Democrats — including all eight of those running against Walker — are against it, arguing the potential $4.5 billion in taxpayer subsidies was too rich. If paid out — they’re tied to jobs and investment benchmarks — the incentives would be the most paid to a foreign company in U.S. history.

Should Foxconn employ 13,000 workers as envisioned, it would be the largest private-sector employer in Wisconsin.

“Foxconn’s state-of-the-art products will be made in the U.S.A. — proudly in the state of Wisconsin!” Walker tweeted Tuesday, as he tried to shift the focus away from Harley-Davidson.

 
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Trump to Tout Economic Policies at Foxconn Ground-Breaking

Posted on by SeeUS

President Donald Trump was highlighting his economic policies Thursday by taking part in the ceremonial ground-breaking for a $10 billion Foxconn factory complex that may bring thousands of jobs to a state he barely carried in the 2016 presidential election.

But Trump’s celebration comes amid less-rosy economic news, with Harley-Davidson’s announcement it’s moving some motorcycle production overseas to avoid European Union tariffs that are a product of Trump’s escalating trade dispute with long-standing U.S. allies.

The president was irked by the Milwaukee-based company’s announcement this week and tweeted about it for three straight days, writing that any shift in production “will be the beginning of the end” for the iconic American manufacturer and even threatening retaliatory taxes.

Trump’s presence in Wisconsin was the subject of protests both in Milwaukee, where he spent a rare weeknight away from the White House, and in Mount Pleasant, where final preparations were under way for the ground-breaking.

Chants of “Hey, hey, Ho, ho. Donald Trump has got to go” were heard near the Pfister Hotel, where Trump overnighted and attended a pair of closed-door campaign events before heading to the groundbreaking and tour of an existing Foxconn facility. Gov. Scott Walker and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., were among those joining the president at the fundraisers. 

About 50 people walked from a downtown park to as close as they could get to the roped-off hotel, hoping Trump hears their calls to reunite migrant families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border after the president decide to prosecute everyone trying to enter the U.S. illegally.

As the president hobnobbed with supporters, his wife, Melania, was making her second trip in a week to the southern border to visit detention centers housing migrant children. She toured a Texas center last Thursday.

Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant rights organization, said the family separation issue is not unique to border communities. She said it’s also happening in the U.S. interior where deportations have increased.

“The scale of human rights violations that are being inflicted on children and families by the current administration should shake us to our core,” she said.

Protesters were also gathering near the Foxconn Technology Group campus in Mount Pleasant, about 30 miles south of Milwaukee.

Nearly 40 groups representing students, environmentalists, civil rights advocates, teachers, union workers and others have organized an event featuring dozens of speakers, a marching band, singers and musicians who plan to play ominous “Star Wars” music.

Foxconn is the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer and assembles Apple iPhones and other products for tech companies. Based in Taiwan, it chose Wisconsin after being prodded by Trump and others, including Ryan, whose district will include the plant.

The project could employ up to 13,000 people, though opponents say it is costing Wisconsin taxpayers too much.

The ceremonial groundbreaking was supposed to be evidence that the manufacturing revival fueled by Trump’s “America First” policy is well underway. But Harley-Davidson’s announcement, spurred by the trans-Atlantic tariff fight, appears to have turned that on its head.

Walker is counting on a strong economy as part of his case for re-election in November. Wisconsin’s unemployment is at record-low levels and Walker argues that the Foxconn project, the largest economic development deal in state history, shows the state is on the right track.

When the deal, reached with assistance from the White House, was signed last year, Walker said critics could “suck lemons” and “all of us in the state should be smiling, Republican and Democrat, doesn’t matter.”

A year later, opinion polls show Wisconsin voters are split on the project and the state of the economy.

Trump carried Wisconsin by less than 1 point — just under 23,000 votes. He’s underwater in popularity, with only 44 percent of respondents in last week’s Marquette University Law School poll approving of the job he’s doing, while 50 percent disapproved.

Republicans were mostly unified in support of Foxconn, saying it is a once-a-generation opportunity to transform the state’s economy. But most Democrats — including all eight of those running against Walker — are against it, arguing the potential $4.5 billion in taxpayer subsidies was too rich. If paid out — they’re tied to jobs and investment benchmarks — the incentives would be the most paid to a foreign company in U.S. history.

Should Foxconn employ 13,000 workers as envisioned, it would be the largest private-sector employer in Wisconsin.

“Foxconn’s state-of-the-art products will be made in the U.S.A. — proudly in the state of Wisconsin!” Walker tweeted Tuesday, as he tried to shift the focus away from Harley-Davidson.

 
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