As a trade dispute rooted in historical tensions spirals toward a full-blown trade war between Japan and South Korea, there are signs the United States is starting to take a bigger mediating role.The top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, who visited Japan earlier this week, met Wednesday with top South Korean officials in Seoul, where he urged a quick resolution to the dispute.“The U.S., as close friends and allies to both, will do what it can to support their efforts to resolve [the situation],” said David Stillwell, the new U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs.South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha talks with David Stilwell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, during a meeting at the foreign ministry in Seoul, July 17, 2019.The crisis erupted earlier this month when Japan restricted exports of high-tech materials to South Korea. The materials are used to produce semiconductors and displays in smartphones and other electronics that are key to South Korea’s export-driven economy.In restricting the materials, Tokyo cited national security reasons. But the move is widely seen as retaliation for recent South Korean court rulings ordering Japanese companies to compensate Koreans who were forced to work during Japan’s colonial occupation of Korea.The U.S. is traditionally reluctant to become too involved in issues related to contentious historical disputes between South Korea and Japan, which are both key allies of Washington. The Trump administration has especially taken a hands-off approach during the current round of tensions.Speaking in Japan last week, Stillwell told Japanese broadcaster NHK he doesn’t “plan to mediate or engage, other than to encourage both sides to focus on the key issues in the region, especially with North Korea.”Wide-ranging effectsSince then, the situation has only worsened.Notices campaigning for a boycott of Japanese-made products are displayed at a store in Seoul, South Korea, July 9, 2019.South Korean President Moon Jae-in told South Korean companies to prepare for a prolonged dispute and that the “framework of economic cooperation” between Seoul and Tokyo has been broken.Japan is also considering removing South Korea from its “white list” of trusted trade partners – a serious escalation that would make it harder for the two countries to trade a wide range of technologies.A trade war between Japan and South Korea, the world’s third and 11th largest economies respectively, would have wide-ranging ramifications.It could threaten global technology supply chains, since South Korea produces 70 percent of the world’s memory chips. It could also further slow global growth already hampered by U.S.-China trade tensions.U.S. interests in Asia could also be hurt if Japan, South Korea, and the United States are not able to work together to counter challengers like North Korea and China.Expanded U.S. mediation?To help resolve the dispute, Matt Pottinger, senior director for Asian affairs on the White House National Security Council, is headed to South Korea and Japan, according to one report.Speaking Wednesday after meeting with Assistant Secretary Stillwell, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha welcomed U.S. mediation.“It certainly helps to have an interlocutor who can really play a role of a bridge and communication channels between the two sides,” said Kang.A senior South Korean official said he warned Stillwell the dispute could impact “trilateral cooperation” between South Korea, Japan, and the United States, especially if Japan removes South Korea from its “white list.”“That would be a very, very significant act,” the South Korean official told foreign media, speaking on condition of anonymity. “If that happens, it will cause a tremendous amount of problems and it would definitely put a strain on Korea, Japan, U.S. trilateral cooperation.”The official added that South Korea believes it can resolve the dispute through “constructive dialogue with Japan.”In the past, the U.S. has attempted to mediate disputes between South Korea and Japan.During a period of tensions in 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama helped bring together Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and then-South Korean President Park Geun-hye for their first face-to-face talks.But this time around, some analysts say the United States does not appear as invested in helping resolve the dispute, pointing out U.S. President Donald Trump’s longstanding trade criticisms of both Japan and South Korea.“The Trump people think that both Japan and Korea are security free-riders. Trump picks fights with both of them on trade,” says Robert Kelly, professor of political science at South Korea’s Pusan National University.Longstanding tensionsThe trade dispute is the latest flare-up in tensions rooted in Japan’s brutal 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean peninsula. A major source of friction is how to compensate those forced into labor and sexual slavery in the colonial era.Japan says the reparations issue was resolved with a 1965 treaty that normalized Japan-South Korea relations. Japan has complained that subsequent South Korean governments have not accepted further Japanese apologies and attempts to make amends.The issue re-emerged last year after South Korea’s Supreme Court ordered Japanese companies, including Mitsubishi Heavy, to compensate Korean forced labor victims. The companies have not complied with the rulings, leading some victims to begin the legal process to seize or liquidate the companies’ assets in Korea.Japan says the rulings are unacceptable. But South Korea says it cannot overturn them, saying that doing so would amount to interference in South Korea’s independent court system.Japan maintains that national security concerns, not the South Korean court rulings, are the impetus for its export restrictions. But while announcing the measures, Japanese officials mentioned how the forced labor issue had broken trust with Seoul.Domestic supportAnalysts say both Korean and Japanese leaders are using the issue to drum up domestic support.Japan on Sunday holds an Upper House election. Since the flare-up of tensions with South Korea, some polls have suggested Prime Minister Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has extended its lead over opposition parties.Popular opinion in South Korea also appears to give President Moon little reason for backing down. According to a poll released last week by Gallup Korea, 67 percent of South Koreans would support a boycott against Japan.“I think a boycott would be positive,” said Kin Seon-hwa, a 33-year-old office worker in Seoul. “I sometimes drink Japanese brand beer, like Asahi, but right now there’s no reason to have that brand.”“Right now, though, I would not travel to Japan,” said Hwang Gwang-hyun, a 29-year-old who also works in Seoul.
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Month: July 2019
EU Probes Amazon Over Use of Retailer Info to Gain Edge
The European Union is opening a new front in its quest to more closely regulate big tech companies, saying Wednesday it was investigating whether U.S. online giant Amazon uses data from independent retailers to gain an illegal edge when selling its own products.EU antitrust Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said she is taking a “very close look at Amazon’s business practices and its dual role as marketplace and retailer, to assess its compliance with EU competition rules.”
In addition to selling its own products, Amazon also allows third-party retailers to sell their goods through its site. Last year, more than half of the items sold on Amazon worldwide were from third-party sellers.
The EU opened a preliminary probe into the issue last year, and Vestager said it has shown that “Amazon appears to use competitively sensitive information — about marketplace sellers, their products and transactions on the marketplace.” Using the information could give it an unfair competitive edge.
In a parallel case, Germany’s competition regulator said Wednesday that Amazon was changing some of its business conditions for traders on its online marketplace worldwide after it raised concerns about some terms. The regulator said that the changes affect a range of issues such as a one-sided exemption from liability to Amazon’s benefit as well as the place of jurisdiction for disputes.
Other EU countries like Austria, Luxembourg and Italy are also independently investigating Amazon but EU spokeswoman Lucia Caudet said the national probes did not overlap with the EU investigation.
Amazon said it would cooperate with the EU authorities, according to media reports.
The EU’s investigations into major companies like Amazon have led the way in a global push to more tightly regulate tech giants, as many governments wonder if they are becoming too big for the good of the wider economy.
Among the key questions are not only whether the tech giants abuse their market dominance to choke off competition, potentially stifling choice for consumers, but also whether they are adequately protecting users data and paying their fair share of taxes in countries where they operate.
Tech companies do huge business across Europe but pay taxes only in the EU nation where their local headquarters are based, often a low-tax haven like Luxembourg or the Netherlands. The result is they pay a far lower rate than traditional businesses. France has tried to address the problem by unilaterally imposing a 3% tax on big tech companies’ revenue in the country. The U.S. government is not happy about that and finance ministers from the Group of Seven wealthy countries will discuss the issue this week in Paris.
Ursula von der Leyen, the EU Commission President elect who should take up her role in November, has said she will try to be more vigilant to make sure such companies pay enough taxes.
Amazon has already been the target of previous EU investigations. Two years ago, officials ordered it to pay $295 million in back taxes to Luxembourg after finding that the company profited from a tax avoidance deal with the tiny European country. EU officials also investigated Amazon’s e-book business.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the House Judiciary Committee is investigating the market power of Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple. Congress is this week holding a two-day hearing on Facebook’s plan to create a digital currency, Libra, which governments in the U.S. and Europe have been skeptical about.
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Bulgaria Detains Cybersecurity Employee in Tax Data Hacking
Bulgarian police have detained a suspect who is allegedly behind the hacking of the national revenue agency, an attack that leaked the personal and financial data of millions of Bulgarians and companies.Police cybersecurity chief Yavor Kolev said Wednesday a 20-year-old Bulgarian employee of a cybersecurity company is suspected in the hacking.The leak is the biggest in the Balkan nation so far. Local media say the details of some 5 million of the country’s 7 million people were stolen.Kolev said the investigation is still ongoing and other people could have been involved.Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said the well-educated suspect was trying to prove his computer skills. Borissov added the suspect was a credit to Bulgaria’s education system but he should have been working for the state instead of causing harm.
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Sudan’s Military, Opposition Coalition Sign Political Declaration
Representatives from Sudan’s ruling military council and a pro-democracy coalition signed a political declaration Wednesday as part of a power-sharing agreement they agreed to earlier this month.Another part of the deal, a constitutional declaration, is expected to be signed as early as Friday.The developments are a step forward in a political transition in Sudan that has involved months of unrest since the military ousted longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.The power-sharing agreement includes a joint sovereign council tasked with ruling the country for about three years before new elections are held.The two sides also agreed to an independent investigation of a military crackdown on protesters in June, which demonstration organizers say left 128 people dead while the health ministry put the total at 61.
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‘Rocket City’ USA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Moon Landing
HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA – It was only fitting that on the 50th anniversary of the 1969 rocket launch that ultimately landed a man on the moon, the “Rocket City” of the United States would attempt to set a rocket record.“We are launching 5000 bottle rockets to break a Guinness World Record,” explained Randall Robinson. He is the Director of Training at SpaceCamp, an immersive space and science experience geared towards youth, many of whom came to watch this special record launch attempt on the campus that SpaceCamp shares with the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville.“Us wanting to break this record is signifying, and putting, Huntsville back on the map, for the importance that it played in the Apollo program,” he told VOA, as a countdown clock ticked away the minutes to zero hour for the launch.In the race to the moon in the 1960s, the development of a large rocket that could thrust spacecraft beyond earth’s atmosphere became a critical element that could make or break the Apollo moon program.That critical element – the Saturn V rocket – was developed in Huntsville under the leadership of scientist Wernher von Braun at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Margrit von Braun was among honored guests and thousands of spectators who gathered in Huntsville for the 50th anniversaryNo doubt
In an exclusive interview with Voice of America, Von Braun’s daughter Margrit said her father and his team never doubted their ability to deliver a powerful rocket design that would work.“We just knew it was going to work. We just grew up with this presumption of success and I think this is how the rocket team behaved.”Margrit von Braun was among honored guests and thousands of spectators who gathered in Huntsville for the 50th anniversary celebrations that paid tribute to the many that made the lofty goal of landing a man on the moon a reality.The launch of the first astronauts to set foot on the moon in 1969 was a mission Margrit von Braun experienced firsthand, alongside her father, considered today the “father of rocket science.”“It was my first launch,” she fondly recalled. “There really aren’t words to describe it. That’s what most people say. The noise and the power of the engine and seeing how slowly the rocket moves before it clears the tower is something I’ll never forget.”12-year-old Lillian Duran had the distinct honor of pressing the bottle rocket launch buttonFuture astronaut?
“It’s a moment in history, a moment when we landed on the moon, and launched a rocket, and it’s important,” said 12-year-old Lillian Duran, who had the distinct honor of pressing the launch button that sent nearly five thousand bottle rockets soaring into the cloudy Alabama sky. Although she wasn’t alive the last time humans set foot on the moon, she’s hoping this year’s anniversary celebrations of the first lunar visit 50 years ago sparks further interest in the space program for a new generation. “We want to go further and explore,” she told VOA.Homer Hickam, author of the popular book “Rocket Boys” which became the source material for the movie “October Sky”Launchpad for the future
It’s an age-old desire that fueled the imaginations, and eventual careers, of many seasoned NASA astronauts and engineers, including Homer Hickam, author of the popular book “Rocket Boys” which became the source material for the movie October Sky.“It’s something for us to commemorate, and also it kind of helps us I think give us a launchpad for the future,” Hickam explained to VOA.NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where new rockets and technology are being tested for future missions to the moon, and MarsWhile officials at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center wait for the smoke to clear for certification of their record rocket launch attempt from Guinness, not far away the future of manned space flight is taking shape at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where new rockets and technology are being tested for future missions to the moon, and eventually to Mars.
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‘Rocket City’ Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Moon Landing
In the race to the moon in the 1960s, the development of the large rockets that could thrust the spacecraft beyond Earth’s atmosphere became a critical element in the success of the Apollo program. The place where the Saturn V rocket was developed — Huntsville, Alabama – is today known as “Rocket City.” As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, the 50th anniversary of the mission to land on the moon puts a spotlight on the city’s historic role in the Apollo program, and beyond.
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Niger’s Farmers Nurture Gao Trees & Re-Green the Country
While deforestation has devastated many African countries, in the west African nation of Niger more than 200 million new trees have sprung up in recent decades. These trees, mainly a variety known locally as Gao – weren’t planted. Instead, they were protected by Nigerien farmers who realized the trees were assets to agriculture and animal feed. Moki Edwin Kindzeka has this report by Anne Nzouankeu in Niamey, Niger.
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Survivors of Religious Persecution Speak Out Against Hate and Bigotry
Foreign ministers from 100 countries joined survivors of massacres at churches, mosques and synagogues to call for tolerance and respect for religious freedom and religious pluralism around the world Tuesday. VOA’s Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine has more from the State Department.
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FBI Report: Mailed Pipe Bomb Devices Wouldn’t Have Worked
An FBI analysis of crudely made pipe bombs mailed to prominently critics of President Donald Trump has concluded they wouldn’t have worked, according to a report made public Tuesday.The January report on the analysis was filed in Manhattan federal court, where U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff is scheduled to sentence Cesar Sayoc in September after the Florida man pleaded guilty to explosives-related charges in the scary episode weeks before midterm elections last year.Sayoc, 57, faces a mandatory 10-year prison term and up to life. Sayoc has repeatedly said he never intended to injure anyone, a claim that his lawyers will likely argue was supported by the report.The FBI said the devices wouldn’t have functioned because of their design, though it couldn’t be determined whether that was from poor design or the intent of the builder.It said the fuzing system for each device lacked the proper components and assembly to enable it to function as a method of initiation for an explosive.It also said the devices contained small fragments of broken glass, fragmentation often added to explosives to injure or kill people nearby.Whether the devices might have exploded became a major focal point of recent hearings when Sayoc asserted that they could not and prosecutors seemed to leave the question open.Sarah Baumbartel, an assistant federal defender, declined comment, though the issue was likely to be addressed when his lawyers submit written sentencing arguments next week.In a letter to the judge several months ago, Sayoc wrote: “Under no circumstances my intent was to hurt or harm anyone. The intention was to only intimidate and scare.”Sayoc admitted sending 16 rudimentary bombs – none of which detonated – to targets including Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, several members of Congress, former President Barack Obama and actor Robert De Niro. Devices were also mailed to CNN offices in New York and Atlanta.The bombs began turning up over a five-day stretch weeks before the midterms. They were mailed to addresses in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, California, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia.Sayoc was arrested in late October at a Florida auto parts store. He had been living in a van plastered with Trump stickers and images of Trump opponents with crosshairs over their faces.
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Poll: Republican Support for Trump Rises After Racially Charged Tweets
Support for U.S. President Donald Trump increased slightly among Republicans after he lashed out on Twitter over the weekend in a racially charged attack on four minority Democratic congresswomen, a Reuters/Ipsos public opinion poll shows.The national survey, conducted on Monday and Tuesday after Trump told the lawmakers they should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came,” showed his net approval among members of his Republican Party rose by 5 percentage points to 72%, compared with a similar poll that ran last week.Trump, who is seeking re-election next year, has lost support, however, with Democrats and independents since the Sunday tweetstorm.Among independents, about three out of 10 said they approved of Trump, down from four out of 10 a week ago. His net approval – the percentage who approve minus the percentage who disapprove – dropped by 2 points among Democrats in the poll.Trump’s overall approval remained unchanged over the past week. According to the poll, 41% of the U.S. public said they approved of his performance in office, while 55% disapproved.The results showed strong Republican backing for Trump as the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a symbolic resolution on Tuesday, largely along party lines, to condemn him for “racist comments” against the four Democratic lawmakers.President Donald Trump portrays Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., left, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., 2nd left, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY., 3rd left, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., right, as foreign-born troublemakers.All four U.S. representatives – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan – are U.S. citizens.Three were born in the United States.The public response to Trump’s statements appeared to be a little better for him than in 2017, after the president said there were “very fine people” on both sides of a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.In that instance, Trump’s net approval dropped by about 10 points a week after the Charlottesville rally.This time, while Democrats and some independents may see clear signs of racial intolerance woven throughout Trump’s tweets, Republicans are hearing a different message, said Vincent Hutchings, a political science and African-American studies professor at the University of Michigan.”To Republicans, Trump is simply saying: ‘Hey, if you don’t like America, you can leave,” Hutchings said. “That is not at all controversial. If you already support Trump, then it’s very easy to interpret his comments that way.”By criticizing liberal members of the House, Trump is “doing exactly what Republicans want him to do,” Hutchings said. “He’s taking on groups that they oppose.”The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English and gathered responses from 1,113 adults, including 478 Democrats and 406 Republicans in the United States. It has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 3 percentage points for the entire group and 5 points for Democrats or Republicans.
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US Imposes Sanctions on Myanmar Military Commander Over Rohingya Abuses
The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions on the Myanmar military’s Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing and other military leaders over extrajudicial killings of Rohingya Muslims, barring them from entry to the United States.The steps, which also covered Min Aung Hlaing’s deputy, Soe Win, and two other senior commanders and their families, are the strongest the United States has taken in response to massacres of minority Rohingyas in Myanmar, also known as Burma.Rohingya from Myanmar walk past rice fields after crossing the border into Bangladesh near Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf area, Sept. 1, 2017.A 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar drove more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. U.N. investigators have said that Myanmar’s operation included mass killings, gang rapes and widespread arson and was executed with “genocidal intent.”A United Nations investigator said this month that Myanmar security forces and insurgents were committing human rights violations against civilians that may amount to fresh war crimes.
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House Votes to Condemn Trump’s ‘Racist’ Comments
Four Republicans joined every Democrat in the House on Tuesday evening to approve a resolution condemning “racist” remarks made by President Donald Trump about minority Democratic congresswomen.The House resolution, which was passed 240-187, “strongly condemns” Trump’s “racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color.”Trump, who has been under fire since making the comments in a tweet Sunday, is not backing down.Trump, who has said the lawmakers should leave the United States, was asked by a reporter where they should go.”It’s up to them. Wherever they want – or they can stay,” replied the president during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. “But they should love our country. They shouldn’t hate our country.”Trump, holding up pieces of paper, said he has “a list of things here said by the congresswomen that are so bad, so horrible that I don’t want to read it.”The president added, “It’s my opinion, they hate our country.”Hours earlier on Twitter, Trump declared, “I don’t have a racist bone in my body” as he continued to push back on criticism about his comments directed at the four women of color, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayana Pressley and Rashida TlaibTrump has, repeatedly, since Sunday targeted the four members of the House of Representatives.Tuesday’s resolution is being condemned by the Republicans, who are in the minority in the House.“It’s all politics,” decried the Republican leader in the House Kevin McCarthy.“This is one more chance to go after our president,” said Rep. Steve Scalise, the second highest-ranking Republican in the House.U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., speaks as, from left, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., listen during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, July 15, 2019.Trump set off a firestorm on by telling the four Democratic lawmakers to “go back” to their countries and fix their homelands before they attack him and the United States, although all four are U.S. citizens, with Somali refugee Omar a naturalized U.S. citizen and the other three U.S. citizens by birth.The targets of Trump’s attacks appeared before reporters Monday in a collective and blistering show of force to rebut Trump’s social media and verbal volleys against them.“He’s launching a blatantly racist attack on four duly elected members of the United States House of Representatives, all of whom are women of color,” said Omar, a Minnesota congresswoman. “This is the agenda of white nationalists.” Omar and Tlaib, who are the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress, explicitly called for Trump’s impeachment.
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South African Musician Johnny Clegg Dies at 66
Johnny Clegg, a South African musician who performed in defiance of racial barriers imposed under the country’s apartheid system decades ago and celebrated its new democracy under Nelson Mandela, died Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 66.The Grammy-nominated and British-born singer sometimes called the “White Zulu” died peacefully at home in Johannesburg with his family there, according to Clegg’s manager, Roddy Quin.”He fought it to the last second,” Quin told the South African Broadcasting Corporation.Clegg’s multi-racial bands during South Africa’s white minority rule attracted an international following. He crafted hits inspired by Zulu and township harmonies, as well as folk music and other influences.South Africa’s government said in a statement that “his music had the ability to unite people across the races …. Clegg has made an indelible mark in the music industry and the hearts of the people.”FILE – Singer Johnny Clegg, right, perfoms with the Soweto Gospel Choir at Ellispark stadium in Johannesburg, Dec. 1, 2007.One of his best-known songs was “Asimbonanga,” which means “We’ve never seen him” in Zulu. It refers to South Africans during apartheid when images of the then-imprisoned Mandela were banned. Mandela was released in 1990 after 27 years in prison and became South Africa’s first black president in all-race elections four years later.Political opposition leader Mmusi Maimane said Clegg “wrote our SA story when our country was at its worst and at its best.”The Grammy-winning Soweto Gospel Choir said it was “devastated” by Clegg’s death and called him a “music icon and a true South African.” Fellow musicians posted similar tributes on social media. ‘Bringing people together’
Clegg learned about Zulu music and dancing as a teenager when he hung out with a Zulu cleaner and street musician called Charlie Mzila. He later explored his idea of “crossover” music with the multi-racial bands Juluka and Savuka at a time of bitter conflict in South Africa over the country’s white minority rule.
Clegg recorded songs he was arrested for and “never gave in to the pressure of the apartheid rules,” his manager said.The apartheid-era censorship also restricted where he could perform, yet Clegg “impacted millions of people around the world,” Quin said. “He played a major role in South Africa getting people to learn about other people’s cultures and bringing people together.”The musician performed as late as 2017, high-kicking and stomping during a tour called “The Final Journey” while his cancer was in remission. FILE – South African singer Johnny Clegg, center, and dancers of South African band Savuka perform on stage at the Zenith concert hall in Paris as part of three-concert series dedicated to the fight against apartheid, May 10, 1988.At a concert in Johannesburg that year, Clegg said that “all of these entries into traditional culture gave me a way of understanding myself, helping me to shape a kind of African identity for myself, and freed me up to examine another way of looking at the world.”In December, Clegg told South African news channel eNCA the “toughest part of my journey will be the next two years” and called himself an “outlier” in an interview that mused about mortality.The performer was diagnosed with cancer in 2015, and the grueling treatment included two six-month sessions of chemotherapy and an operation.
“I don’t have a duodenum and half my stomach. I don’t have a bile duct. I don’t have a gall bladder and half my pancreas. It’s all been reconfigured,” he told reporters in 2017.’Pinnacle moment’In that interview, Clegg recalled how he performed “Asimbonanga” while on tour in Germany in 1997 and experienced a “huge shock” when Mandela, beaming and dancing, unexpectedly came out on stage behind him.”It is music and dancing that makes me at peace with the world. And at peace with myself,” Mandela said to the audience. He asked Clegg to resume his performance and urged the audience to get up and dance.
At the end of the song, Mandela and Clegg, holding hands, walked off stage.”That was the pinnacle moment for me,” Clegg recalled. “It was just a complete and amazing gift from the universe.”
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Pirates Kidnap 10 Turkish Sailors Off Nigeria
Pirates have attacked a ship off the coast of Nigeria and abducted 10 sailors from the Turkish cargo vessel. Shipping company Kadioglu Denizcilik said Paksoy-1 was sailing without any freight from Cameroon to the Ivory Coast when it was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea. Another eight sailors remained on board the ship which is now in a harbor in Ghana. “According to initial information, there were no injuries or casualties. Efforts for all our personnel to be safely released continue,” Kadioglu said in a statement.A report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) called the Gulf of Guinea a “world piracy hotspot,” saying that the “seas around West Africa remain the world’s most dangerous for piracy.”It found 73% of all kidnappings at sea and 92% of hostage-takings took place in the Gulf of Guinea — off the coasts of Nigeria, Guinea, Togo, Benin, and Cameroon. Armed pirates kidnapped 27 crew members off the West African coast in the first half of 2019, compared with 25 in the same period in 2018, it said.
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Pompeo to Visit 4 Latin American Nations in Security, Migration Push
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit four Latin American countries this week, with a focus on Venezuela’s crisis, the surge of migrants at the U.S.southern border, and more security cooperation, U.S. officials said on Tuesday.Pompeo will travel to Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico and El Salvador from Thursday to Sunday, the State Department said.In Argentina, he will attend the second Western Hemisphere Counterterrorism Ministerial where he will also hold bilateral meetings with regional counterparts, including from Chile and the Bahamas, a senior State Department official told reporters.”We see this week’s ministerial as an important step in bolstering our collective efforts to address these threats and protect our hemisphere from the scourge of terrorism,” the official said.In Ecuador, Pompeo, making the first visit by a U.S. secretary of state in nine years, will discuss increased economic and trade ties, fighting drug trafficking and the surge of migrants from Venezuela fleeing that country’s economic crisis.Ecuador estimates that some 600,000 Venezuelan citizens entered the country in 2018 via the Colombian border, most of whom continue on toward Peru.”They have been taking a heavy pressure of inbound migration from the people expelled by Mr. Maduro’s chaos in Venezuela, and they have been doing great work,” the official said.Most Western countries, including the United States, back opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s head of state.Guaido, denounced by President Nicolas Maduro as a U.S. puppet, says Maduro’s re-election last year was not legitimate.In Mexico, Pompeo’s discussions with his Mexican counterpart, Marcelo Ebrard, will “cover a broad agenda,” including migration from Central America to the United States, the official said.The flow of Central American migrants passing through Mexico to seek asylum in the United States has led to both friction and cooperation between the United States and Mexico, which share a 2,000-mile (3,000-km) border and are leading trade partners.U.S. officials say asylum seekers, mostly from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, have inundated the U.S. side of the border. The three countries suffer from gang violence and political turmoil.President Donald Trump’s administration has responded by restricting the ability of migrants to seek asylum and cutting hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to the three impoverished countries, punishing them for the northward migration.It will be the topic of conversations in Pompeo’s stop in El Salvador, where he will also discuss tackling nacro-trafficking, another State Department official said.Pompeo will extend a lease for the U.S. use of facilities at the Comalapa Airport, which are used in support of counter-narcotics operations, the official added.
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Austria: Firtash Extradition to US Blocked by ‘Extensive’ Bid to Reopen Case
This story originated in VOA’s Ukrainian Service. Some information is from AP.WASHINGTON — The Austrian justice minister’s Tuesday announcement that he will extradite Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash to face bribery charges in the United States has been upended by an application to reopen the case in Vienna.Last month, Austria’s Supreme Court upheld a decision granting a U.S. request to extradite the gas tycoon — who prosecutors say had business ties to President Donald Trump’s ex-campaign manager, Paul Manafort — paving the way for him to face trial in a Chicago courtroom.Firtash, who denies any wrongdoing, is facing a U.S. indictment that accuses him of a conspiracy to pay bribes in India to mine titanium, which is used in jet engines.A longtime supporter of Ukraine’s ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, Firtash is alleged to have made billions of dollars selling Russian-subsidized gas to the Kyiv government. He later launched profitable ventures in television and chemicals production, and has long-established connections with businessmen from the inner circle of Russian President Vladimir Putin, attracting the interests of U.S. law enforcement agencies.On Tuesday, the Austria Press Agency reported that Justice Minister Clemens Jabloner had approved Firtash’s extradition, but a Vienna state court judge ruled it could only take place after that court has decided on the defense motion to reconsider the matter.’Extremely extensive material’Court spokeswoman Christina Salzborn said the defense provided “extremely extensive material.””At the moment, there is no date set for the extradition,” Salzborn told VOA’s Ukrainian Service. “The accused applied for a reopening of the case and submitted numerous documents. … Due to the load of data and newly submitted evidence, it will take some time to assess the reopening request.”The court decision can once more be subject of an appeal, so even after the court’s decision regarding the reopening request, I don’t think the case will be finished,” Salzborn added.Asked if the reopened case could carry into fall, Salzborn said, “Yes, I guess even longer, as the decision regarding the reopening can be appealed, too. Everything is pending for the time of the reopening procedure.”A U.S. grand jury indicted Firtash in 2013, along with a member of India’s parliament and four others, on suspicion of bribing Indian government officials to gain access to minerals used in titanium-based products.Arrested in 2014Firtash was arrested in Austria in 2014 and then freed on 125 million euros ($141 million) bail. In a protracted legal battle, a Vienna court initially ruled against extradition on the grounds the indictment was politically motivated.A higher Vienna court in February 2017 rejected that reasoning as “insufficiently substantiated,” ruling that Firtash could be extradited.Austria’s Supreme Court of Justice upheld that ruling last month. Firtash’s defense team is led by former Austrian Justice Minister Dieter Boehmdorfer, who on Tuesday told Austrian national radio station O1 that reopening the case will prove “the U.S. does have a far-reaching political motivation” to secure Firtash.The U.S. investigation of Firtash was first reported in 2008, when he was named principal shareholder in an obscure company that was involved in lucrative gas deals between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. extradition request led to Firtash’s 2014 arrest in Vienna.Bid to dismiss indictmentIn June, a Chicago federal judge rejected a motion to dismiss the indictment against Firtash, who has argued that the U.S. has no jurisdiction over crimes in India. However, federal Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer ruled that it does, because any scheme would have affected a Chicago-based company.Chicago-based U.S. aviation giant Boeing said it considered business with Firtash but never followed through. It is not accused of any wrongdoing.Before becoming Trump’s campaign manager, Manafort pursued a business deal with Firtash to redevelop a Manhattan hotel. Manafort isn’t accused of wrongdoing in the Chicago case.
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Lotus Showcases First Pure Electric Sports Car
British sports car maker Lotus revealed its pure electric “hypercar” on Tuesday, the first completely new vehicle to be launched under the stewardship of Chinese firm Geely which acquired a majority stake in 2017.The Evija, to be produced at the firm’s factory in Hethel, eastern England, will have a limited production run of just 130 cars and will be built from 2020.The model, which will cost from 1.7 million pounds ($2.1 million), will have a driving range target of 250 miles (400 kilometres) as manufacturers race to improve low and zero-emissions technology to meet stricter emissions rules and win over more environmentally-conscious buyers.”It will re-establish our brand in the hearts and minds of sports car fans and on the global automotive stage,” said Lotus Chief Executive Phil Popham.”It will also pave the way for further visionary models,” he said.($1 = 0.8033 pounds)
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Thailand’s Opposition Parties Aim to Amend Pro-Military Constitution
Having trounced the military’s proxy at the polls in March, Thailand’s pro-democracy parties may very well have formed the country’s next government by now were it not for the new Constitution the military drafted after seizing power in 2014.Instead, coup-leader Prayuth Chan-ocha secured a second term as prime minister thanks to a Senate wholly appointed by the junta and empowered for the first time by the new charter to join the popularly elected lower house in voting for the premier.Now relegated to the opposition, those anti-junta parties have made amending the Constitution their top priority.”We are talking about restoration of democracy here. Without amending the Constitution, there will be no full restoration to democracy in this country,” said Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the Future Forward party.FILE – Future Forward Party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit speaks to the media before the parliamentary vote for Thailand’s new prime minister in Bangkok, June 5, 2019.Future Forward finished a strong third in the March 24 poll running on a platform to unseat Prayuth, and afterward it joined forces with six other like-minded parties hoping to pull together enough lower house seats for a majority. But some post-election tweaking of the formula for allotting seats by the junta-appointed Election Commission made sure they fell short. Thanks to the new Constitution, the Senate also ensured that the “Democracy Front” parties lacked the combined majority of votes in both houses to replace Prayuth.In an interview at his party’s headquarters in Bangkok, Thanathorn said the junta’s charter was riddled with lines that rig the Senate, Election Commission and other state bodies in favor of the country’s urban, monarchist, pro-military elite.Two articles targetedThe opposition longs to see it replaced wholesale. But knowing their limits, Thanathorn said, the parties are focusing on amending just two articles for now — 272 and 279.The first gives the appointed Senate the power to join the elected lower house in the vote for premier. The second makes unassailable any order from Prayuth during his first term or from the government the military set up after the coup, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).”So you can see the move clearly, that the establishment, they are afraid of the voice of the people, they don’t want to see the voices of the people heard in the Parliament,” Thanathorn said.Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, center, arrives for a photo opportunity with members of the new Thai cabinet at Government House in Bangkok, July 16, 2019.Amending only two of 279 articles may sound modest. However, each cuts to the very heart of the military’s continued grip on power, and changing either will take the support of at least a third of the junta’s handpicked Senate.Thanathorn said the opposition parties will submit a bill proposing the amendments by the end of September, or by the end of the year at the latest. He knows the odds are stacked against them. But even if they fail, he said, they hope the fight will bruise the ruling parties.”We know that the chance, the possibility of these two articles be[ing] approved by the Parliament will be extremely low. We understand that full well. But we want to show to the people what organizations, which parties are against this movement,” he said.”So we look at it as a platform, we look at it as a movement, as a campaign rather than the final result … to get this approved.”Thanathorn said the parties of the Democracy Front have agreed to make the amendments their main objective “in principle,” though he added warily that “‘How?’ is the question.”Public opinionThe Future Forward leader believes their only hope is to harness enough popular outrage to shift the political winds in their favor and convince enough senators to break ranks. Thanathorn said the front will build support online, tour the country to spread its message and — at some point — hit the streets.”Eventually, if you want to amend the Constitution, if we are going to change it, partly or wholly, there must be rallies,” he said.Somyot Pruksakasemsuk agreed. His grass-roots group, the Social Democrat Movement, is gathering signatures from eligible voters to submit its own amendment proposals. He hopes to have the 50,000 names the group needs to put its plan before Parliament by the end of the year.FILE – Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, 56, a high-profile Thai activist jailed for insulting the country’s monarchy, stands next to his supporters after his release from a Bangkok prison in Thailand, April 30, 2018.”The Constitution came up from the military coup d’état, it [did] not come from the people, it [did] not come from democracy,” Somyot said. “So we have to amendment the Constitution so that we can have a government that really comes from the people, not a government that [is] dominated by the military.”Most Thais already may be with them. A recent opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration found a slim majority believes the Constitution is undemocratic and supports amending it, Article 272 in particular. But only about a third said it was urgent.Those pushing for the amendments may even have an ally in the government itself. The Democrat Party, a key member of the ruling coalition, has insisted on getting a pledge to amend the Constitution into the government’s coming policy package, though it seems more interested in easing the rules on making amendments than curbing the Senate.The Democrat Party did not respond to requests for an interview. Palang Pracharath, the heavyweight of the ruling coalition, did not reply to multiple requests either.Yutthaporn Issarachai, a political scientist at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, said he could not imagine the government backing amendments to any articles critical to the establishment’s hold on power. He said the opposition’s campaign might dint the government’s reputation and cost its parties votes in the next election. He did not expect the military-backed government to brook any major protests, though, muffling the public pressure that might persuade any number of senators to break with their bosses.”I think the popular vote outside the Parliament cannot convince the senators to vote for editing the Constitution because the senators come from [the] NCPO and they have so [much] unity,” he said.
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US Denounces WTO Ruling Favoring China
The U.S. is denouncing a World Trade Organization (WTO) appellate ruling that exposes the U.S. to potential Chinese sanctions because it did not fully comply with a previous WTO ruling.China could impose sanctions on the U.S. if it does not remove specific tariffs that violate WTO rules, according to a ruling Tuesday by the international trade regulator’s appeals judges.China went before the WTO in 2012 to challenge U.S. anti-subsidy tariffs on certain exports that include solar panels and wind towers. The exports were then valued at nearly $7.3 billion.The office of the U.S. Trade Representative said Tuesday’s WTO ruling affirmed the U.S. proved China used State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) to help bolster and distort its economy. But the judges also said the U.S. must honor Chinese prices in order to measure subsidies.The USTR said “The WTO appellate report undermines WTO rules, making them less effective to counteract Chinese SOEs that are harming U.S. workers and businesses and distorting markets worldwide.”The USTR also said the U.S. “is determined to take all necessary steps to ensure a level playing field” with China.European Union trade chief Cecilia Malmstrom said earlier Tuesday the WTO’s appeals court could temporarily collapse this year as the U.S. opposes the nomination of its judges.U.S. President Donald Trump has blocked appointments to the seven-member court, accusing judges of overstepping their authority and ignoring instructions. The block is not expected to be lifted anytime soon, raising the possibility the tribunal could be cut to one judge by December 11. With only one judge, the WTO’s appeals court would not be able to hear new cases.
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Member States’ Nominee Von der Leyen Wins EU Top Job
German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen was narrowly elected president of the European Commission on Tuesday after winning over skeptical lawmakers.The 60-year-old conservative was nominated to become the first woman in Brussels’ top job last month by the leaders of the bloc’s 28 member states, to the annoyance of many MEPs.The Strasbourg parliament would have preferred a candidate chosen by one of its political groups, but in the end a small majority — 383 members of the 751-member assembly voted — for her.She will now replace Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the EU executive on November 1, one day after Britain is due to leave the union, and serve for a five-year mandate.”The task ahead of us humbles me. It’s a big responsibility and my work starts now,” the polyglot mother-of-seven told lawmakers, thanking all members “who decided to vote for me today.”If von der Leyen had lost, Europe faced a summer of institutional infighting instead of preparing for Brexit, battling Italy over its debt and confronting Hungary and Poland over threats to democratic values.In a hearing before the vote, von der Leyen promised: “A climate-neutral Europe in 2015. A more social and competitive Europe. A Europe that makes use of its full potential.”A Europe that has a new push on European democracy and a strong Europe that protects our European way of life.”Von der Leyen has had only a short time since the 28 EU leaders nominated her to win over the main center-right EPP, socialist S&D and liberal Renew Europe blocs she hoped would get her the necessary 374 votes.In the hours between her speech and the start of voting, party officials suggested she could count on the center-right, almost all of the liberals and maybe two-thirds of the left.The election was by secret ballot, but the tight margin of victory suggested that she had only won over the pro-European center — and that several mainstream members abstained. Top jobs packageThe nominee announced Monday that she would step down from Angela Merkel’s German government this week whatever happened in the vote, underlining her European ambitions.Five years ago, Juncker received 422 endorsements, and falling far short of that will be seen as disappointing for von der Leyen, who was born in Brussels and was backed by figures like France’s President Emmanuel Macron.Von der Leyen’s nomination was part of a package of so-called “top jobs” and outgoing Belgian premier Charles Michel is still in line to head the European Council of EU leaders.IMF director Christine Lagarde’s appointment to the European Central Bank also remains on course, and the French former finance minister announced he resignation from the global body. In addition to Brexit and the other issues facing the EU, member states are also wrangling over new rules for distributing migrants and refugees after Italy’s populist government began to prevent rescue boats from landing.For that, the commission president will need a reliable majority in Strasbourg, after this year’s elections threw up a more fragmented EU parliament than ever.
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Sudan’s Women Demand Power in New Government
Activists are calling on Sudan’s military and opposition leaders to open the country’s political process to women when the sides begin to implement their recent power-sharing deal.For most of Sudan’s 63 years as an independent country, women were not allowed to get involved in politics due to cultural norms and other restrictions.Women say they have been marginalized and denied a chance to participate in public affairs, especially during the 30-year regime of former president Omar al-Bashir.Women’s rights activist Manal Bashir, who helped mobilize women during the protests that led to last week’s power-sharing deal, says now is the time for women to speak up for their rights.“We had been oppressed, discriminated within our homes, at the regulations even so we found ourselves lacking behind and we were aware about this status. So, we didn’t leave this status behind but we worked a lot to achieve the change in our lives,” Bashir told VOA’s South Sudan in Focus.Activist Naimat Abubaker Mohammed says under Bashir’s rule, women were afraid to speak up because the environment was not safe for anyone, male or female, to be active in opposition parties.FILE – Sudanese women protesters are seen at a rally in the capital Khartoum, April 23, 2019.“If you are a politician that means you will expect that you will go to prison, you will be detained for a long time, you will can be fired from your job,” Abubaker said.Sudanese journalist Mashaeir Ahmed says women played a key role in overthrowing President Bashir.“They have been working as a coalition demanding real change. They want to surface as women leaders in the society, even though this will be against some cultures, but women have decided not to be behind again,” Ahmed told South Sudan in Focus.The proposed power-sharing deal between the Transitional Military Council and the opposition stipulates that women should hold at least 40 percent of the country’s national legislative seats.While embracing the move, Abubaker fears there may not be enough qualified women to fill that number of seats. “It is good that the agreement mentions some percentage for women, be it 30 percent or 40 percent, so there is good signal that women will be given a quota, but it is important to fill this quota with quality representation,” Abubaker told VOA.Abubaker insists the Sudanese revolution has opened a new era and women should see the political change very soon.“It has opened the country for democracy, rule law, justice and all these for the benefit of women. So if we really start this long journey to democracy, I am sure women’s position in general will be change,” said Abubaker.Women activists are calling on the Transitional Military Council and the opposition to sign the power sharing deal soon.Opposition and military leaders said more than a week ago that they agreed to a civilian-led government but have yet to sign the agreement.
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UNHCR: A Coordinated Regional Approach Needed to Resolve US Asylum Problem
The U.N. refugee agency is reiterating its call for countries in the Americas to work together to develop a coordinated regional response to the growing Central American migration and asylum problem.The U.N. refugee agency expresses deep concern about the Trump Administration’s new asylum policy, warning it will put vulnerable families at risk. It says the measure sharply curtails the right of people to apply for asylum and jeopardizes their right of protection against deportation to a country where their lives and well-being may be in danger.UNHCR spokeswoman Liz Throssell says the new rule violates international refugee law, which states persons fleeing persecution have the right to international protection. “We refer often to the gang violence that is endemic in some of the countries of the north of Central America,” said Throssell. “So, what we are saying is that many of the people are fleeing violence and persecution and they are in need of international protection. And our concerns with these restrictions is that it really is causing problems, excessively curtailing the right to seek asylum.” At the same time, Throssell says the UNHCR understands the growing movement of people heading for the U.S. southern border is putting the United States asylum system under significant strain. She says her agency is ready to play a constructive role in helping to alleviate the strain.“So, I think this plays into what we would say is—this is a hugely complex problem that clearly needs to be addressed and that is why we are calling on the regional governments to get together to try and start developing a regional, coordinated response,” said Throssell.The UNHCR reports 245,000 people were internally displaced by violence in Honduras and El Salvador by the end of last year. Because of continued criminality and persistent violence, it says many of these people may feel they have no other option except to move on and seek asylum in the United States.
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Trump Threatens to Launch Probe into Google’s Alleged Ties with China
U.S. President Donald Trump is warning his administration may launch a probe into Google over accusations the U.S. technology giant has been infiltrated by the Chinese government.The warning came after staunch Trump supporter and billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel said earlier this week the CIA and the FBI should investigate Google because it may have committed treason in its business dealings with China.Thiel maintained top Chinese military and intelligence officials are “likely to have infiltrated Google,” a charge he repeated in a Monday night interview on Fox News.Trump echoed Theil’s unsubstantiated remarks in a Tuesday morning tweet. “Billionaire Tech Investor Peter Thiel believes Google should be investigated for treason. He accuses Google of working with the Chinese Government.” @foxandfriends A great and brilliant guy who knows this subject better than anyone! The Trump Administration will take a look!“Billionaire Tech Investor Peter Thiel believes Google should be investigated for treason. He accuses Google of working with the Chinese Government.” @foxandfriends A great and brilliant guy who knows this subject better than anyone! The Trump Administration will take a look!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2019Google said in a statement the accusations from Trump and Thiel, who serves on the board of tech rival Facebook, are groundless. “As we’ve said before, we do not work with the Chinese military.”Trump’s threat of an investigation is the latest development in an ongoing dispute with Google, which he recently accused of suppressing his followers online and trying to fix U.S. elections to benefit Democrats. Google has also denied those allegations.Google recently began researching modified version of a search engine it abandoned in China in 2010 to protest China’s efforts to censure its search results. Google says it has no plans to deploy the latest version.The Trump administration and congressional Republicans have expressed great concern about Google’s activities in China, contending Chinese spies could steal the company’s technology if it bolsters its operations there.
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US, French Differences Over Tech Tax Resurface at G-7 Meeting
Group of Seven finance ministers and central bankers will hold talks Wednesday outside Paris that are likely to be dominated by global trade disputes and differences over taxing tech companies. Also on the agenda is a French push for fairer levies benefiting poorer countries.The G-7 finance meeting is being held in the town of Chantilly — home to a historic chateau and France’s famous whipped cream. But the talks among representatives from some of the world’s richest nations target more weighty issues. Among them: U.S.-China trade war, fears of an economic slowdown and controversial plans by Facebook to launch a virtual currency called Libra. Potentially dominating the agenda is new and controversial French legislation to tax multinational tech giants like Google and Amazon. The UK has drafted a similar proposal.The Trump administration has launched a probe into the French legislation, which could lead to retaliatory tariffs. Washington claims the bill unfairly targets American companies. France says it will repeal the tax once the nations reach agreement on a global digital tax plan.French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire said threats are not the right way for allies to resolve differences, noting France makes its taxing decisions as a sovereign nation. The Chantilly meeting, he said, can be an opportunity to find common ground.The finance meeting also will address rising inequality, a priority of France’s G-7 presidency this year that covers areas like health, education, jobs and climate change. On the finance side, Paris wants the group to discuss ways to build a fairer international tax system.Quentin Parrinello, tax justice officer for Oxfam France, says tax evasions by large multinational corporations costs developing countries an estimated $100 billion a year.”We are at a turning point right now, because the options on the table can be transformative,” he said. “France is being very good at big statements, but what Oxfam is expecting from France is turning words into action.”The finance ministers’ meeting is the last big G-7 gathering before next month’s summit in the southwestern French town of Biarritz.
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