The future of Obamacare is at stake as a U.S. federal appeals court considers whether to uphold a judge’s ruling that the entire health care reform law is unconstitutional.Obamacare is the popular name given to the 2010 Affordable Care Act — former President Barack Obama’s crowning legislative achievement that guarantees health care for all Americans regardless of pre-existing conditions.The three-judge 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans will consider whether a Texas judge was right when he declared the entire ACA unconstitutional when Congress threw out the law’s mandate that anyone who qualifies for Obamacare and refuses to buy into the plan pay a tax to help offset the cost.A coalition of 18 Democratic state attorneys general appealed the judge’s ruling.An appeals court ruling upholding the judge’s decision means Obamacare could wind up again before the Supreme Court, which had already upheld most of the law in 2012.Obamacare opponents argue the government should not interfere in the health insurance business while supporters say Obamacare guarantees millions of Americans who cannot afford private insurance can get treatment.
…
Month: July 2019
UK’s Labour Shifts Policy, Now Backs New Brexit Referendum
Britain’s main opposition Labour Party said Tuesday that the country’s soon-to-be chosen new leader should hold a second referendum on whether to leave the European Union or remain in the bloc, as the two contenders for the job prepared to face a grilling in a TV debate over their plans to break Britain’s Brexit gridlock.In a significant shift, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the party would campaign to stay in the EU if a referendum were called by whoever succeeds Prime Minister Theresa May. She announced her resignation last month after failing to get Parliament to back her divorce deal with the EU.Lawmakers Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt are competing to replace May as Conservative Party leader and prime minister. The winner of the contest is due to take office later this month and will have barely more than three months to win support for a Brexit deal before Britain’s scheduled Oct. 31 departure date.In a letter to party members, Corbyn said that the new prime minister “should have the confidence to put their deal, or no-deal, back to the people in a public vote.”“In those circumstances, I want to make it clear that Labour would campaign for Remain against either no-deal or a Tory deal that does not protect the economy and jobs,” he said.Labour’s opponents — and many supporters — have accused the party of dithering over Brexit for fear of alienating voters on either side of the national divide over Europe. Corbyn, a longtime critic of the EU, has resisted calls for a second referendum, saying Labour must respect voters’ 2016 decision to leave.The left-of-center party has previously rejected May’s deal but also ruled out leaving the EU without an agreement and called for an election that the party hopes will bring a Labour government to power.But the party’s poor showing in recent local and European elections suggests Labour is losing support to parties including the Liberal Democrats and the Greens that advocate remaining in the EU.Corbyn’s letter clarifies the party’s position — up to a point. It’s still unclear what Labour would do about Brexit if it formed a government.Hilary Benn leaves 10 Downing Street in London after a meeting, June 12, 2009.Labour lawmaker Hilary Benn, who heads Parliament’s Brexit Committee, said “this is a very significant moment.”“We saw what a lack of clarity did to Labour in the European elections. We got 14% of the vote,” he said.But John Mann, a Labour legislator who backs Brexit, said the shift would cost the party support in areas of the country that voted strongly to leave the EU.“There’s no indication whatsoever that voters in my area … have changed their mind,” he said.“I’ve asked repeatedly of Jeremy Corbyn, what will be Labour’s policy at a general election? I haven’t been clear and I’m not clear now.”Tory contenders Hunt and Johnson were due to square off later Tuesday in their only head-to-head debate in the campaign.Both vow to succeed where May failed and take Britain out of the EU — even if that means leaving without an agreement on divorce terms and future relations.Most businesses and economists think a no-deal Brexit would plunge Britain into recession as customs checks take effect at U.K. ports and tariffs are imposed on trade between the U.K. and the EU. But many Conservatives think embracing a no-deal Brexit may be the only way to win back voters from the upstart Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage.Growing concern about the chance of a no-deal Brexit and signs that the British economy could be heading toward recession have weakened the pound, which fell Tuesday to $1.2440, near a two-year low.Bookies and pollsters make Johnson, a populist former mayor of London, the strong favorite over the stolid Hunt.Hunt has expressed frustration at the reluctance of Johnson to take part in debates. He hopes Tuesday’s showdown offers a chance to turn the contest around, though it may be too late. Ballot papers have already gone out to the party’s estimated 160,000 voting members, many of whom have already made their choice.The two candidates are also likely to face questions about a fierce row over leaked cables from Britain’s ambassador in Washington offering unflattering assessments of President Donald Trump’s administration.In this Oct. 20, 2017 photo, British Ambassador Kim Darroch hosts a National Economists Club event at the British Embassy in Washington.In the memos, Ambassador Kim Darroch called Trump’s White House dysfunctional, inept and chaotic. The president let rip with tweets branding Darroch “very stupid” and “a pompous fool,” and saying the administration would no longer deal with him.Trump also renewed criticism of May’s handing of Brexit. In contrast, he has spoken warmly of both Johnson and Hunt.Hunt, who is Britain’s foreign secretary, reprimanded Trump, tweeting that his comments were “disrespectful and wrong to our Prime Minister and my country.”Hunt wrote that “allies need to treat each other with respect,” and said that “if I become PM our Ambassador stays.”His tone contrasted with that of Johnson, his predecessor as foreign secretary. Asked about Trump’s criticism of May, Johnson said, “Myself, I have said some pretty critical things about the Brexit negotiations so far.”“I think it’s very important that we have a strong relationship with our most important ally,” he said.
…
South Sudan Court Rules Against Marriage of Girl, 16, in Landmark Case
A court in South Sudan has annulled a child marriage, in a rare legal case that activists say could signal a turning point for women’s rights in the conservative country.The marriage of a 16-year-old girl, the daughter of a cattle herdsman, to a 28-year-old man was deemed illegal by a court in Kapoeta late last month, the southern state’s information minister Simon Karlo said this week.Despite the legal age of marriage being 18, more than 50 percent of South Sudanese girls are wed before their 18th birthday, according to the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF.Poverty, climate change, low levels of literacy and gender inequality in education have fueled child marriage in the country for years.But activists said last month’s ruling, the first of its kind in South Sudan’s eight-year history, could set a precedent for other girls in the country wishing to end marriages entered into at a young age.”Child marriage is common in Kapoeta because the communities are cattle keepers and so they use their daughters for wealth,” Karlo told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.”It is indeed the first time for a court here [in South Sudan] to take on such a case.”Suspended sentencesThe girl’s father, uncle and groom were each sentenced to three years in prison after arranging the marriage.It involved paying a dowry of 60 cows to the bride’s family, according to Steward Women, the advocacy group that provided the girl with legal assistance.The ruling against the three men was later overturned at the request of the girl and on the condition of a written “commitment” from the men pledging not to force her into marriage again.”As a way of harmonizing the statutory law and customary law, the sentence was suspended and the girl was put under the protection of a guardian,” said Josephine Chandiru, executive director of Steward Women which offers legal advice to victims of sexual and gender-based violence.’Historical moment'”This was a historical moment. … The judge opened a gateway for us to use it as a precedent in future child marriage cases.”South Sudan has the 7th highest prevalence of child marriage in the world, according to UNICEF’s head of child protection, Jean Leiby.”Already the fact that this issue came to court is a step forward in South Sudan,” Leiby said.He called for improvements in the education of children and their parents as a way to combat child marriage.”In many places in the country, many people do not know the modern laws,” he said. “So in line with that, sometimes you cannot blame the community for some actions because they don’t know.”
…
Australian Student Detained, Deported by N. Korea Breaks Silence
An Australian student detained and later deported by North Korea has broken his silence on Twitter.Alek Sigley, a 29-year-old studying Korean literature in the capital of Pyongyang, was detained Tuesday by North Korea. The country claimed that Sigley had spied and spread anti-state propaganda by providing photos and other information to critical news organizations. Sigley had written about his experiences in North Korea on his blog and for numerous media outlets, including a series of six articles for NK News, an American media company covering the notoriously secretive country.On Twitter, Sigley dismissed the accusation of spying, writing, “The allegation that I am a spy is (pretty obviously) false.”1. The allegation that I am a spy is (pretty obviously) false. The only material I gave to NK News was what was published publicly on the blog, and the same goes for other media outlets. In this respect, I stand by the NK News statement: https://t.co/AQmpGs2qbW— Alek Sigley (@AlekSigley) July 9, 2019An NK News statement maintained that Sigley’s articles had been for informational rather than political purposes. “Alek Sigley’s well-read columns presented an apolitical and insightful view of life in Pyongyang which we published in a bid to show vignettes of ordinary daily life in the capital to our readers,” reads the statement, published Saturday.After his deportation last week Thursday, Sigley arrived at the Australian embassy in Beijing and has since joined his wife in Tokyo, according to NK News. On Twitter, he thanked the Australian prime minister and Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Swedish special envoy to North Korea, who traveled to the country last week. Sweden negotiated Sigley’s release, as Australia doesn’t have an embassy in Pyongyang.”I loved being a student at Kim Il Sung University with all my heart,” Sigley wrote on Twitter, expressing disappointment at being unable to finish his degree at Kim Il Sung University, or to visit Pyongyang and his friends. Yes, I loved being a student at Kim Il Sung University with all my heart. But life doesn’t always go according to plan and I have come to accept that.— Alek Sigley (@AlekSigley) July 9, 2019Sigley confirmed online that he has no plans to return to North Korea. The student had been the only Australian and one of just a few foreigners living full time in the country.
…
EXPLAINER — What’s Big Deal About Adding Citizenship Question to US Census?
U.S. President Donald Trump is making a last-ditch push to add a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census, despite a Supreme Court ruling against it last month and criticism by some states and civil liberties groups that the question is meant to deter immigrants from participating and help Republicans gain seats in the U.S. Congress.What is the census used for?The once-per-decade survey is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Its results have major consequences for states. Census data is used to determine the number of congressional representatives for each state, and dictates how the federal government allocates more than $800 billion in funding for services such as schools and law enforcement.Why did the Trump administration want to add the question?A question about citizenship has not been asked of all households since the 1950 census. It has featured since then on questionnaires sent to a smaller subset of the population. US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross speaks at the 11th Trade Winds Business Forum and Mission hosted by the US Department of Commerce, in New Delhi, India, Tuesday, May 7, 2019.U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whose department runs the census, announced in March 2018 that a citizenship question would be reinstated to produce better data on enforcement of the federal Voting Rights Act, which protects minorities’ electoral power. The government also said citizenship is a reasonable question to ask, noting that it is common in many other countries. The Census Bureau’s own experts estimated that households corresponding to 6.5 million people would not respond if the question were asked, leading to less accurate citizenship data.Why did opponents of the question sue?States with high numbers of immigrant and Latino residents, led by New York state, sued to block the citizenship question. They said it would cause an undercount of their populations and disproportionately hurt their regions by costing them U.S. House of Representatives seats and millions of dollars in federal funding. Immigrant advocacy groups said the government’s plan aimed to discriminate against non-white immigrants.What did the U.S. Supreme Court do?A federal judge in Manhattan and two others in Maryland and California blocked the addition of a citizenship question as a violation of federal administrative law or the Constitution. On June 27, the Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts answers questions during an appearance at Belmont University, Feb. 6, 2019, in Nashville, Tennessee.The ruling by Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative, was joined by the court’s four liberal justices.The ruling noted that Ross was determined to add the question from the time he was put in charge of the Commerce Department. The justices sent the issue back to the department, potentially allowing officials to offer a new explanation for adding the question.A U.S. House Democrat who oversees funding for the U.S. Census Bureau said he would not support money being spent to reprint forms if the Trump administration won court approval to add the citizenship question. Printing of the 2020 Census forms has started for the more than 600 million documents to be mailed to more than 130 million households.How could the census be used to boost political power?Reuters reported in April that the Trump administration believed its citizenship question could help Republicans in elections by enabling states to draw electoral maps based only on citizen population, rather than total population.Recently unearthed evidence that the challengers have said reveals an illegal discriminatory motive by the administration is being litigated in lower courts. Democratic critics of Republican Trump have also pointed to his hard line policies on reducing immigration.Documents created by Republican strategist and redistricting expert Thomas Hofeller, who died last year, showed he was instrumental behind the scenes in instigating the addition of the question. He concluded in a 2015 study that a citizenship question would be “advantageous to Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites” in redrawing electoral districts based on census data.The Supreme Court did not weigh in on that evidence and the Trump administration called the newly surfaced evidence “conspiracy theory.”
…
Zimbabwe Public Workers Reject $21 Million Pay Raise
Public sector workers in Zimbabwe on Tuesday rejected a government offer of 180 million Zimbabwe dollars ($21 million) in added pay for the July-December period as inadequate in the face of soaring inflation, a union official said.Zimbabweans are angry as a year-on-year price jump of around 100% has eaten the value of their wages and savings, recalling the horrors of hyperinflation in 2008. Hopes that living standards would soon improve under President Emmerson Mnangagwa have not been realized.Daily power cuts lasting up to 17 hours and severe shortages of U.S. dollars, fuel, bread, and medicines are bedeviling citizens who had hoped the end of Robert Mugabe’s rule after a 2017 coup would herald a new economic dawn.Thomas Muzondo, deputy chairman of the Apex Council, a group of public sector unions, told Reuters the government’s offer would see each of the 309,000 civil servants receiving only an additional 97 Zimbabwe dollars ($11.28) a month.That amount would buy less than 20 liters of petrol at a service station. The lowest paid government worker earns 430 Zimbabwe dollars a month, enough to buy a vehicle tire.”We totally rejected that offer so they [government Negotiators] will go back to their principals for further consultations,” Muzondo told Reuters.”It was a total waste of time.”He said the full Apex Council would meet in the capital Harare on Wednesday to decide its next step.Civil Service Commission chairman Vincent Hungwe was not Immediately available for comment.Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube told business leaders on Monday that Mnangagwa’s government was ready to raise civil servants’ pay for the second time in three months, citing inflation.The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions threatened “mass action” last month after the government made the RTGS dollar the sole legal tender and renamed it the Zimbabwe dollar.Ncube has said the government is running monthly budget surpluses since January, the first time in years that state finances have not been in the red, and a sign that authorities have cut down borrowing.Ncube previously promised to cut the budget deficit this year to 5% of GDP from 11% in 2018.The finance minister told reporters after a cabinet meeting that the national treasury had on Tuesday carried out its first public auction of Treasury Bills since 2008 to test market appetite for the bills.Five banks had participated in the auction and made bids totaling $20 million for 90-, 180- and 360-day Treasury Bills. “The purpose of the auction was to test the market in terms of TB [Treasury Bill] appetite and to also enable us to work out a yield curve,” Ncube said.
…
Austrian Justice Minister: No Decision on Ukrainian Tycoon Extradition
This story originated in VOA’s Ukrainian Service.
WASHINGTON — Austria’s acting justice minister says he has yet to decide whether to extradite Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash to face bribery charges in the United States.On June 25, Austria’s Supreme Court upheld a decision granting a U.S. request to extradite the gas tycoon, paving the way for him to face trial in the United States.”We can inform you that the minister has not yet decided [whether to extradite Firtash to the United States],” a justice ministry official told VOA’s Ukrainian Service on Tuesday, reversing expectations that followed last week’s ruling.Firtash, who denies any wrongdoing, was a supporter of Ukraine’s ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych, and 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.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.The Austrian Supreme Court upheld a previous ruling by a lower court, according to which Firtash can be extradited despite his lawyers arguing that he is the victim of political “persecution” by the United States, which he has never visited.Firtash’s defense team is led by former Austrian Justice Minister Dieter Boehmdorfer.Austria’s constitution says Justice Minister Clemens Jabloner, a civil servant who is part of a caretaker government in operation until elections are held, ultimately decides whether to execute the court’s extradition request.Tuesday’s Justice Ministry comments contradicted widely held expectations that Jabloner would quickly decide the fate of Firtash, who has been free on bail since the lower court verdict to extradite in February 2017.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.Austria’s Justice Ministry said via email “there is no deadline for decision-making [about the Firtash extradition court ruling], and unfortunately we cannot give you a specific time period.”Some information for this report came from Reuters.
…
Nicki Minaj Pulls Out of Saudi Arabia Concert
Nicki Minaj is pulling out of a concert in Saudi Arabia because she says she wants to show support for women’s rights, gay rights and freedom of expression.“After careful reflection I have decided to no longer move forward with my scheduled concert at Jeddah World Fest. While I want nothing more than to bring my show to fans in Saudi Arabia, after better educating myself on the issues, I believe it is important for me to make clear my support for the rights of women, the LGBTQ community and freedom of expression,” Minaj said in a statement Tuesday to The Associated Press.Minaj was originally scheduled to headline the concert on July 18. The Human Rights Foundation issued a statement last week, calling for Minaj and other performers to pull out of the show.In Saudi Arabia, gender segregation between single men and women is still enforced in many restaurants, coffee shops, public schools and universities, but other rules have loosened with women now allowed to drive and attend events in sports stadiums.Jeddah World Fest, which in line with Saudi laws, is alcohol and drug-free, is open to people 16 and older and will take place at the King Abdullah Sports Stadium in the Red Sea city. Other performers include former One Direction member Liam Payne and DJ-producer Steve Aoki.Saudi organizers said the concert will be broadcast globally. The kingdom is also promising quick electronic visas for international visitors who want to attend.Over the past several months, the kingdom has seen performances by Mariah Carey, Enrique Iglesias, the Black Eyed Peas, Sean Paul, David Guetta and Tiesto. That’s a stark change from when Saudi morality police would raid establishments that played loud music.
…
US Court Rules Trump Cannot Silence Critics on Twitter
A U.S. federal appeals court has ruled President Donald Trump cannot silence critics on his Twitter account, maintaining that blocking them violates the Constitution’s right to free speech.The 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled in a 3-0 decision Tuesday the First Amendment prohibits Trump from blocking critics from his account, a public platform.On behalf of the three-judge panel, Circuit Judge Barrington Parker wrote “The First Amendment does not permit a public official who utilizes a social media account for all manner of official purposes to exclude persons from an otherwise-open online dialogue because they expressed views with which the official disagrees.”Trump has used his Twitter account, which has more than 60-million followers, to promote his agenda and to attack critics.The court ruled on a lawsuit filed by Columbia University’s Knight First Amendment Institute on behalf of seven people who were blocked by Trump after criticizing his policies.The decision upheld a May 2018 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The U.S. Justice Department said the ruling was “fundamentally misconceived,” arguing Trump used the account in a personal capacity to express his views, and not as a forum for public discussion.The Trump administration did not immediately comment on the ruling, nor did Twitter or the plaintiffs.
…
Russian Parliament Calls for Sanctions on Georgia, Amid Heightened Tensions
Russian lawmakers voted unanimously on Tuesday in favor of a resolution calling for sanctions against Georgia, amid increased tension between the neighboring nations.Russia’s lower house of parliament, the Duma, recommended that Moscow levy sanctions over Georgia’s “unfriendly” actions.Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said the lawmaking body wanted a ban on Georgian wine and mineral water in Russia, as well as a stop to money flowing from Russia to Georgia.Relations between the two nations have strained in recent weeks. In late June, protests turned violent between activists and police following a speech a Russian lawmaker delivered in Georgia’s legislature, sitting in the chair reserved for the parliamentary speaker.On Sunday, relations worsened after a Georgian television host gave a profane monologue critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin on live television.”We consider the insults to our country, threats to our citizens and insults to our president inadmissible,” Volodin was quoted saying on the Duma’s website.Tensions between the two nations go back over a decade.In 2008, Georgia and Russia fought a war that claimed hundreds of lives, and resulted in the de-facto occupation of two Georgian regions by Russia. Since the conflict, the two nations have not had diplomatic ties.On Monday, a Russian ban on direct flights took effect, hurting Georgia’s tourism industry.Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili urged Moscow to reconsider pursuing sanctions.
“It would be a paradox if a neighboring state responds to the actions of those they consider to be radical forces by contributing to the realization of their destructive goals,” Zurabishvili said in a statement.According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the government has not yet made a judgement on sanctions, though he accused Georgian leaders of being complicit in “anti-Russian hysteria.”“…Such crude attacks are nothing more than the result of the appeasement of those who have fueled and continue to fuel anti-Russian hysteria,” said Peskov.
…
South Sudan Marks Anniversary With Hunger Still a Pressing Issue
Eight years after South Sudan’s independence, hunger continues to plague the world’s youngest nation. A recent United Nations report shows nearly half the population – 6.1 million people – are facing some degree of food insecurity. Sheila Ponnie looks at the challenges from the Upper Nile Region of South Sudan
…
UN: Sudan Must Respect Human Rights to Achieve Peace and Stability
U.N. human rights experts say Sudan must end its horrific legacy of violence and abuse and respect the rights of its people if it wishes to achieve a peaceful and stable society. A senior U.N. official has provided an update on the situation in Sudan, on behalf of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Andrew Gilmour said he is encouraged by the agreement reached Friday between Sudan’s Forces for Freedom and Change and the Transitional Military Council. He praised the African Union and Ethiopia for mediating the preliminary power-sharing deal between Sudan’s civilian opposition and military junta. But he said it will take a lot of perseverance and genuine commitment to make the deal work after months of violent protests, which finally succeeded in toppling long-time president Omar al-Bashir on April 11.”Following the removal of President al-Bashir from office, the High Commissioner underscored that the crisis in Sudan has its roots in human rights grievances — unfulfilled economic, social, civil and political rights — and that, therefore, the solution must also be grounded in human rights,” he added.Gilmour noted Bashir’s removal unfortunately did not end violence or abuse in the country. He said more than 100 peaceful protestors were killed by security forces on June 6. He said civilians opposed to continued military rule have been subject to widespread human rights violations and violent repression of protests.”We encourage all parties in Sudan to continue to resolve any outstanding issues through dialogue,” he stressed. “OHCHR [Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights] welcomes that the agreement reached last week includes a commitment to conduct an independent investigation into the violence perpetrated against peaceful protestors. … It is important that investigations contribute to justice and dignity for all victims of such violence.” Osama Humeida of Sudan’s Ministry of Justice said the Transitional Military Council is committed to upholding all human rights mechanisms. He speaks through an interpreter.”Sudan is living through a genuine change towards a transition of power as a result of an inspiring popular revolution that imposed new facts on the ground,” he said. “In this new era, Sudan looks forward to the cooperation and the support of the international community in order to overcome the challenges it faces in all fields.” Humeida said Sudan is changing its ways, so it is time that unilateral coercive sanctions on his country be lifted. He also urged nations to cancel Sudan’s crippling foreign debt.
…
Migrants in Libya: Homeless, Detained But Determined
Governments and international organizations around the world have condemned last week’s bombing of a migrant detention center in Libya that killed more than fifty civilians and wounded at least 130. The horrific incident, however, has not deterred desperate migrants who still want to make the dangerous trip to Europe. VOA’s Heather Murdock is in Tripoli with this report.
…
Indonesian Woman Convicted of Recording Boss’ Sexual Advances Seeks Presidential Amnesty
The widely-publicized case of Baiq Nuril Maknun, the 41-year-old school bookkeeper sentenced to six months in prison for recording sexually-suggestive phone calls she received from the principal at her school, has gained traction after the Indonesian government indicated a willingness to grant her amnesty – which would eliminate any traces of wrongdoing from her part.After a meeting in Jakarta with Nuril and her counsel on Monday, Indonesia’s Law and Human Rights Minister, Yasonna Laoly, told reporters an amnesty could be announced after Indonesia’s newly-elected president, Joko Widodo, through the state secretariat, discusses the legal proceedings with the House of Representatives. One of Nuril’s lawyers, Joko Jumadi, confirmed to VOA that they will meet with the House of Representatives Wednesday.
“I think it sounds to me like a green light,” he said. “We are optimistic. We have to be.”Several law experts were also invited to the meeting, one of whom was Bivitri Susanti who confirmed to VOA that the president was indicated to have favored amnesty. Last week, Joko told reporters in Manado, a city on Sulawesi island, that though he would not intervene with the Supreme Court ruling, he advised that Nuril and her counsel apply for amnesty.Talk of granting Nuril amnesty followed a controversial rejection of Nuril’s appeal from Indonesia’s Supreme Court last week – one that upheld her prison stay and a $35,000 (500 million rupiahs) fine.Case historyNuril’s case began in 2012, when Muslim (who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name), the newly-minted principal of her school in Mataram, called her repeatedly. In the phone calls, he used sexually inappropriate language and even went as far as to tell her about his own affair with his own treasurer. As word spread suggesting Nuril and Muslim had indeed embarked on an affair, Nuril determined to disprove the rumor to her colleagues by recording the call.
Learning of the recordings, Muslim reported Nuril to the police, citing a clause in Indonesia’s controversial electronic information and transactions law that presides over defamation. Deemed innocent by the local court (though she still went to prison during the investigation) in 2017, the prosecutors took it up with the Supreme Court who later convicted Nuril of defamation in 2018 and sentenced her to a six-month jail time.Indonesia’s Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly talks to journalists with Baiq Nuril Maknun, a school bookkeeper who was jailed after she tried to report sexual harassment, in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 8, 2019.Her case has sparked outrage from activists and rights organizations. An online crowd-funding campaign has also been set up to help with Nuril’s fine (she would have to serve an additional three months in prison if she fails to pay the fine).“From the very beginning, law enforcers have sided with versions of the story from the principal,” Usman Hamid, head of the Indonesia chapter of Amnesty International, told VOA. “They should be protecting Nuril as a victim, not brand her as a [convict].”Nuril’s case reignited discussions on sexual assault cases. Joko, Nuril’s lawyer, told VOA that the Supreme Court ruling against his client set a “terrible precedent for future reports from sexual assault victims.” Her case came after Indonesia was embroiled in the discourse around the passing of the anti-sexual violence bill, which faced opposition from religious groups.Amnesty v. clemencyAnother potential legal means for Nuril is through clemency, though law expert Bivitri said that it would be unlikely. “Clemency is usually provided to people embroiled in extraordinary cases, say people sentenced to death or for life,” she said.
Amnesty, she said, would be the best way forward. “If the president grants Nuril amnesty, then it could prove that the government protects its citizens while honoring the judicial proceedings.” She added that amnesty would erase her criminal record. In contrast, the granting of clemency would mean that Nuril agreed that she was in the wrong and that she would ask for the leniency of her punishment.“We don’t see any criminal wrongdoing here from her part,” Usman of Amnesty International said.Indonesia’s former presidents have previously granted amnesty. In 1959, then president Sukarno granted amnesty and abolition to the people involved in the rebel group D.I/T.I.I. Kahar Muzzakar in South Sulawesi. In 2005, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono granted amnesty to the separatist movement in Aceh, Gerakan Aceh Merdeka.“Joko could use this argument: for the sake of peace and humanity,” Usman said, before adding that history shows that amnesty has also been granted to individuals.
…
Greece’s New, Conservative Cabinet is Sworn In
Greece’s new Cabinet was sworn in Tuesday, two days after conservative party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis won early elections on pledges to make the country more business-friendly, cut taxes and negotiate an easing of draconian budget conditions agreed as part of the country’s rescue program. The new Cabinet relies heavily on experienced politicians who have served in previous governments, but also includes non-politician technocrats considered experts in their fields.
FILE – Greece’s newly-elected prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, waves as he walks shortly after his swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Athens, July 8, 2019.Mitsotakis appointed Christos Staikouras to the crucial post of finance minister. Staikouras is an economist and engineer who had served as deputy minister in a previous government.
The new foreign minister is Nikos Dendias, who held previous Cabinet positions in the ministries of development, defense and public order.
A former public order minister under a previous socialist government, Michalis Chrisohoidis, takes the reins of the ministry once again as one of Mitsotakis’ non-parliamentary appointees.
The new appointees headed to their ministries for official handovers after the swearing-in ceremony at the presidential mansion in central Athens.
Mitsotakis had barely announced his Cabinet selection Monday evening when Greece’s creditors bluntly rejected his calls to ease bailout conditions. Finance ministers from the 19 European Union countries that use the euro currency, who met in Brussels, insisted key targets must be adhered to.
“Commitments are commitments, and if we break them, credibility is the first thing to fall apart. That brings about a lack of confidence and investment,” Eurogroup president Mario Centeno said after the meeting.
Greece was dependent for years on successive international bailouts that provided rescue loans from other European Union countries and the International Monetary Fund in return for deep reforms to the country’s economy that included steep tax hikes and major spending cuts.
Unemployment and poverty levels soared in the country. Greece’s third and final international bailout ended last year, but the country’s economy is still under strict supervision by its creditors.
…
Soldier Killed in Korean War To Be Returned Home for Burial
An Ohio soldier reported missing in action in the Korean War and later identified through DNA is returning home.
Eighteen-year-old Roger Woods was reported missing in action after fighting in the vicinity of Kochang, Republic of Korea, on July 29, 1950. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said the U.S. Army later issued a “presumptive finding of death” for Pfc. Woods.Remains found in a grave in South Korea and sent to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii in 1955 were identified last year as Woods.
Woods’ coffin arrives Tuesday morning at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and will travel by procession to Evans Funeral Home in Goshen in Clermont County. Visitation will be held Wednesday.
The funeral is set for Thursday, followed by burial at Goshen Cemetery.
…
British Red-Faced Over Leaked Cables Criticizing Trump
Theresa May says Britain’s beleaguered ambassador in Washington still enjoys her “full support” — despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s excoriation of the envoy, Kim Darroch, whose leaked diplomatic cables describing the American leader as “inept and “incompetent” have left British officials writhing in embarrassment.Despite Downing Street’s backing of the ambassador, British officials concede privately that their top diplomat in Washington will have to be replaced soon, if the political fallout from the cables is to be contained, and to avoid any lasting damage to Anglo-American relations.On Monday, Trump tweeted he would “no longer deal” with Darroch, who he said was “not well liked or well thought of within the U.S.” Earlier he had said Darroch “has not served the UK well.”FILE – Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street, as she faces a vote on alternative Brexit options, in London, March 27, 2019.A Downing Street spokesperson said that while Darroch “continues to have the Prime Minister’s full support,” she does not share the envoy’s assessments of the Trump administration.“We have made clear to the U.S. how unfortunate this leak is. The selective extracts leaked do not reflect the closeness of, and the esteem in which we hold, the relationship. At the same time we have also underlined the importance of ambassadors being able to provide honest, unvarnished assessments of the politics in their country,” the spokesperson added.FILE – President Donald Trump talks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before departing for his Bedminster, N.J. golf club, July 5, 2019, in Washington.In the cache of cables covering the past two years, Darroch describes the Trump administration as “dysfunctional.” One cable to Britain’s Foreign Office read: “We don’t really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction driven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept.”Darroch was also dismissive of Trump’s policy towards Iran.The cables were leaked to Brexit advocate Isabel Oakeshott, a sometime journalist and friend of Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, and were published in Britain’s Mail on Sunday newspaper. Analysts suspect the leak is part of a wider Brexit-related power struggle between pro-Brexit factions and old guard British diplomats and civil servants opposed to leaving the European Union.Darroch is a known Europhile and at one time served as Britain’s envoy in Brussels. Colleagues have rallied behind him, saying it is important diplomats are able to feel free to give their honest opinions and assessments to their political bosses.“I was a good friend to two presidents, George Bush and Bill Clinton, but I had to be able to report honestly to Number 10 what they were likely to do next, any big differences we might have, and if ambassadors can no longer do that then we’re in a very different world,” said Robin Renwick, who served in the 1990s as the British envoy in Washington.That view is shared by British lawmakers, who worry the leak will persuade other diplomats to hold back on their views. “It is extremely serious because it fundamentally undermines the confidence our envoys can have that the messages they send back are kept private. That puts at risk the ability of the British government to have the best possible advice to make decisions about foreign affairs,” said Tom Tugendhat, chairman of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee.But former and current British officials say that Trump’s decision to sever ties between the White House and the British envoy places Darroch in an “untenable” position. They say he will have to be moved quickly with another diplomat slotted in to make sure no lasting damage is done to British-American relations.Theresa May is due to leave office later this month and is likely to be replaced by Boris Johnson, the frontrunner in a Conservative party leadership race.FILE – Boris Johnson, a leadership candidate for Britain’s Conservative Party, speaks during an event in Birmingham, June 22, 2019.The former London Mayor is a friend of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and has been praised by the U.S. President, who has said that he thinks Johnson would make “a terrific prime minister.” British officials and lawmakers are hoping that the change of leadership in Downing Street will bring closure to the quarrel over the leaked cables.Trump himself appeared to signal that would be the case, noting in a flurry of tweets, “The good news for the wonderful United Kingdom is that they will soon have a new prime minister.”FILE – Queen Elizabeth II, President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, pose for a photograph ahead of a State Banquet.British officials also draw comfort from President Trump’s continued delight over his state visit to Britain in June, where he was feted with pomp and ceremony. Trump tweeted again this week that he had “thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent state visit last month,” noting he was “impressed” with the Queen.But there are still concerns in the corridors of power in London about the possible fallout from the cables amid fears that what has been published so far is a small amount of what was leaked. More Darroch cables could appear in the media, they fear.That could enrage the U.S. leader, they U.S. President. Officials note Trump attacks have intensified in the last 24 hours and that he has also turned his fire on Theresa May now as well, emphasizing once again his criticism of her handling of the Brexit negations with the European Union.“I have been very critical of about the way the UK and Prime Minister Theresa May handled Brexit,” he tweeted Tuesday. “What a mess she and her representatives have created. I told her how it should be done, but she decided to go another way,” he added.Downing Street has ordered a mole-hunt for the leaker and is scrambling to try to ensure no other embarrassing cables find their way to the media. The last time a British envoy was forced out of Washington was in 1856, when the then ambassador was accused of trying to recruit Americans to fight in the Crimean War.
…
Miss District of Columbia 2019 Shares Her #MeToo Message
VOA Student Union’s Sahar Majid interviewed 2019 Miss District of Columbia Katelynne Cox, who talked about issues including her pageant journey and advocacy organization.Katelynne Cox was chosen as the 2019 Miss District of Columbia last month.Cox, a native of Washington state, is the manager of fundraising and events at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in Washington, D.C.In the pageant, Cox was able to speak to her advocacy for the #MeToo movement.Through the organization Silence Is Not Compliance, which Cox founded in 2016, she is providing rehabilitation resources to survivors of sexual assault and educating kids on how to prevent sexual violence.Cox is a rape survivor, and works to inspire other women who have gone through similar trauma and have not been able to speak up.“I am a survivor of sexual assault and was raped in college, and I wanted to turn my terrible experience into a way that could help others,” she said.As she established Silence Is Not Compliance, Cox began lobbying for the victims for sexual assault before the U.S. Congress.“I would argue right now, in our current policies, that victims are treated as tools for prosecution rather than victims deserving a rescue and that’s what I want to change,” she said.2018 Miss DC Allison Farris hands over the reign to Miss DC 2019 Katelynn Cox.Before moving to Washington, D.C., Cox attended the University of Missouri where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. She also has two graduate certificates in nonprofit and public management from the school.Cox said she became involved with the Miss District of Columbia organization for several reasons. The Miss DC pageant, which is part of the Miss America program, offers over $25,000 in scholarships each year to contestants. The winner receives a $10,000 scholarship and there are a variety of other awards available for academics.Cox said the scholarship was one of the reasons she got involved with the organization.Every year, the Miss District of Columbia Scholarship Organization recognizes high-achieving women between the ages of 18 and 25 who have been living or working in Washington, D.C., for at least six months preceding the date of the pageant. The program’s website says that a contestant who is not a district resident can obtain a waiver by showing her education or employment status in the District of Columbia. There is no entry fee to compete. This year’s event was held June 23.The Miss DC organization has a partnership with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals – a Utah-based nonprofit organization that raises funds for children’s health care.“This organization is near and dear to my heart,” Cox said, adding it gave her another reason to become involved with the Miss DC organization. Cox has been working with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals since she was a child.Miss DC 2019 Katelynn Cox posing with visitors at the U.S. Botanic Garden.In addition, the Miss DC organization provides contestants with an opportunity to pick a social impact initiative with which to become involved. “It was an amazing experience to promote my organization, Silence Is Not Compliance, as Miss DC,” Cox said.This year, the Miss District of Columbia Pageant eliminated the swimsuit segment. It was a decision by the Miss America organization to replace it with onstage interviews of contestants.Cox is grateful for the decision because it gave her an opportunity to talk about the #MeToo movement on stage and her experience as a survivor to connect with other survivors.She highlighted her singing abilities for the talent portion.“Well, my mom likes to say that I started singing before I could even talk,” she said, while telling the story of her musical journey.Cox has worked with Red Hammer Records, a label based in Portland, Oregon, and released three albums during her teen years. She also had an opportunity to tour nationwide for her musical shows.Cox believes scholarship programs, such as Miss America or Miss DC, provide young women with a platform to talk about social issues that need to be addressed.“I think that inherently there is a problem with the thought that being involved in pageants is somehow sexually objectifying someone. I would argue that if you say that pageants are sexually objectifying me, then you are sexually objectifying me, not the pageant itself,” Cox said.Cox is now gearing up for the 2020 Miss America contest, to be held on September 8 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
…
Big Earthquakes Raise Interest in West Coast Warning System
The powerful Mojave Desert earthquakes that rocked California ended a years-long lull in major seismic activity and raised new interest in an early warning system being developed for the West Coast.The ShakeAlert system is substantially built in California and overall is about 55% complete, with much of the remaining installation of seismic sensor stations to be done in the Pacific Northwest, said Robert de Groot of the U.S. Geological Survey.Areas that have the appropriate number of sensors include Southern California, San Francisco Bay Area and the Seattle-Tacoma region, de Groot said.The system does not predict earthquakes. Rather, it detects that an earthquake is occurring, rapidly calculates expected intensity levels and sends out alerts that may give warnings ranging from several seconds to perhaps a minute before potentially damaging shaking hits locations away from the epicenter.Depending on the distance, that could be enough time to automatically slow trains, stop industrial machines, start generators, pull a surgical knife away from a patient or tell students to put the “drop, cover and hold” drill into action.For alerts to be useful, delivery has to be timely, and that’s a problem with current cellphone technology. For cellphone delivery, the USGS ultimately intends to use the same system that delivers Amber Alerts, sending signals to everyone in reach of cellphone towers in defined areas where damaging shaking is expected. Pilot programs involving select users have been underway for several years. In October, the USGS announced the system was ready to be used broadly by businesses, utilities, schools and other entities following a software update that reduced problems such as false alerts typically caused by a big quake somewhere in the world being misidentified as a local quake.Alexandria Johnson, at right, whose home was damaged by an earthquake, prays with fellow congregants including Sara Smith, left, in the aftermath of an earthquake at the Christian Fellowship of Trona Sunday, July 7, 2019, in Trona, Calif.Currently, the only mass public notification is possible through a mobile app developed for the city of Los Angeles and functional only within Los Angeles County. The ShakeAlertLA app did not send alerts for last week’s two big quakes, but officials said it functioned as designed because the expected level of shaking in the LA area – more than 100 miles from the epicenters- was below a trigger threshold.Thresholds for alerting are important because California has daily earthquakes.”Imagine getting 10 ShakeAlerts on your phone for really small earthquakes that may not affect you,” de Groot said. “If people get saturated with these messages it’s going to make people not care as much.”In the Mojave Desert on Monday, rattled residents cleaned up and officials assessed damage in the aftermath of Thursday’s magnitude 6.4 earthquake and Friday’s magnitude 7.1 quake centered near Ridgecrest.President Donald Trump on Monday declared an emergency exists in California because of the quakes, paving the way for federal aid. The declaration authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.It could be several more days before water service is restored to the small town of Trona, where officials trucked in portable toilets and showers, said San Bernardino County spokesman David Wert. Ten residences in Trona were red-tagged as uninhabitable and officials expect that number to increase as inspectors complete surveys. Wert said he’s seen homes that shifted 6 feet (nearly 2 meters) off their foundations. Electricity was restored to Trona over the weekend, allowing people to use much-needed air conditioners as daytime temperatures approached 100 degrees (38 Celsius). Teams will need several more days to finish assessments in nearby Ridgecrest, where the number of damaged buildings will likely be in the dozens, Kern County spokeswoman Megan Person said.Person says officials are bringing in counselors to help residents still on edge as aftershocks rattle the area. “You can’t feel every single one, but you can feel a lot of them,” she said. “Those poor people have been dealing with shaking ground non-stop since Thursday.”
…
Hong Kong Leader Says Extradition Bill Dead After Mass Protests
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the extradition bill that sparked the territory’s biggest political crisis in decades was dead, admitting that the government’s work on the bill had been a “total failure.”The bill, which would have allowed people in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China to face trial, sparked huge and at times violent street protests and plunged the former British colony into turmoil.In mid-June, Lam responded to huge protests by suspending the bill, but on Tuesday she said “there are still lingering doubts about the government’s sincerity or worries whether the government will restart the process in the legislative council.””So, I reiterate here, there is no such plan, the bill is dead,” she told a news conference.Lam’s declaration appeared to be a win for opponents of the bill, but it was not immediately clear if it would be enough to satisfy them.Demonstrators have also called for Lam to resign, for an independent investigation into police actions against protesters, and for the government to abandon the description of a violent protest on June 12 as a riot.Hong Kong was returned to China from Britain in 1997 with the promise of a high degree of autonomy, but in recent years there has been growing concern about the erosion of those freedoms at the hands of Beijing.The crisis over the extradition bill has been the biggest challenge Beijing has faced to its rule in the territory in the 22 years since it re-gained control over Hong Kong.The planned bill triggered outrage across broad sections of Hong Kong society amid concerns it would threaten the much-cherished rule of law that underpins the city’s international financial status.Lam’s appearance on Tuesday was her first since a rare pre-dawn news conference a week ago after protesters besieged and ransacked the legislative building in the heart of the city.Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a “one country, two systems” formula that allows freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, including the right to protest and an independent judiciary.Lawyers and rights groups say China’s justice system is marked by torture, forced confessions and arbitrary detention, claims that Beijing denies.
…
In Japan, Business of Watching Whales Far Larger Than Hunting Them
People packed the decks of the Japanese whale-watching boat, screaming in joy as a pod of orcas put on a show: splashing tails at each other, rolling over, and leaping out of the water.In Kushiro, just 160 kilometers south of Rausu, where the four dozen people laughed and cheered, boats were setting off on Japan’s first commercial whale hunt in 31 years.Killed that day were two minke whales, which the boats in Rausu also search for glimpses of – a situation that whale-watching boat captain Masato Hasegawa confessed had him worried.”They won’t come into this area – it’s a national park – or there’d be big trouble,” the 57-year-old former pollock fisherman said. “And the whales we saw today, the sperm whales and orcas, aren’t things they hunt.””But we also watch minkes,” he added. “If they take a lot in the (nearby) Sea of Okhotsk, we could well see a change, and that would be too bad for whale watching.”Whale-watching boat captain Masato Hasegawa speaks with other boats in order to look for whales in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019.Whale-watching is a growing business around Japan, with popular spots from the southern Okinawa islands up to Rausu, a fishing village on the island of Hokkaido, so far north that it’s closer to Russia than to Tokyo.The number of whale watchers around Japan has more than doubled between 1998 and 2015, the latest year for which national data is available. One company in Okinawa had 18,000 customers between January and March this year.In Rausu, 33,451 people packed tour boats last year for whale and bird watching, up 2,000 from 2017 and more than 9,000 higher than 2016. Many stay in local hotels, eat in local restaurants, and buy local products such as sea urchins and seaweed.”Of the tourist boat business, 65 percent is whale watching,” said Ikuyo Wakabayashi, executive director of the Shiretoko Rausu Tourism Association, who says the numbers grow substantially each year.”You don’t just see one type of whale here, you see lots of them,” she said. “Whale-watching is a huge tourist resource for Rausu and this will continue, I hope.”Wakabayashi was drawn to Rausu by whale-watching; a native of the western city of Osaka, she fell in love with the area after three trips there to see orcas.A heavy shroud of morning mist fills a port in Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 2, 2019.”I thought this was an incredible place,” she said. “Winters are tough, but it’s so beautiful.”Hasegawa, who says he has a waiting list of customers in high season, has ordered a second boat.”Right now, the lifestyle we have is good,” Hasegawa said. “Better than it would have been with fishing.”Small IndustryThe five whaling vessels moored at Kushiro port on Sunday, the night before the hunt resumed, were well-used and well-maintained. Crew members came and went, carrying groceries or towels, heading for a public bath.Barely 300 people are directly involved with whaling around Japan, and though the government maintains whale meat is an important part of food culture, the amount consumed annually has fallen to only 0.1 percent of total meat consumption.Yet Japan, under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe – himself from a whaling district – left the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and returned to commercial whaling on July 1.Whaling advocates, such as Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-type Whaling Association, celebrated the hunt.”We endured for 31 years, but now it’s all worth it,” he said in Kushiro on Monday night after the first minkes were brought in to be butchered. “They’ll be whaling for a week here, we may have more.”Everybody acknowledges that rebuilding demand could be tough after decades of whale being a pricey, hard-to-find food.Consumption was widespread after World War II, when an impoverished Japan needed cheap protein, but fell off after the early 1960s as other meat grew cheaper.”Japan has so much to eat now that food is thrown out, so we don’t expect demand for whale will rise that fast,” said Kazuo Yamamura, president of the Japan Whaling Association.”But looking to the future, if you don’t eat whale, you forget that it’s a food,” he said. “If you eat it in school lunches, you’ll remember that, you’ll remember that it’s good.”A captured Minke whale is unloaded after commercial whaling at a port in Kushiro, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, July 1, 2019, in this photo taken by Kyodo.Pro-whaling lawmaker Kiyoshi Ejima said that subsidies were unlikely, but that the government should be careful not to let the industry founder. About 5.1 billion yen ($47.31 million) was budgeted for whaling in 2019.”If we pull away our hands too soon, a lot of companies will fail,” he added.The goal of selling whale throughout Japan may be impractical, said Joji Morishita, Japan’s former IWC commissioner.”The alternative … is to just limit the supply of whale meat to some of the major places in Japan that have a good tradition of whale eating,” Morishita said, adding that the meat is difficult to thaw and cook.In areas for which whaling is a tradition, this niche market could promote tourism, which Abe has made a pillar of his economic plan.”Whale eating in a sense is ideal – it’s different, it’s well-known, and for better or worse, it’s very famous,” Morishita said. “Taking advantage of this IWC withdrawal, I think there are business chances that are viable.”Whales Up CloseFor Rausu, on Hokkaido’s remote Shiretoko Peninsula, the viable business is whale watching.Foxes run through the streets of the city’s downtown, which clings to a narrow strip of land below mountains and faces the Nemuro Strait. Summer often brings thick fog, while winter storms can leave waist-high drifts.Though fishing was long Rausu’s economic backbone, the industry has taken a hit from declining fish stocks, which locals blame on Russian trawlers and falling prices. The population has dropped by several hundred annually, slipping below 5,000 this year.Hasegawa, a fourth-generation fisherman, began his tour boat business in 2006. Though the first few years were a struggle, he is now happy with his choice as Rausu’s reputation grows globally.On a recent weekday, customers packed the parking lot at a wharf lined with squid-fishing boats, waiting to board Hasegawa’s boat and those of three other companies. Hasegawa’s customers came from all over Japan and several foreign countries.A killer whale swims in the sea near Rausu, Hokkaido, Japan, July 1, 2019.”Today there were more (whale) jumps than usual; it was fantastic,” said Kiyoko Ogi, a 47-year-old Tokyo bus driver who’s been whale-watching in Rausu three times. “I’m really opposed to commercial whaling; seeing whales close is so exciting.”Whale hunting was never big in Rausu, and though Hasegawa said there once was “trouble” with people hunting small Baird’s beaked whales nearby, those fishermen now stay far from the tours and will tell him where to find orcas and sperm whales.But he’s dubious about whether demand for whale meat will ever pick up. Restaurants and hotels in Rausu avoid serving it.”We get a lot of kids in summer vacations. If you tell them on the boat that ‘this is the whale we ate last night,’ they’d cry,” he said.”If they serve whale, nobody from overseas will come, especially Europeans,” he added. “Given that the national government is trying to woo overseas tourists so much, its thinking (on whaling) seems a bit wrong.”($1 = 107.7900 yen)
…
Ivanka Trump’s Growing Portfolio May Include the Environment
Steve Herman contributed to this report.WHITE HOUSE / CAPITOL HILL – When U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a speech on “America’s environmental leadership” from the East Room of the White House on Monday, his daughter Ivanka Trump was seated at the front row, where she watched with a beaming smile on her face.
But when Trump recounted how in 2017 he withdrew the United States from what he called “the unfair, ineffective and very, very expensive Paris Climate Accord”, the smile disappeared from Ivanka Trump’s face as she clapped politely but unenthusiastically.
Even before her father’s inauguration, Ivanka Trump had singled out environmental regulation as a primary policy focus. In December of 2016 during her father’s presidential transition, she brought former Vice President Al Gore, a leading environmental activist, to meet Trump to discuss climate change.
Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, have in the past donated or raised money for Democratic candidates and are often seen as championing issues traditionally considered liberal, including environmental protection and climate change mitigation. Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement is seen by some as a defeat for the first daughter and advisor to the president in her battle for clout in the White House.
But Monday’s speech may indicate that Ivanka Trump’s influence on this issue is growing, and environmental protection may end up becoming another item on her already extensive portfolio ranging from job creation, fighting human-trafficking, and empowering women around the world.White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump and Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney walk from the Marine One helicopter as they depart Washington for travel to the G-20 summit from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, June 26, 2019. Administration sources confirmed that Ivanka has encouraged the president to defend his administration’s record on the environment.Growing international profile
The White House says that Ivanka plays a role in a number of areas, from pushing for tax cuts, improving access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, as well as developing a National Workforce Strategy to expand apprenticeships and skills training opportunities.
Responding to VOA’s question, on Friday President Trump said, “Ivanka has worked on almost 10 million jobs, training and going to companies and getting them to hire people.”
Internationally, Ivanka Trump has championed projects such as the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative. The effort is labeled as “the first whole-of-government approach” aimed at helping 50 million women across the developing world “achieve their economic potential” by 2025.
What’s in Store for Ivanka Trump? video player.
Embed” />Copy
“I get the sense that there is buy-in to this,” said Judd Devermont, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who welcomes Ivanka’s clout with the president on this issue. “If it’s going to be an Ivanka project, well, she’s got a significant amount of influence. So I’m hopeful that she’ll be able to drive into something more sustainable,” he said.
But Ivanka Trump became the subject of criticism and ridicule after her prominent involvement during the president’s visit to Asia in June. Many questioned her qualifications and competence to be at such high-profile events including the G-20, where she was seen on stage with world leaders, as well as the president’s historic meeting with Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone between South and North Korea.
Anti-nepotism Act
Many assert the president is running the country like a family business and harming the country’s interest through nepotism, an accusation that began when he appointed Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, as advisers in 2017, testing the anti-nepotism act.
The law was passed in 1967, following President John F. Kennedy’s nomination of his brother Robert as attorney general. But when Trump took office, his administration circumvented the law with a Justice Department lawyer issuing an opinion saying the president has special hiring authority for White House positions exempt from the law.This combination of pictures created on Nov. 11, 2016 shows (From L to R) recent portraits President-elect children Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.Neither Ivanka Trump nor her husband Jared Kushner are paid advisors to the president. When asked about Ivanka’s role at the G-20, President Trump reiterated a line he has frequently said, “Ivanka and Jared work very hard and they sacrifice a lot to be doing this.”
“She’s clearly taking the penalty for nepotism but not concerned about it,” said Shannon Bow O’Brien who teaches presidential studies at the University of Texas at Austin, referring to the consequences of the anti-nepotism law, which include termination or loss of salary. “If you’re willing to surrender your salary, or you’re rich enough to not need your salary, or the benefits of breaking the nepotism law are higher for your own personal business gains than your salary, then this is very problematic.
O’Brien raised the potential conflicts of interest with the president’s daughter having an outsized role in the administration. “Is she representing the best interests of the United States or is she representing the best interests of the family business, the Trump corporation, or herself?” she asked.
Grooming her for office?
Ivanka Trump’s increasing domestic portfolio is also creating speculation about what’s next.
“People are wondering whether this is a sign that maybe Ivanka is going to be a future political leader, that Trump is trying to groom her to be one,” said Zack Cooper of the American Enterprise Institute, adding that “you can certainly see that kind of path.”
Experts point out that Americans may be willing to accept families in government, but only if they are qualified. “I don’t believe America is very tolerant of having dynasties when the only thing they have going for them is their last names,” said O’Brien.
Trump himself has been against political dynasties in the past, including when he launched attacks against the Bushes and Clintons to win the White House.
Responding to VOA’s question about his intention for his daughter, Trump said “I’m not grooming her for office, no.”
…
Police Conduct Anti-Doping Busts Across Europe, 234 Arrested
A massive continent-wide police operation has netted 24 tons of anabolic steroid powder and 234 arrests across Europe. It also resulted in the closure of nine underground labs that produced performance-enhancing drugs and the dismantling of 17 organized-crime groups.The operation involved 33 countries, including 23 EU nations, the European police agency, Europol, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). “This is the sort of multi-party collaboration that produces real results and can make a significant impact on the availability of counterfeit and illegal drugs used by some athletes globally,” WADA intelligence director Gunther Younger said.Europol said the operation, co-led by law enforcement officials from Italy and Greece, was the largest of its kind.International law enforcement agencies have recently been taking a closer look at the use of performance enhancing drugs used by athletes. Last year, the U.S. Justice Department charged Russian military intelligence officers in a wide-ranging case that included WADA and the football federation, FIFA.
…
E-Scooters Put Swedish Startup on Road to Positive Cashflow
Growing numbers of young people whizzing around Europe’s big cities on electric scooters may represent a nightmare for some pedestrians and motorists, but for Swedish sharing startup VOI they offer a path to positive cashflow.VOI cofounder and chief executive Fredrik Hjelm said safety was an important consideration and VOI had drawn up a code of conduct with the authorities in Stockholm for all operators after a fatal accident involving an e-scooter.”Accidents are always very tragic and sad but since we’re in transportation, unfortunately there’s always a risk of accident. We can do everything we can on product operations and education but ultimately we’re in the hands of the users,” he added.Fredrik Hjelm, Swedish startup VOI cofounder and chief executive, poses at the company’s workshop in Stockholm, Sweden, July 6, 2019.Critics have also said VOI and other operators could face the fate of Asian bike operators GoBee and Mobike, which crashed out of Europe due to price wars, vandalism and regulation.Hjelm said the sector had learnt from past mistakes, with VOI upgrading to a model with longer-range swappable batteries to eliminate transport costs and increase product life.European startups VOI, Dott and Tier and U.S. rivals Bird and Lime have already put thousands of e-scooters on the roads of European cities, betting commuters will take to the two-wheelers in a region where far fewer own cars than in the United States.In France, e-scooters have been banned from sidewalks and in Britain they are not permitted on roads or pavements.Hjelm said that VOI is already making a profit in several cities, including its hometown Stockholm, where its e-scooters accounts for about 70% to 80% of those on the roads.”Our estimate is for VOI to be cashflow positive around late next year, but within three years for sure,” Hjelm told Reuters in an interview at VOI’s headquarters.”Price wars never end well for anyone. So what you see now in the market is the more experienced players like VOI and Lime have rather been able to increase our average price point,” Hjelm said.Open to tie-upsHigh-profile investors including Google, Uber and Volkswagen are increasingly getting into scooters as new modes of transport emerge from developments in electric and driverless vehicles.Hjelm expects the number of players to narrow within a year and said that VOI was open to discussing tie-ups.FILE – People use electric scooters by California-based bicycle rental service Lime at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, June 21, 2019.”Automotive companies understand their business model is threatened. This ‘sell one car to one customer’ won’t work in the future because it’s not sustainable from an environmental point of view and not what the consumers want anymore,” he said.”We’re in quite a stable financial position right now but we’re also always out in the market talking to potential partners and investors,” he added.VOI, which has raised slightly more than $80 million, already operates in 25 cities including Paris and Berlin and said on Monday it had reached 5 million rides since launching in September.Hjelm, who launched VOI as a solution to address congestion, pollution and the difficulty getting around that he experienced when working in Moscow, said VOI would be in 50 to 60 cities by year end, with a focus on Germany, Switzerland and Austria.Micromobility growthBarclays estimates that micromobility — transport using electric-powered one-person vehicles like e-scooters and e-bikes — could make up $800 billion in revenues by mid-2020s and total 1 trillion personal miles, or 4% of global transport.Most of the e-scooter growth has been driven by 20- and 30-year-olds willing to pay for convenience, driving the growth of companies like ride-hailing service Uber and food courier service Deliveroo.Hjelm said VOI was introducing cargo bikes, which would allow children or groceries to be transported, and e-bikes and was exploring adding e-mopeds and electric or transit pods.”VOI should become partner to cities that are restricting cars and want to transform urban transportation. E-scooters are part of the solution with e-bikes, mopeds etc in conjunction with public transportation,” he said.
…