After John Ryder retired from teaching high school, he found himself running short of money to keep living in his apartment along the shores of San Francisco Bay, one of the most expensive parts of the United States. In 2015 he moved to the Philippines. Things could hardly be better.“Once you’re here and get your feet wet a little bit, it’s not too bad,” said Ryder, 69, as he ate an American-style lunch at local prices at the Veterans of Foreign Wars restaurant near Clark Field, a former U.S. air base north of Manila.“I couldn’t afford to live in California,” Ryder said. “I had a friend who gave me a break on the rent. When I told him I was going to retire he was, ‘well, I’m going have to raise your rent.’” Ryder’s story explains why the Philippines gave out a record number of visas, for a single year, in 2018. The total came to 6,437, including spouses and dependents. The 2018 figure marks a 10% increase over 2017. The Philippines has given out 63,538 visas to foreign retirees since it began issuing them in 1987, according to Philippine Retirement Authority figures.Foreign retirees enjoy a lifestyle that’s cheaper than what they would pay in their developed homelands, while the largely impoverished Philippines is getting a boost from the money they spend, from meals to investments.Cheaper lifestyleAround Clark Field — now the site of a growing international airport — a golfer can get course access and a caddy for $25, Ryder said.Lunch around Clark costs no more than $10. A lot of expats near the base enjoy cheap beers, gym access and quick flights to the more modern city of Hong Kong, he said. The nearest beach is about an hour from Clark and some retirees live there. “If you want to go away anywhere, you can just go to that airport and get out,” Ryder said.Arch Turner, 76, moved to the Philippines nine years ago despite his distaste for Asia after returning from the Vietnam War. He now enjoys living cheaply enough to ride a motorcycle every day, watch anything on television and donate money to poor Filipino children.“About once a year I take one of these mobile flip flop carts down to the orphanage and the kids come out two at a time and they all select a pair of flip flops and it costs me less than 100 bucks,” Turner said.Old, easy schemeThe Philippine visa program stands out over peers in Asia, such as Malaysia and Thailand, by keeping the minimum qualifying age at relatively low at 35 and the qualification process “not too complicated,” a retirement authority spokesperson told the VOA. A total of 25 countries, including a number in Latin America, offer retirement visas. They hope the visa holders will spend money on services, especially tourism.Foreigners deposit from $10,000 to $50,000 in a Philippine bank account, with amounts depending on age, to sign up. Retirees get that money back if they leave the country permanently. “We’re also one of the cheapest options, even compared to our neighbors and competitors in Southeast Asia,” the spokesperson said.The top source country for the Philippines last year was China, with 40% of the total, followed by South Korea at 21%. Americans ranked sixth at 4.7%.Economic supportRetirees contribute heavily to the service sectors in a country where about one-fifth of the population lives in poverty, mainly for lack of jobs. The urban areas near Clark Field in turn draw people from poorer parts of the country for service jobs. Some retirees start businesses, pumping more money into the economy, the retirement authority spokesperson said. “The Philippines benefits…as these foreign retirees consume goods and services, pay tax that support public goods and services, and while they set-up their own businesses, they bring capital into the area that may be invested locally by banks,” the spokesperson said.Around Clark Field, foreign retirees eat high-end European cuisine and drink in bars after hours. Many hire local cars for adventures outside town or trips to the Manila airport.Analyn Matol, 26, moved to the city closest to Clark Field nine years ago from a poorer part of the country because her aunt was running a restaurant there. She now helps manage a restaurant herself. “As long as people have the work, that’s most important,” she said.
…
Month: September 2019
Bahamas Begins Dorian Recovery as Storm Threatens US Mainland
The focus in the Bahamas is on rescue and recovery efforts Wednesday after the bulk of Hurricane Dorian finally moved north after flooding neighborhoods, ripping roofs off buildings and leaving thousands of people in need of aid.Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said there were seven confirmed deaths from the storm, but that the number was expected to increase. He pledged, “No effort or resources will be held back,” in responding to the disaster.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said flood waters on Grand Bahama and Abaco islands should start to slowly subside. Aid efforts have been hampered by the long duration of the storm as it sat over the islands and pummeled the area with strong winds and rain, leaving the runway at Grand Bahama Airport under water.An aerial view shows devastation after hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas, September 3, 2019, in this image obtained via social media.The Red Cross said Dorian severely damaged or destroyed nearly half the homes on Grand Bahama and Abaco and that 62,000 people were in need of clean water. The United Nations said some 60,000 people need food after the storm.Still a US threat
Dorian has weakened from its peak power, but still presents a threat to the southeastern United States.The NHC said early Wednesday the storm still carried maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour and would move “dangerously close” to the coasts of Florida and Georgia during the day and into Wednesday night. The states of South Carolina and North Carolina are under threat for Thursday and Friday.Even if the center of Dorian does not make landfall in those states, it is still bringing bands of heavy rains, strong winds that extend out far from the center, and high surf to shorelines. Rainfall forecasts range from seven to 25 centimeters in the coming days.
…
Minister: Russia Open to Private Companies Developing Energy-Rich Arctic Shelf
Russia’s natural resources and environment minister said on Wednesday he supported allowing private oil and gas companies to work on the Arctic shelf.Speaking to reporters at an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok, the minister, Dmitry Kobylkin, said he supported “any decision linked to an increase in investment in projects related to hydrocarbons.”The Russian economy is heavily reliant on natural resources and the Arctic’s vast oil and gas reserves are expected to become more accessible as climate change melts the ice and technology advances.”We clearly understand that Russia’s Arctic zone has not been studied enough,” Kobylkin said in separate comments to TASS news agency. “Of course we would like to study it more, but the government cannot allow itself to make such investments. It’s very expensive.”In August deputy prime ministers Dmitry Kozak and Yuri Trutnev proposed that Russia’s Arctic shelf be opened to private investors and proposed to draft legislation to expand access to it.Only state-controlled Gazprom and Rosneft are currently authorized to operate on Russia’s Arctic shelf. Kobylkin told TASS that his ministry was also in talks with Gazprom and Rosneft to increase their Arctic exploration.
…
Vienna Holds Off Melbourne to Top EIU Ranking of Most Liveable Cities
Vienna has held off Melbourne to retain the top spot on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index for 2019, further strengthening its reputation as the world’s most pleasant city, while the ‘gilets jaunes’ protests hurt Paris’ score.The Austrian capital, which attracts tourists for its classical music scene and imperial history but also has abundant green spaces and excellent public services, last year ended Melbourne’s seven-year run at the top of the survey of 140 cities, helped by an improved security outlook across Europe.Vienna and Melbourne have been neck and neck in the EIU survey for years, but the Austrian capital also regularly tops a larger ranking of cities by quality of life compiled by consulting firm Mercer.The gap between the two cities – of 0.7 point out of 100, with Vienna scoring 99.1 – was unchanged in the 2019 ranking published on Wednesday, as were the cities in the top 10, though Sydney closed in on its old rival.”Sydney has risen from fifth to third, thanks to an improvement in its culture and environment score, reflecting an increased focus on combating and mitigating the impacts of climate change, as outlined by the city’s ‘Sustainable Sydney 2030’ strategy,” the EIU said.FILE – A light show called “Vivid” changes the appearance of the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, May 26, 2017.It poured cold water on Sydney’s prospects of overtaking Melbourne, however.”With both cities already scoring very highly across all categories, there is only limited potential for Sydney to displace either Melbourne or Vienna at the top of the rankings. No other city in the top ten saw a change to its score.”Japan’s Osaka was fourth, followed by three Canadian cities – Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto. Toronto was tied with Tokyo for seventh place. Copenhagen and Adelaide in South Australia rounded out the top 10.The EIU’s index ranks cities by five headline criteria.Stability and culture & environment are the two most important categories, weighted equally at 25% of the total. Healthcare and infrastructure are also matched at 20%, with education coming in last with a 10% weighting.People cool off in the fountains of the Trocadero gardens, in front of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, June 28, 2019.”Paris in France is the highest-ranked city to have seen a deterioration in its stability score, owing to the ongoing anti-government gilets jaunes protests that began in late 2018,” the EIU said of the French anti-government movement.Paris slid six places to 25th, from 19th last year.The culture and environment scores were reduced for many cities in poorer countries that are among the most exposed to the effects of climate change, including New Delhi and Cairo for their poor air quality.Damascus in war-torn Syria remained the worst-ranked city, below Lagos in Nigeria and the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, which swapped places.
…
Judge Orders White House to Restore Correspondent’s Press Credentials
VOA’s Masood Farivar contributed to this report.A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the White House to restore the press credentials of Playboy correspondent Brian Karem, whose hard pass was suspended after he got into a shouting match with conservative radio host and former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka in the Rose Garden following a social media summit in July.U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras found that White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham’s rationale for revoking the pass was too vague.”White House events appear to vary greatly in character,” Contreras wrote in his opinion. “Thus, without any contextual guideposts, ‘professionalism,’ standing alone, remains too murky to provide fair notice here.”In a statement late Tuesday, Grisham said the White House “disagree[d] with the decision,” arguing it “essentially gives free reign to members of the press to engage in unprofessional, disruptive conduct at the White House.” She added that Karem “clearly breached well-understood norms of professional conduct.” Karem’s attorney, Ted Boutrous, told CNN he was pleased with the court’s decision.”The White House’s suspension of his press credentials violated the First Amendment and due process and was a blatant attempt to chill vigorous reporting about the President,” Boutrous said.Conservative radio host Sebastian Gorka, right, speaks with White House correspondent for Playboy magazine Brian Karem, after President Donald Trump spoke about the 2020 census in the Rose Garden of the White House, in Washington, July 11, 2019.White House Correspondents’ Association President Jonathan Karl said WHCA would continue “to advocate for the rights of our members and against actions by the government that would have a chilling effect on journalism protected by the First Amendment.”While Justice Department lawyers representing the White House called Karem’s actions “clearly unacceptable” and defended the procedure used to pull Karem’s pass as “transparent, deliberate and careful,” the veteran reporter said he was singled out by the White House because of his critical coverage of the administration and blunt questioning of President Donald Trump.”They just want to punish me,” Karem said in an interview with VOA. “They want to punish me because they don’t like what I write. I’ve written 100 and some odd articles since the beginning of this administration and asked some very pointed questions of the president. I don’t think he likes the pointed questions, and I don’t think he likes or his staff likes what I’ve written.”This is the second time the White House has pulled an accredited reporter’s press pass and comes as Trump continues to denigrate critical media outlets as “Fake News” and “enemy of the people,” encouraging public distrust of the media. Last November, in a move unprecedented in the modern era, the White House lifted CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s media credentials just hours after he had a testy exchange with Trump at a White House press conference.After CNN sued Trump, a federal judge reinstated Acosta’s pass, ruling that its suspension had violated Acosta’s right to due process.
…
Sisyphus on the Beach: Dorian Underlines Coastal Cities’ Endless Rebuilding Task
Just months after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a $16 million project to restore sandy beaches in Jacksonville, Florida, Hurricane Dorian is about to pound them again, illustrating the uphill battle that American coastal cities face in protecting their most valuable asset.The hurricane, which has already caused devastation and at least five deaths in the Bahamas, is forecast to cause some erosion at about 80 percent of the sandy beaches between Florida and North Carolina as it curves northward this week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.That figure is similar to forecasts ahead of other past major hurricanes in the region, and some of that erosion will be temporary: Sand that gets swept offshore in a storm is slowly returned to the beach in the following weeks in gentler weather.But dunes, which are often the last buffer between the ocean and coastal buildings and infrastructure, can take months or years to naturally recover from damage.Red flags to indicate that the ocean has a high tide and locals should not be swimming due to danger are seen at Jacksonville Beach before Hurricane Dorian, in Jacksonville, Florida, Sept. 3, 2019.”It’s a natural process, but obviously with a hurricane it kind of speeds that up,” Rick Powell, the 48-year-old owner of a marine construction company, said in an interview in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. His company is building a pier on the beach, and he admired the recent handiwork of the Army Corps of Engineers: “It’s a shame because the dunes have never looked better.”Sandy beaches are a prime tourist draw in Florida. The land behind them has become increasingly valuable and developed over the last century, requiring elaborate efforts to stop the coastline from changing too much through natural erosion brought about by storms and rising sea levels caused by climate change.Most of that work has been done by the Army Corps of Engineers, which has been carrying out “beach nourishment” projects since the 1950s. The projects involve adding tons of extra sand to beaches, increasing the protective buffer for the land behind.The Army Corps’ recently finished project around Jacksonville included restoring the dunes damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Irma a year later.As with all such projects, it is designed to be eroded during a storm, dissipating a storm’s energy and protecting the city behind. The Army Corps says the costs of the projects are far outweighed by the potential cost of the damage they prevent happening.Still, beach renourishment is a piecemeal effort. Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection says that nearly half of its beaches, about 400 miles (640 km), are critically eroded.”There’s a not a whole lot you can do preceding a storm event like this,” Kara Doran, a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s coastal science center in St. Petersburg, Florida, said in a telephone interview. Dorian’s huge size and slow crawl toward the U.S. mainland only worsens the problem, she said, with damaging storm waves eroding the beaches for days at a time.The USGS forecast that Dorian could send water surging over up to a quarter of the dunes in Florida and nearly 60 percent of the dunes in Georgia and South Carolina. “The dunes, once they erode, take decades to build back up,” Doran said.Chris Condon, 51, has lived in Jacksonville Beach for seven years, and says previous hurricanes have taught him that a first priority is “to shore up the dunes.”They’re building up the dunes,” he said, “closing up the entrances and making sure that there’s no big gaps for the water to run through and get into the neighborhoods.”
…
Sleepy to Sleepless? Indonesia’s Future Capital in the Forest
By day, the unforgiving sun glares off the road beside Ipah’s wooden home with blinding brightness as a passing motorbike stirs a swirl of dust.By night, the beams of an occasional truck carrying coal or palm fruits pierce the darkness.This remote corner of Indonesia is set to be transformed from a forest backwater on the island of Borneo to a global city – a new capital of a country whose 260 million people make it the world’s fourth most populous.At her stall serving ice tea and instant noodles, Ipah, an 18-year-old single mother, worries about what the change will bring.”Cities in Kalimantan are peaceful and safe,” said Ipah, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, referring to the Indonesian part of Borneo island. “The capital is a city that never sleeps. Too much smoke, too much fuss.”A general view of the capital city as smog covers it in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 4, 2019The capital Jakarta’s reputation as a crowded, polluted mega city of more than 10 million people – one that is slowly sinking into the sea – is partly why Indonesia plans to move government offices to a “Forest City” in East Kalimantan province.The logic of the plan, first mooted nearly 70 years ago, is also to escape Java’s earthquake risk and to swing Indonesia’s political centre nearer the middle of the archipelago and away from the politically dominant island.”Within five years, we think there will be 200,000 to 300,000 people. Within 10 years, maybe the population will reach 1 million. And then after that 1.5 million,” Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro told Reuters in Jakarta.”We will manage the growth of the city so that it doesn’t wildly expand out of control,” he said.The vision set out in glossy presentations for a $33 billion city is inspired by the good management of Seoul, the greenness of Singapore and Washington’s separation of administration from business, he said.The site of the new capital is about 1,300 km (800 miles) northeast of Jakarta.Reuters reporters travelled more than 280 km (175 miles) across the designated area, the thinly populated forested region of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara, between the existing cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda.Long-standing dreamBy identifying the site for the yet-to-be-named capital last week, President Joko Widodo – known as Jokowi – got closer than ever to realising a move now set to start in 2024.”Our people are grateful, Alhamdulilah (praise be to God),” said Abdul Gafur Mas’ud, regent of North Penajam Paser. “This regency has been considered undeveloped.”The congratulatory bouquets arrayed at his office are as bright as the mood in town since the decision.Many residents spoke of their hopes for better schools and paved roads, for clean, piped water and reliable electricity.But after initial celebrations, worries are also surfacing that land speculation will drive up prices, and over an influx of outsiders competing for jobs and over environmental destruction.The potential for massive corruption is also not lost on Indonesians given experiences with new capitals everywhere from Brazil’s Brasilia to Myanmar’s Naypyidaw with its vast projects and still largely empty highways.”Our people must prepare quickly,” said Awang Yacoub Luthman, secretary of the Kutai Kartanegara Ing Martadipura Sultanate, who has migration at the top of his list of worries.FILE – A man carries eggs as he crosses a street at a Sepaku market in North Penajam Paser regency, East Kalimantan province, Indonesia, Aug. 29, 2019.East Kalimantan touts its openness to religions other than Islam as well as its welcome for outsiders. In fact, many residents are descendants of Javanese settlers who came to the coal mining and palm oil growing region in the 1970s.But the new planned relocation is on a different scale.Land worriesThe region’s Tribun Kaltim newspaper said asking prices for land surged four times after the announcement.That said, Bagus Susetyo, local chairman of the Real Estate Indonesia property association, told Reuters major property companies were not acquiring land because they had large land banks in nearby Balikpapan.While some would gain from the rise in land prices, many Indonesians don’t own the land they live on.Among them is Ipah, who is already resigned to losing her dwelling, protected against bad luck by two diamond-shaped charms woven from young coconut leaves.”Mr Jokowi, can you give me free land, even just a square metre or a free house?” she asked.It is not only human homes at risk.East Kalimantan is known for forests inhabited by orangutans, sun bears and long-nosed monkeys.There will be no building in protected forest and the government plans to reforest abandoned mines and illegal palm oil plantations, Planning Minister Brodjonegoro said.He floated the idea of an orangutan conservation center similar to one for giant pandas in the Chinese city of Chengdu.The fate of the apes is particularly sensitive in Indonesia given that they have become symbols for campaigners targeting the world’s biggest palm oil industry over the destruction of forests for plantations.Conservationists said they were far from convinced that there would be no spillover effects from moving the capital to East Kalimantan.”The city center might be located quite far away,” said Aldrianto Priadjati, an executive of the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation, which is based in Kutai Kartanegara. “But the development will be everywhere, just like – sorry to say it – Jakarta.”
…
Florida Rides Dorian’s ‘Emotional Roller Coaster’ After a Week of Warnings and Waiting
Scott Renfroe was smoking cigarettes with his wife at the end of a dock in Titusville, Florida, on Tuesday morning, where he had come to see if Hurricane Dorian had brought the powerful wind gusts and rip currents that meteorologists have warned about for days.The water was high but not too rough, and there was not a raindrop to be felt, despite nearly a week of warnings that had Renfroe and his neighbors boarding up their homes and stockpiling food as one of the most powerful hurricanes on record devastated the Bahamas and threatened Florida.As Dorian’s winds eased on Tuesday — to what forecasters warned was a still-powerful Category 2 storm — some public safety officials worried that the long wait could lead to a sense of complacency along the storm’s projected path.”It’s an emotional roller coaster when you don’t know what’s going on and you don’t know when it’s coming,” said Renfroe, a 43-year-old road technician. “It went from being a really elevated, kind of antsy scared moment to being able to relax a little more, but at the same time just wanting it to go through so we could go back to our normal lives.”Cars sit submerged in water from Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Grand Bahama. Dorian is beginning to inch northwestward after being stationary over the Bahamas, where its relentless winds have caused catastrophic damage and flooding.Dorian battered the Abaco Islands and the northern Bahamas on Sunday and Monday, packing 185 mile-per-hour (295 km-per-hour) winds for hours and killing at least five people as it inundated cities and destroyed as many as 13,000 homes, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.The hurricane grew and picked up speed on Tuesday, moving at about 2 mph (3.2 kph) on its northwest track about 105 miles (165 km) off of Florida’s east coast.The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday warned that Dorian remained dangerous.”The headline for this #Dorian advisory is NOT that the wind speed has slightly decreased,” it said on Twitter. “The combined wind, surge, and floods hazards are the same or even worse since the hurricane has become larger.”‘People Shouldn’t Let Their Guard Down’Rodney Mills, a 71-year-old retired tractor-trailer driver and Vietnam War veteran, had shrugged off the mandatory evacuation order in Brevard County and was calmly feeding pigeons in a waterfront park in Titusville on Tuesday.”It’s just another storm,” he said. “It doesn’t bother me.”Florida County emergency officials said they were worried that people may be more likely to ignore storm warnings in the future because the warnings for Dorian have lasted days without realization.Red flags to indicate that the ocean has a high tide and locals should not be swimming due to danger are seen at Jacksonville Beach before Hurricane Dorian, in Jacksonville, Florida, Sept. 3, 2019.”People shouldn’t let their guard down yet. It always can change its track,” said Tod Goodyear, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office in Brevard County. “The problem you sometimes come into is the complacency for the next one.”As excruciating as the uncertainty surrounding Dorian’s movement has been, Clay Inghram, a 35-year-old resident of Titusville who makes a living skinning alligators said the warnings can never be too strong.”It’s given us plenty of time to prepare,” said Inghram. “We always have a little bunker bag. If it doesn’t hit us, we’ll have it for the next one.”
…
US Factories Shrink for 1st Time in 3 Years Amid Trade War
The U.S.-China trade war and slower global growth are weighing on the U.S. economy, with manufacturing activity shrinking in August for the first time in three years. A survey by the Institute for Supply Management, an association of purchasing managers, on Tuesday showed that factory production and new orders fell sharply last month and are now contracting. U.S. manufacturers also cut jobs, the survey found. The data has fueled concerns that the broader U.S. economy is weakening.Other recent data has shown factory output is shrinking in Europe and much of Asia, in large part because of the U.S-China trade fight. That has weakened global demand for U.S. exports. More than half of the public comments from companies surveyed by ISM pointed to the economic uncertainty as a drag on their businesses. The ISM’s manufacturing index slid to 49.1 last month, from 51.2 in July. That’s the lowest reading issued since January 2016. Any reading below 50 signals a contraction in the sector. While consumer spending in the U.S. has remained strong, the deterioration in U.S. manufacturing could slow job growth and weaken the economy. Investors were dismayed by the news. Stock prices, which had already fallen at the market’s open, dropped further after the report’s release. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 372 points, or 1.4%, in afternoon trading. What does this mean for US economy?The report suggested manufacturing will likely continue to struggle, raising concerns among some economists about a recession. A measure of factory production fell below into contractionary territory, below 50, according to Tuesday’s report. Factories also cut jobs for the first time since September 2016. And a measure of new orders also fell below 50, a sign that output will likely remain weak in the coming months. “Another couple of months of declines on this scale would leave the U.S. facing an entirely unnecessary and self-inflicted recession,” Ian Shepherdson, the chief economist at Pantheon Economics, wrote in a research note. Yet that is not a foregone conclusion. A similar downturn in manufacturing in 2016 didn’t pull the broader U.S. economy into recession. A sharp drop in oil prices in 2015 and lower prices for many agricultural products caused oil drillers and farmers to cut back the following year on their investment in tractors, machinery and drilling rigs. That, in turn, lowered output all along the manufacturing supply chain, from steelmakers to heavy equipment companies such as Caterpillar. Business spending plunged and economic growth fell to just 1.6% in 2016, barely half the 2.9% increase the year before. Similar dynamics are at play now: The trade war is discouraging businesses from investing in new equipment and expanding. Business spending fell in the April-June quarter for the first time since 2016. But so far manufacturers aren’t cutting back as much as they did then. Factory hiring is holding up better, so far. Back in May 2016, factories actually shed jobs in the preceding 12 months. But as of July, manufacturers had added more than 150,000 jobs in the previous year, though those gains are slowing. What role has the trade war played?President Trump’s fight with China, and his tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, are intended to help U.S. manufacturers but are now having the opposite effect.The ISM report was issued against the backdrop of a new round of tariffs on Chinese goods, which began this Sunday. Those tariffs are targeted at consumer goods and will likely raise prices for American consumers. They also point to a trade war that shows little sign of stopping. Timothy Fiore, chairman of the ISM’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee, said that the decline in new orders was driven by the contraction in new export orders, which fell to their lowest since April 2009 when global trade was hit by the financial crisis. “Tariffs are still weighing heavily on supply managers’ minds as they adjust their supply or manufacturing sources,” Fiore said. “Some industries can do it quickly while others need more time.” What about the global economy? Surveys of purchasing managers this week have suggested that the uncertainty generated by the trade war has had a global impact. Manufacturing activity is declining in 17 out of 30 countries surveyed by the consulting firm IHS Markit. Their global manufacturing index rose from 49.3 to 49.5 in August, but remained in contraction territory. IHS Markit’s China survey showed mixed results in China, as domestic activity — bolstered by government spending in infrastructure — overshadowed the drop in an index measuring export orders. Meanwhile, manufacturing activity declined across Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea.In Europe, German manufacturing activity remained close to July’s seven-year low, as new orders fell, producers scaled back output, and job losses rose steeply.
…
Polish Opposition Names Surprise Candidate for Prime Minster
A pro-European opposition coalition in Poland announced unexpectedly on Tuesday that its candidate for prime minister as the country heads toward an October election will be a deputy parliamentary speaker, rather than the main opposition leader.The candidacy of Malgorzata Kidawa-Blonska was announced by Grzegorz Schetyna, the leader of Civic Platform, which is the dominant party in the Civic Coalition.It was long assumed Schetyna himself would be the opposition coalition’s pick for prime minister. But as the centrist bloc trails far behind the nationalist conservative ruling Law and Justice party, it appears to be an acknowledgement that Schetyna’s lack of popularity is hurting its chances.”I don’t know how we didn’t come up with this sooner,” he told party members to laughter. He described Kidawa-Blonska, a former parliament speaker, as someone who “always worked for the good of Poland.”In explaining the choice, Schetyna said that “people are demanding peace and common sense and would like someone to come and know how to make all politicians reconcile.”Kidawa-Blonska is the great-granddaughter of Poland’s pre-World War II president, Stanislaw Wojciechowski, and prime minister, Wladyslaw Grabski.Despite a string of scandals, the governing Law and Justice party has been rising in the polls thanks to popular social spending measures and a conservative outlook appreciated in rural areas, with support recently of over 45 percent.The Civic Coalition is the country’s second largest political force, but trails far behind, and was even just under 20 percent in one recent opinion poll.Jacek Kucharczyk, the head of the Institute of Public Affairs, a Warsaw-based think tank, called tapping Kidawa-Blonska a “smart move” and said it reminded him of when Law and Justice ahead of the 2015 election tapped Beata Szydlo as its prime ministerial candidate. That was also an acknowledgement that party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, though he had a devoted core of followers, was unpopular with many and hurting the party’s overall chances.Law and Justice won that election and Szydlo ended up serving as prime minister at first, replaced later with Mateusz Morawiecki, though Kaczynski has directed the government from behind the scenes the entire time.Kucharczyk said the development “comes from Schetyna’s lack of wider social appeal and large negative constituency. He is one of the most mistrusted politicians, just like Kaczynski, but unlike Kaczynski, Schetyna does not have such devoted followers.”Civic Platform governed Poland from 2007-2015, most of the time under the leadership of then-Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who is now a top European Union leader.
…
New US Balkan Envoy Says Restarting Serbia-Kosovo Dialogue a Priority
The new U.S. Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Matthew Palmer, said on Tuesday a priority in his new role is restarting a dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo.”The first (step) is getting the parties back to the table,” Palmer, who was appointed last week, told a regional political conference in Slovenia.He said he expected the next Kosovo government would be open to re-engagement and would suspend 100% tariffs on Serbian imports it imposed last year, claiming that Belgrade’s diplomatic moves blocked Kosovo from joining Interpol.Palmer said Serbia’s campaign to persuade countries to rescind their recognition of Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, was “counterproductive” and “not in the interest of peace, stability and security in the region.””I think the United States will play an absolutely critical role in helping the parties … identify the points of disagreement and keep focused on the prize which is normalizing the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina, opening a path to … Europe for both countries,” Palmer said.All of the Western Balkans states, which also include Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania, aim to join the European Union. Most of them also want to join NATO.Kosovo will hold a snap election on October 6 following the July resignation of Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, who has been summoned for questioning by the country’s war crimes prosecutor regarding his role in the 1998-99 insurgency against Serb forces.
…
Tunisia Court Upholds Continued Detention of Presidential Candidate
A Tunisian appeals court on Tuesday upheld the detention of media magnate Nabil Karoui, a candidate in this month’s presidential election, on suspicion of tax fraud and money laundering, his lawyer said.Karoui, who denies any wrongdoing, had sought to be freed, but the court rejected the demand to release him, lawyer Kamel Ben Massoud told Reuters without giving details or further comment.Karoui, the owner of Nesma TV channel, is one of the most prominent candidates in the Sept. 15 election along with current and past prime ministers, a former president, the defense minister and the representative of a major Islamist party.He is running as a campaigner against poverty in a country where economic troubles have caused widespread frustration despite the transition to democracy since a 2011 revolution.Karoui founded a charity to combat poverty in 2017 and then set up a political party, leading his critics to accuse him of using his foundation to advance his political ambitions, which he denies.In June, parliament passed an amendment to the electoral law forbidding candidates who benefited from “charitable associations” or foreign funding in the year before an election, which would have banned him from the race.However, the late president Beji Caid Essebsi died in July without having signed the law, meaning Karoui was free to enter the election.His political party has called his detention a politically motivated attempt to bar him from the race, though government officials have said it is a purely judicial matter.Tunisia’s electoral commission kept him on the list of eligible candidates after his arrest last month on a court order.The president is responsible for foreign and defense policy in Tunisia, while most decision-making powers rest with a prime minister who is chosen by parliament. A parliamentary election will also take place on Oct. 6.Despite Karoui still being in detention, his party launched his presidential campaign with a rally on Monday night. On Tuesday, supporters gathered outside the court to demand he be
freed.
…
Hong Kong Leader Denies Resignation Talks With Beijing
Hong Kong’s struggling chief executive has denied that she discussed resigning with Chinese officials amid growing pro-democracy protests, despite having been heard in a leaked audio recording saying she would step down if she had a choice.In the recording, obtained by Reuters, Carrie Lam told a group of business leaders last week that she had caused “a huge havoc” when she introduced a controversial extradition bill that sparked the protests. In the Protesters hold placards reading “Strike for Hong Kong” during continuing pro-democracy rallies in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory, in Tamar Park, Hong Kong, Sept. 3, 2019.Willy Lam, a lecturer in Chinese politics, suggested that Beijing wants Lam to remain in office so that radical protesters will grow more frustrated and use greater force when confronting police. That, he said, will turn public opinion against the protesters and justify more numerous arrests.Protesters fear Tiananmen-style crackdownSome residents have expressed concerns about the risk of a Chinese military intervention similar to its crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.In the recording, Carrie Lam sought to assure business leaders that the Beijing government “has absolutely no plan to send in the PLA” or People’s Liberation Army.She said she doesn’t know how long it will take to end the civil disobedience, but that she remains confident of restoring law and order. She dismissed speculation that Beijing is anxious to resolve the crisis by Oct. 1, the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China.“It would be naive of me to paint you a rosy picture that things will be fine or I have a deadline,” the chief executive says in the recording. “But I can assure you that Beijing does not have a deadline. They know this will ripple on. They and ourselves have no expectation that we could clear out this thing before the first of October.”Lam was elected as Hong Kong’s chief executive in 2017 by a pro-Beijing committee of Hong Kong business and civic leaders.The protests over the now-suspended extradition bill, which would have permitted criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trial, have since evolved into calls for greater democracy and an independent probe into allegations of police brutality.The demonstrations have brought everyday life in the Asian financial hub to a near halt, with protesters disrupting activities at the city’s subway system and airport. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested after clashes with police wielding batons and firing tear gas and water cannons.
…
Burkina Faso Coup Leader’s Wife Sentenced to 30 Years
A military tribunal in Burkina Faso on Tuesday handed down a sentence of 30 years to the wife of a general convicted of leading a deadly coup bid four years ago.The prison term imposed on Fatoumata Diendere exceeds the 20-year sentence given to her husband Gilbert Diendere on Monday for masterminding the 2015 plot against the west African country’s transitional government.Instigated by soldiers from an elite army unit loyal to ousted president Blaise Compaore, the putsch failed after army-backed protesters stormed the rebels’ barracks.Dozens of defendants, including top generals and politicians, were put on trial over the coup, which killed 14 people and wounded 270. Gilberte Diendere, who had been Compaore’s right-hand man and a former head of the elite unit, the Presidential Security Regiment (RSP), was convicted on Monday on charges of murder and harming state security.His wife was found guilty in absentia on Tuesday of similar charges, as well as assault and battery.According to the military prosecutor, she had “suggested in a phone call to her husband that he start a rebellion from the Po region (in Burkina Faso’s south) when she knew that the coup would fail, and that he would incur the maximum penalty”. She also gave 10 million CFA francs (15,000 euros) to two of the putschists, Colonel Mamadou Bamba and Traore Abdoul Karim Andre, the prosecution said.Traore was the mastermind behind the rebels’ governing body, the so-called National Council for Democracy, according the prosecution, which said he wrote the coup leaders’ statements read out on television by Bamba. Traore, who has been on the run since 2015, was given a 30-year sentence, while Bamba was sentenced to 10 years, five of them suspended.Diendere’s main co-plotter General Djibrill Bassole — one of the Compaore regime’s most visible figures — was sentenced to 10 years when the first verdicts against 84 defendants were issued on Monday.Another eight people were convicted on Tuesday and sentenced to between 10 and 30 years in prison.Compaore had fled to Ivory Coast in October 2014 after 27 years in office marked by assassinations and mounting public unrest in the deeply poor and unstable Sahel state.He was forced out by a revolt sparked by his attempts to extend his grip on power, and a transitional government took the helm.The subsequent coup caused deep ructions in the armed forces, weakening their ability to cope with mounting jihadist attacks that have now claimed more than 500 lives, analysts say.Many in Burkina hope that the trial will usher in a period of reconciliation, with lawyers representing civilian plaintiffs describing the verdicts as a victory for the state of law in the country.
…
Turkey Bracing for New Jihadi Threat
Thousands of jihadis are set to seek sanctuary in Turkey with Damascus’ forces laying siege to Idlib, the last Syrian rebel enclave. With Damascus determined to take control of all of Syria, analysts warn it’s only a matter of time before Turkey faces an exodus of not only refugees, but also the arrival of extremist fighters, posing a significant security threat to the country.Syrian government forces are steadily tightening their grip on Idlib province, the last pocket of the rebel resistance. It’s estimated about 3 million Syrians are holed up in the enclave, of which half have fled fighting in other parts of Syria.”It poses a huge threat, roughly half-a-million refugees are piled at the border in ramshackle refugee camps,” said analyst Atilla Yesilada of Global Source Partners.FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan shake hands during a joint news conference in Zhukovsky outside Moscow, Russia, Aug. 27, 2019.”If [Syrian President Bashar Hafez al-] Assad moves north and captures Idlib city, these people will flock to Turkey, and there is no way we cannot accept them. In addition to that, maybe 40,000, maybe 60,000 extremely vicious fundamentalists will mix in with them and enter Turkey, adding to the instability in the border region.”Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meeting in Moscow last week with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, did buy some time. Following the meeting, Assad forces announced a cease-fire following their latest offensive. Local reports, however, claim Erdogan failed to persuade Putin to agree to a complete end to hostilities in Idlib.While backing rival sides in the Syrian civil war, Erdogan has developed a close relationship with Putin, built partly by cooperating to end the conflict. That cooperation is leading to growing disillusionment toward Turkey among radical Syrian rebel groups.Last week, Turkish forces used tear gas and water cannons to break up protests by Syrians on Turkey’s border. Many protesters chanted anti-Erdogan slogans and burned images of the Turkish president.Fear of forceAnalysts say anger toward Turkey may not be confined to demonstrations. “For the last seven years, the Turkish government has been supporting them [Syrian rebels]. But they have come to the feeling they’ve been betrayed,” said former Turkish general Haldun Solmazturk.FILE – A man wearing a gas mask walks past a make-shift brick shelter for displaced Syrians during clashes between Syrian demonstrators and members of the Turkish gendarmerie near the town of Atme in the northwestern Idlib province, Aug. 30, 2019.”They will use terror to force the Turkish government to support them again, using bombs, suicide bombings, perhaps some other terrorist attacks.”In 2016, Istanbul suffered a wave of terror attacks by Islamic State, including an assault on the city’s main airport, killing 45, and culminating in a shooter opening fire on New Year’s Eve revelers at a nightclub.Turkish security forces have successfully thwarted further attacks and arrested hundreds of jihadis across the country. Analyst Yesilada warns, though, a significant exodus from Idlib poses a security nightmare.”You cut your beard, and you drop your weapon somewhere, how are you going to distinguish them as jihadis?” Yesilada said.”Turks don’t speak Arabic, none of our officials, police, border control, military, they don’t have Arabic-speaking personnel. Unless our spy agency did outstanding work, I would say maybe more than 50%, maybe 75% will make their way to Turkey.”With Turkey already hosting more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees in its main cities, tracking down the jihadis is seen as an incredibly difficult feat.”It’s already difficult, and it will become extremely difficult,” said Solmazturk, who now heads the Ankara-based 21st Century Institute research institution . “The main challenge is the environment; it is so challenging. These radical elements can easily escape into the Syrian population. In certain areas within Turkey, the Syrian nationals represent the majority.”Gateway to EuropeA western diplomat responsible for security issues, speaking anonymously, said the jihadi threat posed by an exodus from Idlib would not be confined to Turkey, with the country acting as a gateway to Europe. Some jihadis holed up in Idlib are believed to be European nationals.FILE – Syrian civilians flee a conflict zone in Syria’s rebel-held northwestern region of Idlib, near Maar Shurin on the outskirts of Maaret al-Numan. Damascus, Aug. 22, 2019.Solmazturk suggests the creation of a buffer zone in Idlib, along Turkey’s border, to house the refugees. He says that would allow security forces time to process the Syrians.Analysts point out, however, that Putin insists Ankara must directly negotiate with Damascus on the creation of any buffer or safe zones in Syria. Turkey severed diplomatic relations with Syria at the outset of the civil war.Turkish security forces are continuing to grapple with the existing Islamic State threat inside Turkey. According to a security source, a major terror attack was recently averted hours before the assault was to be launched.With analysts warning that Turkey is still paying the economic price of previous attacks, the financial consequences of another wave of terrorism would be severe.”It would be devastating,” Yesilada said. “Tourism took three years to recover from the 2016 spate of attacks. The numbers have recovered, but revenue never did, so revenue is down in dollar terms 15% or 20% per tourist. So another attack, whether it’s now or winter, would dash any hope of recovery.”With Syrians continuing to build on the Turkish border and Damascus’ forces expected to resume their Idlib offensive, analysts warn time is not on Ankara’s side.
…
School Board Files Appeal to Defend its Transgender Policy
A Virginia school board has filed a federal appeal to defend its transgender bathroom ban.The Gloucester County School Board’s appeal appeared Tuesday on the docket for the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. Briefs containing legal arguments will come next.
The board has been in a yearslong legal fight over the policy with former student Gavin Grimm, a transgender male.
A U.S. District Court judge ruled last month that the board violated Grimm’s rights. The policy required transgender students to use private restrooms or bathrooms that correspond with their biological gender. Grimm had to use girls’ restrooms or private bathrooms.
The board said it was protecting students’ privacy.
Grimm’s 2015 lawsuit was once a federal test case and came to embody the debate about transgender student rights.
…
Britain’s Brexit-mired Johnson Likely to Lose Control of House of Commons
Opposition parties and Conservative rebels will make a bid Tuesday to seize control of the Home of Commons Order Paper — the day’s agenda — and begin legislating to block Prime Minister Boris Johnson from taking Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31. Their chances were boosted when Johnson lost his working majority of one in the Commons when a Conservative rebel defected, joining an anti-Brexit opposition party. FILE – British Conservative MP Phillip Lee speaks to the media outside the Houses of Parliament, in Westminster, London, Britain, Feb. 20, 2019.The defection by former minister Phillip Lee to the Liberal Democrats ahead of a showdown between Johnson and Conservative rebels over Brexit has made it more likely that lawmakers will be able to thwart Johnson. Lee dramatically crossed the floor of the House to the opposition parties as Johnson addressed the Commons.Lee said the government was “pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways,” putting lives and livelihoods at risk.Even if lawmakers succeed in thwarting Johnson, the Brexit endgame is far from over. An election sometime this year is the most likely outcome of the arcane parliamentary maneuvers this week, one that could see Britain’s storied Conservative Party split, with several former ministers, including a former deputy prime minister, forming a breakaway independent Conservative Party.It isn’t often that opposition parties seek to avoid a general election, but Johnson’s rivals met Monday and agreed to make as their priority the passing of legislation to prevent a so-called no-deal Brexit, rather than trying to oust the country’s minority Conservative government and trigger an election.On Sunday, Johnson declared that if lawmakers manage to tie his hands on Brexit, he will introduce a Commons motion Wednesday seeking parliamentary approval for an Oct. 14 election. He would need the backing of two-thirds of Britain’s 650 members of Parliament to trigger a poll. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks in in the Parliament in London, Britain, Sept. 3, 2019, in this still image taken from Parliament TV footage.Pro-EU lawmakers, and others who fear the economic damage of a no-deal Brexit, say Johnson could subsequently shift the election to after Oct. 31, the date for Britain to leave the EU without a deal. That would snatch from the Commons the chance to thwart him by asking Brussels to extend the so-called Article 50 deadline set for Britain to relinquish membership of the EU.”All Liberal Democrat MPs will vote for the motion to take over the Order Paper tomorrow, and we will all be voting for the bill tomorrow to request an Article 50 extension,” Chuka Umunna, a former Labor Party lawmaker who defected to the Liberal Democrats, tweeted Sunday. “We will not however support a General Election if it would kibosh our ability to stop a No Deal Brexit.”Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labor Party who previously had wanted an early election, has also signed on to the unity move by the other opposition parties and Conservative rebels, saying, “We are working together to stop this government crashing out on the 31st of October.”United opponentsThe absence of division among the Brexit opponents makes it all but certain that the Johnson government will lose its control of parliamentary business, opening the way for Brexit opponents to shape blocking legislation Tuesday and Wednesday, binding Johnson’s hands and stopping Britain from crashing out without a deal from the EU. Johnson has pledged to take Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31, “no ifs or buts.”FILE – British Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond attends an interview during the G-7 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Chantilly, near Paris, France, July 18, 2019.Former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Conservative rebel Philip Hammond says there is enough support in the Commons to block a no-deal exit. Johnson has no working majority after the defection Monday of a rebel who joined the Liberal Democrats. Until then, Johnson had a majority of just one. At least 14 Conservative rebels have indicated they will vote to thwart Johnson.Hammond reacted angrily to the threat by Johnson to throw Conservative rebels out of the party.”This is my party. I have been a member of my party for 45 years. I am going to defend my party against incomers, entryists, who are trying to turn it from a broad church into a narrow faction,” he said.Opponents of a no-deal Brexit believe it would harm the economy, causing severe disruption to travel and supplies of food and medicine, and lead to the reintroduction of customs checks on the border separating British-ruled Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic. A series of secret government reports drafted in August suggested the fears aren’t misplaced.Cost of delayBrexiters insist, though, that any disruption would be short-lived, with the damage lessened with careful preparation and EU goodwill. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC Monday that delaying “would create paralyzing uncertainty” and would “require the U.K. to accept any EU conditions, however punitive, however harsh, and regardless of those conditions, the price tag for the taxpayer would be £1 billion each month.” Britain’s Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab delivers his keynote address to the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, Britain, Oct. 1, 2018.He added that the opposition parties wanted “to cancel Brexit, and I think it scuppers the very positive progress we’ve had with the EU to get a deal.” Johnson insists that seeking to delay Brexit will undercut him in negotiations with the EU, which he says are progressing, to shape a new deal to replace a withdrawal agreement his predecessor, Theresa May, struck with Brussels nearly a year ago. Her withdrawal deal was rejected three times by the polarized House of Commons. EU leaders say no progress has been made in talks. Johnson also argues the 2016 Brexit referendum, in which a slim majority voted to leave the EU, must be observed. The high parliamentary drama playing out may strike some as dry and arcane. Both sides in the Brexit showdown have been invoking recondite parliamentary procedures to try to catch their opponents off balance. But the clash is over fundamental issues, including whether Parliament should have the upper hand or the government, and whether a referendum (direct democracy) trumps the will of Parliament.The outcome of the high-stakes parliamentary tussle this week over how, when and even whether Britain leaves the EU is redefining the relationship among the country’s main governing bodies, the House of Commons, Downing Street and the courts, constitutional experts say. It also risks dragging the queen into the saga.It is often said that Britain doesn’t have a written constitution. But in effect, it does. It just isn’t codified in one place but scattered across dozens of acts of Parliament, court rulings and in the parliamentary rulebook of conventions and precedents, known as Erskine May. Legal experts say both sides are stretching the norms and conventions to the breaking point and fraying the country’s traditional constitutional practices.The Brexit battle is also unraveling the mainstream political parties and giving rise to the emergence of new ones. Conservative rebels have accused Johnson of risking the destruction of the ruling party with his threat to throw them out.”I simply do not see the Conservative Party surviving in its current form, if we continue behaving like this towards each other,” said Dominic Grieve, who served as attorney general in the Conservative government of David Cameron. “This is now becoming a heavily ideological party being led in a way I don’t identify as being Conservative at all.”
…
Cuba Gooding Jr.’s Trial on Groping Charges is Postponed
Cuba Gooding Jr.’s trial on groping charges has been postponed until Oct. 10.Prosecutors said Tuesday they’re still waiting for evidence in the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” star’s case. Jury selection had been set to start this week.Gooding is accused of placing his hand on a 29-year-old woman’s breast and squeezing it without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square on June 9.The woman told police she believed Gooding was intoxicated.The 51-year-old Gooding was arrested four days later after turning himself in to police.He has pleaded not guilty to forcible touching and sexual abuse charges and is free on his own recognizance.He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.
…
Trump Warns China Against Delay in Reaching Trade Pact
U.S. President Donald Trump warned China on Tuesday against delays in reaching a new trade agreement in hopes he is defeated for re-election in 2020, saying that if he wins he will be “MUCH TOUGHER” in setting the terms of a deal.Trump, who is engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff war with Beijing, said the U.S. is “doing very well in our negotiations with China,” although dates for the next round of talks planned for later this month in Washington have not been set.”While I am sure they would love to be dealing with a new administration so they could continue their practice of ‘ripoff USA'” with hundreds of billions of dollars in trade surpluses with the U.S., Trump said that “16 months PLUS is a long time to be hemorrhaging jobs and companies on a long-shot” until a new president could replace him in January 2021. ….And then, think what happens to China when I win. Deal would get MUCH TOUGHER! In the meantime, China’s Supply Chain will crumble and businesses, jobs and money will be gone!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2019He blamed previous U.S. administrations for getting “taken to the cleaners” by China, which the U.S. government says last year sold $419 billion more in goods to the U.S. than it bought, although Trump claimed the figure was $600 billion.He said the European Union treats “us VERY unfairly on Trade also. Will change!”For all of the “geniuses” out there, many who have been in other administrations and “taken to the cleaners” by China, that want me to get together with the EU and others to go after China Trade practices remember, the EU & all treat us VERY unfairly on Trade also. Will change!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2019On Sunday, the U.S. and China imposed new tariffs on each other’s exported goods, the latest skirmish in the lengthy and contentious trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.Trump levied 15% taxes on about $112 billion worth of Chinese exported products headed to the United States, with the tariffs likely resulting in higher prices paid by U.S. shoppers on some foods, sports equipment, sportswear, musical instruments and furniture.Meanwhile, Beijing started adding 5% and 10% tariffs on some of the $75 billion worth of U.S. exports being sent to China that it has said it will tax in the reciprocal tariff war with Washington. Initially, China said the American export of frozen sweet corn, pork liver, marble and bicycle tires were among the more the 1,700 products it would tax.
…
China Rejects Trump’s Fentanyl Charges As ‘Groundless’
China on Tuesday denied it was to blame for fentanyl deaths in the United States after President Donald Trump accused Beijing of reneging on its promise to crack down on the opioid.U.S. authorities have long accused China of being the main source of the potent drug, which caused 32,000 overdose deaths in the United States last year alone.In an apparent gesture to Washington amid the U.S.-China trade war, Beijing announced a crackdown on fentanyl earlier this year, designating all analogues of the drug as controlled substances from May 1.The move aimed to prevent smugglers from skirting the law by changing formulas to make drugs similar to the painkiller.Fentanyl sellers have used parcel services to send the drug to the United States, and China had also vowed to step up customs checks.But Trump wrote on Twitter last month that while Xi had pledged to stop exports of fentanyl, “this never happened, and many Americans continue to die!”Liu Yuejin, vice commissioner of China’s National Narcotics Control Commission, countered on Tuesday that no case of fentanyl smuggling has been reported since the May 1 ban.”What President Trump concluded on Twitter is groundless,” Liu said.”China has strengthened its control of fentanyl but the number of deaths linked to this substance continue to rise in the United States,” Liu said, suggesting that the drug came from elsewhere.
…
Upcoming Pope Visit Stirs Excitement in Mozambique
Pope Francis is making a historic visit to Mozambique this week at the start of a three-nation Africa tour. Anita Powell has a preview from Maputo.
…
Ukraine’s Parliament Scraps Immunity for Lawmakers
Ukraine’s parliament has approved a much-anticipated bill to scrap immunity from prosecution for lawmakers.The move was one of the main campaign promises for comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who won the presidential election by a landslide in April.
The parliament, dominated by Zelenskiy’s allies, voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to end parliamentary immunity next year.
Zelenskiy’s predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, had also said he would scrap immunity, but never came through on the promise.
Ukraine’s parliament has for years been notorious for hosting businessmen who have used their seats to ward off possible criminal prosecution for corruption or financial crimes.
…
US Senators Blacklisted in Russia Say They’ll Visit Ukraine, Balkans
Two U.S. lawmakers who Russia says are banned from entering the country say they will still join the same congressional delegation that is going to the country but just visit Ukraine, Serbia, and Kosovo.Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, tweeted that “Russia wouldn’t let us in, but [Senator] Ron Johnson and I will be visiting Ukraine, Serbia, and Kosovo this week to demonstrate bipartisan support for the new Ukrainian government and continued dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.”Ron Johnson, a Republican, is co-chairman of the Ukraine Caucus, a group of lawmakers who meet to pursue common legislative objectives.FILE – Republican Senator Ron Johnson questions witnesses during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 16, 2019.Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists Aug. 28 that the list was established in response to the United States’ “unfounded restrictions against a significant number of members of the Federation Council,” Russia’s upper house of parliament.Murphy and Johnson, who are vocal Kremlin critics, in late August said Russia had denied them visas to visit the country.In a post on his website Aug. 27, Murphy, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called Russia’s move a “shame that Russia isn’t interested in dialogue” at “potentially a perilous moment for our two nations’ fragile relationship.”The previous day, Johnson said in a statement that “the path [President] Vladimir Putin has chosen for Russia is a tragedy of historic proportions.”The Russian Embassy in Washington called Johnson “Russophobic.”Relations between Russia and the United States have been severely strained over a variety of issues including Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine, its alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election, and its involvement in Syria’s civil war.
…
In Taiwan, Many See Hong Kong Protests as Warning
Hong Kong’s protests have received worldwide attention, but perhaps nowhere has the pro-democracy movement resonated more powerfully than in nearby Taiwan. The self-ruled island, which is claimed by China, has become a source of solidarity and refuge for Hong Kong, as VOA’s Bill Gallo reports from Taipei.
…