Europe's largest nuclear power plant on fire after Russian attack, says local mayor

BORODYANKA/LVIV, Ukraine—The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine, the largest of its kind in Europe, was on fire early on Friday after an attack by Russian troops, the mayor of the nearby town of Energodar said.

There has been fierce fighting between local forces and Russian troops, Dmytro Orlov said in an online post, adding that there had been casualties without giving details.

Earlier, Ukrainian authorities reported Russian troops were stepping up efforts to seize the plant and had entered the town with tanks.

"As a result of continuous enemy shelling of buildings and units of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is on fire," Orlov said on his Telegram channel, citing what he called a threat to world security. He did not give details.

Reuters could not immediately verify the information, including the potential seriousness of any fire.

The invasion of Ukraine is entering its ninth day. Thousands are thought to have died or been wounded as the biggest attack on a European state since World War Two unfolds, creating 1 million refugees, hits to Russia's economy, and fears of wider conflict in the West unthought-of for decades.

Russia has already captured the defunct Chernobyl plant, some 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv.

On Thursday, the United States and Britain announced sanctions on more oligarchs, following on from EU measures, as they ratcheted up the pressure on the Kremlin.

Included was Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov, the founder of mining company Metalloinvest.

Visa restrictions will be imposed on 19 Russian oligarchs, their family members and associates, the White House said.

Sanctions have "had a profound impact already," said US President Joe Biden.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its neighbor's military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists. It denies targeting civilians.

-reuters-

TikTok denies sharing Indian user data with Chinese govt

NEW DELHI — TikTok denied Tuesday sharing Indian users' data with the Chinese government, after New Delhi banned the wildly popular app in a sharp deterioration of relations with Beijing two weeks after a deadly border clash.

"TikTok continues to comply with all data privacy and security requirements under Indian law and have not shared any information of our users in India with any foreign government, including the Chinese government," TikTok India chief Nikhil Gandhi said in a statement.

"Further if we are requested to in the future we would not do so. We place the highest importance on user privacy and integrity," he said, adding that it had been invited to a meeting with the Indian government "for an opportunity to respond and submit clarifications".

TikTok is owned by China's ByteDance and was one of 59 Chinese mobile apps banned late Monday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.


There are estimated to be about 120 million TikTok users in India, making the South Asian nation of 1.3 billion people the app's biggest international market.

The Indian ministry of information technology said that the apps "are engaged in activities... prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defense of India, security of state and public order".

The announcement came after 20 Indian soldiers were killed on June 15 in hand-to-hand clashes with Chinese troops in the first deadly violence on their disputed Himalayan border in 45 years. Chinese casualties are unknown.

Amid mutual recriminations, the nuclear-armed Asian giants have reinforced the border between the Ladakh region and Tibet with thousands of extra troops, aircraft and hardware.

The deaths have triggered outrage on social media with calls to boycott Chinese goods, with Chinese flags set on fire at scattered street protests.

Last week, one of Delhi's main hotel associations said that its members were barring Chinese guests and would stop using Chinese-made products.

Chinese electronic firms also have a major presence in India, with cellphone brands like Xiaomi and Oppo enjoying an almost 65-percent market share.

E-commerce giants including US giant Amazon -- which sell huge volumes of Chinese gadgets -- have agreed to display the country of origin of goods on their platforms, according to media reports.

Modi's government has also ordered all sellers to do the same on its GeM portal, which is used for tens of billions of dollars' worth of state purchases.

Goods made in China, including some raw materials vital to Indian pharmaceutical firms, are also starting to pile up at Indian ports and airports because of more stringent customs checks, media reports said.

Despite long-prickly relations, India and China have steadily built up strong economic ties in recent years.

Annual bilateral trade is worth some $90 billion, with a deficit of around $50 billion in China's favour.

Agence France-Presse 

'The West is winning,' top US envoy tells China, Russia

MUNICH, Germany - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday defended the United States' global role and launched a scathing attack on China and Russia, vowing that the West's ideals and values would prevail.

"I'm happy to report that the death of the transatlantic alliance is grossly exaggerated. The West is winning, and we're winning together," Pompeo said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

Pompeo was responding to criticism by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who took an indirect swipe at President Donald Trump on Friday saying his administration rejected the idea of an international community. Steinmeier accused the United States, Russia and China of stoking global mistrust and insecurity.

Citing Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, cyber threats in Iran and economic coercion by China, Pompeo said those countries were still "desiring empires" and destabilizing the rules-based international system.

"The West is winning," Pompeo said. "But now, more than thirty years on since the fall of the (Berlin) wall, countries that don't respect sovereignty still threaten us."

Amid growing US concerns over Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei, Pompeo said all three of those nations were using the cyber realm to yield influence.

"Huawei and other Chinese state-backed tech companies are Trojan horses for Chinese intelligence. Russia's disinformation campaigns try to turn our citizens against one another. Iranian cyberattacks plague Middle East computer networks," he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Go Huawei: UK prime minister challenges US critics of China firm

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday challenged US opponents of Britain's potential decision to let China's Huawei telecoms giant develop its 5G network to come up with a better choice.

Johnson's comments came one day after a US delegation arrived in London for a last-gasp push aimed at keeping its ally from signing up the private but controversial Chinese firm.

The United States and Australia have both banned their 5G providers from using Huawei on security grounds.

But UK security officials think the company's risks can be managed if it is only used for "non-core" elements of the network such as antennae and base stations attached to masts and roofs. 

"The British public deserve to have access to the best possible technology. I have talked about infrastructure and technology. We want to put in gigabit broadband for everybody," said Johnson.

"Now, if people oppose one brand or another, then they have to tell us which is the alternative," he told BBC television in an interview.

US officials believe Huawei's employees can be forced to spy for the Beijing authorities under provisions of Chinese law covering operations of state and private organizations.

They also fear that China could simply instruct Huawei to shut down 5G communications of a rival nation in case of war or other conflict.

Britain's debate about Huawei has dragged on for more than a year.

A final decision has been delayed by former prime minister Theresa May's resignation in May over the Brexit crisis and subsequent debates over Britain's withdrawal from the EU.

The Foreign Office said on Tuesday that a ruling will be issued "in due course".

5 EYES 

Huawei provides the least expensive and most advanced alternative for super-fast data transfers behind technologies such as self-driving cars and remotely operated factory robots.

Johnson must weigh these advantages against the risk of the United States following through on its threat to exclude Britain from intelligence sharing if its signs up Huawei.

A member of the US delegation in London told the FT newspaper that relying on a company from China "would be like putting Russia in charge of anti-doping of world athletes".

Using Huawei "would be nothing short of madness", a US official was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

US President "Donald Trump is watching closely," another delegation member said.

Both Britain and Australia are part of the US-led 5 Eyes intelligence sharing alliance.

Fellow member New Zealand named Huawei as one of its three preferred 5G suppliers in November while Canada has yet to make up its mind.

Speculation that Johnson was leaning in favor of employing Huawei was boosted by a rare public intervention from Britain's MI5 domestic security agency chief Andrew Parker.

He told Sunday's FT there was "no reason today to think" that Washington would stop sharing intelligence with Britain if it settled on Huawei.

Parker added that security concerns should not always "dominate and dictate" government policies.

His comments and those by Johnson on Tuesday were quickly cheered by Huawei Vice President Victor Zhang.

"We are confident that the UK Government will make a decision based upon evidence, as opposed to unsubstantiated allegations," Zhang said in a statement.

Huawei "looks forward to supplying the best technologies that help companies like BT and Vodafone fulfill the government’s commitment to make gigabit broadband available to all", he added.

Johnson pledged in July to provide "full fiber (broadband) for all by 2025".

Agence France-Presse 

Huawei wins contract to develop German 5G network

BERLIN — Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Wednesday won a contract to supply 5G infrastructure in Germany but the politically sensitive deal is subject to government approval following US concerns about snooping.

Telefonica Germany, the second biggest operator after Deutsche Telekom, said it was giving Huawei and Finland's Nokia an equal role in the project, calling the 2 companies "proven strategic partners".

"This cooperation... will be subject to successful security certification of the technology and the companies in accordance with the legal regulations in Germany," Telefonica Germany said in a statement.

The company, a unit of Spanish giant Telefonica, said it was "thus responding to the ongoing political process of defining these security guidelines without delaying the start of the 5G roll-out".

It said it would begin the 5G upgrade next year and was hoping to supply 30 cities by the end of 2022.

The US and other international powers have voiced concerns that Huawei could be used by Beijing for spying -- a claim the company strenuously denies.

Germany has so far defied pressure to exclude Huawei from taking part in the bidding process, insisting that it would set stringent security conditions.

But critics have accused Berlin of trying to appease China, its largest trading partner, and putting economic interests first.

Last month, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier sparked US anger by drawing a parallel between alleged Chinese and US snooping as part of the debate.

Altmaier referred to the allegations that began emerging in 2013 of US spying on German soil.

Even so, he said: "We didn't boycott them".

Altmaier also pointed out that the US required its own telecoms companies to provide information "that is necessary in the fight against terrorism".

US Ambassador Richard Grenell said there was "no moral equivalency between China and the United States".

Agence France-Presse 

US opposition pushes trade court to brink of collapse

GENEVA - The World Trade Organization's capacity to settle international disputes, a core function throughout the body's 25-year history, is on the brink of collapse following relentless US opposition.

The appellate branch of the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), sometimes dubbed the supreme court of world trade, was a target of US criticism before President Donald Trump took office.

His predecessor Barack Obama's administration began a policy of blocking the appointment of appeals judges over concerns that their rulings violated American interests.

Trump's trade team has both extended that policy and escalated the fight.

Barring a shock breakthrough in the coming days, the court will cease functioning on Wednesday.

The WTO appellate branch normally counts seven judges but has just three left -- the minimum required to hear an appeal. Two more judges are due to retire on Tuesday.

WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo warned on Friday that the organization was facing a stark choice.

"You could restore the impartial, effective, efficient two-step review that most members say they want," he said.

"Alternatively, your choices could open the door to more uncertainty, unconstrained unilateral retaliation -– and less investment, less growth, and less job creation."

Various reform proposals have secured broad support.

But according to EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom, there can no solution without US buy-in because the WTO works on consensus.

"This is a dispute between the 163 members of the WTO and the US," she told the European parliament last month.

US WTO envoy Dennis Shea argued on Friday that Washington had "engaged constructively over the past year" to resolve the crisis, but would not relent until its concerns were fixed.

"This is not an academic question; we will not be able to move forward until we are confident we have addressed the underlying problems and have found real solutions to prevent their recurrence," he told a WTO meeting.

TRUMP 'KILLED' IT

US concerns regarding the WTO appeals court include allegations of judicial overreach, delays in rendering decisions and bloated judges' salaries.

But top American trade officials have also insisted that the US Constitution does not permit a foreign court to supersede an American one -- and that WTO appellate judges assert such superiority in international trade law.

Washington reportedly threatened to block the WTO's 2020 budget over the dispute, raising the prospect of a January 1 shutdown.

The US ultimately backed a provisional budget compromise on Thursday but it included substantial appellate body cuts.

"There is no question the Trump administration has killed the appellate body," said Edward Alden, a trade expert at the Council of Foreign Relations think-tank.

"That was its intention, and it has succeeded."

WHAT NEXT?

The appellate body's demise will place international trade disputes in legal limbo.

Countries will still be able to file grievances and dispute panels can issue rulings, but nations unhappy with those rulings can simply delay enforcement by filing an appeal to a non-functioning court.

The European Union, Canada and others have reaffirmed their commitment to a two-step dispute process, arguing that the right of appeal is essential in any legal system.

Brussels and Ottawa have agreed to set up a temporary appellate process, which mirrors the WTO court, and would handle any bilateral disputes that arise during the impasse. Norway has joined that accord.

Leading WTO members also say they are open to wider reform.

"We have made clear that we are fully committed to tackling the root causes of the discontent around the existing system," the EU ambassador to the WTO Aguiar Machado told AFP.

Another Western diplomat who requested anonymity told AFP the European Union was willing to tackle concerns about the court's "excesses" but said the US must first agree to begin recruiting new judges -- a non-starter for Washington.

Some have suggested that a solution might have to wait until after next year's presidential election in the United States.

In the meantime, the WTO has been left diminished.

Since its founding in 1995, the organization has been tasked with promoting liberal international trade through a rules-based system backed by a dispute settlement process.

Trade promotion has faltered as the body has struggled to agree any major new deals and Alden of the Council on Foreign Relations predicted: "There will never be another big, liberalising trade round."

Certainly, court-backed rule enforcement appears certain to suffer a heavy blow next week.

"The WTO needs both its legs, litigation and negotiation" said Elvire Fabry of Jacques Delors Institute.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

US, Japan ink trade agreements on farm, digital exports

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump on Monday hailed a banner day for American farmers, announcing 2 trade agreements with Japan that he said would deepen economic ties in agriculture and digital commerce.

The trade deals, which were formally unveiled last month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, come as Trump renews far more fraught negotiations later this week with China.

Trump's trade wars have since last year profoundly disrupted trade ties for US farmers, who have borne the brunt of China's retaliation.

US soybean exports to China have risen in recent weeks, however.

"These deals are a tremendous victory for both our nations," Trump said Monday of the new US-Japan agreements. 

"We love our farmers and our ranchers. We have been working hard on this."

Under the agreement, Japan will cut tariffs for $7 billion in US farm exports, including beef and pork, while reducing mark-ups on purchases of American wheat and barley.

In return, Washington has agreed to cut US tariffs on $40 million in Japanese agricultural goods and to ease tariff rate quotas on the country's beef, allowing Japan to compete for a greater share of the US market.

In a separate agreement, US and Japanese officials have also agreed to eliminate duties on digital products like videos, music and ebooks as well as to ensure cross-border that data transfers are barrier-free.

Japanese officials also said last month that Washington had promised not to impose tariffs on Japanese auto exports, a threat Trump has held over major trading partners since last year.

The White House announced earlier Monday that the US-China trade talks were due to resume on Thursday, when Beijing's top trade envoy Liu He is due to meet US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

North Korea breaks off nuclear talks with US in Sweden

STOCKHOLM -- Working-level nuclear talks in Sweden between officials from Pyongyang and Washington have broken off, North Korea's top negotiator said late on Saturday, dashing prospects for an end to months of stalemate.

The talks, at an isolated conference center on the outskirts of Stockholm, were the first such formal discussion since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in June and agreed to restart negotiations that stalled after a failed summit in Vietnam in February.

The North's chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Myong Gil, who spent much of the day in talks with an American delegation, cast the blame on what he portrayed as US inflexibility, saying the other side's negotiators would not "give up their old viewpoint and attitude."

"The negotiations have not fulfilled our expectations and finally broke off," Kim told reporters outside the North Korean embassy, speaking through an interpreter.

The US State Department said Kim's comments did not reflect "the content or spirit" of more than 8-1/2 hours of talks, and Washington had accepted Sweden's invitation to return for more discussions with Pyongyang in 2 weeks.

"The US brought creative ideas and had good discussions with its DPRK counterparts," spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. North Korea is also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

She said the US delegation had previewed a number of new initiatives that would pave the way for progress in the talks and underscored the importance of more intensive engagement.

"The United States and the DPRK will not overcome a legacy of 70 years of war and hostility on the Korean peninsula through the course of a single Saturday," she added.

"These are weighty issues, and they require a strong commitment by both countries. The United States has that commitment."

North Korea's Kim downplayed the US gestures.

"The U.S. raised expectations by offering suggestions like a flexible approach, new method, and creative solutions, but they have disappointed us greatly and dampened our enthusiasm for negotiation by bringing nothing to the negotiation table," he said.

Swedish broadcaster TV4 said the US Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, who led the team, had arrived back at the U.S. embassy in central Stockholm.

The Swedish foreign office declined to give details on the invitation for new talks, or whether Pyongyang had accepted.

Since June, US officials had struggled to persuade North Korea, which is under sanctions banning much of its trade, due to its nuclear program, to return to the table, but that appeared to change this week when the North abruptly announced it had agreed to talks.

On Saturday, negotiator Kim accused the United States of having no intention of solving difficulties through dialogue but said a complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula was still possible.

It would only happen "when all the obstacles that threaten our safety and check our development are removed completely without a shadow of a doubt," he said, in an apparent reference to North Korea's desire for Washington to ease economic pressure.

On Sunday, China's President Xi Jinping and the North's leader exchanged messages to reaffirm the neighbors' relationship on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. China is the North's only major ally.

Xi, who has met Kim 5 times in the past year, said they had "reached a series of important consensuses, leading China-North Korea relations into a new historical era," the official Xinhua news agency said.

Kim replied the 2 leaders would "resolutely safeguard the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the world," Xinhua reported.

TENSIONS

The delegation from North Korea arrived in Sweden on Thursday. Analysts have said both countries' leaders had growing incentives to reach a deal, but it was unclear if common ground could be found after months of tension and deadlock.

The readout from the talks did not sound very promising, said Jenny Town, a managing editor at 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea project.

"I think (North Korea's) expectations were too high that the removal of Bolton would provide more flexibility on what the US wants as initial steps," she said, referring to Trump's hardline former aide John Bolton, abruptly fired last month amid disagreements on how to tackle foreign policy challenges.

"While certainly, it removes some pressure for an all or nothing deal, it seems the gap between what the 2 sides want as a baseline and are willing to reciprocate still has not narrowed," Town added.

An official at South Korea's presidential office said the talks in Sweden were nevertheless the beginning of negotiations, and that South Korea hoped the United States and North Korea would keep the momentum of the dialogue.

Only a day after announcing the new talks, North Korea said it had test-fired a new ballistic missile designed for submarine launch, underscoring the need for Washington to move quickly to negotiate limits on Pyongyang's growing arsenal.

Speaking in Athens on a tour of southern Europe while the talks were still underway, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said he was hopeful of progress.

"We are mindful this will be the first time that we've had a chance to have a discussion in quite some time and that there remains to be a lot of work that will have to be done by the 2 teams," he told a news conference.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

First let me take a selfie, El Salvador's president tells UN

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, whose social media savvy helped win him power earlier this year, took a selfie before his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly, which he called "obsolete" and suggested scrapping.

In a dark suit and no tie, his hair slicked back in his signature style, the 38-year-old thanked the other leaders present and said he especially wanted to greet his wife and baby daughter sitting in the gallery.

"If you'll just bear with me a second," he then added, pulling out his iPhone 11, lifting it up to his grinning face and snapping a photo he later posted on Twitter to his 1.1 million followers.

"Believe me, many more people will see that selfie when I share it than will listen to this speech -- I hope I took a good one."

"A couple of images on Instagram can have more impact than any speech delivered in this assembly," he said, quipping that the annual summit of the world's leaders could be done by video-conference.

The conservative businessman and former mayor of the capital San Salvador was sworn into office in June in the small Central American country of 6.6 million people, tasked with turning around grinding poverty and rampant gang violence that are sending thousands fleeing to the United States.

He traded on his telegenic looks and promises of a break with the past, but critics have called him light on policy and substance.

TRUMP BROMANCE

On Wednesday, he held his first meeting with US President Donald Trump, a fellow prolific social media user and self-styled iconoclast whom Bukele has aggressively courted -- a contrast with his predecessor Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla.

The 2 countries reached an agreement last week to curb illegal migration that opens the door for the United States to send refugees back to the violent Central American country, a move slammed by migrant rights advocates.

"For us, the United States is not only a partner and an ally, but also a friend," Bukele told reporters after that meeting.

"We're hoping that this meeting will only strengthen our relationship even more, and I think it will because, you know, President Trump is very nice and cool, and I'm nice and cool, too. We both use Twitter a lot, so, you know, we'll get along."

Talking to journalists on Thursday after his speech, he defended his show of bonhomie with the US leader.

"Someone made fun of the fact that I joked with Trump. Did they want me to come fight with him -- or for me put on a cranky face or something?"

On the controversial migration agreement, he appeared to agree that those Salvadorans fleeing to the US were involved in gangs.

"We've supported our natural and biggest ally," he said. "We've caught human traffickers, we've seized their money, their arms, false documents."

"El Salvador has to propose a positive migration, academic migration, business migration, work migration, not those with false documents or drugs."


source: news.abs-cbn.com

US pressures China on Hong Kong, Uighurs and trade

The United States ramped up pressure on China at the UN General Assembly Tuesday, rallying countries against Beijing's treatment of Uighur Muslims and warning it is watching on Hong Kong.

President Donald Trump fired several shots across the bow of the fellow Security Council member, moving beyond his typical attacks against China on international trade. 

"The world fully expects that the Chinese government will honor its binding treaty... (and) protect Hong Kong's freedom and legal system and democratic ways of life," Trump told the General Assembly.

"How China chooses to handle the situation will say a great deal about its role in the world and the future," the Republican tycoon added during his third appearance at the diplomatic forum in New York.

It marked one of his most strident speeches on the situation in Hong Kong since massive anti-government protests broke out there three months ago.

The demonstrations have triggered the Asian financial hub's biggest political crisis since its handover from Britain to China in 1997.

Until Tuesday, Trump had largely left it to the State Department to demand respect for the handover treaty which grants the territory a "high degree of autonomy," its own judicial, legislative and executive system, and the protection of its "way of life." 

He said the world was "counting on President Xi (Jinping) as a great leader" who could resolve the crisis.

The US president also let rip on international trade during his address, declaring that the time of Beijing's "abuses" of the system was "over."

"For years, these (trade) abuses were tolerated, ignored, or even encouraged," he said, arguing that globalism had caused world leaders "to ignore their own national interests.

Touting what he argued were the benefits of his tariff war with China, Trump reiterated his hope that a trade agreement "beneficial to both countries" could be struck.

"But as I said very clearly, I will not accept a bad deal for the American people," he said.

'GREAT FRACTURE' 

If proof was needed of the animosity between the 2 rival powers, then it could be found in the US State Department organizing an event Tuesday to highlight the plight of Uighurs in China.

The conference was held on the sidelines of the general assembly to garner support "to demand and compel an immediate end to China’s horrific campaign of repression," John Sullivan, the US's second-highest diplomat, said.

"We cannot be the only guardians of the truth nor the only members of the international community to call out China and demand that they stop," Sullivan added.

Washington and human rights organizations accuse Beijing of interning a million or more Muslims, mainly ethnic Uighurs, in the northwestern Xinjiang region of China.

"History will judge the international community for how we respond to this attack on human rights and fundamental freedoms," said the deputy secretary of state.

He rejected China's claims that the camps are vocational training centers and slammed their efforts to present the policy in the region as a "counter-terrorist" campaign.

"In Xinjiang, the Chinese government prevents Muslims from praying and reading the Quran, and it has destroyed or defaced a great number of mosques," Sullivan said.

"This is a systematic campaign by the Chinese Communist Party to stop its own citizens from exercising their unalienable right to religious freedom."

Sullivan said the UN must seek "unhindered" access to Xinjiang so that it can "investigate and closely monitor China's human rights abuses."

China angrily criticized the US for organizing the conference and called for it "to stop interfering in China's internal affairs," according to the Xinhua state news agency.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres opened the summit on Tuesday warning of a "great fracture" between the US and China.

He said he feared them "creating two separate and competing worlds, each with their own dominant currency, trade and financial rules, their own internet and artificial intelligence capacities, and their own zero sum geopolitical and military strategies."

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will address the UN on Friday.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

As global leaders meet, the Amazon rainforest burns

RIO DE JANEIRO - The fires that burned through the Amazon rainforest last month sparked international outcry and offers of help, but as world leaders meet in New York, the planet's largest rainforest remains engulfed in flames.

The latest satellite data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) shows 131,600 fires burning since January within the country, where 60 percent of the Amazon lies.

The fires, which are mostly caused by humans with the goal of clearing land for farming and cattle ranching, are having a grievous effect on the forest: the rate of deforestation in the Amazon has nearly doubled since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro came to power on January 1, with the equivalent of 110 football fields of land being cleared every hour.

"It's sad to see Brazilians attacking me for fires in the Amazon, as if they hadn't always existed," Bolsonaro wrote on Facebook Thursday.

We "remain below the average of the last 15 years. But I'm accused of being a Nero, who sets fires everywhere."

Yet fires are at a seven-year high, according to INPE data, and despite a slight drop at the start of the month, the number of active fires recorded in Brazil from the start of the year to September 19 was up 56 percent over the same period in 2018. Nearly half of the blazes are in the Amazon.

Bolsonaro is a climate change skeptic, but last month he sent soldiers to help put out fires in the Amazon region after Brazil came under criticism at the G7 summit, with the host French President Emmanuel Macron among the most outspoken detractors.

Under that deployment, which was renewed Friday for another month, nearly 7,000 soldiers and 16 aircraft are fighting both the flames and "deforestation and illegal mining," Brazil's defense ministry said.

'I'M GOING TO GET HIT' 

Marcio Astrini, a Greenpeace official in Brazil, said the deployment is making little difference.

"We did a lot of fly-overs. We did not see anything happening on the ground, apart from the deforestation that is progressing. It's tragic," he told AFP.

Experts sent by the United States, logistical equipment from Japan, and four aircraft from Chile are all fighting the blazes, while firefighters sent from Israel have departed, the defense ministry said.

Bolsonaro however has blanched at other international offers to help put out the fires, rejecting $20 million from the G7 and accusing members France and Germany of "buying" Brazil's sovereignty.

On Monday, Macron will launch a "call for mobilization" on the Amazon together with his counterparts Sebastian Pinera of Chile and Ivan Duque of Colombia during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

Brazil won't attend the meeting, but Environment Minister Ricardo Salles, also a climate change skeptic, will appear at the UN's climate summit on Monday, before traveling to Europe.

On Tuesday, Bolsonaro will make the opening speech at the UN General Assembly, in which he is expected to focus on the Amazon.

"I am preparing a rather objective speech, unlike my predecessor," he wrote on Facebook, adding, "I'm going to get hit, you can be sure. The media always finds something to complain about."

NO END IN SIGHT 

Environmental groups have little faith that Bolsonaro will change tack.

The government "wants to show that it is doing the best for the forest. In fact, it is doing its utmost for deforestation," said Greenpeace's Astrini.

"Brazil is running a campaign to show that it is taking care of the Amazon. It's a lie," he said.

And there's little to suggest that the fires are abating.

Between September 18 and 19, the number of forest fires in Rondonia state jumped to 242 from 12 just the day before, an increase of 1,915 percent, according to the INPE.

Fears are also rising over the number of blazes in the Cerrado savanna, which account for a third of all the fires in Brazil.

And on Friday the World Wide Fund for Nature warned of an "emergency situation in the biome" of the Pantanal wetland.

Fires have risen 351 percent since January in the Pantanal region, some 90 percent of which were set illegally.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Trudeau says China uses detentions as political tool

OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday accused Beijing of using "arbitrary detentions" as a tool in pursuit of political goals -- the latest broadside in a diplomatic and trade row with China.

Western allies, he said, have expressed concerns about the tactic that observers described as "hostage diplomacy."

Canada's relations with China soured after its arrest of Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a US warrant last December.

Nine days later, Beijing detained two Canadians -- former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor -- accusing them of espionage in a move widely viewed as retaliation.

They are among a string of foreign nationals arrested in China and charged with espionage or attempting to steal state secrets.

"Using arbitrary detention as a tool to achieve political goals, international or domestic, is something that is of concern not just to Canada but to all our allies," Trudeau told the Toronto Star editorial board.

He said nations including Britain, France, Germany and the United States "have been highlighting that this is not acceptable behavior in the international community because they are all worried about China engaging in the same kinds of pressure tactics with them."

Trudeau added that "we need to figure out how to engage with them, but we also have to be clear-eyed about it, that China plays by a very different set of rules and principles than we do in the West."

In a sign this week that Ottawa and Beijing may be ready to dialogue, Ottawa and Beijing -- which had been without representation for months -- nominated new ambassadors.

The latest foreigner to be held by China was Australian academic Yang Jun, who also goes by his pen name Yang Hengjun.

He was detained in January shortly after making a rare return to China from the United States, and Beijing announced last week that he had been formally arrested on suspicion of spying.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the suggestion that Yang acted as a spy for Australia was "absolutely untrue" and Canberra expects "his human rights to be respected."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Getting out — Tariffs push some US manufacturers to exit China

CHICAGO - As fresh US tariffs on Chinese imports kick in, Illinois-based phone accessories manufacturer Ben Buttolph has been urgently moving production to other Asian countries despite the cost, inconvenience and deep uncertainty.

Buttolph, chief finance officer at Xentris Wireless, expects that his company will never return to China after completing a move that he describes as "a kind of business 'head trauma'."

"It's a huge inconvenience, it's a huge expense," he told AFP after Xentris set up in the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam since the trade war between the US and China erupted 18 months ago.

But manufacturing in other developing nations comes with risks, he admitted.

"Building up these supply chains took 30 years in China. China has a lot of infrastructure that some other countries don't yet have.

"We are trying to have multiple locations certified for all of our products, so that if all of a sudden there's an issue with one of the locations, we just flip the switch."

Reflecting on the impact of tariffs on China, he said: "We're never going to be in that position again -- diversification was one of the intentions we had."

US President Donald Trump's plan to enact 15 percent tariffs on $300 billion in consumer goods imported from China has forced some manufacturers such as Xentris to shift production from the country, while others have absorbed the tariff or raised prices.

The latest round of levies began on Sunday on about $112 billion worth of Chinese goods, according to an analysis by the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The remaining portion of the tariffs are set to take effect on December 15.

NEVER GOING BACK? 

"We are leaving China and we have no immediate or long-term plans to ever go back," Buttolph said, recalling how his company, which has 68 US employees, sought legal advice on the strategic outlook when the trade war began.

"(Some companies) anticipated that this whole thing was going to blow over and that Xi Jinping and Donald Trump would cut a deal. Our assumption early on was based on advice that this is going to be an ongoing, long-term problem.

"Chances are that it will never be the same in China. There were a lot of folks in the consumer electronic space who may have dragged their feet in terms of setting up relationships and getting the supply chain moved."

Richard Roberts, import logistics manager at California-based PacSun, a lifestyle clothing company, echoed the sentiment that production must move out of China -- even in the face of weaknesses in nations that offer a cheaper alternative.

"The latest round of tariffs is making it almost impossible to import from China," said Roberts.

"This calendar year we are planning to move up to 30 percent of what we produce in China to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan."

PacSun, which has 10,000 employees, imports about 900 20-foot containers a year, most of it from China.

THE COST OF CHANGE 

"You're going to have delays with factories not knowing how to make the correct timing. Roadways are not built, so containers are taking longer to get to the port," Roberts said.

"You also have to take into consideration the longer transit time. You go from Shanghai, where it's 10 or 12 days by vessel, to something coming out of India that's 30 days, so that's a disruption to your supply chain.

"We have Trump (as president) and it's his agenda, so... what do you do? Your company has to do what it needs to do."

For international law firm Harris Bricken, which helps companies navigate working abroad, partner Dan Harris said the US tariffs on China have caused his business to "go crazy" as companies seek help to avoid tariffs -- often by moving their production from China.

US and Chinese talks are due to resume this month after a sharp deterioration in the trade war in August.

The chances of a breakthrough look slim after Trump tweeted that China was "hemorrhaging jobs and companies" and that Chinese negotiators may be holding out for a better deal in the hope he would lose next year's elections.

Tom Case, a customs broker for 50 years and president of The Camelot Company, a customs brokerage company near Chicago's O'Hare Airport, said that the costs would ultimately be passed onto the US consumer.

"The guy that's losing is the guy that goes to the store to buy a new screwdriver," he said.

"The screwdriver is going to cost him 25 percent more than it did before the Trump tariffs. The guy who's buying the screwdriver is the one paying."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Brazilian women must be ashamed of Bolsonaro for mocking my wife, says Macron

BIARRITZ, France - Brazilian women are probably ashamed of President Jair Bolsonaro, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday, hitting back after the Brazilian leader mocked Macron's wife on Facebook.

The leaders have been feuding in recent weeks, with Macron blaming Bolsonaro for fires in the Amazon and accusing him of lying about climate change policy.

Bolsonaro responded on Sunday to a Facebook post that compared the looks of his wife Michelle, 37, with Macron's 66-year-old wife Brigitte.

"Do not humiliate the man hahahah," Bolsonaro wrote, in a comment widely criticized as sexist.

Asked about the incident at a news conference in Biarritz where G7 leaders are gathered for a summit, Macron said the comments were "extremely disrespectful" to his wife.

"It's sad, it's sad first of all for him and for Brazilians," Macron said. "Brazilian women are probably feeling ashamed of their president."

"Since I have a lot of esteem and respect for the people of Brazil, I hope they will very soon have a president who is up to the job," Macron added.

Later on Monday, Bolsonaro denounced Macron's plan for an international alliance to protect the Amazon, saying on Twitter that it would treat Brazil like a colony.

Brazil was angered after Macron, in the run up to the G7 summit, tweeted a photo of the burning Amazon forest, writing: "Our house is burning. Literally." Macron said he had been lied to by Bolsonaro over his commitments to fighting climate change.

In July, Bolsonaro cancelled a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian - getting a haircut instead.

Since taking office in January, Bolsonaro has railed against the enforcement of environmental regulations in Brazil and announced intentions to develop the Amazon region, where deforestation of the world's largest rainforest by loggers, ranchers and speculators has surged this year. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Greenland tells Trump it is open for business but not for sale

COPENHAGEN - Greenland on Friday dismissed the notion that it might be up for sale after reports that US President Donald Trump had privately discussed with his advisers the idea of buying the world's biggest island.

"We are open for business, but we're not for sale," Greenland's foreign minister Ane Lone Bagger told Reuters.

Trump is due to visit Copenhagen in September and the Arctic will be on the agenda during meetings with the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

Talk of a Greenland purchase was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that the notion had been laughed off by some advisers as a joke but was taken more seriously by others in the White House.

Danish politicians on Friday poured scorn on the idea.

"It has to be an April Fool's joke. Totally out of season," former prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Twitter.

"If he is truly contemplating this, then this is final proof that he has gone mad," foreign affairs spokesperson for the Danish People's Party Soren Espersen told broadcaster DR.

"The thought of Denmark selling 50,000 citizens to the United States is completely ridiculous," he said.

Greenland, a self-ruling part of Denmark located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, is dependent on Danish economic support. It handles its own domestic affairs while Copenhagen looks after defense and foreign policy.

"I am sure a majority in Greenland believes it is better to have a relation to Denmark than the United States, in the long term," Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, Danish MP from Greenland's second-largest party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), told Reuters.

"My immediate thought is 'No, thank you'," she said.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod were not available for comment but officials said they would respond later on Friday. The US Embassy in Copenhagen was also not immediately available for comment.

"Oh dear lord. As someone who loves Greenland, has been there nine times to every corner and loves the people, this is a complete and total catastrophe," former US ambassador to Denmark, Rufus Gifford, said on Twitter.

Greenland is gaining attention from global super powers including China, Russia and the United States due to its strategic location and its mineral resources.

In May, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia was behaving aggressively in the Arctic and China's actions there had to be watched closely as well.

A defense treaty between Denmark and the United States dating back to 1951 gives the US military rights over the Thule Air Base in northern Greenland.

There has been no indication that a Greenland purchase will be on the agenda for Trump's talks with Danish officials.

Martin Lidegaard, senior lawmaker of the Danish Social Liberal Party and a former foreign minister, called the idea "a grotesque proposal" which had no basis in reality.

"We are talking about real people and you can't just sell Greenland like an old colonial power," he told Reuters.

"But what we can take seriously is that the US stakes and interest in the Arctic is significantly on the rise and they want a much bigger influence," he added.

In 1917, Denmark sold off the then Danish West Indies islands for $25 million to the United States, which renamed them the United States Virgin Islands.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Trump wants US to buy Greenland: report

WASHINGTON, United States—President Donald Trump is asking advisers if it is possible for the US to buy Greenland, according to a report.

Trump has expressed interest in the self-governing part of Denmark—which is mostly covered in ice—asking advisors if it is possible for the US to acquire the territory, The Wall Street Journal said Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

The president has been curious about the area's natural resources and geopolitical relevance, the paper reported.

Greenland is a self-governing region of Denmark, which colonized the 772,000 square-mile (2-million square kilometer) island in the 18th century, and is home to nearly 57,000 people, most of whom belong to the indigenous Inuit community.

There was no official comment from the White House, and the Danish embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

Some Trump advisors say acquiring Greenland, which is northeast of Canada, could be good for the US, while others called it only a "fleeting fascination" from the president, The Wall Street Journal said.

Others outside the White House say Trump's interest could be a desire to secure a legacy achievement, the paper reported, and advisers wondered about the potential for research or greater military clout for the US. 

The US's northernmost military base, Thule Air Base, has been located on Greenland for decades. 

But Greenland doesn't quite live up to its lush name—85 percent of the island is covered by a 1.9-mile-thick (3-kilometer) ice sheet that contains 10 percent of the world's fresh water.

The world's largest island has suffered from climate change, scientists say, becoming a giant melting icicle that threatens to submerge the world's coastal areas one day.

July saw unprecedented melting of the Greenland ice sheet, with 12 billion tons of ice flowing into the sea.

Trump, who in 2017 withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Agreement to cap global warming levels, is reportedly set to visit Copenhagen in September. 

This isn't the first time the president has expressed interest in foreign properties—he has said North Korea's "great beaches" would make ideal locations for condos.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Britain waits for US before Huawei 5G decision

LONDON - Britain said Monday it was "not yet in a position" to decide what involvement China's Huawei should have in the UK's 5G next-generation telecoms network.

Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright told parliament that London was still seeking clarity on the implications of US action against the Chinese telecoms giant, adding it would be "wrong to make specific decisions" beforehand.

"The government is not yet in a position to decide what involvement Huawei should have in the provision of the UK's 5G network," he said.

The sensitive decision, which the US authorities are monitoring closely, will therefore not be taken by the outgoing administration of Prime Minister Theresa May, who leaves office on Wednesday.

The decision will fall to her successor, either former London mayor Boris Johnson or Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The new premier will have to decide whether to ban, partially admit or allow Huawei's complete involvement in the new 5G telecoms network.

Huawei faces pushback in some Western markets over fears that Beijing could spy on communications and gain access to critical infrastructure if the company is allowed to develop foreign 5G networks.

The company has repeatedly denied such allegations.

In May, Huawei was hit by an executive order from US President Donald Trump which effectively banned it from trading with any US companies, although a temporary licence was issued shortly after.

"Since the US government's announcement, we have sought clarity on its extent and implications but the position is not yet entirely clear," Wright said.

"Until it is, we have concluded it would be wrong to make specific decisions in relation to Huawei but we will do so as soon as possible."

Vodafone launched its 5G service in Britain this month, but without smartphones from Huawei.

By sidelining Huawei phones, Vodafone has mirrored action by EE, the first UK provider to roll out the technology that offers almost instantaneous data transfer which launched at the end of May.

pn/rjm/bmm

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In jab at US, China vice president says world cannot shut China out

BEIJING -- China and the rest of the world must co-exist, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan said on Monday, in an indirect jab at the United States with which Beijing is currently trying to resolve a bitter trade war.

"China's development can't shut out the rest of the world. The world's development can't shut out China," Wang said in an opening address to the World Peace Forum at Beijing's elite Tsinghua University.

Wang also warned against "protectionism in the name of national security", without mentioning the United States, and called major powers to make more contributions to global peace and stability.

The Trump administration has accused China of engaging in unfair trade practices that discriminate against US firms, forced technology transfers and intellectual property rights theft, all charges Beijing has denied.

Both sides have levelled increasingly severe tariffs on each other's imports.

China has also been angered by US sanctions against Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd over national security concerns.

Wang, who is extremely close to Chinese President Xi Jinping and who only rarely speaks in public, reiterated China's commitment to opening up.

The world needs China just as much as China needs the world, said Wang, who became vice president last year having previously lead Xi's fight against deep-rooted corruption.

"Large countries must assume their responsibilities and set an example, make more contributions to global peace and stability, and broaden the path of joint development." he said.

"Development is the key to resolving all issues," Wang told an audience that included senior Beijing-based Western diplomats and former European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

Top representatives of the United States and China are organizing a resumption of talks for this week to try to resolve the year-long trade war between the world's two largest economies.

The two sides have been in communication by telephone since last month's G20 summit, when US President Donald Trump and Xi agreed to relaunch talks that had stalled in May.

Talks between the two sides broke down in May after US officials accused China of pulling back from commitments it had made previously in the text of an agreement that negotiators said was nearly finished.

The two countries have been at loggerheads over a series of other issues, from human rights to the disputed South China Sea and US support of self-ruled Taiwan, claimed by China as its own.

Wang said that no matter how the international situation develops or how China develops, it will walk the path of peace, and not seek spheres of influence or expansion.

"If there is no peaceful, stable international environment, there will be no development to talk of."

source: news.abs-cbn.com