China Hits Back at Trump’s Trade Tariffs With $50 Billion Hike on U.S. Goods
Posted: 04 Apr 2018 02:36 AM PDT
China announced boosted tariffs on U.S. goods including soybeans, aircraft and vehicles worth an estimated $50 billion Wednesday, retaliating for a similar scale hike on Chinese merchandise proposed by the Trump administration in response to alleged Intellectual Property theft, in the latest salvo of what business leaders fear may now escalate into a full-scale trade war.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration published a list of some 1,300 Chinese products it plans to slap with a 25% tariff. The Chinese Embassy in Washington immediately condemned the move, saying, “Such unilateralistic and protectionist action has gravely violated fundamental principles and values of the WTO.
“It serves neither China’s interest, nor U.S. interest, even less the interest of the global economy,” it continued, adding, “As the Chinese saying goes, it is only polite to reciprocate.”
That riposte took just hours to arrive. It’s notable that the many agricultural products listed would seem to target Trump’s base, and particularly the home constituency of current U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad, the former governor of Iowa, one of whose principle exports is soya.
The U.S. tariffs, in turn, appear targeted, covering a wide range of products including aerospace parts, high-definition color video monitors, electromagnets used in MRIs, as well as machinery to make or process textiles. According to the South China Morning Post, U.S. officials identified items that “benefit from Chinese industrial policies, including Made in China 2025,” referring to China’s strategic gambit to dominate a raft of high-tech industries.
Read more: It’s Not Just China’s Retaliatory Tariffs That Should Worry U.S. Businesses
Reacting to the news on Twitter, Trump said, “We are not in a trade war with China, that war was lost many years ago by the foolish, or incompetent, people who represented the U.S. Now we have a Trade Deficit of $500 billion a year, with Intellectual Property theft of another $300 billion. We cannot let this continue!”
Trump has long justified increasing tariffs on China by saying that unfair trade practices by Beijing has cost 6 million American jobs and caused 60,000 factories to close. However, his campaign bluster had been tempered after coming into office, as the U.S. President has sought assistance from his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to thwart the threat of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal.
But the recent replacement of moderate members of Trump’s inner circle with China hawks seems to have rekindled the bellicosity of the stump. In late March, the real estate mogul announced tariff hikes of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum that American manufacturers have slammed as increasing their production costs.
“We’re in a place where we thought we wouldn’t be back in 2017, when it seemed Trump’s mercantilist instincts had been turned by the ‘economic grownups,’” says Prof. Nick Bisley, an Asia expert at La Trobe University. “But he now seems to have around him enablers.”
Last year, U.S. imported goods from China were worth about $506 billion, with the trade deficit between the world’s two biggest economies rising to a record $375.2 billion. Trump based his volcanic campaign on the specious notion that this imbalance costs American jobs.
However, according to Rob Salomon, associate professor of international management at the NYU Stern School of Business, trade deficits may actually help the U.S. by flowing dollars back into the economy and keeping American interest rates low.
“This makes mortgages less expensive, this makes business loans less expensive, and this makes capital to start businesses less expensive,” he says.
Given the huge trade disparity, the U.S. has the wherewithal to hit China harder via tariffs than the other way around, by virtue that American consumers buy more Chinese goods. But the fear is that Beijing may use American investment in China or geopolitical pressure points as an alternative cudgel.
Read more: How China Could Use ‘America First’ to Its Advantage
On Tuesday, Xu Haidong, assistant to the secretary-general of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, told China’s state-run Global Times newspaper, “If there were a trade war, U.S. automakers are likely to discover quite quickly that their access to the Chinese market is limited.”
Were the current reciprocal tariff tit-for-tat to spiral, “U.S. exports and imports will fall, punishing millions of Americans, from hog farmer to low-income families living on tight budgets,” says Daniel Griswold, of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. “We should advance our national interest by working cooperatively with our friends, not by provoking an escalation in wealth-destroying tariffs.”
Regarding geopolitics, Chinese sanctions enforcement has been key to getting North Korea Supreme Leader to agree to historic negotiations with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April and Trump in May. Late last month, Xi hosted Kim for a pomp-filled “unofficial visit” — the young despot’s first with another world leader — despite a deteriorating bilateral relationship in recent years. Analysts say Xi may use this nascent rapprochement as another lever to pressure Washington.
“The hardening of American rhetoric on trade likely led Xi Jinping to open the door up to Kim Jong Un, with whom he’s not happy,” adds Bisley. “Under normal circumstances North Korea would pay a higher price for the kind of visit they had.”
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
China Vows ‘Measures of the Same Strength’ in Response to U.S. Tariff Hikes - TIME
China Vows ‘Measures of the Same Strength’ in Response to U.S. Tariff Hikes
Posted: 03 Apr 2018 07:02 PM PDT
(BEIJING) — China on Wednesday vowed to take measures of the “same strength” in response to a U.S. tariff hike on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods in a spiraling dispute over technology policy that has fueled fears it might set back a global economic recovery.
The Commerce Ministry said it would immediately file a challenge the U.S. move in the World Trade Organization.
“At the same time, we are preparing to take measures of the same strength and same scope against U.S. goods,” said a ministry statement. “These measures will be announced shortly.”
Chinese officials have given no indication what U.S. goods might be targeted but businesspeople and economists have cited Boeing jetliners and soybeans as possible targets.
The dispute has fueled fears it might set back the global recovery if other governments are prompted to raise their own import barriers.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office said it took the action in response to Chinese policies that “coerce American companies into transferring their technology and intellectual property to domestic Chinese enterprises.”
On Monday, Beijing announced a tariff hike on a $3 billion list of U.S. goods including pork, apples and steel pipe in response a higher American import duties on steel and aluminum.
The U.S. tariff hike on steel and aluminum has little impact on China but the latest duties will be far more sensitive because they target what Chinese leaders see as important future industries including telecoms and medical technology.
The Chinese measures announced Monday raised tariffs on pork, aluminum scrap and some other products by 25%. A 15% tariff was imposed on apples, almonds and some other goods.
Trump Proposes Tariffs on $50 Billion in Chinese Electronics Imports - TIME
Trump Proposes Tariffs on $50 Billion in Chinese Electronics Imports
Posted: 03 Apr 2018 05:50 PM PDT
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday escalated its aggressive actions on trade by proposing 25 percent tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese imports to protest Beijing’s alleged theft of American technology.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative issued a list targeting 1,300 Chinese products, including industrial robots and telecommunications equipment. The suggested tariffs wouldn’t take effect right way: A public comment period will last until May 11, and a hearing on the tariffs is set for May 15. Companies and consumers will have the opportunity to lobby to have some products taken off the list or have others added.
The latest U.S. move risks heightening trade tensions with China, which on Monday had slapped taxes on $3 billion in U.S. products in response to earlier U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
“China’s going to be compelled to lash back,” warned Philip Levy, a senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and an economic adviser to President George W. Bush.
Indeed, China immediately threatened to retaliate against the new U.S. tariffs, which target the high-tech industries that Beijing has been nurturing, from advanced manufacturing and aerospace to information technology and robotics.
Early Wednesday in Beijing, China’s Commerce Ministry said it “strongly condemns and firmly opposes” the proposed U.S. tariffs and warned of retaliatory action.
“We will prepare equal measures for U.S. products with the same scale” according to regulations in Chinese trade law, a ministry spokesman said in comments carried by the official Xinhua News Agency.
The U.S. sanctions are intended to punish China for using strong-arm tactics in its drive to become a global technology power. These include pressuring American companies to share technology to gain access to the Chinese market, forcing U.S. firms to license their technology in China on unfavorable terms and even hacking into U.S. companies’ computers to steal trade secrets.
The administration sought to draw up the list of targeted Chinese goods in a way that might limit the impact of the tariffs — a tax on imports — on American consumers while hitting Chinese imports that benefit from Beijing’s sharp-elbowed tech policies. But some critics that American will end up being hurt.
“If you’re hitting $50 billion in trade, you’re inevitably going to hurt somebody, and somebody is going to complain,” said Rod Hunter, a former economic official at the National Security Council and now a partner at Baker & McKenzie LLP.
Even representatives of American business, which have complained for years that China has pilfered U.S. technology and discriminated against U.S. companies, were critical of the administration’s latest action.
“Unilateral tariffs may do more harm than good and do little to address the problems in China’s (intellectual property) and tech transfer policies,” said John Frisbie, president of the U.S.-China Business Council.
Even some technology groups contending directly with Chinese competition expressed misgivings.
“The Trump administration is right to push back against China’s abuse of economic and trade policy,” said Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation think tank. “But imposing tariffs on producer goods will inadvertently hurt Americans through reduced capital investment and lower productivity growth.”
At the same time, the United States has become increasingly frustrated with China’s aggressive efforts to overtake American technological supremacy. And many have argued that Washington needed to respond aggressively.
“The Chinese are bad trading partners because they steal intellectual property,” said Derek Scissors, a China specialist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.
In January, a federal court in Wisconsin convicted a Chinese manufacturer of wind turbines, Sinovel Wind Group, of stealing trade secrets from the American company AMSC and nearly putting it out of business.
And in 2014, a Pennsylvania grand jury indicted five officers in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army on charges of hacking into the computers of Westinghouse, US Steel and other major American companies to steal information that would benefit their Chinese competitors.
To target China, Trump dusted off a Cold War weapon for trade disputes: Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974, which lets the president unilaterally impose tariffs. It was meant for a world in which much of global commerce wasn’t covered by trade agreements. With the arrival in 1995 of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization, Section 301 largely faded from use.
Dean Pinkert of the law firm Hughes Hubbard & Reed, found it reassuring that the administration didn’t completely bypass the WTO: As part of its complaint, the U.S. is bringing a WTO case against Chinese licensing policies that put U.S. companies at a disadvantage.
China has been urging the United States to seek a diplomatic solution and warning that it would retaliate against any trade sanctions. Beijing could counterpunch by targeting American businesses that depend on the Chinese market: Aircraft manufacturer Boeing, for instance, or American soybean farmers, who send nearly 60 percent of their exports to China.
Rural America has been especially worried about the risk of a trade war. Farmers are especially vulnerable targets in trade spats because they rely so much on foreign sales.
“Beijing right now is trying to motivate US stakeholders to press the Trump Administration to enter into direct negotiations with China and reach a settlement before tariffs are imposed,” the Eurasia Group consultancy said in a research note.
“The next couple of weeks will be very interesting,” says Kristin Duncanson, a soybean, corn and hog farmer in Mapleton, Minnesota.
Japan braces for Trump assault on trade, yen policy as summit looms - Reuters
APRIL 4, 2018 / 4:09 PM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO
Japan braces for Trump assault on trade, yen policy as summit looms
Leika Kihara, Tetsushi Kajimoto
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese government officials are bracing for Donald Trump to get tough in trade talks, and are particularly anxious that the U.S. president could target Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s weak-yen policies.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Dollar and Japan Yen notes are seen in this picture illustration June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo
The deal Trump clinched with South Korea last month, which was reached in unusually quick negotiations and included a side deal to deter competitive currency devaluation, was the kind of agreement Tokyo fears most.
The officials told Reuters that they worry that similar tactics could be used against Tokyo when Trump meets Abe for a summit at Mar-a-Lago, the president’s Florida resort, later this month.
If Trump forces Bank of Japan and currency policy into discussions, Japanese policymakers don’t have an obvious way to appease him, especially given the unpredictable nature of his attacks.
The biggest risk is if Trump links trade with currency policy and accuses Japan of keeping the yen artificially weak through ultra-easy monetary policy, especially as he seeks to appeal to voters ahead of November’s mid-term U.S. congressional elections. Back in January 2017, Trump alleged that Japan used its “money supply” to weaken the yen and give exporters an unfair advantage.
Any such concerted pressure could bind Tokyo’s hands in dealing with a climb in the yen, which would hurt the nation’s export-reliant economy that has been growing but may not be resilient to such a sideswipe.
“As mid-term elections draw near, it’s possible Washington could put Japan’s currency policy to notice,” said a Japanese government official with knowledge of the negotiations.
Another official said: “It’s hard to predict what Trump would say, so the BOJ’s policy could come under fire. It’s not an immediate risk but something in everyone’s mind.”
WARY OF SENDING SIGNAL
To be sure, the side agreement on the won that South Korea agreed to is not binding and focuses on what Japan already does – disclose details on currency intervention such as how much was spent and when. Still, Japan is wary of sending out any signal to markets that Trump is attacking Japan’s currency policy and that this could in any way prevent Tokyo from acting to restrain excessive yen gains.
When Abe and Trump met in February 2017, they kicked off a bilateral economic dialogue led by their deputies to discuss a series of issues, including trade, infrastructure and technical aid.
By broadening the agenda, Japan has managed so far to avert direct U.S. demands for negotiations over a bilateral trade pact, known as a free trade agreement (FTA).
Japan has long upheld a multilateral framework as its export-reliant economy has benefited greatly from global free trade. This approach helps Japan diffuse direct pressure from countries like the United States to open up its politically sensitive markets, such as agriculture.
Japanese officials say they will resist two-way trade deals with the United States at the summit, even if that reduces the chance of gaining exemptions for Washington’s recently introduced steel and aluminum tariffs. Trump temporarily excluded six trade partners, including Canada, Mexico and the European Union from these import duties. South Korea avoided tariffs but at a cost of agreeing to export quotas.
There are now major questions about whether the Japanese multilateral approach will be good enough for Trump.
The U.S. Trade Representative last week criticized what it said were non-tariff barriers to the Japanese car market and called for greater access to Japan for American beef and rice.
“The United States is only interested in a bilateral deal and probably won’t listen to Japanese calls for a multilateral approach on trade,” said Naoyuki Shinohara, Japan’s former top currency diplomat who retains close contact with incumbent policymakers.
“Japan will eventually have to enter FTA talks” and face U.S. pressure to open up its auto and farm markets, he said.
BOJ’S COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE
Some officials say Japan is in a stronger position than South Korea and won’t have to compromise as much. That is because it still does not have a bilateral FTA, is transparent on currency policy and hasn’t intervened in the currency market since northeastern Japan was hit by a massive earthquake and resulting tsunami in 2011.
“Japan has far more to lose from a bilateral FTA. It doesn’t make sense to do this to avoid tariffs,” said a third government official directly involved in bilateral negotiations. “We’ll never allow currency issues be tied to trade. That’s absolutely unacceptable.”
A renewed attack on Japan’s currency policy will be damaging particularly since Tokyo has hardly any ammunition left to fight another yen spike.
Fears of a trade war have boosted investors’ demand for the safe-haven yen and pushed up the Japanese currency to around 106 against the dollar, significantly stronger than the 109-level on which many exporters base their earnings forecasts for the current fiscal year to March 2019.
Japanese policymakers have warned that the yen’s 7 percent gain against the dollar this year is too volatile a move, though such verbal warnings have had little effect in keeping yen rises in check.
While currency intervention hasn’t been ruled out if the yen spikes to less than 100 to the dollar, gaining U.S. consent for such a move would be extremely hard, the officials say.
That leaves monetary policy as a last resort, though the BOJ too has barely any tools left to fight a currency gain or another recession after BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s “bazooka” stimulus that started in 2013.
The BOJ’s huge buying has dried up bond market liquidity and years of near-zero interest rates have eroded bank profits, raising concern that more easing could do more harm than good.
Even maintaining the current policy, which pegs Japanese government bond yields at zero even as U.S. interest rates rise, could draw U.S. heat if Washington perceives it as intended to weaken the yen, some analysts say.
“The BOJ’s current framework is clearly a weak-yen policy. Japan would struggle to explain otherwise if it comes under heat by the United States,” said Yasuhide Yajima, chief economist at NLI Research Institute.
Hiroshi Watanabe, a former top Japanese currency diplomat, said Tokyo could face criticism if the dollar rises to around 115 yen and the U.S.-Japan interest rate gap widens to around 350 basis points.
“The BOJ should be mindful that at some point, the United States could argue that it’s using monetary policy” to keep the yen weak, he said.
Stocks plunge on trade war fear; tech leads selloff
Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Martin Howell
Japan braces for Trump assault on trade, yen policy as summit looms
Leika Kihara, Tetsushi Kajimoto
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese government officials are bracing for Donald Trump to get tough in trade talks, and are particularly anxious that the U.S. president could target Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s weak-yen policies.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Dollar and Japan Yen notes are seen in this picture illustration June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas White/Illustration/File Photo
The deal Trump clinched with South Korea last month, which was reached in unusually quick negotiations and included a side deal to deter competitive currency devaluation, was the kind of agreement Tokyo fears most.
The officials told Reuters that they worry that similar tactics could be used against Tokyo when Trump meets Abe for a summit at Mar-a-Lago, the president’s Florida resort, later this month.
If Trump forces Bank of Japan and currency policy into discussions, Japanese policymakers don’t have an obvious way to appease him, especially given the unpredictable nature of his attacks.
The biggest risk is if Trump links trade with currency policy and accuses Japan of keeping the yen artificially weak through ultra-easy monetary policy, especially as he seeks to appeal to voters ahead of November’s mid-term U.S. congressional elections. Back in January 2017, Trump alleged that Japan used its “money supply” to weaken the yen and give exporters an unfair advantage.
Any such concerted pressure could bind Tokyo’s hands in dealing with a climb in the yen, which would hurt the nation’s export-reliant economy that has been growing but may not be resilient to such a sideswipe.
“As mid-term elections draw near, it’s possible Washington could put Japan’s currency policy to notice,” said a Japanese government official with knowledge of the negotiations.
Another official said: “It’s hard to predict what Trump would say, so the BOJ’s policy could come under fire. It’s not an immediate risk but something in everyone’s mind.”
WARY OF SENDING SIGNAL
To be sure, the side agreement on the won that South Korea agreed to is not binding and focuses on what Japan already does – disclose details on currency intervention such as how much was spent and when. Still, Japan is wary of sending out any signal to markets that Trump is attacking Japan’s currency policy and that this could in any way prevent Tokyo from acting to restrain excessive yen gains.
When Abe and Trump met in February 2017, they kicked off a bilateral economic dialogue led by their deputies to discuss a series of issues, including trade, infrastructure and technical aid.
By broadening the agenda, Japan has managed so far to avert direct U.S. demands for negotiations over a bilateral trade pact, known as a free trade agreement (FTA).
Japan has long upheld a multilateral framework as its export-reliant economy has benefited greatly from global free trade. This approach helps Japan diffuse direct pressure from countries like the United States to open up its politically sensitive markets, such as agriculture.
Japanese officials say they will resist two-way trade deals with the United States at the summit, even if that reduces the chance of gaining exemptions for Washington’s recently introduced steel and aluminum tariffs. Trump temporarily excluded six trade partners, including Canada, Mexico and the European Union from these import duties. South Korea avoided tariffs but at a cost of agreeing to export quotas.
There are now major questions about whether the Japanese multilateral approach will be good enough for Trump.
The U.S. Trade Representative last week criticized what it said were non-tariff barriers to the Japanese car market and called for greater access to Japan for American beef and rice.
“The United States is only interested in a bilateral deal and probably won’t listen to Japanese calls for a multilateral approach on trade,” said Naoyuki Shinohara, Japan’s former top currency diplomat who retains close contact with incumbent policymakers.
“Japan will eventually have to enter FTA talks” and face U.S. pressure to open up its auto and farm markets, he said.
BOJ’S COMMUNICATION CHALLENGE
Some officials say Japan is in a stronger position than South Korea and won’t have to compromise as much. That is because it still does not have a bilateral FTA, is transparent on currency policy and hasn’t intervened in the currency market since northeastern Japan was hit by a massive earthquake and resulting tsunami in 2011.
“Japan has far more to lose from a bilateral FTA. It doesn’t make sense to do this to avoid tariffs,” said a third government official directly involved in bilateral negotiations. “We’ll never allow currency issues be tied to trade. That’s absolutely unacceptable.”
A renewed attack on Japan’s currency policy will be damaging particularly since Tokyo has hardly any ammunition left to fight another yen spike.
Fears of a trade war have boosted investors’ demand for the safe-haven yen and pushed up the Japanese currency to around 106 against the dollar, significantly stronger than the 109-level on which many exporters base their earnings forecasts for the current fiscal year to March 2019.
Japanese policymakers have warned that the yen’s 7 percent gain against the dollar this year is too volatile a move, though such verbal warnings have had little effect in keeping yen rises in check.
While currency intervention hasn’t been ruled out if the yen spikes to less than 100 to the dollar, gaining U.S. consent for such a move would be extremely hard, the officials say.
That leaves monetary policy as a last resort, though the BOJ too has barely any tools left to fight a currency gain or another recession after BOJ Governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s “bazooka” stimulus that started in 2013.
The BOJ’s huge buying has dried up bond market liquidity and years of near-zero interest rates have eroded bank profits, raising concern that more easing could do more harm than good.
Even maintaining the current policy, which pegs Japanese government bond yields at zero even as U.S. interest rates rise, could draw U.S. heat if Washington perceives it as intended to weaken the yen, some analysts say.
“The BOJ’s current framework is clearly a weak-yen policy. Japan would struggle to explain otherwise if it comes under heat by the United States,” said Yasuhide Yajima, chief economist at NLI Research Institute.
Hiroshi Watanabe, a former top Japanese currency diplomat, said Tokyo could face criticism if the dollar rises to around 115 yen and the U.S.-Japan interest rate gap widens to around 350 basis points.
“The BOJ should be mindful that at some point, the United States could argue that it’s using monetary policy” to keep the yen weak, he said.
Stocks plunge on trade war fear; tech leads selloff
Reporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Martin Howell
What to Know About Suspected YouTube Shooter Nasim Aghdam - Time
What to Know About Suspected YouTube Shooter Nasim Aghdam
By MAHITA GAJANAN and ELI MEIXLER Updated: April 4, 2018 6:38 AM ET | Originally published: April 3, 2018
One person died and three were injured in a shooting reported Tuesday at YouTube’s headquarters in San Bruno, Calif.
Law enforcement officials identified the shooter as 39-year-old Nasim Aghdam of San Diego, according to the Associated Press, but little is known about her motive. San Bruno police said there is no evidence that the shooter was previously acquainted with any of the victims. Two unnamed law enforcement officials previously said that the shooting was being investigated as a domestic dispute.
The shooter, who was found dead by law enforcement Tuesday, wore glasses and a scarf and carried a “big huge pistol,” according to a YouTube employee who witnessed the incident from a second-floor window.
YouTube employees said they heard shots and saw people running on social media Tuesday afternoon. San Bruno police said they saw employees fleeing the headquarters upon arriving to the area and found one gunshot victim toward the front of the building. Two other shooting victims were found in adjacent businesses. Four victims were transported to local hospitals, police said, including a 36-year-old man who was in critical condition. One of those people, who did not suffer a gunshot wound, was treated for an ankle injury.
San Bruno police said they found Aghdam, who died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, at 12:53 p.m. in a courtyard area inside the YouTube complex.
Nasim Aghdam, who opened fire at YouTube headquarters in San Buno, Calif. on April 3, 2018, seen in an undated photo provided by the San Bruno Police Department.
Nasim Aghdam, who opened fire at YouTube headquarters in San Buno, Calif. on April 3, 2018, seen in an undated photo provided by the San Bruno Police Department. San Bruno Police Department—AP
Aghdam was an animal rights activist, according to AP, who participated in a 2009 protest with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in Oceanside, California. She was also a prolific YouTube user, posting videos on a range of topics from multiple accounts, according to a report by NBC’s Bay Area Investigative Unit. In a video posted in January, Aghdam alleged that the company “discriminated and filtered” her videos to reduce their number of views; she also published rants attacking the company on her personal website.
Afghdam’s father, Ismail Aghdam, said that he told police earlier this week that Nasim was “angry” at YouTube and “hated” the company. Aghdam had reported his daughter missing on Monday, and early Tuesday morning was informed that she had been found sleeping in her car in Mountain View, about an hour from YouTube’s San Bruno headquarters. Ismail said he warned the police that she might be headed toward YouTube.
The majority of shootings are perpetrated by men, according to a 2014 FBI study of 160 “active shooter incidents” that took place in the U.S. between 2000 and 2013. Women were the shooters in just six of the incidents studied, according to the FBI.
By MAHITA GAJANAN and ELI MEIXLER Updated: April 4, 2018 6:38 AM ET | Originally published: April 3, 2018
One person died and three were injured in a shooting reported Tuesday at YouTube’s headquarters in San Bruno, Calif.
Law enforcement officials identified the shooter as 39-year-old Nasim Aghdam of San Diego, according to the Associated Press, but little is known about her motive. San Bruno police said there is no evidence that the shooter was previously acquainted with any of the victims. Two unnamed law enforcement officials previously said that the shooting was being investigated as a domestic dispute.
The shooter, who was found dead by law enforcement Tuesday, wore glasses and a scarf and carried a “big huge pistol,” according to a YouTube employee who witnessed the incident from a second-floor window.
YouTube employees said they heard shots and saw people running on social media Tuesday afternoon. San Bruno police said they saw employees fleeing the headquarters upon arriving to the area and found one gunshot victim toward the front of the building. Two other shooting victims were found in adjacent businesses. Four victims were transported to local hospitals, police said, including a 36-year-old man who was in critical condition. One of those people, who did not suffer a gunshot wound, was treated for an ankle injury.
San Bruno police said they found Aghdam, who died of what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, at 12:53 p.m. in a courtyard area inside the YouTube complex.
Nasim Aghdam, who opened fire at YouTube headquarters in San Buno, Calif. on April 3, 2018, seen in an undated photo provided by the San Bruno Police Department.
Nasim Aghdam, who opened fire at YouTube headquarters in San Buno, Calif. on April 3, 2018, seen in an undated photo provided by the San Bruno Police Department. San Bruno Police Department—AP
Aghdam was an animal rights activist, according to AP, who participated in a 2009 protest with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in Oceanside, California. She was also a prolific YouTube user, posting videos on a range of topics from multiple accounts, according to a report by NBC’s Bay Area Investigative Unit. In a video posted in January, Aghdam alleged that the company “discriminated and filtered” her videos to reduce their number of views; she also published rants attacking the company on her personal website.
Afghdam’s father, Ismail Aghdam, said that he told police earlier this week that Nasim was “angry” at YouTube and “hated” the company. Aghdam had reported his daughter missing on Monday, and early Tuesday morning was informed that she had been found sleeping in her car in Mountain View, about an hour from YouTube’s San Bruno headquarters. Ismail said he warned the police that she might be headed toward YouTube.
The majority of shootings are perpetrated by men, according to a 2014 FBI study of 160 “active shooter incidents” that took place in the U.S. between 2000 and 2013. Women were the shooters in just six of the incidents studied, according to the FBI.
Specter of Full Trade War Returns to Batter Stocks: Markets Wrap - Bloomberg
Specter of Full Trade War Returns to Batter Stocks: Markets Wrap
April 4, 2018, 8:35 AM GMT+10 Updated on April 4, 2018, 8:36 PM GMT+10
U.S. equity futures slump as protectionist moves intensify
Treasuries, European bonds advance; yen gains with gold
China’s response to U.S. tariffs is "smaller than it could have been," says Algebris’s Alberto Gallo.
Fears of a trade war between the world’s two largest economies returned to haunt markets on Wednesday, sending U.S. stock futures tumbling and sinking European and Asian equities. Treasuries climbed while the dollar was steady, and gold jumped.
Hopes that Tuesday’s gains in U.S. equity markets would lead to a more lasting rebound foundered as contracts for the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow all slumped alongside both the Stoxx Europe 600 Index and the MSCI Asia Pacific Index. China said it would levy 25 percent tariffs on imports of 106 U.S. products including soybeans, automobiles, chemicals and aircraft, in response to proposed American duties on its high-tech goods. Safe-haven assets including bullion and the Japanese yen rallied, while European bonds tracked the jump in Treasuries.
Terminal users can follow the escalating trade tensions in our live blog.
Markets have been buffeted in recent weeks by everything from a volatility spike and a tech selloff to fears of an all-out trade war, and developments on Wednesday suggest there may be more turbulence to come. Investors are having to weigh the growing protectionist rhetoric between the U.S. and China against the chances of measures having a meaningful effect on the still-upbeat global growth picture.
“Trade uncertainty is the main headwind to the market,” Charles St-Arnaud, an investment strategist at Lombard Odier Asset Management in London, said by phone. “At this juncture we need to be careful. The macro picture hasn’t changed massively yet. Growth remains robust, unless we go into a bigger trade war.”
The trade spat won’t escalate and earnings will stay on track, says JPMorgan Asset Management’s Karen Ward.
Source: Bloomberg
Elsewhere inflation data from Europe matched estimates, and the euro stayed higher. West Texas oil fell as commodities were roiled by the growing trade dispute, while emerging-market stocks tumbled and their currencies dropped.
“This is a tricky one for markets,” said Thomas Thygesen, SEB AB’s head of cross-asset strategy in Copenhagen. “This inherent unpredictability will weigh on global economic growth. Sentiment is quite negative and the one thing that could change this is some sort of signal from central banks that they are willing to adapt their hawkish tone.”
Here are some key events coming up this week:
U.S. employment data are due Friday; the jobless rate probably fell in March after holding at 4.1 percent for five straight months.
The Reserve Bank of India decides on policy Thursday.
These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index sank 1.2 percent as of 11:33 a.m. London time on the largest tumble in almost two weeks.
Futures on the S&P 500 Index declined 1.9 percent to the lowest in more than five months.
The MSCI All-Country World Index dipped 0.4 percent.
The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index sank 0.7 percent to the lowest in more than a week on the biggest dip in almost two weeks.
Germany’s DAX Index sank 1.7 percent to the lowest in more than a week on the largest tumble in more than a week.
The MSCI Emerging Market Index fell 1.7 percent to the lowest in almost eight weeks on the biggest fall in a week.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.6 percent to the lowest in almost eight weeks.
Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index increased less than 0.05 percent to the highest in a week.
The euro gained 0.1 percent to $1.2284.
The British pound fell 0.1 percent to $1.4037.
The Japanese yen jumped 0.5 percent to 106.06 per dollar, the largest climb in almost two weeks.
Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined two basis points to 2.75 percent.
Germany’s 10-year yield dipped two basis points to 0.48 percent, the lowest in 12 weeks.
Britain’s 10-year yield declined two basis points to 1.359 percent, the lowest in almost 11 weeks.
Commodities
West Texas Intermediate crude decreased 1.9 percent to $62.31 a barrel, the lowest in more than two weeks.
Copper sank 2.5 percent to $2.99 a pound and the biggest tumble in eight weeks.
Gold increased 0.8 percent to $1,343.36 an ounce, the highest in more than a week.
The Bloomberg Commodity Index decreased 1.3 percent to 85.91, the lowest in almost eight weeks on the biggest tumble in almost eight weeks.
— With assistance by Andreea Papuc, Sofia Horta E Costa, and Sheldon Reback
April 4, 2018, 8:35 AM GMT+10 Updated on April 4, 2018, 8:36 PM GMT+10
U.S. equity futures slump as protectionist moves intensify
Treasuries, European bonds advance; yen gains with gold
China’s response to U.S. tariffs is "smaller than it could have been," says Algebris’s Alberto Gallo.
Fears of a trade war between the world’s two largest economies returned to haunt markets on Wednesday, sending U.S. stock futures tumbling and sinking European and Asian equities. Treasuries climbed while the dollar was steady, and gold jumped.
Hopes that Tuesday’s gains in U.S. equity markets would lead to a more lasting rebound foundered as contracts for the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow all slumped alongside both the Stoxx Europe 600 Index and the MSCI Asia Pacific Index. China said it would levy 25 percent tariffs on imports of 106 U.S. products including soybeans, automobiles, chemicals and aircraft, in response to proposed American duties on its high-tech goods. Safe-haven assets including bullion and the Japanese yen rallied, while European bonds tracked the jump in Treasuries.
Terminal users can follow the escalating trade tensions in our live blog.
Markets have been buffeted in recent weeks by everything from a volatility spike and a tech selloff to fears of an all-out trade war, and developments on Wednesday suggest there may be more turbulence to come. Investors are having to weigh the growing protectionist rhetoric between the U.S. and China against the chances of measures having a meaningful effect on the still-upbeat global growth picture.
“Trade uncertainty is the main headwind to the market,” Charles St-Arnaud, an investment strategist at Lombard Odier Asset Management in London, said by phone. “At this juncture we need to be careful. The macro picture hasn’t changed massively yet. Growth remains robust, unless we go into a bigger trade war.”
The trade spat won’t escalate and earnings will stay on track, says JPMorgan Asset Management’s Karen Ward.
Source: Bloomberg
Elsewhere inflation data from Europe matched estimates, and the euro stayed higher. West Texas oil fell as commodities were roiled by the growing trade dispute, while emerging-market stocks tumbled and their currencies dropped.
“This is a tricky one for markets,” said Thomas Thygesen, SEB AB’s head of cross-asset strategy in Copenhagen. “This inherent unpredictability will weigh on global economic growth. Sentiment is quite negative and the one thing that could change this is some sort of signal from central banks that they are willing to adapt their hawkish tone.”
Here are some key events coming up this week:
U.S. employment data are due Friday; the jobless rate probably fell in March after holding at 4.1 percent for five straight months.
The Reserve Bank of India decides on policy Thursday.
These are the main moves in markets:
Stocks
The Stoxx Europe 600 Index sank 1.2 percent as of 11:33 a.m. London time on the largest tumble in almost two weeks.
Futures on the S&P 500 Index declined 1.9 percent to the lowest in more than five months.
The MSCI All-Country World Index dipped 0.4 percent.
The U.K.’s FTSE 100 Index sank 0.7 percent to the lowest in more than a week on the biggest dip in almost two weeks.
Germany’s DAX Index sank 1.7 percent to the lowest in more than a week on the largest tumble in more than a week.
The MSCI Emerging Market Index fell 1.7 percent to the lowest in almost eight weeks on the biggest fall in a week.
The MSCI Asia Pacific Index fell 0.6 percent to the lowest in almost eight weeks.
Currencies
The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index increased less than 0.05 percent to the highest in a week.
The euro gained 0.1 percent to $1.2284.
The British pound fell 0.1 percent to $1.4037.
The Japanese yen jumped 0.5 percent to 106.06 per dollar, the largest climb in almost two weeks.
Bonds
The yield on 10-year Treasuries declined two basis points to 2.75 percent.
Germany’s 10-year yield dipped two basis points to 0.48 percent, the lowest in 12 weeks.
Britain’s 10-year yield declined two basis points to 1.359 percent, the lowest in almost 11 weeks.
Commodities
West Texas Intermediate crude decreased 1.9 percent to $62.31 a barrel, the lowest in more than two weeks.
Copper sank 2.5 percent to $2.99 a pound and the biggest tumble in eight weeks.
Gold increased 0.8 percent to $1,343.36 an ounce, the highest in more than a week.
The Bloomberg Commodity Index decreased 1.3 percent to 85.91, the lowest in almost eight weeks on the biggest tumble in almost eight weeks.
— With assistance by Andreea Papuc, Sofia Horta E Costa, and Sheldon Reback
Migrants at U.S.-Mexico border say Trump's tough talk won't deter them - Reuters
APRIL 4, 2018 / 8:11 PM / UPDATED 17 MINUTES AGO
Migrants at U.S.-Mexico border say Trump's tough talk won't deter them
Mica Rosenberg
MISSION, Texas (Reuters) - On Tuesday, the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intention to deploy military to help patrol the U.S.-Mexico border, Edwin Valdez and four other Central American migrants were walking through dense brush at a south Texas wildlife reserve, hoping to escape notice.
A border patrol agent apprehends immigrants who illegally crossed the border from Mexico into the U.S. in the Rio Grande Valley sector, near McAllen, Texas, U.S., April 3, 2018.
The men had illegally crossed into the United States that morning, guided by a smuggler who had since abandoned them. Now they were lost and uncertain how to proceed.
In vehicles nearby, U.S. Border Patrol agents had been alerted to migrants moving through the area, and after detecting movement in the bushes, they swooped in to arrest the men.
It was business as usual in the Rio Grande Valley, one of the busiest crossing points for migrants trying to enter the United States illegally.
In just a few hours that morning, 61 migrants, including Valdez, were rounded up in the area. Ten, including four from China, were caught with the help of a tracking dog in a sugar cane field. Two Hondurans were taken into custody at a public park.
Several of those caught said they were unfazed by tough talk from Trump, who has made headlines around the world with tweets railing about border security and threatening to end the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) unless Mexico does more to “stop the big drug and people flows.”
Trump’s renewed frustration about border security, rekindled over the weekend by news of a “caravan” of Central American migrants moving through Mexico toward the U.S. border, reflects the broader frustration of his administration.
In the months after Trump took office, the number of migrants caught along the U.S.-Mexico border fell dramatically, hitting a low of about 15,700 in April, from more than 42,400 in January 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows.
Border patrol agents apprehend immigrants who illegally crossed the border from Mexico into the U.S. in the Rio Grande Valley sector, near McAllen, Texas, U.S., April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
But arrests have crept back up since, and in the first months of 2018 have reached levels at, or near, those seen during the last year of his predecessor, President Barack Obama.
Rising arrests of families and unaccompanied minors along the border are a particular concern.
In March, their numbers surpassed the previous three years and “rivaled fiscal year 2014, when we had a crisis,” Manuel Padilla, chief of the border patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector, said in an interview with Reuters.
He said about families with children, who are more difficult to deport quickly, form about 49 percent of the current apprehensions in his region. He said they often walk up to the first U.S. officials they find to ask for help.
“It doesn’t matter how many agents are out there,” when it comes to families, he said, “because this population is turning themselves in.”
REVOLVING DOOR
Valdez, 20, who worked as an electrician’s assistant in his home country of El Salvador, said he previously tried to cross the border illegally in 2016.
But he was picked up by border patrol officers after wandering lost and dehydrated in the desert for four days. After six months in detention, he was deported last year, but decided to travel north again after gangs threatened him at his job.
While crossing has become more and more difficult in recent years, Valdez said, need is a powerful spur.
“Necessity forces people to leave their countries so they can bring a better life to their families,” he said. “That’s why people are willing to suffer through all this.”
Slideshow (10 Images)
After his arrest on Monday, Valdez put his personal belongings in a plastic bag, removed his shoelaces and was searched by the agents who arrested him. Then he and his companions were taken to a processing facility.
People who have been previously deported can often be quickly sent home.
Immigrants traveling with small children when caught often spend only a few days in custody, however, because of a shortage of detention facilities suitable for families and court settlements that preclude prolonged detention of minors.
In the Rio Grande Valley, parents are often released with electronic ankle monitors and ordered to appear with their children in court on a specific date for deportation proceedings. Trump has railed against the practice, which he calls “catch and release.”
For migrants like Jose Romero, 27, who made the harrowing days-long trip through Mexico with his 8-year-old daughter in the back of a dark cargo truck, threats from the president are little deterrent.
In his mountain home in Honduras, Romero made just $4 a day as a farm laborer, not enough to feed his family of five, he said. After his arrest and subsequent release to wait court proceedings, he said he doubted if migrants can be deterred.
“They will keep coming,” he said, because of violence and poverty south of the border. “The people are afraid.”
Reporting by Mica Rosenberg; Editing by Sue Horton and Clarence Fernandez
Migrants at U.S.-Mexico border say Trump's tough talk won't deter them
Mica Rosenberg
MISSION, Texas (Reuters) - On Tuesday, the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intention to deploy military to help patrol the U.S.-Mexico border, Edwin Valdez and four other Central American migrants were walking through dense brush at a south Texas wildlife reserve, hoping to escape notice.
A border patrol agent apprehends immigrants who illegally crossed the border from Mexico into the U.S. in the Rio Grande Valley sector, near McAllen, Texas, U.S., April 3, 2018.
The men had illegally crossed into the United States that morning, guided by a smuggler who had since abandoned them. Now they were lost and uncertain how to proceed.
In vehicles nearby, U.S. Border Patrol agents had been alerted to migrants moving through the area, and after detecting movement in the bushes, they swooped in to arrest the men.
It was business as usual in the Rio Grande Valley, one of the busiest crossing points for migrants trying to enter the United States illegally.
In just a few hours that morning, 61 migrants, including Valdez, were rounded up in the area. Ten, including four from China, were caught with the help of a tracking dog in a sugar cane field. Two Hondurans were taken into custody at a public park.
Several of those caught said they were unfazed by tough talk from Trump, who has made headlines around the world with tweets railing about border security and threatening to end the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) unless Mexico does more to “stop the big drug and people flows.”
Trump’s renewed frustration about border security, rekindled over the weekend by news of a “caravan” of Central American migrants moving through Mexico toward the U.S. border, reflects the broader frustration of his administration.
In the months after Trump took office, the number of migrants caught along the U.S.-Mexico border fell dramatically, hitting a low of about 15,700 in April, from more than 42,400 in January 2017, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows.
Border patrol agents apprehend immigrants who illegally crossed the border from Mexico into the U.S. in the Rio Grande Valley sector, near McAllen, Texas, U.S., April 3, 2018. REUTERS/Loren Elliott
But arrests have crept back up since, and in the first months of 2018 have reached levels at, or near, those seen during the last year of his predecessor, President Barack Obama.
Rising arrests of families and unaccompanied minors along the border are a particular concern.
In March, their numbers surpassed the previous three years and “rivaled fiscal year 2014, when we had a crisis,” Manuel Padilla, chief of the border patrol’s Rio Grande Valley sector, said in an interview with Reuters.
He said about families with children, who are more difficult to deport quickly, form about 49 percent of the current apprehensions in his region. He said they often walk up to the first U.S. officials they find to ask for help.
“It doesn’t matter how many agents are out there,” when it comes to families, he said, “because this population is turning themselves in.”
REVOLVING DOOR
Valdez, 20, who worked as an electrician’s assistant in his home country of El Salvador, said he previously tried to cross the border illegally in 2016.
But he was picked up by border patrol officers after wandering lost and dehydrated in the desert for four days. After six months in detention, he was deported last year, but decided to travel north again after gangs threatened him at his job.
While crossing has become more and more difficult in recent years, Valdez said, need is a powerful spur.
“Necessity forces people to leave their countries so they can bring a better life to their families,” he said. “That’s why people are willing to suffer through all this.”
Slideshow (10 Images)
After his arrest on Monday, Valdez put his personal belongings in a plastic bag, removed his shoelaces and was searched by the agents who arrested him. Then he and his companions were taken to a processing facility.
People who have been previously deported can often be quickly sent home.
Immigrants traveling with small children when caught often spend only a few days in custody, however, because of a shortage of detention facilities suitable for families and court settlements that preclude prolonged detention of minors.
In the Rio Grande Valley, parents are often released with electronic ankle monitors and ordered to appear with their children in court on a specific date for deportation proceedings. Trump has railed against the practice, which he calls “catch and release.”
For migrants like Jose Romero, 27, who made the harrowing days-long trip through Mexico with his 8-year-old daughter in the back of a dark cargo truck, threats from the president are little deterrent.
In his mountain home in Honduras, Romero made just $4 a day as a farm laborer, not enough to feed his family of five, he said. After his arrest and subsequent release to wait court proceedings, he said he doubted if migrants can be deterred.
“They will keep coming,” he said, because of violence and poverty south of the border. “The people are afraid.”
Reporting by Mica Rosenberg; Editing by Sue Horton and Clarence Fernandez
Mueller claims Trump is not criminal target in his investigation, report says - Fox News
3/4/2018
Mueller claims Trump is not criminal target in his investigation, report says
By Samuel Chamberlain | Fox News
Report: Mueller says Trump is not a criminal target
The Washington Post reports the special counsel told Trump's legal team the president remains a subject of the Russian investigation.
Special counsel Robert Mueller told President Trump's attorneys last month that he does not consider Trump to be a criminal target in his investigation of Russian actions during the 2016 campaign, The Washington Post reported Tuesday night.
The paper, citing "three people familiar with the discussions," reported that Mueller made the comments while negotiating with Trump's attorneys about a potential interview with the president. The Post also reported -- citing "two people with knowledge of the conversations" -- that Mueller reiterated his need to interview Trump to determine whether the president intended to halt the Russia investigation while in office.
According to the Post, Trump has "privately expressed relief" at Mueller's description of his legal status, but some advisers have warned that the special counsel may be baiting the president into letting his guard down for any interview.
Mueller also has said he needs to interview Trump in order to complete a report he will present to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the investigation and who could decide to make Mueller's report public.
The report added that John Dowd resigned from Trump's legal team last month after the president ignored Dowd's advice to decline Mueller's request for an interview.
According to the Post, Trump's other attorneys -- Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow -- have told the president that refusing to sit down with Mueller would create an awkward situation since the president has repeatedly described the Russian investigation as a "witch hunt."
Mueller claims Trump is not criminal target in his investigation, report says
By Samuel Chamberlain | Fox News
Report: Mueller says Trump is not a criminal target
The Washington Post reports the special counsel told Trump's legal team the president remains a subject of the Russian investigation.
Special counsel Robert Mueller told President Trump's attorneys last month that he does not consider Trump to be a criminal target in his investigation of Russian actions during the 2016 campaign, The Washington Post reported Tuesday night.
The paper, citing "three people familiar with the discussions," reported that Mueller made the comments while negotiating with Trump's attorneys about a potential interview with the president. The Post also reported -- citing "two people with knowledge of the conversations" -- that Mueller reiterated his need to interview Trump to determine whether the president intended to halt the Russia investigation while in office.
According to the Post, Trump has "privately expressed relief" at Mueller's description of his legal status, but some advisers have warned that the special counsel may be baiting the president into letting his guard down for any interview.
Mueller also has said he needs to interview Trump in order to complete a report he will present to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the investigation and who could decide to make Mueller's report public.
The report added that John Dowd resigned from Trump's legal team last month after the president ignored Dowd's advice to decline Mueller's request for an interview.
According to the Post, Trump's other attorneys -- Ty Cobb and Jay Sekulow -- have told the president that refusing to sit down with Mueller would create an awkward situation since the president has repeatedly described the Russian investigation as a "witch hunt."
Five Star Wants a Coalition Deal With Anyone But Berlusconi - Bloomberg
Five Star Wants a Coalition Deal With Anyone But Berlusconi
April 4, 2018, 6:48 PM GMT+10
Di Maio blackballs Berlusconi sparking clash with center-right
President Mattarella in two days of talks with party leaders
Bloomberg’s John Follain discusses efforts to form Italy’s Next government.
The anti-establishment Five Star Movement said it’s ready to go into government with any of Italy’s major parties -- except Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.
As Italy’s president starts talks with political leaders in a bid to break a monthlong deadlock, Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio proposed a government contract with either his fellow populists of the League or the ruling Democratic Party, in an interview with La7 television on Tuesday night, but he also set out his red line: no deal with Berlusconi. Di Maio insisted that he should be premier, a claim that puts him at odds with Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League.
Luigi Di MaioPhotographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg
While Five Star is the biggest single party in the new parliament, the center-right alliance led by the League has the most seats overall. Both Di Maio and Salvini have claimed a mandate to lead the next government, though neither has a majority.
“Salvini has to choose between revolution or restoration,” Di Maio said. “He has to decide whether to ditch Berlusconi and start to change Italy, or stay stuck to Berlusconi and not change anything.”
President Sergio Mattarella, whose task it is to nominate a new premier, meets party leaders on Wednesday and Thursday, his first consultations since general elections a month ago. Mattarella is unlikely to designate a premier after this week’s talks, and may hold a new round next week, according to a senior state official.
Political Brinkmanship
Di Maio’s remarks did nothing to break the impasse, sparking instead a clash with Salvini’s center-right bloc, in which Berlusconi is a junior partner. Five Star sees Berlusconi, who is banned from public office until next year because of a 2013 tax-fraud conviction, as a symbol of the corrupt political class it rebels against.
Salvini wrote in a Facebook post that he won’t get involved with the Democrats, since they were “rejected by the Italians.” He added the center-right had won most votes “and that is the starting point.” Salvini has ruled out breaking with his bloc to join Five Star.
European Parliament head Antonio Tajani, who was Berlusconi’s pick for prime minister before the elections, accused Di Maio of “anti-democratic methods” in an interview with RAI radio Wednesday, adding he “fails to show respect for the almost five million citizens” who voted for Forza Italia.
The center-left Democratic Party also swiftly snubbed Di Maio after he said it must choose whether to stay in opposition. Di Maio said former leader Matteo Renzi had ruled out a role in the next government “to spite me and Five Star.”
“Dear Luigi Di Maio, we don’t lend ourselves to these little games: whoever tries to divide the PD won’t succeed,” acting party leader Maurizio Martina said in a post on Twitter. His party however is divided on whether to take part in government, and faces a leadership contest in coming weeks.
April 4, 2018, 6:48 PM GMT+10
Di Maio blackballs Berlusconi sparking clash with center-right
President Mattarella in two days of talks with party leaders
Bloomberg’s John Follain discusses efforts to form Italy’s Next government.
The anti-establishment Five Star Movement said it’s ready to go into government with any of Italy’s major parties -- except Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia.
As Italy’s president starts talks with political leaders in a bid to break a monthlong deadlock, Five Star leader Luigi Di Maio proposed a government contract with either his fellow populists of the League or the ruling Democratic Party, in an interview with La7 television on Tuesday night, but he also set out his red line: no deal with Berlusconi. Di Maio insisted that he should be premier, a claim that puts him at odds with Matteo Salvini, leader of the anti-immigrant League.
Luigi Di MaioPhotographer: Alessia Pierdomenico/Bloomberg
While Five Star is the biggest single party in the new parliament, the center-right alliance led by the League has the most seats overall. Both Di Maio and Salvini have claimed a mandate to lead the next government, though neither has a majority.
“Salvini has to choose between revolution or restoration,” Di Maio said. “He has to decide whether to ditch Berlusconi and start to change Italy, or stay stuck to Berlusconi and not change anything.”
President Sergio Mattarella, whose task it is to nominate a new premier, meets party leaders on Wednesday and Thursday, his first consultations since general elections a month ago. Mattarella is unlikely to designate a premier after this week’s talks, and may hold a new round next week, according to a senior state official.
Political Brinkmanship
Di Maio’s remarks did nothing to break the impasse, sparking instead a clash with Salvini’s center-right bloc, in which Berlusconi is a junior partner. Five Star sees Berlusconi, who is banned from public office until next year because of a 2013 tax-fraud conviction, as a symbol of the corrupt political class it rebels against.
Salvini wrote in a Facebook post that he won’t get involved with the Democrats, since they were “rejected by the Italians.” He added the center-right had won most votes “and that is the starting point.” Salvini has ruled out breaking with his bloc to join Five Star.
European Parliament head Antonio Tajani, who was Berlusconi’s pick for prime minister before the elections, accused Di Maio of “anti-democratic methods” in an interview with RAI radio Wednesday, adding he “fails to show respect for the almost five million citizens” who voted for Forza Italia.
The center-left Democratic Party also swiftly snubbed Di Maio after he said it must choose whether to stay in opposition. Di Maio said former leader Matteo Renzi had ruled out a role in the next government “to spite me and Five Star.”
“Dear Luigi Di Maio, we don’t lend ourselves to these little games: whoever tries to divide the PD won’t succeed,” acting party leader Maurizio Martina said in a post on Twitter. His party however is divided on whether to take part in government, and faces a leadership contest in coming weeks.
Salisbury poisoning: UK experts cannot prove novichok nerve agent used on Skripals came from Russia, MoD says- Independent
3/4/2018
Salisbury poisoning: UK experts cannot prove novichok nerve agent used on Skripals came from Russia, MoD says
'We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to government who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions'
Kim Sengupta
Porton Down: We have 'not identified the source' of nerve agent used in the Salisbury attack
Spielberg beat James Cameron to Jurassic Park film rights by hours
Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway nominated for Bafta TV award
Russell Crowe selling 227 possessions in 'The Art of Divorce' auction
YouTube shooting brings to fore widespread conspiracy theory
Accusations and recriminations between Britain and Russia are set to escalate with the news that scientists at the Porton Down military research facility have been unable to establish exactly where the novichok nerve agent used to carry out the Skripal attack was manufactured.
The admission comes the day before Moscow convenes an emergency meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague in which it is expected to demand access to samples from the Salisbury poisoning for analysis by Russian scientists.
Russia’s embassy in London responded that Porton Down’s assessment “proves that all political declarations on the Russian origin of the crime are nothing but assumptions not stemming from objective facts or the course of the investigation”.
The development also comes after Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, suggested that British intelligence services carried out the attempted assassination of the former MI6 agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia and claimed that it had proved “beneficial” in distracting attention from Theresa May’s government having to make major concessions to the European Union on Brexit.
Russia challenges UK to prove it was behind spy poisoning in court
The OPCW is due to present its own conclusions on the nerve agent in the near future. It remains to be seen whether it will be able to provide definite proof that the novichok came from a Russian government facility or echo the Porton Down position.
Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down, Wiltshire, told Sky News that the substance required “extremely sophisticated methods to create something only in the capabilities of a state actor. We were able to identify it as novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent.”
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Mr Aitkenhead went on to say: “We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to the government who have then used a number of other sources,” some of them intelligence-based.
The head of Porton Down denied claims that his research centre had been connected in any way with a “false flag” operation or that the novichok used may have come from it. “There is no way that anything like that would ever have come from us or leave the walls of our facilities,” he said. “We deal with a number of very toxic substances as part of the work that we do.”
There has been no immediate reaction from the Kremlin on the Porton Down assessment, but there is little doubt that it will be used to support its claims that UK has no real evidence to back up the accusation of Russian state culpability in the attack.
porton-down.jpg
The novichok was tested by scientists at Porton Down research laboratory (Reuters)
Speaking of the OPCW emergency meeting, Yury Filatov, the Russian ambassador to Ireland, said: “We hope to discuss the whole matter and call on Britain to provide every possible element of element of evidence they might have on their hands. Russia is interested in establishing the whole truth of the matter and we hope certainly that this meeting will help to return to at least the realm of normality within the realm of international law and decency in international matters.”
A British government spokesperson insisted that the Porton Down assessment was “only part of the intelligence picture”. He continued: “As the Prime Minister has set out in a number of statements to the Commons since 12 March, this includes our knowledge that within the past decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents probably for assassination and as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of novichoks, Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations and our assessment that Russia views former intelligence officers as targets.
“It is our assessment that Russia was responsible for this brazen and reckless act and, as the international community agrees, there is no other plausible explanation.”
Russia says it could have been in UK interests to poison Skripal
Twenty-nine countries and Nato carried out a mass expulsion of almost 150 Russians working under diplomatic credentials after Britain provided information that pointed to Vladimir Putin’s government as responsible for Salisbury attack.
“Unprecedented levels of intelligence” had been divulged to convince these states, said senior government officials, including conclusions of Porton Down and an explanation of how this was obtained.
However, in addition, highly classified information, which is normally shared only between the “Five Eyes” countries – the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada – was supplied to close allies with the national security adviser, Sir Mark Sedwill, taking it to the European Union and the North Atlantic Council. Other countries were given differing levels of intelligence.
US Department of State: There is ‘no justification’ for Russia’s response to expulsions
The development came as a former Russian general warned the response to the Salisbury the attack could trigger “the last war in the history of mankind”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Evgeny Buzhinsky said the West was “cornering Russia and to corner Russia is a very dangerous thing”.
He added: “If the situation develops in the way it is now, it will end up in a very bad outcome.”
Salisbury poisoning: UK experts cannot prove novichok nerve agent used on Skripals came from Russia, MoD says
'We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to government who have then used a number of other sources to piece together the conclusions'
Kim Sengupta
Porton Down: We have 'not identified the source' of nerve agent used in the Salisbury attack
Spielberg beat James Cameron to Jurassic Park film rights by hours
Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway nominated for Bafta TV award
Russell Crowe selling 227 possessions in 'The Art of Divorce' auction
YouTube shooting brings to fore widespread conspiracy theory
Accusations and recriminations between Britain and Russia are set to escalate with the news that scientists at the Porton Down military research facility have been unable to establish exactly where the novichok nerve agent used to carry out the Skripal attack was manufactured.
The admission comes the day before Moscow convenes an emergency meeting of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague in which it is expected to demand access to samples from the Salisbury poisoning for analysis by Russian scientists.
Russia’s embassy in London responded that Porton Down’s assessment “proves that all political declarations on the Russian origin of the crime are nothing but assumptions not stemming from objective facts or the course of the investigation”.
The development also comes after Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, suggested that British intelligence services carried out the attempted assassination of the former MI6 agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia and claimed that it had proved “beneficial” in distracting attention from Theresa May’s government having to make major concessions to the European Union on Brexit.
Russia challenges UK to prove it was behind spy poisoning in court
The OPCW is due to present its own conclusions on the nerve agent in the near future. It remains to be seen whether it will be able to provide definite proof that the novichok came from a Russian government facility or echo the Porton Down position.
Gary Aitkenhead, the chief executive of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down, Wiltshire, told Sky News that the substance required “extremely sophisticated methods to create something only in the capabilities of a state actor. We were able to identify it as novichok, to identify that it was military-grade nerve agent.”
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Mr Aitkenhead went on to say: “We have not identified the precise source, but we have provided the scientific info to the government who have then used a number of other sources,” some of them intelligence-based.
The head of Porton Down denied claims that his research centre had been connected in any way with a “false flag” operation or that the novichok used may have come from it. “There is no way that anything like that would ever have come from us or leave the walls of our facilities,” he said. “We deal with a number of very toxic substances as part of the work that we do.”
There has been no immediate reaction from the Kremlin on the Porton Down assessment, but there is little doubt that it will be used to support its claims that UK has no real evidence to back up the accusation of Russian state culpability in the attack.
porton-down.jpg
The novichok was tested by scientists at Porton Down research laboratory (Reuters)
Speaking of the OPCW emergency meeting, Yury Filatov, the Russian ambassador to Ireland, said: “We hope to discuss the whole matter and call on Britain to provide every possible element of element of evidence they might have on their hands. Russia is interested in establishing the whole truth of the matter and we hope certainly that this meeting will help to return to at least the realm of normality within the realm of international law and decency in international matters.”
A British government spokesperson insisted that the Porton Down assessment was “only part of the intelligence picture”. He continued: “As the Prime Minister has set out in a number of statements to the Commons since 12 March, this includes our knowledge that within the past decade, Russia has investigated ways of delivering nerve agents probably for assassination and as part of this programme has produced and stockpiled small quantities of novichoks, Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations and our assessment that Russia views former intelligence officers as targets.
“It is our assessment that Russia was responsible for this brazen and reckless act and, as the international community agrees, there is no other plausible explanation.”
Russia says it could have been in UK interests to poison Skripal
Twenty-nine countries and Nato carried out a mass expulsion of almost 150 Russians working under diplomatic credentials after Britain provided information that pointed to Vladimir Putin’s government as responsible for Salisbury attack.
“Unprecedented levels of intelligence” had been divulged to convince these states, said senior government officials, including conclusions of Porton Down and an explanation of how this was obtained.
However, in addition, highly classified information, which is normally shared only between the “Five Eyes” countries – the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada – was supplied to close allies with the national security adviser, Sir Mark Sedwill, taking it to the European Union and the North Atlantic Council. Other countries were given differing levels of intelligence.
US Department of State: There is ‘no justification’ for Russia’s response to expulsions
The development came as a former Russian general warned the response to the Salisbury the attack could trigger “the last war in the history of mankind”.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Evgeny Buzhinsky said the West was “cornering Russia and to corner Russia is a very dangerous thing”.
He added: “If the situation develops in the way it is now, it will end up in a very bad outcome.”
US-China trade: Beijing responds with tariffs of its own - BBC News
4/4/2018
US-China trade: Beijing responds with tariffs of its own
Motorcycles made in China are among the imports that would be hit with a tax
Trade tensions between China and the US have been ramped up after Beijing responded to US plans for putting new taxes on hundreds of Chinese imports.
China said it would place 25% trade tariffs on 106 US goods, including soybeans, cars and orange juice.
The tit-for-tat action comes hours after Washington detailed about 1,300 Chinese products it intended to hit with tariffs - also set at 25%.
US-targeted items include Chinese-made televisions and motorcycles.
The White House said its proposals were a response to unfair Chinese intellectual property practices.
Analysis: Why China won't baulk at US tariff threat
Trump trade war: China tells US it will defend national interests
Earlier, Beijing said it "strongly condemns and firmly opposes" the proposed US tariffs, calling them "unilateralistic and protectionist", and vowing to retaliate.
It then responded with specifics, as the Chinese finance ministry published a list of its own.
The products targeted by the Chinese tariffs were worth $50bn (£35.5bn) in 2017, according to the Chinese commerce ministry.
US chemicals, some types of aircraft and corn products are among the goods facing the taxes, the finance ministry said.
Extra tariffs will also be placed on whiskey, cigars and tobacco, some types of beef, lubricants, and propane and other plastic products.
US orange juice, certain sorghum products, cotton and some types of wheat, as well as trucks, some SUVs and certain electric vehicles, will also be subject to the new duties, the ministry added.
Economists had previously warned the Trump administration's move to penalise China with the tariffs could prompt Beijing to retaliate and lead to higher prices for US consumers.
Beijing Deals
What China sells to the US
$462.6bn
The value of of goods bought by the US from China in 2016.
18.2% of all China's exports go to the United States
$129bn worth of China-made electrical machinery bought by US
59.2% growth in Chinese services imported by US between 2006 & 2016
$347bn US goods trade deficit with China
CIA Factbook; USTR. All data for 2016.
Getty Images
'No winner'
The planned US tariffs are the result of an investigation ordered by US President Donald Trump into China's intellectual property practices.
Last month, he said the inquiry had found evidence of problems, such as practices that pressure US companies to share technology with Chinese firms
The office of the US Trade Representative, which handles trade negotiations, said that its tariffs would apply to about $50bn of Chinese imports.
That was an amount which was "appropriate both in light of the estimated harm to the US economy and to obtain elimination of China's harmful acts, policies and practices", it said.
The list includes parts of communication satellites, semiconductors, aviation equipment and brewery machinery, as well as more niche products such as bakery ovens and rocket launchers.
A final list will be determined after a public comment period and review, expected to last about two months.
Economists have warned the Trump administration's move to slap China with the tariffs could prompt Beijing to retaliate
Beijing has been adamant that it did not want a trade war, but that it would not not back down under US pressure.
"Any attempt to bring China to its knees through threats and intimidation will never succeed. It will not succeed this time either," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
"There is no winner in a trade war, and an initiator will harm itself as well as others."
Mr Geng said China had referred the US to the World Trade Organization.
Hopes for a resolution
China's economy has become less dependent on selling goods abroad in recent years, which is likely to blunt the effect of the US tariffs, according to analysts for S&P Global Ratings.
The US was the destination for about 18.2% of all Chinese exports in 2016, according to the US trade department.
American business groups have urged the two sides to try to resolve the issues through talks, expressing concern that threatening tariffs could lead to a dispute that hurts the US economy.
"The administration is rightly focused on restoring equity and fairness in our trade relationship with China," said the US Chamber of Commerce.
"However, imposing taxes on products used daily by American consumers and job creators is not the way to achieve those ends."
Speaking before Beijing announced its retaliatory measures, Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US, said he did not think the Chinese would take the US list seriously, pointing to low-demand items such as monitors with video cassette recorders.
Instead, he said the main outcome was likely to be higher prices for US manufacturers - and eventually, consumers.
That may not be enough to persuade the Trump administration to opt for a different strategy, he added.
"At this point, if the Trump administration does not follow through on this, they're going to lose face and credibility," he said.
The actions proposed by both countries came just after China hit $3bn worth of US products with tariffs.
That was in response to separate steel and aluminium tariffs the US has imposed.
US-China trade: Beijing responds with tariffs of its own
Motorcycles made in China are among the imports that would be hit with a tax
Trade tensions between China and the US have been ramped up after Beijing responded to US plans for putting new taxes on hundreds of Chinese imports.
China said it would place 25% trade tariffs on 106 US goods, including soybeans, cars and orange juice.
The tit-for-tat action comes hours after Washington detailed about 1,300 Chinese products it intended to hit with tariffs - also set at 25%.
US-targeted items include Chinese-made televisions and motorcycles.
The White House said its proposals were a response to unfair Chinese intellectual property practices.
Analysis: Why China won't baulk at US tariff threat
Trump trade war: China tells US it will defend national interests
Earlier, Beijing said it "strongly condemns and firmly opposes" the proposed US tariffs, calling them "unilateralistic and protectionist", and vowing to retaliate.
It then responded with specifics, as the Chinese finance ministry published a list of its own.
The products targeted by the Chinese tariffs were worth $50bn (£35.5bn) in 2017, according to the Chinese commerce ministry.
US chemicals, some types of aircraft and corn products are among the goods facing the taxes, the finance ministry said.
Extra tariffs will also be placed on whiskey, cigars and tobacco, some types of beef, lubricants, and propane and other plastic products.
US orange juice, certain sorghum products, cotton and some types of wheat, as well as trucks, some SUVs and certain electric vehicles, will also be subject to the new duties, the ministry added.
Economists had previously warned the Trump administration's move to penalise China with the tariffs could prompt Beijing to retaliate and lead to higher prices for US consumers.
Beijing Deals
What China sells to the US
$462.6bn
The value of of goods bought by the US from China in 2016.
18.2% of all China's exports go to the United States
$129bn worth of China-made electrical machinery bought by US
59.2% growth in Chinese services imported by US between 2006 & 2016
$347bn US goods trade deficit with China
CIA Factbook; USTR. All data for 2016.
Getty Images
'No winner'
The planned US tariffs are the result of an investigation ordered by US President Donald Trump into China's intellectual property practices.
Last month, he said the inquiry had found evidence of problems, such as practices that pressure US companies to share technology with Chinese firms
The office of the US Trade Representative, which handles trade negotiations, said that its tariffs would apply to about $50bn of Chinese imports.
That was an amount which was "appropriate both in light of the estimated harm to the US economy and to obtain elimination of China's harmful acts, policies and practices", it said.
The list includes parts of communication satellites, semiconductors, aviation equipment and brewery machinery, as well as more niche products such as bakery ovens and rocket launchers.
A final list will be determined after a public comment period and review, expected to last about two months.
Economists have warned the Trump administration's move to slap China with the tariffs could prompt Beijing to retaliate
Beijing has been adamant that it did not want a trade war, but that it would not not back down under US pressure.
"Any attempt to bring China to its knees through threats and intimidation will never succeed. It will not succeed this time either," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.
"There is no winner in a trade war, and an initiator will harm itself as well as others."
Mr Geng said China had referred the US to the World Trade Organization.
Hopes for a resolution
China's economy has become less dependent on selling goods abroad in recent years, which is likely to blunt the effect of the US tariffs, according to analysts for S&P Global Ratings.
The US was the destination for about 18.2% of all Chinese exports in 2016, according to the US trade department.
American business groups have urged the two sides to try to resolve the issues through talks, expressing concern that threatening tariffs could lead to a dispute that hurts the US economy.
"The administration is rightly focused on restoring equity and fairness in our trade relationship with China," said the US Chamber of Commerce.
"However, imposing taxes on products used daily by American consumers and job creators is not the way to achieve those ends."
Speaking before Beijing announced its retaliatory measures, Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US, said he did not think the Chinese would take the US list seriously, pointing to low-demand items such as monitors with video cassette recorders.
Instead, he said the main outcome was likely to be higher prices for US manufacturers - and eventually, consumers.
That may not be enough to persuade the Trump administration to opt for a different strategy, he added.
"At this point, if the Trump administration does not follow through on this, they're going to lose face and credibility," he said.
The actions proposed by both countries came just after China hit $3bn worth of US products with tariffs.
That was in response to separate steel and aluminium tariffs the US has imposed.
YouTube shooting: Three shot at California HQ, female suspect dead - BBC News
4/4/2018
YouTube shooting: Three shot at California HQ, female suspect dead
How the attack on YouTube's HQ in San Bruno unfolded
A woman shot and wounded three people at YouTube's headquarters in Northern California before killing herself, police say.
Police have named the suspect as Nasim Aghdam, 39, and say they are still investigating a motive.
They say there is no evidence yet that she knew the victims, a 36-year-old man said to be in a critical condition, and two women aged 32 and 27.
Aghdam had in the past posted material venting anger at YouTube.
Such "active shooter" incidents are overwhelmingly carried out by men - an FBI report found that out of 160 incidents between 2000-2013 only six of the people who opened fire were women.
How YouTube shooting unfolded online
What happened?
The suspect is reported to have approached an outdoor patio and dining area at the offices in San Bruno, near San Francisco, at about lunchtime and opened fire with a handgun.
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said officers arrived at the offices at 12:48 (19:48 GMT) local time to find a "chaotic scene", with numerous people fleeing.
Images broadcast on local TV stations showed employees leaving with their hands raised. Other footage showed evacuees forming a queue before being individually frisked by police.
People gathered outside the YouTube building with their arms raised as the incident unfolded
One person with a bullet wound was found at the front of the company headquarters, Mr Barberini said. Minutes later officers found a woman who appeared to have shot herself, he said.
Two further victims were later discovered at an adjacent business.
An employee at a nearby fast food restaurant told Fox station KTVU he had treated a young woman who suffered a bullet wound to the leg.
He said he had fashioned a makeshift tourniquet from a bungee cord as they waited for first responders.
Several YouTube employees tweeted about the attack as it was taking place.
Product manager Todd Sherman said people fled the building in panic as the shooting unfolded.
Skip Twitter post by @tdd
Todd Sherman
✔
@tdd
We were sitting in a meeting and then we heard people running because it was rumbling the floor. First thought was earthquake. https://twitter.com/lavrusik/status/981259304408788993 …
6:10 AM - Apr 4, 2018
Another employee, Vadim Lavrusik, tweeted he was barricaded in a room with other staff. He later said he had been evacuated.
Skip Twitter post by @Lavrusik
Vadim Lavrusik
✔
@Lavrusik
Active shooter at YouTube HQ. Heard shots and saw people running while at my desk. Now barricaded inside a room with coworkers.
5:57 AM - Apr 4, 2018
The three wounded were taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Officials said the 32-year-old woman's condition was serious and the 27-year-old's condition was fair.
A fourth person was also taken to hospital with an ankle injury sustained while trying to escape, Mr Barberini said.
Some 1,700 people work at the YouTube HQ. The company is owned by Google and is the area's biggest employer.
Who was the suspect?
San Bruno police identified the suspect as Nasim Aghdam, a Californian resident of Iranian descent.
She appeared often on YouTube and in one of her videos criticised the platform for discriminating against and filtering her posts.
Nasim Aghdam railed against YouTube on her personal website
YouTube terminated her account following the shooting. Her Instagram and Facebook accounts have also been removed.
On her personal website she accused YouTube of taking steps to prevent her videos from getting views.
"There is no equal growth opportunity on YouTube or any other video sharing site. Your channel will grow if they want to!" she wrote.
There had been earlier media reports that the man shot was her boyfriend, but police later said; "At this time there is no evidence that the shooter knew the victims of this shooting or that individuals were specifically targeted."
What's the reaction been?
YouTube spokesman Chris Dale praised the police response to the incident.
"Today it feels like the entire community of YouTube and all of the employees were victims of this crime. Our hearts go out to those who suffered in this particular attack," he said.
Another online giant, Twitter, said it was horrified by the shooting and said it was monitoring instances of misinformation.
Twitter Safety
✔
@TwitterSafety
Replying to @TwitterSafety
We are also aware of attempts by some people to deceive others with misinformation around this tragedy. We are tracking this and are taking action on anything that violates our rules.
8:31 AM - Apr 4, 2018
President Trump said he had been briefed about the incident.
Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Was just briefed on the shooting at YouTube’s HQ in San Bruno, California. Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved. Thank you to our phenomenal Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders that are currently on the scene.
7:49 AM - Apr 4, 2018
YouTube shooting: Three shot at California HQ, female suspect dead
How the attack on YouTube's HQ in San Bruno unfolded
A woman shot and wounded three people at YouTube's headquarters in Northern California before killing herself, police say.
Police have named the suspect as Nasim Aghdam, 39, and say they are still investigating a motive.
They say there is no evidence yet that she knew the victims, a 36-year-old man said to be in a critical condition, and two women aged 32 and 27.
Aghdam had in the past posted material venting anger at YouTube.
Such "active shooter" incidents are overwhelmingly carried out by men - an FBI report found that out of 160 incidents between 2000-2013 only six of the people who opened fire were women.
How YouTube shooting unfolded online
What happened?
The suspect is reported to have approached an outdoor patio and dining area at the offices in San Bruno, near San Francisco, at about lunchtime and opened fire with a handgun.
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said officers arrived at the offices at 12:48 (19:48 GMT) local time to find a "chaotic scene", with numerous people fleeing.
Images broadcast on local TV stations showed employees leaving with their hands raised. Other footage showed evacuees forming a queue before being individually frisked by police.
People gathered outside the YouTube building with their arms raised as the incident unfolded
One person with a bullet wound was found at the front of the company headquarters, Mr Barberini said. Minutes later officers found a woman who appeared to have shot herself, he said.
Two further victims were later discovered at an adjacent business.
An employee at a nearby fast food restaurant told Fox station KTVU he had treated a young woman who suffered a bullet wound to the leg.
He said he had fashioned a makeshift tourniquet from a bungee cord as they waited for first responders.
Several YouTube employees tweeted about the attack as it was taking place.
Product manager Todd Sherman said people fled the building in panic as the shooting unfolded.
Skip Twitter post by @tdd
Todd Sherman
✔
@tdd
We were sitting in a meeting and then we heard people running because it was rumbling the floor. First thought was earthquake. https://twitter.com/lavrusik/status/981259304408788993 …
6:10 AM - Apr 4, 2018
Another employee, Vadim Lavrusik, tweeted he was barricaded in a room with other staff. He later said he had been evacuated.
Skip Twitter post by @Lavrusik
Vadim Lavrusik
✔
@Lavrusik
Active shooter at YouTube HQ. Heard shots and saw people running while at my desk. Now barricaded inside a room with coworkers.
5:57 AM - Apr 4, 2018
The three wounded were taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Officials said the 32-year-old woman's condition was serious and the 27-year-old's condition was fair.
A fourth person was also taken to hospital with an ankle injury sustained while trying to escape, Mr Barberini said.
Some 1,700 people work at the YouTube HQ. The company is owned by Google and is the area's biggest employer.
Who was the suspect?
San Bruno police identified the suspect as Nasim Aghdam, a Californian resident of Iranian descent.
She appeared often on YouTube and in one of her videos criticised the platform for discriminating against and filtering her posts.
Nasim Aghdam railed against YouTube on her personal website
YouTube terminated her account following the shooting. Her Instagram and Facebook accounts have also been removed.
On her personal website she accused YouTube of taking steps to prevent her videos from getting views.
"There is no equal growth opportunity on YouTube or any other video sharing site. Your channel will grow if they want to!" she wrote.
There had been earlier media reports that the man shot was her boyfriend, but police later said; "At this time there is no evidence that the shooter knew the victims of this shooting or that individuals were specifically targeted."
What's the reaction been?
YouTube spokesman Chris Dale praised the police response to the incident.
"Today it feels like the entire community of YouTube and all of the employees were victims of this crime. Our hearts go out to those who suffered in this particular attack," he said.
Another online giant, Twitter, said it was horrified by the shooting and said it was monitoring instances of misinformation.
Twitter Safety
✔
@TwitterSafety
Replying to @TwitterSafety
We are also aware of attempts by some people to deceive others with misinformation around this tragedy. We are tracking this and are taking action on anything that violates our rules.
8:31 AM - Apr 4, 2018
President Trump said he had been briefed about the incident.
Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Was just briefed on the shooting at YouTube’s HQ in San Bruno, California. Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved. Thank you to our phenomenal Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders that are currently on the scene.
7:49 AM - Apr 4, 2018
YouTube shooting: Female suspect 'angry over video postings' - BBC News
4/4/2018
YouTube shooting: Female suspect 'angry over video postings'
How the attack on YouTube's HQ in San Bruno unfolded
The suspect in a gun attack at YouTube's HQ in California had expressed anger over its treatment of her video postings, media reports say.
Police have named Nasim Aghdam, 39, as the suspect but say they are still investigating a motive.
US media say Aghdam was angry that YouTube was filtering her videos and reducing the money she could make.
Tuesday's attack left a man and two women injured with gunshot wounds. The attacker shot herself dead.
Police in San Bruno, California, say there is no evidence yet that the attacker knew the victims, a 36-year-old man said to be in a critical condition, and two women aged 32 and 27.
How YouTube shooting unfolded online
What do we know of the suspect?
Nasim Aghdam lived in San Diego in southern California.
Police have revealed few details about her but US media said she ran a number of channels and a website, posting videos on a variety of subjects including those highlighting animal cruelty. The channels have now been deleted.
Aghdam has been variously described as a vegan bodybuilder, artist and rapper.
Nasim Aghdam railed against YouTube on her personal website
In January 2017 she posted a video complaining that YouTube was filtering her content, leading to fewer views.
On her website she also ranted against YouTube, saying: "Videos of targeted users are filtered and merely relegated, so that people can hardly see their videos."
She also quotes Adolf Hitler, saying: "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."
She also wrote: "There is no equal growth opportunity on YouTube or any other video sharing site. Your channel will grow if they want [it] to!"
Aghdam's father, Ismail, told local US media she was angry because YouTube had stopped paying her for videos.
Video posters can receive money from linked advertisements but the company can "de-monetise" channels for various reasons, taking adverts off. It is unclear if this happened with Aghdam's material.
Her father said Aghdam had been reported missing on Monday after not answering calls for two days. Police later found her sleeping in her car in Mountain View, 25km (15 miles) south of the YouTube offices in San Bruno and reported this to her family, but they did not detain her.
Her father told police she might go to YouTube as she "hated the company", local media said.
YouTube terminated her account following the shooting. Her Instagram and Facebook accounts have also been removed.
However, many Twitter users posted her Facebook video rant against YouTube:
Roeland Roovers
@r0eland
Attack inside #YouTube office in #SanBruno by NASIM AGHDAM seems directed at the company because she states her videos are being censored, hear and see her explain:
12:44 PM - Apr 4, 2018
What happened in the attack?
The suspect is reported to have approached an outdoor patio and dining area at the offices in San Bruno, near San Francisco, at about lunchtime on Tuesday and opened fire with a handgun.
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said officers arrived at the offices at 12:48 (19:48 GMT) local time to find a "chaotic scene", with numerous people fleeing.
Images broadcast on local TV stations showed employees leaving with their hands raised. Other footage showed evacuees forming a queue before being individually frisked by police.
Police said officers had "encountered one victim with an apparent gunshot wound at the site and two additional gunshot victims that had fled to a neighbouring business".
Inside the complex, officers then found a woman dead from a gunshot wound that was believed to be self-inflicted.
People gathered outside the YouTube building with their arms raised as the incident unfolded
An employee at a nearby fast food restaurant told Fox station KTVU he had treated a young woman who suffered a bullet wound to the leg.
He said he had fashioned a makeshift tourniquet from a bungee cord as they waited for first responders.
Several YouTube employees tweeted about the attack as it was taking place.
Product manager Todd Sherman said people fled the building in panic as the shooting unfolded.
Todd Sherman
✔
@tdd
We were sitting in a meeting and then we heard people running because it was rumbling the floor. First thought was earthquake. https://twitter.com/lavrusik/status/981259304408788993 …
6:10 AM - Apr 4, 2018
Another employee, Vadim Lavrusik, tweeted he was barricaded in a room with other staff. He later said he had been evacuated.
Vadim Lavrusik
✔
@Lavrusik
Active shooter at YouTube HQ. Heard shots and saw people running while at my desk. Now barricaded inside a room with coworkers.
5:57 AM - Apr 4, 2018
The three wounded were taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Officials said the 32-year-old woman's condition was serious and the 27-year-old's condition was fair.
A fourth person was also taken to hospital with an ankle injury sustained while trying to escape, Mr Barberini said.
Some 1,700 people work at the YouTube HQ. The company is owned by Google and is the area's biggest employer.
There had been earlier media reports that the man shot was Aghdam's boyfriend, but police later said; "At this time there is no evidence that the shooter knew the victims of this shooting or that individuals were specifically targeted."
Such "active shooter" incidents are overwhelmingly carried out by men - an FBI report found that out of 160 incidents between 2000-2013, only six of the people who opened fire were women.
What's the reaction been?
YouTube spokesman Chris Dale praised the police response to the incident.
"Today it feels like the entire community of YouTube and all of the employees were victims of this crime. Our hearts go out to those who suffered in this particular attack," he said.
Another online giant, Twitter, said it was horrified by the shooting and said it was monitoring instances of misinformation.
Twitter Safety
✔
@TwitterSafety
Replying to @TwitterSafety
We are also aware of attempts by some people to deceive others with misinformation around this tragedy. We are tracking this and are taking action on anything that violates our rules.
8:31 AM - Apr 4, 2018
President Donald Trump said he had been briefed about the incident.
Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Was just briefed on the shooting at YouTube’s HQ in San Bruno, California. Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved. Thank you to our phenomenal Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders that are currently on the scene.
7:49 AM - Apr 4, 2018
YouTube shooting: Female suspect 'angry over video postings'
How the attack on YouTube's HQ in San Bruno unfolded
The suspect in a gun attack at YouTube's HQ in California had expressed anger over its treatment of her video postings, media reports say.
Police have named Nasim Aghdam, 39, as the suspect but say they are still investigating a motive.
US media say Aghdam was angry that YouTube was filtering her videos and reducing the money she could make.
Tuesday's attack left a man and two women injured with gunshot wounds. The attacker shot herself dead.
Police in San Bruno, California, say there is no evidence yet that the attacker knew the victims, a 36-year-old man said to be in a critical condition, and two women aged 32 and 27.
How YouTube shooting unfolded online
What do we know of the suspect?
Nasim Aghdam lived in San Diego in southern California.
Police have revealed few details about her but US media said she ran a number of channels and a website, posting videos on a variety of subjects including those highlighting animal cruelty. The channels have now been deleted.
Aghdam has been variously described as a vegan bodybuilder, artist and rapper.
Nasim Aghdam railed against YouTube on her personal website
In January 2017 she posted a video complaining that YouTube was filtering her content, leading to fewer views.
On her website she also ranted against YouTube, saying: "Videos of targeted users are filtered and merely relegated, so that people can hardly see their videos."
She also quotes Adolf Hitler, saying: "Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it."
She also wrote: "There is no equal growth opportunity on YouTube or any other video sharing site. Your channel will grow if they want [it] to!"
Aghdam's father, Ismail, told local US media she was angry because YouTube had stopped paying her for videos.
Video posters can receive money from linked advertisements but the company can "de-monetise" channels for various reasons, taking adverts off. It is unclear if this happened with Aghdam's material.
Her father said Aghdam had been reported missing on Monday after not answering calls for two days. Police later found her sleeping in her car in Mountain View, 25km (15 miles) south of the YouTube offices in San Bruno and reported this to her family, but they did not detain her.
Her father told police she might go to YouTube as she "hated the company", local media said.
YouTube terminated her account following the shooting. Her Instagram and Facebook accounts have also been removed.
However, many Twitter users posted her Facebook video rant against YouTube:
Roeland Roovers
@r0eland
Attack inside #YouTube office in #SanBruno by NASIM AGHDAM seems directed at the company because she states her videos are being censored, hear and see her explain:
12:44 PM - Apr 4, 2018
What happened in the attack?
The suspect is reported to have approached an outdoor patio and dining area at the offices in San Bruno, near San Francisco, at about lunchtime on Tuesday and opened fire with a handgun.
San Bruno Police Chief Ed Barberini said officers arrived at the offices at 12:48 (19:48 GMT) local time to find a "chaotic scene", with numerous people fleeing.
Images broadcast on local TV stations showed employees leaving with their hands raised. Other footage showed evacuees forming a queue before being individually frisked by police.
Police said officers had "encountered one victim with an apparent gunshot wound at the site and two additional gunshot victims that had fled to a neighbouring business".
Inside the complex, officers then found a woman dead from a gunshot wound that was believed to be self-inflicted.
People gathered outside the YouTube building with their arms raised as the incident unfolded
An employee at a nearby fast food restaurant told Fox station KTVU he had treated a young woman who suffered a bullet wound to the leg.
He said he had fashioned a makeshift tourniquet from a bungee cord as they waited for first responders.
Several YouTube employees tweeted about the attack as it was taking place.
Product manager Todd Sherman said people fled the building in panic as the shooting unfolded.
Todd Sherman
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@tdd
We were sitting in a meeting and then we heard people running because it was rumbling the floor. First thought was earthquake. https://twitter.com/lavrusik/status/981259304408788993 …
6:10 AM - Apr 4, 2018
Another employee, Vadim Lavrusik, tweeted he was barricaded in a room with other staff. He later said he had been evacuated.
Vadim Lavrusik
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@Lavrusik
Active shooter at YouTube HQ. Heard shots and saw people running while at my desk. Now barricaded inside a room with coworkers.
5:57 AM - Apr 4, 2018
The three wounded were taken to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Officials said the 32-year-old woman's condition was serious and the 27-year-old's condition was fair.
A fourth person was also taken to hospital with an ankle injury sustained while trying to escape, Mr Barberini said.
Some 1,700 people work at the YouTube HQ. The company is owned by Google and is the area's biggest employer.
There had been earlier media reports that the man shot was Aghdam's boyfriend, but police later said; "At this time there is no evidence that the shooter knew the victims of this shooting or that individuals were specifically targeted."
Such "active shooter" incidents are overwhelmingly carried out by men - an FBI report found that out of 160 incidents between 2000-2013, only six of the people who opened fire were women.
What's the reaction been?
YouTube spokesman Chris Dale praised the police response to the incident.
"Today it feels like the entire community of YouTube and all of the employees were victims of this crime. Our hearts go out to those who suffered in this particular attack," he said.
Another online giant, Twitter, said it was horrified by the shooting and said it was monitoring instances of misinformation.
Twitter Safety
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@TwitterSafety
Replying to @TwitterSafety
We are also aware of attempts by some people to deceive others with misinformation around this tragedy. We are tracking this and are taking action on anything that violates our rules.
8:31 AM - Apr 4, 2018
President Donald Trump said he had been briefed about the incident.
Skip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump
Donald J. Trump
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@realDonaldTrump
Was just briefed on the shooting at YouTube’s HQ in San Bruno, California. Our thoughts and prayers are with everybody involved. Thank you to our phenomenal Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders that are currently on the scene.
7:49 AM - Apr 4, 2018
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