Will Kim Jong Un Give Up North Korea's Nukes? History Says No
By Andy Sharp and Kanga Kong
April 16, 2018, 2:00 AM GMT+10
Kim dynasty has pursued nuclear weapons for more than 50 years
Giving up arsenal would represent fundamental identity shift
Kim Jong Un: Nuke-Wielding Madman or Astute Dictator?
If U.S. President Donald Trump presses Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear arsenal when they meet, he’ll be asking the North Korean leader to surrender more than a half century’s labor.
North Korea has as many as 60 nuclear weapons, an achievement spanning three generations of Kims. They’ve repeatedly chosen the bomb as the best guarantee of survival despite decades of negotiations, international sanctions and threats of war.
Kim Jong Un looks at a metal casing with two bulges in North Korea.Source: KCNA/AFP via Getty Images
Nuclear weapons have also become central to the regime’s identity -- and its propaganda efforts. North Korea’s status as a “nuclear state” is enshrined in its constitution, and Kim recently built monuments to commemorate last year’s tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S.
That history is why arms-control experts urge caution as Kim expresses a willingness to discuss “denuclearization” during an unprecedented summit with Trump in May or June. Giving up nuclear weapons is more than just a tactical choice: It would signal a fundamental change in how one of the world’s longest ruling dynasties maintains power.
“Without the bomb, North Korea is Albania,” said Ralph Cossa, president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Pacific Forum. “No one would take it seriously. It could still threaten Seoul, but certainly not much beyond the peninsula.”
Here are some key moments in North Korea’s nuclear quest.
1950s: U.S. Nukes Arrive
The threat of nuclear war loomed over the Korean Peninsula from the conflict’s start in 1950, five years after U.S. subdued neighboring Japan with a pair of atomic blasts. While the 1953 armistice ended hostilities, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower later deployed nuclear weapons to South Korea. Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s founder, sought a nuclear weapon from the Soviet Union.
1960s: Soviet Help
Eisenhower’s move fueled a regional scramble for nuclear technology, with the superpowers aiding less-developed states. Soviet physicists and engineers helped Kim Il Sung build the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center in the 1960s, which would produce the fissile material for North Korea’s first bomb tests decades later.
A satellite image showing Yongbyon nuclear complex in 1994.Source: AFP via Getty Images
1970s: Self-Reliance
A confluence of events -- severe drought, surging oil prices and U.S.-Soviet non-proliferation talks -- encouraged Kim Il Sung to accelerate domestic reactor development in the 1970s. The power plants fit with his guiding philosophy of Juche -- often translated as “self-reliance” -- as sources of both electricity and waste that could be processed into weapons-grade plutonium.
Construction site for nuclear reactors in Kumho, North Korea, in 2002.Source: Getty Images
1980s: Peace Hopes
North Korea raised hopes that it may abandon nuclear weapons after the Soviets convinced it to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1985. Those expectations soon faded after U.S. intelligence analysts viewing satellite photos of the expanded Yongbyon complex concluded that Kim Il Sung was in the early stages of building a bomb.
1990s: U.S. Nukes Leave
U.S. President George H.W. Bush recalled nuclear weapons from South Korea and other sites as the Cold War ended, creating new space for talks. Bill Clinton’s administration signed an agreement with North Korea in 1994 that would see Pyongyang freeze work on its nuclear weapons program in return for reactors that couldn’t be used for proliferation. The deal broke down after the regime launched a missile over Japan in 1998 (North Korea says it carried a satellite).
Missiles on display at the North Korean People’s forces’ 60th anniversary parade in Pyongyang in 1992.Source: AFP via Getty Images
2000s: Axis of Evil
President George W. Bush placed North Korea alongside Iran and Iraq in his “Axis of Evil.” Kim Jong Il -- the founder’s son -- eventually agreed to abandon “all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs.” But talks on implementing the deal broke down and Pyongyang resumed weapons tests, detonating its first atomic bomb in 2006. Kim Jong Il walked away from talks for good in 2009 and tested his second bomb soon after.
A North Korea missile is seen before its launch in 2009.Source: KCNA via AP
2010s: The Dictator’s Fall
President Barack Obama’s moves to help to oust Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, who had surrendered his nuclear weapons, reaffirmed North Korea’s resolve to accelerate its program. Kim Jong Un, who took power two months after Qaddafi’s death, stepped up bomb and missile testing, and declared in November he could strike the U.S. with a nuclear weapon. Trump, meanwhile, tightened sanctions and threatened “fire and fury” to stop him.
Kim Jong-Un inspecting the successful test-fire of the intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14 in 2017.Source: KCNA/AFP via Getty Images
Now: Unprecedented Meeting
Kim opened the door to talks with South Korea in an annual New Year’s Day speech, and a few months later Trump made a surprise decision to meet him -- a request U.S. presidents had denied for decades. Many analysts are skeptical that Trump can convince Kim to finally give up his nuclear weapons and forge a new identity.
Kim Jong-Un, left, inspects a ground-to-ground medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12.Source: KCNA/AFP via Getty Images
“They don’t want to see all their impressive achievements go down the drain,” said Andrei Lankov, a historian at Kookmin University in Seoul who once studied in Pyongyang. “If they surrender nuclear weapons, they will sign their own death warrant.”
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Singapore’s prime minister schools Trump on how trade actually works - Real Talk
Singapore’s prime minister schools Trump on how trade actually works
Gwynn Guilford
April 20, 2018
The prime minister of Singapore is really not cool with Donald Trump’s tariffs. In a Washington Post op-ed this week, Lee Hsien Loong condemned Trump’s trade barriers as “not the correct solution.” His key point:
As economists have pointed out, when assessing economic relationships, what matters is not a country’s bilateral trade balance with a specific trading partner but its overall trade balance with the rest of the world. Furthermore, the cause of a country’s trade deficit lies at home. A trade deficit is the result of a country consuming more than it produces, and it is neither caused nor cured by trade restrictions.
That last sentence of Lee’s really nails Trump’s embarrassingly shabby command of economics (the boldface is ours). A country like the US consumes most of what it produces. The extra stuff it makes, it exports; the extra stuff it wants, it buys from abroad. So when it runs a trade deficit—that is, imports more than it exports—that country is, by definition, producing less than it’s consuming.
Policies that influence the factors causing a country to produce more than it consumes will, therefore, also alter the trade deficit. Protectionist measures that make imports more expensive, however, will not address the fundamental issue. This is why Trump’s trade barriers—to say nothing of a trade war—are doomed to failure, as we’ve explored before. And, as Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz points out, that’s why renegotiating bilateral trade deals won’t shrink the deficit either.
That said, the truth about the US trade deficit is more complicated than Lee’s explanation suggests—as the prime minister almost certainly knows.
Because the US dollar is the preferred currency in which central banks hold their foreign reserves, overseas investors can buy as much in US assets as they please. And that is a huge reason behind the US’s chronic trade deficit.
To understand why, let’s go back to trade balances for a moment. A country pays for its imports with what it earns from the exports it sells. To buy more imports than exports, it must borrow from abroad to pay for those goods. This means the US trade deficit also signals that it’s borrowing from foreigners. On the flip side, when a country runs a trade surplus—as Singapore does—it’s lending to the rest of the world.
Now, borrowing from abroad is not inherently bad. Whether it’s wise depends on what the country spends that borrowed money on. The thing is, the US doesn’t need that extra capital. Because America has no shortage of funds to invest, that excess debt goes to pay for things that don’t sustain long-term growth—consumer goods, for instance.
So why does America keep borrowing more than it should? Because countries that run chronic trade surpluses—again, like Singapore—take the money they could have spent buying US exports or investing in their own economy, and instead swap it into dollars to buy American assets (in particular, government bonds).
This is bad for the US. It makes the dollar artificially expensive and, therefore, US exports less competitive than they should be. That, in turn, forces America to either borrow even more, or accept unemployment in its export-focused sectors (notably, manufacturing).
As for Singapore, Lee’s right that the cause of Singapore’s trade surplus does indeed lie at home: with his own exploitative policies.
The government policy of buying excessive sums of foreign assets is generally called “currency manipulation.” As it happens, Singapore topped the charts of 2017 currency manipulators, according to recent research by economist Joseph Gagnon (though it wasn’t necessarily US assets that Singapore was buying).
Bear in mind, too, that Singapore is tiny. This means its government is plowing a mammoth share of its wealth into other countries’ assets.
As a result, it consistently runs one of the world’s biggest current account surpluses (which is essentially the same thing as a trade surplus), in proportion to the size of its economy.
As Gagnon explains, “Singapore’s manipulation derives primarily from its public pension system, which collects high payroll taxes from workers and invests them entirely overseas through a sovereign wealth fund to back future pension obligations.” Were this money instead managed by private investors, it’s unlikely that Singapore would invest such a vast share of savings abroad, he notes.
In other words, the Singapore government effectively takes wages its workers could have spent buying other countries’ goods and instead loans them to foreign consumers to pay for Singaporean exports.
So does Lee have a leg to stand on here? No, not really.
Sure, no one wants a trade war. But if Trump suddenly started emulating Lee’s lead in exporting 41% of its GDP in savings, the loss of American demand would shatter the global economy entirely.
Gwynn Guilford
April 20, 2018
The prime minister of Singapore is really not cool with Donald Trump’s tariffs. In a Washington Post op-ed this week, Lee Hsien Loong condemned Trump’s trade barriers as “not the correct solution.” His key point:
As economists have pointed out, when assessing economic relationships, what matters is not a country’s bilateral trade balance with a specific trading partner but its overall trade balance with the rest of the world. Furthermore, the cause of a country’s trade deficit lies at home. A trade deficit is the result of a country consuming more than it produces, and it is neither caused nor cured by trade restrictions.
That last sentence of Lee’s really nails Trump’s embarrassingly shabby command of economics (the boldface is ours). A country like the US consumes most of what it produces. The extra stuff it makes, it exports; the extra stuff it wants, it buys from abroad. So when it runs a trade deficit—that is, imports more than it exports—that country is, by definition, producing less than it’s consuming.
Policies that influence the factors causing a country to produce more than it consumes will, therefore, also alter the trade deficit. Protectionist measures that make imports more expensive, however, will not address the fundamental issue. This is why Trump’s trade barriers—to say nothing of a trade war—are doomed to failure, as we’ve explored before. And, as Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz points out, that’s why renegotiating bilateral trade deals won’t shrink the deficit either.
That said, the truth about the US trade deficit is more complicated than Lee’s explanation suggests—as the prime minister almost certainly knows.
Because the US dollar is the preferred currency in which central banks hold their foreign reserves, overseas investors can buy as much in US assets as they please. And that is a huge reason behind the US’s chronic trade deficit.
To understand why, let’s go back to trade balances for a moment. A country pays for its imports with what it earns from the exports it sells. To buy more imports than exports, it must borrow from abroad to pay for those goods. This means the US trade deficit also signals that it’s borrowing from foreigners. On the flip side, when a country runs a trade surplus—as Singapore does—it’s lending to the rest of the world.
Now, borrowing from abroad is not inherently bad. Whether it’s wise depends on what the country spends that borrowed money on. The thing is, the US doesn’t need that extra capital. Because America has no shortage of funds to invest, that excess debt goes to pay for things that don’t sustain long-term growth—consumer goods, for instance.
So why does America keep borrowing more than it should? Because countries that run chronic trade surpluses—again, like Singapore—take the money they could have spent buying US exports or investing in their own economy, and instead swap it into dollars to buy American assets (in particular, government bonds).
This is bad for the US. It makes the dollar artificially expensive and, therefore, US exports less competitive than they should be. That, in turn, forces America to either borrow even more, or accept unemployment in its export-focused sectors (notably, manufacturing).
As for Singapore, Lee’s right that the cause of Singapore’s trade surplus does indeed lie at home: with his own exploitative policies.
The government policy of buying excessive sums of foreign assets is generally called “currency manipulation.” As it happens, Singapore topped the charts of 2017 currency manipulators, according to recent research by economist Joseph Gagnon (though it wasn’t necessarily US assets that Singapore was buying).
Bear in mind, too, that Singapore is tiny. This means its government is plowing a mammoth share of its wealth into other countries’ assets.
As a result, it consistently runs one of the world’s biggest current account surpluses (which is essentially the same thing as a trade surplus), in proportion to the size of its economy.
As Gagnon explains, “Singapore’s manipulation derives primarily from its public pension system, which collects high payroll taxes from workers and invests them entirely overseas through a sovereign wealth fund to back future pension obligations.” Were this money instead managed by private investors, it’s unlikely that Singapore would invest such a vast share of savings abroad, he notes.
In other words, the Singapore government effectively takes wages its workers could have spent buying other countries’ goods and instead loans them to foreign consumers to pay for Singaporean exports.
So does Lee have a leg to stand on here? No, not really.
Sure, no one wants a trade war. But if Trump suddenly started emulating Lee’s lead in exporting 41% of its GDP in savings, the loss of American demand would shatter the global economy entirely.
Majority of people believe UK government should fine Facebook after data scandal, - Independent
April 22, 2018
Majority of people believe UK government should fine Facebook after data scandal, poll reveals
According to the exclusive polling for The Independent, 60 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that Facebook should be fined by the government over the revelations
Ashley Cowburn Political Correspondent @ashcowburn
Cross-party pressure grows for Rudd to resign over Windrush scandal
As a black woman, I hate the term 'people of colour'
Benjamin Zephaniah tells Theresa May to 'fix up' amid Windrush scandal
James Cameron has Avengers fatigue: 'There are other stories to tell'
Facebook should be fined by the UK government to punish the technology giant for failing to protect people’s data, according to a majority of those polled by The Independent.
It follows the scandal that engulfed the social media company last month over allegations by a whistleblower that the British consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica had improperly accessed user information.
It led to a public apology over the “breach of trust” from the Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, including in several full-page advertisements in both British and American newspapers.
Facebook stops users from benefitting from new data protection
Russia considers Facebook ban over data law violations
Facebook to ask everyone to agree to tracking to keep using it
Facebook admits it tracks users around the internet for ads
But according to the exclusive polling by BMG for The Independent, 60 per cent of respondents either "strongly" supported or "somewhat" supported the statement that Facebook should now be fined by the government over the revelations.
The statement asked: “Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged his company failed to properly to protect people’s data, amid claims details of millions of users were compromised. To what extent would you support or oppose Facebook being fined in the UK government as a result.”
Just 10 per cent of those polled opposed sanctioning the company while 21 per cent said neither support or oppose and a further nine per cent replied, “don’t know”. Similar results were reflected across all age groups.
Facebook stops users from benefitting from new data protection
The survey by the pollsters, BMG, also comes after Mr Zuckerberg was summoned to give evidence to a parliamentary committee on how the social network’s partners gather user data.
In a letter to Mr Zuckerberg, Damian Collins, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee in the Commons, said: “It is now time to hear from a senior Facebook executive with the sufficient authority to give an accurate account of this catastrophic failure of process.
“Accordingly we are sure you will understand the need for a representative from right at the top of the organisation to address concerns. Given your commitment at the start of the New Year to “fixing” Facebook, I hope that this representative will be you.”
It was a request rejected by the Facebook CEO, with the company instead offering to send a senior deputy to the hearing that will take place next week.
Culture secretary Matt Hancock has previously suggested that under the Data Protection Bill — currently making its way through Parliament — would allow the government to fine social media companies for up to four per cent of their global turnover if they fail to “play by the rules”.
He told a Westminster gathering in March: "This means Facebook, if it breaks the rules, could face bills of up to £1.1bn from May. And the Bill also means that people will have the right to move all their data wholesale from one social network to another. So from May, if people lose trust in a social media platform, they can move to another one at the click of a button and this will concentrate minds.
“After this week's revelations I think it's time that social media platforms come clean with what data they really hold on people and I want to see rules in place to allow people to have control over their own data. So we're going to require much more transparency on how data is held by the big platforms and transparency over how advertising spend is used on them.”
Majority of people believe UK government should fine Facebook after data scandal, poll reveals
According to the exclusive polling for The Independent, 60 per cent of respondents agreed with the statement that Facebook should be fined by the government over the revelations
Ashley Cowburn Political Correspondent @ashcowburn
Cross-party pressure grows for Rudd to resign over Windrush scandal
As a black woman, I hate the term 'people of colour'
Benjamin Zephaniah tells Theresa May to 'fix up' amid Windrush scandal
James Cameron has Avengers fatigue: 'There are other stories to tell'
Facebook should be fined by the UK government to punish the technology giant for failing to protect people’s data, according to a majority of those polled by The Independent.
It follows the scandal that engulfed the social media company last month over allegations by a whistleblower that the British consultancy firm Cambridge Analytica had improperly accessed user information.
It led to a public apology over the “breach of trust” from the Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, including in several full-page advertisements in both British and American newspapers.
Facebook stops users from benefitting from new data protection
Russia considers Facebook ban over data law violations
Facebook to ask everyone to agree to tracking to keep using it
Facebook admits it tracks users around the internet for ads
But according to the exclusive polling by BMG for The Independent, 60 per cent of respondents either "strongly" supported or "somewhat" supported the statement that Facebook should now be fined by the government over the revelations.
The statement asked: “Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged his company failed to properly to protect people’s data, amid claims details of millions of users were compromised. To what extent would you support or oppose Facebook being fined in the UK government as a result.”
Just 10 per cent of those polled opposed sanctioning the company while 21 per cent said neither support or oppose and a further nine per cent replied, “don’t know”. Similar results were reflected across all age groups.
Facebook stops users from benefitting from new data protection
The survey by the pollsters, BMG, also comes after Mr Zuckerberg was summoned to give evidence to a parliamentary committee on how the social network’s partners gather user data.
In a letter to Mr Zuckerberg, Damian Collins, the chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee in the Commons, said: “It is now time to hear from a senior Facebook executive with the sufficient authority to give an accurate account of this catastrophic failure of process.
“Accordingly we are sure you will understand the need for a representative from right at the top of the organisation to address concerns. Given your commitment at the start of the New Year to “fixing” Facebook, I hope that this representative will be you.”
It was a request rejected by the Facebook CEO, with the company instead offering to send a senior deputy to the hearing that will take place next week.
Culture secretary Matt Hancock has previously suggested that under the Data Protection Bill — currently making its way through Parliament — would allow the government to fine social media companies for up to four per cent of their global turnover if they fail to “play by the rules”.
He told a Westminster gathering in March: "This means Facebook, if it breaks the rules, could face bills of up to £1.1bn from May. And the Bill also means that people will have the right to move all their data wholesale from one social network to another. So from May, if people lose trust in a social media platform, they can move to another one at the click of a button and this will concentrate minds.
“After this week's revelations I think it's time that social media platforms come clean with what data they really hold on people and I want to see rules in place to allow people to have control over their own data. So we're going to require much more transparency on how data is held by the big platforms and transparency over how advertising spend is used on them.”
Fake Uber drivers are out there: Here's how to avoid becoming their victim - NBC News
Fake Uber drivers are out there: Here's how to avoid becoming their victim
Apr. 16, 2018 at 10:17 PMJeff Rossen and Conor Ferguson
TODAY
More from TODAY.com
The sweet reason why a bus driver braids this 11-year-old's hair each morning
Last year, Carla Westlund was sexually assaulted by a man posing as an Uber driver. Similar incidents have been reported across the country.
Get Jeff Rossen's new book, "Rossen to the Rescue," here.
To show just how easy it is for Uber imposters to target you, TODAY national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen parked outside popular bars and restaurants in the Los Angeles area late at night, in a car with a fake Uber logo. Cameras in the car captured the revealing results.
Here’s how to make sure your rental home is safe from carbon monoxide and fire
How can you avoid becoming a victim of an Uber imposter? Follow these important tips:
Before you get in the car, use the Uber app to check the license plate. Make sure it matches the actual car.
Check to make sure the person behind the wheel looks like your driver's photo in the app.
Don't give away your name. Instead, ask the driver who they are picking up.
If you're traveling alone, Uber encourages you to ride in the back seat instead of the front. That way, in an emergency, you can exit on either side of the car. They say this also gives both you and your driver more personal space.
Uber also suggests that you share trip details with a friend. You can do this easily by tapping the "share status" option on the Uber home screen once your fare has begun.
Apr. 16, 2018 at 10:17 PMJeff Rossen and Conor Ferguson
TODAY
More from TODAY.com
The sweet reason why a bus driver braids this 11-year-old's hair each morning
Last year, Carla Westlund was sexually assaulted by a man posing as an Uber driver. Similar incidents have been reported across the country.
Get Jeff Rossen's new book, "Rossen to the Rescue," here.
To show just how easy it is for Uber imposters to target you, TODAY national investigative correspondent Jeff Rossen parked outside popular bars and restaurants in the Los Angeles area late at night, in a car with a fake Uber logo. Cameras in the car captured the revealing results.
Here’s how to make sure your rental home is safe from carbon monoxide and fire
How can you avoid becoming a victim of an Uber imposter? Follow these important tips:
Before you get in the car, use the Uber app to check the license plate. Make sure it matches the actual car.
Check to make sure the person behind the wheel looks like your driver's photo in the app.
Don't give away your name. Instead, ask the driver who they are picking up.
If you're traveling alone, Uber encourages you to ride in the back seat instead of the front. That way, in an emergency, you can exit on either side of the car. They say this also gives both you and your driver more personal space.
Uber also suggests that you share trip details with a friend. You can do this easily by tapping the "share status" option on the Uber home screen once your fare has begun.
Could Donald Trump's lone ranger approach provide the silver bullet? - Guardian
Could Donald Trump's lone ranger approach provide the silver bullet?
Larry Elliott
The president’s rejection of multilateralism is risky but our 70-year-old rule-based system is far from perfect
Sun 22 Apr 2018 20.30 AEST
float of donald trump riding a horse and carrying a betsy ross flag
A float made by Trump supporters in Virginia during the presidential campaign in 2016. Photograph: Heather Rousseau/AP
Donald Trump is playing with fire. That thought permeated last week’s spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington.
The US president’s go-it-alone approach – especially in the field of trade – has certainly shaken things up. It is not just the threat of tariffs, nor that the US has brought the dispute settlement system at the World Trade Organisation to a standstill.
Rather, it is a concern that Trump is rejecting the multilateral system that has been in operation for more than 70 years and risks sending the world spinning back to the 1930s. This is not entirely accurate. After some hard bargaining the US has agreed to fund an increase in the World Bank’s capital that will allow it to lend more.
But everyone knew what Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s managing director, meant when she said last week that international cooperation since the second world war had helped to reduce poverty and deliver more progress than at any time in history. The rules-based system needs to be cherished not attacked.
Business Today: sign up for a morning shot of financial news
Read more
This argument is fine as far as it goes, but as Richard Kozul-Wright, the chief economist at Unctad (the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) pointed out, the multilateral system operating in 2018 is by no means the one envisaged by its original architects in the 1940s.
The Bretton Woods conference in 1944 that set up the IMF and the World Bank was dominated by the US and the UK, with the former having far more clout over the eventual outcome. Harry Dexter White, the US representative did not always see eye to eye with his UK counterpart Maynard Keynes but they were in broad agreement on three basic ideas. The first was that full employment was the main economic goal. The second was that the lesson from the Great Depression was that finance had to be controlled. The third was that the new institutions would not be in the business of prescribing one-size-fits all remedies but would instead create an environment that would allow countries to fashion policies for themselves in line with their own cultural preferences.
All this has changed in the past seven decades. The prevailing orthodoxy at the IMF is that curbing inflation is more important than full employment, which is why it is recommending – on the scantiest of evidence – that the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England should be raising interest rates.
A messianic belief in free movement of capital for all countries, even those with the most immature financial systems, prevailed in the years leading up to the crisis of 2008, and was in large part responsible for it. Financial markets remain vulnerable: risk has migrated from banks to other parts of the system.
What’s more, the idea that countries that run into trouble should be allowed policy space has long since disappeared. There is a basic structural adjustment template when the IMF arrives in town: squeeze the domestic economy in order to get costs down, privatise in order to make industries more efficient, and devalue the currency to foster export-led growth.
But it is not just a question of returning to the original 1944 blueprint. Other changes are needed.
The WTO provides a rules-based system for international trade, but there is no rules-based system for debt restructuring. Plans for a sovereign-debt bankruptcy mechanism were floated in the late 1990s and early 2000s but pressure from Wall Street, which stood to lose money-making opportunities, killed off the idea.
This did not seem to matter that much at the time, because two rounds of debt relief culminating in the 2005 Gleneagles agreement seemed to sort out the debt problem. One of the features of last week’s meeting, however, was a belated recognition that debt is back. The IMF said 40% of low income countries are currently at high risk of or already in debt distress, a doubling in the past five years. Jim Yong Kim, the World bank’s president, said he was watching the situation “very, very closely” and he is right to do so. Many countries have borrowed heavily in US dollars in the world’s capital markets at a time when American interest rates are being ratcheted up.
Another fundamental weakness of the international system, highlighted by the trade tension between the US and China, is that it lacks a way of dealing fairly with current account imbalances. The IMF can force a deficit country that asks for help to import less and export more, but it has no sway over surplus countries. Attempts by Keynes to ensure both creditor and debtor nations had to make adjustments were thwarted by the US at Bretton Woods, a time when it was the world’s leading creditor nation. Trump, judging by his actions, would be a lot keener on a system that enshrined reciprocal action.
Finally, the governance of the Bretton Woods institutions fails to reflect the changes to the global economy seen since 1944. Despite some modest tweaks in recent years, voting power is still vested in the developed countries that set up the IMF and the World Bank. Every managing director of the Fund has been a European, every president of the Bank an American. The US retains a veto over all important decisions at both institutions.
There is a difference between multilateralism as a concept and multilateralism as it has been practised for the past few decades. The current state of affairs is not perfect, far from it in fact. If Trump facilitates a long overdue assessment of what a properly functioning international system might resemble, that’s to be welcomed. It would look quite different.
Larry Elliott
The president’s rejection of multilateralism is risky but our 70-year-old rule-based system is far from perfect
Sun 22 Apr 2018 20.30 AEST
float of donald trump riding a horse and carrying a betsy ross flag
A float made by Trump supporters in Virginia during the presidential campaign in 2016. Photograph: Heather Rousseau/AP
Donald Trump is playing with fire. That thought permeated last week’s spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington.
The US president’s go-it-alone approach – especially in the field of trade – has certainly shaken things up. It is not just the threat of tariffs, nor that the US has brought the dispute settlement system at the World Trade Organisation to a standstill.
Rather, it is a concern that Trump is rejecting the multilateral system that has been in operation for more than 70 years and risks sending the world spinning back to the 1930s. This is not entirely accurate. After some hard bargaining the US has agreed to fund an increase in the World Bank’s capital that will allow it to lend more.
But everyone knew what Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s managing director, meant when she said last week that international cooperation since the second world war had helped to reduce poverty and deliver more progress than at any time in history. The rules-based system needs to be cherished not attacked.
Business Today: sign up for a morning shot of financial news
Read more
This argument is fine as far as it goes, but as Richard Kozul-Wright, the chief economist at Unctad (the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) pointed out, the multilateral system operating in 2018 is by no means the one envisaged by its original architects in the 1940s.
The Bretton Woods conference in 1944 that set up the IMF and the World Bank was dominated by the US and the UK, with the former having far more clout over the eventual outcome. Harry Dexter White, the US representative did not always see eye to eye with his UK counterpart Maynard Keynes but they were in broad agreement on three basic ideas. The first was that full employment was the main economic goal. The second was that the lesson from the Great Depression was that finance had to be controlled. The third was that the new institutions would not be in the business of prescribing one-size-fits all remedies but would instead create an environment that would allow countries to fashion policies for themselves in line with their own cultural preferences.
All this has changed in the past seven decades. The prevailing orthodoxy at the IMF is that curbing inflation is more important than full employment, which is why it is recommending – on the scantiest of evidence – that the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England should be raising interest rates.
A messianic belief in free movement of capital for all countries, even those with the most immature financial systems, prevailed in the years leading up to the crisis of 2008, and was in large part responsible for it. Financial markets remain vulnerable: risk has migrated from banks to other parts of the system.
What’s more, the idea that countries that run into trouble should be allowed policy space has long since disappeared. There is a basic structural adjustment template when the IMF arrives in town: squeeze the domestic economy in order to get costs down, privatise in order to make industries more efficient, and devalue the currency to foster export-led growth.
But it is not just a question of returning to the original 1944 blueprint. Other changes are needed.
The WTO provides a rules-based system for international trade, but there is no rules-based system for debt restructuring. Plans for a sovereign-debt bankruptcy mechanism were floated in the late 1990s and early 2000s but pressure from Wall Street, which stood to lose money-making opportunities, killed off the idea.
This did not seem to matter that much at the time, because two rounds of debt relief culminating in the 2005 Gleneagles agreement seemed to sort out the debt problem. One of the features of last week’s meeting, however, was a belated recognition that debt is back. The IMF said 40% of low income countries are currently at high risk of or already in debt distress, a doubling in the past five years. Jim Yong Kim, the World bank’s president, said he was watching the situation “very, very closely” and he is right to do so. Many countries have borrowed heavily in US dollars in the world’s capital markets at a time when American interest rates are being ratcheted up.
Another fundamental weakness of the international system, highlighted by the trade tension between the US and China, is that it lacks a way of dealing fairly with current account imbalances. The IMF can force a deficit country that asks for help to import less and export more, but it has no sway over surplus countries. Attempts by Keynes to ensure both creditor and debtor nations had to make adjustments were thwarted by the US at Bretton Woods, a time when it was the world’s leading creditor nation. Trump, judging by his actions, would be a lot keener on a system that enshrined reciprocal action.
Finally, the governance of the Bretton Woods institutions fails to reflect the changes to the global economy seen since 1944. Despite some modest tweaks in recent years, voting power is still vested in the developed countries that set up the IMF and the World Bank. Every managing director of the Fund has been a European, every president of the Bank an American. The US retains a veto over all important decisions at both institutions.
There is a difference between multilateralism as a concept and multilateralism as it has been practised for the past few decades. The current state of affairs is not perfect, far from it in fact. If Trump facilitates a long overdue assessment of what a properly functioning international system might resemble, that’s to be welcomed. It would look quite different.
Romney fails to win GOP nomination for senate, heads to primary in November- Reuters
APRIL 22, 2018 / 2:53 PM / UPDATED 18 MINUTES AGO
Romney fails to win GOP nomination for senate, heads to primary in November
Rich McKay
(Reuters) - Mitt Romney’s restart of his political career hit a roadblock Saturday. The 2012 Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor failed to win the Utah Republican Party’s nomination, which means he must face 11 challengers in a June primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch.
Romney needed at least 60 percent of the votes from delegates at the Utah GOP convention Saturday to head to the November election unopposed, but he earned only 49.12 percent, CNN and other media reported.
Romney was considered the political favorite by political observers and U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Romney in February.
The president said on Twitter in February that Romney “will make a great Senator and worthy successor to @OrrinHatch, and has my full support and endorsement!”
But Romney and the president have not always been political allies.
Romney excoriated Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign and said he was a “fraud” who was “playing the American public for suckers.” Trump responded that Romney had “choked like a dog” in his 2012 campaign against President Barack Obama.
Despite the criticism, Trump briefly considered making Romney his Secretary of State.
FILE PHOTO - Former U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, in Provo, Utah, U.S. February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
Romney said in February that he generally approves of Trump’s agenda, but would call out the president if needed.
“I’m with the president’s domestic policy agenda of low taxes, low regulation, smaller government, pushing back against the bureaucrats,” Romney said. “I’m not always with the president on what he might say or do, and if that happens I’ll call them like I see them, the way I have in the past.”
Romney was criticized by some delegates for being a latecomer to the state, moving to Utah relatively recently, CNN reported.
Romney’s campaign could not be reached for comment early Sunday.
Reporting by Rich McKay; Editing by Stephen Coates
Romney fails to win GOP nomination for senate, heads to primary in November
Rich McKay
(Reuters) - Mitt Romney’s restart of his political career hit a roadblock Saturday. The 2012 Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor failed to win the Utah Republican Party’s nomination, which means he must face 11 challengers in a June primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch.
Romney needed at least 60 percent of the votes from delegates at the Utah GOP convention Saturday to head to the November election unopposed, but he earned only 49.12 percent, CNN and other media reported.
Romney was considered the political favorite by political observers and U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Romney in February.
The president said on Twitter in February that Romney “will make a great Senator and worthy successor to @OrrinHatch, and has my full support and endorsement!”
But Romney and the president have not always been political allies.
Romney excoriated Trump in the 2016 presidential campaign and said he was a “fraud” who was “playing the American public for suckers.” Trump responded that Romney had “choked like a dog” in his 2012 campaign against President Barack Obama.
Despite the criticism, Trump briefly considered making Romney his Secretary of State.
FILE PHOTO - Former U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at the Utah County Republican Party Lincoln Day Dinner, in Provo, Utah, U.S. February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart
Romney said in February that he generally approves of Trump’s agenda, but would call out the president if needed.
“I’m with the president’s domestic policy agenda of low taxes, low regulation, smaller government, pushing back against the bureaucrats,” Romney said. “I’m not always with the president on what he might say or do, and if that happens I’ll call them like I see them, the way I have in the past.”
Romney was criticized by some delegates for being a latecomer to the state, moving to Utah relatively recently, CNN reported.
Romney’s campaign could not be reached for comment early Sunday.
Reporting by Rich McKay; Editing by Stephen Coates
Baltimore banning plastic foam containers with new law - Telegraph
April 20, 2018, 4:16 PM
Baltimore banning plastic foam containers with new law
BALTIMORE -- Carryout food and drink containers made from plastic foam are no longer welcome in the city of Baltimore. Mayor Catherine Pugh signed a bill Thursday giving businesses 18 months to stop using containers made from polystyrene foam.
It also prohibits restaurants and other food vendors from using cups, plates, dishes, bowls and trays or any similar items made from this material. After that, businesses will face $1,000 fines for violations.
The City Council unanimously passed the bill last month after it was introduced by Councilman John Bullock. Versions that previously failed had offered businesses just three months to phase out the containers.
Students' efforts contributed to the success of the bill, CBS Baltimore station WJZ-TV reports.
"We talk about the chemicals getting into the food, especially hazardous for our children, who are the most vulnerable," Pugh said.
But there was also an environmental concern with cups and containers ending up in Baltimore waterways and the city's Inner Harbor.
Baltimore banning plastic foam containers with new law
BALTIMORE -- Carryout food and drink containers made from plastic foam are no longer welcome in the city of Baltimore. Mayor Catherine Pugh signed a bill Thursday giving businesses 18 months to stop using containers made from polystyrene foam.
It also prohibits restaurants and other food vendors from using cups, plates, dishes, bowls and trays or any similar items made from this material. After that, businesses will face $1,000 fines for violations.
The City Council unanimously passed the bill last month after it was introduced by Councilman John Bullock. Versions that previously failed had offered businesses just three months to phase out the containers.
Students' efforts contributed to the success of the bill, CBS Baltimore station WJZ-TV reports.
"We talk about the chemicals getting into the food, especially hazardous for our children, who are the most vulnerable," Pugh said.
But there was also an environmental concern with cups and containers ending up in Baltimore waterways and the city's Inner Harbor.
By RACHEL GILLETT/BUSINESS INSIDER July 17, 2017 - TIME ( Business Insider )
By RACHEL GILLETT/BUSINESS INSIDER July 17, 2017
Don’t have the time or money to get a bachelor’s degree?
Don’t fret. There are plenty of high-paying jobs that require only a two-year associate degree, postsecondary non-degree certificate, or even just a high-school diploma.
According to the latest data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the 25 highest-paying jobs that you don’t need a four-year degree to pursue.
Each has a median annual salary of at least $68,000.
25. Aerospace engineering and operations technicians
They operate and maintain equipment used in developing, testing, and producing new aircraft and spacecraft.
Median annual wage (2016): $68,020
Education required: Associate’s degree
Projected job openings (through 2024): 3,200
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
24. Magnetic-resonance-imaging technologists
They monitor patient safety and comfort and view images of areas being scanned to ensure quality of pictures.
Median annual wage (2016): $68,420
Education required: Associate’s degree
Projected job openings (through 2024): 9,800
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: None
23. Gaming managers
They plan, direct, or coordinate gaming operations in a casino.
Median annual wage (2016): $69,180
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 800
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: None
22. Diagnostic medical sonographers
They use special imaging equipment that directs sound waves into a patient’s body to assess and diagnose various medical conditions.
Median annual wage (2016): $69,650
Education required: Associate’s degree
Projected job openings (through 2024): 27,500
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
21. Ship engineers
They supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ship.
Median annual wage (2016): $70,570
Education required: Postsecondary non-degree award
Projected job openings (through 2024): 3,500
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: None
20. Postmasters and mail superintendents
They plan, direct, or coordinate operational, administrative, management, and supportive services of a US post office, or coordinate activities of workers engaged in postal and related work in an assigned post office.
Median annual wage (2016): $71,670
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 3,800
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
19. Transportation inspectors
They inspect equipment or goods in connection with the safe transport of cargo or people.
Median annual wage (2016): $72,220
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 7,100
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
18. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
They command or supervise operations of ships and water vessels, such as tugboats and ferryboats.
Median annual wage (2016): $72,680
Education required: Postsecondary non-degree award (Required to hold license issued by US Coast Guard.)
Projected job openings (through 2024): 17,200
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: None
17. Dental hygienists
They clean teeth, examine patients for oral diseases like gingivitis, and provide other preventative dental care.
Median annual wage (2016): $72,910
Education required: Associate’s degree
Projected job openings (through 2024): 70,300
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
16. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
They directly supervise and coordinate activities of sales workers other than retail sales workers.
Median annual wage (2016): $73,150
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 69,900
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: None
15. Funeral-service managers
They plan, direct, or coordinate the services or resources of funeral homes.
Median annual wage (2016): $73,830
Education required: Associate’s degree
Projected job openings (through 2024): 7,400
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: None
14. Nuclear medicine technologists
They use a scanner to create images of various areas of a patient’s body. They prepare radioactive drugs and administer them to patients undergoing the scans.
Median annual wage (2016): $74,350
Education required: Associate’s degree
Projected job openings (through 2024): 4,200
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
13. First-line supervisors of fire fighting and prevention workers
They directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in fire fighting and fire prevention and control.
Median annual wage (2016): $74,540
Education required: Postsecondary non-degree award
Projected job openings (through 2024): 33,400
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
12. Power-plant operators
They control, operate, or maintain machinery to generate electric power. Includes auxiliary equipment operators.
Median annual wage (2016): $74,690
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 14,100
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
11. Powerhouse, substation, and relay electrical and electronics repairers
They inspect, test, repair, or maintain electrical equipment in generating stations, substations, and in-service relays.
Median annual wage (2016): $75,670
Education required: Postsecondary non-degree award
Projected job openings (through 2024): 3,900
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
10. Commercial pilots
They pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air-carrier routes or helicopters. Requires commercial-pilot certificate.
Median annual wage (2016): $77,200
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 15,100
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
9. Detectives and criminal investigators
They conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
Median annual wage (2016): $78,120
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 28,300
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
8. Elevator installers and repairers
They assemble, install, repair, or maintain electric or hydraulic freight or passenger elevators, escalators, or dumbwaiters.
Median annual wage (2016): $78,890
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 5,900
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: Apprenticeship
7. Nuclear technicians
They assist physicists, engineers, and other professionals in nuclear research and nuclear production.
Median annual wage (2016): $79,140
Education required: Associate’s degree
Projected job openings (through 2024): 2,800
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
6. Radiation therapists
They check equipment, observe patients’ reactions to treatment, and document sessions.
Median annual wage (2016): $80,160
Education required: Associate’s degree
Projected job openings (through 2024): 6,200
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
5. Power distributors and dispatchers
They coordinate, regulate, or distribute electricity or steam.
Median annual wage (2016): $81,900
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 3,900
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
4. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
They directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of a police force.
Median annual wage (2016): $84,840
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 43,000
Work experience: Less than five years
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
3. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
They coordinate transportation, storage, or distribution activities in accordance with organizational policies and applicable government laws or regulations.
Median annual wage (2016): $89,190
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 27,100
Work experience: Five years or more
On-the-job training: None
2. Nuclear-power-reactor operators
They operate or control nuclear reactors, move control rods, start and stop equipment, monitor and adjust controls, record data in logs, and implement emergency procedures when needed.
Median annual wage (2016): $91,170
Education required: High-school diploma or equivalent
Projected job openings (through 2024): 2,600
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
1. Air-traffic controller
They monitor and direct the movement of aircraft. Median annual wages of air-traffic controllers are the highest of any occupation in which workers typically do not need a bachelor’s degree.
Median annual wage (2016): $122,410
Education required: Associate’s degree
Projected job openings (through 2024): 7,500
Work experience: None
On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training
This story originally appeared on Business Insider.
A school in Florida couldn't stage a walkout against gun violence because of a school shooting - Independent
A school in Florida couldn't stage a walkout against gun violence because of a school shooting
Posted April 22, 2018
by Greg Evans in news
UPVOTE
Friday marked the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre where 15 people lost their lives.
As a mark of respect, high school students across the United States staged a nationwide walkout.
However, one school was unable to show their solidarity because someone started shooting a gun.
RoboKast
@RoboKast
School shooting at my school, this crap is terrifying.... Praying for everyone. There was actually a scheduled walkout today. It becomes super real when it's your school.
11:46 PM - Apr 20, 2018
Around 8:40 am that morning, a 19-year-old reportedly fired a gun at the Forest High School in Ocala, Florida.
A 17-year-old was hit in the ankle by a bullet, but CNN reports that they are in a good condition at a hospital.
Minutes after the shooting began, school resource officer, deputy Jimmy Long, was able to take the shooter into custody with no resistance.
The shooter has since been identified as Sky Bouche by the Ocala Star Banner, a former student who spoke about a history of violence and mental illness in his family.
Bouche claimed that he didn't see the boy who he shot through a door, with a sawn-off shotgun, and soon put his weapon down and surrendered after seeing a girl in a hallway.
He reportedly purchased the unlicensed gun just a week after the Parkland massacre in February.
The teenager added that his reasoning for the shooting was "pretty much" the only way he could relieve himself of his traumatic life at home.
In a stark and calm interview with the Marion County jail he said:
My first memory is violence and conflict. That’s my first memory. And no one will believe me.
That’s one of the reasons people don’t think I’m serious.
He added that he did not feel any emotion for what had happened and that he only experienced adrenaline which was later replaced by a "disgusting feeling".
Pretty much all I’m feeling at this time is an adrenaline rush.
It’s not anger, it’s not hatred, it’s just an adrenaline rush, I’m about to do something.
I spend most of my time in the room alone...so I’m getting this rush.
He has been charged with terrorism, aggravated assault with a firearm, culpable negligence, carrying a concealed and unlicensed firearm, possessing a firearm on school property, possession of a short-barreled shotgun, interfering with school function and armed trespass on school property.
Just a day before the school had confirmed on Twitter that students were welcome to take part in a 'civic demonstration.'
Forest High School
@FHS_WildcatLife
Tomorrow we will be participating in the student led civic demonstration. This voluntary event will take place during CAT period with an announcement releasing students that wish to participate. Any student not wanting to participate will remain in their CAT period class.
12:50 AM - Apr 20, 2018
However, as a result of the shooting, not only was their walkout cancelled, all walkouts in Marion County were cancelled.
Parkland survivor Ryan Servaites lamented what had happened and vowed to carry on fighting for stricter gun control. He told CNN:
The fact that it happened on this day, in a way, reinforces what we are trying to get across.
This happens. It is an issue. We see more people dying. Children are being hurt.
We won't stop. This is why. It is, in a way, the world slapping us in the face, but we just have to look at it as a wake-up call.
Servaites' sentiments were echoed by 16-year-old Grace Goldstein, who took part in a walkout at Stuyvesant High School, New York. She said:
We're very glad that no lives were lost.
We're incredibly grateful for that. Our reaction was, of course, this is how our country works.
The person who was shot today is on the list of the people who we're fighting for.
Posted April 22, 2018
by Greg Evans in news
UPVOTE
Friday marked the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School massacre where 15 people lost their lives.
As a mark of respect, high school students across the United States staged a nationwide walkout.
However, one school was unable to show their solidarity because someone started shooting a gun.
RoboKast
@RoboKast
School shooting at my school, this crap is terrifying.... Praying for everyone. There was actually a scheduled walkout today. It becomes super real when it's your school.
11:46 PM - Apr 20, 2018
Around 8:40 am that morning, a 19-year-old reportedly fired a gun at the Forest High School in Ocala, Florida.
A 17-year-old was hit in the ankle by a bullet, but CNN reports that they are in a good condition at a hospital.
Minutes after the shooting began, school resource officer, deputy Jimmy Long, was able to take the shooter into custody with no resistance.
The shooter has since been identified as Sky Bouche by the Ocala Star Banner, a former student who spoke about a history of violence and mental illness in his family.
Bouche claimed that he didn't see the boy who he shot through a door, with a sawn-off shotgun, and soon put his weapon down and surrendered after seeing a girl in a hallway.
He reportedly purchased the unlicensed gun just a week after the Parkland massacre in February.
The teenager added that his reasoning for the shooting was "pretty much" the only way he could relieve himself of his traumatic life at home.
In a stark and calm interview with the Marion County jail he said:
My first memory is violence and conflict. That’s my first memory. And no one will believe me.
That’s one of the reasons people don’t think I’m serious.
He added that he did not feel any emotion for what had happened and that he only experienced adrenaline which was later replaced by a "disgusting feeling".
Pretty much all I’m feeling at this time is an adrenaline rush.
It’s not anger, it’s not hatred, it’s just an adrenaline rush, I’m about to do something.
I spend most of my time in the room alone...so I’m getting this rush.
He has been charged with terrorism, aggravated assault with a firearm, culpable negligence, carrying a concealed and unlicensed firearm, possessing a firearm on school property, possession of a short-barreled shotgun, interfering with school function and armed trespass on school property.
Just a day before the school had confirmed on Twitter that students were welcome to take part in a 'civic demonstration.'
Forest High School
@FHS_WildcatLife
Tomorrow we will be participating in the student led civic demonstration. This voluntary event will take place during CAT period with an announcement releasing students that wish to participate. Any student not wanting to participate will remain in their CAT period class.
12:50 AM - Apr 20, 2018
However, as a result of the shooting, not only was their walkout cancelled, all walkouts in Marion County were cancelled.
Parkland survivor Ryan Servaites lamented what had happened and vowed to carry on fighting for stricter gun control. He told CNN:
The fact that it happened on this day, in a way, reinforces what we are trying to get across.
This happens. It is an issue. We see more people dying. Children are being hurt.
We won't stop. This is why. It is, in a way, the world slapping us in the face, but we just have to look at it as a wake-up call.
Servaites' sentiments were echoed by 16-year-old Grace Goldstein, who took part in a walkout at Stuyvesant High School, New York. She said:
We're very glad that no lives were lost.
We're incredibly grateful for that. Our reaction was, of course, this is how our country works.
The person who was shot today is on the list of the people who we're fighting for.
Dozens dead in bombing at Kabul voter registration centre - Guardian
Dozens dead in bombing at Kabul voter registration centre
Islamic State claims responsibility for suicide attack on ID cards queue that killed at least 31 people
Agencies in Kabul
Sun 22 Apr 2018 20.01 AEST First published on Sun 22 Apr 2018 19.52 AEST
The voter registration centre after the attack. Photograph: Rahmat Gul/AP
A suicide bomber has killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens outside a voter registration centre in Kabul, the health ministry said, in the latest attack on election preparations.
The public health ministry spokesman Wahid Majro said another 54 people were wounded in Sunday’s attack. Gen Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, said the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards.
“It happened at the entrance gate of the centre. It was a suicide attack,” Amin told AFP.
The large explosion echoed across the city, shattering windows miles away from the attack site and damaging several nearby vehicles. Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in. Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking information about loved ones.
Family of Afghan man tortured by CIA demands US reveal location of his body
Read more
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shia “apostates”. Isis is opposed to the country holding democratic elections.
A witness to the attack named Akbar told Tolo TV: “Now we know the government cannot provide us security. We have to get armed and protect ourselves.”
Earlier, the interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish put the death toll at nine and 56 wounded. He could not immediately be reached for an update.
Afghan officials often give conflicting tolls in the wake of attacks and routinely understate the figures.
The recent assaults underscore growing concerns about security in the run-up to legislative elections scheduled for 20 October, which are seen as a test run for next year’s presidential poll.
Advertisement
Over the next two months, authorities hope to register up to 14 million adults at more than 7,000 polling centres for the parliamentary and district council elections.
Officials have been pushing people to register amid fears a low turnout will undermine the credibility of the polls.
Last week, militants killed three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centres in two Afghan provinces, according to authorities.
Meanwhile, at least five people were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the northern Baghlan province on Sunday. Zabihullah Shuja, spokesman for the provincial police chief, said four other people were wounded in the blast in Puli Khomri, the capital of the province.
The Taliban routinely target security forces and government officials with roadside bombs, which often end up killing civilians.
In the northern Balkh province, a district police chief died of his wounds after being shot on Saturday during a gun battle with insurgents, according to Sher Jan Durrani, spokesman for the provincial police chief. He said around a dozen insurgents were also killed in the battle, which is still going on.
Durrani identified the killed commander as Halim Khanjar, police chief for the Char Bolak district. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing.
The Afghan capital is braced for the Taliban’s launch of its customary spring offensive.
The Taliban are under pressure to take up President Ashraf Ghani’s peace offer made in February, but so far the group has given only a muted response.
Some western and Afghan officials expect 2018 to be a particularly bloody year.
Gen John Nicholson, the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, told Tolo TV last month that he expected the Taliban to carry out more suicide attacks this fighting season.
Associated Press and Agence France-Press contributed to this report
Islamic State claims responsibility for suicide attack on ID cards queue that killed at least 31 people
Agencies in Kabul
Sun 22 Apr 2018 20.01 AEST First published on Sun 22 Apr 2018 19.52 AEST
The voter registration centre after the attack. Photograph: Rahmat Gul/AP
A suicide bomber has killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens outside a voter registration centre in Kabul, the health ministry said, in the latest attack on election preparations.
The public health ministry spokesman Wahid Majro said another 54 people were wounded in Sunday’s attack. Gen Daud Amin, the Kabul police chief, said the suicide bomber targeted civilians who had gathered to receive national identification cards.
“It happened at the entrance gate of the centre. It was a suicide attack,” Amin told AFP.
The large explosion echoed across the city, shattering windows miles away from the attack site and damaging several nearby vehicles. Police blocked all roads to the blast site, with only ambulances allowed in. Local TV stations broadcast live footage of hundreds of distraught people gathered at nearby hospitals seeking information about loved ones.
Family of Afghan man tortured by CIA demands US reveal location of his body
Read more
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Aamaq news agency, saying it had targeted Shia “apostates”. Isis is opposed to the country holding democratic elections.
A witness to the attack named Akbar told Tolo TV: “Now we know the government cannot provide us security. We have to get armed and protect ourselves.”
Earlier, the interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish put the death toll at nine and 56 wounded. He could not immediately be reached for an update.
Afghan officials often give conflicting tolls in the wake of attacks and routinely understate the figures.
The recent assaults underscore growing concerns about security in the run-up to legislative elections scheduled for 20 October, which are seen as a test run for next year’s presidential poll.
Advertisement
Over the next two months, authorities hope to register up to 14 million adults at more than 7,000 polling centres for the parliamentary and district council elections.
Officials have been pushing people to register amid fears a low turnout will undermine the credibility of the polls.
Last week, militants killed three police officers responsible for guarding voter registration centres in two Afghan provinces, according to authorities.
Meanwhile, at least five people were killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in the northern Baghlan province on Sunday. Zabihullah Shuja, spokesman for the provincial police chief, said four other people were wounded in the blast in Puli Khomri, the capital of the province.
The Taliban routinely target security forces and government officials with roadside bombs, which often end up killing civilians.
In the northern Balkh province, a district police chief died of his wounds after being shot on Saturday during a gun battle with insurgents, according to Sher Jan Durrani, spokesman for the provincial police chief. He said around a dozen insurgents were also killed in the battle, which is still going on.
Durrani identified the killed commander as Halim Khanjar, police chief for the Char Bolak district. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the killing.
The Afghan capital is braced for the Taliban’s launch of its customary spring offensive.
The Taliban are under pressure to take up President Ashraf Ghani’s peace offer made in February, but so far the group has given only a muted response.
Some western and Afghan officials expect 2018 to be a particularly bloody year.
Gen John Nicholson, the top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, told Tolo TV last month that he expected the Taliban to carry out more suicide attacks this fighting season.
Associated Press and Agence France-Press contributed to this report
Taiwan accuses China of 'sabre rattling' as naval drill begins - BBC News
Taiwan accuses China of 'sabre rattling' as naval drill begins
18 April 2018
Taiwan started its own drill (pictured) on Tuesday
China is conducting live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait amid growing tension in the region.
The one-day drill follows Chinese warnings against independence moves by the self-governing island. Taiwan began a similar exercise earlier this week.
Officials in Taipei accused Beijing of "sabre rattling" and played down the significance of the exercises, pointing out that they take place regularly.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and has threatened to invade.
Relations with the mainland have grown more tense since Taiwan elected a pro-independence president in 2016.
What's behind the China-Taiwan divide?
Xi Jinping attends massive naval display
Taiwan - the flashpoint island
Taiwan's defence ministry responded to the exercise by accusing Beijing of exaggerating its importance to intimidate the island.
"That's why we say it's verbal intimidation and sabre rattling," a spokesman said.
A Chinese official made it clear the military drill was meant to warn Taiwan against moving towards independence.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office director Liu Jieyi said on Monday that the drill was "to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our motherland".
China said it will thwart any Taiwanese separatist attempts
As recently as March, Chinese President Xi Jinping took aim at Taiwanese independence aspirations, saying "total unity" was the "collective hope of all Chinese people" and any attempts to divide it were "doomed to fail".
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is currently in Swaziland, one of the island's few remaining diplomatic allies.
Most countries around the globe do not recognise Taiwan as a country and China has put pressure on those few that do to change their alliance to Beijing.
The split between Taiwan and China dates back to 1949 when at the end of the Chinese civil war, the defeated nationalists fled to the island, while the communists took control of the mainland.
18 April 2018
Taiwan started its own drill (pictured) on Tuesday
China is conducting live-fire military exercises in the Taiwan Strait amid growing tension in the region.
The one-day drill follows Chinese warnings against independence moves by the self-governing island. Taiwan began a similar exercise earlier this week.
Officials in Taipei accused Beijing of "sabre rattling" and played down the significance of the exercises, pointing out that they take place regularly.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and has threatened to invade.
Relations with the mainland have grown more tense since Taiwan elected a pro-independence president in 2016.
What's behind the China-Taiwan divide?
Xi Jinping attends massive naval display
Taiwan - the flashpoint island
Taiwan's defence ministry responded to the exercise by accusing Beijing of exaggerating its importance to intimidate the island.
"That's why we say it's verbal intimidation and sabre rattling," a spokesman said.
A Chinese official made it clear the military drill was meant to warn Taiwan against moving towards independence.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office director Liu Jieyi said on Monday that the drill was "to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our motherland".
China said it will thwart any Taiwanese separatist attempts
As recently as March, Chinese President Xi Jinping took aim at Taiwanese independence aspirations, saying "total unity" was the "collective hope of all Chinese people" and any attempts to divide it were "doomed to fail".
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is currently in Swaziland, one of the island's few remaining diplomatic allies.
Most countries around the globe do not recognise Taiwan as a country and China has put pressure on those few that do to change their alliance to Beijing.
The split between Taiwan and China dates back to 1949 when at the end of the Chinese civil war, the defeated nationalists fled to the island, while the communists took control of the mainland.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
