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1386597b6cdba1584d8e19a9b19e7110 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55764213 | Central African Republic declares emergency as rebels surround Bangui | Central African Republic declares emergency as rebels surround Bangui
The Central African Republic (CAR) has declared a state of emergency as the army and UN forces try to repel advancing rebel groups who want to overthrow the government.
The anti-government fighters, who now control two-thirds of the country, have surrounded the capital, Bangui.
The UN envoy to CAR has warned the country was "at grave risk."
The rebels dispute the validity of President Faustin Archange Touadéra's re-election in last month's poll.
The authorities have accused former President François Bozizé, who was blocked from running in the 27 December election, for the escalating violence.
"The perpetrators... of these unforgettable crimes against the people of CAR will be found, arrested and brought before the competent courts," President Touadéra said on Monday, while also calling for national reconciliation.
Mr Bozizé, who came to power in 2003 before he was overthrown in 2013, has denied the allegations.
At least 200,000 civilians have been directly affected by the fighting since December, and at least half of the number remain displaced from their homes, the UN agency children's Unicef says.
"This new wave of violence and displacement is increasing humanitarian needs at a time when the Central African people are already dealing with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and years of conflict and insecurity," said Fran Equiza, Unicef's representative in CAR.
He said that children were bearing "the brunt of this crisis."
"We are calling on all parties to ensure that civilians, especially children and women, are protected and kept out of harm's way, in line with international human rights and humanitarian law," Mr Equiza said.
The state of emergency declared on Thursday evening will last for 15 days, the government spokesman Albert Yaloke Mokpeme said on national radio.
He said soldiers will be allowed to make arrests without going through prosecutors.
The BBC's Pacôme Pabandji in Bangui says many residents of the capital are not surprised at the state of emergency given the deteriorating security situation in recent weeks.
According to security sources, the declaration was a necessary step after information obtained from people arrested in the last few days suggested there was an imminent threat to the government.
CAR "is at serious risk of a security and peacebuilding setback," said Mankeur Ndiaye, the UN envoy to the country.
He urged the UN Security Council to increase the number of peacekeepers with a flexible mandate, that allows them to respond to the escalating security challenges in the country.
Mr Ndiaye did not specify the security resources he wanted to be deployed but the Reuters news agency, quoting a source close to the UN mission, Minusca, reported that CAR needed 3,000 extra peacekeepers, attack helicopters and even special forces.
According to Mr Ndiaye, large numbers of government troops have deserted due to insufficient training and resources.
At least 12,000 peacekeepers are already on the ground in CAR.
Ahead of the December election, Rwanda and Russia sent in reinforcements to help the government. France has also sent in military resources to back President Touadéra's government.
Meanwhile, the government is pushing for the lifting of a 2013 UN arms embargo which it sees as an obstacle in its fight against the rebels.
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998b49bac926ac52578baf09e56a9479 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55768827 | Tunisians question whether life is better after Arab Spring | Tunisians question whether life is better after Arab Spring
"Be honest, can you really say things are better today?" It is a question I have often been asked, by Tunisia's poor and privileged alike, as well as those in-between.
One could ask, what is the measure of "better"?
The 10th anniversary of the events in Tunisia that kickstarted what we call the Arab Spring, has coincided with a four-day national lockdown to control alarming rates of Covid-19 infections. The following night saw violent confrontations between groups of youths and the police in over a dozen working-class neighbourhoods across the country.
It wasn't initially clear what triggered them, and civilians and officials were deeply split over how best to describe them - were they protests or riots? And what were they really all about?
Some said they were caused by impoverished, hungry, and angry young people. More than 600 of them, mostly teenagers, were later arrested. The next day dozens of protestors came out in the centre of the capital, Tunis, against the arrests, reviving revolutionary chants calling for "the fall of the regime".
But few Tunisians are clear on what that would entail today. The last parliamentary and presidential election was less than two years go.
There is no question that people here are hurting - financially and socially - or that vital public services are declining. There have been annual bouts of civil unrest in recent years, usually demanding jobs and better pay.
For 10 years, across the region, I have witnessed a lot of confusion and struggle. A sense of gain one day, matched by a sense of loss the next, and an inch of hope one year that is later engulfed by hopelessness, to varying degrees.
Tunisia has been trapped in a soft cycle of that turmoil.
What Tunisia achieved in beginning its political and democratic transformation has not been matched by deeper economic and social development. The reality is that when former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled from power, the economy tanked, and has not recovered since.
Who is responsible for that?
People blame an entrenched system that allows corruption, or the political rivalry in parliament that crippled numerous governments. Tunisia has had 12 in 10 years - consensus politics was abandoned a long time ago.
The IMF loans with their conditions are also a source of economic pressure.
Wrangles over wages have led to strikes and protests in vital sectors, including health, transport and natural resources.
So, what do people want?
A Tunisian businessman who imports food products recently told me: "We need something in-between... a strong leader who supports freedoms. This parliament, and all these political parties who work against each other are paralysing the country."
In Ettadhamen, one of the capital's most densely populated and underprivileged suburbs, where young people took to the streets this month and clashed with the police, there is a similar view.
Wael is a 27-year-old civil society activist. "Some people here are now asking for the parliamentary system to be removed," he tells me.
"The president has no power, he's like a symbol of the state only."
I listened with intrigue - here is a young man from a neighbourhood that is reputed to have been the pulse of the 2011 revolution that overthrew an all-powerful president, now asking for a head of state with yet more power.
"It's true we have freedoms now," he admits, "but we discovered that our dreams will not materialise".
When I ask him about the teenagers who were arrested recently, Wael quickly points to the high number of school drop-outs in his area. "Maybe this system we have works elsewhere, but it doesn't work here… all the political parties failed us."
I have a video call with Chokri al-Laabidi, an Arabic-language teacher from the same area, who once stood and led his street in demonstrations against the former regime in 2011. I find he's not happy about the recent unrest, describing some of the protesters as "violent", with no tangible demands.
Reflecting on the last decade, he thinks that there is a tendency to focus on what's still wrong instead of what's better - "the change people want," he explains, "is a matter of time".
So, I ask him, what
is
better now?
"The municipalities are elected and have more power - there is freedom of speech today, and there is a mechanism to hold anyone and everyone to account - this did not exist before," he tells me.
In his spare time he runs a local youth group, and is under no illusion that things are working perfectly.
"But I have faith in freedom," he tells me. "As long as it is there, it guarantees change… and a way to make fewer mistakes".
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ffa09444a362dbf04e456f98d6e93a90 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55810185 | Kenyan Mansur Mohamed Surur charged in US over '$7m smuggling ring' | Kenyan Mansur Mohamed Surur charged in US over '$7m smuggling ring'
A Kenyan man has pleaded not guilty in a US court to trafficking illegal ivory and rhino horn.
Mansur Mohamed Surur was part of an "international conspiracy" responsible for the slaughter of more than 100 elephants and dozens of rhinos, federal prosecutors in New York say
It allegedly amounts to an estimated $7.4m (£5.4m) amassed over seven years.
Some exports were hidden inside "pieces of art such as African masks and statues"
, court documents allege.
Money was paid to and from foreign customers by "international wire transfers, some which were sent through US financial institutions", prosecutors say.
Mr Surur was arrested last year in the Kenyan city of Mombasa and extradited to the US to face trial in New York. He also faces charges of money laundering and drug dealing.
He and three others - Amara Cherif from Guinea, Moazu Kromah of Liberia, and Abdi Hussein Ahmed of Kenya - are accused of agreeing illegal ivory sales with buyers in Manhattan, as well as others in south-east Asia.
They are all now in the US except Mr Ahmed who "remains a fugitive", the US Department of Justice says.
Phone calls and messages in which three of the four men allegedly discuss pricing and payment methods with a customer are
cited in court documents
.
It is alleged that their network was based in Uganda but involved other countries - among them the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, Senegal, and Tanzania.
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14c8c1e12d4f279f1b0aeca957876651 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-55832712 | Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: What a blind man's death reveals | Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: What a blind man's death reveals
The injury-plagued life, and now death, of Asmelash Woldeselassie highlights the brutality and cyclical nature of conflicts in Ethiopia's mountainous Tigray region.
Having joined the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) around the time of its formation in 1975, Asmelash lost his eyesight when he was bombed in his hideout in the Imba Alaje mountain during the war that ended with the guerrilla movement marching into Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, to seize power from the notorious Mengistu Haile Mariam regime in 1991.
Then in 1998, when the TPLF-led government found itself at the centre of a border war with Eritrea, Asmelash lost his left arm in an airstrike on the regional capital, Mekelle.
In the latest conflict that has seen the TPLF return to being a guerrilla movement, Asmelash - who was a member of its executive - was killed along with two other TPLF veterans - former foreign minister Seyoum Mesfin and former minister of federal affairs Abay Tsehaye.
Ethiopia's 44-year-old Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed - who ordered the military operation that ultimately led to their deaths - was a junior member of the TPLF-led coalition government until his rise to power in 2018.
Now, he and the TPLF are enemies fighting for control of Tigray, a strategically important region which borders Sudan and Eritrea, the gateway to the shipping routes of the Red Sea.
Eritrea's President Isaias Afwerki has reportedly sent troops to Tigray to bolster the Ethiopian military's operation and, some say, to avenge his humiliation at the hands of the TPLF during the 1998-2000 border war that left up to 100,000 people dead.
Both governments deny Eritrean troops are in Tigray, despite many Tigrayans, Eritreans and the US government saying they are there.
Mr Abiy declared victory over the TPLF following the capture of the regional capital, Mekelle, on 28 November, but vowed that efforts to apprehend the TPLF "clique" - which was estimated to have 250,000 fighters under its command - would continue.
How Asmelah, Seyoum and Abay - all aged over 60 - died is unclear: some allege they were shot dead in cold blood, but the official Ethiopian version is that they were killed in a cave area after they refused to surrender.
Their deaths came on top of the capture of several other TPLF stalwarts - including Sebhat Nega, who was paraded in front of the cameras in handcuffs and looking dishevelled, in a scene reminiscent of the capture of Iraq's former ruler Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Faisal Roble from the US-based Institute for Horn of Africa Studies and Affairs said that supporters of Mr Abiy are celebrating the fate of the men who belonged to an organisation that had ruled Ethiopia with an iron hand until mass protests forced it to relinquish power to Mr Abiy nearly three years ago.
"They are saying: 'We got the TPLF. We are destroying it. They will never be able to oppress us again.'
"But Tigrayans - including those who never liked the TPLF - are saying: 'You killed Asmelash, a blind man, Seyoum, who had back surgery and struggled to walk, Abay, who had heart surgery, and you humiliated Sebath, who can't walk up two stairs. These are our heroes.'"
Exiled Eritrean human rights campaigner Paulos Tesfagiorgis said there was no doubt that almost three months into the conflict, the TPLF has suffered major setbacks after being hit by drone strikes and the massive deployment of Ethiopian and Eritrean troops, as well as forces from Ethiopia's Amhara region, which under the country's federal system has its own land dispute with Tigray.
"The TPLF has lost a lot of ground, a lot of leaders, a lot of fighters, and a lot of heavy weaponry. It now has only medium and light weapons. I don't think it expected Eritrea to get involved to the extent it has.
"Isaias has pursued his old strategy of overwhelming the enemy with troops, tanks, armament, and bombings," Mr Paulos said, adding: "But the TPLF is not finished. It fought intense battles. Now, it has returned to familiar ground, the rural areas of Tigray, its mountains and hills, to wage a guerrilla war."
Menychle Meseret, an academic at Ethiopia's University of Gondar, said the TPLF's move to guerrilla warfare, after waging a "full-scale" conflict against the Ethiopian military, posed its own dangers.
"With insurgent groups, even one suicide bomber can cause a lot of deaths. In the case of the TPLF, it has some remaining fighters. There are reports of fighting in some mountainous areas, and of the TPLF having already carried out ambushes on roads - even on an aid convoy."
Mr Paulos said he believed that the government was using starvation as a weapon of war.
"Government soldiers burnt the crops of Tigrayans; the offensive happened during the harvest season, and slaughtered their livestock. This was happening while the government imposed a total blockade on Tigray. No food was getting in. Even now, the flow of aid is heavily restricted.
"
People are already dying of hunger
. There are warnings of a famine. This is a war waged without compassion. It reminds me of Mengistu's quote: 'To kill the fish, drain the pond'." In order to weaken the TPLF, Abiy's government has to subdue the civilians, including subjecting them to hunger," Mr Paulos said.
Aid agencies have reported that the conflict - which came amid the coronavirus pandemic and a locust infestation of crops - had caused a "dire" situation:
An official in the newly appointed administration in Tigray was quoted by local media as saying that the crisis in the region was
"unprecedented in its history"
. He put the number who required emergency food aid at 4.5 million (up to 75% of the population), the number of displaced at 2.5 million, and said his office had received reports of 13 people - including three children - having died of hunger.
The government has denied using starvation as a weapon of war
, and Mr Menychle said such accusations were "completely wrong".
"The government has enough food stocks but it can't deliver them in rural areas because the TPLF is killing drivers. The TPLF wants to orchestrate starvation as a weapon to manipulate global opinion and get sympathy for its cause.
"The TPLF gave guns to farmers, and forced some of them to fight. That is why crops ended up being destroyed. The TPLF also controlled the government administration of all towns. It destroyed offices - even hospitals - before it abandoned towns," Mr Menychle said.
The state-linked Human Rights Commission said that residents of the agricultural hub of Humera in western Tigray had reported widespread looting of houses and businesses by an ethnic Amhara youth group, militias, special forces, as well as some Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers.
"Looters have also emptied food and grain storages," it said, adding that a resident had complained that
even people sent by the newly appointed administration to help them "take part in theft"
.
The International Crisis Group's Ethiopia analyst William Davison said the federal government was delivering some aid into areas where its troops, or security forces from Amhara, were firmly in control.
But this was not happening in areas where Tigrayan forces were still a major threat, as the government would not want them to get hold of aid supplies or to find ways of smuggling in fuel or arms.
"Large swathes of rural Tigray have not been receiving any aid because there is insufficient federal control or too much insecurity.
"Aid is going into Mekelle, the regional capital, and some parts of the south or west, as federal or Amhara forces are in control in these places," he said.
Mr Davison added that to get aid into areas under the control of Eritrean troops was also difficult logistically and politically, as there was as yet no acknowledgement from either the Ethiopian or Eritrean leadership that the latter's forces have been part of the Tigray conflict.
Local people told the BBC that Eritrean forces were in key cites and towns, including Aksum, the most sacred site for Ethiopian Orthodox Christians, and Wukro, only about 45km (28 miles) from Mekelle.
They had withdrawn from Shire, the birthplace of Tigray's ousted President Debretsion Gebremichael, after helping Ethiopian forces take control of it, but they still had a strong presence in surrounding villages, residents said.
Martin Plaut - a senior research fellow at London University's Institute of Commonwealth Studies - said that control of territory was not an indicator of who was winning.
"The TPLF does not believe in holding cities and towns. It fights from the hills and mountains. It lets the enemy settle down.
"It then carries out hit-and-run attacks. It wears out the enemy over months and years. This is what it did in the previous guerrilla war. Whether it can wage an effective guerrilla war again depends on whether it can secure supply routes for ammunition, fuel and food," Mr Plaut said.
The last time around, the TPLF got its supplies through Sudan. Whether Sudan agrees to do so again -
amidst a border dispute with Ethiopia that has led to clashes between their forces
- was the big question, Mr Plaut said.
"It is likely to determine whether this is a long or a short war."
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d6ffe1f97c154694c173c409d77e346d | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56130428 | Tshegofatso Pule murder: Man jailed for killing pregnant 28-year-old | Tshegofatso Pule murder: Man jailed for killing pregnant 28-year-old
A man has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for the brutal murder of a pregnant woman whose death galvanised protests in South Africa and prompted a speech by the president.
The body of 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule was found hanging from a tree last June, with multiple stab wounds.
Mzikayise Malephane, 31, pleaded guilty at a court in Johannesburg.
He has accused her ex-boyfriend of paying him to carry out the killing. Police say a man is now in custody.
In a plea agreement read out in court by his lawyer, Malephane said he had been offered 7,000 rand (£340; $480) by the ex-boyfriend to carry out the killing but had declined. The offer went up to 70,000 rand before he accepted, he said.
Tshegofatso Pule was eight months pregnant when she went missing on 4 June. Her stabbed body was found four days later, hanging from a tree by a member of the public in the Johannesburg suburb of Roodepoort.
Local police have confirmed that they arrested a 32-year-old suspect on Thursday evening "on suspicion of being an accomplice in the murder". They did not give his name, but told local media he was expected to appear in magistrates court early next week.
There was a wave of outrage in South Africa after Ms Pule's death in June last year and the hashtag #JusticeForTshego trended on Twitter.
In response, President Cyril Ramaphosa released a statement denouncing gender-based violence, saying the pandemic had made it more dangerous for women because "violent men are taking advantage of the eased restrictions on movement to attack women and children".
As many as 51% of women in South Africa had experienced violence at the hands of someone they were in a relationship with, the president's statement said.
Following an outcry over a spate of femicides the year before, President Ramaphosa said South Africa was one of "the most unsafe places in the world to be a woman".
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709c9017be928ba32bd462ad195491db | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56147512 | Tigray crisis: 'Overwhelming' humanitarian needs in Ethiopia's region | Tigray crisis: 'Overwhelming' humanitarian needs in Ethiopia's region
The needs of people affected by deadly fighting in Ethiopia's Tigray region are "overwhelming", the International Committee of the Red Cross has warned.
"The people in Tigray... lost the harvest season," the ICRC's director of operations, Dominik Stillhart, told the BBC during his visit to Ethiopia.
He said there were "serious issues with regards to access to medical care".
Ethiopia's government had earlier said was being delivered and nearly 1.5 million people had been reached.
Thousands of people are reported to have been killed, and about two million have been internally displaced.
About 100,000 Eritrean refugees who had been living in UN-run camps in Tigray have also been caught up in the conflict.
Conflict broke out in November after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) seized federal military bases in the region following a breakdown in relations with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government in Addis Ababa.
The central government - which has since claimed victory - has heavily restricted access to the region for the media and aid agencies.
The TPLF had been the ruling party in Tigray, with an estimated 250,000 fighters under its command, for almost 30 years.
It was ousted from power on 28 November after Ethiopian government troops captured the regional capital, Mekelle.
Mr Abiy accused the TPLF of threatening the territorial integrity of Ethiopia, and of trying to overthrow his government by seizing military bases earlier that month.
The TPLF said it had captured the bases as a pre-emptive strike as it feared federal intervention in Tigray.
In August, it organised elections in Tigray in defiance of a decision taken at federal level to postpone all polls because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Mr Abiy's government condemned the election as illegal, while the TPLF said his government was "illegitimate" and did not have a mandate to govern Ethiopia.
Tensions boiled over, leading to the outbreak of conflict.
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1b419893ca24225bd826a3979602b0e2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-56171671 | Rebels deny killing Italian ambassador to DR Congo | Rebels deny killing Italian ambassador to DR Congo
A Rwandan Hutu rebel group has denied involvement in the killing of the Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Luca Attanasio, 43, died in eastern DR Congo on Monday after a UN convoy he was travelling in came under fire.
Officials blamed the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
A FDLR spokesperson said that more than 100 militias operated in the region, and he did not know why his group had been singled out by DR Congo officials.
"We did not have a role in that heinous assassination," FDLR's Cure Ngoma told the BBC Great Lakes.
The attack, about 15km (nine miles) north of the city of Goma in North Kivu province, is believed to have been an attempted kidnapping, according to officials at the nearby Virunga National Park.
An Italian military police officer travelling with Mr Attanasio and a Congolese driver were also killed.
The FDLR said the shooting happened in an area where both DR Congo and Rwanda had a military presence - so any investigation should take that into account.
The group was established by ethnic Hutus accused of taking part in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which 800,000 people - largely from the Tutsi minority - were killed.
They fled to DR Congo where their presence has been a key factor behind more than two decades of conflict in the region.
But in that time many other militias have also established themselves in eastern DR Congo, including local ones and others from Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Uganda.
The UN's peacekeeping mission has been in DR Congo since 1999. It is one of the biggest peacekeeping operations in the world, with more than 17,000 personnel.
Mr Attanasio, who had represented Italy in the DR Congo since 2017, was on a field trip with the UN World Food Programme (WFP).
He was going to see a school feeding programme in Rutshuru, the WFP said.
His friend, Italian volcanologist Dario Tedesco, told Reuters news agency the pair had also planned to climb a nearby volcano, Mount Nyiragongo, in Virunga National Park, later on Monday.
Virunga - which stretches across 7,800 sq km (3,000 sq miles) - is one of the most dangerous parks on the continent.
"He was able to talk to everyone… adapting himself to each of us, letting us feel we were important," Mr Tedesco said in tribute to his friend, adding that they had dined together on Sunday.
"He believed in what he was doing and this shouldn't have been his final journey."
An Italian military plane has taken off from Goma for Rome with the bodies of the ambassador and his bodyguard.
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324104ab12d4c411386800bfa85b7f60 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15552687 | Bangladesh agrees nuclear power deal with Russia | Bangladesh agrees nuclear power deal with Russia
Bangladesh has agreed to build two new nuclear power plants with Russian help as the country looks to close a yawning power deficit.
"We have signed the deal... to ease the power crisis that hampers our economic activities," said Bangladesh's Science Minister Yeafesh Osman.
Mr Osman said the two plants would have a capacity of 1,000 megawatts each.
He said that construction of the plants would start by 2013 and would take five years to complete.
The deal in Dhaka was signed on Wednesday between Mr Osman and Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation Director-General Sergei Kiriyenko.
Russia will provide technical support for building the two generators - at Rooppur in Pabna district, 120km (75 miles) north of the capital, Dhaka.
Russia will help to provide legal and staffing support.
Russian officials say that Moscow will supply funding for the plants in addition to providing fuel. Russia will also take back depleted fuel rods for safe storage.
The plants will implement new safety features following the nuclear accident in Fukushima in Japan, they say.
Bangladesh currently relies on dilapidated gas-fired plants for its power supplies and experiences daily electricity shortfalls of about 2,000 megawatts.
Erratic electricity supplies have been blamed for hampering industrial production and economic growth.
Correspondents say that the country of 150 million people also has about 3.3 billion tonnes of coal reserves - and is looking into constructing coal-firing power plants to maintain its 5% annual growth.
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39277e6684c9ef361d4132732f54bf95 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15560414 | Viewpoint: Has a year of civilian rule changed Burma? | Viewpoint: Has a year of civilian rule changed Burma?
One year after the controversial Burmese elections the debate about whether there have been any significant changes inside the country rages on louder than ever.
The debate, as usual, is conducted largely outside of Burma, and today the battle lines are drawn between old guard activists who maintain everything Nay Pyi Taw does is window dressing, and the slowly increasing numbers of those giving credit to the new government.
Inside the country the changes are perceived as gradual but real, and everyone is hoping the government will continue on the reform path.
So what are the main milestones?
One can really only look at the period after the handover of the military's State Peace and Development Council to the new government on the last day of the first parliamentary sitting at the end of March 2011. Prior to that, the military was still in charge.
The new structure has been tested by what has seemed like an internal struggle between more reform-minded and more hard-line ministers. Yet despite this internal contest, quite a few things have been engendered:
Just before the second sitting of parliament there was direct engagement of the government with Aung San Suu Kyi. First there was a dialogue with Labour Minister Aung Kyi and subsequently her visit to Nay Pyi Taw, with her meeting the president.
Since that time she has said herself that she believes changes are happening. The question remains if her party, the NLD, will re-register and take part in the political processes of the country.
It is likely to have been discussed but details of the negotiations are not in the public domain.
Another big milestone was the release of at least 220 and possible as many as 270 political prisoners as part of the 6,000+ amnesty in September this year. The amnesty resulted in some controversy on the numbers of prisoners of conscience who had not been included.
It emerged that rather than the universally accepted figure of 2,000 political prisoners, the real figure was more likely to be around 700 (even the NLD holds a list with that number).
This means that close to 30% of political prisoners have been freed, and for the first time without any conditions attached to their release. This is a big step for the government and one for which the reformers in Nay Pyi Taw probably had to battle hard.
A few days later President Thein Sein suspended the construction of the Myitsone Dam, despite vocal protests by China.
While other dams are still planned, and the Chinese presence in the northern ethnic areas remains unchallenged, the halting of the construction in light of the geographic and ecological dangers shows that the thinking of the government goes beyond receiving Chinese money and political support no matter what the cost to the Burmese population.
The president followed this announcement with a trip to Burma's other giant neighbour, India, rebalancing at least symbolically its foreign policy priorities in the region.
India has to date been much less involved than China, and prior to this it was understood that northern Burma was simply becoming a Chinese satellite.
Most importantly for the people of Burma, yet hardly mentioned abroad, have been the legislative changes.
The passing of new labour laws allowing the formation of labour unions is a big step and according to the ILO at least the draft they saw was up to international standards. As Burma's industries develop, workers will now have rights they have not had since 1962.
Many other issues have been debated in parliament since August.
They include education in ethnic languages for ethnic states, the legality of private education and the peace process with ethnic insurgent groups.
Not all motions are passed, but they are raised and debated, again something quite new. Internet controls have been relaxed and press censorship is now far less strict.
Burma is well set on a reform path and many ask why. In fact many, especially in the West, will say that it was tough policies such as sanctions which brought these changes about.
In India we are also hearing those who say their policies brought about the changes - here it was not sanctions, but quiet constructive engagement which set Burma off on the right path.
The fact is that neither Western sanctions nor Asian constructive engagement should be credited for what we are witnessing today.
The new government needs to be given credit for re-assessing the country's position in light of three phenomena: Burma wants the Asean chair in 2014, needs the Asean free trade area in 2015 for its economy to thrive, and the current government wants to win the 2015 elections.
Overarching these objectives though is the major interest of assuring the security and stability of the state which is now thought best achieved through reform rather than repression.
Despite all these quiet successes and new policies, issues remain.
Fighting in ethnic areas, especially in Kachin state, continues. However more recently various groups such as the Wa and the Mongla have taken up Nay Pyi Taw's new structure for negotiation - the peace committees at state level.
There have also been talks between other Shan groups and the New Mon State Party (NMSP). The issue of the Border Guard Force, the major stumbling block in the previous negotiation, seems to have been put on the back burner.
Hopefully in the near future the new structure for negotiation will bear fruit across the country, including Kachin State.
So where does Burma go from here?
Burma is not about to turn into a Western-style democracy, but Nay Pyi Taw has set out on a strong path for reform which will benefit the Burmese people.
The first priority for the government is now to set the economy right, both with regard to exchange rates to boost trade as well as with regard to employment and wages so as to improve the living standards of ordinary Burmese.
The government is well aware of the economic problems the country is facing. If the government is allowed to continue on its present path change will be gradual but life-changing for those living inside the country.
Marie Lall is a Reader in Education Policy and South Asian Studies, Institute of Education, University of London.
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6bac93a5d9abbcfb6a6b44641c1e4ddb | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15655855 | Samoa country profile | Samoa country profile
The Independent State of Samoa, known as Western Samoa until 1997, is made up of nine volcanic islands, two of which - Savai'i and Upolu - make up more than 99% of the land.
It was governed by New Zealand until its people voted for independence in 1961. It has the world's second-largest Polynesian group, after the Maori.
Samoa's deeply conservative and devoutly Christian society centres around the extended family, which is headed by an elected chief who directs the family's social, economic and political affairs, and the church, which is a focus of recreational and social life.
The economy revolves around fishing and agriculture, which is vulnerable to cyclones and disease.
Attempts at diversification have met with success. Tourism is growing, thanks to the islands' scenic attractions and fine beaches. Offshore banking spearheads an expanding services sector. Light manufacturing is expanding and has attracted foreign investment.
Despite this, many younger Samoans are leaving for New Zealand, the US and American Samoa. Money sent home by Samoans living abroad can be a key source of household income.
Head of state: Va'aletoa Sualauvi II
Va'aletoa Sualauvi II was sworn in as head of state in July 2017, succeeding Tuiatua Tupua Tamasese Efi.
He has served as a paramount chief since 1977 and was a member of the council of deputies.
He studied law in Australia and is a former barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Samoa.
He previously worked as a secondary school teacher and also as a police officer in New Zealand before becoming a police chief inspector in Samoa.
Prime minister: Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi
Prime Minister Tuila'epa's ruling Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) gained a landslide victory in parliamentary polls in March 2016, heralding a fifth term for the premier.
Press freedom is "generally respected", according to US-based Freedom House.
The government and private operators run TV and radio stations and outlets from American Samoa are readily available.
By June 2015, there were nearly 27,000 internet users (InternetLiveStats.com). Internet cafes are widely used.
Some key dates in Samoa's history:
1722
- Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeveen is the first European to explore Samoa.
1830
- London Missionary Society arrives in Samoa.
1899
- Germany annexes Western Samoa, the US takes over eastern Samoa (American Samoa) and Britain withdraws its claim to the islands in accordance with treaty between Germany, Britain and the US.
1914
- New Zealand occupies Western Samoa during First World War and continues to administer it after the war by virtue of a League of Nations mandate (and a United Nations mandate after the Second World War).
1962
- Western Samoa becomes independent, the first Pacific island nation to do so.
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89bd48ccf5835db31a5bc7057ff4d6ab | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15738522 | Viewpoint: Are Tibet burnings plot or policy failure? | Viewpoint: Are Tibet burnings plot or policy failure?
Eleven monks and nuns have set themselves on fire in ethnic Tibetan parts of Sichuan province this year. Robert Barnett of Columbia University looks at what has caused these incidents and how China is choosing to respond.
Responses to protest are basically of two kinds. The first sees protests as a stratagem or plot to damage the government. The Chinese government's handling of the self-immolations by Tibetans this year has so far been of this type, denouncing them as "terrorism in disguise" and "connected to overseas Tibet independence forces".
It responded in a similar way to protests that spread across the Tibetan plateau three years ago, and to violent protests by Uighurs in north-west China in 2009, in each case accusing exile leaders of fomenting them.
The second approach is a policy failure model, seeing protests as a response to excessive pressures placed on people by a government. Western governments that have spoken out about the self-immolations have seen them through this lens - the US urged the Chinese government to "address its counter-productive policies in Tibetan areas".
Tibetan leaders in exile took a similar view: the Dalai Lama described the "sad" and "drastic" acts as due to "some kind of policy" imposed by "hard-liner Chinese officials". The Karmapa, now a major religious leader in exile, called for the immolations to stop but described them as "a cry against... injustice and repression".
What are the implications of these two approaches? The first leads to a security response. The towns where the burning protests took place have seen significant troop increases, four police stations established at the main monastery involved, and three monks given prison sentences of 10 to 13 years for allegedly helping in one suicide.
Paramilitary troops imposed blockades on two of the monasteries that saw immolations this year, in one case cutting off food and water for several weeks, and reportedly leading to the deaths of two villagers who tried to stop them entering the monastery. In April, 300 monks from one monastery were taken away for "legal education"; their whereabouts are still unclear. Such responses are counter-productive, as has already become clear.
The policy-failure approach sees itself as working by increasing international pressure on China to change its policies in Tibet. This too can be problematic, since China clearly dislikes any foreign criticism. But there is evidence that major policy change has long been needed in Tibet.
This is sometimes overstated - it is not at all correct, for example, that all areas of Tibetan culture are being targeted for annihilation by China, as some exiles claim - but it is true that some sectors of the culture and community are singled out for harassment by the state, often in ways that most Chinese would be shocked by.
This is certainly true of the monks and nuns. When I was last based at Tibet University in Lhasa six years ago, the head of our department demanded that I order my American students not to meet any monks and nuns because, she said, "they have old brains" and therefore might support Tibetan independence.
Accordingly, they were banned from entering the campus without permission, let alone our building. That policy remains in place. It is not just a form of persecution but a missed opportunity for China, given the historic contribution monks and nuns have made to Tibetan culture and education.
At that time, all Tibetan students and Tibetan government employees in Lhasa had been ordered not to have a shrine, not to practice Buddhism and not to visit a monastery. That policy was introduced in 1996, and is apparently still in place. Overshadowing all this is the government's requirement that Chinese officials and the media insult the exiled Dalai Lama in personal terms, a policy decided in 1994 and still visible in most editions of the daily papers in Tibet, and these days in Beijing as well.
In the eastern Tibetan monasteries which have seen recent immolations, the pressures have been more serious than this. Since 2006, government spending per person on security in the Tibetan areas where the immolations have occurred has been 4.5 times greater than in neighbouring non-Tibetan areas and has increased at twice the rate.
This suggests that a security build-up had begun in these areas at least a year before the first major protest occurred there in 2008, probably because they included one of the largest monasteries on the plateau.
For Chinese officials, this reaction may be fuelled by frustration that another model seems not to be working. For 30 years, money has been poured into minority areas to build their economies and staunch unrest, following the theory, common in the West as well, that modernisation reduces religious faith and local identity. Instead, the opposite has happened.
The conspiracy approach to protests attempts to explain them without addressing the failure of the underlying modernisation model.
But in fact, there is one piece of evidence that one protest was planned: the Chinese government arrested two Tibetan monks in August for sending photographs to an exile of a fellow monk three days before he set himself on fire, thus "proving that the self-immolation was premeditated", according to Xinhua, China's official news agency.
But no other evidence of a plan has been produced by the Chinese government, except remarks saying that suicide is against Buddhist principles. It is true that political self-immolation was unheard of in Tibet before 2009, and that Buddhism considers suicide to be exceptionally harmful to the individual.
But like most religions, it equally regards self-sacrifice for the collective good as the highest form of virtue. The most famous of all the stories about the Buddha in his previous lives, known as stag mo lus 'byin in Tibetan, describes him lying down before a dying lioness so that she can eat his body and nurse her cubs. And, sadly, suicide as a result of intolerable policies has been common in Tibet in recent decades. What has changed this year is that political suicides in Tibet are now carried out in public.
But in the complex world of Chinese politics, the decision by the government not to produce more evidence of a conspiracy might indicate a quiet shift in their approach.
Perhaps the leaders just want to avoid drawing more attention inside China to these terrible deaths, which have triggered a tide of anguished outrage among other Tibetans in Tibet, judging from coded poems and comments appearing on the internet. But they may also be starting to look at policy issues.
The signs are small and ambiguous, but interesting. Last month, a Chinese scholar, a former senior official, told a meeting in New York that the immolations have "underlying causes and we must study them seriously".
In late October, a government office in Tibet was reportedly demolished by a bomb, but no report appeared in the Chinese press, usually all too eager to link Tibetans to violence or terrorism.
In August, a new Chinese leader was appointed in Tibet who has a background in economics rather than in "handling" minorities, and he has been well received for making sure that all of this year's university graduates in Tibet were given jobs.
And this week he announced that "pension, medical insurance and the minimum living allowances" will be covered for monks at every monastery.
It is far too early to tell if this is a shift to a model that acknowledges policy failure or a return to modernisation theory - throwing state funds at a cultural and political crisis in the belief that wealth replaces religion and nationality.
Either way, given the decades-long deterioration of state-society relations in Tibet, China's leaders will have to decide whether to treat protests and suicides as conspiracies or as signs that fundamental policies need to be reviewed.
Robert Barnett is the Director of the Modern Tibetan Studies Program and an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, New York.
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feb8514536b213a9cc484a43cb5a42a2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16008958 | Row over Pakistan actress Veena Malik nude 'ISI' photo | Row over Pakistan actress Veena Malik nude 'ISI' photo
A row has erupted over an image of Pakistani actress Veena Malik sporting the initials ISI on her arm, with FHM India insisting it is not fake.
It has caused a sensation in Pakistan for both the nudity and the initials of Pakistan's controversial Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency.
Pakistani media have quoted a spokesman for Ms Malik as saying she never took part in such a photoshoot.
But FHM India's editor told the BBC that nothing had been doctored.
"We have video footage of the shoot as well as emails from Veena about how she's looking forward to the cover," Kabeer Sharma told the BBC's Nosheen Abbas in Islamabad.
"The idea to have ISI written on her arm was mine, and it was Veena's idea to have it in block letters," he added.
He said that the image was intended to be playful, saying that: "In India we joke about this... if anything goes wrong... we say the ISI must be behind this."
The ISI has been in the headlines in recent months after senior US officials accused it of supporting militants based in Pakistan's tribal areas who target Western troops in Afghanistan.
In September the most senior US military officer Adm Mike Mullen said that the Haqqani militant network "acts as a veritable arm of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency".
Pakistan has vehemently denied such allegations.
Correspondents say that the image, which is the cover of the December issue of the Indian edition of the global men's magazine, has caused a storm in Pakistan with many people expressing outrage over the nudity and the boldness of the photo.
Many Pakistanis on the micro-blogging site Twitter are also expressing bemusement at the image.
The Express Tribune newspaper in Pakistan said a representative of Ms Malik had denied she posed for the shoot.
"Veena knows her limits. I know we have done quite bold stuff/shoots, those which are available on our website, but she knows her parameters," Sohail Rashid is quoted as saying.
FHM's editor said he had never heard of the representative and added that Ms Malik had not got in touch to ask him to modify or remove the image.
The actress has been at the centre of controversy before.
She caused outrage among conservative circles in Pakistan for appearing on the Indian reality show Bigg Boss in 2010. She hit the headlines again in March this year by challenging the views of a Pakistani cleric on television.
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df97250dd6c737c27d30aeb96f6ee6e1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16176410 | Indonesia's Aceh punks shaved for 're-education' | Indonesia's Aceh punks shaved for 're-education'
Dozens of young men and women have been detained for being "punk" and disturbing the peace in Aceh, Indonesia's most devoutly Muslim province. They are being held in a remedial school, where they are undergoing "re-education".
Rights groups have expressed concern after photographs emerged of the young men having their mohawks and funky hairstyles shaved off by Aceh's police.
They look sullen and frightened as they are forced into a communal bath.
But Aceh's police say they are not trying to harm the youths, they are trying to protect them.
The 64 punks, many of whom are from as far away as Bali or Jakarta, were picked up on Saturday night during a local concert.
Aceh police spokesman Gustav Leo says there have been complaints from residents nearby.
The residents did not like the behaviour of the punks and alleged that some of them had approached locals for money.
Mr Leo stressed that no-one had been charged with any crime, and there were no plans to do so.
They have now been taken to a remedial school in the Seulawah Hills, about 60km (37 miles) away from the provincial capital Banda Aceh.
"They will undergo a re-education so their morals will match those of other Acehnese people," says Mr Leo.
But activists say the manner in which the young people have been treated is humiliating and a violation of human rights.
Aceh Human Rights Coalition chief Evi Narti Zain says the police should not have taken such harsh steps, accusing them of treating children like criminals.
"They are just children, teenagers, expressing themselves," she says.
"Of course there are Acehnese people who complained about them - but regardless of that, this case shouldn't have been handled like this. They were doused with cold water, and their heads were shaved - this is a human rights violation. Their dignity was abused."
But Mr Leo disagrees.
"We didn't arrest them, they haven't committed any criminal offence," he says.
"They are Aceh's own children - we are doing this for their own good. Their future could be at risk. We are re-educating them so they don't shame their parents."
This is the second time Aceh's police have clamped down on punks in the province, which is the only province in Indonesia allowed to implement shariah law.
There is a thriving underground punk music scene in Aceh, but many punk-lovers are viewed suspiciously by local residents.
Many of the young teens sport outrageous hairstyles, in keeping with punk culture, but against the norms of the keenly religious in Aceh.
Aceh is one of the most devout Muslim provinces in Indonesia, and observers say it has becoming increasingly more conservative since Islamic law was implemented a few years ago.
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623268ef048922c832d05d44be64c01e | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16282021 | Kim Jong-il death: 'Five million' mourn North Korea leader | Kim Jong-il death: 'Five million' mourn North Korea leader
More than five million North Koreans have so far turned out to pay their respects to late leader Kim Jong-il, state media say.
The body of Mr Kim is lying in state in the capital Pyongyang as organised public mourning continues in streets and halls around the country.
His son and presumed heir, Kim Jong-un, has publicly led funeral proceedings.
State media hailed the new ruler as "the outstanding leader of our party, army and people".
Kim Jong-il died on Saturday of a heart attack at the age of 69, say state media reports, which blamed "overwork and stress". He will be buried on 28 December.
The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says the figure of five million mourners given by North Korea's state run news agency is impossible to verify.
If true, it would mean more than a fifth of the population had joined in the public grieving in the isolated, nuclear-armed state.
Photographs released by North Korean state media show solemn gatherings in halls and open spaces in Pyongyang.
At least some of the mass wailing and weeping on the streets of Pyongyang is an expression of genuine grief, our correspondent says.
North Korean state media have been reporting pledges of loyalty to the new leader Kim Jong-un after the death of his father.
Kim Jong-un conducted a procession of senior officials viewing the late leader's body, which is displayed in a glass coffin.
He also received mourners, including foreign envoys, indicating a strengthening of his image as the country's political face at home and abroad.
However, two days after Kim Jong-il's death was announced, governments in the region are continuing to debate the implications of his inexperienced youngest son taking power.
Kim Jong-il had been in the process of formalising Kim Jong-un as his successor when he died.
But the transition had not been completed and analysts fear Mr Kim's death could trigger a period of instability.
Speculation is rife about whether the younger Kim can manage to take charge of the country unchallenged.
The Reuters news agency quotes an unnamed source with links to Pyongyang as saying that Kim Jong-un has the full backing of the military.
However, a shift to a more collective form of rule is expected, the source told Reuters, in contrast to the autocratic leadership of Kim Jong-il.
Reuters says its source declined to be identified, but has correctly predicted events in the past.
Firm information is impossible to obtain about what is going on in the closed circles of North Korea's ruling elite.
Activists in South Korea, including North Korean defectors have launched large balloons across the frontier towards the North carrying tens of thousands of propaganda leaflets.
The documents criticise the hereditary transfer of power and also describe the uprisings in the Arab World.
"We will not sit idle while witnessing North Koreans suffer from oppression and hunger under autocratic leadership," one of the organisers, Park Sang-hak, told Yonhap news agency.
Similar leaflet drops in the past have angered Pyongyang.
One topic of discussion among governments in the region is likely to be the apparent failure of intelligence gathering.
For more than 48 hours between the North Korean leader's death and the official announcement it seems no spy agency had the slightest inkling that anything was up, says our correspondent.
The South Korean military has backed the assessment of the country's intelligence chief that Kim Jong-il's special train was not in motion at the time North Korean officials say he died.
The head of South Korean intelligence told parliament on Tuesday that the train was stationary at a Pyongyang station, contradicting claims by North Korea that he died on a moving train.
Analysts say the circumstances of Kim's death could be sensitive to the North Korean leadership because of the way they wish to represent his legacy.
The South Korean military has been put on alert in the wake of Mr Kim's death and the country has sent its condolences to the North Korean people.
"I hope North Korea will overcome this well and peace on the Korean Peninsula will be maintained," said the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak.
Seoul's failure to express condolences after the death of Kim Il-sung in 1994 affected relations between the two states for years.
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f1dd099d61d50c9b1e3250ccc632096b | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16388286 | Commonwealth calls for Fiji elections | Commonwealth calls for Fiji elections
The Commonwealth has called for credible elections in Fiji, after its military ruler announced he would lift martial law.
Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma welcomed the announcement but said it was "long overdue", and urged a return to democracy.
Australian leader Julia Gillard said more action was needed from Fiji.
Commodore Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama seized power in a 2006 coup, ousting elected Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase.
He has not held elections since, despite calls from the international community. Fiji remains suspended from the Commonwealth and is the subject of international sanctions.
Cmdr Bainimarama imposed the emergency law - which censored the media and banned public meetings - after the Fiji Appeal Court ruled that his coup was illegal. The constitution was also repealed.
In a new year's speech, he said that the law would be lifted so that consultation on a new constitution could begin ahead of elections in 2014.
The Commonwealth welcomed the announcement on the constitution.
"The Secretary-General hopes that such consultations will be fully inclusive and time-bound, and that they will lead to a genuine national consensus on the constitution, clearing the way for credible elections and the return of a democratically elected government without further delay,"
its statement said.
Australian leader Julia Gillard said the end of emergency rule was a "first step", but that more was needed.
"We do want to see action. We do want to see democracy restored," she told a news conference.
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edf5ab51b48a2138bc61f89831d1f470 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16446401 | China in US gunsights | China in US gunsights
Is China's rise going to lead to conflict with America? Is Beijing destined to go to war with today's undisputed global superpower?
The question is not posed directly in the
new US defence strategic review
. But, unspoken, it is there, running through the document that seeks to shape America's new military thinking for the 21st Century.
Read the review and it is clear that the challenge posed by a rising China is at the very heart of America's new defence strategy.
The document is careful to say China is not destined to be an adversary. But it makes clear America is, nevertheless, about to retool its military to deter China, and, if necessary, to confront it.
Released by President Barack Obama at the Pentagon, the aim of the new strategy is there in black and white: to reshape the US military in a way that "preserves American global leadership, maintains our military superiority".
The Pentagon and the White House are certainly not ready to accept the notion that America is inevitably facing long-term decline while China is on an equally inevitable rise. America wants to remain number one, and this new defence policy is designed to achieve that.
In the very first sentence of his preamble, President Obama says "our nation is at a moment of transition," and the review states: "We face an inflection point." It identifies two basic forces shaping the transition, one inside America, one outside.
At home growing budget pressures mean there have to be cuts in military spending. At the same time there is the awareness that, abroad, China's growing economic strength is changing the dynamic of power in Asia.
The new defence posture, says the US, encourages "the peaceful rise of new powers". That is code for welcoming China's ascent, and has been said many times before.
As to what China's rise means, the new strategy is open-minded. "Over the long term," it says, noncommittally, "China's emergence as a regional power will have the potential to affect the US economy and our security in a variety of ways."
Note the way that China is described as an emerging "regional power". The Pentagon is not ready to accord China the status of a global power or superpower, or even an emerging superpower, a reflection of the fact that China's military reach is still far from global.
However China's economic influence does now span the world. America and China are bound by mutual self-interest. But the review is clear there is a real lack of trust.
"Our two countries have a strong stake in peace and stability in East Asia and an interest in building a co-operative bilateral relationship. However, the growth of China's military power must be accompanied by a greater clarity of its strategic intentions in order to avoid causing friction in the region."
So the US is still hedging its bets. Already last year, the Obama administration unveiled its "pivot", turning America's gaze towards the Pacific. That shift is clear in this new doctrine. "We will of necessity rebalance toward the Asia-Pacific region", it says several times.
Now America is stating that it will work on several fronts to counter China's emerging power.
There is a clear concern about China's efforts to develop weapons that would make it hard for US forces to operate in parts of East Asia. China is investing in "anti-access" and "area denial" weapons like so-called "carrier killer" missiles that could sink US aircraft carriers at sea. It has also invested heavily in submarines and is building stealth fighter jets.
All of those could push US aircraft carrier fleets further from China's shores, limiting their ability to influence vital trade routes in the South China Sea, or to defend Taiwan if it is attacked by China.
The review says "states such as China and Iran will continue to pursue asymmetric means to counter our power projection capabilities." But it promises "the United States must maintain its ability to project power in areas in which our access and freedom to operate are challenged".
"The maintenance of peace, stability, the free flow of commerce, and of US influence in this dynamic region will depend in part on an underlying balance of military capability and presence," it says.
So the US wants to keep its military superiority over China intact. What that leads to is an escalating arms race as America moves to counter China's own advances.
In a way the Pentagon may be copying China's own strategy, investing in similar types of weapons. There will be a focus on developing increasing air and naval power, and on advanced weapons such as even more sophisticated stealth jets, missiles and drones, along with cyberwarfare and space capabilities too.
Strengthening a network of alliances around China is the other pillar of the strategy. "We will emphasise our existing alliances, which provide a vital foundation for Asia-Pacific security. We will also expand our networks of co-operation with emerging partners throughout the Asia-Pacific region."
Already the US has close defence relationships with South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia. It is working to build ties with Vietnam, Indonesia and is "investing in a long-term strategic partnership with India".
What all this amounts to is a very robust message of deterrence to China. The US will contest any challenge to its dominance. It will cement core alliances with China's neighbours and protect its interest in East Asia.
To return to the question we began with. Will there be conflict between the US and China one day?
The answer may well depend on how China responds to this new policy. Will it seek to assert its own power in East Asia? Will that cause growing friction?
One early response to the new US policy has come from the state-controlled Global Times newspaper, often nationalist in its opinions.
It says "China needs to enhance its long-distance military attack ability and develop more ways to threaten US territory in order to gradually push outward the front line of its 'game' with America".
"China," the paper says, "must make the US realise that its rise can't be stopped and that it is best for the US to show friendliness towards China."
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10705c744c09c08263bbea4606a134f3 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16921101 | Uzbekistan 'cancels Valentines Day' | Uzbekistan 'cancels Valentines Day'
Lovers in Uzbekistan who used to celebrate Valentine's Day by hearing pop singer Rayhan sing will have to look for other forms of entertainment this year.
Rayhan, a popular singer whose music mixes Eastern melodies with Western pop, has given a concert on 14 February for years.
But this month the show has been cancelled, along with other events.
Instead of Valentine's Day, the authorities are trying instead to promote the study and appreciation of a local hero, the Moghul emperor Babur, whose birthday falls on 14 February.
Babur, a descendant of Genghis Khan and founder of a culturally rich and tolerant empire across South and Central Asia, will be commemorated in readings and poetic festivals.
An official from the education ministry's Department for Enlightenment and Promoting Values said it had issued an internal decree "not to celebrate holidays that are alien to our culture and instead promote Babur's birthday".
The official, who wanted to remain anonymous, said the decree had been in place for a while.
Uzbek citizens were divided on the move, which is the latest in a series by the authorities against Western influences.
Abdullaw, a Tashkent resident who described himself as an intellectual, said it was right to stop the concert.
"It's the birthday of our great ancestor Mohammed Zahiriddin Babur," he said. "Why should we celebrate some artificial, lightweight event? It doesn't fit our mentality and our history."
But Jasur Hamraev, an entertainment journalist, said imposing patriotic celebrations was the wrong move.
"You shouldn't turn the day into a nationalistic cause because that just divides people," he said, adding that many young people would have enjoyed Rayhan's show.
"It's laughable," he said. "For 10 years she's been giving concerts on that day and this year it is banned as if someone had suddenly remembered that it's happening."
Local reports say the state information agency has in the past warned local publishers to avoid material on Valentine's Day.
But a college student told the BBC that Valentine's Day had become a new tradition celebrated among young people in particular, with souvenirs, cards and small presents exchanged between sweethearts.
The independent Uzbek news website uznews.net conducted its own informal survey and found that most of those questioned were planning to celebrate as usual, eating out or going to a club.
"It's a shame that instead of going to a concert we'll have to waste a couple of hours at some tedious event the university will put on," it quoted one student as saying.
It is not the first time that the authorities and the state media in particular have taken aim at what they see as damaging Western influences.
In the past few weeks there have been several articles attacking foreign soap operas from Mexico and Latin America for being too explicit and for undermining local values and traditions.
Similar criticism was levelled against hard rock and rap music in an extensive campaign a year ago. A Youth Channel on state TV labelled the music "Satanic", feeding on drug addiction and immorality.
The government set up a special censorship body to monitor rap music, register artists and hold regular meetings to encourage the use of more wholesome lyrics.
But observers say that the authorities' approach to Western culture is largely inconsistent with state media attacking supposedly immoral content on TV and the internet, while not a word is said about the often raunchy music videos produced by the president's daughter, Gulnara Karimova.
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0c3159033d5c4ffbe9d5b0c727259ff2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17413055 | Osama Bin Laden 'plotted to kill Obama' before death | Osama Bin Laden 'plotted to kill Obama' before death
Osama Bin Laden was plotting to kill US President Barack Obama, US media reports say.
The plans are said to be in papers found in the compound in Abbottabad where the al-Qaeda leader was killed by US special forces last year.
Bin Laden asked deputies to plan an attack against an aircraft carrying Mr Obama and General David Petraeus.
He said the killing would throw the US into crisis, as Vice President Biden was "totally unprepared" to take over.
The documents were seen
by the Washington Post
. There is growing anticipation in the US over government plans to publish all the papers seized at the compound when it was raided in May 2011.
Laptops, notepads and computer hard drives were also taken.
Bin Laden asked one of his deputies, Ilyas Kashmiri, to start preparing the attack.
"Please ask brother Ilyas to send me the steps he has taken into that work," he wrote in a 48-page note.
The US media says intelligence officials believe it is unlikely that al-Qaeda had the capacity to launch such an attack in the US, and have not seen evidence of any preparations.
Kashmiri was killed in a US air attack a month after the death of Bin Laden.
In his 48-page note Bin Laden called on al-Qaeda operatives to move away from the Pakistani tribal areas because of the constant attacks by US remotely-controlled planes.
He also debated changing al-Qaeda's name, because US officials "have largely stopped using the phrase 'the war on terror' in the context of not wanting to provoke Muslims", he said.
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c95814fcc6347e210707b7a2987030d4 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17675399 | Indian Ocean tsunami alert lifted after Aceh quake | Indian Ocean tsunami alert lifted after Aceh quake
A tsunami watch declared after two major earthquakes off the coast of Indonesia's Aceh province has now been cancelled, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PWTC) says.
Two hours after the quakes - one with a magnitude of 8.6, the other measuring 8.3 - the centre says "the threat has diminished or is over for most areas".
The alerts caused panic as people fled buildings and made for high ground.
There have been no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
India, Thailand and Sri Lanka have also lifted their own tsunami warnings.
The region is regularly hit by earthquakes. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 170,000 people in Aceh alone and some 250,000 around the region.
The US Geological Survey (USGS), which documents quakes worldwide, said the first Aceh quake was centred at a depth of 33km (20 miles), about 495km from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.
It was initially reported as 8.9 magnitude but was later revised down to 8.6 by the USGS. Quake officials said a tsunami had been generated and was heading for the coast of Aceh.
The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta says there were reports of the ground shaking for up to five minutes.
A PTWC alert
said that sea level readings indicated a tsunami was generated and that it "may already have been destructive along some coasts," without specifying where.
A Thai disaster official said a 10cm wave had been recorded on Koh Miang island, off Phang Nga.
Earlier, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the authorities were remaining "vigilant", despite the lack of tsunami reports.
"Our warning system is working well, and I have ordered the national relief team to fly immediately to Aceh to ensure the situation is under control and to take any necessary action," he said.
A few hours later, the PTWC renewed its warning after a major aftershock measuring 8.2 struck 16km (10 miles) beneath the ocean floor and 615km from Banda Aceh.
An AFP correspondent in Banda Aceh said the second aftershock lasted four minutes.
The PTWC issues advisory alerts across the region, which state authorities can use to issue their own emergency procedures. Indonesia straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of major seismic activity.
Sutopo, a spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, said electricity had been cut in Aceh and there were traffic jams to access higher ground.
"Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere," he told Reuters.
Tremors were felt as far away as Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Bangladesh and India. The French island of Reunion was also on alert.
Along the eastern coast of Africa, Kenya and Tanzania issued their own tsunami warnings.
"There was a tremor felt by all of us working in the building," a man called Vincent in Calcutta, India, told the BBC.
"All just ran out of the building and people were asked not to use the elevator. There was a minute of chaos where all started ringing up to their family and asking about their well-being."
Tsunami warning sirens, set up in many vulnerable areas after the 2004 disaster, were heard in Phuket, Thailand, where correspondents said people were calmly following evacuation routes to safe zones.
Roger Musson, a seismologist from the British Geological Survey, said the quakes were unlike those seen off Indonesia in recent years, where ground had been pushed under the continental plate, "flipping up" the seabed.
"It seems to be a large earthquake within the Indian Plate and the plate has broken in a sort of lateral way," he said.
"It's a sort of tearing earthquake, and this is much less likely to cause a tsunami because it's not displacing large volumes of water."
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7695fb9381ad744a11595a82b4cae27a | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17686107 | Philippines 'withdraws warship' amid China stand-off | Philippines 'withdraws warship' amid China stand-off
The Philippines says it has withdrawn its largest warship from a continuing stand-off with Chinese boats in the disputed South China Sea.
Earlier on Thursday a Philippine coastguard vessel arrived in the area, known as the Scarborough Shoal.
The Philippines also says China has sent a third ship to the scene.
The Philippine foreign minister said negotiations with China would continue. Both claim the shoal off the Philippines' north-west coast.
The Philippines said its warship found eight Chinese fishing vessels at the shoal when it was patrolling the area on Sunday.
It did not say why the warship had been pulled back. "That is an operational undertaking I can't discuss with you," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario was quoted by AFP news agency as saying.
"We are pursuing the diplomatic track in terms of coming to a resolution on the issue," Mr Del Rosario said.
In
a statement
, the Philippines said that its navy boarded the Chinese fishing vessels on Tuesday and found a large amount of illegally-caught fish and coral.
Two Chinese surveillance ships then apparently arrived in the area, placing themselves between the warship and the fishing vessels, preventing the navy from making arrests.
The Philippines summoned Chinese ambassador Ma Keqing on Wednesday to lodge a protest over the incident. However, China maintained it had sovereign rights over the area and asked that the Philippine warship leave the waters.
China's state-run newspaper China Daily
claimed in an editorial that the Chinese fishermen were "harassed" by the Philippine ship.
"China should take more measures to safeguard its maritime territory," the newspaper stated.
"The latest moves by China's two neighbours are beyond tolerance," it added, also referring to Vietnam. "They are blatant challenges to China's territorial integrity."
However, the
Global Times newspaper
added that China "has the patience to work out solutions with the countries concerned through negotiation".
The stand-off comes as the Philippines prepares for joint naval exercises with the United States from the 16 to 27 April near the disputed area.
Six countries claim competing sovereignty over areas in the South China Sea, which is believed to contain huge deposits of oil and gas.
Along with China and the Philippines, they are Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
China's claim includes almost the entire South China Sea, well into what the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea recognises as the 200-mile-from-shore Exclusive Economic Zones of other claimants.
That has led to occasional flare-ups and to competition to occupy islands, reefs and sandbars.
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0994ef1e68ffe6011489d81e918217fc | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18341379 | Pakistan probes 'honour killings' of four women | Pakistan probes 'honour killings' of four women
Officials in Pakistan are travelling to a remote north-western region to find out if four women, who apparently sang and watched as two men danced, have been murdered in an honour killing.
Video footage of the men and women, who gathered as part of a wedding celebration, has been widely seen.
Villagers say the women were later killed. Local officials deny this.
The men in the video appeared in court on Wednesday charged with creating conditions for tribal violence.
Local officials not only failed to produce the women in the court on Wednesday but were also unable to produce any proof they were still alive, as directed by the court earlier.
The video, first circulated about two months ago, shows four women sitting on the floor of a room, chatting and singing wedding songs while clapping their hands. A fifth woman is said have been an accomplice.
A decree was allegedly issued by tribal elders for them to be killed because it was thought their actions brought dishonour to their community which frowns on men and women fraternising or dancing together.
Also seen in the video are two young brothers, one of whom dances to the sound of the women's song. The other films the video, at one point turning the camera to himself.
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says that there is no shot of the men and women together, and it is unclear if they were in the same place at the same time.
On Wednesday, the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province - where the incident in Kohistan district is alleged to have happened - argued that local custom did not allow women to travel in male company or face questions from male members of a judicial bench.
He said this could lead to local legal complications.
He suggested that a commission be constituted, including officials and human rights activists, to conduct an inquiry in Kohistan and submit its report to the court.
But the court ordered that the women, if they were alive, should be brought to Islamabad.
It suggested that the authorities should take some women activists with them who could provide the Kohistani women with female company during their journey.
The village is at least two days' journey on foot from the nearest highway, and only helicopters can reach the area quickly.
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8ee912abae1725a061b71ef64e1f2cae | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18437404 | Chinese media push into US | Chinese media push into US
China is aggressively trying to stake out a place in America's highly competitive media landscape in an effort to get the country presented in a more positive light.
Through state-owned television, newspapers, magazines and online sites, China is trying to reach millions of Americans with its own brand of news.
One of the more visible signs of the growing Chinese media presence in the US can be found right in the heart of New York, where Xinhua, China's state-run news agency, has paid for a huge electronic billboard to display its logo from one of the tallest buildings in Times Square.
Down below, on the streets, most New Yorkers have no clue what the billboard represents, but Elizabeth Economy, director of Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, detects a growing trend.
"I think there's been an explosion in the role that Chinese media have tried to play over the past two to three years. I think they're really making a play to get the Chinese voice into the American media mainstream," she says.
Nowadays, Americans can find copies of China Daily appearing as advertising supplements within established papers like the New York Times and Washington Post.
There is a strengthened Chinese news presence online - and this year, China launched a cable network for Americans called CCTV America.
"The Chinese government for many, many years has felt as though the narrative on China has been dominated by a Western perspective," Ms Economy says.
"And the Chinese believe the time is now for China to get its own voice out there and tell its own story."
With the growth of China's state-owned media in the US, there is a lot of information to be sifted, sorted and digested.
China's news organisations cover a broad range of international, American and Chinese stories. But what is it that is being delivered - is it journalism or is it propaganda - especially when it comes to China?
Sarah Cook, Asia research analyst at the pro-democracy organisation Freedom House, which monitors press freedom, has no doubt that it is propaganda that is being peddled.
Whether its China Daily, Xinhua News, or CCTV, she says: "Most of what's reported is going to have to fit within a certain scope of censorship directives that are regularly issued by the Chinese government.
"In some cases, it could be that you're just not allowed to write about anything. In other cases, it could be that you have to say something very specific about the facts of a particular incident, and other elements that might be complete fabrications of information," she adds.
The attempts by the Chinese media to be seen as independent in the US have not been helped by the comments made last year by CCTV President Hu Zhanfan.
He remarked: "The first social responsibility and professional ethic of media staff should be understanding their role clearly and being a good mouthpiece."
He reportedly went on to say: "Journalists who think of themselves as professionals, instead of as propaganda workers, are making a fundamental mistake about identity."
Despite such proclamations, China's news outlets targeting Americans have defenders in the US.
"I think they abide by journalistic guidelines and report their news according to their accuracy, timeliness, proximity and so forth," says Fred Teng, business manager of NewsChina magazine, linked to the state-owned China News Service.
When New York-based Mr Teng was asked if he thought the Chinese media were engaged in propaganda, he replied: "I think that Chinese media…it's a very new growing media. They certainly have more room for improvements."
There have been strides forward in the way China packages and presents its news. But despite CCTV casting itself as a slick, Western-style TV news operation, and efforts to make China Daily competitive with US papers, many Americans still harbour suspicions of bias when it comes to the Chinese media.
That is partly why China's US-targeted news services have not yet been able to attract a significant audience.
"I don't think that they're going to win over any hearts and minds unless and until they begin to adopt a format that is more akin to what Americans have grown up with, which really is a challenging and investigative form of journalism," Ms Economy says.
"That is what attracts people."
Many analysts share the view that Chinese media outlets trying to reach American audiences would not gain respect, or commercial viability until they have editorial autonomy - and that would require a loosening of control by Chinese officialdom - which is not likely.
In fact, the authorities in Beijing are closely overseeing China's media operations in the US. It is part of a much wider global endeavour to sway opinion.
Three years ago, the Chinese government reportedly committed $6bn (£3.87bn) to an international media push aimed at getting the country presented in more favourable terms.
So far, the experience, in America at least, suggests it is a strategy that has not yet been able to make much of an impact.
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afe85ffa236c9d1dae824f6d8b73244c | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18562208 | Endangered Sumatran rhinoceros born in captivity | Endangered Sumatran rhinoceros born in captivity
A Sumatran rhinoceros - one of the world's most endangered species - has given birth at a sanctuary in Indonesia.
Conservationists at the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park said the mother, Ratu, and her male calf were both "very well".
It is only the fourth recorded case of a Sumatran rhino being born in captivity in a century.
There are thought to be fewer than 200 alive in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Their numbers have dropped by 50% over the past 20 years, largely due to poaching and loss of habitat.
A spokesman for Indonesia's forest ministry, Masyhud, told the AFP news agency that Ratu's labour had gone "smoothly and naturally".
"It's really a big present for the Sumatran rhino breeding efforts as we know that this is a very rare species which have some difficulties in their reproduction," he added.
"This is the first birth of a Sumatran rhino at a sanctuary in Indonesia."
It was Ratu's third pregnancy. The previous two ended in miscarriages.
The father of the baby rhino, Andalas, was born at Cincinnati Zoo in the US in 2001 - the first Sumatran rhino to be delivered in captivity in 112 years.
He was brought to Indonesia in 2009 to mate with Ratu, who was born in the wild but wandered out of a forest and was taken in by the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary.
On Friday, the US-based International Rhino Foundation said that a veterinary team would harvest Ratu's placental cells, which could be used to generate stem cells.
Stem cells had the potential to be useful for many purposes in the near future, including curing diseases and helping promote reproduction, it said.
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a65a9bd83c98930f366810540534ea1e | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18792981 | Baby giant panda dies in Japan | Baby giant panda dies in Japan
A baby giant panda born at a Tokyo zoo last week has died after inhaling its mother's milk, zookeepers have said.
The male cub, which had not been named, was just six days old and was found lying on its back on its mother's chest.
It was the first time the zoo's natural breeding programme had been successful, and the birth had been widely celebrated across Japan.
The cub's parents, Shin Shin and Ri Ri, arrived on loan from China last year.
Tokyo pays $1m (£640,000) a year to lease them.
Seven-year-old Shin Shin gave birth just days after being declared pregnant. The arrival was the first in the zoo for more than 20 years.
Pandas often experience difficulty in conceiving naturally, particularly when they are on public display, according to experts.
When the cub was found, it was not breathing. Keepers at Ueno zoo massaged its heart, but it was declared dead an hour later.
Wiping away tears at a news conference, the zoo's director Toshimitsu Doi said that an autopsy suggested that the cub had inhaled some milk when it was breast-feeding, triggering pneumonia.
The zoo's chief panda keeper, Yutaka Fukuda, said the cub had only just been returned to its mother after three days in an incubator.
"They peacefully spent the night and the baby was doing fine just this morning. It happened so suddenly, and it's such a pity," he said.
The zoo said it would set up a space for visitors to lay flowers and pray for the dead panda.
China often loans pandas to other countries as gestures of friendship and to take part in breeding programmes, but asks that all pandas and their offspring are eventually returned to China.
About 1,600 remain in the wild in China, with some 300 others in captivity - mostly in China.
Shin Shin and Ri Ri appeared for the first time in public shortly after a powerful earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on 11 March 2011.
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6ef9b8af5e513fdc6a4dd071003173c5 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18965122 | Pakistan drone strike 'kills 10' suspected militants | Pakistan drone strike 'kills 10' suspected militants
A US drone attack has killed at least 10 suspected militants in Pakistan's north-western tribal area, Pakistani security officials say.
Several missiles struck a militant compound in the Shawal area of the volatile North Waziristan area close to the Afghan border, reports say.
Local intelligence officials say the strike targeted the compound of a senior militant.
The frontier tribal region is considered a hub of militant activity.
The targeted compound was in Dray Nashtar village, some 65km (40 miles) west of Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, according to the AFP news agency.
"It was not immediately clear if any important militant had been killed in the attack. We are trying to ascertain the identities," a local intelligence official told AFP.
In recent months there has been an upsurge in the use of the controversial US drone programme.
Pakistan says the drone attacks fuel anti-US sentiment and claim civilian casualties along with militants. The US insists the strikes are effective.
Drone strikes have killed hundreds of people in recent years. The dead include senior al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, as well as an unknown number of other militants and civilians.
Despite worsening relations between the uneasy allies, Pakistan recently reopened supply routes through Pakistan for Nato troops stationed in Afghanistan.
The routes had been closed since November 2011, after a Nato border air strike hit a Pakistan military compound, killing 24 soldiers.
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61a837206fa000d43d7f68c6ca0554e6 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19124495 | North Korea floods: Death toll raised, WFP sends food aid | North Korea floods: Death toll raised, WFP sends food aid
The floods that hit parts of North Korea in recent weeks have killed 169 people and left 400 missing, the state news agency says, sharply revising earlier casualty figures.
The floods and heavy rain in late June and July have also made more than 212,000 people homeless, it says.
Some 65,000 hectares (160,000 acres) of cropland were affected.
The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) says it is sending emergency food aid to North Korea after it asked for aid.
Official media had previously reported 119 deaths in the floods.
On Friday, the WFP said the initial food assistance would provide flood victims with 400g (14oz) of maize per day for two weeks, but it did not say when the food would arrive.
UN officials in Pyongyang who visited flood-hit parts of the country to assess damage said the need for aid was urgent.
Damage to infrastructure and farmland has affected the country's already dire food shortage problem.
More than 8,600 houses were destroyed and another 43,770 swamped, along with some 1,400 schools, factories and healthcare facilities, according to the state news agency.
Residents in these areas need of food supplies, as well as clean water, as wells have been contaminated by sewage during the floods.
North Korea relies on food aid because it cannot grow enough food to feed its people, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson in South Korea.
Famine in the mid-1990s is believed to have killed hundreds of thousands of people.
A UN
report
released last month estimated that two-thirds of North Korea's 24 million population suffer from a chronic shortage of food.
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20857eb8fe43336bff7ed323eca862ed | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19124808 | Afghan parliament votes to sack key ministers | Afghan parliament votes to sack key ministers
The Afghan parliament has passed a vote of no confidence in two of its most senior ministers and demanded that they be replaced.
The interior and defence ministers were criticised for failing to prevent cross-border shelling from Pakistan and security lapses that resulted in the assassinations of senior officials.
They have also been questioned by MPs over allegations of corruption.
The vote is a blow to President Hamid Karzai's administration, observers say.
Mr Karzai's office said he would make a decision on Sunday about the future of Interior Minister Besmillah Mohammadi and Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak.
The president has the power to keep them in their posts for another month. In the past, he has retained his ministers for even longer.
Speaking ahead of the vote, Mr Wardak said he had responded to cross-border attacks by sending more troops to the north-eastern border, and had deployed long-range artillery and ammunition.
But parliament passed a measure to remove him by a vote of 146 to 72.
A separate vote of no-confidence in Mr Mohammadi was passed by 126 to 90.
The international community appears to have lost two key Afghan figures with whom they have been dealing the most at what is a critical time, says the BBC's Aleem Maqbool in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Nato-led forces are looking to withdraw from the country by the end of 2014.
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bf7d2a348fbb4d3d6ee2a5a43b27ac82 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19280339 | Shias killed in Gilgit sectarian attack | Shias killed in Gilgit sectarian attack
As many as 25 Shia Muslims have been forced out of a bus and killed in a sectarian attack in Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan, officials have told the BBC.
The killings took place in a remote and mountainous area about 160km (100 miles) north of the capital Islamabad as the bus was travelling from the city of Rawalpindi to the city of Gilgit.
Sectarian violence has killed hundreds of Pakistanis in recent years.
Most attacks are in the Northern Areas and in Balochistan province.
Police told the BBC that those killed in the latest attack were travelling on three buses for the forthcoming Muslim festival of Eid in the district of Mansehra. They were either shot or bludgeoned to death.
The victims were checked for their identification documents, police say, before they were lined up and killed.
Police have moved the bodies to a hospital in Mansehra town, the district centre. Most victims were between 25 and 30 years of age - there were no women among them.
"Ten to 12 people wearing army uniform stopped forced some people off the buses," Mansehra administration chief Khalid Omarzai told the AFP news agency.
"After checking their papers, they opened fire and at least 20 people are reported to have been killed. This is initial information and the final toll may go up. They are all Shias," he said.
Police told AFP that the gunmen were masked.
"They stopped three vehicles, searched them and picked up people in three batches of five, six and nine and shot them dead. They were all Shias," a police spokesman said.
Correspondents say that while Shia-majority Gilgit is a popular tourist destination for wealthy Pakistanis and expatriates, it has suffered from increased sectarian tensions in recent months. The area neighbours the Swat valley, a former Taliban stronghold.
Gigit city is the capital of Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan region, and is seen as a gateway to the Karakoram and Himalayan mountain ranges.
Shias and other minority communities say those behind the violence - such as the banned Sunni militant organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi - are rarely caught or punished.
Sunni extremists allied to or inspired by al-Qaeda and the Taliban routinely attack government and security targets in northern Pakistan, in addition to religious minorities and other Muslim sects they consider to be infidels.
In February gunmen killed at least 18 Shia bus passengers in a sectarian attack in the northern district of Kohistan.
And in September, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi gunmen stopped a bus and killed 26 Shia pilgrims travelling on a bus in Balochistan province. The attackers were reported to have checked the identity cards of all the passengers before removing the Shias and shooting them.
A predominantly Punjabi group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is linked with the 2002 murder of US reporter Daniel Pearl and other militant attacks, particularly in the southern city of Karachi.
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954473ae896434e68e9c10b63d0e3d47 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19651683 | Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi given US Congressional medal | Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi given US Congressional medal
Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has finally received in person the US Congressional Gold Medal she was awarded under house arrest in 2008.
Aung San Suu Kyi described it as "one of the most moving days of my life".
She also met President Obama at the White House, shortly after the US Treasury said it had lifted sanctions on Burma's President Thein Sein.
Sanctions on Burma have been loosened since the new government began enacting democratic reforms in 2011.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former first lady Laura Bush were present at the medal ceremony, in the Capitol Rotunda, in Washington.
"The ties of friendship and understanding that have developed between you and lovers of democracy in Burma compensate for much of the trials we had to suffer over the past decades," Aung San Suu Kyi said after receiving the medal.
She said that, despite its inherent imperfections, democracy remained a "beacon of hope for all of us" and reminded the audience that there were many, in Burma and beyond, for whom freedom was "just a dream".
"There will be difficulties in the way ahead, but I'm confident that we shall be able to overcome all obstacles with the help and support of our friends," she added.
Aung San Suu Kyi herself was released from house arrest in 2010.
The BBC's Zoe Conway in Washington says that although the US Congress is rarely a place of unity, in the presence of Aung San Suu Kyi both Democrats and Republicans paid tribute to her achievements.
Mitch McConnell, minority Republican leader, described the event as a "truly special day here at the Capitol".
"It's been a long time coming," he said. "We are honoured to have this hero with us and delighted to award her our nation's highest civilian honour."
Addressing the Burmese opposition leader, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said: "It's almost too delicious to believe, my friends, that you are here in the rotunda of our great Capitol, the centrepiece of our democracy, as an elected member of your parliament."
Ms Suu Kyi met with President Barack Obama privately at the White House later on Wednesday. No details were released of their discussion, but reporters said it appeared to be relaxed and informal.
Ahead of the meeting, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the visit provided "another opportunity to reaffirm our long-standing support for her struggle and the struggle of many others toward democratic, just and transparent governance in Burma".
On Tuesday, after a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Aung San Suu Kyi said she supported further easing of sanctions against Burma's military-backed government.
The US Treasury said
on Wednesday that Thein Sein and the Speaker of Burma's lower house, Thura Shwe Mann, had been removed from its list of "Specially Designated Nationals" which sanctions individuals.
President Thein Sein himself is expected to visit the US next week when he attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The EU, Australia and other countries have already eased sanctions against Burma.
In July, Mr Obama said that US companies would be allowed to "responsibly do business in Burma".
Thein Sein has urged Western countries to scrap all sanctions against his country.
On Monday state television in Burma reported that more than 500 prisoners, including at least 80 political prisoners, had been granted amnesty.
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f39a51ee2644786600ae6445593caeab | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19678412 | Pakistan film protests: 19 die in Karachi and Peshawar | Pakistan film protests: 19 die in Karachi and Peshawar
At least 19 people have died as violent protests erupted on the streets of Pakistan's main cities in anger at an anti-Islam film made in the US.
Fourteen people were killed in the port city of Karachi and a further five died in the north-western city of Peshawar, hospital officials said.
Protesters clashed with police outside the diplomatic enclave in the capital, Islamabad, near the US embassy.
There has been widespread unrest over the amateur film, Innocence of Muslims.
Dozens of people have been reported wounded and BBC correspondents said some were in a critical condition.
Protests have already left several people dead around the world, including Pakistan, where the government had appealed in advance for peaceful protests, declaring a holiday and "day of love" for the Prophet Muhammad.
Although US targets have borne the brunt of protests against the film, anti-Western sentiment has been stoked further by caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad published this week in the satirical French magazine, Charlie Hebdo.
France shut embassies and other missions in around 20 countries across the Muslim world on Friday.
Protests were banned in France itself and in Tunisia, where France is the former colonial power, but there were widespread demonstrations elsewhere.
But it was in Pakistan's major cities that protesters took to the streets in big numbers and tried to march on US diplomatic buildings.
Deadly film protests in Pakistan
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that "all governments have the duty, the solemn duty, to defend diplomatic missions", AFP news agency reported.
The worst of the violence took place in the country's biggest city, Karachi, and the north-western city of Peshawar, close to Pakistan's lawless tribal belt.
Police in Karachi fired live bullets in the air to disperse crowds after a large rally that had begun peacefully turned violent. Several cinemas and banks were set on fire and there were reports of looting.
When police tried to stop the protesters heading to the US consulate, there were reports of gunfire from the crowd and a policeman was killed.
Health officials said the bodies of dead protesters were taken to two hospitals.
In Peshawar, protesters ransacked cinemas and a driver for Pakistan's ARY TV was killed when police opened fire on the crowd.
In the capital, Islamabad, which saw its first clashes between protesters and security forces on Thursday, a police checkpoint was burnt as demonstrators tried to breach the "red zone" where the main embassies and government offices are based.
Police used live rounds and tear gas as the crowd swelled to thousands of people.
The BBC's Aleem Maqbool said the focal point of people's anger was the US embassy and he had seen more people injured in one hour than all of Thursday.
In Lahore, protesters toppled over shipping containers that police had placed on the road to block access to the US consulate.
The low-budget film that has prompted the unrest was made in the US and is said to insult the Prophet Muhammad.
Its exact origins are unclear and the alleged producer for the trailer of the film, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, is in hiding.
Anti-US sentiment grew after a trailer for the film dubbed into Arabic was released on YouTube earlier this month.
US citizens have been urged not to travel to Pakistan and the US embassy has paid for adverts on Pakistani TV showing President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning the film.
Mobile phone services had been suspended in many of the biggest cities to limit the potential for violence but critics questioned the Pakistani government's decision to declare a public holiday.
Government security adviser Rehman Malik told the BBC that the public holiday was the right decision and the protests would have gone ahead regardless.
"Imagine if I had not done the holiday, school would open, shops would open, the transport was on the road. Who could have handled it?" he said.
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74245fe59b158cd4a6cd7ca84eb5e86e | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19783194 | Khost suicide bomb: Nato troops among dead in Afghan blast | Khost suicide bomb: Nato troops among dead in Afghan blast
A suicide bomber has killed at least 20 people, three of them Nato soldiers, in the eastern Afghan city of Khost, Nato and local officials say.
Nato did not confirm the nationalities of the soldiers, but correspondents say US troops operate in the area.
The Taliban claimed the attack, which also killed 10 civilians, six police and an Afghan interpreter for Nato.
Witnesses said the attacker waited for the soldiers to leave their vehicles before detonating the bomb.
About 60 people were wounded in the attack, some critically.
"A suicide bomber on a motorcycle targeted a joint patrol in Khost city in a crowded area," the governor's office said.
Khost, like other parts of eastern Afghanistan, has seen a dramatic rise in violence.
In June, a suicide bomber killed 21 people including three US troops and a local interpreter in the city.
The Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network regularly mount large-scale attacks and suicide bombings in the area.
Over the weekend, a shooting at a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan took the US military's death toll in the war past 2,000.
Three US soldiers and contractor were killed in the attack in Wardak province on Saturday, along with three Afghan soldiers.
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5fb6a463497255d17779e37754be8118 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19840545 | Australia unveils powerful radio telescope | Australia unveils powerful radio telescope
Australia has launched one of the world's fastest telescopes tasked with surveying outer space and probing the origins of stars and galaxies.
The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (Askap) in Western Australia's outback has 36 antennas with a diameter of 12m (40ft) each.
The A$152m ($155m, £96m) telescope is expected to capture radio images, starting from Friday.
Askap forms part of the world's biggest radio telescope project.
The telescope is located at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, 315km (196 miles) north-east of Geraldton in the Western Australian desert.
Dr John O'Sullivan, from Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, says that while the telescope is not very big, "it is still a very, very powerful survey instrument to start to get a look [at] the origins of galaxies".
"It is the beginning of a great new period, I think," he said.
It will be able to scan the sky much faster than existing telescopes. The location, in a remote area, means there is limited interference from man-made radio signals.
Scientists say that the telescope will generate a huge amount of information. One of the research projects it will be used for is to look for black holes.
The Askap is part of the bigger Square Kilometre Array (SKA) that is set to begin construction in 2016.
SKA, set to become the world's biggest radio telescope project based in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, aims to answer key questions about the Universe.
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60e445a0a5dc53ddc71cff688f5d22a1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19906863 | Indonesia's Bali marks deadly bombings 10 years on | Indonesia's Bali marks deadly bombings 10 years on
Commemorations have been held on the Indonesian island of Bali to mark the bombings 10 years ago that killed 202 people.
People from 21 nations died in the bombings, blamed on the Jemaah Islamiah militant group, on 12 October 2002.
Security was tight after Bali police on Wednesday warned of possible attacks against visiting dignitaries.
The bombs ripped through Paddy's Irish Bar and the nearby Sari Club in Bali's popular Kuta tourist district.
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, former PM John Howard and opposition leader Tony Abbott all attended the commemorations. Eighty-eight Australians were among the dead.
Speaking at the early morning memorial service in Jimbaran, Bali, Ms Gillard said Australia and Indonesia were "closer than we had ever been before''.
She paid tribute to rescuers who ''ran towards terror'', and to police and leaders in both Australia and Indonesia for how they handled the aftermath of the blasts.
''This is a day of contesting emotions,'' she added, addressing visibly emotional family members of victims attending the ceremony.
An estimated 1,000 Australians had travelled to the island for the commemorations. One of them was Danny Hanley, who lost two daughters in the attack.
His eldest daughter, Renee, died inside the Sari Club and his youngest daughter, Simone, after 58 days of treatment in hospital.
"When I hear of the 88 Australians that died I always shed a tear because my beautiful daughter Simone was number 88," he said.
Many of those who survived the attacks, such as Tumini, who was a bartender at Paddy's, continue to be haunted by memories.
"I feel my life is still miserable. I am not 100% normal," she told the Associated Press. "I often think and ask why God still allows me to live if I have to endure this pain."
Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, who spoke before Ms Gillard, also paid tribute to the rescuers and honoured both victims and survivors.
The attackers, he said, ''utterly failed'', but instead reinforced ''our collective commitment to strengthen the voice of moderation... to fight extremism and intolerance in all its forms.''
Mr Natalegawa was representing Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the event.
Writing in the
Sydney Morning Herald
on Thursday, Mr Yudhoyono said that whatever the attackers had intended, "the Bali bomb attack did not produce its desired effects".
"In fact, it resulted in just the opposite. Throughout Indonesia, Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Buddhists overwhelmingly condemned the attack and repudiated those who misused religion to carry out acts of violence."
He added that Indonesia had "galvanised to defend freedom, democracy and tolerance" as well as become "a key player in the fight against global terrorism".
More than 2,000 security personnel have been deployed to Bali for the anniversary, reports said.
In Australia, memorial services were held across the country. In Sydney, Foreign Minister Bob Carr was at a ceremony attended by hundreds. Services were held in the capital Canberra, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne as well.
The attacks were blamed on Jemaah Islamiah, an al-Qaeda-linked Islamic militant group.
Three men were executed for their role in the bombings in 2008 and several others have either been jailed or killed by the security forces.
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390551a3f07a44415f735fb30b50113a | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19973687 | Australia PM Julia Gillard prompts 'misogyny' definition update | Australia PM Julia Gillard prompts 'misogyny' definition update
Prime Minister Julia Gillard's fiery speech on misogyny has prompted Australia's leading dictionary to update its definition of the word.
Footage of Ms Gillard lambasting the opposition's Tony Abbott as a misogynist in parliament last week drew global attention.
The Macquarie Dictionary describes misogyny as ''hatred of women''.
But editor Sue Butler says it will be expanded to ''entrenched prejudice against women'' in the next edition.
"We decided that we had the basic definition, hatred of women, but that's not how misogyny has been used for about the last 20, 30 years, particularly in feminist language," she told ABC radio.
A second definition was needed, she said, that was ''slightly stronger than sexist but heading in that direction towards entrenched prejudice rather than a visceral hatred".
Ms Gillard, who is Australia's first female prime minister, had berated opposition leader Mr Abbott in parliament.
The exchange followed the resignation of Speaker Peter Slipper, who was accused of sexual harassment by a former staff member.
The opposition accused Ms Gillard's government of hypocrisy for standing by the Speaker after it was revealed that he used "offensive" language to describe female genitalia in text messages.
Ms Gillard then fired back at Mr Abbott: "If he wants to know what misogyny looks like in modern Australia, he doesn't need a motion in the House of Representatives; he needs a mirror."
Footage of her speech went viral, with hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube within a week.
Her comments were applauded in some quarters - mainly outside Australia - for their strong stand on sexism. Domestically, the reaction was mixed, with many upset over her support of Mr Slipper.
And some critics accused her of using the wrong word in her attack on Mr Abbott, pointing to the dictionary definition of ''misogyny'' as a pathological hatred of females.
That debate drew attention to the need to update the definition, said Ms Butler.
"I always think of myself as the person with the mop and the broom and the bucket who's cleaning up the language after the party's over,'' she told ABC News.
"And in this case it was a fairly big party, and what was left on the floor was misogyny."
The updated definition will be added in the online version of the dictionary this year, and in the next printed edition next year.
The decision has drawn some flak for Macquarie, which has received complaints. One opposition member has accused it of a political move.
Neither Ms Gillard - who is currently in Delhi - nor Mr Abbott would comment on the update.
Earlier this month Mr Abbott's wife spoke out to defend her husband against sexism claims, saying he was surrounded by "strong capable women".
He, for his part, has called Ms Gillard's Labor Party ''masters of nasty personal politics''.
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625e29a4cf7b44d2740612df5ee6df67 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20280860 | China to launch next manned spaceship in 2013 | China to launch next manned spaceship in 2013
China plans to launch its next manned space mission in June next year, state media reports.
A senior official in charge of the manned space programme said the three-person crew could be made up of a woman and two men.
China became only the third country to independently send a person into space in 2003, after the US and Russia.
The launch plan follows the flight of the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, which returned to Earth in late June.
The Shenzhou 9 took part in the country's first manual space docking mission, a major milestone in China's ambitious space programme.
It also carried China's first female astronaut, Liu Yang.
According to Niu Hongguang, deputy commander-in-chief of the manned space programme, next year's mission could happen as early as June, but back-up launch windows have been identified for July or August.
China plans to develop a full orbiting space station by 2020 and has also raised the possibility of sending a man to the moon.
There has been discussion of China joining the International Space Station project, but this is considered unlikely given political tensions between Beijing and Washington.
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cc0ce63b1e6555df67c5e0b59e37acc8 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20293601 | Australia PM Julia Gillard announces child abuse probe | Australia PM Julia Gillard announces child abuse probe
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced a national inquiry into institutional responses to the sexual abuse of children.
The move followed pressure from lawmakers amid police claims the Roman Catholic Church had concealed evidence of paedophile priests.
The inquiry will look at religious groups, NGOs and state-care providers as well as government agencies.
Ms Gillard said a Royal Commission was the best way to investigate the claims.
Late last week, the state of New South Wales announced an inquiry after a top policeman, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox, accused the church of trying to silence investigations into allegations of abuse.
Chief Inspector Fox, who had investigated several cases of sexual assault over 35 years, had
called for a Royal Commission in an open letter
.
"I can testify from my own experience that the church covers up, silences victims, hinders police investigations, alerts offenders, destroys evidence and moves priests to protect the good name of the church," he wrote.
A separate parliamentary inquiry into church sex abuse began last month in Victoria.
Ms Gillard said the allegations that had come to light were "heartbreaking", concerning "insidious, evil acts to which no child should be subject".
"The individuals concerned deserve the most thorough of investigations into the wrongs that have been committed against them,"
she said in a statement
.
Ms Gillard said there would be discussions with relevant state leaders on how the national inquiry would relate to existing probes.
The terms of reference for the inquiry, and the proposed commissioner, would be announced in coming weeks.
Opposition leader Tony Abbott said he would support a wide-ranging commission, but said the investigation should not focus solely on the Catholic Church.
In a statement
, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, representing Australian bishops, said it supported the announcement of a Royal Commission.
It said the church deeply regretted the suffering and trauma endured by children who had been in the church's care, but said that "talk of a systemic problem of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is ill-founded and inconsistent with the facts".
Abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests has been a major issue in Australia recent years.
In September, the Roman Catholic Church in the Australian state of Victoria confirmed that more than 600 children had been sexually abused by its priests since the 1930s.
During a visit to Australia in July 2008, Pope Benedict XVI met some of the victims and made a public apology for the abuse.
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172b5b8489b688a0c0fbcd06f62ab1aa | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20354355 | Barack Obama and the perils of embracing Burma | Barack Obama and the perils of embracing Burma
The White House calls it the "pivot" towards Asia - President Barack Obama's strategic refocus on engaging fast-growing Asian nations, away from the preoccupation of the previous decade with war and terrorism in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
His choice of destinations for this, his first overseas trip since being re-elected - Thailand, Burma and Cambodia for an Asean summit - reflects something else.
"We are not just rebalancing towards Asia," said Mr Obama's National Security advisor, Thomas E Donilon, in a speech this week.
"We are also rebalancing our efforts within Asia. We had been heavily invested in North-east Asia for lots of historical and other reasons, but we have really focused here in a renewed way on South East Asia and Asean."
It is the six-hour visit to Burma which will stand out, the first by a sitting US president, and a remarkable event in a country that until last year was a virtual pariah state because of its terrible record of human rights violations and military misrule - an "outpost of tyranny", according to former US President George W Bush.
US officials say the goal of the visit is to show support for the reforms undertaken by President Thein Sein, and to explore areas in which the US can support the development of democratic practices and institutions.
Another goal - an unstated one - is to claw back some of the influence China has been able to exert over Burma during the years of isolation and sanctions.
That is something even old-school Burmese military men will approve of. Their country has a historically uneasy relationship with its giant northern neighbour, and the high dependence on Chinese investment and military technology has been a source of discomfort.
The Obama visit has alarmed a number of human rights groups, though. His officials say he will raise the issue of political prisoners, army abuses, and the need for deeper reforms, as well as the communal violence in Rakhine state.
But campaigners are asking why such an important, symbolic visit had to happen so soon, before the reforms, which started so unexpectedly last year are fully implemented and apparently before Mr Obama's people had secured any concessions from the Burmese government.
The government did announce an amnesty for 452 prisoners this week, in what it termed a "goodwill gesture", but did not include any of the estimated 280-330 political detainees documented by human rights groups.
"The fact that the Burmese government just released a bunch of prisoners, but apparently neglected to include any political prisoners, is hardly an auspicious start to this visit," says Phil Robertson, from Human Rights Watch in Bangkok.
"In fact, it leaves the impression that now that Nay Pyi Taw has achieved the prestige of a US presidential visit, they may be backsliding on their commitments to release all political prisoners."
It is not clear yet whether the US delegation will go to Burma armed with a list of political prisoners, or whether they will be able to secure any more releases.
To come away empty-handed would open Mr Obama to the charge that he rushed into Burma without securing concessions in return for the prestige of a first-time presidential visit.
In other ways, his schedule has been calibrated to acknowledge the authoritarian legacy, which still hangs over Burma.
He is not going to Nay Pyi Taw, the vast new capital constructed in secrecy by the last military government, which is normally the designated venue for diplomatic meetings.
In an unusual concession, President Thein Sein will travel down to Rangoon to meet him. It is thought this was a request of Aung San Suu Kyi, whom Mr Obama will meet at the lakeside home in Rangoon where she was detained for 15 years.
He has also chosen to deliver a speech at Rangoon University, a dilapidated, old campus which was once the most prestigious academic institution in the country, but was emptied of undergraduate students by the military after the mass protests of 1988.
The university is still seen as a symbol of dissent, and the new government has promised to restore its academic life. Some hasty cleaning and painting has been going on in recent days to make it suitable for a US president.
The changes in Burma over the past year have been so sudden and so unexpected there is still a great deal we do not know about them.
We do not know whether they are being driven largely by President Thein Sein, once viewed as a cautious apparatchik of the old regime, and his "kitchen cabinet" of reformist ministers, or by other forces.
We still do not know what influence former military ruler Than Shwe wields over the new government.
No-one is even sure on what terms he handed over power; his own, or was he pushed?
The armed forces remain a very powerful player, allocated a quarter of the seats in the new parliament, unaccountable for their actions, and with significant business interests.
Given that, Mr Obama seems to be taking a gamble that he is backing a winning horse without being sure yet whether it can finish the race.
Four years ago when he was first elected, he made engaging with America's adversaries one of his principal foreign policy goals. His efforts reaped little reward in Iran, North Korea and Venezuela.
Only Burma has shown promising results.
"We're not naive about this," said Thomas Donilon. "We're absolutely aware of the dangers of backsliding. But this really is a moment we didn't want to miss."
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feb86c276aca980e246866c70767a4e4 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20440607 | Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan, Dilip Kumar and the Peshawar club | Bollywood's Shah Rukh Khan, Dilip Kumar and the Peshawar club
Anybody who knows anything about Bollywood will have heard of Shah Rukh Khan and Dilip Kumar.
What people don't know is that they - and many others - have roots in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, better known these days for militancy and conservatism.
Dhakki is a maze of narrow streets and alleyways, winding up and around a hill that flanks Peshawar's oldest and most famous street, Qissa Khwani - the street of the storytellers.
Within a 200m radius in this area are located the ancestral homes of three of Bollywood's all-time great stars - Shah Rukh Khan, Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.
To get to this area in Dhakki, I duck into a dark, covered passageway on the left of Qissa Khwani street, and walk on to a small open area of ground on the other side.
A labyrinth of streets on the left takes me up the hill to the house of Raj Kapoor, a mega star of the 1950s.
Kapoor's father, Prithviraj, was the first self-confessed Hindu "Pathan" from Peshawar to make a mark in Bollywood as an actor and producer. He started the first Bollywood dynasty whose actors and film-makers today span four generations.
Their three-storey mansion has an elaborate, though crumbling, facade that features arched windows and protruding balconies.
No one lives here any more. But their memory is still alive.
Mohammad Yaqoob, a 90-year-old resident of Dhakki, remembers Raj Kapoor fondly.
"He was my buddy back in the 1920s. He was a year younger than me. We used to play a game of sticks called gulli-danda. We went to the same school," he recalls.
The Kapoors moved to Mumbai in the 1930s, and their occasional visits to Peshawar ended completely after the partition of India in 1947, he says.
About three minutes down the street from the Kapoor's mansion, through a tiny alleyway, lies the rotting home of another Bollywood legend from the 1950s and 1960s, Dilip Kumar.
Described by critics as the ultimate method actor of Indian cinema, Mr Kumar has more gongs than any other Bollywood star. Over his long career, he has won eight Filmfare awards, India's version of the Oscars.
His ancestral house is narrow and shaky, and looks like it's about to fall apart. The facade looks shabby; once expensive woodwork around windows and doors is soiled and cracked, and there are cobwebs all over the place.
Inside, the once trendy partitions of typical Peshawari wood panels are sagging. Plaster has fallen off the ceiling.
The place is being used as a warehouse to store clothes.
A worker at the site, who introduces himself as Maaliar, sounds typically fatalistic.
"It's a matter of pride for those who started from this small place and earned worldwide fame, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a historical place, which is now a warehouse, and I work here."
While Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor are legends of the past, some current Bollywood stars can still trace their origins to Peshawar, nearly 66 years after partition.
Another three minutes down a busy street is the ancestral home of Shah Rukh Khan, or SRK - the biggest and most expensive actor in Bollywood today.
SRK's father, Taj Mohammad Khan, was born and raised here, and SRK himself spent many days and nights here as a teenager when he came visiting on family holidays from his birthplace, Delhi.
His first cousin, Noor Jahan, who lives in the house, has been to Mumbai twice to meet him - the last time in 2010.
"He slept in this very room where we are sitting," she says, recalling the two visits SRK paid to the house in 1978 and 1979.
"He was very happy to be here, because it was the first time he'd met his father's family. In India he only has relatives from his mother's side."
Noor Jahan's 12-year-old son is named after his famous uncle, and calls himself Shah Rukh Khan 2.
"Uncle has promised that if I grow up to be a good cricket player, he'll include me in his team," he says.
SRK owns a cricket franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders, which represents the city of Calcutta in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Peshawar boasts several other Bollywood legends, such as Madhubala, the Marilyn Monroe of Indian cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, and the inimitable Amjad Khan - the bad guy of the 1975 Indian classic, Sholay.
Vinod Khanna, who played the lead in several Bollywood films of the 1970s, was born here, and so was Surinder Kapoor, a film producer who started the second Kapoor clan in Bollywood. One of his sons, Anil Kapoor, who acted in Danny Boyle's Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire, dominated the Indian film scene for a while in the 1980s.
Given this rich heritage, there have been calls for the preservation of known sites associated with these stars.
"[Dilip Kumar's house] should be preserved, so that the people can see what the Peshawaris can do," says Fawad Ishaq, a relative of Dilip Kumar.
But a recent attempt by the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to acquire the house was stalled by an ownership dispute.
Another move to acquire Raj Kapoor's house also had to be put off due to "unavailability of funds, and also because of problems relating to the accessibility and security of the house," says Feryal Ali Gauhar, a conservation expert who has been an adviser to the provincial government.
The question now is, what is it about Peshawar that has led it to produce so many mega stars for Bollywood?
For the man on the street, it's just the beneficence of God.
Local historian Ibrahim Zia has this explanation: "During the silent era, the Indian cinema was dominated by Bengalis and Parsis, but when talkies came, the personality of the actor assumed greater importance, and the people of Peshawar were not only tall and fair skinned by Indian standards, they spoke Hindi with greater flair and style..."
Whatever the reason, Peshawar has a special place in film history. But for the moment, it seems as if those Bollywood roots are destined to fade in the neglected alleyways of this troubled city.
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142b133fa8718b1a7bde8cf2c7bea37c | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20900876 | Taliban's Mullah Nazir death spells trouble for Pakistan | Taliban's Mullah Nazir death spells trouble for Pakistan
The killing of Taliban commander Mullah Nazir in a drone strike comes at a time of important changes in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
When he came to prominence in the spring of 2007, American forces were keeping troop levels in Afghanistan to a minimum, as their energies were focused on the war in Iraq.
The Pakistani military was then consolidating a string of peace agreements it had signed with militant groups in the Waziristan region, as part of a strategy that appeared to barter internal peace for a safe Taliban haven on the Pakistani border with Afghanistan.
Today, the Americans have largely withdrawn from Iraq and have managed a troop surge in Afghanistan. They are now planning a drawdown of troops there in just over a year's time.
The Pakistanis are releasing Taliban leaders from custody to facilitate peace negotiations with the Afghan government, in an apparent bid to avoid the looming risk of political and economic isolation.
All this while the Pakistanis have resisted growing international pressure to launch a military operation against what many call its "assets", including Mullah Nazir's faction, in the Waziristan region.
So in a way the killing of Mullah Nazir is viewed by some as a dent in the Pakistani strategy to prepare for the Afghan endgame in a smooth, calibrated fashion.
For the Americans, he is a prized catch.
He was the head of one of the three major militant groups in the Waziristan region that focused their attacks on the Western troops in Afghanistan.
The other groups are the Haqqani network and the faction led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
Mullah Nazir is also one of only three top level Pakistani Taliban commanders to have been killed by a drone, the others being Nek Mohammad and Baitullah Mehsud.
Mullah Nazir's emergence as a leader in the Wana region had the blessings of both the Pakistanis and the Afghan Taliban.
In March 2007, Pakistani forces based in the Wana region backed Mullah Nazir's offensive against ethnic Uzbek fighters, who not only fought the Pakistanis, but were blamed for the killing of more than 200 elders of the native Wazir tribe.
His subsequent appointment as a Taliban commander by Mullah Omar, the Taliban supremo, also brought to an end a power struggle within the Wazir tribe that broke out after the 2004 killing of Nek Mohammad.
This, coupled with his soft approach towards religion, helped him consolidate his support among the tribesmen, and put in place a more or less stable system of tribal governance, which continued for almost six years.
During this period, Mullah Nazir has presided over a militant sanctuary that played a significant role in training and exporting fighters into Afghanistan to fight Western troops there.
In 2009 and 2010, he helped deploy hundreds of well-trained "Punjabi" Taliban of Pakistani origin inside Afghan territory to make the proposed withdrawal of the Western forces from there as bloody and troublesome as possible.
At the same time, he managed to keep Wana away from the media limelight, thanks mainly to an absence of reporters in the area.
His death is likely to create a power vacuum in the area, especially if reports that all of his main deputies were also killed in the drone strike are confirmed.
This may spark another round of intra-tribal rivalry in the region, leaving Pakistani forces to deal with the consequent instability.
Pakistanis have worked hard to maintain a crucial strategic balance in the Waziristan region by forging peace with three of the region's four major militant factions.
Many fear that Mullah Nazir's death may upset this balance, especially if the fourth faction in the region, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan group (TTP), is able to force an advantage in Wana region.
The TTP, which is linked to the Mehsud tribe in the region, has been attacking exclusively Pakistani targets since 2007.
In recent months, it has also carried out a number of attacks against their rival Wazir tribe in the Wana region, including a suicide bombing in November that injured Mullah Nazir.
Any instability in Wana region will also be a blow to the Afghan Taliban, who will need a fully intact militant network in one of their major sanctuaries if they are to negotiate peace with the Afghan government from a position of strength.
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502ff85a43dde42c910bda5f9ab76691 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22392544 | Bhutto murder-case prosecutor shot dead in Islamabad | Bhutto murder-case prosecutor shot dead in Islamabad
Gunmen have shot dead the prosecutor investigating the murder of Pakistan's ex-leader Benazir Bhutto who was assassinated in 2007.
Police said Chaudhry Zulfiqar Ali was ambushed as he was driving from his Islamabad home to a court hearing in the Bhutto case in Rawalpindi.
Police have not speculated on a reason for the shooting.
Chaudhry Zulfiqar was also the top prosecutor in a case related to the attacks in Mumbai, India, in 2008.
Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been accused of failing to provide adequate security for Bhutto at the time of her death.
Mr Musharraf, who recently returned to Pakistan after living abroad, is being held under house arrest while the claims against him are investigated. He denies the allegations.
No-one has ever been convicted over the murder of Ms Bhutto.
Police said Chaudhry Zulfiqar was on his way to the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi for a hearing on Friday morning when his car was ambushed.
The attackers on a motorcycle sprayed the car with bullets, badly injuring the prosecutor who later died in hospital.
A hospital spokesman said Chaudhry Zulfiqar had been hit by more than seven bullets from the front and side, including one to the head.
A woman pedestrian also died after being hit by Chaudhry Zulfiqar's car after the driver lost control of it, officials said.
Police Supt Jameel Hashmi said one of the prosecutor's bodyguards, who was injured in the incident, had showed "great valour".
"We have got evidence from several witnesses but we cannot disclose anything at this stage," he added.
The attackers fled the scene.
Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported that lawyers in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have announced a strike over the killing.
The claims against Mr Musharraf date back several years.
A UN inquiry in 2010 found that Bhutto's murder could have been prevented, and that Mr Musharraf's government did not provide her with proper security.
Prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for him in February 2011.
He had been in self-imposed exile for several years, but returned to Pakistan in March to try to stand in the forthcoming election.
When the authorities arrested Mr Musharraf last week, Chaudhry Zulfiqar described the accusations as aiding and abetting Bhutto's killing.
Mr Musharraf had blamed Bhutto's killing on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement.
Mr Musharraf's political party, the All Pakistan Muslim League, condemned the prosecutor's killing.
"We vehemently condemn Chaudhry Zulfiqar's murder by armed attackers and seek immediate investigation into the incident which may affect Pervez Musharraf's trial in Benazir case," said party spokesman Muhammad Amjad.
Chaudhry Zulfiqar was also pursuing seven suspected militants over the 2008 Mumbai attacks.
The Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba was blamed for the attacks, in which 166 people were killed.
Pakistan has been plagued by violence in the run-up to a general election on 11 May.
Gunmen on a motorcycle killed Sadiq Zaman Khattak, a candidate for the Awami National Party (ANP), along with his young son in the city of Karachi on Friday, police said.
The attack occurred as Mr Khattak and his son were leaving a mosque after Friday prayers. Four people were wounded.
In a separate attack in Karachi, a prominent activist from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Mohammad Adil, was shot dead outside another mosque, police said.
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4ef31245512a7edf8699518e7242d2e3 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22564349 | Japan mayor's sex slave remarks 'outrageous' - US | Japan mayor's sex slave remarks 'outrageous' - US
The US has condemned recent remarks by Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto justifying Japan's war-time use of sex slaves as "outrageous and offensive".
A US state department spokesman said such women had been victims of a "grave human rights violation".
Mr Hashimoto said on Monday that the use of such women had been "necessary".
Japan forced an estimated 200,000 women in occupied territories to become prostitutes for troops during World War II.
Many of the women came from China and South Korea, but also from the Philippines, Indonesia and Taiwan.
The Japanese government, which in 1993 issued a formal apology over the issue, has sought to distance itself from his remarks.
"Mayor Hashimoto's comments were outrageous and offensive," said state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
"What happened in that era to these women who were trafficked for sexual purposes is deplorable and clearly a grave human rights violation of enormous proportions," she said.
Mr Hashimoto, the co-founder of the nationalist Japanese Restoration Party, which has a small presence in parliament, said enforced prostitution had been necessary to keep troops in line.
"If you want them [troops fighting a war] to have a rest in such a situation, a comfort women system is necessary. Anyone can understand that."
He also provoked outrage on the island of Okinawa - home to a large US military presence - by suggesting that base-related crime could be reduced if US troops were encouraged to use the local sex industry so that "the sexual energy of those tough guys" could be controlled.
On Thursday Mr Hashimoto offered to meet former sex slaves and "apologise firmly" for Japan's actions, calling them "a disgraceful act" that should not be repeated.
But he reiterated his stance that Japan was not alone in exploiting local women during wartime.
"Everybody was doing bad things. I think Japanese people... should offer objections if there is a misunderstanding of facts in the world."
And on Okinawa, he blamed a cultural gap with the US on perceptions of prostitution, saying his "international sensitivity was quite poor when I had to operate beyond national borders".
Both South Korea and China have condemned Mr Hashimoto's remarks, which come at a time when historical issues and territorial rows have elevated tensions in the region.
A new right-wing government led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took power in December 2012.
Last month, he angered China and South Korea when he suggested he may no longer stand by the wording of Japan's 1995 apology for its war-time aggression, saying the definition of "aggression" was hard to establish.
Japanese ministers later sought to play down his remarks, amid anger across the region - where the feeling that Japan has not sufficiently atoned for, or educated its population enough about, its war-time behaviour is deeply entrenched.
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9d4e658104de5c591b9fbc5b69b761ff | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23036167 | Kashmir: Indian soldiers killed on eve of Singh visit | Kashmir: Indian soldiers killed on eve of Singh visit
Five soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir have been killed by militants on the eve of a visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Several others were wounded in the attack on the outskirts of Srinagar, the main city in the region.
The attack came despite an increase in security ahead of Mr Singh's two day visit - his first since June 2010.
Kashmir, claimed by both India and Pakistan, has seen an armed insurgency against Indian rule since 1989.
Militant violence has risen in recent weeks, with busy market places often targeted, says BBC Urdu's Riyaz Masroor in Srinagar.
Two policemen were shot and killed by militants in Srinagar over the weekend.
Monday's attack took place in the Hyderpora area of Srinagar. Militants fired at an Indian army convoy.
"The militants were chased but they took shelter in a house and a gunfight ensued," a police official told the BBC.
Prime Minister Singh is travelling to Srinagar with Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party, for talks with local leaders and to inaugurate a multi-million dollar railway tunnel.
The tunnel will link the Himalayan region with India's huge railway network, easing travel between Srinagar and rest of the country, our correspondent reports.
In recent years violence in Kashmir has abated from its peak in the 1990s, but the causes of the insurgency are still far from resolved.
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853d5a407e3ba3f25130ebe757b6f50f | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23086366 | US downgrades Bangladesh trade ties | US downgrades Bangladesh trade ties
The US has suspended trade privileges for Bangladesh until it improves workers' safety conditions in the clothing industry.
US Trade Representative Michael Froman pointed to several recent fatal accidents in its huge clothing sector.
These "had served to highlight some of the serious shortcomings in worker rights and workplace safety standards in Bangladesh", he said.
Two months ago, a factory collapse near Dhaka killed 1,129 people.
The collapse of the nine-storey complex, on 24 April, was Bangladesh's worst industrial disaster, and one of a series of accidents involving the world's second-biggest exporter of garments after China.
The garment industry employs some four million people in Bangladesh, 80% of them women.
The death toll from April's accident and others focused global attention on low safety standards in Bangladesh's garment factories and prompted the government in Dhaka to launch inspections of all plants to try to reassure Western retailers that safety conditions had improved.
Twelve people have so far been arrested over what happened, including the building's owner.
But unions and experts say hundreds of factories are still operating in shoddy buildings, raising fears that another tragedy could occur at any time.
President Obama's
order suspends Bangladesh's duty-free trade privileges under the terms of a US trade programme called the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), designed to promote economic growth in developing countries.
"The US government has worked closely with the government of Bangladesh to encourage the reforms needed to meet basic standards," said US Trade Representative Michael Froman.
"Despite our... clear, repeated expressions of concern, the US government has not seen sufficient progress towards those reforms", he added.
Thursday's announcement was the culmination of a year-long review of labour conditions in Bangladesh.
US Democratic lawmakers have been pushing for trade sanctions since April.
The action is thought unlikely to have an immediate economic impact, but it carries a reputational cost and might deter US companies from investing in the country, one of the world's poorest.
The sanction, which comes into effect in 60 days, might also sway a decision by the European Union on whether to withdraw GSP privileges.
EU action could have a much bigger impact, as its duty-free privileges specifically cover garments, which account for 60 percent of Bangladesh's exports to Europe.
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ab3baf350b76783a6f72fb0b52ab65ae | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23094082 | Bangladesh anger at US trade privilege suspension | Bangladesh anger at US trade privilege suspension
Bangladesh has criticised Washington's decision to suspend trade privileges over concerns about dangerous working conditions and labour rights.
This decision comes after a year-long review of labour practices and workplace safety in Bangladesh.
The foreign ministry in Dhaka described the move as harsh, saying the government had taken clear measures to improve safety at clothing factories.
In April, 1,127 died when when a factory building collapsed near Dhaka.
The eight-storey Rana Plaza building came crashing down on 24 April, a day after cracks had been spotted in the building.
It was the deadliest in a series of accidents that have focused global attention on safety standards in Bangladesh's export garment industry, which is the second biggest in the world after China's.
The disaster sparked a series of angry protests by workers in the garment industry and heightened international concern. Twelve people have so far been arrested, including the building's owner.
It also prompted the government to introduce some reforms and more inspections and some international retailers have also proposed an accord to improve safety conditions in Bangladesh.
But unions and experts say hundreds of factories are still operating in shoddy buildings, raising fears that another tragedy could occur at any time.
The US order suspends Bangladesh's duty-free trade privileges under the terms of a trade programme called the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), designed to promote economic growth in developing countries.
"It cannot be more shocking for the factory workers of Bangladesh that the decision to suspend GSP comes at a time when the government of Bangladesh has taken concrete and visible measures to improve factory safety and protect workers' rights," a Bangladesh foreign ministry statement said.
But President Barack Obama,
in a proclamation
, said Bangladesh was not taking steps to afford internationally recognised rights to its workers.
And US Trade Representative Michael Froman said several recent incidents "had served to highlight some of the serious shortcomings in worker rights and workplace safety standards in Bangladesh".
The BBC's Mahfuz Sadique in Dhaka says that Thursday's decision, which comes into effect in 60 days, is mostly symbolic as it covers less than 1% of Bangladesh's nearly $5bn (£3.2bn) exports to the US and it does not affect clothing exports.
But, our correspondent says, it could have an influence over the European Union's review into similar privileges.
The EU is the largest market for garments from Bangladesh, accounting for 60% of exports. The garment industry employs some four million people in Bangladesh, 80% of them women.
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195b22723dc0e4d38b908da3b5eb19e5 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23254178 | Australian police find 5.7m python in Queensland shop | Australian police find 5.7m python in Queensland shop
A 5.7m (19ft) python has been seized after it fell from the ceiling of a charity shop in Australia.
The python, weighing 17kg (37lbs), was recovered by a snake-handler after police investigated a suspected break-in at the shop in Ingham, Queensland.
"Its head was the size of a small dog," said police spokesman Sgt Don Auld.
The snake fell through a ceiling panel, smashing shop goods. Police said it may have got in through the roof, which was damaged by Cyclone Yasi in 2011.
When police were initially called to the property on Monday, they believed a person had fallen through the ceiling because the roof panel had been cut in half.
Crockery, clothes and other goods were scattered all over the floor.
Police were called back to the shop the following day when a large crowd formed outside.
Sgt Auld said the snake must have been hiding when police went there the first time.
It has been released in nearby wetlands.
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65d870fe17445ffb2efcd8b93d0524d2 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23387514 | Riot hits Australian-run migrant camp on Nauru | Riot hits Australian-run migrant camp on Nauru
Police have restored order after rioting broke out at an Australian-run immigration detention camp on the Pacific island state of Nauru.
Reports said several buildings were set alight on Friday and the camp's medical centre had been destroyed.
Australian immigration officials said about 150 asylum-seekers were involved.
The riot broke out hours after Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced tough new measures on asylum-seekers arriving by boat.
Witnesses said a large number of local residents carrying machetes and steel pipes arrived to help police in preventing the asylum-seekers - most of whom are believed to be Iranian - from breaking out.
Australian broadcaster ABC, citing an unnamed security guard at the camp, said refugees began rioting on Friday afternoon and within two hours had overrun the centre.
Many had armed themselves with knives taken from the kitchen, the report said.
At least four inmates and several guards were said to have been injured.
Local photographer Clint Deidenang said that a four-hour protest at the centre was abandoned when a large number of local residents arrived to help authorities contain the violence.
Australia's immigration department confirmed there had been "non-compliant behaviour" at the facility but that the centre "is actually now calm".
"We are still assessing the extent of the damage, all we know is that there is damage to property," a spokeswoman told AFP news agency.
She said that some detainees had escaped during the trouble but that all had now been accounted for.
Australia has seen a sharp rise in the number of asylum-seekers arriving by boat in recent months.
Mr Rudd has said they will no longer be resettled in Australia but will go to Papua New Guinea.
He said the move was in part aimed at dissuading people from making the dangerous journey to Australia by boat.
He was setting out an overhaul of asylum policy ahead of a general election expected shortly.
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a8e8aff501c06f755a6cf2c85165f20f | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23416223 | Burma frees a further 73 political prisoners | Burma frees a further 73 political prisoners
The Burmese authorities say they are releasing another 73 political prisoners, after a promise by President Thein Sein to free all dissidents by the end of the year.
Some are from the Kachin ethnic group, which has signed a peace deal after years of fighting for autonomy.
Burma, also known as Myanmar, has freed hundreds of political detainees since steps towards democracy began in 2010.
There are thought to be about 100 such prisoners remaining in Burmese jails.
"Political prisoners are released today under a presidential amnesty," government minister Aung Min told BBC Burmese. The detainees had been held at various jails around the country.
The minister said 26 Kachin nationals were among those freed. "Thirteen of them were released from Myit Kyee Nar prison, where I met them myself," he said.
Earlier this month President Thein Sein said there would be no prisoners of conscience in the country's jails by the end of the year.
Speaking on a visit to London, he said a special committee was reviewing every political inmate's case.
President Thein Sein has introduced major reforms since the elections of November 2010, which saw military rule replaced by a military-backed civilian government.
Many political prisoners have been freed and media restrictions have been relaxed, while the opposition has rejoined the political process.
In response, most international sanctions against Burma have been relaxed.
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8d8b18c68fec91cc5bd83d81689679a3 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23433070 | Japan military 'needs marines and drones' | Japan military 'needs marines and drones'
Japan should bolster its marine force and introduce surveillance drones, a defence review paper says, highlighting concerns over China and North Korea.
The paper also called for better defences against missile attacks and the potential to attack enemy bases.
Japan's military is constitutionally limited to a self-defence role.
But PM Shinzo Abe is looking to expand the scope of its activities - potentially a highly controversial move that would anger its neighbours.
Japan is embroiled in a bitter row over islands with China and is deeply concerned by North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
The interim report is part of a defence review ordered by Mr Abe, with final proposals due by December.
On Sunday, Mr Abe won back control of Japan's Upper House, meaning he now controls parliament and would be in a stronger position to reshape Japan's current defence strategy.
Under Article 9 of its post-war constitution, Japan is blocked from the use of force to resolve conflicts except in the case of self-defence.
But Mr Abe has indicated he wants to re-examine the role of Japan's military to meet the changing security environment in the Asia-Pacific region.
"This will guide the focus of the direction that the Self Defence Forces should be heading going forward," Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera said of the report.
Amphibious units that could be dispatched quickly to remote islands were needed, the report said, and surveillance equipment to detect "at an early stage signs of changes in the security situation".
The report also called for a strengthened ability to "to deter and respond to ballistic missiles".
"Japan needs to enhance its ability to respond to ballistic missile attacks in a comprehensive manner," Kyodo news agency quoted the report as saying.
But officials have been keen to emphasise that this does not mean Japan is eyeing pre-emptive strikes on enemy targets.
"It is necessary to consider whether we should have the option to strike an enemy's missile launch facilities," an unidentified defence ministry official told Reuters news agency.
"But we are not at all thinking about initiating attacks on enemy bases when we are not under attack."
The move comes amid a raft of tensions and potentially challenging security issues.
North Korea conducted what was widely seen as a long-range missile test in December 2012 and followed up with its third test of a nuclear device in February 2013.
China, meanwhile, is locked in a dispute with Japan over East China Sea islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
Japan controls the islands but Chinese ships have been sailing in and out of what Japan says are its territorial waters since late last year, as tensions increased.
On Wednesday Japan scrambled fighter jets after a Chinese government plane flew in international air space near the islands.
China said it was on a routine training mission; Mr Abe said it was "an unusual action that we have never seen before".
Japan has also voiced concern over increases in China's military spending, accusing Beijing of a lack of transparency.
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5994c1b31f6142f9f35006ad0b39afe1 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23565387 | Australian PM Kevin Rudd calls election for 7 September | Australian PM Kevin Rudd calls election for 7 September
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called an election for 7 September, six weeks after defeating former PM Julia Gillard in a Labor party vote.
The date was announced after he visited the governor-general, a formality preceding an election announcement.
The head of the centre-left party faces stiff competition from conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott, who is favourite to win.
The economy, asylum seekers and climate change are among the key issues.
"It's on. A few moments ago I saw the governor-general and asked that she dissolve this parliament and call the federal election for 7 September," Mr Rudd said in an email to Labor supporters.
Mr Rudd returned to lead Australia's government three years after he was toppled in a similar Labor leadership contest by Ms Gillard.
Since taking office on 26 June, Mr Rudd has changed several key policy positions and opinion polls suggest his party is narrowing the conservative opposition's lead.
"This election will be about who the Australian people trust to best lead them through the difficult new economic challenges which now lie ahead," Mr Rudd said, speaking at a press conference after the announcement.
"New challenges have been brought about by the end of the China resources boom," he added, referring to Australia's declining finances due to a dwindling mining sector.
Opposition leader Mr Abbott welcomed the election date, telling reporters "it's really about who is more fair dinkum", using an Australian phrase to mean honesty or fairness.
If elected, he said his government would build a stronger economy and get the budget under control.
The latest figures show a slowing of economic growth, which was downgraded to 2.5% compared to a forecast of 2.75% in May.
Mr Abbott has vowed to give priority to scrapping mining and carbon taxes if his opposition Liberal Party wins the election.
He says both taxes - introduced by the Labor government in 2012 - are among the highest tax rates on carbon dioxide in the world and has made the industry uncompetitive.
Mr Rudd recently said he wanted to end the fixed prices on carbon emissions by 30 June 2014 and bring forward a European-style emissions trading scheme.
The Labor government currently holds 71 of the total 150 seats in parliament. The opposition coalition made up of centre-right parties has 72 seats; the Green party has one, and there are six independents.
Meanwhile, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said he is proud of the level of support he enjoys in Australia after a national survey indicated that 26% of voters would vote for him or other candidates from his WikiLeaks Party in national elections.
The survey - run by the same company that Labor relies on for its own polling - questioned 1,000 voters and had a 3% margin of error.
"I'm obviously proud of that, but it's also something extremely interesting about the Australian people and about what is happening and the perceptions of what is happening in Canberra,'' Mr Assange said, in an interview with Australia's Ten Network.
Mr Assange has been holed up inside the Ecuadorean embassy in London for the past year to avoid extradition to Sweden.
He is one of three WikiLeaks Party Senate candidates in the state of Victoria. The party is expected to field seven candidates in total for the upper house Senate seats in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia states.
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7a8eb3259e0f1d3a7b8da3daf9968379 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23691324 | Indian submarine hit by explosion at Mumbai port | Indian submarine hit by explosion at Mumbai port
At least 18 sailors are feared to be trapped on board an Indian submarine that caught fire after an explosion in a Mumbai dockyard, officials say.
The blast occurred shortly after midnight and it took fire-fighters several hours to douse the blaze.
Officials say the diesel-powered vessel was badly damaged and remains partly submerged at its berth.
Many sailors managed to jump to safety. Rescue teams are on scene and some of the injured were taken to hospital.
It is unclear exactly what caused the explosion on the INS Sindhurakshak but dramatic images on Indian television appear to show a large fireball illuminating the sky. Smoke from the blaze could be seen in many parts of the city.
A naval inquiry has been set up to look into the causes of the incident, but officials told the BBC they suspect it to be the result of an on-board error and not an act involving any outside agency.
"There are some people who are trapped on board, we are in the process of trying to rescue them, we suspect it to be in the range of 18," Navy spokesman PVS Satish was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.
"We will not give up until we get to them," he added.
Officials also told the AFP news agency that divers had been deployed when the flames were put out and that they were hunting for the men on board.
The INS Sindhurakshak is said to be one of the 10 Kilo-class submarines bought from Russia between 1986 and 2000. It is equipped with Russian Club-S cruise missile system.
The vessel, which is powered by diesel and electricity, returned from Russia last year after undergoing an upgrade and sea trials began last October, reports said.
In February 2010, a sailor on board the submarine was killed by a fire that broke out in the battery compartment while the submarine was docked at the Vishakhapatnam naval base - it was later that year that it was sent to Russia for the refit.
This explosion comes just days after India's navy launched its first home-built aircraft carrier, hailed by officials as a "crowning glory".
Last year, India bought a Russian Nerpa nuclear submarine for its navy on a 10-year lease from Russia at cost of nearly $1bn (£645m), making it part of a select group of nations to operate nuclear-powered submarines.
India and Russia are long-time allies and Russia supplies about 70% of India's military hardware.
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4d2ac2074ac6a82b252343c1c731715a | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23763895 | Pakistan ex-leader Musharraf charged over Bhutto murder | Pakistan ex-leader Musharraf charged over Bhutto murder
Pakistani ex-President Pervez Musharraf has been charged in connection with the 2007 assassination of opposition leader and former PM Benazir Bhutto.
The former military ruler has denied charges of murder, criminal conspiracy to murder and facilitation of murder.
It is the first time a current or ex-army chief has been charged with a crime in Pakistan. Mr Musharraf says the charges are politically motivated.
Ms Bhutto was killed at an election rally in Rawalpindi in December 2007.
This indictment had long been expected but was delayed because of threats to the former military ruler from the Pakistani Taliban. When he finally made an appearance in the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi it was amid tight security.
Six others were charged along with Mr Musharraf, including four suspected militants and two senior police officials. The court set the next hearing for 27 August.
Mr Musharraf's legal team say the evidence against him is fabricated and dismissed the indictment: "These charges are baseless. We are not afraid of the proceedings. We will follow legal procedures in the court," his lawyer, Syeda Afshan Adil, told the Agence France-Presse news agency.
The former military ruler returned to Pakistan from self-imposed exile earlier this year and is currently under house arrest.
He came to power in 1999 when he ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a bloodless coup. He ruled the country for nine years before being voted out and then he left Pakistan to live in self-imposed exile in Dubai and London.
Upon his return he hoped that he could lead his party into elections, but was disqualified from standing and found himself fighting an array of charges relating to his time in power.
These include cases relating to the murder of a Baloch tribal leader, Nawab Akbar Bugti, in 2006 and his attempt to sack the entire higher judiciary in November 2007.
Mr Sharif is now back in power, having emphatically won elections earlier this year.
His government has said that it also plans to put Mr Musharraf on trial for treason.
Ms Bhutto's assassination at an election rally in Rawalpindi on 27 December 2007 was blamed by Mr Musharraf's government on the Taliban.
A 2010 UN report said Benazir Bhutto's death could have been prevented and that Mr Musharraf's government failed to provide enough protection - at the time his aides dismissed the report as a "pack of lies".
Ms Bhutto was the daughter of former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was himself executed in 1977 after being ousted in a coup. She was imprisoned shortly after that coup but went on to be twice elected prime minister.
In 2007 she came back to Pakistan after years abroad under a deal in which Mr Musharraf allowed her to return to take part in elections to be held in 2008.
But her assassination in a gun and bomb attack during the rally in Rawalpindi sparked massive protests and her Pakistan People's Party won a resounding victory in the polls allowing her widower, Asif Ali Zardari, to take up the presidency.
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0e1a5cdefa63b247caa75e5bc68c82da | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23781857 | Thailand court jails Iranians over bomb plot | Thailand court jails Iranians over bomb plot
A court in Thailand has jailed two Iranian men for their roles in an attempted bomb plot in the capital, Bangkok, in February 2012.
The two men said they were innocent, but the court found them guilty of charges that included illegal possession of explosives.
The men were detained after a huge explosion accidentally damaged the house they were staying at.
One man had his legs blown off after he tried to throw a bomb at police.
The two were among six suspected of involvement in the bomb plot after the accidental blasts in the Ekamai area in central Bangkok.
The two defendants were part of what Thai officials believe was a team sent to Thailand to target Israeli diplomats in Bangkok.
The blasts came a day after two bomb attacks targeted Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia.
Israel has accused Iran of orchestrating the attacks, a charge which Iran denies.
Another suspect was arrested in Malaysia and is fighting extradition to Thailand.
Saeid Moradi, 29, who lost his legs in one of the explosions, was given a life term for charges that included attempted murder.
He was also found guilty of carrying and using explosives which caused the destruction of property, the court said.
Moradi said he was carrying the explosives to dispose of them.
Mohammad Khazaei, 43, who was detained at the airport in Bangkok, was given 15 years for possession of explosives.
He said he was not a militant and only met Moradi at an airport in Tehran, Iran.
The lawyer of the two men said he would consult with their families to work out whether they would appeal against the court's decision.
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c45aa2cf33a1ba0800fa1fc0157e6dbd | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23810381 | Australia election: Why is voting compulsory? | Australia election: Why is voting compulsory?
Is compulsory voting in a democracy a contradiction in terms? That is the question some Australians have been asking since voting became required by law here nearly a century ago.
The right to vote is a freedom fiercely sought by people all over the world, but Australians do not have a choice.
The continent is part of a small minority of just 23 countries with mandatory voting laws. Only 10 of those enforce them.
Registering to vote and going to the polls are legal duties in Australia for citizens aged 18 and over, and failing to do so can result in a fine and potentially a day in court.
Opponents of the system like Libertarian columnist Jason Kent say this stifles political freedom and threatens the basic principles of democracy.
"People have been sentenced to jail terms for not voting. It's disgusting. It's far from being democratic. We are not a democracy if we can't vote democratically."
But Dr Peter Chen, who teaches politics at the University of Sydney, warns that this type of heated rhetoric blows things out of proportion. He says showing up to the polls every so often is not a huge burden.
"The system demonstrates a social expectation that at a minimum everyone needs to participate every few years and that's a good thing."
Although small, the A$20 (about $18, £12) fine is enough to drive voters to the polls in substantially greater numbers than countries with voluntary voting.
Supporters of the system say Australia boasts some of the highest civic participation in the world, with a reported 94% voter turnout in the last federal election, compared with about 65% in the UK's 2010 general election and an estimated 57% in the 2012 US presidential election.
The tides may be changing though, according to Mr Kent, who says high voter turnout here is overstated.
"High voter turnout is a myth when you consider that 10% of Australians are not even registered. When that myth is debunked, I think you'll see a dramatic shift in public perception of compulsory voting," he said.
That number only reflects registered voters who turned out, and although required by law, in recent years voter registration has seen a slight decline, especially among younger Australians.
According to the Australian Election Commission, a third of the overall number of eligible voters who are not enrolled are between 18 and 24 years old. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has made mobilising the youth vote central to his 2013 campaign.
Long-time political insider and commentator Paula Matthewson, who makes a conscious decision not to vote and pays the fine instead, says the problem goes beyond young voters.
"The idea that high voter turnout based on compulsory voting translates into a politically engaged electorate is nonsensical. If we moved to a voluntary system, with the level of disenchantment and disengaged voters we have now, no one would vote."
And there has been an increase in recent years of what Australians call informal or spoilt ballots - instances where voters either mistakenly or intentionally submit a ballot that is blank or improperly filled in, which cannot be counted in the final tally.
Spoilt ballots count for around 6% of the total votes cast in the 2010 election. Taken together with the number of eligible voters who fail to register, the actual percentage for voter turnout in Australia's federal elections hovers in the low 80s.
Mr Kent says that these statistics show that forcing people to vote does not translate into an engaged electorate. He argues that a non-compulsory voting system would encourage Australians to be more involved.
"If voting was democratic, politicians would be beholden to the voters, they couldn't hold a gun to our heads and force us to vote, they'd have to give us a good reason to vote. They'd have to inspire us."
The idea of abolishing mandatory voting is a familiar topic in Australian politics, most famously espoused by former Liberal cabinet member and Senator Nick Minchin, who is an outspoken opponent of the system.
Earlier this year, the Queensland Liberal Party released a discussion paper on election reforms that included a section on the possibility of ending compulsory voting.
The move was met with outrage from senior Labor party figures, including then Prime Minister Julia Gillard who tweeted: "Fight @theqldpremier's plan to end compulsory voting. Don't let the Liberals make our democracy the plaything of cashed-up interest groups.''
Mr Rudd also broached the topic in a wide-reaching Green Paper released in 2009 asking: "Do you think compulsory voting should continue in Australia?"
There have been no policy initiatives on the subject from the Labor government at that time or since.
It is widely believed that the Liberal party would have the most to gain if a voluntary voting system were adopted here but James Campbell, state politics editor of the Herald Sun newspaper, explains that the issue is not black and white.
"Both parties have toyed with the idea of abolishing mandatory voting, but the reason it never happened is no-one has been entirely certain about who would benefit from getting rid of it."
Rohan Wenn, spokesperson for the non-partisan political advocacy group Get Up!, says the system protects the rights of marginalised groups.
"If you look at the international experience, in non-compulsory voting systems, the people who don't vote are the poor and disenfranchised and those are exactly the people we think should be voting."
Regardless of partisanship, the current electoral system is largely supported across the country. Dr Chen explains that despite the ongoing debate, there is no sign of any serious measures to end compulsory voting in sight.
"Most Australians are quite comfortable with the electoral process and would be quite suspicious of efforts to change it. We trust the electoral system more than we trust our politicians.
"It's an irony, but we really like our democracy."
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7167c41d6fded7855f89ae93dd9c6fe3 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23870765 | China Chang'e unmanned moon lander launch 'by year-end' | China Chang'e unmanned moon lander launch 'by year-end'
China plans to send an unmanned space probe to the moon this year for the country's first lunar landing.
State media said preparations were now under way for the launch of Chang'e-3, the latest stage in its efforts to put a person on the moon.
The craft will use a radio-controlled rover to transmit images and dig into the moon's surface to test samples.
In June, three Chinese astronauts spent 15 days in orbit and docked their craft with an experimental space laboratory.
According to Chinese legend, Chang'e is the name of a woman who lives in a palace on the moon.
"Chang'e-3 has officially entered its launch implementation stage following its research and construction period," said a statement released by the administration after a meeting on Wednesday about the mission, the state news agency Xinhua reported.
The Chang'e-3 and another lander will remain on the moon's surface, although China plans to follow those with landers that will return to Earth with samples, the Associated Press news agency reports.
China would need experts from its lunar exploration programme and its separate human spaceflight programme to work together on a possible crewed lunar mission.
Attention has focussed recently on China putting humans in space. Two missions have been made to work on the Tiangong-1 experimental space station.
Launched in 2011, the station is due to be replaced by a three-module permanent station, Tiangong-2, in seven years' time.
China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003, becoming the third country after Russia and the United States to achieve manned space travel independently. The military-backed space programme is a source of national pride.
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83854b511fd422083444867e57fc6b2c | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23983948 | Maldives presidential election goes to second round | Maldives presidential election goes to second round
The presidential elections in the Maldives will go to a second round after frontrunner Mohamed Nasheed failed to win an outright majority.
Mohamed Nasheed obtained 45% but needed more than 50% to avoid a run-off against his rival, Abdulla Yameen, who got 25% of the vote.
After decades of autocratic rule, the Maldives held its first free election in 2008, which was won by Mr Nasheed.
But he was ousted as president 18 months ago in an alleged coup.
Officials said the run-off was due to be held on 28 September.
Mr Nasheed's rival, Abdulla Yameen, is the half-brother of the Maldives' former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who led the country for 30 years.
Mr Nasheed resigned in February 2012 when army and police personnel joined opposition-led protests over the arrest of a senior judge.
The judge, Abdulla Mohamed, was detained in January 2012 after ordering the release of an opposition politician.
Mr Nasheed said he was stepping down to prevent "bloodshed", but later said he was forced to resign at gunpoint by police and army officers.
He was replaced by President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, who had also been running in Saturday's election but polled only 5% of the vote.
Mr Waheed has consistently rejected claims of a coup by Nasheed supporters.
The leadership change sparked political unrest, leading to fears that the protests would have an impact on the islands' tourism industry.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said last week that he hoped the elections would be "credible and peaceful".
Key issues for voters included religion, nationalism, education and the economy.
Thoriq Hamid, a representative of poll monitoring group Transparency Maldives, said that the campaigning had been conducted "smoothly and peacefully".
However, there was still "some apprehension and confidence issues about the security forces", he said.
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82eeade3f647652f7ccb75e82ad6489f | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24034873 | The search for Jinnah's vision of Pakistan | The search for Jinnah's vision of Pakistan
Sixty-five years after the death of its founding father, Pakistanis are still searching for Mohammed Ali Jinnah's vision for the country - and a missing historical speech.
During much of its existence, Pakistanis have been encouraged to believe that Mr Jinnah created Pakistan in the name of Islam as a theocratic state.
Others have disagreed, arguing the founding father wanted a Muslim-majority but secular and progressive country.
The debate over the two competing and contradictory visions has intensified in recent years as the country reels from growing Islamic extremism and Taliban militancy.
At the heart of this debate are some public addresses of Mr Jinnah given around the time of the partition of India in 1947.
Transcripts of those addresses have been available in Pakistan.
The archives of state-owned broadcaster, Radio Pakistan, also contain cranky old audio recordings of most of those speeches, except for one: his address to the Constituent Assembly in the port city of Karachi on 11 August 1947, three days before the creation of Pakistan.
For liberals in Pakistan, it was a crucial speech in which Mr Jinnah spoke in the clearest possible terms of his dream that the country he was creating would be tolerant, inclusive and secular.
"You are free. You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in this state of Pakistan," Jinnah declared. "You may belong to any religion or caste or creed - that has nothing to do with the business of the state."
Documented evidence suggest that Mr Jinnah's words didn't go down well with the powerful and ambitious religious ideologues around him at the time, who then made sure the speech was virtually blacked out in the next day's newspapers.
Successive military governments in Pakistan were accused of attempting to downplay, even remove, the speech from official records.
Why did that speech unsettle some Pakistani leaders so much? Many believe it was because it was seen at odds with the kind of anti-India, anti-Hindu, Islamic state they were trying to create and preserve their own power bases.
By the time Pakistan embarked on a process of Islamisation and introduced tough new laws aimed at religious minorities in the 1970s and 1980s, the more controversial bits of that speech were largely wiped out from public discourse.
Jinnah was repackaged as an Islamic leader, rather than a westernised secular man he had been for much of his life.
Along the way, whatever audio recording there might once have been of that crucial speech disappeared.
Mr Jinnah's ideals for Pakistan were further muddled, as the country's hardliners began to question whether the founding father had indeed said those words in his address, was he in the right frame of mind or what he might have meant by them.
"It's a case of criminal, wilful destruction of our history," alleges Murtaza Solangi, the former director general of Radio Pakistan.
He cannot say with certainty whether Pakistan ever possessed the audio recording of the 11 August speech.
But based on his persistent inquiries over the last few years, he's come to the conclusion that "if Pakistan ever had a copy of the speech on tape, it was probably destroyed deliberately".
In his quest to trace the audio, Solangi contacted the BBC in London. He was told the BBC archive didn't have the 'Jinnah tapes'. He then contacted All India Radio (AIR) in Delhi. Indian officials told him they have the speech.
But it took the Indian authorities another two years before they were forced to release the tapes in public domain -mainly in response to a request by an Indian Muslim activist under the country's Right to Information law.
So, when the news came last week that All India Radio had handed over original recordings of two of Mr Jinnah's 1947 speeches to Radio Pakistan, it was seen as a breakthrough of sorts.
But Mr Solangi's excitement was somewhat dampened when it turned out that the crucial missing speech wasn't part of it. The recordings handed over last week are already a part of Radio Pakistan archives," he points out.
"The only difference is we now have them in much better, original quality."
The first of the two speeches handed over is believed to be Mr Jinnah's last address on radio within the borders of present day India. It was recorded on 3 June 1947, in Delhi.
The second tape consists of Mr Jinnah's well-known address to the Constituent Assembly in Karachi on the day the country came into existence: 14 August 1947.
It was recorded by sound engineers from All India Radio. They were invited to come to Karachi from Delhi because the country about to be born did not have radio stations equipped for such recordings.
AIR engineers are believed to have recorded both of Jinnah's speeches in Karachi: August 11th and 14th.
"They [AIR officials] initially told me they have the missing August 11th tape, but of late have become evasive about it," says Solangi.
"They have told others they don't have it. At the moment, we just don't know whether they have it or not."
Some in Pakistan suspect it may have to do with the dominant Indian narrative which paints Jinnah as the man responsible for large-scale Hindu-Muslim violence in the run up to the partition and the man who divided India.
But it's not entirely clear why, if the speech indeed exists, the authorities in India would hand over two of the Jinnah tapes, but not the 11 August speech.
"I doubt it's deliberate," says Raza Rumi, director of Jinnah Institute, an Islamabad-based think tank. "Given the red-tape in the Indian bureaucracy, I wouldn't be surprised if Pakistan's request for Jinnah tapes is simply stuck or lost in the system."
The recording of Jinnah's 11 August speech may be of great importance to students of history on both sides of the border.
But if ever found, could it really help Pakistan's seemingly marginalized liberals to win an argument with the hardliners and the religious right in reshaping the country's now deeply entrenched Islamic identity?
"It's not about trying to convince the religious zealots that Jinnah wanted a different kind of Pakistan," says Solangi.
"It's about correcting our distorted history and letting the people decide what kind of Pakistan they want."
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114c79afca3298988be9fb9b0023d9ee | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24060913 | Netherlands apology for Indonesia 1940s killings | Netherlands apology for Indonesia 1940s killings
The Netherlands has made a formal public apology for thousands of summary executions carried out by Dutch troops in its former colony of Indonesia.
Dutch ambassador to Indonesia Tjeerd de Zwaan apologised for the "excesses committed by Dutch forces" between 1945 and Indonesia's independence in 1949.
A UN report at the time condemned the killings as deliberate and ruthless.
The Hague has previously apologised and paid compensation in certain cases, but this was the first general apology.
The ceremony took place at the Dutch embassy in Jakarta, with several relatives of the victims and embassy workers in attendance.
None of the victims' widows was present as they live in Sulawesi and were too frail or ill to travel to the capital, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported. The Indonesian government was not represented.
"The Dutch government is aware that it bears a special responsibility in respect of Indonesian widows of victims of summary executions," Mr Zwaan said.
"Sometimes it is very important to be able to look back in order to be able to look one another straight in the eyes and be able to move forward together - and that of course is what this public apology and ceremony is all about," he said.
Clashes between the Dutch army and Indonesians began in 1945.
South Sulawesi was the scene of one of the worst Dutch atrocities. In January 1947, more than 200 Indonesian men were executed on a field in front of a local government office in what was then known as Celebes.
That same year, at least 150 people were killed by Dutch forces in Balongsari village, formerly known as Rawagede.
Two high-profile court cases in the Netherlands have resulted in 20,000 euros ($26,600; £16,800) being awarded to the widows of some of the victims.
No Dutch soldiers have faced prosecution over the deaths.
Most of current-day Indonesia was ruled by the Netherlands from the 19th Century until World War II, when the Japanese army forced out the Dutch.
When the Dutch attempted to reassert control after the defeat of the Japanese, they met fierce resistance.
The Netherlands finally recognised Indonesia's independence in 1949.
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097373dbb3d6cf4603ab983541bf2953 | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24099022 | Japan halts last nuclear reactor at Ohi | Japan halts last nuclear reactor at Ohi
Japan is shutting down its last functioning nuclear reactor, with no timetable for a restart.
Reactor 4 at Ohi in western Japan will stop generating electricity in the early hours of Monday.
Analysts say Japan will be without nuclear power until December at the earliest, the longest shut-down since the 1960s.
The Japanese public turned against nuclear power after the meltdowns at the Fukushima plant in 2011.
Before the accident, which was caused by a massive earthquake and tsunami, nuclear plants supplied about 30% of Japan's power.
But since then the plants have been closed, either for scheduled maintenance or because of safety fears, and have not been restarted.
Japan went without nuclear power during May and June last year, but
operator Kepco was allowed to restart its reactors at Ohi.
The government has been under pressure to tighten safety standards to allay public fears.
Analysts say it will take around six months to clear all of the safety checks and legal hurdles involved in a restart.
So far, power companies have applied to restart about a dozen of Japan's 50 reactors.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to see the reactors back on line, as they are a vital part of his plan to turn the economy around.
Since the Fukushima disaster, Japan has been forced to import huge amounts of coal, liquid natural gas and other fuels.
Mr Abe's government blames these imports for the huge trade deficits posted by Japan since 2011.
The average household electricity bill has risen by 30% since Fukushima, denting the government's attempts to boost consumer spending.
But continuing problems at the Fukushima plant have hampered the government's attempts to win public support for a return to nuclear.
In the latest setback, operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said earlier this month that radiation levels had risen around tanks used to store water that has been flushed through the damaged reactor buildings.
Tepco had earlier said highly contaminated water had leaked from a storage tank.
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13aabe90718c6e218371e43d51f72a62 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/03/south-africas-currency-sinks-as-new-finance-minister-eyes-radical-economic-transformation.html | South Africa’s currency sinks as new finance minister eyes ‘radical economic transformation’ | South Africa’s currency sinks as new finance minister eyes ‘radical economic transformation’
VIDEO4:4404:44Opposition parties push for 'no confidence' vote in South Africa's ZumaSquawk Box Europe
saw renewed pressure Monday morning as investors fret over the shock sacking of highly-respected Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, with his replacement beating the drum for a "radical economic transformation" agenda over the weekend.
"The issue of radical economic transformation arises from a criticism that for quite a long time the structure of the South African economy has not been changed. We have not paid sufficient attention to the real economy, to industrializing the economy, to ensuring that we create entrepreneurs and industrialists, particularly among black people," the country's new finance minister, Malusi Gigaba, told reporters on Saturday.
Although "no-one can properly define this term" Peter Attard-Montalto, emerging markets economist at Nomura, told CNBC Monday that it was likely to imply initiatives such as faster land redistribution, forced share ownership changes and higher wealth taxes, with the goal of addressing the fact that around 10 percent of the population – a largely white cohort – still own at least 90 to 95 percent of all wealth, according to widely cited research from REDI published last June.
"It's a very hard to pin down term. The minister had a stab at doing that explanation at the weekend but probably has a lot more explaining to do both to investors and rating agencies," commented the Nomura emerging markets specialist.
South Africa jealously clings to its credit rating which hovers just above the line separating "investment grade" from "junk", however, Gordhan's removal last week and the negative implications it carries for international finance flows into the country, have already triggered an adverse reaction from the biggest agencies.
"Continued political instability that adversely affects standards of governance, the economy or public finances, was one of the ratings sensitivities we highlighted in November when we revised the outlook on South Africa's 'BBB-' rating to 'negative' from 'stable'," said Jan Friederich, senior director at Fitch in a note to clients on Friday, adding that a failure to stabilize the country's debt-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio and a failure of GDP to recover sustainably were two additional risks being watched and now seen as more likely.
Waldo Swiegers | Bloomberg | Getty Images
I think there's a very strong possibility (of a downgrade) but mainly on the removal of Pravin Gordhan … Someone was removed from being a finance minister because they were anti-corruption and because they stood up to the forces of rent extraction and various interests that the president had," posited Attard-Montalto.
Calling a rating agency downgrade to junk "long overdue", Timothy Ash, an emerging markets senior sovereign strategist at BlueBay Asset Management, said that while the reaction of the agencies will be an important factor in determining the market's reaction to events, President Zuma is being helped by a supportive investing environment.
"Investors at present want to be long emerging markets risk," he noted in an email to clients on Friday, adding, "bond investors want to put money to work in higher yielding emerging markets, such as South Africa, with scope for rate cuts."
"This could support South African markets at least in the short term, and even encourage the rating agencies to give the country another get out of jail card," Ash observed.
Turning to the South African rand, Simon Derrick, chief markets strategist at BNY Mellon, reminded clients in an email on Monday that "when currency volatility hits South Africa then the results can be spectacular."
The rand continued to track lower on Monday, slipping by around 1.2 percent versus the U.S. dollar by 10 a.m. local Johannesburg time, having tumbled by 6 percent on Friday following Gordhan's outing.
Meantime, South African equities edged higher, with the main JSE All-Share index opening slightly up on Monday, having fallen by a total of 6.64 percent last week.
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0552496ae019250b74bfc667600e7e83 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/03/start-up-epicenter-implants-employees-with-microchips.html?utm_campaign=PUF%20%E2%80%93%20Philberts%20Ugentlige%20Fund&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter | A Swedish start-up has started implanting microchips into its employees | A Swedish start-up has started implanting microchips into its employees
Jowan Osterlund from Biohax Sweden, holds a small microchip implant, similar to those implanted into workers at the Epicenter digital innovation business centre during a party at the co-working space in central Stockholm, Tuesday March 14, 2017.James Brooks | AP
The syringe slides in between the thumb and index finger. Then, with a click, a microchip is injected in the employee's hand. Another "cyborg" is created.
What could pass for a dystopian vision of the workplace is almost routine at the Swedish startup hub Epicenter. The company offers to implant its workers and startup members with microchips the size of grains of rice that function as swipe cards: to open doors, operate printers, or buy smoothies with a wave of the hand.
The injections have become so popular that workers at Epicenter hold parties for those willing to get implanted.
"The biggest benefit I think is convenience," said Patrick Mesterton, co-founder and CEO of Epicenter. As a demonstration, he unlocks a door by merely waving near it. "It basically replaces a lot of things you have, other communication devices, whether it be credit cards or keys."
The technology in itself is not new. Such chips are used as virtual collar plates for pets. Companies use them to track deliveries. It's just never been used to tag employees on a broad scale before. Epicenter and a handful of other companies are the first to make chip implants broadly available.
VIDEO0:5800:58Buzzfeed reporter implants payments chip in handDigital Original
And as with most new technologies, it raises security and privacy issues. While biologically safe, the data generated by the chips can show how often an employee comes to work or what they buy. Unlike company swipe cards or smartphones, which can generate the same data, a person cannot easily separate themselves from the chip.
"Of course, putting things into your body is quite a big step to do and it was even for me at first," said Mesterton, remembering how he initially had had doubts.
"But then on the other hand, I mean, people have been implanting things into their body, like pacemakers and stuff to control your heart," he said. "That's a way, way more serious thing than having a small chip that can actually communicate with devices."
Epicenter, which is home to more than 100 companies and some 2,000 workers, began implanting workers in January 2015. Now, about 150 workers have them. A company based in Belgium also offers its employees such implants, and there are isolated cases around the world where tech enthusiasts have tried this out in recent years.
The small implants use Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, the same as in contactless credit cards or mobile payments. When activated by a reader a few centimeters away, a small amount of data flows between the two devices via electromagnetic waves. The implants are "passive," meaning they contain information that other devices can read, but cannot read information themselves.
Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at Stockholm's Karolinska Institute, says hackers could conceivably gain huge swathes of information from embedded microchips. The ethical dilemmas will become bigger the more sophisticated the microchips become.
"The data that you could possibly get from a chip that is embedded in your body is a lot different from the data that you can get from a smartphone," he says. "Conceptually you could get data about your health, you could get data about your whereabouts, how often you're working, how long you're working, if you're taking toilet breaks and things like that."
Libberton said that if such data is collected, the big question remains of what happens to it, who uses it, and for what purpose.
So far, Epicenter's group of cyborgs doesn't seem too concerned.
"People ask me; 'Are you chipped?' and I say; 'Yes, why not,'" said Fredric Kaijser, the 47-year-old chief experience officer at Epicenter. "And they all get excited about privacy issues and what that means and so forth. And for me it's just a matter of I like to try new things and just see it as more of an enabler and what that would bring into the future."
The implants have become so popular that Epicenter workers stage monthly events where attendees have the option of being "chipped" for free.
That means visits from self-described "body hacker" Jowan Osterlund from Biohax Sweden who performs the "operation."
He injects the implants — using pre-loaded syringes — into the fleshy area of the hand, just next to the thumb. The process lasts a few seconds, and more often than not there are no screams and barely a drop of blood. "The next step for electronics is to move into the body," he says.
Sandra Haglof, 25, who works for Eventomatic, an events company that works with Epicenter, has had three piercings before, and her left hand barely shakes as Osterlund injects the small chip.
"I want to be part of the future," she laughs.
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26d4ad02db42d4a52afa70b4b028844e | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/03/supplier-stocks-with-high-correlation-to-apple.html | Apple just cratered a stock in one fell swoop, and other iPhone suppliers are potentially vulnerable | Apple just cratered a stock in one fell swoop, and other iPhone suppliers are potentially vulnerable
VIDEO1:1401:14Inside the Apple universePower Lunch
Apple said Monday it would move away from using Imagination Technologies' intellectual property — and Imagination Technologies saw its share price plummet nearly 62 percent in London.
The British company, which makes money from selling licenses to patents and designs for graphics cards, counts Apple as its largest customer. Imagination Technologies isn't alone: There are dozens of companies that get 20 percent or more of their revenue from Apple, according to FactSet.
Company Name Symbol % of Revenue Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc.MFLX-US75.00%Cirrus Logic, Inc.CRUS-US66.00%Japan Display Inc.6740-JP53.70%Glu Mobile Inc.GLUU-US52.70%Gungho Online Entertainment, In...3765-JP51.70%COLOPL, Inc.3668-JP49.40%Aehr Test SystemsAEHR-US47.00%KLab Inc.3656-JP47.00%Nissha Printing Co., Ltd.7915-JP46.40%Zynga Inc. Class AZNGA-US46.00%Aiming, Inc.3911-JP45.50%Foster Electric Company, Limite...6794-JP43.90%Invensense, Inc.INVN-US40.00%IGNIS LTD.3689-JP38.10%gumi, Inc.3903-JP37.70%Gameloft SE Sponsored ADRGLOFY-US33.28%Voltage Incorporation3639-JP31.60%Cave Interactive Co., Ltd.3760-JP27.70%Sharp Corporation6753-JP27.10%Ateam Inc.3662-JP25.40%InterDigital, Inc.IDCC-US25.00%Jabil Circuit, Inc.JBL-US24.00%NOK Corporation7240-JP23.80%KAYAC, Inc.3904-JP22.21%GREE, Inc.3632-JP20.30%Kingnet Network Co., Ltd. Class...002517-CN20.20%Avago Technologies Limited06M8S0-E20.00%
Source: FactSet
To be sure, Apple hasn't made any more new moves yet — these stocks traded in a narrow range on Monday.
But longer term, the chip industry in particular may have to compete with Apple's piles of cash. Apple now does "much more in-house development of some fundamental technologies than ... a few years ago," especially processors and sensors, the tech giant's chief financial officer, Luca Maestri, said earlier this year at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco.
Even a big supplier, Qualcomm, has faced the wrath of Apple's chip crusade. Apple has waged a $1 billion legal battle, alleging the company has unfairly charged high chip royalties. SoftBank — a company with deep Apple ties — also agreed to buy leading chip designer ARM last year.
Not to mention Apple's staffing up: It hired Imagination Technologies' chief operating officer last year, according to Business Insider.
Apple spent more than $10 billion on research and development in 2016, up from $8.07 billion in 2015 and $6.04 billion in 2014. That means that the company spent 5 percent of its total net sales on research last year, up from 3 percent in the prior two years.
"It's very important for us because we can push the envelope on innovation, we can better control timing, cost, quality. We look at that as a great strategic investment," Maestri said at the conference.
Watch: Apple's tailwinds
VIDEO2:5202:52Piper Jaffray analyst: Apple's top tailwindsPower Lunch
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639648280e19eb8b923bb350f7fd8696 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/03/trump-signs-repeal-of-us-broadband-privacy-rules.html | Trump signs repeal of US broadband privacy rules | Trump signs repeal of US broadband privacy rules
U.S. President Donald Trump waits at the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Monday, April 3, 2017.Pete Marovich | Bloomberg | Getty Images
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday signed a repeal of Obama-era broadband privacy rules, the White House said, a victory for internet service providers and a blow to privacy advocates.
Republicans in Congress last week narrowly passed the repeal of the privacy rules with no Democratic support and over the strong objections of privacy advocates.
The signing, disclosed in White House statement late on Monday, follows strong criticism of the bill, which is a win for AT&T, Comcast and Verizon Communications.
The bill repeals regulations adopted in October by the Federal Communications Commission under the Obama administration requiring internet service providers to do more to protect customers' privacy than websites like Alphabet's Google or Facebook.
The rules had not yet taken effect but would have required internet providers to obtain consumer consent before using precise geolocation, financial information, health information, children's information and web browsing history for advertising and marketing.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai praised the repeal in a statement late on Monday for having "appropriately invalidated one part of the Obama-era plan for regulating the internet." Those flawed privacy rules, which never went into effect, were designed to benefit one group of favored companies, not online consumers."
Pai said the FCC would work with the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees websites, to restore the "FTC's authority to police internet service providers' privacy practices."
Republican FCC commissioners have said the Obama rules would unfairly give websites the ability to harvest more data than internet service providers.
VIDEO3:4303:43FCC in key focus in deregulation talks: David FaberSquawk on the Street
The action is the latest in a string of reversals of Obama administration rules. On Monday, the FCC reversed a requirement that Charter Communications Inc extend broadband service to 1 million homes that already have a high-speed provider.
On Friday, Comcast, Verizon AT&T Inc said they would voluntarily not sell customers' individual internet browsing information.
Verizon does not sell personal web browsing histories and has no plans to do so but the company said it has two advertising programs that use "de-identified" customer browsing data, including one that uses "aggregate insights that might be useful for advertisers and other businesses."
The American Civil Liberties Union said last month Congress should have opposed "industry pressure to put profits over privacy" and added "most Americans believe that their sensitive internet information should be closely guarded."
Trade group USTelecom Chief Executive Jonathan Spalter in a statement praised Trump for "stopping rules that would have created a confusing and conflicting consumer privacy framework."
Last week, 46 Senate Democrats urged Trump not to sign the bill, arguing most Americans "believe that their private information should be just that."
Republicans later this year are expected to move to overturn net neutrality provisions that in 2015 reclassified broadband providers and treated them like a public utility - a move that is expected to spark an even bigger fight.
Disclosure: Comcast is the owner of NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC and CNBC.com.
Watch: Debate over online privacy
VIDEO1:1301:13Debate over online privacyClosing Bell
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cfced4720dca852886f9d40c57409358 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/03/youtube-to-use-third-parties-to-report-ad-misplacement.html | YouTube to use third parties to report ad misplacement in latest brand safety measures | YouTube to use third parties to report ad misplacement in latest brand safety measures
Google-owned YouTube is to use third parties to help marketers prevent their advertising from appearing next to extreme and other "objectionable" content on the site.
"As part of our commitment to provide even more transparency and visibility to our advertising partners, we'll be working with trusted vendors to provide third party brand safety reporting on YouTube," a Google spokesperson said in an emailed statement today.
"We are working with companies that are MRC (Media Ratings Council)-accredited for ad verification on this initiative and will begin integrating these technologies shortly."
Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto | Getty Images
YouTube has come under fire from advertisers in the past few weeks after the Times of London reported that ads were appearing against – and therefore potentially funding – videos promoting hate. Several brands in the U.K. pulled their ads from YouTube including Marks & Spencer, HSBC and L'Oreal and last month Google's EMEA boss Matt Brittin apologized for the misplacement of their advertising. U.S. companies including Johnson & Johnson, AT&T and Lyft also removed ads.
Google has also announced it will hire "significant numbers of people" to review questionable content, and added more controls for brands to manage where their ads appear on YouTube.
In an email to CNBC, a Google spokesperson said YouTube had launched the following:
New machine-learning systems which help enforce our revised policies, identifying content that may be objectionable to advertisers.New rapid response path reducing the review time for flagged videos to just a few hours.New default settings which meet a higher level of brand safety for where ads can appear on YouTube.New account-level controls that let advertisers exclude specific sites, channels and videos across all their campaigns to simplify brand safety management.Additional sensitive subject classifiers to make it easier for brands to exclude high risk content and fine-tune where they want their ads to appear.
This is the latest in a series of moves by internet companies to prevent extreme or fake content from appearing on their sites. Facebook is working with fact-checking companies to highlight questionable stories as "disputed" and letting users mark posts as "fake news," while Twitter has changed its default profile image from an egg to a human head silhouette, partly to reduce trolling, it said Friday in a blog post.
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5f629f5c573ff8b489d52e16966e988a | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/amazon-shares-will-blast-off-to-1000-dollars-predicts-technical-trader.html | Amazon shares will ‘blast off’ to $1,000, predicts technical trader | Amazon shares will ‘blast off’ to $1,000, predicts technical trader
VIDEO2:0402:04Here's how high Amazon could go: TraderTrading Nation
Amazon hit its 10th all-time high of the year on Tuesday, but one trader says that the online retail giant will "blast off" to even more record levels ahead.
According to AlphaShark trader Andrew Keene, Amazon is "heading to $1,000" based on what he sees in the daily and weekly charts, matching a handful of Wall Street analysts' price targets for the stock.
On the daily chart of Amazon, Keene points out that Amazon "broke up to the upside around that $860 level," a level that he believes currently acts as "support" as it is also where the stock's 20-day moving average is found. While Keene usually looks at a longer-term moving average for stocks, he emphasizes that since Amazon's rally is so "parabolic," he needs to use a shorter time frame to predict the stock's movement.
But Keene's main reasoning for betting on a rally up to $1,000 lies within the stock's weekly chart. According to Keene, every time the stock has hit the 20-week moving average, it has been bought and headed higher, a trend that the trader believes will keep repeating itself.
"I think Amazon will be bought on any pullback whatsoever," Keene said on Tuesday on CNBC's "Trading Nation," as the stock will eventually head higher even if there's a drop.
But since the $1,000 level is 10 percent above Amazon's current price, Keene does have a way to trade Amazon in case the stock doesn't carry its momentum in the short-term. In this case, Keene wants to take the old "support" level of $860 and sell the May monthly 860-strike put while buying the May monthly 850-strike put for a credit of $2.5.
If Amazon closes above $860 on May 19 expiration, then Keene would keep the $250 credit from making the trade. But if Amazon were to close below the breakeven of $857.50 on May 19, then Keene would lose money on the trade, and would be out $750 if the stock closes below $850.
Amazon has soared more than 20 percent year to date, gaining about 7 percent since the end of March alone.
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7ff6aec66f0cca949b136f32311a8d01 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/apple-iphone-8-price-1000-ubs-earnings-outlook.html | UBS says Apple's iPhone 8 unlikely to cost $1,000, upgrades earnings outlook | UBS says Apple's iPhone 8 unlikely to cost $1,000, upgrades earnings outlook
VIDEO2:2702:27Why one analyst thinks that 'the smartphone story is coming to an end'Squawk Box Europe
Apple's upcoming anniversary edition iPhone 8 is unlikely to cost $1,000 as has been speculated, with new models expected to see a "bulge of buying," UBS said in a note on Tuesday as it upgraded its outlook on the U.S. technology giant's earnings.
UBS said it now expects Apple's earnings per share (EPS) for fiscal 2018 – which begins in the December quarter of 2017 – to be $10.55, up from its previous estimate of $10.25. The iPhone average selling price (ASP) is likely to be $692, up from a prior estimate of $667, the investment bank added.
Driving this upgrade is UBS's expectations of a higher priced anniversary edition iPhone and a boosted upgrade cycle.
Apple is expected to release three iPhone versions later this year, with one of those models having an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. OLED offers brighter displays and better power efficiency over liquid crystal displays (LCD) currently in use.
iPhone 7 charging in an Apple store.Zhang Peng | LightRocket | Getty Images
UBS said the factory cost of the 64GB OLED iPhone will be $70 to $90 higher than the iPhone 7 Plus model with a sale price of between $850 and $900. The higher cost could weigh on Apple's gross margin which UBS said is likely to decline to 38.5 percent in the fiscal 2018 year, from its estimate of 38.7 percent for the current fiscal year.
But the 64GB OLED model priced at $870 would be good for earnings.
"We think an $870 price would be accretive to EPS but dilutive to gross margin, a dynamic Apple has said it would accept," UBS noted.
$1,000 iPhone unlikely
Samsung's flagship Galaxy S8 is priced at $720 while the larger screen S8 Plus costs $840. UBS's estimate puts the OLED iPhone above this. UBS said that it is likely consumers will be willing to pay the higher price if the hardware is considered innovative.
Analyst Steven Milunovich said Apple has been able to hold the average selling price of its Macs above $1,200 despite the industry ASP falling to near $600. He added that despite the high prices of Macs versus the broader industry, Apple has only posted two down years of Mac sales.
Even the iPhone 7 Plus, which saw a $20 price rise from the 6 Plus, "has had more demand than any other Plus model released" thanks to the dual camera, UBS said. The investment bank expects the Plus could account for over 40 percent of iPhone sales in fiscal year 2017 versus a historical average of 25-30 percent.
"Apple customers seem fine with paying more for products they feel are differentiated," Milunovich noted, adding that the OLED model could account for 45 percent of shipments in fiscal 2018.
VIDEO0:4900:49Expect big changes for the next iPhoneNews Videos
Many market watchers expect that the iPhone 8 anniversary edition could cost $1,000, but UBS said this is unlikely given that Apple rarely ventures above competitors' price in the high end. At the same time, the OLED iPhone is expected to have a 5.2-inch display, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus have a 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch screen respectively.
"Apple's top model will be at a display size disadvantage to Samsung's Galaxy S8 Plus. We still think Apple will choose to price its top model relative to Samsung's top model, but remain cautious on how much higher Apple could ultimately go on price given a smaller display," Milunovich wrote.
"Offsetting this display size differential is the fact that the OLED iPhone could have features not included in the Galaxy S8 Plus, such as a front facing 3D sensing camera, embedded fingerprint sensor and higher quality facial recognition."
UBS reiterated its $151 price target for Apple's stock, which is above the mean of $147, according to Reuters data. Separately, Pacific Crest on Tuesday raised its Apple price target from $140 to $150.
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517e5cb291322ab66a4fe39df0ea068e | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/california-and-scotland-join-forces-to-fight-climate-change.html | California and Scotland join forces to fight climate change | California and Scotland join forces to fight climate change
Jane Barlow | PA Images | Getty Images
The Government of California and the Scottish Government have signed a joint agreement which sees them commit to work with one another to fight climate change.
The agreement was signed on Monday by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the Governor of California Edmund G Brown. Among other things, the memorandum of understanding states both California and Scotland are looking to "capitalise on the huge potential of the Under2 MoU, the ambitious commitment to bold and decisive climate action covering over one billion people and over a third of the global economy to which both jurisdictions are signatories." Signatories to the Under2 MoU agreement have committed to either cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 95 percent below 1990 levels or to limit emissions to less than two metric tons per capita by mid-century. "Scotland is making huge progress in delivering our climate change ambitions, but we are not complacent and there is still much to achieve," Sturgeon said.
"Today's meeting strengthened our relationship with the Government of California and I'm confident we can work together to achieve the targets set out by the Under2 MoU," she added.
For its part, California has ambitious plans when it comes to renewable energy and climate change. The state has set itself the target of generating 50 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and has committed to cutting petroleum use in cars and trucks by as much as 50 percent in the next 15 years. Environmental groups welcomed the agreement. "It is good to see climate action high on the agenda of Scotland's First Minister on her trip to the United States," Lou Leonard, WWF-U.S.'s senior vice president of Climate Change and Energy, said in a statement. "This is a strong reminder that climate change is a priority for our allies around the world," Leonard added.
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c024b7ed40425087d628591d6e97dfc5 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/experts-say-china-has-been-prepping-its-economy-for-trump-xi-meeting.html | Experts say China has been prepping its economy for Trump-Xi meeting | Experts say China has been prepping its economy for Trump-Xi meeting
VIDEO2:0802:08China could deliver counterpunch in Trump trade talksSquawk Box
It was just last week that details of the first meeting between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, were announced, but China has already been angling to position itself positively ahead of the encounter set for this week in Florida.
With Trump having repeatedly suggested on the campaign trail that China manipulated its currency to the downside, experts are saying the East Asian giant has done its best to prevent the yuan from falling further against the greenback by putting in measures to stem capital flight.
In fact, the renminbi has actually gained against the dollar in 2017 — even as it has fallen against a basket of currencies.
Shen Jianguang, chief economist at Mizuho Securities Asia said keeping the currency stable was a key move by China to present itself more positively, as was opening up the domestic bond market and the fund management sector to foreign companies.
And then there was the move in March this year, when the People's Bank of China (PBOC) raised the interest it charges for loans to banks by 10 basis points.
While many reported the move was a bid to stave off capital outflows and pre-empt CNY selling pressure after U.S. rates were hiked, there may be more than meets the eye, said Tim Condon, head of Asia research at ING Financial Markets.
"Ahead of the Trump-Xi summit favorable optics may have been a consideration," he said in a Monday note.
He added that PBOC's daily fix is a more important determinant of CNY moves rather than interest rates.
Indeed, "framing" China's pitch will be key, added Mizuho, where analysts are expecting a conciliatory tone at the meeting — even amid Trump's regular harping on China's large trade surplus with the U.S.
"We think that the compromise could take the form of Chinese investments in the U.S. creating jobs — this is already underway and more about framing," Mizuho said in a note Tuesday.
"What's more, China could open more sectors to U.S. firms and will rehash openness to high-tech U.S. imports as well as services trade as quid pro quo," the note added.
Some shift in trade may also be underway. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, the U.S. trade deficit fell sharply in February as imports from China fell by a record amount and American exports rose for a third straight month, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
VIDEO2:0802:08Trump, Xi face off at Mar-a-LagoSquawk Box
There's nobody better to sell that pitch than Xi himself, said Kevin Nealer, principal and partner at business advisory The Scowcroft Group.
"President Xi is in a position to say credible, useful things about Chinese investment in the U.S." he said at a discussion at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington D.C. on Friday.
For instance, the Chinese leader could talk about a voluntary restraint agreement on steel, auto parts and other sectors, he can also "tell a story about a transformed U.S.-China trade relationship," he said.
China could offer something "aspirational with a very big-dollar figure attached to it", Nealer added.
With Beijing possibly eyeing a stake in Trump's $1 trillion infrastructure push, China may already have a proposal tabled, said Christopher Johnson, the Freeman chair in China studies at CSIS at the same Friday event.
With the meeting taking place at Trump's home, the meeting could be "very fraught" for Xi, said Johnson, but the Chinese president has a bigger point to prove.
With a personality-driven following that many liken to former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, Xi does not appear to lack for self-confidence or vision, said Johnson. After all, he has managed to burnish his international credentials at events like the World Economic Forum in Davos, where his activities and speech generated significant attention.
VIDEO2:5802:58Don't expect more than a handshake at Trump/Xi meeting: ExpertSquawk Box
Xi's meeting with Trump will be a series of public events leading to the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China to be held in Beijing this autumn. It will see the country's top leadership ranks decided, and it's the first such meeting since 2012.
As the Communist Party's newly-minted "core leader," Xi will need to prove that he can manage the external environment and China's most important bilateral relationship, according to Johnson.
"One might argue he will seek to control the incoming (U.S.) president because he had a pretty good track record under the previous president of managing the relationship quite well and seemingly outfoxing the previous president on certain issues," said Johnson.
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Watch: Dispute over islands in East China Sea
VIDEO0:4300:43 A dispute over islands in the East China Sea could be a trigger point for something biggerChina in Transition
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07450915a7559f69cf2ad359dcc4e998 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/fillon-le-pen-under-fire-over-scandals-in-french-election-debate.html | Fillon, Le Pen, under fire over scandals in French election debate | Fillon, Le Pen, under fire over scandals in French election debate
VIDEO3:1303:13French presidential candidates clash in live TV debateSquawk Box Europe
French presidential candidates Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen came in for stinging attacks from left-wing election rivals over police investigations against them during a televised election debate on Tuesday.
After two hours of debate among the 11 presidential candidates on unemployment, immigration and relations with Europe, two far-left candidates took the gloves off and piled into Fillon and Le Pen over judicial investigations against them.
"Since January it's just been a great campaign ... the more we dig, the more corruption there is, the more cheating there is," Philippe Poutou, a fringe candidate, said.
He was referring to a press report in the satirical Le Canard Enchaine weekly which was the first to allege that Fillon had been paying his wife huge sums of tax-payers money for work she had not properly carried out.
VIDEO1:5901:59Expect Macron to win landslide victory against Le Pen: ExpertSquawk Box Europe
Fillon, a 63-year-old conservative prime minister, and his wife are being investigated over the allegations though they deny any wrongdoing.
Looking ill at ease, Fillon replied that he had made no mistakes and would not take questions on the allegations. "I won't be intimidated," he said.
"I'll take you to court for that," Fillon said, lowering his voice.
Fillon was once frontrunner in the election, but after the fake jobs allegations emerged his ratings tumbled and he is now trailing in third place in the election first round, according to opinion polls, which would mean elimination.
Poutou, a car factory worker who is expected to get only minimal support in the April 23 first round of the election, also had harsh words for Le Pen.
The National Front leader in February used her immunity as EU lawmaker to refuse to go to a police summons over allegations that she had made illegal EU payments to her staff.
"When you're summoned by police, you go. There is no workers' immunity," said Poutou in a comment widely picked up on Twitter.
VIDEO1:3701:37Macron 'overwhelmingly likely' to beat Le Pen: PIIEStreet Signs Asia
He was supported by another far-left candidate Nathalie Arthaud, who said: "Supermarket cashiers can be fired just for stealing a voucher. There is a shocking discrepancy here," she said.
Le Pen, who like Fillon has also denied wrongdoing, angrily responded, saying she was the victim of "political persecution."
"Is this a (police) interrogation? I thought this was a debate but it looks like the prosecutors are here," she said.
Socialist Party candidate Benoit Hamon, unlikely to get beyond the election's first round, mocked Le Pen for "playing the victim."
Earlier on Tuesday, a judicial source said a separate probe into the National Front's finances in France's northernmost region was underway. Le Canard Enchaine said the probe targeted Le Pen's campaign director, David Rachline.
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c88243271784a3e55faa73ed4d2702f6 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/global-markets--trump-xi-oil-treasuries-explosion-bomb.html | Reaction: Trump says working on regulations; major 'haircut' on Dodd-Frank | Reaction: Trump says working on regulations; major 'haircut' on Dodd-Frank
Our live blog tracked market reaction as US President Donald Trump said his administration is working on reducing financial regulations.
Here's what happened.
(App users please click here).
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c5c58c66165b7df833c0b290292356b5 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/jpmorgan-ceo-dimon-more-business-friendly-environment-in-us-now.html | JPMorgan CEO Dimon says in annual letter that there's 'something wrong' with the US | JPMorgan CEO Dimon says in annual letter that there's 'something wrong' with the US
VIDEO2:1002:10JPM CEO: Stock outperformed in difficult environmentHalftime Report
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, in his annual letter to investors, said he has high hopes for the U.S. but believes there is "something wrong" with the country as well.
"Our problems are significant, and they are not the singular purview of either political party. We need coherent, consistent, comprehensive and coordinated policies that help fix these problems," the head of the largest bank by assets in the U.S. wrote. "The solutions are not binary — they are not either/or, and they are not about Democrats or Republicans. They are about facts, analysis, ideas and best practices (including what we can learn from others around the world)."
Dimon noted that the U.S. is "an exceptional country," but he delineated numerous areas where the country needs to improve. Among them are low wage growth, high health-care costs and overcrowded prisons.
VIDEO2:3902:39JPM's Dimon on regulationClosing Bell
Businesses are overburdened with regulations, the nation's infrastructure needs help, and the education system "is leaving too many behind," he added. Among the other ills: Taxes are making U.S. companies less competitive globally, income disparity is widening, and social mobility is decreasing.
"The lack of economic growth and opportunity has led to deep and understandable frustration among so many Americans," Dimon said. "It is understandable why so many are angry at the leaders of America's institutions, including businesses, schools and governments — they are right to expect us to do a better job."
At the same time, Dimon expressed hope for his bank's future in large part because attitudes toward banking and business have changed.
Noting how difficult conditions were for banks after the financial crisis, he said his company's fortunes this year have brightened thanks to a new political culture.
"We believe the anticipated reversal of many negatives and the expectation of a more business-friendly environment, coupled with our sustained, strong business results, are among the reasons our stock price has done so well this past year," Dimon wrote.
JPMorgan's shares are up nearly 48 percent over the past 12 months, thanks to a big rally after President Donald Trump's upset election victory in November. The stock was up about 0.5 percent on Tuesday.
Though Dimon did not mention Trump anywhere in the 45-page missive that he delivers each April, some of the president's pet themes do appear.
Like Trump, he also bemoans the cost of U.S. wars and said the government taking over the student loan business has seen college debt soar from $200 billion to more than $900 billion.
As far as his own company goes, Dimon noted that all of JPMorgan's core businesses have gained market share over the year. He said he continues to favor buybacks as a way to boost share price, even though the current level represents double the stock's book value.
"We believe we have substantial opportunities in the decades ahead to drive organic growth in our company," Dimon said. "We have confidence in the underlying growth in the U.S. and global economies, which will fuel the growth in our customer base."
The bank also will be rolling out some new products.
Among them are the ability to do most banking on mobile devices, automated online advising (commonly referred to as robo-advisors) and a "more robust digital platform" for the corporate and investment banking arms as well as asset and wealth management.
In addition, he said the bank is rolling out more security protections for customers.
Watch: Dimon focusing on 'ancient news'
VIDEO6:0706:07Achuthan: Dimon focusing on 'ancient news'Closing Bell
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eef88e3c9fe4de3822a2e334ba24a829 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/spotify-2-week-waiting-period-universal-artists-data-deal.html | Spotify's deal with Universal music means nonsubscribers may wait two weeks for new albums | Spotify's deal with Universal music means nonsubscribers may wait two weeks for new albums
Daniel Ek, CEO and Founder of Spotify.Getty Images
Some of the world's most popular musicians may now have the option to release albums on Spotify as Premium-only for two weeks, according to a new deal announced on Tuesday.
The new waiting period will be offered to artists with Universal Music Group, which owns brands that work with artists like Drake, Taylor Swift, Kanye West, Paul McCartney and Andrea Bocelli. It's designed to offer subscribers "an earlier chance to explore the complete creative work, while the singles are available across Spotify for all our listeners to enjoy," CEO Daniel Ek said in a statement.
The deal, which favors users of its $4.99 and up subscriptions, strikes at the heart of Spotify's battle with Apple Music, as the European start-up reportedly eyes an IPO.
Universal artist and mega-star Taylor Swift has been a loud critic of Spotify, calling it a "start-up with no cash flow [that] reacted to criticism like a corporate machine." Swift ultimately favored Apple Music, while Drake released an album as an Apple Music exclusive.
Spotify's new policy is flexible — not every album will be released on Spotify the same way, Ek said. For now, it's unclear which artists will participate.
While Swift and West have pressured the streaming industry, Universal Music boss Lucian Grainge said on Tuesday that the success of services like Spotify is "essential to the ecosystem's enduring health." The new Spotify deal affords Universal Music Group "unprecedented" access to Spotify's data.
"Eight years ago, when streaming was a welcome but small source of revenue, UMG embraced partners like Spotify as a way to help return music to a vibrant future benefitting the entire ecosystem," Grainge said. "Working hand in hand with these digital services brought us the industry's first real growth in nearly two decades. Today, streaming represents the majority of the business. Our challenge is transforming that upturn into sustainable growth."
Bolstering subscription revenue may be of growing importance at Spotify. Last month, the Financial Times reported that Spotify was on the brink of closing licensing deals that could take it closer to an initial public offering. (There was no mention of an IPO in Tuesday's announcement.)
Still, as Spotify is moving toward more exclusives, Apple may be moving away. Drake's latest album was not an Apple Music exclusive.
"When I was at radio, exclusives were the way to get the audience, because you would have the records before they were released. That doesn't happen anymore," Zane Lowe of Apple Music told CNET last month. "Most records are out all at the same time, so everyone's been forced to brush up on their editorial charms. How are you actually presenting the music, rather than owning it? ... Distribution is a choice, but it's not a hook I hang anything on."
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f4ff6c7e5b88553604695579821b50b6 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/trump-news-wilbur-ross-stake-in-shipping-firm-may-pose-china-conflict.html | Wilbur Ross holds stake in shipping firm that could present China conflict | Wilbur Ross holds stake in shipping firm that could present China conflict
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.Getty Images
One of the men leading President Donald Trump's push to redesign trade with China owns a stake in a shipping company that does business in China and whose vessels sail under Hong Kong's flag.
Trump has pledged to get tough on trade when he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who will play a role in any trade policy changes, has part ownership of Diamond S Shipping, a company with ties to China and other parts of Asia.
Ross, a billionaire financier, divested from many assets that could have posed ethics issues before taking the Cabinet spot. In his required financial disclosure, Ross said he would step down from his management roles with Diamond S Shipping and remove himself from decision-making but keep a passive stake in the company, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
His remaining ownership stake in the company underscores the conflicts that wealthy members of Trump's administration could face as they shape his economic agenda.
A Commerce Department spokesman declined to tell CNBC whether Ross sees a need to distance himself from any specific trade negotiations, but said that "as a general matter, Commerce's ethics officials provide the secretary with ongoing guidance to avoid any potential conflicts of interest."
Trump tweet
Trump has repeatedly criticized China, alleging that the world's second-largest economy manipulates its currency in order to make its exports cheaper than comparable U.S. products and rack up a massive trade surplus with the United States. Last week, Trump previewed the meeting with Xi by saying "we can no longer have massive trade deficits and job losses."
On Friday, Ross further highlighted the U.S. trade deficit with China in a CNBC interview. Asked why the administration thinks deficits are bad, Ross said, "if trade deficits are good, why is China so pleased that they run a huge trade surplus?"
Changes to the U.S. trade relationship with China or other parts of the world may affect Diamond S Shipping. As of 2014, Ross held a roughly 32 percent stake in the company, according to a 2014 SEC filing about a since-scrapped initial public offering.
Diamond S Shipping, which is legally incorporated in the Marshall Islands, runs 33 product tankers that move refined petroleum and other products, the filing said. Most of those ships are chartered to companies for years at a time.
The shipper has a strong presence in Asia. Most of its product tankers sail under Hong Kong flags. Diamond S Shipping's vessels have stopped in China more than 100 times since 2012, according to the Center for Public Integrity.
Chengdong Investment Corp., which is controlled indirectly by China's communist government, also held just under a 9 percent stake in Diamond S Shipping as of 2014.
Actual management of the fleet is controlled by Diamond S Shipping's Connecticut-based management team, according to Jim Lawrence, chairman of industry trade publication Marine Money.
VIDEO1:0301:03Sec. Ross: We are in a trade war and have been for decadesSquawk Box
It is difficult to assess exactly how much Ross' stake is worth, as the company is private, and many of the Commerce secretary's holdings are listed in complex instruments on his disclosure form.
But even if the stake represented only a small portion of the billionaire's assets, the holding looks significant enough that Ross may need to distance himself from trade negotiations that affect the company, said Richard Painter, who served as a White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush.
"I think he knows he has to recuse himself from any matter that has an effect on the shipping company," Painter said.
Selling his holding in the company would eliminate the potential conflict for Ross, Painter added. However, unloading an interest in shipping could prove difficult in an environment in which Trump has threatened protectionism and used an "America First" mantra.
The spokesman at Commerce declined to tell CNBC whether Ross' Diamond S Shipping stake means he would step back from any trade-related decisions.
It remains to be seen what trade changes — if any — the Trump administration will attempt to extract from China.
— CNBC's Lori Ann Larocco contributed to this report.
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c3d0ade51f920c5f98deef0900f38e8a | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/trump-says-ford-investment-planned-since-2015-would-not-have-happened-if-he-didnt-win-election.html?__source=newsletter%7Cyourmoneyyourvote | Trump claims credit for Ford investment plans that predated his election | Trump claims credit for Ford investment plans that predated his election
President Donald Trump on Tuesday claimed direct credit for a Ford investment in the United States that was largely planned since 2015.
"That was not going to happen, believe me, if I didn't win," Trump said of Ford's investment during a town hall with CEOs at the White House.
Last week, the White House heavily promoted Ford's announcement that it would put $1.2 billion into three Michigan plants, planning to create or retain 130 jobs at one of those facilities.
Still, more than 70 percent of that investment was part of a previously announced project.
About $850 million of Ford's announcement was part of the company's $9 billion investment in its U.S. facilities, first announced in 2015 as part of its contract with the United Auto Workers, said Joe Hinrichs, Ford's president for the Americas. About $200 million of the new investment is for a data center.
Trump has pushed automakers and other companies to produce their products in the U.S., saying those efforts will boost American manufacturing and create jobs. He has repeatedly threatened penalties for American companies that make products abroad and try to sell them at home, doing so again Tuesday.
Ford, General Motors and Fiat-Chrysler have made U.S. jobs announcements since Trump won the presidential election in November, and he has repeatedly touted their plans. On Tuesday, he again highlighted those announcements, saying American automakers are "staying here."
However, many of those projects were in the works well before Trump won the presidency.
Since taking office, Trump has met with Ford CEO Mark Fields, General Motors CEO Mary Barra and Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.
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ae84542af1f0aa640737f9d570c2e0de | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/what-amazons-physical-bookstores-say-about-the-future.html | What Amazon's physical bookstores say about the future | What Amazon's physical bookstores say about the future
VIDEO1:5701:57Amazon pushes into brick and mortarSquawk Box
is quietly expanding its bookstore footprint — a move that could offer clues about its ambitions for other types of stores.
The e-commerce giant told CNBC on Tuesday it will open another New York City bookstore location this summer at 7 West 34th St., across from Empire State Building.
Amazon's bookstores look ordinary at first glance. But by pulling out a mobile phone with the Amazon app, shoppers can use visual search technology to identify books and objects around them. The search reveals reviews, shipping options and price.
While Amazon is keeping the wraps on its physical grocery experiments, these high-tech brick-and-mortar bookstores could give a hint at the future of retail.
Customers walking out of an Amazon convenience store in Seattle on Tuesday haven't had to stand in any sort of line or checkout. Instead, they scan their phone when they enter, grab what they need and just walk out.
It's thanks to a technology Amazon aptly calls "just walk out," though it's currently limited to employees while it is in test mode.
The experiment is crucial for Amazon, which has invested in competing with brands like Walmart and Kroger. Data from Tabs Analytics shows that penetration of online grocery shopping has been consistently low, suggesting that people still want to go to physical stores and pick out their groceries.
If models like Amazon Go are adopted on a larger scales — perhaps also for home appliance showrooms, as suggested by The New York Times — Amazon could chart a new omnichannel experience.
— Reporting by CNBC's Deirdre Bosa. Written by Anita Balakrishnan.
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350f94b8e6f0eb15b9df0f11ecb037d6 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/what-jpmorgan-ceo-dimon-gets-wrong-about-the-student-debt-crisis.html | What JPMorgan CEO Dimon gets wrong about the student debt crisis | What JPMorgan CEO Dimon gets wrong about the student debt crisis
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, in his annual letter to investors, blamed the federal government for the rise in default rates for student loans.
Since 2010, when the government took over student lending, direct government lending to students has gone from approximately $200 billion to more than $900 billion – creating dramatically increased student defaults and a population that is rightfully angry about how much money they owe, particularly since it reduces their ability to get other credit.
Student loan experts disagree with Dimon's analysis. The bank-based Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program was phased out and replaced with the current Direct Loan program as part of the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 signed into law by former President Barack Obama.
"It is inaccurate to suggest that the federal government has managed the Direct Loan program any better or any worse than the FFEL lenders did," said Mark Kantrowitz, vice president of strategy for college and scholarship search site Cappex.com. "The percentage of Direct Loan dollars in default is similar to what it was under the FFEL program prior to 2010."
Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co.Christophe Morin | Bloomberg | Getty Images
For the 2016 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, there were $68 billion in Direct Loans for 4 million borrowers and $97 billion in FFEL loans to 6.9 million borrowers in default, according to the Department of Education. That means 7.2 percent of the outstanding Direct Loan portfolio and 29 percent of the outstanding FFEL portfolio were in default.
A comparison between Direct Loan and FFEL portfolios is not appropriate, Kantrowitz said, since most defaults occur within the first five years of a loan entering repayment. That means the FFEL portfolio is almost entirely in repayment, while the Direct Loan portfolio continues to have loans added as new students go to college. And more of those loans could default.
We do not currently have a student debt problem so much as a college completion problem.Mark KantrowitzCappex.com
"Growth in loan volume is largely due to growth in college costs and anemic increases in the federal Pell grants," Kantrowitz said. "Although milestones like a trillion dollars in student loan debt are impressive, what matters more is the impact on individual borrowers."
Students who drop out of college are four times more likely to default than students who graduate, and college dropouts represent nearly two-thirds of the defaults. "We do not currently have a student debt problem so much as a college completion problem," Kantrowitz said.
However, student loan experts do agree with Dimon's larger point that the debt is a drag on the American economy.
"The banking industry is right to be worried about heavy debt burdens of young consumers," said Rohit Chopra , a senior fellow at the Consumer Federation of America and a former student loan ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The high debt loads mean that young workers will delay buying a home, saving for retirement or starting a business, Chopra said.
"But the answer is not hand the keys back to Wall Street," Chopra said. "We tried that before and it failed miserably."
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91a3f5e27f9246b3aa56d8269dd81012 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/whatsapp-mulls-foray-into-digital-payments-with-india-launch.html | WhatsApp mulls foray into digital payments with India launch | WhatsApp mulls foray into digital payments with India launch
Vanessa Carvalho | Brazil Photo Press | LatinContent | Getty Images
Instant messaging app WhatsApp, owned by Facebook Inc, is mulling a foray into digital payment services in India, its first such offering globally, and has advertised to hire a digital transactions lead in the country.
A WhatsApp move into digital payments in India, its biggest market that is home to 200 million of its billion plus global users, would replicate similar moves by messaging apps like Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat in China.
WhatsApp is working to launch person-to-person payments in India in the next six months, news website The Ken reported earlier on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.
A job advertisement on WhatsApp's website said it was looking for a candidate with a technical and financial background - who understands India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and the BHIM payments app that enable money transfers and merchant payments using mobile numbers - to be its digital transactions lead for the country.
"India is an important country for WhatsApp, and we're understanding how we can contribute more to the vision of Digital India," a WhatsApp spokesman said, referring to a flagship government programme that aims to boost the use of Internet-based services in the country.
"We're exploring how we might work with companies that share this vision and continuing to listen closely to feedback from our users," the spokesman said, declining to elaborate further.
Digital transactions in India have surged after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's shock ban of certain high-value bank notes in November that accounted for more than 80 percent of the country's currency in circulation at the time.
In February, WhatsApp's co-founder, Brian Acton, had told local media that the app was in early stages of investigating digital payments in the country and that he had talked to the Indian government about the matter.
Just last week, Swedish communications app Truecaller, which has a large user base in India, started a mobile payment service in the country based on the UPI platform.
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15122f4c878cac53e32577dbd58cd5b6 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/white-house-officials-offer-change-to-health-care-bill.html | White House officials offer change to health-care bill | White House officials offer change to health-care bill
VIDEO0:4500:45The White House is offering the GOP changes to the failed health-care billNews Videos
White House officials made a new offer to conservative House Republicans late Monday on the GOP's failed health care bill, hoping to resuscitate a measure that crashed spectacularly less than two weeks ago.
Vice President Mike Pence and two top White House officials made the offer in a closed-door meeting with members of the House Freedom Caucus, according to a participant. Opposition from the hard-line group, which has around three dozen conservative Republicans, contributed to circumstances that forced House Speaker Paul Ryan to withdraw the bill from a March 24 vote that would have produced a certain defeat.
Under the White House offer, states would be allowed to apply for waivers from several coverage requirements that President Barack Obama's 2010 health care law imposed on insurers.
These include an Affordable Care Act provision prohibiting insurance companies from declining to write policies for people with serious diseases. Conservatives have argued that such requirements have the effect of inflating insurance costs.
Freedom Caucus members said they wanted to see the White House offer in writing — which is expected Tuesday — before deciding whether to accept it.
Also at Monday's meeting were White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and budget director Mick Mulvaney. The participant spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private strategy session.
Another participant — Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. — said the group would make no decisions until it reviews the language but called the session a "good meeting" in a text message.
But Meadows also said, "There is no deal in principle" at this time.
VIDEO1:2801:28Why the health-care bill failure could be goodSquawk Box Asia
It was unclear whether GOP moderates would accept the proposed changes. When Ryan, R-Wis., pulled the legislation from the House last month, he also faced opposition from moderate GOP lawmakers upset that it went too far with cuts in Medicaid coverage for the poor and higher premiums for many low earners and people in their 50s and 60s.
Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-N.J., a leader of the moderate House Tuesday Group, was among moderate lawmakers who met with officials at the White House on Monday, a GOP aide said.
The Freedom Caucus has drawn the most wrath from the White House for its opposition to the bill. Some fellow House Republicans have also criticized members of the conservative group, accusing them of inflexibility that led to the downfall of the bill to replace "Obamacare," a top GOP legislative priority.
Six days after the House bill crashed, Trump tweeted that the Freedom Caucus "will hurt the entire Republican agenda" if they don't start cooperating. He added, "We must fight them" in 2018, a reference to their re-election campaigns.
Several caucus members, who tend to represent safely Republican districts, tweeted back defiantly. But some have stressed a desire to move the legislation along if provisions are added that they believe would contain insurance costs.
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8ff8da42613172d412296f668a9bf95e | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/white-house-reportedly-looks-at-two-new-tax-options-to-replace-divisive-border-adjustment.html | White House says value-added, carbon taxes are not under consideration currently | White House says value-added, carbon taxes are not under consideration currently
VIDEO1:0401:04White House exploring carbon tax and value-added tax: ReportHalftime Report
The White House on Tuesday denied that it is currently considering two controversial provisions to raise revenue as part of its broad tax overhaul.
Earlier in the day, The Washington Post reported that the Trump administration was looking at a value-added tax or carbon tax as part of its reform plan. However, the newspaper stressed, administration officials say the plan is not finalized and the Trump administration continues to mull alternatives.
"As we have said many times, the President's team is hearing input from experts on all sides of the tax reform debate as we formulate what will ultimately be the President's plan to enact the first significant tax reform since 1986. As of now, neither a carbon tax nor a VAT are under consideration," a White House spokeswoman said in a statement.
Republicans have turned their attention to an overhaul of the U.S. tax system, a key campaign goal, after their first attempt to replace the Affordable Care Act failed. Opposition to border adjustment — a House GOP provision designed to raise revenue and help to offset major tax cuts — threatens to delay or trip up efforts to pass reform.
A value-added tax, which is widely used around the world, is consumption-based. A carbon tax would hit emissions of greenhouse gases related to the burning of fossil fuels.
The carbon tax would appear to clash with the priorities Trump has sought so far in his administration. He has taken steps to start rolling back environmental regulations on coal companies.
The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request to comment.
Read the full Washington Post report here.
Watch: White House says no to VAT, carbon tax
VIDEO1:4501:45White House: Carbon tax & VAT are not under considerationClosing Bell
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751d0ce8208d858af9c0648c603533b5 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/bebe-will-close-21-stores-as-it-works-to-overhaul-its-business.html | Bebe will close 21 stores as it works to overhaul its business | Bebe will close 21 stores as it works to overhaul its business
A Bebe store in New York.Victor J. Blue | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Amid speculation that will shutter all of its shops to become an online-only retailer, the specialty women's apparel chain says it has committed to closing 21 locations. That represents some 12 percent of its outlets.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange commission on Wednesday, Bebe said it will incur an impairment charge of approximately $2 million from the closures. It will pay a termination fee of roughly $7.4 million.
The company, which is in the process of exploring strategic alternatives for its business, will continue that work with its remaining stores, it said in the filing.
A spokeswoman for Bebe did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for additional information.
Speculation has been swirling that Bebe could be one of the next retailers to join a growing list of companies that have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this year. That includes Payless ShoeSource, which said Tuesday that it would shutter some 400 stores as it tries to reorganize.
Bloomberg reported last month that Bebe was planning to close all of its stores and hoped to do so without having to file for bankruptcy.
Net sales at Bebe tumbled 13.5 percent in the first six months of its current fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31. It recorded a net loss of $13 million over that same period.
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885212aaadf50ee075036cc619a34ceb | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/border-wall-turns-quiet-under-trump-mexico.html | Border turns quiet under Trump amid steep drop in arrests | Border turns quiet under Trump amid steep drop in arrests
US-Mexican borderJustin Sullivan | Getty Images
Just five people were eating dinner on a recent weeknight at a Texas church that is a stopping point for newly arrived immigrants on the U.S.-Mexico border. On a typical night last year, hundreds of immigrants might come through the church.
Immigrants who are still coming say many people in their home countries are staying home amid fears about President Donald Trump's immigration rhetoric, putting off coming to the U.S. until they see how his policies play out.
"There are mothers who heard that Trump might change the law to remove parents and keep the children here," said Jose Gonzalez, a 29-year-old father of two from El Salvador. "That stopped a lot of people."
The first months of the new administration have seen a huge drop in the number of people being caught by agents on the U.S.-Mexico border, raising the possibility that a "Trump effect" is keeping migrants away.
Fewer than 12,500 people were caught at the southern border in March, the lowest monthly figure in at least 17 years and the second straight month that border arrests dropped sharply. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, in testimony submitted to a Senate committee, called the decline "no accident" and credited Trump.
But those working in shelters and experts on migration say it will take several more months to judge whether any drop-off is lasting, and that the numbers could surge again as quickly as they've fallen.
Trump's vows to step up deportations and build his signature border wall were widely spread in Central America, according to three migrants who recently arrived in Texas and spoke to the Associated Press. Kelly also announced last month that authorities might start separating adults and children crossing the border, to deter families from trying to enter the U.S.
For years, tens of thousands of migrants every month would cross the United States' southern border. Traffic has surged in recent years of people crossing into Texas from three Central American countries torn by gang violence and poverty: El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Former President Barack Obama's administration also publicized deportations and tried to dissuade Central Americans from heading north, particularly during the 2014 surge of families and children traveling alone to cross the border. Officials took credit when border arrests fell during his tenure, only to see the numbers rise again.
Some think the real "Trump effect" was pushing fearful people to move up their journeys and get to the U.S. before he took office. Border arrests in October, November and December increased by about a third compared to the same period in 2015, before falling this year.
"The election and the possibility that the wall, everything was going to happen, encouraged them to come now," said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, which operates the shelter at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in McAllen.
Trump focused on the constant flow of migrants from the start of his campaign, when he denounced border crossers as criminals and rapists, and repeatedly promised to build a wall and step up deportations. His administration has started taking bids to build a wall and requested funding for more immigration judges and Border Patrol agents.
VIDEO3:0903:09Lawmakers take action against border wall biddersClosing Bell
Most agree Trump's statements affected migrant traffic. Four shelters along the Texas portion of the border, where most crossers enter the United States, say they've seen their numbers fall to a fraction of what they were seeing late last year. And La 72, a shelter near the Mexico-Guatemala border, saw its numbers in February and March fall by nearly half compared to the same months in 2016, suggesting that fewer people are leaving Central America.
Traffickers that operate in cartel-dominated parts of Mexico, known as "coyotes," were rumored to use the American election as a marketing tool. Rumors spread that if Democrat Hillary Clinton won, would-be migrants were told to make it to the U.S. ahead of the election to get a free pass to stay in the country. And if Trump won, they should rush north before he could build a border wall.
Higher demand allowed the smugglers to charge more to get to the U.S. last year, according to Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.
Experts say they want to see if migrant numbers stay low during the summer months, when migration generally rises. Those who have long worked with migrants predict that as long as parts of Central America remain in turmoil, people will try to head north — whether or not the U.S. builds a wall or separates immigrant parents and children.
"If things get worse in their countries, and the situation with gangs does not get better, we will see them come," Pimentel said.
Gonzalez said he left El Salvador because he feared the gangs and the constant threat of being robbed or attacked. Relatives in the United States lent him $15,000 to hire a smuggler for him and his children, ages 10 and 8. They rode in buses and a trailer through Mexico before safely sneaking across the Rio Grande in a month-long journey.
Sitting at Sacred Heart last month, Gonzalez and his children finished bowls of soup and waited for a bus to take them west toward relatives in California.
He hoped that if even if he was deported, his children would be allowed to stay and go to school, while he tried to come back.
"You're conscious of taking that risk coming here," Gonzalez said. "But it's a risk you take to make things better for your family."
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5560263dd96acf9df524d53432217407 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/boxed-wine-for-wine-snobs.html | Boxed wine for wine snobs | Boxed wine for wine snobs
VIDEO0:0000:00Boxed wine for wine snobs Power Pitch
This Boston-based wine company thinks it's about time you get over your boxed-wine shame.
"Bottles of wine stay good for only two days after opening — and you're actually paying more for the shipping and packaging than the wine inside the bottle," says Marian Leitner-Waldman, CEO of premium boxed wine start-up Archer Roose. "[These are] fundamentally the dynamics our company seeks to change."
Recently rated a "Best Buy" by Wine Enthusiast, Archer Roose offers three boxed wine varieties from Chile: a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Carmenere.
Archer Roose offers three boxed wine varieties from Chile: a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Carmenere.Source: Archer Roose
"We have a cult following around our Carmenere," Leitner-Waldman explains. "It's kind of an esoteric grape. You don't expect that."
Archer Roose partners with high-end wineries, producing wines that would normally retail for $20 a bottle, but is able to deliver them to the consumer for $7 a bottle — in a box or a keg. Each three-liter box (equivalent to four bottles of wine) has a suggested retail price of $29.99.
How?
Instead of bottling and packaging at the source in Chile, the company ships its three wine varieties in 24,000-liter flexitanks, which help cut its shipping costs by 70 percent. The wine is then shipped to New York Harbor and trucked upstate, where it is packaged and ready for distribution.
"Shipping in bulk and the packaging allows us to deliver such incredible savings to the consumer," Leitner-Waldman tells CNBC.
Archer Roose wines also stay fresh up to six weeks after opening. This is because as the wine is dispensed, the bag inside the box collapses, limiting the wine's contact with the air. The company claims its packaging is also environmentally friendly — generating 80 percent less landfill waste and a 60 percent smaller carbon footprint.
We have a cult following around our Carmenere. It's kind of an esoteric grape. You don't expect that.Marian Leitner-WaldmanArcher Roose CEO
According to the National Association of American Wineries, the U.S. leads the world in wine consumption — with sales close to $35 billion each year. And it's not just bottles: Nielsen reports wines in boxes and cartons of all sizes represent more than 8 percent of table wine store sales dollars today — and just under 20 percent of table wine volume.
Founded in 2014, Archer Roose is headquartered in Boston. Currently, its boxed wines are available for purchase in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Virginia. The company intends to roll out to Georgia, South Carolina and Texas later this year.
It's also getting ready to launch its first French wine — a rose from Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence – as well as a line of 375 ml cans carrying Sauvignon Blanc, rose and "Redsurrection."
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1dba71faa5636afac72d6a458914ca74 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/bt-looks-to-go-big-on-wind-energy-with-230-million-deal.html | BT to go big on wind energy with $230 million deal | BT to go big on wind energy with $230 million deal
Phil McLean | Corbis Documentary | Getty Images
U.K. telecoms operator BT has announced the signing of a new power agreement with a Scottish wind farm. The power purchase agreement (PPA) is worth £185 million ($230.79 million) over 15 years and, in a statement earlier this week, BT said that thirteen wind turbines in the north of Scotland were providing the business with 100 gigawatt hours of renewable energy annually.
BT's general manager of power procurement said that the company had been purchasing 100 percent renewable energy in the U.K. since 2012. "By 2020 we aim to be purchasing 100 per cent renewable electricity worldwide, so soon all of our power will come from sources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat wherever we operate across the globe - where markets allow," Rob Williams added.
Scottish Renewables' director of policy welcomed the deal. "The fact that we're seeing more and more large companies like BT contracting most or all of their power from sources like wind, solar, hydro and biomass shows that renewable energy makes good business sense," Jenny Hogan said.
"Renewables are already Scotland's biggest source of power – ahead of nuclear, gas and coal – and have the potential to provide half of all Scotland's energy – electricity, heat and transport -- by 2030."
Wind power is fast becoming an integral part of Scotland's energy mix. Scottish wind turbines sent more than 1.2 million megawatt hours of electricity to the National Grid in March, according to recent analysis of data from WeatherEnergy by WWF Scotland.
The environmental group said that turbines produced enough electricity to meet, on average, the electrical needs of 136 percent of Scottish households, equivalent to 3.3 million homes. This represented an increase of 81 percent compared to March 2016.
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24165eedefeedf45377419dd8c288179 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/founder-elizabeth-holmes-reportedly-owes-theranos-about-25-million.html | Founder Elizabeth Holmes reportedly owes Theranos about $25 million | Founder Elizabeth Holmes reportedly owes Theranos about $25 million
VIDEO1:3901:39Elizabeth Holmes said to owe Theranos $25M: WSJSquawk Box
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes owes a debt of about $25 million to her embattled company, people familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal in an article published on Wednesday.
The company struck an arrangement with Holmes to pay later when she chose to exercise options to buy more stock, the Journal reported. She has never sold any shares, and didn't get company cash from the agreement, the Journal said.
The blood-testing start-up has the power to absolve her from the debt, according to the Journal.
Once a highly valued company, Theranos has come under intense watch in recent years. The company is entangled in a complex web of lawsuits - and Holmes has proposed giving away her personal shares to investors who agree not to sue, according to an earlier Journal report.
To read the full story, see the article at WSJ.com.
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49868be163f0139ee467549051ca6f2b | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/jack-bogles-6-best-money-and-career-tips-for-young-people.html | Investing legend Jack Bogle's 6 best money and career tips for young people | Investing legend Jack Bogle's 6 best money and career tips for young people
Jack Bogle — legendary investor and entrepreneur — had his first heart attack at 31, when doctors discovered he had a congenital heart condition called right ventricular dysplasia. For most of his working years, he suffered arrhythmias that would sometimes cause him to collapse. Eventually, at 65, the founder of the world's largest mutual fund company, $4 trillion Vanguard, needed a heart transplant.
From his health travails, Bogle learned many life lessons about success.
"I think you could be defeated by something like (a heart condition)," he said at a recent event at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. "But all these little things are interruptions in the routine of life that one should not take really seriously." Instead, he suggests that you stick to the routine you've set for yourself, no matter what. It's that routine of work that will take you where you want to go.
Bogle went back to growing Vanguard, which he said now has more than $4 trillion in assets. He stepped down as CEO when he received the transplant but has turned to writing books and speaking as an investor advocate.
He also delivered five other nuggets of wisdom for young people, with a nod to the tumultuous economy and difficult job market they face. Millennials are the only generation out of the four current generations who don't identify work ethic as a key part of their identity, according to the Pew Research Center. Many want to eschew the corporate world entirely and start their own business to take charge of their destiny.
Here's Bogle's advice to a generation facing unique challenges.
1. If you're going to be an entrepreneur, have a stomach for risk. "Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It is a high-risk, high-reward proposition. While we would typically encourage young people to start saving for the future as early as possible, it's unlikely that a budding entrepreneur will be able to do so," he said by email. "The entrepreneur will need every bit of capital available for the business, which will likely crowd out personal savings. This may not be prudent in the traditional sense, but it is necessary. The entrepreneur's business can be thought of as a highly risky, concentrated stock position. If it doesn't work out, you can be wiped out. But if it does work, the rewards can be "beyond the dreams of avarice."
VIDEO0:4900:49Vanguard Founder questioning Trump's business tacticsNews Videos
2. "Work hard as hell. It doesn't hurt." Be sure to work longer, harder and smarter. "That was the secret for Alexander Hamilton," he said. "That was the secret for me." He never mastered the idea of work/life balance, he acknowledged, remembering the first words he uttered when waking up from his heart transplant in 1996: "Can you get me a pencil and a pad?"
3. Find a company that is the right company, even if it is the wrong job for you. "Once you get in the door, it will be a much wider opportunity," he said. While his career followed a mostly straight line from the founding of Vanguard in 1975 after he was fired from Wellington Funds, careers now, don't. "The world of technology has totally altered career paths," he said, by making it easier for people to start companies and for companies to replace workers.
More from iCONIC: What Tim Cook took from Steve Jobs to get Apple to $750 billion4 ways Silicon Valley may thrive under TrumpBusiness lessons that fueled Reed Hastings' 20-year $60 billion Netflix run
4. When it comes to investing, get yourself on a routine. The popularizer of index investing, Bogle suggested young people stick to low-fee index funds. Bogle suggested setting yourself up in a fund that is 75 percent invested in stocks — "get the stock market's return" — he said. After you're making regular contributions: "Never do anything. Don't open your damn statements. Don't peek. … These are the relentless rules of humble arithmetic." Someone contributing $500 a month for 45 years, earning 5 percent a year — roughly what Bogle suggested, though he didn't suggest an amount — would have nearly $1 million at the end.
5. Don't hire a financial advisor. "Unless you need a financial advisor to help you get started in that routine, you probably don't need a financial advisor at all," he said, giving a nod of approval to, instead of a human advisor, hiring a low-cost robo-advisor to help you automate your investing. (Vanguard now offers such a service). "It's a personal choice. If you think you need a helping hand, then you do."
6. Stay in the game. Citing George Bernard Shaw's life-force philosophy, Bogle told young people that he always had a determination to "get back into life to be part of life." Indeed, one of his surgeons said that he was placed on the transplant list at the relatively old age of 65 not because of who he was but more because of his will to live. "I recall a man … whose spirit was consistent with his approach to his career and life," said Dr. Louis Samuels. "He was fully invested."
Bogle remains fully invested in life, he said, "even as I am reaching gingerly for 88, and who knows what comes after that. I hope it's 89."
— By Elizabeth MacBride, special to CNBC.com
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165a2b7bc6da5f159b85922904efaa25 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/kendall-jenners-pepsi-ad-causes-twitter-storm-labeled-disrespectful.html | Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad pulled after Twitter backlash | Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi ad pulled after Twitter backlash
VIDEO0:4700:47Jenner's Pepsi advertisement is under fireNews Videos
An advertisement for Pepsi featuring model Kendall Jenner handing a can of soda to a police officer at a peace protest has sparked a backlash online, sparking the company to yank the ad.
In the ad, Jenner is seen posing in a blond wig at a photo shoot, while a peace protest marches by. She then ditches the wig, grabs a can of Pepsi and joins the protest. Jenner gets to the front and hands the can to a police officer, who drinks as the crowd cheers.
The description below the ad on Pepsi's Global YouTube channel states: "A short film about the moments when we decide to let go, choose to act, follow our passion and nothing holds us back."
The ad was an attempt to reach out to millennials, but following intense social media criticism, a Pepsi spokesperson said in a press release that it was pulling the ad.
"Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding," the release said. "Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout."
People took to Twitter to comment, with comedian Travon Free saying: "The Kendall Jenner Pepsi fiasco is a perfect example of what happens when there's no black people in the room when decisions are being made." It was retweeted more than 4,800 times.
TWEET
Another tweeter wrote: "Can't believe Kendall Jenner just solved institutionalized racism and oppression by giving a cop a Pepsi. Groundbreaking."
TWEET
The ad has also been compared with the image of Ieshia Evans who was arrested by police at a protest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2016. Taryn Finley wrote: "Could you be any more blatant with the disrespect and appropriation of a movement, @Pepsi? Is this a sick joke?!"
TWEET
A Pepsi spokesperson said in an emailed statement: "This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey."
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c07aa0c84a4fa8afb88cb577c27a6918 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/leon-cooperman-repeats-that-sec-insider-trading-charges-are-without-merit.html | Leon Cooperman repeats that SEC insider trading charges are 'without merit' | Leon Cooperman repeats that SEC insider trading charges are 'without merit'
Lee CoopermanKatie Kramer | CNBC
Omega Advisors' Leon Cooperman rebuffed allegations of insider trading, telling CNBC's "Halftime Report" on Wednesday that he and his attorneys believe the charges to be baseless.
The billionaire hedge fund manager read a statement from his attorneys, which said, "Mr. Cooperman did nothing wrong."
Last year, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Cooperman of buying into Atlas Pipeline Partners ahead of a deal, using his status as one of its largest shareholders to acquire nonpublic information about an upcoming transaction.
Since the SEC filed its civil complaint, Cooperman and Omega Advisors have been adamant about vigorously defending themselves, insisting that the charges are "without merit." The allegations initially caused his hedge funds assets to shrink by more than half.
Cooperman previously told CNBC he was "truly surprised at the destructive power the SEC has."
"This will cost me well over ($100 million) before it's over for no reason because, in the end, the facts will make it clear no improper trading was done," he said.
Cooperman said Wednesday that his two goals when the charges were first brought were to continue delivering on his investors' performance expectations and to prove that the charges are without merit.
"The SEC, in my opinion, has overreacted and we're anxious to go to court," he said.
Omega Advisors, which managed $3.6 billion in assets as of March 31, is up more than 6 percent so far this year, Cooperman said.
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edde5f99167bc919bc25f0a01180e5c4 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/mortgages-and-other-rates-could-go-up-even-faster-than-markets-thought.html | Why mortgages, other interest rates could go up faster than you think | Why mortgages, other interest rates could go up faster than you think
VIDEO0:4700:47Reducing the Fed's massive balance sheet could lead to higher rates sooner than some expectedNews Videos
Interest rates may be going up even faster than you think.
That's because the Federal Reserve, in the minutes from its last meeting, announced that it would begin to shrink its balance sheet, ending some of the extreme measures it took to save the economy during the financial crisis.
The Fed balance sheet grew from about $1 trillion before the crisis to $4.5 trillion currently, as the central bank purchased Treasurys and mortgages to help the economy and keep interest rates low. The Fed carried out such "quantitative easing" even as it held interest rates at zero for years.
After it ended those "QE" programs, the Fed maintained one feature of the policy — it replaced the securities in its portfolio as they matured by buying more. That is the policy it may now end.
Since late 2015, the Fed has raised the federal funds target rate range three times, and it plans a fairly gradual and steady pace of interest rate hikes, with two more this year. In the minutes, it revealed that members would like to start shrinking the balance sheet later in 2017 — meaning that is when it may stop buying all the securities that mature.
That is several months sooner than some market participants had expected, and it could have the net effect of causing higher interest rates for mortgages and other types of loans.
"If you get good data, and things are going well, and we get some tax plan, then rates will go up faster than they otherwise ordinarily would have, with the reduction in the balance sheet," said Jim Caron, fixed income portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.
Caron said when the Fed stops replacing securities, it in effect is removing some of its easy money policy.
VIDEO2:2302:23Fed wants to start unwinding its $4.5 trillion balance sheet this yearPower Lunch
"That should make rates go up. That's putting supply back into the market, effectively reducing the stock of securities. There were always two ways to think about the Fed's quantitative easing: One was the flow effect, the action of buying the securities, and the other was the securities the Fed held onto and took out of the market — the stock of securities they held," said Caron.
The Fed, in the minutes, was not clear how it would reduce its balance sheet or by how much, but New York Fed President William Dudley last week suggested the central bank could raise rates a couple more times and then pause, to make some adjustment to the balance sheet before resuming rate increases again.
Mark Cabana, head of U.S. short-rate strategy at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said the Fed could raise the fed funds target range two more times this year, possibly in June and September, and then announce measures at its December meeting to reduce the balance sheet.
Shrinking the balance sheet could affect interest rates in several ways, he said. First, if the Fed no longer buys mortgage securities, then mortgage rates could rise because it removes one big, steady buyer from the market. Secondly, Treasury rates could rise if it no longer replaces those securities, and that could affect the rates of home mortgages and other loans.
Cabana said the amount of Treasurys alone that would roll down in 2017 amounts to about $195 billion. The fact that the Fed goes into the market and buys securities to replace those that roll down has helped keep interest rates low, because it has been a continuous buyer. In 2018, even more of those Treasurys would roll down — $422 billion worth, and in 2019, another $346 billion would mature.
If the Fed were to no longer replace the securities, the Treasury would have to raise cash to pay the Fed back for the maturing securities. That could come in the form of increased Treasury issuance.
"It could be bills or concentrated at the front end of the curve. I've been thinking it would be shorter-dated bills. It's the cheapest and fastest way for Treasury to raise additional cash," he said.
Bob Miller, lead portfolio manager of the BlackRock Total Return Fund, said he expects a lengthy research effort by the Fed before it reduces reinvestment in a very cautious and deliberate way.
"We think it's quite plausible that the first balance sheet adjustment may come as early as the fourth quarter of 2017, but there's also the possibility that the event is deferred to sometime in the first quarter of 2018, if the committee struggles to reach a decision on the policy," he wrote.
Miller noted that the composition of the Fed board could change, and that may affect the decision-making process.
"Additionally, Trump administration appointments to the Board of Governors could also impact the outcomes of rate normalization and balance sheet adjustment, so we'll be watching this nomination process very carefully," he wrote.
Caron said the fact that the Fed is talking about acting on the balance sheet this year will make it one of the final acts of Fed Chair Janet Yellen, whose term ends in January.
"If they're talking about doing it this year, then Janet Yellen is saying under the Janet Yellen Fed, they are starting the balance sheet winddown. They are not kicking the can to the next person," he said. "That's kind of setting the course for the next Fed chairperson to handle it."
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582d73ad0966eebf4f2c6f478d50aafc | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/start-up-aims-to-make-customer-service-people-more-charming-through-ai.html | Start-up aims to make customer service people 'more charming' through AI | Start-up aims to make customer service people 'more charming' through AI
Ian Waldie | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Everyone's familiar with the distracted or non-responsive customer service rep. One start-up founder aims to make that phone call more pleasant.
Cogito, a voice technology start-up in Boston, is using AI to make customer service representatives "more charming," chief executive Joshua Feast said to CNBC.
The cloud-based software uses algorithms, behavioral and speech science to assess a speaker's emotional state by looking at things like tone and consistency in speech patterns — and then showing the rep how they can improve.
"We've built a way to numerically measure and understand how well a conversation between human beings is going," said Feast. "Conversations are a lot like a dance," he said. "But not everybody is as good at picking up on social cues and it isn't always easy to know if you're in sync with each other or not."
Cogito is now being used to give customer service representatives real-time feedback, so they can improve phone conversations with customers.
He says the technology can enhance all types of communication, including negotiations and other high stakes discussions. "We are able to guide one or more participants to recognize the social signals others are giving them that they might not be aware of, which can make people seem more proficient, confident, or charming," he said.
The start-up has raised $22.5 million dollars to date. OpenView led the company's latest series B round, with previous backers including Romulus Capital and Salesforce Ventures.
"What we aspire to do is make this type of technology available much more broadly, through us and technology partners," Feast said. But before that happens the company needs to master the interaction between the technology and humans.
Feast says the company is close to figuring that out, but it's no easy task. "How do you present information to users in a way that is helpful?" he said. Cogito is currently working on making the feedback prompts less distracting, which would allow users to remain fully engaged in their conversations.
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646deb7f4e279545b1d62e92edd0d324 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/steve-bannon-reportedly-removed-from-national-security-council-in-reorganization.html | National Security Council shake-up: Bannon out, Rick Perry in | National Security Council shake-up: Bannon out, Rick Perry in
VIDEO0:5900:59Steve Bannon removed from National Security Council in shakeupDigital Original
White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has been removed from his seat on the National Security Council, reversing one of the most controversial decisions of the young Trump administration.
A filing on Tuesday in the Federal Register did not list Bannon as a regular attendee of NSC "principals committee" meetings, as he previously was. The change adds Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, back to the committee. It also adds Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who controls the nation's nuclear arsenal.
Despite the move, Bannon retained his security clearance, NBC said.
Bloomberg first reported the news Wednesday.
In late January, Bannon was given a full seat in a move that downgraded the roles of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the director of national intelligence. It is highly unusual to give a political advisor a seat on the committee.
VIDEO3:1503:15Steve Bannon removed from National Security CouncilSquawk Alley
President Donald Trump sparked concerns with the move to make Bannon, the former Breitbart News chairman and driving force behind Trump's nationalism and populism, a permanent member.
Bannon originally served on the committee as a check against Michael Flynn before Flynn was ousted as National Security Advisor, a top White House official told NBC News. However, Bannon only attended one meeting and felt he was no longer needed in that role after the selection of H.R. McMaster as national security advisor.
McMaster, who Bannon wanted in the role, was given authority to reorganize the committee when he joined the White House, according to NBC.
The change also downgrades the role of Homeland Security advisor Thomas Bossert.
A senior White House official told NBC this was not a power struggle. The official said the White House was bringing back more of a George W. Bush-era-type NSC. The council will be more streamlined and the decision making more deliberative, the official said.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley will also have spots on the principals committee.
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dba41dfdf39d6df408052afedd104cd6 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/the-10-best-places-to-live-in-america.html | Investor Toolkit | Investor Toolkit
Getty Images
Website Livability.com rolled out its fourth annual list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in the United States. The company looked at more than 2,000 cities with populations between 20,000 and 350,000, in collaboration with Emsi and The Initiative for Creativity and Innovation in Cities at New York University's School of Professional Studies. Forty data points were used to determine rankings in economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and health care, according to Livability.com.
Here, CNBC.com shares the top 10 finalists, in descending order, from Livability's list.
Bismark, North DakotaNorth Dakota Tourism Division
"LIV" Score: 667
Population: 66,980
Gary Rohman | Getty Images
"LIV" Score: 668
Population: 181,464
Madison, WisconsinGreater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau
"LIV" Score: 668
Population: 243,122
Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.Steve Proehl | Getty Image
"LIV" Score: 669
Population: 66,478
Bellevue, WashingtonJohn & Lisa Merrill | Getty Images
"LIV" Score: 669
Population: 134,630
Charlottesville, VirginiaRichard Cummins | Getty Images
"LIV" Score: 670
Population: 45,084
Olympia, WashingtonBrian W. Downs | Getty Images
"LIV" Score: 672
Population: 48,941
University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, MichiganRobert Nickelsberg | Getty Images
"LIV" Score: 674
Population: 116,194
Iowa City, IowaSource: City of Iowa City
"LIV" Score: 678
Population: 71,832
Rochester, MinnesotaAlvis Upitis | Getty Images
"LIV" Score: 695
Population: 110,275
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9f231e944482635df534eb60e5b5631a | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/the-fed-just-said-stocks-may-be-overvalued-and-more-often-than-not-it-is-right.html | Fed officials say the stock market may be overvalued and history shows they are often right | Fed officials say the stock market may be overvalued and history shows they are often right
VIDEO4:1104:11Santoli: Is the Fed trying to send a signal?Closing Bell
Traders tend to scoff when a policymaker plays investor, often referencing when then-Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan made a very early "irrational exuberance" call in December 1996, more than three years before the top of the dot-com bull market.
That skepticism was voiced again Wednesday when the Fed released its meeting minutes from March which read: "Broad U.S. equity price indexes increased over the intermeeting period, and some measures of valuations, such as price-to-earnings ratios, rose further above historical norms. ... Some participants viewed equity prices as quite high relative to standard valuation measures."
But traders shouldn't be so quick to dismiss these comments from Fed officials. History shows when worries about valuation appear in these official minutes, stocks often struggle in the following year.
We found six mentions of an overvalued stock market in the minutes by searching the Fed's website for the word "valuation" going back to 1996. According to Kensho, here's the performance of the major market averages one year after the meeting when such a mention took place.
What's interesting is that these mentions didn't always occur at the end of bull markets. The officials' discussion of an overvalued stock market often came before long pauses during bull markets when equity valuations were able to come back in line because of a period of consolidation.
So this doesn't mean the end of the bull is near, but it could be another reason to believe we're in for a long period of sideways trading until earnings can catch up.
Here are the specific mentions of high "valuation" in the minutes, according to the Fed's website, along with the 's subsequent return from the meeting when that mention was made.
Meeting: April 28-29 — 2015 S&P 500 return 1-year later: -1.97%
"However, some indicators suggested that valuations remained stretched for some asset classes. An estimate of the expected real return on equities moved down, reflecting an increase in stock prices and downward revisions to forecasts of corporate earnings, and corporate bond spreads declined somewhat."
Sept. 16-17, 2014 — S&P 500 return 1-year later: -0.57%
"Some financial developments that could undermine financial stability over time were noted, including a deterioration in leveraged lending standards, stretched stock market valuations, and compressed risk spreads."
Jan. 27-28, 2004 — S&P 500 return 1-year later: +3.8%
"A number of members commented that expectations of sustained policy accommodation appeared to have contributed to valuations in financial markets that left little room for downside risks, and the change in wording might prompt those markets to adjust more appropriately to changing economic circumstances in the future."
Dec. 11, 2001 — S&P 500 return 1-year later: -20.39%
"Among those risks, members cited the apparently reduced prospects for additional fiscal stimulus legislation, the vulnerability of current stock market valuations should forecasts of a robust rebound in earnings fail to materialize, the possibility of further terrorist incidents, and especially the potentially adverse effect on consumer confidence and spending of additional deterioration in labor market conditions."
March 21, 2000 — S&P 500 return 1-year later: -24.88%
"The divergence, at least until recently, in the stock market between the valuations of high-tech firms and those of more traditional, established firms was inducing a redirection of investment funds to business activities that were perceived to be more productive. While the associated capital investments undoubtedly had contributed to the acceleration in productivity, some members expressed concern that the historically elevated valuations of many high-tech stocks were subject to a sizable market adjustment at some point. That risk was underscored by the increased volatility of the stock market."
Dec. 17, 1996 — S&P 500 return 1-year later: 32.99%
"The rise over recent years had been extraordinary and had brought market valuations to fairly high levels relative to earnings and dividends. In these circumstances, the members recognized the need to monitor with special care price movements in the stock market and asset markets more generally for their implications for consumer and other spending."
Disclosure: NBCUniversal, parent of CNBC, is a minority investor in Kensho.
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e178145b466e48a5847a5cf6ea514d69 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/05/watch-amazons-jeff-bezos-blue-origin-33rd-space-symposium.html | Watch: Amazon's Jeff Bezos discusses why he wants to take tourists to space by next year | Watch: Amazon's Jeff Bezos discusses why he wants to take tourists to space by next year
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Jeff Bezos appeared on Wednesday at the 33rd Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, where he said he would reveal more details on a rocket his start-up hopes will take tourists to space by late next year. The company's New Shephard capsule is designed to feature big windows, to let tourists get a taste of space.
"Reusability is the key to getting millions of people living and working in space," Bezos said.
The Amazon founder and CEO also founded Blue Origin, a reusable-rocket company that builds on Bezos' childhood dreams of space colonization. Start-ups like Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX have joined more traditional companies in the space race in recent years.
Colorado Springs, home to several large military bases and the U.S. Air Force Academy, is also surrounded by outposts of aerospace companies like Lockheed Martin and has become a gathering place for the space industry. Bezos first appeared at the event last year, The Denver Post reported, when he told the audience that he hoped to put the pieces in place to usher in a Golden Age of Space.
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090ff33c8378232734b2efec5658b945 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/06/cnbc-the-partner-winner-julianna-reed-domestic-violence-survivor.html | Julianna Reed is a survivor and not just in the reality TV sense. Yes, the recently crowned winner of CNBC's The Partner overcame her underdog odds -- Reed is the first to cop to her unconventional business background -- to claim the top spot working alongside Marcus Lemonis, serial entrepreneur and host of The Profit. But she also did so with an eye for domestic violence awareness.
"I am a survivor of domestic violence and I actually speak fairly openly about it because I think one of the things that I realized while I was in that relationship is how much shame you hold every day," says Reed.
"I also thought it was really important that, if I had any sort of platform during this competition, that I wanted to make sure that whoever out there has experienced it, is experiencing it, or might experience it, could see me as a source of strength."
Reed, who bested a hyper-competitive applicant pool of over-achievers, now oversees M.L. Creative, a portfolio of Lemonis' lifestyle-focused businesses based out of Santa Monica, CA. It's a good fit for the California native whose meandering professional path has taken her from fashion merchandising and design to the non-profit sector and, now, to small-business entrepreneurship.
Yet more than her varied resume, Reed credits her ability to emerge emboldened from her past abusive relationship as a key motivating factor for her current professional success.
"You know, being The Partner, I have this ability to show the viewers, and to show myself, that there's so many different layers to us as people. … It's scary to tell someone that you're a survivor of domestic violence. You assume that they're gonna judge you in a certain way," she says.
"And so being able to overcome something like that I think really prepared me, like everything in my life, for this moment and being able to come out on the other side. And so I think that it's a strong part of the reason why I'm here."
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f47beb2b8f58957c409de1f0f1cb88f5 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/06/comcast-launches-new-wireless-service-xfinity-mobile.html | Comcast launches new wireless service, Xfinity Mobile | Comcast launches new wireless service, Xfinity Mobile
VIDEO2:2602:26Comcast introduces wireless strategySquawk on the Street
Comcast announced Xfinity Mobile on Thursday, a new wireless service that will be available for its nearly 25 million broadband customers.
The company, parent company of NBCUniversal, is hoping the new service will lock in existing customers as well as attract new ones, going after the 130 million mobile phone lines in places where Comcast offers services.
The company says the service is "designed for the way people use their phones today, with Internet and data at the center of the experience."
"Wireless is hyper competitive, we will measure our success very differently than other wireless carriers. How we approach the marketplace will be in packaging and bundles, and we'll approach our existing customer base," said Dave Watson, CEO of Comcast Cable.
Comcast is not taking a Wi-Fi-first approach, but is pairing 4G LTE via Verizon's network along with Comcast's 16 million Wi-Fi hotspots, to which the service will automatically connect.
The four major telecom companies have been battling over prices and offering different features to distinguish their services. Comcast expects this new business to be profitable, but at the same time doesn't aim to compete directly with the traditional wireless carriers. Rather, the goal is to use the new service to build its relationship with its core subscribers.
"One thing we're looking at now is retention — it's key for us," Watson said. "It will be designed to support the core cable business."
XFinity Mobile is designed to be flexible and a good deal for Comcast's customers: Xfinity Internet customers get five lines with no line access fees, with unlimited talk and text at no extra cost. And unlike most wireless services, customers can switch back and forth between data options at no extra cost.
Comcast customers can subscribe to unlimited cellular data for $65 a line — or $45 per line for customers with the best X1 packages. The alternative is to pay $12 per gigabyte of cellular data on all lines on an account each month.
Xfinity Mobile makes it easy to watch video through other Xfinity apps, including up to 200 live TV channels with the XFinity Stream app, or controlling their home device with the XFinity Home app.
At launch, Xfinity Mobile will be available on the most popular devices, including the iPhone 7 family, the Samsung Galaxy S8, and the LG XPower. The service will first launch with an employee trial, followed by a nationwide rollout to its customers as part of the bundle beginning later in the second quarter.
Disclosure: Comcast is the owner of NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC and CNBC.com.
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10e5c248c26fd9543dbbbf5228627bc9 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/06/full-interview-with-blackrocks-larry-fink-on-trump-and-the-economy.html | Full interview with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink on Trump, computer trading and the economy | Full interview with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink on Trump, computer trading and the economy
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink shared his views on the markets and President Donald Trump's agenda in an exclusive interview Thursday on CNBC's "Squawk Box." On the importance of Trump's agenda: "If we don't have tax reform that we're expecting, if we don't see true deregulation, I think the markets would have some setbacks," he said. "You're seeing a slowing down of our economy into the first quarter, we're going to grow probably less than 1.5 percent. Much of it is people are just waiting to see … what's going to happen with tax reform and deregulation."On the economy: "You have high confidence in America, but you're not seeing that translated into sales. We're seeing car sales slow down. We're seeing a beginning of some factory orders slowing down. We're not seeing that ramp up that everybody was expecting," Fink said. "It's not happening. A lot of it is the uncertainty in Washington." Fink is a member of Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum. BlackRock is the world's largest investment management firm, with $5.1 trillion in assets and operations in more than 30 countries.He also discussed:
His firm's increased usage of computer investingLower money management feesHow he investsChina summitBorder adjustment taxPerils of low interest ratesInterest rates
To watch the broadcast interview in its entirety, you must be a CNBC PRO subscriber.
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f8f26616c49221ab60a02d7c4d073911 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/06/germany-fake-news-fines-facebook-twitter.html | Germany approves bill curbing online hate crime, fake news | Germany approves bill curbing online hate crime, fake news
Germany's Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new bill that punishes social networking sites if they fail to swiftly remove illegal content such as hate speech or defamatory fake news.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet agreed on rules that would impose fines of up to 50 million euros ($53.4 million) on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said that the companies offering such online platforms are responsible for removing hateful content. He said the new bill would not restrict the freedom of expression, but intervene only when criminal hatred or intentionally false news are posted.
Germany poses a particular problem for U.S.-owned social networking sites accustomed to American standards of free speech. Due to its Nazi past, Germany bans public Holocaust denial and any overt promotion of racism. The issue has come to the fore amid the recent influx of migrants to Germany, which has sparked a backlash among some Germans including a rise in online vitriol.
Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Social networks need to ensure that obviously criminal content — as defined by German law — will be deleted within 24 hours and other illegal content after seven days.
"Just like on the streets, there is also no room for criminal incitement on social networks," Maas said.
"The internet affects the culture of debate and the atmosphere in our society. Verbal radicalization is often a preliminary stage to physical violence," he added.
The minister pointed out that social networks don't delete enough punishable content, citing research that he said showed Twitter deletes just 1 percent of illegal content flagged by users, while Facebook deletes 39 percent.
Maas also said that measures to combat hate speech and so-called fake news will ultimately have to be taken at the European level to be effective.
The bill still needs parliamentary approval.
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7e2355563ff8e9fa72321d734d4c1bb2 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/06/heres-how-many-stores-these-retailers-need-to-close-as-more-shoppers-go-online.html | Retail layoffs are far from over as more store closures loom | Retail layoffs are far from over as more store closures loom
A Sears store about to close in the Bronx, New York.Richard Levine | Corbis | Getty Images
The retail industry's pain is being felt by its massive workforce.
Barely a quarter into 2017, year-to-date store closings have already topped the historical high of 2008, a Credit Suisse report said Thursday. About 2,880 stores have closed year to date, compared with 1,153 at the same time last year.
Since 60 percent of store closures are typically announced in the first five months of the year, Credit Suisse estimates there could be more than 8,640 store closings this year.
The impact of these closures — a mixture of shrinking store fleets and Chapter 11 filings — is already trickling into the industry's nearly 16 million jobs. Almost 30,000 retail workers lost their jobs in March, and more than 60,000 jobs have been eliminated since January.
March's report marked the worst two months for job creation in the retail industry since December 2009, according to the Bespoke Investment Group. The industry's shortfall contributed to the US creating only 98,000 jobs in March, compared with the 180,000 expected.
Some 58,500 retail jobs were added from March 2016.
"It's an industry that's in real flux," John Challenger, CEO of the Challenger, Gray & Christmas outplacement firm, told CNBC. "I do think that there are more cuts to come here, particularly in the department store group."
Indeed, the repercussions are far from over.
With less than one-third of properties generating 70 percent of total mall value, Cowen predicts some 20 percent of malls will need to close or be repurposed over the next decade. That's even as occupancy rates in the country's malls stood just below a multidecade high at the end of 2016, according to Cowen.
While many of the industry's struggles are the result of a shift to online shopping, massive overbuilding has also played a role. The number of U.S. malls has roughly quadrupled to 1,220 since 1970, while, the country's population has grown by less than half that amount over a comparable period. And as parts of that population flee towns with high unemployment or other economic or social shifts, the lowest-tier malls have become less relevant.
Whatever the reason, retailers will need to respond to the steady decline in mall traffic, which has fallen every quarter except one since January 2014, according to Cowen. While stores are still a crucial piece of retail — accounting for some 90 percent of the industry's sales — Chen analyzed how many stores several major chains should close over five years' time. Here's what he concluded.
Employees assist customers at the checkout counter of a J.C. Penney store.Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Current U.S. store base: 1,013
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 700 to 800
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could close: 26 percent
Penney's said earlier this year that it would exit nearly 140 stores this spring. While Chen said he was encouraged by that action, he expects more closures will be necessary.
Scott Olson | Getty Images
Current U.S. store base: 666
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 550 to 600
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could close: 14 percent
Like J.C. Penney, Macy's has already taken steps to dramatically reduce its square footage. However, Chen expects the department store will need to close more locations. At the same time, Macy's has runway to grow the footprint of its off-price Backstage concept from seven standalone stores to at least 250, Chen said.
A Nordstrom store in Irvine, California.Scott Mlyn | CNBC
Current U.S. store base: 118
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 118
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could close: None
Nordstrom did not succumb to the same overbuilding as many of its lower-price competitors. As a result, Chen expects the chain's store count to remain relatively steady. Meanwhile, he said the company could add another 90 or so stores for its off-price Rack concept.
Customers pull a dinnerware set from a shopping cart outside of a Kohl's store in Peru, Illinois.Daniel Acker | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Current U.S. store base: 1,154
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 1,000 to 1,100
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could close: 9 percent
Although Kohl's has more than 1,000 shops, its low presence in malls means it needs to close a smaller percentage of them than some of its competitors, Chen said. CEO Kevin Mansell has said that instead of closing stores, his goal is to shrink Kohl's locations so it stays relevant in the markets where it operates.
A worker shows products to a customer at a Walmart store in Teterboro, New Jersey.Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
Current U.S. store base: 4,672
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 4,850 to 5,050
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could open: 6 percent
Wal-Mart has said that it will slow its physical store expansion to invest in digital. However, as it adds smaller stores to its fleet, Chen sees an opportunity for the world's largest retailer to continue growing.
A woman pulls shopping carts through the aisle of a Target store in Torrington, Connecticut.Jessica Rinaldi | Reuters
Current U.S. store base: 1,802
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 1,875 to 1,975
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could open: 7 percent
Target is opening smaller stores in an effort to reach more urban shoppers. While Chen said that could lead to the closure of some of its larger locations, he expects the chain's overall store count to tick higher.
An employee for Gap Inc.Source: Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Current U.S. store base: 737
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 600 to 650
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could close: 15 percent
Gap's store closures are already underway. In addition to the contraction Chen expects to continue at the Gap brand, he said its struggling Banana Republic label could stand to lose 35 percent of its store base. Meanwhile, he sees more opportunity for Gap's Old Navy and Athleta brands.
A pedestrian stands outside of the Abercrombie & Fitch store on Fifth Avenue in New York City.Craig Warga | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Current U.S. store base: 311
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 175 to 225
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could close: 36 percent
Abercrombie will close 60 U.S. stores this year and more will be on the chopping block as its leases expire. Between both its namesake and Hollister brands, Chen said the company could close 180 stores.
An American Eagle Outfitters store in San Francisco.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Current U.S. store base: 812
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 695 to 745
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could close: 11 percent
Chen says fellow teen retailer American Eagle would benefit by shaving its store count. However, the company's intimates label, Aerie, could open some 200 more stores.
Shoppers pass in front of an Ann Taylor storeScott Mlyn | CNBC
Current U.S. store base: 324
Cowen estimated right-sized store range: 265 to 315
Percent of stores Cowen estimates could close: 10 percent
Moderately priced women's apparel has been a tough spot in retail. In addition to the closures Chen predicts at Ann Taylor, he expects its sister Loft brand to shrink.
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2df7fae4d62fdff789f785a4c62d1232 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/06/house-freedom-caucus-signals-support-for-health-care-bill-with-changes.html | House Freedom Caucus signals support for health-care bill with changes | House Freedom Caucus signals support for health-care bill with changes
VIDEO0:3700:37Freedom Caucus could back a revised health-care billNews Videos
The majority of House Freedom Caucus members will vote for a Republican health-care bill if changes offered by the White House are included in the legislation, the head of the conservative group of House Republicans said on Thursday.
U.S. Representative Mark Meadows said the group wants to see health insurance coverage waivers related to community rating protections with the exception of gender, essential health benefits and guaranteed issue.
"If those offers that were made over the last couple of days actually appear in the legislation, the majority, if not almost all of the Freedom Caucus, will vote for this bill," he said at a Politico news event.
An overhaul of the U.S. tax code could also be possible by August if U.S. House of Representative leaders are open to "serious debate," the head of the conservative House Republican group said.
Asked if lawmakers could pass tax reform before their summer break in August, Meadows told a Politico news event: "I do. I'm optimistic on tax reform if we do it differently than we did health care."
—CNBC contributed to this report.
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9b6d84ca70b1b3dc31b87ccf35448c64 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/06/house-intelligence-chairman-devin-nunes-will-temporarily-step-away-from-russia-probe-reports-say.html | House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes will temporarily step away from Russia probe | House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes will temporarily step away from Russia probe
VIDEO2:0402:04House Intel chairman Devin Nunes to step away from Russia probeSquawk on the Street
Embattled House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes will temporarily step down from the panel's Russia investigation.
In a statement Thursday, the California Republican said Rep. Mike Conaway will take control of the probe, with "assistance" from fellow Republicans Reps. Trey Gowdy and Tom Rooney.
Also Thursday, the House Ethics Committee confirmed it is looking into allegations that Nunes "may have made unauthorized disclosures of classified information."
Nunes, a supporter of President Donald Trump, said he will still serve as the committee's chairman and carry out his other responsibilities in the position.
Last week, watchdog groups asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate whether Nunes broke House ethics rules and revealed classified information related to the probe of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Nunes said he will temporarily step back from the investigation until the allegations are resolved.
"Several left wing activist groups have filed accusations against me with the Office of Congressional Ethics," Nunes said. "The charges are entirely false and politically motivated, and are being leveled just as the American people are beginning to learn the truth about the improper unmasking of the identities of U.S. citizens and other abuses of power."
Nunes has faced criticism from Democrats for his handling of the investigation into possible links between the Trump campaign and Moscow and Trump's claims that President Barack Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower.
Nunes has focused largely on looking into whether Trump transition members caught up in surveillance of other targets were "unmasked," or had their identities revealed. Obama's National Security Advisor Susan Rice admitted this week that she had requested to unmask American citizens during her tenure, but did not directly say if any of them were Trump associates. She said suggestions that the Obama administration used intelligence for "political purposes" were "absolutely false."
In an interview Wednesday with The New York Times, Trump alleged that Rice may have committed a crime with her actions related to Trump associates. A spokesperson for Rice called the claim "ludicrous."
Nunes faced backlash — and some critics questioned his independence from Trump — after he admitted that he went to the White House a day before he announced that Trump associates may have had their communications "incidentally" swept up in routine foreign surveillance. Rep. Adam Schiff, the panel's top Democrat, said Nunes did not share the intelligence with him before he made the statement.
Schiff has since said he saw "precisely the same" materials during a visit to the White House. He argued that those materials should have been shared with the whole committee, not just Nunes.
On Thursday, Schiff said Nunes' move was in the "best interest" of the investigation, adding that he looked forward to a "fresh start" and working with Conaway.
Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said Nunes "continues to have" his trust. He added that the intelligence panel's chairman "is eager to demonstrate" that he followed "all proper guidelines and laws."
Some Democrats have accused Nunes of using his position to try to provide a form of vindication for Trump after the president's unsubstantiated claim that the Obama administration wiretapped him. Nunes himself has repeatedly said Trump was never wiretapped.
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a31bbf03526665165b68455c100ce872 | https://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/06/i-read-trumps-trade-advisor-navarros-anti-china-book-commentary.html | I read Trump's trade advisor's anti-China book. It’s wilder than you can imagine. | I read Trump's trade advisor's anti-China book. It’s wilder than you can imagine.
Author and Trade Advisor to President Trump, Peter Navarro attends the 'Death By China' screening on August 24, 2012 in New York City.Andy Kropa | Getty Images
Peter Navarro doesn't want you to buy toys that were made in China, because he believes they'll poison your children. He doesn't want you to buy pajamas sewn in China, because he thinks they could catch on fire. He doesn't want you to buy phones that were assembled in China, because he believes they could literally blow up. In fact, he doesn't want you to buy anything at all from China, because he thinks every dollar the country receives will be spent on trying to destroy the US.
Navarro isn't the disheveled eccentric you might find lurking on the fringes of a demonstration, eagerly trying to stuff handmade pamphlets about the perils of globalization into your palm. He's one of the most powerful economic officials in the Trump administration.
Navarro is the director of the National Trade Council, a newly created office in the White House. He's one of the main figures shaping the administration's trade policy as it struggles to balance the GOP's traditional commitment to free trade with Trump's stated belief that countries like China are gaming the system to improve their own economies at the expense of America's working class.
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The stakes in the new administration's raging internal debate about trade are enormously high. If trade traditionalists like former Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn, director of the National Economic Council, win out, the way Washington does trade could carry on fairly similarly to the way it has for decades.
But if Navarro and White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon get their way, the Trump administration could potentially end up severely weakening the World Trade Organization and slapping big punitive tariffs on other countries in a forceful bid to restore American primacy in the trade world. Given that some of those tariffs could spark trade wars, it's not an exaggeration to say millions of American jobs hang in the balance. It's far from clear which side will ultimately prevail, but the president has taken Navarro's side during recent skirmishes in the West Wing over how to move forward on trade.
Superficially, the two men couldn't appear more different. Navarro is a Harvard-educated economist and tenured professor at the University of California with an eye for policy details. Trump is a brash businessman who loves being on television and proudly brandishes his ignorance of how public policy works.
But they have more in common than you'd think — indeed, Navarro's personality has been described by people close to him as a carbon copy of Trump's.
Navarro has a flair for showmanship and adversarial bravado, and he revels in defying the status quo. During his many unsuccessful runs for public office in California prior to coming to Washington, he developed a reputation for being less than fair in his use of smear tactics. "I still have some principles," Navarro wrote in San Diego Confidential in 1998. "But not as many as you might think because I don't have any concern at all about making stuff up about my opponent that isn't exactly true." He's already brought that ethos to the job, accusing vital allies like Germany of suppressing the value of the euro to gain a trade advantage over the US (something that Germany cannot, and is not, doing).
"They're two peas in the pod, I'm telling you," Beckie Mann, who managed Navarro's unsuccessful bid for mayor of San Diego, told Politico magazine while comparing Trump and Navarro.
But their shared anxiety over China is where they connect most deeply, and it goes back many years. Trump lists Navarro's 2006 book The Coming China Wars as No. 6 on his list of "hundreds of books" he claims he's read about China. Trump was also a big fan of Death By China, Navarro's 2012 documentary that was based on the 2011 book he co-wrote with Greg Autry by the same name. In fact, Trump's praise for the film graces the top of the documentary's official website: "DEATH BY CHINA is right on. This important documentary depicts our problem with China with facts, figures and insight. I urge you to see it."
The image below, which features a dagger labeled "MADE IN CHINA," is an actual scene from the opening sequence of the documentary.
I read Death by China, Navarro's most iconic anti-China text, to get a better sense of his worldview — and what Trump finds so appealing about it. It's an important thing to understand, because Navarro will play a direct role in shaping the young administration's way of approaching America's only true global rival. He's already delivered a speech on how the trade deficit with China is a national security threat, and helped roll out an unprecedented executive order on bringing down the trade deficit that Chinese president Xi Jinping, who is visiting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago this week, is sure to have read as an aggressive gesture. (The White House did not respond to a request for comment on this article.)
But it turns out that Navarro's rabble-rousing in Washington about China and trade so far is fairly mild compared to the full scope of his beliefs about the country. Navarro is terrified by China, which he sees as a "heavily armed, totalitarian regime intent on regional hegemony and bent on global domination." He looks at it through the kind of lens that Washington once considered the Soviet Union.
And he'll be the first to tell you that the US should be ready to go to war with China at any moment.
Navarro possesses a striking blend of animosity and paranoia about anything have to do with China. In Death by China, which he deems his "survival guide" to outmaneuvering "the planet's most efficient assassin," he warns the reader against ever purchasing Chinese products.
"Unscrupulous Chinese entrepreneurs are flooding world markets with a range of bone-crushing, cancer-causing, flammable, poisonous, and otherwise lethal products, foods, and drugs," he warns.
At one point, Navarro asks the reader to engage in a cautionary thought experiment and — using a military phrase popularized during the Vietnam War — imagine that "your best friend is 'fragged' when the [Chinese-made] cell phone in his chest pocket explodes and sends bone shrapnel into his heart."
Navarro also argues that investing in the Chinese economy is hugely dangerous for the US because China is a totalitarian regime fixated on becoming the world's sole superpower. He accuses Beijing of using "weapons of job destruction" against the US, such as devaluing its currency in order to make Chinese products cheaper inside the US and make American products more expensive in China. It's all part of a strategy, he writes, for China "to pick off America's industries job by job."
China's ongoing military build-up, meanwhile, is so startlingly swift in Navarro's eyes that he is sure the US is destined to perish at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party unless it starts becoming more aggressive with Beijing. He believes the Pentagon is not properly prepared for the reality that "China that can churn out hordes of ships, tanks, and planes on its factory floor," and thinks defense spending needs to be more strategic to recognize that reality.
He also argues that Chinese cyberhacking operations against the US should be considered acts of war. "The ultimate policy question," he writes, "is whether we are going to consider China's 'hacks' as the acts of war they really are — or whether we are simply going to keep sticking our heads in the sand and see no Red Hacker brigade evil."
Many of Navarro's arguments stem from reasonable concerns about how the world should react to China's tremendous rise from an economically dysfunctional country to a sophisticated manufacturing colossus that benefits from being plugged into the global economy but is reluctant to play by many of its rules.
But there's always some point in Navarro's analysis where he veers off the path of rational concern and starts to careen through a wilderness of all-consuming fears about China's true intentions. Aided by cartoonish and frequently offensive stereotypes of the Chinese national character, Navarro tends to believe that there is something fundamentally underhanded and evil about China, regardless of any evidence to the contrary.
Those aren't widely-shared views, to put it mildly. Adam Davidson wrote in his profile of Navarro in the New Yorker last year that "Navarro's views on trade and China are so radical, however, that, even with his assistance, I was unable to find another economist who fully agrees with them."
The centerpiece of Navarro's economic analysis of China — which he persistently refers to simply as "the Dragon" — is that the combination of its unrivaled size and its willingness to ignore countless norms and rules of the international economy make it a dire threat to workers in the US.
Navarro believes China "cheats" its way to the top. He slams its government for subsidizing its exports in violation of World Trade Organization rules, mandating that American companies hand over key intellectual property to enter the Chinese market, and having exceptionally poor consumer safety standards, environmental regulations, and labor protections.
In particular, he's concerned about the way that the government has deliberately suppressed the value of its currency, the yuan, which makes Chinese exports cheaper in global markets and makes American imports to China more expensive.
Navarro declares that China's trade practices have allowed it to gain such advantage over US companies and workers that it's been able to pull off one of the "greatest heists in global economic history."
Navarro correctly identifies certain challenges the US faces with China, but often quickly goes over the edge. There have of course been many recklessly made, highly hazardous Chinese products in the past, like lead-filled toys, toxic toothpaste, tainted milk, and defective tires.
But his claim that all Chinese products should be avoided because they're likely to imperil your safety — or literally kill you — are clearly overstated. The billion-plus iPhones circulating the world that were assembled in China, for example, don't seem to be posing an existential threat to the human race (accidents from walking and driving while texting not withstanding).
Nor do many of the other claims he makes stand up to scrutiny. For instance, Chinese manufacturing doesn't always win out over American manufacturing because its government subsidizes an industry, like it does with aluminum, but often simply because Chinese workers are paid lower wages and have fewer legal rights in the workplace than American workers. The reality, says Doug Irwin, a trade scholar at Dartmouth College, is that in addition to unfairly subsidized industries, China "also does a lot of straightforward bilateral trade with the US where they simply have a cost advantage."
China's past currency manipulation is a particular obsession of Navarro's, which makes sense given when the book was published. Around the time the book came out in 2011, China had been buying up dollars to keep the value of the yuan low on and off for many years.
But what's strange is that Navarro still believes it's an issue today. In a white paper he co-wrote during the 2016 presidential campaign with Wilbur Ross, now Trump's Commerce secretary, Navarro argued that China should be declared a currency manipulator as a first step toward slapping an array of punitive tariffs on it.
It's very likely that Navarro has played a role in Trump's repeated criticism of China for suppressing the yuan — which he's done as recently as February. This has put Beijing on edge: In January, the hawkish Chinese government-owned Global Times newspaper promised to use "big sticks" against the Trump administration should it attempt to begin a trade war with tariffs. That same month, the China Daily, another government-owned newspaper, accused Navarro of being "deaf and blind" to trade benefits.
And it seems China may actually have a point: Right now, China's manipulation of its currency actually favors US exports. That's because as China's growth is slowing and foreign investors are pulling out of the country, economic currents are pushing the pressure on the yuan downward, and Beijing is now intervening in order to prop the currency up.
China's foreign reserve has dropped from $4 trillion to $3 trillion in just the past two years as they've sold off foreign currency to keep the yuan from depreciating too swiftly. In other words, they're actively making sure that their currency isn't dropping, which makes their products more expensive than they would be otherwise. It also makes US exports to them more affordable to Chinese consumers.
"If anything, we should be thanking the Chinese lately," Joseph Gagnon, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told me during an interview in February.
In other words, it's the exact wrong time to pursue punitive tariffs against China for manipulation.
Another striking element of Navarro's analysis is that he's convinced that China and China alone is to blame for the plight of American workers who are unemployed and underemployed due to upheavals in the manufacturing sector. He believes that bringing manufacturing jobs back from China is a key way to bring down the US unemployment rate.
Once again, Navarro's argument has a substantial kernel of truth. China has caused big job dislocations in the American manufacturing sector since it joined the WTO in 2001. About a million US workers lost their jobs due to increased manufacturing competition from China between 2001 and 2007, according to work from leading economists David Autor, David Dorn, and Gordon Hanson. As Autor and his collaborators' work has shown, those workers have struggled to find jobs in new sectors, and their communities have suffered enormously because of it.
But China can't be blamed for everything. Autor estimates that China accounts for about 40 percent of the decline in manufacturing between 2000 and 2007. Navarro appears uninterested in engaging with the factors contributing to the other 60 percent of that decline.
Crucially, Navarro offers no discussion in Death by China of the widely-documented role that automation — the development of more sophisticated machinery and robots — has played in the slow but steady decline in American manufacturing.
US factories now manufacture twice as much as in 1984 — but do it with one-third fewer workers. Robots are to blame for the loss of nearly 750,000 manufacturing jobs between 1990 and 2007, according to a new paper from Daron Acemoglu of MIT and Pascual Restrepo of Boston University.
That means that US manufacturing won't bounce back to its former levels even if Navarro and Trump succeed in bringing some jobs back from China, for one simple reason: Robotics means that American companies simply need far fewer human employees.
And while a lot of American manufacturing jobs did get shipped to China, that country has not been the only competitor to the US, and in the future it won't even be the most serious one. Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia and Laos have far cheaper wages than China, where salaries are approaching rates seen in Europe, and the region is ultimately en routeto overtake China as the world's cheapest factory. Navarro may see China as the enemy, but it's not the only country competing with the US for manufacturing jobs — and those nations pose bigger long-term threats for some jobs.
Navarro ultimately sees the US trade relationship with China as zero sum. "It doesn't work if one country cheats on the other," he writes. "The 'positive sum' game in which both countries are supposed to win quickly devolves into a 'zero sum' game with one big prosperous winner and one big recessionary loser."
That's simply not true. The reality is even with China engaging in unfair practices, the US has reaped many benefits from enhanced trade with it. Since 2000, China has leapt from the 11th-largest export market for the US to the third-largest one. China's purchase of American-made goods supports 1.8 million jobs in the US, according to an Oxford Economics report.
American consumers, meanwhile, directly benefit from cheap Chinese goods. China saves typical American households up to $850 a year, and that extra money gets spread across the economy and helps keep people employed in a variety of domestic industries.
The interconnectedness of the US and Chinese economies are why the vast majority of economic observers think that both countries should do whatever they can to avoid the outbreak of a trade war. Setting off a battle of punitive tariffs by taxing incoming goods from the other country would be a lose-lose for both economies.
When I asked Autor, the economist who documented China's big effect on American workers, what he thought about the Trump administration's interest in tariffs, he called it "naive and uninformed." And that's coming from an economist who is probably more sympathetic to Navarro's diagnosis of the negative effects of China's rise than most.
Navarro doesn't only want to crackdown on China's economic practices in order to boost the American economy. He also believes slowing China's growth is essential to taming its military might and ambitions for global dominance.
On this front, his views — which include calling for the US to colonize the moon with American-style capitalism before China turns it into a communist stronghold — become particularly difficult to follow. Here are some choice passages from his book's reflections on China's military rise:
"We — along with Europe, Japan, and the rest of the world—also need a 'Winston Churchill moment' that wakes us to the growing dangers of a heavily armed, totalitarian regime intent on regional hegemony and bent on global domination.""America must recognize that China is putting the United States in the same role that Germany played facing Roosevelt's America in World War II.""[China] is arming itself to the teeth so it can sink our Navy and shoot our satellites out of the sky and have its way with the world."
There's a lot to unpack there — and a lot that many experts flatly dismiss.
First, there's the question of whether China is actually on the brink of developing weapons that would be more advanced than what's in the US arsenal, as Navarro suggests throughout the book. David Kang, a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California who studies security in Asia, told me that China is "decades away" from catching up to the US.
"China has one aircraft carrier that barely works, the US has 11," Kang said. "China has around 260 nuclear warheads, we have 4,600."
And China is not taking steps to close that gap any time soon. "The US still devotes almost twice the proportion of a much larger economy (3.3 percent) to its military than does China (1.9 percent)," Kang told me. "On an absolute basis, that's even greater: the US spent $596 billion in 2015, China is estimated to have spent $214 billion."
That's a reflection of the fact that China mainly shows signs of wanting regional dominance, not the kind of global supremacy Navarro worries so much about.
"China wants to check American influence in Asia, which is challenging but not existentially worrisome," Jessica Chen Weiss, an expert on Chinese nationalism at Cornell University, told me. There's one key spot where that could play out: the South China Sea, where China has been making territorial grabs for years, much to the chagrin of its neighbors.
Kang says that the US and China need to move carefully to avoid coming to blows over the South China Sea. But he doesn't think China will be capable of destroying the US itself anytime soon. "I'm not sure how that could possibly happen, even under the most extreme of circumstances," he said.
And, just as importantly, it's unclear why that would happen. China is modernizing rapidly and re-emerging as a major global power, and its military is growing far stronger as it makes that journey. But there's no evidence that its increasing military might is evidence of anything more than the typical efforts a state makes in order to pursue its self-interest in the world.
Unlike the Soviet Union during the Cold War, China offers no grand ideological alternative to the US — its economy is heavily state-influenced, but it's ultimately a market economy and will likely continue to be one. And it shows no signs of wanting to remold the world in its own image or engage in proxy wars with the US, like Russia is arguably doing in both Ukraine(where it is arming separatists waging war with Kiev's Washington-backed government) and Syria (where it's propping up the Assad regime and sometimes bombing the US-backed rebels working to unseat him).
Navarro's jumpiness about China's power is troubling. Trump trusts him instinctively, similarly to the way he trusts Bannon, who himself is no fan of China and has talked repeatedly in the past about going to war with it in the South China Sea. So far, Trump's bark has been bigger than his bite when it comes to his relationship with China. But some sort of crisis with Beijing could arise at any moment. And if it comes, Navarro will be one of those whispering to Trump to react with extreme force. China, he believes, can never be trusted.
Commentary by Zeeshan Aleem, foreign affairs writer at Vox. Follow him on Twitter at @ZeeshanAleem.
For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
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