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Senin, 13 Mei 2019

Julian Assange: Sweden to announce decision on rape case - BBC News

Swedish prosecutors are set to announce whether they are reopening an inquiry into a rape allegation against Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange.

The investigation may be revived at the request of the alleged victim's lawyer.

Assange, who denies the charges, has avoided extradition to Sweden for seven years after seeking refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London in 2012.

But the 47-year-old was evicted last month and sentenced to 50 weeks in jail for breaching his bail conditions.

The US also wants to extradite Assange from the UK over his alleged role in the release of classified military and diplomatic material in 2010.

What happens now?

On Monday, Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions, Eva-Marie Persson, will announce her decision on whether to revisit the sexual assault investigation after it was dropped two years ago.

Swedish prosecutors said at the time they felt they were unable to take the case forward while Assange was inside the Ecuadorean embassy.

However, the woman who made the allegation now wants the case reopened, and since Assange's arrest last month - Ecuador abruptly withdrew its protection and invited the police to arrest him - Swedish prosecutors have been considering their options.

Under Swedish law, they have until next year to pursue the case. If they do re-open the investigation, it is likely to raise the question of which extradition request should take precedence: that of Sweden or the US.

Australian-born Assange faces a charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion in the US. He is accused of participating in one of the largest ever leaks of government secrets, which could result in a prison term of up to five years.

After his dramatic arrest last month, he was taken to Westminster Magistrates' Court and found guilty of a British charge of breaching bail. He is currently being held at Belmarsh prison in London.

The United Nations has called for his right to a fair trial to be respected during any extradition process.

What is the Swedish investigation about?

Assange was accused of rape and other sexual offences against two women following a Wikileaks conference in Stockholm in 2010. He has always denied the allegations, saying the sex was consensual.

He also faced investigations for molestation and unlawful coercion, but these cases were dropped in 2015 because time had run out.

Prosecutors have been re-examining the rape case to decide whether to resume it before the statute of limitations expires in August 2020.

The alleged victim's lawyer, Elizabeth Massi Fritz, said Assange's arrest came as a shock but "what we have been waiting and hoping for since 2012 has now finally happened".

She said: "No rape victim should have to wait nine years to see justice be served."

How does the extradition process work?

Lawyer Rebecca Niblock, who specialises in extradition cases, said decisions lie primarily with the courts and that only a judge can decide whether an extradition breaches an individual's human rights.

The home secretary can consider a limited number of issues when deciding whether or not to order an extradition, including whether the person is at risk of the death penalty.

However, if Sweden made an extradition request, Ms Niblock said it would be for the home secretary to decide which request would take precedence, considering factors such as the seriousness of the offence and which request was made first.

Nick Vamos, former head of extradition at the Crown Prosecution Service, said the UK proceedings should not take more than 18 months.

Considering Assange's potential objections to extradition, Mr Vamos said that he did not think courts would accept the US case was politically motivated.

But he said Assange may be able to argue that his likely treatment in the US prison system would breach his human rights and that could not receive a fair trial due to his notoriety and links to political scandals.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-48249486

2019-05-13 08:42:25Z
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Two Saudi oil tankers damaged in 'sabotage attack,' says press agency - CNN

Tensions have risen in the oil-rich region in recent weeks amid the deployment of a growing number of United States military assets to the Middle East due to deteriorating relations with Iran.

On Thursday, the US Maritime Administration issued an advisory warning that "Iran or its proxies" could be targeting commercial vessels and oil production infrastructure in the region.

One of the two Saudi vessels was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to customers in the US, Saudi Arabia's state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Monday.

While the agency didn't mention casualties or oil spills, it did say there had been "significant damage to the structures of the two vessels."

On Sunday, the UAE said that four commercial cargo ships were targeted by "sabotage operations" off its eastern coast. The apparent sabotage took place near to UAE territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the emirate of Fujairah, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said Sunday.

It is unclear if the ships mentioned by Saudi Arabia and the UAE are part of the same incident.

The UAE ministry did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged sabotage, or offer any indication as to who might be responsible, including whether it was carried out by individuals or a larger group or country.

The UAE ministry said authorities were working with local and international bodies to investigate the incident, which it described as a "dangerous development." It said there were no injuries or deaths.

"The international community (needs to) assume its responsibilities to prevent any parties trying to undermine the security and safety of maritime traffic," the ministry said.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said on Monday that the incidents were "alarming and regrettable," and requested further information on the alleged sabotage.

The Iran spokesman warned against "plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security" and called for "vigilance of regional states in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements."

Iran borders the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz.

Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said the attack was an attempt to "undermine the freedom of maritime navigation, and the security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world," according to comments carried by the by the Saudi Press Agency.

UAE denies earlier reports

The accusations of sabotage come less than 24 hours after the UAE government denied reports alleging that seven oil tankers were involved in an explosion in the port of Fujairah on Sunday morning.

The reports were carried first by Lebanon's pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen satellite channel and later picked up by Iran's state-owned Press TV and other outlets.

"The operations at the port are going as normal," a statement from the Emirates News Agency said Sunday. "Media outlets must be responsible and rely on official sources."

Fujairah is located close to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.

The US Energy Information Administration calls the Strait of Hormuz "the world's most important oil transit chokepoint," with an estimated 20% of oil traded worldwide moving through the channel, which is about 30 miles wide at its narrowest point.

In a statement Sunday, the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned the "sabotage operations," with council General Secretary Abdul Latif bin Rashid al-Zayani calling the incident a "dangerous escalation (that) speaks of the evil intentions" of whoever carried out the attack.

"The general secretary calls on the international community and the international maritime organizations to practice its politics and lawfulness to stop any sides that try to harm the safety or the maritime flow in this strategic part to the world," read the statement.

"These irresponsible acts only adds to the tension and conflict in the region and jeopardize the interests of their peoples."

CNN's Mohammed Elshamy and Karen Smith in Atlanta and Nada AlTaher in Abu Dhabi contributed to this article.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/12/middleeast/uae-cargo-ship-sabotage-intl/index.html

2019-05-13 06:51:00Z
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Minggu, 12 Mei 2019

Kudlow Breaks With Trump, Saying ‘Both Sides Will Pay’ in Trade War With China - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s chief economic adviser said on Sunday that American consumers would bear a burden from the escalating trade war with China, contradicting Mr. Trump’s claim that his tariffs were a multibillion-dollar, one-way payment by China to the United States Treasury.

The adviser, Larry Kudlow, made his comments two days after negotiations for a trade deal with China broke off and Mr. Trump followed through on a threat to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese exports.

“In fact, both sides will pay,” Mr. Kudlow said in an interview on Fox News. “Both sides will pay in these things.”

Mr. Kudlow’s acknowledgment was merely a recognition of Economics 101. But it flew in the face of one of the president’s favorite arguments: that trade wars are easy to win, and that the pain falls disproportionately on America’s trading partners, which he accuses of having exploited the United States for years through predatory trade practices.

After months of pressing urgently for a deal with China, Mr. Trump abruptly shifted course in the past week, stung by what he viewed as its attempt to renege on key parts of a draft agreement. The president declared he was ready to prolong the standoff with Beijing because the cost of a trade war is much higher for the Chinese, with their huge numbers of exports to the United States, than it is for Americans.

“Talks with China continue in a very congenial manner,” Mr. Trump said Friday on Twitter. “There is absolutely no need to rush — as Tariffs are NOW being paid to the United States by China of 25% on 250 Billion Dollars worth of goods & products. These massive payments go directly to the Treasury of the U.S.”

He went even further in a subsequent tweet, claiming that tariffs would “bring in FAR MORE wealth to our Country than even a phenomenal deal of the traditional kind” — a statement that seemed to undercut his administration’s contention that China has robbed American companies of billions of dollars through coercive practices like the forced transfer of technology and unfair licensing agreements.

There is no doubt that China is being buffeted by the tariffs, which could soon apply to virtually everything it exports to the United States. Mr. Kudlow said economic growth in China would slow down as its exports diminished. He argued that the effect on the American economy would be modest — only a 0.2 percent reduction in growth — even if Mr. Trump extended tariffs across the board, as he has threatened to do.

“You got to do what you got to do,” Mr. Kudlow said. “In my judgment, the economic consequences are so small but the possible improvement in trade, and exports, and open market for the United States — this is worthwhile doing.”

The Chinese government said on Sunday that the door to resolving the impasse was always open, but that it would not yield on matters of principle, according to state news media. There are no winners in a trade war, The People’s Daily newspaper said in a commentary carried by the official Xinhua News Agency on Sunday. China does not want to fight, the newspaper said, but it is not afraid to do so.

While economists differ on how much the trade war will crimp economic growth, most agree that the cost of tariffs is passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices on everything, including lighting fixtures and art supplies. Among the items covered by the administration’s latest increase in tariffs to 25 percent: computers, toilet paper, dog collars, Christmas tree lights and mattress supports.

“Trump is dragging a dangerous misconception into a critical moment in his standoff with the Chinese,” Chad Bown, an expert on trade at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said last week. “And American businesses and consumers stand to pay the price.”

Mr. Kudlow held open the prospect of progress: He said that Mr. Trump was likely to meet President Xi Jinping of China at the Group of 20 summit meeting next month in Osaka, Japan.

It was hard to tell if Mr. Trump’s hard line was merely a negotiating tactic. But as the 2020 election campaign begins, he is showing clear signs that he views standing firm as a winning political strategy.

At a rally last week in Florida, he criticized the current Democratic front-runner, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., for being weak in his dealings with foreign leaders, and ridiculed the prospect of Pete Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Ind., negotiating with the Chinese president.

Former aides have also warned Mr. Trump against signing a watered-down agreement, saying that it could become fodder for Democrats, particularly progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont, who has staked out a position on China trade as hawkish as that of Mr. Trump.

For his part, the president has argued that China’s decision to pull back from an agreement last week reflected Beijing’s calculation that it could extract a better deal from a Democratic president.

“I think that China felt they were being beaten so badly in the recent negotiation that they may as well wait around for the next election, 2020, to see if they could get lucky & have a Democrat win,” Mr. Trump tweeted on Saturday, “in which case they would continue to rip-off the USA for $500 Billion a year.”

“The only problem,” Mr. Trump added, “is that they know I am going to win (best economy & employment numbers in U.S. history, & much more), and the deal will become far worse for them if it has to be negotiated in my second term. Would be wise for them to act now, but love collecting BIG TARIFFS!”

The daylight between Mr. Kudlow and his boss on tariffs is not unusual in this administration. There are also fissures between the president and his national security team on how to deal with adversaries like Iran and North Korea. But the resulting muddle in the administration’s messages has fueled criticism from former officials that this White House does not have a coherent plan for dealing with China.

“The Chinese have an advantage because they have a strategy and we don’t,” Robert M. Gates, who served as defense secretary to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, said Sunday on the CBS News program “Face the Nation.”

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/us/politics/larry-kudlow-trump-trade.html

2019-05-12 18:50:41Z
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US will suffer from tariffs, Trump aide Larry Kudlow admits - BBC News

One of Donald Trump's top economic advisers has acknowledged the president was wrong to suggest that China would pay tariffs on its exports to the US.

Larry Kudlow, who heads the National Economic Council, accepted it was US businesses that paid the import tax.

He told Fox News that he believed "both sides will suffer" from the escalating trade dispute.

On Friday Mr Trump tweeted that tariffs on $250bn of goods coming into the US were being paid "by China".

The president argued there was "no need to rush" into a trade agreement with China, as the US Treasury was benefiting from these "massive payments".

However, in an interview with Fox News Sunday, Mr Kudlow admitted that it was American businesses that paid the tariffs on any goods brought in from China, and that US consumers would also foot the bill if firms passed on the cost increase.

Mr Kudlow said he thought the tariffs would also have an impact on China's economy, as the higher cost would reduce US demand for Chinese goods.

"Both sides will suffer on this," he said.

Last year the US imposed a 10% tariff on $200bn worth of Chinese products - including fish, handbags, clothing and footwear.

The firms paying the additional tariff can choose to absorb it themselves, pass it on to consumers in the form of higher prices, or ask their suppliers to reduce their prices.

Last week the US said it was increasing tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200bn (£153.7bn) of goods from China. President Trump said Beijing "broke the deal" by backtracking on earlier commitments to change its policies.

Mr Trump said a process had begun to place the full 25% tariff on a further $325bn of Chinese goods, causing concern over the impact the ongoing tit-for-tat trade spat between the world's two largest economies might have on global growth.

China said it deeply regretted the US action and would take "necessary counter-measures".

Despite two days of negotiations in Washington last week there is no indication that the two sides are any closer to resolving their differences.

The US argues that China's trade surplus with the US is the result of unfair practices, include state support for domestic companies. It also accuses China of stealing intellectual property from US firms.

China has responded saying it will not swallow any "bitter fruit". The commentary is due for publication on Monday in the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily.

Mr Kudlow said the sticking point was Beijing's reluctance to put agreed changes into law.

Talks are expected to resume in Beijing, and Mr Kudlow said there was a "strong possibility" that Trump would meet with China's President Xi Jinping at a G20 summit in Japan in late June.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48246821

2019-05-12 17:59:42Z
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How Trump's trade war threatens China's ambition to lead the world in technology - CNBC

China's intensified tariff war with the Trump administration is threatening Beijing's ambition to transform itself into the dominant player in global technology.

The United States is a vital customer and source of technology for Chinese makers of electronics, medical equipment and other high-tech exports — industries that the ruling Communist Party sees as the heart of its economic future.

Yet to the Trump administration, they're a threat to America's industrial leadership.

Beijing managed to keep Chinese economic growth steady in the most recent quarter despite a drop in exports to the United States. It did so by boosting government spending and bank lending. But China's technology exporters suffered huge sales drops of up to 40 percent, which ate into profits that pay for technology research.

The tariff war is compounding the pain felt by many Chinese companies. They are already enduring stiffened resistance in the United States and Europe to Chinese acquisitions of technology through joint ventures with foreign companies or, with financing by state-run banks, outright purchases.

China might now have to take the "tougher route" of developing more of its own technology, with less access to foreign partners and know-how, said Rajiv Biswas, chief Asia economist for IHS Markit.

"It may be a slower path," Biswas said.

The government and companies are pouring billions of dollars into research. Huawei, the telecom equipment giant and China's first global tech brand, spent $15 billion last year — more than Apple Inc.

All of this has helped make China an emerging heavyweight in telecoms, artificial intelligence and other fields. Yet the United States, Europe, Japan and other governments complain that Beijing has done so in part by stealing technology or pressuring foreign companies to hand over trade secrets.

Washington is pushing Beijing to roll back plans for a government-led creation of global competitors in robotics, electric cars, artificial intelligence and an array of emerging technologies. Beijing's trading partners argue that such plans violate its commitments to further open its vast consumer and business markets.

The struggle compounds the challenges for President Xi Jinping's government by threatening to delay or disrupt its economic plans. China's leaders are reluctant to yield; they need higher-tech industries to keep incomes rising. Many producers of textiles, shoes and toys have already migrated to Vietnam, Cambodia and other lower-cost economies.

China's ruling Communist Party responded to an economic downturn last year by stepping up spending and lending. That effort reversed a campaign to curb reliance on debt, which had soared so high that rating agencies had downgraded China's credit rating for government borrowing.

Abroad, Xi has been forced to overhaul his multibillion-dollar "Belt and Road" initiative to build railways and other infrastructure. In response to complaints that Beijing is saddling some countries with too much debt, the government has written off some loans and renegotiated contracts.

The tariff war was sparked by years of yawning U.S. trade deficits with China and by complaints — by the Trump administration and many independent trade experts — that Beijing was engaging in predatory and illicit practices, including the theft of technology. The first U.S. penalties targeted high-tech Chinese goods that American officials said benefited from improper support from Beijing.

Its impact spread as President Donald Trump extended tariff increases to Chinese exporters of handbags, furniture and other goods. Those higher import taxes heightened the threat of job losses — a political risk for an unelected party that derives its claim to power in no small part from having managed three decades of explosive economic growth.

On the surface at least, the impact of Friday's U.S. tariff hike "is relatively modest," Brian Coulton, chief economist for Fitch Ratings, said in a report. But if Trump proceeds with his threat to extend 25% tariffs to all imports from China, that "would be a much more material threat to China's growth outlook," Coulton said.

"Renewed weakening in China would rekindle financial market concerns about global growth risks," he said.

Xi's personal standing has been hurt by slowing growth and by last year's decision to eliminate term limits for his office as president, said Zhang Lifang, an independent political commentator in Beijing.

"I think these two things are very stressful for him, both economically and politically," Zhang said.

The United States and Europe have been increasing the cost and complexity of Chinese acquisition of foreign technology or blocking it outright. In October, the European Union tentatively approved the trade bloc's first rules on foreign investments in sensitive sectors. That step followed criticism of Chinese purchases of European technology vendors that are considered vital national assets, including German robot maker Kuka. Chinese buyers have also acquired Sweden's Volvo Cars, Swiss agri-tech supplier Syngenta and IBM's low-end server business.

In the United States, Trump vetoed the 2017 purchase of a chipmaker, Lattice Semiconductor, that was financed by a Chinese government fund.

Foreign manufacturers of consumer electronics and other goods already are shifting investments to Southeast Asia to cut costs, thereby hurting demand for Chinese parts suppliers and sapping revenue they would use to develop technology.

"Boardrooms of multinationals, including possibly Chinese companies, might decide they need to have more manufacturing capability outside China to reduce this risk," Biswas said .

That shift, accelerated by the pressure from U.S. tariffs, promises a potential windfall for other Asian economies.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has suggested that the U.S.-China tariff war might help her government woo back manufacturers who had moved to the mainland in search of lower costs.

"Our goal is to speed up Taiwanese business people's coming back to rebuild a high added-value supply chain and encourage industries to transform and upgrade themselves," Tsai said.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/12/how-trumps-trade-war-threatens-chinas-ambition-to-lead-the-world-in-technology.html

2019-05-12 17:34:38Z
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How Trump's trade war threatens China's ambition to lead the world in technology - CNBC

China's intensified tariff war with the Trump administration is threatening Beijing's ambition to transform itself into the dominant player in global technology.

Yet to the Trump administration, they're a threat to America's industrial leadership.

China might now have to take the "tougher route" of developing more of its own technology, with less access to foreign partners and know-how, said Rajiv Biswas, chief Asia economist for IHS Markit.

"It may be a slower path," Biswas said.

"Renewed weakening in China would rekindle financial market concerns about global growth risks," he said.

"I think these two things are very stressful for him, both economically and politically," Zhang said.

In the United States, Trump vetoed the 2017 purchase of a chipmaker, Lattice Semiconductor, that was financed by a Chinese government fund.

"Boardrooms of multinationals, including possibly Chinese companies, might decide they need to have more manufacturing capability outside China to reduce this risk," Biswas said .

That shift, accelerated by the pressure from U.S. tariffs, promises a potential windfall for other Asian economies.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has suggested that the U.S.-China tariff war might help her government woo back manufacturers who had moved to the mainland in search of lower costs.

"Our goal is to speed up Taiwanese business people's coming back to rebuild a high added-value supply chain and encourage industries to transform and upgrade themselves," Tsai said.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/12/how-trumps-trade-war-threatens-chinas-ambition-to-lead-the-world-in-technology.html

2019-05-12 17:21:14Z
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Pakistan military says five killed in hotel attack in Gwadar - Aljazeera.com

Islamabad, Pakistan - Gunmen have stormed a five-star hotel in Pakistan's port city of Gwadar, killing four hotel workers and Navy soldier, the military has said.

In a statement, Pakistan's military said three armed men killed a security guard as they attempted to enter the Pearl Continental hotel on Saturday in the southern city.

"Five people were killed, and there were six wounded," Abdul Latif, the chief of Gwadar's main government hospital, told Al Jazeera by telephone.

All five bodies had been moved to Karachi, the country's largest city, he said. One of the wounded was in a critical condition, while the other five were "out of danger".

Indiscriminate firing

The military said the attackers came into the hotel to kill hotel guests or take them hostage.

In a statement, it said a security guard challenged the gunmen in the main hall of the hotel, and they headed to the staircase, firing indiscriminately, killing the guard and three other hotel employees.

When quick reaction forces from the army, navy and police arrived, they evacuated guests and staff and trapped the fighters on the fourth floor of the hotel.

The attackers had disabled CCTV cameras and planted bombs at entry points to the floor, the military said.

The Pakistani security forces "made special entry points" to get onto the fourth floor and exchanged fire with the fighters, killing all three. A navy soldier was also killed, with two army captains and two Pakistani navy soldiers injured. Two hotel employees were also injured in the incident.

According to the military, all guests at the hotel, which has 114 rooms, were safely evacuated.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an ethnic Baloch separatist group fighting for independence for Balochistan province, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that four fighters were involved.

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"Our fighters have carried out this attack on Chinese and other foreign investors who were staying in PC hotel," said Jihand Baloch, a BLA spokesperson, in a statement emailed to Al Jazeera.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the attack in a statement on Sunday and thanked security forces for "foiling greater loss to human lives".

"Such attempts, especially in Balochistan, are an effort to sabotage our economic projects and prosperity," Khan said. "We shall not allow these agendas to succeed."

Massive investment

Gwadar is the site of a major port built as the culmination of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a trade corridor that links southwestern China to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan.

The $60bn CPEC project has seen massive investment in infrastructure across Pakistan, including major roads and the Gwadar port in Balochistan province.

Recent days have seen an uptick in violence in the province, with ethnic Baloch separatist groups ramping up attacks against security forces and civilians.

On Thursday, at least five people were killed when BLA gunmen attacked a coal mine in the Harnai district of Balochistan.

The BLA and other armed groups have been fighting Pakistani security forces for more than a decade, demanding independence for the ethnic Baloch areas of Balochistan province, which they claim has been neglected by the Pakistani state and exploited for its mineral resources.

Balochistan, located in southwest Pakistan, is the country's largest but least populated province, with rich deposits of natural gas, coal, metals and minerals.

Rights groups allege that Pakistani security forces have abducted hundreds of pro-freedom Baloch political activists and fighters in their fight to quell the rebellion.

Last month, an alliance of Baloch separatist groups ambushed a passenger bus en route from Gwadar to Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, killing at least 14 people.

Asad Hashim, Al Jazeera's digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.

Additional reporting by Saadullah Akhtar in Quetta.

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2019-05-12 16:14:00Z
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