Tag: world

  • Amsterdam chooses first lady mayor Halsema

    Dutch former green party leader Femke Halsema (file pic 2013) Symbol copyright Getty Images Symbol caption Femke Halsema led the left-wing green party within the Netherlands for a couple of years however left politics in 2011

    The Dutch town of Amsterdam has selected former political chief Femke Halsema to be its mayor, the first girl to take delivery of the role in its history.

    While most big cities within the Netherlands have had girls mayors, the capital in not unusual with Rotterdam has never been led by means of a woman.

    An ex-leader of the left-wing Groenlinks party, Ms Halsema said she used to be “happy, proud and humbled” through the nomination.

    Amsterdam had its first mayor in 1343.

    The nomination of Ms Halsema, FIFTY TWO, by means of the left-led town council, has to be ratified through the federal government and signed by way of the king but that is observed as a formality.

    She retired from frontline politics in 2011 and succeeds Eberhard van der Laan, who died closing 12 months.

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    Her nomination got here several months after a bunch of 45 distinguished Amsterdam ladies protested in an open letter backing requires a lady to absorb the job. “For a capital town that considers itself emancipated, diverse, tolerant, gender-neutral and revolutionary, that is becoming embarrassing,” they wrote.

    There had lengthy been communicate of choosing a girl, they complained, but when the time got here it were absurdly claimed there has been no suitable woman for the process.

    Femke Halsema’s nomination has not been universally welcomed. Critics said she had no suitable administrative enjoy and 7,400 folks have signed a petition towards her.

    Complaining about her inexperienced policies, they asked: “Do you want a mayor who stands up to your town, as opposed to the whole planet?”

    On Wednesday, MPs representing three-quarters of the Dutch parliament proposed new legislation geared toward cutting emissions of greenhouse gases by way of 49% by means of 2030 and 95% through 2050.

  • Iran financial protests close Tehran’s Grand Bazaar

    The Industrial sanctions had been lifted after the deal was carried out in 2016, however President Donald Trump introduced in Might that the us was forsaking it.

    Fears in regards to the affect of the united states sanctions in order to begin to be reinstated in August and probably trigger the cave in of the nuclear deal has ended in the rial falling to a report low in opposition to the buck on the unofficial foreign currency echange marketplace.

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    A buck is these days price as so much as NINETY,000 rials, when compared with 65,000 rials prior to Mr Trump’s announcement and 42,890 on the end of 2017.

    The forex’s fall additionally induced investors at two shopping centres in Tehran that focus on mobile phones to go on strike in protest on Sunday.

    Media playback is unsupported to your instrument

    Media captionWhat is the Iran nuclear deal?

    Information and Communications Generation Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi mentioned the merchants again to paintings after he promised to assist them access hard currency for their imports.

    The Iranian government attempted to halt the rial’s slide in April by way of unifying the authentic and black marketplace exchange rates and through banning trading at the rest rather than the reputable fee of 42,000 rials to the greenback. However dealers say the authorities have didn’t keep up with the call for for arduous foreign money in view that then.

    There had been additionally large-scale anti-government protests fuelled through Iran’s economic issues in past due December and early January. Alternatively, they have been targeted in provincial towns and towns rather than Tehran.

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  • EUROPEAN price lists on US items come into force

    Symbol Copyright @realDonaldTrump @realDonaldTrump Image copyright Getty Images Image caption European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (L) and US President Donald Trump (R)

    For its section, India has stated it’ll elevate taxes on 29 merchandise imported from the u.s. – together with a few agricultural items, steel and iron products – in retaliation for the wide-ranging US price lists.

    The new duties will come into effect from FOUR August and will impact US almonds, walnuts and chick peas, among other merchandise.

    South Korea, Argentina, Australia and Brazil have agreed to place limits on the quantity of metals they can send to the us in lieu of tariffs.

    However, Canada has announced it’s going to impose retaliatory tariffs on C$16.6bn (£9.5bn) worth people exports from 1 July.

    And Mexico positioned price lists on $3bn price of american products starting from metal to beef and bourbon weeks ago.

    Earlier this week, Mr Trump threatened to impose 10% duties on an additional $200bn (£150bn) value of Chinese items which he mentioned might come into force if China “refuses to change its practices”.

    However, China accused the u.s. of an act of “excessive drive and blackmail” and mentioned it might respond with “sturdy counter-measures”.

    Why has the u.s. imposed price lists?

    President Trump believes that in the event you have a industry deficit – if you import greater than you export – you are dropping out.

    He is especially irked by way of the hefty deficits in US trade with China and Mexico, but has indicated that he’ll no longer let any u . s . a . “take advantage folks on trade any longer”.

    Symbol Copyright @realDonaldTrump @realDonaldTrump Symbol copyright JESCO DENZEL BY MEANS OF AFP Symbol caption A warfare of words erupted among the united states and its G7 allies after the summit

    What could the have an effect on of the european counter-measures be?

    the majority folks goods centered through the european, such as tobacco, Harley Davidson motorcycles, cranberries and peanut butter, will now carry a tariff of 25%.

    Then Again, the european has offered a 50% duty on goods comparable to sneakers, some kinds of clothing, and washing machines.

    Many of the products the eu has in its points of interest are particularly chosen to have most political effect. Bourbon whiskey is produced in Kentucky, the state of Senate Majority Chief Mitch McConnell.

    Orange juice is a key export for Florida, a swing state in the united states elections.

    Meanwhile, economists have warned the u.s. price lists could lead on to higher steel costs, disrupt supply chains or even get passed on to US families.

    What does this imply for consumers?

    It’s tough to tell.

    US trade officials have said they intentionally focused a list of imports that won’t elevate prices for consumers. But shops and producers don’t agree.

    Rick Helfenbein, president and leader government officer of the yankee Apparel & Sneakers Affiliation, says the common family of four in the us can pay no less than an additional $500 a 12 months to buy shopper products suffering from the price lists.

    In some circumstances, the price lists would possibly merely compel firms to seek supplies from other international locations as opposed to pay the extra cost. If, as an example, Florida orange juice is going up in price in Europe on account of the eu counter-tariffs, then companies can all the time import Brazilian orange juice instead.

    For the us, that would be an unintended end result of the tit-for-tat spat. However it is a just right example of the way industry wars can take sudden turns.

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  • South Korea’s Moon Jae-in: Joint drills must be ‘reviewed’

    June 14 (UPI) — Annual joint workout routines between the United States Of America and South Korea must be “reviewed,” if they coincide with dialogue with North Korea, South Korean President Moon Jae-in stated Thursday.

    Moon, who met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday, then held a general assembly of his national safety council, praised President Donald Trump for holding the summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un this week, Yonhap mentioned.

    “again I pay tribute to President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un for his or her daring courage and get to the bottom of for creating a difficult selection,” Moon mentioned. “I hang within the easiest regard the leaders of the Usa and North Korea after 70 years of hostilities, to fulfill and conform to identify a permanent peace regime and to agree at the entire denuclearization of North Korea.”

    Moon additionally stated within the spirit of the Panmunjom Assertion signed with the North on April 27, there is a need to “moderately evaluate” the joint workout routines.

    “If North Korea in reality contains out denuclearization measures, sincere dialogue maintains and hostilities with the America and South Korea are resolved, in the spirit of mutual agree with of the Panmunjom Announcement, there’s a need for flexible amendment on army pressure and thoroughly evaluate the U.S.-South Korea joint coaching,” he mentioned.

    Moon’s remarks come after Trump defined the workouts as “very provocative” warfare video games which might be “enormously dear.”

    “We save a fortune through not doing battle video games, as lengthy as we’re negotiating in just right faith — which both sides are!” Trump tweeted Wednesday.

    The South Korean president quickly ruled out the possibility the alliance with the America is changing.

    “We should take care of our unshaken defense posture, primarily based at the alliance,” Moon said.

    In Seoul on Thursday, Pompeo informed South Korean journalists the objective is to complete top denuclearization measures by 2020. U.N. sanctions will remain till there’s proof North Korea has totally denuclearized, The Korea Occasions suggested Thursday.

    Pompeo didn’t cope with North Korea’s human rights report in his remarks.

    Native paper Munhwa Ilbo said lack of momentum in Seoul on human rights may be accountable for the closure of a government-led North Korea Human Rights Foundation, greater than years after a North Korean human rights invoice was once signed into legislation.

  • Japan, North Korea officers meet in Mongolia

    June 14 (UPI) — Officers from Tokyo and Pyongyang met informally on the sidelines of the Ulaanbaatar Discussion in Mongolia, Eastern media reported, perhaps to deal with the problem of abducted Japanese electorate.

    Kyodo Information suggested Thursday that Fumio Shimizu, deputy director normal on the International Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, met this week with a North Korean respectable affiliated with the “disarmament and peace research institute” at Pyongyang’s overseas ministry.

    The assembly used to be held after Kim Jong Un instructed U.S. President Donald Trump that he would really like to satisfy with Eastern Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, according to the Sankei Shimbun.

    It’s uncertain when Abe could meet with Kim, but the Yomiuri Shimbun suggested this week a number of in the back of-the-scenes negotiations have taken place between Tokyo and Pyongyang.

    there may be a possibility Abe could visit Pyongyang in August, or meet with Kim in September on the annual Japanese Financial Discussion Board in Vladivostok, in line with South Korean community Chosun TELEVISION.

    “We Are Hoping bilateral talks will be held as a stepping stone to resolving various issues, including the problem of abductions,” Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono mentioned Thursday in Seoul.

    In Tokyo, Abe met with households of abduction victims.

    “This factor might be settled thru direct talks with Chairman Kim,” Abe told the households Thursday.

    Japan is getting ready a bundle of measures that come with overlaying the fee of IAEA nuclear inspections, humanitarian assistance conditional upon resolving the kidnapping factor and economic cooperation after diplomatic normalization.

    Japan believes North Korea abducted 17 people from Jap coastal spaces between 1977 and 1983. The sufferers had been abducted for a variety of purposes, together with educating Japanese to North Korean spies. North Korea had admitted to abducting 13.

  • Macrons’ new dinner plates spark French money row

    File pic of Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron Symbol copyright EPA Image caption The New layout Bleu Élysée was decided on by way of Brigitte Macron

    France’s presidential couple are the centre of allegations that the Élysée Palace is dishing out a fortune on a new dinner carrier whilst complaining in regards to the scale of the welfare price range.

    The 1,2 HUNDRED-piece set, chosen by means of First Girl Brigitte Macron, value €50,000 (£FORTY FOUR,000; $FIFTY NINE,000), the state stated.

    But a number one satirical mag says the real value is closer €500,000.

    The claim surfaced as a video emerged of President Emmanuel Macron talking of “shedloads of money” spent on advantages.

    The video, posted on Twitter by means of the president’s communications spokesman, went viral and brought on accusations of contempt for the poor, feeding into perceptions of a privileged president aloof from how the general public live.

    Symbol copyright Getty Images Image caption A customer to the presidential palace eyes the quality of the Sèvres dinner plates (document pic)

    Input the Sèvres porcelain manufacturing unit that has traditionally equipped the Élysée with its ceramics for the reason that 1848. The Bleu Élysée layout by Évariste Richer is a sketch of the presidential palace itself.

    The Élysée stated the bill for producing the 900 plates and 300 side plates came out of the manufacturing unit’s annual funds. So the fee of €50,000 was for paying the artists all in favour of growing the layout.

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    But Le Canard enchaîné mag calculated the actual cost of hand-portray 1,200 plates was once some distance higher, no less than €FOUR HUNDRED a plate. that would be virtually 10 occasions the legitimate envisioned value.

    Others have placed the invoice at in the direction of €TWO HUNDRED a plate and pointed out that the factory is 60% funded through the culture ministry to a music of €3.6m a 12 months. the top of the porcelain manufacturing facility supervising the venture mentioned it was once not possible to position a determine on it.

    Macron’s ‘shedload of cash’

    Observers say the timing of the dinner revelations is awkward, after a video went viral showing Mr Macron speaking approximately money in colloquial language.

    In the video, circulated by means of his head of communications, Sibeth Ndiaye, the president is heard pronouncing in passionate terms: “Look where we’re on welfare. We plough a shedload of cash into subsistence advantages, and those are still bad.

    “they do not get out. individuals who are born terrible keep terrible. we now have to have one thing that permits other people to get out of it.”

    Skip Twitter submit through @SibNdiaye

    Le Président ? Toujours exigeant. Pas encore satisfait du discours qu ’il prononcera demain au congrès de los angeles Mutualité, il nous précise donc le transient ! Au boulot ! pic.twitter.com/2mjy1JmOVv

    — Sibeth Ndiaye (@SibNdiaye) June 12, 2018

    Record

    End of Twitter publish by @SibNdiaye

    It comes after the president gave a speech in the southern city of Montpellier spelling out the will to study a benefit system that lacked humanity, paid out expanding amounts of in-paintings benefits and stigmatised recipients.

    The negative timing was broadly noted on Twitter, with one social media user pronouncing: “You plough a truckload of cash within the dishes and people don’t seem to be happy.”

    Skip Twitter publish by @nabotine974

    On met un pognon de dingue dans los angeles vaisselle et les gens ne sont pas contents #aidesSociales pic.twitter.com/36RqaRIimK

    — jmc (@nabotine974) June 13, 2018

    Record

    End of Twitter post by means of @nabotine974

    Commentators pointed to a commentary made by means of the president final 12 months while he accused combatants of his plans to reform French labour regulations as “lazy”.