President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum reverberated across the world Thursday, spurring retaliatory threats from some of the nation’s closest allies and sending stock prices plummeting on investors’ fears of the global economic fallout.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called Trump's decision "a blatant intervention to protect U.S. domestic industry" under the guise of national security. He said he would submit a proposal in the next few days to hit back at the U.S.
The timing of the announcement also embarrassed Mexico and Canada, longtime allies and trading partners, which are in the midst of the seventh round of talks with the U.S. to renegotiate NAFTA.
Trump unveiled the planned tariffs, to be finalized next week, during a listening session at the White House with steel and aluminum industry leaders after a chaotic 24-hour period of debate among key members of his administration who appeared to push conflicting agendas.
The president’s decision, which fulfills a campaign promise to get tough on U.S. trading partners, pivots off of a pair of Commerce Department investigations that determined imports of steel and aluminum are eating away at domestic production capacity in those two sectors and pose a threat to U.S. national security interests.
Republicans loudly booed President Trump’s announcement Thursday that he will impose steep tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.
GOP lawmakers joined business groups in declaring that slapping 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent tariffs on aluminum will hurt consumers by raising prices and leading trading partners to retaliate against U.S. goods.
Opposition came from GOP leaders in the House and Senate, rising Republican stars and hardline conservatives. Republicans in the last week had repeatedly urged Trump to not impose tariffs, arguing that doing so would destroy more jobs than they would save.
Baffled Republicans distance themselves from Trump on guns
House Republicans expressed a mix of shock, frustration and disappointment that Trump endorsed a Democratic “wish list” of gun control proposals during a meeting on Wednesday at the White House. The ideas he spoke favorably of included imposing new age limits on gun purchases and taking guns away from dangerous people.
誰家柒頭無閪摸
2018-3-2 14:03:01
侵侵有自己一套理念
:^(
根本侵侵先係反建制
:^(
班死左膠根本唔明侵侵用心良苦
:^(
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-2 18:08:57
NRA's chief lobbyist: Donald Trump does not want gun control
The US National Rifle Association’s chief lobbyist has claimed Donald Trump has reversed his position on gun control, just a day after the US president held a televised meeting with lawmakers in which he said he supported increased background checks for gun buyers.
Chris Cox tweeted late on Thursday night that he had met Trump and the vice-president, Mike Pence, and they “don’t want gun control”. They also “support strong due process”, he added.
The NRA, which endorsed Trump early and gave more than $30m to back his bid for the White House, has been one of the his staunchest supporters. Trump’s public remarks infuriated some NRA members. They appeared to suggest he was open to gun control policies that the group had long opposed. “Every word of it was a betrayal,” said one NRA member.
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-2 18:12:14
'People are slowly dying': PNG earthquake sparks state of emergency
Nearly five days after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea, the worst-hit regions remained largely cut off on Friday, with aid only just starting to arrive in some affected areas and the government declaring a state of emergency.
The Red Cross estimated an initial 2000 people were in urgent need of emergency supplies, while Reuters reported that the death toll had climbed to 31 and would probably rise further.
A state of emergency was declared in the provinces of Southern and Western Highlands, Hela and Enga, allowing extra funding to be released by neighbouring countries and aid organisations including the Red Cross.
While the region has no major urban centres, around 670,000 people live within 100km of the epicentre, according to the Red Cross.
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-2 18:20:41
Kenyan conservationists protest as Chinese company starts work on railway
A proposed extension of the Chinese-built railway – Kenya’s biggest infrastructure project since independence – through the vast wildlife reserve on the outskirts of Nairobi has been tied up in legal battles since 2016.
However last week, cranes, heavy machinery and scores of workers from the China Road and Bridge Corporation set up inside the park borders, working furiously inside an area cordoned off and protected by armed rangers.
A coalition of interested parties first appealed to the national environment tribunal in 2016 to complain about the way in which an impact study was carried out, citing lack of public participation. The tribunal ordered construction be stopped until the case could be heard, which it was required by law to do.
However, in 2017, the government tried to amend the law imposing an automatic halt to a project when a complaint is lodged at the environmental tribunal – burying the change in an unrelated prevention of torture act.
When conservationists learned of this they complained to the high court, which suspended the amendment. While the protesters insist the stop order is still in place, Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS) insists construction is taking place legally.
KWS spokesman, Paul Gathitu, told AFP that the Chinese construction company had appealed to the high court, arguing this automatically invalidated the stop order while that case was ongoing.
LONDON — Investors shouldn't bother trying to make money on Italy's upcoming election because it is simply too complicated, analysts at Citi have told clients.
"While investors are increasingly receiving views on the pending Italian election (including ours), our humble suggestion is to stop reading stuff (apart from this quick note of course) and quietly wait for March 5th," Citi analysts Mauro Baragiola and Tina Fordham wrote in a note circulated on Monday.
"We think that i) the combination of the technicalities of the Rosatellum along with ii) the large number of undecided voters make (historically) already unreliable polls even less reliable. Whatever "experts" might say this week, it is highly unlikely to be accurate next week."
"We believe that, after having scared investors in 2016, Italian politics has become somewhat irrelevant as investors (correctly) no longer fear an Italexit. Whatever the election outcome, we would simply expect Italy to go back to being the chaotic country that has disappointed investors and partners for a long time," the pair write.
MI5 agents are allowed to carry out criminal activity in the UK, the government has acknowledged for the first time.
The prime minister was on Thursday forced to publish the text of a direction to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner’s Office, the spying watchdog, on governing “security service participation in criminality”.
It instructs the IPCO to oversee the participation of MI5 agents in criminal activity, which was previously conducted by the now-defunct office of the Intelligence Services Commissioner, under a secret order referred to as the “third direction”.
However, guidance about when British spies can commit crimes, and how far they can go, remains confidential.
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-2 23:37:46
Report said to fault FBI’s former No. 2 for approving improper media disclosure, misleading inspector general
The Justice Department inspector general is preparing a damaging report on former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe, alleging he was responsible for approving an improper media disclosure, two people familiar with the matter said. One of the people said McCabe will also be accused of misleading investigators about his actions.
The report is a part of Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s broad review of the FBI and Justice Department’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
During that work, inspector general’s investigators found that McCabe had authorized the disclosure of information to the Wall Street Journal for an October 2016 story that examined feuding inside the FBI and Justice Department around the handling of a separate investigation into Clinton’s family foundation, two people familiar with the case said.
Those probing the matter believe that McCabe, who stepped down in January, misled them when they initially inquired about the subject, though one person familiar with the forthcoming report said McCabe disputes that he intentionally misled investigators.
US President Donald Trump has said "trade wars are good", amid controversy over his decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
He tweeted that the US was "losing billions of dollars on trade" and would find a trade war "easy to win".
On Thursday he said steel imports would face a 25% tariff and aluminium 10%.
Canada and the EU said they would bring forward their own countermeasures. Mexico, China and Brazil have also said they are considering retaliatory steps.
Critics argue that the tariffs would fail to protect American jobs and would ultimately put up prices for consumers.
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-2 23:47:58
Isis follower tried to create jihadist child army in east London
Umar Haque, 25, taught an Islamic studies class despite the fact that he had no teaching qualifications and was employed as an administrator. He was allowed to supervise classes of 11- to 14-year-olds on his own, during which he re-enacted attacks on police officers and showed students videos of beheadings.
Haque attempted to radicalise at least 110 children with whom he was in contact at the Lantern of Knowledge school and Ripple Road mosque, both in east London. Thirty-five of those children are receiving long-term support.
The schools watchdog, Ofsted, is now facing questions over how it was able to rate the £3,000-a-year school as “outstanding” after an inspection held at a time when Haque was preaching hate to the children.
Haque was convicted by a jury at the Old Bailey on Friday of a range of offences, including plotting terrorist attacks and collecting information useful for terrorism. He had previously admitted four charges of collecting information useful for terrorism, and one count of disseminating a terrorist document.
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-3 19:11:55
Europe pushes back against Donald Trump's proposed steel and aluminum tariffs
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday accused US President Donald Trump of exhibiting "war-like behavior," after Washington announced it would impose punishing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
"None of this is reasonable, but reason is a sentiment that's very unevenly distributed in the world," Juncker told reporters in the German city of Hamburg.
According to news agency Reuters, EU officials began drawing up a list of $3.5 billion-worth (€2.8 billion) of US goods that would be subject to a 25 percent tariff. Unnamed sources said the measures aimed to "rebalance" bilateral trade, should Trump follow through with his plan to impose a 25 percent levy on steel and 10 percent levy on aluminum.
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-3 19:13:40
UN warns situation in DR Congo reaching 'breaking point'
More than 40 people have been killed in ethnic clashes between Hema herders and Lendu farmers in the village of Maze, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Bunia, the provincial capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) northeastern Ituri province.
Land disputes have reignited a largely dormant conflict between the communities over the past two months. At least 30 people were killed during two days of clashes in February.
The two groups were involved in a bloody war that killed thousands between 1998 and 2003.
Commenting on this most recent incident, local army spokesman Jules Ngongo, said: "It was a case of reprisals by the two communities. According to our information, there were cases of people being decapitated." Ngongo said he could not yet provide an accurate death toll.
誰家柒頭無閪摸
2018-3-3 19:44:18
捉蟲入乜乜
:^(
y4t7sds12
2018-3-4 16:42:14
DW : 66% of SPD Members Approve Grand Coalition
最後，就算組成聯合政府了，政黨之間肯定有一大堆 give and take 的妥協，沒有一個政黨可以完全實現政綱，於是連政綱是真是假都沒人知。偏偏今次個個政黨都提出又減稅又加福利的政綱，以意大利政府已經身陷財赤債台高築，根本不可能實現。最頂的開版圖就是意國網民諷刺政客的改圖，左邊是「選舉承諾」，右邊是「現實」，雖則也是諷刺兄弟黨黨魁 Giorgia Meloni 的官方宣傳照對比一般意媒照片肯肯定是PS過啦......
Multiple reports before Saturday’s rally indicated that tens of thousands of Russians had been strongarmed into attending the event. University students, state employees, and workers at private companies were among those who came under pressure, according to opposition websites and social media posts.
“Organise yourselves into groups of no less than four, and photograph yourselves when you arrive at the stadium,” read an email, seen by the Guardian, which was sent to employees of a Moscow-based company. “Don’t forget to pick up your placards on Friday!” An employee at the company said he feared his wages would be cut if he did not comply.
Andrei Kondrashov, Putin’s campaign spokesman, denied anyone had been forced to attend the rally against their will.
“Men and women. 20-55 years old. March 3rd, rally/concert ‘For a Strong Russia’ in support of Vladimir Putin. Payment 500 roubles [£6],” read an announcement posted on Tuesday on a popular ”rent-a-crowd” website.
Those who answered the advertisement were met near the stadium on Saturday afternoon by a man who identified himself as Rodion. “We’ll all go to the stadium together, then meet back here and you’ll get your money,” he said, before handing out Russian Ecological party flags and scarves. No one present appeared to have any connection to the party. The move was an apparent bid to create the impression of broad support for Putin across Russia’s political spectrum.
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Filibuster_HK
2018-3-4 20:03:39
South Korea to send special envoys to North for talks
A team of special envoys from South Korea is to visit North Korea next week to discuss how to restart talks between Washington and Pyongyang on nuclear weapons, the presidential office in Seoul said on Sunday.
The Blue House in Seoul said the delegation to the North would be led by national security director Chung Eui-yong and hold talks with unidentified senior North Korean officials during a two-day visit. The team will also include South Korean spy chief Suh Hoon, who was instrumental in bringing about two previous inter-Korea summits in 2000 and 2007.
"The special delegates will have extensive discussions over issues including creating conditions for North-US talks to denuclearize the Korean peninsula and improving inter-Korea ties," presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan told reporters.
Following the trip, the delegation would fly to the US to report on the talks to officials in Washington, Yoon said.
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-4 20:21:17
Donald Trump threatens tax on European cars in tariff row
Donald Trump has pledged to tax European-made cars if the EU were to retaliate against upcoming US tariffs on steel and aluminum. On Friday, the EU said it was preparing tariffs of its own to counter the Trump-proposed hike, which is set to go into effect next week.
On Saturday, the president decried the trade imbalance with the EU and threatened to "simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the US [sic]."
On Friday, however, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker pledged to impose tariffs on a wide array of American products in response to Trump's proposal.
"This is basically a stupid process, the fact that we have to do this," Juncker said in Hamburg. "But we have to do it. We will now impose tariffs on motorcycles, Harley Davidson, on blue jeans, Levis, on bourbon."
"We can also do stupid," Juncker added.
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-4 20:22:26
Pakistani ruling party gains control of senate
Pakistan's ruling party appears to have regained control of parliament's upper house — the Senate — after a day of secret voting by members of the federal parliament and representatives from four provincial assemblies, according to local media reports.
The strong showing for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party could reinvigorate the political fortunes of embattled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who has been at odds with the judiciary since the Supreme Court abruptly ended his grip on power last July when they disqualified him from office due to undeclared assets.
Filibuster_HK
2018-3-5 08:41:42
Italy election: Early exit polls point to hung parliament
Initial projections say ex-PM Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right coalition is set to win the most seats in the lower house of parliament.
It is expected to get between 225-265 seats, polls say - below the 316 needed for an absolute majority.
Exit polls put the anti-establishment Five Star Movement in second place. It has made significant gains and could emerge as the largest single party, with about 30% of votes and 195-235 seats.
The country's ruling centre-left Democratic Party stands in third place with a projected 115-155 seats - its prospects battered by public anger over unemployment and immigration.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/01/trump-steel-tariffs-432143
President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum reverberated across the world Thursday, spurring retaliatory threats from some of the nation’s closest allies and sending stock prices plummeting on investors’ fears of the global economic fallout.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker called Trump's decision "a blatant intervention to protect U.S. domestic industry" under the guise of national security. He said he would submit a proposal in the next few days to hit back at the U.S.
The timing of the announcement also embarrassed Mexico and Canada, longtime allies and trading partners, which are in the midst of the seventh round of talks with the U.S. to renegotiate NAFTA.
Trump unveiled the planned tariffs, to be finalized next week, during a listening session at the White House with steel and aluminum industry leaders after a chaotic 24-hour period of debate among key members of his administration who appeared to push conflicting agendas.
The president’s decision, which fulfills a campaign promise to get tough on U.S. trading partners, pivots off of a pair of Commerce Department investigations that determined imports of steel and aluminum are eating away at domestic production capacity in those two sectors and pose a threat to U.S. national security interests.