Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Wednesday 13 May 2015

The European Union Times



Posted: 12 May 2015 06:47 AM PDT


US real estate mogul and billionaire Donald Trump slammed the Obama administration over its Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, labeling it as disastrous and warning that it will encourage US companies to slash domestic jobs.
“The new trade deal is a disaster,” The Hill quoted Trump as saying at the South Carolina Freedom Summit in Greenville, South Carolina.
“They don’t talk about currency manipulation,” he said. “That’s the tool all these countries are using to beat us.”
Trump stressed that the deal would encourage US companies to move their production abroad, weakening US domestic job market.
“Our leaders are incompetent. They’re babies,” he added. “Most nations don’t respect us.”
Trump is one of the potential Republican presidential candidates for the 2016 elections.
The proposed TPP free trade agreement includes 12 countries, with the US at the helm. The other countries are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Vietnam, and Peru. If approved, the deal will encompass nations representing more than 40 percent of the world’s gross domestic product.
However, the agreement has been heavily criticized, including for the lack of transparency during negotiations.
Most of the known draft documents have been revealed by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks, which is trying to disclose as much of the agreement as possible before it is adopted.
One of the recently leaked chapters from the TPP reveals that firms would allegedly be allowed to sue the countries they are operating in via private courts, steering clear of national jurisdictions.
Supporters of the TPP argue that the deal will open up new markets for American products, but critics have raised issues, including currency manipulation, environmental protections and internet privacy. A common argument against the treaty is that American people will not be the beneficiaries of this agreement since domestic jobs are likely to be cut.
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Posted: 12 May 2015 06:12 AM PDT
Miss Universe Japan Ariana Miyamoto, 21, has resolved to use her new-found fame to help fight “racial prejudice”.
I want to start a revolution. I can’t change things overnight but in 100-200 years there will be very few pure Japanese left, so we have to start changing the way we think, Miyamoto said.
The first ever mixed race Miss Universe Japan was met with a horrific barrage of racial abuse after she scooped the crown earlier this year.
Ariana Miyamoto, 21, the daughter of a Japanese mother and black American father, has revealed that she entered the beauty contest after a mixed race friend committed suicide.
Far from being put off by the backlash, Miyamoto resolved to use her new-found fame to help fight racial prejudice – in much the same way British supermodel Naomi Campbell broke down cultural barriers in the fashion industry a generation ago.
In an interview with AFP, Miyamoto explained: ‘I was prepared for the criticism. I’d be lying to say it didn’t hurt at all.
‘I’m Japanese, and stand up and bow when I answer the phone. But that criticism did give me extra motivation.’
Miyamoto, who was bullied as a schoolgirl growing up in the port town of Sasebo, near Nagasaki, added: ‘I didn’t feel any added pressure because the reason I took part in the pageant was my friend’s death. My goal was to raise awareness of racial discrimination.
‘Now I have a great platform to deliver that message as the first black Miss Universe Japan.
‘It’s always hard to be the first, so in that respect what Naomi Campbell did was really amazing.’
Social media lit up after Miyamoto’s victory in March, many critics complaining the title should have gone to what they called a ‘pure’ Japanese, rather than a ‘haafu’ (the Japanese pronunciation of ‘half’, a word used to describe mixed race), and that Miyamoto wasn’t ‘Japanese enough’.
Some point to the success of mixed-race celebrities such as Rola – a model of Bengali, Japanese and Russian descent – and half-British singer and actress Becky as proof of Japan’s openness to change.
Miyamoto argues that any shift still favours Caucasian or Eurasian lineage in an overwhelmingly homogenous country, where multi-racial children make up just two percent of those born annually.
She said: ‘In Japan there are hardly any black models or TV personalities.
‘Most celebrities are like Rola or Becky. Hopefully I can help create a Japan where anyone can make things happen.’
Miyamoto, who turns heads in Japan with her caramel skin and height of 5 ft 8 in, admitted she has had to toughen up.
The model, whose first language is Japanese, said: ‘I used to get bullied as a kid but I’ve got mentally stronger, to protect myself.
‘When I was small I stood out and always felt I had to fit in with everyone. I’d try not to bring attention to myself, but now I say what I feel. I do things my own way.’
Miyamoto added: ‘I want to start a revolution. I can’t change things overnight but in 100-200 years there will be very few pure Japanese left, so we have to start changing the way we think.’
The hostility Miyamoto faced sits at odds with a government-sponsored drive to promote the country overseas as ‘Cool Japan’ and entice foreign tourists for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Psychologist Yoko Haruka, a regular on Japanese TV, admitted: ‘It’s possible that some conservative people might feel Ariana Miyamoto doesn’t fit the traditional Japanese image to represent the country.’
‘It’s just the shock of the new. But she certainly has the chance to be a pioneer, and it’s an excellent opportunity for Japan to become more globally aware.’
Should Miyamoto win the Miss Universe finals later this year, she would spend a year living in splendour at New York’s Trump Towers.
Her influence over issues close to her heart, which also include gender identity disorder, would be greatly enhanced.
But despite her noble intentions, Miyamoto has no plans to run for political office just yet.
She admitted: ‘I’d like to use my position to become a leader.
‘I’m like a sponge – always absorbing new things. But I haven’t thought too deeply about politics yet. It’s still a bit early to think about becoming Prime Minister!’
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Posted: 12 May 2015 04:34 AM PDT


The EU’s executive body is to unveil radical new proposals on immigration, imposing migrant quotas on the 28 countries of the union under a distribution “key” system set by Brussels. The plan, which is supported by Germany and will be fiercely resisted by the new Conservative government, will be launched by the European commission on Wednesday in response to migrant boat crisis in the Mediterranean.
The bold move by Brussels comes as the EU draws up plans for military attacks in Libya to try to curb the flow of people across the Mediterranean by targeting the trafficking networks. The EU’s top diplomat is to unveil an attempt on Monday to secure a UN mandate for armed action in Libya’s territorial waters.
Britain is drafting the UN security council resolution that would authorise the mission, senior officials in Brussels said. It would come under Italian command, have the participation of about 10 EU countries – including Britain, France, Spain and Italy – and could also drag in Nato, although there are no plans for the initial involvement of the alliance.
While there is broad support within the EU for the military plans, the proposals for sharing the immigration burden are highly controversial and divisive. On Sunday night the Home Office said the plans were unacceptable to the UK, putting Cameron on a collision course with German chancellor Angela Merkel and other EU leaders as he begins attempts to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with Brussels ahead of a promised in/out referendum in 2017.
“The UK has a proud history of offering asylum to those who need it most, but we do not believe that a mandatory system of resettlement is the answer. We will oppose any EU commission proposals to introduce a non-voluntary quota,” a spokesman said.
The policy document, obtained by the Guardian, demands new and binding rules establishing a quota system of sharing refugees among the member states. The migration agenda declares: “The EU needs a permanent system for sharing the responsibility for large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers among member states.” By the end of the year, Brussels is to table new legislation “for a mandatory and automatically triggered relocation system to distribute those in clear need of international protection within the EU when a mass influx emerges”.
The proposals will lay bare deep divisions between national governments over immigration, with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, backing the scheme and Britain leading the resistance. Germany and Sweden between them take almost half the asylum seekers in the EU, and Berlin is predicting that the numbers this year could almost double to about 400,000 in Germany, two-thirds of the total number in the EU last year.
The commission paper says: “Some member states have already made a major contribution to [refugee] resettlement efforts. But others offer nothing.” It also insists that Europe has to open up legal avenues for migrants to enter the EU safely, a notion that is strongly opposed by Theresa May, the home secretary. “Such vulnerable people cannot be left to resort to the criminal networks of smugglers and traffickers. There must be safe and legal ways for them to reach the EU,” the document says.
Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, a leading hardliner on immigration, described the commission proposals as mad and pledged to defy Brussels. He said: “The European concept of ‘someone letting immigrants into their country’ and then ‘distributing’ them among the other member states is a mad and unfair idea.”
Brussels is proposing to invoke emergency mechanisms by the end of the month that will oblige the 28 countries to share the numbers of “persons in clear need of international protection” and “to ensure a fair and balanced participation of all member states to this common effort. This step will be the precursor of a lasting solution”.
The blueprint, to be unveiled by Dimitris Avramopoulos, the EU commissioner for migration, home affairs and citizenship, includes a distribution key system based on various criteria, from national wealth levels to unemployment rates, to determine what proportion of refugees each of the 28 countries should admit.
In New York on Monday, Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign and security policy coordinator, is to brief the UN security council on the plans for a chapter VII resolution authorising the use of force in Libya. The British draft is believed to call for the “use of all means to destroy the business model of the traffickers”.
This would entail EU vessels entering Libyan territorial waters, including the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Bulwark and its three Merlin helicopters currently in Malta, and deploying helicopter gunships to “neutralise” identified traffickers’ ships used to send tens of thousands of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East on the short but highly risky voyage from the Libyan coast to the shores of southern Italy.
Libyan militias, jihadi groups and Islamic State (Isis) affiliates, which are believed to be in cahoots with the trafficking networks, are said to have heavy artillery and anti-aircraft batteries deployed near the coast. Attacks on EU vessels and ships could trigger an escalation and force Nato to get involved, policymakers in Brussels said.
Following a visit to Beijing last week, Mogherini believes the Chinese will not block the mission in the security council. Her staff are also confident that Russia can be persuaded against wielding its security council veto despite the intense animosity between Moscow and the west over the Ukraine conflict.
The Italian government, which is leading the drive for military action and would command the mission, to be headquartered in Rome, said at the weekend that the Russians are “ready to cooperate”.
Libya’s ambassador to the UN, Ibrahim Dabbashi, told the Associated Press that he had not been consulted on the plans and opposed them.
Following intensive talks over the past week in Brussels, six EU states have committed to taking part, with several more expected to offer participation. All 28 member states are said in Brussels to support the proposed campaign.
The plans will be discussed by EU foreign ministers next week and put to an EU summit next month.
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Posted: 12 May 2015 03:30 AM PDT
Hundreds of people running of out of Kathmandu Airport as earthquake hit, May 12, 2015.
At least four people are killed as a strong earthquake hit Nepal days after another quake left a trail of destruction and high casualties in the South Asian country.
Aid agencies said on Tuesday that at least four people were killed in the tremor. Nepal police said at least 300 people were injured.
According to the US Geological Survey, a 7.4-Richter earthquake jolted the country on Tuesday. The quake reportedly lasted for around one minute.
The quake, with its epicenter 83 kilometers east of the capital, Kathmandu, was measured at a shallow depth of about 18.5 km.
The earthquake caused panic in the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu. It was also felt in the neighboring countries of India and China.
There has been no report of any casualty or damage.
According to the USGS, magnitude 5.6 and 6.3 earthquakes hit Nepal less than an hour after 7.3 tremor.


On April 25, a 7.8-magnitude quake struck Nepal that killed more than 8,000 people and destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes in the country.
The devastating tremor also killed more than 100 people in India and China.
The Nepalese government has allocated 20 billion rupees (around $196 million) for the country’s reconstruction and rehabilitation. However, it is also looking for large-scale financial contribution by the international community.
The UN says the quake has affected more than a quarter of Nepal’s 28 million people.
Speaking from New Delhi, Press TV’s correspondent Munawar Zaman said the earthquake struck at 12:35pm local time and its epicenter was close to the town of Namche Bazaar near Mount Everest.
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Posted: 12 May 2015 02:56 AM PDT


NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden accused Australia of undertaking mass surveillance of its citizens and passing laws on the collection of metadata that he says do not protect society from acts of terrorism.
Snowden, addressing the Progress 2015 conference in Melbourne via satellite link, criticized Australia’s new metadata laws, which allow the government and intelligence agencies to keep a constant watch on citizens.
“What this means is they are watching everybody all the time,” the former NSA contractor-turned-whistleblower said. “They’re collecting information and they’re just putting it in buckets that they can then search through not only locally, not only in Australia, but they can then share this with foreign intelligences services.”
Last month, Australia passed controversial laws that require telecommunications firms to retain their customers’ phone and computer metadata for two years.
Snowden decried this disturbing trend, warning that regardless of what you are doing “you’re being watched.”
He compared Australia’s mass surveillance system to that being used in the UK.
“Australia’s role in mass surveillance around the world is similar to the UK and the Tempora program,” he said.
Snowden, who has been living in Moscow since June 2013 after receiving political asylum, criticized the Australian government’s passage of a metadata program that is being used, he said, to “collect everyone’s communications in advance of criminal suspicion.”
“This is dangerous,” he told the conference.
The former system administrator for the CIA said such invasive surveillance technologies had nothing in common with traditional liberal societies.
“This is not things that governments have ever traditionally been empowered to claim for themselves as authorities.
“And to have that change recently … is a radical departure from the operation of traditional liberal societies around the world.”
Snowden repeated his position that acts of terrorism in the US and elsewhere have not been thwarted by conducting mass surveillance on citizens.
“Nine times out of 10 when you see someone on the news who’s engaged in some sort of radical jihadist activity, these are people who had a long record,” he said.
“The reason these attacks happened is not because we didn’t have enough surveillance, it’s because we had too much.”
Aside from average citizens, he warned that journalists are also at risk of having their contacts exposed by the mass surveillance.
“Under these mandatory metadata laws you can immediately see who journalists are contacting, from which you can derive who their sources are.”
He excoriated such a turn of events, saying the purpose of a free press in society is to “act as an adversary against the government on behalf of the public.”
Snowden’s comments came on the same day that a US federal appeals court ruled the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records was illegal. In a unanimous decision, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York called the bulk phone records collection “unprecedented and unwarranted.”
The ruling, which Snowden called “extraordinarily encouraging,” comes as Congress confronts a June 1 deadline to renew a section of the Patriot Act that allows the NSA’s bulk data surveillance.
Meanwhile, Snowden seems determined to reveal more information from the National Security Agency (NSA) files, hinting there was yet more information about Australia’s intelligence work that would be revealed at a later date.
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