"'If Chinese tourists land at Belgrade airport, they should be able to cross freely in all the countries of the region,' said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev of North Macedonia."

Poor Ukraine. At-will employment has been a nightmare for American workers, the only suckers in the world subjected to this authoritarian labor regime. US oligarchs found likeminded oligarchs in Ukraine to export our rottenest politics to. https://t.co/NU3bDvOacE

— Mark Ames (@MarkAmesExiled) January 23, 2020

The proposed labour law follows the neoliberal dogma of "flexibility" in employment - that is, the ability of employers to cut jobs, wages and benefits without worker input, all for the stated goal of spurring growth.
[...]
The package of laws would diminish trade union and workers' rights, ease firing of workers (moving Ukraine to be the lone [?!] at-will employment country among the 47 members of the Council of Europe ), broaden the use of short-term and zero hour contracts, limit the number of unions allowed at an enterprise, and even seize trade union property.

"Huawei only provides equipment, and does not participate in network operations, so we have no access to user data," Liang underlined.

Nils Schmid, foreign affairs spokesperson for Germany's Social Democrats (SPD) said in an interview with the Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung newspaper, "It is a very big mistake that to allow a company under the influence of a state to be so easily involved in such a sensitive sector."

"Chancellor Angela Merkel's decisions on 5G are based on Germany's national interests and development needs for the future," Liang said. "The German government's approach to 5G security standards does not focus on a supplier's country of origin, but treats all suppliers equally. This approach is good for the development of German communications infrastructure."

Her views contrasted with those of Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, who told BBC radio that financial services weren't doing enough to discourage investment in fossil fuels. He called for a mix of public investment and change driven to combat climate change.

EU states failed to agree on what qualifies as a ["]green asset["] earlier this month, making the ECB's involvement even more difficult.

EU parks post-Brexit demands to avoid clash with Boris Johnson

"We do not want to do this negotiation in public, that is for sure," one senior EU official said.

When the EU's negotiating position is revealed in draft form in early February, before its formal adoption by the EU27 at a meeting of ministers on 25 February, it will only contain "headline principles".

The last monthly update on agri-food trade with data until October 2019 confirmed a favourable trend of EU food exports to the US ahead of punitive tariffs promised by the Trump administration.
[...]
The reason behind the hike is that US consumers and restaurateurs started to stock up cheese, fearing an increase in prices in the months to come.
[...]
[EU trade Commissioner Phil] Hogan told the Spanish minister that there is a "predisposition" in the US administration to negotiate. If that is the case, "we have to take advantage of that window of opportunity," Maroto added.

However, both Hogan and [ES industry and trade minister Reyes] Maroto seemed optimistic that a negotiated solution could be found, given that in the coming months the WTO [!] will authorise Europeans to impose tariffs on the US for similar aid given by Washington to Boeing [!].

Germany's plans for automatic facial recognition meet fierce criticism
"Federal Police Act was planned to provide the police with 'improved technical possibilities and, where possible and reasonable, extended responsibilities'."

'We have made it very clear to the Dutch,' the paper quotes Pete Hoestra as saying. 'We believe that this is extremely sensitive technology which does not belong in certain places.'

reference
The Wassenaar Arrangement
15 CFR § 743.1 - Wassenaar Arrangement.

The first prototype oxygen facility will be attempting the same extraction process on a larger scale, it was reported by Science Alert on Monday.

The new plant could potentially provide humans with essential resources that can aid in future space missions and even provide a means for long-term existence on moon bases and colonies.
[...]
The facility, established under the European Space Agency's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands, will use a method which was discovered by [Beth] Lomax and her colleagues in 2019.

archived
Is anybody out there?
on a giant rotating structure at 1G as seen in Elysium

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Wednesday he had agreed on the truce with U.S. Treasury chief Steven Mnuchin, at a meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
[...]
Le Maire said France would delay collection of the digital tax until December - through the next U.S. election cycle, potentially easing pressure for President Donald Trump as he seeks reelection.
[...]
The U.S., in turn, will hold off imposing retaliatory tariffs that it had threatened to slap tariffs on French wine, cheese and other products.

If that vote measures "grudgingly", I'd like to see a demo for "enthusiastically".

The tories are the the parasitical scum that inhabit the City, along with the other spivs, banksters and plutocrat tax avoiders, they only know the cheating world of finance. They are fundamentalist free traders, they realy do believe all the Chicago School/Randian WTO bollocks. Their idea of a trade deal is phoning up Trump to become a preferred off-shore tax haven for US coroporates.

They know nothing of the trade in tangible goods which require lorries, ferries, delivery, manufacture, logisitcs, infrastructure etc. They honestly don't think it matters cos it's not how they themselves make money. They're simply parasitic on such ventures, They know that, as one fails, there will be another victim to bleed dry along in due course.

The British public? Mordoch will keep them docile, it's worked for 40 years, it's generational stupidity now.

Cockburn's law of UK foreign policy applies. think of the worst posssible thing the Govt can arrange, that's yer policy.

keep to the Fen Causeway

Speaking after both leaders signed the agreement in front of cameras, Sánchez called on other parliamentary forces to "join us in advancing and not to block us."

Iglesias said a "progressive government" focused on social and feminist policies that fights climate change would make Spain a "point of reference" in Europe.

"I believe that we need to start talking about Spain in this world as a point of reference that offers security to vulnerable social sectors, the best vaccine against the rise of the extreme right in Europe," he said.

Instead of the potentially dramatic scene of a union jack being lowered against the midnight sky when Britain leaves the EU on 31 January, parliament grounds staff will remove the flags without ceremony at an unconfirmed time.

One flag will then be despatched to the House of History, the EU-funded museum in Brussels that aims to tell the story of the continent, from ancient Greek myths to Brexit referendum promises.

Brexit party MEPs had lobbied for a flag-lowering ceremony, a Brussels analogue to the campaign to have Big Ben "Bong for Brexit" in London. Instead, the European parliament president, David Sassoli, will preside over a low-key ceremony with British MEPs on the evening of 29 January, shortly after the entire parliament votes on the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Barnier has repeatedly warned that the chances of the 'Canada-plus' style deal, which Johnson has talked about being agreed and ratified are almost zero, and that only a bare-bones 'no tariffs, no quotas' trade deal would be obtainable within the eleven-month window.

archived
the first agreement ("contract") won't resemble anything that UK yella sheets have been training ("grooming") their readers to expect ... in Brexternity

Any tariff greater than 0... in A Perfect Storm

EU leaders gave Warsaw "until June, to confirm that it will also implement this objective at the national level," Macron said at a press conference after the EU summit ended on Friday.

archived practice, practice, practice
independence
infringements
budget

Agreeing and ratifying a post-Brexit relationship bi-lateral trade agreement by the end of 2020 "will be immensely challenging, but we will give it our all, even if we won't be able to achieve everything," Barnier, wrote in a weekend online commentary for the Project Syndicate magazine website. The two sides will have just 11 months [?!] to settle that agreement following Britain's formal departure from the EU on 31 January.

reference
The new EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill: What's changed?
out: Three clauses and one Schedule
in: five clauses
Withdrawal Agreement Bill: Ratifying the Withdrawal Agreement
repeals CRAG,Part 2, requirements


Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

On Sunday, 5 January, Iran announced that it will no longer limit itself to restrictions of the 2015 nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), however the EU has insisted that the deal is not dead. Joseph Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat believes that it is the venue to promote EU's interests with the bloc's Russian and Chinese partners.

The JCPOA "today more important than ever because it is the only place where we can sit together with the Russians and Chinese to talk on a multilateral basis about many risks that we are facing," says Borrell. "It is one of the most important tools of non-proliferation and regional security."

The Spaniard has convened an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers this Friday, 10 January, "to discuss what the European Union can do in the short, medium and long-term to help stabilise the region."
[...]
"We have to try to be more coherent at the international level and especially in these current circumstances," admitted European Council president Charles Michel. "It's not my opinion to consider that the European Union will be out of the game. We have to be in the game and to promote and defend our interests."

"This could be the first step toward the end of this agreement, which would be a great loss -- and so we will weigh things up very, very responsibly," [German Foreign Minister Heiko] Maas told Deutschlandfunk radio.

archived Comish High Rep
Borrell hard on Russia in EU hearing

but said they were not joining the United States campaign to exert maximum pressure on Tehran.

"We do not accept the argument that Iran is entitled to reduce compliance with the JCPoA," the three countries said in a joint statement, saying they had no choice but to trigger the process that could eventually lead to U.N. sanctions.

"Instead of reversing course, Iran has chosen to further reduce compliance."
[...]
"We do this in good faith with the overarching objective of preserving the JCPoA and in the sincere hope of finding a way forward to resolve the impasse through constructive diplomatic dialogue, while preserving the agreement and remaining within its framework," they said.

A study from July 2019 estimated that some 5,500 foreigners in Syria and Iraq were either coming from the EU27 or were born to the parents of EU nationals, though the numbers may be higher due to gaps in the available information and under-reporting by countries.

Kinda like making laws to reflect evolving understanding of reality.

20 Dec: Boris Johnson to legislate to rule out extension of EU 'transition', reveals Robert Peston
"So the option of extending the transition by two years will be eliminated in UK law. ...The revised Withdrawal Agreement Bill is expected to have its second reading in the Commons on Friday."

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

"In Cobham, we stand to lose yet another great British defense manufacturer to foreign ownership," said Nadine Cobham, whose late husband was a son of the company's founder.

"In one of its first major economic decisions, the government is not taking back control so much as handing it away," she said, adding that the announcement on the weekend before Christmas had been timed to avoid scrutiny.
[...]
Advent has already won approval from regulators in the European Union, United States and Finland for its acquisition of Cobham, which was backed by shareholders in September. The U.S. private equity group also bought British electronics company Laird for $1.65 billion last year.

• Non-voter
  
• Unionist
  
• Nationalist
  
• First-time voter
  
• Tactical voter, Sarah Laverty (28) is originally from Ballymoney, Co Antrim
  

"I voted tactically in South Belfast for the SDLP's Claire Hanna. I'm a Green Party member, from a traditionally unionist background but Claire Hanna was the only choice for me.

"Northern Ireland voted Remain in the Brexit referendum. South Belfast voted Remain overwhelmingly, and I felt Claire Hanna had the greatest likelihood of being returned in South Belfast. I want a Remain MP to represent my constituency.

"Whatever happens next, it will not be straightforward, and the complicated Brexit negotiations are going to go on in Westminster and across Europe.

"But I want the true feelings of the people in Northern Ireland to be reflected. I've never voted in this way for a nationalist party like the SDLP or Sinn Fein before, but I'm actually fine with it....

BBC | UK results: Conservatives win majority

One might suppose, the discrepancy between Nov and Dec (-59) might be explained by the intervening period of NEW! party creation, MP "defections", and parliament.uk clerical error. OTOH, NGO exit polling unexpected Tory "landslide" is vindicated by MOE, until further notice.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

archived
Brexeternity & the Five Chieftains
No-deal Brexit would lead to direct rule in Northern Ireland

The Brexit Bill has cleared the UK parliament [3rd reading] and is now set to become law as soon as it signed by the Queen.
[...]
The legislation was approved after the House of Lords decided to back down after its five amendments [?] were rejected by the House of Commons.

Earlier, MPs overwhelmingly rejected all five changes - including on child refugees - made by peers to the bill. It then returned to the Lords where peers backed down, despite some anger at their voices being "dismissed".
[...]
A total of five amendments to the bill were sent to MPs for consideration from the Lords, including on [1] EU citizens' rights, [2] the power of UK courts to diverge from EU law and [3] the independence of the judiciary after Brexit.

Another, the so-called [4] Dubs amendment - which reinstated a guarantee that unaccompanied refugee children could continue to join relatives in the UK after Brexit - was also demanded by peers.

A fifth amendment called for the bill to be changed to take note of the [5] Sewel Convention, which states that Parliament should not legislate on devolved issues without the consent of the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Stormont Assembly in Northern Ireland.

oh. well. profit taking. unprecedented. egregious. simile suicide. again.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

"In a very profound way, you know, we're all the Irish Sea Border" pic.twitter.com/AOQzpGkbGh

— The Irish Border (@BorderIrish) January 7, 2020

Oh, nevermind.

## Misplaced precision.

The total number of applications for the UK's EU settled status scheme received by the end of 2019 was more than 2.75 million, according to Home Office statistics published on Thursday.
[...]
Of these, 58% of applicants have already been given settled status, which gives them indefinite leave to remain in the UK. But 41% have received the more precarious 'pre-settled' status, which only grants five years residency, after which they will have to apply again.

On Wednesday, MEPs expressed 'grave concern' about the scheme and called for the UK government to provide EU nationals with "a physical document as proof of their right to reside in the UK after the end of the transition period". ... MEPs also warned that the lack of a physical document as proof of residency increased the risk of discrimination against EU27 nationals by prospective employers or landlords "who may want to avoid the extra administrative burden of online verification or erroneously fear they might place themselves in an unlawful situation".

reference index
EU Settlement Scheme statistics, December 2019

• Article I. Abuse of Power
  
• Article II. Obstruction of Congress
  

Justice Department has posted a legal opinion pouring cold water on the new push to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution: https://t.co/Vkgafo8X5w

— Lawrence Hurley (@lawrencehurley) January 8, 2020

reference
5th Amd
archived
Confused? Bemused?
Flowers vs. Mississippi
Team Mueller Victories

As president, I'll turn the East Room into an open office plan, where I'll sit with our team.

I'll use the Oval Office for some official functions - never for tweeting - but the rest of the time, I'll be where a leader should be: with the team. https://t.co/zIU3ZL5uIv pic.twitter.com/jLwWKJCmxw

— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) December 30, 2019

Lower Interest Rate Will Save PG&E $500M in Bankruptcy Case

An alliance of creditors, bondholders and those who sold PG&E goods and services argued the proper interest rate should be based on the terms of PG&E's contracts [!] with individual creditors or tied to the much higher California state judgment interest rate of 10%.

"While unsecured creditors are entitled to postpetition interest in a solvent estate, the Bankruptcy Code requires application of the federal interest rate [2.59%] to those claims and that such an application does not impair these claims," Montali wrote in a 17-page ruling.

Montali HINTED he would likely apply the lower-interest rate at a bankruptcy hearing this month. The judge said he was bound by the 2002 Ninth Circuit decision In re Cardelucci, which states that using the federal rate for all debts "ensures equitable treatment of all creditors" and "promotes fairness among creditors."

As soon as Trump enters the Democratic Primary race, I'll get right on it. https://t.co/BaVpn2fEpC

— Joe Biden is a Racist (@BethLynch2020) December 12, 2019

The case has now gone beyond the circumstances of the murder of Jacobs and now encompasses questions of sovereignty and the status of reservation lands. The Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, and Chickasaw Nations could potentially have their reservation status restored if the Supreme Court eventually sides with Murphy's legal team

The aftermath of a 6.4-magnitude earthquake that killed one person, injured nine others and severely damaged infrastructure in Puerto Rico's southwest coast ...

Many in The Affected Area are comparing the situation to Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that hit in September 2017, as hundreds of families who are unable to return to their damaged homes wonder where they'll stay in upcoming weeks and months as hope fades of electricity being restored soon.

"We have to remain outside because everything inside is destroyed," said 84-year-old Brunilda Sánchez, who has been sleeping outdoors in a government-supplied cot in the southwest coastal town of Guánica. "We don't know how long we'll have to stay here."

U.S. President Donald Trump declared an emergency in Puerto Rico several hours after Tuesday's quake hit, a move that frees up federal funds via the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency for things ranging from transportation to medical care to mobile generators. But some local officials worry the help won't arrive soon enough.

"There is no basis for this harsh rule, and Congress overwhelmingly agrees," New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a press call about the suit -- a 99-page doorstopper that is filed in Washington.

Senate passes USMCA bill, giving Trump a win on trade

• Senate voted 89-10
  
• House voted of 385-41
  
• endorsement of the AFL-CIO
  

It seemed unlikely the administration would have pursued climate change, not only because of Trump's skepticism of the science behind it, but also because a trade-negotiating objective Congress approved in 2015 says trade agreements are not to establish obligations for the U.S. regarding greenhouse gas emissions. The language is part of a customs enforcement law that added several negotiating guidelines to the Trade Promotion Authority statute, which sets the ground rules for trade deals sent to Congress for approval.

Officials said immigrants from Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar [Rohingya?], Eritrea, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania [40%] will face new restrictions in obtaining certain visas to come to the United States. But it is not a total travel ban, unlike [?] President Donald Trump's earlier effort that generated outrage around the world for targeting Muslims.

Kyrgyzstan [6M], Myanmar [54M], Eritrea and Nigeria would have all immigrant visas suspended... They include visas for people sponsored by FAMILY members or EMPLOYERS as well as the DIVERSITY VISA program ...lottery.
[...]
Sudan [43M] and Tanzania [54M] will have DIVERSITY VISAS suspended.

Sudan and Kyrgyzstan are majority-Muslim countries. Nigeria [200M] ... is about evenly split between Christians and Muslims but has the world's fifth-largest population of Muslim

reference
H.R. 676, Title I, §103, first, moot the "takings clause"

archived
Faux Accompli

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

archive Nikole Hannah-Jones: It was an accident! Sin! STAIN!
Donnan, Elizabeth, Compiler, Documents Illustrative of the History of the Slave Trade to America, vol I-IV. 1930-1935. $450.00 set.

American Historical Review, The Constitution and Finance of the Royal African Company of England from its Foundation [1536] til 1720, 1902 narrative

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

Climate change IS a racial justice issue #DemDebate pic.twitter.com/1oE68Qkyrm

— Ԍεοϝϝ 🌹 (@SpittingBack) December 20, 2019

• Police will not have access to live feeds, and instead, officers will receive "evidence packages" of specific crimes that have already being reported.
  
• The resolution of the footage won't be sharp enough for officers to identify faces, but should help them track movement and action.
  
• Footage from the pilot program will not be use in cases of police misconduct.
  

Baltimore is experiencing one of its most violent years on record, with more than 330 homicides so far. That's up from 309 total in 2018. The city has also seen more than 1,310 armed and unarmed commercial robberies and carjackings. It wrapped up last year with 1,361 of those cases.

archived dominoes
'For the good of the city'
Get used to it or get out.

Diversity is the key to economic and political evolution.

The undeveloped wooded parcel "cannot conceivably be regarded as contributing to the city's vacant and abandoned housing problem," Fletcher-Hill wrote.
[...]
In sending the project back to the City Council for possible reconsideration, Fletcher-Hill charted a path that Blue Ocean would have to follow to succeed.

Namely, that it would have to successfully argue that a building twice the allowable height of the TransForm code was justifiable to meet a competing public need, such as more housing.

reference
Gun Violence in America: A State-by-State Analysis, 2008-2017
of which WV
"Boston Massacre", Adams' Argument for the Defense: 3-4 December 1770
of which "every instance of one man's killing another, is not a crime"

Do you have a question about the Jewish people, culture, or faith you've been dying to ask but've been worried about coming across as creepy, weird, or racist? We're giving you a pass this one time to ask any question you need to get off your chest without fear of being dragged.

— דער יידישער ארבעטער (@JewishWorker) December 31, 2019

What should I read on Soleimani and/or the likely fallout? This is an area I know very little about.

— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) January 3, 2020

Are you a journalist first or an American first?

With conflict looming, an old question about patriotism is raised anew. https://t.co/iVAQn6qbzb

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 8, 2020

South Korea to Deploy ["]Anti-Piracy["] Unit to Strait of Hormuz - Report
"South Korea's Ministry of Defence also confirmed the news. The United States had previously urged South Korea to help guard oil tankers in the region."

Insinuating that Sanders is sexist would be "really bad news for us," a campaign official cautioned supporters in a pro-Warren group chat.

Heh. Maybe just don't hire Clinton campaign people.

CAA needed as there is no Hindu nation: Nitin Gadkari https://t.co/BPhvZy4RQn

— Times of India (@timesofindia) December 19, 2019

What's our brown pubic intellectual position on this justice debacle? Kamala?! Nikki? Tulsi? Priti? Jeet? Vijay? Hannah called....

Tens of thousands of people in Hyderabad reading the Preamble to the Constitution of India:pic.twitter.com/rqKoSeFxUp

— Anil Kalhan (@kalhan) December 22, 2019

An average of nine exit polls showed New Delhi's chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), or "common man's party," to win 52 out of 70 seats.
[...]
The BJP has [not] been in power in New Delhi since 1998, when the Congress Party came to power. The Aam Aadmi Party has governed the state since a landslide victory in 2015, where it captured 67 out of 70 seats, just a year after the BJP won national elections.

Macron, Sahel leaders meet to boost anti-jihadist campaign

Macron insists his counterparts from Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania and Chad must use the occasion to express public support for France's military presence -- by far the largest foreign contribution to the fight against African jihadists aligned to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Visiting the region last month, the French president complained of a lack of "clear political condemnation of anti-French feelings" on the ground.

"I see opposition movements, groups, who denounce the French presence as a neo-colonial, imperialist," Macron said in Niamey, adding he was loath to send soldiers to countries were their presence was not "clearly wanted".
[...]
Mali's Keita has said the summit will be "decisive" and "will allow us to put on the table all the questions, all the grievances, all the solutions". But he insisted the G5 leaders would demand a "respectable and respectful relationship" with France. Kabore of Burkina Faso has described Macron's recent insistences as "lacking in tact".

archived pornography
Niger army base attack death toll rises to at least 89: security sources

Burkina Faso to arm civilians in fight against extremists
army recruiting: "The tactic is not without risk. Burkina Faso's military has been criticized for killings carried out during its crackdown on extremism, and placing arms in the hands of minimally trained civilians could lead to more allegations of human rights abuses, observers warn."
[Zimbabwean telecoms billionaire Strive Masiyiwa]'s cash helps Zimbabwe's doctors back from strike
Masimba Ndoro,VP, Zimbabwe Hospital Doctors Assoc.: "'They (doctors) are back in full force. We want to be able to work together as one team, everyone has a role to play,' he told the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. ... 'I don't have the actual numbers but many doctors have left the country,' Ndoro said. 'A lot are pursuing greener pastures. They may not yet have left, but they are definitely going to leave.'"
Why US troop cuts in Africa would cause alarm
"The U.S. Africa Command, signaling concern over the Pentagon's potential cuts, has emphasized the Somalia-based al-Shabab as a threat after its leader in November made an unprecedented call to attack Americans wherever they are. Neither China nor Russia is doing much to counter Africa's extremist groups, U.S. Africa Command officials added in a briefing last week."

In a letter to Esper from House Armed Services Committee (HASC) chairman Adam Smith (D-WA) obtained by Defense News, the lawmaker warned Esper to "carefully consider the adverse implications of reducing our force posture in Africa," cautioning that "the threat of violent extremism and terrorism persists."

"A decrease in our investment now may result in the need for the United States to reinvest at many more times the cost down the road," said the January 16 letter, which was signed by other leading HASC members.
[...]
'Africa Optimization Model'

To compensate for these changes, the Pentagon's 127 Echo program aims to train local forces to pick up the counterterrorism and patrolling duties presently performed by US troops. As Sputnik reported in March 2019, 127 Echo has a $100 million budget to provide "viable surrogate forces ... at relatively low cost in terms of resources and especially risk to our personnel," according to then-Maj. Gen. James Hecker, then the vice director for operations from the joint staff.

Taiwanese re-elected President Tsai Ing-wen by a landslide on Saturday in a stern rebuke [?] that could fuel further tension with China, which has tried military threats and economic inducements to get the island to accept its rule.

China claims Taiwan as its sacred [?] territory, to be taken by force if needed, a threat President Xi Jinping reiterated a year ago [?] while saying he preferred a peaceful solution.
[...]
"We hope that the Beijing authorities can understand that a democratic Taiwan with a government chosen by the people will not give in to threats and intimidation," Tsai told reporters.

Beijing needs to understand the will of Taiwan's people, and that only Taiwan's people can decide its future, she added, repeating her firm opposition to "one country, two systems".

archived PLA parity watch
Taiwan party picks mayor over ex-Foxconn chief for 2020 run
"US to sell $2bn in weapons to Taiwan"
BEA | U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services, June 2019
US deficits
not Sweden
extradition
The Pentagon's Bottomless Money Pit - Rolling Stone

On Monday, [Prague Mayor Zdenek] Hrib and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je signed a sister city agreement in Prague.
[...]
Tsai says Taiwan is an independent country known as the Republic of China, its official name, and that the People's Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan.

Taipei Mayor Ko is no supporter of Taiwan's formal independence. He visited Shanghai last year and has said that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of "one family.

WATCH: Thousands of Iraqi protesters furious over deadly U.S. airstrikes storm the American Embassy in Baghdad, breaking down doors and setting fires https://t.co/zS7HQXjDyF pic.twitter.com/MO3UnaG06q

— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 31, 2019

Sometimes the soldiers were gracious. Sometimes they were surly.

"I need help," a middle-aged man in front of me told a soldier one morning. "My son, he was kidnapped five days ago."
"you need to go to the police," the soldier said. "We cannot help you."
"I have gone to the police, but they don't want to help. They want a bribe."
"This is an Iraqi-on-Iraqi issue. There's nothing we can do for you."
"I thought you came here to help us. If you won't help us, who will?"
[...]
When the experts arrived in mid-May, it was too dangerous for them to drive after sundown. During the day, they traveled in two-vehicle convoys. Everyone was armed. Back then, in the days before the insurgency, the Americans had to be careful, but not as careful as Iraqis. Every Iraqi I knew either had been a victim of a violent crim or knew someone who was. Thugs armed with AK-47s carjacked vehicles at busy intersections. Businessmen were snatched off the street and held hostage until their families paid exorbitant ransoms.

The Iraqi police were almost nonexistent. They had fled their stations as America troops converged on Baghdad. Most were at home. Some had even joined the orgy of looting. The few who reported back to work were too scared to enforce th law. They had pistols. The criminals had AK-47s.

It didn't take long for the experts to conclude that more than 6,600 foreign ["]police advisers["] should be sent to Iraq immediately.

The White House dispatched just one: Bernie Kerik. [Chandrasekaran: 20-84]

#Breaking

"Rocket attack alarms sounding off multiple times on the #US #Baghdad Embassy Complex and Union III. Heard the booms myself on Union III. Speakers telling all to take shelter immediately." pic.twitter.com/F1lpbWm9RE

— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) January 20, 2020

"This is going to end in basically a stalemate [sic] with him spending the rest of his life in Lebanon."

The Tokyo District Court revoked his bail, Japanese media reports said, meaning  ...

When asked if Ghosn had taken any of the documents being prepared for the trial, Hironaka acknowledged he hadn't checked but said he seriously doubted Ghosn would care about a trial he had taken such pains to avoid.

Ghosn has been charged with breach of trust EMBEZZLEMENT in having Nissan shoulder [sic] his personal investment losses, and ["]diverting payments["] in Saudi Arabia and Oman for PERSONAL GAIN.