Top Stories Today – August 3, 2019
Top Stories Today – August 3, 2019
Russian police detain 89 protesters in Moscow
Moscow police on Saturday detained nearly 90 people protesting the exclusion of some independent and opposition candidates from the city council ballot, a monitoring group said, a week after authorities arrested nearly 1,400 at a similar protest. Russian opposition leader Lyubov Sobol is among scores of people detained during the protest.
Once a local, low-key affair, the September vote for Moscow’s city council has shaken up Russia’s political scene as the Kremlin struggles with how to deal with strongly opposing views in its sprawling capital of 12.6 million. In the past month, the issue has provoked a surprisingly large outcry for a local election. On July 20, about 20,000 people turned out for a demonstration that was the largest in the city in several years. On Saturday, about 3,000 people attended a rally in St. Petersburg supporting the Moscow protests, the local news site Fontanka.ru reported. The Moscow city council, which has 45 seats, is responsible for a large municipal budget and is now controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. All of its seats, which have a five-year-term, are up for grabs in the Sept. 8 vote. The Associated Press
Trump’s latest China Tariffs could squeeze US consumers
The latest batch of tariffs that President Donald Trump plans to impose on Chinese goods would likely cost US households an average of $200 a year, some economists have estimated. That would come on top of the roughly $831 imposed per household from Trump’s existing tariffs, according to a New York Federal Reserve analysis. Trump plans to tax $300 billion of Chinese imports at 10% starting in September with the goal of accelerating trade talks with Beijing to favor the United States. The new tariffs would be in addition to 25% tariffs Trump has imposed on $250 billion in Chinese products.
By Friday, Trump’s new planned tariffs had triggered worries, especially among retailers, about the consequences. Retail stores, many of which have been struggling, would have to make the painful choice of either absorbing the higher costs from the new tariffs or imposing them on price-conscious customers. Additionally, China has signaled the likelihood of imposing counter-tariffs on U.S. goods, which would hurt American exporters. The stock market sold off sharply on Friday, in part over concerns about the effect on corporate profits. The Voice of America
More protests in Hong Kong
Thousands of mostly black-clad activists set off on a protest march in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district on Saturday, as the Chinese-controlled city braced for another weekend of anti-government demonstrations. Protests against a proposed bill allowing people to be extradited to stand trial in mainland China have escalated since June, growing increasingly violent, with police accused of excessive force and failing to protect protesters from suspected gang attacks.
Mong Kok, which includes gritty working class sections and is also a popular shopping destination, was the scene of some of the most violent clashes during pro-democracy protests in 2014. Many of Saturday’s demonstrators wore yellow or white hard hats, and the crowds chanted “age of revolution!” and “Hongkongers, add oil!” – a popular exhortation in Cantonese. Reuters
Trump’s nominee for intelligence director is withdrawing
President Donald Trump’s pick for national intelligence director, Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe, withdrew from consideration Friday after just five days as he faced growing questions about his experience and qualifications. The move underscored the uncertainty over his confirmation prospects. Democrats openly dismissed the Republican congressman as an unqualified partisan and Republicans offered only lukewarm and tentative expressions of support.
The announcement will leave the intelligence community without a permanent, Senate-confirmed leader at a time when the US government is grappling with North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the prospect of war with Iran and the anticipated efforts of Russia or other foreign governments to interfere in the American political system. The Associated Press
N Korea want to host World Cup qualifier with South in Pyongyang
North Korea have nominated Pyongyang as the host venue for their World Cup qualifying match against South Korea in October, clearing the way for the two countries to play on North Korean soil for the first time in almost 30 years. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed to Reuters on Saturday that the North Koreans had requested that the game scheduled for Oct. 15 be played at the 50,000-capacity Kim Il-sung Stadium in the northern capital.
The two countries are still technically at war after the 1950-1953 conflict but sport has in the last couple of years acted an agent for reducing tensions either side of the demilitarised zone that splits the peninsula. Reuters
US to test new missile as arms treaty with Russia ends
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Saturday that he was in favor of placing ground-launched, intermediate-range missiles in Asia relatively soon, a day after the United States withdrew from a landmark arms control treaty. Esper’s comments are likely to raise concern about an arms race and could add to an already tense relationship with China. The United States formally left the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia on Friday after determining Moscow was violating the treaty, an accusation that the Kremlin has denied.
Within the next few weeks, the United States is expected to test a ground-launched cruise missile, and in November, the Pentagon will aim to test an intermediate-range ballistic missile. Both would be tests of conventional weapons – and not nuclear. The 1987 pact banned ground-launched nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 310 to 3,400 miles (500-5,500 km). US officials have been warning for years that the United States was being put at a disadvantage by China’s development of increasingly sophisticated land-based missile forces, which the Pentagon could not match due to the US treaty with Russia. Reuters
Puerto Rico’s new governor sworn in
Veteran politician Pedro Pierluisi was sworn in by a judge as Puerto Rico’s governor after former Governor Ricardo Rosselló resigned amid protests. Pierluisi was Rosselló’s handpicked successor, but his appointment as not yet been ratified by Puerto Rico’s Senate. Critics have argued that the appointment is unconstitutional, including Senate President Thomas Rivera Schatz who described it as “unethical and “illegal.” San Juan’s Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz tweeted that the municipality would challenge Pierlusi’s swearing in first thing in on Monday morning. Pierluisi said if he is not ratified, Puerto Rico’s secretary of justice will be in next in line to fill the role. Pierluisi will reportedly not move into the government’s mansion yet and said he will avoid any major changes until after the Senate votes next week. BBC and The Associated News via The Week