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Australian opposition puts nation's first nuclear power plants in its energy plan ahead of elections None - Australia’s main opposition party says it plans to build Australia’s first nuclear power plants as early as 2035, arguing the government’s policies for decarbonizing the economy with renewable energy will not work Australian opposition puts nation's first nuclear power plants in its energy plan ahead of elections MELBOURNE, Australia -- Australia’s main opposition party on Wednesday announced plans to build Australia’s first nuclear power plants as early as 2035, arguing the government’s policies for decarbonizing the economy with renewable energy sources including solar, wind turbines and green hydrogen would not work. The policy announcement ensures the major parties will be divided on how Australia curbs its greenhouse gas emissions at elections due within a year. The parties haven’t gone to an election with the same carbon reduction policies since 2007. “I’m very happy for the election to be a referendum on energy, on nuclear, on power prices, on lights going out, on who has a sustainable pathway for our country going forward,” opposition leader Peter Dutton told reporters. Seven government-owned reactors would be built on the sites of aging coal-fired electricity plants in five of Australia’s six states, Dutton said. The first two would be built from 2035-to-2037 and the last in the 2040s. The estimated costs would be announced at a later date, he said. The current center-left government has rejected nuclear power generation in Australia as too expensive. Too many coal-fired generators would have been decommissioned before nuclear power could fill the gap. Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen accused the conservative opposition Liberal Party of serving Australia’s influential coal and gas industry lobbies. “It’s not really an announcement. We know that Mr. Dutton wants to slow down the rollout of renewables and he wants to introduce the most expensive form of energy that’s slow to build,” Bowen told reporters. “But today, we’ve seen no costs, we’ve seen no gigawatts, we’ve seen no detail. This is a joke. It’s a serious joke because it threatens our transition” from fossil fuels, Bowen added. Bowen’s Labor Party came to power in the 2022 elections promising deeper cuts to Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 than the previous coalition government had committed to. The previous Liberal Party-led government promised to reduce emissions by between 26% and 28% below 2005 levels by the end of the decade. Labor promised a 43% reduction and the Parliament enshrined that target in law, creating difficulties for any future government that wanted to reduce it and offering certainty for investors. Dutton has ruled out announcing a new 2030 target before the next election. But the major parties have agreed on a net-zero emissions target by 2050. Dutton said Labor could not reach its 2030 target with a policy toward relying solely on renewable energy. A Liberal Party-led government would use nuclear power, renewable energy sources and “significant amounts of gas,” Dutton said. “I want to make sure that the Australian public understands today that we have a vision for our country to deliver cleaner electricity, cheaper electricity and consistent electricity,” Dutton said. Australia has historically been one of the world’s worst greenhouse gas emitters on a per capita basis because of its heavy reliance on abundant reserves of cheap coal and gas. Constant conflict between the major parties over the past 17 years on how to reduce emissions led to a carbon tax introduced by a Labor Party government in 2012 being repealed by a Liberal Party-led government in 2014. Australia’s only reactor has produced nuclear isotopes for medical use in the Sydney suburb of Lucas Heights since 1958. Dutton said the country could only now consider introducing atomic power generation because the major parties had agreed in 2019 to the AUKUS partnership with the United States and Britain which will deliver Australia a fleet of submarines powered by U.S. nuclear technology.
Amtrak service between Philadelphia and Connecticut resumes after earlier suspension None - Significant delays are still expected into the evening, Amtrak said. Amtrak service between Philadelphia and New Haven, Connecticut, resumed on Thursday evening after train service was suspended for over two hours as crews worked to restore power in the New York area, Amtrak said. "Significant delays are anticipated due to rail congestion and single-tracking," Amtrak said in a statement to passengers after service was restored. The outage included trains in and out of New York Penn Station, Amtrak said. Service Update: As of 5:30 PM ET, power has been restored, and all rail service has resumed between New Haven (NHV) and Philadelphia (PHL). Significant delays are anticipated due to rail congestion and single-tracking. — Amtrak Alerts (@AmtrakAlerts) — Amtrak Alerts (@AmtrakAlerts) June 20, 2024 New Jersey Transit said its trains are suspended in and out of New York Penn Station. NJ Transit hasn't posted an update as of 5:53 p.m. ET. An unrelated brush fire is also impacting wire repairs, according to Amtrak and NJ Transit. The outage was reported shortly after Amtrak warned that the extreme heat in the Northeast might force trains to slow down, causing up to one-hour delays. It was not immediately clear if the service suspension was caused by the heat. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Trump lawyers file motion to remove judge from New York civil fraud case None - Lawyers for former President Trump have filed a motion calling on Judge Arthur Engoron to recuse himself from the New York civil fraud case. NBC News' Tom Winter has details on the filing and the allegations that the judge engaged in an improper conversation about the case.June 20, 2024
French prime minister seeks to step out from Macron's shadow in the upcoming early election None - France’s prime minister hopes to emerge from the campaign for the early legislative election not only still holding the job that President Emmanuel Macron gave him less than six months ago but also as more of his own person LE PECQ, France -- Thrust into an early election sprung by his boss, France’s prime minister hopes to emerge from the campaign not only still holding the job that President Emmanuel Macron gave him less than six months ago but also as more of his own person. The 35-year-old Gabriel Attal became France's youngest-ever prime minister when Macron appointed him in January. But he now risks being dethroned by the even younger 28-year-old Jordan Bardella. The president of the far-right National Rally hopes the legislative election will mark a watershed in his party's gradual but unrelenting decades-long climb from the fringes of French politics to now being on the threshold of power. For Attal, the crisis represented by the possibility that France could elect its first far-right government since its Nazi occupation in World War II could also be something of an opportunity. If Attal can confound pollsters' expectations and somehow pull off a majority for Macron's centrist bloc in the June 30 and July 7 two-round election, not only will he earn brownie points from the French president, but he'll also be in a stronger position to argue that he has the country's ear and support. “Of course there will be a before and an after,” Attal said Thursday. “On Jan. 9th, the president nominated me. On June 30th, I'd like the French to choose me.” An arresting black-and-white photo taken by Macron's official photographer on June 9 — the day that the president shocked France and many of his associates by dissolving parliament's lower house, the National Assembly — fed an impression that Attal was less than happy with the president's decision to send voters back to the polls after a battering by the far right in the European Parliament election. The photo showed a sour-looking Attal sitting opposite Macron in a meeting that fateful evening, his mouth turned down and his arms crossed. But he is being nothing but a good soldier for Macron in the ensuing campaign, which is already redrawing the political landscape in France even before ballots are cast. Squeezed on both sides by Bardella's National Rally and, on the left, by a new coalition of parties that hastily banded together against the far-right's surge, Attal is working day and night to shore up the middle ground of French politics where Macron's salvation lies. It was there that Macron first found the votes to become president in 2017, shattering France's traditional left-right political divide, and again for his reelection in 2022. But Macron's dissolution gamble has galvanized his previously divided opponents, particularly on the left, where a broad spectrum of far- to center-left parties have papered over their differences and united behind a shared platform. The redrawn map of three main blocs — far-right, middle and left to far-left — make the election outcome uncertain, which is spooking markets and investors. But it also allows Macron's candidates — championed by Attal — to hope that they may yet still cling to their seats despite the president's deep unpopularity with many voters, particularly those on the far right and left. Attal himself is seeking reelection in the Hauts-de-Seine suburbs of western Paris, where he was born on March 16, 1989. But he is spending much of his time on the airwaves defending Macron's record and bashing his opponents, and out on the road, lending his star power — Attal has 337,000 Instagram followers and another quarter-million on X — to other candidates in the Macron camp. At his news conference on Thursday morning before zooming off for campaign stops in Normandy and the Loire region, Attal again hammered what has become a central argument in the Macron camp's campaign: That spending pledges and other promises from the far right and the left-wing coalition to help voters struggling to make ends meet would endanger jobs, drain family incomes and add to France's debts, already criticized by European Union watchdogs. Attal urged voters to choose carefully, seeking to steer them away from what he and Macron describe as the right and left extremes and to put their opinions of Macron — whose term lasts to 2027 — to one side. “Perhaps never will a vote be so consequential,” the prime minister said. “This election is to choose your government, to choose your prime minister.”
A cruise ship rescues 68 migrants and finds 5 bodies in a boat adrift in the Atlantic Ocean None - Spanish rescuers say that a cruise ship has rescued 68 migrants and found five bodies in a wooden dinghy that was drifting off the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean MADRID -- A cruise ship rescued 68 migrants and found five bodies in a wooden dinghy that was drifting off the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean, Spain's maritime rescue agency said Thursday. It said an oil tanker traveling from northwestern Spain to Brazil spotted the drifting boat on Wednesday afternoon about 815 kilometers (506 miles) south of Tenerife, one of the seven islands in the Canaries archipelago. Spanish authorities diverted the Insignia, a cruise ship, to rescue the migrants. The Insignia crew also recovered three of the five bodies on the dinghy. The remains of two people were left at sea because of bad weather hampering their recovery. It is unusual for cruise ships to make rescues of migrants on the Atlantic route, but the dinghy “was a long way out and they could be in danger,” said a maritime rescue’s spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity under departmental rules. One of the passengers on the cruise ship, Steve Dilbeck from Huntington Beach, California, said they were not told about the dead. “They did say the boat had been at sea for 20 days," Dilbeck told The Associated Press in a text message. “We were diverted in the evening and took us two hours to reach them. They were brought on board and placed in the Insignia Lounge, which is where they have all their shows.” “The area has been closed off to passengers. Told they had them remove their clothes and put on jumpsuits. Then they asked passengers if they had shoes and clothes they could donate, particularly for men. Their announcement said 62 were men, with the rest women and children,” he added. The Marshall Islands-flagged Insignia had left Mindelo, a port city in Cape Verde, on Tuesday. Its operator, Miami-based Oceania Cruises, did not immediately comment on the rescue. The Spanish rescue agency emailed a statement saying the Insignia is expected to arrive on Friday at the port of Santa Cruz, Tenerife. The Canary Islands is a destination for boats packed with migrants departing from northwestern Africa on a perilous Atlantic route in search of a better life in Europe. Spain's Interior Ministry says a record 55,618 migrants arrived by boat — most of them in the Canary Islands — last year, almost double the number of the previous year. More than 23,000 have landed so far this year, the ministry said. The Spanish nonprofit organization Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) says more than 5,000 migrants have died so far this year through May while trying to reach Spanish coasts, most of them on the Atlantic route. The figure for all 2023 was 6,600, more than double the number for 2022. ___ Associated Press writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
US jobless claims fall to 238,000 from 10-month high None - The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits slipped last week WASHINGTON -- The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits slipped last week as the U.S. labor market remained resilient. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims fell by 5,000 to 238,000 from a 10-month high of 243,000 the week before. The four-week average of claims, which evens out weekly ups and downs, rose by 5,500 to 232,750, highest since September. Weekly unemployment claims — a proxy for layoffs — remain at low levels by historical standards, a sign that most Americans enjoy unusual job security. Still, after mostly staying below 220,000 this year, weekly claims have moved up recently. “Layoffs are still low overall suggesting businesses remain reluctant to reduce headcount in large numbers,’’ said Rubeela Farooqi, chief U.S. economist at High Frequency Economics. “However, there has been a gradual increase in recent weeks that merits watching for signals about a more material weaking in demand for workers going forward.’’ Nearly 1.83 million people were collecting unemployment benefits the week of June 8, up by 15,000 the week before and the seventh straight weekly uptick. The U.S. economy and job market have proven remarkably resilient in the face of high interest rates. Employers are adding a strong average of 248,000 jobs a month this year. Unemployment is still low at 4%. But the economy has lately showed signs of slowing, perhaps offering evidence that higher borrowing costs are finally taking a toll. For instance, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday that retail sales barely grew last month. The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times in 2022 and 2023, eventually bringing it to a 23-year high to combat a resurgence in inflation. Inflation has come down from a mid-2022 peak 9.1% but remains stubbornly above the Fed's 2% target. Fed policymakers announced last week that they have scaled back their intention to cut the rate three times this year. Now they are anticipating only one rate cut.
Train collision in Chile kills at least 2 people and injures 9 others None - Authorities in Chile say at least two rail workers were killed and nine others injured Thursday when a freight train collided head-on with another train on a test run just outside the capital of Chile Train collision in Chile kills at least 2 people and injures 9 others SANTIAGO, Chile -- At least two rail workers were killed and nine others injured Thursday when a freight train collided head-on with another train on a test run just outside the capital of Chile, a rare fatal crash in the South American country. Police said they were investigating to determine the cause of the collision, which left the test car sitting fully on top of the freight train. Authorities said they detained the driver of the test train and a railway operator for interrogation on charges of reckless manslaughter. Photos and video of the scene showed one carriage jackknifed several meters into the air above a badly mangled cargo train. Two dozen emergency vehicles swarmed the tangle of crushed metal as helicopters buzzed overhead in San Bernardo, a district just south of Santiago, the capital. Trains service in Santiago remained suspended Thursday following the crash. The eight-car freight train was carrying 1,346 tons of copper, Chile's main export, and had some people on board while the other train had 10 workers on board operating a speed test, the state rail company said. Security camera footage showed both trains traveling at high speed when they slammed into each other. It wasn't immediately clear why the test train hadn't been alerted to the freight train's approach. “We have to identify what the causes are and take the corresponding measures,” Transportation Minister Juan Carlos Muñoz told The Associated Press. Authorities identified the two people killed as crew members on the freight train. Another nine people were injured, including four Chinese nationals who were operating the test train. Medical workers said six people remain hospitalized, among them one in intensive care. Heavy rains have thrashed Chile in recent days, causing floods that have submerged hundreds of houses and displaced thousands of people. The downpour had largely eased in Santiago on Thursday and it didn't seem to have contributed to the collision. Train crashes have become rare in Chile. The government significantly boosted its safety awareness after a 2001 collision involving a passenger train and a bus that killed 20 people and injured many more. The country hasn't had a fatal crash since, although four derailments and other crashes in the last two decades have injured dozens. ___ Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Young heiress distributes millions to organizations that help improve Austrian society None - A young German-Austrian heiress has realized her plan to redistribute almost all of her assets to organizations that are devoted to protecting the climate, improving education and health care, or supporting gender equality among other issues BERLIN -- A young German-Austrian heiress has realized her plan to redistribute almost all of her assets to organizations that are devoted to protecting the climate, improving education and health care, or supporting gender equality among other issues. Marlene Engelhorn, 31, had asked a group representing 50 diverse citizens in Austria earlier this year to decide how her 25 million euros ($26.8 million) worth of wealth should be distributed. The millionaire argued that assets are unequally distributed in the country and that by sharing her wealth with others she is trying to help make up for the unfair distribution of wealth in Austrian society. “A large part of my inherited wealth, which through my birth has elevated me to a position of power that contradicts every democratic principle, has now been redistributed in accordance with democratic values,” she said in a written statement Tuesday, Austria Press Agency reported. “So how does it feel to finally be normal and democratic? Quite fantastic, to be honest,” Engelhorn told broadcasters RTL and NTV on Wednesday. “It feels wonderful to share," she said. The group of 50, called Guter Rat — which means “good advice” in German — had announced Tuesday who they would distribute the money to. Some 77 organizations in Austria — renowned and large, as well as small and relatively unknown ones — will receive money from Engelhorn, which include aid groups such as Caritas, Diakonie and Volkshilfe, women’s shelters, and newspapers run by homeless people, fire departments, and pro-democracy groups, the agency reported. The millions will not be distributed in one go, but over several years, the Guter Rat group said, during a press conference announcing their choices. On its website, the group said that “redistribution means recognizing that wealth is always created by society — never by itself. Therefore, some of it should be redistributed to society in order to improve the lives of all.” The group also said that redistribution means “listening to those who are most affected by social and environmental problems. They have a better view of these problems ... and therefore of possible solutions.” During the distribution process, the focus was on questions such as the seriousness of the organizations and how the money could be used in a manner that it has a long-term impact, they said. Although Engelhorn is giving away almost all of her assets, she will keep a “transition budget” to help her take a move into working life, Austrian broadcaster ORF reported. Engelhorn inherited her fortunes from her grandmother. She's part of a wealthy industrialist family that sold the German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Mannheim to the Swiss group Roche in the 1990s.
EU envoys agree on more Russia sanctions. LNG imports are among the targets. None - European Union envoys have reached agreement on a “powerful and substantial” new series of sanctions that are part of its ongoing response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine EU envoys agree on more Russia sanctions. LNG imports are among the targets. BRUSSELS -- European Union ambassadors have reached agreement on a “powerful and substantial” new series of sanctions that are part of its ongoing response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the bloc’s Belgian presidency said Thursday. “This package provides new targeted measures and maximizes the impact of existing sanctions by closing loopholes,” the presidency posted on the social media platform X. Full details are likely to be released early next week if EU foreign ministers endorse the measures as expected on Monday. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whose team drafted the sanctions, posted that the package will “deny Russia access to key technologies. It will strip Russia of further energy revenues. And tackle Putin’s shadow fleet and shadow banking network abroad.” The measures will notably target imports of Russian liquid natural gas and make it harder to move around. The EU estimates that about 4 billion-6 billion cubic meters (141 billion-212 billion cubic feet) of Russian LNG was shipped on to third countries via EU ports last year. More than 100 more officials and “entities” are set to be targeted with asset freezes and travel bans. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as well as scores of lawmakers and several oligarchs are among more than 1,700 people already listed. The more than 400 entities currently hit include companies working in the military, aviation, shipbuilding and machine sectors, the Wagner mercenary group, political parties and banks. Around 210 billion euros ($225 billion) worth of Russian Central Bank assets are blocked in the EU.
OpenAI co-founder Sutskever sets up new AI company devoted to 'safe superintelligence' None - One of the founders of OpenAI who was involved in a failed effort to push out CEO Sam Altman says he’s starting a safety-focused artificial intelligence company The Associated Press -- Ilya Sutskever, one of the founders of OpenAI who was involved in a failed effort to push out CEO Sam Altman, said he's starting a safety-focused artificial intelligence company. Sutskever, a respected AI researcher who left the ChatGPT maker last month, said in a social media post Wednesday that he's created Safe Superintelligence Inc. with two co-founders. The company's only goal and focus is safely developing "superintelligence” - a reference to AI systems that are smarter than humans. The company vowed not to be distracted by “management overhead or product cycles,” and under its business model, work on safety and security would be “insulated from short-term commercial pressures,” Sutskever and his co-founders Daniel Gross and Daniel Levy said in a prepared statement. The three said Safe Superintelligence is an American company with roots in Palo Alto, California, and Tel Aviv, “where we have deep roots and the ability to recruit top technical talent.” Sutskever was part of a group that made an unsuccessful attempt last year to oust Altman. The boardroom shakeup, which Sutskever later said he regretted, also led to a period of internal turmoil centered on whether leaders at OpenAI were prioritizing business opportunities over AI safety. At OpenAI, Sutskever jointly led a team focused on safely developing better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence, or AGI. When he left OpenAI, he said that he had plans for a “very personally meaningful” project, but offered no details. Sutskever said that it was his choice to leave OpenAI. Days after his departure, his team co-leader Jan Leike also resigned and leveled criticism at OpenAI for letting safety “take a backseat to shiny products.” OpenAI later announced the formation of a safety and security committee, but it's been filled mainly with company insiders. ___ The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement that allows OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.
Gov. Kathy Hochul defends pause on NYC congestion pricing: 'We can't be tone-deaf to our citizens' None - Gov. Kathy Hochul defends pause on NYC congestion pricing: 'We can't be tone-deaf to our citizens' New York Governor Kathy Hochul joins MSNBC's the Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the congestion pricing pause, a potential ban of masks on public transit, and other topics.June 23, 2024
Quentin Fulks: Biden will call out Trump's dogwhistling on debate stage None - President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are set to meet in Atlanta on Thursday for the first presidential debate of 2024. Biden-Harris Deputy Campaign Manager Quentin Fulks joins MSNBC's the Rev. Al Sharpton to discuss the Biden campaign and the lead-up to the debate.June 23, 2024
'Like LaGuardia on a holiday': Weissmann unpacks Judge Cannon's extraordinary pretrial backlog None - 'We have to be ready': How advocacy groups are preparing for a Trump second term 05:17
'He listens to no one': Longtime Trump employee weighs in on recent unhinged remarks None - This week’s high-stakes presidential debate is sparking concerns about Trump’s mental fitness, given his dozens of rambling speeches and unhinged remarks over the past few months, including just yesterday when he proposed setting up a “migrant league of fighters” for the UFC. Barbara Res, former executive vice president at the Trump Organization joins Ali Velshi to share her insights on Donald Trump’s bizarre behavior and incoherent comments after nearly two decades of working with the former president. “I wish [Biden] would goad him and make him go nuts, because when he goes nuts, he’s really crazy,” Res explains. They also discuss the ironic relationship between Trump and the Christian nationalist movement, given his history of "mock[ing] religious people" in the past.June 23, 2024
From ‘con-artist' to savior: What Trump’s final VP picks have said about him in the past None - Former President Donald Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he has decided on his vice presidential pick “in my mind,” adding that the person will “most likely” be at Thursday’s debate. Previously reporting suggested that Trump is zeroing in on Doug Burgum, Sen. JD Vance and Sen. Marco Rubio, as top contenders for the slot. However, these reported finalists haven’t always been Trump’s biggest fans. Here’s a look back at what they’ve said about him over the years — and how far they’ve changed their tunes in recent months. June 23, 2024
Team Biden prepares for high-stakes presidential debate None - The countdown to the first presidential debate is on. Biden-Harris Campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler joins The Weekend to discuss how President Biden is preparing for the high-stakes moment.June 23, 2024
Hear this Democratic Congresswoman’s emotional story fighting for reproductive rights None - Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester joins The Weekend to discuss a blockbuster week ahead in American politics as the overturning of Roe v. Wade comes into its second year. June 23, 2024
Aerial drone likely launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels hits ship in the Red Sea None - DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- An aerial drone likely launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels struck and damaged a vessel in the Red Sea on Sunday, officials said, the latest attack by the group targeting the vital maritime corridor. The attack comes as the U.S. has sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower back home after an eight-month deployment that saw it lead the American response to the Houthi assaults. Those attacks have seen shipping drastically drop through the route crucial to Asian, Middle East and European markets in a campaign the Houthis say will continue as long as the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip rages on. The drone attack happened around dawn off the coast of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. It said the vessel sustained damage but its mariners on board “were reported safe.” It did not elaborate on the extent of the damage, but said an investigation was ongoing. The private security firm Ambrey identified the ship involved as a Liberia-flagged container ship bound for Qingdao, China. The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack. However, it can take the rebels hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults. The Houthis have launched more than 60 attacks targeting specific vessels and fired off other missiles and drones in their campaign that has killed a total of four sailors. They have seized one vessel and sunk two since November. A U.S.-led airstrike campaign has targeted the Houthis since January, with a series of strikes May 30 killing at least 16 people and wounding 42 others, the rebels say. The Houthis have maintained that their attacks target ships linked to Israel, the United States or Britain. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the Israel-Hamas war — including those bound for the Houthis' main benefactor, Iran. The Eisenhower, based in Norfolk, Virginia, is returning home after an over eight-month deployment in combat that the Navy says is its most intense since World War II. The San Diego-based USS Theodore Roosevelt will take the Eisenhower’s place after a scheduled exercise in the Indo-Pacific, said Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder. The Roosevelt anchored Saturday in Busan, South Korea, amid Seoul’s ongoing tensions with North Korea.
Coup-hit Niger was betting on a China-backed oil pipeline as a lifeline. Then the troubles began None - A pipeline project built with China's support that would make Niger an oil-exporting country is being threatened by an internal security crisis and a diplomatic dispute with neighoring Benin ABUJA, Nigeria -- A China-backed pipeline that would make Niger an oil-exporting country is being threatened by an internal security crisis and a diplomatic dispute with neighoring Benin, both as a result of last year’s coup that toppled the West African nation’s democratic government. The 1,930-kilometer (1,200-mile) pipeline runs from Niger’s Chinese-built Agadem oil field to the port of Cotonou in Benin. It was designed to help the oil-rich but landlocked Niger achieve an almost fivefold increase in oil production through a $400 million deal signed in April with China’s state-run national petroleum company. But it has been stalled by several challenges, including the diplomatic disagreement with Benin that led to the pipeline’s closure last week. There also has been an attack this week by the local Patriotic Liberation Front rebel group, which claimed to have disabled a part of the pipeline and is threatening more attacks if the $400 million deal with China isn't canceled. The group, led by Salah Mahmoud, a former rebel leader, took up arms after Niger's junta came to power, posing further security threats to the country, which is already struggling with a deadly security crisis. Analysts say the crises could further hurt Niger, one of the world’s poorest countries which funds most of its budget with now-withheld external support in the aftermath of the coup. Niger currently has a local refining capacity of only 20,000 barrels per day (bpd) for local demands while the pipeline is to export up to 90,000 barrels daily — a feat officials and analysts have said would help the country shore up its revenue and emerge from the coup sanctions that had isolated it from regional neighbors and hurt its economy and people. “It is a completely messy situation and the only way for a resolution is if both administrations directly engage and resolve issues,” said Ryan Cummings, director of Africa-focused security consulting company Signal Risk. One major concern is how the stalled pipeline operation might impact Niger’s overall economic growth. The World Bank had projected that the West African nation’s economy would rebound and grow the fastest in Africa this year at a rate of 6.9%, with oil exports as a key boost. The diplomatic tensions with Benin date back to July when Niger’s president, Mohamed Bazoum, was deposed in a coup, resulting in West African neighbors closing their borders with Niger, and in the formation of the so-called local liberation group now threatening more attacks on the oil project. Benin, alongside other neighbors, has reopened its border with Niger, but Nigerien officials have refused to open theirs, accusing Benin of hosting French troops that pose a threat to the country after Niger severed military ties with France. That has led Benin’s president, Patrice Talon, to make the oil exportation through its port conditional on the reopening of the border. Both countries are losing out economically, with Benin also being deprived of millions of dollars in transit fees. Observers say the impasse is worsening regional tensions since the coup, which came after a string of other military takeovers. It has pitched Niger against the Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, which usually mediates on such issues. With Niger tilting towards Russia in its diplomatic shift and Benin aligned with France and the West African bloc, China has tried to step in and resolve the impasse and benefit from its investment in the project. But even Beijing’s efforts, which resulted in the first lifting of oil from the Agadem field in May, collapsed as the diplomatic spat escalated further. Benin this week convicted and imprisoned three of five Nigerien oil workers it recently arrested at the Beninise port after they crossed from the border and were accused of “use of falsified computer data.” Their arrests prompted Niger to shut the pipeline last week, with a senior government official alleging that their oil is being “stolen by other people.” A big concern for Niger’s military government at this stage is “whether they have the requisite fiscal capacity to keep paying for public services” following the coup, which has made it unable to meet some of its financial obligations such as debt repayment and infrastructural funding, Cummings said. The junta in Niger "definitely have to be more cautious in handling the financial position of the country” amid the ongoing crises, he said. ___ Virgile Ahissou contributed to this report from Cotonou, Benin.
A Mexico City neighborhood keeps the iconic Volkswagen Beetle alive None - The Volkswagen Beetle may have been born in Germany, but the “Bug” is king in a neighborhood on the fringes of Mexico City MEXICO CITY -- Janette Navarro’s 1996 Volkswagen Beetle roars as it barrels up a steep hill overlooking concrete houses stacked like boxes on the outskirts of Mexico City. She presses her foot on the pedal, passes a lime green Beetle like hers, then one marked with red and yellow, then another painted a bright sea blue. “No other car gets up here,” she said. “Just the vocho.” The Volkswagen Beetle, or “vocho” as it’s known in Mexico, may have been born in Germany, but in this hilly neighborhood on the fringes of Mexico City, there’s no doubt about it: The "Bug” is king. The Beetle has a long history in the country’s sprawling capital. The old-school models like these — once driven as taxis — used to dot city blocks as the quirky look captured the fascination of many around the world. It was long known as “the people’s car.” But after production of older models halted in Mexico in 2003, and the newer versions in 2019, the Bug population is dwindling in the metro area of 23 million people. But in the northern neighborhood of Cuautepec, classic Beetles still line the streets — so much so that the area has been nicknamed “Vocholandia.” Taxi drivers like Navarro say they continue to use the vochos because the cars are inexpensive and the engine located in the back of the vehicle gives it more power to climb the neighborhood's steep hills. Navarro began driving Beetles for work eight years ago as a way to feed her three children and put them through school. “When they ask me what I do for work, I say proudly that I’m a vochera (a vocho driver),” Navarro said a day before the International Day of the VW Beetle on Saturday. “This work keeps me afloat … It’s my adoration, my love.” While some of the older cars wobble along, paint long faded after years of wear and tear, other drivers dress their cars up, keeping them in top shape. One driver has named his bright blue car “Gualupita” after his wife, Guadalupe, and adorns the bottom with aluminum flames blasting out from a VW logo. Another painted their VW pink and white, sticking pink cat eyes on the front headlights. Mechanics in the area, though, say driving vochos is a dying tradition. David Enojosa, a car mechanic, said his family’s small car shop in the city used to sell parts and do maintenance primarily on Beetles. But since Volkswagen halted production five years ago, parts have been harder to come by. “With the current trend, it will disappear in two or three years,” Enojosa said, his hands blackened by car grease. “Before we had too many parts for vochos, now there aren’t enough … So they have to look for parts in repair shops or junkyards.” As he spoke, a customer walked up carrying a worn down bolt, looking for a replacement for his Volkswagen’s clutch. The customer, Jesús Becerra, was in luck: Enojosa strolled out of his shop holding a shiny new bolt. Less lucky drivers have to do laps around the neighborhood looking for certain parts. Even more cars fall into disrepair and don’t pass emissions inspections. But Becerra is among those who believed that the vochos will endure in his neighborhood. “You adapt them, you find a way to make it keep running,” he said. “You say, ‘We’re going to do this, fix it and let’s go.’” Others like Joaquín Peréz say continuing to drive his 1991 white, Herbie-style Beetle is a way to carry on his family tradition. He grew up around Bugs, he explained as his car rumbled. His father was a taxi driver just like him and he learned how to drive in a VW. Now, 18 years into working as a driver himself, his dashboard is lined with trinkets from his family. A plastic duck from his son, a frog stuffed animal from his daughter and a fabric rose from his wife. “This area, always, always since I can remember has been a place of vochos,” he said. “This here is the car of the people.”