US President-elect Donald Trump has said the United States does not necessarily have to stick to its long-standing position that Taiwan is part of "one China," questioning nearly four decades of policy in a move angering Beijing.
Trump's comments on "Fox News Sunday" came after he prompted a diplomatic protest from China over his decision to accept a telephone call from Taiwan's president on December 2.
"I fully understand the 'one China' policy, but I don't know why we have to be bound by a 'one China' policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade," Trump told Fox.
Trump's call with President Tsai Ing-wen was the first such contact with Taiwan by a US president-elect or president since President Jimmy Carter switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, acknowledging Taiwan as part of "one China".
Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province and the subject is a sensitive one for China.
On Monday China said that it had "serious concern" about Trump's comments concerning Taiwan, and warned that any changes to how America deals with the self-governing island could damage diplomatic ties between Washington and Beijing.
Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China's foreign ministry, said that established policy is the "political foundation" of any diplomatic relationship between China and the US, and that any damage to it could render cooperation between both sides to be "out of the question.
"We urge the new US leader and government to fully understand the seriousness of the Taiwan issue, and to continue to stick to the one-China policy," Geng said.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Neo-Nazi group National Action facing UK ban as Home Secretary lashes out
A neo-Nazi group set to be banned in the UK has been described by the Home Secretary as "racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic".
National Action will this week become the first group engaged in extreme right-wing activities to be proscribed under British terrorism laws.
It means anyone who is a member or seeks support for the group faces arrest.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "I am clear that the safety and security of our families, communities and country comes first.
"So today I am taking action to proscribe the neo-Nazi group National Action.
"This will mean that being a member of, or inviting support for, this organisation will be a criminal offence.
"National Action is a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organisation which stirs up hatred, glorifies violence and promotes a vile ideology, and I will not stand for it.
"It has absolutely no place in a Britain that works for everyone."
The ban comes into effect on Friday after an order was laid in Parliament on Monday, which will see the group outlawed under the Terrorism Act 2000.
National Action will this week become the first group engaged in extreme right-wing activities to be proscribed under British terrorism laws.
It means anyone who is a member or seeks support for the group faces arrest.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: "I am clear that the safety and security of our families, communities and country comes first.
"So today I am taking action to proscribe the neo-Nazi group National Action.
"This will mean that being a member of, or inviting support for, this organisation will be a criminal offence.
"National Action is a racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic organisation which stirs up hatred, glorifies violence and promotes a vile ideology, and I will not stand for it.
"It has absolutely no place in a Britain that works for everyone."
The ban comes into effect on Friday after an order was laid in Parliament on Monday, which will see the group outlawed under the Terrorism Act 2000.
Six arrests over terror offences as London and Midlands properties searched
Six people have been arrested on suspicion of terror offences and police are searching six properties in London and the Midlands.
Four men from Derby, aged between 22 and 36, were held along with a 27-year-old man from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, and a 32-year-old woman from London.
Police said they were arrested "on suspicion of engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism" during morning raids across the country.
Properties in Burton, Derby and London were being searched as part of the investigation and the six suspects remain in police custody.
A statement from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit said: "We recognise that local people may have concerns as a result of these arrests and local officers will be out in the area as usual to speak to anyone who may have concerns.
"We would ask people to remain alert and vigilant but not to be alarmed and we are grateful for the assistance, support and understanding of people locally."
The unit was supported by officers from Derbyshire, Staffordshire and the Metropolitan Police.
Four men from Derby, aged between 22 and 36, were held along with a 27-year-old man from Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, and a 32-year-old woman from London.
Police said they were arrested "on suspicion of engaging in the preparation of an act of terrorism" during morning raids across the country.
Properties in Burton, Derby and London were being searched as part of the investigation and the six suspects remain in police custody.
A statement from the North East Counter Terrorism Unit said: "We recognise that local people may have concerns as a result of these arrests and local officers will be out in the area as usual to speak to anyone who may have concerns.
"We would ask people to remain alert and vigilant but not to be alarmed and we are grateful for the assistance, support and understanding of people locally."
The unit was supported by officers from Derbyshire, Staffordshire and the Metropolitan Police.
Oil price surges to highest since July 2015 on new production cut deal
Oil prices have surged by more than 6% after OPEC and other producers reached their first deal since 2001 to reduce output.
The price of a barrel of Brent crude climbed close to $58 overnight, its highest level since July 2015, before edging back a little to just under $57.
Oil prices had already been lifted after a deal reached a couple of weeks ago by the Saudi-dominated OPEC cartel to cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day from January.
That deal was the first of its kind since 2008.
A further deal over the weekend brought in producers outside OPEC - including Russia - who agreed to cut output by 558,000 barrels per day.
The moves, to take effect from January, are expected to see the global oversupply of oil to shift to a shortfall - pushing up the price.
Oil producers are acting because a glut of oil swilling around world markets - at a time of sluggish demand - has weighed heavily on the crude price.
Analysts at Bernstein said: "Once cuts are implemented at the start of 2017, oil markets will shift from surplus into deficit."
Despite the latest rises, the price of a barrel of Brent crude remains 50% lower than its level in mid-2014.
A higher oil price will pose concerns for UK motorists facing a rising cost of filling up their tanks.
They face a double impact because the recent slump in the pound will make imports including oil - which is priced in dollars - more expensive.
But an upturn in the oil market will ease some of the pressure on the North Sea oil and gas industry which has shed thousands of jobs amid the severe price downturn.
UK-based oil giants BP and Shell - mainstays of many British pension funds - stand to gain, along with a raft of companies providing services to the industry.
Shares in BP were up 2% in early trading on Monday while Shell climbed 3%.
The price of a barrel of Brent crude climbed close to $58 overnight, its highest level since July 2015, before edging back a little to just under $57.
Oil prices had already been lifted after a deal reached a couple of weeks ago by the Saudi-dominated OPEC cartel to cut production by 1.2 million barrels per day from January.
That deal was the first of its kind since 2008.
A further deal over the weekend brought in producers outside OPEC - including Russia - who agreed to cut output by 558,000 barrels per day.
The moves, to take effect from January, are expected to see the global oversupply of oil to shift to a shortfall - pushing up the price.
Oil producers are acting because a glut of oil swilling around world markets - at a time of sluggish demand - has weighed heavily on the crude price.
Analysts at Bernstein said: "Once cuts are implemented at the start of 2017, oil markets will shift from surplus into deficit."
Despite the latest rises, the price of a barrel of Brent crude remains 50% lower than its level in mid-2014.
A higher oil price will pose concerns for UK motorists facing a rising cost of filling up their tanks.
They face a double impact because the recent slump in the pound will make imports including oil - which is priced in dollars - more expensive.
But an upturn in the oil market will ease some of the pressure on the North Sea oil and gas industry which has shed thousands of jobs amid the severe price downturn.
UK-based oil giants BP and Shell - mainstays of many British pension funds - stand to gain, along with a raft of companies providing services to the industry.
Shares in BP were up 2% in early trading on Monday while Shell climbed 3%.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Bill English sworn in as New Zealand's new prime minister
New Zealand's ruling National Party has appointed Bill English as the country's new prime minister - a widely expected move.
It comes a week after John Key stepped down as prime minister in a shock decision at the height of his popularity.
Mr English, 54, who was alone in the race, has been officially sworn in at Government House in Wellington.
He told journalists after the announcement: "I am both excited and humbled by this opportunity."
Mr English, who comes from a conservative, Catholic family, has already lined up social housing minister Paula Bennett as deputy leader, and senior cabinet minister Steven Joyce will replace him in the finance ministry.
Mr English is expected to announce further Cabinet changes in the coming weeks and has also signalled a "stocktake" on policy.
Mr English, who 13 years ago oversaw a disastrous election loss for the National Party to the centre-left Labour Party, takes the reins of a country in good economic shape compared to much of the developed world.
On Monday, credit ratings firm Moody's said it expects New Zealand to remain among the fastest growing of triple-A rated economies.
Mr English has held several ministerial posts across education, health and finance since he joined parliament in 1990.
As finance minister, his key policies included moves to partly privatise several state-owned energy firms and Air New Zealand, cutting personal tax and corporate tax rates and increasing the goods and services tax.
It comes a week after John Key stepped down as prime minister in a shock decision at the height of his popularity.
Mr English, 54, who was alone in the race, has been officially sworn in at Government House in Wellington.
He told journalists after the announcement: "I am both excited and humbled by this opportunity."
Mr English, who comes from a conservative, Catholic family, has already lined up social housing minister Paula Bennett as deputy leader, and senior cabinet minister Steven Joyce will replace him in the finance ministry.
Mr English is expected to announce further Cabinet changes in the coming weeks and has also signalled a "stocktake" on policy.
Mr English, who 13 years ago oversaw a disastrous election loss for the National Party to the centre-left Labour Party, takes the reins of a country in good economic shape compared to much of the developed world.
On Monday, credit ratings firm Moody's said it expects New Zealand to remain among the fastest growing of triple-A rated economies.
Mr English has held several ministerial posts across education, health and finance since he joined parliament in 1990.
As finance minister, his key policies included moves to partly privatise several state-owned energy firms and Air New Zealand, cutting personal tax and corporate tax rates and increasing the goods and services tax.
Northumbria Police slammed over armed officers images
A police force has been criticised over pictures of armed officers smiling and posing with shoppers at a Christmas market.
The images, which show officers guarding the market in Newcastle city centre, attracted more than 2,500 comments after being published on Northumbria Police's Facebook page.
The force said the armed officers were deployed "purely for reassurance and to make people feel safe".
But the policy drew criticism on Facebook, with one person saying it indicated the UK was "one step closer to martial law".
One woman wrote: "I've got news for you, Northumbria Police; seeing heavily armed police officers at a Christmas market would NOT make me feel safe - quite the opposite.
"We do NOT NOT NOT want armed police to become the general rule on our streets. More weapons = more danger, not less. We do NOT want to end up like America."
Meanwhile, another Facebook user said "there's no call to wave guns about in public".
He added: "If they want to meet Joe Public, they can leave their guns at home. Terrorism is there to make people feel afraid, and responding to it with public displays of firepower is a terrible idea."
But one man responded, saying: "These officers are here for public protection. The world isn't the utopia we'd like it to be unfortunately. This is the real world boys and girls.
"If a terrorist armed with a firearm or knife started attacking shoppers, the people criticising wouldn't be moaning, I'm sure."
Explaining the images, Northumbria Police said: "These patrols have begun following the announcement from the Home Office last year that armed patrols would be stepped up across the country.
"Our FSU officers are just regular police at the end of the day and if you have any concerns make sure you go and have a chat."
The force said the armed officers were deployed "purely for reassurance and to make people feel safe".
But the policy drew criticism on Facebook, with one person saying it indicated the UK was "one step closer to martial law".
One woman wrote: "I've got news for you, Northumbria Police; seeing heavily armed police officers at a Christmas market would NOT make me feel safe - quite the opposite.
"We do NOT NOT NOT want armed police to become the general rule on our streets. More weapons = more danger, not less. We do NOT want to end up like America."
Meanwhile, another Facebook user said "there's no call to wave guns about in public".
He added: "If they want to meet Joe Public, they can leave their guns at home. Terrorism is there to make people feel afraid, and responding to it with public displays of firepower is a terrible idea."
But one man responded, saying: "These officers are here for public protection. The world isn't the utopia we'd like it to be unfortunately. This is the real world boys and girls.
"If a terrorist armed with a firearm or knife started attacking shoppers, the people criticising wouldn't be moaning, I'm sure."
Explaining the images, Northumbria Police said: "These patrols have begun following the announcement from the Home Office last year that armed patrols would be stepped up across the country.
"Our FSU officers are just regular police at the end of the day and if you have any concerns make sure you go and have a chat."
Trump denies CIA report that Russia intervened to help him win election
President-elect Donald Trump said he does not believe the CIA’s conclusion that Russia intervened in the election to help him win, attributing the assessment to Democrats who supported Hillary Clinton and claiming repeatedly that the U.S. intelligence community has “no idea” what might have happened.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” Trump said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday,” his first Sunday show appearance since the election last month. “I think it’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it . . . No, I don’t believe it at all.”
Trump also denied the importance of receiving the daily intelligence briefing, a tradition for presidents and presidents-elect. He has received the briefings only sporadically since winning the election.
“I get it when I need it,” he said. “I’m, like, a smart person. I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years.”
[Trump, CIA on collision course over Russia’s role in U.S. election]
Trump’s comments go against the conclusion of the CIA that individuals with connections to the Russian government provided the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others to boost his chances.
“It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia’s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected,” a senior U.S. official briefed on an intelligence presentation made to U.S. senators told The Washingon Post on Friday. “That’s the consensus view.”
Trump openly mocked the report on Friday evening, suggesting that the CIA had discredited itself by producing faulty assessments about Iraq’s weapons stockpile during the George W. Bush administration. “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,” he said in a statement.
The latest comments appear destined to exacerbate tensions between Trump and the intelligence community, which is already wondering how it will function under his administration given the president-elect’s skepticism of the agency’s expertise and his disinterest in receiving daily briefings.
[FBI and CIA give differing accounts to lawmakers on Russia’s motives in 2016 hacks]
Trump declined to confirm whom he will name secretary of state but lavished praise on his expected pick, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, calling him a “world-class player” and even alluding to Tillerson’s ties to Russia, which are a source of concern for hawkish Republicans on Capitol Hill.
“He’s in charge of an oil company that’s pretty much double the size of his next serious competitor,” Trump said of Tillerson. “It’s been a company that’s been unbelievably managed. And to me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players, and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive deals for the company.”
Secretary of state is the most powerful cabinet position that remains unfilled by Trump about a month after the election. For weeks, Trump has interviewed candidates, including former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R), and deliberated about the decision.
Trump suggested in the “Fox News Sunday” appearance that he will retain a stake in his business as president, a possibility that has raised questions among ethics experts, and he questioned the idea that making deals for his company from the White House would represent a conflict of interest.
“When I ran, everybody knew that I was a very big owner of real estate all over the world,” Trump said, adding that he would not be involved in the day-to-day management of his company as president. “I’m not going to be doing deals at all. Now that would be — I don’t even know if that’s a conflict. I mean, I have the right to do it. You know, under the law, I have the right to do it. I just don’t want to do it.”
Trump is scheduled to give a news conference on Thursday to discuss how he will pass the reins of the Trump Organization to his three eldest children. “They’re not making deals, either, for my company,” he said.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” Trump said in an interview with “Fox News Sunday,” his first Sunday show appearance since the election last month. “I think it’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it . . . No, I don’t believe it at all.”
Trump also denied the importance of receiving the daily intelligence briefing, a tradition for presidents and presidents-elect. He has received the briefings only sporadically since winning the election.
“I get it when I need it,” he said. “I’m, like, a smart person. I don’t have to be told the same thing in the same words every single day for the next eight years.”
[Trump, CIA on collision course over Russia’s role in U.S. election]
Trump’s comments go against the conclusion of the CIA that individuals with connections to the Russian government provided the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks with thousands of hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and others to boost his chances.
“It is the assessment of the intelligence community that Russia’s goal here was to favor one candidate over the other, to help Trump get elected,” a senior U.S. official briefed on an intelligence presentation made to U.S. senators told The Washingon Post on Friday. “That’s the consensus view.”
Trump openly mocked the report on Friday evening, suggesting that the CIA had discredited itself by producing faulty assessments about Iraq’s weapons stockpile during the George W. Bush administration. “These are the same people that said Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction,” he said in a statement.
The latest comments appear destined to exacerbate tensions between Trump and the intelligence community, which is already wondering how it will function under his administration given the president-elect’s skepticism of the agency’s expertise and his disinterest in receiving daily briefings.
[FBI and CIA give differing accounts to lawmakers on Russia’s motives in 2016 hacks]
Trump declined to confirm whom he will name secretary of state but lavished praise on his expected pick, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson, calling him a “world-class player” and even alluding to Tillerson’s ties to Russia, which are a source of concern for hawkish Republicans on Capitol Hill.
“He’s in charge of an oil company that’s pretty much double the size of his next serious competitor,” Trump said of Tillerson. “It’s been a company that’s been unbelievably managed. And to me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players, and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia. He does massive deals for the company.”
Secretary of state is the most powerful cabinet position that remains unfilled by Trump about a month after the election. For weeks, Trump has interviewed candidates, including former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R), and deliberated about the decision.
Trump suggested in the “Fox News Sunday” appearance that he will retain a stake in his business as president, a possibility that has raised questions among ethics experts, and he questioned the idea that making deals for his company from the White House would represent a conflict of interest.
“When I ran, everybody knew that I was a very big owner of real estate all over the world,” Trump said, adding that he would not be involved in the day-to-day management of his company as president. “I’m not going to be doing deals at all. Now that would be — I don’t even know if that’s a conflict. I mean, I have the right to do it. You know, under the law, I have the right to do it. I just don’t want to do it.”
Trump is scheduled to give a news conference on Thursday to discuss how he will pass the reins of the Trump Organization to his three eldest children. “They’re not making deals, either, for my company,” he said.
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