Written by The Asahi Shimbun on .
Posted in Headlines.
Seoul, Apr.21.– North Korea’s announcement that it has suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests reflects Kim Jong Un's desire to have the upper hand ahead of landmark summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.
North Korea also said April 20 that it plans to close its nuclear test site.
In making the declaration, Kim may well have taken into account a possible backlash by the North Korean military elite to the abrupt change of course in the country's nuclear policy, according to sources who closely monitor North Korean affairs.
Strasboutg, Apr.17.– Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg, French President Emmanuel Macron urged Europeans to halt a retreat into nationalism and rebuild the European Union as a bulwark of liberal democracy.
He won applause from lawmakers after condemning the rise of "illiberal democracies" even within the EU.
Echoing the language of historians about Europe's slide into war a century ago, Macron said he would not belong to another "generation of sleepwalkers" and let the EU wither in what he called an atmosphere of "civil war".
Written by Metrowest Daily News on .
Posted in Headlines.
The Post Office Department was transformed in 1971 into the United States Postal Service, an independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States and the Postmaster General ceased to be a member of the President’s Cabinet.
Washington, Apr.12.– President Donald Trump has signed an executive order establishing a task force to study the United States Postal System.
Written by The Economist on .
Posted in Headlines.
Germany is becoming more open and diverse
With the right leadership, it could be a model for the West
Berlin, Apr.12.– Since the fall of the Berlin Wall the Ampelmännchen, the jaunty, behatted “little traffic-light man” of communist East Germany, has escaped his dictatorial roots to become a kooky icon of Germany’s trendy capital. Tourists pose with life-size models and snap up memorabilia in souvenir shops. The Ampelmännchen’s quirky coolness is an increasingly apt symbol of the country as well as its capital. As our special report in this issue describes, Germany is entering a new era. It is becoming more diverse, open, informal and hip.
At first blush that seems a preposterous suggestion. The Germany of international newspaper headlines is a country with anxious citizens and stagnant politics. Angela Merkel is Europe’s longest-standing political leader, a woman who epitomises traditional German caution.
Written by The Economist on .
Posted in Headlines.
The past seven heads of state have all been embroiled in corruption scandals
Seoul, Apr.7.– It is a busy time for anyone interested in the fight against corruption in South Korea. In mid-March a court in Seoul began hearing the case of three former spy chiefs who stand accused of funnelling 4bn won ($3.8m) from the National Intelligence Service to the office of the former president, Park Geun-hye, who was impeached a year ago. A week later prosecutors arrested Lee Myung-bak, another former president, over allegations that he had collected more than $10m in bribes while in office and had hidden his ownership of a profitable auto-parts maker. And on April 6th Ms Park is expected to be sentenced to many years in jail for taking bribes and abusing her power. (Prosecutors recommended in February that she get a 30-year sentence.)
All four of South Korea’s living ex-presidents have now either been convicted of corruption offences, or are in jail being tried or investigated for such crimes. In addition to Ms Park and Mr Lee, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, former generals who held office in the 1980s and 1990s, were found guilty under their civilian successor, Kim Young-sam, of extracting bribes from South Korea’s big industrial conglomerates, the chaebol. And three deceased presidents were also touched by corruption scandals.
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