THE NEWS: Trump warns tech giants, stepping up attacks claiming 'bias'

Trump warns tech giants, stepping up attacks claiming 'bias'
source: AFP

 AFP / MANDEL NGAN US President Donald Trump said he believes Google search results are biased against him, a claim strongly rejected by the internet giant

President Donald Trump stepped up attacks on big tech firms Tuesday, warning Facebook, Google and Twitter to be "careful," hours after slamming what he called "rigged" internet search results.

Trump offered no details on what if any actions he might take, but a top White House aide suggested the administration may look at some type of regulation in response to the president's complaints.

After a pair of early-morning tweets assailing Google, Trump expanded his warnings to other big internet firms in comments to reporters at the White House.

"I think Google is really taking advantage of a lot of people and I think that is a very serious thing and it is a very serious charge," Trump said.

He went on to cite Facebook and Twitter, in an apparent reference to his claims last week of social media suppressing conservative voices.

"You can't do that to people," he said. "We have literally thousands and thousands of complaints coming in."

Trump added: "Google and Twitter and Facebook -- they are really treading on very, very troubled territory and they have to be careful."

In his Twitter comments, the US president complained that Google searches for "Trump news" brought up mostly negative stories about him.

"They have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal?" he wrote.

According to Trump, "96% of results on 'Trump News' are from National Left-Wing Media."

Google strongly rejected any bias claims.

"Search is not used to set a political agenda and we don't bias our results toward any political ideology," it said.

"We continually work to improve Google search and we never rank search results to manipulate political sentiment."

It was not immediately clear what, if any, measures Trump envisioned, but his top economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters at the White House that "we're looking into it" when asked about the claims on Google.

Last week, Trump tweeted that "Social Media is totally discriminating against Republican/Conservative voices" and added "we won't let that happen."

- Free speech guarantees -


AFP/File / STR Trump claimed Google suppresses conservative voices and "good" news in his latest attack on online companies

The president's claims on Google appeared to be based on a report from the Trump-friendly news site PJ Media which relied on an analysis chart by conservative news host Sharyl Attkisson that categorized major news outlets such as the New York Times, CBS and CNN as "left wing."

"Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good," Trump said.

Google and other internet firms have long faced complaints about search results, which are based on algorithms that can take into account user browsing history, location and other factors.

But technology and media analysts say there is little evidence to suggest Google skews results for political reasons. And if they did, the president would have little recourse under the constitution's free speech protections.

"Accusations of search engine 'bias' have existed as long as there have been search engines. Indeed, search engines are 'biased' in the sense that they privilege some information over others," said Eric Goldman, who heads Santa Clara University's High Tech Law Institute.

Goldman said that any government attempts to force search engines to display only good news would be a flagrant violation of the Constitution's First Amendment speech guarantees.

"Any effort by Trump to 'fix' search engine results will violate the First Amendment. It's not even a close question," Goldman said.

Democratic Representative Ted Lieu of California maintained that Trump's comments merely show he refuses to tolerate negative news coverage.

"Instead of yet another @realDonaldTrump conspiracy theory, the simpler explanation is that when @POTUS behaves badly, such as by ripping kids from parents or disrespecting an American hero, most of the free press reports it," Lieu tweeted.

- Pressure is 'worrisome' -


AFP/File / NICOLAS ASFOURI Using Twitter, Trump has asserted that social media firms suppress conservatives, despite little evidence to back up the claim

Nuala O'Connor, president of the Washington-based Center for Democracy & Technology, said that while "algorithmic bias" is a legitimate question, there is no evidence of bias and that it would be worrisome if the government tried to step in with regulations.

"It's deeply concerning that any government official would try to bring public pressure on a platform over news and information that is important to our democracy," O'Connor said.

While there is little to suggest that internet firms actively suppress content for political reasons and many conservatives have large online followings, public perception is another matter.

A Pew Research Center survey released in June found 43 percent of Americans say major technology firms support the views of liberals over conservatives, and 72 percent say social media platforms actively censor opposing political views.

Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 85 percent said social media sites intentionally censor political viewpoints, according to Pew.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/trump-warns-tech-giants-stepping-attacks-claiming-bias-doc-18o21f1

THE NEWS: Kid you not: Goats can read your face

Kid you not: Goats can read your face



AFP/File / Oli SCARFF Shown two pictures of the same person -- one with a happy expression and the other angry -- 20 domesticated goats in an experiment were more likely to approach the smiling image and touch it with their snout

Goats can distinguish smiling human faces from frowning ones on photos, and actively seek out snapshots of happier individuals, a study said Wednesday.

Shown two pictures of the same person -- one with a happy expression and the other angry -- 20 domesticated goats in an experiment were more likely to approach the smiling image and touch it with their snout, said researchers from Europe and Brazil.

"Goats looked and interacted on average 1.4 seconds with the happy faces and 0.9 seconds with the angry faces," study co-author Christian Nawroth of the Queen Mary University of London told AFP.

"That means that goats spend approximately 50 percent more time to look and interact with happy images compared to angry ones."

The study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, claims to provide the first evidence of goats reading human emotional expression.

The findings suggested "livestock species have very sophisticated minds to interpret their environment," said Nawroth, and "likely adapt their behaviour" based on human facial expressions.

Goats, unlike dogs or horses, were not domesticated because of their ability to read and respond to human moods, but to provide their milk, meat, dung, and coats.

"The study has important implications for how we interact with livestock and other species, because the abilities of animals to perceive human emotions might be widespread and not just limited to pets," said Nawroth's colleague Alan McElligott.

The team found goats were even more likely to approach happy pictures when they were placed to the right of the angry image, suggesting the animals use the left side of their brain to process positive emotion.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/kid-you-not-goats-can-read-your-face-doc-18o3co1

THE NEWS: Thousands pay respects as Aretha Franklin lies in state

Thousands pay respects as Aretha Franklin lies in state
source: afp.com

 POOL/AFP / Paul SANCYA The "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin's gold casket was open for viewing at the Charles H. Wright Museum for African American History in Detroit, Michigan

Fans paid their respects en masse Tuesday to US music icon and "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin, whose body lay in a golden casket while dressed in a red dress and matching stilettos in Detroit.

The 76-year-old singer, beloved by millions around the world, died of cancer on August 16, closing the curtain on a glittering six-decade career that made her one of America's most celebrated artists.

Thousands of people are expected to bid her farewell at the Charles H. Wright Museum for African American History on Tuesday and Wednesday, at her father's New Bethel Baptist Church on Thursday and a star-studded funeral on Friday.

White-gloved, sharp-suited pallbearers escorted her casket into the museum for the first of two days of 9:00 am to 9:00 pm viewing, where she lay in state surrounded by enormous clouds of pink, white and purple roses.

"I broke down when I seen her. She was beautiful," said nurse Monique Valentine. "It was just an awesome experience. I was glad to be here."


POOL/AFP / PAUL SANCYA Thousands of mourners are bidding a final farewell to Franklin in Detroit


The gospel, soul and R&B star influenced generations of female singers from the late Whitney Houston to Beyonce with unforgettable hits including "Respect" (1967), "Natural Woman" (1968) and "I Say a Little Prayer" (1968).

People camped out through the night to pay their respects to a woman considered royalty in her Michigan hometown of Detroit, and traveled from far and wide, at times breaking into song or wearing Aretha T-shirts.

They queued down the street and around the block, swaying to Franklin tracks or breaking into song and dance, with a steady flow trickling inside.

- 'On a cloud' -


AFP/File / TIMOTHY A. CLARY A mural of Franklin on a wall in Detroit

"Thank you Queen, thank you for all your years of loving us," said one woman, dressed in a floral romper suit dancing with her friends outside the venue to Franklin's 1985 hit "Freeway of Love."

In the marble museum, people gazed at the musical icon, resplendent in her finery. Outside, they posed for snapshots next to her cream hearse.

CNN reported that it was the same 1940 Cadillac LaSalle that transported the body of her father and of civil rights icon Rosa Parks in 2005. Franklin is resting in a 24-karat casket, the network added.

A group of five friends told AFP they drove from Chicago, dressed alike in white pants and blue Franklin T-shirts to pay their respects despite heavy rain sweeping parts of the Midwest.

"It was beautiful, like she's laying on a cloud," said Clemey Robinson.

"You can only look that restful and peaceful when you're at home with the lord, so I know where she is and she's in a better place and she looks wonderful," added one of her friends, Kim Harrison.

Franklin won 18 Grammy awards and provided a soundtrack to the civil rights movement, singing to raise money for the cause and uplifting activists with her phenomenal voice and upbeat anthems.

Her signature song, "Respect" -- recorded as a feminist anthem -- became a rallying cry as African Americans rose up nationwide in the 1960s to fight peacefully for racial equality.

- 'Queen of Detroit' -

Born in the segregated American South in Memphis, Tennessee, she moved to Detroit with her prominent Baptist preacher and civil rights activist father.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a family friend. She sang at his funeral after he was assassinated in 1968, as well as at the inaugurations of presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the country's first African American head of state.

She was awarded America's highest civilian honor by president George W. Bush and tops Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.


AFP / JEFF KOWALSKY A Cadillac outside the viewing of Aretha Franklin, who in her 1985 hit "Freeway of Love" sang about cruising in a pink model of the iconic automobile


"We had to come and pay our respects to the Queen of Soul and she's also the Queen of Detroit," explained Jelekeco Whitaker, who works in landscaping and community. "That's why you've got this big turnout."

A free tribute concert honoring Franklin's life will be held late Thursday, on the eve of her funeral at the Greater Grace Temple, where Stevie Wonder and Jennifer Hudson are among stars expected to perform.

Clinton, Smokey Robinson and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson will address the invitation-only service, which will be broadcast to the public from a large screen outside.

More than 100 pink Cadillacs are expected to file in outside the church, a nod to "Freeway of Love." The car company was founded in 1902 in Detroit, for decades the home of the US motor industry.

Franklin married and divorced twice, and had four sons, including two by the time she was 15 years old.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/thousands-pay-respects-aretha-franklin-lies-state-doc-18o1s03

THE NEWS: Trudeau stands firm on US demands as NAFTA talks set to resume

Trudeau stands firm on US demands as NAFTA talks set to resume


 AFP/File / SAUL LOEB US President Donald Trump said Canada could be left out of NAFTA, but welcomes Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed not to give in to demands to alter dairy policies

As Washington and Ottawa resumed trade talks Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he would only sign a new trade pact that was good for his country.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland was upbeat in Washington after meeting US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, saying that "detailed" discussions to salvage the North American Free Trade Agreement as a three-nation deal would begin the following day.

After months of intense talks, the United States and Mexico announced an agreement Monday to thoroughly overhaul the 25-year-old free trade pact, but President Donald Trump suggested he could cut out Ottawa.

"We will engage in a positive way and look forward to ultimately signing a deal as long as it's good for Canada and good for middle class Canadians," Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto and President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador both said NAFTA should remain a trilateral deal.

The outlines of a NAFTA 2.0 are now on paper, including new provisions on auto trade with higher percentage of locally-produced components, tougher worker protections and a provision to review the deal every six years.

But sticking points remain with Canada, including its dairy market and how to handle some disputes among NAFTA partners.

Freeland told reporters that "tough decisions" taken by Mexico, which agreed to wage hikes for some auto workers and tougher labor protections, among other matters, had eased matters for Canada and the United States.

Mexico's effort "clears the way for us to have some significant, substantive, and, I think, productive conversations with the US this week," Freeland said.

Canadian and Mexican officials were also due to meet on Tuesday evening, Freeland said.

Negotiators have worked for a year to update and rewrite NAFTA but in the last five weeks Washington and Mexico City held talks to resolve their bilateral issues, especially on the auto industry rules, without Ottawa.


 AFP / MANDEL NGAN Trump suggested he could cut Ottawa out of a final agreement, but Mexican officials have insisted NAFTA should remain a trilateral deal


Trump stressed Monday that he could go ahead without Ottawa in the new agreement, adding that he would take a tough line with Canada on autos and dairy tariffs -- long a source of tension between the neighboring countries.

But Trudeau vowed not to give in to Washington's demands to dismantle Canada's supply-managed dairy market.

"My position on defending supply management has not changed. We will defend supply management," Trudeau said.

- Time pressure -

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow hammered the point on Tuesday, saying the United States would not accept continued steep tariffs on dairy exports, which can reach as high as 300 percent.

"There's a word that Canada has trouble with -- it's M-I-L-K," Kudlow said on Fox News.

The Canadian government effectively sets production quotas and the price of milk, which raises prices to consumers but provides farmers with a stable income.

The system has been in place since the 1970s and has survived several attempts to undo it.

Trudeau faces political pressure with elections due in a year, which could make him wary of being seen as capitulating to Trump, especially on dairy.

However, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the administration was keen to get Canada on board quickly.

"The US market and Canadian markets are very intertwined," Mnuchin said on CNBC. "It's important for them to get this deal and it's important for us to get this deal."

There is some urgency as the United States seems eager to have the issue resolved before the November midterm elections and Pena Nieto wants to sign it before handing the reins over to Lopez Obrador on December 1.


AFP / Nicholas Kamm Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada was "encouraged" by the progress made by the United States and Mexico


Mexican officials have insisted all along that NAFTA must be a trilateral deal and they have remained in Washington to participate in the talks.

Lighthizer said the administration would notify Congress by Friday of the new agreement, which would allow the required 90 days' notice to get the pact signed by December 1.

However, legislators and former US trade officials say the White House does not have the authority to replace NAFTA with a two-nation trade agreement, and must have the text of the treaty ready by September 30.

- Not a sunset clause -


AFP / Nicolas RAMALLO Trade between NAFTA countries

Canada also objects to the US call to eliminate bi-national panels to resolve trade disputes among NAFTA partners under Chapter 19, which appears to have been dropped in the deal with Mexico. Canada has used the provision to challenge US anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

But Washington backed away from a strenuously-opposed provision to require the three nations to renegotiate the trade pact after five years. Instead, the agreement with Mexico extends NAFTA for 16 years but with a review every six years.

A key element of the US-Mexico talks was the agreement on content requirements for autos produced in the region in order to qualify for duty-free NAFTA treatment, which Mexico agreed to increase to 75 percent from 62.5 percent.

The two sides also agreed that 40-45 percent of vehicles must be made at "high wage" factories where workers receive $16 an hour, something that could deter off-shoring US auto manufacturing to Mexico.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/trudeau-stands-firm-us-demands-nafta-talks-set-resume-doc-18n4kf6

THE NEWS: West Ham survive scare, three Premier League sides exit League Cup

West Ham survive scare, three Premier League sides exit League Cup


 AFP / Ian KINGTON Manuel Pellegrini secured his first win as West Ham manager

West Ham survived a scare from League One Wimbledon to register Manuel Pellegrini's first win in charge and progress to the third round of the League Cup as Premier League sides Cardiff, Huddersfield and Brighton bowed out on Tuesday.

The Hammers have suffered three straight defeats to begin their league season, despite former Real Madrid and Manchester City boss Pellegrini being backed with nearly £100 million ($128.7 dollars) in the transfer market, and went behind inside two minutes at Kingsmeadow through Joe Pigott's header.

But the hosts were reduced to 10 men after just 18 minutes as Rod McDonald was dismissed for a second yellow card and second-half goals from Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna and Javier Hernandez secured a 3-1 win to spare Pellegrini's blushes.

Cardiff's poor start to the season on their return to the top flight continued with a comprehensive 3-1 defeat at home to Championship side Norwich.

Saido Berahino scored his first goal since February 2016 to send Stoke into the last 32 with a 2-0 win over Premier League Huddersfield.

Southampton edged out Brighton 1-0 in the only all-Premier League tie of the round thanks to Charlie Austin's winner two minutes from time.

Leicester cruised past Joey Barton's Fleetwood Town 4-0 with Rachid Ghezzal registering his first goal for the club.

Bournemouth, Fulham and Wolves also eased into round three over lower league opposition in MK Dons, Exeter and Sheffield Wednesday respectively.

Crystal Palace needed Alexander Sorloth's first goal for the club 20 minutes from time to edge out Swansea 1-0.

Frank Lampard's Derby were thrashed Hull 4-0, but Marcelo Bielsa tasted defeat for the first time as Leeds boss, losing 2-0 at home to Preston, while Aston Villa also went down 1-0 to League One Burton Albion.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/west-ham-survive-scare-three-premier-league-sides-exit-league-cup-doc-18o2s74

THE NEWS: US toughens stance as N. Korea talks stumble

US toughens stance as N. Korea talks stumble
afp.com

GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP / Zach Gibson US Secretary of Defense James Mattis at a Pentagon press briefing

With US-South Korean military drills back on the table and the cancelation of a top-level summit in Pyongyang, Washington is toughening its stance as it negotiates with North Korea.

Discussions have grown prickly after a historic summit in June between President Donald Trump and Pyongyang strongman Kim Jong Un, where the leaders embraced and pledged to work toward the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

But despite the bonhomie of the occasion, Pyongyang has taken few concrete steps toward that stated goal and signs of frustration abound.

Last week, Trump nixed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's planned trip to North Korea, reportedly because he received what US officials deemed to be a "belligerent" letter from Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of North Korea's ruling party.

And on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the Pentagon is not planning to suspend any more military drills on the Korean peninsula.

"We took the step to suspend several of the largest military exercises as a good faith measure," Mattis told reporters.

"We have no plans to suspend any more."

Still, Pompeo said Washington remains ready to engage with North Korea.

It will do so "when it is clear that Chairman Kim stands ready to deliver on the commitments that he made at the Singapore summit to President Trump to completely denuclearize North Korea," he said in a statement read aloud by his spokeswoman.

- Wiggle room -

Following his summit with Kim, Trump scrapped this summer's massive Ulchi Freedom Guardian joint exercise with South Korea.

Carefully calibrating his words, Mattis would not say when exercises would resume, apparently leaving some wiggle room for North Korea.

"We are going to see how the negotiations go, and then we will calculate the future, how we go forward," Mattis told Pentagon reporters.

The next large-scale US-South Korean drills, known as Key Resolve/Foal Eagle, are set for next spring.

While North Korea views the exercises as a "provocation," they are loathed by China too. Trump last week berated Beijing, saying it was not helping enough with denuclearization.

Trump has staked a lot on his talks with North Korea. He prides himself on his being able to make deals and after the summit, he famously declared: "There is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea."

Vipin Narang, a professor in security studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said recent developments are the first public acknowledgment that Trump is frustrated with the pace of talks.

But North Korea holds important cards in the talks, he said, noting Pyongyang's moratorium on missile and nuclear testing could be conditional on negotiations continuing in good faith.

"So if all this falls apart we could go back... Kim Jong Un could do something like a satellite launch," Narang told AFP.

- Slow and tough -

Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the United Nations, insisted talks are headed in the right direction.

"Is it moving fast? No, but we never thought it would. We knew that this was going to be a slow, tough process," she told an audience at a Washington think tank.

Last month, officials told the Washington Post that Pyongyang seems to be developing at least one or two liquid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missiles.

When asked if the Pentagon agrees with Trump's assertion the North Korea nuclear threat is over, Mattis pointed to the calming of tensions that spiked last year when the US president and Kim traded personal attacks amid apocalyptic rhetoric.

"The whole world saw that progress when the two leaders sat down," he said.

"We also knew very clearly this was going to be a long and challenging effort."

Still, several observers say American diplomats believe Kim has no intention of ever giving up his atomic bombs and is leveraging his relationship with Trump for more concessions.

The North Koreans are "confident they can get what they want from another Kim-Trump summit," noted Daniel Sneider, a lecturer in East Asian Studies at Stanford University.

THE NEWS: Bees get hooked on harmful pesticide: study

Bees get hooked on harmful pesticide: study


dpa/AFP/File / Thomas Warnack Pesticides have been blamed as a cause of colony collapse disorder in bees

Bumblebees acquire a taste for food laced with a pesticide known to harm them, according to a study suggesting the chemicals pose an even greater threat to pollinators than previously thought.

In experiments, researchers showed that bees initially put off by sugar water containing neonicotinoids -- the most widely-used class of insecticide worldwide -- soon started seeking them out to the exclusion of untainted food.

The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Neonicotinoids, earlier research has shown, disrupt the ability of bees to reproduce and lower their resistance to disease.

"At first, it appeared that the bees did avoid the food containing the pesticide," said lead author Andres Arce, a researcher at Imperial College London.

"However, as individual bees increasingly experience the treated food they develop a preference for it."

Even when the position of their feeders was switched, the pollinators made a beeline for the one laced with insecticide.

Neonicotinoids target nerve receptors in insects much in the way nicotine -- the addictive ingredient in tobacco -- does in humans and other mammals.

"Our findings... tick certain symptoms of addictive behaviour, which is intriguing given the addictive properties of nicotine on humans," said lead researcher Richard Gill, also from Imperial.

Unlike contact pesticides, which remain on the plant surface, neonicotinoids are absorbed by seeds and transported to leaves, flowers, roots, and stems as the plant grows.

Several countries have banned forms of the insecticide, mainly due to its impact on Nature's little helpers.

In the European Union, three neonicotinoid-based products will be off-limits in open fields starting on December 19. France has banned five chemical variants starting Saturday.

Canada recently announced it would phase out two neonicotinoids used on canola, corn, and soybean crops.


 AFP / Elia VAISSIERE Neonicotionoid insecticides: blamed for bee decline


Widely used over the last two decades, neonicotinoids were designed to control sap-feeding insects such as aphids and root-feeding grubs.

In recent years, fears have been growing over the declining health of bees globally, and the possible role of neonicotinoids.

Pesticides have been blamed as a cause of colony collapse disorder, along with mites, viruses, and fungi, or some combination.

The United Nations warned last year that 40 percent of invertebrate pollinators -- particularly bees and butterflies -- risk global extinction.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/bees-get-hooked-harmful-pesticide-study-doc-18o3cp1

THE NEWS: US leads calls for Myanmar military to be held to account for Rohingya crackdown

US leads calls for Myanmar military to be held to account for Rohingya crackdown



 AFP/File / YE AUNG THU A UN-backed fact-finding misson has called for Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, as well as other top brass, to be prosecuted for genocide against the Rohingya minority

Several countries, including the United States, called Tuesday for Myanmar military leaders accused of orchestrating the repression of the country's Rohingya minority to be brought before international justice.

"The facts of the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya must be said, and they must be heard," said Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the United Nations.

Haley and other ambassadors stopped short, however, of using the word "genocide" that was cited in a UN-backed report released the day before accusing Myanmar's top brass of a long list of atrocities in Rakhine state.

"Here in the Security Council, we must hold those responsible for the violence to account," Haley said.

The report by UN investigators called on the Security Council to refer the Myanmar situation to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, or to create an ad hoc international criminal tribunal, as was done with the former Yugoslavia.

The UN-backed fact-finding mission said that Myanmar's "top military generals, including Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, must be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in the north of Rakhine State."

The crimes it cited after a long inquiry included murder, enforced disappearance, torture and sexual violence "perpetrated on a massive scale."

Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled northern Rakhine state to Bangladesh after Myanmar launched a brutal crackdown in August last year on insurgents amid accounts of arson, murder and rape at the hands of soldiers and vigilante mobs in the mainly Buddhist country.

Several other Security Council members joined the call for the perpetrators to be brought before an international tribunal, including Britain, France, Kuwait, the Netherlands and Sweden. They also called for a mechanism to "collect and preserve proof" of abuses.

But China and Russia, which as permanent members of the Security Council have veto powers, have said they prefer "dialogue" with the Myanmar leadership to resolve the conflict.

For the past year, the Security Council has limited itself to statements condemning the violence and demanding access for humanitarian aid, and for the right of those who have fled to return to their homes.

Myanmar has vehemently denied allegations of ethnic cleansing, insisting it was responding to attacks by Rohingya rebels.

Faced with stonewalling from Myanmar, the UN only managed to nominate a special envoy to the country in April.

"It is clear that conditions are not yet met for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees to their places of origin or choice," said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

He said that in Rakhine state, "some 130,000 Rohingya remain confined in camps with severe restrictions on their freedom of movement. They have extremely limited access to health, education and other essential services, and to ways of making a living."

Guterres did not weigh in on the issue of bringing the perpetrators before an international court, but said that "effective international cooperation will be critical to ensuring that accountability mechanisms are credible, transparent, impartial, independent and comply with Myanmar's obligations under international law."

Myanmar's ambassador to the United Nations, Hau Do Suan, rejected the conclusions of the UN report and questioned the impartiality of investigators, saying: "I would like to reiterate that we did not accept the mandate of the mission because we have our concern about the mission's impartiality."

Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group called on the international community to prevent those responsible for abuses in Myanmar from escaping justice, with the latter organization saying the UN General Assembly was better able to create a judicial mechanism due to divisions within the Security Council.
source:
https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/us-leads-calls-myanmar-military-be-held-account-rohingya-crackdown-doc-18o1ua6

THE NEWS: Federer dominates Nishioka to reach US Open 2nd round

Federer dominates Nishioka to reach US Open 2nd round



AFP / EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ Easing through: Roger Federer celebrates after defeating Yoshihito Nishioka

Five-time champion Roger Federer eased into the second round of the US Open on Tuesday, beating Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

The Swiss great, seeded second at Flushing Meadows behind defending champion and world number one Rafael Nadal, improved his perfect record in US Open first-round matches with his 18th win in 18 attempts.

As the opening attraction of the night session on Arthur Ashe Stadium, Federer escaped the worst of hot, humid conditions that punished players earlier in the day.

Nor did he meet much resistance from Nishioka, who was ranked 58th in the world last March before tearing a left knee ligament and sliding out of the top 150.

After rolling through the first two sets with the loss of just four games, Federer cruised to a 4-0 lead in the third. Up 5-1, he was unable to close out the match against Nishioka's serve, and then was broken on his first attempt to serve it out himself.

Federer, who claimed is 20th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January, would put the match away two games later, finally sealing the win with a service winner.

"I'm very happy to be back in New York healthy," said Federer, who claimed five straight US Open titles from 2004-2008 but missed the 2016 edition and only made it to the quarter-finals last year.

He next faces France's Benoit Paire, a 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) winner over Austrian qualifier Dennis Novak.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/federer-dominates-nishioka-reach-us-open-2nd-round-doc-18o3ro2

THE NEWS: 'Survival mode' sees Djokovic through at steamy US Open

'Survival mode' sees Djokovic through at steamy US Open


AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY

Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic suffered in sweltering US Open conditions Tuesday but battled through to the second round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 victory over Hungarian Marton Fucsovics.

Djokovic, playing his first match on Arthur Ashe Stadium since falling to Stan Wawrinka in the 2016 final, received a brutal welcome back to Flushing Meadows as soaring temperatures and high humidity prompted organizers to offer the men a 10-minute mid-match heat break for the first time ever.

"We both struggled. We were not the only ones today. Brutal conditions," said Djokovic, who called for trainers who enveloped him in ice packed towels late in the second set.

"I had to find a way to dig myself out of the trouble."

Until late in the third it was "survival mode" said Djokovic, who endured a rocky start to the season after elbow surgery before breaking through for a 13th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

His Cincinnati Masters victory over Roger Federer stamped him a US Open favorite along with defending champion Rafael Nadal, despite his modest sixth seeding.


 AFP / EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ Roger Federer celebrates after defeating Yoshihito Nishioka in a US Open first-round match.


He certainly looked a contender as he reeled off the last 10 games against Fucsovics, showing signs of sharper focus even before the 10-minute heat break between the third and fourth sets.

Federer, the second seed, escaped the worst of the conditions as he headlined the night session on Ashe. Nor did he meet much resistance from Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Up 5-1 in the final set, Federer was unable to close out the match against Nishioka's serve, and then was broken on his first attempt to serve it out.

Federer, who claimed his 20th Grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, put the match away two games later, sealing it with a service winner.

"I didn't know how really good Nishioka was," Federer admitted of the 22-year-old, who was ranked 58th in the world last March before tearing a left knee ligament and sliding out of the top 150.

"I wanted to play well at the beginning of each set. I was able to break the beginning of each set, cruise after that. I was very happy."

Fourth-seeded German Alexander Zverev kept his time in the sun to a minimum with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 victory over Canadian lucky loser Peter Polansky.

And Australian Nick Kyrgios, opening the evening action on Louis Armstrong stadium, fired 25 aces and 48 total winners in a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Moldova's Radu Albot.

For many, however, the day was a hard slog and the decision made some two hours in to afford the men a heat break after a third set wasn't enough to prevent half a dozen retirements.

Italy's Stefano Travaglia, Argentine Leonardo Mayer, Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis, Russian Mikhail Youzhny and Serbian Filip Krajinovic were all victims of the heat while Romanian Marius Copil succumbed to an arm injury in the third set of his match with seventh-seeded former champion Marin Cilic.

"I had heat stroke," Mayer said of his decision to call it quits against Serbia's Laslo Djere. "I was not going to die on the court, tennis is not for that."

- 'Cool thoughts' -

Women's second seed Caroline Wozniacki took the weather in stride, trying to "think cool thoughts" as she defeated 2011 champion Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-2.


AFP / EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ Madison Keys en route to a US Open first-round vitory over Pauline Parmentier.

For France's Alize Cornet, however, the steamy conditions were a "nightmare" that had her weeping courtside during a three-set loss to Johanna Larsson of Sweden.

In other women's matches, reigning Wimbledon champion Angelique Kerber, seeded fourth, defeated Russian Margarita Gasparyan 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.

Two-time Wimbledon winner Petra Kvitova beat Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 6-1, 6-4 and 2017 runner-up Madison Keys downed France's Pauline Parmentier 6-4, 6-4.

Maria Sharapova, who won the last of her five Grand Slam titles in 2014, advanced 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) over Patty Schnyder, out of retirement and at 39 the oldest player to qualify for a Grand Slam main draw.

Sharapova led the second set 5-1 but didn't have a match point until the tiebreaker, finally securing the win over the determined Swiss on her fourth opportunity.
source:
https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/survival-mode-sees-djokovic-through-steamy-us-open-doc-18o30f6

THE NEWS: Mexico's US trade deal a win-win for president-elect

Mexico's US trade deal a win-win for president-elect


AFP/File / Pedro PARDO If the new US-Mexican trade deal is seen as a huge success, President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador can take credit; if it all falls apart, he can blame his predecessor

It is still early to declare winners and losers in the new US-Mexican trade deal, but in Mexico it looks like an unexpected victory for leftist President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Announced with typical flare by US President Donald Trump on Monday, the two-way deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement meanwhile left NAFTA's third member, Canada, out in the cold -- at least for now.

In Mexico, the news brought a collective sigh of relief: finally, months of uncertainty over the country's most important trade relationship appeared to be over.

All three countries had been rushing to finish a deal before Lopez Obrador, a sometimes brutal critic of free trade, takes office on December 1.

But ironically, according to nearly everyone involved, Lopez Obrador and his team played a key role in sealing the deal, after being invited to join the negotiations by current President Enrique Pena Nieto.

"Speaking with and working President-elect Lopez Obrador has been absolutely a very, very special time," said Trump.

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray said Lopez Obrador's backing was "essential," while Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said the president-elect's delegate to the talks, Jesus Seade, played a "fundamental role."

- Pragmatism over ideology -

The politician known as "AMLO," who won a landslide election victory on July 1, had attacked NAFTA in the past.

But pragmatism appears to have won out over ideology.

"It's a win for Lopez Obrador, on so many levels," said Mexican economist Valeria Moy.

Not only does he clear an explosive issue off the decks before taking office, he maneuvers into a position that all politicians love: if the deal is seen as a huge success, he can take credit; if it all falls apart, he can blame his predecessor.

"He'll get the economic benefits... but also washes his hands of the potential costs," said Moy.

Nearly 25 years after it took effect, on January 1, 1994, NAFTA is popular in Mexico.

One recent poll found 78 percent of Mexicans think it is good for the economy.

"It's undeniable that NAFTA has had huge benefits for Mexico... It hasn't solved all ills, but it's been very good for the country," Mexican trade expert Hugo Perezcano Diaz told AFP.

"And Lopez Obrador needs the business sector. Mexico has a very important and powerful business sector, and speaking out in favor of NAFTA brings him closer to them."

- Art of the deal -

But Lopez Obrador may have inadvertently helped Trump back Canada into a corner.

Perezcano, who works in Canada, summed up the feeling in his adopted country as Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland cut short a trip to Europe to jet into Washington for do-or-die talks on keeping the new agreement a three-country deal.

"The expression here is, 'Mexico threw Canada under the bus,'" he said.

In an episode worthy of reality TV, Trump put Pena Nieto on speaker phone Monday, live on national television, to laud the "fantastic" deal with Mexico, while warning the Canadians he was feeling inclined to leave them out of it.

Freeland graciously brushed aside any acrimony as she arrived in Washington on Tuesday, however.

Thanks to Mexico's "tough decisions," the bilateral deal now "clears the way" for the US-Canada talks, set to open Wednesday, she said.

- What's in it for Mexico? -

Full details of the deal have not been released yet, but Mexico appears to have gotten its way on several key issues.

NAFTA's dispute resolution system stayed in, Trump's idea for seasonal tariffs on agricultural imports stayed out, and his proposal for a five-year "sunset clause" was changed to six-year reviews, with a minimum 16-year lifespan for the deal.

Above all, Mexico got certainty -- or the appearance of it -- on its relationship with the country that buys some 80 percent of its exports.

The United States meanwhile got its way on one key issue close to Trump's heart: bolstering the American auto industry.

The new deal raises the amount of a car's content that must be produced in the region to avoid tariffs from 62.5 to 75 percent, and now requires at least 40 percent to be made by workers earning $16 an hour or more.

But Trump's main victory was political, said Perezcano, of the Ontario-based Centre for International Governance Innovation.

"Politically, (Trump) has declared victory, clearly eying the (US midterm) elections in November."

The losers will meanwhile include consumers, including American ones, said Mexican economist Jonathan Heath.

"The problem is that it's not the best thing, economically speaking. Consumers in all three countries are going to lose, because cars are going to cost more... and other goods, too," he said.
source:
https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/mexicos-us-trade-deal-win-win-president-elect-doc-18o21u2

THE NEWS: US, Canada NAFTA talks enter crucial phase

US, Canada NAFTA talks enter crucial phase


 AFP / Nicholas Kamm Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland was upbeat about the potential for progress after Mexico agreed to a new trade deal with the United States

US and Canadian trade officials will begin a crucial phase of talks on Wednesday to see if they can bridge their differences to sign a revamped North American Free Trade Agreement.

After Mexico paved the way by agreeing to NAFTA 2.0 with the United States, Canada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland was upbeat about the potential for progress.

But Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made it clear he would only sign a new trade pact he considers good for his country.

The sticking points between Ottawa and Washington likely will center on Canada's managed dairy market and how to handle some disputes among NAFTA partners.

After months of intense talks, the United States and Mexico announced an agreement Monday to thoroughly overhaul the 25-year-old free trade pact.

But President Donald Trump suggested he could leave Canada out and press ahead with a two-party deal with Mexico.

However, Trudeau as well as Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto and President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said NAFTA should remain a trilateral deal.

Following her first brief meeting with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Tuesday evening, Freeland said Mexico's willingness to make "tough decisions" on labor rights and auto requirements helped pave the way for a new regional agreement.

- 'Productive' discussions -

Negotiators have worked for a year to update and rewrite NAFTA.

But in the last five weeks, Washington and Mexico City held talks to resolve their bilateral issues, especially on the auto industry rules, without Ottawa.

While critics said Canada had been frozen out, Freeland said she has been in close touch with her US and Mexican counterparts throughout the summer, and had already achieved "a high level agreement with the US" on labor issues.

Mexico's efforts to reach an accord with Washington "definitely clears the way for us to have some significant, substantive, and, I think, productive conversations with the US this week," Freeland told reporters.

Canada will stand firm "while looking for areas where we can find a compromise."

She said she would meet with her Mexican counterparts, who had remained in Washington after announcing the breakthrough with the US.

The outlines of the new NAFTA include a higher percentage of locally-produced components in autos, tougher worker protections and a provision to review the 16-year deal every six years.

But Trump said he would take a tough line with Canada on dairy trade -- long a source of tension between the neighboring countries.

However, Trudeau vowed not to give in to Washington's demands to alter the system under which Ottawa sets dairy production quotas and prices, with steep tariffs on imports.

"My position on defending supply management has not changed. We will defend supply management," Trudeau said.

The system has been in place since the 1970s and has survived several attempts to undo it.

Trudeau faces political pressure with elections due in a year, which could make him wary of being seen as capitulating to Trump, especially on dairy.

- Time pressure -

Canada also objects to the US call to eliminate bi-national panels to resolve trade disputes among NAFTA partners under Chapter 19, which appears to have been dropped in the deal with Mexico. Canada has used the provision to challenge US anti-dumping and countervailing duties.

But Washington backed away from a strenuously-opposed provision to require the three nations to renegotiate the trade pact after five years. Instead, the agreement with Mexico extends NAFTA for 16 years but with a review every six years.

The White House is pushing to finalize things quickly so that Pena Nieto can sign the treaty before handing the reins over to Lopez Obrador on December 1.

Pena Nieto said the deal with the US means the sides are now "in the final stretch of a trilateral deal."

Lighthizer said the Trump administration would notify Congress by Friday of the new agreement, which would allow the required 90 days' notice to get the pact signed by December 1.
source:
https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/us-canada-nafta-talks-enter-crucial-phase-doc-18o3zi1

THE NEWS: China-backed trade pact talks at 'critical stage': Singapore PM

China-backed trade pact talks at 'critical stage': Singapore PM
source: afp.com

AFP / Roslan RAHMAN Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong opened the meeting of ASEAN economy ministers by warnings about escalating trade tensions between major economies

Talks on a China-backed free-trade pact have reached a "critical stage", Singapore's leader said Wednesday as he urged regional economic ministers to seal the deal by the end of the year.

The 16-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which will be the world's biggest free-trade accord if it is agreed, has taken centre stage as Washington embarks on a unilateral, protectionist agenda.

Covering about half the world's population, the RCEP notably excludes the US, which had been leading another regional pact -- the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) -- until President Donald Trump abandoned it on coming to office early last year.

"The RCEP negotiations have continued for some time, and have now reached a critical stage," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said as he opened a five-day meeting of economy ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Singapore meeting will be joined later in the week by top trade officials from ASEAN's main trading partners, including China, Japan, Australia and the US.

"After a great deal of work, the possibility of substantively concluding the RCEP negotiations is finally in sight," he said.

Lee also warned about escalating tensions between the US and China -- who have been locked in a spiralling trade row -- and other major economies including the eurozone and Canada.

"The RCEP will be an important signal to the world that ASEAN members and our partners place high value on free trade, regional integration and international cooperation," he said.

The pact will group the 10 ASEAN members plus China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and will cover a third of the world's gross domestic product.

A diplomatic source said Singapore, this year's ASEAN chair, is pushing for an agreement on the RCEP before handing over the chairmanship to Thailand in 2019.

Another source involved in the talks said ASEAN leaders hope to announce the "substantial conclusion" of negotiations during a summit in November with their main trading partners, and they expect the pact to be implemented in 2020.

Beijing is keen to use Washington's rejection of the TPP to build enthusiasm for its own deal and increase influence in the region.

RCEP is a more modest deal that prescribes lower and more limited regulatory standards.

The 11 remaining TPP members signed a slimmed down version of the agreement in March.

THE NEWS: World leaders ignore rights in China: censored author Yan

World leaders ignore rights in China: censored author Yan



AFP/File / WILL OLIVER Chinese author Yan Lianke says he seeks inspiration in the lives of ordinary citizens

Chinese author Yan Lianke, whose works are banned in his heavily censored homeland, has urged world leaders not to shy away from confronting China about its human rights record.

Yan, who offers frank portrayals of Chinese life prompting years of state censorship, said leaders flocking to China have become too focused on economic ties.

The 60-year-old novelist told AFP that Beijing needs to face up to its human rights issues, but visiting politicians "don't really care about these things now".

"The problem is they don't seem to be talking about it as much as they used to," he said ahead of his first British festival appearance at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Monday.

"They seem more about trade and money and agreements."

Chinese authorities have severely reduced space for civil liberties and criticism of the ruling Communist Party since President Xi Jinping took office in 2012.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was under pressure to address the situation on a visit to Beijing in February but failed to make any public statements on it.

Downing Street insisted concerns over human rights were raised privately, but China's nationalist tabloid the Global Times commended her for having "sidestepped" thorny issues.

French President Emmanuel Macron was praised in the same editorial for reportedly ignoring "radical public opinion" and past European "prejudices against Beijing" during his own visit to China the previous month.

Nicola Sturgeon, who leads the semi-autonomous Scottish government in Edinburgh, insisted she raised rights abuses with the Chinese government during a private meeting in April.

It followed a £10 billion ($13 billion, 11 billion euro) investment deal in Scotland with Chinese state-backed companies collapsing in 2017 amid criticism of the firms from human rights groups.

- Novels based in 'China's reality' -

Yan said he largely ignores global politics -- including the frequent swipes at China by US President Donald Trump -- preferring to seek inspiration in the lives of ordinary citizens.

"All of my novels are very closely connected with China's reality," he said.

"I have a great love for China and I have a great love for the Chinese people.

"If you persist in putting art first, truth first, if you don't especially pursue fame and profit, then I think in (China) there are endless stories to write.

"As long as you dare to face the truth, you will certainly write a great novel."

Yan said he is surprised that his work is often characterised as satire in other countries.

"In China, many critics and readers believe Yan Lianke confronts China's pain and suffering, but outside of China, this turns into satire and humour -- I guess this must be the difference of cultures," he said.

The novelist has nonetheless received numerous international awards, including the 2014 Franz Kafka Prize, and was also shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker International Prize.

- Underground fan base -

All books sold in China must go through an official approval process.

Many of Yan's works, set during sensitive periods of upheaval like the Great Leap Forward, which caused one of the worst famines of all time, and the Cultural Revolution, have run afoul of the censors.

One of his best-known works, "The Joy of Living," about a village of disabled peasants making it through China's tumultuous reform years, got him kicked out of the army’s propaganda department in 2003.

In 2005, he published a novel close to his heart -- about blood-selling scandals that wiped out entire villages in his native Henan province after they were blamed for spreading HIV/AIDS.

It was initially released but then recalled, despite efforts to tailor the content to pass censorship.

His next novel looks set to be just as controversial: an exploration of the five major religions in China.

Despite being banned, his books have attracted an underground fan base inside the country, with readers passing around excerpts and pirated copies online.

Yan said he has given up trying to get round the censors and now focuses solely on the international market.

"China doesn't publish my novels anymore, so there is no more censorship," he said, reflecting that international plaudits do little to improve his reputation with the Chinese Communist Party.

"I don't need to self-censor and don't need anyone else to censor, so I have more freedom in my writing," he said.

"For example, in 'The Four Books', 'The Day the Sun Died', my writing was very unrestrained, because I no longer need to publish in China."
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/world-leaders-ignore-rights-china-censored-author-yan-doc-18n8vx2

THE NEWS: US Open at a glance -- day 2

US Open at a glance -- day 2


 AFP / Kena Betancur Feel the heat: A spectator wipes sweat from her face while watching Jelena Ostapenko against Andrea Petkovic on Louis Armstrong Stadium

US Open at a glance -- day 2:

Headlines

+ Players wilt in 38-degree extreme heat

+ 'I wasn't going to die on the court,' says Argentine star after quitting

+ Federer hits 56 winners in opening victory

+ Djokovic through in four sets

+ Sharapova sees off 39-year-old Schnyder

Top results

-- Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) 6-2, 6-2, 6-4

-- Maria Sharapova (RUS x22) bt Patty Schnyder (SUI) 6-2, 7-6 (8/6)

-- Novak Djokovic (SRB x6) bt Márton Fucsovics (HUN) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0

-- Caroline Wozniacki (DEN x2) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS) 6-3, 6-2

Sidelines

Been a long time

-- Vera Zvonareva, the 2010 runner-up, won her first main draw match at the tournament since 2011 when she defeated fellow Russian Anna Blinkova 6-2, 6-7 (6/8), 7-5 in almost three hours.

Bertens happy to get bent out of shape

-- Shock Cincinnati champion Kiki Bertens says she relaxes in New York by doing yoga after she's finished practice.

"Go back to the hotel, do some yoga to get back to my calmness again. Just to trying to stay calm. It's classes on my phone, yeah," said Dutch player Bertens after beating Kristyna Pliskova 6-0, 7-5.

The iceman cometh


AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY Roar of victory for Novak Djokovic


-- Novak Djokovic said it was a "magnificent feeling" when he and US Open opponent Marton Fucsovics sat naked in separate, adjacent ice baths during a heat break.

"We had the ice baths next to each other. We were naked in the ice baths -- it was a magnificent feeling I must say to be naked with the guy you are still battling when the match hasn't finished," said the two-time champion.

Youzhny's painful finish

-- Two-time semi-finalist Mikhail Youzhny's Grand Slam career ended in a cramp-plagued retirement against fellow 30-something Marcos Baghdatis.

Volatile Russian Youzhny, 36, made the last four in New York in 2006 and 2010 and was a quarter-finalist at the three other majors having made his debut in 2001.

But on Tuesday, he could hardly walk and ended the match lying on the court after a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 3-1 loss.

Double trouble

-- French 29th seed Adrian Mannarino was knocked out in the first round 6-1, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 by Frances Tiafoe of the United States and then discovered that his doubles partner Jiri Vesely had withdrawn from the tournament with injury.

Who's saying what

"I went to the Drake concert."

-- Eugenie Bouchard on how she prepared for her first round win against France's Harmony Tan.

"I just tried to cool down between games, used ice. I'm just thinking I'm on the beach, I have a margarita in hand, life is good."

-- Caroline Wozniacki on the heat problems after seeing off Samantha Stosur 6-3, 6-2 on a sweltering Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"I had heat stroke. I was not going to die on the court, tennis is not for that."

-- Argentina's Leonardo Mayer after quitting his first round match with heatstroke

"With this heat, everyone was complaining about it. So I thought it was pretty decent, like, Florida summers are way worse, I think."

-- Japan's Naomi Osaka who lives and trains in Florida

"It's a nightmare."

-- Alize Cormet who needed medical attention for heat illness
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/us-open-glance-day-2-doc-18o03c4

THE NEWS: Robot teachers invade Chinese kindergartens

Robot teachers invade Chinese kindergartens


AFP / GREG BAKER Children watch a Keeko robot at the Yiswind Institute of Multicultural Education in Beijing, where the intelligent machines are telling stories and challenging kids with logic problems

The Chinese kindergarten children giggled as they worked to solve puzzles assigned by their new teaching assistant: a roundish, short educator with a screen for a face.

Just under 60 centimetres (two feet) high, the autonomous robot named Keeko has been a hit in several kindergartens, telling stories and challenging children with logic problems.

Round and white with a tubby body, the armless robot zips around on tiny wheels, its inbuilt cameras doubling up both as navigational sensors and a front-facing camera allowing users to record video journals.

In China, robots are being developed to deliver groceries, provide companionship to the elderly, dispense legal advice and now, as Keeko's creators hope, join the ranks of educators.

At the Yiswind Institute of Multicultural Education on the outskirts of Beijing, the children have been tasked to help a prince find his way through a desert -- by putting together square mats that represent a path taken by the robot -- part storytelling and part problem-solving.

Each time they get an answer right, the device reacts with delight, its face flashing heart-shaped eyes.


AFP / GREG BAKER Each time the children get an answer right, the robot reacts with delight, its face flashing heart-shaped eyes


"Education today is no longer a one-way street, where the teacher teaches and students just learn," said Candy Xiong, a teacher trained in early childhood education who now works with Keeko Robot Xiamen Technology as a trainer.

"When children see Keeko with its round head and body, it looks adorable and children love it. So when they see Keeko, they almost instantly take to it," she added.

Keeko robots have entered more than 600 kindergartens across the country with its makers hoping to expand into Greater China and Southeast Asia.

Beijing has invested money and manpower in developing artificial intelligence as part of its "Made in China 2025" plan, with a Chinese firm last year unveiling the country's first human-like robot that can hold simple conversations and make facial expressions.

According to the International Federation of Robots, China has the world's top industrial robot stock, with some 340,000 units in factories across the country engaged in manufacturing and the automotive industry.

The service robot market -- which includes devices ranging from specialised medical equipment to automated vacuum cleaners –- is estimated to be worth $1.32 billion last year.


AFP / GREG BAKER Keeko robots have entered more than 600 kindergartens across the country with its makers hoping to expand into Greater China and Southeast Asia

It is expected to grow to $4.9 billion by 2022, said market research firm Research In China.

Last week, Beijing hosted the World Robot Conference, featuring machines that can diagnose diseases, play badminton and wow audiences with their musical skills.

- Robocompanion -

Last year, a group of monks in Beijing created a two-foot-high robot monk dispensing mantras and advice to attaining nirvana.

The iPal -- a companion of sorts for children -- is the latest humanoid robot to be marketed for family use, following in the footsteps of the diminutive, wisecracking "Pepper" companion released by Japan's SoftBank in 2015.


 AFP / GREG BAKER The Keeko robots cost about 10,000 yuan ($1,500) -- roughly equivalent to the monthly salary of a Chinese kindergarten teacher


But Xie Yi, principal of the kindergarten where Keeko has been put on trial, believes that it will be a long while before robots can completely replace humans in the classroom.

"To teach you must be able to interact, have a human touch, eye contact and facial expressions. These are the things that make an education," Xie said.

"It's not just the language or the content, it's everything."

She said the Keeko robots, which cost about 10,000 yuan ($1,500), or about the monthly salary of a kindergarten teacher, may have some advantages over a flesh-and-blood educator.

"The best thing about robots? They're more stable (than humans)," she said with a laugh.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/china-backed-trade-pact-talks-critical-stage-singapore-pm-doc-18o4ie2

THE NEWS: Iran's Khamenei says ready to abandon nuclear deal if needed

Iran's Khamenei says ready to abandon nuclear deal if needed


KHAMENEI.IR/AFP/File / - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is seen meeting foreign ministry officials in Tehran on July 21, 2018

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that his government should be ready to "set aside" the 2015 nuclear deal if it is no longer in the country's national interests.

"The JCPOA (nuclear deal) is not the objective, it is only a means," he said in a meeting with the cabinet, according to his website.

"Naturally, if we reach the conclusion that it is no longer maintaining our national interests, we will put it aside."

Khamenei said talks should continue with Europe, which is trying to salvage the 2015 agreement despite the withdrawal of the United States.

But he said the Iranian government "must not pin hope on the Europeans for issues such as the JCPOA or the economy".

"We must examine their promises with scepticism," he added.

Khamenei reiterated that Iran would not engage in any negotiations with the administration of US President Donald Trump, despite his offer of unconditional talks.

"(The Americans) want to say they can bring anyone, even the Islamic republic, to the negotiating table.

"But as I have previously said in detail, no negotiations with them will take place," Khamenei said.
https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/irans-khamenei-says-ready-abandon-nuclear-deal-if-needed-doc-18o7fo6

THE NEWS: Myanmar rejects UN probe findings of Rohingya 'genocide'

Myanmar rejects UN probe findings of Rohingya 'genocide'
source: afp.com

 AFP / Dibyangshu SARKAR Several countries have called for Myanmar's military leaders to be held accountable for its alleged genocide of the country's Rohingya minority

Myanmar Wednesday rejected the findings of a UN investigation alleging genocide by its military against the Rohingya, after the US and other countries joined growing calls for them to face justice.

Mainly Buddhist Myanmar has come under immense pressure this week over last year's military crackdown that pushed more than 700,000 of the Muslim minority into Bangladesh.

On Monday the UN probe detailed evidence of genocide and crimes against humanity "perpetrated on a massive scale" against the Rohingya, including acts of rape, sexual violence and mass killings.

In a UN Security Council session a day later, several countries -- including the US, Britain, France and Sweden -- called for Myanmar's military leaders to be held accountable.

The meeting was one of the most high-profile to date to address the crisis and featured graphic testimony from actress Cate Blanchett, who visited the refugee camps in May as a goodwill ambassador.

"I am a mother and I saw my own children in the eyes of every single refugee child that I met. I saw myself in every parent," she told the Security Council.

"How can any mother endure seeing her child thrown into a fire? Their experiences will never leave me."

Myanmar rejected the UN mission's findings in a typically defiant response to a crisis that has heaped international opprobrium on both its military and civilian leadership.

"We didn't allow the FFM (the UN Fact-Finding Mission) to enter into Myanmar, that's why we don't agree and accept any resolutions made by the Human Rights Council," said government spokesman Zaw Htay, according to Wednesday's state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

He pointed to the formation of Myanmar's own Independent Commission of Enquiry, which he said was set up to respond to "false allegations made by the UN agencies and other international communities".

The country has "zero tolerance for human rights violations," Zaw Htay said, but he added that "strong evidence" including records and dates of any alleged abuses must be provided before investigations are undertaken.

The government would take "legal action against any violation of human rights," he said.

- Facebook ban -

Zaw Htay also lashed out at Facebook for shutting down the pages of Myanmar's army chief and other top military brass on Monday, saying the move could hamper the government's efforts at "national reconciliation".

The social media giant has admitted it was previously too slow to react to the crisis, which saw its platform -- wildly popular in Myanmar -- become an incubator of hate speech against the Rohingya.

Much of Myanmar's public has vilified the Rohingya since the army's crackdown, with little sympathy for a minority who have for years been refused citizenship and denied freedom of movement and access to healthcare and education.

Myanmar's military retains significant constitutional and political power and is essentially free of civilian oversight.

But the country's civilian leaders, including Nobel laureate and de facto head of state Aung San Suu Kyi, have repeatedly defended the military crackdown as a proportionate response to Rohingya insurgents in Rakhine state who staged deadly raids on police posts on August 25, 2017.

However the UN report agreed with rights groups who say the crackdown was premeditated, a key factor in determining if a genocide has taken place.

It pointed to the large-scale military deployments to Rakhine in the weeks leading up to the campaign in a "broader oppressive context".

Around a million Rohingya now languish in refugee camps in Bangladesh, which has struggled to deal with the huge influx into an already impoverished country.

Bangladesh and Myanmar have signed a deal to repatriate last year's wave of refugees but there has been little progress given Rohingya fears of returning without guarantees for their safety.

Meanwhile the drumbeat of calls for accountability is getting louder, with UN investigators calling on the Security Council to refer the Myanmar crisis to the International Criminal Court (ICC) or to create an ad hoc tribunal.

Several Security Council members threw support behind the idea while also calling for a mechanism to "collect and preserve proof" of abuses.


AFP / DOMINICK REUTER US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley speaks during the Security Council meeting on the situation in Myanmar


Myanmar's ambassador to the UN Hau Do Suan questioned the UN report's findings, reiterating that Myanmar "did not accept the mandate of the mission because we have our concern about the mission's impartiality."

China and Russia, holding veto powers as permanent members of the Security Council, have said they prefer to engage in "dialogue" with Myanmar's leadership to resolve the conflict.

The ICC is soon due to rule on whether it has jurisdiction over the crisis because it spilt across the border into Bangladesh.

Myanmar is not a signatory to the court.

THE NEWS: Iran has arrested 'dozens of spies': intelligence minister

Iran has arrested 'dozens of spies': intelligence minister
source: AFP.COM

 AFP/File / BEHROUZ MEHRI Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said "dozens of spies" had been arrested in a crackdown but did not provide details, or over what period

Iran's intelligence minister said "dozens of spies" had been arrested as part of a crackdown on espionage and dual nationals and alluded to an agent Iran had placed in the Israeli government, Iranian media reported on Wednesday.

Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi did not provide details of the "dozens of spies", or over what period they had been arrested in the interview televised late on Tuesday.

He said Iran had planted the agent "in the cabinet of a country that has a very strong intelligence service".

The conservative Tasnim news agency said this was a reference to Gonen Segev, a former Israeli energy and infrastructure minister who was charged with spying by a Jerusalem court last month.

"Financially and through other means, our enemies try to get information on our country," Alavi said the interview.

"They act by spying and infiltration. Fortunately the anti-espionage section is one of the strongest sections of this ministry."

The minister said there was also a concerted effort to root out dual nationals working in official positions.

"If you know anyone, tell us about them," he said.

Alavi spoke of the threat from the Sunni Muslim extremists of the Islamic State group (IS), which sees Shiite-majority Iran as one of its main enemies in the region.

He said 230 "terrorist cells" had been intercepted over the past year.

"We foiled plots on places such as universities and the metro but we published little information about this," Alavi said.

IS carried out a multi-pronged attack on Iran's parliament and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeini in June 2017 that killed 17 people.

Alavi also talked about a crackdown by the authorities on corruption and those manipulating Iran's chaotic currency rates, which have been a major focus of discontent in recent months.

"If we want to have a dynamic economy, we must fight economic corruption. In the intelligence ministry, we have opened 130 files and more than 180 suspects have been arrested," he said.

THE NEWS: UN demands urgent action amid 'climate of fear' in Nicaragua

UN demands urgent action amid 'climate of fear' in Nicaragua


 AFP/File / An anti-government protester fires a homemade mortar during a march dubbed "United Nicaragua will never be defeated" in Granada, Nicaragua

The United Nations called Wednesday for urgent action to prevent Nicaragua from descending further into turmoil after months of violent repression of protests against President Daniel Ortega's rule.

In a fresh report, the UN human rights office detailed a wide range of serious violations, including disproportionate use of force by police, which in some cases resulted in extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and torture.

"The violence and impunity of these past four months have exposed the fragility of the country's institutions and the rule of law," UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein warned in a statement, describing a "climate of fear and mistrust".

Nicaragua's descent into chaos was triggered on April 18 when relatively small protests against now-scrapped social security reforms were met with a government crackdown.

Those demonstrations mushroomed into a popular uprising, with anti-government protesters facing off against police and paramilitaries supporting Ortega, whom critics accuse of acting like a dictator.

Violent actions by police and armed paramilitaries have contributed to a death toll that rights groups put at more than 300, with another 2,000 injured.

- 'Shock forces' -


AFP/File / Police officer with face covered stands guard outside the National Judicial Complex building in Managua


Wednesday's report said that information obtained by the UN rights office "strongly indicates that pro-Government armed elements, including those known as 'shock forces' or 'mobs', acted with the acquiescence of high-level State authorities and of the national police, and often in a joint and coordinated manner."

It pointed out that the government, which initially denied the existence of such groups, now "condones their actions and allows them to operate with impunity."

"Repression and retaliation against demonstrators continue in Nicaragua as the world looks away," said Zeid, who is to step down at the end of this week.

The report also highlighted violence by the protestors, pointing to attacks on members of the ruling Sandinista party, government officials and security forces, with 22 police officers killed.

A
FP/File / Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega waves to supporters during a rally in Managua

"The level of brutality in some of these episodes, including burning, amputations and desecration of corpses illustrates the serious degeneration of the crisis," the report said.

It noted that the sheer suppression of protests during the initial stage of the crisis had given way to a new stage where demonstrators and others seen as government opponents were increasingly being criminalised.

As of August 18, at least 300 people were being prosecuted for having participated in or supported the protests, the report said.

"Rather than recognising responsibility for any wrongdoing during the crisis, the government has placed the blame on social and opposition leaders for what they have termed 'coup-related violence' as well as for the negative impact of the political crisis on the country," it said.

The report urged the government to immediately halt all harassment, intimidation and criminalisation of its opponents.

It also called on authorities to dismantle and disarm the pro-government groups, halt unlawful arrests and release all of those who have been arbitrarily detained.

The international community meanwhile should closely monitor developments in Nicaragua, and "consider taking measures to prevent a further deterioration of the human rights situation" it said.

The report also urged the UN to consider creating a high-level international investigation or support the creation of a truth commission "to ensure access to truth, justice and reparation for victims."

source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/un-demands-urgent-action-amid-climate-fear-nicaragua-doc-18o4zo1

THE NEWS: Ronaldo's overhead kick against Juventus wins UEFA goal of season

Ronaldo's overhead kick against Juventus wins UEFA goal of season



 Update Images Press/AFP/File / Isabella BONOTTO Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning overhead goal for Real Madrid against current club Juventus wins UEFA's goal of the season.

Cristiano Ronaldo's stunning overhead bicycle kick for Real Madrid against current club Juventus has been voted UEFA's goal of the season.

The former Real Madrid striker beat competition from 11 nominees for the award in honour of his goal in last season's Champions League quarter-final first leg in Turin.

"Thanks to everyone who voted for me. Will never forget that moment, specially the reaction of the fans in the stadium," the 33-year-old Portuguese superstar said on Twitter, using the hashtag #SpecialMoment.

Real Madrid were already leading against the Italian champions thanks to Ronaldo's opener after just two minutes when he acrobatically blasted in Dani Carvajal's cross on 64 minutes.

Ronaldo said it was "the best goal" of his career and it helped Real to a 3-0 win on the night and moved them a step closer to an eventual quarter-final victory over Juve. The Spanish club went on to win the competition for the third consecutive season.

The striker said the crowd's reaction -- a standing ovation from the Juventus fans -- played a part in his decision to move to Turin in a 100 million-euro deal last month.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is the all time top scorer in the Champions League with 120 goals.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/ronaldos-overhead-kick-against-juventus-wins-uefa-goal-season-doc-18o5tj4

THE NEWS: Loew rejects Ozil's accusations of racism in German FA

Loew rejects Ozil's accusations of racism in German FA


AFP / Christof STACHE Germany head coach Joachim Loew admits he had been 'almost arrogant' with some of his decisions in Russia as he outlined the reasons for Germany's World Cup debacle

Joachim Loew has rejected Mesut Ozil's accusations of racism within the German FA (DFB) as the head coach gave his analysis of Germany's World Cup debacle on Wednesday.

"Mesut made allegations of racism, but I can clearly say that in the DFB, there have never been racist comments," Loew said while announcing his squad to face world champions France in Munich on September 6, then Peru three days later.

"The players with an immigration background have always enjoyed playing for us and nothing has changed," added Loew who has been head coach since 2006.

Arsenal midfielder Ozil retired from international football on July 22 with a stinging three-page statement, in which he directly accused DFB president Reinhard Grindel of racism.

This is the first time Loew has commented on the Ozil saga.

- No contact -

"His advisor called me to inform me that Mesut would issue the third part of his statement," added Loew.

"The player himself did not call me, which normally players have done in the past.

"Mesut has still not called and for the last two weeks I have unsuccessfully tried to reach him.

"I am sure there will be a chance for a personal conversation in the future.

"He has chosen this path - I have to accept that."

Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan, who were both born in Germany to Turkish parents, sparked a political storm on the eve of the World Cup by meeting Turkey president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

When Erdogan's office put out pictures of the meeting, the pair's loyalty to Germany was hotly questioned, sparking fierce debate about integration, and they were attacked by German far-right politicians.

Ozil walked away from the German set up after the World Cup, complaining of facing "racism and disrespect" and specifically took aim at Grindel.


AFP/File / BENJAMIN CREMEL Sami Khedira is the biggest name casualty in the Germany squad to face France and Peru next month with the Juventus midfielder axed by head coach Joachim Loew.


"In the eyes of Grindel and his supporters, I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose," Ozil wrote damningly.

Following Germany's World Cup debacle, finishing bottom of their group in Russia, Loew announced on Wednesday that assistant coach Thomas Schneider has been demoted to chief scout.

The axe has also fallen on Sami Khedira, 31, who was part of the team which won the 2014 World Cup.

The Juventus midfielder is the biggest name casualty in the new squad, which included Gundogan, as well as his Manchester City team-mate Leroy Sane, who was dropped for the World Cup.

Loew says 'the biggest mistake' he made in Russia was to assume Germany could reach the knock-out stages by playing possession football.

- 'Almost arrogant' -

"That was almost arrogant. I wanted to take our game to the limit and perfect it," admitted the 58-year-old.

"I ended up taking too many risks and after the first game (a 1-0 defeat to Mexico) we had our backs to the wall."

Loew's new squad has a mix of "experience and youth" with his 2014 World Cup winning stars Mats Hummels, Jerome Boateng, Tony Kroos, Thomas Mueller and Manuel Neuer included despite below-par performances in Russia.

Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Thilo Kehrer, 21, Hoffenheim left-back Nico Schulz, 25, and Bayer Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz, 19, are called up for the first time.

Sane, Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah and Freiburg striker Nils Petersen, who were cut from the provisional World Cup squad, all return.

In May, Loew signed a four-year deal to take him through to the next World Cup, but admits Germany's woeful performance in Russia puts him under huge pressure to turn things around -- starting against world champions France.

"We are all being specially observed and put under pressure, I am aware of that," said Loew.

"However, I am still convinced of our class and quality. The World Cup squad was very, very good, but we did not perform."
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/loew-rejects-ozils-accusations-racism-german-fa-doc-18o6s610

THE NEWS: AI to seep further into everyday life at Berlin's IFA: analysts

AI to seep further into everyday life at Berlin's IFA: analysts



GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / David Becker Smart refigerators like this Samsung model are likely to be among the products on display at IFA tech trade fair in Berlin

Electronics manufacturers are betting on artificial intelligence weaving itself ever more tightly into our relationships with their products on show at this year's IFA, the sector's annual Berlin trade fair, analysts predict.

From Friday, "new releases in the artificial intelligence niche will be the ones everyone is talking about" at the industry event in the German capital, Gartner analyst Annette Zimmermann said.

South Korean giant Samsung, through a new connected speaker, Home Galaxy, equipped to respond to spoken commands, may send its voice assistant Bixby into battle with Google's Assistant, Amazon's Alexa and Apple's Siri for dominance of living rooms and kitchens.

Such devices made a splash at last year's IFA, making the 2018 show an opportunity to take stock of their reception among the public.

Research firm Gartner predicts that by 2020, some 75 percent of American households will use a voice assistant.

Meanwhile, similar technology is extending its reach into connected devices from fridges to lightbulbs, gigantic televisions with ever-higher resolution, and wearables used to track fitness data.

Such mass-market products are the bread-and-butter of IFA, which traditionally contrasts with its nerdier Las Vegas-based American equivalent CES.

- Augmented reality -

Also from Korea, Samsung rival LG is set to unveil its CLOi SuitBot, a powered exoskeleton that increases the user's leg strength and can be networked with the firm's other robots for complex tasks.

But visitors looking for novelty in their everyday tech companion, the smartphone, will be disappointed.

Apple has historically shunned IFA, while Samsung unveiled its top-end Galaxy Note 9 phone just a few weeks ago.

Neither is a major announcement expected from China's Huawei, a star of past years at the Berlin show.

Instead, the 2018 edition could be a breakthrough moment for augmented-reality applications that have so far left consumers unimpressed.

The technology superimposes digitally-generated elements like sounds or 2D and 3D images onto real-world scenes, for example in an Ikea app that allows users to virtually try out the furniture giant's sofas or bookshelves in their homes.

With new glasses, lenses and helmets, "there are more and more technologies available that include very high-quality content, whether it's augmented-reality Harry Potter or shopping applications", said Klaus Boehm of consultancy Deloitte.

Filling out the vast halls of Berlin's trade fair centre will be a bewildering array of products from around the world that range from the practical to the -- in some eyes -- downright dangerous.

Under German law, items like hoverboards, powered "monowheels" and electric skates can only be test-driven away from public roads.

And there are certain to be thousands of exhibitors showing off the latest fridge that re-orders food when stocks run low or Bluetooth headsets with an extra hour of battery life -- jockeying for position in a relentless technology race.
source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/205/ai-seep-further-everyday-life-berlins-ifa-analysts-doc-18n9ww5

THE NEWS: Iran's Khamenei says ready to abandon nuclear deal if needed

Iran's Khamenei says ready to abandon nuclear deal if needed



KHAMENEI.IR/AFP / Handout Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting in Tehran on August 29, 2018

Iran's supreme leader warned Wednesday the country could abandon its nuclear deal with world powers if it no longer served its interests, even as economic and political pressure mounted on the government.

"Naturally, if we reach the conclusion that (the nuclear deal) is no longer maintaining our national interests, we will put it aside," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a meeting with the cabinet, according to his website.

He said Iran must not "pin its hopes" on Europe, despite European efforts to salvage the nuclear deal following the withdrawal of the United States.

The government of President Hassan Rouhani has been battered by the return of US sanctions, which has triggered a rapid departure of foreign firms and ended his hopes of attracting large-scale investment.

His political enemies are circling, with parliament announcing that two more of his ministers could be impeached in the coming days.

The labour and economy ministers have already been sacked by parliament this month and motions have been accepted to vote on impeaching his industries and education ministers in the coming days.

Khamenei insisted the political tumult was a sign of the strength of Iran's democracy.

He praised the tough questioning Rouhani received in parliament on Tuesday as "a glorious show of the power of the Islamic republic and the self-confidence of officials."

Differences between officials are "natural", he added, though he said they should not be covered by the media "because the people would become worried".

Tuesday's grilling in parliament was the first for Rouhani in five years as president, and lawmakers slammed his handling of five economic issues, ranging from unemployment to the collapsing value of the currency.

In voting at the end of the session, they declared they were unsatisfied with four of his responses.

- 'Day and night' -

Under parliamentary rules, the issues could then have been referred for judicial review, but parliament speaker Ali Larijani -- a close ally of Rouhani -- said on Wednesday there were no legal grounds for doing so.

Parliament can theoretically impeach Rouhani, but he has the protection of Khamenei, who has previously said removing the president would "play into the hands of the enemy".

Instead, Khamenei called on officials to work together "day and night" to resolve the country's economic problems.

Iran's currency has lost around half its value since the US announced it was withdrawing from the nuclear deal in May, and further pain is expected when sanctions on its crucial oil sector are reimposed in November.

Conservative opponents of Rouhani, who have long opposed his outreach to the West, are smelling blood.

Next in their sights is his minister of industry, mines and business, Mohammad Shariatmadari, who is accused of failing to prevent high inflation, particularly in the car industry.

A motion was also filed on Wednesday to vote on the impeachment of Education Minister Mohammad Bathaei, over a series of issues linked to school budgets, the curriculum and alleged mismanagement.

source: https://www.afp.com/en/news/23/irans-khamenei-says-ready-abandon-nuclear-deal-if-needed-doc-18o7s91