Leaders china

The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) signed Tuesday will provide “significant long-term economic benefits” to California farmers in the Central Valley, according to the Fresno County Farm Bureau’s Ryan Jacobsen.The Fresno Bee reported Tuesday that Jacobsen hailed the agreement, which Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had been stonewalling for months over “tweaks” in labor enforcement. Critics alleged that Pelosi had resisted the agreement because she did not want to give President Donald Trump a major policy win, as replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) had been a core campaign promise. She only relented after Democrats announced two watered-down articles of impeachment against the president earlier on Tuesday morning. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that Pelosi’s stalling left the Senate too little time to debate USMCA before the end of the year. Still, approval is likely after the Senate … [Read more...] about USMCA Big Boost to California Farmers Hit by China Trade War

In this Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019 photo, members of a theater troupe raise their hands to symbolize the five demands of pro-democracy protesters after a performance of Les Miserables in at an outdoor event space in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong theater troupe is making audiences weep by touring a stirring production of 'Les Miserables.' Based on Victor Hugo's tale of rebellion in 19th-century France, the rousing music and lyrics of struggle and resistance struck chords with audience members emotionally and physically drained after six months of protests that have convulsed the city. less In this Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019 photo, members of a theater troupe raise their hands to symbolize the five demands of pro-democracy protesters after a performance of Les Miserables in at an outdoor event space ... more Photo: John Leicester, AP … [Read more...] about The people sing: ‘Les Mis’ soothes, breaks Hong Kong hearts

The world has been saying “never again” to genocide and crimes against humanity ever since the Nazis perpetrated the Holocaust and their war against civilization in the 1930s and ’40s. But that has not prevented the mass atrocities in Cambodia, the Balkans, Rwanda, China, Syria, Myanmar and other places in the decades since the end of World War II.Now the international community is on notice that another massive human rights outrage is being perpetrated before its eyes in East Turkestan, now called Xinjiang, in western China. The Uighurs, a Muslim population invaded and occupied by Communist China in 1949, are the victims of a vast campaign of subjugation under the totalitarian rubric of “Sinicization.” History shows that cultural genocide (even before it was called that) can quickly become genocide itself.Beijing is imposing a pervasive system of mind-and-soul control on the 4 million Uighurs in an attempt to wipe out the vestiges of their ethnic and … [Read more...] about Congress should finish what it started and help the Uighurs

Europe is set to stake its economic future on an environmental clean-up that will overhaul the way the world's biggest single market polices businesses and manages trade relations. The new order unveiled on Wednesday by the European Union's executive arm will center on a goal to eliminate by mid-century the bloc's net discharges of greenhouse gases. Such pollutants cause the more frequent heatwaves, storms and floods tied to climate change. "This is Europe's man on the moon moment," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels before detailing the plans. "I'm convinced that the old growth model that is based on fossil fuels and pollution is out of date and out of touch with our planet." Under the package of proposed measures, the EU transition to climate neutrality would start next year and involve: stricter emission limits for industries from cars to chemicals; revamped energy taxes; new rules on subsidies for companies; greener farming; and a possible … [Read more...] about Europe eyes ‘man on moon moment’ with Green Deal revolution

Europe is arming itself for a more lawless world of trade -- and the bloc's sights are on the U.S. European Union trade chief Phil Hogan on Thursday will seek an upgrade to EU legislation on enforcing international commercial rules. His proposal would allow the EU to impose sanctions against countries that illegally restrict commerce and simultaneously block the World Trade Organization's dispute-settlement process. The timing of the initiative in Brussels is no coincidence. On Wednesday, the WTO's much-prized appellate body ceased to be able to handle new cases because a U.S. veto of any appointments to the panel left it without the minimum three members required for verdicts. The body is the WTO's supreme authority, issuing binding decisions that give winning parties in disputes the right to apply trade penalties such as higher tariffs against law-breaking countries. Since before the Trump administration, the U.S. has accused the appeals panel of overstepping its mandate and has … [Read more...] about Europe set for move to expand trade arsenal with focus on Trump