WASHINGTON: Senator Richard Lugar, a leading US voice on foreign policy for decades and a onetime presidential candidate known for his civility and bipartisan ways, has died at a medical center in Falls Church, Virginia. He was 87.Lugar died of chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy, according to a statement from the Lugar Center in Washington, a global policy institute which he founded in 2013.A soft-spoken Republican moderate, Lugar was twice chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and built a reputation as one of Washington's most influential foreign-policy voices during the record six terms he represented Indiana in the Senate.That reputation was burnished by his willingness to work across party lines, most famously when he joined Democratic senator Sam Nunn in 1991 to forge what became known as the Nunn-Lugar program to help former Soviet republics dismantle their nuclear arsenals.In a statement, Vice President Mike Pence - former governor of Indiana - mourned … [Read more...] about Richard Lugar, US foreign-policy luminary, dies at 87
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Ambassador: Trump urges Japan’s Abe to build more cars in US
US President Donald Trump pressed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to have Japanese automakers produce more vehicles in the US, according to a readout of their recent meeting provided by the US ambassador to Japan on Saturday. The two discussed recent public announcements by Japanese car makers, including Toyota Motor's decision to invest more in US plants. "We talked about the need to see more movement in that direction but I think the President feels positive we will see such movement because all the economics support that,"said Ambassador William Hagerty. Mr Trump told a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Saturday that Mr Abe said Japan would invest US$40 billion (S$55 billion) in US car factories. Toyota, Japan's largest automaker, said last month it would exceed a 2017 pledge to invest US$10 billion over five years with a new commitment to reach nearly US$13 billion over that period. Mr Trump has prodded Japanese automakers to add more jobs in the US as the White House threatens to … [Read more...] about Ambassador: Trump urges Japan’s Abe to build more cars in US
US reels from deadly synagogue attack
POWAY, UNITED STATES: A teenage gunman who wrote a hate-filled manifesto opened fire at a synagogue in California on Saturday, killing one person and injuring three others, including the rabbi, as worshippers marked the final day of Passover, the authorities said. The shooting in the town of Poway, north of San Diego, came exactly six months after a white supremacist killed 11 people at Pittsburgh's Tree of Life synagogue - the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in US history. San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said those wounded included the rabbi - who had injuries to both index fingers - as well as a female minor and 34-year-old man who were injured by shrapnel. A 60-year-old woman died from her wounds. Mr Gore identified the suspect, who was arrested after fleeing the scene, as 19-year-old John Earnest and said he had no prior arrest record. He said Earnest burst into the Chabad of Poway synagogue shortly after 11.20am local time and opened fire with an assault weapon that … [Read more...] about US reels from deadly synagogue attack
Abe, Trudeau extol Pacific trade pact without US
OTTAWA: Canadian and Japanese leaders on Sunday (Apr 28) jointly trumpeted a rebooted Pacific trade pact that came into effect at the start of the year, without the United States.The Trans-Pacific Partnership (or CPTPP) removed trade barriers among 11 nations representing nearly 500 million consumers in the Asia-Pacific region in a bid to counter China's growing economic influence.US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2017 before it was ratified.At a joint press conference in Ottawa, visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his host Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the pact has "benefitted tremendously" citizens and businesses of member nations, including Canada and Japan."Continuing to move forward on freer and more open trade according to the rules that we can all agree on is something that we need more in the world," Trudeau said.The CPTPP "stands in stark contrast" to rising protectionism sparked by the United States, he said, noting that Canadian beef exports … [Read more...] about Abe, Trudeau extol Pacific trade pact without US
What Bangkok tells us about Thainess
The anniversary of Bangkok’sdedication as the new capital of Siam, observed once again this past April 21, is in coincidental but revealing near-juxtaposition with Songkran. The latter observation never fails to illuminate the nature of the city. By the time we commemorate the day that King Phutthayotfa Chulalok, first of the Chakri monarchs, declared his burgeoning settlement on Rattanakosin Island to be the new capital for a resurgent Siamese kingdom, the city has returned to its usual boisterous hive activity. But in the week prior, year after year, it’s relatively much quieter, with so many of its inhabitants having dispersed to the upcountry provinces of their origins and ancestry for the long Songkran holiday. The perennial abandonment of Bangkok during this time explains how important the city is to Thai society. The annual Songkran mass exodus and the heaving return one week later are like an exhalation and inhalation, the vast community breathing in unity. … [Read more...] about What Bangkok tells us about Thainess