April 3, 2018
Volume 12, Issue 12
Foreign Policy and International Relations Club
Dış Politika ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Topluluğu
Israeli army kills 17 Palestinians in Gaza protests More than 1,400 others wounded by Israeli forces during march calling for return of Palestinian refugees to their lands.
lestinian citizens of Israel were killed by Israeli forces during protests against the Israeli government's decision to expropriate massive tracts of Palestinian-owned land. The Palestinian Authority has declared Organisers of Friday's march, dubbed Saturday a day of national mourning after "the Great Return March", said the main 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli for- message of the demonstration was to call ces as thousands marched near Gaza's border with Israel in a major demonstration marking the 42nd anniversary of Land Day. "Schools, universities, as well as all government institutions, across the country will be off on Saturday, as per President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to declare a day of national mourning for the souls of the martyrs," a statement issued on Friday said.
Protesters in Gaza gathered in five different spots along the border, originally positioned about 700 metres away from the fence. According to the ministry, the majority were injured by live fire, rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas inhalation. At Kuwait's request, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting late on Friday, but failed to agree on a joint statement. The Jordanian government also issued a statement laying responsibility on Israel for the deaths of the Palestinian protesters.
The Turkish and Qatari governments released similar statements, condemning More than 1,400 others were wounded Israel's use of force. Al Jazeera / March after Israeli forces fired live ammunition for the right of return for Palestinian refu- 30, 2018 at protesters and used tear gas to push gees. them back from a heavily fortified fence, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Some 70 percent of Gaza's two million population are descendants of PalestiniHealth. ans who were driven from their homes in Friday's demonstration commemora- the territories taken over by Israel during ted Land Day, which took place on the 1948 war, known to Arabs as the March 30, 1976, when six unarmed Pa- Nakba.
THIS WEEK
EUROPE Page - 2
ASIA & PACIFIC Page - 3
OPINIONS Page 4-5
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA Page - 6
AMERICAS Page - 7
TURKEY Page - 8
ECONOMY & BUSINESS Page - 9
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK Page - 10-11
EDITORIAL Page - 12
EUROPE Facebook and Google are becoming too big to be governed, French president Macron warns Emmanuel Macron has warned that Google and Facebook are becoming too big to be governed and could face being dismantled. Internet giants could be forced to pay for the disruption they cause in society and submit to French or European privacy regulations, he suggested. Mr Macron said companies such as Google and Facebook were welcome in France, brought jobs and were “part of our ecosystem”. But he warned: “They have a very classical issue in a monopoly situation; they are huge players. At a point of time – but I think it will be a US problem, not a European problem – at a point of time, your government, your people, may say, ‘Wake up. They are too big.’ “Not just too big to fail, but too big to be governed. Which is brand new. “So at this point, you may choose to dismantle. That’s what happened at the very beginning of the oil sector when you had these big giants. That’s a competition issue.” Mr Macron also hinted in the interview that the online giants might be forced to put more money towards compensation for disrupting traditional economic sectors. “We have to retrain our people,” he said. “These companies will not pay for that; the government will. “Today the GAFA [Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon] don’t pay all the taxes they should in Europe. So they don’t contribute to dealing with negative externalities they create. And they ask the sectors they disrupt to pay, because these guys, the old sectors pay VAT, corporate taxes and so on. That’s not sustainable.” The Independent / April 1, 2018
Pope Francis spoke out to condemn what “our generation” is leaving to young people. People everywhere should feel ashamed about a planet “fractured by divisions and wars, a world devoured by selfishness, in which the young, the sick, the old are marginalised", The Independent / March 31, 2018 Authorities want to introduce tolls of up to €22.50 on the main link between Kosovo and Albania. Protesters say the road should unite the two countries, both dominated by ethnic Albanians. DW/ March 31, 2018. Waving Catalan independence flags, protesters marched through the German capital calling for Catalonia's expresident not to be sent back to Spain. Meanwhile, other politicians paid Puigdemont an Easter prison visit.DW / April 1,2018.
Hungarian government rehashes UKIP antimigrant poster in new ad The Hungarian government has dug out a controversial photo used by Britain’s antiimmigrant UK Independence Party, and reused it to campaign for it own anti-immigration policy.UKIP’s ‘Breaking Point’ poster was released shortly before the Brexit referendum calling on voters to leave the EU over its immigration policy. It drew widespread condemnation from politicians and was the subject of complaints to the police, saying it was inciting hatred.The poster featured the photo showing a mass of non-white men walking down a road and with the slogan “Breaking point: the EU has failed us all” printed across it. The photo was shot by Getty photographer Jeff Mitchell who was documenting migrants crossing the CroatiaSlovenia border in 2015, at the height of the migrant crisis. Mitchell told the Guardian it was “unfortunate” that his image was used in UKIPs anti-immigration campaign. Euronews / March 28, 2018.
Ireland sets May date for historic abortion referendum Vote on 25 May will offer citizens opportunity to overhaul one of world’s strictest regimes Ireland will vote in a referendum on 25 May on liberalising its strict abortion laws, the government has confirmed, in an announcement that officially begins two months of campaigning. Abortion has long been a divisive issue in the once stridently Catholic country. A complete ban was only lifted in 2013, when terminations were allowed in cases where the mother’s life was in danger.Voters will be asked if they want to repeal article 40.3.3 – known as the eighth amendment – which since 1983 has given unborn foetuses and pregnant women an equal right to life, in effect enshrining a ban on abortion in the country’s constitution.If Ireland votes in favour of repeal, the government has said it will introduce legislation permitting unrestricted abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. The Guardian/ March 28, 2018.
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ASIA & PACIFIC Russia, in spy rift riposte, expels 59 diplomats from 23 countries Russia expelled 59 diplomats from 23 countries on Friday and said it reserved the right to take action against four other nations in a worsening standoff with the West over the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Britain. Russia said it was responding to what it called the baseless demands for scores of its own diplomats to leave a slew of mostly Western countries that have joined London and Washington in censuring Moscow over the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Russia summoned senior envoys on Friday from most of the other countries that have expelled Russian diplomats and told them it was expelling a commensurate number of theirs. During the course of Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned senior embassy officials from Australia, Albania, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Ukraine, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada and the Czech Republic. All were seen arriving in their official cars at the Foreign Ministry’s gothic building in Moscow.“ They (the diplomats) were handed protest notes and told that in response to the unwarranted demands of the relevant states on expelling Russian diplomats ... that the Russian side declares the corresponding number of staff working in those countries’ embassies in the Russian Federation persona non grata,” the ministry said in a statement. Four other countries — Belgium, Hungary, Georgia and Montenegro — had only “at the last moment” announced that they too were expelling Russian diplomats over the Skripal affair, and Moscow reserved the right to take retaliatory action against them too, it said. Reuters / March 30, 2018
Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has returned to Pakistan for the first time since being shot by Taliban militants. In an emotional speech at the prime minister's office, she said it had been her dream to return "without any fear". BBC / March 29, 2018 Thousands of people have protested in the Siberian city of Kemerovo, angry at Russian officials over the leisure complex fire that killed at least 64 people, 41 of them children. Investigators say the fire alarm was switched off and exits blocked. Four people have been charged. BBC / March 27, 2018
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will further keep track of the political dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang, IOC President Thomas Bach said. Sputnik / March 31, 2018
Kim Jong-un met with Xi Jinping in secret Beijing visit North Korea’s enigmatic young leader, Kim Jong-un, made an unannounced visit to Beijing, meeting with President Xi Jinping weeks before planned summit meetings with American and South Korean leaders, Chinese and North Korean state news media reported on Wednesday. Mr. Kim told the Chinese leader that he was open to dialogue with the United States, including a potential summit meeting with President Trump, and was committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to an account published by China’s news agency Xinhua. Hours after the meeting was announced, Mr. Trump said on Twitter that he looked forward to meeting Mr. Kim, and that there was “a good chance” that the North Korean leader would “do what is right for his people and for humanity.” The New York Times / March 27, 2018
China Responds to US Trade Barriers With 15-25% Tariffs' Boost on American Goods China suspends tariff reduction obligations on 128 imported products originating from the United States and is imposing additional tariffs on the basis of the current applicable tariff rates. To suspend tariff reduction obligations on 120 imported products such as fruits and other products originating in the United States, China has imposed additional tariffs on the basis of the current applied tariff rates and has imposed a tariff rate of 15%, according to the State Council statement. Eight imported goods such as pork and products originating in the United States shall be subject to tariff reduction obligations. Tariffs shall be imposed on the basis of the current applied tariff rates, and the tariff rate shall be increased by 25%. The current policy of taxation, tax relief, and tax exemption remains unchanged. On March 8, 2018, US President Trump signed an announcement confirming that imported steel and aluminum products threatened US national security and decided to impose tariffs (i.e. 232 measures) on imported steel and aluminum products beginning from March 23. Sputnik / April 1, 2018
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OPINIONS
Internal Market at the heart of the EU's Integration Policy Traced back to 1956 Speak Report and 1957 Lisbon Treaty, building a market has always been at the centre of European integration. Today, the internal market of the European Union is set to be a single market where the free movement of goods, capital, services and persons are ensured and that every citizen is entitled with sets of rights and regulations. Although there are many other policy process within the European integration process, the internal market remains to be the prominent one. Such centrality is not only because of the desirability and advantages of barrier free trade within soon-to-be 27 Member States but also because the process itself is yet to be completed. To start with, the internal market is one of the most attractive attributes to the outer world with more than one advantage. Given that the united internal market of the Political Science and union would entail low trade barriers, the result of the internal market would be freer Public Administration circulation of factors of production which in return would mean decreased production and administrative costs, increased technological advancements, increased traekinsuyilde, investment, employment, growth, capital and opportunities. Although such a maz@gmail.com promise would need EU to confront to dynamics of competition, along with a structured enforcement, it would also legitimize the creation of such a technocratic union in the first place. By promising such an economic prosperity, the internal market of the EU is perhaps one of the long-lasting and valid commitments of the integration process. Ekin Su YÄąlmaz
Second and perhaps the most importantly, the internal market of the EU is still very important to the integration process, because it is not yet completed. Over the past half-decade the union has been struggling to maintain such a promise but being hindered on firstly the grounds that the governments are preferring to psychologically, politically, socially and economically identify with their Member States and its own market dynamics. Second to that EUnational level tension, there are still some fundamental disagreements on the principles of the internal market (whether it should be more liberal and privatized or more publicised). In addition, differences on the efficiency of the market not backed up by one single infrastructural background are failing to keep the internal market up with the competitive forces of the globe. Lastly, the evolving nature of market forces requires dynamism and with the political and sometimes social tensions in place, the dynamics are not always met. With all these reasons in mind, the internal market still remains to be at the centre of EU. Although the process is still evolving, it is one of the most preferred and attractive promises of the membership and that are why the EU cannot be thought somewhat separate from the process. Such inseparability was also present and indeed still is present during the Brexit talks. The negotiations revolved and have been revolving around the internal market’s future as one side hoped to be still included in whereas the other side was calculating the possible damages of one great power leaving from the market.
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OPINIONS A General Look At Hungarian Politics Right Before Elections I am currently maintaining my university education at the University of Szeged, in Hungary, as an Erasmus student. Hungary will hold Its parliamentary elections next week on April 8, 2018. Because this is the last issue of our weekly newspaper, I did not want to miss the last chance to share my observations and thoughts regarding Hungarian politics and upcoming elections. Before mentioning the current political situation in Hungary, I would like to go back to the year 1989. In this year, Communism collapsed, and Hungary came out of the control of Soviet Union. After centuries, it had been an independent country once again - previous independent Hungary called Kingdom of Hungary had been destroyed by Ottoman Empire in 1526 with the Battle of Mohacs-. The first democratic elections in the history of the country were held one Salih BĂźlbĂźl year after being independent, in 1990. Hungary is a democratic country with the system of a parliamentary republic. There are prime minister and president rule the country jointly. Even History though the president is the head of state and chief of Hungarian Military, it is only a ceremonial figure who has no executive power. On the other hand, the prime minister is elected by Hunbulbullsalih@gmail.com garian nation and rule the country as a head of government. Elections are held in every four years and Hungarians choose their prime minister for four years term. In order to have the power to establish a government, a political party or coalition need to have a majority in the Hungarian parliament. The Parliament has 199 seats in total. This means that gaining 100 seats gives right to establish government and govern the country. The current president of Hungary is Viktor Mihaly Orban. He is serving as a prime minister for 8 years. However, this is his 12th year in this duty since he has also served as a prime minister of Hungary from 1998 to 2002 in a coalition. He is the most questioned and criticized figure among European Union countries. In the beginning, he was a good supporter of liberalism and democratization of Hungary. Over time, conservative and populist ideas of him became more evident. In addition, taking harsh steps against migrants and changing Hungarian constitution dramatically made him unpopular in Europe. Europeans especially Germany criticize him for being authoritarian and anti-democratic while he is claiming that he is doing everything for his country. He also says that his country is not like any European country. It is an exception and It needs to be treated in accordance. To be honest it is none of my business that Hungary is being an authoritarian country under the rule of Prime Minister Orban. However, there is one important point that I strongly criticize him. His extremist actions against refugees and migrants are so brutal. He is using everything to prevent them not only from coming to the country but also just passing to western Europe. I would like to give some examples about this matter. When you are watching video on YouTube, it is likely that you watch ads about how bad refugees are. You can easily encounter an ad on TV mentions refugees and migrants are full of illnesses and they are just creating problems, so they need to be prevented from taking a step in the country. Overall, In the short history of Hungary as a democratic country, the current president Victor Mihaly Orban is the most prominent figure. Even though he is criticized by Europeans constantly, he has the support of his country Hungary. Although he is brutal in terms of refugees and migrants in the eyes of me and the vast majority, he says that he is doing everything for his nation and its welfare. For this reason, I think that upcoming elections will be a victory for him again. The opposition parties and their figures are not that popular to take over as a prime minister.
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MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA US blocks UNSC statement on Israel's use of force on Land Day Kuwaiti draft Security Council statement demanded an investigation into Gaza's Land Day rallies in which 17 were killed. The United States has blocked a draft statement by the United Nations Security Council that called for an investigation into the killing of 17 unarmed Palestinian protesters near the Gaza Strip's eastern border. The statement, which was proposed by Kuwait, demanded an "independent and transparent investigation" under international law into the bloody events on Friday's Land Day protests. The statement also expressed "grave concern at the situation at the border" and stressed "the right to peaceful protest". However, the US blocked the statement on Saturday, with US representative to the UN Walter Miller saying "bad actors" were using the "protests as a cover to incite violence" and to "endanger innocent lives." Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee, condemned the US' decision, describing the US and the UK as being complicit in Israel's persistent violations and violence. "The Israeli army used unbridled violence, unleashing more than 100 snipers and firing live ammunition, tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets against the protesters before the very eyes of the entire international community," Ashrawi said in a statement on Saturday. "Yet, the UN Security Council failed to agree on a statement condemning the egregious violations that occurred at the hands of Israel. Al Jazeera / April 1, 2018
The app, used during last year's protests, will be replaced by a similar app built by the government, officials say. The Iranian government is set to permanently block the messaging app Telegram over national security concerns and replace it with its own messaging app. Al Jazeera / April 1, 2018 Pope Francis has called in his Easter address for an end to "carnage" in Syria and "reconciliation" in the Middle East. He also named several other nations, including Yemen and DR Congo, as needing the "fruits of peace." DW / April 1, 2018 Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said that US forces must stay in Syria despite the latest statement by President Donald Trump calling for their withdrawal after the end of the war on Daesh. Arab News / April 1, 2018
Syria war: France offers to mediate between Turkey and Kurds France has offered to mediate in the conflict in northern Syria, where Turkey launched a military offensive against Kurdish fighters in January. Ankara is battling to drive out the Kurdish YPG militia, which it sees as an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The French offer was swiftly dismissed by a Turkish presidential spokesman. Ibrahim Kalin said countries should instead take a "clear stance against all types of terrorism". Separately on Friday, Turkey said five soldiers were killed and seven wounded in an attack by the PKK in the south-eastern province of Siirt. The attack, the deadliest by the PKK for months, is likely to be in revenge for Turkey's offensive in northern Syria, BBC Turkey correspondent Mark Lowen reports. BBC / March 30, 2018
Syrian forces liberate all cities of Syria's East Ghouta - army command Earlier, a source familiar with the matter said to Sputnik that four major cities of the embattled Damascus suburb had been freed from the terrorists. The Syrian army's command has said that its forces have liberated all the territory of Eastern Ghouta, including cities and settlements. The army command stressed that the operation had secured the Syrian capital. The army has also managed for the first time in seven years to unblock the main highway connecting Damascus with the central, northern regions of Syria as well as with the western coast and the desert to the border with Iraq. A source in the military told Sputnik earlier that the cities of Irbin, Jobar, Zamalka and Ein Tarma had been fully freed with the government troops being deployed there in order to check if the cities are mined. The militants' southern outpost in Eastern Ghouta which included the four cities was considered the most dangerous for Damascus, as militants launched their attacks against the city from there. According to the source, the last convoy consisting of 65 buses is preparing to evacuate 2,935 people from the four cities, including a thousand militants to the Idlib province. With all the terrorists being evacuated from the four cities, the last city under the control of militants will be Douma. Sputnik / March 31, 2018 6
AMERICAS Appeals court rules against latest Trump travel ban A federal appeals court ruled against the latest version of President Donald Trump's travel ban on Thursday, holding that it "continues to exhibit a primarily religious anti-Muslim objective." The 9-4 ruling from the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals comes after the Supreme Court agreed to take up a separate challenge to the President's proclamation, issued last September. Because that case is pending before the justices, the latest ruling from the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals will not change the current status quo. For now, the Supreme Court has allowed the third iteration of the travel ban to go fully into effect pending the resolution of the issue by late June. In Thursday's opinion, the appeals court held that immigrant rights groups represented by the ACLU and the National Immigration Law Center "will likely succeed on the merits of their Establishment Clause claim." "President Trump's third illegal attempt to denigrate and discriminate against Muslims through an immigration ban has failed in court yet again," said the ACLU's deputy legal director Cecillia Wang. "The Constitution prohibits government actions hostile to religion." The revised ban places varying levels of restrictions on foreign nationals from eight countries: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Somalia and Yemen. The appeals court called Trump's proclamation an "invisible yet impenetrable" barrier that "denies the possibility of a complete, intact family to tens of thousands of Americans." CNN / March 27, 2018
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit waters near Papua New Guinea on Monday, the US Geological Survey said. There are no reports about victims or damage caused by the earthquake. Sputnik / March 26, 2018 Ecuador says it has again suspended Julian Assange's, the Wikileaks founder, ability to communicate with the world outside its embassy in London. The South American nation accuses him of failing to commit to an agreement not to release messages interfering with other nations' affairs. CNN / March 29, 2018 Trump renounced a push to give young unauthorised immigrants legal status as he lashed out at Democrats and Mexico in a Twitter barrage. He threatened to scrap the NAFTA, a deal he has assailed as unfair to the US and that is in the process of being renegotiated. The Independent / April 1, 2018
Fire kills 68 people at Venezuelan prison – reports A fire at the Venezuelan prison in the northern state of Carabobo killed 68 people overnight, including two female visitors, the chief prosecutor said Wednesday. "The result of preliminary inquiries suggests that 66 men and two female visitors have died," Saab said on Twitter. Earlier, local media suggested that the alleged cause of the blaze was riot attempt. Venezuelan prisons are reportedly extremely overcrowded and filled with weapons. Riots leaving dozens dead are not unusual. In August, clashes between rioting prisoners and security forces reportedly killed 37 inmates in the southern Venezuelan state of Amazonas, In 2016, the explosion occurred on the visiting day in jail of San Juan de los Morros, in Guarico State. At least one person was killed and 22 others were injured. Sputnik / March 29, 2018
US court allows 9/11 victims' lawsuits claiming Saudi Arabia helped plan terror attack Judge rules there is 'reasonable basis' to allow thousands of survivors and families of victims bring legal action. A US court has rejected Saudi Arabia’s request to throw out lawsuits claiming the Middle Eastern nation helped plan the 9/11 terror attacks. District judge George Daniels said there was “a reasonable basis” to allow legal action seeking billions of dollars in damages for victims. The Saudi government has long denied involvement in the attacks, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people when hijacked aeroplanes crashed into New York’s World Trade Centre, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field. Saudi Arabia argued the plaintiffs in the legal action could not show the kingdom or any affiliated charities were behind the attacks. It also claimed it deserved sovereign immunity and asked for the lawsuits to be dismissed. But Mr. Daniels said the allegations “narrowly articulate a reasonable basis” for him to assert jurisdiction over Saudi Arabia under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA). Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision. The Independent / March 29, 2018
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TURKEY Turkey lashes out at France over support for YPG in Syria Turkey has slammed its NATO ally France for voicing support to the Syrian Kurdish groups and offering to mediate between the Turkish government and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan describing Paris’ move as a “show of hostility against Turkey.” “Those who host at the highest level the members of a terrorist organization, which has been freely carrying out its activities in their countries, should be aware that this is nothing but an expression of hostility against Turkey,” Erdoğan said on March 30, condemning French President Emmanuel Macron’s reception of members of Syrian Kurdish groups at the Elysée Palace.France no longer has the right to complain about the actions of any terror organization on its soil after meeting with the representatives of the PYD and its armed wing, the People Protection Units (YPG), Erdoğan added.“Those who have been abetting terrorists and who have been hosting them in their palaces will sooner or later see the mistake they have made. They may face the problems that we ourselves have been experiencing at any time. We hope they will not dare to seek our help when France is filled with terrorists fleeing from Syria and Iraq after being encouraged by French policies,” he said. Hurriyet Daily News / March 30, 2018
The İYİ (Good) Party, which is currently not on the list of the “parties to participate in elections” published by Turkey’s Higher Election Board (YSK), held its first extraordinary general congress on April 1 in order to fulfil a necessary condition for inclusion on the list. Hurriyet Daily News / April 1, 2018 Israel is a “terrorist state and occupier,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said, once again slamming the killing of 16 Palestinians by the Israeli army during a demonstration on March 30. Hurriyet Daily News / April 1, 2018 Turkey’s exports reached $160 billion in the last 12 months with a 10.5 percent increase, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on April 1, citing the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly. According to a statement, this March’s export figures hit an alltime high with an 11.5 percent year-on-year increase, reaching $15.106 billion. Hurriyet Daily News /April 1,2018
Turkey to host Syria summit with Russia, Iran on April 4 Turkey will host a trilateral meeting on Syria, gathering leaders from Turkey, Russia and Iran next week, the Presidential Press Office said on March 31. The meeting hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on April 4 will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, according to a statement. Besides regional developments and the ongoing Syrian war, the Turkish and Iranian leaders are also expected to hold talks to discuss bilateral relations. Turkey, Russia and Iran are the guarantor countries who brokered a cease-fire in Syria in December 2016, leading to the Astana talks in the Kazakh capital, which are being held parallel to United Nations-backed discussions in Geneva, to find a political solution to the conflict. Hurriyet Daily News / March 31, 2018
Turkey condemns ‘provocative reports’ targeting Turkish Embassy in Kosovo The Turkish Foreign Ministry rejected and condemned what is called “malicious media manipulations” in Kosovo, specifically news reports claiming that six Turkish men deported from the country were in the Turkish Embassy in Pristina. The claims that extradited people, who worked in schools and clinics supported by the Gülen movement, referred to by the Turkish authorities as the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETÖ), were being kept at the embassy were “unfounded,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy said in a written statement on March 31.“The terrorist organization has once again shown its real face to the entire world with their actions against Turkey and its missions in Kosovo. The authorities of Kosovo have been reminded that the safety of Turkish nationals, missions, officials and companies is first and foremost Kosovo’s responsibility as a host nation and that they are expected to act in line with their international obligations,” Aksoy said. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also blasted Kosovo’s prime minister on March 31 for criticizing the secret deportations of six Turkish men who Ankara claims are terrorists with links to the now-outlawed network of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen.Erdoğan said he was “saddened” that Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj had dismissed both his interior minister and his intelligence chief on March 30 for deporting the six without his permission. Hurriyet Daily News / March 31, 2018
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ECONOMY & BUSINESS Tesla recalls 123,000 Model S vehicles US electric car maker Tesla is recalling 123,000 of its Model S vehicles after discovering steering problems. It comes as the company faces a US government probe into a fatal crash involving a Model X SUV. Electric car maker Tesla told owners of its best-selling Model S on Thursday that it was recalling 123,000 of the cars built before April 2016. Tesla said the voluntary global recall – the largest recall to date by billionaire Elon Musk's company – would allow it to replace a power steering bolt that was liable to corrosion from salt used on winter roads. The company said that under 0.02 percent of vehicles in the US exhibit this issue, The Wall Street Journal reported. Tesla said that all Model S vehicles with the faulty part would be retrofitted "This primarily makes the car harder to drive at low speeds and for parallel parking, but does not materially affect control at high speed, where only small steering wheel force is needed," Tesla wrote in the email. "If the bolts fail, the driver is still able to steer the car, but increased force is required due to loss or reduction of power assist," the email said. The Silicon Valley-based company said that no accidents or injuries had been caused by the flaw and that no other Tesla models were involved in the recall. The company is also facing a National Transportation Safety Board investigation after a March 23 crash that killed a Model X driver near San Francisco. Investigators are probing whether car's autopilot had been engaged at the time of the accident. Deutsche Welle / March 30, 2018
Donald Trump takes aim at Amazon again
Brexit boost for consumers short-lived says IFS
Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Amazon, claiming Consumers could see prices fall by up to 1.2% if Britain were it pays "little or no taxes to state and local governments." The to abolish all tariffs once it has left the European Union, a reonline giant is "putting many thousands of retailers out of busi- port says. ness," the president tweeted. Despite the White House insisting that there are no plans to act against Amazon imminently, the US president on Thursday reiterated his stance that the online retailer had an unfair advantage over its brick-and-mortar competitors — and didn't pay its fair share in tax. While Donald Trump has long argued for changes in how purchases from third-party Amazon vendors are taxed, his latest comments come a day after reports surfaced that Trump had discussed anti-trust laws to rein in the company, which instantly wiped €24 billion ($30 billion) — 4.4 percent — off the company's value. "I have stated my concerns with Amazon long before the election. Unlike others, they pay little or no taxes to state and local governments, use our Postal System as their Delivery Boy (causing tremendous loss to the US), and are putting many thousands of retailers out of business," Trump tweeted on Thursday. Amazon, whose founder Jeff Bezos is the world's richest man, has fought for years against internet sales tax. And while the US Postal Service has lost money for years, online shopping has led to growth in its package delivery business. Deutsche Welle / March 29, 2018
But the study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies warns that any gains would be small and were based on "optimistic" assumptions. It also said that consumers had already seen prices rise by 2% since the referendum due to the weaker pound. Costs linked to new EU trade barriers could also hit consumers, it said. Those increased costs would "offset" any "rather limited" gains from becoming tariff free in the future, the report from the think tank says. "We estimate that complete abolition of all tariffs would reduce prices faced by households by about 0.71.2%," the report says. "This could have additional positive economic benefits in the long run but could also be very damaging for some UK industries in the short run." The report says that average tariffs applied to UK imports as part of the EU's customs union are around 2.8%. It also says that of every £100 spent by UK households, only £26 is affected, directly or indirectly, by the import prices of goods on which tariffs are charged. Paul Johnson, the director of the IFS, told the BBC: "If we leave the customs union, we can come to our own trade deals with other countries, we can reduce tariffs. "But even if we reduce that as much as possible, the effect on prices will be really quite small relative to what is still a big cost of leaving the customs union because it would make trade with the rest of Europe so much more expensive." BBC / March 20, 2017 9
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK What does Seoul think of Kim Jong-un's landmark visit to China? South Korea's biggest headache at the moment is not China or even North Korea - It is the Trump administration.
Se-Woong Koo Se-Woong Koo is cofounder and publisher of Korea Expose, an online magazine specialising in Korean politics, culture and society.
On March 26, a crew from Japan's Nippon TV filmed an old-fashioned, dark green train's arrival in Beijing. The footage prompted much speculation about the identity of the passengers onboard, as the train was coming from North Korea and its arrival caused Chinese authorities to tighten security around the train station and the Chinese capital. Two days later, on March 28, China's official news agency Xinhua finally announced that the green train had been carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju on their first foreign trip since Kim came to power in 2011. The news caused an international media frenzy and launched numerous think pieces about North Korea and China's intentions in the run-up to the two highly publicised summits: one between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April, and the other between Kim and US President Donald Trump in May.
In South Korea, however, the news about Kim's visit was received with nothing more than a shrug. The close ties between Beijing and Pyongyang were already known, so it was not a shock for South Koreans to learn that Kim wanted to have a face-to-face meeting with China's President Xi Jinping at this critical juncture. More than anything, the visit confirmed what many observers here have believed all along: North Korea is serious about dialogue and wants to shed its long-standing image as a pariah state. It is ready to join the international community once again. It may seem incredible how quickly things have turned around on the Korean Peninsula since the peak of tensions last year. Pyongyang was trading verbal tirades with Washington and conducting weapons tests as late as November. The Trump administration was hardly blameless, ratcheting up its rhetoric and giving rise to concerns that war was imminent. The hostility seemed to have dissipated overnight, when Kim floated in his new year's address the idea of sending a delegation to the South for the Pyeongchang Olympics in February. Kim indeed sent his sister and top diplomat to attend the opening ceremony. South Korea reciprocated by dispatching a delegation of its own in early March. The result was an announcement that caught many off-guard: Kim was willing to commit to denuclearisation and was going to attend the third-ever inter-Korean summit in history. He also invited Trump to a meeting, which the US president quickly accepted. Surprising as that development might have been, North Korea's 180-degree turn was in every way in keeping with the country's past behaviour: alternating between confrontation and conciliation. Before starting any negotiation, Pyongyang is always eager to strengthen its bargaining position, which it did in this case by testing what is widely believed to be an intercontinental ballistic missile and declaring itself a nuclear state in November. Its belligerence was in itself a sign that a change in the regime's tone was due. And South Korea had kept open the possibility of dialogue so that North Korea could reach out without losing face: Since taking office last May, South Korean President Moon Jae-in invited North Korea to the Olympics multiple times and stressed the importance of dialogue even as he joined the US in supporting more sanctions. That open-arms policy meant Pyongyang could initiate dialogue at any time once it chose to do so.
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ARTICLE OF THE WEEK Improving inter-Korean relations has been a big concern for the Moon administration from the very beginning. For the important post of heading the National Intelligence Service (NIS) - the country's main spy agency - the government appointed Suh Hoon, who was involved in arranging the two previous summits with North Korea in the 2000s. Suh also lived in Pyongyang for two years in the 1990s while the international community tried to build light-water reactors for North Korea in exchange for shutting down the weapons programme. The NIS's duties include handling the delicate task of communicating with North Korea, at least unofficially. Suh was among the South Korean delegates who visited Pyongyang on March 5 and secured a pledge from North Korea to seriously consider giving up its nuclear programme. Kim Jong-un's Beijing visit comes at a time hardliners in both Washington and Seoul are spreading scepticism about North Korea's commitment to denuclearisation. Can Pyongyang really be trusted after all these years? But such a question betrays foolishness on the part of those who ask it in the first place. It assumes continuity in the regime's thinking regardless of who is in charge. One would not try to guess Trump's behaviour based on Barack Obama's track record since they are obviously two very different leaders. Yet, when it comes to North Korea, the tendency in the English-speaking pundit circle is to lump its three successive leaders together as though they think as one, and to presuppose that North Korea is fundamentally incapable of change. Lee Jong-seok, South Korea's former unification minister and Deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council, says Kim Jong-un could not be more different from his father and North Korea's previous leader Kim Jong-il, who was mainly interested in "exaggerated slogans and self-aggrandising". "Kim Jong-un is a cold pragmatist", Lee said at a forum I organised on Thursday. Even though improving the national economy is one of Pyongyang's top priorities, Kim Jong-un excluded economic officials from his Beijing entourage "to show that denuclearisation comes first" and "to avoid misunderstanding" that he was courting China simply to ease the current sanctions, Lee added. To show seriousness, Kim even made the point of being quoted by Xinhua as saying, "It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearisation on the peninsula," and somewhat implausibly justifying this change in position as "the will" of his late father and grandfather, in order to create a domestic rationale. With North Korea obviously committed to a different approach, the high-level talks between the two Koreas on Thursday to prepare for the upcoming summit went off without a hitch. The two sessions lasted less than one hour and 30 minutes respectively, and a joint statement confirming the summit date as April 27 emerged by early afternoon. A headache for South Korea now is not Pyongyang or Beijing, but the Trump administration, which has been quick to take credit for the current rapprochement but never hesitated to question North Korea's motives throughout. Sounding every bit the selfserving businessman he is known to be, Trump said on Thursday that he might even use the renegotiation of his country's free trade agreement with South Korea - currently ongoing - to force Seoul to change its North Korea policy. Trump's appointment of known hardliner John Bolton as his new national security adviser is another source of worry. About one month is left before the inter-Korean summit in late April, and that is hopefully enough time to make the US see reason. If North Korea can change, why not the US? But Washington has never been so volatile, and the fear is that it will torpedo the fragile path towards peace. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
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EDITOR Ege Seçgin REDACTOR Ekin Su Yılmaz COORDINATORS Şevval Uslu, Işılay Merve Güzbey, Fırat Arslan, Kağan Dağdeviren, Demir Demirgil EUROPE Mert Malkoç, Oğuzhan Sabuncu, Şevval Uslu AMERICAS Kadir Köylü, Demir Demirgil, Ege Seçgin ASIA Işılay Merve Güzbey, Murat Kuran M. EAST & AFRICAS Nazım Çınar Duvaryapar, Fırat Arslan TURKEY Kağan Dağdeviren, Emir Teker, Cemal Balaban ECONOMY & BUSINESS Şevval Uslu
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