Author Christine Aune claims it is time to end the Korean war

Recently Donald Trump became the first US president to ever set foot on North Korean soil and greeted Kim Jong-un the North Korean leader. The two together stepped onto South Korean soil and greeted its president Moon Jae-in.

The three then had a 50-minuted meeting in the South Korea's Freedom House. As he left the demilitarized zone (DMZ) Trump said: “We moved mountains.The meeting was a very good one, very strong... We’re not looking for speed, we’re looking to get it right.”

Christine Ahn, the founder and executive director of Women Cross DMZ, and the international coordinator of the global campaign Korea Peace Now! Women Mobilizing to End the Korean War, claimed in a recent article: "To get it right, the first step the Trump administration should take is to offer North Korea a security guarantee, whether in the form of an end of war declaration or a non-aggression pact. It may have been, after all, what convinced Kim to meet Trump at Panmunjom."

Relations have improved over last year

Just one year ago, North and South Korean soldiers faced off against each other. There were guard posts, landmines and loud speakers booming out propaganda across the DMZ. Yet today, the guard posts are removed and many of the landmines have also been removed. North Korean, South Korean and American security forces were able to stand side-by-side at Panmunjom. This is a testament to the relative success of last year's April 27 Summit in Panmunjom, where both Moon and Kim announced that there will be no more war on the Korean peninsula and that a new era had begun. This meeting was a prelude to the Singapore meeting where Trump and Kim promised that they would establish new relations that would build a lasting peace and involve the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

Much progress has been sabotaged by Trump hawks

Hard-line hawks in the Trump administration insist that North Korea must completely denuclearize before negotiations to improve relations can take place. It remains quite unlikely that Kim will accept such conditions as was shown at the failed summit at Hanoi.

There are different accounts of why that summit failed, as noted in the record of the summit on Wikipedia: "The 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit, commonly known as the Hanoi Summit, was a two-day summit meeting between North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, held at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 27–28, 2019. This was the second meeting between the leaders of the DPRK and the United States, following the first meeting in June 2018 in Singapore. On February 28, 2019, the White House announced that the summit was cut short and that no agreement was reached. Trump later elaborated that it was because North Korea wanted an end to all sanctions. North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho asserted that the country only sought a partial lifting of five United Nations sanctions placed on North Korea between 2016 and 2017."

Trump administration wanted to move to meet Kim

After Chinese President XI Jinping visited North Korea and re-affirmed the alliance of the two countries, the Trump administration wanted to ensure that they could keep talks alive with the North. The eighth Trump-Moon Summit in South Korea after the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan provided such an opportunity.

On June 27th the North Korean Central News Agency released a statement by Kwong Jong Gun of the Foreign Ministry: “Even though we are to think of holding a dialogue with the U.S., we need first to see a proper approach towards the negotiation on the part of the U.S. Negotiation should be conducted with a counterpart who has a good sense of communication, and it could also be possible only when the U.S. comes up with a proper counterproposal"

US says it is committed to a more flexible approach to talks

Days before the summit,special representative to North Korea Stephen Biegun was on the ground. He reiterated the U.S. willingness to follow a “flexible approach.” The Foreign Ministry of South Korea said that the US is prepared to hold constructive talks with the North in order to move the commitments made in the June 12 Singapore Joint Declaration between Trump and Kim forward. This will involve a parallel process towards peace and denuclearization, in a step-by-step fashion. Trump's designation of Biegun to lead the working level talks was said to meet the North Korean demand that there be a counterpart who has a good sense of communication.

Building trust will take time

There has been nearly seventy years of tensions and war between the two Koreas. It will take a step-by-step resolving of issues to build up trust and a complete resolution of all the issues. Insisting on an all or nothing deal is unlikely to work. A crucial part of any agreement must be ending the Korean War and working toward a peace agreement which are one root cause of the nuclear standoff.

An end of the war declaration would be a good first step to show North Koreans that the US is indeed ready to transform the hostile relationship but a peace agreement would be even more powerful. This is what North Koreans, South Koreans and even China have called for. The present 1953 ceasefire should be replaced by a peace agreement.

How would such a declaration affect denuclearization?

Henri Feron a scholar at the Center for International Policy said: “While North Korea is unlikely to fully trust U.S. security guarantees, it will definitely see it as a positive signal worthy of reciprocation. On the other hand, for the U.S. to refuse to provide such guarantees will be interpreted in [North Korea] as clear evidence of continued hostility.”

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Samsung quarterly profits more than halved in June quarter

Samsung Electronics, South Korea's largest business saw its quarterly profit more than cut in half after a world-wide industry downturn plus trade tensions cut demand both for its chips and high-end smartphones.

The June quarter results

The fall of 56 percent in operating income was actually less than expected as there was a one time gain from one customer that could have been more than $800 million. The total revenue was about $5.6 billion. The company does not release net income figures or break out the performance of different divisions until the final results which will be released at the end of this month. Samsung shares have fallen 0.8 percent on the Seoul market.

Problems faced by Samsung

Samsung is the world largest producer of semiconductors, mobile phones and smartphone screens. However, demand appears to have peaked and may turn down as the global economy slows. The memory chip business has been hard hit since Trump tariffs took effect just last May. Concern over Samsung's biggest cash cow grew just this week as Japan has placed export restrictions on materials Samsung needs for its display and chip production.

Kim Sunwoo a Meritz Securities analyst said of the second half period: “Considering the structural downturn in memory prices and the mobile business, it’s unlikely Samsung would exceed earnings estimates. As uncertainty over earnings have expanded on macro issues and around each division, the possibility of a special shareholder return plan has decreased significantly.”

The trade war between the US and China has created an unpredictable future. The US and China are two countries where Samsung generates much of its revenue. There has been a downturn in the chip industry as demand tapers off. Micron Technology the largest US maker of memory chips said that it is intending to reduce its spending in 2020, and will also idle five percent of its memory chips production in the last quarter.

Prices for memory falling

In the second quarter alone prices for 32-gigabite DRAM server modules dropped 19.3 percent when compared to the previous quarter. Prices for 128 gigabite MLC flash memory chips fell five percent. DRAM price drops are expected to widen up to 15 percent during this quarter and as much as 10 percent during the fourth quarter according to TrendForce estimates.

Song Myung-sup an analyst at HI Investment and Securities said: “Memory prices are likely to keep sliding due to the ongoing trade war. Samsung’s smartphone business will start to benefit from the U.S. ban on Huawei.”

Chinese customers will place more orders later in the year as they will not be receiving as many products from the US, and prices will be higher for US products.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Huges 65 inch TV's becoming most popular with Americans as prices drop

The market research firm TrendForce indicates that falling prices of the large 65 inch TVs have made them the most popular choice of American consumers for their living rooms.

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Prices of 65 inch TVs have fallen considerably

TrendForce data shows that prices for the huge TVs have fallen about one quarter just this year. On the other hand 55 inch TVs have remained around the same price. As a result, the larger 65 inch units are the choice for many households with the smaller TVs being relegated to bedrooms as second TVs.

The trade war with China has been a factor in the change

TrendForce reports that many TV manufacturers had been stockpiling their products in anticipation of Trump's adding a 25 percent tariff. However so far this has not happened. As a result some manufacturers have considerable excess stock that they must move. In order to do so they are lowering prices in order to clear out the extra inventory.

Jon Porter author of a recent article notes: "Here in my tiny London apartment I’ve only recently made the jump from a 32-inch TV up to a 40-inch set, and even that change was only possible because of the smaller bezels on the newer model. It’s hard not to be incredibly jealous of massive North American houses. At this point, the only way I’m going to be able to fit something bigger in my home is if LG’s roll-up TV technology ever drops to a semi-affordable price, which doesn’t look likely within the next half decade."

Other size TVs may see price drop as well

A recent article notes: " Elsewhere, you might see a dip in prices on 32-inch displays this month, as those are said to be in oversupply too. The report also suggests some manufacturers will increase the ratio of production of 55-inch displays, as much as 4 percent year over year, which could also lead to a price drop in screens at that size."

My own opinion

I have never found it necessary to have a TV any larger than 32 inches. I have two of them. I have no cable plan I have the Roku streaming device attached to each of the two having cut the cord long ago. Many people now view material on their computer monitors. tablets, and even phones. It seems hardly necessary in practical terms to spend considerably extra money to have a huge TV that occupies a large area of a room and is no easier to view than a smaller unit. Why not free up space and save money by purchasing a smaller unit? Perhaps it is all a matter of keeping up with the Joneses.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Jaguar Land Rover announces new all electric car XJ model

Jaguar Land Rover's second electric car will be a new version of its existing XJ sedan. The plan to make the car was announced as part of a one billion pound ($1.25 billion) investment the company will make to retool its plant in Castle Bromwich UK.

The company will develop more electric vehicles

The new electric XJ model will be developed by the same team that created the I-Pace the company's first electric car released back in 2018. At present, the I-Pace is being built on contract by a company in Austria. Jaguar Land Rover says that it will make a new range of electrical cars at the newly revamped UK plant.

The company claims that all models from 2020 onward will have either electric or hybrid option. However, the company gave no further information on what specific models it will release or even a timeline for the release of the new XJ.

Tata

Wikipedia describes Tata as follows: "Tata Motors Limited, formerly Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO), is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It is a part of Tata Group, an Indian conglomerate. Its products include passenger cars, trucks, vans, coaches, buses, sports cars, construction equipment and military vehicles."

Jaguar Land Rover has been wholly owned by Tata since June of 2008.

The company claims to be saving UK jobs

Tata claims the investment will safeguard thousands of jobs in the UK. This may be true but the company laid off 4,500 workers earlier in the year with most of them being in the UK. Last year the company also cut 1,500 jobs. The company says the cuts had to be made because of declining demand for diesel cars, the cooling Chinese market, and fears from Brexit.

UK auto industry will be tough to turn around

Both Honda and Ford have announced they are closing plants in the UK. Even the UK vacuum magnate Dyson has decided he will build his electric car in Singapore not the UK.

The Friday announcement is a rare vote of confidence in the UK auto industry. Jaguar Land Rover posted a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars during 2018. This loss was compounded by some $3 billion spent to help the company's restructuring efforts.

Jaguar Land Rover hopes to have an EV supply chain in the UK

The company is hoping its investment will lead to building up an EV supply chain in the UK, and it is already committed to moving it battery pack and electric drive units to the UK. It has also called for a "giga-scale battery production plant" to be built in the UK. Raif Speth, CEO of the company, said: “The UK has the raw materials, scientific research in our universities and an existing supplier base to put the UK at the leading edge of mobility and job creation."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Toyota to test out a solar roof on its plug-in hybrid Prius

Toyota will begin testing a solar roof on its plug-in hybrid Prius that it claims can add as much as 44.5 kilometers of range to the car in one day.

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The solar roof panel

The solar cells are being manufacture by Sharp. They are just 0.03 mm thick yet deliver around 860 watts of power. They can even charge the car when it is being driven. Testing is to begin on public roads later this month. However, there is word when it will be made commercially available. Wikipedia notes: "Sharp Solar, a subsidiary of Sharp Electronics, is a solar energy products company owned by Sharp Corporation and based in Osaka, Japan."

According to a recent article the solar roofs will be offered only in Europe and Japan for now: "Sun power only amplifies the eco-car cred of one of the greenest vehicles. The cells charge the car even when it is parked and can boost fuel efficiency by as much as 10 percent by allowing longer electric-only driving times. The technology will only be offered in the Japan and European versions of the car -- at least initially."

Solar roof panels have been tried before by Toyota

Back in 2010 Toyota sold panels that could be used to recharge the car's auxiliary battery that powers secondary systems. The difference is that these new panels are much more efficient. They can produce almost five times as much as the earlier panels and give more than seven times the increase in range.

Toyota has no purely electric powered vehicles at present

These solar roofs will be for Toyota's plug-in hybrids for now. Toyota claims that its battery production capacity can produce a large number of hybrids that will reduce carbon emissions more than it it had produced a smaller number of purely electric vehicles. However, last month Toyota announced it would produce an all-electric drive train platform with Subaru. This means that an all-electric Toyota could happen in time.

Solar roofs on cars problematic

The amount of space for panels on the roof of a car is quite limited so that the output is minor compared to what you could get by placing them other places such as the roof of a building. However, a few companies are experimenting with the panels. The startup Lightyear intends delivering its "solar car" to customers by 2021. Hyundai announced plans to install solar roofs on select cars next year. The appended video looks at some of the problems with using solar panels on the roofs and other areas of cars. Perhaps they would be more helpful on the roofs of tractor trailers or even large buses.

China world leader in electrifying its bus fleets

While the US had only 300 electric buses in the entire country, last year China had a total of 421,000. The global fleet of electric buses grew 32 percent in 2018.

China's electric bus fleet

By 2025, China's municipal electric bus fleet is expected to top more than 600,000 according to BNEF the Bloomberg division that researches clean energy. At the same time the US is expected to have just about 5,000. In 2009, China began to prioritize the electrification of its public transport system.

New York-based BNEF analyst Nick Albanese said: “There’s no industrial policy in the U.S. for e-buses. So unless the U.S. manages to become a big exporter of e-buses, China will continue to stand apart.”

Of an estimated 425,000 buses in the world in 2018 only 4,000 were outside China. Europe had only 2,500 electric buses.

In China the government takes the lead

The change to electric vehicles in China is not being driven by free market principles. The government is taking the lead in a bid to curb pollution, a huge problem in many Chinese cities. The government establishes national mandates, subsidizes manufacturers such as BYD and encourages policy competition among its cities. In contrast, the US federal government is not using any of China's tools to foster a transition to electric vehicles.

Only the climate-conscious state of California has mandated that all new buses to be emission-free by 2025. The EU will require some buses to be emissions free by 2025. In contrast BNEF estimates 18 percent of China's entire bus fleet was electrified at the end of 2018.

Why electrified buses matter

The buses are large and in constant use compared to fossil-fuelled passenger cars, so there is much less greenhouse gas emissions per person when they are used for transport. The BNEF estimates that 500 barrels of diesel are displaced each day for every 1,000 electric buses on the road. While electric buses are cheaper to maintain than diesel models their upfront cost is more.

Most US municipalities consider electric buses only when their existing vehicles wear out and need to be replaced. Since the average bus lasts 12 years, according to BNEF, there are only about 5,000 new buses added in the US each year. As of now most of these will be fossil fuel run vehicles. Many municipalities will baulk at the initial cost of electric buses.

US technology is well advanced

North America already has its own electric bus manufacturers focused on gaining domestic orders. However, they do not have the advantage of huge government subsidies as do their Chinese counterparts. Ryan Popple CEO of bus-maker Proterra maintains: “While Chinese companies get more support, the best electric vehicles have been engineered and manufactured by American companies. I like that matchup.”

So far, China has implemented electrification policies with speed that has allowed them to dominate world production of electric buses. China is also home to some of the world's largest battery makers. This gives domestic bus makers an easy access to a key component of the buses.

Shenzhen

Shenzhen a large Chinese city north of Hong Kong is a world leader in electrical buses. Shenzhen is home to the Chinese electric bus maker BYD. The company sells as many as 30,000 electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids each month in China. Chairman Wang Chuanfu said the company is hoping to double bus sales in Europe every year for the next three years.

Wang contrasted China's policy with that in the West, noting that China strives for complete electrification of its fleet, not just to adding to the existing fleet.

“It’s not like the approach taken by other countries, to only buy electric buses as additions,” Wang said. He also noted that the Chinese government prioritizes the electrification of public transport: “In the West, it’s quite the opposite. The subsidies are primarily to private vehicles, not public transportation. We propose to governments that they need to learn from China’s example of a staged transition.”

At the end of 2017, Shenzhen had completed its transition to all electric buses. Shenzhen, population about 11.9 million, now has more electric buses than top US metropolitan areas conventional and electric.

An article in January of 2018 notes: "Shenzhen’s transport commission said on Dec. 27 that it had transitioned its 16,359 buses to all-electric models. The city’s 17,000 taxis are next (63 percent of them are already electric). China chose the city as a pilot for electric transit in 2009, now intends to expand the effort nationwide."

Previously published in the Digital Journal

North Korea accuses Trump administration of hostile actions while publicly urging dialogue

(July 4)The North Korean mission to the UN issued a statement yesterday critical of the Trump administration, claiming that while the US was publicly suggesting dialogue with the North, the country is engaging in hostile actions against them.

Statement comes after Trump's visit with Kim at the DMZ zone

At the visit Trump and Kim Jong un appeared to get along fine as usual. However, just a day before that historic visit, the US was involved in a joint letter that called for all UN member states to expel all North Korean workers.

US calls for all North Korean workers to be expelled from UN member states

The US State Department ordered the expulsion of North Korean workers in UN member states, as it alleges that North Korea had violated a cap on importation of petroleum products. The North Korean workers are hardly responsible for this situation even if the charge is true. The move just ensures that no funds are received in North Korea from its workers abroad.

Division within the Trump administration

While Trump talks repeatedly of diplomacy with Kim and has predicted very positive results, there are hawks within the Trump administration, such as John Bolton, who want to take a hard line against North Korea. At the recent Hanoi summit, the US insisted on complete denuclearization before removal of tariffs resulting in failure and Trump leaving.

The hawks likely want Trump to stay with the same demands. North Korea has seen the US continually expand hostile actions against it while at the same time saying publicly that it wants a diplomatic solution. US hostile actions worsen the situation, rather than encouraging a diplomatic solution. It will create doubts within North Korea about US sincerity in wanting a diplomatic solution.

Bolton reacted angrily to reports of weaker demands on North Korea: "The Trump administration is considering a nuclear deal with North Korea that would ask it to freeze its nuclear weapons program, dropping prior demands to dismantle it entirely, The New York Times reported Sunday. According to the report, White House officials are weighing a deal that would leave North Korea's existing nuclear arsenal and missile battery in place — a situation US policy has long considered intolerable."

Bolton was furious at the report and denied that any such plan was being considered as reported in a recent Digital Journal article.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

US is a big world producer of garbage and the US military of world pollution

The US makes up only four percent of the global population yet it produces 12 percent of the world's trash. This is a larger percent per person than either India or China.

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The US does not recycle much of its waste

Compared to some other countries the US recycles a relatively low percentage of its waste. The US recycles only 35 percent of its garbage. On the other hand, Germany manages to reuse 68 percent of its waste. Waste from many first world countries such as the US is sent to other countries to be recycled or dumped. Many developing countries are now refusing to take more garbage including China.

The Maplecroft report

The new report on garbage comes from the UK-based strategic and risk consulting firm Maplecroft. The firm measured the waste generation and recycling performance of 194 countries to generate a profile of the worst polluting countries. The report claims about the US: “The US is the only developed nation whose waste generation outstrips its ability to recycle, underscoring a shortage of political will and investment in infrastructure."

It is not clear how this conclusion fits in with the fact that Canada exports its garbage as well as do other countries. The Philippines has recently returned garbage sent to it by Canada. Indonesia has recently sent back toxic trash to Australia an Germany as well as the US.

China

Given its huge population it is not surprising that in terms of volume China is the largest producer of waste . However, China is one of the few countries that actually produced a lesser percentage of world garbage than its share of world population. China has recently made major improvements with large sums of money invested by the government to reduce environmental damage. In contrast the US especially under the Trump administration is moving slowly.

The United States

Trump has been notoriously skeptical about climate change even calling the promotion of the idea as being involved in a Chinese plot aimed at reducing US manufacturing. Often neglected in discussions is the role of the military in producing greenhouse gases.

The US military as producer of greenhouse gases

Another recent report by Professor Neta Crawford.claims that the US military is the world's single largest producer of greenhouse gases

Her report notes: "Since 2001, when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks, the military has emitted 1,212 million metric tons of greenhouse gasses. This includes 400 million tons of directly war-related emissions in the war zones of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria. In 2017, the last year for which data is available, the Department of Defense (DOD) emitted 58.4 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent. This is more than the total emitted by the nations of Sweden or Denmark and is a substantial amount that significantly contributes to climate change. "

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Waymo decides to join California's autonomous vehicle passemger program

Waymo to join California's autonomous vehicle passenger program

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BY KEN HANLY     JUL 3, 2019 IN TECHNOLOGY

Google parent company Alphabet's driverless vehicle startup Waymo has been given a permit by the California Public Utilities Commission to participate in the state's autonomous vehicle passenger service program.

Three other companies are in the program

For the purpose of California's new program, riders cannot be charged for the tripand a safety driver must be behind the wheel at all times. Three other companies, Zoox, Autox Technologies and Ponyai are also in the project. The permit will be good for three years.

The program is separate from the state's autonomous vehicle testing program. That program has granted more than 60 companies permits from the Department of Motor Vehicles to test self-driving cars in the state.

No date for Waymo commercial ride hailing in California

Waymo already launched commercial ride hailing of autonomous vehicles in Phoenix, Arizona late in 2018. As a Verge article of December 5, 2018 announced: "Waymo, the self-driving subsidiary of Alphabet, launched its first commercial autonomous ride-hailing service here in the Phoenix suburbs on Wednesday — a momentous moment for the former Google self-driving project that has been working on the technology for almost a decade."

The Phoenix service serves about 400 test riders. Waymo also struck a deal with Lyft that allowed the ride-hailing company to add ten autonomous Waymo minivans to its Phoenix platform.

For now, the California operation will only give rides to Waymo employees and their guests within a limited service area in South Bay neighborhoods.

A spokesperson for Waymo said:“This is the next step on our path to eventually expand and offer more Californians opportunities to access our self-driving technology, just as we have gradually done with Waymo One in Metro Phoenix."

Waymo is the first company granted permission to operate fully driverless vehicles with no human backup drivers on public roads in California. No other company has been given permission to conduct fully driverless testing in the state. Waymo has already driven autonomous driverless vehicles about 1.3 million miles on California roads according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

Trump says he would withdraw troops but leave intelligence officers in Afghanistan

(July 3) Trump said Monday that he would like to have a complete withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan but wants to leave a "strong intelligence" there a number of intelligence officers. He called Afghanistan the "Harvard of terrorists".

US and Taliban negotiating a deal for US withdrawal

The US is in ongoing talks with the Taliban on a peace deal that would see the US withdraw all its troops from the country a Taliban precondition for any agreement. In return for the withdrawal the Taliban would promise not to allow ISIS and Al Qaeda to stay within Afghanistan.

Mike Pompeo has already confirmed that the US has agreed to withdraw but only as part of a completed agreed upon plan as reported in a recent Digital Journal article: "We've made clear to the Taliban that we're prepared to remove our forces. I want to be clear, we've not yet agreed on a timeline to do so."

As discussed in a recent Digital Journal article , Pompeo said: "We've made clear to the Taliban that we're prepared to remove our forces. I want to be clear, we've not yet agreed on a timeline to do so."

Recent peace talks attempt to set a firm timetable for US withdrawal.

Trump says US needs to watch the country

It is not clear how the US would place their intelligence agents in the country without an occupation force. No doubt they could be part of embassy staff but if the Taliban knew they were spying they could very well be ejected.

It is not evident that this issue has been discussed in negotiations with the Taliban. If it has not it could very well cause difficulties in the negotiations. If the US insists on such a condition it could very well jeopardize the success of the talks.

Trump has long been interested in US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Trump has long expressed interest in pulling out of Afghanistan, though some in the administration have been keen to keep troops in the country, and many in Congress have expressed discomfort with the idea of the war, the longest in US history, ever ending.

The Taliban have refused to negotiate with members of the Afghan government which they consider a puppet of the US. However , a recent article in the Digital Journal indicates there have been fresh attempts to bring the Afghans into the process.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

John Bolton slams New York Times story on North Korea compromise

(July 2)Yesterday John Bolton tweeted angrily condemning a New York Times report that claimed that the Trump administration might seek a compromise with North Korea that would involve a freeze on the countries nuclear arsenal instead of complete denuclearization.

The New York Times report

The Times article said that the plan was brewing weeks before Trump's recent meeting with Kim Jong Un: " But for weeks before the meeting, which started as a Twitter offer by the president for Mr. Kim to drop by at the Demilitarized Zone and “say hello,” a real idea has been taking shape inside the Trump administration that officials hope might create a foundation for a new round of negotiations.The concept would amount to a nuclear freeze, one that essentially enshrines the status quo, and tacitly accepts the North as a nuclear power, something administration officials have often said they would never stand for."

Bolton's response

Bolton claimed that neither he nor anyone else in the Trump administration had ever discussed such an idea. He said he had never even heard of such a deal being under consideration. He said that there should be consequences for the Times publishing such an article. Bolton said that the article represented a reprehensible attempt to box in the president. The Times responded on Twitter that they stood by the accuracy of their reporting.

Bolton's tweet read: “I read this NYT story with curiosity. Neither the NSC staff nor I have discussed or heard of any desire to ‘settle for a nuclear freeze by NK,’” Bolton tweeted, describing the report as "a reprehensible attempt by someone to box in the President.”

Perhaps there are discussions within the Trump administration behind Bolton's back. If Bolton knew about them he would be acting immediately to try and squelch them. Bolton also would like to box in the president so that only his own hard line views are presented to Kim Jong Un. This would include complete denuclearization of North Korea before discussing removal of sanctions.

Bolton wants to retain hard line approach in negotiations

Bolton would be adamantly opposed to any move to make lesser demands on North Korea to encourage negotiations to go forward even though Bolton's hard line approach led to breakdown of talks in Hanoi with no agreement. There is every reason to believe this will happen again. Perhaps this is the result Bolton desires.

The Times article may represent a trial balloon launched by some in the administration to gauge reactions to such a new plan. Bolton's response is predictable.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

European Union requires all EV's to make artificial noise below 12 mph

All new model electric vehicles (EVs) in the European Union are now required to make artificial noise under certain conditions. Acoustic Vehicle Alerts Systems (AVAS) will be mandatory on all hybrid and electric EVs by July 2021.

Conditions under which the EV's must make a sound

A BBC News article notes: "New electric vehicles will have to feature a noise-emitting device, under an EU rule coming into force on Monday. It follows concerns that low-emission cars and vans are too quiet, putting pedestrians at risk because they cannot be heard as they approach. All new types of four-wheel electric vehicle must be fitted with the device, which sounds like a traditional engine. A car's acoustic vehicle alert system (Avas) must sound when reversing or traveling below 12mph (19km/h)."

The rule will apply to both all-electric and hybrid vehicles introduced from today on. Existing vehicles must install the AVAS system by July of 2021.

New regulations are due to safety concerns

Electric vehicles are a lot quieter than tradition internal combustion engines. This can pose a danger to other road users in that people do not hear them coming. This is particularly true for blind or partially sighted pedestrians. In November of 2017 the charity Guide Dogs sent a written submission to the UK parliament pointing out that research shows that electric and hybrid vehicles are 40 percent more likely to be involved in accidents that cause injury to pedestrians.

Manufacturers will be able to decide exactly what their AVAS will be like. However, the EU regulations require that the sound should be similar too but not louder than that of tradition internal combustion engines. The sound should also give some clue as to what the vehicle is doing, for example accelerating. Jaguar has already made public what its I-Pace will sound like as indicated on the appended video. Nissan introduced a concept vehicle back in 2017 that "sings" as it travels.

The US will introduce similar laws new year

The US National Highway Safety Administration will require that all hybrid and all-electric vehicles emit artificial noise by September of 2020. The US regulations require the vehicles emit the noise to a somewhat higher speed than in the EU, of 18.6 miles per hour.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

United States deploys F-22 stealth jets to a base in Qatar

The US has deployed F-22 stealth jets to Qatar for the first time. The US military says it is building up its forces amid increasing tensions with Iran.

The US announcement

The US Central Command said in an announcement of Friday: "The US Air Force F-22 Raptor arrives at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, June 27, 2019. These aircraft are deployed to Qatar for the first time in order to defend American forces and interests in the US Central Command area of responsibility."

The announcement did not say how many of the planes had been sent. However a photo handout showed five of the F-22s flying over the Al Udeid airbase in Qatar. The appended video says that a dozen F-22s were sent but other sources give varying numbers.

Al Udeid airbase

Al Udeid is one of the most important foreign airbases with US operations throughout the Middle East being launched from the Qatar base. The base has about 11,000 US-led coalition forces and 100 operational planes. The US and Qatar signed a military cooperation agreement after the 1991 Gulf War allowing the US to move to Qatar in 2003 after evacuation of the Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia. About 80 percent of refuelling in the are is done from Al Udeid Qatari officials claim.

Tensions are escalating between Iran and the US

Tensions between the two countries have been escalating ever since President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the P5 + 1 multi-country deal with Iran. After doing so, the US imposed sanctions on Iran and has been trying to force other countries to follow them or face being banned from doing business with the US.

Tensions rose last week as Iran shot down a US drone. The US claims it was over international airspace but Iran said it had been over Iranian territory on a spy mission and had been warned. Earlier there were two series of tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman area that the US blamed on Iran although some countries such as the UAE have not followed suit.

Trump has recently announced new sanctions against the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif. In May the US Air Force deployed several nuclear-capable B52 Stratofortress bombers to the Gulf Area as part of a buildup of military forces including an aircraft carrier task force to the area to ward off a possible Iranian attack on US forces or interests in the area.

Iran wants nuclear treaty to be honoured

Iran has been urging the remaining partners in the nuclear deal, the UK, China, France, Germany and Russia to help circumvent the US sanctions. Under the treaty Iran can sell its oil and is not subject to sanctions. However, EU countries worry about US reactions and threats if they do not follow US sanctions.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

UK-led Joint Expeidtionary Force held large drills in the Baltic region

(June 30)UK Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt claimed the British-led Joint Expeditionary Force a rapid response unit has reached a new scale as the British Navy held its largest drills in the Baltic region in more than a century.

Exercise meant to reassure NATO Baltic region allies of support

The huge exercise included nearly 4,000 people and 44 vessels from nine nations. Mordaunt was speaking to reporters at the Lithanian port of Klaipeda which is just a short distance from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. The exercise is said to be designed to show the nations involved are aligned and ready."

Mordaunt said: "Russia is becoming more assertive, we see her deploying more forces and new weapons, and we can imagine scenarios that may play out in the future. So it is important and right that we stand together with our allies."

In a separate interview with Baltic News Service, Mordaunt claimed that Britain wanted to do more to build security and resilience in the Baltic States and the region and this included exercises and regular but declined to give further details.

UK Defense Secretary visit to Lithuania happens as PM May meets Putin

Mordaunt' visit to Lithuania a severe critic of Russia, came just as outing UK PM Theresa May was meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. May said that normal relations with Russia will not be restored until Russia ends its irresponsible and destabilising activity according to spokesperson for May.

Apparently the huge drills right on the border with Russia and involving countries such as Lithuania that could easily be seen as a threat to the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad are not to be perceived as a threat. The UK is far away from the area. Imagine if Russia and allies staged a similar exercise in waters off the UK. As shown on the appended video NATO has just finished a large operation BALTOPS in the region as well with the US involved. Perhaps the two operations were conjoint.

Previously published in the Digital Journal

US tries to force other countries to follow its sanctions against Iran

The US special envoy to Iran Brian Hook spent the last week spreading the idea that Iran was a threat to the US and the world. Now, Hook is threatening other nations directly.

Choose to do business with the US or Iran

Hook is now warning that if countries do business with Iran they will not be able to do business with the US. In particular Hook warned the EU about trading with Iran.

The P5 +1 nations

Wikipedia describes the P5 +1 nations: "The P5+1 refers to the UN Security Council's five permanent members (the P5); namely China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States; plus Germany. The P5+1 is often referred to as the E3+3 by European countries. It is a group of six world powers which, in 2006, joined together in diplomatic efforts with Iran with regard to its nuclear program."

The US withdrew from the agreement with Iran. However France Russia and Germany all members of the EU are put in a difficult position as the Iran deal gives it relief from sanctions. Now the US is demanding that the three countries implement US sanctions. This is an extraterritorial application of laws that apply only to the US. The US is not just itself refusing to trade with Iran but demanding that everyone else do so as well. Hook says that the US will sanction any country that tries to purchase Iranian oil.

The EU attempt to circumvent US power

Most financial arrangements arising from trading go through what is called the SWIFT system. This is described by Wikipedia as follows: "The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), legally S.W.I.F.T. SCRL, provides a network that enables financial institutions worldwide to send and receive information about financial transactions in a secure, standardized and reliable environment. SWIFT also sells software and services to financial institutions, much of it for use on the SWIFTNet network, and ISO 9362. Business Identifier Codes (BICs, previously Bank Identifier Codes) are popularly known as "SWIFT codes". The majority of international interbank messages use the SWIFT network. As of 2015, SWIFT linked more than 11,000 financial institutions in more than 200 countries and territories, who were exchanging an average of over 32 million messages per day (compared to an average of 2.4 million daily messages in 1995). "

While SWIFT itself is neutral, the US will be able to see if banks are trading with Iran if transactions go through it and the US can take action against the bank by cutting off any business with the US. US threats frighten the banks so the EU has developed a clearing house that will allow trade with Iran without money crossing borders. With no role for the banks SWIFT is not involved either.

US threats may not be enforceable

China is continuing to buy oil from Iran despite US warnings about doing so. Other countries that need Iranian oil such as India may follow suit.

If the EU is to convince Iran to stay in the nuclear agreement it must continue trade in spite of the threats of the US. The US is creating a great deal of friction with its policies. It may end up not only creating new financial systems to avoid US power in the financial area but also encourage the use of monetary units other than the dollar in international trade. China and Russia have already agreed to trade in their national currencies.

Previously published  in the DIgital Journal