Daily: 02/15/2019

Bombshell Book Alleges Vatican Gay Subculture, Hypocrisy

A gay French writer has lifted the lid on what he calls one of the world’s largest gay communities — the Vatican, estimating that most of its prelates are homosexually inclined and attributing much of the current crisis in the Catholic Church to an internecine war among them.

In the explosive book, In the Closet of the Vatican, author Frederic Martel describes a gay subculture at the Vatican and calls out the hypocrisy of Catholic bishops and cardinals who in public denounce homosexuality but in private lead double lives.

Aside from the subject matter, the book is astonishing for the access Martel had to the inner sanctum of the Holy See. Martel writes that he spent four years researching it in 30 countries, including weeks at a time living inside the Vatican walls. He says the doors were opened by a key Vatican gatekeeper and friend of Pope Francis who was the subject of the pontiff’s famous remark about gay priests, “Who am I to judge?”

Martel says he conducted nearly 1,500 in-person interviews with 41 cardinals, 52 bishops or monsignors, and 45 Vatican and foreign ambassadors, many of whom are quoted at length and in on-the-record interviews that he says were recorded. Martel said he was assisted by 80 researchers, translators, fixers and local journalists, as well as a team of 15 lawyers. The 555-page book is being published simultaneously in eight languages in 20 countries, many bearing the title Sodom.

The Vatican didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Culture of secrecy

Martel appears to want to bolster Francis’ efforts at reforming the Vatican by discrediting his biggest critics and removing the secrecy and scandal that surrounds homosexuality in the church. Church doctrine holds that gays are to be treated with respect and dignity, but that homosexual acts are “intrinsically disordered.”

“Francis knows that he has to move on the church’s stance, and that he will only be able to do this at the cost of a ruthless battle against all those who use sexual morality and homophobia to conceal their own hypocrisies and double lives,” Martel writes.

But the book’s Feb. 21 publication date coincides with the start of Francis’ summit of church leaders on preventing the sexual abuse of minors, a crisis that is undermining his papacy. The book isn’t about abuse, but the timing of its release could fuel the narrative, embraced by conservatives and rejected by the gay community, that the abuse scandal has been caused by homosexuals in the priesthood.

Martel is quick to separate the two issues. But he echoes the analysis of the late abuse researcher and psychotherapist A.W. Richard Sipe that the hidden sex lives of priests has created a culture of secrecy that allowed the abuse of minors to flourish. According to that argument, since many prelates in positions of authority have their own hidden sexual skeletons, they have no interest in denouncing the criminal pedophiles in their midst lest their own secrets be revealed.

‘Gossip and innuendo’

The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author of Building a Bridge about how the Catholic Church should reach out more to the LGBT community, said that based on the excerpts he had read, Martel’s book “makes a convincing case that in the Vatican many priests bishops and even cardinals are gay, and that some of them are sexually active.”

But Martin added that the book’s sarcastic tone belies its fatal flaw. “His extensive research is buried under so much gossip and innuendo that it makes it difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction.”

“There are many gay priests, bishops and cardinals in ministry today in the church,” Martin said. “But most of them are, like their straight counterparts, remaining faithful to a life of chastity and celibacy.”

In the course of his research, Martel said he came to several conclusions about the reality of the Holy See that he calls the “rules,” chief among them that the more obviously gay the priest, bishop or cardinal, the more vehement his anti-gay rhetoric.

Martel says his aim is not to “out” living prelates, though he makes some strong insinuations about those who are “in the parish,” a euphemism he learns is code for gay clergy.

Martin said Martel “traffics in some of the worst gay stereotypes” by using sarcastic and derogatory terms, such as when he writes of Francis’ plight: “Francis is said to be ‘among the wolves.’ It’s not quite true: he’s among the queens.”

Martel moves from one scandal to another — from the current one over ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington to the priest-friendly gay migrant prostitute scene near Rome’s train station. He traces the reasons behind Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation and the cover-up of the Mexican founder of the Legion of Christ, the pedophile Rev. Marcial Maciel. In each, Martel parses the scandal through the lens of the gay-friendly or homophobic prelates he says were involved.

Gay rights advocate

Equal parts investigative journalism and salacious gossip, Martel paints a picture of an institution almost at war with itself, rife with rumor and with leaders struggling to rationalize their own sexual appetites and orientations with official church teachings that require chastity and its unofficial tradition of hostility toward gays.

“Never, perhaps, have the appearances of an institution been so deceptive,” Martel writes. “Equally deceptive are the pronouncements about celibacy and the vows of chastity that conceal a completely different reality.”

Martel is not a household name in France, but is known in the French LGBT community as an advocate for gay rights. Those familiar with his work view it as rigorous, notably his 90-minute weekly show on public radio station France Culture called Soft Power. Recent episodes include investigations into global digital investment and the U.S.-China trade war.

As a French government adviser in the 1990s, he played a prominent role in legislation allowing civil unions, which not only allowed gay couples to formalize their relationships and share assets, but also proved hugely popular among heterosexual French couples increasingly skeptical of marriage.

His nonfiction books include a treatise on homosexuality in France over the past 50 years called The Pink and the Black (a sendup of Stendhal’s classic The Red and the Black), as well as an investigation of the internet industry and a study of culture in the United States.

Martel attributes the high percentage of gays in the clergy to the fact that up until the homosexual liberation of the 1970s, gay Catholic men had few options. “So these pariahs became initiates and made a strength of a weakness,” he writes. That analysis helps explain the dramatic fall in vocations in recent decades, as gay Catholic men now have other options, not least to live their lives openly, even in marriage.

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Владна партія Франції відмовила в акредитації RT та Sputnik

Французька партія президентської більшості «Вперед, Республіко!» не надасть акредитації співробітникам російських державних засобів інформації RT і Sputnik для висвітлення виборів до Європарламенту. Таку заяву зробив 15 лютого директор партійної виборчої кампанії Стефан Сежурне, повідомило Міжнародне французьке радіо.

«Це не органи преси, а органи пропаганди на службі Кремля», – заявив Стефан Сежурне в інтерв’ю газеті Le Monde.

Французьке видання Sputnik прокоментувало це повідомлення в тексті під заголовком «Партія Емманюеля Макрона знову нападає на Sputnik напередодні європейських виборів».

Протягом року журналісти Sputnik і RT у Франції не отримують акредитацій, щоб висвітлювати події, організовані Єлисейським палацом або французькими міністерствами, заявила головний редактор Sputnik France Наталія Новікова.

У травні 2017 року французький президент Емманюель Макрон під час першої зустрічі з російським президентом Володимиром Путіним публічно назвав RT і Sputnik «органами брехливої пропаганди». Заява була зроблена на спільній прес-конференції, російський президент на це не відповів.

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Omar’s Edgy Israel Tweet No Surprise to Some in Minnesota

As Ilhan Omar was running last year to become one of the first Muslim women in Congress, several Minnesota Jewish leaders invited her to talk privately about past statements they considered anti-Semitic and anti-Israel.

Most came away dissatisfied by what they heard.

Their concerns were confirmed this week when Omar suggested on Twitter that members of Congress support Israel for money, igniting a bipartisan uproar.

Democratic state Sen. Ron Latz, who hosted the meeting, says he’s grateful that she seems to be willing to be engaged in conversations with the Jewish community, but she doesn’t seem to be learning from those conversations.

In tweets this week, Omar said she is learning, and she’s grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating her on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes.

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Мюнхенська конференція з безпеки: Порошенко і Столтенберґ обговорили агресію Росії

«Обговорено шляхи посилення співпраці України з Альянсом у відповідь на існуючі загрози в акваторії Чорного та Азовського морів» – президент України

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ФСБ Росії перевіряє «на екстремізм» портрет Бандери, вилучений у проукраїнського активіста в Криму

Співробітники кримського главку ФСБ Росії перевіряють на екстремізм портрет одного з лідерів українського націоналістичного руху першої половини ХХ століття Степана Бандери і червоно-чорний прапор ОУН, які російські силовики вилучили в Криму 8 лютого під час обшуку у проукраїнського активіста Олега Приходька. Про це проекту Радіо Свобода Крим.Реалії 15 лютого розповів сам Приходько.

«Залишився у них портрет Степана Бандери і червоно-чорний прапор. «Експерти» ФСБ вивчають їх на екстремізм. Сказали, що ще зв’яжуться зі мною», – розповів Приходько.

Активіст повідомив, що йому повернули макети німецьких автоматів, українські прапори, стрічки та символіку української партії «Свобода». При цьому Приходьку не сказали, чи буде порушено стосовно нього кримінальну справу.

Він повідомив, що у нього розпитували, з якими журналістами і правозахисниками він спілкувався останнім часом. Але Приходько відмовився говорити, пославшись на статтю 51 Конституції Росії.

Публічних коментарів управління ФСБ Росії в Криму з цього приводу немає.

8 лютого співробітники кримського главку ФСБ провели обшук у Олега Приходька в селі Орехово Сакського району. Силовики вилучили у нього українську символіку, прапори партії «Свобода», червоно-чорні прапори, портрет Степана Бандери, техніку і домашні CD-диски. Після обшуку Приходька відвезли до Сімферополя, де допитували, розпитуючи про його діяльність і зв’язки на материковій частині України.

Слідчі дії йому пояснили тим, що напередодні невідомі зруйнували пам’ятник радянським солдатам у парку міста Саки. Приходько заперечує свою причетність до цього і заявляє, що не був у тому парку вже кілька років. Він пов’язує те, що відбувається зі своєю проукраїнською позицією та з тим, що раніше представляв в Сакському районі партію «Свобода», яка з 2014 року заборонена підконтрольними Росії кримською владою.

Російські силовики не коментують проведення обшуку у Приходька.

У червні 2016 року російські силовики затримували активіста за українські номерні знаки на автомобілі.

Після російської анексії в Криму почастішали масові обшуки у незалежних журналістів, громадських активістів, активістів кримськотатарського національного руху, членів Меджлісу кримськотатарського народу, а також кримських мусульман, підозрюваних у зв’язках із забороненою в Росії організацією «Хізб ут-Тахрір».

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Spain to Get 3rd Government in 4 Years as PM Calls for Early Election

Spain will elect its third government in less than four years after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s fragile socialist government acknowledged Friday its support had evaporated and called an early general election.

Sanchez’s eight-month-old administration met its end after failing to get parliament’s approval for its 2019 budget proposal earlier this week, adding to the political uncertainty that has dogged Spain in recent years.

“Between doing nothing and continuing without a budget, or giving the chance for Spaniards to speak, Spain should continue looking ahead,” Sanchez said in a televised appearance from the Moncloa Palace, the seat of government, after an urgent Cabinet meeting.

The ballot will take place on April 28. It is expected to highlight the increasingly fragmented political landscape that has denied the European Union country a stable government in recent elections.

The 46-year-old prime minister ousted his conservative predecessor Mariano Rajoy last June, when he won a no-confidence vote triggered by a damaging corruption conviction affecting Rajoy’s Popular Party.

But the simple majority of Socialists, anti-austerity parties and regional nationalists that united against Rajoy crumbled in the past week after Sanchez broke off talks with the Catalan separatists over their demands for the independence of their prosperous northeastern region.

Sanchez saw the Catalan separatists join opposition lawmakers to vote down his spending plans, including social problems he had hoped would boost his party’s popularity.

Sanchez had the shortest term in power for any prime minister since Spain transitioned to democracy four decades ago.

Without mentioning Catalonia directly, Sanchez said he remained committed to dialogue with the country’s regions as long as their demands fell “within the constitution and the law,” which don’t allow a region to secede. He blamed the conservatives for not supporting his Catalan negotiations.

Popular Party leader Pablo Casado celebrated what he called the “defeat” of the Socialists, attacking Sanchez for yielding to some of the Catalan separatists’ demands.

“We will be deciding [in this election] if Spain wants to remain as a hostage of the parties that want to destroy it,” or welcome the leadership of the conservatives, Casado said.

Catalonia’s regional government spokeswoman, Elsa Artadi, retorted that “Spain will be ungovernable as long as it doesn’t confront the Catalan problem.”

Opinion polls indicate the April vote isn’t likely to produce a clear winner, a shift from the traditional bipartisan results that dominated Spanish politics for decades.

Although Sanchez’s Socialists appear to be ahead, their two main opponents — the Popular Party and the center-right Ciudadanos (Citizens) — could repeat their recent coalition in the southern Andalusia region, where they unseated the Socialists with the help of the far-right Vox party.

Vox last year scored the far-right’s first significant gain in post-dictatorship Spain, and surveys predict it could grab seats in the national parliament for the first time.

Vox’s leader, Santiago Abascal, vowed to use the election to “reconquer” the future, a term that refers back to how Spanish Catholic kings defeated Muslim rulers in 15th-century Spain.

Meanwhile, the Socialists are unlikely to be able to form a new government even if they come to a coalition deal with the anti-establishment Podemos [We Can] party, so a third partner will likely be needed.

Sanchez’s options are limited. On the right, a deal with the Citizens party seemed off the table, as its leader Albert Rivera has vetoed any possible agreement with a Socialist party led by Sanchez himself.

And the prospect of Catalan nationalists joining any ensuing coalition is remote, both in the light of the recent failed talks and the ongoing trial of a dozen Catalan politicians and activists for their roles in an independence bid two years ago.

“The Socialists don’t want an election marked by Catalonia because the issue creates internal division, but right-wing parties will use it as a weapon,” said Antonio Barroso of the Teneo consulting firm.

He said polls have erred in recent elections and that clever campaigning could swing the vote significantly.

“The only certainty … is that fragmentation is Spain’s new political reality,” he said.

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Former Massachusetts Gov. to Challenge Trump for GOP Nomination

Former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld, little-known on the national stage but well-respected among veterans in the GOP establishment, announced an exploratory committee for president on Friday, becoming the first Republican to move toward a serious primary challenge against President Donald Trump.

There are new signs he won’t be the last.

In the immediate aftermath of the 73-year-old Weld’s announcement at a breakfast event in New Hampshire, a senior aide for former Ohio Gov. John Kasich indicated Kasich is likely to launch a primary challenge as well.

“All of our options remain on the table and we’re leaning toward a primary run,” Kasich aide John Weaver told The Associated Press.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, meanwhile, met privately last week with conservative leader Bill Kristol, who’s driving an effort to recruit a top-tier Trump primary challenger and operatives on the ground in key states.

“I think he deserves a lot of credit for being the first one in the pool. The water’s pretty cool at this point,” Kristol said of Weld. “But he won’t be the last.”

Hogan aides acknowledge that the two-term Republican governor is openly considering a Trump challenge. Hogan is expected to spend the next two months focused on his state legislative session to be followed by a more active exploratory phase likely to include appearances in key primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.

Weld’s move makes Trump the first incumbent president since George H.W. Bush in 1992 to face a notable primary challenge.

While Trump’s overall approval ratings have been poor for much of his presidency, he remains popular with Republican voters. Yet some Republican operatives in and out of Trump’s campaign have taken steps to protect the president from a serious primary challenge, which historically has foreshadowed trouble ahead for incumbent presidents.

Bush and Jimmy Carter lost their bids for a second term after facing challenges from inside their own party.

Speaking in New Hampshire, Weld blasted Trump for leaving the nation in “grave peril.”

“We have a president whose priorities are skewed toward promotion of himself rather than for the good of the country,” Weld said. “He may have great energy and considerable raw talent but he does not use that in ways that promote democracy, truth, justice and equal opportunity for all. To compound matters, our president is simply too unstable to carry out the duties of the highest executive office in the land.”

Asked to comment on Weld’s campaign, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded: “Who?”

“The RNC and the Republican Party are firmly behind the president,” said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Cassie Smedile. “Any effort to challenge the president’s nomination is bound to go absolutely nowhere.”

Stephen Stepanek, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, pointed to Weld’s past support of President Barack Obama and said he didn’t expect his campaign to get very far among Republican primary voters.

Weld “really needs to think about how welcome he is in the Republican Party,” Stepanek said.

Fiscally conservative but socially liberal, the 73-year-old Weld ran on the Libertarian party ticket in 2016 with former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, receiving about 4.5 million votes, or a little more than 3 percent of the national popular vote.

Despite a pledge that he would remain a loyal libertarian, Weld on Jan. 17 walked into the clerk’s office of the Massachusetts town where he lives and re-registered with the GOP, adding to speculation that he would challenge Trump in the primaries.

Weld has not won a political race since being re-elected governor by a landslide in his heavily Democratic state in 1994. He was first elected to the office in 1990, defeating a conservative Democratic candidate, and quickly became one of Massachusetts’ most popular governors in recent history.

While holding the line on spending and taxes, Weld as governor embraced liberal positions at odds with national Republicans on abortion and gay rights. His low-key style and sharp wit also seemed to play well with voters as did his penchant for the unexpected: He once ended a news conference touting progress in cleaning up Boston’s polluted Charles River by diving fully clothed into the waterway.

When Matt Mayberry, former vice chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party, introduced himself to Weld on Friday as a veteran who is also gay, pro-choice and a life-long Republican, Weld exclaimed “You’re my guy!”

But Mayberry didn’t reciprocate.

“It bothers me that you left the party, ran for vice president and came back. Please talk to me and other Republicans, moderate Republicans, about how, as Republicans, we can trust you to govern as a Republican,” Mayberry said.

Weld pointed to his record as governor, and said that while he considers himself a “small l” libertarian, the only way to effectively challenge Trump is to run as a Republican.

“I want to not dribble around the court but go right to the hoop. If you want to go one-on-one here, it’s got to be as an R,' that can't be helped. That's the way this race has to be run. It feels good to be back here with theR’ on my name,” Weld said.

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Лукашенко заявив, що питання об’єднання Білорусі і Росії залежить від волі двох народів

Президент Білорусі Олександр Лукашенко на третій день зустрічі з президентом Росії Володимиром Путіним заявив, що питання суверенітету є «святим», а ймовірність об’єднання двох країн залежить лише від волі їх громадян.

«Ми (з Володимиром Путіним – ред.) готові йти настільки далеко в єднанні, об’єднанні наших зусиль держав і народів, наскільки ви готові. Ми і завтра можемо об’єднатися вдвох. У нас проблем немає. Але чи готові ви (росіяни і білоруси) на це – питання. Тому це вам треба адресувати питання до себе. Наскільки ви готові, настільки ми і будемо виконувати вашу волю. А якщо не готові, якою б не була потужна і величезна Росія, вона сьогодні не в змозі нав’язати комусь волю. Тим паче, нам це і не потрібно», – заявив Лукашенко.

Білоруський президент заявив про спільне бачення проблем Мінськом і Москвою.

«Якщо взяти Україну, теж слов’янська держава, але який величезний розрив за кілька років утворився. А ми (Білорусь і Росія – ред.) розмовляємо однією мовою і розуміємо однаково проблеми», – сказав Лукашенко.

Нинішня зустріч Лукашенка з Путіним – сьома за півроку, востаннє президенти Білорусі і Росії зустрічалися в грудні минулого року у Кремлі.

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Жоден з великих операторів Білорусі не включив український канал UATV у свої пакети

Жоден з трьох найбільших кабельних операторів Білорусі не включив у свої пакети український телеканал UATV, який наприкінці січня отримав дозвіл на мовлення в Білорусі. Як повідомив Радіо Свобода директор компанії «Навігатор ТВ», яка є офіційним дистриб’ютором UATV в Білорусі Вадим Тихонович, поки в Білорусі український телеканал включили для поширення три мінські оператори-кабельники – це УП «СЕТ», ЗАТ «Ефір» і «Німфадора».

За словами Тихоновича, наразі підписані 14 угод з операторами. Крім трьох згаданих, решта – 11 операторів – переважно з сусідніх із Україною Брестської і Гомельської областей Білорусі.

Тихонович каже: інтерес до UATV великий, але «все залежить від керівника кабельного оператора». За його словами, «у багатьох з них проросійська позиція».

«Канали бувають дорогі, такі як Discovery чи «НТВ плюс». Український же фактично безкоштовний. Тобто з економічної точки зору оператору вигідно його включити», – зазначив Тихонович.

Керівництво України та Білорусі погоджувало мовлення українського державного телеканалу в Білорусі з 2014 року.

UATV – український телеканал іномовлення, що веде ефіри українською, російською, кримськотатарською, англійською та арабською мовами. У січні Мінінформполітики Білорусі підписало наказ, який дозволив телеканалу поширення на території Білорусі. Кожен з операторів повинен повідомити Міністерство інформації Білорусі про своє бажання включити канал UATV для поширення і отримати відповідну відповідь.

Всього в Білорусі діє майже півтори сотні кабельних телеоператорів, які обслуговують 3,5 мільйона абонентів. Лідерами ринку є три компанії: МТІС (Мінські телевізійні інформаційні мережі), «Велком» (Voka) і «Космос Телеком».

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Chinese Leader Meets with US Trade Delegation in Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping met Friday with members of the U.S. trade delegation in Beijing where China and the U.S. are attempting to hammer out a trade deal.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin posted on Twitter Friday that he and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer had “productive meetings with China’s Vice Premier Liu He.”

Another round of negotiations between the two countries will continue next week in Wahington, Chinese state media reported.

Earlier, a top White House economic adviser expressed confidence in the U.S. – China trade negotiations in Beijing.

“The vibe in Beijing is good,” National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow told reporters at the White House Thursday.

Kudlow provided few details but said the U.S. delegation led by Lighthizer was “covering all ground.”

“That’s a very good sign and they’re just soldiering on, so I like that story,” Kudlow said, “And I will stay with the phrase, the vibe is good.”

Negotiators are working to strike a deal by March 1, to avoid a rise in U.S. tariffs on $200 million worth of Chinese goods from 10 percent to 25 percent. President Donald Trump suggested earlier this week that if talks are seeing signs of progress, that deadline could be pushed back.

When asked Thursday if there would be an extension, Kudlow said, “No such decision has been made so far.”

Analysts such as William Reinsch, a former president of the National Foreign trade Council and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, say the talks are complicated by the three main areas under negotiation.

“Market access, which I think is well on the way to completion. Some Chinese offers on intellectual property, which I think they are not going to offer what we want…And some compliance in enforcement matters.”

Reinsch told VOA’s Mandarin service that U.S. negotiators are specifically seeking ways to hold China accountable for the commitments it makes in any deal.

Munich security conference

 

While American and Chinese negotiators continue talks in Beijing, both countries are setting up for another potential face-off in Europe.

 

The U.S. and China are sending large delegations to Friday’s Munich Security Conference in Germany, a high-level conference on international security policy. Vice President Mike Pence leads the U.S. delegation while Politburo member Yang Jiechi will be the most senior Chinese official.

Yang Jiechi is heading the largest-ever Chinese delegation to the conference traditionally attended by the U.S. and its European allies. He is pushing back against Washington’s campaign pressing Europe to exclude Chinese tech giant Huawei from taking part in constructing 5G mobile networks in the region.

U.S. officials say allowing the Chinese company to build the next generation of wireless communications in Europe will enhance the Chinese government’s surveillance powers, threatening European security.

Although the technology behind 5G is complex, Brad Setser, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Treasury Department, said the decisions for European countries is simple.

“Given the nature of modern telecommunication, countries do have to make a choice about whether or not they believe that Huawei, given its relationship, not an ownership relationship, with Chinese government, can be trusted to provide the backbone of their future telecommunication system.”

Both Pence and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned allies in Poland and other Central European countries this week on the dangers of closer ties with Beijing and collaboration with Chinese firms. In Budapest, Hungary on Monday, Pompeo said American companies might scale back European operations if countries continue to do business with Huawei.

Huawei has repeatedly denied its products could be used for espionage.

U.S. prosecutors have filed charges against Huawei including bank fraud, violating sanctions against Iran, and stealing trade secrets. The company refuted these accusations and rejected charges against its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou, who is currently on bail in Canada following her arrest in December.

This year’s Munich Security Conference topics include the “great power competition” between the United States, China, and Russia. Conference organizers have listed US-China tensions as one of their top 10 security issues of 2019.

VOA’s Mandarin Service reporter Jingxun Li contributed to this report

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Report: British ID Third Suspect in Russian Spy Poisoning

British investigators have identified a Russian military intelligence officer as a third suspect in the poisoning of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, two European security sources told Reuters.

The sources confirmed a report by the investigative website Bellingcat, which Thursday identified Denis Sergeev, a high-ranking GRU officer and a graduate of Russia’s Military Diplomatic Academy, as the suspect.

Skripal, a former officer in Russian military intelligence who betrayed dozens of spies to MI6, and his daughter Yulia, were found slumped unconscious on a bench in the southern city of Salisbury in March 2018 after being poisoned with the Novichok military-grade nerve agent. Both later recovered.

Last September, British prosecutors charged two Russians, known by the aliases Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, with attempted murder in their absence. Russia has denied any involvement in the poisoning.

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Polarized by Catalonia, Spain Heads to the Polls

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called a general election for April 28 after his minority government’s budget proposal was rejected by lawmakers.

The election is Spain’s third in less than four years, a symptom of an increasingly fragmented political landscape and a sign of how Catalonia will remain a thorny issue for the next leader.

Here’s a look at how things unfolded and what to expect from a new general election:

​How did Spain get here?

There was a time when Spanish politics was largely a two-party business: the Socialists and the conservative Popular Party (PP). Each took turn in power, often relying on the nationalists from regions with a strong cultural identity as their parliamentary crutch.

However, since the 2008 global financial crisis and the recession that followed, Spain’s political landscape has been shaken, notably with the formation of the anti-establishment Podemos (We Can) party and the pro-business Ciudadanos (Citizens), which was founded in Catalonia as a stern response to separatism.

The heightened fragmentation of Spain’s political scene led to an inconclusive election in 2015. When Spaniards went to the polls again months later, Mariano Rajoy, the incumbent prime minister from the PP, declared victory but wasn’t able to form a government until the 11th hour, when Ciudadanos backed him and the Socialists abstained in parliament.

The Catalonia factor

Separatist sentiment among Catalonia’s population of 7.5 million grew on the back of Spain’s economic crisis and came to a head in October 2017 when a separatist coalition led by Carles Puigdemont defied court bans and went ahead with a referendum on independence, which they declared at the end of 2017.

No actions were taken to implement the declaration and no country recognized it. Rajoy took a tough stance against the separatists and Madrid took control of the region.

In June last year, a damaging corruption conviction affecting the ruling PP triggered a no-confidence vote that ousted Rajoy as prime minister and ushered in Sanchez, the young Socialist leader who had returned to favor in his party.

Sanchez, stubborn or naïve?

Sanchez’s female-majority Cabinet increased the minimum wage, announced measures to create new public-sector jobs and expand universal health care.

But his first weeks in office were plagued with missteps including a U-turn on his approach to migration, increasingly restricting access in line with other European nations. Some moves, like the exhumation of the late dictator Gen. Francisco Franco’s remains, played to his constituents but was met with eye-rolling by the right wing.

His government’s position has remained precarious throughout given that the Socialists control less than 25 percent of Spain’s lower house.

Sanchez’s two meetings with the new Catalan leader, fervent separatist Quim Torra, have yielded some progress in normalizing relations between the central and regional governments, but have galvanized political opponents in Ciudadanos and PP, and given wings to the emerging far-right Vox party.

What now?

This week’s rejection of his national spending plan by the secessionists in Catalonia and the parties to the right of the Socialists came after Sanchez refused to accept dialogue on Catalonia’s self-determination, a right that Spain’s constitution doesn’t allow.

The electoral backdrop has got more complicated in light of Vox’s recent gains in the Andalusian regional assembly, the first significant win of the far right in post-Franco Spain.

Sanchez’s Socialists lead in the polls but not by enough to form a significant majority in parliament without the support of Podemos and the regional nationalist parties. The prospect of Catalan nationalists joining could well be jeopardized by the trial of a dozen politicians and activists for their roles in the Catalan breakaway bid two years ago.

The trial, as one radio commentator put it, will be “a trailer in flames in the middle of the election.”

The projections also suggest that significant Vox gains could make the far right a potential kingmaker.

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‘Fintech’ Could Help Mexicans Abroad Send Money Home

Mexico’s new government is trying to slash the cost of sending cash home for Mexican families living abroad and is hoping competition from “fintechs” (financial technology) will encourage banks and services like Western Union to reduce commissions and improve exchange rates.

Deputy Finance Minister Arturo Herrera said the government did not plan to place new regulations on the flow of remittances, one of the country’s largest sources of foreign currency and a lifeline for millions of poor families.

Sending remittances

However, the former World Bank executive envisaged that the increasing use of money transfer apps would help bring down the cost of sending remittances. Currently, the commission charged and the foreign exchange rates imposed together take a bite out of each remittance of 8 percent on average. Herrera said that should be brought down to 5 percent.

“That is to say, the cost of transactions must come down by about 40 percent. That is something the fintechs are probably in a better position to do than traditional actors such as banks,” Herrera told Reuters in an interview earlier this week. 

“Their great advantage is that they can operate in a more efficient and direct way and at lower costs, which should lead to lower commissions,” Herrera said.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office on Dec. 1, has made fighting poverty and inequality a centerpiece of his administration. Herrera said bringing down the cost for financial services like remittances would help many of the nation’s neediest.

Banking costs are a sensitive issue in Mexico. When Lopez Obrador’s ruling MORENA party introduced a bill last year to limit banking fees it triggered a selloff in the stock market. Lopez Obrador distanced himself from the bill.

Calm investors

Other changes were better received, with credit ratings agency Fitch saying a bill introduced by Lopez Obrador to loosen restrictions on pension fund managers could lead to better returns and payouts for beneficiaries.

Lopez Obrador has also tried to calm investors’ nerves by saying there would be no modifications to the legal framework relating to economic, financial and fiscal matters in the first three years of his tenure.

The government says 24 million Mexicans live in the United States, by far the largest source of money sent home. Mexicans sent a record $33.5 billion in remittances in 2018, a 10.5 percent jump from a year earlier, Mexican central bank data show.

Mexico is already home to 75 startups that specialize in payments and remittances, data from fintech platform Finnovista show, while remittance apps like Remitly and Xoom have been gaining popularity.

Herrera said banks and Western Union would have to make their services cheaper to compete with money transfer apps. He did not say how quickly that would happen.

“I wish we could make it happen immediately,” he said.

No comment from Western Union

Western Union and its closest rival Moneygram did not respond to requests for comment. The Mexican Banking Association declined to comment on the topic.

Turning to fintechs for change is part of a broader strategy aimed at decreasing the use of the cash in Mexico, Herrera said. He said the Finance Ministry planned to reveal additional measures at the annual Banking Convention in March.

Ninety percent of transactions in Mexico are made in cash, in a system that he said is inefficient and expensive and creates ample opportunities for corruption and money laundering.

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Trump Enters Obese Range, But Still in ‘Good Health,’ Exam Shows

President Donald Trump has put on a few pounds over the past year and is now in the obese range, although he remains in “very good health overall,” according to the results of a physical examination conducted last week.

“After taking into account all the laboratory results, examinations and specialist recommendations, it is my determination that the president remains in very good health overall,” the president’s physician, Sean Conley, wrote in a memo Thursday. A copy of the memo was released by the White House.

The memo, which detailed the findings of an examination of Trump that Conley led Friday, said the 72-year-old president weighed 243 pounds (110.2 kg), up from 239 pounds (108.4 kg) in early 2018.

The findings pushed Trump into the obese range under a widely used government body mass index that aims to measure body fat based on height and weight.

Little more than a year ago, Trump’s doctor directed him to try to lose 10 to 15 pounds (4.5 to 6.8 kg) by eating better and exercising.

Aides say he now eats more fish than he used to but still enjoys steaks, well done with ketchup on the side, and fried potatoes prepared by the chefs at the White House and at the Trump International Hotel in Washington. Trump also has long had a well-documented fondness for fast food.

In his memo, Conley said he had increased the amount of rosuvastatin the president takes. The drug aims to lower LDL, or so-called bad cholesterol, while raising HDL, or good cholesterol. Over the past year, Trump’s LDL count fell, but so did his HDL count, the exam results showed.

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На форумі у Варшаві Клімкін закликав протидіяти кіберзагрозам Росії

До тісної співпраці для протидії викликам і гібридним загрозам, які створює Росія для демократичного світу, закликав 14 лютого міністр закордонних справ України Павло Клімкін. Як повідомляє сайт МЗС України, про це Клімкін заявив, виступаючи на міністерській конференції з питань безпеки на Близькому Сході, що відбулася 13–14 лютого у Варшаві.

На цьому ж форумі в ексклюзивному коментарі Радіо Свобода держсекретар США Майк Помпео заявив, що міжнародна коаліція, яка протистоїть створюваним Іраном небезпекам, є міцною. Відповідаючи на запитання на полях форуму у Варшаві, він наголосив, що коаліцію, яка чинить тиск на Іран, було створено для встановлення миру та стабільності на Близькому Сході.

Польща і США виступили співорганізаторами конференції, в якій взяли участь президент Польщі Анджей Дуда, віце-президент США Майкл Пенс, прем’єр-міністр Ізраїлю Біньямін Нетаньягу, керівники зовнішньополітичних відомств близько 30 держав світу, в тому числі і український міністр Павло Клімкін.

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US Senate Confirms Barr as Attorney General

The U.S. Senate voted 54-45 Thursday to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, William Barr, who will now oversee special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian election meddling and contacts between Moscow and members of Trump’s inner circle.

“He is an excellent nominee, extremely competent and experienced,” Senate Judiciary Committee member Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said. “The Justice Department needs good, effective leadership.”

Barr begins his second stint as America’s top law enforcement official.  He served as attorney general during the George H.W. Bush administration, having been unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 1991.

This time around, most Democrats opposed his nomination. While praising Barr’s resume, they decried his expansive views on executive authority, alleging he would provide an inadequate check on the Trump White House and could undermine the special counsel’s investigation.

“There’s no question that Mr. Barr is qualified,” the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, Dianne Feinstein of California, said. “The question is whether Mr. Barr is the right choice at this time with this president, when there are currently several active investigations that implicate this president, his campaign, his advisers and his inner circle.” 

Democrats pointed to an extensive memo Barr wrote to the Justice Department last year arguing Trump should be insulated from possible obstruction-of-justice charges stemming from the Mueller probe.

“His memo embraces an exceptionally broad theory of executive power that could threaten not only the special counsel’s investigation but a lot of our current understanding of the scope and reach of executive power,” Delaware Democrat Chris Coons said.

Republicans said such concerns were unwarranted.

“I can promise you that Mr. Barr will make sure that Mr. Mueller can finish his job without political interference,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said. “I know he will be fair to the president, but he’ll pick the rule of law over anything or anybody.”

Barr sought to reassure senators at his confirmation hearing last month.

“I believe it is vitally important that the special counsel be allowed to complete his investigation,” Barr told the Judiciary Committee. “If confirmed, I will not permit partisan politics, personal interests or any other improper consideration to interfere with this or any other investigation.”

Three Democrats voted to confirm Barr, while one Republican opposed his confirmation.

“He is well-qualified and I am confident that he will faithfully execute the duties of the chief law enforcement officer of the United States of America,” West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin wrote on Twitter.

“I have too many concerns about the record and views of this nominee,” Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky said in a statement. “Bill Barr was a leading proponent of warrantless surveillance, and his overall record on the Fourth Amendment [constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures] is troubling to me.”

Barr’s confirmation was never in serious doubt in the Republican-led chamber, a fact some Democrats tacitly acknowledged before the vote.

“I hope he [Barr] will prove me wrong,” Coons said. “I hope he will demonstrate to the American people of all parties and backgrounds that he will put the interests of our democracy above partisan priorities. And I hope he will prove to be a terrific and solid and reliable steward for the ongoing investigation special counsel Mueller is leading.”

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