Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 05 February 2017
Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
U.S.
Trump: ‘We’ll win’ appeal of order blocking immigration ban (The Hill) President Trump on Saturday evening expressed confidence that the Justice Department would be successful in its appeal of a federal judge’s ruling that temporarily blocked his executive action on immigration. Trump told reporters at his private Mar-a-Lago resort, where he is spending the weekend:
“We’ll win. For the safety of the country we’ll win.”
Cargill at Odds With Trump as It Warns on Immigration, Trade (Bloomberg) The chief executive officer of Cargill Inc., the largest closely held U.S. company, has become the latest corporate leader to voice concerns about immigration and trade protectionism. In a speech and an opinion column, David MacLennan warned of the economic dangers posed by curbs to legal immigration. He also said trade protectionism risks creating food shortages and even sparking conflict. MacLennan he wrote in The Huffington Post Friday:
“The current climate has many of our smartest people from outside the U.S. questioning whether they want to stay here. We don’t want to drive away talented people and their innovative thinking. It would weaken not only our food system, but the U.S. economy.”
The First Class of Naturalized Citizens Under President Trump (Vice News) Hat tip to Michael Brokaw. Friday, all across the country, hundreds of green card holders, having passed naturalization exams, lined up to receive their U.S. citizenship certificates. The following video shows some of these individuals and the bursting pride of many, along with the muted responses of some.
UK
Billions wasted on trophy kit leave a big hole in the realm’s defences ( The Times) A £1 billion ($1.25 billion) destroyer that can be detected 100 miles away. Uk has drones that still don’t fly and a carrier vulnerable to new enemy missiles. Mark Hookham and John Collingridge report on UK defense spending blunders.
Italy
Anonymous posters criticizing Pope appear in Rome (Reuters) Posters accusing Pope Francis of attacking conservative Catholics appeared around Rome this weekend and were swiftly covered up by city authorities.
Iran
Iran Carries Out New Missile Tests After Trump Imposes Sanctions (Bloomberg) Iran carried out further missile tests during an annual military exercise, a day after President Donald Trump imposed fresh sanctions on a raft of individuals and companies in response to the country test-firing a ballistic rocket last week. The country successfully tested a range of land-to-land missiles and radar systems during the drills in a 35,000 square-kilometer stretch of desert in the northern Iranian province of Semnan, the semi-official Tasnim agency reported Saturday, citing Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ aerospace division.
Ukraine
Trump says U.S. will work to restore peace in Ukraine (Reuters) President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko the United States will work to restore peace along the border with Russia. Trump said in a White House statement on Saturday:
“We will work with Ukraine, Russia, and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border.”
Philippines
Duterte Walks Away From Pledge to Forge Peace With Maoist Rebels (Bloomberg) Efforts to end one of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies in the Philippines appear to have failed after President Rodrigo Duterte announced Saturday a withdrawal from peace talks. The apparent collapse of the peace process comes after communist rebels last week ambushed and murdered three soldiers in Bukidnon province in the south of the country. Maoist rebels have launched at least 18 attacks on government forces since the Norway-brokered talks resumed in January.
China
China Has Grown as a Supplier of Raw Materials (Walter Kurtz, The Daily Shot) This century has seen big growth for China as a source for raw materials.
