PARIS French President Emmanuel Macron said he told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the two countries had made a "tangible" progress in bilateral relations, which could move to a new phase.

The two presidents met for the first time on May 29.

"On the subject of bilateral and regional issues, I welcome the quality and the intensity of the work that has been established since then," Macron, who kept Putin waiting for about 20 minutes, said ahead of their meeting behind closed doors.

"So I think now we can move on to a new phase because we both saw that we were doing what we were saying," Macron added.

(Reporting by Marine Pennetier in Hamburg; Writing by Maya Nikolaeva; editing by John Stonestreet)

HAMBURG President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he thought his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump had been satisfied with his assertions that Russia had not meddled in the U.S. presidential election.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Saturday said that the U.S.-Mexico relationship cannot be defined by "murmurs," the day after U.S. President Donald Trump said Mexico would "absolutely" pay for his proposed southern border wall.

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Macron tells Putin tangible progress made in Russo-French relations - Reuters

HAMBURG German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday there was no glossing over the fact that there had been "very, very slow" progress in implementing the Minsk peace accords aimed at ending years of violence in eastern Ukraine.

Merkel said she would hold four-way telephone talks on next steps soon with the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and France following a more procedural conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Hamburg.

"We agreed to continue the process. But we also observed that progress had been very, very slow - with stagnation in some cases, relapses in others. We didn't gloss over the situation," she said. "We will stay in touch, we'll stick with the format. We don't have any other basis."

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Noah Barkin)

HAMBURG President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he thought his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump had been satisfied with his assertions that Russia had not meddled in the U.S. presidential election.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Saturday said that the U.S.-Mexico relationship cannot be defined by "murmurs," the day after U.S. President Donald Trump said Mexico would "absolutely" pay for his proposed southern border wall.

Continued here:

Merkel cites 'very, very slow' progress on Ukraine peace deal - Reuters

HAMBURG U.S. President Donald Trump hailed progress on trade after meeting his Mexican counterpart on Friday, as Mexico's government said it expected a general agreement on reworking the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) by the end of 2017.

For the first time since becoming president in January, Trump met Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose foreign minister Luis Videgaray said he expected talks on renegotiating NAFTA to start on Aug. 16., the earliest possible date.

The meeting at the Hamburg leaders' summit of the Group of 20 economies was keenly anticipated in Mexico, and officials were quick to stress talks had been productive, despite Trump repeating that Mexico would pay for his planned border wall.

"We're negotiating NAFTA and some other things with Mexico and we'll see how it all turns out, but I think that we've made very good progress," Trump said after the meeting.

In response to a shouted question from a reporter about whether he still wants Mexico to pay for the border wall, which aims to keep out illegal immigrants, Trump said, "Absolutely."

Pena Nieto, whom Trump called his "friend," said the meeting would "help us continue a very strong dialogue" on NAFTA, while his aides emphasized that they had not discussed the wall.

NAFTA underpins more than $1 trillion worth of trilateral trade between the United States, Mexico and Canada. Videgaray, who was present at the talks, told reporters afterwards it had been a "big part of the conversation" with Trump.

"We expect to have a meaningful, constructive, modernization of the agreement that is good for the three nations," the minister said. "And we think there is a lot of room to make it a better agreement for the three nations."

Speaking on Mexican radio, Videgaray also said both governments agreed the renegotiation "should be a relatively quick process" that looks to "generate agreements, at least in general terms, by the end of the year."

Disputes over migration, Trump's border wall - which Mexico has repeatedly said it will not pay for - and his claim that free trade with Mexico costs jobs in the United States, have strained relations between the two neighbors.

Trump has threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Mexican goods to protect U.S. industry, and to pull out of NAFTA altogether if he cannot rework it in the United States' favor.

However, especially since Trump stepped back from initiating the process of withdrawal in April, Mexican officials say business leaders from the NAFTA nations have increasingly coalesced around a shared desire to keep the agreement alive.

Trump reiterated his aggressive stance on NAFTA in a weekly address published by the White House online after his meeting with Pena Nieto, but apparently recorded beforehand. In it, Trump said he was pursuing a "total renegotiation" of the pact.

"And if we don't get it, we will terminate, that is, end NAFTA forever," he said in the video.

There has been uncertainty about the process because the United States has yet to set out its negotiating objectives. That is due to happen on or about July 16.

In the meantime, issues such as Trump's border wall remain sensitive. Pena Nieto's spokesman Eduardo Sanchez called in to Mexican broadcaster Radio Formula from Hamburg, stating that the two presidents did not discuss the wall.

"That subject was not part of the conversation," he said.

The two presidents also explored a possible guest worker program for migrants in the agriculture sector as well as the importance of "modernizing" NAFTA, according to a statement from Mexico's government released after the meeting.

(Additional reporting by Dave Graham, Adriana Barrera, Anthony Esposito and David Alire Garcia in Mexico City; editing by Noah Barkin and Jonathan Oatis)

JAKARTA Indonesian state firms are courting foreign pension funds by offering a share in future revenue from toll roads, power stations and other infrastructure projects, as part of a presidential drive to secure $10 billion in additional inflows.

HAMBURG U.S. President Donald Trump shared the G20 spotlight on Saturday with his daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump, as she helped launch a loan program for women and caused a stir by briefly occupying her dad's seat at the table with world leaders.

Originally posted here:

Trump hails NAFTA progress, Mexico eyes general deal by end-2017 - Reuters

HAMBURG The United States is making very good progress on trade issues with Mexico, President Donald Trump said on Friday after a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, but he also repeated a pledge to make the southern neighbor pay for a border wall.

"We're negotiating NAFTA and some other things with Mexico and we'll see how it all turns out, but I think that we've made very good progress," Trump said on Friday after the meeting at the Hamburg summit of 20 large economies.

In response to a shouted question from a reporter to Trump about whether he still wants Mexico to pay for his proposed border wall, the U.S. leader said, "Absolutely."

Pena Nieto, whom Trump called his "friend," added that the meeting would "help us continue a very strong dialogue" on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Disputes over migration, Trump's proposed border wall - which Mexico has repeatedly said it will not pay for - and his claim that free trade with Mexico costs jobs in the United States, have strained relations between the two countries since Trump's November election.

Pena Nieto's spokesman, Eduardo Sanchez, called in to local Mexican broadcaster Radio Formula from Hamburg, stating that the two presidents did not discuss the proposed border wall.

"That subject was not part of the conversation," he said.

"The wall was not the issue," said another Mexican official familiar with the meeting, adding that the meeting went well.

The two leaders reviewed progress made on all the issues on the bilateral agenda, the official said.

Trump and Pena Nieto also discussed the start date for the NAFTA talks, the official said.

The two presidents also explored a possible guest worker program for migrants in the agriculture sector as well as the importance of "modernizing" NAFTA, according to a statement from Mexico's foreign ministry released after the meeting.

(Reporting By Roberta Rampton in Hamburg; Additional reporting by Dave Graham and Adriana Barrera in Mexico City; Editing by Noah Barkin and Jonathan Oatis)

Wall Street extended gains in late morning trading on Friday, powered by robust jobs data and a rebound in technology stocks.

NEW YORK The New York Federal Reserve said on Friday it increased its estimates on the U.S. gross domestic product for the second quarter and third quarter to their highest levels in a month based on the latest U.S. payrolls, service and factory activity data.

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Trump hails NAFTA progress, says Mexico will pay for wall - Reuters

The Presidents Xi and Trump have several things in common: both entered professions in which their fathers gave them natural advantages. (Xi Jinpings father, the revolutionary hero Xi Zhongxun, helped build Chinas Communist Party; Donald Trump inherited a fortune, and a real-estate business, from his father, Fred.) Xi and Trump both perceive the world in zero-sum terms. Both dispute the notion of loyal opposition. And both favor coercion over consensus.

But, in most respects, Trump struck the Chinese leadership as an oddity, and, as soon as he became President, Chinese leaders started reading his books in search of clues to his thinking. From The Art of the Deal they concluded, among other things, that Trumps theatrical demands are only a tool of negotiation. Trumps approach, according to Cheng Li , of the Brookings Institution, who researches Chinese lite politics, was clear: You should put some of your demands outrageously high, so you will never be a loser.

The Chinese leaders reading paid off. When Trump and Xi met for the first time, at Mar-a-Lago, in May, Xi was unruffled by Trumps assertions of bravado, including his revelation, during dessert, that the United States was about to fire missiles at Syria. Xi succeeded in handling Trump. Emerging from the Citrus Summit, Trump made no mention of tariffs or trade war; he proclaimed great chemistrynot good, but great and hailed Xi as a very good man with an incredibly talented wife. Trump, like many, had looked at Xis genial half-smile and succumbed to the misreading that they were in agreement. A Chinese editor in Beijing once told me, of Xi, Hes round on the outside and square on the inside; he looks flexible, but inside he is very hard.

Xi, for his part, did not bother to reciprocate Trumps outpouring of emotion. Though Trump asserted that he would succeed in persuading Xi to choke off trade to North Korea, as a way to curb its nuclear program. (Trump tweeted, I have great confidence that China will properly deal with North Korea.) An Arab foreign minister who visited Beijing shortly after the trip told me privately that, given all of Trumps campaign talk of China raping the United States, Chinese officials were very pleased to have mollified him at his own country club.

Unsurprisingly, the one-way romance proved fragile. Last week, after Trump realized that Xi was not going to pressure Pyongyang into submission, the White House announced sanctions against Chinese entities accused of aiding North Koreas weapons programs. The Administration also announced a $1.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, moved U.S. ships into contested waters in the South China Sea, and dusted off threats of tariffs and a trade war. In a dyspeptic phone call with Trump, Xi complained about these moves as negative factors.

Then things got worse. On July 4th, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un personally led the test-launch of the countrys first intercontinental ballistic missile. Kim defiantly crossed a de-facto red line that Trump had drawn in January, when he said that such a test wont happen. For most Presidents, the public failure of a central pillar of foreign policy would be humbling, but Trump is disconnected from the details of diplomacy, and he directed his frustration, via Twitter, toward China: So much for China working with us - but we had to give it a try!

Now the U.S. and China can, in theory, start the real work of forging a response to the Korean crisis. John Delury, a North Korea expert at Yonsei University, in Seoul, told me, Unfortunately, Xis own ties with Kim Jong-un are tenuous, and thus Beijing is of not much use in getting a read on Pyongyang or facilitating diplomacy. Trump, for his part, seems to be moving away from the notion that China can solve the North Korea problem for him, which is a mark of progress in his learning curve.

At the G-20 meeting in Hamburg this week, the worlds attention will focus largely on Trumps meeting with Vladimir Putin. But Trumps meeting with Xi will have more immediate relevance in dealing with the Korea crisis. In an op-ed published in the Washington Post on Thursday, Jake Sullivan and Victor Cha, foreign-policy advisers in the Obama and Bush Administrations, respectively, proposed a new approach to getting China invested in freezing the North Korean missile tests. Instead of threatening North Korea with cutting off trade, they propose, in effect, paying it to cut off missile tests. The basic trade would be Chinese disbursements to Pyongyang, as well as security assurances, in return for constraints on North Koreas program. . . . If North Korea cheated, China would not be receiving what it paid for. The logical thing would be for it to withhold economic benefits until compliance resumed. The Times outlined a similar idea in an editorial of its own this week.

This approach is no silver bullet, but, in the land of lousy options, as diplomats call the North Korea problem, it is as good as any, in part because it does not rest on a false understanding of the other party. The relationship between Xi and Trumpleaders of the worlds two largest economies, a rising power and an addled power, straining to coexistmay well prove to be the most consequential diplomatic liaison of its time.

It is too soon to know whether Xi and Trump could build a genuine relationship, but, until now, they have been operating on separate wavelengths, intersecting only at moments of superficial understanding. In Chinese, this is known as a chicken talking to a duck. Both sides are talking, but neither truly understands the other.

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How Xi and Trump Can Make Real Progress on North Korea - The New Yorker

Since April, DeKalb County has reviewed and released8,000 water bills it identified as inaccurate last fall. Only 20 bills have been disputed - progress for a county trying to resolve a problema decade in the making, CEO Michael Thurmond said at a meeting with county commissioners on Thursday.

Homeowners received incorrect bills for thousands of dollars.

Some of those disputes are the result ofstartlingly high bills, but Thurmond reassured customers that they will not be penalized for any errors DeKalb made in billing.

The county is focusing on billing for only the most current billing period as they await an official solution for backbilling. Our goal is to have our 184,000 customers receiving regular bills monthly or bimonthly. No decision has been made by administration about backbilling, Thurmond said.

>> Subscribers can read more about the updates inDeKalb water billing crisis at myajc.com

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DeKalb County makes progress in water billing crisis - AJC.com - Atlanta Journal Constitution

I tend to agree with most of that, stretch123But I wouldnt include Bour in the trade away list. He is already 29, but is an Arbitration control player until 2021. Hes certainly performing very well this season, and belongs in the Build Around group. Plus.They dont have another 1B in the system to take his place.

Stanton will bring back salary relief, or some seriously good prospects, but not both. The Cardinals need him badly, and have the pieces to acquire him. They wont like the salary commitment, so maybe the Marlins keep part of the money, but get better prospects in return. Weaver and Bader get the conversation going, with another pitching prospect added.

Ozuna is a bat that could bring back a #3 SPtheyve tried to get a #1 or #2 and failed already. Maybe Ozunas production this season will change that.

Ramos to the Nats makes the most sense, but Im just not sure what theyd give up to get him. Youre not getting a Robles or Fedde for him.but you might pry away either Voth or Cole (but they are both back end starters at best)

Oddly, the biggest haul would come from Yelich, if they traded him away. Im not suggesting that they do, just making a note on that.

Continued here:

Marlins Notes: Trade Targets, Volquez, Sale Progress - MLB Trade Rumors

Sixers see progress from Furkan Korkmaz during win over Spurs in Utah finale

SALT LAKE CITY There's much more to what Furkan Korkmaz brings to a game than what can be found by examining a box score.

One of the reasons that the Sixers drafted Korkmaz and worked to bring him over from Europe is his versatility. Korkmaz is a sharpshooter on the surface. Dig a little deeper and you will also find a rookie forward who is willing to pester opponents on defense and set up teammates for quality shots.

It helped Korkmaz have a bigger impact in the Sixers' 94-86 victory over the Spurs to close out their final day at the Utah Jazz Summer League on Thursday (see Instant Replay). He finished with 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 29 minutes.

Korkmaz tries to influence every part of the game while he's on the court because it fits with what he wants to accomplish as a basketball player.

"Everyday I try to think about it, how to get better and better, Korkmaz said. So I have to be better. I know that.

Count the Sixers' coaching staff among the believers who see him reaching his desired destination. They love his fluidity on the court. They see a player with a diverse skill set who plays at an effective pace and has a feel for the game.

For the Sixers, it adds up to a player who has barely even tugged on the ribbon holding together the package holding his potential.

As each minute adds up, as each touch adds up, as each shot adds up, as each possession adds up, he's just going to become more comfortable, Sixers Utah Jazz Summer League coach Billy Lange said. Then you're going to just see the whole skill set he has."

Korkmaz can expect to see big minutes and get plays drawn up for him when the team starts playing in the Las Vegas Summer League this weekend. Lange believes keeping Korkmaz in the game and letting him play through mistakes will make him a better player and build his confidence.

For his part, Korkmaz wants to reward that confidence through applying himself on both ends of the court.

"It's not just about shooting, Korkmaz said. It's also defense. [Even] if your man scores over you, you just have to keep up and try to give 100 percent."

Miles stepping up For the second consecutive game, the second unit gave the Sixers a major lift in the second half and opened the door for a fourth-quarter rally. The Sixers outscored San Antonio 66-33 in bench points.

Isaiah Miles took the lead in fueling the comeback. He finished with a team-high 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting and seven rebounds in just 22 minutes off the bench. His biggest highlight came on a reverse layup in the fourth quarter that put the Sixers ahead for good during a decisive 11-0 run.

Miles, a rookie forward out of Saint Joseph's, has impressed the Sixers' coaches with his determination and motor whenever he steps onto the court.

"He's a fighter, Lange said. What I mean by fight is he's not going to look at the score and let that dictate his attitude. He just goes in and plays with a strong pace about him, just attacking the offensive glass. He's a confident shooter. He's got a high motor on the offensive end."

Miles joined the Sixers summer league squad a full season removed from a breakout senior campaign with St. Joes. He led the Hawks in both scoring and rebounding in 2015-16, averaging 18.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Dominant defense Second-chance points kept the Sixers in the game during a close loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. This time, against the Spurs, the Sixers used their defensive pressure to create extra shots and force San Antonio into a ton of mistakes.

The Sixers forced 25 turnovers to offset 19 of their own. They took full advantage of those miscues, scoring 31 points off of turnovers. The Spurs, on the other hand, totaled just 14 points off of turnovers.

Korkmaz and Jonah Bolden set the tone, finishing with a team-high three steals apiece. Seven different players recorded a steal for the Sixers.

SALT LAKE CITY Two close losses did not turn into a third one for the Sixers. They closed out their stint in the Utah Jazz Summer League on a satisfying note, rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the San Antonio Spurs 94-86 (see Instant Replay).

The Sixers came out on top without top pick Markelle Fultz in the lineup. Fultz did not start or play because the coaching staff decided to rest him ahead of the Las Vegas Summer League this weekend. In Fultz's absence, the Sixers' second unit stepped up to the plate and carried their team to victory.

Led by 18 points from Isaiah Miles, the Sixers finished with 66 bench points. Four of the six players who came off the bench scored in double figures including Jonah Bolden (16), Brandon Austin (15) and Isaiah Briscoe (10). With the spark they provided, the Sixers surged past the Spurs midway through the fourth quarter and never looked back.

Here are five other observations from Thursday's game:

Once Furkan Korkmaz fully gets his legs under him, the Turkish rookie has the potential to impact a game across the board. Korkmaz did a little bit of everything against the Spurs on Thursday (see story). He stole the ball. He set up teammates for easy baskets with crisp passing. Most importantly, he helped key the decisive 11-0 fourth quarter run that put the Sixers ahead for good with a timely three pointer.

After suffering a fourth-quarter collapse against the Celtics, the Sixers showed mental toughness in the fourth quarter both against the Jazz and the Spurs. They used a rally to threaten Utah in the final minute and then finished off a rally against San Antonio. This could bode well in tight games in Las Vegas.

Bryn Forbes has the makings of being a dangerous shooter for San Antonio. Forbes scorched the nets from the perimeter in a win over the Celtics on Wednesday. The Sixers did a good job of holding him in check. Forbes did finish with 21 points, but he went just 3 of 10 from outside.

The Sixers did a good job of getting out in transition, largely because of their success with forcing turnovers. They finished with 15 fastbreak points while limiting the Spurs to just sixpoints in transition.

Offensive rebounding is a strength for this Sixers' summer league squad. The Sixers corralled 10 offensive boards and finished with 16 second-chance points. It marked the second straight night they held an advantage over their opponent in these categories.

SALT LAKE CITY No Markelle Fultz equaled no problem for the Sixers.

This time, they finished off a fourth-quarter rally with a victory. The Sixers downed the Spurs 94-86 on Thursday in their Utah Jazz Summer League finale. They finished with a 1-2 record in Utah.

A balanced offensive effort aided the Sixers in their comeback. Five players scored in double figures, led by 18 points and seven rebounds from St. Joes product Isaiah Miles. Jonah Bolden chipped in 16 points and eight boards.

San Antonio struggled with turnovers and the Sixers took advantage. They forced 25 turnovers and scored 31 points off those takeaways.

Turning point Down eight points late in the third quarter, the Sixers ran off three straight baskets over the final 30.3 seconds of the quarter. Isaiah Briscoe started off the flurry with a reverse layup, Miles tacked on a dunk and James Blackmon, Jr. finished it all off with a fadeaway jumper to beat the buzzer. Their efforts helped the Sixers tie it at 70-70 early in the fourth quarter.

Furkan Korkmaz sparked another run for the Sixers after burying a three-pointer four minutes into the fourth quarter. It touched off a 11-0 run that gave them an 83-79 lead. Bolden tied it on a dunk and then the Sixers took the lead on a reverse layup from Miles.

Fultz watch Top pick Fultz did not play for the Sixers on Thursday. The team designated it as a rest day for him ahead of the Sixers trip to Las Vegas to participate in summer league action there.

With Fultz on the bench, Larry Drew II started at point guard and served as the primary ball handler. Drew finished with two points, five assists and two turnovers in 30 minutes. The 6-foot-2 guard appeared in 12 games for the Sixers during the 2014-15 season. He averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 assists.

Team leaders Bolden and Miles led a tough second unit, combining for 34 points and 15 rebounds. Brandon Austin added 15 points and Briscoe chipped in 10. Korkmaz was the lone starter to score in double figures, totaling 10 points.

Bryn Forbes led San Antonio with 21 points on 7 of 17 shooting. Cory Jefferson was the only other Spurs player to finish in double figures with 11.

Key stat The second unit came to life for the Sixers. Bench scoring helped the team keep pace with the Spurs for much of 40 minutes. The Sixers totaled 66 bench points compared to 33 for San Antonio.

Top Sixers plays Blackmon provided the biggest highlight in an end-of-quarter flurry for the Sixers in the third. He turned a turnover by Davis Bertrans into a fadeaway jumper that beat the buzzer by 0.2 seconds. It gave the Sixers valuable momentum going into the fourth quarter.

The Sixers tied and passed the Spurs in the final quarter thanks to a pair of great plays from Bolden and Miles. Bolden tied the game at 79-79 on a dunk and then Miles gave the Sixers the lead for good on a reverse layup with 4:32 remaining.

What's next? The Sixers head down to Las Vegas to continue summer league play this weekend.

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Sixers see progress from Furkan Korkmaz during win over Spurs in Utah finale - Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia

WASHINGTON ( The Borowitz Report )Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is being dispatched to Pyongyang in what the White House is calling a high-stakes mission to reverse North Koreas years of progress in math and science.

DeVos, who is expected to arrive in Pyongyang later this week, plans to throw a monkey wrench in North Koreas swiftly advancing nuclear program by replacing its current system of training scientists with a dizzying array of vouchers, sources said.

According to the White House, it is hoped that, after a few weeks in North Korea, DeVos will succeed in returning that nations nuclear program to pre-1970 levels.

At a press briefing announcing the mission, the White House deputy press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, called DeVos our nations best bet to stop North Korea.

If anyone can get North Koreas missiles to start blowing up on the launchpad again, its Betsy, Sanders said.

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Betsy DeVos Heads to North Korea to Reverse Its Progress in Math and Science - The New Yorker (satire)

"Asian actors want to play the lead, the romantic character, the hero, just like everyone else," Tan told CNN.

And like most Asian and Asian American actors, Tan has had to battle stereotypes.

"We're cast as ninjas, monks, nerds, the third, fourth, fifth best friend who is a nerd, killers, doctors and for women, the sexy Asian woman who's dating a white guy," Tan quipped.

The actor, who is of Chinese, Singaporean and British descent, most recently starred as Zhou Cheng in the Netflix series "Iron Fist."

The action-packed show follows the adventures of a martial artist who possesses a mystical force.

Yet the central role went to white actor, Finn Jones, to the dismay of some viewers who wanted to see Tan in the part even though the character in the comic "Iron Fist" isn't Asian.

Regardless, Tan considers his role on the show a win.

"It's an exciting time in a lot of ways because things are opening up," Tan said. "There was a time when things weren't as open for [Asian actors], so it's exciting for me to see actors being booked and called in for roles."

To date, the call for increased diversity in the film and television industry has primarily focused on opportunities for African American, Latino and LGBT creatives, with artists of Asian descent somewhat ignored.

That felt evident to some at the 2016 Academy Awards.

Even as #OscarsSoWhite took center stage, host Chris Rock made a joke using three Asian child actors that resulted in two dozen Asian members of the Academy crafting an open letter demanding an apology.

There has been some notable progress with portrayals in Aziz Ansari's critically acclaimed Netflix series "Master of None" and ABC's sitcom-hit "Fresh Off The Boat," but other projects showcase the challenges many Asian performers still face.

Actors Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park departed the CBS drama "Hawaii Five-0" last week over a reported pay disparity between the actors and their white co-stars.

"The path to equality is rarely easy," Kim wrote in a Facebook post about leaving the show. "But I hope you can be excited for the future. I am."

"As an Asian American actor, I know first-hand how difficult it is to find opportunities at all, let alone play a well developed, three dimensional character like Chin Ho," he also said. "I will miss him sincerely."

Tan, who spoke to CNN prior to Kim and Park leaving their show, said while he'd like to see even more opportunities for actors of Asian descent, he applauds the inclusion of people of color period.

"I want to see everyone rise," he said. "I think we all will have our time, if we push it, if we do the work and if we make our voices heard."

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Beyond 'nerds' and 'ninjas,' slow progress for Asian actors in Hollywood - CNN International

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in May as a rebound in global growth boosted foreign demand for U.S. exports of automobiles, consumer products, and other goods and services to their highest level in more than two years.

The trade deficit, the gap between U.S. imports and exports of goods and services, fell to $46.5 billion, falling $1.1 billion from the previous month, data released Thursday morning by the Commerce Department showed.

U.S. exports rose 0.4 percent to $192 billion, evidence of a rebound in global trade, while imports declined just 0.1 percent to $238.5 billion.

Trade is back, Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union Bank, wrote in an email to clients.

Yet while the U.S. trade balance fell in May, itis on pace to be larger this year than last.In the first five months of 2017, the trade balance came to $233 billion, compared to $206 billion in the first five months of 2016.

Even in some countries whose trade practice President Trump has specifically criticized, the imbalance continues to grow.The U.S. trade deficit with Canada has widened by $7.7 billion this year, while the trade deficit with Mexico has grown by $3.8 billion, Fotios Raptis, an analyst at TD Economics, said in a note Thursday.

Trade deficits with Europe and China have also widened, as a stronger U.S. economy increased demand for imports.

That will likely come as unwelcome news to the Trump administration, which has persistently criticized the trade deficit as evidence that other countries are taking advantage of the United States.

Economists generally caution against these views, arguing that, althougha persistent trade deficit can be a troubling sign, trade balances can fluctuate for all kinds of reasons, including the value of relative currencies, the strength of economies and international investment flows.

For example, imports sometimes rise when the U.S. economy is doing well and Americans can better afford products from abroad. A strong U.S. economy also tends to push up the value of the U.S. dollar, causing exports to fall.

Trump issued an executive order March 31 calling for the Commerce Department to prepare a report within 90 days on the bilateral trade deficits the United States maintains with other countries. That time frame would have called for the report to be issued by June 29, but it has yet to be released.

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Trump vowed to wipe out the trade deficit. He hasn't made much progress. - Washington Post

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Talking Points:

The US Dollar appears poised to test two-month highs above the 114.00 figure against the Japanese Yen after prices extend a three-week rally. The pair has broken resistance guiding the broad down trend since mid-December 2016, hinting that a major upward reversal may be in progress.

From here, a daily close above the May 11 high at 114.37 opens the door for a test of the 38.2% Fibonacci expansion at 115.44. Alternatively, a reversal back below the 23.5% level at 112.65 sees the next downside barrier at 111.86, a former resistance level now recast as support.

Seemingly attractive risk/reward parameters reinforce a compelling technical setup and a long USD/JPY trade has been activated at 113.09, initially targeting 114.37. A stop-loss will be activated on a daily close below 112.65. Profit on half of the trade will be booked and the stop moved to breakeven once the first target is met.

Need help building your FX trading strategy? See our guides and join our live webinars!

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USD/JPY Strategy: Major Trend Change in Progress? - DailyFX

UPDATE: The Burro Fire burning in the Santa Catalina Mountains has grown to 24,547 acres, or 38.3 square miles, and is now 11 percent contained.

688 personnel are battling the fire and have made progress on strengthening control lines using burnout operations to keep the fire from spreading southward, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

A community meeting to discuss the Burro Fire will be held on Thursday, July 6, at Sahuaro High School, 545 N. Camino Seco, at 5:30 p.m.

UPDATE: The Burro Fire burning in the Catalina Mountains has grown to 23,238 acres, or 36.3 square miles, as of Wednesday morning.

While the fire is 11percent contained, fire officials say that does not mean firefighters have not made progress in battling the blaze.

Officials say they'll wait to see if fire lines hold up to strong winds today before they calculate a new containment percentage around the Burro Fire.

About 595 personnel are assigned to fighting the fire, but officials say they'll continue using helicopters and air tankers to drop retardant in rugged terrain where firefighters can not be deployed.

TUCSON - Redington Road is closed until further notice, according to fire officials.

The Burro Fire has grown to 21, 035 acres and is still zero percent contained.

The incident management team for the Burro Fire held a meeting Tuesday evening at SabinoHigh School.

"The fire remained active well into the evening Monday night," saidJayson Coil, operations section chief.

"That was due to the outflow winds that occurred from a thunderstorm that built near the fire, butdidn't really drop any precipitation," he said. "It moved the fire to the southeast."

Coil said a meteorologist is assigned to the Burro Fire that will be watching nearby thunderstorm activity. He said if a thunderstorm is nearbybut doesn't produce rain over the fire, it causes high winds.

"To make sure everyone is aware of where that build up is occurring and the potential of that build up creating those strong outflow winds. And with those cells come the chance of new ignition from lightning."

He said on Monday,firefighters were able to keep it from impacting the Bellota Ranch. Firefighters have beenable to keep the fire north of Redington Pass Road.

On the west side of the fire, near the Catalina Highway, firefighters are doing prep along the road.

"What that means is that they created defensible space around thestructures," he said. "They also put pieces of hand line to tie the different pieces of the road system together because it is really steep."

The incident management team used infrared imaging Monday nightto gather the new acreage numbers.

The fire is at zero percent containment, but Coil said that number does not mean zero percent progress.

"When we call a section of the fire contained, it means that we have the fire's edge to a place we know will hold. That could be a road,a hand line, changes in terrain," he explained.

He said as far as effort, fire crews are giving 100 percent.

There are now nearly 600firefightersworking the Burro Fire. On Monday, there were 185.

Coil said it is "possible, not probable" the Burro Fire will grow to be as large as the 2003Aspen Fire. He said the Aspen Fire started earlier in the yearthan the Burro Fire.

"The predicted information from the weather service aboutwhen the monsoons are supposed to come in,it doesn't appear that we have enough time for that type of fire growth to occur."

The town of Summerhaven was evacuated Monday morning. Coil said currently there is no "imminent threat" to Summerhaven.

Residents can pick up mail at the Ft Lowell Post Office, 6460 E Grant Road, between Costco and Target from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Residents can knock onthe Dutch door so they don't have to wait in line. The Post Office will be closed Tuesday. Contact Burro Fire Information at 928-351-7537 for more information.

"The reason for the evacuations is not because we think there is an immediate threat to Summerhaven, but there is a threat to Summerhaven, but more importantly there is a significant likelihood that the road could be compromised."

The Catalina Highway at the base of Mt. Lemmon will remain closed to everyone until further notice.

An evacuation center has been set up at the Kirk-Bear Canyon Library, 8959 E Tanque Verde Road.

No cause has been released.

See the article here:

UPDATE: Burro Fire grows but firefighters make progress; 11 perc - KVOA | KVOA.com | Tucson, Arizona - KVOA Tucson News

Censor, directed and produced by Peter Kerekes, and written by Ivan Ostrochovsky, has won the 14th edition of the Karlovy Vary Film Festivals Works in Progress competition, which is open to projects from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Turkey, Greece and former Soviet territories.

The jury, which consisted of Iole Maria Giannattasio, directorate general for cinema at the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism (MiBACT), producer Cedomir Kolar from A.S.A.P. Films, and Susana Santos Rodrigues, a film programmer, distributor, producer and co-founder of Vaivem, awarded the prize to the Slovak film for its original and vivid human portrait of a lonely woman.

The film centers on Irina, who works as a censor in a prison in Odessa, Ukraine. She spends eight hours a day in her office reading love letters. Through her, we follow various love affairs that only she can observe, according to a statement. Although she sees how women being used, and how the relationships end in disaster for them, she cannot take any action. She is a single woman and after 12 years of reading love letters full of the lies men tell, she is not capable of any relationship. If a guy on a date says, You are special, she feels sick. But, of course, even she dreams of love.

Eight projects competed and one was selected out-of-competition from 77 projects submitted. The award, which has a total value of Euros 100,000 ($114,000), includes post-production services at UPP and Soundsquare, as well as a Euros 10,000 ($11,400) cash award from Barrandov Studio.

The Stand-In, directed and written by Ra di Martino and produced by Marco Alessi, won the Eurimages Lab Project Award. The prize is for projects that are in production or post-production, and are being made outside the traditional filmmaking framework, and involve international co-operation. Eight projects were considered, selected from 45 submissions from Eurimages countries. The winning project, which received an award of Euros 50,000 ($56,800), was awarded for its ironic visual experimental approach to innovative narrative, and for being an intersection of art and film. The film is a co-production from Italy, France and Morocco.

In the movie a small film crew travel around Marrakech and the surrounding area looking for swimming-pool locations for a remake of an American movie in which a man crosses the county, pool by pool, to reach his home (presumably 1968s The Swimmer, starring Burt Lancaster). The filmmakers rehearse the shots with a stand-in to find the path through the city and the pools that the main actor will run and swim through. As we watch his struggles to become more than just a stand-in, the real actors and film crew burst onto the scene on a set where nobody seems to be in the right place, according to a statement. [It is] a film in search of itself, looking for where the real film is.

Ra di Martinos The Stand-In deconstructs the cinematic boundaries between stand-ins and actors, according to producer Marco Alessi (Photo courtesy of Dugong)

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Peter Kerekes' 'Censor' Wins Karlovy Vary's Works in Progress ... - Variety

By Aiofe White and Stephanie Bodoni

Google could see more fines from European Union antitrust regulators this year as probes into its AdSense advertising service and Android mobile-phone software near their end, three people familiar with the cases said just a week after the company was hit with a record penalty for its shopping-search services.

Both are at advanced stages, though the Android case may not be concluded until later this year, according to one of the people, who all spoke on condition of anonymity.

Alphabets Google is the EUs highest-profile antitrust target, with probes on three fronts occupying regulators for as long as seven years. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has called 2017 her G year during which she would seek to nail decisions against the search-engine giant. European politicians have urged the EU to sanction Google or even break it up while U.S. critics claim regulators are unfairly targeting successful American firms.

Reuters reported earlier that regulators are seeking expert advice in the Android investigation to check their case, a sign that they may be trying to test possible flaws in the case before moving toward a final decision.

The European Commission and Google both declined to comment.

High Stakes

Vestager has set high stakes for Google to comply with an EU order accompanying last months 2.4 billion-euro ($2.7 billion) penalty. Shes warned of additional fines if it wont stop systematically favoring its own price-comparison-shopping service in its general search results. Google has until late August to make changes that satisfy the EU. Shes also threatened further probes on travel or map services.

Google has strongly criticized the Android case, saying the EU is putting at risk its strategy of giving away mobile-phone software which lowers costs for customers. The company says the strict conditions it sets on apps ensure that Android phones and software work smoothly together. The EU said last year that Googles restrictive contracts unfairly require phone makers to install Google apps. Regulators also raised concerns about how telecom operators are paid to put Google search on devices.

The company was also accused last year of hindering competition for online ads over its AdSense for Search Product. The EU criticized unfair restrictions in contracts for placing ads on websites including retailers, telecommunications operators and newspapers. The company prevented customers from accepting rival search ads from 2006 and maintained restrictions on how competitors ads were displayed when it altered contracts in 2009.

Fines arent inevitable. Companies can placate regulators by offering changes that resolve antitrust issues. Google attempted to strike such a settlement for the shopping search case in 2012 but ran into opposition from rivals who protested at paying to appear in Googles promoted shopping ads at the top of the search screen.

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Google's fine said to be only the start as EU probes progress - The Mercury News

MINNEAPOLIS Talk about a response. Talk aboutprogress.

Columbus Crew SC were able to keep their first clean sheet since late May on Tuesday, beating Minnesota United, 1-0, at TCF Bank Stadium. For Crew SCcoach Gregg Berhalter, the close affair followed his desired script.

We had an objective to make it difficult for Minnesota, Berhalter said. In the first half, we had a goal to get to 0-0at the half, and we did that. We werent pleased with our counterattacking in the first half. We had an opportunity to score two or three goals.

With each team starting with a variation of a five-man back line, midfield possession was scarce. This left the two teams to focus on building through quick transitions. Columbus wereable to capitalize on one such chance in the second half, as Kekuta Manneh struck in the 58th minute on a well-taken low shot from distance.

Manneh's contributions and those of the other Crew SC attackers were not simply in the attack. They also chipped in to the overall solid defensive effort on the day by pressuring Minnesota.

Kekuta, Ola [Kamara], and Ethan [Finlay]did well to close down, Berhalter said. They worked to make it hard on defenders. You can understand why there were times that they didnt have energy for the counterattack.

The focus on the wings and counters madefor an interesting development in Columbus' midfield, which did not allow much up the middle against Minnesota en route to surrendering just one shot on target on the day.

Today was a great testament to our collective work, said Columbus captain Wil Trapp. We had a new lineup, a lot of guys who didnt start. We stayed as cohesive as possible, and thats a lot of work that we put in the training field. Its a mentality, to communicate and have the guynext to yours back.

Among the new pieces in the lineup were Lalas Abubakar, who madehis MLS debut. The rookiewas alongside Nicolai Naess and Alex Crognale, and they all did well to keep the clean sheet despite not having veteran presenceJonathan Mensahto leadthe way.

I think its good, Berhalter said of holding Minnesota scoreless. The thing about us is that we play a certain way that will concede some chances at times. We dont want to give upsilly goals. A lot of the times were the aggressor, looking to stretch the opponent, and sometimes that leaves you vulnerable.

"Tonight, the effort from guys like Abubakar, Crognale, and [Josh] Williams made it a collective effort.

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Columbus Crew SC make defensive progress in win over Minnesota United - MLSsoccer.com

Its been two years since the county adopted amendments to incorporate the Germanna-Wilderness Area Plan (GWAP) into the comprehensive plan and even longer since the county had a town hall meeting on the Germanna-Wilderness Area Plan.

Approximately 75 people gathered at Locust Grove Middle School last Thursday to hear the countys most recent work on the GWAPthe countys 50-year vision for the eastern end of the county.

Last weeks town hall was the GWAP Steering Committees attempt to update the community on work that has been completed on the plan and to reengage citizens in the process, explained District 2 Supervisor and committee member Jim White.

Now is a time to reengage again because this really is the future for the most of you about your neighborhood, he said. Were calling it the Germanna-Wilderness Area (GWA), but it really is your neighborhood and we want your involvement.

Thursdays town hall specifically asked citizens for feedback on planning and zoning and transportation plans.

Prior to presentations by those working on the plan, citizens were invited to talk with speakers, as well as other committee members, and view maps and documents related to the plan.

Since the plans adoption, the steering committee has worked on adding details to GWAP in accordance with economic development, historical and cultural assets, planning and zoning, utilities and infrastructure and transportation.

Effective planning and zoning will be essential to the county meeting its goals and objectives for the plan, explained Orange County Planning and Zoning Director Josh Frederick.

Goals within the GWAP related to planning and zoning include: establishing flexible zoning techniques; promoting inter-connectivity of roads, sidewalks and paths; promoting planned development and providing adequate utilities.

[Zoning] not only affects what you see on the ground and in your day-to-day lives, but it also has this ability to coordinate different efforts together, Frederick said. Were not only thinking land-use, but were thinking transportation and utilities. Really, its in everybodys best interest that the three are really coordinated together as they are implemented and brought forward.

In order to coordinate the plans goals across the plans 14,600 acres, Frederick said the county is considering new zoning tools, such as overlay districts and new planned zoning districts.

A zoning overlay will cover the entire GWA and would allow the county to coordinate planning efforts, like the transportation master plan, utilities master plan and the Rt. 3 arterial management plan, within the area. The underlying zoning districts permitted uses and other regulations would still apply, while an overlay would provide an extra blanket of provisions.

Three new planned zoning districts specific to the GWA also have been developed since the GWAPs adoption, Frederick said, noting they encourage master planning and flexibility. The Planned Development Mixed-Use zoning district allows for integration of residential and nonresidential land uses to provide unified, pedestrian-oriented site design. Frederick said the goal of that zoning is to allow people to live, work and play in one area. Planned Development Business zoning allows for coordinated, multi-unit, multi-use commercial development and would be aimed at intensive commercial usage, he added. Lastly, the Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) zoning district allows for a compact, efficient and classic residential development pattern with some integrated commercial uses. The zoning district is a new concept for rural communities, but provides a unique-type of development which gives citizens a sense of place, Frederick explained.

Zoning map amendments and the approval of new developments will follow the typical planning process, he said, including public hearings.

But, since the approval is ultimately for a generalized plan of development, the review materials consist of highly-visual plans, renderings and graphics, Frederick added. The public gets more to see as part of the process, which is intended to encourage more engagement and input.

Transportation planning is another asset where the communitys input is invited.

In the past two years, traffic engineers have joined the steering committees efforts to provide the GWA a safe and efficient road network that works in harmony with the development vision, provides for choice of travel modes and enhances the quality of the development.

Bill Wuensch, a transportation engineer with Charlottesvilles EPR, presented transportation strategies he said the county hopes will make it a place people and industries want to locate to in the future.

What goes hand-in-hand with that is a quality transportation system, where we can avoid having a lot of congestion in the future as Rt. 3 traffic builds, he said. A transportation network within the new development area that is efficient and allows people to walk, bike and really enhance the sense of place to have a really quality development, is another goal.

Access management would limit the driveway access to Rt. 3, which is the countys only major arterial roadway in the area and continues to get busier, making for safer and more efficient traveling, Wuensch said.

Another strategy the steering committee plans to incorporate in the GWA is internal connectivity, which he said will create high connectivity of local roads to provide multiple routes between destinations, allowing local trips to be completed on local roads without the need to use arterial highways.

Multimodal street designs are also being proposed. They will accommodate various modes of transportation and allow people to travel safely without having to use a vehicle, he added.

The countys ideas for Rt. 3 are being coordinated with regional efforts to make the arterial highway network more efficient and safe, explained Anthony Donald of the firm Michael Baker International. The firm is working on the Virginia Department of Transportations (VDOT) Route 3 Arterial Management Plan, which is a program looking to ensure the safety and preserve the capacity of the arterial highway, accommodating economic development without wide-scale road widenings.

Donald said the goal of their study is to provide Orange County a long-range plan to ensure a safe and efficient roadway network. The firm has conducted field visits, operational reviews, traffic counts, crash data reviews and analysis of existing conditions as part of its study. Two public meetings will be held to gather community input. A finalized report and recommendations are expected to be presented to the public in December or January.

Water and wastewater were other topics citizens heard about during last weeks update. Representatives from the countys engineering firms Draper Aden and Wiley|Wilson presented projected demand as well as existing needs and infrastructure.

At build-out of the GWAP, water demands are estimated at 7 million gallons a day (MGD), while the Rapidan Service Authority (RSA) has an existing capacity of 1.6 MGD and current water needs are an estimated between 1 and 1.2 MGD. Additional treatment capacity likely will be required by 2025 if the high growth build-out demand is realized, according to Draper Aden.

RSA is permitted 3 MGD from the Rapidan River, however, that is still 4 MGD less than would be required for future demands. The firm will continue to research additional water sources and future needs.

Draper Aden representatives said the information wasnt presented to cause panic, but rather so the county can start thinking about other options.

According to Wiley|Wilson, RSAs Wilderness Shores Wastewater Treatment plant has a capacity of 2 MGD, only half of which is used currently. However, in the next 15-20 years, the plant would require an expansion to meet an anticipated 4 MGD capacity, and in 30-50 years the plant likely would need a capacity of 6 MGD or a new wastewater treatment plant would need to be built.

While future water and wastewater demands were a sobering thought for those in attendance, so too were the projected costs of services associated with the countys vision for the area.

The primary driver of this plan is economic developmentattracting business investment that attracts jobscreating higher tax revenues to pay for the services, Orange County Administrator Bryan David said. One thing this plan does is sets an expectation for this area that the revenues for economic development should parallel the increase in the level of services.

White agreed.

Only about 22 percent of the countys revenue comes from the residential real estate tax, he explained. We have a $100 million budget, so $22 million comes from the taxes we all paid on our homes. The rest largely comes from our economy and thats why economic development and building the economy is so important.

Localities want their citizens to buy locally because it supports their community, he added, which is an underlying theme of the GWAmaking it a self-contained area where people can live, work and play.

The economy needs us to have that commitment to the community, he said. Sometimes we have to shop outside the county. I dont like doing it, but maybe one day we can do less of it. The more the economic wheel can grow and turn, the more it offsets and pays for the services were looking for and holds in check the amount we tax our residents.

District 5 Supervisor Lee Frame, who also serves on the steering committee, said the plan allows for the eastern end of the county to be its economic engine while allowing the rural parts of the county to remain as rural as possible.

Frame also invited people to send the steering committee their comments on the plan through the countys website.

Weve tried to make this process as open as possible because it will impact peoples lives, he said.

Documents discussed by the steering committee, including the GWAP itself, can be found on the county website: http://orangecountyva.gov/.

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Plan progress - The Daily Progress

On July 7, G20 leaders will gather in Hamburg for their annual meeting. One likely outcome: another clash over climate change between the host government, Germany, and United States president Donald Trump.

As the Chinese did last year, German Prime Minister Angela Merkel has prioritised climate on the G20 agenda, just when the US administration is rolling back many environmental policies.

President Trump has announced that he wants his country to leave the Paris agreement, saying that the international accord is unfair to the US.

The question of what is fair in climate politics is hugely important.

Trumps definition of fairness America First is probably not mutually acceptable to most other nations. But countries will hesitate to scale up their ambitions unless they are convinced that others are doing their fair share.

To address this question, we have put together our third annual stocktake on their progress in a report coordinated by the global consortium Climate Transparency that determines how far the G20 has come in shifting from fossil fuels to a low-carbon economy.

The report, compiled with 13 partners from 11 countries, draws on a wide spectrum of published information in four main areas (emissions, policy performance, finance and decarbonisation) and presents it concisely, enabling comparison between these 20 countries as they shift from dirty brown economies to clean green ones.

Issei Kato/Reuters

The G20 is crucial to international action on climate change. Together, member states account for 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and, in 2014, accounted for about 82% of global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions.

All member countries signed on to the 2015 Paris agreement, with its long-term temperature goals of keeping global warming to below 2C, ideally limiting it 1.5C..

The G20 have also proven to be a nimble policy forum, where soft policy making can happen. And there is less concern than in the past that the group would seek to replace the multilateral process.

This means these governments must lead the way in decarbonising their economies and building a low-carbon future.

According to the Climate Transparency report, the G20 countries are using their energy more efficiently, and using cleaner energy sources. Their economies have also grown, proving that economic growth can be decoupled from greenhouse gas emissions.

So we are beginning to see a transition from brown to green. But the report also reveals that the transition is too slow; it does not go deep enough to meet the Paris Agreements goals.

In half of the G20 countries, greenhouse gas emissions per capita are no longer rising. A notable exception is Japan, where emissions per person are ticking upward.

Canada has the highest energy use per capita, followed by Saudi Arabia, Australia and the US.

India, Indonesia and South Africa all have low energy use per capita (Indias per capita rate is one-eighth that of Canada). Poverty in these countries can only be addressed if people have access to more energy.

Today, renewable energy is increasingly the cheapest option. Still, we found that many G20 countries are meeting their increasing energy needs with coal, the dirtiest of fossil fuels.

According to the Climate Action Tracker, which monitors progress toward the Paris agreements temperature goals, coal should be phased out globally by 2050 at the latest.

Between 2013 and 2014, the G20 countries public finance institutions - including national and international development banks, majority state-owned banks and export credit agencies - spent an average of almost US$88 billion a year on coal, oil and gas.

Yet many of the G20 countries are now looking at phasing out coal, including Canada, France and the UK, which have all established a plan to do so.

Author provided

Germany, Italy and Mexico, too, are considering reducing their use of coal or have taken significant action to do so. India and China continue to be highly dependent on coal but have recently closed and scaled back plans for a number of coal plants.

Countries at the bottom of the rankings are Japan, Indonesia and Turkey, all of which have substantial coal-plant construction plans, and Australia.

Despite their repeated commitment to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, the G20 countries are still heavily subsidising fossil fuels. In 2014, together, the G20 provided a total of over US$230 billion in subsidies to coal, oil and gas.

Japan and China provided, respectively, about $US19 billion and $US17 billion a year in public finance for fossil fuels between 2013 and 2014.

There is good news, though: renewable energy is on the rise. The G20 countries are already home to 98% of all installed wind power capacity in the world, 97% of solar power and 93% of electric vehicles.

In most G20 countries, renewables are a growing segment of the electricity supply, except in Russia, where absolute renewable energy consumption has decreased by 20% since 2009. China, the Republic of Korea and the UK have all seen strong growth.

Generally, the G20 countries are attractive for renewable energy investment, especially China, France, Germany and the UK although the UK has now abandoned its policy support for renewables.

Solar

National experts asked by Germanwatch, a Climate Transparency partner, generally agree that their respective G20 country is doing quite well on the international stage (with the exception of the US) but lack progress in ambitious targets and policy implementation.

China, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Mexico and South Africa are ranked the highest for climate action. Countries with the lowest climate policy performance are the US, Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

Putting together this G20 stocktake has had its challenges. The choice of indicators involves value judgements, which often become only apparent once national experts begin discussing them.

Enabling the international comparisons necessary to measure progress on climate requires information that is accurate, verifiable and comparable. The underlying data comes from very diverse economies with different legal systems, different regulations and reporting methods.

International organisations, such as the International Energy Agency, have often done extensive and very careful work to develop comparable data sets but these may not always be consistent with data from in-country sources. Exploring these differences helps us to improve our understanding of the data and the underlying developments.

The existing reporting and review system of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the source of much of the data that makes these comparisons possible.

The real challenge the UNFCCC process faces in the next few years as it finalises the rule book for the Paris agreement is how to develop an enhanced transparency system that will be robust and detailed enough to provide the relevant information for its five-yearly assessment of global progress on addressing climate.

Even so, the UNFCCC is constrained by the extent to which countries are able to see beyond their narrow interests.

Independent assessments such as Climate Transparencys, which remains mindful of different perspectives but is not limited by national interests, can play a vital role in helping to increase the political pressure for effective climate action.

Niklas Hhne, Professor of Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases, Wageningen University; Andrew Marquard, Senior Researcher on energy and climate change, University of Cape Town, and William Wills, Research Coordinator, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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Wake up to the day's most important news.

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Climate and the G20 summit: some progress in greening economies, but more needs to be done - HuffPost

Patrisse Khan-Cullors, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Network, leads a gathering at The Underground Museum in Los Angeles in memory of Charleena Lyles and other police shooting victims. Michael Radcliffe/NPR hide caption

Patrisse Khan-Cullors, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Network, leads a gathering at The Underground Museum in Los Angeles in memory of Charleena Lyles and other police shooting victims.

It's been almost four years since Patrisse Khan-Cullors helped birth the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. Those three words gained national attention for demonstrations against police brutality and grew into a movement.

But progress has been slow, admits Khan-Cullors, a Los Angeles-based activist who co-founded the Black Lives Matter Network.

"The local is where the work is. If we're looking at just the national, it's pretty devastating. But if you zoom into cities, to towns, to rural areas, people are fighting back and people are winning," she says, pointing to one example in Jackson, Miss., where voters recently elected a progressive new mayor in the Deep South.

Other Black Lives Matter activists around the country, who are part of a decentralized movement, are also focusing on local activism.

"We go to locations where people generally ... don't have to think about or don't want to think about white supremacy and patriarchy and how that's affecting black people," says Mike Bento, an organizer with New York's NYC Shut It Down, a group which considers itself part of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Mike Bento (center), an organizer with NYC Shut It Down, leads a march in honor of a black transgender person who was recently killed in New York City. Hansi Lo Wang/NPR hide caption

Mike Bento (center), an organizer with NYC Shut It Down, leads a march in honor of a black transgender person who was recently killed in New York City.

The group started holding weekly demonstrations around New York City two years ago to honor mainly people who have died at the hands of police. On a recent Monday evening, about two dozen protesters gathered outside a restaurant in downtown Manhattan, where diners sipped wine at bistro tables on the sidewalk.

While a protester held up a sign saying "MX BOSTICK, REST IN POWER," Bento started a call-and-response describing the recent death of a black transgender person who was found unconscious on a sidewalk after being struck in the head in May. A suspect is now charged with manslaughter.

"We're here tonight because while you are dining, black trans people are dying," Bento shouted at the restaurant patrons.

Still, it's not all about protesting in the streets. Sometimes, Bento and other Black Lives Matter activists go underground and into New York's subways. They pay for people who would otherwise try to get on a train without paying, which could earn them a misdemeanor.

"This is all connected," Bento says. "This is all part of how we get a system of mass incarceration. And so we start with basic things that we can do to keep our brothers and sisters out of that system."

Other basic forms of activism include standing outside the courthouse to support people charged with low-level offenses and helping to serve dinner to homeless people.

In Washington, D.C., April Goggans, an organizer with Black Lives Matter DC, is holding meetings with other local activist groups to figure out how they can make communities facing high crime rates more self-sufficient.

Goggans says she's been following the recent police shooting of Charleena Lyles, a pregnant, black mother in Seattle, as well as the not-guilty verdicts for police officers involved in the deaths of Philando Castile in Minnesota and Sylville Smith in Wisconsin. They've all reinforced her conclusion, she says, that any type of reform will not improve police departments.

"I don't even know that I would put my effort into charging and imprisoning individual police officers because it's just not gonna happen very much and that kind of justice, it's not a deterrent for other police officers," says Goggans, who says she is focused on getting rid of the current system of policing in the long term.

Khan-Cullors says she is also taking a long view when thinking about how the Black Lives Matter movement will tackle issues black people have been living with for decades.

"We are not new to police brutality. We are not new to police violence. We are not new to people dying inside jail cells and prisons," she says. "What is new is the visibility. What is new is that they become headlines."

Khan-Cullors helped birth the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. Starting campaigns to change laws and policy, she says, is the obvious work. But staying together as a movement is harder. Michael Radcliffe/NPR hide caption

Khan-Cullors helped birth the hashtag #blacklivesmatter. Starting campaigns to change laws and policy, she says, is the obvious work. But staying together as a movement is harder.

She says she's always been concerned about how the movement can sustain itself when social media is inundated with photos and videos of black people killed at the hands of police and victories for the movement seem hard to come by.

With the U.S. Supreme Court reinstating part of President Donald Trump's travel ban and Congress considering substantial cuts to Medicaid, she's worried that the current political environment is becoming even more overwhelming for activists.

"If you can't fight the state, and you can't fight for the things that you need, then you take it out on each other," says Khan-Cullors, who cautions that infighting could destroy the movement.

That's why gatherings like a recent candle-light vigil at The Underground Museum in Los Angeles for Lyles and other police shooting victims are important to Khan-Cullors, who wants to keep activists energized and encourage them to work together.

Starting campaigns to change laws and policy, she says, is the obvious work. But staying together as a movement, that's the hard stuff.

Shaheen Ainpour contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.; Michael Radcliffe contributed from Los Angeles.

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Amid 'Devastating' Progress Nationally, Black Lives Matter Engages ... - NPR

DEAR MISS MANNERS: What is the proper etiquette to join a conversation already in progress?

For example, at a social gathering, a couple of people are already having a conversation. Is it OK to approach the group and say hello, or do I approach the group and wait for them to acknowledge me?

When someone approaches my group conversation, I always acknowledge the person right away and share the topic we are discussing. Most of the time, I approach a group and say hello, but is this considered interrupting? A few times, I have walked up to a conversation and stood there and was never acknowledged. Very awkward. Help ... I dont want to be rude, but I love to talk too!

GENTLE READER: Inserting oneself into a conversation in progress, like cutting in for a dance, does have its own etiquette. The newcomer must wait for a lull in the conversation, acting in the interim as if what is being said is both interesting and, even without the preamble, intelligible.

The established group is required to assume the opposite, namely that the newcomer does not know what is being said, and is therefore entitled to a brief, explanatory aside. At the next natural break, introductions can be made all around. While a group holding a conversation in a social gathering should welcome newcomers, Miss Manners warns that such will not always be the case. It is therefore best to actually listen to what is being said, in case it is time to beat a hasty retreat.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is dancing to or parodying the national anthem disrespectful?

GENTLE READER: Yes. But isnt that why you thought of it?

Miss Manners cannot often count on the public to enforce proper behavior, except when it concerns slights to themselves. And perhaps that is just as well. But this would certainly bring it on, and it is not likely to be gentle.

She would advise you to go no further with this idea, which is as unwise as it is unfunny.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: My mother invited her family on a cruise, where we dined nightly in the main cabin. My 54-year-old sisters manners were a nightmare. My mother was visibly embarrassed in front of her new husband.

I suggested to my sister to follow the level of formality and cues from our mother. She said I was being judgmental. How do you help someone understand that manners matter?

GENTLE READER: Without justifying your sisters behavior, Miss Manners notes that 54 years is a long time to wait before attempting to correct a problem. At least your sister cannot accuse you of rushing to judgment.

Your mother will need to talk to her, admitting that she bears some responsibility for not speaking sooner. She must resist the temptation to justify her tardiness by blaming it on the newcomer (your new stepfather was appalled), as he was minding his own business.

More here:

Miss Manners: Gracefully joining an in-progress conversation - Daily Herald