Mexican president admits he ordered release of El Chapos son as cartel gang defeated army forces – The Sun

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MEXICAN president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has admitted he personally ordered the release of one of El Chapo's sons.

Mr Lopez Obrador said he instructed security forces to release the drug lord to save hundreds of lives after cartel gunmen defeated Mexican army forces.

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Infamous drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son Ovidio was captured in October - only for the 30-year-old to be let go hours later after a brutal gun battle.

His capture lead to hundreds of heavily armed cartel gang members flooding into the city of Culiacan, in the state of Sinaloa.

The fighters put up flaming roadblocks, burned vehicles and opened fire in a long siege which was mostly broadcast on television.

At least 14 people were killed in the confrontation which ended with the criminals overwhelming security forces and the release of El Chapo's son.

The bloody incident caused much embarassment for the Mexican government, and sparked fears it showed El Chapo's infamous Sinaloa cartel now ruled the streets.

Mr Lopez Obrador admitted for the first time on Friday that he is the one who gave the order to release Ovidio.

He said: "So as not to put the population at risk I ordered that this operation be stopped and that this alleged criminal be released.

"If we hadn't suspended [the operation] more than 200 innocent people would have lost their lives."

Mexico is still gripped by criminal gangs, despite efforts by the security forces to launch a crackdown and the extradition of El Chapo to the US in 2017.

The bloodshed was a blow in Mexicos war on drugs - and came during the countrys deadliest year since it began recording homicide statistics more than 20 years ago.

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After the operation, Mr Lopez Obrador revealed Donald Trump had contacted him to offer to help crackdown on the cartel.

He said however he declined as he attempts to lead a Mexican fightback against the criminals who continue to run riot in large swathes of the nation.

"We will not allow any foreign government to interfere in matters that only correspond to the Mexican authorities," he said.

"That is to respect, to assert our sovereignty. This does not mean that there is no cooperation, there is cooperation.

"But we decide if that cooperation can help as long as our sovereignty is respected."

More than 35,000 people were murdered in Mexico in 2019 as the government fails to rein in the explosive violence.

Ovidio and his brother Joaqun Guzmn Lpez are charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana in the US.

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At its peak El Chapos cartel controlled almost the entire Pacific coast of Mexico and trafficked more than 150 tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana to America.

Prosecutors believe the drug baron made around $12.7billion from the drug syndicate - and he lived a life of luxury with private planes, luxury homes and gold-plated guns.

Ovidio, Joaquin and their brothers Ivan and Jesus, are known as the known as "Los Chapitos" and are believed to be leading members of the Sinaloa cartel.

The police officer who arrested Ovidio was killed just one month after he was released by two gunmen who unloaded 155 bullets at him.

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El Chapo's sons have reportedly been attempting to exploit the coronavirus pandemic to secure power in Mexico.

Mexico's economy is taking a big hit during the crisis, so the cartels are moving in to gain support by targeting those worst hit by the virus.

And with police and military forces now tied up trying to deal with the pandemic, criminals have rrom to operate.

Reportedly the Sinaloa cartel were also running an illegal alcohol trade after a dry law was instituted by the Mexican state during the pandemic - once again cashing in.

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Mexican president admits he ordered release of El Chapos son as cartel gang defeated army forces - The Sun

Veterans Voice: Memories from the jungles of Vietnam – The Providence Journal

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In June 1969, Ed Campbell received his masters degree from Indiana University.

Eleven months later, four college students on a campus in neighboring Ohio were killed, and nine more were injured, as they protested Americas military expansion into Cambodia. Twenty-eight National Guard soldiers had fired 67 rounds into the crowd at a peace rally at Kent State University.

"The unrest in this country with the college kids was unbelievable," Campbell recalls. After Kent State, "it just grew to monumental proportions."

And yet, the war continued. One month after the Kent State shootings, 1st Lt. Ed Campbell was blasted by hot, soupy air when the door to his military transport opened after touching down in Vietnam.

Reluctantly, he stepped out of the plane, anxious to complete his two-year ROTC obligation.

After a brief assignment at battalion headquarters, Campbell was welcomed to Vietnam with a case of dysentery and then pneumonia, requiring two hospital stays. When he finally was declared healthy, he was reassigned to the 378th Maintenance Support Company of the 185th Maintenance Battalion.

It was the same battalion that provided support during the drive into Cambodia in April 1970, the impetus for the Kent State peace rally.

His company was composed of men primarily from two very different backgrounds, the rural South and urban Midwest. While most were mechanics, they had little else in common and they rarely socialized.

"These were basic guys that didnt have anyone to pull any political strings for them. They just got pulled into the draft and wound up in Vietnam," remembers Campbell. "They just knew they were in a freakin miserable place, and they acted accordingly. They did their job, but they didnt do it with a lot of enthusiasm."

Unlike their World War II heroes, Vietnam soldiers lacked a clear enemy and objective, explains Campbell.

"Mussolini, Hitler and Hideki Tojo those guys were right out of central casting. You couldnt have asked for worse bad guys than those three bozos," he says, adding that America had a clear stake in the outcome of that earlier war.

But in Vietnam, he says, the war "just seemed to drag on and on. There was tremendous dissension in the U.S., and that spilled over to the soldiers."

And the men of his company were no exceptions. "Of the 200-plus guys in the company," Campbell says, "Id say about three-quarters of them would have gotten on a plane the next day to get out Vietnam if they could have."

Campbells motivational and leadership challenges were compounded by the availability of drugs in the region, and their popularity among soldiers who used them to numb the psychological and physical pain of this unpopular war.

"The television news shows from that era Huntley-Brinkley and Walter Cronkite were going on ad infinitum about the drug problems in Vietnam, and they werent exaggerating," says Campbell. "Half the guys from my company were smoking marijuana, and there were a significant number who were screwing around with heroin."

Campbell points to musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Doors who had glamorized drug culture. "All these pop stars from that era were trying to paint themselves as druggies, and that appealed to the kids at the time.

"The soldiers had access to this stuff. Unfortunately, the Army couldnt stop it. Soldiers werent very happy about being in Vietnam ,and it was so easy to get the drugs over there."

Campbell is quick to point out, however, that he never saw soldiers using drugs when they were out in the jungle, because they "realized the potential for danger when away from their home base."

As unit officer, Campbell earned the nickname, "Easy Ed." He understood the stressors, used reason instead of force, and tried to earn his soldiers respect by keeping them on task, focusing on just getting everyone home safely.

"I didnt break chops," he recalls. "As long as they did their jobs, I just left well enough alone. I wasnt any kind of career Army type. I didnt want to be the next [General] Westmoreland. I was just doing my time, too."

He almost accomplished his goal of finishing his tour of duty without an incident, until the day he was told that he was going to be shipped home a month early.

"I was happy as a clam," he says. "I went into my little hooch, the little hut that I lived in, to just get some stuff together that I was going to send back. I was in there for just a short time when a runner came up and said, You got to get back to the orderly room. "

Without getting an explanation, he followed.

As he entered the room, Campbell saw "a group of whites and a group of Blacks. There was no love lost between the two groups. They were going at it."

Obscenities were flying, and there were some Army-issued M16s in hand.

Being "Easy Ed," he tried to speak to the two groups of soldiers to defuse the situation. When that didnt work, Campbell let loose, countering with his own obscenities and the threat of dishonorable discharges, plus punishment at Leavenworth penitentiary.

Deep down in his heart, Campbell recalls siding with the Blacks. "There were less of them, and I knew that some of them had got screwed pulling guard and doing other Army grunt-type jobs. They had gotten the short end of the stick as far as promotions."

Stunned by Campbells explosive rant, the two groups of soldiers parted ways, averting a crisis.

Unbeknownst to him, Campbell was being watched by a respected Army sergeant major who had tried without success to break up the melee prior to Campbells arrival. He was impressed by Campbells bravery and later recommended him for a Bronze Star for his actions, noting in his report that he suspected alcohol and drugs had played a role in fueling the soldiers anger, putting "fire in their eyes."

Campbell never found out what really precipitated the fight "the problems had been brewing for a while." Maybe it was discontent with their miserable situation and the resulting frustration, or it could have been alcohol and drugs, as the sergeant major suspected.

But Campbell also thinks that "maybe someone said the N word just one too many times."

Within a week of the confrontation, he was back on a plane, bound for home.

While that day at Long Binh Post happened in 1971, the death of George Floyd made him think of it once again.

Ed Campbell wonders what might have happened if he had already left Vietnam, or if he had decided not to intervene in that fight almost 50 years ago.

Do you know a veteran with an interesting story? Do you offer a program or service focus on serving retired military? Are you planning an event aimed at veterans or their families? Email Mary K. Talbot at ThoseWhoServedAmerica@gmail.com

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Veterans Voice: Memories from the jungles of Vietnam - The Providence Journal

What prominent community members say should be done to make Indiana better for everyone – IndyStar

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Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Aleesia Johnson shares her perspective amid national unrest over police brutality and racial inequality. Indianapolis Star

Editor's note:IndyStar, part of the USA Today Network, now capitalizes Black in stories and photo captions.

We do not capitalize white or brown because they do not describe a shared racial identity or culture. We already capitalize other ethnic terms, such as Asian, South Asian or Latino/a, as they are proper nouns. White is a physical description of people of European descent from a multitude of cultures.

America is at a crossroad.

The direction our local, state and federal leaders take over the next weeks and months will set a path for the future of a nation growing increasingly diverse, yet still burdened by the vestiges of centuries of racism and discrimination.

This is a moment of outrage and opportunity unlike anything on American soil since the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s. Spurred by protests over a wave of African Americans killed by police and the broader implications of systemic racism leaders across the U.S. are being forced to listen and take action.

In Central Indiana, protesters have taken to the streets of downtown Indianapolis for more than a dozen days, as activism has spilled over into nearby predominantly white cities such as Avon, Carmel, Fishers and Greenwood. Thousands of people attended one Indianapolis protest, the city's largest against racial inequality and police brutality in at least 30 years.

Hackney:Join IndyStar for a virtual town hall on race relations at 2 p.m. Thursday

Some change is happening.

Indianapolis just adopted a resolution designating racism a public health crisis, and officials are reviewing the oversight of police and finally moving toward widespread use of body cameras.

Those steps are critical, but many advocates for reform say don't go far enough.

The tougher questions and the answers that determine where America goes from this crossroad need to address the deep-seated issues that foster racism and inequity.

There are no easy or one-size-fits-all answers. The potential solutions are as varied and complicated as the underlying issues. But the protests have made it impossible to continue ignoring the problems. They also have created a unique opportunity to openly discuss where we fall short and, more importantly, to enact meaningful solutions.

As Indianapolis and the rest of America looks for a path forward, IndyStar reached out to a diverse cross-section of the community for their ideas and recommendations. We asked everyone the same question: How do we capitalize on this moment to make Indianapolis a better place for all of its residents, and what does that new vision entail?

Here, in their own words, are ideas and suggestions from some Hoosiers with skin in the game:

Executive Director, Indiana Federal Community Defenders, LLC

Monica Foster, executive director of Indiana Federal Community Defenders, poses for a portrait at her office in Indianapolis on Monday.(Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

We should end prosecution by zip code. Currently in Indianapolis, the federal government, through the United States Attorneys Office, is implementing a program shrewdly called Project Safe Neighborhoods that targets certain zip codes in predominantly Black and brown neighborhoods on Indianapolis eastside. The program focuses increased law enforcement and prosecution on these communities in a vainglorious attempt to reduce violent crime. Cases that previously were handled in state court are now prosecuted in federal court because of the higher sentences available there. The federal government shows no mercy.

The numbers tell the story. The United States Sentencing Commission reports that in 2019, 67.24% of firearms cases prosecuted by the federal government in the Southern District of Indiana (roughly the southern half of Indiana) were against our Black and brown citizens (78 of the 116 total prosecutions). Similarly, of the federal drug prosecutions in 2019, 72.73% were against persons of color (104 of the 143 total prosecutions).

Persons of color constitute roughly 10% of the population of the Southern District of Indiana. In a justice system that is supposed to be colorblind, these prosecutions are not tolerable.

Monica Foster, executive director of Indiana Federal Community Defenders, shares her perspective amid national unrest over racial injustice. Indianapolis Star

The program is a replay of the failed war on drugs that targeted Black and brown communities and resulted in repeated congressional attempts to rectify the sins of those programs. The failed war on drugs destroyed Black and brown families by sending generations of Black men to prison to serve severe sentences often 100 times as long as those imposed on white folks charged with similar offenses. It has been called the new Jim Crow because of these pernicious effects. The current Neighborhoods program results in racially disparate prosecutions every bit as insidious as those we now condemn. It is time to take the federal boot off the necks of our brothers and sisters of color.

If the $20 million dollars spent on the Neighborhoods program ere pumped into our failing public school system, giving the kids in those neighborhoods a fighting chance at jobs other than drug dealing, perhaps all our neighborhoods would be safe enough not to require the carrying of firearms.

Cumberland United Methodist Church

The Rev. Ronnie Bell(Photo: Submitted)

Im Black and my church is mostly white. Im fairly young (31), and most of them are senior citizens. I love them and they love their pastor. These recent times have revealed the difference in our history and our social locations.

Cumberland UMC, on Muessing Street sits on the eastern edge of the city of Indianapolis. My church was founded in 1851, which is a time where in many parts of the country, an African-American like me could be considered someones legal property. 169 years later, American society has progressed, but as we have seen this past month, clearly not enough.

COVID19 changed our local churchs calendar significantly, but it also changed the calendar of the entire global denomination to which I belong. George Floyd was killed on May 25. In a non-COVID19 world, I would have been just returning to Indianapolis after a 10-day gathering of United Methodists (May 5 - 15) known as General Conference, where we would have been attempting to find a way forward on the issue of LGBTQ inclusion and the UMCs position on human sexuality. I was prepared to lead my congregation through difficult conversations this summer in the aftermath of the conference. Difficult conversations continue; the subject is a little different.

Maybe the fact that I would have been in Minneapolis in May makes Floyds tragic death hit a little harder for me. I have taken the video of his violent death down from my social media page, because its traumatic for others, and Im realizing, traumatic for me.

For many law enforcement officers, a large Black man like me is a threat. Unfortunately societys respectable titles like ordained pastor, UM General Conference delegate or college-educated do not change that. Nothing that Ive done or achieved stops my heart rate from going up when I see a patrol car when Im doing nothing at all to break the law. Sharing small pieces or vulnerabilities of my racial experience with my congregation has helped to awaken the social consciousness and need for anti-racism. Its a long road ahead.

And in this long road, it is easy to question areas we havent questioned before. Part of my reputation is being friendly and having a nice smile. Lately, however, Ive noticed due to wearing a facemask to keep myself and others safe, when Im taking walks in my neighborhood my neighbors act differently when they cant see a smiling face. Is a smile a safety adaptation for a Black man in America? Does a smile and chuckle keep my white neighbors from calling the police on me?

These words are hard to write, but theyre even harder to live. As people of faith, I believe, we are called to bear each others burdens, even the ones that are difficult to put into words.

We cannot legislate our way out of racial prejudice, but it doesnt mean we should stop working for better laws. On top of laws, quite simply we need an accompanying shift of the heart in white people to see and fight for the sacred worth of Black people.

Body-cameras, like the ones that IMPD will soon implement and disciplinary action taken against police brutality are helpful measures. Things wont change for the better until people care more about loving the image of God in their oppressed, villainized, bloodied, bruised, suffocated and violated Black neighbors morethan they care about gathering for worship in a building. I pray for a day when churches realize that a protest is an act of worship. Demanding justice for Dreasjon Reed and Breonna Taylor is an act of worship.

For white friends and allies, I have no other words, but just keep praying, donating to organizations working for structural change and keep calling out racism and violence when you see it, listening to the stories of those who are oppressed and sharing them, using your platform and privilege to amplify voices that are often silenced. Also, there is clearly an intense anti-racist energy right now that will likely soon dissipate. Keep this fighting going even when it is no longer trendy.

And if youre Black, weve known this reality for all of our lives. Thank God that society is stepping up and no longer denying the realities that we live daily. Dont always feel like you need to try to make meaning of this or try to interpret some deeper truth or make some immediate plan to work to make things better. For now, our pain, our grief and lived experience of Blackness is enough. And we so are beautiful the way God made us.

Executive Director, 100blackmenindy.org

From right, Ontay Johnson, executive director of 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, and James Duke, president, along with fellow members and volunteers, hold a high five rally to surprise students as they enter for the first day back to school at Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis on July 31, 2017.(Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

Have you ever heard the term Canary in a coal mine? In the early days of coal mining, mines did not offer ventilation systems. Miners would bring a caged canary and release it into the atmosphere of the mine. Canaries are especially sensitive to methane and carbon monoxide which made them perfect for detecting toxins in the environment. As long as the bird kept singing, the miners knew their air supply was safe. A dead canary signaled toxins in the environment.

Like the canary in the coal mine, African American Males are singing to our nation and world for that matter. What is unfortunate is the songs that my brothers are singing in most cases are not songs of celebration but songs of despair, heartache, and pain.

The title of these ballads we hear on the radio, watch on television, and read in the newspaper daily Mass Incarceration, Unemployment Rates, Education Disparities to name a few. Unlike a song of inspiration and motivation which uplifts and creates wonderful emotions; these ballads invoke hostility and a sense of hopelessness. We must listen to these songs and take action; the Canary realizes that if the mine is filled with toxins no one is safe.one side of the mine cant flourish and the other side is barren. So it is with African American Males, we cant live barren lives and everyone else flourishes. We as African American Males are still singing, we are not extinct! We will not quit, we are resilient, we will stay the course, we will prevail!!!

Attorney

Attorney Jorge Rodriguez poses for a portrait at his law office in Indianapolis on Monday.(Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

I'm not Black so I can't fully understand the Black experience in America. But I am an ethnic minority and as such have experienced discrimination over the years both as a youngster and even now as an attorney. I know some people in Indiana do not call or hire me simply because I have a Spanish name Jorge Rodriguez despite my many years of experience and accomplishments as a defense attorney.

Indianapolis Attorney Jorge Rodriguez shares his perspective amid national unrest over police brutality and racial inequality. Indianapolis Star

Ive been an attorney for almost 30 years both as a prosecutor and a defense attorney in the criminal justice system. Almost half of those years were spent here in the juvenile courts of Indianapolis. Ive seen good cops most of them and Ive seen bad cops very few of them. And Ive seen a level of professionalism in law enforcement beyond the Marion County line that commands respect. Why? Our supervisors wont stand for anything less, a deputy sheriff in a neighboring county once told me. The code of silence among police officers that allows bad cops to remain and go undetected must end. It cant wait for the next George Floyd to die. It must be rooted out from within. Abuse of police powers must be ferreted out, exposed whether due to discrimination because of race or ethnicity or against the powerless anywhere. Such persons cannot be allowed by the government to wield police powers. The way we defund the police is one by one. We get rid of the bad ones one by one.

Senior Pastor Purpose of Life Ministries, Baptist Ministers Alliance, National Action Network of Indiana and the Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis

The Rev. David Greene Sr., senior pastor at Purpose of Life Ministries, poses for a portrait at the church in Indianapolis on Tuesday.(Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

The City of Indianapolis can capitalize on this moment to make Indianapolis a better place for all of its residents by addressing the health deserts, education deserts, food deserts, public safety deserts, and economic deserts across the zip codes that continue to be a part of the most negative categories in the state and in the country. There must be intentional actions that generate true changes and not continue to have conversations that lead to no substantive changes in the community.

It will take positive concrete actions that will generate a hope and trust that will span multiple areas in the minority community. There is a lot of disbelief and distrust because there has been so little action with a lot of dialog that appears to have been worthless.

Concrete actions would include items such as development of economic empowerment zones in our poorest areas; mandatory commitment to African Americans for access to city contracts that the mayor and city pass out; provide all children in poor neighborhoods with technology and mentors; development of the Black Agenda for Indianapolis.

The concrete actions that are taken need to be communicated with the community on an annual basis. Currently, there is no report that provides the State of Black Indianapolis. The issues need to stay in front of the community, so things do not get lost!

Rev. David Greene Sr., senior pastor at Purpose of Life Ministries, shares his perspective amid unrest over police brutality and racial inequality. Indianapolis Star

Executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana

Jane Henegar, executive director at the ACLU of Indiana.(Photo: Provided by ACLU of Indiana)

Indianapolis must reimagine the role police play in our city and that role has to be smaller, more circumscribed, and funded with fewer tax-payer dollars.

Year after year, our law enforcement budgets grow. But more policing isnt making our community more safe. The lived reality that white people take for granted is what we should provide for our entire community: an end to over-policing, an end to constant surveillance and harassment, an end to enforcement of non-serious offenses, and an end to the targeting of Black and Brown people.

The core problem does not lie in one officer or all officers, but in modern policing itself. From its inception, law enforcement has been tasked with protecting power and privilege by exerting social control over Black people. We have to seize this moment and recognize that only reimagining a new system will allow us to better serve the residents of our city.

IMPDs budget makes up more than 30% of the city's budget. As Mayor Hogsett and the City-County Council work on the 2021 budget, we must shift resources away from adding officers and militarized equipment and toward Black and Brown community-based initiatives that support true safety, health, and well-being.

The ACLU is working to support Black- and Brown-led community organizations to implement changes such as:

Stop enforcement of a range of non-serious offenses and eliminate many of the unnecessary interactions between the police and community members. Police should not be the ones responding to mental health crises. Reinvest savings from a reduced police force into alternatives to policing that will keep local communities safe and help them thrive. Implement common-sense, legally-enforceable constraints such as a civilian-led Use-of-Force review board so that there are very rare instances in which police officers can use force against community members.

Indianapolis mayor

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett is introduced to speak during a demonstration for racial justice at the Indiana Statehouse, Saturday, June 6, 2020.(Photo: Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar)

I will never forget watching the video of George Floyds killing. This moment, captured on camera, was horrifying not only because of what it depicted the murder of a citizen at the hands of his government but also because it was impossible to avoid.

For far too long, white Americans have been able to justify turning a blind eye to the ways in which our Black neighbors face racism and discrimination. Suddenly, that wasnt possible.

The results of this reckoning have been equally inescapable: anguished voices singing in chorus; solemn heads bowed in prayer; fists raised in resistance; overflowing tears from eyes exhausted by the sight of pain.

We have also watched people who feel like justice has been denied through delay. Neighbors who are fed up and angry. Who feel that they are not heard when they are peaceful, and this leaves them no choice but to act out.

Indianapolis has been forced to confront the reality of our countrys original sin: government that was designed to privilege one race at the expense of all others. Time will not heal these wounds after four centuries, that should be apparent.

It is not enough to acknowledge systemic racism. You dont get a participation ribbon in the fight against injustice for identifying the problem. And this isnt just about outdated policies; we wont dismantle institutional racism through bureaucracy alone.

What we need in Indianapolis is a process of healing that is not implemented but lived. Lived especially by white residents. A personal responsibility to dedicate our daily existence to change that begins within and flows forth in every way we can.

Then, and only then, can we begin the process of lifting the yoke off the backs of our Black neighbors and assume the weight of our own obligation to reconcile and rebuild.

Marriage and Family Therapist, Managing Director of Project L.E.A.S.T., Family and Community Partners, LLC

Thaddeus Shelton(Photo: Submitted)

First things first, the use of the word "minorities" to discuss people is absolutely the language of oppression, and it does have psychological bearing on the outcome of your inquiry. Secondly, the structure of racism and white supremacy has historically relied on brutality and mistreatment against all racial and gender locations to maintain itself. Thirdly, it seems as if the need to use labels to describe these differences in the human family is also problematic. Though your question proposes to look at solutions, it definitely has a problem focus at it's root.

In this moment we should seek to eliminate the need to "capitalize" and seek to "cooperate" with one another. So to answer the question, we need to learn to value people in community versus staunch individualism, competition and privilege which has caused the demise of the great experiment spoken of at the founding of this nation. The great competition has caused destruction across global ecosystems and now threatens to cause even more damage as we go about "getting ours". As much as we say this dynamic creates "winners" it always leaves behind a vast field of "losers" more than anything else.

Support Black business/entrepreneurship, by making the requirements of access to financial resources counteract the historically skewed/racialized way that risk is assessed in lending. Realize that if so-called minorities have access the cities/countries economy will be much stronger. If a person in public service has a history of being racist they should be removed from their position. Stop propping up mediocre white men and grooming them for leadership while grooming the balance of the populous for service under them. Each citizen should notice their own biases, and do the personal work needed to evolve versus practicing the base, savagery of capitalism, and colonization.

Executive Director, Jewish Community Relations Council

Lindsey Mintz, executive director of Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council(Photo: Provided by Lindsey Mintz)

If this moment is going to lead into a new chapter in our countrys civil rights journey, and if Indianapolis is going to become a better place for all its residents, then the work of dismantling systemic racism must be sustained on both the individual and collective levels.

Organized activism and strategic advocacy that supports significant changes in laws, policies, and practices is obviously required. Calling for elected leaders to act with a sense of urgency is critical. National elections are important, but often structural systems are under the control of state and local authorities. Voting and ensuring the ready access to the vote are key.

Activism is an outgrowth of learning, and learning is the result of resilient listening. While some people may not see themselves as an activist, every person can work on listening to voices and honoring the experiences of someone not like themselves.

The Jewish community is not separate from the fight for racial equity because the fight for racial equity includes cherished members of our own community, which is why we are committed to lifting up the voices of Black Jews.

We each need to look inward and acknowledge our own prejudices, educate ourselves, and do the work to be anti-racist. This work is not easy, and it is not simple. It is a lifelong undertaking. Racism has existed in our country for hundreds of years and it cannot be eradicated in a matter of months

The Jewish community will work as long as it takes, both individually and communally, in public and in private, to fight for equity, justice, and the right of all people, regardless of the color of their skin, to live without fear and to thrive.

Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent

A day after laying his brother George Floyd to rest, Philonise Floyd testified before Congress and asked what a Black mans life is worth. The question of the worth of a life should trouble us all.

Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Aleesia Johnson poses for a portrait at her Indianapolis office on Wednesday, June 17, 2020.(Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

Here in Indiana, our different valuing of lives starts early. Black infants are more than twice as likely than white babies to die before their first birthday. Black and Latinx children are 2-3 times more likely to live in poverty than white children. And, heartbreakingly, Black children make up 13.1% of all youth in Indiana, but a staggering 32.8% of youth in state prisons.

In a recent conversation with my daughter, I tried to contextualize why protests were happening. I took us through a brief but powerful history of the societal treatment of Black people since we arrived to this land enslavement, Jim Crow, mass incarceration. She asked me: Mommy, what did we do to be treated like this? My answer, which was a simple and truthful Nothing confounded her even more.

So, in this moment, let us find the courage, the will, to face our painful history. To name the ways in which our institutions have, both past and present, perpetuated the myth that the lives of Black people arent as valuable.

What it will take is a newfound and genuine commitment to focus help, attention and resources on those in greatest need. To look at our fellow citizens and genuinely believe that liberty and justice for all is more than just a patriotic phrase. It will require us to sustain that commitment beyond a single, intense moment, into the months and years ahead. Im raising my hand to lead our schools into that challenge.

I hope youll join me. Learn how at http://www.myips.org.

Editor of Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper

To make Indianapolis a better place we need to be honest. That's the first step. We need to be honest about how we got here.

This isn't about making white people feel guilty about the past, but it's about acknowledging we don't live in a vacuum and today's issues didn't arise out of nowhere.

Oseye Boyd, editor of Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper and Indiana Minority Business Magazine(Photo: Provided by Oseye Boyd)

Once we take a hard look at our city, we can assess and work toward equity and inclusion for all. It's a simple concept but hard to achieve. Assessment means looking at every area business, education, government, policing and incarceration, etc. built on systemic racism and dismantling it.

It's nothing short of revolutionary and won't be done in a few years. However, it must be done if everyone is to fully participate in the American Dream. For African Americans, this is a long time coming. Not only do we deserve to be treated with humanity, we deserve to be fully included in the country our ancestors built through free labor.

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What prominent community members say should be done to make Indiana better for everyone - IndyStar

Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis June 18th, 2020 – Yahoo Finance

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Litecoin

Litecoin rose by 0.30% on Wednesday. Following on from a 0.23% gain on Tuesday, Litecoin ended the day at $44.02.

It was a mixed start to the day. Litecoin fell to an early morning low $43.43 before rallying to an early afternoon intraday high $45.05.

Litecoin broke through the first major resistance level at $44.27 and second major resistance level at $44.69 before hitting reverse.

The reversal saw Litecoin slide to a late intraday low $42.97 before bouncing back to $44 levels and into the green.

Falling through the first major support level at $43.38, Litecoin found support at the second major support level at $42.91.

At the time of writing, Litecoin was up by 0.14% to $44.08. A mixed start to the day saw Litecoin fall to an early morning low $43.90 before striking a high $44.09.

Litecoin left the major support and resistance levels untested early in the day.

Litecoin would need to avoid a fall back through the $44 pivot to support a run at the first major resistance level at $45.06.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Litecoin to break back through to $45 levels.

Barring broad-based crypto rebound, the first major resistance level and Wednesdays high $45.05 would likely cap any upside.

Failure to avoid a fall through the $44 pivot could see Litecoin struggle on the day.

A fall back through the morning low $43.90 would bring the first major support level at $42.98 into play.

In the event of another extended crypto sell-off, Litecoin should steer clear of sub-$42 levels. The second major support level sits at $41.93.

Major Support Level: $42.98

Major Resistance Level: $45.06

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $62

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $78

62% FIB Retracement Level: $104

Stellars Lumen rose by 0.91% on Wednesday. Following on from a 1.24% gain on Tuesday, Stellars Lumen ended the day at $0.071769.

It was a choppy day for Stellars Lumen and the broader market. Stellars Lumen fell to an early morning low $0.070303 before making a move.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $0.06985, Stellars Lumen rallied to an early afternoon intraday high $0.074263.

Stellars Lumen broke through the first major resistance level at $0.0719 and the second major resistance level at $0.07297.

A late sell-off, however, saw Stellars Lumen slide to an intraday low $0.069801 before rebounding.

Finding support at the first major support level at $0.06985, Stellars Lumen bounced back to a high $0.071875 before easing back.

The first major resistance level at $0.07190 pinned Stellars Lumen back late in the day.

At the time of writing, Stellars Lumen was up by 0.16% to $0.071883. A mixed start to the day saw Stellars Lumen fall to an early morning low $0.071779 before rising to a high $0.071883.

Stellars Lumen left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Story continues

Stellars Lumen would need to move through the $0.07194 pivot to support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.07409.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Stellars Lumen to break back through to $0.074 levels.

Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Wednesdays high $0.074263 would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move through the $0.07194 pivot could see Stellars Lumen struggle throughout the day.

A fall through to sub-$0.070 levels would the first major support level at $0.06963 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Stellars Lumen should steer clear of the second major support level at $0.06748.

Major Support Level: $0.06963

Major Resistance Level: $0.07409

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1051

38% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1433

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.2050

Trons TRX rose by 1.00% on Wednesday. Following on from a 0.06% gain on Tuesday, Trons TRX ended the day at $0.016240.

It was a mixed start to the day. Trons TRX fell to an early morning low $0.016007 before making a move.

Finding support at the first major support level at $0.01601, Trons TRX rallied to an early afternoon intraday high $0.016460.

Trons TRX broke through the first major resistance level at $0.01629 before hitting reverse.

Coming up against the second major resistance level at $0.01642, Trons TRX slid to a late intraday low $0.015879.

The sell-off saw Trons TRX fall through the first major support level at $0.01601 before recovering.

Finding support at the second major support level at $0.01586, Trons TRX bounced back to a high $0.016240.

At the time of writing, Trons TRX was down by 0.10% to $0.016223. A bearish start to the day saw Trons TRX fall from an early morning high $0.016223 to a low $0.016204.

Trons TRX left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Trons TRX would need to avoid a fall through the $0.01620 pivot to support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.01651.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Trons TRX to break back through to $0.01640 levels.

Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Wednesdays high $0.01646 would likely cap any upside.

Failure to avoid a fall through the $0.01620 pivot would bring the first major support level at $0.01593 into play.

In the event of an extended crypto sell-off, Trons TRX would likely test the second major support level at $0.01561 before any recovery.

Major Support Level: $0.01593

Major Resistance Level: $0.01651

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0322

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0452

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0663

Please let us know what you think in the comments below

Thanks, Bob

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis June 18th, 2020 - Yahoo Finance

Litecoin (LTC) Down $0.18 On 4 Hour Chart, Outperforms All Top Cryptos to Start the Day; Breaks Above 100 Day Average – CFDTrading

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Litecoin 4 Hour Price Update

Updated June 21, 2020 03:18 PM GMT (11:18 AM EST)

Litecoin is down 0.14% ($0.06) since the previous 4 hours, marking the 4th candle in a row a decrease has occurred. Out of the 5 instruments in the Top Cryptos asset class, Litecoin ended up ranking 2nd for the four-hour candle in terms of price change relative to the previous 4 hours.

43.58 (USD) was the opening price of the day for Litecoin, resulting in the day prior being one in which price moved up 1.73% ($0.74) from the day prior. The change in price came along side change in volume that was down 18.58% from previous day, but up 23.48% from the Saturday of last week. On a relative basis, the day prior was pretty good: Litecoin bested all 5 of the assets in the Top Cryptos class Lets take a look at the daily price chart of Litecoin.

Moving average crossovers are always interesting, so lets start there: Litecoin crossed above its 100 day moving average yesterday. The clearest trend exists on the 14 day timeframe, which shows price moving down over that time. Also of note is that on a 30 day basis price appears to be forming a base which could the stage for it being a support/resistance level going forward. For another vantage point, consider that Litecoins price has gone down 8 of the previous 14 trading days.

Behold! Here are the top tweets related to Litecoin:

If Congress passes a $2,000 monthly stimulus, then Ill immediately buy $24,000 of #Bitcoin and Litecoin with my credit card. Ill then transfer the balance at 0% for 12 months. This is why you follow me folks!

#Litecoins blockchain has had 146,796,072 Outputs over 9 yrs.~99% of all #LTC historical outputs have been monetary.Want to have your voice heard? Let your money talk for you.#PayWithLitecoin

I have been working at a new job the past two weeks, I havent worked this hard in years. I. LOVE. EVERY. MINUTE. OF. IT. Why am I doing this? To stack as much litecoin as I can. #ltc #litecoin

For a longer news piece related to LTC thats been generating discussion, check out:

How to Keep your Identity Safe While Transacting Litecoin Crypto Press

Many cryptocurrency traders like their transactions to be anonymous for several reasons including legal issues and most importantly to maintain privacy for safe transactions.Both Tor and VPN can help safeguard the users identity by hiding their personal information as they make it possible to transact using a different IP address and geolocation.Some crypto wallets provide a way in which users can generate new addresses each time they intend to send or receive a cryptocurrency. A Stealth address can be used by anyone who wishes to request funds from the public while keeping his account details including the balance private.While many cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and Litecoin claim to be anonymous, it is possible to trace transactions to the inception in most of them.

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Litecoin (LTC) Down $0.18 On 4 Hour Chart, Outperforms All Top Cryptos to Start the Day; Breaks Above 100 Day Average - CFDTrading

Litecoin (LTC) Down $0.23 Over Past 4 Hours, Entered Today Down 1.36%; Price Base in Formation Over Past 30 Days – CFDTrading

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Litecoin 4 Hour Price Update

Updated June 20, 2020 11:18 AM GMT (07:18 AM EST)

The choppiness in the recent four-hour candle price action of Litecoin continues; to start the current 4 hour candle, it came in at a price of 42.83 US dollars, down 0.53% ($0.23) since the previous 4 hours. Relative to other instruments in the Top Cryptos asset class, Litecoin ranked 3rd since the previous 4 hours in terms of percentage price change.

Litecoin closed yesterday down 1.36% ($0.59); this denotes the 2nd day in a row a decline has happened. The change in price came along side change in volume that was up 13.75% from previous day, but down 33.87% from the Friday of last week. Relative to other instruments in the Top Cryptos asset class, Litecoin ranked 4th since yesterday in terms of percentage price change. Below is a daily price chart of Litecoin.

First things first: Litecoin crossed below its 100 day moving average yesterday. The clearest trend exists on the 14 day timeframe, which shows price moving down over that time. Price action traders in particular will want to note that the 30 day period appears to show price forming a base; this could indicate that a support/resistance level is developing. Or to view things another way, note that out of the past 30 days Litecoins price has gone down 17 them.

For laughs, fights, or genuinely useful information, lets see what the most popular tweets pertaining to Litecoin for the past day were:

#Litecoin has a strong, vibrant community. Help us recognize those who contribute to the awareness, education and adoption of #ltc by posting their handles & accomplishments here.Well start: @bigkerrytweets @Keith8Yong @MillaLiraj @loshan1212 @I_Make_Lemonade @ecurrencyhodler

@LTCFoundation @bigkerrytweets @Keith8Yong @MillaLiraj @loshan1212 @ecurrencyhodler I just love this thread! So many great people in the #litecoinfam and room for everyone who is interested in learning more about Litecoin. Few more! @jmo061587 @jLTCcope @GetCoinz20 @BHSpeaks @realPoseidonLuu @boilingwatersph @Jean_LitePicard @PB_and_J_LITE

@LTCFoundation @bigkerrytweets @Keith8Yong @MillaLiraj @loshan1212 @ecurrencyhodler Ive thought about several more friends in the LitecoinFam@ScottJones1025@l3l2ucelee @LesleyRHafalia and @TheNvsibleHandAlways positive and upbeat when it comes to Litecoin

The rest is here:

Litecoin (LTC) Down $0.23 Over Past 4 Hours, Entered Today Down 1.36%; Price Base in Formation Over Past 30 Days - CFDTrading

With Brexit Trade Talks at an Impasse, Boris Johnson Finally Engages – The New York Times

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BRUSSELS Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain, in his first direct talks with Brussels about Brexit since his country left the European Union at the end of January, agreed with European leaders on Monday to push ahead with intensified talks in July and August to try to reach a trade deal by the end of the year.

Mr. Johnsons remarks came in a videoconference with the unions three presidents Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission, Charles Michel of the European Council and David Sassoli of the European Parliament.

In a brief joint statement after the videoconference, the two sides praised their negotiators but agreed nevertheless that new momentum was required.

With negotiations at an impasse, both sides agreed to intensify the talks this summer, with the aim of concluding and ratifying a deal before the end of 2020, the statement said, including, if possible, finding an early understanding on the principles underlying any agreement.

Speaking later in London, Mr. Johnson said, I dont think were actually that far apart, but what we need now is to see a bit of oomph in the negotiations.

The faster we can do this, the better, and we see no reason why you shouldnt get this done in July, Mr. Johnson added. I certainly dont want to see it going on until the autumn, winter, as I think perhaps in Brussels they would like. I dont see any point in that, so lets get it done.

Britain has legally left the European Union, but both sides agreed on a transition period until at least the end of this year, so nothing has fundamentally changed. The idea was to give time for both sides to negotiate their future relationship, with the possibility of an extension to the talks. But Mr. Johnson, eager to fulfill his Brexit promises and to stop paying into the European Union budget, has ruled out any extension.

With both sides concentrating on how to manage the coronavirus pandemic, talks so far have been slow to progress. Heightened and even angry rhetoric from the chief negotiators David Frost for London and Michel Barnier for Brussels has contrasted to what officials on both sides describe as polite and professional staff-level talks involving as many as 150 people on each side.

Mr. Barnier said last week that there had been no significant areas of progress at the last negotiating round. Mr. Frost said that progress remains limited, with negotiators reaching the limits of what could be achieved in formal talks.

Without key political decisions, the talks after four rounds were faltering. Mr. Johnson and Ms. von der Leyen have agreed on an accelerated series of negotiations to run through July and part of August. Both sides say that any agreement must be made before the end of October, to allow the British and all the European parliaments to ratify the deal and for both sides to prepare.

But that is not much time, and some believe that faced with the prospect of no deal, some form of modest extension could be arranged if the two sides were close to an agreement.

The two sides have adopted a posture of being open to an outcome with no deal, rather than to make too many concessions. Both want an agreement though, because the economic disruption of a brutal break would be significant.

Given comparable size and the flow of goods, it would probably be worse for Britain, which sends more than 40 percent of its exports to the European Union and gets more than 50 percent of its imports from the bloc. But the pain would be felt on the continent as well.

The remaining roadblocks to a deal are significant, both political and economic. Europe wants a comprehensive agreement, as suggested in the nonbinding political declaration both sides signed as part of the withdrawal agreement. Britain, especially with time so short, wants a more modest free trade agreement, with side deals to handle issues like fishing, which has a larger political than economic importance for both sides.

There is a fundamental disagreement on governance, with Europe regarding the European Court of Justice as its ultimate authority and Britain saying that its Parliament and courts must remain supreme. So how future disagreements would be adjudicated or arbitrated remains a serious area for dispute.

Brussels and Mr. Barnier insist on preserving the coherence and integrity of the European Unions single market. To ensure that, they want an agreement on what has been called a level playing field, to prevent Britain from loosening its regulations and lowering its taxes to make European goods less competitive.

British officials say that their regulations are now the same or even tougher than those of Brussels, so its good intentions should be assurance enough. In any case, they add, any of its goods entering the European market must meet European standards.

Britain would like access with zero quotas and zero tariffs. But that, Brussels says, would require a legally binding agreement to keep to the regulations of the single market the level playing field.

But in a February document outlining Britains red lines, the government said that, we will not agree to any obligations for our laws to be aligned with the E.U.s. Instead, Mr. Johnson proposed some kind of independent monitoring system, perhaps arbitration.

Brussels also wants commitments on state aid and subsidies to British companies, so that they do not undercut European ones.

Brussels says that without a deal on fishing and on competition rules, there can be no deal at all.

On the one hand, the British complain, the Europeans say that Britain is a smaller economy and needs to be realistic, and on the other, that Britain is a serious economic threat. By that logic, Europe would have difficulty with any relatively large economy close to its borders.

And it is absurd, the British say, for an independent country to promise to mirror Brussels rules forever, or to pretend that fishing quotas should not change over time, given that fish move and fish stocks change.

But the Europeans complain that Britain wants to cherry pick bits of previous trade deals with countries that are not comparable, like South Korea or Canada, given their geographical separation.

Stefaan De Rynck, a senior adviser to Mr. Barnier, said last month that the U.K. will always be special to us, but it is also right next door, and proximity matters in trade. Every deal is custom-made, he said. The U.K. cant say I want a little bit of South Korea, a little of Mexico, Canada and Japan on the side.

Brussels also complains that Mr. Johnson is backtracking on the existing agreement governing the island of Ireland to ensure that the land border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic now the border between the United Kingdom and the European Union remains as open as it is now. While the deal allows European officials to be present during checks at Northern Irish ports and airports, Britain has objected to those officials keeping an office in Belfast.

Neither side is really ready for what will be in the end a hard Brexit, let alone a no-deal Brexit, said Fabian Zuleeg, head of the European Policy Center, a think tank in Brussels. As an indication that Britain wants to avoid too much disruption, the government announced last week that full border controls on goods entering from the European Union would not apply until at least July 2021.

That approach will allow most importers of standard goods up to six months to complete customs declarations and to pay tariffs, if any apply. The announcement was praised by British trade associations, because it would reduce the expected backlog at British ports.

The European Union, however, has said that in the case of a no deal, it would apply complete customs and tariff controls from Jan. 1 of next year. That would most likely mean extended delays on the European side.

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With Brexit Trade Talks at an Impasse, Boris Johnson Finally Engages - The New York Times

Brexit victory: Macron WILL cave to UK fishing stance by autumn – but there is a catch – Express

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King's College London Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs and Director of UK in a Changing Europe, Anand Menon, predicted a potential Brexit breakthrough. During an interview with Express.co.uk, Mr Menon noted the UK could see France's President Emmanuel Macron drop his demands regarding access to UK fishing waters. Mr Menon added this could happen as soon as the autumn time as pressure grows for the EU the closer to the end of the transition period both sides get.

However, the European politics expert claimed Britain may have to compromise on other issues like trade standards.

Mr Menon insisted a compromise from both Britain and the EU was needed to ensure a trade agreement could be reached.

He said: "If we are going to get a deal then by the time we get into the autumn political leaders on both sides are going to have to make some trade-offs.

"It might be that the French will say they will ask less about fish.

DON'T MISS:Brexiteers were right! -Boris' 'plan B' could see UK triumph says Tice

"It may be the British side saying we are going to accept some minimum standards from the EU.

"Unless there is some ground given it looks like there won't be an agreement."

Mr Menon explained the difficulty in predicting whether a trade deal would eventually be reached at this stage.

He said: "In order for there to be a Brexit deal, one or both sides of the negotiations are going to have to give ground.

"What we don't know yet is whether either side is willing to give ground.

"I think one of the things about the Brexit trade talks to date is because of COVID-19 the political leaders on both sides have not been engaging in the Brexit talks.

"Remember, on the UK side the negotiations are being solely carried out by a special adviser, there is no direct political involvement."

Mr Menon also explained tensions were rising in the EU camp as Brexit trade talks intensify.

READ MORE:

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Mr Menon claimed chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier was growing frustrated with the member state leaders.

He insisted that Mr Barnier was asking for more leeway from member states on demands in hopes of more smoothly moving talks along with the UK.

Contrary to Mr Barnier's hopes and wishes after speaking to leaders, some were tightening their mandate ultimately making the Brexit trade talks more difficult for Mr Barnier.

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Brexit victory: Macron WILL cave to UK fishing stance by autumn - but there is a catch - Express

Its official: U.K. wont require an extension of Brexit talks, even as negotiations with EU hit gridlock – MarketWatch

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The U.K. reiterated Friday, two weeks before the expiration of a deadline upon which it had to make its intentions clear, that it would not seek an extension of the current extension period that binds the country to the European Union until Dec. 31.

We have informed the EU today that we will not extend the transition period, U.K. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove tweeted. The moment for extension has now passed.

The government separately said that it would delay implementing full-scale border controls for goods entering Great Britain from Europe, originally scheduled to start Jan. 1, until July. Controls will instead be gradually introduced in three phases in January, April and July to take into account the pressures on businesses triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.K.s final decision not to request an extension is in line with the consistent position of the prime minister, Boris Johnson, who had Parliament translate his electoral promise into law last year after the December general election.

The U.K. legally left the EU on Jan. 31 but has been since then in a transition period with the same rights and obligations of any member state save for a presence in institutions where decisions are being made.

Before Goves announcement, the Welsh and Scottish first ministers had written to Johnson demanding an extension, which the European Union has said it is open to.

Opinion: No-deal Brexit raises its ugly head again

The EU and U.K. are currently negotiating a treaty on their future relationship, with talks seemingly at a dead end. Major disagreements persist on future access to the U.K.s fishing waters and on the level playing field requested by EU negotiators in areas such as state aid, competition law, and labor and environmental regulations.

The U.K. separately began negotiating a free-trade agreement with the U.S. on May 5.

Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier wrote in May to indicate that the European Union was open to extending negotiations, but said on Twitter on Friday that the commission took note of U.K.s decision not to extend.

To give every chance to the negotiations, we agreed to intensify talks in the next weeks and months, he added.

Read:Pound slips as lead U.K. negotiator says little progress made in Brexit talks

Fridays announcement increases the likelihood of the transition period ending with a no-deal Brexit, meaning an exit from the European Union without an agreement in place.

By ruling out any extension decision now, the U.K. is basically saying that transition ends this year, Michael Dougan, professor of European law at the University of Liverpool, told MarketWatch.

The chances of reaching a meaningful deal, ready to enter into force by 1 January 2021, appear very slim, i.e. given the fundamental differences between the EU and U.K. positions and bearing in mind the unprecedented nature of the task at hand as well as the time scale available, he said.

Johnson is expected to meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and other EU leaders on Monday to discuss the disagreements and try to jump-start Brexit talks.

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Its official: U.K. wont require an extension of Brexit talks, even as negotiations with EU hit gridlock - MarketWatch

After Brexit: Will the U.S.-UK Deal Get Tariffs Down to Zero? – Yahoo News

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U.S.-UK trade talks are in progress, although conducting them over Zoom or Skype (or however they are doing it), rather than in person, is likely to slow things down. At aHouse Ways and Means Committee hearing yesterday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizerindicatedthat these talks were unlikely to be completed this year.

Nevertheless, these are real, substantive talks, and its worth paying attention. When it gets done, what kind of trade deal will this be exactly? Some of the Trump administrations early trade renegotiations (NAFTA, the KoreaUS FTA) added more protectionism than liberalization, and its completed negotiations (with Japan and China) did not liberalize very much. What would aU.S.-UK trade agreement do?

One of the strongest protrade voices in Congress, Senator Pat Toomey, tried to get at this point in aSenate Finance Committeehearingwith Lighthizer yesterday (he had abusy day!). In particular, Senator Toomey want to know the degree to which tariffs would be cut in aU.S.-UK FTA. Heres what he asked (1:18:40of the video):

Id like to get alittle bit better understanding of your plans and your goals with the US/UK freetrade agreement, which as you know Im enthusiastic about. Id like to betterunderstand what your goal is, what youd like to see as the outcome.What would be the ideal arrangement? Ithink Iheard you say that were not likely to get to zero tariffs on everything, and Iwonder is that just apractical reality, given the inevitable reluctance on the part of the UK to give up tariffs on certain things, or do you go in with the goal of not having zero tariffs on certain things, and if so which are those things. Id just like to get abetter understanding of how youre approaching this agreement and what you would like to get out of it.

When you hear references to free trade agreements, you might think that means all tariffs are eliminated. In reality, while NAFTA got pretty close to zero tariffs, most trade agreements actually leave many tariffs in place. Senator Toomey made reference to practical reality here, and he is certainly right about how things tend to work. But Iliked how he also said this: do you go in with the goal of not having zero tariffs on certain things. With the Trump administration and its negotiating record, that is definitely worth asking.

Story continues

Heres how Lighthizer responded:

In terms of the goal on the US-UK, from our point of view we want an agreement that goes across all sectors thats as high astandard as one can have. Do Ithink well go to zero tariffs, no, Idont, andwill Isupport zero tariffs in all areas, no Iwont either. For example, Ithink were going to find agricultural areas, and there are sensitive areas in both our economies. The secret is to have as much, be open and free as we can, given the political circumstances in each country. And Ithink that alot of the fight is going to be over SPS issues and things like that, the kinds of stuff where you and Icompletely agree.

In asense, Lighthizers answer is correct and simply acknowledges political realities. At the same time, Im fairly confident that if Senator Toomey were leading atrade negotiation, he would be pushing for both sides to lower their tariffs as much as possible, and we would get pretty close to zero. As they say, personnel is policy, in trade policy just like everywhere else.

This article by Simon Lester firstappearedinCATOon June 18, 2020.

Image: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Britain's Prime MinisterBorisJohnsongreet U.S. PresidentDonaldTrumpat the annual NATO heads of government summit at the Grove hotel in Watford, Britain December 4, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/Pool

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After Brexit: Will the U.S.-UK Deal Get Tariffs Down to Zero? - Yahoo News

Brexit and coronavirus are stoking the fires of Welsh nationalism – The New European

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PUBLISHED: 21:00 20 June 2020

Matt Withers

Brexit and coronavirus is making the the Welsh think twice about their membership of Britain. The feeling has been welcomed by Plaid Cyrmu leader Adam Price (left). Photo: Archant

Archant

Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, talks to MATT WITHERS about his partys long march to independence and how recent catalysts mean its aim of a referendum by 2030 is a realistic prospect

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Almost four years after its creation The New European goes from strength to strength across print and online, offering a pro-European perspective on Brexit and reporting on the political response to the coronavirus outbreak, climate change and international politics. But we can only continue to grow with your support.

It is a sign of the ignorance of devolution in both much of the media and the higher echelons of the UK government that it has taken a global pandemic for people to realise it means different nations not only being able to do their own things but actually doing them. Its something that Adam Price, the leader of Plaid Cymru, muses on as we speak via Zoom from the Carmarthenshire home where he has been in lockdown for longer than most, his son having shown signs of symptoms in mid-March (all are well).

The 51-year-old hopes to lead his party to victory in next years elections to the Senedd and lead a Welsh government which a surprising amount of Conservative commentators appeared largely ignorant of until its approach to lockdown diverged from that of Boris Johnson.

Never in the last 21 years, post-devolution, have we ever seen such a high level of awareness of the fact that we have, you know, four different health ministers in the UK, says Price, leader of the Welsh nationalist party since 2018.

Were even starting to hear the phrase the English government or the English health secretary. So that really is a huge change.

Even within Wales, because we have a weaker media landscape in Wales in terms of home-grown newspapers etc, I think the fact that theres been daily press conferences by the Welsh government and the fact that there are distinctive policies mean that even in Wales theres a greater awareness of the significance and the reach of the national government of Wales than weve ever had in the last 21 years.

I think its OK to look for positives even in the most challenging of times. So I think that is certainly one of them.

Polls have shown people in Wales think the Labour-led Welsh government has handled the crisis better than the Westminster government. Plaid was initially critical of first minister Mark Drakefords approach, but have been more supportive since it started to differ from Johnsons.

I think that the early stage of the crisis, the Welsh government tended to follow the similar policy decisions to the Westminster government, says Price, whose pre-political career was in business.

And I think that during that phase the Westminster government were making a lot of mistakes and the Welsh government, in aligning themselves very, very closely this sort of four-nation approach that was talked about were inevitably then making the same mistakes.

The more that theyve been prepared to show their independence of mind, if you like, then the more theyve been backed by the public in Wales. So when they have shown that kind of independence of mind weve backed them and not only have we backed them but theyve been backed by the Welsh public as well.

He thinks there is no chance of things returning to normal post-pandemic. The so-called Overton window the breadth of policies acceptable to the mainstream having shifted. State intervention at a vast scale, but also, I think, an acceptance more generally of a central and positive role for the government in shaping economic policy and industrial policy and the rest of it.

And yet Wales, to many peoples surprise, voted for Brexit. A country which benefited disproportionately from EU structural funds, and which commentators saw as sharing Scotlands broad pro-Europeanism, voted to leave by 52.5% to 47.5%. Quick question then, Adam why?

God, yes, he sighs. There isnt a single answer to that and there are probably as many answers to that as there were people who voted to leave the European Union. And I wouldnt presume to speak on their behalf.

But, you know, in that mix of motivations and reasons there has been somewhere, certainly, that feeling of economic and political neglect that many people felt particularly in post-industrial communities like the former coalfield of south Wales but also some of the rural areas as well that have felt a similar sense of political detachment and economic decline.

So in that context for many people Brexit will have seemed like a change project, and obviously my fear is on the record that that change will end up not being a very positive one for many people in those very same communities. He wants a pragmatic and common-sense extension to the transition period.

We talk about the state of Welsh politics. As a correspondent based in the Senedd a decade ago I would occasionally rage against the chumminess of it, with four political parties all broadly social democratic (arguably even the Welsh Tories then) and whose members drank together at Cardiff Bays Eli Jenkins pub every evening. But friends still there tell me, I say, that its now as ugly and rancorous as everywhere else.

Price an MP from 2001 to 2010 says: There has been, since that time, a greater ideological divergence, certainly within the Senedd. Obviously [the] Brexit [Party] and whats left of UKIP are out on their own, really, but there has also been, I think, a shift in the Conservative Partys politics in the Senedd reflecting developments in the Conservative Party more generally.

I think its important to have genuine political diversity in any country, I think thats a good thing. You wouldnt want a collaborative political culture which I think is a positive, I think the ability to engage with each other, you know, civilly and have a fruitful dialogue I think is a good thing but you dont want that to turn into some kind of soggy centre where theres no critical challenge whatsoever.

So I think it is possible to have both a civil political culture but on the other hand to provide people with real political choices as well.

Second quickfire question, then: why has the desire for Welsh independence so lagged behind that of Scotland?

Its a great question and the subject of a good PhD thesis, says Price.

Go to the fact that Scotland, of course, even after its Act of Union of 1707 retained many of the other key institutions of Scottish society. An entirely separate education system, an entirely separate legal system. So many of those trappings of statehood, if you like, continued in Scotland, whereas in Wales the last vestiges that remained in 1536 were got rid of, by and large.

Wales is an ancient country but a very new nation, in a political sense. The Welsh state is only 20 years old. The confidence in Welsh political statehood, if you like, is going to be lower and that reflects itself in the support for independence.

Its easier to conceive of an independent Scotland because all these other institutions already exist, whereas in Wales we werent starting from scratch but we were starting at a lower level of peoples kind of understanding or belief in our ability to do things for ourselves in a whole variety of different arenas.

Yet earlier this month a Welsh Barometer poll showed the highest-ever level of support for independence, at 25%. Something is stirring. Price, ironically, thinks Brexit here was a catalyst, that asking people if they want an independent Wales within the EU produces an even bigger score.

Yet anecdotally, and not altogether surprisingly, the handling of the coronavirus crisis has also, in a way, become a national question with, Price says, people looking at the two institutions and despairing of Westminster.

It is interesting, at least in social media what people say themselves. You have a lot of people saying I never supported independence before but I am now, you know?, he says. People are on that journey.

What you get as well is the classic line from the last few years theyll use different words, but people say Im not a nationalist, Ive never regarded myself as a nationalist, but. And theres a but. But Im now supporting independence or Im indy-curious or Im interested, you know?

Theres almost like a sense of surprise at their own journey, and that shows me that this is deep and this is real. This is beyond ordinary politics in some ways, this is something that people are discussing amongst themselves.

Wales is now where Scotland was 10 years ago, he says. Plaids stated aim is for a referendum by 2030. And these are strange times.

Im in the fortunate position compared to other Plaid Cymru leaders that, actually, independence now is more popular than Plaid Cymru, says Price. If you look at it in pure electoral terms then actually, you know, if everyone who supported independence now voted Plaid Cymru then I would become the first minister. That hasnt been true in the past.

It says much of Plaids journey that a party with its origins in a socially conservative Welsh-language pressure group has the first openly gay male leader of a UK political party and it is barely remarked on (Here I am, leader of Plaid Cymru, Im a gay dad, he says. These things are part of the diversity of experience in modern Wales).

And yet, speaking as we are, amid recent protests against racism, including in Cardiff and Swansea, those self-same roots mean that Plaid has, he admits,got to do a lot more to reflect modern Wales.

Its something Im very keen on involving and giving a leadership role for our Plaid Cymru BAME section on, because obviously they can speak far more compellingly from their own experiences as members of the BAME community in Wales.

I think that if we as a party want to be the party of Wales then we have to be the party of all of Wales and Wales in all its diversity.

Almost four years after its creation The New European goes from strength to strength across print and online, offering a pro-European perspective on Brexit and reporting on the political response to the coronavirus outbreak, climate change and international politics. But we can only rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press with your support. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.

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Brexit and coronavirus are stoking the fires of Welsh nationalism - The New European

Covid-19 and Brexit: Contrasting sectoral impacts on the UK | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal – voxeu.org

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As the world economy experiences its biggest downturn for a century (Gopinath 2020), it is widely agreed that the policy response to Covid-19 must be decisive and coordinated (Baldwin and Weder di Mauro 2020). Meanwhile, in the UK, where 50% of companies reported a fall in business in April 2020 relative to the past three months, the government continues to negotiate its exit from the EU its biggest trading partner aiming to complete the transition by the end of the year.

Both Covid-19 and Brexit will have a profound impact on economic activity in the UK, but there may be big differences in terms of which sectors they affect. In this column, we show new evidence that the sectors that have been initially most negatively affected by Covid-19 are generally different to those that are affected more by Brexit (De Lyon and Dhingra 2020).

To measure the effects of Covid-19, we use firm-level survey data for April 2020 made available to us through the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). We aggregate this to the sector level to compare with measures of the economic effects of Brexit across UK sectors taken from previous work.

Table 1 shows that there is a negative, if any, correlation between changes in business volumes in April 2020 and the ongoing and expected impacts of Brexit as captured by three different measures. This means that generally the sectors hit by Covid-19 in the first month of lockdown have been different to those expected to be affected by Brexit. This is true regardless of which Brexit measure is used, despite each varying in the time period covered and nature of the specific effect caused by Brexit.

The first of the Brexit measures captures each industrys exposure to the sharp depreciation in the value of the pound on the night of the EU referendum in June 2016. The world trading system has developed over recent decades so that now the majority of world trade is in intermediate goods and services that are used as inputs into production by businesses. Therefore, the devaluation of the pound meant that companies with a high share of imported inputs faced increasing costs to production (Costa et al. 2019). This measure therefore captures effects of Brexit that occurred immediately following the referendum.

The second measure Brexit uncertainty captures business responses to the Decision Maker Panel conducted by the Bank of England concerning uncertainty due to Brexit and the ongoing negotiations in the period following the referendum (Bloom et al. 2019). This measure is contemporary and broad, although it is restricted to highly aggregated industry categories.

The third measure is the outcome of a state-of-the-art trade model and captures the predicted long-term impact of the expected trade relationship between the UK and EU after Brexit (Dhingra et al. 2017). It ignores adjustment effects and focuses only on trade omitting other factors such as foreign investment and migration. It is similar in nature to the governments own economic model but, crucially, contains more detailed industry predictions, allowing for a more thorough comparison with the effects of Covid across sectors.

Table 1 Correlation coefficients for changes in business volume in April with three measures of the current and future effects of Brexit

Notes: The net change in volume of business is the percentage of businesses reporting an increase in volumes in April 2020 relative to the past three months minus the percentage reporting a decrease. The measure is then de-trended by subtracting the corresponding measure for 2019 to account for pre-existing trends. Responses are weighted by firm-size according to employment. We correlate this variable with three measures of Brexit effects. First is the intermediate import value-weighted measure of depreciation on the night of the referendum (Costa et al. 2020). Second is the long-term industry-level forecast of the CEP trade model (Dhingra et al. 2017) and third is the measure of Brexit uncertainty reported by firms (Bloom et al. 2019). Correlations are weighted by industry size and use the relative rankings of each industry. In all cases but one, the weighting and de-trending of the Covid measure does not affect the sign of the correlation.

To explore these cross-industry correlations in detail, Table 2 presents the full ranking of industries according to how positively (top) or negatively (bottom) they have been performing in April 2020 relative to the past three months and their trend of business volumes a year before. We colour each row according to the predicted long-term effect of Brexit with green being the least negatively (or positively) affected sectors and red being most negatively affected with blue being those in between.

One obvious difference that emerges from the list is that Covid has hit hard domestic services such as recreation, hotels and restaurants, which are a large employer in any developed economy, while these are less likely to be directly affected by Brexit policy except through knock-on changes in demand and labour services. Most manufacturing sectors and transport have been less negatively affected, although again there are exceptions within these sectors. The table highlights the double impact that Brexit and Covid can have on the economy. Sectors that have not yet been hit by the lockdown are generally expected to be hit negatively by Brexit.

Table 2 Change in business volume in April and predicted effect of Brexit by industry

Notes: Industries are ranked in terms of net increase in business volume in April 2020 (see notes of Figure 1 for details on this variable). The rows are shaded according to the predicted long-term effect of Brexit (Dhingra et al, 2017): green for top, blue for middle, and red for most negatively affected. Sectors with fewer than 5 businesses in the data in April 2020 are omitted. Industries are ranked from least negatively affected (1) to most negatively affected (20).

In many ways, this is not surprising. The rapid spread of Covid-19 has caused countries across the world to enter lockdown. This has had a huge impact on the functioning of economies on both the demand and supply sides (del Rio-Chanona et al. 2020). Some sectors, such as in-person services, have ceased completely while others, like distribution and some manufacturing, have needed to step in to meet urgent needs arising from the pandemic.

Brexit, on the other hand, will mainly affect the UK economy and will introduce new barriers to trade, migration, and investment with the EU, and a change in its relationship with other countries outside the EU (Baldwin 2016). Tariff and non-tariff barriers that may arise in sectors like automotive, food and professional and financial services could significantly affect the structure and size of the UK economy in the long run, as well as create costly short-term adjustments.

Our analysis highlights the importance of granular economic analysis during these extraordinary times.

As early as 2017, the government had announced that Brexit negotiations would be guided by granular impact assessments across sectors. Sound impact assessments are crucial for good policy design and this is what the government had rightly put forward. Yet the most detailed quantitative impact analysis available from the government to date gives details for just ten broad sector categories.

For example, all of services is split into just three categories. This makes the evidence too scant to adequately guide policymaking and it isnt a surprise that the new policies that the government has announced in its Brexit plans, such as the tariff schedule published recently, have little justification on why certain policy objectives have been chosen.

The changed circumstances due the pandemic make the need for detailed sectoral analysis even more important. It is clear that some sectors are going to see a reduction in market access after the UKs exit from the EU. While they may have withstood a bit of a setback in trade with the EU, a much harder hit at a time of a national and a global slowdown may push them towards being unviable. The current conditions in these industries will be useful in drawing up Brexit plans that are informed by existing circumstances.

The large negative hit from the pandemic has reduced the capacity of the UK economy to take further shocks. The UK is highly integrated with Europe and these linkages are likely to be even more important throughout the pandemic (Baldwin and Freeman 2020). The slowdown of the world economy has also cast another shadow on the idea of a global Britain making up for reductions in EU market access by pursuing opportunities outside the EU.

Our analysis shows that the sectors that will be affected by Brexit and those that are suffering from the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown are generally different from each other. Rushing Brexit through this year without a new deal in place would therefore broaden the set of sectors that see worsening business conditions.

The EUs Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has suggested that an extension to the transition period would be possible. The UK Government should think carefully about its policy priorities now; adding Brexit to the table only increases the importance of getting these policies right. Beyond the economics, the EU offers opportunities to help deal with the spread and response to the virus, such as the large-scale scheme to obtain personal protective equipment, which the UK reportedly missed the opportunity to join on three occasions.

As the Covid impacts continue to become clearer over time, the government must move beyond its broad assessment of Brexit impacts to much more finely tuned plans that account for the differences in market conditions and constraints faced by UK businesses in the biggest slowdown of our lifetime.

Authors note: The views expressed in this column are those of its authors and not those of the CBI.

Baldwin, R (2016), Brexit Beckons: Thinking ahead by leading economists, a VoxEU.org eBook, CEPR Press.

Baldwin, R and R Freeman (2020), Trade conflict in the age of Covid-19, VoxEU.org, 22 May.

Baldwin, R and B Weder di Mauro (2020), Introduction, in Mitigating the COVID Economic Crisis: Act Fast and Do Whatever It Takes, a VoxEU.org eBook, CEPR Press.

Bloom, N, P Bunn, S Chen, P Mizen, P Smietanka and G Thwaites (2019), The Impact of Brexit on UK Firms, NBER Working Paper 26218.

Costa, R, S Dhingra and S Machin (2020), Trade and Worker Deskilling: Evidence from the Brexit Vote, CEP Discussion Paper.

De Lyon, J and S Dhingra (2020), How is Covid-19 affecting businesses in the UK?, LSE Business Review, 7 May.

del Rio-Chanona, R M, P Mealy, A Pichler, F Lafond and F Doyne (2020), Predicting the supply and demand shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic: An industry and occupation perspective, VoxEU.org, 16 May.

Dhingra, S, H Huang, G Ottaviano, J P Pessoa, T Sampson and J Van Reenen (2017), The costs and benefits of leaving the EU: trade effects, Economic Policy 32(92): 651705.

Gopinath, G (2020), The Great Lockdown: Worst Economic Downturn Since the Great Depression, IMG blog, 14 April.

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Covid-19 and Brexit: Contrasting sectoral impacts on the UK | VOX, CEPR Policy Portal - voxeu.org

EU FURY: Macron unleashes new Brexit threat in bid to force through 750billion bailout – Express.co.uk

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The French President is said to have claimed failure to reach a quick agreement over the blocs pandemic rescue fund could see talks complicated by trade negotiations with Britain. He added that market sensitives required EU leaders to accelerate the process towards a face-to-face showdown next month. Brussels sources said the Frenchman said the fund must include at least 500 billion in grants made available to pandemic-stricken industries and regions.

Mr Macron's efforts to broker a deal were echoed by Angela Merkel, who warned EU leaders that they face the worst recession since the Second World War.

The German Chancellor is said to have expressed concern that her EU colleagues hadnt yet come to terms with the grave situation they find themselves in.

Sources said the veteran leader said the EU faces very, very difficult times in the coming months, and should have the recovery fund in place by the summer.

She added that leaders must organise an in-person summit as soon as possible.

Ahead of the video summit, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pleaded with EU leaders to back her recovery plans.

She said: This proposal is ambitious and it is balanced.

Im convinced that for common success, we must stay focused on the big picture. We must all pull together, we cannot afford any delay.

Under the Germans blueprint, eurocrats will borrow 500 billion on international markets before distributing the money as cash grants to the worst-hit countries, regions and industries.

A further 250 billion will be dished out in the form of low-cost loans.

The fund will leave the blocs taxpayers saddled with the debt burden of the coronavirus recovery, with the borrowing expected to be paid back over the next 38 years.

The Commission also wants to introduce a series of new EU taxes, including a level on single-use plastics, a digital tax or a tax on multinationals, to help foot the bill.

MUST READ:Ursula on der Leyen red-faced as EU summit ends with NO deal

The so-called Frugal Four Austria, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands have questioned whether cash should be distributed in loans and not grants.

Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz said the recovery fund could create a backdoor to a debt union.

He said the proposed recovery fund must not be a backdoor entry into a debt union.

He added: There must be a time limit.

There must also be a discussion about who pays how much, who benefits most and what conditions are attached to aid.

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In a bid to unlock the talks, Mr Macron suggested he could support cash rebates for the biggest contributors to the EUs long-term budget.

But the French President said he would only back the plan if it is absolutely necessary to get a deal on the recovery plan, according to an EU official.

Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte took aim at the frugal states, insisting the Commission plan is fair and well balanced it would be a serious mistake to fall below the financial resources already indicated.

The combination of loans and grants is also well constructed. This combination will help us make investments and reforms in order to strengthen the convergence and resilience of the whole Union, he added.

At the start of the video conference, European Parliament President David Sassoli the proposed recovery fund only scratches the surface of what needs to be done.

He said MEPs would not support the deal if aid is offered solely in the form of loans.

He added: "Time is a luxury we cannot afford. We need to act urgently and courageously, as EU citizens, businesses and economies need an immediate response. Our citizens expect bold action. Now it is time for us to deliver."

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EU FURY: Macron unleashes new Brexit threat in bid to force through 750billion bailout - Express.co.uk

Brexit news: What would ending the transition period with no deal really mean? – Express.co.uk

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The Brexit transition period will not be extended according to Cabinet minister Michael Gove. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said there is a very good chance of getting a trade deal by December. But if a deal cannot be done, what would this mean for the UK after December?

At the end of last year, a No Deal Brexit was a topic of discussion, but now the term has returned to common usage.

The UK formally left the European Union on January 31 and now the country is in a transition period until the end of the year.

This means the UK is still part of the EU single market and the customs union currently, and therefore all the rules and regulations, as well as budget payments, remain the same.

The UK has decided not to take up the option of extending the transition period for one to two years to enable negotiations to continue regarding a future free trade deal.

READ MORE:EU finally admits UK fishing waters 'sovereign'

If negotiations do not lead to an agreed deal by the end of the year, a new version of No Deal would take place.

This would mean trade with the EU would automatically fall back on the basic World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

The WTO is the global body where countries negotiate the rules of international trade.

In total, there are 164 members in the WTO and if they do not have their own free trade agreements with one another, they trade under WTO rules.

Every WTO member has a list of tariffs and quotas which apply to other countries with which they do not have any free trade agreements.

These deals are known as their WTO schedules.

Under WTO rules, cares would be taxed at 10 percent when they cross the UK-EU border after the end of the transition period.

Agricultural tariffs would rise to an average of more than 35 percent for dairy products.

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The Government has published a guide to UK tariffs from January 1, 2021.

The UK Global Tariff (UKGT) will replace the EUs Common External Tariff from January 1 and will apply to all goods imported into the UK unless:

An exception applies, such as a relief or tariff suspension.

The goods come from countries that are part of theGeneralised Scheme of Preferences.

The country youre importing from has a trade agreement with the UK.

It only shows the tariff that will be applied to goods at the border when they are imported into the UK.

It does not cover:

The Government is removing all tariffs below 2.5 percent which it refers to as nuisance tariffs.

In total, 47 percent of all products will have zero tariffs, compared with 28 percent when in the EU.

Among the biggest tariff cuts will be types of preserved mushrooms, which will have their tariffs cut from 18.4 percent to zero and yeast, which will have its tariff cut from up to 14.7 percent to zero.

The following items are having their tariffs to cut from the following current tariff rates to zero:

There are also likely to be non-tariff barriers such as product standards, safety regulations and sanitary checks on food and animals.

The UK and EU will need to find ways to work with each others regulations.

The UK has announced that with or without a deal, checks on EU goods coming into the UK will be phased in the next year to give firms time to adjust.

Non-tariff barriers would have an even greater impact on the service sector, which makes up about 80 percent of the UK economy.

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Brexit news: What would ending the transition period with no deal really mean? - Express.co.uk

Letter: Brexit extension would be a leap in the dark – East London and West Essex Guardian Series

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On 23 June it will be four long years since the people of Britain voted to leave the European Union. Yet were not out, instead, were stuck in round after round of negotiations, bogged down in a transition that entrenched interests are seeking to turn into a cul-de-sac.

But matters are coming to a head. If there is to be an extension to the transition, it must be sought and agreed before the end of June. The EU has already said it will agree to one, if we ask for it.

And you can see why they want us to. They need our money, and they need our markets. The European Commission wants member states to agree to its borrowing 750 billion on the currency markets to finance (mostly) a Covid-19 recovery fund to be doled out by the Commission.

In 2018 the last year for which there are final figures Britain had a balance of payments deficit of 66 billion with the EU. (Compare that with a balance of payments surplus with the rest of the world of 77 billion.)

Amid the chaos, the one clear fact is that an extension to the transition period would be a leap in the dark. There is no way that we would or could know what we would be letting ourselves in for.

Potentially, probably, we would be liable for our share of 750 billion of debt. And that on top of all the other uncertainties of remaining under the EUs diktat, paying unknown contributions and being bound by unknown future commitments.

Four years, and still no final agreement. If agreement with the EU were possible, it would have taken place already. No transition extension! Walk away, as we should have done four years ago. Lets get on with the tasks that face us as an independent country at last,

Will Podmore

Clavering Road, Wanstead

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Letter: Brexit extension would be a leap in the dark - East London and West Essex Guardian Series

Macron to discuss Brexit with Johnson on London visit – RTE.ie

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French President Emmanuel Macron travels to Britain today for talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Macron's visit will mark 80 years since exiled wartime resistance leader Charles de Gaulle made his famous call to a defeated France from London not to give into the Nazis.

It will be Mr Macron's first foreign trip since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Harking back to General de Gaulle's dramatic appeal on 18 June, 1940 from BBC studios will give Macron a chance to underline the importance of Anglo-French relations even after Brexit.

But beyond the historic symbolism, Mr Macron's meeting at 10 Downing Street with Mr Johnson will also focus on the grinding search for an agreement on Britain's exit from the EU.

Britain, which left the EU in January, is negotiating a trade deal to govern relations after 31 December, when it stops abiding by EU rules.

Mr Macron has on occasion expressed impatience with the drawn-out Brexit process.

In a sign of the tensions in the talks, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview with the French daily La Croix that he still did not rule out a "no deal" scenario.

He said the UK might not have "understood the full magnitude of their withdrawal".

Mr Macron's status as a visiting foreign dignitary will spare him the controversial two-week virus quarantine now demanded by the British authorities of all visitors from abroad.

Before heading to Britain, he will take part in the traditional annual ceremony at Mont Valerien outside Paris, a memorial for the French who fought against the Nazis and those who were killed by the occupying forces.

On arrival in London he will meet Prince Charles, with both set to pay their respects to General de Gaulle and make speeches.

Mr Macron will award the Legion of Honour to London, making it the seventh city to be decorated with France's highest order of merit, after Algiers, Belgrade, Brazzaville, Liege, Luxembourg and Volgograd.

Latest Brexit stories

He will then head to Downing Street for the talks with Mr Johnson, himself an avowed fan of Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill who allowed General de Gaulle to broadcast from the BBC.

Mr Johnson has announced honorary British MBE awards to four surviving French resistance fighters - one aged 100 and three in their late 90s.

The London statue of Churchill that was controversially boxed up after anti-racism protests will be uncovered for Mr Macron's visit.

In his radio broadcast from London, de Gaulle urged all those who could to carry on fighting for France, words that laid the foundation of the resistance movement and helped keep alive hope that France would be liberated, as it finally was in 1944.

"Has the last word been said? Should hope disappear? Is the defeat final? No! Believe me, I... tell you that nothing is lost for France," he said.

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Macron to discuss Brexit with Johnson on London visit - RTE.ie

Brexit Britain is forced to confront its inglorious past – The Star Online

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HAD he been alive, Edward Colston would surely have recognised the rage of the crods that pulled down his statue in his home city of Bristol and dumped it into the harbor.

Born in 1636 into an age of revolution, Colston lived through three civil wars and the execution of King Charles I before he became a merchant and made his fortune from the burgeoning slave trade.

The trouble for Britain is that Colstons story is far from unique in the countrys turbulent past. As the events of last weekend reverberate across the UK, they are turning into a moment of national self-reflection at an awkward time for a government thats evoked a glorious history of buccaneering spirit as reason for a bright future outside the European Union.

The Black Lives Matter protests that spread from the US have a particular resonance in the UK, with its track record of colonising countries from India and Australia to swaths of Africa and the Caribbean. But its a colonial past that has never really been reckoned with.

The danger for Prime Minister Boris Johnson is that opening it up now risks drawing attention to some of the most brutal and shameful episodes in British history and risks further polarising a nation already deeply divided socially, economically and increasingly ethnically.

Four years of wrangling over Brexit has seen an increase in reported anti-immigrant hate crime, while the coronavirus pandemic has hit black and Asian communities disproportionately harder.

It is an uncomfortable truth that our nation and city owes a large part of its wealth to its role in the slave trade, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said this past week. Khan, a member of the opposition Labour Party, ordered a review of the capitals statues and street names to vet them for links to slavery.

The reaction to the anti-racist revolt in the US cuts to the heart of British identity. As the growing list of memorials targeted for their questionable associations attests, the first incarnation of the Global Britain championed by Brexit supporters was the British Empire.

Monuments to civic leaders with a dubious heritage risk becoming the front line in a brewing culture war taking place against the backdrop of the governments much-criticised response to Covid-19 and a recession that threatens to be exacerbated by a disruptive break with continental trading partners.

Already, protesters are demanding the removal of monuments to figures including imperialist Cecil Rhodes, whose statue stands outside an Oxford college, and Henry Dundas, who obstructed early attempts to abolish slavery and whose image stands on a 150-foot-high column in central Edinburgh.

After a statue of World War II leader Winston Churchill was defaced, far-right groups have put out a call for supporters to gather in London this weekend to defend the legacy of war heroes, raising the prospect of clashes. Churchill and other key statues have been boarded up as a precaution.

Johnson acknowledged the depth of emotion triggered by the killing in the US of black man George Floyd by a white police officer, saying on Monday that those feelings are founded on a cold reality and more needs to be done to tackle inequality. He didnt mention Britains imperial past or the idea that it shoulders any historic complicity through its colonial actions.

Last July, in his first speech as prime minister, Johnson alluded to the union of the UKs constituent nations, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the awesome foursome that are incarnated in that red white and blue flag and its positive role in the world.

The UKs brand and political personality is admired and even loved around the world, he said then, citing traits from inventiveness and humor to assets including universities.

That is, at best, half the story, according to historians such as Diane Purkiss, author of The English Civil War: A Peoples History and professor of English literature at Oxford University. She argues that Britains rise to a world power was financed on the back of slavery.

From the Elizabethan age on, England muscled in on the triangle trade, whereby Africans were enslaved and transported to the Americas by Europeans who used the same ships to bring back sugar and tobacco. They then exported textiles and manufactured goods to Africa.

By the mid-18th century, just three decades after Colstons death, the newly minted Great Britain had displaced the Portuguese to control the lions share of the slave trade when it was at its most profitable. With the addition of colonial India the Jewel in the Crown the money went to fuel the Industrial Revolution and allowed civic buildings to be erected across the UK, with statues raised to city benefactors.

What ended up happening in India and along the slave coasts in Africa is very analogous to what the Spanish had done in the New World to the Aztecs and Mayans, said Purkiss. We came across these huge wealthy civilizations and rather than actively conquer them and occupy the land, what we did was trade with them at incredibly advantageous terms for us.

A heap of economic theory was devised asserting that Britains success was built on meritocracy and enterprise, she said, but all along what characterised the triangle slave trade and our dealings with India was basic racism.

Shashi Tharoor, an Indian opposition Congress lawmaker and former senior United Nations official, challenges head on the argument that Britain was a benevolent colonial master, providing education, irrigation and order. Instead, he says that reparations are owed since Britains rise for 200 years was financed by its depredations in India.

In a 2015 Oxford University debate that has been viewed more than six million times on YouTube, Tharoor argues that as many as 29 million Indians died of starvation in British induced famines.

That gives the lie to all notions that the British were trying to do their colonial enterprise out of enlightened despotism, to try and bring the benefits of colonialism and civilisation to the benighted, he said. Violence and racism were the reality of the colonial experience.

For sure, Britain wasnt alone. The French, Spanish and Portuguese hardly have unblemished records when it comes to colonial times. Belgium has never fully come to terms with its brutal 19th century rule of Congo, though a statue of the then ruler, King Leopold II, was removed in Antwerp this week.

Some historians point to infrastructure such as railways and legal systems that the British left behind compared with rival European powers. Yet the only institution dedicated to exploring the effect of British colonial rule overseas, the British Empire and Commonwealth Museum, opened in Bristol in 2002 and then entered voluntary liquidation 11 years later.

Johnson has meanwhile acknowledged a historic responsibility to Hong Kong, a former British colony, and said that the U.K. will put forward a route to citizenship for up to 3 million residents if China applies national security legislation to the territory. Its an offer thats hard to square with Johnsons role as the face of the 2016 Brexit campaign that traded on an aversion to immigration.

Educated at the 15th century Eton College and at Oxford University, Johnson is a symbol of the British elite, and has been accused of using racist language in newspaper articles written during his journalistic career.

He came under fire for a Daily Telegraph column in 2002 that referred to some black Africans as piccaninnies. The same year, he wrote a piece in the Spectator magazine saying that Africa is a mess, but we cant blame colonialism. Johnson said this week Britain should work peacefully and lawfully to defeat racism and discrimination.

For Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees, current tensions underline the need to constantly reappraise history including the events of last weekend.

You cant chuck history out, he told Bloomberg Radio on Wednesday. What were doing is seeking to have a better understanding of history: why decisions were made, who was what, what they represented and how the events in our past have created the city of today.

Colston, however, is not going back on his plinth, certainly for the foreseeable future, said Rees. We need to take it out of the harbor and assess it and the best place to do that is in a museum. Bloomberg

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Brexit Britain is forced to confront its inglorious past - The Star Online

EU ‘terrified’ of successful UK ‘on its doorstep’ says Widdecombe in brutal Brexit warning – Express.co.uk

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Former Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe attacked the EU's stance in the Brexit trade talks with the UK. While speaking on Youtube channel Brexit Watch, Ms Widdecombe insisted the EU was afraid of the UK becoming a financial powerhouse, similar to that of Singapore. She argued the EU is negotiating with the intention of protecting itself for the future.

She added the British Brexit negotiators should be aware of this and refuse to bow down to these demands to ensure the UK gets the best deal for itself.

Ms Widdecombe said: "I will tell you exactly what the EU has been afraid of.

"I will tell you what the EU has been terrified of throughout Brexit even before coronavirus.

"They are terrified of a Singapore on their doorstep.

DON'T MISS:EU MUST cave: Expert hits out at Brussels 'extreme' stance on fishing

"They are afraid of a Singapore right on the doorstep of the EU."

Ms Widdecombe expressed how she felt about the EU's demands for a level playing field agreement by the UK.

She said: "Because they are afraid that is why they are insisting on a level playing field.

"Level playing field my foot, we have left and we are not on a level playing field.

"That is why it is trying to insist on that, they are trying to ensure that we are not going to be able to compete on unequal terms."

She added: "They want to protect their own position, what it is all about, protecting the EU.

"Well frankly no, I want to protect Britain."

READ MORE:

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The Brexit trade negotiations between the UK and EU have been a standstill for the past few weeks with no major leeway being made.

However Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted he intends for the talks to speed up.

He has claimed both the UK and EU must ramp up discussions to keep to the current timetable and ensure an agreement is made.

Despite this, it still remains clear when breakthroughs will come during the talks as both sides remain firm on their demands and expectations.

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EU 'terrified' of successful UK 'on its doorstep' says Widdecombe in brutal Brexit warning - Express.co.uk

Westminster’s actions mean devolved governments have had ‘no meaningful input’ in Brexit trade talks – Press and Journal

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Brexit negotiations have not been materially influenced by Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland and any consultation by Westminster has served only as window dressing, devolved leaders have claimed.

In a scathing attack, Europe minister Jenny Gilruth said there had been no meaningful input from the devolved administrations in talks, and on fisheries she claimed Whitehall had ruled out keeping the Scottish Government in the loop.

The comments come just days after the UK Government rejected calls from the Scottish and Welsh first ministers to extend the Brexit transition period.

Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford argued in a letter to Boris Johnson that a delay was needed in order to support businesses through their recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

But Michael Gove confirmed there would be no extension beyond December 31.

Ms Gilruth, appearing at an Institute for Government event, said an extension would give business time to plan.

Well do the best we can, but we are being hampered by not knowing what we need to implement because its still being negotiated, and its being negotiated at ridiculously tight timescales.

She added: I think, from a Scottish perspective, it should be said that we have paused our work on independence to focus on the coronavirus crisis; its really deeply regrettable that the UK Government has not paused their work on Brexit to focus on saving lives.

The minister said that the Scottish Government wanted to reboot the way cross-governmental discussions were held.

Were asking for a reboot in the way the UK Government involves the devolved governments in the Brexit process; were not looking for read-outs, we need to have more of a proactive and meaningful discussion, she said.

Our view is that engagement between the UK Government and the devolved governments has often only served as window dressing rather than playing any meaningful role.

Citing fisheries specifically, she said: We tried to get movement on fisheries and requested that our officials were in the room, that has been ruled out.

Its really worrying that these talks are now going to go into detail without us being in the room on that matter.

Welsh Europe minister Jeremy Miles, appearing before the same panel, said: The promise was that once we got beyond the withdrawal agreement, that we would be in the sunlit uplands of closer engagement.

If anything, engagement has become worse and certainly worse jobs under the Johnson government than under the May government.

However this negotiation turns out, for good or ill, it will have been the UK Governments negotiation, theres no sense in which it has been materially influenced by the devolved governments.

The UK Government was contacted for comment.

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Westminster's actions mean devolved governments have had 'no meaningful input' in Brexit trade talks - Press and Journal

Britain, EU need Brexit agreement in the autumn – Merkel – Reuters UK

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FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks during a news conference after coalition meetings over stimulus measures to reboot post-coronavirus economy, at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany June 3, 2020. John Macdougall/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union and Britain need to reach a deal by the autumn on their future relationship in order to get it ratified, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after a video conference with other EU leaders on Friday.

Britain left the European Union on Jan. 31 and their relationship is governed by a transition arrangement that keeps previous rules in place while new terms are negotiated. Britain does not want to extend that transition beyond 2020.

We recognised that the negotiations must be accelerated ... as in the autumn there must be an agreement as this agreement must still be ratified by both sides, Merkel told a news conference in Berlin.

Reporting by Paul Carrel; Editing by Michelle Martin

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Britain, EU need Brexit agreement in the autumn - Merkel - Reuters UK