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Friday, 18 November 2016 09:01

GOOD MORNING NEWS — 18.11.2016

Jennifer Jett, The New York Times, 18.11.2016    

 

President-elect Donald J. Trump held his first face-to-face meeting with a world leader, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, as his focus shifted to foreign policy. He also met with Henry A. Kissinger and the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. The State Department, which usually coordinates initial calls with foreign leaders, says it is finally in contact with Mr. Trump’s transition team. Mr. Trump is said to have offered the post of national security adviser to Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, above, who believes the West is at war with Islam. 

 

Mr. Trump’s 35-year-old son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has spoken to a lawyer about joining the new administration, which could violate federal anti-nepotism rules. Congressional Democrats, wounded by defeat, are considering aligning with Mr. Trump on some populist issues. But civil rights are likely to be an area of sharp division. A prominent Trump supporter set off alarm bells by citing World War II-era Japanese-American internment camps as a “precedent” for an immigrant registry. Foreign students are also reconsidering whether to apply to American universities under a Trump administration. 

 

President Obama, standing by his close ally, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, in Berlin, said Mr. Trump would not remain in office long if he did not approach his new role with gravity. He also urged Mr. Trump to “stand up to” the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin. Ethnic Russians in the Baltic States, however, see Mr. Trump’s election as a chance to calm tensions between Washington and Moscow. Mr. Putin will be among the leaders at Mr. Obama’s final stop: a meeting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Lima, Peru, where he will face the collapse of the trade deal he spearheaded. 

 

Russian and Syrian warplanes have destroyed eight hospitals in the last week as they pound rebel-held areas of Aleppo. Dozens of people are killed each day, and what little food remains is running out. “Life is upside down here,” a resident said.

 

American agricultural scientists announced a discovery that could increase the world’s food supply. Using genetic engineering to tinker with photosynthesis, they were able to increase a plant’s productivity by as much as 20 percent. One scientist said gains of 50 percent were possible.

 

BUSINESS

 

• Janet L. Yellen offered a positive assessment of U.S. economic health, strengthening expectations that the Federal Reserve Bank would raise interest rates next month.
• Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, is scheduled to speak at the European Banking Congress in Frankfurt today. Other speakers include Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble of Germany.
• Troubles grew for the pharmaceutical giant Valeant with the arrest of a former executive. Prosecutors in New York described a multimillion-dollar fraud and kickback scheme involving the mail-order pharmacy Philidor.
• Russia has blocked the social network LinkedIn, citing concerns over data protection.
• After testing in Britain and elsewhere, McDonald’s is expanding self-order systems and table service to all of its 14,000 American restaurants.
• Airbnb is broadening its business with tours and tailored travel experiencesin 12 cities.
• The Welsh city of Swansea is awaiting approval of a tidal energy project that it hopes will halt decades of economic decline.
• Worried about hacking or surveillance, or both? Here are seven steps to protect your digital life.
• The pound went up against the euro.

 

IN THE NEWS

 

• Turkey’s clampdown on free speech has pushed the country ahead of China as the world’s biggest jailer of journalists. [The New York Times]
• Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary general, is expected to discuss how the alliance ensures European and U.S. security in a speech in Brussels. This week he said he expected Mr. Trump to “live up to all commitments.”
• The Kosovo police say they prevented an attack by the Islamic State on the Israeli national soccer team. [The Associated Press]
• The U.K. Independence Party denied accusations that it had misspent E.U. funds on the British general election in 2015. [Politico]
• The Bollywood actress Mallika Sherawat and her boyfriend were attacked by three masked men in his Paris apartment building. [CNN]
• Pope Francis will elevate 17 bishops from around the world to the rank of cardinal on Saturday, shifting the leadership structure further from its European base. [Pew Research Center]

 

NOTEWORTHY

 

• Europe’s four major soccer leagues return this weekend, with showpiece encounters including Atlético Madrid versus Real Madrid and Manchester United versus Arsenal.
• The title critters in “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” the Harry Potter prequel, are suitably entrancing, but the adults are less engaging, our film critic writes.
• Very short books, with titles like “Men Explain Things to Me” and “The Selfishness of Others,” are experiencing a renaissance.
• Bratislava Castle in Slovakia will hold its first Christmas market, including a live nativity scene. The city’s regular Christmas markets open today.

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