Resolution Supporting Withdrawal From Paris Climate Agreement Introduced to the House
Representative Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) announced House Resolution 676 on Monday, which pushes for withdrawal from the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement. The Republican Congressman said the agreement, which was not approved by Congress, puts the United States at a “competitive disadvantage” due to a loss of American jobs and increased energy costs for taxpayers. Arrington is recommending that the United States exits the agreement before the official end date of Nov. 4, 2020. Arrington said, “At a time when American innovation is leading the way in environmental stewardship, the Paris Agreement is political window dressing, at best. This feel-good measure would have no meaningful impact on international air quality but, instead, would levy a huge tax on middle and working-class families costing Americans $250 billion dollars and 2.7 million jobs.” “As a…
LOME, Togo—Pirates attacked a Greek oil tanker off the coast of Togo on Nov. 4 and fled after taking four crew members as hostages, the West African nation’s navy and Greek authorities said, two days after a similar attack in the waters of neighboring Benin.
Of the missing crew members, two are Filipinos, one is Greek, and one is Georgian, the navy said in a statement. One security guard was also shot and wounded in the attack, it stated.
“Monday, 4th of November 2019, around 0300, the tanker boat Elka Aristotle … was attacked around 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the port of Lome by armed individuals,” according to the statement.
The vessel’s manager, European Product Carriers Ltd., confirmed the early morning attack, without providing further details. Greece’s shipping ministry said it was “closely monitoring the issue.”
While piracy has decreased worldwide, West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea is a high-risk area for abductions and armed robbery, according to the International Maritime Bureau.
Armed guards were present on the Greek boat and tried to fight off the attackers, but one was wounded, the Togo navy stated. An investigation has been opened.
The attack follows the abduction by pirates of nine Filipino crew members from a Norwegian-flagged boat off the coast of Benin on Nov. 2.
By John Zodzi & Noel Tadegnon
This article is from the Internet:Pirates Kidnap Four Crew From Greek Boat Off Togo: Togo Navy
China, US Signal Trade Deal Progress, Boosting Stocks to Record High
Gains in technology and energy shares pushed Wall Street’s three main indexes to record highs on Nov 4, as Washington and Beijing officials reaffirmed new progress for a bilateral trade deal. “We are very far along with phase one,” the U.S. commerce secretary Wilbur Ross said at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum on Monday, referring to the “Phase One” agreement announced President Donald Trump on Oct. 11, which is set to cover agricultural purchases, increased access to China’s financial services markets, improved protections for intellectual property rights and a currency pact. Ross said the day earlier that the trade deal with China is on track and that he expected the remaining issues during the negotiations to be resolved shortly. He also stressed that the agreement was “particularly complicated” and that the…
