Brexit, US-China Trade, Reiwa, NATO, Toyota, Deserted Island

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Brexit, US-China Trade, Reiwa, NATO, Toyota, Deserted Island

Caracal Global Daily
April 3, 2019
Curation and commentary from 
Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Caracal Global Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics


TOP FIVE

✔️ May courts opposition in bid to break Brexit impasse

✔️ US shopping center vacancies rise to eight-year high

✔️ Democrats need a candidate who speaks to Springsteen voters

✔️ P&G faces backlash over diaper, sanitary waste

✔️ Rolling Stone's 50 greatest grunge albums

ROSS RANT

Why thought leadership

Thought leadership is the spreading of an idea.

STOCK is the process for the spreading of an idea.

Strategy.

Tactics.

Organization.

Consistency.

Know-how. 

Thought leadership has the power to create new opportunities for commerce and culture.

What idea are you holding back?
 

GLOBALIZATION

May courts opposition in bid to break Brexit impasse: WSJ reports, Theresa May made an about-face by saying she would pursue a different Brexit deal with the opposition Labour Party, an approach that could keep the country more closely bound to the bloc than previously envisioned. 

May inflames Tory civil war with shift to softer Brexit: FT reports, PM seeks second EU delay to reach deal with Corbyn in blow to cabinet hardliners.

William Hague: When I took over, the Conservatives were in ruins. For the next leader, things could be even worse: For me, having become Tory leader after the election disaster of 1997, it has been impossible to read the newspapers of recent days without the haunting memories of those times coming back. So preoccupied had Conservatives become, in the mid-90s, with differences of opinion over Europe and calculations about who would be the next leader, that many of us failed to notice that the world outside our ranks was changing.

I worked on William Hague's 2001 campaign - an amazing experience coupled with an amazing defeat.

Robert Shrimsley: A government of national unity is another Brexit fantasy: There is no sign that either May or Corbyn is ready to make the compromises required.

Tom Frideman: The United Kingdom has gone mad: The problem with holding out for a perfect Brexit plan is that you can’t fix stupid.

627 million: Brexit has cost the United Kingdom an estimated $627 million in lost economic output per week since the 2016 referendum, according to Goldman Sachs.

Malaysia hits out at US and China behavior in trade war: FT reports, trade minister urges countries to ‘stop thinking of themselves’ as tension hits other countries.

US + China: Moody's says a global recession will be "highly likely" if there's no US-China trade deal within the next few months. Professor of government Minxin Pei warns of the worst recession in recent Chinese history. And Malaysia's trade minister, Darell Leiking, has urged the US and China to "stop thinking only of themselves" as their spat affects everyone.

Martin Wolf: The Chinese economy is stabilizing: FT reports, but significant doubts linger about President Xi Jinping’s commitment to private enterprise.

US and China draw closer to final trade agreement: FT reports, two sides haggle over implementation and enforcement issues as talks are set to resume.

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He will resume negotiations with his US counterparts in Washington today.

Simmering South China Sea heats up: AP reports, the US Navy amphibious assault ship Wasp arrived in Subic Bay, the Philippines, Saturday with its complement of Marines and F-35 Lightning II fighter jets in preparation for joint exercises with the Philippines. 

Woman arrested after entering Mar-a-Lago, allegedly with malware: WSJ reports, a woman carrying two Chinese passports was arrested and charged with unlawfully entering President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort with a thumb drive containing malware and lying to federal agents about her plans. 

Court documents say the woman told Secret Service agents that a Chinese friend instructed her to travel from Shanghai to President Trump's Florida resort and make contact with a member of his family.

The Secret Service said in a statement that "Mar-a-Lago Club’s management determines which members and guests are granted access to the property" -- not the Secret Service.

South Korea first to roll out 5G services, beating US and China: Reuters reports, South Korea will become the first country to commercially launch fifth-generation (5G) services on Friday as it rolls out the latest wireless technology with Samsung Electronics’ new 5G-enabled smartphone Galaxy S10.

Nikkei: China and US tied atop global 5G leaderboard

Study finds two powers hold edge despite South Korea's early rollout.

Current, former Pentagon leaders sound alarm on Chinese technology in 5G networks: WP reports, defense officials are concerned that future combat operations could be compromised through advanced wireless systems.

Japan Times: Reiwa is all about 'beautiful harmony' and has nothing to do with 'command'

74% happy with Reiwa as name for Japan's next era, with Abe Cabinet approval rate rising to 52.8%.

Microsoft to provide automatic updates to handle Japan era name change to Reiwa.


Xi Jinping + Japan: Xi is expected to visit Japan in July when the nation hosts the Group of 20 summit.
 
The 2019 G20 Osaka summit will be the fourteenth meeting of Group of Twenty. It will be held on 28–29 June 2019 in Osaka. It will be the first-ever G20 summit to be hosted in Japan.

94: A new report from the UN estimates that 94 percent of Venezuelans live in poverty today. Once South America's wealthiest country, Venezuela is experiencing one of the worst economic collapses ever recorded.

In Trump times, agreeing to disagree becomes norm at G7 meetings: Reuters reports, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations meet on Friday in France to prepare for the leaders' summit in August, but the absence of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo underscores how tough agreeing common ground between allies has become.

AFP: Amid transatlantic discord, what's the point of the G7?

The United States is due to assume the G7 presidency in 2020.

The 45th G7 summit will be held on August 25–27, 2019, in Biarritz, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. 


Germany, France to launch multilateralism alliance: DW reports, Germany's Heiko Maas and Jean-Yves Le Drian have unveiled plans for an "Alliance for Multilateralism." Canada, Japan and Australia have already shown interest in joining the German-Franco initiative.

NATO at 70: New initiatives to boost security in eastern Europe and the Black Sea are welcome but the alliance faces bigger challenges.

Today: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will address Congress today at 11:00 am ET.

OTD: In 1922 Joseph Stalin was appointed general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

DISRUPTION

US shopping center vacancies rise to eight-year high: FT reports, increase comes on signs of faltering consumer spending and pressure from ecommerce.

58.4 percent market share for EVs in Norway: In March, fully electric cars made up nearly 60 percent of the new-car market in Norway, a world record. A recent increase in the electric sales coincided with deliveries of Tesla’s Model 3 and Audi’s e-tron. The country aims to end sales of all fossil-fuel vehicles by 2025.

David Perell: What did Gutenberg’s printing press actually change?

Book prices fell. The raw price of books fell by 2.4 percent a year for over a hundred years after Gutenberg.

In places where there was an increase in competition among printers, prices fell swiftly and dramatically. Competition works. When an additional printing firm entered a given city market, book prices there fell by 25%.


POLITICS

LAT: For a guy who’s not running, Joe Biden is having a tough campaign

Morning Consult Political Intelligence report:

Pete Buttigieg's net favorability has jumped up by 11 points since Morning Consult began tracking in early February - the biggest increase of any candidate.

Joe Biden continues to lead the pack of potential candidates with 33 percent, followed by Bernie Sanders at 25 percent, and Kamala Harris and Beto O'Rourke tied at 8 percent.


Eric Altman: The Democrats need a candidate who speaks to Springsteen voters: Who is the one that can win back Trump voters and Clinton-sitter-outers who feel forgotten by the Democrats? They’re the guys who worked the assembly line for decades but now get minimum wage at Walmart; the women feeding their families cold cuts for dinner and trying to make ends meet by selling vitamins from home; the manufacturing employees filled with xenophobic rage because the companies that used to employ them have moved their operations abroad.

Farm politics: Democrats see a chance to cut into Trump’s support across the rural Midwest as the White House’s trade policies exacerbate the strain on farmers stretched by low commodity prices and natural disasters, including major floods.

Trump’s takeover of the Republican party is almost complete: NYT reports, in every state important to the 2020 race, Trump and his lieutenants are in firm control of the Republican electoral machinery, and they are taking steps to extend and tighten their grip. It is, in every institutional sense, Trump’s party.

@axios: John Kasich has formed a center-right, Ohio-based group, Two Paths America, to promote solutions that he considers more positive than Trump and more modern than Ronald Reagan.

Trump leaves Washington reeling as he struggles with domestic agenda: WP reports, Republicans are trying to cope with the whiplash as the president rolls out new policies on health care and immigration.

Pot convictions: Prosecutors in LA and San Joaquin counties have announced plans to automatically clear about 54,000 marijuana-related convictions. Now that pot is legal in California, there’s a growing movement to offer a clean slate to those encumbered by their past. 

Uber spent $2m lobbying for NY congestion charge: FT reports, car-booking giant was biggest backer of campaign to levy tolls on vehicles entering Manhattan.

COMMERCE

Slack plans to go public via direct listing on the NYSE in June or July.

WWE tumbled before closing up following a scathing John Oliver segment. Oliver’s popular HBO show, 'Last Week Tonight' dropped an absolutely punishing elbow from the top rope, criticizing Vince McMahon’s treatment of his talent. 

Television is mythology and mythology is strong.

WeWork's parent The We Company has announced Mexican architect Michel Rojkind of Rojkind Arquitectos as its new senior vice president of architecture. The We Company, which is a larger extension of WeWork, released news today that Michel Rojkind will head up the company's architecture initiatives. Rojkind will join Danish architect and BIG founder Bjarke Ingels, who was hired as WeWork's chief architect in May 2018.

WSJ: P&G faces backlash over diaper, sanitary waste

Nikkei: Foxconn shrinks Android arm and plots shift to automotive electronics


FIH Mobile's woes highlight troubles for second-tier smartphone makers.

Toyota to allow free access to 24,000 hybrid and electric vehicle tech patents to boost market: Japan Times, it remains uncertain whether the use of Toyota patents will be as widespread as the carmaker hopes, observers said.

GM, Ford, and Toyota join to advance self-driving testing, standards: Reuters reports, General Motors Co, Ford Motor Co, and Toyota Motor Corp said in a statement they were joining forces with automotive engineering group SAE International to establish autonomous vehicle “safety guiding principles to help inform standards development.

CULTURE

Productivity isn’t about time management. It’s about attention management. “Time management” is not a solution — it’s actually part of the problem. A better option is attention management: Prioritize the people and projects that matter, and it won’t matter how long anything takes. Attention management is the art of focusing on getting things done for the right reasons, in the right places and at the right moments. https://nyti.ms/2Um0x3F

Shared by a loyal reader from Washington, DC. Merci beaucoup.

WP: Rep. Jeff Flake spends a week alone on deserted island https://buff.ly/2TVIihi

From 2009.

#BrigadoonRemote


Rolling Stone's 50 greatest grunge albums: From Mudhoney to Mother Love Bone and beyond — the finest releases from the maladjusted new breed that remade rock. http://bit.ly/2JZ4K9y

@TEDTalks: “There’s very good evidence that shows when you confront people with a ton of facts that contradict their worldview, it actually causes them to hold their existing beliefs

Japan, Taiwan, Venezuela, Kamala Harris, McDonald’s, Telemedicine

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Japan, Taiwan, Venezuela, Kamala Harris, McDonald’s, Telemedicine

Caracal Global Daily
April 2, 2019
Curation and commentary from 
Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Caracal Global Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics


TOP FIVE

✔️ WTO warns of ‘strong headwinds’ in global trade

✔️ Politically, no one knows how Brexit will end

✔️ Japan's big banks to slash hiring of new graduates due to automation

✔️ Kamala Harris raised $12 million in Q1

✔️ Julian Dunkerton is back at Superdry

ROSS RANT

Brigadoon Remote.

Details coming soon.

-Marc
 

GLOBALIZATION

FT: WTO warns of ‘strong headwinds’ in global trade

Economists forecast growth of just 2.6% this year as US-China spat and volatility bite.

Saudis vs. Bezos: Fortune reports, Jeff Bezos's security chief, Gavin de Becker, has reported back on the leak to the National Enquirer of the Amazon chief's sexts with his mistress. De Becker reckons the Saudi authorities hacked Bezos's phone as revenge for the Bezos-owned Washington Post giving heavy coverage to the Saudis' murder of Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote for the paper. He said it remains unclear whether Enquirer publisher AMI knew about the Saudis' involvement; the paid source was the mistress's brother.

"Japan's Tankan business sentiment survey showed weaker manufacturing sentiment. Sentiment is generally influenced by the media news cycle. Sensationalism in media is poorly filtered. Media reporting of the trade tensions has an impact. However, capital spending plans were better than expected. Capital spending was a major driver of weaker growth globally late last year." -- Paul Donovan of UBS.

Infectious form of African swine fever virus detected for first time in Japan, in meat from China: Japan Times, the agriculture ministry said the discovery of the virus has prompted a decision to strengthen measures against illegal imports of livestock products.

Ken Rapoza: Taiwan just became a huge variable in the China trade war

Defense contractors will love this order. Those who would like to see the trade war end, won’t love it as much.

Taiwan could creep into trade talks, becoming a greater variable than the South China Sea issue ever was.

Remember kids, it isn't a US-China trade war, it is a US-China geopolitical war.


Venezuela crisis: Opposition's Guaidó awaits army support: BBC reports, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has acknowledged that there can only be a change of government with the support of the armed forces. 

‘Time for tougher deterrence from China’ as US steps up patrols in South China Sea: SCMP reports, China should reinforce “deterrence facilities” in the South China Sea as the United States and its allies mount a bigger challenge in the contested waters, a prominent Chinese specialist said. 

'Killer dust' pollutes South Korea's relations with China: Nikkei reports, Beijing rebuffs Moon's attempt to share blame for deteriorating air.

Nikkei: South Korea's 5G head start puts Samsung in pole position

OTD: In 1982 Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands.

Barnier warns no-deal Brexit is increasingly likely: FT reports, EU chief negotiator says ‘strong justification’ is needed from UK for a long extension.

EU's Barnier: May deal is the only path to orderly Brexit: DW reports, EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has told UK lawmakers that — if they want an orderly Brexit — Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement is the only show in town.

FT: Theresa May weighs fourth vote on Brexit deal

Politically, no one knows how Brexit will end.

Rob Mudge: Brexit — 'Theresa through the looking glass': The UK government's handling of the Brexit process is growing increasingly shambolic by the day. Any semblance of control has gone out of the window.

NATO at 70: Europe fears tensions will outlast Trump: FT reports, as the military alliance celebrates its anniversary, America’s commitment is being questioned.

NATO is preparing to bolster its power on its front lines against Russia by boosting support to non-members Ukraine and Georgia and building up its arsenal in eastern Poland.​

DISRUPTION

Telemedicine + urgent care use on the rise: STAT reports, a new white paper released today from the nonprofit FAIR Health looked at medical pricing and other health care trends from 2012 to 2017 and found that people in the US used more telehealth services and urgent care centers in 2017 than during the previous year. Here’s a closer look at the report’s findings:

Telehealth: Use of telemedicine services grew nationally by 53 percent between 2016 and 2017, with 55 percent growth in urban areas and 29 percent growth in rural areas. Oklahoma had the most telehealth usage, New Jersey the least.

Urgent care centers: The use of urgent care centers in urban areas increased by 15 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, while staying the same in rural areas. The average price per 30-minute visit was most expensive for urgent care centers, at $213, compared to $207 in a doctor’s office and $129 in a retail clinic.

Goals and rewards redraw the brain’s map of the world: Two new studies show that the brain’s navigation system changes how it represents physical space to reflect personal experience. http://bit.ly/2JW6EYq

New York City embraced congestion pricing. Will other cities follow? New York’s decision to charge drivers to enter Manhattan’s most congested neighborhoods may embolden cities like Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

A robot walks into a bar, doesn’t get the joke: struggling to teach humor to AI https://lat.ms/2JYRilK 

Japan's big banks to slash hiring of new graduates in 2020 due to automation: Japan Times, major lender MUFG Bank plans to hire only 530 new graduates next April, down about 45 percent from this year, according to informed sources. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. also plan to slash their hiring of new graduates.

POLITICS

Full Mueller: House Judiciary Committee said it will vote on Wednesday on whether to authorize subpoenas to obtain Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s full report.

The Guardian: Joe Biden's very bad week: has his White House run failed before it begins?

WSJ - Editorial: Joe Biden’s identity reckoning: He may have been VP, but he’s old, white, male and heterosexual.

Michelle Goldberg: The wrong time for Joe Biden: He’s not a sexual predator, but he is out of touch.

David Brooks: Why you love Mayor Pete: Buttigieg detaches progressive policy from the culture war.

In Buttigieg's last race for mayor, he only needed to secure 8,500 votes total to win the office. And it appears his biggest decision was whether or not open a main street to two-way traffic.

Kamala Harris of California raised $12 million in the first three months of 2019.

A Trump mutiny? Republican prospects warily eye 2020 presidential run: LAT reports, Bill Weld is exploring the possibility of challenging President Trump and John Kasich and Larry Hogan aren't ruling it out. But the odds facing them are steep.

One of the GOP’s brightest female stars is dogged by Trump in 2020: Politico reports, Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst will have to outrun the president, whose trade war has damaged his standing in the state.

Plastic bag ban: New York will become the second state after California to ban (most) single-use plastic bags starting in March 2020. NYC residents use 71,000 tons of nonbiodegradable plastic bags annually, and according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the bags “have blighted our environment and clogged our waterways.” Small business and retail trade groups criticized the policy.

Royal Dutch Shell said it had found “material misalignment” over climate policy with the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and would quit the body in 2020.

COMMERCE

Seat to lead Volkswagen’s drive into cheap electric cars: FT reports, Spanish brand aims to produce electric vehicles costing less than €20,000.

FT - Editorial: Consolidation is key for the automotive industry: Declines in sales and the rise of electric vehicles make tie-ups a must.

Kellogg is reportedly nearing a deal to sell its Keebler, Famous Amos and fruit snacks businesses to Nutella-owner Ferrero for between $1B-$1.5B.

Airbnb buys stake in Indian hotel start-up Oyo: FT reports, Oyo, the fast-growing Indian hotel franchise, has raised over $100m from US room-booking site Airbnb, giving fresh firepower for its international expansion drive. Founded in 2013 by then 19-year-old university dropout Ritesh Agarwal, Oyo has become the world’s most rapidly expanding hotel chain, adding more than 700 properties each month.

Bitcoin burst to its highest level in almost five months on Tuesday, sending smaller cryptocurrencies up, with analysts ascribing the move to a major order by an anonymous buyer that triggered a frenzy of computer-driven trading.

P&G drafts video game team to boost brand with esports fans: Cincinnati Business Courier reports, Procter & Gamble Co. assembled a team of 11 Twitch streamers from around the world to represent the Gillette brand and create content for viewers of increasingly popular electronic sports, also known as esports.

Superdry has lost a bitter battle against Julian Dunkerton after shareholders narrowly voted in favor of the reappointment of the co-founder and former chief executive.

Whatsapp targets fake messages ahead of India mega-election: AFP reports, WhatsApp launched a hotline Tuesday allowing Indians to flag rumors circulating ahead of the upcoming election, a major concern in a country where fake news has fuelled violence.

McDonald’s of the future: McDonald’s just made the Big Mac of acquisitions with its purchase of Dynamic Yield, a Tel Aviv-based startup that provides retailers with “decision logic” technology. It’s the biggest buy the brand has made since 1999 and digs into the customization boom heating up the restaurant business. But with fast food restaurants fighting over the spotlight, will the tech tactic be enough to cook up sustainable consumer attention for McDonald’s? http://bit.ly/2JVPaLK

Burger King deal fuels plant-based meat group: FT reports, Silicon Valley start-up Impossible looks to raise fresh funds after launching veggie Whopper.

Startups power Shenzhen's rise as high-tech hub: Nikkei reports, the city produces more than half of China's international patent filings.

Hal Brands: Google needs a lesson in patriotism: Alphabet shuns business with the Pentagon but is helping China develop artificial intelligence. 

Remember kids, it isn't a US-China trade war, it is a US-China tech war.

CULTURE

Algorithmic jackpot: The most-shared story on Facebook so far this year is a 119-word news brief posted to the US 105 FM New County radio station’s page. The post — “Suspected Human Trafficker, Child Predator May Be in Our Area.” — for whatever reason checked every box of the Facebook algorithm, which then accelerated the local crime brief to 800,000 shares on the platform, which is twice as high as any other English-language content of 2019.

'They're amazingly isolated': is social media making NBA players miserable? NBA commissioner says many of the stars he meets are unhappy. The criticism they face on Twitter and Instagram could be to blame.

These are the best places to own a vacation home in the US https://bloom.bg/2UtGWhO

"Summit Park -- the term for the micropolitan area -- ranked highest on Bloomberg’s Wealthiest US Vacation Havens Index. The area is home to the Park City, Silver Summit and Deer Valley resorts." 

SPORT

Final 4 odds: The Virginia Cavaliers, Michigan State Spartans, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Auburn Tigers are the sole survivors of the 2019 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. According to FiveThirtyEight predictions, their chances of winning the championship in a week’s time are 41 percent (UVA), 28 percent (MSU), 22 percent (TX Tech) and 10 percent (Auburn), respectively. 

Turkey, Tory Party, Google Assistant, Joe Biden, FC Cincinnati

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Turkey, Tory Party, Google Assistant, Joe Biden, FC Cincinnati

Caracal Global Daily
April 1, 2019
Curation and commentary from 
Marc A. Ross

Reporting from Alexandria, Virginia 

Caracal Global Daily  = News + Analysis at the Intersection of Globalization + Disruption + Politics


TOP FIVE

✔️ Erdogan set to lose control of Turkey’s two biggest cities

✔️ Will Germany become the world's largest market for medicinal cannabis?

✔️ Biden defends behavior with women

✔️ Anti-fur sentiment grows

✔️ FC Cincinnati pull in crowds

ROSS RANT

Thought leadership: Introverts wanted

Here's the big idea = Going forward, thought leadership and idea amplification is the process to shape globalization, disruption, and politics.

From my experience, most people over-index on tactics and vanity metrics and fail on strategy and organization.

From my experience, not engaging, not sharing, not playing doesn't make the difference.

If you want to start a business, win a campaign, or change a culture you can't do it from the sidelines.

Like the lottery, you got to be in it to win it.

Just this week, rising Democrat star and potential national candidate Stacey Abrams on The View told the audience, "I am an introvert. I don't like public stuff."

Imagine that.

An introvert.

A leader who has served as Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives was her party's nominee in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial election, and in February 2019, she became the first African-American woman to deliver a response to the State of the Union address.

Imagine that.

An introvert.

Abrams went on to tell the audience she is self-aware, recognizes the fear, and take steps to "hack opportunity."

She closed powerfully by saying, "In politics, they will never elect you if they never hear from you. You can't secretly run for president, or governor, or school board."

A good reminder from even one of the most talented politicians amongst us - You got to be in it to win it.
 

GLOBALIZATION

Turkey elections loosen Erdogan’s grip on power: WSJ reports, the party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to have lost the mayoral race in its historical bastion, Istanbul, a stinging setback for a leader who has towered over Turkish politics for the past 16 years.

Erdogan set to lose control of Turkey’s two biggest cities: FT reports, local election results signal major setback as voters punish president in Ankara and Istanbul.

Soft Brexit will shatter Tory party, May warned: The Times reports, Theresa May’s cabinet is the “most ill-disciplined in British political history”, the Conservative chief whip has admitted. The stark declaration by Julian Smith came as the prime minister was warned she faced a split in her party if she pursues a “soft” Brexit this week.

Britain will be on track to Brexit on May 22 if the House of Commons votes tonight for a permanent customs union, a European negotiator has said. 

Jean-Claude Juncker warns EU's patience 'running out' over Brexit: DW reports, the United Kingdom has yet to agree on a path forward regarding its departure from the European Union. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is starting to get fed up with Britain's approach to Brexit.

China purchases could undercut Trump’s larger trade goal: NYT reports, a trade deal could result in China promising to buy hundreds of billions of dollars of American products. But that could potentially make U.S. industries even more beholden to the Chinese.

Trump presses allies to confront China over Uighurs: FT reports, diplomatic mission coincides with resumption of trade talks in Washington.

China's Xi says West has long-term economic, military superiority: Reuters reports, leading party theoretical journal Qiushi, which means “Seeking Truth”, published lengthy excerpts for the first time from a speech Xi gave in early 2013 shortly after becoming party boss, warning of the dangers the party faces. Citing Marx and Engels, Xi said socialism would inevitably vanquish capitalism, but that it would be a long historical process. China practices what it calls socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Chinese officials issue stark warning about South China Sea confrontation: SMH reports, China has warned it may take “more countermeasures” against United States patrols in the South China Sea, as tensions worsen in a potential military flashpoint between the two major powers. Two senior Chinese officials intervened in an academic discussion at the Boao Forum for Asia on Friday to air China’s grievances against the United States' freedom of navigation patrols near islands claimed by China in the contested waterways.

Bloomberg: Trump’s sale of F-16 jets to Taiwan is making China nervous

The US may finally sell Taiwan the warplanes it has sought for more than a decade to defend against China. Their arrival would deal more of a political shock than a military blow to Beijing.

AFP: New Zealand PM touts 'important' China ties amid Huawei spat

Japan snubs China at dawn of new imperial era
: The Times reports, Japan revealed the name of the country’s new imperial era today, with a choice that reflects the nationalist pride of its prime minister, Shinzo Abe, and its tense relations with China. Yoshihide Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, announced the name Reiwa, meaning “Auspicious Harmony”, on national television. The new name will succeed that of the current era, Heisei, or “Abounding Peace”, when Emperor Akihito abdicates in favor of his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, at the end of this month.

Reiwa: Japan reveals name of new era ahead of Emperor's abdication: Japan Times reports, the new era will be the 248th in the history of Japan, which has used the Chinese-style system for indicating the year since 645. In modern times, each era has run the length of an emperor’s reign. This is said to be the first time that the characters chosen were drawn from Japanese classical literature, with prior era names, or gengō, having used kanji from Chinese literature. The poem from which they are taken describes an ume Japanese apricot flower in full bloom in early spring after surviving a cold winter. The new era will start on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends to the Chrysanthemum Throne following the abdication of his father, Emperor Akihito, a day earlier.

@REIWA: 70 percent of traffic to http://reiwa.com  today were from people in Japan, mistaking the real estate portal for their country’s new imperial era. #reiwa

Support for Volodymyr Zelensky surges in Ukraine poll: FT reports, TV comedian with no political experience poised to face Petro Poroshenko in run-off.

The Times: Comic Volodymyr Zelensky rides a wave of voter anger to top Ukrainian presidential poll

The first and second-placed candidates will contest a run-off vote on April 21.

Trump, Putin and a possible ‘red-line moment’ in Venezuela: NYT reports, during his presidential campaign, Donald Trump often complained about how President Obama drew red lines that he never enforced. Trump is now facing his own red-line moment, our correspondent writes in an analysis.

@AP: BREAKING: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announces 30-day plan to ration electricity as nationwide power cuts continue.

DISRUPTION

When it comes to disclosing sponsors, your Google Assistant may be mute: Reuters reports, as voice-enabled speakers become mainstream, tech companies grapple with how to deliver greater convenience while still generating the ad revenue that traditionally has funded free searches.

Will Germany become the world's largest market for medicinal cannabis? DW reports, the use of medicinal cannabis has been allowed in Germany for two years now. But because domestic cultivation hasn't gotten off the ground yet, the plant has been imported, mainly from Canada. That might change soon.

Lego helping revive memories: BBC reports, you might think it is child's play - but plastic bricks are being credited with reviving memories in elderly care home residents in Manchester. Lego therapy is helping people to rediscover communication skills and encourage them to socialize.

POLITICS

Biden defends behavior with women, says he never believed he acted inappropriately: LAT reports, after accusations of an unwelcome kiss and touching, former Vice President Joe Biden says it was “never my intention” to cause discomfort or offense.

Joe Biden’s affectionate, physical style with women comes under scrutiny: WP reports, the appropriateness of the former vice president’s physical behavior is being questioned after a Democratic politician wrote a viral Internet post describing an alleged 2014 encounter that left her offended and uncomfortable.

Pete Buttigieg, the South Bend Indiana mayor whose stock and poll numbers have risen in the last weeks following a breakout performance in a CNN town hall, will report more than $7 million raised in the first quarter for his presidential bid.

COMMERCE

Zuckerberg’s call for more tech rules fails to impress: FT reports, Facebook chief calls for updated internet regulations as political pressure mounts.

Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo samples fail Indian quality test; company rejects findings: Reuters reports, Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo samples failed quality tests conducted by the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, according to a public notice from the state's drugs watchdog, findings that were rejected by the US drugmaker.

PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler explore European venture: Bloomberg reports, the French carmaker and its Italian-American peer have been holding preliminary discussions to collaborate on a “super platform” -- the basic underpinning of a car model -- to reduce their investment costs in the highly competitive region, said the people who asked not to be named as the matter is private. Preliminary talks could be announced by the end of the first half, one of the people said.

CULTURE

As anti-fur sentiment grows, California’s oldest trappers are calling it quits: LAT reports, "Trapping is a dead hose in California and there isn't a dad gum thing we can do about it," the president of the California chapter of the National Trapper's Association said recently.

SPORT

FC Cincinnati pulls in crowds as MLS continues its knack for expansion: The Guardian reports, the Orange and Blue are the latest expansion team to become a success with fans. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. While Atlanta’s rise was somewhat unexpected, Cincinnati has long been hailed as a cradle of soccer in North America. Some put that down to the city’s German heritage. Others simply point to a well-run USL outfit which harnessed the local soccer community, attracting huge crowds to Nippert Stadium, years before MLS entry. Whatever the reason, MLS in Cincinnati feels right.