US quietly defying Trump rejection, pursuing direct diplomacy with N Korea

The United States is quietly pursuing direct diplomacy with North Korea, a senior State Department official said on Tuesday, despite US President Donald Trump’s public assertion that such talks are a waste of time.

Using the so-called “New York channel,” Joseph Yun, US negotiator with North Korea, has been in contact with diplomats at Pyongyang’s United Nations mission, the official said, at a time when an exchange of bellicose insults between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has fueled fears of military conflict.

While U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on October 17 said he would continue “diplomatic efforts ... until the first bomb drops,” the official’s comments were the clearest sign the United States was directly discussing issues beyond the release of American prisoners, despite Trump having dismissed direct talks as pointless.

There is no sign, however, that the behind-the-scenes communications have improved a relationship vexed by North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, the death of US university student Otto Warmbier days after his release by Pyongyang in June and the detention of three other Americans.

Word of quiet engagement with Pyongyang comes despite Trump’s comments, North Korea’s weapons advances and suggestions by some U.S. and South Korean officials that Yun’s interactions with North Koreans had been reined in.
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New York attack: 8 killed as truck plows into pedestrians; suspect arrested

Eight persons were killed and 12 injured after a truck ploughed into pedestrians in Lower Manhattan in New York on Tuesday, the Mayor said, calling the attack an "act of terror". The suspect has been arrested.

Based on the information authorities had at the moment, the incident was "a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference, Xinhua news agency reported.

US President Donald Trump tweeted: "In NYC, looks like another attack by a very sick and deranged person. Law enforcement is following this closely. NOT IN THE U.S.A.!"

"We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!" Trump said in another tweet.

"My thoughts, condolences and prayers to the victims and families of the New York City terrorist attack. God and your country are with you!" the President wrote on Twitter.

Speaking at the conference alongside with the mayor, New York City Police Commissioner James O' Neil said the suspect was a 29-year-old man, who was not from New York. He said authorities would not release his identity immediately.

At 3.05 p.m., a man driving a rented Home Depot pickup truck entered the West Side Highway bicycle path at Houston Street, according to O' Neil. He said the man began driving southbound, striking a number of pedestrians and bicyclists along the route.

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Euro zone finance ministers to discuss banking union, common budget

Euro zone finance ministers will discuss next week completion of the banking union, ideas for setting up a common budget and ways to simplify the bloc's fiscal rules, in preparation for a December summit on reforming the currency area.

No conclusions are likely to be reached at the Eurogroup meeting on Monday, however, as there are widely differing views among the 19 countries that share the euro on most aspects of reform.

"It will be more laying out the table before cooking starts," one senior euro zone official said.

The December 15 euro zone summit will start six months of deliberations on deeper integration, with a further summit in June 2018 taking decisions on how the single currency area will look in future.

Among the possible changes are ideas for a special pool of money for euro zone countries that would be managed by a finance minister for the whole of the euro zone and who would answer to a euro zone caucus in the European Parliament.

Other proposals include turning the euro zone bailout fund into a European Monetary Fund and creating a sovereign insolvency mechanism that would put market pressure on governments to conduct prudent fiscal policies.

Some euro zone officials believe the involvement of markets is necessary because EU fiscal rules — the Stability and Growth Pact — have become so complex and prone to political interpretation that they are no longer effective.

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Producers Guild of America bans Hollywood flimmaker Harvey Weinstein

Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been banned for life by the Producers Guild of America (PGA).

The process of terminating Weinstein's membership was initiated by the PGA's board of directors two weeks ago.

The guild's constitution had given the Hollywood mogul an opportunity to respond to the charges against him, but he chose to "resign" from his membership.

"In light of Mr Weinstein's widely reported behaviour — with new reports continuing to surface even now the Producers Guild's National Board has voted unanimously to enact a lifetime ban on Mr Weinstein, permanently barring him from PGA membership," the PGA said in a statement.

Calling it an "unprecedented step", the guild said that it was "a reflection of the serious with which the Guild regards the numerous reports of Weinstein's decades of reprehensible conduct."

"Sexual harassment can no longer be tolerated in our industry or within the ranks of Producers Guild membership," the guild said.

The PGA also said that its Officers and National Board of Directors have created the Anti-Sexual Harassment Task Force which will research and propose substantive and effective solutions to combat "sexual harassment in the entertainment industry".
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Airbus Q3 operating profit down 4% to $811 mn

Europe's Airbus said on Tuesday third-quarter earnings fell by a sightly narrower-than-expected four per cent on lower aircraft deliveries and reaffirmed its forecasts as the fallout from an internal compliance review widened to the United States.

The world's second largest planemaker after Boeing posted quarterly core operating earnings of 697 million euros ($811 million), while revenues rose 2 per cent to 14.244 billion euros.

Markets had expected a weak quarter due to delays in commercial aircraft and a build-up of inventory.

Analysts on average expected third-quarter adjusted operating profit down 5.6 per cent at 690 million euros on revenues up 1.8 per cent at 14.2 billion, according to a Reuters survey.

Airbus said it was too early to predict the size of any fines resulting from ongoing corruption problems in the UK and France concerning the use of commissions in airplane sales, which have also triggered a sweeping internal investigation.

But it said it had now discovered inaccuracies in past declarations to the US State Department under part 130 of the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The legislation concerns political contributions, fees and commissions.

($1 = 0.8595 euros)
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Apple likely to ditch Qualcomm chips for 2018 iPhones over licensing fees

Taking its feud with chipset maker Qualcomm over licensing fees and patents to the next level, Apple is reportedly designing iPhones and iPads for 2018 that will not feature chips by Qualcomm.

The Cupertino-based giant is exploring to get its modem chips from Intel and possibly MediaTek, The Wall Street Journal reported late on Monday.

Qualcomm is slated to report its financial results for the third quarter of 2017 later this week. The company's shares have declined more than 15 per cent over the year, according to TechCrunch.

However, its chipsets continue to be featured in flagship devices such as the new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Google Pixel smartphones.

"Apple had claimed that the wireless chipmaker did not give fair licensing terms for its technology. It wants to pay a lower amount for using Qualcomm technology in its devices," according to the CNET tech web site.

Responding to that, Qualcomm tried an import ban on iPhones in the US and attempted to block iPhone sales and manufacturing in China.

Qualcomm and Apple have been embroiled in a legal battle over patents since January, when the latter filed a suit against Qualcomm of around $1 billion.
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North Korea tunnel near nuclear base collapses; up to 200 killed: Report

A tunnel at North Korea’s nuclear test site collapsed after Pyongyang’s sixth atomic test in September, possibly killing more than 200 people, Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi said on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation.

Reuters has not been able to verify the report.

About 100 workers at the Punggye-ri nuclear site were affected by the initial collapse, which took place around Sept. 10, the broadcaster said.

A second collapse during a rescue operation meant it was possible the death toll could have exceeded 200, it added.

Experts have said a series of tremors and landslides near the nuclear test base probably mean the country’s sixth and largest blast on Sept. 3 has destabilised the region, and the Punggye-ri nuclear site may not be used for much longer to test nuclear weapons.

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