The Nobel Prize needs to regain its credibility
The Nobel Prize, deemed as the most prestigious honour across the globe, has been mired in controversies time and again. Despite its significant cause of identifying the most outstanding personalities whose contribution has been significant to the betterment of the world, the global forces that work behind this committee have always been questioned by people. Many scholars have even rejected this honour. There is definitely some amount of truth in the allegation of Nobel Prize being under the control of imperialist forces. There were roaring discussions when the prize was given to Aung San Suu Kyi and Barack Obama.
The fact that Mahatma Gandhi was denied the Nobel, is a lacunae for the prize itself. Yet, there is no question about the credibility of Nobel to a large extent. This time again, the Nobel Prize is wallowing in controversy. Not for having bestowed the award on someone, but because the award will NOT be given away to any recipient this year. The Swedish origin Academy has declared that the award will not be given in 2018 for literature. And as a compensatory measure, two people will be honoured in 2019 for the same category. In the past, Nobel Prize has been stalled on seven occasions and five times the ceremony has been postponed. But this time around, the reasons are different and a lot concerning too. This issue that is internal to the Academy, has created a rift among its members. The giving away of the award has been stopped over allegations of sexual harassment allegedly done by the spouse of a lady member. Protesting this, eight members among the 18 member committee have submitted their resignation to the committee. In order to regain the credibility of the Nobel Academy, the award ceremony too has been postponed, says the committee.
There are discussions among prestigious circles about the approach to the topic and the decision that has followed. Why should Academy be held responsible for the members and their family’s personal issues? In 1914 when the world was reeling under the first world war the prize was stalled. In 1915, the prize ceremony was postponed again and it was given to French writer Romain Rolland in 1916. The same thing repeated in 1918 too. Swiss writer Carl Spitteler was selected for the award, but the ceremony was postponed in 1919. It could have been the committee’s decision to award one of their own countrymen at a time when the war ended and people were finally happy. In 1935, academy didn’t honour anyone. And the process of selection itself was postponed in 1936 owing to the fact that no persons could reach the parameters fixed by Alfred Nobel, as per the committee. Eugene O`Neill was honoured with the award in 1936. The prize ceremony was postponed again during the second world war in 1940 and 1943. Danish writer Johannes Jensen was accorded with the award in 1945, after the award was postponed for a year in 1944.
Chili poet Gabriela Mistral was awarded with Nobel Prize in 1945. The committee postponed the award for literature since it was unable to find a befitting recipient in 1949. However, William Faulkner was awarded with this honour in 1950, for the year 1949. From then on, the award wasn’t given a miss even a single year. This is the only year in the recent history that the award has been postponed again. There could have been many other reasons for this. And had the academy wished to postpone the award, a reason like the genocide in Syria (other than someone’s inappropriateness) could have sent a strong message to those strong nations that dictate the world. The committee opposing mass murders of the Rohingyas could have saved the world some compassion and an opportunity to introspect. The world is moving towards waging a third world war, with every passing day. Fascist forces are taking over nations and media is losing its freedom. Had the academy responded to this, and stalled the award it could have helped the world. But then, a reason as given by the academy, has only reduced the whole thing to a matter of internal bickering of the members. This has shrunk the dignity of the academy and the selection committee.
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China slaps a 34 pc tax on all US imports in retaliation for Trump's tariffs
Bangkok (AP): China announced Friday that it will impose a 34 per cent tax on all US imports next week, part of a flurry of retaliatory measures to US President Donald Trump's new tariffs that delivered the strongest response yet from Beijing to the American leader's trade war.
The tariffs taking effect Thursday match the rate that Trump this week ordered imposed on Chinese products flowing into the United States. In February and March, Trump slapped two rounds of 10 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, citing allegations of Beijing's role in the fentanyl crisis.
The US stock market plunged Friday following China's retaliatory moves. They include more export controls on rare earth minerals, which are critical for various technologies, and a lawsuit at the World Trade Organization over what Trump has dubbed reciprocal tariffs.
China also suspended imports of sorghum, poultry and bonemeal from six US companies, added 27 firms to lists of companies facing trade restrictions, and launched an anti-monopoly investigation into DuPont China Group Co., a subsidiary of the multinational chemical giant.
Trump posted Friday on Truth Social: “CHINA PLAYED IT WRONG, THEY PANICKED - THE ONE THING THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO DO.”
Yet he also indicated he could still negotiate with China on the sale of TikTok even after Beijing pressed pause on a deal following the new tariffs. On Friday, he extended the deadline for the social media app to divest from its Chinese parent company, per a federal law, for another 75 days.
“We hope to continue working in Good Faith with China, who I understand are not very happy about our Reciprocal Tariffs,” Trump posted on his social media site. “We look forward to working with TikTok and China to close the Deal.”
China's response to tariffs grows tougher
Beijing's response is “notably less restrained” than during the recent two rounds of 10 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods, and that “likely reflects the Chinese leadership's diminished hopes for a trade deal with the US, at least in the short term,” wrote Gabriel Wildau, managing director of the consultancy Teneo.
He said Beijing's tough response could trigger further escalation, with no sign that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump might meet soon or get on the phone to ease the tensions.
If China's previous responses were scalpels, this time it drew a sword, said Craig Singleton, senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank.
“China's new tariffs stop short of full-blown trade war, but they mark a clear escalation — matching Trump blow-for-blow and signaling that Xi Jinping won't sit back under pressure,” Singleton said.
But the escalation also is squeezing out space for diplomacy, he warned.
“The longer this drags, the harder it becomes for either side to deescalate without losing face,” Singleton said.
What China's retaliatory measures look like
In Beijing, the Commerce Ministry said it would impose more export controls on rare earths — materials used in high-tech products such as computer chips and electric vehicle batteries. Included in the list was samarium and its compounds, which are used in aerospace manufacturing and the defense sector. Another element called gadolinium is used in MRI scans.
China's customs administration said it had suspended imports from two US poultry businesses after officials detected furazolidone, a drug banned in China, in shipments from those companies. It said it found high levels of mold in the sorghum and found salmonella in the bonemeal feeds from four other US companies.
The Chinese government said it also added 16 US companies to the export control list, subjecting them to an export ban of dual-use products. Among them are High Point Aerotechnologies, a defense tech company, and Universal Logistics Holding, a publicly traded transportation and logistics company.
An additional 11 US companies were added to the unreliable entity list, including the American drone makers Skydio and BRINC Drones, banning them from import and export activities as well as making new investments in China.
In announcing its WTO lawsuit, the Commerce Ministry said Trump's new tariffs move “seriously violates WTO rules, seriously damages the legitimate rights and interests of WTO members, and seriously undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system and international economic and trade order.”
The ministry called the tariffs “a typical unilateral bullying practice that endangers the stability of the global economic and trade order.”
Beijing's previous tariff moves
In February, in response to Trump's first 10 per cent tariff, China announced a 15 per cent tariff on imports of coal and liquefied natural gas products from the US It separately added a 10 per cent tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars.
A month later, Beijing responded to Trump's second round with additional tariffs of up to 15 per cent on imports of key US farm products, including chicken, pork, soy and beef. Experts then said Beijing exercised restraint, leaving room for negotiations with Washington.
By now, dozens of US companies are subject to controls on trade and investment, while many more Chinese companies face similar limits on dealings with US firms.
While friction on the trade front has been heating up, the two sides have maintained military dialogue.
US and Chinese military officials met this week for the first time Trump took office in January to share concerns about military safety on the seas. The talks held Wednesday and Thursday in Shanghai were aimed at minimizing the risk of trouble, both sides said.
