News Headlines - 11 January 2020
▽Leaders of Japan's two main opposition parties fail to agree on merger - The Mainichi
The leaders of Japan's two main opposition parties -- the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP) -- fell short of a merger agreement on Jan. 10... The CDP and the DPFP will each hold intraparty meetings next week to report the details of the negotiations and consult with their legislators. The DPFP has also decided to postpone a party convention scheduled for Jan. 19.
▽'On right side of history': Xi Jinping praises Kiribati for switch to China | The Guardian
China’s president Xi Jinping has praised Kiribati for being “on the right side of history” after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in China on Monday.
The agreement, which signs the Pacific nation up to China’s belt and road initiative, comes after Kiribati severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established them with China in September last year.
▽France protests: PM offers pension compromise in bid to end strike - BBC News
In a letter, Mr Philippe said he was willing to withdraw a proposal which would raise the age at which workers can claim their pension from 62 to 64.
One of France's largest unions, the CFDT, welcomed the announcement saying it showed a willingness to compromise.
However, the CGT union called the proposal "a smokescreen".
▽Boeing Releases Troubling Employee Messages Predating 737 Max Disasters : NPR
The latest documents Boeing has released related to the design and certification of the 737 Max paint a dark picture of employee reactions to problems that came up during the development of the now-grounded airliners.
The documents include emails and internal communications. In one message, employees mock the Federal Aviation Administration and brag about getting regulators to approve the jets without requiring much additional pilot training.
In another document, an employee ridicules colleagues involved in the development of the troubled plane, saying, "This airplane is designed by clowns who in turn are supervised by monkeys."
On the day the U.S. military killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad, U.S. forces carried out another top-secret mission against a senior Iranian military official in Yemen, according to U.S. officials.
The strike targeting Abdul Reza Shahlai, a financier and key commander in Iran’s elite Quds Force who has been active in Yemen, did not result in his death, according to four U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
