The Wall Street Journal - 20.09.2019

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL. ** Friday, September 20, 2019 |A

WORLDWATCH

AFGHANISTAN

Taliban Bombing

Kills at Least 22

A Taliban car bomb killed and

wounded dozens of people in

southern Afghanistan, as the in-

surgents kept up military pres-

sure after the collapse of nego-

tiations with the U.S. and ahead

of national elections.

The militant group said it

was targeting a building in

Qalat, the capital of Zabul prov-

ince, that houses the local of-

fices of the intelligence agency.

Instead, the car blew up near

the gate of a hospital, flattening

the facility.

The blast left 22 people, in-

cluding two policemen, dead and

95 others injured, according to

Attahullah Haqbayan, head of

the provincial council.

In eastern Nangarhar prov-

ince, a local official said 16 farm-

ers were killed and 12 wounded

when an armed U.S. drone fired

on what the U.S. military said

was a group of at least 10 mili-

tants belonging to the local af-

filiate of Islamic State.

Ahmad Ali, head of the pro-

vincial council, said the farmers

were collecting fruit when the

attack occurred.

Army Col. Sonny Leggett, the

U.S. military spokesman in Af-

ghanistan, confirmed the drone

attack and said the allegations

of civilian casualties were under

investigation, but he expressed

doubt on the extent of the civil-

ian toll.

—Craig Nelson

JAPAN

Central Bank Hints

At Action in October

The Bank of Japan hinted it

may ease monetary policy at its

next meeting, citing the risk of

losing momentum toward its in-

flation target.

The BOJ left policy unchanged

at its regular policy meeting, a

contrast to easing actions in the

past week.

But Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda said

the BOJ would take a closer look

during its Oct. 30-31 meeting,

given the weakness in overseas

economies and “protectionist

moves” which he didn’t specify.

“If I am asked if I feel more

favorably about additional easing

compared with the previous

meeting [in July], my answer is

yes,” Mr. Kuroda said at a news

conference. “There is no sign of

recovery in overseas economies.”

—Megumi Fujikawa

OECD

Slow Growth Seen

For World Economy

The global economy is set to

grow at the slowest pace since

the financial crisis, with business

investment and trade hampered

by an escalating dispute be-

tween the U.S. and China, the

Organization for Economic Coop-

eration and Development said.

The research body said it ex-

pects world output of goods and

services to increase by 2.9% this

year, the smallest annual rise

since 2009, when the global

economy was pushed into a re-

cession by the near-collapse of

the financial system.

It expects growth to remain

low in 2020 and possibly beyond

if the trade conflict between the

U.S. and China spills over into

other aspects of their economic

relationship.

—Paul Hannon

Security forces work at the site of a Taliban bombing in the Afghan city of Zabul that killed at least 22 people and flattened a hospital.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

particularly within the Conser-

vative Party.

Mr. Cameron’s criticisms of

Mr. Johnson are especially bit-

ing. The two men attended Eton

together and Oxford before em-

barking on careers in the party.

Mr. Johnson blindsided Mr.

Cameron by backing the cam-

paign to leave the bloc during

the run-up to the Brexit refer-

endum. The day after the U.K.

voted for Brexit, Mr. Cameron,

who had campaigned to remain

in the EU, announced he would

quit as leader.

In his memoirs, Mr. Cameron

wrote Mr. Johnson campaigned

for a Vancouver private school

where he was a teacher. Mr.

Trudeau, who was 29 years

old at the time, said he now

recognizes what he did was

racist.

Mr. Trudeau said there was

another time in high school in

Montreal when he wore black-

face in a talent show and sang

“Day O,” also known as the

“Banana Boat Song.” An image

has since emerged of that

event. Mr. Trudeau didn’t

mention wearing blackface in

the early 1990s on Wednesday

night.

Andrew Scheer, the leader

of Canada’s Conservative

Party, said Mr. Trudeau’s

omission undermined his ini-

tial apology.

“He committed a racist act

and lied about the extent of

the number of times he had

done such a thing,” Mr. Scheer

said in a campaign stop in

Quebec. “After his inability to

tell the truth Wednesday, he’s

continuing to show Canadians

that he’s not fit to govern this

country.”

Reporters pressed Mr.

Trudeau about the possibility

of more images with him

wearing blackface. “I am wary

of being definitive about this

because I did not remember

the recent photos that came

out,” Mr. Trudeau said.

Mr. Trudeau held a confer-

ence call with Liberal candi-

dates from across the country

Thursday, in which he ex-

pressed deep regret for his be-

havior, Liberal lawmaker Wil-

liam Amos said.

Mr. Amos said he was dis-

appointed by the photos but

hopes Canadians accept Mr.

Trudeau’s apology. “It’s a

heartfelt apology from a

leader who has been nothing

short of a champion on issues

of multiculturalism, anti-rac-

ism, promotion of diversity

and pluralism,” he said.

Other Liberal candidates

contacted Thursday either ex-

pressed support for Mr.

Trudeau or referred questions

to Liberal Party headquarters.

Mr. Trudeau said he didn’t

tell aides he previously wore

blackface until he learned

Time was asking about one of

the photos. “I was embar-

rassed, particularly given the

person that I’ve become and

the leader I’ve tried to be,” he

said. “I didn’t want to talk

about it with anyone because

I’m not that person anymore.”

The images are particularly

problematic for Mr. Trudeau,

whose advocacy for diversity

and inclusiveness is one of the

principal tenets of his leader-

ship. He led an effort immedi-

ately after coming to power to

bring 25,000 Syrian refugees

into Canada. He has also pro-

moted women and minorities

to senior ranks and apologized

for the past treatment by au-

thorities of the gay and les-

bian community.

Shachi Kurl, executive di-

rector of polling firm Angus

Reid Institute, said the biggest

risk for Mr. Trudeau is that

blackface revelations could

thwart efforts to coalesce

WORLD NEWS

younger, left-leaning voters

behind the Liberals.

“These are the people he

not only desperately needs to

support him, but also actually

show up and vote,” Ms. Kurl

said. “It could be one more

sign for them that he’s not

who he says he is.”

In a busy east Toronto

neighborhood lined with In-

dian and Pakistani restaurants

and shops, reaction was split.

“When I first saw the photo

last night, I thought this is

outright racism,” said Kshitiz

Sharma, a Mississauga law

student who immigrated from

India four years ago.

Inder Jandoo, who has

owned a store in this South

Asian neighborhood since

1979, said Mr. Trudeau’s black-

face costume doesn’t under-

mine his values or reputation

as Liberal politician.

“Twenty years ago he was

not preparing himself to be

prime minister. This is not

that serious a problem,” Mr.

Jandoo said.

The leader of Canada’s left-

wing New Democratic Party,

Jagmeet Singh, said the pho-

tos and video are insulting and

could be troubling for young

Canadians dealing daily with

racism. Mr. Singh is a Sikh

who wears a turban. “This is

so hurtful for so many Canadi-

ans,” he said. “Mr. Trudeau

has a lot to answer for.”

Samya Hasan, executive di-

rector of the Toronto-based

Council of Agencies Serving

South Asians, said the images

were hurtful and demeaning.

However, she added, the peo-

ple her organization serves

aren’t “as short-minded to

look at one thing and let that

decide how our next four

years are going to be.”

—Jacquie McNish

and Vipal Monga

contributed to this article.

OTTAWA—Canadian Prime

Minister Justin Trudeau tried

to contain the fallout from a

growing firestorm after a se-

ries of images emerged of him

wearing blackface and brown-

face, damaging his reputation

as a progressive champion of

diversity amid a tough bid for

re-election.

Three images surfaced

since late Wednesday, the lat-

est a video Thursday that

shows Mr. Trudeau in the

early 1990s in blackface. He is

wearing a T-shirt and dark

shorts, and is seen raising his

hands and sticking his tongue

out.

The events have upended

his campaign ahead of an Oct.

21 election in which polls

show his Liberal Party in a

dead heat with the rival Con-

servatives. The Liberals had

clawed back from a fall in pop-

ularity in the first half of this

year, under the weight of alle-

gations that he and his senior

aides tried to politically inter-

fere in a criminal prosecution

of a Montreal engineering

firm. That scandal undermined

his promise to run an ethical,

transparent government.

On Thursday, Mr. Trudeau

apologized for the second time

over the blackface scandal.

“What I did hurt people who

shouldn’t have to face intoler-

ance and discrimination be-

cause of their identity,” Mr.

Trudeau told reporters at a

press conference in Winnipeg,

Manitoba. “This is something I

deeply, deeply regret.”

Mr. Trudeau’s first apology

came Wednesday night after

Time magazine published a

photofrom18yearsagoin

which he appeared wearing

dark makeup at an “Arabian

Nights”-themed costume party

BYPAULVIEIRA

ANDKIMMACKRAEL

Blackface Scandal Taints Trudeau

Justin Trudeau wore dark makeup for a costume at an ‘Arabian Nights’-themed party in 2001.

EU to advance his career, in a

book published on Thursday.

British leaders have long

been expected to go quietly and

make way for those who follow

in their wake, especially when

they come from the same politi-

cal fold. The political pressures

of Brexit have eviscerated this

British nicety.

Former Labour Prime Minis-

ter Tony Blair has been at the

forefront of the campaign to

overturn Brexit, while his suc-

cessor Gordon Brown warned

that Brexit would threaten the

unity of the U.K. The only re-

cent former prime minister to

not share opinions on Brexit is

Theresa May, who has kept si-

lent on the matter since her

ouster this summer.

The tensions over the terms

of Britain’s split from the EU

are driving deeper divisions in

the U.K.’s political landscape,

for Brexit “because it would

help his political career.” Mr.

Johnson has denied this. A

spokeswoman for Downing

Street declined to comment.

This week the debate about

how the U.K. should leave the

European Union took a detour

into Britain’s opaque constitu-

tion. For three days, news chan-

nels in the U.K. have beamed

live coverage of lawyers and

judges jousting over whether

British courts can rule on politi-

cal matters.

The case in question centers

on whether Mr. Johnson misled

Queen Elizabeth II into sus-

pending Parliament for five

weeks in the run-up to Britain’s

planned exit from the EU at the

end of October.

Joining the plaintiffs was Mr.

Major, who led the U.K. be-

tween 1990 and 1997 and has

been an opponent of Brexit.

LONDON—Brexit has dented

another distinguished British

convention: Former prime min-

isters no longer refrain from

criticizing successors from

their own parties.

On another bracing day in

the drama surrounding the

U.K.’s break from the European

Union, two former Conservative

British prime ministers threw

barbs at Prime Minister Boris

Johnson over the issue.

Former Prime Minister John

Major, through his lawyer at

the Supreme Court on Thurs-

day, accused Mr. Johnson of un-

lawfully suspending Parliament

for several weeks.

David Cameron, the Conser-

vative prime minister who

called the Brexit 2016 referen-

dum, meanwhile accused Mr.

Johnson of backing leaving the

BYMAXCOLCHESTER

Former Leaders Line Up to Criticize U.K.’s Johnson

John Major, left, accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of

unlawfully suspending Parliament. David Cameron in a book claimed

Mr. Johnson supported leaving the EU to advance his career.

PETER NICHOLLS/REUTERS FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

HONG KONG—Chinese au-
thorities have detained a FedEx
Corp. pilot in the southern city
of Guangzhou, elevating pres-
sure on the express shipping gi-
ant that is already in Beijing’s
crosshairs amid a U.S.-China
trade war.
The pilot, a former U.S. Air
Force colonel named Todd A.
Hohn, was detained a week ago
while waiting for a commercial
flight to his home in Hong
Kong after flying deliveries
throughout Asia from the
FedEx regional hub in Guang-
zhou, people familiar with the
matter said.
A lawyer for the Hohn family
in Niceville, Fla., confirmed
that Mr. Hohn had been de-
tained in China. He was a wing
commander at the Altus Air
Force Base in Oklahoma until
2017.
Reached briefly at his hotel
room Thursday, Mr. Hohn iden-
tified himself to a reporter and
then referred all questions to a
family lawyer and discontinued
the phone call. He is married
and a father, the people famil-
iar with the matter said.
When he was detained, Mr.
Hohn was carrying nonmetallic
pellets used in low-power rep-
lica air guns in a checked bag,
the people said. Chinese au-
thorities have alleged that Mr.
Hohn was illegally transporting
ammunition and have begun a
criminal investigation, the peo-
ple said.
Like many FedEx pilots
working in the region, Mr.
Hohn commutes to the Guang-
zhou hub from his home in
Hong Kong. Border police have
been checking bags of travelers
between Hong Kong and the
mainland as pro-democracy
protests rocking the city have
turned increasingly violent.
Mr. Hohn was detained Sept.
12 by Chinese security officials,
who escorted him from a pre-
boarding executive lounge, in-

terviewed him and retained his
passport, cellphone and other
communication devices, the
people said.
Mr. Hohn has been told he
isn’t allowed to leave mainland
China until the investigation
concludes, the people familiar
with the matter said.
“Chinese authorities in
Guangzhou detained and later
released one of our pilots on
bail after an item was found in
his luggage prior to a commer-
cial flight,” FedEx said in a
statement to The Wall Street
Journal. “We are working with
the appropriate authorities to
gain a better understanding of
the facts.”
Mr. Hohn was detained as he
was waiting to board a flight
with Cathay Dragon, a subsid-
iary of Cathay Pacific Airways
Ltd. The airline has come under
increased scrutiny by Chinese
authorities after some of its
employees took part in demon-
strations in Hong Kong or
voiced support online for the
opposition movement.
Chinese police at Guangzhou
airport said they haven’t de-
tained any Americans since
Sept 12. The airport Customs
Office said it had no record of
cases related to ammunition
that day. China’s airport immi-
gration office declined to com-
ment.
Mr. Hohn’s last trip had been
unexpectedly extended after he
volunteered to take over the
flight duties of another FedEx
pilot whose wife had gone into
labor and who was suddenly
called away, one of the people
familiar with the matter said.
That tacked on an additional
flight from Tokyo’s Narita air-
port. Mr. Hohn had completed
that flight and was preparing
to travel home when he was de-
tained.
He had cleared security with
the air gun pellets, which are
often made of plastic, without
any issues at both the airport
in Japan and an exit-screening
at the FedEx facility in Guang-
zhou, the people familiar with
the matter said.

BYJOHNLYONS
ANDWENXINFAN

U.S. Pilot

For FedEx

Is Detained

In China

The authorities

allege the pilot was

illegally transporting

ammunition.