| Post-Brexit tech brain drain worries half of businesses: survey Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:24 PM PDT  Just over half of Britain's businesses believe the country is at risk of a brain drain after Brexit, with many worried in particular about a shortage of tech skills, according to research by cloud-based software company Salesforce.com. Paul Smith, executive vice president of Salesforce UK, said Brexit was adding to business uncertainty at the same time as companies were grappling with unprecedented levels of technological change.
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| Post-Brexit tech brain drain worries half of businesses -survey Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:01 PM PDT ![Post-Brexit tech brain drain worries half of businesses -survey]( "Post-Brexit tech brain drain worries half of businesses -survey") Just over half of Britain's businesses believe the country is at risk of a brain drain after Brexit, with many worried in particular about a shortage of tech skills, according to research by cloud-based software company Salesforce.com. Paul Smith, executive vice president of Salesforce UK, said Brexit was adding to business uncertainty at the same time as companies were grappling with unprecedented levels of technological change.
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| Trump administration says it has terminated support for controversial anti-Iran campaign that 'smeared US citizens' Posted: 10 Jul 2019 02:22 PM PDT  The Trump administration says it has ended support for a controversial anti-Iran campaign that "smeared US citizens".Earlier this year, it was revealed the US state department was using taxpayer money to help fund the Iranian Disinformation Project, an online campaign that claimed it worked to counter "the nefarious influence of one of the world's few remaining totalitarian regimes". The campaign was set up by a group called E-Collaborative for Civic Education, an NGO that works on various Iranian issues.The state department suspended funding through its global engagement centre (GEC) after it emerged some of the campaign's articles and tweets had targeted and smeared human rights workers, activists and journalists, many of whom were US citizens.Lea Gabrielle, head of the GEC, said at a congressional hearing this week that funding for the project had been halted.According to the Associated Press, Ms Gabrielle told the House of Representative's appropriations subcommittee, its review determined the tweets violated the terms of the state department's agreement."The intent was to unveil Iranian disinformation project," she said, adding that the tweets "were not in the context that was intended. They were outside the scope of the agreement that we had". She added: "We have since terminated our agreement with that implementer. It was never the intent of the global engagement centre to have anyone tweeting at US citizens." Among those it attacked was Washington DC-based journalist Negar Mortazavi, a consultant editor to The Independent. It was Ms Mortazavi's revelations about the group that led to the state department review.Last month, she wrote: "As an Iranian-American journalist living and working in exile, I am used to all forms of online attacks by Iranian government-sponsored trolls. I just never expected to also be attacked by the US government."On Wednesday, after news of the state department's decision was revealed, Ms Mortazavi said she felt pleased the government had acted to quickly. "I think it is great news for the rule of law," she said.This spring, Brett Bruen, who was director of the GEC under Barack Obama, told the Guardian, it had originally been established to counter Russian and Isis disinformation and propaganda.Last summer, Reuters reported the Trump administration was launching its own disinformation campaign to try and undermine Tehran's leadership. It is not clear if that campaign and the Iranian Disinformation Project, were connected.There was no immediate response to enquiries from the state department, or the E-Collaborative for Civic Education group, which has been associated with the US government for a number of years as part of its main education project, Tavaana, which it says is the Farsi word for "empowered" or and "capable".Tara Sepehrifar, an Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch, who was smeared by the campaign, also welcomed the state department's decision, but added: "Since everything is happening behind closed doors we have very little knowledge into how thorough the state department has investigated this issue."
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| UN agency: higher education bodies back 'climate emergency' Posted: 10 Jul 2019 02:06 PM PDT ![UN agency: higher education bodies back 'climate emergency']( "UN agency: higher education bodies back 'climate emergency'") Networks and organizations representing more than 7,000 institutions of higher and further education around the world have signed a letter declaring "a climate emergency" and committing to tackle it, the U.N. environment agency said Wednesday. UN Environment representative Sam Barrett announced the initiative at a U.N. meeting promoting higher education. Organizers said they hope 10,000 institutions will sign the letter by the end of 2019.
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| While Trump praises Qatar, education officials seek scrutiny Posted: 10 Jul 2019 01:55 PM PDT  When President Donald Trump welcomed the emir of Qatar to Washington with a lavish Treasury Department dinner, the guest list included the president of Georgetown University, one of six U.S. schools that operate branch campuses in the tiny Persian Gulf nation. The department alleges the schools failed to tell federal officials about certain gifts and contracts from foreign sources, as federal law requires, according to letters obtained by The Associated Press.
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| At UN body, 22 nations urge China to end Xinjiang detentions Posted: 10 Jul 2019 01:14 PM PDT ![At UN body, 22 nations urge China to end Xinjiang detentions]( "At UN body, 22 nations urge China to end Xinjiang detentions") Human Rights Watch says 22 Western countries have issued a statement urging China to end mass arbitrary detentions and other violations against Uighurs and other Muslims in the Xinjiang region. The advocacy group hailed the "important" statement at the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council, which amounts to a symbolic step toward greater expression of concern about China's policies in Xinjiang. The signatories issued the statement as a "letter" at the council, and stopped short of seeking a council resolution — a testament to the challenges of building support against increasingly influential China.
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| Think the B-2 or F-35 Is Deadly? This Plane Could Kill Billions of People Posted: 10 Jul 2019 12:52 PM PDT  Two Navy Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadrons currently operate the E-6: VQ-3 "Ironmen" and VQ-4 "Shadows," both under the Navy Strategic Communications Wing 1. In a military that operates Raptor stealth fighters, A-10 tank busters, B-52 bombers and Harrier jump jets, the U.S. Navy's placid-looking E-6 Mercury, based on the 707 airliner, seems particularly inoffensive. But don't be deceived by appearances. Though the Mercury doesn't carry any weapons of its own, it may be in a sense the deadliest aircraft operated by the Pentagon, as its job is to command the launch of land-based and sea-based nuclear ballistic missiles.This first appeared in December 2017.Recommended: This Video Shows What Happens if Washington, D.C. Is Attacked with Nuclear WeaponsRecommended: 8 Million People Could Die in a War with North KoreaRecommended: Why North Korea Is Destined to Test More ICBMs and Nuclear Weapons
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| French envoy in Iran talks as Trump threatens to up sanctions Posted: 10 Jul 2019 12:29 PM PDT  French President Emmanuel Macron's top diplomatic advisor met with Iran's president Wednesday winding up a day of talks in Tehran aimed at saving a landmark 2015 nuclear deal and easing tensions between Tehran and Washington. The 2015 accord between Iran and world powers, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), promised sanctions relief, economic benefits and an end to international isolation in return for stringent curbs on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme.
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| Darroch's resignation may have chilling effect on diplomacy, experts warn Posted: 10 Jul 2019 11:29 AM PDT  UK ambassador to the US's departure may prompt 'very big change' in how international diplomacy is conducted Sir Kim Darroch in Washington on 20 October 2017. Photograph: Sait Serkan Gurbuz/APThe resignation of Sir Kim Darroch as the UK's ambassador to the US after controversy over leaked memos in which he criticized Donald Trump could have a chilling effect on international diplomacy, experts have warned.Veteran diplomats defended Darroch's confidential memos – in which he referred to the Trump administration as "incompetent" and "inept" – as the nature of an ambassador's job."He reported as he saw fit, he advised as he saw fit, and he did it on a classified cable," said Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations and former US diplomat. "This is what ambassadors are meant to do."He doesn't do the prime minister or the foreign minister any favors if he doesn't give his honest take or his honest advice," Haass added. "It's not his fault the cable leaked."Sir Christopher Meyer, a former British ambassador, tweeted: "An utter outrage that Kim Darroch has been brought down by a disgraceful leak and the vindictive reaction of the US President. Sir Kim is blameless in this sorry affair."Darroch submitted his resignation on Wednesday, three days after his private assessments of the Trump administration were leaked to the Mail on Sunday. In addition to characterizing the current administration as "dysfunctional", Darroch said the US president "radiates insecurity".The comments swiftly ignited a diplomatic row between the US and the UK, and Trump vowed to no longer deal with Darroch, lambasting the UK's top diplomat as "a very stupid guy". Trump also attacked the outgoing British prime minister, Theresa May, who stood by Darroch.Darroch's decision to leave his post was nonetheless cemented by the Conservative leadership debate on Tuesday, in which frontrunner Boris Johnson repeatedly declined to say if he would retain the ambassador through his scheduled departure of January."The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like," Darroch wrote in a resignation letter on Wednesday.After lashing out at Darroch in a series of tweets over the past two days, Trump had yet to weigh in on Darroch's departure. Marc Short, the chief of staff to the vice-president, Mike Pence, said the move was "probably the right course"."I think the reality was that in light of the last few days his ability to be effective was probably limited," Short told reporters on Wednesday.A state department spokeswoman said: "The United States and the United Kingdom share a bond that is bigger than any individual, and we look forward to continuing that partnership."Darroch's fate was met with dismay by those who knew him in Washington, where he had cultivated the reputation of a deft diplomat whose parties at the British embassy were coveted social affairs, often attended by members of the Trump administration."Up until this, I think diplomats were able to communicate to their governments with honest and valuable information," said Sally Quinn, a former journalist and socialite who regularly attended Darroch's parties. "Clearly, we can't do that anymore."I think it's going to be a very big change in the way diplomacy is conducted."Darroch had close ties with the Trump administration. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the president's daughter and son-in-law, both senior advisers in the West Wing, frequented his parties, as did former White House press secretaries Sarah Sanders and Sean Spicer.Quinn said Trump's frustration was probably rooted in knowing that the source of Darroch's information was his own staff."He entertained constantly at the embassy and he entertained Trump people, because they like him," Quinn said. "It's embarrassing for Trump, because he's got to know it's coming from the inside."Darroch was far from alone within the diplomatic community in his assessment of Trump, she added."There is not a single word Kim wrote that isn't absolutely accurate and isn't the prevailing view in Washington," Quinn said. "It could have been anyone."Every single diplomat is looking at him and saying, 'There but for the grace of God go I.'"Even some of Trump's Republican allies spoke out in Darroch's favor."Kim Darroch did an outstanding job as Ambassador and sorry to see he has resigned his post," the South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham tweeted, seeking to distance Trump from Darroch's resignation by adding he had "got a raw deal" from the media.The Utah senator Mitt Romney said he was "disappointed" to see Darroch go. "He is a fine man," Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, told reporters, adding: "The lack of security on diplomatic communication within a government is a real problem."Darroch was appointed to the post of UK's envoy to the US in 2015 after serving as David Cameron's national security adviser. That experience made him a key player in coordinating with Washington on complex issues that spanned Russia to Brexit.Kate Greer, who worked alongside Darroch from 2015 through 2018, said he played a critical role behind the scenes in the international response to Russia's 2018 nerve agent attack on British soil and also worked closely with the US government to provide support for those impacted by the hurricane that hit Florida, the Gulf and the British Virgin Islands in 2017."It's been a tricky and challenging political environment on both sides of the ocean," she said. "The leaks were clearly politically motivated and leaked from someone in London as part of this leadership contest and part of this political debate."Haass said Darroch's decision to resign was ultimately in the service of the UK's incoming leadership."He allowed the next prime minister not to have to choose between protecting his ambassador and protecting the relationship with the United States," Haass said, while adding he did not believe Darroch's legacy would be greatly tarnished by the circumstances around his departure."This was his last post anyhow. As he rides into the sunset, a lot more people know who Kim Darroch is now than they would have a week ago."
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| As standoff deepens, US tries coalition-building on Iran Posted: 10 Jul 2019 11:28 AM PDT  In seeking a coalition at sea to monitor Iran, the United States is hoping to present a united front at a time when its hawkish policy has aggravated tensions and key allies are at loggerheads. General Joseph Dunford, the top US military officer, said the United States would take the commanding role and provide surveillance as other countries escort vessels under their own flags. The budding coalition comes as tensions soar with Iran, which shot down a US spy drone and has been blamed by Washington for a series of sabotage attacks on oil tankers.
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| Venezuela officials bury navy captain, family protests Posted: 10 Jul 2019 11:26 AM PDT ![Venezuela officials bury navy captain, family protests]( "Venezuela officials bury navy captain, family protests") A Venezuelan navy captain who died of suspected torture while in government custody was buried by authorities on Wednesday against the family's wishes to perform a private ceremony, an attorney and relatives said. Authorities interred Capt. Rafael Acosta at a Caracas cemetery 12 days after his death while in custody of military intelligence authorities, attorney Alonso Medina Roa said. The death came at a time the government of President Nicolás Maduro has fallen under mounting international pressure following United Nations' report chronicling human rights abuses.
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| Iran, Russia pour scorn on US moves at UN nuclear watchdog Posted: 10 Jul 2019 11:13 AM PDT  Iran and Russia on Wednesday poured scorn on America's call for Tehran to adhere to limits in a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, at a special meeting of the UN's nuclear watchdog. The meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was requested by the US after it was confirmed last week that Iran had exceeded the stockpile of enriched uranium permitted under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US Ambassador to International Organizations in Vienna Jackie Wolcott told the meeting that Iran was engaged in "nuclear extortion".
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| Presidential candidate testifies in Kirchner Iran cover-up case Posted: 10 Jul 2019 11:04 AM PDT  Argentine presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez testified Wednesday in a case against his running mate and former president Cristina Kirchner, who is accused of covering for Iran over a bomb attack on a Jewish center. Fernandez's testimony was sought due to a 2015 newspaper interview in which he criticized Kirchner for allowing Iranian suspects to be questioned back home over the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. The deal was never ratified by Tehran, but prosecutors investigating Kirchner for corruption say it was effectively a cover-up to absolve Iran in return for lucrative trade deals with her government.
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| New EU chief nominee says Brexit could be delayed - again Posted: 10 Jul 2019 10:07 AM PDT  Ursula von der Leyen, the nominee to be the next EU Commission president, said Wednesday that Brexit could be delayed for a third time, but warned London it must take responsiblity for "sorting out" its tortured departure from the bloc. Von der Leyen said the divorce deal agreed with Prime Minister Theresa May but rejected by British lawmakers was a good one, signalling that under her leadership the European Commission will be no more willing to renegotiate than before. Brexit has been delayed twice already because of British lawmakers' refusal to ratify the accord, but the two men vying to replace May both insist they will stick to the current departure date of October 31 come what may.
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| Saudi Royals Would Face U.S. Visa Restriction in New Senate Bill Posted: 10 Jul 2019 09:52 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Senate Republicans seeking a way to punish Saudi Arabia over its human rights record without provoking a veto by President Donald Trump are trying a new strategy: denying visas for members of the kingdom's royal family.Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch, an Idaho Republican, unveiled legislation on Wednesday that would bar members of the royal family who work in the Saudi government from entering the U.S. If signed into law, hundreds of people could face the restrictions."This legislation is an effort to move the U.S./Saudi relationship in a different direction and I am hopeful to have the support of my colleagues in doing so," Risch said in a statement. "We are all in agreement that we need to see a change in Saudi conduct going forward, and this bill would have a real impact in doing that."The bill, S. 2066, has two Democratic co-sponsors: Senators Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Chris Coons of Delaware. The committee plans to vote on it this month, along with a bill from the panel's ranking Democrat, Bob Menendez, to bar some arms sales to Saudi Arabia and impose sanctions over the killing of the columnist Jamal Khashoggi. That measure is co-sponsored by Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and Trump ally who has urged the administration to take a tougher stance with the Saudis.The travel restrictions in Risch's bill would remain in place until the kingdom shows progress on human rights. Demonstrable progress, as evaluated by a team of U.S. government agencies led by the State Department, could include the release of dozens of jailed dissidents, according to a person familiar with the legislation.The measure is designed to put pressure on Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, although he would not personally be denied a visa since heads of state and the Saudi ambassador would be exempt.Risch has been trying for months to craft legislation that could be signed into law by Trump. The bill has the tacit support of the White House, as members of the senator's staff have had discussions with administration officials, the person said.The Saudi Embassy in Washington didn't respond to a request for comment about the measure.Risch usually backs the Trump administration on foreign policy, and he didn't join the handful of Republicans who voted with Democrats last month to disapprove of the administration's move to force the sale of $2 billion worth of arms to Saudi Arabia against Menendez's opposition.Read More: Senate Votes to Block Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia, Rebuking TrumpThat resolution was adopted in the Senate but fell short of the margin needed to override a presidential veto. The Democrat-led House is expected to vote on the measure this month.The Trump administration has cited threats from Iran as justification for rebuffing congressional concerns and invoking emergency powers to sell arms to the Saudis. Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs R. Clarke Cooper told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a hearing Wednesday that supplying arms to Saudi Arabia is "not only a deterrent to Iran and a reassurance to our partners but it's also a rebuff to our competitors."Both houses of Congress voted to withdraw U.S. support for the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen over concerns about civilian casualties. Trump vetoed that legislation.'Junior Partner'Senators at the hearing with Cooper expressed skepticism about the long-term benefits of continuing a relationship with Saudi Arabia without some sort of re-calibration."It looks to us these days as if the United States is the junior partner in this relationship," said Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who questioned the Trump administration's continued defense of the Saudi royal family."The idea that we transferred the Saudis nuclear technology literally days after the dismemberment of a journalist under U.S. protection came to light causes us all to wonder whether this is all one big scam," Murphy said.Other senators, particularly Republican Ted Cruz of Texas, took Cooper to task for the decision to use an emergency declaration to push through arms sales to the kingdom."Don't make the mistake that it is only Democrats that are concerned about this," Cruz said. "Follow the damn law and respect it."(Updates with bill introduced, details from Senate hearing, starting in second paragraph)To contact the reporters on this story: Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.net;Glen Carey in Washington at gcarey8@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Justin BlumFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| US urges world powers to reject Iran's 'nuclear extortion' Posted: 10 Jul 2019 09:42 AM PDT  The United States admonished world powers seeking to preserve a deal with Iran on its atomic program on Wednesday not to give in to "nuclear extortion" from Tehran, which has breached the pact's limitations in recent days in an attempt to get them to provide economic incentives to offset American sanctions. The U.S. requested the special board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency after Iran announced last week that it had exceeded the amount of low-enriched uranium it is allowed to stockpile under limitations set in the 2015 nuclear deal.
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| US-made missiles found at base used by Libyan rebels to attack Tripoli are ours, France admits Posted: 10 Jul 2019 09:31 AM PDT  France on Wednesday admitted that it is the owner of American-made anti-tank missiles found at a rebel military base in Libya, raising awkward questions about European involvement in the civil war. France's Army Ministry said the four Javelin missiles discovered at a base used by General Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army were intended for "self-protection of a French military unit deployed to carry out intelligence and counter-terrorism operations." "Damaged and unusable, the armaments were being temporarily stocked at a depot ahead of their destruction," it said in a statement on Wednesday. It said the weapons, found in the mountains south of Tripoli by forces loyal to the UN-backed government, were never intended for sale or transfer to any party to Libya's conflict. The missiles were discovered on a rebel base in Gharyan when UN-recognised government forces recaptured the city Credit: Anadolu Agency The statement did not explain how many French soldiers are in the country or why they were operating in close proximity to Gheryan, the LNA's main headquarters for its controversial assault on Tripoli. The discovery of javelin missiles at Gheryan was first reported by the New York Times. Chinese-made shells with United Arab Emirates markings were also discovered. At least 1,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced since Gen Haftar launched his assault on Tripoli in a bid to overthrow the UN-backed government of national accord in April. France, like all permanent members of the UN Security Council, officially recognises the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). But Fayez Al-Sarraj, the prime minister of the GNA, has publicly protested French support for Gen Haftar since the battle began. Some observers have also accused Paris of providing the general with diplomatic cover by watering down European Union statements about his attack on Tripoli. Jalel Harouchi, a Libya analyst at the Clingedael Institute, said the discovery made it "impossible for Paris to credibly deny its deep preference" for Gen Haftar's faction in the civil war. "For several years now, it has sought to prop up Marshal Haftar, help him defeat his opponents and take power in Libya," he said. "In any event, other foreign states, such as the UAE, violate the Libya arms embargo much more egregiously than France does." Gen Haftar, who heads a rival administration in the east of the country, has sought to portray himself as a potential secular strongman able to deal robustly with the threat of Islamist extremism in Libya. He is believed to enjoy backing from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, and has also visited both Paris and Moscow to seek support. He has courted the United States, which provided him with asylum after he fell out with Muammar Gadaffi in the 1980s. Last week the United States blocked a British-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution that would have condemned an LNA airstrike on a migrant holding centre that killed at least 40 people. The FGM 148 Javelin is a US-manufactured shoulder-launched missile designed to destroy modern tanks by striking them from above, where their armour is thinnest. They cost about £135,000 a piece.
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| U-turn if you want to: V&A to display Baroness Thatcher's 'iconic' handbag Posted: 10 Jul 2019 09:22 AM PDT  Only a few years ago, the V&A; "politely declined" the opportunity to acquire the wardrobe of Baroness Thatcher, saying the items did not meet its strict fashion criteria. But when curators began planning an exhibition of handbags, they quickly realised there was one major gap in its collection. The V&A; is in negotiations to borrow one of Baroness Thatcher's bags, to put on display in a celebration of "the ultimate accessory". Lucia Savi, curator of the Bags! Exhibition, said the former Prime Minister's handbags were "so iconic". She explained: "The Margaret Thatcher bag… would really highlight the symbolic meaning of bags. "They were, for her, functional objects, but the focus becomes symbolic." The V&A; was criticised in 2015 when it emerged that the museum had turned down the opportunity to take some of her best-known outfits. One of Baroness Thatcher's Launer handbags, auctioned at Christie's Credit: Geoff Pugh At the time, a spokesman said: "The V&A; politely declined the offer of Baroness Thatcher's clothes, feeling that these records of Britain's political history were best suited to another collection… The museum is responsible for chronicling fashionable dress and its collecting policy tends to focus on acquiring examples of outstanding aesthetic or technical quality." Instead, the items from her estate were sold at Christie's, with the black Raflo handbag that she carried on her last visit to Downing Street fetching £47,500. The museum later acquired six outfits and a hat, but no handbags. The Bags! Exhibition opens in April next year and will include more than 300 objects used by both men and women from the 16th century to today, from purses and Birkin bags to despatch boxes and Louis Vuitton luggage. Other shows planned for next year will be devoted to Alice in Wonderland, Renaissance watercolours, and the art and design of Iran. Details were unveiled at the publication of the V&A;'s annual report, which showed that the museum's shop set a new sales record of £7.3 million last year as visitors snapped up merchandise from its Frida Kahlo exhibition.
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| UN envoy speaks of 'solid progress' after meetings in Syria Posted: 10 Jul 2019 09:12 AM PDT  The U.N.'s special envoy for Syria said "solid progress" was made following discussions with officials in the Syrian capital Wednesday, adding that talks are "very close to an agreement" on establishing a constitutional committee. Geir Pedersen spoke to reporters following two meetings with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem in Damascus. Formation of the committee, which is expected to be tasked with drafting a new constitution for Syria, is seen as key to any political process to end the country's long-running civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
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| Merkel Under Pressure Over Her Health After Another Trembling Episode Posted: 10 Jul 2019 09:09 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- For the third time in less than a month, Chancellor Angela Merkel had to downplay concerns that health issues could affect her leadership ability at a time that Germany's economy is slowing and her coalition is wobbling.Merkel, who turns 65 next week, was seen trembling and biting her lip as she stood alongside Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne during a ceremony in Berlin on Wednesday. At a press conference with Rinne shortly after, a calm and composed Merkel said she was doing fine and still mentally working through what happened during the first episode of shaking on June 18."I've already said that I need to work through this event and that I'm in this process – and I think that it will go away one day just as it arrived, but it's not there yet," she said referring to the first trembling incident that occurred last month during a ceremony on a hot afternoon. "Beyond that, I'm firmly convinced that I'm very well capable."Yet there was renewed skepticism over Merkel's psychosomatic explanation and calls grew stronger for more transparency in regard to her health. "Should the chancellor tell us how she really is doing?," read a headline on the homepage of Bild, the country's largest newspaper. Speculation in the German press for possible causes of her ailment ranged from low sugar levels and early stages of diabetes to neurological problems stemming from high stress and exhaustion."That won't work for much longer," Oskar Niedermayer, a political scientist at the Free University in Berlin, said in reference to the official line on her health situation. "The terse statement 'I'm fine' gradually doesn't work anymore."Questions over her well-being arise as Germany's economy is losing steam and relations within the governing coalition are strained. Last year, Merkel gave up her role as leader of the Christian Democrats and plans to leave politics after her term as chancellor ends with the next national election, slated for 2021. The two leading coalition partners, including the Social Democrats, did poorly in European elections in May, putting further pressure on the coalition.Still, following the first two bouts of shaking, Merkel shuttled to Japan and back for the Group of 20 summit and attended overnight marathon negotiations in Brussels over European Union top jobs. "I am feeling very well, and there is no reason for concern," she said on Wednesday.Merkel has had several similar episodes previously. The latest round began on June 18, Merkel shook noticeably during a ceremony with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Then, she said it was the result of not drinking enough water. In subsequent days, she appeared to be fine, joking about the incident. The second episode over a week later, which occurred indoors, she tried to explain as a psychological effect related to the earlier incident.Merkel is in her 14th year as chancellor.(Adds political analyst in fifth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Iain Rogers.To contact the reporters on this story: Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.net;Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Raymond Colitt, Chris ReiterFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Europe Is Stuck between the United States and Russia Posted: 10 Jul 2019 09:03 AM PDT  For those monitoring Russia policy, the Democratic Party debates proved something of a welcome relief. After all the ink and airtime devoted to Russia in American media over the last three years, questions related to Russia hardly came up at all. It has indeed been profoundly disturbing for this sometimes "Russia-hand" to watch the total conflation (and yes, denigration) of American foreign policy with domestic politics in regards to this crucial bilateral relationship.Still, it seems U.S.-Russia relations are hardly out of the woods. Many foreign-policy aficionados did not take kindly to President Donald Trump appearing to share a joke over alleged election meddling with President Vladimir Putin at the G20 in Osaka. All joking aside, the reality is that this most fundamental relationship continues to list badly and is in real danger of sinking in the abyss. Despite having a U.S. president that is allegedly pro-Russian, the United States. and Russia have now witnessed the dangerous escalation of military conflicts in both Ukraine and Syria, the deployment of more U.S. forces into Eastern Europe, along with ever larger NATO exercises along Russia's flanks, not to mention the near complete collapse of essential arms control initiatives along with a dangerous political crisis over the future of Venezuela.
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| Police evict Palestinian family from disputed Jerusalem home Posted: 10 Jul 2019 08:58 AM PDT  Israeli police have removed a Palestinian family from a long contested home in an east Jerusalem neighborhood. Officers evicted the Siyyam family from the premises on Wednesday after an Israeli court ruled in favor of Elad, an Israeli group working to strengthen the Jewish presence in east Jerusalem. June's ruling by the Jerusalem District Court was the latest episode in a 30-year legal saga surrounding the ownership of the property in Silwan, a Palestinian neighborhood where Elad operates the City of David, an archaeological site and tourist attraction.
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| The Limits of the Alliance Between China and Russia Posted: 10 Jul 2019 08:58 AM PDT  China's President Xi Jinping recently visited Russia to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), a Russian economic forum that hosts various important global economic players, to discuss "the key economic issues facing Russia, emerging markets and the world as a whole." He was also there to celebrate the seventieth anniversary of the two countries' bilateral ties by holding talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin.Although it was Xi's first trip to Russia in 2019, the visit to Russia came at a time of tensions between China and the United States on multiple fronts. These include tensions over trade, technology, and freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. And, due to its tensions with Russia on some regional and strategic stability issues, the current U.S. administration has called both China and Russia "revisionist powers" that seek to challenge the preponderance of the United States. This comes at a time when China and Russia are closer to each other "than any time in the history of their relationship." Although it is not the determinant factor, the current U.S. posture towards both China and Russia could contribute to their rapidly growing partnership.
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| Johnson Calls Major’s Legal Threat ‘Very Odd’: Brexit Update Posted: 10 Jul 2019 08:51 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Former Prime Minister John Major threatened to seek a judicial review if the next premier suspends Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit -- something Boris Johnson, the front-runner to succeed Theresa May, has refused to rule out. He described Major's threat as "very odd."Key Developments:Johnson's rival for the top job, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, rejected the idea of suspending ParliamentTheresa May's de-facto deputy David Lidington warned a no-deal Brexit would trigger an "immediate shock" the economyLabour said it won't fix its Brexit policy until a general election is calledThe European Union's next leader, Ursula von der Leyen, said she hopes the U.K. changes its mind and stays in the blocPound risesLidington: New PM Might Get EU Concessions (4:30 p.m.)European leaders have made clear they'll give Britain's new prime minister a hearing over Brexit, and may be prepared to make concessions, according to David Lidington, Prime Minister Theresa May's de-facto deputy. They would first want to know a revised deal could pass the House of Commons, he said.Lidington told Parliament's Brexit Select Committee "it is conceivable that the EU would be prepared to discuss some kind of further protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement,'' and that the bloc is "open to discussing potential changes to the political declaration" -- the non-binding second part of the Brexit package negotiated by May.Lidington also said there's no guarantee the EU would give Britain a further Brexit extension because a single government could refuse. "That brings the whole process to a crashing halt," he said.No-Deal Brexit Would Cause Shock: May's Deputy (3:20 p.m.)Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington -- Prime Minister Theresa May's de-facto deputy -- said a no-deal Brexit would cause an economic shock, with consequences particularly felt in Northern Ireland."In the event of a no-deal there would be an immediate shock to the economy, as the chancellor has set down,'' Lidington told the House of Commons Brexit Committee. "A lot then depends both on what mitigating measures are put in place, but also on the direction of future policy."Lidington said he visited Northern Ireland on Friday and "the businesses that I met there used the word catastrophic to describe no deal." While consequences "would be particularly felt" there, the same problems would also arise at other ports, he said.It would be a "constitutional outrage" for May's successor to suspend Parliament in order to drive through a no-deal Brexit, he told the committee.Johnson Says Major's Legal threat 'Very Odd' (2:20 p.m.)Boris Johnson said former Prime Minister John Major's threat (see 9 a.m.) to take legal action if he were to suspend Parliament to push through a no-deal Brexit was "very odd.""I think everybody is fed up with delay and I think the idea of now consecrating this decision to the judiciary is really very, very odd indeed," Johnson, the favorite to succeed Theresa May as premier, told reporters. "What we want is for Parliament to take their responsibilities, get it done as they promised that they would."Johnson has refused to rule out suspending Parliament in order to secure Brexit on Oct. 31. His rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, has ruled out taking such action. Major said earlier he would seek a judicial review if Parliament was prorogued or suspended over Brexit.Labour to Fix Brexit Policy Once Election Called (1:50 p.m.)A spokesman for the main opposition Labour Party said it will come to a decision on a Brexit policy for its manifesto only once an election is called, telling reporters there is a "democratic process" by which to reach a decision."We have made clear our approach to Brexit depends on the circumstances, depends on what's on the table," the spokesman said, adding that the party wants an early general election. The next is not due until 2022.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn bowed to pressure on Tuesday, saying the party will campaign to remain in the EU against a no-deal or Conservative Brexit and challenged the next prime minister to put it to another vote. But he didn't say what Labour would do if it won a snap election before Brexit had happened.EU's Next Chief Hopes U.K. Doesn't Leave (12:50 p.m.)Ursula von der Leyen, nominee for next European Commission president, told European Union lawmakers she hopes the U.K. changes its mind and stays in the bloc, but that if it does leave, it should be on the best possible terms."We want you to remain," she said, addressing a British member of the European Parliament in Brussels. But whatever happens, "it is in our interests to have you sort things out," she said -- a clear indication that she will try to prevent a no-deal Brexit.Von der Leyen was chosen to lead the EU's executive by national leaders but she still needs the support of parliament. She will start in post the day after Britain leaves the bloc -- if it sticks to its latest deadline of Oct. 31.Johnson 'Not Attracted' to Suspending Parliament (12:40 p.m.)In a letter to the One Nation caucus of centrist Conservatives published on Wednesday, leadership front-runner Boris Johnson repeated his line that he is "not attracted to arcane procedures such as the prorogation of Parliament," and would rather find consensus on Brexit across the House of Commons.Johnson also wrote that he believes a no-deal Brexit is "extremely unlikely to happen." The One Nation group had asked Johnson to clarify his policy positions following a meeting with its members several weeks ago.The publication of the letter comes after former Prime Minister John Major criticized Johnson's failure to rule out prorogation (see 9 a.m.). Parliament also made clear on Tuesday it would fight against a no-deal Brexit if the government pursued it.Johnson Supporters Hit Back at Major (11:25 a.m.)Supporters of Boris Johnson have ridiculed former Prime Minister John Major's threat (see 9 a.m.) to seek a judicial review if the next premier tries to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit."It's a stunt," Conservative MP Chris Philp told BBC Radio. "I don't think it's a serious proposition." Philp said suspending Parliament "is not the plan A or even plan B or plan C. The main plan is to get a deal agreed with the European Union, and that's what Boris, and I think the vast majority of Conservatives, and I suspect the vast majority of the public want."Prominent Brexiteer Steve Baker said in a text message that Major's political career was "intertwined in our country's journey to this debacle," citing issues including the failure to seek a public mandate to sign the Maastricht Treaty, which formally created the European Union and deepened political integration among member states."My generation owe Sir John a debt of gratitude on other issues, but on Europe, his premiership has proven a disaster," Baker said.Major Threatens Legal Action Over Parlt Suspension (9 a.m.)Former Prime Minister John Major said he would be ready to take the government to court if the new premier tried to suspend Parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit. He called on the front-runner for the position, Boris Johnson, to rule out doing so."There would be a queue of people who would seek judicial review," Major said on BBC Radio. "I have huge admiration for our parliamentary traditions and I'm not going to stand by and see them disregarded in this fashion. It is utterly, utterly and completely the wrong way to proceed."Major is backing Jeremy Hunt to be the new prime minister, who has said he won't suspend Parliament to get the U.K. out of the European Union by Oct. 31. But Major warned both candidates that sticking to that deadline could be "disastrous" if companies and the country wasn't ready."National leaders look first at the interests of the country, not first at the interests of themselves and appealing to a particular part of a small electorate for a particular post, however politically important that post may be," he said.Earlier:U.K. Parliament Flexes Muscle as Johnson Doubles Down on No-DealU.K. Seeks Brexit Concessions Saying Dublin Has Most to LoseBrexit Bulletin: Parliament Strikes AgainTo contact the reporters on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Joe Mayes in London at jmayes9@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The Latest: Iran says US sanctions are 'warfare' Posted: 10 Jul 2019 08:46 AM PDT  Iran has recently breached the deal's limits on uranium enrichment, in an attempt to pressure European partners to find a way around sanctions imposed by the U.S. after it withdrew unilaterally from the pact last year. Iran's representative to international organizations in Vienna, Kazem Gharib Abadi, told a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency Wednesday U.S. actions were "neither legitimate nor legal" and should not be accepted by the international community.
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| Von Der Leyen Struggles for Socialist Support for Top EU Job Posted: 10 Jul 2019 08:36 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Ursula von der Leyen faces continued opposition from European Union lawmakers in the Socialist party to her bid for the bloc's most powerful political post.The 60-year-old German Christian Democrat has yet to win over a sizable number of Socialist members of the European Parliament from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Britain as she seeks the backing of an absolute majority of the 751-seat assembly to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker atop the EU's executive arm.The road block highlights the risk of a veto of the main plank of last week's hard-fought jobs deal among government leaders. The Socialists are the No. 2 faction in the EU Parliament and many of them are bitter their formal candidate for European Commission president -- Dutchman Frans Timmermans -- was rejected."We will open a debate in our group and we will try to have a common position," faction leader Iratxe Garcia of Spain told reporters Wednesday in Brussels after she and her colleagues met with von der Leyen, Germany's defense minister and an ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel.Fragmented ParliamentForming majorities in the EU Parliament has become more difficult because the Christian Democrats and Socialists saw their combined share of seats fall below 50% for the first time in elections in May.EU leaders on July 2 unexpectedly tapped von der Leyen for the much-coveted job of commission chief after weeks of bruising deliberations that sidelined Timmermans and a rival candidate -- Manfred Weber of Germany -- put forward by the Christian Democrats.Von der Leyen can count on the support of the Christian Democrats, who are the biggest group with 182 seats; at least a chunk of the 153-strong Socialists; and the No. 3 Liberals, who have 108 seats.In that context, she is also seeking the backing of groups such as the European Conservatives and Reformists, with 62 seats, to secure the minimum 376 votes needed to succeed Juncker in November and become the first female commission president.In a separate potential setback on Wednesday, von der Leyen may have lost the support of at least part of the European Conservatives and Reformists as a result of an obscure dispute involving a former Polish prime minister.Members of the EU Parliament's employment committee rejected a bid by Beata Szydlo to head the panel on the grounds she was Polish premier when the country pushed through a judicial overhaul deemed by the EU to have undermined democratic standards.Szydlo's Law & Justice Party belongs to the European Conservatives and Reformists, who were entitled to the chairmanship of the employment committee under the assembly's system for divvying up internal posts. The group, also known as the ECR, is the sixth-biggest and includes a 26-strong Polish contingent.Some ECR members had threatened to vote against von der Leyen's nomination to head the commission should Szydlo lose out on the leadership of the employment committee in the EU Parliament. They argued that other political groups would be playing unfairly by rejecting Szydlo while expecting the ECR to endorse von der Leyen."This vote on Szydlo will have consequences for the election of von der Leyen," Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, a Polish member of the ECR, told Bloomberg News after the committee verdict. Szydlo lost in a secret ballot, with 27 against her and 21 in favor.The EU Parliament, which provisionally plans to vote on von der Leyen on July 16, may change the day to July 17, according to officials in the assembly. The institution's leadership intends on Thursday to fix the date, said the officials. Von der Leyen is due to address the full EU Parliament on July 16, when the assembly will be holding a plenary session at its headquarters in Strasbourg, France.Should she win EU Parliament support, von der Leyen would begin to assemble a team of commissioners proposed by national capitals. The commission leadership is made up of one appointee from each EU country and the bloc's Parliament would vote on von der Leyen's whole team in October.In a meeting with EU Liberal lawmakers on Wednesday, von der Leyen said her goal was to head a team in which half the commissioners were female. To that end, von der Leyen said she would ask EU governments to propose one male and one female appointee for her to choose between.(Updates with possible dates of vote in 14th paragraph.)\--With assistance from Marine Strauss and Stephanie Bodoni.To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Caroline Alexander, Nikos ChrysolorasFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Merkel says 'very well' despite third shaking spell Posted: 10 Jul 2019 08:07 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel insisted she was "very well", despite suffering her third trembling spell in less than a month on Wednesday that has focused attention on her health. Merkel began shaking involuntarily as national anthems were being played at the reception of Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne. A source close to the government had said the cause of the repeat shaking was now psychological, with memories of the first incident provoking renewed trembling at events with similar settings.
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| Lebanon leaders condemn US sanctions on Hezbollah lawmakers Posted: 10 Jul 2019 08:02 AM PDT  Lebanon's president and parliament speaker decried on Wednesday new U.S. sanctions targeting two Hezbollah lawmakers, as the prime minister sought to reassure the public the fragile economy won't be affected. The new sanctions were the first time Washington targeted lawmakers currently seated in Lebanon's parliament — a jab at the militant group's growing political role which seemed to have struck a nerve at a time when the country is dealing with a major economic slump. The widening dragnet also comes as the U.S. increases its pressure on Tehran, levying new sanctions on Iran and raising tensions across the region.
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| Nearly two dozen countries unite at UN to condemn China’s mass detention of one million Muslims for first time Posted: 10 Jul 2019 07:57 AM PDT  China has been urged to stop its mass detention of Uighur Muslims by 22 members of the United Nations Human Rights Council in the first such joint move on the issue.The UN says at least one million Uighurs and other Muslims have been detained by China in the western region of Xinjiang.In an unprecedented letter seen by Reuters, ambassadors from 22 countries voiced their concerns about reports of unlawful detention in "large-scale places of detention, as well as widespread surveillance and restrictions, particularly targeting Uighurs and other minorities in Xinjiang".Britain, France and Germany were among the European nations to join the call, along with Australia, Canada and Japan, but not the United States, which quit the council a year ago.However, the letter fell short of activists demands for a formal statement to be read out at the council, or a resolution submitted for a vote.The letter to the forum's president, dated 8 July, cited China's obligations as a member of the 47-state forum to maintain the highest standards."We call on China to uphold its national laws and international obligations and to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of religion or belief in Xinjiang and across China," the letter said."We call also on China to refrain from the arbitrary detention and restrictions on freedom of movement of Uighurs, and other Muslim and minority communities in Xinjiang."It urged China to allow international independent experts, including Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, "meaningful access" to Xinjiang.Ms Bachelet, a former president of Chile, has lobbied China to grant the UN access to investigate reports of disappearances and arbitrary detentions of Muslims in Xinjiang.Last month, China's ambassador to the UN in Geneva said he hoped Ms Bechelet would take up an invitation to visit.One diplomat told Reuters China's delegation was "hopping mad" at the move and was preparing its own letter in response.In a statement, Human Rights Watch welcomed the letter as "important not only for Xinjiang's population, but for people around the world who depend on the UN's leading rights body to hold even the most powerful countries to account."At the start of the three-week session, which ends on Friday, the vice-governor of Xinjiang responded to international condemnation of the state-run detention camps by saying they were vocational centres which had helped "save" people from extremist influences.Last week, a study said thousands of Muslim children in the region were being separated from their parents in what it called a "systematic campaign of social re-engineering and cultural genocide".
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| Trump warns Iran sanctions will 'soon be increased substantially' Posted: 10 Jul 2019 07:56 AM PDT  President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that sanctions against Iran would soon be "increased substantially" after Tehran said it had exceeded a limit on enriched uranium reserves under a 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by Washington. "Iran has long been secretly 'enriching,' in total violation of the terrible 150 Billion Dollar deal made by John Kerry and the Obama Administration," Trump said on Twitter.
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| Gaza's traditional crafts industries rapidly disappearing Posted: 10 Jul 2019 07:56 AM PDT  When Gazans think of better economic times, images of clay pottery, colorful glassware, bamboo furniture and ancient frame looms weaving bright rugs and mats all come to mind. While such professions have shrunk worldwide in the face of globalization and Chinese mass production, Gazan business owners say Israel's 12-year blockade of the territory has accelerated the trend. Abu Sido opened his business in the 1980s, selling many of his items to vendors in the popular marketplace of Jerusalem's Old City.
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| New EU chief nominee hopes Britain will ditch Brexit Posted: 10 Jul 2019 07:55 AM PDT EU president nominee Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she hopes Britain will abandon Brexit but warned London it must take responsiblity for "sorting out" its tortured departure from the bloc. Von der Leyen said the divorce deal agreed with Prime Minister Theresa May but rejected by British lawmakers was a good one, signalling that under her leadership the European Commission will be no more willing to renegotiate than before. Both have pledged to renegotiate the Brexit deal to get better terms or leave without one -- but the EU has been adamant it will not reopen the text.
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| Sudan activists say internet restored after crackdown Posted: 10 Jul 2019 07:51 AM PDT  Sudanese activists said Wednesday the ruling generals restored internet service in the country, following a weekslong blackout imposed during a deadly crackdown early last month. The long-waited move came a week after the military council and the pro-democracy movement reached a power-sharing deal, ending a three-month standoff since the military removed autocratic President Omar al-Bashir from power amid nationwide demonstrations against his rule. The military council had blocked internet service after security forces razed a protest camp in the capital of Khartoum on June 3, killing over 128 people in an ensuing three-week crackdown, according to protest organizers.
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| UPDATE 1-Trump: sanctions on Iran 'will soon be increased, substantially' Posted: 10 Jul 2019 07:48 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Trump: sanctions on Iran 'will soon be increased, substantially']( "UPDATE 1-Trump: sanctions on Iran 'will soon be increased, substantially'") President Donald Trump accused Iran on Wednesday of secretly enriching uranium for a long time and warned that U.S. sanctions will be increased soon, as the U.N. nuclear watchdog held an emergency meeting on Tehran's breach of a nuclear deal. "Iran has long been secretly 'enriching,' in total violation of the terrible 150 Billion Dollar deal made by John Kerry and the Obama Administration. Sanctions will soon be increased, substantially!" Trump said on Twitter.
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| Boris Johnson Dominates Facebook and Newspaper War in Race for Leader Posted: 10 Jul 2019 07:19 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson is winning the media war in the race to be Britain's next prime minister, making bigger digital waves than rival Jeremy Hunt and getting better coverage in the country's right-wing newspapers.Tying up the votes of the 180,000 Conservative members who select the party's leader -- just 0.27% of the U.K. population -- calls for highly targeted messaging, making platforms like Facebook and Britain's Tory-supporting press important.On Facebook, where adverts can be delivered to users according to traits like their age, gender and interests, Johnson is outspending Hunt, according to data from Facebook's Ad Library. Johnson spent almost six times more than his rival between July 2 and July 8, the period during which voters received their ballots, painting himself as the candidate who would deliver Brexit on October 31 and unite the country. Johnson's Facebook page has also attracted 565,000 'likes', whereas Hunt's only has 12,700.Facebook was a vital battleground in both the 2016 Brexit referendum and 2017 general election and was credited by Vote Leave Campaign Director Dominic Cummings as having a decisive role in delivering the vote for Brexit."It's easy to parody Conservative members as all being very ancient, but there's quite a lot of evidence that politically active older people are digital-savvy," said Charlie Beckett, a media and communications professor at the London School of Economics. "Facebook is definitely key."Get More: Gaffes, Duplicity and Ballots: How the Tory Party Picks a LeaderOn Twitter, where Johnson has 624,000 followers to Hunt's 191,000, Johnson tweeted his direct-to-camera pitch to voters from Tuesday's head-to-head televised debate and attracted more retweets and likes than any of his rival's posts that evening.Johnson's individual tweets throughout the leadership campaign have also regularly drawn more 'likes' than Hunt's, attracting thousands of expressions of support, compared to the low hundreds for Hunt.In Britain's traditionally-Conservative-supporting newspapers, Johnson is also dominating Hunt. Since a domestic row with his girlfriend two weeks ago, Johnson has received more favorable coverage or prominence than Hunt on the front pages of each of the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail and Daily Express newspapers. Conservative voters are most likely to read one of those three newspapers, according to research conducted by YouGov after the 2017 general election.Over the last two weeks, articles focused on Johnson have featured 10 times on the front page of the Telegraph newspaper -- for which he writes a regular column, compared to three times for Hunt. In the Mail, the front-runner's had three front-page appearances to Hunt's zero, and four in the Express to Hunt's two.The winner of the leadership contest is due to be announced on July 23.\--With assistance from Patricia Suzara.To contact the reporter on this story: Joe Mayes in London at jmayes9@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Rebecca Penty at rpenty@bloomberg.net, Tim Ross, Rob DawsonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump: sanctions on Iran "will soon be increased, substantially" Posted: 10 Jul 2019 07:15 AM PDT ![Trump: sanctions on Iran "will soon be increased, substantially"]( "Trump: sanctions on Iran \"will soon be increased, substantially\"") President Donald Trump accused Iran on Wednesday of secretly enriching uranium for a long time and warned that U.S. sanctions will be increased soon, as the U.N. nuclear watchdog held an emergency meeting on Tehran's breach of a nuclear deal. "Iran has long been secretly 'enriching,' in total violation of the terrible 150 Billion Dollar deal made by John Kerry and the Obama Administration. Sanctions will soon be increased, substantially!" Trump said on Twitter.
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| U.S. accuses Iran of nuclear extortion but remains open to talks Posted: 10 Jul 2019 06:00 AM PDT ![U.S. accuses Iran of nuclear extortion but remains open to talks]( "U.S. accuses Iran of nuclear extortion but remains open to talks") The United States said on Wednesday Iran's breaches of its nuclear deal are an attempt at extortion, warning Tehran that it is isolating itself while at the same time repeating that Washington is open to talks. "There is no credible reason for Iran to expand its nuclear programme, and there is no way to read this as anything other than a crude and transparent attempt to extort payments from the international community," the U.S. statement to an emergency International Atomic Energy Agency board meeting said.
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| German leader Merkel seen shaking for 3rd time in a month Posted: 10 Jul 2019 05:20 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel's body shook visibly at a public event for the third time in less than a month on Wednesday, but the longtime leader insisted that there's nothing to worry about. Merkel shook as she stood at a military honors ceremony alongside Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne outside the chancellery in Berlin, listening to the two countries' national anthems. The first incident happened in near-identical circumstances as she stood alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at a military honors ceremony.
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| Press freedom group traveled to Saudi over jailed reporters Posted: 10 Jul 2019 05:12 AM PDT ![Press freedom group traveled to Saudi over jailed reporters]( "Press freedom group traveled to Saudi over jailed reporters") A press freedom group says it has taken an unprecedented mission to Saudi Arabia to advocate for the release of 30 jailed journalists in the aftermath of the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi. Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, says its secretary general led a small delegation that met with the Saudi foreign, justice and media ministers, and the public prosecutor, during a three-day visit in April to engage directly with the government on the need for urgent press freedom reforms.
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| Iran Escalates Deal Pressure on Europe as Macron Envoy in Tehran Posted: 10 Jul 2019 05:11 AM PDT ![Iran Escalates Deal Pressure on Europe as Macron Envoy in Tehran]( "Iran Escalates Deal Pressure on Europe as Macron Envoy in Tehran") (Bloomberg) -- A senior Iranian official derided European efforts to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal from a U.S. economic offensive, as a top envoy of French President Emmanuel Macron held crucial talks in Tehran."Today, the U.S. has taken European independence hostage and the countries of the European Union have to stand up in defense of its identity and independence in the face U.S. unilateralism," Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, was reported as saying by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.In a meeting with French envoy Emmanuel Bonne, Shamkhani said his government's policy of gradually abandoning some of its commitments under the accord in response to U.S. pressure was "unchangeable," IRNA reported. Iran will continue in this direction "until its rights are met," he said.The French envoy is visiting Iran in an attempt to convince the Islamic Republic to reverse steps taken in breach of the nuclear deal. The U.S. exited the agreement last year and re-imposed crippling economic sanctions on Iran.Macron is seeking "common initiatives to attain a truce" in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, Bonne said, according to a state-run Mehr news agency report.French officials say they see room for compromise as Iran's infringements have been carefully calibrated and President Donald Trump has underlined his desire for new talks that seek to also limit the country's missile program and support for proxy militias around the Middle East. Iran has held open the door to negotiations with Europe but has said it will not speak to the U.S. unless sanctions are eased first.Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal is monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose 35-member board of governors is meeting Wednesday at the request of the U.S. to discuss Iranian violations.The U.S. wants the meeting to ramp up pressure on Iran, but it's likely to get pushback from Russia, China and other nations who blame the Trump administration for precipitating a crisis that has threatened to spill over into war.(Updates with comment from Shamkhani and Bonne.)To contact the reporters on this story: Golnar Motevalli in Tehran at gmotevalli@bloomberg.net;Ladane Nasseri in Dubai at lnasseri@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, ;Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Mark Williams, Michael GunnFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UK PM candidate Johnson: "Very odd" to involve courts in Brexit decision Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:40 AM PDT ![UK PM candidate Johnson: "Very odd" to involve courts in Brexit decision]( "UK PM candidate Johnson: \"Very odd\" to involve courts in Brexit decision") Boris Johnson, the leading contender to be Britain's next prime minister, said on Wednesday it would be "very odd" to give the judiciary a say over Brexit, responding to the threat of a legal challenge by former prime minister John Major. Earlier, Major vowed to go to court to block his party colleague Johnson from suspending parliament if he tried to use that measure to deliver a no-deal Brexit.
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| Matteo Salvini's far-Right League 'sought millions in funding' from Russian investors Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:31 AM PDT  Italy's far-Right League party sought tens of millions of euros in funding from Russian investors in a secret meeting where an aide close to Matteo Salvini, the party leader, said they "had to be close to Russia," a leaked tape has revealed. The transcript of an hour-long meeting between Russian investors and an aide from Mr Salvini's League, obtained by the news website BuzzFeed, is the latest evidence of high-level collusion between far-Right European populist movements and Moscow. According to BuzzFeed, the deal would involve a Russian oil company selling around three million metric tons of fuel to Italian oil company Eni over a year, with a value of around $1.5 bn. Intermediaries would handle the buying and selling, adding a discount at the latter stage. In a transcript published by BuzzFeed, six men - three Russian and three Italians - discuss funneling money from a Russian oil deal into the League's coffers. When the existence of the Metropol meeting was reported by two Italian journalists earlier the year, Savoini and Salvini dismissed the story as a fantasy. This recording blows those statements apart. pic.twitter.com/O0bdE7XcOC— Alberto Nardelli (@AlbertoNardelli) July 10, 2019 "It's very simple," one of the Italians is heard saying. "The planning made by our political guys was that given a four per cent discount, 250,000 [metric tons] plus 250,000 per month per one year, they can sustain a campaign." At another point in the tape, one Italian says of the deal: "We are going to have problems with AM (anti money laundering rules)" In the same meeting, Salvini aide Gianluca Savoini is heard saying: "We want to change Europe...a new Europe has to be close to Russia as before because we want to have our sovereignty." Last week Mr Savoini attended a Russian government dinner in Moscow with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president. Mr Salvini did not attend the meeting where the oil deal was discussed, or the state dinner. It remains unclear whether the deal went ahead or whether the League received any funding from Russian investors. Both Mr Savoini and Mr Salvini have refused to comment on BuzzFeed's allegations. The news website said it had not been able to identify any of the Russians at the meeting, which was held at the Metropol hotel in Moscow. The League has repeatedly denied receiving funding from foreign sources, which would be a serious breach of Italian electoral rules. Russia's President Vladimir Putin Credit: TASS / Barcroft Media However, Mr Salvini has been frank about his support for the Russian government - after the European elections, he posed for a photograph with a picture of Vladimir Putin on his bookshelf in the background. If money did change hands it would not be the first time a far-Right politician has accepted money from the Russians. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Assembly, took €11m in loans from Russian banks in 2014. Brexit campaign financer Arron Banks has also been accused of discussing diamond and gold deals with the Russian embassy to fund the 2016 EU referendum and as a result is under investigation by the National Crime Agency. He vehemently denies the allegations. And in Austria, far-Right FPO leader Heinz-Christian Strache stepped down after he was filmed discussing a deal where public contracts would be swapped for Russian campaign support.
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| UPDATE 1-Iran enriching uranium to 4.5% purity, IAEA tells member states Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:29 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Iran enriching uranium to 4.5% purity, IAEA tells member states]( "UPDATE 1-Iran enriching uranium to 4.5% purity, IAEA tells member states") Iran is enriching uranium to 4.5% purity, above the 3.67% limit set by its deal with major powers, the U.N. nuclear watchdog policing the deal told member states in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, diplomats familiar with the figures said. The International Atomic Energy Agency had previously said on Monday only that Iran was over the 3.67% limit, its second breach of the 2015 deal in as many weeks. On July 1 the IAEA verified that Iran's stock of enriched uranium was 205 kg, more than the maximum 202.8 kg allowed under the agreement.
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| UPDATE 6-Trump threatens to "substantially" increase sanctions on Iran Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:06 AM PDT ![UPDATE 6-Trump threatens to "substantially" increase sanctions on Iran]( "UPDATE 6-Trump threatens to \"substantially\" increase sanctions on Iran") WASHINGTON/VIENNA, July 10 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that U.S. sanctions on Iran would be increased "substantially" soon, as the U.N. nuclear watchdog held an emergency meeting at Washington's request to weigh Tehran's breach of a nuclear deal. Trump also accused Iran of secretly enriching uranium for a long time but offered no evidence, and Iran said after the 35-nation meeting in Vienna that it had "nothing to hide".
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| Angela Merkel says she is 'very well' despite third shaking episode Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:03 AM PDT  Angela Merkel has insisted she is "very well" after she was seen shaking at a public occasion for the third time in recent weeks on Wednesday. The veteran Chancellor can be seen shaking at a ceremony to welcome the Finnish prime minister to Berlin in a short video clip circulating on social media. After shaking for a few seconds she gestures to Finnish leader Antti Rinne and then walks away without showing any signs of distress. Reuters has also reported that Mrs Merkel started to shake during the meeting in Berlin. Speaking to journalists afterwards, Mrs Merkel said: "I feel very well, there is no need to worry." She added: "I think me saying I am fine should be acceptable." Mrs Merkel held her arms during a shaking episode in Berlin last month Credit: OUTKAY NIETFELD/AFP/Getty Images Mrs Merkel has carried on with her scheduled appointments since the incident, and no official explanation has been offered. The German leader's first shaking fit came on June 18 when she welcomed the Ukrainian president to Berlin. She put that down suffering dehydration during a heatwave. A week later she suffered a similar bout of trembling during a ceremony at the German presidential residence at Berlin's Tiergarten park. Asked after that event if she had visited the doctor, Mrs Merkel said "I can tell you this much, I can understand your question. But there is nothing special to report, I'm fine. I am convinced - just as the reaction has occurred, it will also pass away again."
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| Merkel suffers new shaking spell, third in a month Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:02 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a new trembling spell on Wednesday, the third time in less than a month, raising questions over her health. Merkel began shaking involuntarily as national anthems were being played at the reception of Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne, an AFP photographer witnessed. The shaking was visible although less severe than during the first episode in June.
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| British Ambassador to the U.S. Resigns After Leaked Trump Criticism Posted: 10 Jul 2019 04:00 AM PDT  Paul Morigi / GettyBritain's ambassador in Washington, Sir Kim Darroch, has resigned following a diplomatic storm caused by the publication of leaked emails in which he lambasted the Trump administration.Darroch tore apart Donald Trump's White House in the leaked communications, describing it as dysfunctional, inept, and faction-riven. The comments, which were never intended to be made public, infuriated the president, who announced in a series of petty and insult-filled tweets that he would no longer work with the ambassador.In his resignation statement, Darroch said the attacks from the president had made it "impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like," and said that the process of finding his successor can now begin."Since the leak of official documents from this embassy, there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding my position and the duration of my remaining term as ambassador," he said. "I want to put an end to that speculation... Although my posting is not due to end until the end of this year, I believe in the current circumstances the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador."Trump exploded with fury after the emails were published by the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday. He attacked both Darroch and outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May, calling the ambassador "wacky," "very stupid," and "pompous" and criticizing May's handling of Brexit.It's unknown how the top-secret communications got into the hands of the newspaper. A "large-scale" inquiry has been launched by Britain's Foreign Office, and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the government is investigating whether the emails were obtained by a "hostile state."May paid tribute to Darroch on Wednesday and said that his resignation was a "matter of great regret," adding: "Good government depends on public servants being able to give full and frank advice.... I want all our public servants to have the confidence to be able to do that."Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| UPDATE 5-Merkel has third bout of shaking, says she is fine and 'working through' issue Posted: 10 Jul 2019 03:59 AM PDT ![UPDATE 5-Merkel has third bout of shaking, says she is fine and 'working through' issue]( "UPDATE 5-Merkel has third bout of shaking, says she is fine and 'working through' issue") German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was "working through" a bout of shaking that first occurred in mid-June and struck for the third time on Wednesday, though she insisted she was fine and that "just as it happened one day, so it will disappear". A government official told Reuters at the time that that was more a psychological issue as she tried desperately to avoid a repeat.
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| Iran enriching uranium to 4.5% purity, IAEA tells member states Posted: 10 Jul 2019 03:38 AM PDT ![Iran enriching uranium to 4.5% purity, IAEA tells member states]( "Iran enriching uranium to 4.5% purity, IAEA tells member states") Iran is enriching uranium to 4.5% fissile purity, above the 3.67% limit set by its deal with major powers, the U.N. nuclear watchdog policing the deal told member states in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, diplomats familiar with the figures said. The International Atomic Energy Agency had previously only said Iran was over the 3.67% limit. It also said on Wednesday that Iran's stock of enriched uranium was now 213.5 kg, over the deal's 202.8 kg limit, and more than the 205 kg verified on July 1.
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| Iraqi gets life in jail for teen rape-murder in Germany Posted: 10 Jul 2019 03:02 AM PDT  An Iraqi man was sentenced to life in jail by a German court on Wednesday for the rape and murder of a teenage girl that fuelled far-right protests against a mass influx of mostly Muslim migrants. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and other far-right groups have seized on the brutal killing of 14-year-old Susanna Maria Feldman in their campaign against Chancellor Angela Merkel's asylum policy. The accused, rejected asylum seeker Ali Bashar, 22, was convicted of the killing and handed the maximum sentence of life in prison by the court in Wiesbaden, the city where the murder took place in May last year.
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