| Seoul: North Korea launched 2 short-range ballistic missiles Posted: 30 Jul 2019 05:35 PM PDT  North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast Wednesday in defiance of U.N. resolutions, South Korea's military said, less than a week after Pyongyang's first weapons tests in more than two months. Observers say the launches were aimed at ramping up pressure on the United States to make concessions as the two countries are struggling to resume diplomacy on the North's nuclear weapons program. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement the missiles were launched from the town of Wonsan, a regular launch site on the North's eastern coast.
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| Trump Lashes Out at China ‘Rip Off’ as Trade Talks Resume Posted: 30 Jul 2019 05:04 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump lashed out at China for what he said is its unwillingness to buy American agricultural products and said it continues to "rip off" the U.S., just as the two nations resumed negotiations in Shanghai following a three-month breakup."China is doing very badly, worst year in 27 -- was supposed to start buying our agricultural product now -- no signs that they are doing so," Trump said Tuesday on Twitter. "That is the problem with China, they just don't come through."Departing the White House later for Jamestown, Virginia, Trump told reporters "we're either going to make a great deal or we're not going to make a deal at all."Trump said later Tuesday that he had spoken recently with Chinese President Xi Jinping without elaborating on when or the substance of the discussion.Trump said Beijing is willing to make concessions in trade talks but he's not sure if he will accept them and that the decision on reaching a deal is up to him, not his Chinese counterparts.Stocks slid earlier in the day after Trump criticized China and the S&P 500 Index closed lower for a second day.Trump said that the U.S. has "all the cards" and warned that if he's re-elected in 2020 China faces a much tougher deal. He said "they always change the deal in the end to their benefit," adding that "they should probably wait out our Election to see if we get one of the Democrat stiffs like Sleepy Joe." That's a reference to Democratic presidential candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden.Financial markets are on edge about the fate of talks between the world's largest economies and a two-day Federal Reserve meeting that started Tuesday. The U.S. central bank is expected to lower interest rates for the first time in more than a decade, partly because trade war concerns are slowing business investment.U.S. delegates including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer arrived in Shanghai to begin another round of talks with their Chinese counterparts. The Americans attended a dinner at the Fairmont Peace Hotel on Tuesday evening, and talks are scheduled to pick up again on Wednesday in China's bustling port city.Expectations for a breakthrough in the trade talks remain low. The two sides are further apart than they were three months ago, when negotiations broke down and each side blamed the other for derailing attempts to reach a deal. China is pushing for compromise in the talks, with state media underlining this week that the U.S. should meet it "halfway."The Shanghai talks should help determine whether China will resume negotiations from a draft text agreed before the impasse in May, "or wait for the 2020 election, or do they have some other proposal to make," Michael Pillsbury, director of the Center on Chinese Strategy at the Hudson Institute, said on Bloomberg TV on Tuesday in Washington. "This could be real suspense."Soybean SalesIt's unclear what triggered Trump's latest outburst. U.S. soybean exports to China slumped in the first half of the year to the lowest level in more than a decade, while pork sales in June slipped from a month earlier.China has said the purchase of American farming products will be contingent on the U.S. following through on Trump's pledge to allow American companies to resume sales to Huawei Technologies Co. Speaking to reporters at an event in Sao Paulo on Tuesday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said he's received more than 50 applications for special licenses for companies do business with Huawei, and that he and Trump met with "supply chain" representatives last week.The administration put the Chinese telecommunications giant on a trade blacklist in May, which means American firms need a special license issued by the Commerce Department to ship to the company.(Updates with analyst comment in fifth paragraph under chart.)\--With assistance from Philip Glamann, Emma Dong, Charlie Zhu and Aline Oyamada.To contact the reporters on this story: Terrence Dopp in Washington at tdopp@bloomberg.net;Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Kasia Klimasinska at kklimasinska@bloomberg.net, ;Margaret Collins at mcollins45@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum, Joshua GalluFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.S. to renew sanctions waivers for five Iran nuclear programs -Washington Post Posted: 30 Jul 2019 04:18 PM PDT ![U.S. to renew sanctions waivers for five Iran nuclear programs -Washington Post]( "U.S. to renew sanctions waivers for five Iran nuclear programs -Washington Post") The United States is set to announce this week it will renew sanctions waivers for five Iran nuclear programs that allow Russia, China and European countries to continue civilian nuclear cooperation with Iran, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday. President Donald Trump, in an Oval Office meeting last week, sided with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin who argued for renewing the waivers over objections by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, the Post said.
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| Britain seeks to unite Europeans over Iran's threat to shipping in Strait of Hormuz Posted: 30 Jul 2019 04:04 PM PDT  Britain has invited military representatives of the US, France and other European countries to a meeting in Bahrain on Wednesday in an attempt to create an international mission to safeguard shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Whitehall sources told The Guardian that the British proposal was to create a European-led mission to prevent future tanker seizures by Iran and was still alive despite the dismissal of Jeremy Hunt as foreign secretary in Boris Johnson's cabinet reshuffle. Earlier, the US had stepped up diplomatic pressure on Germany to send warships to the Persian Gulf as the Western allies remained divided over how to respond to Tehran. Germany has so far been reluctant to contribute to any naval mission in the Middle East and the US embassy took the unusual step of publicly challenging Berlin to make a commitment. "Members of the German government have been clear that freedom of navigation should be protected," the US embassy said in a statement. "Our question is, protected by whom?" The US statement said that both the UK and France had committed to sending warships to "secure the Strait of Hormuz and combat Iranian aggression". In reality, there is still no agreement on any joint mission in the Strait of Hormuz. France has refused to join any US mission out of concern it would associate Paris with Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" against Iran. Britain is caught in the middle, calling for a European-led initiative but saying it will need American military support to succeed. Caricatures at Iran's "Pirates of the Queen" exhibit mocks the UK over its seized tanker Credit: ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images Germany appeared unmoved by the US pressure and refused to commit to sending naval assets. "The German government has taken note of this, but not promised to make any contribution," a German official said. The foreign ministry later said the US had provided details to allies on its concept for securing maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf region. The ministry said it hadn't promised any contribution but was "in close consultation with France and Great Britain." It gave no details of the U.S. plan, but said "priority must be given to a de-escalation of tensions and diplomatic efforts." It added "participation in the American strategy of maximum pressure is out of the question for us," referring to the U.S. approach to Iran. Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised Germany for not spending more on defence and German politicians have called for the expulsion of his ambassador in Berlin for appearing to interfere in the country's domestic politics. Overseas military deployments are a sensitive subject in Germany, where the post-war constitution places constraints on using the armed forces for anything other than strictly defensive operations. A cultural centre affiliated to the IRGC has launched a cartoon expo in Tehran where artists display their work celebrating Iran's seizure of the British-flagged tanker StenaImpero. The UK is referred to as the "Old Fox" by the Islamic Republic to signify "British cunning". pic.twitter.com/cOEYtQWdvn— Kian Sharifi (@KianSharifi) July 29, 2019 Meanwhile, hardliners in Iran continued to revel in the seizure of the British-flagged Stena Impero tanker with the launch of a cartoon exhibition mocking the UK's inability to recover its ship. The "Pirates of the Queen" exhibit features more than a dozen cartoons. Some mock the Queen personally while others portray the UK as a fox - a reference to the Persian term "the Old Fox", which is often used by Iranians to to describe Britain. The captain of an Iranian tanker seized in Gibraltar accused Britain of using unnecessary "brute force" when Royal Marines took the ship. He said the marines pointed guns at his unarmed crew and forced them to kneel on the deck. "They just pointed the gun and they started shouting look forward, look forward," said the captain, an Indian national who spoke anonymously to the BBC. "I was totally shocked I didn't know what to feel because they didn't give me a chance to talk." Javad Zarif, Iran's foreign minister, appealed to Mr Trump to ignore the advice of his hawkish advisers and seek a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Iran. "Diplomacy = prudence; never weakness," Mr Zarif said on Twitter. Mr Trump has occasionally expressed interest in negotiations with Iran and reportedly tapped a Republican senator to be his envoy. But he has also said he does not believe Iran is ready to negotiate and has shown no sign he is prepared to ease crippling US sanctions on Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday and reiterated his call for a de-escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States, the Elysee said. "It is France's role to make every effort to ensure that all parties agree to a break and open negotiations," the French presidency said. Mr Macron had a "long" discussion with Rouhani during the French leader's annual holiday at his summer retreat, the medieval fort of Bregancon on France's Mediterranean coast, the Elysee said. He "recalled the need to initiate a de-escalation of tensions," it added.
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| North Korea fires 2 short-range ballistic missiles, US officials say Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:53 PM PDT  For the second time in less than a week, North Korea has launched two short-range ballistic missiles on Tuesday, two U.S. officials confirmed to ABC News. The launch comes five days after another launch of what South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff identified as two new versions of North Korean short-range missiles. Following Trump's June 30 meeting with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing South Korea and North Korea, U.S. officials hoped that working level talks between the U.S. and North Korea would resume after the failure of the Trump-Kim meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam.
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| North Korea Fires Multiple Projectiles, South Korea Says Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:39 PM PDT ![North Korea Fires Multiple Projectiles, South Korea Says]( "North Korea Fires Multiple Projectiles, South Korea Says") (Bloomberg) -- North Korea fired multiple unidentified projectiles off its east coast early Wednesday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said, the second such launch in less than a week.The projectiles were launched from the Hodo Peninsula in South Hamgyong province Wednesday, the Joint Chiefs said. The South Korean military was monitoring the situation on watch for additional launches.The Trump administration was aware of the reports of a missile launch from North Korea and would continue to monitor the situation, a State Department official said. The projectiles didn't reach Japan's exclusive economic zone and posed no threat to the country's national security, broadcaster NHK reported, citing the defense ministry.The launches come as U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo heads to Bangkok for a Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering. Pompeo told reporters while en route to the region earlier that he didn't expect the North Koreans to attend.The meeting would have been the first chance for an encounter between the two sides since U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shook hands in the Demilitarized Zone last month and agreed to restart working level talks. North Korea warned earlier this month that Kim warned that upcoming South Korea-U.S. military drills risked jeopardizing those negotiations."We knew last week's launches weren't going to be the end for now," said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a Seoul-based analyst with NK Pro. "That said, today's launches seem to track with the behavior North Korea has shown vis-a-vis the U.S. over the past few months of escalating pressure without crossing the line."After the previous missile tests on July 25, the official Korean Central News Agency said Kim oversaw the "power demonstration fire" of a new type of tactical guided weapon Thursday "to send a solemn warning" to his rivals in South Korea. While the statement didn't mention Trump or the U.S., it criticized South Korea's acceptance of American weapons and participation in the joint drills.Trump has shrugged off similar tests because they didn't violate Kim's moratorium on larger missiles that could reach the U.S. "They really haven't tested to missiles other than, you know, smaller ones, the -- which is something that lots test," the U.S. president told the "Hannity" show on Fox News last week.\--With assistance from Justin Sink and Glen Carey.To contact the reporters on this story: Jihye Lee in Seoul at jlee2352@bloomberg.net;Larry Liebert in Washington at lliebert@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Judge orders release for Iraqi man after 2-year detention Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:30 PM PDT ![Judge orders release for Iraqi man after 2-year detention]( "Judge orders release for Iraqi man after 2-year detention") A federal judge in Minnesota ruled Tuesday that an Iraqi man who has been in immigration custody for more than two years must be released while he awaits a final order for removal from the U.S. Farass Adnan Ali, 35, of Rochester, entered immigration custody in May 2017 and has been in consecutive immigration detention since July 2017. U.S. District Judge David Doty ruled Tuesday that the lengthy detention violates Ali's constitutional rights, and that Ali must be released within 30 days.
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| Trump to disappoint Iran hawks with more nuclear waivers Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:08 PM PDT  The administration's Iran policy is taking a softer tone despite a push from some GOP lawmakers to expand its maximum pressure campaign.
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| Your Evening Briefing Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:58 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every afternoon? Sign up hereLow mortgage rates and thriving employment usually mean a strong U.S. housing market. But that's no longer the case. What began in big cities like New York and San Francisco has been radiating inland: Entry-level buyers are fighting over homes that are in short supply, sending prices soaring. American incomes just can't keep pace. Here are today's top storiesA Trump administration official said the government is monitoring what it described as Chinese forces congregating at the Hong Kong border. Beijing has blamed the escalating protests there, which began over a controversial extradition law, on America.U.S. stocks fell amid growing speculation that a deal to end the administration's trade war with China remains elusive. President Donald Trump complained China isn't following through on grain purchases. Meanwhile, Apple projected revenue that topped analyst estimates, signaling its optimism about potential sales of coming iPhone models.Trump is defying a federal judge's order by continuing to split up families of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S., the American Civil Liberties Union said. More than 900 children, including babies and toddlers, have been taken from their parents in the past year over parental infractions including minor traffic violations, the civil liberties group said in court papers.Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are likely to keep the gloves on during Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate. Sears workers who retired after years of toil for the iconic American retailer have been told life insurance plans which once promised thousands of dollars for their families are now worth $135.The world's most expensive warship, a $13 billion U.S. aircraft carrier made by Huntington Ingalls Industries, has a little problem: It can't get the weapons it needs to wage war on deck because most of its new elevators still don't work.What's Luke Kawa thinking? The Bloomberg cross-asset reporter says that while a Fed rate cut Wednesday is priced into the stock market, there's a big variable that's not cooperating: The dollar. Since the central bank cemented expectations of the move, the Dollar Spot Index is up almost 1%. The broader Bloomberg U.S. dollar basket is marginally higher. It's tough to see how a stronger dollar is good for global activity right now.What you'll need to know tomorrowThese are the countries where a housing price correction is coming. The man who founded India's biggest coffee chain is missing. Boris Johnson keeps talking hard Brexit; the pound keeps diving. Mexico City's e-scooter push is hobbled by theft and regulation. Capital One was bragging about data safety while being hacked. A U.S. drug price-fixing probe has hit some major roadblocks. Cannondale is making a move to pass rival bike makers.What you'll want to read tonight Dirty Money has some enablers. Jahangir Hajiyev was convicted of looting millions of dollars from a bank in Azerbaijan. Lawyers, investment advisers and a family office in London helped him spend his money, steering wealth into assets in the U.K. from a web of offshore companies. To contact the author of this story: David Rovella in New York at drovella@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Sudanese rally against deadly crackdown on student protest Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:51 PM PDT  The killings reignited tensions between the pro-democracy movement whose protests that toppled President Omar al-Bashir in April and the military council that has ruled since then. Security forces opened fire on a demonstration by teenage students in the city of Obeid on Monday. At least six people were killed, including four students, said the Sudanese Doctors Central Committee, which is the medical arm of one of the groups behind the protests.
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| N. Korea launches 'multiple unidentified projectiles': Yonhap Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:44 PM PDT  North Korea launched "multiple unidentified projectiles" on Wednesday, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, days after firing two missiles as a warning over Seoul's plan for military drills with the United States. "The projectiles were launched from the Hodo peninsula in South Hamgyong Province on the country's east coast," Yonhap said, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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| Boris Johnson Won’t Back Down on Brexit Despite Plunging Pound Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:30 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Boris Johnson refused to back down over his threat to take the U.K. out of the European Union without a deal, despite a growing backlash over the impact his strategy is having on the pound.Johnson's office hinted on Tuesday that another round of Brexit talks might not happen at all, and has warned he won't meet EU leaders for negotiations unless they agree to tear open the current divorce accord.The pound fell as much as 0.8% to the lowest level in more than two years on Tuesday. Opposition politicians accused Johnson of harming family finances with his no-deal Brexit stance, at a time when many voters will notice the financial hit on holiday overseas.Some Conservatives privately expressed anxiety over the slide in sterling. But others -- including inside Johnson's top team -- were defiant. One senior official said the markets were now waking up to the realistic prospect of a no deal exit on Oct. 31 and that the government was not about to soften its tone.The markets have not properly priced in a no-deal Brexit until now, said the official, who asked not to be identified talking about currency movements. Robert Halfon, a Conservative member of Parliament, said the fall in the pound could benefit exporters and help British tourism. "Hopefully holiday makers will choose GB as a holiday destination," he said.Definitely LeavingJohnson has repeatedly said he'll take the U.K. out of the EU on Oct. 31, with or without a deal, and has instructed government departments to step up their preparations for crashing out of the bloc on Halloween.Johnson is traveling the country seeking to build support for his hardline position on a new Brexit deal, and will travel to Northern Ireland for talks with political party leaders about restoring the region's government Wednesday.Speaking during a visit to a farm in Wales on Tuesday, Johnson said it's "up to the EU" to compromise on a Brexit deal and avoid Britain leaving the bloc without an agreement.'Their Call'"If they can't compromise, if they really can't do it, then clearly we have to get ready for a no-deal exit, and I think we'll do it," Johnson said in a pooled TV clip. "It's up to the EU, it's their call."Six days after becoming premier, Johnson finally spoke to Irish premier Leo Varadkar and reiterated his demand to scrap the controversial backstop provision in the withdrawal agreement. The backstop is a legal guarantee intended to ensure there's no need for checks on goods crossing the land border with Ireland. Varadkar repeated that the agreement cannot be reopened.Politicians from all sides of Parliament opposed to a no-deal Brexit say the plunge in the pound is a taste of what's to come if the government continues to double down on its hardline strategy.They warned holiday makers abroad would feel the hit of Johnson's move to fully embrace the prospect of crashing out of the EU.'Reckless'"Johnson and his ministers' reckless threats of a no deal are hitting pockets," said John McDonnell, economy spokesman for the opposition Labour party.The Treasury declined to comment on the currency move. Other Tory MPs were privately expressing concerns that the pound will continue its decline throughout the summer as long as the government continues to threaten a no-deal split.Vince Cable, the former Liberal Democrat leader who is traveling to Greece on Wednesday, said he was concerned the pound will fall further as traders wake up to the prospect of a no-deal exit in three months' time."The markets already factored it in to some extent, but the potential for a continuing fall in currency is all too apparent," he said.(Updates with detail of Johnson's Northern Ireland trip.)\--With assistance from Charlotte Ryan.To contact the reporters on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net;Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| North Korea fires series of projectiles according to South Korean news agency Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:14 PM PDT  North Korea has fired a series of projectiles, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. The agency said Pyongyang sent up a "multiple unidentified projectiles" early on Wednesday morning. The news came from South Korea's joint chiefs of staff, Yonhap said. "The projectiles were launched from the Hodo peninsula in South Hamgyong Province on the country's east coast," Yonhap said. The incident came just days after North Korea fired two missiles as a warning over Seoul's plan for military drills with the United States. On July 25 North Korea tested two new missiles, describing the launch as a "solemn warning" against what it described as "South Korean warmongers". The firing of the two projectiles was the first missile test since Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, met President Donald Trump on June 30, and agreed to revive denuclearisation talks. The short-range missiles were fired into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, from Wonsan on North Korea's east coast. Mr Kim said his country was forced to develop weapons to "eliminate potential and direct threats". He said the test involved a new tactical guided weapons system. Mr Trump last week was at pains to downplay the significance of the July 25 missiles, saying: "They are short-range missiles, and many people have those missiles." He added that the recent launches involve "very standard missiles." Asked on Friday whether he was concerned, Mr Trump - who is still keen to secure a deal with North Korea - replied: "Nope. Not at all." Yet the North's behaviour remains deeply troubling for many nations. In April, North Korea claimed to have "tested a powerful warhead" in the first public weapons test for the regime since Mr Trump and Mr Kim met for a historic summit in Singapore last year. The two leaders held a second round of talks in Vietnam in February of this year, but negotiations collapsed after Mr Trump reportedly handed Mr Kim a note demanding he turn over the North's nuclear weapons and bomb fuel.
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| UPDATE 5-North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles - South Korean military Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:10 PM PDT ![UPDATE 5-North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles - South Korean military]( "UPDATE 5-North Korea fires short-range ballistic missiles - South Korean military") North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles early on Wednesday, the South Korean military said, only days after it launched two other missiles intended to pressure South Korea and the United States to stop upcoming military drills. The latest launches were from the Hodo peninsula on North Korea's east coast, the same area from where last week's were conducted, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.
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| UN: Onslaught in Syria may spark humanitarian disaster Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:31 PM PDT  The U.N. humanitarian chief urged the Security Council on Tuesday to take action to end the "bloody onslaught" in Syria's last opposition-held stronghold, warning that continued violence could create the worst humanitarian disaster of the 21st century. "Are you again going to shrug your shoulders ... or are you going to listen to the children of Idlib, and do something about it?" he asked. The Security Council has been deeply divided over the Syrian conflict since it began in 2011, with Russia backing the government and Western nations supporting the opposition.
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| Fact: North Korean Jet Fighters Fought Against Israel in the Yom Kippur War Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:00 PM PDT  That day two Kurnass pairs from two squadrons, 69 and 119, were scrambled to the Gulf of Suez sector. During the Yom Kippur War the Israeli Air Force (IAF) actually faced an Arab coalition, rather than the Egyptian Air Force in the south and the Syrian Air Force in the north. Fighter squadrons from Algeria, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea deployed to Egypt prior to October 1973. The North Korean MiG-21 squadron was based at Bir Arida to defend Egypt's south. The North Korean MiG-21 pilots did not engage Israeli aircraft until Dec. 6, 1973.(This first appeared earlier in 2019.)
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| A Democratic President Could Rejoin the Iran Nuclear Deal Posted: 30 Jul 2019 12:16 PM PDT  As tensions escalate in the Persian Gulf, U.S. presidential candidates from the Democratic Party are staking out positions on the 2015 deal whereby Iran limited its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions-relief.U.S. president Donald Trump, who is running for reelection in 2020 against a large slate of Democrats, in 2018 withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal, a signature accomplishment of former U.S. president Barack Obama.While there are some caveats, several of the major Democratic candidates told the Council on Foreign Relations their administrations would rejoin the JCPAO. Other candidates apparently declined to answer CFR's queries on the subject."Abandoning the Iran nuclear deal was reckless and dangerous," New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand said. "We need to rejoin our allies in returning to the agreement, provided Iran agrees to comply with the agreement and take steps to reverse its breaches, and strengthen the deal.""While President Trump's reckless policies have moved American security and the security of allies backwards, I would -- together with our allies -- press Iran to extend the agreement for a longer period, and tackle other security issues from Iran's missile program to its support for terrorists," Gillibrand added. "I believe that our leverage will increase if Iran sees the benefit of agreeing to a deal."
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| Boris Johnson Aims to Meet Brexit Bus Pledge With Boost for Health-Care Posted: 30 Jul 2019 12:03 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson plans to spend hundreds of millions of pounds on hospitals and health care technology, as the U.K.'s new prime minister seeks to deliver on his own most contentious political promise.Back in the 2016 referendum, Johnson's pro-Brexit campaign emblazoned a slogan on the side of its bus that pledged extra cash for Britain's state-run National Health Service if the country voted to leave the European Union. It was attacked as misleading at the time and the argument has dogged Johnson ever since.Now he is prime minister and intends to make good his three year-old words, according to a person familiar with the matter.The expenditure is set to be announced next week in one of the new administration's first major non-Brexit policies, said the person, who asked not to be named as the plan is not yet public.The announcement forms part of a health care spending "blitz" championed by Dominic Cummings, the backroom official who masterminded Johnson's 2016 Brexit campaign and is now one of the premier's top aides, the person said.Johnson's NHS announcement is likely to be seen as a further signal that he is preparing for a potential election campaign with populist pledges. The opposition Labour Party is traditionally stronger on health care and is trying to paint Johnson as someone who can't be trusted with the NHS. The extra cash is the latest in a series of high profile spending commitments from Johnson, following pledges to recruit more police officers and to build new rail links.The NHS spending announcement, provisionally planned for next week, will be three-pronged, according to the person, who declined to be named discussing policy that's yet to be announced. The elements of the package are:Money for new hospital upgrades. Johnson has already pledged to provide "urgent funding" for 20 hospitals.Fixing the backlog of previous capital spending pledges that have yet to be delivered by streamlining the approval system within governmentExtra cash for artificial intelligence, genomics and other new technology that can make the U.K.'s health care system more efficientIn total, the spending is likely to amount to hundreds of millions of pounds of new cash, according to the person. Once the acceleration of delivery on old promises is factored in, the sum of the entire package is likely to be in the billions, they said.In 2016, Johnson's pro-Brexit campaign pledged to spend money that would have gone to Brussels on free health care. The slogan on the side of the red bus Johnson used to tour the country declared: "We send the EU 350 million pounds a week. Let's fund our NHS instead."Johnson was criticized during the referendum campaign for the pledge on the side of the bus, which a Parliamentary panel dismissed at the time as "highly misleading." Nevertheless, Vote Leave stuck to its message, helping secure a 52%-48% victory for the Brexit camp.To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump sends Kim photos from DMZ visit; nuclear talks stalled Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:49 AM PDT  President Donald Trump has sent mementos from his brief visit to North Korea last month to Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon), but substantive nuclear talks between the two countries have not yet resumed. A senior administration official says a top staffer from the National Security Council hand-delivered photographs from the June Trump-Kim meeting at the demilitarized zone to a North Korean official last week. When asked when the North would be willing to restart substantive talks on its nuclear program, as Kim committed when Trump took brief steps into its territory, the North Korean official would only say they would be willing to restart discussions very soon.
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| Brexit windfall: London's tourists cheer cheap pound Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:33 AM PDT  Daniela and Alberto Passarini have been to London at least half a dozen times in the past 15 years. The pound's fall in dollar and euro terms has accelerated as fears of new Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking Britain out of the European Union without an agreement grow. It has shed almost nine percent since briefly rising when the original Brexit deadline was delayed in March.
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| Germany: US asks allies to help protect Gulf shipping lanes Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:24 AM PDT ![Germany: US asks allies to help protect Gulf shipping lanes]( "Germany: US asks allies to help protect Gulf shipping lanes") Germany says the U.S. has provided details to allies on its concept for securing maritime traffic in the Persian Gulf region and asked for contributions. The U.S. last month promised more details after asking NATO allies to help protect key commercial waterways.
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| Dubai ruler, princess in London court over welfare of kids Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:23 AM PDT  The estranged wife of Dubai's ruler applied for protective orders in a British court Tuesday using laws intended to safeguard victims of forced marriages and domestic abuse, while the sheikh's lawyers requested that their two children be quickly returned to Dubai.
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| US urges Germany to 'help secure' Strait of Hormuz Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:08 AM PDT  The United States stepped up diplomatic pressure on Germany Tuesday to join efforts to secure the strategic Strait of Hormuz as tensions mount between Washington and Iran. "We've formally asked Germany to join France and the UK to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and combat Iranian aggression," said US embassy spokeswoman Tamara Sternberg-Greller in a statement.
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| UK's Johnson promises Irish PM no physical border checks Posted: 30 Jul 2019 10:02 AM PDT  Britain will never impose physical checks on its border with Ireland, Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised his Irish counterpart on Tuesday, while repeating that current plans for the frontier after Brexit were unacceptable. The land border between British Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland will become part of the bloc's external frontier once Britain leaves the European Union, and how it is managed is hugely controversial.
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| Why have protests hit Hong Kong and where will they end? Posted: 30 Jul 2019 09:53 AM PDT  Hong Kong has this summer faced the worst political turmoil since its handover to China in 1997. Residents first poured onto the streets to protest an extradition proposal that would send suspects to face trial in China, where the Communist Party controls the courts. When city leaders failed to defuse tensions, police sought to curtail the largely peaceful rallies by shooting tear gas, rubber bullets and foam rounds – a serious escalation in a city long known for being one of the safest places in the world. Protesters believe that because the extradition proposal has only been suspended, and not formally withdrawn, lawmakers could still quickly table and pass the legislation. Their demands have since grown to include the resignation of Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam, an independent commission to investigate police brutality, and wider political reforms to allow for residents to directly elect its leader. Britain's response During the leadership race, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt called on Beijing to uphold the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which guaranteed freedoms for at least 50 years in the territory after its handover. But many residents say liberties have sharply eroded, especially since Xi Jinping took power as the head of the Communist Party in 2012. The agreement is a legally binding treaty registered at the United Nations, and places responsibility on both signatories to ensure rights in Hong Kong, which means the UK could raise the issue at the UN. Hong Kong protests However, Britain's willingness to take on China as the Brexit process calls for new trade links outside the EU could be limited. Lord Chris Patten, the last colonial governor, has called on the British government to do more to support the protesters, saying "We shouldn't forget there is such a thing as honour, and we're honour-bound to stand up for freedom in Hong Kong, the freedoms we promised people for years." In late June, the UK halted further export licenses for crowd control equipment indefinitely until human rights concerns were "thoroughly addressed," said then-Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt. Some of the tear gas canisters fired appeared to have been made by British defence contractor PW Defence, according to Amnesty International, a human rights group. In an interview with a Chinese language broadcaster last week, Mr Johnson said his government would be "very pro-China." Where the protests stand Hong Kong is set to enter its ninth consecutive weekend of mass demonstrations. The leaderless movement has used social media and mass Airdrops to spread the word, with many groups organising rallies in several neighbourhoods. Despite lacking a figurehead, the protesters show no sign of splintering and appear to only have become more determined. Chants of "Reclaim Hong Kong, it's time for revolution!" have overtaken the slogans that defined the early days of the movement, when people were shouting, "No extradition to China!" It's a shift that reflects how upset Hong Kongers have become with Beijing's creeping influence in the region, and could prompt a greater crackdown by the government. While the rallies begin peacefully during the day, they now end in pandemonium as police and protesters - often clad in black with hiking sticks and yellow hard hats - engage in tense standoffs as the sky darkens. However, the pitfalls of decentralised action are becoming more obvious – misinformation on social media is sowing discord and confusing protesters, residents, tourists and journalists. Where they could go Anger at police brutality has risen and demonstrators are increasingly frustrated that city leaders have ignored their demands. Ms Lam has given few public remarks since the unrest began. Protesters are becoming increasingly unruly, hurling insults at the police and preparing defences – erecting barriers and gathering items, from bricks to street signs – to throw at the charging officers. Rallies are planned through the end of August, and people say they will take to the streets until demands are met – even though police have begun rejecting applications to hold marches. Police are also preparing to escalate their response. Riot police fire tear gas to disperse protesters taking part in a rally on 28 July Credit: Rex Three anti-riot vehicles armed with water cannons have begun road tests this week, reported the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper. Authorities are reportedly mulling plans to use the armoured trucks to shoot water mixed with tear agents or liquid dye to disperse crowds - and make it easier to identify suspects. For now, the unrest has galvanised more supporters rather than split public opinion. People are offering free rides and shelter to protesters running away from tear gas. Trained medics are also volunteering their time, making the rounds during mass demonstrations to treat injuries. But how long city residents will put up with such disturbances remains to be seen as the protests take an increasing toll on daily life. Police now conduct random bag and ID checks in subway stations, trains have been delayed as workers go on strike, tear gas fogs up streets even hours after the rallies have been disbanded. China's options Beijing at first appeared to ignore the protests, later giving brief comments that stated support for Ms Lam and the Hong Kong police to handle the situation. The government also issued stern warnings to Western nations, including the US and UK, to keep out of Chinese domestic affairs, decrying foreign interference as the reason for unrest. Foreign ministry officials condemned protesters for engaging in violent acts without addressing the issue of police brutality. Carrie Lam has rarely spoken in public since the unrest began Credit: Bloomberg In an unprecedented move, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office in Beijing, which reports to China's cabinet, gave its first press conference ever on Monday to address the unrest, suggesting the government felt increasing pressure to respond and intervene. Officials again touted the same lines – saying China stood by Ms Lam and the police to restore order. The stated hands-off approach was perhaps meant to make clear that Beijing remained in control, with the chaos localised to Hong Kong and manageable by local authorities. If Beijing were to step in publicly, it could be construed as weakness – an unpalatable option to the Communist Party. So any solution presented will have to be one that does not appear like a climb-down - the Party would never, for example, consider granting universal suffrage as the protesters are now demanding. Hong Kong protests: riot police baton charge and fire tear gas to clear demonstrations at parliament, in pictures One lingering question, however, is whether Beijing will deploy the military – a move reminiscent of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989. While experts say that would be a last resort, top officials have made clear that remains a possibility – but only if Hong Kong were to make that request. Beijing's willingness to leave the Hong Kong administration in charge of handling the protests allows the government to deflect blame if anything sours - and place the responsibility for any possible intervention by the People's Liberation Army on the city's leaders.
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| UK's Johnson promises Irish PM no physical border checks Posted: 30 Jul 2019 09:47 AM PDT  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised Ireland's Leo Varadkar on Tuesday there would be no physical checks on the border between their two countries after Brexit, a spokeswoman said. "On Brexit, the prime minister made clear that the UK will be leaving the EU on October 31, no matter what," a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
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| Penske Automotive Group Falls After Q2 Earnings Miss Posted: 30 Jul 2019 09:35 AM PDT ![Penske Automotive Group Falls After Q2 Earnings Miss]( "Penske Automotive Group Falls After Q2 Earnings Miss") Penske Automotive Group (NYSE: PAG ) shares are trading lower after the company reported worse-than-expected second-quarter sales , which were impacted by weak market conditions in the U.K. from Brexit. ...
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| Brexit windfall: London's tourists cheer cheap pound Posted: 30 Jul 2019 09:29 AM PDT  Daniela and Alberto Passarini have been to London at least half a dozen times in the past 15 years. The pound's fall in dollar and euro terms has accelerated as fears of new Prime Minister Boris Johnson taking Britain out of the European Union without an agreement grow. Chaotic "no-deal Brexit" jitters have seen the world's oldest currency still in circulation lose about three percent of its value against its two main counterparts this week alone.
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| Russia launches criminal probe after mass protest for fair elections Posted: 30 Jul 2019 08:59 AM PDT  Russian investigators on Tuesday launched a probe into "mass unrest", a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison, after thousands took to the streets at the weekend to demand fair elections. Nearly 1,400 people were arrested on Saturday at an unauthorised protest in central Moscow that was broken up by baton-wielding riot police, as anger grows against authorities' refusal to allow prominent opposition candidates to stand for the city parliament. The crackdown was the largest of its kind since 2012, when tens of thousands of people came out to protest Vladimir Putin's return to the presidency after four years as prime minister.
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| Turkey sends delegation to China to observe Uighur situation Posted: 30 Jul 2019 08:22 AM PDT ![Turkey sends delegation to China to observe Uighur situation]( "Turkey sends delegation to China to observe Uighur situation") Turkey's foreign minister says a delegation will visit China's northwestern Xinjiang region to observe the situation of minority Uighur Turks. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday that Turkey accepted an invitation from China to visit Xinjiang and will send 10 officials.
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| Trump’s pick for UN representative condemned for ‘extreme views’ on women’s rights Posted: 30 Jul 2019 07:02 AM PDT  Donald Trump's controversial nominee for US representative to the United Nations office in Geneva has been fiercely criticised by human rights groups for his "extreme views" on women's rights.Andrew Bremberg has said victims of rape and sexual violence should not be allowed to terminate their pregnancies and has promised to vote against any UN resolution outlining fundamental rights for survivors of sexual violence if they include abortion.Human Rights Watch has called for the US Senate to reject Mr Bremberg's nomination to be US ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva – saying his views on women's rights are at loggerheads with international human rights law.The organisation joined 38 other groups in a letter urging members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee to reject his nomination. His nomination was scheduled for a vote last week but has now been rearranged for this coming Wednesday.Campaigners warn Mr Bremberg, who serves as assistant to Mr Trump and is the director of the Domestic Policy Council for the White House, has demonstrated in his confirmation hearing and written responses that he will not uphold women's sexual and reproductive rights."Bremberg has made clear that he does not support reproductive rights even in instances of rape, when a pregnancy can be especially traumatic," Amanda Klasing, acting women's rights co-director at Human Rights Watch, said. "The senate should not send to the United Nations someone holding the dangerous view that women's rights can be slashed away from fundamental human rights."She added: "Americans are entitled to expect that their top representatives to the United Nations will engage constructively, uphold international law, and be a voice for all Americans. Andrew Bremberg's stated positions indicate that he will be none of those things."The US representative to the UN in Geneva is responsible for representing America on over 20 UN agencies, including the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights.Mr Bremberg drafted the expanded Mexico City Policy that imposes anti-abortion rules on billions in US health aid.Mr Trump reinstated the policy – also known as the global gag rule and which dates back to the Reagan administration – on his fourth day in office. It requires foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that receive US family planning funds to certify they do not provide abortions or give abortion advice.A damning report by the International Women's Health Coalition found the controversial measure is having a "devastating impact" in Kenya, Nigeria, Nepal and South Africa – depriving women of their right to make choices about their bodies, and effectively killing them. The study, published in June, found the Trump administration's global gag rule is depriving women of vital information about healthcare and medical treatment."This deadly policy violates the rights of patients and ties the hands of providers," Francoise Girard, president of the women and girls' human rights organisation, said."After two years of implementation, the impact is clear: the global gag rule reduces access to contraceptives and abortion care, leading to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and preventable deaths." Research has demonstrated the global gag rule is associated with an increase in abortions and unintended pregnancies and is damaging HIV prevention efforts.Campaigners raised alarm bells about Mr Bremberg's statement at his confirmation hearing that he does not support victims of rape accessing abortion. He supported the US government's "extraordinary threat" at the UN Security Council in April to veto a resolution on gender-based violence in armed conflict because it included a reference to victims' access to sexual and reproductive health care.This position is out of step with current American policies – even under Mr Trump's expanded global gag rule and under the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funding for abortions domestically, exceptions are made in instances where sexual violence has occurred.The Hyde Amendment is a legislative provision barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortion except to save the life of the woman, or if the pregnancy arises from incest or rape.Shelby Quast, director of the US branch of Equality Now, an NGO which aims to promote the rights of women and girls, condemned Mr Bremberg's nomination."America has historically positioned itself as a leader in human rights globally and his appointment would undermine this by putting women and girls wellbeing at risk," she added. "Human rights must be protected and cannot be allowed to be caught up in party politics." "The consequences of sexual violence often includes pregnancy and denying the most vulnerable access to the full range of health care causes huge harm, including death. All of us who support women's rights must stand firm against these erosions against hard-won gains that protect women and girls."We all need to focus our resources and energy on protecting women and girls from sexual violence and ensuring perpetrators are held accountable, not denying women access to healthcare and their rights."As co-chair of the Department of Health and Human Services transition team, Mr Bremberg filled the agency with those who are opposed to abortion.Andrea Prasow, acting Washington director at Human Rights Watch, said: "Bremberg's views on abortion are completely out of touch with those of most Americans, and with international law. Americans deserve a representative in Geneva who will seek to uphold international law both at home and abroad, and if Bremberg won't do that then he shouldn't be confirmed." Planned Parenthood tweeted: "The Trump admin continues to nominate anti-rights players to critical diplomatic positions, jeopardizing women's and human rights protections. E.g. Andrew Bremberg, nom for US Ambassador to UN in Geneva, who opposes abortion even in cases of rape".
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| Cyprus court adjourns Brit teen's false rape case for 1 week Posted: 30 Jul 2019 06:45 AM PDT  A Cyprus court on Tuesday adjourned for one week the legal proceedings against a 19-year-old British woman who faces a public nuisance charge after admitting to falsely accusing a dozen Israelis of raping her at a Cypriot hotel. Andreas Pittadjis, the lawyer for the British woman, says a judge granted his request for the adjournment until Aug. 7 so that he and his client can study all the evidence that police investigators have amassed. The lawyer said the woman has consented to remain in police detention until Aug. 7.
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| How to Prevent a War with Iran Posted: 30 Jul 2019 05:49 AM PDT  President Donald Trump has bought into a maximum pressure strategy that has undermined diplomatic opportunities and brought the United States and Iran to the brink of war. However, there are signs that the president is growing frustrated with the lack of results and is exploring opportunities to re-open the diplomatic window that he has willingly closed. At this critical juncture, the Trump administration still has time to shift from dead-end pressure to serious diplomacy. Fortunately, a number of foreign policy practitioners from both sides of the aisle recently joined together to outline a series of achievable steps that could be taken to reduce the likelihood of war and open up space for serious diplomacy.To start, the United States and Iran are locked into stiff negotiating positions. Tehran insists it will not negotiate under pressure, while Washington shows no sign that it will back off pressure for Iranian concessions. Given that it was the U.S. decision to violate the nuclear deal in pursuit of maximum pressure that undermined hopes for future negotiations, it is incumbent on the United States to take the first step to open up space for diplomacy. As a result, Washington should suspend recent sanctions it has imposed, including by extending waivers for foreign purchasers of Iranian oil. Doing so would not necessarily be an abandonment of maximum pressure, which has already been demonstrated, but is necessary for Iran to show its bottom line has been met to engage in talks.
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| UN official says war in Yemen knocked country back 20 years Posted: 30 Jul 2019 05:28 AM PDT  A top U.N. official warned Monday that Yemen's devastating five-year civil war has knocked the country back 20 years in terms of development and access to education. Yemen was already the Arab world's poorest nation before the war, which has killed tens of thousands of people. The stalemated conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives, thrust millions to the brink of famine and spawned the world's most devastating humanitarian crisis.
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| UN says Afghan forces, allies killed most civilians in 2019 Posted: 30 Jul 2019 05:08 AM PDT  More civilians were killed by Afghan and international coalition forces in Afghanistan in the first half of this year than by the Taliban and other militants, the U.N. mission said in a report released Tuesday. The report apparently refers to civilians killed during Afghan and U.S. military operations against insurgents, such as airstrikes and night raids on militant hideouts. The U.S. formally ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014 but still provides extensive air and other support to Afghan forces battling militants.
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| U.A.E. Sends Coast Guard Delegation to Tehran, Mehr Reports Posted: 30 Jul 2019 04:23 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates sent a seven-member delegation from its coast guard for a meeting with counterparts in the Iranian capital Tehran, Iran's state-run Mehr news agency reported without citing anyone.Illegal trafficking and shared maritime borders are among the topics to be discussed, according to the report. The meeting is the first between the coast guards of the two nations since 2013, Mehr said. It comes after the confrontation between Iran and the U.S. sent tensions in the Persian Gulf soaring, with American officials blaming Iran for recent attacks on oil tankers off the U.A.E. coast. To contact the reporter on this story: Ladane Nasseri in Dubai at lnasseri@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alaa Shahine at asalha@bloomberg.net, Mark WilliamsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Rivals Iran and UAE to hold maritime security talks Posted: 30 Jul 2019 04:22 AM PDT ![Rivals Iran and UAE to hold maritime security talks]( "Rivals Iran and UAE to hold maritime security talks") Iran was to revive maritime security talks on Tuesday with officials from traditional foe the United Arab Emirates (UAE) amid worsening frictions between the Islamic Republic and the West in the Gulf region, Iranian media reported. The talks had been off since 2013, but the UAE wants to help calm the crisis and guard its reputation as a safe business hub. "The 6th joint meeting will be held on Tuesday between a visiting seven-member delegation from the United Arab Emirates' coast guard and Iranian officials in Tehran," Iran's semi-official Students News Agency (ISNA) reported.
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| Nato and Afghan forces kill more civilians than the Taliban Posted: 30 Jul 2019 04:20 AM PDT  Afghan forces and their Nato-backers have killed more civilians so far this year than the Taliban and other militants, a new United Nations report said. Air strikes and night raids against militant hideouts killed hundreds of bystanders as US forces have ramped up operations under Donald Trump, as he seeks a way out of America's longest war. Both sides in the long-running conflict are continuing to wage aggressive operations to strengthen their negotiating hand while pursuing a tentative peace process in Doha. Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, said that Mr Trump wants to begin pulling out American forces from the country by next year. The latest UN figures for civilian deaths during the war said at total of 717 civilians were killed in the first six months of 2019 by pro-government forces, including 403 killed by Afghan forces and another 314 by international forces. The figure is an increase of nearly a third since the first half of 2018. A militant attack against a senior Afghan politician on Sunday killed more than 20 people Credit: Reuters Over the same period, 531 were killed by the Taliban, the local branch of Islamic State group and other militants. A spokesman for American forces in Afghanistan rejected the figures, but did not disclose its own tally. Col Sonny Leggett said US forces collected their own record of civilian casualties which was "more thorough, evidentiary and accurate". Civilian casualties blamed on insurgents dropped by more than two-fifths. The Taliban have said the fall is because they are taking greater care not to kill civilians, but the Afghan government says the fall is because its forces are managing to stop attacks. "Parties to the conflict may give differing explanations for recent trends, each designed to justify their own military tactics," Richard Bennett, the UN's human rights chief in Afghanistan, said. Civilian deaths as a whole fell 27 per cent from the same period in 2018 amid the lowest total of civilian casualties for the first six months of the year since 2012. American negotiators are due to meet Taliban envoys again this week to negotiate a deal allowing foreign troops to pull out in return for assurances Afghanistan will not become a springboard for terrorist attacks. The Taliban are so far refusing to talk to the Afghan government about a wider political settlement that could stop the war continuing after America leaves. Mr Trump wants combat forces reduced in Afghanistan by the next US presidential election, Mr Pompeo said. "He's been unambiguous: end the endless wars, draw down, reduce. It won't just be us," he said. "We hope that overall the need for combat forces in the region is reduced."
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| A Democrat Floats Options to Trump’s Trade Tactics Posted: 30 Jul 2019 04:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every day? Sign up for the Terms of Trade newsletter, and follow Bloomberg Economics on Twitter for more.Just how much of a role trade will play in 2020 presidential politics is still up for debate. But the Democratic contenders are starting to weigh in.President Donald Trump is right to target China, his opposition says, but he's doing it all wrong. His tariffs hurt American farmers and workers more than the Chinese Communist Party. His new Nafta — the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement awaiting congressional ratification — falls short on labor protection, climate change and drug prices, the Democrats say.Ultimately, the biggest factor will be the extent to which Trump's trade battles further hobble the economy. Yet if you want to replace him, you need to offer an alternative. Which is why the plan Elizabeth Warren released Monday is interesting, even if it reads less like a bold vision document than a treatise on process:Like Trump, the Massachusetts senator is a long-time critic of U.S. trade policy and has offered "economic patriotism" as a central tenet. She calls for a plan that's different from both the Washington free-trade consensus that prevailed for decades and Trump's "haphazard and ultimately corporate-friendly approach." Warren's big focus is remaking the U.S. process for hammering out trade pacts. She has proposed creating a Department of Economic Development that would absorb the U.S. Trade Representative's office and its negotiating functions. But she says she would also require greater transparency and congressional input and give more power to advisory committees. The environment gets attention. Membership of the Paris Accord would be a precondition for any trade deal, as would be eliminating fossil-fuel subsidies. A carbon tariff would be imposed on goods produced in countries with weaker emission standards. Warren does not say how she herself would tackle China, or what she would do with Trump's tariffs. But she lays out elements of an attack. "We've let China get away with the suppression of pay and labor rights, poor environmental protections, and years of currency manipulation." The senator has said she would actively manage the dollar's value to promote domestic manufacturing, something Trump is flirting with. She would also, however, ban trade talks with any country on the U.S. Treasury's biannual currency watch list, which now includes China but also allies like Germany, Japan and South Korea.Charting the Trade WarIndia's growing affluence is seeing its population turn more carnivorous, leading the country with the world's highest number of vegetarians to import more corn for chicken feed than ever before.Today's Must ReadsShanghai round | U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer arrived in China's bustling port city for talks starting Tuesday evening and continuing tomorrow. Thanks for mutton | The U.K. government, which is trying to ease concerns about overseas markets after Brexit, is turning sheep farmers' attention to a far-away customer: Japan. Lighthizer unleashed | Vietnam is the latest target of the American trade representative, who called on the Southeast Asian country to take steps to have more balanced trade with the U.S. France's backlash | Some lawmakers from Emmanuel Macron's party were given police protection after offices were ransacked following parliament's approval of an EU trade pact with Canada. Crop giants' bets | The fortunes of ADM and Bunge, two of the world's largest agricultural commodity traders, have soured amid the trade war and margin-squeezing rally in corn prices. Economic AnalysisChinese gateway | Hong Kong retains a key role as a main link between China's economy and global markets. Ross i in Sao Paulo | The U.S. Commerce chief is reinforcing commercial and economic ties with Brazilian officials.Coming UpJuly 30-31: U.S.-China trade talks in Shanghai Aug. 1: South Korean exportsLike Terms of Trade?Don't keep it to yourself. Colleagues and friends can sign up here. We also publish Balance of Power, a daily briefing on the latest in global politics.For even more: Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access for full global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.WhatsApp: Join us on WhatsApp to get news, insight and analysis of the day's top stories. Sign up here.How are we doing? We want to hear what you think about this newsletter. Let our trade tsar know.To contact the author of this story: Shawn Donnan in Washington at sdonnan@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Brendan Murray at brmurray@bloomberg.net, Zoe SchneeweissFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Chinese court jails veteran human rights activist Huang Qi for 12 years Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:52 AM PDT  A Chinese court has jailed a veteran human rights activist known for running a website tracking abuse accusations and helping victims of a 2008 earthquake in the southwestern province of Sichuan. The province's Mianyang Intermediate People's Court handed down the 12-year sentence on Monday after it "determined that Huang Qi is guilty of deliberately leaking state secrets" and was "guilty of illegally providing the secrets outside of China," it said in a statement. Huang, who is in his mid-fifties, was also stripped of his political rights for four years. He has been in detention since 2016, to the growing concern of rights groups, the United Nations and his mother. On his website www.64tianwang.com, Huang had tried to help those who wanted to find justice in cases such as forced evictions. Reuters could not immediately reach Huang or his representatives to seek comment. Since 2012, Chinese President Xi Jinping has led a campaign in which hundreds of rights lawyers and activists have been detained and others jailed. China regularly rejects criticism of its human rights record and says those jailed are criminals who broke the law.
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| Yemen's government blames rebels for deadly market strike Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:47 AM PDT ![Yemen's government blames rebels for deadly market strike]( "Yemen's government blames rebels for deadly market strike") The Saudi-led coalition and Yemen's internationally-recognized government said Tuesday the Houthi rebels were behind a strike on a market that killed at least 14 civilians, contradicting earlier claims by the rebels who said the coalition was to blame for the attack. The statement, sent to reporters by Yemen's Embassy in Washington, alleged the Houthis launched Katyusha rockets at the al-Thabet market and then attempted to deflect blame by accusing the Saudi-led coalition for Monday's early morning attack. The statement did not explain why the Houthis would target an area under their control.
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| How Low Will the Pound Go? Nomura's Mr. Brexit Has Some Ideas Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:10 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Follow @Brexit, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, and tell us your Brexit story. Jordan Rochester was a 22-year-old working on his Masters in economics at the University of Warwick when David Cameron pledged to hold a Brexit referendum.Today, at 28, he's Mr. Brexit to colleagues and clients. The currency strategist at Nomura International Plc has become the go-to guy for analyzing how every twist in the saga will hit U.K. markets, called upon to combine the notoriously thankless roles of political analyst and pound prognosticator."I'd say I've written a piece or an email on Brexit roughly every two days" for about four years, he said. More than 300 of his solo research notes are published on the bank's website for investors. That excludes co-authored papers and countless emailed notes.Right now, the pound is threatening to post the worst four-day losing streak since 2016 as fears for a no-deal Brexit intensify with the tough stance of new Prime Minister Boris Johnson. He has issued an ultimatum to the European Union, saying he won't start divorce talks unless the withdrawal agreement is re-opened.Rochester puts the chances of a no-deal exit at about 30%. If it happens, he reckons it could send sterling as low as $1.15 from the current level of around $1.22 -- already the lowest since 2017.Wins and LossesOf course, there's no such thing as a sure bet. While Rochester and his Nomura colleagues have notched some big victories -- such as predicting a hung parliament in the 2017 U.K. election -- they've also made less auspicious calls, like for a 2018 comeback trade for the pound.But thanks to an obsession with the minutiae of British politics and relentless output, Rochester is the one people like Andrew Swaine turn to when they're flummoxed."Jordan's insight into British politics and his ability to decipher the narratives and political actors has been extremely solid," the London-based money manager said. "It's not easy to trade politics. What politicians say and what they ultimately do can produce a series of entirely different market outcomes."And Rochester's prolific output looks destined to continue: The arrival of Johnson as prime minister has reignited fears the country could leave the EU without an agreement at the end of October.Read more: How Boris Johnson Plans to Deliver Brexit in 100 DaysAs the pound slides, bets for currency volatility are climbing fast. The British stock exchange is slowly shrinking. Gilts are marching higher as investors seek the safest assets.Sterling hit Rochester's year-end forecast of $1.25 the day after the Conservative Party chose Johnson as its new leader. From here, he sees the pound trapped in a range over the rest of 2019 until U.K. politicians negotiate an agreement with the EU or walk away without one. The median forecast of his peers in a Bloomberg survey has cable ending the year at $1.28.All BrexitAlthough his entire career has so far been defined by it, Rochester never set out to be the Brexit guy. His family wasn't into politics, and he never studied it.He started out on the Scottish independence referendum, part of a Nomura team that developed a model to help the bank call the result early. Similar methods worked for the U.K. election in 2015, where they made a call to go long sterling betting on a Conservative majority. They got a jump of three hours on the final Brexit result.It's all Brexit now. Rochester spends his days scouring every new headline to recalibrate the probabilities of the final outcome. At the same time he's checking each development against market moves, hunting for dislocations for a tactical trade, and boning up on the intricacies of the British Parliament.A typical missive this month ran to about 800 words and covered topics from U.K. retail sales data to rare "manuscript" amendments for bills passing through Parliament. "I don't want to be someone who wings it," said Rochester. "The nitty-gritty of Parliamentary procedure can seem inane, but some clients like to know."Right now, Rochester puts the chances of the other major outcomes of Brexit -- a deal or no Brexit at all -- at about 40% and 30%, respectively. In other words, three years since the start of the process, it's still anybody's guess.Against that backdrop, traders are moving to protect themselves. Philippos Kassimatis, a co-founder at hedging advisory firm Maven Global, says demand for protection against sterling losses has picked up among private equity firms that own or are seeking to buy U.K. companies, as well as U.S. investors with exposures to pound-denominated assets."These investors are not worried too much if the pound devalues by 5% or 7%," he said. "They care about protecting against a 20% move."'Eureka'Crystal-balling Brexit -- and second-guessing U.K. policy makers -- has backfired for Rochester, even when he's been right. Nomura predicted a rate hike in the thick of the Brexit crisis in August 2017, breaking with peers who were convinced the Bank of England was preparing to cut borrowing costs. But the timing was off."If we had gone for November we would have been heroes," Rochester said.He's also been burnt predicting sterling strength: In May 2018, the team said the "battered pound" would make a comeback and hit $1.46 by year end -- it ended at $1.2754.The complexity of it all means many investors are on the sidelines. Gianluca Girola, a trader in Citigroup Inc. in London, said real money clients outside the U.K. are fed up with the performance of the British Parliament, and their "expensive political games.""They're waiting on the sidelines for a green light in either direction," Girola said. "When the move comes, it might be fast and furious."Rochester concedes most of the time clients don't want to talk about Brexit, because of what he calls "Brexhaustion." But their interest revives when there's a volatility event or something to trade, and when it does he's always there.When Brexit is finished, he says he will continue to churn out analysis on the risks of a Jeremy Corbyn government, Scottish independence or the future of the U.K. economy. Until then, he's got plenty to do."At one point we are going to have a Eureka moment when we say 'Ah, that's what Brexit is,'" said Rochester. "But we don't know when that's going to happen."(Adds this week's price action in 4th paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Anchalee Worrachate in London at aworrachate@bloomberg.net;Charlotte Ryan in London at cryan147@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Samuel Potter at spotter33@bloomberg.net, ;James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net, Cecile GutscherFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Shanghai’s Jazz-Era Glamor Sets Mood for Trade Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:02 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every day? Sign up for the Balance of Power newsletter, and follow Bloomberg Politics on Twitter and Facebook for more.With trade on their mind, Chinese negotiators couldn't have picked a more evocative setting for dinner with the visiting Americans.The waterfront hotel still oozing the jazz-era glamor of Shanghai in the 1920s is a place that has seen history in the making, including U.S. President Richard Nixon's landmark visit in 1970s.Yet for all the symbolism, the two sides are further apart than they were three months ago, when talks broke down into mutual recrimination. And trade tensions aren't the only issue that have the two dominant world economies at odds.China's territorial ambitions in the South China Sea will come into sharp focus as diplomats descend on Bangkok for a summit of southeast Asian economies. It's where smaller countries like Vietnam and the Philippines get to vent once a year — with the U.S. present — about a Chinese power grab in a critical shipping route.As the longtime guarantor of freedom of navigation in Asia's waters, the U.S. plays an important role and has decried China's actions as "bullying." But words won't alter China's strategic thinking on the matter as it settles into a geopolitical long game, hoping perhaps that the U.S. will be too consumed by its presidential campaign to pay attention.Global HeadlinesDetroit debate | Get set for a potential showdown between Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren during tonight's Democratic presidential debate. Sanders and Warren — who are battling for the role of progressive alternative to front-runner Joe Biden — are the most high-profile candidates scheduled to participate in the first round, with Biden and rival Kamala Harris among those set to take the stage tomorrow. Biden, who will be the other candidates' main target, has retreated for five days of closed-door debate prep.Read more about Warren's trade policy rollout. Hint: It would be a big break with Trump.Democratic hopefuls risk falling behind in "Rust Belt" states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio that Trump has assiduously targeted, Matt Townsend and Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou report.Telling Trump no | Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador won't agree to Trump's demands for his country to process asylum seeker claims in the type of deal Guatemala signed with the U.S. to stop the flow of undocumented migrants from Central America. The leftist leader known as AMLO sat down with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait in his first interview with international media as president to discuss topics including his belief in the need for lower interest rates to revive his nation's flagging economy.Tough road | Trump's choice to replace Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence faces a difficult confirmation in the Senate. While Democrats have slammed House member John Ratcliffe for his fawning loyalty to the president — he agrees with Trump's characterization of the two-year probe into Russian meddling the 2016 election as a "witch hunt" — Republicans have remained largely silent on him.Strait squeeze | Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe finds himself in a tight spot, Isabel Reynolds explains. He doesn't want to anger the U.S. after the country's main ally asked him to join its international call to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. But voters at home are suspicious of overseas military deployments that could undermine Japan's pacifist constitution.Cleaning house | Fresh from forcing their governor to resign, young protesters in Puerto Rico, mirroring populists elsewhere, are directing their rage on a wide range of politicians who they say have led the island into a grinding recession. As Michael Deibert and Ezra Fieser report, the deepening anger is threatening to crack the U.S. commonwealth's two-party system.What to WatchFresh train disruptions by Hong Kong protesters show how unrest once confined to weekend marches through downtown streets is beginning to affect daily life across the Asian financial hub. South Africa's beleaguered state power utility is set to announce its second consecutive multi-billion rand annual loss today, deepening a financial crisis that's become a national problem.And finally...Thanks to years of Brexit insanity, the pound these days can seem as volatile as an emerging market currency, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's tough talk has just sent it plunging to a two-year low. Enter Jordan Rochester, or Mr. Brexit as he is known to his clients. The 28-year-old currency strategist at Nomura International has become the go-to guy for analyzing every political twist in the U.K.'s divorce from the European Union. And he puts the chances of a departure with no deal — the scenario businesses fear most — at about 30%. \--With assistance from Kathleen Hunter and Jon Herskovitz.To contact the author of this story: Enda Curran in Hong Kong at ecurran8@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Karl MaierFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Japan’s Taste for Brexit Lamb May Not Be Enough for U.K. Farmers Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:00 AM PDT ![Japan's Taste for Brexit Lamb May Not Be Enough for U.K. Farmers]( "Japan's Taste for Brexit Lamb May Not Be Enough for U.K. Farmers") (Bloomberg) -- Follow @Brexit, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, and tell us your Brexit story. The U.K. government has a message for British sheep farmers worried about the impact of a no-deal Brexit: Look East."I would point to the market in Japan, that has just been opened to Welsh and British sheep," Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns told BBC Radio. "That is a significant market for which we haven't really scratched the surface yet."Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits Wales on Tuesday as sheep farmers express fears that leaving the European Union without a deal on Oct. 31 will trigger tariffs that effectively exclude them from their biggest export market.There are about 10 million sheep in Wales - more than three for every human inhabitant - and Johnson has said Brexit will allow the U.K. to export more food and farm produce around the world.But the prospect of selling sheep to Japan is unlikely to appease farmers. Even though Japan ended a 20-year ban on British lamb and beef -- imposed after the mad cow disease crisis -- it has yet to agree to roll over the trading arrangements the U.K. enjoys as a member of the EU. The U.K. has said an agreement won't be reached before Brexit day.There's also the matter of market size. According to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, the EU accounts for 89% of the 392 million pounds ($477 million) of sheep meat products the U.K. exports every year.By contrast, it estimates the Japanese market for British lamb will be worth a total of 52 million pounds spread over the first five years of market access. The U.K. will also face stiff competition from New Zealand and Australia, it says."There's no other outlet that could come close, where volume is concerned, at least in the near-term" to offsetting the loss of the EU market, the AHDB said in a February report.To contact the reporter on this story: Stuart Biggs in London at sbiggs3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Mark WilliamsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| RPT-U.S. firms see little clarity on Huawei as U.S.-China talks resume Posted: 30 Jul 2019 03:00 AM PDT ![RPT-U.S. firms see little clarity on Huawei as U.S.-China talks resume]( "RPT-U.S. firms see little clarity on Huawei as U.S.-China talks resume") A month after President Donald Trump said he would allow U.S. companies to resume selling to blacklisted Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei , his administration has done little to clarify what sales will be permitted. The lack of clarity on what U.S. firms can supply to the world's top producer of telecommunications equipment as long as it's on a so-called "entity list" is likely to cast a shadow over this week's U.S.-China trade negotiations in Shanghai. Trump had pledged to allow the sales as a goodwill gesture to President Xi Jinping when the two met last month and agreed to restart talks to try to resolve their year-long trade war.
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| Seaside break no summer camp for China leadership at Beidaihe resort Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:30 AM PDT  It may appear at first glance that the most important time in China's political season falls in the last three months of the year, when the country's ruling elites gather in Beijing for a series of top decision-making meetings, culminating in the plenary session of the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee.In fact, China's political temperature is at its highest during the dog days of August, when current and retired leaders gather in the popular northern beach resort of Beidaihe to escape the heat of the national capital, and to talk.The resort, located some 300km (186 miles) east of Beijing, provides a relaxed environment for party leaders " particularly the retired ones who still have influence " to exchange their views on major policies. Those views are often absorbed into the formal policymaking meetings that commence in October in Beijing when the weather has cooled.Traditionally, there is no official announcement of the Beidaihe gathering. Instead, observers will note the sudden absence of President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders from state television's daily news bulletins as a sign that the summer conclave has begun.Beidaihe was elevated to an important political venue under Chinese leader Mao Zedong, seen here on the beach in 1960. Photo: Xinhua alt=Beidaihe was elevated to an important political venue under Chinese leader Mao Zedong, seen here on the beach in 1960. Photo: XinhuaIn recent years, the start of the conclave has also been suggested by reports of senior leaders greeting scientists and academics who have been invited to the resort.It was the Qing government which first used Beidaihe as a summer resort, to entertain diplomats in the late 19th century. Under Nationalist rule, between 1911 and 1949, Beidaihe and Lushan, in southern China, were earmarked as the two major summer resorts for government officials.But Beidaihe only became an important political venue when late chairman Mao Zedong, a keen swimmer, decided to set up a "summer office" there for officials, away from the heat of Beijing. Since then, the resort town has been the birthplace of some historic decisions, including the launch of Mao's Great Leap Forward and his decision to shell Quemoy island, the closest Kuomintang outpost to the mainland, in 1958.The significance of the summer gathering has diminished under strongman leader Xi. Since his elevation to a status equal to Mao, and superior to all post-Mao leaders " including paramount leaders Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao " Xi has dominated policymaking. Under his leadership, it is widely believed that the influence of retired leaders has also weakened significantly.But most analysts believe Beidaihe still plays a significant role in Chinese politics, giving Xi an opportunity to review and adjust his policies, even though there is little sign of any major challenge to his dominance. This is why the Beidaihe gathering is still keenly watched.Deng Xiaoping (right foreground) in the sea at Beidaihe in July 1987. Photo: Xinhua alt=Deng Xiaoping (right foreground) in the sea at Beidaihe in July 1987. Photo: XinhuaBesides spending their leisure time in the sunshine at the beach, China's leaders also meet frequently at Beidaihe, where they continue to hold the regular weekly gatherings of the innermost Politburo Standing Committee, the monthly Politburo meetings, as well as the discussions of other top party, government and military organs, such as the State Council executive body.Officials from some important central bodies also move into town, ready to be called on to report to, or be consulted by, the top leadership. Representatives from Communist Party departments stay in villas on the western side of an exclusive beach, while State Council cadres stay on the eastern side."Beidaihe is where and when senior leaders can get together in informal meetings to exchange their views on major policies, and therefore, it still plays a very significant role in policymaking in Chinese politics," said Alfred Wu, associate professor of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy with National University of Singapore.This year's meeting will be watched particularly closely, with a host of unprecedented challenges facing the leadership. These include deteriorating China-US relations amid a potentially full-blown trade war; the mass protests in Hong Kong, which communist leaders in Beijing may see as a challenge to Chinese sovereignty; rising pro-independence sentiment in Taiwan; and the sagging economy, which saw growth falling to a record low in the last quarter.Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese studies with King's College, London, said he believed the focus of this year's meeting would be on the general deterioration of the international environment, in particular China-US relations."I imagine that this meeting will be more focused on external issues than ever before because " to be honest " neither Xi, nor anyone else for that matter, knows what to do about a US under such divided, divisive leadership, where its position at the moment is both a source of opportunity but also a very real danger," said Brown, who is also director of the college's Lau China Institute.The gathering comes after more than a year of tit-for-tat tariffs and escalating confrontation between the world's two major rival powers in almost every area, ranging from technology, ideology and Taiwan to regional and global security.Washington has imposed 25 per cent tariffs on about half of China's exports to the US and threatened to extend them to all Chinese goods, if the trade talks fail. The US has also launched a technology war, blacklisting several Chinese companies, including the telecoms giant Huawei Technologies. China has retaliated with similar, but more restrained, measures.Despite an agreement to resume negotiations " reached between Xi and his US counterpart Donald Trump at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan " the prospect for an agreement still seems far from certain.In Osaka, both leaders agreed to refrain from imposing new or higher tariffs on each other's goods, in a similar outcome to their previous meeting at the G20 summit in Argentina in December. But the tariff and technology wars have already damaged both economies and hurt the credibility of the two leaders. A full-blown trade war would be catastrophic, potentially leading to the decoupling of the world's two largest economies.While there are no clear signs of a challenge to Xi's authority, there is growing dissent within the establishment over some of his policies. For instance, some officials have made covert complaints about the leadership's misjudgment of the US administration's China policy.There has also been some criticism voiced of the party's inflated propaganda about Chinese achievements on the world stage, its high-profile foreign policy and increasingly assertive defence posture. All of these recent policies, some officials believe, have played a role in the fast-deteriorating relationship between China and the US in recent years.US President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at their Osaka meeting. Photo: Reuters alt=US President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at their Osaka meeting. Photo: ReutersThe US-China trade and technology wars have also exposed several unpalatable truths about China's overinflated sense of national strength, including its weakness in scientific and technological capabilities, its economic vulnerability, and China's real place on the international stage.Brown predicted that, with no clear answers to the question of how to deal with the challenges of the Trump administration, Xi was likely to spend his summer at Beidaihe listening."He can't imagine that the meetings will be about giving instruction, but more about sensing how serious the issues they are facing with the US are, and exactly how to politically respond " just continue to be watchful and respond defensively, or to push forward even more assertively."Wu said Hong Kong's ongoing mass protests would also top the leadership's agenda at Beidaihe, either in formal or informal meetings.For several weeks, the continued mass protests against an extradition bill have evolved into a wider movement with elements against the central government's control over the former British colony.The demonstrations were originally triggered by a now-suspended bill that would have allowed extradition of criminal suspects to mainland China. But they have turned on the central government in Beijing, with some pro-democracy protesters defacing the facade of the central government's liaison office building in Hong Kong, throwing eggs and splashing black paint on the national emblem of China.The crisis has caught the attention of the global media and triggered widespread criticism in the West, particularly in the US and Britain, over Beijing's handling of Hong Kong affairs.But China's leaders may see the protests as the most severe challenge to Chinese rule since the city's return to its sovereignty in 1997. Beijing is also worried the continuing unrest in the territory may hurt China's national interest in economics, politics and diplomacy. The leaders are expected to discuss and determine policy measures to deal with the situation during their stay at Beidaihe.The storming of the Legislative Council chamber in Hong Kong and other protests in the city are expected to be on the leadership's agenda at Beidaihe. Photo: Sam Tsang alt=The storming of the Legislative Council chamber in Hong Kong and other protests in the city are expected to be on the leadership's agenda at Beidaihe. Photo: Sam TsangAs cross-strait ties have plunged to their lowest ebb since Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2016, Beijing sees hope for improved relations in a possible changing of the guard in Taiwan's upcoming presidential elections.The presidential race will not only be a showdown between the self-ruled island's independence-leaning and Beijing-friendly camps, but also in the rivalry between Washington and Beijing.The Trump administration apparently sees incumbent Tsai and her party as crucial allies in America's "Indo-Pacific" strategy. Beijing favours Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Han Kuo-yu, the popular mayor of Kaohsiung, who supports the one-China principle, seeing a victory for him as an opportunity for progress in cross-strait relations.Despite the DPP's crushing defeat to the Beijing-friendly KMT in last year's local elections, Tsai's prospects for re-election " and also the prospects for her DPP in the legislative elections " have improved significantly recently due to the party's standing up to threats from Beijing, as well as its support of the protesters in Hong Kong.With the polls just six months away, Beijing needs to come up with some countermeasures, in an effort to help its favoured party make a turnaround ahead of the crucial elections.China's policymakers must also discuss measures to overhaul and revive the Chinese economy, not only because the world's once-fastest-growing main economy registered record low growth in the last quarter, but also because there is no sign of a halt to a 12-year-long downward trend.Growth in the Chinese economy slowed to just 6.2 per cent in the April-June period " the lowest quarterly figure since records began in March 1992. But the world's second largest economy has been steadily slowing over the past decade, from 14.23 per cent growth in 2007 to 9.5 per cent in 2011, 7.3 per cent in 2014 and 6.6 per cent last year.That downward trend has accelerated quarter by quarter since last year and the latest figures have raised the serious question of when growth may come to a halt, requiring a fundamental overhaul of the state-led economic system, and forceful action by the government.Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to use the meetings at Beidaihe this year to try to forge consensus among China's leadership. Photo: Handout alt=Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to use the meetings at Beidaihe this year to try to forge consensus among China's leadership. Photo: HandoutAnalysts believe Xi will use the Beidaihe meetings to try and forge consensus among China's leadership on how to handle the political fallout from the US trade war, Hong Kong protests and other urgent issues.All of these matters are of strategic significance to China's core national interest and development, related as they are to whether the world's most populous nation " and last major state under communist rule " can achieve Xi's most prized accomplishment of the "two centenary goals" " that is, to realise a "moderately prosperous society" by 2021, and to make China a "rich, powerful, democratic, civilised and harmonious" country by 2049.This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2019 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| Senate fails to block US arms sales to Saudi Arabia after Trump's vetoes Posted: 30 Jul 2019 02:27 AM PDT  The Senate has failed to pass legislation blocking the sale of $8.1bn (£6.5bn) worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.It follows presidential vetoes issued by Donald Trump to override previous resolutions in Congress attempting to halt the controversial arms sale.Politicians in both parties fear it could see the give-away of sensitive US nuclear technology, and expressed concern US armaments could be used by the Saudis on civilians in Yemen.Despite the bipartisan pushback and a vote of 45-40 on Monday, the Senate fell short of the two-thirds votes needed to overturn a presidential veto. Five of the chamber's Republicans voted with their Democratic colleagues.The White House argued that stopping the sales would send a signal that the US doesn't stand by its partners and allies at a time when threats from hostile countries such as Iran are increasing.Rep. Elijah Cummings said his committee's report "exposes how corporate and foreign interests are using their unique access to advocate for the transfer of US nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia".Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey said the pending sale was "not only is a Saudi jobs program, it is also a give-away of sensitive US military technology".The failed Senate vote comes as the House Oversight Committee released a report criticising the Trump administration over its apparent willingness to allow the president's friends undue influence over US policy toward Saudi Arabia.New documents obtained by the committee "raise serious questions about whether the White House is willing to place the potential profits of the president's friends above the national security of the American people", the report said.The 50-page oversight study said Mr Trump's friend, campaign donor and inaugural chairman, Tom Barrack, negotiated directly with the president and other White House officials to seek positions within the administration, including special envoy to the Middle East and ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.At the same time, Mr Barrack was promoting the interests of US corporations seeking to profit from the transfer of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia and taking steps for his own company, Colony NorthStar, to profit from the proposals, the report claimed.One of the companies leading an effort to build nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia, IP3 International, repeatedly pressed the Trump administration not to require the kingdom to commit to a rigorous "gold standard" in any agreement with the US, the report said.IP3 officials had "unprecedented access" to the highest levels of the Trump administration, including meetings with the president, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and cabinet secretaries Rick Perry, Steven Mnuchin, Mike Pompeo, Rex Tillerson, James Mattis and Wilbur Ross, the report said. The report "exposes how corporate and foreign interests are using their unique access to advocate for the transfer of US nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia," said congressman Elijah Cummings, the committee's Democratic chairman.Mr Cummings has come under attack from Mr Trump in recent days, with the president describing his Baltimore district a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" where "no human being would want to live".Additional reporting by agencies
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| Iran sentences former Tehran mayor to death for killing wife Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:44 AM PDT ![Iran sentences former Tehran mayor to death for killing wife]( "Iran sentences former Tehran mayor to death for killing wife") Iran's state TV says a former mayor of Tehran who also served as one of the country's vice presidents was sentenced to death for killing his wife. Tuesday's report quotes judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili as saying that Mohammad Ali Najafi was convicted of fatally shooting his wife, Mitra Ostad. Gun violence is very rare in Iran, especially among the country's political and economic elite.
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| Climate activist Thunberg to sail to UN summit in New York from Britain Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:38 AM PDT ![Climate activist Thunberg to sail to UN summit in New York from Britain]( "Climate activist Thunberg to sail to UN summit in New York from Britain") Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg will sail to the United Nations climate summit in New York from Britain. The 16-year-old has inspired young climate protesters around the world, warning about the dangers of inaction and global warming. Pierre Casiraghi, founder of the Team Malizia and co-skipper for the transatlantic crossing, said he believed in raising awareness about rising global emissions and pollution.
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| Nearly 4,000 civilians in Afghanistan killed or wounded through June: United Nations Posted: 30 Jul 2019 01:02 AM PDT  Amid ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, 1,366 civilians have been killed and another 2,446 wounded in the first half of this year, according to the United Nations. At the 2019 Intra-African Dialogue in Doha earlier in July, Afghan leaders vowed to reduce civilian casualties to zero. "Everyone heard the message loud and clear from Afghan delegates in the Doha talks -- 'reduce civilian casualties to zero!'" said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA.
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