| Rights group calls Duterte's drug war crime against humanity Posted: 08 Jul 2019 05:43 PM PDT  Amnesty International urgently called for international pressure and an immediate U.N. investigation to help end what it says are possible crimes against humanity in the Philippine president's bloody anti-drug crackdown. About 6,600 people, most of them accused of petty drug crimes, have been killed in the crackdown Duterte launched as his centerpiece project when he took office in mid-2016.
|
| Donald Trump 'will no longer deal' with British ambassador, as he hits out at Theresa May for Brexit 'mess' Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:24 PM PDT  Donald Trump has excoriated the UK's ambassador to Washington, saying he will "no longer deal with" the beleaguered diplomat. The US president also turned his fire on Theresa May, accusing her of making a "mess" of Brexit. Mr Trump added that the UK was "wonderful," and the "good news" was that it would soon have a new leader. His intervention came after leaked diplomatic cables showed Sir Kim Darroch, the UK's top diplomat in Washington, had described Mr Trump's administration as "inept" and "incompetent". Sir Kim was reportedly due on Monday night to attend a dinner at the White House, in honour of the Emir of Qatar, but had been "disinvited" in the wake of the leaks. Writing on Twitter, Mr Trump said: "I have been very critical about the way the UK and Prime Minister Theresa May handled Brexit. What a mess she and her representatives have created. I told her how it should be done, but she decided to go another way. I have been very critical about the way the U.K. and Prime Minister Theresa May handled Brexit. What a mess she and her representatives have created. I told her how it should be done, but she decided to go another way. I do not know the Ambassador, but he is not liked or well....— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2019 ....thought of within the U.S. We will no longer deal with him. The good news for the wonderful United Kingdom is that they will soon have a new Prime Minister. While I thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent State Visit last month, it was the Queen who I was most impressed with!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2019 "I do not know the Ambassador, but he is not liked or well thought of within the US. We will no longer deal with him. The good news for the wonderful United Kingdom is that they will soon have a new Prime Minister." Mr Trump also praised the Queen, adding: "While I thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent State Visit last month, it was the Queen who I was most impressed with!" The president targeted Mrs May on Twitter hours after the prime minister said she had "full faith" in Sir Kim. Mrs May's spokesman said it was Sir Kim's role to provide "an honest and unvarnished view" of Mr Trump's administration, although British officials have been forced to apologise. Aides close to the president told The Telegraph at the weekend that they wanted him sacked, suggesting that he was too pro-Europe. Sir Kim Darroch has been savaged by Donald Trump Credit: PA Meanwhile, it emerged that the Government has no idea how many classified diplomatic cables written by Sir Kim had fallen "into the wrong hands." The leak prompted a demand for the Metropolitan Police, aided by the security services, to begin a criminal inquiry into the source. The hunt for the mole who leaked the cables, some of which were published in a Sunday newspaper, is being led by the Cabinet Office with power to comb through phone records and emails of senior ministers who had received the memos. Sir Alan Duncan, the senior Foreign Office minister, told MPs yesterday: "In terms of the emails that have been leaked they are two years apart - one cluster very recent and one of two years ago. Mr Trump said Mrs May didn't listen to him and made a "mess" of Brexit Credit: REX "But of course we don't know if there are any others in the wrong hands which might subsequently be leaked." MI5, MI6 and GCHQ could also assist the inquiry, Sir Alan suggested. He said that the Cabinet Office would "use all of the means it can to delve into this and try find a culprit" and added that if the mole, if discovered, would "regret the moment for the rest of their life". Sir Alan conceded that the number of recipients of Sir Kim's emails "well exceeds" 100 recipients. The Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, announced he had written to Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, formally requesting her force begin a criminal inquiry. Sir Kim Darroch | Read More Sir Simon McDonald, Permanent Secretary at the Foreign Office, told the Public Accounts Committee that "significant damage" had been caused by the leak. Asked if Mrs May agreed with the contents of Sir Kim's leaked assessment of the Trump administration, the spokesman said: "The PM does not agree with that assessment." Earlier in the day, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox on a visit to the US that includes a meeting with Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka, said: "This is such a damaging, potentially damaging, event that I hope the full force of our internal discipline, or even the law, will come down on whoever actually carried out this particular act." Sir Kim Darroch | Profile Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, distanced himself from Sir Kim's remarks telling a press conference: "It's a personal view and there will be many people in this building who don't agree with that view and indeed I don't agree with some of the views that we saw in those letters." "I think the US administration is highly effective and we have the warmest of relationships and a partnership based on standing up for shared values." It is the second major leak inquiry in Government this year. Gavin Williamson was sacked as defence secretary after being accused by Mrs May of being the source of a Telegraph story that detailed a row over the involvement of Huawei, the Chinese telecoms company, in helping to build Britain's 5G network.
|
| Iran breaches key uranium enrichment limit in nuclear deal Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:22 PM PDT  Iran on Monday began enriching uranium to 4.5%, just breaking the limit set by its nuclear deal with world powers, while it is still seeking a way for Europe to help it bypass U.S. sanctions amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington. The acknowledgement by the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to The Associated Press shows that the Islamic Republic trying to increase pressure on those still in the 2015 nuclear deal. It also comes just days after Iran acknowledged breaking the 300-kilogram (661-pound) limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile, another term of the accord.
|
| The Tory Rivals Jockeying to Become Britain's Next Chancellor Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:01 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- As Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson enter their final weeks of campaigning to replace Prime Minister Theresa May in No. 10 Downing Street, speculation is mounting over who would take up residence next door as Chancellor of the Exchequer.While neither Hunt nor Johnson say they have promised the job to anyone yet, both have been preparing their transition teams ahead of the result on July 23. A number of names have been circulating, including Sajid Javid, Amber Rudd and even Hunt himself -- if he loses to Johnson.The new chancellor will have a packed in-tray when he or she starts. Incumbent Philip Hammond is leaving some key decisions to his successor, including picking the new Bank of England governor and deciding the scope of the upcoming spending review that sets limits for government departments.There's also Brexit to consider. Both Johnson and Hunt have said they will pursue a no-deal exit from the European Union if an agreement can't be reached. As Johnson has made it clear he will not allow dissent in his pro-Brexit Cabinet, current europhile ministers such David Gauke have said they are unlikely to be offered a position.So who is vying for one of the most powerful jobs in government?Sajid Javid The bookmakers' favorite for the job is Sajid Javid, a 49-year-old former Deutsche Bank trader, business secretary and Treasury minister. Currently the home secretary, Javid has similar spending ambitions to Johnson on infrastructure and housing.He is the son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver and would be Britain's first chancellor from an Asian background. Pro-Israel and socially liberal, Javid is seen as fiscally tough and intellectually euroskeptic, positions that are popular among rank-and-file Tories. Crucially for Johnson, Javid is prepared to leave the EU without a deal and has now publicly backed the Tory front-runner.Jeremy HuntIf Johnson wins the Tory leadership race, he could make a bold offer to his defeated rival and give the chancellor's job to Hunt. The foreign secretary has repeatedly noted his shared positions on Brexit with Johnson and both candidates have promised generous spending plans and tax cuts.The herbal tea-drinking Hunt is a polite multimillionaire, who likes to remind voters that he started his career as an entrepreneur. Even so, putting Hunt in the Treasury would be a dramatic peace offering to a rival who has done his best to undermine Johnson's chances.Liz TrussLiz Truss has been a loyal supporter of Johnson since the early days of his campaign, which could put her in pole position for a key role. As the current chief secretary to the Treasury, she's nominally in charge of the government spending review -- though she has clashed with Hammond on key policies including the divisive HS2 north-south high-speed rail project.While Hammond wants to keep HS2 on track, Truss has sided with grassroots Tories who complain it will cut through the picturesque counties surrounding London. Johnson has spoken of the need for another review of its economic benefits, while Hunt has given the project his full support.Truss, 43, doesn't enjoy as much support in the party as other candidates. Some of her public appearances have attracted mockery, particularly when in a 2014 speech to the Tory annual conference she declared: "We import two thirds of our cheese. That. Is. A. Disgrace."After growing up in a left-wing household in Yorkshire, northern England, Truss rebelled and joined the Tories. In the Thatcherite tradition, the pro-Brexit Truss advocates deregulation and hard work, and was co-author of a 2012 book claiming British workers are among the world's most idle.Matt HancockThe ambitious 40-year-old Matt Hancock threw his weight behind Johnson after quitting the leadership race at an earlier stage. That surprised some of his fellow moderate Tories, given the health secretary took aim at Johnson's anti-business rhetoric and has said he would vote to remain in the EU if given the chance in another referendum. Yet Hancock's ability to defend government policy -- whatever it is -- will be useful to whoever wins the contest.Hancock has won a horse race as a jockey and played cricket in the Arctic. More relevantly, he's worked as an economist at the Bank of England and as an adviser to former chancellor George Osborne.It may not be smooth sailing if Hancock gets the job. He and Johnson disagree on so-called sin taxes on sugary drinks and unhealthy foods. Hancock sees the taxes as key to tackling obesity; Johnson has pledged to review the levy. Johnson also rowed back a pledge to end a public-sector pay freeze, just hours after Hancock announced it -- apparently on his behalf.Amber RuddAmber Rudd has been talked of as a potential chancellor for years. As home secretary in 2017, she was rumored to be in line to replace Hammond if May won a landslide election victory. May failed, and Rudd stayed at the Home Office until she was forced to resign over the department's mishandling of legacy immigration issues.It's Rudd's stance on Brexit -- and her past criticism of Johnson's character -- that will weigh against her this time. As one of the most high-profile pro-EU members of Cabinet, Rudd has threatened to quit if a no-deal Brexit becomes government policy, making her an unlikely Johnson appointee.During the 2016 EU referendum, she questioned Johnson's reliability, saying while he was the life and soul of the party, he "was not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening."Rudd, 55, is also one of the most vocal backers of Hunt, saying he'll be able to best unite the divided Tory party. The work and pensions secretary is a leader of the One Nation Conservatives group backing "good regulation" and free enterprise.Best of the RestIf Johnson or Hunt decide to fill their Cabinet with Brexiteers, there are a number of contenders who could be in line for top jobs. They include Environment Secretary Michael Gove, and former Cabinet ministers Andrea Leadsom and Priti Patel.Cult figure Jacob Rees-Mogg could be a wildcard candidate for chancellor. He shares a number of similarities with Johnson, his fellow Old Etonian. The 50-year-old euroskeptic is a figurehead for the Tory party's staunchest Brexit backers, and has supported Johnson from the start.Rees-Mogg is an arch critic of Bank of England governor Mark Carney, accusing him of interfering in Brexit and of a "panic interest-rate cut" in the wake of the 2016 vote to leave the EU.The father of five is sometimes jokingly called the "member of Parliament for the 18th Century." He's admitted to never changing a diaper, wore suits as an undergraduate at Oxford University, and was interviewed by the BBC at the age of 12 about his investments in industrial giant General Electric Co. He said he wanted to be managing director of the company by the age of 30.To contact the reporters on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@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.
|
| UN report: 464,000 people killed in homicides in 2017 Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:50 PM PDT ![UN report: 464,000 people killed in homicides in 2017]( "UN report: 464,000 people killed in homicides in 2017") Some 464,000 homicides were recorded around the world in 2017, far more than the number pf people killed in armed conflicts and terrorist attacks, a U.N. report said Monday. The Global Study on Homicide 2919 published Monday said the region with highest number of homicide victims was the Americas.
|
| Tory Dominic Grieve Seeks to Stop Suspension of Parliament Over Brexit Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:42 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Conservatives working to prevent a chaotic Brexit have proposed legislation to stop the next prime minister suspending Parliament to force a no-deal break from the European Union.Dominic Grieve, a former attorney general and veteran anti-Brexit rebel, proposed an amendment that would require Parliament to be in session on Sept. 4, Oct. 9 and then every two weeks until Dec. 18 -- effectively making it impossible for Theresa May's successor to suspend the legislature to try to bypass lawmakers ahead of the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline.It would also allow MPs to seize control of the Parliamentary agenda. If the speaker selects the amendment -- which is unpredictable -- it would go to a vote on Tuesday.Boris Johnson, the front-runner in the Tory leadership contest, has vowed to take Britain out of the bloc "do or die" by the end of October, even if he hasn't secured a divorce agreement to smooth the process. He has said he doesn't want to suspend Parliament to push through a hard break, but has declined to rule out using the radical and controversial measure.Tools of ParliamentFearing the economic chaos that would follow a no-deal divorce, about 30 Conservative members of Parliament are trying to figure out how to use the tools of Parliament to prevent it. Whether they can succeed is the most pressing question now facing investors, businesses and citizens.Grieve is using the Northern Ireland Bill as a vehicle for his latest bid to stop a chaotic divorce. The legislation requires the government to update lawmakers on progress restoring power-sharing to the province, which has been without an executive for more than two years.There is no guarantee Grieve's amendment will be selected by Speaker of the Commons John Bercow when Parliament debates the bill Tuesday. Grieve's last attempt to block a no-deal Brexit -- by cutting off spending to government departments -- was thwarted when Bercow didn't include his plan for a vote.The Times reported that Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond -- a fierce opponent of a no-deal Brexit -- had urged May to allow Conservative MPs to support efforts to stop Parliament from being suspended. It said he'd suggested that in return he'd agree to release money for education funding, something it said May wants for her legacy.To contact the reporters on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, ;Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Trump hits out at May after leak of damning cables Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:03 PM PDT  Donald Trump launched an extraordinary attack Monday on outgoing British premier Theresa May, following the leak of diplomatic cables highly critical of his presidency. Visibly angered by May's continuing support for her ambassador -- which Downing Street reiterated on Monday -- Trump assailed the prime minister over her handling of fraught Brexit negotiations, and welcomed her impending departure from office. "What a mess she and her representatives have created," Trump fumed in a series of tweets.
|
| UN says suspected cholera cases in Yemen surge to 460,000 Posted: 08 Jul 2019 02:47 PM PDT ![UN says suspected cholera cases in Yemen surge to 460,000]( "UN says suspected cholera cases in Yemen surge to 460,000") War-battered Yemen has been hit with more than 460,000 suspected cholera cases so far this year — a sharp rise from the 380,000 cases for all of 2018, the United Nations said Monday. U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the increased number of cases has led to 705 apparent cholera deaths since January, dramatically higher than the 75 deaths in the same period last year. Haq said the spread of cholera across the country has been accelerated by recent flash flooding, poor maintenance of waste management systems and a lack of access to clean water for drinking or irrigation.
|
| UN rights chief 'appalled' by conditions in US for migrants Posted: 08 Jul 2019 02:29 PM PDT  The United Nations' human rights chief said Monday she was "appalled" by the conditions migrants and refugees face in U.S. detention facilities, intensifying a challenge to the Trump administration's immigration policies. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said children stopped by border agents should never be held in immigration detention facilities or separated from their families, and detention should not be the norm for adults, either.
|
| Stop Brexit Campaign Wins Boost From Corbyn's U.K. Union Allies Posted: 08 Jul 2019 02:10 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The U.K.'s main opposition Labour Party took another step toward formally opposing Brexit, as the trades unions that fund it and help set its policy agreed to back a second referendum.In a decision on Monday, union chiefs said Labour's policy must be to put any Brexit deal back to voters to approve -- and that the party must oppose leaving the European Union on any terms negotiated by Britain's ruling Conservative government.The development opens the door to Labour campaigning to keep Britain inside the EU in another referendum that could reverse the result of the 2016 Brexit vote.Labour members of Parliament who oppose Brexit welcomed the move, and urged the party to complete the journey. "It is a step forward," Labour MP Bridget Phillipson said in an emailed statement."If we fail to vigorously demand such a People's Vote it will only hinder our efforts to reconnect with millions of voters and hundreds of thousands of members who feel deeply let down by our party over Brexit. They just want to know -- without 'ifs or buts' -- that we will give them the final say and campaign to stay in the EU."The government -- and both candidates to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May -- oppose a second referendum. But senior politicians in the government and the opposition have argued that a new plebiscite may be the only way to break the deadlock. Britain's Parliament has rejected the proposed EU exit deal, and also voted against leaving without a deal.Slowly ShiftingAlthough Labour campaigned against Brexit in the 2016 referendum, it said afterward that it accepted the result, and fought the 2017 election on a policy of leaving the EU. Since then the party's leader, Jeremy Corbyn, a lifelong euroskeptic has been forced to shift his position repeatedly, under pressure to oppose the government's plans.The pressure has come not just from activists and members of Parliament but from voters. Although Labour beat expectations in the 2017 election to rob May of her majority, it has since sunk in the polls, and it is now in a four-way tie with the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the new insurgent Brexit Party.In European elections in May, Labour came third, behind the Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party, a damaging blow to the main opposition at a time when the government is in chaos. It was a sign that Corbyn's attempt to avoid talking about Brexit was hurting Labour with the electorate.The Labour Party did not immediately respond to the unions' announcement and the position is not yet officially Labour's policy. Some Labour MPs representing pro-Brexit districts support leaving the EU.But a person familiar with Corbyn's thinking said he had been looking for a policy the entire party could unite around. That suggests the union move may be one he can live with.Corbyn needs a plan that can bring his divided party together. He has had a poor relationship with Labour MPs since he became leader in 2015. The following year they responded to the Brexit referendum result, which they blamed on his unenthusiastic campaigning for Remain, by trying to remove him.Since that attempt failed, there has been a stalemate, in which Corbyn is backed by activists but resisted by MPs.While a shift on Brexit will allay some of the internal party concerns over Corbyn's leadership, there are many other areas where Labour MPs also have severe criticisms.He has repeatedly been forced to deny that he's anti-Semitic, and in May the U.K.'s Equality and Human Rights Commission announced it was investigating whether Labour had "discriminated against, harassed or victimized people because they are Jewish."And the party has initiated a process of forcing its MPs to say whether they want to be candidates at the next election, something that some fear is a prelude to pushing them out in favor of candidates whose political beliefs are closer to Corbyn's.There are signs that time could be running out for the Labour leader. In recent months, even those around Corbyn have expressed doubts about his leadership of the party.Home affairs spokeswoman Diane Abbott, a long-time ally, said on Twitter that she was "beginning to worry" about Labour's Brexit position. On Sunday, Labour's Treasury spokesman John McDonnell, Corbyn's closest ally in politics, did not deny that he had privately described the party's Brexit policy as "a slow-moving car crash."(Adds context.)To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Emma Ross-ThomasFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| UAE draws down troops in Yemen in 'strategic redeployment' Posted: 08 Jul 2019 01:51 PM PDT  The United Arab Emirates has drawn down its troop levels in Yemen but remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Iran-aligned rebels there, a senior Emirati official said Monday. The official confirmed that UAE troop levels are down, describing it as a "strategic redeployment." The official declined to disclose how many soldiers have left Yemen and how many remain.
|
| Trump administration to review 'role of human rights in public policy' Posted: 08 Jul 2019 01:06 PM PDT  Advocates warn the new panel, helmed by an abortion and gay rights opponent, is a threat to progressive reformsSecretary of State Mike Pompeo announces the Commission on Unalienable Rights, to be headed by Mary Ann Glendon, a Harvard Law School professor and a former US ambassador. Photograph: Pablo Martínez Monsiváis/Associated PressUS secretary of state Mike Pompeo has unveiled a new panel tasked with reviewing "the role of human rights in American public policy" in a move that some advocates warned could imperil LGBTQ and women's reproductive freedoms.Pompeo announced the launch of the "Commission on Unalienable Rights" at the state department in Washington on Monday, telling reporters: "As human rights claims have proliferated, some claims have come into tension with one another provoking questions and clashes about which rights are entitled to gain respect."He added: "Nation states and international institutions remain confused about the respective responsibilities concerning human rights. We must, therefore, be vigilant that human rights discourse not be corrupted or hijacked or used for dubious or malignant purposes."Pompeo declared that the panel would be bipartisan and comprised of human rights experts "of varied background and beliefs", but his decision to appoint Harvard law professor Mary Ann Glendon at its helm sparked immediate concerns among activists.Glendon, a former ambassador to the Vatican under George W Bush, is a prominent social conservative who led efforts against enshrining abortion as an international human right at the 1995 UN women's conference in Beijing.Last year, the University of Notre Dame's Center for Ethics and Culture awarded Glendon the Evangelium Vitae – a prestigious prize among anti-abortion activists – and was praised for having "consistently battled destructive forces against women, children – born and unborn – and the family in modern society with extraordinary grace, clarity, and compassion".The International Women's Health Coalition said Glendon had supported attempts not just to block access to abortion but also to restrict same-sex marriage and the rights of transgender people."She has a long history of critiquing international human rights standards that recognize women's and girls' rights to autonomy and self-determination over all areas of their lives, especially when these rights come into conflict with their traditional roles within families," said a statement from Françoise Girard, the group's president."The Commission on Unalienable Rights is yet another example of the Trump administration prioritizing extreme religious doctrine over rights. By questioning decades of international human rights norms, the administration is threatening hard-won progress on issues like gender equality, abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and protections for marginalized groups."Others named to the 10-member panel include religious scholars such as Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, the influential Islamic scholar and co-founder of Zaytuna College, and Rabbi Meir Yaakov Soloveichik, a spiritual leader of Shearith Israel, the oldest Jewish congregation in the US.Also poised to sit on the panel is Kiron Skinner, the state department's director of policy planning, who ignited controversy in May for framing the contentious US-China relationship as "the first time that we will have a great-power competitor that is not Caucasian". Skinner's staff, according to reports, was "preparing for a clash of civilizations" in developing its strategy against Beijing.Appearing alongside Pompeo on Monday, Glendon said the commission would do its best "to carry out your marching orders", while adding that "basic human rights are being misunderstood by many, manipulated by many, and ignored by the world's worst human rights violators".The state department downplayed concerns over the panel's influence on women's issues or gay rights, stating those were domestic issues and outside of the commission's current purview. The Trump administration has, however, come under fire for reimposing and expanding restrictions on US foreign aid to groups that discuss or provide abortion services.Amnesty International said the current administration "has actively worked to deny and take away long-standing human rights protections since [Donald] Trump's inauguration"."If this administration truly wanted to support people's rights, it would use the global framework that's already in place. Instead, it wants to undermine rights for individuals, as well as the responsibilities of governments," Joanne Lin, the national director of advocacy and government affairs at Amnesty International USA, said."This politicization of human rights in order to, what appears to be an attempt to further hateful policies aimed at women and LGBTQ people, is shameful."Last year, US officials at the United Nations attempted to remove the word "gender" from UN human rights documents, most often replacing it with "woman".
|
| Iran passes uranium enrichment cap set by endangered deal Posted: 08 Jul 2019 12:51 PM PDT  Iran on Monday breached a uranium enrichment cap set by a troubled 2015 nuclear deal and warned Europe against taking retaliatory measures, as France decided to send an envoy to Tehran to try to calm tensions. The move came more than a year after Washington pulled out of the landmark accord between world powers and Tehran, which says it has lost patience with perceived inaction by the remaining European partners. After Tehran's latest step, US President Donald Trump held talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on "ongoing efforts to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and to end Iran's destabilising behaviour in the Middle East", the White House said in a statement.
|
| UN hails Africa free trade area as 'bridge to peace' Posted: 08 Jul 2019 12:39 PM PDT  The United Nations on Monday hailed a landmark Africa-wide free trade area accord launched at the weekend as a bridge towards peace on the continent. The long sought-after zone, which African leaders hope will become the world's largest free trade zone by cutting trade tariffs and barriers between 1.2 billion people, was officially launched with much fanfare at an African Union (AU) summit on Sunday. UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed said the the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was "integral" to "start building bridges for peace".
|
| US won't waver from Iran pressure as nuclear deal unravels Posted: 08 Jul 2019 12:39 PM PDT  The United States will not waver from its course of maximum pressure against Iran, Vice President Mike Pence said Monday, as tensions rise and the U.S.-brokered nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers appears to be unraveling with the Trump administration's pullout. Pence's assertion to a pro-Israel Christian organization that the U.S. "will never allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon" came on the same day that Iran began enriching uranium to 4.5 percent , breaking the limit set in the 2015 agreement sealed under President Barack Obama.
|
| U.S. to keep raising pressure until Iran abandons nuclear arms program -Bolton Posted: 08 Jul 2019 11:41 AM PDT ![U.S. to keep raising pressure until Iran abandons nuclear arms program -Bolton]( "U.S. to keep raising pressure until Iran abandons nuclear arms program -Bolton") The United States will keep increasing pressure on Iran until it abandons its pursuit of nuclear weapons and ceases its violent activities in the Middle East, John Bolton, the White House national security adviser, said on Monday. "We will continue to increase the pressure on the Iranian regime until it abandons its nuclear weapons program and ends its violent activities across the Middle East, including conducting and supporting terrorism around the world," Bolton said in a speech. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
|
| The Latest: French president sends adviser to Iran for talks Posted: 08 Jul 2019 11:40 AM PDT  French President Emmanuel Macron is sending his chief diplomatic adviser to Iran following its decision enrich uranium beyond the threshold of the 2015 nuclear accord. The Elysee Palace said Monday that Emmanuel Bonne was returning on Tuesday to Tehran. Europe is under pressure to try to salvage the accord between Iran and world powers after the U.S. withdrew from it last year and restored heavy sanctions.
|
| Israel shoots down drone, discovers tunnel from Gaza Posted: 08 Jul 2019 11:25 AM PDT ![Israel shoots down drone, discovers tunnel from Gaza]( "Israel shoots down drone, discovers tunnel from Gaza") Israel's military on Monday shot down a drone that crossed into its territory from the Gaza Strip and discovered an attack tunnel running under the Gaza perimeter fence. Gaza's militant Hamas rulers have developed a drone program with Iranian assistance. The Israeli military also said it exposed an attack tunnel during construction of its subterranean barrier around the territory.
|
| UK Brexit minister urges EU to reopen withdrawal deal talks Posted: 08 Jul 2019 10:41 AM PDT  Britain's Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay warned Monday the EU must reopen the withdrawal agreement reached with outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May but rejected by MPs, so as to avoid a "disruptive" no-deal divorce in October. "Boris Johnson has been very clear that the UK needs to leave on the 31st of October," Barclay said.
|
| The Godfather of the Islamic Republic of Iran Posted: 08 Jul 2019 10:25 AM PDT  Amid Iran's tantrums over the Trump administration's maximum pressure campaign, a consequential anniversary which marked three decades since Ali Khamenei's ascension to the supreme leadership has gone largely unnoticed. After Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said of Oman, Ayatollah Khamenei is the second-longest serving head of state in the Middle East and, according to one recent estimate, ranks fifth in longevity of current non-monarchical world leaders. His thirty-year reign at the helm of Iran reveals a dual Machiavellian modus-operandi as supreme leader—puppeteer for the elected and patron for the unelected—and explains the current power dynamic in Tehran.The Puppeteer-in-ChiefAs supreme leader, Ali Khamenei has often been a referee among Iran's warring political factions—fearing that absolute power competes absolutely—and in the process cementing his own authority. Thus, under his administration, Iran's presidency has been a political death sentence.Early on, Khamenei, as president, learned at the knee of Ruhollah Khomeini how to exercise authority. According to a CIA estimate prepared in December 1983, Khomeini often served as an arbiter between Khamenei and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, then-speaker of parliament, because of their intense personal rivalry. It concluded that Khomeini "permits neither to achieve a decisive advantage over the other."
|
| Iran breached uranium enrichment cap: nuclear agency confirms Posted: 08 Jul 2019 10:02 AM PDT  The UN's nuclear watchdog confirmed Monday that Iran has enriched uranium at a level higher than the limit set in a 2015 international pact. Inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency "on 8 July verified that Iran is enriching uranium above 3.67 percent U-235," the IAEA said in a statement. Iran announced on May 8 that it no longer considered itself bound to keep to limits of stocks of heavy water and enriched uranium agreed as part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
|
| UPDATE 1-Iran has gone beyond nuclear deal's uranium enrichment limit -IAEA Posted: 08 Jul 2019 09:39 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Iran has gone beyond nuclear deal's uranium enrichment limit -IAEA]( "UPDATE 1-Iran has gone beyond nuclear deal's uranium enrichment limit -IAEA") Iran has enriched uranium beyond a 3.67% purity limit set by its deal with major powers, the U.N. nuclear watchdog policing the deal said on Monday, confirming a move previously announced by Tehran. "(International Atomic Energy Agency) Director General Yukiya Amano has informed the IAEA Board of Governors that Agency inspectors on 8 July verified that Iran is enriching uranium above 3.67% U-235," an IAEA spokesman said, referring to the fissile uranium-235 isotope. An IAEA report to member states obtained by Reuters said the agency had verified the enrichment level using online enrichment monitors, and samples had also been taken on Monday for analysis.
|
| UAE says reducing troops in war-torn Yemen Posted: 08 Jul 2019 09:36 AM PDT  The United Arab Emirates said Monday it was redeploying and reducing troops across war-torn Yemen and moving from a "military-first" strategy to a "peace-first" plan. The UAE is a key partner in a Saudi-led military coalition which intervened in Yemen in 2015 to back the internationally recognised government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi against Iran-aligned Huthi rebels. "We do have troop levels that are down for reasons that are strategic in (the Red Sea city of) Hodeida and reasons that are tactical" in other parts of the country, a senior UAE official, who requested anonymity, told reporters.
|
| Trump Says U.S. Won't Deal With U.K. Envoy After Leak of Cables Posted: 08 Jul 2019 09:27 AM PDT ![Trump Says U.S. Won't Deal With U.K. Envoy After Leak of Cables]( "Trump Says U.S. Won't Deal With U.K. Envoy After Leak of Cables") (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Theresa May moved to contain the diplomatic fallout with the U.S., following the leak of memos written by the U.K.'s ambassador in Washington describing President Donald Trump's administration as "inept."The Cabinet Office is leading an investigation into the leak after the Mail on Sunday reported the content of cables written by Kim Darroch, a career diplomat who's been his country's top representative in the U.S. since 2016. May's spokesman, James Slack, told reporters on Monday the British government has contacted the U.S., calling the leak a "matter of regret." He stopped short of saying the U.K. has apologized for the content of the memos."The leak is absolutely unacceptable and as you would expect contact has been made with the Trump administration saying this is unacceptable," Slack said, adding that while May doesn't share Darroch's views, she retains "full faith" in him."The prime minister has a good relationship with the president," Slack said.Trump reacted angrily to the diplomatic communications -- known as diptels -- on Sunday. "We're not big fans of that man, and he has not served the U.K. well," he told reporters. "I can say things about him, but I won't bother."International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, who is due to meet Ivanka Trump in the U.S. on Monday, told BBC Radio there's no reason Darroch shouldn't remain in post, and called for the person responsible for the leak to be punished.'Unpatriotic'"I don't see frankly that this is an impediment to the ambassador being able to work in Washington," Fox said. "Malicious leaks of this nature are unprofessional, they're unethical and they're unpatriotic because they can actually lead to damage to that relationship which can therefore affect our wider security interests."The most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, Simon McDonald, told a committee of lawmakers in Parliament it is too early to tell how significant the impact is on the U.K.-U.S. relationship. "There is clearly significant damage that we must assess over the days and I suspect weeks and months to come," he said.Darroch, 65, is a former national security adviser to the U.K. government. His memos, and those of other ambassadors around the world, are sent via government email to relevant civil servants and politicians, with a classification level set according to their content. Foreign Office Minister Alan Duncan told Parliament the circulation list could exceed 100.The Mail on Sunday reported that Darroch described the current White House as "uniquely dysfunctional" and given to "knife fights." In the memos seen by the paper, Darroch didn't rule out Trump being indebted to "dodgy Russians," yet said that the president had frequently overcome a life "mired by scandal."Trump may "emerge from the flames, battered but intact, like [Arnold] Schwarzenegger in the final scenes of 'The Terminator,'" Darroch wrote, according to the newspaper. "Do not write him off."State VisitThe leak comes after Trump traveled to the U.K. in early June to meet Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Theresa May, a visit in which he was treated to a state dinner. Darroch said Trump and his team had been "dazzled" by the pomp and circumstance surrounding the visit but remained self-interested.The response to Darroch's commentary cleaved along partisan lines. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, a close ally whom the president once said would make a "great" ambassador to the U.S., called the incumbent envoy "totally unsuitable for the job."On Monday, Farage told BBC Radio that he himself wouldn't be the "right man" to be ambassador but that he could be "very useful" in strengthening British ties with the Trump administration. The author of the Mail on Sunday report -- Isabel Oakeshott -- ghost-wrote "The Bad Boys of Brexit" for Arron Banks, a key donor to the Leave.EU campaign led by Farage."Experienced, capable and patriotic diplomats doing their jobs well by writing unvarnished analysis for their governments," political scientist Ian Bremmer, head of Eurasia Group, said on Twitter. "Farage wants him sacked; he'd rather be lied to."(Updates with comment from senior diplomat in eighth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Alex Morales.To contact the reporter on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Alex MoralesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Macron's top diplomatic advisor to visit Iran as tension rises Posted: 08 Jul 2019 09:14 AM PDT ![Macron's top diplomatic advisor to visit Iran as tension rises]( "Macron's top diplomatic advisor to visit Iran as tension rises") French President Emmanuel Macron's top diplomatic advisor will travel to Iran on Tuesday and Wednesday to try to de-escalate tensions between Tehran and the United States, a presidential official said on Monday. Iran threatened on Monday to restart deactivated centrifuges and ramp up enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity as its next potential big moves away from a 2015 nuclear agreement that Washington abandoned last year. The French official said both Iran and the United States had an interest in raising pressure at this stage, but that both sides would want to start talks eventually.
|
| Medium-sized quake hits southwestern Iran, causing injuries Posted: 08 Jul 2019 09:12 AM PDT ![Medium-sized quake hits southwestern Iran, causing injuries]( "Medium-sized quake hits southwestern Iran, causing injuries") A magnitude 5.7 earthquake jolted a town in southwestern Iran on Monday, injuring more than 100 people and damaging buildings. Rescue teams were still combing the mountainous area around the town of Masjid Soleiman in the Khuzestan province bordering Iraq. State TV showed footage of damaged buildings and piles of rubble.
|
| UPDATE 1-Pence: U.S. ready to protect its interests as Iran makes nuclear threats Posted: 08 Jul 2019 08:57 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Pence: U.S. ready to protect its interests as Iran makes nuclear threats]( "UPDATE 1-Pence: U.S. ready to protect its interests as Iran makes nuclear threats") U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday that the United States is prepared to protect U.S. personnel and citizens in the Middle East as tensions build with Iran over its nuclear program. Pence made his remarks as Iran threatened on Monday to take major steps away from a 2015 nuclear agreement that Washington abandoned last year. "Let me be clear: Iran should not confuse American restraint with a lack of American resolve," Pence said, speaking to an evangelical Christian group that advocates for support for Israel.
|
| Ukraine's Zelensky offers to meet Putin for first talks Posted: 08 Jul 2019 08:57 AM PDT  Ukraine's recently elected President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday offered to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for their first talks, calling for Western leaders to mediate. "Now I want to address the Russian President Vladimir Putin. Let's do it," Zelensky said in a video address.
|
| German minister calls for 'rescue mission' for migrant camps in Libya Posted: 08 Jul 2019 08:38 AM PDT  A German government minister has called for an "international rescue mission" for migrants trapped in detention camps in Libya following an air strike which killed at least 53. "The people in these wretched camps have the prospect of dying there from violence or hunger, trying to get home and dying of thirst in the desert, or drowning in the Mediterranean," Gerd Müller, the German development minister, said. "We need a joint humanitarian initiative by Europe and the United Nations to rescue migrants on Libyan soil," he told Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper. "The new EU Commission must act immediately. We can not wait a day longer." At least 53 people were killed and 130 injured in an air strike on a migrant detention camp in the Libyan capital Tripoli last week. Most of the victims were believed to be sub-Saharan Africans trying to reach Europe. The attack, condemned as a possible war crime by the UN, is widely thought to have been carried out by rebel forces led by Gen Khalifa Haftar, though the Libyan government has accused the United Arab Emirates of responsibility. Mr Müller offered no details of what an international rescue mission would entail. He warned that climate change was exacerbating the migrant crisis and could lead to millions more Africans seeking to reach Europe. "Millions of people in the region are threatened because droughts are increasing," he said. "If global warming continues unchecked, many millions of people worldwide could lose their homes by 2050." Gerd Muller, the German development minister, called for an international rescue mission for migrants trapped in the camps His remarks come against a backdrop of tensions between Germany and Italy over the fate of migrants rescued from drowning while trying to cross the Mediterranean. Italy has refused to allow rescue ships to dock even after other EU countries said they would take the migrants on board. "Do we want to look the other way and let the Mediterranean to become the sea of death?" Mr Müller said. Horst Seehofer, the German interior minister, called for the ban to be lifted in a personal letter to his Italian counterpart last week. But Matteo Salvini, the Italian interior minister, has refused to budge. "We demand that Merkel's government revoke the German flag from ships that help people traffickers and smugglers, and repatriate its citizens who disobey Italian law," he responded on Twitter. An Italian-flagged rescue ship became the second vessel to defy the ban and land without permission on the Italian island of Lampedusa at the weekend. The NGO operating the ship said the lives of those on board were in danger. Carola Rackete, the German captain of another vessel, is already facing prosecution and possible deportation from Italy for ignoring the ban.
|
| Vice President Pence: U.S. does not seek war with Iran, but will not back down Posted: 08 Jul 2019 08:25 AM PDT ![Vice President Pence: U.S. does not seek war with Iran, but will not back down]( "Vice President Pence: U.S. does not seek war with Iran, but will not back down") U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Monday that the United States is willing to talk to Iran about its nuclear program and does not seek war, but said President Donald Trump's administration is prepared to protect U.S. interests and lives. "Iran should not confuse American restraint with a lack of American resolve," Pence said in prepared remarks to a conference of the Christians United for Israel advocacy group.
|
| RPT-WRAPUP 2-Iran makes new nuclear threats that would reverse steps in pact Posted: 08 Jul 2019 07:31 AM PDT ![RPT-WRAPUP 2-Iran makes new nuclear threats that would reverse steps in pact]( "RPT-WRAPUP 2-Iran makes new nuclear threats that would reverse steps in pact") GENEVA/DUBAI, July 8 (Reuters) - Iran threatened on Monday to restart deactivated centrifuges and ramp up its enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity as its next potential big moves away from a 2015 nuclear agreement that Washington abandoned last year. The threats, made by the spokesman for Tehran's nuclear agency, would go far beyond the small steps Iran has taken in the past week to nudge its stocks of fissile material just beyond limits in the nuclear pact.
|
| Israeli court blames Palestinian Authority for past attacks Posted: 08 Jul 2019 07:04 AM PDT ![Israeli court blames Palestinian Authority for past attacks]( "Israeli court blames Palestinian Authority for past attacks") An Israeli court has found the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization responsible for deadly attacks against Israelis and Jews during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s. The Jerusalem court stated that the Palestinian institutions and individual Palestinian leaders provided financial support to attackers and incited to violence. Tuesday's ruling addressed 17 incidents, including the killing of two soldiers by a Palestinian mob in the West Bank in 2000 and a shooting that killed four members of an Israeli family in a West Bank settlement during the Passover holiday in 2002.
|
| Whoops: During the Iran-Iraq War, Baghdad Shot down an Iranian F-14A That Was Trying to Defect Posted: 08 Jul 2019 07:00 AM PDT  The Iran-Iraq War was fought under some of the harshest weather conditions ever. Simmering heat often resulted in temperatures exceeding 48°C (120°F) during the summer. Correspondingly, both sides limited their activity from late morning until late afternoon. Next to nobody flew between 1100 in the morning and 1600 in the afternoon.Although most of Iraqi sources maintain that the Iranian F-14A never proved particularly effective, and never had much success during the Iran-Iraq War, cross-examination of available data leaves little doubt about the fact that the powerful interceptor made by Grumman remained a major threat. Unsurprisingly, already during the battle for Faw, the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF) – in cooperation with the government in Baghdad – initiated a multi-prong effort to curb the activity of the Iranian Tomcats.
|
| Sudan's military council to be dissolved in transition deal Posted: 08 Jul 2019 06:50 AM PDT  Sudan's top general says the military council that assumed power after the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April will be dissolved with the implementation of a power-sharing deal reached with protesters last week. The military and a pro-democracy coalition agreed last week on a joint sovereign council that will rule for a little over three years while elections are organized. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the military council, said in televised comments late Sunday that the army would return to its barracks after 21 months, when leadership of the council passes from a military representative to a civilian.
|
| Germany rebuffs US request for ground troops in Syria Posted: 08 Jul 2019 06:00 AM PDT ![Germany rebuffs US request for ground troops in Syria]( "Germany rebuffs US request for ground troops in Syria") A government spokesman says Germany isn't considering sending ground troops to Syria as part of its contribution to fighting the Islamic State group. German media reported over the weekend that the U.S. envoy for Syria, James Jeffrey, asked the German government last week to contribute ground troops to the anti-IS coalition led by the United States. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Monday that "Germany has for years made a considerable and internationally recognized contribution" to the coalition that includes training Iraqi troops, doing aerial reconnaissance and refueling allied aircraft.
|
| British Diplomat Gets Run Over by the Brexit Bus Posted: 08 Jul 2019 05:33 AM PDT ![British Diplomat Gets Run Over by the Brexit Bus]( "British Diplomat Gets Run Over by the Brexit Bus") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- A few days ago, the U.K.'s former spy chief warned his country is going through a political nervous breakdown. The leak of confidential memos by Britain's ambassador to Washington about Donald Trump's administration only seems to make that official.Thanks to the disclosure of two years' worth of cables by diplomat Kim Darroch, the U.S. president now knows that however thick the British laid it on during his state visit to London last month, one of their most senior and respected diplomats views his administration as "uniquely dysfunctional" and "inept."That's awkward. It's one thing to get an earful from your enemies. Even the thin-skinned Trump usually brushes those off with a clipped "fake news" dismissal. But it's quite another to hear what your supposed friends say about you when they think you aren't listening. Little wonder Trump sounded peeved when he said that Darroch "hasn't served the U.K. well."The perpetrators of the leak haven't been identified. The fallout will be an early challenge for Britain's next prime minister, likely to be Boris Johnson. If Darroch is removed from his post before his scheduled retirement at the year-end, as Trump seems to want, it would only show just how reliant the country is on American goodwill as it prepares to leave the European Union and strike a new trade deal with the U.S. Should Johnson keep the diplomat in his posting, Trump might view it as a snub.The cables may also make it harder to replace Darroch — a former permanent representative to the EU viewed with suspicion by Brexiters — with another diplomat unpopular with the same constituency: Mark Sedwill, the head of the civil service, who had been tipped as his successor. The real problem with the leaks, though, isn't so much their content or the diplomatic ripples they create. The ambassadorial role is important, but it's not that important. The U.S.-U.K. relationship is multi-layered, long-standing and complex. It can withstand a few indiscretions. The memos are shocking, rather, because they show the dysfunction and ineptitude at the heart of Britain's own governing institutions.The civil service is, above all, known for its independence, its professionalism and its dispassionate service to the government of the day. Staffers are inculcated to be apolitical, that rarest of qualities these days. They are paid to deliver their personal and professional assessments of the politics of their country of posting, just as Darroch did.And yet the professional part of Britain's governing institutions has been dragged by its hair into the political vortex of Brexit. The first shot against the independence of the civil service was fired when Ivan Rogers, a veteran EU hand, was criticized and then sidelined after he warned about Theresa May's approach to the Brexit negotiations. He eventually resigned when his advice was ignored. Brexiters then routinely claimed that the civil service, including May's top negotiator, Olly Robbins, were Anglophobes who were simply trying to kill Brexit.It's almost impossible to see the leaking of a senior diplomat's confidential correspondence as anything other than an act of national self-sabotage. Nigel Farage — the Brexit Party leader whom Trump once said would make a fine ambassador to the U.S. — jumped on the leak to call for a purge of senior civil servants in favor of officials who were better disposed toward Trump and Brexit.And this is where the leak suits the agenda of many Brexiters. They want to neutralize the civil service, to strike fear into the heart of any who dare to speak truth to power if those facts doesn't serve their agenda. For them, any argument against Britain's imminent exit from the EU, or against an economically damaging no-deal Brexit, is un-British. The warnings of skeptics — those who note that the Irish border isn't the same as the Dover-Calais one, or that the EU has rejected the very path the Brexiters claim is clearly lit before them — are accused of breaking with the Dunkirk spirit that Brexit demands.More than three years after the toxic Brexit campaign in which it was said that voters had had enough of experts, the leaking of the Darroch memos are a message to all experts that they remain unwelcome. That's far more troubling than any hurt feelings in Washington caused by the ambassador's candid comments.To contact the author of this story: Therese Raphael at traphael4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Edward Evans at eevans3@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Therese Raphael writes editorials on European politics and economics for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| British Diplomat Gets Run Over by the Brexit Bus Posted: 08 Jul 2019 05:33 AM PDT ![British Diplomat Gets Run Over by the Brexit Bus]( "British Diplomat Gets Run Over by the Brexit Bus") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- A few days ago, the U.K.'s former spy chief warned his country is going through a political nervous breakdown. The leak of confidential memos by Britain's ambassador to Washington about Donald Trump's administration only seems to make that official.Thanks to the disclosure of two years' worth of cables by diplomat Kim Darroch, the U.S. president now knows that however thick the British laid it on during his state visit to London last month, one of their most senior and respected diplomats views his administration as "uniquely dysfunctional" and "inept."That's awkward. It's one thing to get an earful from your enemies. Even the thin-skinned Trump usually brushes those off with a clipped "fake news" dismissal. But it's quite another to hear what your supposed friends say about you when they think you aren't listening. Little wonder Trump sounded peeved when he said that Darroch "hasn't served the U.K. well."The perpetrators of the leak haven't been identified. The fallout will be an early challenge for Britain's next prime minister, likely to be Boris Johnson. If Darroch is removed from his post before his scheduled retirement at the year-end, as Trump seems to want, it would only show just how reliant the country is on American goodwill as it prepares to leave the European Union and strike a new trade deal with the U.S. Should Johnson keep the diplomat in his posting, Trump might view it as a snub.The cables may also make it harder to replace Darroch — a former permanent representative to the EU viewed with suspicion by Brexiters — with another diplomat unpopular with the same constituency: Mark Sedwill, the head of the civil service, who had been tipped as his successor. The real problem with the leaks, though, isn't so much their content or the diplomatic ripples they create. The ambassadorial role is important, but it's not that important. The U.S.-U.K. relationship is multi-layered, long-standing and complex. It can withstand a few indiscretions. The memos are shocking, rather, because they show the dysfunction and ineptitude at the heart of Britain's own governing institutions.The civil service is, above all, known for its independence, its professionalism and its dispassionate service to the government of the day. Staffers are inculcated to be apolitical, that rarest of qualities these days. They are paid to deliver their personal and professional assessments of the politics of their country of posting, just as Darroch did.And yet the professional part of Britain's governing institutions has been dragged by its hair into the political vortex of Brexit. The first shot against the independence of the civil service was fired when Ivan Rogers, a veteran EU hand, was criticized and then sidelined after he warned about Theresa May's approach to the Brexit negotiations. He eventually resigned when his advice was ignored. Brexiters then routinely claimed that the civil service, including May's top negotiator, Olly Robbins, were Anglophobes who were simply trying to kill Brexit.It's almost impossible to see the leaking of a senior diplomat's confidential correspondence as anything other than an act of national self-sabotage. Nigel Farage — the Brexit Party leader whom Trump once said would make a fine ambassador to the U.S. — jumped on the leak to call for a purge of senior civil servants in favor of officials who were better disposed toward Trump and Brexit.And this is where the leak suits the agenda of many Brexiters. They want to neutralize the civil service, to strike fear into the heart of any who dare to speak truth to power if those facts doesn't serve their agenda. For them, any argument against Britain's imminent exit from the EU, or against an economically damaging no-deal Brexit, is un-British. The warnings of skeptics — those who note that the Irish border isn't the same as the Dover-Calais one, or that the EU has rejected the very path the Brexiters claim is clearly lit before them — are accused of breaking with the Dunkirk spirit that Brexit demands.More than three years after the toxic Brexit campaign in which it was said that voters had had enough of experts, the leaking of the Darroch memos are a message to all experts that they remain unwelcome. That's far more troubling than any hurt feelings in Washington caused by the ambassador's candid comments.To contact the author of this story: Therese Raphael at traphael4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Edward Evans at eevans3@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Therese Raphael writes editorials on European politics and economics for Bloomberg Opinion. She was editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal Europe.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Turkey: Key figure resigns from Erdogan's party Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:50 AM PDT ![Turkey: Key figure resigns from Erdogan's party]( "Turkey: Key figure resigns from Erdogan's party") A former Turkish deputy prime minister and key figure in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party has resigned, signaling plans to form a rival political party. Babacan was rumored to have been planning to form a splinter party along with former President Abdullah Gul and others said to be disgruntled with Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule.
|
| 10 Things to Know for Today Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:31 AM PDT  Semi-official media in Iran is quoting the country's nuclear agency spokesman as saying Tehran is now enriching uranium to 4.5%. The extraordinary downfall of Adm. William Moran, who was set to become the service's top officer, was prompted by what Navy Secretary Richard Spencer called poor judgment regarding a professional relationship. A federal grand jury in New York is investigating whether top Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy used his position on Trump's inaugural committee to drum up foreign business deals, the AP finds.
|
| UN rights chief 'shocked' by conditions at US migrant detention centres Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:22 AM PDT  The UN human rights chief said Monday that she was "deeply shocked" by conditions under which migrants and refugees are held at US detention centres, following reports of severe overcrowding and disease-ridden cells. "As a paediatrician, but also as a mother and a former head of State, I am deeply shocked that children are forced to sleep on the floor in overcrowded facilities, without access to adequate healthcare or food, and with poor sanitation conditions," the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said in a statement. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) watchdog report released last week warned of "dangerous overcrowding" in multiple detention facilities holding thousands of migrants seeking to remain in the United States.
|
| U.N. nuclear agency says still verifying Iran enrichment announcement Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:20 AM PDT ![U.N. nuclear agency says still verifying Iran enrichment announcement]( "U.N. nuclear agency says still verifying Iran enrichment announcement") The U.N. atomic watchdog policing Iran's nuclear deal with major powers is still verifying Iran's announcement that it has enriched uranium beyond the maximum purity allowed under the deal, the agency said on Monday. "We are aware of Iran's announcement related to its uranium enrichment level.
|
| Enough Photo-Op Summits: Is There a Deal with North Korea or Not? Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:14 AM PDT  Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump held his third summit with North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un. The meeting took place at Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), the de facto border between the two Koreas. At this point, we have yet to see any substantive movement on the issues which divide America and South Korea from North Korea. Once again, it appears that a Trump-Kim summit was mostly overtaken by the optics and staging.Trump is a master of media coverage and arguably media manipulation. He has a powerful gut instinct for what makes great drama on television. He used Twitter to suggest Kim come to meet him, and Twitter is a platform heavily used by journalists. Trump grasped the drama of a grand, last-minute gesture against portentous backdrop: he would meet Kim at the DMZ no less and maybe step into North Korea, being the first sitting U.S. president to do so. So the media spent several days endlessly debating the proposal, wondering if Kim would come, wondering if Trump would step over the border. Trump got around the clock wall-to-wall coverage.Nor was it a coincidence that Trump's North Korea hijinks drowned out coverage of the Democratic presidential debate. Just as Trump overwhelmed his Republican primary opponents in 2016 by generating endless media stories about himself, so he pushed aside the big Democratic coming out moment with his own well-orchestrated media stunt. The Democrats will have to contend with this sort of attention-grabbing behavior for the next eighteen months, and it does not appear that they know how to respond.
|
| US presses Germany to send ground troops to Syria, putting Merkel on spot Posted: 08 Jul 2019 04:05 AM PDT  A U.S. envoy has asked Germany to consider sending ground troops to Syria, putting Chancellor Angela Merkel's government on the spot.While German soldiers wouldn't necessarily need to engage in combat, they could ease the burden on U.S. forces by helping with air support, logistics, training and technical assistance, James Jeffrey, the U.S. special representative for engagement in Syria, was quoted as saying by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper and DPA newswire.Germany, a prime target of President Donald Trump's calls for U.S. allies to increase defence spending, has pledged Tornado surveillance planes to the U.S.-led coalition to defeat Isis fighters in Syria.A change in the mandate would require approval by parliament, where Ms Merkel would be likely to face opposition from parts of her coalition.Germany can't send soldiers to Syria for "legal reasons," Fritz Felgentreu, a senior Social Democratic lawmaker, told Die Welt newspaper. The Social Democrats are Ms Merkel's junior coalition partner.Johann Wadephul, deputy caucus chief of Merkel's Christian Democratic-led party bloc, told DPA that Germany shouldn't reject the U.S. request out of hand.Mr Trump said in December he'd withdraw military forces from Syria, declaring Isis defeated.The announcement led to concerns that the U.S. was leaving Kurdish allies vulnerable to attacks from Turkey.Mr Trump later agreed to keep as many as 400 U.S. troops in the country after American military officials and members of Congress said a withdrawal was premature.Jeffrey said he discussed the U.S. request with German government officials and they are considering what they can do about it, Welt am Sonntag reported.Washington Post
|
| Son of prominent South Korean defector moves to North Korea Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:56 AM PDT  The son of the highest-profile South Korean to defect to North Korea has arrived in the North to permanently resettle, North Korean state media said. The state-run Uriminzokkiri website reported that Choe In-guk, about 72, arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, on Saturday to dedicate the rest of his life to Korean unification at the guidance of leader Kim Jong Un. Choe said he decided to live in North Korea for good because it was his parents' "dying wishes" for him to "follow" North Korea and work for its unification with South Korea, according to a written statement published on the website.
|
| WRAPUP 3-Iran makes new nuclear threats that would reverse steps in pact Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:44 AM PDT ![WRAPUP 3-Iran makes new nuclear threats that would reverse steps in pact]( "WRAPUP 3-Iran makes new nuclear threats that would reverse steps in pact") GENEVA/DUBAI, July 8 (Reuters) - Iran threatened on Monday to restart deactivated centrifuges and ramp up enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity as its next potential big moves away from a 2015 nuclear agreement that Washington abandoned last year. The threats, made by Tehran's nuclear agency spokesman, would go far beyond the small steps Iran has taken in the past week to nudge stocks of fissile material just beyond limits in the pact. The two threats would reverse major achievements of the agreement, although Iran omitted important details about how far it might go to returning to the status quo before the pact, when Western experts believed it could build a bomb within months.
|
| UPDATE 1-Iran must be persuaded to stick to nuclear deal - Germany Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:34 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Iran must be persuaded to stick to nuclear deal - Germany]( "UPDATE 1-Iran must be persuaded to stick to nuclear deal - Germany") Iran must be persuaded to stick to its commitments set by the 2015 nuclear deal, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said on Monday, after Tehran announced it would boost its uranium enrichment above a cap set by the accord. "The ball is clearly in Iran's court. Asked at which point a red line would be crossed for the German government, the spokesman said: "Our objective is that Iran abides by the deal." He added that Tehran must reverse all steps that contradict the landmark accord.
|
| Iran enriches uranium past cap and warns only 60 days to save deal Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:33 AM PDT  Iran warned on Monday that the last chance for saving the nuclear deal will pass after a 60-day deadline, as the country announced it had increased its uranium enrichment to beyond the cap. Tehran has passed the 3.67 per cent uranium enrichment level set by its landmark 2015 nuclear accord and may enrich at even higher levels, Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said on Monday. The move - which takes the enrichment level beyond 4.5 per cent - marks the most serious break from the deal since the US's withdrawal last year. However, Iran's enrichment levels still remain well below the 20 per cent threshold needed to develop a nuclear bomb, offering possible room for negotiations with Europe and others to lower tensions. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan Credit: Reuters Abbas Mousavi, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, told reporters that Iran would not offer any extension to the "deadline", which elapses on September 5. The previous day, Iranian officials said the country would take further steps toward the "reduction" of its compliance with the accord - known as the JCPOA - after the deadline. Mr Mousavi said Iran is still open to negotiations with its European partners and expressed hope they would "take steps forward" toward implementing their commitments. Iran is pressuring European partners to find a way around US sanctions and deliver the deal's promised economic relief. British Royal Marines taking part in the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker, Grace 1 in the early hours of July 4, 2019 off the Gibraltar strait. Credit: AFP A European commission spokeswoman said the EU was "extremely concerned by the announcements made over the weekend." She said the EU was waiting for further information from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which effectively policies the nuclear deal. "We have called on Iran not to take any further steps," the EU foreign affairs service spokeswoman said. "We strongly urge Iran to stop and reverse any actions inconsistent with the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plain of Action)." The EU has been in contact with other countries signed up to the deal, which has punitive measures for breaching uranium limits built in. European diplomats are due to sit down with Iranian delegates on July 15. It is thought they will not want to address the breach of the deal, for fear of jeopardising it, until then. Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, said: "We would still like to find a way to make this deal work … We will wait for independent verification by the relevant international body before deciding what next steps [to take]. But obviously if Iran is breaching this deal, there will be very serious consequences." It came as Tehran warned the UK over its seizing of an Iranian oil tanker last week, a "threatening act which would not be tolerated," said Amir Hatami, Iranian Defence Minister. Royal Marines impounded the tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday on suspicion it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. Iran denies the vessel was headed to Syria, where the government of President Bashar al-Assad is an ally of Tehran. Authorities in the British territory said the tanker can be held for up to 14 days. "These days we witnessed a threatening act from the government of England in the Strait of Gibraltar against a tanker from the Islamic Republic of Iran," Mr Hatami said. "This is an incorrect and wrong action, an action similar to maritime robbery...certainly these kind of robberies will not be tolerated."
|
| Congolese warlord Bosco 'Terminator' Ntaganda convicted of crimes against humanity by ICC Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:16 AM PDT  A notorious warlord whose militia of child soldiers butchered and disembowelled civilians during a reign of terror in northeastern Congo 17 years ago is facing life in prison after being convicted of war crimes. Bosco Ntaganda showed no emotion as judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Monday found him guilty of 18 charges, ranging from murder, rape, sexual slavery and the conscription of the boys he used to carry out his atrocities. As a military commander in Ituri province, Ntaganda was a central figure in one of the most chilling episodes of the war that swept through the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1998 to 2003. Known in Ituri as "The Terminator", Ntaganda commanded operations for the military wing of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), an ethnic militia that seized control of swathes of Ituri, including its capital Bunia, in 2002. More than 50,000 people were killed in Ituri as the UPC, drawn mostly from the Hema ethnic group, fought militias led by their Lendu rivals. Ntaganda was a top commander in the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of the Congo militia and later a founding member of the M23 rebel group Credit: Alain Wandimoyi/EPA Most of the dead were civilians, massacred by both sides. United Nations peacekeepers, poorly armed, badly led and insufficiently armed, watched helplessly as UPC militiamen taunted them by tossing corpses over the walls of their compound. Child soldiers as young as nine, press-ganged into fighting and brainwashed into bloodlust by watching violent videos, sauntered along the streets where dogs fed off the dead. The ICC judge said Ntaganda personally gave orders to "target and kill" civilians Credit: Reuters One, a boy of 10, told the Telegraph at the time how he had personally cut the throats of "at least ten people". Judges in the court made reference to one particularly grisly incident when Ntaganda's men led a group of 49 captured men, women, children and babies into a banana plantation and beat them to death. "Some bodies were found naked, some had their hands tied up and some had their heads crushed," Justice Robert Fremr said as he read out the verdicts. "Several bodies were disembowelled or otherwise mutilated." Activists welcomed the verdict, just the fourth on war crimes charges the ICC has reached since it was established in 2002. Five other defendants have been convicted on witness tampering charges.
|
| Abe Tries Wielding a Trump-Like Trade Hammer Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:07 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.Shinzo Abe is borrowing from Donald Trump's playbook.Japan's prime minister is tightening controls on exports of material vital to South Korea's tech industry, shortly after Japanese companies were held liable in a Seoul court for cases of forced labor before and during World War II.While Abe denied it was retaliation, South Korean President Moon Jae-in warned today he would take further action if Tokyo didn't reverse course.The melee shows how countries – China is another one with a track record here – are increasingly using trade leverage in political disputes, with potentially disruptive consequences for global supply chains.While the Trump administration officially cited national security concerns in blacklisting Huawei Technologies, the U.S. president has since used the company as a bargaining chip in his trade war with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.Trump's actions are particularly risky when it comes to Japan and South Korea, both longtime U.S. allies with a history of conflict dating back decades. Instead of playing the role of mediator, he's used U.S. economic weight to demand better terms for basing troops in each country.As such, it'll be hard for Trump to tell Abe not to put "Japan First" when it comes to South Korea ties.Global HeadlinesBiden's mea culpa | Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden spent the weekend apologizing for his remarks about his civil relationships with segregationist senators in the hopes of putting the issue behind him. But Trump wasn't ready to let it go. "Sleepy Joe Biden just admitted he worked with segregationists," the president, who himself is often accused of using racially charged rhetoric, tweeted.Click here for more on why Trump is seizing on the issue, in the first installment of Campaign Update, which will provide up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the 2020 race, weekdays on the Bloomberg Terminal and Bloomberg.com.Facing the consequences | After removing Turkey's central bank governor for failing to lower borrowing costs, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made clear he expects the successor to toe the government's line on monetary policy. But the move is likely to backfire. The lira slid as investors braced for bigger and quicker rate cuts than warranted by slowing inflation, making it difficult for new governor Murat Uysal and putting further pressure on Erdogan after he lost control of Istanbul in elections last month.German retreat | The culling of 18,000 jobs at Deutsche Bank is significant on two fronts. It is a symbol that German economic might has its limits – its flagship lender ultimately couldn't break into Wall Street. Secondly, its politicians are not kicking up a fuss about the cuts. On the contrary, they're relieved about not having to worry about messy state aid and embrace a return to serving the banking needs of the country's big companies.Call for help | Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou is urging greater U.S. involvement in the fight against mushrooming Islamist insurgencies in West Africa — as Trump scales back America's military presence on the continent. Issoufou told Katarina Hoije that too little is being done to combat the fighters, some of whom have been linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State.Secret weapon | Hector Rodriguez has emerged as the fresh face of the middle-aged regime of Nicolas Maduro, Alex Vasquez reports. In some circles in Venezuela, Rodriguez's name is whispered as the best chance of holding onto power if an international coalition forces new elections to break the stalemate with youthful opposition leader Juan Guaido. But even if Maduro somehow left, Rodriguez would bear the weight of his predecessor's ruinous economy. What to WatchIran may choose to enrich uranium at 20% purity level as its next step in a new policy that's gradually undoing the restrictions imposed by the 2015 nuclear deal, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reports. Greece's center-right New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis won a healthy majority in Sunday's election. The Harvard-educated former banker quickly needs to show he can tackle the country's persistent economic problems when he's sworn in today as prime minister. This could be a critical week for Trump's lawyers in their fight to keep the president's financial records out of the hands of congressional Democrats. And finally... Trump put his feud with the co-captain of the U.S. women's national soccer team on ice following yesterday's historic World Cup win, telling the players, "America is proud of you all!" On June 26, Trump took on Megan Rapinoe — a purple-haired LBGTQ rights activist whose goal helped clinch the team's fourth title — for saying she wouldn't go "to the f__king White House" if the team won, based on her opposition to Trump's policies. "Megan should WIN first before she TALKS," Trump said at the time. \--With assistance from Kathleen Hunter, Onur Ant, Flavia Krause-Jackson, Raymond Colitt and Iain Rogers.To contact the author of this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Hong Kong at dtenkate@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Rosalind MathiesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| German Government Rules Out Sending Ground Troops to Syria Posted: 08 Jul 2019 03:03 AM PDT ![German Government Rules Out Sending Ground Troops to Syria]( "German Government Rules Out Sending Ground Troops to Syria") (Bloomberg) -- Germany's government ruled out dispatching ground troops to Syria to assist a U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State, pushing back on a request from the U.S. administration.Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Germany's contribution to the anti-ISIS mission will most likely be confined to existing measures, such as aerial surveillance and assistance to Iraqi Kurds."When I say that the government intends to maintain its current measures in the context of the anti-ISIS coalition, then that certainly includes no ground troops,'' Seibert told reporters in Berlin.James Jeffrey, the U.S. special representative for engagement in Syria, made public a request for German soldiers to be dispatched not necessarily to engage in combat but to help with logistics, traning and support. German participation in military missions are subject to parliamentary mandates. The mandate for the current anti-ISIS mission runs out on Oct. 31 and may be extended by the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.To contact the reporters on this story: Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net;Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Raymond ColittFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
0 条评论:
发表评论
订阅 博文评论 [Atom]
<< 主页