| North Korea boosts Kim's rising status as global statesman Posted: 11 Aug 2019 05:32 PM PDT  There's no question that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is in full control of his nation. Despite a flurry of unprecedented summits between Kim and the world powers that surround him, the outcome of that crucial diplomacy is very much in question amid currently deadlocked nuclear disarmament talks and an outburst of North Korean weapons tests in recent weeks. North Korea on Friday said that its rubber-stamp parliament will hold its second meeting of the year on Aug. 29.
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| Yemen Separatists Commit to Aden Cease-Fire Demanded by Saudis Posted: 11 Aug 2019 01:27 PM PDT ![Yemen Separatists Commit to Aden Cease-Fire Demanded by Saudis]( "Yemen Separatists Commit to Aden Cease-Fire Demanded by Saudis") (Bloomberg) -- Yemen's southern separatists are committed to join the cease-fire with the recognized government in Aden as demanded by Saudi Arabia, Southern Transitional Council President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi said Sunday in a televised address. "We are ready to work in a responsible way with the Saudi-led coalition in handling this crisis" and will attend a meeting sought by the Saudis, the major general said in the broadcast. Al-Zubaidi, whose forces seized a key government building in Aden on Saturday, blamed guards at the presidential palace for flaring up a fight by opening fire on his supporters. He also reaffirmed the separatists' stand in working with the coalition in the fight "Iranian expansion in the region." Al-Zubaidi spoke after the alliance fighting the four-year war in Yemen claimed in broadcasts on United Arab Emirates and Saudi state-backed media that STC forces had begun withdrawing from some of government-held areas captured a day earlier. Spokesman Nizar Haitham denied the report, saying STC forces had returned to the outer gates of the palace and eyewitnesses and residents of the city said normalcy had returned to the streets with some shops reopening.Saudi media reported that the coalition bombarded the separatists in Aden early on Sunday after the recognized Yemeni government accused them and their backers in the U.A.E. of staging a coup. The STC issued a statement on its website accepting the cease-fire demanded by Saudi Arabia and agreeing to enter a dialogue.'Political Compromise'The flareup in Aden marks the most significant setback for the coalition since it went to war in Yemen in 2015 to unseat Iran-backed Houthi rebels after they overran the capital Sana'a. Aden, the temporary seat of the internationally recognized government, has become a battleground between the regime, whose President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi resides in Saudi Arabia, and separatists backed by coalition-partner U.A.E."The southerners are ready for a political compromise away from the dominance or guardianship of the Muslim Brotherhood or the Houthis," said Haitham.Hadi, on a visit to Mecca with his deputy and prime minister, praised the Saudis for standing with his government and rejecting the "coup," the government-held Saba News Agency said Sunday. The Yemeni leaders also met with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to discuss the situation in Aden.Yemeni and Saudis are united in confronting the "Iranian agenda and its different hands in the north and south, seeking to destabilize the security and stability in Yemen and the region," Hadi said, according to Saba.Yemen's Foreign Ministry accused the U.A.E. of helping the STC stage a coup in an unprecedented public rebuke of its ally. It demanded the U.A.E. withdraw its military support, according to a statement from Vice Minister Mohammed Al-Hadhrami, after STC forces said they seized the presidential palace in Aden.The U.A.E., which is scaling back its troop presence in Yemen, did not publicly respond to the accusations. Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed on Saturday expressed "grave concern" about the developments, calling them a diversion from the war's primary objective of fighting the Houthi rebels.Saudi Arabia reiterated support for the "legitimate government," Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said Saturday in a series of tweets. "We reject any use of arms in Aden and breach of security and stability," he said. The Saudis also invited the rebels to a meeting to resolve differences, the Saudi Press Agency reported.\--With assistance from Nadeem Hamid and Abbas Al Lawati.To contact the reporter on this story: Mohammed Hatem in Dubai at mhatem1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net, Riad HamadeFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Saudi-led coalition says infighting killed senior Houthi official Posted: 11 Aug 2019 01:18 PM PDT ![Saudi-led coalition says infighting killed senior Houthi official]( "Saudi-led coalition says infighting killed senior Houthi official") A senior Houthi official in Yemen and brother of the movement's leader was killed because of infighting, the Saudi-led coalition said on Sunday, appearing to give a different version of events than the Iran-allied group. The Houthis on Friday said Ibrahim Badreddin al-Houthi was assassinated in the capital Sanaa by "the treacherous hands affiliated with the U.S.-Israeli aggression and its tools", without providing details. The main focus in Yemen in recent days has been in the south of the country where southern separatists effectively took over the port city of Aden, the seat of the interim government, fracturing the alliance that had been battling the Houthis.
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| UAE-backed separatists pull back after seizing Yemen's Aden Posted: 11 Aug 2019 12:45 PM PDT  Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden. Both the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that's been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.
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| Russia honours "national heroes" killed in mysterious rocket blast Posted: 11 Aug 2019 12:15 PM PDT ![Russia honours "national heroes" killed in mysterious rocket blast]( "Russia honours \"national heroes\" killed in mysterious rocket blast") Russia has bestowed posthumous awards on five nuclear experts and "national heroes" who died in a mysterious explosion at sea during a rocket engine test, authorities said on Sunday. Officials have been drip-feeding information about the blast on a platform in the White Sea off northern Russia that caused a radiation spike in a nearby city. U.S.-based nuclear experts said they suspected the explosion occurred during the testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile vaunted by President Vladimir Putin last year.
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| Guatemala votes for new president following unpopular Donald Trump immigration deal Posted: 11 Aug 2019 11:44 AM PDT  Guatemalans on Sunday were voting for a new president who will face a major challenge after the country signed an unpopular deal with Washington to act as a buffer against illegal immigration under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. Threatened with economic sanctions if it said no, the administration of outgoing President Jimmy Morales reached an accord in late July to make Guatemala a so-called safe third country for migrants, despite the endemic poverty and violence plaguing the Central American nation. Both candidates to replace Morales, conservative Alejandro Giammattei, the slight favorite, and the center-left former first lady Sandra Torres, have criticized the deal. But it is unclear that either will be able to do much to stop it. "I think it's the most ridiculous thing this president could have done, because if Guatemala is mired in poverty, how is it going to take in migrants if we don't have anything to eat ourselves?" said Mercedes Escoto, 65, a retired teacher and Giammattei supporter voting in Guatemala City. A woman casts her vote at a polling station, in San Juan Sacatepequez, Credit: Santiago Billy/AP A poll published this week by Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre showed more than eight out of 10 respondents rejected the idea of the country accepting foreign migrants seeking asylum. Both candidates argue lawmakers should be consulted on the deal, which Giammattei has called "bad news", saying Guatemala is not ready to cope with a potential jump in asylum-seekers. The accord would require Hondurans and Salvadorans to apply for asylum in Guatemala rather than the United States. It also foresees granting U.S. visas to some Guatemalan workers. Torres, too, has attacked the deal, and her campaign says Guatemala should be pushing for better bilateral trading terms with the United States in return for considering it. A CID-Gallup opinion poll of 1,216 voters conducted between July 29 and Aug. 5 gave Giammattei the advantage going into the run-off vote, with 39.5% support, versus 32.4% for Torres. Whoever takes office in January will inherit a country with a 60% poverty rate, widespread crime and unemployment, which have led hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans to migrate north. Between them, the two candidates have failed to win the presidency five times. Although Torres came out on top in a first round of voting in June, she is a polarizing figure. Many Guatemalans are fed up with the political class after investigations by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), a U.N. anti-corruption body, led to the arrest of then-President Otto Perez in 2015, and then threatened to unseat his successor Morales, a former TV comedian. An indigenous woman shows a ballot at a polling station during runoff elections in Santa Cruz Chinautla, Guatemala Credit: ORLANDO ESTRADA/AFP Morales narrowly escaped impeachment, and the CICIG also went after Torres for suspected campaign finance irregularities. As a candidate, she is currently immune from prosecution. "I'm voting for Alejandro Giammattei because I don't want Sandra Torres to get in, because her participation is a fraud and because she has pending legal issues," said Ammy Montes, a 25-year-old teacher in Guatemala City. Both candidates have vowed to fight corruption - albeit without "foreign interference," an apparent nod to the CICIG. Morales, who terminated the commission's mandate effective as of September, is barred by law from standing again. But the migration deal he authorized could create a lasting legacy. Risa Grais-Targow, Latin America director at consultancy Eurasia Group, said while the accord struck with Trump risks a popular backlash, not honoring it could expose Guatemala to U.S. taxes on remittances or tariffs on its goods. "The next president faces a lose-lose situation when it comes to managing the deal with the United States," she said. "That is the biggest challenge the incoming president faces." Giammattei, a surgeon, has proposed the death penalty for some criminals, and promised to erect an "investment wall" on the border between Guatemala and Mexico to curb migration. Torres wants to put troops on the streets to fight gangs, and use welfare schemes to alleviate poverty. In Mixco, on the outskirts of the capital, security guard Felix Tanchez said he would back Torres because of her proposals on jobs and security - but without much enthusiasm. "Once they're in, they all do what they want," said Tanchez, 38. "I hope she makes a difference." Election results are due to begin arriving on Sunday night.
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| Salvini could take Italy out of EU, former PM warns Posted: 11 Aug 2019 11:42 AM PDT  Matteo Salvini, who plunged Italy into turmoil by pulling out of a coalition government, could eventually take the country out of the EU, a former prime minister warned Sunday. Interior Minister Salvini, who said last week that he was pulling his anti-immigrant League party out of an increasingly acrimonious coalition with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S), "has no principles," Enrico Letta told AFP. With Salvini, an Italian 'Brexit' is not impossible," said Letta, who was Italy's premier between April 2013 and February 2014.
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| UPDATE 1-U.S. adviser Bolton to urge tougher UK stance on Iran and China Posted: 11 Aug 2019 10:44 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-U.S. adviser Bolton to urge tougher UK stance on Iran and China]( "UPDATE 1-U.S. adviser Bolton to urge tougher UK stance on Iran and China") John Bolton, U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser, arrived in London on Sunday for talks at which he is expected to urge Britain to toughen its stance on Iran and Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei. As the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union on Oct. 31, its biggest geopolitical shift since World War Two, many diplomats expect London to become increasingly reliant on the United States.
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| The Arctic town at the centre of a Norway-Russia 'spy war' Posted: 11 Aug 2019 10:44 AM PDT  When Frode Berg was a guard on the border near Kirkenes, Norway, in the 1990s and 2000s, relations with neighbouring Russia were so good that he would do joint patrols and go fishing with his colleagues from across the line. They drank vodka toasts after holding an annual cross-border ski race. But in recent years this town of 3,500 on Norway's Arctic coast has found itself caught up in a geopolitical chess game between Nato and Russia. Mr Berg became the first pawn to be captured when he was arrested in Moscow and sentenced in April to 14 years in prison for espionage. Located about 130 miles from Murmansk and the headquarters of Russia's northern fleet, sleepy Kirkenes has become the epicentre of a spy war with Russia—and Norwegians who have worked to develop cross-border trade and cultural exchanges are paying the price. One of them is even suing Norwegian intelligence over lost Russian business. "If Norway has one real challenge regarding foreign policy, it's here," said Kirkenes mayor Rune Rafaelson, a long-time friend of Mr Berg's who attended navy day celebrations in Murmansk last month. "It's not membership of the EU or making peace in Middle East. Here is the only real challenge, because we have an interesting and complex neighbour called Russia." The anti-submarine frigate HNoMS Otto Sverdrup sails through a bay near Kirkenes Credit: Alec Luhn/For The Telegraph Kirkenes traditionally prided itself on having warmer relations with this neighbour, even during the Cold War, when this was Nato's lone point of contact with the USSR. After the Soviet collapse, Russian ships began unloading fish, crabs and oil products in Kirkenes, and many local men married Russian women. Since the two countries offered visa-free travel to residents of border areas in 2012, tens of thousands of Russians have been coming to shop in Kirkenes each year. But Moscow's military modernisation campaign, increasingly assertive foreign policy and annexation of Crimea changed the bigger context. When foreign minister Sergei Lavrov visited Kirkenes for the 70th anniversary of its liberation from the Nazis by the Red Army in 2014, he scolded Norway for joining Western sanctions against Russia. Duelling military manoeuvres and signals intelligence operations have become matters of course. This spring, Russia repeatedly tested missiles off the Norwegian coast, and Norway and Finland also accused it of jamming GPS signals during Nato bomber exercises, putting civilian aircraft at risk. Meanwhile, a Beluga discovered in Hammerfest wearing a "Petersburg" camera harness was dubbed the "Russian spy whale" over espionage suspicions. The Beluga "spy whale" was discovered by fishermen near Hammerfest, to the west of Kirkenes Credit: Jorgen Ree Wiig/AFP In July, a secret nuclear-powered Russian submersible that can reportedly eavesdrop on underwater cables caught fire during an operation somewhere near Murmansk, killing 14 sailors. For its part, Norway hosted the major Trident Juncture Nato war games in 2018 and has welcomed Western troops, including 1,000 Royal Marines who will train there each year. The United States paid to upgrade the Vardø radar station near Kirkenes and begin joint intelligence collection. Many believe that Washington also began pressuring Oslo to deliver more information on Russia's northern fleet. Kirkenes, where many residents have worked across the border, has long been a fruitful recruiting ground. "If you have been active in Russia you are approached, especially if you are a leader because then you're in position to meet people at a higher level," said Rune Rautio, an employee of the Kirkenes business garden who used to travel to Russia every other week and has been occasionally questioned by Norwegian intelligence for years. One of the recruits was Mr Berg, who began bringing envelopes of cash to an informant in Russia in 2015 despite having misgivings. In autumn 2017, intelligence officers approached him to do one last errand. Journalist Trine Hamran, a friend in whom he had confided, counselled him not to do it, but the secret services played upon his patriotism, asking him if he didn't want to be a "good Norwegian," she said. "He said it was not dangerous, just one last thing," Ms Hamran told the Telegraph. "And then he goes to Moscow and we don't hear from him again." A Russian guard tower stands across the river from a Norwegian border marker near Kirkenes Credit: Alec Luhn/For The Telegraph The Russian informant was actually a double agent. FSB operatives arrested Mr Berg as he stepped out of the Metropole hotel with an envelope of 3,000 euros. "After a couple of days we where informed that he was alive," said his wife Anita, who believed he was going to Moscow to meet friends and buy Christmas gifts. "It was such a relief. But then we where shocked to learn that he had been arrested, suspected of espionage." She accused Norwegian military intelligence of recklessly manipulating her husband, who was so guileless he posted a Moscow snapshot to Facebook hours before his arrest, and "sabotaging years of positive collaboration" between Kirkenes and Russia. The agency declined to comment. Mr Berg was not the first to fall victim to the spy services' alleged blundering. In 2015, Atle Berge, the founder of a cross-border oil services company called Ølen Betong, refused to cooperate when approached by Norwegian intelligence looking for information on Russia. FSB agents nonetheless grabbed him on the street in Murmansk shortly thereafter and interrogated him for more than six hours, asking him what his ties to the service were and threatening to inject him with an unknown drug. He was then expelled from the country and lost a contract with a major Russian firm, he said. One of his employees was also interrogated and expelled, only in his case Russian agents also brandished a gun. "Help Frode home!" reads a sign hanging next to the Kirkenes library Credit: Alec Luhn/For The Telegraph Now Mr Berge is suing his government for £12 million, arguing that the repeated approaches by the same Norwegian intelligence agent convinced the FSB that he and his employee were spies. "The Norwegians had behaved very unprofessionally and stupidly," he said. "It seems they have been under pressure from someone and urgently had to find out something," The case also revealed how many eyes Russia has in Kirkenes. During his interrogation, Mr Berge's employee was shown a photograph of the Norwegian agent at his door. Meanwhile, Norway's counter-intelligence service has a list of Russians who are followed whenever they come to Kirkenes, Mr Rautio said. The town is so small that most people know the agent who Mr Berg said had liaised with him. When confronted at his home by the Telegraph, the man first lied that he was a neighbour, then declined to comment. Yet locals are surprisingly blasé about the presence of spies here and largely blame Norwegian intelligence for undermining the warm ties that people like Mr Berg worked to promote. A monument to the liberation of Kirkenes from the German troops by the Red Army in 1944 Credit: Alec Luhn/For The Telegraph Thomas Nilsen, editor of the Kirkenes-based Barents Observer news site, said many residents suffer a "Stockholm syndrome" of sympathy to their larger neighbour. His site, which publishes in Russian and English, has been blocked in Russia, and he was banned from the country as an alleged security threat in 2017. "We have been living for so many years with positive development across the border, then things turn around, and people understand this is bad, but they take the position of Moscow, not Europe," he said. It's also a question of the £140 million Russia contributes to the local economy each year. "Fifty metres from here is the Russian general consulate. There's too many people working there, but how should we develop the economy and municipality?" Mr Rafaelson said in his office. "I do my job I'm elected for, which is too promote a good neighbour policy." Norway and Russia are now discussing a prisoner exchange to bring home Mr Berg, who is suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure, his lawyers said. Yet while Russian diplomats have been expelled from Oslo on espionage suspicions, Norway has no similar prisoners. Instead, they're hoping for a "triangle deal" involving an ally, perhaps the United States. A Norwegian post overlooks the Russian border Credit: Alec Luhn/For The Telegraph When PM Erna Solberg spoke with Vladimir Putin at an Arctic forum in April, days before the Norwegian was convicted, the president said Russia "will take a look at what we can do with this depending on the court's decision". "I think most people in this case understand Russia is doing what any other country would do," Mr Rautio said. "Frode confessed, so people are more waiting now for the Norwegian government to get to the table and make a deal with Russia to get him out so he won't have spend the rest of life in labour camp."
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| U.K.’s Johnson Accused of Spending for Votes, Not Fixing Economy Posted: 11 Aug 2019 10:11 AM PDT ![U.K.'s Johnson Accused of Spending for Votes, Not Fixing Economy]( "U.K.'s Johnson Accused of Spending for Votes, Not Fixing Economy") (Bloomberg) -- Since becoming U.K. prime minister less than three weeks ago, Boris Johnson has announced spending pledges at a rate of about 2 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) per week, fueling speculation he's planning for an early election.Johnson on Sunday said he would spend as much as 2.5 billion pounds on prisons as part of his promise to crackdown on crime. That follows a 1.8 billion pound cash boost for the National Health Service and a 2.1 billion pound allocation for no-deal Brexit preparations.More funding is expected after the Treasury on Thursday began a one-year spending review for government departments that will focus on commitments Johnson made since taking office, including funding for schools, police and the NHS. It's set to conclude next month, as Britain nears the Oct. 31 deadline to leave the European Union and could be going to the polls for an early general election.With a wafer thin majority in Parliament of just one, Johnson risks being forced into an early general election if he can't get backing for his Brexit plans. He's promised to deliver Brexit by Halloween, with or without a deal -- "do or die" -- and his opponents see a vote of no confidence as one of the only ways to stop him. The government privately accepts an election is inevitable, according to one official.Confidence VoteOpposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn signaled he'll call a vote of no confidence soon after Parliament returns from summer recess, in a bid to prevent an economically damaging no-deal Brexit. He could succeed, triggering a general election if he gains support from enough rebel Conservative Party lawmakers.A government official says they don't comment on hypothetical questions and it isn't policy to hold a general election. A spokesman for the Treasury said the spending round will deliver investment in public services for after Brexit.Johnson's spending plans appear to be based on fixing political rather than economic problems, economists say. That's risky given uncertainty around Brexit and after data on Friday showed the economy contracting for the first time in seven years, said Ben Zaranko, research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies.Wider DeficitThe Office for Budget Responsibility estimates a no-deal Brexit could add 30 billion pounds a year to the deficit and plunge the economy into a yearlong recession. Zaranko said a safer strategy would be to wait for Brexit and to hold a spending review at the same time as a full budget."It seems a little reckless to commit to big funding increases for these services over multiple years while at the same time talking about cutting taxes and at the same time risking a departure from the EU that makes us permanently poorer," Zaranko said. "The combination of those things adds up to a big increase in borrowing which can't be sustained forever."While it's still early, Johnson's spending strategy doesn't appear to be tackling underlying economic problems, such as Britain's persistently weak productivity and an aging population, said Gemma Tetlow, chief economist at the Institute for Government think tank."Nothing we've heard so far acknowledges the longer term fiscal pressures that this government faces," she said. The prisons announcement "appears to be about extra money for additional prison places - rather than to deal with problems of rising levels of violence already apparent in existing prisons," she said.After a decade of austerity, the new prime minister is changing course, promising tens of billions of pounds of tax cuts and spending increases.During his leadership campaign, Johnson pledged to use the 15 billion pounds of "headroom" built up ahead of leaving the EU that he inherited from ex-Chancellor Philip Hammond to ease pressure on public services. That headroom lets the government increase borrowing without breaking the government's fiscal rules in 2020-21. But it might not be available in the event of a no-deal Brexit, and the new Chancellor Sajid Javid has said he'll stick to those plans.Hammond had also held out the prospect of an end to years of austerity that cost the Conservatives their parliamentary majority in the 2017 general election, but then delayed a spending review until the outcome of the Brexit negotiations was clearer.Forcing through Brexit without alternative trading arrangements in place, which the government says is a real prospect, could bludgeon growth and drive up inflation."A looser fiscal policy would merely mitigate some of the damage caused by a no-deal departure," said Martin Beck, an economist at Oxford Economics. "An already unpredictable outlook for the economy has become even more so."To contact the reporters on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net;Jill Ward in London at jward98@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Steve Geimann, John DeaneFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.S. adviser Bolton to urge tougher UK stance on Iran and China Posted: 11 Aug 2019 09:48 AM PDT ![U.S. adviser Bolton to urge tougher UK stance on Iran and China]( "U.S. adviser Bolton to urge tougher UK stance on Iran and China") John Bolton, U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser, is expected to urge Britain to toughen its stance on Iran and Chinese telecommunications firm Huawei when he arrives on Sunday for talks in London. As the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union on Oct. 31, its biggest geopolitical shift since World War Two, many diplomats expect London to become increasingly reliant on the United States.
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| Ukraine protests Putin's trip to motorcycle show in Crimea Posted: 11 Aug 2019 08:15 AM PDT  Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has protested Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Crimea, where he attended a pro-Kremlin motorcycle club's annual festival. The Russian leader wore black leather and drove a motorbike during the Shadow of Babylon show organized by the Night Wolves.
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| Afghan leader rejects foreign interference as talks advance Posted: 11 Aug 2019 07:57 AM PDT  Afghanistan's president on Sunday rejected foreign interference as the United States and the Taliban appear to be closing in on a peace deal without the Afghan government at the table. President Ashraf Ghani spoke during the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Adha and as U.S. and Taliban negotiators continue their work in the Gulf nation of Qatar, where the insurgents have a political office. Speaking after the Eid prayers, Ghani insisted that next month's presidential election is essential so that Afghanistan's leader will have a powerful mandate to decide the country's future after years of war.
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| This Bluetooth speaker is shaped like a flask, and it's on sale Posted: 11 Aug 2019 04:54 AM PDT  TL;DR: Get this quirky, flask-shaped Bluetooth speaker for $24.99. Usually priced at $69.99, you'll be saving $45. * * *With the influx of Bluetooth speakers on the market, consumers are faced with an embarrassment of riches. But think of it as a delightful dilemma. You're no longer relegated to only a handful of options that you most likely don't even want; you quite literally have hundreds and thousands of options to choose from.Need to procure speakers with excellent sound quality? All it takes is one Google search. Want one that you can carry on a hiking trip? There's a speaker designed for that. If your motive for buying new speakers is purely for recreational purposes, though, we have the perfect suggestion: the iHome flask-shaped Bluetooth speaker -- a speaker that screams F-U-N. Read more...More about Funny, Bluetooth, Speaker, Mashable Shopping, and Tech
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| Muslims clash with Israeli police at Jerusalem holy site Posted: 11 Aug 2019 04:36 AM PDT  Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. Palestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. The clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem.
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| Trump's use of immigration as 2020 wedge could backfire on other policies Posted: 11 Aug 2019 03:57 AM PDT ![Trump's use of immigration as 2020 wedge could backfire on other policies]( "Trump's use of immigration as 2020 wedge could backfire on other policies") Detractors and even some supporters say it has undermined his efforts on Iran and trade.
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| Mexico City’s Best Green Spaces Posted: 11 Aug 2019 02:48 AM PDT  Megan FryeIn May of this year, Mexico City registered some of the highest levels of air pollution in recent history. The particles that chilangos (as Mexico City residents are colloquially known) often feel in the air were actually visible. The city, ringed by pine and snow-covered mountains visible on clear days, felt like a bar at last call back in the day of indoor smoking. Smoke from wildfires across Mexico had conflated with the city's status quo pollution (there's at least 25 million people living in the metropolitan area, with millions of vehicles churning out exhaust and a number of factories emitting industrial waste) and low oxygen levels (its lowest elevation is 7,200 feet) making the city "unsafe" by World Health Organization standards for multiple days at a time. It's been established that should the Valley of Mexico enter a serious drought, vulnerable populations in poorer neighborhoods would be the first to suffer. City officials called a state of emergency and went with their go-to air quality emergency plan of limiting which cars can circulate on certain days of the week (this does not pertain to buses and garbage trucks). The city's Chief of Government, Claudia Sheinbaum, tossed blame for the air pollution problem on the previous administration while a 2017 pre-mayoral tweet resurfaced in which she accused the former city government of waiting for the annual appearance of the Mesoamerican rain deity Tlalóc (who was late to the party this year) to help with the dire situation. Now, it's August and Tlalóc has arrived. The first storm didn't do much other than prove how dirty the air really was. But now the capital is thriving with near-daily afternoon showers and clouds which have improved the mood of capitaleños, for the time being at least. And, to be fair, much has changed since 1992 when the United Nations named Mexico City the world's most polluted city. It's now not anywhere near the top of the list and ranks somewhere similar to Los Angeles in that realm. Fortunately, Mexico City has a green lining for these moments and any moment, that travelers and locals alike can take advantage of: some serious green spaces. And we're not just talking quaint city parks or tree-lined neighborhoods. There are massive pine forests which lead up to 13,000-foot peaks within the city and volcanoes that loom in the distance. Take that, everywhere else. So, we've compiled a list to some of the best green spaces in and around the city.Desierto de los LeonesMegan FryeDesierto de los Leones National ParkArea: 4,611 acres How to get there: Can be accessed by rideshare apps and taxis for about 250 pesos one way from most parts of the core city, whether you're calling from Roma or Coyoacán. A return ride is more reliable in taxi due to limited cell service in the park. The trip takes about an hour by car. A bus marked "SANTA ROSA / DESIERTO" leaves frequently from outside the Viveros subway station and takes about an hour depending on traffic conditions. Hours: The park is open daily from 6 a.m.-5 p.m., though the former convent is closed on Mondays. This park on the city's southwest side requires a bit of travel, with winding roads passing the outskirts of town and into an area where many chilangos have their vacation homes. The main attraction for most people is the 17th century ex-convent founded by Carmelite monks. The convent is open to tour, and wandering onto the surrounding hiking trails takes visitors through a thick forest where lesser kept remains of the convent can be found embraced by nature's reclaim. Sit down for a game of chess if there's a table set out—there often is—at the entrance where there's no shortage of places to eat fresh quesadillas and prized wild mushroom soup, a staple of Central Mexico's mountain cuisine. Bring a jacket as it's much cooler here than in the city. Bosque de ChapultepecArea: 1,675 acres How to get there: Best accessed by Chapultepec, Auditorio or Constituyentes subway stations, or by taxi or rideshare. Hours: The park consists of three sections, section 1 being the most visited and regulated, open from 5 a.m.-8 p.m, and closed on Mondays. Sections two and three are open 24 hours every day of the year. Near Mexico City's bustling business district of Reforma Avenue, lies the Bosque de Chapultepec (a Nahuatl phrase meaning "grasshopper hill"). This impeccably manicured and lively space gives green life to the city's center, where many trees were felled in order to make way for human progress. The park itself boasts two lakes which were created during the Porfirio Diaz dictatorship of the early 20th century, though the area has been the site of irrigation and aqueducts since the era of Tenochtitlán (the former capital of the Aztec empire on which Mexico City sits). In addition to being a sacred space for the Aztecs, and likely those who came before them, the park also boasts a curious mansion on said grasshopper hill which was built between 1785-1863 and housed an Austrian archduke and his Belgian princess wife during France's invasion of Mexico. Los DinamosMegan FryeLos Dínamos Area: 6,002 acresHow to get there: Taxi or rideshare will take you all the way to Dínamos 4 in less than an hour from most parts of the core city, depending on traffic conditions. From the Taxqueña subway station, take a bus marked "Los Dínamos" which takes about an hour to arrive, depending on traffic conditions. Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.Los Dínamos is the go-to spot for rock climbing fanatics, hikers and mountain bikers in CDMX. Similar to Desierto de los Leones, it's on the city's southwest side though easily accessible through the southwest borough of Magdalena Contreras, just a 30-45 minute drive from many places in the central city. The park is sectioned off into four locations, with Dínamos 4 being the most remote and flaunting the highest elevation (more than 10,000 feet). Like any good mountain send-off trail in Mexico, there are vendors selling local cuisine, cerveza, and even in this case pulque (slightly alcoholic fermented agave nectar) to replenish your energy sources after meandering through any of the 16 miles of rustic trails. Megan FryeCumbres del Ajusco National Park Area: 2,300 acresHow to get there: Rideshares and taxis are pretty easy to come by from within the city and to return, though the trip will likely take more than an hour. If you find yourself stuck after a hike, just ask around and you'll find a taxi driver. From the Universidad metro, take the "San Miguel Ajusco" bus which takes about an hour to arrive, from there, ask for the "parque nacional" which can be another 20 minutes. Hours: Open hours, though recommended during daylight as trails can be difficult to navigate in the dark. Mexico City's highest point is Ajusco mountain, which guards the southern edge of the city. At 12,894 feet, Ajusco is rugged and steep, but not a technically difficult mountain to climb. Cabins and of course quesadillas and birria (a hearty country soup made with goat or sheep meat) stands abound and the foothills are a popular place for family members to gather. Also part of the national park is the Volcán Xitle, a volcano that blew its top roughly 1,700 years ago and covered much of the city's south side in volcanic rock. Rumored to have been used as a place for sacrifices and offerings to the Gods, it still draws visitors to its crater for hiking and to connect with the legends of its pre-Columbian past. Insurgente Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla National Park (aka La Marquesa)Area: 4,349 acresHow to get there: Rideshares and taxis make the roughly hour trip from the core city on a regular basis. To go by bus, go to the Observatorio subway station, exit and head across the road to the bus station and purchase a ticket to Toluca (make sure it's an "intermedio" ticket) which will drop you right at La Marquesa in about 45 minutes. Hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.La Marquesa is a popular park which climbs into the highlands surrounding Mexico City, bordering the city limits and the neighboring State of Mexico. There are hiking trails, diversions (think go-karts and paintball) and horseback riding and is a great place to stop off on the way to or from the stunning Nevado de Toluca volcano or Valle de Bravo, a charming village-surrounding Avándaro lake valley now being touted by Mexico City real estate agents as "the Hamptons of Mexico City" (please don't go there looking for that). La Marquesa sits at more than 10,000 feet and entices visitors with sampling a variety of Mexican delicacies such as rabbit, mixiote (a pit-barbecue dish) and cecina (dried beef). You can even fish for your own trout and have a restaurant grill it up for you. Los Viveros de CoyoacánArea: 119 acres How to get there: The best way to arrive is to the Viveros subway station. Hours: 6 a.m.-6 p.m. dailyViveros is the Spanish term for plant nursery, and there is a large one on site at this park where you can buy anything from herbs to a palm tree. But the real draw and importance of the space is the surprisingly private forest that lies within the park's walls. Most visitors to Viveros get their walk or run in on the more than one mile-wide loop that encircles the collection of neatly planted trees, including varieties of acacia and eucalyptus. The part plant nursery/part public park was founded as a space to reforest the city and was declared a national park in 1938. Bosque de Tlalpan and Fuentes BrotantesArea: 936 acres combinedHow to get there: For Bosque de Tlalpan: Take the Metrobus Line 1 south to Villa Olímpica and take a 10-minute taxi drive or walk 15-20 minutes. For Fuentes Brotantes, exit at the Ayuntamiento station and take a five-minute taxi drive or walk 10 minutes. Hours: Bosque de Tlalpan is open daily from 5:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and Fuentes Brotantes from 9 a.m-6 p.m. Right along Insurgentes Avenue, the main artery connecting the north and south of the city, lie two national parks in the southern delegation of Tlalpan. Bosque de Tlalpan is made up of steep inclines dotted with pines, oaks and cedars. It's a popular place for people to hike, hold picnics and other events (including a weekly organic market) and to come with children to enjoy the massive jungle gym equipment. At the southern edge of the park with a separate entrance and hours is Fuentes Brotantes, where natural spring waters flow into a large pond enjoyed by passersby and plenty of ducks. Both parks are often tapped for their natural and tranquil atmosphere to host activities such as yoga and dance classes. UNAM Botanical GardenMegan FryeUNAM Botanical GardenArea: 30 acresHow to get there: Take the subway to Universidad, and take a short walk into the UNAM campus. Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Small, sweet, and complete is the UNAM Botanical Garden, part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico's massive campus that is home to more than 300,000 students. UNAM has a great deal of outdoor spaces to enjoy, such as the Sculpture Park and its central Las Islas common area, but the Botanical Garden is one of the most relaxed areas on campus, featuring plants and trees endemic to Mexico, including a wide variety of cacti. There's even a gift shop where you can adopt a native, endangered cactus (for a small fee) and care for it in your own home. The space is popular for students and cityfolk alike, with plenty of space to stretch out and take in the sun and the oxygen that it provides. Parque Nacional Iztaccíhuatl-PopocatépetlArea: 98,842 acresHow to get there: The best bet is to rent a car so you can explore the park at your leisure. Otherwise, buses make the hour-and-a-half trip regularly for Amecameca, from the city's TAPO bus station, from there you can hire a taxi to take you into the park. Hours: 7 a.m.- 9 p.m., with special backcountry permits required to hike Iztaccíhuatl (it's at least a 14-hour out-and-back hike). While not technically part of Mexico City, this massive national park is home to two of Mexico's largest volcanoes which play a major role of the valley's indigenous legends. On a day with moderate traffic, the park is between one and two hours to the east. On clear days (mostly in the late fall and early winter), the snow-capped mountains can be seen from the city itself. Iztaccíhuatl, at more than 17,100 feet, last erupted in 1868 and is now considered dormant; known colloquially as The Sleeping Woman or The White Woman for its year-round snowpack, and its form of a woman resting on her side. As Aztec legend goes, she was the true love of warrior Popocatepetl (17,800 feet), which is still active to this day, dousing dust on surrounding communities in his mourning of her death. It erupts at small levels regularly, and its habit of spitting out ash contributed in part to the poor air quality the city experienced this spring. Parque Ecológico de XochimilcoArea: 531 acresHow to get there: Rideshares and taxis are abundant in the area, though congestion is high in Xochimilco due to two-lane roads and travel from central areas of the city can take an hour or more. The park sits right off of the Periférico highway which circles the city. On Metrobus line 1 or Tren Ligero, get off at the Periférico station and take a bus east asking for Parque Ecológico de Xochimilco. Hours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Xochimilco is one of Mexico City's most important neighborhoods in terms of its food production on floating islands known as chinampas (an ingenious creation of the Aztecs) and the canals built from now mostly dry Lake Texcoco, making up for about 60 miles of waterways. The delegation's water and trees function as lungs as well as a popular recreation area and home to the endangered axolotl (cuteness level: red alert). So popular, in fact, that water in the canals is pumped out and treated and also diverted from other areas of the city for the popular Xochimilco boat rides. The Xochimilco Ecological Park is home to migrating birds as well as native flora and fauna that has managed to stand up to the tests of Mexico City's rapid urbanization of this not-long-ago rural delegation. Cerro de la Estrella National ParkArea: 200 acresHow to get there: Take the subway to the Cerro de al Estrella National Park station and have a taxi take you to the park. Hours: Open daily 5 a.m.-7 p.m.Overlooking the densely populated Iztapalapa borough, Cerro de la Estrella sits at more than 8,000 feet (more than 700 feet above the city) and is covered in pines, eucalyptus and white cedar. It's popular for trail running and offers an excellent view of the city on a clear day. Though the cherry on top is really a pyramid. Other visitors go for the pre-Columbian sites including a pyramid and petroglyphs, the work of various indigenous groups (namely the Chichimecas) dating as far back as 1500 BCE. Cuicuilco Archaeological Zone and Ecological ParkArea: 44 acresHow to get there: Take the Metrobus to the Villa Olímpica station, Cuicuilco sits alongside northbound Insurgentes Avenue. Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The largest archaeological site in Mexico City is also one of its oldest and greenest. Long before the Mexica (also known as the Aztecs) took hold of the valley, this pyramid was built by the Cuicuilca people (of whom not much is known) in honor of a fire deity, possibly referencing nearby Xitle volcano which erupted between 245 and 315 CE and ultimately lead to the abandonment of Cuicuilco. Much of the pyramid still lies beneath more than 30 feet of volcanic rock from that eruption. Agaves, eucalyptus, grasses and many endemic flowers make up the ecological aspect of this ancient part of the city. An onsite museum boasts what is arguably the best depiction of the now-dry Lake Texcoco on which Mexico City was formed as an island. BicentenarioMegan FryeParque Bicentenario Area: 136 acresHow to get there: Take the subway to the Refinería station which sits on its eastern border. Hours: 7 a.m.-6 p.m.Providing respite on the city's north side, Parque Bicentenario is home to five gardens, an orchid house and a conservatory. The park has undergone a number of recent reforestation programs providing shade for chilangos to rest under in between soccer matches. With sports fields and a lake, it's provides this side of town with a tranquil and family friendly place to spend time. While it's often quiet on weekdays, the weekends welcome hordes of people to celebrate everything from having a day off to birthdays and weddings in the wide green areas. The park is even adapted from time to time to host major concerts featuring national and international acts such as Hello Seahorse! and Björk. Megan Frye is an independent journalist and translator living in Mexico City. She has a history of newsroom journalism as well as nonprofit administration and works with international and Mexican publications.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| To Take Down Trump, Take to the Streets Posted: 11 Aug 2019 02:37 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily BeastPARIS—From Algeria to Hong Kong, Sudan to Puerto Rico, people all over the world have been turning out in the streets this year to confront policies and regimes that previously seemed all but invulnerable. And through relentless, largely peaceful protests they've had amazing success.There is a lesson here. Americans disgusted by Donald J. Trump, disheartened by his control over the Senate and Supreme Court, demoralized by the consistent support he enjoys from two-fifths of the population, and appalled by his incitement of gun-toting racists, might want to take note. The examples of mass demonstrations that have taken on, and in some cases taken down, terrible leaders show there are formulas that can be applied in many places, including the mainland of the United States of America. There's even an illustrative equation.In a study published this month by the scientific journal Nature, Erica Chenoweth and Margherita Belgioioso look at what they call "the physics of dissent" drawing on the simple law that momentum equals mass times velocity (p=mv). "When movements maintain mass and velocity, they maintain momentum," the authors tell us, and momentum is what's required to achieve results. They cite the example of Sudan. There, Omar al-Bashir had been in power for 30 years—and had lasted for a decade even after allegations of genocide in the Darfur region led to his indictment by the International Criminal Court for mass killing, rape and pillage. Nothing seemed able to bring him down. But as Chenoweth and Belgioioso point out in a blog post, Sudan's opposition "used a combination of protests, marches, general strikes, and other forms of non-cooperation" to oust Bashir in April.In Algeria, a nation with a proud history of rebellions, gruesome experience with terrorism, and a fearsome record of repression, demonstrations followed a pattern similar to Sudan's. Hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets for peaceful protests—the Smile Revolution, it's been called—and they ended the 20-year rule of the decrepit 82-year-old President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.In the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, in a matter of weeks after leaked text messages exposed Gov. Ricardo Rosselló's vengeful approach to partisan politics, as well as his sexist and homophobic slurs, mounting protests led to threatened impeachment and finally his resignation.In Russia, where activists opposed to President Vladimir Putin are routinely jailed and often murdered, cops beat protesters with grim savagery. Now they are threatening to separate arrested protesters from their children, and to jail opposition leaders for years on specious charges of corruption. Yet the protests keep growing, and Putin's grip on power begins to be the subject of speculation.And in Hong Kong, the public rebellion against Beijing with mass protests week after week poses a growing threat to the authority there of Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose representative has been humiliated and forced to withdraw a controversial extradition law. To push back against the tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party, as many as two million people—a quarter of Hong Kong's population—went onto the streets in a single march.Again, there's a formula. Not only are Hongkongers showing an instinctive understanding of "the physics of dissent," they've added a bit of Kung Fu philosophy from the late martial arts icon Bruce Lee. When facing authority, "be water," flowing where the power is weak or absent. The most active protesters tell each other, rather poetically, "Be strong as ice, be fluid like water, gather like dew, scatter like mist."Why have we not seen this kind of concerted, continuous combination of mass and velocity in the United States?Maybe the American opposition to the Trump regime really isn't as impassioned as many rants on Twitter might suggest. Or maybe those are just onanistic ends in themselves. There's been a lot of obvious passivity: waiting for Robert Mueller to take care of everything, or pretending that the symbolic act of impeachment will squeeze the sleaze out of office.Certainly, by comparison with the demonstrators in other parts of the world there's a hint of sloth and even of cowardice. When I broached some of these ideas on Twitter (where else?) one tweep complained impotently that "we" couldn't even get Twitter to take down the president's account, as if that would solve anything. More than one suggested fear of Trump supporters with guns acts as a deterrent.And another said things really aren't so bad under Trump, and most people don't see any reason to remove him, which suggests why his whining opposition doesn't take to the streets in massive numbers.But of course that's not quite right. There have been huge demonstrations since Trump's election—some of the biggest in American history. Although, weirdly, the National Park Service is not allowed to count, the Women's Marches of 2017 and 2018 and the March for our Lives after the Parkland school shooting all reportedly drew well over a million people. But, to go back to the physics of dissent, the momentum that changes things requires not only mass, but velocity. That's what's been missing. The protests have to be big, and they have to keep coming again and again–preferably weekly, even daily. Such demonstrations have changed the course of American history before, notably when the anti-Vietnam War protests of 1967 and '68 pushed President Lyndon Johnson to give up his bid for reelection.And since then we might also have learned some important lessons about mass demonstrations that go astray, because that happens, too. Back in the 1960s, the same movement that persuaded LBJ to stand down wound up ushering Richard Nixon into the White House. As White House insider Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote in Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream, "Beneath their wild flurry of activity … the young dissenters lacked the sustained involvement of a radical cadre. Their dissent was coopted as the revolutionary leaders willingly sat on evening talk shows, and as participants in marches left early to look for themselves on the 6 p.m. news."The Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011 lost its focus and its impact amid constant internal disputes, and what is fatal in the American consciousness, a dearth of novelty.Here in France we have seen the way a popular movement that started out with a reasonable cause, the gilets jaunes, or yellow vests, was quickly hijacked and eventually discredited by anarchists and vandals. Paris Riots Strike Home: Yellow Vests, Vandals — and Jihadists —Thrive on Such ChaosThe Arab Spring of 2011 saw the popular victories of the unorganized masses exploited by the organized Muslim Brotherhood, then taken away entirely by the cynical military. In Sudan and Algeria the struggle to keep that from happening continues, while in Hong Kong the threat of intervention by China's army is poised above the protests like the sword of Damocles, and in Russia, Putin wants everyone to know that as bad as he's done, he can do much worse. Nobody said nonviolent revolution is easy, and nobody should believe that the fall of a single person resolves the problems in a society that may have put him or her in power in the first place.But as things stand right now, if the economy's sugar high continues through November of next year, Trump probably will be re-elected. No Democratic candidate has found an effective way to deal with the most fundamental truism of presidential politics: "It's the economy, stupid!"Trump's assaults on the fundamentals of American democracy—including language that inspires white nationalist terrorism and defends possession of assault rifles—will appear "vindicated" in the electoral college even if, once again, the will of the American majority is thwarted. And if that happens we will be more than halfway to the end of what we used to think of as truth, justice, and the American way. Any effort to remove Trump from office after reelection will be infinitely more difficult and dangerous. Tweets won't avert that outcome. Nor by itself will the flaccid exercise of impeachment proceedings in the House.But p=mv, the E=mc2 of protest, might just do the trick.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. 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| Accused Sex Trafficker Steered $100K Payday to Bannon Posted: 11 Aug 2019 02:30 AM PDT  Photo Illustration by Lyne Lucien/The Daily Beast/GettyAn accused pedophile helped Steve Bannon secure a $100,000 speaking gig from a prestigious Washington think tank, according to emails reviewed by The Daily Beast. The emails—between Republican fundraiser and investor Elliott Broidy and Lebanese-American political operative George Nader—shed light on the relationship between Trump's ex-adviser and a man now in jail awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. The emails point to a closer relationship between Bannon and Nader than previously known. It's been widely reported that Nader met with Bannon in the White House during his time as a Trump adviser there. But these emails show they stayed in contact after Bannon left government, and that Nader helped the ex-Breitbart chief secure an appearance with a six-figure payday. A Bannon spokesperson, meanwhile, said Nader was "irrelevant" to Bannon's speech. Nader's work drew the attention of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who questioned him extensively as part of his probe into foreign meddling in the 2016 presidential race. But Mueller wasn't the only federal prosecutor interested in Nader. On June 3 of this year, he was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and charged with possessing child pornography. And just last month, the feds rolled out additional charges for child sex trafficking. Nader is in jail awaiting trial, and has pleaded not guilty. Broidy, meanwhile, also appears to have drawn attention from the feds: The Daily Beast confirmed in April that one of his former associates has spoken with FBI agents about his business dealings. The emails between Nader and Broidy, sent in September and October 2017, involve arrangements for a conference on Qatar hosted by the Hudson Institute. Broidy, then seeking business from the government of the United Arab Emirates, was running a quiet public relations campaign designed to undermine the Qatari government's influence in Washington and with American Jewish leaders. He was particularly incensed that Nick Muzin, a former staffer to Sen. Ted Cruz with deep ties to Jewish leaders, had signed on to lobby for the government of Qatar. They'd run in the same tight-knit circle of Jewish Republicans and Broidy saw Muzin as a traitor. The country's connections to Iran—with which it shares a huge gas field—have long angered many in the pro-Israel community. And its ownership of Al Jazeera also fuels opposition from many supporters of Israel. Steve Bannon Got Russian 'Evidence' From Rob Goldstone During Transition"I want to Puke," he wrote in an email to his wife on Sept. 6. "What a moron.""Is this guy a self-hating Jew or an idiot?" she replied. "What can you do?"Just a few months earlier, the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates started a blockade of Qatar. It was a bid to isolate the peninsular nation, which those governments blamed for funding terrorism. The Qataris kicked off a well-funded lobbying effort to tell their side of the story in Washington and stay in the Trump administration's good graces. Muzin's outreach to Jewish leaders—which Broidy sought to countervail—was part of the Qataris' effort to shore up support. As part of Broidy's project, he helped arrange a conference to be held at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank known for its foreign policy work. The conference, set for October of 2017, would make the case against Qatar. In September, Broidy communicated with Nader—whom he had known since Trump's inauguration—about those plans. And on Sept. 22, Nader emailed Broidy about getting Bannon involved [all punctuation sic]. "Hope all is going well with you and the Conference," Nader wrote. "Send me please an update[.] Steve is interested in participating." Nader then shared Bannon's email with Broidy. "Send him pls a letter to brief him…on the conference, what you like him to do and when," Nader continued. "You should get him key time and all by himself with proper guy to introduce him. Let me know what you have in mind!"Two days later, Broidy sent Nader a curious email. It opened with the words "Dear Steve," and then described the plans for the conference. "I would love to have you as one of the keynote speakers," Broidy wrote in the email sent to Nader but addressed to Bannon. The email included a draft of the conference's agenda. It appears Broidy wanted Nader to proof-read the invitation before it went to Bannon, who had left the White House in August 2017.On Sept. 29, event organizers circulated a draft of a Save-the-Date invitation for the conference. Bannon's name wasn't on it. "You need to add please Steve Bannon," Nader wrote in an email to Broidy. "He is as important if not more to that invitation and kindly send me too a draft of the full program as is for now[.]" Two weeks later, Bannon was in. "Still working on many details," Broidy wrote to Nader on Oct. 17. "Will get schedule to you when ready. Steve is on board, FYI $100k honorarium." Five days later, Broidy was still keeping Nader looped in on Bannon's participation. He forwarded Nader an email he sent directly to Bannon that day. "I am very excited about your appearance at the conference tomorrow," he wrote in the email to Bannon that he forwarded to Nader. "George asked me to resend some talking points. See you then." A person close to Bannon said that the two men got to know each other better after Bannon left the White House, and that Nader was one of many people who approached Bannon on behalf of event organizers about making speeches. But a Bannon spokesperson discounted Nader's role in Bannon's speech."This is just one of many speaking requests Mr. Bannon receives," the spokesperson said in a statement. "Hudson Institute is a highly respected think tank, and because of that, he accepted an invitation with others such as Sen. Cotton and Gen. Petraeus. George Nader was irrelevant; neither he nor anyone has influenced Mr. Bannon's longtime position on the condemnation of Qatar as an urgent threat to Israel: a state sponsor of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and other Islamic terror organizations."The conference went forward, largely as planned, and a source familiar with it confirmed that Bannon received the $100,000 payment. It featured a host of luminaries, including Gen. David Petraeus; Zalmay Khalilzad, who later became the State Department's Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation; Democratic and Republican members of the House of Representatives; and Republican Sen. Tom Cotton. Bannon, in his speech, was characteristically bombastic and praised the blockade. "I think the single most important thing that's happening in the world is the situation in Qatar," he said. "What's happening in Qatar is every bit as important as what's happening in North Korea."A lawyer for Nader declined to comment for this story. Spokespersons for Broidy and Bannon declined to comment as well. The Hudson Institute stands by its work."Hudson has held countless panels and produced reports on the Middle East, including Qatar and the pernicious impact of the Muslim Brotherhood specifically," said a statement the Institute shared with The Daily Beast. "We believe our criticisms and analysis of Qatar, Iran, and the Muslim Brotherhood are still valid." George Nader's Phones Had Child Porn—and Communications With a Crown Prince, Feds SayA source close to Hudson said Bannon's honorarium was on par with what other main speakers received. In an ironic twist, Bannon has since gotten to know Muzin—Broidy's old nemesis—and discussed going into business with him. The Daily Beast reported earlier this year that Muzin pitched an executive at Juul, the e-cigarette company, on his lobbying services and said Bannon would be able to help out with his influence efforts. Juul didn't take them up on the offer. For Broidy and Nader, the weeks before the Hudson conference were a comparatively simple time. Two months after the event, hackers stole troves of emails Broidy had sent and received. The emails were fodder for a host of news stories about his business dealings and relationships with foreign government officials, including officials looking to influence Trumpworld. Many of Nader's communications with Broidy have also become public since the hack. And numerous reports have revealed Nader's work as a gatekeeper between Gulf dignitaries and denizens of Trumpworld. The emails The Daily Beast obtained indicate that, on at least one occasion, he also helped connect a Republican financier to Bannon. Broidy has alleged in court that the Qatari government sponsored the hacks. The Qataris say the allegations are baseless, and the litigation is underway. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Syrian troops capture key village in rebel-held Idlib Posted: 11 Aug 2019 02:01 AM PDT  Syrian government forces captured an important village in the northwestern province of Idlib on Sunday, drawing close to a major town in the last rebel stronghold in the country, state media and opposition activists said. The capture of Habeet opens up an approach to southern regions of Idlib, which is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country. Syrian troops have been trying to secure the M5 highway, which has been closed since 2012.
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| Venezuela: New US sanctions pressure Maduro but ‘risk exacerbating humanitarian crisis and torpedoing negotiations’ Posted: 11 Aug 2019 01:59 AM PDT  When Juan Guaidó raised his nation's tricolour flag in January and swore himself in as interim president to the rapturous cheers of thousands in Caracas, many hoped – and believed - President Nicolas Maduro was finally on his way out.A long-fractured opposition had reorganised, mass protests returned to the capital, and within minutes the US - followed by 50 other nations - officially recognised the National Assembly head as the country's legitimate leader.The successor of Hugo Chavez's failed socialist project, Maduro had long been in the White House's diplomatic crosshairs. The country's economy was now collapsing and an international consensus was forming that his latest elections were fraudulent. "Both the Venezuelan opposition and the US government thought this was going to be a quick win," says David Smilde, a Venezuela expert and senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America. But seven months on, political change has proved more elusive: despite the US' best efforts to pressure Maduro with bellicose rhetoric and waves of economic sanctions, the embattled leader holds on to power."They completely underestimated the sociology of authoritarian governments, which are often more resilient than you think," Smilde says.Last week, the US took centre stage at a Lima Group meeting to announce its latest efforts to turn the screw on Maduro. In the company of 14 other nations allied in seeking a resolution to the Venezuela crisis, it spelled out its boldest, most sweeping economic sanctions on the country to date.The executive order froze Venezuela's assets in the United States, banned entry to Venezuelan citizens aiding the dictator, and pledged to sanction foreign companies – or governments - dealing with Maduro's government.Guaidó swiftly welcomed the news. The wiry leader stressed to reporters in Caracas that the "sanctions are against Maduro, not the Venezuelan people"; items that alleviate human suffering – clothes, food and medicine – are exempt.The measures would "protect Venezuelans" from the government plundering the nation's assets, he tweeted.Predictably, Venezuela's foreign office blasted the sanctions, describing the order as "economic terrorism against the Venezuelan people" and the formalisation of "a criminal economic, financial, and commercial blockade that has already started."While the US has already imposed targeted sanctions on individuals (figures close to Maduro), specific companies, and industries, the latest measures cast the net wider. For the first time they include secondary sanctions (targeting those outside the US), threatening to cut off foreign businesses with America and its financial system should they not comply."Do you want to do business in Venezuela, or do you want to do business with the United States?," US national security adviser, John Bolton said to reporters in a message to foreign businesses around the world. "That includes any foreign entity, government, corporation, person, who contributes to keeping the Maduro regime in power".Although both the US and Guaido deny that the measures are an embargo, experts in international law, international relations, and NGOs operating in the country told The Independent they will still exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis - and hinder efforts to restore democracy.> The new US sanctions worsen the suffering of Venezuelans, they should be personally targeting members of the stateRodolfo Montes de Oca, Venezuelan human rights lawyer "Although it is not technically an embargo … the order will have a chilling effect on any transactions with Venezuelans," predicts Mary Ellen O'Connell, international law expert at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. The academic adds that the move is "unlawful", violating World Trade Organisation Standards. Mismanagement of the most oil-rich nation in the world - and once the wealthiest of Latin American nations - has caused widespread food and medicine shortages, a spike in crime, and rampant hyperinflation, predicted by the IMF to reach 10 million per cent.Over four million have fled the crisis, according to the UN Agency for Refugees, and nine out of 10 Venezuelans now say they go hungry, according to local polls.The new sanctions are, according to the US, intended to alleviate that suffering by strangling Maduro's finances and forcing him out of power. But some fear that the Venezuelan people will hurt more than its leaders."The new US sanctions worsen the suffering of Venezuelans, they should be personally targeting members of the state," says Rodolfo Montes de Oca, lawyer at leading Venezuelan human rights organisation, PROVEA.As many as 40,000 people have already died in Venezuela as a result of US sanctions since 2017 that made it harder for ordinary citizens to access food, medicine and medical equipment, according to a report released by the Washington-based think tank, the Centre for Economic and Policy Research.Bolton boasted that Venezuela now joins Cuba, Iran, Syria and North Korea in the "club of rogue states" exiled from the US market.Academics researching the impact of US sanctions on those countries say none offer a positive case study in restoring democracy; more likely, they weaken resistance to authoritarian governments as local populations are ground down by suffering."This tends to hurt ordinary people far more than it hurts governments, as governments have control of hard currency,'' says Barbara Slavin, an Iran expert at the Atlantic Council think tank."This is cruel and counterproductive. The sanctions look tough but how is this tough if it's killing innocent people?"Several NGOs told The Independent that they are already facing banking difficulties due to over compliance with previous sanctions. As Slavin says, financial institutions commonly avoid working with organisations - even if exempt - due to fear of draconian measures from the US.More salient than the potential exacerbation of the already grave humanitarian crisis, Smilde says, is that the announcement could have torpedoed ongoing talks between Maduro and Guaido.As the crisis drags on but Guaido's opposition loses momentum, international observers have increasingly looked to ongoing negotiations in Barbados, now in their third round, as the most likely peaceful way out. Late on Wednesday, the government announced in an official statement that it would not be sending delegations this week "due to the grave and brutal aggression" being "carried out by the Trump administration against Venezuela". It is not known if they will return to the table."The ramping up of sanctions by the US provided the perfect excuse for Nicolas Maduro to withdraw from this round of negotiations," Smilde says."The only viable way the opposition has of translating its popularity and legitimacy into power is through some sort of political settlement".
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| Muslims mark Eid and final days of hajj in Saudi Arabia Posted: 11 Aug 2019 01:01 AM PDT  Around 2.5 million pilgrims took part in a symbolic stoning of the devil on Saturday, marking the final days of the hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. To mark the completion of the hajj, male pilgrims shave their hair and women trim theirs to represent a spiritual renewal and rebirth. Male pilgrims will also remove the white terrycloth garments worn on the hajj and return to their usual attire.
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| The Latest: Israeli troops kill gunman near Gaza fence Posted: 11 Aug 2019 12:52 AM PDT  Gaza's Health Ministry says a 26-year-old Palestinian was killed after exchanging fire with Israeli troops along the perimeter fence surrounding the coastal territory. The Israeli military says an "armed terrorist" approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army says a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.
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| When light is lethal: Moroccans struggle with skin disorder Posted: 10 Aug 2019 11:56 PM PDT  Determined for her 7-year-old son to attend school despite a life-threatening sensitivity to sunlight, Nadia El Rami stuck a deal with the school's director: Mustapha would be allowed in the classroom, but only if he studies inside a cardboard box. Mustapha Redouane happily accepted the arrangement. Now 8, Mustapha has already had 11 operations to remove cancerous growths on his skin.
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| Indians mobilise for 'resettlement' amid warnings over Hindu nationalist occupation of Kashmir Posted: 10 Aug 2019 11:00 PM PDT  Rohit Kachroo can still remember flinging open his backdoor and playing on the banks of the vast River Jhelum dissecting the city of Srinagar, the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. But recollections of his home town stop age four-and-a-half when he was forced to flee to Delhi with three generations of his family as brutal majority Muslim mobs ran riot. "I hope that no child in the world has to see what I have seen," Rohit said. Rohit, 33, is one of many Pandit Hindus now mobilising for the 'rightful' return home after Narendra Modi revoked Kashmir's special status, tearing up rules that had barred outsiders from owning land there. But fears are growing that Mr Modi, whose Hindu nationalism won him an extraordinary re-election in May, is exploiting the plight of the Pandits to encourage Hindus across India to follow suit - leading to a Palestine-style occupation that will cement a new 'unified' nation. Police personnel struggle to detain an activist of Jammu and Kashmir Youth Congress Credit: RAKESH BAKSHI/AFP Across the border in nuclear-armed Pakistan, president Imran Khan has warned of ethnic cleansing, while militants are already plotting a renewed insurgency. For now Kashmir lies in darkness after Mr Modi ordered an unprecedented militarised lockdown, curfew and communications blackout as tensions threaten to boil over. Mr Modi's nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party ended self rule in Kashmir for the first time since 1947 on Monday. He scrapped Article 35A that banned non-permanent residents of Kashmir from buying land and property or seeking employment in the state. In a rare interview with western press by a BJP official, Ram Madhav, the party secretary, told The Sunday Telegraph the government was already looking to set-up special territories in Kashmir for returning Hindus, adding that all legal channels were now open. "Someone who has the key for his home could claim it and if someone stalls him he could go to the police or the court to get his property back," added Krishna Saagar Rao, Chief Spokesperson at the BJP, citing party ideology. He said that new powers giving greater control over the state through the national police force will make it safe for returning Hindus. A security guard stands on a street in downtown Srinagar amid a communications blackout Credit: SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP Googlesearches for "land rates in Kashmir" and "plots in Kashmir" skyrocketed this week across India suggesting residents were seriously considering making the move once tensions diffused. A hoax real estate advert was also widely circulated on social media, which seemingly offered land for sale in Kashmir while non-Kashmiri Indians requested the phone number of estate agents in Srinagar on Twitter. "What do you think would be [the] rate of a 200 square yard plot in [a] decent colony of Kashmir, which ANY INDIAN CAN BUY?" speculated lawyer and political analyst Ishkaran Singh Bhandari. Womens' rights groups condemned a deluge of social media posts from Indian men who celebrated the removal of Article 35A arguing that it was their chance to marry a Kashmiri woman, favoured by some for their fairer complexion. In Pakistan, which maintains its claim to rule Kashmir in its entirety, Pervez Musharaf, the former president, accused Mr Modi of emulating Israeli policy by annexing land for resettlement, while Raja Farooq Haider Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, warned "there will be a great unrest in Kashmir, there will be killings in Kashmir" if mass Hindu migration caused demographic change. The two countries currently govern half of Kashmir each, split along a heavily militarised Line of Control over which artillery fire breaks out almost daily. "Establishing Hindu settlements is a nefarious act to change the fabric of Kashmir from a Muslim majority to a Hindu majority," said Mr Musharaf, the former President of Pakistan. Kashmir | Read more Mr Khan meanwhile suspended all bilateral trade with Delhi, expelled the Indian High Commissioner and reported its neighbour to the United Nations Security Council. Kashmiris living under the current lockdown told The Sunday Telegraph that tension was already high. Residents said the strict curfew meant they would be shot on sight if they left their homes, adding that many were starving as they are unable to access food and dying in the streets as they were refused access to hospitals. Up to 500 people - including university professors, business leaders and political activists - have also allegedly been detained by the Indian authorities. At home in India Mr Modi is under fire from opposition Congress party who have accused the prime minister of "trivialising Kashmiri Pandit's undoubted right to return". "By doing so the BJP has taken their pain and converted it into a theatre of affliction for their own hateful, selfish purposes," LaToya Ferns, a spokesperson for the opposition, said. Mr Rao, the BJP spokesperson dismissed the "highly preposterous, wishful and speculative" allegations. In a stirring address to Indians on Thursday, Modi justified his actions in Kashmir arguing that the removal of Article 370 would "rid Jammu and Kashmir of terror and separatism." Unsurprisingly, emotional Hindu Pandits welcomed the BJP's policy. Their plight is still fresh in the minds of many. The Pandit community, which made up 5 per cent of Kashmir's population, were forced to flee in the mid-1980s after mobs belonging to the majority-Muslim community began killing, raping women and damaging their temples and properties. "Even at that age you do understand what is murder and you do understand what is rape," Rohit said. The brutality peaked on 19 January 1990 when mosques in Kashmir began broadcasting messages that Pandits should either leave the state, convert to Islam or be killed. The exact number of those who fled is contested but it is thought to constitute almost the entire community, as high as 150,000 people. "If anyone can settle us back, it's Prime Minister Modi," said Renuka Dhar, now an Associate Professor at Delhi University, "no-one else has ever shown the desire or gumption." For Kachroo, a historical wrong metered out to his people can finally be righted. His mother has kept the key to their beautiful lost bungalow ever since they fled Srinagar. She might now be finally going home.
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| Saudi-led coalition moves against separatists who seized Aden in blow to alliance Posted: 10 Aug 2019 08:59 PM PDT ![Saudi-led coalition moves against separatists who seized Aden in blow to alliance]( "Saudi-led coalition moves against separatists who seized Aden in blow to alliance") The Saudi-led coalition on Sunday intervened in Aden in support of the Yemeni government after southern separatists effectively took over the southern port city, fracturing the alliance that had been focused on battling the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. "The coalition attacked one of the areas that pose a direct threat to an important government site," Saudi state TV quoted a coalition statement as saying without specifying the target. "This is only the first operation and will be followed by others ... the Southern Transitional Council (STC) still has a chance to withdraw," it added.
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| Key players in Yemen's multi-layered conflict Posted: 10 Aug 2019 05:54 PM PDT  Yemen's war mainly pits Iran-aligned Shiite Huthi rebels against a pro-government camp supported by a Sunni Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Huthis control vast swathes of the north and west of the country, as well as the capital Sanaa. The Yemeni government was expelled to the south where it declared second city Aden the provisional capital.
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| Trump Is Making Xi’s Superpower 2050 Plan Tougher by the Day Posted: 10 Aug 2019 05:00 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. Even before the trade war, Xi Jinping's plan to turn China into one of the world's most advanced economies by 2050 was ambitious.His grand vision is now looking more aspirational by the day. As mounting pressure from Donald Trump adds to a slew of structural challenges facing China's $14 trillion economy -- including record debt levels, rampant pollution, and an aging population -- the risk is that the country gets stuck in a "middle-income trap,'' stagnating before it reaches rich-world levels of development.Economists say Xi's government can avoid that fate by boosting domestic consumption, liberalizing markets and increasing the country's technological prowess. But it won't be easy. Only five developing countries have made the transition to advanced-nation status while maintaining high levels of growth since 1960, according to Nobel laureate Michael Spence, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business."China trying to do this with active opposition from the U.S. makes the hurdle that much higher to jump over," said Andrew Polk, co-founder of research firm Trivium China in Beijing. "But the U.S. has clearly lit a fire under China. If it ultimately does succeed we may look back at this moment as the catalyst that really kicked their efforts into high gear."The International Monetary Fund highlighted President Xi's challenge on Friday, saying in its annual report on China's economy that if a comprehensive trade agreement isn't reached, it would damage the nation's long-term outlook. "China's access to foreign markets and technology may be significantly reduced," the IMF said.Odds of a near-term trade deal appear low. After President Trump issued a surprise threat to apply new tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods two weeks ago, Beijing responded by halting purchases of U.S. crops and allowing the yuan to fall to the weakest level since 2008 on Aug. 5.Trump's administration fired back within hours, formally labeling China a currency manipulator. The White House is also holding off on a decision about granting exemptions to U.S. companies that want to do business with Huawei Technologies Co., the Chinese tech giant that Trump placed on a blacklist in May, people familiar with the matter said.Read more: Trump Says It's 'Fine' If September China Talks Are CanceledAny concessions from China are unlikely until October at the earliest, said Jeff Moon, a former assistant U.S. trade representative for China affairs. Xi faces growing internal pressure to project strength as anti-government protests in Hong Kong intensify and China prepares to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic on Oct. 1."Any sign of weakness is unacceptable to Chinese leaders,'' Moon said.Read more: U.S. Calls China 'Thuggish Regime' as Hong Kong Feud EscalatesIn one sign of how rapidly the Sino-U.S. relationship has deteriorated, some state media in China have raised the prospect that Beijing may consider cutting off engagement on trade entirely. Communist Party-run publications have stoked nationalism in recent weeks while exuding confidence in China's economic system and its flexibility to cope with external challenges."Chinese enterprises are speeding up adjustment, creating new export markets," Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of China's state-run Global Times, tweeted on Thursday, after data showing overseas shipments beat expectations in July.In the short run, China's government has ample firepower to prevent economic growth from falling below the 6% lower bound of its annual target range. Bloomberg Economics predicts the central bank will cut interest rates this year, while Standard Chartered Plc expects fiscal stimulus to drive a moderate recovery in the second half of 2019.Xi has also made some progress in tackling China's long-term challenges. A more than two-year deleveraging campaign has helped wring some of the worst excesses out of the country's debt markets, while regulators have taken a much harder line on high-polluting industries in recent years. The services sector now accounts for more than half of gross domestic product.China has also poured billions into developing a homegrown high-tech industry, going head-to-head with the West in areas like artificial intelligence and electric vehicles. In an October 2017 speech that laid out his long-term vision for the Chinese economy, Xi vowed to join the most innovative countries by 2035 on the way to great-power status by 2050.Read more: A QuickTake on China's economyYet the trade war has laid bare just how far China remains from some of Xi's targets. The most striking example: America's blacklisting of Huawei, which threatens to cripple the Chinese national champion because local chip designs aren't yet sophisticated enough to replace those from the U.S."For China it will be harder to access state-of-the-art technology," said Bert Hofman, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore. "This will make it harder for China to catch up, but at the same time it will set stronger incentives to develop their own technology ecosystem. How China does this will determine how fast they will grow."Debt and demographics are two other big challenges. China's debt burden has continued to rise despite the deleveraging campaign, climbing to about 303% of GDP in the first quarter, one of the highest ratios among developing nations, according to the Institute of International Finance. The country's working-age population is forecast to shrink by more than 20% to 718 million by 2050, according to data compiled by the United Nations.While China's per-capita GDP has jumped tenfold since 2000 to an estimated $10,000 this year, it's still far below readings of about $65,000 in the U.S. and Singapore -- one of the five economies highlighted by Spence as having achieved advanced-country status since 1960.China's economy is still expanding faster than its rich-world counterparts for now, but its advantage is shrinking.Growth slowed to 6.2% in the second quarter, the weakest pace in at least 27 years, and Standard Chartered estimates that if Trump's threatened tariffs come into effect on Sept. 1, they could slice 0.3 percentage point off China's annual rate of expansion. Xi has tried to diversify the country's stable of overseas customers via his signature Belt & Road initiative and other trading pacts, but the U.S. still accounts for about 20% of China's exports."The U.S.-China trade tensions certainly make the transition harder," said Michelle Lam, greater China economist at Societe Generale SA in Hong Kong. "China will lose some export market share and the technology spillover from the U.S. to China will slow. But the current tensions also provide the opportunity for policy makers to press harder with reform."\--With assistance from Chloe Whiteaker, Hannah Dormido and Daniel Ten Kate.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Kevin Hamlin in Beijing at khamlin@bloomberg.net;Peter Martin in Beijing at pmartin138@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeffrey Black at jblack25@bloomberg.net, Michael Patterson, Christopher AnsteyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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