| Ukraine leader says troops must withdraw before Putin summit Posted: 10 Oct 2019 05:04 PM PDT  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday threatened to call off a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin if all sides do not agree on plans to pull out troops from the east. The country's comedian-turned-leader is gearing up to hold talks with Putin in Paris in an effort to revive a peace process to end the five-year separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine. "If there is no pullback (of troops) there is no Normandy summit," Zelensky told reporters, referring to talks with Putin that would be hosted by France President Emmanuel Macron and also involve German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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| Pound Bulls May Have a Real Reason to Hope Posted: 10 Oct 2019 04:44 PM PDT ![Pound Bulls May Have a Real Reason to Hope]( "Pound Bulls May Have a Real Reason to Hope") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- If the market is right, the chance of a resolution to the Brexit nightmare has just been transformed. After Ireland's Taioseach Leo Varadkar briefed the press on his lengthy one-on-one talks with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, currency traders turned what had already been a good day for the pound into one in which sterling at one point made its greatest gain in more than two years. For some context, this is what has happened to the pound against the dollar since the beginning of September, when Johnson's gambit to prorogue Parliament appeared briefly to have made a "no-deal" Brexit a virtual certainty:Unlike any of the big lurches in sterling that preceded it, the news that caused this dramatic leap had nothing to do with goings-on in Westminster. It all boils down to some remarkably positive words from Varadkar. He can now "see a pathway to a possible deal" – and he thinks it possible to reach that deal in the week before the European Union's summit on Brexit.Both sides agreed not to release any details. But in comparison with the negativity that preceded it, the latest development justifies the optimism. Leo Varadkar is now the single most important player in the Brexit drama.The entire issue of Brexit at this point boils down to the problem of the Northern Irish border. It is impossible for the whole of the U.K. to leave the EU's customs area without turning this border back into a customs border. That, in turn, would require physical infrastructure, something Ireland has refused to countenance. This is reasonable given the commitments made by the U.K. under the Good Friday Agreement, which resolved Northern Ireland's long-lasting "Troubles."This effectively makes Varadkar the EU's chief arbiter of whether any deal is acceptable. That's because the other EU countries would feel obliged to support a continuing member, rather than give way to a member that is leaving. To do otherwise would send a dreadful message to other smaller countries that might consider leaving.Varadkar has been studiously cautious. He said almost nothing positive about the proposal to resolve the issue that Johnson published last week. As even the Northern Irish business community said the plan was worse than the "backstop" proposal put forth by Johnson's predecessor Theresa May, which Parliament voted down, this wasn't surprising. And earlier this week, after Johnson spoke with Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, the briefing from Downing Street could scarcely have been more negative.In this context, with an obstacle that seems almost impossible to surmount, and with no obvious previous attempt by Johnson even to try to surmount it, such positivity from Varadkar is extraordinary. It really does suggest that there is a game-changer. The fact that neither side has leaked the new proposal is also healthy, as it suggests that they have something worth discussing.Sterling's move therefore makes sense. There is plenty more downside if the U.K. crashes out of the EU without a deal; but the chance that it could reach an agreement by the end of this month, the best available outcome at this point, had seemed impossible. With deep negativity toward the pound, it was therefore primed for a big move in response to any genuinely positive news.The crucial question if the pound is to retain its gains: What on earth is Johnson proposing? Let us assume that he is dealing in good faith. If so, at this point, it is hard to see what could spark such positivity from Varadkar other than a customs border through the Irish Sea. This would settle all of Dublin's concerns; it would be simple and relatively easy to enforce. But it would also entail a further split of Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. Many in the mainland would have little problem with this, but the idea is anathema to the unionist community in Northern Ireland itself, and to many enthusiastic Brexiteers on the mainland.Until now, the Democratic Unionist Party – the main unionist party in Northern Ireland – and Conservative Brexiteers have exercised a veto over all attempts to break the deadlock this way. If Varadkar reaches a deal with which he is satisfied, would these parties then move to block it?According to at least one foreign exchange analyst, they may no longer have that power. George Saravelos, currency strategist at Deutsche Bank, points out that the U.K. is currently slated to leave the EU without a deal on Oct. 31. If any deal to result from the Johnson-Varadkar talks were vetoed in Parliament, the U.K. could then only avoid a potentially disastrous no-deal exit by asking the EU for an extension – and that extension could be vetoed by any single EU member. In other words, potential rebels, in Britain and Northern Ireland, could be told: Take this deal and live to fight another day, or take responsibility for the chaos of a no-deal exit. Such an exit would hurt the U.K. much more than the rest of the EU.That makes parliamentary rebellion far harder this time than it was earlier in the year. It also justifies the currency market's positive reaction. But the currency volatility won't go away just yet. It is still hard to believe that this intractable issue can be finessed and, to quote Varadkar, "there's many a slip between cup and lip."(Corrects the description of the pound's gain in the first paragraph.)To contact the author of this story: John Authers at jauthers@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Beth Williams at bewilliams@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.John Authers is a senior editor for markets. Before Bloomberg, he spent 29 years with the Financial Times, where he was head of the Lex Column and chief markets commentator. He is the author of "The Fearful Rise of Markets" and other books.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| No-deal Brexit an "enormous challenge" for Irish economy - central bank Posted: 10 Oct 2019 04:01 PM PDT ![No-deal Brexit an "enormous challenge" for Irish economy - central bank]( "No-deal Brexit an \"enormous challenge\" for Irish economy - central bank") A no-deal Brexit would present "enormous challenges" to the Irish economy and cut growth to just 0.8% next year, Ireland's Central Bank said in its most detailed set of projections to date on the potential risks. Ireland's fast-growing economy is considered the most vulnerable to Brexit among remaining European Union members because of its close trade links and shared land border with the United Kingdom.
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| UN envoy: Vast majority of Colombia rebels back peace deal Posted: 10 Oct 2019 03:43 PM PDT ![UN envoy: Vast majority of Colombia rebels back peace deal]( "UN envoy: Vast majority of Colombia rebels back peace deal") UNITED NATIONS (AP) — "The vast majority" of former fighters with Colombia's largest rebel group remain committed to the 2016 peace deal with the government despite a few ex-commanders taking up arms again, the country's U.N. ambassador said Thursday. Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo told council members the rearming former FARC leaders "are a clear minority" who established "a narco-terrorist group" a little over a month ago. The ex-FARC leaders' action is the "most flagrant violation" of the agreement, Holmes said.
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| Divided UN fails to agree on Turkey's offensive in Syria Posted: 10 Oct 2019 03:00 PM PDT  The divided U.N. Security Council failed to agree on Turkey's offensive in northeast Syria on Thursday, with Europeans demanding a halt to military action and Syrian ally Russia calling for "restraint" and "direct dialogue" between the two countries. The five European council members who called the closed meeting would have liked its 15 members to agree on a statement on the Turkish offensive, launched after President Donald Trump suddenly withdrew U.S. forces from the volatile northeast. The United States proposed a statement that expressed "deep concern," called for protection of civilians, and asked Turkey to go through diplomatic channels rather than take military action, council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations were private.
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| As Trump abandons Kurds, Israel worries how dependable he is Posted: 10 Oct 2019 02:56 PM PDT  For the past three years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has bet heavily on President Donald Trump and been rewarded with major diplomatic gains in exchange for his warm embrace of the U.S. leader. In particular, there are growing fears that Israel's archenemy Iran could be emboldened by what appears to be an increasingly hands-off American policy in the region. "The Israelis had thought of Trump as a special U.S. leader very much in tune with their view of the region," said Dan Shapiro, who was former U.S. President Barack Obama's ambassador to Israel.
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| Slain reporter's mother hopes militants will face US charges Posted: 10 Oct 2019 02:52 PM PDT  An American woman whose son was killed by the Islamic State said Thursday that she is hopeful the transfer to U.S. custody of two British militants brings them a step closer to criminal charges. Diane Foley told The Associated Press that she would like to see the men prosecuted in the United States for their involvement with the Islamic State cell that killed Western hostages, including her son, James, a journalist who was beheaded in Syria in August 2014. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Amon Kotey were transferred to U.S. custody as Turkey invaded Syria to attack Kurds who have battling the Islamic State alongside American forces.
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| Turkey presses Syrian assault as thousands flee the fighting Posted: 10 Oct 2019 02:25 PM PDT  Turkey pressed its air and ground assault against U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in northern Syria on Thursday for a second day, pounding the region with airstrikes and an artillery bombardment that raised columns of black smoke in a border town and sent panicked civilians scrambling to get out. It was a wrenchingly familiar scene for many who had fled the militants of the Islamic State group only a few years ago. There were casualties on both sides: Turkish officials in two border provinces said mortar fire from Syria killed at least six civilians, including a 9-month-old boy and three girls under 15.
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| Phillips 66 books supertanker to ship U.S. crude to South Korea for record $14 mln -sources Posted: 10 Oct 2019 02:23 PM PDT ![Phillips 66 books supertanker to ship U.S. crude to South Korea for record $14 mln -sources]( "Phillips 66 books supertanker to ship U.S. crude to South Korea for record $14 mln -sources") Phillips 66 tentatively chartered a supertanker to ship U.S. crude from the U.S. Gulf Coast to South Korea for a record $14 million this week, sources said Thursday, as tanker rates continued to soar after U.S. sanctions on units of Chinese giant COSCO. Phillips 66 provisionally chartered the Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) Olympic Laurel for $14 million and is expected to load in mid-November, according to Refinitiv Eikon data. The United States in late September imposed sanctions on two units of China's COSCO, which operates more than 50 supertankers, alleging the units violated U.S. sanctions on Iran.
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| Trump pushed Tillerson to help Giuliani's client out of DOJ probe: Source Posted: 10 Oct 2019 02:22 PM PDT  During a 2017 oval office meeting, President Donald Trump urged then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to push the Department of Justice to drop a criminal case against an Iranian-Turkish gold trader who was being represented by Rudy Giuliani, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. Reza Zarrab, Giuliani's client, was accused of bank fraud, money laundering and helping the Iranian government in evading the U.S. economic sanctions on Iran to hinder its nuclear weapons program.
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| The Latest: Trump doubts public wants US involved in Syria Posted: 10 Oct 2019 02:09 PM PDT  As Turkey's military incursion into Syria continues, President Donald Trump is telling reporters the U.S. has only two choices: Hit Ankara hard with financial sanctions or send in U.S. troops to stop the fighting between Turkish and Kurdish forces. Trump says Turkey knows he does not support the invasion. The president has been roundly criticized by Democrats and Republicans for moving U.S. troops back from northern Syria so they would not get harmed during the planned incursion against the Kurds, whom Turkey's government see as terrorists.
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| Syria's Kurds: Turn to Damascus or concede to Turkey? Posted: 10 Oct 2019 01:50 PM PDT  Syria's most powerful Kurdish group is grappling for friends after its ally, the United States, abandoned it to an invasion by Turkey, whose warplanes, tanks and artillery are raining shells onto its stronghold in the north of the country. The Kurdish fighters have few options. The Turkish military operation, backed by warplanes and a formidable mobilization, has already targeted dozens of locations along a stretch of nearly 200 miles along the Syrian-Turkish border in its opening salvo.
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| US to hand over to Iraq IS members evacuated from Syria Posted: 10 Oct 2019 01:10 PM PDT  The U.S. will hand over to Iraqi authorities nearly 50 Islamic State members who were transferred from Syria in recent days, two Iraqi intelligence officials said Thursday. The move comes after Turkey began a military offensive into northern Syria against U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces who are holding more than 10,000 IS members. It wasn't immediately clear why the 50 IS fighters would be transferred to Iraq, but the group's self-declared caliphate once sprawled across a large part of both Iraq and Syria.
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| Israel's Likud party passes Netanyahu confidence vote Posted: 10 Oct 2019 12:53 PM PDT ![Israel's Likud party passes Netanyahu confidence vote]( "Israel's Likud party passes Netanyahu confidence vote") Israel's Likud party has passed a motion in support of Benjamin Netanyahu as its sole candidate for prime minister, but only a small fraction of the party's members turned out for the vote. The Likud party's Central Committee convened Thursday to vote on a resolution asserting that it would only join a government headed by Netanyahu. The resolution aimed to prevent any of Netanyahu's Likud party rivals from forming a government without the long-serving leader as prime minister in the event Netanyahu fails.
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| What Do Nobel Laureates Think of President Trump? Posted: 10 Oct 2019 12:05 PM PDT  Mandel Ngan/GettyPresident Trump has made no secret of his infatuation with the Nobel Peace Prize. True to form, he's repeatedly declared that he's deserving of the prestigious honor, and has claimed the Nobel committee—a five person panel appointed by the Norwegian parliament—is rigged against him. "I think I'm gonna get a Nobel Prize for a lot of things—if they gave it out fairly, which they don't," Trump said at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City this year. Trump has now been in office for nearly three years, and still has yet to receive the prize, while former President Barack Obama won it within nine months of taking office. This year's winner will be announced at 11 a.m. Friday at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, and streamed live on their website at 5 a.m. EST. Trump has argued that he deserves the prize for his efforts to open communication with North Korea and denuclearize the hermit nation, a commendable goal that has so far been unsuccessful despite multiple summits with the North Korean leader. While he's insisted "they probably will never give" the award to him, Trump has been nominated by two Norwegian lawmakers, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is rumored to have sent the Nobel Committee a sparkling nomination letter on Trump's behalf."We have nominated him of course for the positive developments on the Korean Peninsula," Per-Willy Amundsen, a former right-wing Norweigian Justice Minister told Reuters in February. "It has been a very difficult situation and the tensions have since lowered and a lot of it is due to Trump's unconventional diplomatic style."In Trump's dogged pursuit of things with his name on them, the Nobel Peace Prize would provide him with abiding bragging rights. Past winners, however, may not welcome him with open arms. Since entering the White House, the world's greatest peace-makers have often found discord with the leader of the free world. Malala YousafzaiYousafzai, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, has been a frequent critic of President Trump's policies. She first gained international attention after being shot in the head for going to school in her native Pakistan, defying a Taliban ban on girls receiving education. Yousafzai miraculously survived and used her recognition to advocate for women's rights around the world.As a champion for gender equality, Yousafzai was first asked about Trump in reaction to the allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against the president. She told a crowd at the World Economic Forum last year that she was "so disappointed to see that people in high positions talk about women in unequal terms and do not accept them as equals," adding that "it is just shocking for a second to believe that this is actually happening… I hope that women stand up and speak out against it."Yousafzai has also addressed the president's travel ban on Muslim majority countries, as well as his policies at the Mexican border. "I was deeply hurt," Yousafzai said of the travel ban in 2017. "Because I'm a Muslim, and to me it just seemed like directly blaming Muslims, and that is not a solution, that is just making an excuse and hiding from the real problems."A year later, she spoke out against the Trump administration's child-separation policy. "This is cruel, this is unfair and this is inhumane. I don't know how anyone could do that," Yousafzai said during a visit to South America. "I hope that the children can be together with their parents." Nadia MuradTrump has actually met the most recent Nobel Peace Prize recipient.During a meeting with survivors of religious persecution at the White House in July, Trump listened to Nadia Murad recall how her family was murdered by ISIS, and how she was taken captive by the group. After her escape, she has tirelessly spread the word about the horrific crimes committed against her people by ISIS. Despite claiming to have defeated ISIS, Trump appeared to be unfamiliar with Murad's story, asking her why she was awarded the Nobel Prize that he covets. "They gave it to you for what reason?" Trump asked Murad. "For what reason?" she responded, appearing confused. "For that after all this happen to me, I can—I make it clear to everyone that ISIS raped thousands of Yazidi women."Trump's GOP Allies Are Livid at His Inaction on Turkey Barack ObamaThe former president won the Nobel Prize in 2009 for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people." Since leaving office, Obama has largely stayed out of the limelight, occasionally resurfacing to condemn comments or policies by Trump. During a particularly fiery speech in September last year ahead of the primary elections, Obama spoke to the racist divides in America that his successor has reignited. "Over the past few decades the politics of division and resentment and paranoia has unfortunately found a home in the Republican Party," Obama said. "We're supposed to stand up to discrimination. And we're sure as heck supposed to stand up clearly and unequivocally to Nazi sympathizers. How hard can that be?"Obama then called out Trump by name. "It did not start with Donald Trump, he is a symptom not the cause… he's just capitalizing on resentments that politicians have been fanning for years."'An Illusion to Think That He Wouldn't Do This': Trump Iran Deal Withdrawal Fulfills Wish to Nullify Obama Juan Manuel SantosJuan Manuel Santos, the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize recipient and former president of Colombia, has been diplomatic in his statements regarding President Trump. Santos won the award for orchestrating a historic peace agreement in his country with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People's Army, a violent rebel group that generated decades of conflict in Colombia.Santos, who has experience dealing with dangerous adversaries, acknowledged that Trump has used "bold moves" to establish personal relationships with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. "It's extremely important. Leaders are human beings and if they have good chemistry, and some kind of empathy, that makes negotiations much easier." But said he believes that "much more can and should happen." "So far, superficial messages have been sent to the world but real progress, one doesn't see it," Santos said of Trump. "We need to see more complete progress." Jimmy CarterFormer President Jimmy Carter, who won the prize in 2002 for his lifelong commitment to humanitarian causes, has also acknowledged Trump's work to bring peace to the Korean peninsula. "If President Trump is successful in getting a peace treaty that's acceptable to both sides with North Korea, I think he certainly ought to be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize," the former president told Politico last year. "I think it would be a worthy and a momentous accomplishment that no previous president has been able to realize."Carter is not withholding in his criticism of Trump, and couched his tentative praise by noting that Trump has already dealt "a damaging blow" to world peace by moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and generally failing to inspire morality in his leadership.When a president does not embody the ideals of a moral leader, "it makes us much more likely to treat people differently, and to discriminate against either African-Americans or others who are different… I think it's probably more difficult to elevate human rights to a top priority, and things like peace and justice," Carter said. David TrimbleDavid Trimble, the former first minister of Northern Ireland who played a major role in negotiating the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to the region, and won him the Nobel Peace Prize that same year, has offered a matter-of-fact take on Trump's potential win."Trump is going to do what he wants to do and what he thinks is best. And the Norwegian Nobel Committee acts on the basis of the nominations it receives. Some who deserve it never win," Trimble said. "... It's important to remember that (with regards to North Korea) it is not just a matter of saying nice things but applying pressure. And it is better if it's done in a way that does as little damage as possible."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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| Boy, 12, among casualties as Turkey intensifies assault on Kurds in northern Syria Posted: 10 Oct 2019 11:58 AM PDT  Turkish mortars killed one 12-year-old boy and ripped off a young girl's leg as Turkey pummeled Kurdish-held towns on the second day of its assault on northern Syria on Thursday. Muhammad Yusuf Hussein and his 7-year-old sister Sarah were hit in a strike on Qamishli, the de facto capital of the unrecognised Kurdish statelet of Rojava. On the other side of the border, Turkish authorities said four children including a nine-month old baby had been killed in retaliatory fire. They were the youngest of at least 15 civilians killed in artillery and airstrikes in Turkey's bid to create a "safe zone" in a large swathe of territory controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia. Turkey considers the Kurdish YPG, the dominant force in the SDF, to be an extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has fought a decades long insurgency against Ankara and is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and Nato allies including Britain. Witnesses said there was intense shelling in both directions around Ras al Ain and Tal Abyad, the two key border towns that anchor a 60-mile stretch of border where Turkey is making its main assault. Mr Erdogan claimed 109 "terrorists" were killed in the offensive, a reference to the Syrian Kurdish fighters. Turkey - Syria map Early in the day the SDF struck a defiant note, saying they had repulsed a Turkish attack on the town of Tal Abyad and said claims Turkey had made any advance east the the Euphrates were false. The SDF also said they had defeated attacks on villages by Islamic State sleeper cells taking advantage of the Turkish offensive. But by late afternoon, the sheer weight and technical superiority of Turkey's Nato-standard army was beginning to tell. Turkish troops and allied Syrian rebel groups backed by aircraft and tanks seized key roads and villages around both cities. "The Turks have installed themselves on the See Kanie-Hasakah road" said a SDF source, referring to the main road south of Ras al-Ain. "Attacks were carried out from three sides. Turkish planes have been striking from the air. At the same time, their heavy weapons haven't stopped." The National Army, a Turkish-backed Syrian rebel group taking part in the offensive, claimed both cities were completely surrounded. The claim could not immediately be confirmed. People run to take cover after mortars fired from Syria, in Akcakale, Turkey Credit: AP In a sign Bashar Assad's Russian-backed forces would not oppose the offensive, a minister described the SDF as "separatists" who had provided Turkey with a pretext for the attack. Asked whether Damascus would resume dialogue with the Kurdish-led forces, deputy foreign minister Faisal Maqdad, rejected the suggestion and called them "armed groups who had betrayed their country and committed crimes against it." Turkish officials said a total of six civilians, including the children, had been killed on the Turkish side of the border. Activists in Syria said at least 15 civilians and eight Kurdish fighters had been killed. Doctors in Tal Tamr, a Kurdish town south of Ras al-Ain, said they had seen another 10 dead and treated 25 wounded civilians, many with head or stomach injuries, since the assault began on Wednesday afternoon. The Syrian Observatory for Human rights said at least 60,000 civilians had been displaced by fighting, with large convoys of civilian cars heading south and east away from the front lines. Authorities said they were also struggling with a large number of displaced civilians attempting to cross the border into Iraqi Kurdistan. One woman, who only gave her name only as Khabat, told the Telegraph she had fled the Ras al-Ain overnight on Wednesday after the shelling started. "We cannot stay here for one second of Turkish occupation. We do not want to become like the people of Afrin," she said referring to a previous offensive by Turkey on a Kurdish-majority city to the west. Smoke rising from targets inside Syria Credit: REX She said she would first go south to Hasakah province where she had family, but was contemplating fleeing Syria altogether. "Rojava will never be safe, ever, not as long as Assad and Erdogan are in power." Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the goal of the operation is to "prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area." He has said he wants to settle Syrian Arab refugees along the border to create a buffer zone, in what critics say would be an act of ethnic cleansing. International aid agencies warned of an escalating humanitarian crisis, saying that civilians were at risk "as violence escalates." An estimated 450,000 people live within three miles of the border with Turkey "and are at risk if all sides do not exercise maximum restraint and prioritize the protection of civilians," a statement from 14 organizations, including Doctors of the World and Oxfam, said. With the exception of Qatar, an ally of Ankara's, countries lined up to criticise the Turkish offensive. French President Emmanuel Macron condenmed the assault, summoning the Turkish ambassador to Paris. "Turkey is today forgetting that the priority of the international community in Syria is the fight against Daesh and terrorism," Mr Macron said. "It is creating a humanitarian risk for millions of people." Turkish Army howitzers deploy across Syrian town of Tal Abyad Credit: Anadolu Donald Trump, whose decision to withdraw US troops from the area earlier this week effectively gave a green light to the offensive, said he would "hit Turkey very hard financially & with sanctions if they don't play by the rules!" Norway, a Nato ally of Turkey, announced it was suspending all arms exports to the country. Iran, a close ally of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's regime, called on Thursday for "an immediate halt" to the offensive and demanded Turkish forces withdraw. In a rare moment of alignment with its arch enemy, Israel also condemned the assault "in the strongest terms" and offered "humanitarian assistance to the gallant Kurdish people." "Israel warns against the ethnic cleansing of the Kurds by Turkey and its proxies," said Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister. Domnic Raab, the Foreign Secretary, said he spoke to Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu to express "disappointment and concern" about the military incursion into NE Syria, and call for restraint. Penny Mordaunt, the former defence secretary, was more blunt. "Bad for refugees. Bad for security. Bad for future defence. Bad for the rules based order. Bad for Nato," she wrote of the Turkish operation on Twitter. "Good for just about every terrorist organisation and hostile state you care to name."
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| Irish foreign minister says there is Brexit optimism but 'not there yet' Posted: 10 Oct 2019 11:40 AM PDT ![Irish foreign minister says there is Brexit optimism but 'not there yet']( "Irish foreign minister says there is Brexit optimism but 'not there yet'") Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney said there was cause for optimism after positive Brexit talks between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart but said there was still some way to go before they had got an agreement. "Mark my words we are not there yet," Coveney said in a speech in Dublin before meeting Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on his return from talks in northern England with Johnson. "Today, I think, is an injection of some much needed optimism but the pragmatism of getting a deal across the line is what we will need to focus on in the weeks and days ahead," Coveney said.
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| Israel high court denies house arrest for Australian suspect Posted: 10 Oct 2019 11:28 AM PDT ![Israel high court denies house arrest for Australian suspect]( "Israel high court denies house arrest for Australian suspect") Israel's Supreme Court has upheld an appeal against releasing a former educator accused of sexually abusing her students in Australia to house arrest while she fights extradition proceedings. Australia wants Malka Leifer extradited to face 74 charges of abusing students while she was principal at a Jewish religious school in Melbourne.
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| Sudan ruling council appoints 2 to top judicial posts Posted: 10 Oct 2019 10:50 AM PDT ![Sudan ruling council appoints 2 to top judicial posts]( "Sudan ruling council appoints 2 to top judicial posts") Sudan's transitional government Thursday named two new appointees, including a woman, to the country's top judicial posts after weeks of pressure from pro-democracy activists demanding the original officeholders be sacked for alleged ties to former longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir. Neamat Abdullah Mohamed Kheir, a veteran female judge, was named chief of the judiciary and Taj al-Ser Ali al-Hebr, a lawyer, was appointed the country's public prosecutor. The announcements were made by Mohamed al-Fakki Soliman, spokesman for Sudan's joint civilian-military Sovereign Council, which is ruling the country in transition.
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| Trump’s Syria Fiasco Is Part of Putin’s To-Do List Posted: 10 Oct 2019 10:49 AM PDT  Mikhail Klimenyev/GettyPresident Donald J. Trump's surprise decision to abandon the Kurds and sign off on Turkey's operation in Syria drew condemnation in the West, but was cheerfully welcomed in Russia, and, for those who follow Russia closely, the contrast revived the ghosts of Helsinki, where Trump's surrender of American values was on full display.There in Finland last year, the leader of the most powerful country in the world demonstrated cringeworthy servility toward Vladimir Putin—president of a rogue government sanctioned by the West for a great number of malign activities, including Russia's brazen interference in the U.S. elections. The world's pariah looked triumphant next to the deflated American president. As Trump stood hunched over, with a blank expression, Putin was practically glowing—and he wanted the world to know just how great the meeting went for Russia. Putin held up a thick stack of his notes with both hands, showing them off for the world to see, in effect giving himself the thumbs-up.Turkey's Invasion of Kurdish-Controlled Syrian Territory Stalls as Soon as it Starts, But For How Long?Discernible portions of the first page, purposely written in abnormally large script, included references to the election interference, Putin's request that Russia be allowed to interrogate the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, and also the British businessman Bill Browder, pursuant to the 1999 Treaty with Russia on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters. There was a reference to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. And at the bottom of the first page, Putin's notes also mentioned Syria, where Russia has been wreaking havoc and committing mass atrocities in concert with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad and Iran.For public consumption, the Russian president's handwriting mentioned "joint humanitarian operations with the goal of creating conditions for the return of refugees." The reality on the ground tends to create—not dissipate—the flood of refugees, essentially weaponized by Russia and Syria to destabilize Europe.On Wednesday this week, President Trump nonchalantly commented that if the thousands of ISIS prisoners that are currently being held by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces escape, "they will be escaping to Europe." Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also threatening Europe with a flood of refugees, publicly proclaiming, "We will open the gates and send 3.6 million refugees your way."Mystery surrounds the rest of the topics discussed by the President of the United States with the Russian leader in Helsinki, since President Trump confiscated the American interpreter's notes and remains tight-lipped about his exchanges with Vladimir Putin. But one thing is clear: Trump is moving down Putin's wish list, fulfilling the Kremlin's aims at a rapid pace. He is chipping away at U.S. sanctions against Russia, deepening America's internal divisions on the basis of race, faith, sexual orientation and political affiliation, vocally undermining confidence in our elections, intelligence agencies and institutions, all the while empowering our foreign adversaries and undermining NATO alliances.Trump's claims that Ukraine—not Russia— is somehow responsible for the 2016 election interference fall right in line with conspiracy theories the Kremlin has been propagating for years. The Russians have long been promoting the notions that prompted President Trump's outrageous demands from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, ultimately leading to the commencement of the impeachment proceedings. The ousting of Marie Yovanovitch, the former ambassador to Ukraine, was also in line with the Kremlin's wishes. She stood up for Ukraine's interests, opposing Russia's aggressive posture with respect to Donbas. Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, a close ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin—who is the godfather of Medvedchuk's daughter—has a longstanding grudge against Ambassador Yovanovitch. Medvedchuk cheered for the U.S. Ambassador to be recalled and the Russian state media predicted that Ambassador Yovanovitch would be Trump's "first victim in Ukraine."Russia's fingerprints seem to appear on every controversial foreign policy decision undertaken by President Trump. Prior to Turkey's ongoing offensive against the Kurds, Turkish President Erdogan met with his Russian and Iranian counterparts, reaching "important decisions." We Need to Know What Happened When Trump Was Left Alone With PutinAll three leaders avoided providing specifics on the talks. Russian state media proudly boasted that Erdogan secured Putin's approval for Turkey's offensive in northern Syria before speaking to Trump. Vladimir Soloviev, the host of the nightly program The Evening With Vladimir Soloviev on Russian state television, said that the Turkish president ran his plans by his Russian counterpart, securing his approval during their personal exchanges. Soloviev added sarcastically that Erdogan was "not quite as delicate" with the president of the United States, implying that the American president was simply put on notice as to the deals that were already struck by Turkey, Russia and Iran.The prevailing talking point in the Russian state media is that Trump's actions have proven what Russia has been repeating for years: "Americans can't be trusted." Evgeny Poddubny, a military correspondent for Russian state-owned Channel 1 (VGTRK), said that after being "stabbed in the back by the Americans," the Kurds have nowhere else to turn except to Russia. Now that the U.S. is seemingly abdicating its influence in the Middle East, Russia is readily stepping into the void, offering to facilitate the negotiations between the Kurds and the Assad regime. Even Russian experts are amazed at the damage Trump is willfully inflicting. Appearing on Russian state television show 60 Minutes last year, Tatyana Parkhalina, President of the Association for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, said as if she were incredulous: "I never thought I'd live to see this—not the USSR nor Russia, who tried many times to drive the wedge between transatlantic allies, but Washington is doing everything to break down the foundations of transatlantic alliance and unity." Last year, the idea of the U.S. pullout from Syria seemed too good to be true. Now, the Kremlin's ambitions are coming to fruition. Pundits and experts appearing on the nightly television show The Evening with Vladimir Soloviev, concurred that anti-American analysts couldn't even dream of a situation where the umbrella of American influence in Syria would be retracted. They speculated that China will take advantage of this situation and get more involved in the Middle East. Semyon Bagdasarov, director of the Moscow-based Center for Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies, asserted that if he were serving in the armed forces of the United States, he would consider President Trump a traitor. Bagdasarov was perfectly blunt:: "Trump is a traitor to the American people." Host Vladimir Soloviev chimed in: "Then you should support him... If it's bad for America, you should support him." Russian expert Vladimir Avatkov added: "Let's hope that this will lead to Turkey leaving NATO. Let's hope for that to happen." Appearing on the same show, analyst Dmitry Drobnitsky suggested: "Here it is, the multipolar world... We're witnessing the beginning of a new era." 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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| Cyber Attacks Are North Korea's New Weapon of Choice Posted: 10 Oct 2019 10:49 AM PDT  Washington is obsessed with Pyongyang's nuclear weapons, but that is not the only threat from North Korea.
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| British, Irish PMs keep Brexit talks alive after meeting Posted: 10 Oct 2019 10:35 AM PDT  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar said Thursday they could see a "pathway" to reaching a Brexit deal after meeting for last-ditch talks, but remained cautious with just days left to strike an agreement. Time is running out to sign off on any deal at an October 17-18 European Union summit, the last such meeting before Britain's scheduled departure from the European Union at the end of the month. The main sticking point in the divorce deal is how to keep open the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, a member of the EU.
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| UK Brexit planning minister Gove delighted by Johnson, Varadkar talks Posted: 10 Oct 2019 10:12 AM PDT ![UK Brexit planning minister Gove delighted by Johnson, Varadkar talks]( "UK Brexit planning minister Gove delighted by Johnson, Varadkar talks") Michael Gove, the British minister in charge of the government's preparations for Brexit, said talks between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart on Thursday had been constructive and he was delighted they had reported progress. "The conversations between the prime minister and Leo Varadkar, they were cordial, they were constructive, they were open and they say there's going to be progress, so I'm delighted," he told BBC TV.
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| Turkish offensive sparks yet another Syrian exodus Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:56 AM PDT  Syrians are fleeing by the tens of thousands yet again, a recurring nightmare of hastily packed bags, traffic-clogged highways and an uncertain fate. Families who just a few years ago fled from an Islamic State onslaught are now running from a Turkish offensive against the same Kurdish fighters who defeated the extremist group. The United States, which worked hand-in-hand with the Syrian Kurds, has stepped aside and abandoned its allies .
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| Golden cage of Belgium's hated wartime king up for sale Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:53 AM PDT  The castle that served as a golden cage for the hated wartime king of Belgium has been put up for sale for £18 million, making it one of the country's most expensive properties. Over the years, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Former Libyan despot Muammar Gaddafi both made offers for Argenteuil, 136 hectares comprising a castle, park, a chapel, forests, ponds and meadows near Waterloo, but were rejected. Leopold III retired there after he abdicated in 1960 following accusations of collaboration with the Nazis and a controversial marriage that threatened to tear Belgium apart. He infamously stayed in Belgium after the Nazis invaded in 1940, despite the Belgian government fleeing to London, "to spare my people from further bloodshed". The king ignored the government in exile, visiting Adolf Hitler in his eagle's nest retreat in Berchtesgaden, and even sent the dictator flowers for his birthday. Leopold III Credit: Bettman/Bettman After the war, Leopold was declared unfit to reign and his brother ruled as Prince Regent from 1944 to 1950. A referendum was held, which voted in favour of allowing the controversial monarch, dubbed "King Rat" by the British press, to return to Belgium from exile in Switzerland. Belgium was bitterly divided between the King's supporters and critics and the country was paralysed by one of its most violent general strikes on his return. In Liege, the Belgian flag was torn down and replaced with the crowing cock of Wallonia, the French-speaking region's symbol. With Belgium on the point of collapse, and the catholic nobility incensed by his 1941 marriage to Lilian Baels while a prisoner of the Germans, he abdicated in favour of his son Baudouin. In 1960, he moved to Argenteuil from the royal residence of Laeken and remained there, out of sight and mind, until his death in 1983. He used the castle as a base to pursue his interest in natural sciences. The castle of Argenteuil is an old royal estate located on the territory of Waterloo, Ohain and La Hulpe in the province of the Walloon Brabant (Belgium) Credit: Isopix/Rex/Isopix/Rex Princess Lilian died in 2002 and the castle passed to the Belgian state, despite Baudouin's desire to convert it into a memorial for his parents.. It was sold for £7 million in 2004 to Walloon businessman Jean-Marie Delwart. Mr Delwart, 80, renovated the castle, which was crumbling into disrepair and has now decided to sell it. Belgian media reported that renovations of up to £810,000 will still be necessary. Local media reported that the castle has its own golf course and its gates are embossed with the intertwined L and L of Leopold and Lillian. The grounds are peppered with deer statues, which were a favourite of Princess Lilian, but the swimming pool is in dire need of repair.
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| Zelenskiy Fields Queries on Trump as He Spends Day at Oyster Bar Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:48 AM PDT ![Zelenskiy Fields Queries on Trump as He Spends Day at Oyster Bar]( "Zelenskiy Fields Queries on Trump as He Spends Day at Oyster Bar") (Bloomberg) -- He kept the world waiting five months for a news conference, but when Volodymyr Zelenskiy finally got round to it, the Ukrainian television-actor-elected-president put on quite the show.Picture the scene: a trendy food court in central Kyiv, 315 accredited journalists and a casually dressed 41-year-old president seated at the end of a wooden table, next to an oyster bar, fielding questions.The format is almost as unusual as the setting: small groups of reporters are allotted different time slots. Things kicked off at breakfast and will last into the night. By early evening, he was being handed an award for the world's longest-ever press conference on the basis he'd eclipsed Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of neighboring Belarus."It was the president who came up with this format," said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, his deputy chief of staff.It was a set-up that seemed straight out of the Vladimir Putin school of media interaction. The Russian president has a yearly call-in show where he answers questions for hours on end.Our reporter, given a graveyard shift around dinner time, bumped into the star attraction as he headed to the bathroom. Would he last that long? He said he would, but may need some glucose -- and grabbed a juice.Interest in Zelenskiy is off the charts -- U.S. network television and other international media hopped on a plane overnight to be at the event that was hastily arranged at the last minute. On arrival, Zelinskiy said: "Cool place, never been here before."He's an unwitting participant in the impeachment saga that's ensnared Donald Trump and was triggered by the now infamous phone conversation between the U.S. president and the novice leader. During that call in July, Zelenskiy told Trump he wanted more weapons from the U.S. to counter Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Trump asked Zelenskiy to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter."There was no blackmail," said Zelenskiy, in a white shirt with one button undone, no tie and hands clasped together. "It wasn't a subject of our talk."Later he was asked whether he apologized to Angela Merkel. In the call, Zelenskiy agreed with Trump when the U.S. leader said "Germany does almost nothing for you" -- "all they do is talk."Zelenskiy said he spoke to Merkel on Wednesday and they were good. He said EU leaders understood why he said what he said.Perhaps surprisingly, Trump was not the very first thing the Ukrainian president was asked about as the marathon session got underway.For local media, there's the fraught relationship with Russia, corruption at home and concern about Zelenskiy's ties to a local billionaire who owns the TV station that hosted his hit sitcom, "Servant Of The People." That's the show where art imitated life: A high school history teacher wins the presidency almost by accident, much like Zelenskiy's own surprising political journey.Now in power, the shine has already come off, especially after the transcript of the July call showed Zelenskiy out of his depth and fawning over Trump. Some are questioning whether he's really the reformer he sold himself as. On Thursday, he squabbled with some reporters, growing visibly irritated when quizzed by a journalist from a local magazine that's been critical of him.That didn't stop him though. With the event already 11 hours in and running well behind schedule, Zelenskiy's press secretary assured reporters that everyone would get their chance to speak to him -- even if that means staying beyond midnight.(Updates with record in third paragraph, delays in last.)To contact the reporter on this story: Daryna Krasnolutska in Kyev at dkrasnolutsk@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, ;Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net, Andrew Langley, Michael WinfreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| European Parliament exacts humiliating revenge on Emmanuel Macron Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:46 AM PDT  The European Parliament took revenge against Emmanuel Macron by rejecting his choice to be France's next EU Commissioner on Thursday. Mr Macron was instrumental in the ditching of the centre-Right European People's Party (EPP) candidate for European Commission president.. MEPs retaliated by vetoing Sylvie Goulard, the French president's pick to join the new EU executive in Brussels. The EPP is now expected to heap pressure on Mr Macron to name Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, as his choice to become what has been dubbed a "super-commissioner" in charge of industrial, space and defence policy. The French president rejected EPP candidate Manfred Weber in marathon talks in July that destroyed the 2014 Spitzenkandidat precedent, a democratic experiment that tied the commission presidency to the results of the European elections. Prior to 2014, EU leaders in the European Council picked the commission president. Mr Macron was pivotal in the backroom summit dealings that led to Ursula von der Leyen being parachuted into the job. The switch humiliated the fragmented parliament which backed the replacement candidate by just nine votes, despite vowing not to in a resolution. Every EU country nominates a commissioner to serve in Brussels but they face a hearing and vote from MEPs on their candidacy. Britain has not nominated a candidate for the next commission, which takes office on November 1, because of Brexit. Senior sources in the EPP suggested Mr Barnier, a member of their party who has served two terms as an EU commissioner for France, would have been an easier pick to support than Ms Goulard. Mr Macron has praised Mr Barnier, who has a EU-wide profile thanks to his influential Brexit role, but will be reluctant to name a commissioner who is not a member of his liberal Renew Europe group. Sylvie Goulard, during her second hearing before the European Parliament in Brussels Credit: Olivier Hoslet/Rex Former MEP Ms Goulard faced questions over two hearings about her lucrative work for a US think tank and allegations she used her European Parliament assistant for domestic political work. An EPP tweet accidentally revealed a faint WhatsApp message saying, "Guys we are going to kill her in the vote later but do not say," before a committee of MEPs voted 82 against and 29 in favour of giving her the job. It is traditional for MEPs to reject at least one candidate for commissioner as a "sacrificial lamb". Ms Goulard is the third rejected candidate for the new commission, which is a record number of scalps at the hearing stage. She thanked Mr Macron for his confidence in her. MEPs have already rejected Romania's and Hungary's candidate but the dismissal of a French commissioner is unprecedented. The last member of a Western European country to be rejected was in 2004. Mr Macron said he had warned the new European Commission president that her choice of Ms Goulard could be controversial but that the heads of all the European parliamentary groups had assured beforehand they had no problem with her. He said: "I don't understand how the president of the Commission can have a discussion with the three group presidents and they agree on something like that only for it to change. I need to understand what happened in terms of pettiness and resentment." Profile | Emmanuel Macron
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| U.K. and Ireland Say They See ‘Pathway to a Possible Deal’ in Brexit Talks Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:44 AM PDT ![U.K. and Ireland Say They See 'Pathway to a Possible Deal' in Brexit Talks]( "U.K. and Ireland Say They See 'Pathway to a Possible Deal' in Brexit Talks") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.The U.K. and the European Union took a step closer to agreeing the terms of Brexit after a positive meeting between the British and Irish leaders identified a "pathway" to a potential deal. The pound jumped by the most in seven months.U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosted Irish premier Leo Varadkar for two and a half hours of private talks at a country house in northwestern England before taking a walk around the grounds together. Varadkar said he believed a deal is possible before the end of the month, and urged negotiators to resume talks in Brussels.After the meeting, the two leaders issued a joint statement saying they had identified the potential for a route to an agreement during the course of a "detailed and constructive discussion."Both leaders "continue to believe that a deal is in everybody's interest," they said in the statement. "They agreed that they could see a pathway to a possible deal."The pound hit a session high after the statement was released, gaining 1.6% to $1.2400. With just three weeks left until the U.K. is due to leave the EU, negotiations have stalled in Brussels and the time for striking an orderly separation agreement is almost up. The positive tone from the two leaders on Thursday indicated that a breakthrough is still possible."I had a very good meeting today with the prime minister and our teams together -- very positive, very promising," Varadkar told reporters after the talks. "I do see a pathway towards an agreement in the coming weeks." He said that, while obstacles remain, he hopes the progress on Thursday will be enough for formal negotiations to re-start in Brussels.The U.K. prime minister says he's determined to force Britain out of the EU on the existing deadline of Oct. 31 -- even if that means leaving with no agreement to cushion the impact on the economy. EU leaders, meanwhile, are preparing to give Britain an extension to the deadline, even though that's something Johnson says he will never accept.The atmosphere surrounding the negotiations had turned sour in recent days as the two sides blamed each other for their failure to make progress.The joint statement from Johnson and Varadkar marked a positive shift in tone. But it also highlighted the difficulties the negotiators have faced, notably on agreeing arrangements for checks on goods crossing the Irish border and how the region's community could give its consent to these plans."They agreed to reflect further on their discussions and that officials would continue to engage intensively on them," the joint statement said. Following the discussions, Varadkar will consult with the EU's Brexit negotiating taskforce. U.K. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay will meet the EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Friday morning.The key disagreement between the U.K. and the EU is over how to ensure there are no customs checkpoints at Ireland's land border with the U.K.Johnson has proposed limited customs inspections away from the frontier, but Varadkar insists any such checks will threaten peace in the region, which suffered decades of terrorism.The Irish Times reported there was "very significant movement" from Johnson on the customs issue in Thursday's talks. There was no further detail or information on concessions from the EU side, the newspaper's political editor Pat Leahy said on Twitter, without saying where he got the information.Any move to take Northern Ireland out of the U.K.'s custom zone is likely to be strongly resisted by the Democratic Unionist Party, which has 10 votes in the House of Commons that could be crucial to Johnson getting any deal accepted by Parliament.The EU has also criticized the U.K.'s plan to give the Northern Ireland Assembly a veto over the deal. Johnson's team say it's vital to allow the region's community to give "consent" for the future arrangements on the border.But for the EU, allowing a veto for Northern Irish politicians would undermine the point of a long-term guarantee against a hard border going up at the frontier.Ireland's position will guide the EU's remaining 27 member states. If Johnson can convince Varadkar to move, there is a chance a deal could be outlined ahead of the crucial summit of EU leaders Oct. 17-18.(Updates pound move in first, fifth paragraphs.)\--With assistance from Dara Doyle.To contact the reporters on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Kitty DonaldsonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Macron Suffers Setback After His EU Commission Pick Is Rejected Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:33 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron was dealt an embarrassing political blow when his candidate for the European Commission was rejected over concerns about an ongoing investigation into misuse of public funds.Two European Parliament committees in Brussels on Thursday voted down Sylvie Goulard in a setback to France's plans to shape the agenda of the incoming commission, the EU's executive arm. The 54-year-old no. 2 at the French central bank is a close ally of Macron and had been tapped to lead the bloc's industrial policy and digital market for the next five years.Macron reacted with frustration to the veto of Goulard by the EU Parliament's internal-market and industry committees, pointing the finger partly at commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen. Macron said von der Leyen had been instrumental in his decision to put forward Goulard from among three possible French candidates for European commissioner."I'd like to understand what happened," he told reporters in the southern French city of Lyon. Still, Macron said what matters most is the portfolio being reserved for France's next appointee to the commission.He plans to phone von der Leyen to discuss the next steps, which follow separate EU Parliament decisions forcing the Hungarian and Romanian governments to name new candidates for the incoming commission.Von der Leyen sought to brush off the setbacks as part of the democratic process in which the EU Parliament vets commissioners and seeks to hold the commission as a whole to account."We must not lose sight of what is at stake," she said in an emailed statement. "The next five years will be decisive for Europe in a difficult global environment."It's not uncommon for designated European commissioners to get knocked back, but this rejection is a bad look for Macron and von der Leyen at a delicate moment, with Brexit still a gnawing concern, transatlantic trade tensions growing and Turkey in the midst of a controversial incursion into Syria.Goulard had faced a grilling during her confirmation hearing last week when European lawmakers zeroed in on her legal problems and a highly-paid stint advising a U.S. think tank. During hours of questioning, the EU Parliament members asked how she could be eligible to become a European commissioner when she had been forced to step down as a minister in the French government.Goulard quit as Macron's defense chief in 2017 after only a few weeks as a result of an investigation into whether she misused public funds during her time as a European lawmaker.Macron's office says Goulard was cleared at the EU level. But French authorities are still conducting a separate probe into her party while the EU anti-fraud office is looking into Goulard herself. She denies any wrongdoing.The loss serves as a lesson for the French president of the risks of his sometimes high-handed style. He riled European lawmakers before the summer when he sidelined official EU Parliament nominees for the post of commission chief. Now the lawmakers have got their own back.The concerns over Goulard's suitability also focused on her work advising Berggruen Institute, which reportedly paid her around 10,000 euros ($11,000) a month for several years from 2013 to 2016, a period that overlapped with her time as an EU Parliament member.The original Romanian and Hungarian nominees for commissioner got booted over alleged irregularities in their financial statements.The EU Parliament has a track record of forcing incoming commission presidents to make changes to their teams. Both current commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and his predecessor, Jose Barroso, rejigged commissioner assignments before taking office as a result of EU Parliament objections.In the case of Barroso, a former Portuguese prime minister who served as commission president from 2004 until 2014, he and his first team started work three weeks late after re-assignments to the justice, tax and energy portfolios.In its most dramatic move against the commission, the EU Parliament forced the resignation in 1999 of the entire commission leadership team under then President Jacques Santer as a result of a scandal affecting France's appointee.(Updates with Macron, von der Leyen comments starting in third paragraph)To contact the reporters on this story: Nikos Chrysoloras in Brussels at nchrysoloras@bloomberg.net;Geraldine Amiel in Paris at gamiel@bloomberg.net;Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Michael WinfreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump Reinforces Middle Easterners’ View of U.S. as Unreliable and Weak Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:30 AM PDT ![Trump Reinforces Middle Easterners' View of U.S. as Unreliable and Weak]( "Trump Reinforces Middle Easterners' View of U.S. as Unreliable and Weak") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- President Donald Trump's decision to move American troops out of Syria to make way for a Turkish attack on pro-U.S. Kurdish forces cements America's growing reputation in the Middle East for being unreliable, unpredictable and, increasingly, even weak.Unreliability was the first thing noticed — by America's biggest critics, such as Iran; its main competitors, including Russia; and even its allies, including Israel and Saudi Arabia. The impression began to form during President Barack Obama's first term, when Washington, after a period of dithering, abandoned Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, allowing his ouster after huge street protests. Was this America's way of showing solidarity with friends?Such questions grew into serious doubts when Obama, with five other international powers, signed a nuclear agreement with Iran. Israel expressed alarm, and more quietly so did Gulf Arab countries. All feared it might even be the start of a broader U.S.-Iranian rapprochement that would replace their longstanding U.S. partnerships.It didn't help when Obama called Gulf Arab countries "free riders," and suggested they "share" the Middle East with Iran. To Saudis, especially, who had sided with the U.S. for decades, that felt like a betrayal.After the 2016 U.S. election, America's Middle Eastern partners hoped President Donald Trump would improve matters. Instead, he kept up the unreliability, and added a heavy measure of unpredictability.Trump famously finds it advantageous to keep friends and foes alike off balance. Such unpredictability may be useful in the real estate business. It may also work in international relations for small, disruptive states like Iran and North Korea that rely on chaos and destabilization to further their agendas. But for a global power looking to preserve stability in a volatile region like the Persian Gulf, unpredictability is self-defeating.Even the Israelis, who benefited from Trump's unpredictability when he recognized their annexations of Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, have been unnerved by his sudden reversals on North Korea and other global challenges. As they watch him abandon the Syrian Kurds to Turkey, some are wondering if they might be next.Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab countries have concluded that Trump sees them mainly as arms purchasers. So they have little difficulty imagining him making friends with Iranian leaders, and reaching for photo-ops and small diplomatic victories largely at their expense.Added to all this is the growing perception in the Middle East that the U.S. is losing, or has lost, the will to fight. While no one doubts America's military and economic power, it has also, in the aftermath of disastrous campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, demonstrated serious conflict fatigue. That became evident when President Obama declined to enforce his own "red line" against the use of chemical weapons in Syria. And it appeared twice more recently when Trump essentially ignored Iran's downing of an American drone and audacious attacks on Saudi oil facilities.But no action, or non-action, has been as stark as this week's abandonment of the Kurds, who have been the key allies in the American battle against Islamic State terrorists. Now it appears to friend and foe alike that the U.S. has fundamentally lost its nerve in the Middle East. It will fight only in self-defense, and only as a last resort.All this calls to mind the 1956 Suez fiasco, which resulted in a collapse of British and French authority in the Middle East that presaged a broader loss of global clout for those declining European powers. At the time, they were being superseded by the rise of American and Soviet dominance.The U.S., in contrast, has undermined its own authority with no help from any other country or competitor. This only reinforces its image as a global power that, especially in the Middle East, is growing ever more unreliable, unpredictable and weak.To contact the author of this story: Hussein Ibish at hussein.ibish@gmail.comTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Mary Duenwald at mduenwald@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Turkey Contradicts Trump on Custody of Jihadists Jailed in Syria Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:09 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Turkey will take custody of Islamic State prisoners only in areas of northern Syria where Turkish troops are trying to create a buffer, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, contradicting a key claim made by President Donald Trump.With Turkey's incursion now in its second day, it will only assume responsibility for the militants held under arrest in the "safe zone" it plans to create, Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara. If the camps or prisons housing the militants are outside the zone, Turkey is "not responsible," he said.Those places "will be under the responsibility of Americans and others, or the regime," the minister said. "I can't take the responsibility for terrorists that are not in our area."It wasn't clear if there are any detainees in the planned buffer, and the biggest prisoner camp lies farther south of the zone.Turkey plans to establish a buffer 480 kilometers (298 miles) wide and about 30 kilometers deep in northern Syria, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly last month. In an Oct. 6 statement, the White House said Turkey would be "responsible for all ISIS fighters in the area captured over the past two years in the wake of the defeat of the territorial 'Caliphate' by the United States."In two tweets on Monday, Trump also said that "they must, with Europe and others, watch over. ...the captured ISIS fighters and families."SDF WarningWarning that a Turkish incursion would "reverse the successful effort to defeat" Islamic State, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have said earlier that about 12,000 Islamic State militants and about 70,000 of their family members, who are currently in jails or camps, may be freed by "ISIS cells."Cavusoglu also said Turkey's military operation will be "limited, proportionate and measured." The aim is to "stabilize the region, bring peace and ensure the territorial integrity of Syria," he said.(Updates with Trump's comments in sixth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Selcan Hacaoglu in Ankara at shacaoglu@bloomberg.net;Firat Kozok in Ankara at fkozok@bloomberg.net;Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Onur Ant at oant@bloomberg.net, Paul Abelsky, Michael GunnFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Irish PM says Brexit deal is possible by Oct. 31 Posted: 10 Oct 2019 09:06 AM PDT ![Irish PM says Brexit deal is possible by Oct. 31]( "Irish PM says Brexit deal is possible by Oct. 31") Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said on Thursday that a Brexit deal was possible by Oct. 31 after what he said was a very positive meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "I had a very good meeting with the prime minister... very positive and very promising," Varadkar said. "I think it is possible for us to come to an agreement, to have a treaty agreed, to allow the UK to leave the EU in an orderly fashion and to have that done by the end of October but there's many a slip between cup and lip and lots of things that are not in my control," he said.
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| Merkel vows to fight hate after attempted 'massacre' at synagogue Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:53 AM PDT  Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed Thursday there would be "zero tolerance" for hate in Germany after an attempted massacre at a synagogue, as Jews demanded action to protect the community from the rising threat of neo-Nazi violence. Two people were shot dead in the eastern German city of Halle on Wednesday, with a synagogue the prime target on Yom Kippur. The suspect, 27-year-old German Stephan Balliet, filmed the assault and live-streamed it.
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| A North Korea Nuclear Showdown Plus Trump’s Impeachment Could Fuse into the Crisis of Our Time Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:42 AM PDT  My prediction for 2020: The near-certain impeachment of U.S. President Donald Trump and a newly-emboldened North Korea testing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons will create a national security crisis the likes of which the world has never seen.
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| PHOTOS: Turkey presses Syrian assault as thousands flee the fighting Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:36 AM PDT  Syrian Arab and Kurdish civilians arrive to Hassakeh city after fleeing following Turkish bombardment on Syria's northeastern towns along the Turkish border on Oct. 10, 2019. AKCAKALE, Turkey — Turkish ground forces seized at least one village from Kurdish fighters in northern Syria as they pressed ahead with their assault for a second day Thursday, pounding towns and villages along the border with airstrikes and artillery. Residents of border areas within Syria scrambled in panic as they tried to escape on foot and in cars, pickup trucks and motorcycle rickshaws piled with mattresses and belongings, and the U.N. refugee agency said tens of thousands of people were on the move.
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| Ukraine president denies Trump 'blackmailed' him to investigate Biden Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:06 AM PDT  Ukraine's president has denied that Donald Trump tried to "blackmail" him into starting an investigation linked to candidate Joe Biden, but said he would help the United States if it opened its own investigation. A July phone call in which Mr Trump asked Volodymyr Zelenskiy to look into shaky allegations that Mr Biden had gotten a Ukrainian prosecutor general fired because he planned to investigate his son has sparked impeachment proceedings in congress. It emerged that Mr Trump had withheld US military aid to Ukraine, but Mr Zelenskiy told journalists in a 10-hour "press marathon" in a Kyiv food court on Thursday that he did not know about the delayed aid until later. "There was no blackmail. This was not the subject of our conversation," he said. "Our calls had nothing to do with weapons or the story with Burisma," he added, referring to the gas company where Mr Biden's son Hunter sat on the board. He said the Ukrainian stenogramme of the conversation matched the English one. At the same time, Mr Zelenskiy said Ukraine was open to doing a joint investigation into the situation with the United States. "Please connect your general prosecutor with ours," he said. "Not only on Burisma and Biden. We have many criminal cases to look at." Mr Zelenskiy met with Mr Trump on the sidelines of a United Nations session in New York in September Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters He said he didn't want to "comment very much" on the impeachment scandal because he didn't want to "interfere in any way with the elections" in the United States. Congress is considering whether Mr Trump offered Ukraine a "quid pro quo" of aid in return for investigating Biden or unproven Ukrainian interference in the 2016 election. Mr Zelenskiy, however, said he only found out the aid had been held up before a meeting with vice president Mike Pence in Warsaw in September. "I told him ... please help to resolve it," Zelenskiy said he asked Mr Pence. "And after our meeting America unblocked the aid." But another question is whether Mr Trump made a White House visit by Mr Zelenskiy, a top priority for the new administration in Kyiv, conditional on investigations that could benefit the US president politically. Mr Zelenskiy admitted that he pushed for a meeting with Mr Trump in Poland or in Ukraine. He said he was concerned before the July phone call that relations between America and Ukraine had grown "tired" due to the large amount of money being spent. "This call affected one thing. I understood that we needed to get a meeting, I want to show him our team," he said. "I wanted to get him over to Ukraine." Mr Zelenskiy at times grew flustered with journalists at the marathon press conference Credit: Gleb Garanich/Reuters While Mr Biden pressured Ukraine's then-president to fire prosecutor general Viktor Shokin in 2016, the prosecutor had failed to move investigations of Burisma forward, a prosecutor's office employee told The Telegraph, and was embroiled in unrelated corruption scandals. Mr Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, with whom he asked Mr Zelenskiy to cooperate, have also pushed bizarre allegations that Ukraine interfered in the US election by releasing documents that showed secret payments to Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. In the phone call, Mr Trump even cited a conspiracy theory that servers related to the hacking of Democratic National Committee emails were located in Ukraine.
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| U.K. and Ireland See ‘Pathway to a Possible Deal’: Brexit Update Posted: 10 Oct 2019 08:02 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Boris Johnson met his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar for crucial talks over lunch as the U.K. and European Union seek a way through the Brexit impasse with time running out to reach a deal. The two leaders said they could "see a pathway to a possible deal," in a joint statement after the talks.Key Developments:Johnson and Varadkar held "constructive" talks in northwest EnglandThe pound rose as much as 0.7%U.K. Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay to meet EU negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels on FridayTop medical officer says no-deal Brexit could cause deathsJohnson and Varadkar See 'Pathway' to a Deal (3.15 p.m.)Johnson and Varadkar have issued a joint statement at the end of what they called "constructive" talks. "Both continue to believe that a deal is in everybody's interest," it read. "They agreed that they could see a pathway to a possible deal. Their discussion concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent."After the talks, U.K. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay will meet EU negotiator Michel Barnier tomorrow, and Varadkar will speak to the EU negotiating team, the statement said. Officials will "continue to engage intensively" with each other in the search for a deal, it said.The statement suggests that while there was no breakthrough, both leaders see enough scope for continuing talks in search of an agreement.Merkel Pledges to Minimize Harm of Brexit (1:30 p.m.)German Chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking at a trade union event in Nuremberg, demanded that pensions and social insurance continue to be paid after Brexit -- and said visa-free travel should be maintained."We want to minimize the negative effects in both countries, even if there is a disorderly exit," Merkel told a meeting of the IG Metall union. "Travel to the U.K. should remain possible without a visa, just as it is for Britons into the EU.""Those with social insurance should not lose their insurance in the event of an exit, or be involuntarily subject to double insurance," she said. "Pensions also must be paid to the fullest extent, if the recipient is a resident of the U.K."Varadkar Promises 'Detailed Discussion (1 p.m.)Leo Varadkar tweeted after the start of the meeting in northwest England, saying he and Boris Johnson would have "detailed discussion to see if we can make any progress."Johnson and Varadkar Arrive for Crunch Meeting (12:15 p.m.)Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar arrived at the country house in North West England where they're due to have lunch and hold their talks.Thornton House was built in the 19th Century and now serves as a venue for weddings and corporate events. Johnson arrived about 20 minutes before Varadkar.Minister: Stop Negotiating By Twitter (12 p.m.)Business minister Nadhim Zahawi said the U.K. government will focus until "the 11th hour on Oct. 31" on getting a deal. "It requires cool heads and real effort, real discipline, real focus," he said in a Bloomberg interview."I'd like to see less of this emotional negotiation by Twitter," he said. "That I think is unwise."His comments came after European Council President Donald Tusk, accused Johnson of playing a "stupid blame game" in a Twitter post earlier this week.Deal 'Not Impossible,' Irish Minister Says (8.45 a.m.)Leo Varadkar and Boris Johnson will "check in" on where Brexit talks stand, Ireland's Health Minister Simon Harris said, adding that getting a deal is "extremely difficult but not impossible."Asked in an RTE radio interview if his government trusts Johnson, Harris responded that he is the elected prime minister and "we trust the U.K. political system in that regard."Earlier, U.K. Business Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said there's still a "good chance" of a deal. The meeting between the two prime ministers "is not to have a social conversation," he told BBC Radio. "They're seriously focused on trying to resolve this issue and trying to get a deal."Hammond: Election Won't Solve Impasse (8 a.m.)Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, who was expelled from the Parliamentary Conservative Party for opposing Boris Johnson's Brexit strategy, warned that an election will not solve the impasse over leaving the EU."I don't think an election solves our problem, I would not support an election at the moment," Hammond told BBC Radio. "A few weeks ago we were being asked to give assurances that we wouldn't vote against the Government in a vote of no confidence and now we're being asked to vote to turn the Government out."He said both the economy and the reputation of the Conservative Party for fiscal prudence are being put at risk by spending commitments announced by his successor Sajid Javid."I do worry about a strategy which is reckless about our economic future in terms of advocating no-deal Brexit and reckless about our public finances in terms of spending money that, frankly, at this point in the Brexit negotiation, we cannot be sure we have available," Hammond said.Medical Officer Warns of No-Deal Deaths (7:30 a.m.)Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, repeated her warning that there may be deaths caused by shortages of drugs and medical equipment if there's a no-deal Brexit."The health service and everyone has worked very hard to prepare," she told BBC Radio. "But I say what I've said before, that we cannot guarantee that there will not be shortages, not only in medicines but technology and gadgets and things," she said. "And there may be deaths, we can't guarantee there won't." The lives of patients "are at risk."Lewis Warns EU Citizens Over Registration (Earlier)Security Minister Brandon Lewis warned EU citizens they must apply for settled status or risk being expelled from the U.K., the German newspaper Die Welt reported, citing an interview.Only a third of Germans in the U.K. have so far applied to be registered and Lewis said "theoretically, yes," when asked if they could be removed from the country if there's a no-deal split from the bloc.\--With assistance from Peter Flanagan, Alex Morales, Thomas Penny, Patrick Donahue and Charlotte Ryan.To contact the reporters on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Caroline AlexanderFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UK, Irish PMs say could see 'pathway' to Brexit deal Posted: 10 Oct 2019 07:48 AM PDT  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar said they could see a route towards striking a possible Brexit divorce deal, following a crunch meeting on Thursday. The agreement must be signed off at an October 17-18 EU summit and European officials want the negotiations to conclude in advance. Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union on October 31, more than three years after triggering Brexit in a national referendum.
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| Ukraine leader says troops must withdraw before Putin summit Posted: 10 Oct 2019 07:31 AM PDT  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday threatened to call off a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin if all sides do not agree on plans to pull out troops from the east. The country's comedian-turned-politician is gearing up to hold talks with Putin in Paris in an effort to revive a peace process to end the five-year separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine. "If there is no pullback (of troops) there is no Normandy summit," Zelensky told reporters, referring to talks with Putin that would be hosted by France President Emmanuel Macron and also involve German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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| Macron: Britain will have to pay price over any unacceptable Brexit move Posted: 10 Oct 2019 06:54 AM PDT ![Macron: Britain will have to pay price over any unacceptable Brexit move]( "Macron: Britain will have to pay price over any unacceptable Brexit move") Britain will have to pay the price should it decide to proceed with a position over Brexit that is unacceptable for the other 27 European Union countries, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday. "If they want to make a move which is compatible with what could be accepted by the 27, it is fine," said Macron, speaking in English at an event in Lyon. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met his Irish counterpart in northern England on Thursday in a last-ditch attempt to revive a British proposal for a Brexit deal that the EU said falls far short of what is needed for an orderly departure.
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| Nissan Warns U.K. Plant Unviable If Brexit Triggers Tariffs Posted: 10 Oct 2019 06:06 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Follow @Brexit on Twitter, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin and subscribe to our podcast. Nissan Motor Co. issued its starkest warning yet against a no-deal Brexit, saying any tariffs on auto exports to the European Union are likely to render its U.K. operations unviable.The imposition of World Trade Organization rules with a 10% duty on U.K.-built cars shipped to the EU would be impossible to offset through cost cuts, Nissan Europe Chairman Gianluca de Ficchy said Thursday at the company's Sunderland factory in northeast England.While it is impossible to say how disruptive a hard Brexit would be, the impact of tariffs is more certain and would put the future of Britain's biggest auto plant in doubt, De Ficchy said."The only clear conclusion we have reached is that if there were to be a no-deal Brexit with the imposition of WTO tariffs, it will not be sustainable," he said. "That will represent a significant cost increase which would make our products less competitive."De Ficchy said there'd be no knee-jerk reaction to Brexit and that assessing the future of a plant, which sends 70% of its output to the EU, is not a straightforward process. He added that Nissan still believes Sunderland -- which directly employs 6,500 people -- has strong assets.Carmakers have been increasingly vocal in opposing a British split from the European Union without a deal, warning of a devastating impact on the industry. Nissan has scrapped plans to build its X-Trail sport utility vehicle in Sunderland and ended production of the luxury Infiniti brand there.Qashqai QuestionProduction of the larger Qashqai SUV could be moved to Spain, though De Ficchy said the company is currently assuming a next-generation version will remain in the U.K.The executive was speaking after unveiling a revamped assembly line for the updated Juke crossover auto, which will be built in Sunderland from Monday. The introduction of the model will mean the loss of one of five daily work shifts as staff transfer between the site's two assembly lines, though employment levels won't be affected.De Ficchy said output at the plant will fall 20% to 360,000 autos in the year through March as a result of already announced production changes prompted by slowing diesel demand and sluggish sales in Turkey.To contact the reporter on this story: Siddharth Philip in Sunderland, England at sphilip3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Christopher Jasper, John BowkerFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Saudis, Russia Fund to Sign $2 Billion in Deals During Putin’s Visit Posted: 10 Oct 2019 06:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia will agree to invest about $2 billion in Russia in deals with the Russian Direct Investment Fund when President Vladimir Putin makes his first visit to the desert kingdom since 2007 next week, according to the head of the RDIF.The two sides will announce more than 10 Saudi investment projects in Russia including in the petrochemical and agricultural sectors, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian sovereign wealth fund, told reporters on a conference call Thursday. These are part of a promised $10 billion of Saudi commitments, of which more than $2.5 billion have already been disbursed, according to the RDIF.Putin will visit Saudi Arabia on Oct. 14 and attend a meeting of the Russia-Saudi economic council, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters at a Moscow briefing on Thursday. The Russian leader will visit the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 15, he said."The visit will show the unprecedented level of the development of ties between Russia and Saudi Arabia in many spheres," Dmitriev said.To contact the reporters on this story: Henry Meyer in Moscow at hmeyer4@bloomberg.net;Ilya Arkhipov in Moscow at iarkhipov@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Gregory L. White at gwhite64@bloomberg.net, Tony Halpin, Paul AbelskyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 2-Nissan says no-deal Brexit tariffs would be unsustainable for it in Europe Posted: 10 Oct 2019 05:58 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-Nissan says no-deal Brexit tariffs would be unsustainable for it in Europe]( "UPDATE 2-Nissan says no-deal Brexit tariffs would be unsustainable for it in Europe") No-deal Brexit tariffs of 10% on vehicles would be unsustainable for Nissan in Europe, where it runs Britain's biggest car factory, the Japanese company warned on Thursday. The automaker made nearly one in three of Britain's 1.5 million cars last year at its northern English Sunderland plant, although annual production levels at the site will drop this year.
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| Family says Egyptian pro-democracy activist beaten in jail Posted: 10 Oct 2019 05:39 AM PDT  The family of a leading Egyptian pro-democracy activist, who was arrested amid a recent clampdown following anti-government protests, said on Thursday that he was beaten, threatened and stripped to his underwear while in custody. There was no immediate comment from Egyptian authorities to the allegations. Alaa Abdel-Fattah rose to prominence with the 2011 uprisings that swept the Middle East and in Egypt toppled longtime President Hosni Mubarak.
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| Merkel: We want to minimise negative impact of Brexit if it is disorderly Posted: 10 Oct 2019 05:08 AM PDT ![Merkel: We want to minimise negative impact of Brexit if it is disorderly]( "Merkel: We want to minimise negative impact of Brexit if it is disorderly") Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that Germany wanted to minimise the negative impact of Brexit in both Britain and Germany if Britain were to leave the European Union in a disorderly manner. "We want to reduce the negative effects, even if there is a disorderly Brexit, in both countries," Merkel said.
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| Why Is Turkey Fighting the Kurds in Syria? Posted: 10 Oct 2019 05:02 AM PDT  Turkish forces began a long-anticipated cross-border assault on Wednesday against the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led militia, in northeastern Syria.The dispute between Turkey and the Kurds has deep roots in regional power dynamics that have created a tangled web of interests. Further complicating the picture is the fact that the United States is an ally of both Turkey and the SDF, as the militia is known.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said the goal of the incursion was "to destroy the terror corridor" that he said Kurdish forces were trying to establish on his country's southern border, and to bring peace to the region.Leaders of the SDF and others in the region say the strikes are putting civilians at risk, and warned of an imminent humanitarian crisis. Kurdish groups on the ground shared photographs and videos of people fleeing villages as smoke rose from the site of strikes.To understand the current conflict requires knowing the background of the dispute between Turkey and the Kurds, and how the United States fits into the dynamic.Who are the Kurds?The Kurds are the fourth-largest ethnic group in the Middle East. Despite their numbers, they are a stateless and often marginalized people whose homeland stretches across Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Armenia.After World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, many Kurds pushed for an independent Kurdish state, and promises were made in early treaties for the creation of a Kurdistan. But when the region was eventually divvied up, the nation never materialized.In the years since, numerous attempts at nationhood have been largely quashed.How does Turkey view the Kurds?Relations between the Turkish nation and the nationless Kurds have long been fraught.Turkey sees the rising power of Kurdish forces along its southern border as a threat, and Erdogan has for years made pronouncements of plans for a military intervention in the northern Syrian enclave.But in fact, the roots of the dispute extend much further back, and they are intrinsically tied to a domestic conflict in Turkey.Turkey has been in conflict with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, since it launched a violent separatist movement in the country in the early 1980s. Both Turkey and the United States consider the PKK a terrorist organization.Across the border in Syria, an offshoot militia, the Kurdish People's Protection Units, has been active since 2004. The militia, known as the YPG, has long sought to form an autonomous state for the Kurds.The YPG and an associated militia of female fighters have been applauded by some in the West for their anti-Islamist stance. It has attracted a number of American and European volunteers to fight in its ranks during the battle against the Islamic State.But the militia members have deep ties to the PKK, the Kurdish group that Turkey considers a terrorist organization, though its leaders play down the links.Early in Syria's civil war, the militia had early success in establishing a peaceful enclave -- they called it Rojava -- in the north of the country.The militia members eventually joined with other regional groups and grew into the SDF, which was instrumental in wresting large stretches of Syrian territory from the Islamic State, or ISIS, and ousting ISIS from its last foothold in Syria earlier this year.As the SDF wrested back control of towns and cities across northeastern Syria from ISIS, Kurdish power grew. And as it did, Erdogan increasingly voiced concern.How does the U.S. fit in?The Turkish operation against the Kurds in Syria has left Washington stuck between two allies.President Donald Trump's announcement this week that he would be pulling troops from the country effectively greenlighted Turkey's incursion. Erdogan has long advocated a U.S. withdrawal from Syria and has urged Trump to pull his support from the SDF, most recently in a weekend phone call.The United States and Turkey, which are NATO partners, have long been close allies.But the Kurds and the United States also have a long history of cooperation.The U.S.-led coalition began working with the SDF in 2015, saying the Kurdish-led group was the most capable of pushing back the Islamic State militants who had seized large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. This proved to be true.Trump further muddied the United States' position when, after first voicing support for Erdogan's plan, he seemed to walk back his statements in the face of objections from political allies and opponents alike.Trump said on Twitter: "We may be in the process of leaving Syria, but in no way have we Abandoned the Kurds, who are special people and wonderful fighters." In a subsequent message he said that the United States was "helping the Kurds financially" and warned Turkey against unnecessary force.Could all this benefit ISIS?Possibly.The SDF proved a vital force in wresting back control of areas seized by ISIS militants. It also captured tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters and their families. Those people are now being held in makeshift prisons in the region being targeted by Turkey, and while Trump said he believes Turkey should be responsible for them, there are no plans for their relocation.While the territory of the Islamic State's self-declared "caliphate" has been wrested from the group, the security situation in much of Syria remains tenuous.Some fear that destabilizing northeastern Syria will create the same power vacuum that existed before the Islamic State's rise to power, and make way for the group to reemerge.Even now, despite their territorial losses, there is evidence that ISIS militants are active in Syria, said Melissa Dalton, director of the Cooperative Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.With Turkey's new incursion into the country, she said, the SDF is likely to turn its attention away from its old adversaries."There is a very high risk of the Islamic State taking advantage of the SDF and the American and other coalition members being focused on the implications of the Turkish efforts," she said.Dalton said she was also concerned about increased potential for prison breaks and unrest among detainees."It's really a recipe for disaster," she said.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| 10 things you need to know today: October 10, 2019 Posted: 10 Oct 2019 04:47 AM PDT ![10 things you need to know today: October 10, 2019]( "10 things you need to know today: October 10, 2019") 1.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday announced that his country's military had launched its planned operations in northern Syria against U.S.-allied Kurdish-led militia. "The Turkish Armed Forces, together with the Syrian National Army, just launched OperationPeaceSpring against PKK/YPG and [ISIS] terrorists in northern Syria," Erdogan tweeted, referring to the Syrian Kurds and to the Islamic State. The Kurds fought alongside American forces to drive ISIS fighters out of their strongholds in northern Syria. President Trump ordered U.S. troops, which have numbered around 1,000 in the area, to move out ahead of Turkey's offensive. Turkey said it was trying to establish a terrorist-free corridor on its border. Kurdish commanders said they might have to abandon prisons holding ISIS fighters and focus on fighting back against Turkey. [The Washington Post] 2.Former Vice President Joe Biden broke his silence on House Democrats' impeachment inquiry on Wednesday, saying Trump had "already convicted himself in full view of the world and the American people" by refusing to cooperate with Congress. "Trump has violated his oath of office, betrayed this nation, and committed impeachable acts," Biden said. "To preserve our Constitution, our democracy, our basic integrity, he should be impeached." Previously, Biden had only said Trump "could be impeached," but declined to make "that judgment now." Trump responded on Twitter, calling Biden's comments "pathetic" and saying the only reason Biden was speaking out now was that polls were showing him losing his status as frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Biden quickly responded, "Thanks for watching. Stop stonewalling the Congress. Honor your oath. Respect the Constitution." [ABC News, CBS News] 3.President Trump asked then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to help get the Justice Department to drop a criminal case against one of Rudy Giuliani's clients in 2017, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing three people familiar with the matter. Tillerson said he couldn't because that would be interfering in an ongoing investigation. After the Oval Office meeting, Tillerson told then-Chief of Staff John Kelly doing what Trump asked would be illegal. The White House declined to comment. Giuliani, a longtime Trump supporter, is now Trump's personal lawyer, but wasn't at the time. Giuliani's client was Iranian-Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab, who was facing charges of dodging U.S. sanctions against Iran's nuclear program. Prosecutors said he had "close ties" with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. [Bloomberg] 4.The United Nations warned Wednesday that it soon will run out of money to pay staff and bills unless member nations that have failed to make their contributions pay up. The U.S., the largest contributor to the world body, owes the U.N. $674 million for this year, and another $381 million in back payments, according to America's U.N. mission. President Trump brushed off calls for the U.S. to make its contributions, tweeting: "So make all Member Countries pay, not just the United States!" The U.N. said 129 of its 193 members had paid their annual dues. The organization has brought in nearly $2 billion this year, with a total outstanding balance of $1.3 billion. [USA Today] 5.Two people were fatally shot near a synagogue and a kebab shop in Halle, Germany, on Wednesday. The attacker apparently livestreamed the shooting in a video that started with the man denying the Holocaust and blaming social problems on Jews. Police said the suspected attacker fled by car. A witness said one the assailant, wearing a helmet and a military jacket, threw what appeared to be a grenade at the door of the kebab shop and fired at least one shot at the restaurant. "All the customers next to me ran, of course I did too," said the witness, Conrad Roessler. "The man behind me probably died." The shooting occurred on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year in Judaism and one of the busiest for synagogues. [The Associated Press, The Washington Post] 6.Chinese organizers on Wednesday canceled a fan event ahead of a Thursday National Basketball Association exhibition game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers in Shanghai. The move was the latest in a flurry of retaliation by China after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted support for anti-government protesters in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver later expressed support for Morey's right to express his views. The Shanghai Sports Federation said it scrapped the event because of the "inappropriate attitude" demonstrated by Morey and Silver. Other sponsors and broadcasters also have distanced themselves from the NBA in China, a key international market for the U.S. professional basketball league. [Reuters] 7.A forthcoming book from journalists Barry Levine and Monique El-Feizy titled All the President's Women reportedly reveals 43 accusations of alleged inappropriate behavior, including 26 instances of unwanted sexual contact, made against President Trump. In an excerpt of the book published by Esquire, a woman named Karen Johnson alleges Trump groped her unexpectedly during a Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party in the early 2000s. Johnson said Trump grabbed her and pulled her behind a tapestry, abruptly kissing her. Johnson said Trump's leaked tape revealing him saying "grab them by the p---y" rang true to her, "because when he grabbed me and pulled me into the tapestry, that's where he grabbed me." Several women have previously publicly accused Trump of sexual assault and misconduct, which Trump has repeatedly denied. [Esquire] 8.Pacific Gas & Electric on Wednesday cut power to as many as 800,000 customers in California to keep its equipment from igniting wildfires in "one of the most severe dry wind events we've seen in our territory in recent years." California's largest utility company apologized in advance for what was expected to be massive and widespread inconvenience from the blackouts, which started in the northern part of the state. Faulty PG&E electrical lines were blamed for starting devastating fires last year, including the Paradise fire. That fire killed 86 people and destroyed 1,900 buildings. PG&E faces billions of dollars in liability over that blaze, which has been deemed the worst wildfire in California history. [CBS News] 9.Former NBC News host Matt Lauer and his rape accuser, Brooke Nevils, released dueling statements on Wednesday after Variety reported details of Nevils' allegations from journalist Ronan Farrow's forthcoming book Catch and Kill. Nevils, then an NBC News employee, said Lauer raped her in his hotel room at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. She conceded that they continued a relationship after that, but said it was "completely transactional" because she feared his control over her career. Lauer, who was fired as Today host in 2017 over allegations of sexual misconduct, released an open letter saying his affair with Nevils was "mutual and completely consensual." Nevils called Lauer's response "a case study in victim blaming." [Variety, Fox News] 10.The Nobel committee announced Thursday that it had awarded Nobel prizes in literature to Polish author Olga Tokarczuk, and Austrian writer Peter Handke. The committee gave two prizes this year, after calling off the prize last year due to a sexual harassment scandal. The committee praised Tokarczuk, who won the 2018 Man Booker International prize for the novel Flights, "for a narrative imagination that with encyclopedic passion represents the crossing of boundaries as a form of life." She won the prize for 2018. The Nobel committee said Handke won the 2019 price "for an influential work that with linguistic ingenuity has explored the periphery and the specificity of human experience." [The Guardian]
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| Nissan to start building new Juke car at UK plant as Brexit looms Posted: 10 Oct 2019 04:44 AM PDT  Nissan <7201.T> said it will begin making the next-generation Juke vehicle at Britain's biggest car plant on Monday, just over two weeks before a possible no-deal Brexit which the industry has warned could bring production to a halt. Nissan decided in 2015, before the 2016 referendum was even held, to make the latest version of the sport utility vehicle at its northern English Sunderland factory, reflecting how major decisions are made years in advance. The Japanese company, which was encouraged by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s to use Britain as a gateway to the Continent, has spent 100 million pounds on the latest investment in Juke with 70% of the output for EU markets.
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| Nissan to start building new Juke car at UK plant as Brexit looms Posted: 10 Oct 2019 04:15 AM PDT ![Nissan to start building new Juke car at UK plant as Brexit looms]( "Nissan to start building new Juke car at UK plant as Brexit looms") Nissan said it will begin making the next-generation Juke vehicle at Britain's biggest car plant on Monday, just over two weeks before a possible no-deal Brexit which the industry has warned could bring production to a halt. Nissan decided in 2015, before the 2016 referendum was even held, to make the latest version of the sport utility vehicle at its northern English Sunderland factory, reflecting how major decisions are made years in advance. The Japanese company, which was encouraged by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s to use Britain as a gateway to the Continent, has spent 100 million pounds on the latest investment in Juke with 70% of the output for EU markets.
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