| Iran declares victory over protesters after week of deadly unrest Posted: 22 Nov 2019 05:20 PM PST  Amnesty International says at least 106 were killed, but many inside and outside Iran believe the death toll is much higher
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| Jeremy Corbyn Says He’d Stay Neutral in Second U.K. Brexit Referendum Posted: 22 Nov 2019 03:20 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn tried to shut down questions about his Brexit position by saying he'd stay neutral in a second referendum on whether to leave the European Union.Corbyn has previously refused to say what he'd do, something that has dogged him in the campaign for the Dec. 12 general election. His pledge came in a BBC question-and-answer show featuring the leaders of Britain's four main political parties, in which all of them came under hostile questioning from a studio audience in Sheffield, northern England."My role as prime minister will be to adopt a neutral stance so I can credibly carry out the result," the Labour leader said. "My role and the role of our government will be to ensure that that referendum will be held in a fair atmosphere, and we will abide by the result."Prime Minister Boris Johnson has focused his fire on Corbyn's previous refusal to say which side he would take in a second referendum, and Labour's decision to shift position on such a critical issue mid-way through the campaign suggests the attacks were hitting their mark.The Labour leader argues the public should be given a final say on whether to back any new deal he agrees with the EU, or to remain in the bloc. The position reflects the way his party has found itself caught between its activists, who mostly oppose Brexit, and the large section of its voters who support it. The new position may not solve the problem.Johnson, speaking last, said Labour's stance "seems to have mutated tonight." The premier said being "neutral or indifferent" would make it harder for Corbyn to negotiate the new agreement with the EU he says he wants.Trust, HonestyThe prime minister had his most difficult moments when he was asked about offensive language he'd used in his career as a journalist. He also appeared uncomfortable when he came under attack for his party's record on welfare and public services, in particular the National Health Service.He tried to distance himself from the Conservatives' period in government since 2010 by arguing he'd been mayor of London for much of that time, and only became prime minister a few months ago."For most of that time I was running London," he said.Johnson was challenged repeatedly about the issue of trust and honesty -- his first questioner asked how important it was for someone in his position to "always stay on the truth," provoking laughter and applause from the audience. Later, he struggled to defend newspaper columns he wrote describing women in Muslim dress as looking like "letterboxes," gay men as "bumboys," and black people as "piccaninnies.""If you go through all my articles with a fine tooth comb, you can take out individual phrases. There is no doubt that you can find things that can be made to seem offensive," Johnson said, to ridicule from the audience.Another questioner said the Tory government was characterized by "carelessness and callousness." In an intervention that was loudly applauded by the audience, the questioner talked about the government's treatment of immigrants, of people on benefits and of the victims of a tower block fire in London.Not Buying ItThe issue of trust came up again when talking about the National Health Service. One junior doctor asked why people should trust Johnson's promises of more money for the NHS when "we've got years of cuts and people are dying." Johnson responded again by talking about his time running London.Corbyn had a tough start, asked by his first questioner whether businesses should be "frightened" about a Labour government, and challenged by another audience member about antisemitism and misogyny in his party. "I don't buy this nice old grandpa," he said of the Labour leader's image.Liberal Democrat Leader Jo Swinson was questioned about her assertion at the start of the campaign that she could be the country's next prime minister. "Do you now agree how ridiculous that sounded?" she was asked.Swinson replied that she was "dismayed" by the choice the country is being presented of a government led by either Johnson or Corbyn, pointing out that her party is standing in more than 600 seats.She was asked about her party's record in coalition with the Conservatives from 2010 to 2015, including her own backing for benefits cuts and support for university tuition fees.'Very Straightforward'Her party's signature policy, that if it wins a majority it would simply cancel Brexit, went down badly with audience members who called it undemocratic. "In terms of our policy, we are being very straightforward as a party that we want to stop Brexit," Swinson said. "You might agree, you might disagree with us, but we have been crystal clear."If it doesn't win a majority, she said her party would pursue a second referendum. She could "work collaboratively" with Labour, but said she couldn't support Corbyn in government, citing antisemitism in his party. Asked if she could form a coalition with the Conservatives again, she replied "certainly not under Boris Johnson."Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the Scottish National Party, said she was confident she could get an independence referendum next year, despite Corbyn's insistence he wouldn't agree to one for at least two years. She said he'd be willing to pay her price to get into office.But the alternative argument also holds: Having opened by saying she couldn't "in good conscience ever put Boris Johnson into Number 10," Sturgeon would have no one to support but Corbyn, even if he didn't offer her what she wanted.(Updates to add detail starting in eighth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Charlotte Ryan and Greg Ritchie.To contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Alex MoralesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| GOP congressmembers blamed Ukraine for election hacking. Russia's been trying to make that happen for years. Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:29 PM PST ![GOP congressmembers blamed Ukraine for election hacking. Russia's been trying to make that happen for years.]( "GOP congressmembers blamed Ukraine for election hacking. Russia's been trying to make that happen for years.") Republican congressmembers have seemingly fallen right into Russia's trap.As impeachment hearings continued throughout the week, Republicans tried to defend President Trump by incorrectly claiming Ukraine was just as involved in hacking efforts into the 2016 U.S. election as Russia. Impeachment witness Fiona Hill even called them out for this "fictional narrative," and as The New York Times reports, it's a false storyline Russia has been trying to cook up for years.In recent weeks, U.S. intelligence leaders met with senators and their aides for "a briefing that closely aligned with Dr. Hill's testimony," informing the legislators "Russia had engaged in a yearslong campaign to essentially frame Ukraine as responsible for Moscow's own hacking of the 2016 election," the Times reports via three American officials. It's true that Ukrainians did engage in some forms of election meddling in 2016, but "they were scattershot efforts" in comparison to Moscow's, the Times continues.The briefing was held as Republicans formulated their strategy for defending Trump after he was revealed to have asked Ukraine for political favors. And yet it seems its lessons didn't make their way to Republicans in the House, who, during the past two weeks of impeachment hearings, doubled down on unproven claims that Ukraine had a physical server containing the hacked emails of the Democratic National Committee. And as Russian President Vladimir Putin literally said on Wednesday, he couldn't be happier that U.S. leaders are looking in the wrong direction.More stories from theweek.com The story Republicans are really telling themselves about impeachment Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is running for Congress, and her launch video looks like a spy movie trailer GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn tweets conspiratorial smear against Lt. Col Vindman
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| US judge orders Iran pay $180 mn to reporter over detention Posted: 22 Nov 2019 02:24 PM PST  A US court on Friday ordered the government of Iran to pay nearly $180 million in damages to an Iranian-American journalist who was jailed by Tehran on espionage charges in 2014. A US District Court judge ordered the damages be paid to Jason Rezaian and his family in compensation for pain and suffering as well as economic loss for the 18-month detention, when he was physically abused, deprived of sleep and medical care and threatened with execution. Iran did not answer the lawsuit, according to Rezaian's employer The Washington Post, and the Islamic republic is not expected to pay the damages.
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| US, China each say they are in no hurry for trade deal Posted: 22 Nov 2019 01:46 PM PST  The comments from Trump and Xi came six weeks after the announcement of a "phase one" bargain, which appears no closer to becoming a reality as the two sides tussle over tariffs and China's future purchases of US farm exports. In Beijing on Friday, President Xi Jinping said China wants a deal but is "not afraid" to "fight back" if necessary. Trump's reply came several hours later in a freewheeling live dial-in to Fox News in which he told on-air hosts the deal was "potentially very close" but that Xi was under greater pressure to strike a bargain.
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| North Korea says it’s gained nothing from US but `betrayal’ Posted: 22 Nov 2019 01:27 PM PST ![North Korea says it's gained nothing from US but `betrayal']( "North Korea says it's gained nothing from US but `betrayal'") North Korea's U.N. Mission said Friday the country has gained "nothing but a sense of betrayal" since its leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump committed to establishing a new relationship. Since the U.S. has failed to take reciprocal measures to North Korea's suspension of "a number of actions" which the Trump administration is concerned about, the mission said there is no reason for further restraint. "We have no leeway any longer," the North Korean mission said.
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| Corbyn Neutral on Brexit, Johnson Grilled on Trust: U.K. Votes Posted: 22 Nov 2019 01:15 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.U.K. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would stay neutral in a referendum on any new deal he negotiates with the European Union, as U.K. party leaders faced televised questions from voters ahead of the Dec. 12 general election.Boris Johnson was forced to deny he had been racist in his newspaper columns and faced tough questioning over his Conservative Party's record on the National Health Service as the audience repeatedly returned to questions over his trustworthiness.Key Developments:Boris Johnson distanced himself from nine years of Tory government, saying he was Mayor of London for part of the time.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn questioned over antisemitism in his party.SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said her party would not enter a formal coalition with LabourCorbyn, Sturgeon, Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson and Johnson answered questions from voters in a special edition of BBC TV's Question Time show.Johnson Says he Can Be Trusted (9 p.m.)A recurring theme in the questions to Johnson was whether he can be trusted. Pressed by a member of the audience on whether he can deliver on his promises, Johnson pointed to his time as Mayor of London."I promised we'd cut crime, and we did," he said. "We massively invested in transport, we cut delays on the tube by 30%, we out-built the Labour Party when it came to housing. I over-delivered on my promises."He also said his pledge at the start of his government to hire 20,000 more police officers was on course and his cash boost to the NHS is "happening."Earlier he was laughed at by the audience when he said trust in politics is "central to this election." He didn't directly answer a question about his Conservative Party misleading voters by changing the name of its Twitter account to imitate a neutral fact-checking site during Tuesday night's head to head debate.Johnson Pledges More NHS Cash (8:55 p.m.)Boris Johnson faced repeated questions over his party's record on the National Health Service, with one junior doctor asking "why should we trust" the pledges "when you've got years of cuts and people are dying." It was one of a series of questions about trust during his half-hour on stage.Johnson said he understands things have been tough in the NHS and the pressure it is under. He said he has spoken to hundreds of doctors and repeated his pledge to upgrade and build hospitals.These promises have come under scrutiny, with Johnson saying 40 new hospitals are being built, but presenter Fiona Bruce corrected him, saying it is six. Johnson said there was "seed funding" for the others, suggesting they would be built.Johnson Forced to Deny Racism (8:45 p.m.)An audience member asked Johnson if he would apologize for his racist rhetoric in his years as a newspaper columnist. He responded that though he "genuinely never intended to cause hurt or pain to anybody" he defends his right to speak out.Presenter Fiona Bruce pointed out he has made offensive comments several times in print about a variety of demographics, including black Africans, gay men and Muslim women."If you go through all my articles with a fine tooth comb and take out individual phrases there is no doubt you can find things that can be made to seem offensive," he said. "What I was doing was mounting a strong liberal defense of the right of women in this country to wear what they want," he said in reference to an article in which he compared Muslim women wearing the burka to mail boxes.Johnson Distances Himself From Tory Record (8:45 p.m.)Johnson said he has only been in power for a few months and should not be judged on the performance of his Conservative Party in government since 2010, even though in some of that time he was a minister.He was answering a series of questions about education cuts and the increased use of food banks under the Conservatives."For most of that time I was running London," he said as he distanced himself from the effects of Tory policies. "When I was running London, we reduced the gap between rich and poor."Johnson Opens With Attack on Corbyn (8:40 p.m.)The Conservative leader Boris Johnson kicked off by responding to questions on interference in the Brexit referendum and his own mandate to pursue his Brexit deal."It seems to have mutated now," he said of Corbyn's plan, after the Labour leader revealed earlier he would remain neutral in a second referendum campaign. "I don't see how he's going to a deal when he's neutral or indifferent about that deal."He then repeated his own pledge to get Brexit done, which led presenter Fiona Bruce to joke that it only took three minutes for him to say it.Johnson asserted that there is no evidence of Russian interference in British democracy and defended his refusal to publish a Parliamentary report into the issue.Lib Dems 'Not Splitting Remain Vote' (8:30 p.m.)Jo Swinson said a vote for her party would not split the Remain vote, even if it meant taking away support from Labour, who have promised a second referendum on Brexit. Her party has come under pressure to stand down in Labour-Conservative marginal seats."If you vote for Jeremy Corbyn, he will use that vote to negotiate a Labour Brexit deal," she said. "It's the Liberal Democrats who can win seats from Boris Johnson and the Tories," she added, arguing there are many seats where her party are best placed to beat the Conservatives.Swinson Targets Corbyn Over Antisemitism (8:20 p.m.)Jo Swinson responded to an audience member telling her she had "some brass neck" in calling out the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's record on antisemitism by turning again to the party's record on the issue."When I speak to Jewish people across the country they do not feel Jeremy Corbyn is fighting antisemitism in the Labour party," she said. "They know what that feels like and I'm going to listen to them and trust them on this issue."Swinson Defends Anti-Brexit Stance (8:15 p.m.)Jo Swinson defended the Liberal Democrat's policy to stay in the EU, saying the party has been very straightforward and is offering voters a choice. She said she would have been happy with a second referendum but, after putting down amendments in Parliament to get one and failing, is now seeking to revoke Brexit."In terms of our policy, we are being very straightforward as a party that we want to stop Brexit," she said. "You might agree, you might disagree with us, but we have been crystal clear."She added that if the party isn't elected it will campaign for a second referendum in the next Parliament.Swinson Admits Mistakes in Coalition (8:05 p.m.)Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson defended her party's record in government in coalition with the Conservative Party between 2010 and 2015."We got stuff wrong and we in the future, going forward, are determined to get it right," she said. "We had plenty of fights with the Conservatives and we won some of those fights and lost some of those fights, and I am sorry we did not win more of those fights."She was questioned over her backing for austerity, cuts to welfare and support for student tuition fees during her time as a minister in the government led by David Cameron.Sturgeon Doesn't See Formal Coalition (7:55 p.m.)SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she doesn't see her party entering into a formal coalition arrangement with Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party after the election."I don't envisage being in a coalition government with Labour," she said. "I think it would be a less formal arrangement than that if we're in that situation."She added that her party would seek to be a voice supporting further devolution, not just for Scotland, but across the U.K.Sturgeon Decries 'Mess' of Brexit (7:45 p.m.)Nicola Sturgeon said Brexit didn't need to be as hard as it has been made by Boris Johnson's Conservative Party."I think Brexit is a big mistake, but what I don't think is the mess that Brexit has become was inevitable," she said. "That was down to the Brexiteers who told a lot of lies, one of them on the side of a bus."She said she wouldn't need to hold a confirmatory referendum on any deal for Scottish independence because there would not be the same lack of planning as there has been with Brexit.Sturgeon: Couldn't Make Johnson PM (7:40 p.m.)Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said she could "not in good conscience ever put Boris Johnson into Number 10" and set out the conditions she would seek to support Jeremy Corbyn becoming prime minister in a minority government.She said the Labour leader was not who she would have chosen but "I don't get to choose." She said she would ask for Corbyn's government to respect Scotland's decision to hold a referendum, would want to see an end to austerity and universal credit, an NHS protection bill and better pensions.Sturgeon also suggested the SNP would put pressure on Corbyn to deliver on his manifesto promises.Corbyn Insists 95% Untouched by Tax Hikes (7:25 p.m.)After the Institute for Fiscal Studies cast doubt on the plausibility of the Labour Party's tax plans, Corbyn repeated his pledge that only the top 5% of taxpayers will have to pay more."What we're planning is 95% of the population will pay no more tax," he said, adding that corporations would pay a "bit more" tax up to a maximum of 26%.Corbyn Would be Neutral in Brexit Referendum (7:20 p.m.)Jeremy Corbyn was asked whether he would campaign for Leave or Remain under his plan to negotiate another a new deal with the EU then put it to a second referendum.He gave a more detailed answer than he has previously, saying he would adopt a neutral stance in that second vote. "My role as Prime Minister will be to adopt a neutral stance so I can credibly carry out the result," he said.Corbyn has pledged to agree a new deal with the EU in his first three months in office and then put it to a referendum, with remaining in the bloc as the option on the ballot paper."My role and the role of our government will be to ensure that that referendum will be held in a fair atmosphere and we will abide by the result of it," Corbyn said. He would be neutral so "I can credibly carry out the result, to bring our country together rather than carrying on a debate about Brexit"Corbyn Grilled Over Anti Semitism (7:10 p.m.)Jeremy Corbyn faced his first tough line of questioning on the harassment, and anti-Semitic abuse, faced by Labour MPs. A voter in the audience said he doesn't buy "this whole nice old grandpa" act and asked Corbyn why he was seen chatting to a heckler after an event where one of his party's MPs, Ruth Smeeth, had suffered verbal abuse."Nobody should suffer any abuse in public life or privately," he said. "'Bad behavior, misogynism and racism in any form is absolutely not acceptable in any form whatsoever in my party or my society."Corbyn: Business Has Nothing to Fear (7:05 p.m.)Jeremy Corbyn, the first leader to face questions from the live studio audience in Sheffield, was asked whether businesses should be scared of an incoming Labour government. He replied that Labour will help support small and medium sized businesses, which he described as "the motor" of the British economy."The biggest businesses will be asked to pay a little bit more in corporation tax, but it'll be lower than it was in 2010 and indeed lower than the average for most industrial economies," he said.He also said Labour will promote apprenticeships and increase infrastructure investment.Tonight's Leaders Debate: The Format (6:35 p.m.)This evening's two-hour special episode of BBC TV's Question Time will feature the leaders of the four largest parliamentary parties: Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Jeremy Corbyn, from the main opposition Labour Party, the Scottish National Party's Nicola Sturgeon and Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson.The leaders will not face each other directly. Instead, each will be asked questions for 30 minutes by a live studio audience, selected to represent the political make-up of the country.Corbyn will appear first, followed by Sturgeon, Swinson and finally, Johnson.Johnson: Brexit Enables House Tax on Foreigners (5:15 p.m.)Boris Johnson said leaving the EU allows the government to introduce a new land surcharge (see Earlier) for all foreign buyers of homes in England."One of the advantages of getting Brexit done is you can now do it in a non-discriminatory way between all international buyers, because previously you couldn't do it with people from the 27 other EU countries," he said in a pooled broadcast interview. "It is only reasonable, when international buyers come in and buy property, they should make a contribution to life in this country."The Conservatives said they want to apply the new levy to damp housing demand, keep a lid on house prices and make it easier for first-time buyers to get a foot on the housing ladder. The proceeds will go toward measures to tackle homelessness, Johnson said.Could Johnson Lose His Own Seat? (12:30 p.m.)It seems far-fetched, but the bookmakers are taking bets on it: Boris Johnson losing his own seat in the west London suburb of Uxbridge.The prime minister has about a one-in-five chance of losing it in the Dec. 12 general election, odds from betting firm Ladbrokes indicate. Johnson had a majority of about 5,000 votes in the 2017 election, a margin the Labour Party is seeking to overturn.If Johnson lost his seat, it wouldn't mean he couldn't be prime minister: Alec Douglas-Home was briefly premier without being in Parliament in 1963. If the Tories won a majority while losing Uxbridge, the likeliest outcome would be that a Tory in a safe seat would resign, allowing Johnson to replace them in a special election.Read more: Boris Johnson Has 22% Chance of Losing Seat, Ladbrokes SaysFarage: Trump NATO Visit Is Time to Talk Defense (12 p.m.)Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said he deliberately left defense policy out of his announcements to keep his power dry for the NATO summit in the U.K. in December, which U.S. President Donald Trump will be attending.He said his concern is that Boris Johnson's Brexit deal would keep the U.K. tied to a future European Defense Union. "When President Trump arrives on Dec. 2, we're going to have three days where we are talking about NATO, we are talking about defense and I will say a lot lot more on that subject then."It's not only on defense that Trump's visit has the potential to influence politics ahead of the election. The state-run National Health Service and its inclusion -- or not -- in any future U.S.-U.K. free-trade deal is already a key talking point in the campaign, while Labour has described Johnson's Brexit deal as driving the U.K. into the arms of Trump.Taking questions from reporters after his speech, Farage also refused to say if he'll stay on as leader if the Brexit Party fails to win any seats in the election. "I'm going to campaign for years to come in whatever role it's in," he said.Farage Says His Brexit Party Helps Johnson (11:30 a.m.)Nigel Farage said that far from damaging Boris Johnson's chances of securing a majority on Dec. 12, his Brexit Party is helping the Conservatives by splitting the Labour vote in some key areas. "We are picking up Labour votes," he said.In a speech in London, Farage repeated his demand for a "clean break" from the European Union and said he would be scrutinizing what the Tories say in their manifesto about the U.K.'s future ties to the bloc.In a separate statement, the party announced its main policies, including:Reform the U.K. voting system and abolish the House of LordsReduce annual immigration, introduce points-based visa systemNo corporation tax on the first 10,000 pounds of company profitsLeave the EU's Common Fisheries Policy, invest in coastal communitiesFarage Calls for Immigration Cut to 50,000 (10:30 a.m.)Ahead of his Brexit Party's policy launch this morning, leader Nigel Farage called for immigration to the U.K. to be restricted to 50,000 people per year in what he described as a return to typical postwar levels."What I think is very real is that we now have in many ways a population crisis in this country," Farage told BBC Radio 4. "We had a 60-year postwar norm of about 30,000 to 50,000 people coming into the United Kingdom. That has completely gone out of the window."Farage called for an Australian-style points-based immigration system, and said any labor shortages -- including in the state-run National Health Service -- should be managed with temporary work permits.Experts 'Wrong' on Labour Spending Plans: McDonnell (Earlier)Labour's economy spokesman John McDonnell defended the party's plans to raise income and corporation taxes to fund a huge increase in spending if elected. He rejected a claim by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that the tax rises would eventually hit most people, even as Labour said they only target companies and the top 5% of earners."I have a great deal of respect for the IFS, of course I do," he told the BBC. "I just think they've got it wrong on this one." McDonnell said analysts are ignoring other aspects of Labour plans, including companies having employees as board members, and consumers sitting on supervisory boards."What we're saying is with the structural changes we will make in the economy, we'll make sure that actually the corporations themselves do not take that easy option of cutting wages or rising prices," he said. "Because we're democratizing the way these corporations work and are more accountable, they will actually invest in their companies."McDonnell said there was little evidence to show cuts to corporation tax under the Conservative Party had boosted investment. Rather, firms are "sitting" on their gains or using them to increase pay for top executives, he said.Hammond: Size of Tory Majority Will Be Crucial (Earlier)Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said that if the Conservative Party wins the Dec. 12 general election as expected, the size of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's parliamentary majority could determine how Brexit plays out and the U.K.'s future relationship with the European Union."The bigger the majority, the more personal authority the prime minister will have, and that means the more he'll be able to use flexibility to operate in the way that he thinks is in the best interests of the country," Hammond said in an interview on the sidelines of Bloomberg's New Economy Forum in Beijing. "If it's a slim majority, the fear is that the hardliners within the party will always be able to hold the leadership to ransom."Hammond said he hopes Johnson will have the authority to deliver Brexit quickly, and then work toward the "best possible trade deal" with the EU. He said the Tory party's plans to ramp up spending "can stack up -- provided there is a commitment to doing a comprehensive trade deal" with the bloc.But Labour's spending plans under Jeremy Corbyn are a different matter, he said, predicting they "would undermine confidence in the economy and would certainly undermine investment."Higher Tax for Foreign Buyers of U.K. Houses (Earlier)The Conservative Party plans to introduce a land tax surcharge for foreign buyers of U.K. homes in an effort to damp demand, keep a lid on house prices and make it easier for first-time buyers to get a foot on the housing ladder.The 3% surcharge -- on top of the existing land tax known as stamp duty -- will raise as much as 120 million pounds ($155 million) a year, which will be put toward programs to help tackle homelessness, the Tories said in an emailed statement.Read more: Tories Plan Extra Land Tax for Foreign Buyers of U.K. HomesEarlier:Corbyn Has a Radical Labour Message. Can He Sell It to Britain?Tories Plan More Tax on Foreign Home-Buyers: U.K. Campaign TrailNever Mind Brexit, U.K. Vote Hinges on Future of the NHSWhy Elections Aren't a Big Deal For U.K. Polling Stock Up 350%\--With assistance from Alex Morales, Flavia Krause-Jackson, Jessica Shankleman and Dara Doyle.To contact the reporters on this story: Greg Ritchie in London at gritchie10@bloomberg.net;Charlotte Ryan in London at cryan147@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Charges of Ukrainian Meddling? A Russian Operation, U.S. Intelligence Says Posted: 22 Nov 2019 12:15 PM PST  WASHINGTON -- Republicans have sought for weeks amid the impeachment inquiry to shift attention to President Donald Trump's demands that Ukraine investigate any 2016 election meddling, defending it as a legitimate concern while Democrats accuse Trump of pursuing fringe theories for his benefit.The Republican defense of Trump became central to the impeachment proceedings when Fiona Hill, a respected Russia scholar and former senior White House official, added a harsh critique during testimony Thursday. She told some of Trump's fiercest defenders in Congress that they were repeating "a fictional narrative" -- and that it likely came from a disinformation campaign by Russian security services, which themselves propagated it.In a briefing that closely aligned with Hill's testimony, U.S. intelligence officials informed senators and their aides in recent weeks that Russia had engaged in a yearslong campaign to essentially frame Ukraine as responsible for Moscow's own hacking of the 2016 election, according to three U.S. officials. The briefing came as Republicans stepped up their defenses of Trump in the Ukraine affair.The revelations demonstrate Russia's persistence in trying to sow discord among its adversaries -- and show that the Kremlin apparently succeeded, as unfounded claims about Ukrainian interference seeped into Republican talking points. U.S. intelligence agencies believe Moscow is likely to redouble its efforts as the 2020 presidential campaign intensifies. The classified briefing for senators also focused on Russia's evolving influence tactics, including its growing ability to better disguise operations.Russia has engaged in a "long pattern of deflection" to pin blame for its malevolent acts on other countries, Hill said, not least Ukraine, a former Soviet republic. Since Ukraine won independence in 1991, Russia has tried to reassert influence there, meddling in its politics, maligning pro-Western leaders and accusing Ukrainian critics of Moscow of fascist leanings."The Russians have a particular vested interest in putting Ukraine, Ukrainian leaders in a very bad light," she told lawmakers.But the campaign by Russian intelligence in recent years has been even more complex as Moscow tries not only to undermine the government in Kyiv but also to use a disinformation campaign there to influence the U.S. political debate.The accusations of a Ukrainian influence campaign center on actions by a handful of Ukrainians who openly criticized or sought to damage Trump's candidacy in 2016. They were scattershot efforts that were far from a replica of Moscow's interference, when President Vladimir Putin ordered military and intelligence operatives to mount a broad campaign to sabotage the U.S. election. Russians in 2016 conducted covert operations to hack Democratic computers and to use social media to exploit divisions among Americans.This time, Russian intelligence operatives deployed a network of agents to blame Ukraine for its 2016 interference. Starting at least in 2017, operatives peddled a mixture of now-debunked conspiracy theories along with established facts to leave an impression that the government in Kyiv, not Moscow, was responsible for the hackings of Democrats and its other interference efforts in 2016, senior intelligence officials said.Russian intelligence officers conveyed the information to prominent Russians and Ukrainians who then used a range of intermediaries, like oligarchs, businessmen and their associates, to pass the material to U.S. political figures and even some journalists, who were likely unaware of its origin, officials said.That muddy brew worked its way into U.S. information ecosystems, sloshing around until parts of it reached Trump, who has also spoken with Putin about allegations of Ukrainian interference. Trump also brought up the assertions of Ukrainian meddling in his July 25 call with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine, which is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry into whether he abused his power by asking for a public commitment to investigations he stood to gain from personally.Trump referred elliptically to allegations that Ukraine meddled in the 2016 election and brought up a related conspiracy theory. Asking Zelenskiy to "do us a favor," Trump added, "I would like you to find out what happened with this whole situation with Ukraine."Russia's operation to blame Ukraine has become more relevant as Republicans have tried to focus public debate during the impeachment inquiry on any Ukrainian role in the 2016 campaign, U.S. officials said.Republicans have denounced any suggestion that their concerns about Ukrainian meddling are without merit or that they are ignoring Russia's broader interference. "Not a single Republican member of this committee said Russia did not meddle in the 2016 elections," Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said Thursday.Indeed, Stefanik and her Republican colleagues on the Democratic-led House Intelligence Committee, which is conducting the impeachment hearing, have also steered clear of the fringe notion that Trump mentioned to Zelenskiy, which is pushed by Russian intelligence: the so-called CrowdStrike server conspiracy theory, which falsely suggests Ukraine, not Russia, was behind the breach of Democratic operatives' servers.Trump repeated the baseless claim Friday in an interview with "Fox & Friends," laying out the narrative and doubling down after a host gently pressed him on whether he was sure of one aspect of the debunked theory, that the FBI gave a Democratic server to what Trump had inaccurately described as a Ukrainian-owned company."That is what the word is," Trump replied.Some Republicans have also focused on Hunter Biden, raising questions about whether his hiring by Ukrainian energy company Burisma was corrupt. Burisma hired Biden while his father, former Vice President Joe Biden, a potential rival of Trump's in the 2020 election, was leading the Obama administration's Ukraine policy. On the July 25 call, Trump also demanded Zelenskiy investigate Burisma and Hunter Biden.Moscow has long used its intelligence agencies and propaganda machine to muddy the waters of public debate, casting doubts over established facts. In her testimony, Hill noted Russia's pattern of trying to blame other countries for its own actions, like the attempted poisoning last year of a former Russian intelligence officer or the downing of a passenger jet over Ukraine in 2014. Moscow's goal is to cast doubt on established facts, said current and former officials."The strategy is simply to create the impression that it is not really possible to know who was really behind it," said Laura Rosenberger, director of the Alliance for Defending Democracy, which tracks Russian disinformation efforts.Although U.S. intelligence agencies have made no formal classified assessment about the Russian disinformation campaign against Ukraine, officials at several of the agencies have broadly agreed for some time that Russian intelligence services have embraced tactics to shift responsibility for the 2016 interference campaign away from themselves, officials said.Russia has relentlessly tried to deflect attention since the allegations of its interference campaign in the 2016 election first surfaced, one official said.Putin began publicly pushing false theories of Ukrainian interference in the early months of 2017 to deflect responsibility from Russia, said Sen. Angus King, I-Maine and a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who declined to answer questions about the briefing."These people are pros at this," said King, who caucuses with the Democrats. "The Soviet Union used disinformation for 70 years. This is nothing new. Vladimir Putin is a former KGB agent. He is trained in deception. This is his stock and trade, and he is doing it well."During a news conference in February 2017, Putin accused the Ukrainian government of supporting Hillary Clinton during the previous U.S. election and funding her candidacy with friendly oligarchs.It is not clear when U.S. intelligence agencies learned about Moscow's campaign or when precisely it began.Russian intelligence officers aimed part of their operation at prompting Ukrainian authorities to investigate the allegations that people in Ukraine tried to tamper with the 2016 U.S. election and to shut down inquiries into corruption by pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine, according to a former official.One target was the leak of a secret ledger disclosed by a Ukrainian law enforcement agency that appeared to show that Paul Manafort, Trump's onetime campaign chairman, had taken illicit payments from Ukrainian politicians who were close to Moscow. He was forced to step down from the Trump campaign after the ledger became public in August 2016, and the Russians have since been eager to cast doubt on its authenticity, the former official said.Intelligence officials believe that one of the people the Kremlin relied on to spread disinformation about Ukrainian interference was Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who had ties to Manafort. After his ouster from the campaign, Manafort told his former deputy later in 2016 that Ukrainians, not Russians, stole Democratic emails. Deripaska has broadly denied any role in election meddling."There is a long history of Russians putting out fake information," said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA official. "Now they are trying to put out theories that they think are damaging to the United States."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| UPDATE 3-UK Labour Leader Corbyn: I would stay neutral in a second Brexit referendum Posted: 22 Nov 2019 11:33 AM PST ![UPDATE 3-UK Labour Leader Corbyn: I would stay neutral in a second Brexit referendum]( "UPDATE 3-UK Labour Leader Corbyn: I would stay neutral in a second Brexit referendum") The leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday he would remain neutral in any second Brexit referendum, so he could credibly carry out the result of the vote and unite the country. Corbyn, 70, is vying to become prime minister at a Dec. 12 election called by his Conservative rival, the current Prime Minister Boris Johnson, to resolve a deadlock in parliament over the right approach to leaving the European Union. While Johnson wants to implement a deal he has already agreed with Brussels and leave the EU in January, Labour is promising to negotiate a new exit deal and put it to the public at a second referendum next year.
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| Cypriots from both sides rally for reunification Posted: 22 Nov 2019 11:26 AM PST  Several hundred Cypriots from both sides of the divided island marched on Friday to demand reunification as the Mediterranean country's two leaders prepared to meet for talks. President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci are scheduled to meet in Berlin on Monday alongside United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. A German foreign ministry spokesman said Berlin was providing financial and logistical support for the "informal, trilateral" meeting but not playing a part in the talks.
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| Donald Trump criticises impeachment witness for failing to hang his photo while ambassador Posted: 22 Nov 2019 11:14 AM PST  Donald Trump has reprimanded his former Ukraine ambassador who testified in the impeachment inquiry for not hanging his picture in the embassy during an unrepentant Fox News interview. Calling into the broadcaster's morning show, Fox & Friends, Mr Trump repeated claims which witnesses had dismissed as false during more than 40 minutes of largely one-way dialogue. Mr Trump singled out Marie Yovanovitch, the Ukraine ambassador who blamed a "smear" campaign pushed by the president's allies for her removal from the post earlier this year, for renewed criticism. Despite Ms Yovanovitch's instance in testimony last week that claims she was opposed to Mr Trump or worked against him were categorically false, the president echoed many of those allegations. "This ambassador that, you know, everybody says is so wonderful, she wouldn't hang my picture in the embassy, okay", Mr Trump said. "She's in charge of the embassy. She wouldn't hang it. It took like a year and a half or two years for her to get the picture up. Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine, catagorical denied she had worked against Donald Trump before her removal Credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite "She said bad things about me, she wouldn't defend me and I have the right to change an ambassador." Mr Trump said Ms Yovanovitch, whose testimony had been greeted with applause and a standing ovation by members of the public in the room, was "not an angel". "This was not a baby that we're dealing with," he said. Throughout the interview Mr Trump was similarly dismissive of criticism of his behaviour towards Ukraine that has followed new revelations from five days of public impeachment hearings. Mr Trump repeated the idea that Ukraine somehow meddled in the 2016 US election, despite one witness calling that a "fictional narrative" which was being pushed by Russia's security services. The president once again suggested the Democratic National Committee's email server, which had been hacked during the campaign, may be in Ukraine. Pushed for evidence to back up the claim, Mr Trump said "that's what the word is". Public impeachment hearings into Donald Trump took place in Room 1100 of the Longworth House Office Building Credit: Saul Loeb/Pool via REUTERS He also defended the involvement of his personal attorney, the former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, in pursuing an investigation into Joe Biden, Mr Trump's political rival, and the Ukraine election meddling claims. "Rudy Giuliani was one of the great crime fighters of all time," Mr Trump said, insisting it was legitimate to try and uncover "corruption". Mr Biden, the former US vice president and Democrat who Mr Trump could face in the 2020 election, has always denied any wrongdoing in his dealings with Ukraine while in office. Mr Trump also claimed he had saved Hong Kong from being destroyed by persuading Chinese President Xi Jinping to hold off on sending in troops to crush its pro-democracy movement. He said: "If it weren't for me, Hong Kong would have been obliterated in 14 minutes."
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| Merkel heir-apparent wins 'loyalty' after challenging critics Posted: 22 Nov 2019 11:08 AM PST  Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the under-fire leader of Germany's ruling Christian Democrats (CDU), on Friday threatened to quit, forcing her chief critic to back down and pledge his loyalty. In a combative speech at the start of the CDU's party congress, the 57-year-old challenged her critics to stand up and be heard if they disagreed with her leadership. Widely known by her initials "AKK", the defence minister has endured a rocky first year at the helm since taking over the party leadership from her mentor Chancellor Angela Merkel at last year's conference.
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| Mystery grows over Trump administration hold on Lebanon aid Posted: 22 Nov 2019 11:01 AM PST  The Trump administration is withholding more than $100 million in U.S. military assistance to Lebanon that has been approved by Congress and is favored by his national security team, an assertion of executive control of foreign aid that is similar to the delay in support for Ukraine at the center of the impeachment inquiry. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday congratulated Lebanon as the country marked its independence day but made no mention of the hold-up in aid that State Department and Pentagon officials have complained about for weeks.
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| Netanyahu’s woes mirror those of his ally Trump Posted: 22 Nov 2019 10:07 AM PST  Not U.S. President Donald Trump, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was indicted Thursday on corruption charges. Netanyahu's indictment on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust marks the culmination of three long-running corruption cases. The announcement of the charges coincided with the final day of public impeachment hearings by the U.S. House of Representatives, in which officials provided a mountain of evidence to support allegations that Trump used the powers of his office to pressure Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.
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| Iran says 'world war' against it foiled Posted: 22 Nov 2019 09:38 AM PST  Iran's Basij militia said unrest sparked by fuel price hikes amounted to a "world war" against Tehran that was thwarted, and blamed the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Washington imposed sanctions on Iran's telecommunications minister Friday for restricting internet access during the unrest. The protests erupted across the sanctions-hit country on November 15, after the price of petrol was raised by as much as 200 percent.
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| UPDATE 4-Trump vague about whether he will veto bills that back Hong Kong protesters Posted: 22 Nov 2019 09:38 AM PST ![UPDATE 4-Trump vague about whether he will veto bills that back Hong Kong protesters]( "UPDATE 4-Trump vague about whether he will veto bills that back Hong Kong protesters") U.S. President Donald Trump was vague on Friday about whether he would sign or veto legislation to back protesters in Hong Kong as he tries to strike a trade deal with China, and boasted that he alone had prevented Beijing from crushing the demonstrations with a million soldiers. In one of his most grandiose statements yet over relations with China, Trump said he had told Chinese President Xi Jinping that crushing the Hong Kong protesters would have "a tremendous negative impact" on efforts to reach an accord to end a 16-month trade war between the United States and China.
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| UN envoy to Yemen says momentum to end the war is building Posted: 22 Nov 2019 09:21 AM PST  The U.N. envoy for Yemen said Friday the momentum to end the country's devastating five-year war is building, pointing to a nearly 80 percent drop in airstrikes nationwide in the last two weeks, a strengthened cease-fire in the key port of Hodeida, and the beginning of the kind of leadership needed to restore peace to the Arab world's poorest nation. A Saudi-led coalition allied with the internationally recognized government has been fighting the Houthis since 2015.
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| Kurds in US struggle with distance amid Syria crisis abroad Posted: 22 Nov 2019 09:14 AM PST  When President Donald Trump abruptly announced plans to withdraw American troops from northern Syria last month, Nashville's city hall and a bridge below the downtown skyline lit up in the green, yellow and red of the Kurdish flag. In the largest Kurdish community in the U.S., outraged protesters near Nashville's federal courthouse draped themselves in the same colors and decried the deadly Turkish attacks that ensued in Syria.
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| Merkel Party Leader’s Ultimatum Contains Rebels, For Now Posted: 22 Nov 2019 09:08 AM PST ![Merkel Party Leader's Ultimatum Contains Rebels, For Now]( "Merkel Party Leader's Ultimatum Contains Rebels, For Now") (Bloomberg) -- The head of Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union defused a brewing leadership challenge on Friday with a blunt ultimatum that buys her time, but may not quell dissent.CDU party chief, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, told delegates at the annual party convention in Leipzig, Germany they either needed to support or abandon her at once. If they didn't share the path she had chosen for the party, they should "discuss it today and end it today."Her ultimatum drew a seven-minute standing ovation and foiled her fiercest critics. Friedrich Merz, her main rival, pledged his loyalty and praised the chairman's "pugnacious, courageous" speech. While he continues to stand ready for the party, it is time to show unity, he said.A series of electoral losses this year for the CDU and repeated mishaps by Kramp-Karrenbauer, also known as AKK, had triggered a mini-revolt seeking to disqualify her as potential candidate to run for the country's top job. Conceding the CDU had a "difficult year," the 57-year-old chairwoman gave an 87-minute, often rambling and disconnected speech before she dropped the all-or-nothing bomb.Michael Kretschmer, the Saxon state premier who followed her at the podium, was quick to offer his support."Today we're not going to end it -- today, we're just getting going," Kretschmer told the delegates, in response to AKK's gambit.While she achieved the objective of silencing her critics, AKK may have exaggerated with her threat and didn't appear focused or able to convey a clear target for her party, according to several party officials who heard the speech. The threat to resign can't be used more than once, said two of the people.Tilman Kuban, the party's youth leader, who in October raised the succession issue, said his group was sometimes too vociferous in its demands but then went on to provide a series of recommendations of how where the party needed to be steered.AKK, who once led the western German state of Saarland, won a tight leadership contest at last year's party conference and has since struggled to unite the party, prompting resistance to her claim to be the CDU candidate for chancellor when Merkel steps aside in 2021 at the latest.The succession debate reflects a broader crisis in the CDU like those facing other European centrist parties seeing their poll numbers slide. Merkel's party has lost voters to the far-right Alternative for Germany as well as the environmentalist Greens. Instead of resolving the issue of who would follow Merkel, AKK's stewardship has failed to unite the party.Part of the problem, said legsilator Johann Wadephul, was that the leadership was split between AKK and Merkel, an unusual arrangement for the party.What everyone agreed upon was that it was time to show voters a face of unity."This convention allows us to return to party loyalty," said Tobias Hans, premier of the western state of Saarland.(Updates with context, quotes, throughout)To contact the reporters on this story: Patrick Donahue in Leipzig, Germany at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net;Arne Delfs in Leipzig, Germany at adelfs@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Raymond ColittFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| US sanctions Iran minister over internet censorship Posted: 22 Nov 2019 08:27 AM PST  The US Treasury slapped punitive sanctions on Iran's communications minister, Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, Friday after the Tehran regime blocked internet communications amid violent protests triggered by a petrol price hike. "We are sanctioning Iran's Minister of Information and Communications Technology for restricting internet access, including to popular messaging applications that help tens of millions of Iranians stay connected to each other and the outside world," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a statement.
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| Brexit Bulletin: Digital Disruption Posted: 22 Nov 2019 08:26 AM PST  Days to General Election: 20(Bloomberg) -- Sign up here to get the Brexit Bulletin in your inbox every weekday.Today on the campaign trail: Labour might be behind in the polls, but it's ahead in key digital battlegrounds.In the contest for online influence, messages shared by Labour are getting twice as much traction as those from the Conservatives on major social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, according to a Bloomberg analysis.The challenge for Jeremy Corbyn is how to convert this digital advantage into votes in key marginal constituencies. Labour performed better than expected in the 2017 general election, helped by having a superior online operation. But the party still lagged behind the Conservatives even as Theresa May lost her parliamentary majority.A strong digital campaign has become increasingly important in modern elections, allowing parties to reach new supporters and deliver content to highly specialized audiences. A precision targeting operation on Facebook helped David Cameron win an unexpected majority in 2015. Corbyn remains a social-media draw, and Labour is also boosted by the activist group Momentum, which has a wide online reach and supports the party's door-knocking efforts.Still, there are green shoots for the Tories. A video of Boris Johnson making tea and answering questions informally is the most viewed clip of the campaign so far. The increasing professionalization of the Tory social media presence is also closing the gap on Labour, said Matt Walsh, a senior lecturer at Cardiff University.Johnson's Conservatives are also courting controversy. The party has flirted with spreading disinformation or misleading content, either to persuade voters or to attract controversy and attention. This week it was reprimanded by Twitter for rebranding its press office account during the leadership debate. With three weeks of the campaign to go, expect the online battle to intensify. Today's Must-ReadsHealthcare is as central as Brexit to the U.K. election debate, and Johnson's hopes for a post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S. means the two issues are inextricably linked, writes Bloomberg's John Lauerman. "There isn't an area of your life that Labour doesn't think it can improve." Therese Raphael of Bloomberg Opinion on the Labour manifesto, a "monument to statism." Pie and mash, luxury penthouses, immigration, division. The Guardian previews an upcoming documentary film chronicling one street in London it calls "Brexit Britain in microcosm."What to WatchThe leaders of the four main Westminster parties — Johnson, Corbyn, Jo Swinson of the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon — will take questions from audience members live on the BBC from 7 p.m. on Friday. The Conservative Party is expected to launch its manifesto on Sunday. We'll have full coverage on Bloomberg.com and on social media.Brexit in BriefMore Than Brexit | Nigel Farage launched his Brexit Party's policy platform with a call for immigration to be restricted to 50,000 people per year. He said his party, which is not contesting Tory-held seats, is "picking up Labour votes." Farage also called for electoral reform and the abolition of the House of Lords, as well as changes to corporation tax and fisheries policies.On the Up | Polling outfit YouGov correctly predicted a hung Parliament in 2017 when many others missed the Corbyn surge. Nevertheless, the company's chief executive officer sees politics as just a small driver of the five-year, 350% rise in its share price.London Supreme | Wealth management firm Azura thinks London will remain a top destination for its customer base of billionaire entrepreneurs, regardless of the potential of a left-wing government and Brexit. "No city in Europe can compete with London," founder Ali Jamal told Bloomberg's Tom Metcalf.Pay Up | It's not just Corbyn's Labour that wants to raise taxes. The Tories plan to hit foreign buyers of homes in England with a new tax intended to cool prices and help locals get a foot on the housing ladder. The 3% surcharge, on top of the existing tax known as stamp duty, could apply to as many as 70,000 purchases and generate as much as £120 million ($154 million) a year, the party said.No-Deal Mk II | Failure to finalize a U.K.-EU free trade agreement by the end of 2020 could leave Britain facing a new no-deal Brexit "cliff edge." Dominic Walsh of the Open Europe think tank has examined what that scenario might look like, and found several key differences to the original no-deal Brexit.Upset in Uxbridge? | With a majority of just 5,000 in his Uxbridge seat, bookmaker Ladbrokes reckons Johnson has a 22% chance of being ousted in the upcoming election.Want to keep up with Brexit?You can follow us @Brexit on Twitter, and listen to Bloomberg Westminster every weekday. It's live at midday on Bloomberg Radio and is available as a podcast too. Share the Brexit Bulletin: Colleagues, friends and family can sign up here. For full EU coverage, try the Brussels Edition.For even more: Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access for our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.To contact the author of this story: Joe Mayes in London at jmayes9@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Adam Blenford at ablenford@bloomberg.net, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump: Hong Kong would be 'obliterated in 14 minutes' if not for me Posted: 22 Nov 2019 08:25 AM PST  US President Donald Trump said Friday he had saved Hong Kong from being destroyed by persuading Chinese President Xi Jinping to hold off on sending in troops to crush its pro-democracy movement. "If it weren't for me, Hong Kong would have been obliterated in 14 minutes," Trump said in a scattershot early morning interview with Fox News. Trump's comments come as he mulls signing congressionally-approved legislation in support of the pro-democracy activists -- or bow to Beijing's threats of retaliation if the law is enacted.
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| Mini-Merkel faces down her critics with 'back me or sack me' challenge Posted: 22 Nov 2019 08:16 AM PST  Angela Merkel's chosen successor faced down her rivals with a defiant performance at her party conference on Friday. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer appeared to head off a growing rebellion against her leadership of the Christian Democrat party (CDU) by challenging her critics to back her or sack her. "If you think that the Germany I want is not the Germany you imagine, if you think that the path I want to walk with you is not the right one, then let's have it out today. Let's end it today. Here and now," the woman known as "mini-Merkel" told the party conference in Leipzig. The response from delegates was a seven-minute standing ovation that appeared to silence any challenge to her authority — at least for now. Friedrich Merz, the rival who had openly advertised his plans to question the party's direction, ended up making a low-key speech pledging his loyalty. "The applause shows: today is not an end, Annegret. Today it really gets going," said Michael Kretschmer, a senior delegate. It was a rare triumph for Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer, or AKK as she likes to be known, who has had a torrid time since taking over as CDU leader a year ago. Mrs Merkel stepped down from the party leadership last year so a new leader could reinvigorate its fortunes following a series of poor election results. But the results have only got worse under AKK's leadership. The CDU was beaten into third place by the nationalist Alternative for Germany party (AfD) in regional elections last month, and there have been growing calls for some one else to take over as the party's chancellor candidate in the next general election. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer, who had hoped the party leadership would open the way for her to succeed Mrs Merkel in government, has been left fighting for her survival. Friedrich Merz was expected to challenge the party direction but made a low-key speech Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg She took on her critics in a marathon 90-minute speech on Friday, defending the CDU's record in government. "These have been 14 good years for Germany, and we all have a lot to be proud of," she told delegates on the 14th anniversary of the day Mrs Merkel first became chancellor. "As the party that shaped this government, to stand up and say it was all bad is not a successful campaign strategy. We should not get used to it...We have to be careful that such discussions do not lead us to ruin." Her remarks were a clear criticism of Mr Merz, her chief rival, who has been absent from politics for most of that time. After losing the party leadership to Mrs Merkel in 2002, Mr Merz quit politics in 2009. He attempted a comeback last year and was narrowly defeated by AKK in the race to succeed Mrs Merkel. But amid the speculation over Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer's future, Mr Merz has been back on manoeuvres. He let it be known that he planned to make an intervention in a speech at this year's conference, but Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer appeared to have headed him off. In the event, he delivered a low-key address to muted applause from delegates. "I'm grateful for your brave, combative, forward-looking speech," he told Mr Kramp-Karrenbauer. The CDU was unlike rival parties, he said, because "We are loyal to our leader". Setting out her vision for the future, Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer called for a new digital ministry and pledged her support for the German carmakers. She was pleased Tesla had decided to build its first European factory in Germany, she said, but added it was more important to her that cars continue to be built in Stuttgart, Munich and Wolfsburg — the homes of Mercedes, BMW and Volkswagen. It was a performance that saw off her rivals for now. But Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer needs to improve the CDU's standing in the polls — or Mr Merz and others will be waiting for another chance.
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| Court: Dutch govt doesn’t have to repatriate kids from Syria Posted: 22 Nov 2019 08:15 AM PST ![Court: Dutch govt doesn't have to repatriate kids from Syria]( "Court: Dutch govt doesn't have to repatriate kids from Syria") A Dutch appeals court has overturned a lower court's order that the government must attempt to bring home children whose mothers traveled to Syria to join Islamic extremist groups. Friday's decision upheld the government's appeal against that ruling. Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus has welcomed the decision as supporting the government's policy of not repatriating women and children from Syria if they went there to join the Islamic State group.
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| Brazil Is Weighing 5G Risks Amid U.S-China Spat Over Huawei Posted: 22 Nov 2019 08:13 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Brazil's national security body is conducting a broad risk review before the country chooses a partner to build its ultra-fast fifth generation mobile network.The head of the country's Institutional Security Cabinet, General Augusto Heleno, said the government is aware of the U.S. allegations that Huawei Technologies Co. includes components that can be used for spying. The company is the largest provider of telecom gear in the world, and supplies technology equipment to all large telecom operators in Brazil.Heleno said the government is gathering information, but he ruled out banning the Chinese company's bid in next year's auction, a move that would be "too radical" in what he expects will be a "good fight" for Brazil's 5G network. Officials will likely make a decision sometime next year, according to Heleno."We can't pretend we're not watching," he said in an interview in his cabinet in Brasilia. "The big threat in all this 5G discussion is about the fact that it will allow whoever owns the technology to know who you are, how much do you earn and what's in your bank account."U.S. PressureU.S. officials have urged Brazil and other allies not to rely on Huawei components in their 5G networks, saying it would facilitate spying by Beijing. The U.S. State Department has warned that it could downgrade security cooperation with Brazil if it gives the Chinese technology company the go-ahead.Read More: China Confident Huawei Will Build Brazil's 5G Mobile NetworkWhile President Jair Bolsonaro is a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Brazilian leader is increasingly warming up ties with China after criticizing Beijing earlier this year. China is Brazil's top trading partner.Bolsonaro has met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping twice since October. Earlier this week, the Brazilian president spoke with Huawei's Brazil's CEO in Brasilia. After the meeting, Bolsonaro said his country will choose whoever has the best offer to build its 5G network."The whole world is getting acquainted with a new reality, which has its pros and cons," Heleno said. "Excluding a specific company, a country or a technology -- there's nothing to justify that, not for us or anyone else."\--With assistance from Fabiola Moura.To contact the reporters on this story: Samy Adghirni in Brasilia Newsroom at sadghirni@bloomberg.net;Julia Leite in Sao Paulo at jleite3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Matthew MalinowskiFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump, Xi Talk Past Each Other on Need for Win-Win Trade Deal Posted: 22 Nov 2019 08:12 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. Chinese President Xi Jinping said his nation wants to work toward a phase-one trade agreement with the U.S. that's based in part on "equality," a guiding principle that President Donald Trump just hours later said he doesn't share."I didn't like his word 'equality' because we started off so low," Trump said in an interview Friday on Fox News. "This can't be like an even deal, because we're starting off on the floor and you're already at the ceiling. So we have to have a much better deal."Six weeks after Trump declared he'd secured a phase-one "deal, pretty much, subject to getting it written" in three to five weeks, the feud over fairness illustrates how fundamental differences remain at the top. Trump repeated his criticism that China "took us to the cleaners" with unfair trade policies over the years, putting the price tag of the imbalance at $500 billion.Still, Trump expressed optimism that an initial pact could be reached soon, saying "we have a very good chance to make a deal."In his remarks earlier Friday, Xi stressed that the talks must be conducted in an atmosphere of "mutual respect" and said that China hasn't been the aggressor."We didn't initiate this trade war and this isn't something we want," the Chinese leader said. "When necessary, we will fight back, but we have been working actively to try not to have a trade war."Privately, negotiators from both countries have been talking regularly in recent days, trying to bridge the remaining differences on issues including Chinese pledges to buy American farm products, protect intellectual-property rights and open its economy further to foreign companies. But they're still struggling to agree on exactly what tariffs each side would roll back as part of the agreement's initial step.On Wednesday, China's chief trade negotiator, Liu He, indicated he was "cautiously optimistic" about reaching the first phase of a deal. Liu made the comments in a speech in Beijing on Wednesday ahead of the New Economy Forum, which is being organized by Bloomberg Media Group, a division of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News.Some of the foreigners who met with Xi on Friday were also in Beijing to attend the forum.China's DreamXi emphasized that the nation's overall goal wasn't "a dream about hegemony" but was rather "working to realize the Chinese dream of renewal" and to ensure that the country was never humiliated again."We are just trying to restore our place and role in the world rather than reliving the humiliating days of semi-colonial and semi-feudal era," Xi said. "In those days there were signs in Shanghai saying Chinese and dogs are not allowed inside -- and we will not relive those days again."One of the three key demands for any trade deal with the U.S. is that it should be "balanced" to ensure the "dignity" of both nations, indicating that this quest for respect still motivates policy.U.S. equities markets have soared to records on optimism for a trade-war truce. But stocks on Friday were on course for their first weekly decline since early October.The latest potential hurdle came after Liu made his dinner-time comments, when the U.S. House voted 417-1 for legislation supporting Hong Kong protesters that the Senate already unanimously approved.In his interview with Fox, Trump declined to say whether he'd sign the legislation, adding that it's "a complicating factor, there's no question about it," in the ongoing trade discussions.\--With assistance from Dandan Li, Shawn Donnan, Jun Luo and Alfred Liu.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Lucille Liu in Beijing at xliu621@bloomberg.net;Miao Han in Beijing at mhan22@bloomberg.net;Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: John Liu at jliu42@bloomberg.net, Brendan Murray, Ana MonteiroFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Putin vows to perfect mystery rocket after engine blast Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:42 AM PST  Russian President Vladimir Putin has handed state awards to the widows of nuclear engineers who died in an explosion at the navy's testing range, saying they sacrificed their lives to develop a cutting-edge weapon that will protect the country "for decades ahead." Speaking in remarks televised Friday, Putin hailed the five men who died in the August 8 incident in Nyonoksa on the White Sea as heroes and patriots. "Each of them has brought an invaluable contribution to the strengthening of the Russian state," he said in a sombre speech at the ceremony. "They were involved in the most difficult and critically important work on the most advanced technology that has no analogues in the world." The Russian leader pledged that Russia will work to complete the development of the weapon involved in the incident, saying it will "ensure sovereignty and security for Russia and peace for our children for decades ahead." "The very fact of possession of such unique technologies is the strongest and the most reliable guarantee of peace on the planet," Putin said. "We will undoubtedly develop it to perfection." Putin didn't name the weapon and his spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to give any details of the official probe into the incident, saying the results won't be made public because it involves a new weapons system. Russian officials have offered scant and contradictory information about the incident that led to a brief spike in radioactivity and fueled radiation fears in a nearby city. Along with the five nuclear engineers, the explosion also killed two servicemen and injured six people. Rosatom nuclear state corporation said the explosion occurred on an offshore platform during tests of a "nuclear isotope power source" of a rocket engine _ a cryptic description that made many observers conclude that the test involved one of Russia's most secretive weapons _ the prospective Burevestnik (Storm Petrel) nuclear-powered cruise missile, code-named "Skyfall" by NATO. Putin first revealed the existence of the missile in his 2018 state-of-the-nation address, claiming that it will have an unlimited range, allowing it to circle the globe undetected by missile defense systems. He claimed then that the missile had successfully undergone the first tests, but many observers have remained skeptical, arguing that such a weapon could be very difficult to handle and pose a threat to the environment. Speaking at a separate meeting of the presidential Security Council on Friday, Putin said that Russia should focus on developing new drones, laser and hypersonic weapons. He charged that Russia now has weapons that place it "a step ahead" of other leading military powers. "Naturally we must try to maintain that in the future," he said.
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| UPDATE 3-U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran's information minister Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:37 AM PST ![UPDATE 3-U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran's information minister]( "UPDATE 3-U.S. imposes sanctions on Iran's information minister") The United States imposed sanctions on Iran's information minister on Friday for his role in "widescale internet censorship," a reference to a five-day-long nationwide shutdown meant to help stifle protests against fuel price hikes in Iran. The internet blockage, which Iran said on Thursday it had begun to roll back, made it difficult for protesters to post videos on social media to generate support and also to obtain reliable reports on the extent of the unrest. Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi, the Iranian minister, has advanced Tehran's policy of "repressive internet censorship" while in office, according to the U.S. Treasury Department, which described him as a former intelligence official who has been involved in surveillance against opposition activists.
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| Trump’s Impeachment Defense Rests on Narrow Gap in Testimony Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:35 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump's impeachment defense hangs by a thread after two weeks of House hearings, as a parade of witnesses described how his efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden extended well beyond the two leaders' July 25 telephone call.Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a decorated Army officer and Ukraine expert, recalled raising concerns to the top lawyer at the National Security Council over what he viewed as Trump's inappropriate political demand on that call for a Biden probe.Vindman's former boss, Fiona Hill, testified she came to understand that Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, had been tasked by Trump with a "political errand" in Ukraine outside of regular U.S. foreign policy. And Sondland, a Trump donor, told lawmakers that the president, through his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, ordered him to carry out a "quid pro quo."Witnesses warned the House Intelligence Committee in grave terms that the pursuit of dirt on Biden was wrong, undermined U.S. foreign policy efforts and wasn't rooted in a sincere effort to crack down on corruption or criminal activity in Ukraine. And they criticized the president's Republican allies for trying to justify his behavior by promoting debunked conspiracy theories they said had no grounding in fact.And yet one key piece of Trump's defense remains intact: None of the witnesses, including Sondland, testified that the president himself directly ordered them to make explicit to the Ukrainians that American military aid and a meeting with Trump depended on their president announcing investigations. Indeed, when Sondland confronted Trump on Sept. 9 -- after the administration learned a whistle-blower complaint had been filed -- the president denied wanting anything from Ukraine.He has forbidden witnesses who might have first-hand knowledge of his Ukraine intentions from testifying. Speaking to the "Fox and Friends" program early Friday, Trump said: "I think it's very hard for them to impeach when they have absolutely nothing."The President's MenAbsence of evidence of a direct order from Trump may be all that matters to Republican senators increasingly likely to face the ultimate question of whether to remove the president from office. But it's a gamble for Trump, who appears to be relying on a quartet of men to hold the line and follow orders not to testify.Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney has already admitted during a White House briefing that the aid was held up in part to get Ukraine to investigate a conspiracy theory that the country interfered with the 2016 U.S. election, only to recant his statements. Mulvaney's standing in the White House fell over the initial handling of the impeachment crisis, as well as his battles with White House Counsel Pat Cipollone over strategy. But he may now be indispensable to the president.Giuliani gave several media interviews and wrote tweets pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Bidens. Trump told a trio of aides to listen to Giuliani on Ukraine, effectively bringing the pressure campaign inside his administration. And Giuliani's name came up in the July phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.Secretary of State Michael Pompeo listened in on that call. Sondland testified Pompeo gave him the green light in emails detailing an effort to seek Zelenskiy's backing for investigations sought by Trump in hopes of breaking a "logjam" that was preventing them from obtaining diplomatic concessions.John Bolton, the president's former national security adviser, is perhaps the most dangerous potential witness for Trump. Bolton's aides testified that he referred to Giuliani as a "hand grenade" and disdainfully labeled the Ukraine intrigues a "drug deal." Bolton has also split with the president on several key foreign policy areas, including North Korea.All four were mentioned numerous times in impeachment testimony to date, and all four had direct lines to the president. For now, Mulvaney, Pompeo and Giuliani have said they'll follow Trump's directive not to take part in the inquiry. Bolton has said he wants a court to decide.Beyond that quartet, the witnesses also provided Democrats with a roadmap to find other potentially devastating documents -- if they can gain access to them.Laura Cooper, the Pentagon's Russia-Ukraine expert, said there were emails that hadn't been turned over to the committee that undermined the White House's claim that Ukraine was unaware the military aid had been frozen as diplomats were pressing for the Biden investigation.David Holmes, a Foreign Service officer who works in Kyiv, testified that Trump, in an overheard phone call with Sondland, asked explicitly whether Zelenskiy would do "the investigations" the day after the July 25 phone call. Moreover, Holmes said, Sondland told him Trump didn't care about Ukraine, just the investigations that could benefit him politically.And Hill, who worked in the Trump White House for two-and-a-half years, chastised Republicans for buying into a "fictional narrative" propagated by Russian security services that Ukraine rather than Moscow interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Republicans on the committee attempted to rebut her assertions.Fast TimelineThe president is also shielded somewhat by Democrats' desire to move quickly.Worried that a prolonged impeachment proceeding could drag into the 2020 campaign season -- and that a legal battle might ultimately prove fruitless with a conservative-leaning Supreme Court -- Democrats have decided to largely forgo a court battle over subpoenas that would force those officials to testify or produce documents.That means that if a smoking gun exists -- whether in the testimony of the president's closest aides, or what's spelled out in White House, State Department, or Pentagon memos on the suspended military assistance -- Democrats might never obtain it.It's also unclear that the revelation Trump had directly ordered the quid pro quo would matter, considering the hyperpartisan fever that has gripped Washington.Trump, in particular, has time and again tested his Republican allies -- with the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape during the campaign, his remarks in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville, his performance at a joint press conference last year with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, and his recent withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. In each case, his party has remained loyal.The president has sought to shore up support from Republicans in the Senate who will ultimately control his fate if the House votes to impeach him. He has invited more than three dozen senators to the White House in recent weeks, and on Thursday hosted some of the Republican lawmakers most likely to consider voting for his removal: Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine. Both rebuked Trump for publicly encouraging China to investigate the Bidens.A White House spokesman said Thursday night that a Senate trial is "clearly the only chamber" where the president "can expect fairness and receive due process under the Constitution."The meetings with senators -- and Trump's incessant tweeting -- likely betray concern within the White House that the president is losing the public opinion battle. A survey from FiveThirtyEight and Ipsos released this week found that 56% of Americans now believe the president has committed an impeachable offense.And the White House recently brought in two new aides -- former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and ex-Treasury Department spokesman Tony Sayegh -- to help coordinate impeachment communications efforts.But the president's tweets also indicated confidence that he may have -- narrowly -- weathered the storm, with the proceedings soon shifting to the upper chamber where his allies have remained loyal."We are winning big, and they will soon be on our turf," Trump wrote.(Updates with Trump comment in sixth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Nick Wadhams.To contact the reporters on this story: Steven T. Dennis in Washington at sdennis17@bloomberg.net;Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu, Alex WayneFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| South Korea salvages intelligence-sharing pact with Japan in last-minute call Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:33 AM PST  South Korea on Friday made a last-minute decision to stick with its critical intelligence-sharing deal with Japan, a dramatic reversal after months of frigid relations complicated by painful, wartime history. The decision, announced by South Korea's presidential Blue House, is likely to be hailed by Washington. The United States has pressured its two Asian allies to set aside their feud and maintain the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), seen as linchpin of trilateral security cooperation. The diplomatic thaw also has implications for trade. As the rift worsened this year, Japan put export curbs on materials used to make semiconductors, threatening the global supply chain of chips, a pillar of the South Korean economy. Seoul decided to suspend a previous notice to Japan that it would stop sharing intelligence once the current pact ran out at midnight on Friday, Kim You-geun, deputy director of South Korea's national security office said, adding it had done so on the condition the agreement could be terminated at any time. "Japan has expressed its understanding," Kim told a briefing just hours before the deal was due to end. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said South Korea had made a "strategic decision" in sticking with the pact and that bilateral relations were vital. News of the decision quickly overshadowed the Group of 20 (G20) foreign minister meetings being held in the central Japanese city of Nagoya. In almost unheard of move, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi briefly stepped out of a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart to address reporters. "My understanding is that the South Korean government took this strategic decision, given the current security environment," Motegi said, adding he would meet the South Korean foreign minister during the G20. South Korea's foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, had been notable for her absence at the G20. Her attendance had not been formally confirmed and she only arrived in Nagoya late on Friday, after the decision had been announced. As the news broke, Japanese reporters stepped away from their laptops in the G20 media centre to huddle around a television. The dispute has its roots in a decades-old disagreement over compensation for South Korean labourers forced to work at Japanese firms during World War Two. It has deepened this year, and upended trade between the two countries. South Korea was the third-largest market for Japanese exports last year, accounting for $53 billion, according to IMF data. Japan remains a major player in specialised chip components, even though it was overtaken as a chipmaker years ago by South Korea. Japan's trade ministry said it hoped to hold talks with South Korea on export controls but it would not immediately put Seoul back on the trade "white list" that fast-tracks exports to its neighbour. Japan's trade ministry had been the setting for a particularly frosty meeting between officials from both sides earlier this year, where neither side greeted the other and, in front of television cameras, faced off in stony silence in a narrow room. South Korean media widely reported that their officials had been given a "cold reception" by Tokyo and that the meeting took place in a room that looked like a "garage". A South Korean official said on Friday there was no deadline set yet to resolve the differences, and Seoul would terminate the pact if agreement was not reached. Seoul's decision has also come amid increasingly public displays of tension with the United States, rare in the nearly seven decades of their alliance. The United States broke off defence cost talks this week after demanding that South Korea raise its annual contribution for maintaining the US contingent to $5 billion, more than five times what it pays now. Japan's Motegi denied that the United States had put pressure on Tokyo over GSOMIA but acknowledged that close communication with Washington on the matter. US President Donald Trump has railed against what he says are inadequate contributions from allies towards defence costs. The United States is due to begin separate negotiations for new defence cost-sharing deals with Japan, Germany and NATO next year. While the two US allies are both concerned by China's increasing assertiveness in the region and the potential threat from North Korea, their relations remain troubled by grievances stemming from Japan's 1910-45 colonisation of the Korean peninsula. GSOMIA was sealed in 2016 after a years-long US push for a better joint response to North Korea's growing military threat.
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| Afro-Brazilians Have Something to Celebrate Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:30 AM PST ![Afro-Brazilians Have Something to Celebrate]( "Afro-Brazilians Have Something to Celebrate") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- In the 131 years since slavery ended in Brazil, Brazilians of African descent haven't had much to celebrate. Emancipation itself came late — making Brazil the last New World nation to outlaw slavery — and was hardly a gift for the 750,000 indentured laborers who overnight were freed to fend for themselves, no mule, no 40 acres, often as wage slaves for yesterday's masters.So last week's announcement by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics that black and brown students were now a majority on public university campuses was good news indeed. What's more, in less than two decades, their numbers had more than doubled: Last year, 55% of all Brazilians of color aged 18 to 24 were in college, compared with fewer than 26% in 2005. That's an encouraging trend in a country where 56% percent of the population define themselves as black (negro) or brown (pardo).Word came in time for National Black Consciousness month, the occasion Brazilians set aside to remember both the infamy of slavery and the debt the country owes to what demographers call the world's largest population of African descent outside of Nigeria. To be sure, the celebration is not a national consensus. Not even a fifth of Brazil's 5,570 townships observe the Nov. 20 holiday honoring the death of 17th-century rebel slave leader Zumbi dos Palmares, who ran an independent colony of runaway slaves, which survived for a century. No admirer of Zumbi, President Jair Bolsonaro was elected by a cranky right-wing demographic that disparages the banners of diversity and attacks identity politics.Nonetheless, recognition of slavery's legacy and regard for Africa's contribution to national culture have never been so high. In Brazilian film, literature, cuisine and fashion, slavery and its scars are undergoing a makeover. A family experiment in hair care catering to black women grew from a backyard laboratory in Rio de Janeiro into Beleza Natural (Natural Beauty), a nationwide beauty salon chain, which opened its first international branch in New York in 2017.The story of Palmares, Zumbi's independent slave republic, inspired one of Rio's favorite carnival troupes, a Netflix historical series and a five-episode television documentary that aired last year and reprised this month. Matriarchs, a multimedia exhibit, explores the cultural contribution of women in a Brazilian city where off-book slavery lingered well into the 20th century. Journalist and best-selling popular historian Laurentino Gomes recently published the first of a three-volume set on slavery.Rio is ground zero for the cultural awakening. In 2011, archaeologists excavating its dock district ahead of the 2016 Olympics unearthed the vestiges of a past that all but a handful of scholars and history buffs would prefer to forget. Only a jumble of flagstones remains, but the Valongo Quays was once the setting for one of the New World's largest slave markets. Now the monument to Valongo is the centerpiece of the city's Little Africa, a United Nations heritage site and a magnet for researchers and school field-trips.True, civic groups find little to cheer in statistics showing that non-white youths still drop out of school earlier, earn less, and die younger than their white peers. And in 2018, the homicide rate for black and brown Brazilians aged 15 to 29 was 98 per 100,000, three times the rate of their fair-skinned counterparts.Yet in a land where off-white social mobility has been largely confined to pop music or the football pitch, advances toward equality in the classroom are remarkable. The rise of blacks on college campuses is a direct result of policy intervention, when federal reformers established admission quotas — for government service in the 1990s, and by the early 2000s for blacks and low-income and public school applicants to university. Not everyone applauded the initiative. But fears that lowering the admissions bar for poor students from pauperized schools would drag down university education have proved unfounded. Students admitted on racial quotas have been shown to do as well as their fair-skinned peers, although slightly below average in medicine and sciences.Getting into college is just a beginning, however. Census statistics also show that white university graduates earn 45% more than non-whites with diplomas. Less than a quarter of federal lawmakers and only three in ten company managers are black or brown. A recent survey on innovation found that a third of tech firms had no Brazilians of color on staff."The market is not attuned to young black candidates," said Claudia Costin, who directs the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Education Policies at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio. Brazil's conflagrated politics are no help. As Costin notes, "In a time when Brazil is badly polarized, public polices like inclusion and diversity which are important for productivity and growth have fallen off the agenda."Fortunately, though, Brazilian society seems to be moving ahead of its policymakers. While color was once a badge of inferiority, the number of Brazilians who define themselves as dark-skinned or black has grown steadily this decade, with the share of self-identified blacks increasing 25% since 2012, according to economist Marcelo Neri, who studies social policy at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. "Part of that might be due to quotas, but part also to cultural pride," said Neri. Emancipation is also self-made.To contact the author of this story: Mac Margolis at mmargolis14@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: James Gibney at jgibney5@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Mac Margolis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin and South America. He was a reporter for Newsweek and is the author of "The Last New World: The Conquest of the Amazon Frontier."For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Afro-Brazilians Have Something to Celebrate Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:30 AM PST ![Afro-Brazilians Have Something to Celebrate]( "Afro-Brazilians Have Something to Celebrate") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- In the 131 years since slavery ended in Brazil, Brazilians of African descent haven't had much to celebrate. Emancipation itself came late — making Brazil the last New World nation to outlaw slavery — and was hardly a gift for the 750,000 indentured laborers who overnight were freed to fend for themselves, no mule, no 40 acres, often as wage slaves for yesterday's masters.So last week's announcement by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics that black and brown students were now a majority on public university campuses was good news indeed. What's more, in less than two decades, their numbers had more than doubled: Last year, 55% of all Brazilians of color aged 18 to 24 were in college, compared with fewer than 26% in 2005. That's an encouraging trend in a country where 56% percent of the population define themselves as black (negro) or brown (pardo).Word came in time for National Black Consciousness month, the occasion Brazilians set aside to remember both the infamy of slavery and the debt the country owes to what demographers call the world's largest population of African descent outside of Nigeria. To be sure, the celebration is not a national consensus. Not even a fifth of Brazil's 5,570 townships observe the Nov. 20 holiday honoring the death of 17th-century rebel slave leader Zumbi dos Palmares, who ran an independent colony of runaway slaves, which survived for a century. No admirer of Zumbi, President Jair Bolsonaro was elected by a cranky right-wing demographic that disparages the banners of diversity and attacks identity politics.Nonetheless, recognition of slavery's legacy and regard for Africa's contribution to national culture have never been so high. In Brazilian film, literature, cuisine and fashion, slavery and its scars are undergoing a makeover. A family experiment in hair care catering to black women grew from a backyard laboratory in Rio de Janeiro into Beleza Natural (Natural Beauty), a nationwide beauty salon chain, which opened its first international branch in New York in 2017.The story of Palmares, Zumbi's independent slave republic, inspired one of Rio's favorite carnival troupes, a Netflix historical series and a five-episode television documentary that aired last year and reprised this month. Matriarchs, a multimedia exhibit, explores the cultural contribution of women in a Brazilian city where off-book slavery lingered well into the 20th century. Journalist and best-selling popular historian Laurentino Gomes recently published the first of a three-volume set on slavery.Rio is ground zero for the cultural awakening. In 2011, archaeologists excavating its dock district ahead of the 2016 Olympics unearthed the vestiges of a past that all but a handful of scholars and history buffs would prefer to forget. Only a jumble of flagstones remains, but the Valongo Quays was once the setting for one of the New World's largest slave markets. Now the monument to Valongo is the centerpiece of the city's Little Africa, a United Nations heritage site and a magnet for researchers and school field-trips.True, civic groups find little to cheer in statistics showing that non-white youths still drop out of school earlier, earn less, and die younger than their white peers. And in 2018, the homicide rate for black and brown Brazilians aged 15 to 29 was 98 per 100,000, three times the rate of their fair-skinned counterparts.Yet in a land where off-white social mobility has been largely confined to pop music or the football pitch, advances toward equality in the classroom are remarkable. The rise of blacks on college campuses is a direct result of policy intervention, when federal reformers established admission quotas — for government service in the 1990s, and by the early 2000s for blacks and low-income and public school applicants to university. Not everyone applauded the initiative. But fears that lowering the admissions bar for poor students from pauperized schools would drag down university education have proved unfounded. Students admitted on racial quotas have been shown to do as well as their fair-skinned peers, although slightly below average in medicine and sciences.Getting into college is just a beginning, however. Census statistics also show that white university graduates earn 45% more than non-whites with diplomas. Less than a quarter of federal lawmakers and only three in ten company managers are black or brown. A recent survey on innovation found that a third of tech firms had no Brazilians of color on staff."The market is not attuned to young black candidates," said Claudia Costin, who directs the Center for Excellence and Innovation in Education Policies at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio. Brazil's conflagrated politics are no help. As Costin notes, "In a time when Brazil is badly polarized, public polices like inclusion and diversity which are important for productivity and growth have fallen off the agenda."Fortunately, though, Brazilian society seems to be moving ahead of its policymakers. While color was once a badge of inferiority, the number of Brazilians who define themselves as dark-skinned or black has grown steadily this decade, with the share of self-identified blacks increasing 25% since 2012, according to economist Marcelo Neri, who studies social policy at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. "Part of that might be due to quotas, but part also to cultural pride," said Neri. Emancipation is also self-made.To contact the author of this story: Mac Margolis at mmargolis14@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: James Gibney at jgibney5@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Mac Margolis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin and South America. He was a reporter for Newsweek and is the author of "The Last New World: The Conquest of the Amazon Frontier."For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UK condemned for ignoring UN deadline to hand Chagos Islands back to Mauritius Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:23 AM PST  The UK has been condemned for ignoring a United Nations deadline to hand the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius. A six-month deadline to return control of the overseas territory came and looked set to pass on Friday, with the UK refusing to recognise Mauritius's claim of sovereignty over the islands. The UN overwhelmingly voted in May to set the six-month deadline for UK withdrawal from the Indian Ocean archipelago in a major diplomatic blow. The islands have been at the centre of a decades-long dispute over Britain's decision to separate them from Mauritius in 1965 and set up a joint military base with the US on Diego Garcia, the largest of the isles. Olivier Bancoult, from The Chagos Refugee Group, led a peaceful protest of few dozen islanders outside the British High Commission on Mauritius on Friday, where many of the displaced Chagossians live after being barred from their homelands. "This peaceful demonstration is intended to show the discontent of the Chagossians and Mauritians at Britain's refusal to respect the United Nations resolution... giving her six months to end the illegal occupation of Chagos," Bancoult said. Protestors waved flags and held up placards. The UK evicted Chagossians from the archipelago between 1967 and 1973 so the US could erect a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group. That move, and the islands' incorporation into the British Indian Ocean Territory, was ruled "unlawful" by judges at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. While not legally binding, the UN vote heaped diplomatic pressure on Britain to return the territory with the General Assembly backing the resolution 116 votes to six. The UK purchased the archipelago from Mauritius for £3 million in 1965, when it was still a British colony. In 2016, Britain renewed a lease agreement with the United States for the use of Diego Garcia until 2036. Diego Garcia played a strategic role during the Cold War, and then as an airbase, including during the war in Afghanistan. Mauritius, which gained independence from Britain in 1968, maintains the islands are its own. Asked for a comment, the Foreign Office pointed to a recent ministerial statement saying: "The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. "Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the BIOT and the UK does not recognise its claim." Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn vowed to "end colonial rule" if he wins the December 12 election and accused the Conservatives of "shamefully" considering themselves above international law. "It's clear that in refusing to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and defying the UN General Assembly and International Court of Justice, this Conservative government shamefully considers itself to be above international law," the Labour leader said. "A Labour government will end colonial rule. "We immediately will enact our manifesto promise to allow the people of the Chagos Islands and their descendants the right to return to the lands from which they should never have been removed."
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| Trump ‘Stands’ With City, But Wants Trade Deal: Hong Kong Update Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:17 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said he stands with Hong Kong, but the unrest there is "a complicating factor" in clinching a trade deal with China."If it weren't for me, Hong Kong would have been obliterated in 14 minutes," Trump told Fox News, saying the only reason Chinese President Xi Jinping isn't sending soldiers into the city "is because I'm saying it's going to affect our trade deal.Trump declined to say if he'll sign a bill backing Hong Kong's protesters that passed unanimously in the U.S. Senate and with support from all but one Republican in the House. He'd been expected to sign the legislation as soon as Friday.Key Developments:Trump says unrest in Hong Kong is 'complicating factor' in possible China trade dealHigh Court allows temporary reinstatement of mask ban, RTHK reportsPolyU orders staff to stay awayRiot cops will guard voting boothsHere's the latest (all times local):Trump says Hong Kong unrest 'complicating factor' (9:30 p.m.)Trump told Fox News that Xi has "a million soldiers standing outside of Hong Kong that aren't going in only because I asked him, please don't do that, you'll be making a big mistake, it's going to have a tremendous negative impact on the trade deal, and he wants to make a trade deal.""We have to stand with Hong Kong but I'm also standing with President Xi, he's a friend of mine, he's an incredible guy," Trump said during the phone interview on the TV network. "I stand with Hong Kong, I stand with freedom," he said."But we're also in the process of making the largest trade deal in history. And if we could do that, that would be great. China wants it, we want it. And I will say this: if it weren't for me, thousands of people would have been killed in Hong Kong right now, and you wouldn't have any riots, you'd have a police state."Court rules on mask ban (6:20 p.m.)The High Court of Hong Kong allowed the government to reinstate a mask ban for seven days after ruling it "unconstitutional" Monday, local outlet Radio Television Hong Kong reported, citing the court decision. The ban was originally rolled out to try and discourage masked protesters from attending increasingly violent rallies, but was largely ignored and criticized by political observers as unenforceable. The government had asked the court to temporarily suspend its ruling while the issue goes through the appeals process, the RTHK report said.PolyU orders staff to stay away (2:15 p.m.)As a days-long stand-off continued at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the school said it was extending a suspension of its facilities until Dec. 1. The university, which remains cordoned off after fiery clashes between riot cops and students who had barricades themselves inside, said the campus had been "extensively and severely vandalized" during the stand-off."Staff should stay away from the campus, and are expected to work from home as far as practicable," according to the statement.Riot cops to guard poll booths (12:15 p.m.)Hong Kong is preparing to hold a local election Sunday. The Asian financial hub has been gripped for five months by fierce protests sparked by proposed legislation that would have allowed extraditions to China.Police Commissioner Chris Tang said riot cops will guard polling booths on Sunday, but that their presence won't scare people from voting. "Violence may deter people to vote, but by having sufficient police presence, we are there to ensure the safety of the voters," he said.\--With assistance from Natalie Lung.To contact the reporters on this story: Iain Marlow in Hong Kong at imarlow1@bloomberg.net;Erin Roman in London at eroman16@bloomberg.net;Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, ;Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net, Colin Keatinge, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iran Holds Pro-Government Rallies After Crackdown on Protesters Posted: 22 Nov 2019 07:06 AM PST ![Iran Holds Pro-Government Rallies After Crackdown on Protesters]( "Iran Holds Pro-Government Rallies After Crackdown on Protesters") (Bloomberg) -- Thousands rallied in several Iranian cities on Friday in a state-organized show of support for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following a crackdown on anti-government protests.Television channels showed crowds chanting in support of the Islamic Republic and vowing "death to America" in Mashhad, Shiraz, Qom and Esfahan. The vast majority appeared to be conservative supporters of the cleric-led establishment who often attend Friday prayers.Human rights group Amnesty International has said that at least 106 people were killed last week as protesters clashed with security forces, while officials in Iran put the death toll at 12.Ebrahim Raisi, the head of Iran's judiciary and a close ally of Khamenei, promised to deliver "severe punishment" to anyone undermining security, the semi-official Tasnim news agency said.Hundreds of people linked to the protests have been arrested, including alleged ringleaders with ties to foreign security services, Tasnim reported. That echoed claims from officials in Tehran that the demonstrations -- triggered by a government decision to hike the price of gasoline -- were perpetrated by its enemies including the U.S., which said it supports the protesters.Protests erupted across Iran after a special economic task-force including President Hassan Rouhani, Raisi and the head of parliament abruptly raised gasoline prices overnight on Nov. 14 as part of efforts to counter the impact of U.S. sanctions on the economy.Late on Nov. 16, authorities cut access to most of the internet, citing security concerns, leaving tens of millions only able to use official domestic websites. By Thursday, the restrictions had been eased in some provinces, several news agencies reported, citing unnamed officials at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.U.S. sanctions are meant to curtail Iran's influence in the Middle East and weaken its leadership. The International Monetary Fund expects Iran's recession to deepen this year, with gross domestic product contracting 9.5%.(Updates with state of economy in last paragraph, other details)To contact the reporter on this story: Golnar Motevalli in Dubai at gmotevalli@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Mark Williams, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Crazy: North Korea Once Tried To Extort $1 Billion From Israel Posted: 22 Nov 2019 06:32 AM PST  North Korea is not a trustworthy nation.
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| UPDATE 1-Back me or sack me, protege of Germany's Merkel tells her party Posted: 22 Nov 2019 06:27 AM PST ![UPDATE 1-Back me or sack me, protege of Germany's Merkel tells her party]( "UPDATE 1-Back me or sack me, protege of Germany's Merkel tells her party") Chancellor Angela Merkel's would-be successor, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, urged delegates from her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to back her vision for Germany at their party congress on Friday or else "let's end it here and now". Kramp-Karrenbauer, 57, has made several gaffes since taking over as CDU leader last December that have dented her popularity and raised questions about her suitability to be the party's candidate for chancellor when Merkel leaves office. "If you are of the view that the Germany I want is not the Germany you imagine, if you are of the view that the way I want to go with you is not the way you think is the right one, then let's speak today and let's end it today, here, now," Kramp-Karrenbauer said to gasps from delegates, astonished that she gambled on putting her fate in their hands so immediately.
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| Trump Says Pence Is on 2020 Ticket: ‘He’s Our Man, 100%’ Posted: 22 Nov 2019 06:18 AM PST ![Trump Says Pence Is on 2020 Ticket: 'He's Our Man, 100%']( "Trump Says Pence Is on 2020 Ticket: 'He's Our Man, 100%'") (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said that he'll stand by his man Mike Pence in the 2020 campaign.Trump said in an interview on Fox News on Friday that Vice President Pence will remain on the Republican ticket. "He's our man, 100%," Trump said.Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has been discussed in media outlets as a possible replacement, given her recent book tour during which she engaged in a spirited defense of Trump.Trump put those rumors to rest Friday. "Nikki would be great but Mike Pence has done a phenomenal job as vice president," he said. "He's our guy. He's my friend."To contact the reporter on this story: Elizabeth Wasserman in Washington at ewasserman2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Elizabeth Wasserman at ewasserman2@bloomberg.net, ;Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump vague about whether he will veto bills that back Hong Kong protesters Posted: 22 Nov 2019 06:11 AM PST  U.S. President Donald Trump was vague on Friday about whether he would sign or veto legislation to back protesters in Hong Kong as he tries to strike a trade deal with China, and boasted that he alone had prevented Beijing from crushing the demonstrations with a million soldiers. In one of his most grandiose statements yet over relations with China, Trump said he had told Chinese President Xi Jinping that crushing the Hong Kong protesters would have "a tremendous negative impact" on efforts to reach an accord to end a 16-month trade war between the United States and China.
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| Trump says we have a deal with China, "potentially very close" Posted: 22 Nov 2019 05:48 AM PST ![Trump says we have a deal with China, "potentially very close"]( "Trump says we have a deal with China, \"potentially very close\"") U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that a trade deal with China is "potentially very close" and that he stands with both the people of Hong Kong and Chinese President Xi Jinping amid massive protests in Hong Kong. Trump, speaking on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends," said he had made clear to Xi that "this can't be an even deal" because of China's trade surplus with the United States.
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| Chagos Islanders protest British refusal to leave Posted: 22 Nov 2019 05:35 AM PST  Demonstrators from the Chagos Islands protested Friday at British defiance of a United Nations deadline to end their "illegal occupation" of the Indian Ocean archipelago. The islands have been at the centre of a decades-long dispute over Britain's decision to separate them from Mauritius in 1965 and set up a joint military base with the US on Diego Garcia, the largest of the isles. Olivier Bancoult, from The Chagos Refugee Group, led a peaceful protest of few dozen islanders outside the British High Commission on Mauritius, where many of the displaced Chagossians live after being barred from their homelands.
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| UK's Brexit Party leader Farage promises to continue campaigning Posted: 22 Nov 2019 05:03 AM PST ![UK's Brexit Party leader Farage promises to continue campaigning]( "UK's Brexit Party leader Farage promises to continue campaigning") The leader of Britain's Brexit Party, Nigel Farage said on Friday he would go on campaigning for years to come, setting out an agenda beyond securing an exit from the European Union, focused on reforming the country's political system. The Brexit Party, initially seen as a pivotal player in Britain's Dec. 12 election, has fallen in opinion polls after deciding not to contest seats held by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives to avoid splitting the pro-Brexit vote. Farage himself is not standing in the election.
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| Merkel’s Successor Tells Rebels They Are Hurting Their Party Posted: 22 Nov 2019 04:34 AM PST ![Merkel's Successor Tells Rebels They Are Hurting Their Party]( "Merkel's Successor Tells Rebels They Are Hurting Their Party") (Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.The leader of Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union pushed back against internal critics, saying fellow conservatives attacking the party's record under the German chancellor are out of line.CDU chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has come under pressure for failing to stamp her authority on the party since succeeding Merkel last December. She conceded it had been a "difficult year."But she urged members to focus on substance rather than debates over personnel -- that's code for the mounting opposition to her claim to be the party's candidate when the time comes to replace Merkel as chancellor.Party infighting is "not a successful election strategy," Kramp-Karrenbauer told delegates at a congress in Leipzig, eastern Germany."We are talking here about the future and about what we have to do to make sure that Germany is also successful in a decade's time," she said. "It's not enough to be the repair shop for the country, we must be the workshop for the future."AKK, as she is known, won a tight leadership contest at last year's party conference. But after a series of missteps, she is facing resistence to her claim to be the CDU candidate for chancellor when Merkel steps aside in 2021 at the latest."As party chairwoman, I'm the one who is leading this process," Kramp-Karrenbauer told Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper in an interview published Friday. She said anyone who wants to change that can try to at the conference -- effectively challenging her opponents.The succession debate reflects a broader crisis in the CDU like those facing other European centrist parties seeing their poll numbers slide. Merkel's party has lost voters to the far-right Alternative for Germany as well as the environmentalist Greens.Instead of resolving the issue of who would follow Merkel, Kramp-Karrenbauer's stewardship has failed to unite the party.That's left potential successors waiting in the wings, including Friedrich Merz, who narrowly lost his bid to lead the party to Kramp-Karrenbauer at last year's convention. Jens Spahn, Merkel's health minister, is another possible contender, who has locked in support from the party's conservatives.(Adds quotes, background)To contact the reporters on this story: Patrick Donahue in Leipzig, Germany at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net;Arne Delfs in Leipzig, Germany at adelfs@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Ben Sills, Iain RogersFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Spain court seeks to try Assad’s uncle for money laundering Posted: 22 Nov 2019 04:29 AM PST ![Spain court seeks to try Assad's uncle for money laundering]( "Spain court seeks to try Assad's uncle for money laundering") A Spanish judge is recommending that Syrian ex-Vice President Rifaat Assad, the exiled uncle of Bashar Assad, and 13 others be put on trial i on charges of criminal organization and money laundering. Judge José de la Mata alleges that Rifaat Assad and the others, including eight sons, have laundered money taken out of Syria in several European countries since the 1980s. The judge in 2017 ordered the seizure of more than 500 properties belonging to Assad and his relatives.
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| UN: Bodies of at least 6 migrants found on Libyan coast Posted: 22 Nov 2019 04:29 AM PST ![UN: Bodies of at least 6 migrants found on Libyan coast]( "UN: Bodies of at least 6 migrants found on Libyan coast") At least six bodies of Europe-bound migrants were found on Libya's Mediterranean coast on Friday, while another 90 were intercepted by Libya's coast guard, the U.N. migration agency said. Libya has emerged as a major transit point for African and Arab migrants fleeing war and poverty to Europe. Most migrants make the perilous journey in ill-equipped and unsafe rubber boats.
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| Boris Johnson Has 22% Chance of Losing Seat, Bookmaker Says Posted: 22 Nov 2019 04:25 AM PST ![Boris Johnson Has 22% Chance of Losing Seat, Bookmaker Says]( "Boris Johnson Has 22% Chance of Losing Seat, Bookmaker Says") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has about a one in five chance of losing his seat in Parliament in the Dec. 12 general election, odds from betting firm Ladbrokes signaled.Johnson had a majority of about 5,000 votes in his West London district in the 2017 election, and his seat is now being targeted by the Labour Party. Although the Conservatives are on track to win an overall majority, gambling firms say, other high profile lawmakers remain at risk.Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has a 18% chance of losing his seat, Ladbrokes said.Analysts and traders study bookmakers' odds to help predict the outcome of market-moving events, though their reliability was dealt a blow in the 2016 referendum on the U.K.'s membership of the European Union.To contact the reporter on this story: Dara Doyle in Dublin at ddoyle1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The daily business briefing: November 22, 2019 Posted: 22 Nov 2019 04:19 AM PST ![The daily business briefing: November 22, 2019]( "The daily business briefing: November 22, 2019") 1.President Trump signed a short-term spending bill on Thursday, avoiding a government shutdown hours before federal funding ran out. The measure will keep government agencies funded through Dec. 20, giving lawmakers a few more weeks to work out a long-term spending deal. Lawmakers now will have to vote on another spending measure just before the Christmas holiday, possibly with an impeachment vote looming. Negotiations got bogged down over Trump's insistence on money to build his promised wall on the Mexican border, the same issue that led to a 35-day partial government shutdown last year. [USA Today] 2.Struggling shared-office company WeWork said Thursday it was laying off 2,400 employees, nearly 20 percent of its workforce. The money-losing company is restructuring to rebound from problems that forced it to abandon plans to make its stock market debut. WeWork said the job cuts, which began weeks ago, will "create a more efficient organization." The company did not specify what positions it was eliminating, but said the affected employees "are incredibly talented professionals." Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure said the layoffs were in parts of the company that "do not directly support our core business goals." [The Associated Press] 3.Federal authorities have charged Chinese national Haitao Xiang, 42, with stealing trade secrets for Beijing, the Justice Department said Thursday. Xiang worked for Monsanto and its Climate Corp subsidiary from 2008 to 2017. He was stopped at an airport preparing to board a flight to China with proprietary farming software. He was accused of responding to China's Thousand Talents Plan to recruit scientists. "Xiang promoted himself to the Chinese government based on his experience at Monsanto," Assistant Attorney General John Demers said. "Within a year of being selected as a Talent Plan recruit, he quit his job, bought a one-way ticket to China, and was caught at the airport with a copy of the company's proprietary algorithm before he could spirit it away." [Reuters] 4.U.S. stock index futures pushed higher early Friday following three straight days of losses. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were up by about 0.2 percent, while the Nasdaq rose by about 0.3 percent three hours before the start of trading. Stocks have been struggling for footing in the face of uncertainty on efforts to ease the U.S.-China trade war. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that China had invited top U.S. negotiators for fresh talks. On Friday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing wants to make a "phase one" deal. "We did not initiate this trade war," he said, "and this is not something we want." [CNBC, Reuters] 5.Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Thursday unveiled the automaker's first electric pickup truck. The vehicle, the Cybertruck, has what Musk described as a "futuristic-like cyberpunk, Blade Runner" design. Tesla plans to offer three versions of the truck. The base model will have a 250-mile range and a price starting at $39,000. It will have a 7,500-pound towing capacity and go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.5 seconds. A dual-motor version will have a range of 300 miles, while a tri-motor option will go 500 miles, with a towing capacity of 14,000 pounds and accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in under 2.9 seconds. Musk got a surprise when he tried to show off the Cybertruck's "armored" glass only to have it shatter. [The Verge, Wired]More stories from theweek.com The story Republicans are really telling themselves about impeachment GOP congressmembers blamed Ukraine for election hacking. Russia's been trying to make that happen for years. Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is running for Congress, and her launch video looks like a spy movie trailer
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| Goldman Sachs Says British Pound Is Among Favorite 2020 Picks Posted: 22 Nov 2019 04:01 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is the latest Wall Street bank to bet on a pound rally in 2020 as it sees next month's U.K. elections as a pathway to resolving Brexit.Sterling will likely appreciate against the euro while U.K. government bonds slide as progress on Brexit after the Dec. 12 vote could remove investment uncertainty and also unleash more public spending, strategists at Goldman said in its 'Best Trade Ideas Across Assets' note. That view echoes peers such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley."Our economists think a victory for the Conservative Party in next month's election would likely result in a fairly swift resolution of the Brexit process, as well as more expansionary fiscal policy," strategists, including Zach Pandl and George Cole, wrote in a note dated Nov. 21. Clarity on Brexit makes sterling "our preferred G-10 FX long" for the first quarter of 2020, they said.Goldman predicts the pound will rally more than 4% from current levels and targets 82 pence per euro, seeing all of this move happening in the first three months of 2020. Since there will still be doubt on the next stages of Brexit, given the risk of protracted talks on the future trade relationship between the U.K. and European Union, it recommends making the bet in the options market.The pound traded around 85.90 pence to the euro on Friday, having gained more than 3% against the common currency this quarter to be the best-performing major currency. Against the dollar, it has climbed nearly 5% since the end of September to trade around $1.29.The New York-based bank is also expecting U.K. sovereign bonds, which have acted as a haven from Brexit risk, to weaken. That will take 10-year gilt yields "sharply higher" with its target at 1%, a level not seen since May 2019 and about 30 basis points above current levels."We think the U.K. offers the most attractive shorts in G-10," the Goldman strategists wrote.To contact the reporter on this story: Anooja Debnath in London at adebnath@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Dana El Baltaji at delbaltaji@bloomberg.net, Neil Chatterjee, Paul DobsonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Surprised about Mark Zuckerberg's secret meeting with Trump? Don't be Posted: 22 Nov 2019 03:41 AM PST  The Facebook CEO views all politics as merely instrumental to the fortunes of his company'Zuckerberg continues to treat the Trump White House as just another potential regulator who must be charmed.' Photograph: Erin Scott/ReutersWhat are Mark Zuckerberg's politics? Based on recent events, one might assume the young billionaire favors American conservatism, even explicit Republican positions.On Thursday, NBC News revealed that the CEO of Facebook had a secret dinner at the White House in October with President Donald Trump. Zuckerberg was accompanied by Facebook board member and long-time mentor Peter Thiel. Thiel is notorious among Silicon Valley billionaires for explicitly endorsing Trump in 2016 and speaking at the Republican National Convention that year. Thiel, a libertarian who runs a company that enhances government surveillance efforts, has also questioned the value of women voting.That October dinner was the second in two months at which Zuckerberg dined with Trump. It followed a series of dinners at Zuckerberg's home in California with conservative pundits and activists like white supremacist Tucker Carlson of Fox News.Recently, Zuckerberg has warned his employees that the potential election of liberal Senator Elizabeth Warren to the presidency would be an "existential" threat to his company. And when Senator Bernie Sanders suggested taxing his fellow billionaires to fund essential government programs, Zuckerberg responded that billionaires might know better than government-sponsored scientists how to deploy resources as precious as funds for research.But if I had asked that question about Zuckerberg's politics in 2016, I could have listed such incidents as his full embrace of immigration reform and an increase in the sort of visa that allows immigrants to work for US technology companies in large numbers. Zuckerberg used to march in pride parades and Facebook was among a number of companies that filed briefs supporting the court case to legalize same-sex marriage in the United States.President Barack Obama and Zuckerberg were close throughout the eight years of the Obama presidency. They appeared together at several public events and Zuckerberg even called the president after the revelations from Edward Snowden showed that the US government had tapped Facebook's system to surveil private communications.And, despite all the panic about Cambridge Analytica allegedly using Facebook user data to help Republican electoral efforts, Obama's 2012 campaign also exported data on millions of voters and deployed them to target get-out-the-vote efforts.It's safe to say that Zuckerberg's politics are issue-specific and generally party-agnostic. He has always wanted US immigration policy to supply his company with exploitable foreign labor. He wants his taxes to be low so he and his buddies can decide how to fund schools and efforts to fight climate change.Zuckerberg generally takes the sort of libertarian view toward the free movement of people around the globe. His social milieu has always been elite, educated, multicultural, and wealthy. He has learned his politics from mentors who take a "noblesse oblige" attitude toward the world.Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard after two years. Zuckerberg has enrolled for the past decade at the University of Davos, where rich people pretend they are smart and smart people pander to the rich. If someone chooses to study world politics from Henry Kissinger, you can assume that he will have some twisted views of how the world works.Zuckerberg's politics favor two things: the interests of Facebook and people like him. So it's no wonder Zuckerberg got close to the two American presidents who have served over his company's history. Since the the world abandoned its mindless worship of Facebook and Silicon Valley in recent years, Zuckerberg has been on a constant if unsuccessful campaign to save face and stem efforts to regulate or fracture his company.So the problem with Zuckerberg's politics is not just that they seem to have turned to the right. His politics have not changed at all. The world has. The problem is that by choosing an amoral set of principles and positions he has become deeply immoral.Facebook placed staff in the offices of Rodrigo Duterte when he ran for president of the Philippines in 2016, even though Duterte ran on an explicit platform of vigilante violence and extrajudicial killings – a pledge he has kept since riding Facebook's communicative power to victory. Zuckerberg had business reasons to help Duterte, and did not let Duterte's brutality get in the way.Zuckerberg has hugged Narendra Modi, who has ruled India since 2014 by stirring up Hindu nationalist sentiments and crushing the interests of Muslims. Zuckerberg has never expressed misgivings about that alliance, and Modi, like Duterte, rode Facebook and WhatsApp to victory in his elections.Facebook placed staff with the 2016 Trump campaign as well, even though Trump made racist statements in his campaign launch speech in 2015 and his administration has proceeded to kidnap children from their parents by the thousands and to brutalize those who seek asylum in the United States. Zuckerberg's most dangerous political belief is his firm conviction that what's good for Facebook is good for the world.At the very moment when the US House of Representatives reveals overwhelming evidence that Trump used his power as president to support his re-election campaign and bolster his friend Vladimir Putin by withholding support from Ukraine, Zuckerberg continues to treat the Trump White House as just another potential regulator who must be charmed.Democracy is in retreat around the world. Ethnic and racial violence – often state-supported – is on the rise. The social fabric is fraying. Our ability to think clearly about our great problems recedes a bit farther every day. Facebook has played a part in all of that. Yet the company's leader, who was until recently lauded as a role model for the young, stays out of the fray.Zuckerberg's unwillingness to take a stand for basic human decency, his insistence that all politics are merely instrumental to the fortunes of his company, and his belief that he knows best, show him to be political in the most craven ways. * Siva Vaidhyanathan is a professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia and the author of Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy
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| The Latest: Officials: 3 Iraqi protesters killed in Baghdad Posted: 22 Nov 2019 03:30 AM PST  Iraqi officials say three protesters have been killed and 25 wounded amid ongoing clashes with security forces near a strategic bridge in Baghdad. Security and hospital sources said three people were killed Friday on Baghdad's Rasheed Street in clashes with security forces. Two protesters died because of tear gas, and one due to live rounds fired by security forces.
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