| U.S. Envoy in Syria Says Not Enough Was Done to Avert Turkish Attack Posted: 07 Nov 2019 05:25 PM PST  WASHINGTON -- The top American diplomat on the ground in northern Syria has criticized the Trump administration for not trying harder to prevent Turkey's military offensive there last month -- and said Turkish-backed militia fighters committed "war crimes and ethnic cleansing."In a searing internal memo, the diplomat, William V. Roebuck, raised the question of whether tougher U.S. diplomacy, blunter threats of economic sanctions and increased military patrols could have deterred Turkey from attacking. Similar measures had dissuaded Turkish military action before."It's a tough call, and the answer is probably not," Roebuck wrote in the 3,200-word memo. "But we won't know because we didn't try." He did note several reasons the Turks might not have been deterred: the small U.S. military presence at two border outposts, Turkey's decadeslong standing as a NATO ally and its formidable army massing at the Syrian frontier.In an unusually blunt critique, Roebuck said the political and military turmoil that upended the administration's policy in northern Syria -- and left Syrian Kurdish allies abandoned and opened the door for a possible Islamic State resurgence -- was a "sideshow" to the bloody, yearslong upheaval in Syria overall.But, he said, "it is a catastrophic sideshow and it is to a significant degree of our making."Roebuck, a respected 27-year diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Bahrain, sent the unclassified memo Oct. 31 to his boss, James F. Jeffrey, the State Department's special envoy on Syria policy, and to about four dozen State Department, White House and Pentagon officials who work on Syria issues. Roebuck is Jeffrey's deputy.The New York Times obtained a copy of the memo from someone who said it was important to make Roebuck's assessment public. Jeffrey and Roebuck declined to comment Thursday.Morgan Ortagus, the State Department spokeswoman, also declined to comment on Roebuck's memo. "That said, we have made clear that we strongly disagreed with President Erdogan's decision to enter Syria and that we did everything short of a military confrontation to prevent it," Ortagus said in a statement Thursday."No one can deny that the situation in Syria is very complicated, and there are no easy solutions and no easy choices," she said. "There will always be a variety of opinions on how this complex situation should be managed. This administration's job is to do what is best for U.S. national security and the American people. That is what we have done in Syria and what we will continue to do."Roebuck's memo appears to be the first formal expression of dissent on Syria from a Trump administration official to be made public. Pentagon officials voiced alarm by the sudden shift in Syria policy, but top officials never made their views public.Roebuck's memo also comes as the president already has expressed disdain for some State Department officials because of their testimony in Congress during the impeachment inquiry over Ukraine policy.For nearly two years, Roebuck has worked on the ground in northern Syria with Syrian Kurdish and Arab military and civilian officials who make up what is called the Syrian Democratic Forces. Roebuck has been an important interlocutor with Mazlum Kobani, the Syrian Kurdish military commander whose fighters have worked closely with American Special Operations forces to combat the Islamic State.Roebuck focused his harshest criticism on Turkey's military offensive and specifically on Turkey's deployment of Syrian Arab fighters in its vanguard force. Roebuck added his voice to accusations by human rights groups that these fighters have killed Kurdish prisoners, including one of them lying on the ground with his hands bound behind his back, and committed other atrocities as they emptied major Kurdish population centers in northern Syria."Turkey's military operation in northern Syria, spearheaded by armed Islamist groups on its payroll, represents an intentioned-laced effort at ethnic cleansing," Roebuck wrote, calling the abuses "what can only be described as war crimes and ethnic cleansing.""One day when the diplomatic history is written," he said, "people will wonder what happened here and why officials didn't do more to stop it or at least speak out more forcefully to blame Turkey for its behavior: an unprovoked military operation that has killed some 200 civilians, left well over 100,000 people (and counting) newly displaced and homeless because of its military operation."Roebuck continued, "To protect our interests, we need to speak out more forcefully, publicly and privately, to reduce the blame placed on the U.S. and to highlight the Turkish responsibilities for civilian well-being."By acting now, Roebuck wrote, "we have a chance to minimize the damage for us and hopefully correct some of the impact of Turkey's current policies, as we seek to implement the president's guidance for our presence in northeastern Syria."A senior State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss diplomatic matters, told reporters Wednesday that the United States had immediately raised the reports of atrocities with the Turkish government. Kurdish forces in Syria have made allegations of atrocities, which the Turkish government has denied.But the senior official acknowledged that the Turkish-based Syrian force included ill-disciplined Arab fighters -- the Arabs and Kurds have a history of sometimes bloody rivalry in the region -- and that some embrace radical Islamic ideology.Roebuck's memo comes at a tumultuous time on the ground in northern Syria and at a delicate moment for the administration's Syria policy. Jeffrey is scheduled to travel to Ankara and Istanbul for meetings Friday and Saturday with senior Turkish officials and members of the Syrian opposition to the government of President Bashar Assad of Syria.The memo came two weeks after Vice President Mike Pence agreed to a deal with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey that accepted a Turkish military presence in a broad part of northern Syria in exchange for the promise of a five-day cease-fire, completing an abrupt reversal of U.S. policy in the Syrian conflict. Pence hailed the agreement as a diplomatic victory for President Donald Trump, calling it a "solution we believe will save lives."The memo also came about a week after President Vladimir Putin of Russia met with Erdogan in Sochi, Russia, to discuss how their countries and other regional players would divide control of Syria, devastated by eight years of civil war.The negotiations cemented Putin's strategic advantage: Russian and Turkish troops have taken joint control over a vast swath of formerly Kurdish-held territory in northern Syria. The change strengthened the rapid expansion of Russian influence in Syria at the expense of the United States and its Kurdish former allies.Under criticism for abandoning the Syrian Kurds and ceding territory they once held to Syria, Turkey and Russia, Trump changed course yet again last month and approved the deployment of several hundred American troops to guard oil fields in eastern Syria against the Islamic State, even as hundreds of other American forces were withdrawing under Trump's initial order.Roebuck said the president's decision salvaged an important part of the mission against the Islamic State and preserved some space on the ground for the Syrian Kurds to operate after they were forced to pull back from the border.But the United States will pay a price, he wrote."The decision to stay is a good one, even if the 'protection of the oil' rationale plays into toxic Middle Eastern conspiracy theories that will need to be lanced with careful, sustained messaging reinforcing the truism that Syria's oil is Syria's and for the benefit of the Syrian people," Roebuck wrote.Roebuck is the second senior American official in the past week who has questioned whether the United States pressed hard enough with measures like joint American-Turkish ground and air patrols along the border, to avert a Turkish offensive into northern Syria. In an interview with Defense One, the Pentagon's top Middle East policy official, Michael P. Mulroy, said, "We would have prevented the need for an incursion."The White House and senior administration officials have said that Turkey's offensive was inevitable and that Trump's decision to pull about two dozen Special Forces off the border prevented them from being caught in the crossfire between Turkish forces and the Kurds.Critics have said that Trump, in an Oct. 6 phone call with Erdogan, paved the way for the Turkish invasion by not pushing back hard enough on the Turkish leader's threat of military action.As critical as he was about Turkey, Roebuck praised the Syrian Democratic Forces as a stout and reliable partner that had suffered massive casualties. He said the group had helped defeat the Islamic State and lead American commandos to the hideout of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State leader, and had provided reasonably sound local governance as well as a relatively stable security environment.It was not a perfect situation, Roebuck said, but it was working and allowed United States forces to operate there in low numbers and safely at very low cost. "It wasn't a bad start," he said.At the end of his memo, Roebuck offered some diplomatic options, including maintaining relations with Turkey and making clear to Turkish leaders they will bear the brunt of the costs for the military operation.He also advocated using what time the United States has left in northeastern Syria to help stabilize the situation for the Kurdish population. Kobani, the Syrian Kurdish commander, said in a Twitter message Wednesday that the Syrian Democratic Forces were resuming counterterrorism, or CT, operations as well as helping secure the oil fields, which provide the Kurds badly needed revenue."President Trump has been clear and consistent about wanting to get our forces out of Syria," Roebuck concluded. "The residual presence to protect the oil and fight ISIS buys us some time," he said, using an alternate name for the Islamic State.But he cautioned: "Our diplomacy will also need to recognize we -- with our local partners -- have lost significant leverage and inherited a shrunken, less stable platform to support both our CT efforts and the mission of finding a comprehensive political solution for Syria."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Pompeo and Netanyahu Escalate Pressure on Europeans to Scrap Iran Nuclear Pact Posted: 07 Nov 2019 05:24 PM PST ![Pompeo and Netanyahu Escalate Pressure on Europeans to Scrap Iran Nuclear Pact]( "Pompeo and Netanyahu Escalate Pressure on Europeans to Scrap Iran Nuclear Pact") JERUSALEM -- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Thursday that the International Atomic Energy Agency had validated his long-standing allegation that Iran has been maintaining a secret nuclear site in violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty -- a claim that the agency did not publicly confirm.Netanyahu's assertion came as the Vienna-based agency held a closed-door meeting Thursday about questions concerning Iran's "safeguard declarations" but did not specify more precisely what had been discussed.The Israeli leader spoke hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, while visiting Europe, accused Iran of "nuclear extortion" by having accelerated its ability to develop a nuclear weapon in a shortened time frame.The statements from Netanyahu and Pompeo, both avowed critics of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, appeared aimed at escalating the pressure on the Europeans to abandon the accord instead of scrambling to salvage it, as they have been doing since President Donald Trump formally withdrew last year and reimposed tough sanctions on Iran."The IAEA now confirms that Iran lied. And that Iran continues to lie," Netanyahu said. "Europe must stop stalling," he added. "It must act against Iranian aggression now."Netanyahu was referring to a site in Turquzabad, south of Tehran, where, in a speech at the United Nations in September 2018, he charged that Iran had been storing "massive amounts" of nuclear equipment and material. He said then that Israel had shared that information with the agency's inspectors.Providing further details, Israeli intelligence and national security officials contended late Thursday that the atomic agency's inspections earlier this year, including analysis of samples taken from the site, had shown that Iran stored nuclear material at the Turquzabad site that had been converted from raw uranium but not yet enriched. The Israelis also said the material's characteristics and age did not correspond with any nuclear facility previously disclosed by Iran.In other words, the Israeli officials said, the inspection pointed to the existence of a secret Iranian nuclear conversion facility, which if confirmed amounted to a fresh violation of the Non-Proliferation Treaty's safeguards agreement.The Israeli officials briefed international journalists on the condition that their names, titles and agencies not be published.Echoing the prime minister, the Israeli officials expressed hope that what they described as the new finding would help persuade the international community -- and in particular Germany, France and Britain, along with the broader European Union -- to abandon hopes of reviving the Iran nuclear deal, and join with the United States in its "maximum pressure" sanctions campaign against Iran.Earlier Thursday, Pompeo said Iran was moving toward being able to develop a nuclear weapon in a short time frame, asserting that Iran's behavior should inspire "all nations" to increase pressure.But he made no threat of military action. Nor did the Israelis, though they considered striking Iran's facilities several times before the 2015 nuclear accord had been reached under the Obama administration. In response to Trump's abandonment of the accord, the Iranians began edging out of its restrictions earlier this year, saying they would not remain in compliance while the United States was violating its terms by reimposing sanctions.Iran said this week that it had increased its supply of advanced centrifuges and reactivated a much larger number of old centrifuges that had been idle, accelerating its ability to produce enough nuclear material to make a bomb. The addition of centrifuges is among several steps Iran has taken in recent months to ratchet up pressure on the West in response to Trump's decision to exit the 2015 nuclear agreement and reimpose sanctions.In a statement released by the State Department, Pompeo said Iran's actions amounted to "nuclear extortion" and were designed to intimidate the world into accepting its sponsorship of violent insurgencies and terrorism. Pompeo was in Germany for meetings with government officials.The moves raise "concerns that Iran is positioning itself to have the option of a rapid nuclear breakout," Pompeo said, meaning a rush to develop a nuclear bomb. He added: "The United States will never allow this to happen."There was no immediate response from the government of Iran, which has denied having any ambition to be a nuclear power. Experts say that Iran has not yet come near the level of uranium enrichment needed for a weapon, but some Western analysts say that if it attempted a "breakout," Iran could develop a bomb in less than a year.The International Atomic Energy Agency's closed-door meeting Thursday to discuss Iran followed a recent move by Iranian authorities to prevent an agency inspector from entering its main nuclear facility at Natanz. She was briefly detained.After the meeting, an agency spokesman, Fredrik Dahl, said that top officials had discussed "questions related to the completeness of Iran's safeguards declarations," the commitments that nations make to the agency to ensure that nuclear material intended for peaceful uses is not diverted to weapons.The agency did not announce any actions.Under the nuclear agreement signed in 2015, Iran agreed to limit the size and scope of its uranium enrichment, in return for relief from damaging economic sanctions imposed by the United States.Trump withdrew the United States from that pact last year and reimposed sanctions. Administration officials say the measures are intended to pressure Tehran to agree to stricter limits and cut off its support for militia groups around the Middle East.Iran has responded with its own pressure campaign, deliberately going beyond the limits imposed by the 2015 deal as it pushes for relief from the sanctions.Pompeo landed in Germany on Wednesday for a two-day trip commemorating 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall and, with it, the Iron Curtain that once divided Europe into the communist east and democratic west.As a U.S. soldier, Pompeo was posted in 1986 to a base in Bindlach, Bavaria, where he was focused on securing the borders with what was then East Germany and Czechoslovakia. That base closed in the 1990s when the United States drew down its troop strength after German reunification.He met Thursday with German and American veterans who served at the same time. He also toured a village known as Little Berlin, which once straddled the border.Later Thursday, he traveled to Leipzig to meet with Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, and tour the St. Nicholas church, where East Germans held mass demonstrations calling for democratic reforms in 1989.American-German relations have been strained under Trump, who has frequently criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel and her policies on immigration, climate change and Iran. On Friday, Pompeo is to meet in Berlin with Merkel and her ministers of defense and finance.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Boris Johnson Pledges New Post-Brexit Visas for Doctors and Nurses Posted: 07 Nov 2019 04:01 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced plans for special visas to make it easier for the U.K.'s National Health Service to recruit doctors and nurses from other countries after Brexit.The NHS visa would form part of a new points-based immigration system to be introduced after the U.K. completes its divorce from the European Union, Johnson's Conservative Party said in an emailed statement on Friday.Fees for the visa would be halved to 464 pounds ($595) from 928 pounds, medical professionals joining the NHS would receive extra points and applicants would be fast-tracked under the plans, the party said. Health care is set to be a key battleground in the campaign for the Dec. 12 election. It's traditionally been a weak issue for Johnson's Conservatives, and the prime minister has sought to gain ground by pledging to plow cash into hospitals around the country, calling it a "people's priority."Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, has repeatedly accused Johnson of planning to "sell out" the NHS in a trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump. As a result, medicine prices would surge, benefiting U.S pharmaceutical companies, Corbyn says.To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Magnitude 5.9 earthquake jolts region of northwestern Iran Posted: 07 Nov 2019 03:47 PM PST ![Magnitude 5.9 earthquake jolts region of northwestern Iran]( "Magnitude 5.9 earthquake jolts region of northwestern Iran") Iran's state TV says a magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck the northwest of the country. The report says the quake hit at 2:20 a.m. Friday in Iran's East Azarbaijan province. The U.S. Geological Survey puts the quake's magnitude at 5.8 at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
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| Magnitude 5.9 earthquake jolts region of northwestern Iran Posted: 07 Nov 2019 03:42 PM PST ![Magnitude 5.9 earthquake jolts region of northwestern Iran]( "Magnitude 5.9 earthquake jolts region of northwestern Iran") Iran's state TV says a magnitude 5.9 earthquake has struck the northwest of the country. The report says the quake hit at 2:20 a.m. Friday ?in Iran's East Azarbaijan province. The U.S. Geological Survey puts the quake's magnitude at 5.8 at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
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| UPDATE 3-Magnitude 5.8 quake hits northwestern Iran -USGS Posted: 07 Nov 2019 03:16 PM PST ![UPDATE 3-Magnitude 5.8 quake hits northwestern Iran -USGS]( "UPDATE 3-Magnitude 5.8 quake hits northwestern Iran -USGS") A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck northwestern Iran early on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but Iranian state TV said there were no immediate reports of any damage or casualties. The quake struck at 2:17 a.m. (2247 GMT) and Iran's IRNA news agency said the tremor was relatively strong and caused many people to run out of their homes in panic in the middle of the night. "So far there have been no reports of damages or casualties," Iranian state TV said, adding the quake was felt in several towns and cities.
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| Corbyn’s U.K. Labour Party Is a Mess But Can Still Win Power Posted: 07 Nov 2019 02:33 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- They are divided, unpopular and have been accused by their own former colleagues of racism. But Jeremy Corbyn and his allies in the U.K.'s Labour Party could yet take power in next month's general election.After Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a terrible first day campaigning on Wednesday, it was Corbyn's turn on Thursday.As bad as Corbyn looks on paper, he has a potential path to power. The Conservatives have been in office so long that austerity-bitten voters want change. Opinion polls have misjudged the public mood before. Johnson is a gaffe-prone leader who is a divisive figure in the Brexit landscape.With enough support in Labour heartlands in northern and central England, and with Johnson viewed increasingly with suspicion in Scotland, it could come down simply to voters disliking Corbyn less than they dislike Johnson.Corbyn himself is a deeply divisive figure in his own political tribe. Just this week, his deputy quit and a former Labour member of Parliament publicly urged the country to vote Conservative. The Jewish Chronicle newspaper then ran a front page article describing Corbyn as an anti-Semite.It was a grim narrative for a political opposition hoping to persuade the country to put it into power on Dec. 12. Labour could be doing so much better.The Conservatives have been in office for nine years, and have been tearing themselves apart over Brexit for the past three. Johnson is now seeking to do something relatively rare for a government in British elections and increase the number of seats his ruling party has in parliament.Polling BadlyCorbyn meanwhile has been calling for an election ever since the last one, in June 2017, put him within striking distance of replacing the Tories as the government. Yet with the campaign now under way, the opinion polls tell a very different story.After rating close to the Conservatives for much of the last two years, Labour goes into the race behind. According to YouGov Plc, it hasn't polled above 27% in six months. The Conservatives are on 36%.Corbyn, in particular, polls badly. Just 23% of people say they have a positive view of him -- against 59% who say they have a negative view. More than half of people who voted Labour in the 2017 election think Corbyn should be replaced as leader.It's a view shared privately by many Labour MPs, including some inside his shadow cabinet team. Others, like Ian Austin, have gone so far as to quit the party in protest at his leadership. "I regard myself as proper, decent, traditional Labour," Austin told the BBC. "I just think Jeremy Corbyn's not fit to run the country." Saying people should vote for Johnson instead, he added: "I can't believe it's come to this."'Racist Views'For Austin, the final straw was the rise of anti-Semitism within Labour under Corbyn. Addressing the issue after a speech in Liverpool later, the party's finance spokesman, John McDonnell acknowledged there had been a problem, and added that "one anti-Semite is too many," but insisted the issue had been dealt with.That's not what the Jewish Chronicle thinks. Its front page accused Corbyn of "near total inaction" which it said had emboldened anti-Semites in the party. "How can the racist views of a party leader -- and the deep fear he inspires among an ethnic minority -- not be among the most fundamental of issues?" it asked.Within Labour, Watson had been the figurehead of internal opposition to Corbyn, staying in place despite attempts to sideline or remove him. Though he said his decision was "personal, not political," it was notable that his letter of resignation expressed no desire to see either a Labour government or Corbyn as prime minister.Corbyn's team is likely to be happy to see the back of Watson, but his departure raises the same question for Labour that Philip Hammond's did for the Conservatives earlier this week: What does it say about the party that lifelong members no longer see a future representing it in parliament?Johnson's WeaknessAfter decades in which Labour has aimed for the center ground of politics, talking about wealth creation as well as public spending, Corbyn has moved it firmly to the left. It's not simply about taxation and spending. On foreign policy, Corbyn's position is far outside the consensus of post-war British politics. He's a critic of NATO, viewing it as a "danger to world peace."Yet none of this means Corbyn can't become prime minister next month. The 2017 election saw him shrug off criticism of his views, and pick up votes where they mattered.Corbyn's strategy then included a series of voter-pleasing offers such as extra bank holidays. Those tactics seem to be in play again. On Friday, Labour will announce a package of measures to improve working conditions for women, included a strategy to reduce the gender pay gap, extra maternity pay and the ability for both women and men to choose working hours that suit them.For his part, Johnson's holds a Brexit position that has forced him into a strategy where he risks losing seats in pro-EU cities, the south of England, and Scotland. If he is to retain power and win a majority, Johnson must prevail in northern and central England -- but many of these are Labour strongholds that the Tories have never won.When they tried this strategy in 2017, they came within a few thousand votes of losing power entirely. Lifelong Labour voters in these industrial districts may still balk at ditching their tribal allegiances in order to vote for the Tories, a party many have spent their lives hating.Britain's Election Gamble -- What You Need to Know: QuickTakeThere's another factor counting in Corbyn's favor. If the Conservatives are the largest party after the election but fall short of an overall majority, they will probably find it difficult to form a coalition or even a looser alliance to prop up Johnson.In another so-called hung parliament, Corbyn would have more potential allies among smaller parties. The Scottish National Party has said they would never work to keep Johnson in office but could help Corbyn in exchange for a referendum on independence for Scotland.The smaller Liberal Democrats have ruled out supporting a Corbyn government, but party leader Jo Swinson might face the same choice as Austin: Corbyn or Johnson. And as an opponent of Brexit, she couldn't back the Tory leader.(Updates with Labour announcement in 18th paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Alex MoralesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Labour Vies With Tories to Ramp Up Spending Plans: U.K. Votes Posted: 07 Nov 2019 02:21 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Both of the U.K.'s major parties are rolling out big spending plans. Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid said a Conservative government would borrow about 20 billion pounds ($26 billion) extra a year to invest in infrastructure, overhauling fiscal rules after almost a decade of austerity.Labour's economy spokesman John McDonnell pledged 250 billion pounds ($321 billion) of infrastructure investment over 10 years, and 150 billion pounds over five years on state education, social housing and health care.Read more: Javid Allows Borrowing for Investment in Revamp of U.K. RulesKey Developments:Javid plans to balance current budget while boosting borrowingMcDonnell says finance sector key to Labour's investment plansBoris Johnson campaigns in Scotland, Northern IrelandLiberal Democrats, Greens and Plaid Cymru reach electoral pact in 60 seats to try to ensure MPs elected from "Remain alliance"Labour hit by resignation of Deputy Leader Tom WatsonBank of England keeps interest rates unchanged, but says easing may be needed due to Brexit uncertainty and global showdownTory Candidate Quits Over Rape Remarks (10:15 p.m.)The Tory candidate who said women should keep their "knickers on" to avoid being raped has quit after a backlash over his selection (See 3 p.m.) Nick Conrad said in a statement emailed by the party that he had "reluctantly concluded" he should stand down and allow another candidate to contest the seat of Broadland, in eastern England."It has become clear to me that the media attention on my previous comments have become a distraction," Conrad said. "For me, the most important thing is for the Conservative Party to be successful in the forthcoming election -- getting Brexit done and delivering on the people's priorities."Small Donations to Labour Top 1 Million Pounds (4 p.m.)The main opposition Labour Party said that it's raised more than 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) in small donations in 10 days. In a statement, Labour also said that in the first two days of the campaign, it raised as much as in the first two weeks of the last general election in 2017.The average size of donation to the party was 26 pounds, Labour said.Tory, Brexit Party Supporters Want Pact (3:05 p.m.)Most voters who plan to vote for the Conservatives or the Brexit Party would like to see an electoral pact between the two, according to a YouGov poll published on Thursday.Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has requested a pact with Boris Johnson's Tories -- but only on condition the premier drops the divorce deal he negotiated with the European Union. Johnson has refused.YouGov found that 70% of those planning to vote for the Tories, and 81% of Brexit Party supporters, want the two leaders to come to an agreement. The pollster said in seats where one of the party's candidates stood aside, Tory candidates could count on the votes of 72% of Brexit Party supporters, while Farage's party could secure 62% of Tory voters. It surveyed 552 Tory supporters and 110 Brexit Party backers.Smaller pro-EU parties have already reached a limited electoral pact, with the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru announcing a deal covering 60 seats on Thursday (see 7:30 a.m.).Backlash Over Tory Candidate's Rape Remarks (3 p.m.)The Conservatives are under pressure to withdraw a candidate who said women should keep their "knickers on" to avoid being raped. "I think women need to be more aware of a man's sexual desire," former BBC radio presenter Nick Conrad said during a 2014 program, according to the broadcaster. Conrad was chosen as the Tory candidate for Broadland, eastern England, on Wednesday.Labour MP Angela Rayner said Conrad's views "have no place in the 21st Century, let alone in Parliament" and urged the Conservatives to drop him as a candidate.Business and energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng said he was "appalled" by Conrad's remarks, but stood by the candidate. "We can't keep beating him up for something that he's apologized for," Kwarteng said on Sky News. Sky also cited Prime Minister Boris Johnson as saying Conrad's comments were "completely unacceptable."Labour's Dawn Butler to Stand for Deputy Leader (1:30 p.m.)Dawn Butler, Labour's equalities spokeswoman, said she will stand to be the party's deputy leader following Tom Watson's decision to stand down."I've thought very carefully about who should replace Tom and after giving it some thought I will be throwing my hat in the ring," Butler told Bloomberg TV after Watson's announcement on Wednesday evening.Butler highlighted her "track record of being very supportive to our leader Jeremy Corbyn" as a reason party members should vote for her -- a sign of how much power has shifted firmly to Labour's socialist wing.McDonnell Pledges Spending Boost, Warns Banks (11:45 a.m.)Labour's economy spokesman John McDonnell announced his party's own spending pledge: a National Transformation Fund of 250 billion pounds ($320 billion) over a decade for infrastructure, and a Social Transformation Fund of 150 billion pounds over five years to transform state education, health care and social housing.Speaking in Liverpool, northwest England, McDonnell said the money would go to "areas that haven't had their fair share for years." He also said banks would be pushed to fund investment."We can't do it if the private finance sector isn't pulling its weight too," he said. "The days of the City dictating terms to the rest of the country are over." McDonnell said there will be opportunities for large-scale private investment alongside government investment "because it will marry up."Javid Revamps Rules to Boost Borrowing (10:55 a.m.)Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid has opened up the U.K.'s spending taps, setting out new fiscal rules he said a Conservative government will follow that reflect a cheaper environment for borrowing. Javid proposed three rules:A balanced current budgetBorrowing for investment won't exceed 3% of GDPThat ceiling will be re-evaluated if debt servicing costs rise"It's a responsible time to invest," Javid said in a speech in Manchester, northwest England.In practical terms, it means around 20 billion pounds ($26 billion) a year extra for investment, something Javid said would deliver a "decade of renewal." The announcement ends months of speculation over what would replace the current fiscal rules, which require borrowing to be less than 2% of gross domestic product in 2020-21.Javid will almost certainly breach that ceiling after announcing an extra 13.4 billion pounds ($17.2 billion) of spending on public services in September.Long-Bailey: Media Misrepresents Labour on Brexit (9 a.m.)Labour's business spokeswoman Rebecca Long-Bailey accused the media of misrepresenting the main opposition party's position on Brexit, and said voters back it once they have it explained to them."Our position is to ensure we get a credible deal that puts the economy first and protects jobs and living standards and to deliver that to a public vote -- with Remain on the ballot paper," she said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. "It seems to go down well whether you voted to leave or voted Remain, because the final decision will be yours to make."Long-Bailey said Tom Watson is "a force of nature" and the deputy Labour leader's departure would leave "a big hole" in the party. Earlier, she told BBC radio that Ian Austin's advice (see 7:20 a.m.) for Labour supporters to vote Tory was "absolutely absurd." If they want to protect their communities, they should back Labour, Long-Bailey said.Tories Make Hay With Labour Woes (8:20 a.m.)The Conservatives immediately jumped on divisions in the opposition Labour Party, and welcomed former MP Ian Austin's endorsement (see 7:20 a.m.) of Prime Minister Boris Johnson."Ian Austin has been a Labour MP for 14 years so he knows Corbyn better than most," Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak said in an email. "He says that a vote for Corbyn's Labour would put businesses and jobs at risk, that Corbyn's economic policies would make our country worse and that his ideas on Brexit are a complete fantasy."The split gives the Tories a chance to turn up the heat on Labour after two days in which Johnson and his cabinet came under fire amid accusations they are out of touch with ordinary people.Remain Alliance Targets 60 Seats (7:30 a.m.)The Liberal Democrats, Greens and Plaid Cymru have reached an electoral pact that will see two of the parties standing aside in 60 seats to ensure MPs are elected from the "Remain Alliance" opposed to Brexit.Constituencies targeted include Richmond Park, in west London and Cheltenham, where the Liberal Democrats will be given a clear run. The Liberal Democrats will stand aside in Isle of Wight and Brighton Pavilion to assist the Greens, according to former MP Heidi Allen who coordinated the move."We are facing the real danger of a no-deal Brexit or a hard Brexit with a Boris Johnson government," Allen told BBC radio. "This is country first stuff, it's not about them and them winning, it's about what's best for the country."Former Labour MP Ian Austin: Vote Tory (7:20 a.m.)Former Labour MP Ian Austin, once a senior adviser to prime minister Gordon Brown and a member of the party for 34 years, said he would not be standing for Parliament on Dec. 12 and advised voters to back Boris Johnson.Austin quit the party in February, citing Jeremy Corbyn's failure to tackle antisemitism in the party and had been sitting as independent in the House of Commons. He said Corbyn has spent his life siding with extremists and shouldn't be trusted with power."I tell decent patriotic Labour voters that they should be voting for Boris Johnson, I can't believe it's come to this," Austin told BBC Radio. "I regard myself as proper, decent, traditional Labour. I just think Jeremy Corbyn's not fit to run the country."Earlier:Boris Johnson's Conservatives Fight for Survival in ScotlandLabour Vows Big Spending After Watson Quits: U.K. Campaign TrailBrexit Bulletin: Time to Count the Cost of DelayCorbyn and Johnson Go Wild on Spending: Ferdinando Giugliano\--With assistance from Anna Edwards, Thomas Penny and Greg Ritchie.To contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Andrew Atkinson in London at a.atkinson@bloomberg.net;Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Senior US envoy in Syria highly critical of troop withdrawal Posted: 07 Nov 2019 02:04 PM PST  A senior American diplomat has written a highly critical assessment of the Trump administration's abrupt withdrawal of troops from northeast Syria last month, a decision that paved the way for an attack on U.S.-allied forces in the area, officials said Thursday. In an internal memo, William Roebuck, the top American diplomat in northern Syria, takes the Trump administration to task for not doing more to prevent Turkey's invasion or protect the Kurds, who fought alongside U.S. forces in the battle against the Islamic State group, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
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| Blacklisted Russian businessman Rotenberg sells gas pipeline firm -spokeswoman Posted: 07 Nov 2019 01:53 PM PST ![Blacklisted Russian businessman Rotenberg sells gas pipeline firm -spokeswoman]( "Blacklisted Russian businessman Rotenberg sells gas pipeline firm -spokeswoman") Russian businessman Arkady Rotenberg, who has been under U.S. sanctions since 2014, has sold his gas pipeline construction firm Stroygazmontazh, a spokeswoman said on Thursday. Stroygazmontazh has also been under U.S. sanctions since 2014 because it was owned by Rotenberg, President Vladimir Putin's former judo sparring partner. Rotenberg was among the Russian officials and business executives blacklisted in the aftermath of Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014.
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| UN votes overwhelmingly to condemn US embargo on Cuba Posted: 07 Nov 2019 01:14 PM PST ![UN votes overwhelmingly to condemn US embargo on Cuba]( "UN votes overwhelmingly to condemn US embargo on Cuba") The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Thursday to condemn the American economic embargo of Cuba for the 28th year, rejecting U.S. criticism of human rights violations there and criticizing the Trump administration's increasingly tough enforcement measures. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding and are unenforceable, but they reflect world opinion and the vote has given Cuba an annual stage to demonstrate the isolation of the U.S. on the embargo. It was imposed in 1960 following the revolution led by Fidel Castro and the nationalization of properties belonging to U.S. citizens and corporations.
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| Canadian Miner Targeted in Burkina Faso Attack; 38 Killed Posted: 07 Nov 2019 01:08 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on TwitterUnidentified assailants attacked a convoy transporting workers of Canadian gold producer Semafo Inc. in Burkina Faso, killing at least 38 people, the government said.The deaths come as West African governments battle a widening insurgency by Islamist militants and at a time when gold producers and prospectors are pouring money into the region as prices rally. The conflict has displaced more than half a million people in Burkina Faso, according to the United Nations, and led to increasing discontent with how President Roch Marc Christian Kabore's government is handling the situation.Five buses transporting employees, contractors and suppliers were ambushed Wednesday on a road between the eastern town of Fada and Semafo's Boungou mine, the Montreal-based company said in a statement. The incident happened about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from the Boungou site. While the mine's operations are unaffected, they were suspended out of respect for the victims and to ensure operational safety, Semafo said.The convoy was hit by a "complex attack," in which 33 people were wounded, Burkina Faso's government spokesman said by phone, revising down an earlier injury toll of 60. The state will provide further details later on Thursday, while Semafo said it will issue an update "when complete details are known."Semafo's stock fell as much as 7.2% to C$3.24 in Toronto on Thursday, the lowest since February. Shares in Australia's Perenti Global Ltd. also slumped after it said members of its workforce in Burkina Faso were involved in the incident.The attack is the third related to Semafo in the past 15 months, after two incidents last year left at least seven people dead. It prompted President Kabore to call on a "general mobilization" of men and women to push back the militants.No one claimed responsibility for the assault, but Islamist insurgents and militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have carried out several attacks on security forces and civilians in West Africa in the past five years, killing almost 700 people.Burkina Faso was largely stable until Islamist insurgencies in neighboring Mali came under increasing pressure from French and Malian counter-terrorism troops, resulting in cross-border raids and the spread of violence in some of the nation's poorest provinces.(Updates with mine supension, president's comments in third and sixth paragraphs.)\--With assistance from Victoria Batchelor and Justina Vasquez.To contact the reporters on this story: Simon Gongo in Ouagadougou at sgongo@bloomberg.net;Katarina Hoije in Abidjan at khoije@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andre Janse van Vuuren at ajansevanvuu@bloomberg.net, Joe Richter, Steven FrankFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UN office in Bolivia condemns violence in disputed election Posted: 07 Nov 2019 10:36 AM PST  The United Nations on Thursday urged Bolivia's government and opposition to restore "dialogue and peace" after a third person was killed in street clashes that erupted after a disputed presidential election on Oct. 20. Limbert Guzman, a 20-year-old student, died late Wednesday in a clinic in the city of Cochabamba following clashes between supporters and foes of President Evo Morales. The U.N. office in Bolivia called on authorities to investigate in a statement that condemned "intolerance and violence" in Bolivia.
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| The Latest: Netanyahu says UN watchdog 'confirms Iran lied' Posted: 07 Nov 2019 10:23 AM PST  Israel's prime minister alleges that a meeting earlier in the day of the U.N. nuclear watchdog "confirms that Iran lied" about its nuclear program. Addressing the U.N. General Assembly last year, Netanyahu had described a "secret atomic warehouse" on the outskirts of Tehran.
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| UPDATE 1-Iran prepared to enrich at Fordow site on Wednesday -IAEA report Posted: 07 Nov 2019 10:23 AM PST ![UPDATE 1-Iran prepared to enrich at Fordow site on Wednesday -IAEA report]( "UPDATE 1-Iran prepared to enrich at Fordow site on Wednesday -IAEA report") Iran prepared to enrich uranium at its Fordow site on Wednesday, a move that is already a breach of its nuclear deal with major powers, but it did not carry out enrichment itself, a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog indicated on Thursday. Iran announced on Thursday that it had resumed enrichment at Fordow, a site buried inside a mountain where enrichment and nuclear material are banned under the deal. Iran invited International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to Fordow - where the deal lets it have centrifuges for purposes other than uranium enrichment - for the feeding of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas into the centrifuges on Wednesday.
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| Doctor: I deliver health care in North Korea. Sanctions make the humanitarian crisis worse. Posted: 07 Nov 2019 10:22 AM PST  We are rightly concerned with the humanitarian conditions inside North Korea. Yet the international community still inflicts dangerous sanctions.
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| Iran alleges UN inspector tested positive for explosives Posted: 07 Nov 2019 10:12 AM PST  Iran alleged Thursday that the U.N. inspector it blocked from a nuclear site last week tested positive for suspected traces of explosive nitrates. The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, disputed Iran's claim. The allegation made by Iranian representative Kazem Gharib Abadi came as Iran injected uranium gas into centrifuges at its underground Fordo nuclear complex early Thursday, taking its most-significant step away from its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
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| Iran resumes uranium enrichment at Fordow plant in new stepback from deal Posted: 07 Nov 2019 09:50 AM PST  Iran resumed uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow plant south of Tehran Thursday in a new step back from its commitments under a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, raising alarm from Western powers. Engineers began feeding uranium hexafluoride gas into the plant's mothballed enrichment centrifuges in "the first minutes of Thursday", the Iranian Atomic Energy Organisation said. The suspension of uranium enrichment at the long-secret plant was one of the restrictions on its nuclear programme Iran had agreed to in return for the lifting of sanctions.
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| Aid group says hospital hit during Houthi attack in Yemen Posted: 07 Nov 2019 09:47 AM PST  An international medical relief agency said Thursday that a hospital it runs in western Yemen was damaged in a recent attack. Yemeni military officials blamed the Houthi rebels for the drone and missile attack that targeted buildings near the hospital, causing huge explosions that killed at least eight people. In a statement, Doctors Without Borders said they closed the hospital because of the attack and that there were no reports of deaths or injuries among its dozens of patients and staff present at the time.
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| UN urges tolerance in Malawi after schoolgirls prevented from wearing hijabs Posted: 07 Nov 2019 09:42 AM PST  The United Nations has called for religious tolerance in Malawi after two girls were reportedly prevented from attending school for wearing hijabs this week, sparking days of violence between the community's Muslims and Christians. The Anglican church, which built the government-run school, has reportedly banned students from wearing head coverings in class, saying it violates the agreed-upon school uniform.
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| Albanian boy freed from IS camp on way home to Italy Posted: 07 Nov 2019 09:36 AM PST  An Albanian boy who was taken to Syria by his mother when she joined the Islamic State group has been freed from a crowded detention camp in northeastern Syria and is on track to return home to Italy with his father, Red Cross and Red Crescent officials said Thursday. The story of 11-year-old Alvin, who found himself with no family at the al-Hol camp after his mother died amid fighting in northeast Syria, has captivated public attention in Italy after a glitzy TV news show reported on his father's agonized efforts to bring him home. The evacuation also comes amid the shifting strategic landscape in Syria's northeast.
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| Iran moved uranium gas to Fordow site, IAEA says, silent on enrichment Posted: 07 Nov 2019 09:31 AM PST ![Iran moved uranium gas to Fordow site, IAEA says, silent on enrichment]( "Iran moved uranium gas to Fordow site, IAEA says, silent on enrichment") Iran moved a cylinder or uranium hexafluoride gas to its Fordow site and connected it to centrifuges there in breach of its nuclear deal with major powers, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Thursday, but it made no mention of uranium enrichment. The International Atomic Energy Agency verified on Wednesday that the cylinder was connected to two cascades of centrifuges for passivation, "a preparatory activity conducted prior to enrichment", an IAEA spokesman said in a statement.
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| Iraq's key port closed again; 6 protesters killed in Baghdad Posted: 07 Nov 2019 09:22 AM PST  Iraqi security forces opened fire on Thursday, killing six protesters as they were trying to remove barriers blocking their march in central Baghdad, while in the south, demonstrators forced the closing of the country's main port, hours after services had resumed following days of closure, officials said. Demonstrators have been trying to reach the Green Zone, which houses government offices and foreign embassies. Along with the six killed, at least 41 protesters were wounded as security forces fired live rounds and tear gas to disperse the march in downtown's Rashid Street, where the central bank is located, security and medical officials said.
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| French leader laments NATO's 'brain death' due to US absence Posted: 07 Nov 2019 08:50 AM PST  French President Emmanuel Macron claimed that a lack of U.S. leadership is causing the "brain death" of the NATO military alliance, insisting in an interview published Thursday that the European Union must step up and start acting as a strategic world power. Macron's public criticism of the state of the world's biggest military alliance was rejected by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, setting the scene for a possible showdown in London next month when U.S. President Donald Trump joins his counterparts.
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| Trump’s Neglect of U.S. Allies Is Killing NATO, Macron Says Posted: 07 Nov 2019 08:39 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday drew fire for saying the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was brain dead and its core collective defense commitments in doubt."The French President has chosen drastic words. This is not my view of cooperation within NATO," German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters when asked about Macron's comments, which were published earlier Thursday in an interview with The Economist. She described the alliance as "irreplaceable."The French president has been pushing hard for Europe to build up its own defense capacity and a more independent foreign policy, rather than rely on the U.S. and NATO alone. That's a project where he has found traction in Germany, among other countries.But in Thursday's interview he appeared to go further, calling for a wholesale change in Europe's security architecture, in which NATO's future role was unclear."What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO," Macron said. He described fading U.S. commitment and lack of consultation -- especially under President Donald Trump -- as undermining the foundations of the alliance and forcing Europe to rethink its security."I don't know, but what will Article Five mean tomorrow?," Macron said, asked if he thought the collective defense clause no longer worked. If Syrian government forces were to retaliate against NATO member Turkey over its recent cross-border military incursions, "will we commit ourselves under it?""Will he," Macron asked of Trump, "be prepared to activate solidarity? If something happens at our borders? It's a real question."Despite Trump's rhetoric, U.S. commitments of troops and money to Europe's defense have increased at a faster pace, and NATO has been more active in deploying forces for potential collective defense during his administration, than at any time since the end of the Cold War.Defense spending by NATO members has also been increasing more quickly, a development for which Trump has been quick to claim credit."We do work, we modernize more and we invest more than we did for decades," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Thursday. "The U.S. is realizing that NATO is important to them." The White House didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a visit to Germany, also pushed back when asked about Macron's interview. "I think NATO remains an important, critical perhaps historically one of the most critical strategic partnerships in all of recorded history," he said, adding that he was glad to hear of alliance members committing to meet its 2% of gross domestic product defense spending target.Still, Trump, has pushed traditional allies away in pursing his "America First" agenda. He has called the European Union a "foe," which is "almost as bad as China, just smaller," and flirted with the idea of leaving NATO if members didn't contribute enough money.Weakening CommitmentMacron said U.S. commitment to NATO began to weaken long before Trump took office, and given the rise of China, was in fact "astute." A security system built around a benign and fully engaged U.S. after World War II was "changing its underlying philosophy," he said."You have partners together in the same part of the world, and you have no coordination whatsoever of strategic decision-making between the United States and its NATO allies," Macron said, in a reference to Trump's recent decision to green light Turkey's operation in Syria, by withdrawing U.S. troops from the target area. "You have an uncoordinated aggressive action by another NATO ally, Turkey, in an area where our interests are at stake."In an early sign of how the French president would like to see an autonomous European foreign policy change priorities, he has called for re-engagement with Russia, still under EU sanctions for its annexation of Crimea and military support for insurgents in Eastern Ukraine."Because what all this shows is that we need to reappropriate our neighborhood policy, we cannot let it be managed by third parties who do not share the same interests," Macron said in the interview. He said he saw Europe as a balancing power between others: "to put it very simply, we have the right not to be outright enemies with our friends' enemies."\--With assistance from Patrick Donahue.To contact the reporters on this story: Marc Champion in London at mchampion7@bloomberg.net;Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.net;Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Richard BravoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Britain's Labour hit by internal strife at campaign start Posted: 07 Nov 2019 08:22 AM PST  A resignation and a defection are forcing Jeremy Corbyn to confront two scourges hounding his Labour Party as it tries to unseat UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson: anti-Semitism and Brexit. Labour is hoping to regain power for the first time in nearly a decade when voters go to the polls on December 12 to help settle the crisis caused by Britain's delayed divorce from the EU. It was looking like an uphill slog from the start: Corbyn has some of the worst approval ratings of any leader of the opposition on record and his century-old party is badly behind in the polls.
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| Trump Needs to Reestablish Deterrence with Iran Posted: 07 Nov 2019 08:14 AM PST  The escalation ladder with Iran has lost several rungs.
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| Europe yet to decide on response to Iran uranium enrichment - Merkel Posted: 07 Nov 2019 07:34 AM PST ![Europe yet to decide on response to Iran uranium enrichment - Merkel]( "Europe yet to decide on response to Iran uranium enrichment - Merkel") Europe has not yet taken a decision on how to respond to Iran's decision to resume enriching uranium, which is restrained under its non-proliferation deal, but every step Tehran takes makes things more difficult, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. Iran said on Thursday it had resumed uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow nuclear plant, stepping further away from its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers after the United States pulled out of it.
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| Egypt's top diplomat: Nile dispute to be resolved in January Posted: 07 Nov 2019 07:16 AM PST  Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shorky says the Nile water dispute between his country and Ethiopia should be resolved by mid-January. The talks aim to ease tensions among the three key Nile Basin countries — Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia — over Ethiopia's massive dam on the Blue Nile, which Egypt fears can affect its water supply.
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| Russian and Syrian officials criticize US over Syrian camp Posted: 07 Nov 2019 06:30 AM PST ![Russian and Syrian officials criticize US over Syrian camp]( "Russian and Syrian officials criticize US over Syrian camp") Russia and Syria have accused the United States of preventing the evacuation of a camp for displaced in southern Syria. Russian and Syrian officials said in a statement that the U.S. military has blocked efforts to disband the Rukban camp near the Jordanian border despite "inhumane conditions" there. Russia, a close ally of the Syrian government, has long blamed the U.S. for maintaining what Moscow sees as an "illegitimate presence" in Syria.
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| UPDATE 1-UK lowers security level for its ships in Strait of Hormuz Posted: 07 Nov 2019 06:30 AM PST ![UPDATE 1-UK lowers security level for its ships in Strait of Hormuz]( "UPDATE 1-UK lowers security level for its ships in Strait of Hormuz") Britain lowered its security risk level for UK-flagged ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, more than a month after one of its tankers was finally released from detention by Iran. The Stena Impero was seized in July by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the Strait, a major oil shipping route, for alleged marine violations two weeks after Britain detained an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar. The Iranian ship was released in August.
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| US-led coalition launches operation to protect Gulf waters Posted: 07 Nov 2019 05:00 AM PST  A US-led naval coalition officially launched operations in Bahrain Thursday to protect shipping in the troubled waters of the Gulf, after a string of attacks that Washington and its allies blamed on Iran. Iran, which has denied any responsibility for the mystery attacks, has put forward its own proposals for boosting Gulf security that pointedly exclude outside powers. Bahrain, which hosts the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, joined the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) in August.
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| 10 things you need to know today: November 7, 2019 Posted: 07 Nov 2019 04:40 AM PST ![10 things you need to know today: November 7, 2019]( "10 things you need to know today: November 7, 2019") 1.The top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Bill Taylor, said in House impeachment inquiry testimony made public Wednesday it was his "clear understanding" that the transfer of military aid to Ukraine was being held up until Kyiv promised to investigate Democrats. Taylor said U.S. Ambassador to the EU Gordon Sondland told him President Trump wanted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to "state publicly that Ukraine will investigate Burisma," where former Vice President Joe Biden's son served on the board, and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 presidential election. He said he and others "sat in astonishment" as a White House budget official said in July that Trump was delaying the military aid. A transcript of Sondland's testimony was released Tuesday indicating he believed the White House had linked the aid to an investigation of Democrats. [NBC News] 2.The House will start public impeachment hearings against President Trump next week, Democrats said Wednesday. William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, and George Kent, a senior diplomat overseeing the region, are scheduled to testify in a televised hearing Wednesday. Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, will appear Friday. The announcement of the public phase of the inquiry came after six weeks of closed-door fact-finding. "Those open hearings will be an opportunity for the American people to evaluate the witnesses for themselves," said Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Transcripts of Taylor and Yovanovitch's closed-door testimonies were released publicly earlier this week. [The New York Times] 3.Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to launch a bid to win back his old seat in the U.S. Senate in Alabama, NBC News reported Wednesday, citing two sources familiar with his plans. Sessions has to file papers by Friday night to run in the March 3 Republican primary. The field already includes former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville and former Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore, who has been accused of sexual misconduct and lost to Sen. Doug Jones in a 2017 special election. President Trump repeatedly expressed anger at Sessions for recusing himself from the investigation into Russia's election meddling, and reportedly will campaign against his former attorney general. Still, Sessions would be considered a strong challenger to Jones in the conservative Southern state. [NBC News] 4.Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin's campaign on Wednesday formally asked for a recanvassing of the votes from Tuesday's election. Bevin, the Republican incumbent, trailed the state's Democratic attorney general, Andy Beshear, by fewer than 5,000 votes. "The people of Kentucky deserve a fair and honest election. With reports of irregularities, we are exercising the right to ensure that every lawful vote was counted," said Davis Paine, Bevin's campaign manager. Beshear claimed victory Tuesday night and has begun working on his transition, even though Bevin has not conceded. Bevin, fighting low popularity, got a boost from a rally with President Trump on Monday but struggled in suburbs he and Trump won handily before. The recanvassing is expected to be completed next week. [CNN] 5.The stage at the next Democratic presidential debates just got a little more crowded. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) for the November and December Democratic primary debates, respectively, when a new Quinnipiac University poll out of Iowa on Wednesday gave them the numbers they needed to qualify. Gabbard picked up 3 percent of the vote in the survey of likely caucus-goers to become the 10th candidate to qualify for the November debate. Klobuchar, who had already earned a spot on stage in November, received 5 percent backing, enough to make her one of the six candidates who have sealed spots in December. The others are former Vice President Joe Biden; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.). [ABC News, The New York Times] 6.An aide to Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump and reportedly said she found a call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky unusual in its political nature. Jennifer Williams, special adviser to Pence, was listening in on the July phone call in which Trump pushed Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, and she was reportedly "concerned" about it. She did not report her concerns. She said she did not know how much Pence knew about Trump's requested investigations, and did not know whether Trump asked Pence to mention them when he met with Zelensky in September. Pence has denied talking about "the issue of the Bidens" with Zelensky. 7.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday his country had captured a wife of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State leader who was killed in U.S.-led raid in Syria last month. Erdogan announced the capture of Baghdadi's first wife, identified as Asma Fawzi Muhammad al-Qubaysi, during a speech in Ankara, but provided few details. The late ISIS leader had four wives. A Turkish official said Qubaysi was among 11 ISIS suspects arrested in a police operation in Hatay province near the Syrian border in June 2018. She "volunteered a lot of information about Baghdadi and inner workings" of ISIS that led to arrests, the official said. Another suspect who identified herself as Leila Jabeer was identified through DNA as Baghdadi's daughter. [The Washington Post] 8.China and the U.S. have agreed to lift new tariffs on each other's goods in stages as part of any "phase one" trade deal, China's Commerce Ministry said Thursday. Ministry spokesperson Gao Feng said the agreement came as the two sides moved closer to an agreement on ending their trade war. A key condition is that the two countries must scrap an equal amount of levies simultaneously. The news sent U.S. stock index futures surging. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq were all up by around 0.5 percent. All three main U.S. indexes reached all-time highs earlier in the week. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly might delay a meeting to sign an interim trade deal until December. [Bloomberg, MarketWatch] 9.Federal authorities have charged two former Twitter employees with spying for Saudi Arabia. The charges were disclosed Wednesday in San Francisco after the Tuesday arrest of one of the suspects, U.S. citizen Ahmad Abouammo. He was accused of spying on three users for the Saudi government. The second suspect is Ali Alzabarah, a Saudi citizen accused of accessing more than 6,000 users' personal information in 2015 for Saudi Arabia. One of the accounts belonged to prominent dissident Omar Abdulaziz, who later became close to journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist who was assassinated in Istanbul last year. The Saudis implicated in the case included an associate of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who the CIA determined probably ordered Khashoggi's killing. [The Washington Post] 10.U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer in Manhattan ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration's so-called conscience rule, which would have let health-care providers refuse to perform abortions or sterilizations on religious grounds, is unconstitutional. Engelmayer said the policy, which was set to take effect later this month, is "shot through with glaring legal defects." The administration had argued it had received a "significant increase" in complaints regarding conscience objections, but Engelmayer said that was "flatly untrue," making the rule "arbitrary and capricious." New York Attorney General Letitia James, who led the groups challenging the policy, said it "was an unlawful attempt to allow health care providers to openly discriminate" for personal reasons. Trump administration officials did not immediately comment, saying they were reviewing the ruling. [The Washington Post]
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| N. Korea calls Abe an 'idiot' over criticism of weapons test Posted: 07 Nov 2019 04:26 AM PST  North Korea on Thursday called Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe an "idiot" after he criticized a recent weapons test by the North. The statement ridiculed Abe's expressed willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying he would be "well-advised not to dream forever of crossing the threshold of Pyongyang," North Korea's capital, after insulting the North's "just measures" for self-defense.
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| UK lowers security level for its ships in Strait of Hormuz Posted: 07 Nov 2019 04:05 AM PST ![UK lowers security level for its ships in Strait of Hormuz]( "UK lowers security level for its ships in Strait of Hormuz") Britain lowered its security risk level for UK-flagged ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, more than a month after one of its tankers was finally released from detention by Iran. The Stena Impero was seized in July by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the Strait, a major oil shipping route, for alleged marine violations two weeks after Britain detained an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar. "UK flagged ships will soon be able to transit the Strait of Hormuz without close Royal Naval accompaniment, following a decrease in the specific risk of detention of these vessels," a government spokeswoman said.
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| EU court cancels decision against UKIP ally over misspending Posted: 07 Nov 2019 04:03 AM PST  In a victory for Brexit activist Nigel Farage, the EU's top court on Thursday annulled a decision from the European Parliament that demanded a political group linked to the British party UKIP reimburse tens of thousands in EU funds. The Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe had been asked in 2016 to repay 172,655 euros (about $190,000) and denied a further 500,616 euros ($555,000) in EU grants after the European Parliament ruled it had misspent EU funds on Farage's party's domestic campaign in Britain, breaking the bloc's spending rules.
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| 'Brain death' of Nato has placed Europe 'on a precipice', warns France's Emmanuel Macron Posted: 07 Nov 2019 03:59 AM PST  Nato is experiencing "brain death" and America's lack of willing to defend its members has placed Europe "on the edge of a precipice," Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has warned. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation "only works if the guarantor of last resort functions as such," said Mr Macron. "I'd argue that we should reassess the reality of what Nato is in the light of the commitment of the United States," he told the Economist. And the signs were that America under the presidency of Donald Trump was "turning its back on us," as it demonstrated starkly with its unexpected troop withdrawal from north-eastern Syria last month, forsaking its Kurdish allies. "What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of Nato," said the French president in the Elysée interview conducted on October 21. When asked whether he believed in the effectiveness of Article Five, the principle that if one Nato member is attacked all would come to its aid, he said: "I don't know but what will Article Five mean tomorrow?" NATO | Member countries Europe is now dealing for the first time with an American president who "doesn't share our idea of the European project", he is cited as saying. At the same time, Europe is facing the rise of China and the authoritarian turn of regimes in Russia and Turkey. Internally, it is facing Brexit and political instability. This toxic mix was "unthinkable five years ago," Mr Macron argued. Europe stands on "the edge of a precipice", he said. "If we don't wake up [...] there's a considerable risk that in the long run we will disappear geopolitically, or at least that we will no longer be in control of our destiny. I believe that very deeply." Mr Macron defended France's controversial decision to unilaterally block EU enlargement in the Western Balkans, arguing that it was "absurd" to open up the EU to new members before reforming accession procedures, although he said that he would be prepared to reconsider if such conditions were met. Albania and North Macedonia were blocked from beginning membership talks by France in October, which Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission President, called "a grave historic mistake." Beyond market expansion, Europe must start thinking of itself as a strategic power, said the French president. That should start with regaining "military sovereignty", and re-opening a dialogue with Russia despite suspicion from Poland and other countries that were once under Soviet domination. Failing to do so, Mr Macron said, would be a "huge mistake".
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| Merkel’s Fading Power Laid Bare as German Ministers Go Rogue Posted: 07 Nov 2019 03:52 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- For the second time in as many weeks, one of Angela Merkel's chief cabinet members has gone rogue.Finance Minister Olaf Scholz's bid to break years of deadlock over European efforts to complete a banking union was announced with fanfare Wednesday.But he hadn't cleared it with the chancellor, his boss."This contribution to a discussion has yet to be discussed within the government," Merkel's chief spokesman, Steffen Seibert, told reporters.The free-for-all in a once-disciplined government has left Germans wondering who is really in charge as Merkel approaches her 15th year in office.The chancellor's authority was similarly tested two weeks ago, when her defense minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, set out a peace plan for northern Syria. While Merkel was given a heads up on that occasion, the chancellery was caught out all the same when Kramp-Karrenbauer unleashed the proposal without squaring it with their coalition partners. The idea was pilloried by the Social Democrats as unworkable and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas complained he'd found out about the plan by text message.The Next ChancellorWhat connects both episodes is the looming question of who will follow Merkel as chancellor when her term ends in 2021 at the latest. Both AKK, as the defense chief is known, and Scholz may be in the running even as they uphold responsibilities in the creaking coalition.It's a dangerous game though. Both Merkel's Christian Democrats and the SPD have suffered in the polls as the coalition limps forward. They could face serious punishment if the political maneuvers were to trigger an election.So on the same day that Scholz made his move on banking union, he also joined Merkel at the Chancellery in Berlin to stage a show of unity as the cabinet vaunted its policy achievements since coming together last year."This shows that we're capable and willing to work," the chancellor said.Rift With MerkelHer party is unhappy all the same. AKK, who was Merkel's chosen successor as CDU leader, is already facing an open revolt over her lackluster performance and her bond with the chancellor has broken down.Merkel left her one-time protegee to face the music after the CDU's embarrassing defeat in the eastern state of Thuringia last week. When CDU lawmakers protested Merkel's plans to cut a deal with the SPD over pensions at a closed-door meeting Tuesday, AKK kept silent leaving the chancellor to defend her decision alone, according to a party official who was present.AKK took another swipe at her boss on Thursday, complaining that German foreign policy has in the past been too preachy without delivering concrete results."We Germans are often very good at setting out high moral standards for ourselves and for others, rather than suggesting concrete measures and following through with them," she said during a speech in Munich.She also called for Germany to establish a presence in the Pacific to push back against China and more leeway from the Bundestag to send troops abroad, suggestions that are likely to stir up more trouble with the SPD.On Merkel's other flank, Scholz is trying to win a contest for the leadership of the SPD. His rivals have signaled they could pull out of the coalition triggering a snap election and bringing down the curtain on Merkel's political career.No One in ChargeThe mood in Berlin though is one of drift rather than revolution. While Merkel's power has waned, neither of the contenders have succeeded in stamping their authority on the administration.AKK's Syria proposal, a mission to secure a swath of land to protect Kurds along Turkey's border, was dispatched within days of its unveiling as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey carved the area between them as U.S. forces pulled out.Scholz's plan to complete the banking union, while stirring promise within the 19-member euro area, had a cold reception in Merkel's Bundestag caucus. CDU lawmaker Olav Gutting, who sits on the Bundestag finance committee, insisted Merkel's party will stand by the conditions for a deposit insurance set out by Scholz's predecessor, Wolfgang Schaeuble."Risks must first be reduced and controlled on a sustainable basis," Gutting said in an email to Bloomberg News. "Then you can have a European deposit insurance."(Updates with AKK quotes in 14th paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.net;Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Caroline AlexanderFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.S.'s Pompeo says Iran's latest nuclear steps raise concern Posted: 07 Nov 2019 03:51 AM PST ![U.S.'s Pompeo says Iran's latest nuclear steps raise concern]( "U.S.'s Pompeo says Iran's latest nuclear steps raise concern") Iran's recent "nuclear escalations" raise concerns that should move all countries to increase pressure on Tehran, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pomeo said on Thursday, as Iran resumed uranium enrichment at one of its nuclear facilities. "Iran's expansion of proliferation-sensitive activities raises concerns that Iran is positioning itself to have the option of a rapid nuclear breakout," Pompeo said in a statement.
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| Erdogan: Al-Baghdadi's inner circle trying to enter Turkey Posted: 07 Nov 2019 02:37 AM PST  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that members of slain Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's "inner circle" are trying to enter Turkey from Syria. The Turkish leader's comments were his second effort in as many days to publicize his country's push to catch IS members who were close to al-Baghdadi.
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| Meet Jack Sim, aka Mr. Toilet, the Man Changing the World One Poop Joke at a Time Posted: 07 Nov 2019 02:00 AM PST  Courtesy Jim OrcaJack Sim has a penchant for potty humor. The 60-year-old Singapore native, best known by the moniker Mr. Toilet, has devoted the past 20 years of his life to raising awareness about the lack of access to toilets worldwide. As he crusades around the world wearing a plush latrine around his torso to promote his ambitious mission—to bring six million toilets to India—poop puns and big ideas are his weapons of choice. Sim is the subject of the documentary Mr. Toilet: The World's 2 Man, which premieres in Los Angeles on Nov. 8 and New York on Nov. 22. The 88-minute film, directed by Lily Zepeda, centers on Sim's work as the founder of the World Toilet Organization nonprofit. Raised in poverty in Singapore, the activist has personally experienced the misfortune of not having a proper place to relieve himself. He worked as a successful salesman in the construction industry for nearly two decades before growing disillusioned with the pursuit of money and its corrupting effects. It was then that he decided to completely dedicate himself to spreading what he calls "the gospel of toilets." To make the documentary, Zepeda followed Sim for five years around four countries as he successfully lobbied the United Nations for recognition of U.N. World Toilet Day and spearheaded the "Clean India" initiative to provide the country with six million toilets. She initially planned to have more than one character represent the global sanitation issue, but quickly realized that she had a star in Mr. Toilet. "Within five minutes, we just knew this was the lead character of a film," Zepeda tells The Daily Beast. "I have to make this gross, disgusting, taboo topic really funny or else people aren't going to watch it. He was the one." One of Sim's daughters describes him in the film as "like a 12-year-old trapped in a 60-year-old's body." Propensity for poop jokes aside, this comparison also feels apt when, during a World Toilet Organization board meeting, he seriously suggests that they stage a classical music concert in Carnegie Hall and invite the Clintons as a fundraiser, or when he pouts about the local government removing his illegal street art. (His four children, for the record, are very good sports and laugh amiably as one reminisces about how in grade school, classmates called her "the toilet daughter.") Dirty double entendres roll off Sim's tongue with impressive ease. "This is a bullshit industry," he retorts at one point after an unproductive meeting with the government officials on whom he relies for funding. In a clip from a TED Talk played at the beginning of the film, he jokes, "The BBC told me they would interview me about my work, but on one condition. I cannot use the word 'shit.' So, I complied, but I felt a little bit constipated." Sim delivers these zingers completely deadpan, but a mischievous glimmer in his bespectacled eyes nearly always betrays him. When he noticed that "Loo," as in the British slang word for the toilet, looks like "007" flipped upside down, he staged a James Bond photo shoot, wielding a plunger like a pistol. Courtesy Jim Orca"The subject of the toilet is so embarrassing that if you were to speak seriously, especially academically, the news cannot run it because it's too hard," Sim tells The Daily Beast. "It's not palatable. My job is to make the subject humorous so everybody can just laugh at it and the moment they laugh, they are disarmed, and they also find that they have permission to talk about it." I worry aloud that Sim's effectively disarming, but lighthearted approach to raising awareness about a major global health issue might undermine the seriousness of the World Toilet Organization's mission. Does it ever feel too flip? After all, joking about poop is much funnier when you are not at risk of deadly illness from swimming in contaminated water or even rape from being forced to openly defecate in public (both of which are problems raised in the film). But Mr. Toilet dismisses my concerns about his approach with his trademark optimism."People are really intelligent," he says. "People are really clear about the benefits of toilets. And on the other hand, this is not about me. It is about the mission. So, whatever I do to look like a clown, it really doesn't matter because what matters is for the mission to get done and for people's lives to get better, and if they laugh at me as part of the journey, I think that's worth it." So far, Sim's unorthodox approach to nonprofit work seems to be working. One of the great successes documented in the film was the campaign to get all 193 countries in the United Nations General Assembly to adopt Nov. 19, the day the World Toilet Organization was founded, as the official U.N. World Toilet Day. The move lent some much-needed legitimacy to their effort, and Sim believes it compelled governments to factor sanitation into their budgets and agendas.In between the victories and the amusing jokes, though, Mr. Toilet manages to capture the urgency of the crisis. The statistics—that 40 percent of the world does not have toilets and that globally, people have the same odds of dying from diarrhea as car accidents—paired with stomach-turning visuals are enough to shock anyone who takes the comfort of a clean bathroom for granted, including this writer. In one particularly illuminating scene, Sim speaks to a group of Chinese school children who try to explain to him why they believe having a cellphone is more important than having access to a sanitary toilet. Zepeda's film also illustrates the demoralizing hindrances that plague nonprofit work as Sim encounters challenges like worrying about funds drying up, having to go through slow and restrictive bureaucratic processes, and struggling to get through to the people from other cultures that he is trying to help, who are often resistant to outside intervention.But Mr. Toilet does not plan to give up the fight anytime soon, and his is ultimately a fight for equality. Because of the stigma clouding the language we use to describe sanitation, it often gets grouped with the political "water agenda." "They [bureaucrats] cannot say words like 'toilet' or 'poop' or 'sanitation,'" Sim says. "They know that when they call it that, they don't get funding, so they call it the water agenda." And once the discussion turns to water, issues of waste and hygiene fall to the wayside. Or, as Zepeda bluntly puts it, "Water is very sexy, it's glamorous. Shit is not glamorous." Sim has lofty aspirations when it comes to refocusing the conversation about clean water to the unglamorous source of the pollution. "World Toilet Day is still not celebrated as much as World Water Day," he laments, "and I hope eventually they will be equal." With World Toilet Day just around the corner, I asked how Zepeda and Sim plan to celebrate. Sim will be traveling to Brazil for the annual World Toilet Summit, taking place this year in Sao Paulo. And though Zepeda will be busy preparing for the New York theatrical release of the film, she suggests that she might write a poem about her toilet. Without skipping a beat, Sim jokes, "An ode to the commode." Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. 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| EU Commission cuts euro zone growth forecast, sees muted inflation Posted: 07 Nov 2019 02:00 AM PST ![EU Commission cuts euro zone growth forecast, sees muted inflation]( "EU Commission cuts euro zone growth forecast, sees muted inflation") The euro zone economy is likely to grow slower than earlier expected this year and next, the European Commission forecast on Thursday, because of global trade conflicts, geopolitical tensions and Brexit. The Commission cut its growth forecast for the 19 countries that share the euro to 1.1% this year from 1.2% it expected in July, and to 1.2% in 2020 and 2021 from 1.4%. "Economic growth has continued, job creation has been robust and domestic demand strong.
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| Countdown starts for China's big mutant crop space mission in race for food security Posted: 07 Nov 2019 01:30 AM PST ![Countdown starts for China's big mutant crop space mission in race for food security]( "Countdown starts for China's big mutant crop space mission in race for food security") China plans to launch a recoverable satellite that will carry half a tonne of life forms into space to see if better crops can be produced there, according to scientists involved.The "passengers" on the satellite, which could be launched early next year, will include more than 240kg (530lbs) of seeds and plants, as well as other forms of life such as bacteria.It forms part of the world's largest single experiment so far into inducing biological mutation with cosmic radiation, according to Chinese government researchers.And it could be a rough ride. The flight might last about two weeks, during which time the seeds will be exposed to a lack of air, temperatures close to absolute zero and high-energy radiation.Other life forms such as seedlings may have some air and heating, but will still be exposed to radiation, regardless their storage conditions, to cause mutations that would have been impossible or taken longer to produce under normal conditions.After the flight, a capsule will bring its passengers back to Earth so that scientists can sow the seeds, monitor their growth and mark unusual traits such as higher yield or new colours, to identify candidates for commercial exploitation. Some of these variations could produce better crops, the researchers said.Food security is a big issue for China, which has nearly 20 per cent of the world's population but only 9 per cent of its arable land. Over the decades, many nations have sent plants into space to trigger mutations that produce higher-yielding breeds, but none can match China in terms of persistence and scale.Insights from the country's space programme have brought about a 1.3 million tonne increase in annual grain production, or about a kilogram for every Chinese citizen, according to the Chinese government."Mutation is a driving force behind evolution," said Dr Li Jingzhao, a scientist involved in the programme with the Space Breeding Industry Innovation Alliance, a non-profit organisation in Beijing which is a participant in the government-run programme. "An increase of mutation will lead to higher biodiversity."He added that biodiversity loss, or extinction of species, had become a threat to agriculture. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, about 75 per cent of crop biodiversity has been lost worldwide because of the cultivation of a single crop. This made food production vulnerable to climate change, among other issues."The question is, should we stick entirely to the pace of nature, or give it a little boost?" he asked.When China launched Shijian 8 " the world's first satellite designed mainly for mutation breeding " in 2006, carrying about 200kg of vegetable, fruit, grain and cotton seeds, there were doubts among the international community.Some researchers in the United States said the benefits would not justify the cost. They saw the launch as a publicity stunt, according to a report by New Scientist.Space flight is expensive, costing US$10,000 per pound of payload, but the Chinese programme sent more plants and seeds to space with the support of government funding. Research facilities were set up to study the returning mutants, and scientists and officials appointed to lead it.For the forthcoming mission, attempts will be made to lower costs. The researchers said the capsule would be reusable, having been designed for up to 15 launches, which would cut the cost of future space missions.By the end of last year, the commercial plantation of species derived from the "space crop" programme had reached 2.4 billion hectares, with direct economic benefit exceeding 200 billion yuan (US$28 billion), according to a government institute.A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in April this year stated that the second most widely used mutant wheat variety in China, Luyuan 502, had been developed using space-induced mutation breeding, and had a yield 11 per cent higher than the traditional variety. It was also more resistant to drought and main diseases, the report said.The IAEA and the FAO are working with China to promote its technology in other countries with the goal of developing new crop varieties.China has released more than 1,000 mutant crop varieties, accounting for a quarter of the mutants listed in the IAEA/FAO database of mutant varieties produced worldwide " more than any other country.Scientists are also combining other biological technology such as genetic sequencing, molecular labelling and gene editing to help improve the efficiency of new crop species, according to Li.Professor Liu Zhiyong, researcher with the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said the biodiversity decline was bad news for the global ecological system."The [space crops] project is meaningful because it will produce more varieties for scientific research," said Liu, who was not involved in the programme.This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2019 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| UPDATE 3-UK's Conservatives and Labour vow to spend big in battle for votes Posted: 07 Nov 2019 01:17 AM PST ![UPDATE 3-UK's Conservatives and Labour vow to spend big in battle for votes]( "UPDATE 3-UK's Conservatives and Labour vow to spend big in battle for votes") LIVERPOOL/MANCHESTER, England, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Britain's governing Conservatives vowed on Thursday to spend billions on infrastructure, stepping up an election battle with the main opposition Labour Party over who is best placed to drive growth and help struggling regions. With Britons due to vote on Dec. 12, the main parties are drawing up battle lines: Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he alone can deliver Brexit, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says only his policies offer real change. Shortly after finance minister Sajid Javid pledged to spend an extra 100 billion pounds on infrastructure over five years, his Labour rival John McDonnell upped the ante with a plan to spend around double that amount.
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| Trump Meeting Was Clearest Quid Pro Quo in Push for Biden Probe Posted: 07 Nov 2019 01:00 AM PST ![Trump Meeting Was Clearest Quid Pro Quo in Push for Biden Probe]( "Trump Meeting Was Clearest Quid Pro Quo in Push for Biden Probe") (Bloomberg) -- Public debate surrounding the House impeachment inquiry has focused heavily on whether President Donald Trump's aides withheld military aid to Ukraine as part of a "quid pro quo."Yet testimony unsealed this week makes clear that something else valuable to the fledgling Ukrainian government was the initial deal offered: an Oval Office meeting between the nations' leaders if Ukraine announced it would investigate Joe Biden and the Democrats.U.S. and Ukrainian officials knew an Oval Office handshake between Trump and newly elected President Volodymyr Zelenskiy would confer much-needed authority and legitimacy on a young, untested and inexperienced leader facing off against Russia, his nation's biggest adversary.Transcripts released this week by House impeachment committees underscore how important a visit to the White House was to Zelenskiy, who was eager to show that Trump would stand by Ukraine despite the American president's affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin. More may come out when public testimony begins next week.Official U.S. policy was to back Ukraine as it struggled to counter Russia's supplies of arms, tanks and fighters in a breakaway region of eastern Ukraine. Trump's administration had even begun providing military aid to Kyiv that the Obama administration had denied. But Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani was pushing another agenda -- one that made an Oval Office visit contingent on political help for Trump."Heard from White House," Ukraine envoy Kurt Volker wrote in a text message to a top Zelenskiy aide in July. "Assuming President Z convinces Trump he will investigate/'Get to the bottom of what happened' in 2016 we will nail down date for visit to Washington. Good luck."That demand was also spelled out by William Taylor, the interim U.S. envoy to Ukraine. Taylor told the impeachment inquiry that by mid-July, "it was becoming clear to me that the meeting President Zelenskiy wanted was conditioned on the investigations of Burisma and alleged Ukrainian interference in the 2016 elections."Testimony shows that Giuliani demanded a public statement by Zelenskiy that his government would investigate Democratic presidential contender Biden and his son's past role on the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukranian natural gas company, as well as the unsubstantianted theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 election to help Democrat Hillary Clinton.Read More: Diplomat Describes Trump Aides' Escalating Pressure on UkraineIn denying that Trump demanded a quid pro quo, Trump and Republican lawmakers have focused on the argument that Ukrainian officials didn't even know early on that the military aid they were counting on was being held up.But Volker's text messages and other evidence made clear that the Ukrainians knew that an investigation into Biden and the Democrats was the admission price for a meeting that arguably would have as much symbolic power as the military aid that was eventually delivered.'World Stage'Analysts say Ukraine's new president was in a precarious position as the leader of a country that's under siege by Russia and viewed skeptically in the West over its endemic corruption. Outside signs of support were crucial, they say."The Ukrainian president's team wanted Zelenskiy to be seen on the world stage as a major important new figure, and they wanted him visibly interacting with top Western counterparts," said Andrew Weiss, a vice president at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.But Ukraine had been a political thorn in Trump's side since his 2016 campaign, when his campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was forced to quit over his business dealings there."Everyone on the U.S. side knew that was going to be a hard sell because Trump had been such a dogged, vocal critic of all things Ukraine-related as a candidate and as president," Weiss said of the efforts by diplomats to pursue a Trump-Zelenskiy alliance.Many top U.S. officials and lawmakers shared a concern that Trump's hostility toward Ukraine would leave the country exposed and unable to push back against Russian aggression. Republican Senator Ron Johnson led a bipartisan push in Congress to get the military aid delivered.Giuliani's TweetYet Giuliani dug in on conditions for a meeting, and he signaled as much publicly.On June 21, he tweeted that Zelenskiy was "still silent on investigation of Ukrainian interference in 2016 and alleged Biden bribery of Poroshenko. Time for leadership and investigate both if you want to purge how Ukraine was abused by Hillary and Clinton people." Petro Poroshenko was Zelenskiy's predecessor.In a later conversation about demands for Ukraine to issue a statement, Volker said Giuliani told him, "Well, if it doesn't say Burisma and if it doesn't say 2016, what does it mean? You know, it's not credible. You know, they're hiding something."As the transcripts from the impeachment inquiry released this week make clear, some U.S. officials saw risks in the White House's demands."Yes, it would be fine to have the two presidents talk, but if President Zelenskiy, in order to get that meeting were going to have to intervene in U.S. domestic policy or politics" by "announcing an investigation that would benefit someone in the United States, then it wasn't clear to me that that would be worth it," Taylor said.Trying to PleaseThe inquiry also has found that Ukrainian leaders tried to satisfy the quid pro quo for a meeting, offering to make statements along the lines that Giuliani demanded -- but only after a date for the White House visit was pinned down."I think it's possible to make this declaration and mention all these things," Zelenskiy adviser Andriy Yermak wrote Volker at one point. "But it will be logic to do after we receive confirmation of date."A few days later he said: "Once we have a date, we will call for a press briefing, announcing upcoming visit and outlining vision for the reboot of US-Ukraine relationship, including among other things Burisma and election meddling."The White House meeting never happened. Instead, Zelenskiy and Trump met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in late September. Earlier that day, the White House had released a partial transcript of the two leaders' July 25 phone call -- in which Trump asked for a "favor" involving Biden and the Democrats -- and the seeds of Trump's possible impeachment were already taking root.\--With assistance from Tony Capaccio.To contact the reporter on this story: Nick Wadhams in Washington at nwadhams@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Bill Faries at wfaries@bloomberg.net, Larry LiebertFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Rajan Declines to Comment If He's Been Approached About BOE Job Posted: 07 Nov 2019 12:47 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Former Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan declined to say if he's been asked by the U.K. about succeeding Mark Carney to head the Bank of England, and repeated his view that the job is now burdened with huge political challenges."You're navigating in a very complicated environment with a whole lot of political forces," Rajan, who now teaches at Chicago Booth School of Business, said in a Bloomberg TV interview with Haslinda Amin on Thursday. He said in July that the issues posed by Brexit were a key reason he didn't apply for the role.Asked if anything has changed since then, and whether he's been approached about the job, Rajan declined to comment."I don't want to talk about that, but I would say it's a very difficult job," he said. "Mark has a very difficult job, he's done it in a very admirable way and it's good that he's there."Carney, who himself denied an interest in the BOE governorship before he was appointed, has twice extended his stay and is now due to step down at the end of January, though the upcoming U.K. general election has delayed the appointment of his successor. Originally slated for the fall, it's now not expected until after the Dec. 12 vote. An interview panel has prepared a shortlist, but that could be discarded.To contact the reporter on this story: Fergal O'Brien in Zurich at fobrien@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Craig Stirling at cstirling1@bloomberg.net, Paul Gordon, David GoodmanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Labour Vows Big Spending After Watson Quits: U.K. Campaign Trail Posted: 07 Nov 2019 12:43 AM PST ![Labour Vows Big Spending After Watson Quits: U.K. Campaign Trail]( "Labour Vows Big Spending After Watson Quits: U.K. Campaign Trail") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.While Boris Johnson bets that voters are bored with Brexit, Labour is calculating the public is more fed up with austerity. The party's economy spokesman John McDonnell will pledge to transform state education, social housing and healthcare with an extra 150 billion pounds ($193 billion) of funding over five years.The finance industry will have to play its part in addressing the "human emergency" too, he'll say in a speech in Liverpool. Following two days of setbacks for the Conservatives, Labour now need a boost after deputy leader Tom Watson -- who has clashed with leader Jeremy Corbyn -- quit front-line politics on Wednesday night.Must read: Boris Johnson's Conservatives Fight for Survival in ScotlandComing up:Boris Johnson campaigns in Scotland, Northern Ireland and north-eastern England. 10 a.m. Chancellor Sajid Javid makes first campaign speech, in north-western England.Corbyn unveils Labour "Real Change" campaign bus in Liverpool before McDonnell speaks. Liberal Democrats set out plans for tackling climate change by generating 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and insulating all low-income homes by 2025. A plan to publish revised forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility today was canceled after advice on election regulations. The Polls:A YouGov poll puts the Conservatives on 36%, with Labour on 25%, Lib Dems on 17% and the Brexit Party on 11%. The Tory lead is 2% narrower than at the weekend.Survation polling for the Lib Dems in two constituencies showed the party in second place, closing the gap with Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and veteran pro-Brexit Tory John Redwood.A YouGov poll for the Times shows Johnson is more trusted by Leave voters that Nigel Farage. His personal approval rating has also gone up since September.Here's a summary of recent polls.Catching Up:U.K. Election Campaigners Brace for Fiscal Reality CheckJohnson's Election Troubles Grow as U.K. Minister Quits CabinetLib Dems, Greens and Plaid Cymru have reached a pro-Remain electoral pact, with details to be announced on Thursday. The Times says Greens will stand aside in 50 seats.The Markets:The pound weakened on Wednesday after polling showed the Tories' lead narrowed, and slipped in early trade on Thursday. The BOE meets later and will publish forecasts alongside its interest-rate decision.(Updates with canceling of OBR announcement.)To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Emma Ross-ThomasFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 7-China, U.S. agree tariff rollback if phase one trade deal is completed Posted: 07 Nov 2019 12:11 AM PST ![UPDATE 7-China, U.S. agree tariff rollback if phase one trade deal is completed]( "UPDATE 7-China, U.S. agree tariff rollback if phase one trade deal is completed") WASHINGTON/BEIJING, Nov 7 (Reuters) - China and the United States have agreed to roll back tariffs on each others' goods in a "phase one" trade deal if it is completed, officials from both sides said on Thursday, sparking division among some advisers to President Donald Trump. The Chinese commerce ministry, without laying out a timetable, said the two countries had agreed to cancel the tariffs in phases. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the rollback would be part of the first phase of a trade agreement that is still being put to paper for Trump and President Xi Jinping to sign.
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| China, U.S. agree tariff rollback if phase one trade deal is completed Posted: 06 Nov 2019 11:36 PM PST  WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the United States have agreed to roll back tariffs on each others' goods in a "phase one" trade deal if it is completed, officials from both sides said on Thursday, sparking division among some advisers to President Donald Trump. The Chinese commerce ministry, without laying out a timetable, said the two countries had agreed to cancel the tariffs in phases. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the rollback would be part of the first phase of a trade agreement that is still being put to paper for Trump and President Xi Jinping to sign.
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| Brexit Bulletin: The Cost of Delay Posted: 06 Nov 2019 11:29 PM PST  Days to Brexit deadline: 85(Bloomberg) -- Sign up here to get the Brexit Bulletin in your inbox every weekday.Today in Brexit: The Bank of England will unveil its latest forecasts for an economy hampered by uncertainty.What's happening? As the U.K. election campaign gets into full swing, one important player in the Brexit debate is about to have its final say before polling day.The Bank of England will announce its latest interest-rate decision later today, and also release new economic forecasts — the first it's made since the departure date from the European Union was delayed. With political uncertainty and a weaker global picture continuing to plague the economy, most analysts expect the bank to cut its outlook for growth and inflation. Investors also will delve for hints as to how officials are interpreting the latest Brexit delays.The BOE has drawn criticism from Brexit supporters in the past for what they see as overly gloomy predictions, but it won't have any role to play during the campaign. After Governor Mark Carney's press conference today, the bank will enter a pre-election quiet period — a stretch that BOE previously referred to as "purdah," before this year dropping that word due to concerns over the term's gender connotations. Officials will re-emerge after the Dec. 12 vote, when the question of who will replace Carney in January will be one of the first items in the new government's in-tray.Meanwhile, Boris Johnson launched his bid for re-election at a rally in the West Midlands last night. The main slogan, emblazoned on his lectern and on screens around the hall, was: "Get Brexit Done — Unleash Britain's potential." Johnson claimed he was most "proud" of the deal he negotiated with the European Union, and that it delivered everything he campaigned for in the 2016 referendum. Earlier, on the steps of his Downing Street residence, the prime minister blamed Parliament for postponing the divorce and warned Labour would waste "the whole of 2020 in a horror show" of more delays.The launch came on an otherwise bruising day for the Tories. Conservative Chairman James Cleverly found himself defending colleagues amid the fallout from Jacob Rees-Mogg's remarks about the Grenfell Tower fire, and also being drawn into a row over the party's editing of an interview with Labour's Keir Starmer for social media. Later, Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns resigned amid reports he knew about a former aide's role in the collapse of a rape trial — becoming the first Cabinet minister to quit during a campaign for at least 100 years.Today's Must-ReadsBloomberg's Alex Morales and Greg Ritchie visited Scotland to show how, after two years of Brexit-induced bitterness, the Conservatives are once more fighting for their political survival north of the border. The tremors of the U.K.'s election will be felt across the whole of Europe, Martin Kettle writes in the Guardian. Parliament should adopt alternative voting rules, such as ranked-choice voting, in order to force compromise on Brexit, writes Bloomberg analyst Julien Guyon .Brexit in BriefWatson Quits | Labour deputy leader Tom Watson yesterday became the latest high-profile MP to announce he was leaving Parliament after the election. In a letter to Jeremy Corbyn, Watson, who has clashed with the leader over Brexit in the past, said "the decision is personal, not political," and many shared interests between him and Corbyn are "less well known" than their political differences.Labour Push | Meanwhile, Corbyn took Labour's campaign to Telford yesterday, a seat where the opposition needs to convince the 63% of residents who voted to leave the EU in 2016 that Labour can still represent them. "Many people in our country have grown weary of politics," Corbyn told a rally in the Shropshire town, adding "Westminster hasn't exactly covered itself in glory recently. It's a long, long way from the reality of people's lives."End of the Squeeze | Living standards in the U.K. are on the cusp of returning to their pre-crisis levels, according to the Resolution Foundation think tank. The nation's longest pay downturn in more than two centuries was intensified by the Brexit vote, which caused a drop in the pound that sent inflation soaring above wage increases.Bercow Breaks Free | Former Commons speaker John Bercow, who proved a thorn in the side of Brexiteers for much of the past three years, is already enjoying the freedom that his new life brings. Bercow, who left the Speaker's chair last week, told the Foreign Press Association in London that leaving the EU was bad for Britain's global standing, and indeed was "the biggest foreign policy mistake in the post-war period.''Reality Check | U.K. budget officials are set to deliver a warning shot to politicians on Thursday amid fears that the election campaign could turn into an arms race of tax and spending promises. The Office for Budget Responsibility may add close to £20 billion to its budget-deficit forecast for next year when its unveils projections updated to reflect the impact of recently introduced methodological changes.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: David Goodman in London at dgoodman28@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Anne Swardson at aswardson@bloomberg.net, Leila TahaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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