| Jury sentences Navy SEAL for posing with Iraq war casualty Posted: 03 Jul 2019 05:23 PM PDT  A decorated Navy SEAL acquitted of murder in the killing of a wounded Islamic State captive in Iraq but convicted for posing with the corpse was sentenced by a military jury Wednesday after the Bronze Star recipient acknowledged making ethical and moral mistakes. Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher was sentenced by a military jury to a reduction in rank and four months of confinement. A judge, however, credited the 40-year-old Gallagher with enough time already spent in custody to ensure he won't be locked up.
|
| Iran to bypass uranium enrichment maximum despite calls for rethink Posted: 03 Jul 2019 04:38 PM PDT  Iran ignored US and EU warnings Wednesday and vowed to exceed within days the maximum uranium enrichment level it agreed to in the landmark 2015 nuclear accord. Iran is acting on its May 8 threat to suspend parts of the agreement in response to US President Donald Trump's reimposition of crippling sanctions after withdrawing from it in May last year. President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday's decision was in response to failure by other parties to the deal to keep up their promises and provide Iran relief from the US sanctions.
|
| Beijing’s Message to Hong Kong: Get in Line or Face Irrelevance Posted: 03 Jul 2019 04:31 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next.After a week of turbulence in Hong Kong, Beijing appears to have settled on its message to the city: continued protests risk throwing away everything that makes it special.A front-page editorial in the Communist Party's flagship newspaper, the People's Daily, blasted the protesters who stormed the city's Legislative Council on Monday as "extremists" whose actions threaten to hinder economic and social development and "ruin Hong Kong's reputation as an international business metropolis."The comments play into a widespread anxiety among Hong Kong residents: that the former British colony risks irrelevance as it is swallowed up by an increasingly wealthy and powerful China. Beijing is using this week's unrest to put its own spin on events, sending protesters the message that their actions are more likely to speed up than slow down that trend. State media has presented Hong Kong as a city on the brink. "As the global economic landscape undergoes profound adjustments and international competition becomes increasingly fierce, Hong Kong faces great challenges and cannot afford flux or internal attrition," the People's Daily said.Historic protests erupted in recent months over Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam's decision to push ahead with a controversial bill that would allow extraditions to the mainland, alarming locals and spooking the local business community. The ransacking of the legislature came on the anniversary of the 1997 handover, as tens of thousands of people marched peacefully in a separate annual protest that passed near the complex.On Wednesday, Hong Kong-based broadcaster TVB said police arrested at least 13 people in relation to the occupation of the complex. Dozens more suspects had been identified and a wave of further arrests was expected in "the near future," The South China Morning Post newspaper reported Thursday, citing unidentified people in law enforcement. "The protesters now risk losing the moral high ground. This could be a turning point," said Wang Huiyao, an adviser to China's cabinet and founder of the Center for China and Globalization. "The violence could destroy their credibility, and it will be hard for anyone in the West to defend. They will also alienate people who supported the movement."Party NarrativeState broadcaster China Central Television aired footage Tuesday of Lam denouncing the demonstrators and video of police riding in to secure the building. A website run by the Communist Party's nationalist Global Times said the chaos "disrupted public order and challenges the rule of law."It's a narrative that challenges some of China's external critics, leading to an usually public war of words with the U.K., which has usually prioritized smooth relations with Beijing since returning Hong Kong. Prime Minister Theresa May told Parliament she was "shocked" by the scenes of violence and, after Chinese Ambassador to London Liu Xiaoming accused the British government of meddling, summoned him to the Foreign Office to explain. U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to "let it be" and not apply new pressure to Hong Kong, while his rival to succeed May as Conservative Party leader, former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, told Reuters that he stood with the city's residents "every inch of the way.""The U.K. government chose to stand on the wrong side, it has made inappropriate remarks, not only to interfere in the internal affairs of Hong Kong but also to back up the violent lawbreakers," Liu said in a televised statement Wednesday. He also said Britain has tried to "obstruct" Hong Kong authorities from "bringing the criminals to justice, which is utter interference in Hong Kong's rule of law."The Chinese government has taken a increasingly firm line against both perceived meddling and the more radical protesters. The foreign ministry and the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office have denounced the protesters who stormed the legislature as "extremists."Unrest Returns to Hong Kong: A Day In PicturesOn Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang described Western criticisms as "an ugly act of hypocrisy" while warning countries to choose their words and actions carefully. From the outset of the protests, Beijing has obliquely hinted at the role of "foreign interference" in instigating unrest.In the long run, "it is hard to see a happy ending to this impasse," Simon Pritchard, global research director at Gavekal, wrote in a note."On the Hong Kong side, the student holidays will end and the pragmatism that characterizes most of the population may persuade all but a hard core of protesters to back away," Pritchard said. "If something like this does play out, it will be a fragile truce until the next big challenge to Hong Kong's way of life comes around."(Updates with continuing investigations in sixth paragraph.)\--With assistance from Crystal Chui and Simon Lee.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Peter Martin in Beijing at pmartin138@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| U.S. scheduling principal-level trade call with China next week -official Posted: 03 Jul 2019 04:22 PM PDT ![U.S. scheduling principal-level trade call with China next week -official]( "U.S. scheduling principal-level trade call with China next week -official") The Trump administration is in the process of scheduling a phone call for next week between U.S. and Chinese trade principals, an official with the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Wednesday. The call would mark the resumption of trade negotiations between U.S. and Chinese ministerial-level officials for the first time since early May. It follows the declaration of another trade truce between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in Japan last weekend.
|
| North Korea: Trump tries to undermine peace with sanctions Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:59 PM PDT  Three days after the U.S. and North Korean leaders held a historic third meeting, North Korea's U.N. Mission accused the Trump administration Wednesday of talking about dialogue but being "more and more hell bent" on hostile acts. A press statement from the mission pointed a finger at U.S. efforts to exert "overt pressure" and have the world's nations implement U.N. sanctions.
|
| Airstrike kills 44 migrants in Libyan detention center Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:01 PM PDT  An airstrike hit a detention center for migrants near the Libyan capital of Tripoli early Wednesday, killing at least 44 people and wounding dozens of others in an attack that the U.N. human rights chief said could amount to a war crime. The Tripoli-based government blamed the attack on forces associated with Gen. Khalifa Hifter, whose Libyan National Army has been waging an offensive against rival militias in the capital of the war-torn North African country since April. It refocused attention and raised questions about the European Union's policy of cooperating with the militias that hold migrants in crowded and squalid detention centers to prevent them from crossing the Mediterranean to seek better lives in Europe.
|
| The Latest: UN Security Council to condemn attack in Libya Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:00 PM PDT  The president of the U.N. Security Council says it will issue a statement condemning the attack on a migrant detention camp near Libya's capital of Tripoli, but there is no agreement yet on the text. Peruvian Ambassador Gustavo Meza-Cuadra is this month's council president and said the Security Council will condemn Wednesday's attack that killed at least 44 people. Peru called the emergency meeting after requests from Libya's U.N.-supported government and Britain.
|
| British PM May urges successor to strengthen the union of nations Posted: 03 Jul 2019 02:30 PM PDT ![British PM May urges successor to strengthen the union of nations]( "British PM May urges successor to strengthen the union of nations") Prime Minister Theresa May will urge her successor on Thursday to strengthen the bonds between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, in a veiled criticism of those in her party who are widely thought to prefer Brexit to the union. Both of the candidates to replace May, former London mayor Boris Johnson and foreign minister Jeremy Hunt, say they want to strengthen the union of the United Kingdom's four nations. In a speech in Scotland in the dying days of her premiership, May will mark 20 years of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by saying she believed her successor would build on the work done to strengthen the union's ties.
|
| Trump Warns Iran After Rouhani Threat to Enrich More Uranium Posted: 03 Jul 2019 02:13 PM PDT ![Trump Warns Iran After Rouhani Threat to Enrich More Uranium]( "Trump Warns Iran After Rouhani Threat to Enrich More Uranium") (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump warned Iran Wednesday against stepping up uranium enrichment, the latest escalation of the conflict over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program that has plunged the Gulf into renewed uncertainty."Rouhani says that they will Enrich Uranium to 'any amount we want' if there is no new Nuclear Deal," Trump tweeted Wednesday afternoon in Washington, referring to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. "Be careful with the threats, Iran. They can come back to bite you like nobody has been bitten before!"Iran has said it will restore a mothballed reactor and step up enrichment if European nations fail to offer it economic guarantees by a July 7 deadline, escalating a crisis that threatens to collapse what's left of the 2015 nuclear accord that Trump quit last year."If you don't meet all your commitments according to the timetable and plans, the Islamic Republic will restore the Arak reactor to its previous condition," Rouhani said on Wednesday in remarks addressed to European participants in the agreement, Mehr news agency reported."Our level of enrichment will no longer be at 3.67%," he said. "We put aside this commitment and will increase enrichment as we please." Under the international deal struck four years go, Iran had poured concrete into the heavy water reactor at Arak, which was to be modernized so it couldn't produce plutonium and ease the path to a nuclear weapon.Tehran has repeatedly threatened to abandon some of its commitments under the accord as it counters the crippling economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. since Trump quite the multilateral pact. On Monday, it exceeded the 300-kilogram (661-pound) cap on its stores of uranium enriched to 3.67%, saying the deal allowed it to protect its interests if another party had abrogated terms.European nations have come up with a financial vehicle, known as Instex, that's intended to protect trade with Iran, but Iranian officials say it needs to be accompanied by a mechanism to skirt American sanctions on purchases of Iranian oil to be effective.Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for oil shipments from the Middle East, and the Iranian downing of an American drone have raised concerns of another war in the region as the standoff escalates.The nuclear deal was designed to prevent Iran from breaking out and constructing a weapon within a year, as the U.S. and its allies feared. The Arms Control Association, a Washington nonprofit, estimates Iran would need about 1,050 kilograms (2,315 pounds) of uranium enriched to 3.67% to build one bomb. The material would then need to undergo further enrichment.Trump has said he wants to negotiate a better deal that would also restrict Iran's missile program and support for armed proxies across the region. But Iran says it can't be forced to negotiate while its economy and -- more recently -- its leaders are targeted by U.S. sanctions.Instex is intended mainly to facilitate trade of basic goods such as food and medical products, but not the oil sales that are Iran's lifeline and a main target of the sanctions. Iran says it can't be expected to abide by the accord while the U.S. penalties rob it of the economic benefits it was promised in exchange for curbing what it says is a nuclear program intended for peaceful purposes.\--With assistance from Nour Al Ali and Arsalan Shahla.To contact the reporters on this story: Golnar Motevalli in Tehran at gmotevalli@bloomberg.net;Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Claudia Maedler at cmaedler@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu, Larry LiebertFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Sudan protesters resume talks with army over transition Posted: 03 Jul 2019 01:55 PM PDT  Sudan's pro-democracy movement resumed talks Wednesday with the ruling military council over a transfer of power to civilian rule, a protest leader said, a move that could break weeks of political impasse since the military ousted autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April. Mariam al-Mahdi, deputy chief of the main opposition Umma Party, told The Associated Press that the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change were meeting with the military council in the capital, Khartoum. The African Union and Ethiopia, acting as mediators, had invited both sides for direct negotiations over their joint proposal to end Sudan's political impasse.
|
| UPDATE 2-Trump officials say U.S.-China trade talks to resume next week Posted: 03 Jul 2019 01:53 PM PDT ![UPDATE 2-Trump officials say U.S.-China trade talks to resume next week]( "UPDATE 2-Trump officials say U.S.-China trade talks to resume next week") Top representatives from the United States and China are arranging to resume talks next week to try to resolve a year-long trade war between the world's two largest economies, Trump administration officials said on Wednesday. "Those talks will continue in earnest this coming week," White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters in a briefing. An official from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said later that the two sides were in the process of scheduling a principal-level phone call with Chinese officials for next week.
|
| UPDATE 3-N.Korea says U.S. 'hell-bent on hostile acts' despite wanting to talk Posted: 03 Jul 2019 01:27 PM PDT ![UPDATE 3-N.Korea says U.S. 'hell-bent on hostile acts' despite wanting to talk]( "UPDATE 3-N.Korea says U.S. 'hell-bent on hostile acts' despite wanting to talk") North Korea's mission to the United Nations accused the United States on Wednesday of being "more and more hell-bent on hostile acts" against Pyongyang, despite President Donald Trump wanting talks between the two countries. In a statement the mission said it was responding to a U.S. accusation that Pyongyang breached a cap on refined petroleum imports and a letter that it said was sent on June 29 by the United States, France, Germany and Britain to all U.N. member states urging them to implement sanctions against North Korea.
|
| War Is Coming?: America May yet Get into an Escalation with Iran Posted: 03 Jul 2019 12:48 PM PDT  Future flashpoints between Iran and the United States are highly likely. What HappenedFor now, it appears that the United States will hold off on striking Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. drone by an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) surface-to-air missile. U.S. President Donald Trump announced June 21 that he had initially authorized a military strike on three Iranian targets, but called it off 10 minutes before it was due to because he was concerned about the potential loss of life. Iran has avoided a U.S. counterstrike for now, and will almost certainly continue its aggressive regional strategy — which means Trump is at risk of finding himself in a similar position again.What It Means
|
| Migrants face 'massacre' at Libya detention centre Posted: 03 Jul 2019 12:44 PM PDT  From his hospital bed in Tripoli, wounded Al-Mahdi Hafyan recalls the nighttime "massacre" when an air strike hit a migrant centre in the Libyan capital. At least 44 people were killed and more than 130 severely wounded in the attack in the Tripoli suburb of Tajoura overnight, according to the United Nations. Hafyan had been detained in the centre for three months, after coming to Libya with a fellow Moroccan hoping to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean.
|
| Doctor: Motorcycle bomb in southern Syria city kills 3 Posted: 03 Jul 2019 12:43 PM PDT ![Doctor: Motorcycle bomb in southern Syria city kills 3]( "Doctor: Motorcycle bomb in southern Syria city kills 3") A local doctor says an explosion in southern Syria has killed at least three people and wounded at least one. Syrian state TV said the Wednesday night explosion was due to a booby-trapped motorcycleand occurred in the province of Sweida. The province is populated mainly by Syria's minority Druze community.
|
| Putin signs bill to suspend Russia's participation in nuclear treaty Posted: 03 Jul 2019 12:30 PM PDT  Vladimir Putin has signed a bill suspending Russia's participation in a pivotal nuclear arms pact with the United States.The Russian president's decree formalises his country's departure from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, from which the US announced its withdrawal earlier this year.Donald Trump's administration gave notice in February of its intention to pull out on 2 August, citing Moscow's development of a missile that was in breach of the pact.Russia has denied any violations and accused the US of breaking the accord.In a tit-for-tat response, the Kremlin followed Washington in announcing in February it would also suspend its INF treaty obligations The pact, signed by US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, banned the production, testing and deployment of land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 310 to 3,410 miles.The intermediate-range weapons were seen as particularly destabilising as they take a short time to reach their targets compared to the intercontinental ballistic missiles.That would leave practically no time for decision-makers to gauge how to respond, raising the likelihood of a global nuclear conflict over a false launch warning.Mr Gorbachev has said it was "mistake" for Mr Trump to withdraw from the treaty, telling Russia's Interfax news agency last year: "Under no circumstances should we tear up old disarmament agreements ... Do they really not understand in Washington what this could lead to?,"
|
| The Latest: Navy SEAL sentenced for posing with dead captive Posted: 03 Jul 2019 12:27 PM PDT  A military jury sentenced a decorated Navy SEAL to four months of confinement for posing with the body of an Islamic State captive in Iraq, but a judge credited him with enough days to ensure he won't be locked up. The jury Wednesday also reduced the rank of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher by one grade to petty officer 1st class and ordered his monthly pay to be cut by $2,697 for four months. The judge went on to give Gallagher 60 days' credit for being held in overly harsh conditions before being tried as well as for being deprived of treatment for a traumatic brain injury.
|
| U.S.-China Trade Talks Resume With Phone Calls, Kudlow Says Posted: 03 Jul 2019 12:18 PM PDT ![U.S.-China Trade Talks Resume With Phone Calls, Kudlow Says]( "U.S.-China Trade Talks Resume With Phone Calls, Kudlow Says") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next.U.S. and Chinese officials will talk by phone in the coming week as they seek to resolve a growing trade war between the two countries, said Larry Kudlow, President Donald Trump's chief economic adviser."They're on the phone," Kudlow told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. "They will be on the phone this coming week. And they will be scheduling face-to-face meetings. Lots of communications."Trump has said a new round of trade talks with China is underway, ending a stalemate between the two countries.Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to restart talks at the Group of 20 summit in Japan on Saturday, reflecting a truce in their trade war. Trump said he would hold off imposing an additional $300 billion in tariffs as talks continued.Trump made the threat of more duties in May after he said China reneged on language that had previously been negotiated.To contact the reporters on this story: Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.net;Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum, Margaret CollinsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Ethiopian Israeli protests of police violence enter 3rd day Posted: 03 Jul 2019 11:56 AM PDT  Scores of activists returned to streets across Israel on Wednesday to protest the killing of an Ethiopian Israeli teen by an off-duty police officer in what the community calls the latest example of police brutality and discrimination in Israeli society. Demonstrators attacked police and vandalized vehicles in response to what they see as ongoing police brutality. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged calm and convened a ministerial committee to discuss "all issues" affecting Israel's Ethiopian community, which suffers from poverty and neglect and accuses the police of excessive force.
|
| Islamic organization condemns Israeli tunnel near Al-Aqsa Posted: 03 Jul 2019 11:44 AM PDT  An international body of Muslim nations has condemned the opening of an Israeli tunnel that runs beneath a Palestinian neighborhood in east Jerusalem. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Wednesday called it a "bold and irresponsible move" that seeks "to alter the historic and legal status" of east Jerusalem. The OIC reiterated its position that east Jerusalem is occupied Palestinian territory.
|
| Scholars say Philistine genes help solve biblical mystery Posted: 03 Jul 2019 11:12 AM PDT  Human remains from an ancient cemetery in southern Israel have yielded precious bits of DNA that a new study says help prove the European origin of the Philistines — the enigmatic nemeses of the biblical Israelites. The Philistines mostly resided in five cities along the southern coast of what is today Israel and the Gaza Strip during the early Iron Age, around 3,000 years ago. Many archaeologists have proposed they migrated to the coast of the ancient Near East during a period of upheaval at the end of the Late Bronze Age, around 1200 B.C.
|
| Iran will make next breach of nuclear deal in days by casting aside uranium enrichment limit Posted: 03 Jul 2019 09:47 AM PDT  Iran will take its most significant step in breaching the nuclear deal this weekend by casting aside a limit on uranium enrichment levels, the country's president said Wednesday. Hassan Rouhani said that on Sunday his government would stop respecting a clause in the deal which limits Iran to enriching uranium beyond the low level of 3.67 per cent. "On July 7, our enrichment level will no longer be 3.67 per cent," Mr Rouhani said. "We will put aside this commitment. We will increase beyond 3.67 per cent to as much as we want, as much as is necessary, as much as we need." The move is part of an Iranian strategy of slowly ratcheting up violations of the deal as a way of pressuring European states to do more to deliver the economic benefits Tehran was promised during the 2015 negotiations. Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran. While Iran remained compliant for more than a year, it has now started incrementally violating sections of the agreement. Iran has announced it will carry out a more serious breach of the deal next week. Credit: AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File Mr Rouhani also said Iran would step up production of heavy water at the Arak reactor, which could eventually produce the type of plutonium needed for a nuclear weapon. There is no sign Iran is currently seeking to build a nuclear weapon and even with the threatened violations it would be more than a year away from being able to build a bomb. However, the decisions by Mr Trump to abandon the deal and by Iran to start backing out its terms have alarmed European diplomats, who believe the deal is in danger of collapse and the prospects of war are increasing. Mr Rouhani said Iran was prepared to go back to abiding by the nuclear agreement if it received the economic benefits it was promised. Boris Johnson said it would be a "great mistake" for Iran to pull out of the nuclear agreement. "I would urge again the Iranian government to think very, very hard about scrapping the [agreement] and breaching their commitments on the Iran nuclear deal," Mr Johnson said. France also warned Iran to return to compliance and not make any further violations. "Iran will gain nothing by leaving the Vienna accord," a foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
|
| Germany's Merkel absorbs domestic heat to get her woman to EU helm Posted: 03 Jul 2019 09:19 AM PDT ![Germany's Merkel absorbs domestic heat to get her woman to EU helm]( "Germany's Merkel absorbs domestic heat to get her woman to EU helm") BERLIN/BRUSSELS, July 3 (Reuters) - In the twilight of her career, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has chosen to soak up domestic heat from her coalition partners in order to secure a close ally at the top of the European Union who will outlast her. Ursula von der Leyen, the current German defence minister who was tapped by EU leaders on Tuesday as a unity candidate to be European Commission chief, was not Merkel's first choice.
|
| Merkel faces fury at home over choice of von der Leyen for European Commission chief Posted: 03 Jul 2019 09:10 AM PDT  Angela Merkel faced a wave of fury at home on Wednesday over the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen as the new head of the European Commission that threatened to split her government and cast doubt on her future as chancellor. Her main coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), vowed to oppose Mrs von der Leyen's candidacy, claiming it it "made a mockery of any attempt to democratise the European Union". Sigmar Gabriel, a former SPD leader, described the nomination as "an unprecedented act of political trickery" and called for his party to pull out of her government in protest -- a move which would deprive Mrs Merkel of a majority and could force new elections. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the leader of Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrat party (CDU) hit back, accusing the SPD of "putting party interests above the interests of Europe and Germany". "It's a unique situation when Germany can't get behind a German candidate," said Markus Söder, the leader of Mrs Merkel's Bavarian sister party. Mrs Merkel is facing fury from her coalition partners over the choice of Mrs von der Leyen as Commission chief Credit: Markus Schreiber/AP The nomination of Mrs von der Leyen as the first German head of the Commission might seem like a victory for Germany, but it is a deeply controversial choice in her own country. The SPD leadership is furious that Mrs Merkel has abandoned the principle that the Commission chief should be one of the lead candidates from the European elections. And the nomination is seen as a reward for failure for Mrs von der Leyen after a chequered six years as German defence minister. Martin Schulz, another former SPD leader, described her as "the worst minister in Germany". One of Mrs Merkel's closest confidants, Mrs von der Leyen's tenure as defence minister saw funding shortages become so acute that troops were at one point forced to use broomsticks instead of guns on a Nato training exercise. The German parliament's own military watchdog warned last year that equipment shortages were so severe the country could not meet its Nato commitments. Yet Mrs von der Leyen appeared to prioritise projects to provide soldiers with creches and flexible working hours over addressing the funding gap. Mrs von der Leyen has been nominated to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the European Commission Credit: OLIVIER HOSLET/EPA-EFE/REX Her chances of securing the post as Commission chief received a boost in Strasbourg on Wednesday, when the European Parliament voted for Italian socialist David Sassoli, a former TV news journalist and an MEP since 2009, to become its president. Mr Sassoli, 63, secured a majority of 23 in the second ballot. He was backed by a coalition of the centre-Right, centre-left and Emmanuel Macron's liberals. Their support suggested that EU leaders were correct in counting on MEPs to back the package of names put together after a marathon 27 hours of summit negotiations over three days. There were fears MEPs would refuse to back Mrs von der Leyen's nomination in fury after EU leaders ditched the system that tied the job of Commission chief to the results of the European elections, But the election of Mr Sassoli suggests that there is a majority in the European Parliament for her candidacy. That means that the presidencies of the European Commission, Council and Parliament will be split between the EU's largest three political groups. Mr Sassoli will serve five years but can expect a challenge after two and a half years. The parliament is expected to vote on Mrs von der Leyen's candidacy on or around July 15.
|
| Putin signs bill suspending participation in nuclear treaty Posted: 03 Jul 2019 08:49 AM PDT  President Vladimir Putin has signed a bill suspending Russia's participation in a pivotal nuclear arms treaty. Putin's decree, released on Wednesday, formalizes Russia's departure from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty with the United States following Washington's withdrawal from the pact. The U.S. gave notice of its intention to withdraw from the INF in February, setting the stage for it to terminate in six months unless Moscow returns to compliance.
|
| Grandmother, 83, tied up by staff on luxury cruise when she had panic attack weeks before her death, inquest hears Posted: 03 Jul 2019 08:27 AM PDT  A grandmother with dementia was tied up by staff on a luxury Mediterranean cruise when she had a panic attack weeks before her death, an inquest heard. Marguerite Hayward was on a dream holiday with her war veteran husband Frederick when she fell ill on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer in April 2017. Mr Hayward, who fought for the British army in Korea and Suez, called for help after she woke up from a nightmare "screaming" in their £8,500 suite. He said his 83-year-old partner, who had mild dementia, became more agitated and "lashed out" at security guards because they shouted at her. Her hands and feet were bound with cords from bathrobes and she was given two doses of a sedative as seven members of staff intervened, a court heard. Mr Hayward said he felt they were being treated "like criminals" and described his wife being "pinned" to the bed and "forcibly injected". Marguerite Hayward and her husband Frederick, who served in the British army in Suez and Korea. Credit: Family handout He said she was "much calmer" the following day, but the ship's doctor insisted she had to be "medically disembarked" so she could have "specialist treatment". The retired property manager and her husband of 64 years, from Lavenham, Suffolk, were ordered off the cruise at the southern Italian port of Sorrento and taken to hospital by a waiting ambulance. Staff on the Seven Seas Explorer - a six-star ship promoted as the "most luxurious ever built" - gave them a £1,000 bill for the drugs used to sedate Mrs Hayward before they left. She developed bed sores as she was kept sedated for five days in Italy before being flown back to the UK for treatment at West Suffolk Hospital. She was later moved to Glastonbury Court care home, where she died on July 29, 2017, Suffolk Coroners' Court heard. Coroner Nigel Parsley concluded that the "sequence of events which started on the ship, and the treatment which she received overseas, had a cumulative and contributing effect on her death". The coroner also concluded that the "nature of the treatment" Mrs Hayward initially received on the cruise ship "contributed to her acute episode of delirium at that time". Mr Hayward died aged 89 in February but statements he wrote shortly after his wife's death were submitted as evidence at the hearing earlier this week. How to listen - Chopper's Brexit podcast In his statement, he said: "If only Marguerite had not been wrongly diagnosed by the ship's doctor, if only the port agent had done his job, she would have been home enjoying her beloved garden instead of suffering the horrendous pressure ulcers caused by the appalling lack of care in the Sorrento hospital." Giving evidence at the inquest, geriatrician Dr Elena Jameson said it would have been more appropriate to give Mrs Hayward time to calm down rather than rushing her to hospital. Mrs Hayward's marketing consultant son Martin, 58, from Hertfordshire, told the Telegraph: "I just don't understand why they didn't give some space and some time and some care to her. "Why did they create a blue lights and sirens emergency when mum was clearly calm, coherent and walking in the morning?" Regent Seven Seas Cruises maintains it followed correct procedures for dealing with the situation and offered appropriate support. A spokesman said: "We would like to express our deepest sympathies to the Hayward family. "We support the coroner's conclusion that the decision to medically disembark Mrs Hayward to receive further medical attention was correct and that no criticism was made of our staff's conduct in this very sad and difficult situation."
|
| Sudan protesters at a crossroads after deadly crackdown Posted: 03 Jul 2019 07:48 AM PDT  The mass marches held in Sudan this week breathed new life into the uprising that toppled long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir, but the protesters and the ruling military council remain at an impasse amid fears the country could slide into further chaos. Nearly a dozen people were killed in clashes as security forces prevented the demonstrators from reaching the military headquarters and the Nile-side presidential palace. It was the biggest show of determination by the protesters since security forces violently dispersed their main sit-in outside the military headquarters on June 3, killing at least 128 people.
|
| In Libya, a rogues' gallery of militias Posted: 03 Jul 2019 07:37 AM PDT  The airstrike that hit a detention center for migrants near the Libyan capital early Wednesday killing more than 40 people and wounding dozens has raised concerns about the European Union's policy of partnering with Libyan militias to prevent migrants from crossing the Mediterranean. The parties involved in Libya's conflict comprise a rogues' gallery of militias, many of which are little more than criminal gangs armed with heavy weapons. The country slid into chaos after the 2011 uprising, in which rebels overthrew and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi and looted his vast arsenal.
|
| Trump in Danger of Repeating Obama’s Iran Mistake Posted: 03 Jul 2019 07:07 AM PDT ![Trump in Danger of Repeating Obama's Iran Mistake]( "Trump in Danger of Repeating Obama's Iran Mistake") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- U.S. President Donald Trump, who seems obsessed with undoing his predecessor's legacy, is in danger of repeating Barack Obama's fundamental mistake on Iran: Making the confrontation with the Islamic Republic almost exclusively about nuclear weapons.In recent weeks, Trump has on several occasions repeated his willingness to negotiate with the regime in Tehran, even as he slapped more sanctions on Iranian institutions and individuals, and threatened "obliteration" if Americans are attacked. While not quite the same as talking softly and carrying a big stick, it is at least a simulacrum of a strategy – except that, as I have written before, the administration hasn't properly defined its objectives.But when pressed for a definition, Trump has talked mostly about Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, suggesting that preventing such an outcome would be the purpose of any talks with Tehran. "I think they want to negotiate," he said on NBC's Meet the Press program. "And I think they want to make a deal. And my deal is nuclear. Look, they're not going to have a nuclear weapon." He said that was the message he sent Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei through Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: "I said, 'Send the following message: You can't have nuclear weapons. And other than that, we can sit down and make a deal.'" But that is exactly the signal Obama sent – through his secretary of state, John Kerry – after the Iranians agreed in 2013 to negotiations aimed at ending the economic sanctions. And the principle was enshrined two years later in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action: Tehran would give up its nuclear ambitions in exchange for access to international markets and billions of dollars in frozen assets.The deal was deeply flawed. In effect, it gave the Iranian regime a shield to cover its other dangerous activities – supporting genocide in Syria and terrorism elsewhere, along with the development of ballistic missiles – and more money with which to conduct them. The Iranians did just that, stepping up assistance to Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.At the same time, the JCPOA allowed Iran to maintain a stockpile of enriched uranium, and the possibility of resuming its pursuit of nuclear weapons in 10 or 15 years.After Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal last year, the State Department signaled that any future negotiations would encompass all of Iran's malign behavior, not just its nuclear program. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a list of 12 demands the regime would have to fulfil before a new deal could be struck: These included the ending of support for groups like Hezbollah and the termination of the ballistic-missile program.But in his eagerness to "make a deal" with Khamenei – and perhaps imagining a photo-op akin to his little walkabout with Kim Jong Un in North Korea – Trump seems be losing sight of the non-nuclear threat represented by Tehran. In his NBC interview, the President made only a fleeting reference to Iran's ballistic missile program, but it was clear where his priorities lay: "Here's what I want: anything that gets you to the result."Then he repeated that Iran could not have nuclear weapons.It is a position Obama would have approved. And, if he had any sense, so would Khamenei.To contact the author of this story: Bobby Ghosh at aghosh73@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Edward Evans at eevans3@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Bobby Ghosh is a columnist and member of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board. He writes on foreign affairs, with a special focus on the Middle East and the wider Islamic world.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Trump in Danger of Repeating Obama’s Iran Mistake Posted: 03 Jul 2019 07:07 AM PDT ![Trump in Danger of Repeating Obama's Iran Mistake]( "Trump in Danger of Repeating Obama's Iran Mistake") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- U.S. President Donald Trump, who seems obsessed with undoing his predecessor's legacy, is in danger of repeating Barack Obama's fundamental mistake on Iran: Making the confrontation with the Islamic Republic almost exclusively about nuclear weapons.In recent weeks, Trump has on several occasions repeated his willingness to negotiate with the regime in Tehran, even as he slapped more sanctions on Iranian institutions and individuals, and threatened "obliteration" if Americans are attacked. While not quite the same as talking softly and carrying a big stick, it is at least a simulacrum of a strategy – except that, as I have written before, the administration hasn't properly defined its objectives.But when pressed for a definition, Trump has talked mostly about Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, suggesting that preventing such an outcome would be the purpose of any talks with Tehran. "I think they want to negotiate," he said on NBC's Meet the Press program. "And I think they want to make a deal. And my deal is nuclear. Look, they're not going to have a nuclear weapon." He said that was the message he sent Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei through Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: "I said, 'Send the following message: You can't have nuclear weapons. And other than that, we can sit down and make a deal.'" But that is exactly the signal Obama sent – through his secretary of state, John Kerry – after the Iranians agreed in 2013 to negotiations aimed at ending the economic sanctions. And the principle was enshrined two years later in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action: Tehran would give up its nuclear ambitions in exchange for access to international markets and billions of dollars in frozen assets.The deal was deeply flawed. In effect, it gave the Iranian regime a shield to cover its other dangerous activities – supporting genocide in Syria and terrorism elsewhere, along with the development of ballistic missiles – and more money with which to conduct them. The Iranians did just that, stepping up assistance to Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.At the same time, the JCPOA allowed Iran to maintain a stockpile of enriched uranium, and the possibility of resuming its pursuit of nuclear weapons in 10 or 15 years.After Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal last year, the State Department signaled that any future negotiations would encompass all of Iran's malign behavior, not just its nuclear program. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a list of 12 demands the regime would have to fulfil before a new deal could be struck: These included the ending of support for groups like Hezbollah and the termination of the ballistic-missile program.But in his eagerness to "make a deal" with Khamenei – and perhaps imagining a photo-op akin to his little walkabout with Kim Jong Un in North Korea – Trump seems be losing sight of the non-nuclear threat represented by Tehran. In his NBC interview, the President made only a fleeting reference to Iran's ballistic missile program, but it was clear where his priorities lay: "Here's what I want: anything that gets you to the result."Then he repeated that Iran could not have nuclear weapons.It is a position Obama would have approved. And, if he had any sense, so would Khamenei.To contact the author of this story: Bobby Ghosh at aghosh73@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Edward Evans at eevans3@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Bobby Ghosh is a columnist and member of the Bloomberg Opinion editorial board. He writes on foreign affairs, with a special focus on the Middle East and the wider Islamic world.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Turkey detains 2 Russian women suspected of joining IS Posted: 03 Jul 2019 06:35 AM PDT ![Turkey detains 2 Russian women suspected of joining IS]( "Turkey detains 2 Russian women suspected of joining IS") Turkey's state-run news agency says two Russian women who are suspected of being Islamic State militants and are allegedly listed as wanted by Interpol have been detained by authorities. Anadolu Agency said Wednesday that the two were detained in the border town of Akcakale while trying to enter Turkey illegally from neighboring Syria and being accompanied by their nine children. The agency said the women told police that their husbands had been killed in Syria and that they were trying to return to Russia via Turkey.
|
| Labour Plans to Position on Brexit, Second Referendum Before Summer Recess Posted: 03 Jul 2019 06:10 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The Labour Party aims to come to a clear position on Brexit and a possible second referendum by the end of the month.The party will decide on its new position in consultation with unions, a Labour spokesman told reporters in London on Wednesday. The plan is to come to a "definitive position" before Parliament breaks for recess in late July, he said.Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has edged toward backing a second referendum, but still has reservations. He's under pressure from senior members of the party to come out definitively for a re-run vote, which would include the option to remain in the European Union. To contact the reporter on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Emma Ross-Thomas at erossthomas@bloomberg.net;David Merritt at dmerritt1@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| It's Back: Iran's Su-24 Returns from the Dead Posted: 03 Jul 2019 05:40 AM PDT  Iran has managed to restore a Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) fighter-bomber back to service after many years of grounding at Shiraz air base.Mehr News Agency said Iran invested over 35,000 manpower hours in the aircraft and succeeded on Jan. 14.The aircraft has now joined Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) fleet.In 1991 Iran integrated its Fencer fleet with 24 Iraqi Fencers that were evacuated to the country during the Gulf War. Iran possibly purchased other Su-24s from Russia or other former Soviet States. In September 2011, the IRIAF's Deputy Commander, General Mohammad Alavi said to IRINN TV that the service had tested domestically produced, anti-radar smart missiles on Su-24 aircraft.As of January 2013, 30 Su-24MKs were in service with the IRIAF.
|
| Study This Picture: Iran Has Made Some Upgrades to Its F-14 Tomcats Posted: 03 Jul 2019 05:04 AM PDT  Iran says it has succeeded in upgrading a Grumman F-14 Tomcat and return it to service.According Mehr News Agency the process to upgrade the F-14 fighter jet began in February 2017. The Tomcat undertook flight tests last month and has now joined Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) F-14's fleet, said Mohammad Jafar Tak, commander of Shahid Babaei Airbase.The country has also overhauled a F-7 and PC-7.Noteworthy as we have recently explained IRIAF F-14s can carry several types of air-to-air missiles.In fact along with the M61A1 Vulan 20mm internal cannon, AIM-54 Phoenix radar-guided long-range air-to-air missile, AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range semi-active radar homing air-to-air missile and AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile, Iranian Tomcats can be loaded also with the Fakour-90 air-to-air missile and MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air-missile (SAM) used as air-to-air missile.
|
| UPDATE 5-Trump tells Iran threats 'can come back to bite you' in nuclear standoff Posted: 03 Jul 2019 04:48 AM PDT ![UPDATE 5-Trump tells Iran threats 'can come back to bite you' in nuclear standoff]( "UPDATE 5-Trump tells Iran threats 'can come back to bite you' in nuclear standoff") U.S. President Donald Trump warned Iran on Wednesday against making threats that can "come back to bite you like nobody has been bitten before," after Tehran announced it would breach a 2015 nuclear deal. President Hassan Rouhani announced that after July 7 Iran would enrich uranium beyond a fissile purity of 3.67%, which is the maximum allowed by the deal and a level which is deemed suitable for electricity generation.
|
| HIGHLIGHTS-UK's Boris Johnson on Hong Kong, Huawei, Iran and Brexit Posted: 03 Jul 2019 04:02 AM PDT ![HIGHLIGHTS-UK's Boris Johnson on Hong Kong, Huawei, Iran and Brexit]( "HIGHLIGHTS-UK's Boris Johnson on Hong Kong, Huawei, Iran and Brexit") The following are key quotes from a Reuters interview with Boris Johnson, the leading candidate to replace Prime Minister Theresa May. Johnson spoke about Hong Kong, Huawei, Iran and Brexit. "I don't think that parliament is going to want to stop Brexit.
|
| No, Iran is Not Sprinting Toward a Nuclear Bomb Posted: 03 Jul 2019 04:01 AM PDT  Iran's breach of the nuclear accord was more message than threat. Iran is not sprinting for a bomb, nor does it want a war. But National Security Advisor John Bolton does. Iran's recent actions have played right into Bolton's hand, increasing the risk of war.Iran recently breached a minor limit of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal, stockpiling low enriched uranium (LEU) beyond the permitted three-hundred-kilogram limit. This is a small, reversible step, and not a significant danger to the United States. Despite Bolton's statements to the contrary, it does not indict that Iran is sprinting to a bomb—they are still a long way away. Instead, Iran's main interest is to create leverage for sanctions relief.Iran has done this before. Before the nuclear deal, Iran had over ten thousand kilograms of low-enriched uranium gas. They agreed to ship 98 percent of it out of the country, as part of the deal, and were left with a token amount of three hundred kilograms.Iran's decision to surpass this limit was a direct response to U.S. provocations. President Donald Trump violated the nuclear deal a year ago, reimposing all nuclear sanctions on Iran. Since then, Bolton and Trump's other advisors have been steadily ramping up the pressure, hoping to provoke Iran and create a pretext for U.S. military strikes.Most recently, the United States imposed sanctions on any country that accepts shipments of Iran's excess uranium. Iran had been exporting any LEU in excess of the three-hundred-kilograms limit, as they're permitted to do under the deal. Now, since the United States removed the export option, they are continuing to slowly produce LEU, but stockpiling it rather than shipping it out.
|
| RPT-U.S. govt staff told treat Huawei as blacklisted-email Posted: 03 Jul 2019 04:00 AM PDT ![RPT-U.S. govt staff told treat Huawei as blacklisted-email]( "RPT-U.S. govt staff told treat Huawei as blacklisted-email") A senior U.S. official this week told the Commerce Department's enforcement staff that China's Huawei should still be treated as blacklisted, days after U.S. President Donald Trump sowed confusion with a vow to ease a ban on selling to the firm. On Saturday, Trump surprised markets by promising Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan that he would allow U.S. companies to sell products to Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. In May, the company was added to the so-called Entity List, which bans American firms from selling to it without special permission, as punishment for actions against U.S. national security interests.
|
| Iran says it will increase uranium enhancement Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:54 AM PDT ![Iran says it will increase uranium enhancement]( "Iran says it will increase uranium enhancement") Hassan Rouhani said Iran will "take the next step" on Sunday to increase uranium enhancement to "any amount that we want."
|
| Iran Under Pressure: Why America's Sanctions Strategy Will Work Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:43 AM PDT  Iran announced on July 1 that it had crossed the threshold of a three-hundred-kilogram stockpile of low enriched uranium that it is allowed under the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed later in the afternoon that this was indeed the situation.While the reason that Iran is lashing out has to do with the fact that it is suffering the effects of the sanctions that the United States has put in place as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign, Iran's message in the nuclear realm is directed primarily to the Europeans. In line with its long-time tactic of "divide and conquer" with regard to the Americans and Europeans, Iran wants to get the Europeans to blame the United States for Iran's provocations (accepting that Iran "had no choice but to lash out"). It wants to finally secure a financial mechanism that will circumvent U.S. sanctions, and allow economic deals to flourish between Iran and European companies.
|
| More than 100 civilians killed in fresh S. Sudan violence: UN Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:39 AM PDT  The UN said Wednesday that conflict had intensified in a region of South Sudan since a peace deal was signed, with hundreds of civilians raped or murdered by warring factions. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said civilians had been "deliberately and brutally targeted" in Central Equatoria since the agreement was inked in September. A roughly similar number of women and girls were raped or suffered other sexual violence between September and April, it said in its latest human rights report.
|
| It's Time to Formally End the Korean War Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:38 AM PDT  Last night, President Donald Trump did what no other sitting U.S. president has done—he stepped foot onto North Korean soil and greeted North Korean chairman Kim Jong-un. And in typical Trump fashion, he staged a second dramatic crossing over the military demarcation line at Panmunjom with Kim, stepping together onto South Korean soil and greeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in before having a fifty-minute meeting in the South's Freedom House.Leaving the DMZ, Trump said, "We moved mountains," and that working-level talks led by U.S. special representative Stephen Biegun would get started right away. "The meeting was a very good one, very strong . . . We're not looking for speed, we're looking to get it right."To get it right, the first step the Trump administration should take is to offer North Korea a security guarantee, whether in the form of an end of war declaration or a non-aggression pact. It may have been, after all, what convinced Kim to meet Trump at Panmunjom.One year ago, armed North and South Korean soldiers faced off. There were guard posts, landmines and speakers blasting propaganda across the DMZ. Today, the speakers and guard posts are down and many landmines were removed in the process of searching for the remains of U.S. soldiers who fell during the war. The fact that North Korean, South Korean and American security details could even stand side-by-side at Panmunjom is testament to the April 27, 2018 Panmunjom Summit where Moon and Kim announced to the world, "there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula and thus a new era of peace has begun." This agreement was the foundation for the Singapore Declaration, where Trump and Kim promised to establish new relations toward building a lasting peace and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
|
| COLUMN-Trump's dance with autocrats keeps diplomatic doors open: Peter Apps Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:37 AM PDT ![COLUMN-Trump's dance with autocrats keeps diplomatic doors open: Peter Apps]( "COLUMN-Trump's dance with autocrats keeps diplomatic doors open: Peter Apps") For those who accuse U.S. President Donald Trump of being more at home in the company of dictators, autocrats and authoritarian rulers than with democratic leaders, the past week has provided ready ammunition. As protesters took to the streets in Hong Kong calling for democracy and human rights, Trump's most successful meetings at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka last week appear to have been with leaders accused in the West of denying those liberties. With Chinese President Xi Xinping, the focus was on easing the trade war between Beijing and Washington, while with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump joked of "getting rid" of troublesome journalists.
|
| Tensions in Merkel's cabinet over von der Leyen nomination Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:06 AM PDT  The nomination of German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as new European Commission chief has sparked fresh tensions within Chancellor Angela Merkel's fragile coalition. While the Brussels-born, multi-lingual political veteran secured the nod of 28 European leaders, at home, her naming as Jean-Claude Juncker's successor has been greeted with a sneer. Minutes after EU leaders announced their deal on the bloc's top jobs, Merkel's junior coalition partner, the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), rejected the deal done among EU leaders.
|
| Two Women Surge in Race to Take on Trump Posted: 03 Jul 2019 03:02 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every day? Sign up for the Balance of Power newsletter, and follow Bloomberg Politics on Twitter and Facebook for more.Three years after Hillary Clinton became the first woman to secure a major party nomination for the U.S. presidency, two female Democratic candidates are surging to the top of a crowded field of possible 2020 challengers to President Donald Trump.Freshman California Senator Kamala Harris has leapfrogged into second place in polls since the first debate, surpassing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders – who finished second for the nomination in 2016 – and highlighting front-runner Joe Biden's vulnerabilities.Massachusetts Senator and liberal firebrand Elizabeth Warren also saw a bump after last week's nationally televised face-off, as voters search for a progressive alternative to Biden in the biggest candidate field in history.Warren also is winning respect from a small but growing circle of senior bankers and hedge fund managers, despite having made Wall Street a top target.With seven months to go before the contest officially begins in Iowa – and 11 more debates before the party convention next July – it's still early days.But even though a lack of support from white female voters contributed to Clinton's loss, the surge by Harris and Warren could be a sign that Democrats are open to again picking a woman to take on Trump.Global HeadlinesMerkel's Stand | History might remember that one of Angela Merkel's closing acts as chancellor was to return a German to the helm of the European Union's executive and help elevate two women to the top jobs for the first time. But as Patrick Donahue and Ian Wishart report, she fumbled along the way and was lucky to land on her feet. The queen of Europe is no longer the unassailable force she was, yet the bruising horsetrading also revealed that Merkel remains a woman of principle.Click here for a guide to who will lead the bloc's biggest institutions.Double whammy | The Trump administration abandoned its hard-fought plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census after the U.S. Supreme Court challenged its purpose, a win for immigrant-rights groups and Democrats who said the query was designed to dilute their power. The setback came the same day a federal just blocked the administration's plan to jail immigrants seeking asylum and deny them bail if they crossed the U.S. border without permission.Boiling waters | The U.S. denounced Chinese anti-ship missile tests in the South China Sea as "coercive acts," underscoring tension between the two powers as they resume trade talks. China fired at least one missile over the weekend and was expected to continue testing through today. There's concern the weapons could target American warships that assert free-navigation rights by sailing close to occupied features in the disputed waters.HP, Dell, Microsoft and Amazon are considering shifting "substantial" production capacity out of China to avoid U.S. tariffs, Nikkei reported, amid the continuing trade dispute between the U.S. and China and Washington's blacklisting of Chinese tech giant Huawei.Khashoggi's murder | The UN expert who investigated the murder of U.S.-based Saudi Arabian columnist Jamal Khashoggi said it was a "state killing" that should prompt world leaders to reconsider holding the Group of 20 summit in Riyadh next year. Agnes Callamard said the meeting must be moved so participants aren't "complicit" in the crime.Migrants attacked | Libya's UN-backed government accused strongman Khalifa Haftar of ordering an airstrike that killed 40 people at a detention center outside Tripoli housing immigrants believed to be heading to Europe. While Haftar's Libyan National Army reportedly denied responsibility, the attack may increase international pressure for him to return to the UN-sponsored peace process aimed at ending the OPEC member's civil war.What to WatchAfter a yearlong assault on the Federal Reserve and its chairman, Trump has tapped two economists to join the central bank's board who are likely to support his call for lower interest rates. Iran gave the EU until Sunday to comply with its obligations under a 2015 nuclear pact, saying it will restart its Arak nuclear reactor if the deadline isn't met. The EU's executive branch will meet today to decide on disciplinary action against Italy over its debt after the country's government took steps to reduce this year's deficit target.And finally ... Fighter jets and tanks will provide the backdrop for Trump's Independence Day speech tomorrow on the National Mall in a first-of-its-kind July 4 celebration that critics say risks turning the annual event into a de facto Trump rally. The "Salute to America," as Trump calls it, will feature flyovers and an expanded fireworks show that will briefly ground commercial flights. Trump conceived the changes after his plan for a military parade on Veteran's Day was stymied by complaints from local officials about the cost. \--With assistance from Flavia Krause-Jackson.To contact the author of this story: Kathleen Hunter in London at khunter9@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Winfrey at mwinfrey@bloomberg.net, Karl MaierFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
|
| Video Alert: Watch an Iranian F-14A Launch a Fakour-90 Air-To-Air Missile Posted: 03 Jul 2019 02:48 AM PDT  The following interesting video is the first known footage that shows an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) F-14A Tomcat firing a Fakour-90 air-to-air missile.The missile is a copy of the Hughes AIM-54 Phoenix missile that was sold together with the F-14 to Iran in the late 1970s.The missile was developed by the Iranian Army, Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, and IRIAF. In Oct. 2011, it was announced that the missile had reached the stage of mass production.The U.S. Navy retired the iconic Tomcat on Sep. 22, 2006 and today the F-14 remains in in service with IRIAF.In Jan. 2007, U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced that sales of spare F-14 parts would be suspended over concerns of the parts ending up in Iran and in Jul. 2007 the remaining U.S. F-14s were shredded to ensure that any parts could not be acquired.However in Oct. 2010 IRIAF commander stated that his country was overhauling its F-14s and mentioned that Iran-made radar system had been installed on the fighter.
|
| Iran to boost uranium enrichment level, breaching nuclear pact -Rouhani Posted: 03 Jul 2019 02:46 AM PDT ![Iran to boost uranium enrichment level, breaching nuclear pact -Rouhani]( "Iran to boost uranium enrichment level, breaching nuclear pact -Rouhani") GENEVA/DUBAI, July 3 (Reuters) - Iran will boost its uranium enrichment after July 7 to whatever levels it needs beyond the cap set in the landmark 2015 nuclear deal, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, defying U.S. efforts to force Tehran to renegotiate the pact. Iran announced this week it has stockpiled more low-enriched uranium than is permitted under the accord, a move that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump - who withdrew the United States from the deal last year - to warn Iran was "playing with fire".
|
| UPDATE 1-UK economy shrinks as Brexit, global worries mount -PMI Posted: 03 Jul 2019 02:44 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-UK economy shrinks as Brexit, global worries mount -PMI]( "UPDATE 1-UK economy shrinks as Brexit, global worries mount -PMI") Britain's economy appears to have shrunk for the first time since late 2012 between April and June as worries about Brexit were compounded by global trade tensions, a closely watched survey showed on Wednesday. A day after Bank of England Governor Mark Carney warned of the growing risks from a no-deal Brexit and protectionist trade policies, a gauge of Britain's huge services industry -- the IHS Markit/CIPS services Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) -- slipped to 50.2 in June, just above the no-growth level of 50. Equivalent surveys for manufacturing and construction published earlier this week showed those sectors contracted in June, meaning Britain's economy overall probably shrank by 0.1 percent in the second quarter, IHS Markit/CIPS said.
|
| UPDATE 3-Irish Brexit border issue cannot be solved by tech alone- former UK official Posted: 03 Jul 2019 02:42 AM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Irish Brexit border issue cannot be solved by tech alone- former UK official]( "UPDATE 3-Irish Brexit border issue cannot be solved by tech alone- former UK official") No technology solution exists or can alone solve the issue of preventing a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic after Britain leaves the EU, the British official who was in charge of Brexit border preparations said on Wednesday. Karen Wheeler, who left her role as Director General of Britain's Cross Government Border Delivery Group last week, also said planning for a no-deal Brexit had felt like preparing for a crisis and even if the government was ready, it could not ensure the same for industry and businesses. Three years after Britons voted narrowly in a referendum to leave the European Union, Britain is still wrangling over how and when to leave.
|
| Iran to exceed uranium enrichment limit from Sunday: Rouhani Posted: 03 Jul 2019 02:19 AM PDT President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will exceed on Sunday the uranium enrichment limit it agreed in a 2015 deal with major powers, raising it "as much as necessary". Iran is acting on its May 8 threat to suspend parts of the 2015 nuclear agreement in response to US President Donald Trump's reimposition of crippling sanctions since withdrawing from it in May last year. "On July 7, our enrichment level will no longer be 3.67 percent.
|
