| Former astronaut helps break flight record over poles Posted: 11 Jul 2019 04:17 PM PDT  A former astronaut landed back at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Thursday after helping to shatter a pair of records for a round-the-world airplane flight over the North and South poles. Terry Virts was part of the team whose 46-hour, 39-minute and 38-second polar circumnavigation flight ended where it began. Virts' former space station crewmate, Russian Gennady Padalka, was on the first two legs of the flight.
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| Venezuela seeks extradition of suspect accused of burning man to death Posted: 11 Jul 2019 03:37 PM PDT  Enzo Franchini Oliveros accused over death of Orlando José Figuera, 21, who was set alight during anti-government protestsVenezuela's government has insisted Figuera was the victim of a political hate crime, who was targeted for supporting the government. Photograph: Carlos Eduardo Ramirez/ReutersVenezuela is seeking the extradition from Spain of a man accused of burning another man to death during anti-government protests in Caracas two years ago.Enzo Franchini Oliveros is accused over the death of Orlando José Figuera, 21, who was beaten, stabbed, doused in petrol and set on fire during street clashes on 20 May 2017.Franchini was arrested on Monday in a town near Madrid, according to a Spanish national police spokesperson.Venezuela's top prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, made the arrest public on Wednesday, accusing Franchini of crimes including "attempted murder and terrorism".Protests against Nicolás Maduro rocked Venezuela for several months in 2017, prompting a brutal response from security forces. More than 130 people died in the unrest and thousands were injured – most of them anti-government protesters caught in the crackdown.Venezuela's government has insisted Figuera was the victim of a political hate crime, who was targeted for supporting the government.But the country's top chief prosecutor at the time of the incident, Luisa Ortega Díaz, concluded that Figuera was stabbed after an altercation over a job application. Figuera's assailant then accused him of being a thief; he was beaten, doused with petrol and set alight.Ortega now lives in exile, having broken with Maduro's government in August that year.The conditions that led to the 2017 protests continue today, as Maduro fends off challenges to his power from opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who is recognised as the legitimate leader by the US and most of the world's democracies.The United Nations' refugee agency estimates that 4 million Venezuelans have left the country to escape food shortages, insecurity and economic collapse.Last week, the UN's human rights chief accused Maduro's security forces of committing a series of "gross violations" against Venezuelan dissenters, including more than 5,000 extra-judicial executions.
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| Biden Keeps His Lead as Warren Gains in Poll: Campaign Update Posted: 11 Jul 2019 03:24 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Former Vice President Joe Biden still lead the Democratic primary field, an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Thursday shows, but Senator Elizabeth Warren is steadily gaining ground.Biden leads with 26%, and he is followed by Warren with 19%. Senator Kamala Harris and Senator Bernie Sanders are tied with 13%. South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg pulled in 7%.Polling throughout the race has shown Biden with a sizable lead, but in recent weeks that edge has started to narrow.The latest poll shows Warren and Harris continuing to surge after the first Democratic debates last month in Miami. Meanwhile, Sanders continues to lose ground to Warren, his progressive rival.Former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke and entrepreneur Andrew Yang are at 2%. None of the other candidates topped 1%.Despite Biden's steady lead, only 12% of voters said they were locked into their top choice more than six months before the Iowa caucuses.The poll shows Biden remains the top choice for African American voters, as well as older Democrats and those who describe themselves as moderate or conservative. By contrast, Warren performed the best with self-identified liberals and voters between the ages of 18 and 49.As for voters' second choice candidate, Harris came in first with 14%, followed by Warren with 13%, Sanders with 12% and Biden with 10%.The poll of 800 registered voters was conducted between July 7-9. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.Gillibrand Vows 'Deadbeat' Tax to Save Jobs (3:45 p.m.)Democratic presidential hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand vowed to hold companies that outsource jobs accountable, saying President Donald Trump has failed to deliver on his campaign promise to keep jobs in the U.S.The New York senator's plan includes a "deadbeat company tax" that aims to punish large corporations that move operations overseas. If 25 or more jobs are moved the company would receive financial penalties and clawbacks of local, state and federal funds, she said.Gillibrand said she'd start an economic disaster aid fund to help local communities deal with layoffs. The fund would make federal resources available for infrastructure, grants for job creation, job training and mortgage payment loans."As president, I promise to fight for workers the same way President Trump fights for executives. And no corporation will stand in my way," she said. -- Catherine DodgeKamala Harris Says She'll Fix Rape-Kit Backlog (2 p.m.)Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris unveiled a $1 billion plan to help states eliminate backlogs on rape kits, which are used by health professionals to gather evidence in sexual assault cases.In a news release, Harris's campaign pointed out that it was making the announcement as "the case of Jeffrey Epstein, who was indicted this week for sex trafficking and faces accusations of raping teenage girls, draws further scrutiny."The California senator's campaign said the policy is intended to help states eliminate their backlog within four years. About 225,000 known untested rape kits had been uncovered in the last decade, it said.States will have to implement four steps to receive funding: provide yearly reports on the number of untested rape kits, require that all new rape kits be submitted and tested in a short time, track rape kits and make their status available to victims, and make the kits widely available. -- Sahil KapurButtigieg Outlines Plan to Boost Racial Justice (11:20 a.m.)Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg detailed a multibillion-dollar initiative to address racial inequality in heath care, education, entrepreneurship, the criminal justice system, housing, the environment and voting rights.Buttigieg's campaign has been roiled by his handling of racial issues in South Bend, Indiana, where he is mayor. In June, he suspended his campaign and returned home to address protests by black residents after a white police officer shot and killed a black man. Buttigieg has struggled to attract minority voters and the most recent polls show him essentially polling at zero among black Democrats.The "Douglass Plan" he presented Thursday aims to show "how the federal government can intentionally dismantle racist structures and systems" through "unprecedented" economic investment in African American communities.The proposal, named after the 19th century black abolitionist Frederick Douglass, includes creating health equity investment zones and a data base identifying health threats, increasing funding for Title 1 and investing $25 billion into historically black colleges and universities, ensuring increased access to capital for black entrepreneurs and reducing the incarceration rate by 50%.He also calls for abolishing private federal prisons, eliminating the imprisonment of people for drug offenses and expunging the record of drug offenders. -- Emma KineryBiden to Outline His Post-Trump Foreign Policy (06:00 a.m.)Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden on Thursday will outline his plan to remake U.S. foreign policy after four years of Donald Trump's leadership.The address in New York will be the former vice president's first major effort to highlight an area where he has far more experience than any of his rivals for the presidency, according to a campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity.Biden will focus on the need to repair and reinvigorate U.S. democracy, equip Americans to better succeed in the global economy and put the country back at the head of the table in mobilizing collective action on global threats.He also will promise to convene a gathering of the world's democracies during his first year in office as a step toward rebuilding alliances frayed by the Trump administration, the official said.The speech comes after several rocky weeks for Biden, whose advantage in polls has narrowed amid scrutiny of his record on racial issues and a rocky performance at the first Democratic debate last month in Miami.Biden was involved in foreign policy for much of his political career. He was the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for more than a decade and, as vice president, had a key role in advising President Barack Obama on foreign policy matters.But focusing on his international expertise might not bring much political gain: In June, just 3% of Americans surveyed by Gallup said foreign policy and national security-related issues were the country's most important problem.Biden has already come under fire from some of his rivals as the only candidate in the race who voted in 2002 to authorize the use of force in Iraq. The other 2020 contender who was in the Congress at the time, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, voted against military action.And rivals are likely to point out that Obama didn't always follow Biden's foreign policy advice. In 2009, the president sided with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Biden in approving a troop surge in Afghanistan. Biden urged Obama not to go forward with the May 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. But Obama approved the mission, which Biden has since touted as an accomplishment of their administration.The official wouldn't point to any major breaks from Obama's policies, saying Biden would respond to new challenges and restore some of the policies and practices that Trump eliminated. He would also put renewed emphasis on fighting climate change, including by re-entering the Paris climate agreement and pushing countries to make commitments that go beyond that pact.The former vice president would use the democracy summit to ask social-media and other technology companies to agree to take steps to guard against abuses of technology around the world.In addition, Biden will call for rebuilding U.S. alliances and retaking the U.S. role as a leader of multilateral coalitions to stand up to authoritarian regimes, the official said.Biden won't get into many regional specifics, though he will say that if Iran returns to compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord, the U.S. would also rejoin the agreement under his watch while pushing to strengthen and lengthen it, the official said. -- Jennifer EpsteinSanders Goes on Hiring Spree in New Hampshire (5 a.m.)Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign has been on a hiring spree in New Hampshire in the past two months, as the Vermont senator tries to fend of challenges from Elizabeth Warren and other rivals who also are investing heavily in the first-in-the-nation primary state.The campaign now has 45 staffers there, a nearly 45% jump since May, according to Carli Stevenson, deputy director of Sanders's New Hampshire operation. Joe Caiazzo, the campaign's state director, said the new hires primarily will be used to connect with the thousands of Granite State voters who volunteered for Sanders's 2016 primary race against Hillary Clinton.Sanders won by 22 points in that primary, and he's counting on a repeat early next year to help propel him through the rest of the Democratic contests. Recent polls in the Granite State have him in second place there behind national front-runner Joe Biden. Warren, from neighboring Massachusetts, has visited the state more than twice as often as Sanders.The Sanders campaign also plans to add four satellite offices in the New Hampshire, bringing its total number of offices there to six. In addition to headquarters in Manchester, the campaign opened another office in Hudson. Locations for the new offices include Dover, West Lebanon, Portsmouth and a second satellite office in Manchester, Stevenson said. -- Laura LitvanHere's What Happened Wednesday:Sanders published a list of "anti-endorsements" on his presidential campaign website with quotes from JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon, former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. CEO Lloyd Blankfein, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan and other luminaries of Wall Street and beyond. "Bernie Sanders, in my opinion, doesn't have a clue," Leon Cooperman, a former partner at Goldman Sachs, is quoted as saying. "It has the potential to be a dangerous moment," Blankfein said of Sanders's campaign. "In 2016 I saw Bernie Sanders and the kids around him. I thought: 'This is the antichrist!"' said Home Depot Inc. Co-Founder Kenneth Langone. In a statement Sanders said of the business leaders quoted: "we welcome their hatred."Two days after announcing his presidential candidacy, billionaire Tom Steyer has already spent $1.4 million on television commercials in the key first nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Few candidates have done a single TV ad yet, and none has spent as much money as Steyer. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York launched ads Tuesday targeting Trump in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, where she will be traveling this week. Representatives Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts ran TV ads in June. Former Maryland Representative John Delaney, the first to join the race, bought a TV ad during the 2018 Super Bowl.\--With assistance from Laura Litvan, Jennifer Epstein, Sahil Kapur, Emma Kinery and Catherine Dodge.To contact the reporter on this story: Tyler Pager in Washington at tpager1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Max Berley, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Sudan military council says it foils attempted military coup Posted: 11 Jul 2019 03:09 PM PDT  Sudan's ruling military council said it foiled an attempted military coup Thursday, just days after the military and a pro-democracy coalition agreed on a joint sovereign council to rule the country during a transition period until elections are held. Lt. Gen. Gamal Omar, a member of the military council, said in a statement that at least 16 active and retired military officers were arrested. Security forces were pursuing the group's leader and additional officers who took part in plotting the coup attempt, he said.
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| China fails to buy agricultural goods as promised: Trump Posted: 11 Jul 2019 02:49 PM PDT  US President Donald Trump on Thursday accused China of backsliding on promises to increase purchases of American farm exports. The president's latest salvo on Twitter comes the same week that US and Chinese trade officials had their first contact in months in an effort to revive negotiations that nearly collapsed in May. Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping met last month on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan, agreeing to cease further hostilities while the talks resumed.
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| U.K.’s Hunt Tells Diplomats to ‘Speak Up Without Fear or Favor’ Posted: 11 Jul 2019 02:30 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told U.K. diplomats to speak "truth to power" as he sought to rally morale after a transatlantic row over leaked diplomatic memos led to Britain's U.S. envoy quitting his post.Kim Darroch quit as ambassador to Washington after memos were leaked in which he criticized Donald Trump and his administration. His resignation followed a barrage of insults from the U.S. president on Twitter and the failure of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson -- the favorite to succeed Theresa May as prime minister -- to back him in a televised debate Tuesday."Please keep speaking up without fear or favor," said Hunt, who's vying with Johnson for the top job. "You will always get all the support you need to carry out your vital work," he said in a message to diplomats released to reporters by his campaign team.Hunt's remarks seek to capitalize on Johnson's failure to back Darroch, which has been characterized in U.K. newspapers as a misstep by the front-runner in the leadership contest. Hunt himself described comments made by Trump about both Darroch and May as "disrespectful and wrong." He said the U.K. government alone will determine its diplomatic appointments.May's office has said Darroch's replacement will be named "in due course," but Johnson's supporters say it's not a decision May should make. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss, one of Johnson's earliest backers, told reporters Thursday that the appointment is for the next prime minister to make. She was also critical of Trump's tweets, which were disparaging of May's Brexit deal as well as insulting Darroch."I'm a patriot so I don't like to hear any foreign leader slagging off our government," Truss said. "But fundamentally whatever the rights and wrongs of the issue, the deal has failed to get through on numerous occasions. It's a dead duck. We now need a fresh approach, it's more urgent than ever before."\--With assistance from Jessica Shankleman.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, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The Latest: Sudan general: More officers sought in coup try Posted: 11 Jul 2019 01:56 PM PDT ![The Latest: Sudan general: More officers sought in coup try]( "The Latest: Sudan general: More officers sought in coup try") Lt. Gen. Gamal Omar, a member of Sudan's ruling military council, says security forces are pursuing additional officers who took part in plotting an attempted military coup. The council said in a statement that at least 16 officers have been arrested after the council foiled the attempted coup Thursday.
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| General: Early Afghanistan troop pullout would be mistake Posted: 11 Jul 2019 01:36 PM PDT  Pulling American troops prematurely from Afghanistan would be a "strategic mistake," the Army general nominated to be Joint Chiefs chairman told senators Thursday. Mark Milley also said the United States should keep a "modest number" of forces in Iraq and Syria for now to maintain stability. Milley assured the Senate Armed Services Committee that he will give his candid advice to President Donald Trump regardless of any potential consequences to himself.
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| UN agencies seek 'new approach' to Libya migrant crisis Posted: 11 Jul 2019 01:03 PM PDT ![UN agencies seek 'new approach' to Libya migrant crisis]( "UN agencies seek 'new approach' to Libya migrant crisis") The U.N. migration and refugee agencies are making a joint call for a "new approach" among countries to solve a migration crisis affecting Libya and the often-deadly route across the Mediterranean toward Europe. The International Organization for Migration and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees are urging a return of European Union countries' search and rescue vessels into the Mediterranean, and extra support for the Libyan coast guard so long as it does not return migrants to the instability-wracked country.
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| Former Vice President Joe Biden lays out his vision on foreign policy in NY speech Posted: 11 Jul 2019 12:58 PM PDT  Former Vice President Joe Biden, in a speech unveiling his foreign policy plank on Thursday, drew a sharp contrast with President Donald Trump's approach to dealing with leaders, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and slamming the president for diminishing the standing of the U.S. on the world stage. "If we give Donald Trump four more years, we'll have a great deal of difficulty if ever been able to recover America standing in the world and our capacity to bring nations together, which is desperately needed.
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| Why Miami Was The Perfect Place For These Teens To Organize A Climate-Change Summit Posted: 11 Jul 2019 12:45 PM PDT  Most people would expect 17-year-olds to be enjoying their summer to the max. For Zero Hour's founder and co-executive director Jamie Margolin, operations director Elsa Mengistu, and partnerships director Arielle Martinez Cohen, this involves taking on the herculean task of organizing a three-day climate change summit in Miami, FL, focused on providing education and activist training to a community that could be underwater in just a few decades."The focus point of the summit is to engage a community like Miami, where the sea level is rising. This place won't exist several decades from now," Elsa told Refinery29. "That's a travesty. And though people talk about this, there is not a lot of action."This Is Zero Hour: The Youth Climate Summit will be held from July 12 to 14 at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Miami Airport & Convention Center. Jamie said registration for the event, which is free, is still open. The teens are expecting a few hundred people to show up and participate in a weekend full of workshops, networking events, and events designed for both experienced activists and those who are just joining the fight against climate change.Speakers include Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg, who at 16 has revolutionized the climate justice movement; 11-year-old Mari Copeny, better known as Little Miss Flint, who has been fighting for clean water in Flint, MI, for nearly five years; and Alethea Phillips, whose family helped organize the Standing Rock movement in North Dakota.Zero Hour credits Elsa as the mastermind behind the summit. The 17-year-old came up with the idea and worked on organizing the conference during her senior year of high school. "She is the reason this is happening and why it's possible," Jamie said. The team worked across time zones, sometimes until the early hours of the morning, to organize this event. The idea that a teenager would help organize an entire conference as a senior — while juggling exams, worrying about college, and being a normal high school kid — can seem extraordinary. But that's how Zero Hour, which Jamie founded in 2017 at the age of 15, rolls as an organization."I had a vision for a climate march for a very long time, especially after the Women's March. At this time, there was no climate strike movement, there was no mass mobilization for youth," Jamie said. The teen hoped that someone else would take on the challenge of organizing a youth movement focused on climate justice. But it didn't happen. In 2017, Jamie was outraged by spread of wildfires in Canada, which lead to smoke covering Seattle and the Northwest region. Jamie described witnessing the chaos as "apocalyptic." Then, Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico. Jamie had a special connection to the island, which is the first Spanish-speaking place she had ever visited — even before her mother's native Colombia — which made her appreciate her Latinx roots even more. The teen decided it was time: "I said, 'Fuck it, we have to do a climate march.'"So they organized a climate march. That's how Zero Hour was born and since then, it has grown into an organization with a network of local chapters all around the globe. She added: "The team grew and it was no longer just me with an idea. It was a bunch of kids working, saying this organization is ours. It's a relief to not have to do something alone."Photo: Courtesy of Zero Hour.Social media has played a crucial role in how Zero Hour organizers have connected with each other, despite being in different parts of the country and the world. "I read an article Jamie had on CNN calling elected officials out. At that time, I had been organizing March for Our Lives and a bunch of other movements," Arielle said. "Climate was something I was passionate about, but I didn't know where to get started. ... So, I DMd Jamie on Instagram."The climate crisis is perhaps the greatest threat humanity is currently facing and young people have been acutely aware of what it could mean for their futures. A report released by the United Nations' scientific panel on climate change last fall stressed the globe will be facing a multi-faceted crisis of disastrous magnitudes by 2040. The panel urged that the only way to minimize the damage by then is to transform the world economy at a scale and pace that has "no documented historic precedent." Another report, commissioned and released by the U.S. government soon after, found that public health and the national economy will be put at unprecedented risk by climate change in the next century.It's no shocker, then, that teenagers and young people have been at the forefront of demanding political leaders take action before it's too late. The Green New Deal, an ambitious reform that seeks to tackle climate change and income inequality in a decade, became part of the mainstream discourse in great part due to the work of young activists. Climate youth organizations have led the call for a climate debate during the Democratic presidential primary.The intensity of their activism — just like that of the Parkland students and the Dreamers who've fought for immigration reform — consistently elicits a specific "Yaaass, teens will save us!" type of response. But Jamie, Elsa, and Arielle are tired of adults' support ending there. "The most annoying thing ever that I get is politicians who say they're supportive, but they are not really taking action. You would expect, like, Sen. Ted Cruz to be a climate denier," Jamie said. "But a lot of centrist Democrats, you'll talk to them and they'll be like, 'Climate! I believe in it! Give me a cookie because I believe in climate change!'"Jamie added: "That is not enough. Simply believing that the house is on fire, while the house is burning around you — I'm not going to applaud you. But the worst thing I get is when people say: 'Oh my God, you kids are gonna save the world!' There is no time for us to grow up and save the world later. It's now or never. And what kind of burden is that to put on high-schoolers? ... Get off your butt and help us. Young people's power depends on our ability to influence the people in power. Why are they not taking action now?"Photo: Courtesy of Zero Hour.With or without adults, the Zero Hour teens will push forward. About 20 organizers, many of whom are girls of color, have spent the week ahead of the summit staying together at an Airbnb in Miami. "It's a little society we're running," Jamie said. The summit, she added, is designed to give back power to the communities that are the most impacted by the threat of climate change. "It's not another conference," she added. "It's something revolutionary."Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Mom Of Toddler Who Died After ICE Detention Testifies Before CongressYouth Will Fix The Climate-Change Crisis Or Die Trying, Says ActivistAs President, Kamala Harris Says She Would Close The Nationwide Rape-Kit Backlog
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| Red Cross says peace elusive as UN council heads to Colombia Posted: 11 Jul 2019 12:40 PM PDT ![Red Cross says peace elusive as UN council heads to Colombia]( "Red Cross says peace elusive as UN council heads to Colombia") The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday that conflicts in Colombia are ongoing and the humanitarian situation has worsened as the U.N. Security Council heads to the South American nation to assess progress toward peace. Robert Mardini, the ICRC's U.N. observer, told a group of reporters that four armed groups are still fighting the government — and two of the groups are also fighting each other. Mardini spoke as Security Council members were preparing to fly to Colombia's capital Bogota later Thursday for a firsthand look at implementation of the 2016 peace agreement between the government and the country's main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
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| Biden Outlines Plans to Reset U.S. Foreign Policy After Trump Posted: 11 Jul 2019 12:16 PM PDT ![Biden Outlines Plans to Reset U.S. Foreign Policy After Trump]( "Biden Outlines Plans to Reset U.S. Foreign Policy After Trump") (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden said Thursday that he would lead a sweeping overhaul of U.S. foreign policy to reverse many of Donald Trump's actions.The former vice president said he would focus on restoring America's central role in mobilizing democracies against global threats by restoring alliances and relationships that have been damaged by the administration. He also emphasized domestic priorities such as recasting immigration policies, reinvigorating U.S. democracy and equipping Americans to better succeed in the global economy."Political wisdom holds that Americans, the American public, doesn't vote on foreign policy," he said in New York, speaking before a crowd that included some former diplomats. "But I think that's an old way of thinking. In 2019 foreign policy is domestic policy in my view. And domestic policy is foreign policy."Biden is coming off several difficult weeks on the campaign trail where he's faced criticism for his record. The attempt to reset the conversation follows a rocky performance at the first Democratic debate, a weekend speech to apologize for comments he made about segregationist senators, and efforts to explain some of the many potential policy landmines from his six terms in the Senate.The speech was his first of the campaign devoted to foreign policy, which Biden and his advisers see as an area of clear strength for him given his long experience and voters' understanding of his powerful role in the administration of President Barack Obama. It's also a return to more directly taking on Trump after fending off attacks from other Democratic presidential hopefuls.'Disastrous Presidency'"The challenge of following this disastrous presidency will not be just to restore the reputation of our credibility," Biden said. "It'll be to enact a forward-looking foreign policy for the world as we find it today and as we anticipate it will be tomorrow and years to come."Biden pledged to end a range of Trump policies, including the travel ban halting immigration from a group of mostly Muslim countries, efforts to cut down on asylum applicants and the global gag rule, which blocks federal funding for nongovernmental organizations that provide services related to abortion.In trade negotiations with China, "there's not going to be a back to business as usual," he said. "We need new rules. We need new processes that has the voices of all the shareholders at the table including leaders representing labor and the environment. We must negotiate from the strongest possible position" along with fellow democracies, instead of the U.S.'s go-it-alone approach under Trump.Biden's speech, delivered at the City University of New York, was heavy on indictments of Trump's conduct. The world sees Trump as "insincere, ill-informed and impulsive -- and sometimes corrupt," he said. "Above all diplomacy requires credibility and Donald Trump has absolutely corroded our credibility" while also alienating the U.S. from its allies and treating the NATO alliance like a protection racket.'Forever Wars'Like Obama and Trump during their presidential campaigns, Biden called for an end to the "forever wars" in Afghanistan and the Middle East. He would bring back most U.S. troops from Afghanistan, end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen and focus efforts in the region on defeating al-Qaeda and ISIS. "It's long past time we end the forever wars which have cost us untold blood and treasure," he said.Biden also said he would restore daily press briefings at the White House and departments of State and Defense that Trump has severely curtailed.The former Delaware lawmaker has been involved in foreign policy throughout his political career as a longtime member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the top Democrat on that panel for more than a decade before taking on an even bigger role in the Obama administration.But focusing on his international expertise might not bring much political gain: In June, just 3% of Americans surveyed by Gallup said foreign policy and national security-related issues were the country's most important problem.Biden has already come under fire from some of his rivals as the only candidate in the race who voted in 2002 to authorize the use of force in Iraq. The other 2020 contender who was in Congress at the time, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, was against military action.Bin Laden RaidAnd rivals are likely to point out that Obama didn't always follow Biden's foreign policy advice. In 2009, the president sided with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over Biden in approving a troop surge in Afghanistan. Biden urged Obama not to go forward with the May 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden. But Obama approved the mission, which Biden has since touted as an accomplishment of their administration.Biden didn't point to any major breaks from the Obama era. Asked how Biden's approach would differ, an official speaking on the condition of anonymity ahead of the speech said the former vice president would need to address new challenges around the world and would put an especially strong emphasis on fighting climate change, including by re-entering the Paris climate agreement and pushing countries to make commitments that go beyond that pact.Biden said that if Iran returns to compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord, the U.S. would also rejoin the agreement while demanding that it be strengthened and lengthened. He didn't directly address whether he would continue direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but said he would empower negotiators to "jump start a sustained coordinated campaign" with allies and other stakeholders in the region such as China.Within his first year in office. Biden said he would convene a gathering of the world's democracies as part of an effort "to renew the spirit and shared purpose of the nations of the free world" after Trump and other world leaders have sought to erode it. The Summit for Democracy would urge democracies to make new commitments to fight corruption, defend against authoritarianism, and advance human rights on their own soil and abroad.He would also use the summit to call for social-media and other technology companies to agree to take steps to protect democracies and freedom of speech while guarding against abuses of technology around the world.Biden would also convene a summit with the world's major carbon emitters to push them to make even more ambitious national pledges than those in the Paris agreement.(Adds comments on dismantling Trump policies in seventh and eighth paragraphs)To contact the reporter on this story: Jennifer Epstein in Washington at jepstein32@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Max BerleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The Latest: UN chief calls for 'maximum restraint' in Gulf Posted: 11 Jul 2019 11:49 AM PDT  U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq reiterated the U.N. chief's plea to avoid any escalation when asked Thursday for Guterres' reaction to Britain saying Iranian vessels tried to block one of its oil tankers in the Gulf. Haq said the U.N. hopes all nations "will take steps to avoid" an escalation and confrontation.
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| Hezbollah slams US sanctions against its officials Posted: 11 Jul 2019 11:28 AM PDT  Lawmakers from the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah on Thursday condemned US sanctions against three officials from the movement, but said they would "change nothing" regarding the group's rejection of US policies in the region. The parliamentary bloc of Hezbollah -- sworn enemy of Israel and ally of Iran -- said the US decision was "unacceptable" and "reprehensible by all sovereign and moral standards", according to a statement released after its weekly meeting. The US announced fresh sanctions Tuesday against Hezbollah, targeting elected officials from the movement for the first time.
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| Ukraine announces 'green corridor' to streamline tourism to Chernobyl Posted: 11 Jul 2019 11:10 AM PDT  Ukraine's president has decreed a "green corridor" to ease tourism to Chernobyl after interest skyrocketed on the back of the popular HBO show about the disaster. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy ordered new tourist routes and checkpoints be established to improve access, reduce corruption and make the area around the former nuclear power plant, which suffered a catastrophic meltdown in 1986, a "tourist magnet". Visits are reportedly up 40 per cent since HBO's Chernobyl miniseries in May, sparking new controversy over "dark tourism" to the site of a tragedy that killed 54 people in the immediate aftermath and harmed thousands of others. After some Instagram influencers began posting scantily clad pictures of themselves in Pripyat, the show's screenwriter called on tourists to "comport yourselves with respect for all who suffered and sacrificed". But in his decree, Mr Zelenskiy has appeared to come down on the side of Instagram users, abolishing a ban on shooting video in some places and promising that mobile phone signal would be improved. While companies have been taking tourists on brief trips to the ghost town of Pripyat in the contaminated "exclusion zone" for years, visiting has involved logistical challenges and red tape. These have been exploited to turn Chernobyl into a "symbol of corruption," according Mr Zelenskiy, a former comedian who was elected president in April promising to crack down on crooked officials. Speaking at the official unveiling on Wednesday of a massive new confinement structure built over the ill-fated reactor, he said streamlining regulations would help stop bribe-taking to visit or collect scrap metal or timber around Chernobyl. "Let's finally stop scaring off tourists and turn the exclusion zone into a scientific and upcoming tourist magnet," Mr Zelenskiy said. "Let's make it a land of freedom that will become one of the symbols of a new Ukraine. Without corruption. Without unnecessary prohibitions." Volodymyr Zelenskiy, foreground, visits the 'new safe confinement' shelter over the remains of Chernobyl's reactor number four Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP Besides creating new tourist routes like one via local rivers, the decree also mandated that authorities take action on requests to visit within three days, responding online. In addition, the European Union and Nato will be invited to organise nuclear safety trainings at Chernobyl, which will be promoted to scientists and tourists as "a unique place on the planet where nature revives after a global man-made disaster," Mr Zelenskiy said. The new 40,000-tonne confinement shell, largest moveable land-based structure ever, was built over nine years with 2.2 billion euros from the European Union, Ukraine and other countries. Meanwhile, Mr Zelenskiy spoke with Vladimir Putin by phone for the first time on Thursday, discussing the possibility of new talks over the simmering conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Shortly before receiving the call from Mr Zelenskiy, Mr Putin had said he wasn't opposed to the Ukrainian president's suggestion to restart talks and include the UK and United States.
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| Ex-Israeli premier plays down relationship with Epstein Posted: 11 Jul 2019 11:03 AM PDT  Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is playing down his ties with Jeffrey Epstein — the U.S. financier jailed on sex-trafficking charges. Barak's connection with Epstein has emerged in Israel just days after the 78-year-old former premier announced his political comeback in a bid to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to U.S. tax records, Barak received some $2 million in grants last decade from the Wexner Foundation — a philanthropic organization that supports Jewish causes founded by U.S. billionaire Leslie Wexner.
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| Egypt arrests Mubarak supporter who criticized government Posted: 11 Jul 2019 10:43 AM PDT  Egyptian prosecutors Thursday charged the administrator of a Facebook page that supports former autocratic president Hosni Mubarak with spreading false news and undermining national interests after a post implied Mubarak did more to help Egypt's poor than the current government of President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Karim Hussein, whose Facebook page "I am sorry, Mr. President" has more than 3 million followers, was arrested Tuesday, a few days after he posted video clips of Mubarak's old speeches, in which he expressed compassion for the poor and voiced his vehement opposition to lifting state subsidies. Mubarak was forced from power by a pro-democracy uprising in 2011.
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| Libya official: Car bombs explode near LNA leaders, 4 killed Posted: 11 Jul 2019 10:36 AM PDT  At least two bomb-laden vehicles exploded Thursday near a group of Libyan National Army leaders in their eastern stronghold of Benghazi, killing four people and wounding 33 others and casting doubt on the LNA's 3-month-old offensive on Tripoli, the U.N.-backed government's capital. The spokesman for the Benghazi-based rival government's Interior Ministry, Tarek El-Kharraz, said several senior LNA figures, including the commander of LNA special forces, had gathered in western Benghazi to attend the funeral service of a high-ranking military general.
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| The Iran Plan: Can America Contain Tehran's Damage? Posted: 11 Jul 2019 10:31 AM PDT  Tensions between the United States and Iran are at an all-time high. Both sides are engaging in high-stakes moves to force a behavioral change in the other. Washington and Tehran both wish to avoid war, however, in such an escalatory environment, the risks of miscalculations significantly increase. Regardless of the outcome of this struggle, Iran is likely to retain its regional influence across the northern rim of the Middle East because of the chronic weakness of the Arab world.The emergence of the Islamic State is a major unintended consequence of the U.S. war in Iraq. A much more significant repercussion, however, is that the 2003 move to effect regime change in Baghdad served as an enabler for Iran's efforts to emerge as a regional power. Since then, the United States has been caught in a causality loop whereby its efforts to counter transnational jihadism leads to greater room for maneuver for Iran and vice-versa. The current state of U.S.-Iranian brinksmanship has to do with the fact that the United States cannot allow Iran to augment its gains from the weakening of the Islamic State.Iran is clearly out to undermine the existing regional security architecture. The Iranian strategy is largely based on acting by proxy via Shia (mostly Arab) militias and not just on its western flank extending to the Mediterranean but also on the Arabian Peninsula. Indeed, we are now seeing an increasingly aggressive campaign of attacks from the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saudi Arabia's territory. The other less talked about part of the clerical regime's strategy is that of negotiations, which is far more critical.
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| Congress Must End the Bush-Era AUMF Posted: 11 Jul 2019 10:27 AM PDT  In a weird twist of fate, Senator Bernie Sanders is right about something. After the news hit that tensions with Iran were escalating, Sanders was correct in implying that the limited strike the Trump administration considered conducting following Iran's aggression ought to be considered an act of war. And it is, but it's an act of a war Americans absolutely don't want to start. Thankfully, President Donald Trump did back down, but had he wanted to, he had the power to follow through. It's precisely the kind of power that shouldn't be given to one person—Trump or any president at all. Moreover, constitutionally, it's not.The authority to wage war is expressly given to Congress in the "War Powers clause" of the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, America's executive branch loves to steal that power for itself, but it's time for Congress to take back its job. After all, it seems to have a lot more restraint than most contemporary presidents, and it's safe to assume that including 435 people in the decision-making process would make for decisions with a lot more thought behind them. Since the writing of the Declaration of Independence, Congress has only declared war eleven times. Nevertheless, at presidential behest, American troops have been all over the globe—often in places where they're both unwanted and unnecessary. That shouldn't be the case.
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| Putin and Ukraine's new leader discuss east Ukraine conflict Posted: 11 Jul 2019 10:12 AM PDT  Russian President Vladimir Putin had his first phone call with Ukraine's new president on Thursday and discussions centered on the conflict in eastern Ukraine that has bitterly blighted relations between the two countries. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy also talked about the release of prisoners. Peskov added that the two discussed the possibility of "continuing contacts in the Normandy format," a reference to four-way talks involving the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.
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| UPDATE 2-UK will not escort all its ships near Iran, does not want to escalate tensions -source Posted: 11 Jul 2019 09:10 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-UK will not escort all its ships near Iran, does not want to escalate tensions -source]( "UPDATE 2-UK will not escort all its ships near Iran, does not want to escalate tensions -source") Britain does not intend to escort every British-flagged merchant vessel through the Strait of Hormuz, a security source said on Thursday, after a Royal Navy warship had to stop three Iranian vessels from blocking the passage of a BP-operated tanker. The source said London would be resolute in defending its maritime interests in the Gulf but it does not want to escalate the situation with Iran. Exactly a week after Britain seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar accused of violating sanctions on Syria, London said the British Heritage tanker operated by oil company BP had been approached in the Strait, the main outlet for Middle Eastern oil.
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| Trump Complains China Hasn’t Met G-20 Promise to Buy Farm Goods Posted: 11 Jul 2019 08:44 AM PDT ![Trump Complains China Hasn't Met G-20 Promise to Buy Farm Goods]( "Trump Complains China Hasn't Met G-20 Promise to Buy Farm Goods") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next.Donald Trump complained that China hasn't increased its purchases of American farm products, a promise he said he had secured at a meeting with the country's president, Xi Jinping, at the Group of 20 summit last month.Xi and Trump agreed to restart trade talks between their countries at the meeting, and the U.S. president said he would hold off on imposing additional tariffs on Chinese imports. Trump also claimed Xi had agreed that China would buy large amounts of U.S. agricultural goods.But data released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicate that China actually slowed its purchases of American agriculture products following the G-20 meeting. China bought 127,800 metric tons of U.S. soybeans last week, the equivalent of about two cargoes and a 79% reduction from the previous week. Similarly, China bought just 76 tons of American pork, compared to 10,400 tons in June.But Chinese official media said only that Trump hoped China would import more American goods as part of the trade-war truce. The two sides didn't release any official documentation of Trump and Xi's agreement, leaving confusion about how the countries would proceed.U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke on the phone with their Chinese counterparts this week, marking the first high-level contact following the G-20 meeting.The American officials spoke to Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and Commerce Minister Zhong Shan on Tuesday, according to an emailed statement from a U.S. government official who declined to be identified. Both sides will continue these talks as appropriate, the official said, without offering more details on the next steps.(Updates with data on agriculture purchases in third paragraph)\--With assistance from Jenny Leonard.To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Wayne in Washington at awayne3@bloomberg.net;Shruti Date Singh in Chicago at ssingh28@bloomberg.net;Michael Hirtzer in Chicago at mhirtzer@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin BlumFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| United Nations to launch probe into Philippine drugs war Posted: 11 Jul 2019 08:27 AM PDT  The United Nations' top human rights body on Thursday voted to launch an investigation into thousands of killings in the Philippines' brutal war on drugs. The narrow vote of 18 to 14 countries, with 15 abstentions, at the Human Rights Council in Geneva was immediately hailed as a victory by human rights groups who have long called for international intervention over the rising death toll of President Rodrigo Duterte's three year anti-drugs campaign. However, the Philippines immediately denounced the decision, which was backed mainly by European countries including the UK, and which requests Manila to comply with a year-long probe by the high commissioner for human rights, as a "travesty." Foreign Affairs Secretary, Teodoro Locsin Jr, tweeted: "such resolutions especially those passed by a tiny minority can and will be ignored. No consequences. On the other hand, the initiative to insult the Philippines with the assumption without proof that it commits gross abuses there will be far reaching consequences." The UN resolution, which was drafted by Iceland, marks the first time the UNHCR has been asked to address the staggering crisis. Here is our response to the Geneva vote, and at that a minority vote: it is individually, severally and collectively unenforceable because as I told the UN there is no power on earth that can enforce a multilateral judgment on a country with an armed forces. And the UN agreed. https://t.co/W39Xc7dNNj— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) July 11, 2019 The Philippine police have admitted to killing more than 6,600 people during anti-drug operations, often justifying the death on the grounds that the suspects resisted arrest and fought back, despite witness statements to the contrary. The shooting of three-year-old Myka Ulpina during a sting operation last month shocked the nation, with Ronald dela Rosa, a former police chief, incensing public opinion further by claiming that "s**t happens during operations." According to Human Rights Watch, the body count of the merciless drugs war, where suspected users and dealers have allegedly been killed extrajudicially both by police and masked assassins, is much higher than official estimates. Local activists and the national Commission on Human Rights place the figure at more than 27,000. Thursday's resolution expresses concern at the allegations of killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and the intimidation of or violence against human rights workers, journalists, lawyers and the political opposition. It stresses that "the right to life must be respected and protected by all law enforcement agencies in their efforts to address drug-related crimes," calling for "fair trials and due process." UN Human Rights Council session started. HRC41 will vote shortly on a resolution abt the Philippines. If passed, it may finally bring some form of intl attn to thousands of killings in so-called "war on drugs" — a sitn @Amnesty repeatedly said may rise to crimes agnst humanity.— Rawya Rageh (@RawyaRageh) July 11, 2019 The 2020 report could form the basis of further action if the situation does not improve, and was welcomed by both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, who have produced extensive reports on violations. "The Human Rights Council resolution on the Philippines is a modest but vital measure," said Laila Matar, deputy Geneva director at Human Rights Watch. "It signals the start of accountability for thousands of 'drug war'-related killings and other abuses, and will provide hope to countless survivors and families of victims." Amnesty, which in a new report earlier this week revealed that extrajudicial killings remained rampant, called the decision "a crucial step towards justice and accountability." Nicholas Bequelin, regional director for East and Southeast Asia said: "This vote provides hope for thousands of bereaved families in the Philippines, and countless more Filipinos bravely challenging the Duterte administration's murderous 'war on drugs'." He urged the Philippine government to cooperate with investigators. "The Human Rights Council resolution sends a clear message that the international community will not look the other way as extrajudicial executions and other serious violations continue to be committed with impunity," he said.
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| The US-UK 'special relationship' isn't broken – it's just entering a dangerous new phase Posted: 11 Jul 2019 08:09 AM PDT  Reckless rightwing incompetents have taken over both the US and UK governments – and we all have to live the consequences Neither Trump nor those in the UK like Farage and Johnson who take a 'burn it all down' approach to politics seem to care about what's happening to their countries or to the alliance. Photograph: Evan Vucci/APThe dumpster fires of US and UK politics have converged, and the special relationship is going up in flames.The resignation of Kim Darroch, UK ambassador to the US – and a longtime British civil servant – because of a temper tantrum by Donald Trump is an illustration of the toxic politics of both countries, and the real damage it is doing to the US-UK alliance.The events of the last week would have been hard to imagine before Trump. The Daily Mail published leaked cables that the British embassy in Washington sent back to London describing the mess that substitutes for a presidential administration in DC today. In doing his job by sending honest, private analysis to his government, Darroch described Trump as "inept" and "incompetent" and called the White House "uniquely dysfunctional" in messages that describe what is readily apparent to anyone who has read the news over the last two and a half years.In response, Trump tweeted out a series of criticisms of Darroch and Theresa May's government and said of Darroch, "We will no longer deal with him." Darroch's resignation came as no surprise.Trump's attacks on the UK come as no surprise either. Despite the "special relationship" between the two countries and the prime minister's efforts to forge a working relationship with Trump, Trump has reciprocated with endless public insults of May and the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan – not to mention policy decisions detrimental to the alliance, as Thomas Wright has documented.In a time when partisan politics creates gridlock in DC and polarization makes it more and more difficult to have a constructive national conversation about substantive issues, the daily conduct of the president of the United States makes that of a toddler appear mature by comparison. (I'm a parent of a five-year-old. I know these things.) It is still shocking, but far from surprising, that an American president taking to Twitter to call the ambassador of a US ally a "pompous fool" will pass from the news cycle within days.Politics in the UK are hardly better. When the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, it was as if the country had hit a national self-destruct button. Ever since, the fuse has been burning and every attempt made to mitigate the damage or to change course so far has been as useless as that person waiting for an elevator who keeps hitting the call button but knows it won't do anything. A country that was a global empire not too long ago and remains one of the top 10 economies in the world now looks – save a massive course correction – to be on the path to global irrelevance.This is in part because radical and reckless rightwing incompetents are taking over the UK government too. When asked about whether he would keep Darroch in Washington, British member of parliament and presumed next prime minister Boris Johnson threw Darroch under the bus. In doing so, Johnson made clear that his priority was not his nation, but rather his own interests of being prime minister and having a good relationship with Trump. After that, Darroch knew it was time to go. As one article in this paper put it, Darroch was "effectively sacked by Johnson on the orders of Trump". Speculation in Washington now swirls about whether Johnson would appoint arch-Brexiteer – and Trump favorite – Nigel Farage as UK ambassador.The disastrous effects of both countries' domestic politics aside, the Darroch incident is a vivid illustration of how Trump's twitter tirades cause real harm to the US. Trump's visits to the UK have been delayed because of massive protests. His insults of the UK – culminating in the Darroch affair – have now made it politically expedient for some British politicians to stand up to the US president.Again, no surprise. In Trump's Washington, this is how US allies are treated. Trump's fondness for dictators and disdain for democratic allies is well known, and the impacts on American alliances beyond the UK have been real. Trump's policies and repeated criticism of Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, caused a German foreign minister to call for a European strategy to push back against Trump's America. The relationship between France's president, Emmanuel Macron, and Trump has soured and erupted into open hostility.In fact, the only positive relationships Trump seems capable of maintaining are with autocrats and populists. All of this plays into Russia's goals of undermining European and American democracies and Nato – and it's no coincidence, since Russia is actively meddling in American, UK and European politics.But neither Trump nor those in the UK like Farage and Johnson, who take a "burn it all down" approach to politics, seem to care about what's happening to their countries or to the alliance. For the rightwing populists on both sides of the pond, the political nosedives in motion in each country are bringing the rightwing populist movements in the US and the UK closer together.The US-UK special relationship may very well be entering a new, especially dangerous, phase. * Michael H Fuchs is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a former deputy assistant secretary of state for east Asian and Pacific affairs
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| America and North Korea: Are We Headed for a Freeze-for-Freeze Nuclear Deal? Posted: 11 Jul 2019 07:34 AM PDT  President Donald Trump is nothing but unconventional. On North Korea, Trump saw twenty-five years of failed policy and realized that something significantly dramatic needed to be done if the United States had any chance at addressing the roots of the problem: a cataclysmic chasm of mistrust between Washington and Pyongyang and two positions on the nuclear issue that were seemingly irreconcilable. So, in typical Trumpian fashion, he tossed the rule book in the trash and drew up his own play. Meeting with the North Korean head-of-state, something which would have been blasphemy with any other president, was now a regular part of doing business.Outside of Trump's personal relationship with Kim Jong-un, however, the U.S. strategy has remained largely static. Washington is still hoping—maybe even praying—for North Korea's full and complete denuclearization on the fastest timeline possible. The Trump administration has not been receptive to granting Pyongyang any sanctions relief whatsoever, stressing repeatedly that the North Koreans can forget about more cash in their pockets as long as they remain nuclear-capable. Trump's eagerness for a big deal during the summit in Hanoi not only signaled impatience to Kim, but guaranteed both sides would walk away empty-handed.
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| Britain 'recommends heightened security' for ships in Straits of Hormuz after Iran tries to block oil tanker Posted: 11 Jul 2019 07:18 AM PDT  The British government raised its security warning for shipping in Iranian waters to its highest level as the Royal Navy was forced to fend off the attempted obstruction of a British oil tanker by Iranian Revolutionary Guards. British flagged ships were notified at the beginning of this week that Iranian waters were considered a level three, or "critical" security environment, the Telegraph understands. The security alert, which amounts to advice to avoid Iranian waters where possible and would have been accompanied by advice on specific precautions to take, came after Iran threatened "reciprocal" action for the recent seizure of an Iranian tanker by the Royal Navy near Gibraltar. That action appeared to come on Wednesday, when the British Heritage, owned by BP Shipping and registered to the Isle of Man, was approached by three Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boats as it sailed through Persian Gulf towards the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranians ordered the vessel to stop in nearby Iranian territorial waters, according to the Ministry of Defence, but withdrew after HMS Montrose, a Royal Navy frigate which had been escorting the tanker, aimed its guns on the Iranians and warned them to move away. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz. "HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away." The tanker is believed to have been in waters disputed by Iran and the United Arab Emirates when the incident took place A US aircraft flying overhead filmed the incident, but the footage had not been released by late Thursday evening. Read more The incident is the most serious involving a British ship since the current crisis in the Gulf began and will raise fears that Britain could get dragged into a brewing military confrontation between the United States and Iran in the Gulf. Iran warned last week that it might seize a British oil tanker after Royal Marines boarded and detained the Grace 1, a super tanker carrying two million tons of Iranian oil, as it passed through Gibralatan waters last Thursday. British and Gibraltan authorities say they suspect the ship of running oil to Syria, in breach of EU sanctions, and have denied the move was targeted at Iran. Police in Gibraltar said on Thursday that they have arrested and interviewed under caution the Grace 1's captain and chief officer on suspicion of breaching EU sanctions on Syria, in a move likely to further inflame tensions. Neither man has yet been charged. Iran's revolutionary guard denied attempting to seize the British Heritage, but a senior commander also warned that Britain would "strongly regret" detaining the Grace 1 . "If the enemy had made the smallest assessment they wouldn't have done this act," said Rear-Admiral Ali Fadavi on Thursday. "Our reciprocal action will be announced." Iran earlier described the seizure of Grace 1 as an act of "piracy" and accused Britain of bowing to US pressure to hinder its attempts to export oil under the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal. Gulf of Oman Mohsen Rezaei, a general in the Revolutionary Guard Corps and an advisor to Iran's supreme leader, on Friday warned Iran might go after a British tanker. And President Hassan Rouhani called the seizure of the vessel "mean and wrong" during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday. He warned London: "You are an initiator of insecurity and you will understand its repercussions," without elaborating. Oil companies have warned that continued disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, which handles up to a third of the world's seaborne oil exports, could have a dramatic impact on petrol prices. There are usually between 15 and 30 British flagged ships operating in the vicinity of the strait at any given day, more than the Royal Navy can realistically provide escorts for. Besides HMS Montrose, a type 23 frigate, the Royal Navy has four minesweepers and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Cardigan Bay in the region. Britain is also a member of a 33-nation Combined Maritime Force with a mandate to protect shipping in the Western Indian Ocean from piracy and terrorism. The United States has said it wants a new international force to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Persian gulf, although it has yet to lay out those plans in detail. Last month Donald Trump called of military strikes against the Islamic Republic after it shot down a US surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz. Tensions in the Persian Gulf have risen dramatically since Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 and imposed a series of punishing sanctions on the Islamic Republic, including measures designed to prevent it exporting oil. Britain, France, and Germany have defended the deal, including Iran's right to export oil, but Iran has complained the European powers have done too little to help it continue to trade. It began to violate the deal's restrictions on uranium enrichment in protest last week. A spokesman for BP, which operates the British Heritage tanker, said: "Our top priority is the safety and security of our crews and vessels. While we are not commenting on these events, we thank the Royal Navy for their support."
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| Hamas says Israeli troops kill militant in Gaza Posted: 11 Jul 2019 07:14 AM PDT  Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian militant in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday in what the military later described as a mistake. Hours after the shooting, the Israeli military said that soldiers had spotted two Palestinians near the border fence and "misidentified" a member of the Hamas unit that maintains calm along the frontier. "In retrospect, it appears that the IDF troops who arrived at the location misidentified the Hamas restraint operative to be an armed terrorist and fired as a result of this misunderstanding," the army said.
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| Angela Merkel Opts to Sit at Ceremony After Third Bout of Shaking Posted: 11 Jul 2019 07:06 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel grappled with intensifying scrutiny of her health by opting to sit through a ceremony where she might have trembled again and dodging pointed questions from the press.In an unprecedented arrangement for a state visit, Merkel and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen remained seated during the playing of both countries' national anthems at reception outside the chancellery in Berlin on Thursday. Merkel, who will turn 65 next week, normally stands during such events.Only 24 hours earlier, the German leader suffered a third bout of trembling in just under a month when she met her Finnish counterpart. Despite growing public pressure for her to open the books on the state of her health, she continued to be evasive, sidestepping a reporter's question regarding physical exams she was reportedly given on Wednesday."Let me just say this on the question of health. You can rest assured that I'm, for one, well aware of the responsibilities of my office and that I will act on questions regarding my health," Merkel said at a joint press conference with Frederiksen.Asked about turning 65 next week, she said: "You're not getting any younger -- but perhaps more experienced. Everything has its positive side." The Danish prime minster said Merkel seemed as strong and competent as ever.While Merkel may have bought herself some time, she hardly laid the concerns to rest. German media continued to speculate over possible causes of the shaking, which ranged from low sugar levels to early-stage diabetes and neurological problems such as Alzheimer's."Of course Merkel knows that the more serious the reason for her shaking, the more pressure there'd be on her to step down," Oskar Niedermayer, a political scientist at the Free University in Berlin, said after Wednesday's incident. "Of course that would taint Germany internationally as well."Foreign AttentionIndeed, foreign governments are taking notice, mulling to what extent her ailment is weakening her and could impair her ability to carry through on targets and pledges, according to three people in EU capitals.Before getting a respite from public scrutiny during her summer vacation, she'll have to navigate several public appearances, including a military parade in Paris this weekend for Bastille Day.Following the first two bouts of shaking in June, Merkel shuttled to Japan and back for the Group of 20 summit and attended overnight marathon negotiations in Brussels over European Union top jobs.At today's ceremony, authorities adopted security measures usually reserved for higher-profile visitors with a heavy police presence and a larger-than-usual area cordoned off from the general public.(Recasts with press conference, details throughout.)\--With assistance from Iain Rogers.To contact the reporters on this story: Arne Delfs in Berlin at adelfs@bloomberg.net;Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Raymond Colitt, Chris ReiterFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Angela Merkel sits during national anthem after bouts of shaking Posted: 11 Jul 2019 07:04 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday insisted she took care of her health after remaining seated during national anthems at an official ceremony, in a rare change of protocol apparently to prevent a repeat of uncontrollable shaking. With questions swirling about Merkel's health after she suffered three episodes of shaking in public in less than a month, the veteran leader opted to play safe. After greeting Denmark's new Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the portico of the chancellery, a smiling Merkel walked her over to a podium where both leaders took their seats before the anthems played. Asked by journalists if she had seen a doctor over the shaking incidents and about the results of any medical checks, Merkel declined to give specifics. "You can assume that firstly, I know the responsibilities of my office and that I therefore act accordingly with regard to my health," Merkel said at the joint news conference with Frederiksen. "And secondly, you can also assume that as a person, I have a strong personal interest in being in good health and that I take care of my health," she said. Standing next to her at the press conference, Frederiksen said she found the chancellor "as strong and competent as before I came to Berlin today." The unusual decision to use seats came a day after a similar ceremony when the German chancellor was seen shaking involuntarily for the third time. On Wednesday, Merkel began trembling as national anthems were being played at the reception of Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne. Just over an hour later, she attended a press conference as planned and told journalists that her health was no cause for concern. She explained that she was simply still in a phase of "processing" a previous shaking spell, but that "there has been progress". "I will have to live with it for a while," added Merkel, who turns 65 next week. "Just like how it has come, one day it will go away too," she said. The shaking on Wednesday was visible although less severe than during the first episode in June. On that occasion she appeared unsteady and shook as she stood in the midday sun next to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom she was welcoming with military honours. That first bout of shaking was blamed on dehydration. But a second episode struck a week later at the end of June, just hours before she was due to board a plane for a G20 summit in Japan. Officials have sought to play down the repeated shaking, insisting that Merkel is well while refusing to address detailed questions about her medical condition. But several media outlets said Merkel would need to provide more transparency if she wanted the speculation to go away. The daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung said Merkel's explanation belies "her fear that the public could doubt her strength and ability, especially if she admitted that she has allowed herself to be examined. Meaning: she herself has doubts". It said she should state clearly whether she has undergone medical tests to get to the bottom of the mysterious trembling spells. "It's about sending a signal that she is taking her own health seriously." Merkel has been leader of Europe's biggest economy for almost 14 years. Frequently called the European Union's most influential leader and the most powerful woman in the world, Merkel has said she will leave politics at the end of her term, in 2021.
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| Blast in Turkey-administered Syria town kills at least 9 Posted: 11 Jul 2019 06:38 AM PDT ![Blast in Turkey-administered Syria town kills at least 9]( "Blast in Turkey-administered Syria town kills at least 9") A car bomb exploded Thursday at the entrance to a northern Syrian town controlled by Turkish forces and allied Syrian fighters, killing at least nine people, Turkish state media and Syrian rescuers said. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the bomb in a fuel truck exploded in Afrin, igniting a fire and causing considerable damage to the surrounding area. Syrian first responders, known as the White Helmets, said at least nine people were killed in the explosion, which occurred in a residential area, and 35 were wounded.
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| Germany's Merkel sits for anthems after shaking episodes Posted: 11 Jul 2019 06:21 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the visiting Danish prime minister sat through their countries' national anthems at a ceremony in Berlin Thursday, a day after Merkel shook as she stood at a similar event in the latest of three incidents that have raised concern about her health. Merkel showed no signs of unsteadiness or other ill-health as she sat alongside new Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen outside the chancellery in Berlin, an unusual arrangement at a military honors ceremony that appeared aimed at forestalling the possibility of another high-profile episode.
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| North Korea Makes Kim Jong Un Head of State Posted: 11 Jul 2019 06:21 AM PDT ![North Korea Makes Kim Jong Un Head of State]( "North Korea Makes Kim Jong Un Head of State") (Bloomberg) -- North Korea has revised its constitution to make Kim Jong Un head of state, a promotion that could help normalize the isolated country's diplomatic relations with the rest of the world.A new text of North Korea's governing document -- quietly posted on the propaganda website Naenara -- adds "represents the country" to the list of duties of the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, Kim's top government title. While such a change had been speculated since North Korea amended its constitution in April, the regime never formally released the revised language.The amendment, which the Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday, gives new legal underpinning to Kim's status as North Korea's "supreme leader" and could help normalize his interactions with other world leaders. The duty of representing the country was previously reserved for the president of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium, a position filled by Kim aide Choe Ryong Hae in April.The change is the latest example of Kim's efforts to establish North Korea a normal country that can be trusted with nuclear weapons and operate free from international sanctions. The once-reclusive leader has held 15 meetings with heads of state and government since his first trip abroad in March 2018.Being head of state would make Kim a protocol equal to U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping in any summits and treaty talks. Trump and Kim agreed to restart negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program in a historic third meeting earlier this month in the Demilitarized Zone that divides the Korean Peninsula.Kim's growing collection of titles has been interpreted as evidence that he has fended off any potential threats and completed the transfer of power that began after his father Kim Jong Il died in 2011. North Korea's founder and the current leader's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, was posthumously named the country's eternal president.Rachel Minyoung Lee, a Seoul-based analyst with NK Pro, said that concern about how the move to increase Kim's status would be viewed so soon after the summit failure with Trump may have led him to publicize the move through Naenara, an outlet directed at a foreign audience. "The million-dollar question is why domestic media never disclosed the details of the constitutional revisions," Lee said. "This suggests there were domestic sensitivities."(Updates with analyst comment from penultimate paragraph.)\--With assistance from Brendan Scott.To contact the reporter on this story: Shinhye Kang in Seoul at skang24@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Merkel sits during anthems after shaking spells Posted: 11 Jul 2019 06:18 AM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday insisted she took care of her health after remaining seated during national anthems at an official ceremony, in a rare change of protocol apparently to prevent a repeat of uncontrollable shaking. After greeting Denmark's new Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the portico of the chancellery, a smiling Merkel walked her over to a podium where both leaders took their seats before the anthems played. "You can assume that firstly, I know the responsibilities of my office and that I therefore act accordingly with regard to my health," Merkel said at the joint news conference with Frederiksen.
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| Britain says Iranian vessels tried to block tanker in Gulf Posted: 11 Jul 2019 05:59 AM PDT ![Britain says Iranian vessels tried to block tanker in Gulf]( "Britain says Iranian vessels tried to block tanker in Gulf") The incident came at a time of heightened tensions over Iran's unraveling nuclear agreement with world powers.
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| Teenage rape victim in El Salvador handed 30-year prison sentence over stillbirth to face retrial for murder Posted: 11 Jul 2019 05:34 AM PDT  A teenage rape victim in El Salvador who was convicted for murdering her child and imprisoned for nearly three years after a stillbirth will now face a retrial next week.Evelyn Beatriz Hernandez was given a 30-year jail sentence in 2017 for aggravated murder by a female judge who ruled the teenager had induced an abortion.El Salvador has one of the harshest abortion bans in the world – it is even illegal in cases of rape and incest, when the woman's life is in danger or if the foetus is deformed.Ms Hernandez, now 21 and from a poor rural community, said she was raped and did not realise she was pregnant until she went into labour in a bathroom and gave birth to a stillborn baby.The Citizen Group for the Decriminalisation of Abortion (CDFA) said there was no proof that she tried to kill her baby and that she suffered a pregnancy-related complication.Miscarriages and stillbirths in El Salvador are often treated as suspected abortions, which have been considered murder under Salvadoran law since 1997. Abortion is a crime under any circumstance in the Central American country.The CDFA estimate around 20 women are in prison for abortion crimes in the socially conservative and Catholic majority nation when they suffered miscarriages, stillbirths or pregnancy complications – with some serving sentences of up to 40 years. The local rights organisation are campaigning for these jailed women to be freed.Ms Hernandez's sentence was annulled in February in an appeal before El Salvador's top court – signalling a victory for the CDFA.Ms Hernandez emerged from prison back then to chants of "Evelyn, you are not alone!" – having been allowed to live at home until the fresh trial. On Wednesday, her lawyers announced she would face a retrial next Monday. "We're convinced that Evelyn is innocent," Ana Martinez, one of Hernandez's lawyers at the CDFA, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. "We hope that on Monday the rule of law and justice wins in this country."Ms Hernandez gave birth in the latrine of her home in a small rural community in April 2016. She lost consciousness after losing large amounts of blood.During her original trial, she said she had been repeatedly raped – with her lawyers saying she was too scared to report the rapes.Despite being in the third trimester, Ms Hernandez said she had confused the symptoms of pregnancy with stomach ache as she had experienced intermittent bleeding which she presumed to be her menstrual period. "I did not want to kill my son," she told the court.Mariana Ardila, managing attorney at advocacy group Women's Link Worldwide, said: "This new trial is an opportunity for Evelyn to find justice at last, and for El Salvador to stop criminalizing women who have medical complications during pregnancy."Women and girls all over the world deserve better health services, not jail. Judges must set aside their prejudices about women and adequately assess the context in which they live instead of condemning them for being poor and lacking access to health services during their pregnancies". Pro-choice activists say her retrial is key litmus test for El Salvador's new president's position on abortion. Nayib Bukele, who took office in June, has said he believes abortion should only be permitted if the mother's life is at risk."This case would be the first case that would be tried after the new president is in power," Paula Avila-Guillen, director for Latin America initiatives at the Women's Equality Center, a US-based reproductive rights advocacy group, said. "It will also send a message about what is the political mood."Although six other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have absolute bans on abortion, El Salvador stands out for its high number of convictions.The United Nations urged El Salvador in 2017 to issue a moratorium on applying its abortion law and to review all cases where women have been jailed for abortion-related crimes.However, attempts to pass a bill that would ease El Salvador's abortion ban have failed."One of the factors is a very religious and strong evangelical society," Avila-Guillen, a human rights lawyer supporting CDFA cases, said."There's no presumption of innocence. The moment that the word abortion gets thrown in a case, from that moment on women are guilty in the eyes of everyone."Amnesty International has argued El Salvador is "one of the most dangerous countries to be a woman". Women who are convicted of abortion in El Salvador are predominantly from poorer communities and have limited resources to fork out for a lawyer to defend them in court.
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| Iran's Tanker Harassment Is a Very British Problem Posted: 11 Jul 2019 05:29 AM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The stakes just rose for U.K. oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz from the Persian Gulf, after a Royal Navy frigate warned off three Iranian patrol boats that attempted to impede the passage of a BP Plc-owned vessel. But the problem remains a uniquely British one, for now.On Wednesday evening the HMS Montrose was escorting the oil tanker British Heritage through the chokepoint when its charge was approached by the Iranian ships. These reportedly attempted to force the Isle of Man-flagged tanker to change direction into Iranian waters. The Montrose maneuvered between the tanker and the patrol boats and ordered them to move away, which they did, according to a statement from the U.K. Ministry of Defence.The Iranian foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp both rejected the British version of events. An IRGC statement issued Thursday said that "during the last 24 hours, there have been no encounters with foreign vessels, including the British ones," according to a report by Iran's semi-official Fars news agency. A U.S. aircraft was overhead and recorded footage of the episode, CNN reported, which could help settle the matter.We will never know if the Iranian vessels would have tried to detain the British Heritage had the frigate not been shadowing it. Civilian ships transiting Hormuz have been detained by Iran before. In April 2015 the Maersk Tigris, a cargo ship flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, was seized by Iran in international waters. The incident related to a decade-old dispute over 10 cargo containers. The following month the U.S. Navy began accompanying U.S.-flagged ships through the chokepoint, though this stopped after about a week. Its capture was one of three incidents involving merchant ships in and around Hormuz at that time. These coincided with rising tensions between hard-liners and more moderate factions in Iran's political system, and rising tensions over conflicts in the Mideast.This time, Iran has made specific threats against British ships after U.K. special forces impounded the supertanker Grace 1 last week off Gibraltar. That vessel was alleged to be hauling around 2 million barrels of oil to Syria, which put it in breach of European Union sanctions. The crude originated in Iran, and its military has vowed to retaliate – the country is one of the only suppliers left to President Bashar Al-Assad's government. The harassing of the British Heritage would seem to be the first evidence of that retaliation.But this need not signal the start of wider problems for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz – at least not yet. Iran still wants to find ways to export its own crude. Threatening international shipping through the chokepoint won't make that any easier, as its customers in China and elsewhere rely on passage through the strait for much of their oil imports.There were eight Manx-flagged tankers in the Persian Gulf in the past five days, according to tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Four of them are still there and will probably seek a military escort out of the region. The HMS Montrose is the only British naval vessel in the region, according to the MOD, so it looks like it is going to be kept busy.\--With assistance from Elaine He.To contact the author of this story: Julian Lee at jlee1627@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Jennifer Ryan at jryan13@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Julian Lee is an oil strategist for Bloomberg. Previously he worked as a senior analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Germany to step up surveillance of far-right 'Identitarians' Posted: 11 Jul 2019 05:23 AM PDT  The German domestic intelligence agency said Thursday it is stepping up observation of the far-right Identitarian Movement in Germany, a group that campaigns against immigrants and Islam. The decision comes amid fresh fears about far-right extremism in Germany following the arrest last month of a man with a long history of neo-Nazi activity over the killing of a regional politician from Chancellor Angela Merkel's party. Originally started in France, the Identitarian Movement's German offshoot was founded in 2012 and there are sister organizations in other European countries.
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| Boris Johnson Attacked by MPs Over Treatment of U.K. Ambassador Posted: 11 Jul 2019 05:20 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson was attacked from all sides in Parliament over his treatment of the former British ambassador in Washington -- a foretaste of the difficulty the favorite to be next prime minister may face in securing cross-party support for his Brexit plans.In a televised Conservative leadership debate on Tuesday evening, Johnson refused to back envoy Kim Darroch after his diplomatic cables -- which described U.S. President Donald Trump in unflattering terms -- were leaked to a newspaper. Johnson's response, in contrast to the support offered by his rival for the premiership Jeremy Hunt, outraged critics, who said it proved he wouldn't stand up to Trump if he becomes premier.Kim Darroch Quits as U.K. Ambassador to U.S. Amid Trump's Fury"Real leaders protect their people, they don't throw them to the wolves because they can sniff a prize for themselves," Labour's Pat McFadden told the House of Commons on Thursday. Johnson's "actions were a chilling warning of what is to come if he becomes prime minister," he said.Roger Gale -- a Conservative like Johnson -- called his behavior "lamentable," while Liberal Democrat Jo Swinson, favorite to become her party's new leader, called the Tory front-runner a "wimp." Replying to Swinson, Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan agreed, adding that it "was one of the kinder words" he had used about Johnson.In an interview with the Sun newspaper, Johnson said he was a "great supporter" of Darroch's and called the attempts to blame him for the ambassador's resignation "bizarre.""I don't think it's right to drag public servants' careers into the arena in that way," he said of his comments in the debate.Lawmakers didn't hold back in their criticism of Trump either. Labour's Liz McInnes said the U.S. president was guilty of "ridiculous temper tantrums," while McFadden called Trump's comments on Twitter and elsewhere "the opposite of mature leadership."(Updates with Johnson comment in fifth paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| COLUMN-The dark new world of leaks, rumours and deadly hybrid war: Peter Apps Posted: 11 Jul 2019 05:15 AM PDT ![COLUMN-The dark new world of leaks, rumours and deadly hybrid war: Peter Apps]( "COLUMN-The dark new world of leaks, rumours and deadly hybrid war: Peter Apps") As Britain ponders the fallout from leaked diplomatic telegrams from its ambassador to Washington, it ponders an awkward question. Was the so-called "special relationship" deliberately sabotaged by Britain's own officials or politicians releasing the material for their own political ends, or was the United Kingdom the victim of an attack by a foreign power? Without doubt, several major nations – particularly Russia, but also China and Iran at the very least – have become adept at using leaks, rumour and political subterfuge to support their geopolitical ends.
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| UN rights body narrowly passes resolution on Philippines Posted: 11 Jul 2019 04:49 AM PDT ![UN rights body narrowly passes resolution on Philippines]( "UN rights body narrowly passes resolution on Philippines") The U.N.'s top human rights body has narrowly passed a resolution that includes calls for greater scrutiny in the Philippines. The Human Rights Council voted 18-14 with 15 abstentions to approve the resolution on Thursday. The measure, presented by Iceland, cites allegations of thousands of killings since President Rodrigo Duterte launched a campaign against illegal drugs in mid-2016.
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| AP Explains: Mideast tensions threaten key global oil route Posted: 11 Jul 2019 04:21 AM PDT  The brief standoff between British and Iranian naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday looks to renew concerns about the vulnerability of world energy supplies to tensions in the Persian Gulf region. The British navy says it thwarted an attempt by the Iranians to impede the passage of a British oil tanker, a day after Iran warned of repercussions after its own supertanker was seized by authorities in Gibraltar for allegedly trying to breach European sanctions on oil shipments to Syria. About a fifth of all oil traded around the world goes through the Strait of Hormuz, so any conflict could cause huge disruption to crude supplies for energy-hungry countries, particularly in Asia.
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| US, UK will 'regret' seizing tanker off Gibraltar: Iran Guards Posted: 11 Jul 2019 04:05 AM PDT  Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Thursday that the United States and Britain will "strongly regret" the seizure of a tanker off Gibraltar, the semi-official Fars News Agency reported. "If the enemy had made the smallest assessment they wouldn't have done this act," said Rear-Admiral Ali Fadavi, deputy commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards, referring to the seizure of an oil tanker late last week by Gibraltar's police aided by British Royal Marines.
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| China Says Trade Talks With U.S. to Restart on Basis of Equality Posted: 11 Jul 2019 04:05 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next.China said trade negotiations with the U.S. will restart, while stressing that its core concerns need to be addressed."The trade teams in the two nations will restart trade negotiations on a basis of equality and mutual respect, following the consensus agreed by their two state leaders in Osaka," Gao Feng, a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, said on Thursday at a press conference.The remarks signal that the lead negotiators from the world's two biggest economies may soon get back to the negotiating table after talking via phone earlier this week. That call was the first confirmed contact since President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump met last month and agreed to resume talks.Gao didn't say when the negotiations would be held, but said he hoped the U.S. would implement its commitments with regards to Huawei Technologies Co., the Chinese company on an American blacklist, which restricts its access to products originating in the the U.S.Gao's remarks indicate that the two sides are now preparing for the next round of negotiations, according to Zhou Xiaoming, a former Mofcom official and diplomat. "A phone call is not an official restart of negotiations but rather a preparation. It seems the two sides are arm-wrestling about the basis on which they'll resume talks, as well as when and where," Zhou said.To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Miao Han in Beijing at mhan22@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jeffrey Black at jblack25@bloomberg.net, James Mayger, Nasreen SeriaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Mobile phone link now working on both sides of split Cyprus Posted: 11 Jul 2019 04:04 AM PDT ![Mobile phone link now working on both sides of split Cyprus]( "Mobile phone link now working on both sides of split Cyprus") The United Nations has lauded the news that mobile phone coverage has been extended to both sides of the divide on the east Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus. The first call was made around noon Thursday between Cyprus' Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci, leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots.
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| China blasts 22-nation letter criticizing Xinjiang policies Posted: 11 Jul 2019 03:59 AM PDT ![China blasts 22-nation letter criticizing Xinjiang policies]( "China blasts 22-nation letter criticizing Xinjiang policies") China on Thursday attacked a statement by 22 Western countries at the United Nations urging it to stop holding members of its Muslim population in detention centers, calling the measure necessary for national security and accusing the countries of trampling on its sovereignty. "The Chinese side expressed strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition," Geng said, adding that China had registered "solemn complaints" with the countries involved.
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| Merkel sits through anthems after shaking spells Posted: 11 Jul 2019 03:51 AM PDT Angela Merkel sat through national anthems on Thursday during an official ceremony, as the German chancellor sought to prevent a repeat of uncontrollable shaking with a rare change of protocol. After greeting Denmark's new Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at the portico of the chancellery, a smiling Merkel walked her over to a podium where both leaders took their seats. The unusual move came a day after a similar ceremony when the German chancellor was seen shaking involuntarily for the third time in public in less than a month, reviving questions over her health.
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| UPDATE 3-Merkel's shaking episodes fuel debate about German power handover Posted: 11 Jul 2019 03:50 AM PDT ![UPDATE 3-Merkel's shaking episodes fuel debate about German power handover]( "UPDATE 3-Merkel's shaking episodes fuel debate about German power handover") German Chancellor Angela Merkel's bouts of shaking at public events are firing up a debate among some of her Christian Democrats about whether she should pass power to her protege sooner than a planned handover in 2021, senior party sources say. Merkel, 64, suffered her third shaking episode in as many weeks on Wednesday at a ceremony to receive Finland's prime minister. Although Merkel insisted "I am fine" on Wednesday, concern about her wellbeing is stoking discussion in the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) about when she should hand over power to her protege, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
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| U.S. Weighing 18-Month Sanctions Pause for North Korea, Yonhap Says Posted: 11 Jul 2019 03:17 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is considering suspending some sanctions on North Korea for 12 to 18 months in exchange for a freeze on the country's nuclear weapons program, the Yonhap News Agency reported.The Trump administration would support lifting United Nations restrictions on North Korean coal and textiles exports as part of a deal to break their stalemate in nuclear talks, Yonhap said, citing an unidentified person close to the White House. In exchange, leader Kim Jong Un would be expected to dismantle his main nuclear complex at Yongbyon and halt his entire weapons program, the news agency from South Korea said.The sanctions would snap back into place if North Korea failed to meet its side of the bargain, Yonhap reported. Suspending the sanctions would restore a valuable source of revenue to Kim's regime.Meanwhile, North Korea revised its constitution to make Kim head of state, a promotion that could help normalize his relations with other world leaders ahead of any further meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump. The change was included in a text posted on the propaganda website Naenara and reported Thursday by Yonhap. The U.S. and North Korea are expected to hold their first working-level talks in five months, following up on Trump's historic June 30 meeting with Kim on the border between the two Koreas. While a freeze has long been among the U.S.'s goals, the Trump administration has so far refused Kim's demands for sanctions relief.Trump walked away from his previous round of talks with Kim after the North Korea leader sought the removal of all UN sanctions passed in 2016 and 2017 in exchange for dismantling Yongbyon. Kim subsequently resumed tests of short-range ballistic missiles and warned that he would wait only until the end of the year for a change in the U.S. position.The UN Security Council has passed five rounds of sanctions against North Korea since the country's fifth nuclear test in September 2016. Those penalties, which would require U.S. support to undo, include everything from curbs on North Korea's oil imports to a ban on its export of iron and coal.A nuclear freeze would represent only the first step toward the "complete, verifiable and irreversible" dismantlement of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, as required by Security Council resolutions. Still, Trump is looking to break the stalemate in negotiations that have delivered little since he and Kim agreed to "work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula" during their first meeting 13 months ago. The sanctions suspension could help build trust between the two long-time foes and provide a model that could be expanded as North Korea takes further disarmament steps, Yonhap said, citing the person close to the White House. \--With assistance from Shinhye Kang.To contact the reporter on this story: Jim Jia in Sydney at jjia1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Jon HerskovitzFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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