| UK envoy said Trump ditched Iran deal to spite Obama: report Posted: 13 Jul 2019 05:18 PM PDT  Britain's ambassador to Washington believed US President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal because it was associated with his predecessor Barack Obama, according to leaked documents published Saturday. "The administration is set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism, seemingly for ideological and personality reasons -- it was Obama's deal," ambassador Kim Darroch wrote in a diplomatic cable in May 2018. The cable was included in a second batch of leaked reports published by the Mail on Sunday newspaper, the first of which caused Darroch to resign earlier this week.
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| Climate change forum loses sponsor after dispute over story Posted: 13 Jul 2019 05:05 PM PDT  A planned forum on climate change for Democratic presidential candidates lost several major sponsors on Saturday in the wake of the left-leaning magazine The New Republic publishing — and later retracting — a vulgar and homophobic story related to gay presidential contender Pete Buttigieg. The New Republic was slated as a chief sponsor of a September event designed to spark climate change discussion among candidates during a U.N. climate summit. The magazine pulled down what it called "an opinion piece" about Buttigieg soon after its publication on Friday, citing "criticism of the piece's inappropriate and invasive content." But The New Republic as well as three top sponsors bowed out of the climate change event.
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| Trump 'pulled out of Iran nuclear deal to spite Obama', suggests Kim Darroch in new leaked memo Posted: 13 Jul 2019 02:45 PM PDT  Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal to spite his predecessor Barack Obama, the UK's former ambassador reportedly suggested in a new leaked diplomatic memo.Sir Kim Darroch claimed the US president's actions amounted to "diplomatic vandalism" and were fuelled by "personality" reasons, according to a document seen by The Mail on Sunday.The ambassador's comments are said to have been made in May 2018 after Boris Johnson, who was foreign secretary at the time, made a failed trip to the White House in a bid to change Mr Trump's mind on leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.The latest revelation came as police identified a suspect behind the leak, according to The Sunday Times.Just hours earlier, Mr Johnson and Tory leadership rival Jeremy Hunt criticised Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu for warning journalists they could face prosecution for publishing the memos.Mr Basu said the leaked emails could be a "criminal matter" that was not in the public interest, and that a police investigation had been launched into a potential breach of the Official Secrets Act.Mr Hunt said he would "defend to the hilt the right of the press to publish those leaks if they receive them and judge them to be in the public interest".And Mr Johnson said prosecution "would amount to an infringement on press freedom and have a chilling effect on public debate".In a memo to Downing Street on 8 May last year, sent after Mr Johnson returned to London, Sir Kim said the Trump administration was "set upon an act of diplomatic vandalism, seemingly for ideological and personality reasons – it was Obama's deal", The Mail on Sunday reported.He is said to have suggested that there were splits among Mr Trump's closest advisers – with Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, distancing himself from the president's actions – and that the White House lacked a strategy on what to do following its withdrawal from the Iran deal.Neither Mr Pompeo nor Mike Pence, the vice president, or John Bolton, the national security adviser, "could articulate why the President was determined to withdraw, beyond his campaign promises", Sir Kim added.In a second cable sent later that day, the former ambassador reportedly wrote that "following a typically hyperbolic statement on the nature of the 'murderous' Iranian regime, Mr Trump signed a presidential memorandum to start the process of reinstating US nuclear sanctions".Sir Kim resigned from his role on Wednesday after leaked documents published a week ago by The Mail on Sunday revealed he had described Mr Trump's administration as "dysfunctional" and "inept".The president lashed out at the former ambassador in a string of tweets, saying Washington would "no longer deal" with him, and that he was "not liked or well thought of" within the country.Sir Kim quit his post, saying his job had become "impossible" after Mr Trump's tirade against him.It is believed he made the decision to resign while watching Tuesday's televised Tory leadership debate, during which Mr Johnson refused to rule out replacing him.
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| Climate change forum loses sponsor after dispute over story Posted: 13 Jul 2019 02:32 PM PDT  A planned forum on climate change for Democratic presidential candidates is short of several major sponsors after one backer published a vulgar and homophobic story related to gay presidential contender Pete Buttigieg. The left-leaning magazine The New Republic was slated as a chief sponsor of the September climate change event during a U.N. climate summit. Another sponsor of the summit, Gizmodo Media Group, wrote Saturday that the forum itself is still scheduled to take place on Sept. 23 in New York.
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| Climate change forum loses sponsor after dispute over story Posted: 13 Jul 2019 02:32 PM PDT  A planned forum on climate change for Democratic presidential candidates is short of several major sponsors after one backer published a vulgar and homophobic story related to gay presidential contender Pete Buttigieg. The left-leaning magazine The New Republic was slated as a chief sponsor of the September climate change event during a U.N. climate summit. Another sponsor of the summit, Gizmodo Media Group, wrote Saturday that the forum itself is still scheduled to take place on Sept. 23 in New York.
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| U.K. Will Facilitate Iran Tanker Release With Guarantees Posted: 13 Jul 2019 02:13 PM PDT ![U.K. Will Facilitate Iran Tanker Release With Guarantees]( "U.K. Will Facilitate Iran Tanker Release With Guarantees") (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. will facilitate the release of the tanker if it received "guarantees that it would not be going to Syria," Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in a tweet Saturday, after a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.Fabian Picardo, chief minister of Gibraltar, agrees that it's important to deescalate "the current situation as quickly as possible, while noting the importance of Gibraltar enforcing EU sanctions against Syria through its legal processes," Hunt said in an emailed statement later Saturday.The incident has heightened frictions just as European nations scramble to salvage a landmark nuclear accord with the Islamic Republic.U.K. Navy Intervenes After Iran Tries to Stop British Oil Tanker(Updates with details throughout.)To contact the reporter on this story: Chiara Vasarri in New York at cvasarri@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Lauren Berry at lberry4@bloomberg.net, Maria Jose ValeroFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Sudan activists call for 'justice' for killed protesters Posted: 13 Jul 2019 02:04 PM PDT  Tens of thousands of Sudanese flooded the streets of the capital of Khartoum and other cities Saturday to mark the 40th day since the deadly dispersal of a protest sit-in, and a protest leader said a planned a meeting with the country's ruling generals to sign a power-sharing deal was postponed until Sunday. The "Justice First" marches were called by the Sudanese Professionals' Association, which has been spearheading the protests since December. The marches mark 40 days since the dispersal of the pro-democracy protesters' sit-in in outside military headquarters in Khartoum on June 3.
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| Fraudsters try to cash in on the good name of British legal companies Posted: 13 Jul 2019 11:40 AM PDT  Leading British law firms are being targeted by cyber criminals who set up fake email accounts and pose as top lawyers to try to con people and companies out of millions. Fraudsters from around the world have mimicked company names by making subtle changes to website and email addresses in the hope of tricking people into making payments huge payments or sending sensitive personal information. According to recent rulings made at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), con artists apparently from Russian, Nigeria, China, America and France have been targeting UK companies. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), the regulatory body for solicitors, has issued a series of warnings about legal firms both large and small reporting bogus internet accounts being set up. A few months ago it highlighted how Linklaters, a multinational company based in London, had reported various subtle misspellings of its name being used in email addresses. In one instance, the SRA warned that "emails sent from a genuine solicitor at a genuine firm appear to have been intercepted, with a subsequent email being sent from an email address ending @liinklaters.com." The criminals asked for payment to a new bank account hoping no-one would spot the extra 'i' in the name. Emails and domain names have been set up to look similar to leading legal firms Credit: ISSOUF SANOGO/AFP Other amendments have included @linkiakers.com and @linklalers.com instead of @linklaters.com. In a separate incident this year, Linklaters was awarded control of the domain name linklaters-lawfirm.com after they proved it was set up along with an email address to try to defraud three companies, one email demanding a payment of nearly $1 million. Linklaters issued an alert about "fraudulent emails … attempting to misuse the name of the firm" warning that it had not changed its bank details. Lewis Silkin recently closed down a website and emails where its name had been misspelt to read "lewissllkin.com". A WIPO, a United Nations agency which protects intellectual property, found the bogus account had been used for "phishing" - conning people into releasing sensitive information such as passwords - and fraud, including "an attempt to divert funds meant for Lewis Silkin to a third party bank account". A Linklaters spokesman said: "Like the whole industry, we have seen an increase in firms, clients and consumers being targeted by scammers and we are working closely with the SRA to make sure that people are as aware and as vigilant as possible for any communication that bears the hallmarks of a scam or phishing attempt." Steven Jennings, trade marks counsel at Lewis Silkin, said: "Domain name 'scammers' understand law firms are a trustworthy source that will have had to go through a number of checks. As a result, most people won't expect them to fall victim to this kind of fraud." Undoubtedly, our firm is not the first and will not be the last to be targeted in this way. "However, this is not just a problem for law firms. All businesses should monitor what domain names they use and to ensure greater security, it is advisable to get clients to check with whom they are corresponding, such as through secure portals."
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| Egypt opens 2 ancient pyramids for first time since 1960s Posted: 13 Jul 2019 11:30 AM PDT  Egypt on Saturday opened two of its oldest pyramids, located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of the capital Cairo, to visitors for the first time since 1965. Antiquities Minister Khaled el-Anany told reporters that tourists were are now allowed to visit the Bent Pyramid and its satellite pyramid in the Dahshur royal necropolis, which is part of the Memphis Necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Bent Pyramid, which was built during the Old Kingdom of the Pharaoh of Sneferu, in about 2600 B.C., is unique in that it has two internal structures.
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| The Iran crisis will show Russia and China the West still has no answer for 'hybrid warfare' Posted: 13 Jul 2019 09:39 AM PDT  The current crisis with Iran has lessons that will resonate well beyond the shores of the Gulf. Countries like Russia and China will see in it the attestation of their belief that the West currently has no answer to hybrid warfare, the blend of military and civilian actions for political effect. Iranian naval forces are very weak militarily, comprised mostly of machine gun-toting raiding craft and a few frigates which, if they deployed in anything other than a peaceful way, would be destroyed by the Bahrain-based US Fifth Fleet. So instead Iran is employing hybrid warfare, which renders largely irrelevant 'hard' military power and which shows up how inadequately prepared the West is to meet such challenges. Hybrid warfare mixes conventional and unconventional military forces with disinformation, assassination, economics, manipulation of social media, use of religion, plus other state-sponsored activities that seek to undermine an enemy without engaging in 'traditional' war. An oil tanker on fire in the sea of Oman after a suspected attack by Iranian proxy forces.June 13, 2019. Credit: Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA The current Gulf crisis is a test-case in how to counter Western hard power, a point not lost on Moscow or Beijing. Proponents of hybrid war choose not to fight to Western strengths. This sometimes causes outrage amongst our politicians, but is common sense and sound military strategy. Iran, Russia and, increasingly, China are very good at operating in the structural fractures afforded by liberal democracies wedded to conventional military power. "All these people are thinking much more unconventionally now than they used to be," warns Bob Seely MP. Politically Britain is siding with the EU over sanctions on Iran whilst attempting to remain militarily close to the US. "Strategically we're in a very considerable bind," Mr Seely says. Iran wants to bring as much diplomatic attention as possible to its plight and can destabilise the Middle East at will in order to do so. Military action by the US or Britain could be met by Iran covertly internationalising the crisis as quickly as possible. Gulf shipping could be attacked, or proxy forces across the Middle East could strike Western forces in Iraq, Syria or Yemen. Iranian politics is not singular and hierarchical, but instead has rival power centres. "When you're dealing with the people who handle the proxies and asymmetrical warfare, you're not necessarily dealing with the Iranian parliament, rather the Revolutionary Guards who are a culture unto themselves and somewhat separate from other elements of the Iranian political state," Mr Seely says. Iranian forces on a fast attack craft take part in the "National Persian Gulf day" in the Strait of Hormuz. April 30, 2019. Credit: ATTA KENARE/AFP All of which shows the need for a post-Brexit Grand Strategy, according to David Richards, former Chief of the Defence Staff. "We're meandering around, being buffeted by various risks and crises, and no-one really knows what our strategy and purpose in the big wide world is." And he has a warning for Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson. Either in the Gulf or more broadly, "whether or not it's by design, the new Prime Minister will be tested in the next six months. "What worries me, is that most [politicians] are very ill-prepared for that challenge. "They are all are rather haughtily over-confident about being up to it before the event. It's only afterwards they realise it's not quite so straightforward and that cautious Generals like me might be right after all."
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| EU supports Iraq-proposed conference on US-Iran tensions Posted: 13 Jul 2019 09:27 AM PDT  The European Union supports an Iraqi proposal to hold a regional conference amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, the group's foreign policy chief said Saturday. Iraq is an ally of the two rival nations, which are on a collision course as the Iran nuclear deal threatens to unravel. Iraq has offered to mediate between Tehran and Washington, while Iran has pressed European parties to the nuclear agreement to offset the effects of U.S. sanctions.
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| Britain offers to release impounded Iranian tanker as it seeks to defuse tensions Posted: 13 Jul 2019 09:16 AM PDT  Jeremy Hunt sought to defuse tensions with Iran on Saturday, offering to release an impounded Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar that had become the centre of an international crisis. The foreign secretary told counterpart Mohammed Javad Zarif in a "constructive call" that the UK would facilitate the Grace 1's release "if we received guarantees that it would not be going to Syria, following due process in Gibraltar courts." "(I) was told by Zarif that Iran wants to resolve issue and is not seeking to escalate," Mr Hunt tweeted. Royal Marines seized the supertanker on July 4 on suspicion of violating EU sanctions against Syria, where the UK believed it was heading with two million barrels of crude oil. Days later, Iranian Revolutionary responded by harassing a Royal Navy ship shadowing a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, forcing it to train its guns on the vessels. Tehran, which maintained the oil was not meant for President Bashar al-Assad's regime, had warned the UK that if it did not release the vessel there will be serious consequences. "This is a dangerous game," a foreign ministry official warned on Friday. President Donald Trump, left, on July 22, 2018, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani Credit: AP The British Foreign Office has been keen to stress it is keeping separate the issues of Iranian threats in Gulf waters, EU sanctions policy on Syria, and the nuclear deal. But this holds little water with Iran, which sees the UK's move in Gibraltar as a sign it is not acting in good faith as they attempt to resuscitate the 2015 accord. "It is quite a nuanced difference," said Charles Hollis, a former British diplomat in Tehran. "The big story is the confrontation over the nuclear deal and although this is, legally and diplomatically, a separate issue, in the minds of Iranians it is quite a fine distinction." Mr Hollis, who held posts in Iran, as well as Iraq and Saudi Arabia, told the Sunday Telegraph that the UK needed a more coherent policy on Iran, as any "misunderstanding or miscalculation" could lead to an escalation in the current climate. "Military chiefs are very vigilant and doing what they can, but at the top level, there are clearly other things that are a priority at present," said Mr Hollis, who now works as managing director of risk management Falanx Assynt. "There isn't much of a clear foreign policy," he said, which could be a danger if it is exploited by the Iranians. In response to the July 4 incident, Iran announced it had increased its enriching of uranium to above the 3.7 per cent cap agreed under the 2015 accord. Proliferation experts said the amount was so incremental, however, it should be viewed as "a cry for help" rather any statement of intent. British Navy are seen boarding the oil supertanker Grace 1, in waters off the British overseas territory of Gibraltar Credit: MoD There is some suggestion that the UK authorities in Gibraltar were acting at the behest of the US, which has its own sanctions against Tehran and is pushing Britain to come off the fence. One diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, intimated that he would have been relieved if the tanker had taken a different route and not presented the UK with the dilemma. The sentiment was echoed by Lord Howell, a former Conservative cabinet minister and chairman of the Lords international relations committee, who asked the government this week whether it "was such a good idea to raid the Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar in the first place." After the July 4 incident, Iran announced it had increased its enriching of uranium to above the 3.7 per cent cap agreed under the 2015 accord. Proliferation experts said the amount was so incremental, however, it should be viewed as "a cry for help" rather any statement of intent. There is some suggestion that the UK authorities in Gibraltar were acting at the behest of the US, which has its own sanctions against Tehran and is pushing Britain to come off the fence. One diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, intimated that he would have been relieved if the tanker had taken a different route and not presented the UK with the dilemma. The sentiment was echoed by Lord Howell, a former Conservative cabinet minister and chairman of the Lords international relations committee, who asked the government this week whether it "was such a good idea to raid the Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar in the first place?" "Obviously we want to stop oil getting to President Assad, although probably he can get all the oil he wants from Russia. Are we not supposed to be on the same side as the Iranians on the question of nuclear proliferation and control? Can we have a firm assurance that we did this not just at the say-so of the US?" A woman walks past a mural painting showing the founder of the Islamic republic Ayatollah Khomeini and the national flag along the wall of the former US embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran Credit: AFP The UK now finds itself walking a tricky tightrope. On the one hand it wants to preserve the US special relationship, and is under pressure from hawks within the Trump administration to take a firmer stance on Iran. On the other, it agrees with fellow EU signatories to the landmark 2015 nuclear accord that they must do all the can to keep it alive. European foreign ministers are due to meet on Monday as they try to get members to buy into their idea for an Instex (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) barter-style system that would allow the bloc to circumvent the US's sanction and carry on trading with Tehran. Iran has given them a September deadline to show it the nuclear deal can work without Washington. Analysts agreed the UK's lack of a clear policy on Iran was likely confusing the Islamic Republic's leaders. Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of imprisoned Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, outside the Iranian Embassy in London Credit: Rex "With Iran not being high on the list of British priorities right now, policy is piecemeal rather than strategic," Sanam Vakil, who heads the Iran Forum at Chatham House, told the Sunday Telegraph. "In theory, the policy would be to work with the E3 (France and Germany) and the US to bridge the divide and the differences, offer diplomacy while also pressure in a coordinated multilateral way," she said. "But because we don't know about the future direction of British policy vis-a-vis the US or the EU, there is a lot of hedging going on." However, she did not think it was "2003 moment", referring to the days before the US invasion of Iraq. "I don't think we are about to go to war," she said. "At least until there is a new prime minister who can define objectives. "I think that is the assumption, that if Boris Johnson becomes prime minister the UK will align more closely with US policy."
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| Unprecedented fires burn the Arctic Posted: 13 Jul 2019 08:35 AM PDT  Smoke is rising over the forests of Alaska and Siberia.The World Meteorological Organization called the wildfires now burning around the Arctic "unprecedented." The United Nations agency noted that over 100 intense fires burned in the Arctic Circle alone over the past six weeks, releasing more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than Sweden does in an entire year. A rare fire even ignited in Greenland, amid unusually hot and dry weather.Amplified wildfires are an expected, predictable consequence of a warming climate. This is all the more true in the Arctic, a sprawling region that is heating up twice as fast as the rest of the globe. The profound changes here can be easily observed over the Arctic ocean, too, where sea ice has broken records for melting throughout the 2019 summer.Over the course of 10 days in July, Alaskan wildfires burned an area of land the size of Rhode Island. This is way above normal -- though this doesn't match Alaska's extreme burning of 2015. > Alaska wildfires have now burned 1.28 million acres (519k ha), the 3rd highest total to date (since 1993) according to @BLM_AFS analysis. This includes 1218 square miles burned in July. That's one Rhode Island in 10 days. akwx wildfire @Climatologist49 @IARC_Alaska @TScottRupp pic.twitter.com/gVTIox3x2k> > -- Rick Thoman (@AlaskaWx) July 10, 2019> Record-breaking heat in Alaska has exacerbated clusters of wildfires burning throughout the state. https://t.co/8zqVC5JAjx NASA MODIS fire pic.twitter.com/64zL7gYETx> > -- NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) July 11, 2019The largely Arctic state, however, just had its warmest 12-month period on record.SEE ALSO: Climate change will ruin train tracks and make travel hellJust across the Bering Sea, in Siberia, NASA satellite images from July 13 show dense smoke swirling over eastern Russia, with red spots designating wildfires.Fires in Siberia on July 13, 2019.Image: nasa worldviewWhile a warming climate itself doesn't create weather events or fires, it amplifies these events and significantly boosts the odds of such events occurring. That's why leading climate scientists emphasize looking at the bigger picture -- and following trends.And the trends are clear. On Earth, 18 of the 19 warmest years on record have occurred since 2001. Warmer climes mean an atmosphere that holds more water, which translates to a boost in pummeling deluges -- like the type that flooded Washington, D.C. earlier this week. The U.S. just experienced its wettest 12 months in 124 years of recorded history. Such warming also means momentous declines in Arctic sea ice, amplified, growing drought in arid swathes of the United States, and fires that are burning for weeks longer than they were in the 1980sThe future may have its many unknowns. But it's almost certain that the Arctic will be a smokier place as the region continues a relentless, accelerating warming trend. This July, Anchorage hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit. That's the hottest day ever recorded in the city's history. WATCH: Ever wonder how the universe might end?
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| Merkel's health is a private matter, Germans say after shaking bouts Posted: 13 Jul 2019 06:30 AM PDT ![Merkel's health is a private matter, Germans say after shaking bouts]( "Merkel's health is a private matter, Germans say after shaking bouts") Most Germans believe Angela Merkel's health is a private matter, a poll showed on Saturday, after the chancellor suffered the latest in a series of shaking episodes this week that have raised questions about whether she should give an explanation. Merkel is famously private, only rarely making public appearances with her husband.
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| Most Germans say Merkel's health is a personal issue Posted: 13 Jul 2019 06:28 AM PDT  Nearly 60 percent of Germans feel that Chancellor Angela Merkel's bouts of uncontrolled shaking are a personal matter, according to a survey published on Saturday. A poll published in the Augsburger Allgemeinen newspaper found that 59 percent of those questioned felt that trembling seen three times in public in the past month concerns Merkel's "private" life, while 34 percent said it was a matter of public interest. Merkel will celebrate her 65th birthday next Wednesday and has been at the head of the German government for about 14 years.
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| 2020 Coffers, Cash-Strapped NRA, Epstein's Digs: Weekend Reads Posted: 13 Jul 2019 05:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every day? Sign up for the Balance of Power newsletter, and follow Bloomberg Politics on Twitter and Facebook for more.A gap is emerging between the top tier of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates and those likely to be viewed as also-rans, and the powerful U.S. gun lobby is using some creative accounting to report a spike in income.Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein has traded his luxurious mansions for a jail cell in New York. And workers across the world are finding new ways to adapt to the pressures of globalization and automation.We hope you enjoy these and other key stories from the past seven days in this edition of Weekend Reads.Democrats' Cash Haul at $99 Million and Counting as Big 5 EmergeIn the crowded 2020 Democratic presidential field, campaign bank accounts are beginning to separate the contenders from the also-rans. Bill Allison reports that, when the candidates reveal their second-quarter fundraising totals on Monday, the numbers will show who's catching fire. And While it's still early, the figures are likely to cement Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris as the big five.How Facebook Fought Fake News About FacebookRead how Facebook, whose reputation took a hit for its role in spreading Russian misinformation during the U.S. election, is employing special software programs with names like "Stormchaser" and "Night's Watch" to track – and sometimes snuff out – potentially damaging assertions about the company. Mark Bergen and Kurt Wagner explain Facebook's unique position where it owns the platform its watching and sometimes goes on the offensive to defuse messages that can harm it.The NRA Uses Creative Accounting to Post Surge in RevenueThe embattled National Rifle Association reported some good news to its supporters earlier this year: Revenue from membership dues jumped 33% last year to $170 million. But as Neil Weinberg and David Voreacos report, factors other than rising enrollments may have been the reason, meaning its income might fall ahead of next year's election if they don't keep pace.Workers of the World on Getting By in an Era of Wrenching ChangeIn much of the world, young people from poor families are easily out-earning their parents. Yet the pressures of globalization and automation have also left many workers struggling to secure safe, supportive conditions and to feel their toil has value. Have a look at Vauhini Vara's yearlong project to capture the voices of workers facing unprecedented global change.Europe's Young Contender Sharpens Brand for Life After MerkelWhen Sebastian Kurz was an aspiring politician barely out of his teens, Austrian establishment grandees offered him wise words: If you want to make it to the top, remember you're always in the public eye. Boris Groendahl, Matthais Wabl and Chris Reiter explain how he took the advice to help him become the new hope of Europe's conservative parties and, until recently, the continent's youngest head of government. Brexit Reopens Question of United Ireland Decades After ConflictThe looming prospect of Brexit has allowed the most emotive of Irish questions – whether to pursue reunification of the country with the U.K. province to its north – to creep back into pubs and living rooms. Dara Doyle and Rodney Edwards report from the former trouble-spot town of Enniskillen about the discussion that politicians in London, Dublin and Belfast have been eager to avoid so as to not destabilize a region once torn apart by civil conflict.China Is Winning the Silent War to Dominate the South China SeaTran Van Nhan, a Vietnamese fishing captain, could do nothing when six Chinese officials boarded his tiny trawler from a 3,000-ton armored patrol ship to to steal his catch and tell him to stop fishing in the South China Sea, waters that had supported his forefathers for generations. Read this dispatch from Bloomberg reporters who traveled to the front lines of Asia's most complex territorial dispute, where China is taking the initiative to secure energy and fishing resources that account for about a 10th of the global catch. Ramaphosa Honeymoon Is Over as South African Firms Lose PatienceThe advocates of "Ramaphoria" who hoped South African President Cyril Ramaphosa would reform the struggling economy, crack down on corruption and replace underperforming ministers are losing patience. As Antony Sguazzin and Roxanne Henderson write, the relief at seeing the end of Jacob Zuma's nine-year tenure is turning to frustration at the lack of tangible change.And finally… Bernie Madoff and John Gotti Jr. did time there. Paul Manafort is currently in residence and now Jeffrey Epstein – inmate 76318-054 – just moved in. Read this deep dive from Patricia Hurtado, Chris Dolmetsch, and Christian Berthelsen about the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan, the federal jail that houses terrorists and other high-profile criminals including the Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo." You can also read about the mystery behind Epstein's fortune and how he made it. To contact the author of this story: Michael Winfrey in Prague at mwinfrey@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Kathleen Hunter at khunter9@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Europe’s Young Contender Sharpens Brand for Life After Merkel Posted: 13 Jul 2019 04:51 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- When Sebastian Kurz was an aspiring politician barely out of his teens, Austrian establishment grandees offered him some wise words: If you want to make it to the top, remember you're always in the public eye. He took the advice."While others were partying until the morning light, Sebastian always knew when it was enough," said Philipp Depisch, 39, an ally of Kurz from the early 2000s. "When we went to the bar, he organized a round of drinks for everyone and stayed for a while, but at some point he would get up and go to bed."Such attention to his persona helped put Kurz on a breakneck journey to become Europe's youngest head of government less than a decade later. Now the next few months will decide whether the 32-year-old can morph from youthful curiosity into a European statesman and affirm his role as the new hope for the continent's conservative forces.Kurz heads into an election campaign with scrutiny never higher after a scandal involving his far-right coalition partner brought an end to his 18-month stint as Austrian chancellor in May. A solid victory could make him a power broker at home and in the fractious European Union as German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to step down.Combining a hard line on uncontrolled immigration with his honed image as the courteous good son of Austria, Kurz contrasts with the nationalist zeal of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Italy's Matteo Salvini.Kurz has cozy chats with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin while maintaining a frosty rather than confrontational relationship with Merkel. Last year, when her Bavarian allies tested her authority over migration policy, Kurz appeared alongside Merkel's antagonists and toured German talk shows discussing the need to protect borders."The guy has demonstrated himself to be a supreme political operator," said Carsten Nickel, managing director of Teneo, a company in London that advises on political risk. As for the EU, he's no savior but he also doesn't want to undermine it, he said. "Kurz clearly hasn't sided with the euroskeptics, but we see a different approach than Merkel. He's more of a center-right traditionalist."Like rebranding the People's Party with the color turquoise instead of its traditional black, Kurz is about rejuvenating old conservative ideas. His main conviction is distancing himself from the social democrats, who he blames for years of inaction in Austrian government. That led him to form an alliance in 2017 with the Freedom Party, which has links to neo-Nazis.He will go into the Sept. 29 election as Austria's most popular party leader even after he effectively sank his own government following the revelation of a video of a senior coalition official trying to curry favor with a fake niece of a Russian oligarch."Public perception can change extremely quickly," Kurz said in an interview in Vienna last week. "In such a situation, you do not know what is good for you personally or the party."The appeal at home is drawn from his clean-cut image, the blue-eyed former tennis coach heeding the counsel of the elder statesmen in the People's Party as he was handpicked to climb the ranks. He names one of them, former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel, among his political heroes.Kurz was told to keep his private life private, so he does. The only child of an engineering father and school teacher mother, he enrolled as a law student in Vienna, though never finished his studies. He lives with his girlfriend, whom he met fresh out of school, in an unassuming apartment building in the modest Meidling neighborhood where he grew up and likes to unwind with the occasional drink in a local cocktail bar.He keeps his posts to his 1 million social media followers strictly business, tweeting about policy initiatives. You'd never catch him sharing what he had for lunch that day, Kurz said at Vienna's grand Springer Villa, used by the People's Party for meetings and down the road from where he grew up.That, though, doesn't make him inscrutable, he said, bristling at the suggestion. All he's doing is fulfilling what he was told by his mentors."I always have to laugh if somebody says they don't know a lot about me, because I don't know many people who are so present in the media and are asked so many different questions," Kurz said. "I'm 32 and there are now several books written about me."The interest in Kurz isn't surprising given his rapid rise to power, and Depisch said it was always apparent that Kurz had the ambition for something big.In the 2000s, the two would meet in the Sky Bar near Vienna's opera house and talk strategy as members of the People's Party's youth wing. Kurz then became head of the organization in 2009 and was appointed state secretary for integration in 2011 while still in his 20s before taking the post of foreign minister two years later.In spring 2016, Kurz quietly sounded out regional party chiefs armed with polling data suggesting that support for the People's Party would leap with him at the helm. The effort to challenge then leader Reinhold Mitterlehner led to a confrontation where Kurz demanded breaking up the government with him fronting the campaign in the resulting snap vote. He won.While Kurz is keen to portray himself as the reluctant wunderkind simply trying to drag his tradition-bound country into the modern era, critics say his power grab showed the Machiavellian behind the polished, respectful public facade."He represents a type of politician who wants power without a clear agenda," said Mitterlehner, 63. Under Kurz's government, "we seemed to be moving from a liberal to an authoritarian democracy," he said.As he bids to return as chancellor, Kurz is continuing to pander to people wary of immigration with promises of preserving Austrian identity in the fight with "political Islam." But he's also seeking broader support, talking about the environment, care for the elderly and the future of the EU.He opposed the pick by Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron for the EU's next chief, complaining of a back-room stitch up. "The EU is more than only two countries," he said.During his time in office, Kurz hardened the government's approach to refugees and started an effort to reduce the country's high tax burden by increasing benefits for working families. He also began tackling Austria's complex healthcare system and is trying to attract more skilled foreigners.A signature move of his government was a reform of the welfare bureaucracy that shifted power away from labor unions and toward business. His effort to cut child benefits for some EU citizens – particularly those from eastern Europe – put Austria in hot water with the bloc, which said it treats foreign workers as second-class residents.On the campaign trail, Kurz has criss-crossed the Alpine country to meet with firemen, nurses and farmers. After leaving the interview on July 2, he spoke to entrepreneurs near the Hungarian border. Typically, the trip included photo opportunities involving Kurz listening to or chatting with small groups of voters in nursing homes, at outdoor markets and in the countryside.Polls show the effort is paying off as he seeks to turn a political crisis into an opportunity. His party has gained ground and is ahead by at least 10 percentage points."He definitely has a sense for what's mainstream and a talent for serving up policies in digestible portions," said Michael Spindelegger, a mentor who thought Kurz had potential to become party chief when he stepped down in 2014. "His maturation phase isn't complete yet."Indeed, it was Kurz who pulled the plug on the coalition and called for a snap election after he watched the video showing Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and political ally Johann Gudenus on the Spanish island of Ibiza crassly attempting to peddle influence.Strache thought he could save the alliance by resigning, along with Gudenus, but Kurz upped the ante and demanded the head of Interior Minister Herbert Kickl too. The anti-immigration hardliner resisted and the Freedom Party allied with the opposition to back a no-confidence motion and remove Kurz from power."In these hours, we saw the chancellor with a face that's very different from the friendly, eternally smiling one we know," Kickl told the Austrian Parliament. "You say that you're sorry that the coalition collapsed. I believe rather that you're sorry your power play didn't work."\--With assistance from Rosalind Mathieson.To contact the authors of this story: Boris Groendahl in Vienna at bgroendahl@bloomberg.netMatthias Wabl in Vienna at mwabl@bloomberg.netChris Reiter in Berlin at creiter2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Rodney JeffersonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Activists say Russian, Syrian strikes kill 11 in rebel area Posted: 13 Jul 2019 03:33 AM PDT  Syrian rescuers and activists say 11 civilians, including two families of four, have been killed in government and Russian airstrikes inside Syria's last rebel stronghold. First responders known as White Helmets said airstrikes in Kfarya village Saturday killed a mother, her baby and another man, leaving 11 injured, including one of their volunteers. The rescuers and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said other airstrikes in the town of Khan Sheikhoun hit a farm, killing two families— four children and four parents.
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| Stalled Idlib campaign shows limits of Syrian, Russian power Posted: 13 Jul 2019 02:44 AM PDT  Two months of intensive airstrikes by Syrian government forces and their Russian allies, coupled with a fierce ground assault on rebel-controlled Idlib province, have killed hundreds of people and caused massive displacement while achieving little to no gain for President Bashar Assad. Despite the heavy bombardment, Assad's troops have been unable to make any significant advances against al-Qaida-linked militants and other jihadi groups who dominate Idlib province, the last significant area held by opposition forces. The struggling campaign underscores the limits of Syria's and Russia's airpower and inability to achieve a definitive victory in the country's long-running civil war, now in its eighth year.
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| China brings in commerce ministry officials to boost trade talks team Posted: 13 Jul 2019 02:30 AM PDT  China seeks to strengthen its trade negotiation team, including by involving Commerce Minister Zhong Shan, as Beijing and Washington restart talks on a range of thorny issues.Zhong joined a phone call with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday " the first time he had been part of a direct conversation with Washington's negotiators " in a move that observers said showed Beijing's need to enlist more experts as the talks get tougher.It was the first telephone call between top negotiators since Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump agreed to resume stalled talks on the year-long trade war during their summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29. Even before talks officially restart, China's imports of American farm products " which the two sides have yet to agree on " are looming as the next contentious issue.China's team is led by Vice-Premier Liu He, a long-time confidant of Xi who has been spoken of highly by White House officials. But observers say there are concerns over a lack of trade expertise on Beijing's team compared to Washington officials like Lighthizer, who is said to be respected by the Chinese for his knowledge, even if they have found him difficult to negotiate with.Commerce Minister Zhong Shan has experience dealing with trade disputes with the US and the EU. Photo: Simon Song alt=Commerce Minister Zhong Shan has experience dealing with trade disputes with the US and the EU. Photo: Simon SongBringing in Zhong could be an effort to address those concerns, according to Dali Yang, a political scientist at the University of Chicago."[The] arrangement has been criticised in China for not having as much expertise as the US side, which has been led by Lighthizer," Yang said, noting that Liu has been the sole top negotiator for Beijing for the 11 rounds of talks until now."As the two sides seek to close the negotiations, it makes sense for the Chinese side to give its experts more of a role, with the involvement of Zhong as well as Yu Jianhua," Yang said.Yu, a vice-minister of commerce, is China's former ambassador to the United Nations and a veteran on trade issues and the World Trade Organisation.Wei Jianguo, a former vice-minister of commerce, said that the ministry would play an important role in future talks, which are expected to include services " a sector the US wants to expand in its trade with China.Wei Jianguo said the commerce ministry would play an important role in future trade talks. Photo: Handout alt=Wei Jianguo said the commerce ministry would play an important role in future trade talks. Photo: HandoutLike Yu, Zhong has experience dealing with trade disputes with the US and the European Union.Zhong worked under Xi during his time in Zhejiang province, and was appointed vice-minister of commerce in 2008. He led a trade delegation negotiating with Washington on Chinese tyre imports in 2009, the first major US-China trade conflict during Barack Obama's presidency.But the talks were unsuccessful, and the US went ahead with anti-dumping duties of up to 35 per cent on Chinese tyres exported to the US. A challenge at the WTO also failed, with a ruling against China in the case two years later.Zhong did help China reach a deal in a major trade dispute with the European Union over Chinese solar power products and telecoms equipment in 2013. He also led a delegation to the US in 2016, meeting officials in the commerce and treasury departments and the office of the USTR to discuss how to resolve trade conflicts and balance bilateral trade. He became commerce minister in 2017.Zhong has not been directly involved in the trade talks over the past year, or included in the teams sent to Washington, though he did appear in an opening ceremony group photograph with US negotiators in Beijing.According to a government source speaking on condition of anonymity, it made sense to include Zhong in the discussions."It was abnormal for him not to participate in the trade talks over the last year. His direct involvement is a return to a normal track," the source said.There had also not been enough briefings and exchanges of views on the trade dispute within the government, the source said. Zhong, for example, had to privately approach a vice-minister of commerce and key member of China's negotiation team, Wang Shouwen, about progress during previous rounds of trade talks.Yu Jianhua is China's former ambassador to the United Nations and a veteran on trade issues and the World Trade Organisation. Photo: Xinhua alt=Yu Jianhua is China's former ambassador to the United Nations and a veteran on trade issues and the World Trade Organisation. Photo: XinhuaAnother source who was briefed on the trade talks said that Yu, another commerce vice-minister, had also begun offering advice on the negotiations since he took up the role in April, though he had not been directly involved in the discussions.Lu Xiang, a senior researcher on US issues at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that the commerce ministry had become more involved."Vice-Premier Liu He is in charge of the overall direction of the frontline trade discussions, and as the text [of the deal] goes deeper and gets more detailed, many technical issues need to be handled by the Ministry of Commerce," Lu said.James Zimmerman, a partner in the Beijing office of international law firm Perkins Coie and former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, said that including officials with more expertise in the negotiations could suggest an increased commitment to the trade talks."I don't read this as an indication of a shake-up of China's trade team, but rather a reflection of Beijing's intent to commit the resources and leadership to resolving the pending issues," he said.Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua will lead an employment guidance group within the State Council. Photo: AP alt=Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua will lead an employment guidance group within the State Council. Photo: APBeijing has also been bracing for more fallout from the trade war, which has seen job losses and faltering growth, setting up an employment guidance group within the State Council. It will be led by Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua, who is in charge of the commerce ministry; another government source said that Hu had also been asked to get more involved in the negotiations with Washington.Observers said both China and the US were still seeking a deal, but the two sides remained far apart on some issues."It is unclear what the US wants exactly," Lu said. "It wants China to open up its market, but it also wants US companies to move back. And there is doubt from both sides over whether a sensible deal can be reached with the Trump administration."Additional reporting by Kristin HuangThis article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2019 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| Turkey begins second wave of operations against PKK in Iraq Posted: 13 Jul 2019 01:35 AM PDT ![Turkey begins second wave of operations against PKK in Iraq]( "Turkey begins second wave of operations against PKK in Iraq") Turkey's defense ministry says it has launched a new military operation against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. The ministry, in a statement Saturday, announced the start of "Operation Claw-2" to destroy caves and shelters used by members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the Hakurk region. The PKK began an insurgency against Turkey in the mainly Kurdish southeast in 1984 and the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people.
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| Turkey continues receiving Russian S-400 air defense parts Posted: 13 Jul 2019 01:08 AM PDT  Turkey on Saturday continued receiving components of a Russian-made air defense system, despite Washington's warnings that it will impose sanctions on the NATO-member country. Turkey's defense ministry tweeted the landing of a fourth Russian cargo plane in Murted Air Base, near the capital, Ankara. The United States has repeatedly warned it will impose economic sanctions and kick Turkey out of the F-35 stealth fighter jet program if Ankara does not drop its S-400 purchase.
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