| North Korea Likely Suffering Worst Downturn Since 1990s Famine Posted: 16 Jul 2019 05:15 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- How much are sanctions hurting Kim Jong Un? North Korea's economy hasn't been in such bad shape since his father was battling floods, droughts and a famine that some estimates say killed as much as 10% of the population.The South Korean central bank's annual report on its northern neighbor -- due for release later this month -- will provide a fresh look at the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's pressure campaign just as the two sides prepare to restart talks. While North Korea's isolation, secrecy and dearth of official statistics make estimates difficult, the economy probably contracted more than 5% last year, according to Kim Byung-yeon, an economics professor at Seoul National University."As long as sanctions remain, time is on the U.S. side," said Kim Byung-yeon, who also wrote the book "Unveiling the North Korean Economy." "Sanctions are the most effective means to draw North Korea into negotiations, so they should not be lifted or eased without major progress on denuclearization."A decline of 5% would mean that international curbs on North Korean trade -- measures crucially backed by China -- have put the country on its weakest economic footing since 1997. Back then, the isolated nation was reeling from policy missteps under Kim Jong Il and a famine so bad some defectors reported rumors of cannibalism.The Bank of Korea estimated a 3.5% contraction in 2017, leaving North Korea an economy roughly the size of the U.S. state of Vermont. Park Yung-hwan, a BOK official in charge of North Korean growth data, declined to comment on the central bank's latest calculations since the work was still underway.One thing sanctions aren't doing: stopping Kim from developing the nuclear arsenal that prompted his showdown with Trump. The cost launching the more than 30 ballistic missiles Kim Jong Un has tested since taking power in 2011 comes in at about $100 million, according to estimates by South Korea's defense ministry.Nevertheless, Trump is counting on the economic pressure to compel Kim to compromise after the two leaders agreed in a historic meeting at the Demilitarized Zone last month to resume working-level talks. The president had earlier rejected the North Korean leader's offer to dismantle his aging nuclear complex at Yongbyon in exchange for the removal of the toughest sanctions."We will look forward, of course, to resuming those negotiations, and we hope to talk about all ways that we can advance progress on these commitments," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told a briefing Tuesday in Washington. Here's a look at some indicators of North Korea's current slump:China FreezeNorth Korea is heavily reliant on China, which accounts for about 90% of the country's trade. And Beijing's decision to support tougher international sanctions against North Korea following its sixth nuclear test in September 2017 has put severe pressure on the economy.Sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council hit everything from North Korea's exports of raw materials, minerals and clothes to the movement of manual-laborers and software engineers. The drying up of hard currency due to plunging trade is potentially creating an "economic crisis" for Kim, the state-run Korea Development Institute in Sejong, said earlier this month.China's imports from North Korea have slowed to a trickle, falling about 90% year on year to just $195 million in 2018, according to the Korea International Trade Association. Meanwhile, exports of food and fuel from China to the North have also tumbled.Fuel ShortagesBefore sanctions were in place, North Korea imported about 3.9 million barrels of oil in 2015, according to the Central Intelligence Agency's The World Factbook. Sanctions capped the country's imports to a 500,000 barrels of oil last year.But Kim's regime has found ways to evade the sanctions, using illicit high seas transfers to obtain oil and export its goods, the U.S. and its allies have said. The country's ports received at least 263 tanker deliveries of refined petroleum, according to U.S. estimates, enough to bring as much as 3.78 million barrels of fuel.The fuel crunch has exacerbated decades of economic stagnation. North Korea's oil consumption has fallen by about 80% from 1991 to 2017, according to the United Nations World Food Program, one of the few international bodies with access to on-the-ground reporting and statistics in the country.Agricultural DeclinesLess fuel has meant less diesel to run farm tractors and irrigation pumps, hitting farms already affected by droughts last summer. Last year, farmers had a little less than 90 milliliters (3 fluid ounces) of fuel a day to farm an area about the size of two soccer fields, according to calculations based on WFP data.The sanctions have led to shortages of other necessary agricultural items, including machinery and spare parts, and farm output has dropped in the provinces that make up North Korea's southern and western breadbaskets, the World Food Program and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations said in a May assessment.Paddy production declined at least 17% last year in South Hwanghae and North Pyongan provinces, regions that together account for half of North Korea's rice. "The unintended negative impact sanctions can have on agricultural production, through both direct and indirect impacts, cannot be ignored," the report said.In April, Kim replaced his prime minister and leading technocrat Pak Pong Ju with Kim Jae Ryong, a veteran overseer of one of North Korea's most impoverished provinces whose reputation for weathering tough times suggests leader Kim may also see a need to dig in rather than experiment should the sanctions continue.(Adds State Department spokeswoman in eighth paragraph)\--With assistance from Jiyeun Lee.To contact the reporters on this story: Sam Kim in Seoul at skim609@bloomberg.net;Jon Herskovitz in Tokyo at jherskovitz@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, ;Malcolm Scott at mscott23@bloomberg.net, Paul JacksonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump administration to continue deporting Venezuelans despite crisis Posted: 16 Jul 2019 03:33 PM PDT  * US as yet unwilling to grant temporary protected status * Senators accuse Trump of 'having it both ways' over MaduroThe Ascencio family from Venezuela are returned by US authorities to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico as part of the so-called Remain in Mexico program for asylum seekers this month. Photograph: Salvador Gonzalez/APThe Trump administration has said it is not yet willing to grant temporary protected status to Venezuelans, meaning it will continue to deport people back to a country it says is being destroyed by a tyrant.The news comes amid a humanitarian crisis that could forcibly displace as many as 8.2 million people by the end of 2020, and the same month that the United Nations accused the Venezuelan government of killing thousands of its own citizens.In a letter released on Tuesday, the acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services director, Ken Cuccinelli, said the administration was not willing to grant temporary protected status (TPS) to Venezuelans. "As it relates to Venezuela," Cuccinelli wrote in the letter, addressed to the Senate minority leader, Dick Durbin, "the US Government continues to monitor the situation in Venezuela."Venezuela is now the leading country of origin for asylum seekers in the United States, with nearly 30,000 Venezuelans applying for protection in 2018.The TPS program is designed to prevent foreign nationals from being deported back to countries facing civil unrest or the aftermath of a devastating natural disaster. It has also been a target of the White House, which has sought to terminate TPS for migrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan."Venezuela is exactly the sort of situation that TPS was designed to address," said Charanya Krishnaswami, Americas advocacy director at Amnesty International.Donald Trump has presented himself as a steadfast opponent of the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and most prominent supporter of his opponent Juan Guaidó, but his administration continues to deport Venezuelans to their homeland. Between October 2017 and September 2018, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported 336 Venezuelan citizens."At the same time the government is saying it needs to monitor the situation more, administration officials are calling the government of Maduro a 'thugocracy', and decrying the humanitarian situation that so many Venezuelans are facing," Krishnaswami added.In a joint response to the administration's letter, Senators Durbin and Bob Menendez said the president "cannot have it both ways. He cannot warn Americans that Venezuela is so dangerous they should avoid traveling there and then turn around and tell Venezuelans in the US they are forced to return."A USCIS representative insisted that "the letter is being misinterpreted", noting that, ultimately, a TPS designation "is a decision made by the Secretary of Homeland Security".Néstor Guillén, a Venezuelan green-card holder in the US since 2006, said the disparity between US rhetoric and action reflects "hypocrisy and opportunism" by an electorally minded Republican party. "TPS is the lowest-hanging fruit by which we can help Venezuelans in the short term," he said. The Trump administration is "selling snake oil, not lending humanitarian assistance".Refusing to grant TPS "sends the absolute wrong message to Venezuelans, and to the rest of Latin America", said Geoff Ramsey of the Washington Office on Latin America. "It's as if this administration's concern for Venezuelans ends the instant they leave their country."
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| U.S. to Brief Diplomats on Plan to Boost Gulf Maritime Security Posted: 16 Jul 2019 03:21 PM PDT ![U.S. to Brief Diplomats on Plan to Boost Gulf Maritime Security]( "U.S. to Brief Diplomats on Plan to Boost Gulf Maritime Security") (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. plans to brief foreign diplomats based in Washington this week on a new maritime security initiative to protect shipping in the Middle East, following a spate of attacks on tankers in recent months.U.S. Central Command has been working on a plan to deter threats to shipping in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman, according to Brian Hook, the U.S. special representative for Iran."When I was in the Gulf, I heard very clearly the need for enhanced maritime security," Hook said at an Axios event on Tuesday. "The Secretary has heard it, when he and the president were at the G-20, there were conversations about it," he said, referring to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Donald Trump.In May and June, six tankers were attacked just outside the Gulf. About one-third of the world's seaborne crude and fuels passed through the Strait of Hormuz last year, highlighting its key role in global oil markets. While Iran has been blamed for attacks on merchant shipping, it has denied responsibility.Hook said the strategy to safeguard shipping lanes would be unveiled at a joint briefing with the Department of Defense on Friday. He cautioned that any effort would need the support of other nations to be successful."Most of the oil that flows through the Strait finds its way to Asia," Hook said. "It's very important for like-minded nations in the region to play their part."The U.S. is trying to put together a coalition "over the next couple of weeks" that would provide naval escorts to commercial shipping, General Mark Milley told a Senate hearing on July 11.Geopolitical tensions in the region have escalated since the U.S. stepped up sanctions against the Islamic Republic over the last few months.A small oil tanker that had gone missing in the Persian Gulf had technical difficulties and was towed into Iranian waters for repairs, an Iranian foreign ministry official said earlier on Tuesday, according to the ISNA news agency.\--With assistance from Daniel Flatley and John Hughes.To contact the reporter on this story: Stephen Cunningham in Washington at scunningha10@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: David Marino at dmarino4@bloomberg.net, Mike JeffersFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Head of UN nuclear watchdog reported to be stepping down Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:49 PM PDT ![Head of UN nuclear watchdog reported to be stepping down]( "Head of UN nuclear watchdog reported to be stepping down") The United Nations' nuclear watchdog says it can't confirm rumors that its director general is stepping down for health reasons. The office was responding to questions about media reports saying Amano was resigning due to health issues.
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| Merkel and Macron Carried Off Their Trick, Barely Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:45 PM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Ursula von der Leyen has clinched the presidency of the European Commission with a razor-thin margin of nine votes. It's a win for the national governments that backed her, a loss for the European Parliament that dreamed of putting forward one of its own — and a sign of some very tough tussles ahead for the 28-member bloc.When pulling a rabbit out of a hat, it helps to not show the audience the secret compartment underneath. The nomination earlier this month of von der Leyen, the former defense minister of Germany, to the helm of the European Union's executive arm, involved very little magic. As a compromise pick intended to settle differences between Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron, she was ideal. But for the new European Parliament, which had fielded better-known candidates who actually campaigned for the job, she was a mean trick.The memory of this vote may fade, but the institutional power struggle it reignites will live on. Deciding who gets to run the European Commission has historically been the preserve of national governments (a fact apparently lost on euroskeptic Brexiters like Nigel Farage, who painted von der Leyen as the symbol of an undemocratic superstate). But the European Parliament has long wanted more influence, and in 2014 its squabbling factions found enough common ground to field their own candidates — one of whom, Jean-Claude Juncker, won. With von der Leyen, the pendulum has already swung back.As an indicator of effective policy making in the EU, Tuesday's vote was not reassuring. The European elections in May failed to produce a populist wave, but they did usher in a set of far more fragmented political factions, as traditional left and right power blocs lost their majority. The new politics were on show in the awkward coalition building that went on ahead of the vote. Von der Leyen's lightning-quick campaign was packed with goodies that seemed incongruous for a center-right politician — including a $1.1 trillion "green deal," a carbon tax, a minimum wage, an unemployment-benefit scheme, mechanisms to bolster the rule of law, and a stronger border force. That wasn't enough to sway the Greens, and the Socialists endorsed her only at the 11th hour.It still pays not to underestimate the European Parliament — which approves big agreements like trade deals and Brexit — even if this time around it didn't carry out its threats to send member states back to the drawing board. The Parliament will vote on von der Leyen's Commission, too, when she gets it assembled, so she'll have to be serious about keeping her promises.Nevertheless, national interests have won this time around. Macron and Merkel's scheme went to plan — if just barely. And considering that the Parliament couldn't unify enough to protect its own interests, it will be hard to claim this outcome was undemocratic.To contact the author of this story: Lionel Laurent at llaurent2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Mary Duenwald at mduenwald@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Brussels. He previously worked at Reuters and Forbes.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Merkel and Macron Carried Off Their Trick, Barely Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:45 PM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Ursula von der Leyen has clinched the presidency of the European Commission with a razor-thin margin of nine votes. It's a win for the national governments that backed her, a loss for the European Parliament that dreamed of putting forward one of its own — and a sign of some very tough tussles ahead for the 28-member bloc.When pulling a rabbit out of a hat, it helps to not show the audience the secret compartment underneath. The nomination earlier this month of von der Leyen, the former defense minister of Germany, to the helm of the European Union's executive arm, involved very little magic. As a compromise pick intended to settle differences between Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Emmanuel Macron, she was ideal. But for the new European Parliament, which had fielded better-known candidates who actually campaigned for the job, she was a mean trick.The memory of this vote may fade, but the institutional power struggle it reignites will live on. Deciding who gets to run the European Commission has historically been the preserve of national governments (a fact apparently lost on euroskeptic Brexiters like Nigel Farage, who painted von der Leyen as the symbol of an undemocratic superstate). But the European Parliament has long wanted more influence, and in 2014 its squabbling factions found enough common ground to field their own candidates — one of whom, Jean-Claude Juncker, won. With von der Leyen, the pendulum has already swung back.As an indicator of effective policy making in the EU, Tuesday's vote was not reassuring. The European elections in May failed to produce a populist wave, but they did usher in a set of far more fragmented political factions, as traditional left and right power blocs lost their majority. The new politics were on show in the awkward coalition building that went on ahead of the vote. Von der Leyen's lightning-quick campaign was packed with goodies that seemed incongruous for a center-right politician — including a $1.1 trillion "green deal," a carbon tax, a minimum wage, an unemployment-benefit scheme, mechanisms to bolster the rule of law, and a stronger border force. That wasn't enough to sway the Greens, and the Socialists endorsed her only at the 11th hour.It still pays not to underestimate the European Parliament — which approves big agreements like trade deals and Brexit — even if this time around it didn't carry out its threats to send member states back to the drawing board. The Parliament will vote on von der Leyen's Commission, too, when she gets it assembled, so she'll have to be serious about keeping her promises.Nevertheless, national interests have won this time around. Macron and Merkel's scheme went to plan — if just barely. And considering that the Parliament couldn't unify enough to protect its own interests, it will be hard to claim this outcome was undemocratic.To contact the author of this story: Lionel Laurent at llaurent2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Mary Duenwald at mduenwald@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Lionel Laurent is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Brussels. He previously worked at Reuters and Forbes.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Merkel's favoured successor to become German defence minister Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:44 PM PDT  German Chancellor Angela Merkel's favoured successor and the head of her CDU party will become the country's next defence minister, an official statement said Tuesday, after Ursula von der Leyen was elected European Commission president. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, best known to Germans as "AKK", will be appointed on Wednesday during a handover in Berlin with her predecessor von der Leyen and the first vice president of the Bundesrat upper house, which confirmed the news in a statement.
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| Oil slips as Trump, Pompeo signal Iran tensions may ease Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:41 PM PDT ![Oil slips as Trump, Pompeo signal Iran tensions may ease]( "Oil slips as Trump, Pompeo signal Iran tensions may ease") Oil prices slipped as President Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signaled Iran tensions may ease.
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| Harris Says Trump Threatens Social Security: Campaign Update Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:31 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Tuesday that a second term for President Donald Trump would endanger Social Security due to rising deficits."To have four more years of this administration means to really put Social Security in jeopardy," she said at a forum in Davenport, Iowa, hosted by AARP and the Des Moines Register.Harris said the widening deficit, which the White House projected this week will reach $1 trillion this year, was the result of Trump's tax bill, which "benefits the top 1% and the biggest corporations." Funds to make up the shortfall are "going to have to come from somewhere," she added.Social Security is projected to be fully funded until 2034, according to its trustees, but then may be in trouble because the large Baby Boom generation, which began retiring about 10 years ago, has strained the Social Security trust fund.Harris also defended her co-sponsorship of legislation to expand Social Security and lift the payroll tax cap to add revenues to the program, which some Democrats support but is opposed by Trump and Republicans.New Hampshire Polls Split on Who Has 2020 LeadA new poll of New Hampshire voters shows Joe Biden leading the Democratic field with 24% of likely voters.The poll by CNN and the University of New Hampshire showed Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders with 19% each. But the trend line may be notable: she's up by 14 points since April and he's down by 11 points since then.State polls are tricky things months from a primary. Both the CNN-UNH poll and a Saint Anselm College poll released Monday had margins of error of more than 5 percentage points in the small state. The Monday poll showed a much tighter race with Biden, Kamala Harris and Warren all within the margin of error for first place.The new poll shows Pete Buttigieg in third place with 10% and Harris with 9%. Nobody else tops 2%. -- Sahil KapurBiden Wants Stronger Antitrust Laws for FarmsJoe Biden called for the strengthening of antitrust enforcement to protect farmers and ranchers as part of a broader plan targeting voters in rural areas, which have largely become Republican strongholds.Biden, who is leading in most polls for the Democratic presidential nomination, released a "plan for rural America" as he campaigned in Iowa on Tuesday.His plan notes, without giving specifics, he would also work to make U.S. trade policy more favorable to farmers, especially as some are feeling the effects of President Donald Trump's trade war with China.To help small- and medium-sized farms, Biden would strengthen enforcement under the Sherman and Clayton Antitrust Acts and the Packers and Stockyards Act, his campaign said. Another contender for the Democratic nomination, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, has called for breaking up big agricultural businesses that supply farmers. "Consolidation is choking family farms," she said in March. -- Jennifer EpsteinMark Sanford Is Mulling a Challenge to TrumpFormer South Carolina Representative Mark Sanford is considering a primary challenge to President Donald Trump, according to a report in the Charleston Post and Courier.Sanford told the newspaper in a story published Tuesday that he will decide whether to run over the next month. He said he would focus on sparking a debate about the debt, the deficit and spending.Sanford served as the state's governor from 2003 to 2011. His second term was overshadowed by the disclosure he was having an extramarital affair. His staff famously explained his absence from the state by saying he was "hiking the Appalachian Trail," when in fact Sanford, who was married, was in South America visiting another woman. He was censured by the South Carolina Supreme Court.He was elected to Congress in 2013, became a fierce critic of Trump, but lost the Republican primary for his House seat in 2018 after Trump endorsed his opponent.If he decides to run, Sanford would join former Massachusetts Governor William Weld who is also challenging Trump. Both face a daunting task campaigning against an incumbent president who remains popular with the party's base. -- Max BerleySanders Would Meet With Dictators But No PraiseBernie Sanders said that as president he would sit down with authoritarian leaders like North Korea's Kim Jong Un or Russia's Vladimir Putin even though he remains critical of President Donald Trump's "respect and affection for" dictators around the world."Should we sit down and negotiate with them? Absolutely," the Vermont senator and Democratic White House contender said at a Washington Post Live news event Tuesday. "Should we praise them as a great leader? I don't think so."Sanders also said that he would directly engage with leaders of Iran to try to improve strained relations and quell the risks of conflict that have been escalating under Trump. He said he would convene a broader meeting between the U.S., Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations to try to reduce tensions in the region."I think there is an opportunity to sit down with them, explain to them our concerns about their support for this or that terrorist group, their missile program," Sanders said in the wide-ranging interview. "But also to tell Saudi Arabia and Iran that we are sick and tired of losing young men and women in the war on terror and spending trillions of dollars."Meanwhile, Sanders said he probably would not move the U.S. Embassy back to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem if he's elected, although he said that could be a factor in peace talks among the U.S., Israel and Palestinians. Trump in late 2017 announced U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, even though it is disputed territory.Biden Says He Won't Be 'Third Term of Obama'Joe Biden's presidency wouldn't just be a continuation of Barack Obama's two terms, the former vice president contended in an interview airing Tuesday."This is not a third term of Obama," he told MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski in an interview conducted Monday in Iowa when she asked about his relationship with the former president."The world's changed. It's different. We have the same value set, he and I," Biden said. "It's a different world. The same things don't apply."The Democratic front-runner frequently invokes Obama on the campaign trail and has offered policy positions that align closely with the Obama administration's work. He unveiled a plan Monday to defend and build on the Affordable Care Act at a time when other Democratic presidential hopefuls are looking past the signature Obama achievement on health care and advocating for Medicare for All. And he even fell into a trap Monday that Obama set on health care a decade ago, promising that under his proposal, "if you like your health care plan, your employer based plan, you can keep it."Despite their close ties -- which Biden noted include friendships between his granddaughters and Malia and Sasha Obama -- Obama has not endorsed Biden, which he claimed in the interview was "because I have asked him not to do that -- I don't want to put him in that spot and I want to earn this on my own." Obama has said that he will stay out of the Democratic primary until there is a nominee to avoid influencing the race.Even without an endorsement, Biden wants voters to know that the ties run deep. "We're friends. You know, it's family," he said. -- Jennifer EpsteinKamala Harris Threatens to Probe Drug Makers (6 a.m.)A centerpiece of Kamala Harris's new plan to tackle rising prescription drug prices is a threat to launch an investigation into drug companies that are "price-gouging patients."The Democratic contender says she'd do that by executive action if Congress doesn't pass her plan to lower drug costs in her first 100 days. She says she'd demand that the bad actors lower their prices, and if they refuse, use regulatory powers to import cheaper alternatives and license some patents to low-cost competitors under the Bayh-Dole Act. -- Sahil KapurComing Up This Week:On Wednesday, CNN and the Democratic National Committee, the organizers of the next round of Democratic debates on July 30 and 31, will announce which 20 candidates will qualify for the event. On Thursday, CNN will broadcast a live drawing that will determine the lineup of 10 candidates on each night.Nineteen of the two dozen or so Democratic candidates are participating in AARP's five forums in Iowa between Monday and Saturday.The Tuesday event in Davenport will feature Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris, and former HUD secretary Julian Castro.The Wednesday event in Cedar Rapids will feature Representatives Tim Ryan and Tulsi Gabbard, and Senator Michael Bennet.The Friday event in Sioux City will feature Senator Elizabeth Warren, author Marianne Williamson, former Representative Beto O'Rourke and tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang.The Saturday event in Council Bluffs will feature Senator Bernie Sanders, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Montana Governor Steve Bullock and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.\--With assistance from Max Berley, Laura Litvan and Jennifer Epstein.To contact the reporter on this story: Sahil Kapur in Washington at skapur39@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Pentagon nominee regrets Turkey's 'drift' from West Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:11 PM PDT  Army Secretary Mark Esper, President Donald Trump's nominee to become secretary of defense, told his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday he is troubled by Turkey's decision to defy the United States by acquiring Russian-made air defenses. "It is very disheartening to see how they have drifted over the past several years," Esper said, citing the Turkish government's purchase of the S-400 air defense system that the Trump administration has said is likely to trigger U.S. economic sanctions and jeopardize Turkey's role in the NATO alliance, whose primary adversary is Russia.
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| EU's New Leader Aims to Convince Trump He Still Needs Old Allies Posted: 16 Jul 2019 12:51 PM PDT ![EU's New Leader Aims to Convince Trump He Still Needs Old Allies]( "EU's New Leader Aims to Convince Trump He Still Needs Old Allies") (Bloomberg) -- The next leader of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she hopes to dissuade U.S. President Donald Trump from imposing tariffs on EU cars by reminding him of all the areas where European and American interests coincide."If you look at the broader picture a lot of things are interdependent," von der Leyen said in an interview with Bloomberg Television in Strasbourg, France, after winning a confirmation vote Tuesday evening. The plan will be "to convince our friends from the U.S. that it's better to find a good compromise and work together," she said.Von der Leyen, a 60-year-old German native, will formally take charge of the European Union's executive arm in November when transatlantic relations are under strain, because the U.S. argues imported autos pose a national-security threat. A push by both sides for an agreement to cut industrial tariffs across the board is on hold as the U.S. presses to include agriculture in the negotiations, over the EU's objections.The barrage of threats from the White House is straining relations between German Chancellor Angela Merkel -- who has most to lose from car tariffs -- and Emmanuel Macron in France, where farmers are most attached to EU trade protections.'Common Interests'Trump's determination to tear up the multilateral order that has helped European economies to prosper for almost 70 years will pose an unprecedented challenge for von der Leyen, who was previously defense minister in Berlin.She said that she would try to remind Trump of the common interests that the EU and the U.S. share in order to shore up their relationship.Stocks in the U.S. fell from a record high on Tuesday after Trump threatened to impose more tariffs on China. The trade tensions fanned by the U.S. leader are also hurting the European economy -- investor confidence in Germany's economic outlook fell for a third month in July."We do have issues but we should never forget that we are allies and we are friends," von der Leyen said. "There are way more issues and problems that concern the two of us together."\--With assistance from Elena Gergen-Constantine.To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Strasbourg, France at jstearns2@bloomberg.net;Ben Sills in Madrid at bsills@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Richard Bravo, Nikos ChrysolorasFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Saudi forces intercept Yemeni rebel drones targeting cities Posted: 16 Jul 2019 12:45 PM PDT ![Saudi forces intercept Yemeni rebel drones targeting cities]( "Saudi forces intercept Yemeni rebel drones targeting cities") Saudi Arabia's air force intercepted and destroyed three Yemeni rebel drones before they could reach targets in the southern Saudi cities of Jizan and Abha, a military spokesman said Tuesday. Col. Tukri al-Maliki was quoted in the state-run Saudi Press Agency saying the drones were launched by the Iran-backed rebel Houthis from the northern Yemeni governorate of Amran. Bomb-laden drones launched by Houthis killed a civilian and wounded others at a Saudi airport in Abha in recent weeks.
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| The Latest: UAE official says tanker sent no distress call Posted: 16 Jul 2019 12:13 PM PDT  An Emirati official says a small oil tanker that's based in the United Arab Emirates offered no distress call before switching off its tracker over two days ago in the Strait of Hormuz. The comment Tuesday comes a U.S. defense official told The Associated Press that America "has suspicions" that Iran seized the vessel. A U.S. defense official tells The Associated Press that America "has suspicions" that Iran seized an oil tanker based in the United Arab Emirates that turned off its tracker over two days ago in the Strait of Hormuz.
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| Pompeo to take up immigration, Iran on Latin America tour Posted: 16 Jul 2019 12:01 PM PDT  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will press US efforts to curb immigration and counter Iran during a four-nation tour of Latin America, the State Department said Tuesday. Pompeo on Sunday will stop in both Mexico and El Salvador as President Donald Trump takes controversial measures to deter and remove mostly Central American migrants who are seeking safety in the United States.
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| Russia bars opposition candidates from Moscow city ballot Posted: 16 Jul 2019 11:54 AM PDT  Russian officials on Tuesday refused to register nearly 30 candidates for elections to Moscow's local parliament, including prominent critics of President Vladimir Putin despite protests over the move. Opposition politicians have been fighting to get on the ballot for September's elections to the Moscow city legislature as they seek to capitalise on growing public discontent over falling living standards and unchecked corruption. On Tuesday, Moscow election officials definitively rejected most of the prominent opposition figures from participating, citing lack of viable signatures.
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| Von Der Leyen Clinches EU's Top Job as Europe Averts Deadlock Posted: 16 Jul 2019 11:31 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Ursula von der Leyen of Germany won confirmation as the next president of the European Commission, becoming the first woman set to assume Europe's most powerful policy-making post.The German defense minister received the European Parliament's endorsement on Tuesday to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg after pledging to spur investment through bolder climate policies. The verdict means a job held for the past 15 years by the continent's Christian Democratic party, a traditional backer of open markets, will stay in its hands for the next five.The European Union assembly voted 383 to 327 in Strasbourg, France, to make von der Leyen commission chief starting Nov. 1, averting a confrontation with EU national leaders who unexpectedly tapped her two weeks ago after being deadlocked over official candidates fielded by the bloc's main political families."Our most pressing challenge is keeping our planet healthy," von der Leyen, an ally of German Chancellor Angel Merkel, told the EU Parliament before the vote. "This is the greatest responsibility and opportunity of our times."Climate BankThe Brussels-based commission is the 28-nation EU's executive arm, which proposes and enforces European laws on everything from car emissions to energy pipelines. It also monitors national economies, negotiates trade deals, runs a diplomatic service, manages the bloc's budget and acts as Europe's competition authority.Von der Leyen said Europe's goal to cut greenhouse gases blamed for global warming by 40% in 2030 compared with 1990 was inadequate and vowed a reduction target as high as 55%. She also pledged to turn parts of the European Investment Bank, the EU's lending arm, into a "climate bank" in a bid to unlock 1 trillion euros of investment ($1.12 trillion) over the coming decade.On commerce, von der Leyen warned about the dangers of protectionism and stressed the need to uphold the multilateral system underpinned by the World Trade Organization. "We defend the rules-based order because we know it is better for all of us," she said.Von der Leyen, 60, is the centerpiece of a European top-jobs package that reasserts the authority of the EU's core countries -- particularly Germany and France -- as the bloc confronts Brexit, U.S. protectionism under President Donald Trump, renewed Russian muscle-flexing and growing Chinese economic heft.Building BridgesThe package also puts International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde of France in the presidency of the European Central Bank, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel in the chair of EU summits and Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell in the bloc's top diplomatic post. Those three positions are also being vacated later this year.Von der Leyen will face political constraints from EU national capitals and the bloc's Parliament as she assembles a team of commissioners over the coming weeks. The commission leadership is made up of one appointee from each member country and the EU Parliament plans to vote on von der Leyen's whole team in October.The arduous task that EU government heads had in balancing party, national and geographic interests when negotiating the top-jobs deal will also play out in the formation of the new commission team. That is especially so because of the margin of her victory in the EU Parliament, where she surpassed the absolute-majority threshold needed by just nine votes.Von der Leyen will become the second German to lead the commission after Walter Hallstein was its first president from 1958 to 1967. Her father was a senior official in Hallstein's commission and she was born in Brussels and lived there as a child."It's a feeling like coming home for me," von der Leyen told reporters after the EU Parliament verdict. "I want to unite Europe."In her campaign to win over the EU Parliament, she faced opposition from left-of-center groups including the Socialists, who were bitter their official candidate for commission president -- Dutchman Frans Timmermans -- was sidelined by the government chiefs after he gained late momentum."These were definitely the most intense two weeks in my political life," von der Leyen said.She has sought to build bridges with the Socialists, promising that Timmermans -- currently the commission's principal vice president -- will retain a beefed-up role.She has also pledged to try to forge a team in which half the commissioners are women, vowing to ask national capitals to propose one male and one female appointee for her to choose between."I will ensure full gender equality in my college of commissioners," she said. "If member states do not propose enough female commissioners, I will not hesitate to ask for new names."(Updates with margin of victory, comments from 11th paragraph.)To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Strasbourg, France at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Richard Bravo, Nikos ChrysolorasFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| New European Commission president open to Brexit extension but won't renegotiate the deal Posted: 16 Jul 2019 11:08 AM PDT  Ursula von der Leyen, who was confirmed as the first woman president of the European Commission in Strasbourg on Tuesday, said she would support a Brexit extension but warned the Withdrawal Agreement would not be renegotiated. The election of Mrs von der Leyen by the European Parliament came as Boris Johnson sent tremors through Westminster by significantly hardening his Brexit demands by rejecting either a time-limit or a unilateral exit mechanism to the Irish backstop as insufficient to satisfy MPs. Mr Johnson's apparent rejection of either compromise proposal was seen as a significant hardening of the line, since these were the two concessions that prominent Brexiteers had demanded earlier this year as the price of their support for Mrs May's deal. Mr Johnson has insisted Britain must leave, with or without a deal, on the October 31 Brexit deadline. Mrs von der Leyen, 60, said that guaranteeing "peace and stability on the island of Ireland" and citizens' rights were her Brexit priorities, echoing the EU's long held insistence that the divorce treaty would never be renegotiated. Mrs von der Leyen, who will lead the commission for the next five years, said, "The Withdrawal Agreement concluded with the government of the United Kingdom provides certainty where Brexit created uncertainty." "However, I stand ready for a further extension of the withdrawal date, should more time be required for a good reason," the former German Defence Minister added to catcalls from Brexit Party MEPs in the chamber. Privately some senior EU diplomats have not dismissed reopening the deal if they turned the key on an orderly divorce deal with Irish government consent. In Brussels EU officials and diplomats said they were reserving judgment but are now increasingly braced for a 'no deal' at the Halloween deadline. "Boris Johnson has been many things to many people so let's wait and see," said one EU diplomat close to the Brexit process, "but this isn't promising at all." A meeting between Stephen Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, and Michel Barnier last week ended in deep divisions after the Brexit Secretary told the EU's chief negotiator the Withdrawal Agreement was dead five times and that the backstop must be scrapped. Boris Johnson at the leadership debate in London. Credit: Andrew Parsons / i-Images /i-Images Picture Agency In Strasbourg, Nigel Farage, the Brexit Party leader, accused Mrs von der Leyen of wanting to build "a centralised, undemocratic, updated form of communism where nation state parliaments will cease to have any relevance at all." "I think we can probably do without what you have to say here," Mrs von der Leyen, a mother of seven, told Mr Farage before declaring that the challenges of the modern world were so large no country could face them alone. The European Parliament backed Mrs von der Leyen's candidacy, despite MEPs being furious that EU leaders had nominated her after three summits and marathon negotiations, rather than any of the lead candidates who ran for the post in the European elections. Mrs von der Leyen narrowly secured the majority vote in the parliament of 374 votes by nine votes. 383 MEPs voted for her, 327 against, while 22 abstained and one vote was void. Her victory ended weeks of speculation that the European Parliament could reject her, as it vowed to do with anyone appointed to the job without running in the May's elections in a 2017 resolution. After her tight victory, she was asked if she would rather deal with Mr Johnson or his rival Jeremy Hunt. "I don't know either of them personally, she said, "I will work in a very constructive way with every head of state and government." Martin Selmayr, the German controversial secretary general of the commission, announced he would resign in accordance with Brussels tradition that dictates no two people of the same nationality can hold the EU's executive's most powerful posts. Mrs von der Leyen, overcame opposition from the Greens, some Socialists and the far-right after a 30 minute speech in which she dared MEPs to reject the first woman nominated for the commission presidency in the secret ballot. She vowed to ensure "full gender equality" among her incoming commissioners, who are nominated by national governments. She will take up her post on November 1, a day after the Brexit deadline. "We represent half of our population. We want our fair share," she said. The outgoing Juncker Commission had 19 male and just nine female commissioners, despite Jean-Claude Juncker begging national governments to send women to Brussels. Since 1958 there have been 183 commissioners but only 35 have been women. Mrs von der Leyen, a close ally of Angela Merkel with a patchy record as Germany's defence minister, said she would propose adding violence against women to the list of crimes defined in the EU's Treaty. She also promised a "Green Deal" aimed at making Europe carbon neutral by 2050, a mandatory minimum wage across the EU and plans to make tech giants pay a fair share of tax. Brexit Bulletin promotion - end of article
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| Sudan army, protesters meet to discuss transition deal Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:47 AM PDT ![Sudan army, protesters meet to discuss transition deal]( "Sudan army, protesters meet to discuss transition deal") Sudan's ruling generals and the pro-democracy movement are meeting to finalize a power-sharing deal. Representatives from the military council and the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, which represents the protesters, are discussing in the capital of Khartoum on Tuesday a declaration included in an agreement reached earlier this month. The deal includes a joint Sovereign Council that will rule for a little over three years while elections are organized.
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| Neo-Nazis’ Air-to-Air Missile: An Explosive New Clue to Salvini’s Intrigues With the Russians Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:40 AM PDT  Tino Romano/APROME—Italian police say they knew they were onto something big when they caught two Neo-Nazi sympathizers discussing the latest weapon in their arsenal on a tapped WhatsApp thread. And when the cops started seeing chatter the group was moving the weapon close to an airport near the northern city of Turin, they pounced. They found a massive French-made Matra Super 530 F air-to-air missile originally purchased by the military of Qatar, a rich little emirate on the Arabian Peninsula. "During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized," Italian police said in a statement. They also confirmed that they stumbled upon the find when they were investigating far-right Italians "who have fought in Ukraine's Donbass region against the [pro-Russian] separatists."But the situation is murky, to say the least, and it now seems possible those fighting alongside the pro-Russian forces in the Ukraine were the ones who actually hoped to get their hands on the missile. Under the same investigation in the same area of Italy on July 3, two Italians and a Moldovan who had been picked up earlier this summer were convicted on terrorism charges. The three had recently returned from fighting on the pro-Russian side in Ukraine. It seems unlikely this was pure coincidence.At the time of the discovery on Monday, authorities said they had no clear idea just what the Matra Super 530 F or any of the many other weapons in the cache would be used for. Those arrested this week— two Italians and a Swiss national—said they were not part of any political party despite one of them having run for office as a member of Forza Nuova, Italy's most extreme far-right group. Italian Leader Goes Full Fascist on Persecuting Roma PeopleThen on Tuesday, Italian Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who is on the far right himself and has become Italy's more prominent politician, said the weapons were meant to be used against him, and that he had tipped off the police after his secret service detail alerted him to the threat."I signaled it," he said on Tuesday. "It was one of the many threats on my life that I get every day. The secret service spoke of a Ukrainian group that threatened my life. I am happy that it served to discover the arsenal of someone demented."The police, who work under the Interior Minister and, effectively, for Salvini, could not confirm or deny the claim. "Salvini is the head of the police, so he speaks for the force," a Turin police spokesperson told The Daily Beast. It is certainly convenient for Salvini to say that neo-Nazis want him dead. After all, the far-right leader has lately been under heavy scrutiny for his anti-immigration and nationalist rhetoric in an ongoing battle with those who want to save migrants at sea. His closed-port policy has seen a massive reduction in arrivals of Africans and Middle Easterners into the country, though it has put him the sights of human rights campaigners who liken his policy to Donald Trump's ban on Muslims and racist rants laced with promises to keep people of color out of the country. Salvini has long distanced himself from the most extreme alt-right factions of the Italian political spectrum including the Forza Nuova caught up in Monday's weapons find. But the group has been a vocal supporter of Salvini, and often is represented in his rallies. Such an outright threat–albeit a convenient one—muddies that point. Before Salvini claimed to be the target of the weapons cache, which included 800 bullets, 26 guns, 20 bayonets, and more than 300 weapons parts like silencers and long-range scopes from Austria, Germany and the United States, police had a different motive in mind. Ukraine's Out of Control Arms Bazaar in Europe's BackyardA source with Turin's anti-terrorism arm called DIGOS told The Daily Beast that they thought perhaps the weapons were on the market to support Russian-backed forces fighting in the Ukraine. One of the men arrested, a 42-year-old Swiss national the Italian press named as Alessandro Monti, had a business buying and selling aircraft parts in Bissone, Switzerland, and he had been overheard trying to peddle the air-to-air missile for around half a million dollars to buyers supporting pro-Russian troops. "We only moved now rather than wait to find more because they moved the bigger weapon near an airport," the source said. Salvini and his Lega party are currently tied up in a scandal involving allegations that they are receiving money from Russia to bolster their political party and the European Parliament with those sympathetic to lifting sanctions on Russia. As The Daily Beast reported earlier this year an Italian exposé claimed that Vladimir Putin funneled around $65 million to Salvini via a Russian company to the Italian state company, Eni, which Salvini helps manage in his role as interior minister. A tape that turned up earlier this month seems to prove at least some of that is true. On Monday, his close associate Gianluca Savoini testified in front of prosecutors looking into the matter. If the Neo-Nazi weapons were actually meant for the pro-Russia fighters in the Ukraine, as the investigation originally suggested before Salvini said they were directed at him, it could spell even more trouble for Salvini. And while they may well have been mentioned in death threats to the divisive leader, it is now impossible to confirm since, as the Turin police official suggested, Salvini controls the message. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Iran's supreme leader says UK's 'evil' seizure of oil tanker will not go 'unanswered' Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:40 AM PDT  Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has accused Britain of "theft" and "piracy" over the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar, saying Iran would "not leave such evil deeds unanswered." The comments came during a televised address, as concerns grew about a UAE-based Gulf oil tanker, the MT Riah, which went missing in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. A US defence official said on Tuesday the US "has suspicions" the tanker has been seized by Iran, saying it disappeared near Qeshm, an island with an Iranian Revolutionary Guard base. Tensions between Iran and the UK have escalated since the Iranian Grace 1 oil tanker was seized by British Royal Marines earlier this month off the coast of Gibraltar. The supertanker, which was carrying 2.1m barrels of light crude oil, was detained on suspicion of violating EU sanctions by transporting the oil to Syria. iran-tanker-seized Iranian officials have accused Britain of acting on behalf of the US in seizing the tanker. Analysts say whether or not there was collusion, the move was certainly designed to appease the Trump administration while European leaders attempt to salvage the struggling nuclear deal. Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, has insisted the seizure of the tanker had nothing to do with the oil being from Iran. He had offered on Saturday to arrange the tanker's release if Iran provides guarantees that the cargo is not bound for Syria. The Royal Navy has announced it will send a third warship, the HMS Kent, and a tanker, the HMS Wave Knight, to the Gulf but stressed the deployment had long been planned and was not a reaction to recent events. At a glance | Key players in Tehran The Ayatollah's remarks are likely to be rhetorical for now, says Sahil Shah, an Iran specialist at the European Leadership Network. "This language isn't any stronger than anything they've said before," he said. "But there are multiple flash-points across the region, both on land and water, through which Iran could raise the temperature on both the Americans and the Europeans." After several weeks of rising tensions between Iran and the US, Tehran hopes to leverage European fears over the deal falling apart to encourage European leaders to oppose what Iranian officials see as sanctions overreach by the US and EU. "While oil supply is not tied to the [nuclear deal] per se, the threat is also meant to play into the EU fear about regional instability if the [deal] falls apart, part of an effort to force the EU to violate US sanctions, for instance on oil sales," Amir Toumaj, an independent Iran analyst, told The Telegraph. Tehran announced last week its uranium enrichment level has surpassed the 3.67 per cent level imposed by the deal, but experts say the increase is marginal. Iranian officials have given the EU a September deadline to offer a sufficient easing of economic sanctions to convince it to continue abiding by the terms of the deal, in what many see as a last chance to calm tensions.
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| Trump says US won't sell fighter jets to Turkey Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:38 AM PDT ![Trump says US won't sell fighter jets to Turkey]( "Trump says US won't sell fighter jets to Turkey") President Donald Trump says the U.S. is not going to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey after Ankara decided to buy a missile defense system from Russia. The Trump administration has repeatedly told Turkey that it will be cut off from buying F-35s if it buys the S-400 Russian air defense system because it's incompatible with NATO defenses and could jeopardize sensitive information about F-35 technologies. Turkey is a member of NATO.
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| Odd Man Out: How the Independent Justin Amash Could Shake Up the 2020 Presidential Election Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:24 AM PDT  Washington circles are abuzz with the suggestion that Justin Amash, the ex-Republican congressman from Michigan, may mount a third-party presidential campaign in 2020. In the few days since leaving the GOP, he's talked about "room for a third party" and refused to rule out running for president. But sources close to Amash and the Libertarian Party deny that a presidential run is in the works—although the door is still open. For the time being, the Libertarian-leaning representative is looking to build a fiscally conservative, pro-restraint coalition across party lines.Michigan representative Justin Amash has made waves in recent weeks with his challenges to the Republican establishment. He first suggested that President Donald Trump should be impeached, then he contested the president's authority to attack Iran without congressional approval, and finally left the party.Amash seemed to send mixed signals about his next move, telling CNN that he's planning to run for re-election to the House of Representatives, but confirming that he still "wouldn't rule anything like [a Libertarian presidential run] out."
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| Trump says US not seeking 'regime change' in Iran Posted: 16 Jul 2019 10:16 AM PDT  President Donald Trump said Tuesday the United States is not pushing to topple Iran's leadership but is determined to stop it acquiring nuclear weapons. "We are not looking for regime change. The United States quit an international deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program last year, hitting Tehran with crippling sanctions.
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| Officials: Migrants return to bombed Libya detention center Posted: 16 Jul 2019 09:25 AM PDT  A Libyan detention center where an airstrike killed more than 50 people two weeks ago is filling with migrants again, and work has resumed at a nearby weapons workshop, despite calls from the United Nations to empty the compound and others like it near the front-lines of the country's civil war. As of Tuesday, around 200 migrants filled the Tajoura center, which was emptied after the airstrike July 3 that killed more than 50 migrants being held there, according to the U.N. refugee agency and two Libyan officials. The arrivals included a mix of people intercepted by the EU-funded Libyan coast guard, migrants transferred from overcrowded detention centers elsewhere, and people who fled Tajoura after the bombing only to be recaptured in the streets.
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| Lawyer Who Took on Brexit May Sue Over Suspending Parliament Posted: 16 Jul 2019 09:12 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- A lawyer who won a landmark ruling that allows the U.K. to reverse Brexit is considering what could be one of several lawsuits seeking to block any attempt to suspend Parliament to force through a no-deal departure from the bloc.Jolyon Maugham is consulting with other lawyers on whether the case -- which may stop a future prime minister, most likely Boris Johnson, from circumventing lawmakers -- can be filed before any attempt to do so has actually been made, he said by phone on Tuesday.A case would add to the legal pressure over suspending Parliament, after anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller said she's already begun a challenge on the issue. Miller has written to Johnson warning him that proroguing or suspending Parliament to bypass the will of lawmakers would be illegal, she told Bloomberg TV on Tuesday. Maugham's case, if he brings it, would be separate from hers.A lawsuit would "ask the courts to determine who, Parliament or the prime minister, gets to decide whether we no-deal," Maugham said. "For me, the answer should obviously be Parliament.""It's not theoretical," Miller said about her plans to sue. "We have already started the protocol process -- if he should go there."Johnson, the favorite to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May when she steps down next week, has refused to rule out suspending Parliament to get Brexit done by Oct. 31. Miller's comments follow a significant hardening of position by both Johnson and his rival for the top job, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. They both say they won't accept any form of Irish backstop in a deal with the European Union -- a key provision designed to keep the border open after Brexit and a red line for the bloc in negotiations.Former Prime Minister John Major has also said he would be ready to take the government to court if the incoming leader tries to suspend Parliament, a position Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond has also backed.But Miller, who is a founding partner at SCM Direct, ruled out joining forces with anyone if it meant "politicizing" the issue. "It's got to be about the black-and-white letter of the law," she said.The power to suspend Parliament lies with the monarch at the request of the prime minister, which Miller said could leave Queen Elizabeth II in a "very, very difficult position." Declining the premier's request would make the monarch an "active participant in the political scene."Miller also said she sees the chances of a second referendum on Brexit as "almost zero" due to the divisions in the main opposition Labour Party on the issue. Parliament has so far showed there's no majority for another vote.As early as 2016, Maugham helped raise money through crowdfunding for the first public step in Miller's landmark case, where she used the courts to force the government to get parliamentary approval before beginning Brexit talks.Two years later, Maugham brought his own Brexit case in Scotland, with the ultimately successful goal of getting the issue in front of the EU Court of Justice. There, the EU's top judges in Luxembourg ruled that the U.K. could unilaterally revoke its so-called Article 50 notice at any time before it actually left the bloc.But his fresh challenge wouldn't be connected to Miller's.There are "different views about the best way to run litigation, and the issue is sufficiently important" for the separate cases to be heard, Maugham said. He may again bring his case in Scotland and it would likely be crowdfunded, he said.(Updates with Jolyon Maugham's possible case, from first paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Stuart Biggs in London at sbiggs3@bloomberg.net;Anna Edwards in London at aedwards49@bloomberg.net;Kaye Wiggins in London at kwiggins4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Anthony AaronsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Israeli NGO seeks sale of seized Iranian tanker over attack Posted: 16 Jul 2019 08:34 AM PDT  An Israeli NGO petitioned Gibraltar's top court Tuesday to sell an impounded Iranian oil tanker to compensate parents of a child allegedly killed by Iran-backed Hamas. Shurat Hadin, which wages legal battles worldwide against what it calls "Israel's enemies", says it won a $178.5 million US court judgement against Iran and Syria in 2017 over the death of an American infant killed in an attack in Jerusalem. The Iranian tanker Grace I, capable of carrying two million barrels of oil, was seized on July 4 by police and customs officers in Gibraltar -- a British overseas territory on Spain's southern tip -- with the aid of a detachment of British Royal Marines.
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| PM of Iraq's Kurdish region meets top officials in Baghdad Posted: 16 Jul 2019 08:04 AM PDT ![PM of Iraq's Kurdish region meets top officials in Baghdad]( "PM of Iraq's Kurdish region meets top officials in Baghdad") The newly confirmed prime minister of Iraq's self-ruled Kurdish region is meeting with top officials on his first visit to the Iraqi capital since he was named to the post last month. Masrour Barzani met with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and was later received by the Iraqi president during the visit, which was meant to convey a "goodwill message" from Barzani's new Cabinet.
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| UPDATE 1-EU braces for no-deal Brexit or another delay under Boris Johnson Posted: 16 Jul 2019 08:01 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-EU braces for no-deal Brexit or another delay under Boris Johnson]( "UPDATE 1-EU braces for no-deal Brexit or another delay under Boris Johnson") BRUSSELS/LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) - The European Union is bracing for either a no-deal Brexit or another delay if Boris Johnson becomes Britain's prime minister next week with a pledge to renegotiate a deal the bloc says it will not reopen. The three-year Brexit crisis could be about to deepen as Johnson's pledge to leave the EU "do or die" -- with or without a deal -- on Oct. 31 sets Britain on a collision course with the bloc's 27 other leaders and his own parliament. Such is the concern about the likely impact on the $18.7 trillion EU economy that European capitals are ramping up pressure on Ireland to accelerate preparations for a no-deal exit that could roil financial markets and dislocate trade.
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| North Korea suggests it might lift weapons test moratorium Posted: 16 Jul 2019 07:51 AM PDT  North Korea on Tuesday suggested it might call off its 20-month suspension of nuclear and missile tests because of summertime U.S.-South Korean military drills that the North calls preparation for an eventual invasion. The statement by the North's Foreign Ministry comes during a general deadlock in nuclear talks, but after an extraordinary meeting of the U.S. and North Korean leaders at the Korean border that raised hopes that negotiations would soon resume. North Korea has had longstanding antipathy toward U.S.-South Korean military cooperation, which the allies call defensive and routine but the North sees as hostile.
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| UPDATE 1-UK PM candidate Johnson could send lawmakers away to go for no-deal Brexit - Sky Posted: 16 Jul 2019 07:40 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-UK PM candidate Johnson could send lawmakers away to go for no-deal Brexit - Sky]( "UPDATE 1-UK PM candidate Johnson could send lawmakers away to go for no-deal Brexit - Sky") If Boris Johnson becomes British prime minister next week, he could send lawmakers home for up to two weeks in October to prevent them stopping a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31, Sky reported, citing unidentified campaign sources. "One of the options being considered by the Johnson campaign is to send MPs (members of parliament) away in late October to give them less chance to, in some way, block a no-deal Brexit," said Sam Coates, Sky's deputy political editor. Sky cited campaign sources as saying that Johnson is looking at scheduling a Queen's Speech - the government's legislative plans - to mark the start of a new parliamentary session in early November.
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| Egypt's 'Bent Pyramid' Opens for First Time in More Than 50 Years Posted: 16 Jul 2019 07:36 AM PDT  For the first time since 1965, two pyramids built by the ancient Egyptians, including the unique "Bent Pyramid," are being opened to the public, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.The two pyramids -- the Bent Pyramid and its satellite in the Dashur royal necropolis -- sit about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Cairo. Both are more than 4,000 years old.Along with the announcement, made Saturday (July 13), the ministry revealed its latest discoveries of stone, clay and wooden sarcophagi, some of which contained mummies with wooden funerary masks. The findings also included stone-cutting tools dated to the Late Period, which lasted from 664 B.C. to 332 B.C., or about the time of Alexander the Great. [Photos: Exquisitely Preserved Ancient Tomb Discovered at Saqqara]The Bent Pyramid, built in about 2600 B.C. by the Pharaoh Sneferu during the Old Kingdom, is a one-of-a-kind structure. Archaeologists note that its architecture is a transition between the Djoser Step Pyramid, built between 2667 B.C. and 2648 B.C., and the Meidum Pyramid, which also dates to 2600 B.C., Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani said in a statement.The pyramid almost looks like its shedding: the bottom half is still covered with its original limestone casing. The sides rise at a streep 54 degrees angle, but later tapers off at a 43 degree angle toward the top, giving it a "bent" look.An ancient mummy with a funerary mask. Photo courtesy Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities"Sneferu lived a very long time … the architects wanted to reach the complete shape, the pyramid shape," Mohamed Shiha, director of the Dahshur site, said, according to The Guardian."Exactly where he was buried, we are not sure of that. Maybe in this [Bent] pyramid, who knows?" Shiha said.The Bent Pyramid, as well as the other pyramids in the Dashur royal necropolis (a part of the Memphis necropolis), are registered as World Heritage sites with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).A recently discovered mummy in a sarcophagus. Photo courtesy Egyptian Ministry of AntiquitiesThe ministry's project department restored the 331-foot-tall (101 meters) Bent Pyramid and its satellite during their closure. Some of this restoration process included work on the internal and external stairs, the addition of a lighting network, and the repair of some of the stone work in the corridors and burial chamber.In addition, the ministry announced that its archaeologists had found the remains of an ancient wall that dated to the Middle Kingdom, about 4,000 years ago. This nearly 200-foot-tall (60 m) wall sits south of another pyramid from the 12th dynasty pharaoh King Amenemhat II, which is also in the Dahshur necropolis.In recent years, Egypt has announced archaeological discoveries with the hope of increasing tourism, which took a hit after a 2011 uprising against the Egyptian government. * Purrfect Photos: Cat Mummies and Wooden Cat Statues Discovered at Ancient Egyptian Burial Complex * Photos: Teen's Skeleton Buried Next to Pyramid in Egypt * Photos: Mummies Discovered in Tombs in Ancient Egyptian CityOriginally published on Live Science.
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| Young Academic Pits Himself Against Warlords in Afghanistan Poll Posted: 16 Jul 2019 07:00 AM PDT ![Young Academic Pits Himself Against Warlords in Afghanistan Poll]( "Young Academic Pits Himself Against Warlords in Afghanistan Poll") (Bloomberg) -- Casting himself against Afghanistan's entrenched political elite and powerful warlords, Faramarz Tamanna is looking to galvanize a new generation of voters who have lived through near constant conflict since the American invasion 18-years ago.The 42-year-old academic and chancellor of the University of Afghanistan is pitching his outsider credentials to the country's war-weary youth and is the youngest of 18 presidential candidates vying for office ahead of a Sept. 28 election.What Tamanna lacks in ties to Afghan patronage networks, he hopes to make up by drawing support from first-time voters and an educated urbanized population he says are tired of conflict, economic insecurity and ethnic division. About half of the country's 35 million people were born around 2001, when the Taliban's regime was ousted by the U.S. and its allies."My supporters are not racially or ethnically affiliated to any fascist political parties run by previous corrupt generations that have shuttered our beautiful nation," Tamanna, who has held multiple civil service and diplomatic posts, said in an interview at his office in the elite neighborhood of Wazir Akbar Khan in Kabul.Ruthless CandidatesTamanna faces a tough battle to secure the top job among a crowded field of often ruthless candidates that have long dominated Afghanistan's political scene. With little reliable polling in the war-torn country, it's also hard to gather how much support Tamanna is drawing among over 18s, who are due to cast their ballot for the first time. The poll has twice been delayed by the country's Independent Election Commission due to security and technical issues.Still, it's clear his campaign is cutting through with some young voters."We're sick of warlords or corrupt officials who have damaged our image in the world," said Jawid Azizi, 21, an economics student at Kabul University who plans to vote for Tamanna. "A fresh mind with new ideas has to come into politics."Fellow student Nadeem Qurbanjo, 20, agreed. "The modern Afghanistan with its educated generation deserves to vote for someone who values education not corruption, who can develop our country, but not bring disaster," Qurbanjo said on Tuesday in Kabul.After the delay, the Supreme Court extended current president Ashraf Ghani's term, supposed to end by May 22, for several months till the next president takes office.QuickTake: Afghanistan's WarHis chief rivals include Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who've uneasily shared power since the last disputed election five years ago. Also in the running is Haneef Atmar, a former national security adviser. All have support from powerful factions among the two main Pashtun and Tajik ethnic groups and are seen as the leading candidates ahead of the poll, according to the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a Kabul-based think tank.Tamanna has "failed to create a grand coalition with corrupt and powerful warlords who still hold great support within ethnic lines," said Ahmad Shokur, a senior member of the Afghanistan Institute for Civil Society in Kabul. "It will be quite tough for him to win."So far Tamanna, an ethnic Tajik who holds two PhDs in political science from Iran and India, has pledged to improve security and create jobs. He blamed a grinding stalemate between the Taliban and the U.S.-backed forces and government in Kabul on flawed peace policies in Washington that are "wrong and do not work" as Afghanistan's government has largely been kept out of direct talks.Taliban NegotiationsNevertheless, negotiations between the U.S. and the militant group have taken on greater urgency as Afghanistan heads toward presidential elections, with the U.S. seeking a peace deal with the group before September. The Taliban, which controls or contests about half the country, have increased attacks across Afghanistan as U.S. President Donald Trump looks to end America's involvement in the 18-year-old war.On July 7, a 50-member delegation of Afghan elites met with Taliban officials in Doha with both sides agreeing to reduce violence.Read more: War-Torn Afghanistan Sees Window of Hope in Doha Peace TalksIf elected, Tamanna said he would seek a ceasefire and direct negotiations with the Taliban, while creating a "development-oriented" economy through domestic industries, such as agriculture and mining rather than the current "security-oriented" economy."If we can get jobs for the jobless people security will improve because more than 75% of the Taliban, based on our ground research, are fighting for a living," he said.To contact the reporter on this story: Eltaf Najafizada in Kabul at enajafizada1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Chris KayFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Reports: Airstrikes hit market in Syria's north, kill 9 Posted: 16 Jul 2019 06:51 AM PDT ![Reports: Airstrikes hit market in Syria's north, kill 9]( "Reports: Airstrikes hit market in Syria's north, kill 9") Paramedics and a war monitor say at least nine civilians have been killed in Syrian government airstrikes on a residential area in the northwestern province of Idlib. The opposition-allied first responders, also known as the White Helmets, say another 15 people were wounded in the strikes on a market in the village of Maarshourin. Opposition activists as well as the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights are also reporting Tuesday's deadly attacks.
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| EU is preparing for more Venezuela sanctions Posted: 16 Jul 2019 05:50 AM PDT ![EU is preparing for more Venezuela sanctions]( "EU is preparing for more Venezuela sanctions") The European Union is preparing to impose more sanctions on Venezuela targeting officials who are accused of being involved in torture and other human rights violations. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement Tuesday that it is working with the U.N. to make sure that human rights are respected in Venezuela following reports of abuses by the security forces. The EU has had measures in place since 2017, including an embargo on arms and on equipment for internal repression.
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| EU braces for no-deal Brexit or another delay under Boris Johnson Posted: 16 Jul 2019 05:34 AM PDT ![EU braces for no-deal Brexit or another delay under Boris Johnson]( "EU braces for no-deal Brexit or another delay under Boris Johnson") BRUSSELS/LONDON, July 16 (Reuters) - The European Union is bracing for either a no-deal Brexit or another delay if Boris Johnson becomes Britain's prime minister next week with a pledge to renegotiate a deal the bloc says it will not reopen. The three-year Brexit crisis could be about to deepen as Johnson's pledge to leave the EU "do or die" -- with or without a deal -- on Oct. 31 sets Britain on a collision course with the bloc's 27 other leaders and his own parliament. Such is the concern about the likely impact on the $18.7 trillion EU economy that European capitals are ramping up pressure on Ireland to accelerate preparations for a no-deal exit that could roil financial markets and dislocate trade.
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| Von der Leyen Vows $1.1 Trillion Green Deal in Pitch to EU Posted: 16 Jul 2019 05:06 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.Ursula von der Leyen of Germany made a final pitch to become European Commission president, telling the EU Parliament she would pursue bolder policies to protect the climate, improve social justice and uphold the rule of law.The Christian Democratic nominee directed her appeal to left-of-center members of the European Union's legislature in Strasbourg, France, where she needs to secure an absolute majority in a secret ballot at 6 p.m. local time on Tuesday. With 747 of the assembly's seats currently filled, she needs at least 374 votes -- more than double those held by her EU political group."Our most pressing challenge is keeping our planet healthy," von der Leyen, 60, said during a speech in which she switched between English, German and French. "This is the greatest responsibility and opportunity of our times. I want Europe to become the first climate-neutral continent in the world by 2050."An ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, von der Leyen would succeed Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg as commission chief in November for a five-year term and become the first woman in the EU's most powerful policy-making post.The Brussels-based commission is the 28-nation bloc's executive arm, which proposes and enforces European laws on everything from car emissions to energy pipelines. It also monitors national economies, negotiates trade deals, runs a diplomatic service, manages the EU's budget and acts as Europe's competition authority.Calling for "bold steps" on climate protection, von der Leyen said the EU's goal to cut the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming by 40% in 2030 compared with 1990 levels is inadequate.She pledged to deepen the 2030 reduction target to 50% or even 55% as part of a "Green Deal" to zero out EU greenhouse gases by 2050. To help finance the transition, von der Leyen vowed to turn parts of the European Investment Bank into a "Climate Bank" in a bid to unlock 1 trillion euros ($1.12 trillion) of investment over the coming decade."Emissions must have a price that changes our behavior," she said. "All of us and every sector will have to contribute -- from aviation to maritime transport to the way each and every one of us travels and lives."Carbon TaxTo ensure a level playing field for EU companies and prevent them relocating to regions with laxer climate policies, von der Leyen called for a European carbon tax on imported goods. Such a proposal -- already pursued by France and its allies a decade ago -- has so far proven unattainable because it requires unanimous backing from member states.Her climate ideas failed to sway the Green party, which previously said it would oppose her bid. "Your language was perhaps strong, but your proposals remain very vague," said Philippe Lamberts, Belgian co-leader of the Green faction in the EU Parliament.Von der Leyen, Germany's defense minister, was unexpectedly tapped on July 2 by EU national leaders for the commission presidency after they were deadlocked for weeks over official candidates fielded by Europe's main political parties.The EU Parliament, where the Christian Democrats are the biggest group with 24% of the seats, had called on the government chiefs to avoid a traditional backroom deal on the nomination and to select one of the formal contenders.'Right Direction'The Socialists, the No. 2 faction with a fifth of the assembly's seats, were stung that their candidate -- Dutchman Frans Timmermans -- was sidelined even after he gained the late support of Merkel herself. Timmermans, currently the commission's principal vice president, ran into firm opposition from other Christian Democratic party bosses, leaders in eastern Europe and the Italian prime minister."We think you are moving in the right direction," Iratxe Garcia, Spanish head of the Socialist group in the EU Parliament, said after von der Leyen's speech. "There are advances."Von der Leyen has spent the past two weeks seeking to woo various political factions in the assembly, offering policy commitments in the process.With the support of the 182-strong Christian Democrats and 108-member Liberals, she has focused her efforts on the Socialists, who number 153 and have been split. On Monday, von der Leyen sent the group written pledges to undertake more ambitious action on everything from climate change to social rights."The fight for fairness never stops," she said in her speech. "I want better protection for those who lose their job when our economy takes a severe hit."Democratic 'Toolbox'In a further gesture to the Socialist group, von der Leyen on Tuesday promised to deploy a "full and comprehensive toolbox" to ensure democratic standards are upheld in EU countries and endorsed the idea of establishing a bloc-wide mechanism to strengthen the rule of law at the national level.The Socialists have been up in arms about democratic backsliding by nationalist governments in Poland and Hungary, both of which face potential EU political penalties as a result."There can be no compromise when it comes to respecting the rule of law," von der Leyen said. "There never will be."(Updates with rule-of-law comments in final three paragraphs.)\--With assistance from Nikos Chrysoloras, Viktoria Dendrinou and Ewa Krukowska.To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Strasbourg, France at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Chris Reiter, Iain RogersFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 1-UK PM May: Keep talking to businesses as Brexit nears Posted: 16 Jul 2019 04:57 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-UK PM May: Keep talking to businesses as Brexit nears]( "UPDATE 1-UK PM May: Keep talking to businesses as Brexit nears") Outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday told her top ministers to keep engaging with businesses over Brexit, and that firms expect her successor to keep up infrastructure investment and continue developing an industrial strategy. "The PM noted the resilience of the economy despite the uncertainty of recent years and the importance for the government to keep engaging intensely with business as we approach and after we leave the European Union," May's spokeswoman said. "She said there had been a common theme of messaging from businesses which included further investment in infrastructure outside London and the South East, and further support for the industrial strategy," May's spokeswoman said.
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| 'Executed' North Korean negotiator is alive, says South Korea's spy agency Posted: 16 Jul 2019 04:36 AM PDT  A North Korean nuclear negotiator who was reported to have been executed over the failure of the February Hanoi summit between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump is still alive, South Korean intelligence said on Tuesday. News of Kim Hyok Chol's death by firing squad as part of a purge of top North Korean officials was first reported in South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper in late May and generated headlines around the world. However, the National Intelligence Service contradicted that account on Tuesday, telling a closed-door meeting of parliamentarians in Seoul that reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated. The meeting between Kim Jong-un and Mr Trump in Vietnam earlier this year had been billed as a landmark summit to make progress on nuclear disarmament, but it ended abruptly without a deal after a disagreement over sanctions. The official in question - Mr Kim, a former ambassador to Spain - and four others who were responsible for laying the groundwork for the summit were alleged to have been charged with espionage on behalf of the US and executed at Mirim airport, near the capital, Pyongyang. The same report claimed that Kim Yong Chol, a former spy chief, who travelled to Washington in the run-up to the summit, had been banished to a labour camp. It said that Kim Yo-jong, the leader's sister, had also fallen out of favour and been told to keep a low profile. However, Kim Yong Chol was later spotted at a weekend concert with the North Korean leader and Kim Yo-jong has been seen at ruling party events, casting doubt on the original claims. Hyon Song-wol was reported to have been killed in 2013 but is now one of North Korea's most influential women Credit: Yonhap/Reuters The latest assertion by the NIS would not rule out the demotion of senior aides who were deeply involved in discussions with Americans ahead of the Hanoi meeting. Kim was widely seen to have overplayed his hand in talks with Mr Trump and his inability to secure any form of sanctions relief was a humiliating outcome. The leading officials in the pre-summit negotiations appear to no longer be acting on the frontline of Kim's US strategy, giving way for the rise of Choe Son-hui, the vice minister of foreign affairs, and Kim Myong Gil, the former ambassador to Vietnam who is now reportedly the North's new special envoy. In June, a report on CNN suggested that Kim Hyok Chol was in state custody and under investigation for his role in the summit, along with the chief translator, Sin Hye Yong. Earlier news of his alleged execution highlighted the difficulties of verifying facts from the hermit kingdom, and can now be added to a growing list of high-ranking officials who have been believed to be executed, only to come back from the dead. Another prominent example was Hyon Song-wol, the head of the Samjiyon orchestra, who was alleged to have been shot in a "hail of gunfire" in 2013. She later reemerged as an envoy to the South Korean Winter Olympics in 2018, and is now known as one of the most influential women in North Korea.
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| Iran aims to woo 2 million Chinese tourists with visa-free entry ‘within weeks’ Posted: 16 Jul 2019 04:29 AM PDT  Iran will waive visas for Chinese visitors as early as the end of July in a bid to boost the economy, faltering under the weight of US sanctions. Tourism officials have said they hope to attract as many as two million Chinese a year to Iran, a massive increase from the 52,000 Chinese visiting last year. Tapping into the Chinese tourism market could pay off in the long run. China has the world's most outbound tourists. Last year the Chinese made nearly 150 million trips abroad, spending a whopping £233 billion overseas. And those numbers are expected to grow as more Chinese apply for passports. Now only nine per cent of the country's 1.4 billion people hold passports. Iran's economy has been sliding toward recession after the US reimposed sanctions last November, heavily targeting vital oil exports and international financial transactions. The country's GDP is expected to shrink by 6 per cent this year, a further slide from last year's 3.9 per cent contraction; inflation could reach 40 percent, according to the International Monetary Fund. In response, Tehran has been looking for other ways to boost the government's non-oil revenues. Tourism is seen as an "unsanctionable" sector," tourism board chief Ali Asghar Mounesan told IRNA, a state media agency, in June. In an earlier move to support tourism, Iran announced last August that it would no longer stamp visitors' passports, allowing some to bypass a US entry ban on travellers who have visited the country. China, one of the remaining partners in the nuclear deal that the US withdrew from last year, has openly defied the sanctions and continued to buy Iranian oil. Tehran has threatened to abandon commitments under the nuclear deal, such as uranium stock limits, unless other countries still part of the deal – including the UK – help it to circumvent sanctions.
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| Rape victim jailed for 30 years after stillbirth begins new trial in El Salvador Posted: 16 Jul 2019 04:27 AM PDT  A teenage rape victim in El Salvador who spent nearly three years in jail for murder following a stillbirth has appeared in court for a retrial.Evelyn Beatriz Hernandez was given a 30-year prison sentence in 2017 for aggravated murder by a female judge who ruled the teen 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 toilet 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 the child, and that she suffered a pregnancy-related complication.Miscarriages and stillbirths in El Salvador are often treated as suspected abortions, which have been legally regarded as murder since 1997. Legal cases against women who have experienced miscarriages and obstetric emergencies are forcefully pursued, with women who turn up at public hospitals after a miscarriage sometimes being accused of having killed the foetus. Around 20 women are serving sentences of up to 40 years for abortion crimes after suffering miscarriages, stillbirths or pregnancy complications in the socially conservative Catholic-majority nation, the CDFA estimates. The group has tracked 146 prosecutions against women for abortion since 2014. Of those cases, 60 women were jailed, with 24 convicted of aggravated homicide. Some insist they had miscarriages and did not deliberately end their pregnancies. Ms Hernandez's sentence was annulled in February in an appeal before El Salvador's top court – with a new trial being ordered with a new judge.Ms Hernandez was released from prison in February of this year when she was granted conditional liberty for the duration of her trial. She spent 33 months behind bars – exceeding the 24-month limit under Salvadoran law for those accused without a conviction.This is the first retrial of an abortion case in El Salvador."I want justice to be done. I know everything is going to be OK. My faith lies with god and my lawyers," Ms Hernandez told journalists as she entered the courthouse, adding that she hopes for "good things, unlike what happened before, and I am innocent."Despite the fact the Supreme Court accepted the defence lawyers' argument that no proof had been presented Ms Hernandez caused the baby's death, prosecutors claim she is guilty because she did not seek maternity care. Ms Hernandez, who pleaded not guilty at her retrial, maintains that she never knew she was pregnant."I truly did not know I was pregnant," she said on Monday. "If I had known, I would have awaited it with pride and with joy."Both lawyers and campaigners have called for the public prosecutor's office to drop the charges or offer a plea deal so the three-year legal process against Ms Hernandez can finally come to an end."What Evelyn is living is the nightmare of many women in El Salvador," her lawyer, Elizabeth Deras, said.Dozens of supporters staged a protest outside the court near the capital, San Salvador, calling for a change in the legislation. The court has adjourned the trial until 26 July because of a prosecution witness' health issue. Pro-choice and women's rights activists say her retrial is a key litmus test for El Salvador's new president's position on abortion. They hope he will relax the country's stance on women's reproductive rights - starting with an acquittal for Ms Hernandez. Nayib Bukele, who took office in June, has said he believes abortion should only be permitted if the mother's life is at risk but that he is "completely against" criminalising women who have miscarriages. "If a poor woman has a miscarriage, she's immediately suspected of having had an abortion," Mr Bukele said in 2018. "We can't assume guilt when what a woman needs is immediate assistance." 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 period. Her mother says she found her daughter passed out next to the makeshift toilet and hailed a pickup truck to transport her to a hospital which was half an hour away. She was arrested at the hospital. Mariana Ardila, managing attorney at advocacy group Women's Link Worldwide, said: "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". Despite the fact 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.Salvadoran law dictates up to eight years in prison for women who intentionally terminate a pregnancy, and for medical practitioners who help them. However, aggressive prosecutors frequently upgrade the charges to aggravated homicide, which carries a maximum 40-year sentence. Women who are convicted of abortion in the country are predominantly from poorer communities and struggle to pay for a lawyer to defend them in court.
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| North Korea suggests it might lift weapons test moratorium Posted: 16 Jul 2019 04:21 AM PDT  The statement serves as a reminder of North Korea's longstanding antipathy toward U.S.-South Korean military cooperation.
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| AIDS deaths down a third since 2010: UN Posted: 16 Jul 2019 04:02 AM PDT  HIV-related deaths last year fell to around 770,000 -- some 33 percent lower than in 2010 -- the United Nations said Tuesday, but warned that global efforts to eradicate the disease were stalling as funding dries up. An estimated 37.9 million people now live with HIV -- and a record 23.3 million of those have access to some antiretroviral therapy (ART), UNAIDS said in its annual report. Highlighting the enormous progress made since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the mid-1990s, the report showed that the number people dying from the disease fell from 800,000 in 2017 to 770,000 last year.
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| It’s Up to Trump Now on How Hard to Hit Turkey Posted: 16 Jul 2019 03:05 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.Just a few weeks ago Donald Trump admiringly called Turkey's president a "tough cookie." He inaccurately implied Recep Tayyip Erdogan had to buy a Russian anti-aircraft missile system because the Obama administration wouldn't sell him an American one.Now Trump faces a decision which could tell us a lot about future ties between these two key NATO partners: How (or even whether) to sanction Turkey for bringing in the S-400 system, a move the U.S. says could give Moscow access to sensitive information on American fighter jets in the region.We know a sanctions package has been drawn up. What is actually announced depends on how far Trump's hard-line aides convince him to push Erdogan. The U.S. is already winding down Turkey's role in the F-35 program and could just declare the whole thing over. Penalties beyond the defense sector would be a stronger signal.Trump may tread lightly. The European Union, too. While the EU is freezing high-level contacts and cutting funds to Turkey over its energy exploration in a disputed area of the eastern Mediterranean, it is holding off on targeting Turkish companies drilling offshore.Erdogan's regional antics, plus his increasingly authoritarian moves at home, are causing unease in many quarters. But Turkey's role in NATO can't be brushed aside. Marc Champion wrote recently about the path Erdogan has chosen. The question is whether there's appetite to try and modify his behavior.Global HeadlinesProvoking Democrats | With his attacks on four female House Democrats, the U.S. president is betting he can stoke his base of die-hard Republican supporters. Trump repeated his call for the lawmakers – all American women of color – to "go back" to countries they "came from," brushing off criticism his remarks were racist. "A lot of people love it," he said.Click here for a look at Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plans for a House vote on a resolution condemning Trump.Getting hostile | The EU is weighing possible sweeteners to avoid a chaotic no-deal Brexit. Still, with talks set to resume after Britain gets its new prime minister next week, EU officials described a meeting of chief Brexit negotiators last week as one of the most difficult of the past three years, saying the U.K. appeared to be trying to bully Brussels into concessions.New threat | Europe is bracing for more tariffs from the U.S., expecting the WTO to give Washington the green light for levies on as much as $7 billion of goods. The new front in the transatlantic spat stems from a 14-year dispute over subsidies to Airbus. EU officials suspect the measures may target cheese, olives and pasta in a bid to win broader concessions on agriculture.Defense headache | President Vladimir Putin has spent $300 billion on a weapons-buying binge for Russia's military over the last decade that's left the defense industry struggling with a massive debt hangover (Russia pays for weapons systems when completed, forcing producers to borrow commercially to cover costs). The industry "is living from hand to mouth," one official said.Chorus of criticism | U.S. technology giants are headed for their biggest showdown with Congress in 20 years as lawmakers and regulators seek to know if companies like Google and Facebook use their dominance to crush innovation. Executives are due to appear today before the House antitrust panel, whose Democratic chairman is leading the investigation.What to WatchTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he and Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer may travel to Beijing for trade negotiations if talks by phone – likely this week – are productive. U.S. lawmakers are sharply divided on how to deal with the influx of migrants at the southern border, even as the White House announces new rules to restrict asylum claims. Germany's Ursula von der Leyen faces a vote today on her bid to become European Commission president, having made her final pitch to lawmakers focused on protecting the climate and improving social justice.And finally ... He mocked political opponents with misogynistic and homophobic slurs, openly fantasized about the assassination of the capital's mayor and heaped ridicule on ordinary Puerto Ricans. Now Governor Ricardo Rossello is under further pressure with thousands choking the streets of San Juan calling for his ouster, casting doubt on his ability to stay in office until next year's elections. \--With assistance from Anthony Halpin, Ian Wishart, Ben Sills and Alan Crawford.To contact the author of this story: Rosalind Mathieson in London at rmathieson3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Mnuchin Says Trade Call With Chinese Officials Likely This Week Posted: 16 Jul 2019 03:03 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer may travel to Beijing for trade negotiations if talks by phone this week are productive."We expect to have another principal-level call this week, and to the extent we make significant progress, I think there's a good chance we'll go there later," Mnuchin said Monday at a briefing for reporters at the White House.The planned phone call would be the second time the top trade negotiators have spoken since U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping called a truce in their year-long trade war during the G-20 meeting at the end of June. The leaders agreed to restart talks for a trade deal -- which had collapsed in May -- but they gave no concrete time-frame to reach a deal."I believe you know that the two teams have been in contact," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing on Tuesday, declining to elaborate on when they might speak by phone or meet in person. Earlier Monday, Trump indicated the U.S. tariffs on China were having their intended impact by squeezing China's economy, tweeting, "The United States tariffs are having a major effect on companies wanting to leave China for non-tariffed countries. This is why China wants to make a deal."Trump's comments came hours after China released figures showing growth in the world's second-largest economy slowed to 6.2% in the second quarter, the weakest pace since at least 1992 when the country began collecting the data.Farm DealsMeanwhile, Trump last week complained that China wasn't following through on a promise that Xi made at the G-20 meeting to increase purchases of American farming products. China, for its part, has since said it's considering buying more U.S. soybeans, corn and pork as a cooperative gesture but that total volumes will depend on the progress of the trade talks.During the last detente in December, China had committed to buying over 20 million tons of U.S. soy, pork and corn. After talks fell apart in May, China said it would continue with the purchases, though it did ask for some shipments to be delayed.The U.S. expects China to announce significant purchases of American agriculture products, Trump's top economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters on Monday, implying that the step is necessary for trade talks between two nations to advance. "We expect China to be announcing shortly some large scale purchases of farm goods and services," Kudlow said.Despite the trade dispute, Trump said Xi is a friend of his. "I used to say he's a good friend of mine, probably not quite as close now," Trump told reporters Monday at the White House. "But I have to be for our country. He's for China and I'm for the U.S.A., and that's the way it's gotta be."Mnuchin also said he's "hopeful" that Congress will approve the USMCA, the successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump said on Monday that if Democrats block the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement he will resort to "Plan B," without elaborating.(Updates with Chinese Foreign Ministry comment in fourth paragraph.)\--With assistance from April Ma.To contact the reporter on this story: Josh Wingrove in Washington at jwingrove4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Sarah McGregor, Justin BlumFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 4-N.Korea says nuclear talks at risk if U.S.-S.Korea exercises go ahead Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:49 AM PDT ![UPDATE 4-N.Korea says nuclear talks at risk if U.S.-S.Korea exercises go ahead]( "UPDATE 4-N.Korea says nuclear talks at risk if U.S.-S.Korea exercises go ahead") SEOUL/WASHINGTON, July 16 (Reuters) - The United States looks set to break a promise not to hold military exercises with South Korea, putting talks aimed at getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons at risk, the North Korean Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. U.S. President Donald Trump, who said he agreed to a resumption of stalled working-level talks with North Korea in a surprise meeting with its leader Kim Jong Un last month, appeared unperturbed, reiterating that he did not feel pressed to conclude a quick deal. Earlier, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Washington's pattern of "unilaterally reneging on its commitments" was leading Pyongyang to reconsider its own commitments to discontinue tests of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
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| Rights Group: Kuwait deports arrested Islamists to Egypt Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:37 AM PDT ![Rights Group: Kuwait deports arrested Islamists to Egypt]( "Rights Group: Kuwait deports arrested Islamists to Egypt") A leading rights group says Kuwait has deported eight arrested Egyptian members of the Muslim Brotherhood group, convicted at home on terrorism charges. Kuwait last week said it detained members of the Brotherhood, with some sentenced in Egypt to 15 years behind bars.
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| UPDATE 1-German investor morale darkens on trade disputes, Iran tensions Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:33 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-German investor morale darkens on trade disputes, Iran tensions]( "UPDATE 1-German investor morale darkens on trade disputes, Iran tensions") The mood among German investors deteriorated more sharply than expected in July, a survey showed on Tuesday, with the ZEW institute pointing to the unresolved trade dispute between China and the United States as well as political tensions with Iran. ZEW said its monthly survey showed economic sentiment among investors fell to -24.5 from -21.1 in June. The weak reading bodes ill for the German economy which is expected to post only meagre growth of 0.5 percent this year.
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| China tries to play down Taiwan Strait military exercises to avoid upsetting the US Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:30 AM PDT  China has mobilised some of its elite military forces for an exercise near the Taiwan Strait but has softened its rhetoric to avoid antagonising the United States, military analysts said on Monday.The Military of Defence announced on Sunday that the PLA was staging "routine drills" close to the Taiwan Strait " less than a week after Washington approved the sale of US$2.2 billion worth of military equipment to Taiwan and following a visit by the island's president Tsai Ing-wen to New York.Beijing regards the self-ruled island as renegade province and has warned the US not to cross its red lines by fostering formal relations with Taipei.According to the announcement by the Ministry of Defence, the exercises are part of the PLA's annual plans and affect the air space and waters "along China's southeast coast".Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen pictured in New York last week. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen pictured in New York last week. Photo: EPA-EFEBeijing-based military expert Zhou Chenming said "China's southeast coast" consists of the provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian and runs from the East China Sea to the Taiwan Strait."The exercises involve the army, navy, air force, the rocket force, and the strategic support force," Zhou said. "[They] are meant to strengthen the PLA's joint operations."Song Zhongping, who works as a military analyst for Hong Kong's Phoenix Television, added that the exercises would cover all the islands and reefs off the coast of Zhejiang and Fujian and would be held close to the Taiwan Strait and Japan's Naha airbase on Okinawa."The drills aren't just targeting Tsai but also US military forces and their allies including the US-Japan alliance," said Song."With the participation of the strategic support force, it is possible that the PLA navy and air force will conduct live-fire tests with missiles."Song, a former instructor for China's support force, said that the rocket force might conduct simulated precision strike training on some reefs or moving targets at the sea."The rocket force will go to the South China Sea if they are to conduct live-fire drills," he said.Military enthusiasts, meanwhile, reported that the 72nd Group Army, which is based in Huzhou in Zhejiang province, has dispatched amphibious fighting vehicles to coastal areas suggesting the drills would also involve landing training and were of a bigger scale than normal exercises.One analyst suggested that the rocket force may conduct live-fire tests. Photo: Reuters alt=One analyst suggested that the rocket force may conduct live-fire tests. Photo: ReutersChang added that when President Xi Jinping started downsizing the PLA in 2016, the 72nd group was one of the units that was kept intact.Chang also said that the ministry has deliberately downplayed the exercises by describing them as "routine drills" to avoid upsetting the US at a time when trade talks are ongoing."The fact that the PLA called them 'routine drills' shows Beijing doesn't want to irritate Washington as both sides have just decided to resume their [trade] negotiations," Chang said.Another Beijing-based military insider echoed Chang's suggestion, saying that the ministry's announcement used the phrase"southeast coast" instead of the "Taiwan Strait" to play down the sensitivity of the drills."Beijing needs to send a warning to Tsai Ing-wen and other independence leaning forces [in Taiwan], but it doesn't want the drills to upset the negotiations with the US," said the insider, who requested anonymity.This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2019 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| AIDS deaths down a third since 2010: UN Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:17 AM PDT  HIV-related deaths last year fell to around 770,000 -- some 33 percent lower than in 2010 -- the United Nations said Tuesday, but warned that global efforts to eradicate the disease were stalling as funding dries up. An estimated 37.9 million people now live with HIV -- a record 23.3 million of those have access to some antiretroviral therapy (ART), UNAIDS said in its annual report. The figure was down by more than a third from 2010, when there were 1.2 million AIDS-related deaths.
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| 'The answer is no': Boris Johnson warns Trump he won't support war with Iran Posted: 16 Jul 2019 02:15 AM PDT  "If you were to ask me whether I think should we now... be supporting military action against Iran, then the answer is no."
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