| S. Korea says N. Korea fires projectiles twice into sea Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:45 PM PDT  North Korea on Saturday extended a recent streak of weapons display by firing projectiles twice into the sea, according to South Korea's military. Its fifth round of launches in less than three weeks was likely another protest at the slow pace of nuclear negotiations with the United States and continuance of U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises the North says are aimed at a northward invasion. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the unidentified projectiles were fired from an area on the North's eastern coast, but did not immediately confirm how many were launched or how far they flew.
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| Seoul and Tokyo's trade war puts military pact at stake Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:25 PM PDT  South Korea has threatened to end a military intelligence sharing agreement with Japan as a squabble over trade escalates. The breakdown in ties comes as North Korea stages a series of missile tests into the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
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| Arkansas man charged with helping al-Qaida Posted: 09 Aug 2019 04:17 PM PDT ![Arkansas man charged with helping al-Qaida]( "Arkansas man charged with helping al-Qaida") A Yemeni national living in Arkansas was charged with providing support to a terrorist organization, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday. Bilal al-Rayanni was charged Thursday with supporting al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula between October and December of 2014 while he was in Yemen. The 28-year-old was initially on arrested June 27 and charged July 11 with making a false statement on a passport application in May. According to the original complaint, he allegedly used the name Bilal Kassim Alawdi, which he had been using on passport documentation since he was a small child.
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| U.S.-based experts suspect Russia blast involved nuclear-powered missile Posted: 09 Aug 2019 04:03 PM PDT ![U.S.-based experts suspect Russia blast involved nuclear-powered missile]( "U.S.-based experts suspect Russia blast involved nuclear-powered missile") U.S.-based nuclear experts said on Friday they suspected an accidental blast and radiation release in northern Russia this week occurred during the testing of a nuclear-powered cruise missile vaunted by President Vladimir Putin last year. The Russian Ministry of Defense, quoted by state-run news outlets, said that two people died and six were injured on Thursday in an explosion of what it called a liquid propellant rocket engine. Russia's state nuclear agency Rosatom said early on Saturday that five of its staff members died.
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| At least one North Korean projectile launched, appears to be short-range missile -U.S. official Posted: 09 Aug 2019 03:26 PM PDT ![At least one North Korean projectile launched, appears to be short-range missile -U.S. official]( "At least one North Korean projectile launched, appears to be short-range missile -U.S. official") At least one projectile was launched by North Korea and based on initial information it appeared to be similar to previous short-range missiles fired by Pyongyang, a U.S. official said on Friday, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Separately, a senior U.S. administration official said: "We are aware of reports of a missile launch from North Korea, and we continue to monitor the situation. South Korea's military said Pyongyang fired two unidentified projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast early on Saturday.
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| Iranian pleads guilty in Minnesota in tech smuggling case Posted: 09 Aug 2019 03:20 PM PDT ![Iranian pleads guilty in Minnesota in tech smuggling case]( "Iranian pleads guilty in Minnesota in tech smuggling case") An Iranian woman pleaded guilty in Minnesota on Friday to conspiring to facilitate the illegal export of communications technology from the U.S. to her home country. Federal prosecutors say Negar Ghodskani, 40, and others established a front company in Malaysia to illegally obtain restricted technology from companies in Minnesota and Massachusetts, in violation of U.S. law and international sanctions. Under the plea agreement filed Friday, Ghodskani agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and prosecutors agreed to dismiss the other charges.
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| Trump praises 'very beautiful' letter from Kim Jong Un hours before North Korean launch Posted: 09 Aug 2019 03:12 PM PDT  President Donald Trump said on Friday that he received another letter from North Korea's Kim Jong Un amid stalled talks over the regime's nuclear weapons program and hours before North Korea tested another projectile. Hours later, North Korea launched two projectiles into the East Sea, fired near the northeastern city of Hamhung, according to South Korea's military.
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| UPDATE 4-N.Korea fires two projectiles into sea off eastern coast - S.Korea Posted: 09 Aug 2019 02:51 PM PDT ![UPDATE 4-N.Korea fires two projectiles into sea off eastern coast - S.Korea]( "UPDATE 4-N.Korea fires two projectiles into sea off eastern coast - S.Korea") North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into the sea off its eastern coast on Saturday, South Korea's military said. The latest launch comes shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had received a "very beautiful letter" from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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| Zimbabwe Is on `Right Path’ After Decades of Isolation, Mnangagwa Says Posted: 09 Aug 2019 02:50 PM PDT ![Zimbabwe Is on `Right Path' After Decades of Isolation, Mnangagwa Says]( "Zimbabwe Is on `Right Path' After Decades of Isolation, Mnangagwa Says") (Bloomberg) -- Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa spoke of "truly remarkable" progress and said jobs and economic growth would come in a country beset by 18-hour power cuts and triple digit inflation.While Mnangagwa, who replaced Robert Mugabe as leader of the southern African nation after a coup in November 2017, said his time in power had "not been easy" progress had been made in implementing economic reforms and easing the country's international isolation. Mnangagwa replaced a leader who ruled for more than three decades during which the country lost access to international lenders and its exports collapsed after a violent land reform program that saw the seizure of commercial farms."We have made a return back into the international fold after two decades of isolation," he said in a state of the nation address on national television. "We are on the right path and our ambitious vision is within grasp. We continue to engage international financial institutions and the ongoing discussions with our creditors is going well."Mnangagwa's optimism jarred with a supplementary budget released by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube earlier this month where the release of annual inflation figures was suspended for six months, power prices were increased fivefold and the government admitted that the economy would contract for the first time since 2008. Since he took power Zimbabwe has eased laws that required all mines to be controlled by black citizens of the country and ended the use of the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies after crippling shortages of cash. Still, annual inflation has risen to 176% and is estimated to be three times that if black-market exchange rates are used. There are also shortages of fuel and bread and the biggest opposition party plans a protest on August 16. "Painful but necessary reforms have been made in the year gone by," Mnangagwa said. "While the beginning may be painful, the medium term will bring about growth and jobs. " In October, he said he will travel to Russia for a state-visit, his second to the country this year, after an invite from President Vladimir Putin.To contact the reporter on this story: Ray Ndlovu in Harare at rndlovu1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Apparent Trump plan to cut foreign aid draws bipartisan fire Posted: 09 Aug 2019 02:08 PM PDT ![Apparent Trump plan to cut foreign aid draws bipartisan fire]( "Apparent Trump plan to cut foreign aid draws bipartisan fire") Republican and Democrats in Congress teamed up Friday to oppose what appears to be a Trump administration plan to cut the foreign aid budget. The administration hasn't announced whether it plans to seek the cut. The amount involved could be as much as $4 billion and includes money appropriated for United Nations peacekeeping, development assistance, global health programs and military training.
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| Man gets more than 5 years in prison for terrorist support Posted: 09 Aug 2019 12:52 PM PDT ![Man gets more than 5 years in prison for terrorist support]( "Man gets more than 5 years in prison for terrorist support") A St. Louis County resident has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for providing money for a man who fought and died for a terrorist organization in Syria. Armin Harcevic of Ballwin was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court. Court documents say Harcevic and five others conspired to support the activities of Abdullah Ramo Pazara, who before his death joined al-Qaida in Iraq, which evolved into the Islamic State.
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| Canadian citizen freed from Syria after Lebanese mediation Posted: 09 Aug 2019 12:52 PM PDT  A Canadian citizen held in Syrian prisons since last year and freed after Lebanese mediation said Friday he had no idea if anyone knew he was still alive. Kristian Lee Baxter appeared emotional and at times jittery at a press conference in the Lebanese capital Beirut. It was not clear when Baxter was released from Syria.
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| Clashes in southern Yemen; rebels leader's brother killed Posted: 09 Aug 2019 12:48 PM PDT  Fighting between Yemeni government forces and southern separatists entered the third day Friday, leaving more than 20 killed, including five civilians, officials said. The clashes could further complicate Yemen's bloody civil war and fracture the government side in the conflict. The government forces, backed by a Saudi-led coalition, have been battling rebels since 2015.
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| Correction: Mexico-UN-Forced Disappearance story Posted: 09 Aug 2019 12:25 PM PDT ![Correction: Mexico-UN-Forced Disappearance story]( "Correction: Mexico-UN-Forced Disappearance story") In a story Aug. 7 about (topic), The Associated Press erroneously reported the name of a forced disappearance victim as Christina. MEXICO CITY (AP) — A United Nations committee says Mexico is responsible for a forced disappearance that occurred in Veracruz state in 2010 and has asked for a renewed investigation.
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| The Latest: Strict curfew eased in Kashmir, tensions high Posted: 09 Aug 2019 11:55 AM PDT  In Iran's capital, the leader of Friday prayers cautioned India over its sudden downgrading of Indian-administered Kashmir, the Hindu-majority nation's only Muslim-majority region. The semiofficial Fars News Agency said he cautioned India not to provoke a confrontation with Muslims.
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| A Missile Explosion, a Radiation Spike, and Kremlin Secrecy Bring Back Memories of Chernobyl Posted: 09 Aug 2019 11:22 AM PDT  Sputnik Photo Agency/ReutersMOSCOW—Not much has changed in Russia since Soviet authorities hid the truth about the nuclear catastrophe in Chernobyl more than three decades ago. At the time, Soviet military commanders, KGB generals, and Communist Party leaders were terrified they'd get sacked or end up in the Gulag if the truth came out, so they preferred to lie to the public, delaying the evacuation when radiation equivalent of 500 Hiroshima bombs was released into the atmosphere. Today, it seems the generals of President Vladimir Putin's Russia have not learned the dangers of such deceptions: On Thursday the government's news agency TASS published false reports by the Ministry of Defense about a "normal radioactive level" in the Arkhangelsk region, while Geiger counters indicated a far different picture. 'This Is Our Brothers' Grave': Chernobyl Survivors Watch HBO Series in HorrorIn spite of internet censorship, residents of Nyonoksa, Severodvinsk, and Arkhangelsk near the White Sea in northern Russia received plenty of information from social media–something the victims of Chernobyl did not have.While the official military reports over the last few hours talked about a liquid-fueled rocket catching fire and its engine exploding, independent reports alarmed the public with news of a spike in radiation levels. "I first learned about the accident from the 'Mash' Telegram channel," says Nadezhda Lyzhnikova, a reporter at the online magazine Ecology of Primorye based in Arkhangelsk. (Last year authorities banned Telegram, an encrypted message service but millions of users continue to use it as an independent source of information.)The post Lyzhnikova read on Mash said: "There is a proving ground for nuclear powered missiles near Nyonoksa, where the explosion took place, and for nuclear submarines." Mash also said there were 15 victims and not the eight reported by state controlled media.* * *Searching for Answers* * *Even when 24 hours had passed after the explosion, nobody could give Aleksei Redford, a journalist writing under a pseudonym at the online news outlet STV in Severodvinsk, an adequate explanation on what had exploded in the White Sea on Thursday.Redford first learned about the increasing radiation from the Center of Public Defense group in his town. "We are asking the military, we are asking the administration where that radiation was from, why it increased for 30 minutes in our town but there is still zero information about the cause," Redford told The Daily Beast on Friday.State television was sticking to the official line coming from the Ministry of Defense and did not report on the spike of radiation. Local authorities in Severodvinsk first acknowledged an increase in ambient radiation but then their own press release denied that on Friday. "The young secretary in the office must have been scared," Lyzhnikova suggested. Just like bureaucrats in the USSR, Russian officials seem to be more serious about their jobs than about transparency, social awareness and public security.For a few hours after the accident, millions of Russians saw a map on Channel One as it aired images of the explosion that had allegedly occurred at the Defense Ministry's base in Nyonoksa by the White Sea. Other Russian media publications speculated about explosions during the tests of the Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile.Another Telegram channel, called Baza, said that the Russian military refused to accept the offered help from the Ministry of Emergency Situations and preferred to keep complete control the rescue operation themselves.The map of Russian military bases is so vast it looks like almost a separate secret state inside the state. Nyonoksa is a closed military town with a population of fewer than 2,000 people. It is situated less than 40 kilometers away from the city of Severodvinsk. To visit the secret town, one needs to apply for a special pass at least one week before the trip, but there is little chance a random traveler, especially a foreign one, would be allowed to come in. Severodvinsk, with a population of about 189,000, also is famous for its military industry. But even for residents used to secrecy it was amusing to see the contradictory reports on the state TV channel and then read a press release on the site of the local administration about the radiation spike."Putin's friend Sergei Shoigu, the minister of defense, tests the latest masterpieces in the Arkhangelsk region," Alexander Golts, a well respected military expert, tells The Daily Beast. Among them is the Burevestnik missile system, which is nuclear powered and supposed to have virtually unlimited range. "So of course it is concerning to see the radiation increase in that particular area," says Golts.The NATO designation for the Burevestnik is Skyfall. In March, CNBC cited a U.S. intelligence report that claimed the experimental missile had yet to fly more than 22 miles. * * *Cold War Thinking* * *Russian military commanders present the current geopolitical situation as a new Cold War deliberately inspired by United States. The Americans are "seeking a dominant position in everything, including the military domain," the head of Russian National Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, told reporters earlier this month. Putin Claimed His Hypersonic Missiles Were Invincible. Then He Jailed the Developers.Patrushev criticized U.S. President Donald Trump for abandoning the intermediate nuclear forces (INF) disarmament treaty, at the same time insisting, "Our newly developed weapons allow us to have a dialogue with the U.S. to argue for the interests that we have."In fact many Russians do welcome the army reform and applaud the newly developed weapons shown at military parades on Red Square every year–as long as the breakthrough military experiments do not endanger them or their loved ones. But when something goes wrong, it's hard to hide in an era of smartphones and street journalism, when millions of Russians become their own reporters and researchers looking for verifiable facts.It would have been impossible for the Russian military to keep the explosion of an ammunition depot near Achinsk a secret earlier this week. On Monday, Instagram bloggers posted still pictures and videos of a series of massive blasts that destroyed homes and led to the evacuation of 16,500 people from the area. But closed military towns are still well sealed and little or no information leaks out. Most probably we are never going to find out what exactly what caused the spike of radiation in Severodvinsk. "The Ministry of Defense has monopolized all the information about the secret tests," says Golts. "They have not revisited their approach to censorship for years."Greenpeace experts asked several Russian ministries and state institutions about a more serious study of the accident in Arkhangelsk region. "The analyses we see indicates that the situation might have been much more serious, since inhaled radionuclides might continue to damage, so we need more detailed data from the actual area of the accident," Rashid Alimov, a senior nuclear campaigner with Greenpeace Russia told The Daily Beast.Although life in Severodvinsk is going back to normal, local people have stocked up on medicine–especially iodine to protect their thyroid glands from radiation–just in case."Our reporters have checked: there are no iodine tablets, no potassium iodine left at drug stores in Severodvinsk," Redford told The Daily Beast. But that's not all that's been flying off the shelves. "Red wine and vodka were also in high demand yesterday," he said. In addition to the usual effects, said Redford, "People believe alcohol helps to scavenge free radicals"–that is, protect cells from damage due to radioactive exposure. Meanwhile, he said, "Somebody instructed kindergartens to keep all windows and doors shut, which of course would not help against the radiation."Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet 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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| UK border officials pick up 30 migrants in English Channel Posted: 09 Aug 2019 10:14 AM PDT ![UK border officials pick up 30 migrants in English Channel]( "UK border officials pick up 30 migrants in English Channel") British border officials rescued more than 30 people Friday, who were attempting to cross the English Channel in three small inflatable boats and a kayak. The government said a Border Force cutter and a patrol boat picked up 27 men, a woman and two children. The migrants, who claimed to be from Iran and Afghanistan, were brought ashore at the port of Dover in southeast England and will be interviewed by immigration officials.
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| Trump gets letter from North Korea, says more talks likely Posted: 09 Aug 2019 10:07 AM PDT  President Donald Trump said Friday that he received a "beautiful" three-page letter from Kim Jong Un and predicted that the two leaders would have more talks to try resolving the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The president said they were all short-range missiles and reiterated that North Korea has never broken its pledge to pause nuclear tests. Trump said Kim told him in the letter that he was upset about recent U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which North Korea sees as a threat.
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| France responds to Trump criticism, free to speak on Iran Posted: 09 Aug 2019 09:57 AM PDT ![France responds to Trump criticism, free to speak on Iran]( "France responds to Trump criticism, free to speak on Iran") France said Friday it doesn't need authorization to speak out on Iran issues, in a response to criticism by President Donald Trump. In a written statement Friday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said France "speaks with total sovereignty" and is committed to try to de-escalate tensions in the Persian Gulf region. "France commits strongly to peace and security in the region, and commits to enabling de-escalation.
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| Russia’s Burning! Climate Change Is to Blame Posted: 09 Aug 2019 09:56 AM PDT  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Summer wildfires devouring Siberian forests are hardly unusual, but this year's are a bigger worry than normal because clouds of smoke have reached big cities in the Asian part of Russia and because the authorities have reacted clumsily. The extra attention from the Russian and global media is welcome, even if it's tinged with unnecessary alarmism: Russia needs to start planning for the climate change that's beginning to transform its enormous forests. More fires aren't the only change.So far this year, a total of 8.3 million hectares (20.5 million acres) of forest has burned out in Russia. That roughly equals the area of Austria; it's undoubtedly a bad year. At the peak of the wildfires on July 23, the number of fires in the Russian woods was about three times the 17-year average for that day. Russia's forests occupy an area larger than Australia, and an overwhelming majority of the fires occur far from any human habitation, which often makes it uneconomical to try to put them out. This has prompted Moscow to hand the responsibility for the fire safety of remote forested areas to provincial authorities, which lack the resources to do much other than watch the trees burn and hope it rains. But that's not something officials should ever say publicly, as Alexander Uss, governor of Krasnoyarsk in eastern Siberia, did this year; President Vladimir Putin soon sent troops to fight the flames in Uss's region, forcing the governor abruptly to change tack. Russians see the vast forests as a key part of national wealth, even though forestry only accounts for about 1% of the country's economic output. Although there have been a few years when fires destroyed more of the woods than so far in 2019, there are still good reasons to worry. Most of these years have occurred quite recently. The average burned-up area between Jan. 1 and Aug. 1 has increased by two-thirds in the last 10 years compared with the previous decade.Some officials, including Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, have voiced suspicions that forests often are being burned intentionally to cover up illegal logging. But while there's probably some of that, the trend toward bigger burned-out areas means there are more important forces at work: It's unlikely that, given Russia's stagnant economy, the illegal timber industry is growing at such a fast pace. The increase in fires is almost certainly a consequence of climate change – and, when it comes to Russian forests, not the only consequence. In a paper presented at an environmental science conference this year, a team from the St. Petersburg Forestry Research Institute calculated that, while the number of wildfires and the associated costs will keep increasing with further climate change, it'll also make the vegetation period longer for many of Russia's forested areas – on average for the entire country, by 25 days by the end of the century. This will lead to a gradual replacement of conifers, which today account for 70% of the total market value of Russia's trees, with hardwood. By 2099, deciduous trees will be 60%. Western models predict a similar change in the makeup of the Russian woods. Sure, in a warmer climate, more trees will burn. Longer vegetation periods will mean more trees will grow, too, replacing the burned-out pine and fir woods. These could be weaker trees with less dense, less valuable timber than today and with less ability to absorb carbon dioxide out of the air – a consequence of warmer temperatures that scientists have noticed in many parts of the world.This has implications for forestry economics and for the ecosystems of vast, nearly unpopulated areas in Siberia. The area's forests absorb up to 600 million tons of CO2 per year, or up to a quarter of global absorption. Their ability to keep doing that is in question as different climate-related trends clash.The Russian government traditionally has treated the woods as something that has always been there and will never go away or change. The country's unpopulated territory takes up a lot of space on the map, but officials aren't too concerned about it. If people start getting worried, as they suddenly are this year, the Kremlin signals that it cares, too, but not much gets done. Russia's forestry strategy, adopted in September 2018, barely mentions climate change at all and doesn't discuss how it's going to affect the composition of Russian woods. Perhaps the smoke over Siberian cities will draw more attention to what else is changing besides the average area destroyed by fires.To contact the author of this story: Leonid Bershidsky at lbershidsky@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Tobin Harshaw at tharshaw@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Leonid Bershidsky is Bloomberg Opinion's Europe columnist. He was the founding editor of the Russian business daily Vedomosti and founded the opinion website Slon.ru.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| France says 'needs no permission' for Iran dialogue after Trump swipe Posted: 09 Aug 2019 09:17 AM PDT  France said Friday that it "needs no permission" to work towards easing tensions between Iran and the US, after President Donald Trump accused his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron of meddling in the dispute. "On Iran, France speaks with complete sovereignty. It is working hard for peace and security in the region, it is working to facilitate a de-escalation in tensions and it needs no permission to do so," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement.
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| UPDATE 1-Iran says any external military presence in Gulf "source of insecurity" Posted: 09 Aug 2019 09:03 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Iran says any external military presence in Gulf "source of insecurity"]( "UPDATE 1-Iran says any external military presence in Gulf \"source of insecurity\"") Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter on Friday that any military presence in the Gulf from outside the region would be a "source of insecurity" for Iran, and Tehran would act to safeguard its security. Washington is lobbying international partners to join a maritime security coalition at a time of heightened tensions with Iran.
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| Aid groups urge Lebanon army to halt punitive refugee raids Posted: 09 Aug 2019 09:03 AM PDT  The statement by 51 groups Friday comes following reports that Lebanese armed forces personnel raided a community of 350 Syrian refugee homes in settlements in the northern town of Akkar around dawn a day earlier. The groups said military personnel used sledgehammers to partially demolished homes on grounds that they violated a recent military order. Lebanon is home to over 1 million Syrian refugees, a strain on the small country's resources.
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| UN urges rival Libya forces to agree humanitarian truce Posted: 09 Aug 2019 09:02 AM PDT  The United Nations has called on forces loyal to Libya's internationally recognised government and a rival administration to commit to a humanitarian truce by midnight on Friday. The UN mission in Libya "calls on all parties to accept a humanitarian truce for Eid Al-Adha", it said in a statement on Twitter late Thursday, referring to the Muslim festival of sacrifice that begins on Sunday. Strongman Khalifa Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive against Tripoli -- seat of the Government of National Accord -- in early April.
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| Rising emissions could drain foods like rice and wheat of their nutrients, causing a slow-moving global food crisis Posted: 09 Aug 2019 08:48 AM PDT  A new scientific report from the United Nations confirms research that climate change is decreasing the nutritional value of important food crops.
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| UPDATE 1-Britain will spend "whatever it takes" on no deal - Gove Posted: 09 Aug 2019 08:28 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Britain will spend "whatever it takes" on no deal - Gove]( "UPDATE 1-Britain will spend \"whatever it takes\" on no deal - Gove") Britain will spend "whatever it takes" before its departure date from the European Union to prepare for the possibility of leaving without a divorce deal, the minister responsible for planning for a no-deal Brexit said on Friday. The new government led by Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week it would spend an extra 2.1 billion pounds on planning for no deal, which Johnson has committed to unless the EU agrees to renegotiate the deal agreed by his predecessor Theresa May by Oct. 31.
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| Trump says US 'not ready' to make trade deal with China Posted: 09 Aug 2019 08:21 AM PDT  President Donald Trump said Friday he was not ready to finalize a trade deal with Beijing and signaled he might cancel talks set for September, raising the stakes in the intensifying US-China trade war. "We'll see whether or not we keep our meeting in September," Trump told reporters at the White House before heading out on vacation at his New Jersey golf resort. Relations have soured further in the past week after Trump announced a new round of punitive tariffs on Chinese goods, despite a truce agreed with President Xi Jinping, and Beijing responded by halting all purchases of US agricultural goods.
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| Rights groups say UAE releases 3 after denouncing Islamists Posted: 09 Aug 2019 08:14 AM PDT ![Rights groups say UAE releases 3 after denouncing Islamists]( "Rights groups say UAE releases 3 after denouncing Islamists") Human rights groups say the United Arab Emirates has released three people with alleged ties to a local Islamist group after denouncing the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Osama al-Najjar, Badr al-Bahri and Othman al-Shehhi were released after appearing in a nearly two-minute video shared on social media sites by the state-aligned UAE Forsan in which they denounced the Brotherhood and its ideas. The Gulf Center for Human Rights and the International Center for Justice and Human Rights, which focuses on freedoms in Gulf countries, reported the three were released Thursday after making the public confessions.
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| Khmer Rouge ideologue cremated, appeal may be stopped Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:53 AM PDT  The death of the Khmer Rouge's top ideologue may end criminal proceedings against him even though his appeal against convictions for genocide and other crimes is still pending, a spokesman for Cambodia's U.N.-assisted tribunal trying leaders of the defunct communist group said Friday. Nuon Chea, the second-highest official after Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot when the group held power in the late 1970s, died Sunday at age 93. Spokesman Neth Pheaktra said under Cambodian law, judicial action is terminated on the death of the accused, and the tribunal's Supreme Court chamber would rule on its application.
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| Trump says he agrees with dictator Kim Jong-un over US-South Korea war games: 'Never been a fan' Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:51 AM PDT  Donald Trump has said he is in agreement with Kim Jong-un over the North Korea dictator's opposition to US-South Korea war games and suggested the pair will soon have a fourth meeting.Speaking to reporters before departing the White House for his golf club in New Jersey, the US president also praised a "beautiful letter" he received from Mr Kim amid increased tensions on the Korean peninsula.North Korea has conducted a series of missile tests in recent weeks, which Mr Trump said were all short-range missiles."I got a very beautiful letter from Kim Jong-un yesterday hand delivered from ... and it was a very positive letter," Mr Trump said. "I'll think we'll have another meeting. He really wrote a beautiful three-page, I mean right from top to bottom, a really beautiful letter, and maybe I'll release the results of the letter, but it was very positive."Mr Trump and Mr Kim have met three times since last year to discuss ways to resolve a crisis over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, but progress has been scant on Washington's aim of getting the North Korea leader to give up his weapons.Mr Trump said Mr Kim had said he was "not happy" about the missile tests, which the North Korean leader has said were a response to US-South Korean military drills being held this month. Mr Trump said he himself had "never been a fan" of the war games."You know why? I don't like paying for it. We should be reimbursed for it and I have told that to South Korea."But I said, 'do this,' because this is a big test; this was a turnover of various areas to South Korea. I like that, because that's what should happen."US secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he was hopeful talks would resume in coming and that the US side was planning for negotiations in a couple of weeks.A summit between Mr Trump and Mr Kim in Hanoi in February collapsed over a failure to narrow differences over US demands for North Korea to give up all of its nuclear weapons and Pyongyang's demands for relief from punishing sanctions.
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| Any external presence in Gulf "source of insecurity" for Iran -Zarif Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:50 AM PDT ![Any external presence in Gulf "source of insecurity" for Iran -Zarif]( "Any external presence in Gulf \"source of insecurity\" for Iran -Zarif") Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter on Friday any maritime presence in the Gulf from outside the region would be a "source of insecurity" for Iran, and Tehran would act to safeguard its security. "(The) Persian Gulf is a vital lifeline and thus nat'l security priority for Iran, which has long ensured maritime security," Zarif said in his tweet.
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| US threatens to pull out troops stationed in Germany in row over defence spending Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:43 AM PDT  The US has threatened to withdraw thousands of troops stationed in Germany amid a dispute with Angela Merkel's government over defence spending. Richard Grenell, the US ambassador in Berlin, warned that his country could pull out some of its forces if Germany continues to fall short of the alliance's spending target of 2 per cent of GDP. "It is actually offensive to assume that the US taxpayer must continue to pay to have 50,000-plus Americans in Germany, but the Germans get to spend their surplus on domestic programs," Mr Grenell told Germany's DPA news agency. The remarks will add to concerns that the Nato alliance is becoming strained by President Trump's impatience with German military spending. The US currently has just over 35,000 troops stationed in Germany, together with 17,000 American civilian support staff. By far the biggest US deployment in Europe, it is a legacy of the Cold War, when West Germany lay on the frontline with the Soviets and was considered Nato's first line of defence. But in what is a clearly coordinated message from the Trump administration, Mr Grenell is not the only US diplomat to suggest the longstanding alliance with Germany is in trouble. Georgette Mosbacher, the American ambassador in Warsaw, made clear that US has other options when she called for the troops in Germany to be transferred to Poland. "Poland meets its 2% of GDP spending obligation towards Nato. Germany does not. We would welcome American troops in Germany to come to Poland," Ms Mosbacher wrote on Twitter. President Trump alluded to this possibility in June, when he told a press conference that 1,000 troops for a planned new deployment in Poland would be drawn from those stationed in Germany. Richard Grenell, the US ambassador to Germany, warned that the troops could be moved Credit: STRINGER/REUTERS "President Trump is right and Georgette Mosbacher is right," Mr Grenell said on Friday. "Numerous presidents have asked Europe's largest economy to pay for their own defense. This is a plea that has dragged on for many years and many governments." While the withdrawal of American troops might prove popular with a few on the German left, it would be a stark reminder of how reliant Europe's biggest economy is on the US for its defence. Underfunding has left the German military facing equipment shortages so severe that at one point troops were forced to train with broomsticks instead of guns. The German parliament's own military watchdog warned last year that the shortages mean the country cannot meet its Nato commitments, and it emerged this week that almost half the German air force's pilots cannot meet Nato's minimum training hours because their aircraft are grounded by maintenance issues. Yet despite repeated pledges from Mrs Merkel and successive German defence ministers to move towards the Nato target, German military spending remains far short at just 1.3 per cent of GDP this year. Mrs Merkel's government has pledged to boost defence spending to 1.5 per cent of GDP by 2024 but those promises were undermined when Olaf Scholz, the finance minister, cut planned increases in this year's budget. The US mood was not improved by Germany's recent refusal to take part in a joint naval taskforce to defence shipping from Iran. While Mrs Merkel's Christian Democrat party (CDU) is thought to be open to increased military spending, her main coalition partners, Mr Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD), are opposed. "For Germany's own sake, we need to finally increase defense spending in a significant and permanent way that reflects our global commitments," Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU foreign policy expert told the broadcaster Deutsche Welle. "This has nothing to do with the American president, but is about our responsibilities to our own soldiers and to Europe, and credible burden-sharing."
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| UPDATE 2-Trump says N. Korea's Kim sent 'very beautiful letter'; new meeting possible Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:42 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-Trump says N. Korea's Kim sent 'very beautiful letter'; new meeting possible]( "UPDATE 2-Trump says N. Korea's Kim sent 'very beautiful letter'; new meeting possible") President Donald Trump said on Friday he had just received a "very beautiful letter" from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and added that he could have another meeting with him. Speaking to reporters, Trump did not say when such a meeting might take place. North Korea has been testing missiles despite a June 30 meeting between Trump and Kim at which the two agreed to revive stalled working-level talks, which have yet to resume.
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| Turkey: Quake damaged nearly 1,000 buildings, official says Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:21 AM PDT  An official says nearly 1,000 buildings were damaged by Thursday's 6.0-magnitude earthquake in western Turkey. Turkish Environment and Urban Planning Minister Murat Kurum said Friday that 108 structures in the area were "badly" damaged and 868 others "slightly" damaged. The earthquake, centered in the town of Bozkurt, in Denizli province, some 600 kilometers (375 miles) south of Istanbul, injured dozens of people and caused residents to run into the streets in panic.
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| Trump news: President defends gun rights and ICE raids, amid controversy over thumbs-up photo with El Paso baby Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:21 AM PDT  Donald Trump is facing criticism after new video footage emerged of him bragging about the size of the crowd at his El Paso rally earlier this year as he visited people recovering in hospital having been injured in last Saturday's Walmart mass shooting, in which 22 people died.The president is seen comparing his audience favourably to that summoned by "crazy" Beto O'Rourke, the local politician and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who has led the community – and the condemnation of President Trump – since the tragedy.Mr Trump heads off on his summer golfing holiday on Friday with new gun control legislation no closer to realisation, his trade war with China still raging and the opposition-led House Judiciary Committee plotting an impeachment inquiry.Speaking with reporters before departing the White House for the weekend, Mr Trump said that he received a "beautiful" three-page letter from Kim Jong Un and predicted that the two leaders would have more talks to try resolving the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.Mr Trump has said he's not bothered by the flurry of missiles that Mr Kim has launched in recent days, rattling US allies in the region. The president said they were all short-range missiles and reiterated that North Korea has never broken its pledge to pause nuclear tests.Mr Trump said Mr Kim told him in the letter that he was upset about recent US-South Korea military exercises, which North Korea sees as a threat.The two leaders have met three times — in Singapore, Hanoi and the Korean Demilitarized Zone late last month — but no new talks have been scheduled. At their second meeting in Vietnam in February, Mr Trump rejected Mr Kim's demand for widespread sanctions relief in return for dismantling the North's main nuclear complex, a partial disarmament step.Mr Trump said he'd received the letter on Thursday. "It was hand-delivered. It wasn't touched by anybody," Mr Trump told reporters on Friday at the White House."It was a very positive letter. I think we'll have another meeting. He really wrote a beautiful, three-page letter ... a really beautiful letter," he said. Additional reporting by AP. Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load
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| Over 2 million Muslims in Mecca for start of hajj pilgrimage Posted: 09 Aug 2019 07:11 AM PDT  More than 2 million pilgrims were gathered in the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Friday to perform initial rites of the hajj, an Islamic pilgrimage that takes the faithful along a path traversed by the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago. The hajj in Islam is meant to be a great equalizer and unifier among Muslims, with pilgrims shedding overt displays of wealth and materialism. All male pilgrims wear simple terry cloth white garments and women don conservative dress and headscarves, forgoing makeup, nail polish and perfume in an effort to draw closer to God and engage in intense worship for the five-day hajj.
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| Attack on Turkish post in Syria injures 2 soldiers Posted: 09 Aug 2019 06:31 AM PDT ![Attack on Turkish post in Syria injures 2 soldiers]( "Attack on Turkish post in Syria injures 2 soldiers") Turkey says Kurdish fighters have attacked a Turkish base in a Turkish-controlled area in northern Syria, wounding two of its soldiers. Turkey's Defense Ministry says fighters of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, attacked the base in Afrin with an anti-tank missile on Friday. Turkey's military fired back at YPG targets with fire support vehicles.
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| AP PHOTOS: Toronto festival highlights Iranian culture, food Posted: 09 Aug 2019 06:23 AM PDT  The festival, held every two years, took place late last month. For four days, those in attendance heard traditional music, tasted traditional Iranian cuisine and viewed handicrafts and paintings as well as attended plays and film screenings. The event aims to preserve and celebrate Iranian and Persian culture, said festival CEO Mehrdad Ariannejad.
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| U.K. Tories Lead Facebook Ad Spend as Potential Election Looms Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:53 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The U.K.'s Conservative Party is significantly outspending its rivals on political advertisements on Facebook, a sign Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be gearing up for an early general election.Over the last month -- the period which covers Johnson succeeding Theresa May as premier -- the Tories have spent almost three times as much as the main opposition Labour Party, according to data from the Facebook Ad Library.The advertisements have highlighted Johnson's domestic policy announcements, such as a promise to recruit 20,000 police officers, and emphasized his pro-Brexit credentials as he seeks to draw a contrast with opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.Johnson's Tories spent 51,719 pounds over the month, according to Facebook data, while Labour spent 18,065 pounds and Nigel Farage's Brexit Party 11,957 pounds. The Liberal Democrats, who also elected a new leader in the period, spent 2,284 pounds.Many of the ads encourage viewers to click through and share personal information such as their name, email and postcode -- valuable data for targeting messages at voters during an election campaign.Speculation about an election in the fall has grown as opposition U.K. lawmakers threaten a no-confidence vote in Johnson's government to prevent a no-deal Brexit. If Johnson were to lose such a vote, and no grouping in Parliament could form a stable government, there would be an election.The flurry of Conservative activity on Facebook is not only useful for collecting information but is also a bid to re-shape perceptions of the party and show Johnson has an agenda beyond Brexit, according to Simon Usherwood, professor of politics at the University of Surrey."It's about owning a narrative of what this government is," Usherwood said by phone. "Meanwhile, if it comes to a general election, they're prepped and ready to go."Digital campaigning is now a vital mainstream part of political election strategy for all major parties. Social media advertising helped the Tories win an unexpected general election majority in 2015 and contributed to Corbyn's success two years later.Dominic Cummings, Johnson's senior adviser who ran the campaign for Britain to leave the European Union, strongly credits digital advertising with delivering the Brexit vote. One of the advertisements says "MPs can't just pick and choose which votes to respect," a phrase Cummings echoed when interviewed on his doorstep this week.To contact the reporter on this story: Joe Mayes in London at jmayes9@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Rebecca Penty at rpenty@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Tony HalpinFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump heads for golf club holiday with summer storms looming Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:49 AM PDT  Now is the summer (vacation) of the president's discontent. As Donald Trump prepares to leave on Friday for his annual August holiday at his lush New Jersey golf club, he's confronting a storm of crises, at home and abroad, that could set the course for his reelection bid. With his poll numbers stalled and his ability to rally the country questioned, he's being tested by an escalating trade war with China that may slow the economy, rising tensions with both Iran and North Korea and, in the aftermath of the mass shootings last weekend, pressure to act on guns and face accusations of his own role in fostering an environment of hate.
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| Italy's League files no confidence motion in prime minister in bid to trigger election Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:17 AM PDT  Italy's hard-Right League party filed a motion of no confidence in the country's prime minister on Friday, advancing a political crisis that could lead to early elections. The move came after Matteo Salvini, the leader of the League and deputy prime minister, said on Thursday that the coalition with the Five Star Movement was irrevocably broken and the country should go to a general election as soon as possible. The League's high level of support – with 38 per cent of the vote it is the country's biggest single party – means there is a strong possibility that Mr Salvini would become prime minister. It was not clear when the motion would be debated, as the parliament is in recess for the summer. Mr Salvini said despite that, MPs should "get off their bums", return to Rome to deal with the crisis and hold a vote next week. The coalition between the League and Five Star has been fractious ever since they came to power in June last year. Months of disagreements over a wide array of issues came to a head with a vote this week on a multi-billion euro rail link between Turin and Lyons, in which the parties voted against each other. The crisis has pitched Mr Salvini not only against Luigi Di Maio, the head of Five Star, but also against Giuseppe Conte, the prime minister. Prime minister Giuseppe Conte has gamely tried to held the fractious coalition together over the last 14 months Credit: Rex Mr Conte said it was not up to the League leader to dictate when the government falls and new elections are held. "It is not up to Salvini to summon the houses of parliament, it is not up to the interior minister to decide on the time frames of a political crisis in which many other institutional parties intervene," he said. He said he disagreed with Mr Salvini's judgment that the coalition was irretrievably broken after 14 months in power, saying it had managed to achieve a lot. Sergio Mattarella, the president of Italy, is the only authority who can dissolve parliament and call an election. He could first try to form a new government from the existing legislature. A new vote could result in a hard-Right government formed by the League and the small Brothers of Italy party. It is not clear if and when a new election would be held. The Italian media is speculating about a vote in October. "Government crises in Italy are complicated, especially at this time of the year. First, it is the prerogative of the president, currently Sergio Mattarella, to call an election," said a note released on Friday by the Economist Intelligence Unit. "He will not do that until he has consulted the parties in parliament and will resist holding a snap election while the 2020 budget passes through parliament between October and the end of the year." Mr Salvini's call for massive tax cuts and an expansionary budget has already antagonised the EU, which says the country has so much debt that it can ill afford such measures. Luigi Di Maio, head of the Five Star Movement, would be the likely loser if Italy went to a general election Credit: Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters Meanwhile, Buzzfeed revealed more information about alleged negotiations between the League and Moscow over an oil deal that would have funneled millions of euros into the League's campaign coffers. The website claimed it had evidence that Gianluca Savoini, an aide to Mr Salvini, made at least 14 "mysterious" trips to Russia last year. Savoini was allegedly brokering the oil deal, which reportedly involved kickbacks of up to 65 million euros. Mr Salvini has denied all knowledge of it and says he has never accepted "a rouble" from Vladimir Putin or any other Russian interests. Opposition MPs last month called for him to either clarify the affair or resign but he called the accusations "ridiculous". Italian magistrates have opened an investigation.
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| Angela Merkel's Holiday Reading? It's All About Tyrants Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:15 AM PDT ![Angela Merkel's Holiday Reading? It's All About Tyrants]( "Angela Merkel's Holiday Reading? It's All About Tyrants") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Every summer, German Chancellor Angela Merkel goes on vacation in South Tyrol to hike – and read a few books. This year, she made an interesting choice: Photographers caught her with Harvard Professor Stephen Greenblatt's "Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics," an attack on U.S. President Donald Trump that masquerades as an analysis of the playwright's views of tyrannical rulers and the reasons nations accept them.Her selection is quite in character. Merkel described her reading habits in a video last year. She tends to tackle shorter books so she can get through several in the course of a vacation. As she has grown older, she has acquired a taste for history; specifically, she looks for parallels between history and modernity. She is a fan of the classics: Tolstoy's "War and Peace", Shakespeare, Goethe, Schiller. "All of them are very, very modern today," she said. "Tyrant" – which runs to fewer than 300 pages – appears to tick all the boxes. Greenblatt's work has made quite a splash among the German elite. Last fall, the Shakespeare expert and bestselling author was invited to deliver a lecture about "Tyrant" in Berlin's Pierre Boulez Hall, a venue popular with the city's highbrow audiences. On that visit, the professor spent time with Michael Naumann, a former junior minister for culture in a previous Social Democratic administration. He isn't part of Merkel's inner circle, and no one close to her attended the lecture, but someone with a good knowledge of her taste must have recommended the book to her.It's clear why she might want to read on past the first chapter, which promises answers to some questions such as these: Why, in some circumstances, does evidence of mendacity, crudeness or cruelty serve not as a fatal disadvantage but as an allure, attracting ardent followers? Why do otherwise proud and self-respecting people submit to the sheer effrontery of the tyrant, his sense that he can get away with saying and doing anything he likes, his spectacular indecency?But if Merkel really looked for answers to those questions in Greenblatt's work, I fear she wasted some of her precious vacation time. The most she could have got out of it is a chuckle at the expense of a fellow leader she makes no pretense of liking.Greenblatt never mentions Trump by name in "Tyrant," but some passages follow the critical media narrative of the U.S. president as an unhinged narcissist so closely that they leave no doubt about whom the author has in mind. Greenblatt wrote, ostensibly of Shakespeare's Richard III:He has always had wealth; he was born into it and makes ample use of it. But though he enjoys having what money can get him, it is not what most excites him. What excites him is the joy of domination. He is a bully. Easily enraged, he strikes out at anyone who stands in his way. He enjoys seeing others cringe, tremble, or wince with pain. He is gifted at detecting weakness and deft at mockery and insult. These skills attract followers who are drawn to the same cruel delight, even if they cannot have it to his unmatched degree. Though they know that he is dangerous, the followers help him advance to his goal, which is the possession of supreme power.Of Jack Cade, the leader of a popular rebellion in "Henry VI," Greenblatt writes that he "promises to make England great again." In a discussion about how banished Coriolanus, the legendary Roman general, sides with Rome's enemies, the Volscians, Greenblatt has this to say: "It is as if the leader of a political party long identified with hatred of Russia – forever saber-rattling and accusing the rival politicians of treason – should secretly make his way to Moscow and offer his services to the Kremlin." And modern words and expressions – "enablers," "adults in the room" – slip constantly into the discussion of Shakespearean plot twists.The parallels, however, are contrived and strained throughout. Trump can't be Richard III, Cade and Coriolanus all at once. One could describe all these diverse characters as different faces of tyranny, even though this would turn the concept into such a grab bag of motivations and methods as to almost make it meaningless. But looking for Trump-like features in all of them smacks of filter bubble-induced paranoia.Coriolanus's revenge on Rome is nothing like Trump's attempt to win an election at any price. Cade led a failed violent rebellion and was, of course, anti-elite – but then weren't all rebels throughout the course of history? Richard III's tortured acceptance of his physical deformity contrasts so wildly with Trump's easy confidence in his good looks that using the English monarch as a prop in an attack on Trump requires impressive verbal dexterity on Greenblatt's part.Underneath the strained similes, what Greenblatt presents as Shakespeare's vision of the sources of tyranny and remedies against it is a rather simplistic, naive narrative. A narcissistic, power-hungry individual appeals to the base instincts of society's deplorables and finds enablers among the elite, who are either in it for themselves or charmed by the tyrant's unabashed contempt for rules. Society's fragmentation into parties that don't listen to one another helps his rise, too. But his ascendancy never lasts because ordinary people - the non-deplorable kind – won't put up with it. Greenblatt wrote, referring to scenes from "Richard III", "Macbeth" and "Coriolanus":The best chance for the recovery of collective decency lay, he thought, in the political action of ordinary citizens. [Shakespeare] never lost sight of the people who steadfastly remained silent when they were exhorted to shout their support for the tyrant, or the servant who tried to stop his vicious master from torturing a prisoner, or the hungry citizen who demanded economic justice.Theoretically, Merkel should be heartened by this optimistic message. Somehow I doubt she can accept it, though. Unlike Greenblatt, she once lived under an actual tyranny – a self-effacing one, based on a deadening collectivist ideology rather than a charismatic leader. Nor does the recent rise of the far right in Germany have anything to do with narcissism and Shakespeare's royal egos. The leaders of the populist Alternative for Germany party are forgettable and replaceable.For all Shakespeare's genius, his plays are probably the wrong place to look for insights into modern illiberalism. But Greenblatt's book could be useful to Merkel in at least one way: Next time she talks to Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping or, say, Viktor Orban, she could imagine them as Shakespearean actors in full costume. She could smile inwardly and remember that they will all have to leave the stage someday – even if she herself plans to exit rather sooner than they do. To contact the author of this story: Leonid Bershidsky at lbershidsky@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Edward Evans at eevans3@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Leonid Bershidsky is Bloomberg Opinion's Europe columnist. He was the founding editor of the Russian business daily Vedomosti and founded the opinion website Slon.ru.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Angela Merkel's Holiday Reading? It's All About Tyrants Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:15 AM PDT ![Angela Merkel's Holiday Reading? It's All About Tyrants]( "Angela Merkel's Holiday Reading? It's All About Tyrants") (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Every summer, German Chancellor Angela Merkel goes on vacation in South Tyrol to hike – and read a few books. This year, she made an interesting choice: Photographers caught her with Harvard Professor Stephen Greenblatt's "Tyrant: Shakespeare on Politics," an attack on U.S. President Donald Trump that masquerades as an analysis of the playwright's views of tyrannical rulers and the reasons nations accept them.Her selection is quite in character. Merkel described her reading habits in a video last year. She tends to tackle shorter books so she can get through several in the course of a vacation. As she has grown older, she has acquired a taste for history; specifically, she looks for parallels between history and modernity. She is a fan of the classics: Tolstoy's "War and Peace", Shakespeare, Goethe, Schiller. "All of them are very, very modern today," she said. "Tyrant" – which runs to fewer than 300 pages – appears to tick all the boxes. Greenblatt's work has made quite a splash among the German elite. Last fall, the Shakespeare expert and bestselling author was invited to deliver a lecture about "Tyrant" in Berlin's Pierre Boulez Hall, a venue popular with the city's highbrow audiences. On that visit, the professor spent time with Michael Naumann, a former junior minister for culture in a previous Social Democratic administration. He isn't part of Merkel's inner circle, and no one close to her attended the lecture, but someone with a good knowledge of her taste must have recommended the book to her.It's clear why she might want to read on past the first chapter, which promises answers to some questions such as these: Why, in some circumstances, does evidence of mendacity, crudeness or cruelty serve not as a fatal disadvantage but as an allure, attracting ardent followers? Why do otherwise proud and self-respecting people submit to the sheer effrontery of the tyrant, his sense that he can get away with saying and doing anything he likes, his spectacular indecency?But if Merkel really looked for answers to those questions in Greenblatt's work, I fear she wasted some of her precious vacation time. The most she could have got out of it is a chuckle at the expense of a fellow leader she makes no pretense of liking.Greenblatt never mentions Trump by name in "Tyrant," but some passages follow the critical media narrative of the U.S. president as an unhinged narcissist so closely that they leave no doubt about whom the author has in mind. Greenblatt wrote, ostensibly of Shakespeare's Richard III:He has always had wealth; he was born into it and makes ample use of it. But though he enjoys having what money can get him, it is not what most excites him. What excites him is the joy of domination. He is a bully. Easily enraged, he strikes out at anyone who stands in his way. He enjoys seeing others cringe, tremble, or wince with pain. He is gifted at detecting weakness and deft at mockery and insult. These skills attract followers who are drawn to the same cruel delight, even if they cannot have it to his unmatched degree. Though they know that he is dangerous, the followers help him advance to his goal, which is the possession of supreme power.Of Jack Cade, the leader of a popular rebellion in "Henry VI," Greenblatt writes that he "promises to make England great again." In a discussion about how banished Coriolanus, the legendary Roman general, sides with Rome's enemies, the Volscians, Greenblatt has this to say: "It is as if the leader of a political party long identified with hatred of Russia – forever saber-rattling and accusing the rival politicians of treason – should secretly make his way to Moscow and offer his services to the Kremlin." And modern words and expressions – "enablers," "adults in the room" – slip constantly into the discussion of Shakespearean plot twists.The parallels, however, are contrived and strained throughout. Trump can't be Richard III, Cade and Coriolanus all at once. One could describe all these diverse characters as different faces of tyranny, even though this would turn the concept into such a grab bag of motivations and methods as to almost make it meaningless. But looking for Trump-like features in all of them smacks of filter bubble-induced paranoia.Coriolanus's revenge on Rome is nothing like Trump's attempt to win an election at any price. Cade led a failed violent rebellion and was, of course, anti-elite – but then weren't all rebels throughout the course of history? Richard III's tortured acceptance of his physical deformity contrasts so wildly with Trump's easy confidence in his good looks that using the English monarch as a prop in an attack on Trump requires impressive verbal dexterity on Greenblatt's part.Underneath the strained similes, what Greenblatt presents as Shakespeare's vision of the sources of tyranny and remedies against it is a rather simplistic, naive narrative. A narcissistic, power-hungry individual appeals to the base instincts of society's deplorables and finds enablers among the elite, who are either in it for themselves or charmed by the tyrant's unabashed contempt for rules. Society's fragmentation into parties that don't listen to one another helps his rise, too. But his ascendancy never lasts because ordinary people - the non-deplorable kind – won't put up with it. Greenblatt wrote, referring to scenes from "Richard III", "Macbeth" and "Coriolanus":The best chance for the recovery of collective decency lay, he thought, in the political action of ordinary citizens. [Shakespeare] never lost sight of the people who steadfastly remained silent when they were exhorted to shout their support for the tyrant, or the servant who tried to stop his vicious master from torturing a prisoner, or the hungry citizen who demanded economic justice.Theoretically, Merkel should be heartened by this optimistic message. Somehow I doubt she can accept it, though. Unlike Greenblatt, she once lived under an actual tyranny – a self-effacing one, based on a deadening collectivist ideology rather than a charismatic leader. Nor does the recent rise of the far right in Germany have anything to do with narcissism and Shakespeare's royal egos. The leaders of the populist Alternative for Germany party are forgettable and replaceable.For all Shakespeare's genius, his plays are probably the wrong place to look for insights into modern illiberalism. But Greenblatt's book could be useful to Merkel in at least one way: Next time she talks to Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping or, say, Viktor Orban, she could imagine them as Shakespearean actors in full costume. She could smile inwardly and remember that they will all have to leave the stage someday – even if she herself plans to exit rather sooner than they do. To contact the author of this story: Leonid Bershidsky at lbershidsky@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Edward Evans at eevans3@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Leonid Bershidsky is Bloomberg Opinion's Europe columnist. He was the founding editor of the Russian business daily Vedomosti and founded the opinion website Slon.ru.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.K.’s Javid Plays Down Shrunken Economy, Blaming Brexit Doubt Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid said the U.K. economy would emerge stronger from a no-deal Brexit and blamed uncertainty over the split with the European Union for a downturn in the second quarter of the year.Marking the worst performance since 2012, data on Friday showed a 0.2% decline in gross domestic product during the second quarter.It was "not a surprise in any way," Javid said. This statement was at odds with the reaction of economists. Not one of the 39 surveyed by Bloomberg predicted a drop of 0.2%.A second consecutive quarterly drop would mean the U.K. is in a technical recession, and in a series of TV interviews Javid said he doesn't expect a recession "at all." He blamed a global slowdown and Brexit uncertainty for the fall."The best way I think to end that volatility is to bring about more certainty," he told Sky News. That's why it's "critical" to leave the EU on Oct. 31 "deal or no deal", he said.The new chancellor's stance is in contrast to his predecessor Philip Hammond, who repeatedly warned of the economic consequences of a no-deal Brexit and has now vowed to do everything in his power to prevent that outcome.Javid has allocated 2.1 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) to help government departments step up their preparations for a no-deal split. He also started a one-year spending review on Friday, saying he wants to give departments certainty in order to allow them to prepare for Brexit."I think that we will be ready for it and we will get through it and we will come out stronger and even more resilient," he said.To contact the reporters on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net;Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, David GoodmanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.K. Plans to Host UN Climate Summit in Glasgow in 2020 Posted: 09 Aug 2019 05:00 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. plans to host the annual United Nations climate summit in Glasgow in 2020, assuming its bid is successful.Britain, which is bidding along with Italy to host the conference at the end of 2020, said in a statement it will use Glasgow's Scottish Events Campus as the venue. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already nominated former energy minister Claire Perry to act as president of the summit, known as COP26.Italy would host preparatory events in the run-up to the summit, which the U.K. described as "first major test" of the world's commitment to scaling up efforts to fight climate change since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015.The choice of a Scottish city as a venue is in keeping with Johnson's stated desire to spread prosperity beyond London and the southeast. It also comes at a time when polls indicate Scots swinging in favor of independence from the U.K. after voting against that outcome in a 2014 referendum.To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Lars Paulsson, Andrew ReiersonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 1-Brexit hazard warning lights: UK economy contracts for first time since 2012 Posted: 09 Aug 2019 04:33 AM PDT  The British economy shrank unexpectedly for the first time since 2012 in the second quarter, dragged down by a slump in manufacturing just as Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepares to leave the European Union with or without a divorce deal. In the most startling economic warning sign since the 2016 Brexit referendum, gross domestic product fell at a quarterly rate of 0.2% in the three months to June, below all forecasts in a Reuters poll that had pointed to a flat reading.
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| UNHCR says Tripoli fighting displaced over 105,000 Libyans Posted: 09 Aug 2019 04:33 AM PDT ![UNHCR says Tripoli fighting displaced over 105,000 Libyans]( "UNHCR says Tripoli fighting displaced over 105,000 Libyans") The U.N. refugee agency says fighting over Libya's capital of Tripoli has displaced more than 105,000 people since April, when a Libyan commander launched an offensive to take the city from the U.N.-backed government. Libya has been plagued with political instability since the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Qaddafi in 2011. In April, the self-styled Libyan National Army of commander Khalifa Hifter launched an offensive on Tripoli.
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| Looks Like a B-2 Bomber: Watch the Test Flight of Russia’s New Stealth Attack Drone Posted: 09 Aug 2019 03:28 AM PDT  On August 7, 2019 the Russian Ministry of Defense released a video showing the first flight, five days earlier, of a prototype stealth drone called Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B. The flying-wing drone circled for twenty minutes around two thousand feet above the Chkalov State Flight Test Center in Astrakhan (near the Caspian Sea) before coming down for a landing.Okhotnik, which means "Hunter," is a large flying-wing style Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle, or a "Strike Reconnaissance Unmanned Complex" in Russian nomenclature. That means it's a low-observable drone that can launch deadly attacks as well as serve in a surveillance and electronic warfare role.While development of the Okhotnik began in 2011, the vehicle first emerged into public view on January 23 in photos on Russian social media of one of the flying drones being towed by a tractor at Novosibirsk, Siberia.Then on May 14, the Okhotnik was photographed at the Chkalov facility during a visit by President Vladimir Putin. While Putin then primarily flaunted the capabilities of the Su-57 stealth fighter, which is entering wider-scale production, he also alluded to the capabilities of the stealth drone.
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| Unintended Consequences Start to Haunt Trump Posted: 09 Aug 2019 03:04 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.U.S. President Donald Trump is getting a crash course in the law of unintended consequences.His campaign against a supposed "invasion" of migrants across the Mexican border and his racially charged tweets against minorities have been put under the spotlight by last weekend's gun massacres.And his intensifying trade war with China has prompted Beijing to suspend U.S. agricultural imports, causing pain in farming states that he'll need to win re-election in 2020.Then there's Huawei. As Bloomberg exclusively reports, the White House is holding off on a decision to approve licenses for U.S. companies to restart business with the Chinese tech giant after Trump blacklisted it in May over national-security concerns.That move has alarmed U.S. tech companies including Google parent Alphabet. But there's something far bigger at stake than a loss in sales: Trump is forcing Huawei — the world's second-biggest smart-phone maker — to build a rival operating system to Android, which now powers about 80 percent of the world's devices and is key part of Google's business plan.Huawei revealed the early outlines of that software today. While it may take years to become a serious alternative, it's coming.For every action, there's a reaction. Trump is learning that the hard way.Global HeadlinesJust in: The U.K. economy shrank for the first time in more than six years in the second quarter. It was a blow to newly installed Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is urging the European Union to show "common sense" and rewrite the Brexit divorce deal.On the brink | Italy's leaders, including Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini, are calling for a confidence vote in parliament as soon as next week, which could lead to a snap election this fall. Italian bonds suffered their worst sell-off of the year, underscoring investor concern that there isn't a clear path to stability for the government in Rome.Taking heat | Trump's planned fundraising swing through the Hamptons today is creating headaches for some of his high-dollar donors, who face threats of boycotts and employee complaints for supporting a president Democrats say is racist. Celebrities and social-media users have threatened to cancel their memberships to Equinox Fitness Club and its indoor-cycling subsidiary SoulCycle after owner Stephen Ross agreed to host an event.Stay on top of the latest developments in the 2020 White House race with Bloomberg's Campaign Update.Softening stance? | Under intense pressure from gun-control advocates following the latest U.S. shootings, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said gun legislation will be at the top of the chamber's agenda when lawmakers return from their August break. Expanded background checks and so-called red-flag laws to keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals would be part of the debate, McConnell said, though he offered no indication he'd throw his support behind any particular proposal.Divided region | Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed a "new era" in the disputed region of Kashmir while his Pakistani counterpart warned of "genocide" once a curfew — put in place to quash protests after India abolished the state's seven decades of autonomy — is lifted. The escalating tensions come at a critical time for another long-running conflict: The U.S. is nearing a deal with the Taliban, and the support of both India and Pakistan are crucial to a lasting peace.Protracted unrest | Hong Kong's airport steeled itself for three straight days of sit-in protests at its busy arrivals hall, boosting security days after dozens of flights were cancelled during a city-wide strike. It kicks off another weekend of rallies across the financial center, amid questions about how long the standoff between protesters and the government can continue.What to WatchInvestors are pulling back from Argentina before a primary election Sunday that will set the stage for October's presidential vote and a potential boom or bust for markets. Also Sunday: Guatemalans will pick between a former first lady and an ex-director of prisons in a presidential runoff that has been overshadowed by tensions with the U.S. over migration. Zambia is resisting calls to declare a food emergency that would allow donors to provide aid after the worst drought in nearly four decades has left millions facing hunger.And finally ... Beset by one blow after another in Trump's trade war with China, some American farmers are turning to the latest craze in cash crops: hemp. Weed's more sober cousin is prized for its concentration of cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive ingredient at the center of a booming wellness trend. John Boyd Jr. is just one soybean grower who's jumping on the bandwagon, planting about 100 acres of hemp this year in what he called "a big risk." The gamble might pay off after China told its state-owned companies this week to stop buying U.S. harvests. To contact the author of this story: Karl Maier in Rome at kmaier2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Kathleen HunterMichael WinfreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Bull, meet China shop: Trump's foreign policy in Asia is disastrous Posted: 09 Aug 2019 03:00 AM PDT  Crippling challenges threaten Asia's bright future – and the US is not helping 'The future of Asia remains bright, but a crippling array of challenges threatens to upend its potential – and could have an immense impact on the US.' Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/ReutersAsia's historical, political and economic landmines are increasingly blowing up, and Donald Trump seems intent on accelerating the damage in ways that could threaten US national security and prosperity.Things didn't always seem so bleak. Analysts have long heralded the coming of the "Asian century". Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia and others have transformed from autocracies to democratic members of the G20. Today, nations across Asia are innovative economies, flourishing democracies and contributors to global security. Any measurement of GDP size, military might or population illustrate how Asia could be the most important region in the world in the 21st century.The future of Asia remains bright, but a crippling array of challenges threatens to upend its potential – and could have an immense impact on the US.Two of the most successful democracies in the region – South Korea and Japan, which are also US allies – are in the midst of a diplomatic brawl. The tensions are being driven by the legacy of Japan's occupation of South Korea in the first half of the 20th century – which remains a devastatingly potent political issue in both countries – and starkly divergent approaches to the region from the two current leaders. The countries' militaries have brushed up against one another, a trade war is under way, and South Korean president Moon Jae-in recently, ominously, said: "We will never again lose to Japan."While the US would usually attempt to patch things up, the Trump administration has been mostly absent. A too little, too late effort by the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, during a trilateral meeting with the Japanese and South Korean foreign ministers reportedly went so poorly that the two foreign ministers canceled their own bilateral meetings with Pompeo. South Korea is now reportedly considering withdrawing from a trilateral intelligence sharing agreement that was the product of intense diplomacy by previous US administrations. Close coordination with Seoul and Tokyo is essential to dealing with North Korea, and this rift could undermine the prospects for diplomacy with and deterrence against North Korea.That is especially concerning because North Korea has resumed missile testing, sending a reminder of how little recent diplomacy has achieved. And while diplomacy is the only way to address the threat from North Korea, Trump is so invested in the process – and his own narrative that it has been a success – that he can't even bring himself to criticize Kim Jong-un or the missile tests. In fact, Trump bends over backwards to defend his ongoing bromance with Kim each time the North Korean leader sends another missile message. Meanwhile, North Korea continues building nuclear weapons and advancing its missile technology.Like with most dictators, Trump also spares his "friend", China's president, Xi Jinping, from any criticism, even while escalating a trade war. The trade war, meanwhile, hurts American workers and the US economy, according to the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. If the next round of US tariffs is implemented, some estimate they could cost American families between $700 and $1,270 a year. The incoherence of Trump's approach on China undercuts American prosperity and has done nothing to advance our goals in addressing genuine problems with China.Trump also makes clear his willingness to ignore human rights in the hopes of smoothing the way for a trade deal. The people of Hong Kong are standing up for their democratic rights against growing repression from Beijing, and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is reportedly massing its forces along the border with Hong Kong while the PLA's Hong Kong garrison sends threatening messages in what could be a deterrent to protesters or even a prelude to a Tiananmen-like crackdown.> America's alliances, partnerships and moral authority in the region are frayingBut after talking about the prospects of a trade deal with China, Trump made clear that he doesn't care about what happens in Hong Kong: "Somebody said that at some point they are going to want to stop [the riots]. But that's between Hong Kong and that's between China, because Hong Kong is a part of China … they don't need advice." The message to Xi Jinping was loud and clear: All Trump cares about is trade, and he won't lift a finger if Xi violently cracks down on protesters.The list goes on. Not long after Trump claimed (falsely) to Pakistan's prime minister, Imran Khan, that the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, asked Trump to mediate the India-Pakistan dispute over Kashmir (the claim itself became a major diplomatic embarrassment for India) the government of India revoked Kashmir's special autonomous status, raising tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. As the US withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, the US secretary of defense, Mark Esper, stoked new concerns of an arms race in Asia when he suggested the US could deploy new ground-based missiles there. Pompeo recently praised the military-run government of Thailand as "returning" to democracy because it held sham elections. And Trump seems unaware of the atrocities being committed against the Rohingya in Myanmar or the Uyghurs in China. America's alliances, partnerships and moral authority in the region are fraying.Trump is an expert at stepping into controversy and making bad situations even worse, and his engagement in Asia is no exception. If these situations continue to spiral out of control, any one of the simmering problems from North Korea to Hong Kong to Kashmir could explode. And that could spell serious trouble for US prosperity and national security. * Michael H Fuchs is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and a former deputy assistant secretary of state for east Asian and Pacific affairs
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