| Chile's APEC cancellation raises new hurdle for U.S.-China trade deal Posted: 30 Oct 2019 05:26 PM PDT  Leaders from the United States and China encountered a new obstacle in their struggle to end a damaging trade war on Wednesday, when the summit where they were supposed to meet was cancelled because of violent protests. U.S. President Donald Trump said this week he hoped to sign an interim trade deal with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the Nov. 16-17 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile. The White House said afterwards the United States still expects to sign an initial trade agreement with China next month, but no alternate location had yet been set for Xi and Trump to meet.
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| Chile's APEC cancellation raises new hurdle for U.S.-China trade deal Posted: 30 Oct 2019 05:11 PM PDT ![Chile's APEC cancellation raises new hurdle for U.S.-China trade deal]( "Chile's APEC cancellation raises new hurdle for U.S.-China trade deal") Leaders from the United States and China encountered a new obstacle in their struggle to end a damaging trade war on Wednesday, when the summit where they were supposed to meet was cancelled because of violent protests. U.S. President Donald Trump said this week he hoped to sign an interim trade deal with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the Nov. 16-17 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile. The White House said afterwards the United States still expects to sign an initial trade agreement with China next month, but no alternate location had yet been set for Xi and Trump to meet.
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| Fundraiser posts $3 million bond on campaign finance charges Posted: 30 Oct 2019 05:00 PM PDT  A prolific fundraiser charged with funneling illegal foreign campaign contributions to American political candidates surrendered to authorities in Los Angeles on Wednesday and was released on $3 million bond. The court appearance came about a week after prosecutors announced charges against Imaad Zuberi, a venture capitalist who raised millions of dollars for both Democratic and Republican political candidates and committees, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Donald Trump. Zuberi has agreed to plead guilty to tax evasion, violating campaign finance laws and concealing his work as a foreign agent as he lobbied high-level U.S. government officials.
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| Military dog hurt in al-Baghdadi raid is K-9 combat veteran Posted: 30 Oct 2019 03:46 PM PDT  The military working dog injured in the raid last weekend that led to the death of the Islamic State leader was hurt after being exposed to live electrical cables but has returned to active duty, the Pentagon said Wednesday. Gen. Frank McKenzie, who leads U.S. Central Command, told reporters the dog was injured when it came in contact with the cables as it pursued Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in a tunnel underneath a compound in northwestern Syria. The Pentagon has not released the dog's name.
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| Widespread protests force Chile to scrap summit where Trump was expected to end China trade war Posted: 30 Oct 2019 03:44 PM PDT  A major summit where Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping were set to sign an interim agreement to end the 15-month trade war, has been cancelled by Chile's president.Sebastian Pinera blamed ongoing protests for the decision to call off the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting (APEC) slated for 16-17 November.
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| Pentagon releases new details on al-Baghdadi raid Posted: 30 Oct 2019 03:43 PM PDT  The general who oversaw the U.S. raid on Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi provided the most detailed account yet of the operation Wednesday and said the U.S. is on alert for possible "retribution attacks" by extremists. Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, said al-Baghdadi's remains were buried at sea within 24 hours of his death inside an underground tunnel where he fled as special operations soldiers closed in on him. The Pentagon released the first government photos and video clips of the nighttime operation, including one showing Delta Force commandos approaching the walls of the compound in which al-Baghdadi and others were found.
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| Corbyn Starts U.K. Election Campaign Attacking ‘Corrupt System’ Posted: 30 Oct 2019 03:30 PM PDT ![Corbyn Starts U.K. Election Campaign Attacking 'Corrupt System']( "Corbyn Starts U.K. Election Campaign Attacking 'Corrupt System'") (Bloomberg) -- Jeremy Corbyn will blast what he calls the U.K.'s "corrupt system" as he kick-starts Labour's campaign to overthrow Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives in the Dec. 12 general election.The opposition Labour Party leader will deliver his first speech of the campaign with an attack on billionaires including News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and Sports Direct International Plc founder Mike Ashley, according to excerpts emailed by the party. He'll also reiterate Labour's plans to nationalize rail, mail and water companies."This election is a once-in-a-generation chance to transform our country, take on the vested interests holding people back and ensure that no community is left behind," Corbyn will say. "We're going after the tax dodgers. We're going after the dodgy landlords. We're going after the bad bosses. We're going after the big polluters."Corbyn's core message -- a pledge to stand with the "many" and not the "privileged few," is an echo of the themes he used to some effect in the 2017 election, confounding the polls to deprive then- Prime Minister, Theresa May, of her majority. Trailing in the polls again, this time he hopes to go a step further and take office.When Labour wins, the nurse wins, the pensioner wins, the student wins, the office worker wins, the engineer wins," Corbyn is to say, according to the excerpts. "We all win."Johnson called the election to break the deadlock in Parliament, which has failed over the past three years to pass a deal to take the U.K. out of the European Union and deliver on the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum.The prime minister says if he wins a majority, he'll push through his deal and deliver Brexit by the new deadline of Jan. 31. Corbyn, for his part, says he'll renegotiate the deal and then put the resulting agreement to a new in-out referendum."A vote for Labour is not a vote for change," Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly said in a statement responding to Corbyn's expected remarks. "It is precisely the opposite: a vote for more delay and uncertainty on Brexit, meaning the government can't focus on people's priorities, like the NHS, schools and crime."The House of Lords late on Wednesday approved the bill setting the date of the early election, and Parliament is likely to be dissolved early next week for the official campaign to begin.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, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Your Evening Briefing Posted: 30 Oct 2019 03:27 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every afternoon? Sign up here Twitter said it will ban political advertising from its platform starting Nov. 22, a move that could make life even harder for its social media rival. Facebook Chairman Mark Zuckerberg has come under withering fire for refusing to fact-check political posts, leaving his company to profit from fabrications circulated across its platform. U.S. President Donald Trump has taken advantage of Zuckerberg's policy by running ads with unsubstantiated claims about former Vice President Joseph Biden. Zuckerberg, whose platform played a key role in Russia's effort to tilt the 2016 election in Trump's favor, said technology firms shouldn't have to play referee when it comes to paid political advertising. Here are today's top storiesDespite its troubles, Facebook reported positive earnings news Wednesday. Ride-hailing company Lyft and Starbucks did, too.Apple projected revenue for the holiday quarter that beat analysts' estimates, signaling solid demand for the latest iPhones and Apple TV+.As expected, the Fed lowered interest rates by a quarter-percentage point for the third time this year, while signaling a pause in further reductions unless the economic outlook changes materially. As with the past two cuts, two Fed members dissented.While current and former U.S. government officials testify about Trump's effort to push Ukraine to obtain dirt on Biden in exchange for military aid, a more dramatic deposition may be coming: Fired National Security Adviser John Bolton has been invited to Capitol Hill.Chilean police and soldiers are firing projectiles into crowds of civilians, maiming and blinding them as they protest inequality across a range of issues. With more than 140 injured and 13 dead, Chile is already the subject of an international human rights investigation. The government cancelled a global climate summit as well as next month's APEC summit in Santiago, where Trump has said he expected to sign a partial trade pact with China.Al Gore is conducting an experiment on his family farm. The former U.S. vice president says it may be the world's most realistic chance at averting climate catastrophe. The solution, Gore says, is under your feet.What's Joe Weisenthal thinking about? The Bloomberg news director says European households are saving more. That's bad news for demand in a region where inflation expectations are already at epic lows, especially while there's diminished monetary firepower to shore up economic growth. Meanwhile, the global trade outlook remains weak.What you'll need to know tomorrowKamala Harris's presidential campaign is cutting staff and pay. This is how Boris Johnson's Brexit election gamble could backfire. Businessweek: The drone wars are here, and they're escalating China pulls back and a Los Angeles development grinds to a halt. Uber has a new adversary: The Mexican National Guard. This secretive, super-rich family must decide where to put $4 billion. Pizza and beer don't go well together anymore (if they ever did).What you'll want to watch in Bloomberg OriginalsMosquitoes are much more than a bloodsucking annoyance. For half of the world, they represent disease and death. In some tropical regions, they transmit a powerful virus called dengue that kills hundreds of thousands each year. It's the world's fastest spreading tropical illness, and with accelerating climate change, is appearing in non-tropical areas once free from it. In the second installment of Moonshot, a Bloomberg Originals series, we look at the non-profit that aims to eliminate dengue for good. To contact the author of this story: David Rovella in New York at drovella@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump-Xi Trade Deal Hits Another Hurdle After Chile Cancels APEC Posted: 30 Oct 2019 03:12 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. President Donald Trump's plan to ink the first installment of a trade accord with Xi Jinping next month was thrown into question Wednesday after Chile canceled an upcoming summit where the two leaders had planned to meet.The cancellation -- announced earlier Wednesday by Chile as social unrest continued to rock Santiago -- appeared to catch the White House off guard. But the administration insisted that it would continue to press to finalize the "phase one" agreement in coming weeks.It wasn't clear whether American officials would be able to find an alternate venue for a meeting with Xi. Organizers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit indicated they had no plans to hold the event elsewhere.Other LocationsThree people familiar with the state of U.S.-China discussions said the teams have been looking at other locations in recent weeks as demonstrations that caused the cancellation of the APEC summit escalated in Chile."We look forward to finalizing Phase One of the historic trade deal with China within the same time frame, and when we have an announcement, we'll let you know," White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in an email.The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. trade representative leading the talks with China, said "no comment" when asked by reporters Wednesday how the cancellation would change plans.The prospect of a Trump-Xi meeting in Santiago next month had buoyed markets as investors looked for signs that an end to the multi-year trade war between the two nations is in sight. The S&P 500 Index of U.S. stocks briefly fell to a session low after news of the meeting's cancellation.Phase One"I always looked at Chile as just the location where Trump and Xi would just happen to be at the same time," said Brendan McKenna, a currency strategist at Wells Fargo Securities in New York. "If there is deal in place that both sides are willing to sign, I think they find a new way to finalize it anyway."U.S. and Chinese officials have been working for weeks on filling in the details of a narrow "phase one" deal announced by Trump after an Oct. 11 Oval Office meeting with China's top negotiator, Liu He.Both sides have recently said they're making significant progress on a deal that would see China resume purchases of U.S. farm products and make commitments on intellectual property and currency, in exchange for a commitment from Trump not to impose further tariffs on Chinese goods. But wrapping up even that limited work by the Nov. 16-17 summit in Chile had always been seen as a challenge.While it is a new hurdle for both the Trump administration and China, the forced delay of the meeting between the leaders gives negotiators more time. But a shifting deadline could also reduce pressure on both sides to cut an initial deal and move on to more comprehensive talks."If the two sides intend to conclude a phase-one deal, the cancellation of the summit is a mere logistical headache, not one that can spike the deal on its own," said Jude Blanchette, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "If, however, one or both sides don't feel they can get to a deal by mid-November, the cancellation of the summit is a great excuse to buy more time."Uncertainty LoomsThe risk for businesses and financial markets is that the cancellation of the APEC meeting will only extend uncertainty that has put a damper on investment and growth around the world. That may be driving Trump's eagerness to sign the deal himself and prove to a skeptical world and voters in the U.S. that his disruptive tariffs have yielded results entering his re-election campaign."This makes it likely that lower level talks will continue to drag on with no concrete results," said Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.The U.S. government would normally help Chile resolve its political crisis so the summit could proceed, Alden said. "But instead the White House is absent with the impeachment fight and crises of its own making," he said.Trump has said repeatedly that he was optimistic the trade deal would be finalized at the summit."The risk here is that if the summit now is postponed then that at least suggests that the trade war uncertainty might be hanging over us for longer," Torsten Slok, chief economist at Deutsche Bank AG, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television Wednesday. "It raises the risk that we could never see a phase two or phase three and therefore the uncertainty would basically not be going away."\--With assistance from William Edwards, Erik Wasson, Jennifer Jacobs and Sydney Maki.To contact the reporters on this story: Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.net;Shawn Donnan in Washington at sdonnan@bloomberg.net;Jenny Leonard in Washington at jleonard67@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Margaret Collins at mcollins45@bloomberg.net, ;Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Blow for Johnson as Morgan Quits Ahead of U.K. Election Battle Posted: 30 Oct 2019 02:38 PM PDT ![Blow for Johnson as Morgan Quits Ahead of U.K. Election Battle]( "Blow for Johnson as Morgan Quits Ahead of U.K. Election Battle") (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson suffered a surprise blow to his election campaign on day one of the contest when senior Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan announced she was quitting politics.Morgan, the culture secretary, said members of Parliament had suffered "abuse" and that her family had faced pressure because of her role in public life. She said she would continue to support Johnson in the election taking place on Dec. 12."The clear impact on my family and the other sacrifices involved in, and the abuse for, doing the job of a modern MP can only be justified if, ultimately, Parliament does what it is supposed to do," Morgan said in a letter to her local Conservative Party chair that she posted on Twitter. That is to "represent those we serve in all areas of policy, respect votes cast by the electorate and make decisions in the overall national interest."Morgan, 47, is the latest high profile Tory to quit Parliament during one of the most divisive and bitter periods of recent British history. Her resignation is a headache for Johnson, who not only loses a high-profile woman from his team, but one of the few members of his cabinet who is seen as a moderate on Brexit.He must now also find a replacement candidate to stand in her district.The U.K.'s tortured three-year divorce from the European Union -- which has yet to be completed -- has tested the country's constitutional conventions to the limit. Members of Parliament are frequently targeted with death threats on social media, ministers have required police escorts in public, and even the prime minister himself has been accused by an archbishop of stoking anger and division.Campaign ForetasteThe bill setting the date of an early election passed the House of Lords on Wednesday evening, meaning it only needs now to receive royal assent -- a formality. While the official campaign won't kick off until next week, Johnson and his arch-rival, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn traded blows in the House of Commons earlier on Wednesday in a foretaste of the conflict to come.Johnson accused Corbyn of plotting to ruin what should be a "glorious" year in 2020 with another referendum on Brexit. He claimed Corbyn would deliver an "economic catastrophe" for Britain and outlined his own priorities of delivering Brexit and supporting the police service, health and the economy.Corbyn hit back, attacking Johnson's record on the country's beloved National Health Service, accusing him of cutting funds and planning to privatize the institution by offering it up in a future trade deal with the U.S. "This government is preparing to sell out our NHS," Corbyn said.Labour's campaign is expected to continue to focus on the effect of a decade of austerity to the country, while offering a renegotiation of Brexit followed by a second referendum.Flight of the ModeratesThe prime minister called for the poll on Dec. 12 as a way to break the deadlock over the country's departure from the EU. He has no majority in Parliament and, like his predecessor, Theresa May, has failed to get a Brexit deal ratified in the House of Commons.If he wins a majority, Johnson says he will be able to deliver the deal he negotiated with the EU and turn the country's focus onto his domestic agenda. But there's a risk his gamble backfires and the Labour Party regains power for the first time since 2010.But to win seats, Johnson needs to maintain the party's appeal to pro-European moderates while appealing to Brexit-supporting voters in the the Midlands and northern England who have traditionally voted Labour.That wider appeal is at risk as a number of key moderates leave Parliament. Along with Morgan, former Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke, Winston Churchill's grandson, Nicholas Soames, former Education Secretary Justine Greening and Johnson's own brother, Jo, are making their exits from the political stage; many after being expelled from the party.RebellionMorgan has been a member of Parliament for Loughborough, in central England, since 2010. She rose in Prime Minister David Cameron's government to become education secretary, but May fired her from the cabinet and she became chair of the Treasury Select Committee. Johnson brought her back into the cabinet in July.In the 2017 election, Morgan won 50% of the vote in her district. Labour was in second place with 42% of the vote. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, Loughborough was evenly balanced on the question of EU membership.Morgan backed staying in the EU, and after the referendum was a thorn in May's side as one of 11 Tory rebels who in December 2017 amended the EU Withdrawal Bill to guarantee Parliament would get a vote on any Brexit accord reached by the prime minister. That amendment ultimately was the root of May's downfall as she failed three times to persuade Parliament to back her deal.But Morgan herself voted for May's deal and became a key figure in trying to shape a Brexit compromise that could appeal to both wings of the Tory Party, saying the U.K. had to respect the referendum result.(Adds Morgan quote in third paragraph; Johnson-Corbyn clash from sixth.)\--With assistance from Greg Ritchie and Jessica Shankleman.To contact the reporters on this story: Tim Ross in London at tross54@bloomberg.net;Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Robert HuttonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The Latest: Islamic State leader buried at sea, US says Posted: 30 Oct 2019 02:19 PM PDT  The head of United States Central Command says Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was buried at sea after a weekend raid on his compound. Gen. Frank McKenzie told reporters Wednesday that al-Baghdadi died after he exploded a suicide vest just before U.S. troops were going to capture him. McKenzie says two children were killed in the explosion set off by the Islamic State leader.
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| Iraq PM's fate on the line as toll from protests rises Posted: 30 Oct 2019 02:05 PM PDT  Iraq's leaders were in tense talks on Wednesday over the ouster of the country's embattled premier, as a rights commission said the latest week of anti-government demonstrations has left 100 dead. As night fell, the government faced the mounting pressure of swelling protests, pro-Iran figures defending the prime minister and deadly rockets slamming into Baghdad's Green Zone. The Green Zone, where government offices and many foreign embassies are based, had already boosted security measures in response to protests demanding the government's downfall.
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| Rocket attack kills Iraqi soldier, adding to growing unrest Posted: 30 Oct 2019 02:00 PM PDT  Two rockets were fired into Baghdad's fortified Green Zone on Wednesday, killing one Iraqi soldier and adding to the violence gripping the country amid unprecedented anti-government protests and a violent security crackdown. Security officials said one of the Katyusha rockets landed about 100 meters (110 yards) away from the parameters of the U.S. Embassy, triggering alert sirens. The Green Zone is home to several Western embassies and government offices.
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| Hungary's Orban: Good relations with Russia are a necessity Posted: 30 Oct 2019 01:48 PM PDT  Hungary's prime minster said Wednesday after hosting a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that good relations with Russia are a necessity because of his country's geographical location. Analysts see Prime Minister Viktor Orban as Putin's closest ally in the European Union and Hungary has long advocated for the end of sanctions against Russia for actions in Ukraine, saying they hurt the Hungarian economy. Trade between Hungary and Russia increased in 2018 for the first time since sanctions were put in place.
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| White House blocked effort to condemn Russia for seizing Ukraine ships, Congress told Posted: 30 Oct 2019 01:46 PM PDT  State department aide makes revelation in testimony, while Russia envoy nominee John Sullivan grilled at confirmation hearingDonald Trump with Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Osaka in June this year. Trump voiced concern over the 2018 capture but did not blame Moscow. Photograph: Mikhail Klimentyev/TassThe White House blocked the US state department from issuing a statement condemning Russia for seizing Ukrainian military vessels, according to a state department official, in the latest example of the strain the Trump administration is under in pursuing conflicting policies towards the two countries.The revelation on Wednesday came from Christopher Anderson, who was a senior aide to the special envoy on Ukraine, Kurt Volker, in November 2018, when Russia fired on and captured three Ukrainian vessels in the Sea of Azov off the Crimean peninsula."While my colleagues at the state department quickly prepared a statement condemning Russia for its escalation, senior officials in the White House blocked it from being issued," Anderson said in his prepared remarks to congressional committees holding impeachment hearings. "Ambassador Volker drafted a tweet condemning Russia's actions, which I posted to his account."In the face of silence from the White House, the then US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, condemned Russian behaviour, after which the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, followed suit. Trump voiced concern but did not blame Moscow.The 24 Ukrainian sailors detained in the operation were returned last month as part of a prisoner exchange.Anderson, and his successor in the Ukraine job, Catherine Croft, both testified to House committees on Wednesday about the role played by Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, in foiling state department efforts to bolster the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in the face of Russian military intervention in eastern Ukraine.In his testimony, Anderson quoted the former national security adviser, John Bolton, as saying: "Giuliani was a key voice with the president on Ukraine which could be an obstacle to increased White House engagement." On Wednesday, the House committees asked Bolton to testify on 7 November, but it is unclear whether he will attend.Bolton's former deputy, Charles Kupperman, is currently seeking a court ruling on whether to comply with his congressional subpoena in the face of a White House order not to testify.At the other side of Congress, the nominee to become ambassador to Russia, John Sullivan, faced pointed questions on Wednesday at confirmation hearings in the Senate about Giuliani and the split US policy towards Russia and Ukraine.Sullivan, currently the deputy secretary of state, said he was aware of Giuliani's role in a campaign against the former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch. Asked if he knew Trump's lawyer was "seeking to smear" Yovanovitch, he replied: "I believe he was, yes."Sullivan confirmed he had been shown a dossier of material attacking Yovanovitch, saying it had provided by the White House to the state department legal adviser, but he was not aware it had been put together by Giuliani. He said the dossier "didn't provide to me a basis for taking action against our ambassador".He said that Pompeo gave Sullivan no explanation for the decision to recall Yovanovitch before the end of her posting, other than she had "lost the confidence of the president"."As I understand, [Trump] may decide that he doesn't like my testimony today and he doesn't want me to go to Russia. The president can decide when he loses confidence in his ambassador – then that person is not going to continue as ambassador," Sullivan said.Sullivan sought to avoid taking a position on the testimony by several former and current state department officials that the president, through Giuliani, had made a White House meeting and US military aid dependent on the Ukrainian government investigating Trump's political rivals."Soliciting investigations into a domestic political opponent – I don't think that would be in accord with our values," Sullivan said. But he would not confirm that was what the president had done.Democratic senators signaled that they were prepared to support Sullivan's nomination as an experienced and respected diplomat, acknowledging the difficult position he was in. But they expressed concern he had not done more to find out what Trump and Giuliani were trying to achieve in Ukraine.The ranking Democrat on the Senate foreign relations committee, Bob Menendez, told Sullivan he had been playing the role of "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.""You're going to go to Russia, and you're going to be saying one set of things based upon your testimony here," Menendez said. "And we have the president who, in his public statements, is totally aligned differently than what you're going to be saying.""Do you understand the incredibly difficult job that you're going to have as a result of that?" Menendez asked Sullivan."I would say, senator, you've cited the president's statements. I'd cite the president's actions," the nominee replied, listing sanctions the administration had imposed on Russia.
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| Migrants endure rape and torture on route through Yemen Posted: 30 Oct 2019 01:45 PM PDT  RAS AL-ARA, Yemen (AP) — Zahra struggled in the blue waters of the Gulf of Aden, grasping for the hands of fellow migrants. Hundreds of men, women and teenagers clambered out of a boat and through the surf, emerging, exhausted, on the shores of Yemen. "What will they do to us?" Zahra thought.
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| NATO demands Russia 'withdraw all troops' from Ukraine Posted: 30 Oct 2019 01:23 PM PDT  NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday welcomed a pullback by the Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, but reiterated calls for Russia to "withdraw all their troops". The move was a precondition for the first face-to-face talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. "We welcome all efforts to reduce tensions, to withdraw forces and to make sure that we have a peaceful solution to the conflict," Stoltenberg said in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, praising Zelensky's "renewed effort".
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| Russia-linked Facebook influence campaign 'pushed Kremlin interests in Africa' Posted: 30 Oct 2019 01:21 PM PDT  A Russia-linked Facebook influence campaign has targeted African countries where Russian military advisors, mercenaries and political consultants are reportedly operating, including Libya and Mozambique, according to cyber threat experts. The allegations come after Vladimir Putin hosted 43 African heads of state in Sochi on the Black Sea last week, signing deals on arms, energy and mining as the Kremlin tries to increase its clout on the continent. In a report, the Stanford Internet Observatory and Facebook attributed the operation to entities tied to "Putin's chef" Yevgeny Prigozhin, a catering magnate who was hit with US sanctions for allegedly funding the Internet troll factory that promoted Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. Mr Prigozhin has also been linked to the Wagner mercenary outfit, which previously fought alongside Kremlin-backed forces in eastern Ukraine and Syria. Three Russian journalists were killed last year while investigating Wagner activities in the Central African Republic. Working with data provided by Facebook, the observatory identified 73 pages that tried to "foster unity around Russia-aligned actors and politicians" in the CAR, Libya, Sudan, Madagascar, Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were liked by more than 1.7 million accounts and had 9.7 million interactions on 48,800 post put up since December. While the pages have been deleted, The Telegraph found similar pages posting paeans in French to Mr Putin and Russian military instructors in Africa. Vladimir Putin greets the president of Mozambique in Sochi last week Credit: Kirill Kukhmar/TASS via Getty The observatory's report analysed 11 Facebook pages run from Egypt boosted Libyan general Khalifa Haftar and Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif while denigrating the UN-backed government of national accord. With names like "Voice of Libya" and "Falcons of the Conqueror," the pages posted frequently, sometimes sharing the same content. An ally of the late Gaddafi, Russia's defence minister hosted Mr Haftar in Moscow this year for talks that Mr Prigozhin also attended. The Telegraph reported in March that Wagner mercenaries had been deployed to Libya to back Mr Haftar's forces. Leaked emails in September appeared to show that Mr Prigozhin's operatives had been advising the general as well as Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and said Russian soldiers were operating in Libya. The emails also said they had created a dozen Facebook pages to curry influence. Four pages targeting Mozambique posted about the government's supposed success in fighting the Cabo Delgago Islamist insurgency ahead of elections this month. Local media reported this week that five Russian Wagner mercenaries had been killed fighting jihadists in Mozambique. The Kremlin denied deploying any troops to the country following reports last month that 200 Russian mercenaries had arrived there. In the CAR, 13 pages that Facebook attributed to Mr Prigozhin's companies trumpeted the country's president and Russia while disparaging the UN and colonial power France. They also attempted to discredit media reports alleging abuses by Wagner mercenaries in the country, accusing outlets like CNN of "bribing CAR residents for defamatory material". While Russia received UN permission to send arms and military advisors to help the CAR government fight rebels, the Wagner mercenaries have reportedly worked on both sides of the lines to develop Russian business interests. A Russian linked to Mr Prigozhin has become the president's security advisor. The social media campaign also peddled its content on Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and Telegram.
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| The Latest: 1 soldier killed in Iraq rocket attack Posted: 30 Oct 2019 01:09 PM PDT  Iraqi security officials say two rockets have been fired into Baghdad's fortified Green Zone area, killing one Iraqi soldier. At least one of the Katyusha rockets fired Wednesday night landed about 100 meters (110 yards) away from the parameters of the U.S. Embassy. The Green Zone is home to several Western embassies and government offices.
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| Britain starts unpredictable election battle over Brexit Posted: 30 Oct 2019 12:58 PM PDT  Prime Minister Boris Johnson locked horns Wednesday with his rivals in a fiery launch to an unpredictable early general election aimed at breaking Britain's protracted Brexit deadlock. Johnson's sparring with the main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn came a day after MPs backed the premier's call for Britain's third election in four years. The December 12 poll was decided just a few hours after Brussels extended this week's Brexit deadline to give London more time to figure out what it plans to do.
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| South African police arrest 100 after refugees protest Posted: 30 Oct 2019 12:54 PM PDT  Police in the South African city of Cape Town used water cannons Wednesday while arresting and dispersing hundreds of refugees and asylum-seekers, including children, who had camped for weeks outside the U.N. refugee agency's office seeking protection after anti-immigrant attacks. Some refugees and asylum-seekers had told local media they wanted to be relocated outside the country after a wave of deadly attacks on foreigners in South African cities earlier this year. Such attacks have erupted several times over the years in sub-Saharan Africa's most developed economy.
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| Africa targeted by Russian-led disinformation campaign: Facebook Posted: 30 Oct 2019 12:29 PM PDT  Facebook said Wednesday it had taken down accounts linked to a Russian ally of President Vladimir Putin seeking to spread disinformation on the social network in eight African countries. The influence operations hiding behind fake identities were traced back to Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has been indicted in the United States in connection with a campaign targeting the 2016 US elections. "Each of these operations created networks of accounts to mislead others about who they were and what they were doing," Facebook cybersecurity chief Nathaniel Gleicher said in a statement.
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| Israel to review security aspects of foreign investment Posted: 30 Oct 2019 11:59 AM PDT  Israel, facing U.S. concerns over its growing ties with China, has decided to form a committee to review the "national security aspects" of foreign investments. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Security Cabinet approved the new oversight body Wednesday. The panel, led by the Finance Ministry, is to include a number of security agencies.
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| Erdogan: Joint patrols with Turkey and Russia start Friday Posted: 30 Oct 2019 11:38 AM PDT  Joint Turkish-Russian patrols will begin Friday in northeastern Syria, following a Russian-brokered cease-fire that promised to have Syrian Kurdish forces withdraw to the south, Turkey's president said Wednesday. Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his ruling party that Turkey won't hesitate to relaunch its operation if the Kurdish fighters do not abandon the 30-kilometer (19-mile) deep area or continue their attacks against Turkish troops. Turkey invaded northeastern Syria earlier this month to push Syrian Kurdish fighters from the area.
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| Decision on Huawei Role in U.K. 5G Delayed Until After Election Posted: 30 Oct 2019 11:36 AM PDT ![Decision on Huawei Role in U.K. 5G Delayed Until After Election]( "Decision on Huawei Role in U.K. 5G Delayed Until After Election") (Bloomberg) -- The U.K. is set to delay a decision on the the role of Huawei Technologies Co. in its fifth-generation mobile network until after the general election, according to two people familiar with the plans.With a national vote due on Dec. 12, and the possibility of coalition negotiations before a government is formed, a decision on the Chinese technology company is now unlikely before 2020, according to the people, who were speaking on condition of anonymity because the plans are private.The road to a decision has been long and controversial, dividing government departments and public opinion. Some officials have pushed for tough restrictions as a result of concerns over foreign involvement in critical national infrastructure, while others said this would saddle the telecoms industry with extra costs and delay technological upgrades.Huawei has become a lightning rod for tensions between the U.S. and Europe over trade and security policy as Washington threatens reprisals against any governments that allow Chinese equipment to form part of the crucial ultrafast networks.As the U.K. looks toward trading relationships after Brexit, ministers have been forced to balance the competing demands and opportunities from President Donald Trump's administration on the one hand, and the lure of possible eastern trade deals on the other.U.K. intelligence agencies have repeatedly argued that Huawei is a manageable risk --pointing to its embedded oversight board in Oxfordshire, which reports directly to the National Cyber Security Center. But intelligence officials say it's for politicians to decide whether the company's oversight is at the correct level.A meeting of the National Security Council last week discussed the possibility of allowing Huawei access to the "non-contentious" parts of the network, according to a person familiar with its deliberations. A similar conclusion was reached by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's predecessor Theresa May.The U.K. is seeking a balance between increasing oversight to satisfy the U.S. while allowing Huawei's continued presence in the British market, according to the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.Before being ousted, May had been close to adopting measures which would have allowed carriers to use Huawei in fifth-generation 5G wireless systems while restricting it from some sensitive parts of the network, the person said.A full ban forcing carriers to "rip-and-replace" their existing Huawei technology from the entire network is seen as unlikely. Companies say such a drastic change would take years and cost them hundreds of millions of pounds, with that figure increasing every day they upgrade more masts to 5G.Johnson pledged to roll out gigabit-per-second broadband speeds to the whole country by 2025 and 5G to a majority by 2027. Huawei is a crucial supplier in both segments, and a market leader in certain product segments, leading some industry executives to question whether his target is feasible if they were removed.In July the U.K.'s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport released its long-awaited telecom supply chain review, but left out any firm verdict on Huawei's role.Parliament is set to be dissolved for an election on Tuesday, triggering rules that restrict government communications and decision-making.(Updates with detail of NSC meeting in 7th paragraph.)\--With assistance from Patrick Donahue and Jessica Shankleman.To contact the reporters on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Thomas Seal in London at tseal@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Sudan drawing down troops in Yemen in recent months Posted: 30 Oct 2019 11:34 AM PDT  Sudan has recently drawn down its forces taking part in a Saudi-led coalition at war with Iran-aligned rebels in Yemen, two senior Sudanese officials said Wednesday. The UAE's military, meanwhile, said it pulled its troops from the southern port city of Aden and handed over the interim capital to Saudi and Yemeni forces. The Sudanese officials declined to disclose how many troops have left Yemen, but said "several thousand troops," mainly from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, returned home over the past two months.
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| ‘Putin’s Chef' Takes Russian Disinformation Tools to Africa, Report Says Posted: 30 Oct 2019 11:28 AM PDT !['Putin's Chef' Takes Russian Disinformation Tools to Africa, Report Says]( "'Putin's Chef' Takes Russian Disinformation Tools to Africa, Report Says") (Bloomberg) -- Russia's cybermeddlers have found elections in parts of Africa to be fertile venues for their maturing disinformation tactics on social media, according to a report published Wednesday by the Stanford Internet Observatory in conjunction with Facebook Inc.The tactics include subcontracting the spread of disinformation to local sources, better masking the origin of fake news and propaganda. The groups are also using tools such as Facebook Live and Google Forms to target a broader audience, according to the report.The findings come as U.S. officials worry that Russia, and other adversaries, may be looking for new ways to meddle in the 2020 presidential election. In the 2016 election, Russia agents hacked and released Democratic Party emails while the Russia-based Internet Research Agency waged a social media campaign designed to sow political discord.The report ties the evolving Russian activity in Africa -- including Sudan, Mozambique and Madagascar -- back to indicted Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who funded the Internet Research Agency, according to U.S. officials, and is known as 'Putin's Chef' because one of his companies has provided food services to the Kremlin.Prigozhin was indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller in February 2018 for his alleged role in interfering in the 2016 election. He's denied having a relationship with the IRA or interfering in the election.The report's findings were reported earlier by the New York Times.Changed TacticsThe report demonstrates how Russia has changed its tactics since the 2016 election to evade detection and attribution. For instance, the use of local groups to communicate with those on social media in Arabic allowed the campaign to build credibility with the platforms while going undetected for longer periods of time."What's happening is these entities linked to Prigozhin are testing new strategies that they haven't tried in the U.S. before," said Shelby Grossman, an author of the report and a research scholar at the Stanford Internet Observatory. "We definitely are seeing an evolution in strategies that make attribution much harder going forward."The new tactics appear to have allowed for the spread of disinformation more swiftly and to a wider audience. The IRA posted on Facebook 2,442 times a month on average in 2016, according to the New York Times. In five African nations, the groups posted 8,900 times in October alone, according to the Stanford report.Facebook announced that it has removed three Russian-backed influence networks of pages, groups and accounts that often communicated with each other and used fake accounts to misrepresent themselves."We are making progress rooting out this abuse, but as we've said before, it's an ongoing challenge," said Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, in a blog post.To contact the reporter on this story: Kartikay Mehrotra in San Francisco at kmehrotra2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Martin at amartin146@bloomberg.net, Andrew PollackFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UN climate leaders scramble after Chile unrest cancels talks Posted: 30 Oct 2019 11:26 AM PDT  Chile's abrupt decision Wednesday to withdraw as host of the United Nations' top climate conference leaves organizers scrambling for a second time to find a venue for the leading strategy sessions on global warming. The annual U.N. conference has become the go-to place for diplomats and scientists from around the world to discuss how to tackle climate change, from setting rules on greenhouse gas reduction to helping poor countries cope with the effects of extreme weather and sea-level rise. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera expressed "great pain" when he went on television to announce that 13 days of sometimes-deadly street protests and clashes forced the country to call off two major international summits, including the climate meeting scheduled for Dec. 2 to Dec. 13 that was to be a follow-up to the pivotal Paris climate accord in 2016.
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| Denmark Snubs Trump With Approval of Russian Gas Pipe to Europe Posted: 30 Oct 2019 11:14 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- In a major boost for Russia's effort to tighten its grip over natural gas supplies to western Europe, Denmark said it will allow the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline to pass through its territory.The decision removes the last important hurdle for the $11 billion project, which is slated for commissioning by the end of this year and bolster gas flows from Siberia into Germany. The link has drawn the threat of sanctions from the U.S., which wants Europe to buy its liquefied natural gas. It risks reigniting a feud between Donald Trump and Danish lawmakers that erupted in the summer after the U.S. president's offer to buy Greenland.Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the pipeline decision. "Denmark showed itself to be a responsible participant in international relations, defending its interests and sovereignty and the interests of its main partners in Europe," he told a briefing in Budapest, where he was on a visit.The green light gives Gazprom PJSC, Russia's gas export champion and already Europe's biggest supplier, yet another route to one of the world's most liquid gas markets. While Trump has accused Russia of using its natural gas as a political weapon, it's ultimately a commercial deal over which Washington has little influence, according to Raffaello Pantucci, Director of Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute in London."It's frankly too far advanced," Pantucci said. "Who are they going to sanction?"The approval also gives Russia more clout in ongoing talks with Ukraine on a new gas transit deal, increasing the risk of a disruption from Jan. 1. Uncertainty about whether those two nations can agree on time has been weighing on forward prices in Europe and sending incentives for traders to stockpile gas as a cushion against disruption."If Gazprom are confident in Nord Stream 2's imminent completion, it may encourage a tougher negotiating stance on any new Ukrainian transit deal," said John Twomey, a gas analyst at BloombergNEF in London. "If anything, the risks of a disruption on Jan. 1 have gone up as a result of this."The pipeline has divided EU governments, with nations led by Poland concerned about the bloc's increasing dependence on Russian gas."It is not too late to stop NS2," an official at the U.S. embassy in Germany said. "There are clear negative energy security and geopolitical implications for Europe from Putin's pipeline. The U.S. government agrees with the European Parliament, the U.S. House and nearly 20 European countries in our opposition to NS2."Russia, Ukraine, Europe Pledge New Gas Deal by Year-EndDenmark said on Wednesday it will allow the pipeline to pass southeast of the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea. The company behind the pipeline submitted the route plan in April. Denmark had been conducting a security and environmental review of the project.Trump had objected to the link, instead urging the European Union to diversify the sources of its energy and dilute Putin's economic influence over the region. U.S. officials have also warned that project partners are at an elevated risk of U.S. sanctions.The approval is another snub of Trump by the Nordic country after it ruled out his proposal to buy Greenland this summer. The president responded by canceling a state visit to Denmark.The Danish approval covers 147 kilometers (91 miles) of the project. Nord Stream 2 said in its statement that it has already completed 87%, or 2,100 kilometers, of the pipeline in Russian, Finnish and Swedish waters as well as most of the German part. Dan Jorgensen, Denmark's minister for climate, energy and utilities, declined to comment on Wednesday.Nord Stream 2 said it will continue its "constructive cooperation with the Danish authorities to complete the pipeline."Six WeeksGazprom CEO Alexey Miller said that the pipeline is expected to be completed on time by the end of the year. "The remaining 147 kilometers -- that's five weeks of work," Miller told reporters in Budapest.A statement from the company highlighted some uncertainties in that timetable. Nord Stream 2 said Wednesday the actual start of the construction depends on a number of legal, technical and environmental factors, which will "take a few weeks" and the project aims for completion "in the coming months."Gazprom can't use the permit for the next four weeks when all involved parties have leeway to make a complaint under Danish law. Those issues left analysts anticipating some delay beyond Jan. 1 for the completion of the link."It's unlikely that Nord Stream 2 is online in time for Jan. 1, so Ukrainian transit disruption risks remains," said Twomey.While Gazprom owns the pipeline, half the financing of the 8 billion-euro capital cost comes from five European companies: Uniper SE and Wintershall of Germany, OMV AG of Austria, Engie SA of France and Royal Dutch Shell Plc.Dutch gas for the first quarter declined to the lowest since at least 2017 as the region is oversupplied with the fuel, storage sites across Europe are full, and LNG imports surge.(Updates with Putin comment in third paragraph.)\--With assistance from Dina Khrennikova, Vanessa Dezem and Ilya Arkhipov.To contact the reporters on this story: Morten Buttler in Copenhagen at mbuttler@bloomberg.net;William Wilkes in Frankfurt at wwilkes1@bloomberg.net;Anna Shiryaevskaya in London at ashiryaevska@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Christian Wienberg at cwienberg@bloomberg.net, ;Tasneem Hanfi Brögger at tbrogger@bloomberg.net, ;Nick Rigillo at nrigillo@bloomberg.net, Gregory L. White, Reed LandbergFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| US sanctions on Iran are 'limiting imports of life-saving medicine' Posted: 30 Oct 2019 10:39 AM PDT  US sanctions have seriously impacted humanitarian trade with Iran, limiting the import of life-saving medicine into the country and endangering the lives of Iranian patients, according to a new report.The report conducted by Human Rights Watch says patients in Iran suffering from special and rare diseases, such as cancer and epilepsy,, dependent on imported medicine and therefore are suffering from the negative effects of sanctions.
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| Trump’s Russia Nominee Affirms Giuliani Helped Oust an Envoy Posted: 30 Oct 2019 10:13 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. ambassador to Russia confirmed the assertion from a former diplomat in Ukraine that she was removed after concerted pressure by the president and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.John Sullivan, who's currently deputy secretary of state, testified Wednesday that he told U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch that she was being recalled. That followed a campaign by Giuliani who singled her out for what he deemed an anti-Trump agenda.Asked why he instructed Yovanovitch to come home from Ukraine, Sullivan told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at his confirmation hearing that it was because he was informed the president had lost confidence in her. "When the president loses confidence in the ambassador, right or wrong, the ambassador needs to come home," he said.But Sullivan also said that he learned that Giuliani had pushed for Yovanovitch's removal and that Secretary of State Michael Pompeo had initially resisted the president's call to oust her.Democrats on the Senate panel used Sullivan's confirmation hearing to pursue allegations at the heart of the House of Representatives' impeachment inquiry -- that Trump held up U.S. military aid and a promised White House meeting to extract a pledge from Ukraine's new president to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and his son Hunter as well as a conspiracy theory that Ukraine and Democrats, not Russia favoring Trump, interfered in the 2016 election."Ukrainians died because of this delay and died at the hands of Russian forces," Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the committee's top Democrat, said at the hearing. He said his support for Sullivan depends on whether he thinks success "is fulfilling President Trump's pro-Kremlin vision."Yovanovitch told House impeachment investigators earlier in October that Sullivan informed her that "there had been a concerted campaign against me, and that the Department had been under pressure from the president to remove me since the Summer of 2018."He also said that I had done nothing wrong and that this was not like other situations where he had recalled ambassadors for cause," she testified, according to her opening statement, which was made public.Under questioning from Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, Sullivan said "I'm not aware" of any other instance when a U.S. president has asked a foreign power to investigate a U.S. citizen like the Bidens.Sullivan acknowledged that "investigating a political rival as opposed to encouraging political reform" would be "inconsistent with our values."Sullivan made no reference to the impeachment inquiry in his opening remarks but pledged that if he's confirmed as ambassador he'd balance opportunities to work with Russia against vigilance toward its "malign actions.""I will be relentless in opposing Russian efforts to interfere in U.S. elections, to violate the sovereignty of Ukraine and Georgia, and to engage in the malign behavior that has reduced our relationship to such a low level of trust," he said in the statement.Sullivan also distanced the State Department leadership from Giuliani's claim that his work on Ukraine was done at the department's request, suggesting it was part of a parallel process that Sullivan and Pompeo weren't engaged on.In a Sept. 26 interview on Fox News, Giuliani criticized a whistle-blower's allegations that he was operating on his own, saying, "I went to meet Mr. Zelenskiy's aide at the request of the State Department. Fifteen memos make that clear."Instead, Sullivan said Giuliani was likely referring to communications about Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy with Kurt Volker, the U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations.'Not Aware'Sullivan, asked if he helped direct Giuliani's efforts on Ukraine issues, replied, "I did not, and I'm not aware that the secretary did either."Sullivan was mentioned by name in Yovanovitch's opening statement to the impeachment inquiry earlier this month. Yovanovitch said Sullivan broke the news that she was being recalled from her post early even though her original term wasn't up for a couple of months and had been extended through 2020 shortly before.The impeachment connection, and Sullivan's current position as Pompeo's top deputy, resulted in a contentious hearing where Sullivan's qualifications for the job were overshadowed.The committee's Republican chairman, Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, has refused to hold any hearings linked to Ukraine or allegations of impeachable offenses by the president. It will also be the first Russia-related hearing in the committee in more than two years.Risch said at Wednesday's hearing that "it's almost impossible" to discuss Ukraine "without talking about the corruption in the country." He suggested a president shouldn't have to "look the other way" if a political opponent is involved in the corruption, as Trump asserts Biden's son was by serving on the board of a gas company in Ukraine.In the Democratic-controlled House, the impeachment inquiry continues to take witness testimony behind closed doors as the full chamber prepares for a Thursday vote on an impeachment resolution.The role of ambassador in Moscow is a largely thankless one in an administration whose policy toward Russia has been highly contradictory. Trump has repeatedly pledged to improve ties -- and in a summit in Helsinki, Finland last year appeared to back Russian President Vladimir Putin's vow that he didn't interfere with the 2016 election despite the assessment of the U.S. intelligence community that he did.Twelve Russian intelligence agents were indicted as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, and the U.S. slapped numerous sanctions and visa restrictions on Russia over its role in the election interference, as well as a nerve-agent attack on a former spy in the U.K.Sullivan has led committees on counterterrorism and strategic security. Yet even an initiative to ease what both the U.S. and Russia call "minor irritants" has failed to produce any gains.Sullivan briefly held the role of acting secretary of state from the time Trump fired Rex Tillerson in March 2018 until the Senate confirmed Pompeo a month later. His nomination for Russia ambassador has the backing of numerous high-ranking national security officials including former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley."We believe he is the right person at the right time for what is always a very critical post, but perhaps never more critical as now," the group wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Bloomberg News.Sullivan would replace Jon Huntsman, a former governor of Utah and ambassador to China, who left Moscow earlier in October. He will have support from at least one Democrat on the Committee, Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, who was among those introducing him at the hearing."He has served our nation well in public service," Cardin said. "John Sullivan to me is a straight shooter."(Updates to add Sullivan response to Giuliani-Ukraine questions from 13th paragraph)\--With assistance from Billy House.To contact the reporters on this story: Daniel Flatley in Washington at dflatley1@bloomberg.net;Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.net;Nick Wadhams in Washington at nwadhams@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert, Bill FariesFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UK 'Remainers' hope tactical voting can stop Brexit Posted: 30 Oct 2019 10:10 AM PDT  While Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants an election to "get Brexit done", his opponents see it as a chance to keep Britain in the European Union -- but it will require tactical voting. The latest opinion polls suggest the Conservative leader is heading for a parliamentary majority in the December 12 vote. Surveys indicate just over half of Britons oppose Brexit but their votes are split between the main opposition Labour party, which wants a re-run of the 2016 referendum, and several others.
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| UPDATE 2-U.N. seeks new host for climate talks after Chile withdraws Posted: 30 Oct 2019 09:44 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-U.N. seeks new host for climate talks after Chile withdraws]( "UPDATE 2-U.N. seeks new host for climate talks after Chile withdraws") The United Nations is seeking a new host for this year's round of climate talks in December after Chile withdrew as raging street protests grip the South American country. The talks, called COP25, were scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile, from Dec. 2-13, but protests over inequality have left 18 people dead and ground the city to a halt at times. "Earlier today, I was informed of the decision by the Government of Chile not to host COP25 in view of the difficult situation that the country is undergoing," U.N. Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said in a statement.
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| News agency reports Iran released labor activist on bail Posted: 30 Oct 2019 09:26 AM PDT ![News agency reports Iran released labor activist on bail]( "News agency reports Iran released labor activist on bail") Iran's semi-official Fars news agency is reporting that the country's judiciary has released a labor activist on bail. Fars reports that Esmail Bakhshi, a labor activist and worker in the Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Mill in southern Khuzestan Province, was released Wednesday. Iranian authorities released two other labor activists related to the case Sunday.
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| Chile cancels hosting APEC and climate summit after unrest Posted: 30 Oct 2019 09:26 AM PDT  Chile's president Sebastian Pinera has cancelled the APEC trade summit and pulled out of hosting a major environment conference as his embattled government struggles to handle more than a week of volatile unrest. Mr Pinera made the announcement on Wednesday during the 12th day of widespread protests over inequality and police violence, which have seen at least 20 people killed and more than 6,000 arrested. The president said it was a "very difficult decision". He added it "causes us a lot of pain, because we fully understand the importance of APEC and COP 25 for Chile and for the world." The APEC summit was due to bring 20 world leaders to Chile on November 16 to 17, including Donald Trump, the US president, and Xi Jinping, the Chinese president. Mr Trump said he had expected to sign a "phase one" deal with his Chinese counterpart. The climate change conference was scheduled for 2 to 13 December; and the decision could risk disrupting international efforts to address climate change. Just six days ago Teodoro Ribera, Chile's foreign minister, had said there was "no chance" the riots and demonstrations would derail the two conferences. Anti-government protests were sparked after the government announced a price rise in metro tickets Credit: ALBERTO VALDES/EPA-EFE/REX The protests were sparked by a student campaign against a 30 peso rise in Santiago's metro fares two weeks ago. But since then, Chileans across the country have taken to the streets against economic and social inequality, including the almost complete privatisation of healthcare and education, alongside poor pensions and stagnant wages. Many of the demonstrations have been brutally repressed by armed forces, while others have been tainted by vandalism and looting. The announcement comes as NGOs and the UN's human rights commission begin to investigate allegations of abuse and sexual violence against demonstrators in Chile. Mr Pinera had tried to quell the unrest by announcing new social reforms and lifting the state of emergency, but demonstrations continued in full force, with many now calling for a new constitution. Marieke Riethof, a senior lecturer in Latin American politics at the University of Liverpool said: "The decision to cancel the APEC summit and COP25 clearly reflects the government's concerns that the protests would disrupt these meetings." The UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said the organisation is "currently exploring alternative hosting options."
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| Turkey summons US ambassador, condemns US House resolutions Posted: 30 Oct 2019 09:16 AM PDT  Turkey on Wednesday condemned two resolutions passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that symbolize deteriorating Turkish-American relations. Addressing his ruling party, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he wouldn't recognize the nonbinding House resolution to recognize the century-old mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide. Erdogan then said Turkey "strongly condemns" a bipartisan bill to sanction senior Turkish officials and its army for Turkey's military incursion into northeastern Syria, which passed 403-16.
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| UPDATE 2-U.S., Gulf countries impose joint Iran-related sanctions on 25 targets Posted: 30 Oct 2019 09:12 AM PDT ![UPDATE 2-U.S., Gulf countries impose joint Iran-related sanctions on 25 targets]( "UPDATE 2-U.S., Gulf countries impose joint Iran-related sanctions on 25 targets") The United States and six Gulf countries agreed to jointly impose sanctions on 25 corporations, banks and individuals linked to Iran's support for militant networks including Hezbollah, the U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday. The blacklisted targets were announced by the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC) nations - which also include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin made the announcement as part of a trip to visit several of these Middle East allies to bolster their support for increasing pressure on Iran.
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| Chile cancels UN climate change conference and major trade summit amid ongoing protests Posted: 30 Oct 2019 09:08 AM PDT ![Chile cancels UN climate change conference and major trade summit amid ongoing protests]( "Chile cancels UN climate change conference and major trade summit amid ongoing protests") Two summits scheduled to take place in Chile, including one where President Trump aimed to sign phase one of a trade deal with China, have just been called off.Chile announced Wednesday it will no longer host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, the trade event that had been scheduled for mid-November and where Trump was set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, The Washington Post reports. Chile also called off the United Nations Conference of the Parties climate change summit it was set to host. This latter event was set to include more than 100 international delegations, the Post notes.These cancellations were due to the ongoing demonstrations in the country sparked by a hike in public transportation fares, with a state of emergency having previously been declared in Santiago. Chilean President Sebastian Piñera said Wednesday, "This has been a very tough decision ... but it is based on the wise principle of common sense."The APEC cancellation is especially significant because after Trump announced a "phase one" trade agreement with China, he said the two countries agreed "in principle" but that a "formal signing" would take place within the next few weeks, with the goal being for it to happen at the November conference in Chile. Earlier this week, Trump said the trade deal was coming along "ahead of schedule" and that "I imagine" they'll sign it in Chile. It's unclear when or where that will happen now; CNBC's Eunice Yoon observes this "could mean some relief for both sides" but also that China can "push off" the deal "especially if [Trump] doesn't agree to lift" the tariffs scheduled to take effect in December.
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| U.N. climate chief says exploring options for hosting climate talks after Chile withdraws Posted: 30 Oct 2019 08:37 AM PDT  The United Nation's climate chief said the secretariat is exploring a range of options for hosting this year's round of climate talks in December after Chile withdrew from hosting. The talks (called COP25) were scheduled to be held in Santiago, Chile, from Dec. 2-13 but the country has withdrawn as host after several weeks of violent unrest. "Earlier today, I was informed of the decision by the Government of Chile not to host COP25 in view of the difficult situation that the country is undergoing," U.N. Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said in a statement.
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| The Rash of Protests Around the Globe Have One Thing in Common Posted: 30 Oct 2019 08:34 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong martial arts guru Bruce Lee urged followers to "empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water."That philosophy has driven months of anti-government unrest in Hong Kong. And it applies to protest movements elsewhere that are operating with quick-changing tactics and without clear leadership.Mass demonstrations are not new. Anti-war and anti-nuclear protests swept the globe decades ago, as did the Occupy movement of 2011-2012 directed against globalization and inequality. But from Iraq to Chile, it feels like protests are everywhere right now. Huge street rallies, violent clashes with police, tires and buildings burning, shops smashed. Songs, chants, dances and flash-mobs. Crowds that gather and vanish in unexpected places, organized via encrypted messaging apps where people use pseudonyms.In some cases the protests are driven by a backlash against austerity, as global growth slows and becomes even more unequal. But not all movements have the same spark, even if their form is similar.Leaderless protests can be hard for governments to deal with because they can't work out who to deal with. Such activity may start from a single issue, then morph into a many-headed hydra.A lack of central leadership can prevent infighting, but also pull movements in many directions, sapping momentum. Leaderless protests can be nimble but also turn rudderless and chaotic, hostage to violent fringe elements.History tells us that keeping leaderless movements going at a high level for a long period is hard. That's perhaps even more so as countries fret less about the risk of international blow back including sanctions."We perceive a more competitive geopolitical environment in which traditional values-based foreign policy objectives have fallen by the wayside," says Jonathan Wood, director of global risk analysis at Control Risks in Washington. "The default response of many governments is likely to be to try and ride these out as much as possible and hope they begin to dissipate before the economic costs get too high."Hong KongHong Kong's protesters have sustained demonstrations against China's increasing grip over the city since June—all without a clear leader. That's by design: During pro-democracy protests in 2014, the government arrested key leaders and threw them in jail.Now the groups guard their anonymity and organize in online platforms like LIHKG, a Hong Kong-based forum that lets users endorse posts, and Telegram, where anonymous users broadcast messages, photos and videos to hundreds of thousands of people.The lack of a figurehead has frustrated the government. At the same time, no-one has enough clout to call off the demonstrations, cut a deal or even tell fellow protesters what to do next.LebanonProtestors in Lebanon achieved at least one of their aims as Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation Tuesday following nearly two weeks of anti-government unrest. Demonstrators have called on the government to resign, but also want the ouster of an entire political elite they blame for corruption and cronyism that has hit living standards and dragged the economy toward collapse.The demonstrations have drawn hundreds of thousands of people right across Lebanon, and have attracted people from different religious sects and social classes.People first took to the streets to reject a proposed levy on calls made via WhatsApp. The government quickly withdrew the plan. But protesters say they have no confidence that warlords who emerged to lead Lebanon at the end of the 1975-1990 civil war can change. "I won't hide that I reached a road block," Hariri said. FranceThe grassroots Yellow Vest movement in France has lost much of its momentum in the year since it began as opposition to higher fuel taxes—and morphed into broader grievances against the government. Several thousand protesters still gather on some Saturdays, even though what remains of the movement has been marred by violence and extremism.The angst behind the initial rallies remains, however: Inequality, cuts in public services, and unpopular pension reforms are set to bring protesters back out in strikes and marches from December. President Emmanuel Macron says he understands how his push to reform the economy came across as harsh and sometimes unfair. But he has vowed to press on.RussiaThe biggest anti-Kremlin protests for seven years erupted in Moscow this summer, defying crackdowns by riot police and efforts to decapitate the movement by preemptively detaining veteran Russian opposition leaders.A new young generation of activists, encouraged by leading musicians and social media stars, turned out to protest civil rights abuses, declining living standards and graft. The unlikely catalyst was the refusal of officials to register opposition candidates for elections to the largely toothless city council. It's all a prelude to the battle over Russian parliamentary elections in 2021. AlgeriaAlgerians have been taking to the streets since February, initially to protest the re-election bid of Abdelaziz Bouteflika, one of North Africa's longest-serving leaders, who eventually resigned in April and is not contesting the December election. The public discontent has transformed into demands for root-and-branch change from the coterie of elite army officers, businessmen and party officials who've dominated politics in the OPEC member for decades.Algerians, the majority of whom are under 30, continue to block the boulevards of Algiers and other cities with fiery Friday protests. Attempts to broker talks have foundered over who exactly represents the dissatisfied masses in the country of over 40 million people.IraqThousands of Iraqis have challenged a government crackdown that has left more than 200 people dead since the start of the month to protest over jobs and public services.While Iraq has enjoyed relative stability since 2017, many Iraqis suffer power cuts and lack access to clean water and good health care. Decades of war, sanctions and foreign occupation beginning in the early 1980s and ending with the battle to defeat Islamic State have ravaged Iraq's infrastructure. Protesters say corrupt politicians have pillaged state coffers.The protests have put Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi under pressure. Prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who leads a key bloc in parliament and campaigned on a nationalist platform, has called on the government to step down, but the protests are otherwise largely leaderless.ChileChile's social unrest has followed a pattern similar to Brazil in 2013. Both were triggered by a seemingly banal reason—a small hike in public transport fares—and turned into massive protests against an ever-growing list of grievances: Soaring living costs, inequality, deteriorating health and education systems and, particularly in Brazil's case, corruption.The amorphous nature of the protests mean there's no single leader to negotiate with, or a clear manifesto. Calls for protests in Chile are often made by student groups on social media, then heeded by Chileans of all ages and social classes. In Santiago, 1 million people —more than 15% of the city's population—took to the streets on Friday. And today the government announced it had scrapped hosting next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which would have included U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.EcuadorEcuador's unrest started after President Lenin Moreno ended fuel subsidies as part of a credit deal with the International Monetary Fund. The protests attract a wide variety of supporters including the indigenous community, students and labor unions.Amid a national strike that paralyzed the country and with Quito overrun, Moreno—who describes the movement against him as a coup—temporarily relocated his government to the coastal city of Guayaquil. He has now reinstated subsidies.Global Climate StrikesStudents are skipping school all over the world to join what are known as climate strikes across more than 200 countries, demanding greater action to combat climate change. While the lightning rod has been Swedish student Greta Thunberg, the protests are also taking on a life of their own.Support for activist group Extinction Rebellion has meanwhile grown worldwide, with non-violent demonstrators disrupting airports, bridges and key streets in major cities. The movement has spread beyond the traditional activist set as the science around climate change becomes more urgent and extreme weather events more frequent. (Updates with Chile's cancellation of next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.)\--With assistance from Daniel Ten Kate, Michael Gunn, Anthony Halpin, Paul Richardson, Lin Noueihed, Helene Fouquet and Walter Brandimarte.To contact the author of this story: Rosalind Mathieson in London at rmathieson3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| As UK sets poll date, a voter’s dilemma: Vote on party, or vote on Brexit? Posted: 30 Oct 2019 08:33 AM PDT ![As UK sets poll date, a voter's dilemma: Vote on party, or vote on Brexit?]( "As UK sets poll date, a voter's dilemma: Vote on party, or vote on Brexit?") The Labour Party has long held sway in rural Wales. But Leave dominates there too. On Dec. 12, Welsh voters must choose between party and Brexit.
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| U.K.'s Election Battle Begins as Johnson and Corbyn Test Slogans Posted: 30 Oct 2019 08:29 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Boris Johnson and his arch rival Jeremy Corbyn traded attack lines in their first face-to-face clash of the U.K.'s general election campaign.The prime minister called for the poll on Dec. 12 as a way to break the deadlock over the country's divorce from the European Union. He has no majority in Parliament and has failed to get his Brexit deal ratified in the House of Commons.If he wins a majority, Johnson says he will be able to deliver the deal he negotiated with the EU and turn the country's focus onto his domestic agenda. But there's a risk his gamble backfires and Corbyn's Labour Party capitalizes, regaining power for the first time since 2010.How Boris Johnson's Brexit Election Gamble Could BackfireOffering a taste of the Conservative Party's likely message to voters, Johnson launched into an attack on the opposition Labour leader on Wednesday during what's likely to be their final question session in the Commons before Parliament breaks up for the election.Johnson accused Corbyn of plotting to ruin what should be a "glorious" year in 2020 with another referendum on Brexit."It's time to differentiate between the politics of protest and the politics of leadership," Johnson said. He claimed Corbyn would deliver an "economic catastrophe" for Britain. "The time for protest is over."Johnson outlined his priorities of delivering Brexit and supporting the police service, health and the economy.Corbyn hit back, attacking the premier's record on the country's beloved National Health Service, accusing him of cutting funds and planning to privatize the institution by offering it up in a future trade deal with the U.S."This government is preparing to sell out our NHS," Corbyn said. "Our health service is in more danger than in any other time in its glorious history because of his government, his attitude and the trade deals he wants to strike."Labour's campaign is expected to continue to focus on the impact of a decade of austerity to the country, while offering a renegotiation of Brexit followed by a second referendum.Labour MP Jess Phillips issued a veiled attack on the prime minister's private life, while also criticizing his party's record on education, which she said has led to over-sized classes and cuts to the school week.A number of MPs asked their last questions to the prime minister, including former Chancellor of the Exchequer Ken Clarke, who has been a member of Parliament for 49 years and was expelled from the Conservative Party by Johnson for blocking a no-deal Brexit.House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, who will also retire this week, paid tribute to Clarke as "one of the most popular and respected politicians" in the country and "a great man."After the question session ended, the chamber saw a change of tone as Johnson led a debate on the 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower in London, which killed 72.The fire came in the days after the last general election, and a report on the first phase of an inquiry into the disaster was published just as Parliament prepares to break up for another vote.A subdued Johnson spoke for nearly an hour, setting out the report's conclusions as survivors of the fire and bereaved relatives watched from the public gallery.The report's criticisms have focused on senior fire officers, who failed to understand that the blaze was spreading in a way they hadn't expected, and to change their plans accordingly.Labour MPs challenged Johnson about cuts to the fire service under the Tories, and particularly during his time as mayor of London. He replied that the inquiry "makes no findings as far as I'm aware about lack of resources."(Updates with Grenfell debate from 14th paragraph.)\--With assistance from Robert Hutton.To contact the reporters on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.net;Greg Ritchie in London at gritchie10@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| REFILE-UPDATE 2-EU's Barnier says no-deal Brexit risk persists, trade talks to be "difficult" Posted: 30 Oct 2019 08:28 AM PDT ![REFILE-UPDATE 2-EU's Barnier says no-deal Brexit risk persists, trade talks to be "difficult"]( "REFILE-UPDATE 2-EU's Barnier says no-deal Brexit risk persists, trade talks to be \"difficult\"") The European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Wednesday the risk of Britain's chaotic departure from the bloc without a divorce agreement still existed, and that future trade talks would be "difficult and demanding". Barnier spoke as Britain was headed for a Dec. 12 national election that Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes will unlock the Brexit stalemate after his fractious parliament refused to swiftly ratify his divorce deal with the EU. "The risk of Brexit happening without a ratified deal still exists," Barnier told a speech in Brussels.
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| Crisis-wracked Chile pulls out as APEC, climate meet host Posted: 30 Oct 2019 08:23 AM PDT  Chile pulled out of hosting two major international summits Wednesday as it struggled to restore order amid clashes between protestors and security forces that have left at least 20 dead. President Sebastian Pinera said "common sense" had dictated the decision to withdraw from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the Cop 25 climate change conference. US President Donald Trump had said he was planning to meet Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to lock down a "phase one" agreement at the November 16-17 APEC meeting that would partially have ended an 18-month trade war between the world's two biggest economies.
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| US, Gulf allies sanction Hezbollah-Iran network Posted: 30 Oct 2019 08:19 AM PDT  The United States and six Gulf allies announced sanctions Wednesday on 25 entities associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon's Hezbollah, in a move to tighten controls on both group's finances. The sanctions were set by Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center, a two-year-old group that includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in addition to the United States. Four of those listed were individuals running Hezbollah's operations in Iraq, the Treasury said.
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| Germany ups fight against anti-Semitism, far-right extremism Posted: 30 Oct 2019 08:16 AM PDT  Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet passed new measures Wednesday aimed at helping fight far-right extremism and anti-Semitism following an attack on a synagogue earlier this month. The proposals include tightening gun laws, stepping up prosecution of online hate, and boosting financial support for projects fighting anti-Semitism and far-right extremism. "The horrible attack on the Jewish community in Halle showed again what the unleashing of hatred online can lead to," Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said at a news conference in Berlin when she introduced the bundle of measures alongside Germany's interior and family ministers.
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| Chile cancels world leaders’ summit, putting U.S.-China deal signing in question Posted: 30 Oct 2019 08:06 AM PDT  Chile has canceled the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit of world leaders next month in Santiago after a wave of deadly protests in recent weeks. The move throws into question when and where President Donald Trump will sign a "phase one" trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two leaders were expected to finalize the agreement at the Nov. 16-17 meeting, which usually brings together more than 20 world leaders.
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| Chile Cancels Summit Where Trump Had Hoped to Sign China Accord Posted: 30 Oct 2019 07:45 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Chile's biggest social unrest in a generation forced the government to cancel next month's APEC summit in Santiago where President Donald Trump was expected to sign a preliminary trade accord with China.Trump had said he expected to ink a "phase one" deal with his counterpart, Xi Jinping, at the Nov. 16-17 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Santiago.How and when the leaders of the world's two largest economies now meet to resolve their trade differences is the biggest question thrown up by the Chilean decision. The deal, which Trump announced the contours of Oct. 11, had calmed fears of a continuing escalation in the trade war that has cast a shadow over the global economy for the past 18 months.The cancellation "suggests that the trade war uncertainty might be hanging over us for longer," Torsten Slok, the chief economist at Deutsche Bank AG, told Bloomberg Television after the announcement. "It raises the risk that we could never see a phase two or phase three."Chile also canceled the United Nations climate change conference, known as COP25, scheduled for December in Santiago, President Sebastian Pinera said."We understand perfectly the importance of APEC and COP for Chile and the world, but we have based our decision on common sense," Pinera said from the presidential palace. "A president needs to put its people above everything else."The decision to cancel the meetings highlights the depth of trouble facing the Latin American nation that has seen almost two weeks of rioting and protests. It also comes as a deep embarrassment to the government that had insisted it would go ahead with the conference just two days ago.Pinera said he had spoken to other presidents to warn them of the cancellation.\--With assistance from Shawn Donnan.To contact the reporters on this story: Laura Millan Lombrana in Santiago at lmillan4@bloomberg.net;Eduardo Thomson in Santiago at ethomson1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Cancel at dcancel@bloomberg.net, Philip Sanders, James AttwoodFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| EU won't give broad access to market after Brexit if UK tramples standards - Barnier Posted: 30 Oct 2019 07:37 AM PDT ![EU won't give broad access to market after Brexit if UK tramples standards - Barnier]( "EU won't give broad access to market after Brexit if UK tramples standards - Barnier") The European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the bloc will only give as much access to its single market to Britain after Brexit as is justified by London ensuring that EU rules and standards are preserved. Barnier said access would be "proportional" and that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be able to achieve the goal of a zero-tariff and zero-quota new trade relationship. "It will be a difficult and demanding set of negotiations," he said, adding that time would be extremely short to negotiate a new trade deal with Britain after Brexit and before the end of 2020.
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| Approving PM Johnson's Brexit deal would be top priority of Conservative govt -spokesman Posted: 30 Oct 2019 07:30 AM PDT ![Approving PM Johnson's Brexit deal would be top priority of Conservative govt -spokesman]( "Approving PM Johnson's Brexit deal would be top priority of Conservative govt -spokesman") British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's first priority if his Conservative Party wins a majority at a planned December election will be to get his Brexit deal approved by parliament, his spokesman said on Wednesday. On Tuesday, lawmakers voted to hold a Dec. 12 election to try and break the deadlock over Brexit, after parliament rejected the government's timetable to pass the legislation required to ratify its Brexit deal. "The first priority of a Conservative government straight after the election would be to pass the prime minister's deal ... and every Conservative candidate will be signed up to getting that deal through as soon as possible," the spokesman said.
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