| US targets Iran construction sector with new sanctions Posted: 31 Oct 2019 05:19 PM PDT  The United States on Thursday extended its sanctions on Iran by taking aim at its construction sector, which Washington linked to the country's Revolutionary Guards. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo imposed the sanctions after the construction sector was identified as "being controlled directly or indirectly by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)," spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.
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| UN keeps Darfur peacekeepers but hopes for their departure Posted: 31 Oct 2019 04:43 PM PDT ![UN keeps Darfur peacekeepers but hopes for their departure]( "UN keeps Darfur peacekeepers but hopes for their departure") The Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to keep the joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur for another year in hopes the new civilian-led transitional government can restore peace, and the troops can be replaced by civilians who focus on the country's development. The British and German-drafted resolution asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to provide a report to the council by Jan. 31 assessing the situation on the ground and the state of the peace process, and recommending options for a follow-on U.N. mission. In late June, the Security Council voted unanimously to put the brakes on the withdrawal of the joint U.N.-African Union force known as UNAMID until Oct. 31 and asked the U.N. and AU what to do about continuing the withdrawal.
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| Turkey says its forces capture 18 Syrian soldiers in Syria Posted: 31 Oct 2019 04:19 PM PDT  Turkish military forces captured 18 Syrian government soldiers in northeastern Syria, Turkey's defense minister said Thursday, in one of the most dramatic examples of an increasingly muddled battleground following the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the area. Ankara was already in talks with Russia to hand over the Syrian soldiers, he added. Akar spoke during a visit to Turkish troops at the border with Syria.
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| Trump’s Presidency on Treacherous New Ground After House Vote Posted: 31 Oct 2019 03:59 PM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump's presidency stands on its most treacherous ground after the House voted Thursday to approve and proceed with its impeachment inquiry.The resolution, passed on a largely party-line 232-196 vote, does not just lay out a road map for the public phase of the inquiry. It sends a clear signal that a vote to impeach Trump, and a trial in the Senate, is all but inevitable.Trump becomes just the fourth president to be subject to a formal impeachment effort. Two of them, Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson, were impeached in the House but weren't convicted in the Senate. Richard Nixon, facing certain conviction, resigned before the House could vote to approve articles of impeachment.Trump, however, may well become the first president to be impeached and then seek re-election. That dynamic presents a novel challenge for the president, as he must work to keep the Republican Party unified not just to prevent his removal from office by the Senate but also at the hands of voters.Recent moves suggest that Trump understands the peril. After resisting entreaties to add staff to the White House, he is likely to bring on a prominent public relations professional to help with communications on the inquiry, according to people familiar with the matter. His campaign, meanwhile, paid for a glitzy national television ad during game seven of the World Series on Wednesday that highlighted Trump's accomplishments while criticizing his opponents for "phony investigations."Partisan ResolutionThe president has become deeply engaged in keeping his party in line. Over the past two weeks, Trump has met face-to-face with more than 60 House members, according to an administration official.No House Republicans voted in favor of the impeachment resolution. One former Republican and fierce Trump critic who left his party this year, Justin Amash of Michigan, voted for it.There is little sign that Trump or his White House plan to suddenly become more cooperative with the impeachment inquiry, even after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met White House Counsel Pat Cipollone's demand for a vote to formalize it. And his re-election campaign, the coffers of which are overflowing with cash, is aggressively portraying his opponents as do-nothing politicians obsessed with his removal from office.The campaign paid millions of dollars for a national advertisement during game seven of the World Series on Wednesday that recounted his accomplishments and said Democrats "would rather focus on impeachment and phony investigations, ignoring the real issues.""He's no Mr. Nice Guy, but sometimes it takes a Donald Trump to change Washington," the narrator declares.Sayegh HireWhile Trump has repeatedly dismissed the need to hire additional staff to counter the Democrats' impeachment efforts, he is likely to bring a former Treasury Department spokesman, Tony Sayegh, into the White House to assist with communications related to impeachment, according to people familiar with the matter. Sayegh's post will be temporary and he also intends to work on issues other than impeachment, the people said.Sayegh is credited in the White House for helping shepherd Trump's biggest legislative achievement to passage, the 2017 tax overhaul, and his hiring is supported by the president's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, the people said. They asked not to be identified because Sayegh's appointment hasn't been announced.Sayegh declined to comment.Before the House vote, White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said more attorneys and communications staff may "possibly" be added to the West Wing.Trump has no official events on his schedule on Thursday and spent much of the morning tweeting, his preferred channel for responding to the inquiry. He posted more than half a dozen messages ahead of the vote and claimed impeachment is damaging the U.S. economy."The Greatest Witch Hunt In American History!" he wrote as the House started voting.Weakened ArgumentPassage of the House resolution weakens a central argument for both the White House and allied Republicans: that the inquiry is illegitimate because the House hasn't held a vote to approve it. The resolution's adoption may also force Republican members to defend the substance of Trump's conduct in Ukraine, which most of them have been loath to do.And refusing to participate in the public phase of the impeachment investigation could put Trump at further disadvantage. While Democrats are expected to call a litany of witnesses with damaging accounts of the president's dealings with Ukraine, Trump would sideline lawyers and aides who might present his defense."The president has done nothing wrong, and the Democrats know it," White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. "The Democrats want to render a verdict without giving the administration a chance to mount a defense. That is unfair, unconstitutional, and fundamentally un-American."Trump's earlier edict to government officials purporting to prohibit them from testifying to Congress or providing records to impeachment investigators has largely been ignored after Democrats issued subpoenas compelling their cooperation. Grisham declined to say in a Fox News interview on Thursday how the White House will handle future requests for testimony and documents now that the impeachment inquiry is formal."I don't want to get into any of our strategy just yet," she said.House Democrats issued a document separate from their resolution that provides the president and his counsel the opportunity to participate in public hearings by responding to claims and requesting their own witnesses. But the White House and House Republicans have said the due-process protections are not strong enough.Trade ComplicationsAs the impeachment battle escalates in the House, Trump will also face added pressure to show his party and the public that he can still govern. The president's chief argument against impeachment is that he has secured a series of achievements for the country, especially a booming economy -- a claim that could be undercut if he becomes bogged down in the investigation and unable to deliver on more of his campaign promises.One of the biggest items on Trump's agenda is securing a preliminary trade agreement with China, a goal that was complicated by the cancellation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile, where the president hoped to sign the deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump tweeted Thursday that both countries are now "working on selecting a new site" for a signing ceremony, which he said would be "announced soon."But Chinese officials have doubts that there will be a comprehensive long-term trade deal beyond the so-called "phase one" agreement.And the charged political environment surrounding impeachment could complicate the administration's push to win congressional passage of Trump's revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement, likely the only remaining chance him to secure a major legislative accomplishment ahead of the 2020 election.The presidential campaign will be dominated by impeachment. The issue may fuel Trump on the trail, where his personal grievances against his opponents are a mainstay of his political rallies. He'll get his first opportunity to road-test his message after the impeachment vote on Friday, at a rally in Tupelo, Mississippi on behalf of the state's Republican gubernatorial candidate."Every American can see this for what it is: an attempt to remove a duly-elected president for strictly political reasons by a strictly partisan, illegitimate process," Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement. "Voters will punish Democrats who support this farce and President Trump will be easily re-elected."Perhaps, though public polling aggregated by RealClearPolitics shows majority support among voters for the House inquiry. Impeachment also helps to highlight many of Trump's characteristics that most concern swing voters -- his mercurial nature and his willingness to defy conventional expectations of presidential behavior and push the legal limits of his powers.Revelations in the impeachment probe may increasingly alienate voters in America's political middle who will decide the election. That could force Trump and his team even further toward a strategy he's already shown that he embraces: aggravating his loyalists' anger toward Washington and the president's opponents, in the hope they'll turn out in force next November -- but at the expense of expanding his support.(Updating with Sayegh declining to comment, in 13th paragraph.)\--With assistance from Jennifer Jacobs, Josh Wingrove and Mario Parker.To contact the reporter on this story: Jordan Fabian in Washington at jfabian6@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin BlumFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| US extends civil nuclear cooperation waivers for Iran Posted: 31 Oct 2019 03:56 PM PDT  The Trump administration is keeping alive one of the last remaining components of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal by extending sanctions waivers that allow foreign companies to work with Iran's civilian nuclear program without U.S. penalties. The waivers had been due to expire Tuesday but were extended by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for another 90 days. Pompeo has been a champion of President Donald Trump's maximum pressure campaign on Iran.
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| Respected N.Korea envoy tapped as US State number two Posted: 31 Oct 2019 03:26 PM PDT  Stephen Biegun, a respected US foreign policy veteran in the difficult job of leading diplomacy with North Korea, was named Thursday as the State Department number two -- a role that could become even more key in coming months. President Donald Trump announced Biegun's nomination to replace Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, who has been tapped to be ambassador to Russia. The nomination is drawing particular attention amid growing speculation that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will run for Senate next year in Kansas, meaning that Biegun could become the acting top US diplomat, at least briefly.
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| US role in Syria grows more complex with Trump claim to oil Posted: 31 Oct 2019 02:22 PM PDT  By claiming a right to Syria's oil, President Donald Trump has added more complexity — as well as additional U.S. forces and time — to an American military mission he has twice declared he was ending so the troops could come home. Extending the mission to secure eastern Syria's oilfields happens to fit neatly with the Pentagon's view — supported by some Trump allies in Congress — that a full withdrawal now could hasten a revival of the Islamic State group, even after the extremists lost their leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a U.S. raid. The military acknowledged on Thursday that an Army unit with armored vehicles, including Bradley infantry carriers, is now operating in the Deir el-Zour oil region.
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| Intimate Freud letter up for sale reveals his softer side Posted: 31 Oct 2019 01:10 PM PDT  A handwritten letter by Sigmund Freud, which shows a rare sentimental side to the 20th-century thinker as well as insight into the life of a prominent Jewish refugee amid the advance of the Nazis, is set to go on sale in Jerusalem. The letter, written in German and dated June 21, 1938, was sent several weeks after Freud fled the Nazis in his native Austria and moved to London. In it, he writes to philanthropist Margaret Stonborough-Wittgenstein, a friend and patient from back home, sympathizing with her over a personal tragedy and appearing to seek from her glimpses of life back in Vienna under Nazi rule.
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| World’s Top Climate Gathering May Have Found a New Home: Madrid Posted: 31 Oct 2019 01:08 PM PDT ![World's Top Climate Gathering May Have Found a New Home: Madrid]( "World's Top Climate Gathering May Have Found a New Home: Madrid") (Bloomberg) -- Spain has swooped in with an offer to host the world's largest climate summit after Chile canceled it in the face of widespread riots.The invitation to move the United Nations' COP25 conference to Madrid may save the event, scheduled for December. UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa said she hoped the conference's board would consider Spain's offer as soon as possible."It is encouraging to see countries working together in the spirit of multilateralism to address climate change," Espinosa said in a statement.Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said his nation would still chair the event.Canceling the summit would be major blow for efforts to fight climate change as the impacts of rising temperatures become more dire. This week, wildfires in California have displaced hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.Scuttling the event would also sap momentum from a movement after millions protested worldwide last month and 16-year-old activist Greta Thunberg chided world leaders for not acting forcefully enough to save the planet.Chile's Pinera canceled his country's plans to host the conference as riots continue to erupt over economic inequality. Chile itself is grappling with the driest decade on record, and the government has taken emergency measures to survive an unprecedented drought.The gathering was originally planned for Brazil, but far-right president Jair Bolsonaro pulled the country out of hosting it, citing budgetary restraints.To contact the reporter on this story: Gerson Freitas Jr. in New York at gfreitasjr@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Lynn Doan at ldoan6@bloomberg.net, Joe Ryan, Joe RichterFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UK Brexit accord rules out trade deal with US: Trump Posted: 31 Oct 2019 12:56 PM PDT  President Donald Trump on Thursday criticised British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit divorce deal, saying it made it impossible to strike a future commercial agreement with the United States. Trump's comments stand at odds with his previous pledge in September that he was working closely with Johnson to strike a "magnificent trade deal" once Britain left the European Union.
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| Trump renews sanctions waivers to allow Russia, China and Europe to continue nuclear work in Iran Posted: 31 Oct 2019 12:48 PM PDT  The Trump administration will once again issue sanctions waivers to allow Russia, China and Europe to continue nuclear nonproliferation work in Iran, Reuters reported.The periodic waivers grant exemptions from US sanctions against Iran, and allow foreign companies to collaborate on the civilian nuclear programme with Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation.
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| Trump Warns Johnson His Brexit Deal Makes U.S. Trade Deal Hard Posted: 31 Oct 2019 12:47 PM PDT ![Trump Warns Johnson His Brexit Deal Makes U.S. Trade Deal Hard]( "Trump Warns Johnson His Brexit Deal Makes U.S. Trade Deal Hard") (Bloomberg) -- Terms of Trade is a daily newsletter that untangles a world embroiled in trade wars. Sign up here. Donald Trump said Boris Johnson's Brexit deal will make it difficult for the British prime minister to strike a trade deal with the U.S. after the U.K. leaves the European Union.In an interview with Brexit Party Leader Nigel Farage on LBC Radio, the president said the two countries could "do much bigger numbers" if Johnson made a cleaner break with the EU."We want to do trade with the U.K. and they want to do trade with us," Trump said. "Under certain aspects of the deal you can't do it, you can't trade, we can't make a trade deal with the U.K. Under certain ways we're precluded, which is ridiculous by the way."This is bad news for Johnson, who touts swift and lucrative commercial opportunities with the U.S. as one of Brexit's biggest prizes. The premier renegotiated the divorce from the EU and is looking to win a Dec. 12 election convincingly enough to get Parliament to finally approve his Brexit deal.Trump's warning suggests that even if Johnson finally manages to get Brexit through, after more than three agonizing years of political wrangling, it won't be as straightforward as he had hoped to get that "fantastic" trade deal with the world's No. 1 economy.LeverageThe president, who prides himself as a deal maker, also indicated the U.S. will be in a strong position in talks. The prime minister "knows how difficult it is," he said, "he's looking very much at the United States."Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labour Party, said in a speech Thursday that Johnson wants to deliver a "one-sided Trump trade sell-out" in his rush to reach an agreement with Washington. "His toxic Brexit trade deal with Trump could hand over 500 million pounds a week of NHS money to big drugs corporations," Corbyn told supporters.Trump denied the claims, saying the U.S. is too busy with its own "health service problems" to get involved in the U.K."We won't be involved with that, we're trying to fix our health service," Trump said. "It's not for us to have anything to do with your health-care system, we're just talking about trade."'Bad Places'Trump had harsh words for Corbyn, a socialist who favors higher taxes and wants key utilities back under state control."Corbyn would be so bad for your country. He'd be so bad, he'd take you in such a bad way," Trump said. "He'd take you into such bad places."The Labour leader hit back after the interview, accusing the president of interfering in the election and saying his comments show he wants Johnson in power so U.S. companies can exploit the U.K.'s state-funded healthcare system."It was Trump who said in June the NHS is 'on the table'," Corbyn wrote on Twitter. "And he knows if Labour wins, U.S. corporations won't get their hands on it. Our NHS is not for sale."In contrast to his comments about Corbyn, Trump talked warmly about his relationship with Johnson and said the prime minister had confided in him about Brexit.He encouraged Farage's Brexit Party to make a pact with Johnson for the pre-Christmas election: "He has a lot of respect and like for you," Trump said. "I wish you two guys could get together, I think it would be a great thing."The U.S. leader also lavished praise on the royal family and talked at length about his experiences with Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry during his visit earlier this year.(Updates with detail and context throughout.)\--With assistance from Alex Morales.To contact the reporter on this story: Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Flavia Krause-Jackson, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Netanyahu says lack of response encourages Iran aggression Posted: 31 Oct 2019 12:11 PM PDT  Israel's prime minister says Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in the region due to the lack of response to its recent actions. "Iran's threshold of daring in the region is rising and it grows even more in the absence of a response," he said.
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| Irish PM sends police to 'lawless' border region Posted: 31 Oct 2019 11:13 AM PDT  Leo Varadkar has pledged to send extra police resources to the border with Northern Ireland amid claims that the region has become "lawless". The Taoiseach's intervention follows a recent spate of violence including kidnappings and death threats made against executives at one of the biggest employers in the border counties. It comes as the Irish border has become a flashpoint in Brexit negotiations, with fears that the issue has emboldened gangs, paramilitary and dissidents known to operate in the area. Last week a police station in county Monaghan was burned in an arson attack. A car belonging to an MP was also burned out at his home close to the border. But the most alarming incident surrounds Quinn Industrial Holdings, a manufacturer of industrial goods company operating on the border, which is at the centre of a bitter ownership row involving Ireland's former richest man. Kevin Lunney, an executive at Quinn Industrial Holdings (QIH), was abducted on his way home from work and subjected to a savage beating before being dumped at the side of the road a number of hours later. He sustained a broken leg and his face was bleached during the attack. The gang responsible for Mr Lunney's kidnap issued further threats to five other executives at QIH on Wednesday. The gang promised a "final solution" which would result in the death of at least one QIH executive. This prompted Liam McCaffrey, the chief executive of QIH to claim the border region was coming "perilously close to lawless." Mr McCaffrey urged police to identify and apprehend the 'paymaster' funding the criminal gang's campaign of intimidation against QIH, which has being waged over the past number of years. QIH, which manufactures industrial goods, belonged to Sean Quinn until 2011. Mr Quinn was once Ireland's richest person with a fortune estimated at €5 billion, but he was declared bankrupt in 2011 following heavy losses sustained during Ireland's financial crisis. The current management of QIH bought the company out of administration with the help of private investors. Mr Quinn has complained in the past about the manner in which he lost control of his company. However, he denies that he is the paymaster or that he has any role in the campaign of intimidation. The area where QIH is located is also the base of the gang allegedly behind the people smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of 39 migrants in Essex last week. Drew Harris, the head of the Irish police force, said there was no evidence yet to link the criminals behind these events. After an emergency meeting with the Irish government on Wednsday night Ireland's police commissioner Drew Harris said that he does not accept that the border region is "lawless". Dublin warned that if a physical border was erected because of the UK's exit from the EU, then it would lead to an escalation in the level of violence as dissident paramilitaries would target customs infrastructure.
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| In nod to protests, Iraq president calls for new voting law Posted: 31 Oct 2019 10:59 AM PDT  Iraq's president on Thursday called for the drafting of a new election law and said he would approve early elections once it is enacted, bowing to anti-government protesters while insisting that the sweeping changes they are demanding be carried out in a constitutional way. Iraq has seen two waves of mass protests this month, with at least 250 protesters killed as security forces fired live ammunition and tear gas in Baghdad and across the Shiite-majority south.
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| The Latest: US armored vehicles in Syria to guard oil fields Posted: 31 Oct 2019 10:42 AM PDT ![The Latest: US armored vehicles in Syria to guard oil fields]( "The Latest: US armored vehicles in Syria to guard oil fields") The U.S. military says its first batch of mechanized armored vehicles have arrived in southeast Syria, where they are to take part in securing oil fields and fighting remnants of the Islamic State group. U.S.-led Coalition spokesman Col. Myles Caggins said the first batch of Bradley armored infantry carriers have arrived Thursday in Deir el-Zour Province. The province is home to some of Syria's largest oil fields.
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| Islamic State group announces successor to al-Baghdadi Posted: 31 Oct 2019 10:33 AM PDT  The Islamic State group declared a new leader Thursday after it confirmed the death of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi days earlier in a U.S raid in Syria. In its audio release by the IS central media arm, al-Furqan Foundation, a new spokesman for IS identifies the successor as Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi — tracing his lineage, like al-Baghdadi, to the Prophet Muhammad's Quraysh tribe. The speaker in the audio also confirmed the death of Abu Hassan al-Muhajir, a close aide of al-Baghdadi and a spokesman for the group since 2016.
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| Israeli drone comes under fire over Lebanon Posted: 31 Oct 2019 10:25 AM PDT ![Israeli drone comes under fire over Lebanon]( "Israeli drone comes under fire over Lebanon") The Israeli military said Thursday that one of its drones came under fire in Lebanese airspace. In a statement, the army said an anti-aircraft missile was "launched over Lebanese territory" toward the drone, but the aircraft was not hit. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said a large explosion was heard near the southern town of Nabatiyeh and that Israeli spy aircraft were flying overhead at the time.
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| Donald Trump May Be Preparing for A Standoff with Iran Over Syria Posted: 31 Oct 2019 09:41 AM PDT  It seems like Trump intends to keep U.S. forces at al-Tanf, a small desert base near the Jordanian border that is possibly important to interdicting Iran's role in Syria.
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| While MPs feud over Brexit, food banks wonder how to feed the hungry Posted: 31 Oct 2019 09:37 AM PDT ![While MPs feud over Brexit, food banks wonder how to feed the hungry]( "While MPs feud over Brexit, food banks wonder how to feed the hungry") Britain's food banks have seen increasing demand in recent years, and supplies are under stress. Brexit could make the problem worse.
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| UPDATE 4-Spain likely to host COP25 climate change summit after Chile's withdrawal Posted: 31 Oct 2019 09:23 AM PDT ![UPDATE 4-Spain likely to host COP25 climate change summit after Chile's withdrawal]( "UPDATE 4-Spain likely to host COP25 climate change summit after Chile's withdrawal") SANTIAGO / MADRID, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Spain will likely host the United Nations' COP25 climate change summit in Madrid, following Chile's withdrawal as host amid raging street protests in the South American nation, a Spanish government source said. The Spanish government said in a statement earlier on Thursday that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was ready to do what was needed to host the summit in Madrid.
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| UPDATE 1-Man detained by police outside UK's Downing Street - Reuters photographer Posted: 31 Oct 2019 09:20 AM PDT ![UPDATE 1-Man detained by police outside UK's Downing Street - Reuters photographer]( "UPDATE 1-Man detained by police outside UK's Downing Street - Reuters photographer") A man with a St George's English flag was pinned to the ground by police outside the Downing Street residence of Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday, a Reuters photographer at the scene said. On the day the United Kingdom had been due to leave the European Union, a few hundred pro-Brexit campaigners sought to approach the gates of Downing Street where police stopped them.
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| Lebanon struggles to reopen roads as sit-ins continue Posted: 31 Oct 2019 09:11 AM PDT  Lebanese security forces were still struggling to open some roads Thursday as protesters continued their civil disobedience campaign in support of nationwide anti-government demonstrations. The protests were ignited by a proposed tax on the WhatsApp messenger service but rapidly escalated into calls for the resignation of the government and sweeping political change. Government offices and businesses meanwhile remained shuttered across northern Lebanon after overnight clashes in which the army used tear gas to disperse protesters, wounding seven of them.
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| Syria talks: Possible path toward peace, or another dead end Posted: 31 Oct 2019 08:12 AM PDT  Syria's government and opposition have delicately sat down for their first face-to-face talks, amid the hopes of millions of Syrians and governments from Washington to Moscow that they could become a step toward ending the country's devastating 8 ½-year war. It could be a chance for peace, or just another dead-end initiative under U.N. mediation amid Syria's lingering crisis. Geir Pedersen, the U.N. envoy for Syria, hailed a "historic moment" at the official christening Wednesday of the 150-member Constitutional Committee for Syria, after a gingerly orchestrated U.N. "opening ceremony" in Geneva.
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| Iraq’s President Signals New Elections as Premier Agrees to Quit Posted: 31 Oct 2019 08:04 AM PDT ![Iraq's President Signals New Elections as Premier Agrees to Quit]( "Iraq's President Signals New Elections as Premier Agrees to Quit") (Bloomberg) -- Iraq's president said Thursday that Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi had agreed to resign once a successor is found and vowed to move toward new elections after days of violent protests between anti-government demonstrators and security forces left at least 200 people dead.In a televised speech, President Barham Salih said he would present a draft electoral law next week for an early parliamentary ballot, and vowed to crack down on corruption, one of the key demands of protesters.Salih said the premier had requested political blocs to agree on a replacement before stepping aside, signaling a possibly prolonged period of horse-trading between antagonistic parties across a sectarian divide.The protests in Iraq, along with sustained rallies that removed the prime minister of Lebanon, pose a particular challenge to Iran, which will want to protect the significant political power it wields in both countries.The unrest was the biggest test of Abdul-Mahdi's short premiership, with 250 people killed, according to a count by the Associated Press, and thousands wounded in clashes in Baghdad and other cities after taking to the streets angered over unemployment, government corruption and a lack of basic services.While similar grievances have repeatedly lead to bouts of unrest, particularly in the south, the latest flare-up was deadlier and more widespread. The government responded by firing tear gas and live ammunition, blocking the internet, imposing a curfew and closing the Iranian border shortly before a major pilgrimage to the Shiite Muslim shrines at Najaf and Karbala.What Lies Behind the Iraq Protests in Seven ChartsAbdul-Mahdi, a former finance minister, was picked by rival Shiite Muslim groups as a consensus candidate following parliamentary elections in 2018, but has struggled to form a strong government and start the nation's recovery from a devastating war with Islamic State jihadists.He vowed earlier this week to create jobs for university graduates and said all contracts with foreign companies would stipulate that 50% of jobs should go to Iraqis. The pledges were not enough to calm protesters, and he was criticized by Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric, for failing to answer the people's needs.To contact the reporter on this story: Abeer Abu Omar in Dubai at aabuomar@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Mark Williams, Amy TeibelFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Turkish court rules to free ex-opposition lawmaker from jail Posted: 31 Oct 2019 07:46 AM PDT ![Turkish court rules to free ex-opposition lawmaker from jail]( "Turkish court rules to free ex-opposition lawmaker from jail") Turkey's official news agency says a former opposition lawmaker and newspaper editor convicted of aiding a terror group will be freed from prison. Anadolu news agency said Thursday an appeals court ruled for the release of Republican People's Party ex-legislator Eren Erdem. Erdem was sentenced to more than four years in prison in March, accused of supporting U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen.
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| The Latest: Iraq's president calls for new election law Posted: 31 Oct 2019 07:32 AM PDT  Iraq's president has called for a new election law and says he will approve early elections once it is enacted, in response to anti-government protests. President Barham Salih expressed support for the protesters in a prime-time address Thursday but said the sweeping changes they are calling for would need to be enacted through constitutional means. Iraq has seen two waves of mass protests this month, with at least 250 protesters killed in clashes with security forces.
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| Report: Death toll from Yemen's war hit 100,000 since 2015 Posted: 31 Oct 2019 07:05 AM PDT ![Report: Death toll from Yemen's war hit 100,000 since 2015]( "Report: Death toll from Yemen's war hit 100,000 since 2015") Yemen's civil war has killed more than 100,000 people since 2015, a database project that tracks violence said Thursday. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, or ACLED, said in a new report its death toll includes more than 12,000 civilians killed in attacks targeting civilians directly. The conflict in the Arab world's poorest nation began with the 2014 takeover of northern and central Yemen by Iran-aligned rebels, driving out the internationally recognized government from the capital, Sanaa.
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| Corbyn Kicks Off Election Campaign With Attack on U.K. ‘Elite’ Posted: 31 Oct 2019 06:56 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Jeremy Corbyn criticized what he called the U.K.'s "corrupt system" that favors billionaires over wider society, in a speech kicking off his opposition Labour Party's campaign to defeat Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives in the Dec. 12 general election."We're going after the tax dodgers," Corbyn said in London on Thursday. "We're going after the dodgy landlords. We're going after the bad bosses. We're going after the big polluters. Because we know whose side we're on."He even name-checked prominent businessmen and bankers, including News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch and Sports Direct International Plc founder Mike Ashley, as well as hedge fund manager Crispin Odey. He reiterated plans to nationalize rail, mail and water companies, and said a Labour government would make private schools pay their taxes in a "fair and proper way."Labour's core message -- a pledge to stand with the "many" and not the "privileged few" -- echoes themes it used in the 2017 election, when the party confounded the polls to deprive then Prime Minister Theresa May of her parliamentary majority. Trailing again, Corbyn hopes the message will propel him to office this time."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 said. "When Labour wins, the nurse wins, the pensioner wins, the student wins, the office worker wins, the engineer wins."Tax ReturnsCorbyn also said the premier and chancellor of the exchequer, currently Sajid Javid, should be required to publish their tax returns to boost transparency.Johnson called the general election -- Britain's first in the month of December since 1923 -- 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.In a pooled interview to broadcasters on Thursday, Johnson said he'll push through his Brexit deal immediately if he secures a majority in the election."We've got an oven-ready deal," the prime minister said. "Put it in the microwave as soon as we get back after the election."'Establishment Elite'Johnson has frequently said it's politicians who have thwarted the will of the people on Brexit -- anticipating his Tories can capitalize on that message.But Corbyn moved immediately to try to seize back a line of attack Labour typically claims for itself."The Prime Minister wants you to believe that we're having this election because Brexit is being blocked by an establishment elite," Corbyn said. "People aren't fooled so easily. They know the Conservatives are the establishment elite."He repeated Labour's policy to negotiate a deal with the EU that protects jobs and the economy, and to pitch the deal against Remain in another referendum."We'll go into office and immediately open negotiations with the EU on a sensible relationship with Europe," Corbyn said.(Edits quote in ninth paragraph to remove Johnson's reference to erroneous date.)To contact the reporters on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net;Greg Ritchie in London at gritchie10@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Mark WilliamsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 1-Trump says U.S., China to announce new venue to ink trade deal soon Posted: 31 Oct 2019 06:54 AM PDT |
| North Korea fires short-range projectiles: South's military Posted: 31 Oct 2019 06:49 AM PDT  North Korea fired two short-range projectiles on Thursday, the South's military said, with nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington at a deadlock. The weapons were launched from South Pyongan province in an easterly direction over the sea, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It was the latest in a series of launches by the North but the first since October 2, when it fired a sea-launched missile in a provocative move -- a submarine-based missile capability would change the military balance.
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| Britain’s Black Belt in EU Law Pulls No Punches in Brexit Attack Posted: 31 Oct 2019 06:47 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Brexit's postponement meant it wasn't her last day in the job. But Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston, one of the U.K.'s top legal officials at the European Union's courts, let rip anyway.In a valedictory address, the karate black-belt made a thinly veiled attack at penny-pinching Brexit supporters who, according to her, seem to know the cost of the EU but not its value."Playing one's proper part in solidarity with fellow Europeans cannot be based on a penny-pinching cost-benefit analysis along the lines (familiar, alas, from Brexiteer rhetoric) of 'what does the EU cost me per week and what exactly do I personally get out of it?'," Sharpston warned.She made the comments in an opinion chiding Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic for their refusal to apply EU rules aimed at providing a safe haven to refugees.Venturing into political territory where few judges or advocates general dare to tread, she added that "such self-centredness is a betrayal of the founding fathers' vision for a peaceful and prosperous continent. It is the antithesis of being a loyal member state and being worthy, as an individual, of shared European citizenship."For Sharpston, a strict believer in the EU and the rule of law, "if the European project is to prosper and go forward, we must all do better than that."The EU court took the unusual step of reading out decisions in a number of cases on Thursday, in a week that is a judicial holiday for the judges. Most of the cases read out were ones Sharpston had worked on.The terms of Sharpston, 64, and the two British judges at the EU courts would cease once their nation has left the 28-nation bloc.To contact the reporter on this story: Stephanie Bodoni in Luxembourg at sbodoni@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net, Peter Chapman, Christopher ElserFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump says U.S., China to announce new venue to ink trade deal soon Posted: 31 Oct 2019 06:41 AM PDT  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States and China would soon announce a new site where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping will sign a "Phase One" trade deal after Chile canceled a planned summit set for mid-November. "China and the USA are working on selecting a new site for signing of Phase One of Trade Agreement," Trump said on Twitter. Chile's decision to cancel the Nov. 16-17 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Chile threw a wrench in plans for Trump and Xi to sign a deal on the sidelines.
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| Trump says U.S., China to announce new site to ink trade deal soon Posted: 31 Oct 2019 06:29 AM PDT ![Trump says U.S., China to announce new site to ink trade deal soon]( "Trump says U.S., China to announce new site to ink trade deal soon") U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States and China would soon announce a new site where he and Chinese President Xi Jinping will sign a "Phase One" trade deal after Chile canceled a planned summit set for mid-November. "China and the USA are working on selecting a new site for signing of Phase One of Trade Agreement," Trump said on Twitter.
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| TB drug price slashed in global push to thwart killer disease Posted: 31 Oct 2019 06:20 AM PDT  The initiatives came as the United Nations seeks to galvanise the campaign against TB, which killed 1.5 million people worldwide last year and saw 10 million more infected. "This lifesaving drug has, until now, been completely unaffordable in developing countries," said Lelio Marmora, head of Unitaid, a global health initiative that helped broker the landmark deal, which will see the Sanofi company cut the price of its rifapentine drug by two thirds. South Africa, where TB is a big killer, will roll out the drug from next year, Unitaid's programme director Robert Matiru told AFP.
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| UK PM Johnson "frustrated" Brexit is not happening on Oct. 31 Posted: 31 Oct 2019 06:05 AM PDT ![UK PM Johnson "frustrated" Brexit is not happening on Oct. 31]( "UK PM Johnson \"frustrated\" Brexit is not happening on Oct. 31") Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday he was frustrated that Brexit was not happening, as he had repeatedly promised, on Oct. 31 but that if the electorate voted for him then the divorce would be done by January. "I am, of course, incredibly frustrated that we are not able to get Brexit done today," Johnson said. "This parliament is just not going to vote Brexit through, there are too many people who are basically opposed to Brexit, who want to frustrate it," he said.
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| Merkel's conservatives in Germany seek an end to sniping Posted: 31 Oct 2019 05:47 AM PDT  Prominent members of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party are calling for an end to internal sniping after the latest in a string of poor election performances. Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union finished third in an election Sunday in Thuringia, a state it once dominated. Leading conservative and one-time Merkel rival Friedrich Merz assailed Merkel for her "inertia and lack of leadership." Merz, 63, narrowly lost a bid for the party leadership to Merkel ally Kramp-Karrenbauer last year and is widely believed still to have ambitions to run for chancellor.
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| Nigeria lifts ban on 2 prominent humanitarian groups Posted: 31 Oct 2019 05:20 AM PDT ![Nigeria lifts ban on 2 prominent humanitarian groups]( "Nigeria lifts ban on 2 prominent humanitarian groups") Nigeria's government has lifted a ban on the operations of two prominent international aid groups after accusing them of providing food and medicines to Boko Haram extremists, which the groups denied. The United Nations humanitarian office replied Wednesday that humanitarian groups are "relieved" that Nigeria's has suspended the ban on Mercy Corps and Action Against Hunger. More than 350,000 people now can receive food assistance that had been put on hold, the U.N. said.
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| Chile’s Constitution Appears as a Roadblock to Defusing Rage Posted: 31 Oct 2019 05:15 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Amid the biggest social upheaval in decades, many Chileans are clamoring for a solution that sends shivers down the spine of part of the country's elite: a new Constitution.In response to two weeks of mass protests and rioting over inequality, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera overhauled his cabinet and promised higher taxes on the rich plus better pensions. He has also canceled two global conferences after spending millions preparing to host them. Yet that's done little to placate calls for a constitutional reform, an idea that is growing in strength and that may complicate any attempt by Pinera to defuse the crisis quickly.Chile's Constitution was implemented under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and, despite having been amended some 20 times by recent governments, critics argue most changes it received in the past three decades were cosmetic. For example, detractors point to the legal safeguards given to private property as one of the drivers behind Chile's water privatization, a controversial subject in a country struggling with severe droughts.The fact that laws drafted during the country's bloodiest era are still in place has always been a thorn in the side for part of Chilean society, particularly social movements and the left. These groups are now galvanized by the protests and requesting a substantial change to include better social protections.For Pinera, this situation is tricky. Either he caves to the demands, risking a rewrite of the Constitution at times of collective effervescence and little political capital, or he resists calls, with the likely outcome of extending protests that have collapsed the country's capital."Presidents don't like calling a constituent assembly when they're in a position of weakness," said Javier Corrales, a political science professor at Amherst College and author of a book on constitutions in Latin America. "Once you start one, you have very little control of what comes out."Lowest LevelSince the riots started on Oct. 18, Pinera has seen his popularity plummet to 14%, the lowest level for any head of state since the return of democracy in 1990, La Tercera reported citing data by Cadem.How Chile Went From an Economic Star to an Angry Mess: QuickTakeThree bills for a new Constitution are currently in Congress and opposition legislators are pushing for a referendum on the need for a reform in December. But any move would require that at least some government legislators support the bill due to the high support required.The government so far seems to be trying to gain time, initiating chats with several social groups. Pinera's decision to cancel the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the United Nations climate change conference -- after touting them as evidence of Chile's growing role on the global stage -- shows how crucial it is for him to focus on resolving the conflict.The president has also dispatched his social development minister, Sebastian Sichel, to lead meetings with different groups of protesters to understand their requests, saying he is open to considering all citizen proposals."We will have a wide dialogue process with all citizens," Pinera told reporters in televised comments. "I won't rule out any structural changes but we will prioritize the social agenda before the political agenda. It's time to hear the people and the people want better pensions, health care and safety."But if the violence and protests continue, he may have to give in to the calls, according to Amherst's Corrales.All ProposalsWhile some see beginning the process for a new Constitution as a way to return to some normality in South America's wealthiest nation, others warn that this path could open the way to incorporate more radical ideas including curtailing property rights, and may not end calls from protesters for Pinera's resignation."In a climate with so much polarization, I don't think it's responsible to discuss a new Constitution," said Natalia Gonzalez, deputy director of legal affairs at Libertad y Desarrollo, a think-tank founded by former Pinochet-government ministers. "We have an issue of public order and a social agenda that has to be prioritized," she said in an interview with Pauta Bloomberg.As Protests Shake Once-Stable Chile, Investors See Buying MomentFor Daniel Garcia, director at center-left think tank Espacio Publico, there's little probability of major reforms including a new Constitution in the final two years of Pinera's presidency."Pinera has to focus first on short-term measures that have a positive effect on the people's pockets and set up conditions for dialogue," he said.To contact the reporter on this story: Eduardo Thomson in Santiago at ethomson1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Matthew Malinowski, Daniel CancelFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| John Bolton will have his cake and eat it too Posted: 31 Oct 2019 05:11 AM PDT ![John Bolton will have his cake and eat it too]( "John Bolton will have his cake and eat it too") Former National Security Adviser John Bolton might soon testify before the House impeachment inquiry -- and there is a chance his testimony could help bring down, or at least undermine, the Trump administration. What would such a development mean for Bolton's controversial legacy?Investigators connected with the House impeachment effort said Wednesday that Bolton's testimony had been requested in the case. Bolton's lawyer said his client would not appear voluntarily, but didn't specify whether Bolton would fight a subpoena. If Bolton testifies -- and if his testimony corroborates other officials' assertions that he was alarmed about President Trump's effort to pressure Ukraine into investigating the family of former Vice President Joe Biden -- he could be a powerful witness against the man who was his boss just two months ago.One remarkable feature of Trump's presidency is that his personal vulgarity and corruption have been so pervasive and thoroughgoing that traditionally unsympathetic figures have come to seem less villainous by comparison. Take Jeff Sessions, Trump's first attorney general: He pulled back the Department of Justice's investigations of civil rights violations by local police departments, tried to reinvigorate the war on drugs at a time when everybody else was sensibly withdrawing, and enabled Trump's family separation policy for migrants apprehended at the border.In ordinary times, his record in the position would earn an unambiguous black mark in America's history pages. But he did the right thing by recusing himself from the Russia investigation and then, by all appearances, protected the integrity of that investigation despite an unprecedented public bullying campaign by his boss, the president of the United States. Those were acts of courage -- and if they don't redeem his legacy entirely, they at least complicate it.At first glance, it appears Bolton could be in line for the same treatment.Throughout his history of public service -- particularly to the Republican Party's 21st-century presidents -- Bolton has earned a reputation as a diplomat disdainful of diplomacy, as a hawk's hawk who never met a potential war he didn't like.But it also appears he helped trigger the current impeachment process by refusing to play along with Rudy Giuliani's shadow Ukraine policy on Trump's behalf. A former White House official has already told impeachment investigators that Bolton was so disturbed by the effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden's son that he told an aide -- Fiona Hill -- to bring it to the attention of White House lawyers."Giuliani's a hand grenade who's going to blow everybody up," Bolton reportedly told Hill.If Bolton's testimony to House investigators falls in line with such reports, there will be an attempt to reassess his legacy: He may be a warmonger -- but he's a warmonger with a heart of gold.Maybe. But it is also true that Bolton has long been known as a master bureaucratic infighter, uniquely able to undermine even higher-ranking officials if he disagreed with their policy goals. During the George W. Bush administration he became known for undermining then-Secretary of State Colin Powell on relations with Iran and Iraq, Syria and North Korea, and did much the same with Powell's successor, Condoleezza Rice.Bolton's term in the Trump administration wasn't much different. He and Trump were often at odds over the president's conciliatory approach to North Korea and its nuclear arms program. And his longstanding enmity toward Iran even prompted Trump to joke frequently that Bolton was trying to push him into war. Trump finally got tired of the conflict and fired Bolton in September.So if Bolton ends up testifying against the president, it is not necessarily a tale of a mustachioed bureaucrat taking a brave stand against power. Instead, it is probably another in a long trail of anecdotes about John Bolton doing John Bolton things -- and making life miserable for his bureaucratic rivals. It's just that his rival, in this case, is the president of the United States. Refusing to testify without a subpoena helps him have his cake and eat it too -- allowing him to stay in good graces with fellow hawkish Republicans who hate Trump's vacillating on Syria, while also allowing him to insist that his truthful testimony was legally required.We like to divide the characters in such stories neatly into "hero" and "villain" camps, but the truth is that when powerful people find their power threatened, it is because somebody with questionable motives decided to turn ranks. "Deep Throat," the infamous anonymous source during Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal, turned out to be Mark Felt, a career FBI official who was bitter at having been passed over for promotion to the agency's top job. In retrospect, he doesn't look very heroic.So no, Bolton won't end up known as the warmonger with a heart of gold. He most certainly is not, as NPR put it, an "ally" to Democrats. But he is a witness to history. And history sometimes has a sense of humor.Want more essential commentary and analysis like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for The Week's "Today's best articles" newsletter here.
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| On his home turf, UK PM Johnson fights for his political future Posted: 31 Oct 2019 05:00 AM PDT ![On his home turf, UK PM Johnson fights for his political future]( "On his home turf, UK PM Johnson fights for his political future") Over the next few weeks, Sunil Paul and thousands of voters like him in this commuter town on the edge of London will be among the most important people in British politics: they could decide Prime Minister Boris Johnson's fate. Johnson, who called a snap election to break the Brexit deadlock, is the local member of parliament and is battling to retain his seat. If Johnson wins the election, but loses in Uxbridge, about 20 miles from central London, he will have to stand down.
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| China Warns Risks Are Increasing After Biggest Party Meeting Posted: 31 Oct 2019 04:49 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- China's ruling Communist Party warned that internal and external risks were increasing after wrapping up its most important meeting of the year.The party "holds high the great banner of socialism" in the face of "a more complicated situation with risks and challenges significantly increasing at home and abroad," according to a communique released after the meeting known as a plenum that mostly contained vague statements. The party's 200-plus-member Central Committee also discussed ways to improve the market-based economic system as well as the legal system in Hong Kong "for safeguarding national security."The four-day closed-door meeting ending Thursday was the first time the body gathered since February 2018, the longest stretch without convening since China began its reform era four decades ago. In the run-up to the event, President Xi Jinping had repeatedly warned against complacency, complaining in a speech last month that some cadres were "weak-kneed and unwilling to fight" against the party's growing and long-term challenges."The communique confirms that the Xi administration's outlook is one of increasing domestic and global risks, and therefore the solution is to double down on the party's absolute control," said Jude Blanchette, Freeman Chair of China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The lack of meaningful economic reforms coming out of the meeting isn't an aberration, but merely the most recent signal from Xi that he's not seeking to make fundamental alterations to the Party's level of oversight and control."China is projected to see the slowest growth in gross domestic product in almost three decades this year -- a concern made worse by the trade war with U.S. President Donald Trump and rising prices of food staples like pork. Xi's government has also struggled with how to quell protests in Hong Kong that began over controversial legislation allowing extraditions to the mainland.Faced with these challenges, the party's leadership stressed the need for continuity. The readout outlined what it called the "clear advantages" of China's political system, including "unified leadership" and "political stability." It also returned to themes Xi has emphasized as president, including the party's leadership of the economy, culture and society, and the need for "confidence" in China's system.On Hong Kong, the communique echoed previous statements by Xi and other top officials who have stressed the need to rule the semi-autonomous former colony "strictly" according to the constitution and ensure its long-term prosperity and stability. The committee said Hong Kong's law and enforcement system would be improved, without offering details.Months-long protests have weighed on Hong Kong's economic growth, driving it into a recession in the third quarter. Gross domestic product retreated 3.2% from the previous three months, the worst slump since 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.(Updates with quote in fourth paragraph.)To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Dandan Li in Beijing at dli395@bloomberg.net;Peter Martin in Beijing at pmartin138@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Karen Leigh, Philip GlamannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Final 'Or-derrrs': UK Commons speaker John Bercow bows out Posted: 31 Oct 2019 04:15 AM PDT  The speaker of Britain's House of Commons, who has become a global celebrity and online meme-magnet for his loud ties, even louder voice and star turn at the center of Britain's Brexit drama, is stepping down on Thursday after 10 years in the job. Some lawmakers are sad to see him go, but others are delighted. With his innovative interpretation of the role, Bercow has become a hero to opponents of leaving the European Union, a villain to Brexit advocates and a thorn in the side of Britain's Conservative government.
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| Pound Investors’ Biggest Fear on Snap U.K. Election Isn’t Jeremy Corbyn Posted: 31 Oct 2019 04:09 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.Pound traders eyeing a snap U.K. election in December are more worried about Brexit champion Nigel Farage than the socialist agenda of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.Faced with a vote as much about Brexit as the contenders, making it more difficult to predict, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and BlueBay Asset Management have backed away from bets on pound strength. Sterling is set for a rally of more than 5% this month, its best performance in over a decade, but strategists now expect the uncertainty to prevent it gaining further.The main risk for them is not the vision for higher taxes and nationalization touted by Corbyn, but Farage's Brexit Party and its ability to influence Britain's divorce and future relationship with the European Union. The ruling Conservatives led by Boris Johnson have previously ruled out entering a pact with Farage, but they could be forced to turn to him for votes if they don't get enough support to deliver their Brexit deal alone."The worst-case scenario would be anything that increases the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, so one in which the Brexit Party did much better than expected," said Jane Foley, the head of currency strategy at Rabobank, the top forecaster for major exchange rates in Bloomberg's latest rankings.Even though polls show Labour trailing and a Conservative win as the most likely outcome, options show investors are still betting on pound losses heading into the Dec. 12 vote. The pound gained Thursday following a Telegraph report that suggested Farage's Brexit Party may stand aside in certain areas, raising the chances of a Conservative majority.Here's a selection of views on the various scenarios for markets:Worst Case: Brexit Party CoalitionFor Rabobank's Foley, if the Brexit party forms a large part of a coalition with the Conservatives, "that would mean the trade negotiations next year would be quite difficult and that the risk that we crash out of the EU at the end of the transition phase would increase." That could make the pound vulnerable to a fall toward $1.20, with a further slide to $1.15-$1.10 if no-deal really begins to look likely.Mark Dowding, chief investment officer at BlueBay, also thinks the Brexit party doing well is the worst outcome but says "there's no way I can see that happening.""Continued uncertainty is probably the worst outcome as it is clear that the uncertainty itself is undermining the economy," said Russell Silberston, a fund manager at Investec Asset Management, which oversees $145 billion. That would result from a hung Parliament in which no party has an outright majority. Base Case: Johnson Wins, Brexit Deal"Our central view is we probably assume that Johnson does manage to cobble together a government and he gets the deal through," said Rabobank's Foley, who expects the currency could rally 2% to $1.32 on this scenario before trade talks with the EU again cap sterling strength."In an election, the Tories are widely expected to win and implement the Johnson deal," said BlueBay's Dowding. "If they fail to win, they will still most probably be the biggest party in Westminster and we could have a referendum on the Johnson deal or no Brexit altogether.''Best Case: No Brexit"The best case is no Brexit and no hard-left economic agenda," said Investec's Silberston.Silberston sees Johnson's Brexit deal as priced in by markets, so if the Conservatives win "we should see a bounce in anticipation of a stronger recovery" but if the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrat party does well it may result in no Brexit at all and "this will lead to much more upside to sterling.""A surprise Labour win could see the pound fall in the short term but in coalition we would expect Labour to be more moderate than may be feared, like we saw with Syriza in Greece," said BlueBay's Dowding. "Hence weakness in sterling could be short lived and a second referendum and no Brexit could see the pound rally.''Petr Krpata, a strategist at ING Groep NV, also sees a U.K. ruling coalition with Labour as helping to support sterling if it increases the probability of no Brexit.(Updates prices throughout, adds details in fifth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Charlotte Ryan in London at cryan147@bloomberg.net;Anooja Debnath in London at adebnath@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Paul Dobson at pdobson2@bloomberg.net, Neil ChatterjeeFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| N. Korea fires 2 missiles in the sea amid stalled talks Posted: 31 Oct 2019 04:07 AM PDT  North Korea on Thursday fired two projectiles into its eastern sea, an apparent resumption of weapons tests aimed at ramping up pressure on Washington over a stalemate in nuclear negotiations, according to officials in South Korea and Japan. The launches followed statements of displeasure by top North Korean officials over the slow pace of nuclear negotiations with the United States and demands that the Trump administration ease crippling sanctions and pressure on their country. Analysts say the North could dial up its weapons demonstrations in the coming weeks as it approaches an end-of-year deadline set by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for Washington to offer mutually acceptable terms for a deal to salvage the nuclear diplomacy.
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| TB drug price slashed in global push to thwart killer disease Posted: 31 Oct 2019 04:06 AM PDT  A pharmaceutical multinational on Thursday slashed the price of a key anti-tuberculosis drug boosting the battle against the world's deadliest infectious disease, as a new treatment was also set to begin extensive testing. The initiatives came as the United Nations seeks to galvanise the campaign against TB, which killed 1.5 million people worldwide last year and saw 10 million more infected. "This lifesaving drug has, until now, been completely unaffordable in developing countries," said Lelio Marmora, head of Unitaid, a global health initiative that helped broker the landmark deal, which will see the Sanofi company cut the price of its rifapentine drug by two thirds.
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| 10 things you need to know today: October 31, 2019 Posted: 31 Oct 2019 03:47 AM PDT ![10 things you need to know today: October 31, 2019]( "10 things you need to know today: October 31, 2019") 1.House Democrats on Wednesday asked former National Security Adviser John Bolton to testify on Nov. 7 in the impeachment inquiry of President Trump. Bolton's lawyer said Bolton would not testify "voluntarily" but would accept a subpoena. Impeachment investigators plan to ask Bolton about his reported frustration with the way Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and other allies were pushing Ukraine to investigate Democrats while holding back on military aid and a meeting between Trump and Ukraine's new president, Volodymyr Zelensky. On Wednesday, two more witnesses, both of them State Department officials, gave closed-door depositions on the Ukraine controversy. Democrats plan to hold a House vote Thursday on a resolution spelling out the process for the public phase of the impeachment investigation. [CNBC, The Washington Post] 2.The Washington Nationals won their first World Series championship Wednesday, beating the Houston Astros 6-2 in the decisive Game 7 of the best-of-seven series. The Nationals came back from a two-run deficit with seventh-inning home runs by Anthony Rendon and Howie Kendrick, then extended their lead with another run in the eighth inning, and two in the ninth. The Nationals won all four of their World Series victories on the road in what players and coaches said was a fitting end to a season that started out badly, with the Nationals going 19-31 before the team started winning. Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg was named World Series MVP after winning Game 2 and Game 6, and finished the postseason 5-0. [USA Today, The Washington Post] 3.Twitter said Wednesday it was banning all political advertising from its micro-blogging site because social media ads can help politicians and organizations gain an unfair advantage. "While internet advertising is incredibly powerful and very effective for commercial advertisers, that power brings significant risks to politics, where it can be used to influence votes to affect the lives of millions," Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted. President Trump's campaign accused Twitter of trying to "silence conservatives." Twitter's policy contrasts with that of Facebook, which has faced intense criticism for saying earlier this month that it would not block or pull misleading or false campaign ads. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said recently in testimony to Congress that policing political ads would restrict politicians' free expression. [The Associated Press, The Hill] 4.Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan, President Trump's nominee for ambassador to Russia, told senators at his confirmation hearing Wednesday that he did not know about any effort by Trump to pressure Ukraine into investigating Democrats, the question that has prompted a House impeachment inquiry. Sullivan said he did know that Trump personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani had pushed for the recall of Marie Yovanovitch, then-ambassador to Ukraine, although he said he did not know the specifics of the matter. "My knowledge in the spring and summer of this year about any involvement with Mr. Giuliani was in connection with a campaign against our ambassador to Ukraine," said Sullivan, the State Department's No. 2 official. [The Associated Press] 5.Chilean President Sebastián Piñera announced Wednesday that his South American nation was calling off two summits it was supposed to host, including the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in mid-November. Chile also is scrapping plans to host the Conference of the Parties climate change summit. The decision came as the Chilean government faces deadly mass protests sparked by a hike in public transportation fares. President Trump had been hoping to sign a "phase one" trade agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC event, which was supposed to be held in Santiago. Hogan Gidley, the White House's principal deputy press secretary, said Wednesday that the White House is "awaiting potential information regarding another location" for the summit. [The Washington Post, NBC News] 6.Powerful Santa Ana winds fanned wildfires near Los Angeles that just missed the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Firefighters on the ground and in aircraft battled the blaze, and they got an assist from a herd of about 500 goats that created a firebreak by eating dry vegetation that could have served as fuel for the flames. "One of the firefighters mentioned that they do believe the goats' fire line helped them fight this fire," library spokeswoman Melissa Giller said. "They just proved today how useful they really are." Numerous wind-whipped fires are burning across the state. The fire that threatened the library started in the Simi Valley hills early Wednesday and quickly scorched 1,300 acres, threatening 6,500 homes. [CNN] 7.The Pentagon released images Wednesday from the raid in which Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed at his hideout in Syria. The grainy black-and-white aerial video showed American special operations forces approaching the compound on foot. The video also showed airstrikes against nearby militants. One sequence shows a huge plume of smoke rising from Baghdadi's compound after it was destroyed by U.S. bombs. "It looks pretty much like a parking lot, with large potholes," said Marine General Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of U.S. Central Command. The Pentagon warned there was a possibility that ISIS would attempt a "retribution attack." [Reuters] 8.The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it would cut its target short-term interest rate by a quarter point for the third time this year. The move, which the Fed announced at the end of a two-day policy meeting, drops the target range for the federal funds rate to between 1.5 percent and 1.75 percent. The Fed said the reduction was justified in response to global economic uncertainty, but Chair Jerome Powell did say the potential for a U.S.-China trade deal and the lessening risk of a no-deal Brexit could help raise business confidence. In its statement, the rate-setting committee suggested the economy might be strong enough to make it unnecessary to cut rates any more this year. The news boosted stocks, lifting the S&P 500 to another record high. [Reuters, MarketWatch] 9.White House lawyer John Eisenberg proposed moving the transcript of President Trump's July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to a server used for highly classified material after White House officials expressed concerns about the conversation, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who listened to the call as the top Ukraine adviser at the White House, testified to impeachment investigators this week that he rushed to Eisenberg's office moments after the call to say he was disturbed by Trump's alleged pressuring of Zelensky to investigate Democrats, the Post reported, citing people familiar with Vindman's testimony. Moving the reconstructed transcript to the special server restricted access and went against White House protocol. [The Washington Post] 10.At least 70 people were killed in a fire on a train in Pakistan early Thursday. Another 30 people were injured. The flames spread quickly after a gas canister exploded as the train passed through the city of Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab, local police officer Amir Taimoor said. It was the worst disaster in 15 years for the country's accident-plagued rail network. Gas canisters are banned on Pakistan trains, but passengers were using gas-powered stoves in a carriage. "Two stoves blew up when people were cooking breakfast," Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told Geo television. "The presence of kerosene with the passengers in the moving train further spread the fire." Many passengers reportedly were heading to a protest in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital. [CNN, Reuters]
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| KGB Judged ‘Comrade V.V. Putin’ a Disciplined, Conscientious Spy Posted: 31 Oct 2019 03:46 AM PDT  (Bloomberg) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin was "prompt, disciplined and conscientious" as a spy in the KGB, according to a declassified profile from the Soviet Union's feared security service."Comrade V.V. Putin constantly improves his ideological and political standards," according to the document exhibited at the Central State Archive for Historical-Political Documents of St. Petersburg, the Russian leader's home city. "He's actively engaged in party education work."The profile, which is also on show at a Moscow exhibition of "outstanding figures" of modern Russian history, describes Putin as "morally upstanding" and enjoying "well-deserved authority among colleagues," noting that he won a judo championship in 1978.Putin joined the KGB in 1975 after graduating from the law faculty of Leningrad State University, located in what's now St. Petersburg, and served as a spy for more than 15 years until the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. Putin asked to become a KGB officer even before he finished school, according to his Kremlin biography, which cites him saying his view of the organization "was based on idealistic stories I heard about intelligence."He served in Dresden in East Germany from 1985 until 1990, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel during a largely undistinguished stint, and was awarded a bronze medal for service to the National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic. He headed the Federal Security Service, the main successor agency of the KGB, in 1998-1999 before President Boris Yeltsin made him prime minister and named Putin as his chosen successor. Putin was elected president in 2000.The KGB's appraisal of Putin, which appears to be from the late 1970s or early 1980s, was absolutely standard and showed that he hadn't stood out or achieved anything in particular, according to Alexei Kondaurov, a former KGB general. "Usually we wrote 'morally upstanding' when there was nothing else to say," he said.Still, there's been "colossal" public interest in the document, shown as part of commemorations of the archive's 90th anniversary, said Olga Bobrova, deputy head of the institution.To contact the reporters on this story: Irina Reznik in Moscow at ireznik@bloomberg.net;Henry Meyer in Moscow at hmeyer4@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Gregory L. White at gwhite64@bloomberg.net, Tony Halpin, Paul AbelskyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| 'Zombie' UK parliament may get Brexit boot Posted: 31 Oct 2019 03:30 AM PDT !['Zombie' UK parliament may get Brexit boot]( "'Zombie' UK parliament may get Brexit boot") Finally, Brexit may be closer to being sorted out.
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