| Why Asia’s Longest Serving Leader Is Warning About a Coup Posted: 13 Nov 2019 05:19 PM PST ![Why Asia's Longest Serving Leader Is Warning About a Coup]( "Why Asia's Longest Serving Leader Is Warning About a Coup") (Bloomberg) -- On his path to becoming Asia's longest-serving leader, Hun Sen has mastered the art of fighting for power.When he first took charge of Cambodia as a 33-year-old in 1985, he battled remnants of the Khmer Rouge for control of the Southeast Asian nation. After losing the first election following a United Nations-brokered peace in 1993, he threatened to secede unless he was made co-prime minister. Four years later, a de facto coup put him solely in charge, a position he's kept to this day.Now 67, Hun Sen is suddenly worried that a group of exiled dissidents might overthrow him by force -- a claim that looks hysterical on its face given many of his main political opponents have been locked up or abroad since he won all of the country's parliamentary seats during a boycotted election last year.But he has lots of reason to worry.Discontent is building among the country's 16 million people -- most of whom have never been alive under another leader -- over skyrocketing household debt, resentment at an influx of Chinese investment and a lack of jobs. The European Union is threatening to pull preferential tariffs that could upend the garment sector, the economy's most important industry. And questions over succession are spurring rumors of internal rifts in his ruling Cambodian People's Party."There could easily be a popular uprising," said Ou Virak, director of Phnom Penh-based think-tank Future Forum and former chairman of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.'Peaceful Uprising'Hun Sen's opponents see an opportunity to pounce. Long-time opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who has spent the past four years in Paris, has vowed to return to Cambodia to fight for democracy along with others who fled abroad. Hun Sen's government said the efforts amounted to a coup attempt, and he moved the military to the border while warning he'd use "weapons of all kinds" to stop them.After arriving in Malaysia, Sam Rainsy told reporters this week he and his colleagues would head to Cambodia "when there is a material, physical possibility to do so." He said the whole word wanted democracy in Cambodia except for China, and called for a "peaceful uprising" among the masses."I have called on the Cambodian army not to shoot at the people, not to shoot at the civilians, not to shoot at innocent people," Sam Rainsy said. "And Mr. Hun Sen is very afraid because he is not sure of the loyalty of the army. The army will stand with the people. The army will not stand with dictators."Phay Siphan, a Cambodian government spokesman, dismissed talk of an uprising, a mutiny in the army or any internal dissent within the ruling party."Everything is under control," he said by phone, while also ruling out talks with the opposition. "The government will in no shape or form negotiate with Sam Rainsy."On Wednesday evening, the government issued a statement appealing to opposition supporters to "stop listening to Sam Rainsy" adding it had fully restored public order after defeating the exiled leader's attempted coup, the AP reported. Sam Rainsy on Tuesday said he could still return to the country "at any time."Still, Hun Sen has taken at least one step to ease tensions. On Sunday, the government released Kem Sokha, the founder and co-leader of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, after for more than two years. Another 85 political prisoners are still in custody, according to the UN.One reason for Kem Sokha's release may be the EU's looming decision on whether to pull Cambodia's access to a preferential trading scheme due to its deteriorating human rights record. Such a move could decimate its $5 billion garment industry and threaten the jobs of about 750,000 Cambodians, some of whom stood with Sam Rainsy during mass rallies in 2013 calling for the prime minister's resignation.We "expect the Cambodian authorities to reinstate the political rights of all opposition members banned from political life and to fully release all opposition members, supporters and activists recently put under detention," the EU wrote in a statement on Monday.China FactorHun Sen's move to curtail political and media freedoms over the years has coincided with closer ties with China. As President Xi Jinping's biggest ally in Southeast Asia, the Cambodian government has garnered $7.9 billion in Chinese investment from 2016 to August 2019, representing more than a third of all foreign investment, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.The slew of Chinese property projects and tourists has led to a growing backlash both in the capital Phnom Penh and the once sleepy coastal resort town of Sihanoukville, where more than a dozen new casinos have driven up crime and prostitution. China's stake in an investment zone encompassing 20% of Cambodia's coastline also raised fears in the U.S. that it would become a Chinese naval base, something the government denied."Cambodians do not feel good about the Chinese influx and it created insecurity inside the country," said Noan Sereiboth, an influential political blogger and frequent contributor to the youth-centered media group Politikoffee.Another headache for Hun Sen is growing discontent over mounting public and personal debt. With a median of $3,370 per loan, Cambodia now has the highest average for small loans in the world, according to a report published in August by local rights groups.Mostly owed to just nine lenders, the total outstanding amount is equal to roughly a third of the country's entire GDP for 2018, while seven largest MFIs made more than $130 million in profit in 2017. During last year's election, Hun Sen disavowed connections to microfinance lenders.Question of SuccessionConfounding the problem is the question of succession as various factions jostle for power.Hun Sen's three sons are seen as competing for the top spot, with his eldest Hun Manet the odds-on favorite. Educated at West Point and commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, Hun Manet was elevated last year to the ruling Cambodian People's Party's Standing Committee, a key decision-making body.Without specifically addressing the opposition's calls for an uprising, Hun Manet took to Facebook on Tuesday implore citizens to enjoy annual water festival this week."What the people do not want is chaos, insecurity, instability and the loss of peace," he wrote. "We must work together to fully protect the peace we have today."For all the noise, Sam Rainsy's move is "desperate" and has little chance of success, according to Lee Morgenbesser, author of the book "Beyond the Facade: Elections Under Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia.""A failure to try re-enter Cambodia would raise significant questions about whether those exiled are the right leaders for Cambodia's pro-democracy movement," Morgenbesser said.Still, those outside the country see this as one of their final chances to act. Vanna Hay, 33-year-old CNRP supporter living Tokyo, plans to join other activists in returning to Cambodia."No matter whether Sam Rainsy was on Cambodian soil on November 9 or later, the people will rise and people power will bring Hun Sen down," Vanna Hay said. "They will collapse soon by their own sin they made."(Updates with government comment in 12th paragraph)To contact the reporter on this story: Philip J. Heijmans in Singapore at pheijmans1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Daniel Ten KateFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| State Department Watchdog: Brian Hook, Others Punished Staffer Over Iranian Heritage Posted: 13 Nov 2019 03:15 PM PST  GettyA long-awaited State Department watchdog report will find that the Trump administration's point man on Iran, among other officials, retaliated against an agency employee in part because of her Iranian-American background, two knowledgeable sources told The Daily Beast.The Daily Beast has previously reported that the State Department inspector general's office was prepared to suggest disciplinary action for Brian Hook for political retaliation against employees in his policy planning office, including a career department official and Iran expert, Sahar Nowrouzzadeh. But the inspector general's report, set for release on Thursday in between the first two public hearings in the impeachment of the president, found that top State Department officials, including Hook, retaliated against Nowrouzzadeh in part because she is Iranian. Politico first reported the finding.The allegation derives from a cache of emails that show officials within Hook's policy planning office and other departments talking about Nowrouzzadeh's background ahead of the premature end of her detail to the prestigious office. Some of those emails, previously reported by The Daily Beast, described Nowrouzzadeh as being among "Obama/Clinton loyalists not at all supportive of President Trump's agenda." And one official falsely suggests that Nowrouzzadeh was born in Iran.He's Trump's Point Man on Iran—and Under InvestigationHook has vociferously denied retaliating in 2017 against Nowrouzzadeh based on her heritage. Neither Hook nor the State Department immediately responded to a request for comment.The State Department IG's office has for months held onto its report for final review before sending it to Capitol Hill. Two individuals with knowledge of the report's drafting told The Daily Beast that the report was originally due for public release sometime over the summer. The IG's office picked up the investigation into Hook and other State Department officials for their perceived political retaliations after multiple whistleblowers approached lawmakers on the Hill about their experiences working on the policy planning team under Hook.The release of the report comes at a time when the State Department is under the microscope by investigators on Capitol Hill looking into how officials in Foggy Bottom worked to convince Ukraine to open up specific investigations in exchange for a presidential White House visit and the delivery of U.S. military aid. And multiple impeachment witnesses have criticized Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's treatment of career diplomats. The details provided in the inspector general's report about Hook can only serve to further undermine the department's credibility in the way it conducts foreign policy. In a different case, however, the inspector general did not find political retaliation. Ian Moss, a State Department official who served in the office for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility during the Obama administration, began the Trump administration on a detail to the White House's National Security Council. Moss' performance evaluations were consistently laudatory. By the time Moss returned to State later in 2017, he entered an atmosphere where chief deputies to then-Secretary Rex Tillerson were assessing the department's political leanings based in part on officials' association with Obama administration priorities— such as closing Guantanamo. Moss found himself reassigned to the Freedom-of-Information Act office, from which he launched a retaliation claim first reported by CNN. State IG Set to Recommend Discipline for Trump's Top Iran HandAmong the evidence the inspector general collected is an email between Kirstjen Nielsen, then the deputy White House chief of staff, discussing Moss with Tillerson's chief of staff Margaret Peterlin. The email chain concludes with an exhortation to continue the conversation over the phone. Yet the inspector general stopped short of assessing that Moss was the victim of political reprisal. Moss, formerly a U.S. Marine, told The Daily Beast the inspector general's findings in his case are a "pathetic whitewash." "While they were targeting experienced career officials on account of their ethnicities and on account of perceived political affiliation, they were hiring C-list YouTubers and wine bloggers," Moss said. "It is hard to find evidence when you don't even bother to interview witnesses and deliberately choose not to follow glaring leads. [State Department Inspector General Steve] Linick has no honor." Moss put the saga of political retaliation at the State Department in the context of Trump's impeachment. Over a half-dozen witnesses from the State Department, NSC, and elsewhere in the government have told the House impeachment inquiry about a shadow foreign policy to Ukraine run by Rudy Giuliani, Ukraine special envoy Kurt Volker and Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland. Those witnesses, typically career or long-experienced diplomats, have said this shadow effort was designed to benefit Trump rather than the United States and routed around those most expert in Ukraine because of their perceived disloyalty. Moss considers his and others' experience in 2017 to have been a harbinger for the apparently highly parochial shadow initiative. "This is what happens when you let nefarious behavior go unchecked," he told The Daily Beast. Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Germany, France, UK, condemn North Korean missile launches Posted: 13 Nov 2019 02:43 PM PST  Germany, France and Britain on Wednesday strongly condemned the dozen sets of ballistic missile launches by North Korea since May and urged Pyongyang to engage in "meaningful negotiations" with the United States on its nuclear and missile programs. The three European countries said the tests, "including what appears to be a medium-range missile launched from underwater," undermine regional security and violate unanimously adopted Security Council resolutions.
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| Dazed and confused at the Democrats' impeachment hearing Posted: 13 Nov 2019 02:12 PM PST ![Dazed and confused at the Democrats' impeachment hearing]( "Dazed and confused at the Democrats' impeachment hearing") The best thing that can be said about Wednesday's impeachment hearing is that at least some people got to drink because of it. The bars in Washington were open early, and members of my profession were able to conduct themselves much as they had in happier times.I do wonder what George Kent had inside that water bottle. The bow-tied deputy assistant secretary of state doesn't strike me as the day-drinking type, but you never know. He spent most of the morning sounding like an over-eager president of the George Washington University Model United Nations addressing his peers at an invitation-only conference in Cambridge, but by about 2 p.m. he looked like a broken man.Who can blame him? Wednesday was a confused and confusing slog for everyone involved. On balance, I would say that the Democrats had a slightly worse day, but only because the contest was unequal. This was supposed to be their chance to sell the American people on impeachment, while all the GOP members had to do was The hearing was televised a la Watergate, and Adam Schiff was supposed to be in his element pretending to be a character from The West Wing.The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee reminded us why he never made it as a screenwriter. With a few exceptions -- the miniature speech from counsel about "quid pro quo, bribery, extortion, abuse of power of the office of the presidency" -- he allowed his members to get bogged down in the details of a narrative that almost no one in the room has mastered. The long-winded summaries from both witnesses of the ever-evolving state of relations between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia in the post-Soviet era served mainly to underscore the fact that President Trump has taken Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggressive policies much more seriously than his predecessor ever did. It is difficult to argue that the president is guilty of a hideous crime because he seems to have considered withholding aid that Barack Obama was never willing to offer in the first place.One sentence in the testimony of William Taylor, the interim charge d'affaires in Ukraine, is being called "a significant new development" and even a "bombshell." I would be lying if I said I understood its significance vis-a-vis all the other third-hand conversations upon which the serious charges against the president are supposed to rest. Taylor was apparently told that a certain unnamed "staffer" heard Gordon Sondland, the ambassador to the European Union, talking to Trump about unspecified "investigations," presumably a reference to the abortive probe of the Biden family's activities in Ukraine. This is supposed to have taken place the day after the president's infamous phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.Phew. That summary is longer than the actual account Taylor himself gave. If it meaningfully alters your understanding of the underlying issue -- whether Trump did anything wrong -- then you probably belong to the small class of dedicated observers who already know that the anonymous staffer is likely a man named Donald Holmes. But the point of these hearings was to present unambiguous evidence of wrongdoing to the American people, not to confuse them with (in this case literal) games of telephone involving an entire phone book's worth of names.Republicans understood all of this perfectly. If you had asked me on Wednesday morning whether it was still worth it for the GOP to bang on about chronology, I would have said no. But Jim Jordan, on loan from the Judiciary Committee, turned the messiness to his advantage: "We have six people having four conversations in one sentence, and you just told me this is where you got your clear understanding?" he said in response to Taylor's allegedly epoch-making revelation. If there is one exchange from the hearing that could work on its own as a soundbite, it must be this one.This is not to suggest that members of both parties did not find ways to embarrass themselves. When Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) yelled "Fine!" after being procedurally outmaneuvered by the chairman, he sounded like a 15-year-old boy who is totally not mad about being grounded. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) might have been making an interesting formal argument about epistemology when he claimed that "Hearsay can be much better evidence than direct," but for some reason I doubt it. For me the star of the hearing was Rep. Teri Sewell (D-Ala.) who referred to the suddenly all-important Eurasian republic with a definite article. I say this not just because I like old-fashioned place names but because referring to Ukraine in a manner that suggests it is really just Russia's southwest border undercuts the major premise of both parties -- namely, that taking Kyiv's side against Putin is a top priority of American foreign policy. If you want proof that national security is epiphenomenal in relation to partisan bickering, look no further.What about Trump himself, who has insisted that he would not be watching any of the hearings? At his press conference after the end of proceedings, he sounded unusually winded. Is it possible to tweet till you are out of breath? Whatever he was worked up about, it certainly wasn't the prospect of being removed from office by his own party, a never likely possibility that now looks more remote than it has at any point since September.More stories from theweek.com The coming death of just about every rock legend The president has already confessed to his crimes Why are 2020 Democrats so weird?
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| U.S. Congress panel leader reports slow progress negotiating 2020 Pentagon budget Posted: 13 Nov 2019 02:08 PM PST ![U.S. Congress panel leader reports slow progress negotiating 2020 Pentagon budget]( "U.S. Congress panel leader reports slow progress negotiating 2020 Pentagon budget") U.S. legislators are making slow progress negotiating the bill that will set spending policy for the Department of Defense in 2020, the head of the U.S. House of Representatives Armed Services Committee said on Wednesday. The Democratic-majority House and the Republican-controlled Senate have each passed their own versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets spending policy. Negotiations to reach a compromise between the House and Senate versions of the bill have been under way since September https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-spending/border-wall-iran-space-force-among-hurdles-for-700-billion-u-s-defense-bill-idUSKBN1W42XL, but have progressed slowly, Smith said, citing several canceled meetings with Republicans.
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| Electric Cars and Floods Stall Johnson’s U.K. Election Drive Posted: 13 Nov 2019 01:30 PM PST ![Electric Cars and Floods Stall Johnson's U.K. Election Drive]( "Electric Cars and Floods Stall Johnson's U.K. Election Drive") (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson found himself arguing that Britain's future was in making electric cars, just as Tesla announced they'd chosen Germany to build a factory over the U.K. He's having that sort of campaign.The prime minister had started the day visiting flood victims in Northern England. They weren't as pleased to see him as he might have hoped. "What more can we do?" he asked one woman. "It's a little bit too late now," she replied.Burned by their disastrous 2017 election under Theresa May, the Conservatives chose Johnson as their leader partly because they felt he was a winner, a superstar politician who enjoyed the campaign trail. But on Wednesday, he didn't look like he was having much fun.It would be dangerous to read too much into this: It's still a month until polling day, and every poll has the Conservatives comfortably ahead. Johnson is also ahead of opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on questions about who would make the best prime minister.As Britain Votes, Your Enemy's Enemy Is Your Friend: QuickTakeBut anyone looking for things to worry about in Johnson's performance could find them. There was the way that he was standing in an electric car factory, making a speech about how Britain was going to lead a technology revolution, on a day when Elon Musk had explained that the uncertainty around Brexit made it "too risky" for Tesla Inc. to build a factory in the U.K.Then there was the speech itself. One of the prime minister's officials said privately they'd accepted that getting other people to write his speeches is a waste of time – he simply rewrites them afterward.But that is a time-consuming process for a man with a country to run and a campaign to fight.The result can seem confused. For his speech, at an electric taxi factory near Coventry, central England, Johnson had a series of announcements to make about his plans for a revolution in British science. They included:An Advanced Research Projects Agency, modeled on the U.S. Department of Defense's science wingAn increase in the target for wind-generated electricityInvestment in carbon capture and storage infrastructureInvestment in electric vehicle charging points, so no one in England and Wales is more than 30 miles from a charge pointJohnson failed to mention any of them in his speech. The information was handed out afterward by his staff.None of this may matter. Johnson has long played politics by a different set of rules from the rest of the world, and it's taken him to the top. His team is counting on that run continuing. They're also sure that, faced with a choice between Johnson and Corbyn, enough voters will choose the Tory leader.That's why they've agreed to head-to-head televised debates, the first of which takes place Nov. 19.Election debates are a relative novelty in the U.K., introduced in 2010, and repeated in different forms at subsequent elections. The problem arranging them is usually getting the parties to agree to the format. Debates are a zero-sum game, and if one of the two main parties -- Labour and the Conservatives -- thinks it can benefit, the other side usually refuses.The ease with which this year's debates were agreed stems from the fact that both the Tories and Labour think their candidate will look better for standing next to the other man. It's likely that one of them is mistaken.To contact the reporter on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, ;Flavia Krause-Jackson at fjackson@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Egypt says looting attempt causes oil pipeline fire; 7 dead Posted: 13 Nov 2019 01:26 PM PST ![Egypt says looting attempt causes oil pipeline fire; 7 dead]( "Egypt says looting attempt causes oil pipeline fire; 7 dead") A pipeline for oil products caught fire Wednesday when thieves tried to tap into it to siphon off gasoline in the Nile Delta province of Beheira, and at least seven people were killed, Egyptian officials said. The looters caused a leak when they tapped into the pipeline, spilling gasoline into the nearby area, including down a drain, Egypt's petroleum ministry said. The fuel then caught fire, it said.
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| Bill Taylor Reveals New Trump Call on Ukraine: Impeachment Takeaways Posted: 13 Nov 2019 01:09 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Two State Department officials responsible for U.S. policy in Ukraine testified Wednesday in a House impeachment hearing, giving the public its first live, televised look at the evidence against President Donald Trump.Ambassador William Taylor and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent answered questions from Democratic and Republican staff and members of the House Intelligence Committee for several hours.Neither were on the July 25 phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy that is at the center of the impeachment inquiry.These are the key takeaways from the hearing so far:Taylor reveals newly disclosed Trump exchange on UkraineTaylor, the acting ambassador to Ukraine, testified about a previously undisclosed exchange between Trump and Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, on July 26 — the day after the Trump-Zelenskiy call. Taylor said he learned of Sondland's conversation with Trump only last week from an embassy staffer.According to Taylor's account, Sondland called Trump by mobile phone from a Kyiv restaurant where U.S. officials were dining after meeting with Zelenskiy. Trump was speaking so loudly that one of Taylor's staff members could hear both sides of the call.The staffer said Trump asked Sondland about "the investigations." Taylor understood that term as referring to Trump's request that Zelenskiy investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and Burisma Holdings, an energy company on whose board Hunter Biden served.Sondland responded that the Ukrainians were ready to move forward.Taylor said his staff member asked Sondland what Trump thought about Ukraine."Ambassador Sondland responded that President Trump cares more about the investigations of Biden, which Giuliani was pressing for," Taylor said.Diplomats uncomfortable with Giuliani's 'irregular' channelBoth diplomats were deeply skeptical of the role Rudy Giuliani — the former New York mayor and Trump's personal lawyer — was playing in Ukraine policy."In mid-August, it became clear to me that Giuliani's efforts to gin up politically motivated investigations were now infecting U.S. engagement with Ukraine, leveraging President Zelenskiy's desire for a White House meeting," Kent said.Kent said Giuliani was engaged in an effort to "smear" the former ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, and other U.S. diplomats.Taylor said he realized in July that there was an "irregular policy channel" guided by Giuliani working to condition a White House meeting on Ukrainian investigations of the Bidens and the 2016 U.S. elections.Both men said Giuliani was pushing Trump's political interests."I believe he was looking to dig up political dirt against a potential rival in the next election cycle," Kent said."I agree with Mr. Kent," Taylor said.Republicans push back on 'fourth-hand rumors'Republicans defending Trump presented a variety of procedural and substantive arguments against the Democratic-led impeachment inquiry.Devin Nunes, the top Republican on the intelligence committee, said the witnesses' testimony was "typically based on second-hand, third-hand, and even fourth-hand rumors and innuendo."Nunes said the diplomats were "remarkably uninformed" about Trump's theory that it was Ukraine — not Russia — that sought to interfere in the 2016 election. That gave Trump good reason to send Giuliani to Ukraine to investigate, he said.But at times, Republicans resorted to arguing that Trump's use of his personal lawyer to conduct Ukraine policy was unusual but not impeachable."In fairness, this irregular channel of diplomacy, it's not as outlandish as it could be, is that correct?" said Steve Castor, the attorney handling questioning for the Republicans."It's not as outlandish as it could be," Taylor said, laughing. "I agree with that."Witnesses explain why withholding of aid was 'alarming'Both witnesses conceded that they hadn't spoken to Trump — or even Giuliani — and so could not testify directly about Trump's aims in withholding aid.But they were able to testify from the front lines of diplomacy about the importance that the new Ukrainian government placed on American support. Zelenskiy, who had just formed a government when he spoke to Trump, wanted a meeting in order to convey legitimacy and give him leverage against Russian President Vladimir Putin, they said."It's one thing to try to leverage a meeting in the White House," Taylor said. "It's another thing, I thought, to leverage security assistance, security assistance to a country at war dependent on both the security assistance and the demonstration of support."Security assistance was much more alarming," he said.But Republicans countered that there was no harm because the aid was eventually released."Two facts," said Representative Elise Stefanik of New York. "Number one, Ukraine received the aid. Number two, there was no investigation."(Updates with new item.)To contact the reporter on this story: Gregory Korte in Washington at gkorte@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wendy Benjaminson at wbenjaminson@bloomberg.net, John HarneyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| GBP/USD Forecast: Unable To Attract Investors, Neutral Above 1.2800 Posted: 13 Nov 2019 01:02 PM PST ![GBP/USD Forecast: Unable To Attract Investors, Neutral Above 1.2800]( "GBP/USD Forecast: Unable To Attract Investors, Neutral Above 1.2800") GBP/USD Current Price: 1.2839 UK inflation came in below the market's expectations in October. Conservatives keep leading polls, underpinning hopes for a deal Brexit. GBP/USD unable to attract investors, ...
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| Listen To An Exclusive Excerpt From Greta Thunberg’s New Book Posted: 13 Nov 2019 12:00 PM PST  Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks to AFP during an interview aboard La Vagabonde, the boat she will be taking to return to Europe, in Hampton, Virginia, on November 12, 2019. – Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg said November 12, 2019 that US President Donald Trump's climate change denialism was "so extreme" that it had helped galvanize the movement to halt long term planetary warming. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)Greta Thunberg, despite her short career as a climate-change activist, is a masterful speech-maker. During the past year, she has traveled around the world making speeches everywhere from the U.N. to Capitol Hill to various street protests that have made grownups quake in their shoes.With the release of her new book No One Is Too Small to Make A Difference this week, you'll be able to read a collection of the 16-year-old climate activist's public addresses in one place. And courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio, we have exclusive audio excerpts from the book so you can hear her speeches in her own voice. In the first one, Thunberg addresses the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland, on December 15, 2018. She excoriates the adults in the room: "You only speak of green eternal economic growth because you are too scared of being unpopular. You only talk about moving forward with the same bad ideas that got us into this mess, even when the only sensible thing to do is to pull the emergency brake. You are not mature enough to tell it like it is."In the second one, Saskia Maarleveld, an award-winning audiobook narrator (whose voice you may recognize from the whistleblower statement), reads Thunberg's speech — the famous one she ends with "We are the change, and change is coming" — from the Global Climate Strike in Montreal on September 27, 2019."They say, 'Let children be children,'" Thunberg said to a crowd of at least 500,000. "We agree. Let us be children. Do your part. Communicate these kinds of numbers instead of leaving that responsibility to us. Then we can go back to 'being children.'"Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Here's Why Greta Thunberg Just Rejected An AwardGreta Thunberg & Gen Z's Quest To Save The WorldHow To Join The Fight Against Climate Change
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| Iraq protests swell as UN presses Baghdad to 'step up' Posted: 13 Nov 2019 11:31 AM PST  Iraqi officials must "step up" to respond to mass demonstrations, the UN representative in Baghdad told AFP on Wednesday as anti-government rallies swelled in Iraq's capital and the country's south. Protests demanding an overhaul of the political system have rocked Baghdad and the Shiite-majority south for weeks -- the crowds unmoved by government pledges of reform and undeterred by the deaths of more than 300 demonstrators. Washington and the United Nations have called on the government to respond seriously to the protests, with the world body's representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert saying the country's authorities must "step up to the plate and make things happen".
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| Esper: US could alter military drills to boost NKorea talks Posted: 13 Nov 2019 11:21 AM PST  JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. (AP) — Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that he is open to the possibility of altering American military activities in South Korea if it would help advance a diplomatic deal with North Korea to eliminate its nuclear program. In an interview with reporters flying with him to Seoul, Esper said any changes in military exercises or training would be done in ways that did not jeopardize troops' combat preparedness. The U.S. and South Korea already scaled back their 2018 and 2019 military exercises in the hope that it would help move North Korea toward agreement to give up its nuclear weapons.
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| AP Explains: Lebanon’s protests could head into dark turn Posted: 13 Nov 2019 10:57 AM PST  For nearly a month, the popular protests engulfing Lebanon have been startlingly peaceful. The protests exploded into the streets on Oct. 17 in response to new proposed taxes and quickly evolved into an unprecedented nationwide uprising against the country's entire political leadership. Protesters demand all those politicians go, blaming them for decades of systematic corruption that has left the Mediterranean country on the brink of economic and financial disaster.
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| Twitter Users Burn Eric Trump For Calling Impeachment Hearing 'Boring' Posted: 13 Nov 2019 10:55 AM PST  One Twitter user suggested the reason the president's son finds the hearing dull is because "extortion and being a traitor for Putin" is an everyday thing for a Trump.
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| Morales Exit Throws Political Hand Grenade Into Latin America Posted: 13 Nov 2019 10:46 AM PST ![Morales Exit Throws Political Hand Grenade Into Latin America]( "Morales Exit Throws Political Hand Grenade Into Latin America") (Bloomberg) -- The toppling of a socialist icon is creating shock waves from Buenos Aires to Washington and pitting Latin American governments against each other.Mexico, which only recently pledged to stay out of the affairs of other countries, thrust itself into Bolivia's crisis by granting asylum to former president Evo Morales. Argentina's president-elect Alberto Fernandez joined Mexico in supporting Morales, saying he'd been the victim of a coup. Predictably, Venezuela and Cuba have both slammed his treatment.But U.S. allies Brazil and Colombia have been guarded, with President Donald Trump saying Morales's departure strengthened democracy in the region and his government moving to recognize self-appointed successor, Senator Jeanine Anez. Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, said Morales was at fault for trying to hang onto power via electoral fraud.The reactions reflect the broader differences between socialist and conservative leaders in a region where the military has at times played a significant role. That means there's little inclination to find a unified response for their neighbor, even as Bolivia remains beset by violence and there's no clear path yet toward fresh elections.Some nations are just simply preoccupied with their own problems. Mass protests have taken a turn for the worse in Chile, where President Sebastian Pinera has faced weeks of unrest."Every country is basically using the crisis to mobilize its base," said Oliver Stuenkel, professor of international relations at Fundacao Getulio Vargas in Sao Paulo. "The left-wing governments say it's a coup, the right wing governments say it's a victory for democracy, so there's basically no leadership."How Evo Morales Fell and Plunged Bolivia Into Chaos: QuickTakeMorales' exit has allowed Mexico to take a stance that distances the country from Trump. The calculation is that Bolivia is not a top policy issue for the White House right now and that a more assertive foreign policy will elevate Mexico's status in the region."Our good relationship with the U.S. shouldn't be based on submission but on respect and the coexistence of two distinct ideas," said Marcelo Ebrard, the foreign affairs minister who's seen as a probable contender for the 2024 presidential election.Mexico has a long tradition of granting asylum to foreign leaders, from Leon Trotsky to the Shah of Iran. It justified the decision on the grounds Morales' life was at risk. That's even as Morales used his refugee status as a platform to attack his rivals at home. "As long as I am alive, the fight continues", Morales said at Mexico City's airport, minutes after landing.The move also potentially provides a distraction from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's domestic problems and could play well with his base, which includes a strongly left-wing group. While his popularity remains high, he has taken a hit from the inability to control violent drug gangs that run wild in large swathes of the country."This also helps Ebrard to position himself as regional leader and improves his standing within his party," said Daniel Kerner, Eurasia Group's managing director for Latin America.That said, giving Morales refuge has received some criticism domestically. Asylum should have been requested by him, not offered by the government, said Andres Rozental, a former Mexico deputy foreign minister.Asylum is granted "by those being politically persecuted, not politicians that scoff at the constitutional democracy of their country, force a re-election and commit electoral fraud," Rozental said. Mexico's foreign ministry didn't reply to a request for comment.Argentina ChangesMeanwhile, Fernandez, who takes office in Argentina on Dec. 10, criticized Trump's anti-Morales statement, saying U.S. foreign policy had regressed to supporting military interventions. That could put him on the wrong foot early in a bilateral relationship that is key for Argentina's economic success.Read More: Senator Brandishing Giant Bible Takes Over Bolivia PresidencyOnce Fernandez takes office he'll have to negotiate Argentina's $56 billion credit line with the Washington-based International Monetary Fund. The U.S. government is the IMF's largest financier.A U.S. State Department spokesperson said while the two nations differ on the characterization of events in Bolivia, all democracies should support fundamental principles throughout the Americas including the rule of law.Fernandez may also face claims that he's attempting to use Bolivia to distract from questions at home about when he will roll out his economic policies. An official close to him described the incoming leader's focus on Bolivia as natural given the magnitude of the crisis there.Some analysts noted that Fernandez is part of a longstanding political movement, Peronism, which historically believed that criticizing a nation on one matter shouldn't affect broader ties."They don't realize that what happens on one issue has an affect on the other," said Juan Negri, a political science professor at Torcuato Di Tella University in Buenos Aires. "The U.S. doesn't work like that -- that power is fungible and all these issues are interconnected, the U.S. sees it as a complete relationship."Brasilia WatchesThe rapport between Mexico and the incoming Argentine government is being closely watched by the right-wing administration of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, the region's largest economy. Both Bolsonaro and Fernandez haven't hidden their ideological differences and Bolivia could become another sticking point in ties. Brazil was swift to recognize Anez as Bolivian president.In Brasilia, officials warn that Fernandez's foreign policy direction might have economic consequences for a country which has Brazil as its top trading partner. Meanwhile Mexico's more active role is a "media attention" move amid Lopez Obrador's domestic problems, said one.Venezuela, the person said, will remain the keystone of political differences in the region.Then there's the question of Bolivia itself. If the opposition manages to hold power, it could find itself aligning closer to the U.S. and moving away from traditional left-wing friends.And something similar may happen in Uruguay, where some polls put center-right candidate Luis Lacalle Pou ahead on the Nov. 24 runoff, which if confirmed would put an end to 15 years of rule by the left-wing Broad Front.\--With assistance from Nacha Cattan, Samy Adghirni, Patrick Gillespie, Jorgelina do Rosario and Eric Martin.To contact the reporter on this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto in Mexico City at jspinetto@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net, Matthew BristowFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iraqi protesters defiant in face of deadly crackdown Posted: 13 Nov 2019 10:09 AM PST  Iraqi protesters said Wednesday that an intensifying crackdown by authorities has been instilling fear and reducing turnout, but said they were remaining defiant and have called for people to return to the street in large numbers later this week. Protesters told The Associated Press that many felt intimidated by cases of disappearances and arbitrary arrests and had stopped showing up to demonstrations, fearful of retaliation. "The government is working for itself and not for the people," said Duraid Salman, 37, an Iraqi baker who has been camped out in Tahrir Square since Oct. 25.
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| Switzerland OKs linkup with EU’s emissions trading system Posted: 13 Nov 2019 09:48 AM PST ![Switzerland OKs linkup with EU's emissions trading system]( "Switzerland OKs linkup with EU's emissions trading system") Switzerland has approved a change to its environmental legislation allowing companies to take part in the European Union's emissions trading system. The measures agreed Wednesday mean that civil aviation and fossil fuel power stations will be included in the Swiss emissions trading system, as is already the case in the EU. Switzerland, which is surrounded by but not part of the EU, has numerous agreements to facilitate trade in goods and services with the 28-nation bloc.
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| Johnson Says Brexit Delay Holding Back Economy: U.K. Votes Posted: 13 Nov 2019 09:15 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Boris Johnson is back in campaign mode following a tricky visit to flood-hit areas of northern England, where his government's response was criticized by local residents. In a speech at the London Electrical Vehicle Factory in Coventry, the prime minister said getting Brexit done would trigger a wave of investment, and blamed Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party for the U.K.'s delayed departure from the European Union.Key Developments:Johnson said a government led by Corbyn would offer "dither, delay, discord, division"Corbyn said a Labour government would not allow a referendum on Scottish independence in its first termFormer Tory minister David Gauke urges voters not to back JohnsonCabinet minister Michael Gove says a majority Conservative government would get a free-trade agreement with the EU done by the end of the Brexit transition period in Dec. 2020Johnson Pledges Investment Boom After Brexit (5:05 p.m.)At a Coventry factory where China's Geely Automobile Holdings makes London taxis, Boris Johnson promised to boost research and development, including putting more money into electric car charging and offshore wind farms."We are seeing a new industrial revolution: a green industrial revolution," Johnson said in a speech. "Creating thousands of environmentally sustainable technologies and thousands of jobs. A glorious rebuttal to the skeptics who said it couldn't be done."Johnson said getting Brexit done would trigger a wave of investment into the U.K., and blamed Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party for forcing the government to delay Britain's departure from the European Union. He repeated some familiar attack lines, saying a Corbyn government offered only "dither and delay" and accused Labour of supporting a second referendum on Scottish independence next year -- something Corbyn denied earlier.Voters Quiz Johnson on Tory Funding Cuts (4:15 p.m.)During his visit to flood-hit areas of northern England, Boris Johnson has been meeting local residents -- and there have been some uncomfortable exchanges. In one clip posted by ITV, Johnson was asked about council funding cuts by his Conservative Party since the financial crisis."Are you going to put it back, what's been cut over austerity?" a woman asked. When Johnson started to reply about funds for flood relief, another resident interjected: "You're not answering the question.""We are increasing funding or councils, I don't know the exact figures," Johnson then said.The impact of almost a decade of austerity on local services in England was laid bare in a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies on Wednesday. With councils concentrating resources on the most needy residents, services including housing, planning, transport and culture have seen their budgets slashed in half since 2009-10.Brutal Cuts to U.K. Local Services Laid Bare as Austerity EndsJudge Blocks Postal Strike During Election (2:40 p.m.)A London judge blocked a potential strike by Royal Mail Plc workers during the peak Christmas holiday season, which this year includes the Dec. 12 general election. The Communication Workers Union members voted 97% in favor of action, but Royal Mail complained of "potential irregularities" in the ballot.The court's decision removes the risk that large numbers of postal votes could be caught up in strike action ahead of the general election.Brexit Cost U.K. Tesla's Gigafactory (2:30 p.m.)There was bad news for Boris Johnson's claim that Brexit will unleash commercial opportunities, as Elon Musk said Tesla Inc. has rejected the U.K. as "too risky" for its European gigafactory.The U.K. was once a candidate for the company's research and manufacturing facilities, Musk said as he announced he has opted for Germany instead. The uncertainty around the U.K. leaving the European Union made it far too risky a proposition, he told Auto Express.Corbyn: No Scottish Referendum in First Term (12:10 p.m.)Jeremy Corbyn said a Labour government would not allow a referendum on Scottish independence in its first term."No referendum in the first term for a Labour government because I think we need to concentrate completely on investment across Scotland," Corbyn said in pooled comments. "I'm very clear that a Labour government's priority is investment in Scotland."The issue is a key one because Boris Johnson's Conservatives have repeatedly said a vote for Corbyn means a vote for two referendums next year -- one on Brexit and one on Scottish independence.Lib Dems See Boost in Farage Pullback (11:45 a.m.)The Liberal Democrats are trying to cash in on Nigel Farage's decision to pull Brexit Party candidates out of Conservative-held seats.In an interview, party leader Jo Swinson said Farage's gambit makes it easier for her party to appeal to moderate Tory voters who are appalled by the association with the Brexit Party. She's also keen to remind voters that U.S. President Donald Trump urged Farage and Johnson to work together.Read more: U.K.'s Liberal Democrats See Opportunity in Brexit Party RetreatVoter to Johnson: Flood Aid 'Too Late Now' (10:15 a.m.)Boris Johnson's visit to flood-stricken areas of northern England has not yet produced the kind of footage the prime minister will have been hoping for.Walking around with reporters and TV cameras in tow, he asked a local woman: "What more can we do?""It's a little bit too late now," she replied, filming the encounter on her smartphone. Another voter declined to discuss the issue with Johnson, turning away when the premier approached.Speaking to Sky News, Johnson said there's "a lot more still to be done" to help areas affected by flooding, and to prevent recurrences.Labour Pledges 'Rescue Plan' for NHS (10 a.m.)The opposition Labour Party pledged to end what it described as a "crisis" in the state-run National Health Service with a funding boost of 26 billion pounds ($33.4 billion). The increase in health spending by an average 4.3% a year will be funded by higher taxes on businesses and the wealthiest taxpayers, Labour said in an emailed statement. The party said it represents 6 billion pounds more in real terms than the government announced last year."The world-class health service we all need and depend on needs proper funding," Labour's economy spokesman John McDonnell will say in a speech in London on Wednesday, according to the party. "Labour's policies to tax the richest in society and invest for the future through our Social Transformation Fund mean we will be able to improve millions of lives."Johnson to Vow to End Brexit 'Groundhoggery' (9:40 a.m.)In a speech later on Wednesday, Boris Johnson will vow to end the "groundhoggery" of Brexit if he wins a majority in the Dec. 12 election and "unleash Britain's potential" with a clean energy revolution."We can get out of the rut," Johnson will say, according to lines briefed by his office. A coalition formed by Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn and Nicola Sturgeon's Scottish National Party lies in wait for the U.K. if the Tories don't succeed, he'll say."The country can either move forwards with policies that will deliver years of growth and prosperity, or it can disappear into an intellectual cul-de-sac of far-left Corbynism," Johnson will say. "We can honor the wishes of the people, or else we can waste more time, at the cost of a billion pounds per month, and have two more referendums, one on Scotland and one on the EU -- an expense of spirit and a waste of shame, more political self-obsession and onanism."Gove: Tory Majority Only Way to Get Brexit Done (8:30 a.m.)Cabinet minister Michael Gove disputed David Gauke's assertion (see 7:30 a.m.) that voting for the Conservatives risked a hard split from the European Union. During his broadcast round, Gove told the BBC that Gauke was "precisely wrong" and said a parliamentary majority for the Tories would allow the government to deliver a free-trade agreement with the EU by the end of 2020."The only way we can get Brexit done and move on with the people's priorities, investing in policing and education, is by making sure that we have a functioning majority government," Gove said. He said politicians' warnings of a no-deal Brexit at the end of 2020 are attempts to "raise bogeys and make people's flesh creep."Gove also addressed the flooding in northern England that has rapidly become a key campaign issue. He said the government is releasing extra funds to help affected communities. "It's certainly an emergency and it deserves a national response."Gauke: A Vote for Johnson Means 'Hard Brexit' (7:30 a.m.)Former Tory Cabinet minister David Gauke urged voters not to support Boris Johnson, warning that "a Conservative majority after the next election will take us in the direction of a very hard Brexit." Gauke told BBC radio it's doubtful a free-trade deal with the European Union can be negotiated by Dec. 2020, when the Brexit transition period is due to end."I think in reality the prime minister is so boxed in that the Conservative Party would not allow him to extend the implementation period even if he wanted to -- and he shows no signs of wanting to do so," said Gauke, who plans to stand as an independent candidate.Gauke also said he's "impressed" by Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson. "I think if I was living in a lot of constituencies, I would lend my vote to the Liberal Democrats."Earlier:Johnson Asks Troops to Fight Floods as Weather Hits U.K. BallotU.K. Recent Election Polls Summary: Conservative 40%, Labour 29%Brexit Bulletin: Johnson Told He Can't Avoid EU ResponsibilitiesJohnson Aims Not to Be Swept Away By Floods: U.K. Campaign TrailTo contact the reporters on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net;Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@bloomberg.net;Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Iraq officials must 'step up' to enact reforms: UN envoy to AFP Posted: 13 Nov 2019 09:11 AM PST  Iraqi officials must ramp up their response to mass demonstrations demanding an overhaul of the political system, the United Nations' representative in Baghdad told AFP in an exclusive interview Wednesday. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, who heads the UN's Iraq mission (UNAMI), said the country's authorities must "step up to the plate and make things happen". The UN has put forward a phased roadmap, backed by the country's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, calling for an immediate end to violence, electoral reform and anti-graft measures within two weeks.
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| Guaido Allies Leave Venezuela Embassy in Brazil After Stand-Off Posted: 13 Nov 2019 09:01 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido entered the country's embassy in Brasilia on Wednesday, a move coinciding with the arrival of Russian and Chinese leaders for an international summit.Freddy Meregote, the embassy's charge d'affaires representing the government of Nicolas Maduro, said in an interview that the embassy was "invaded" and asked the Brazilian government to provide protection. Guaido representative Maria Teresa Belandria said in a statement that a group of embassy workers defected, recognized Guaido as president and opened the doors of the building.Tensions flared as leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Brasilia for a summit of the world's largest emerging markets, known as the BRICS. While Russia and China continue to back Maduro, Brazil is the only BRICS member and one of the roughly 50 nations worldwide that recognizes the opposition leader as Venezuela's rightful head of state. Still, Guaido's efforts to remove Maduro have stalled after a botched uprising in April.Read more: Brazil to Urge Emerging Market Peers to Review Venezuelan TiesMeregote said he sought help from leftist lawmakers and members of social organizations. Paulo Pimenta, a deputy for the Workers' Party, came to the embassy to aid Maduro's envoy as dozens of supporters of Guaido and Maduro exchanged insults outside the building.Guaido supporters entered the embassy at around 4:00 a.m. local time. Pro-Maduro diplomats living at the site say their families are at risk.A representative from Brazil's Foreign Affairs Ministry is on the grounds and speaking with both sides. Brazilian police have also gathered at the entrance of the embassy, but have not gone inside.Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro said he "condemned the interference from external actors" at the embassy in a Facebook post that had been reworded after describing the act as an invasion. "We are taking necessary measures to protect public order and avoid acts of violence."The meeting of the BRICS heads of state is taking place Nov. 13-14 in Brasilia.(Updates with comments from Jair Bolsonaro.)\--With assistance from Mario Sergio Lima.To contact the reporter on this story: Samy Adghirni in Brasilia Newsroom at sadghirni@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Matthew Malinowski, Patricia LayaFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UN: $1.35 billion needed to respond to Venezuela exodus Posted: 13 Nov 2019 08:51 AM PST ![UN: $1.35 billion needed to respond to Venezuela exodus]( "UN: $1.35 billion needed to respond to Venezuela exodus") The U.N. refugee agency says nations in Latin America and the Caribbean will need $1.35 billion to respond to the massive exodus of Venezuelans. An estimated 4.6 million Venezuelans have now fled their crisis-torn country, testing neighboring countries where most are arriving. The U.N. warns that if current trends continue, 6.5 million Venezuelans could be living outside the country by the end of 2020.
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| UPDATE 1-Sterling steady as hopes of Conservative election win overshadow weak data Posted: 13 Nov 2019 08:20 AM PST ![UPDATE 1-Sterling steady as hopes of Conservative election win overshadow weak data]( "UPDATE 1-Sterling steady as hopes of Conservative election win overshadow weak data") The pound traded stable on Wednesday as weak economic data, which should hurt sterling, were more than offset by supportive political developments in Britain. The pound however continued to derive support from Monday's news that in the Dec. 12 general election the Brexit Party will not contest seats the Conservative Party won at the last election in 2017. The move appeared to increase the chance that Boris Johnson would remain as prime minister to implement his deal to take Britain out of the European Union.
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| UPDATE 3-BRICS leaders rail against 'bullying' protectionism Posted: 13 Nov 2019 08:05 AM PST ![UPDATE 3-BRICS leaders rail against 'bullying' protectionism]( "UPDATE 3-BRICS leaders rail against 'bullying' protectionism") Leaders of the BRICS group of emerging economies on Wednesday criticized what they view as politically motivated protectionism at a time of a global slowdown and said their countries are doing their best to counter the trend. At their annual summit, the leaders of China, Russia, India, Brazil and South Africa called for greater inter-BRICS trade and investment and urged the group's New Development Bank to pump more funding into infrastructure and sustainable growth. "Protectionist and bullying counter-currents bring shocks to international trade, adding to downward pressure on the world economy," Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose country is locked in a trade war with the United States, told the summit in Brazil.
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| Skeletons Exit Closet in U.K. Social Media Election Shakedown Posted: 13 Nov 2019 07:40 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- It's been a decade since unwise social media posts began destroying political candidates' fledgling careers, but the evidence in Britain is that the lesson hasn't yet been learned.Prime Minister Boris Johnson's snap general election has meant political parties have spent the past few weeks rushing to select candidates for each of the 650 parliamentary seats that are up for grabs. In theory, this is supposed to be done from lists of wannabes whose pasts have already been carefully screened for unwise outbursts on Twitter and Facebook.That hasn't been how it's worked out. Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and Brexit Party have all been forced to defend -- or boot out -- people over past comments.The election campaign has only being going a week, but long-standing allegations of anti-Semitism in Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party and Islamophobia among Johnson's Tories have led to a higher level of candidate scrutiny and the clatter of social media skeletons falling from closets.A Labour candidate in Scotland stood down after a blog emerged in which she compared Israel to an abused child. But another is still representing the party after she apologized over tweets from five years ago saying she would celebrate the deaths of former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.A Tory contender in northern England quit after a historic social media post emerged in which he referred to the U.K. capital as "Londonistan," while another post from 2010 suggested Libyan dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi could hide in Bradford, a northern city with a large Asian population.In Essex, east of London, a Liberal Democrat was also forced to stand aside due to racist and homophobic language in tweets between 2009-10.Even so, it's not always racism or sexism that leads to candidates getting the boot. According to the Yorkshire Post, a Brexit Party candidate was taken off the ballot after social media posts revealed she believed aliens are in league with world governments and she comes from the star Sirius.\--With assistance from Robert Hutton.To contact the reporter on this story: Kitty Donaldson in London at kdonaldson1@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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| The IEA’s New Energy Outlook Comforts No One Posted: 13 Nov 2019 07:28 AM PST  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The International Energy Agency would like you to know it is not in the business of making predictions:The WEO [World Energy Outlook] analyses the choices that will shape our energy use, our environment and our wellbeing. It is not, and has never been, a forecast of where the energy world will end up.That the IEA feels the need to put that high in the foreword to its latest long-term energy outlook gets at the problem: To a large degree, it doesn't matter that it isn't prophesying. Because of the IEA's stature and the fact that not many institutions have the inclination or funding to maintain detailed models of global energy supply and demand — plus our species' preference to just reach for ready-made statistics — the World Energy Outlook tends to be treated as a reference work rather than a mere thinking aid. That isn't the IEA's fault; it's just what happens.Hence, back in April, a group of investment funds, scientific institutions and think tanks wrote a letter to the IEA demanding the WEO more explicitly map out scenarios consistent with the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting the rise in temperature associated with climate change (see this). The IEA has met them partway. The old central scenario called "New Policies" has been renamed "Stated Policies," capturing the impact of policy makers' plans rather than assumed improvements. The more ambitious "Sustainable Development Scenario," or SDS, gets more weighting in this edition, while the "Current Policies Scenario" — the embrace-the-fires-and-floods scenario — gets demoted.The central criticism of the WEO is that it doesn't make a scenario with a good chance of limiting the world's temperature increase from pre-industrial levels to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) its central case. The secondary SDS, which the IEA characterizes as being in line with the Paris Agreement, comes much closer than the Stated Policies case. However, while it is consistent with modeled pathways that limit warming below 2 degrees Celsius, it still implies overshooting the 1.5 degree target. Avoiding that would mean getting to net-zero emissions by 2050, according to last year's special report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.The SDS instead effectively relies on the deployment of carbon sequestration beyond 2050 to correct the overshoot, with the IEA pointing out that many of the pathways surveyed by the IPCC do the same thing. As for getting to net-zero emissions by 2050 without relying on sequestration, the IEA's language is skeptical, to say the least:The additional changes involved would pose challenges that would be very difficult and very expensive to surmount. This is not something that is within the power of the energy sector alone to deliver. It would be a task for society as a whole, and likely involve widespread behavioural changes.The IEA is correct: Getting to a net-zero energy system without sucking enormous quantities of carbon dioxide out of the air within the next 30 years is a gargantuan task. Given this, however, surely it would be worthwhile spelling that out in detail rather than condensing it into a qualitative statement?As I wrote here, we should reframe the way we think about dealing with climate change, away from pure "cost" toward a holistic view of investments and rewards — just as we do, in a flawed way, with our current energy systems. After all, the Stated Policies — and, especially, the Current Policies — scenarios would come with enormous costs of their own, in the form of a degraded environment. And both the IEA and the IPCC acknowledge that carbon sequestration technologies are, at scale, both unproven and potentially unsustainable in their own ways in terms of, for example, land requirements. Scenarios are, as the IEA reminds us up front, just that, so showing one that may seem unrealistic in a different way from the lack of realism informing our current path couldn't hurt.It is tempting to view the WEO as a comfort blanket for fossil-fuel interests, but it would be shallow indeed for energy's incumbents to see it that way. Yes, the Stated Policies Scenario foresees continued dominance by fossil fuels through 2040 at least. However, the SDS effectively upends the current, growth-driven economic model of the coal and oil businesses in the 2020s and does the same to the natural gas business in the 2030s. Investment in oil and gas production stalls almost immediately and then declines, kicking away the central pillar for a broad-based recovery from the crash.And this, after all, isn't even the more drastic scenario demanded by the IEA's critics. It shouldn't be lost on today's energy incumbents that the latest edition of the WEO represents a shift prompted by demands from a wide range of institutions, including those representing capital markets, to map out more-rapid pathways to slashing carbon emissions.Even if it leaves some unsatisfied, the very fact that this document, of all things, has become a battleground speaks to the urgency of dealing with climate change and the way in which that sense of urgency is spreading beyond the confines of think tanks and laboratories — with all the potential that holds for sudden, disruptive changes in policy. As a metaphor for where we're at on dealing with climate change, an 800-odd-page report filled with tables populated by data nerds doesn't seem the obvious choice, but I'll take it.To contact the author of this story: Liam Denning at ldenning1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Gongloff at mgongloff1@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Liam Denning is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy, mining and commodities. He previously was editor of the Wall Street Journal's Heard on the Street column and wrote for the Financial Times' Lex column. He was also an investment banker.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Read: Chairman Adam Schiff's opening statement at today's impeachment hearings Posted: 13 Nov 2019 07:25 AM PST ![Read: Chairman Adam Schiff's opening statement at today's impeachment hearings]( "Read: Chairman Adam Schiff's opening statement at today's impeachment hearings") Read House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff's prepared opening remarks below. In 2014, Russia invaded a United States ally, Ukraine, to reverse that nation's embrace of the West, and to fulfill Vladimir Putin's desire to rebuild a Russian empire. Earlier this year Volodymyr Zelensky was elected president of Ukraine on a platform of ending the conflict and tackling corruption.
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| US opposes new EU label rule for Israeli settlement products Posted: 13 Nov 2019 07:22 AM PST ![US opposes new EU label rule for Israeli settlement products]( "US opposes new EU label rule for Israeli settlement products") The U.S. State Department says it's "deeply concerned" by a new EU requirement for businesses to label products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. The statement came in response to Tuesday's ruling by the EU Court of Justice that settlement products must provide an "indication of that provenance" to better inform consumers. The State Department said Wednesday that the ruling encourages the BDS movement, a Palestinian-led campaign that promotes boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel.
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| Tesla and Berlin Are a Perfect Match Posted: 13 Nov 2019 06:50 AM PST  (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Elon Musk's announcement that Tesla Inc. will build a factory and a research center near Berlin makes perfect sense as a loud statement. Berlin isn't known as a car city but it does have a vigorous tech scene and Tesla isn't so much a car company as a tech one. But it's also reasonable from other points of view.Musk, who has spent some time deciding on a European factory location, has decided on Gruenheide in Brandenburg, the German state that surrounds Berlin, and the research facility is to be located near Berlin's yet-to-open new international airport.That the new factory should be in Germany is logical. Germany is Europe's biggest market for electric vehicles and the one with the biggest potential. Germany is Europe's most populous country, Germans are in love with cars and worried about the environment, as evidenced by the recent electoral successes of the Greens.It also matters that Germany is a country with some of Europe's strongest incentives for electric car buyers. It recently decided to increase the maximum subsidy for buyers of battery vehicles to 6,000 euros ($6,600) from 4,000 euros and extend it until 2025. France, Italy and Slovenia offer roughly as much. One could regard Musk's move as a cheeky foray into the land of its top competitors. Volkswagen AG has launched an all-out electrification strategy that pits it directly against Musk's mass-market hope, the Model 3 (which apparently won't be made at the new Berlin factory, at least to start with). In September, the German giant launched the ID.3, the first car on its new platform meant for electric vehicles. Berlin is flooded with electric Golfs that VW made available this year for WeShare, the company's nascent car-sharing operation. And even before VW starts turning out tens of thousands of cars especially developed as EVs, the e-Golf is already among the Model 3's strong competitors in Germany, along with Bayerische Motorenwerke AG's somewhat clunkier i3 and some other European electric cars.But then, it makes sense to keep close to the competition, work with the same suppliers and be able to poach star managers, engineers and designers. Tesla isn't the cheeky challenger here — the German automakers are, when it comes to EVs. Musk, in a sense, is buying insurance against being overtaken technologically. That could even justify the large differential in workers' wages: While the average Tesla assembly worker at in California makes $18 per hour, the lowest-paid German auto worker makes about 27 euros per hour, almost $30. There's also some symbolism to Tesla's move into Berlin in particular. The capital city was the first German location for Ford, which started assembling Model T's there in 1926, not fearing competition from German automakers who were slower to catch on to mass production. And yet Berlin and its surrounding area aren't obvious locations for an auto industry operation. Though BMW makes motorcycles in Berlin, Daimler AG has production sites both in and outside the city and VW has a design center in Potsdam, most of Germany's car production, engineering and design take place elsewhere. Instead, Berlin has a flourishing startup culture. According to Deutscher Startup Monitor, 16% of Germany's startup companies are located in Berlin. Only the country's most populous state, North Rhein-Westphalia, has a bigger share. And when it comes to the number of tech workers, Berlin has more of them per 100,000 residents than any German state except Hamburg and Hesse. Arguably, as a European tech hub the German capital ranks second only to London and possibly Paris. Musk said Brexit ruled out the U.K. as a potential site, and France has such restrictive labor laws that it's difficult to imagine Tesla opening a 10,000-job operation there when there are other choices."Berlin rocks," Musk said as he announced Tesla's plans.On the other hand, it could be argued that the heart of the automotive industry is shifting east, and it won't be beating too far from Berlin in the near future. Zwickau in Saxony, three hours' drive from the capital, is where VW has started production of the ID.3. Saxony is an emerging auto-industry hub that includes BMW and Porsche factories; IG Metall, the labor union that represents many auto workers, counts Saxony as part of the same area as Berlin and Brandenburg. In other words, Musk's choice of Tesla's next production and development site is a considered one, even if an impulse to take the battle to Tesla's deep-pocketed German challengers on their home turf has played an obvious role.To contact the author of this story: Leonid Bershidsky at lbershidsky@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Jonathan Landman at jlandman4@bloomberg.netThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Leonid Bershidsky is Bloomberg Opinion's Europe columnist. He was the founding editor of the Russian business daily Vedomosti and founded the opinion website Slon.ru.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinion©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| France Won’t Pretend Everything Is OK With NATO, Philippe Says Posted: 13 Nov 2019 06:43 AM PST ![France Won't Pretend Everything Is OK With NATO, Philippe Says]( "France Won't Pretend Everything Is OK With NATO, Philippe Says") (Bloomberg) -- France can't keep pretending all is right within NATO, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said, another sign it will continue its public critique of an entity that's been Europe's security umbrella since World War II.Speaking on Tuesday at an interview in his offices in Paris, Philippe defended President Emmanuel Macron's comments -- he said last week that NATO is suffering a "brain death" -- which have spurred a backlash from leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and senior officials in eastern Europe."To question what this alliance is for, to question its ability to respond to the great challenges of the world today, this too seems appropriate to me," Philippe said. "To do so in striking terms seems to me to be useful in stimulating debate."Macron on Tuesday said world powers must not be "lazy" in efforts to overhaul global institutions. "I've perhaps offended a few people here in recent days or weeks. I think we need truth: Prudishness and hypocrisy doesn't work these days," he said at a conference in Paris. "Laziness -- intellectually or in action -- is not a solution."Europe Expands Defense Projects Amid Macron Warnings on NATOThe French president's recent remarks reflect his desire for a more independent foreign policy in Europe, one that relies less on the U.S. or NATO. He has pushed for a while for Europe to deepen its own military integration.He has also shown unease over NATO member Turkey's recent military operation against Kurdish fighters inside Syria. Macron said in Brussels last month NATO had made "a heavy mistake" in its handling of Turkey's behavior on Syria.But the public way he is critiquing NATO has also raised questions about whether he could end up undermining it. Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the Financial Times that Macron's actions were "dangerous," calling NATO "the most important alliance in the world when it comes to preserving freedom and peace."The sniping comes as NATO prepares for a brief summit in the U.K. next month to mark its 70th anniversary, where Macron is expected to further set out his concerns.That could see him aligned somewhat with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has also been a frequent critic of NATO, albeit for somewhat different reasons. Trump says America has shouldered too much of NATO's defense budget for too long. And he's created tensions with traditional allies via his "America First" policy. His Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said earlier this month that NATO risked becoming irrelevant.Macron Bid to Be Europe's Leader Means Bruises for French AlliesDespite Trump's rhetoric, U.S. commitments of troops and money to Europe's defense have increased at a faster pace, and NATO has been more active in deploying forces for potential collective defense during his administration, than at any time since the end of the Cold War.Asked about France's future commitment to NATO, Philippe spoke about the deployment of its troops in operations both within and outside the organization's remit. In doing so he cited "other European countries which are sometimes very vocal about their attachment to the American umbrella but less present when it comes to direct intervention."France's Defense Minister Florence Parly told parliament on Wednesday there were "serious doubts" about the U.S. security guarantee under Article 5, which deals with the principle of collective defense. "There are serious questions about allied security when Turks are attacking those fighting Daesh and then there is a screaming lack of EU funding," she added, using another term for Islamic State. Macron is looking to flag these matters in the run up to the summit, Parly said, and plans to meet Trump beforehand. "It's healthy to have real strategic thinking with allies and on the strength of our commitment within it. We will soon make proposals for that."Speaking in the interview, Philippe did not reference a country by name. But he said NATO had issues within its ranks."To put it in diplomatic terms, yes, there are attitudes that are rather uncooperative between NATO countries," he said."We can all pretend that the alliance is doing tremendously well, we can try not to see the uncooperative attitude of some of its members, we can all try not to see the unpredictable attitudes of a number of allies. But this attitude, this difficulty, this question, it exists," he added. "So let us ask it, and let us ask it publicly, because the questions of sovereignty and security are profoundly democratic."(Updates with defense minister comments.)\--With assistance from Helene Fouquet, Geraldine Amiel and Ania Nussbaum.To contact the reporters on this story: Rosalind Mathieson in London at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net;Chad Thomas in Berlin at cthomas16@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Wes Kosova at wkosova@bloomberg.net, Rosalind Mathieson, Ben SillsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UPDATE 1-PM Johnson will pledge to get Britain out of Brexit rut Posted: 13 Nov 2019 06:41 AM PST ![UPDATE 1-PM Johnson will pledge to get Britain out of Brexit rut]( "UPDATE 1-PM Johnson will pledge to get Britain out of Brexit rut") On a campaign trip to central England, Johnson will reiterate that only he can break the deadlock over Britain's departure from the European Union. The election was called to end three years of disagreement over Brexit that has sapped investors' faith in the stability of the world's fifth largest economy and damaged Britain's standing since it voted in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU. "The UK is admired and respected around the world but people are baffled by our debate on Brexit and they cannot understand how this great country can squander so much time and energy on this question and how we can be so hesitant about our future," Johnson will say, according to his office.
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| Brexit Party's Farage says will stand down no more candidates Posted: 13 Nov 2019 06:38 AM PST ![Brexit Party's Farage says will stand down no more candidates]( "Brexit Party's Farage says will stand down no more candidates") Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said he would stand down no more candidates beyond the 317 Conservative seats his party has already withdrawn from. When asked if he would stand down any further candidates, he said he would not. "No. That's just a sort of attempt at intimidation that has come from elements of the press.
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| ‘Sack Them All,’ Billionaire Stephen Lansdown Says of U.K. Politicians Posted: 13 Nov 2019 06:27 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.U.K. politicians should be wary of seeking Stephen Lansdown's backing for their election campaigns.The co-founder of financial-services firm Hargreaves Lansdown Plc is exasperated about Britain's delayed departure from the European Union. If he had his way, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and the country's other lawmakers would be ousted from their jobs. With the U.K. poised for a third election in four years to try and break the Brexit deadlock, Lansdown may get some of what he wishes."It's such a farce," he said of the U.K.'s faltering efforts to leave the EU. "We should have been able to deal with Brexit. We should never have got ourselves into this position."Still, the U.K.'s political gridlock hasn't hurt Lansdown financially. He's sold more than $500 million of stock in Hargreaves Lansdown since the nation voted to leave the EU in 2016, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Moreover, he's pocketed that cash tax-free after moving a decade ago to Guernsey, the British crown dependency that doesn't apply levies on capital gains. His remaining stake in Bristol, England-based Hargreaves Lansdown is worth about $1 billion.Bloomberg spoke with Lansdown, 67, last month, ahead of his appearance at an event highlighting research from trade group Guernsey Finance on wealthy families and sustainable investing. The billionaire, who left Hargreaves Lansdown's board in 2012, declined to discuss Neil Woodford, the U.K. fund manager who received backing from Hargreaves Lansdown for his now-collapsed investment firm. Comments have been edited and condensed.When did you set up your family office?After we moved to Guernsey, I started managing my own portfolio from home. After the second or third consecutive day of my wife and I being in the house all day, I realized that was more her domain, so I found a desk in an office to use and we've grown it from there. It was fun for about five minutes to manage everything myself after going from Hargreaves Lansdown, where everything was done for me, but then you realize all the little things you're doing are a bit tedious.We've now got a team of about half-dozen in a bigger office. I still lead on what we should be investing in. Pula -- the name of my family office, meaning "rain" in Botswana's national language -- has interests in sport, aviation, unquoted businesses that include my sustainable portfolio, and land and lodges in southern Africa. Separate teams run the outside businesses.Did you grow up wanting to be super rich?Going through school, I didn't ever imagine I was going to be where I am now. When we started Hargreaves Lansdown, we wanted to be a success, to earn a good living and look after our family, but did we ever think it would be as successful? No. We got it right from not incurring any debt, so we paid our bills as we went. We didn't take any money out of the business either for the first 10 years -- which people don't believe. We only took out just enough to live off. Eventually, the opportunity to float the business gave me an opportunity to step back and do other things.How involved are you in Pula's investments?When I started, I wanted to be fully involved. But I've learned I can contribute better by challenging and guiding, and I don't get involved as much anymore. If you get emotionally involved in a company, you perhaps don't make the right decisions, particularly if your life and soul doesn't depend on it. When we started Hargreaves Lansdown, it had to work. We had nothing else, so we really focused on it. But when you're investing into different pockets, you can't look after all of them. You need a good team around you to take on responsibilities.What's your view on U.K. politics?It's such a farce. I know that is a generalization, and some of them are probably quite good, but you look at all the political parties and politicians and you wouldn't give any of them a job. They are just looking after themselves all the time or their party and not doing their job. I just wonder really if there's some way the country could call an annual general meeting and sack them all.I was in favor of Brexit. That aside, we need to get on with things. Whatever the situation, there will be entrepreneurs and people in the country that don't do so well. But people need the opportunity to be able to get going, and politically it's just been a stalemate. That's highlighted how poor our politicians are, and also how poor our civil service is probably. We should have been able to deal with Brexit. We should never have got ourselves into this position.How do your sustainable investments compare?I've made sustainable investments for about 10 years now, and I've had good returns on a couple. Unlike buying a share on the stock exchange where you can see what happens minute-by-minute, it tends to be a project you're investing in -- a wind farm or a water purification system -- and it takes a long time to get to the market. If I look to make 10% to 15% per year over a long period of time on sustainable investments, that would be very good. I've now got almost 10% of my portfolio in sustainable investments. Could it be higher? Probably. How do you balance sustainability with your private jet?The private jet is my downside in sustainability, but I'm looking to calculate how much carbon dioxide we're burning and then offset it. As long as there's a major positive in that way, I think your conscience can be clear, and I think you're going to see more and more people taking that route.How involved are your children with your family office?My son runs our sport group in Bristol and my daughter is very involved in what we do in Africa. Until now, they've been on the fringes. Everything is going to be theirs eventually, so it makes sense they're involved. What we do and where we focus our investments are decisions we will take together on an ongoing basis.What are your future plans?I will always carry on investing. I love looking at businesses. I will always meddle, which is not a great thing to say but I think it's inevitable I will take some interest. My main role in Pula's portfolio is to focus where I think the best areas are going forward and be more like a chairman. I'm really focused on our work in Africa. That's taking up more and more of my time.What's life like in Guernsey?Guernsey gives me security, good governance and also the political situation is stable -- a premium these days. There's no capital gains tax, too, and that has allowed me to sell down my holding of Hargreaves Lansdown shares -- from about 28% when I left to 9% today -- and reinvest in sports, Africa and Guernsey businesses. Sometimes you don't invest due to the tax position, but I can always make a decision without worrying about it. That's the real joy.(Updates with details on Neil Woodford in fifth paragraph, comments on future plans in penultimate.)To contact the reporter on this story: Ben Stupples in London at bstupples@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Pierre Paulden at ppaulden@bloomberg.net, Steven CrabillFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Greta Thunberg Is Heading to Spain on a Catamaran Posted: 13 Nov 2019 06:24 AM PST  Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg is heading to the next round of United Nations-sponsored climate talks in Spain.
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| Trump impeachment: Russia says claims against US president 'far-fetched' as public hearings begin Posted: 13 Nov 2019 06:24 AM PST  Russia has said the claims against Donald Trump that have prompted the impeachment hearings are "far-fetched".As Congress prepared to interview the first two witnesses in the public phase of the inquiry, Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplayed their significance.
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| Swedes arrest Iranian suspect in ’88 crimes against humanity Posted: 13 Nov 2019 06:20 AM PST ![Swedes arrest Iranian suspect in '88 crimes against humanity]( "Swedes arrest Iranian suspect in '88 crimes against humanity") An Iranian citizen has been jailed in Sweden on suspicion of carrying out crimes against humanity and murder in the late 1980s in Iran, a Swedish prosecutor said Wednesday, the same time period of mass executions by Tehran. Prosecutor Karolina Wieslander said the unidentified man is suspected is of committing the crimes between July 28, 1988, and Aug. 31, 1988, in Tehran. The man's alleged crimes correspond with the end of Iran's long war with Iraq, which began when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980.
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| Auditors urge EU to quickly fix migrant policy shortfalls Posted: 13 Nov 2019 06:12 AM PST  Auditors on Wednesday urged the European Union to improve its approach to easing migrant pressure on Greece and Italy as people languish in camps on the Greek Islands, and to draw lessons from its shortcomings before a new crisis hits. Greece and Italy were overwhelmed, and the arrivals sparked a political crisis as nations bickered over who should take charge and whether to help. As pressure from member countries built for a quick response, the EU came up with a series of stop-gap emergency measures and funds.
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| Greta Thunberg hitches low-carbon ride across Atlantic Posted: 13 Nov 2019 05:56 AM PST  Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg hitched a renewable-energy ride back to Europe on Wednesday, sailing into the Atlantic on a trip she hopes will get her to Madrid in time for another climate conference, and then home for the holidays. Thunberg tweeted as she took to the sea on the 48-foot (15-meter) catamaran of an Australian family that answered her urgent appeal for a low-carbon way back home after the United Nations climate meeting she had planned to attend in Chile was moved due to political unrest there. Before departing, Thunberg reflected on her time in North America during an Associated Press interview in the cabin of the catamaran.
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| UN: Al-Shabab remains 'potent threat' in Somalia and region Posted: 13 Nov 2019 05:54 AM PST  Al-Shabab extremists in Somalia remain "a potent threat" to regional peace and are now manufacturing home-made explosives, expanding their revenue sources and infiltrating government institutions, U.N. experts say. The report said al-Shabab's assault on Jan. 15 on a commercial business complex in Nairobi, Kenya, containing the DusitD2 Hotel "illustrates the danger the group continues to pose to regional peace and security." That attack killed 21 people as well as four gunmen.
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| Saudi Arabia, Yemen’s Houthi rebels in indirect peace talks Posted: 13 Nov 2019 05:41 AM PST  Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-backed rebels are holding indirect, behind-the-scenes talks to end the devastating five-year war in Yemen, officials from both sides have told The Associated Press. The negotiations are taking place with Oman, a Gulf Arab country that borders both Yemen and Saudi Arabia, as mediator. Oman has positioned itself as a quiet mediator in the past and in a possible sign the back-channel talks could be stepping up, Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman arrived in Muscat on Monday.
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| A Ukrainian Billionaire Fought Russia. Now He's Ready to Embrace It. Posted: 13 Nov 2019 05:01 AM PST  KYIV, Ukraine -- In the last five years, more than 13,000 people have died in a de facto war between Ukraine and Russia -- a fight, many here say, to shake off the shackles of a colonial master and to move closer to the West.A crucial figure in the effort was a billionaire named Ihor Kolomoisky, who spent millions of dollars to field and equip fighters and helped stop the Russian advance in 2014.But Kolomoisky, widely seen as Ukraine's most powerful figure outside government, given his role as the patron of the recently elected President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has experienced a remarkable change of heart: It is time, he said, for Ukraine to give up on the West and turn back toward Russia."They're stronger anyway. We have to improve our relations," he said, comparing Russia's power to that of Ukraine. "People want peace, a good life, they don't want to be at war. And you" -- America -- "are forcing us to be at war, and not even giving us the money for it."His comments appeared to reflect, at least in part, his self-interested frustration that Western diplomats and the International Monetary Fund have been leaning on the president to prevent Kolomoisky from regaining control of the bank seized from him and a co-owner in 2016 amid allegations of a multibillion-dollar embezzlement.But whatever his motivations, Kolomoisky's geopolitical views matter, because analysts and Western diplomats believe he has extensive sway with the administration of Zelenskiy, a comedian whose television shows were carried on Kolomoisky's channel.While Zelenskiy continues to pursue closer ties with the West, he also appears to be prepared to engage with Russia more directly than his predecessor. Zelenskiy recently offered to meet with Putin without Western leaders present, the former president of Kazakhstan said Tuesday.In the impeachment hearings in recent weeks, U.S. officials have described Kolomoisky's influence as one of the biggest problems facing Zelenskiy's new administration.The IMF is reportedly holding up financing for Ukraine in part because of concerns that Zelenskiy is not doing enough to recover funds that Kolomoisky is accused of stealing from his Ukrainian bank, Privatbank, which cost the government in Kyiv $5.6 billion to bail out in 2016.Kolomoisky, who denies any wrongdoing and says the government illegally seized his bank, has previously criticized the IMF and what he sees as an excessively assertive Western role in Ukraine, insisting in an emotional interview -- as he has in the past -- that Zelenskiy should be prepared to default on the fund's loans.But he described the impeachment proceedings now gripping Washington as a last straw, and he spoke in blunt terms about the logic of embracing Russia as a partner. It has become clear that the European Union and NATO will never take in Ukraine, he said, so it would be best to accept reality and not even try."You all won't take us" in the alliance, Kolomoisky said in the interview, in a conference room at his offices in Kyiv. "There's no use in wasting time on empty talk. Whereas Russia would love to bring us into a new Warsaw Pact."Five years ago, Kolomoisky, now 56, had a far different perspective. With Ukraine under attack from Russian-backed separatists, the billionaire accepted an offer to become governor of his home Dnipropetrovsk region near the war's front line. He financed a pro-government militia that held the battle lines before the regular army could deploy enough troops to keep the separatists at bay.As a fixture in Ukraine's Jewish community, he countered the notion advanced by the Kremlin that the new pro-Western government in Kyiv was run by neo-Nazis.In 2017, Kolomoisky left Ukraine for Switzerland and Israel after the government under then-President Petro O. Poroshenko seized Privatbank and accused him of a large-scale fraud that threatened to destabilize Ukraine's economy. He returned this past May after the election of Zelenskiy, the comedian whose hit sitcom about a good-at-heart teacher turned president of Ukraine appeared on Kolomoisky's television channel.Kolomoisky now insists he still has no love lost for Russia, mentioning the mass famine in the 1930s as one of the tragedies that befell Ukraine because of its association with Moscow. But, he told The Times in a profanity-laced discussion, the West has failed Ukraine, not providing enough money or sufficiently opening its markets.Instead, he said, the United States is simply using Ukraine to try to weaken its geopolitical rival. "War against Russia," he said, "to the last Ukrainian." Rebuilding ties with Russia has become necessary for Ukraine's economic survival, Kolomoisky argued. He predicted that the trauma of war will pass."Give it five, 10 years, and the blood will be forgotten," Kolomoisky said. "I showed in 2014 that I don't want to be with Russia," he added. "I'm describing, objectively, what I'm seeing and where things are heading."He said financing from Russia could replace loans from the IMF, which has pushed for anti-corruption reforms that annoy Ukraine's entrenched business interests."We'll take $100 billion from the Russians. I think they'd love to give it to us today," Kolomoisky said. "What's the fastest way to resolve issues and restore the relationship? Only money."For Kolomoisky, the enmity toward the United States is personal. He says he believes he is a target of the FBI, which is reported to have started a financial-crimes probe into his activities.Fiona Hill, the former Europe and Russia adviser at the White House, told lawmakers that she was "extremely concerned" by Kolomoisky's influence with Zelenskiy. George D. Kent, a senior State Department official, said he had told Zelenskiy that his willingness to break with Kolomoisky -- "somebody who had such a bad reputation" -- would be a litmus test for his independence.And William Taylor, the acting ambassador in Kyiv, said he had warned Zelenskiy: "He, Mr. Kolomoisky, is increasing his influence in your government, which could cause you to fail."Kolomoisky said that if he were Ukraine's president, he would proceed with the investigations sought by Trump. Asked if that risked exposing Ukraine to blowback if a Democrat were to win next year's presidential election, Kolomoisky responded: "If they get smart with us, we'll go to Russia.""Russian tanks will be stationed near Krakow and Warsaw," he said. "Your NATO will be soiling its pants and buying Pampers."Zelenskiy campaigned on an anti-corruption platform, pledging to rid Ukraine of the influence of the business tycoons who seized control of the country's key assets after the breakup of the Soviet Union. He pledged that Kolomoisky would have no special sway over his administration.But there are mounting signs that Kolomoisky's influence is rising, and the oligarch's comments about the importance of rebuilding ties with Russia are likely to increase concern among critics of Zelenskiy who already believe that the president is prepared to undermine Ukrainian interests in his pursuit of a Kremlin peace deal.Kolomoisky said he was feverishly working out how to end the war, but he refused to divulge details because the Americans "will mess it up and get in the way."Kolomoisky said he remains intent on regaining ownership of Privatbank or being compensated. He said those like Poroshenko responsible for the bank's seizure must be punished, "and the death penalty must be brought back for them."With international investors jittery over Kolomoisky's role, Zelenskiy has insisted publicly that he will not return the bank to its former owners."He knows it wasn't stolen," Kolomoisky countered, referring to the money Kolomoisky and his partner were accused of embezzling from the bank, which both deny. "He's saying what you all want to hear."Kolomoisky rejected the reports about his hidden influence on Zelenskiy's government. But he warned that he was starting to believe that depiction of himself, and that he had the ability to make it come to life."If I put on glasses and look at myself like the whole rest of the world, I see myself as a monster, as a puppet master, as the master of Zelenskiy, someone making apocalyptic plans," Kolomoisky said. "I can start making this real."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| North Korea issues warning over US-South Korea drills Posted: 13 Nov 2019 05:00 AM PST  North Korea's supreme decision-making body lashed out Wednesday at planned U.S.-South Korean military drills and warned that the United States will face a "bigger threat and harsh suffering" if it ignores North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's end-of-year deadline to salvage nuclear talks. In a statement carried by state media, an unidentified spokesperson for the North's State Affairs Commission said the drills would violate agreements between Kim and President Donald Trump on improving bilateral relations and compel North Korea to raise its war readiness. The statement is North Korea's latest expression of displeasure over the military drills and slow pace of nuclear negotiations with Washington.
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| UAE says soldier killed in Saudi Arabia near Yemen border Posted: 13 Nov 2019 04:40 AM PST ![UAE says soldier killed in Saudi Arabia near Yemen border]( "UAE says soldier killed in Saudi Arabia near Yemen border") The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday that one of its soldiers was killed in an area of Saudi Arabia on the border with Yemen. The UAE's state-run WAM news agency reported the corporal was killed in the Najran region, which is on the Saudi-Yemen border, but did not specify how he was killed. The UAE has been pulling its troops out of Yemen after being Saudi Arabia's main partner in the yearslong war against Yemen's Houthi rebels.
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| U.K.’s Liberal Democrats See Opportunity in Brexit Party Retreat Posted: 13 Nov 2019 04:32 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The U.K.'s Liberal Democrats are poised to cash in on Nigel Farage's decision to ally himself to Boris Johnson's Conservatives because it clarifies the choice for voters, according to party leader Jo Swinson.Farage's announcement that his Brexit Party won't run candidates in Tory-held seats means moderate supporters of the prime minister's party will turn to the pro-EU Liberal Democrats to block a chaotic split from the European Union, Swinson said."It makes it easier for us to appeal to those one-nation Conservative voters who will be appalled that Boris Johnson has cooked up this deal with Farage," Swinson said in an interview. "It makes it absolutely clear that the Conservative Party is a hard-Brexit party that's prepared to risk a no-deal Brexit at the end of next year."The Liberal Democrats are trying to rebound from elections in 2015 and 2017 when they won just 8 and 12 seats out of 650 in Parliament -- down from a high of 62 in 2005. With an offer of canceling Brexit altogether, they're appealing to disaffected Tories who reject the EU divorce deal struck by Johnson, and to Labour supporters frustrated by opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn's pledge to renegotiate Brexit before a second referendum.It's in Tory-held seats where the Liberal Democrats are most likely to challenge. In 2017, 29 of the 38 seats where they came second were won by Tories. Two years later, Swinson said, the Tories "have gone off to the extremes," and the Liberal Democrats are looking to pick off their voters.Trump ImpactFarage presented his decision as a "unilateral" alliance and Johnson has insisted there wasn't a deal -- but that isn't stopping Swinson from claiming the Tories are tarred by association. U.S. President Donald Trump urged them to work together, something she is keen for voters not to forget."There are many Conservatives who voted Remain, or are in that one-nation Conservative tradition, who look on in horror and are seriously thinking about coming to the Liberal Democrats," she said. "This deal between Farage and Johnson, very much egged on by President Trump, is certainly going to make that part of our task that little bit easier."A YouGov poll after the Brexit Party pullout put the Tories on 42%, Labour on 28% and Swinson's party on 15%.Many Liberal Democrat target seats are in Brexit-supporting southwest England, making their pledge to stay in the EU a tricky sell. Swinson twice refused to be drawn on whether the Brexit Party pullout damages their chances there because it will unify pro-Brexit support behind Tory candidates.Alliances"Brexit is hugely important, but it isn't the defining issue for every single person," she said, listing policies on mental health care, education, and climate change. For voters seeking change, in many seats her party is best-placed to beat the Tories, she said.The Liberal Democrats have struck a pact in 60 seats with the Greens and Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru in which candidates will stand aside to give the other parties a clearer run. Swinson said the negotiations weren't easy, and that deals in other seats aren't "massively likely."On Tuesday, she suffered a blow when one of her candidates pulled out of the race in Canterbury in order to give the pro-EU Labour candidate a better chance. The move appeared not to have be cleared by the leadership, and the party said they would field a new candidate.Swinson has repeatedly said she's standing to be the country's next prime minister -- a grand ambition for someone whose party won less than 2% of the seats in 2017. A more likely outcome is a hung Parliament, but she ruled out propping up either Johnson or Corbyn, and suggested her support is unlikely even if the party leaders change.As for her ambition to be premier, she refused to lower her expectations."I'm not saying that I don't recognize the scale of the challenge, but I am saying that I'm determined for us to be more ambitious than ever before," she said. "I look at Boris Johnson on the one hand, and Jeremy Corbyn on the other hand, and I'm absolutely certain that I could do a better job than either of them."(Updates with opinion poll in eighth paragraph.)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, Thomas Penny, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Syrian suspected of IS killings denies charges in Hungary Posted: 13 Nov 2019 03:56 AM PST  A Syrian man on trial in Hungary denied charges Wednesday that he took part in a beheading and other killings in his homeland while a member of the Islamic State group. Prosecutors have charged the 27-year-old identified only as Hassan F. with participating in the beheading of a religious leader in the city of al-Sukhnah in Homs province and involvement in the killings of at least 25 people. Prosecutors said it was Hassan F.'s job to compile a list of those to be killed, which was then approved by IS leaders, and oversee the killings.
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| British PM Johnson, on campaign trail, to pledge swift resolution on Brexit Posted: 13 Nov 2019 03:09 AM PST ![British PM Johnson, on campaign trail, to pledge swift resolution on Brexit]( "British PM Johnson, on campaign trail, to pledge swift resolution on Brexit") Prime Minister Boris Johnson will promise on Wednesday to end the delays over Britain's departure from the European Union if he wins next month's election and he will describe the opposition Labour Party's plans as political "onanism". Johnson was scheduled to make a campaign speech at a factory in the West Midlands where, according to prepared remarks, he will say that the rest of the world cannot understand why so much time has been spent agonising over Brexit. Britons will vote on Dec. 12 in an election called to end three years of deep disagreement over Brexit that has sapped investors' faith in the stability of the world's fifth largest economy and damaged Britain's standing in the world.
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| The five ways Republicans will crack down on voting rights in 2020 Posted: 13 Nov 2019 03:00 AM PST  Given what's at stake next year, the effort to prevent people voting will be fierce. We've been here before – and we can stop it'Like an ageing boxer whose taken too many blows, the United States doesn't have another 100 years to waste on destroying democracy.' Illustration: Richard Chance/The GuardianAmerica hangs in the balance. The elections in November next year will determine whether the United States continues down the road of authoritarian dynastic rule or reclaims the work of expanding and improving our democracy. Those are the choices.That expansion was born out of the civil war, which left 1.2 million dead or wounded, but resulted in the 15th amendment, which made clear that the right to vote could not be denied or hampered because of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." The subsequent struggles led to women's right to vote, opening the franchise to those 18 and over, and the "single most effective piece of civil rights legislation ever passed by Congress," the Voting Rights Act, which protected the franchise from states with a demonstrated history of racial and linguistic discrimination.But in 2013, the supreme court declared that racism was essentially a thing of the past and gutted the Voting Rights Act. The results have been calamitous. More than half the states passed a series of voter suppression laws that targeted minority voters, breached a key firewall that protected American democracy, and greased the pathway to install a man in the White House whose racism, greed, and unfitness for office was well known.series boxWhat's become clear over the course of three harrowing years is that the only real effective throttle that has slowed down the nation's descent into authoritarian rule has been the throng of engaged, determined voters. The turnout in the 2018 midterm election, the highest since 1914, aided by a massive effort of civil rights organizations, was so overwhelming that control of the House of Representatives flipped to the Democrats and accountability finally began to creep back into the political landscape. As Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow in governance at the Brookings Institution, wrote: "The last line of defense against a lawless, oathless president is the electoral process."Similarly, the only way that Republicans can protect themselves and a rogue president is to suppress the votes of minorities, the young, and the poor (all of whom vote overwhelmingly for Democrats). In 2020, we're poised to see more voter intimidation, criminalizing of voter registration drives, disguised poll taxes, attempts to maintain extreme partisan gerrymandered districts, draconian and flawed voter roll purges, squashing access to voting on college campuses, widespread purchase of hackable voting machines, and a slew of unqualified, rightwing judges appointed to the federal bench to provide legal sanction to the destruction of democracy.In One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying our Democracy, I traced a history and a pattern of bureaucratic violence against American citizens' right to vote. Given what's at stake in 2020, I expect a similar range of tactics, wrapped in the veneer of law, that are designed to further undermine Americans' access to the ballot box: Intimidation of minority votersWe're likely to see more abusive use of state power to intimidate and criminalize Asian Americans, African Americans and Hispanics for voting or registering minorities to vote. Georgia, in fact, has been notorious in this regard. And continues to be so.In Texas, meanwhile, acting secretary of state David Whitley announced in January 2019 that he had a list of 95,000 non-citizens (immigrants) who were registered to vote in the state. Worse yet, he claimed, 58,000 of them had already cast a ballot in an election. He quickly turned over the names of these apparent miscreants to Texas' attorney general to pursue criminal prosecution.Whitley's claim was, in the end, a lie. The list, as Whitley well knew, was structurally flawed and contained tens of thousands of naturalized citizens who had the right to vote. Texas, in short, was getting ready to remove American citizens from the voting rolls simply because they had once been immigrants.Equally abhorrent, Whitley's stunt sent the signal to Texas' burgeoning Hispanic population that if they registered to vote, as their American citizenship allowed them to do, their names could easily be turned over to the attorney general for further investigation. In an era where Ice has been allowed to run loose and terrorize documented and undocumented populations, this was a clear warning shot. Keep your head down, don't register, don't vote, and you just might be safe.It's the same message of voter suppression that has haunted America's political landscape since 1867. Curbing voter registrationAnother tactic, which Tennessee tried after 2018, is to criminalize voter registration drives. Initially, it would seem that a state ranked at the very bottom in the nation in voter turnout and close to the bottom in those registered to vote would try to improve their citizens' participation in democracy. Instead, as the New York Times reported, when "tens of thousands of new black and Latino voters were registered in Tennessee in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections" the Republican-dominated legislature complained that many of the registration forms were incomplete and that the only viable solution was to hold those who held these voter registration drives criminally and financially accountable. Although a judge has struck down the law, the threat of what Tennessee Republicans are willing to do hangs there. Felon disenfranchisementFlorida has also tried to stem the tide of new voters coming to the polls. After a citizen-led ballot initiative passed to restore voting rights to 1.4 million felons who had served their sentences, Republicans began searching for some way to neutralize the effect. Given that more than 20% of all African American adults were disenfranchised in Florida because of a felony conviction, and that the overwhelming majority of blacks vote for Democrats, the Republicans added a rider to "clarify" that a completed sentence required paying all of the court fines, fees, and penalties accrued during the trial and incarceration before the returning citizens' voting rights would be restored. No matter how many ways the GOP tried to dress this up, this was a poll tax. It made access to the ballot box solely dependent upon the ability to pay.A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Florida law. But, he left enough room in his decision that the legislature could tweak, tweak, tweak until it has sowed the kind of confusion about eligibility that depresses voter turnout. Election security issuesWhile Florida reached back to 19th-century Jim Crow to try to institute a poll tax, other states like Georgia are inviting full-fledged 21st-century hacking to tilt elections. There is already the 127,000 missing votes in the 2018 lieutenant-governor's race. That was so mysterious that experts, but not Georgia's election officials, tracked the discrepancy down to predominantly black precincts on election day. The missing votes did not come from white Democratic-leaning precincts or black precincts where voters used absentee ballots or early voting. The discrepancy happened only to those in predominantly black precincts, who used the machines on election day. Their votes just disappeared.The voting machines used in the 2018 election were easily hackable, had no auditable paper trail, and ran on Windows 2000. As journalist Timothy Pratt noted: "Security vulnerabilities in the state's election system had been repeatedly exposed: by Russian operatives, friendly hackers, and even a Georgia voter who, just days ahead of the 2018 midterms, revealed that anyone could go online and gain access to the state's voter registration database."Georgia has now rushed to buy new machines, but the state settled on a similarly vulnerable machine that does not have a paper trail that the human eye can decipher. Instead, voters get a slip of paper with a barcode that is no more legible than that on a can of soup at the grocery store. Moreover, the state ignored the warnings of scientists from the National Academy of Sciences, Stanford, Georgia Tech, and Yale, who raised serious concerns about the cybersecurity of the voting apparatuses.While multiple states are spending over a hundred million dollars on this flawed equipment, Republicans have refused to enact election security legislation, even as Vladimir Putin, when asked if Russia will interfere in the 2020 elections, "jokes", even taunts, that: "I'll tell you a secret: yes, we'll definitely do it." Given that Russian cyberattacks in 2016 targeted African Americans and voting systems in all 50 states, this bodes ill for 2020. Partisan courthousesThe final, and overarching ominous sign is Senate Republicans' determination to pack the federal courts with judges, more of whom than ever before have been rated "unqualified" by the American Bar Association and whose only expertise is hostility to civil rights, including the right to vote. As Dahlia Lithwick wrote, this is a "dangerous game of 'How Many More Judges Can They Ram Through Before Democracy Breaks?'"So far, the federal courts have beat back the most egregious voter suppression tactics, like Tennessee's voter registration law, but if the Republicans can hold on to the Senate after 2020, the federal judiciary will hit a tipping point that will eviscerate what's left of this democracy.We've been here before. After the civil war, the supreme court gutted the constitutional amendments defining citizenship, due process, and the right to vote. It took more than 100 years, numerous legal battles, and an epic civil rights movement to recover from that debacle.But like an ageing boxer whose taken too many blows, the United States doesn't have another 100 years to waste on destroying democracy. We can, however, save it in 2020. * Carol Anderson is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of African American Studies at Emory University, a Guardian contributor, and the author of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide and One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy.
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| Trump Nears Defining Hour as Case Goes Public Posted: 13 Nov 2019 02:45 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every day? Sign up for the Balance of Power newsletter, and follow Bloomberg Politics on Twitter and Facebook for more.Congressional Democrats have a tall order ahead.Their challenge, at the start of public impeachment hearings today against President Donald Trump, is to shift public opinion in an already-polarized nation.Americans are roughly split on whether Trump should be removed from office for allegedly pressuring Ukraine to dig up dirt on his chief Democratic rival, Joe Biden. Unlike the Watergate scandal, though, TV, radio and social media more openly cater to the right or left and will spin the events furiously.Democrats led by House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff are hoping people will turn against Trump after watching veteran U.S. diplomats say he tied aid to Ukraine to it probing Biden and his son Hunter over business dealings there. Republicans argue there was no explicit quid pro quo and, even if it there was, that it's not an impeachable offense.Expect the hearings to get testy given the bitterly partisan climate. In the end, while the House is expected to vote for impeachment, chances the Republican-controlled Senate will agree are remote.A defiant Trump may suffer political damage and the Democrats will face charges the process was a waste of time and money.But as the 2020 election campaign gathers steam, both sides will probably end up where they started: all square.Global Headlines"Unthinkable" consequences | Hong Kong announced it would close public schools as officials — along with China's state media — warned of consequences from the violence that's rocked the city for days. Still, further rallies are expected tonight after activists disrupted the morning rush-hour commute and held demonstrations in the glitzy financial center in the afternoon.Latin America crises | Bolivian opposition Senator Jeanine Anez declared herself interim president to replace socialist leader Evo Morales. She has the backing of Carlos Mesa, the runner-up in a disputed October election, while Morales supporters continue to clash with police. Morales has fled to Mexico as nations in the region take sides over his ouster.Chile's President Sebastian Pinera called for a national agreement on peace and a new constitution as security forces struggled to control protests across central Santiago. It was some of the worst violence Chile has seen since civil unrest erupted on Oct. 18.Digging in | The French government is bracing for major strikes next month over planned pension reforms — which risk morphing into a renewal of the "Yellow Vest" mass unrest. While Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told Bloomberg yesterday the government won't delay the changes, he did indicate it may be prepared to sweeten the deal for unions.Read here for Philippe's view on European bank consolidation and the call by German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz for a banking union.Putin's shadow | Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan both got what they wanted in northern Syria last month, but when they meet at the White House today, the next critical issue up for discussion might be harder to crack. As Selcan Hacaoglu reports, Turkey's deployment of a Russian missile-defense system shows President Vladimir Putin is enjoying some success in driving a wedge between NATO and Turkey.Climate debate | Australia's record on tackling climate change is getting tougher to defend for Prime Minister Scott Morrison as bushfires ravage the east coast. His government refuses to discuss whether global warming has contributed to a longer dry season: One lawmaker even questioned if environmentalists had increased the threat of the fires that have killed three people and destroyed around 2.5 million acres of farmland and bush.What to WatchTrump warned yesterday the U.S. will increase tariffs on China if they can't agree on the first step of a broader trade agreement, but also said they're close to an initial deal. Lebanon faces more violence after President Michel Aoun told anti-government demonstrators to go home yesterday, provoking unrest in which one man was killed. Floods in northern England have forced hundreds of people from their homes, prompting Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deploy troops as his Conservatives vie for votes in the region in next month's elections. Spain's long-stalled politics are moving again after acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sealed a pact with rival Pablo Iglesias to form a government. Click here to see what happens next.Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally ... Among Lagos's 21 million residents dealing with shortages of everything from water to electricity and decent roads, the concept of formal recycling isn't widespread. But informal collectors of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles are finding they can earn serious money. As Yinka Ibukun explains, that's led regulators, sustainability groups, and representatives of the local units and distributors of Coca-Cola, Nestlé, and PepsiCo to hash out a standard allowing drinks companies to package products in recycled plastics. \--With assistance from Karen Leigh.To contact the author of this story: Karl Maier in Rome at kmaier2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Winfrey at mwinfrey@bloomberg.net, Rosalind MathiesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| The death rattle of the Never Trump Republicans Posted: 13 Nov 2019 02:45 AM PST ![The death rattle of the Never Trump Republicans]( "The death rattle of the Never Trump Republicans") Never Trump Republicanism isn't quite dead, but it sure is getting close.Ever since President Trump burst onto the political scene and quickly shot to the top of the polls months from the start of the 2016 primary season, mainstream Republican politicians and pundits have been forced to respond. First there was dismissal and condescension. Then, once the voting began, there was concern mixed with certainty that Trump's support would soon collapse. This was followed by panic when it didn't.By the summer of 2016, the institutional GOP was deeply divided between those who favored rallying around the unorthodox nominee and others who favored sabotage -- before, during, or after the Republican convention. The latter camp -- the Never Trumpers -- lost out that summer. It lost far more decisively when Trump defied their (and nearly everyone else's) predictions by winning the election against Hillary Clinton. And it's gone right on losing for the past three years.The latest defeats, coming as a brutal one-two punch over the past few days, have come from former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former South Carolina Gov. and Congressman Mark Sanford. Haley has been at or near the top of many Never Trump wish lists of candidates to challenge Trump for the nomination in 2020 or (less fancifully) to lead efforts to retake control of the party in 2024. Yet over the past week, Haley has made clear in a flood of interviews that she stands foursquare behind the president -- on efforts by members of the Trump administration to undermine him, on impeachment, and on pretty much everything else.Sanford, meanwhile, announced on Tuesday that he's suspending his campaign to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination next year. That leaves former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld and former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh as the longest of long shots to take a stand against and stop Trump in the upcoming GOP primaries -- at least in those contests that haven't been canceled altogether by state Republican parties.Why has Haley come out so strongly in favor of Trump? Why has Sanford given up the fight for the nomination? Because both of them accept something that the remaining Never Trump Republicans simply refuse to admit to themselves: The party they once knew and loved, the party that I once admired (while also dissenting from it in numerous areas of policy), is dead and gone, replaced by a party whose voters strongly, overwhelmingly support the presidency of Donald Trump.Haley defends and backs Trump because she wants to have a political future in the Republican Party. Sanford has given up on his primary challenge because he realizes that it's utterly futile. I understand why this would be difficult for a life-long Republican to accept. Hell, it's pretty difficult for lots of Americans of either party to accept. But it's still a fact.Trump won his party's nomination in 2016. He won the presidency in part because Republicans overwhelmingly voted for him. Since then they have stuck with him through the firing of the FBI director, the interminable Russia investigation, dozens of policy fights and defeats, hundreds of embarrassing leaks, thousands of offensive tweets, countless acts of incompetence and cruelty, the Mueller Report, and now an impeachment probe into how the president used extortion "to get a foreign country to sabotage a U.S. election in his favor."The result of all this? Trump currently enjoys 89 percent approval from Republicans. He is exceedingly unlikely to be removed from office at the conclusion of the impeachment process -- because Republicans in the Senate almost certainly won't turn on him. Why? Because their constituents don't want them to.You can lament this. You can try to fight it. But the fighting needs to be undertaken with intelligence, with a clear-sighted acknowledgement of reality. That means recognizing that the struggle for control of the Republican Party is over. The faction that ran the show from 1981 until 2016 -- the faction of Reagan and (George H. W.) Bush and (George W.) Bush and (Jeb) Bush and John McCain and Mitt Romney and Jeff Flake and James Comey and Bill Kristol -- is finished, caput, dead, and buried. It has been overthrown. The voters are done with it. Even Romney -- a former presidential nominee and current Utah senator who has long been revered in Utah -- finds himself with his approval rating underwater because he dared to speak out against the president for treating his office like a racket run by a two-bit mob boss.Jonah Goldberg, Michael Gerson, and George F. Will could talk the ghost of Ronald Reagan himself into challenging Trump in 2020, and Trump would trounce him.The sooner the remaining Never Trumpers accept this, the sooner they'll stop indulging in fantasies and start putting their talents and commendable moral revulsion at the president and state of the party to more productive use.What would that look like? Well, for one thing, they could drop the pretense that the remaining primary challenges to Trump are serious efforts at winning the Republican nomination with a more acceptable candidate when they are actually kamikaze missions out to take the president down regardless of the consequences. Since this effort is bound to fail in the primaries, the next step would be for one of these candidates, or someone else, to launch a third party run designed to divide the Republican vote and help ensure that Trump loses in the general election. The Never Trumpers might not have anything close to the numbers to take back the party, but they might have enough to inflict serious damage in a tight race.But this would of course turn the Never Trumpers from mere nuisances into mortal enemies of the GOP as it is currently constituted. They would thereby forfeit all hopes for future influence in the party.The same fate would await them if they went just a step further and became Democrats, as their colleagues Max Boot and Jennifer Rubin have, in effect, done (I don't know if either pundit has literally joined the Donkey Party) -- actively working to elect Trump's Democratic opponent. That's a perfectly fine thing to do. But then they would no longer be Republicans at all and would have to accept in an even more profound way that their influence on and within the party is finished.That's hard. But sometimes life and change are like that. This is one of those times, whether or not the Never Trump no-longer Republicans have the courage to accept it.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.More stories from theweek.com The coming death of just about every rock legend The president has already confessed to his crimes Why are 2020 Democrats so weird?
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| Brexit gives a nudge to ‘separation of powers’ in Britain Posted: 13 Nov 2019 02:37 AM PST ![Brexit gives a nudge to 'separation of powers' in Britain]( "Brexit gives a nudge to 'separation of powers' in Britain") Brexit has overturned many apple carts in the U.K. Now it is prompting constitutional controversy as the role of a 10-year-old Supreme Court rises.
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