| Chile's president condemns police violence after four weeks of unrest Posted: 17 Nov 2019 05:48 PM PST  President Sebastian Pinera condemned on Sunday for the first time what he called abuses committed by police in dealing with four weeks of violent unrest that have rocked Chile. Furious Chileans have been protesting social and economic inequality, and against an entrenched political elite that comes from a small number of the wealthiest families in the country, among other issues. Accusations of police brutality and human rights violations have been levelled since the protests broke out, prompting the United Nations to send a team to investigate.
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| PRESS DIGEST- British Business - Nov 18 Posted: 17 Nov 2019 05:36 PM PST ![PRESS DIGEST- British Business - Nov 18]( "PRESS DIGEST- British Business - Nov 18") The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will offer businesses a series of tax breaks as he seeks to repair relations damaged by Brexit. Johnson and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will set out their rival pitches in speeches on Monday.
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| PRESS DIGEST-Financial Times - Nov 18 Posted: 17 Nov 2019 05:30 PM PST ![PRESS DIGEST-Financial Times - Nov 18]( "PRESS DIGEST-Financial Times - Nov 18") In a speech on Monday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will try to attract British businesses by reducing business rates and providing tax breaks worth 1 billion pounds ($1.28 billion) a year. The Labour Party's general election manifesto will have certain plans to force British companies to give 10% shares to their workers for 10 years, according to the people with knowledge of the manifesto's content. The Conservative Party's points-based immigration system is getting backlash from business groups who believe that it will make it harder for low-skilled migrant workers to work in UK post Brexit.
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| Johnson Offers Business an Olive Branch as U.K. Election Revs Up Posted: 17 Nov 2019 03:46 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Boris Johnson will try to win business leaders to his side Monday, offering them tax cuts as an olive branch for the disruption caused by Brexit. It comes as the campaign for the U.K. election heats up, with the first televised debate and the release of policy offers from the parties.Britain goes to the polls on Dec. 12 in an election that could determine how -- or whether -- Britain leaves the European Union. A slew of opinion polls in the Sunday newspapers all put Johnson's Conservatives well ahead of the opposition Labour Party. But the week ahead features several potential landmines for the prime minister: He'll take on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn head-to-head on Tuesday, and the two men will appear separately taking questions from a TV audience on Friday.The week will start with the prime minister addressing the the annual conference of the U.K.'s main business lobby group, the Confederation of British Industry. It could be a tense moment. Four years ago campaigners from the pro-Brexit campaign that Johnson would go on to head interrupted a speech there by his predecessor David Cameron to denounce the body as the "Voice of Brussels.""Let's not beat around the bush, big business didn't want Brexit," Johnson will say, according to speech extracts released in advance. "You made that clear in 2016, and this body said it louder than any other. But what is also clear is that what you want now -- and have wanted for some time -- is certainty."Before he became prime minister, Johnson reportedly dismissed the concerns of industry with a four-letter epiphet. Now his pitch is certainty. Having been the lead campaigner to get Britain out of the European Union, and one of the lead rebels who stopped a Brexit deal getting through Parliament, Johnson is pitching himself as the man best-placed to lead the country on.'Fundamental Review'In the wider election campaign, he continues to face questions on a series of issues: There's a report into Russian election interference that his office suppressed; and his American entrepreneur friend Jennifer Arcuri, caught up in a controversy involving the prime minister, has given an interview to ITV saying she wishes Johnson had declared their relationship as a potential conflict of interest when he was London mayor. In an interview broadcast Sunday evening, she said Johnson had cast her aside "like I am some gremlin."Then there's the completely unforeseeable. Prince Andrew's interview about his relationship with the the pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein is still dominating the headlines, and could yet have impacts beyond the Royal family.At the CBI, aiming to persuade business he has their best interests at heart, Johnson will say a Conservative government victory at the Dec. 12 election will mean:a "fundamental review" of business rates, the tax on propertyan increase in the threshold at which firms start paying employment taxes to 4,000 pounds ($5,170) from 3,000 poundsan increase in the tax relief on buildings to 3% from 2%an increase in tax relief on research and development to 13% from 12%The party said these measures, combined, would cost the government 1 billion pounds a year.The other side of Johnson's case to business will be represented by Corbyn, who will address the CBI conference after the premier. Labour has already promised tax rises both for business and for the wealthy -- a group that will include most of his audience. On Friday, the party shocked industry by announcing that if it won the election, it would take the U.K.'s broadband infrastructure into public ownership.'Maybe We're Next'Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the CBI, said Sunday that Labour's announcement had come as a "bolt from the blue" and left her members worried. "I have talked to businesses who are already sitting there thinking maybe we're next," she told Sky News. Corbyn would struggle to portray himself as a friend of the corporate world, but will try to argue that a government he leads can still be an ally. He'll promise Labour would train 80,000 apprentice technicians and engineers a year."Climate Apprenticeships will offer training to school leavers and workers looking to change jobs mid-career, creating the engineers, technicians and construction workers we need to transition to a green economy," Corbyn will say. "The Tories have failed to invest in our economy."But his audience are likely to worry about what else he has up his sleeve. Labour on Saturday signed off its policy platform for the election, and while it won't be unveiled until Thursday, according to the Mail on Sunday its policies include:A "Right to Food Act" introducing price controlsA windfall tax on oil companiesAn expansion of the sugar taxDropping a plan to allow private tenants to buy their homesTories On SideJohnson on Sunday revealed something that gives credibility to his claim he can break the Brexit deadlock: every Conservative candidate has signed a pledge to vote for his deal if elected.But while that could get his deal through Parliament, what's not covered by the pledge is how Conservatives will vote on subsequent issues in the Brexit process. Johnson is currently promising that the Brexit transition period, in which he aims to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU, will end in December 2020. If that proves ambitious -- most deals take years to negotiate -- he'll need members of Parliament to agree to a delay. If he wants a close relationship with the EU, it could be harder to get Tory support.Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, questioned about the plan for a trade agreement, admitted that it will necessarily be a compromise. But he said there's an opportunity to reach a "win-win" that is "great for the U.K., but also good for our European friends." Asked if the U.K. could leave the EU without a deal, Raab said, "no, it's not what we want to do." He clarified: "I don't think it's remotely likely."To contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Lucy Meakin in London at lmeakin1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Robert JamesonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UK PM Johnson pledges to end Brexit uncertainty, says it has paralysed economy Posted: 17 Nov 2019 02:30 PM PST ![UK PM Johnson pledges to end Brexit uncertainty, says it has paralysed economy]( "UK PM Johnson pledges to end Brexit uncertainty, says it has paralysed economy") Britain's Conservatives will deliver Brexit and end the uncertainty and confusion that has "paralysed" the economy if they are re-elected next month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will tell business leaders on Monday. The Dec. 12 election was called in a bid to end three years of disagreement over Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union that has sapped investors' faith in the stability of the world's fifth largest economy and damaged Britain's standing. Speaking at the CBI's annual conference, Johnson will say that while big businesses made clear they were not in favour of Brexit in 2016, they were also now clear they wanted certainty.
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| N.Korea's Kim Jong Un supervises air drills while U.S. and S.Korea postpone drills -KCNA Posted: 17 Nov 2019 02:04 PM PST ![N.Korea's Kim Jong Un supervises air drills while U.S. and S.Korea postpone drills -KCNA]( "N.Korea's Kim Jong Un supervises air drills while U.S. and S.Korea postpone drills -KCNA") North Korean media reported on Monday that leader Kim Jong Un supervised air force drills for the second time in three days, even as the United States and South Korea decided to postpone their joint air drills to ease denuclearisation talks with North Korea. The U.S. and South Korea said on Sunday they would postpone upcoming military drills, known as the Combined Flying Training Event, in an effort to bolster a stalled peace push with North Korea.
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| W.House condemns Iran for 'lethal force' against protesters Posted: 17 Nov 2019 01:49 PM PST  The White House on Sunday condemned protest-hit Iran for using "lethal force" against demonstrators during unrest that left two dead -- a civilian and a policeman -- and saw authorities arrest dozens and restrict internet access. "The United States supports the Iranian people in their peaceful protests against the regime that is supposed to lead them," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement. It is a rise many consumers can ill afford, given that Iran's economy has been battered since May of last year, when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear agreement and reimposed crippling sanctions.
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| Iran’s top leader warns ‘thugs’ as protests reach 100 cities Posted: 17 Nov 2019 01:41 PM PST  Iran's supreme leader on Sunday cautiously backed the government's decision to raise gasoline prices by 50% after days of widespread protests, calling those who attacked public property during demonstrations "thugs" and signaling that a potential crackdown loomed. The government shut down internet access across the nation of 80 million people to staunch demonstrations that took place in a reported 100 cities and towns. Since the price hike, demonstrators have abandoned cars along major highways and joined mass protests in the capital, Tehran, and elsewhere.
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| Rouhani warns protest-hit Iran cannot allow 'insecurity' Posted: 17 Nov 2019 01:02 PM PST  President Hassan Rouhani warned Sunday that riot-hit Iran could not allow "insecurity" after two days of unrest killed two people and saw authorities arrest dozens and restrict internet access. Rouhani defended the controversial petrol price hike that triggered the protests -- a project which the government says will finance social welfare spending amid a sharp economic downturn. It is a rise many consumers can ill afford, given that Iran's economy has been battered since May last year when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from a 2015 nuclear agreement and reimposed crippling sanctions.
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| Iranian police officer dies in clash with oil price protesters as supreme leader hints at crackdown Posted: 17 Nov 2019 12:56 PM PST  Iran's supreme leader on Sunday backed the government's decision to raise gasoline prices and called angry protesters who have been setting fire to public property over the hike "thugs," signaling a potential crackdown. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments came as authorities shut down the internet across Iran to smother the protests in some two dozen cities and towns over the rise of government-set prices by 50 per cent as of Friday. One firm said it was the biggest internet outage ever seen in Iran. Since the hike, demonstrators have abandoned their cars along major highways and joined mass protests in the capital, Tehran, and elsewhere. Some protests turned violent, with demonstrators setting fires and there was also gunfire. It remains to be seen how many people have been injured, killed and arrested as videos from the protests have shown people gravely wounded. Iranian authorities on Sunday raised the official death toll in the violence surrounding the unrest to at least two. Attackers targeting a police station in Kermanshah on Saturday killed one officer there, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Sunday. Aftermath of protests over increasing fuel price Credit: STRINGER/EPA-EFE/REX Earlier, one man was reported killed. In an address aired by state television Sunday, Ayatollah Khamenei said "some lost their lives and some places were destroyed," without elaborating. He called violent protesters "thugs" who had been pushed into violence by counterrevolutionaries and foreign enemies of Iran. He specifically named those aligned with the family of Iran's late shah, ousted 40 years ago, and an exile group called the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq. "Setting a bank on fire is not an act done by the people. This is what thugs do," Khamenei said. However, he made a point to back the decision of Hassan Rouhani, Iran's relatively moderate president, to raise gasoline prices. Gasoline in the country still remains among the cheapest in the world, with the new prices jumping up to a minimum of 15,000 rials per litre of petrol - 50 per cent up from the day before.
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| Leaked documents reveal details of China's 'shown no mercy' Uighur detention policy Posted: 17 Nov 2019 11:17 AM PST  A tranche of Chinese Communist Party documents leaked to the New York Times reveal inside information about Beijing's crackdown on ethnic minorities, including how Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, told officials to show "absolutely no mercy", the newspaper says. The cache of 403 documents was leaked by a person the newspaper described as a "member of the Chinese political establishment". Reporter Austin Ramzy said that they provided the information in an attempt to "prevent party leaders, including Xi Jinping, from escaping culpability for the mass detentions." The leak provided further evidence that the brutal crackdown against Uighur Muslims is happening Xinjiang, a vast province in west China, despite the Chinese government's denials. Many human rights groups consider it to be the most widespread and brutal human rights abuse campaign in the world today. Over one million members of ethnic minorities, primarily Muslim Uighurs, have been detained in prisons or internment camps in Xinjiang in the past three years, which is officially referred to as a crackdown on terrorism by Beijing. In the camps, which Beijing calls education centres, detainees are indoctrinated to denounce Islam and pledge allegiance to the Communist party. The crackdown intensified in 2014 after a separatist attack in May that year on a market in Urumqi, the provincial capital of Xinjiang, killed 31 people. In July 2009, rioting in the city led to over 140 deaths. The documents, which include many pages of internal speeches by Mr Xi, showed that when the president visited Xinjiang in April 2014 he ordered officials to use the "organs of dictatorship" in a "struggle against terrorism, infiltration and separatism". He said they should show "absolutely no mercy". Mr Xi became China's President in 2013. In August 2016 senior party official Chen Quanguo, who had previously worked in Tibet, was installed as Xinjiang's party secretary. In October 2017 Mr Chen said in a speech recorded in the documents: "The struggle against terror and to safeguard stability is a protracted war, and also a war of offence." In February that year he told police to ready themselves for a "smashing, obliterating offensive" and gave orders to "round up everyone who should be rounded up." A Uighur man looks on as a truck carrying paramilitary policemen travel along a street during an anti-terrorism oath-taking rally in Urumqi, Xinjiang in 2014 Credit: REUTERS Xinjiang camp survivors have reported torture, rape and medical experiments taking place in them. Police presence and surveillance methods in the province have effectively made it a police state, with Uighurs often sent to camps for making even small gestures of loyalty to the Muslim faith. The documents feature a script for officials telling students returning home for holidays that their family members had been detained. It suggests giving veiled threats about students' behaviour affecting loved ones' chances of being freed, and using language such as "infectious" and "illness" to describe anti-Party sentiment. The script reads: "Freedom is only possible when this 'virus' in their thinking is eradicated and they are in good health." The papers describe how officials who attempted to resist strongly implementing the crackdown have been crushed. A confession by Wang Yongzhi, who oversaw an area in Xinjiang called Yarkand, shows how he defied the party by releasing 7,000 inmates. People walk under Chinese national flags in the Old City in Kashgar in Xinjiang Credit: REUTERS/Thomas Peter In 2018 Mr Wang, who is likely to have given the confession under duress, was investigated by the CCP for "gravely disobeying the party central leadership's strategy for governing Xinjiang." The documents state that over 12,000 officials have been investigated for not complying with the crackdown to satisfactory standards. The information sparked hope among some human rights advocates for sterner condemnation of the CCP's behaviour in Xinjiang from the international community. US senator and Democratic Presidential candidate hopeful Elizabeth Warren said: "The Chinese government's cruel, bigoted treatment of Muslims and ethnic minorities is a horrifying human rights violation. We must stand up to hatred and extremism at home – and around the world."
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| Iran shuts down nearly all internet access in response to fuel protests Posted: 17 Nov 2019 11:16 AM PST  Iran is trying an all-too-familiar tactic to hinder protests: cut the lines of communication. The Iranian government has shut down nearly all internet access in the country amidst mounting protests that began over a 50 percent hike in fuel prices and now encompass wider dissent. There are pockets of access that have let people show what's happening on the ground, but they're rare. Phone calls abroad still work, but those are also closely monitored.
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| Palestinian journalist may lose eye after shot by Israel Posted: 17 Nov 2019 10:48 AM PST  Relatives of a Palestinian freelance photographer said Sunday that he has lost vision in one eye after apparently being struck by Israeli fire while covering a demonstration last week in the occupied West Bank. Muath Amarneh's case has drawn significant attention among Palestinians and in several Arab countries, with journalists voicing solidarity by posting photos on social media with themselves wearing eye patches. Israeli paramilitary border police fired tear gas Sunday at Palestinian journalists who held a protest in solidarity with Amarneh in the city of Bethlehem.
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| RPT-UPDATE 1-UK PM Johnson: All Conservative election candidates pledge to back my Brexit deal Posted: 17 Nov 2019 10:37 AM PST ![RPT-UPDATE 1-UK PM Johnson: All Conservative election candidates pledge to back my Brexit deal]( "RPT-UPDATE 1-UK PM Johnson: All Conservative election candidates pledge to back my Brexit deal") British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that all Conservative Party candidates in the Dec. 12 election have pledged to back his Brexit deal, opening the door to getting the agreement passed through parliament if the party were to win a majority. "All 635 Conservative candidates standing at this election – every single one of them – has pledged to me that if elected they will vote in Parliament to pass my Brexit deal so we can end the uncertainty and finally leave the EU," Johnson told the Telegraph newspaper in an interview published http://bit.ly/2rSSQ8v late on Saturday. Johnson struck a last-minute Brexit deal with the European Union last month, as the bloc granted a third delay to the divorce that was originally supposed to take place on March 29.
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| The Latest: Iraq official: Protester dies in bridge clashes Posted: 17 Nov 2019 09:39 AM PST  Iraqi security and medical officials say a protester has been killed by a direct hit to the head from a tear gas cannister amid fresh clashes on a strategic Baghdad bridge. The officials said 32 others were wounded Sunday, hours after protesters retook control of half of Ahrar Bridge. Ahrar Bridge leads to the other side of the Tigris River near the heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq's government.
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| Hong Kong police threaten to use live bullets as standoff with protesters escalates Posted: 17 Nov 2019 09:24 AM PST ![Hong Kong police threaten to use live bullets as standoff with protesters escalates]( "Hong Kong police threaten to use live bullets as standoff with protesters escalates") Hong Kong police threatened on Monday to use live bullets if "rioters" used lethal weapons and committed other acts of violence, after the latest flare up during five months of anti-government protests in the Chinese ruled city. The police statement followed fresh clashes outside a university in the centre of Hong Kong where protesters were hunkered down behind makeshift shields and hurled petrol bombs at police in a standoff blocking a vital tunnel link. The violence, which has convulsed the Asian financial hub, has posed the gravest popular challenge to Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.
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| Trump To Kim Jong Un: Joe Biden Is 'Somewhat Better' Than A Rabid Dog Posted: 17 Nov 2019 08:56 AM PST  North Korea said the former vice president should "be beaten to death with a stick" for calling Kim a "murderous dictator."
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| 5 Takeaways From the Leaked Files on China's Mass Detention of Muslims Posted: 17 Nov 2019 08:54 AM PST  HONG KONG -- Internal Chinese government documents obtained by The New York Times have revealed new details on the origins and execution of China's mass detention of as many as 1 million Uighurs, Kazakhs and other predominantly Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region.The 403 pages reveal how the demands of top officials, including President Xi Jinping, led to the creation of the indoctrination camps, which have long been shrouded in secrecy. The documents also show that the government acknowledged internally that the campaign had torn families apart -- even as it explained it as a modest job-training effort -- and that the program faced unexpected resistance from officials who feared a backlash and economic damage.A member of the Chinese political establishment who requested anonymity brought the documents to light in hopes that their disclosure would prevent Communist Party leaders, including Xi, from escaping responsibility for the program. It is one of the most significant leaks of papers from inside the ruling Communist Party in decades.Here are five takeaways from the documents.Privately, officials were blunt about the consequences.The Chinese government has described its efforts in Xinjiang as a benevolent campaign to curb extremism by training people to find better jobs. But the documents reveal the party's efforts to organize a ruthless campaign of mass detention in the name of curbing terrorism, a program whose consequences they discussed with cool detachment.The papers describe how parents were taken away from children, how students wondered who would pay their tuition, and how crops could not be planted or harvested for lack of workers. Yet officials were directed to tell people that they should be grateful for the Communist Party's help and that if they complained, they might make things worse for their family.Xi set the course by calling for a war on extremism.Xi, the party chief, laid the groundwork for the crackdown in a series of speeches delivered in private to officials during and after a visit to Xinjiang in April 2014, just weeks after Uighur militants stabbed more than 150 people at a train station, killing 31.He called for an all-out "struggle against terrorism, infiltration and separatism" using the "organs of dictatorship" and to show "absolutely no mercy."The documents do not record him directly ordering the creation of the detention facilities, but he ascribed Xinjiang's instability to the widespread influence of toxic beliefs and demanded they be eradicated.Attacks overseas spurred worries at home.Terrorist attacks abroad and the drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan heightened leadership's fears and helped shape the crackdown. Officials argued that attacks in Britain resulted from policies that put "human rights above security," and Xi urged the party to emulate aspects of the U.S' "war on terror" after the Sept. 11 attacks.Xi signaled a break from the policies of his predecessor, Hu Jintao, who responded to deadly 2009 riots in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, with a clampdown but also stressed economic development as a cure for ethnic discontent -- long-standing party policy."In recent years, Xinjiang has grown very quickly and the standard of living has consistently risen, but even so, ethnic separatism and terrorist violence have still been on the rise," Xi said in a speech to party officials. "This goes to show that economic development does not automatically bring lasting order and security."A new boss in the region ordered mass roundups.The internment camps in Xinjiang expanded rapidly after the appointment in August 2016 of a zealous new party boss for the region, Chen Quanguo. He distributed Xi's speeches to justify the campaign and exhorted officials to "round up everyone who should be rounded up."Chen led a campaign akin to one of Mao's turbulent political crusades, in which top-down pressure on local officials encouraged overreach, and any expression of doubt was treated as a crime.Some officials were purged for resisting the campaign.The crackdown encountered doubts and resistance from local officials who feared it would exacerbate ethnic tensions and stifle economic growth. Chen responded by purging officials suspected of standing in his way, including one county leader who was jailed after quietly releasing thousands of inmates from the camps.That leader, Wang Yongzhi, built sprawling detention facilities and increased security funding in the county he oversaw. But in a 15-page confession, which he most likely signed under duress, he worried that the crackdown would harm ethnic relations and that the mass detentions would make it impossible to achieve the economic progress he needed to earn a promotion.Quietly, he ordered the release of more than 7,000 internment camp inmates -- an act of defiance for which he would be detained, stripped of power and prosecuted.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Trump says N.Korea went too far in calling Biden 'rabid dog' Posted: 17 Nov 2019 08:27 AM PST  US President Donald Trump issued a rare -- if tepid -- defense of election rival Joe Biden on Sunday, saying Pyongyang's depiction of him as "a rabid dog" who should be "beaten to death" went a bit too far. The president was responding to a conservative commentator's tweet about a particularly visceral attack on Biden issued Friday by North Korea. The North's official KCNA news agency said Biden had shown "the temerity to dare slander the dignity of the supreme leadership" of North Korea.
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| Trump sort of defends Joe Biden from North Korean media attacks Posted: 17 Nov 2019 08:15 AM PST ![Trump sort of defends Joe Biden from North Korean media attacks]( "Trump sort of defends Joe Biden from North Korean media attacks") President Trump is usually the one hurling insults at former Vice President Joe Biden, but on Sunday he actually defended his potential general election opponent -- at least somewhat.Earlier this week, North Korean state media described Biden as a "rabid dog" who should be "beaten to death with a stick." Trump was late to the news, but when he caught wind of it Sunday morning, it proved to be too much even for him. Trump's defense of Biden wasn't exactly ardent or inspiring, but it's reassuring to learn that he doesn't agree with Pyongyang on this one, despite his normally negative feelings about Biden.> Mr. Chairman, Joe Biden may be Sleepy and Very Slow, but he is not a "rabid dog." He is actually somewhat better than that, but I am the only one who can get you where you have to be. You should act quickly, get the deal done. See you soon! https://t.co/kO2k14lTf7> > -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2019Still, the president made sure everyone knows he still doesn't think highly of Biden. He also got a word in there about how he alone is capable of solving the U.S.-North Korea stalemate, implying that if North Korea waits around for a Democratic candidate like Biden to get elected, there will never be a satisfactory deal.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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| UPDATE 5-Iran's Khamenei backs fuel price hike, blames 'sabotage' for unrest Posted: 17 Nov 2019 07:53 AM PST ![UPDATE 5-Iran's Khamenei backs fuel price hike, blames 'sabotage' for unrest]( "UPDATE 5-Iran's Khamenei backs fuel price hike, blames 'sabotage' for unrest") Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday backed the gasoline price rises that have caused nationwide protests, which he blamed on the Islamic Republic's opponents and foreign foes. "Some people are no doubt worried by this decision ... but sabotage and arson is done by hooligans not our people," the Iranian Supreme Leader said in a live speech on state TV.
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| Trump Tells North Korea’s Kim That Biden Isn’t a ‘Rabid Dog’ Posted: 17 Nov 2019 07:50 AM PST ![Trump Tells North Korea's Kim That Biden Isn't a 'Rabid Dog']( "Trump Tells North Korea's Kim That Biden Isn't a 'Rabid Dog'") (Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump addressed Kim Jong Un on Twitter, saying that Democrat Joe Biden isn't a "rabid dog" as recently dubbed by state media in Pyongyang, but urging North Korea to "act quickly" to sign a nuclear deal with the U.S.Trump's tweet on Sunday came hours after North Korea ruled out any denuclearization talks with the U.S. unless Washington lifts what were termed "hostile policies" against the regime, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.KCNA last week said of Biden, the former vice president, that he "must be beaten to death with a stick, before it is too late." Nonetheless, Trump concluded his tweet with a breezy, "See you soon!" "Joe Biden may be Sleepy and Very Slow, but he is not a 'rabid dog,"' Trump said Sunday in a tweet to Kim. There are currently no announced plans for a meeting between the two leaders, who've met three times since June 2018 -- in Singapore, in Vietnam, and most recently in June, when the pair met at the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas. Pyongyang last week blamed U.S.-South Korean military drills "as a main factor of screwing up tensions" and reminded Washington that leader Kim has given the U.S. a year-end deadline to reduce sanctions or "face a greater threat."On Sunday, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in Bangkok that Washington and Seoul "have jointly decided to postpone this month's combined flying training event" after "close consultation and careful consideration."Read more: Trump Price Tag for Troops in South Korea Clouds Esper TripTo contact the reporter on this story: Ros Krasny in Washington at rkrasny1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net, Tony Czuczka, Steve GeimannFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UN warns Bolivia crisis could ‘spin out of control’ after nine killed in latest violence Posted: 17 Nov 2019 07:49 AM PST  The United Nations has warned mounting unrest in Bolivia could "spin out of control" after nine people died in the latest escalation of violence between between security forces and supporters of former president Evo Morales.Protesters loyal to Mr Morales, who resigned from office and fled to Mexico after being accused of electoral fraud, were fired upon by armed police on Friday after attempting to cross a military checkpoint in the central city of Sacaba.
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| Egypt officials: 3 security forces killed in Sinai blast Posted: 17 Nov 2019 06:54 AM PST ![Egypt officials: 3 security forces killed in Sinai blast]( "Egypt officials: 3 security forces killed in Sinai blast") EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — A roadside bomb killed at least three members of Egypt's security forces in the restive northern Sinai province, security and medical officials said Sunday. The explosion hit the forces' armored vehicle in the town of Sheikh Zuweid. Four other security force members were wounded, including an officer.
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| Private zoo owner in Crimea pleads for public to take 30 of his bears so he won't have to euthanise them Posted: 17 Nov 2019 06:21 AM PST  The owner of a struggling safari park in Crimea is giving more than thirty bears to save them from euthanasia. Oleg Zubkov, the owner of the Taigan Lion Park near Simferopol, said he is seeking new homes for the animals because he can no longer afford to feed them. It comes after inspectors ordered the safari park, which is famous for its large collection of lions, found violations of veterinary regulations and ordered it closed for three months. Speaking on his Youtube channel, "the Lion Man," Mr Zubkov said he could not afford to feed and look after the animals without the revenue from ticket sales and was left with no choice but to find them new homes or put them down. "Twelve lions and tigers will be moved to other zoos shortly, and a final decision will be made about… shooting 30 bears from the park," he says in the video. "I've forced into these extreme measures because there are no other options left," he said. Oleg Zubkov with BBC television presenter Simon Reeve Credit: Jonathan Young Mr Zubkov said he had already fed several dozen of his Vietnamese pigs to the lions and tigers in a bid to cut costs, and that he had informed regional veterinary authorities about his decision to cull his bears. Valery Ivanov, the head of the state veterinary committee in Crimea, told Interfax no documents related to the killing of animals had been received. The Taigan Safari Park, which is home to 2,500 animals, was opened in 2012. Mr Zubkov also runs a second zoo, called Skazka, in Yalta. Both have been the subject of numerous complaints about the conditions in which the animals are kept, according to local officials. Last year Taigan was at the centre of a small scandal after one of the lions bit a 46 year old female tourist posing for photographs with the animal. Mr Zubkov's career has not passed without controversy Credit: Media Drum World / Alamy Stock Photo Mr Zubkov insists that his bears live in better conditions than in many other zoos in Russia, and that the biting incident was the only one of its kind. He has complained that authorities have been trying to shut him down ever since Russia annexed the Black Sea peninsular after Vladimir Putin annexed it from Ukraine in 2014. Mr Zubkov was an enthusiastic supporter the annexation at the time, and even featured in Russian television reports promising that his "fighting lions" would maintain order during the controversial referendum on "reunification" with Russia. In the months afterwards he made an unsuccessful bid to enter local politics and even tried to call Vladimir Putin during his annual phone-in show to invite him to the safari park. But by 2015 he had begun to complain that he and his zoo had become the target of a campaign of harassment by local officials apparently determined to put him out of business.
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| Russia providing mood music for House impeachment drama Posted: 17 Nov 2019 06:15 AM PST  As has so often been the case since President Donald Trump took office, Moscow provides the mood music for the unfolding political drama. "With you, Mr. President, all roads lead to Putin," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared last week, and not for the first time. The impeachment investigation is centered on allegations that Trump tried to pressure Ukraine's new leader over the summer to dig up dirt on Trump political rival Joe Biden, holding up U.S. military aid to the Eastern European nation as leverage.
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| Lebanon’s outgoing PM blasts president’s party over delays Posted: 17 Nov 2019 05:53 AM PST  Lebanon's political crisis worsened Sunday with the outgoing prime minister harshly criticizing the party of the country's president, blaming it for weeks of delay in forming a new Cabinet amid ongoing anti-government protests. A statement released by Saad Hariri's office called the policies of President Michel Aoun's party "irresponsible regarding that national crisis that they country is passing through." Aoun has yet to call for consultations with parliamentary blocs' leaders to name a new premier, nearly three weeks after Hariri resigned amid nationwide protests. Some major factions in Lebanon's sectarian political system want to keep Hariri in the new government.
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| Arcuri Says Boris Johnson Cast Her Aside Like ‘Some Gremlin’ Posted: 17 Nov 2019 05:36 AM PST ![Arcuri Says Boris Johnson Cast Her Aside Like 'Some Gremlin']( "Arcuri Says Boris Johnson Cast Her Aside Like 'Some Gremlin'") (Bloomberg) -- Jennifer Arcuri, who is at the center of a controversy over her ties to Boris Johnson, said the U.K. Prime Minister cast her aside "like I am some gremlin" once the media began probing their relationship and public funds given to her company."I don't understand why you've blocked me and ignored me as if I was some fleeting one-night stand or some girl that you picked up at a bar because I wasn't -- and you know that," Arcuri said in comments directed at Johnson, and which will be broadcast in an interview on ITV's Exposure on Sunday. "I'm terribly heartbroken by the way that you have cast me aside like I am some gremlin."Controversy surrounding Arcuri has threatened to blight Johnson's Dec. 12 election campaign, as he seeks a parliamentary majority to push through his Brexit withdrawal agreement. The Independent Office for Police Conduct agency is reviewing whether to open a criminal investigation into Johnson's links with the U.S. technology entrepreneur.READ MORE: The Unsettled Life of Boris Johnson Pal Jennifer ArcuriArcuri refused to discuss the exact nature of her and Johnson's relationship, which lasted more than four years, according to the TV program. Johnson, who was mayor of London in 2008 to 2016, has similarly refused to elaborate on it. Both have denied any wrongdoing."Any claims of impropriety in office are untrue and unfounded," a Conservative Party spokesperson told the ITV program.Johnson didn't mention Arcuri in any of nine letters declaring personal interests he wrote to a City Hall monitoring officer during the time of the relationship, the program said.Johnson's attendance at events organized by Arcuri's company Innotech boosted her business profile, the show said. She also acknowledged that her cyber-security business Hacker House benefited from joining a mayoral trade mission to Tel Aviv in November 2015.To contact the reporter on this story: Antonio Vanuzzo in London at avanuzzo@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Davis at abdavis@bloomberg.net, Neil DenslowFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Lebanese Tycoon Pulls Candidacy for Premier as S&P Raises Alarm Posted: 17 Nov 2019 05:26 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- The withdrawal of a candidate to become Lebanon's prime minister is once again threatening to drag out the process at a time the country faces calls to take urgent steps necessary to avoid economic collapse.Mohammed Safadi, a wealthy Lebanese businessman and former finance minister, put an end to his bid just two days after winning the backing of Lebanon's major political parties. Lebanon has been without a government since Saad Hariri resigned late last month in the face of protests over mismanagement that's pushed the economy to the verge of bankruptcy."The risk of a protracted political vacuum increases policy uncertainty," S&P Global Ratings said on Friday as it downgraded Lebanon deeper into junk. Warning over "the likelihood that a new government may seek to restructure its debt," S&P said "the fragmented and confession-based political power-sharing system in Lebanon could delay a political solution."Safadi's candidacy already faced opposition by anti-government protesters pressing for deeper reform. Three former prime ministers also came out against his nomination and called for Hariri to be reappointed. President Michel Aoun has yet to set a date for parliamentary consultations to name a new premier.Local media reported that Hariri, Aoun, as well as the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and allies, have all agreed to name Safadi, a former lawmaker who's also been a member in various governments for over a decade, to head the next cabinet.'Difficult to Form'Instead, in a statement carried by the state-run National News Agency, Safadi, 75, said he realized "it will be difficult to form a harmonious government supported by all political sides that would enable it to take immediate rescue measures to stop the economic and financial deterioration and meet the aspirations of the people on the streets."The political logjam is leaving Lebanon with few options as it confronts one of the most serious crises in decades. Banks are closed, trade is stymied by a shortage of foreign currency and the pound has depreciated on the black market as concerns rise that the country is heading toward a debt crisis.The squabbling has also stalled economic reform plans required to win back investor confidence and unlock some $11 billion in international aid pledged at a donor conference last year.More protests are planned in Lebanon on Sunday. Demonstrators are calling for a government of experts that's able to steer Lebanon through a financial crisis that has put pressure on its decades-old currency peg.In response, local lenders have tightened restrictions on the movement of capital by banning transfers abroad and setting limits on withdrawals to avoid a run on the banks.Police promised to boost patrols and security near banks after their employees union decided to go on strike until management provides them with needed protection against angry customers.S&P's WarningsMeanwhile, S&P's downgrade of Lebanon by two notches to CCC sets out the challenges facing the economy. The entire financial model that's kept it afloat is unraveling as bank deposits from diaspora investors dwindle. S&P warned that it expects deposit outflow to accelerate in the rest of 2019, despite the restrictions imposed by banks.Even as the central bank will likely "prioritize government debt repayments over other obligations," a restructuring can no longer be ruled out, according to S&P."The recent imposition of restrictions on foreign-currency deposit withdrawals by banks raises questions about the monetary and banking regime," it said. "Moreover, it will probably increase the likelihood of the imposition of official capital controls and, in a severe scenario, a possible end of the currency peg to the U.S. dollar."To contact the reporters on this story: Nadeem Hamid in Washington at nhamid3@bloomberg.net;Dana Khraiche in Beirut at dkhraiche@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Lin Noueihed at lnoueihed@bloomberg.net, Paul Abelsky, Amy TeibelFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| U.S. postpones military exercises with South Korea in nod toward North Korea Posted: 17 Nov 2019 04:40 AM PST  U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday the United States and South Korea have indefinitely postponed a joint military exercise in an "act of goodwill" toward North Korea. The move comes even as Japan's defense minister, whose country feels threatened by repeated North Korean missile launches, told Esper "no one could be optimistic about" changing the North's behavior. The statement by Japan's defense chief, Taro Kono, was a stark illustration of the difficulties facing the U.S. and its international allies and partners as they struggle to get North Korea back to negotiations to eliminate its nuclear weapons and missiles.
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| Iran shuts down country's internet in the wake of fuel protests Posted: 17 Nov 2019 03:58 AM PST  Iran, one of the countries most strongly identified with the rise cyber terrorism and malicious hacking, appears now to be using an iron fist to turn on its own. The country has reportedly shut down nearly all internet access in the country in retaliation to escalating protests that were originally ignited by a rise in fuel prices, according to readings taken by NetBlocks, an NGO that monitors cybersecurity and internet governance around the world. As of Sunday night, NetBlocks said that the shut-down had slightly grown, to 5% of ordinary levels.
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| Trump's secret sauce Posted: 17 Nov 2019 03:55 AM PST ![Trump's secret sauce]( "Trump's secret sauce") Even as the country is poised to debate whether President Trump deserves a second term -- or should be allowed to complete his first one -- Republicans still haven't settled on why he won in 2016. Is it because he staked out a set of positions on immigration, trade, and foreign policy that set him apart from the rest of the field? Or was it because the rich and famous New Yorker was himself larger than life (or at least the other presidential candidates)?One test case is Jeff Sessions, the Republican who is running for his old Senate seat in Alabama. The former attorney general was into "Trumpism" -- that is, a more populist and nationalist twist on conservatism -- before Trump. As a senator, Sessions championed an immigration policy of tougher enforcement and reduced legal entries, favored making national sovereignty a bigger consideration in international trade deals, and talked about transforming the GOP into a workers party. He asked cheerfully, "How many votes does the Chamber of Commerce have?"Yet Sessions' tenure as attorney general didn't come to an end because of his failure or unwillingness to try to implement this agenda. "This is the Trump era," he warned those expecting leniency in enforcing immigration laws. It was his perceived lack of loyalty to Trump personally, particularly his recusal in the Russia investigation, which paved the way to Robert Mueller's appointment as special counsel, that made his stay at the Justice Department short-lived.It's a lesson Sessions seems to have learned, if an early campaign video is any indication. "When I left President Trump's Cabinet, did I write a tell-all book? No. Did I go on CNN and attack the president? Nope. Have I said a cross word about our president?" Sessions asked his constituents. "Not one time.""The president is doing a great job for America and Alabama, and he has my strong support," Sessions concluded. And while the feeling may not be mutual, it's not a minority opinion in the Yellowhammer State. Trump received an enthusiastic welcome in Tuscaloosa last weekend at the Alabama-LSU football game. He carried the state by 28 points the last time around and would be a heavy favorite in 2020.Consider another high-profile veteran of the Trump administration who is clearly weighing her political future. Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is not a carbon copy of Trump on immigration or trade. She is particularly opposed to a less interventionist foreign policy. Haley supported Marco Rubio at the peak of his dalliances with Never Trump and expressed not too thinly veiled criticism of the future president in her 2016 Republican response to the State of the Union address.In her new book, Haley says she was not part of an effort to undermine Trump, even though then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and White House chief of staff John Kelly allegedly tried to recruit her. She went further in defending Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president that sits at the heart of the House Democrats' impeachment inquiry than many sitting Republican senators would feel comfortable doing, even as they are likely to vote to prevent his removal from office.Haley is a throwback to the pre-Trump Republican Party, closer to Jeb and George W. Bush (and some of the people inside the executive branch who are also playing a key role in the impeachment inquiry) than the current occupant of the Oval Office. Sessions was a precursor to Trump and his first major Capitol Hill endorser. Haley left the administration voluntarily, Sessions was pushed out. Both now treat Trump as the deciding factor, not Trumpism the movement.This isn't to say that millions of Trump's most passionate backers would not cheer Sessions' return to the Senate while many of them would be cooler to a Haley presidential candidacy. And in 2016, GOP primary voters had many choices if they wanted either orthodox Reaganite conservatism or Bushie establishment Republicanism. They still chose Trump, who railed against two decades of bipartisan trade deals, the shaky Washington consensus that tried to foist "comprehensive immigration reform" on an unwilling conservative base, and the Iraq war.But few Trump imitators who lack his charisma, fame, or reputation for making money have fared nearly as well (though it can be argued that only now are potentially viable prospects like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, and even Donald Trump Jr. starting to seriously try). Before anyone can follow in Trump's footsteps, they have to decide how the president got to the White House in the first place.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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| Airstrikes kill 9 in rebel-held northwest Syria Posted: 17 Nov 2019 03:23 AM PST ![Airstrikes kill 9 in rebel-held northwest Syria]( "Airstrikes kill 9 in rebel-held northwest Syria") Airstrikes on rebel-held areas in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib killed at least nine people on Sunday, an opposition war monitor and a paramedic group said. Last week, Syrian President Bashar Assad said his forces will soon retake Idlib. In an interview with a Russian TV station, Assad said that they are now giving civilians some time to leave the area.
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| Yemen government delays return, officials blame separatists Posted: 17 Nov 2019 03:03 AM PST  Yemen's internationally recognized government was forced to delay its return to the port city of Aden, officials said Sunday, blaming southern separatists for stalling on the key point of a power-sharing deal signed early this month to end their infighting. Under the agreement brokered by Saudi Arabia between Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi and the separatists, the government was to have returned to Aden last Tuesday.
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| Labour Vows Free Internet, Johnson Defends Flood Aid: U.K. Election Update Posted: 17 Nov 2019 02:58 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Prince Andrew's interview about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is dominating the news, but British politicians are avoiding the subject. From a political perspective the most interesting news is Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement that every Conservative candidate has promised to back his Brexit deal.The Conservatives are also giving an outline of their plans for a post-Brexit immigration system, and Labour is talking about the National Health Service.For more on the U.K. election, click on ELECKey Developments:Corbyn refuses to choose a side in Brexit debateAll Tory candidates pledge to vote for Brexit dealConservatives back away from fixed immigration targetLabour signs off its election manifestoLabour promises free dental care for allCorbyn Refuses to Choose a Brexit Side (10.30 a.m.)In a BBC interview, Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn refused repeatedly to say whether he'd campaign to leave the European Union or not during the referendum he proposes for next year. He also declined to say what his party proposes as an immigration policy, though he made it clear he's not a fan of strict controls. "There will be a great deal of movement," he said. Corbyn's equivocation provides room for the Conservatives to tell people what they think he'd do. The Labour leader was also ambiguous in some areas where he's been historically forthright. Asked about Britain's membership of NATO, Corbyn declined to say it was a good thing, but also didn't attack it. On the U.K.'s nuclear arsenal, he restricted himself to saying that the country should be part of international negotiations to get rid of the weapons.Asked how he proposed to pay for his policies, Corbyn said multinational companies should be made to pay more tax. Johnson Should Have Declared Our Relationship: Arcuri (10.15 a.m.)Prince Andrew isn't the only one having his relationships thrust into the spotlight this weekend. Jennifer Arcuri, the American entrepreneur caught up in a controversy involving the prime minister, has given an interview to ITV saying she wishes Boris Johnson had declared their relationship as a potential conflict of interest.While Arcuri has refused to discuss the exact nature of their relationship, she said Johnson cast her aside "like I am some gremlin" after the media began to ask questions about access and public money her company was given when he was mayor of London. Johnson has likewise refused to say what his relationship with Arcuri was, but denies any wrongdoing."I don't understand why you've blocked me and ignored me as if I was some fleeting one-night stand or some girl that you picked up at a bar because I wasn't," she said, in the interview to be broadcast on Sunday evening.Raab Says No-Deal Brexit is Not Remotely Likely (10 a.m.)Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was questioned about the plan for the future trade agreement with the EU on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. While he admitted that it will necessarily be a compromise, he said there's an opportunity to reach a "win-win" which is "great for the U.K. but also good for our European friends."Asked if the U.K. could leave the EU without a deal, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, "no, it's not what we want to do." He clarified, "I don't think it's remotely likely."Labour Promises Free Dental Care for All (9 a.m.)Labour is continuing its approach of eye-catching offers for voters. After free broadband on Friday, Sunday's was free dental care. Health spokesman Jon Ashworth told Sky News that people unable to afford to visit dentists were treating themselves using kits from budget shops.Conservatives Drop Fixed Immigration Target (8:45 a.m.)Security Minister Brandon Lewis told Sky News that after Brexit the Conservatives want to treat migrants from the European Union the same way as those from the rest of the world. He promised a five-year wait before people can claim welfare payments. But he backed away from the promise the Conservatives have been making -- and failing to keep -- for a decade, to reduce net immigration below 100,000 a year."We'll not set arbitrary targets," he said. "I'm not getting into those kind of issues that we've had before. We will reduce immigration because when we leave the EU we will pass an immigration act that brings in a points-based system."All Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal (Overnight)If Prime Minister Boris Johnson wins a majority on Dec. 12, his chances of swiftly passing his Brexit deal are increased by his announcement that all his candidates have promised to back it. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said: "All 635 Conservative candidates standing at this election -- every single one of them -- has pledged to me that if elected they will vote in Parliament to pass my Brexit deal so we can end the uncertainty and finally leave the EU. I am offering a pact with the people: if you vote Conservative you can be 100% sure a majority Conservative government will unblock Parliament and get Brexit done."It's a significant pledge because the biggest obstacle to getting Brexit deals through Parliament has been the inability of Conservatives to agree about what kind of Brexit they want. But what it probably doesn't cover is the next stage of Brexit, which is likely to revive arguments about how close the U.K. wants to be to the EU.Labour Agrees on Election Manifesto (Overnight)The opposition Labour Party signed off its policy platform for the election. It won't be unveiled until Thursday, but some leaks include:A "Right to Food Act" introducing price controls, according to the MailA windfall tax on oil companies, according to the MailAn expansion of the sugar tax, according to the MailDropping a plan to allow private tenants to buy their homes, according to the FTEarlier:Corbyn Seeks to Use Britain's NHS as Election BattlegroundPrince Andrew Bombs in BBC Interview, Raising More QuestionsTo contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Lucy Meakin in London at lmeakin1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, James Amott, Sara MarleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes Posted: 17 Nov 2019 02:58 AM PST ![Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes]( "Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes") (Bloomberg) -- Prince Andrew's interview about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is dominating the news, but British politicians are avoiding the subject. From a political perspective the most interesting news is Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement that every Conservative candidate has promised to back his Brexit deal.The Conservatives are also giving an outline of their plans for a post-Brexit immigration system, and Labour is talking about the National Health Service.For more on the U.K. election, click on ELECKey Developments:Corbyn refuses to choose a side in Brexit debateAll Tory candidates pledge to vote for Brexit dealConservatives back away from fixed immigration targetLabour signs off its election manifestoLabour promises free dental care for allCorbyn Refuses to Choose a Brexit Side (10.30 a.m.)In a BBC interview, Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn refused repeatedly to say whether he'd campaign to leave the European Union or not during the referendum he proposes for next year. He also declined to say what his party proposes as an immigration policy, though he made it clear he's not a fan of strict controls. "There will be a great deal of movement," he said. Corbyn's equivocation provides room for the Conservatives to tell people what they think he'd do. The Labour leader was also ambiguous in some areas where he's been historically forthright. Asked about Britain's membership of NATO, Corbyn declined to say it was a good thing, but also didn't attack it. On the U.K.'s nuclear arsenal, he restricted himself to saying that the country should be part of international negotiations to get rid of the weapons.Asked how he proposed to pay for his policies, Corbyn said multinational companies should be made to pay more tax. Johnson Should Have Declared Our Relationship: Arcuri (10.15 a.m.)Prince Andrew isn't the only one having his relationships thrust into the spotlight this weekend. Jennifer Arcuri, the American entrepreneur caught up in a controversy involving the prime minister, has given an interview to ITV saying she wishes Boris Johnson had declared their relationship as a potential conflict of interest.While Arcuri has refused to discuss the exact nature of their relationship, she said Johnson cast her aside "like I am some gremlin" after the media began to ask questions about access and public money her company was given when he was mayor of London. Johnson has likewise refused to say what his relationship with Arcuri was, but denies any wrongdoing."I don't understand why you've blocked me and ignored me as if I was some fleeting one-night stand or some girl that you picked up at a bar because I wasn't," she said, in the interview to be broadcast on Sunday evening.Raab Says No-Deal Brexit is Not Remotely Likely (10 a.m.)Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was questioned about the plan for the future trade agreement with the EU on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. While he admitted that it will necessarily be a compromise, he said there's an opportunity to reach a "win-win" which is "great for the U.K. but also good for our European friends."Asked if the U.K. could leave the EU without a deal, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, "no, it's not what we want to do." He clarified, "I don't think it's remotely likely."Labour Promises Free Dental Care for All (9 a.m.)Labour is continuing its approach of eye-catching offers for voters. After free broadband on Friday, Sunday's was free dental care. Health spokesman Jon Ashworth told Sky News that people unable to afford to visit dentists were treating themselves using kits from budget shops.Conservatives Drop Fixed Immigration Target (8:45 a.m.)Security Minister Brandon Lewis told Sky News that after Brexit the Conservatives want to treat migrants from the European Union the same way as those from the rest of the world. He promised a five-year wait before people can claim welfare payments. But he backed away from the promise the Conservatives have been making -- and failing to keep -- for a decade, to reduce net immigration below 100,000 a year."We'll not set arbitrary targets," he said. "I'm not getting into those kind of issues that we've had before. We will reduce immigration because when we leave the EU we will pass an immigration act that brings in a points-based system."All Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal (Overnight)If Prime Minister Boris Johnson wins a majority on Dec. 12, his chances of swiftly passing his Brexit deal are increased by his announcement that all his candidates have promised to back it. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said: "All 635 Conservative candidates standing at this election -- every single one of them -- has pledged to me that if elected they will vote in Parliament to pass my Brexit deal so we can end the uncertainty and finally leave the EU. I am offering a pact with the people: if you vote Conservative you can be 100% sure a majority Conservative government will unblock Parliament and get Brexit done."It's a significant pledge because the biggest obstacle to getting Brexit deals through Parliament has been the inability of Conservatives to agree about what kind of Brexit they want. But what it probably doesn't cover is the next stage of Brexit, which is likely to revive arguments about how close the U.K. wants to be to the EU.Labour Agrees on Election Manifesto (Overnight)The opposition Labour Party signed off its policy platform for the election. It won't be unveiled until Thursday, but some leaks include:A "Right to Food Act" introducing price controls, according to the MailA windfall tax on oil companies, according to the MailAn expansion of the sugar tax, according to the MailDropping a plan to allow private tenants to buy their homes, according to the FTEarlier:Corbyn Seeks to Use Britain's NHS as Election BattlegroundPrince Andrew Bombs in BBC Interview, Raising More QuestionsTo contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Lucy Meakin in London at lmeakin1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, James Amott, Sara MarleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes Posted: 17 Nov 2019 02:39 AM PST ![Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes]( "Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes") (Bloomberg) -- Prince Andrew's interview about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is dominating the news, but British politicians are avoiding the subject. From a political perspective the most interesting news is Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement that every Conservative candidate has promised to back his Brexit deal.The Conservatives are also giving an outline of their plans for a post-Brexit immigration system, and Labour is talking about the National Health Service.For more on the U.K. election, click on ELECKey Developments:Conservatives drop fixed immigration targetLabour signs off its election manifestoLabour promises free dental care for allRaab Says No-Deal Brexit is Not Remotely Likely (10 a.m.)Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was questioned about the plan for the future trade agreement with the EU on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. While he admitted that it will necessarily be a compromise, he said there's an opportunity to reach a "win-win" which is "great for the U.K. but also good for our European friends."Asked if the U.K. could leave the EU without a deal, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, "no, it's not what we want to do." He clarified, "I don't think it's remotely likely."Labour Promises Free Dental Care for All (9 a.m.)Labour is continuing its approach of eye-catching offers for voters. After free broadband on Friday, Sunday's was free dental care. Health spokesman Jon Ashworth told Sky News that people unable to afford to visit dentists were treating themselves using kits from budget shops.Conservatives Drop Fixed Immigration Target (8:45 a.m.)Security Minister Brandon Lewis told Sky News that after Brexit the Conservatives want to treat migrants from the European Union the same way as those from the rest of the world. He promised a five-year wait before people can claim welfare payments. But he backed away from the promise the Conservatives have been making -- and failing to keep -- for a decade, to reduce net immigration below 100,000 a year."We'll not set arbitrary targets," he said. "I'm not getting into those kind of issues that we've had before. We will reduce immigration because when we leave the EU we will pass an immigration act that brings in a points-based system."All Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal (Overnight)If Prime Minister Boris Johnson wins a majority on Dec. 12, his chances of swiftly passing his Brexit deal are increased by his announcement that all his candidates have promised to back it. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said: "All 635 Conservative candidates standing at this election -- every single one of them -- has pledged to me that if elected they will vote in Parliament to pass my Brexit deal so we can end the uncertainty and finally leave the EU. I am offering a pact with the people: if you vote Conservative you can be 100% sure a majority Conservative government will unblock Parliament and get Brexit done."It's a significant pledge because the biggest obstacle to getting Brexit deals through Parliament has been the inability of Conservatives to agree about what kind of Brexit they want. But what it probably doesn't cover is the next stage of Brexit, which is likely to revive arguments about how close the U.K. wants to be to the EU.Labour Agrees on Election Manifesto (Overnight)The opposition Labour Party signed off its policy platform for the election. It won't be unveiled until Thursday, but some leaks include:A "Right to Food Act" introducing price controls, according to the MailA windfall tax on oil companies, according to the MailAn expansion of the sugar tax, according to the MailDropping a plan to allow private tenants to buy their homes, according to the FTEarlier:Corbyn Seeks to Use Britain's NHS as Election BattlegroundPrince Andrew Bombs in BBC Interview, Raising More QuestionsTo contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Lucy Meakin in London at lmeakin1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, James Amott, Sara MarleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes Posted: 17 Nov 2019 02:39 AM PST ![Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes]( "Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes") (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Prince Andrew's interview about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is dominating the news, but British politicians are avoiding the subject. From a political perspective the most interesting news is Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement that every Conservative candidate has promised to back his Brexit deal.The Conservatives are also giving an outline of their plans for a post-Brexit immigration system, and Labour is talking about the National Health Service.For more on the U.K. election, click on ELECKey Developments:Corbyn refuses to choose a side in Brexit debateAll Tory candidates pledge to vote for Brexit dealConservatives back away from fixed immigration targetLabour signs off its election manifestoLabour promises free dental care for allCorbyn Refuses to Choose a Brexit Side (10.30 a.m.)In a BBC interview, Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn refused repeatedly to say whether he'd campaign to leave the European Union or not during the referendum he proposes for next year. He also declined to say what his party proposes as an immigration policy, though he made it clear he's not a fan of strict controls. "There will be a great deal of movement," he said. Corbyn's equivocation provides room for the Conservatives to tell people what they think he'd do. The Labour leader was also ambiguous in some areas where he's been historically forthright. Asked about Britain's membership of NATO, Corbyn declined to say it was a good thing, but also didn't attack it. On the U.K.'s nuclear arsenal, he restricted himself to saying that the country should be part of international negotiations to get rid of the weapons.Asked how he proposed to pay for his policies, Corbyn said multinational companies should be made to pay more tax. Johnson Should Have Declared Our Relationship: Arcuri (10.15 a.m.)Prince Andrew isn't the only one having his relationships thrust into the spotlight this weekend. Jennifer Arcuri, the American entrepreneur caught up in a controversy involving the prime minister, has given an interview to ITV saying she wishes Boris Johnson had declared their relationship as a potential conflict of interest.While Arcuri has refused to discuss the exact nature of their relationship, she said Johnson cast her aside "like I am some gremlin" after the media began to ask questions about access and public money her company was given when he was mayor of London. Johnson has likewise refused to say what his relationship with Arcuri was, but denies any wrongdoing."I don't understand why you've blocked me and ignored me as if I was some fleeting one-night stand or some girl that you picked up at a bar because I wasn't," she said, in the interview to be broadcast on Sunday evening.Raab Says No-Deal Brexit is Not Remotely Likely (10 a.m.)Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was questioned about the plan for the future trade agreement with the EU on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. While he admitted that it will necessarily be a compromise, he said there's an opportunity to reach a "win-win" which is "great for the U.K. but also good for our European friends."Asked if the U.K. could leave the EU without a deal, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said, "no, it's not what we want to do." He clarified, "I don't think it's remotely likely."Labour Promises Free Dental Care for All (9 a.m.)Labour is continuing its approach of eye-catching offers for voters. After free broadband on Friday, Sunday's was free dental care. Health spokesman Jon Ashworth told Sky News that people unable to afford to visit dentists were treating themselves using kits from budget shops.Conservatives Drop Fixed Immigration Target (8:45 a.m.)Security Minister Brandon Lewis told Sky News that after Brexit the Conservatives want to treat migrants from the European Union the same way as those from the rest of the world. He promised a five-year wait before people can claim welfare payments. But he backed away from the promise the Conservatives have been making -- and failing to keep -- for a decade, to reduce net immigration below 100,000 a year."We'll not set arbitrary targets," he said. "I'm not getting into those kind of issues that we've had before. We will reduce immigration because when we leave the EU we will pass an immigration act that brings in a points-based system."All Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal (Overnight)If Prime Minister Boris Johnson wins a majority on Dec. 12, his chances of swiftly passing his Brexit deal are increased by his announcement that all his candidates have promised to back it. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said: "All 635 Conservative candidates standing at this election -- every single one of them -- has pledged to me that if elected they will vote in Parliament to pass my Brexit deal so we can end the uncertainty and finally leave the EU. I am offering a pact with the people: if you vote Conservative you can be 100% sure a majority Conservative government will unblock Parliament and get Brexit done."It's a significant pledge because the biggest obstacle to getting Brexit deals through Parliament has been the inability of Conservatives to agree about what kind of Brexit they want. But what it probably doesn't cover is the next stage of Brexit, which is likely to revive arguments about how close the U.K. wants to be to the EU.Labour Agrees on Election Manifesto (Overnight)The opposition Labour Party signed off its policy platform for the election. It won't be unveiled until Thursday, but some leaks include:A "Right to Food Act" introducing price controls, according to the MailA windfall tax on oil companies, according to the MailAn expansion of the sugar tax, according to the MailDropping a plan to allow private tenants to buy their homes, according to the FTEarlier:Corbyn Seeks to Use Britain's NHS as Election BattlegroundPrince Andrew Bombs in BBC Interview, Raising More QuestionsTo contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Lucy Meakin in London at lmeakin1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, James Amott, Sara MarleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| UK Conservatives: EU and non-EU immigrants will face same rules after Brexit Posted: 17 Nov 2019 02:02 AM PST ![UK Conservatives: EU and non-EU immigrants will face same rules after Brexit]( "UK Conservatives: EU and non-EU immigrants will face same rules after Brexit") British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives said on Sunday they would treat European Union citizens the same as immigrants from the rest of the world when free movement ends in January 2021. Setting out details of their post-Brexit immigration policy ahead of a Dec. 12 election, the Conservatives said EU nationals would typically have to wait five years before they could access welfare payments and would have to pay a surcharge to access the health service.
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| Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes Posted: 17 Nov 2019 01:53 AM PST ![Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes]( "Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal: U.K. Votes") (Bloomberg) -- Prince Andrew's interview about his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein is dominating the news, but British politicians are avoiding the subject. From a political perspective the most interesting news is Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement that every Conservative candidate has promised to back his Brexit deal.The Conservatives are also giving an outline of their plans for a post-Brexit immigration system, and Labour is talking about the National Health Service.For more on the U.K. election, click on ELECKey Developments:Conservatives drop fixed immigration targetLabour signs off its election manifestoLabour promises free dental care for allLabour Promises Free Dental Care for All (9 a.m.)Labour is continuing its approach of eye-catching offers for voters. After free broadband on Friday, Sunday's was free dental care. Health spokesman Jon Ashworth told Sky News that people unable to afford to visit dentists were treating themselves using kits from budget shops.Conservatives Drop Fixed Immigration Target (8:45 a.m.)Security Minister Brandon Lewis told Sky News that after Brexit the Conservatives want to treat migrants from the European Union the same way as those from the rest of the world. He promised a five-year wait before people can claim welfare payments. But he backed away from the promise the Conservatives have been making -- and failing to keep -- for a decade, to reduce net immigration below 100,000 a year."We'll not set arbitrary targets," he said. "I'm not getting into those kind of issues that we've had before. We will reduce immigration because when we leave the EU we will pass an immigration act that brings in a points-based system."All Conservative Candidates Pledge to Back Brexit Deal (Overnight)If Prime Minister Boris Johnson wins a majority on Dec. 12, his chances of swiftly passing his Brexit deal are increased by his announcement that all his candidates have promised to back it. In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said: "All 635 Conservative candidates standing at this election -- every single one of them -- has pledged to me that if elected they will vote in Parliament to pass my Brexit deal so we can end the uncertainty and finally leave the EU. I am offering a pact with the people: if you vote Conservative you can be 100% sure a majority Conservative government will unblock Parliament and get Brexit done."It's a significant pledge because the biggest obstacle to getting Brexit deals through Parliament has been the inability of Conservatives to agree about what kind of Brexit they want. But what it probably doesn't cover is the next stage of Brexit, which is likely to revive arguments about how close the U.K. wants to be to the EU.Labour Agrees on Election Manifesto (Overnight)The opposition Labour Party signed off its policy platform for the election. It won't be unveiled until Thursday, but some leaks include:A "Right to Food Act" introducing price controls, according to the MailA windfall tax on oil companies, according to the MailAn expansion of the sugar tax, according to the MailDropping a plan to allow private tenants to buy their homes, according to the FTEarlier:Corbyn Seeks to Use Britain's NHS as Election BattlegroundPrince Andrew Bombs in BBC Interview, Raising More QuestionsTo contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at rhutton1@bloomberg.net;Lucy Meakin in London at lmeakin1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, James Amott, Sara MarleyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Merkel party leader: No overhaul of German coalition deal Posted: 17 Nov 2019 01:49 AM PST  The leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's party is rejecting calls for an overhaul of the accord underpinning Merkel's often-fractious coalition government. Halfway through the parliamentary term, the Social Democrats are choosing a new leadership and are expected to decide next month whether to stay in the coalition. One Social Democratic leadership contender has advocated an overhaul of the coalition accord drawn up last year, as has a prominent lawmaker in Merkel's Christian Democratic Union.
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| Egypt says 9 killed in road accident in southern province Posted: 17 Nov 2019 12:56 AM PST ![Egypt says 9 killed in road accident in southern province]( "Egypt says 9 killed in road accident in southern province") Egyptian police say nine people were killed when a minibus collided with a small truck on a highway in the southern province of Sohag. A police statement says the accident took place late on Saturday and that along with the nine killed, nine others were injured. Sohag is located 390 kilometers, or 244 miles, south of the Egyptian capital of Cairo.
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| US, S Korea postpone joint exercise criticized by N Korea Posted: 17 Nov 2019 12:49 AM PST  U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Sunday the United States and South Korea have indefinitely postponed a joint military exercise in an "act of goodwill" toward North Korea.
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| Internet restricted in protest-hit Iran: report Posted: 17 Nov 2019 12:37 AM PST  Authorities have restricted internet access in Iran, the semi-official ISNA news agency said on Sunday, after nearly two days of nationwide protests triggered by a petrol price hike. "Access to the internet has been limited as of last night and for the next 24 hours," an informed source at the information and telecommunications ministry said, quoted by ISNA. The decision was made by the Supreme National Security Council of Iran and communicated to internet service providors overnight, the source added.
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| Iraqi protester killed amid fresh clashes on Baghdad bridge Posted: 17 Nov 2019 12:31 AM PST  An anti-government protester in Iraq was killed Sunday by a direct hit to the head from a tear gas cannister amid fresh clashes on a strategic Baghdad bridge, security and medical officials said. At least 32 others were wounded in violent clashes with security forces, just hours after demonstrators retook control of part of Ahrar Bridge from security forces. The protesters now hold three bridges spanning the Tigris River toward the heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq's government.
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| UPDATE 3-Iran's Khamenei backs gasoline price hike, blames 'sabotage' for unrest Posted: 16 Nov 2019 11:28 PM PST ![UPDATE 3-Iran's Khamenei backs gasoline price hike, blames 'sabotage' for unrest]( "UPDATE 3-Iran's Khamenei backs gasoline price hike, blames 'sabotage' for unrest") Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday backed the sharp gasoline price rises that have sparked country-wide protests, which he blamed on the Islamic Republic's opponents and "sabotage" by foreign foes. "Some people are no doubt worried by this decision ... but sabotage and arson is done by hooligans not our people," the Iranian Supreme Leader said in a live speech on state TV.
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| N.Korea says nuclear issues will not be on agenda unless U.S. 'hostile policy' discussed -KCNA Posted: 16 Nov 2019 10:53 PM PST ![N.Korea says nuclear issues will not be on agenda unless U.S. 'hostile policy' discussed -KCNA]( "N.Korea says nuclear issues will not be on agenda unless U.S. 'hostile policy' discussed -KCNA") North Korea said on Sunday nuclear issues will not be discussed when talks with the United States restart unless the withdrawal of U.S. "hostile policy" was put on the agenda, state media reported. North Korea has previously described the U.N. criticism as a product of U.S. "hostile policy".
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| Iran's Khamenei backs petrol price hike decision: state TV Posted: 16 Nov 2019 10:22 PM PST  Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday voiced support for a decision to impose petrol price hikes and rationing that sparked protests across the Islamic republic. Protests flared across Iran after the price hike agreed by the High Council of Economic Coordination made up of the president, parliament speaker and judiciary chief was announced at midnight on Friday. "The heads of the branches made a decision with the backing of expert opinion and naturally it must be implemented," said Khamenei.
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| Leaked China documents reveal 'no mercy' in Xinjiang: NYT Posted: 16 Nov 2019 09:19 PM PST  A rare and huge leak of Chinese government documents has shed new light on a security crackdown on Muslims in China's Xinjiang region, where President Xi Jinping ordered officials to act with "absolutely no mercy" against separatism and extremism, The New York Times reported. Human rights groups and outside experts say more than one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities have been rounded up in a network of internment camps across the far-western region. The 403 pages of internal papers obtained by the Times provide an unprecedented look into the highly-secretive Communist Party's controversial crackdown, which has come under increasing international criticism, especially from the United States.
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| UPDATE 4-U.S., South Korea postpone military drills in bid to bolster N.Korea peace effort Posted: 16 Nov 2019 07:02 PM PST ![UPDATE 4-U.S., South Korea postpone military drills in bid to bolster N.Korea peace effort]( "UPDATE 4-U.S., South Korea postpone military drills in bid to bolster N.Korea peace effort") The United States and South Korea said on Sunday they will postpone upcoming military drills in an effort to bolster a stalled peace push with North Korea, even as Washington denied the move amounted to another concession to Pyongyang. The drills, known as the Combined Flying Training Event, would have simulated air combat scenarios and involved an undisclosed number of warplanes from both the United States and South Korea. In deference to Pyongyang, the exercises had already been reduced in scale and scope from previous years, but North Korea still objected to them regardless.
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