| Iraqi protesters torch Iran consulate amid deadly protests Posted: 27 Nov 2019 05:23 PM PST  Iraqi protesters torched the Iranian consulate in the holy city of Najaf on Wednesday in a dramatic escalation of anti-government demonstrations that have left more than 350 people dead. "Victory to Iraq!" and "Iran out!" protesters chanted, outraged at the country they blame for propping up a government they've been demonstrating against for nearly two months. Iraq's capital and its Shiite-majority south have been gripped by the largest grassroots protests since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
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| Trump signs bills in support of Hong Kong protesters Posted: 27 Nov 2019 04:12 PM PST  President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed two bills aimed at supporting human rights and pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. Trump signed the bills, which were approved by near unanimous consent in the House and Senate, even as he expressed some concerns about complicating the effort to work out a trade deal with China's President Xi Jinping. "I signed these bills out of respect for President Xi, China, and the people of Hong Kong," Trump said in a statement.
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| She Slashed Global Tariffs Under Trump’s Nose. Now She’s Leaving Posted: 27 Nov 2019 04:00 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Over the past five years as the European Union's trade chief, Cecilia Malmstrom has reached deals to expand more than 295 billion euros ($325 billion) of the bloc's commerce with the rest of the world.That market-opening success is no small feat as Malmstrom, known for her civility and consistency, pushed to counter U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist challenge to the global trade order.Due to step down on Saturday, the 51-year-old Swede leaves behind a series of concrete accomplishments -- including three blockbuster free-trade agreements -- that will chart the EU's course for decades beyond the current tumult in international commerce."Malmstrom doesn't shout, but she is far from toothless," said Jacques Pelkmans, a trade-policy expert and senior fellow at the CEPS think tank in Brussels. "She will always remain a diplomat rather than bang tables. That is not a weakness."As the only female European trade commissioner to date to serve a full term, Malmstrom has overseen the biggest EU offensive in the field of international commerce in the bloc's history.U.S., China ThreatAt the same time, she has led a defensive campaign to prevent the World Trade Organization system from collapsing under the combined strains of U.S. protectionism and China's failure to become a full market economy almost two decades after joining the WTO."While being very open, civilized and thoughtful, Malmstrom has also been principled and tough when needed," said Eleonora Catella, a senior adviser on trade matters at the BusinessEurope confederation in Brussels. "She has achieved a lot."To be sure, the deterioration in EU relations with the U.S. as a result of Trump's "America First" agenda and the inconclusive efforts to prod economic changes in communist China will form bitter components of Malmstrom's legacy. They will also preoccupy her successor, Ireland's Phil Hogan, who has been European agriculture commissioner.The U.S. and China may be the EU's top two trade partners, but they are threatening in different ways the global commercial order to which the 28-nation bloc is committed. And with the U.S. and China locked in a trade war, the threats are as serious as ever.'Fantastic, Dramatic'But the tests posed by Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have played roles in Malmstrom's policy successes by adding urgency to Europe's efforts to open international markets and uphold the rules-based multilateral commercial order."It's been five fantastic, dramatic and challenging years," Malmstrom, who plans to teach at a Swedish university next year, said in the Belgian capital on Nov. 21 after her last meeting with the EU's national trade ministers.In rapid succession the EU reached landmark trade accords with Canada and Japan after five years of negotiations, securing the bloc's first such pacts with fellow members of the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations. Then Malmstrom and her team struck an accord with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay -- the so-called Mercosur group -- following two decades of talks, surprising even seasoned EU observers."Perhaps the conclusion of the EU-Mercosur agreement was even more satisfying," Malmstrom told Bloomberg on Nov. 26. "There were many, including within the EU, that thought it would never happen" and "when it was finally done the whole room stood up to applaud each other. It had really been a negotiating marathon and not many of us had got much sleep by that point."In each case, the message from the parties was that free-trade agreements are important not just because they generate economic benefits but also because they mark a political bulwark against protectionism. This stance is likely to propel EU market-opening negotiations that Malmstrom kicked off last year with Australia and New Zealand.While U.S. unilateralism has driven the EU's agenda of free-trade deals, China's state-sponsored programs to expand exports and foreign investment lie behind two other European policy breakthroughs under Malmstrom.The first involved a revamp of European rules on countering below-cost -- or "dumped" -- imports in a way that both met EU legal obligations tied to China's WTO membership and maintained the bloc's ability to curb unfairly priced foreign goods with duties. The overhaul, which Pelkmans of CEPS called "very smart," reflected a compromise between the competing interests of European importers and manufacturers.The second major success on this front was European legislation -- the first of its kind -- meant to prevent foreign investments from threatening national security. Deemed for years too controversial even to propose because of opposition in EU national capitals, the new law ended up winning final political approval in just 17 months.Saving the WTOOn the global front under Malmstrom, the EU has led efforts to bolster the WTO by enabling it to tackle industrial subsidies and to sidestep an imminent deadlock on the trade arbiter's appellate body caused by a U.S. refusal to consider new appointments.These two initiatives have no guarantee of success, highlighting Europe's lingering vulnerabilities. In addition, the EU's own agenda of striking free-trade deals has weaknesses because talks with key emerging economies such as India are on hold and because it excludes China, with which the bloc first wants to reach an investment pact.In navigating through this uncertainty, Malmstrom has been steadfast in extolling the benefits of free trade and in urging China and the U.S. to act in ways that support it."To both the U.S. and China I say this: don't take the WTO for granted," Malmstrom said in her remarks to Bloomberg on Tuesday. "We need to work together to make it fit for purpose for the modern economy."Her main demand of Beijing has been to make good on pledges to pursue more open trade and investment policies. Her primary request of Washington has been to work with the EU to defend a global commercial order that the U.S. itself was instrumental in establishing."The U.S. needs to find the space between pulling the punches and pulling the plug," Malmstrom said in March. "We are worried that the system is threatening to break altogether."To contact the reporter on this story: Jonathan Stearns in Brussels at jstearns2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Richard Bravo, Guy CollinsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Boris Johnson Set for 68-Seat Majority According to YouGov Poll Posted: 27 Nov 2019 03:59 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson's Conservative Party is on track to win its biggest majority in more than three decades, according to the most hotly anticipated poll of the general election campaign.The Tories will win a majority of 68 seats in the Dec. 12 election, according to a YouGov poll which used a technique that more closely predicted the 2017 election than standard surveys. Such a majority would allow Johnson to deliver on his promise of getting his Brexit deal through Parliament by Jan. 31, and could also give him some freedom to make compromises in subsequent negotiations with the European Union.The poll put the Conservatives on course to win 359 of the 650 seats in Parliament, a gain of 42 on the last election, while Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party is set to win 211 seats, a loss of 51. Of the smaller parties, the Liberal Democrats are set to win 13 seats, while the Scottish National Party are on track to win 43 seats. This would be the best Conservative result since Margaret Thatcher won her third term in 1987."As expected, the key thing deciding the extent to which each of these seats is moving against Labour are how that seat voted in the European Union referendum," said Chris Curtis, YouGov's political research manager. "This is allowing the Tories to overturn quite substantial majorities."Through a process called Multilevel Regression and Post-stratification, or MRP for short, YouGov aims to identify different types of voters, and predict their behavior. Then the company works out how many of each of these voter types there are in each electoral district to produce a forecast.Read More: What Is the 'MRP Poll' and Can It Predict the U.K. Election?In the 2017 election, YouGov's MRP poll predicted that Theresa May would lose her majority, at a time other polls were suggesting her Conservatives would secure a big win.The pound rose to 1.2948 against the dollar, continuing an upward trend after speculation earlier in the day that the poll would show a Tory majority.Red Wall CrumblesThe poll was bleak for Corbyn, showing Labour on course for its worst election result since 1983. It had the party winning no new seats and watching the crumbling of its so-called "red wall" of districts in the north of England that have voted Labour for decades. Seats such as Bishop Auckland and Newcastle-Under-Lyme that are traditionally Labour but also strongly in favor of Brexit were forecast to fall to the Tories. The Conservatives were also on course to make gains in North Wales, in seats like Clwyd South and Wrexham, where they have previously struggled to shake off the legacy of closing down coal mines in the 1980s.Meanwhile, in areas that opposed Brexit, the poll suggested the Conservatives still had sufficient support to hold their seats.Members of parliament who defected from the Tory Party or were thrown out over their Brexit stance were predicted to lose their seats. That included Dominic Grieve, standing as an independent candidate in Beaconsfield, and Sam Gyimah who is competing to win Kensington and Chelsea for the Liberal Democrats. That wealthy London borough is expected to swing back to the Tories after an unexpected Labour win in 2017.In Scotland, the SNP were predicted to dominate, winning five seats from Labour, two from the Conservatives and one from the Liberal Democrats. Nigel Farage's Brexit Party wasn't expected to win any seats and the Greens would retain their one in Brighton Pavilion.UncertaintyHowever there was uncertainty in the forecast. Of the predicted Conservative gains, 30 were by less than 5%. And the poll itself could change behavior. By offering a seat-by-seat prediction, it could enable voters who oppose Brexit or the Conservatives to see how best to vote against Johnson.And by apparently confirming other traditional polls that suggest the result isn't in doubt, the poll could cause complacency among Conservative supporters, and lead voters who dislike Johnson but don't want Corbyn to be prime minister to conclude they have nothing to worry about.Possibly with those eventualities in mind, Johnson's top aide earlier on Wednesday made a direct appeal to Brexit-supporting voters to back the prime minister, even if they weren't natural Tory supporters. In his personal blog, Dominic Cummings warned that despite recent polls, "things are MUCH tighter than they seem and there is a very real possibility of a hung parliament."The poll of around 100,000 people, conducted Nov. 19-26, is a further blow to Corbyn. On Wednesday he tried again to draw a line under accusations of anti-Semitism that engulfed his party, and turn the focus onto Johnson, accusing the prime minister of preparing to put the National Health Service on the table in trade talks with the U.S. Johnson rejected the charge.The prime minister meanwhile apologized to Muslims for any offense caused by Conservative Party members, after the Muslim Council of Britain criticized the Tories over their handling of Islamophobia in their ranks. Johnson himself wrote in a 2018 newspaper column that Muslim women who wear burqas look like "letter boxes."To contact the reporter on this story: Jessica Shankleman in London at jshankleman@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Robert HuttonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Health service in UK lagging behind that of other wealthy countries Posted: 27 Nov 2019 03:30 PM PST  Britain's health service is lagging behind that of other high-income countries, research suggests. The study by the London School of Economics and Harvard School of Public Health compared ten countries, examining spending levels, and a range of indicators measuring quality of care, The study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), said the quality of NHS care appears to be "slipping", with Britons faring worse than their counterparts abroad. Researchers compared the UK with Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the US, using data, some of which came from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The UK was found to have the lowest healthcare expenditure per person at £2,978, compared with an average of £4,438 in the other countries. Overall, the UK spent approximately 8.7 per cent of GDP on health in 2017, compared with the average of 11.5 per cent. GPs in the UK reported spending the least amount of time with patients, compared with similar countries, the study found. Overall, 92 per cent of family doctors said they spent less than 15 minutes on each appointment, compared with 38 per cent of those elsewhere. None said they spent 25 or more minutes with a patient, compared with an average of 15 per cent in other countries, while 8 per cent spent 15 to 25 minutes per appointment, compared with 45 per cent in other countries. When it comes to doctors, the UK had fewer, at 2.8 per 1,000 people in 2017, compared with an average of 3.5. The number of practising nurses in the UK in 2017 was also "considerably lower" at 7.8 per 1,000 people, compared with an average of 11.4 in the other countries. The UK had the lowest survival rates for breast and colon cancer, and second lowest for cervical and rectal cancer. And 19 per cent of hospital patients waited two months or more to see a specialist, compared with a 12 per cent average in other countries. The study also found the UK had fewer hospital beds, at 2.5 per 1,000 people, compared with four per 1,000 in other countries. However, there were fewer healthcare-associated infections in the UK, fewer people suffered a blood clot after surgery and more over-65s had a flu jab. There were also more women undergoing breast and cervical screening. The authors said: "Our study suggests that the NHS should look towards improving staffing ratios, long-term care provision, and social spending, which are lower than comparator countries and have been declining in recent years. "Despite already low levels of labour, the UK is making do with fewer doctors and nurses, a challenge that is likely to be exacerbated in the context of Brexit. "Although access to care compared favourably to other countries, utilisation was lower than average and quality seems to be slipping. Health service outcomes, as well as heath status, are sub-optimal." The study's authors said the UK "will almost certainly need to spend more on healthcare staffing, long-term care, and other social services" in the future. The Conservatives have promised an NHS budget rise of 3.4 per cent a year on average, so that by 2023/24, £149 billion will be spent. Health and wellbeing | Read more Labour has pledged a 4.3 percent increase in health funding annually over four years - amounting to £6 billion extra a year by 2023/24, which the Lib Dems have pledged to match. Mark Dayan, policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust, said: "Our work last year with the Institute for Fiscal Studies, King's Fund and Health Foundation showed the UK lags behind on many areas of cancer and in overall avoidable deaths for killer diseases. "But the NHS does appear relatively efficient, and actually has perfectly normal waiting times despite the complaints we so often hear. "This report is right to point to low levels of key staff as an underlying concern." Jonathan Ashworth, shadow health secretary, said: "It's clear that years of tory underfunding and under staffing of our NHS has had a huge impact on patient care, with many waiting longer for appointments and treatment. "Labour will invest in our health service with a £40bn cash boost to help deliver real change, recruit more doctors and nurses, and give patients the standard of care they deserve."
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| Navy cancels review for SEALs after firing of Navy secretary Posted: 27 Nov 2019 02:35 PM PST  The Navy on Wednesday canceled a peer-review process that would have determined if three Navy SEAL officers who supervised an enlisted SEAL convicted of posing with a dead teenage captive in Iraq should remain on the elite force. Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly said the case was becoming a distraction for the commando force, known for its quiet professionalism. The decision was the latest twist in the war crimes case of Chief Petty Officer Edward Gallagher, which led to a conflict between President Donald Trump and armed services leaders over military discipline.
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| Putin and Ukraine's Zelensky set for Paris one-on-one: Kremlin Posted: 27 Nov 2019 01:19 PM PST  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky are likely to have a one-on-one meeting during four-way summit talks in Paris next month, the Kremlin said Wednesday. Putin and Zelensky plan to join French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on December 9 for a summit aimed at resolving the five-year conflict in eastern Ukraine, where Moscow-backed separatists have carved out breakaway statelets.
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| UPDATE 1-New law to give indigenous peoples more sway in Canada's British Columbia Posted: 27 Nov 2019 01:10 PM PST ![UPDATE 1-New law to give indigenous peoples more sway in Canada's British Columbia]( "UPDATE 1-New law to give indigenous peoples more sway in Canada's British Columbia") British Columbia passed a law that will give indigenous people more sway in matters affecting them, becoming the first Canadian province to formally adopt U.N. standards on the issue. "It is time we recognize and safeguard indigenous peoples' human rights, so that we may finally move away from conflict, drawn-out court cases and uncertainty, and move forward with collaboration and respect," Scott Fraser, B.C.'s minister of indigenous relations, said in a joint statement with indigenous leaders who helped write the legislation - including the BC Assembly of First Nations, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, and First Nations Summit. B.C. on Tuesday became the first province in Canada https://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-indigenous/canadas-british-columbia-takes-first-step-to-implement-u-n-accord-on-indigenous-peoples-rights-idUSKBN1X32OC to legally commit to bringing its laws up to the standards outlined in the U.N. Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
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| HRW charges Iran 'covering up' unrest deaths Posted: 27 Nov 2019 12:41 PM PST  Human Rights Watch accused Iran on Wednesday of "deliberately covering up" deaths and arrests during a crackdown on demonstrations this month. Protests broke out across sanctions-hit Iran on November 15, hours after a sharp fuel price hike was announced. Reports of deaths and arrests emerged as security forces were deployed to rein in demonstrations which turned violent in some areas, with dozens of banks, petrol pumps and police stations torched.
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| The climate crisis is here, get used to it Posted: 27 Nov 2019 12:37 PM PST  When teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, nominated for the Peace Nobel this year, scolded titans of industry in Davos and heads of state at the United Nations, she told them to look at the science. If economics is the "dismal science", research on global warming has become the science of our dismal future. Four blockbuster reports from the United Nations over the last year have made it inescapably clear that the window of opportunity for avoiding serious consequences from our meddling with Earth's climate system has slammed shut.
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| Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska 'stripped of Cyprus citizenship' in clampdown on cash-for-visa scheme Posted: 27 Nov 2019 12:22 PM PST  Oleg Deripaska, a Russian billionaire with ties to the Kremlin, has had his Cypriot citizenship revoked as the island nation clamps down on abuse of its passport-for-investment programme, according to local media. Cyprus has stripped 26 wealthy people of their citizenship rights as part of a review of the 2013 policy that granted a passport to anybody who invested at least $2.2 million in the local economy, the Politis newspaper reported. The Cypriot government has not confirmed the report. Mr Deripaska was once Russia's richest man, making his fortune by consolidating Siberia's vast aluminum resources under his control in the 1990s. His estimated net worth today is $3 billion. Cypriot citizenship, which Mr Deripaska gained in 2017, granted him the right to travel and live across the European Union without the restrictions faced by Russian passport-holders. In 2018, the US sanctioned Mr Deripaska over his alleged ties to Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, arguing that he and other Russian oligarchs directly benefited from the Putin regime's bad behaviour abroad. Mr Deripaska seen here with Mr Putin in 2014 Credit: Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images Three of Mr Deripaska's companies were also sanctioned, though those were later lifted as part of an agreement that saw him divest his controlling shares in the firms. Unidentified representatives of Mr Deripaska were quoted in the Russian press on Wednesday denying the Politis report. The RBC news outlet quoted a representative as saying "no official notice of any kind" has been issued by the Cypriot government. Asked by reporters in Moscow if the reports were true, a Kremlin spokesman said it did not concern Russia but was an "internal issue" for Cyprus and Mr Deripaska. Earlier this month, Cyprus announced it had identified 26 recipients of Cypriot passports under the citizenship-for-investment program that were under review. The list included nine Russian citizens, Reuters reported at the time. According to Politis, those nine Russians Deripaska, his wife and his daughter, as well as businessmen Vladimir Stolyarenko and Alexander Bondarenko and their families. The list is also reported to include Cambodians, Chinese, Kenyan, Melasian and Iranian nationals. The citizenship-for-investment programme has come under intense scrutiny following reporting by Reuters that claimed to show the scheme has been manipulated by corrupt officials and political allies close to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
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| UPDATE 2-U.S. assures banks on dollar dealings with China's COSCO hit by Iran sanctions Posted: 27 Nov 2019 11:50 AM PST ![UPDATE 2-U.S. assures banks on dollar dealings with China's COSCO hit by Iran sanctions]( "UPDATE 2-U.S. assures banks on dollar dealings with China's COSCO hit by Iran sanctions") The Trump administration assured U.S. banks on Wednesday that they can temporarily process U.S. dollar transactions on a Dalian unit of China's biggest shipping company COSCO that Washington had imposed sanctions on over suspicions it transported oil from Iran. The United States' sanctions on Sept. 25 pushed global freight costs to record highs and added millions of dollars in costs to many voyages. David Peyman, a U.S. State Department official on sanctions, said this month that the ships were the "key artery" for evading U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil exports and that if the behavior did not change the administration would look to aggressively and fully enforce U.S. sanctions.
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| France raises possible return of Iran nuclear sanctions Posted: 27 Nov 2019 11:36 AM PST  French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Wednesday raised the possibility of triggering a mechanism in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that could lead to the reimposition of UN sanctions. Le Drian's comments, to the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee, came against a background of Iranian moves to disregard elements of the deal and escalating tension in the Gulf region. "Every two months there is another notch (from Iran) to the extent that we are wondering today, and I say very clearly, about the implementation of the dispute resolution mechanism in the treaty," he told the lawmakers.
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| The climate crisis is here, get used to it Posted: 27 Nov 2019 11:15 AM PST  When teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, nominated for the Peace Nobel this year, scolded titans of industry in Davos and heads of state at the United Nations, she told them to look at the science. If economics is the "dismal science", research on global warming has become the science of our dismal future. Four blockbuster reports from the United Nations over the last year have made it inescapably clear that the window of opportunity for avoiding serious consequences from our meddling with Earth's climate system has slammed shut.
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| Merkel Calls for High 5G Security, But No Full Huawei Ban Posted: 27 Nov 2019 11:11 AM PST ![Merkel Calls for High 5G Security, But No Full Huawei Ban]( "Merkel Calls for High 5G Security, But No Full Huawei Ban") (Bloomberg) -- Chancellor Angela Merkel said security standards for Germany's ultra-fast 5G technology should be set higher than for previous generations, but reinforced her view that individual vendors such as China's Huawei Technologies Co. should not be banned "from the very start.""I tend to trust ourselves to define high security standards, higher than with 4G, 3G and 2G, but not to shut out vendors from the beginning," Merkel said in a speech to a business lobby on Wednesday.Merkel, who has struggled to balance open trade relations with China with concerns over security, has come under pressure from her own intelligence service and within her own party to block Huawei as Germany rolls out its 5G network. Security hawks have warned about Huawei's ties to the Chinese government and the risk of espionage and sabotage.Without identifying Huawei by name, Merkel said banishing individual companies across the board would "isolate ourselves from entire areas" and run counter to Germany's role as a champion for open trade."We have always stood for fair and free competition, and also fact-based competition, and not simply qualified it based on differing political systems," Merkel said.To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Donahue in Berlin at pdonahue1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Nick Lichtenberg, Chiara VasarriFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Fake mews: Brussels denies EU plot to force owners to put cats on a leash Posted: 27 Nov 2019 10:40 AM PST  The European Commission has denied it plans to force owners to put their cats on a lead and, in a staunch defence of freedom of movement rights for pets, insisted EU law does not ban putting the cat out for the night. Brussels was forced into the bizarre denial on Wednesday after Dutch lawyers from Tilburg University in Trouw, the Netherlands, said letting unleashed cats loose broke the EU's Birds and Habitats Directive because they killed so many birds. "The Commission is a strong defender of free movement rights - including of cats," said Enrico Brivo, the executive's environment spokesman. "We categorically deny that the commission will oblige cats to be held on a leash at all times," Mr Brivo told the Telegraph. Lawyers Arie Trouwborst and Han Somsen said that a court case could be brought against the Dutch government because it did nothing to prevent unsupervised cats being put out for the night. The law protects all wild birds in the EU, their nests, eggs and habitats. The domestic cat is one of the world's most ruthless exterminators of animal species, the pair wrote in the Journal of Environmental Law . The lawyers claimed that 140 million animals are killed by cats each year in the Netherlands alone. More than half of those cats had owners, they wrote. There are between two and three million domestic cats in the Netherlands, according to the figures in the Journal, and more than 500 wild bird species protected under EU law. Prey for kitty? A robin in Britain. Credit: PA "Even if it is not your intention to harm wild animals when you leave the cat flap open, that is what happens on a large scale," Mr Somsen said "Whoever starts a lawsuit against the Dutch government, who must enforce European rules, has a good chance of success," Mr Trouwbest said. The Dutch government said it had no plans to ban cats from being let outdoors unleashed and unsupervised. "We are currently working hard on measures to promote the restoration and conservation of nature in the Netherlands," a government spokesperson said, "keeping cats indoors is not part of that." Brussels cast doubt on those figures, hinting they could be "fake mews". "The commission is not aware of the study in question," Mr Brivo said. "The information that we have is that the disturbance and killing of birds and other wild species by cats is not among the main pressures and threats to biodiversity." All EU citizens have the right to live, work and study in any EU country. Dogs, cats and ferrets benefit from an EU pet passport scheme, meaning they can easily travel around the EU for holidays without the need to be quarantined. British anxiety around EU freedom of movement rules are often cited as a reason for the Brexit vote in the 2016 referendum. British pets will lose their EU passports and freedom of movement in Britain will end after Brexit. At a glance | EU freedom of movement rules
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| U.S. assures banks on transactions with China shipping company hit by Iran sanctions Posted: 27 Nov 2019 10:29 AM PST ![U.S. assures banks on transactions with China shipping company hit by Iran sanctions]( "U.S. assures banks on transactions with China shipping company hit by Iran sanctions") The Trump administration assured U.S. banks on Wednesday that they can temporarily process U.S. dollar transactions on Chinese shipping companies it had previously sanctioned for allegedly transporting oil from Iran, in a move meant to blunt the impact of the sanctions on global shipping markets. The administration slapped sanctions on Sept 25 on Dalian units of Chinese shipping company COSCO, a move that pushed global freight costs to record highs. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, said in the guidance on Wednesday it "would not expect the intermediary U.S. financial institution to conduct additional due diligence beyond the information collected in the ordinary course of processing such transactions," assuring banks such deals are permitted through Dec. 20, a wind-down period that Treasury allowed in a temporary waiver issued in October.
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| Iran supreme leader says 'very dangerous' plot foiled Posted: 27 Nov 2019 10:19 AM PST  Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday said his sanctions-hit country had foiled a "very dangerous" plot after violent demonstrations triggered by a fuel price hike. New York-based Human Rights Watch, meanwhile, accused Tehran of "deliberately covering up" more than 100 deaths and thousands of arrests during the crackdown.
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| Clashes halt production at Libyan oil field Posted: 27 Nov 2019 10:12 AM PST ![Clashes halt production at Libyan oil field]( "Clashes halt production at Libyan oil field") The Libyan national oil company says it has suspended operations at a key oil field due to fighting between armed factions. In a statement Wednesday, company chairman Mustafa Sanalla declared the El-Fil oil field nonoperational after clashes erupted and militants allied with the U.N.-supported government attacked guards protecting the field. The self-styled Libyan National Army says it launched airstrikes that succeeded in driving away the armed groups.
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| Nineteen killed by suspected militia in troubled east DR Congo Posted: 27 Nov 2019 10:10 AM PST  Nineteen people were killed Wednesday in eastern DR Congo by a suspected group blamed for massacres that have sparked deadly protests against the United Nations' peacekeeping mission, the UN said. Local administrator Donat Kibwana said 14 bodies had arrived at the morgue in Oicha, 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the city of Beni, adding that they were killed by machete. "The army is already at the site and is pursuing" the attackers, Kibwana said by phone from Oicha, while the MONUSCO spokesman said a "rapid intervention force" of peacekeepers was dispatched to the area in the morning.
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| Assad raises prospect foreign Isil suspects could be tried in Syrian regime courts Posted: 27 Nov 2019 09:45 AM PST  President Bashar al-Assad has said that foreign Islamic State suspects could be tried in Syrian courts, raising the prospect the regime could use them as leverage against the West. More than 10,000 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) fighters are currently in the detention of Western-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in north-east Syria, including 2,000 foreigners and at least seven Britons. Thousands more foreign women and their children are also being held in camps across north-east Syria. Assad made his comments in an interview with Paris Match magazine when asked about a deal with the Kurds that would eventually bring their areas under government control. Abandoned by their US allies last month and facing an onslaught by Turkey, the SDF was forced to turn to the Syrian regime and Russia for protection. Islamic State suspects are led away to be questioned by US-led coalition forces after surrendering, near Baghuz, in north-eastern Syria, during the final days of the caliphate Credit: Sam Tarling "Every terrorist in the areas controlled by the Syrian state will be subject to Syrian law and Syrian law is clear concerning terrorism," Assad said in a rare interview with a European news outlet. "We have courts specialised in terrorism and they will be prosecuted." The Kurds have begun hearing the cases of local suspects in their makeshift courts but say they will not try foreigners, urging governments to take responsibility for them. So far the UK and most other Western members of the international coalition against Isil have refused to repatriate their nationals from Syria, citing security concerns. The Kurds have warned they cannot hold them forever. Sources close to Damascus told the Telegraph that the fate of prisoners is being discussed as part of ongoing negotiations with the Kurds, who for the last five years have run an autonomous administration in the north-east in the absence of the government. Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, and Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu during a meeting in Russia Credit: TASS The regime has regularly described the uprising against it as a foreign plot and could use the detainees as evidence of its claims. Emma Beals, an independent Syria analyst, said this scenario would be a "win" for the regime: "(It) would then be in a position to attempt to extract concessions from the prisoner's governments in return for their continued detention. The Assad regime has released jihadist prisoners to advance their perceived strategic aims in the past. "It is a huge security risk, with dangerous individuals now at risk of release, or able to be used as bargaining chips against their governments," she told the Telegraph. Asked whether there was enough room to accommodate them in already overcrowded prisons, the source close to the regime said: "they'd make space". The British Government, which has so far taken back only a small number of orphans, has stripped many of its nationals in Syria of their UK citizenship and barred their return. The UK has no diplomatic relationship with Damascus and so would not be able to formally object to the regime's application of the death penalty. Rights groups, however, fear that detainees may not even make it to court. Tens of thousands have disappeared inside regime prisons since the start of the war in 2011. Thousands more have been executed without trial, while others have been tortured to death, according to Amnesty International. The organisation has called the government's most notorious prison, Sednaya, a "human slaughterhouse". "This would be a travesty and would obviously result in the deaths or disappearance of the prisoners for the most part, in patent violation of international law," Clive Stafford-Smith, founder of Reprieve charity, told the Telegraph when the idea was first mooted.
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| Brooklyn man charged with encouraging NYC subway attacks Posted: 27 Nov 2019 09:44 AM PST ![Brooklyn man charged with encouraging NYC subway attacks]( "Brooklyn man charged with encouraging NYC subway attacks") A Brooklyn man was arrested Wednesday on charges that he tried to help the Islamic State group, in part by encouraging attacks on New York's subway system. Zachary Clark, 40, was detained after an initial appearance in Manhattan federal court, where a criminal complaint accused Clark of providing instructions on how to plan attacks on U.S. soil and encouraging Islamic State group supporters to attack well-populated areas. "As alleged, Clark championed his support for ISIS, disseminated hate-filled messages via encrypted chatrooms, and encouraged like-minded individuals to carry out vicious attacks in the name of jihad," said William F. Sweeney Jr., head of the FBI's New York office.
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| Officials: Airport used by UAE as prison in Yemen reopened Posted: 27 Nov 2019 09:36 AM PST ![Officials: Airport used by UAE as prison in Yemen reopened]( "Officials: Airport used by UAE as prison in Yemen reopened") Yemeni officials say an airport in a southern city has been reopened after a five-year closure, during which United Arab Emirates forces used it as a military base and a prison. The officials say the detainees, mostly al-Qaida and Islamic State militants, were moved to other UAE-run prisons in Yemen.
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| Johnson Adviser Warns of Chance of Hung Parliament: U.K. Votes Posted: 27 Nov 2019 09:33 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Jeremy Corbyn accused Boris Johnson's Tories of risking the National Health Service in secret talks with the U.S. as he sought to shift the election campaign away from allegations of antisemitism. Johnson denied the U.K.'s free-to-use health care system is up for sale after the Labour leader unveiled previously redacted documents about negotiations.Time is running out for Corbyn to claw back Johnson's lead ahead of the Dec. 12 general election; a closely watched YouGov poll tonight will provide an indicator of how realistic that is. Dominic Cummings, the premier's senior adviser, published a blog warning of the "very real possibility" of a hung Parliament as he sought to keep Brexit supporters focused on backing the Tories.Read More: Corbyn Accuses U.K. Tories of Secret NHS Talks With the U.S.The Context: Never Mind Brexit, U.K. Vote Hinges on Future of the NHSELEC for more on the U.K. electionKey Developments:Corbyn's reveals documents showing six rounds of talks over U.S. trade deal, which he says shows the NHS is "up for sale"YouGov releases MRP poll at 10 p.m. In 2017, it correctly predicted the Conservatives losing their majorityJohnson is campaigning in Cornwall as the Tories pledge to improve mobile phone coverageLiberal Democrats call for gig economy workers on zero-hours contracts to get a 20% higher minimum wageScottish National Party unveils manifesto to "protect Scotland from Boris Johnson"Johnson's Conservatives have about a 69% chance of a majority in Parliament, according to odds from bookmaker Paddy PowerJohnson's Top Aide Says Hung Parliament Possible (5:20 p.m.)Boris Johnson's senior Downing Street adviser appealed to Brexit-supporting voters to help deliver a Conservative majority on Dec. 12 and warned that, despite polls showing big a Tory lead, "things are MUCH tighter than they seem and there is a very real possibility of a hung parliament."Writing on his blog, Cummings sought to win the backing of Vote Leave supporters who aren't natural Tories by saying he too had never been part of a political party when he started working in Johnson's office in July.He urged voters to talk face-to-face to friends and family and tell them a vote for any party except the Tories would lead to a Labour-SNP alliance in government. The referendum that would be offered as a result would be "effectively Remain or Remain," he wrote."Without a majority, the nightmare continues," he said in his intervention, published as voters start casting postal ballots. "ALL other MPs will gang together to stop Brexit and give EU citizens the vote. It's that simple."Remainers Urged to Vote Tactically (3 p.m.)Boris Johnson's Tory Party is on course to win 366 seats on Dec. 12, giving him a majority of 41, according to new data released by anti-Brexit group Best for Britain.The group used MRP data to assess the outlook since Nigel Farage announced his Brexit Party won't stand in seats won by the Conservatives in 2017.What Is the 'MRP Poll' and Can It Predict the U.K. Election?Best for Britain said there are 165 districts where the margin of victory is fewer than 5,000 votes, and urged pro-EU voters in these seats to vote tactically to prevent a pro-Brexit party winning."Even with the Brexit Party collapse, there are still lots of seats in play for Remainers," said Naomi Smith, the group's chief executive. "This is crucial as it means they could be won by pro-EU parties if voters hold their nose and vote for the party with the best shot of beating the Tories."Separately, favorability ratings for Jo Swinson, leader of the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats, have "fallen sharply in the past week," an Ipsos Mori poll showed.Archbishop Raps Tories Over Twitter Deception (2 p.m.)Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby criticized Boris Johnson's Conservative Party for masquerading as a fact-checking organization on Twitter during his debate with Jeremy Corbyn last week."Where something like that is done, where there is a misleading use of facts, deliberately, that is wrong," he told the BBC. "We have to have an enormously high value on truth."He also repeated his support for Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who on Tuesday attacked Corbyn over antisemitism in the Labour Party. Welby said he knows Mirvis well, and it was "one of the most painful decisions he's ever had to take, and I know that's true. His instincts, like mine and others, are that during an election, you keep schtum, you say nothing," Welby said. "He felt there was no choice."Johnson Vows Zero-Tolerance on Prejudice (1 p.m.)Boris Johnson vowed to take a zero-tolerance approach to racism in his Conservative Party and apologized for any offense caused by incidents involving its members."Whenever we have an incident of antisemitism or Islamophobia or whatever in the Conservative Party, we take a zero-tolerance approach," the premier told broadcasters. "We have a one bounce and we deal with it approach to this."He said there will be "an independent inquiry into Islamophobia, antisemitism, every manner of prejudice and discrimination and it will start before Christmas."With the Labour party facing accusation about antisemitism , the Tories have been charged with Islamophobia. Johnson himself once described Muslim women who wear burkas as looking like "letterboxes" and "bank robbers."Asked if he apologized for the Islamophobia that has taken place in his party, he replied "look, of course. And for all the hurt and offense that has been caused, of course we do. All that is intolerable." He wasn't asked specifically about his own remarks.Johnson Denies NHS Sell-Off Plan (12:20 p.m.)Boris Johnson responded to Jeremy Corbyn's publication of documents about trade talks with the U.S. (see 10:15 a.m.) with a denial that the NHS will be part of any agreement."We are absolutely resolved there will be no sale of the NHS, no privatization," he said in a pooled TV interview while campaigning in Cornwall. "The NHS is not on the table in any way. The NHS is in no way on the table, in no aspect whatever."The prime minister accused Corbyn of trying to change the focus of the campaign. "It's continually brought up by the Labour Party as a diversionary tactic from the difficulties they are encountering, particularly over the problem about leadership on antisemitism and then the great vacuity about their policy on Brexit," Johnson said.Sturgeon: SNP Can 'Pressure' Corbyn (12 p.m.)Nicola Sturgeon likened the choice her Scottish National Party may face between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn in the event of a hung Parliament to picking the "devil or the deep blue sea," but said despite her misgivings about the Labour leader, his party had far more in common with her social and economic agenda. She ruled out supporting the Conservatives.Following her speech in Glasgow, Sturgeon was asked if she would back Corbyn despite the warning from the U.K.'s chief rabbi this week that the Labour leader is unfit for high office. She criticized Corbyn's failure to eradicate antisemitism from Labour's ranks, but pointed out that there are other issues the SNP would also have to consider -- including the path to a second referendum on Scottish independence and stopping Brexit."We would be very clear with our expectations to any party leader who wanted the support of the SNP to make clear its zero tolerance approach to antisemitism, to Islamophobia, to any form of prejudice or racism," Sturgeon said. "I think, to those worried about Jeremy Corbyn, it should give a degree of reassurance that SNP MPs, with the right values and approach on these issues, can apply that pressure."Corbyn's Key Claims on U.S.-U.K. Negotiations (11 a.m.)Jeremy Corbyn accused the Conservative government of concealing secret negotiations between U.K. and U.S. officials on the future of the NHS in any trade deal. These are the key allegations:U.S. pharmaceutical companies want to force up the price the NHS pays for drugs as part of a U.S.-U.K. Trade deal, he said, noting that Donald Trump regularly complains about the "unreasonably low prices" other countries pay for medicinesThe documents show both sides have finished initial discussions on lengthening patents for medicines in the U.K., Corbyn saidHe said this would mean the U.K. paying U.S. levels for many drugs. He gave the example of AbbVie Inc.'s Humira -- a drug for the treatment of Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis -- which he said costs the NHS 1,409 pounds ($1,815) a packet, compared to 8,115 pounds ($10,450) in the U.S.He said U.K. officials conceded "NHS access to generic drugs will be a key consideration" in talks, and they are entering a "very advanced stage"Corbyn: Party Has Apologized For Antisemitism (10:40 a.m.)Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn did not directly say sorry when pressed again on his handling of cases of antisemitism, after he missed several opportunities to apologize in a BBC interview on Tuesday night."I made it very clear antisemitism is completely wrong in our society," he said. "Our party did make it clear when I was elected leader, and after, that antisemitism is unacceptable in any form in our party or society and did indeed offer its sympathies and apologies to those that had suffered."He also said "a very large numbers of other people in the Jewish community do support Labour, do recognize my absolute commitment that every community in our country will be safe under a Labour government."Corbyn Plays on Trump Fears (10:20 a.m.)Jeremy Corbyn's speech was heavily infused with the name of the Donald Trump, as he sought to capitalize on Britons' suspicions of the U.S. president.The document Corbyn referred to (see 10:15 a.m.) includes accounts of trade meetings between U.S. and U.K. officials. He said the account of one meeting showed U.S. officials refusing to include reference to climate change in the trade discussions."This is not only a plot against our NHS, it's a plot against our country," Corbyn said. "What's at stake in a deal with Trump could not be more important for the country.""These documents confirm the U.S. Is demanding the NHS is on the table in the trade talks," Corbyn said. "Big pharma has ripped off and imperiled the health of the American people for years. Now these secret reports show they're looking to do the same to us if the conservatives are elected on Dec. 12"Corbyn: Secret U.S. Talks Put NHS in Danger (10:15 a.m.)Jeremy Corbyn sought to turn attention to the fate of the National Health Service after his party was hammered over its record on antisemitism.At an event in London, he held up a 451-page unredacted document, which he said showed information Boris Johnson's government wouldn't reveal about the status of health care in U.S. trade talks. He said the secret document -- previously only available in a heavily redacted form -- showed that under Johnson, "the NHS is up for sale" in trade talks with the U.S.. The premier's denials that it isn't are "in tatters," he said.The presentation was preceded by a video clip that included U.S. President Donald Trump saying that everything was on the table in trade talks."This election is now a fight for the survival of our National Health Service," Corbyn said. "Labour will never ever treat the NHS as a bargaining chip in trade talks with anybody. We will never let Donald Trump get his hands on our NHS.""Labour will not rest, because unlike the Conservatives we're not on the side of the billionaires and the bankers. We're on the side of the nurse, the doctor, the patient and the people, and we will never sell out our national health service."SNP Manifesto to 'Protect Scotland' From Johnson (10 a.m.)The Scottish National Party will unveil its manifesto at an event in Glasgow -- the last major party to do so -- with a pledge to "protect Scotland from Boris Johnson" and a warning there is "much worse to come" if Brexit goes ahead."A vote for the SNP is a vote to escape Brexit and put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands -- not Boris Johnson's," SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon will say, according to speech excerpts released by the party. "The future of our country is on the line."With the SNP holding a significant poll lead in Scotland, a key question is what the party will do in the event of a hung Parliament on Dec. 12. The SNP's signature policy is a second referendum on Scottish independence, but more funding for the National Health Service is also a priority.Burgon: Labour 'Sorry' for Hurt Over Antisemitism (Earlier)Labour's justice spokesman Richard Burgon said his party is "sorry for the hurt caused" over its handling of cases of antisemitism, after leader Jeremy Corbyn struggled to explain his strategy and missed several opportunities to apologize in a BBC interview on Tuesday night."Jeremy has apologized on a number of occasions and said that he's sorry for the very real hurt felt by people in the Jewish community," Burgon told the BBC. "On a number of occasions last summer for example, he has made those statements and it's right that he did."The latest row over antisemitism in the Labour Party was triggered by the U.K.'s Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who suggested this week Corbyn is unfit for high office and said Labour can "no longer claim to be the party of equality and anti-racism."Jenrick: Tory Islamophobia Probe Will Be 'Thorough' (Earlier)Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick insisted the Conservatives will conduct a "thorough" investigation into discrimination and prejudice in the party, after the Muslim Council of Britain criticized Boris Johnson's Tories over their handling of Islamophobia in their ranks."I want to see by the end of this year, as the Prime Minister's promised, a thorough review of prejudice and racism and discrimination within the party," Jenrick told the BBC. "We want to be a party that has no tolerance whatsoever of racism, prejudice or discrimination of any kind."Just as Labour has failed to shake off accusations of antisemitism in the party, the Tories are struggling to overcome charges of Islamophobia, exacerbated by Johnson in a 2018 newspaper column in which he said Muslim women who wear burqas look like "letter boxes."Earlier:Corbyn Can't Find Antidote to Anti-Semitic 'Poison' in LabourU.K. Car-makers Warn Against Flimsy EU Trade Deal After BrexitWhat Is the 'MRP Poll' and Can It Predict the U.K. Election?Corbyn Struggles With Anti-Semitism Claims: U.K. Campaign Trail\--With assistance from Robert Hutton and Jessica Shankleman.To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net;Greg Ritchie in London at gritchie10@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart Biggs, Thomas PennyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| German military posts Nazi uniform as 'retro fashion' on Instagram Posted: 27 Nov 2019 08:46 AM PST  The German defence ministry was forced to apologise on Wednesday after the military posted an image of Nazi-era uniform on social media as an example of "retro fashion". The uniform, complete with three swastikas, was posted on the armed forces' Instagram account with a flashing colourful banner that read: "Retro". A second more detailed caption read: "Also fashion is an aspect. To this day there are military-style elements in haute couture." The post was greeted with shock and anger in Germany. Gen Hans-Lothar Domröse, a former Nato commander, described it as "just plain tasteless", while Florian Hahn, an MP from the Bavarian sister party to Angela Merkel's CDU called it a "sorry post that should never have happened". "A uniform with swastikas is never just fashion or 'retro', but always a reminder of the crimes of the Nazi regime," Cem Özdemir of the German Green party told Bild newspaper. "The Bundeswehr must now very quickly clarify how it came to be posted." The incident is embarrassing for Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who took over as German defence minister in July Credit: ARMANDO BABANI/EPA-EFE/REX The offending picture was swiftly deleted and a spokesman for the defence ministry apologised unreservedly for what he called an "unacceptable mistake". The uniform, which featured a Nazi eagle and swastika insignia as well as two Iron Crosses from the era both bearing swastikas, is reportedly a prop from the 2008 Tom Cruise film Valkyrie. It was posted on Instagram by a civilian employee who claimed he had used the wrong photograph by mistake, the spokesman said, describing it as an "extremely annoying case of thoughtlessness". The incident was an embarrassment for Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Angela Merkel's heir apparent, who took over as German defence minister in the summer. It comes after her predecessor, Ursula von der Leyen, launched a high-profile campaign to remove remaining Nazi insignia from barracks and other military sites. "I expect a comprehensive explanation from AKK of how the picture came to be on the Bundeswehr account," Tobias Lindner of the Green party said, using a popular shortening of Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer's name. "Anyone who is so oblivious to history must not post for our Bundeswehr," said Marcus Faber of the opposition Free Democrats (FDP).
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| Israeli president praises UK rabbi in veiled swipe at Corbyn Posted: 27 Nov 2019 08:31 AM PST  Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has praised Britain's chief rabbi and expressed support for an article he wrote this week that offered scathing criticism of Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn's record on anti-Semitism. Rivlin met with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis in London on Wednesday.
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| Saudi crown prince visits UAE amid push to end Yemen war Posted: 27 Nov 2019 08:25 AM PST  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited the United Arab Emirates Wednesday, as efforts to end the nearly five-year war in Yemen gain momentum. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are close allies and key members of a military coalition backing the government in Yemen against the Iran-aligned Huthi rebels.
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| Brexit Bulletin: How Solid Is Johnson's Poll Lead? Posted: 27 Nov 2019 08:24 AM PST  Days to General Election: 15(Bloomberg) -- Sign up here to get the Brexit Bulletin in your inbox every weekday.What's Happening? The most eagerly awaited poll of the general election is imminent.We're about to get a better sense of how real Boris Johnson's double-digit lead in the opinion polls actually is. YouGov's MRP poll will appear in the Times at about 10 p.m. on Wednesday.Traders will be watching carefully. Back in 2017, the equivalent poll correctly predicted that Theresa May would lose her majority when other surveys showed her well ahead. What makes MRP special is that it uses a far bigger sample than its rivals and some funky math to give a seat-by-seat prediction, as Bloomberg's Robert Hutton explains here.Of course, it's only one opinion poll. But it could influence the outcome: If it shows a race somewhere to be unexpectedly close, parties could change their target seats or people may be encouraged to vote tactically.With the Conservatives enjoying an average 12 point lead in the last five opinion polls, Johnson's chances of getting his Brexit deal through the next Parliament looked to be secure. If MRP produces a surprise, all bets for what happens to Brexit are off.Today's Must-ReadsBloomberg's Sam Unsted explains why, for U.K. homebuilders, the election is really all about Brexit. A group of 14 trade policy academics, think-tank specialists and industry advisers have written to the Telegraph to warn that Johnson's "arbitrary" Brexit deadline will damage the U.K. economy. The social care crisis is the time bomb Britain can't afford to ignore, according to Bloomberg Opinion's Therese Raphael.Brexit in BriefCorbyn Attack | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn today accused Johnson's Conservatives of seeking to sell out the U.K.'s National Health Service in secret trade talks with the U.S. Corbyn released a 451-page document which he said showed the U.S. seeking "total market access" to the U.K. and suggested a no-deal Brexit is the preferred U.S. option because "there would be all to play for." Carmakers Plea | British automakers warned that the next U.K. government needs to deliver a "world-beating Brexit trade deal" to bolster their competitiveness and safeguard jobs following the nation's exit from the EU.SNP Campaign | The Scottish National Party launched its manifesto at an event in Glasgow today — the last major party to do so — with a pledge to "protect Scotland from Boris Johnson" and a warning that there is "much worse to come" if Brexit goes ahead.Here Today, Cone Tomorrow | The U.K. government spent £200,000 putting out cones on the M20 to prepare for a no-deal Brexit, only to take them away again a day later, Politics Home reports.Want to keep up with Brexit?You can follow us @Brexit on Twitter, and listen to Bloomberg Westminster every weekday. It's live at midday on Bloomberg Radio and is available as a podcast too. Share the Brexit Bulletin: Colleagues, friends and family can sign up here. For full EU coverage, try the Brussels Edition.For even more: Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access for our unmatched global news coverage and two in-depth daily newsletters, The Bloomberg Open and The Bloomberg Close.To contact the authors of this story: Edward Evans in London at eevans3@bloomberg.netDavid Goodman in London at dgoodman28@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Chris Kay at ckay5@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| What The UK Brexit Election Means For The Stock Markets, Boris Johnson Posted: 27 Nov 2019 08:23 AM PST ![What The UK Brexit Election Means For The Stock Markets, Boris Johnson]( "What The UK Brexit Election Means For The Stock Markets, Boris Johnson") The ongoing political uncertainty in the U.K. is having an impact on the stock market. The upcoming general election Dec. 12 is expected to send further jitters across FX markets, which could impact the pound sterling and trigger sharp moves, according to analysts. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed for a general election, saying he wanted "to be reasonable with parliament" and giving MPs more time to scrutinize his Brexit withdrawal deal.
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| New rebel attack in Congo kills 19 people Posted: 27 Nov 2019 08:09 AM PST ![New rebel attack in Congo kills 19 people]( "New rebel attack in Congo kills 19 people") Nineteen people have died in the latest rebel attack near the city of Beni, where outraged residents this week stormed a United Nations base to demand protection, the U.N. said Wednesday. The attack in Oicha, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Beni, took place overnight, Beni territory administrator Donat Kibwana said. "We have reinforced the military presence in the territory of Beni, but also the army has pursued the rebels," he said.
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| New toll road cuts Moscow-Saint Petersburg drive in half Posted: 27 Nov 2019 07:54 AM PST  President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday opened what has been billed as Russia's first modern motorway, almost halving the driving time between the two biggest cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The "Neva" toll road, running 669 kilometres (416 miles) and named after Saint Petersburg's main river, is Russia's first long-distance toll road. It boasts no traffic lights and a higher maximum speed limit of 130 kilometres per hour (81 miles per hour) versus 110 kph on other roads.
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| Egypt sentences high-profile Islamist militant to death Posted: 27 Nov 2019 07:51 AM PST ![Egypt sentences high-profile Islamist militant to death]( "Egypt sentences high-profile Islamist militant to death") An Egyptian court sentenced one of the country's most high-profile militants to death Wednesday for his participation in scores of attacks on government targets. The military court said in a statement that it convicted Hisham el-Ashmawi, a former special forces officer turned Islamist militant, on terror charges and sentenced him to hang. Last year, the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by strongman and close Egypt ally Gen. Khalifa Hifter, captured and extradited el-Ashmawi.
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| Nato 'more important now than in the Cold War', Angela Merkel says in rebuke of Emmanuel Macron Posted: 27 Nov 2019 07:32 AM PST  Angela Merkel launched a spirited defence of Nato on Wednesday in what was widely seen as a public rebuke to France's Emmanuel Macron. The transatlantic alliance is more important to Europe's security today than it was at the height of the stand-off with the Soviet Union, Mrs Merkel told the German parliament "More even than during the Cold War, it is in our own best interests to maintain Nato," she told MPs. "Europe cannot defend itself." Describing Nato as a "bulwark of freedom and peace," Mrs Merkel said Germany is "particularly indebted to our American friends." Her comments were clearly aimed at Mr Macron, who claimed earlier this month that the alliance is "brain dead" and said Europe can no longer rely on the US for its defence. They come after Mrs Merkel reportedly rowed with Mr Macron over his remarks and told him she was "tired of picking up the pieces" after him. Mrs Merkel's latest comments came in a budget debate in the German parliament. The chancellor traditionally defends her government's record in the debate, but despite heading an increasingly fragile coalition, Mrs Merkel chose to devote the first half of her speech to Nato. She pledged to increase German defence spending to 1.5 per cent of GDP by 2024 and to reach Nato's target of 2 per cent by the 2030s. Germany has come under intense US pressure to meet the target as part of Donald Trump's drive to make Europe pay more towards the cost of its own defence. Mrs Merkel's relations with France's Emmanuel Macron have been strained in recent months Credit: Regis Duvignau/REUTERS President Macron spoke out against the Trump administration's attitude towards Nato in an interview with the Economist magazine earlier this month. "We are currently experiencing the brain death of Nato," Mr Macron said, arguing that Europe is "on the edge of a precipice" and needs to start thinking of itself as a geopolitical power. Mrs Merkel was reportedly "furious" at the interview, and rowed with the French president over it on the sidelines of a dinner to mark the 30th anniversary of the Berlin Wall, according to an unconfirmed account in the New York Times. "I understand your desire for disruptive politics, but I'm tired of picking up the pieces," the newspaper claimed Mrs Merkel told Mr Macron. "Over and over, I have to glue together the cups you have broken so that we can then sit down and have a cup of tea together." It is no secret that Mrs Merkel does not share Mr Macron's ambitions for a more federalist European Union, but relations between the two leaders have deteriorated in recent months. When Mr Macron first became French president, much was made of his good relations with Mrs Merkel, and there were hopes the two could restore the Franco-German alliance at the heart of the EU. But Mr Macron has reportedly grown impatient with Mrs Merkel blocking his initiatives for EU reform. Mrs Merkel's comments came as Ursula von der Leyen, the new president of the European Commission, also distanced herself from Mr Macron's remarks on Wednesday. Ms von der Leyen, a former German defence minister, said Nato would remain responsible for European security "without any question". "The EU will never be a military alliance. The EU is completely different," she said, adding that the bloc's strengths lie in trade, development and humanitarian assistance.
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| New toll road cuts Moscow-Saint Petersburg drive in half Posted: 27 Nov 2019 07:06 AM PST  President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday opened what has been billed as Russia's first modern motorway, almost halving the driving time between the two biggest cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The "Neva" toll road, running 669 kilometres (416 miles) and named after Saint Petersburg's main river, is Russia's first long-distance toll road. It boasts no traffic lights and a higher maximum speed limit of 130 kilometres per hour (81 miles per hour) versus 110 kph on other roads.
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| Saudi crown prince visits Abu Dhabi as Yemen war rages Posted: 27 Nov 2019 06:43 AM PST ![Saudi crown prince visits Abu Dhabi as Yemen war rages]( "Saudi crown prince visits Abu Dhabi as Yemen war rages") Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is in the United Arab Emirates for talks that are expected to focus on the war in Yemen and tensions with Iran. The UAE's state-run WAM news agency reported the 34-year-old Saudi prince was greeted upon arrival Wednesday by Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his national security adviser, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed.
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| Labour accuses UK PM of plot to 'sell' NHS to Trump Posted: 27 Nov 2019 06:20 AM PST  Britain's main opposition Labour party on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of plotting a "toxic" deal with President Donald Trump to allow US pharmaceutical companies access to the state health service. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn held up what he claimed were 451 pages of previously secret documents that proved Johnson was seeking to put the National Health Service (NHS) on the table in a post-Brexit trade deal. Britain goes to the polls on December 12, with Johnson hoping to secure a majority to be able to push through his divorce deal to take the country out of the European Union.
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| The Latest: Iraqi protesters burn down Iranian consulate Posted: 27 Nov 2019 06:08 AM PST  An Iraqi police official says anti-government protesters have burned down the Iranian consulate in southern Iraq. Protesters torched the Iranian consulate building in the holy city of Najaf, the seat of the country's Shiite religious authority. Protesters took to the streets on Oct. 1 to decry rampant government corruption, poor services and rising Iranian influence in Iraqi state affairs.
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| NEWSMAKER-EU's new boss signals pragmatic approach in tackling Europe's big challenges Posted: 27 Nov 2019 05:56 AM PST ![NEWSMAKER-EU's new boss signals pragmatic approach in tackling Europe's big challenges]( "NEWSMAKER-EU's new boss signals pragmatic approach in tackling Europe's big challenges") STRASBOURG/BERLIN, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The European Union's new boss has pledged major policy changes to address some of the bloc's biggest problems, from migration to climate change, but will need to navigate deep divisions among member countries. German conservative Ursula von der Leyen, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will be the first woman to assume the EU's top job when she takes over as European Commission president on Dec. 1. On Wednesday, von der Leyen said she planned to increase efforts to fight the threat of climate change while expanding economic growth as EU lawmakers gave final approval for her to take over the helm of the bloc's powerful executive in Brussels.
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| Blast from the Past: Meet Iran's New-Old F-14 Tomcat Fleet (American Made) Posted: 27 Nov 2019 05:32 AM PST  The ancient birds helped fight the Iran-Iraq War. And they might fight in the next war, too.
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| Corbyn Accuses U.K. Tories of Secret NHS Talks With the U.S. Posted: 27 Nov 2019 05:20 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Boris Johnson's Conservatives of putting the U.K.'s National Health Service at risk in secret trade talks with the U.S.The opposition leader released a 451-page document, which detailed preparatory discussions between British and American officials on a future trade deal between the two countries after Brexit. The previously redacted papers showed the U.S. was seeking "total market access" to the U.K. and suggest a no-deal Brexit is the preferred U.S. option because "there would be all to play for," Corbyn said. The Labour leader is seeking to capitalize on voters' concerns about creeping privatization in the state-funded health care system. Read more: Never Mind Brexit, U.K. Vote Hinges on Future of the NHS"This election is now a fight for the survival of our National Health Service," Corbyn told reporters at an event in central London. "We are talking here about secret talks for a deal with Donald Trump after Brexit. A deal that will shape our country's future."Labour turned to a subject it sees as a strength as it tried to draw a line under the antisemitism row that's engulfed the party with just over two weeks until the Dec. 12 election. Surveys have repeatedly shown voters trust Labour more on health care than they trust Johnson's Conservatives.But Johnson has repeatedly said the health service won't be part of post-Brexit trade talks with the U.S., and tweeted another denial less than an hour before Corbyn took to his podium. Campaigning in Cornwall, Johnson later told broadcasters the NHS "is in no way on the table, in no aspect whatever."'Diversionary Tactic'"We are absolutely resolved that there will be no sale of the NHS, no privatization," Johnson said in a pooled TV interview. "This is continually brought up by the Labour Party as a diversionary tactic from the difficulties they are encountering particularly over the problem about leadership on antisemitism and then the great vacuity about their policy on Brexit."International Trade Secretary Liz Truss dismissed Corbyn's accusations as a "conspiracy theory" and said people "should not believe a word" he says.Read the Documents Released by LabourIn his presentation, Corbyn held up a heavily redacted version of U.S. discussions that had been released by the government and then the unredacted version obtained by Labour, which he said "is a very different version of events.""These uncensored documents leave Boris Johnson's denials in absolute tatters." Corbyn said. "Perhaps he'd like to explain why these documents confirm the U.S. is demanding the NHS is on the table in the trade talks?"Trade MeetingsThe documents released by Labour are six British government accounts of meetings of the U.K.-U.S. Trade & Invest Working Group held between July 2017 and July 2019 -- all before Johnson took office. They say:The U.S. requested "total market access" should be the basis for negotiations and "everything in services should be open unless there was a very good reason not to"U.S. negotiators wanted an "ambitious" free trade agreement that removed "as many regulatory barriers as possible"U.S. negotiators were "clear that the U.K.-EU situation would be determinative: there would be all to play for in a no deal situation but U.K. commitment to the Customs Union and Single Market would make a U.K.-U.S. FTA a non-starter"The U.S. wanted the U.K. to seek regulatory autonomy from the EU on food labeling, and that the EU and U.S. have food safety systems that "are not easily compatible"The U.S. rejected including a reference to climate change in any trade dealIt was agreed the U.S. would share with the U.K. their "public lines" on chlorine-washed chickenU.S. officials were "very concerned" about the Brexit deal struck by then Prime Minister Theresa May and how it would affect trade talksOn pharmaceutical patents, the document said negotiators had reached a point where clearance was needed "to really take further steps"Corbyn said U.S. pharmaceutical companies want to force up the price the NHS pays for drugs as part of a trade deal, noting that Trump regularly complains about the "unreasonably low prices" other countries pay for medicines. He also said U.K. officials conceded "NHS access to generic drugs will be a key consideration" in talks, and they are entering a "very advanced stage."Drug PricesHe gave the example of AbbVie Inc.'s Humira -- a drug for the treatment of Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis -- which he said currently costs the NHS 1,409 pounds ($1,815) a packet, compared to 8,115 pounds ($10,450) in the U.S..Corbyn again faced questions about his leadership after U.K. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said on Tuesday that his claims to be tackling antisemitism were "mendacious fiction" and asked whether he is fit to run the country. Writing in the Times newspaper, he said "a new poison, sanctioned from the top, has taken root" in Labour."I made it very clear antisemitism is completely wrong in our society," Corbyn said when asked if he would apologize. "Our party did make it clear when I was elected leader, and after, that antisemitism is unacceptable in any form in our party or society and did indeed offer its sympathies and apologies to those that had suffered."(Updates with Johnson quote in sixth paragraph.)To contact the reporters on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net;Greg Ritchie in London at gritchie10@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Thomas Penny, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Assad: IS members in Syrian Kurds jails to stand local trial Posted: 27 Nov 2019 04:54 AM PST  Syrian President Bashar Assad said in remarks published Wednesday that members of the Islamic State group held in the country will stand trial in local courts specialized in terrorism cases. Assad made his comments in an interview with Paris Match when asked about a deal with a Kurdish-led force that would eventually bring their areas under government control. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who defeated IS in March with the help of the U.S.-led coalition, are holding more than 10,000 militants, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, including some 2,000 foreigners.
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| The daily business briefing: November 27, 2019 Posted: 27 Nov 2019 04:07 AM PST ![The daily business briefing: November 27, 2019]( "The daily business briefing: November 27, 2019") 1.President Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. and China were getting close to working out a "phase one" deal to end their trade war. Trump's comment came after the top negotiators for the world's two biggest economies agreed over the phone to continue discussing ways to resolve lingering differences. "We're in the final throes of a very important deal, I guess you could say one of the most important deals in trade ever. It's going very well but at the same time we want to see it go well in Hong Kong," Trump said, referring to ongoing pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese-ruled city. Trump said he expected Chinese President Xi Jinping to embrace a positive resolution to the crisis in Hong Kong, where pro-democracy candidates trounced pro-Beijing parties in Sunday's elections. [Reuters] 2.Disney shares jumped to a record high on Tuesday after new data indicated that Disney+ was adding an average of nearly a million new subscribers per day. Two weeks after a bumpy launch, the $6.99-per-month streaming service's mobile app had been downloaded 15.5 million times, according to research firm Apptopia. Disney+, featuring content from Disney and Disney-owned Marvel and the Star Wars franchise, also collected in-app purchases of $5 million over its first 13 days, according to Apptopia. "This shows the company is gonna be a legit competitor to the likes of Netflix, despite the skeptics that continue to doubt the House of Mouse," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives told the New York Post. [Deadline, New York Post] 3.U.S. stock index futures pushed slightly higher early Wednesday, as global markets got a boost from President Trump's upbeat comments on the prospects of a U.S.-China trade deal. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were up by about 0.1 percent, while those of the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq were up by a little more. The gains pushed the three main U.S. indexes farther into record territory after Tuesday's new highs. Strategists polled by Reuters predicted that U.S. stocks would continue rising through next year but at a slower pace than in 2019, with the S&P 500 closing 2020 up another 4 percent and the Dow about 5 percent higher than Monday's close. [CNBC, Reuters] 4.In order to avoid a climate catastrophe, global greenhouse gas emissions must drop by 7.6 percent every year for the next decade, a new United Nations report warns. "Our collective failure to act early and hard on climate change means we must now deliver deep cuts to emissions," U.N. Environment Program Executive Director Inger Anderson said. "This shows that countries simply cannot wait." More and more areas of the world are already experiencing stronger hurricanes and heatwaves, and if global temperatures stay on track to rise by as much as 7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, the oceans will become more acidic and rising seas will threaten coastal cities. President Trump has rolled back many climate regulations, and after a few years of decline, U.S. CO2 emissions rose 2.7 percent in 2018. [The Guardian] 5.Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba's new Hong Kong-listed shares jumped by another 3 percent on Wednesday, adding to a 7 percent rise after their Tuesday debut. "Investors are jumping all over it in Hong Kong," James Gerrish, portfolio manager at Shaw and Partners, told CNBC. Alibaba's secondary listing in Hong Kong beat out Uber's $8 billion listing to become the world's largest offering in 2019, although Saudi Aramco is expected to eclipse it with its December listing in Riyadh. Alibaba's offering helped boost business sentiment somewhat in Hong Kong, which has been shaken by ongoing pro-democracy protests. [CNBC]More stories from theweek.com Trump, who is technically obese, tweets portrait of himself as muscular Rocky Balboa Gordon Sondland accused of sexual misconduct by 3 women Impeachment is failing. Time for Plan B.
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| 10 things you need to know today: November 27, 2019 Posted: 27 Nov 2019 03:36 AM PST ![10 things you need to know today: November 27, 2019]( "10 things you need to know today: November 27, 2019") 1.The House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday sent President Trump a letter inviting him to participate in the panel's first impeachment hearing, set for Dec. 4. The committee's chair, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), said he told Trump in the letter that the committee's rules allow his counsel to question witnesses. "The president has a choice to make: He can take this opportunity to be represented in the impeachment hearings, or he can stop complaining about the process," Nadler said in a statement. "I hope that he chooses to participate in the inquiry, directly or through counsel, as other presidents have done before him." The House is examining whether Trump improperly pushed Ukraine to launch investigations that might benefit him politically. [Reuters] 2.President Trump on Tuesday blasted Democrats over the House impeachment hearings during a campaign-style "homecoming" rally in Florida, his newly adopted home state. He told thousands of cheering supporters the inquiry was a "scam." Trump called the impeachment proceedings "bulls--t," prompting the crowd to chant the expletive over and over. "They're attacking me because I'm exposing a rigged system that enriched itself at your expense and I'm restoring government of, by, and for the people," Trump said. "The radical Democrats are trying to overturn the last election because they know that they cannot win the next election." Outside the arena, protesters inflated a "Baby Trump" balloon, and chanted "lock him up," while Trump supporters shouted "four more years." [Politico, Sun Sentinel] 3.White House budget official Mark Sandy told lawmakers earlier this month that two staffers resigned over the agency's handling of security aid to Ukraine, according to a transcript of his testimony released Tuesday. Sandy, who appeared before House impeachment investigators on Nov. 16, was the first and so far only Office of Management and Budget employee to testify. Witnesses in the impeachment inquiry have said President Trump held $400 million in aid to Ukraine to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democrats. Sandy did not name the employees, but said one expressed frustration "about not understanding the reason for the hold." The other, he said, had a "dissenting opinion" about whether it was legal under the Impoundment Control Act to withhold aid approved by Congress. [The Washington Post] 4.A federal judge in Oregon on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from denying visas to immigrants who can't show proof of health insurance. President Trump's policy requires visa applicants to verify they'll have health coverage within 30 days of entry, or show they can "pay for reasonably foreseeable medical costs." Judge Michael Simon said the policy was "inconsistent" with the Immigration and Nationality Act. Simon had already temporary prevented the Trump administration from enforcing the policy. His new ruling puts it on hold until a lawsuit challenging the policy as a new form of "family separation" works its way through the courts. [CNN] 5.A crowd of students in Baltimore booed first lady Melania Trump as she gave a speech on youth opioid abuse. "I'm in this fight for you, and I'm fighting for you," Mrs. Trump said. The mixed reception, which also included cheers, came four months after President Trump criticized Baltimore as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" where "no human being would want to live." The comment was perceived as a swipe at the late Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat who was a frequent Trump critic. After returning to the White House, Mrs. Trump defended the students' right to express themselves. "We live in a democracy and everyone is entitled to their opinion," she said, but "I remain committed to educating children on the dangers and deadly consequences of drug abuse." [The New York Times, CNBC] 6.President Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. and China were getting close to working out a "phase one" deal to end their trade war. Trump's comment came after the top negotiators for the world's two biggest economies agreed over the phone to continue discussing ways to resolve lingering differences. "We're in the final throes of a very important deal, I guess you could say one of the most important deals in trade ever. It's going very well but at the same time we want to see it go well in Hong Kong," Trump said, referring to ongoing pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese-ruled city. Trump said he expected Chinese President Xi Jinping to embrace a positive resolution to the crisis in Hong Kong, where pro-democracy candidates trounced pro-Beijing parties in Sunday's elections. [Reuters] 7.President Trump on Tuesday denied sending his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to Ukraine in order to dig up damaging information on his political rivals. "No, I didn't direct him, but he is a warrior, he is a warrior," Trump told former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly in an interview streamed online. Giuliani has said he went to Ukraine for Trump to carry out an investigation "concerning 2016 Ukrainian collusion and corruption." O'Reilly asked Trump why Giuliani went to Ukraine, and the president responded, "You have to ask Rudy. Rudy has other clients, other than me. He's done a lot of work in Ukraine over the years." Several of the witnesses who testified in the impeachment inquiry said Giuliani was pursuing a shadow agenda to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democrats, including former Vice President Joe Biden. [Bloomberg] 8.To avoid a climate catastrophe, global greenhouse gas emissions must drop by 7.6 percent every year for the next decade, a new United Nations report warns. "Our collective failure to act early and hard on climate change means we must now deliver deep cuts to emissions," U.N. Environment Program Executive Director Inger Anderson said. "This shows that countries simply cannot wait." More and more areas of the world are already experiencing stronger hurricanes and heatwaves, and if global temperatures stay on track to rise by as much as 7 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of the century, the oceans will become more acidic and rising seas will threaten coastal cities. President Trump has rolled back many climate regulations, and after a few years of decline, U.S. CO2 emissions rose 2.7 percent in 2018. [The Guardian] 9.The National Weather Service has warned that much of the U.S., from California to Michigan, is facing extreme winter weather that could trouble Thanksgiving travelers. Flights were canceled in Denver, one of several cities already facing heavy snowfall on Tuesday. Cheyenne, Wyoming, got a foot of snow, while elevated areas outside Fort Collins, Colorado, got 30 inches. The storm is expected to dump up to a foot of snow on some areas by Thursday as it moves across the Plains to the Upper Mississippi Valley, the Upper Great Lakes, and into northern Maine. The harshest storm is hitting Oregon and Northern California overnight into early Wednesday, and it could intensify quickly as a "bomb cyclone" with hurricane-force winds. [NPR, Bloomberg] 10.President Trump mocked House impeachment investigators on Tuesday as he held the traditional Thanksgiving turkey pardoning. Trump singled out House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff as the target of a joke as he prepared to pardon the North Carolina-bred turkeys Bread and Butter, saying the birds were raised to "remain calm under any condition," which he said would be "very important because they've already received subpoenas to appear in Adam Schiff's basement on Thursday." Trump, who has claimed to barely know impeachment witnesses including Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, said to the turkeys that "unlike previous witnesses, you and I have actually met. It's very unusual." [The Associated Press]More stories from theweek.com Trump, who is technically obese, tweets portrait of himself as muscular Rocky Balboa Gordon Sondland accused of sexual misconduct by 3 women Impeachment is failing. Time for Plan B.
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| ‘Anti-Islam’ Europe Is No Place for Azerbaijan, President Says Posted: 27 Nov 2019 03:32 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan won't seek closer integration with Europe, which he accused of discriminating against Muslims and undermining his country's traditional values."Where shall we integrate?" Aliyev said in a rare public criticism of the West in a speech to university students and teachers in the capital, Baku, on Tuesday. "Shall we integrate with those who are saying 'Stop Islam'? Shall we integrate to a place where there's no difference being made between men and women? We definitely shall not."Aliyev's remarks mark a departure from the national security strategy he approved in 2007, which said energy-rich Azerbaijan targets membership in European and Euro-Atlantic alliances. The majority Muslim but secular nation of 10 million people sandwiched between Iran and Russia forged close political and economic ties with the U.S. and the European Union after declaring independence from the former Soviet Union in 1991.The president's speech "was his acknowledgment of the failure of secularism and western values in Azerbaijan," prominent Azeri journalist Khadija Ismayil wrote on Facebook. Ismayil, who's known for investigative reports into Aliyev's undeclared family businesses, was sentenced to prison in 2015 and freed the following year after international criticism of her detention and trial.Energy PartnerThe U.S. helped Azerbaijan build oil and gas pipelines westward bypassing Russia. The EU regards Azerbaijan as a strategic energy partner and began talks in 2017 on a new framework agreement with Baku.While Aliyev and his late father Heydar, who ruled Azerbaijan for 10 years before his death in 2003, refused to join Russian-led military and economic blocs, U.S. and EU criticism of the poor state of democracy and human rights in Azerbaijan have strained relations. Aliyev won a landslide to secure a fourth term and extend his rule for seven years in 2018 elections seen as flawed by Western observers and boycotted by opposition parties.The president is "quite sincere" in his opposition to European integration because "Europe means democracy, free elections, rule of law, universal human rights and social welfare," Altay Goyushov, an opposition politician who heads the Baku Research Institute, a think tank in the city, wrote on Facebook."Aliyev wants to see a medieval monarchy in Azerbaijan," he said.To contact the reporter on this story: Zulfugar Agayev in Baku at zagayev@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Torrey Clark at tclark8@bloomberg.net, Tony HalpinFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| For U.K. Housebuilder Stocks, Election Is Still All About Brexit Posted: 27 Nov 2019 03:22 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, follow us @Brexit and subscribe to our podcast.Uncertainty, uncertainty and more uncertainty. For investors in U.K. homebuilders, the word has been a bane for more than three years as the industry contends with the hit to consumer confidence caused by Britain's prolonged departure from the European Union.Now there is an election coming and investors in the sector are hoping for a Conservative victory to help solidify this year's rally, which has seen big players like Barratt Developments Plc, Bovis Homes Group Plc and Persimmon Plc rise more than 30% amid the perception of progress towards a Brexit deal."We would expect some surge in the sector with a Tory win as Brexit looks more certain to be done," Robin Hardy, an analyst at Shore Capital, said by email. While such an eventuality looks at least partially priced in, that isn't the case should the opposition Labour Party gain power in the Dec. 12 poll, according to Hardy, an outcome he said would cause the builders' stocks to drop, "possibly a lot."But as market watchers pore over the details of the party's housing policies, it is still Brexit that "has the greatest potential to move the market for these companies in the short term," said Davy analyst Colin Sheridan. "Clearly the probability is lower that anything negative happens, but it's still an issue."Different VisionsThe visions of the two main parties on the housing market are mostly as expected, albeit quite different. The Conservatives are broadly seeking more of the same, centered around support for first-time buyers, while Labour's policies focus on building more social and affordable housing, with much greater government involvement in the market.The Tory party's pledges on housing were "slightly disappointing," according to UBS AG analyst Gregor Kuglitsch, as they didn't give a clear policy for the government's Help-to-Buy program after it expires in 2023 and there was no reduction in stamp duty. Still, he sees no major impact to the listed housebuilders.Labour policies would effectively transform local councils into major developers, which may put pressure on supply chains, increase costs and be negative for builders, Kuglitsch wrote in a note.But the worst possible outcome might still be no clear outcome at all, according to Canaccord Genuity analyst Aynsley Lammin. A hung parliament, where neither party wins a majority, would just "lead to more uncertainty and logjam."To contact the reporter on this story: Sam Unsted in London at sunsted@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Beth Mellor at bmellor@bloomberg.net, Paul JarvisFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Brexit ad blitz data firm paid by Vote Leave broke privacy laws, watchdogs find Posted: 27 Nov 2019 03:08 AM PST  A joint investigation by watchdogs in Canada and British Columbia has found that Cambridge Analytica-linked data firm, Aggregate IQ, broke privacy laws in Facebook ad-targeting work it undertook for the official Vote Leave Brexit campaign in the UK's 2016 EU referendum. A quick reminder: Vote Leave was the official leave campaign in the referendum on the UK's membership of the European Union. While Cambridge Analytica is the (now defunct) firm at the center of a massive Facebook data misuse scandal which has dented the company's fortunes and continues to tarnish its reputation.
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| Macron’s Hard Power Ambitions Run Into Reality Posted: 27 Nov 2019 02:45 AM PST ![Macron's Hard Power Ambitions Run Into Reality]( "Macron's Hard Power Ambitions Run Into Reality") (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.Emmanuel Macron, it's fair to say, is not a military guy.The French president was a schoolboy actor, remains an unapologetic intellectual and dreams of one day giving up politics to become a writer.But he's also made clear his ambitions to become Europe's pre-eminent leader, at a time of intense challenges for the European Union and as Germany's Angela Merkel heads into the tail end of her political career.Macron's diagnosis is Europe needs to more strongly defend its interests: He's said its reliance on NATO for security is mindless given the increasing ambivalence of the U.S. to the alliance. And he'll regularly climb aboard French battleships to call on the EU to better coordinate its defenses.But his public lecturing of other European states is putting some leaders off (Merkel today gave a spirited defense of NATO, saying Europe is too weak on its own). Macron's push for a pan-Europe army is struggling for traction.Meanwhile, France has problems of its own. Its biggest overseas mission is on the southern fringe of the Sahara desert, where 4,500 troops are trying to contain Islamist militants.The loss of 13 French soldiers in a helicopter crash is a blow to an operation already struggling. Malians blame their former colonial masters for failing to stem the violence, and in the capital protesters are burning the French flag.Global HeadlinesNew boss | Ursula von der Leyen vowed to lead a newly self-confident EU that will defend its interests on the world stage as she prepared to take charge of the bloc's executive arm. The former German defense minister will be confirmed as head of the EU commission by lawmakers today and has made tackling climate change her top priority.Corbyn's problem | U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn cannot seem to shake off charges he has failed to root out anti-Semitism in his party's ranks. It's been a long-festering issue for the socialist who came of political age in the early 1970s and has strong views on Israel. But with the U.K. election just over two weeks away, he has backed himself in a corner. Asked to apologize to Jewish people, he has repeatedly refused.Different stories | U.S. President Donald Trump denied directing his lawyer Rudy Giuliani to go to Ukraine to seek dirt on Democratic political rival Joe Biden. "But he is a warrior, he is a warrior," Trump added in an interview with former Fox News host Bill O'Reilly. Giuliani has said he undertook an investigation "concerning 2016 Ukrainian collusion and corruption" on Trump's behalf.A White House budget official testified he warned his superiors that freezing military aid to Ukraine could be illegal, and said he waited months for an explanation for the delay.Rocket man returns | Kim Jong Un has not tested an intercontinental ballistic missile for two years as he pursues a diplomatic track with Trump. But as Jon Herskovitz explains, that hasn't stopped North Korea's leader from bolstering his arsenal, adding new quick-strike nuclear-capable ballistic weapons designed to avoid U.S. interception.Shifting gears | Chile's central bank will announce its next monetary policy decision two days earlier than scheduled — on Dec. 4 — and release its quarterly policy report the next day in order to to provide "timely information" about the economy after weeks of social unrest. President Sebastian Pinera has said his government also will soon send Congress a plan to boost growth.What to WatchPresidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's rise in the polls is reversing amid attacks from Democratic rivals over her Medicare-for-All plan. The U.S. intends to designate Mexican drug cartels as terrorist groups in the near future, though Trump declined to say if he's considering military action like drone strikes against the groups. Trump said yesterday that talks with China on the first phase of a trade deal were near completion after negotiators spoke by phone. Namibia's general elections today are set to hand President Hage Geingob a second term and extend the almost 30-year rule of his SWAPO party, even as the economy flags.Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally … President Vladimir Putin today opened a new tollway linking Moscow and St. Petersburg that symbolizes the infrastructure challenges facing Russia. The 415-mile (669-km) route took eight years to build, cost nearly $8 billion, and was supposed to have been ready for last year's soccer World Cup. Putin's five-year $400 billion program began last year, but investment has been slow. "We've been waiting for this road for a long time," quips one truck driver. "It's a shame they didn't manage it by 2018." \--With assistance from Kathleen Hunter, Jon Herskovitz and Flavia Krause-Jackson.To contact the author of this story: Ben Sills in Madrid at bsills@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Rosalind Mathieson at rmathieson3@bloomberg.net, Karl MaierFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Supreme leader says Iranians foiled 'very dangerous' plot Posted: 27 Nov 2019 02:26 AM PST Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday praised the country's people for foiling a "very dangerous" plot, after violence erupted during protests this month against a fuel price hike. "The people foiled a deep, vast and very dangerous conspiracy on which a lot of money was spent for destruction, viciousness and the killing of people," Khamenei said, quoted by state television. On Twitter, Khamenei expressed his "heartfelt gratitude and appreciation" to the Iranian nation in a post alongside pictures of a massive pro-government rally held in Tehran on Monday.
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| UK's Johnson in talks to give US access to health service in trade talks - Corbyn Posted: 27 Nov 2019 02:12 AM PST ![UK's Johnson in talks to give US access to health service in trade talks - Corbyn]( "UK's Johnson in talks to give US access to health service in trade talks - Corbyn") Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Wednesday produced what he said were documents showing that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has discussed offering the United States access to the British health service in trade talks. Johnson has denied ever raising the sale of Britain's National Health Service in such talks. Corbyn, who has argued that Johnson's Conservatives will allow the United States to increase drug prices as part of a post-Brexit trade deal, said he had 451 pages of unredacted documents on talks between the two countries.
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| In Lebanon, financial collapse and security concerns loom Posted: 27 Nov 2019 01:43 AM PST  Hundreds of Lebanese women marched across a former front line in the Lebanese capital Wednesday carrying white roses and Lebanese flags to denounce overnight clashes between rival groups that injured dozens of people. The tiny Mediterranean country is also reeling under the worst financial crisis in decades with unprecedented capital controls, and as tempers flare, there are real concerns Lebanon could be sliding toward a prolonged period of instability.
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