| U.K. Labor Market Freezes Amid Brexit, Election Uncertainty Posted: 05 Dec 2019 05:01 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Political uncertainty is "playing havoc" with the U.K. labor market, with demand for workers rising at the slowest pace for a decade and wage pressures easing, according to a report.The survey by KMPG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation published Friday found companies delaying or canceling hiring plans and people hesitating to take on new jobs last month amid the confusion over Brexit and the upcoming general election."Clearly employers and job-seekers are taking a wait-and-see approach before committing to growth or movement," said James Stewart, vice chair at KMPG.Prime Minister Boris Johnson is portraying the Dec. 12 vote as a chance to finally deliver Brexit and end the uncertainty that has taken a heavy toll on the economy. The jobs market, which has defied the turmoil since the 2016 vote to leave the EU, has lost significant momentum in recent months.Johnson wants a parliamentary majority for his Conservative Party to get the deal he struck with the European Union through Parliament. His rival, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, has promised to renegotiate the exit agreement and then give the public the final say in a second referendum.Here are the key findings of the KPMG/REC report:November sees the slowest increase in vacancies since October 2009Demand for workers weakest in public sector, retail industryPermanent starting salaries rise at slowest rate since end of 2016Number of permanent placements fall for a ninth consecutive monthCandidate numbers decline at fastest rate for five monthsTo contact the reporter on this story: Andrew Atkinson in London at a.atkinson@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Fergal O'Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net, Lucy Meakin, David GoodmanFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Chase with stolen UPS truck ends with shootout, 4 dead Posted: 05 Dec 2019 03:23 PM PST ![Chase with stolen UPS truck ends with shootout, 4 dead]( "Chase with stolen UPS truck ends with shootout, 4 dead") Four people, including a UPS driver, were killed Thursday after robbers stole the driver's truck and led police on a chase that ended in gunfire at a busy Florida intersection during rush hour, a law enforcement official said. Both robbers were shot and killed, and the fourth victim was in a nearby vehicle when shots rang out at a crowded intersection in Miramar, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of where the incident began, according to an official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the information had not yet been announced publicly. Television news helicopters showed first responders tending to at least one person who fell out of the UPS truck, moments after several shots were fired when the chase ended.
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| Pompeo brings Iran pressure campaign to Morocco Posted: 05 Dec 2019 03:09 PM PST  The United States and Morocco discussed efforts to isolate Iran, officials said Thursday, as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo paid a visit to the kingdom. Pompeo had been due to have an audience with King Mohammed VI but the meeting was dropped, apparently after the top US diplomat extended a visit to Lisbon to see Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We have a great relationship between our two countries," Pompeo said.
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| Europeans, Iran to cross swords at nuclear talks Posted: 05 Dec 2019 03:00 PM PST ![Europeans, Iran to cross swords at nuclear talks]( "Europeans, Iran to cross swords at nuclear talks") European powers will demand Iran stop violating their nuclear deal or potentially face renewed U.N. sanctions, but with Tehran locked in conflict over U.S. sanctions, there appears to be little scope for compromise when they meet on Friday. The meeting comes amid heightened friction between Iran and the West. Tehran has rolled back its commitments under the 2015 deal in response to Washington's pullout from it last year and reimposition of sanctions that have crippled its economy.
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| Trump lights National Christmas Tree in holiday tradition Posted: 05 Dec 2019 02:40 PM PST  President Donald Trump helped light the National Christmas Tree on Thursday, taking part in a nearly century-old holiday tradition in the nation's capital. The lighthearted honor for presidents, going back to Calvin Coolidge, came on an otherwise difficult day in Trump's presidency. Hours before the ceremony, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Democratic chairmen to bring forward impeachment charges against Trump.
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| US says Iran protest toll may surpass 1,000, mulls troops Posted: 05 Dec 2019 02:39 PM PST  The United States said Thursday that Iranian authorities may have killed more than 1,000 people in a crackdown on demonstrations, which Washington cast as the clerical regime's worst-ever internal challenge. The damning account came as the US put new pressure in the region on its arch-enemy, with an official saying the Pentagon was considering sending 5,000 to 7,000 more troops. "It appears the regime could have murdered over 1,000 Iranian citizens since the protests began," Brian Hook, the US pointman on Iran, told reporters.
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| US considering troop boost to counter Iran Posted: 05 Dec 2019 02:37 PM PST  The United States said Thursday it was considering deploying fresh forces to counter Iran, with an official saying some 5,000 to 7,000 troops could head to the region. "We're continuing to look at that threat picture and have the ability to dynamically adjust our force posture," Rood told the Senate Armed Services Committee. A US official told AFP on condition of anonymity that Defense Secretary Mark Esper was considering plans to move between 5,000 and 7,000 troops to the Middle East.
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| The Pentagon is tripping over itself trying to explain its plans for countering Iran, possibly with thousands more troops Posted: 05 Dec 2019 01:41 PM PST  Trying to deny a report that it was sending 14,000 troops to confront Iran, the Pentagon has created a lot of confusion about what it plans to do.
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| The Pentagon is tripping over itself trying to explain its plans for countering Iran, possibly with thousands more troops Posted: 05 Dec 2019 01:41 PM PST  Trying to deny a report that it was sending 14,000 troops to confront Iran, the Pentagon has created a lot of confusion about what it plans to do.
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| Palestinians outraged over ICC report into war crimes Posted: 05 Dec 2019 12:53 PM PST ![Palestinians outraged over ICC report into war crimes]( "Palestinians outraged over ICC report into war crimes") Palestinian officials expressed "great concern" Thursday over a report by the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor that includes a warning that Palestinian stipends to attackers and their families could constitute a war crime. The Palestinians have long sought redress with international bodies such as the ICC for what they consider Israeli crimes. President Mahmoud Abbas's government appeared to have been caught off guard by the language of the criticism found in the report.
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| Where's the 'secret' White House Russia room? diplomat jokes Posted: 05 Dec 2019 12:26 PM PST  One of Moscow's top diplomats joked to President Donald Trump on Thursday after touring the White House that he was disappointed not to have seen the "secret" Russia room. "Thank you for the tour of the White House," Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, told Trump at a lunch for the members of the UN Security Council.
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| Bloomberg gun plan: Permits, assault weapon ban, age limits Posted: 05 Dec 2019 12:22 PM PST ![Bloomberg gun plan: Permits, assault weapon ban, age limits]( "Bloomberg gun plan: Permits, assault weapon ban, age limits") Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg unveiled a gun control policy on Thursday just steps from the site of one of Colorado's worst mass shootings, calling for a ban on all assault weapons, mandatory permits for gun purchasers and a new position in the White House to coordinate gun violence prevention. "I've been all in on the fight against gun violence for 15 years, and I'm just getting started," Bloomberg declared.
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| Pro-paramilitary demonstrators stream into Iraqi protest camp Posted: 05 Dec 2019 12:14 PM PST  Crowds backing a paramilitary force close to Iran streamed into the Iraqi capital's main protest camp on Thursday, rattling anti-government demonstrators who have denounced Tehran's role in their country. The flash protest hinted at a new effort to delegitimise or intimidate anti-government protesters, and came after the apparent torture and death of a 19-year-old girl taking part in the rallies. Youth-dominated mass rallies have rocked Iraq's capital and Shiite-majority south since October, slamming the entrenched political class as corrupt, incompetent and under the sway of neighbouring Iran.
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| Zelenskiy's Opponents Fear He Is Ready to Sell Out to Russia Posted: 05 Dec 2019 12:10 PM PST  KYIV, Ukraine -- Washington may be obsessed with the impeachment inquiry over President Donald Trump's dealings with Ukraine, but it was far from the minds of a few thousand protesters who gathered on a recent frosty night in Kyiv to vent their anger at their own country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, over his peace overtures to Russia.If he struggled to resist demands by Trump for investigations affecting next year's U.S. elections, some protesters said, imagine what will happen when he meets President Vladimir Putin on Monday for talks on ending the war in eastern Ukraine. As speakers derided Zelenskiy as soft on Russia, the crowd answered with cries of "No to capitulation!" and "Treason!"Zelenskiy campaigned for the presidency on a two-plank platform of fighting corruption and ending a grinding war with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that has killed at least 13,000 people.While the peace effort has received less notice, it is undoubtedly the more politically treacherous of the two undertakings. Everyone is against corruption, in theory at least, but there are sharp divides over how to deal with Russia, which is widely despised by Ukrainians outside the breakaway eastern territories.Domestic political opponents are concerned that Zelenskiy, having no clear U.S. diplomatic backing, may be too willing to make concessions to Moscow in the talks. Any widespread perception that he has done so could weaken him politically, hampering his ability to follow through with his anti-corruption efforts."If the president signs anything granting Russian influence in Ukraine, it would cause riots," said Volodymyr Ariev, a member of parliament in the party of former President Petro Poroshenko, which is in opposition to Zelenskiy.Ariev said that the talks with the Trump administration over opening investigations related to the family of former Vice President Joe Biden "were unprofessional, and that is why we are concerned about what will come" in talks with Russia.Already, critics said, Zelenskiy has made unilateral concessions intended to pave the way for the peace talks. And they are alarmed at comments by Ihor Kolomoisky, a businessman with ties to Zelenskiy, suggesting that Ukraine should swivel toward Russia amid the chaos in Ukraine policy in the United States.In the worst-case scenario, they said, Zelenskiy would give amnesty to rebel leaders and grant sweeping autonomy to the breakaway regions, while allowing Russian forces to linger in or just outside Ukraine even after any political settlement.In the peace talks, scheduled for Monday in Paris, most analysts see Russia seeking at a minimum to trade de facto control over the two separatists zones in eastern Ukraine for influence in domestic Ukrainian politics, including a veto on membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.In its post-independence history, Ukraine has twice tilted from pro-Western to pro-Russian governments, in 1994 and 2010. It's a back-and-forth common to many former Soviet states as they have tried to play the powerful east-west geopolitical forces off against each other for advantage at home. In Ukraine's case, on both occasions the country lurched back into the Western orbit, most recently in the Maidan revolution of 2014.In recent years, Belarus, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova have all at some point pivoted to closer ties with Russia -- and then back, in some cases. In an interview, Kolomoisky said that Ukraine should do just that if the U.S. tries to pressure Kyiv again.Analysts saw the comments as self-serving, in that Kolomoisky stands to lose billions of dollars under a banking sector overhaul backed by Western governments. Zelenskiy issued a statement distancing himself from the comment.Working as an actor in Moscow in 2014 as Russian troops invaded his country, Zelenskiy joked that Russian soldiers were not moving inside Ukraine but were "just standing on the border, and the Ukrainian border is just slightly pushed forward."But through the summer, Zelenskiy sought a White House visit to urge Trump to press Russia and side with Ukraine in the negotiations. It never materialized.To the contrary, at a news conference in New York in September, Trump backed away from Zelenskiy and his troubles in the war, telling the Ukrainian leader, "I really hope you and President Putin get together and can solve your problem."By distancing himself from Zelenskiy in the negotiations, as stressed by many of the security professionals who testified in the recent impeachment hearings, Trump has raised doubts about how far he will go to support Ukraine and made it harder for the Ukrainian government to defend the concessions it is making to end the war.Some analysts said that despite Zelenskiy's weak hand going into the talks, worries of a pivot to Russia are overblown and mostly whipped up by domestic political opponents."Accommodation with Russia would be a very hard sell inside Ukraine," Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, said in a telephone interview.Ivan Yakovina, a foreign policy columnist with Novoye Vremya magazine, concurred, saying that allies of Poroshenko, the former president, were fanning fears of a geopolitical pivot to undermine Zelenskiy."They don't think he is worthy of being president," Yakovina said of Zelenskiy, who before his election as Ukraine's leader played a president in a television series. They see him "as a clown from a television show. They are doing everything so he fails."To pave the way for talks, Zelenskiy rebuilt a bridge across the de facto border with the breakaway republics, pulled troops back from the front line in three locations, negotiated a prisoner exchange and agreed to the outlines of a political formula for an eventual settlement.Zelenskiy has said that each step was worthwhile in its own right. He secured the return of Ukrainian captives, eased hardship for people living in separatist areas and ended some of the senseless skirmishing along the front.In the settlement road map signed in early October, Zelenskiy agreed to a timeline for local elections and to other political steps needed to reintegrate the breakaway regions with Ukraine without any corresponding timeline for Russia to withdraw its troops. Zelenskiy said the Russian troop withdrawal is implied.Three protests ensued on Independence Square -- the largest of which drew about 20,000 people, far fewer than the gigantic crowds that gathered on the square in the 2014 revolution and drove pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych into exile in Moscow."There are clear red lines that Ukrainian society, and especially the active part of Ukrainian society, is not willing to cross and not willing to let anybody cross, including the leaders of the country and the president," said Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, leader of the opposition Holos political party.Vakarchuk pointed to polls showing that a majority of Ukrainians oppose a settlement on terms of the so-called Minsk agreements, the framework deal under which Zelenskiy will negotiate in Paris.Under 20% of Ukrainians support the political framework that Zelenskiy is pursuing, about 25% want to continue fighting to free the separatists territory, and about 35% want to declare the regions as occupied by Russia but not pursue military efforts to recover them for now, according to a poll by Rating Group, which conducts social surveys.Vakarchuk said he is consulting with Zelenskiy's party in parliament and would support any agreement that emerges from the Paris talks if it defends Ukrainian interests.That will be harder to pull off with the U.S. distracted, though."For a long time, the United States was considered the leader of the free world, and I think that was fair enough," Vakarchuk said. "But remember the Bob Dylan song -- 'The Times They Are a-Changin.'"This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Iran accuses France, Germany and UK of false missile claims Posted: 05 Dec 2019 12:07 PM PST ![Iran accuses France, Germany and UK of false missile claims]( "Iran accuses France, Germany and UK of false missile claims") Iran accused France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Thursday of "a desperate falsehood" for saying its missile program goes against a U.N. resolution calling on Tehran not to undertake any activity related to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and U.N. Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi responded separately to a letter from the three European countries to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres circulated Wednesday.
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| Putin seeks rapid renewal of key nuclear deal with US Posted: 05 Dec 2019 12:05 PM PST  Russia's President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said Moscow seeks to renew the nuclear New Start treaty, a key remaining US-Russian arms treaty, before the end of the year. Speaking to military chiefs and Russian defense executives, Putin said the decision must be made quickly on the soon-to-expire document, and Washington's position is so far unclear. "Russia is ready to renew the New Start treaty without delay, as quickly as possible, before the end of this year," Putin said.
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| Iran working on nuclear-capable missiles: European powers Posted: 05 Dec 2019 11:54 AM PST  Britain, France and Germany have accused Iran of developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in a letter dismissed by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Thursday as "a desperate falsehood". UN ambassadors for the three countries said in the letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Iran's actions were "inconsistent" with the UN resolution enshrining a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
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| Report: Teen who died in US custody unresponsive for hours Posted: 05 Dec 2019 11:47 AM PST  A flu-ridden 16-year-old from Guatemala writhed in agony inside a U.S. Border Patrol cell and collapsed on the floor where he lay for several hours before he was found dead, according to video released Thursday that further calls into question the Trump administration's treatment of immigrant families. The footage published by ProPublica shows the last hours of Carlos Hernandez Vasquez, who was found dead May 20. According to ProPublica, Hernandez staggered to the toilet in his cell in the middle of the night at the Border Patrol station in Weslaco, Texas, and collapsed nearby.
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| UN says 13 people reportedly killed in Philippines typhoon Posted: 05 Dec 2019 11:17 AM PST  U.N. humanitarian officials say Ytyphoon Kammuri (Tisoy) reportedly killed 13 people and displaced nearly 400,000 others as it crossed the Philippines with fierce winds and rain this week.
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| Israel: Hezbollah undeterred after recent setbacks Posted: 05 Dec 2019 11:06 AM PST  A year after uncovering a network of cross-border Hezbollah tunnels, the Israeli military says the Lebanese militant group has beefed up its presence along the volatile frontier. Military officials say that neither the destruction of the tunnels, nor Hezbollah's recent domestic problems, have weakened the group's desire to prepare for renewed conflict with Israel. Israel and Hezbollah fought a monthlong war in 2006 that ended in a U.N.-brokered cease-fire.
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| GOP Senator Backs Whistle-Blower Testimony: Impeachment Update Posted: 05 Dec 2019 10:58 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that the House will move ahead with drafting articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler and top Republican Doug Collins have both mentioned a hearing next week focusing on the impeachment report's evidence and conclusions, but they didn't provide details.Here are the latest developments:GOP Senator Backs Whistle-Blower Testimony (1:53 p.m.)Republican Senator Ron Johnson said he expects the White House will want to call the whistle-blower to testify in any Senate impeachment trial, and said he will be supportive because it would give Trump a chance "to confront his accuser.""He should be able to mount a defense and that includes calling witnesses, including the whistle-blower," Johnson said. He dismissed the idea that the whistle-blower's identity should be protected, calling that a "charade" because his name has been published.Johnson said people want to know what kind of interaction the whistle-blower had with Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee before filing the complaint, and what type of political biases the person might have.The senator said "Republicans control this body, and I think Republicans ought to afford the president the ability to defend himself and put on a robust defense, within reason."Johnson of Wisconsin said he disagrees with some House Republicans who want testimony from former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. He said he doesn't think they could provide much insight into the allegations against Trump.White House Says Democrats Abused Power (12:58 p.m.)White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham said Democrats in Congress "have clearly abused their power" with what she called an "illegitimate impeachment hoax.""Speaker Pelosi's instruction to advance this impeachment process – one that has violated every precedent - moves this country toward the most partisan and illegitimate subversion of the Constitution in our history," Grisham said in a statement.Pelosi Says She Doesn't 'Hate' Trump (11:14 a.m.)Pelosi told reporters she doesn't hate Trump and that the impeachment effort is unrelated to politics.Asked if she hates the president, Pelosi responded, "I don't hate anyone," and that as a Catholic she resents having the word attributed to her. "Don't mess with me when it comes to words like that," she said."I think he is a coward when it comes to helping our kids who are afraid of gun violence," the speaker said. "I think he is cruel when he doesn't help our Dreamers. I think he is denial about the climate crisis.""However, that's about the election," she said, while impeachment "is about the Constitution of the United States."Trump's conduct regarding Ukraine is related to her contention that "all roads lead to Putin," Pelosi said. "Who benefited form our withholding military assistance? Russia."Pelosi also told reporters she has asked the chairmen of six House committees to make recommendations about the articles of impeachment.She wouldn't say whether the articles will include any conduct that was investigated by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and gave no hint on when the House might vote on impeachment.Judiciary Plans Next Hearing on Monday (10:54 a.m.)The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Monday to receive presentations from lawyers for the House Intelligence and Judiciary panels.Nadler said his panel will hear from lawyers for Democrats and Republicans on each committee.Trump Campaign Aide Calls for 'Fair Trial' (9:46 a.m.)Trump's campaign chairman says Democrats "should just get on with" impeaching the president "so we can have a fair trial in the Senate and expose the swamp for what it is.""We are less than a year away from election day 2020 and Democrats can't possibly explain to the American people why they want to take the decision of who should be president out of the hands of voters," campaign manager Brad Parscale said in an emailed statement.He said Pelosi, House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff and Joe Biden's son Hunter should testify at an impeachment trial.Democrats to Draft Impeachment Articles, Pelosi Says (9:18 a.m.)Pelosi said Trump's actions are a "profound violation of the public trust" and she is asking committee chairmen to proceed with drafting articles of impeachment."The president leaves us no choice but to act because he is trying to corrupt, once again, the election for his own benefit," she said.Pelosi said Trump "abused his power for his own personal political benefit at the expense of our national security" and said he did it "in exchange for an announcement of an investigation of his political rival.""If we allow a president to be above the law, we do so surely at the peril of our republic," said the speaker, who started her statement by reading the opening words of the Declaration of Independence. "His wrongdoing strikes at the very heart of our Constitution.""Today I am asking our chairmen to proceed with articles of impeachment," said Pelosi, who did not say how soon the House will act.Trump Says 'Do It Now,' Send Case to Senate (8:25 a.m.)Trump asserted on Twitter Thursday that Democrats "have no impeachment case" and urged the party's lawmakers to move quickly to bring charges against him so the nation can move beyond the matter."If you are going to impeach me, do it now, fast, so we can have a fair trial in the Senate, and so that our Country can get back to business," the president said in a pair of Thursday-morning tweets shortly before Speaker Pelosi was due to make a statement on the status in the inquiry.Trump said Democrats "have no Impeachment case and are demeaning our Country."Pelosi's office hasn't said what her statement will entail, but it's possible she could offer a timeline for House consideration of any articles of impeachment the Judiciary Committee might draft.Pompeo Dismisses House Report as 'All Wrong' (7:20 a.m.)Secretary of State Michael Pompeo continued Thursday to fend off questions related to his role in the Trump administration's dealings with Ukraine that are now at the center the House impeachment inquiry."It's just all wrong," Pompeo told reporters in Lisbon, when asked about the House Intelligence Committee report's account of his actions.Pompeo challenged a reporter's characterization of language in the report,without elaborating on what his role in fact was.The report, compiled by the panel's majority Democrats, states that Pompeo and other Trump subordinates -- including acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former Secretary of Energy Rick Perry -- had "knowledge of, in some cases facilitated and furthered the president's scheme, and withheld information about the scheme from the Congress and the American public." -- Kathleen Hunter and Nick WadhamsPelosi to Speak at 9 a.m. on Inquiry Status (6:23 a.m.)Speaker Pelosi plans to make a statement Thursday morning on the status of the House's impeachment inquiry, a day after the Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on the matter.Pelosi's office announced that she would speak to reporters at 9 a.m. eastern time in the Speaker's Balcony Hallway in the Capitol.Judiciary Chairman Nadler closed yesterday's hearing by declaring Trump had committed "impeachable offenses," saying his actions were "a direct threat" to the nation. -- Kathleen HunterCatch Up on Impeachment CoverageKey EventsAt Wednesday's hearing, House Democrats hinted they're moving toward bringing articles of impeachment against Trump on charges of abuse of power, bribery and obstruction. They dismissed Republican objections that their entire inquiry is flawed.The House Intelligence Committee Democrats' impeachment report is here.Gordon Sondland's transcript is here and here; Kurt Volker's transcript is here and here. Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch's transcript is here and here; the transcript of Michael McKinley, former senior adviser to the secretary of State, is here. The transcript of Holmes, a Foreign Service officer in Kyiv, is here.The transcript of William Taylor, the top U.S. envoy to Ukraine, is here and here. State Department official George Kent's testimony is here and here. Testimony by Alexander Vindman can be found here, and the Hill transcript is here. Laura Cooper's transcript is here; Christopher Anderson's is here and Catherine Croft's is here. Jennifer Williams' transcript is here and Timothy Morrison's is here. Philip Reeker transcript is here. Mark Sandy's is here.\--With assistance from Nick Wadhams and Billy House.To contact the reporters on this story: Laura Litvan in Washington at llitvan@bloomberg.net;Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie AsséoFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| PM: Israel has ‘full right’ to annex strategic Jordan Valley Posted: 05 Dec 2019 10:33 AM PST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel has the "full right" to annex the Jordan Valley if it chose to, even as the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court warned the country against taking the bold step. Netanyahu said his proposal to annex the strategic part of the occupied West Bank was discussed during a late-night meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The Trump administration has already delivered several landmark victories to Netanyahu, such as recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital and recognizing Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights.
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| US says seized Iranian weapons bound for Yemen Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:56 AM PST  The United States said Thursday that it seized a major shipment of Iranian weapons bound for Yemen's Huthi rebels, denouncing what it called a violation of a UN arms embargo. A US warship interdicted the ship on November 25 off the cost of war-ravaged Yemen and found "sophisticated weapons" of Iranian origin including land-based, anti-tank and air-defense missiles, said Brian Hook, the US special representative on Iran. "This discovery is yet more proof of Iran's efforts to inflame conflicts in the region by proliferating deadly weapons to its proxies," Hook told reporters.
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| Senator: Lebanon must be 'on notice' on jailed US citizen Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:54 AM PST ![Senator: Lebanon must be 'on notice' on jailed US citizen]( "Senator: Lebanon must be 'on notice' on jailed US citizen") An American citizen jailed in his native Lebanon since September on no charges is very ill, and if he dies there, then Lebanon should be subject to sanctions, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire said Wednesday. Shaheen, who was addressing a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington, said Amer Fakhoury has been illegally detained since Sept. 12. The 57-year-old Fakhoury, who owns a restaurant in Dover, New Hampshire, went to visit family in Lebanon on vacation -- his first trip back in nearly 20 years.
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| Brexit boost for UK's Johnson as he plans for victory Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:53 AM PST  Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a boost from Brexit supporters on Thursday as he marked one week until election day by setting out a plan for his first 100 days in office. The Conservative leader appears increasingly confident of victory on December 12 as he remains around 10 points ahead of Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party in opinion polls. The electoral threat posed by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, meanwhile, receded further with the decision of four of its European Parliament MPs to endorse the prime minister.
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| Biden scrap with voter risks overshadowing critique of Trump Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:37 AM PST  Joe Biden sought to capitalize on President Donald Trump's icy reception from world leaders by portraying himself on Thursday as someone who is well versed in foreign affairs and can restore American prestige abroad. As he nears the end of an eight-day tour of the state that will open the Democratic contest in February, Biden knocked Trump as a dangerous and erratic commander in chief and head of state. John Kerry, the former secretary of state and 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, followed up with an endorsement of Biden.
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| Turkey says 2 killed in car bomb attack in northeast Syria Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:37 AM PST ![Turkey says 2 killed in car bomb attack in northeast Syria]( "Turkey says 2 killed in car bomb attack in northeast Syria") Turkey's Defense Ministry says a car bomb explosion in a Turkish-controlled area of northeastern Syria has killed two civilians. In a statement posted on Twitter, the ministry said at least 10 other people were wounded in the attack in the city of Ras al-Ayn on Thursday. The attack was the latest in a string of deadly car bomb attacks in northeast Syria since Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition fighters captured Ras al-Ayn and other areas in October to drive Syrian Kurdish fighters away from its border.
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| UN appeals for aid to help millions of Zimbabweans buy food Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:32 AM PST  The United Nations on Thursday called for some $200 million in extra funding to help four million Zimbabweans unable to buy food due to drought and triple-digit inflation. The southern African country has been hit by a poor harvest and an entrenched economic crisis that has rendered basic goods out of reach for most people. "The food security situation in Zimbabwe is very dire," said the World Food Programme (WFP) country director Eddie Rowe during a press briefing in the capital Harare.
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| Giuliani in Ukraine as Congress moves closer to impeachment Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:31 AM PST  President Donald Trump's personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani was in Ukraine on Thursday, reviving the efforts that landed him and Trump in the impeachment inquiry now roiling Washington. The inquiry was triggered by a July 25 phone call in which Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden and his son and also a discredited conspiracy theory that Ukraine interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. Trump denies wrongdoing.
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| SpaceX launches beer malt, caring robot and 'mighty mice' Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:31 AM PST  SpaceX launched a 3-ton shipment to the International Space Station on Thursday, including "mighty mice" for a muscle study, a robot sensitive to astronauts' emotions and a miniature version of a brewery's malt house. The Dragon capsule also is delivering holiday goodies for the six station residents. SpaceX recovered the new booster on a barge just off the coast in the Atlantic several minutes following liftoff so it could be reused.
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| US says Iran protest death toll may surpass 1,000 Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:15 AM PST The United States said Thursday that Iranian authorities may have killed more than 1,000 people in a crackdown on demonstrations, which Washington cast as the clerical regime's worst-ever internal challenge. "It appears the regime could have murdered over 1,000 Iranian citizens since the protests began," Brian Hook, the US pointman on Iran, told reporters. Hook said that "many thousands" of Iranians have been wounded and that at least 7,000 protesters have been detained.
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| UPDATE 1-Putin says Russia ready to extend New START nuclear arms treaty Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:04 AM PST ![UPDATE 1-Putin says Russia ready to extend New START nuclear arms treaty]( "UPDATE 1-Putin says Russia ready to extend New START nuclear arms treaty") Russia is ready to extend the New START nuclear arms control treaty by the end of this year without any more conditions or discussion, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, appearing to drop Moscow's earlier defiant tone. The New START accord, signed in 2010, limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that Washington and Moscow can deploy. Its fate has been in the spotlight since Washington pulled out of another key arms accord in August, citing violations by Russia that Moscow denies.
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| Johnson Insists He Can Keep to His Brexit Schedule: U.K. Votes Posted: 05 Dec 2019 09:02 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Boris Johnson laid out his plan for his first 100 days in office as the U.K. general election enters its final week, including delivering a budget and getting Brexit "done" by Jan. 31. The prime minister also committed to securing a trade deal with the European Union by the end of next year.Labour pointed to nearly 3,500 "days of failure" under the Tories, and said more of the same won't work as it plugged its plans for hiring new teachers and tackling the housing crisis. But leader Jeremy Corbyn is struggling to shake off allegations of antisemitism in his party.Must Read: Key Election Task for U.K. Tories: Tame Boris JohnsonFor more on the election visit ELEC.Key Developments:Johnson tells ITV the NHS is not on the table in U.S. trade talksLabour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn is embroiled again in the antisemitism row that's damaging his campaignLabour's Treasury spokesman John McDonnell says his party would try to govern without a formal arrangement with other parties in the event of a hung ParliamentTories unveil plan for first 100 days in government, promising budget and delivery of BrexitThe pound is headed for longest winning streak since June as traders bet on a Conservative majorityJohnson Shows Why Tories Backed Him (4:30 p.m.)Boris Johnson was on the stump at a mill in Derbyshire on Thursday and showed why the Conservative Party put their faith in him, as he entertained a crowd of workers with his well-worn campaign lines and jokes. He went through variations of his line about having an "oven ready" deal with the EU, telling the audience it will be passed "before you've cooked your Christmas turkey."He got a laugh when he said Jeremy Corbyn would be helped into 10 Downing Street by SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, and "we all know who'd wear the tartan trousers in that relationship."The Prime Minister also acquired his latest piece of election memorabilia, a scarf, knitted in the factory, bearing the slogan "Get Brexit Done." He held above his head to applause and later posed for selfies with mill staff.Outside there were protesters against Johnson and his Conservative Party's record on austerity and spending cuts, showing how divided the country is over the prime minister's leadership. In just over a week the Tories will know whether their faith in him and his rapport with voters has paid off.Johnson Uses Huawei for Selfies After Ban Hint (3:45 p.m.)Just a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson hinted the U.K. could restrict or ban Huawei's telecommunications equipment, he was seen using what appeared to be the Chinese company's flagship P20 Pro smartphone -- with a shimmering Twilight color scheme -- to take a selfie.Johnson gave an interview to U.K. broadcaster ITV's "This Morning" program, and posed for a photo with the anchors afterward. TV cameras briefly captured him holding a distinctive Huawei product to take the photograph.Huawei has become a lightning rod for tensions between the U.S. and Europe over trade and security policy as Washington threatens reprisals against any country that allows Chinese equipment to form part of 5G networks.Read more: U.K.'s Johnson Uses Huawei for Selfies After Hinting at BanJohnson Defends 'Brexit Done' Pledge (3:30 p.m.)Boris Johnson insisted Brexit will be "done" on Jan. 31 and played down the risk that voters will then want to know why negotiations with the European Union and lobbying by business are continuing."What will happen is it will be done," Johnson said at a campaign event in central England. "If we can get a majority, on Jan. 31 we'll be out, we'll have full legal control of the things that matter to us and we'll have a great opportunity to take this country forward."The prime minister said the EU would want to agree a trade deal with the U.K. by the end of the year."We have a zero-tariff, zero-quota position now and I have absolutely no doubt at all that we'll be able to make sure the European Union protects its own interest and has a deal with us that ensures that continues for the future," he said. "Can I absolutely guarantee we'll get a deal? I think I can."Tories Eclipse Other Parties for Large Donations (2:55 p.m.)Donations to Boris Johnson's Conservative Party eclipsed those to opposition groups during the third week of the election campaign, according to a statement from the Electoral Commission.In the week of Nov. 20-26 the Tories reaped 3.59 million pounds ($4.7 million). That compares with almost 523,000 pounds for Labour and about 510,000 pounds for the Liberal Democrats.The Electoral Commission release, which only details donations of more than 7,500 pounds, includes a 1 million-pound gift for the Tories from Hargreaves Lansdown co-founder Peter Hargreaves. Almost half of Labour's total came from the GMB union.Corbyn Rejects Jewish Labour Movement Claims (12 p.m.)Jeremy Corbyn said he rejects "completely" the Jewish Labour Movement's allegations that his Labour Party has become infused with antisemitism since he became leader (see 11:30 a.m.). The party is taking steps to deal with the problem, he said."When I became leader of the party there were no processes in place to deal with antisemitism," Corbyn said in an interview with the Press Association. "We introduced an appeals procedure to deal with it and we introduced an education process so that party members understood the hurt that can be caused by antisemitic remarks or antisemitic behavior."Corbyn said the number of cases of anti-Jewish racism as a proportion of the membership was "very, very low indeed -- but one case of antisemitism is one too many.""I deeply regret there is an antisemitism in our society," he said. "Obviously I regret the way in which some people have been hurt by it and I do not want that to be the case."Four Brexit Party MEPs Quit to Back Tories (11:50 a.m.)Four Brexit Party members of the European Parliament, including Annunziata Rees-Mogg, the sister of Conservative Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, have left the party to support Boris Johnson's Tories.https://youtu.be/dJMPj7W1rMY (link to video)In a video explaining their decision, Rees-Mogg said: "Boris Johnson says 'we must get Brexit done' and he is right." The other MEPs are Lance Forman, Lucy Harris and John Longworth, the former director general of the British Chambers of Commerce who had the Brexit Party whip removed on Wednesday.In a statement, Party Leader Nigel Farage said he's "disappointed." The defectors "don't seem to understand that we both saved the Conservative Party from large scale losses to the Liberal Democrats in the South and South West of England, but we are also hammering the Labour Leave vote in its traditional heartlands," he said.Israeli Minister Slams Corbyn Over Antisemitism (11:30 a.m.)Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he hopes Jeremy Corbyn doesn't win the U.K. general election on Dec. 12. It's yet another blow to the Labour Party leader, who has struggled to overcome allegations over antisemitism."I personally hope he doesn't get elected," Katz, who also serves as minister of Intelligence, told Israeli Army Radio, according to the Associated Press. He cited a "wave" of anti-Jewish racism in the party.Corbyn has repeatedly said he's against all forms of racism and prejudice, but accusations of antisemitism have dogged his leadership. Adding to the Labour leader's problems, the U.K. Jewish Labour Movement accused him of failing to tackle the problem as it filed its submission to the Equality and Human Rights Commission inquiry into antisemitism in the party.Labour Aims to Govern Without Smaller Parties (11:10 a.m.)Labour Treasury spokesman John McDonnell said, in the event of a hung parliament, his party would try to govern without a formal arrangement with other parties.The Liberal Democrats have already ruled out such a deal, and the idea of Labour making an agreement with the Scottish National Party -- likely to involve another independence referendum -- has proved toxic in the past."We will implement our manifesto… no negotiation, no deal, no coalitions," McDonnell told the Financial Times.With Boris Johnson's Conservatives the only alternative, Labour sees the Liberal Democrats and SNP having no choice but to back a Jeremy Corbyn-led government if no party has an overall majority. Even so, it might struggle to get support from those parties for much of its program beyond another Brexit referendum.Johnson Compares NHS Warnings to UFO Theories (11 a.m.)Boris Johnson was again forced to deny he would put the National Health Service on the table in talks on a post-Brexit trade deal with the U.S.In an interview with ITV's "This Morning," Johnson compared the idea to conspiracy theories about UFOs. But the questioning on the issue suggests it may be one that's cutting through with the public, along with the other focus of the interview: trust.Asked why he thought people don't trust him, the prime minister replied: "There's a big trust issue with the whole of politics."Javid Says Quick EU Trade Deal Possible (Earlier)Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid said it will be possible to agree a "comprehensive free trade agreement" with the European Union by the end of 2020."In the time that we've been negotiating over the last 100 days or so, it wasn't just the exit agreement," Javid told BBC Radio 4. "We have also negotiated and worked to agree the outline of the ambitious free trade agreement."Javid promised "zero tariffs, zero quotas," in the deal, adding there would be "an agreement on services, having an equivalence on financial services" by the end of the year. "There's already an agreement. There's already an agreement in principle. It's already there, it's done there," he said.He dismissed concerns from the opposition that the timetable would be too tight to complete such a complex trade deal.Earlier:U.K.'s Johnson Promises Brexit, Budget, New Laws in 100 DaysPresident Who? Johnson Plays It Safe and Doesn't Mention TrumpJohnson Says Security Vital in Deciding on U.K. Huawei Ban (1)\--With assistance from Robert Hutton.To contact the reporters on this story: Joe Mayes in with the prime minister at jmayes9@bloomberg.net;Thomas Penny in London at tpenny@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, Stuart BiggsFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Russian spies used French Alps as 'base camp' for hits on Britain and other countries Posted: 05 Dec 2019 08:59 AM PST  Fifteen Russian spies, including those accused of the Salisbury nerve agent attack, used the French Alps as a "base camp" to conduct covert operations around Europe over a five-year period, according to reports. The revelations came as Germany expelled two Russian diplomats after prosecutors said there was "sufficient factual evidence" linking Moscow to the killing of a former Chechen rebel commander in central Berlin. According to Le Monde, British, Swiss, French, and US intelligence have drawn up a list of 15 members of the 29155 unit of Russia's GRU military spy agency who all passed through France's Haute-Savoie mountains close to the Swiss and Italian borders. They stayed between 2015 and late 2018, notably in the towns of Evian, Annemasse and Chamonix - the scene of a ski chase in the 1999 James Bond film, The World Is Not Enough. They arrived from London, Moscow, Spain and often Geneva. The Le Monde report added five new names to those already published by online investigative outlets such as Bellingcat and The Insider. Their identities and movements were uncovered during a joint probe by allied counterespionage services in the wake of the attempted poisoning of defector Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in March 2018, said the paper. Britain and its allies accuse the Kremlin of seeking to assassinate Mr Skripal, a charge Russia vehemently denies. Those who stayed in the Haute-Savoie included Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov - the cover names of the two GRU agents accused of carrying out the attack on Mr Skripal, along with Serguei Fedotov, the suspected mastermind. According to Le Monde, a fourth agent believed to be linked to the Skripal assassination attempt and who stayed in the Alps, Serguei Pavlov, was located in the UK by MI6 in 2017. Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, the Russian suspects in the Skripal poisoning, are among those alleged to have used the French Alps as a base Credit: Getty Images Europe Le Mondesaid the five new names cited, all aliases, are Alxandre Koulaguiine, Evgueni Larine, Tour Nouzirov, Naman Youssoupov and Guennadi Chvets. The unit was also active in areas such as Bulgaria, Moldova, Montenegro and Ukraine. Western intelligence services involved found no material or arms left behind by the agents during their stays in France, Le Monde said, but their presence was confirmed by where they ate, stayed and shopped. "The most likely hypothesis is to consider it (Haute-Savoie) as a rear base for all the clandestine operations carried out by unit 29155 in Europe," said a senior French intelligence official, quoted by Le Monde. The paper said that one theory is that by staying in the Alps, the agents hoped to shake off any suspicion before they carried out their missions, which could explain why they conducted no covert missions on French soil. On Wednesday, Angela Merkel's government summoned the Russian ambassador and ordered two of the embassy staff to leave the country within seven days. The two diplomats concerned are believed to be Russian intelligence officers, according to local media reports. The German foreign ministry said they had been declared persona non grata in protest at Russia's failure to cooperate with investigations into the killing of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Georgian national shot dead in a Berlin park in August. The suspected killer was captured by police attempting to dispose of a gun believed to be the murder weapon in the nearby river Spree. He was carrying a Russian passport which identified him as Vadim Sokolov, but German prosecutors on Wednesday confirmed that they now believe that is a false identity. Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were both poisoned with Novichok, a banned chemical weapon, in Salisbury Credit: Social media/EAST2WEST NEWS Police findings indicate that it is "highly likely" the arrested man is Vadim Krasikov, a Russian national previously wanted for the murder of a businessman in Moscow in 2013, prosecutors said. A senior MP in Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat party (CDU) on Thursday described the case as a "return to the days of the Cold War". "Counterintelligence and foreign reconnaissance against Russia must be significantly expanded," Armin Schuster told Bild newspaper. "Germany must get its act together if a foreign state can order murder on German soil.". France denies any "laxism" by its embassy in Moscow for handing him a 90-day emergency visa on July 29 on a fictitious address. He passed through Paris before travelling on to Berlin. British and French intelligence sources told Le Monde the assassination was "ordered by the pro-Kremlin Chechen regime of Ramzan Kadyrov with logistical help of the Russian state". According to Le Monde, French intelligence suspects the Berlin assassination was leaked to the public for "political reasons" linked to President Emmanuel Macron's apparent rapprochement with Moscow. Last week, Mr Macron said: "Has the absence of dialogue with Russia made the European continent any safer? ... I don't think so." "France's desire to rebuild strategic ties with Moscow has clearly prompted reactions from states who prefer direct confrontation with Russia," said one French intelligence source, who denied any French "complacency or naivity" towards Moscow. French surveillance of foreign Russian espionage was, the source told Le Monde, "no doubt higher than any other service in Europe".
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| Brexit Bulletin: Sneak Peek Posted: 05 Dec 2019 08:48 AM PST  Days to General Election: 7(Bloomberg) -- Sign up here to get the Brexit Bulletin in your inbox every weekday.What's Happening? One of the key characters in Brexit's next season is already cast. We're waiting for his opposite number.In politics, there are big personalities everywhere you look. That's certainly true in the ongoing saga that is Brexit and British politics. With just a week to go until the U.K. votes in a crucial general election, Bloomberg reporters have taken a close look at two of the very biggest — in all senses of the word. As Tim Ross reports today, one of the key concerns for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's handlers and strategists is keeping their man on the straight and narrow during the electoral run-in. Johnson has a temper, and has in the past let it show. If they succeed, the U.K.'s most famous politician in decades will have a real shot at enduring power.Across the water, the European Union has also revamped its top team. The new season of Brexit will begin without veteran cast members Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker. Negotiations supremo Michel Barnier is still around, but a vital new character with a forceful personality is set to make his debut: Ireland's Phil Hogan, the new trade commissioner, who grew up a farmer's son in rural Ireland.Our Dublin bureau chief Dara Doyle charts the career of the man universally known as "Big Phil," who has a reputation as a power broker who'll seek out alliances, however unlikely, to cut a deal. If Johnson wins re-election and seeks a rapid free-trade deal with the EU, it will be Hogan who defends the EU's interests.Boris Johnson "seems to view himself as a modern day Churchill," Hogan said in August, mocking the British leader's pretension. If the opinion polls are right and the prime minister's Conservative Party wins a governing majority, the potential for a heavyweight clash between these two could be a highlight of the next phase of Brexit.Today's Must-ReadsJohnson today laid out plans for his first 100 days in office and insists he will "get Brexit done" by Jan. 31. Catch up on all the day's events here. The U.K.'s antiquated electoral system is more than capable of delivering a big move in currency markets in the early hours of next Friday morning, John Authers writes for Bloomberg Opinion. Smartphone content is warping and distorting the way people interact with the general election campaign, the Guardian's Jim Waterson found by observing how voters use their devices.Brexit in BriefMust-Listen | Bloomberg's Stephanie Flanders was joined by a stellar line-up — Paul Johnson of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, Bronwen Maddox of the Institute for Government and Anand Menon of UK in a Changing Europe — to debate what will happen to the U.K. and its economy after next week's election.Fear of Heights | The higher the pound rises, the more nervous options traders become, Bloomberg's Vassilis Karamanis reports today. Even as sterling enjoys its longest winning streak since June, a barometer of sentiment and positioning shows options traders are the most bearish on the pound in eight months.Business View | U.K. firms are also cautious on the outlook. In a Bank of England survey released today, just 46% said they think the country will leave the EU with a deal next year.Leave Means Leave | Three Brexit Party MEPs today quit Nigel Farage's party and threw their backing behind Boris Johnson's Brexit deal. Lucy Harris, Annunziata Rees-Mogg and Lance Forman all said the Brexit Party's participation in the election risks splitting the Leave vote and endangering the U.K.'s departure from the EU. Heavy Weather | In Britain, it's very often all about the weather. And now we're a week away from the election, the reality of a December vote is starting to hit home. Frost and ice is forecast for election day, and plans are being made to help get voters to the polls — with the Conservatives said to be particularly worried that older, pro-Tory voters might be put off, BuzzFeed News 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 author of this story: Adam Blenford in London at ablenford@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: David Goodman at dgoodman28@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| US considers sending several thousand more troops to Mideast Posted: 05 Dec 2019 08:45 AM PST  The Pentagon is considering sending several thousand additional troops to the Middle East to help deter Iranian aggression, amid reports of escalating violence in Iran and continued meddling by Tehran in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the region. John Rood, defense undersecretary for policy, told senators Thursday that Defense Secretary Mark Esper "intends to make changes" to the number of troops deployed in the region. Other officials said options under consideration could send between 5,000 and 7,000 troops to the Middle East, but they all stressed that there have been no final decisions yet.
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| Why Is Trump Doubling Down on the Threat of War Against Iran? Posted: 05 Dec 2019 08:33 AM PST  Iran is in ferment and the Trump State Department is trying to up the pressure on Tehran.
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| Putin offers US an immediate extension to key nuclear pact Posted: 05 Dec 2019 08:30 AM PST  Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Thursday to immediately extend the only remaining nuclear arms reduction pact with the United States, but a senior U.S. official said Washington wants a broader deal involving China. Speaking at a meeting with military officials, Putin said that Russia has repeatedly offered the U.S. to extend the New START treaty that expires in 2021 but that it hasn't heard back.
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| House Speaker Pelosi rebukes reporter: 'Don't mess with me' Posted: 05 Dec 2019 08:30 AM PST  It was a warning scarcely needed among the official set, least of all by President Donald Trump as he fights Pelosi and the Democrats in their drive to impeach him. Only a few hours earlier, Pelosi had instructed the Judiciary Committee to write articles of impeachment — formal charges — against Trump for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and resisting Congress' probe. The House speaker insisted she brought impeachment proceedings because Trump's conduct and the Constitution left the House no choice.
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| UN says Zimbabwe’s cash shortage hurts aid delivery efforts Posted: 05 Dec 2019 08:20 AM PST  The World Food Program says Zimbabwe's cash shortage complicates efforts to rush aid to millions of people facing severe hunger. The U.N. agency's country director Eddie Rowe said Thursday that challenges in accessing cash have delayed aid delivery to parts of the once-prosperous southern African nation. A U.N. expert on the right to food has said Zimbabwe has shockingly high hunger levels for a country not at war.
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| What's it like to stand stark naked on the world stage? Ask Donald Trump Posted: 05 Dec 2019 08:02 AM PST  Stripped of his usual protections inside the White House, Trump exposes himself on the world stage at every conceivable opportunity You know that classic nightmare where you're at work and everyone is talking but none of them say the obvious: you're stark naked.Donald Trump is living that hellacious dream every time he steps in front of the women and men who make up the world's leaders.Stripped of his usual protections inside the White House, Trump exposes himself on the world stage at every conceivable opportunity. This week's Nato summit in London was no exception, adding itself to the long list of denuded nonsense that erupts in front of every international figure.First he attempted to joke with President Emmanuel Macron of France about Isis. "Would you like some nice Isis fighters? I can give them to you. You can take everyone you can," said the man pretending to be the leader of the free world."Let's be serious," said Macron, dispensing with a translator as he shut down the clown show. "The very large number of fighters you have on the ground are Isis fighters coming from Syria, from Iraq, and the region."You don't have to be a world leader at a Nato summit to know that Isis fighters and jihadist sympathizers pose a serious threat to the streets of Europe's capital cities. You just have to be a grownup who pays attention to the news, such as the fatal stabbings on London Bridge just last week. But that may be asking too much of the man-baby who watches TV somewhere close to the Oval Office.The widespread expectation that Trump will embarrass himself does not make his nakedness any less shocking. Even after all these years of bare-faced tomfoolery.So it was Macron and his French-speaking ally Justin Trudeau, accompanied by a jolly-hockey-sticks Boris Johnson, who all seemed to be dumping on Donald at Buck House on Tuesday."You just watched his team's jaws drop to the floor," Trudeau said, dropping his hand towards floor in a performance that also seemed to involve a glass of beer.It was hard to know what Trump-induced jaw-dropper he was talking about. There are so many to choose from.Was it the head-wrenching answer a few minutes after his comments on Isis fighters, when Trump was asked if he supported the protesters in Iran?"I don't want to comment on that. But the answer is no. But I don't want to comment on that," said Trump, contradicting himself twice in the space of just 20 words.Then again, maybe Trudeau was talking about the way Trump explained how he betrayed his Kurdish allies in Syria by pretending that "we've captured the oil and taken the oil".Or maybe he was talking about the way Trump explained at a Nato summit that he understood why Turkey was buying Russian missiles."So, you know, there are two sides to the story," claimed the president who consistently prefers the Russian side of the story.Of all the threats facing the world – the climate crisis, the rise of Putin-style politicians, refugees, terrorism – none have played on Trump's mind quite as much as the thought that the world might be laughing at America."We need a President who isn't a laughing stock to the entire World," Trump tweeted two years before he became just that. "We need a truly great leader, a genius at strategy and winning. Respect!"Sadly, Trump never became the second half of his own tweet, no matter what he sees in the mirror each morning.Instead he became the kind of leader who bragged to the United Nations how awesome his administration was. To be specific, he told last year's general assembly that it was more awesome than "almost any other administration in the history of our country". At which point, the massed ranks of world leaders started guffawing."I didn't expect that reaction, but that's OK," he said.It's never OK for this fragile snowflake of a tough guy. When asked about Trudeau's laughter on Wednesday, Trump melted once again."Well he's two-faced," he said. "And honestly with Trudeau, he's a nice guy. I find him to be a very nice guy. But you know the truth is that I called him out on the fact that he's not paying 2%. And I guess he's not very happy about it."Yeah, that must be it. Totally nailed him on that one.Sitting beside him, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, was surely impressed with the savage indictment of the size of Canada's military spending. But she subtly masked her admiration by looking like an anxious patient expecting a bad prognosis.There was plenty to feel queasy about. Trump once again heaped praise on himself for carving up the Kurds, in alliance with the Russians, Syrians and Turks. "Maybe someday they'll give me credit, but probably not," he whined. "But that worked out well. They've been trying to do this for a hundred years. That border is a mess for a long time."It worked out less well for America's Kurdish allies, but hey.Perhaps someday they'll also give him credit for his Greenland gambit, which he suggested would be part of his forthcoming talks with the Danish prime minister."Do you still want to buy Greenland," asked one cheeky reporter."She must be in the real estate business," said the non-laughingstock president. "That's a very good question."After all those good questions about his genius at strategy and winning, Trump wimped out of his final press conference. "I think we've done plenty of press conferences," he said. "Unless you're demanding a press conference, we'll do one, but I think we've answered plenty of questions."For a split second, Boris Johnson gulped hard at the thought of one more chance for Trump to blow the British general election.And so the naked emperor declared he would get dressed, unless you thought he was already wearing something fancy, in which case he'd stay happily inside his birthday suit. Respect! * Richard Wolffe is a Guardian US columnist
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| Panel calls for Virginia to purge dozens of old racist laws Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:34 AM PST  The laws are still on the books in Virginia: Blacks and whites must sit in separate rail cars. A state commission on Thursday recommended that dozens of such discriminatory statutes finally be repealed, in some cases more than a century after they were adopted. The commission, which issued an interim report Thursday and will continue its work, said the laws should be repealed in the legislative session that begins in January.
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| Authorities say at least 28 killed in landslides in Burundi Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:19 AM PST ![Authorities say at least 28 killed in landslides in Burundi]( "Authorities say at least 28 killed in landslides in Burundi") At least 28 people have died in landslides in Burundi and that toll could grow with many people missing, local authorities said Thursday, as East Africa continued to struggle with weeks of unusually heavy rains. A local official in Mugina commune, Desire Ndagijimana told The Associated Press that the bodies had been counted in the hilly areas of Rukombe and Nyempundu communities in Cibitoke province in the northwest. Burundi's security ministry in a Twitter post confirmed 26 people dead, with 10 missing and seven others injured.
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| Board finds border agents broke rules in shooting at cars Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:13 AM PST ![Board finds border agents broke rules in shooting at cars]( "Board finds border agents broke rules in shooting at cars") Four Border Patrol agents didn't follow department rules when they opened fire in two separate incidents along the U.S.-Mexico Border, both involving agents shooting at drivers who were trying to speed away, a review board has found. The two cases were among seven shooting incidents reviewed by the National Use of Force Review Board. The board meets quarterly to review instances of shootings by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
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| German SPD Sets Out Demands for Staying in Merkel’s Government Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:12 AM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Germany's Social Democrats laid out a list of demands to remain in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, but stopped short of threatening an immediate exit.SPD leaders said they want a "massive" increase in infrastructure spending, a higher minimum wage and more aggressive measures to tackle climate change. The demands were set out by the party's newly-elected leaders on Thursday and will be put to a vote at a party convention in Berlin beginning Friday.Bunds extended losses after the party's call for large-scale spending increases, with the 10-year yields climbing 2bps. "We have always said that quitting the coalition is not an end in itself," Norbert Walter-Borjans, who was elected co-chief of the party last weekend, told reporters in Berlin."But nobody can expect a decision tomorrow to remain in a coalition about which there are many open questions and questions that need to be resolved," he added. "It's about content and not about the question of yes or no."Despite some back-peddling by the SPD, its negotiations with Merkel's bloc won't be easy. Reopening the debate over a climate package that took months to secure will find little support from the CDU and its Bavarian sister party, the CSU. Equally, an increased minimum wage -- which the SPD wants set at 12 euros ($13) an hour -- could become a major bone of contention.The future of Merkel's government was thrown into doubt when Walter-Borjans and his running mate Saskia Esken won an SPD leadership contest against a tandem led by coalition loyalist Olaf Scholz, Merkel's finance minister and vice chancellor.While the willingness to engage with Merkel's bloc offers the government a lifeline, the SPD remains a reluctant ally. But ending the coalition could lead to a snap election, a risky bet for a party whose support has slumped to about 15% in recent polls, roughly level with the far-right AfD.(Updates with bond prices move in third paragraph)\--With assistance from Iain Rogers.To contact the reporter on this story: Birgit Jennen in Berlin at bjennen1@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Raymond Colitt, Chris ReiterFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Fears rise as at least 13 stabbed in Baghdad square Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:12 AM PST  At least 13 people were stabbed Thursday in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of Iraq's protest movement, security and medical officials said, stoking fears of infiltration by unknown groups among anti-government demonstrators. Parliament was scheduled to meet Thursday to amend laws governing compensation to include victims of security operations and vote on changes to the structure of Iraq's electoral commission, the body that oversees polls across the country, according to two lawmakers in attendance. Over a dozen protesters were attacked with knives by late afternoon, just as demonstrators supportive of political parties and Iran-backed militias withdrew from Tahrir, three anti-government protesters and a witness said.
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| UPDATE 1-Russia suspends revamp work at Iran's Fordow nuclear plant Posted: 05 Dec 2019 07:05 AM PST ![UPDATE 1-Russia suspends revamp work at Iran's Fordow nuclear plant]( "UPDATE 1-Russia suspends revamp work at Iran's Fordow nuclear plant") Russian state nuclear company Rosatom has suspended work on revamping a factory at Iran's Fordow nuclear complex due to an issue with uranium compatibility, Rosatom's nuclear fuel cycle unit TVEL said on Thursday. "Uranium enrichment and the production of stable isotopes cannot be carried out in the same room," TVEL said in a statement, adding that it was "technologically impossible" to implement the project at this time. In November, the United States said it would cease waiving punitive sanctions related to the Fordow plant from Dec. 15 - a move Russia condemned - after Tehran resumed uranium enrichment at the underground site in contravention of a nuclear deal it signed with world powers in 2015.
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| Failing to reach UK-EU trade deal by end of 2020 "will not happen" -PM Johnson Posted: 05 Dec 2019 06:59 AM PST ![Failing to reach UK-EU trade deal by end of 2020 "will not happen" -PM Johnson]( "Failing to reach UK-EU trade deal by end of 2020 \"will not happen\" -PM Johnson") British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that the possibility of not reaching a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union by the end of 2020 "simply will not happen". Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the EU by the end of January and not to extend a post-Brexit transition period due to end in Dec. 2020, something critics say does not leave enough time to reach a new trade deal.
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| Norwegian Air Becomes First Airline to Sign UN Climate Pledge Posted: 05 Dec 2019 06:51 AM PST  Norwegian Air is the first airline to sign the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) pledge, committing to become climate neutral by 2050.The Climate Neutral Now pledge has been around since 2015 and has been signed by more than 300 organizations, including Microsoft, Sony and BNP Paribas. Signing the pledge requires organizations to measure and report
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| Top AP photos of 2019 range from the epic to the intimate Posted: 05 Dec 2019 06:44 AM PST  In 2019, Associated Press photographers captured both. A single Border Protection officer stands in the rain at the border; pieces of heavy equipment, replacing a stretch of border wall, are dwarfed by the open, blue sky.
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