| Trump Throws Fresh Fuel on Dangerous QAnon Conspiracy Theory Posted: 01 Jan 2020 04:11 PM PST  Donald Trump has used his Twitter account to blast his critics, pressure potential witnesses against him, and threaten to blow up North Korea. But for believers in the bizarre pro-Trump QAnon conspiracy theory, Trump's Twitter account serves a more crucial purpose, with his retweets of QAnon fans offering them badly-needed proof that their ludicrous conspiracy theory is real. QAnon believers are convinced that Trump is secretly at war with pedophile-cannibals in the Democratic Party, a theory so unhinged and potent that the FBI considers it a potential source of domestic terrorism. Two QAnon believers have been charged with murders that appear to be motivated by their beliefs in the conspiracy theory, including the slaying of a Mafia boss, while others have committed vandalism or even shut down a bridge with an armored truck. Believers in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, which has been incorporated into QAnon, fired shots and tried to burn down a Washington pizzeria.Still, late last week, Trump or someone with access to his account retweeted a message of support containing the "WWG1WGA" hashtag, a reference to a QAnon motto. In total, Trump retweeted QAnon fans more than twenty times on the same day. Trump's Twitter activity provided new fuel for QAnon fans, who are convinced, among other things, that Trump is on the verge of arresting and executing top Democrats at Guantanamo Bay. QAnon Twitter accounts and messages boards seized on Trump's retweets as a tacit acknowledgment of their conspiracy theory's validity, while the retweets also provided the QAnon promoters Trump boosted with access to tens of millions of new potential believers."It draws more eyes," Roy Davis—a QAnon promoter known to believers as "Captain Roy" and the co-author of an Amazon chart-topping book pushing the conspiracy theory—told The Daily Beast.It wasn't the first time Trump pushed QAnon on his more than 68 million followers. In November, Media Matters counted more than thirty times that Trump had retweeted QAnon believers, a number that has only gone up since then. Nor was this the first time Trump or his campaign have referred to QAnon in ways that have been seen by the conspiracy theory's believers as proof that it's real. In July, Trump invited QAnon promoters and other social media figures to the White House for a "social media summit." A warm-up speaker at a Trump rally used a QAnon slogan in a speech, and Trump's campaign featured two QAnon believers in an ad, apparently accidentally. But QAnon believers, some of whom have alienated friends and family for their conspiracy theory, are especially desperate for validation from the president himself — or, saving that, from his Twitter account. That makes Trump's retweets especially potent at further entrenching their beliefs."They certainly also get encouraged by Trump repeatedly retweeting QAnon accounts," Travis View, a podcaster who tracks QAnon's reach, told The Daily Beast. "They claim that Trump would never retweet pro-Q accounts if there was nothing to Q."It's not clear how Trump decides which messages to retweet, and he could just be without realizing the larger import of lending his endorsement to a conspiracy theory. The White House didn't respond to a request for comment. But not everyone in Trumpworld is so quiet. On Monday night, Trump campaign official Jessie Jane Duff ripped into QAnon believers who were celebrating rapper and actor Ice-T's apparently accidental use of a QAnon meme in a tweet. "I know we on the campaign don't support Q and its all bizarre nonsense for ppl who need to believe something," Duff tweeted. "Q is so absurd, why should the President acknowledge it when NO ONE cares? It isn't a campaign issue. it isn't an economic issue. It's an issue for ppl who wish they were in the know based upon irrelevant or anonymous sources on irrelevant web sites." Duff soon deleted her tweets criticizing the conspiracy theory, in the face of a wave of Twitter attacks from QAnon fans. Davis, the co-author of the QAnon book, sees Trump's retweets as fresh affirmation that the dark global underworld imaged by QAnon fans are more than conspiracy-fodder. If QAnon was fake, in the thinking of Davis and other QAnon believers, why would the president be promoting it on Twitter?Davis recently refinished his Corvette with a giant "Q" on the hood, using the profits from his QAnon book. Now he thinks the QAnon-related windfall from Trump could send him all the way to Washington. "Best case is we're up getting a medal at the White House," Davis said. Read more at The Daily Beast.Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast hereGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Hong Kong Rings in New Year With Tear Gas, Clashes in Downtown Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:52 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong began 2020 with a familiar sight: Tear gas, fires, vandalism and roadblocks in busy downtown areas as protesters vowed to maintain their fight for more democracy and less Chinese control.Riot police battled demonstrators into the night after large crowds of mostly peaceful demonstrators flooded streets from Causeway Bay to Central. Tensions escalated after police abruptly ended the rally following clashes outside of a branch of HSBC Holdings Plc, which had recently become a target of protesters.By Thursday morning, the streets were largely back to normal although authorities warned that some downtown traffic lights weren't working properly and some ATMs were damaged. Organizers said more than a million people took part, while police said 60,000 showed up at the lawn area of Victoria Park where the march began -- a number that demonstrators disputed. At least 400 people were arrested, police said, adding that officers ordered the rally to disperse due to damage at a bank branch and the use of petrol bombs."Instead of celebrating New Year's Day like the rest of the world, we are out here in the streets fighting for our government to answer our demands," said Sarah, 28, as a crowd of black-clad protesters sang the anti-government anthem "Glory to Hong Kong.""We will keep coming out month after month, year after year because this isn't just about us -- it's about our children," she said. "This is our home and we are not giving up. We have to stand up against China and against dictatorship."HSBC Condemns Vandalism by Some Protesters: Hong Kong UpdateThe chaotic images mirrored those that have occurred dozens of times since the unrest broke out in June after the Beijing-backed local administration proposed a bill that would allow extraditions to China for the first time. While Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has since withdrawn the legislation, she has refused to meet additional demands including an independent inquiry into police violence and direct leadership elections.The violence has pushed Hong Kong's economy into recession and forced the cancellation of numerous events, including an annual fireworks display on New Year's Eve. Lam said in a year-end video message that restoring social "order and harmony" should be the city's resolution for 2020, while President Xi Jinping defended China's system for running Hong Kong in an unusually high-profile acknowledgment of its political turmoil."Without a harmonious and stable environment, how can people live in peace and enjoy their work?" Xi asked in a New Year's Eve address, wearing a suit and seated behind a desk. "I sincerely wish Hong Kong well. Hong Kong's prosperity and stability is the wish of Hong Kong compatriots and the expectation of our motherland."On the city's streets, protesters expressed frustration with the approach from China's leaders while pledging to continue the fight. They also attacked HSBC, which closed an account linked to the protests in November, lighting a fire at one branch and vandalizing iconic lion statues outside of its Hong Kong headquarters.Police last month arrested four people for suspected money laundering linked to the pro-democracy protests and froze HK$70 million ($9 million) in funds related to the Spark Alliance, a group that helps protesters pay legal fees. HSBC defended its decision to close the account, saying the move was unrelated to the December arrests and followed a "direct instruction" from the customer.Mysterious Bags of Cash Trigger Major Hong Kong Protest ArrestsIn a statement late Wednesday, HSBC condemned the acts of vandalism and called them "unjustified.""We believe the rule of law is essential to Hong Kong's status as an international financial center and we look forward to the speedy resolution of the issues," it said.HSBC's move to close the account and the arrests linked to Spark Alliance motivated more people to hit the streets on Wednesday, said a 34-year-old protester who gave his name as Tong."HSBC and other companies just want business in China but the whole world is watching and we're going to hold them accountable," he said. "If we keep united and keep hurting the economy and international opinion of Hong Kong, the government will eventually have to listen to us. It will pressure them to give in to us, instead of just listening to the Chinese government."The protest began as a largely peaceful affair featuring families with children and the elderly, similar to others convened by the Civil Human Rights Front. The group has organized some of the largest protests over the last seven months by seeking police permission and strictly adhering to the law.The government even lauded the protesters before police suddenly pulled the plug, saying in a statement that the majority of people behaved "in a lawful, peaceful and rational manner." The government "has all along respected people's rights and freedoms to participate in peaceful processions and assemblies and express views rationally, as these are the important core values cherished by Hong Kong people," it said.But shortly after some demonstrators sought to vandalize a branch of HSBC in Wan Chai, police ordered protest organizers to end the rally. Tens of thousands of people appeared to be on the streets at the time, leading to general confusion among the masses. Protest organizers condemned the decision.Ian Ching, 34, continued to walk toward Central even after the march was called off, saying he didn't agree with the police that the rally had turned violent."I might be walking a bit faster, but I still want to walk through the whole protest route just to show my perseverance with all the Hong Kong people here because we need to defend this place," he said. "It's not curfew after all -- that's why I can walk as a person."Maria Li, 50, had to work on Wednesday and only arrived at the protest at 5:30 p.m. to find that it had been called off."I don't know what's wrong with the police -- we got permission to come and march today," said Li, who dressed in black."It's been seven months and still the government isn't listening to us," she added. "Carrie Lam just does whatever she wants. That's why we need to keep coming out and showing protesters they are not alone."(Updates with details on participants, arrests in third paragraph)\--With assistance from Fion Li.To contact the reporters on this story: Shelly Banjo in Hong Kong at sbanjo@bloomberg.net;Aaron Mc Nicholas in Hong Kong at amcnicholas2@bloomberg.net;Vinicy Chan in Hong Kong at vchan91@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.net, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day Posted: 01 Jan 2020 02:29 PM PST ![Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day]( "Five Things You Need to Know to Start Your Day") (Bloomberg) -- Want the lowdown on what's moving Asia's markets in your inbox every morning? Sign up here.Thousands of tourists have been told to flee as Australia's wildfires look set to worsen, Kim Jong Un has once again lived up to his unpredictable reputation, and investors are marveling over Bitcoin's bull run last decade. Here are some of the things people in the markets are talking about today.Get OutThousands of tourists holidaying on the south coast of Australia's New South Wales state have been told to evacuate before the weekend when extreme weather is set to intensify deadly wildfires sweeping through the region. In an unprecedented appeal, the Rural Fire Service said anyone in the southeastern tip of the state should get out in the next two days. The 230-kilometer (143-mile) stretch from Batemans Bay down to the Victoria state border has been ravaged by fires this week, producing apocalyptic scenes as infernos turned the sky blood red and rained down embers and ash on communities. At least seven people have been killed on the south coast of New South Wales just this week and hundreds of properties destroyed. Right now, isolated communities in Victoria remain cut off by road, including the township of Mallacoota, where some 4,000 people were forced to shelter on the beach or escape by boat as wildfires swept through. Military helicopters and ships have been scrambled to bring in supplies and for potential evacuations if roads can't be re-opened."Pay for the Pains"Kim Jong Un declared he was no longer bound by his pledge to halt major missile tests and would soon debut a "new strategic weapon," adding to U.S. President Donald Trump's foreign policy concerns in a politically charged election year. The North Korean leader told a gathering of party officials in Pyongyang that U.S. actions left him no choice but to reconsider commitments that underpinned three unprecedented meetings with Trump over the past 18 months, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said Wednesday. Kim called for "shocking actual action" to make the U.S. "pay for the pains" suffered by North Korea under the Washington-led sanctions regime, KCNA said. The speech came during an unusual four-day party meeting and appeared to replace the televised address Kim has delivered every New Year's Day since 2013. Kim is seeking sanctions relief and security guarantees that the Trump administration has so far refused to provide without a disarmament commitment from Pyongyang.Markets WaitTraders eyed a cautious start on Thursday in Asia as they assessed the latest policy move by China's central bank and awaited data on the country's manufacturing sector. Australia's dollar and the yen edged lower. Activity is set to pick up as most global markets reopen from holiday closures on Jan. 1, though Japanese equities remain shut for the remainder of this week. The People's Bank of China on Wednesday said it will increase the supply of cheap funding to banks, a move of policy support in line with market expectations. Markets start this year on the back of a strong performance for global stocks and sovereign bonds in 2019. Thursday gives investors the latest read on Chinese manufacturing with the Caixin manufacturing PMI expected to hover around its November level — remaining well in the expansionary zone. Elsewhere, crude fell 1% to $61.06 a barrel on Dec. 31, and gold was at $1,517.29 an ounce.Unbeatable BitcoinIf in the throes of this bull market's earliest stages of recovery someone told you to forgo stocks, forget commodities, renounce fixed-income assets and buy an unknown digital token, the first of its kind, and watch it grow beyond your wildest dreams, you'd call them crazy, right? Emerging out of the ashes of the financial crisis, Bitcoin was created as a bypass to the banks and government agencies mired in Wall Street's greatest calamity in decades. At first, it was slow to break through, but once it burst into the mainstream, it proved to be the decade's best-performing asset. The largest digital token, trading around $7,200, has posted gains of more than 9,000,000% since July 2010, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The S&P 500 merely tripled in that period. An index that tracks world markets has more than doubled and gold is up 25%.He's GhosnCarlos Ghosn has spent more than a year trapped in a Japanese legal odyssey that's transfixed the automotive world and thrown his life into chaos. Now, having pulled off a daring escape from Japan to Lebanon, he's an international fugitive. But the executive is also free to speak his mind fully, without legal filtering, for the first time since his surprise arrest on the tarmac at Haneda airport back in November 2018. Ghosn said in his statement from Lebanon on Tuesday that he would "finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week." Ghosn is planning a press conference on Jan. 8 in Beirut, the Yomiuri newspaper reported. Based on past statements by Ghosn and his wife Carole, here's a guide to what may be in store. Meanwhile, if you're wondering how Ghosn actually pulled off his Houdini act, ask the internet's conspiracy theorists. What We've Been ReadingThis is what's caught our eye over the past 24 hours.Nine people have been killed in Jakarta after the worst flooding there since 2013. This is how food will change in 2020. Hong Kong began 2020 with a familiar sight: Tear gas, fires, vandalism and roadblocks. The strongest major currency in 2019 could stall out in 2020. Pete Buttigieg says he raised almost $25 million in the fourth quarter. India will take another shot at a moon landing after last year's crash. Here's a run-down on how China is opening its doors to the financial sector. To contact the author of this story: Sybilla Gross in Sydney at sgross61@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Vienna Becomes a Testing Ground for German Life After Merkel Posted: 01 Jan 2020 01:38 PM PST  (Bloomberg) -- Two years after embracing the backlash against immigration, Austria's Sebastian Kurz may be about to set a very different precedent for Europe's conservatives: this time he's teaming up with the Greens.Kurz, the 33-year-old former chancellor, announced he struck a deal to return to power with Austria's environmentalist party late on New Year's Day. Pending approval by a Green party conference on Saturday, the new administration could be sworn in by President Alexander Van der Bellen (himself a former Green leader) on Jan. 7.Kurz's about-turn brings the Austrian Greens into the federal government for the first time and offers a template for politicians across Europe searching for a formula to repel the threat of populism.German conservative Ursula von der Leyen took charge of the European Commission last month after forging a parliamentary majority around her plan to decarbonize the European economy. The next government in Berlin could see a similar alliance as the Greens supplant the ailing Social Democrats as the natural partner for Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats."Kurz is now trying to address the two main issues of the next decade: immigration and climate change," said Carsten Brzeski, chief economist at ING Germany. "This can become an interesting test case for Germany, and indeed for Europe: the first conservative-Green coalition."It's a risky project though.From 2015, Kurz used the European refugee crisis to take over his party. He dressed the conservatives in the clothes of populism and steered them out of an awkward coalition with the Social Democrats to join forces with a xenophobic party founded by former Nazis. After winning two straight elections, a third of his voters are now former supporters of the Freedom Party and other rightist groups.By teaming up with the Greens, Kurz finds himself on the opposite side of the debate from the populists and vulnerable to their attacks for the first time. Concessions to his partner could also estrange his new voters as well as People's Party mainstays like farmers, industry, commuters and traditionalists panicking about meat prices or fuel taxes."It's going to be hard to swallow for many groups in the People's Party," said Thomas Hofer, a political analyst and consultant in Vienna. "It's also a fine line to tread because of the voters he won from the Freedom Party."Yet Kurz had few other options after the tumultuous months that started when the "Ibiza" bombshell exploded on Austria's political scene in May. German media published excerpts of a video shot on the Spanish island that appeared to show nationalist leader Heinz-Christian Strache offering state contracts in return for campaign funds. That toppled Strache and Kurz's government, and triggered a snap elections on Sept. 29.The Freedom Party descended ever further into scandal. Secret gold stashes in the Alps, eye-watering expense accounts, and photos of cash-filled bags from eastern European donors emerged. The Social Democrats failed to benefit from the affair under their hapless and gaffe-prone new leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner. Kurz and the Greens were the only clear winners."There is no alternative, and he knows it," Hofer said.Litte is known yet about the government program Kurz and Green leader Werner Kogler, 58, have agreed on and they declined to take questions when they announced their agreement on New Year's Day. The programme will be presented Thursday afternoon. Both have flagged to their followers that their very different policies may make for some difficult compromises.Kurz will have to show to his supporters that his tough line on migration and integration remains intact, that there are neither more taxes nor more debt and that legislation will remain business-friendly. Kogler will need some wins on climate policy, including tangible investments in infrastructure and some form of carbon taxes, at least a toning down of the anti-immigration rhetoric of Kurz's former government, and measures on transparency and anti-corruption."It is possible to cut taxes and make the tax system more ecological," Kurz said. "It's possible to protect the climate, and the borders."Kurz will appoint his close ally Gernot Bluemel as the next finance minister. The Greens will get an enlarged transport ministry that will be headed by environmental activist Leonore Gewessler, and name as justice minister Alma Zadic, a 35 year-old lawyer who fled the Bosnian civil war to Austria in the 1990s."I think this can hold," Brzeski said. "Kurz has shown he's very flexible and adaptable."(Updates with statements on deal by Kurz and Kogler.)To contact the reporter on this story: Boris Groendahl in Vienna at bgroendahl@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net;Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Pro-Iran protesters leave US embassy in Baghdad Posted: 01 Jan 2020 01:15 PM PST  Pro-Iran demonstrators left the besieged US embassy in Baghdad on Wednesday after the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force ordered them to withdraw a day after their dramatic incursion. Thousands of Iraqi supporters of the largely Iranian-trained Hashed had encircled and vandalised the embassy compound Tuesday, outraged by US air strikes that killed 25 Hashed fighters over the weekend. Iraq's caretaker premier Adel Abdel Mahdi called on the angry crowd to leave the embassy, but most spent the night in dozens of tents set up outside the perimeter wall.
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| Baghdad embassy attack prompts Pompeo to delay Ukraine visit Posted: 01 Jan 2020 11:56 AM PST  The breach of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad has prompted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to postpone his trip to Ukraine and four other countries. Pompeo was to arrive in Ukraine late Thursday in his first visit to the country at the center of President Donald Trump's impeachment, then on to Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Cyprus. In Baghdad, Iran-backed militiamen withdrew from the U.S. Embassy compound after two days of clashes with American security forces.
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| What Kim Jong Un's Latest Threats Say About His Trump Strategy Posted: 01 Jan 2020 11:23 AM PST  SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, has long threatened to "find a new way" if the United States persists with sanctions. And when North Korea announced his "revolutionary" new way Wednesday, the strategy revealed both a defiance and a deep caution in confronting President Donald Trump.Kim vowed, in a lengthy policy statement, to expand his country's nuclear force, making vague threats to show off a "new strategic weapon" in the near future and "shift to a shocking actual action." He warned that North Korea would not be bound by a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range ballistic missile tests.But he also moderated those threats by leaving out the specifics. Kim did not explicitly say that he was formally lifting the test moratorium or that he was terminating diplomacy. Instead, he said his efforts to expand his nuclear weapons capabilities could be adjusted "depending on the U.S. future attitude."It's a wait-and-see approach that leaves room for more negotiations.Analysts say that Kim is making a calculation against the backdrop of the political uncertainty in the United States, where Trump faces both a Senate impeachment trial and an election. The North Korean leader, they said, does not necessarily want to rush to strike a deal that could be overturned if Trump does not win a second term."Kim Jong Un continues to hedge his bets," said Jean H. Lee, a North Korea expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. "I think we'll see Kim continue to find ways to provoke Washington as a way to gain the upper hand in future nuclear negotiations without directly challenging President Trump."As he waits, Kim can continue to play the role of tough guy, increasing the stakes in his nuclear brinkmanship. North Korea can expand its nuclear arsenal, produce more bomb fuel, build more nuclear warheads and improve its missile capabilities.Less predictable is whether or when Kim might deliver an infuriating message to Trump by testing a nuclear weapon or intercontinental ballistic missile.Such a test could precipitate another "fire and fury" response from Trump. When Kim last conducted such tests, in 2017, Trump threatened to "totally destroy North Korea," inciting fears of possible war.Tensions eased after North Korea declared a test moratorium in April 2018. And after Trump met with Kim in Singapore later that year, the president said the two "fell in love."That moratorium remains the best outcome Trump can cite from his on-and-off diplomacy with Kim -- one that the North Korean leader may be wary of yanking away too soon.By treading carefully, Pyongyang also avoids more economic pain. Launching a long-range missile would set off another round of United Nations sanctions, and such tests could also provoke China and Russia at a time when Kim strongly needs their help to blunt the pain of current internationals measures.Those sanctions required China, Russia and other countries to send North Korean workers home by late last month, depriving Kim's government of a key source of hard currency. North Korea also increasingly depends on Chinese tourists as an alternative source of income, and Kim has recently built a number of tourist zones to attract them.In his policy report this week, Kim acknowledged that his country's efforts at economic reform faced "grave problems" and were "not making visible progress," according to the state news media. He also reported "evil practices and stagnation" in key industries and criticized his economic officials for "merely shouting the slogan of self-reliance" while lacking leadership and "responsibility" to revamp the economy.Kim also indicated that he was preparing for a "protracted" standoff with Washington, exhorting North Koreans to accept it as "a fait accompli that we have to live under the sanctions." After 18 months of faltering diplomacy, he said he was convinced that his country should stick to "self-reliance" rather than embracing the "brilliant transformation" of its economy that Trump promised if Pyongyang abandoned its nuclear weapons.Kim also called on his people "never to barter the security and dignity" that the North's nuclear deterrent provided, "even though we tighten our belts."With that, he was essentially admitting that his previous approach with Washington has failed.In 2012, in his first public speech as the country's leader, Kim had promised that North Koreans would "never have to tighten their belts again." When he convened the party's Central Committee the following year, he declared the parallel pursuit of economic growth and a nuclear arsenal. And in an April 2018 committee meeting, Kim said that he had completed his nuclear force and could therefore now halt nuclear and ICBM tests and focus entirely on economic growth.Kim met Trump in Singapore two months later. But talks between the two broke down last February in Vietnam, and the two leaders failed to reach a denuclearization deal. Kim returned home empty-handed, without the sanctions relief that his country badly needed to achieve economic growth.That stasis led to the deadline set by Kim, who warned that the United States had until the end of 2019 to offer concessions. Pyongyang promised a "Christmas gift" if Washington did not make progress on lifting sanctions, making an implicit threat that North Korea might return to its old ways and end the self-imposed moratorium.But the deadline also showed how desperately Kim wanted economic relief. By shifting to a harder line, Kim was juggling an increasingly tricky balancing act."Kim's long buildup to his New Year message has inadvertently made North Korea look constrained," said professor Leif-Eric Easley at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. "He tries to use China and Russia for financial benefit, but doesn't want to appear dependent or beholden. He pushes his military engineers to develop more sophisticated weapons, but has to consider the risks of tests failing. He wants to increase diplomatic pressure on South Korea and the United States, but knows a major provocation is likely to bring more sanctions upon his regime."On New Year's Day, Kim did not face his people with a nationally televised speech as he had done in previous years. Instead, the state news media carried his policy statement, which came after a four-day meeting of the Workers' Party's Central Committee, North Korea's highest decision-making body.Kim's new guidelines meant that "North Korea will give up denuclearization talks with the United States, accept a prolonged standoff and sanctions as reality, and strengthen its self-empowerment, including its nuclear and missile capabilities," said Cheong Seong-chang, a senior analyst at South Korea's Sejong Institute.And Kim does appear to be giving the hard-line military a more prominent role in his government, even if it is unclear when and whether he will test an ICBM.North Korea's state news media recently reported that he was expediting the development of new weapons technologies, such as solid-fuel missiles that are harder to intercept and a new submarine-launched ballistic missile."We should expect that elements of the regime favor tests of several new systems, which likely include new solid-fuel and intercontinental-range missiles, as well as new warhead designs," said Adam Mount, a senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington."As talks stalled," Mount said, "these elements will have steadily gained in influence."This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Replica of Tower Bridge in China undergoes £1.5m refit to make it look 'more Chinese' Posted: 01 Jan 2020 11:00 AM PST  A replica of London's iconic Tower Bridge in China has provoked scorn after local authorities splashed £1.5 million in renovations to make it "more coherent" with its Chinese surroundings. The bridge – twice the size of the original with four turrets, spiraling 40 metres upward – was first completed in Suzhou, a city in eastern China, in 2012. Tourists flocked to the picturesque city, dubbed "Venice of the East," to walk along its canals and marvel at its 56 replica bridges. Aside from the Thames bridge imitation, the city is also home to copies of other famous overpasses, such as Sydney's Harbour Bridge and the Ponte Sant'Angelo in Italy. An aerial view of the replica shows where the distinctive, decorative elements of the original Tower Bridge have been removed by Chinese authorities Couples gathered to snap wedding portraits in the area, posing in elaborate gowns and tuxedos in front of the imitation Tower Bridge with its copycat ornate mullions. But the bridge – commissioned in 2008 at a time when it was still in vogue for cities across China to imitate Western architecture, erecting copies of everything from the Eiffel Tower to the White House – was finished just as president Xi Jinping called for a return to traditional Chinese features and culture. "History and culture are the soul of a city, and people should cherish the city's historical cultural heritage as their own lives," Mr Xi said. He even demanded specifically for an end to copycat architecture: "Don't build such strange buildings." Local authorities in Suzhou then scrambled to salvage what they could, finishing renovations last year by flattening the bridge's distinctive turrets, removing decorative elements from the windows, and painting the whole structure gray, much to the chagrin of locals. The bridge now bears no resemblance to its original inspiration after the expensive makeover. "Before it was changed, the bridge looked nice. Now it's gray, and looks lifeless – we don't go taking photos there now," said Liu Min, 22, who works in a photography studio that takes wedding photos. Another view of the Tower Bridge replica, which shows where the blue supporting arches of the original have been modified "It's an overcorrection," said Yan Jieming, 30, an architecture expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "It is totally unnecessary to spend millions on it – if you didn't do it right from the beginning, there's no point to spend more money and energy on it, resources which could be used for meaningful construction in other parts of the city," he said. Users online have likened the refurbished version to military pillboxes – drab concrete guard posts used in wartime – even joking that the renovation was simply a way to help create more jobs and boost the local economy. The bridge, which stretches across the Yuanhetang river, is about 45 metres wide and includes vehicle and pedestrian lanes. Tourists can ride elevators to the top of the turrets for a view of the city. But even after splashing money on the fix, the Chinese version still doesn't function like the London original – the bridge isn't cantilevered, lacking mechanisms to open up to allow tall boats through. "The more changes made, the uglier it is," complained one person online.
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| 'No denuclearization' if US continues 'hostile policies' toward North Korea: Kim Jong Un Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:33 AM PST  There will never be denuclearization in the Korean peninsula if the United States continues its "hostile policies" against the regime, Kim Jong Un vowed in front of his central committee members. After an unprecedented four-day policy meeting, North Korea's leader also announced that the regime would develop "new strategic weapons" for its own defense, reported the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea's state news outlet, on Wednesday.
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| America Must Do More To Support Peace In Ukraine Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:29 AM PST  The relevant leaders need not be depressed by the results of the first Zelensky-Putin summit in Paris. Instead, they should redouble their efforts to achieve a set of breakthrough compromises at the next iteration. The time for skillful and creative diplomacy is at hand and Europe's future hangs in the balance.
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| Floats, marching bands hit the streets for 131st Rose Parade Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:28 AM PST  After a flyover by a B-2 stealth bomber, marching bands and floral floats took to the streets under mostly sunny California skies as the 131st Rose Parade drew hundreds of thousands of spectators on New Year's Day. After the bomber streaked overhead, a performance by singer Ally Brooke kicked off the colorful proceedings. It has rained only once on the Rose Parade in the past six decades — that was in 2006 — and it has never been canceled because of weather.
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| Israel PM seeks immunity, buying time until after vote Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:17 AM PST  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday he would seek immunity from corruption charges, likely delaying any trial until after March elections, when he hopes to have a majority coalition that will shield him from prosecution. Wednesday's announcement essentially turns the upcoming election into a referendum on whether Netanyahu should be granted immunity and remain in office, or step down and stand trial. In a nationally televised address, Netanyahu repeated his assertion that he is the victim of an unfair conspiracy, lashing out at prosecutors, the media and his political enemies.
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| Century-old TB vaccine may work better if given in a new way Posted: 01 Jan 2020 10:02 AM PST  Scientists think they've figured out how to make a century-old tuberculosis vaccine far more protective: Simply give the shot a different way. "This offers hope," although more safety studies are required before testing the approach in people, said Dr. Robert Seder of the National Institutes of Health, a senior author of the study. The only vaccine, called the BCG vaccine, is used mainly in high-risk areas to protect babies from one form of the disease.
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| Family: Man stabbed in Hanukkah attack may have brain damage Posted: 01 Jan 2020 09:27 AM PST  A man wounded in the Hanukkah stabbings north of New York City may have permanent brain damage and be partially paralyzed for the rest of his life, his family said. The Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Council released a statement from the family of Josef Neumann, 71, and a graphic photograph Wednesday showing severe head injuries he received Saturday at a rabbi's home in Monsey, New York. Four other people were injured in the attack, which federal prosecutors say was a hate crime.
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| How Tehran Rolled Donald Trump In Iraq Posted: 01 Jan 2020 09:14 AM PST  It is Iran, not America, that calls the shots in Baghdad.
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| Hundreds arrested at huge New Year’s Day rally in Hong Kong Posted: 01 Jan 2020 08:53 AM PST  Police detain 400 and fire teargas as anti-government protests continue into 2020 A huge New Year's Day march in Hong Kong has ended in mass arrests and street clashes as the anti-government movement – now in its eighth month – continued into 2020.Police detained about 400 people on charges including illegal assembly and possession of offensive weapons after the rally on Wednesday, which organisers said was attended by more than a million people. It was one of the largest numbers of arrests in a single day since the unrest began.But the march had begun in a mood of carnival celebration – there were protesters in costumes and families with children and elderly people. Marchers chanted slogans including "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our era".Riot police fired teargas rounds in Wan Chai district after protesters threw objects at officers who had arrested several people for allegedly vandalising a bank.Some protesters retaliated by throwing molotov cocktails at the police, but many in the crowd were caught by surprise as the march was expected to be peaceful and most did not wear protective gear.Police demanded that the protest organisers, the Civil Human Rights Front, immediately call off the demonstration, but large crowds continued to march and police declared that they were taking part in an illegal assembly.As night fell, police used water cannon on crowds in Wan Chai and the financial district of Central. Protesters laid bricks across the main thoroughfare in Central in an attempt to impede the police's advance towards the area.A police statement said protesters had blocked roads with barricades, dug up bricks from pavements and set fires to banks and cash machines.At a late-night press briefing, Senior Supt Ng Lok Chun blamed radical protesters for "hijacking" and disrupting the march and said police had fired teargas because they were surrounded by protesters who were throwing objects at them.There had already been a bleak start to 2020: shortly after revellers counted down to midnight and shouted "Happy new year!", police in the central district of Mong Kok shot teargas at protesters who set off fireworks and set fire to roadblocks.On Tuesday night police deployed water cannon to disperse protesters while armoured vehicles cleared roadblocks. The crowd had gathered outside a metro station where people were leaving flowers to commemorate protesters rumoured to have died during a clash with police four months ago. The government denies that the deaths occurred.The anti-government movement in Hong Kong, sparked by an extradition bill that would have allowed individuals to be sent to China for trial, is showing no signs of abating. Protesters say they will not give up unless the government meets their demands, which include universal suffrage and an independent investigation into police brutality.As of last week, 6,494 people had been arrested since the movement started in June, some as young as 12, according to the police.Many in Hong Kong, including pro-democracy supporters, are weary of the frequent violent confrontations in the movement and are seeking new directions in their attempt to press the government into conceding to their demands.Some are urging fellow Hong Kongers on social media to use economic means to put pressure on the government instead, including joining trade unions so that they can launch strikes and other collective actions more effectively."We want to show our determination to the world that we will not back down on our resistance against an authoritarian regime," said Mary Chin, a former bank employee in her 40s.The Civil Human Rights Front condemned the police's abrupt revocation of its permission for the march, which it estimated was attended by a million people."The government has shown its unwillingness to listen to the voices of the mass and it has infringed on their right to assembly," it said in a statement. "Hong Kongers shall not back down and peace shall not resume with the ongoing police brutality."In his new year address, the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, acknowledged that "the situation in Hong Kong has been everybody's concern over the past few months" as he called for "a harmonious and stable environment" for Hong Kong.Sounding relatively conciliatory compared with earlier, more threatening remarks, Xi said in the televised address: "Hong Kong's prosperity and stability is the wish of Hong Kong compatriots and the expectation for the people of the motherland."
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| Pete Buttigieg raises $24.7 million during the 4th quarter Posted: 01 Jan 2020 08:50 AM PST  Pete Buttigieg's campaign says he raised more than $24.7 million in the last three months and now has a campaign staff of 500 people nationwide, a show of financial and organizational strength heading into the presidential primaries. In a memo from campaign manager Mike Schmuhl, Buttigieg's campaign said on Wednesday it had received more than 2 million contributions from over 733,000 people and had raised $76 million since he launched his bid for president. It's a notable feat for the soon-to-be former mayor of South Bend, Indiana — Buttigieg was due to give up the position Wednesday when his successor is sworn in.
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| Hamas allows rival Fatah to mark anniversary in Gaza rally Posted: 01 Jan 2020 07:47 AM PST  Tens of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in Gaza on Wednesday to mark the 55th anniversary of President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement. The territory's Hamas rulers permitted the event for the first time in years. The militant Islamic group Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip by force from the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority in 2007, allowed Fatah supporters to celebrate on a Gaza City street.
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| North Korea's Warning to America: End Your 'Hostile Policy' Or Get Nothing Posted: 01 Jan 2020 07:42 AM PST  If President Trump, his advisers and the many North Korea "experts" in Washington and New York really want to head off the "new way" Kim just warned about, they should start applying their considerable analytical skills to exploring those aspects of U.S. policy that have driven North Korea into a corner where all Kim sees is US "maneuvers to completely strangle and stifle the DPRK."
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| Kim vows to unveil new weapon as U.S. lets his deadline pass Posted: 01 Jan 2020 06:43 AM PST  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Wednesday that his country would continue building its nuclear arsenal and soon unveil a new strategic weapon, state-run media outlet KCNA reported Wednesday.Kim's comments came after his deadline passed for the U.S. to begin new talks on exchanging denuclearization progress and sanctions relief. He had warned he might take a "new path" if the U.S. ignored his ultimatum, raising concerns that North Korea would soon test an intercontinental missile and a nuclear warhead.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped Pyongyang would not take such provocative actions. "We're hopeful that... Chairman Kim will make the right decision − he'll choose peace and prosperity over conflict and war," Pompeo said.More stories from theweek.com The Obama legacy is not what many liberals think Sorry, the 2010s aren't over yet 1st trailer for A Quiet Place 2 plunges Emily Blunt into the apocalypse
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| 10 things you need to know today: January 1, 2020 Posted: 01 Jan 2020 06:00 AM PST ![10 things you need to know today: January 1, 2020]( "10 things you need to know today: January 1, 2020") 1.U.S. troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who descended on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for a second time Wednesday. The protests by hundreds of supporters of an Iranian-backed militia began Tuesday, when they broke through a gate and set fire to a reception area as U.S. diplomats were barricaded inside the embassy. The protesters were angry over U.S. airstrikes on camps of the militia group Kataib Hezbollah, which Iraq's prime minister condemned. President Trump on Tuesday blamed Iran for the attack, tweeting that "Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities." [The Washington Post] 2.President Trump said Tuesday that the U.S. and China would finalize a "very large and comprehensive" trade deal with a White House signing ceremony on Jan. 15. The "phase one" agreement came after two years of often tense negotiations aiming to end a damaging trade war between the world's two largest economies. Trump tweeted that "high level representatives of China will be present" for the ceremony, adding that he would later travel to Beijing "where talks will begin on Phase Two!" The agreement was reached in mid-December, but the precise terms have not yet been released. The agreement would reduce some but not all of the tariffs Trump has imposed on $360 billion worth of Chinese imports. China has agreed to increase its purchases of U.S. farm goods. [The New York Times] 3.U.S. stocks gained Tuesday on the last day of trading in 2019, capping a year of huge gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq Composite all rose by about 0.3 percent on Tuesday. The S&P 500 gained 28.9 percent in 2019. Adding dividends, the blue-chip index had a total return of 31.5 percent. The Nasdaq rose by 35.3 percent, boosted by increases of 48 percent by technology stocks. The gains were the biggest for both indexes since 2013. The Dow gained 22.3 percent. All three of the main U.S. indexes posted a string of records in a year-end rally, as a "phase one" deal aiming to deescalate the U.S.-China trade war lifted Wall Street's mood. The market is closed Wednesday for New Year's Day. [The Associated Press] 4.President Trump on Tuesday accused Democrats were blocking his impeachment trial to hide damaging information about former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading Democratic presidential candidate, and his son Hunter Biden. The House impeachment inquiry focused largely on Trump's effort to pressure Ukraine's president to investigate the Bidens over Hunter's work in Ukraine. After approving two articles of impeachment, though, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has delayed sending them to the Senate for trial as she presses Republicans to allow testimony from top administration officials who would not testify to the House. "The Democrats will do anything to avoid a trial in the Senate in order to protect Sleepy Joe Biden," Trump tweeted. [The Washington Post] 5.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Wednesday that his country would continue building its nuclear arsenal and soon unveil a new strategic weapon, state-run media outlet KCNA reported Wednesday. Kim's comments came after his deadline passed for the U.S. to begin new talks on exchanging denuclearization progress and sanctions relief. He had warned he might take a "new path" if the U.S. ignored his ultimatum, raising concerns that North Korea would soon test an intercontinental missile and a nuclear warhead. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped Pyongyang would not take such provocative actions. "We're hopeful that... Chairman Kim will make the right decision − he'll choose peace and prosperity over conflict and war," Pompeo said. [CNBC, The Associated Press] 6.Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters marched through Hong Kong streets on Wednesday in their largest demonstration in weeks. The New Year's Day protest was authorized by the government, but police withdrew the permission after claiming that some "thugs" had thrown bricks and petrol bombs, damaging banks and shops. Officers tried to disperse the crowds using tear gas and pepper spray. Police arrested five males, of which the youngest was 13 years old. Organizers of the march denounced police for "forcing" them to halt the demonstration, accusing authorities of lying about protesters' actions "to separate Hong Kongers." Leaders of the pro-democracy movement said the New Year's Day protest was "quite peaceful." [CNN, The New York Times] 7.Corey Lewandowski, who served as President Trump's first 2016 campaign manager, announced Tuesday that he would not run for a U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire, ending months of speculation. Lewandowski said he was "certain" that he would have won, but that his time would be better spent helping Trump get reelected. He would have had to survive a tough primary race to earn the right to challenge Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the Democratic incumbent. Lewandowski helped Trump win his first primary in New Hampshire nearly four years ago but was pushed out of the campaign by Trump's children five months later. He has since weathered several controversies, including leaving his lobbying firm, Avenue Strategies, under suspicion of lobbying without registering to do so. [The New York Times] 8.The Trump Organization this week fired at least seven Trump Winery employees this week because they lacked legal immigration status, The Washington Post reported Tuesday, citing two of the workers. The company, now run by President Trump's eldest sons, started firing undocumented workers at its golf courses about a year ago. Two of the dismissed employees at the Virginia winery — tractor driver Omar Miranda of Honduras and a second worker who spoke on the condition of anonymity — said they believed the company waited for a slack period to fire them. They said they had worked at Trump Winery for more than a decade. The Trump Organization said it was fulfilling a promise to fire anyone who "provided fake identification" to get a job. [The Washington Post] 9.Google announced Tuesday it will scrap an intellectual property licensing scheme known colloquially as the "Double Irish, Dutch sandwich." Over the last decade, the structure allowed Google to pay an effective tax rate in the single digits on its foreign profits by using a subsidiary in the Netherlands to shift revenue earned outside the U.S. to an affiliate based in Bermuda, where companies don't have to pay income tax. The exact date of the termination hasn't been set, but it is expected to happen during the next year. The Trump administration's Tax Cut and Jobs Act cut corporate tax rates to the point where major U.S. companies didn't necessarily need to keep their non-U.S. profits offshore. [Reuters] 10.The yearly domestic box office haul for 2019 declined from a record-breaking 2018 despite an impressive showing from Disney. The year is projected to finish with a total domestic gross of around $11.4 billion — a huge figure that would make this either the second or third biggest year ever. But it's still a decline of about four percent from 2018, even with Disney's 2019 domination. The studio controlled almost 40 percent of the marketplace domestically, propelled by Avengers: Endgame, which shattered the record for biggest domestic opening weekend ever. Analysts expect the domestic box office to experience another decline in 2020, when fewer major event films like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Avengers are set to hit theaters. [Variety, Deadline]More stories from theweek.com The Obama legacy is not what many liberals think Sorry, the 2010s aren't over yet 1st trailer for A Quiet Place 2 plunges Emily Blunt into the apocalypse
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| Why Did the U.S. Become the Focus of Iraqis' Anger? Posted: 01 Jan 2020 05:58 AM PST  For months, furious protests have battered Iraq, driven by frustration at a dysfunctional economy, corruption and the pervasive influence of a foreign power: Iran.Then a rocket attack killed an American contractor in Iraq, American airstrikes hit an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia, and Iraqis' anger turned back on the United States, culminating with a break-in at its embassy compound in Baghdad on Tuesday.The airstrikes and the embassy break-in brought the United States to its most serious crisis in the country in years -- and pulled it deeper into the volatile problems engulfing Iraq and its neighbor Iran.Complicated at the best of times, the relations between Iraq, Iran and the United States are now even more fraught.What happened in the last few days?On Friday, more than 30 rockets were fired at an Iraqi military base near Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, killing an American civilian contractor and wounding four American and two Iraqi servicemen.The United States accused an Iranian-backed militia, Kataib Hezbollah, of carrying out the attack. A spokesman for the militia denied its involvement. President Donald Trump blamed Iran for the attack, writing Tuesday on Twitter, "Iran killed an American contractor, wounding many."The American military launched airstrikes against the militia over the weekend, killing 24 members in what Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called "a decisive response." He said the United States would "not stand for the Islamic Republic of Iran to take actions that put American men and women in jeopardy."The United States and Iran are at long-standing odds -- over influence in Iraq, Iran's nuclear program and other issues -- and tensions have spiked under the Trump administration, which pulled out of the 2015 nuclear accord and imposed punishing sanctions on Tehran.But the American airstrikes came at a particularly combustible moment in Iraq, where anger at foreign meddling was already running high. The country's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, warned that Iraq must not become "a field for settling regional and international scores," and Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi called the airstrikes a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.On Tuesday, protesters stormed the sprawling U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. They did not enter the main embassy buildings, and eventually joined thousands of others nearby -- many of them members of the fighting groups technically overseen by the Iraqi military, and many chanting "Death to America."Trump accused Iran of "orchestrating" the break-in, adding "they will be held fully responsible."Many of the protesters who broke into the compound were members of Kataib Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed militias. While Iran remains deeply influential in Iraq, it has also been the recent target of anger, and sometimes violence, by Iraqi protesters.Why has Iraq been so volatile recently?Huge, sometimes violent protests began erupting across Iraq in October, as people angry about unemployment, corruption and shambolic public services poured into the streets. For 12 weeks, the government flailed for a solution, variously promising reform and cracking down.More than 500 people were killed and 19,000 injured in the unrest, according to the U.N. special envoy to Iraq.The brutal government response hardened protesters' resolve, and the protests gradually expanded to include complaints about Iran's widespread influence in Iraq's government. (An Iranian general, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, had brokered the deal creating the current government.) Many protesters link Iranian influence to corruption in the government and among Shiite militias.In November, protesters burned down the Iranian Consulate in the southern city of Najaf, and for weeks, protesters camped outside the heavily guarded Green Zone of Baghdad, the seat of Parliament and the prime minister. By the end of the month, Abdul-Mahdi said he would resign.Iraq's government has been in limbo ever since, unable to pick his successor.How is Iran involved in Iraq's militias?After years of competing with the United States for influence over Iraq, Iran has emerged as an aggressive and powerful force in Iraqi life.Iran wields powerful influence in the government, business and religion. Iranian-linked parties have gained significant strength in Parliament, especially since the American military withdrawal in 2009. And when the Islamic State invaded Iraq in 2014, Iran helped form Shiite militias to fight it, giving it leverage in Iraq's security.As the militias and the United States -- effectively fighting on the same side -- drove the Islamic State out of territory it controlled in Iraq, the militias gained influence. They control powerful factions in Parliament and the military, and some have turned into mafia-like groups that use extortion rackets to profit from Iraqis.Some militias have attacked Iraqi bases where Americans are stationed, too. The populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has called for the United States and Iran to leave Iraq, urged the militias to stop "irresponsible actions."The group accused in Friday's rocket attack, Kataib Hezbollah, has close ties to Iran, but many Iraqis consider it a primarily Iraqi force. It is separate from the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, though both groups have Iran's backing and oppose the United States. The State Department has designated both groups as terrorist organizations.Kataib Hezbollah promised "retaliation" for the airstrikes, without providing details. Iran's Foreign Ministry said the United States "must accept full responsibility for the consequences of this illegal action."What is the United States presence in Iraq?The United States has about 5,200 troops in Iraq, and a fluctuating number of civilian contractors. Most of the soldiers are stationed at a base northwest of Baghdad and at a base in the Kurdish-controlled north.The embassy compound in Baghdad opened in 2009 and, at 104 acres, is nearly as large as Vatican City. The compound and the American Consulate in Irbil, in northern Iraq, have a combined staff of 486, most in Baghdad.After the storming Tuesday, the Pentagon sent 120 additional Marines to Baghdad. Late Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper announced that about 750 troops would deploy to the region.The American presence in Iraq has declined sharply from its height during and immediately after the Iraq War. There were nearly 16,000 people in the embassy compound in 2012, and 170,000 troops in Iraq in 2007. Amid rising tensions with Iran this year, the State Department ordered some diplomats to leave the embassy.What's happening in Iran?Adding to the regional turmoil, Iran has also been reckoning with its worst unrest in decades.These protests began in November with a sudden increase in gasoline prices, and grew into demonstrations against Iran's leaders and how they have handled American sanctions, a staggering economy and anger from neighbors in Iraq and Lebanon.Thousands of people demonstrated, many from cities with large low-income and working-class populations, but Iran's security forces crushed the protest, killing up to 450 people, according to human rights groups. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, justified the crackdown by calling the protests a plot by Iran's enemies at home and abroad.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2019 The New York Times Company
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| Dizzying Day for Trump Caps a Year Full of Them Posted: 01 Jan 2020 05:57 AM PST  PALM BEACH, Fla. -- It was perhaps fitting that President Donald Trump ended another dizzying year in office with a crisis-driven day of surreal contrasts, one that began with him tracking a Middle East emergency from his golf club and ended with a tuxedo-clad president holding forth about North Korea, Iran and impeachment and vaping on a red carpet over the thumping din of party music.Trump arrived at the $650-a-person annual New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort shortly after 9 p.m., as a packed ballroom of guests -- including his children; his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who wore a green and red bow tie; and a procession of local society notables -- awaited him inside.He weighed in on the prowess of the Marines who rushed to the American Embassy in Baghdad on Tuesday to help secure diplomats there under what amounted to a siege by demonstrators whom Trump administration officials said were directed by Iran."We have some of our greatest warriors there," the president said. "They got in very quickly."With his wife, Melania Trump, standing beside him in a sparkling black and gold dress, Trump said that Iran would be foolish to start a war with the United States. "I don't think that would be a good idea for Iran," he said. "It wouldn't last very long.""I want to have peace," Trump added. "I like peace."The president also restated his confidence in the character of the brutal North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, who warned hours earlier that he had an unspecified "shocking" action planned to repay the United States for sustained economic sanctions on his country.Noting that Kim had previously pledged to begin a process of denuclearization -- although many experts differ with that assertion -- Trump professed little concern that his diplomacy with the North was on the rocks."I think he's a man of his word," the president said, adding that he still had a "very good relationship" with Kim.And of course there was impeachment: "A big, fat hoax," Trump said, something that has been engineered by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom he called "a highly overrated person."Over pounding drums and a chorus that made it difficult to hear his words, the president renewed his complaints that European leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, had not done more to support Ukraine.By then it had already been a long and action-filled day for Trump after what had been a relatively peaceful holiday escape. For the better part of two weeks, he had been laying low during his vacation, shuttling back and forth between Mar-a-Lago and the Trump International Golf Club only a few miles away.Before he stopped to talk to reporters Tuesday night, Trump had last been seen in public Christmas Eve morning, when he explained that his time at what he called the "Southern White House" was far from leisurely."I really pretty much work -- that's what I like to do, is work," Trump said in a video conference with military members serving overseas.But White House officials have provided scant details about his daily activities, leaving the news media to speculate about what the golf-loving president was doing during the several hours per day he has been spending at his golf club.As ever, the news media loomed particularly large in Trump's mind. He bristled Tuesday at what he called false reports that he had hit the links amid the Iraq crisis."The Fake News said I played golf today, and I did NOT!" he wrote in an afternoon tweet. "I had meeting in various locations, while closely monitoring the U.S. Embassy situation in Iraq, which I am still doing. The Corrupt Lamestream Media knew this but, not surprisingly, failed to report or correct!"And near the end of his red-carpet remarks, Trump offered a message for the news media ahead of the year that will determine if he serves another term."If you're honorable, I'm going to win by a lot," the president told the reporters assembled before him. "If you're not honorable, I'm just going to win the election by a little. So I'd rather have you be honorable, OK?"And with that, he headed into the grand ballroom of Mar-a-Lago, and the dawn of a new year as president of the United States.This article originally appeared in The New York Times.(C) 2020 The New York Times Company
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| Security tight, Jews gather at stadium for religious event Posted: 01 Jan 2020 05:48 AM PST  Tens of thousands of Jewish people congregated Wednesday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to celebrate the reading of the entire Talmud in an event called Siyum HaShas — and drew a heavy security presence after recent anti-Semitic attacks in the area. The New Year's Day event celebrated the completion of the reading of the 2,711-page Babylonian Talmud, a process that takes 7 1/2 years. The Talmud contains discussions of Jewish law that guide every aspect of life.
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| Lawmakers pledge ERA will pass in Virginia. Then what? Posted: 01 Jan 2020 05:36 AM PST  Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment are so confident Virginia is on the verge of becoming the critical 38th state to ratify the gender equality measure, they are already making plans for how they will celebrate. The proposed 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution faces a host of likely legal challenges and vehement opposition from conservative activists who depict the ERA as a threat to their stances on abortion and transgender rights. When the measure passed Congress in 1972, lawmakers attached a 1977 ratification deadline to it, then extended it to 1982.
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| Iran's supreme leader and Trump trade blame over US embassy siege in Baghdad as diplomats cower in safe room Posted: 01 Jan 2020 04:52 AM PST  Iran's supreme leader and US President Donald Trump are locked in an unprecedented war of words over the storming of the American embassy in Iraq, each blaming the other for unrest engulfing the country Mr Trump ordered hundreds of US troops to the region after thousands of angry supporters of an Iranian-backed militia chanting "Death to America" besieged the mission on Tuesday, forcing staffers to take refuge in a safe room. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's highest religious and spiritual authority, blamed the US for the recent unrest, warning the president that Tehran was not afraid to defend its interests. US Marines guarding the mission fired tear gas on Wednesday as more crowds arrived and lit a fire on the roof of the reception area. US Marines assigned to Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force prepare to deploy from Kuwait in support of a crisis response mission Credit: U.S. Marine Corps photos by Sgt. Robert G. Gavaldon via AP "Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities," Mr Trump tweeted before his administration announced the immediate deployment of an infantry battalion of about 750 soldiers. "They will pay a very BIG PRICE!," he said. "This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!" Over the weekend, the US carried out strikes on positions of Iran-backed militia Khataeb Hizbollah in western Iraq in retaliation for rocket fire that killed an American civilian contractor at a military base in northern Iraq on Friday. In another tweet, Mr Trump accused Tehran of "orchestrating" that day's storming of the US embassy in Baghdad by protesters angry over the American raid. Khamenei, not known to have ever directly addressed Mr Trump on social media responded by saying the US was ultimately responsible. "That guy has tweeted that we see Iran responsible for the events in Baghdad & we will respond to Iran," he said, referring to Mr Trump. "1st: You can't do anything. 2nd: If you were logical —which you're not— you'd see that your crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan… have made nations hate you. "If the Islamic Republic decides to challenge & fight, it will do so unequivocally," he continued, quote-tweeting the US president. "We're not after wars, but we strongly defend the Iranian nation's interests, dignity, & glory." That guy has tweeted that we see Iran responsible for the events in Baghdad & we will respond to Iran. 1st: You can't do anything. 2nd: If you were logical —which you're not— you'd see that your crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan… have made nations hate you. https://t.co/hMGOEDwHuY— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) January 1, 2020 The two countries have been battling for influence in Iraq, which has tried since the fall of Saddam Huseein's government to balance ties between the foes. The image of the biggest and most heavily fortified US embassy in the world, a symbol of America's vast presence in Iraq, coming under attack signalled Washington's weakened power in the region. Dozens of Iran-allied militiamen and their supporters had camped out at the gates of the embassy in Baghdad overnight, a day after they broke into the compound, trashing a reception area and smashing windows in one of the worst attacks on a US diplomatic mission in years. The Population Mobilisation Forces (PMU) umbrella group issued a statement asking crowds to leave the embassy, and protesters withdrew later in the day. Kataib Hizbollah said that this was only the "first message to the US", and that the next step will be to expel US troops from the country. "America is the Great Satan," they chanted, and "Death to America" — echoing the chants of Iranian revolutionaries who held US diplomats hostage in Tehran in 1979. Iraqi protesters burn tires in front of the US embassy building in the capital Baghdad to protest against the weekend's air strikes by US planes on several bases belonging to the Hezbollah brigades near Al-Qaim Credit: AFP The violence comes as Iran and its allies have faced unprecedented mass protests in recent months and after heavy US sanctions on Iran that have cratered its economy and raised tensions across the region. In Iraq, the protesters have been angered at their own government's corruption and economic mismanagement, as well as its close ties to Tehran. The supporters who stormed the embassy on Tuesday were not the same group of protesters who have been out on the streets for months in largely peaceful demonstrations. It was unclear how many diplomats and embassy staffers were holed up inside the compound, but there is believed to be a permanent presence of around 300-350. Many had already left in recent days and weeks and the security situation deteriorated in Iraq. The ambassador had been out of the country on holiday at the time. Mark Esper, Defense Secretary, later announced the immediate deployment of an infantry battalion of about 750 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, in "an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against US personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today." Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, told Fox News there were no plans to evacuate diplomats from Baghdad or to withdraw any of the 5,000 troops in the country. "We're going to make sure that we do everything we can to keep that facility safe and secure and have the resources to push back against anything that may confront us there," he said.
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| Shelling hit school killing 6 in rebel-held Syrian village Posted: 01 Jan 2020 04:41 AM PST  Syrian government forces shelled a rebel-held village in the country's northwest on Wednesday, hitting a school and killing at least six people, opposition activists said. The attack in Idlib province, the last rebel stronghold Syria, was part of an ongoing offensive in which Syrian troops have captured more than 40 villages and hamlets over the past two weeks. Idlib is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants and is also home to 3 million civilians.
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| Kim Jong Un Rings in a Thoroughly Nuclear New Year Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:56 AM PST  North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is taking the gloves off, setting up a year that will likely include several missile tests and other demonstrations of military capability. The bout of diplomacy that began with the Trump administration and the South Korean government in early 2018 has been moribund for some time, but we now have the best indication from Pyongyang that the door on this chapter of rapprochement is shut.Unusually, Kim Jong Un's yearly New Year's Day Address, taking after his grandfather's annual January 1 speeches, appears to have been set aside this year in favor of a 4,300 word report, presented officially to the fifth plenum of the 7th Central Committee of the Korean Workers' Party. Mike Pompeo Grilled on CBS: You're Not 'Alarmed' by North Korea News?The document marks the culmination of several months of a strategic rethink that began earlier this year after the spectacular collapse of U.S.-North Korea talks in Hanoi, Vietnam.One can say a lot in 4,300 words—and Kim Jong Un does. Optimists, including perhaps President Donald Trump, who already has called Kim a "man of his word," may choose to ignore the sharp statements that indicate a dangerous turn in Pyongyang's policy. But in Kim's report the bottom line on talks with the United States is one of frustration, dejection, and defiance. As explicit as ever, Kim ruled out the notion of diplomacy with the United States on disarmament, likening his nuclear force to his country's "dignity" and categorically rejected the notion that this could be traded for a "brilliant transformation," apparently alluding to the kind of proposition put forth days earlier by President Trump's national security adviser, Robert C. O'Brien. If only Kim would give up nuclear weapons, O'Brien said, it would open up "a glorious path for the people of North Korea, where they can become like South Korea, and be a very prosperous, very wealthy country."Kim has other plans. As laid out in the plenum report, he sees the key to keeping his nuclear weapons and winning relief from economic sanctions that have constrained North Korea's economy as more nukes, better missiles, and thus more leverage. Kim said that there was no sense in North Korea adhering to a now nearly two-year-long moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile testing "any longer," setting up a new round of testing to showcase qualitative advancements in North Korean capabilities.On economic sanctions, Kim delivered disappointing news to the Workers' Party. Where in 2012, shortly after taking the reins of power from his father, Kim had said that he would never let North Korean people "tighten their belts again," the plenum work report said that North Korea would have to hunker down and work hard to achieve "self prosperity even though we tighten our belts."Economic hard times aren't new for Pyongyang, but Kim is resetting expectations. In 2017, there were lofty expectations that North Korea's so-called "treasured sword"—what it poetically calls its own nuclear forces—would be the key to unlocking economic prosperity.* * *HOW DID WE GET HERE?* * *Back in April 2018, at the third plenum, Kim announced a series of unilateral measures relating to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs—measures that were not presented in terms of a response to diplomacy with the United States. That plenum took place days before Kim's first summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and after Trump had already accepted the prospect of meeting the North Korean leader face-to-face.Kim announced that because North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles was completed, testing was no longer necessary. The justification for the steps was thus technical, even if exaggerated. Those moratoria, however, were quickly treated as currency in negotiations, with Pyongyang emphasizing them as "denuclearization steps" that merited reward in the form of sanctions relief. Though unwritten in any agreement, North Korea's moratoria were met with a U.S.-South Korea "freeze" on large joint military exercises. Originally a solution favored by China and Russia in 2017, this "dual freeze" was the basis of reducing tensions that had soared in 2017.This was the message that Kim Jong Un reiterated during his 2019 New Year's Day Address, where the message to the United States was that North Korea had taken steps toward deescalating tensions and now it was Washington's turn to reciprocate. The outcome of the truncated Hanoi summit in February made it clear the United States was not ready to offer sanctions relief.And so, in April 2019, at the fourth plenum, Kim put in place his now famous end-of-year deadline for 2019, giving the United States one last chance to conduct a policy review and come around on the issue of granting North Korea partial sanctions relief for partial "steps" on denuclearization. That change in heart never came; the final U.S.-North Korea working-level talks of any significance that took place in October 2019 were a final forum for Pyongyang's negotiators to figuratively flip the table on what they considered to be an unacceptable package of U.S. proposals. From then on, North Korea's state propaganda apparatus was less than subtle as it indicated a dramatic shift was brewing. From Kim Jong Un's two jaunts to Mount Paektu on a white horse to a series of year-end statements warning the United States of the impending deadline, including the now infamous "Christmas gift" promise, Pyongyang made it apparent that the door was quickly closing for a deal—if it hadn't shut already.China and Russia, Kim's two closest great power partners, appear to have made noise at the United Nations Security Council in the final days of 2019 on economic sanctions relief in an attempt to perhaps stay Kim's hand from his itchy missile-testing finger, but the plenum report suggests that whatever path North Korea will chart ahead will be of its own determination. Beijing and Moscow's sensitivities are unlikely to cap North Korea's appetite for risk.* * *THE ROAD AHEAD* * *What lies ahead will become known soon enough. Kim has promised a "shocking actual action," suggesting that he'll look to issue a wake-up call to Washington with a new demonstration of military capability as he sought to do in 2017 with his Fourth of July test of an intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM). Given that North Korea thrice tested ICBMs on a shortened, or "lofted," trajectory into the Sea of Japan in 2017, something else is likely in the works to fit the bill for a "shocking" demonstration. Kim has hinted at a "new strategic weapon," too, reiterating language from a statement released by North Korea's Academy of Defense Science after a December rocket engine test. He said such a weapon would be witnessed by the world "in the near future."North Korea could demonstrate a bigger ICBM; a more capable ICBM (i.e., with multiple warheads or complex missile defense penetration aids); an ICBM using solid propellants, which could be launched more quickly than its 2017 systems; a more exotic weapon altogether, like a spin on the abortive Soviet Fractional Orbital Bombardment System; or look to conduct a nuclear test again—perhaps atmospheric instead of underground. (Such a threat was put on the table in September 2017 was never formally stricken.) A new satellite launch could accompany a more explicitly militarized demonstration of capability, too. There are many options and Pyongyang is now technically adept enough and evidently risk-acceptant enough that none should be surprises. But Kim, by his own admission, is looking to shock the world.Optimists might selectively point to parts of Kim's plenum report that suggest the door to diplomacy remains open, but North Korea is not about to walk through that door anytime soon. 2019 was a reality check for Pyongyang, allowing it to test whether its nuclear capabilities were sufficient to win it respect as an equal at the negotiating table with the United States. The Hanoi summit demonstrated that whatever leverage it had acquired with its nuclear weapons and missile testing campaign through 2019 was insufficient to wake the United States up to the fact that North Korea was a nuclear power in its own right.Fundamentally, what hasn't changed is that North Korea is still not disarming or is not about to kowtow to American sanctions pressure. Just as every missile test in 2015, 2016, and 2017 was laying the groundwork for an eventual turn to diplomacy—if and only when North Korea became ready—so too will whatever demonstrations lie ahead in 2020 lay the foundation for the eventual next round of U.S.-North Korea engagement. In the meantime, we should expect a 2020 full of brinkmanship as Pyongyang continues to hone the blade of its "treasured sword."Weakened and Unstable Trump Gives Korea the JittersRead more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Sorry, the 2010s aren't over yet Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:55 AM PST  Time is not always governed by the calendar. The 20th century ran a few years shy of 100, getting a late start with the outbreak of World War I in 1914 and ending, depending on who you ask, either with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 or the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.In the middle of that short century, however, the 1960s were a "long decade." The events and cultural markers we associate with the 60s are not neatly confined between 1960 and 1969 but stretch, as British historian Arthur Marwick has posited, from 1958 to 1974. Marwick chose the latter date, as he explains in The Sixties, because it was then "that the mass of ordinary people began to feel the effects of the oil crisis [which started in late 1973], because some of the crucial developments initiated in the 60s only culminated then ... and because only in August, with Congress drastically cutting aid to Saigon and Nixon resigning, did the anti-war movement feel it was achieving victory."The felt boundaries of a decade, then, are not necessarily limited by its actual years. The tenures of presidents, the progression of war and peace, the course of economic booms and busts, even the meandering of style in clothes and music can all shrink or expand a decade beyond its normal limits. And I suspect, like the 1960s, the 2010s will be measured long.I don't say this with pleasure. My sense is that many of us want this new year to be a clean break. We are politically exhausted and eager for a new era of normalcy, whatever our political affinities tell us that means. We are tired of a constant feeling of apogee, of careening from one crisis — one threat — to the next. Unfortunately, there is no reason to think 2020 has brought this wild decade to a close."I would say the current 'decade' essentially began with the 2008-2009 financial crisis," argues Jasmin Mujanović, a political scientist at Elon University whose tweet thread on the long 2010s provided the language I was seeking for this column. "Mind you, one could also make an argument for re-framing all of this in light of 9/11," Mujanović told me, "but I'm of the belief that the financial crisis was a watershed moment in its own right, one that carried with it a lot of the features and anxieties of the post-9/11 world but unleashed a new, still more existential form of politics in much of the West, in particular."Particularly for my generation and our Boomer parents — I graduated college nine months after Lehman Brothers collapsed, and many of my peers saw their families' homes repossessed as they came into adulthood — 2008 feels like a clear dividing line, the first time 9/11 was superseded as a preoccupying catastrophe. But if the financial crisis started the 2010s, what closes the decade is difficult to predict.I'm inclined to name 2021 as the soonest conceivable end date, a timeline only possible if President Trump loses his re-election campaign. Mujanović's forecast is longer. "I can't see most of the major dynamics of the present — the war in Syria, the rise of the Western far-right, Russian revanchism, American decline and Chinese ascendancy, the internal crisis of the European Union combined with the chaos of Brexit, the cataclysmic realities of accelerating climate change, etc. — playing themselves out before 2025," he said. "And realistically, I think we're going to be having many of the same conversations well into the 2030s." That would be a long decade indeed.It is a strange thing to conceptualize a long decade while you're still in it, a bit like breaking the fourth wall of history to monologue to — well, everyone. But there is some value in thinking of our time this way. It adjusts our expectations for 2020, tamping down unrealistic hopes and fears alike. There will be change in the coming year, as in every year, but we can mostly anticipate continuity. Take a breath.More practically, forecasting a long 2010s encourages taking the long view on what Mujanović called a "cluster of intertwined crises that demand our constant attention." Their resolution is not nigh. We will be dealing with present problems and their effects for years to come. "I think all of us would do well — especially those with real political influence and power — to step back and think about where we want the world to be in 20 or 30 years," Mujanović advised. That means thinking past the next election cycle and the one after that, which is basically contemplating eternity so far as the American polity is concerned. It is a contemplation we must brave.My annual New Year's Eve cocktail party marked the end of the year and only the year. For whenever the end of the long 2010s may arrive, it won't be this New Year's Day. We aren't getting off that easy.More stories from theweek.com The Obama legacy is not what many liberals think 1st trailer for A Quiet Place 2 plunges Emily Blunt into the apocalypse Trump's scandals will haunt America for years
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| Yemeni rebels say they have released 6 Saudi war detainees Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:39 AM PST  Yemeni rebels released six Saudi prisoners Wednesday, a rebel official said, after the kingdom two months ago released over 100 rebels, known as Houthis. The releases signal that the Saudi coalition and the Iran-backed Houthis are advancing a U.N.-brokered deal aimed at ending the stalemated war in the Arab world's poorest country. The Saudi-led coalition launched its campaign in 2015 to drive out the Houthis and restore the internationally recognized government of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, now exiled in Saudi Arabia.
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| Pompeo postpones trip to Ukraine after attack on U.S. embassy in Iraq Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:36 AM PST  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo postponed a five-country trip scheduled to start Friday following an attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by pro-Iran protesters.
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| Africa starts 2020 battling extremism, Ebola and hunger Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:35 AM PST  A tragic airline crash with far-reaching consequences, cataclysmic cyclones that may be a harbinger of the future, the death of an African icon and a new leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize. The battles against extremist violence and Ebola will also continue to be major campaigns in Africa in the coming year. The crash of an Ethiopian Airlines jet shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa in March killed all 157 passengers and crew.
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| Iran’s supreme leader attacks Trump on Twitter after US president’s furious New Year tirade Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:29 AM PST  Iran's highest political and religious authority went after Donald Trump on the president's favourite medium on Wednesday, hurling insults as Washington and Tehran squared off over the storming of the American embassy in Baghdad."That guy has tweeted that we see Iran responsible for the events in Baghdad and we will respond to Iran," said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's English-language Twitter account, translating similar statements posted to his Persian-language account, as he retweeted Mr Trump's accusations.
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| North Korea Just Revealed Its 'New Way' Posted: 01 Jan 2020 03:21 AM PST  North Korea's new way, it appears, is much like the old way: build up the strategic deterrent to the maximum extent possible; prepare for rough economic times ahead; keep China and Russia close in order to ensure just enough seepage in the sanctions regime to get by; and hope a bolt of lightning hits Washington, D.C. that finally convinces U.S. officials that military threats and ever stronger financial sanctions will only produce more resistance. Will the Trump administration get the message?
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| Apes, monkeys among 30 animals killed in German zoo fire Posted: 01 Jan 2020 02:17 AM PST  Police said paper sky lanterns launched nearby to celebrate the arrival of 2020 were probably to blame. Several witnesses saw cylindrical paper lanterns with little fires inside flying in the night sky shortly after midnight Wednesday near the Krefeld Zoo, Gerd Hoppmann, the city's head of criminal police, told reporters. "People reported seeing those sky lanterns flying at low altitude near the zoo and then it started burning," Hoppmann said.
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| Iraq anti-govt protesters say US-Iran tensions won't derail rallies Posted: 01 Jan 2020 01:58 AM PST  For months, their rallying cry has been "We want our country!" Now, Iraq's anti-government demonstrators insist they won't let the dramatic escalation between the United States and Iran steal their thunder. The youth-dominated demonstrations have rocked Baghdad and Iraq's Shiite-majority south since early October in outrage over government graft, a lack of jobs and the political influence of neighbouring Iran.
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| Militiamen withdraw from US Embassy but Iraq tensions linger Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:53 AM PST  Iran-backed militiamen withdrew from the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on Wednesday after two days of clashes with American security forces, but U.S.-Iran tensions remain high and could spill over into further violence. The withdrawal followed calls from the government and senior militia leaders. It ended a two-day crisis marked by the breach of the largest and one of the most heavily fortified U.S. diplomatic missions in the world.
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| Officials: Taliban target Afghan security forces, killing 26 Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:33 AM PST  The Taliban unleashed a new wave of attacks in northern Afghanistan, targeting members of the country's security forces and killing at least 26, local officials said Wednesday. The Taliban today hold sway over practically half of Afghanistan, staging near-daily attacks that target soldiers, security forces and government officials but also kill scores of civilians. In northern Kunduz province, at least 10 Afghan forces were killed and four others were wounded in an attack on a police checkpoint in the district of Dashti Archi late on Tuesday night, according to Mohammad Yusouf Ayubi, the head of provincial council.
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| Year-end violence highlights danger of worshipping Posted: 01 Jan 2020 12:19 AM PST  When a machete-wielding attacker walked into a rabbi's home in Monsey, New York, during Hanukkah and a gunman fired on worshippers at a Texas church 14 hours later, the two congregations in different regions of the country joined a growing list of faith communities that have come under attack in the U.S. The frequency of attacks has faith leaders and law enforcement grappling with how to protect people when they are at their most vulnerable. FBI hate crime statistics show that incidents in churches, synagogues, temples and mosques increased 34.8% between 2014 and 2018, the last year for which FBI data is available.
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| Climate change, Brexit divorce: EU faces challenges in 2020 Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:26 PM PST  December served up a warning of the massive challenges ahead for the European Union. Freak storms wreaked havoc on parts of southern Europe, showing how the impact of extreme weather will drive the bloc's thinking and climate change policy over the coming years. The EU has already said it wants to spend effort and money to remain the global driver of measures to fight climate change.
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| Japan Eyes New Tech Law to Fend Off Chinese Influence, Yomiuri Says Posted: 31 Dec 2019 11:17 PM PST ![Japan Eyes New Tech Law to Fend Off Chinese Influence, Yomiuri Says]( "Japan Eyes New Tech Law to Fend Off Chinese Influence, Yomiuri Says") (Bloomberg) -- Japan is planning a law to provide incentives for companies to use domestic parts in high-tech equipment to increase local competitiveness and fend off Chinese influence in security-related infrastructure, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, without citing how it obtained the information.The Japanese government plans to introduce the bill in the ordinary Diet session and have it in effect by this summer, according to the Wednesday report. The government sees the incentives initially being used with the introduction of 5G telecommunication equipment and drones, the Yomiuri said.Private companies can apply for tax subsidizes or government aid when installing high-tech equipment and will be judged on factors including safety, supply stability and international compatibility, the Yomiuri reported.China has said restrictions on Chinese technology could damage bilateral ties, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will have to tread carefully as he looks to host President Xi Jinping for a state visit planned for the spring of this year. If Xi makes the trip, it would crown Abe's drive to restore a relationship between the two largest economies in Asia that was in a deep freeze when he took office in 2012.Japan's sole military ally, the U.S., has been pushing for countries to ban equipment from China's Huawei Technologies Co. Japan has said it will exclude equipment with security risks without making an official decision on Huawei.To contact the reporter on this story: Lisa Du in Tokyo at ldu31@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Rachel Chang at wchang98@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz, Karen LeighFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Kim Jong Un Keeps World Guessing With New Year’s Speech Surprise Posted: 31 Dec 2019 09:59 PM PST ![Kim Jong Un Keeps World Guessing With New Year's Speech Surprise]( "Kim Jong Un Keeps World Guessing With New Year's Speech Surprise") (Bloomberg) -- North Koreans and outside observers expecting leader Kim Jong Un to make his traditional address on New Year's morning instead were handed a new script that enhanced his unpredictable image.North Korea opened 2020 by issuing a "Report on the Fifth Plenary Meeting of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers," an almost 4,400-word text that outlined what Kim had to say after a rare and lengthy meeting of the ruling party that started in the final days of December. There was no speech as of afternoon local time and the Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency said there was no indication that one would be coming.Instead, North Korean state TV showed Kim leading the four-day Workers' Party meeting, with the stentorian narration that has long accompanied the regime's biggest propaganda moments. Kim had delivered a televised address every year since 2013 and speculation was building for months about what he might say hours after the expiration of his year-end deadline for U.S. President Donald Trump to ease up on sanctions.Those speeches, like similar addresses by Kim's counterparts around the world, gave Kim an opportunity to communicate directly to his people. Wednesday's broadcast, however, seemed designed to demonstrate the young leader's complete command over the ruling party.Footage showed Kim addressing the assembled cadres from atop a raised desk adorned with the party's hammer-and-sickle emblem. He told them he was no longer bound by his pledge to halt major missile tests and would soon debut a "new strategic weapon," adding to Trump's foreign policy concerns as he seeks re-election this year.Kim Says North Korea Not Bound to Test Freeze, Built New Weapon"Kim's message was measured, calculated and quite calm," said Duyeon Kim, a senior adviser on Northeast Asia and nuclear policy at the International Crisis Group. "He sounds intent that they will resume weapons testing, including long-range missiles."Kim Jong Un also left Trump guessing as to exactly what "new path" he could take in 2020, but North Korean state television may have given a hint by showing clips of missiles rocketing into the sky over a looped hour-long video of the meeting. Weapons featured included missiles fired from mobile launchers and a rocket lifting off from what appeared to be an underwater platform.The new year's event was the latest example of Kim's efforts to paint himself as a versatile leader, from handshake photo-ops with Trump to rides on horseback across the snowy slopes of the sacred Mt. Paektu. A year ago, when diplomacy between Kim and Trump looked more promising, the North Korean leader ditched the formalities of a podium and microphone bank to deliver his new year's address from a plush leather chair in front of a wooden mantelpiece, like a fireside chat.Kim Jong Un's Fireside Chat Shows North Korea Bid for AcceptanceKim was seen in the same room where he delivered that address just a few weeks ago, speaking to his top military brass who were shown on state TV as diligently taking notes.Kim's grandfather, Kim Il Sung, began the new year's address tradition in the 1940s and it has been carried on in some form ever since. Even though Kim Jong Un didn't make a formal address this year, the state still got his point across to the country's roughly 25 million citizens, including a front-page spread party in the country's biggest newspaper."He pretty much said everything at the meeting that he would have said in the New Year's Day speech," said Duyeon Kim. "There were the typical elements that included his message to the North Korean people and his message to the outside world, while the only thing missing was his message to South Korea."\--With assistance from Jihye Lee.To contact the reporter on this story: Jon Herskovitz in Tokyo at jherskovitz@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Brendan Scott at bscott66@bloomberg.net, Jon Herskovitz, Peter PaeFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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| Trump deploys more troops to Mideast after US embassy attack Posted: 31 Dec 2019 09:07 PM PST  Charging that Iran was "fully responsible" for an attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, President Donald Trump ordered about 750 U.S. soldiers deployed to the Middle East as about 3,000 more prepared for possible deployment in the next several days. No U.S. casualties or evacuations were reported after the attack Tuesday by dozens of Iran-supported militiamen. U.S. Marines were sent from Kuwait to reinforce the compound.
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| Police, protesters clash in New Year's rally in Hong Kong Posted: 31 Dec 2019 08:08 PM PST  Hundreds of thousands of people packed Hong Kong streets for an annual New Year's Day protest march as the monthslong pro-democracy movement extended into 2020 with further violence between police and demonstrators. Banks and businesses identified with mainland China have been frequent targets of hardcore protesters.
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| Australia sending aid to wildfire towns as death toll rises Posted: 31 Dec 2019 07:35 PM PST  Australia deployed military ships and aircraft Wednesday to help communities ravaged by apocalyptic wildfires that have left at least 17 people dead nationwide and sent thousands of residents and holidaymakers fleeing to the shoreline. Navy ships and military aircraft were bringing water, food and fuel to towns where supplies were depleted and roads were cut off by the fires. Authorities confirmed three bodies were found Wednesday at Lake Conjola on the south coast of New South Wales, bringing the death toll in the state to 15.
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