U.K. Parliament Seeks to Impose Plan B on May: Brexit Update - Bloomberg

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1. U.K. Parliament Seeks to Impose Plan B on May: Brexit Update  Bloomberg
2. Brexit in meltdown - May under pressure to forge softer divorce deal  Reuters
3. PM may have to accept soft Brexit if Commons backs it, says minister  Cengiz Adabag News
4. A customs union would not solve the Brexit conundrum  The Guardian
5. It’s time for common sense on Brexit – a customs union must prevail  The Guardian
6. View full coverage on Google News

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-01/u-k-parliament-seeks-to-impose-plan-b-on-may-brexit-update

2019-04-01 11:10:00Z
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Theresa May hints at election as Brexit votes go before Parliament: Live updates - CNN International

Pro-Brexit supporters at Parliament Square on Friday.

Pro-Brexit supporters at Parliament Square on Friday.Getty Images

This was meant to be the UK's first full week outside the European Union.

But after nearly three years of infighting, division and political paralysis, the deadlock over Brexit rumbles on.

This week is another crucial one in the process. With rumors of a looming general election, the prospect of yet another meaningful vote, and a series of indicative ballots in the House of Commons, things might be a lot clearer in a few days' time. Then again -- they might not.

Lawmakers will get the first opportunity to negotiate a way out of Britain's deepening political crisis. Today they'll hold a second round of indicative votes, hoping to coalesce behind a Brexit plan that could rival Theresa May's and force the PM into a compromise.

Options that MPs could vote on will likely include a Customs Union plan and a second referendum -- and while the ballots are not legally binding, a united show of support would be difficult for Downing Street to ignore.

Another round of indicative votes could take place on Wednesday, but reports suggest that Theresa May is also planning to find time this week for yet another so-called meaningful vote on her Withdrawal Agreement. That divorce deal has already failed in the Commons three times, by majorities of 230, 149 and 58.

And in case that wasn't enough Westminster drama for one week, rumors also abound that May could call a snap general election to break the deadlock. The last time she tried that, in 2017, it backfired spectacularly -- with May losing her majority in Parliament.

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https://edition.cnn.com/uk/live-news/brexit-indicative-votes-monday-gbr-intl/index.html

2019-04-01 09:26:00Z
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Turkey's lira slides as President Erdogan's party suffers pivotal losses - CNBC

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AK Party) has lost the capital Ankara and looks set to lose the commercial hub of Istanbul after 25 years in power in both cities, as Sunday's municipal election results — largely seen as a referendum on the president himself — roll in.

The Turkish lira fell sharply at the opening of London trade on Monday, the latest rout after a turbulent week that saw Turkey's overnight swap rate shoot up as high as 1,200 percent as the central bank tried to shore up the currency.

On Monday morning, the lira sunk at roughly 8:30 a.m London time after the country's election board said the opposition party was ahead in Istanbul's mayoral election, briefly trading at $5.6913. The currency had traded at 5.61 to the dollar after the initial results came in on Sunday evening, compared with 5.55 at Friday's close.

The country's BIST 100 stock index was down 1.65 percent as European markets opened, after falling more than 7 percent last week.

Markets now fear that the electoral losses will push Erdogan to double down on populist policies that helped send the currency tanking last year, when his interference in central bank independence held interest rates down despite soaring inflation and sent investors running for the hills. Last year saw the lira lose 30 percent of its value against the dollar.

The victories claimed by the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) are a formidable blow to the ruling right-wing AK Party — particularly the expected loss of Istanbul, where Erdogan first made his political debut as city mayor in the 1990s. Still, the AK Party and its far-right coalition partner the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) secured more than 50 percent of the national vote and won a majority of Istanbul's districts.

Voters went to the polls with a major concern at the top of their list: the economy.

Unemployment in Turkey is now around 13 percent, nearly a decade high, and inflation sat at 19.7 in February — though that's the first time it's dropped below 20 percent since August.

"The market will now want to see what reforms the AKP is going to roll out, after the new promises made by Erdogan," Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets strategist at Bluebay Asset Management, commented in an email note Monday, noting that the president will remain powerful after years of consolidating power through constitutional changes.

"The actual election results don't change that much, Turkey still faces huge economic challenges based around a loss of confidence in policy making," he said. "First and foremost confidence in economic policy making has to be rebuilt to stop the trend of rising dollarization."

The drop in the lira has led to the weakening of consumer purchasing power and caused acute pain for Turkish banks and businesses with high dollar-denominated debt — reports have put the volume of Turkey's foreign-currency denominated corporate debt at 50 percent of the country's GDP (gross domestic product).

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/01/turkey-lira-slides-as-erdogans-party-suffers-pivotal-losses.html

2019-04-01 07:47:29Z
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Taiwan scrambles jets to confront Chinese fighters after rare incursion - CNN

The island's military scrambled fighter planes after it said two Chinese J-11 fighter jets crossed the border within the waters of the Taiwan Strait, known as the median line, at about 11 a.m. on Sunday.

"Two PLAAF J-11 jets violated the long-held tacit agreement by crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. It was an intentional, reckless and provocative action. We've informed regional partners and condemn China for such behavior," the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement

If confirmed as intentional, the Chinese incursion would be the first of its kind in years, said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the center of Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"Chinese jets flew across the center line frequently in 1999," Glaser said. "Since then, there have been occasions when PRC jets flew toward the center line and then veered off. They haven't crossed it in a long time. By some accounts 20 years."

She said there was one instance in 2011 when Chinese planes accidentally crossed the line.

According to local Taiwan media, the Sunday incident triggered a 10-minute standoff between jets from the two sides.

China and Taiwan have been separately governed since the end of a brutal civil war in 1949. Beijing views the self-governed island as part of its territory.

Weekend activities

On Saturday, the Japanese Self-Defense Force announced it had also scrambled fighters after the Chinese air force flew between Japan's islands of Okinawa and Miyako.

Japan's Self Defense Forces said in a statement the Chinese air force had sent four Xian H-6K long range bombers, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic countermeasures aircraft, one Tupolev Tu-154 MD electronic intelligence plane and at least two fighter jets through international airspace between Japanese islands on Saturday.

It isn't the first time China has flown planes over the Miyako Strait -- in March 2018, it conducted drills with bombers and fighter jets in the same area

In the past 12-months China's military has ramped up the number of drills and exercises it conducts around Taiwan, including sailing the aircraft carrier Liaoning through the strait.

In a speech in January, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Taiwan independence was a "dead end," warning he didn't rule out force as a method of reunification.

Speaking on Wednesday, Taiwan President Tsai said her government had submitted a request to buy new F-16 fighters and M1 heavy tanks from the United States, which she said would "greatly enhance" the island's defense capabilities.

The Chinese government has yet to respond to statements made by Japan or Taiwan, but in a press conference last Thursday, Ministry of Defense spokesman Wu Qian said potential US sales to Taiwan were "dangerous."

"We will strive for peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and greatest efforts. However ... we will take all necessary measure to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and protect peace and stability across the strait," he said.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/01/asia/china-japan-taiwan-jets-intl/index.html

2019-04-01 07:13:00Z
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Taiwan scrambles jets to confront Chinese fighters after rare incursion - CNN

The island's military scrambled fighter planes after it said two Chinese J-11 fighter jets crossed the border within the waters of the Taiwan Strait, known as the median line, at about 11 a.m. on Sunday.

"Two PLAAF J-11 jets violated the long-held tacit agreement by crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait. It was an intentional, reckless and provocative action. We've informed regional partners and condemn China for such behavior," the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement

If confirmed as intentional, the Chinese incursion would be the first of its kind in years, said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at the center of Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"Chinese jets flew across the center line frequently in 1999," Glaser said. "Since then, there have been occasions when PRC jets flew toward the center line and then veered off. They haven't crossed it in a long time. By some accounts 20 years."

She said there was one instance in 2011 when Chinese planes accidentally crossed the line.

According to local Taiwan media, the Sunday incident triggered a 10-minute standoff between jets from the two sides.

China and Taiwan have been separately governed since the end of a brutal civil war in 1949. Beijing views the self-governed island as part of its territory.

Weekend activities

On Saturday, the Japanese Self-Defense Force announced it had also scrambled fighters after the Chinese air force flew between Japan's islands of Okinawa and Miyako.

Japan's Self Defense Forces said in a statement the Chinese air force had sent four Xian H-6K long range bombers, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic countermeasures aircraft, one Tupolev Tu-154 MD electronic intelligence plane and at least two fighter jets through international airspace between Japanese islands on Saturday.

It isn't the first time China has flown planes over the Miyako Strait -- in March 2018, it conducted drills with bombers and fighter jets in the same area

In the past 12-months China's military has ramped up the number of drills and exercises it conducts around Taiwan, including sailing the aircraft carrier Liaoning through the strait.

In a speech in January, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Taiwan independence was a "dead end," warning he didn't rule out force as a method of reunification.

Speaking on Wednesday, Taiwan President Tsai said her government had submitted a request to buy new F-16 fighters and M1 heavy tanks from the United States, which she said would "greatly enhance" the island's defense capabilities.

The Chinese government has yet to respond to statements made by Japan or Taiwan, but in a press conference last Thursday, Ministry of Defense spokesman Wu Qian said potential US sales to Taiwan were "dangerous."

"We will strive for peaceful reunification with utmost sincerity and greatest efforts. However ... we will take all necessary measure to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and protect peace and stability across the strait," he said.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/01/asia/china-japan-taiwan-jets-intl/index.html

2019-04-01 05:58:00Z
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Zuzana Caputova Elected First Female President Of Slovakia - NPR

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Zuzana Caputova, elected as Slovakia's first female president, greets supporters on Saturday evening. Petr David Josek/AP hide caption

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Petr David Josek/AP

Zuzana Caputova, a liberal environmental activist and a political newcomer, was elected Slovakia's first female president Saturday, riding to victory on a wave of public outrage against corruption in government.

With 58 percent of the vote, Caputova edged out European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, a diplomat backed by the county's governing Smer-Social Democracy party.

In her acceptance speech, Caputova framed her win as a rebuke to the nationalist rhetoric on the rise in central Europe in recent years. Since 2015, nationalist parties have won victories in Hungary, Poland and Austria.

"I am happy not just for the result, but mainly that it is possible not to succumb to populism, to tell the truth, to raise interest without aggressive vocabulary," she told supporters.

Voters had been outspoken about their disgust with political corruption. After a journalist reporting on political corruption and his fiance were shot and killed last February, tens of thousands of Slovaks took to the street in protest, chanting "Enough with Smer." The protests would eventually prompt the resignation of the country's prime minister at the time, Robert Fico.

Ján Orlovský, who heads Slovakia's Open Society Foundations, told NPR at the time, "We have lots of these skeletons in the closet, which we need to address and one of the skeletons is corruption."

Caputova, a vocal participant in the protests that rocked the country, has promised to tackle corruption head-on. Casting herself as the anti-corruption candidate with the campaign slogan "stand up to evil," she vowed to shake-up the political establishment, which she says is currently run "by people pulling strings from behind."

Immediately after her victory, Caputova lit a candle at a memorial for the assassinated journalist, Ján Kuciak, and his fiancee, Martina Kusnírová.

First Slovak female president Zuzana Čaputová lit the candle for murdered journalist #JanKucia and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. It was first thing she did after elections.
Photo @tomas_halasz #Nikon pic.twitter.com/TTi7DJhdWU

— Filip Struhárik (@filip_struharik) March 31, 2019

Caputova gained popularity in Slovakia after her decade-long crusade to shut down a toxic waste dump, which was spewing poison into her hometown of Pezinok in western Slovakia. Her campaign to close the site earned her a prestigious Goldman Environmental prize in 2016, along with the nickname "Erin Brockovich of Slovakia."

Caputova will be Slovakia's fifth president since the country gained independence in 1993.

As NPR's Joanna Kakissis has reported, Slovakia's presidential post is "largely ceremonial," with the president wielding little day-t0-day power. But, Caputova has been outspoken about her desire to use the platform to promote transparency.

She will take office in June.

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https://www.npr.org/2019/03/31/708587211/the-erin-brockovich-of-slovakia-is-elected-the-country-s-first-female-president

2019-03-31 23:12:00Z
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Erdogan bloc 'loses Ankara' in local polls; Istanbul race tight - Aljazeera.com

Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party is locked in a tight race for control of Istanbul, the country's largest city, as the main opposition alliance appears set to win the local election race in the capital, according to partial results.

With 99 percent of the votes counted in Istanbul, Binali Yildirim, the candidate of Erdogan's People's Alliance and a former prime minister, was in the lead with 48.7 percent, state-run Anadolu Agency said on Sunday. Ekrem Imamoglu, the candidate of the opposition Nation Alliance, had 48.65 percent. 

In Ankara, preliminary results showed that Nation Alliance candidate Mansur Yavas had garnered 50.6 percent, with 92 percent of the votes counted. He was followed by Mehmet Ozhaseki, the People's Alliance nominee in the capital, with 47.2 percent. 

In the third-largest city, Izmir, the Nation Alliance candidate Mustafa Tunc Soyer was in the lead with 58.1 percent. Nihat Zeybekci, the candidate of Erdogan's bloc, had 38.5 percent.

Nationwide, with 91.7 percent of the provincial votes counted, the People's Alliance, which is comprised of the AK Party and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), had secured 51.7 percent of the votes.

It was followed by Nation Alliance, a coalition made up by the centre-left Republican People's Party (CHP) and the right-wing Good Party, with 37.6 percent.

Erdogan vows economic reforms

The polls posed a major challenge for Erdogan given a backdrop of high inflation and rising unemployment sparked by a major currency crisis last year.

Speaking at a news conference in Istanbul, Erdogan on Sunday acknowledged that his party had lost control in a number of cities, and pledged that he would focus on carrying out economic reforms.

Erdogan, who was elected last year as the country's first executive president, said the next polls would be held in June 2023, adding that Turkey would carefully implement a "strong economic programme" without compromising on free-market rules. 

Murat Yetkin, a Turkish political analyst, told Al Jazeera that if "the Erdogan-led AK Party-MHP alliance loses Istanbul [along with Ankara] as well, that means loss of control over five major cities in Turkey."

"Even if Istanbul, with 11 million voters, is won with a few thousand votes, it will be perceived as a major loss," he said.

"The results also show that the executive presidential system, which was designed to avoid coalitions, has led to a de facto coalition, since the AK Party cannot maintain majority without its symbiotic partnership with MHP."

Ozgur Dilber, a CHP volunteer, said the results showed that the AK Party's popularity was waning - even if  Erdogan's bloc won in Istanbul.

"To me, the results are a proof that the number of voters who want change is increasing," he told Al Jazeera outside the party's election monitoring office.

Focus on economy, security

Earlier this month, official statistics showed that in the last two quarters of 2018 the Turkish economy slipped into its first recession in a decade, as inflation and interest rates soared due to the currency meltdown.

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In February, inflation stood at just under 20 percent, while the Central Bank's main interest rate is currently 24 percent.  

In the lead-up to Sunday's vote, the People's Alliance sought to link the local polls to internal and external risks threatening the country's security.

Erdogan has often blamed foreign powers and "speculators" for the currency fluctuations and other economic woes faced by Turkey - a message he repeated this week.

For its part, the main opposition alliance has focused its campaign on the economic situation and its effect on citizens.

It also used Turkish flags in their campaigns, rather than party banners, in an apparent bid to attract voters from different backgrounds.

Follow Umut Uras on Twitter @Um_Uras

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/03/erdogan-ruling-ak-party-takes-lead-key-local-polls-190331155748741.html

2019-03-31 21:47:00Z
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