With Parliament having rejected every Brexit solution put forward so far, and an economically disastrous "no deal" exit from the EU looming, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday that another "short" Brexit extension is necessary and that she's ready to compromise with the opposition Labour Party.
Details: After a marathon cabinet meeting during which members' phones were confiscated to avoid leaks, May offered to meet with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to seek a joint plan "to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal." Failing that, May proposed that she and Corbyn would agree on a series of votes to be put to Parliament, while promising that the government would stick to whatever plan gains majority support.
Kaspersky Lab released a third-party research report Tuesday arguing that the U.S.' publicly announced logic behind a federal ban on Kaspersky's wares is based on a faulty understanding of Russian law.
The big picture: Kaspersky has been locking horns with the Department of Homeland Security and lawmakers after both independently banned Kaspersky software from government systems. The third-party report, written by Professor Kaj Hober of Uppsala University, Sweden, is part of a transparency offensive meant to counter the reputational hit.
The U.S. has suspended delivery of F-35 fighter jet parts to Turkey because of Ankara's "unacceptable" acquisition of the S-400 Russian missile defense system, the Pentagon confirmed Monday.
Why it matters: This is the latest of severaldisagreements between Washington and Ankara, ranging from Middle East policy to Turkey demanding Fethullah Gulen's extradition over a failed 2016 Turkish coup. In March, the U.S. said Turkey would lose its trade status allowing exports to enter the United States duty-free.
The House of Commons on Monday rejected all 4 alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal for the second time.
Why it matters: The U.K. leaving the EU without a deal remains the default option on April 12. The majority of MPs don't want that to happen, but Parliament has still been unable to find common ground for an alternative solution.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned the Lebanese government during his recent visit to Beirut that Hezbollah and Iran have set up a new covert factory for precision missiles on Lebanese soil, U.S. sources briefed on the matter tell me.
Why it matters: The sources say Pompeo based his warning on intelligence he received from Israel. Israel is greatly concerned about Hezbollah's manufacturing of precision missiles but hasn't responded with military force out of concern that could lead to an all out war.
Chinese onshore bonds, denominated in yuan, officially join the Bloomberg Barclay's Global Aggregate Index today, providing access to China's $13 trillion debt market, the world's third-largest after the U.S. and Japan.
By the numbers: The index is tracked by around $3 trillion of assets and will include debt securities issued by China's treasury or its 3 policy banks. The initial weighting will grow to 6% over a 20-month phase-in program, meaning about $180 billion of investor capital will flow to China.
A Vietnamese woman accused of killing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother says she's accepted a lower charge of causing hurt by a dangerous weapon, Channel NewsAsia reported Monday local time.
Details: Kim Jong-nam died after liquid VX nerve agent was smeared in his face at Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017. Doan Thi Huong and her co-accused, Indonesian woman Siti Aisyah, say they didn't kill him and believed they were in a TV prank. Only Huong's in custody, but her lawyer said she could soon be freed now she's pled guilty to the lower charge, downgraded from murder — the maximum penalty for which is hanging.
