{"source":"Politics","paragraphs":["\u003cp\u003eBrexit is scheduled to take effect

on Oct. 31, but Mr. Johnson has yet to receive Parliament’s support for the
agreement, making the day’s events a major test of whether he has the necessary
backing to make his plan a reality. By the end of the week, if not Tuesday night,
it will be clear whether Mr. Johnson has failed in his \"do or die\" pledge to
complete the withdrawal by the end of October, even if that means leaving without a
deal.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOn a day that commemorated both the centennial
of the declaration of Germany’s first democratic republic and, just 20 years later,
Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier
called on Germans to embrace an \"enlightened patriotism\" that celebrates their
democratic achievements while guarding them against the forces of hate that led to
the country’s descent into the \"breach of civilization,\" the
Holocaust.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eA leading pro-democracy organization called
on residents to take to the streets again this weekend, in the wake of clashes that
have put the government on the defensive and delayed by at least two days a debate
on a contentious extradition bill. Opponents see the measure, which would allow
extraditions to mainland China, as accelerating the erosion of Hong Kong’s civil
liberties. The city’s Legislative Council is dominated by pro-Beijing members, who
see the bill as closing a loophole that enabled mainland criminals to shelter in
the territory.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eExternal demand - or exports minus
imports - shaved one-tenth of a percentage point off gross domestic product. This
matched the median estimate, but a breakdown of the data showed exports fell 1.8
percent quarter-on-quarter, the fastest decline in more than three years. Japan’s
economy is likely to resume growth in the current quarter, but falling exports
suggest this recovery could be hampered by trade protectionism, which could
increase pressure on policymakers to turn to fiscal
stimulus.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe scandal has rocked Austria. The vice
chancellor, a leader of the far-right Freedom Party, quickly resigned, and new
elections have been called for September. But it is also rippling across Europe,
only days before the European parliamentary elections, as a reminder that Russia
has deep ties to many other populist parties, too. \"What’s strange,\" said Tom
Tugendhat, a Conservative Party lawmaker in Britain, \"is how many of these
nationalist movements seem to be in favor of Russia, not their own
country.\"\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMr. Pompeo spoke ahead of an appearance
later Tuesday at a United Nations Security Council meeting on the Middle East,
where he sought to portray Iran as the region’s principal wrongdoer. \"Failing to
confront the Iranian regime’s malign activities will only grow the regime’s
multicontinental body count,\" Mr. Pompeo told reporters outside the Security
Council.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWith more than 96 percent of ballots counted
as of Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Zelensky’s party, Sluha Narodu (\"Servant of the
People\") — named after the TV series in which he starred — appears to have won
about 43 percent of the popular vote and more than 250 of the 424 seats that were
contested. Sluha Narodu is the first party to secure an outright parliamentary
majority since Ukraine became independent in 1991. The leading pro-Russia party
came in second, and the party of former Prime Minister Yulia V. Tymoshenko third.
(The bloc headed by Mr. Poroshenko ranked fourth.) The newbie party Holos
(\"Voice\"), which is led by a rock star and denounces the influence of oligarchs
and established elites, is projected to win 20 seats; it is thought to be a natural
ally of Mr. Zelensky’s. An estimated 70 percent of members-elect are
newcomers.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSouth Korean Navy commandoes seized the two
North Koreans from their squid-fishing boat in early November after they had
repeatedly resisted an order to surrender, according to South Korean officials.
After their capture, the two confessed that they were running from the law after
murdering the captain and 15 other crewmen on their boat, South Korean officials
said. They also said they wanted to defect to the South. The South Korean
authorities decided to treat them not as political refugees but as \"heinous
criminals.\"\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThough the movement has already started
to simmer down - after a terror attack in Strasbourg and promises of quick economic
relief - the \"Yellow Vests\" may have altered the direction of Mr. Macron’s
presidency. Mr. Macron has been forced to backtrack on some tax increases and
rethink upcoming changes to pensions and unemployment laws, which could steer him
away from his promise to revolutionize France’s
economy.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAfter hours of relative lull throughout
Thursday, the gesture appeared to be a face-saving opening for both countries to
head off a war. But Indian officials were guarded, saying that the pilot’s release
would not necessarily end the crisis, which they said was rooted in Pakistan’s
support of terrorist groups that strike at India. The days before had brought both
nations to the brink. On Tuesday, Indian warplanes dropped bombs inside Pakistan —
it is not clear what they hit — and Pakistan shot down at least one Indian fighter
jet on Wednesday. Tens of thousands of troops have been rushed to the countries’
border, heavy artillery barrages and gunfire have been volleyed across it, and tank
columns have been chugging into place for what many feared could turn into a full-
blown war.\u003c/p\u003e"]}