Politico: Jeremy Corbyn betting on Brexit fatigue

Britain’s opposition leader, who exceeded expectations in Theresa May’s snap election in June with a campaign focused on public spending rather than Europe, shows no sign of changing tack despite pressure from his own MPs to row back on his support for leaving the single market. [...]

If Brexit was on his mind, he showed very little sign of it as he addressed 1,000 enthusiastic supporters in the remote village of Pool, with a lengthy stump speech focused on the National Health Service. [...]

But with the party gearing up for its annual September conference and Brexit negotiations heating up, many Labour MPs believe internal disputes over membership of the single market and whether or not to promise a second referendum on the terms of the Brexit deal will reach boiling point. [...]

“Many of those voters, particularly the young voters, who helped us deprive the Tories of a majority in June don’t want Brexit and they certainly don’t want Labour to support a hard Brexit,” said Ben Bradshaw, Labour MP for nearby Exeter. “They are looking for us to show leadership on this and will be hoping that Jeremy and his frontbench colleagues provide it.”

Many in his party are unsure Corbyn will be able to sustain the adoration from huge crowds, like those seen at the summer music festival Glastonbury, if he is seen to be too close to the Conservatives on Brexit, and if the British economy suffers from leaving the single market.

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Al Jazeera: Saudi Arabia to reopen border with Iraq after 27 years

The Mecca newspaper reported that Saudi and Iraqi officials toured the site on Monday and spoke with Iraqi religious pilgrims, who had access to the crossing only once annually during the Hajj pilgrimage season.

Sohaib al-Rawi, the governor of Iraq's southwestern Anbar province, whose staff was on hand for the ceremonies, said the Iraqi government had deployed troops to protect the desert route leading to Arar and called its opening a "significant move" to boost ties. [...]

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are both wooing their northern neighbour in an effort to halt the growing regional influence of arch-foe Iran.

The Sunni-led Arab Gulf countries have hosted influential Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr for talks with their crown princes in recent weeks, rare visits after years of troubled relations.

Sadr's office said his meeting with Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince, resulted in an agreement for Saudi Arabia to donate $10m in aid to the Iraqi government and study possible investments in Shia regions of southern Iraq.

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openDemocracy: Dubai and Gwadar: the silent economic war in the Gulf of Oman

Many economic analysts believe that Gwadar is another Dubai emerging on the world’s map. The controversial issue here is that an economically powerful Gwadar threatens the strategic influence of Dubai in the region. This challenging point, recently, has caused a silent economic war in the Gulf of Oman between two groups of countries. Pakistan, China and Qatar on one side. India and the UAE on the other. [...]

The major revenue of Dubai comes from tourism, aviation, real estate, and financial services. Large construction projects, iconic skyscrapers and sports events are other means of income for Dubai. The world’s tallest building called the Burj Khalifa is located in this emirate. [...]

However, Gwadar port is a serious rival to Dubai. Gwadar port is considered a strategic location, giving China and Central Asia access to the Gulf region and the Middle East. Gwadar port will become the main sea gate for Central Asia. It will also become easier to send products from Xinjiang and central Asian countries to other regions. “The corridor will help reduce transport time for goods from Gwadar port to western China and central Asian regions by about 60 or 70 per cent,” Vice Premier of China Ms Liu Yandong said. [...]

India is another key player in this regional battle. The Chabahar-Gwadar adversary is due to the fact that the ports are at a distance of about 72 km from each other. Both India and Pakistan have been attempting to undermine each other in the region and the development of the two ports is bound to add to the animosity.

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The Atlantic: Hate Groups Are Growing Under Trump

According to research by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the number of hate groups has been increasing rapidly since 2000. Heidi Beirich, director of the Center’s Intelligence Project, links the rise in recruitment to the 2000 census that predicted whites would be a minority by 2042. Beirich says there’s been another spike following the election of Donald Trump, particularly among alt-right organizations who have attached themselves directly to the current president. In an interview filmed at the 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival, Beirich says that Trump’s limited commentary on hate crimes shows his lack of concern.

Financial Times: Gideon Rachman: Why US is now dangerous | Opinion

The FT’s chief foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman says President Donald Trump’s reaction to Pyongyang’s nuclear threat is dangerous. In using rhetoric that North Korea risks ‘fire and fury’ from a ‘locked and loaded’ the US has deliberately escalated tensions.