Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 16 March 2018
Econintersect: Here are some of the headlines we found to help you start your day. For more headlines see our afternoon feature for GEI members, What We Read Today, published Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which has many more headlines and a number of article discussions to keep you abreast of what we have found interesting.
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​Global
- Most Asia markets ease as trade concerns simmer (CNBC) Most Asian markets traded moderately lower on the last day of the trading week amid a backdrop of global trade-related developments and political news out of Washington. The dollar index pared some of its overnight gains to trade at 90.074 by 12:09 p.m. HK/SIN. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil futures for April delivery fell $0.03, or 0.1%, to $61.16 a barrel at 0354 GMT. Brent crude futures trading in London fell $0.07 to $65.05. Spot gold was unchanged at $1,315.80 per ounce at 0100 GMT.
U.S.
- Trump has decided to remove his national security adviser: Washington Post (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump has decided to replace his national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, but the move is not expected to be made immediately, the Washington Post reported on Thursday. Citing five people with knowledge of the plans, the Post said Trump was considering several possible replacements, including former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and Keith Kellogg, the chief of staff of the National Security Council. But see also McMaster Ouster Denied by White House Amid Reports He’s Next (Bloomberg).
- Republicans fear they botched Russia report rollout (Politico) House Republicans are privately venting that they’ve fumbled the release of their own Russia probe report. The blaring headline the GOP wanted from this week’s rollout was clear: After a year of searching, Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee found no evidence that President Donald Trump or his associates aided Moscow’s scheme to interfere in the 2016 election but that the nation must still prepare for another assault from the Kremlin.
Instead, much of the focus has been on lawmakers’ startling conclusion that the nation’s intelligence agencies botched their analysis when they determined Russia wanted Trump to defeat Hillary Clinton.
- US housing department adviser quits amid questions of fraud and inflated biography (The Guardian) Naved Jafry, who called for radical privatization to fix America’s cities, steps down following inquiry from The Guardian about his record.
- Mueller Risks Crossing Trump’s Red Line With Reported Subpoena (Bloomberg)
Trump Organization supoenaed by Mueller, says New York Times
President has suggested his business is beyond scope of probe
- Exclusive: Trump finalizing opioid plan that includes death penalty for dealers (Politico) The Trump administration is finalizing a long-awaited plan that it says will solve the opioid crisis, but it also calls for law enforcement measures – like the death penalty for some drug dealers – that public health advocates and congressional Republicans warn will detract from efforts to reverse the epidemic.
- Florida bridge collapse: four dead after new walkway falls on busy road (The Guardian) Pedestrian bridge linked to Florida International University which was just erected in 9 hours collapsed in seconds, crushing vehicles. The state’s governor vows investigation.
UK
- Britain’s expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats marks a return to Cold War ejections (The Washington Post) Prime Minister Theresa May announced Wednesday that her government will expel 23 Russian diplomats from Britain. It will be the biggest expulsion of Russian diplomats from the country since 1985 – marking a return to the large-scale diplomatic ejections that took place during the Cold War.
Iraq
- How the Iraq War Destabilized the Entire Middle East (CounterPunch) The disaster that followed the U.S. decision to invade Iraq could have an analog in other parts of the world with the curent administration, according to this op ed.
India
- As Southeast Asia faces doubts about Beijing and Washington, the region is turning to India and Australia as potential counterweights, experts say.
- Vietnam, for one, is cozying up to New Delhi on South China Sea issues and defense deals.
- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Canberra are holding a special summit in Sydney, a potential sign that the region is warming up further to Australia.
- Indian regional party pulls out of PM Modi’s coalition: sources (Reuters) See also next article. A regional political party on Friday pulled out of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coalition government in a row over financial assistance to a southern state the regional group governs, two sources said. “The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has withdrawn support from the ruling coalition,” said a senior official of Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in New Delhi. The TDP has 16 members in the parliament, but Modi’s coalition remains in majority.
- Triple bypoll shock for BJP in U.P. and Bihar (The Hindu) PM Nahrendra Modi’s BJP has suffered setbacks in regional elections.
Japan
- Japan cronyism scandal linked to Shinzo Abe and wife worsens with suicide note (The Guardian) A cronyism scandal engulfing the Japanese government has taken a dark turn, with reports that a finance official left a note before his suicide saying that he was forced to rewrite crucial records.
The finance ministry admitted this week that it had altered 14 documents surrounding the sale of public land at an 85% discount to a nationalistic school operator with links to prime minister Shinzo Abe’s wife Akie.
North Korea
- South Korea gears up for summit, report shows North Korea testing reactor (Reuters) South Korean officials began preparations on Friday for a summit next month with North Korea aimed at reducing tensions on the peninsula, as a report showed the North had probably begun testing a nuclear reactor as recently as late February. The report by intelligence analysts at Jane’s by IHS Markit said satellite imagery from Feb. 25 showed emissions of non-condensable gases from a stack at the North’s experimental light water reactor (ELWR) at the Yongbyon Atomic Energy Research Center, suggesting preliminary testing had likely begun.
- North Korea’s growing nuclear threat – in 3 charts (CNBC) Click on any graphic for large image.
China
- Tibet can exist with China like ‘European Union’: Dalai Lama (Reuters) Tibet can exist within China in the same spirit as the European Union sticks together, the territory’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, considered a dangerous separatist by Beijing, said. The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after an abortive uprising against Chinese rule and set up a government in exile in the foothills of Dharamsala. Chinese troops had seized control of Tibet nine years earlier.
Australia
- No longer ‘alternative’, mainstream renewables are pushing prices down (The Guardian) While the pro-fossi fuel government insists that renewables have made the Australian grid unreliable, this author writes that lights have stayed on and prices are dropping.
