Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 01 November 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
- Asia stocks kick off November with mostly positive results; Softbank dives more than 8 percent (CNBC) Shares in Asia were mainly higher in the first trading day of November trading after a roller coaster October rocked stocks in the region. The U.S. dollar index was higher at 96.737 but off an earlier high of 97.115. The Brent crude January futures contract lost $0.44 (0.32%) to trade at $74.72 per barrel by GMT 0054 GMT. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures fell $0.46 to $65.01 a barrel. Spot gold was up 0.2% at $1,216.23 an ounce, as of 0123 GMT, after three sessions of falls in a row. Prices fell to their lowest since Oct. 11 at $1,211.52 an ounce on Wednesday.
U.S.
- Trump shocks with racist new ad days before midterms (CNN) In the most racially charged national political ad in 30 years, President Donald Trump and the Republican Party accuse Democrats of plotting to help Central American invaders overrun the nation with cop killers. The new spot, tweeted by the President five days before the midterm elections, is the most extreme step yet in the most inflammatory closing argument of any campaign in recent memory. The Trump campaign ad was the latest example of the President’s willingness to lie and fear-monger in order to tear at racial and societal divides; to embrace demagoguery to bolster his own political power and the cause of the Republican midterm campaign. The man in questioned had been deported twice: once under Bill Clinton and again under George Bush. See https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1057728445386539008.
- Trump’s attack on Ryan seen as advance scapegoating (The Hill) President Trump’s stunning attack on Speaker Paul Ryan (R, WI) on Wednesday is being interpreted by many on Capitol Hill as an attempt to deflect blame and throw the retiring Speaker under the bus should the GOP lose its House majority next week. The commander-in-chief took to Twitter, just six days before the midterm elections, to publicly slam Ryan for rejecting his calls to end birthright citizenship via executive order. Trump tweeted Wednesday:
“Paul Ryan should be focusing on holding the Majority rather than giving his opinions on Birthright Citizenship, something he knows nothing about! Our new Republican Majority will work on this, Closing the Immigration Loopholes and Securing our Border!”
- More voters associate with Trump than GOP: poll (The Hill) More GOP voters associate with President Trump than they do with the Republican party itself, underscoring the degree to which Trump has taken over the GOP brand, according to a new poll. The Harris Poll, conducted with Harvard University’s Center for American Political Studies, found that 46% of Republican registered voters surveyed said they associate with Trump, compared to 25% who say they associate with GOP itself. But there is good news for the party: Approval of the Republican party has risen and, for the first time in over a year, as many approve of the Republicans as approve of the Democrats.
- 100+ immigrants waited in line in 10 cities for court dates that didn’t exist (CNN) Lines snaked around the block outside immigration courts across the United States on Wednesday. But many people standing in them later learned they had no reason to be there. More than 100 immigrants showed up to court carrying paperwork ordering them to appear before a judge, only to find out that their court dates hadn’t actually been scheduled, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). And as a result, uncharacteristically long lines were reported outside at least 10 immigration courts, the association said.
Lawyers told CNN it’s part of a troubling trend that shows how dysfunctional the system has become and how chaotic the Trump administration’s approach to immigration enforcement can be.
- Pittsburgh synagogue suspect due in federal court Thursday (Associated Press) The suspect in the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre is expected to make a brief appearance in court Thursday to be arraigned on an indictment that charges him with murder, hate crimes, obstructing in the practice of religion, and other crimes.
- Here’s what Donald Trump will say on November 7 (CNN) Fast forward one week with me: The 2018 midterm elections are (mostly) over. Democrats have regained the House majority for the first time since 2010. Republicans have narrowly held onto their Senate majority, adding a single seat. President Donald Trump holds a news conference to talk about the results — and what they mean for him and his 2020 prospects. And he says this (hypothetically):
“We always knew this was going to be a very tough election. Most presidents have lost huge numbers of seats in the House and Senate. When I first took office, many people said we would lose the House and Senate. And lose them badly. Many presidents have suffered far greater losses in their first midterm election. Remember that we held the Senate yesterday. Maybe if those guys in the House had stuck a little closer to me, we might have held the House too. So true. So, all in all, this election is far better than the fake news media and the so-called experts were saying. And we still have control of the Senate, so important, so we can keep appointing conservatives judges to the federal bench.”
EU
- Europe torn over Islamic State children in Syria (Reuters) For years, they heard little from daughters who went to join Islamic State. Now dozens of families across Europe have received messages from those same women, desperate to return home from detention in Syria.
UK
- Despite the divisions in the Parliament over Brexit, many analysts are expecting the House to approve an exit deal with the EU.
- This is then expected to lift the current cloud of uncertainty over the U.K. economy – which would give further reasons for a rate hike.
Turkey
- Khashoggi was strangled and dismembered, Turkish chief prosecutor says (CNN) The body of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was dismemberedafter he was strangled as soon as he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, the chief prosecutor’s office in Istanbul said Wednesday. This was carried out as part of a premeditated plan, according to a statement by the chief prosecutor’s office. The statement is the clearest yet from the Turkish authorities about the fate of the Washington Post journalist, whose remains have not yet been found. See also Khashoggi fiancée: Trump should ‘not pave the way for a cover-up’.
Russia
- Russia Vows “It Will Act” If Ukraine or Georgia Join NATO (Zero Hedge) Russia has vowed that they “will act” should Ukraine or Georgia join NATO. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu voiced his concern over what he described as the “militarization of the European continent,” by promising action instead of empty rhetoric. This statement by Shoigu appears to be a sign of the country’s unease in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out the United States out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). Speaking during a meeting with Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, Shoigu said:
“We are following with alarm NATO’s policy aimed at the active militarization of the European continent. We see efforts being made to involve more and more NATO member countries, I mean the Balkans first of all.”
Afghanistan
- Afghan forces struggle to regain ground as casualties mount: report (Reuters) The Afghan government is struggling to recover control of districts lost to Taliban insurgents while casualties among security forces have reached record levels, a U.S. watchdog agency said on Thursday.
India
- India wants ability to trace WhatsApp messages to stop violence (The Hill) The Indian government is pressing WhatsApp to give it the locations and identities of people using the Facebook-owned mobile messaging app to spread fake information that has led to violence. India’s Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad asked WhatsApp vice president Chris Daniels about the action during a meeting this week.The company has previously said that handing over such information would undermine the platform’s end-to-end encryption that has made it popular with privacy-minded users. The Indian government is standing by its request for the data. See also Be ready to trace the origin of messages, WhatsApp told (The Hindu).
- India jumps higher in World Bank’s ranking of how easy it is to do business (CNBC)
- The ease of doing business in India improved notably after a series of reforms have made it easier for companies to get construction permits, pay taxes and trade across borders, according to a new report from the World Bank.
- India jumped 23 spots from a year ago to 77 out of 190 countries on the ease of doing business ranking.
- It was also among the top 10 most improved economies, according to the “Doing Business 2019” report.
Japan
- Japan resumes work at disputed site for US base relocation (Associated Press) Japan’s central government resumed work at a disputed U.S. military base relocation site on Thursday even though Okinawa residents see the project as an undemocratic imposition on the small southern island. An early stage of landfill work at Henoko on Okinawa’s east coast began Thursday morning, following the central government’s decision this week to reverse Okinawa’s earlier ban on landfill work at the site, said Satoshi Shirakata, a spokesman at the Okinawa Defense Bureau overseeing the project.
North and South Korea
- No-fly zone, military drill ban near Korea border take effect (Reuters) A no-fly zone and a ban on military drills near the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea came into effect on Thursday as the once uneasy neighbors push to further defuse tensions.
China
- Despite the better-than-expected headline number and slight expansion in manufacturing activity for October, a detailed reading of the survey showed softness in the Chinese economy.
- Caixin and IHS Markit reported October Purchasing Managers’ index (PMI) was 50.1 for October, beating analysts’ expectations.
- Banned Ozone-Depleting Chemical Was Used Illegally in China (Live Science) Emissions of carbon tetrachloride are growing in China. In graphic below: (a) 2009 – 2010, (b) 2011 – 2012, (c) 2013 – 2014, and (d) 2015 – 2016. For details see Continued Emissions of the Ozoneâ€Depleting Substance Carbon Tetrachloride From Eastern Asia (Geophysical Research Letters)
- China Feels Trade War Pain as Export Gauge Signals Worse to Come (Bloomberg) The first official gauge of China’s economy in October showed manufacturing activity continued to worsen, as the effects of an ongoing trade war with the U.S. hit home. The manufacturing purchasing managers index fell to 50.2 this month, lower than projected in a Bloomberg survey of forecasters. A gauge of new orders for export, which gives an indication of demand, fell further into contraction territory, dropping to the lowest reading since early 2016.
Mexico
- Militia offers to help stop caravan raise concern at border (Associated Press) Militia groups and far-right activists are raising money and announcing plans to head to the Mexican border to help stop the caravan of Central Americans, echoing President Donald Trump’s attacks on the migrants making their way toward the U.S. Exactly how many militia members will turn out is unclear, and as of Friday, the caravan of about 4,000 people was still some 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) and weeks away from reaching this country. See also Texas Border Residents Warned Of “Armed Civilians” Confronting Caravan; Trump Says Military Mobilized (Zero Hedge).
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