Written by Econintersect
Early Bird Headlines 14 October 2019
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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Notice: We have changed the form of content coverage for Early Bird. We will provide discussion only for Asia Markets news and a small number (often 1 or 2) other articles. The remainder of the content will be headlines (with links) only.
Key Articles
Global
- Asia markets advance as investors cheered a partial US-China trade deal (CNBC) Asia Pacific markets rose across the board on Monday as investor sentiment improved following last week’s high-level trade negotiations between the United States and China. The U.S. dollar traded at 98.436 against a basket of its peer, after declining from levels above 98.700 in the previous week. Oil prices slipped on Monday: U.S. crude futures fell 1.21% to $54.04 per barrel while global benchmark Brent shed 1.22% to $59.77. Spot gold dropped 0.2% to $1,485.86 per ounce as of 0330 GMT, having shed 1% in the previous week. U.S. gold futures inched up 0.1% to $1,490.20 per ounce. U.S. treasury yields were sharply higher.
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U.S.
- Collins: Schiff wants interviews kept secret because Dems ‘can’t win this in the public eye’ (Fox News) House committees are expected to continue their series of closed-door transcribed interviews as part of their impeachment-related investigation of President Trump this week, and Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga. claims the secrecy is due to the Democratic majority not wanting the public to know that the testimony does not support their narrative.
- Adam Schiff says whistleblower may not testify in impeachment probe (Politico) House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff indicated Sunday that the whistleblower at the heart of Democrats’ impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump might not testify over concerns about the person’s safety.
Schiff’s remarks come after Trump dramatically escalated his attacks on the whistleblower and as he repeatedly calls for the official to be unmasked. Trump’s unrelenting barrage has spurred worries from Democrats that congressional Republicans might try to reveal that person’s identity – conceivably endangering his or her safety – at the behest of the president.
- Pro-Trump Conference Attended by Sarah Sanders Showcased Edited Video of President Killing Political Opponents (Mediaite) See also Macabre Video of Fake Trump Shooting Media and Critics Is Shown at His Resort (The New York Times). A video depicting a macabre scene of a fake President Trump shooting, stabbing and brutally assaulting members of the news media and his political opponents was shown at a conference for his supporters at his Miami resort last week, according to footage obtained by The New York Times.
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Poland
Syria
- Turkey-Syria offensive: Kurds reach deal with Syrian army (BBC News) The Kurds in Syria say the Syrian government has agreed to send its army to the northern border to try to halt Turkey’s offensive against them. Syrian state media earlier reported that government forces had been deployed to the north. It follows the US decision to pull all its remaining troops from the area over the “untenable” situation there. The Turkish assault, launched last week, is aimed at forcing Kurdish forces from along the border area. Dozens of civilians and fighters have been killed on both sides.
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Japan
- Typhoon Hagibis: Japan deploys 110,000 rescuers after worst storm in decades (BBC News) More than 110,000 people are taking part in search and rescue operations after Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on Saturday. The typhoon – the worst storm to hit the country in decades – has left at least 37 dead, with 20 missing. The typhoon battered into eight prefectures across Japan, with wind speeds of up to 225km/h (140mph) and record rainfall. It has weakened and is now moving northeast across northern Japan. Second picture below shows a train depot in Nagano that was flooded, causing 10 high speed (“bullet”) trains to be submerged. Each train has been valued at $30 million.
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China
- China’s U.S. dollar-denominated exports fell 3.2% in September from a year ago, while imports dropped 8.5% during the same period, Reuters reported on Monday, citing the Chinese customs.
- Economists polled by Reuters had expected Chinese exports to fall by 3% and imports to decline 5.2% in September compared to a year ago.
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Other important articles
U.S.
- What’s next in the impeachment inquiry as Congress returns (Associated Press)
- Trump backs ‘legendary’ Giuliani amid reports of investigation into possible lobbying violations (Fox News)
- 2014 photograph shows earlier ties between Trump and indicted Giuliani associate (Politico)
- What, Exactly, Is Tulsi Gabbard Up To? (The New York Times)
EU
- ‘No breakthrough yet’ as intensive Brexit talks continue (Politico)
- Brexit deal can be done, but work still to do – Coveney (Reuters)
Germany
Hungary
Spain
- Catalan separatist leaders given lengthy prison sentences (The Guardian)
Turkey
- As options narrow on Syria, Trump prepares to drop sanctions hammer on Turkey (Reuters)
- Turkish lira slips but traders doubt Trump’s sanctions threat (Reuters)
Russia
Syria
- Concerns over ISIS escapees as Syrian troops move to border area to join fight with Kurds (CNN)
- Syria war criminals may find the law is finally closing in on them (The Guardian)
- Furious Republicans prepare to rebuke Trump on Syria (The Hill)
Iran
India
- India bars public gatherings in temple town as court verdict nears (Reuters)
India, China leaders talk trade and not territorial dispute (CNBC)
China
Canada
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