Bhinneka News Online: Thursday Morning Briefing: Beto's uphill battle

Thursday, 18 October 2018

Thursday Morning Briefing: Beto's uphill battle

Highlights

In a packed Texas convention center, Democrat Beto O’Rourke drew cheers last weekend with a blistering critique of Republican rival Ted Cruz’s support for deporting young undocumented immigrants, part of a stump speech aimed at inspiring Hispanic voters in the country’s most expensive and closely watched Senate race. Is it enough or does Beto have an uphill battle on his hands?

If Democrats win control of the U.S. House of Representatives or Senate next month, nearly every aspect of Donald Trump’s presidency could face swift examination – from his long-elusive tax returns to possible business ties with Russia and conflicts of interest, congressional sources say.

The U.S. Congress could request President Donald Trump’s tax returns under a seldom-used 1924 law, which Democrats say they plan to invoke promptly if they win control of the House of Representatives or the Senate in the Nov. 6 elections. Follow full coverage of the U.S. Midterms.

World

Poland’s government is clashing with Europe. Underlying that is a surge in patriotic values, fostered in schools and a volunteer army. Many Poles - alongside Hungarians and Czechs in eastern Europe - are voicing discontent over foreign influence in their internal affairs. Parties like Poland’s ruling Law and Justice (PiS) are winning support by beating a patriotic drum, and the EU is among the targets.

‘The lithium world is on pins and needles.’ The two biggest lithium producers signed deals to increase their output in the world’s driest desert. The true state of the water supply in a basin of the world’s driest desert has become an obsession of lithium industry watchers.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he did not want to abandon ally Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of a Saudi journalist and has asked for audio recordings Turkish sources say indicate he was killed by Saudi agents.

Commentary: When it comes to defining America’s quandary on Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Donald Trump’s description is mercenary in the extreme. If Washington doesn’t stay close to Riyadh and sell it arms, he told reporters this weekend, the Saudis will turn to Moscow or Beijing instead. He has a point – and one that also speaks to the broader geopolitical and moral issues at stake, writes Reuters global affairs columnist Peter Apps. Across the Middle East, the more the United States attempts to inflict its will on often increasingly autocratic governments, the more they simply turn elsewhere.

Reuters Top News

@Reuters

Two @Reuters journalists have been detained in Myanmar since Dec. 12, 2017. See our coverage of the case: https://reut.rs/2PoSwVD

1:27 AM - OCT 16, 2018

Business

At Facebook, public funds join push to remove Zuckerberg as chairman

Four major U.S. public funds that hold shares in Facebook proposed removing Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg as chairman following several high-profile scandals and said they hoped to gain backing from larger asset managers.

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Takeda gets Japanese approval for $62 billion Shire purchase

Takeda Pharmaceutical said Japan’s Fair Trade Commission had approved its $62 billion acquisition of Shire, bringing the Japanese firm closer to sealing a deal that will make it a global top 10 drugmaker.

1 min read

Tennis star Wozniacki signs deal to launch her own crypto token

Tennis ace Caroline Wozniacki signed a deal with a Singaporean company to launch her own crypto token, with the firm saying it hoped ex-soccer star Michael Owen or boxer Manny Pacquiao would be the first to sell such a token next year. Catch up on the future of money.

2 Min Read

U.S. funds remain cautious faced with trade war threat: Reuters poll

U.S. fund managers in June replicated defensive recommendations from the previous month with slightly more cash, a Reuters poll showed, underscoring worries that a U.S. trade conflict with China and some of its own allies will hurt global growth.

3 min read