Bhinneka News Online: Friday Morning Briefing: Republicans see impeachment backfiring. Democrats fear they may be right

Friday 27 September 2019

Friday Morning Briefing: Republicans see impeachment backfiring. Democrats fear they may be right

Highlights

Republicans see impeachment backfiring. Democrats fear they may be right. “This is my fear, that it will actually add some flame to his fire with his base.” Democratic voters from 2020 election battleground counties express doubts on impeachment effort.

Iranian president says U.S. offered to remove all sanctions on Iran in exchange for talks. “It was up for debate what sanctions will be lifted and they (the United States) had said clearly that we will lift all sanctions,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, according to his official website. Iran was ready for negotiations but not in an atmosphere of sanctions and pressure, the Iranian president said.

'Used and dehumanized': More than 300 captives, most children and many in chains, were rescued from a building in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna. A police spokesman said seven people who said they were teachers at the school had been arrested in Thursday’s raid.

Oil

Key oil freight rates from the Middle East to Asia rocketed as much as 28% in a global oil shipping market spooked by United States sanctions on units of Chinese giant COSCO for alleged involvement in ferrying crude out of Iran.

Oil prices fell and were heading for a weekly loss on a faster than expected recovery in Saudi output while slowing Chinese economic growth dampens the demand outlook.

Trade

When trade war tariffs jolted Chinese tire-maker Prinx Chengshan into speeding up foreign investment plans, the company wound up in Thailand, thanks to that country’s relentless courtship.

Last year, Southeast Asian farms offered a lifeline to U.S. grain exporters wounded in a bitter trade war with China. Now, African swine fever is set to tear through those markets, killing off business as surely as the fatal disease decimates vast herds of pigs once raised on U.S. crops.

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Science

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Scientists puzzled by really big planet orbiting really little star

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Caught in the act: a black hole rips apart an unfortunate star

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