Thursday, 27 October 2022

We can target your commercial satellites, Russia warns West

Thursday, October 27, 2022

by Linda Noakes

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Here's what you need to know.

Ukrainians prepare to battle for Kherson, Democrats turn to Obama for a midterm miracle, and Credit Suisse seeks billions from investors

Today's biggest stories

A Ukrainian serviceman on the frontline in Mykolaiv region, October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

WORLD

Ukrainian troops are holding out against repeated attacks by Russian forces in two eastern towns while those on the southern front are poised to battle for the strategic Kherson region, which Russia appears to be reinforcing. A senior Russian foreign ministry official said that commercial satellites from the United States and its allies could become legitimate targets for Russia.

Iran will retaliate after an attack claimed by Islamic State on a shrine that killed 15 people, the commander of the country's elite Revolutionary Guards said. The assault will add pressure on the government which has faced relentless demonstrations by people from all layers of society since the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman.

Chinese cities from Wuhan in central China to Xining in the northwest are doubling down on COVID-19 curbs, sealing up buildings, locking down districts and throwing millions into distress in a scramble to halt widening outbreaks.

Immigrants' share of Canada's population has hit its highest point in the country's 150-year history and the biggest share among G7 countries, new data showed. Here's how a small Canadian town that was once wary of immigrants is now actively courting new arrivals.

Britain's biggest trade union said it was balloting 350,000 workers in the state-run National Health Service on strike action over pay this winter, highlighting the challenges facing new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he takes office.

A man walks past the Great Depression breadline sculpture during his visit to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

U.S.

President Joe Biden will once again contrast his economic plan with Republicans' today in a last-ditch effort to convince voters Democrats are better equipped to battle high inflation and grow the economy. Biden compared Republican plans on taxes and spending to the economic plan rolled out by Britain's former Prime Minister Liz Truss, warning of similar results.

Less than two weeks before the midterm elections, with Democrats on the verge of losing their razor-thin majority in Congress, the party is asking former President Barack Obama to perform some late-game heroics - or at least help limit their losses.

Pennsylvania Democrats tried to do damage control on John Fetterman's Senate campaign, after a shaky debate performance against Republican TV doctor Mehmet Oz that showed the struggle Fetterman faces in recovering from a May stroke.

Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, who has said he opposes abortion with no exceptions, faced fresh allegations from a second woman who said he pressured her to have an abortion and paid for the procedure after a six-year relationship with him.

When the Supreme Court next week considers ending policies used by many colleges and universities to increase their numbers of Black and Hispanic students, a conservative activist will be on hand to watch this fateful moment in his long quest to erase racial preferences intended to boost diversity in American life.

BUSINESS

The European Central Bank will raise interest rates again today and likely reel in a key subsidy to commercial banks, taking another big step in tightening policy to fight off a historic surge in inflation.

Egypt's currency slid by more than 14% to a record low against the dollar, after the central bank said it had moved to a "durably flexible exchange rate regime" and raised interest rates by 200 basis points.

Europe's two largest energy companies Shell and TotalEnergies reported profits of more than $9 billion in the third quarter, though Shell's liquefied natural gas division struggled to capture the benefits of high fuel prices.

Credit Suisse, battered by years of scandals, plans to raise $4 billion by selling stock while slashing thousands of jobs and spinning off its investment bank in an effort to recover from a run of heavy losses.

Wall Street is losing patience over Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg's enormous and experimental bets on his metaverse project that helped drive up the company's overall costs by a fifth in the third quarter. Meta’s spending splurge is starting to look troubling, says Breakingviews columnist Lauren Silva Laughlin.

Tesla is under criminal investigation in the United States over claims that the company's electric vehicles can drive themselves, three people familiar with the matter said.

Quote of the day

"To secure any kind of advantage they would have to move fast, lightning fast. There is no room for dithering."

Alexander Neill

Singapore-based strategic adviser

Need for speed: Xi's new generals offer cohesion over possible Taiwan plans

Video of the day

Scientists turn dead spiders into grippers

Mechanical engineers have found a way to repurpose dead spiders with a puff of air, in a new field dubbed 'necrobotics'.

And finally…

Shadow puppet enthusiasts hope robotics can save ancient art

'Wayang kulit', a theatrical art form once popular across Southeast Asia, is traditionally performed with figurines crafted from buffalo skin.

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