May wins battle, but war not over
Theresa May emerged from her Conservative party’s vote of no confidence on Wednesday evening battered and bruised but ready to fight another day. She received the backing of 200 of the 317 Tory MPs, but as CNBC says, the victory represents but a brief reprieve. The fact that over a third of MPs voted against her does not solve the problem that she faces defeat in parliament on her Brexit bill. But May was defiant. As the BBC reports, she is now immune from another party challenge for another year. May is cited in The Guardian as saying she was committed to “delivering the Brexit that people voted for, bringing the country back together and building a Britain that truly works for everyone”
Strasbourg suspect’s DNA found in Lux in 2012
The man sought by French and German police following the fatal shooting in Strasbourg on Tuesday is a suspect in a burglary in Luxembourg that took place in 2012. DNA matching that of suspect Cherif Chekatt was found at the crime scene six years ago. Additional police have been asked to patrol the streets of Luxembourg and the authorities are in permanent contact with the colleagues in France, but prime minister Xavier Bettel has said there is no reason to raise the terror alert in the grand duchy from 2 on a scale of 4.
ECB to end quantitative easing
The European Central Bank is expected to announce an end to its quantitative easing programme at a meeting on Thursday. CNBC says markets will be watching the announcement carefully for signs that the ECB may raise its interest rates in the second half of 2019. The Federal Reserve meets next week and is expected to raise interest rates by 0.25%.
Cohen jailed for 3 years
Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen was handed a 36-month prison sentence by a court in New York on Wednesday. He had admitted to paying sums of money during the 2016 presidential election campaign to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The payments violated campaign finance laws. The BBC and The Guardian report that Cohen told the court that he took full responsibility for the deeds, including those involving the president. “It was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds,” he said.
EU-Japan trade deal gets EP backing
The European Parliament on Wednesday voted in favour of the trade deal struck between European Union and Japanese leaders earlier this year. Reuters says that when the deal comes into force early in 2019 it will create the world’s largest free trade zone. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the agreement “is not only sending a signal to the world. It is also extremely advanced when it comes to opening markets.”
China could grant access to foreign companies
The Wall Street Journal (paywall) says Chinese leaders are drafting a replacement policy for its Made in China 2025 programme that could allow foreign businesses greater access to its economy. With Chinese and US negotiators prepared to meet early in 2019 to try to settle their current trade dispute, the WSJ says the new policy could be introduced within a few months. CNBC says US futures rose sharply after the report was published.
Fake robot fools Russians
The BBC reports that a Russian robot that was apparently able to walk, talk and dance was nothing more than a man in a robot suit. Boris, as the robot was called, appeared at the Proyektoria technology forum and was claimed by TV channel Russia-24 to be genuine, the BBC says. The authentic looking Alyosha the Robot costume costs 250,000 rouble, about €3300.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts