Brexit: no deal warnings
The Guardian reports that the Institute for Chartered Accountants for England and Wales has warned MPs that a no deal Brexit on 31 October could lead to “a flurry of profit warnings from companies finding themselves in completely unprecedented circumstances.” And Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay told The Times (paywall) that UK businesses would “pay the price” unless preparations for a no deal were stepped up before Theresa May hands over to her successor.
Brexit: Johnson thinks 1 in million chance of no deal
Meanwhile, Tory leadership favourite Boris Johnson has said that he thinks the chances of leaving with no deal are “a million-to-one against”, The Guardian reports. Speaking at the latest hustings event, Johnson also said he would introduce an Australian-style points-based immigration system if elected, according to The Evening Standard.
Election 2020: 10 Democrats in live debate
The 2020 US presidential election campaign got serious on Wednesday evening as 10 of the 20 candidates vying for the Democratic Party nomination took part in a live TV debate (the other 10 will debate on Thursday). Asked questions on a broad range of topics, all but one candidate say they’d re-enter the Iran deal, the Washington Post (paywall) reported in its live coverage. The BBC says Elizabeth Warren took centre stage by calling for structural change to the government and the economy. And, amid technical problems during the debate, the man the winner of the primaries will face, Donald Trump, tweeted that NBC News and MSNBC should be ashamed of themselves, according to The Guardian’s minute-by-minute reporting.
US-China trade: deal 90% done says Mnuchin
US treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin has told CNBC that the US and China were “were about 90% of the way” towards agreeing a new trade deal. Ahead of his meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, US president Donald Trump has said that a deal was possible, but that further tariffs on Chinese imports could be imposed if no agreement was reached, Reuters reports.
Kim’s oh no over Kimono
Kim Kardashian West has come under fire for naming her new line of shapewear undergarments “Kimono”. Some critics have even accused her of cultural appropriation, with the hashtag #KimOhNo trending on Wednesday, Variety, The Guardian and USA Today report.
New flaw in 737 Max
The US Federal Aviation Administration said on Wednesday it had identified a new risk in Boeing’s troubled 737 Max aircraft, the BBC reports. Reuters says the new issue must be addressed before the jet can return to service.
Even the Telegraph will miss Juncker
In a neat assessment of Jean-Claude Juncker’s personality and political skill, The Telegraph (paywall) says the Commission president will be missed when he steps down from the job. “There is much to like about the man,” writes Brussels correspondent James Crisp.
Later today
Technology: Representatives from Huawei’s BeLux leadership team are in town to brief on the company’s commitment to the Luxemburg market. Football: Cardiff Metropolitan university’s football team are in the country to take on Progrès Niederkorn in the Europa League.
Commodore return
Retro Games has announced it will release an updated version of the iconic Commodore 64 8-bit computer later this year, CNN reports.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts