Brexit: UK gets “legal changes” on backstop
British PM Theresa May has “secured legal changes” to the UK’s Brexit agreement with the EU after a last minute meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president. London received assurances that it would not be trapped in the Irish border backstop “indefinitely”. Juncker said “there will be no third chance” if the UK rejects the deal. The British parliament holds a key vote on Brexit this evening. Reported by the Associated Press, BBC, DW, Guardian and Reuters.
Algeria: Bouteflika to step down
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria’s president, said he would not seek a fifth term following weeks of protests against his re-election bid. Bouteflika also said the poll would be delayed. The 82 year old has led Algeria since 1999 despite suffering a severe stroke in 2013. Reported by the BBC, Guardian and Vox.
Trump seeks border wall in new budget proposal
Donald Trump has published a draft budget that includes $8.6bn for a wall along the US-Mexico border, despite losing his previous $5.7bn border wall request earlier this year. The proposed 2020 fiscal year budget includes a 5% increase in defense spending and a 31% cut to the Environmental Protection Agency. The bill is unlikely to pass in its current form. Reported by the Guardian, New York Times and NPR.
Brussels museum killer jailed for life
Mehdi Nemmouche, a French jihadist, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering four people at the Brussels Jewish Museum in 2014. Reported by the BBC, DW and Reuters.
Eurosceptics to register big gains in European elections: poll
Far-right parties could double their seats in the European Parliament after May’s elections, according to a poll commissioned by the German newspaper Bild and reported by DW and Reuters. The poll projected that traditional centre-left and centre-right parties would not win enough votes to form a “grand coalition”.
Amazon ends controversial pricing practice
The ecommerce giant Amazon has reportedly dropped its “price parity provision” that required third party sellers in its “Marketplace” to always offer a lower price on Amazon, according to the Financial Times, Reuters and Verge. The requirement has been criticised as anti-competitive.
US tells Germany to block Huawei
The US government has warned Germany that it could reduce intelligence sharing if Berlin allows “untrusted vendors” such as Huawei to build its 5G mobile telecommunications network. Reported by the BBC, DW and Financial Times.
Trade war dampening China FDI in US and Europe
Chinese investment in the US technology sector, and into the EU overall, is down in the wake of rising trade tensions, per the South China Morning Post. China-US M&A activity has also dropped.
Levi Strauss wants to raise €522m in IPO
The jeans and fashion brand Levi Strauss aims to raise $587m, valuing the company at $6.2bn, when it returns to the stock market. The 166 year old company first listed in 1971 but went private in 1981. Reported by the Financial Times, Reuters and San Francisco Chronicle.
Football: Zidane back in Madrid
The football club Real Madrid has sacked Santiago Solari as manager and reappointed Zinedine Zidane, who left the post 9 months ago. Reported by the BBC, France 24 and Marca.
Journalists need to do better job of debunking dodgy science: magazine
There’s been an uptick in “pseudoscience” reported by the media, according to the Spectator. False claims--such as recent “stories about insect extinction, weedkiller causing cancer, and increased flooding”--seem to spread faster than they can be debunked, the magazine argued.
Striking theories
Scientists are debating whether or not dinosaurs would have died off even without a catastrophe asteroid strike 66m years ago, per National Geographic.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald