Bahamas fear worst for Dorian death toll

Authorities in the Bahamas say hundreds, possibly thousands, of people are still missing as the clear up from hurricane Dorian continues, the BBC reports. The islands’ health minister said the final death toll could be “staggering”. The United Nations estimates 70,000 people are in immediate need of food, water and shelter, according to Reuters. The US Coast Guard and British Royal Navy have been active in rescuing people and delivering aid, says CNN in an in-depth report. Buzzfeed has an impressive photo gallery showing the devastation, the heartbreak of victims and the rescue effort.

US-China progress

CNBC has cited a senior Chinese newspaper editor as saying there is “a possibility of a breakthrough between the two sides” when US and Chinese trade negotiators next meet in October. People’s Daily editor-in-chief Hu Xijin’s Twitter account is followed by Wall Street, CNBC says. It also cites influential Chinese blog Taoran Notes as saying it’s “very likely” there will be “new developments”. But Reuters reckons that “a lasting peace seems more elusive than ever” as leaders vow a long fight, despite slowing domestic economies.

Netanyahu meets Johnson

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with British counterpart Boris Johnson in London on Thursday during a flying visit, The Jerusalem Post reports. The Jewish Journal says Johnson reiterated support for a two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. But Netanyahu was more focused on trying to get British support to block France’s offer of a $15bn credit line to help Iran sell oil, says The Guardian.

Johnson family schism

The resignation of Boris Johnson’s brother Jo has sparked all sorts of speculation, and no end of jokes in the media. The FT reckons the move underlines a schism within the Conservative party with “moderate Tories abandoning their traditional home.” The New York Times said the split between the brothers “felt Shakespearean, even Freudian, but in the end it may have been a simple act of conscience.” The Telegraph has an inside story about the “Brexit schism” in the Johnson family. While in The Irish Times, reader Rory J Whelan asks in a letter whether Jo Johnson was “the first politician to resign in order to spend less time with his family?”

Erdoğan warning on Syrian refugees

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will allow some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey to leave for western countries unless a controversial “safe zone” inside Syria is established soon, The Guardian reports. “This either happens or otherwise we will have to open the gates,” Erdoğan was reported to have said by Aljazeera.

Nessie could be giant eel

Researchers from New Zealand say that sightings of the Loch Ness Monster could be accounted for by giant eels, the BBC reports. The scientists have analysed DNA from water drawn from the Scottish loch.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts