UK election: Farage won’t stand; Swinson excluded from debate
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage told the BBC's Andrew Marr on Sunday that he won’t stand as a candidate in the 12 December election. He has also claimed the Conservative party offered him a peerage in exchange for the Brexit Party fighting fewer seats, according to The Times. A confident Conservative Party had already rejected a pact with the Brexit Party, says The Mail, despite Donald Trump urging his “friends” Johnson and Farage to get together, as reported in The Guardian. Meanwhile, Sky News says the Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson is furious and will challenge a decision by broadcaster ITV to exclude her from a party leader debate. Tory leader Boris Johnson has apologised to party members for not taking Britain out of the EU on 31 October, the Evening Standard reports. The Guardian has a useful comparison of the spending pledges by the two major parties as, it claims, austerity ends.
Whistleblower willing to talk with Republicans
Lawyers representing the CIA official who revealed the transcript of US president Donald Trump’s controversial phone call with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy have said their client is willing to communicate directly with top intelligence panel Republican Devin Nunes, Reuters reports. The offer is to answer questions directly from Republican members “in writing, under oath & penalty of perjury”. According to The Guardian, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy still thinks the whistleblower should answer questions in a public appearance before the committee. And The Washington Examiner cites a “top House Republican” saying the move by the whistleblower’s lawyer was a “Sunday narrative ambush” and the offer was not sincere.
Saudi Aramco IPO confirmed
Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest integrated oil and gas company, is set to launch an initial public offering in December, the kingdom’s market regulator announced on Sunday. It will be the biggest stock market flotation ever, and The Guardian reckons the state-owned concern could be valued at $1.5tn. But CNBC says precise details surrounding the size and scope of the IPO have not yet been revealed. However, exchanges in New York, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo have all been vying for the international listing.
Trump threat to California
In what the BBC is calling a “Twitter spat” with California governor Gavin Newsom, US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut federal funding for the wildfires sweeping the state. The president thinks the state is not managing its forests properly. But as USA Today points out, the state of California owns just 3% of forest land while more than half is owned by the federal government and the rest is in private hands.
Hong Kong politician has ear partially bitten off
A man with a knife slashed several people and apparently bit off part of the ear of a politician after riot police in Hong Kong stormed several shopping malls on Sunday, Reuters reports. China has called for a “tougher” stance to end the months of protests. The violence included a stand-off between police and a firefighter, which both sides claim resulted from a misunderstanding, according to The South China Morning Post.
McDonald’s CEO goes
McDonald’s has fired its CEO Steve Easterbrook for having a relationship with an employee, CNBC reports. Even though the relationship was consensual, it violated McDonald’s policy and Easterbrook agreed it undermined the “values of the company.”
Delhi smog worsens
37 planes were diverted away from Delhi on Sunday as air pollution levels in the Indian city rose to over 400 times the amount deemed healthy, The Guardian reports. Poor visibility due to the smog meant that more than 250 departures and 300 arrivals delayed. On Friday authorities had declared a public health emergency and closed schools and all construction activity, India Today reports.
Sports roundup
Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton won his 6th world championship by finishing second in the US Grand Prix. The BBC has stats and in The Guardian Johnny Herbert reckons Hamilton is the best ever. Rugby: South Africa are the new world champions after comprehensively beating England in the final in Japan on Saturday. The Red Lions of Luxembourg beat Sweden 13-0 in Malmo. Tennis: Ashleigh Barty won womens tennis’s biggest cash prize by beating Elina Svitolina in the WTA Finals in Shenzhen. Luxembourg’s Mandy Minella won the ITF tournament in Tyler, Texas by beating US player Alexa Glatch 6:4, 6:4. Football: Bayern Munich have parted ways with coach Nico Kovac after they were beaten 5-1 by Frankfurt.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts