Johnson banking on EU extension rejection
A weekend of resignations, protests and political manoeuvring in the UK sees under fire prime minister Boris Johnson heading to Dublin today “to demonstrate that he is serious about negotiating a fresh Brexit deal”, according to The Guardian. Failure to get a deal by 19 October means Johnson will be forced to ask the EU for a 3-month extension--though his foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said the government will “test to the limit” the law (The Independent has a good round up of the weekend’s Brexit action). The Telegraph (paywall) reveals that Johnson has hatched a plan that allows him to “sabotage” any extension without breaking the law by sending accompanying documents to Brussels along with the legally obliged request pointing out that the government does not want to take Brexit beyond the current 31 October deadline. In any case, that might be moot if, as reported in The Mirror among other media, France vetoes any extension request.
Deal or no deal makes huge difference to economy
Accountancy firm KPMG has said the UK economy would shrink by 1.5% next year in the event of a no deal Brexit, The FT reports. But The Times (paywall), reporting on the same KPMG conclusions, leads with the firm’s suggestion that leaving with a deal will “boost the UK economy more than expected.”
Taliban anger at talks cancellation
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has issued a warning that Donald Trump’s decision to cancel talks at Camp David over the weekend will lead to the US losing credibility, exposure of its “anti-peace stance” and more loss of life, Reuters reports. Trump’s revelation that talks had been planned drew criticism from all sides, according to The Los Angeles Times. But CNN’s Peter Bergen suggested that “Trump can smell a bad deal when it is presented to him” and praised the president for making the right decision to cancel the talks.
Hong Kong protests continue
Following another weekend of clashes in Hong Kong, Monday morning saw secondary school students form human chains in districts across the territory, Reuters reports.
Dorian evacuees
The BBC reports that passenger planes, cruise liners and government boats and ships are transporting evacuees from the Abacos islands to Nassau and Florida following the devastation wreaked by hurricane Dorian.
Vikram lunar lander located
Technicians at the Indian Space and Research Organisation are trying to contact its Vikram lunar lander after it was located on the lunar surface. The Guardian has the latest on the Chandrayaan-2 mission.
JP Morgan’s “Volfefe Index”
JP Morgan has devised an index to analyse how Donald Trump’s tweets on business and the economy are influencing financial markets, CNBC reports. The “Volfefe Index”, apparently named after Trump’s “covfefe” tweet, suggests that only 146 of some 4,000 non-retweets by Trump actually moved the market.
Sports roundup
Cycling: Luxembourg’s top rider Christine Majerus won the Boels Ladies Tour in The Netherlands, finishing 26 seconds ahead of Lorena Wiebes after the 5 stages of the race. Cycling News has a report. Tennis: Rafael Nadal beat Daniil Medvedev in 5 sets to win the US Open men’s title on Sunday. The Guardian has a match report. On Saturday teenager Bianca Andreescu overcame Serena Williams, and boisterous home support, according to The Washington Post, to become the first Canadian to win a grand slam. Formula 1: Charles Leclerc won the Italian Grand Prix for Ferrari, ending a nine-year wait for home victory, CNN says. Cricket: Australia retained The Ashes amid what the BBC called incredible tension in Manchester on Sunday afternoon.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts