Legal immigration curbs set for October
New regulations set to come into effect in 15 October could cut legal immigration into the US by half, Reuters reports. The public charge rules will allow officials to refuse applicants for visa extensions, green cards or US citizenship who currently seek, or are deemed like to in future require, public assistance such as Medicaid, housing vouchers or food stamps, says the BBC. Estimates suggest some 380,000 applicants would be immediately subject to review, ABC reckons. Business Insider cites experts who claim the new regulations could be a backdoor to immigration reform, while a scathing op-ed in Vanity Fair suggests that it is part of president Donald Trump’s strategy to only allow rich immigrants to live in the US.
Hong Kong protests at critical juncture
Reuters reports this morning that Hong Kong airport has reopened after an estimated 300 flights were cancelled amid growing protests on Monday. The Guardian cited Hong Kong’s beleaguered Carrie Lam as saying that the territory’s recovery from the protests could take a long time, and reported that Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Australia’s Scott Morrison have voiced their concern at the handling of the crisis. The BBC, meanwhile, says that Hong Kong police have admitted deploying officers disguised as anti-government protesters to target what the police called “extreme violent rioters”. And CNBC has an interesting piece on why so many young people are at the forefront of the protests.
Canadian suspects likely killed themselves
Canadian authorities have confirmed that two bodies found last week were those of Kam McLeod and Bryer Schmegelsky, the two men sought in connection with three murders. The BBC reports that the two are likely to have died in suicides "by gunfire", according to the police. The Guardian has an in-depth back story and a map of the men’s route across Canada, and also cites news sources alleging that Schmegelsky sent photographs of Nazi paraphernalia to an online friend and espoused far-right views.
Barr slams failure at Epstein jail
US attorney William Barr has said there were “serious irregularities” at the Metropolitan Correctional Center where Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide on Saturday, CNN reports. But Newsweek said some critics were suggesting that Barr was making it seem as though he was not responsible for overseeing the Bureau of Prisons. Meanwhile, Barr vowed to continue the investigation into Epstein’s sex trafficking The Guardian says, while Fox News has reports that FBI agents were searching Epstein’s home in St. Thomas on the US Virgin Islands.
Argentinean election surprise
Argentine financial markets fell sharply on Tuesday after it emerged that president Mauricio Macri lost the first round of elections by a far greater margin than expected. CNBC reports that the main stock market fell 35% and the peso shed 25% of its value against the U.S. dollar. Reuters reports that Macri has come out fighting and said he would “reverse” the primary result, which saw Alberto Fernandez and running mate, former President Cristina Fernandez, score a 15.5% margin over the president.
Bolton optimistic on UK trade deal
President Trump's national security adviser John Bolton has said that the UK is “first in line” for a trade deal with the US following a meeting in London with British prime minister Boris Johnson. The BBC says Bolton suggested deals could be done on a sector by sector basis. The Irish Times reports that Bolton also said the Trump administration would enthusiastically support a no-deal Brexit, if that is what the British government decided to do.
False teeth found in patient’s larynx
A 72-year-old man must have breathed in his false teeth during a previous operation doctors concluded when they found the dentures lodged in his larynx. The Guardian reports that the man turned up at A&E in a hospital coughing up blood and having difficulty swallowing. Still, it took doctors several days to discover the problem.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts