| Stonewalling | The White House delivered its most forceful response yet to the impeachment inquiry into Trump, sending a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declaring the Democrats' effort unconstitutional and saying neither the president nor his administration would take part. Trump, whose strategy appears to be to slow the efforts to a crawl by refusing requests for witnesses and documents, is separately working to smooth things over with allies on Capitol Hill after he canceled the scheduled testimony of a key diplomat at the center of the probe. Going in | Turkish troops began crossing into Syria, an official said, as Ankara seeks to push back Kurdish militants days after the U.S. said it wouldn't stand in the way of an incursion. Soldiers will be supported by the Free Syrian Army, presidential communications director Fahrettin Altun said earlier today. Meanwhile, the Kurdish forces said they would move to defend their "own people," suggesting they'd focus less on the fight against Islamic State.  Kurdish women demonstrate in the Syrian town of Al-Qahtaniyah on Oct. 7 against Turkish threats to launch a military operation in their region. Photographer: Delil Souleiman/AFP Brexit rage | Divorce talks have devolved into rancorous recrimination, as U.K. and European leaders focus on blaming each other for refusing to budge on a deal for Britain to exit the EU. A summit in Brussels next week could be the last chance ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline to avoid the U.K. crashing out in a way that risks economic havoc.
Nightmare scenario | The rollout of 5G technology will boost the "attack paths" for hackers or hostile states to gain control of everything from electricity grids to police communications, the EU says in a new report. It doesn't name China or its tech giant Huawei but, as Nikos Chrysoloras and Helene Fouquet explain, the risk assessment warns against relying on telecom equipment from a single supplier, especially from a country with poor democratic standards.
Fresh spat | Brazil accused France of blocking it from a key international environmental body, just weeks after their leaders traded insults over wildfires that were ravaging the Amazon, destroying forests and creating severe air pollution. As Samy Adghirni and Simone Iglesias report, Brazil was told it cannot for now take part in the OECD committee, which it says is "due to a veto from just one country: France."
What to Watch - Hundreds of protesters flooded a Hong Kong court today to support the appeals case of a jailed activist, with the subway system set to close early for the sixth straight day.
- Tunisia is due to release parliamentary election results today that are expected to give the North African nation's moderate Islamist party Ennahda the lead but not enough votes itself to form a ruling coalition.
Tell us how we're doing or what we're missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.
And finally ... South Africa's economy was roaring along in 2007 on the back of the global commodities boom when power shortages hit. State utility Eskom approved 13 projects that year worth more than $13.2 billion, with two flagship coal-fired power stations that were expected to be finished in 2015. But, as Paul Burkhardt and Michael Cohen explain, a bungled execution of the plants has caused delays leading to rolling blackouts that have left the economy in deep trouble and presented a huge headache for President Cyril Ramaphosa.  Workers in a cafe use an emergency gas-powered lamp during power cuts in Johannesburg.
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/Bloomberg | 
Post a Comment