Good evening.
Team Trump is heading to 'Davos in the Desert'. The administration has apparently gotten over its outrage at the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, so now senior adviser Jared Kushner and Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin are heading to Saudi Arabia for a major business conference.
SoftBank to take over WeWork. The Japanese firm plans to take control of the struggling shared-space startup in a deal that will value WeWork between $7 billion and $8 billion, CNBC reports.
US troops ditch Syria for Iraq. The largest pullback to date of American forces from Syria is underway as hundreds of armored vehicles ferry all but 200 military staff out of the country and into Iraq, where they are expected to continue battling with the Islamic State, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Democracy is hard
Netanyahu backs down. Israel's prime minister of a decade, Bibi Netanyahu, admitted defeat in an effort to form a coalition government after elections in September—which signals Netanyahu may finally be on his way out.
Canadians decide Justin Trudeau’s future. Polls suggest the Liberals, Trudeau’s party, will win more seats than the Conservatives, Reuters reports, but lose their majority after what’s been an uncharacteristically nasty campaign.
Brexit vote blocked. Parliament speaker John Bercow has blocked a new vote on the Brexit deal reached between prime minister Boris Johnson and European leaders, BBC News reports.
No rush. Full 10 days to go. In order for the UK to leave the EU with the agreement on future relations:
- UK Gov needs to propose the implementing legislation (on all fields where the EU law will leave a vacuum, I assume) AND timetable for its adoption
- Only then the UK parliament will grant a green
No rush. Full 10 days to go. In order for the UK to leave the EU with the agreement on future relations:
- UK Gov needs to propose the implementing legislation (on all fields where the EU law will leave a vacuum, I assume) AND timetable for its adoption
- Only then the UK parliament will grant a green light to “deal”
- and only then the EP will green-light the withdrawal agreement
- only then the UK leaves with a deal
The EP said it is ready to call extraordinary session even for Oct 31 if necessary. Yes the 700+ MEPs representing of 500 000 000 europeans will do a special physical sitting session for the UK
- there is only one task for the UK politicians, only one, the task that was supposed to be done in last 3 years: get their mess together.
10 days to go. Time! Start!
Biases holding us back...
Opioid settlement delays courtroom justice
India's coal addiction
India is shifting to renewables. More than half the country’s energy comes from burning coal, but that’s slowly changing. Exclusively for Quartz members, our new field guide explores how India might shed its coal habit, and offer valuable insights to countries facing similar disruptive climate, economic, and technological issues. ✦
Akshat Rathi's deep dives into energy are some of my favorite stories on qz.com. Check out his State of Play covering India's coal usage, and the unique challenges it faces as it tries to switch to renewables.
India’s biggest motivations to keep burning coal boil down to:
1. Large domestic coal reserves with very little gas or oil
2. Decades of coal hegemony in the national energy mix (by now there’s lots of cash tied up in coal-fired power plants, the train system is mostly dependent on revenue from coal
India’s biggest motivations to keep burning coal boil down to:
1. Large domestic coal reserves with very little gas or oil
2. Decades of coal hegemony in the national energy mix (by now there’s lots of cash tied up in coal-fired power plants, the train system is mostly dependent on revenue from coal transport, etc.)
One crucial statistic is that an average resident here uses up only 1/10th of the electricity consumed by an average American (India has among the lowest per capita emissions). The Indian government justifies coal as a necessity to improve energy access to millions of poor citizens—but they are also the worst-hit due to pollution and land rights disputes that come with coal mining and coal-fired stations.
Gaming in China
✊🇨🇱🇭🇰🇱🇧
Violent clashes in Hong Kong continued… A rally on the 20th weekend of protests turned chaotic, as protesters and police faced off amid tear gas and firebombs. Police sprayed demonstrators with a noxious blue liquid, also hitting a mosque, the Hong Kong Free Press reports.
My architect friend, the vice president at AIA Hong Kong, has worked on a redevelopment project, which includes refining the street pavements. The protesters peeled off those bricks to use them as a weapon. His project was destroyed.
The number of tourists dropped by over 40% comparing to the same
My architect friend, the vice president at AIA Hong Kong, has worked on a redevelopment project, which includes refining the street pavements. The protesters peeled off those bricks to use them as a weapon. His project was destroyed.
The number of tourists dropped by over 40% comparing to the same month last year, which consists of 5% of GDP. For China, Hong Kong is not as economically significant as in the past, and maybe hoping Hong Kong to shrink its presence slowly. Unlike Tiananmen, the government cannot act violently because people monitor and share the information well, but people are also monitored well in China that this Chaos won't be spread to the mainland anyways.
…as cost-of-living protests in Chile intensified… According to BBC News, at least eleven people died over the weekend amid violent clashes and arson attacks—the first deaths since demonstrations started a week ago over a proposal to hike metro ticket prices, which was reversed on Saturday.
…and rallies spurred Lebanon to adopt reforms. The prime minister and coalition partners agreed to implement measures to deal with the country’s economic crisis, the Guardian reports, after protests that erupted, in part, over a plan to tax WhatsApp calls.
This Guardian take on Lebanon protests isn’t the strongest out there, starting with the implication that a WhatsApp tax sent Lebanese on to the streets. It is also baffling that in a country where women are largely fearless, vocal and heard (there is a viral meme of a woman protester kicking an armed
This Guardian take on Lebanon protests isn’t the strongest out there, starting with the implication that a WhatsApp tax sent Lebanese on to the streets. It is also baffling that in a country where women are largely fearless, vocal and heard (there is a viral meme of a woman protester kicking an armed government bodyguard in the groin), this reporter only managed to give voice to one woman, anonymously. Is the Guardian’s photo choice of Lebanese women posing - as if in beauty contest - a fair reflection of what’s happening on the ground? I ask not as a Middle East expert (b/c I’m not), rather, as a journalist who called Beirut home for more than a few years. Quartz - here’s a better option for #LebanonProtests 101: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/10/18/lebanons-protests-wildfires-tell-same-grim-story/
Double trouble
Africa online
The best African country to be a startup CEO or developer... Chief executives of startups in South Africa earn more than five times their counterparts in Ghana and Nigeria, and more than double those in Kenya.
It will take $100 billion to get broadband to all Africans by 2030. To bring an additional 1.1 billion people online, investors, industry, and government will need to expand city infrastructure and create satellite networks to reach rural areas.
The reality is this venture is a not all African Nations have the GDP that would entice private investment. Plain and simple.
The most important issue here to solve is how those companies offering the access are going to develop both standard and capabilities of this broadband for an entire continent.
Africa has struggled through centuries: defending from outsiders and preserving its own way of life, linked undeniably to
The most important issue here to solve is how those companies offering the access are going to develop both standard and capabilities of this broadband for an entire continent.
Africa has struggled through centuries: defending from outsiders and preserving its own way of life, linked undeniably to our roots as humanity. As societies all connected between devices, services and data, our responsibilities should prevent the massive digital recollection of personal information from more than 1 billion people living in the place on Earth where our ancestors made the first footprint of what we are now as a specie.
We all want to reach out to the place where life were spotted several years ago., but we need to create safety conditions for all who gets online everyday. Let’s not repeat the flawed models already happening in here, Latin America.
The future of travel
Uber has a major problem in London. Well, three, actually. But the biggest by far is that the ride-sharing giant could be labelled a transport provider rather than a technology platform, and face a 20% value-added tax as a result.
HMRC has a track record of letting US companies off with minimal tax bills. Just search for stories about settlement figures for Amazon, Starbucks and and Google.
The world's longest flight has landed. The 19-and-a-half-hour ride took passengers, including one exhausted Bloomberg reporter, 10,100 miles (16,200 kilometers) from New York to Sydney.
Longest flight I’ve ever done was Hong Kong to NYC on Cathay. Great airline with wonderful staff in my limited experience. After 10 hours a certain “we’re all in this together” camaraderie developed. I’d jump at a 20 hr flight.
It's an interesting idea but ultimately, I think it may take a toll on people.. People don't have patience and I did a 15 hr non stop flight and even that was brutal. I think Qantas needs to test a flight like this out with regular people to see if this is doable.
Sign. Me. Up!
Although this flight--with all its media and research fanfare--isn't that far off the longest flight currently in operation. It's only 40 minutes longer than the 19-hour ones today.
As the article says, it requires an immense amount of discipline to do this kind of a flight well. May not suit older travellers or young families. I’m also thinking of a recent news article about the potential reintroduction of Concorde-speed flights between London and New York. Taking that speed to
As the article says, it requires an immense amount of discipline to do this kind of a flight well. May not suit older travellers or young families. I’m also thinking of a recent news article about the potential reintroduction of Concorde-speed flights between London and New York. Taking that speed to reduce the length of New York to Sydney is a different project altogether I guess.
The hidden worlds around us
Busy making stuff, come back soon!
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