Friday Morning Briefing: Johnson election victory propels Britain toward swift Brexit

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Johnson election victory propels Britain toward swift Brexit Prime Minister Boris Johnson won a resounding election victory that will allow him to end three years of political paralysis and take Britain out of the European Union by Jan. 31. His campaign had one straightforward message: “Get Brexit done.”

House committee delays impeachment vote Democrats delayed an impeachment vote by a House Committee just before midnight, incensing Republicans and setting up a showdown over President Donald Trump’s future.

U.S. sets China trade deal terms, but Beijing mum United States would suspend tariffs on $160 billion in Chinese goods expected to go into effect on Sunday and roll back existing tariffs. In return, Beijing would agree to buy $50 billion in U.S. agricultural goods in 2020, double what it bought in 2017. Beijing’s silence, however, raised questions over whether the two can agree to a truce.

Special Report: Refinitiv blocks Reuters reports on Hong Kong Under pressure from the Chinese government, the financial information provider that distributes Reuters news to investors has blocked over 200 stories on the mainland that could paint Beijing in a negative light. The censorship began earlier this year after Refinitiv feared its China operation would be suspended.

Mexico's leftist president quietly made peace with big business Meeting regularly with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, corporate bosses have steered him toward more business-friendly policies. Quietly, they have urged the president to soften some of his rhetoric.

World

Revolution 101: Homework and Molotov Cocktails As anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong grind forward, Reuters takes a look at some of the young protesters who were at the crucible of a standoff – how they got there and where they went next.

Six bodies retrieved from New Zealand volcanic island A New Zealand military team in gas masks and hazmat suits recovered six bodies from the volcanic island that fatally erupted earlier this week, as doctors worked to save badly burned survivors.

A woman's killing and alleged rape opens India's caste divides A woman's killing and alleged rape has sparked nationwide outrage, but her village stands divided over it, largely over caste lines. The divisions illustrate India’s challenge in addressing a rape problem that women’s rights groups say is common across the country, particularly in rural areas. A rape occurs every 20 minutes, on average, in the country of 1.3 billion people, according to federal data.

Forests in flames Images from space show Australia's bushfires in a different light, with a total perimeter longer than the distance from London to Singapore.

Business

Shares and sterling soar as trade and Brexit fog lifts

Stocks rose and the pound gained as the prospect of a China-U.S. trade deal and an election victory for Britain’s Brexit-backing Conservative Party cleared two of the darkest clouds on the global investment horizon.

6 min read

Ethanol plant shutdowns deepen pain for corn farmers

Some 13 ethanol plants have shut since November 2018, roughly 4.4% of the nation’s capacity, in a decline the biofuel industry blames on the Trump administration’s expanded use of waivers to exempt oil refineries from blending ethanol into gasoline.

5 min read

Broker group warns of investor risks posed by U.S. direct share-listing proposal

The SEC risks weakening investor protections if it allows companies to raise money in the public market through a direct listing without the support of underwriting banks, an influential broker group said.

2 min read

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