Notatnik Pascala: Fwd: The Presidential Daily Brief

piątek, 22 kwietnia 2016

Fwd: The Presidential Daily Brief - 04/18/2016

RESPEKT!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: OZY <Admin@email.ozy.com>
Date: Mon, Apr 18, 2016 at 1:17 PM
Subject: The Presidential Daily Brief - 04/18/2016
To: pascal.alter@gmail.com


April 18, 2016

Important

A crowd supporting Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff gathers to watch the lower house of Congress vote to put her on trial. Source: Getty

Brazilian President Loses Key Impeachment Vote

The workers are anything but united. After three days of debate, President Dilma Rousseff saw the lower house of Brazil's Parliament vote 367-137 to put her on trial on charges of money manipulation. Rousseff's Workers Party has been embattled by scandals during the country's worst recession in a century, and polls suggest 60 percent of Brazilians support impeachment. Now a simple majority vote in the Senate next month could send her to trial and task Vice President Michel Temer with pulling Brazil out of recession - something many investors doubt is possible.

Sources: BBC, Bloomberg, Reuters

Death Toll in Ecuador Quake Continues to Rise

The devastation is earth-shattering. Ecuadorian authorities confirmed 272 dead and 2,500 injured in Saturday's magnitude-7.8 temblor, but warned the toll is sure to climb. Aid money is starting to flow into demolished coastal towns and fishing villages, while 14,000 police and soldiers have arrived to keep the peace amid reports of rioting. The quake, which struck about 100 miles from Quito, was six times stronger than the one that hit Japan Friday. Though both are along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," seismologists say the earthquakes were unrelated.

Sources: BBC, CNN, The Guardian, AP

Donald Trump Decries Potential Convention Violence

Will there be blood? The Republican front-runner told reporters he hopes his party's July convention "doesn't involve violence" if he's denied the nomination on a contested ballot. But after repeated calls against unrest, the billionaire also described the current system as "rigged" and "100 percent corrupt." He might be in good company: A new poll of GOP voters found 62 percent think the nomination should go to the candidate with the most delegates, even if he hasn't reached the magic number of 1,237 when the final primary votes are cast.

Sources: Washington Post, NYT, NBC

Oil Plunges Again After Doha Talks Stall

It's a power struggle. While major oil producers got together this weekend to discuss capping output in the hopes of halting still-plunging prices, Saudi Arabia eventually refused to sign any agreement without the participation of Iran. But Iran didn't send an envoy to the meeting and said it won't curb production while it struggles to catch up after the lifting of Western sanctions. Oil had rallied back to $41.50 a barrel on Friday, but with no deal in sight Monday morning, prices took a dive and may keep falling.

Sources: FT (sub), WSJ (sub)

Briefly

Iraqi refugee seeks apology after being removed from flight for speaking Arabic. (SF Gate)
Oscar Pistorius to be sentenced for murder in June. (AP)
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard film apology for Australia incident. (Hollywood Reporter)
Drone strikes inbound plane near Heathrow. (BBC)
Netanyahu says Israel won't ever relinquish the Golan Heights. (LA Times)

INTRIGUING

North Korea Cooperates With West to Investigate Volcano

This blows ... or it very well could. When Mount Paektu erupted in A.D. 946, it was a regional catastrophe - so even the Hermit Kingdom decided not to mess around when it started rumbling again in 2002. North Korea invited Chinese and British scientists to check it out, but sanctions slowed the process of properly investigating the mountain along the China-North Korea border. Scientists say there's proof of a partial melt in the crust beneath Paektu, and they're now working to predict when it might erupt next.

Sources: CSM, Korea Times

How Do India's One Percent Families Stay on Top?

Move over, steel and textiles. While moneyed bloodlines like the Birlas and Ambanis often began with manufacturing, the sons and daughters of those families aren't feeling the factories. They're focusing less on making things and more on making money, turning increasingly to finance and "family offices." These private wealth management groups tend the fortunes of individual dynasties, bolstering their plans for continued dominance. And as the younger generation eyes startups and mobile fads, the smart money is on more cash being funneled into India's tech boom.

Sources: OZY

Smart Mattress Monitors Potential Cheaters

It knows where you've been "sleeping." The Durmet Smarttress comes equipped with sensors that monitor activity and send alerts to owners' smartphones whenever it's "in use." The marketing message is clear, with the company promising to notify users of potential infidelity crises and inform them just how hard and for how long their mattress is being pounded when they're not around. The company says the $1,750 mattress is coming soon. But it's still in the manufacturing process, so paranoid partners will likely lose a bit more sleep.

Sources: Re/Code

Axl Rose Joins AC/DC for Tour

Let there be rock! Just a few shows into his own Guns N' Roses reunion, the singer is teaming up with the Australian rock icons to finish out the last 10 shows of their Rock or Bust tour. Rose, 54, is stepping in for frontman Brian Johnson, who's been sidelined with hearing issues. Meanwhile, Rose has been recovering from a broken foot, performing from a throne he borrowed from Dave Grohl. But AC/DC's European shows fit in a scheduled break for GnR, whose stadium tour resumes its run in June.

Sources: Vulture, Slate

Investigation Finds Pro Cyclists May Be Using Motors

They call it moto-doping. Using thermal cameras, Italian and French media uncovered evidence that top professional cyclists may be illegally propelling themselves with tiny engines. Though the investigation didn't find definitive proof, heat signatures strongly suggest that seven unnamed riders had extra horsepower at their feet. The reporters also interviewed an engineer who supposedly supplies undetectable mini-motors - for more than $55,000 a pop. The tactic is relatively new and may prompt authorities - who regularly check for motorized cheating - to grease the wheels for more advanced tests.

Sources: Deadspin