Bloomberg challenge for Democrats
Media mogul and former mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg has officially declared his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination to challenge Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential election. “We cannot afford four more years of President Trump’s reckless and unethical actions,” Reuters cited Bloomberg as saying. The 77-year old billionaire, formerly a Republican, said he believed his “unique set of experiences in business, government, and philanthropy" will enable him to win and lead. CNBC has a useful guide to the causes Bloomberg supports and the industries they will affect. Business Insider focuses on the candidate’s statement that he will not accept political donations nor the presidential salary if he were to win. Bloomberg has announced a massive advertising campaign, but as James Downie in the Washington Post writes, “it’s hard to overstate the size of the mountain the Bloomberg 2020 train is trying to climb.” And, in an op-ed for CNN, Daily Beast columnist Dean Obeidallah says that as New York mayor Bloomberg was responsible for a “stop and frisk” policy that “was as racist as it gets” and for ordering undercover NYPD officers to spy on the Muslim community.
Hong Kong voters deliver powerful rebuke
A record turnout in Hong Kong’s local elections saw voters give pro-democracy candidates control of all 18 local districts in the Chinese-controlled territory on Sunday. The Guardian says the vote was seen as a proxy referendum on the city’s protest movement and delivered a powerful rebuke to the government. Reuters cites former student protest leader Tommy Cheung calling the result “a democratic tsunami.” 71.2% of registered electors voted, up from the 47% in the 2015 poll who had given pro-establishment control to all 18 councils according to the South China Morning Post. The BBC has an explainer of how Hong Kong’s status as a Special Administrative Region works.
Child killed by ice sculpture on Knuedler
A small child died on Sunday evening as a result of injuries sustained when an ice sculpture on the place Guillaume II fell and broke, RTL Today reports. The winter market on the square, known colloquially as the Knuedler, was closed in the aftermath of the tragedy. Police are investigating the incident. Earlier in the day Delano had witnessed a team of ice-sculptors using chainsaws to carve ice blocks just opposite the Beim Renert café. The sculptors were roped off by a very flimsy cord.
China Cables show extent of internment
Leaked Communist Party documents detail the operation used to detain people from China’s Muslim minorities in internment camps, The Guardian reveals. The leaked documents were obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. They show that the camps are used for ideological “education transformation”. China has said the documents are “fabricated”.
Iohannis wins easily in Romania
Centre-right incumbent Klaus Iohannis has won the Romanian presidential election by a comfortable margin. Euronews reports that exit polls showed Iohannis with between 64% and 67% of the vote, with challenger Viorica Dancila of the left-leaning PSD on just 33% to 36%. France24 cites Iohannis, a pro-European, as saying that the winner of the election “is modern Romania, European Romania, the normal Romania”.
China allegedly tried to plant MP in Canberra
Reports from Australia suggest that China attempted to plant a spy MP in the parliament in Canberra, the BBC says. Network Nine, which first broke the story, reports that prime minister Scott Morrison has said the allegations are “deeply disturbing and troubling” but that his government was “not naive” to security threats. The spy, Melbourne luxury car dealer Nick Zhao, 32, was apparently supposed to run as a Liberal Party candidate says news.com.au. But he was found dead in a hotel room in March and investigators have been unable to conclude how he died.
Musk claims 187,000 Cybertruck orders
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has “conflated” orders of the electric vehicle maker’s new Cybertruck with preorders, according to CNBC. On Sunday Musk tweeted that 187,000 people had so far signed up. The botched launch of the Cybertruck at the weekend saw three-quarters of a billion dollars wiped off Musk’s fortune, according to Sky News.
US Navy secretary fired
Reuters reports that Richard Spencer has been dismissed from his role as the US Navy’s top civilian. The move comes amid differences with defence secretary Mark Esper and president Donald Trump about the handling of a navy SEAL convicted for posing with the corpse of an ISIS fighter.
Sports roundup
Tennis: Spain won the Davis Cup after beating Canada 2-0 in the final in Madrid on Sunday. Cricket: New Zealand beat England by an innings and 65 runs in the first test match of the series down under. Australia thrashed Pakistan in Brisbane, and India became the first team to win four consecutive Tests by an innings as they beat Bangladesh. Football: in a dramatic final Brazilian side Flamengo scored twice in three minutes to beat River Plate of Argentina in the Cope Libertadores.
World’s youngest university graduate
Reuters reports on 9-year old Belgian Laurent Simons, who is about to complete his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at Eindhoven’s University of Technology. He has completed the 3-year programme in just 9 months and, after a vacation, has ambitions to start a PhD “and study a little medicine.”
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts