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16 October 2019

Five things you need to know today: deal or no deal, and Dems debate

Also: Turkey dismisses US sanctions.

By New Statesman

Deal or no deal

Talks between the UK and EU on the terms of a possible Brexit deal are entering their final day before the two-day EU summit at which it would need to be ratified by European leaders. 

Despite rumours circulating for most of yesterday that a deal was imminent, a final text has yet to emerge. But the DUP have already made clear they aren’t happy with talk of a border in the Irish sea, making the path to getting any final deal through the current parliament even narrower than it already seemed. 

Dems debate

Twelve contenders for the US Democratic party nomination to face Donald Trump in next year’s presidential election faced each other in an unwieldy debate in Westerville, Ohio last night. Unlike previous debates, at which former vice president Joe Biden was seen the main target, this time most attacks were focused on the Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who has emerged as his main challenger in the race. Other candidates attacked her left-wing stances on subjects including healthcare and taxes. 

Erdogan won’t back down

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan has told President Trump that Turkey will never declare a ceasefire in northeastern syria, nor will it negotiate with the Kurdish forces it is fighting. The United States, which created space for the offensive by withdrawing its troops from the region, has been threatening Turkey with sanctions, to no avail.

Good news on renting, sort of

Private rents in the UK are rising slower than wages, research from property website Zoopla has found. The research found that rents have risen by an average of 2 per cent over the last year, half the level of typical wage rises.

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The trend is not universal however, and several cities – Nottingham, Leeds, and Bristol – saw rents rise faster than wages.

“Send nudes” ad banned

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint about a Boohoo advert which uses the slogan “send nudes”, on the grounds that it makes light of a “potentially harmful social trend”. The ad was intended to promote a range of clothes which use skintones. Boohoo said it recognises the need to keep its advertising “socially responsible”.

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