EU leaders agreed on a new Brexit date with British Prime Minister Theresa May during the night. Now it's supposed to be the 31st of October, Halloween, as some observers said smugly. Of course, this suits this horror without end - and one almost suspects it, on 31 October, the matter may not be over.

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After all, Theresa May has now gained some time to organize in her parliament a majority for a Brexit Treaty with the EU. If she succeeds before October 31, the British could quit even earlier. The EU, in turn, may continue to watch the chaos on the island, but at least the threat of an unregulated exit is at least banned. By the way, October 31st is a classic EU compromise: some member states could have imagined a postponement until next year, France was pushing for an early decision, so they met in the middle. Here our Brussels correspondents Peter Müller and Markus Becker explain how the agreement came about at night.

US supposedly want to introduce soon Middle East peace plan

AFP

Mike Pompeo

The close victory of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the parliamentary elections in Israel could bring movement into the Middle East peace process. The question, however, is whether things will turn out well. US President Donald Trump had known to have his son-in-law Jared Kushner with the drafting of a peace plan mandated. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at a Senate hearing that the "ideas" would soon be presented.

In the election campaign Netanyahu campaigned with a harder line against the Palestinians. That should set the tone for further action. It is already becoming apparent that Washington wants to spare Israel and, above all, to force the Palestinians to make concessions - for example, on the question of recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital. Even the two-state solution seems suddenly questionable. Whether she remains the target of the Americans, Foreign Minister Pompeo was open at the Senate hearing. "Ultimately, that's what people in the region will do," he said. A clear confession sounds different.

Is the return match in the Russian Affair now?

AFP

William Barr

Donald Trump has always described judicial investigations in the Russia affair as "illegal." Now his Justice Minister William Barr wants to investigate the origins of the investigation against Trump and his campaign team. Were they politically motivated? The Trump team had been spied on by the FBI, the Minister of Justice told the US Congress. "There was espionage," Barr said. The question was whether it was sufficiently well founded, that had to be investigated.

Barr's comments are controversial: First, he suggests with the word "espionage" that monitoring Trump employees may indeed have been illegal, which is far from settled. On the other hand, he meets with the investigation of the investigators an old wish of his boss Trump. He suspected behind the investigation intrigue "angry Democrats" against his campaign team and wants to hold responsible persons accountable. Revenge is also in the house Trump a dish that is enjoyed cold - and Barr gives the waiter.

IMF meeting - fear of the next crisis

AFP

Christine Lagarde

In Washington, business and financial experts from around the world meet at the Spring World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meeting. The talks are overshadowed by the mixed outlook for the development of the global economy. As my colleague Marc Pitzke reports, there is a veritable " fear of the crisis " among the participants of the meeting. IMF head Christine Lagarde said the global economy was "at a tricky moment". As risk factors, therefore, above all the trade conflicts caused by US President Donald Trump are seen. But also the high public debt in many countries and the increase of risk loans of the banks to highly indebted enterprises are watched with concern. Today, the new chief of the World Bank, David Malpass , wants to introduce himself to the meeting. Malpass was sent to the post by US President Trump. He is considered a critic of international institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank and should therefore shake up the event a bit.

Winner of the day ...

STEPHANIE LECOCQ / EPA-EFE / REX

... is the American scientist Katie Bouman . In the US, the 29-year-old computer expert is currently celebrating because she helped produce the first photo of a black hole. The graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed an important algorithm without which the trailblazing project would not have been possible. Ever since Bouman's contribution to the world sensation has spread, her name has been trivializing on Twitter and receiving congratulations from all over the world - from Presidential Daughter Ivanka Trump to Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris . Bouman himself says modestly: "Nobody in our team would have done it alone," she says. That's what real heroes are talking about.

The compact news overview in the morning: current and opinionated. Every morning (weekdays) at 6 o'clock. Order directly here:

The latest news from the night

  • Brussels: EU postpones Brexit by 31 October
  • IMF calls for more investment from Germany

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I wish you a good start to the day.

Your Roland Nelles