Official
WHO Ebola toll near 5,000 with true number nearer 15,000 - (www.reuters.com) At
least 4,877 people have died in the world's worst recorded outbreak of Ebola,
and at least 9,936 cases of the disease had been recorded as of Oct. 19, the
World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday, but the true toll may be
three times as much. The WHO has said real numbers of cases are believed to be
much higher than reported: by a factor of 1.5 in Guinea, 2 in Sierra Leone and
2.5 in Liberia, while the death rate is thought to be about 70 percent of all
cases. That would suggest a toll of almost 15,000.
Oil
Producers Cramming Wells in Risky Push to Extend Boom - (www.bloomberg.com) U.S.
shale producers are cramming more wells into the juiciest spots of their
oilfields in a move that may help keep the drilling boom going as prices
plunge. The technique known as downspacing aims to pull more oil at less cost
from each field, allowing companies to boost profit, attract more investment
and arrange needed loans to continue drilling. Energy companies see
closely-packed wells as their best chance to add billions more barrels of oil
to U.S. production that’s already the highest in a quarter
century. “We would be dealing with more than a decade of inventory,” said Manuj
Nikhanj, co-head of energy research for ITG Investment Research in Calgary. “If
you can go twice as tight, the multiplication effect is massive.”
2,447
Bottles of Wine on the Wall and State Plans to Dump Them All - (www.bloomberg.com) Christina
Turley’s father, Larry, produces California wine from vines that date back to the
late 1800s. Sought by collectors, several bottles may be dumped down a
Philadelphia sink. Pennsylvania plans to destroy 2,447 bottles seized from
Arthur Goldman, a Philadelphia-area lawyer who was charged this year with
illegally reselling wine. While he has agreed to penalties, he’s fighting the
jettisoning of his collection, which encompasses small-batch California
producers such as Turley Wine Cellars, Martinelli Winery and Kistler Vineyards.
For the authorities, destruction is the natural culmination of the case. For
Christina Turley and Regina Martinelli, a fifth-generation winemaker, it would
waste the products of years of devotion and passion.
Shale
Boom’s Allure to Wall Street Tested by Bear Market - (www.bloomberg.com) Falling
oil prices are testing investors’ commitment to the Wall Street-funded shale
boom. Energy stocks led the plunge earlier this month in U.S. equities and the
cost of borrowing rose. The Energy Select Sector Index is down 14 percent since the end of
August, compared with 3.8 percent for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. The
yield for 190 bonds issued by U.S. shale companies increased by an average of
1.16 percentage points. Investors’ sentiment toward the oil and gas industry
has “certainly changed in the last 30 days,” said Ron Ormand, managing director
of investment banking for New York-based MLV & Co. with more than 30 years
of experience in energy. “I don’t think the boom is over but I do think we’re
in a period now where people are going to start evaluating their budgets.”
‘Poker Player’ Putin Bluffed and Won, French
Envoy Says - (www.bloomberg.com) Vladimir
Putin has
outmaneuvered his opponents and humiliated Ukraine by continuing to back pro-Russian
separatists and flouting a cease-fire, making it crucial that sanctions on
Russia remain firm, France’s ambassador to the U.S. said. The Russian president
“has won because we were not ready to die for Ukraine, while apparently he
was,” Ambassador Gerard Araud said yesterday at a Bloomberg Government
breakfast in Washington,
in remarks he said represented his personal opinion. Echoing the view of other
European envoys in Washington, Araud expressed concern that the Ukraine
conflict has hit an impasse, leaving Putin the winner by default.
Russia slaps conditions on Ukraine gas deal - (www.ft.com)
Consumed by Islamic State, Iraq's Anbar province a key battleground again - (www.reuters.com)
Hong Kong protesters march after fruitless talks with government - (www.reuters.com)
Mud and Loathing on Russia-Ukraine Border - (www.bloomberg.com)
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