Thursday Morning Briefing

View in Browser
logo-reuters-news-now

North Koreans watch a news report showing North Korea's Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile launch on electronic screen at Pyongyang station in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo taken by Kyodo August 30, 2017.

 


Tropical Storm Harvey

 

Tropical Depression Harvey weakened as it moved inland over Louisiana, leaving behind record flooding that drove tens of thousands from their homes in Texas. The death toll was rising as bodies were found in receding waters. A new threat came from explosions at a flood-hit chemical plant in Crosby, 30 miles northeast of Houston. 

 

Two explosions were reported at the flood-hit Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas, and a sheriff’s deputy was taken to a hospital after inhaling chemicals, the company said. The company said it was notified at approximately 2 a.m., by the Harris County Emergency Operations Center of two explosions and black smoke coming from the plant in Crosby. 

 

INSIGHT: Body camera footage shows race to rescue flood victim 

 

Factbox: Massive aid and insurance costs seen from Hurricane Harvey

 

Reuters TV: A reporter’s journey from Katrina to Harvey

 

How Trump's immigration crackdown could slow flood-hit Houston's efforts to rebuild

 

U.S. oil prices set for worst month in over a year as floods hit demand

 

Live updates on the storm

 


North Korea

 

South Korea said its air force conducted an exercise with two U.S. nuclear-capable bombers above the Korean peninsula, two days after a North Korean missile fired over Japan sharply raised tensions. 

 

As U.S. ban on travel to North Korea kicks in, tourists say their farewells

 

After North Korea missile, Britain and Japan agree closer security ties

 


U.S. Politics

 

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis openly differed with his commander in chief over North Korea, the latest example of a once-rare public display of disagreement by top U.S. aides that has become more frequent under President Donald Trump. “We are never out of diplomatic solutions,” Mattis told reporters, just hours after Trump said in a tweet that “talking is not the answer” to the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs. 

 

President Donald Trump made his first major tax reform speech on Wednesday, but in a long list of thank yous he did not mention Gary Cohn, the White House point man on taxes who traveled with Trump to the event. When asked about the omission of Cohn’s name, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on Air Force One, en route to Washington from Missouri, that it was customary for Trump to recognize Cabinet members, but not advisers, in speeches.

 

If Trump pulls trigger on NAFTA withdrawal, Mexico will walk away

 


 

Maurizio Cattelan’s “America,” a fully functional solid gold toilet is seen at The Guggenheim Museum in New York City, U.S., August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

 


Business

 

Amazon has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit by a couple who claims defective eclipse glasses purchased through the online retailer damaged their eyes. 

 

British American Tobacco restructures as e-cigarettes go mainstream

 

Uber’s new Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi told employees the ride-services company would change its culture and may go public in 18 to 36 months.

 

Delaware judge hands ex-Uber CEO a victory in lawsuit by Benchmark

 

Expedia taps CFO Okerstrom to replace Khosrowshahi as CEO

 

Toshiba failed to seal a deal to sell its prized chip business by an internal deadline, raising doubts about whether it can plug a balance sheet hole in time to avoid a delisting and keep the unit competitive. 


Blow to South Korean carmakers as Kia loses landmark wage dispute

 


Banking

 

Six new banks have joined a UBS-led effort to create a digital cash system that would allow financial markets to make payments and settle transactions quickly via blockchain technology. 

 

Goldman plots return to banking growth mode through hires, investments

 

Breakingviews - China’s big banks dig deeper into housing market

 


World

 

Reuters TV: Dozens feared trapped in deadly Mumbai building collapse

 

China says to beef up patrols along Indian border

 

The first public campaigns ahead of Australia’s vote on legalizing same-sex marriage have hit television screens, sparking a truth-in-advertising debate on an issue that threatens to destabilize the ruling center-right coalition. Australians can take part in a non-binding postal ballot in September on whether to change the Marriage Act to allow same-sex couples to marry.

 

Islamic State evacuation convoy will cross to Deir al-Zor: alliance commander

 

In the industrial outskirts of Beijing, a local community in the shadow of a giant Hyundai Motor Co manufacturing complex is feeling the fallout from a fierce diplomatic standoff between China and South Korea. Workers said shifts at the cluster of Hyundai plants had been slashed as Hyundai struggles with plunging sales in China amid the year-long dispute. Suppliers, meanwhile, have been hit by falling orders. 

 

Chinese cyber spies broaden attacks in Vietnam, security firm says

 

Pictures: Remembering Princess Diana

 


Commentary

 

The United States sent its first shipment of liquefied natural gas to the "unlikely market" of Lithuania this month, writes columnist Agnia Grigas. With the former Soviet Republic traditionally buying its gas from Russian state company Gazprom, Donald Trump must have seen the U.S. sale as "a gratifying sign of the success of his administration's energy diplomacy," says Grigas. "While reducing Gazprom's dominance has long been part of Washington's agenda, the Trump administration is the first to explicitly link the trinity of diplomacy, LNG trade and national economic interests."

 

 

Explosions, rising death toll in Harvey's wake

Wednesday Morning Briefing

View in Browser
logo-reuters-news-now

A missile is launched during a long and medium-range ballistic rocket launch drill in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang on August 30, 2017.

 


North Korea

 

The United Nations condemned North Korea’s “outrageous” firing of a ballistic missile over Japan, demanding that the isolated country halts its weapons program but holding back on any threat of new sanctions. North Korea said the launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile was to counter U.S. and South Korean military drills and was a first step in military action in the Pacific to "contain" the U.S. territory of Guam. 

 

Exclusive: Japan seeks new U.S. missile radar as North Korea threat grows - sources

 

North Korea launch increases focus on risky U.S. shootdown option

 

Interactive package on North Korea's missile capabilities

 


Hurricane Harvey

 

Tropical Storm Harvey made landfall again near the Texas-Louisiana border, adding more rain after a record downpour that has caused catastrophic flooding and paralyzed the city of Houston. The storm that first came ashore on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years has killed at least 17 people and forced tens of thousands to leave their deluged homes. Damage has been estimated at tens of billions of dollars, making it one of the costliest U.S. natural disasters. 

 

Live updates: Harvey ravages Texas

 

Storm Harvey paralyzes a fifth of U.S. fuel output

 

Harvey's effects on fuel network hit U.S. motorists as gas prices rise

 

As Texans rely on U.S. flood insurance, expiration looms in Congress

 


Politics

 

The White House downplayed talk of division among President Donald Trump’s advisers after Secretary of State Tillerson and economic adviser Gary Cohn appeared to criticize Trump for his response to the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

 

President Donald Trump will turn his signature populist rhetoric toward tax reform in a speech expected to tout tax cuts as a way to help workers and the middle class in an economy “rigged” against them, senior White House officials said. With his domestic policy agenda stalled amid Republican infighting and his approval rating at just 35 percent, Trump will make his first presidential speech specifically on tax policy, an issue on which he has been promising results for months. 

 

Transgender members in U.S. military may serve until study completed: Mattis 

 


Uber

 

Uber said it was cooperating with a preliminary investigation led by the U.S. Department of Justice into possible violations of bribery laws. The preliminary investigation is the latest in a series of legal wrangles at Uber as the ride-services company waits for its new chief executive to take the reins. 

 

Uber officially welcomes as CEO Expedia's Dara Khosrowshahi

 

Uber to provide free insurance for its drivers in India

 


 

 

Muslims pray at the Grand mosque ahead of the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia August 29, 2017. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

 


Business

 

Goldman Sachs will detail plans to turn around performance at its core bond-trading unit next month after unusual pressure from large investors frustrated by vague explanations of its troubles, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The move is a break from tradition at Wall Street’s pre-eminent bank, which usually gives its investors little information about how it makes money. 

 

Breakingviews - Blackstone hunts Japanese deals – and pensions

 

In an introductory podcast to our fintech series, we ask experts: Is fintech really a thing? Or are we being influenced by marketing terms? 

 

Bain-led consortium in last-minute $18 billion bid for Toshiba chip unit: source

 

Google, Apple face off over augmented reality technology

 

Fujifilm says aims to spend $4.5 billion on M&A over three years

 


World

 

Two toddlers were among at least six people who died after floods caused by heavy seasonal monsoon rains destroyed homes and disrupted traffic in India’s financial capital, police said. Train services resumed slowly and dozens of commuters began walking to work in Mumbai, a city of 20 million people that is home to India’s two biggest stock exchanges and the headquarters of several major companies. 

 

Reuters TV: Saudi women take on Mecca emergency role

 

Mexico dusts-off 'Plan B' as Trump revs up threats to kill NAFTA

 

China sought to cast its strained ties with India in a positive light ahead of a likely meeting next week between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi following their most serious military confrontation in decades. The countries agreed this week to end a more than two-month-old stand-off on their disputed Himalayan border, just in time for the start on Sunday of a summit of the BRICS grouping of nations, which also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa. 

 

U.N. cites systematic use of excessive force in Venezuela crackdown on dissent

 

Thailand's Thaksin breaks silence to cite tyranny in 'name of justice'

 

Thailand is offering a free course to help Thai women cope with the highs and lows of interracial marriage and avoid potential scams or falling victim to human trafficking when moving abroad. As Thai society becomes more accepting of interracial marriages, some women view them as a way to better their economic status, the social development ministry says. 

 


Commentary

 

Putin's face-off with the West is worsening "in wider, often weirder ways," writes columnist Peter Apps. Automated Twitter feeds believed to be linked to Moscow spread far-right messages about the white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, and were used to spread rumors about U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster. Eastern European officials also fear that Russia's upcoming "Zapad 2017" military drills may be used as a cover for a military attack, says Apps.