Monday Briefing: China raises its child limit

Monday, May 31, 2021

by Robert MacMillan

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Here's what you need to know.

China raises its child limit, Netanyahu’s rivals work on unseating him, and the last survivors of the Tulsa race massacre commemorate its 100th anniversary

Today's biggest stories

A mob of supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump fight with members of law enforcement at a door they broke open as they storm the Capitol, January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis

U.S.

A newly unsealed indictment named additional members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia group that participated in the January 6th storming of the Capitol, as defendants for their role in the incident.

Democrats in the Texas House of Representatives boycotted a legislative session late Sunday, blocking a vote on an election-reform bill that critics say would make it harder for Blacks and Hispanics to vote.

The debate over the future of policing is taking place daily in New York as Democrats jockey for the party’s nomination for mayoral candidate. Those who embrace a pro-law enforcement message seem to have the upper hand, and the election's outcome may provide a window into how voters prioritize issues in a post-pandemic society.

Companies can mandate that employees in a workplace must be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said.

Children play with models of rockets at the reception desk of a hotel in Longlou town, Wenchang, Hainan province, November 22, 2020. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

WORLD

China said married couples may have up to three children, a major policy shift from the existing limit of two. China’s recent once-in-a-decade census showed that the population grew at its slowest rate during the last decade since the 1950s. Data also showed a fertility rate of just 1.3 children per woman for 2020, on par with aging societies like Japan and Italy.

Far-right party leader Naftali Bennett threw his support behind a "unity government" in Israel to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in what would be the end of a political era. Read more about Bennett, about what just happened and what happens next.

A sharp rise in COVID-19 cases from new variants in parts of Southeast Asia that had been less affected by the pandemic has prompted new restrictions, factory closures and attempts to rapidly scale up vaccination programs across the region.

The remains of 215 children, some as young as 3 years old, were found at the site of a former residential school for indigenous children, a discovery Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as heartbreaking.

A general view of the Goodyear factory in Shah Alam, Malaysia May 6, 2021. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng

BUSINESS

Tire-maker Goodyear is facing accusations of unpaid wages, unlawful overtime and threats to foreign workers at its Malaysian factory.

Intel’s CEO said it could take several years for a global shortage of semiconductors to be resolved, a problem that has shuttered some auto production lines and is also being felt in other areas, including consumer electronics.

3M won a court case in which it was accused of covering up design defects in earplugs used by the military. The Florida trial is the second to address allegations 3M hid design flaws, fudged test results and failed to instruct the military in proper use of the earplugs.

Carmakers in the Indian automobile hub of Chennai will be allowed to keep operating, amid protests by workers who fear catching COVID-19. Tamil Nadu's government has extended a near-total lockdown, but said some industries could stay open. Hundreds of workers in the Chennai area have fallen ill and dozens have died from the virus, labor unions say.

Quote of the day

“That's a black cat in the bag instead of reparations for a crime against humanity”

Vekuii Rukoro

Paramount Chief of the Herero people

Germany apologizes for colonial-era genocide in Namibia

Video of the day

Plague of mice ravages Australia

Norman Moeris is among thousands of farmers dealing with an infestation of mice that have ravaged crops, gnawed through farming equipment and household appliances, caused power blackouts and invaded supermarkets.

And finally…

Last survivors mark 1921 race massacre in Tulsa

An estimated 300 people were killed, thousands were left homeless and a community seen as a symbol of what Black Americans could achieve was devastated.

More from Reuters

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