Wednesday Briefing: Adams leads, Yang concedes, but outcome uncertain in New York City mayoral primary

The Reuters Daily Briefing Wednesday, June 23, 2021 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. Biden’s Justice Department may defend Trump, the end of an era for Hong Kong's media, and could an anti-parasitic drug treat COVID? Today's biggest stories People fill out ballots during voting in the New York mayoral primary election at a polling site in Brooklyn, June 22, 2021. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid U.S. POLITICS Democrats in the U.S. Congress suffered a bruising defeat in their drive to pass a major election reform bill but said there are more tools at their disposal to overcome Republican efforts in several states to roll back expanded voting procedures. Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, a former police captain who put public safety at the center of his campaign for New York City mayor, is leading a field of 13 Democratic candidates in the primary election, though the outcome likely won't be known for weeks. Here's what you need to know about New York City's mayoral contest. Alvin Bragg, a former federal prosecutor and civil rights lawyer, is leading the Democratic nominating contest for Manhattan district attorney, putting him in position to become the first Black person to lead one of the country's highest-profile prosecutor's offices. Former U.S. President Donald Trump may have an unlikely ally to defend him against lawsuits alleging he incited the U.S. Capitol insurrection: President Joe Biden’s Justice Department. A supporter gives a flower and card to employees of Apple Daily at Next Digital’s headquarters in Hong Kong, June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu HONG KONG CRACKDOWN Hong Kong's pro-democracy tabloid Apple Daily says it will print its last edition tomorrow, after a stormy year in which it was raided by police and its tycoon owner and other staff were arrested under a new national security law. Apple Daily has been a thorn in Beijing’s side since owner Jimmy Lai, a self-made tycoon who was smuggled from mainland China into Hong Kong on a fishing boat at the age of 12, started it in 1995. Read our timeline of the rise and fall of Apple Daily and Lai, who pro-Beijing media in Hong Kong have denounced as a 'traitor'. ETHIOPIA FIGHTING FLARES An air strike has killed dozens of people in the town of Tagogon in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, an eyewitness and a medical official told Reuters, a day after residents said new fighting had flared in recent days north of the regional capital Mekelle. Officials in Ethiopia are counting ballots after a parliamentary election billed as the first free vote in the country's history but marred by an opposition boycott and reports of irregularities in some areas. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed hopes the vote will show the success of democratic reforms he launched after being appointed by the ruling coalition in 2018. But war has displaced 2 million people in Tigray, where Abiy sent troops last November to battle regional authorities that once had dominated the federal government in Addis Ababa. EUROPEAN RECOVERY Euro zone business growth accelerated at its fastest pace in 15 years this month as the easing of more lockdown measures and the unleashing of pent-up demand drove a boom in the bloc's dominant services industry. But Europe faces recovery with the German handbrake on, says Reuters columnist Mike Dolan. Men suffered bigger jobs losses across the euro zone during the pandemic, a European Central Bank study found, confounding some earlier predictions that women would take a bigger hit as they are overrepresented in the most affected sectors. British pilots, cabin crew, travel agents and other workers are urging politicians to save the summer holiday season by reopening routes abroad or risk destroying tens of thousands of jobs as companies fail. COVID SCIENCE India has found around 40 cases of the Delta coronavirus variant carrying a mutation that appears to make it more transmissible. Here is what we know about the variant. Vaccines made by AstraZeneca and the Pfizer-BioNTech alliance remain broadly effective against Delta and Kappa variants, according to a scientific study, underpinning a continued push to deliver the shots. From game-changer to back-up - we look at how Johnson & Johnson's COVID vaccine is struggling in Europe. The University of Oxford is testing anti-parasitic drug ivermectin as a possible treatment for COVID-19, as part of a British government-backed study that aims to aid recoveries in non-hospital settings. Quote of the day "We are striving to make the Tokyo Games safe and secure, so it won't be full of celebration" Seiko Hashimoto Tokyo Olympics president Tokyo 2020 bans booze, high-fives and autograph hunting Video of the day Italian hospital uses CT scan on an Egyptian mummy Experts hope to shed light on the life of Ankhekhonsu, an ancient Egyptian priest, and the burial customs of almost 3,000 years ago. And finally… Spider-Man drops in at the papal audience The man behind the mask turned out to be Mattia Villardita, 27, from northern Italy. He was given a place in the VIP section because of his work dressing up in superhero costumes and visiting sick children in hospitals. More from Reuters COVID-19 Investigations Breakingviews Legal News Thanks for spending part of your day with us. Share your thoughts You are receiving this email because you signed up for newsletters from Reuters. No longer want to hear from us? Unsubscribe from The Reuters Daily Briefing. 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