| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Tuesday, July 27, 2021 by Robert MacMillan | Hello Here's what you need to know. China and the U.S. hit a standstill, Naomi Osaka crashes out at the Olympics, Congress still is arguing over infrastructure and global markets regulators are taking a closer look at SPACs | | | | | Today's biggest stories  U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman meets Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tianjin. U.S. Department of State/Handout via REUTERS WORLD It’s been a day of meetings on the international front, though some were not as promising as others.
Relations between China and the U.S. appear to be at a standstill as high-level diplomatic talks in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin failed to produce any outcomes. The talks, aimed at ensuring that competition does not veer into conflict, did produce combative statements, though not with the same volume of vitriol that marked their previous meeting in Alaska in March.
South and North Korea’s flourishing correspondence seems to have produced more fruitful results as the two countries restored communications hotlines that Pyongyang severed a year ago.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met as well, sealing an agreement formally ending the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by the end of the year, though U.S. forces still will operate there in an advisory role.
Tokyo reported a record number of coronavirus cases even as the Olympic Games continued. It was another tough day for Japan on a second front: Naomi Osaka is out of the running for tennis gold after losing 6-1 6-4 to the Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova.
In Hong Kong, a judicial panel set up to deal with national-security cases found former waiter Tong Ying-kit, 24, guilty of terrorism and inciting secession in a landmark case. The ruling imposes new limits on free speech in the former British colony, activists say. Tong was denied bail and a jury trial.
The European Union is on course to hit its target of 70% adult vaccination against COVID-19 by the end of the summer, the European Commission said. Even so, shifting restrictions as the pandemic ripples around the world are making it hard for those who make their living in tourism, such as Greek hotel manager George Tselios, who says there’s no way to know how business will be more than two weeks into the future. |  An unscalable security fence, erected after the Jan. 6 riots, surrounds the Capitol. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst U.S. Four police officers who worked to defend the U.S. Capitol from a mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters are due to testify at the first hearing before a congressional committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 riot.
What Sunday talk shows give, Monday morning takes away. Lawmakers made optimistic noises over the weekend about reaching a deal on President Biden’s infrastructure plan, only to squabble anew a day later. Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, raised the prospect of talks dragging into Congress’ scheduled August recess.
New York City and California ordered government workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or face regular tests. The moves affect more than half a million people.
In a similar move, the Department of Veterans Affairs now requires that doctors and medical staff get vaccinated, becoming the first federal agency to impose such a requirement. And the U.S. is keeping travel restrictions in place that keep much of the world’s population from entering the country. |  Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, January 3, 2019. REUTERS/ Hamad I Mohammed BUSINESS Global securities markets regulators said on Tuesday they have begun monitoring special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, due to potential regulatory concerns. Emerging markets have so far been on the fringes of a fundraising boom using SPAC deals. Wider global investor caution about the funding tool and a few recently delayed landmark deals will play a role in how much some countries can unlock this vital new source of cash.
Investors should get some insight this Thursday on how the aftershocks from the Greensill and Archegos scandals are hitting Credit Suisse when it reports its quarterly financial results. The bank on Tuesday appointed Goldman Sachs partner David Wildermuth as its new chief risk officer, its second recent big Wall Street hire to work on its turnaround.
Ask for more. You are worth it, according to a top London-based recruiter who says that the pandemic has worsened a shortage of white-collar workers in many countries, forcing companies to pay higher salaries to snare talent. | | | | | | | | | Video of the day  The Great Subway Tuna Sandwich Dispute of 2021 Subway urged a federal judge in California to throw out a lawsuit accusing the chain of deceiving consumers about the content of its tuna sandwiches, wraps and salads. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
