Friday Briefing: Ukraine says Russia taking 'colossal losses' in eastern battle

Friday, April 29, 2022

by Linda Noakes

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Here's what you need to know.

The U.S. Congress revives a World War Two-era program for Ukraine, Musk tells banks he will rein in Twitter pay, and Britain's scandal-hit PM faces a major test

Today's biggest stories

Ukrainian service members patrol in a village in Donetsk region, Ukraine, April 28, 2022. REUTERS/Serhii Nuzhnenko

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE AT WAR

Ukraine acknowledged it was taking heavy losses in Russia's assault in the east, but said Russia's losses were even worse, as U.S. President Joe Biden called on Congress to send as much as $33 billion to help Kyiv withstand the attack.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised Biden's offer of help, which amounts to nearly 10 times the aid Washington has sent so far since the war began on February 24.

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly backed legislation that will make it easier to export military equipment to Ukraine, reviving the 'Lend-Lease Act' that helped defeat Hitler during World War Two.

Ukraine hopes today to evacuate civilians who are holed up in a vast steel works with the last fighters defending the southern city of Mariupol.

NATO is ready to maintain its support for Ukraine in the war against Russia for years, including help for Kyiv to shift from Soviet-era weapons to modern Western arms and systems, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Valerie Bendersky was just seven when he fled to Kazakhstan to escape the Nazi invasion of Ukraine. As Israel takes in refugee Holocaust survivors, we spoke to elderly Jews shocked at having to flee their country once more.

Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now

BUSINESS


Elon Musk told banks that agreed to help fund his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter that he could crack down on executive and board pay at the social media company in a push to slash costs, and would develop new ways to monetize tweets, people familiar with the matter said. Twitter reported revenue and ad sales that fell short of expectations and were depressed by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Apple forecast bigger problems as COVID-19 lockdowns snarl production and demand in China, the war in Ukraine dents sales and growth slows in services, which the iPhone maker sees as its engine for expansion. Shares were down 2.2% in late trade after executives laid out their glum outlook on a conference call.

Amazon.com delivered a disappointing quarter and outlook as the e-commerce giant was swamped by higher costs to run its warehouses and deliver packages to customers.

AstraZeneca beat first-quarter sales and profit expectations, helped by higher-than-expected sales of its COVID-19 vaccine, a product the company has forecast will see a sharp decline over the course of the year.

Chevron's first-quarter profit nearly quadrupled from the same period a year ago, easily surpassing Wall Street's forecasts as oil and gas prices surged.

Workers in protective suits ride an electric tricycle on a street during lockdown in Shanghai, China, April 29, 2022. REUTERS/Aly Song


WORLD

China's capital Beijing closed more businesses and residential compounds, with authorities ramping up contact tracing to contain a COVID-19 outbreak, while resentment at the month-long lockdown in Shanghai grew. Shanghai's lockdown is driving scores of foreign residents to flee the commercial center, denting the appeal of mainland China's most cosmopolitan city.

Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades towards rock-hurling Palestinian youths at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, the latest outbreak of violence at a site revered by Muslims and Jews alike.

Malnourished children are flooding into the paediatric ward of the main hospital in Ethiopia's Gode city as the worst drought for 40 years has forced many families to leave their homes to search for aid.

John Jones is the sort of voter that Boris Johnson cannot afford to lose – but already has. We look at how local elections could spell the end of the party for Britain's scandal-hit prime minister.

Japan located the hull of a tour boat off its northern coast, the coast guard said, six days after the vessel disappeared in an accident that killed at least 14 people on a sightseeing trip.


U.S.


The Oklahoma legislature approved two bills that would ban virtually all abortions, and both Republican-composed laws would take effect immediately if the governor signs them as he has promised. Here's how states are taking sides on abortion.

Georgia joined a growing number of Republican-led U.S. states to ban schools from teaching "divisive" academic concepts about racism. The measures are part of movement among conservatives targeting the teaching of critical race theory.

Paul Manafort, who served as former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign chairman, is being sued by the U.S. Justice Department for just under $3 million for not reporting his financial interest in foreign accounts in a timely fashion.

A retired New York City police officer charged with assault in the U.S. Capitol riot testified that he was acting in self-defense when he struck a Washington officer with a flagpole and tackled him.

A bipartisan majority of U.S. voters oppose politicians punishing companies over their stances on social issues, a cold reception for campaigns like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' against Walt Disney, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Quote of the day

"We're competing against Amazon hiring drivers, or Target with positions in air-conditioned warehouses. It's easier than a drilling rig in west Texas in the summer."

Andy Hendricks

Chief executive of Patterson-UTI Energy

North American oil companies scramble to find workers despite boom

Video of the day

A tide of trash floods Liberia's capital

Residents of Monrovia say waste management has become a full blown crisis with just a few trucks to collect garbage that is dumped on the streets and beaches.

And finally…

Catch a falling rocket with a helicopter? Yes, that's the plan

Rocket Lab USA is gearing up for a mission that seems more appropriate for a big-budget action movie.

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