| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Friday, May 6, 2022 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. Ukraine says a new Mariupol evacuation has begun, Louisiana legislators advance a bill classifying abortion as homicide, and Sinn Fein eyes a historic Northern Ireland election win | | | | | Today's biggest stories  Pro-Russian troops fire from a tank near the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, May 5, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko RUSSIA AND UKRAINE AT WAR Ukraine said a new attempt was under way to evacuate scores of civilians trapped in a heavily bombed steel works in the city of Mariupol, after bloody fighting with Russian forces thwarted efforts to bring them to safety the previous day.
Mariupol, a strategic southern port on the Azov Sea, has endured the most destructive siege of the 10-week-old war and the sprawling Soviet-era Azovstal steel plant is the last part of the city still in the hands of holdout Ukrainian fighters.
The European Commission has proposed changes to its planned embargo on Russian oil in a bid to win over reluctant states, three EU sources told Reuters. The tweaked proposal includes giving Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic more time to adapt to the embargo, and help with upgrading their own oil infrastructure.
Germany said it will deliver seven self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, on top of five such artillery systems the Dutch government already pledged. Germany reversed its long-held policy of not sending heavy weapons to war zones last week following pressure at home and abroad for it to help Ukraine.
A month after fleeing Mariupol with her sister, 21-year-old Nicole breaks down in tears as she thinks of her mother, who they left behind and have since lost contact with. She, sister Vira and Vira's four-year-old son made their escape on foot on April 1, the first part of a five-day odyssey that ended in the southern town of Zaporizhzia.
Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now
|  Police trainer Richard Whitehead carries a gun as he teaches a class in Killeen, Texas. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/file photo
U.S.
On social media, Richard Whitehead is a warrior for the American right. He's praised extremist groups and called for public executions of government officials deemed disloyal to former President Donald Trump. He also trains U.S. police officers. Read our special report on the police trainers with far-right ties.
Louisiana lawmakers have advanced a bill that would abolish abortion in the state, grant constitutional rights to "all unborn children from the moment of fertilization" and classify abortion as a homicide crime.
President Joe Biden said he has chosen Karine Jean-Pierre to be White House press secretary, succeeding Jen Psaki and becoming the first Black and openly gay person to serve as the public face of a U.S. administration.
A grainy 28-second video showing a naked young man gyrating against someone in bed amid squeals and laughter was the latest in a string of episodes that has turned Republicans against one of their own: the brash U.S. Representative Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina.
Actor Amber Heard broke down in tears on the witness stand as she said ex-husband Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her with a liquor bottle and threatened her life shortly after the pair were married.
WORLD
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservative Party lost control of traditional strongholds in London and suffered setbacks elsewhere in local elections, with voters punishing his government over a series of scandals. Sinn Fein sought to become the first Irish nationalist party to win the most seats in British-ruled Northern Ireland as counting began.
Residents of Beijing fretted over dozens of new COVID cases reported daily and over the possibility of more restrictions on movements as China's leaders threatened action against critics of their zero-COVID policy. Meanwhile, the spread of COVID in compounds that have been sealed off for weeks is baffling Shanghai residents.
Thousands of shops, schools and businesses closed as public and private sector workers in Sri Lanka went on strike, demanding the president and the government step down for their mishandling of the island's worst financial crisis in decades.
Israeli security forces launched a massive manhunt for two Palestinians suspected of killing three people in an attack in a central Israeli city. The attack is the latest in a recent upsurge of Israeli-Palestinian violence that has raised fears of a slide back to wider conflict.
Over 500 kg of cocaine estimated to be worth more than $50 million has been found in a container of coffee bean bags for Nestle's Nespresso factory in Romont in Switzerland. Europe is increasingly becoming a hub for production and trans-shipment of cocaine to other regions of the world, in addition to being a major consumption market, EU agencies said.
|  A trader works at the New York Stock Exchange, May 5, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly BUSINESS The U.S. dollar hit 20-year highs and world stocks fell towards their lowest in over a year as markets anticipated more U.S. interest rate rises, while Asian stocks fell on worries about the hit to growth from China's zero-COVID policy. A massive two-day swing in U.S. stocks highlights a trend that some market participants believe will be a hallmark for months to come: intense volatility.
U.S. regulatory officials have arrived in Beijing seeking to settle a long-running dispute over the auditing compliance of U.S.-listed Chinese firms, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The stand-off, if not resolved, could see Chinese firms kicked off New York bourses.
Elon Musk's decision to accept some foreign investors as part of his $44 billion buyout of Twitter runs the risk of inviting the kind of regulatory scrutiny over U.S. national security that social media peer TikTok faced, legal experts say. Here's how Musk is funding his offer.
Boeing said it will move its headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia, as the crisis-plagued U.S. planemaker works to repair relationships with customers, federal regulators and lawmakers. The head of the world's second-largest aircraft leasing company Avolon said Boeing had "lost its way" and might need new leadership to fix a flawed culture.
British Airways-owner IAG cut back plans to ramp up short-haul flights to avoid disruption at Heathrow airport this summer, sending its shares skidding 8% on Friday after admitting it doesn't have enough staff to cope.
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