| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Friday, September 23, 2022 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. Trump's path to stall the documents probe narrows, a U.S. aircraft carrier sends a warning to North Korea, and investors take fright as Britain bets all on historic tax cuts | | | | | Today's biggest stories  A service member of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic votes during a referendum on joining LPR to Russia, at a military unit in Luhansk, Ukraine, September 23, 2022 RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR Russia launched referendums aimed at annexing four occupied regions of Ukraine, raising the stakes in the seven-month-old war with what Kyiv called an illegal sham that saw residents threatened with punishment if they did not vote.
The votes on whether the regions should become part of Russia began after Ukraine earlier this month recaptured large swaths of northeastern territory in a counteroffensive.
Some Russian technology professionals, bankers, and journalists at state media outlets will not be called up to serve in Ukraine as part of Russia's mobilization drive, the defense ministry said. Some Russians detained while protesting against the mobilization have been handed draft papers while in custody, the OVD-Info rights group said.
Finland is considering barring most Russians from entering, amid heavy traffic into the country across its southeastern border with Russia, while the Czech Republic said it will not issue humanitarian visas to Russian citizens fleeing the mobilization orders. Kazakhstan, the former Soviet republic in Central Asia, has also seen an increased number of arrivals from Russia.
Putin was "pushed" into invading Ukraine and wanted to put "decent people" in charge of Kyiv, former Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi has said, drawing fierce criticism just ahead of Italy's election.
Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now.
|  Fighter jets sit on the deck of U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan which is anchored at a port in Busan, South Korea, September 23, 2022 WORLD
A U.S. aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea for the first time in about four years, set to join other military vessels in a show of force intended to send a message to North Korea. USS Ronald Reagan and ships from its accompanying strike group docked at a naval base in the southern port city of Busan ahead of joint drills with South Korean forces.
The Iranian army said it will "confront the enemies" to ensure security, the toughest warning yet to nationwide protesters enraged by the death of a woman held by police. The United States imposed sanctions on Iran's morality police, saying it held the unit responsible for the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
Hurricane Fiona threatened the Atlantic island of Bermuda, passing west of the British territory on its northward trek toward Nova Scotia while packing the potential to become one of the most severe storms in Canada's history.
Italy's rightist bloc led by Giorgia Meloni is strongly expected to win Sunday's election but voter sentiment has shifted in the last two weeks and surprises should not be ruled out, pollsters say. We look at how a Meloni win could shift Europe's balance of power.
Hong Kong will scrap its controversial COVID hotel quarantine policy for all arrivals from September 26, more than two and a half years after it was first implemented. Japan said it will ease COVID border control requirements next month, a key step in fostering a recovery in the tourism sector.
U.S.
Donald Trump's bid to impede a criminal investigation into his possession of documents taken from the White House has begun to unravel, legal experts said, after courtroom setbacks including doubts expressed by judges about the former president's claim that he declassified records seized at his Florida home.
Republicans in the House of Representatives rolled out an agenda aimed at tackling a range of priorities from inflation and crime to election accountability, which they hope will give them the upper hand against Democrats in the November 8 midterm elections.
The House of Representatives passed a series of bipartisan policing and public safety bills, as Democrats worked to burnish their crime-fighting credentials before the midterms.
An Indiana judge blocked the state from enforcing its new law banning most abortions while Planned Parenthood and other healthcare providers challenge it in court.
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones ignited a courtroom shouting match, railing against critics as he testified in a trial to determine how much he owes families of victims who died in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, which he falsely claimed was a hoax.
|  Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng walks in Downing Street in London, September 23, 2022 BUSINESS Britain's new finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng unleashed historic tax cuts and huge increases in borrowing in an economic agenda that floored financial markets, with sterling and British government bonds in freefall. The main opposition Labour Party criticized the Conservative government's economic plans, saying Kwarteng and Prime Minister Liz Truss were like "two desperate gamblers in a casino".
A downturn in business activity across the euro zone deepened in September, according to a survey which showed the economy was likely entering a recession as consumers rein in spending amid a cost of living crisis.
The German government is in talks about providing urgent financial support for scores of regional state-owned energy providers which are struggling to cope with soaring gas prices, three sources familiar with the matter said.
As the Bank of Japan steps into currency markets for the first time in decades to defend a battered yen, it is running into numerous obstacles, chiefly its own stubborn commitment to ultra-easy monetary settings.
Credit Suisse is sounding out investors for fresh cash, two people familiar with the matter said, approaching them for the fourth time in around seven years as it attempts a radical overhaul of its investment bank.
Southeast Asian startups are enjoying a boom in fundraising exercises by venture and buyout funds that are chasing bigger returns and turning away from regulatory turmoil in Chinese markets, even at the risk of slower growth.
| | | | | | | | | | | Quote of the day "The Ukrainian people are under fire with no end in sight. They need to know that one day when this is all over, they can rebuild their country and their lives." Amal Clooney Human rights lawyer U.N. showdown rife with anger over Ukraine war | | | | Video of the day  Hollywood sign gets huge paint job The job will use around 400 gallons of paint and special rust-prohibitive primer, with five painters working daily tackling two letters at a time. | | | | And finally… Myanmar beauty queen in Thai airport limbo  Han Lay, who spoke out against Myanmar's military rulers, is stranded at Thailand's international airport as activists urge authorities not to send her back to her homeland. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
