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Daily Briefing

Nordic nations joining NATO could prompt a change in strategy for the bloc, France was relatively calm overnight with fewer than 160 arrests, and oil giants drill deep as profits trump climate concerns.

Plus, the risks posed by July Fourth fireworks.

By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

Construction workers are seen on a bridge over Raumo river in Tornio, Finland May 31, 2023. REUTERS/Janis Laizans

As NATO welcomes new members in response to Russia's campaign, access to these new territories and their infrastructure opens ways for allies to watch and contain Moscow. The accession of Finland and soon Sweden is a chance to treat the whole of northwest Europe as one bloc. What Sweden's submarines bring to NATO.
A mass shooting at an outdoor neighborhood block party in Baltimore, Maryland, left two people dead and 28 others injured, about half of them children, as investigators sought the public's help in tracking down multiple suspects.
Fewer than 160 people were arrested overnight in connection to riots that have rocked cities across France following the killing of a teenager of North African descent by a police officer, the interior ministry said.
Israeli forces hit the city of Jenin with drone strikes during an overnight operation that included hundreds of troops and set off a gunbattle lasting into the day, killing at least seven people in a major escalation of West Bank violence.
London mayor Sadiq Khan plans to expand the zone where drivers of the most polluting vehicles are charged $16 a day - and not everyone is happy about it. If the plan goes ahead, London's Ultra Low Emission Zone will become one of the world's largest to tackle air pollution.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has warned that Moscow's confrontation with the West will last decades and that its conflict with Ukraine could become permanent.

Business & Markets

Oil and gas companies have intensified the hunt for new deposits in a long-term bet on demand, as they reinvest some of the record profits from the fossil fuel price surge driven by the Ukraine war, according to data and industry executives.
Japan is leaning toward softer rules governing the use of artificial intelligence than the European Union, said an official close to deliberations, as it looks to the technology to boost economic growth and make it a leader in advanced chips. Here are the latest steps national and international governing bodies are taking to regulate AI tools.
Elon Musk's move to temporarily cap how many posts Twitter users can read on the social media site could undermine efforts by the company's new Chief Executive Linda Yaccarino to attract advertisers, marketing industry professionals said.
UBS has gone on a US recruiting drive for wealth managers catering to rich Americans even as it considers culling 30% of its combined global workforce after its takeover of Credit Suisse.
British banks faced fresh criticism for the savings rates they offer to cash-strapped customers, in the latest intervention by parliament's influential Treasury Select Committee.

Biden's green hydrogen plan hits climate obstacle: Water shortage

Joe Biden shakes hands with Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

The Biden administration's climate agenda is facing an unexpected challenge in drought-prone Corpus Christi, Texas, where a proposed clean hydrogen hub would require the installation of energy-intensive, expensive and potentially environmentally damaging seawater desalination plants.

Valerie Volcovici tells the Reuters World News podcast that Corpus Christi is not the only place facing opposition to clean energy projects.

Insight: Producing hydrogen requires enormous amounts of fresh water in a world increasingly affected by climate-driven drought.

And Finally...

People watch fireworks over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway as part of 4th of July celebrations in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., July 4, 2021. REUTERS/Hannah Beier

US July Fourth celebrations come as Americans grapple with air quality and wildfire concerns. Fireworks increase the risk of both, leading some cities to change their plans for the holiday.

Reuters Graphic: The risks posed by July Fourth fireworks

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