From Reuters Daily Briefing |
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By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor |
Welcome to another edition of the Briefing. Winds from Hurricane Lee are buffeting my house on this blustery Saturday as I share with you some of the big stories of the week. Be sure to read to the bottom for something sweet. |
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The floods swept away most of Derna. Thousands are dead and thousands more are missing. REUTERS/Ayman Al-Sahili |
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- Anguish: Aid groups and the World Health Organization urged authorities in Derna to stop burying flood victims in mass graves, saying this could cause mental distress to families and health risks if bodies are buried near drinking-water sources. Authorities are looking for someone to blame for the dam bursts that caused the worst natural disaster in Libya's modern history. It's not like they weren't warned.
- 'No tourists, no job, no income': Waiter Mohamed Aznag lost his daughter in Morocco's earthquake. Now, he and others worry that tourism, vital to their livelihoods, won't come back. Morocco says Marrakech still will host the annual IMF and World Bank meetings in October, but this is not certain. And lean more about King Mohammed VI, who has kept his regal distance during the crisis.
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- Where is he? Li Shangfu, who has been missing from public view for more than two weeks, is caught up in a probe on the procurement of military equipment, and he's not the only one.
- Grinding gears, grinding teeth: In other China news, the European Commission accused Beijing of using subsidies to flood global markets with cheap electric cars at artificially low prices. China called the move protectionist and said Europe was just jealous of its success.
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- General Assembly: Familiar geopolitical tensions will dominate proceedings on the east side of Manhattan. Volodymyr Zelenskiy will make his first in-person appearance since Russia invaded Ukraine, while Russia and China vie with the United States and Europe to win over countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Listen to our World News podcast to learn more about speed dating for diplomats.
- Climate check-up: The changing environment is another big topic on the agenda. The U.N.'s goal to end hunger by 2030 is way off course, humans are working hard to make the earth incompatible with life, and finding ways to reduce dependence on fossil fuels is expensive even for the richest of nations.
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- Share it: The president said automakers should concede more to its union members, who walked off their jobs at GM, Ford and Stellantis factories in the most ambitious U.S. industrial labor action in decades. Biden needs labor's support to win key states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan in his 2024 reelection bid.
- Things aren't like they used to be: Striking auto workers at a Ford assembly plant near Detroit shared their grievances, including a two-tier wage system that one employee said left him unable to make the same kind of living that his father and grandfather made at Ford when they were young. Ford's CEO says the United Auto Workers' demands would put the company out of business. Talks are expected to resume today.
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- Better than all the rest: Google went on trial in federal court, defending itself against Justice Department charges that it broke antitrust law in pushing people to use its search engine. Parent company Alphabet presented another story of how Google became so big: People like it.
- Cash in your chips: SoftBank's Arm Holdings extended its gains from a stellar debut on the Nasdaq that valued the chip designer at $65 billion. Retail investors should exercise caution, experts say. And Nvidia has done so well in designing chips for AI use that it sucked all the money away from would-be rivals.
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Before I forget… Iranian security forces deployed in the hometown of Mahsa Amini, anticipating a flare-up in unrest marking the first anniversary of her death in morality-police custody. Should the House of Representatives impeach President Biden over his son's indictment on weapons charges? Yes, say 41% of respondents to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. No, say 35%. The rest aren't sure. 'War is good for business': Europe's biggest arms fair in London was hopping this year. A federal appeals court might revive a lawsuit by two parents challenging a Massachusetts' school-district policy to not disclose students' gender identities expressed at school to their families without their consent. A federal judge blocked a school district in southern California from forcing two Christian middle-school teachers to abide by a similar policy. Many Americans are interested in getting the updated COVID shot, a Reuters/Ipsos poll shows. They aren't nearly so sure when it comes to vaccinating their dogs, another survey shows. Hostess Brands sold itself to J.M. Smucker for $5.6 billion, including debt. Now you have a new company to thank every time you enjoy your Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs and Zingers. Me? I'll stick to my homemade chocolate-chip cookies. If I get 100 emails asking me to share, I'll post it in next week's newsletter. |
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