Daily Briefing

France proposes Hezbollah withdrawal and border talks for an Israel-Lebanon truce, a Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Biden and Trump remain locked in a tight rematch, and Estonia says Russia is preparing for a military confrontation with the West.

Plus, our gallery of the best images from Carnival in Brazil.

By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

Israeli soldiers stand by, as a mobile artillery unit fires, on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon. December 19, 2023. REUTERS/Gil Eliyahu

MIDDLE EAST

France has delivered a written proposal to Beirut aimed at ending hostilities with Israel and settling the disputed Lebanon-Israel frontier. Listen to Bureau Chief Maya Gebeily speak to the Reuters World News podcast about France's efforts.
Meanwhile US President Joe Biden and Jordan's King Abdullah kept up pressure for a Gaza Strip ceasefire as senior mediators were to resume work on an Israel-Hamas truce agreement, with the threat of an Israeli ground offensive looming in Rafah.

US POLITICS

Biden and his leading Republican challenger Donald Trump remain locked in a tight election rematch after a special prosecutor's report commenting on the Democratic incumbent's mental acuity, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The Democratic-led Senate passed a $95 billion bill containing aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and sent the measure on to the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, where its chances of becoming law face long odds.

IN OTHER NEWS

Russia is preparing for a military confrontation with the West within the next decade and could be deterred by a counter build-up of armed forces, Estonia's Foreign Intelligence Service said.
Russian forces are buying Starlink satellite internet terminals in "Arab countries" for use on the battlefield, Ukraine's military spy agency said. Listen to Tom Balmforth discuss the allegations on the Reuters World News podcast.
Pakistan's election has been remarkable in producing a result disappointing to most of its foreign partners and rivals, with little reason for optimism about the government that will eventually emerge from it, foreign policy analysts said.

Business & Markets

India has narrowed the gap with China in MSCI's Global Standard index, which tracks emerging market stocks for investors, after the latest revision. Index provider MSCI raised India's weightage in the index to an all-time high of 18.2%.
Founders Fund, the venture capital firm founded by billionaire Peter Thiel, is investing once again in bitcoin and ether, sources said, signaling Silicon Valley's renewed interest in cryptocurrency markets.
Global investors are at their most bullish in two years this month and no longer expect a recession, as confidence grows in the resilience of the underlying economy, a Bank of America survey showed.
Thousands of flight attendants across three labor unions will picket outside airports in the US, the UK and Guam, to push airlines for new contracts with significant pay increases, the Association of Flight Attendants said.
Two key groups of lawmakers at the European Parliament ratified a provisional agreement on landmark artificial intelligence rules ahead of a vote by the legislative assembly in April that will pave the way for the world's first legislation on the technology.
A study of frozen blood samples has turned up a trove of proteins that may predict several forms of dementia more than 10 years before the disease is diagnosed, researchers from the UK and China reported.

Italian far-right leader Salvini fights to escape Meloni's shadow

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini. October 26, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane

Five years ago, Matteo Salvini confirmed his status as a rising star of European far-right politics when his League party swept a third of the vote in Italian EU parliamentary elections.

His fortunes have since waned even as Italians have ushered in their most right-wing government since World War Two, his popularity eclipsed by the ascent to power of his ally Giorgia Meloni and her nationalist Brothers of Italy party.

Polls suggest League tactics are not working.

And Finally...

Revelers from Grande Rio Samba School perform during the night of the Carnival parade at the Sambadrome, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 12. REUTERS/Tita Barros

Highlights from the famously colorful Carnival celebrations at Sambadromes in Rio and Sao Paulo.

See our photo gallery.

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