Daily Briefing

A Hamas signal of support for the UN-backed Gaza truce deal is a 'hopeful sign', Kharkiv's mayor says striking Russia has helped to calm the embattled city, and Apple showcases AI integration at its developer conference.

Plus, a study shows elephants might call each other by name.

By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

Blinken talks to reporters after meeting with families and supporters of Israelis held hostage in Gaza by Hamas. Tel Aviv. June 11, 2024. JACK GUEZ/Pool via REUTERS

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said a Hamas statement of support for a UN resolution backing a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war was a "hopeful sign" though word from the militant group's leadership in the enclave was vital. Follow the latest on the conflict.
French political parties were rushing to find alliances - and trying not to fall apart - in a race against the clock to prepare for a snap election which opinion polls show Marine Le Pen's far-right party is likely to win.
Ukraine's army has struck missile launch positions in Russia, helping to reduce the number of attacks on the embattled city of Kharkiv, its mayor told Reuters. His comments came after US President Joe Biden late last month approved the use of American weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
NATO's eastern flank leaders will have a more coordinated approach towards supporting Ukraine after the Hungarian president stayed away from their summit in Riga, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said.
Conservative US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in a secret recording made public by a liberal activist can be heard agreeing with the sentiment that the US should return "to a place of godliness."
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has retained all key cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new government, signaling that he still calls the shots despite having to rely on coalition allies for a majority in parliament.
Talks to forge South Africa's post-election unity government will need to bring together parties with goals as contradictory as seizing white-owned farms and mines, ditching Black empowerment policies and tearing up the constitution. Meanwhile, former President Jacob Zuma's MK party is trying to block parliament from convening.

Business & Markets

Apple unveiled a long-awaited AI strategy at its annual developer conference. Jeffrey Dastin joins the Reuters World News podcast to explain how this shift might boost flagging iPhone sales. Elon Musk said he would ban Apple devices at his companies if the iPhone maker integrates OpenAI at the operating system level.
An aggressive market grab by low-cost Chinese retailers has delivered bumper earnings for some firms but has also intensified a bruising price war, exacerbating deflationary fears in the world's second-largest economy.
The clock is ticking for Keith Gill, the stock influencer known on YouTube as "Roaring Kitty," to lock in gains on his options position in GameStop as the company's share price wobbles and the expiration date for the contracts draws closer.
Britain's labor market showed more signs of cooling in April as the unemployment rate rose, an awkward development for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of the July 4 election, despite another month of robust wage growth.
The merger of the Swiss units of UBS and Credit Suisse could be completed as early as July 1, according to a senior executive. UBS, which acquired former rival Credit Suisse last year after the bank's collapse, had previously indicated the two units would be combined during the third quarter.
Join us for a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker featuring Joseph Dominguez, CEO of Constellation Energy, the largest operator of US nuclear power plants and a top earner in the S&P 500 this year. The event takes place today at 10.30am ET / 3.30pm BST.

Graphics: Seoul-based activists up the ante in balloon offensive against North Korea

In the balloon warfare between North Korea and South Korean activists, one Seoul-based group has honed its tech expertise to develop balloons capable of dispersing leaflets and electronic speakers hundreds of kilometers across the border.

Built using 3D printers and components sourced online and sometimes equipped with GPS-tracking, these so-called "smart balloons" can cost up to $1,000 each.

See our graphics.

And Finally...

A bird perches on an elephant as it walks at the Amboseli National Park in Kajiado County, Kenya, April 4, 2024. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi/File Photo

Over the years, researchers who study elephants have noticed an intriguing phenomenon. Sometimes when an elephant makes a vocalization to a group of other elephants, all of them respond. But sometimes when that same elephant makes a similar call to the group, only a single individual responds.

Could it be elephants are calling each other by the equivalent of a name?

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