Life on Ukraine’s front line

Plus, South Africa goes to the polls.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing The US says latest Rafah deaths won't change its Israel policy, South Africans vote in the most competitive election since apartheid ended, and Putin's warning to the West.   Plus, a Reuters Special Report on conditions along Ukraine's front line.   By Kate Turton Today's Top News Smoke rises above southern Gaza. May 28, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Suen The Biden administration said that the recent deaths in Rafah didn't constitute a major ground operation there that crosses any US red lines. James MacKenzie talks to the Reuters World News podcast about how Israel's tactics in Rafah appear different to earlier in the conflict. South Africans began voting in the most pivotal election since the racist system of apartheid ended in 1994. Follow our live coverage here.  Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, which he said could trigger a global conflict. Latin America's human rights court holds a final hearing in Brazil in a case that's part of a global wave of climate litigation, as several international courts prepare first-time opinions on what countries must do to combat climate change. North Korea's rare swipe at China this week underscored how Beijing and Pyongyang do not entirely see eye-to-eye on the latter's illicit nuclear weapons arsenal, despite warming ties in other areas, analysts and officials in South Korea said. South Korea accused North Korea of sending a large number of balloons across the heavily fortified border between the countries to drop objects that included trash and excrement. Korea Bureau Chief Josh Smith tells the Reuters World News daily podcast about the alleged dirty tactics - listen now. US NEWS Jurors are likely to begin deliberations in Donald Trump's hush money trial, sorting through weeks of evidence and testimony behind closed doors as they determine whether he will become the first US president convicted of a crime. As the world anticipates a verdict, President Joe Biden's campaign does not plan to change course, even for a guilty verdict. Business & Markets People cross an intersection near cranes standing at a construction site in Beijing, China January 15, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo China's economy is set to grow 5% this year, after a "strong" first quarter, the International Monetary Fund said, upgrading its earlier forecast of 4.6% expansion though it expects slower growth in the years ahead. China's Geely said it would launch a series of hybrid models in the first half of next year equipped with its next-generation, more fuel-efficient engine. Meanwhile, China is gearing up to make a deal with Europe as EV tariffs loom. A Samsung union in South Korea will begin escalating strike action next week by staging the first ever walkout over demands for higher wages, union officials said. In the first detailed account of last year's dramatic CEO ouster, former OpenAI board member Helen Toner reveals the board only learned of the existence of ChatGPT when they saw it on Twitter. Anglo American rejected BHP's last-ditch request for more time to discuss a $49 billion takeover offer, dismissing it as highly complex and likely ending a five-week pursuit by the bigger rival. The growing shadow fleet of tankers transporting sanctioned oil is filling up with the cheapest fuel available, hindering industry efforts to use cleaner fuel to cut shipping emissions, according to shipping data and sources. Sign up for the Reuters Power Up newsletter for everything you need to know about the global energy industry. Life on Ukraine's front line: 'Worse than hell' Viktor, an infantryman in Ukraine's 58th Motorized Brigade, stands in a trench. When the fighting is dire he will pray to every god he knows. REUTERS/Thomas Peter Ukraine's soldiers talk of exhaustion, a perilous shortage of munitions and personal loss as Russian forces take new ground. Reuters traveled along the front line, where Ukrainian troops say Vladimir Putin must be beaten back. Otherwise, said one, "he's not going to stop over here." Read our special report. And Finally... An iceberg breaks up after drifting south on the Labrador Sea from Greenland in Saint Lunaire-Griquet, Newfoundland, Canada, May 27. REUTERS/Greg Locke The first icebergs of the season pass through 'Iceberg Alley' off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. See our photo gallery. Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters.com Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here.   Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. Listen to the Reuters World News podcast. Reuters Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement © 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036

Tanks reach Rafah's center

Plus, China is back in Africa and doubling down on minerals.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing Israeli tanks reached the center of Rafah for the first time, airfares in Europe and Asia are starting to plateau or fall, and how Red Sea disruptions are driving up carbon emissions.   Plus, China is back in Africa and doubling down on minerals.   By Kate Turton Today's Top News Palestinian children searching for food among debris after a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced people. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem WAR IN GAZA Israeli tanks reached the center of Rafah for the first time, witnesses said, pressing its offensive in Gaza's southern city despite international condemnation of an attack that sparked a blaze in a tent camp for the displaced, killing at least 45 people. Will the incident constitute a 'red line' for the US, Israel's most prominent supporter? Listen to Senior Correspondent Dan Williams on the Reuters World News daily podcast for more. US NEWS Tornado-spawning thunderstorms that swept the Southern Plains and the Ozark Mountains have killed at least 21 people across four US states and wrecked hundreds of buildings, as forecasters warned of more severe weather. Lawyers for Donald Trump asked a federal judge to reject prosecutors' request for a gag order limiting what the former president can say about law enforcement officers involved in the case accusing him of mishandling sensitive documents.  ELSEWHERE Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate from the path of a still-active landslide in Papua New Guinea by the government, after parts of a mountain collapsed, burying an initial estimate of more than 2,000 people. Torrential rains brought by cyclone Remal caused a collapse in a stone quarry in India's state of Mizoram, killing 15 people and trapping seven, while eight more died in landslides and other accidents elsewhere in the remote region, officials said. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has staked his reputation on cleaning up the image of the ruling African National Congress, will lead the party toward its biggest test of the democratic era when South Africans vote. Business & Markets China's flagship economic cooperation program is bouncing back after a lull during the global pandemic, with Africa a primary focus. But data reveals a more complex relationship, one that is still largely extractive. Senior British lawmakers have questioned fast-fashion giant Shein's suitability for a London stock market listing and called for greater scrutiny of the Chinese-founded firm. Apple saw its iPhone sales in China jump 52% in April from a year earlier, Reuters calculations based on industry data showed. The big increase follows a weak performance earlier this year in the world's biggest smartphone market. Airfares in Europe and Asia are starting to plateau or fall in a sign that a prolonged post-COVID travel boom is waning, delivering a setback for airlines struggling with higher costs and limited aircraft availability. Toyota showcased next-generation engines that can be used in cars as varied as hybrids and those running on biofuel, as it targets tougher emissions standards and doubles down on its strategy of selling more than just EVs. As millions seek access to weight-loss drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, increasing supplies, possible wider usage and a growing number of would-be rivals are leading some experts to raise annual global sales forecasts for the treatments to about $150 billion by the early 2030s. How Red Sea disruptions are driving up carbon emissions A surge of attacks on ships traveling the waters of the Red Sea is forcing shippers to reroute their vessels, sending them on longer journeys that drive up their carbon dioxide emissions.   For companies struggling to account for – and lower – the climate-warming emissions associated with their businesses, these rerouted journeys add to the challenge. View our interactive graphic. And Finally... A photographer takes pictures of the painting "Ecce Homo" by Italian artist Caravaggio. May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Susana Vera Madrid's Prado Museum unveiled a painting by Italian baroque master Caravaggio that will go on public display for the first time this week after what the museum has described as one of the greatest discoveries in the history of art. Read more: Once-lost Caravaggio painting to go on display Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters.com Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here.   Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. Listen to the Reuters World News podcast. Reuters Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement © 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036