Wednesday Briefing: Israel's opposition leader moves closer to unseating Netanyahu

The Reuters Daily Briefing Wednesday, June 2, 2021 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. Disaster feared as a chemical cargo ship sinks, a midnight deadline in Israel, and Reddit bulls drown out a hedge fund share dump Today's biggest stories Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks on his mobile phone in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, June 2, 2021 Israel's opposition leader moved closer to unseating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after agreeing terms with several parties including one led by Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Yair Lapid, a centrist tasked with forming the next governing coalition, has until midnight to present a final slate. A cargo ship carrying tonnes of chemicals is sinking off Sri Lanka's west coast, in one of the country's worst-ever marine disasters. Brazil's JBS told the U.S. government that a ransomware attack on the company that disrupted meat production in North America and Australia originated from a criminal organization likely based in Russia, the White House says. Florida has became the latest and largest U.S. state to ban transgender girls and women from participating in female sports at school, part of a campaign in statehouses nationwide this year assailed as discriminatory by equal rights activists. Amazon.com says it supports proposed U.S. legislation to legalize cannabis at the federal level, and will drop weed-testing requirements for some recruitments. Members of Australia's softball squad, the first national team to land in Japan for pre-Olympic training camp, arrive at Narita international airport, June 1, 2021 OLYMPIC WOES Japan's most senior medical adviser says that hosting the Olympics during the nation's current state of coronavirus infections is "not normal" in one of the strongest warnings yet about risks from the troubled Games. Around 10,000 of the 80,000 volunteers who signed up to help have quit, broadcaster NHK reports. With less than two months to go, Japan’s Asahi Breweries still doesn’t know whether fans will be allowed into stadiums to buy its beer. We look at how sponsors are struggling to adapt. Is it time to end the Olympics once and for all? Breakingviews columnist Pete Sweeney thinks so. Meanwhile, a row about disputed islands on Japan's Olympics map has sparked outrage and protests in South Korea. COVID VACCINE PUSH The World Health Organization has approved a COVID-19 vaccine made by Sinovac Biotech for emergency use listing, paving the way for a second Chinese shot to be used in poor countries. Moderna is gearing up to halve the dose of its vaccine, so that it can also be used to combat variants and inoculate children. We look at the countries weighing 'mix and match' vaccines. Britain is in talks with Oxford and AstraZeneca for additional doses of their vaccine that has been modified to better target the 'beta' variant first identified in South Africa, and it will fund trials of the shots. Israel’s Health Ministry says it has found the small number of heart inflammation cases observed mainly in young men who received Pfizer’s vaccine in Israel were likely linked to their vaccination. As companies and governments roll out a growing list of creative perks to spur sluggish immunization rates, Breakingviews columnist Jeffrey Goldfarb warns that someday soon rewards for the uninoculated will need to give way to harsher measures. MARKETS Stock markets hovered near record highs as investors cheered the latest evidence of a sustained rebound in global economies and stronger oil prices lifted energy stocks. Shares of AMC Entertainment surged another 38% in early deals and were set to open at a record high as individual traders on social media forums were unfazed by a hedge fund flipping its stake, calling it overvalued. A global tax crackdown on multinationals has the backing of some of the world's biggest investors who say that using low-tax jurisdictions falls foul of the tenets they have committed to. Investors have long paid a premium to get hold of scarce green bonds, but record issuance might be about to change that. We look at where the 'greenium' has gone. Quote of the day "We should know the good, the bad, everything. That's what great nations do. They come to terms with their dark sides" Joe Biden Biden warns of echoes of Tulsa massacre in the U.S. today Video of the day Facing drought, farmers plan for "economic disaster" Joe Del Bosque is leaving a third of his 2,000-acre farm near Firebaugh, California, unseeded this year due to extreme drought. "We're taking a big risk in planting crops and hoping the water gets here in time." And finally… A Russian village prospers thanks to the pandemic Residents of picturesque Krasnaya Polyana have seen the price of their land double as people from Moscow and other cities snap up properties where they can work remotely. More from Reuters COVID-19 Investigations Breakingviews Legal News Thanks for spending part of your day with us. Share your thoughts You are receiving this email because you signed up for newsletters from Reuters. No longer want to hear from us? 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Tuesday Briefing: Biden to visit Tulsa massacre site as U.S. confronts racial legacy

The Reuters Daily Briefing Tuesday, June 1, 2021 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. America marks the Tulsa massacre, Israel's Netanyahu is on the ropes, and climate activists have some unlikely cheerleaders Today's biggest stories Survivors and siblings Viola Fletcher and Hughes Van Ellis attend the soil dedication at Stone Hill on the 100 year anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre, May 31, 2021. REUTERS/Lawrence Bryant U.S. Joe Biden will today become the first sitting U.S. president to visit the site of the massacre of hundreds of Black Americans by a white mob in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as he marks one of the worst chapters in the country's history of racial violence. We spoke to survivor Lessie Benningfield Randle, 106, who said she can still remember a house engulfed in flames and bodies stacked in truckbeds. Here's our factbox on the killings, which were not taught in history classes or reported by local newspapers for decades. Biden will announce steps to narrow the large and persistent racial wealth gap that divides Black, Latino and white Americans, although he will stop short of a cancellation of student loan debt demanded by civil rights groups. Using his Memorial Day speech to defend America’s “imperfect” democracy, the president called for more work to deliver the promise of what he said remained “the greatest experiment” in world history. A protester wearing a mask of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a t-shirt reading 'Ceremony is over' gestures during a rally in Tel Aviv, Israel, May 31, 2021. REUTERS/Amir Cohen WORLD Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's party challenged the legality of a bid by a rival rightist to head a new Israeli government, but the last-gasp attempt at extending his leadership was rejected by President Reuven Rivlin. Here's what you need to know about Naftali Bennett, the millionaire who may end the Netanyahu era. Peru has almost tripled its official COVID-19 death toll to 180,764, following a government review, making it the country with the worst death rate per capita. Experts had long warned that the true death toll was being undercounted in official statistics. Pope Francis has issued the most sweeping revision to Catholic Church law in four decades, toughening regulations for clerics who abuse minors and vulnerable adults, commit fraud or ordain women. Nearly 10 years after Anders Behring Breivik tried to kill her on the Norwegian island of Utoeya, Astrid Hoem is back there to explain to a group of teenagers how she ran for her life. Survivors of the mass shooting, many of whom were teenagers at the time, are determined to confront the far-right ideology which was a catalyst. BUSINESS Top Glove's plan to list in Hong Kong and raise up to $1 billion has been delayed as the world’s largest rubber glove maker seeks to resolve a U.S. import ban on its products, sources say. Philippine food maker Monde Nissin is pinning its future on the fast-growing alternative meats business on the back of a $1 billion initial public offering, which marked the country’s largest-ever listing. Defeats in the courtroom and boardroom mean Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil and Chevron are all under pressure to cut carbon emissions faster. That’s good news for the likes of Saudi Aramco, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and Russia's Gazprom and Rosneft. The price of Tesla vehicles is increasing due to supply chain pressures across the auto industry, particularly for raw materials, Elon Musk said in response to a tweet. Tesla increased its Model 3 and Model Y prices last month, the automaker's fifth incremental price increase for its vehicles in just a few months. Quote of the day "So damn impressive taking the high road when the powers that be don't protect their own. Major respect" Steph Curry NBA All Star Fellow athletes rally around Osaka after French Open withdrawal Video of the day Libyan patients turn to bee stings for pain relief Practitioners of live bee acupuncture claim that the anti-inflammatory compound contained in the venom is beneficial in treating certain conditions. And finally… Brazilian conjures works of art from plastic bags Artist Eduardo Srur reproduces works by renowned masters without using a drop of paint - just recycled shreds of plastic picked up from city streets and rivers. More from Reuters COVID-19 Investigations Breakingviews Legal News Thanks for spending part of your day with us. Share your thoughts You are receiving this email because you signed up for newsletters from Reuters. No longer want to hear from us? Unsubscribe from The Reuters Daily Briefing. Terms, conditions, and privacy statement © 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036