Reuters Daily Briefing

"Israeli forces vow response to Iran's attack."

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Russ Roberts (https://trendsingeopolitics.blogspot.com).

Daily Briefing

Israeli forces vow response to Iran's attack despite calls for restraint, how Trump's hush money trial could help him in the 2024 presidential race, and China's economy grew faster than expected.   Plus, an interactive graphic showing how China’s demand for donkey hide is devastating African communities.   By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

Israeli armored personnel carriers maneuver near the Israel-Gaza border. April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

MIDDLE EAST Israelis awaited word on how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would respond to Iran's first-ever direct attack as international pressure for restraint grew amid fears of an escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Iran's unprecedented missile and drone strike on Israel is unlikely to prompt dramatic sanctions action on Iran's oil exports from the Biden administration due to worries about boosting oil prices and angering top buyer China, said analysts. Armed Israeli settlers shot dead two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, hours after Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teen during a military raid, officials said. UNITED STATES Legal Reporter Jack Queen was at the courthouse for day one of the first criminal trial of a current or former US president. He joins Reuters World News to detail developments as Donald Trump stands accused of paying hush money to a porn star. The history-making trial could boost Trump's presidential bid, some analysts and political strategists said. Every national election, a cottage industry of strategists, pollsters and organizers craft brand-new words and phrases to describe the mood of American voters and the politicking aimed at influencing them. IN OTHER NEWS Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel who was stabbed during a church service live streamed from Sydney is a social media star with followers around the world, but the bearded clergyman is also a divisive preacher. A Ukrainian man who alleges he was tortured by Russian occupying forces has filed a legal complaint halfway around the world in Argentina, an unusual bid to seek accountability for alleged war crimes at a time when prosecutors in Kyiv are overwhelmed.

Business & Markets

China's economy grew faster-than-expected in the first quarter, data showed, offering some relief to officials as they try to shore up growth in the face of protracted weakness in the property sector and mounting local government debt. Columnist Chan Ka Sing says China is a tale of at least two economies. Tesla's global job cuts include reducing staff in the US and China, the automakers' two biggest markets, across sales, tech, and engineering, five sources briefed on the matter said. Meta's Oversight Board is reviewing the company's handling of two sexually explicit AI-generated images of female celebrities that circulated on its Facebook and Instagram services, the board said. Sales of homes in Dubai worth $10 million or more rose 6% in the first quarter versus last year, an industry report showed, as demand from the international ultra-rich for homes in the emirate showed little sign of abating. UnitedHealth expects to take a hit of as much as $1.35 per share to full-year profit from disruptions caused by the February cyberattack at its Change Healthcare unit as it works to restore services and minimize the fallout from the hack. Britain's labor market lost a bit more of its inflationary heat offering some relief to the Bank of England, but stubborn underlying problems continued with wage growth still high and more people dropping out of the workforce.

How China’s demand for donkey hide is devastating African communities

China’s demand for a traditional medicine known as e-jiao is fueling the slaughter of millions of donkeys every year, say animal welfare groups and veterinary experts.   E-jiao, which is made using collagen extracted from donkey hides, is the vital ingredient in food and beauty products believed by many Chinese consumers to enrich the blood, improve the immune system, and prevent diseases. The trade in hide continues to boom despite efforts by some African nations to restrict it.

And Finally...

Tourists ride a vintage car in Havana, June 2018. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

The streets of Havana are still filled with cars that predate the 1959 communist revolution. View our photo gallery: Cuba's retro rides

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