Reuters Weekend Briefing

"Ukraine officials say  Russia talks inevitable."

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Views expressed in this U.S., World, and Geopolitical News update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 04 May 2024, 1238 UTC.

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

Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. On our World News Podcast, Gabriel Stargardter and Aleksandar Vasovic discuss the Balkan gangsters that have become Europe's top cocaine suppliers and have mastered the supply of cocaine to Europe from South America.

A firefighter works at the site of a Russian drone strike in Kharkiv. REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi

Talks with Russia inevitable, Ukraine officials say

Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow: But someday, Ukraine will have to talk with Russia to bring an end to their war, a senior Ukrainian intelligence official and the country's foreign minister said. President Zelenskiy has repeatedly ruled out talks with the Kremlin, and Russia has not been invited to talks in Switzerland scheduled for June on how to end the conflict. Shell shortage: Ukraine's gunners are firing sparingly on advancing Russian forces along the eastern front as they await fresh ammunition after the U.S. approved $61 billion in new aid. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron promised 3 billion pounds in annual military aid for Ukraine "as long as it takes."

Flash bangs and riot gear 101

Hard knocks: Police forcibly removed scores of pro-Palestinian demonstrators at several U.S. colleges after they set up encampments and occupied campus buildings. Reuters examines the impact that the protests will have on graduation ceremonies and draws contrasts between how Columbia University and UC Berkeley in California managed the protests. Contingencies: Israel’s threatened incursion into Rafah would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gazans at risk and strike a huge blow on aid operations, the U.N. humanitarian office said as the World Health Organization announced contingency plans in case of an attack. Reporter Ari Rabinovitch examines whether Israel could keep the lights on and water running if the Gaza conflict triggers a wider war on multiple fronts.

The Donald Trump vice-presidential candidate revue

From New York to Palm Beach: The former president will host several potential vice-presidential picks at a retreat in Florida this weekend, giving him a chance to watch them in action while using them to attract more donors. Trump spent Friday in court as his former aide Hope Hicks testified that he told her during his 2016 White House run to deny that he had a sexual relationship with porn star Stormy Daniels and to make sure his wife didn’t see the newspapers on the day the story came out. Old chestnuts: Trump said he would fight "anti-white feeling" in the United States if he wins a second term as president. He also said he might not accept Wisconsin's voting results and that he would not rule out building detention camps for mass deportation.

What's next for Berkshire Hathaway

The rite of spring: Warren Buffett and his designated successor Greg Abel will address a variety of questions from investors today at Berkshire's annual meeting in Omaha. There is speculation about how much leeway the successor to the 93-year-old Buffett will have once he takes over. Follow Reuters’ live coverage. Wind in my sales: Glencore might try to buy Anglo American after the miner rejected a $39 billion takeover approach from BHP. It likely won’t be BHP’s final effort. Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management haven't heard back from Paramount on their $26 billion offer. A period for exclusive talks between Paramount and Skydance Media ended Friday.

‘Now is not a good time to cuddle cows’

A half-ton snuggle: Cuddling with cows, doing yoga with baby goats and feeding piglets are novel ways for some U.S. farmers to cover their feed bills and keep operations running, but bird flu is getting in the way. It has not stopped raw-milk sellers from plying their trade, even as a nationwide survey of pasteurized milk found avian flu virus particles in about 20% of samples tested. No virus here: The U.S. Department of Agriculture found no H5N1 bird-flu virus in samples of ground beef that it collected from retail outlets in states where dairy-cattle herds tested positive.

Before I forget…   Canadian police arrested and charged three Indian men with the murder of a Sikh separatist leader and said they were investigating whether the men had ties to the Indian government.   British authorities are detaining migrants as it prepares to send them to Rwanda. A human-rights group is challenging the government's plan. PM Rishi Sunak hoped that the deportations would help win voters in local elections, but it looks like it did not work.   Elon Musk shared the stage with 16 top Tesla executives last year in an effort to allay investor concerns that the automaker was a one-man show. At least five of them have departed since then.   Austria wants fresh efforts to regulate the use of AI in weapons systems, fearing that "killer robots" could harm people without human intervention.   Women at average risk for breast cancer should get screening mammograms every other year starting at age 40, a U.S. panel said, changing its earlier recommended age from 50.   The Seine will be safe for swimming and bathing, Paris’ mayor said, in advance of the river’s use during the Olympics. If only that were so for Britain, where more raw sewage is tainting its rivers and seas.

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