Reuters Daily Briefing

"Pager hack exposes a murky market in Asia."

Views expressed in this U.S., World, and Geopolitical News update are those of the reporters and correspondents.  Accessed on 20 September 2024, 1307 UTC.

Content and Source:  https://www.reuters.com/newsletters/daily-briefing

Please check link or scroll down to read your selections.  Thanks for joining us today.

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

 

Sign up for Reuters newsletters

Daily Briefing

By Linda Noakes

Israel and Hezbollah trade fire, the Georgia election board may order a hand count of votes, and why Huawei super fans are fuming. Plus, what to expect at the UN General Assembly.

Today's Top News   Smoke rises from the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila. REUTERS/Karamallah Dahe Middle East UN peacekeepers in Lebanon urged immediate de-escalation as hostilities rumbled on at the Lebanese-Israeli border, following Israel's most intense airstrikes in nearly a year of conflict with the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Hear more on the Reuters World News podcast.  The lethal hack of Hezbollah's Asian-branded pagers and walkie-talkies has sparked an intense search for the devices' path, revealing a murky market for older technologies where buyers may have few assurances about what they are getting. Israeli forces killed at least 14 Palestinians in tank and air strikes on north and central areas of the Gaza Strip, medics said, as tanks advanced further into northwest Rafah near the border with Egypt. In other news Georgia's Republican-controlled state election board may vote today to require a labor-intensive hand count of potentially millions of ballots in November's election, a move voting rights advocates say could cause delays, introduce errors and lay the groundwork for spurious election challenges. A star-studded virtual event hosted by Oprah Winfrey to build enthusiasm for Kamala Harris' campaign was marked by teary moments and celebrity endorsements, drawing hundreds of thousands of viewers across social media. Some Japanese companies in China have offered to send their staff and their families back home after a 10-year-old Japanese boy was fatally stabbed in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Wednesday's stabbing took place on the anniversary of an incident in 1931 that triggered war between China and Japan. High-end London department store Harrods has apologised over allegations its former owner, Egyptian billionaire businessman Mohamed Al Fayed, raped and sexually assaulted several female ex-employees. Al Fayed died last year aged 94. Vladislav Bakalchuk, the estranged husband of Russia's richest woman, was arrested and charged with murder after a deadly shootout at the Moscow office of Russia's largest online retailer.

Business & Markets   People look at Huawei's new tri-foldable smartphone Mate XT at a store in Beijing. REUTERS/Florence Lo Huawei and Apple's latest smartphones went on sale in China, with many fans of the Chinese company disappointed that its much-anticipated $2,800 phone - more than twice the price of the iPhone 16 Pro Max - was not available for walk-in customers. World stocks hovered near record highs, underpinned by a big interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve earlier this week, while the yen eased after Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda tempered expectations around imminent rate hikes. Nike said that former senior executive Elliott Hill will rejoin the company to succeed John Donahoe as president and CEO, as the sportswear giant shakes up its leadership amid efforts to revive sales. Hill started at Nike as an intern in 1988 but steadily scaled its ranks. Tupperware's lenders opposed the food storage and kitchen products company's proposed bankruptcy auction, cutting off its access to cash. The Orlando-based company has $818 million in debt and a plan to find a buyer within 30 days. FedEx reported a steep quarterly profit drop and lowered its full-year revenue forecast after its customers continued to trade down from speedy, pricey delivery to cheaper, slower options. Oil refiners in Asia, Europe and the United States are facing a drop in profitability to multi-year lows, marking a downturn for an industry that had enjoyed surging returns post-pandemic and underlining the extent of the current slowdown in global demand. The Week Ahead More interest rate cuts are set to come in Switzerland and Sweden after the Federal Reserve rate move, with US inflation data and global business activity surveys charting the pressure ahead. Here is your week-ahead primer for markets. In politics, Japan's ruling party is picking its next leader, who will become prime minister, and Sri Lankan voters are choosing a president. Tensions brewing in Asia's trade-rich waters top the agenda as President Joe Biden welcomes leaders from Australia, India and Japan to his Delaware hometown for a diplomatic push to counter China in the waning months of his presidency. And the United Nations General Assembly starts on Tuesday - here is what to expect.

Pictures of the Week   A man stands in the vicinity of wildfire, near Povoa de Montemuro, Portugal. REUTERS/Susana Vera Take a look at a selection of our top photography from around the world. See gallery

And Finally... Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a two-run home run against the Miami Marlins. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images  Japan erupted in cheers after national hero Shohei Ohtani blasted his way into Major League Baseball history as the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a season. The first batting and pitching dual threat in the majors since Babe Ruth, Ohtani has a been a focal point for Japanese national pride since his 2018 debut in the American League. Read more

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. Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement

© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036