2021年7月13日星期二

Tuesday Briefing: Violence spreads in South Africa as grievances boil over

Tuesday, July 13, 2021

by Linda Noakes

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Here's what you need to know.

Violence escalates in South Africa, Texas Democratic lawmakers flee the state, and Boeing has a new 787 problem

Today's biggest stories

A member of the military patrols in Soweto, South Africa, July 13, 2021. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

WORLD

Protesters clashed with police in several areas of South Africa and looters ransacked shopping malls in the country's worst unrest in years. The violence was triggered by the jailing of former president Jacob Zuma as his supporters took to the streets last week, but the situation has evolved into an outpouring of anger over persistent poverty and inequality 27 years after the end of apartheid.


The death toll in a fire that spread through a coronavirus hospital in southern Iraq rose to 66, as an angry crowd blaming local authorities for negligence gathered near the city's morgue. More than 100 others were injured in the fire, which an initial investigation showed began when sparks from faulty wiring spread to an oxygen tank that then exploded.

Cuba blamed historic protests that took place over the weekend on U.S. "economic asphyxiation" and detained some of the highest profile activists, while the Biden administration said it supported the Cuban people's right to demonstrate.

Growing military tension around Taiwan as well as economic and technological rivalry between China and the United States raises the prospect of crisis in the region as the power balance shifts in China's favour, Japan said.

Representative Chris Turner speaks to the press after Democratic members of the Texas House of Representatives arrive at Dulles airport in Sterling, Virginia, July 12, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

U.S.

U.S. President Joe Biden, under pressure from civil rights leaders, travels to Philadelphia today to issue a strong appeal for sweeping voting rights legislation that is stalled in Congress due largely to Republican opposition.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers left Texas as part of an orchestrated move to derail their Republican colleagues' efforts to pass new voting restrictions and other conservative measures during a special legislative session. The exodus is intended to deny the legislature the quorum needed to approve any of the measures on Governor Greg Abbott's special-session agenda.

Philadelphia could face $40 million in costs to replace voting machines if forced to comply with a "forensic investigation" into the 2020 election launched by a Republican state lawmaker and ally of former President Donald Trump, a city commissioner told Reuters.

A U.S. judge appears likely to reprimand Sidney Powell, a former campaign lawyer for Trump, and other attorneys over a lawsuit they filed in Michigan seeking to overturn Biden's election victory.

BUSINESS

JPMorgan reported a 155% jump in profit thanks to the release of loss reserves and a surge in dealmaking, even as the largest U.S. bank suffered from a well-flagged slowdown from last year's record-breaking trading results. Goldman Sachs also rode the global dealmaking boom to smash profit estimates.

Boeing said it would cut its 787 production rate as it works through a new production-related structural defect in its troubled twin-aisle airliner program.

Even with U.S. stocks scaling record highs day after day and Wall Street's 'fear gauge' showing a low level of worry, some corners of the options market indicate investors are growing much more fearful of a sharp pullback than they have been in months.

Elon Musk will return to the witness stand for a second day to defend Tesla's $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity in 2016, a deal that shareholders say benefited the CEO at the electric vehicle maker's expense. For a man who wants to create a better future, Musk seems stuck in the past, says Breakingviews' Antony Currie.

Quote of the day

"While cash still remains king in the criminal word, as digital platforms develop we’re increasingly seeing organised criminals using cryptocurrency to launder their dirty money"

Graham McNulty

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner

British police seize record $408 million haul of cryptocurrency

Video of the day

Divers in Dubai can reach new depths in world's deepest pool

The world's deepest swimming pool for underwater diving has opened in Dubai, where people can descend 60 meters to a sunken city-themed landscape and play arcade games.

And finally…

'We love you' - England fans defend Rashford after racist abuse

England soccer fans have covered the racist abuse scrawled on a mural of player Marcus Rashford in his hometown with messages of love and support for a "hero".

More from Reuters

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