China tightens security after rare protests against COVID curbs

The Reuters Daily Briefing Monday, November 28, 2022 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. The U.S. weighs sending a 100-mile strike weapon to Ukraine, election deniers refuse to back down in Arizona, and how Chinese EVs have driven Stellantis' Jeep off the road WORLD CUP - Germany keep their hopes alive, Croatia school trash-talking Canada, and the Belgium-Morocco match triggers riots in Brussels Today's biggest stories People stand behind a police cordon as they watch a protest over COVID restrictions in Beijing, November 27, 2022 WORLD Police patrolled the scenes of weekend protests in Shanghai and Beijing after crowds there and in other cities across China demonstrated against stringent COVID measures disrupting lives three years into the pandemic. The protests could prove the most critical test of President Xi Jinping’s rule, says Breakingviews columnist Pete Sweeney. The Pentagon is considering a Boeing proposal to supply Ukraine with cheap, small precision bombs fitted onto abundantly available rockets, allowing Kyiv to strike far behind Russian lines as the West struggles to meet demand for more arms. Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now. More than 80 people were wounded in southern India as villagers halting the construction of a $900 million port clashed with police, the latest escalation of a months-old protest waged by a mostly Christian fishing community against Asia's richest man. Turkey's army needs just a few days to be ready for a ground incursion into northern Syria and such a decision may come at a cabinet meeting today, Turkish officials said, as Turkish forces bombarded a Kurdish militia across the border. In the darkness of Beirut's unlit streets, men wielding batons and torches are taking security into their own hands in an initiative they hope will keep neighborhoods safe. But critics see a worrying echo of Lebanon's troubled past. Supporters of Republican candidate for Arizona Governor Kari Lake and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters protest outside the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix, Arizona, November 12, 2022 U.S. As Arizona counties face a deadline today to certify their midterm election results, Republican candidates and activists promoting false theories of voter fraud are refusing to back down. Some Republicans criticized Donald Trump for dining with white supremacist Nick Fuentes at the former president's Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida, even as Trump said the encounter was inadvertent. Arkansas Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson accused Trump of empowering extremism. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider bids by an ex-aide to Democratic former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and a businessman to overturn their bribery and fraud convictions in a pair of cases that could make it harder to pursue public corruption prosecutions. An eruption began in the summit caldera of Hawaii's Mauna Loa, the world's largest active volcano, the U.S. Geological Service's volcanic activity service said. Two seriously injured people trapped inside a small plane that crashed into high-voltage power lines near Washington, D.C. and caused mass outages have been rescued, authorities said. Concrete mixer trucks are parked at a factory due to a strike by a truckers' union in Anyang, South Korea, November 28, 2022 BUSINESS South Korea failed to reach agreement with a striking truckers' union in the first session of talks on the fifth day of a nationwide walkout, the union said, as supply chain glitches worsen and concrete runs out at building sites. An anti-corruption drive in Vietnam has paralyzed many routine transactions in the country, causing shortages of essential goods and dampening investor confidence in one of Asia's fastest growing economies. The Chinese-style campaign against graft has been under way since 2016, but a series of recent scandals have sparked new wide-ranging investigations. Spending on Cyber Monday, the biggest U.S. online shopping day, is set to hit a record $11.2 billion, according to a report, as discounts on everything from clothes to TVs drive shoppers to click "add to cart" even as stubbornly high inflation persists. The bankruptcy of Stellantis' Jeep joint venture in China could spell trouble for other global automakers whose output has plunged over the last five years in the world's largest car market, as domestic players rapidly overtake. We look at how China is gaining the upper hand. Twitter Chief Executive Elon Musk says new user signups to the social media platform are at an "all-time high", as he struggles with a mass exodus of advertisers and users fleeing to other platforms over concerns about verification and hate speech. Paris' luxury-laden stock exchange is now worth more than London's. But although size matters, there are other indicators highlighting the UK capital's popularity with investors. WORLD CUP 2022 Who is playing when? Which team are favourites to win? Which squads are worth the most money? See our full coverage Quote of the day "I think it's entirely possible they could catch up and surpass us, absolutely. The progress they've made has been stunning." Nina Armagno Director of staff of the U.S. Space Force China poses increasing threat in military space race, top U.S. general says Video of the day Iran protests ripple through the World Cup Iran's soccer team has traditionally been a huge source of national pride, but the upheaval at home has followed the players to Qatar. And finally… Europe's south offers a warm welcome to energy migrants Software developer Victor Varlamov logs in every morning to work on a sunny Spanish island off the coast of Africa after the prospect of steep heating bills and a winter made harsher by the Ukraine war drove him to leave his adoptive home in Poland. More from Reuters World Cup 2022 Sustainable Business Disrupted Legal News Breakingviews Thanks for spending part of your day with us. 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. 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