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Daily Briefing

Russian forces pound frontline cities in eastern Ukraine with air strikes and artillery attacks, Chinese aircraft and ships remain around Taiwan after Beijing's drills ended, and a bank employee kills five co-workers in a Kentucky shooting.

Plus, Chinese airlines are swamped with cabin crew applications.

By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

Ukrainian serviceman reacts as he throws a grenade during training in Donbas region, Ukraine, April 8, 2023. REUTERS/Yan Dorbronosov

Around the world

Russian forces pressed attacks in eastern Ukraine with air strikes and artillery attacks, with several cities in the Donetsk region under bombardment. Ukrainian forces repelled several attacks, Kyiv said, as the Russian military kept up its effort to take control of Bakhmut.
Chinese warplanes and navy ships were still in the waters around Taiwan, the island's defense ministry said after the end of three days of war games. Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen criticized Beijing for its "irresponsible" behavior.
Junior doctors in Britain began a four-day strike that is likely to cause unprecedented disruption to the health service, prompting the government to warn of a risk to patient safety. Tens of thousands of junior doctors are striking for pay rises better aligned with inflation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would leave Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in place given an escalating security crisis, reversing a decision to fire the minister that triggered protests and raised alarm abroad.
In an attempt to rein in the increasing number of women defying Iran's compulsory dress code, authorities are installing cameras in public places and thoroughfares to identify and penalize unveiled women, the police announced.

United States

A possible intelligence leak by the United States was a "serious" incident the chief of Australia's Defence Force said, adding that the US was engaging with its partners to understand the consequences. Everything you need to know about latest leak of US secrets.
A 23-year-old bank employee armed with a rifle shot dead five colleagues and wounded nine other people at his workplace in Louisville while livestreaming the attack on social media, police said. The gunman was fatally shot at the scene, police said.
The government appealed a Texas judge's decision to suspend the FDA's 23-year-old approval of a key abortion drug, saying the ruling endangered women's health by blocking access to a pill long deemed safe. The Reuters World News podcast has a breakdown of the legal tussle and explains what happens next.

Business & Markets

Investors poured $367 billion into US money market funds in March, according to data provider EPFR, as the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank caused stocks to tumble and called the safety of bank deposits into question. In Europe, investors put $19.35 billion into euro-denominated money market funds in March, Refinitiv Lipper data shows, when the Credit Suisse crisis rocked markets.
The US Energy Department proposed reducing electric vehicles' mileage ratings to meet government fuel economy requirements, a move that could force automakers to sell more low-emissions cars or improve conventional models. Sign up for the Reuters Power Up newsletter for more on the global energy industry and the forces driving the transition to renewable fuels.
Global export restrictions on critical raw materials needed for electric vehicles and renewable energy have grown more than five-fold over the last decade, the OECD said.
Major cryptocurrency bitcoin breached the key $30,000 level for the first time in 10 months, adding to its steady gains as investors raised bets that the US Federal Reserve will soon end its aggressive monetary tightening campaign.
Alibaba showed off its generative AI model and said it would be integrated into all of the company's apps in the near future. The unveiling was swiftly followed by the government's publication of draft rules outlining how generative AI services should be managed.

India's birth control battle falters in rural district

A nurse takes care of a newborn baby at a hospital in Kishanganj district, Bihar, India, March 20, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Pratima Kumari, a government health worker in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, sets off on her mini scooter every morning, criss-crossing vast corn fields and pineapple orchards to visit villages and meet young, married couples.

She offers condoms and birth control pills for free in the Kishanganj district and talks to the couples about birth control and the benefits of having just two children.

A Reuters Wider Image report into women in India's rural Kishanganj district, who have an average of five babies. This region is an exception in India, which has over decades controlled its population growth.

And Finally...

An applicant's height is recorded during recruitment of cabin crew, Beijing, China, March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

Chinese airlines undertaking the biggest hiring drives in more than three years as travel rebounds, are facing a deluge of applicants for cabin crew roles as fresh university graduates turn to the relatively high-paying career in a bleak job market.

Becoming a flight attendant in China typically requires a bachelor's degree and preferably passing a challenging government-administrated English test.

Read more here: Chinese airlines swamped with cabin crew applicants as travel rebounds

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