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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

It's time for another edition of the Weekend Briefing. Thanks for your punchline submissions on last week's meditation story, particularly to Michael and Bonnie (Human in New Jersey) for "Om my God." Some replies were divinely inspired, just far too blue to publish!

Vladimir Putin speaks at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, June 16, 2023. Alexei Kudenko/Mikhail Korytov/RIA Novosti via Reuters

The warheads next door

Not subtle: The deployment of nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus is a reminder to the West that it could not inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, Vladimir Putin said at an economic forum in St. Petersburg. Volodymyr Zelenskiy told African leaders in Kyiv that there would be no peace talks with Russia until it withdraws its forces. He also questioned their decision to meet Putin, part of their efforts to mediate an end to the war, which has disrupted their food supplies and aggravated inflation.
Un-amuse bouche: Russia says the Black Sea grain deal cannot be extended, but that it will work with poorer countries to ensure that they won't run short on food. Thirty-six countries count on Russia and Ukraine for more than half their wheat imports.

Hope fades for finding survivors of Mediterranean migrant shipwreck

'They drowned with their children in their arms': As Greece confronts its worst sea disaster in years, questions are mounting about how potentially hundreds of migrants drowned even as their vessel was being shadowed by the Greek coastguard. Our video of one survivor reunited with his brother serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost.
Now what? The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights called for countries to clamp down on people smugglers and human traffickers. And yet, another boat was sighted in the same region two days after the disaster.

Expect more interest-rate increases

The hawk at the door: Jerome Powell said no decision has been made about the upcoming July Fed meeting, but investors expect more rate increases. Other Fed officials are giving markets the same steer.
The dove at the store: Walmart isn't letting inflation get in the way of its plan to add more than a dozen lines of more expensive and profitable merchandise, an effort to change its image from merely a steep discounter to a destination for fashionable home goods and clothing.

A most profitable indictment

$7 million and counting: Donald Trump's message of political persecution continues to resonate with his supporters. The former president raked in a significant amount of money since being indicted on federal charges.
Law's rich pageant: Trump's defense team is still evolving after at least three key members left in recent weeks. The struggle to find attorneys to represent him comes in part because his confidant and adviser Boris Epshteyn is viewed by many lawyers in Trump's orbit as lacking judgment and expertise, a source said.

Before I forget…

Secretary of State Antony Blinken goes to Beijing with expectations low that he will make headway on disputes between the United States and China.

Things are looking up for travel and tourism and all the money that comes with them. Heathrow Airport in Britain reported its busiest month since the pandemic while passenger traffic at Portuguese airports exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

One woman died and another was injured after a man attacked them and pushed them down a slope near the famous Neuschwanstein castle in southern Germany.

Daniel Ellsberg, the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers and became the target of a smear campaign by the Nixon White House, died at the age of 92.

Italy will pass a law to shield recovering cancer patients from discrimination by banks or insurance companies.

Britain's Cycling Time Trials banned transgender women from competing in the female category while renaming the men's category to "open". The Australian Sports Commission recommended testosterone limits for transgender athletes seeking to compete in elite female competitions.

And finally, China will cover IVF and other fertility treatments for couples as it tries to boost its birth rate.

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