Ukraine reports fierce fighting

Plus, West Africa threatens use of force on Niger coup leaders.

View in Browser Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing West African nations threaten the use of force on Niger's coup leaders, a Ukrainian official reported heavy fighting in the northeast of the country, and Japanese eateries in China fear ruin as the Fukushima water discharge looms.   Plus, passionate Colombia fans set the standard at the Women's World Cup.   By Kate Turton Today's Top News Nigerian security forces prepare to disperse pro-junta demonstrators outside the French embassy, Niamey, Niger July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Souleymane Ag Anara West African nations imposed sanctions and threatened to send in forces if Niger's new military leaders don't reinstate the ousted president within a week. Will they work? Listen to our West and Central Africa Bureau Chief Bate Felix on the Reuters World News podcast.  A senior Ukrainian official reported heavy fighting in the northeast, with Kyiv's forces holding their lines and making gains. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow would have to use a nuclear weapon if Kyiv's ongoing counter-offensive was a success.  At least 45 people were killed and over 130 injured when a suicide bomber set off explosives at a political rally in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police and rescue officials said. Italy made an "improvised and atrocious" decision when it joined China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) four years ago as it did little to boost exports, Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said in an interview. A study shows China spent $240 billion bailing out 'Belt and Road' countries. Japanese eateries in China fear ruin as Fukushima water discharge looms, just over three weeks after China increased checks on Japanese food imports over radiation concerns. Here's what you need to know about post-Fukushima food import curbs. Former US President Donald Trump's political action committee is expected to report that it has spent about $40 million in legal fees in the first half of 2023 to defend Trump and his advisers, among others, the Washington Post reported. Business & Markets Oil inventories are beginning to fall in some regions as demand outpaces supply constrained by deep production cuts from OPEC leader Saudi Arabia, providing support for prices which are expected to rise in coming months. Manchester United signed a $1.1 billion deal with Adidas, renewing the English soccer club's partnership with its official kit supplier for 10 more years. United, whose US owners have been considering selling the Premier League club, will return to the lucrative UEFA Champions League this year. Commercial real estate investors and lenders are slowly confronting an ugly question - if people never again shop in malls or work in offices the way they did before the pandemic, how safe are the fortunes they piled into bricks and mortar? The euro zone returned to growth in the second quarter of 2023, with a greater than expected expansion after narrowly avoiding a technical recession around the turn of the year, preliminary data showed. Banks working to develop global standards on accounting for carbon emissions in bond or stock sale underwriting have voted to exclude most of these emissions from their own carbon footprint, three people familiar with the matter said.  Britain will grant more than 100 new oil and gas licenses in the North Sea as part of efforts to tap domestic supplies and become more energy independent, the government said. Sign up to the Reuters Power Up newsletter for more on the global energy industry. Promising new Alzheimer's drugs may benefit whites more than Blacks Barrington and Vickie Riley pose at the Emory University Brain Health Center in Atlanta, Georgia, US, July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer Groundbreaking treatments for Alzheimer's disease that work by removing a toxic protein called beta amyloid from the brain may benefit whites more than Black Americans, whose disease may be driven by other factors, leading Alzheimer's experts told Reuters.   The two drugs – Leqembi, from partner biotech firms Eisai and Biogen and an experimental treatment developed by Eli Lilly, donanemab - are the first to offer real hope of slowing the fatal disease for the 6.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's. Insight: The growing evidence of a disparity around amyloid is raising questions among some scientists And Finally... A Colombia fan outside the Sydney Football Stadium at the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand, Sydney, Australia, July 30, 2023. REUTERS/Carl Recine Colombia's dramatic 2-1 victory over twice world champions Germany in Sydney was one of the great Women's World Cup upsets but the South American nation also set new standards for fans at the global showpiece on Sunday.   The most recent census showed there are only about 38,000 Colombian-born people living in Australia and it felt like every single one of them was in the Sydney Football Stadium for the match. Read more: Passionate Colombia fans set standard at Women's World Cup Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. 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. Reuters Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement © 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036

Prigozhin hails Niger coup, touts services

And it's nearly too hot to move

View in Browser Sign up for Reuters newsletters Weekend Briefing From Reuters Daily Briefing By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor Hello again, and thanks for joining us on the weekend desk. We have the latest news on heatwaves and climate, Yevgeny Prigozhin's sales pitch to Niger and, if you read to the bottom, the truth about Velveeta macaroni and cheese. Coup supporters gather at the National Assembly in Niamey, Niger July 27, 2023. REUTERS/Balima Boureima Prigozhin hails Niger coup, touts services Your friend in Russia: Yevgeny Prigozhin offered Niger mercenary services to bring order to an unsettled state of affairs. Prigozhin, who was "exiled" from Russia after his own armed uprising, appears to have been in country this week, meeting attendees of a Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg. News from Niamey: Coup leaders declared General Abdourahamane Tiani head of state after saying they ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. Learn more about what the coup means for the fight against Islamic extremism and why Niger is a big deal in the production of nuclear weapons and energy, cancer treatments and naval propulsion. Scorching heat settles over millions of people Nearly sous vide: More than 175 million people in the U.S. are under excessive heat warnings and advisories until at least Saturday afternoon as heat-index readings surpass 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit). Ocean temperatures in southern Florida reached hot-tub levels. Saguaro cacti in Arizona are losing their arms and falling over. A global problem: July likely will be the world's hottest month on record, and human-induced climate change has played an "absolutely overwhelming" role in heatwaves across North America, Europe and China, scientists say. Here's one more freakish stat: The record-high temperatures Britain experienced in 2022 will be considered average by 2060, the Met Office says. EU probes border agency's role after deadly migrant shipwreck Scrutiny: The European Union's rights watchdog will investigate whether the bloc's Frontex border agency fulfilled its rescue duties when the boat sank off Greece last month, killing hundreds of people. Tally: Tunisia recovered 901 bodies of drowned migrants off its coast from the beginning of the year until July 20, an unprecedented number of victims. Fewer than a third of unaccompanied children succeeded in winning asylum in Greece last year. And Britain has been unlawfully keeping unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in hotels for at least 18 months, London's High Court ruled. Maybe we don't get a recession after all? Softly as she goes: Annual U.S. inflation rose at its slowest pace in more than two years in June, while labor costs posted their smallest increase and consumer prices moderated. This is the kind of data that could push the Fed closer to ending its cycle of interest-rate rises. The European Central Bank might be getting closer to ending its tightening phase. Good taste: U.S. fast-food chains reported wider profit margins as the cost of cheese, chicken and avocados fell following a period when everything we like to eat cost more because of inflation. McDonald's might even lower its prices. Before I forget…   U.S. prosecutors broadened the case against former President Trump over his handling of classified documents. Rudy Giuliani admitted that he defamed two Georgia election workers.   Wish you were here: Ukrainian prosecutors opened a criminal case into a lawmaker suspected of taking a luxury holiday in the Maldives in breach of a wartime ban on private travel abroad.   Greek and Turkish leaders on Cyprus appealed for witnesses to help trace hundreds of people missing in the violence that tore the island apart decades ago, saying time was running out for families to learn the fates of their loved ones.   Athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, which is no picnic in the hotter months, won't get air conditioning. That's OK, they won't need it, the International Olympic Committee president said. Guests who pay VIP rates at the games can tell them to eat cake.   The FIFA Women's World Cup soccer tournament is underway. A special Saturday podcast examines gender disparity on the field in terms of shoes and facilities, and off the field when it comes to TV rights and pay.   A U.S. judge dismissed a lawsuit accusing Kraft Heinz of misleading consumers by promising it takes only 3-1/2 minutes to prepare a cup of microwavable Velveeta macaroni and cheese because it did not include time to remove the lid, add water and stir in a cheese-sauce pouch. Another judge threw out a California woman's claim that Subway's tuna products contain other fish species, chicken, pork and beef. Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Weekend Briefing is sent once 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 newsletter? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. 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