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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Hello, it's good to see you this weekend. We have the latest on settlement proposals for the Ukraine war, China's influence in the Pacific, a setback for Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign and how you can do right by the environment by keeping food out of landfills.

A Ukrainian serviceman launches a drone in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, August 4, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

China, not Russia, will attend Ukraine peace meeting

Conspicuous by absence: China is sending a senior official to Saudi Arabia for weekend talks with senior officials from about 40 countries on finding a peaceful settlement to Russia's war on Ukraine. Russia was not invited. Volodymyr Zelenskiy hopes the initiative will lead to world leaders endorsing his plans for a settlement. Western diplomats say a total endorsement is unlikely.
Grain in the forecast: Russia is finding it harder to export its grain and fertilizers, and is pressing for more leeway before allowing Ukraine to safely export its own grain through the Black Sea. The EU warned developing countries that Russia's offer of cheap grain is a way of using food as a weapon to get them hooked.

US studies explosives to make missiles fly farther

Over sea: El Niño isn't the only thing heating up the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. is increasing its presence among island nations, including Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, as China makes its own inroads. It also is looking for ways to extend the range of its missiles across Pacific expanses. And a group of Senators proposed legislation to support national-security councils in Pacific island states that are home to key U.S. military installations.
Over land: The U.S. is paying more attention to China's northern neighbor Mongolia as well. The two nations discussed "creative ways" to get Mongolia's rare earths into world markets and agreed on an aviation deal that would make cargo flights between them easier.

Trump pleads not guilty to more charges

Classified documents: Donald Trump now faces 40 charges after being indicted on 37 counts last month. Prosecutors accused the former president of taking hundreds of documents containing the nation's most closely-held secrets and storing them haphazardly at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
2020 election: Trump pleaded not guilty to charges he orchestrated a plot to try to overturn his 2020 election loss. A trial likely will be set at a hearing on Aug. 28. Prosecutors late Friday flagged a social-media post in which Trump wrote, "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!" as a threat that he might intimidate witnesses.

Why Sweden and Denmark are having a crisis over the Koran

Basic conflict: Recent Koran burnings by an Iraqi refugee and a Danish far-right group have angered Muslims, who see desecrating the Koran as blasphemous and insulting. This has sparked outrage and protests outside Sweden's and Denmark's embassies in Iraq. Turkey has asked Sweden to put an end to it as Ankara considers whether to support Sweden's request to join NATO.
What will they do about it? They're looking for legal solutions and tightening border controls, but they risk angering their own citizens, who in Denmark in particular are aghast at the potential for the repression of free speech if Copenhagen bans burning the holy book.

Before I forget...

West African defense chiefs have drawn up a plan for military action if Niger's coup is not overturned by Sunday.

Hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, the biggest individual donor to a group supporting Ron DeSantis' presidential bid, won't donate more money unless the Florida governor attracts new major donors and adopts a more moderate approach.

The Food and Drug Administration approved a pill for postpartum depression for the first time.

Indicted FTX cryptocurrency exchange founder Sam Bankman-Fried is trying to stay out of jail for disclosing too much information to the press, and has enlisted Laurence Tribe, one of the foremost American constitutional law experts, for help.

As corporate leaders from Jamie Dimon to Elon Musk call for an end to pandemic-era remote work, unions in Australia are wrangling with the government to demand that "WFH" become the norm.

Mercury from Illegal and poorly-regulated gold mining is harming mammals in the Amazon rain forest, preliminary findings of a new study indicate. Travel with reporter Jake Spring to Peru's Los Amigos Biological station in a special weekend episode of the Reuters World News podcast.

Don't waste food: How we can reduce greenhouse gases by keeping food out of landfills. You will want to read this excellent and visually appealing story. Also, learn how methane from food waste contributes to global warming, and why small efforts to stop it can make a big difference.

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