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Daily Briefing

Hunter Biden's lawyers say US prosecutors reneged on a plea deal, rock-singing libertarian outsider Javier Milei posts a shock win in the Argentine primary vote, and Russia is equipping its new nuclear submarines with hypersonic missiles.

Plus, new Covid vaccines are on the way as the 'Eris' variant rises.

By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

Hunter Biden departs federal court after a plea hearing, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. July 26, 2023. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

Lawyers for Hunter Biden said in a court filing that prosecutors reneged on a plea deal that would have resolved tax and firearms charges against the US president's son as his father seeks reelection. How do US special counsels work?
Argentine voters punished the country's two main political forces in a primary election, pushing a right-wing candidate into first place in a huge shake-up in the race towards presidential elections in October.
The death toll from the Maui wildfires reached 96 as relatives of the missing frantically searched for signs their loved ones may still be alive, while survivors grappled with the scale of the disaster and sought solace at church services.
In the race for the 2024 Republican nomination former president Donald Trump is far ahead in national polling, eclipsing Florida's governor Ron DeSantis and the rest of the field, who have so far been at a loss over how to narrow that gap. Meanwhile, DeSantis and his backers paid $95,000 to an Iowa religious leader's group.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for an increase in missile production to help secure "overwhelming military power" and be ready for war, state media KCNA said, as South Korea and the US gear up for annual military drills.
The junta that seized power in Niger late last month said that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum could be prosecuted for high treason.

WAR IN UKRAINE

Russia is in the process of equipping its new nuclear submarines with hypersonic Zircon missiles, the head of Russia's largest shipbuilder told the RIA state news agency in an interview. Ukraine says three wounded in Russian attack on Odesa.
Ukraine condemned what it called "provocative" Russian actions after Moscow said one of its warships had fired warning shots at a cargo vessel in the Black Sea. Senior correspondent Jonathan Saul tells today's Reuters World News podcast more about the importance of the incident.

Business & Markets

The rouble fell past 100 per US dollar just as President Vladimir Putin's economic advisor said Russia was interested in a strong rouble and said that loose monetary policy was the main reason behind the currency's weakening. Big losses in Russia-linked stocks have investors rethinking other depositary receipts.
Financial markets barely flinched when Fitch stripped the US of its top credit rating, but it served as a reminder of longer-term structural risks investors in government bonds are yet to grasp.
Argentina's markets face an election hangover on Monday after a shock primary vote win for Javier Milei - who wants to axe the central bank and dollarize the economy - shook up the race towards presidential elections in October.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she took "full responsibility" for last week's shock decision to impose a one-off bank tax that has been criticized for causing lasting damage to her government's credibility with financial markets.
Chinese property giant Country Garden's debt problems deepened after its onshore bonds were suspended, sending its shares plunging 16% to a record low in a fresh blow to policymakers trying to shore up confidence in a stuttering economy.

What happens when a $2 million gene therapy is not enough

Elizabeth Kutschke spends time at the park with her 2-year-old son, Ben, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, Oak Park, Illinois, U.S. July 13, 2023. REUTERS/Eric Cox

Baby Ben Kutschke was diagnosed at three months with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare inherited disorder which is the leading genetic cause of death in infancy globally. It leaves children too weak to walk, talk, swallow or even breathe.

So when in 2021 his parents heard about Zolgensma – a one-time therapy costing millions of dollars that promises to replace genes needed for the body to control muscles – they had high hopes.

They were disappointed.

Read how Zolgensma, once the world's priciest drug, raises questions for other gene therapies

And Finally...

A new COVID vaccine is due out next month, but health experts and analysts say it is likely to be coolly received even as hospitalizations from "Eris", a variant of the Omicron form of the coronavirus, rise around the country. What is 'Eris', the new Covid variant?

Healthcare providers and pharmacies will be fighting declining concern about the virus

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