COP28 kicks off in Dubai

Plus, Israel and Hamas extend Gaza truce by one day.

View in Browser Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing Israel and Hamas extend their truce by one day in a last-minute deal, the COP28 summit opens with hopes for an early victory on a climate damage fund, and Henry Kissinger dies aged 100.   Plus, a special report on how the US courted the Philippines to thwart China.   By Edson Caldas Today's Top News Palestinian children walk among the houses destroyed in Israeli strikes during the conflict. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem ISRAEL AND HAMAS AT WAR Israel and Hamas struck a last-minute agreement to extend their ceasefire for a seventh day, and Washington said it hoped the truce could be extended further. The truce has let some aid into Gaza after much of the coastal territory of 2.3 million people was reduced to wasteland by seven weeks of bombardment. However, a deadly shooting in Jerusalem was a potent reminder of the potential for violence to spread. Two Palestinian attackers opened fire at a bus stop during the morning rush hour at the entrance to Jerusalem, killing at least three people and wounding eight others, Israeli police said. COP28 CLIMATE SUMMIT  As global leaders gather in Dubai for the world's U.N. climate conference, delegates hope to clinch an early victory on a disaster fund before the summit turns its focus to fossil fuels and other divisive topics. We have an explainer on how countries will measure climate action at COP28. Adding to the urgency world leaders face at COP28, 2023 will reach global warming of about 1.4 degrees Celsius (2.5 Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels, the World Meteorological Organization said. The WMO's provisional report confirms that this year will be the warmest on record by a large margin. The Reuters World News podcast uncovers how despite the Pope Francis' directive for Catholics to move away from fossil fuels, not a single US diocese has complied. Some even have leases with oil drillers. Listen here. The pope has cancelled his planned trip to COP28 because of health issues. IN OTHER NEWS The Democratic Party has no Plan B if President Joe Biden decided for any reason to halt his 2024 re-election campaign, and a sudden need to replace him as its standard-bearer would spark a messy intraparty battle. Even if more candidates were to jump in now, the path forward would be unclear. Henry Kissinger, a diplomatic powerhouse whose roles as a national security adviser and secretary of state under two presidents left an indelible mark on US foreign policy and earned him a controversial Nobel Peace Prize, died at age 100. Here are reactions from world leaders and key facts about his life. Business & Markets The Limmat river and the city are seen early morning in Zurich. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo Singapore and Zurich tied for the world's most expensive city this year, followed by Geneva, New York and Hong Kong, the Economist Intelligence Unit said, as it cautioned that the global cost-of-living crisis was not yet over. On average, prices have risen by 7.4% year on year for commonly used goods and services. Euro zone inflation tumbled far more than expected this month, a challenge to the ECB's narrative that price growth remains stubborn and likely fueling bets on early spring rate cuts. Consumer price growth in the 20 nations sharing the euro currency dropped to 2.4% in November from 2.9% in October. OPEC+ has reached a preliminary agreement for an additional oil output cut of more than 1 million barrels per day, an OPEC+ source said ahead of formal OPEC+ meetings due to take place later today. Oil prices will face an uphill struggle in 2024 as global growth risks restrain demand, a Reuters poll showed. China Evergrande Group is seeking to avert a potentially imminent liquidation with a last-minute debt restructuring proposal, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The defaulted company has until a Hong Kong court hearing on Monday to present a "concrete" revised proposal for offshore creditors. Elon Musk swore at advertisers that have fled X over antisemitic content. His profanity-laced remarks followed a moment of contrition in a New York Times DealBook Summit interview. Musk said repeatedly he was sorry for publishing a tweet on Nov. 15 that agreed with an anti-Jewish post. In more news from the summit, Walt Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger said he would "definitely" step down when his current contract ends in 2026 and that the ABC broadcast network was not for sale. Disney's board is undertaking a "robust" search for a successor, Iger said. Eagle and Dragon US outreach to its longtime ally the Philippines has been described as "love-bombing." Carolyn Kaster/Pool via REUTERS America has rushed to mend relations with its former colony after ties frayed under former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. It has lavished attention on new leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr and sent military equipment and vaccines. Washington needs Manila in its camp as tensions with China rise in the Indo-Pacific.  Reuters got inside the charm offensive.  And Finally... Yang Guang, one of the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo. REUTERS/Lesley Martin  Britain's two giant pandas, the only pair in the country, will munch bamboo stalks in front of crowds at Edinburgh Zoo for the final time today, before their stay comes to an end and they return home to China. The pair came to Edinburgh in 2011 as part of a ten-year agreement, extended for two years due to the pandemic. Read more: Britain bids farewell to its only giant pandas after 12 years Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters.com 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

Israel and Hamas seek to extend truce

Plus, 2023 in 100 photos.

View in Browser Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing Israel and Hamas negotiate through mediators over another potential extension of the Gaza truce, India will investigate US concerns linking it to a foiled murder plot, and what to expect from the COP28 climate summit in Dubai.   Plus, 2023 through the lens of Reuters photographers.   By Edson Caldas Today's Top News People react after the release of Palestinian prisoners amid a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel. REUTERS/Ammar Awad ISRAEL AND HAMAS AT WAR Hamas and Israel are expected to release more people today, the last day of a prolonged six-day truce in Gaza, as attention focused on whether they could negotiate another extension. Israel has said the truce could be prolonged further, provided Hamas continues to free at least 10 hostages per day. The pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas has given Gazans brief reprieve from seven weeks of near continuous bombardment. Our graphics team shows how the search for shelter continues for more than a million people. And bureau chief James Mackenzie shares the latest on the war on our daily podcast. Correction: Yesterday's edition should have described Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel's prime minister, not president. COUNTDOWN TO COP28 Imagine a massive industry expo with the drama of a dozen simultaneous political conferences, a few flashes of impassioned protest and the occasional crowd crush to glimpse a climate celebrity. Such is the scene at the annual COP summit, this year being held in Dubai. This is what you need to know. Delegates from nearly 200 countries will convene for the conference where the UAE hopes to sell the vision of a low-carbon future that includes, not shuns, fossil fuels. That narrative will throw the spotlight on international divisions over the best way to combat global warming. You can follow the latest here. IN OTHER NEWS A US military aircraft carrying six people crashed into the sea in western Japan, killing at least one crew member with the condition of at least two hauled from waters unclear. US forces in the region were still gathering information, a spokesperson said. India will investigate security concerns aired by the US in a warning to New Delhi about its links to a foiled plot to murder a Sikh separatist leader, the foreign ministry said. The issue comes at a delicate time for both India and the Biden administration as they try to build closer ties in the face of an ascendant China. Hope that they would be rescued kept many of the workers trapped in a tunnel in India strong through their ordeal, some of the 41 men said, hours after they were pulled out of 17-days of confinement. Doctors said they were doing well, but would need long-term support, including monitoring for post-traumatic stress. Business & Markets Charlie Munger walks past a crowd at the annual Berkshire shareholder shopping day in Omaha, Nebraska, 2019. REUTERS/Scott Morgan/File Photo The death of Berkshire Hathaway's Charlie Munger heralds the end of an era, leaving Warren Buffett as the conglomerate's lone investing legend and shining the spotlight on managers who have largely operated in their shadow. Here is how business leaders have reacted to Munger's death.  Once a North Korean experiment in limited capitalism, the Rason Special Economic Zone appears to be the epicenter of the isolated country's growing cooperation with Russia, experts say, including possible shipments of arms for the war in Ukraine. Huawei's new smart car software and components firm is set for a valuation of up to 250 billion yuan ($34.67 billion) after it sells stakes to investors, three people with knowledge of the matter said. Huawei said this weekend it will spin off its four-year-old Intelligent Automotive Solution business unit into a new company. In more auto news, Uber will open up its platform to London's black cabs, trying to win over the British capital's taxis after a decade of tensions. The new service offered by Uber, which will be rolled out in early 2024, will enable black cab drivers to sign up to the app to take booked journeys. A Virgin Atlantic passenger jet powered by 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) completed a London-to-New York jaunt, showcasing the potential of low-carbon options. The aviation industry is relying on a massive ramp-up in production of SAF to meet its target of "net zero" carbon emissions by 2050. The Wider Image Haze and smoke from the Canadian wildfires shroud the Manhattan skyline in the Queens Borough New York City, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton This year is one that will go down in history as being marked by two big wars - an ongoing conflict in Ukraine as it fights off a Russian invasion and a fresh outbreak of violence in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas militants. Reuters photographers were on the ground to capture it all as it unfolded - and much more. Here is 2023 in 100 photos. And Finally... Timothee Chalamet attends the world premiere of "Wonka", at the Royal Festival Hall, in London, Britain, November 28, 2023. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska Timothee Chalamet took lessons from a top vocal coach as he prepared to follow in the footsteps of Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp to play Willy Wonka in a new movie that tells the origin story of Roald Dahl's famed character.  Read more: Timothee Chalamet turned to vocal coach to the stars for 'Wonka' Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters.com 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