Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. We're watching developments in Russia, where gunmen killed scores of people at a concert near Moscow. The Islamic State claimed responsibility, and Ukraine said it wasn't involved. Stick with us throughout the weekend for updates on your computer or phone or wherever you get our news.

REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Israel says it's ready to fight Hamas without the United States

Resolve and resolution: Antony Blinken warned Benjamin Netanyahu that Israel risked further global isolation if it attacks Rafah in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu said it's going to happen with or without US support. Israel's military said it opened a new entry point for aid and that there is no starvation in Gaza. The UN says otherwise. China and Russia vetoed a US-led resolution at the UN Security Council that would have called for a ceasefire as part of a deal to release hostages held by Hamas.
Land and buildings: Israel's finance minister Bezalel Smotrich bit off nearly 2,000 more acres in the occupied West Bank for Israeli settlers, drawing Palestinian condemnation. And the loss of Palestinian workers at Israeli building sites is causing economic pain on both sides of the border.

Trump's money: So far away and yet so close

A deal with the Donald: The former president took a step closer toward reaping a major windfall from his social-media firm after investors in a blank-check acquisition company approved a merger deal worth $6 billion. Trump wouldn't be able to sell any of his shares or borrow against them for six months. He has been trying to raise cash to handle the financial fallout from legal cases against him, including a $454 million judgment in his civil-fraud case in New York.
'The hand of God is on him': Christian TV evangelicals are pushing a message of biblical proportions on the American electorate: The 2024 presidential race is a fight for America's soul, and a persecuted/prosecuted Trump – along with his racist and inflammatory rhetoric – has God's protection. Could that protection include third-party candidates, specifically Robert F. Kennedy Jr.? Our politics reporters hash it all out with World News podcast host Jonah Green.

So long, special military operation

Hello, war: The Kremlin is now using a shorter word to describe its actions in Ukraine. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a Russian publication that the change reflects the West's becoming "a participant in this on the side of Ukraine." It also looks like a way to prepare Russians for a longer conflict that might require more sacrifices.
Summer plans: Russia is preparing 100,000 troops for a possible new offensive or to replenish depleted units, Ukraine's ground-forces commander said. Russia said it would bolster its military by adding two new armies and 30 new formations. Ukraine will delete its "sponsors of war" list under pressure from countries that objected to the embarrassment of several dozen businesses.

India's opposition: Lots of friends, one big enemy

On the back foot: India's main financial crime-fighting agency has investigated nearly 150 politicians in the past decade, only four of whom are in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Their latest arrest is Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi, over graft allegations regarding the capital's liquor-sales policy. Rahul Gandhi, leader of the Congress Party, said the government is trying to cripple the opposition a month before elections that could give Narendra Modi a third term as prime minister.
Tech burnout: Investors are cutting how much money they pour into India's startups, having been scorched by ignominious falls from grace and lower valuations by once-marquee young companies. The US meanwhile pushed Delhi to reverse a laptop-licensing policy over fears it would hurt American businesses.

Before I forget…

Congress passed a $1.2 trillion bill to fund the US government and sent it to President Biden to sign. Not included: Aid for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel.

The White House and congressional Republicans reached a deal to make 12,000 more visas available for Afghans who worked with the US and are stuck in their home country under threat of Taliban reprisal. It's less than the 20,000 that the administration wanted.

Kate, Princess of Wales, said she was undergoing preventative chemotherapy after a cancer diagnosis.

Reddit may need to spend more on content moderation as it prepares to go public.

Healthy request: The US Justice Department sued Campbell Soup, saying that the company's plant in northwestern Ohio has been releasing too much bacteria, phosphorus and other contaminants into the Maumee River.

Indian food-delivery company Zomato scrapped a plan to launch a vegetarian-only delivery fleet with green uniforms instead of its usual red ones after critics said it was discriminatory and promoted caste divides.

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