Plus, Iran's unseen leader.

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Daily Briefing

Daily Briefing

By Kate Turton

Hello. Today marks six months of war in Iran, Norway's reform-minded King Harald V dies at 89, and rescue work resumes after the flash flood on the China-Nepal border.

Plus, how the US economy can look pretty good but feel pretty bad.

Today's Top News

 

Firefighters conducting search and rescue operations in Gyirong county, Shigatse, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. cnsphoto via REUTERS

  • Chinese authorities have assessed that risks from an overflowing lake formed after catastrophic flooding on the China-Nepal border had become manageable, allowing suspended rescue operations to resume. Our graphics team maps how a glacier collapse triggered a deadly landslide and flooding.
  • Norway's King Harald, a reformer who emerged from the shadow of his well-loved, extrovert father, died at the age of 89, the royal palace said, at a time of multiple crises for the Norwegian royal family.
  • Russia launched waves of drones at Ukraine's capital Kyiv and surrounding region, damaging warehouses and homes in a second consecutive day of strikes Ukrainian officials said were an attempt to derail ‌daily life for millions of residents.
  • A US judge blocked the Pentagon's blacklisting of Anthropic, the latest turn in the Claude maker's high-stakes fight with the military over AI safety on the ‌battlefield. 
  • More than six decades after Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial ‌and declared his dream for a more just America, thousands are expected to march in Washington, as a new generation of civil rights leaders warns that the very rights King fought and died for are once again under siege.
  • US President Donald Trump renamed Lake Ontario "Lake America" on Thursday, escalating a feud with Canada that has already spawned tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade.

Six months of war in Iran

  • Six months after the airstrikes that began the war and propelled a badly wounded Mojtaba Khamenei into the role of Iran's supreme leader, he remains entirely unseen and unheard by Iranians — a vacuum at the heart of his country's leadership.
  • Iran Correspondent Parisa Hafezi tells the Reuters World News podcast that for many Iranians the war has become an economic crisis with inflation soaring, the currency collapsing, and families cutting back on food and medicine. 
 

Business & Markets

 

Drivers chat next to taxis charging at a Shell electric vehicle charging station in Beijing — REUTERS/Florence Lo/File Photo

  • Our graphics team breaks down how tariffs, war in the Middle East and surging AI have made the $30 trillion US economy look pretty good but feel pretty bad.
  • Trump administration officials are working on a deal to secure long-term access to a portion of Venezuela's ‌crude reserves, sources with knowledge of the negotiations said, a move that could ultimately lower the cost of oil imports.
  • The Iran war's redrawing of the global trade map is forcing Gulf nations to retool their investment play book, ploughing capital into infrastructure, from energy pipelines to ports, to weather the fallout from the conflict.
  • Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh will address an audience of international economists and central bankers, with investors globally watching for him to offer more details about the economy, recent volatility in bond markets, and the risks facing the US and global outlooks.
  • As top-selling weight-loss drugs help more US men slim down, a growing number are seeking cosmetic treatments for sagging skin, hair loss and dental issues to complete their physical transformation, patients and plastic surgeons say.
 

The Week Ahead

  • The main draw of the US Open singles tournament officially gets underway. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz faces a challenging road to the New York final while Aryna Sabalenka will also have her hands full.
  • When Shein makes its market debut on Tuesday, it will be in Hong Kong and not New York or London like it once dreamed — symbolic of the long journey the fast-fashion online retailer has had to make to embrace its identity as a Chinese company.
  • Euro zone August inflation is forecast to hit 3.3%, its highest in nearly three years, driven by elevated energy costs.
  • The US jobs report will shed light on whether the country's labor market may be softening or if last month's dour data was a one-off event.
  • Here's all you need to know about the coming week in financial markets.
 

On islands key to Taiwan's defense, troops prepare for a Chinese first strike

 

During the drills, troops loaded artillery guns that fired out to sea. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Taipei is rushing to fortify the Penghu archipelago, which will be on the frontline if Beijing decides to invade. While a garrison there rehearses to hold off the Chinese military, civilians living in this popular tourist destination are also being trained to ration, repair and resist.

Read our special report