Daily Briefing

Ukraine's Zelenskiy pushes allies to step up aid in an exclusive interview, Trump's lawyers to mount defense in his hush money trial if the case is not dismissed, and in Iran the president's death is met by muted mourning and furtive celebration

Plus, Scarlett Johansson says the OpenAI chatbot's voice is 'eerily similar' to hers.

By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

People gather to mourn for the death of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, in Tehran. Majid Asgaripour/WANA

MIDDLE EAST

Iran proclaimed five days of mourning for President Ebrahim Raisi, though the muted atmosphere revealed little of the spectacular public grief that has accompanied the deaths of other senior figures in the Islamic Republic's history.
Israeli forces thrust deeper into the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza, laying waste to residential districts with tank and air bombardments, residents said, while Israeli air strikes killed at least five people in the southern city of Rafah.
The International Criminal Court's prosecutor said he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. Here's what happens next.

IN OTHER NEWS

A Singapore Airlines flight from London made an emergency landing in Bangkok due to severe turbulence, the airline said, with one passenger on board dead and injuries reported.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due to make his case for President Joe Biden's $64 billion foreign affairs budget request in four congressional hearings this week, amid deep divides with Republicans over spending priorities and Israel policy.
Donald Trump's lawyers will mount their defense in the former president's hush money trial, unless the judge overseeing the case agrees to dismiss it outright - an unlikely development.
Brazil's Amazon rainforest has experienced its largest blazes on record in the first four months of the year, with the environmental workers union placing partial blame on lower government spending on firefighting.
Lawmakers in Taiwan jostled, unfurled banners and shouted at each other in a dispute about efforts to widen parliament oversight pushed by the opposition, despite the anger of the ruling party, which says there has been no consultation.

Business & Markets

International investors are skirting German property deals as they dial back on a market in its worst crisis in a generation, potentially deepening the scars on Europe's biggest economy.
Traders are pricing in a big move for Nvidia's shares after the chipmaker reports earnings, though expectations for volatility are more muted than in the past, US options markets show.
Ether was set for its largest two-day gain in nearly two years and bitcoin approached a record high on speculation about the outcome of applications for US spot exchange-traded funds that track the world's second-biggest cryptocurrency.
Rising sea levels could severely disrupt crude oil shipments and erode energy security in import-dependent countries like China, South Korea and Japan, with many of the world's biggest terminals vulnerable to flooding, researchers said.
California's top state court will consider a labor union's challenge to a ballot measure allowing app-based services such as Uber and Lyft to classify drivers in the state as independent contractors rather than as employees with more benefits.
Eli Lilly said its diabetes drug tirzepatide has received approval from Chinese regulators, setting up intensifying competition with its Danish rival Novo Nordisk in the key Asian market.

Zelenskiy pushes allies to step up aid and involvement in war

Zelenskiy speaks during an interview with Reuters. May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Western allies are taking too long to make key decisions on military support for Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Reuters in an exclusive in Kyiv.

He also said he was pushing partners to get more directly involved in the war by helping to intercept Russian missiles over Ukraine and allowing Kyiv to use Western weapons against enemy military equipment amassing near the border.

Mike Collett-White joins the Reuters World News podcast to share his insights on the interview with the Ukrainian leader.

Zelenskiy conceded that war is "difficult" amid Russian advances.

And Finally...

Scarlett Johansson attends the Cannes Film Festival. May 24, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi

Scarlett Johansson accused OpenAI of creating a voice for the ChatGPT system that sounded "eerily similar" to the actress after she declined to voice the chatbot herself.

Johansson made the comments in a statement released hours after the artificial intelligence company said it was taking down the voice, called 'Sky.'

Read more here.

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