How Ukraine pulled off its Russia incursion

Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to another edition of the Weekend Briefing. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are touring the battleground state of Pennsylvania. Mpox is alarming health authorities. Plenty more awaits below.

How Russia looked the wrong way

Seym River bridge attack. Ukraine Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuki/via REUTERS

Surprise: The idea that Ukraine could burst across the border in the biggest invasion of Russia since World War Two seemed unthinkable before last week. The operation raised questions about Russian surveillance as well as the caliber of its border fortifications and the forces guarding them. This is a big and interesting story that is well worth reading.
Who knew? An influential aide to Vladimir Putin said the U.S. and NATO helped Ukraine make its lightning incursion into Russia, dismissing western denials that a plan was in the works. Nikolai Patrushev's comments imply that the foray carries a high risk of escalation.

'We're not there yet'

Gaza: Ceasefire talks in Doha were postponed, and negotiators will meet next week. The delay comes on the same week that the Palestinian death toll from Israel's campaign in Gaza crossed 40,000 lives. Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday. The U.N.'s secretary-general called for pauses in the fighting to conduct a polio-vaccine campaign. Israel's army ordered new evacuations in southern and central Gaza.
Prayers: Israel's hardline security minister visited the Al-Aqsa mosque and said Jews should be allowed to pray there. Netanyahu rebuked Itamar Ben-Gvir for stirring the pot. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich published plans for a proposed new settlement in the West Bank, which one NGO called a "de facto annexation." Palestinians described a brutal West Bank attack on a small town by Jewish settlers.

Chicago, Chicago, I will show you around

The big tent: Democrats gather in Chicago this week. Learn more about the DNC convention on our Saturday edition of the Reuters World News podcast. Expect protests outside the convention hall over the administration's support for Israel in the Gaza war. And learn more about Tim Walz's appeal to white men and why that's important to the Harris campaign.
Hold that thought: Donald Trump is seeking to delay sentencing in his New York criminal hush-money case beyond election day in November, citing "election-interference objectives."

EU raises mpox risk-alert level

The latest: The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control raised its risk level for the virus after health officials confirmed the first infections with a new strain of the virus outside Africa, namely in Pakistan and Sweden. Mpox causes flu-like symptoms and lesions filled with pus, and while it is usually mild, it can kill.
Background: The virus is not new to Africa, but there is concern because the new variant appears to spread more easily. The World Health Organization held an emergency meeting to discuss ways to ensure fair global access to tests, treatments and vaccines given their uneven availability during the COVID pandemic.

Who's buying shares in Trump Media?

You are, maybe: Asset managers BlackRock and Vanguard were among the biggest buyers of stock in Donald Trump's media company during the second quarter. Investors hammered Adani Group shares after a short seller accused the head of India's market regulator of having links to offshore funds used by the group. Madhabi Puri Buch continued to earn revenue from a consultancy during her tenure as SEBI chief, possibly breaking the rules.
Score 1 for Bayer: The German company's Monsanto unit did not violate Pennsylvania law by failing to put a cancer warning on the label for Roundup weed killer, a federal appeals court ruled. The decision conflicts with rulings from two other appeals courts.

Before I forget…

West Bengal police arrested protesters angry over the rape and murder of a medic, while more than a million doctors were expected to join a one-day strike. Read more about India's low conviction rates for rape.
Royal Bank of Canada's former finance chief filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit against the bank, saying it engaged in gender stereotyping in her dismissal over a relationship with a subordinate. RBC countersued, saying it had evidence of an intimate relationship that breached its code of conduct.
Joe Biden said he will give $150 million in federal funds toward developing technology to better help surgeons remove cancerous tumors.
Wildlife conservationists asked Tanzania to ban the sport hunting of elephants.
Many people in the Balkans have long mistrusted artificial cooling. Now, blistering temperatures are making good business for air-conditioner suppliers. But what about the power grid?
"Upstream" is a Chinese hit film out this summer. It tackles the hazards of working the gig economy, focusing on a programmer who is laid off because of his age and must resort to delivering food. Viewers praised its authenticity, apart from the tacked-on happy ending.

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