Mpox is a global emergency

Plus, Ukraine reports heavy fighting on eastern front after incursion.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters  Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Edson Caldas The World Health Organization has declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years. We take a look at what that means. In more health news, doctors are struggling to get Wegovy for older Americans with heart disease. But first, we cover protests in India. Today's Top News   Protests escalate in India over gruesome rape of doctor. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas Thousands of women marched across several Indian cities overnight and Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for strict punishment for crimes against women, as outrage and protests against the gruesome rape and murder of a doctor escalated. Thailand's governing coalition agreed to nominate 37-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra as candidate for prime minister ahead of a parliamentary vote. The country's political turmoil threatens its already struggling economy. Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned nearly four months after the university's handling of campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza drew criticism from pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian sides alike. Ukraine War A senior Russian commander said that Ukrainian forces had been pushed out of one village in Russia's border region but that Kyiv's forces were still probing along the front. Meanwhile, Ukraine reported there was no sign Russian military pressure was receding along the eastern front inside its borders. A Russian-American spa worker was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a Russian court after she was found guilty of treason for donating just over $50 to a charity supporting Ukraine. Health The World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency following an outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries. Global Health Correspondent Jennifer Rigby tells the Reuters World News podcast what's different about this latest upsurge of mpox. Older Americans are having little success getting prescriptions for weight-loss drug Wegovy covered by Medicare despite the federal healthcare program's decision to pay for patients with obesity at risk of heart disease, according to their doctors. Business & Markets   China's factory output slowed for a third straight month in July, showing the recovery in the world's second-largest economy was losing steam, although the battered consumer sector perked up slightly as stimulus targeting households took effect. Japan's economy expanded by a much faster-than-expected annualized 3.1% in the second quarter, rebounding from a slump at the start of the year thanks to a strong rise in consumption and backing the case for another near-term interest rate hike. Britain's economy grew 0.6% in the second quarter of 2024, in line with economists' expectations and building on a rapid 0.7% recovery in the first quarter of the year after a shallow recession in the second half of 2023, official figures showed. Brewers including Carlsberg and Anheuser-Busch InBev say interest is growing in booze-free brews across the Middle East and North Africa, presenting opportunities in a region with some of the lowest alcohol consumption rates globally. Google parent Alphabet said it was expanding its AI-generated summaries for search queries to six new countries, just two months after it rolled back some capabilities following a problem-riddled launch. In Pictures   Puerto Rico cleans up after Tropical Storm Ernesto. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo Tropical Storm Ernesto strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it churned away from Puerto Rico, leaving more torrential rains in its wake and cutting power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses. See the photo gallery And Finally... Stonehenge's hefty Altar Stone came all the way from Scotland. Handout via REUTERS At the center of Stonehenge lies the Altar Stone, a hefty slab of sandstone whose origin and purpose have been among the famed megalithic monument's enduring mysteries. A new analysis has revealed that this rectangular colossus took a remarkable journey to become part of one of humankind's ancient wonders. Read more 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 © 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036