Ukraine pummels Russia

Plus, rambling Trump-Musk interview marred by tech issues.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters  Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Kate Turton Ukraine pummels Russia in a bid to carve out a bigger slice of territory, Musk interviews Trump, and the leasing model behind Europe's EV drive is struggling. Plus, a techno festival introduces tests to detect spiked drinks. Today's Top News   Intense battles underway in Russia's Kursk region. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi Ukraine pounded two Russian regions with drones as its ground forces tried to smash through defensive lines in a bid to carve out even more territory in its biggest attack on Russian territory since the war began. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attack was aimed at improving Kyiv's negotiating position. Technical glitches and rambling chats - was his time on X useful for Donald Trump? National Affairs Correspondent Alexandra Ulmer gives the lowdown to the daily Reuters World News podcast. Israeli forces pressed on with operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis amid an international push for a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and prevent a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies. More than two weeks after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro claimed reelection victory, the US and other Western countries are showing little sign that they plan to quickly impose tough measures for what many of them have condemned as voting fraud. More than 47,000 people died in Europe due to scorching temperatures in 2023, with countries in the region's south hit the hardest, according to a report by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. Talks to end Sudan's 16-month war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces will move forward this week, the US's special envoy said, despite little sign from either party that they seek a peaceful resolution. People are leaving New Zealand in record numbers as unemployment rises, interest rates remain high and economic growth is anemic, government statistics show.  Business & Markets   Low resale values for electric cars have pushed the leasing firms that drive Europe's auto market to double prices over the last three years and some are threatening to quit the business altogether if regulators force them to go electric too fast, industry executives say. Stalled efforts to expand companies' use of carbon credits to offset greenhouse-gas emissions are raising the prospect that some will backtrack or abandon targets to shrink their carbon footprint. Sign up for the Sustainable Switch newsletter to make sense of how companies and governments are grappling with climate change. Panic appears to have faded following last week's outbreak of volatility in US stocks, but if history is any guide, markets might remain jittery for months. India's antitrust body has ordered an unusual recall of reports of an investigation that found Apple breached competition laws, after the US giant complained its commercial secrets were disclosed to opponents, including Tinder-owner Match. Workers at BHP's Escondida copper mine in Chile will go on strike after failing to reach an agreement with the company, a union source. Sikh activists in US, Canada face threats   Sikhs protest outside the Indian consulate in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on September 25, 2023. REUTERS/Wa Lone/File Photo In late September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his administration had credible evidence that the Indian government was involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia. Reuters spoke to 19 Sikh community leaders, including three elected US officials, who said that they or their organizations have been targeted with threats and harassment in the US and Canada over the last year – even as law enforcement agencies pursue criminal investigations into the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada and the foiled assassination attempt of another separatist leader in the US. Read more And Finally... A staff member at the Violet Dot safe meeting point for women takes a sample of a reveler's drink using a system to test for drugs. REUTERS/Eva Manez An electronic music festival on a beach in eastern Spain has set up tents where revelers can drug-test their drinks to ensure they do not contain psychoactive substances slipped into the beverages without their consent. 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