The Israeli Jews who spied for Iran

And interim Syrian leader vows to rebuild.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters  Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Kate Turton Refugees return to Syria as a caretaker prime minister is appointed, Chinese authorities are considering a weaker yuan, and read about the Israeli Jews who spied for Iran. Plus, join us for day two of Reuters NEXT. The line-up includes New York Stock Exchange President Lynn Martin, Lazard Chief Executive Officer Peter Orszag and many more. Today's Top News   A woman walks past security barriers as Syrian migrants wait in line to cross into Syria at Cilvegozu border gate in Turkey, December 11, 2024. REUTERS/Dilara Senkaya Middle East Refugees from Syria's long civil war were making their way home, as a new interim prime minister said he had been appointed with the backing of the rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad. On the Reuters World News podcast, Bureau Chief James Mackenzie explains how Israel is approaching the new leadership in Damascus. Israel's arrest of almost 30 mostly Jewish citizens who allegedly spied for Iran in nine covert cells has caused alarm in the country and points to Tehran's biggest effort in decades to infiltrate its arch foe, four Israeli security sources said.  In other news Luigi Mangione, the suspect charged with murder in the shooting of a top UnitedHealth executive, briefly struggled with officers and shouted while being escorted into a Pennsylvania courthouse, as a clearer picture of his motives began to emerge. A wildfire fanned by strong winds was burning just northwest of Los Angeles forced some residents in Malibu to evacuate as it threatened homes, knocked out power and closed roads in the beach community. US President Joe Biden touted his administration's economic record and warned against a reprise of Republican "trickle-down economics" during Donald Trump's second term in what could be his final speech on the economy at Washington's Brookings Institution. South Korean police raided President Yoon Suk Yeol's office and one of his top lieutenants has tried to take his own life, officials said, amid a widening investigation into the US ally's decision to declare martial law last week. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy used his first meeting with Trump since the US election to explain Ukraine's need for security guarantees in any negotiated end to the war with Russia. Authorities and rights groups say more than 400 people have been arrested during protests against government moves to delay Georgia's longstanding bid to join the European Union. There were around 11 million more cases of malaria in 2023 than in 2022, up to an estimated 263 million, according to a new World Health Organization report, marking another year of negligible progress against the age-old killer. Business & Markets China's top leaders and policymakers are considering allowing the yuan to weaken in 2025 as they brace for higher US trade tariffs when Trump returns to the White House. The contemplated move reflects China's recognition that it needs bigger economic stimulus to combat threatened punitive trade measures. US investor Acadia Infrastructure Capital and companies including Microsoft are looking to help develop a $9 billion pipeline of renewable energy projects across the country, the project lead told Reuters. Labor unions at major Japanese auto manufacturers have set a specific target for pay hikes for wage negotiations for the first time in seven years, as they aim to spread wage growth momentum to smaller firms, a key goal of the government and central bank. For more on the industry, sign up to the Auto File newsletter. A US bankruptcy judge stopped the parody news site the Onion from buying conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' Infowars website, ruling that a bankruptcy auction did not result in the best possible bids. A dealmaking splurge by BlackRock in 2024 may continue as the world's largest asset manager is expected to opportunistically look to further expand in private credit, real estate, infrastructure or possibly private equity. International cell makers are struggling to compete with Chinese giants like CATL. But innovations like solid-state batteries could upend the industry in the not-too-distant future. In this week's episode of The Big View podcast, QuantumScape CEO Siva Sivaram explains how. Middle East conflicts stir safety fears for Europe's airline pilots   Airlines differ on allowing crew to refuse unsafe routes. REUTERS/Edgar Su Reuters spoke to four pilots, three cabin crew members, three flight security experts and two airline executives about growing safety concerns in the European air industry due to escalating tensions in the Middle East following Hamas' attack on Israel in October 2023, that prompted the war in Gaza. Read more And Finally... REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/File Photo The US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed listing the monarch butterfly as a threatened species, citing a significant decline in the iconic black and orange insects that has pushed them toward extinction. 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. 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