Zelenskiy rejects ceding land to Russia

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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. Saturday's On Assignment podcast digs into extreme temperatures in crowded U.S. prisons, while our latest edition of AI&Us explains why artificial intelligence is killing coding bootcamps. City Memo takes us to Bristol in southwest England, a city I fell in love with as soon as I disembarked from the train at Temple Meads. And today marks the 80th anniversary of the U.S. nuclear attack on Nagasaki.

Zelenskiy rejects ceding Ukrainian land to Russia for peace

REUTERS/Oleksandr Ratushniak

Moscow's gain: Trump earlier said the two countries were nearing a peace deal that could see Ukraine cede territory that Russia gained during the war. He also said he will meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska on August 15 to negotiate a deal. Zelenskiy said any moves made without Ukraine's involvement would be "stillborn decisions."
Moscow's grain: A state-owned Russian explosives manufacturer was able to buy Siemens equipment, despite sanctions, by relying on a middleman that imports the technology from China. And Russia is boosting its wheat harvest by taking grain from parts of Ukraine that it controls.

Israel faces backlash over Gaza City plan

Fresh criticism: Germany said it would stop exporting military equipment to Israel that its forces could use in Gaza. Britain urged Israel to reconsider its decision to escalate its campaign to take control of Gaza City.
Middle East and Africa: The U.S. presented Lebanon with a proposal to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year and to end Israel's military operations there. Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a U.S.-brokered peace agreement and joined the list of nations ready to nominate Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Hunger and disease are spreading across Sudan as its military and a rival group fight for control.

Tariffs: An all-purpose policy weapon

Handle with care: Trump's threat to pile secondary tariffs on Russia's oil customers as leverage to get Moscow to end the Ukraine war is a novel way to use the tool, but it could hurt him. His new pick for the Fed board of governors comes with his own unusual approach to central-bank independence.
Business: Intel's CEO had a hard enough job already; now Trump is making it harder. Tariffs are diminishing corporate earnings. Elon Musk's politics hurt Tesla's new-car registrations in Europe's two largest markets. Executives are becoming more expensive to protect, while stock and bond traders are becoming more expensive to reward.

The cost of natural disasters

It's rising: Global insured losses from natural catastrophes reached $80 billion in the first half of the year because of California's wildfires and U.S. thunderstorms. That estimate from Swiss Re nearly doubles the 10-year average, and it's not even the height of the Atlantic hurricane season yet. Speaking of which, the National Weather Service will bring back a number of jobs that DOGE cut earlier this year.
Weather report: Japan recorded its highest temperature (41.8 C, 107.2 F), Australia's Great Barrier Reef suffered a record coral decline after a mass bleaching. A massive wildfire in southern France was finally contained, as was one in Greece.

U.S. restricts sports visas for transgender women

Changes: The U.S. said it will consider "the fact that a male athlete has been competing against women" as a negative factor in visa petitions. The Air Force is denying early retirement to all transgender service members with 15 to 18 years of military experience, and will force them out with no retirement benefits.
Government action: Trump said he might use the National Guard to police the streets of D.C. as the administration moves toward taking control of Washington. He ordered the Commerce Dept. to exclude illegal immigrants from the next census. And federal employees won't have to write their weekly "five things" email anymore like Musk wanted them to do.

Before I forget…

India said it shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during clashes in May.
The no-focus POTUS: Whether it's commenting on Sydney Sweeney, renaming a sports team or firing people he dislikes, Donald Trump is the producer of his own show.
Florida reported 21 Campylobacter and E. coli infections in people who drank raw milk. Six of those people were children under the age of 10.
The Gates Foundation said it will spend $2.5 billion over the next five years on women's health. The subject "continues to be ignored, underfunded and sidelined," Bill Gates said.
If you had an island all to yourself, would you want someone to build a bridge to it? Some Sicilians don't.
A $5 meal? Yes, but curb your appetite and your expectations. Learn more on today's World News podcast.

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