World Court orders Israel to halt Gaza famine

Plus, why the far right's prospects of wielding EU power have been dented.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing Israeli strikes on Syria kill dozens, Bankman-Fried is sentenced to 25 years, and Biden holds a star-studded fundraiser amid protests. Plus, why South Korea hopes new high-speed train links will help boost the country's birthrate.   By Linda Noakes Today's Top News Humanitarian aid falls through the sky towards the Gaza Strip after being dropped from an aircraft. REUTERS/Amir Cohen The World Court unanimously ordered Israel, accused by South Africa of genocide in Gaza, to take all necessary and effective action to ensure basic food supplies to the enclave's Palestinian population and halt spreading famine. Israeli strikes on the northern Syrian city of Aleppo killed 38 people including five members of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, in the deadliest attacks so far in an intensified Israeli campaign against Iran's allies in Syria. President Joe Biden and his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, headlined a star-studded fundraiser with former President Bill Clinton, offering a robust defense of the White House's handling of the Gaza crisis as protesters interrupted the event. Taiwan's navy chief, Tang Hua, will visit the United States from next week to attend a military ceremony and discuss how to boost bilateral naval cooperation as China raises threats toward the island. Russia's move to effectively disband the panel of experts monitoring longstanding United Nations sanctions against North Korea points to a "grim future" for the sanctions enforcement. South Korea is launching a high-speed train service that will reduce the travel time between central Seoul and its outskirts, a project officials hope will encourage more youth to consider homes outside the city, and start having babies. Business & Markets Sam Bankman-Fried stands before US District Judge Lewis Kaplan at Federal Court in New York City in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison for stealing $8 billion from customers of the now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange he founded. It was the last step in the former billionaire wunderkind's dramatic downfall.  The United States is drawing up a list of advanced Chinese chipmaking factories barred from receiving key tools, to make it easier for companies to stem technology flows into China. China's Huawei Technologies saw its fastest growth in four years in 2023, with a rebound in its consumer segment and income from new businesses like smart car components accelerating its recovery from US sanctions. Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said there were "speculative" moves behind recent yen declines, suggesting authorities remained on stand-by to intervene in the market to address any excessive falls in the currency. A sentence from a months-old speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping has sparked speculation the central bank might start aggressively buying government bonds to support the economy, a stimulus measure China has long shunned. The Week Ahead A tumultuous first quarter is coming to an end and the 'buy everything' party is in full swing across markets, but the coming week has a few reality checks that even the most avid bulls may not be able to overlook. The strong dollar is giving major Asian central banks a headache and there are big questions to answer over the state of growth in the United States, China and the euro zone - the world's three largest economic blocs. Some big data releases might answer them. Here's your look at the week ahead in world markets. The rift marring the far right's prospects of wielding EU power Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni holds a press conference in Rome, January 4, 2024. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapan/file photo When a French minister compared Italy's nationalist Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni last year to the leader of the French far right, the Italian premier rang French President Emmanuel Macron to complain.   Meloni was so incensed that the French leader felt compelled to send an emissary to Rome to appease her.   The Italian premier's message to Macron was clear: she was no Italian version of Marine Le Pen. The Week in Pictures Here's a selection of some of our top photography from around the world this week. 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