Israel begins evacuating part of Rafah

Follow our live coverage as Israel warns of a "limited scope" operation.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing Palestinian families are on the move after Israeli instructions to evacuate parts of Rafah, China's Xi visits Europe for the first time in five years, and fake videos of Modi aides are triggering a political showdown in India. Plus, sea drone warfare has arrived - and the US is floundering.   By Linda Noakes Today's Top News People flee the eastern parts of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled Israel told Palestinians to evacuate parts of Rafah in what appeared to be preparation for a long-threatened assault on Hamas holdouts in the southern Gaza Strip city where more than a million war-displaced people have been sheltering. Follow our live coverage here. The US Navy's efforts to build a fleet of unmanned vessels are faltering because the Pentagon remains wedded to big shipbuilding projects, according to officials and company executives, exposing a weakness as sea drones reshape naval warfare. Russia said it would hold a military exercise that will include practice for the use of tactical nuclear weapons after what the defense ministry said were provocative threats from Western officials. Chinese President Xi Jinping is on a trip to Europe that risks laying bare the region's divisions over trade. Reuters Europe Editor Rachel Armstrong tells the Reuters World News daily podcast how Xi may seek to take advantage of those schisms. The death toll from heavy rains that have caused flooding in Brazil's southern state of Rio Grande do Sul has risen to at least 78, with more than 115,000 people displaced. Panama's former security minister Jose Raul Mulino stormed to victory in a presidential poll dominated by his old boss, the popular ex-leader Ricardo Martinelli, who buttressed his campaign despite being holed up in Nicaragua's embassy. Manipulated videos are taking center stage as campaigning heats up in India's election, with fake clips involving two top aides of Prime Minister Narendra Modi triggering police investigations and the arrest of some workers of his rival Congress party. Business & Markets Asian stocks rose to their highest in over a year on renewed bets that the Federal Reserve will most likely ease rates this year, while the yen weakened after a strong surge last week from Tokyo's suspected currency intervention. Euro zone business activity expanded at its fastest pace in almost a year last month as a resurgence in the bloc's dominant services industry more than offset a deeper downturn in manufacturing, a survey showed. The disruption to container shipping traffic in the Red Sea is increasing and is expected to reduce the industry's capacity between the Far East and Europe by some 15%-20% in the second quarter, shipping group Maersk said. Global petrol demand growth could halve in 2024, squeezing second-half refinery margins, analysts said, driven by a shift to electric cars in China and the United States and a return to normal consumption after last year's bounce following COVID-19. High Chinese tariffs on EU brandy would leave French companies with vast amounts of cognac that could be hard to sell elsewhere, according to Reuters' calculations, analysts, and investors who fear firms could be forced to discount. Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing A police officer handles money seized during an operation against Ndrangheta in this file photo taken in an unknown location in Italy. Polizia di Stato/Handout via REUTERS Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers. Just 17 people were killed by the mob in Italy in 2022, according to the latest official data, versus more than 700 in 1991. Instead, mobsters have moved aggressively into the low-risk, low-key world of white-collar crime. And Finally... Windows95man representing Finland poses before the opening ceremony for the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden. TT News Agency/Jessica Gow via REUTERS  Eurovision 2024 began in the Swedish city of Malmo when 37 contenders walked the 'Turquoise Carpet' amid heightened security and calls for boycotts due to Israel's participation. It's the 68th version of the song contest, which is always billed as non-political.  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