Life on Ukraine’s front line

Plus, South Africa goes to the polls.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing The US says latest Rafah deaths won't change its Israel policy, South Africans vote in the most competitive election since apartheid ended, and Putin's warning to the West.   Plus, a Reuters Special Report on conditions along Ukraine's front line.   By Kate Turton Today's Top News Smoke rises above southern Gaza. May 28, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Suen The Biden administration said that the recent deaths in Rafah didn't constitute a major ground operation there that crosses any US red lines. James MacKenzie talks to the Reuters World News podcast about how Israel's tactics in Rafah appear different to earlier in the conflict. South Africans began voting in the most pivotal election since the racist system of apartheid ended in 1994. Follow our live coverage here.  Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to let Ukraine use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, which he said could trigger a global conflict. Latin America's human rights court holds a final hearing in Brazil in a case that's part of a global wave of climate litigation, as several international courts prepare first-time opinions on what countries must do to combat climate change. North Korea's rare swipe at China this week underscored how Beijing and Pyongyang do not entirely see eye-to-eye on the latter's illicit nuclear weapons arsenal, despite warming ties in other areas, analysts and officials in South Korea said. South Korea accused North Korea of sending a large number of balloons across the heavily fortified border between the countries to drop objects that included trash and excrement. Korea Bureau Chief Josh Smith tells the Reuters World News daily podcast about the alleged dirty tactics - listen now. US NEWS Jurors are likely to begin deliberations in Donald Trump's hush money trial, sorting through weeks of evidence and testimony behind closed doors as they determine whether he will become the first US president convicted of a crime. As the world anticipates a verdict, President Joe Biden's campaign does not plan to change course, even for a guilty verdict. Business & Markets People cross an intersection near cranes standing at a construction site in Beijing, China January 15, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo China's economy is set to grow 5% this year, after a "strong" first quarter, the International Monetary Fund said, upgrading its earlier forecast of 4.6% expansion though it expects slower growth in the years ahead. China's Geely said it would launch a series of hybrid models in the first half of next year equipped with its next-generation, more fuel-efficient engine. Meanwhile, China is gearing up to make a deal with Europe as EV tariffs loom. A Samsung union in South Korea will begin escalating strike action next week by staging the first ever walkout over demands for higher wages, union officials said. In the first detailed account of last year's dramatic CEO ouster, former OpenAI board member Helen Toner reveals the board only learned of the existence of ChatGPT when they saw it on Twitter. Anglo American rejected BHP's last-ditch request for more time to discuss a $49 billion takeover offer, dismissing it as highly complex and likely ending a five-week pursuit by the bigger rival. The growing shadow fleet of tankers transporting sanctioned oil is filling up with the cheapest fuel available, hindering industry efforts to use cleaner fuel to cut shipping emissions, according to shipping data and sources. Sign up for the Reuters Power Up newsletter for everything you need to know about the global energy industry. Life on Ukraine's front line: 'Worse than hell' Viktor, an infantryman in Ukraine's 58th Motorized Brigade, stands in a trench. When the fighting is dire he will pray to every god he knows. REUTERS/Thomas Peter Ukraine's soldiers talk of exhaustion, a perilous shortage of munitions and personal loss as Russian forces take new ground. Reuters traveled along the front line, where Ukrainian troops say Vladimir Putin must be beaten back. Otherwise, said one, "he's not going to stop over here." Read our special report. And Finally... An iceberg breaks up after drifting south on the Labrador Sea from Greenland in Saint Lunaire-Griquet, Newfoundland, Canada, May 27. REUTERS/Greg Locke The first icebergs of the season pass through 'Iceberg Alley' off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. See our photo gallery. 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. Listen to the Reuters World News podcast. Reuters Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement © 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036