Defiant Biden faces more calls to quit

Plus, how war has changed Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters  Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Kate Turton President Biden is pushing ahead with his re-election bid amid gaffes, Shell's bet on gas takes shape and how war changed Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Plus, surreal images of known black holes in galaxies near and far. Today's Top News   Biden holds a press conference during NATO's 75th anniversary summit, in Washington. July 11, 2024. REUTERS/Nathan Howard President Joe Biden faced more calls from fellow Democrats to abandon his re-election bid, following a news conference in which he delivered nuanced responses but occasionally stumbled over his words. White House Correspondent Jeff Mason joins the Reuters World News podcast to weigh in on his performance. Ukraine's top prosecutor has called for the International Criminal Court to prosecute Russia over a missile strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv earlier this week. The wedding of a scion from India's ultra-wealthy Ambani family - much in the news for its opulent celebrations and VIP-studded guest list - has suddenly developed more political overtones with posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi now lining the road to the venue. Luxury cars, private helicopters, mounds of cash. The lavish lifestyles of Kenya's lawmakers, splashed across TikTok and X, added fuel to anger simmering last month among a young, plugged-in population over proposed tax hikes. At least 62 passengers were missing after landslides swept two buses into a swollen and murky river in Nepal. Authorities mobilized scores of military and police personnel to search for the missing persons in the Trishuli River. War in Gaza Israel rained bombs on Gaza City during a week that residents described as comparable to the fiercest battle of the war, while a Palestinian Islamic Jihad official said a new round of peace talks ended with no agreements yet. US President Biden said the Israel-Gaza war must end now and Israel must not occupy the enclave after the war, telling reporters his ceasefire framework had been agreed on by both Israel and Hamas but there were still gaps to close. Business & Markets   Investors are looking at UK markets as a potential haven as political uncertainty rises in the US and elsewhere in Europe, in what could mark a stunning turnaround for a country that appeared to have lost its traditional appeal to global capital. Britain's new government has inherited an economy that is gathering momentum but the recent, stronger-than-expected growth figures do not mean Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his team have found a way out of their bind on public spending. Shell has replaced liquefied natural gas volume it lost after exiting Russia in 2022 with a string of deals that underpin CEO Wael Sawan's bet on growing demand for the fuel as he reduces the focus on renewable energy. Chinese e-commerce vendors are struggling for survival as sales growth slows, price pressure rises and shopping platforms compete with ever-more aggressive policies to attract increasingly cost-conscious customers. Elon Musk's social media company X breached EU online content rules, EU tech regulators ruled in a finding that could lead to a fine and significant changes in how it operates. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain met with the union's executive board to discuss his deep concerns with President Joe Biden's ability to defeat Donald Trump in the November election, three sources familiar with the matter said. The Week Ahead The coming week includes mounting expectations of a September Fed rate cut, Q2 earnings, and an ECB meeting. All eyes will be on Britain's king as he unveils the legislative programme of the new Labour Government. Here is your look at what matters for markets in the coming week. It's a big sports weekend, with two Wimbledon finals, Spain meeting England in the Euro finals, and the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia. Being Volodymyr Zelenskiy: How war has changed Ukraine's leader   Sources say Zelenskiy has become tougher and less tolerant. May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo Intense. Impatient. Sleep-deprived. Step into the relentless world of Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraine's wartime president. The 46-year-old said his ambition when he was elected in 2019 had been to help Ukraine become a modern democracy, before that mission was shattered by Russia's invasion in 2022. The war-hardened Zelenskiy who's exhorted Western leaders to action at the NATO summit in Washington in recent days is a world away from the political novice who became president, let alone the TV comedian who was a showbiz heavyweight for years before. Read more And Finally... An artist's conception of galaxy M87. via S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF) View known supermassive black holes throughout our galaxy and beyond. See the stunning images 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