Tuesday 15 May 2018

Tuesday Morning Briefing: Palestinians in Gaza bury their dead after bloody protests

Highlights

Palestinians rallied in Gaza for the funerals of scores of people killed by Israeli troops a day earlier, while on the Gaza-Israel border, Israeli forces took up positions to deal with the expected final day of a Palestinian protest campaign.

Voters head to the polls in crucial party primaries in Pennsylvania, a state that has become central to Democrats’ hopes of retaking control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Trump defended his decision to revisit penalties for Chinese company ZTE for flouting U.S. sanctions on trade with Iran, saying the telecom maker is a big buyer for U.S. suppliers.

 

A Gaza photographer in 'a place of death' https://reut.rs/2rJtm9H

5:06 PM - MAY 14, 2018

World

Shutting down North Korea’s nuclear test site is trickier than it might seem. Pyongyang has publicly invited international media to witness the destruction, but not technical inspectors, leaving disarmament experts and nuclear scientists wondering how effective the plan is – and whether it will be safe.

Exclusive: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission found evidence in late 2015 that 42 million ringgit ($10.6 million) was transferred from a former subsidiary of state fund 1MDB into an account of then Prime Minister Najib Razak, but its recommendation for further investigation was rejected by the attorney general, a member of a panel that reviewed the commission’s case files told Reuters.

Iran’s foreign minister said he had a constructive meeting with EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini, and he was optimistic Iran’s interests in the nuclear deal could still be preserved despite the U.S. withdrawal from the pact.

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Commentary: China has become notably more repressive since the rise of President Xi Jinping. No group has felt this more than the country’s Muslim-majority Uighurs, who live in the northwest Xinjiang province. Within Xinjiang, Beijing has created what experts say appears the most comprehensive system of high-tech state surveillance anywhere on the planet. The scope of Beijing’s actions in Xinjiang sends a powerful signal to all China’s citizens – both Uighur and otherwise – of the strength of the state and the costs of straying out of line, writes Peter Apps.

 

Two @Reuters journalists have been detained in Myanmar for 155 days. See full coverage: https://reut.rs/2KT2rkP

4:51 AM - MAY 15, 2018

Business

Comcast's all-cash bid could pit Murdoch against Fox shareholders

Twenty-First Century Fox Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch is used to getting his way at the company he built into a media empire. But a challenge to a $52 billion deal he put together six months ago could test his sway with shareholders.

6 Min Read

Seattle passes scaled-back tax on Amazon, big companies

Seattle’s city council approved a new tax for the city’s biggest companies, including Amazon.com, to combat a housing crisis attributed in part to a local economic boom that has driven up real estate costs at the expense of the working class.

5 min read

Chinese bitcoin mining gear makers set sights on world's largest bitcoin IPOs

Two Chinese bitcoin mining equipment makers are set to test international investor appetite for cryptocurrencies with plans to raise as much as $1 billion each - in what are expected to be the world’s largest bitcoin-focused floats to date.

4 min read

 

Fascinating story Shipping's financiers turning the tide on shipbreaking practices, led by @CouncilonEthics of #Norwaywealthfund https://reut.rs/2wJgYMM @FerdOwner . By @JessopReuters and Jonathan Sau

3:22 AM - MAY 15, 2018

Top Stories on Reuters TV

Soros NGO closing Hungary office amid crackdown

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