| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Wednesday, May 18, 2022 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. Finland and Sweden apply to join NATO, two Trump-backed candidates win U.S. election primaries, and UK inflation hits a 40-year high | | | | | Today's biggest stories  Drone footage shows people being carried on stretchers from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine, in this undated social media video screengrab, released May 17, 2022 RUSSIA AND UKRAINE AT WAR Nearly 700 more Ukrainian fighters surrendered at the Mariupol steelworks in the past 24 hours, Russia said, but leaders were reported to still be holed up inside, delaying the final end of Europe's longest and bloodiest battle for decades.
Finland and Sweden meanwhile formally applied to join NATO, bringing about the very expansion that Russian President Vladimir Putin has long cited as one of his main reasons for launching the "special military operation" in February
Even as the Kremlin prepares to take full control of the ruins of Mariupol city, it faces the growing prospect of defeat in its bid to conquer all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas because its badly mauled forces lack the manpower for significant advances.
Peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have stagnated, officials said, with both sides trading blame and Moscow indicating a return to talks may be difficult.
The U.S. State Department announced the launch of a new program to capture and analyze evidence of war crimes and other atrocities allegedly perpetrated by Russia in Ukraine, as Washington seeks to ensure Moscow is held accountable for its actions.
Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now
|  Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ted Budd reacts at his primary election watch party in Bermuda Run, North Carolina, May 17, 2022
U.S.
Republican candidates endorsed by Donald Trump won their party's nominations for governor in Pennsylvania and for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina in the biggest test yet of the former president's influence in his party ahead of November's midterm elections.
But Madison Cawthorn, a Trump-backed Republican congressman in North Carolina, lost his bid for a second term after a dizzying string of self-inflicted scandals, while Trump's pick for Idaho governor, Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin, failed in her bid to oust the incumbent Republican, Brad Little.
In Pennsylvania's marquee Senate race, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman won the Democratic nomination despite having been hospitalized since Friday after suffering a stroke.
Here are three takeaways from yesterday's primaries.
President Joe Biden condemned white supremacists, the media, the internet and politics for spreading racist conspiracy theories as he mourned the killing of 10 Black people in Buffalo, New York. "What happened here is simple and straightforward: Terrorism, terrorism, domestic terrorism," he said.
The U.S. Justice Department sued Steve Wynn, the former CEO of Wynn Resorts, to compel him to register as an agent of China and accused him of lobbying Trump at Beijing's behest in 2017. Wynn's lawyers denied the allegations, saying he had never acted as an agent of the Chinese government and "had no obligation to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act".
A Michigan judge granted a temporary injunction to block the enforcement of a state abortion ban, which might have taken effect if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade precedent that legalized abortion nationwide.
Should a female elephant have some of the same legal rights as humans? That is the question New York state's top court will consider today, the latest development in a years-long push by an animal rights group to free Happy the Elephant from the Bronx Zoo.
WORLD
Investigators looking into the crash of a China Eastern Airlines jet are examining the actions of the crew on the flight deck, with no evidence found of a technical malfunction, two people briefed on the matter said. In mainland China's deadliest aviation disaster for 28 years, the Boeing 737-800 crashed in the mountains of southern Guangxi on March 21.
Despite battling a wave of suspected COVID infections, North Korea appears to be preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile ahead of Biden's first trip to South Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un slammed his country's response to its first confirmed COVID outbreak as immature, accusing government officials of inadequacies and inertia, state media reported.
Running out of petrol, medicines and foreign reserves, once-booming Sri Lanka is in a mess. And the measures needed to pull its economy out of the unparalleled crisis are likely to bring even more pain.
Australia's national election has become too close to call, polls showed, as the ruling conservative coalition narrowed the gap with the main opposition Labor Party, three days before the country decides on a new government.
The world's oceans in 2021 grew to their warmest and most acidic levels on record, while melting ice sheets helped push sea levels to new heights, the World Meteorological Organization said. Oceans saw the most striking extremes as the WMO detailed a range of turmoil wrought by climate change in its annual 'State of the Global Climate' report.
| BUSINESS A rebound in stocks ran out of steam as concerns about the economic growth outlook and rising inflation knocked sentiment, while a UK inflation reading of 9% underlined just how much higher interest rates might be headed.
Germany's Allianz agreed to pay more than $6 billion and its U.S. asset management unit pleaded guilty to criminal securities fraud over the collapse of a group of investment funds early in the COVID pandemic. The architect of the fraud, Gregoire 'Greg' Tournant, made $60 million as he lied to investors, U.S. authorities said.
Twitter published its account of its deal negotiations with Elon Musk, showing he opted out of asking the questions about the social media company's business he has now cited in declaring the $44 billion acquisition is "on hold".
China is in talks with automakers about extending costly subsidies for electric vehicles that were set to expire in 2022, aiming to keep a key market growing as the broader economy slows, three people familiar with the matter said.
China's Tencent posted a quarterly profit that halved from a year ago and recorded no revenue growth, its worst performance since it went public, and warned that advertisers in consumer, eCommerce and travel businesses have slashed spending.
Justin Chimienti thought the Big Mac he bought at McDonald's and the Bourbon Bacon Cheeseburger he bought at Wendy's would be as big and juicy as advertized. He says they were not, and now he is suing the fast-food chains.
| | | | | | | | | Video of the day  Liberian fishing town gets global surfing acclaim Robertsport is the epicenter of the West African country's increasingly popular surf culture, and is also garnering global attention for its high-quality waves. | | | | And finally… Guitar that broke up Oasis sold at auction  A 1960 Gibson electric guitar used by Oasis star Noel Gallagher before it was smashed up by his brother and band mate Liam has sold at auction for $315,900. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
