Daily Briefing

An American soldier facing disciplinary action fled into North Korea, a global pattern of heat waves has scorched parts of Europe, Asia and the United States this week and after backing out of a grain export deal, Russia launches a "hellish" attack.

Plus, a dramatic fossil shows a pugnacious mammal attacking a dinosaur.

By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

The Grand Unification Bridge which leads to the truce village Panmunjom, just south of the demilitarized zone, in Paju, July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

The US military was scrambling to establish the fate of an American soldier who made an unauthorized crossing of the inter-Korean border into North Korea, throwing Washington into a new crisis in its dealing with the nuclear-armed state. What happened to other US citizens who entered North Korea?
How could he have crossed the heavily militarized area? Reuters World News podcast host Kim Vinnell and White House reporter Trevor Hunnicut talk what it's like on the ground at the DMZ and the obstacles he would have faced - listen now on today's episode.
Russia launched a massive air attack on the Ukrainian port of Odesa for a second night in row, which one Ukrainian official described as "hellish", but authorities vowed not be intimidated and to continue work to export grains. A US general says the Ukraine counter-offensive is far from a failure.
Former US President Donald Trump said he had received a letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith stating that he is a target of a grand jury investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result.
Thailand's Constitutional Court ordered a temporary suspension of prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat from parliament after accepting a case against him alleging he was unqualified to run in a May 14 election.

GLOBAL HEAT

The US is experiencing a range of unusual weather, from a tropical storm in Hawaii to record-breaking heat across its Sun Belt states and poor air quality in many areas as smoke from Canadian wildfires wafts across the border.
Tourists flocked to a giant thermometer in China showing surface temperatures of 80C (176 Fahrenheit) while the death toll from torrential rains in South Korea hit 44, the latest extreme weather sparking havoc and curiosity around the world.
Two wildfires swept uncontrolled through forestland and towns northwest of Athens for a second day, forcing more residents to flee their homes as authorities fought to stop the flames reaching an area with oil refineries. These are the health risks of extreme heat.

Business & Markets

Shoppers walk past luxury stores at Tsim Sha Tsui district in Hong Kong, China, February 15, 2023. REUTERS/Lam Yik/File Photo

The luxury goods industry has relied heavily on China and North America for growth in recent years, but the latest Chinese economic figures and a disappointing sales update from Cartier-owner Richemont suggest both markets may be starting to slow.
Tesla has requested approval from German local authorities to make sweeping changes to its factory near Berlin, a key next step in its ambitious plan to expand the site into Europe's biggest car plant. Sign up to the Auto File newsletter for a look at the fast-paced world of automotive technology.
Johnson & Johnson must pay $18.8 million to a California man who said he developed cancer from exposure to its baby powder, a jury decided, a setback for the company as it seeks to settle thousands of similar cases over its talc-based products in US bankruptcy court.
Pilots are turning down the opportunity to be promoted, and analysts and union officials said a resulting shortage of captains - who function as head pilots - could cut the number of flights available to travelers by next summer. Junior pilots risk being subjected to unpredictable flying schedules, more on-call duty and assignments on short notice.
British inflation fell by more than expected in June and was its slowest in more than a year at 7.9%, according to official data that will ease some of the pressure on the Bank of England to keep on raising interest rates sharply.
Join us for a Reuters Newsmaker featuring Pete Stavros, Co-Head of Global Private Equity at KKR, on Tuesday, July 25, at 10.00am EDT (1400 GMT). Stavros will join Reuters Corporate Finance and ESG editor Greg Roumeliotis, who will lead a discussion about private equity dealmaking at a time of high interest rates and economic uncertainty.

From pixels to pails, crowdfunded wells quench thirst in Senegal's drylands

Workers and villagers gather around a well, being built with the help of crowdfunding, in Ourou Amady Bagga, Podor region, Senegal July 8, 2023.REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

In the arid expanse of northern Senegal, women traverse kilometers daily carrying heavy buckets of murky water from distant wells and rivers. Water scarcity is so acute at this time of year that many communities face a dire choice: water your farms or quench you thirst.

This dilemma drove builder and fundraiser Mamadou Diakhate to intervene. He turned to the internet, setting up crowdfunding campaigns where people can donate money to construct wells in communities lacking water.

Read more: Solving the problem of water scarcity in a region pockmarked with wells in various states of disrepair

And Finally...

Fossilized skeletons dating to about 125 million years ago. Gang Han/Handout via REUTERS NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

While there is little doubt that many a Mesozoic mammal became a meal for a dinosaur, it may come as a surprise to learn that some mammals also dined on dinos.

A dramatic fossil unearthed in northeastern China shows a pugnacious badger-like mammal in the act of attacking a plant-eating dinosaur, mounting its prey and sinking its teeth into its victim's ribs about 125 million years ago, scientists said.

Read more: Dramatic fossil shows pugnacious mammal attacking a dinosaur

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