Putin and Kim send rivals a warning

Plus, danger lurks behind 'every bush' for brigade in Ukrainian counteroffensive.

View in Browser Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing Kim invites Putin to North Korea, Beijing blasts a "protectionist" probe by the European Commission, and survivors of a flood in Libya pick through ruins in search of their loved ones.   Plus, cough syrup killed scores of children in India. We look at why no one has been held to account.   By Edson Caldas Today's Top News Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin attend a meeting at the Vostochny Cosmodrome. KCNA via REUTERS 'COMRADES' Kim Jong Un invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit North Korea, stoking US concerns that a revived Moscow-Pyongyang axis could bolster Russia's military in Ukraine and provide Kim sensitive missile technology. Their deepening relationship is aimed at sending their rivals a warning, analysts said. Meanwhile, for soldiers in Ukraine's "Spartan" brigade, danger could lurk behind every bush and in every field as they fight in Kyiv's counteroffensive against Russian forces. Progress through vast minefields and heavily fortified defenses has been slower than many Ukrainians had hoped since the counteroffensive began. US NEWS US President Joe Biden will address the impact of federal budget cuts and a looming government shutdown on the American people, in what aides described as a major economic speech, with less than three weeks before funding for the government runs out. Chief executives from a wide array of US companies will meet White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients to discuss refugee resettlement and sponsorship programs. The CEOs will include Alphabet's Sundar Pichai, Walmart's Doug McMillon, Pfizer's Albert Bourla, HP's Enrique Lores and others. IN OTHER NEWS Survivors of a flood that swept away the center of a Libyan city are picking through the ruins in search of loved ones, while authorities feared an outbreak of disease from rotting bodies. Thousands of people are confirmed dead and thousands more missing, with the mayor saying the toll could reach 20,000. Hundreds in India are being tested for the rare and deadly Nipah virus, which has killed two people. Two adults and a child are still infected in hospital. How worried should you be? Special Correspondent Rupam Nair explains – listen here. New Zealanders head to the polls next month in an election that looks likely to bring back the kind of coalition government the country has known in recent decades. Here are the key parties and potential combinations that may emerge from the Oct. 14 general election. Business & Markets Chip designer Arm secured a $54.5 billion valuation in its US initial public offering, seven years after its owner SoftBank took the company private for $32 billion. Anything but flawless financial results will prompt a post-IPO tumble, writes Breakingviews' Karen Kwok. Beijing blasted the launch of a probe by the European Commission into China's electric car subsidies as protectionist and warned it would damage relations. Ursula von der Leyen announced the investigation saying markets were flooded with EVs that had artificially low prices because of state subsidies. As cash-strapped developer Country Garden battles to stave off default, its sprawling $100 billion development in Malaysia has come under scrutiny from creditors even as the Southeast Asian nation dangles financial incentives to lure investments. The European Central Bank is set to decide whether to raise its key interest rate to a record peak in what should be its final step in the fight against inflation, or take a break as the economy deteriorates. The ECB will announce its rate decision at 1215 GMT. Farmers in Europe are turning to techniques ancient and modern to safeguard production of regional favorites including olive oil and Prosecco as climate change forces them to adapt. Sign up for the Sustainable Switch newsletter for more on how companies and governments are grappling with climate change. Death by the dose Veena Kumari, whose son Anirudh died at age 2 after consuming contaminated cough syrup, shows photos of him at their house near Ramnagar. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Toxic cough syrup made and sold in India may have been the start of a recent global wave of contamination. Some of the drugmakers could not prove they even tested their products. Bereaved parents are still waiting for justice. Read our special report here. And Finally... Agronomist Rubens Braz poses with his Giant Indian Urubu rooster named Galalau. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo When farmer Rubens Braz started breeding Brazilian chickens, he had no idea how big the operation - or the birds - would get. Some twenty years later, he now raises giant roosters for small-scale farming and hobby purposes in central Brazil and is making a living from surging sales across the country. Read more here: Brazilian farmer's giant rooster hobby hatches into profitable business Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. 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 © 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036