Membership talks launched, aid deals rocky.

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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Judith Langowski, Newsletter Editor

Welcome to the last edition of the Weekend Briefing in 2023. I’m covering for Robert and bringing you the news a bit earlier this Saturday morning. Make sure to check out the Year in Review on Reuters.com and we hope you read us again in the new year! 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets with President of the European Council Charles Michel in November in Kyiv. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters

“A victory for Ukraine and Europe” 

  • And a boost for Zelenskiy: The EU launched formal membership talks with Ukraine on Thursday, bypassing objections by Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. He called the move a “bad decision” and vetoed a $55 billion aid package. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed it “a victory,” but it’s the beginning of a long process.
  • Bids for wartime support: Zelenskiy started his week in the U.S., making a case for more aid. The Senate is expected to vote on Monday on military aid for Ukraine and Israel. Nearing the end of a long year of living with war, Kyiv was hit by Russian air strikes twice this week. Ukraine’s hopes lie with the new F-16 fighter jets. And hear what it’s like to sit through Vladimir Putin’s annual news conference – a four-hour marathon.

Intense fighting and bombardment in Gaza

  • Three hostages killed: They were wrongly identified as a threat during combat and mistakenly killed, Israel said on Friday. Israel believes about 20 of more than 130 hostages held in Gaza are dead. U.S. officials pushed Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu for a shift in tactics with more precise targeting and less widespread bombing. Netanyahu vowed to fight Hamas “until absolute victory.” And Yemen’s Houthis, aligned with Iran, are playing an escalating role in the conflict, attacking Red Sea shipping.
  • Warning of mass starvation: Gazan families beg for bread as U.N. agencies warn of severe shortages of clean water, food and medicines. The World Health Organization welcomed as “good news” that Israel opened the Kerem Shalom border crossing for aid shipments.

Waiting in the wings

  • Close rematch: A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that the looming rematch between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump would be closely fought. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives formalized the ongoing impeachment inquiry into Biden – an effort which will almost certainly fail.
  • Trump claims immunity: The federal 2020 election case accusing Trump of attempting to illegally overturn results has been paused. Trump argues in his appeal that he cannot be prosecuted for official actions while president. It’s his best bet to push a trial until after the November 2024 election. Here are four reasons why he could win again.

1.5 Celsius likely out of reach

  • A small step to end oil: Two weeks of tough COP28 negotiations ended in Dubai with a deal to begin reducing global consumption of fossil fuels. More than 100 countries lobbying for the stronger language to “phase out” oil came up against powerful OPEC opposition. 
  • But not enough: Scientists said that, while the pact was unprecedented, it wasn’t enough for the summit’s guiding principle to be realized – to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter will review this year in climate news on Tuesday, and help you keep up with sustainability in 2024. Sign up here.

Before I forget…

 

Rudy Giuliani must pay more than $148 million in damages to two former election workers, a jury decided. 

 

The largest exodus of Mexican families crossing the border into the U.S. is fueled by rising cartel violence, instead of economic reasons, previously unreported survey data shows. 

 

In Part 6 of the Reuters series “Slavery’s Descendants”, my colleagues investigate how ancestors of three members of Congress regained – and passed forward – wealth and power, often by subjugating Black Americans. Read it here. 

 

The Fed is on its own announcing likely rate cuts in the U.S., while central banks on the other side of the Atlantic plan to keep a tight rate policy. 

 

Britain's Prince Harry was awarded around $180,700 after London's High Court ruled he had been a victim of "modest" phone-hacking and other unlawful information gathering by journalists at Mirror Group Newspapers. 

 

Vapes under fire: The WHO’s new vape recommendations urge governments to apply similar controls as for other tobacco products, thwarting Big Tobacco’s transition to nicotine alternatives. 

 

Holiday boost for Cadbury & Co: Less money for gifts this year means UK shoppers opt for chocolate instead of toys, according to analysts and consumer companies. 

 

This is it for the year from the Weekend Briefing! If you want more reading to go with chocolates and presents, please consider signing up for One Essential Read, where we share a standout story from the best Reuters has to offer. Think of it as our gift for the holidays. 

 

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