Wednesday Morning Briefing
Good morning. From China pressing Europe for an anti-U.S. alliance to scorching weather in the United States for Fourth of July celebrations, catch up on the latest headlines.
A student shows a photo of her classmate Prachak Sutham, 13, who is a member of an under-16 soccer team that went missing with their coach at a flooded cave, in Mae Sai Prasitsart school in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand, July 2, 2018. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun
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TRADE
China is putting pressure on the European Union to issue a strong joint statement against Trump’s trade policies at a summit later this month but is facing resistance, European officials said.
China’s threatened tariffs on $34 billion of U.S. goods will take effect from the beginning of the day on July 6, a person with knowledge of the plan told Reuters, amid worsening trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
UNITED STATES
From the moment Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court last week, speculation has centered on whether his replacement would vote to overturn a woman’s right to abortion. But the top contenders for his seat have a sparse record on the subject, making it hard to predict how they might rule in abortion-related cases.
Fireworks, music and the pursuit of hot dogs will mark the 242nd year of independence for the United States on what is expected to be a steamy Wednesday in much of the country.
WORLD
Rescue teams in northern Thailand were giving crash courses in swimming and diving on Wednesday as part of complex preparations to extract a young soccer squad trapped in a cave, and hoping for a swift end to their harrowing 11-day ordeal.
With similar accents and culture, there is little that annoys your average Uruguayan more than being mistaken for an Argentine next door. No one, however, is confusing them at the World Cup.
Malaysia’s former prime minister, Najib Razak, pleaded not guilty to abuse of power and other charges arising from an investigation into a scandal-plagued state fund, weeks after he was ousted in a stunning election defeat.
Hong Kong’s top court ruled that a British lesbian should be granted a spousal visa in a landmark judgment that could open the door for expatriate same-sex partners to move to the Chinese-ruled city.
COMMENTARY
Moscow is skillfully exploiting Western leaders’ divisions and disagreements on issues ranging from the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear accord, to the Nord Stream-2 gas project and U.S. tariff plans, writes Ukrainian economist and former parliamentarian Igor Kryvetskyi.
Once in power, Andrés Manuel López Obrador will be the most legitimate president in Mexican history. The question now becomes: What does AMLO, as he is widely known, do with his mandate? And how will he shape Mexico’s relationship with the United States?
REUTERS TV
In a World Cup brimming with upsets, Nike looks on track to defeat archrival Adidas in the closely watched jersey sponsorship battle. Jane Lanhee Lee reports