Trump heads to China in need of wins

Reuters Daily Briefing <dailybriefing@thomsonreuters.com>
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2026-05-12 12:58

Daily Briefing

By Kate Turton

Hello. Trump heads to China in need of wins, the UK's Starmer defies calls to quit, and the evolving drone war in southern Lebanon clouds Iran peace prospects.

Plus, Eurovision style from the turquoise carpet.

Today's Top News

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

As US President Donald Trump heads to China in need of wins, modest expectations for meetings with Xi Jinping underscore how Trump's bombastic approach has failed to deliver an advantage ahead of the talks.
With the US-Iran ceasefire on the brink of collapse, Washington hit Tehran with fresh sanctions targeting companies accused of helping ship oil to China. Foreign Policy Editor Don Durfee tells the Reuters World News podcast the timing is no coincidence.
The FBI has begun interviewing current and former CIA employees as part of the Department of Justice’s investigation into ex-CIA director John Brennan over his role in an intelligence finding that Russia interfered in the 2016 US election to help Trump.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign, telling ministers he would "get on with governing" despite a "destabilising" 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after a local election drubbing. Follow live.
Two out of three Americans think Trump has not clearly explained why the country went ‌to war with Iran, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that also showed his approval rating ticking up from the lowest level of his term.
A Dutch hospital quarantined 12 staff members in a preventive measure after blood and urine from a hantavirus patient were handled without observing strict protocols. The hospital staff members will be quarantined for six weeks.
African leaders used the second day of a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron to push for easier access to credit that could help fund major investments and boost economic growth.

Business & Markets

A policewoman controls the traffic in Pyongyang in 2017. An influx of vehicles into North Korea over the past couple of years has transformed the capital. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj

From famine to nuclear war, North Koreans have had plenty to worry about over the years. Now, the upwardly mobile residents of Pyongyang face a more prosaic concern: Finding a parking spot.
India has declined Russia’s offer to sell it liquefied natural gas subject to US sanctions despite a shortfall driven by Middle East tensions, ‌leaving a tanker bound for India in limbo as talks continue on permitted cargoes.
The Trump administration said it will loan energy companies 53.3 million barrels ‌of crude from the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of a global agreement to calm oil markets that have spiked on the US-Israeli war with Iran.
EBay rejected an ambitious $56 billion takeover bid from the much smaller GameStop on doubts over the financing of the deal, ‌while underscoring the turnaround efforts that have boosted its growth.
Shares of Hims & Hers Health fell 15% premarket after the telehealth company missed Wall Street estimates for first-quarter revenue and posted a surprise loss, hurt by changes in ‌its weight-loss offerings.
In the developed world, many people are both better off and unsatisfied. On this episode of The Big View podcast, Peter Thal Larsen talks to Ryan Avent, author of ‘In Good Faith’, about the eroding beliefs underpinning growth, and whether AI will force us to confront what progress means.

Evolving drone war in southern Lebanon clouds Iran peace prospects

A screengrab taken from a video released by Hezbollah in Taybeh, Lebanon, with the date of the video given as April 26, 2026. HEZBOLLAH MILITARY MEDIA/Handout via REUTERS

While Washington and Tehran argue over a deal to end the attacks on shipping that are shaking the world economy, Iran's most powerful ally Hezbollah and Israel are stepping up a drone war in Lebanon.

In recent weeks, Hezbollah has used cheap, easy-to-assemble First Person View kamikaze drones to transform the war it has been fighting since it began firing on Israel on March 2, days after the US-Israeli forces began their attacks on Iran.

Read more

And Finally...

FELICIA, representing Sweden. REUTERS/Lisa Leutner

This week's Eurovision Song Contest kicked off with hopefuls walking the turquoise carpet ahead of opening night in Vienna, Austria.

View gallery

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