Hello, Today's newsletter continues its focus on the protests in California as U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of Marines, who will join National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers on raids or protesters who confront federal agents. Trump ordered the deployments over the objections of California Governor Gavin Newsom, sparking a national debate about the use of the military on U.S. soil and stirring up protests that have spread from Los Angeles to other major cities, including New York, Atlanta and Chicago. The president says he sent in the National Guard and Marines to "liberate" Los Angeles from the violence of protesters, but some residents and business owners of Little Tokyo, a neighborhood hit hardest by the unrest, say "no thanks" Mr President. It's not just LA business owners who are concerned with the latest developments in Los Angeles as Trump's immigration crackdown is also casting a shadow over next year's FIFA World Cup. Also on my radar today: |
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A law enforcement officer shoots non-lethal weapon at a protestor during a protest against federal immigration sweeps, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. REUTERS/David Swanson |
'It's bad for business, and it's bad for this neighborhood' |
Little Tokyo, a charming neighborhood with shops selling Japanese goods and restaurants serving up some of the city's finest sushi, abuts the federal buildings where protesters have gathered for five nights in a row. The neighborhood has seen police use booming flash-bangs and firing other "less lethal" munitions at protesters. Several of those interviewed in Little Tokyo asked not to be named, saying they feared reprisals from the federal government. Many were immigrants themselves or had family members who were not born in the U.S., and feared making themselves or their loved ones targets of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). One of those was Anthony, who works at a tea shop in the neighborhood. "There is no question that the president sending in thousands of National Guard and 700 Marines has done nothing but make the protesters more aggressive," he said. "It's instigating the protesters and making things worse." Samantha Lopez, a descendant of Filipino immigrants who works at a Korean ice cream parlor in Little Tokyo, said she felt empathy for the demonstrators but rejected any acts of vandalism or violence they carry out. Still, she blamed the use of military personnel for creating the unrest. "It's just poor handling of protests that stay peaceful until they're confronted by officers," Lopez said. "It's bad for business, and it's bad for this neighborhood." |
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An uneasy World Cup countdown |
Meanwhile, advocacy groups are raising concerns over the safety and wellbeing of football fans who are set to travel to next year's World Cup, which will be hosted by the U.S. and Mexico, due to the Trump administration's immigration policies. Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch, said FIFA needed to work with the U.S. government to ensure that the rights of competitors, support staff, fans and media were protected regardless of their identities or views. "FIFA should publicly acknowledge the threat U.S. immigration and other anti-human rights policies pose to the tournament's integrity... (and) should establish clear benchmarks and timelines for the U.S. policy changes needed to ensure respect for immigrants' rights during the 2026 World Cup and beyond," she said. The Sport & Rights Alliance, a global coalition of non-governmental organizations that promotes human rights in sports, said that it had identified "areas where government policies in the 2026 host countries, particularly the United States under President Trump, pose significant and immediate risks to the human rights of immigrants." FIFA President Gianni Infantino said last month after meeting Trump that he was confident the world would be welcomed in for the 2026 World Cup and this year's Club World Cup, which runs from June 14 to July 13. But the task of reassuring international fans was complicated by a travel ban that went into effect on Monday, cracking down on what Trump called "foreign terrorists". |
A man stumbles as he tries to cross a flooded road following severe weather with heavy rain from a cold front in Masiphumelele, Cape Town, South Africa. REUTERS/Nic Bothma |
- South Africa fatal floods: The death toll from floods in South Africa's Eastern Cape province has risen to 49, the head of the province said. Parts of South Africa have been lashed by heavy rain and snow since the weekend, in a severe winter cold front that has disrupted transport and power networks. South Africa regularly receives snowfall during its winter months from June through August, with temperatures diving below zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Gaza aid: Israeli gunfire killed at least 17 Palestinians and wounded dozens as thousands of displaced people approached an aid distribution site run by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in central Gaza this week, local health authorities said. While the GHF said there have been no incidents at its distribution sites, Palestinians seeking aid have described disorder, and access routes to the sites have been beset by chaos and deadly violence.
- Northern Ireland riots: Masked youths in Northern Ireland set fire to a leisure center housing migrant families during a third night of anti-immigrant violence. The unrest began after two 14-year-old boys appeared in court, accused of serious sexual assault, who's charges were read through a Romanian interpreter. Despite their denial of the allegations, tensions erupted, with hundreds rioting, attacking police, and torching cars and homes. Authorities are treating the attacks and property damage as racially motivated hate crimes. Click here for the full Reuters report.
- Portugal's neo-Nazi attack: A group of neo-Nazis attacked several actors outside a theater in Portugal's capital Lisbon this week, forcing it to cancel a show about a national poet Luis de Camoes to mark Portugal Day. The European Union has said hate speech is on the rise in Portugal, and the far-right is gaining support after anti-immigration party Chega became the main opposition in parliament in last month's election.
- Japan labor and gender: Japan is set to reform welfare rules that discourage married women from working longer hours as it faces a major labor shortage. New legislation would require about 900,000 part-time women to pay into pension and health schemes, scaling back outdated exemptions. While aimed at easing the worker crunch, the changes stop short of fully scrapping a system rooted in traditional gender roles, with officials saying broader reforms need further debate and study. Click here for the full Reuters analysis.
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A Brazilian cowboys walks near a cattle pen during an auction in the city of Xinguara in the interior of Para state, Brazil. REUTERS/Raimundo Pacco |
We turn to something a little more light-hearted and hopeful as a palate cleanser in today's newsletter with a focus on Roque Quagliato, otherwise known as the "King of Cattle" in Brazil. The Quagliato family's immense farms were accused of submitting workers to slavery-like conditions in the 1990s and deforesting huge tracts of the rainforest in the early 2000s. But as Brazil's beef industry evolves under pressure from some of the world's largest export markets, Quagliato, at 85, is now in evidence for something else: he is the face of the push to fix cattle ranching – through tagging the animals with chips – in the Amazon, one of the world's biggest drivers of deforestation. Environmentalists have long argued that improvements in cattle traceability would give law enforcement a powerful tool to choke off ranching in illegally deforested farms from the global supply chains relying on Brazil to feed growing global appetite for beef. Are you interested in stories like this? Then click here to sign up to Reuters Beacon, a new limited-run weekly newsletter focusing on innovative ideas and solutions-based journalism from Reuters' global coverage. |
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U.S. and China trade deal: "WE ARE GETTING A TOTAL OF 55% TARIFFS, CHINA IS GETTING 10%. RELATIONSHIP IS EXCELLENT!" U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday without elaborating. Trump said the U.S. deal with China is done, with Beijing to supply magnets and rare earth minerals while the U.S. will allow Chinese students in its colleges and universities. Click here to keep up with all the latest tariff developments. |
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