EU accuses US of pressuring Ukraine, Duterte faces charges in The Hague, China’s aid role questioned, and Ukraine loses ground.

Good Morning,

EU lawmakers have accused the United States of pressuring Ukrainian President Zelenskyy into a ceasefire, while Zelenskyy anticipates decisive actions from the US should Russia refuse to comply. In other international news, former Philippine President Duterte is being transported to The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity. Meanwhile, questions arise about whether China can step up to fill the gap in foreign aid. In a separate development, Ukraine is expected to lose most or all land won in their Kursk operation.

Top Stories

• EU lawmakers accuse US of ‘blackmailing’ Zelenskyy into ceasefire (www.politico.eu)

• Zelenskyy expects ‘strong steps’ from US if Russia rejects ceasefire. (www.theguardian.com)

• Philippine ex-President Duterte Is Being flown to The Hague to Face Charges of Crimes Against Humanity (apnews.com)

• Can China fill the void in foreign aid? (www.brookings.edu)

• Ukraine set to lose Kursk pocket, its foothold inside Russia (www.reuters.com)

• Ukraine’s Best European Missile Just Shot Down Its First Russian Jet (www.forbes.com)

United States

• Donald Trump Bought a $90,000 Tesla Despite Recall Notices (www.wired.com)

• Senate Democrats embrace hardball on government shutdown (www.axios.com)

• ‘These aren’t normal times’: Frustrated Democrats demand their leaders do more to meet the moment (www.cnn.com)

• Government Shutdown Looms With Democrats Opposing 6-Month Stopgap Bill (www.nytimes.com)

• Tim Walz to launch national tour of town halls in Republican House districts (www.cnn.com)

• Egg prices are finally falling. But they’re about to spike again (cnn.com)

• Greenlanders say no to Trump as rare earths loom over coalition talks (www.politico.eu)

Africa

• Somali forces end a 24-hour siege by al-Shabab militants on a hotel, leaving all fighters dead (apnews.com)

• Congo and M23 rebel group will hold peace talks on Tuesday, mediator Angola says (apnews.com)

• Congo faces setback in mpox response after Rwanda-backed rebels advance in the east (apnews.com)

Middle East

• Israeli fighter jets fly low over Syria in 'message' to Sharaa on Druze - N12 (www.jpost.com)

• Syria’s Druze seek a place in a changing nation, navigating pressures from the government and Israel (apnews.com)

• ‘Entire families’ killed in Syria fighting, UN says (www.aljazeera.com)

Indo-Pacific

• Philippine ex-President Duterte Is Being flown to The Hague to Face Charges of Crimes Against Humanity (apnews.com)

• In West Bengal village, 5 Dalits enter temple for first time in history (indianexpress.com)

• China Piles the Pressure on India in Its Own Backyard (www.bloomberg.com)

• Can China fill the void in foreign aid? (www.brookings.edu)

• Woman stabbed to death on Tokyo street while live streaming (soranews24.com)

• Amid labor shortage, Japan approves guidelines to upskill foreign workers (www.japantimes.co.jp)

Europe

• Musk Email Reaches Italian Workers. It Did Not Go Well. (www.nytimes.com)

• Spain to impose massive fines for not labelling AI-generated content (www.reuters.com)

• A radical proposal: put the EU's counter-tariffs on US social media apps (euobserver.com)

• EU chief says member countries must use a new defense loan to buy European, not American (apnews.com)

• EU to impose counter tariffs on over $28 billion of US goods (www.reuters.com)

• A Trump-Putin pact is emerging (www.theguardian.com)

• European stocks close with gains despite US-EU tariff escalation (www.aa.com.tr)

Latin America

• Brazil egg exports soar amid stronger U.S. demand (reuters.com)

• Bolivia turns to crypto for energy imports amid dollar, fuel shortages (reuters.com)

• Venezuela's opposition drafts energy reform to raise foreign pressure on Maduro (reuters.com)

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