Orban says no to EU accession talks for Ukraine

Plus, Biden impeachment inquiry authorized despite lack of evidence.

View in Browser Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing Israel strikes southern Gaza despite intensifying international pressure, Viktor Orban says no to EU accession talks for Ukraine, and Fumio Kishida purges his cabinet in a bid to ride out a financial scandal.   Plus, how F-16 fighter jets could reshape Ukraine's aerial battlefield.    By Edson Caldas Today's Top News Israeli soldiers prepare to enter the Gaza Strip. December 13, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun Israel keeps up its barrage of the Gaza Strip despite intensifying international calls to reduce civilian casualties from its bombardment. Senior Correspondent Dan Williams in Jerusalem tells the daily Reuters World News podcast why Israel is resisting international pressure for another ceasefire. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban made clear as he arrived at a high-stakes European Union summit that he would block EU accession talks with Ukraine, standing firmly against the view of other leaders. Here is what Ukraine hopes to gain from the summit and the obstacles it faces. Japanese premier Fumio Kishida dropped four cabinet ministers, trying to limit the fallout from the biggest financial scandal his party has faced in decades. The axed ministers all hail from the Liberal Democratic Party's most powerful faction that is at the center of a criminal investigation into missing accounts.  With more than a full year past since China eased restrictions and let COVID-19 sweep its households, scientists are worried a unique opportunity may be slipping away to study long-term COVID effects from possibly hundreds of millions of infections in that country. During the past four years, China has ramped up its military pressure against Taiwan. We have a photo essay on the island's last generation to fight China, and a piece on why the Indian Ocean could be China's Achilles' heel in a Taiwan war. US NEWS The House of Representatives voted to formally authorize its ongoing impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, as Republicans unite behind the effort even though they have yet to find evidence of wrongdoing. The Republican-controlled chamber voted 221-212 along party lines to approve the probe. The Supreme Court's decision last year to eliminate a nationwide right to abortion was a moment of triumph for conservatives, but the ruling has also turned the issue into a political liability for Republicans. Here is how abortion could impact the 2024 US elections. Business & Markets A dovish shift from the Federal Reserve has put record highs in sight for US stocks, even as some investors worry the market may be moving too fast given an uncertain outlook for the economy and corporate earnings. The Fed held interest rates steady and signaled that its tightening of monetary policy is likely over. In more news from central banks, the Bank of England kept rates at a 15-year high. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank faces a difficult balancing act as it likely slashes its forecasts for growth and inflation while trying to temper speculation about imminent interest rate cuts. The US Securities and Exchange Commission will face off with lawyers for Elon Musk in a San Francisco court as it tries to force the billionaire to testify again for its probe of his takeover of Twitter. The agency is examining whether Musk followed the law when filing the required paperwork about his purchases in Twitter stock. A Chinese chip designer, part-owned by the country's top sanctioned chipmaker, is purchasing US software and has American financial backing, relationships that underscore the difficulty Washington faces applying new rules meant to block American support for Beijing's semiconductor industry. Big tobacco firms shifting to new nicotine products have the most to lose if tobacco alternatives face the same rules as cigarettes, investors and analysts said. The World Health Organization is urging governments to apply tobacco-style controls to vapes, saying they are getting new users hooked on nicotine. Graphics: The air war over Ukraine Outnumbered and outgunned in the skies, Ukraine has used surface-to-air missiles to keep Russian aircraft at arm's length. The country's military hopes bringing US-made F-16s to the fight will push them back farther - and keep Ukraine's air force flying for the long term. This is how F-16 fighter jets could reshape Ukraine's aerial battlefield. And Finally... Television mogul Oprah Winfrey poses with her portrait. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque Oprah Winfrey's portrait was unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, adding her likeness to a collection of American historical figures. Winfrey, the host of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," as well as a businesswoman and philanthropist, said she never dreamed of having her picture at the Washington museum. Read more here. 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