Today The U.S.According to REUTERS

 

 

American flags flutter in front of the Capitol more than a month into the continuing government shutdown in Washington, D.C. REUTERS/Nathan Howard/File Photo

United States

The US government is due to lumber back to life after the longest shutdown in US history snarled air traffic, cut food assistance to low-income Americans and forced more than 1 million workers to go unpaid for more than a month. Meanwhile, Democrats appear more fired up than Republicans about voting in next year's congressional elections, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. House Democrats released emails that they said raised new questions about Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein and how much he knew about Epstein's abuse of underage girls. Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back against criticism from some US allies over the legality of the US strikes in the Caribbean, saying Europeans don't get to dictate how Washington defends its national security.

In other news

The US gathered intelligence last year of Israeli officials discussing how their soldiers had sent Palestinians into Gaza tunnels the Israelis believed were potentially lined with explosives, according to two former US officials familiar with the matter. A severe drought in Iran could mean taps run dry in as little as two weeks and force an evacuation of the capital. Parisa Hafezi tells the Reuters World News podcast that the water crisis could fuel political protests as well.   For years, it was a common occurrence: Dutch bandits would drive to Germany and in the dead of night blow up ATMs, grab cash and speed back home on the Autobahn. Now, a crackdown is bearing fruit. Chileans are heading into Sunday’s presidential election consumed by fear over crime, immigration and organized gangs that have taken root in a few short years, a far cry from the wave of left-wing optimism and hopes of drafting a new constitution that dominated the last election cycle. More than half a million people in South Korea sat for the country's gruelling university entrance exam as police mobilized to ensure they made it to the test sites on time and all flights were halted for half an hour.