Hurricane Milton leaves trail of destruction

Plus, a look inside Tesla's high-risk pivot to self-driving robotaxis.

Sign up for Reuters newsletters  Daily Briefing Daily Briefing By Kate Turton Hurricane Milton whips up deadly tornadoes in Florida, Lebanese authorities say an Israeli strike killed five rescue workers in Lebanon, and Tesla gambles on 'black box' AI tech for robotaxis. Plus, Rafael Nadal announces his retirement from professional tennis at the end of the season. Today's Top News   Streetlights are pictured as Hurricane Milton approaches, in Orlando, Florida, October 9, 2024. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez  United States Hurricane Milton marched across central Florida after making landfall on the state's west coast hours earlier, whipping up deadly tornadoes, destroying homes and knocking out power to nearly 2 million customers. A handful of Republican leaders have condemned hurricane misinformation spread by their own party. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has erased Republican rival Donald Trump's advantage in the vast middle of American society: suburban residents and middle-income households, an analysis of Reuters/Ipsos polling shows. Follow the latest US election news here. In other news Listen to the Reuters World News podcast for an insight into Ukraine's devastated forests. Reporter Max Hunder walks us through the Sviati Hory national park with a Donetsk ranger who's tended to the trees there for 20 years. An Israeli strike killed five emergency workers in southern Lebanon, the health ministry said, as Israel pressed its major offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah and warned Lebanese civilians in the south not to return home. Hundreds of people, including corporate leaders, politicians and celebrities, gathered in Mumbai to pay their last respects to one of India's most respected business tycoons, Ratan Tata, who died aged 86. Vote counting was under way in Mozambique after a peaceful national election that is widely expected to see the ruling Frelimo party extend its 49 years in power. Some countries have pledged to donate doses of mpox vaccines to combat an outbreak of the disease in Africa, after the World Health Organization declared it a global public health emergency in August for the second time in two years. Business & Markets   A Tiggo 7 PROMAX car, produced by Chinese automaker Chery, is on display at a dealership in Khimki outside Moscow, Russia October 2, 2024. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina Chinese carmaker Chery has started assembling cars in Russia for sale in the country at three factories vacated by Western rivals including Volkswagen and Mercedes, five people familiar with the matter told Reuters. A shift to an electric vehicle-only future would lead to job losses among those who have been working on engine-related technologies, including at the many suppliers in the sector, Toyota Motor's chairman said. The award this week of Nobel prizes in chemistry and physics to a small number of artificial intelligence pioneers affiliated with Google has stirred debate over the company's research dominance and how breakthroughs in computer science ought to be recognized. A tight US presidential race is leading some investors to brace for an unclear or contested election result that could trip up this year's booming stock market rally. A bumper harvest and a hefty grain surplus in Iraq, typically one of the Middle East's biggest wheat importers, has left the government with the prospect of a net loss of nearly half a billion dollars, according to Reuters calculations. China recently unveiled a raft of measures to solve a housing bust and support the market, producing a pop of post-vacation enthusiasm. That's now waning as investors await a bigger move. In this week's Viewsroom podcast, Breakingviews columnists discuss what comes next. Tesla gambles on 'black box' AI tech for robotaxis    Convincing regulators and passengers of the vehicle's safety could prove a challenge. Patrick Pleul/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Tesla aims to stun investors with its long-awaited "robotaxi unveil," a potential milestone after a decade of Elon Musk's unfulfilled promises to deliver self-driving vehicles. The automaker is widely expected to showcase a prototype called the "Cybercab" rather than a road-ready driverless taxi. Read more And Finally... Rafael Nadal in action at Roland Garros. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/File Photo  Spain's Rafa Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, said he was putting an end to his professional tennis career, a decision effective after the Davis Cup final. "It has been some difficult years, these last two especially," the 38-year-old, who won a record 14 French Open titles, said in a video. "I am very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup representing my country." Read more Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Advertise in this newsletter or on Reuters.com Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here. Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. Terms & Conditions and Privacy Statement © 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036