Gabon officers say they seized power

Plus, what to expect when Hurricane Idalia hits Florida.

View in Browser Sign up for Reuters newsletters Daily Briefing Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power, Idalia is set to hit Florida as a major hurricane, and Ukrainian drones strike six Russian regions.   Plus, at Taser maker Axon, ex-staffers say loyalty meant being tased or tattooed.   By Edson Caldas Today's Top News Gabonese military appear on television as they announce that they have seized power, in this screengrab obtained by Reuters on August 30, 2023. Gabon 1ere/Handout via REUTERS A group of military officers in Gabon claimed they had seized power after the country's election body announced that President Ali Bongo had won a third term. The officers said the election results were canceled, all borders were closed and state institutions were dissolved. Ed McAllister, our Chief Correspondent for West and Central Africa, shares what this means for the region. A US judge will consider today whether to impose the steepest sentence yet on two former leaders of the right-wing Proud Boys convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump supporters. Millions of Florida residents secured boats and properties and fled to higher ground as Idalia intensified to an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane and threatened a direct hit on the state's Big Bend region. Here are the most important things to know about its projected impact. A wildfire burning in northeastern Greece has destroyed an area larger than New York City, according to the European Union-backed Copernicus Climate Change Service. Copernicus said last week the fire was the largest on European soil in years, and authorities said the fire was still highly dangerous. UKRAINE WAR Ukrainian drones struck targets in at least six regions in Russia, in one of the broadest volleys yet of Ukraine's campaign to turn the tables on Moscow. The attacks came as authorities in Kyiv reported at least two people killed in what they described as the heaviest air strikes on the city for months. Russia has informed Brazil's aircraft investigation authority that it will not probe the crash of the Brazilian-made Embraer jet that killed Yevgeny Prigozhin under international rules "at the moment". In St Petersburg, followers of the mutinous Russian mercenary laid flowers, messages and poetry at his grave. Business & Markets US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, left, talks with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining, in Shanghai, China, August 30, 2023. Andy Wong/Pool via REUTERS China has defended its business practices after US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said American firms had told her it had become "uninvestible," highlighting a trend of global investors turning away from assets in the world's second-largest economy. Guangzhou became the first major Chinese city to announce an easing of mortgage curbs as the government ramps up efforts to revive the property sector and shore up the sputtering economy. The decision comes as some state-owned banks are expected to lower interest rates on existing mortgages. Nvidia's shares have more than tripled this year in a rally fueled by excitement over the prospects for artificial intelligence. Yet many funds hold less of the stock in their portfolios compared with Nvidia's weight in key equity indexes, making it tougher for them to beat their benchmarks. Toyota is ramping back production at its Japan-based factories after a computer system processing orders for vehicle parts broke down, forcing the closure of 14 assembly plants. The disruption shut down a system that is at the core of Toyota's lean manufacturing. A US judge has rejected Burger King's bid to dismiss a lawsuit claiming that it cheated customers by making its Whopper sandwich appear larger than it actually is. The judge said the company must defend against a claim that its depiction of Whoppers on in-store menu boards mislead reasonable customers. At Taser maker Axon, ex-staffers say loyalty meant being tased or tattooed Axon employee Ross Blank lies face down from his tasing at a company event in January, in a screenshot of a video he posted on LinkedIn. Axon Enterprise is best known for its electroshock Taser device that immobilizes criminal suspects. Less familiar: what one-time staffers describe as an all-in culture, in which some felt pressed to be tased before onlookers, get permanently inked with company tattoos, or join a stock plan that left some in the lurch. Axon says it never pressures employees to do any of these things. Read our special report here. And Finally... A man walks past a poster for the film "The Killer" on the eve of the opening ceremony of 80th Venice Film Festival, in Italy, August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi The Venice Film Festival opens its doors to a stack of highly anticipated movies but less star power than usual, as a Hollywood actors' strike keeps many A-listers off the red carpet. The festival's artistic director Alberto Barbera is putting a brave face on the expected disruption and has managed to attract one of the strongest line-ups in recent years, defying predictions of a no-show by big studio productions. 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