| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Friday, January 21, 2022 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. Britain warns Putin and Xi the West will stand up to 'dictatorship', investors dump pandemic darlings, and anti-abortion activists march in Washington | | | | | Today's biggest stories  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov before their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, January 21, 2022 WORLD The top Russian and U.S. diplomats played down any prospect of resolving their differences over Ukraine at talks today, but Washington hoped they would reduce tensions over a Russian troop buildup that has stoked fears of a new conflict. Britain warned Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping that its allies would stand together to fight for democracy against dictatorships that it said were more emboldened than at any time since the Cold War.
A New Zealand navy ship carrying 250,000 liters of water arrived in Tonga, bringing life-saving supplies for the South Pacific archipelago six days after it was devastated by a volcanic eruption and tsunami that polluted its water sources. We spoke to a fisherman who recounted his desperate race to escape the tsunami.
At least 17 people were killed and scores injured when a truck carrying explosives to a gold mine in western Ghana collided with a motorcycle, setting off an explosion that flattened a rural community.
Australia will remain a divided nation, with the vast mining state of Western Australia canceling plans to reopen its borders on February 5, citing health risks from a surge in the Omicron COVID variant in eastern states.
The United Nations General Assembly agreed on a definition of denial of the Holocaust, when the Nazis killed 6 million Jews during World War Two, and urged social media companies "to take active measures" to combat antisemitism.
|  U.S. Senator Joe Manchin walks behind a group of protesters blocking an entrance to the Capitol as they end an eight-day hunger strike in favor of voting rights legislation, in Washington, January 20, 2022 U.S. A bipartisan group of senators is discussing a scaled-back law focused on safeguarding election results and protecting election officials from harassment following Democrats' twin defeats on a voting-rights bill.
The prosecutor for Georgia's biggest county requested a special grand jury with subpoena power to aid her investigation into then-President Donald Trump's efforts to influence the U.S. state's 2020 election results. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives' panel investigating the deadly attack on the Capitol requested an interview with Trump's daughter and White House aide Ivanka Trump.
President Joe Biden's public approval rating fell to the lowest level of his presidency this week as Americans appeared exhausted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic toll, according to the latest Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.
Anti-abortion advocates will take to the streets of Washington today for the annual 'March for Life', their mood boosted by recent state abortion restrictions and the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court could soon upend long-held abortion rights.
U.S. authorities charged a man with human smuggling of Indian nationals from Canada, the day after four people including a baby were found frozen to death in a remote part of Canada close to the Minnesota border.
| | | | | | | | | Video of the day  Hong Kongers rush to adopt threatened hamsters After Hong Kong ordered a mass cull of hamsters over COVID fears, volunteers have been trying to intercept and save pets being handed in. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
