| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Wednesday, February 23, 2022 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. Images show a new deployment of military vehicles in Belarus, U.S. truckers plan a pandemic protest, and the high price of bringing up a child in China | | | | | Today's biggest stories  A Ukrainian residing in Japan shows a placard during a rally denouncing Russia over its actions in Ukraine, near the Russian embassy in Tokyo, February 23, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato UKRAINE CRISIS The United States and its allies sought to step up sanctions pressure on Russia over the deployment of troops in separatist regions of eastern Ukraine, in one of the worst security crises in Europe in decades.
President Vladimir Putin has shifted the crisis into a new, more dangerous phase with a barrage of words and actions that suggest his ultimate aims go far deeper than extending Russian sway over two struggling separatist regions. So where will Putin stop?
Satellite images show a new deployment of more than 100 military vehicles and dozens of troop tents in southern Belarus near the Ukraine border, a private U.S. company said.
We explain how western sanctions on banks only scratch the surface of Fortress Russia, and look at how companies with exposure to Russia are reacting.
Russia has agreed to postpone some debt payments owed to it by communist-run Cuba until 2027, just days after the two countries announced they would deepen ties. Cuba last week expressed support for Russia in its showdown with Western powers.
|  U.S. truckers and their supporters gather before a convoy leaves bound for the nation's capital to protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates, in Adelanto, California, February 22, 2022. REUTERS/David Swanson
U.S.
Taking a cue from demonstrations that paralyzed Canada's capital city for weeks, U.S. truckers plan to embark on a 2,500-mile cross-country drive towards Washington to protest coronavirus restrictions.
The three white men convicted of chasing down and murdering a young Black man, Ahmaud Arbery, as he was out jogging in their suburban Georgia community, were found guilty of committing federal hate crimes and other offenses in the 2020 killing. We look at how Arbery's family fought for a trial that made racism central to his murder.
A jury is due to begin deliberating on whether three former Minneapolis police officers deprived George Floyd of his constitutional rights by failing to come to the aid of the handcuffed Black man pinned beneath a colleague's knee.
The Supreme Court took up a major new legal fight pitting religious beliefs against LGBT rights, agreeing to hear an evangelical Christian web designer's free speech claim that she cannot be forced under a Colorado anti-discrimination law to produce websites for same-sex marriages.
The United States will hold its biggest ever sale of offshore wind development rights today, in an area covering nearly half a million acres off the coasts of New York and New Jersey. The auction's scale marks a major step forward for offshore wind power in the United States, which has lagged European nations in developing the technology.
WORLD
The global project to share COVID-19 vaccines is struggling to place more than 300 million doses in the latest sign the problem with vaccinating the world is now more about demand than supply.
Talks in Vienna on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers have reached a sensitive point and Western countries should take a realistic approach to settle remaining matters, Iran's foreign minister said.
The United Nations human rights expert on Myanmar said Russia and China were providing the junta with fighter jets being used against civilians, and urged the U.N. Security Council to halt the flow of weapons enabling atrocities.
The cost of raising a child in China stands at nearly seven times its per capita GDP, far more than in the United States and Japan, highlighting the challenges facing Chinese policymakers as they try to tackle rapidly declining birth rates, new research shows.
Dozens of migrants clashed with police in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula, as frustration boiled over due to authorities keeping them waiting for months to be granted approval for free passage across Mexico to the U.S. border. Migrants, mostly from Haiti and Africa, have been demonstrating in Tapachula, near Mexico's border with Guatemala, for almost a month.
| BUSINESS Global stocks broke a four-day slide and demand for safe-haven assets waned, with investors waiting to see what Russian President Vladimir Putin does next after sending troops into separatist regions of Ukraine.
Stellantis made a fast start in its first year after the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, with the world's No.4 carmaker reporting profitability and benefits from the combination both ahead of target. Aston Martin narrowed its annual loss in 2021 as sales surged and the company said it expected further improvements this year as it launches new, more profitable models.
Rio Tinto posted its best ever annual profit and a record full-year dividend of $16.8 billion, boosted by higher iron ore prices and strong demand from top consumer China.
As Britons face the worst hit to their disposable income in 30 years, Tesco is outstripping rival retailers by tempting more of them through its checkouts with a money-saving loyalty scheme. Tesco's Clubcards are held by more than 20 million households, boosting sales and helping Britain's biggest retailer strike better deals with suppliers in one of the world's most cut-throat grocery markets.
Almost all parents and pregnant women in China, Vietnam and the United Kingdom are exposed to "aggressive" formula milk marketing campaigns that breach global rules set up after scandals more than 40 years ago, according to a new report.
| | | | | | | | | Video of the day  The Zambian company turning tires into fuel The used tires and plastic containers that litter the back streets of cities and towns in Zambia might be an eyesore, but for one company they are also an opportunity to make fuel that could slash the nation's energy import bill while cleaning up its trash. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
