Intense battles rage in Ukraine's Soledar

Plus, we reveal the scale of alleged torture by Russian forces in Kherson

Hello! Airlines hope for a return to normal, the WHO warns of a holiday COVID surge in China, and how India's ruling party is tightening its grip on Kashmir   by Linda Noakes World News The Ukrainian army fires a German howitzer Panzerhaubitze 2000 near Soledar, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne  Ukraine said its troops were still holding out despite heavy fighting on a battlefield covered with bodies in a salt mining town in eastern Ukraine, where Russian mercenaries have claimed Moscow's first significant gain in half a year. The scale of alleged torture and unlawful detentions by occupying Russian forces in Kherson is now becoming clear, according to interviews with alleged victims, Ukrainian prosecutors and international war crimes specialists. People in China worried about spreading COVID-19 to aged relatives as they planned returns to their home towns for holidays that the World Health Organization warns could inflame a raging outbreak. The Lunar New Year holiday comes after China last month abandoned a strict anti-virus regime. Brazilian federal prosecutors requested the investigation of three congressional allies of former President Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly inciting the worst attack on the country's democratic institutions in decades. Iranian state media published a video in which British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, sentenced to death for spying, said he played a role in the 2020 assassination of the country's top nuclear scientist. For the first time in her life, Asha, a street cleaner in the Indian city of Jammu, will be allowed to vote in upcoming local elections. And she's in no doubt who will get her ballot. We look at how India's ruling party is tightening its grip on Kashmir. U.S. News Flooding near downtown Sacramento, California, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Fred Greaves  The seventh consecutive atmospheric river since Christmas dumped more rain on Northern California, offering little relief for a state already battered by floods, gale force winds, power outages and evacuations of entire towns. This graphic illustrates the weather system hitting California, and we explain why weeks of rain will not end a historic drought. The U.S. health department extended the COVID-19 pandemic's status as a public health emergency, allowing millions of Americans to continue receiving free tests, vaccines and treatments. U.S. airlines said they expect operations to return to normal as the Federal Aviation Administration scrambles to pinpoint the cause of yesterday's computer outage that grounded flights nationally and to prevent it from happening again. Aides to President Joe Biden have discovered at least one more batch of classified documents in a location separate from a think tank office he used after serving as vice president, news outlets reported, citing unnamed sources. Embattled U.S. Representative George Santos said he had no plans to heed fellow New York Republicans' calls to step down, a plea they made due to what they called "lie after lie after lie" about his career and history. Business & Markets People stand on a floor at the global headquarters of Goldman Sachs at 200 West Street in New York City, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton  Goldman Sachs began laying off staff in a sweeping cost-cutting drive, with around a third of those affected coming from the investment banking and global markets division, a source familiar with the matter said. Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC warned that first-quarter revenue would drop as much as 5% and it would slash annual investment as the major Apple supplier expects softer demand due to a slowing global economy. Sandwich chain Subway is exploring a sale of its business, a source told Reuters. Subway, one of the world's largest quick-service restaurant brands, has more than 37,000 restaurants in over 100 countries More than half of Germany's companies are struggling to fill vacancies due to a lack of skilled workers, the German Chambers of Commerce and Industry said, in the latest sign of growth headwinds hitting Europe's largest economy. British shoppers spent freely at Christmas, piling their trolleys with party food, drink and clothing as they enjoyed the first holiday season free of COVID worries for three years, but retailers warned they will tighten their belts in 2023. Tesco and Marks & Spencer posted-better-than expected festives sales despite a deepening cost-of-living crisis. Home Depot said it will change its pay policy for hourly employees starting January 16, with associates being paid based on exact time punches. "Our policy has been to round total shift time up or down to the nearest 15 minutes ... we're changing our practice nationwide to pay hourly associates to the nearest minute," a company spokesperson said. And Finally Members of the security team Dragon Squad train at Camp Gee Hotel in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria, November 18, 2022. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja  Nigeria's female bouncers show their strength fighting stereotypes 3D printing reaches new heights with two-story home Video: Artificial leaf creates hydrogen from air and sunshine We think you may like this: Reuters Power Up Everything you need to know about the global energy industry and the forces driving the transition to renewable fuels. Subscribe Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. 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