| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Wednesday, February 2, 2022 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. Republican lawmakers funnel money to colleagues who crossed Trump, 'Spider-Man' propels Sony's profits, and the Taliban are told they can't take their guns to the funfair | | | | | Today's biggest stories  Ukrainian service members of the Air Assault Forces take part in military drills in the Lviv region, February 1, 2022 WORLD Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of deliberately creating a scenario designed to lure it into war and ignoring Russia's security concerns over Ukraine. Here's how Ukraine's armed forces shape up against Russia's.
At least 60 people were killed in a militia attack at a displaced persons' camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the head of a local humanitarian group and a witness said. Members of the CODECO militia have killed hundreds of civilians in Ituri province in recent years and forced thousands to flee their homes.
At the peak of its power, Islamic State ruled over millions of people and claimed responsibility for or inspired attacks in dozens of cities around the world before it lost its final enclave. Now the group is re-emerging as a deadly threat, aided by a power vacuum in Iraq and Syria.
At least six people were killed in a failed attempt to overthrow Guinea-Bissau's President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, state radio said, as residents of the capital cautiously returned to daily life. The West African country has now seen 10 coups or attempted coups since independence from Portugal in 1974.
Taliban fighters will no longer be allowed to carry their weapons in amusement parks in Afghanistan, the group's spokesman said, in what appeared to be another effort by the country's new rulers to soften their image.
|  Punxsutawney Phil's stump door is seen on the 136th Groundhog Day, held annually to try to predict the end of winter, at Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, February 2, 2022 U.S. A major winter storm is expected to wallop much of the central United States and stretch to parts of the Northeast this week, bringing heavy snow, freezing rain, and ice. The weather system could dump 6 to 12 inches of snow over portions of the southern Rockies and central Plains, with record snowfall possible in the Midwest as well.
U.S. regulators are considering the first COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 5, the only age group not yet eligible for the shots, after Pfizer and BioNTech began the regulatory approval process.
Republican U.S. lawmakers donated more than $380,000 last year to the campaigns of eight colleagues who Donald Trump is trying to drive from office, prioritizing the goal of regaining control of Congress over the former president's desire for vengeance. Trump and his family called a civil investigation of their business practices "selective prosecution," arguing that an email by New York state's top prosecutor to her supporters showed she was motivated by politics.
At least a dozen historically Black colleges and universities in the United States received bomb threats and put their campuses on lockdown, a day after a rash of similar threats forced several of them to cancel classes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady announced his NFL retirement after an age-defying career during which he won a record seven Super Bowl championships and established himself as arguably the greatest player in the sport's history.
| BUSINESS Japan's Sony raised its full-year profit forecast by 15% after posting estimate-smashing quarterly earnings, propelled by the success of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' which has become the sixth-highest grossing movie.
Google parent Alphabet reported record quarterly sales that topped expectations, as its internet advertising business surged on consumers using Google search as they shopped online and advertisers upping their marketing budgets.
General Motors said it will spend more than the $35 billion previously planned through 2025 to speed up launches of new electric vehicles, and noted that investments in technology will take priority over richer profits next year.
PayPal forecast first-quarter revenue and profit well below expectations, as it prepares to take a hit from eBay's ongoing move to ditch its payments services. After spending more than a decade under eBay's fold, PayPal was spun out of the e-commerce marketplace operator in 2015.
Starbucks will raise menu prices in 2022 and reduce some spending to offset soaring costs for labor and goods, as rising COVID-19 cases prompted the coffee chain to lower estimates for profits this year.
| | | | | | | | | Video of the day  Pilot aborts landing at London airport A British Airways plane traveling from Aberdeen made the nerve-wracking maneuver at Heathrow Airport due to strong winds. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
