| |  |  | The Reuters Daily Briefing | Wednesday, March 2, 2022 by Linda Noakes | Hello Here's what you need to know. Biden says Putin has 'no idea what's coming', Russia's top bank quits Europe, and what happened to Russia's Air Force? | | | | | Today's biggest stories  A civilian trains to throw Molotov cocktails to defend the city in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, March 1, 2022 RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR Ukrainians said they were fighting on in the southern city of Kherson, the first sizeable city Russia claimed to have seized, while Moscow stepped up its lethal bombardment of major population centers that its invasion force has so far failed to tame.
With Moscow having failed in its aim to swiftly overthrow Ukraine's government after nearly a week, Western countries are worried that it is switching to new, far more violent tactics to blast its way into cities it had expected to easily take. Here's what you need to know right now about the conflict.
U.S. President Joe Biden assailed Putin, barred Russian flights from American airspace and led Democratic and Republican lawmakers in a rare display of unity in his State of the Union speech. In a deviation from his prepared remarks, Biden said of Putin: "He has no idea what's coming."
The United Nations General Assembly is set to reprimand Russia and demand that Moscow stop fighting and withdraw its military forces, a move that aims to diplomatically isolate the country.
Before Russia's invasion, U.S. intelligence had predicted a blistering assault by Moscow that would quickly mobilize the vast Russian air power that its military assembled in order to dominate Ukraine's skies. But the first six days confounded those expectations.
Ukrainians working at Western tech companies are banding together to help their besieged homeland, aiming to knock down disinformation websites, encourage Russians to turn against their government and speed delivery of medical supplies.
In pictures: Inside the battle for Ukraine
|  Flooding is seen after heavy rains in Chinderah, New South Wales, Australia, March 1, 2022 IN OTHER NEWS Tens of thousands of Australians fled from their homes and authorities evacuated a hospital as more torrential rains battered the east coast. Thirteen people have been killed, the latest four deaths recorded in the worst-hit town of Lismore in New South Wales state, since the extreme weather arrived late last week, submerging town centers, washing away homes and cutting power lines.
New Zealand police ended an anti-vaccine mandate protest that had disrupted the capital for the past three weeks, dismantling an encampment outside parliament, towing away vehicles and arresting dozens.
The United States stands firmly behind its commitments to Taiwan, a visiting U.S. delegation said, as Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen vowed to work more closely with allies in response to what she called China's growing military threat.
Almost two years after India went into the world's biggest lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19, students headed back to school in Maharashtra state, a sign of normal life resuming as infection rates fall.
U.S. federal prosecutors will make opening statements in the first of what could be hundreds of criminal trials of people accused of joining the January 6, 2021 assault on the Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters.
| | | | | | | | | | | Video of the day  Zelenskiy says no talks with Russia until bombing stops Russia must stop bombing Ukrainian cities before meaningful talks on a ceasefire can start, as a first round of negotiations this week yielded scant progress, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told Reuters and CNN in a joint interview. | | | Thanks for spending part of your day with us. | | | | | |
