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How Biden's surprise trip to Kyiv was kept secret, canals in Venice run dry, and the cost of polluting soars in Europe

by Linda Noakes

War in Ukraine, one year on

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual address to the Federal Assembly in Moscow, February 21, 2023

President Vladimir Putin delivered a nuclear warning to the West over Ukraine, suspending a bilateral nuclear arms control treaty, announcing new strategic systems had been put on combat duty and warning that Moscow could resume nuclear tests.
President Joe Biden, fresh from a visit to Kyiv, was set to reaffirm to U.S. allies that the United States is squarely behind Ukraine and committed to bolstering NATO's eastern flank. Here's how Biden's surprise trip to Kyiv was kept secret - but not from Russia.
We speak to our reporters on the ground about the face-off between Biden and Putin in today's Reuters World News podcast.
China is "deeply worried" that the Ukraine conflict could spiral out of control, foreign minister Qin Gang said, and called on certain countries to stop "fueling the fire" in an apparent dig at the United States.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner group, accused the Russian defense minister and the chief of the general staff of depriving his fighters of munitions and trying to destroy Wagner - actions he said were equivalent to treason.
A Ukrainian soldier compared Germany's Leopard 2 tanks to a Mercedes as he underwent training with them ahead of their arrival on the battlefield. Germany last month agreed to supply the tanks, regarded as one of the best in the West's arsenal, overcoming misgivings about sending heavy weaponry.
Here's what you need to know about the Russia-Ukraine conflict right now.

Around the World

Gondolas are pictured in the Grand Canal during a severe low tide in the lagoon city of Venice, Italy, February 17, 2023

Weeks of dry winter weather have raised concerns that Italy could face another drought after last summer's emergency, with the Alps having received less than half of their normal snowfall. The warning comes as Venice faces unusually low tides that are making it impossible for boats to navigate some of its famous canals.
Six people were killed in the latest earthquake to strike the border region of Turkey and Syria, authorities reported, two weeks after a larger one killed more than 47,000 people and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes. A hasty rebuild could leave Turkey at risk of another quake disaster.
The death toll from devastating rainfall in southeastern Brazil rose to 40, official figures showed, as President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited the region and said homes should no longer be built in areas at risk of landslides and major floods.
Tens of thousands of North Koreans and people in South Korea, Japan and China could be exposed to radioactive materials spread through groundwater from an underground nuclear test site, a Seoul-based human rights group said in a report.
Wisconsin voters will today decide which state Supreme Court candidates will advance to an April election that carries profound consequences for abortion rights, control of the state government and the 2024 presidential election.
The Seoul High Court ruled that the state's health insurer should provide spousal coverage to a same-sex couple, in a decision that lawyers and advocates said marked the first legal recognition of same-sex union in South Korea.

Business & Markets

Smoke billows from the chimneys of Belchatow Power Station in Poland in this file photo

The price of permits in the European Union's carbon market hit 100 euros per tonne for the first time, a milestone that reflects the increased costs that factories and power plants must pay when they pollute. We explain which industries pay CO2 costs in Europe.
Buoyant services growth meant the recovery in euro zone business activity gathered steam this month, expanding much faster than thought, according to a survey providing the latest evidence the currency union could escape a recession. Britain also looks on course to sidestep a forecast recession as businesses reported an unexpected bounce in activity.
A year into the Federal Reserve's most aggressive monetary crackdown since the 1980s the strength of the U.S. economy has befuddled policymakers now faced with an unexpected dilemma: Are things too good?
HSBC dampened investors' expectations of a sustained income bonanza from rising global interest rates, even after Europe's biggest bank reported a 92% surge in quarterly profit.
The disappearance of a star Chinese dealmaker has left his bank struggling to reassure clients and staff and has heightened concerns about 'key man risk' for investors. It's not unknown for Chinese business tycoons and executives to disappear from public view.
Seismic shifts may be afoot in the $137 billion stablecoin market - read our weekly analysis of the wild world of cryptocurrencies. You can also sign-up for the Reuters Crypto Wire newsletter.

The World at Work

A man works at a computer on a standing desk in an office in Canary Wharf in London, February 8, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs

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