Russia says its forces have captured Soledar in east Ukraine

Plus, how U.S. House Republicans are favoring message over substance

Hello!   Tesla extends price cuts, Donald Trump's company is to be sentenced, and Lisa Marie Presley has died aged 54   by Linda Noakes World News A satellite view shows a destroyed school and buildings in south Soledar, Ukraine, January 10, 2023 Russia said that its forces had taken control of the salt-mining town of Soledar in eastern Ukraine after days of relentless fighting, claiming Moscow's first big battlefield gain after half a year of military setbacks. Here's what you need to know about the conflict right now. The peak of China's COVID-19 wave is expected to last two to three months, and will soon swell over the vast countryside where medical resources are relatively scarce, a top Chinese epidemiologist has said. A glimpse of the scars caused by the pandemic to China's already bleak demographic outlook may come to light when it reports its official 2022 population data next week. Brazilian police found a draft decree in the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro's justice minister that appears to be a proposal to interfere in the result of the October election he lost, two people familiar with the investigation said. Thousands took to the streets of Peru's capital Lima in a peaceful protest against the new government and president, after weeks of bloody clashes triggered by the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo left at least 42 dead. Australian Cardinal George Pell was lying in state, with funeral preparations overshadowed by revelations that he was the author of an anonymous memo that branded Pope Francis' pontificate a catastrophe.   U.S. News President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy from an auditorium on the White House campus, January 12, 2023 U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland named a special counsel to probe the improper storage of classified documents at President Joe Biden's home and former office, an echo of a wider-ranging inquiry directed at former President Donald Trump. We explain the difference between the two cases. Trump will today learn how the company that bears his name will be punished after being found guilty of scheming to defraud tax authorities for 15 years. A New York state judge will impose the sentence after jurors in Manhattan found two Trump Organization affiliates guilty of 17 criminal charges last month U.S. prosecutors accused leaders of the far-right Proud Boys group of plotting an assault on American democracy as one of the most high-profile trials to stem from the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack got underway. In an opening argument, federal prosecutor Jason McCullough told jurors that Proud Boys chairman Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio and four other leaders engaged in sedition. Republicans who control the House of Representatives wasted no time this week using their new majority to pass political messaging bills that appeal to conservative voters on hot-button issues, but often involved more hyperbole than substance. Singer Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis Presley, has died at the age of 54 after being rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital. "It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us," her mother, Priscilla Presley, said in a statement. Business & Markets The German share price index graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, January 12, 2023 World stocks scaled one-month peaks thanks to signs inflation is easing, while the yen jumped to seven-month highs and Japanese bond yields breached a central bank target as investors challenged its commitment to loose monetary policy. German economic output stagnated in the final quarter of 2022 and grew 1.9% over the full year, data showed, adding to signs that Europe's largest economy may - at least over the winter - dodge a recession. Britain's economy unexpectedly eked out some modest growth in November after a boost from World Cup drinkers and video game sales. Tesla has slashed prices on its electric vehicles in the United States and Europe by as much as 20%, extending a strategy of aggressive discounting after missing Wall Street estimates for 2022 deliveries. China has acquired minority stakes with special rights in two domestic units of tech giant Alibaba, business registration records showed, as Beijing extends a campaign to strengthen control over online content. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities are set to allow Didi Global's ride-hailing and other apps back on domestic app stores as soon as next week, in yet another signal that their two-year regulatory crackdown on the technology sector is ending. JPMorgan reported a 6% rise in fourth-quarter profit, as a better-than-expected performance from the bank's traders more than offset a hit from a slump in dealmaking. Bank of America reported a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit as rate hikes helped it charge more interest on loans to customers. BlackRock posted a drop in fourth-quarter profit, as a global market rout pressured fee income and assets under management fell in an uncertain economic environment. And Finally A selection of some of our top news photography from around the world Slideshow: See our photos of the week Former Japanese comedian gets second act as star investor Video: Watch thousands of baby turtles hatch  We think you may like this: Reuters Sustainable Switch Make sense of how companies and governments are grappling with climate change, diversity and human rights.  Subscribe Sponsors are not involved in the creation of newsletters or other Reuters news content. Reuters Daily Briefing is sent 5 days a week. Think your friend or colleague should know about us? Forward this newsletter to them. They can also sign up here.   Want to stop receiving this email? Unsubscribe here. To manage which newsletters you're signed up for, click here. 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