Monday Briefing: Drinking water and ash big concerns as Tonga assesses damage after tsunami

The Reuters Daily Briefing Monday, January 17, 2022 by Linda Noakes Hello Here's what you need to know. The Texas synagogue hostage-taker was a British citizen, Yemen's Houthis claim an attack on the United Arab Emirates, and Credit Suisse's chairman quits over COVID breaches Today's biggest stories An eruption occurs at the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai off Tonga, January 14, 2022 WORLD Australia and New Zealand sent surveillance flights to assess damage in Tonga, isolated from the rest of the world after the eruption of a volcano that triggered a tsunami and blanketed the Pacific island with ash. Scientists are struggling to monitor the volcano after the explosion destroyed its sea-level crater and drowned its mass, obscuring it from satellites. Three fuel trucks exploded, killing three people, and a fire broke out near Abu Dhabi airport in what Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group said was an attack deep inside the United Arab Emirates. The Houthi movement is battling a Saudi-led coalition that includes the UAE. North Korea fired two suspected short-range ballistic missiles from an airport in its capital city of Pyongyang, South Korea's military reported, the fourth test this month to demonstrate its expanding missile arsenal. Influenza has returned to Europe at a faster-than-expected rate this winter after almost disappearing last year, raising concerns about a prolonged 'twindemic' with COVID-19 amid some doubts about the effectiveness of flu vaccines. Mainland China's birth rate dropped to a record low in 2021, data showed, extending a downward trend that led Beijing last year to begin allowing couples to have up to three children. U.S. President Joe Biden puts on gloves before putting bags of carrots into boxes at Philabundance, a hunger relief organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 16, 2022. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts U.S. Descendants of the slain civil rights icon Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and their supporters plan to march on Washington to urge President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats to push harder to pass a bill protecting voting rights. A gunman who took four people hostage at a Dallas-area synagogue and was himself killed as federal agents stormed the temple was identified as a British citizen, while police in England said they had detained two teenagers for questioning in the investigation. A major winter storm slammed much of the eastern United States with snow, ice and high winds, causing widespread travel disruptions and power outages on a holiday weekend. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration said it had cleared an estimated 45% of the U.S. commercial airplane fleet to perform low-visibility landings at many airports where 5G C-band will be deployed starting Wednesday. Retired Brigadier General Charles McGee, part of the pioneering all-Black Tuskegee Airmen during World War Two and one of its most decorated pilots, has died at the age of 102. BUSINESS The global job market will taker longer to recover than previously thought, with unemployment levels set to remain above pre-COVID-19 levels until at least 2023 due to uncertainty about the pandemic's course and duration, the International Labour Organization said. China's economy rebounded in 2021 with its best growth in a decade helped by robust exports but there are signs momentum is slowing on weakening consumption and a property downturn, pointing to the need for more policy support. Credit Suisse will stick to its strategic overhaul despite the abrupt departure of its mastermind Antonio Horta-Osorio following an internal probe into his personal conduct, including breaches of COVID-19 rules, the embattled bank's new chairman said. Spies, lies and the chairman's exit - we look at Credit Suisse's scandals. Unilever signaled it would pursue a deal for GlaxoSmithKline's consumer healthcare business, calling it a "strong strategic fit" after its $68 billion offer was rebuffed. A solid performance by Renault's higher-value brands helped soften an overall drop in annual worldwide group sales at the French carmaker, as its focus on more profitable models pays off. Quote of the day "From Reconstruction, to Jim Crow, to the present day, our economy has never worked fairly for Black Americans – or, really, for any American of color" U.S. Treasury's Yellen sees "much more work" ahead to narrow racial wealth divide Video of the day Airport selfies for Djokovic as Australian Open begins On the first day of the Australian Open, the world's best male tennis player was taking selfies with fans at a Dubai airport arrivals gate. And finally… Horses jump bonfires as Spain's purification ceremony returns The traditional celebration takes place in San Bartolome de Pinares on the eve of Saint Anthony's Day, Spain's patron saint of animals. More from Reuters COVID-19 The Great Reboot Disrupted Legal News Breakingviews Thanks for spending part of your day with us. Share your thoughts You are receiving this email because you signed up for newsletters from Reuters. No longer want to hear from us? Unsubscribe from The Reuters Daily Briefing. Terms, conditions, and privacy statement © 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved. 3 Times Square, New York, NY 10036