Russia Turns to India, Sri Lanka for Way Out of Its Labor Crisis For years, Russia relied on migrants from Central Asia to fill gaps in its workforce. As demographics and the war in Ukraine drive the sharpest labor crisis in decades, recruiters are casting a wider ...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Ukrainians Defy Russia's Attempts to Freeze Them Into Submission With the temperature plunging and blackouts persisting, Europe worries how long Ukraine can hold out.

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Torn Between Iran and Trump, Iraq Confronts a Stark Choice As the country recovers from the disastrous US invasion, it’s being pulled between its neighbor Iran, which has built decades of influence, and a president who wants America to have more sway in OPEC’...

www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

The economics behind Iran protests
• Inflation is stuck near 40% (chart)
• Currency has weakened by ~70% against the dollar since 2022
• Authorities appointed a new central bank governor on Wednesday

apnews.com/article/iran...

Trump Hails ‘A Lot of Progress’ in Talks With Zelenskiy President Donald Trump said he made “a lot of progress” in talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy over a possible peace deal, but that it might take a few weeks to get it done and there’s ...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trump, Zelenskiy to Meet as Russia’s Lavrov Assails Europe Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Europe “the main obstacle to peace” as US and Ukrainian negotiators prepare for talks on a way to end Moscow’s four-year invasion of its neighbor.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russia Targets Late February for Return of Baikonur Launchpad Russia is aiming for the damaged Baikonur Cosmodrome launchpad, its only site capable of sending crewed rockets to space, to be operational again by late February as restoration work intensifies.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Orban to Meet Putin With Eye on Russia’s Sanctioned Refineries Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will meet President Vladimir Putin as Russia weighs the sale of sanctioned refineries that have triggered concerns about fuel shortages across eastern Europe.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Putin Says No Final Version of Trump’s Peace Plan Exists Get Caught Up.

www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Zelenskiy to Leverage US Pressure on Russia to Restart Talks Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants to leverage growing US pressure on Moscow to revive stalled diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s war, according to a person familiar with the matter.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trump Calls Saudi Arabia a Major Non-NATO Ally in Boost to MBS President Donald Trump said he would formally designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally in a further strengthening of ties between the two countries, capping a day of dealmaking between the US l...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Can’t Look Away: The Case Against Social Media A documentary film explores the real-world consequences of tech companies’ digital practices and widespread concerns over harmful algorithms.

Branching out of my usual Russia/Ukraine/Eastern Europe/CIS channel to share this:

www.bloomberg.com/features/can...

Zelenskiy Says Ukraine’s Survival Rests on New Funds From Allies Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy implored European Union allies to overcome their divisions on the use of frozen Russian assets, saying fresh funding is critical for his war-battered economy to...

“They don’t respect the law, but they really respect the United States -- they respect President Trump,” Zelenskiy said of Russia. “I really think that President Trump can push Putin to negotiations.”

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trump Orders Nuclear Weapons Trials After Russia Tests President Donald Trump said the US would match its rivals in testing nuclear weapons after Russia in recent days announced trials of a nuclear-powered underwater drone and nuclear-capable cruise missi...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russia Renews Flights to Syrian Air Base in Rebuild of Relations Russia has resumed military flights to its Hmeimim airbase in Syria after an almost six-month hiatus, as the two countries work to rebuild relations following the toppling of Moscow’s ally, Bashar al-...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Rheinmetall Reshapes East Europe’s Soviet-Era Defense Industry The EU is betting billions of euros that the legacy of Bulgaria and Romania as Soviet-era ammunition powerhouses can be revived and retooled for the future battlefield.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russia’s Oil Business Takes a Hit From Fight Between Top Traders A dispute between rival traders is causing trouble for the oil business that Moscow built to keep the pumps working following Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russia Seeks Oil Sanctions Workaround to Offset Hit to Budget Russia anticipates a hit to the state budget from US sanctions against the country’s two largest oil producers over the war in Ukraine, though officials say they’re confident they’ll find ways to miti...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Putin Scraps Summit Over Lack of Attendance From Arab Leaders There simply weren’t enough Arab leaders saying ‘yes’ to warrant holding a summit. That’s what forced Russian President Vladimir Putin into a last-minute delay of an event he’d hoped would boost his s...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Putin’s War in Ukraine Is Breaking Russia’s Hold Over Its Former Empire When Vladimir Putin joins summits of former Soviet states in Tajikistan this week, the leaders around the table will most likely declare their close bonds with Russia. In reality, many have been dista...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Morocco Gen Z Protests Turn Deadly as Violence Gains Ground Morocco reported its first deaths from youth-led protests over poor public services and heavy spending on preparations for the 2030 men’s soccer World Cup.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russia Drafts Plan to Seize Assets If EU Acts on Funds Russia may nationalize and swiftly sell off foreign-owned assets under a new privatization mechanism in retaliation for any European moves to seize Russian holdings abroad, according to a person close...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Beirut’s Restaurant Scene Signals Lebanon Is Making a Comeback After a difficult few years, cafés and restaurants are full again as tourists return to the cosmopolitan streets of Lebanon’s capital.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Trump Says NATO Should Down Russian Jets Breaching Airspace President Donald Trump said NATO nations should shoot down Russian aircraft that violated their airspace and struck a more sympathetic tone on Ukraine’s chances of winning the war.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Strikes in Qatar, Poland Shake US Influence Among Friend and Foe The shock Israeli strike against Hamas officials in Doha, followed by Russian drones piercing the airspace of NATO ally Poland, delivered twin blows to President Donald Trump’s longtime boast that fri...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Russian Wargames Feed NATO Anxiety After Poland Drone Incursion Russia led a mobilization of some 200,000 troops four years ago as part of wargames with its ally Belarus. Months later, President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to invade Ukraine.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones After Air Space Violation Poland shot down drones that crossed into its territory during Russia’s latest massive air strike on neighboring Ukraine, calling it an “act of aggression.”

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Xi and Putin to Take Part in BRICS Trade Summit Without Modi China has confirmed that President Xi Jinping will take part in a virtual BRICS summit convened by Brazil to discuss Donald Trump’s trade policy. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will skip the mee...

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

High in the Arctic, Norway’s Uneasy Ties With Russia Are Fraying Arctic-power rivalry means Svalbard’s strategic importance is growing — but that can’t hide the Norwegian outpost’s identity crisis.

Fascinating from my colleagues:

www.bloomberg.com/features/202...

Echoes of sci-fi novels here.