Saturday, March 4, 2023

Welcome to the weekend. I'm Kate Turton, newsletter editor, and covering for Robert. We have the latest news from the war in Ukraine, the fallout from Nigeria's election, questions about the devastating train crash in Greece, and more Western government bans of TikTok amid security concerns.

A local resident walks along an empty street, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the frontline city of Bakhmut, Ukraine February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Alex Babenko

Russia close to encircling Bakhmut after months of fighting

The fall? From the start of the week, when Russian forces were 'tightening the noose' on Bakhmut, to Friday, when a Russian mercenary claimed the city had been effectively surrounded, the battle for the city has been a bloody one.
Nord Stream pipelines: Amid soaring tensions between Moscow and the West, sources revealed exclusively to Reuters that Russia is set to mothball damaged Nord Stream gas pipelines.

Nigeria's election results challenged

Is it his turn? Nigerian President-elect Bola Tinubu, the candidate from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) campaigned under the slogan 'it's my turn'. The so-called godfather of Lagos won with just 37% of the vote, beating Peoples Democratic party (PDP) candidate, Atiku Abubakar (29%), and Peter Obi of the Labour party (25%).
Not so fast: Obi and Abubakar have both indicated they intend to challenge the results in court, but Morgan Stanley turned 'bullish' on Nigeria bonds after the election and Obi has already started to lay out his plans.

Windsor framework takes friendly fire

Rishi's Irish stew: On Monday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struck a deal with the European Union on post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, but the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) continues to withhold its approval. What does the historic Northern Ireland deal really mean? Listen to the Reuters World News Podcast to find out.
Boris hints at Tory rebellion: While the unionists decide whether to bestow their stamp of approval, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed he would have a hard time supporting the deal. Johnson's criticism isn't entirely surprising; nonetheless Sterling fell against the U.S. dollar and euro after Johnson's comments, extending losses from earlier in the day.

Growing anger in Greece over train crash

Protests and strikes: Amid anger following a train crash that killed at least 57 people, Greek railway workers extended their strike to a second day with more protest rallies planned. The station master of Greece's Larissa city, who was charged on Thursday over the country's worst train crash, assumes some responsibility for the disaster.
What went wrong? In the hours and days following the crash, there were already questions about how it could have been prevented. And while the station master has taken some responsibility, the new Greek transport minister has promised answers.

Bans of TikTok in multiple countries

Now Canada bans TikTok too: Canada joins the list of countries banning TikTok on government-issued devices. The European Parliament became the latest EU body to ban the app from staff phones this week and a U.S. House panel approved a bill giving President Biden the power to ban the app altogether.
Security fears: TikTok is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, and there are concerns about whether China's government could harvest user data or advance its interests. Beijing has repeatedly denied any such intentions.

Before I forget...

The best of Reuters this week: Elon Musk made grand promises for Neuralink's brain chips, but so far they have faced backlash, investigations, and failed to achieve some of their more modest goals. Petrochemicals giant Dow said it was recycling our shoes; we found them at an Indonesian flea market. Before the war, Ukraine was considered Europe's bread basket, but research has shown that the damage to the soil and the world's food supplies will likely take years to recover. And a Reuters photographer spent the day with embattled Republican George Santos.
Science and research: South African scientists have come up with a novel way to wage war on an invasive water weed – bugs. Newly released genetics studies have revealed more about the hardships faced by early humans in Europe. A globe-spanning U.S. intelligence investigation has concluded "very unlikely" a foreign adversary is responsible for the "Havana syndrome" ailment that has afflicted diplomats, spies, and other personnel worldwide. Diabetics rejoiced this week as Eli Lilly announced it will cut list prices by 70% for its most commonly prescribed insulin products.

Robert will be back next Saturday to welcome you to the weekend. Thanks for reading.

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