Bedugul Coffee: US aims for accelerated peace deal in Ukraine

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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to what might be the longest Weekend Briefing we've ever written. It won't be a slog, I promise. And as today's hors d'oeuvres, I suggest the latest edition of AI&Us which explores artificial intelligence's conjunction with religion, our Culture Current interview with Ai Weiwei on AI's impact on freedom of expression, and City Memo's tour of Cortina d'Ampezzo. And sign up for our Inside Track newsletter with Olympics updates by our global sports editor Ossian Shine. You won't regret it.

US aims for accelerated peace deal in Ukraine

REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

Exclusive: U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators discussed an ambitious March goal for Russia and Ukraine to agree to a peace deal. That timeline is likely to slip and some observers view it as fanciful, sources said. Our Wider Image team spent three days with one family, their cats and dogs, and seven small pigs, to offer a portrait of how families are coping with extreme cold during Russia's relentless assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. I also recommend this video of life with the Davydenkos.
Iran negotiations: Tehran's top diplomat said nuclear talks were off to a good start and set to continue, while Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said dialogue depends on the U.S. refraining from threats and pressure. The U.S. wanted to expand the talks to ballistic missiles, Iran's support for armed groups in the region and treatment of Iranians. Araqchi said Iran is not open to those talks.

Epstein scandal reverberates around the world

Spreading stain: The Justice Department's latest cache of files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is implicating politicians, royalty and the rich all over the place. Police are searching two addresses linked to the UK's former U.S. ambassador Peter Mandelson. The former Prince Andrew moved out of his mansion under cover of darkness.
And in the U.S.: Bill and Hillary Clinton avoided potential contempt charges by agreeing to testify in a congressional investigation. Longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia resigned in shame from protein-bar company David Protein. Queens University Belfast cut ties with former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell. Brad Karp, longtime chairman of Wall Street law firm Paul Weiss, fell on his sword.

U.S. moves to deport 5-year-old boy

Liam Conejo Ramos: The Department of Homeland Security denied that it was seeking the Ecuadorian boy's expedited removal. Ramos and his father arrived legally as asylum applicants, but were detained in Minnesota in January. A judge ordered their release on Jan. 31. A federal judge allowed the release of bodycam footage, text messages and other evidence in the case of a Chicago woman who was shot multiple times by border agents last fall.
Football thaw: The NFL and federal law-enforcement officials said ICE won't mount any operations around Super Bowl Sunday in the San Francisco Bay Area. A phalanx of law enforcement from every other stripe, on the other hand? Check. FAA drone restrictions? Check. Las Vegas sportsbooks betting on the Patriots upsetting the Seahawks? But of course.

AI gives and AI takes away

Historic high: The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit the historic 50,000 mark on Friday and the S&P 500 ended sharply higher as Nvidia's and other chipmakers' stocks soared. Their gain comes at the expense of Amazon and Alphabet. Amazon's share price fell after it said it will raise its spending on artificial-intelligence technology.
Headache for investors: Big Tech's AI spending plans are creating a conundrum as the market tries to assess the technology's implications for profits while presenting a potential existential threat to software firms and other companies. This is hitting asset managers and private-equity companies that are exposed to loans and leverage tied to the business.

Hims' obesity pill rattles drugmaker rivals

Compounding: Hims' & Hers' $49 compounded version of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy pill is threatening its rivals' returns in the United States, and they absolutely do not like it. This comes after Novo warned of a possible 13% drop in profits and sales this year as Trump puts pressure on drugmakers to lower drug prices. PS you're going to see scads of ads for these drugs during the Super Bowl.
Saving: Customers are becoming more frugal and consumer-goods companies are noticing. PepsiCo is cutting its prices on some of its biggest brands. Chipotle forecast weak annual sales as did Oreo maker Mondelez. Newell Brands cut prices on its baby-care and Rubbermaid products. KFC's parent Yum Brands topped its same-store sales estimates as diners sought value meals. Trump repeatedly claims he's beaten inflation and that prices are falling. The numbers don't back him up.

Greenland shatters temperature record

Clearly visible: Greenland experienced its warmest January on record, with temperatures averaging just above freezing, well higher than the historical average of -7.7C or 19.4F during the past three decades. In Kenya, drought is killing cattle and goats and threatening Maasai herders with a hunger crisis.
Storm damage: Portugal faces more than $4.7 billion in direct reconstruction costs following Storm Kristin. Storm Leonardo blew across the Iberian peninsula, threatening landslides, wind and rain. Morocco urged residents to evacuate as heavy rain, swollen rivers and water released from dams threatens the northwestern plains.

Before I forget…

The White House posted a video online that depicted Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, initially defending it before taking it down following accusations of racism. Trump refused to apologize.
Prosecutors in Milan are investigating an 80-year-old retired Italian truck driver in its probe into alleged sniper tourism during the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s.
The son of Norway's crown princess denied that he drugged the alleged victim in one of the rapes he was charged with. His mother Mette-Marit apologized for her association with Jeffrey Epstein.
A white separatist group in South Africa laid claim to land that descendants of Dutch settlers acquired from a Zulu king and later lost to Britain.
Lufthansa is reappraising its actions during the Nazi era to take greater responsibility for its past.
Amazon "hired" Chris Hemsworth as chief heartthrob of Alexa Devices for a tie-in to its Super Bowl ad scheduled for this weekend. It struck some employees as tone deaf given the company's recent gutting of its own staff and a bloodbath at the Washington Post, which Jeff Bezos owns.
Our coverage of the Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo is nearly encyclopedic, and I mean that in a good way. Here is our schedule of events. And if I had to pick one story to highlight, I'd probably go with the big clicker about the talk of ski jumpers injecting their penises with paraffin or hyaluronic acid. Apparently it makes scientific sense.
Wanted: Volunteers to hold nuclear waste forever. Asking for a government.

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