Flagship

US tries to stem broader war

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the Middle East to try and stem a broader war in the region as attacks between U.S. forces and Iranian-backed militias escalated. An Iran-linked organization took responsibility for a drone strike on Monday that killed six U.S.-backed fighters in Syria, one one of over 100 attacks Tehran has orchestrated on American military bases in Iraq and Syria since the war in Gaza began. Blinken started his trip in Saudi Arabia and will soon meet with leaders in Israel, Qatar, Egypt, and the West Bank — crucial players in ongoing negotiations over potentially halting the fighting in Gaza.

US-China to hold econ talks

Top U.S. Treasury officials are heading to Beijing this week to solidify economic ties after a year of tense and deteriorating relations. The meetings are part of the two country’s efforts at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum last November to thaw their relationship, but multiple hurdles remain: U.S. officials will raise numerous concerns with Beijing, including China’s use of non-market practices, like government subsidies and industrial overcapacity, which they argue flood international markets with cheap products, according to the New York Times. And Washington’s restrictions on investments on national security reasons and Beijing’s throttling of graphite exports — crucial for EV batteries — remain sore spots in bilateral ties.

Huawei sales surge

Huawei is becoming a top brand in China’s smartphone market again after the U.S. blacklisted the company in 2019, crippling its cell phone business by prohibiting it from using American software. Huawei gained market share after the release of its immensely popular Mate 60 Pro 5G smartphone, which uses a powerful Chinese-developed computer chip. China’s smartphone industry is rebounding overall after several rocky years: Shipments grew by 6.5% to 289 million units in 2023, according to China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. The sales are worrying signs for U.S. firms like Apple, which saw a decline in mainland sales in the fourth quarter.

Fears about sci-fi censorship

A prestigious science fiction and fantasy writers award is embroiled in a controversy over apparent Chinese state censorship. The Hugo Awards have an unusually transparent judging procedure: All vote counts are publicly declared. But four entrants this year were marked “ineligible,” with no reason given, despite having enough votes to be finalists and perhaps winners. They included fantasy legend Neil Gaiman and up-and-coming Chinese-American author R.F. Kuang. The 2023 ceremony was held in Chengdu, China, and all four “ineligible” writers have previously criticized the Chinese government. Esquire reported that sci-fi fans have “coalesced around two theories”: Either there was a miscount, or “the ineligible writers were censored under pressure from the Chinese Communist Party.”

Yandex exits Russia

The parent company of Yandex — dubbed “Russia’s Google” — agreed to sell its Russian assets to a group of Kremlin-backed investors, marking the largest corporate exit from Russia since the start of the Ukraine war. The $5.2 billion deal is designed to protect Yandex’s business from sanctions imposed on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Once hailed as the poster child of Russia’s burgeoning tech sector, Yandex executives have repeatedly tried — and failed —- to brand the company as free from Kremlin influence. The company is spinning the sale in a positive light, saying it hopes the move will allow it to concentrate on its artificial intelligence businesses, which it says are already operating outside of Moscow’s control.

Ukraine government overhaul

Kyiv is eyeing a “reset” of military and government leadership, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told Italian outlet Rai news, following weeks of rumors about tensions building between the leader and top military commanders. His comments come after he reportedly moved to remove military chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, worrying some observers that Zelenskyy is rapidly centralizing power and creating a one-man political system “no longer…any different from Russia.” While the leader’s allies are saying say that the leadership shake-up is a purely domestic matter, many are also concerned that an upheaval of command could disrupt troop morale and complicate Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Moscow.

Academics flee Hong Kong

A record number of professors and researchers left Hong Kong’s public universities last year, according to newly released government data. 380 academics left their posts, raising the city-wide turnover rate to 7.6% — the highest in two decades. Many academies are concerned that Hong Kong schools have become “less autonomous” since Beijing’s National Security Law passed in 2020, which prompted universities to surveil, punish, and eject researchers who criticized the Chinese government or promoted controversial political topics. Hong Kong is currently considering even stricter national security legislation “totally designed to eliminate any voice” critical of the government, argued a Hong Kong political commentator.

Russian agents in unusual places

Prominent Russian activists and journalists are part of Moscow’s infamous assassination agency accused of poisoning opposition figure Sergei Skripal, reported the Russia-focused investigative site The Insider. The revelations suggest that Russian President Vladamir Putin prefers his foreign black ops team to spy on his enemies at home, the site reported. Observers say that Moscow’s traditional intelligence agencies are outdated and failing to advance Putin’s war efforts. Moscow’s foreign influence and surveillance operations have only intensified since the Ukraine invasion and are working to spin pro-Russia sentiment in Europe: The Insider broke news last week that a Latvian Member of the European Parliament and an aide to Germany’s far-right AfD party are also reportedly FSB agents.

Japan invites nomads

Japan will introduce a new six-month visa intended for “digital nomads,” remote workers whose job is in a different country. The system, which could start next month, will make it easier for high-skilled workers to live in Japan who earn at least 10 million yen ($67,000) annually. After COVID-19 lockdowns were lifted, remote work remained popular, prompting many professionals to realize they could do their job from anywhere, including places where performing job duties could be combined with sightseeing and tourism. The phenomenon represents a “cultural shift,” two academics wrote in Harvard Business Review, as workers turn away from “solid” lives based on a stable home — which many younger people cannot afford anyway — and towards a flexible, possessions-light, “liquid” lifestyle.

Predicted ‘solar flip’

The sun’s magnetic field could flip this year. The sun has a magnetic north and south, just like the Earth or any common magnet does. But unlike the Earth, it also has a roughly 11-year cycle of activity, at the end of which sunspot activity increases and its polarity reverses. The sun last flipped in 2013, Vox noted. There are more sun-watching satellites than ever before, and scientists believe monitoring the events could help predict future solar weather, such as “coronal mass ejections” which can send high-energy particles flooding towards Earth. The flip itself is associated with these CMEs, meaning that 2024 could see spectacular auroras or even — if the ejections are really dramatic — damage to satellites or the electrical grid.

Feb. 6:

• Nevada holds Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections.
• Singapore hosts a 1500-drone aerial show to celebrate the year of the dragon.
• Nippon Steel, Spotify, and Uber report 2023 Q4 earnings.

A Vietnamese bakery in New Orleans has become the local go-to for Mardi Gras king cakes, which traditionally marked the arrival of the three wise kings in Bethlehem who delivered gifts to baby Jesus. After building its reputation on its delicious brioche and Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes, Dong Phuong bakery decided to adapt its menu for New Orleans’ festive season, instantly becoming a hit. It now bakes about 1,600 of the colorful, sprinkle-topped pastries a day during Mardi Gras, the Washington Post reported. New Orleans is home to one of the largest Vietnamese populations in the United States.

• The Senate unveiled its border bill. House Republicans immediately declared it dead.
• Global Election Hot List: AMLO, Khan, and Maduro
• Senegal’s parliament mulls election delay amid rising tensions.

An earlier version of this newsletter indicated Ukraine’s president had already fired the country’s military chief, rather than signaled he was planning to fire him.