| Wage restraint | Democrats in the U.S. Senate are dropping a proposal to tax companies that don't raise their minimum wage, in a bid to secure quick passage of Biden's $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package. As Steven T. Dennis and Erik Wasson explain, efforts to win support from all 50 Senate Democrats would risk missing the March 14 deadline for extending supplemental unemployment benefits. Trump's back | Trump teased a possible run for the presidency in 2024 in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference yesterday that showed his continued command of the Republican party. In his first public appearance since leaving office, he attacked Biden's stimulus plan as a "a $1.9 trillion boondoggle" and fellow Republicans who hold him responsible for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Tensions surge | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of attacking one of its cargo ships last week in the Gulf of Oman, heightening tensions over Biden's desire to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. Iran rejected the accusation. Netanyahu opposes the U.S.'s return to the pact, saying it would pave the way for Iran to build a nuclear weapon.  Location of incident according to U.K. Maritime Trade Operations. Source: Bloomberg Gulf pivot | The United Arab Emirates is scaling back its role in foreign conflicts, accelerating a shift from policies it pursued after the 2011 Arab Spring, with the new administration in the U.S. a key factor. The oil-rich nation has reduced arms and logistical support for Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar and is dismantling parts of its base in Eritrea, vacating troops used to support the Saudi-led coalition's war in Yemen.
Border unease | After the deadliest fighting in decades, India and China are setting up demilitarized areas along their disputed Himalayan border. But, as Sudhi Ranjan Sen reports, the move has rankled some members of India's security establishment who believe the creation of non-militarized areas works in Beijing's favor. What to Watch -
Hong Kong protesters risked arrest outside a local court in the biggest demonstration in months, as dozens of pro-democracy activists were jailed on subversion charges. -
Beijing has stepped up requirements for entering the city ahead of the NPC meeting this week. -
Foreign ministers of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations are expected to discuss the coup in Myanmar when they meet this week. -
Allies of President Nayib Bukele are on track to win a landslide in El Salvador congressional elections, according to a partial vote count. -
A string of mass abductions of students is disrupting education in Nigeria, which already has one of the highest number of out-of-school children globally. Thanks to the more than 60 people who responded to our quiz question — almost all correctly — and congratulations to Mond Mckenzie, who was the first to identify India as the country that made the rare move of naming a stadium after a leader who's both living and in power. And finally ... A rise in food prices couldn't have come at a worse time. As the pandemic wreaks havoc on the global economy, it has ushered in new concerns about hunger and malnutrition, even in the world's wealthiest countries such as the U.S., where the poorest Americans already spend 36% of their income on food. There is little chance of a respite soon due to poor weather, increased demand and virus-mangled international supply chains.  Volunteers from the Kindness Homeless Street Team charity prepare food at George Square in Glasgow, U.K. on Feb. 22. Photographer: Emily Macinnes/Bloomberg | 
Post a Comment