| 'Like a war' | At his crowded emergency room in central Delhi, Ali Raza can't focus on when the next delivery of oxygen will arrive — 12 of his 20 doctors have Covid-19, and patients keep coming. As Ruth Pollard and Sudhi Ranjan Sen explain, it's a glimpse of the desperate situation unfolding in India, where the world's fastest-growing virus surge threatens to spawn new variants and slow the pandemic recovery. - For months, developed economies have held onto vaccines and the raw materials to make them. Now India's outbreak is forcing them to act.
Softer tone | Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman showed a lighter touch in comments on regional rival Iran, saying he hopes the countries can resolve their differences and "have a good and positive relationship." In a rare interview on a Saudi television channel last night, the de-facto ruler also said the kingdom is in agreement with the Biden administration about 90% of the time. Tit for tat | Tensions between Asia's biggest economic powers heightened this week as Japan described China as an international security threat in its so-called diplomatic Blue Book and Beijing taunted Japan over its handling of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Friction has worsened in recent months as Tokyo joined the U.S. and Europe in criticizing China over its crackdown in Hong Kong and alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. Non-stick scandals | Boris Johnson may be mired in allegations of sleaze and cronyism in his government, yet members of his Conservative Party say U.K. voters aren't that fussed about it ahead of key local elections next week. With the party generally enjoying a double-digit lead in national polls, there's no backlash for now over the claims, according to lawmakers interviewed by Bloomberg. - The European Parliament ratified the post-Brexit trade accord with the U.K., the final step in the divorce that ends four years of political brinkmanship.
Vaccine reluctance | Many Russians are refusing to be vaccinated against Covid-19 even as President Vladimir Putin exhorts them to take one of three homegrown shots amid evidence the country faces a third wave of infections. Longstanding mistrust of the authorities and months of upbeat government assessments that the virus is under control have depressed demand for inoculations, Evgenia Pismennaya and Jake Rudnitsky report. - Russia protested a move by Brazil to block imports of Sputnik V, citing a "lack of consistent and reliable data" on the shot's safety.
- Japan is one of the worst performers in the race to vaccinate, putting the July Summer Olympics at risk
 Signage points to a vaccination center inside the Afimall City shopping center in Moscow on Jan. 20. Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg What to Watch -
The European Commission is seeking powers to levy fines or block deals by foreign state-owned companies, a thinly veiled response to the economic clout of China. -
Argentina's Patagonia shale fields face a fourth week of blockades as health workers demand pay hikes to keep pace with one of the highest inflation rates in the world. - Brazil's Senate opened a probe into the government's response to the pandemic, as President Jair Bolsonaro's opponents seek to expose a key vulnerability ahead of his 2022 re-election bid.
- Somalia's president said he's ready to hold elections after a plan to extend his mandate without a vote drew international condemnation and stoked violence in the Horn of Africa nation.
And finally ... Airlines have imposed Covid-era changes to cut the risk of contagion, but one measure — boarding passengers seated at the back of the plane first — actually increases the chance of catching the virus, according to a study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal. Back-to-front boarding is also twice as risky as letting passengers on at random because of closer contact as they stow their luggage, the study said.  Cabin crew check seating ahead of a flight operated by Wizz Air in Budapest, Hungary, on May 25, 2020. Photographer: Akos Stiller/Bloomberg
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