Flagship

US response may imperil hostage deal

Any U.S. retaliation for a deadly drone strike near the Jordan-Syria border could undermine efforts to reach a deal for Hamas’ release of Israeli hostages, illustrating the vexing and interlocked nature of the Middle East conflict. Three U.S. troops were killed in the attack, claimed by a Tehran-backed militant group. Washington is reportedly considering options including a direct strike on Iran, but Qatar warned that a response could hurt delicate negotiations over the more than 100 hostages still held in Gaza. The expanding war points to the growing heft of Iran, increasingly able to leverage proxy militias in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and elsewhere to pressure the U.S., the French geopolitical analyst Dominique Moisi noted in Les Echos.

In Gaza, the U.N.’s Palestinian aid agency was close to running out of money after more than a dozen countries suspended their donations over Israel’s allegations that some of the organization’s employees took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that triggered the war. The agency’s collapse may, however, place yet more pressure on Israel, putting it in charge of all aid distribution. “I would be happy if [the U.N. agency] would be closed,” one former Israel general told The New York Times. “But you know, there is no other organization.”

Khan jailed ahead of Pakistan elections

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was jailed for 10 years for leaking state secrets, a case his political party described as a “sham.” Khan was accused of leaking an encrypted diplomatic message in 2022: He had claimed the message showed that his removal from office in a no-confidence vote was a conspiracy between the U.S. and the Pakistani military. He has been behind bars since August and many of his political allies have been arrested. The sentencing, which took place behind closed doors Tuesday, comes barely a week before Pakistan’s parliamentary elections on Feb. 8. Khan, as a convicted criminal, is banned from running in them.

First Alzheimer’s transmission found

Scientists documented the first cases of transmitted Alzheimer’s disease. Five instances of early-onset dementia were recorded in London, all in patients who as children had received growth-hormone transfusions, taken from the brains of human cadavers, STAT reported. The procedure is known to have caused Creutzfeldt-Jakob (“mad cow”) disease, by passing small amounts of a misfolded protein, or prion, into the recipient, which then causes proteins in the brain to change shape. The discovery that something similar can cause Alzheimer’s may shed light on the “amyloid hypothesis” — the widespread but controversial theory that the disease is caused by plaques of a particular protein that build in the brain. Cadaveric growth hormone has been replaced in treatment by a synthetic hormone, so similar cases are no longer possible.

NATO chief lobbies for Ukraine in DC

NATO’s secretary-general began a lobbying tour of Washington this week, focusing in particular on persuading conservatives and allies of ex-President Donald Trump to unblock military funding for Ukraine. Stoltenberg’s trip — which includes talks with House Speaker Mike Johnson and a speech to the conservative Heritage Foundation, both of whom have expressed skepticism over such aid — comes amid growing concern for Kyiv’s battlefield prospects: The White House’s 2024 strategy for Ukraine does not foresee any significant territorial gains, according to The Washington Post. In part, that is down to Republicans’ “blending of domestic politics with foreign policy decisions” by tying aid for Kyiv to a domestic border-security deal, an intertwining that “can have dire consequences,” the Ukraine analyst Olga Lautman argued.

Brazil is top buyer of Russian diesel

Brazilian imports of Russian diesel rose 6,000% year-on-year in 2023, making it Moscow’s biggest buyer. The country also imported record amounts of fuel oil, boosting the Russian economy by more than $8.5 billion. Although the surge is partly about realpolitik — Brazil’s agribusinesses depend on diesel and the country is buying energy at a discount — it also reflects President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s ambivalence towards Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine: Lula previously claimed Kyiv bore equal responsibility with Moscow for the escalation in the conflict. According to a Brazil expert, the rise in fuel imports highlights Russia’s “all-weather friendship” with Brazil, China, and India, countries that have largely kept Moscow’s economy afloat.

Italy-Africa summit points to tensions

African leaders attending a Rome conference called for a “paradigm shift” in the continent’s relations with the West, away from aid and towards deeper economic cooperation. Though the summit, attended by dozens of African leaders and senior European officials, resulted in €5.5 billion worth of pledges for investment and trade, the head of the African Union Commission noted continental representatives had not been consulted prior to the talks. “Africa does not need charity,” Kenya’s president — an advocate of leveraging his country’s natural resources for financing in the form of carbon offsets — added, according to the Kenyan daily The Star.

HK readies new security law

Hong Kong will pass a new national-security law soon, officials said, one that is even more draconian than legislation imposed by Beijing in 2020 to quell huge pro-democracy protests. The city’s leader referenced ostensibly similar laws in democratic societies such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S., argued Hong Kong faced increased pressure from foreign espionage and intelligence operations, and described the 2019 demonstrations — in which millions of people took to the streets at one point — as the city’s “version of a color revolution,” Hong Kong Free Press reported. Though prior attempts to pass similar national-security laws triggered mass protests, a long-running crackdown on freedoms in Hong Kong means similar marches are unlikely, analysts said.

Meet The Hustle — a breezy, witty, and insightful 5-minute morning read for staying sharp on business and tech. Weekdays offer a curated roundup of impactful trends, while Sunday’s issue delves deeper into fascinating businesses and founders. Join 2.5M+ others — sign up here.

Wanted: Someone who remembers Windows 3.11

A German railway is seeking an IT administrator to supervise critical railway infrastructure but who understands MS-DOS and Windows 3.11. It’s not just German railways that run on ancient tech: Some aircraft still use software that must be updated using 5.25” floppy disks, and the U.S. military used 1970s-era IBM computers in its nuclear program until 2019, TechSpot reported. After all, these systems are tried and tested. All things must end sometime, though: Microsoft is finally removing its basic text editor WordPad from Office, after 28 years, and Japan will soon end its requirement that businesses file many documents via floppy disks and CD-ROMs.

Newborn great white spotted for first time

A newborn great white shark was photographed for what is believed to be the first time. The great white is the world’s largest predatory shark, and one of the most recognizable marine animals. But its lifecycle is largely mysterious: Scientists know it gives birth to live young, but where it does so has never been found. The roughly five-foot-long juvenile was seen by a drone photographer off the California coast, confirming speculation that there is a breeding ground there. It was covered in a milky white substance believed to feed the creature in its mother’s womb, and is thought to have been just a few hours old. One scientist told Science that learning where the pups are born is the “holy grail” for conservationists.

Palestine’s Asian Cup run ends

Palestine’s national soccer team was knocked out of the Asian Cup despite a spirited performance against the hosts, and defending champions, Qatar. Palestine took the lead in what the Qatari coach called an “emotional” game, but the hosts responded with two goals to get through to the quarter-finals. Palestine’s players, though, leave with their heads held high: They recorded their first-ever win in the competition, and progressed to the knockout stages for the first time. The campaign has naturally been overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war: Several members of the squad have lost loved ones, and even opposing fans have been vocal in supporting the team. The Palestinian coach said: “We came here with one goal, to make our people happy. And we did it.”

Whoops: Yesterday we said that Daniil Medvedev defeated Novak Djokovic on his way to the Australian Open men’s final. It was of course the eventual winner, Jannik Sinner, who defeated Djokovic in the semi-final. Thanks to the many of you who pointed that out.

• A U.S.-China Counternarcotics Working Group is expected to hold its first meeting in Beijing.
• Thousands of Sri Lankans are set to protest against steep tax increases.
• House of Flame and Shadow, the third book in Sarah Maas’ Crescent City series, is published.

The length in miles of England’s historic hedgerows, enough to girdle the world 10 times. Farmers in England have used hedges, long lines of small trees and bushes, to mark land boundaries and keep livestock since the Bronze Age: Some of the oldest are nearly a thousand years old. Entire ecosystems have evolved to live in them: They are vital to mammals, birds, and insects. A new aerial mapping effort revealed the extent of England’s hedges. Although half of them were lost to development between the 1940s and 1990s, huge stretches still remain, especially in the south-west.

A documentary about the unlikely ascent of Bobi Wine, a Ugandan pop star-turned-politician, was nominated for an Oscar. Bobi Wine: The People’s President charts how the opposition leader became the biggest challenger to the nearly 40-year rule of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. It’s the first Oscars film nomination for Uganda, noted the Baobab newsletter, calling it “a tale of a voice rising from the slums, challenging power and dreaming of freedom.” Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, lost a tense election to Museveni in 2021, after a campaign marked by a deadly crackdown on the opposition. He has been arrested multiple times and faced several charges, including treason.

• Amazon and iRobot deal falls through after an EU antitrust block.
• What an Evergrande liquidation ruling will mean for China and Hong Kong.
• There’s more turmoil at Westbrook, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s media company.