Flagship

Sudan, Israel peace talks flounder

Separate sets of negotiations to end major wars in the Middle East and Africa appeared to get off to poor starts. In Doha, Hamas said it would not take part in ceasefire talks with Israel — each side accuses the other of intransigence — imperiling an effort that officials say is critical both to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Gaza and to avert a potential Iranian attack on Israel that could trigger a wider regional war. And in Geneva, neither side in Sudan’s civil war actually entered the negotiating room for talks aimed at ending that country’s 16-month conflict, which has engendered perhaps the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

MBS’ assassination worries

Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler is seemingly voicing worry over assassination attempts against him in relation to negotiations to establish formal diplomatic ties with Israel. According to Politico, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman nevertheless remains keen to secure the grand bargain — a long-awaited deal that would offer various US security guarantees to Riyadh. Discussions have stalled, however, over Israel’s apparent refusal to support a path toward a credible Palestinian state as well as its ongoing war in Gaza, suggesting that the crown prince is “saying his life is in danger to push US officials to raise pressure on Israel to bend to a deal he likes,” Politico’s senior foreign affairs correspondent wrote.

China slowdown persists

New economic data cemented concerns over China’s flagging economy. Retail sales growth was below analysts’ expectations, the unemployment rate rose, and property investment fell, while the country’s biggest steel producer warned of a “harsh winter” in the sector that will be “longer, colder and more difficult to endure than we expected.” China’s slowdown has spurred both OPEC and the International Energy Agency to downgrade expectations for global oil demand, while ING’s chief China economist said officials should loosen monetary policy and consider fiscal stimulus, warning that otherwise, “it will be very difficult to achieve the [government’s] 5% growth target for the year.”

China’s EV breakthroughs

A Chinese carmaker announced major battery upgrades that it said ensured its electric vehicles charged faster than Tesla’s. The claim by Zeekr underlined rapid progress across China’s automotive sector, with more likely on the way: Beijing is pushing lagging state-owned carmakers to more aggressively pursue EVs, business magazine Caixin reported. “And because of the ultracompetitive nature of the China market, we should expect breakthroughs like this to continue for the foreseeable future,” Tu Le of Sino Auto Insights wrote. Beyond Tesla, other traditional Western carmakers are also at risk, the automotive expert Michael Dunne wrote, “lulled into complacency by years of winning at selling gasoline-powered vehicles.”

Melbourne outlaws e-scooters

Melbourne banned electric scooters over claims they posed unacceptable safety risks to both riders and pedestrians. Once considered an innovative urban mobility solution, scooters have fallen out of fashion in much of the world due to a surge in injuries and the nuisance they represent when strewn across footpaths. Last year, Paris became the first European capital to outlaw them following a referendum in which more than 90% of people voted for a ban. The crackdown has sent the valuation of rental firms plummeting, with Bird Global, once one of the biggest operators in the world and a venture capitalist darling, filing for bankruptcy in December.

Greek wildfires expand

Wildfires in Greece expanded, with fears growing that the flames will reach Athens as temperatures rose above 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius). The fires come amid Greece’s peak season for tourism, an industry the country relies on for around a third of its GDP, Katherimini reported. Tourism to the Mediterranean countries dropped last year amid record heatwaves and wildfires. However travelers have continued to flock to Europe, with hoteliers in northern European and mountainous countries benefiting from visitors looking for “coolcations.” Scandinavia is “having a moment,” one expert told Fortune, with bookings rising 27% this year compared to the previous summer.

Germany’s Nord Stream warrant

German authorities reportedly issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian man over the 2022 bombing of the Nord Stream pipeline, an attack that disrupted gas supplies to Europe. Moscow, Kyiv, Washington, and London have all variously traded blame over the act of sabotage, and though Berlin is after a Ukrainian man — whom German media said subsequently escaped to Ukraine — Polish officials have previously argued signs of Ukrainian involvement were a “false flag” planted by Russia. The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reported that Ukraine’s president approved a plan to blow up the pipeline before later calling it off, only for his own commander-in-chief to go ahead anyway. Kyiv denied those allegations.

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LatAm fertility rate plummets

Latin America’s fertility rate fell further below the so-called replacement rate, piling pressure on regional governments to act before their economies suffer a demographic disaster. Although some reasons for the decline — less pressure on women to have children and the wider availability of contraception — are signs of progress, the fall could nonetheless aggravate inequality in what’s already the world’s most unequal region, Bloomberg’s Latin America columnist argued. Latin America’s challenge in some ways mirrors similar demographic difficulties in Europe and parts of East Asia, which are grappling with aging or even shrinking populations. “In the end, Latin America needs to improve its standard of living to increase its fertility rate, not the other way around,” Juan Pablo Spinetto wrote.

European soccer clubs tour US

Several top European soccer teams headed to the US for preseason games. The soccer season is gearing up to kick off in earnest, and teams usually play so-called friendly games in preparation. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, AC Milan, Manchester City, and Arsenal are among those who flew Stateside this year — along with smaller teams such as Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wrexham AFC. Many European teams have American owners, and want to boost their presence in the growing and lucrative US market, while the cities enjoy the tourist income and excitement. “Soccer fans are more rabid than NFL fans,” the mayor of Inglewood, Los Angeles, told The Athletic. “It adds to the ambience of the city.”

Stonehenge’s Scottish origins

Stonehenge’s famous central altar stone came from Scotland, not the much-nearer Wales as previously thought. The six-tonne stone was taken from the far north of Scotland, around 430 miles (700km) away, according to new research published in Nature. The discovery suggested those who established Stonehenge were more complex and capable than scientists had thought. The landmark finding was nevertheless met with mixed emotions by lead researcher Anthony Clarke, a Welsh PhD student: “I don’t think I’ll be forgiven by people back home,” he told the BBC. “It will be a great loss for Wales!”

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• Japan holds a ceremony to commemorate the 79th anniversary of its World War Two surrender.
• India marks its Independence Day.
• The Women’s Scottish Open tees off in Ayrshire.

The number of people around the world who have a dating app on their phone, up from 250 million in 2018. Satisfaction with these apps has plummeted, though, cratering the valuations of Bumble and Match, two leading providers. Users grumble about spending endless hours sorting through tens of thousands of profiles with little success, with many apps skewing heavily towards men: 84% of Tinder users are male, as are 61% of those on Bumble, which is targeted at women. “It’s not fun, it’s so superficial, and it’s also just like really exhausting,” a user told The Economist.

Amrikan: 125 Recipes from the Indian American Diaspora, by Khushbu Shah. The book was inspired by Shah’s upbringing in Michigan in the 1980s, when her mother had to adapt dishes from her native Gujarat to the products she could find in US supermarkets. For instance her mother used Bisquick — pre-mixed pancake batter — as a replacement for khoya, a slowly boiled-down milk common in India. The result, according to Shah, is “even better than the traditional version.” Buy Amrikan from your local bookstore.

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