A serious issue in developing markets that lack the wherewithal to provide social services to ageing populations. Some will find themselves relying on migration to fill the gap, making them vulnerable to populist, nativist politicians.

Man-made climate change intensified the rain that fell over Spain’s Valencia region in 2024, when flash floods and landslides caused at least 230 deaths and an estimated €29 billion in damages FREE read via @bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

It's out of my price range, but I want this so much!

Tommy Robinson: asylum seeker.

Something compelled me to make this

Yes, Democrats could win the Senate. Ron Brownstein explains the obstacles, the opportunities, and the key variables to watch. You don’t have to be a political junkie to love this conversation. But if you are a political junkie, I think it’s kind of a must watch. www.youtube.com/watch?v=69fx...

BREAKING: Morgan McSweeney quits as Keir Starmer's chief of staff amid fall-out from the Mandelson scandal

There are drawdowns. And then there’s Melania Coin.

Well, @midwesthedgie.bsky.social hasn't had a down year either. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

This is what the market looks like BEFORE DeepSeek's new model drops. 🤔

@robarmstrong.bsky.social framing it well on the other site:

BIG news from @bloomberg.com, which confirms that ICE has gone ahead and *purchased* multiple commercial warehouses with the aim of converting them into mass detention camps. This is likely to be the big detention story of 2026 — literal warehousing of people. www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

Profiles in courage.

Seven of the 10 best-performing economies in 2025 were EU countries — so Europe should stop talking itself down, the IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva has told POLITICO. 🔗 www.politico.eu/article/euro...

I suspect @nigella.bsky.social is going to be huge in America.

German defense giant Rheinmetall plans to ramp up production to 1.5 million 155mm artillery shells per year, surpassing the combined output of the entire U.S. military industry.

USD getting taken apart in APAC Monday morning trading. Singapore dollar highest since 2014. Yen up 1% versus the dollar. Giddy up.

I just listened to the @empirepoduk.bsky.social miniseries on cricket and was shocked to note that while Etonian @willdalrymple.bsky.social was eager to point out that the villainous Douglas Jardine went to Winchester, he forgot to mention that Indian cricket hero Tiger Pataudi did too.

I'm completely out of my depth. I'm one of 3 people responsible for investment fund of £2bn. I got here by blagging, incompetence of my superiors, and good timing. I rely on advisors and repeating keywords I've heard from others. I need an exit strategy before I get found out

One year in, it's Hobbes all the way down. Me & @dandrezner.bsky.social in @foreignaffairs.com. www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

Can anyone explain the significance of the Senegalese goalie's towel?

Maria Corina Machado had the chance to do something very funny. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thi...

Reminder: Bluesky drinks for folk into politics, econ, finance even a bit of sciency stuff. Wed 11 Feb. 645pm on. North London pub. DM me for the venue. 24 signed up so far. If you know the venue and are coming let me know so I can gauge numbers, book table, hire room, etc.

One of these countries is scarier than the other

The Church is suffering recruitment problems apparently.

Maduristas love to bang on about gringo imperialism, but nothing's going to prove them wrong like deposing their leader, moving gun boats to their coasts and then forcing them to open up their natural resources sector by blockading their exports.

WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize. “If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

Cuba has declared two days of mourning after confirming that 32 of its citizens, military and intelligence personnel, were killed while defending Nicolás Maduro during the U.S. extraction operation. According to Reuters, the total reported death toll from the operation is around 80.

Here’s a gift link to our live blog www.bloomberg.com/news/live-bl...

Meanwhile in Caracas....

I just gave up reading Henry Miller's 'Tropic of Cancer' for about the fourth time. I don't like giving up on books, but it seems like it's just aged really, really badly. Am I alone in this? Is there anyone out there who loves it and wants to stand up for it?

I once shared a train carriage from London to Manchester with a completely naked man. When the guard came to ask for tickets, he pretended to pat his pockets and said "I'm sure I left it here somewhere." I read later that he was arrested at the station for indecent exposure (he had lost a bet.)

Chilean academics fear funding cuts under new far-right leader www.timeshighereducation.com/news/chilean...

I misheard a radio ad for this truck and thought it was called Hitla. I couldn't believe someone had named a truck after one of the bloodiest mass murderers I'm human history. But it's not a T, it's an M. So that's OK.... oh. chery.cl/cotizar/?mod...

Going to tell my kids this guy was US Secretary of State.

there are good people in the world ~sniff~

This one? bsky.app/profile/rich...

If Bari Weiss won't run this damaging story until CBS can get someone from the administration on camera, what motivation does the administration have to participate?

This is the most important part of Trump’s view bsky.app/profile/jc-e...

Trump wants low rates irrespective of the consequences

The UK will celebrate net emigration and depopulation come 2027. And by 2028 it will start to realise, with an ageing society and low growth, what a really silly thing it has done. The right will go "pro-natalist", the centre-left will be completely stuck.

This made me genuinely laugh out loud.

🌎O casal que morreu ao deter um dos atiradores na praia de Bondi na Austrália Boris Gurman, de 69 anos, se jogou diretamente contra os tiros para tentar tirar a arma do atirador.

Lethal Weapon: clearly a Christmas movie. There's a whole scene about Christmas tree sales.

Not like it would be justified if they were drug smugglers, but I think it hasn't gotten enough focus that a boat with 11 people onboard heading from Venezuela to Trinidad was almost certainly migrants. These were probably, at least for some of them, people fleeing Maduro. That's who they murdered.

Great culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard

Furry bitcoin.