With #Israel tired of war and religious nationalism on the rise, economists warn the country faces a potentially irreversible brain drain - Galit Altstein 🎁Link www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

I sat down with Mozambique's President Daniel Chapo to talk about the economy and plans for a new agreement with the IMF. He told me any talks with creditors on debt renegotiation would only happen after an IMF program, one of a number of steps he hopes will help reassure investors. 🎁link

A consensus is forming on the need to move forward with the day-after plan for Gaza, denying Hamas a veto.

🎁Link Many Israeli entrepreneurs who have built lucrative businesses in the past decade and are now facing uncertainty as employees are drafted into the military. As many as 130,000 reserve soldiers are expected to be mobilized, tying up some 3% of the nation’s workforce.

Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a legal analysis commissioned by the UN's Human Rights Council says. According to a team of independent experts, four of five legal markers defining genocide have been met. Israel slammed the report, calling it “distorted and false.”

🎁 Gift Link 🎁 Turkey’s main opposition party raised the prospect of the mayor of Ankara being its next presidential candidate, amid a clampdown that’s seen its most popular official and several others jailed.

GIFT LINK: Trojena is designated to host the Asian Winter Games in 2029. But, set in a region with little snowfall, it’s becoming one of the most difficult tests yet of the kingdom’s ability to pull off Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s grand ambitions and meet commitments for international events.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has had a profound influence on security in the Middle East for almost half a century and has often posed a direct challenge to the US and its allies. Golnar Motevalli takes a look at how Iran's recent confrontation with Israel both hurt and emboldened it.

The United Torah Judaism party said it would quit the coalition in protest for a bill seeking to curtail military draft exemptions long enjoyed by ultra-Orthodox Jews. Without UTJ's seven lawmakers Netanyahu wields just 61 of the 120 seats in parliament. The walkout takes effect in 48 hours.

A blaze at a key downtown Cairo telephone exchange left at least four people dead and another 27 injured, cutting off network services and forcing the local stock exchange to cancel Tuesday’s trading session.

Some of Israel’s most loyal supporters in Europe are increasingly speaking out against the war in Gaza, with several nations, including Germany, considering trade sanctions and curbs on arms sales.

Some of Israel’s most loyal supporters in Europe are increasingly speaking out against the war in Gaza, with several nations, including Germany, considering trade sanctions and curbs on arms sales.

Germany is cracking down on a massive underground payments system called hawala which is being abused by money launderers and financiers of Islamist terrorism.

Some of America’s biggest banks are limiting the sharing of information with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency because they are concerned about potential security risks to their computer networks following a major hack of the regulator’s emails.

First came the Wall Street banks and then the global hedge funds. Now, a wave of private equity firms led by New York-based Brookfield Asset Management are also setting their sights on the oil-rich Middle East to spur deals and profits.

Lebanese depositors will get their money back over time as part of any financial overhaul, with the state, central bank and local banks sharing the burden of repairing the crisis-stricken economy, Economy Minister Amer Bisat said.

And so it ends. Today I said goodbye to Bloomberg's London office. Seven years, two roles and many many friends I'll be sad to leave. But as I prepare to relocate to Dubai for job #3 - Middle East Economics and Politics editor - I'm nothing if not excited. See you in April!

Israel ended the Hamas ceasefire with deadly airstrikes across Gaza. These, along with others overnight in Lebanon and Syria, come days after the US ordered an offensive against the Houthis in an escalation of hostilities against Iran-backed militant groups.

Turkey revoked Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s university diploma, potentially blocking President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main rival from running for the country’s top office. He's one of Turkey’s most popular politicians and has been widely viewed as a contender to the presidency.

Rare tensions are surfacing between Israel and President Donald Trump’s administration, after the US engaged in direct negotiations with Hamas regarding hostages in Gaza. Avi Dichter, a member of Israel's security cabinet, said Monday Boehler's outreach to Hamas is "very bad, very problematic.”

Anytime. And since it's a gift, I might as well pay it forward.

❗️NOW: UK prime minister Starmer just arrived to the summit as he seeks members for a “coalition of the willing” to provide security guarantees to Ukraine. On Thursday, EU leaders will meet in Brussels to accelerate plans for increasing defense spending and additional support for Ukraine

What does one do on a Sunday morning? Blog the emergency summit in London. If you're around, follow along

Wondering about rare earths? Give this a listen and, while you're at it, do a quick search about commercial viability studies and the difference between resources and reserves. TL;DR: just cause I found oil/minerals in my yard, it doesn't necessarily mean I've hit the jackpot.

🎁 Gift Link: White House Limits Newswires in Press Pool Takeover

The remains of four Israeli hostages were returned Thursday, with Hamas saying they include a young mother and her two small children. Nine-month old Kfir Bibas was the youngest abductee in Oct. 2023. For Israelis, the Bibas family is a symbol of 16 months of anguish over the fate of hostages.

Israel says it’s retreating from Lebanon by a Tuesday ceasefire deadline, but named five spots inside the country where soldiers will remain, drawing protest from the Lebanese government. Most ground troops have returned to Israel. Yet the army will stay in five positions near Israeli communities.

Russia will likely keep a reduced military presence in Syria, securing a key goal for Putin after the downfall of Assad. However, keeping naval and air bases in Syria will disappoint those hoping for a clean cut with Russia. The chess board keeps being rearranged

Trump said Zelenskiy will be involved in peace talks with Russia. It was the first definitive statement from the White House that Ukraine would be permitted a seat at the table when the US and Russia discuss ending the war

Israel is pushing to keep a handful of positions in Lebanon after it was denied an outright extension to the ceasefire deadline of Feb. 18. An agreement hasn't been reached.

🎁 Gift Link Khamenei was typically combative in his speech to the nation on Friday. How can Iran trust the Americans and their new president? But critically, Khamenei didn’t explicitly rule out talks with the US after President Donald Trump's strongest signal yet that he wants to directly engage.

Israel has identified an airport and seaport as potential departure points for Palestinians, according to a draft plan on how to implement Trump’s controversial proposal. That the US president's road map will be implemented at all is far from certain. - Dan Williams

Trump said Wednesday he’s willing to immediately start working on a new nuclear deal with Iran that allows the country to “peacefully grow and prosper,” seemingly softening his stance on the Islamic Republic. He didn’t give details on what such an agreement would entail. - Arsalan Shahla

Regarding tariffs and inflation www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The coffee fanatic in me shivers at the thought of my daily fix threatened by climate change. First world problems, yes, but for this Portuguese granddaughter of olive growers, niece of wine producers hearing @javierblas.bsky.social reminds me how many of my small pleasures depend on the weather.

The lira will continue to strengthen in inflation-adjusted terms and open longer-term investment opportunities, said Turkey’s finance minister Mehmet Simsek. “You could bank on real exchange-rate appreciation lasting as long as the program delivers.” @joumanna.bsky.social Beril Akman, Ugur Yilmaz

Thousands of Palestinians are traveling back to the devastated neighborhoods of northern Gaza after being displaced during the Israel-Hamas war, as a fragile 42-day ceasefire moves into a second week.

One of the greatest songs of all times to start the year. Happy 2025!

Breaking: Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the US, has died, the Washington Post reported. He was 100

Proud bestie moment: a minha melhor amiga descobriu que a sua verdadeira vocação é investigar e escrever guiões de podcasts. Este é o mais recente e está no Top da Apple e Spotify em Portugal. O primeiro de todos virou livro. Perfeito pra enfrentar os transportes no caminho pró trabalho. Ouçam!

On a humid June morning in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau, a team of state anti-corruption prosecutors set off to Valea Morilor, a leafy neighborhood popular with the country’s elite. Their target was a white-walled villa that belonged to Vitalie Pirlog, Moldova’s former justice minister. 🎁 Read

House investigators found “substantial evidence” former Representative Matt Gaetz paid several women — including a 17-year-old girl — for sex and bought and used illegal drugs while in Congress, according to a bipartisan committee report released Monday. 🎁 Read

France’s new premier Francois Bayrou vowed to sharply narrow the nation’s deficit to close to 5% of GDP, a plan that threatens a repeat of the stand-off which toppled the last government. 🎁 Read

An Iranian oil tycoon who’s managed to quietly embed himself in the heart of the Western financial system is among a cadre of businessmen handling weapons deliveries across the Caspian Sea to Russia, helping Moscow in its war in Ukraine. Free to read

Somewhere down there is home

He told reporters the hat was to cover his bandages, but I don’t know, this is a pretty cool new look.

To supply a fertility industry worth billions, women in India, Argentina, Greece and Taiwan get paid for their eggs—and sometimes pay dearly. An important story.

Ukraine said Russia fired hypersonic and highly precise missiles against targets in the western regions of Ternopil, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia. The strike comes after weeks a of a relative lull and after Trump said he opposes Ukraine’s use of western-made weapons in Russian territory.

France’s outgoing prime minister Michel Barnier learned a hard lesson his successor should also know. There is no placating Marine Le Pen. The story of an agreement which was never meant to prevail.

Of all the winners and losers from Syria’s sudden change of power, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stands out as among those with the most to gain.