Feb. 20 update

Yulia Navalnya, Alexei Navalny’s widow, vowed to continue his work fighting for a “free, peaceful and happy Russia”. Ms Navalnya met with EU foreign ministers on Monday. Ahead of that meeting Annalena Baerbock, Germany’s foreign minister, proposed new sanctions against Russia in response to Mr Navalny’s death. Meanwhile, Russian investigators said they would hold Mr Navalny’s body for “at least two weeks”, according to his spokesperson. Mr Navalny’s associates have accused Russian authorities of withholding it to “cover traces of murder”.

America drafted a UN Security Council resolution that urges a “temporary ceasefire” in the war in Gaza and opposes Israel’s planned ground invasion of Rafah, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera. America has vetoed earlier resolutions calling for ceasefires. It recently threatened to block one put forward by Algeria, arguing that it could disrupt negotiations with Hamas on a deal to release hostages taken from Israel in exchange for a pause in fighting.

Germany’s central bank said that the country’s economy would probably tip into a technical recession—meaning two consecutive quarters of shrinking GDP—in the first quarter of 2024. The decline was probably caused by weak industrial demand and cautious consumer spending. But the bank reckons that the strong labour market will insulate the economy from a prolonged recession.

The International Court of Justice began a six-day hearing into Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. Judges will assess Israel’s policies and practices since 1967. It will hear its widest spread of voices yet, with oral arguments from 52 countries and three international organisations, including the League of Arab States. Israel will not participate; it does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction over its activities in occupied territories.

The European Commission said it would open formal proceedings against TikTok, a video-sharing app. It will assess whether TikTok breached the Digital Services Act. Among TikTok’s alleged violations is failing to protect children online. It is the second major probe by the EU’s executive branch since the DSA, which regulates large online platforms, came into force in August 2023.

The Houthis, an Iran-backed militant group, claimed responsibility for an attack on the Rubymar, a Bulgaria-bound commercial vessel. Yahya Saree, the group’s spokesperson, said the ship sustained “catastrophic” damage after it was hit and that the crew had to abandon ship. Earlier America said it identified and struck an underwater drone in the seas off Houthi-controlled Yemen for the first time.

The Eiffel Tower closed after employees went on strike over pay and poor maintenance of the Parisian monument. The tower, which attracts around 7m visitors per year, is usually open every day. But strikes have in past months disrupted its usual service—in December it shut for a day.

Figure of the day: 500, the number of nuclear warheads Britain and France have between them. Russia has nearly 6,000. Read the full story.

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photo: getty images

America and India talk arms

Defence officials gather in Delhi on Tuesday for a meeting of the India-US Defence Acceleration Ecosystem (INDUS-X). Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, and President Joe Biden launched the initiative in June when they met in Washington, DC. It is the latest attempt to expand military-industrial co-operation. Past efforts have faltered because America has been reluctant to share advanced technologies with India, which has close military ties with Russia. But now America is eager to boost its clout in Asia to counter China’s, and India is keen to buy arms from suppliers other than Russia.

Yet ties between America and India have been strained by American prosecutors’ allegations that India has carried out assassinations on American soil. The superpower is also handling multiple global crises. Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, will not attend the INDUS-X meeting as he had originally planned to do. INDUS-X looks like a lower priority now than it did last summer.

photo: getty images

The West targets sanctions evaders

Over the past two years the European Union has reacted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with a dozen rounds of sanctions. As part of the 12th round, the bloc will implement stricter rules on Russian oil and petroleum products beginning Tuesday. But individuals and companies have still managed to dodge sanctions, often by working with a shady army of middlemen beyond the reach of Western measures. Policymakers in Brussels, like their counterparts in Washington, are getting more serious about penalising rule breakers.

Europe’s 13th wave of sanctions, which is expected to come ahead of the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, reportedly proposes punishing some Indian and Chinese firms that have contributed to Russia's defence sector. In December last year Joe Biden issued a warning against foreign banks facilitating Russia’s war effort. The American president accompanied these with additional import restrictions on Russian diamond and seafood imports.

photo: getty images

Julian Assange in the last chance saloon

On Tuesday two high-court judges in London will begin hearing arguments from lawyers representing Julian Assange as to why he should not be extradited to stand trial in America on espionage charges. The founder of WikiLeaks is accused of playing a role in obtaining and disclosing classified documents. They revealed embarrassing facts about American activities in Afghanistan and Iraq. This week’s hearing is probably Mr Assange’s last chance to escape extradition. If an American court finds him guilty, he could spend the rest of his life in jail.

It was Donald Trump’s justice department that decided to go after Mr Assange, but the Biden administration has not dropped the charges. Mr Assange divides public opinion. But by now, even some of his detractors may feel that, after spending seven years holed up in Ecuador’s embassy in London and a further five in the high-security Belmarsh prison, the Australian has suffered enough. And some may fear that prosecuting him will have a chilling effect on investigative journalism.

photo: alamy

Walmart looks beyond bricks and clicks

The world’s biggest retailer will announce its annual results on Tuesday. Buoyed by a strong holiday season, analysts expect Walmart to report that sales for the fourth quarter, from November to January, grew by around 3% compared with last year. The retailer has also benefited from inflation worries in America, its largest market, which has attracted both rich and poor shoppers to its stores.

Walmart, which operates over 10,500 outlets globally, is now expanding beyond retail. The Bentonville behemoth plans to open 28 new doctor-staffed “health centres” by the end of this year, taking its total to 75. The company is also diving into financial services by offering savings accounts and budgeting apps. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Walmart was also eyeing a $2bn bid to buy Vizio, a television maker, to boost its fledgling advertising business. The big-box retailer is betting that expanding its catalogue will, in time, improve its overall margins.

photo: bavarian state opera

Hong Kong tries to lure back tourists

The 52nd Hong Kong Arts Festival begins this week. Over the next month, the bash will feature 45 shows with works by 1,400 artists and over 350 educational events. Performers include the Bavarian State Opera, the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Angélique Kidjo, a Grammy-winning singer.

Hong Kong promotes itself as “Asia’s world city”. Last year some 34m visitors came—but that is just 57% of pre-pandemic numbers. The government has chipped in HK$19m ($2.4m) to the festival’s budget of HK$150m in the hope that it might lure back the crowds.

But so far the city’s efforts have undermined, rather than underscored, its international credentials. An exhibition football match on February 4th ignited a nationalist firestorm after Lionel Messi, an Argentine superstar, said he was too injured to play. Officials called it a “deliberate and calculated snub” by unnamed foreign plotters. The furore made Hong Kong look worryingly like the mainland. It is doubtful whether the Arts Festival can reverse the damage.