BitGou: Monday Briefing: NATO sends ships and jets to eastern Europe

Monday, January 24, 2022

by Linda Noakes

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Shares shudder at a potential Ukraine conflict, the UAE blocks a missile attack, and another coup may be underway in West Africa

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A member of the Ukrainian armed forces walks at combat positions near the line of separation from Russian-backed rebels near Horlivka in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, January 22, 2022. REUTERS/Anna Kudriavtseva

WORLD

NATO said it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets in response to Russia's military build-up at Ukraine's borders. Former Ukrainian lawmaker Yevhen Murayev derided British allegations that he could be installed as leader of a Kremlin puppet government in Kyiv, and told Reuters in an interview that he was considering legal action.

The United Arab Emirates said it had foiled another Houthi missile attack following last week's deadly assault on the Gulf state as the Iran-aligned group takes aim at the safe haven status of the region's tourism and commercial hub.

Two U.S. aircraft carrier groups have entered the disputed South China Sea for training, the Department of Defense said as Taiwan reported a new Chinese air force incursion at the top of the waterway including a fearsome new electronic warfare jet.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was fighting to shore up his premiership as he faced the publication later this week of an investigation into boozy parties at the heart of the British state during COVID-19 lockdowns. The first rebellion against Johnson was doomed, here's why the next may not be.

Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore has been detained at a military camp by mutinying soldiers, four security sources and a West African diplomat said, following heavy gunfire around his residence in the capital Ouagadougou. This would mark the fourth military coup in the past year in West and Central Africa, a region once known as the continent's 'coup belt'.

A group of people, some dressed in colors and symbols associated with the group Proud Boys, take part in a rally in opposition to mandates related to COVID at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., January 23, 2022. REUTERS/Leah Millis

U.S.

The U.S. House probe of the deadly assault on the Capitol will share with federal prosecutors any evidence of potential crimes aimed at pushing phony Republican electors in states won by President Joe Biden, the committee's chairman said. Prosecutors will argue today that Stewart Rhodes, founder of the far-right Oath Keepers, should remain in custody while he awaits trial on seditious conspiracy charges for his alleged role in the attack.

Sarah Palin and the New York Times are set to face off in a New York courtroom at a trial in which the 2008 Republican U.S. vice presidential candidate and former Alaska governor seeks to hold the newspaper liable for defamation.

Lawyer Michael Avenatti, a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, goes on trial today on charges he defrauded his former client, adult film star Stormy Daniels, whom he represented in cases against Trump.

Firefighters gained greater control of a wildfire that closed northern California's scenic coastal highway and threatened a famous bridge, although about 500 people stayed under evacuation orders.

Around 30 oil and gas facilities across the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico spewed large amounts of methane for three years, emitting the equivalent climate pollution from half a million cars, according to a report.

BUSINESS

Shares across the world fell as the prospect of a Russian attack on Ukraine quashed demand for riskier assets, bolstering the dollar, buoying oil and bruising bitcoin. Here's how a Russian-Ukraine conflict might hit global markets.

The euro zone economic recovery weakened this month, despite an upturn in Germany where factories benefited from an easing in supply chain bottlenecks, as renewed restrictions put a dent in the bloc's dominant services industry, a survey showed.

Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi plan to triple their investment to jointly develop electric vehicles, two people with knowledge of the plan told Reuters. As established automakers face pressure from new competitors and an expected shift in demand toward EVs, the French-Japanese alliance is seeking to deepen cooperation.

Dutch health technology company Philips said it expects sales to recover strongly in the second half of the year, while a steep decline due to global shortage of parts is likely to persist in the coming months.

Shares of the blank-check acquisition firm that agreed to merge with former President Donald Trump's social media venture have outperformed every other special purpose acquisition company, despite the regulatory risks facing the deal and investors now snubbing the vast majority of such vehicles.