Daily Briefing

An ally says Navalny was close to being freed in a prisoner swap, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh resigns, and "chaotic" US Congress faces whirlwind week.

Plus, new money advice from Wyclef Jean just dropped – and it's a rap.

By Kate Turton

Today's Top News

Portraits of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny at a protest and vigil held in front of the Russian embassy in Malta, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi/File Photo

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was close to being freed in a prisoner swap at the time of his death, said Maria Pevchikh, a Navalny ally. Meanwhile Moscow shrugged off the latest round of Western sanctions, saying that Russia's economy had adapted to restrictions.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said he was resigning to allow for the formation of a broad consensus among Palestinians. Israel and Palestinian Territories bureau chief James McKenzie speaks to the Reuters World News podcast about the resignation.
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres deplored how the UN Security Council had failed to respond adequately to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying the conflicts had "perhaps fatally" undermined its authority.
Denmark said it had dropped its investigation into the explosions in 2022 on the Nord Stream pipelines carrying Russian gas to Germany, becoming the second nation to do so after neighboring Sweden closed its own inquiry.
Satellite images of the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea show a new floating barrier across its entrance, near where Philippine ships and China coast guard vessels have had frequent run-ins.
South Korea's government told young doctors they had until the end of February to return to work or risk being punished for staging a week-long protest that has disrupted services for patients at several major hospitals.

UNITED STATES

Congress lurches into a new week of political chaos, as lawmakers struggle to avoid a partial government shutdown in just five days, while pushing for an election-year trial of President Joe Biden's top border official. Listen to David Morgan preview what to expect as Congress reconvenes.
Donald Trump's big primary victory over Nikki Haley in her home state of South Carolina was the result of a ruthless and methodical campaign to eliminate her as a threat, according to aides and people close to both campaigns. For more news and analysis on the US elections, sign up to On the Campaign Trail.

Business & Markets

As the world's top global energy trading houses prepare for their biggest annual industry get-together this week in London they face a growing problem, what to do with their cash.
Britain's housebuilding market has fundamental problems that are preventing more homes being built, the competition regulator said, weighing in on one of the key battle fronts of an election expected this year.
US automaker General Motors unveiled its luxury electric Cadillac Lyriq in France, an expansion of its market in Europe after returning last year and a test of whether online-only sales will attract wealthy car buyers.
A slump in US refining activity and disruptions to global trade have tightened diesel supplies in recent weeks, dampening historically high US diesel exports to Europe this month.
Facebook owner Meta will set up a team to tackle disinformation and the abuse of generative artificial intelligence in the run-up to European Parliament elections in June amid concerns about election interference and misleading AI-generated content. You can keep up with all the latest Reuters Fact Checks here.
Ryanair will receive even fewer Boeing aircraft by the end of June than previously expected, CEO Michael O'Leary said, potentially prompting the budget carrier to cut its summer schedule at the busiest time of the year.
Domino's Pizza surpassed Wall Street expectations for quarterly same-store sales, as a revamp of its loyalty program and its delivery partnership with Uber Eats boosted appetite for its pizzas and chicken wings.

The US Food and Drug Administration finds itself in a post-pandemic world where trust in health officials is waning and medical misinformation is on the rise. Please join us on Wednesday February 28 at 2.45pm GMT / 9.45am ET for a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker featuring Robert Califf, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration in conversation with Reuters US Healthcare and Pharma Editor Caroline Humer.

How Russia's military uses volunteer fighters to plug gaps in Ukraine

Anton Kuznetsov, a fighter in the BARS 9 volunteer force of the Russian military. September 7, 2022. Video obtained by REUTERS

When Russian forces withdrew from the town of Balakliia in eastern Ukraine in late 2022, pursued by Ukrainian troops and under artillery fire, they left a poorly equipped group of volunteers to guard their retreat.

The force of around 50 men came from the National Army Combat Reserve - known by its Russian acronym BARS - a loose assembly of units totaling several thousand fighters that Russia's defense ministry has deployed in Ukraine to supplement its regular forces.

Footage from a bodycam worn by one of the fighters provides a rare first-hand view of the combat operations of a BARS unit

And Finally...

Wyclef Jean at the Global Citizen Concert in New York. September 23, 2023. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File Photo

As any parent will tell you, teenagers and young adults do not really listen to what you have to say.

Nor do they pay much attention to financial firms and their earnest charts and graphs about how much people should be saving for retirement.

But here are folks they might listen to: Wyclef Jean, Pusha T, Lola Brooke, Capella Grey and Flau'jae. Those rappers have more cultural influence over younger generations than mom, dad or the local bank and brokerage.

New money advice from Wyclef Jean just dropped – and it's a rap

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