Financial Times Ukraine news

2022-02-11 19:53:39 There’s an unnatural humming sound occurring around the world, causing anxiety and rattling people’s eyes, jaws and teeth. Those who can hear it are suffering, but is it even real? Tap here to read the full FT Magazine essay about the international mystery of ‘the Hum’. (Free to read)

‘People are moving on with their lives’: After a series of positive announcements, some health experts are speculating whether the end of Omicron is in sight. While people are increasingly weighing their own personal risks, other scientists warn that restrictions may need to be reimposed in the future.

Russia’s teenage Olympic skating prodigy tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug, implicating Moscow in another cheating scandal. The banned heart medication can be used by athletes to train harder due to increased oxygen to the muscles.

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2022-02-11 01:44:56 On the eve of American football’s biggest game, a black coach claims that discriminatory hiring practices are widespread in the NFL (free-to-read).

US inflation has surged to 7.5% last month compared with January 2021, its fastest annual pace in 40 years.

Crypto is booming in Siberia. Fuelled by cheap electricity and Chinese hardware, bitcoin mining has changed lives in the Russian region.

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2022-02-09 20:10:35 The US is heading out of the ‘full blown’ pandemic phase of Covid-19, Dr Anthony Fauci has told the FT. He’s been one of the most cautious voices on the pandemic, but his comments add to the growing sense of optimism that the Omicron variant may signal the end of the most damaging phase of the crisis

The outlandish idea of a full salary for a four day work week is now a mainstream concept. Companies across the globe are experimenting with flexible work and it may be key to halting the Great Resignation.

Tested positive for Covid in the UK? You may soon no longer have to isolate, as prime minister Boris Johnson is planning to end the last domestic restrictions a month early to execute a ‘living with Covid’ strategy.

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2022-02-08 20:50:07 The Omicron coronavirus variant has exposed the limits of current vaccines and therapeutics as long-term solutions. Is a 'universal' jab possible? (Free to read)

According to French officials, Vladimir Putin is moving towards de-escalating the Ukraine crisis by agreeing to withdraw thousands of Russian troops from Belarus and forgo any future ‘military initiatives’. Putin is yet to publicly confirm the agreement.

'Why is Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the world, such a terrible dresser?' US financial commentator Robert Armstrong explores the billionaires' fashion faux pas and why they matter.

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2022-02-07 19:39:05 Where and how are we supposed to dispose of lethal radioactive waste? Nuclear energy has appeal as a carbon-free source of energy, but public concern about the dangerous process is strong. (Free to read)

An increasing number of UK households are struggling to feed themselves as 4.4mn adults have experienced food insecurity as a result of the rising cost of living, a recent study showed.

Spotify’s chief has apologised for podcaster Joe Rogan’s ‘incredibly hurtful’ commentary but refuses to ‘silence’ him amid backlash over racial epithets and Covid misinformation in the podcast.

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2022-02-04 20:53:48 How did Miami become the most important city in the US? Once a haven for the divorced and unemployed, the city is now a reflection of a country that is a ‘frivolous, regulation-free, climate-doomed tax haven dominated by hot microcelebrities’, Joel Stein writes. (Free to read)

Despite turbulence in Snap and Meta stocks, Big Tech displayed notable resilience this week as Google, Apple and Amazon cashed in on the demand for digital services and cloud computing.

The reasons young investors love crypto are obvious: they’re overtaxed, indebted and underpaid, writes FT money expert Claer Barrett. To young people, high-risk investments look like their only chance of building wealth.

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2022-02-03 19:36:57 A new Omicron sub-variant, BA.2, is spreading fast. How dangerous is it? Countries with high rates of vaccination would avoid “a wave of hospitalisations” regardless of infection levels, an expert said. Tap here for our full explainer on the sub-variant. (Free to read)

Isis leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi has died in an attack that appears to be one of the biggest US assaults of its type in north-west Syria.

Investors wiped more than $240bn from the market valuation of Facebook owner Meta, causing shares to tumble 25%. Why? Facebook is losing the ‘attention battle’ to apps such as Tiktok.

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2022-02-02 19:26:23 The US has ordered the deployment of 3,000 troops to bolster Nato’s defences against a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. They will not fight in Ukraine. (Free to read)

The wellness app Noom markets itself as a platform for sustainable weight loss using behavioural therapy, but Noom’s ‘health counsellors’ told the FT that the app is leading vulnerable users to harm.

You do not need to be a Stem genius to succeed in finance and tech, writes Karina Robinson. The field needs ‘Dragomen’ that can bridge the gap between leaders with cultural and emotional intelligence.

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2022-02-01 20:07:18 Opposition to Covid vaccination was the ‘leading killer’ of middle-aged adults in the US, according to an expert. If the country had matched the vaccination coverage of leading European countries, the number of hospitalisations would have been halved, an FT analysis shows. (Free to read)

Businesses in Myanmar joined a nationwide ‘silent strike’ on the one-year anniversary of the coup, despite warnings that they could face prosecution and seizures of assets. The economy was 30% smaller than it would have been without the military takeover and pandemic, the World Bank said.

The US and Nato are preparing ‘the most aggressive package of sanctions ever assembled’ against Russia if president Vladimir Putin approves an invasion of Ukraine. From oligarchs to energy, here are the ways the west can punish Russia.

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2022-01-31 20:42:11 The US is planning sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s colleagues and family members if Russia invades Ukraine, cutting them off from the international financial system and ensuring they will ‘no longer be able to enjoy the perks of parking their money in the west’, a senior official told the FT. (Free to read)

The report on UK prime minister Boris Johnson’s lockdown-breaching parties has been released, noting a ‘serious failure’ to observe high standards of leadership. Conservatives will now decide whether to move against Johnson and request a confidence vote.

In exchange for your hybrid work agreements, you’re going to have to give up a personal assigned desk. Workers hate hot-desking, writes Pilita Clark, but sharing desks may become more popular post-pandemic.

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