| | | | | Good morning. After almost three years of war, Ukraine terminated Europe's supply of Russian gas. Also, two of the world's most powerful authoritarian leaders, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, gave New Year's addresses — but the latter's was more akin to a national pep talk. | Mentioned in this edition: Volodymyr Zelensky, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Justin Trudeau, Victor Orbán, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Aleksandar Vučić, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoav Gallant, a Liberal collapse, Italian immigration policy, Chinese slave labor, and more. | | Have tips? Send them to me at ari@upward.news |
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| | | WHAT WE'RE WATCHING | | 🇺🇦 Ukraine cut Russian gas to Europe. Throughout the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russian gas has continued to flow to Europe through Ukraine thanks to a deal between Kyiv and Moscow. However, Ukraine allowed the deal to expire this week, with President Volodymyr Zelensky declaring it a "historic event." It will cost Ukraine about $800 million in transit fees — but will also cost Russia billions. | 🇨🇳 China's Xi Jinping addressed economic issues and threatened Taiwan. In his New Year's address, the communist dictator recognized China's recent economic slowdown, particularly its unemployment and shrinking investment in real estate. Xi also sought to intimidate Taiwan and its Western allies, proclaiming, "No one can stop the historical trend of the reunification of the motherland!" | 🇷🇺 Russia's Vladimir Putin declared, "Everything will be fine." In contrast to Xi's New Year's address, Putin stayed away from controversial issues — namely inflation and the Russo-Ukrainian War — and instead loftily promised, "When we are together, everything will come true." Russia's economy is expected to grow no larger than one percent this year, a significant drop from 2024. | 🇨🇦 Most of Justin Trudeau's party members want him to quit. A majority of Prime Minister Trudeau's Liberal Party parliamentary colleagues have now called for him to step aside before Canada's national elections this year. The party has collapsed in polling, and Trudeau is deeply unpopular. With early elections likely, Liberals are hoping that a new leader could help avoid disaster. |
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| | | 🇪🇺 EUROPE | Croatia's Ukraine-skeptic president won the first round of his country's presidential election and will face a second round this month. Italy's government revealed that it has blocked 200,000 migrants from entering the country since it took power in 2022. Slovakia has threatened to cut electricity to Ukraine in response to the latter's termination of the Russian gas transit deal. Belgium banned disposable vape pens, the first European country to do so. Vladimir Putin congratulated only three European leaders on New Year's: Hungary's Victor Orbán, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Serbia's Aleksandar Vučić.
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| | | 🌏 ASIA-PACIFIC | 🔒 This section is for members only | Mentioned behind the paywall: An arrest warrant, Chinese hackers, slave labor, and a record-low birth rate. | |
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| | | 🐪 MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA | 🔒 This section is for members only | Mentioned behind the paywall: The US National Guard, the Syrian foreign minister, Yoav Gallant, and Islamic insurgents. | |
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| | | 🚢 THE AMERICAS | 🔒 This section is for members only | Mentioned behind the paywall: A record-low homicide rate, a power grid failure, new tariffs, and rampant gang violence. | |
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