• The man responsible for the leak of a massive trove of U.S. intelligence was a charismatic gun enthusiast who worked on a U.S. military base, according to members of a private Discord server where the documents were posted. One of the server members said the man transcribed the secret documents and translated arcane jargon that civilians would find unfamiliar before posting the information on the server. (The Washington Post)
• After speaking with his Ukrainian counterpart, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he remains confident about Kyiv’s ability to go ahead with its spring counteroffensive despite the intelligence leaks. (The Wall Street Journal) An additional batch of leaked documents shows widespread infighting within the Russian government, with the country’s Federal Security Service and Defense Ministry at odds over the scale of casualties on the battlefield. (The New York Times)
• Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad arrived in Riyadh for a previously unannounced visit as Saudi Arabia seeks to bring its neighbor back into the diplomatic fold and discuss resuming consular service and international flights. However, the kingdom’s push is facing pushback from other members of the Arab League, with Morocco, Kuwait, Qatar and Yemen refusing to allow Syria to rejoin the group. (The Wall Street Journal)
• North Korea fired a new model of a long-range ballistic missile, in what South Korea’s military called a “grave provocation.” Japanese authorities briefly issued a missile attack alert on the northern island of Hokkaido, but retracted it after determining the trajectory of the projectile would fall short. (Reuters)

Lula Sees Modest Decline in Popularity by 100-Day Mark

Morning Consult

China in Talks for Compromise on Poor Country Debt

Alexander Saeedy et al., The Wall Street Journal

If agreed, plan could see Beijing drop demand for World Bank and other multilateral lenders to take losses.

G7 climate ministers challenge Japan’s energy strategy 

Edward White et al., Financial Times 

Tokyo promotes ammonia as a low-carbon energy source but critics say technology is unproven.

Public debt could return to pandemic-era high, warns IMF fiscal chief 

Chris Giles, Financial Times 

Large economies urged to bring government borrowing under control more quickly.

Court orders Russia to pay Ukraine $5bn for Crimea energy assets

Roman Olearchyk, Financial Times 

The Hague tells Kremlin to pay Naftogaz for losses relating to the seizure of natural gas and oil assets.

‘Net Zero’ Will Mean a Mining Boom

Daniel Yergin, The Wall Street Journal

But political instability will make it difficult to obtain all the minerals electric cars will need.

Washington and London crack down on financial fixers for Russian oligarchs 

James Politi and Chris Cook, Financial Times 

Latest moves target those who helped blacklisted individuals hide their assets in ‘complex financial networks’.

Ukraine Needs South Korean Artillery Shells, Poland’s Prime Minister Says

Julian E. Barnes and Adam Entous, The New York Times 

Leaders in Seoul need assurances that the United States would offer support in the face of any aggressive response from China or Russia, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.

World Bank staff were told to give special treatment to son of Trump official

Kalyeena Makortoff, The Guardian 

Exclusive: Leaked recording raises concerns over governance at development bank, at which David Malpass is now president.

Imran Khan says Pakistan’s economic crisis requires ‘conducting surgery’

Benjamin Parkin and Farhan Bokhari, Financial Times 

Former prime minister warns debt burden on low-income countries is unmanageable.

Germany foreign minister embarks on post-Macron ‘damage control’ in China trip

Riham Alkousaa et al., Reuters 

Germany’s foreign minister begins a visit to China on Thursday aiming to reassert a common European Union policy toward Beijing days after remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron suggested disarray in the continent’s approach to the rising superpower.

Military stymies rescue efforts at scene of Myanmar strike that killed at least 80

Radio Free Asia 

The threat of new attacks has prevented villagers from collecting the dead and injured.

Ukraine probes alleged beheading of captured soldier by Russian forces

Roman Olearchyk and Christopher Miller, Financial Times 

Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for stronger international response against Moscow to help ‘the defeat of terror’.

Russia identifies Ukrainian suspect in war blogger’s killing

The Associated Press

Russia’s top security agency on Thursday accused a Ukrainian man of involvement in a bombing that killed a well-known Russian military blogger at a St. Petersburg cafe.

Jailed Russian Opposition Leader Aleksei Navalny’s Suffering From Acute Stomach Pain

Ivan Nechepurenko, The New York Times 

Prison staff were forced to call an ambulance for Aleksei A. Navalny, the jailed Russian opposition leader, last week, his spokeswoman said.

France’s Macron Renews Call for a Sovereign Europe Less Reliant on Foreign Powers

Noemie Bisserbe and Laurence Norman, The Wall Street Journal

French president’s remarks follow criticism over his warning that Europe should steer clear of U.S.-China tensions over Taiwan.

Turmoil over Macron’s Taiwan remarks exposes EU divisions on China

Leila Abboud et al., Financial Times 

French president seeks to reassure allies that Paris is not changing course after Beijing trip.

Can France’s constitutional body halt disputed pension bill?

Sylvie Corbet, The Associated Press

French unions are staging new nationwide protests Thursday, on the eve of an expected ruling by a top constitutional body that they hope will derail President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular pension reform plan.

Hungary forces new energy deals with Russia amid Ukraine war

Justin Spike, The Associated Press

Hungary signed new agreements Tuesday to ensure its continued access to Russian energy, a sign of the country’s continuing diplomatic and trade ties with Moscow that have confounded some European leaders amid the war in Ukraine.

OAS panel urges El Salvador to restore suspended rights

The Associated Press

The Inter American Commission on Human Rights has called on El Salvador to restore all the rights suspended under an “emergency” anti-gang decree, which the government said Wednesday it wants to extend for yet another month.

Mexico eyes U.S. return of $246 million confiscated from former official
Brendan O’Boyle, Reuters 

The United States has said it will return money and assets confiscated from a convicted former senior Mexican state official that were worth over $246 million, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday.

Sudan’s military warns of conflict after rival force deploys

The Associated Press

Sudan’s military warned Thursday of potential clashes with the country’s powerful paramilitary force, which it said deployed troops in the capital and other cities.

Obi voters in Nigeria cry fraud, struggle to keep hope alive

Ope Adetayo, Al Jazeera 

Weeks after the election, supporters of the surprise frontrunner say they reject president-elect Tinubu’s legitimacy. Some are leaving Nigeria.

Holy Land Christians say attacks rising in far-right Israel 

Isabel Debre, The Associated Press

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Holy Land has warned in an interview that the rise of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government has made life worse for Christians in the birthplace of Christianity.

UN agency investigating humanitarian food theft in Ethiopia

The Associated Press

The United Nations food relief agency is investigating the theft of food aid from lifesaving humanitarian operations in Ethiopia, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

US to Mali: End restrictions on UN peacekeepers, seek peace

Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press

The United States warned Mali’s military government Wednesday that it would be “irresponsible” for the United Nations to continue deploying its more than 15,000 peacekeepers unless the western African nation ends restrictions including on operating reconnaissance drones and carries out political commitments toward peace and elections in March 2024.

In Africa’s Okavango, oil drilling disrupts locals, nature

Wanjohi Kabukuru, The Associated Press

Drilling for oil exploration, as well as human-caused climate change leading to more erratic rainfall patterns and water abstraction and diversion for development and commercial agriculture, has altered the landscape.

‘Glory to Putin’: How Pro-Russian Narratives Spread in Africa

Elian Peltier et al., The New York Times 

Pro-Russian content presenting a distorted version of the war in Ukraine and promoting Russia’s interests in Africa is gaining an audience on the continent.

Donald Trump to Be Deposed by New York Attorney General 

Corinne Ramey, The Wall Street Journal

Letitia James’s office is taking the former president’s testimony in its civil-fraud lawsuit.

America’s Top Hostage Envoy Pledges to Secure Evan Gershkovich’s Release From Russian Prison

Louise Radnofsky et al.,  The Wall Street Journal

Roger Carstens also said there is a ‘significant offer on the table’ for detained American Paul Whelan.

Survey: Americans hold increasingly negative views of China

Alex Willemyns, Radio Free Asia 

The share of Americans who describe China as an “enemy” has jumped from 25% to 38% in a year, a new survey says.