Putin’s power play rescues embattled ally: Weekend Reads

The week’s key political stories. [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( Russian President Vladimir Putin staged a decisive display of power by sending troops to shore up Kazakhstan’s leader Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who ordered security forces to [shoot](protesters “without warning” to crush unrest sweeping the central Asian nation. U.S. President Joe Biden warned that the [deadly]( riot at the U.S. Capitol a year ago is part of an assault on democracy that his predecessor Donald Trump and his supporters are continuing to wage. Hundreds of thousands of workers in China’s technology centers are being tested for Covid-19 as the latest [outbreak]( shows no signs of easing, with cases cropping up across the country. Even though the omicron variant of the coronavirus appears less [serious]( than previous strains, it shouldn’t be considered mild, World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Delve into these and more of Bloomberg’s biggest stories from the past seven days in this edition of Weekend Reads. — [Karl MaierÂ]( Russian soldiers disembark an aircraft in Kazakhstan on Thursday. Source RU-RTR Russian Television/AP Photo Click [here]( for this week’s most compelling political images and share this newsletter with others too. They can sign up [here](. Putin Sends Message to West as His Troops Turn Kazakh Tide Ahead of high-stakes security talks with the U.S., [Ilya Arkhipov]( writes, the lightening deployment of Russian troops to Kazakhstan sent a reminder of just how determined Putin is to [defend]( what he regards as his own neighborhood. The U.S. Takes Thorniest Ukraine Issue Off Table in Russia Talks U.S. officials are looking to find common ground in talks with Russia on issues such as arms control, given Putin’s main demand for security guarantees to avert a potential war with Ukraine is already a non-starter. [Nick Wadhams]( and [Alberto Nardelli]( outline in this [exclusive]( story the U.S. strategy going into the negotiations. - The pre-Christmas extradition of a Russian tech tycoon has [delivered]( the highest-level Kremlin insider into U.S. custody in recent memory. Jan. 6’s Wounds in Congress Run Deep; Trump Keeps Them Fresh Events marking the one-year anniversary of the storming of the U.S. Capitol demonstrated the deep [scars]( left that have divided Congress and the nation. [Billy House]( and [Erik Wasson]( explain why they also illustrated Trump’s continuing grip on the Republican Party. The sun rises behind the Capitol on the first anniversary of the insurrection on Thursday. Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg Democrats Search for Path Forward on Biden’s Economic Agenda U.S. Senate Democrats started the new year seeking a [path]( forward on Biden’s stalled domestic economic agenda, hoping to pass a slimmed-down version before midterm election campaigns begin. [Erik Wasson]( and [Laura Davison]( report on their plans. China Tells Hospitals to Take Patients After Lockdown Outcry China has told hospitals they must accept all patients after strict Covid prevention measures were [blamed]( for a miscarriage in Xi’an, a central city of 13 million people that’s been locked down for two weeks. - Beijing’s pledge to ensure economic stability is being tested by renewed [turbulence]( in financial markets, prompting officials to take more conspicuous measures in what is a politically crucial year. Djokovic’s ‘Dirty’ Detention Puts Refugee Plight on World Stage Novak Djokovic’s stay in a hotel used to detain asylum seekers as he awaits a decision on whether he can defend his Australian Open tennis title has shown a global spotlight on the country’s decades-long [treatment]( of refugees it deems to be illegal migrants, [Jason Scott]( writes. Omicron’s Mild Infections Hint at Less-Severe Phase of Pandemic New studies confirm the silver lining of the omicron variant: Even as infections soar to records, the number of [severe]( cases and hospitalizations have not. The data, [Kristen V Brown]( writes, may signal a new, less worrying chapter of the pandemic. Macron told Le Parisien newspaper that he wants to “p... off” people who don’t get their Covid-19 shot and limit “as much as possible their access to activities in social life.” His comments [sparked]( an angry response from opposition politicians and prompted the National Assembly to suspend a debate on new virus restrictions. Vaccine Skeptics Slammed Across Europe as Omicron Variant Rages Europe’s leaders are increasingly going after anti-vaxxers as the [battle]( against the fast-spreading omicron variant deepens the region’s pandemic fatigue. [Fergal O'Brien]( and [Chris Reiter]( report that officials are focusing restrictions on unvaccinated people rather than resorting to widespread clampdowns. Best of Bloomberg Opinion This Week - [The West Needs to Think Beyond Vladimir Putin: Leonid Bershidsky]( - [A Second Drone Age Is Here and It’s a Free-For-All: Ruth Pollard]( - [Biden and EU Won’t Stop Putin’s Ukraine Invasion: Niall Ferguson]( - [America’s Hunger Pandemic Is Still Getting Worse: Adam Minter]( - [Iraqi Flamethrower Finds He Has to Be a Firefighter: Bobby Ghosh]( Ukraine’s Army Is Underfunded and Not Ready to Stop an Invasion With the world watching to see if Putin will roll tanks across the border with Ukraine, his neighbor is [girding]( for a fight it doesn’t have the money or firepower to win, [Marc Champion,]( [Daryna Krasnolutska]( and [Nick Wadhams]( report. U.K. Risks Being Consumed by Brexit More Than Pandemic in 2022 The U.K. may have left the European Union a year ago, but the [controversy]( over the divorce is far from over. As [Flavia Krause-Jackson]( writes, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is stuck in a constant cycle of fighting old Brexit battles in a bid to keep voters onside. Covid Is Reversing 25 Years of Progress for the World’s Girls [Jill Filipovic]( reports from Kenya on how the pandemic is [erasing]( decades of progress in young women’s health, education, and independence in developing nations. Kids at Project Elimu in Nairobi. Photographer: Nichole Sobecki Fintech Boom Masks a Shady Side of London’s Money Hub Among the more than 200 electronic money institutions licensed in Britain are ones with executives or shareholders tied to alleged financial wrongdoing. [Donal Griffin]( reports that each day in the U.K. alone, an estimated $1.9 billion courses through loosely [regulated]( digital payments businesses. And finally … Indian police arrested four college students for their alleged role in an app that [“auctioned”]( hundreds of Muslim women, including journalists, activists and critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As [Upmanyu Trivedi]( and [Sudhi Ranjan Sen]( write, the case reflects rising anti-Muslim sentiment as Modi’s party pushes a Hindu nationalist agenda ahead of state polls in the next two months. Police detain Niiraj Bishnoi, a 20-year-old software engineering student, on Jan. 6. Photographer: Salaman Ali/Hindustan Times/Getty Images Like Balance of Power? [Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com](, where you'll find trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022