| Putin Bets on Ukraine Win Before His Economy Grinds to Halt
As Russia's invasion settles into a grinding war of attrition, one question more than any other will likely decide the outcome: On whose side is time? Much of what unfolds will be determined by unpredictable battlefield dynamics. But, as Marc Champion explains, at least some of it will also come down to widgets in machinery, and Russia's reliance on imports of foreign components. - US officials are divided over how much further they can push sanctions against Russia without sparking global economic instability and fracturing transatlantic unity.
- The war has prompted a major rewrite of the Biden administration's National Security Strategy, sources say.
 Lada automobiles at a Lada car dealership in Tolyatti, Russia. Photographer: Yuri Kadobnovia/AFP/Getty Images Hong Kong Quarantine Backtrack Stokes Fears of Covid Zero Return
A return to harsh Covid Zero measures like quarantine camps risks further damaging confidence in the city and runs counter to the easing of restrictions in recent months, business groups say. The new sub-variants also do not pose a threat of igniting a major outbreak, according to a local public health expert. - China declared victory over Shanghai's virus outbreak despite the policy's economic and social toll.
- For millions still locked down in Shanghai, listening to officials tout the city's triumph over Covid-19 and its "reopening" is infuriating.
Best of Bloomberg Opinion This Week AMLO Train Barrels On Despite Safety, Environmental Concerns
The Maya Train is projected to run for 1,554 kilometers and connect five states in the Yucatán Peninsula, arguably President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's most ambitious infrastructure project and one he's vowed to have ready by the end of next year. But as Andrea Navarro lays out, the project is running up against construction challenges, cost overruns, environmental lawsuits, street protests, and supply-chain shortages.  Construction for the train cuts through the rainforest near Playa del Carmen. Photographer: Lisette Poole for Bloomberg Businessweek Australia's History-Making Top Diplomat Faces Down Rising China
Penny Wong has already made history as both the first Asian-born and openly gay woman to become Australia's top diplomat. Ben Westcott explains how she is quickly confronting the nation's most difficult geopolitical challenge in decades. - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will have a record number of female ministers in his new cabinet, which is shaping up to become one of the most diverse governments in the country's history.
In early March, as the US and its allies unleashed sanctions on Russia, President Joe Biden stood in the White House and said they wanted to deal a "powerful blow to Putin's war machine." But that machine is still operational, propelled by a flood of cash that could average $800 million a day this year. Hong Kong's Tiananmen Memorials Muted for Third Year Running
Memorials for the anniversary of Tiananmen Square massacre were again absent on Saturday, as Covid curbs and a crackdown on freedoms suppress public recognition of the event. Kari Lindberg reports no group applied to hold the once-annual vigil in Victoria Park, which previously attracted as many as 180,000 people holding candles and listening to speeches calling for greater democracy.  Biden called for a ban on sales of assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, pleading with Congress to toughen gun laws following a spate of mass shootings. But he acknowledged that Congress is unlikely to prohibit the weapons.
Troubled UK Seeks Comfort of Its Queen in Twilight of Her Reign
A worsening cost-of-living crisis, a messy political scandal and the threat of further repercussions from the war in Ukraine form an unlikely backdrop for a celebration of national stability. As the UK marks Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, Emily Ashton notes the clouds are a reminder that the 96-year-old monarch won't be around forever, just as the country faces an uncertain future.  A display celebrating the Platinum Jubilee in London on May 26. Photographer: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images Hungary Spurned EU Oil Offer to Stick With Putin's Cheap Crude
When the European Union was cobbling together a ban on Russian oil, Hungary was offered replacement supplies that would have ensured energy security for Budapest and shown Moscow a unified front. Now, as Alberto Nardelli and Ewa Krukowska write, Prime Minister Viktor Orban's intransigence may have destroyed any remaining goodwill with the other 26 members of the EU.  At the Egyptian port of Damietta, the twin impacts of Russia's war on Ukraine converge. Damietta's grain silos are witness to shortages caused by blockades on Ukraine's Black Sea coast while its port is home to one of Egypt's two liquefied natural gas terminals, facilities that have moved squarely into Europe's sights as it races to replace Russian gas.
Rich Nations' Toxic Habits Bring African Refugees to Their Doors
The number of Africans trying to make it to the US southern border is on track to hit a potential record this year. Many are escaping livelihood-destroying climate events. As Antony Sguazzin, Katarina Hoije and Maya Averbuch write, the continent they're fleeing is facing natural disasters at a faster rate than the rest of the planet, and is largely unprepared to deal with them.  A Sudanese boy wades through a flooded street in the capital's twin city of Omdurman in August 2020. Photographer: Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty US Crackdown on Forced Labor in China Risks Further Supply Chaos
The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have upended American supply chains. Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Jenny Leonard explain why the next shock may come from the US campaign against human-rights abuses in China. Explainers you can use And finally … A Russian warplane doing repeated low passes over a field, firing bullets at a young soldier who ends up sheltering near a barn. This isn't Ukraine 2022, but a forested area that belonged to Finland before Soviet troops overran it in 1940. The soldier was Antero Pohjanpalo, Bloomberg Helsinki bureau chief Kati Pohjanpalo's grandfather. Read her essay here on why NATO membership feels so urgent now for Finnish people.  Antero Pohjanpalo, second lieutenant of the Finnish army. From the Pohjanpalo family album. Courtesy: Pohjanpalo family | 
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