Crypto News: The G-20 standoff and Fox’s big Trump admission: Weekend Reads

The thorny meeting of Group of 20 foreign ministers in New Delhi this week underscored just how fraught the world has become as richer nations who condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine fail to convince poorer ones from abandoning ties with Moscow.

In the US, a bombshell court filing showed Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch testified that his broadcaster's commentators "endorsed" Donald Trump's conspiracy theory about the 2020 presidential election, even though Murdoch said he doubted the claim.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to use his deal with the European Union on Northern Ireland to cement a reputation for competence and delivery — so Britons are now preparing for more tax cuts.

In Israel, meanwhile, Premier Benjamin Netanyahu looks determined to hold his ground on issues including a push to take away powers from the Supreme Court and increased violence in the West Bank.

Delve into these and more of our best stories in this edition of Weekend Reads. — Michael Winfrey

An empty street in Bakhmut, Ukraine on Feb. 27. Photographer: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images

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Blinken Presses Lavrov on Ukraine in Unexpected Chat at G-20
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pressed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to end the invasion of Ukraine during an unexpected encounter on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting. Iain Marlow reports on their first in-person encounter since the war began a year ago.

Ukrainian officials signaled the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut may soon be impossible to defend as Russian troops level the area.

Russia Gets Around Sanctions to Secure Supply of Key Chips for War
Russia looks to be successfully skirting sanctions to secure crucial semiconductors and other technologies for its war in Ukraine, a senior European diplomat tells Alberto Nardelli. Data suggests chips made in the EU are arriving via Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Kazakhstan.

Biden Targets GOP on Health Benefits, Seeking Edge in Debt Talks
US President Joe Biden painted Republicans as seeking cuts to health-care coverage and prescription drug benefits. As Justin Sink and Akayla Gardner report, he's raising pressure on the GOP to outline spending reductions they'll pursue in talks over raising the federal debt ceiling.

Murdoch's Grip Wavers, Casting Shadow on Fox as Trump Runs Again
Back in 2021, Murdoch was described by Biden as "the most dangerous man in the world," because of the power his cable news network had in shaping public opinion. As Gerry Smith and Erik Larson explain now the question is how much influence he still wields.

The Justice Department says Trump is not entitled to absolute immunity against civil lawsuits seeking to hold him liable for the Jan. 6 insurrection because he's accused of inciting "imminent private violence."

US Troop Expansion Near Taiwan Revives Old Debate in Philippines
It's been more than three decades since the Philippines ordered US troops to withdraw from the country, ending an era that dated to back America's colonial days. Philip J. Heijmans explains that the man now overseeing the site once home to the US's biggest naval base in Asia wants them back.

Three quarters of women paying for child care in the UK say it doesn't make financial sense for them to work, according to a new report that could spark concerns about a labor market already under strain. For around a fifth of parents, child care costs account for more than half their household income, charity Pregnant Then Screwed said.

Brexit Deal Gives Sunak a Chance to End Years of EU Acrimony
Sunak's government is trying to convince skeptical Northern Irish politicians to back a new post-Brexit deal on trade with the EU. Ellen Milligan and Alex Wickham look at the challenge he faces to convince them and pro-Brexit MPs from his own party.

Sunak's success in securing a new settlement for Northern Ireland has killed off any lingering prospects of a return to UK power by Boris Johnson, Kitty Donaldson reports.

US Wants to Take Down '90s Rapper for Role in 1MDB Scandal
US rapper Pras Michél got entangled in one of the century's great financial scandals, mediated a high-stakes negotiation between global superpowers and was accused of major crimes. Jason Leopold, Matthew Campbell and Anthony Cormier report on a wild tale of celebrity and political intrigue.

Read more about how Jho Lho, the Chinese tycoon accused of orchestrating the looting of billions of dollars from Malaysian sovereign-wealth fund 1MDB, also had ties with Leonardo DiCaprio, Kim Kardashian and other celebrities.

DiCaprio and Low with a Basquiat that was later turned over to the government.

China's Nuclear Trade With Russia Has US Worried About Arms Race
Russian uranium deliveries to a new Chinese reactor are raising US concerns about the potential to produce weapons-grade plutonium. Read Jonathan Tirone's look at a fast-breeder reactor on Changbiao Island that could help Beijing boost its warhead stockpile by four-fold.

China Warns 'Hedonistic' Bankers to Toe the Communist Party Line
Bankers in China are being told to rectify their mindsets, clean up their "hedonistic" lifestyles and stop copying Western ways. The directives are just the latest sign that President Xi Jinping is tightening the Communist Party's grip on the financial system.

What Wall Street Gets Wrong About Xi Jinping's New Money Men
China is about to see a reshuffle as globally respected economic officials are replaced by politicians known for strong ties with Xi. Tom Orlik and Tom Hancock explore investor anxiety over whether the lineup will prove to be Xi yes-men or reform-minded pragmatists.

Crackdown on Black Africans Fuels Attacks and Rebuke in Tunisia
Not five years after Tunisia became the first Arab nation to criminalize racism, rights groups say President Kais Saied is stoking xenophobia against Black Africans to deflect from an economic and political crisis. Souhail Karam reports on the wave of violence, arrests and evictions.

Protesters demonstrate against controversial remarks by the president in Tunis on Feb. 25. Photographer: Fethi Beland/AFP/Getty Images

Israel Rethinks Its Iran Strike Timeline as Russia Enters Mix
Iran is seeking sophisticated new air-defense systems from Russia that Israeli officials believe will narrow the window for a potential strike on Tehran's nuclear program. As Ethan Bronner writes, the prospect of Iran getting the S-400s would accelerate a decision about a possible attack.

Israel's foreign-exchange market is going through an uncharacteristic bout of volatility amid a dispute over central bank autonomy and a wave of protests over an overhaul of the judiciary.

A $13 Billion Challenge Awaits Nigeria's President-Elect
Bola Tinubu won't have much time to celebrate his victory in Nigeria's presidential election. As Anthony Osae-Brown and Ruth Olurounbi explain, Africa's biggest economy is facing a deepening fiscal crisis, acute shortages of domestic and foreign currency, and widespread insecurity.

The politician who ran an upstart presidential campaign from outside the two main parties said he will contest the election result in court.

Climate Finance Is Failing the World's Last Intact Rainforests
Gabon has one of the world's largest intact rainforests, absorbing millions of tons of Earth-warming, ozone-destroying carbon dioxide each year. Yet as Antony Sguazzin and Natasha White explain, in today's financial markets, Gabon's trees are worth more dead than alive.

And finally … Humanity is on the cusp of something phenomenal: harnessing the same power source that lights the stars for nearly limitless, carbon-free energy. Delve into this deep dive about competing designs for fusion plants that may unleash plentiful electricity without emitting greenhouse gases.

The centers of two 485-ton sections of the plasma chamber under construction for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor program. Source: ITER