Your Tuesday Briefing: Elon Musk Buys Twitter

Good morning. Elon Musk buys Twitter, Beijing vibrates with fears of a lockdown, the U.S. reasserts itself in Ukraine.

Elon Musk buys Twitter

Elon Musk, the renegade billionaire, struck a deal to purchase the social media firm for roughly $44 billion after submitting an unsolicited bid earlier this month. The corporate agreed to $54.20 a share, a 38 % premium over the inventory value when it was revealed that Musk had change into the corporate’s largest shareholder.

It will be the biggest deal to take an organization personal — one thing Musk has stated he’ll do with Twitter — in at the very least 20 years. Comply with stay updates right here.

What occurs subsequent is anybody’s guess: Musk is an erratic poster who typically makes use of his account to take potshots at perceived enemies. One massive query: Would Musk reinstate Donald Trump’s account?

Musk has not commented publicly on the Trump ban, however he has ceaselessly expressed his concern that the platform limits free speech and over-moderates feedback. In a press release, Musk stated “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital city sq..”

Response: Twitter’s workers say they’ve been largely in the dead of night concerning the takeover. Twitter’s share value rose all through the day on Monday as a deal appeared more and more seemingly: After the acquisition was introduced, it closed up 5.7 % at $51.70 per share.

Will Beijing lock down subsequent?

Chinese language authorities ordered mass testing amid fears of a coronavirus outbreak. Town authorities introduced that 70 circumstances had been discovered since Friday, almost two-thirds of these within the district of Chaoyang, which ordered all 3.5 million residents to take three P.C.R. checks over the subsequent 5 days.

Fears of a lockdown prompted a rush of panic shopping for, and supermarkets stayed open late to satisfy demand. In different Chinese language megacities, mass testing in response to preliminary coronavirus circumstances has typically preceded extra stringent lockdowns.

The hardships endured by Shanghai residents loom giant over the capital metropolis, and China’s financial system is already hurting as extended lockdowns interrupt world provide chains. In response to those fears, world shares fell on Monday.

Background: The central authorities has leaned closely on lockdowns regardless of their excessive social and financial prices, in pursuit of the Communist Get together chief Xi Jinping’s “zero Covid” technique.

Evaluation: With pandemic lockdowns, China’s authorities has begun meddling with free enterprise in a manner it hasn’t in years, our columnist writes.

The U.S. seems to weaken Russia

President Biden nominated Bridget Brink, the present U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, as ambassador to Ukraine on Monday. The U.S. additionally introduced it could reopen its embassy in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, after Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, and Lloyd Austin, the protection secretary, made a dangerous, secret go to by practice to the town.

“We wish to see Russia weakened to the diploma it can not do the sort of issues that it has carried out in invading Ukraine,” Austin stated.

The assertion by the highest U.S. protection officers that America desires to degrade the Russian battle machine mirrored an more and more emboldened method from the Biden administration.

In Ukraine, the battle continues to rage, and tens of hundreds are with out energy within the nation’s east. Russia renewed its assaults on Ukraine’s infrastructure, hanging at the very least 5 railroad stations within the west with missiles. The nation’s railroad director stated there have been casualties, with out elaborating.

Loss: A mom discovered a “new stage of happiness” when her daughter was born three months in the past. A missile strike in Odesa killed them each.

Profile: President Volodymyr Zelensky has managed to unite Ukraine’s fractious politics in opposition to Russia.

State of the battle:

• Explosions hit Transnistria, a Russian-allied area of Moldova, amid fears of a brand new entrance within the battle.

• Russian officers are investigating the reason for fires that tore by oil depots in a strategic metropolis close to the Ukrainian border.

THE LATEST NEWS

The French Election

Tattoos have lengthy been taboo in Japan. Since 2014, although, the variety of Japanese adults with tattoos has almost doubled, as social media and superstar tradition immediate extra younger individuals to hunt out elaborate ink. One catch: They’re selecting discreet locations, to allow them to cover their physique artwork at work.

ARTS AND IDEAS

An African artwork assortment beneath risk

The Johannesburg Artwork Gallery, which homes one of many largest artwork collections in Africa, has fallen into disrepair. The pandemic solely worsened the neglect.

Now, the Picasso, Rembrandt and Monets are all packed away in a basement, hidden from the damp. After a very moist summer time, the gallery’s leaking roof grew to become a hazard to the artwork. Its bustling however uncared for neighborhood creates different vulnerabilities: Thieves way back stole its copper finishings.

“In the identical manner it’s a failure of the Metropolis of Jo’burg to take care of the gallery, it’s additionally a failure of the town of Jo’burg to take care of the world across the gallery,” Brian McKechnie, an architect who focuses on heritage buildings, stated.

Its destiny is unsure: In a current assertion, the town stated that it was clear “stopping the leaks alone wouldn’t be enough to handle the long run prospects of the establishment.” The gathering may transfer, however officers usually are not positive what to do concerning the historic constructing.

Within the rooms which might be nonetheless open, curators have assembled exhibitions of Wycliffe Mundopa, who paints giant canvasses celebrating the ladies of Zimbabwe, and the African masters — vibrant reminders of what the Johannesburg Artwork Gallery may nonetheless be. —Lynsey Chutel

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

What to Cook dinner

Feta and olive add brine to this satisfying Greek salad with rooster and cucumbers.

What to Watch

The documentary “Navalny” is a glowing profile of the imprisoned Russian opposition chief.