Your Friday Briefing: Russia’s Flagship Sinks

Good morning. We’re masking the sinking of a Russian warship, Elon Musk’s bid to purchase Twitter and the U.Okay.’s plan to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Russia’s flagship sinks

The flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet sunk on Thursday after it suffered catastrophic injury.

Ukraine mentioned it was the results of a missile strike by its coastal protection drive; Russia claimed that the injury to the ship, the Moskva, was brought on by a hearth. Later, Russia claimed it had sunk whereas being towed throughout a storm. Listed here are dwell updates.

The injury to the Moskva was a potent symbolic victory for the Ukrainian army and a humiliation for Moscow. It could even be an indication of latest weapons: Ukraine mentioned it struck the vessel with Ukrainian-made Neptune missiles, which have by no means earlier than been utilized in fight.

Background: Ships from Russia’s Black Sea Fleet have been offshore for the reason that begin of the battle, periodically launching rocket and missile assaults in opposition to targets inside Ukraine. The fleet has additionally lower off Ukraine’s entry to the Black Sea, eradicating a key financial lifeline.

Diplomacy: E.U. leaders are contemplating an embargo on Russian oil merchandise, which might improve vitality costs and disrupt politics across the area.

Musk makes a hostile bid for Twitter

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, provided to purchase Twitter in a money bid that values the social community at $43 billion.

Musk has used Twitter to insult critics, troll short-sellers and unfold inaccurate details about the pandemic. He has additionally repeatedly criticized Twitter’s moderation insurance policies, and floated the notion of radically shifting energy towards Twitter customers and enabling unfettered free speech.

Comply with dwell updates right here.

What’s subsequent: Twitter’s board mentioned it could assessment Musk’s proposal to purchase the corporate and take it personal. If it turns down the supply, it must clarify why, and doubtlessly line up a white knight suitor to give you a competing bid.

The U.Okay. plans to ship asylum seekers to Rwanda

The British authorities introduced a plan to ship some asylum seekers hundreds of miles away to Rwanda for processing and resettlement, drawing instant condemnation from rights teams and opposition leaders.

Rwanda — which has confronted fierce criticism for its human rights file from many nations, together with Britain — mentioned it could obtain about $157 million as a part of the deal. It can supply the asylum seekers “authorized pathways to residence” in Rwanda if their claims are profitable.

Background: The British authorities has struggled to cease a small however regular move of individuals making harmful crossings throughout the English Channel from France.

What’s subsequent: Prime Minister Boris Johnson mentioned laws to allow the deal was nonetheless going by means of Parliament. He conceded that the plan was prone to face authorized challenges and “won’t take impact in a single day.”

The backlash: Yvette Cooper of the opposition Labour Celebration described the plan as “unworkable, unethical and extortionate.” It was, she wrote on Twitter, a “determined and really shameful announcement,” and “an try to distract from Boris Johnson’s lawbreaking,” following the choice by the police on Tuesday to advantageous the prime minister for breaking lockdown guidelines.

THE LATEST NEWS

World Information

• Greater than 120 folks have died within the central a part of the Philippines after a tropical storm precipitated landslides and flooding.

• Not less than 306 folks died in Durban, South Africa, after a number of days of punishing rain.

• A U.S. federal jury convicted a British militant accused of being a member of Islamic State within the abduction, abuse and deaths of 4 Individuals.

• Many years after independence from colonial rule, many African nations are more and more troubled by France’s persevering with financial and political affect.

Coronavirus

Listed here are the newest updates and maps of the pandemic.

• Almost 400 million individuals are estimated to be beneath some type of lockdown in China. Its financial system is paying the worth: Specialists assume its goal of 5.5 p.c financial development for 2022 is now unrealistic.

• Frightened by Shanghai’s meals disaster, Beijing residents at the moment are stockpiling provides.

• Hong Kong plans to ease its social-distancing measures subsequent week because the wave abates, The Related Press studies.

What Else Is Taking place

A protracted-running Japanese actuality TV present just lately got here to Netflix, the place it’s astonishing Western audiences. The premise? Toddlers operating errands with out grownup supervision.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Tonga’s world shockwave

In mid-January, an enormous underwater volcano erupted off the coast of Tonga, the Pacific island nation. It spawned a tsunami that devastated lots of its islands and struck far-off shores throughout the ocean.

The massive explosion additionally generated one thing that scientists hadn’t seen in additional than half a century: a planetary-scale stress wave, or shockwave, within the ambiance.

A brand new simulation provides an in depth take a look at a stress wave, which took about 36 hours to circumnavigate the globe. It unfold out in concentric rings that traveled on the velocity of sound, interrupting air stress and water vapor within the ambiance. It’s kind of like an earth-wide sonic growth.

“It’s tremendous spectacular,” a physicist on the College of Western Ontario mentioned. “All people who research atmospheric waves are all fairly, I’d say, awe-struck.”

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

What to Cook dinner

That’s it for at present’s briefing. See you subsequent time. — Amelia

P.S. “After I can’t sleep, I’ve been doing Wordle,” Vice President Kamala Harris told Democratic donors final evening, in keeping with a CNN reporter.

The newest episode of “The Every day” is on Elon Musk’s tangle with Twitter.

You possibly can attain Amelia and the group at briefing@nytimes.com.