Ukraine Ceasefire?
Wednesday, March 19th, 2025
World — Ukraine Ceasefire Talk
Bloomberg
President Vladimir Putin declined to grant Donald Trump's request for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine during their recent phone call, instead agreeing only to limit attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Despite falling short of the desired full ceasefire, Trump portrayed the outcome as a victory and a potential first step towards a broader agreement. Putin's concession came with demands for the U.S. and other nations to halt the flow of weapons and intelligence to Ukraine. While Trump hailed the result as progress, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Putin had effectively rejected the proposal for a complete ceasefire. The agreement may provide Trump with a political win, but European allies remain skeptical, with the UK and EU considering accelerating arms shipments to Ukraine in anticipation of a potential full ceasefire.
Tech — The Next EV Superpower
Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are emerging as potential electric vehicle (EV) superpowers in Southeast Asia, each pursuing distinct strategies to capture a share of the growing EV market. Thailand leads with aggressive consumer incentives, aiming to boost EV sales to 30% of cars produced by 2030. Indonesia focuses on attracting manufacturers and leveraging its mineral resources, particularly nickel, to develop a local EV supply chain. Vietnam backs its national champion, VinFast, which is expanding into other Asian markets despite setbacks in the U.S.. However, each country faces challenges: Thailand risks job losses in its traditional auto parts sector, Indonesia struggles with ensuring meaningful local content in Chinese investments, and VinFast grapples with profitability issues. The race to become the region's EV superpower is intensifying, with significant investments and policy support, but success remains uncertain as these countries compete for a limited share of the global EV market.
Business — U.S. New Homes Construction Rebounds
Bloomberg
US housing starts rebounded strongly in February, increasing 11.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.501 million units, surpassing market expectations after a weather-related decline in January. The recovery was led by single-family home construction, which rose 11.4% to an annualized rate of 1.108 million, the highest pace in a year. Multifamily starts also saw a significant increase of 10.7%. However, building permits, an indicator of future construction, decreased 1.2% to an annualized rate of 1.456 million. The rebound in construction activity was particularly notable in the South and Northeast regions, which had been affected by severe winter storms in January. Despite the positive February figures, builders continue to face challenges such as elevated construction costs, potential tariffs on building materials, and persistent affordability issues for homebuyers.
Relationship — The Definition of a Toxic Partner
Verywell Mind
A toxic partner consistently exhibits behaviors that diminish, disrespect, and de-center their significant other. These behaviors can include disregarding their partner's feelings and perspectives, displaying emotional immaturity, showing selfishness and lack of reciprocity, blaming others for their actions, avoiding accountability, harboring trust issues, failing to provide meaningful emotional support, engaging in toxic communication patterns, and eroding their partner's self-esteem. While there may still be good moments in the relationship, the overall dynamic is characterized by persistent patterns that cause distress and disconnect the affected partner from their intuition and sense of self-worth. This combination of negative behaviors and occasional positive interactions can make it challenging for individuals to recognize the toxicity and leave the unhealthy situation.
Smoothie — Pear Smoothie
Running to the Kitchen
Song Rec — Alive (Dubin and RUNN)
Quote of the Day
“We wait. We are bored. No, don't protest, we are bored to death, there's no denying it. Good. A diversion comes along and what do we do? We let it go to waste. ...In an instant, all will vanish and we'll be alone once more, in the midst of nothingness.” — Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot