Investors are bracing for another tough report on US inflation, Putin’s war in Ukraine has sparked an exodus of educated professionals from Russia and could worsen the country’s population decline, and conservative shareholder activists in the US have filed a record number of proposals this year as they try to counter what they call “woke-ism” in corporate America. Mentioned in this podcast:Ukraine war threatens to deepen Russia’s demographic crisisPolitical proxies: conservative activists file record shareholder proposalsEpic Games secures $2 bn in funding from Lego and Sony to build gaming metaverseThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon and Marc Filippino. The show’s editor is Jess Smith. Additional help by Peter Barber and Gavin Kallmann. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.