The Economist.

Hello, you're listening to the free edition of the world in brief from The

Economist. As a reminder, if you subscribe to the economist, you'll get access to a deeper look at the day ahead, updated three times a day.

If you're already an economist subscriber, visit Economist.com slash Espresso,

or visit our Espresso app to start listening.

Here's today's free edition. This is the world in brief from the economist.

Our top stories.

Russia launched a big attack on Ukraine's infrastructure, killing seven people and injuring many more.

A missile attack destroyed the Triple Scar electricity plant

near Kieve.

Strikes also hit power plants elsewhere in Ukraine, leaving around 200,000 people in Kharkiv, the second largest city, without power. Valodermi Zelenski, Ukraine's president, said his country needed air defense systems and other defense assistance from its allies, not just lengthy discussions.

Earlier, Ukrainian lawmakers scrapped a clause from a draft law that would have allowed soldiers who spent

more than 36 months fighting to return home. The decision angered exhausted combatants.

Diplomats urged Iran to exercise caution following an earlier American warning that the Middle Eastern country could

launch a direct significant attack against Israel.

Germany's foreign minister called her Iranian counterpart urging maximum restraint.

The Kremlin spokesperson said it was critical

for all Middle Eastern countries to avoid a complete destabilization of the situation in the region.

The European Central Bank voted to keep interest rates steady at 4%.

However, it signaled that rate cuts could come soon. The Central Bank said it would

be appropriate to lower rates if inflation keeps falling. This was the first time the ECB has publicly discussed cutting rates since it began

tightening policy. The economy is weak. Growth across the block averaged 0.4% last year.

...