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With his opponent sidelined Vladimir Putin wins another six years in office.

Plus federal prosecutors investigate Meta for potentially

profiting from drug sales and China tries to lure back foreigners but is its

charm offensive enough?

There's a lot more at stake here beyond just being liked.

Foreign investment inflows last year fell 8%

and that's the first decline in 10 years.

So Beijing really needs to address this slide.

It's Monday, March 18th. I'm Luke Vargas for the Wall Street Journal and here is

the AM edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories moving your world today.

We begin in Russia where as predicted Vladimir Putin has claimed victory in the country's general election, securing

another six-year term in office with 88 percent of the vote.

The inevitable result came after a carefully managed re-election campaign that saw opposition candidates sidelined.

Putin's most effective opponent, Alexei Nivalney, was also out of the picture.

Having been found dead in an Arctic prison camp last month

and circumstances that haven't been fully explained.

Political analysts say that Putin's fifth term in office is likely to be taken up by the war in Ukraine and ensuring the continued

support from the Russian people.

Meanwhile Ukraine is beginning to report success in exporting grain following a halt in maritime shipments after

Russia's 2022 invasion.

...