Talks between Russia, the US and Europe have hit an impasse over Russia’s demand that Nato agree not to admit any new members. So far, the Biden administration and European leaders have rejected such terms. In so doing, they risk giving Russian President Vladimir Putin an excuse to invade Ukraine. But caving to Putin’s blackmail would be even worse. Putin ...

  Bloomberg Wizz Air Holdings Plc is scouring its European operations for planes and staff to boost UK capacity amid mounting optimism that test-free travel will spur a comeback in demand by the summer. Bookings are up as Britain prepares to scrap testing for vaccinated arrivals after the omicron variant of Covid-19 pushed Wizz to a loss last quarter. Chief ...

  Bloomberg Boeing Co. generated cash for the first time since early 2019 as rising 737 Max deliveries helped bolster company finances against mounting 787 Dreamliner losses. Wall Street was caught by surprise by the $494 million in fourth-quarter free cash flow, disclosed in an earnings statement Wednesday. Analysts had expected an outflow of about $1 billion. Boeing has also ...

  Bloomberg A new vaccine requirement for Walmart locations in Quebec has prompted calls for a boycott among some Twitter users. The protests from those opposed to Covid vaccinations, known as anti-vaxxers, follow the Canadian province’s move to bar unvaccinated patrons from entering government-run stores and large retailers — part of efforts to persuade more people to get immunized. Walmart ...

  Bloomberg New York is appealing a ruling by a Long Island judge that its mask mandate for schools and other public places is an illegal end run around the state constitution. The mask-wearing rule was issued December 10 by the state’s health commissioner at the urging of Governor Kathy Hochul, around the start of the omicron surge of the ...

Bloomberg Starbucks Corp. is asking the US labor board to overturn a ruling allowing store-by-store unionization in Arizona, where ballots were already mailed to employees last week. In a Monday filing with the National Labor Relations Board, the coffee chain sought to overturn a regional director’s ruling that deemed the employees of a single store in Mesa an appropriate potential ...

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden said he would consider personally sanctioning Vladimir Putin if he orders an invasion of Ukraine, escalating the US effort to deter the Russian leader from war. “Yes,” Biden said in Washington, in answer to a reporter’s question about whether he could see Putin facing US sanctions. “I would see that.” The US rarely levels sanctions ...

  Bloomberg Boris Johnson batted away calls from opposition Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer for him to resign over allegations of rule-breaking parties at Downing Street during lockdown. Johnson told the House of Commons he couldn’t comment on the matter while it’s still under investigation, and reiterated a promise to publish senior civil servant Sue Gray’s report in full once ...

  Bloomberg A coup in Burkina Faso will reverberate across West African economies and heighten concerns about growing instability in neighboring states. Soldiers toppled President Roch Marc Christian Kabore on Monday, accusing him of failing to tackle an insurgency that’s spreading in the region. The US and United Nations condemned the takeover, while the Economic Community of West African States ...

  Bloomberg Beijing said a US bid to let its diplomats exit China during the pandemic defied logic, after reports emerged American embassy officials were worried about the country’s tightening epidemic measures. “We find it difficult to understand the logic behind the US decision, which cannot be justified,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Wednesday at a regular news ...