Bloomberg China’s ambassador to the US called for the two countries to take history as a guide to solve the disputes, in an apparent attempt to cool rising tensions between both nations. The two sides should carry forward the spirit of Ping-Pong diplomacy and seek common ground, Ambassador Cui Tiankai said in a recorded speech. He was speaking at an ...

Bloomberg The State Department restored rules governing officials’ contacts with Taiwan that were lifted in the Trump administration’s final days, but said the new version eased unneeded restrictions as the US looks to counter increasing encroachment by China on the island’s sovereignty. The new guidance “underscores Taiwan is a vibrant democracy and an important security and economic partner that is ...

Bloomberg The Pentagon announced plans to crack down on extremism in the ranks with new regulations, screening and training after troops and veterans participated in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a working group to rewrite the definition of prohibited extremist activity in the military, update questionnaires on past activity for new recruits ...

Bloomberg The European Union (EU) is set to postpone legal action against the UK for breaching the Northern Irish Brexit deal, according to two people familiar with the matter, as riots grip the province. The EU began proceedings last month after Britain unilaterally extended a waiver on checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain. The temporary exemption was ...

Bloomberg Norway’s prime minister, Erna Solberg, was fined 20,000 kroner ($2,350) for breaking her own government’s Covid restrictions in connection with a party celebrating her 60th birthday. The circumstances wouldn’t normally trigger a fine, but police suggested the country’s prime minister should be held to a higher standard. “Even though the law is the same for everyone, not everyone is ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden proposed major boosts in funding to combat inequality, disease and climate change as part of a $1.52 trillion budget request for 2022, part of his wider push to redefine the role of government in American lives. The administration’s outline, released by the White House, kicks off a months-long process in which Congress is likely to significantly ...

Bloomberg Canada’s jobs market blew past expectations for a second straight month, one more sign the nation’s economy is on the cusp of fully recovering from the pandemic. The economy added 303,100 jobs in March, Statistics Canada reported in Ottawa. That’s triple what economists were anticipating, and follows a gain of 259,200 in February. The two-month jump was led by ...

Bloomberg Spain’s government trimmed its 2021 annual economic growth forecast to 6.5% after renewed pandemic restrictions led to a worse-than-expected first quarter, Economy Minister Nadia Calvino said in a presentation. The government’s previous outlook, published in October, forecast a baseline economic expansion of 7.2% this year and as much as 9.8% if the European Union pandemic recovery funds were quickly ...

Bloomberg Italy eased lockdown restrictions, lifting some curbs that have been weighing on the economy in the region surrounding Milan and across the country as the latest virus resurgence slows. Health Minister Roberto Speranza signs a decree to shift six regions classified as high-risk “red” areas to medium-risk “orange” status, his office said in a statement. The development means that ...

Bloomberg Microsoft Corp.’s LinkedIn faces a probe by the Italian privacy watchdog after reports that the personal data of some 500 million users was scraped off the platform and posted online. The Italian authority said in a statement that it started an investigation following “the dissemination of user data, including IDs, full names, email addresses, telephone numbers.” The regulator said ...