Bloomberg Two US carriers conducted a military exercise in the South China Sea, signalling that US President Joseph Biden and his administration are taking a strong stance to oppose China’s territorial claims in the disputed waters. The dual carrier operations by the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group on Tuesday conducted a “multitude of exercises ...

Bloomberg Donald Trump’s second Senate impeachment trial begins on Tuesday Washington time. The trial is sure to be rich in political and constitutional significance even though it’s all but certain to end in acquittal, with most Republicans in opposition. The nine House managers prosecuting Trump will argue that he betrayed his oath of office as president by inciting the January ...

Bloomberg Supporters of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny plan a new protest action this weekend that aims to avoid the mass arrests during two previous nationwide demonstrations. Navalny’s top ally, Leonid Volkov called on inhabitants of major Russian cities to gather on Sunday at 8 pm outside their homes for 15 minutes holding up their mobile phones with a ...

Bloomberg Myanmar’s police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons to quell demonstrations throughout the country on Tuesday, leaving two people in critical condition after anti-coup protesters defied a ban on public gatherings. At least 20 protesters were injured after police used rubber bullets in the capital Naypyidaw during the most serious clashes, according to a network of medics ...

Bloomberg The European Union accused Eritrean troops of fuelling months-long conflict in Ethiopia’s Tigray region and echoed a US call for their withdrawal. The presence of Eritrean forces is “exacerbating ethnic violence” in Tigray, the EU said in a statement. Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s spokeswoman, Billene Seyoum, didn’t respond to requests for comment ...

Bloomberg UK businesses face a 50 billion-pound ($68 billion) “bombshell” unless a series of government pandemic aid programs are extended, the Labour opposition warned. With many firms running out of cash, the party urged Chancellor Rishi Sunak not to wait until his budget on March 3 to prolong business rates relief, a sales tax reduction and his flagship furlough program. ...

Bloomberg French economic activity is running at 5% below pre-crisis levels as the government holds off from imposing a full Covid-19 lockdown beyond the current curfew and closures in some sectors, the Bank of France said on Tuesday. After dipping to 7% below normal during November’s lockdown, the economy improved somewhat in December and is expected to remain steady through ...

Bloomberg Optimism among US small businesses falls in January to an eight-month low as the outlook for economic conditions deteriorated sharply. The National Federation of Independent Business index of sentiment falls by 0.5 points to 95, the third-straight decline, the group said. The figure was weaker than the median projection of 96.8 in a Bloomberg survey of economists. Weak consumer ...

Bloomberg Facebook Inc. said it will take stronger steps to eliminate false information about Covid-19 and vaccines on its social network, a move that could remove major groups, accounts and Instagram pages for repeatedly spreading misinformation. The company is acting on advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other groups to expand its list of false claims that are ...

Bloomberg German industrial production failed to grow for the first time in eight months in December, adding to signs that the economy is being weakened by the second wave of the pandemic. Output stagnated at the end of last year as gains in manufacturing were offset by weaker construction. Economists had expected a 0.3% gain. “The outlook for the industrial ...