Politics

Bloomberg A call between top diplomats from China and Ukraine sends a fresh signal that President Xi Jinping could soon speak with Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since Russia’s invasion more than a month ago. Foreign Minster Wang Yi reiterated China’s desire for a ceasefire in talks with Ukraine counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, their first such exchange since March 1, ...

Bloomberg Peru’s leader declared a curfew in the capital Lima to stem violent protests against inflation that have intensified in recent days, leading to clashes with police, temporary food shortages and supply-chain disruptions. President Pedro Castillo announced the curfew in an address to the nation while declaring a state of emergency in Lima and the nearby port city of Callao. ...

Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s parliament meets as an economic crisis spiraled into street protests and a number of lawmakers called for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down due to the mismanagement of the country’s finances and his sweeping executive powers. A ruling coalition partner, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, said its 14 lawmakers had decided to withdraw support for Rajapaksa’s government ...

Bloomberg Numerous European Union countries expelled Russian diplomats following the apparent slaying of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha, a town near Kyiv that was among the first targets of invading Russian forces. Germany said it was kicking out 40 staff members from the Russian embassy in Berlin with suspected links to spy agencies. France followed suit, saying it was telling 35 ...

Bloomberg The European Union said that work is under way on additional sanctions to penalise Russia for what appear to be war crimes in Ukraine, condemning “in the strongest possible terms” alleged atrocities committed against civilians. In a statement on behalf of the 27-nation bloc, Josep Borrell, the EU’s chief foreign envoy, laid the blame for the “haunting images of ...

Bloomberg The two European leaders most closely allied to Russian President Vladimir Putin before he launched his invasion of Ukraine won decisive election victories on pledges to stay out of the war. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has spent 12 years consolidating his grip on power and clashing with the European Union over democratic values, clinched a fourth consecutive ...

Bloomberg Sri Lanka named a new finance minister as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa began reworking his cabinet to pull the economy out of its worst crisis in decades. Ali Sabry will take over from Basil Rajapaksa as the head of finance, while GL Pieris will continue as the foreign minister, Sudewa Hettiarachchi, director general of the Presidential Media Division, said by ...

Bloomberg White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said Attorney General Merrick Garland, not President Joe Biden, will make decisions on prosecutions in the January 6th, 2021 insurrection and in other cases. Klain was responding to a New York Times report that Biden told his inner circle last year that former President Donald Trump should be prosecuted. The Times cited ...

Bloomberg To avoid losing a no-confidence vote in parliament, Pakistan leader Imran Khan instead triggered an unprecedented political crisis. Now the question is whether voters will reward him at the next election. In a series of events that stunned Pakistan, a member of Khan’s party scrapped the parliamentary vote over alleged foreign interference before the prime minister swiftly called an ...

Bloomberg Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa barred gatherings and ordered internet service providers to restrict social media access, tightening curbs amid demonstrations calling for his ouster over soaring living costs and a foreign exchange crisis. Several dozen opposition lawmakers had set off on a march toward Independence Square in Colombo, defying a weekend curfew although they were stopped by armed ...