Politics

  Bloomberg The head of Somalia’s oil-rich Puntland, Said Abdullahi Deni, announced that he’s running for Somalia’s 2022 presidency, following a meeting with new members of parliament elected from that region. The leader, who is a critic of incumbent president Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, made the announcement in Garowe, the state’s regional capital in a televised speech. “I’m running for Somalia’s ...

  Bloomberg Australia is stepping up military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine to assist in its war against Russia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s government will offer an additional $15.6 million of military support for Ukraine, including unspecified material from the Australian Defence Force’s stocks. It’s also pledging another A$30 million in humanitarian assistance as well as at least 70,000 tonnes ...

Bloomberg US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping began a closely watched phone call on Friday, their first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month. The call, which started shortly after 9 am Washington time, is an opportunity for Biden to assess where Beijing stands on the war and how Xi views his country’s role, after some Chinese ...

Bloomberg China’s muted response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has hardened views within the Biden administration that President Xi Jinping may be moving closer to supporting Moscow as the conflict continues, according to several people familiar with the matter. Even as the Chinese government publicly voices some support for the Ukrainian people and calls for a peaceful solution, top American ...

Bloomberg Military commanders from Nato countries are working the phones with their Russian counterparts to make sure the US and its allies don’t get dragged into a war over a misunderstanding on the Ukrainian border. In the past 24 hours, Russian missiles landed near Lviv, the city in western Ukraine that has been a gathering point for people fleeing the ...

Bloomberg Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has driven commodity prices higher, dealing a double blow to global hunger: more people in need, and smaller portions to feed them. The attack on Ukraine, known as the breadbasket of Europe, has pushed already elevated crop prices to unprecedented heights. That’s accelerating food insecurity worldwide, including in Ukraine itself. With energy bills also accelerating, ...

  Bloomberg Bulgaria expelled 10 Russian diplomats in an unprecedented move that underscored strained relations with one of the Kremlin’s closest allies within the European Union. The diplomats were declared personae non gratae for carrying out activities that contradicted to the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations, the Foreign Ministry in Sofia said in a statement, without providing further details. They ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden will speak on Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the US leader looks to shore up global pressure on Russia to halt its war in Ukraine. “This is part of our ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. “The two leaders will discuss managing ...

  Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin warned he would cleanse Russia of the “scum and traitors” he accuses of working covertly for the US and its allies, as the government steps up pressure on domestic critics of his war against Ukraine. Facing economic meltdown three weeks into the invasion, the Russian leader accused the West of wanting to destroy Russia in ...

Bloomberg China’s foreign ministry endorsed remarks by its envoy to Ukraine, in which Beijing delivered some of its most supportive comments yet towards the war-torn country. Ambassador Fan Xianrong had told Lviv Governor Maksym Kozytskyi during a meeting that China was a “friendly country for the Ukrainian people” and would “never attack Ukraine,” according to a summary posted on the ...