Politics

  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 ...

Bloomberg The US and Mexican governments are preparing for a surge in undocumented migrants heading for their border in the coming months after faster inflation in key countries in Central America added to economic hardship. Officials from the administrations of Presidents Joe Biden and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in recent days discussed their concern about the impact that rising food ...

  Bloomberg Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga will target improved debt repayment terms for the East African economy, saying existing obligations of almost $100 billion may force the nation to seek help from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The growing debt “puts Kenya in the group of the most debt-distressed middle and lower-income developing countries now being forced into IMF ...

Bloomberg Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made a dramatic plea to the US for more help fending off Russia’s invasion, targeting members of Congress who are ready to provide money and equipment but still unwilling to countenance his biggest ask: A no-fly zone over his country. “Russia has turned the Ukrainian sky into a source of death for thousands of people,” ...

Bloomberg A proposal for Ukraine to become a neutral country but retain its own armed forces “could be viewed as a certain kind of compromise,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, hinting at possible progress in peace negotiations. Peskov declined to provide details beyond confirming that the idea of Swedish or Austrian-style neutrality is under discussion in the talks now underway ...

  Bloomberg Germany plans additional borrowing of at least 200 billion euros ($220 billion) this year to finance a fund to modernise the military alongside already-planned debt for climate protection and other initiatives. The latest borrowing binge marks the third consecutive year that Germany has breached constitutional debt limits and highlights how the new government is prepared to take a ...

  Bloomberg Adversaries in a Nigerian lawsuit in which a leading presidential candidate is accused of secretly controlling the private company that collects taxes in the state he once ran are discussing an out-of-court settlement. Oladapo Apara, a founder of Alpha Beta Consulting LLP, alleges that Bola Tinubu concealed his control of the firm. In the early 2000s, as governor ...