Politics

  Bloomberg Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses a difficult question for China: How can it support a key strategic partner when relations with the US and Europe are so much more important for its economy? An important energy supplier to China, Russia has strengthened trade ties with Beijing over the past decade. However, Russia’s economic weight pales in comparison to ...

Bloomberg Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin vowed to “demilitarise” the country and replace its leaders, triggering the worst security crisis in Europe since World War II and prompting the West to threaten further punishing sanctions in response. Russia launched a barrage of missile, artillery and air attacks early on Thursday, with Ukraine reporting dozens ...

Bloomberg US President Joe Biden promised to impose “severe sanctions” against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and he was expected to spell out the economic penalties in a public address on Thursday. The question is how far he and allies will to go to punish President Vladimir Putin. The kind of measures could include cutting Russia’s top banks from ...

Bloomberg Canada is lifting the emergency powers it enacted more than a week ago to get street protests under control, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying the unprecedented authority is no longer needed. His government invoked the never-before-used Emergencies Act after hundreds of semis and other heavy vehicles blockaded the downtown of Canada’s capital city for three weeks. The demonstration ...

  Bloomberg The Pentagon is making as many as 700 National Guard troops available to Washington law enforcement to keep traffic flowing if a threatened protest convoy of trucks clogs the already congested Beltway in coming days. Social media users opposed to vaccine mandates have posted frequently about the so-called People’s Convoy, inspired by recent protests in Canada. But there ...

  Bloomberg Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has a slight, first-round edge over his main challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the upcoming presidential race, but would still lose a runoff vote by a wide margin, according to the latest poll. A survey by Futura Inteligencia published on Wednesday showed that the president would get 34.3% of voter intentions, while ...

Bloomberg US President Joe Biden unveiled sanctions targeting Russia’s sale of sovereign debt abroad and the country’s elites, responding to what he described as the start of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine. “He’s setting up a rationale to take more territory by force,” Biden said at the White House. “This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.” ...

Bloomberg Ukrainian authorities moved towards declaring a nationwide state of emergency after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway territories, ratcheting up tensions with Kyiv and sparking concerns about a potential broader conflict. The measure, announced by Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov in Kyiv on Wednesday, would empower communities across the country of 41 million to impose restrictions. ...

  Bloomberg China temporarily detained a diplomat working at Japan’s embassy in Beijing this week, prompting protests from Japanese officials. The person was briefly detained Monday afternoon by Chinese authorities, according to statements from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassy, which said the actions were a breach of an international agreement protecting diplomats. The Chinese embassy in Tokyo rejected ...

  Bloomberg Thailand will further relax entry rules for foreign visitors starting next month, bowing to demand from the local tourism industry to lower costs as more countries ease border controls to lure holidaymakers. Vaccinated visitors to the Southeast Asian nation won’t be required to undergo a mandatory polymerase chain reaction test on the fifth day of the arrival starting ...