Politics

  Bloomberg Hours after one of Boris Johnson’s longest-standing allies quit — with a stinging rebuke of his judgment — the UK prime minister gathered shell-shocked staff in Downing Street to tell them “change is good.” But while Johnson has tried to put his trademark optimistic spin on yet another week of turmoil, the ebullient persona that carried him to ...

  Bloomberg President Emmanuel Macron would face conservative candidate Valerie Pecresse and defeat her in a runoff if elections were held now, according to a poll. Support for Macron was at a field-leading 24% in the Ipsos Sopra Steria poll, followed by Pecresse of the Republicans at 16.5%. If replicated in the first round of voting in April, that outcome ...

  Bloomberg Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party cranked up the prospects of a prolonged political crisis following the resignation of the region’s First Minister, warning it won’t return to the power-sharing Executive unless issues related to Brexit are resolved. “The DUP will not be involved in forming a government in Northern Ireland until those issues have been satisfactorily addressed,” the ...

  Bloomberg Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping closed ranks against the US and its allies on key security issues as they declared that there’s no limit and “no forbidden zones” in the friendship between Russia and China. At their first in-person meeting in more than two years Friday, Putin and Xi said in a joint statement that China “treats with ...

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden said a “major terrorist threat” was eliminated during a US raid in northwest Syria in which IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed. “Thanks to the bravery of our troops this horrible terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said in remarks at the White House after announcing earlier that he had ordered the US ...

  Bloomberg The crisis engulfing Boris Johnson’s government deepened as four top aides quit, with one unleashing a devastating attack on his judgment. The UK prime minister’s chief of staff, Dan Rosenfield, and his principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds both resigned on Thursday, as did his director of communications, Jack Doyle. Chancellor Rishi Sunak also gave a subtle rebuke to ...

  Bloomberg House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned US Olympic athletes to avoid acts of protest while in China for the winter games to avoid retaliation by the “ruthless” government in Beijing. “I would say to our athletes — you are there to compete. Do not risk incurring the anger of the Chinese government because they are ruthless,” Pelosi in testimony ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong national security police arrested a 75-year-old pro-democracy activist, according to a Chinese state media report that called him an “anti-China disruptor.” Koo Sze-yiu, a member of the League of Social Democrats, was arrested shortly after 6 a.m. Friday on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power under the city’s national security law, according to China’s official Xinhua ...

  Bloomberg Russia said it was destructive for President Joe Biden to move additional troops to Europe and station more along Nato’s eastern flank, as French President Emmanuel Macron prepares for his third call in a week with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Ukraine. Putin is expected to speak to reporters Thursday after meeting with Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez, ...

  Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin said Russia and China play an “important stabilizing role” in international politics ahead of a meeting this week with Xi Jinping in Beijing. Putin, who is heading to the Chinese capital to attend the Winter Olympics, said discussion of “relevant international topics” will be a key part of the visit, seemingly a reference to current ...