Politics

  Bloomberg Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that the American proposal to defuse tensions with Ukraine contained “rational elements,” even though some key points were ignored. The seemingly calmer tone came after U.S. President Joe Biden warned of a possible Russian attack next month during a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. They also discussed ...

  Bloomberg The Biden administration said it recommended changes to China’s requirements for Covid-19 quarantine and testing among American diplomats, adding to tensions between the world’s biggest economies ahead of the Olympics. “We have long-standing concerns regarding the PRC’s quarantine and testing policies that run counter to diplomatic privileges and immunities,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters on Thursday, ...

  Bloomberg A UK government probe into alleged rule-breaking parties in Boris Johnson’s office during the pandemic could be stripped of key details at the request of the police, potentially handing the prime minister a boost as he tries to persuade his Conservatives not to mount a leadership challenge. Facing a major public backlash, Johnson commissioned the civil service to ...

  Bloomberg North Korea confirmed launches of four missiles this week, as Kim Jong Un ramped up weapons-testing to a record pace in an effort to signal displeasure with the US over economic sanctions. The tests included the launch of two long-range cruise missiles Tuesday that flew for 1,800 kilometers before striking an island off the peninsula’s eastern coast, the ...

Bloomberg As populism tested the ability of Europe’s mainstream parties to adapt, one country stood out as an exception: Portugal. General elections on Sunday are likely to cement its status as an oasis for the political center. Yet it’s not without risks. Prime Minister Antonio Costa of the center-left Socialist Party has only a slight edge in some polls over ...

    Bloomberg Russia gave a critical initial response to US security proposals aimed at defusing a crisis over Ukraine, saying they failed to address Moscow’s demands to prevent Nato expansion, though the Kremlin indicated talks are likely to continue. While President Vladimir Putin has read the documents and will take time to study them, “it cannot be said that ...

  Bloomberg Publication of the UK government’s investigation into pandemic parties in Boris Johnson’s office has slipped to next week as officials debate what details need to be redacted after police opened their own inquiry. Senior civil servant Sue Gray, who was commissioned by Johnson to look at allegations he and his staff broke lockdown rules with various gatherings in ...

  Bloomberg North Korea fired what were believed to be two short-range ballistic missiles, adding to one of its biggest barrage of tests since Kim Jong-un took power a decade ago. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military “detected two projectiles that appeared to be short-range ballistic missiles,” fired at around 8 am Thursday from around North Korea’s ...

Bloomberg Kenyan lawmakers approved legislation backed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga, which will allow the formation of political coalitions without stripping constituent parties of their identities. Deputy President William Ruto and his allies opposed the Political Parties Amendment Bill as it will aid his main rival, Odinga, to set up a formidable alliance made up of ...

  Bloomberg President Joe Biden said he would consider personally sanctioning Vladimir Putin if he orders an invasion of Ukraine, escalating the US effort to deter the Russian leader from war. “Yes,” Biden said in Washington, in answer to a reporter’s question about whether he could see Putin facing US sanctions. “I would see that.” The US rarely levels sanctions ...