Politics

BLOOMBERG Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said taking the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut would let Kremlin forces push further into Ukraine’s defenses, vowing to continue a months-long siege that’s shown limited results so far. Bakhmut “is an important link in the defenses of Ukraine’s forces in Donbas,” Shoigu told commanders in televised comments. The founder of Russian mercenary group ...

BLOOMBERG China’s new foreign minister warned that soaring US-China tensions risk blowing past any guardrails in the relationship, showing that divisions between the world’s biggest economies are becoming more entrenched. “The US claims that it seeks to outcompete China but does not seek conflict,” Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday at his first news briefing since taking office late ...

BLOOMBERG Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yielded to pressure over allegations China interfered in Canada’s elections, appointing a special investigator to study the matter. “Upholding confidence in our democratic process in our elections, in our institutions, is of utmost importance,” the prime minister told reporters in Ottawa. The “independent special rapporteur” will have a wide mandate and make recommendations on fighting ...

BLOOMBERG China granted a key ministry new powers and created a bureau to oversee increasingly valuable data, shaking up oversight of its vast technology arena as Xi Jinping’s administration battles the US in areas from AI to semiconductors. The moves — part of a broader overhaul of official bodies to further consolidate Xi’s hold over the world’s second-largest economy — ...

BLOOMBERG Reliance Industries Ltd has tapped a top executive from McLaren Strategic Ventures as CEO for its newly-created financial services unit that is preparing for a listing in India, according to people familiar with the matter. Hitesh Sethia is due to join Jio Financial Services Ltd as its CEO and managing director, said the people, who asked not to be ...

BLOOMBERG Salaries for software engineers in Singapore rose by an average of 7.6% last year, with pay increases falling short of rent hikes after technology companies worldwide slashed jobs. Even as the increase slowed from a 22% surge a year earlier, the city-state’s tech salaries stand out among countries in South and Southeast Asia, according  to a report published by ...

BLOOMBERG Philippines’ core inflation bolted to the fastest pace in 24 years, a print that will likely convince policymakers to retain their tightening bias even as the headline measure slowed. The core gauge, which strips volatile food and energy costs, rose 7.8% in February from a year ago, quickening from 7.4% the prior month and clocking in the fastest increase ...

BLOOMBERG Ukraine’s armed forces said Russian troops continue to pursue an attempt to cut off the besieged eastern city of Bakhmut. Kremlin forces are on the offensive along five axes in the east, including near Bakhmut, the Ukrainian General Staff said over the weekend. Bakhmut’s deputy mayor said Russian attacks are preventing Ukrainian troops from reaching residents who want to ...

BLOOMBERG At least five people were killed in fighting between Azerbaijani troops and ethnic Armenian law enforcement in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the area’s deadliest skirmish in more than six months. Both sides blamed each other for provoking the incident, which left two Azerbaijani soldiers and three police officers from the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic dead. The latest escalation came ...

BLOOMBERG A Pakistan court rejected opposition leader Imran Khan’s petition to cancel an arrest warrant in the latest twist in a legal case that has raised political tensions in the country that’s struggling to shore up finances and avert a default. The former premier had filed an application to the lower courts in Lahore and Islamabad on Monday morning to ...