Politics

Bloomberg Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is sizing up his options ahead of a crucial Senate vote this week, including a resignation offer that would position him as the top candidate to lead a new government. The 56-year-old Conte is considering offering his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, who oversees forming new governments, according to officials who asked not to ...

Bloomberg Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa won re-election to a second five-year term, a sign of political stability as the country tries to contain the pandemic. Rebelo de Sousa, 72, took 61% of vote with 99.9% of the country’s voting districts reporting, according to the government’s election website. Portuguese presidents have usually served two terms. In Portugal, the prime ...

Bloomberg The US State Department urged China to engage in dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives and cease putting military, diplomatic and economic pressure on the island. The US statement came as Taiwan said a fleet of 13 Chinese military planes, including eight H-6K bombers, entered its air defense identification zone, in an apparent stepping up of Beijing’s almost constant ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson became the first European leader to speak with US President Joseph Biden since his inauguration in a phone call that focused on ways to strengthen bilateral ties, collective defense and fight climate change. Biden pledged to work closely with Johnson as the UK hosts both the G-7 and the United Nations Climate Change conference ...

Bloomberg Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is resisting pressure to resign in the run-up to a critical vote in the Senate that could topple his fragile administration, newspapers said. While the premier isn’t currently planning to quit, he may change his mind if he fails to recruit enough senators ahead of a vote on Wednesday or Thursday to approve the ...

Bloomberg Supporters of opposition leader Alexey Navalny held Russia’s biggest anti-Kremlin protests since at least 2018, braving clashes with riot police and freezing temperatures to demand his release from jail. Tens of thousands turned out in dozens of cities across the world’s largest country, defying the authorities’ warnings that they may face charges of “mass disorder” for the unauthorised protests. ...

Bloomberg The Congress of South African Trade Unions, a key ally of the country’s ruling African National Congress, has attacked the party for everything from delays in securing Covid-19 vaccines to failing to provide income support for workers affected by the pandemic. In a submission to a meeting of the ANC’s top decision-making body, the National Executive Committee, the 1.8 ...

Bloomberg Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said “help is on the way,” as the country reels from a rise in coronavirus infections and deaths that have claimed the lives of two members of his cabinet. In a televised address, Mnangagwa said government was engaging countries that have developed vaccines and once secured, they would be given first to health-care workers. “Help ...

Bloomberg Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she remains committed to a legal referendum on independence after her party set out a plan of action should the UK government continue to refuse to grant one. The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader said that if the party wins May’s regional election in Scotland, the UK’s position will be untenable because voters ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, his first calls with foreign counterparts since his inauguration this week. In a nod to continental cooperation, Biden’s first conversation was with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. The White House, in a statement, said Biden underscored to Trudeau “the strategic ...