Politics

Bloomberg Italy’s government is opting for targeted regional restrictions amid the latest surge in Covid-19 cases, in a bid to avoid a new nationwide lockdown. Regions with the highest transmission levels will be subject to tougher curbs under a new three-tiered system, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Monday. These will come on top of new nationwide measures including a ...

Bloomberg The world’s strongest storm this year killed at least 16 people in the Philippines, and sent tens of thousands more to evacuation centres, risking coronavirus infection. Nearly 458,000 people were evacuated mostly in the main island of Luzon, including 177 Covid-19 patients and more than 400 medical staff from 10 quarantine facilities, the nation’s disaster risk-monitoring agency said in ...

Bloomberg The final stretch of the race for the White House between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has been fraught with dramatic twists — a hospitalised president, a resurgent pandemic, the death of an iconic Supreme Court justice, and the rapid confirmation of her successor. Yet none of it appears to have altered the course of the race that was ...

Bloomberg At least seven Hong Kong pro-democracy politicians were arrested on Sunday allegedly in relation to scuffles at a Legislative Council meeting in May, RTHK reported. Democratic Party members Wu Chi-wai, Andrew Wan and Helena Wong were arrested by police, the party said in a Facebook post. Former legislators Eddie Chu and Raymond Chan were also detained, according to their ...

Bloomberg Less than a day after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a month-long lockdown for England, one of his top ministers and closest allies signalled the measures might have to be extended if they fail to contain the spread of the coronavirus. “It will get reviewed on December 2, but we’re always driven by what the data show,” Cabinet Office ...

Bloomberg Polls opened in Algeria for a referendum on amendments to the constitution that authorities say will address the causes of long-running unrest in the state. Voting took place nationwide from 8 am to 8 pm on Sunday, with results due on Monday. Unfortunately for a government craving stability, many of the millions who joined mass protests since early 2019 ...

Bloomberg Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union plans to meet in January as the party prepares to select the leader who will take it into next year’s elections. Three candidates are competing for prime position to replace Merkel, who will step down as chancellor after 16 years running Europe’s largest economy. Germany’s ruling party had originally planned to stage an in-person ...

Bloomberg Democrats are on the brink of capturing the Senate to give the party full control of Congress, though the final outcome depends heavily on the strength of presidential nominee Joe Biden’s performance in Tuesday’s election. Polls and independent analysts indicate Democrats have a solid chance at winning at least a narrow Senate majority, with Republicans on the defensive in ...

Bloomberg New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has secured the backing of the Green Party for her next term of government. Ardern announced on Saturday that her Labour Party entered a cooperation agreement with the Greens that gives the smaller party two ministerial posts outside cabinet in return for its support on matters of confidence and supply in parliament. Ardern will ...

Bloomberg Ivorians began voting on Saturday in presidential elections the main opposition parties have urged their supporters to boycott because President Alassane Ouattara is seeking a third term in office. Ouattara, 78, looks to be a shoo-in for re-election. He is running against independent candidate Bertin Konan Kouadio, who received less than 4% of ballots in 2015. While Ouattara’s former ...