Politics

Bloomberg Dozens of people clashed on the Hubei border after the Chinese government lifted a two-month quarantine on the epicenter of the country’s coronavirus outbreak, highlighting the challenges of undoing the unprecedented measures taken to contain the disease. The conflict began on March 27 on a bridge connecting Hubei and neighbouring Jiangxi province as policemen from both sides argued over ...

Bloomberg Chancellor Angela Merkel said it’s premature to consider easing Germany’s lockdown measures as coronavirus infections can take as long as 14 days to incubate. “We’re not even close to where we can see if the measures are working,” Merkel said via audio conference from Berlin in her first public comments since entering precautionary quarantine on Sunday. The German leader ...

Bloomberg Singapore is facing a grave economic challenge posed by the coronavirus pandemic that may affect the timing of the nation’s election, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. In a meeting with reporters on March 28, Lee said the tide “had not turned” with the outbreak. As more residents come home to Singapore, more virus enters the country, he said. ...

Bloomberg A week-long paid national holiday announced by President Vladimir Putin on March 25 apparently doesn’t mean people should stop working, according to a Kremlin spokesman. “Those who have been working remotely will continue to work next week,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on an unscheduled conference call with reporters. “It’s not days off or holidays in the classical understanding of ...

Bloomberg Gunmen abducted Soumaila Cisse, the leader of Mali’s main opposition party, and members of his campaign team days before parliamentary polls. Cisse and his team were attacked as they campaigned for the vote on Sunday near the candidate’s hometown of Niafunke in the north of the country, his Union for the Republic and Democracy said. A party official on ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump said he would stop using the term “Chinese virus,” the latest indication that the US and China are seeking to deescalate their blame game over the deadly pandemic. “I don’t regret it, but they accused us of having done it through our soldiers, they said our soldiers did it on purpose, what kind of a thing ...

Bloomberg IS claimed responsibility for an attack in northern Mozambique near an area where natural-gas projects worth billions of dollars are being developed, SITE Intelligence Group said. The March 23 raid on the town of Mocimboa da Praia in Cabo Delgado province was carried out by members of IS’s Central Africa Province unit (SITE) which monitors militant groups, the group ...

Bloomberg President Jair Bolsonaro followed Donald Trump’s playbook as he urged Brazilians to resume normal life to protect the economy even as cases of coronavirus swell. Defying the medical advice to pursue social distancing, the Brazilian president lashed out at state governors who have ordered shops and schools closed to slow down the pandemic that threatens to overwhelm the health ...

Bloomberg The British government is planning to shut down Parliament for four weeks from Wednesday night in the latest attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus. The UK outbreak is most advanced in London and several politicians have fallen ill, including a health minister. Parliament had been scheduled to break for Easter on March 31, but the House of Commons ...

Bloomberg Climate activist Greta Thunberg says she has recovered after being infected with the coronavirus on a trip to central Europe. In an Instagram post, the Swedish teenager said she’s isolated herself in a borrowed apartment after returning to her home country. She says she started feeling mild symptoms of the disease around the same time her father became more ...