Politics

Bloomberg Vladimir Putin’s surprise move to allow himself to remain as president until 2036 caught even many Kremlin insiders off guard, leaving some feeling deceived by his motivation for changing the constitution. His sudden reversal — approving a plan that he’d long publicly resisted — was a blow to some senior officials’ hopes that he would find a more elegant ...

Bloomberg Joe Biden’s decisive victories in Florida, Illinois and Arizona effectively put the Democratic nomination out of reach for Bernie Sanders. The former vice president won all three states by wide enough margins that he now has a majority of all delegates pledged so far, and more than half of the almost 2,000 he needs to secure the nomination at ...

Bloomberg Remember Brexit? Hundreds of trade negotiators from the UK and European Union were due to meet in London on Wednesday to hammer out a trade deal. With those discussions now delayed because of the coronavirus, it’s increasingly likely Prime Minister Boris Johnson will have to postpone Britain’s final break with the bloc at the end of this year, something ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump for the first time on his Twitter feed used the phrase “Chinese Virus,” stepping up friction between the world’s two biggest economies as each tries to deflect blame for a deadly pandemic. Trump, who has previously called the disease a “foreign virus,” tweeted on Tuesday: “The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines ...

Bloomberg Malaysia confirmed its first deaths from the new coronavirus after the country reported the highest number of infections in Southeast Asia. A 60-year-old Malaysian man died in Kuching in the eastern state of Sarawak with authorities still identifying the source of his infection, according to a statement from the state government. That was followed by the death of a ...

Bloomberg European leaders attempted to prepare their citizens for the unprecedented trials ahead as comprehensive curbs on national life came into force in a bid to control the spread of the deadly coronavirus. In a series of public addresses, the leaders of countries from Finland to Germany sought to convince populations of the need for restrictions on their daily lives ...

Bloomberg Justin Trudeau’s government is significantly restricting the entry of non-residents into Canada to combat the spread of the coronavirus. At a press conference outside his residence in Ottawa, where the leader remains in self isolation, Trudeau said Canada will deny entry to all foreigners, except for Americans. The new measures come into effect on March 18. Trudeau also announced ...

Bloomberg Bordered by China and South Korea, two early victims of coronavirus, Kim Jong-un’s North Korea claims it has evaded the pandemic with no cases of infection. Diplomats and experts piecing together the clues see a different picture. Kim brought his already isolated country to a near standstill by sealing the borders in January to stop the virus, which halted ...

Bloomberg Serbia suspended all preparations for parliamentary elections scheduled for April 26 after imposing a state of emergency that effectively bans public activity in order to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the country’s electoral commission said. Preparations for the ballot will resume after the state of emergency is lifted, the commission said. Serbia closed its borders to all foreigners but Chinese, ...

Bloomberg Malaysia’s former leader Mahathir Mohamad warned that the opposition coalition may lack the support needed to remove the current government, while criticising his long-time rival Anwar Ibrahim for the collapse of his administration. The Pakatan Harapan alliance, which was ousted from power last month, now had the backing of about 108 lawmakers, from 114 the morning before Prime Minister ...