Politics

Bloomberg Joe Biden pushed back on suggestions that the November election could be postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic, saying on March 22 it’s important that voting continues as it has during other crises in American history. “We have to let the electoral process run. We ought to be able to preserve our health and our democracy at the same time,” ...

Bloomberg Boris Johnson warned Britons they face “tougher measures” including a potential full lockdown if they continue to ignore calls to stop social gatherings, as his government asks Parliament to grant sweeping powers to tackle the accelerating coronavirus outbreak. With the UK’s weekend newspapers full of reports about people meeting in parks and traveling to coastal towns, the prime minister ...

Bloomberg Authorities in Beijing have forced at least seven Chinese nationals to stop working for American news outlets there, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the latest development in an ongoing dispute between the US and China over media access. Members of the New York Times, Voice of America and two other outlets were dismissed from their jobs on ...

Bloomberg Italy suffered its worst day of coronavirus deaths and shut down almost all industrial production for 15 days, with the pandemic dealing blow after blow across an entire European continent in lockdown. Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said that Italy will temporarily halt all non-essential business activity as the country of 60 million faces its biggest challenge since World War ...

Bloomberg Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he no longer believes former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad following a series of broken promises between the two political stalwarts. Anwar, in an interview with CNBC, said “not now” when asked if he still trusted in the former prime minister. “I am just human, I take people at face value and I think ...

Bloomberg Ethiopia is considering whether it can hold elections as scheduled in August as the coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic spreads. “If we can control the disease and get through it in a short time, like China did, then elections would be held on schedule. This is preferable,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said in a televised address to the public on March ...

Bloomberg Polish President Andrzej Duda has rarely been busier than since he suspended his election campaign and called on rivals to follow suit amid the coronavirus outbreak. The incumbent has criss-crossed the country and made television appearances at a border checkpoint, a hospital, a food bank and even oil group PKN Orlen SA’s new production line of hand sanitiser. His ...

Bloomberg US President Donald Trump sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offering help fighting the coronavirus outbreak. The letter also included a plan for advancing ties between the countries, according to a statement from Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, that was published by Korean Central News Agency. North Korea has said it has avoided the virus pandemic ...

Bloomberg The Trump administration escalated its attacks on China over the coronavirus, as US officials publicly alleged that Beijing concealed and minimised the spread of the disease within its borders until it was too late to stop a global outbreak. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo called the disease the “Chinese virus” at a White House news ...

Bloomberg Mexico’s foreign minister said the country won’t yet suspend flights from Europe, contradicting US President Donald Trump, but it will restrict land travel across its northern border. Trump said in a news conference earlier on March 20 that Mexico had taken action to secure the border and suspend air travel from Europe. At his own news conference hours later, ...