Politics

Bloomberg The Philippines will allow citizens employed in Hong Kong and Macau to return to their jobs, partially lifting a ban imposed earlier to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. A government task force decided to exempt those working in Hong Kong and Macau from the travel ban “subject to certain formalities,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Brigido Dulay said on his ...

Bloomberg The US and Taliban will sign a peace deal at the end of February, more than a year after negotiations started, paving the way for broader talks between the Afghan government and the extremist group on the country’s post-war future. The peace agreement will be signed during a ceremony, according to the group’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed, as well as ...

Bloomberg We’ve had “Howdy Modi.” Now it’s “Namaste Trump.” That’s how the Indian city of Ahmedabad is advertising the event where President Donald Trump and India’s PM Narendra Modi are expected to share the stage at a cricket stadium on February 24. “Get ready to say #NamasteTrump,” the municipal corporation of Ahmedabad, the largest city in Modi’s home state of ...

Bloomberg The European Union agreed to deploy warships to enforce an arms embargo on Libya in a move that underscores the increasing importance the bloc places on geopolitics and that seeks to defuse the conflict ravaging a major African oil producer. EU foreign ministers agreed on Monday to launch aerial, satellite and maritime assets in the Mediterranean Sea tasked with ...

Bloomberg European Union President Charles Michel sought to build momentum towards lifting a French veto on membership talks with North Macedonia and Albania. Michel hosted a dinner in Brussels for top representatives of western Balkan countries including North Macedonia and Albania. Last October, France blocked the EU’s goal of starting accession talks with both nations during the first half of ...

Bloomberg China is considering delaying its most high-profile annual political meeting for the first time in decades, as the government attempts to contain an outbreak of a deadly new strain of coronavirus. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) will meet on February 24 to consider a delay of the annual meeting of the full parliament planned to ...

Bloomberg Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he’s committed to ending the conflict with Russia, after the appointment of a new Kremlin envoy signalled a possible opening for peace efforts. “On the first day of my presidency, I said openly: we didn’t start this war, but we have to end it,” Zelenskiy, elected in a landslide election last year on a ...

Bloomberg Venezuela’s detention of opposition leader Juan Guaido’s uncle is based on “preposterous charges” and another sign of the “increasing desperation” of Nicolas Maduro’s regime, the US Department of State said in a statement. “The United States strongly condemns the detention of Juan Jose Marquez, uncle of interim President Juan Guaido, and demands his immediate release,” the State Department said. ...

Bloomberg Fears continue to grow as much of the world shifts its attention to cruise ships infected with the coronavirus. Japan said it found an additional 70 cases aboard the Diamond Princess, a luxury liner that’s been quarantined at the port of Yokohama, bringing the total number of infected on the ship to 355. Malaysia said it won’t allow any ...

Bloomberg The White House delivered its legal justification for the January airstrike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, arguing that President Donald Trump was authorised to take the action under the Constitution and 2002 legislation authorising the Iraq war. The Trump administration memo, which was released by House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel, was the first official explanation of the ...