Politics

Bloomberg The US is poised to send Patriot air and missile defense batteries to Ukraine pending final approval from President Joe Biden, two US officials said, fulfilling a key demand from Ukrainian leaders. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urgently sought the system, produced by Raytheon Technologies Corp.and Lockheed Martin Corp, saying Patriots are needed to counter the relentless barrage of Russian ...

  Bloomberg A Hong Kong court overturned the conviction of a prominent local democracy activist for her role in a banned Tiananmen memorial last year, in a rare victory for the city’s beleaguered opposition. Chow Hang Tung was cleared by the High Court of charges of inciting others to take part in an unauthorised assembly in June 2021 to commemorate ...

  Bloomberg The Philippines’ Department of National Defense said it “views with great concern the reported swarming” of Chinese vessels in the Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea. “Our lines remain open to dialogue,” the agency said. “However, we maintain that activities which violate our sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction, and undermine the peace and stability ...

Bloomberg US President Joe Biden is at pains to fix perceptions in Africa that the US has neglected the continent while China and Russia make inroads. He’ll get a chance when he hosts the first summit of its kind in eight years, one that will see him personally interact with leaders from the continent on trade, climate, and governance. The ...

  Bloomberg European Union (EU) and British officials are seeking to unlock an agreement on their post-Brexit trade relationship by February and put to rest a contentious dispute that’s overshadowed relations since the UK left the bloc three years ago. The two sides have intensified talks over recent weeks on the so-called Northern Ireland protocol after months of stalemate, according ...

  Bloomberg Sweden has outlined Europe’s security as the primary task for its six-month presidency of the European Union (EU) from the start of next year. The nation will prioritise continued economic and military support for Ukraine, as well as support for Ukraine’s path towards the EU, and work to build consensus towards “a robust European security and defense policy,” ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Rishi Sunak unveiled plans to tackle the UK’s swelling backlog of asylum claims including making it harder for arrivals from Albania to stay in Britain. The premier unveiled a five-point plan to bear down on what he called “illegal migration,” saying it’s “unfair” that people enter Britain “illegally,” because it takes capacity away from processing “genuine” claims. ...

  Bloomberg China’s military sent its biggest daily sortie of bombers into the Taiwan Strait in at least two years, in apparent show of displeasure over a visit by a key member of Japan’s ruling party. The 18 H-6 strategic bombers — the most in Bloomberg-compiled data going back to September 2020 — were part of a sortie of 29 ...

  Bloomberg Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the northeast Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh, India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh told parliament, officially confirming the first such encounter between the neighbours in about two years. Troops from both sides “exchanged blows” after hundreds of Chinese soldiers transgressed into India’s side of the boundary, Singh said. India has raised the ...

  Bloomberg Supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro clashed with police in Brazil’s capital after an indigenous leader who sought to stop the certification of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was arrested by determination of a top court justice. TV footage showed cars and buses on fire in Brasilia, and police trying to disperse protesters in different parts of the city ...