Politics

Bloomberg Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and leftist challenger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva traded insults in a televised debate that marked their final face off before Sunday’s election, with polls giving the opposition leader a wide lead. The men went on the attack from the get-go, with Bolsonaro calling Lula a “liar,” “ex-convict” and “gang leader.” The comments drew a ...

  Bloomberg Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha will remain in office after the highest court ruled he hadn’t breached a constitutional term limit, handing him a victory as political jockeying increases ahead of elections that must be called by March. The nine-member Constitutional Court said Friday the eight-year term limit can’t be imposed retroactively on Prayuth, who first took office ...

  Bloomberg Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki’s chief aide resigned after becoming embroiled in an email-hacking scandal that has plagued the government for more than a year. Leaks of emails allegedly stolen from aide Michal Dworczyk’s private inbox exposed sensitive correspondence with administration officials including Morawiecki and became frequent media fodder. Dworczyk, who stepped down Friday, said the account was ...

Bloomberg Russia vowed to go ahead with the annexation of the parts of Ukraine that its troops currently control after UN-condemned votes, putting the Kremlin on a fresh collision course with the US and its allies. Russia will sign treaties to absorb the four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine at a Kremlin ceremony at 3pm Friday, President Vladimir Putin’s ...

Bloomberg North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into waters off its east coast, ramping up tensions a day before US Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit the demilitarized zone that divides the two Koreas. The launches took place from the Sunan area near Pyongyang’s international airport at around 6:10 p.m. and 6:20 p.m. respectively Wednesday, South Korea’s ...

Bloomberg Russian leaders declared victory in a series of stage-managed, UN-condemned “referendums,” as the Kremlin moved to annex a large chunk of occupied Ukrainian territory after a string of humiliating military setbacks. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russian Security Council, wrote on his official Telegram channel in the early hours of Wednesday that the referendums were over. “Results are clear,” ...

Bloomberg The growing exodus of Russians fleeing President Vladimir Putin’s mobilization order is creating turmoil at the borders with neighboring states and stirring fears about potential instability. After driving with friends for more than 30 hours from Moscow to reach the Russian border with Kazakhstan in central Asia, 46-year-old Ilya, who asked not to disclose his last name, said they ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden is seeking to mend ties with Pacific Island nations following years of neglect at a first-ever White House summit, as the US and its allies worry that the strategically important countries risk drifting into China’s orbit. At an unprecedented two-day event starting on Wednesday, the administration plans to announce a series of initiatives and a new ...

Bloomberg President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the current focus of the war is Donetsk, describing the heavily industrial eastern region as the “primary target” for both Ukraine and invading Russian forces. The situation in Donetsk is “especially tense,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly address. In a separate tweet, he urged the international community to step up pressure on Russia with sanctions ...

Bloomberg Japanese political leaders remembered former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at a state funeral as a statesman who steadily led the country during his record run as premier, amid domestic opposition to the event that has undermined support for the current prime minister. About 4,300 people including US Vice President Kamala Harris, world leaders, dignitaries and members of Abe’s ruling ...