Bloomberg German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht stepped down following a series of missteps and days of speculation over her future, a blow to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government as it weighs crucial decisions on arming Ukraine. Lambrecht asked to be relieved of her cabinet post, blaming intense media reporting as an unacceptable distraction, and Scholz accepted the request and respects the …

  Bloomberg The UK and European Union pledged to continue working toward a post-Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, but stopped short of formally announcing an intense final phase of negotiations. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic said in a joint statement Monday that they need to find “solutions together to tackle comprehensively the real-life concerns of …

  Bloomberg China’s central bank added less cash than expected into the banking system via policy loans while keeping the rate unchanged this month even with funding demand on the rise into Lunar New Year holidays. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) injected a net 79 billion yuan ($11.8 billion) via its one-year medium-term lending facility this month, less than the …