Bloomberg Ukraine’s top military official played down the risk of a full-scale Russian invasion and laid part of the blame for heightened tension on international media, insisting that the threat from the Kremlin hasn’t significantly changed in eight years. Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov pushed back against war-footing rhetoric and called for calm as Russia masses over 100,000 troops, along ...

  Bloomberg The crisis engulfing Boris Johnson escalated dramatically after the police began formally investigating allegations he and his staff held parties that broke the government’s pandemic rules. Johnson is battling for his political survival over a slew of reports about events in his Downing Street office, which were held at a time when social gatherings were banned under restrictions ...

  Bloomberg North Korea appears to have fired two cruise missiles Tuesday morning toward waters off its east coast, according to a South Korean military official, ramping up a barrage of tests this month that have rattled regional security. South Korea was closely monitoring the situation, the official said, without offering further details. The launch comes as North Korea this ...

  Bloomberg The Atlanta prosecutor investigating former President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn Georgia’s election results received approval to convene a special-purpose grand jury to hear evidence. The approval of the special panel, which came in an order filed by Fulton County Chief Judge Christopher S. Brasher, clears the way for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to subpoena witnesses, ...

  Bloomberg UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak is on track for a windfall of around 13 billion pounds ($17.5 billion) this financial year as borrowing figures for the first nine months came in well below official forecasts, despite a sharp rise in debt interest costs. The budget deficit was 16.8 billion pounds last month, taking the shortfall from ...

  Bloomberg Euro area economic activity increased at its slowest pace in almost a year as infections of the coronavirus’s Omicron strain ripped through the services industry. While supply disruptions eased somewhat for manufacturers, a composite gauge for both sectors falls for a second month, to 52.4 in January from 53.3 in December, according to a survey of purchasing managers ...

  Bloomberg Mexico’s annual inflation slowed slightly less than expected in early January and remained far above target, leaving the central bank in a tight spot amid indications the economy is in recession. Consumer prices rose 7.13% from a year earlier, compared to the 7.12% median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg and 7.26% in the last two weeks of ...

  Bloomberg The Port of Los Angeles moved record cargo volumes last year amid an import surge at the U.S.’s biggest container gateway and supply-chain snarls brought on by the pandemic. The West Coast port handled 10.7 million 20-foot container units in 2021, 13% more volume than in 2018, the previous record year, Executive Director Gene Seroka said. US supply ...

Bloomberg Confidence in Germany’s near-term outlook improved in January as companies expect the latest virus wave to prove only a temporary setback for the recovery. A business expectations gauge compiled by the Munich-based Ifo Institute rise to 95.2, more than economists predicted. Manufacturers saw supply bottlenecks easing at the start of the year, and even services providers were optimistic about ...

  Bloomberg Volkswagen AG is partnering with Robert Bosch GmbH to bolster its automated-driving push and catch up with the likes of Tesla Inc. on software development. VW’s Cariad software unit will work with the world’s largest auto-parts supplier to introduce features allowing drivers to temporarily take their hands off the steering wheel starting in 2023, the companies said on ...