Bloomberg Vladimir Putin was sworn in for the fourth time as president, promising Russians an “economic and technological breakthrough” and reappointing his long-serving prime minister amid the deepest standoff with the West in decades. Despite Putin’s rhetoric, there’s little appetite in the Kremlin for real changes, according to senior officials, as the growing tension with the US and European Union ...

Bloomberg Unidentified gunmen killed at least 45 people in an attack in a central Nigerian region that has been plagued by violence between farmers and herder communities. The attackers also burned down homes in the district of Birnin Gwari, about 200 kilometres (124 miles) northwest of the capital, Abuja, Kaduna state police chief Austin Iwar said in a text message. ...

Bloomberg Italy’s two biggest political forces rejected the idea of a government of technocrats in talks with President Sergio Mattarella, increasing the chances of new elections as early as July to overcome a two-month deadlock. Center-right leader Matteo Salvini, who also heads the anti-immigrant League, demanded the head of state give him a mandate to try to form a government ...

Bloomberg UK Foreign Minister Boris Johnson is in Washington this week to make a last-ditch argument to persuade President Donald Trump to remain in the Iran nuclear deal, arguing the agreement is flawed but can be improved. “We need to find a way of fixing that, and the president has been right to call attention to it, but you can’t ...

Bloomberg French President Emmanuel Macron said he’s been “unrelenting” on the issue of Russian interference in the nation’s politics, and Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have understood. “We will not let them get away with it,” Macron said in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche. “It’s with this attitude that one can gain the respect of others. Russian ...

Bloomberg Not long after US authorities filed sealed charges against Volkswagen AG’s old chief executive officer, they granted the new CEO a rare safe-passage deal. The Justice Department agreement allows Herbert Diess, promoted last month to lead the German automaker, to travel the world freely without fear of being arrested in connection with the US’s diesel-rigging investigation, according to two ...

Bloomberg Once again, the pound’s fortunes lie with the Bank of England. Traders will scrutinise the central bank’s policy decision on Thursday for any signs that an interest-rate hike this year is still in the cards. A lot of bad news has already been baked into the UK currency and a “relatively hawkish hold” from the BOE could push it ...

Bloomberg German factory orders unexpectedly dropped in March and February was revised lower, confirming a weak start to the year in Europe’s largest economy and raising concern over the strength of the euro-area growth. Orders slid 0.9 percent, compared with a median estimate for a 0.5 percent increase in a Bloomberg survey. With February’s figure revised to minus 0.2 percent ...

Bloomberg Warren Buffett boosting his stake in Apple Inc. has pundits predicting it is poised to hit $1 trillion in market value. But the iPhone maker isn’t the first to tread that lofty path. PetroChina Co. crossed the milestone back in November 2007, when its mainland shares almost tripled in value in their Shanghai trading debut. But the state-controlled energy ...

Bloomberg Angelo Gordon & Co. has raised $843 million for its second Europe-focussed real estate fund, surpassing its $750 million target. AG Europe Realty Fund II will seek out complex, off-market opportunities in the UK and elsewhere in Western Europe, regions that are “still experiencing substantial levels of distress and dislocation,” said Anuj Mittal, co-portfolio manager of European real estate ...