February, 2022

• 4 February

  Putin, Xi close ranks against West on Ukraine and Taiwan

  

    Bloomberg Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping closed ranks against the US and its allies on key security issues as they declared that there’s no limit and “no forbidden zones” in the friendship between Russia and China. At their first in-person meeting in more than two years Friday, Putin and Xi said in a joint statement that China “treats with ...

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• 4 February

  Biden says IS leader Qurayshi killed in US raid in Syria

  

    Bloomberg President Joe Biden said a “major terrorist threat” was eliminated during a US raid in northwest Syria in which IS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi was killed. “Thanks to the bravery of our troops this horrible terrorist leader is no more,” Biden said in remarks at the White House after announcing earlier that he had ordered the US ...

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• 4 February

  Boris Johnson’s key aides quit, leaving premier on the brink

  

    Bloomberg The crisis engulfing Boris Johnson’s government deepened as four top aides quit, with one unleashing a devastating attack on his judgment. The UK prime minister’s chief of staff, Dan Rosenfield, and his principal private secretary, Martin Reynolds both resigned on Thursday, as did his director of communications, Jack Doyle. Chancellor Rishi Sunak also gave a subtle rebuke to ...

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• 4 February

  Pelosi warns US athletes ‘against protests’

  

    Bloomberg House Speaker Nancy Pelosi warned US Olympic athletes to avoid acts of protest while in China for the winter games to avoid retaliation by the “ruthless” government in Beijing. “I would say to our athletes — you are there to compete. Do not risk incurring the anger of the Chinese government because they are ruthless,” Pelosi in testimony ...

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• 4 February

  Hong Kong security police arrest 75-year-old democracy activist

  Bloomberg Hong Kong national security police arrested a 75-year-old pro-democracy activist, according to a Chinese state media report that called him an “anti-China disruptor.” Koo Sze-yiu, a member of the League of Social Democrats, was arrested shortly after 6 a.m. Friday on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power under the city’s national security law, according to China’s official Xinhua ...

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• 4 February

  US productivity increases by the most in more than a year

  

    Bloomberg US productivity surged last quarter by the most in more than a year, reflecting a sharp acceleration in economic output, while labour costs growth cooled. Fourth-quarter nonfarm business employee output per hour increased at a 6.6% annual rate from the previous three months, the largest advance since the second quarter of 2020, according to Labour Department figures. In ...

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• 4 February

  German factory orders rise as pandemic holds grip on economy

  

    Bloomberg German factory orders increased more than anticipated in December, a bright spot for Europe’s largest economy as the pandemic threatens to tip it into another recession. Demand increased 2.8% after rising a revised 3.6% in the previous month, a stronger reading than even the highest estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 27 economists. Domestic demand was a key ...

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• 4 February

  Spain to ditch outdoor masks rule next week

    Bloomberg Spain’s government will suspend the obligation to wear the face masks outdoors as soon as next week, Cadena Ser reported. The order, which was reintroduced last December to stem the Omicron variant, will take effect by next Wednesday, the radio station said, citing people in the government it didn’t identify. The news comes as the latest coronavirus wave ...

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• 4 February

  New York Times sets new goal of 15mn subscribers by 2027

  

    Bloomberg New York Times Co. set a new goal of attracting 15 million subscribers by the end of 2027, aiming to double its current customer base as it signs up more paying readers and snaps up other digital media properties. In 2019, the Times set a goal of 10 million subscriptions by 2025. Unlike that target, the new goal ...

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• 4 February

  UK car sales jump 28% in January

    Bloomberg UK car sales rebounded the most in seven months in January thanks to surging demand for battery-powered vehicles. New-car registrations rose 28% last month, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. One in five buyers opted for a car with a battery, with shipments of fully electric vehicles more than doubling and plug-in hybrids ...

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