The United States is postponing Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Beijing after detecting a Chinese surveillance balloon above sensitive nuclear sites in Montana, Bloomberg reported Feb. 3, citing a senior U.S. State Department official.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv for the 24th summit between the European Union and Ukraine, Politico reported Feb. 3.
Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev dissolved the National Assembly, called for an early general election to be held on April 2, and appointed a new interim government headed by current caretaker Prime Minister Galab Donev, Politico reported Feb. 2.
The Chinese-owned Las Bambas copper mine in Peru halted production on Feb. 1 as blockades related to ongoing protests over the impeachment and arrest of former President Pedro Castillo have led to shortages of critical supplies, Quartz reported Feb. 2.
Hong Kong's pro-Beijing newspaper Oriental Daily News responded to police criticism of its coverage of the Jan. 24 police shooting of an unarmed Filipino resident, Hong Kong Free Press reported Feb. 3.
Three sources associated with policy discussions in China claimed that Beijing is unlikely to launch a major consumer stimulus effort (i.e., through nationwide consumption vouchers) in 2023, but will instead focus on infrastructure development, investment and jobs, Reuters reported Feb. 3.
Thirty international bondholders sent a letter to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressing their intention to participate in debt restructuring talks with Sri Lanka, Reuters reported Feb. 3.
Twenty-nine bipartisan senators wrote a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden saying they could not vote in favor of a sale of U.S. F-16 fighter jets to Turkey unless Ankara allowed Finland and Sweden to join NATO, Reuters reported Feb. 2.
Brazilian Sen. Marcos do Val stated publicly that Daniel Silveira, a former lawmaker who supported former President Jair Bolsonaro, invited him to participate in a plan in December 2022 that sought to prevent current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from assuming the presidency, Folha de S.Paulo reported Feb. 2.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may scale back its proposed climate disclosure rules on financial statements following pushback from investors, lawmakers and corporations during the draft rules' public comment phase, The Wall Street Journal reported Feb. 3.
