Politics

BLOOMBERG The US and the Philippines promised to deepen their defense alliance through expanded military drills and joint patrols during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s visit at the Pentagon where he was given rare honours, amid escalating China tensions. In new bilateral defense guidelines, the nations reaffirmed their commitment to defend each other in case of an armed attack in the ...

BLOOMBERG Donald Trump says Elon Musk’s release of internal files at Twitter Inc show it was illegal censorship when he was banned on the platform for stoking the January 6 insurrection. The ex-president said in a court filing it’s not enough that Twitter, under the new ownership of Musk, welcomed him back onto the platform late last year — an ...

BLOOMBERG The European Union (EU) is considering ways to target third countries seen as doing too little to stop Russia evade sanctions, particularly those that can’t explain spikes in trade of key goods or technologies, according to people familiar with the matter. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the International Criminal Court in The Hague, where he urged the creation of a ...

BLOOMBERG Singapore’s top diplomat expressed “grave concern” over altercations in the South China Sea following a near collision between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the highly-contested region. Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said his government wants all nations, including superpowers, to work together to ensure “free access and opportunities” in Southeast Asia and its sea lanes. “So obviously we do view ...

BLOOMBERG Russia targeted Ukrainian cities with cruise missiles in the early hours on Monday that Ukraine’s army chief said were mostly intercepted. At least 34 people were reported hurt by a missile strike in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region. The barrage of attacks comes as Ukraine prepares for another ground offensive against Russian forces. Ukraine pushed back Russian troops from some ...

MEXICO CITY / WAM At least 18 people were killed and 33 injured when a bus fell off a cliff in western Mexico, Reuters said. The prosecutor’s office in Nayarit, the state where the accident occurred, said the vehicle fell some 15 metres (49.21 feet) down a ravine on a highway connecting the state capital Tepic and the tourist destination ...

BLOOMBERG Santiago Pena, a former finance minister, scored a major victory in Paraguay’s presidential election, as voters gave the ruling Colorado Party a third straight mandate to run the South American country. Pena, 44, had 43 percent of the vote with more than 98 percent of voting stations counted, according to preliminary results from the electoral court. His main challenger, ...

BLOOMBERG Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he is “determined to forge an even stronger relationship” with the US ahead of a meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington. “We will reaffirm our commitment to fostering our long-standing alliance as an instrument of peace and as a catalyst of development in the Asia-Pacific region and the rest of the world,” ...

BLOOMBERG US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Papua New Guinea in May to attend a meeting of Pacific leaders, the island nation’s premier said on his government’s official Facebook page. Biden will meet with Papua New Guinea PM James Marape, as well as 18 Pacific Island leaders, who will be in capital Port Moresby ...

BLOOMBERG The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slammed US President Joe Biden for making nuclear threats, saying it marked the “dotage of the old” and would be met by a boost in her country’s atomic arsenal. Kim Yo-jong’s comments, released on state media, marks the first official reaction from North Korea to a meeting in Washington between ...