Politics

Bloomberg Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany will supply Ukraine with IRIS-T guided missiles as he pushed back against persistent criticism that the government in Berlin is dragging its feet on sending heavy weaponry. “In the coming weeks we will continue to deliver weapons,” Scholz said in an address to the lower house of parliament. Germany will also contribute technical ...

Bloomberg Governor Kathy Hochul and legislative leaders pledged to raise the legal age to purchase an AR-15 assault rifle in New York to 21 years old from 18, and pass a package of measures to tighten gun laws before the end of the state’s legislative session this week. Citing the mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, local ...

  Bloomberg South African President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed 14 people to a Black economic-empowerment council that will advise the government on intensified transformation of the economy. The Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Advisory Council’s members will include Black Business Council Chief Executive Officer Kganki Matabane and Black businesswoman Gloria Serobe, the presidency said in a statement. The body is being established ...

Bloomberg South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol’s conservative party is on path for a decisive victory in elections for leaders of major cities and provinces, a joint exit poll showed, in a show of support for his policies coming just three weeks after he took office. Yoon’s People Power Party is expected to take at least 10 of the 17 ...

Bloomberg Boris Johnson said it would not be “responsible” to resign over the so-called partygate scandal, even as a growing number of Conservative MPs call for a change of leader. “I just cannot see actually it would be responsible right now, given everything that’s going on,” the British premier said in a Mumsnet interview broadcast, referring to economic pressures and ...

Bloomberg Malaysian PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he would not delay the dissolution of parliament, amid continued pressure from his party to hold a general election as soon as possible. “To face the 15th general election, Barisan Nasional must be prepared,” Ismail said, referring to the ruling coalition. “I say that once we are prepared, I won’t delay for even ...

Bloomberg European Union leaders agreed to pursue a partial ban on Russian oil, paving the way for a sixth package of sanctions to punish Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, for the invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions would forbid the purchase of crude oil and petroleum products from Russia delivered to member states by sea but include a temporary exemption ...

  Bloomberg Hong Kong’s next leader John Lee said the financial hub faces difficulties before it can reopen the border with mainland China, after returning from his first meeting with President Xi Jinping since being selected to run the financial hub earlier this month. Lee said he told Premier Li Keqiang there are “a lot of challenges and difficulties” to ...

  Bloomberg Gustavo Petro ceded his front-runner status for Colombia’s presidency to a little known 77-year-old construction magnate, in a sign of how voters are increasingly willing to gamble on untested leaders who promise change. Rodolfo Hernandez’s surprise surge to place second in the election sets up a June 19 runoff with Petro, a former mayor of Bogota whose program ...

Bloomberg Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the country needed to focus on new areas of growth as a panel laid out proposals for his “new form of capitalism” aimed at reducing social disparities and driving the economy. “We’ve put together a grand design for a new capitalism,” Kishida said at a meeting of the panel. “We’ll seek new growth, ...