Politics

Bloomberg The Biden administration is counting on a rule change to speed up asylum decisions at the southern border and help ward off the turmoil expected to come if a measure that limits those claims is allowed to expire. Department of Homeland Security officials will get the power to reject or approve asylum cases directly starting from May 31. It’s ...

Bloomberg German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for more countries to join international efforts to isolate Russia, saying President Vladimir Putin must not be allowed a victory in Ukraine that could embolden other warmongers. Scholz’s plea came as the European Union struggles to maintain a united front in talks over further sanctions against Moscow, and many emerging powers in Asia, Africa ...

Bloomberg The US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) warned Russia could use any Ukraine territory it holds onto as a “springboard” to capture more terrain. Germany’s chancellor said Russia wants to “bomb us back to a time when war was a common political tool.” Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told allies the war “may ...

Bloomberg Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged that China remain integrated in the region, days after US President Joe Biden visited Asia for a series of summits that excluded the world’s second-largest economy. “If US-China relations continue on this path, it will lead to further bifurcation of technology and splitting of supply chains or even worse unintended consequences,” Lee ...

Bloomberg When Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law measures that would allow adults to carry handguns without a license in 2021, smiling at the dais a seat away from him was the head of the National Rifle Association (NRA). After the shooting deaths of at least 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, the Republican ...

Bloomberg China followed President Joe Biden’s vow to defend Taiwan militarily by announcing it held military exercises close to the democratically ruled island, underscoring its anger over the US stance. The air and sea “combat readiness patrol” was “a solemn warning about the recent collusion between the US and Taiwan,” Colonel Shi Yi said in a statement from the Eastern ...

Bloomberg With all eyes on Ukraine as it strives to mount the first rung of the process to join the European Union, neighbour Moldova worries that its own push to join the bloc may be forgotten. Sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania on the EU’s eastern frontier, Europe’s poorest nation has struggled since independence in 1991. It has suffered from rampant ...

Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping held an unusual meeting with a top human rights chief, highlighting the importance his administration places on United Nations official Michelle Bachelet’s landmark visit to China. Beijing is willing to discuss rights issues and cooperate with all parties on the basis of mutual respect, Xi said in a video call with Bachelet on Wednesday, state ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden is seeking to show US resolve against China, yet an ill-timed gaffe on Taiwan risks undermining his bid to curb Beijing’s growing influence over the region. Whether intentional or not, Biden provoked China with a vow to defend Taiwan militarily. After saying that US policy on Taiwan “had not changed at all” during a news conference ...

Bloomberg Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has vowed to defy a government ban on his planned march to Islamabad for a sit-in on Wednesday to press the administration to quit and call new elections. Khan plans to create chaos with his protest march and will be stopped, Interior Minister Rana Sana Ullah Khan said in a briefing in Islamabad. ...