Politics

Bloomberg Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G-7) industrialised nations blamed North Korea’s push for weapons of mass destruction for the humanitarian situation in the country, as state media reported more than 170,000 new cases in a worsening fever outbreak. In a joint statement following a meeting in northern Germany, the G-7 ministers expressed their grave concern about the ...

Bloomberg A summit with Southeast Asian leaders organised and hosted by President Joe Biden concluded at the White House with a group statement that omitted any condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The nations participating in the summit, called the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or Asean, issued a statement calling for the “immediate cessation of hostilities” in Ukraine. The ...

  Bloomberg Guinea’s military rulers banned all protests in the West African nation, days after announcing a three-year transition to democracy. Opposition political and civil-society groups in the world’s top exporter of bauxite have rejected the timeline, saying that it was adopted without consultation and say they will continue with demonstrations. “Any breach of these guidelines will result in legal ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden’s hopes for a political reset have been overwhelmed by an unrelenting series of economic setbacks, adding to the challenges Democrats face as they court exhausted voters ahead of the crucial midterm election in November. US gasoline prices are at historic highs. Inflation in April exceeded consensus forecasts. Technology stocks have plummeted, taking retirement accounts with them. ...

Bloomberg Sweden’s potential Nato entry would lower the risk of a Russian attack, according to a policy report commissioned by parliament that fell short of directly endorsing membership in the defense alliance. The 43-page review concluded that joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) would act as a deterrent, stressing the importance of coordination with neighbouring Finland. Russia, which invaded ...

Bloomberg The UK ramped up its sanctions on Russia, targeting friends and family members it said were helping to prop up President Vladimir Putin’s “luxury lifestyle.” Individuals sanctioned include Putin’s former wife, Lyudmila Ocheretnaya, and Alina Kabaeva, a former gymnast and Chair of the Board of the National Media Group who is alleged to have a close relationship with the ...

Bloomberg The steady friendship between Hungary and Poland, who for years gave each other cover as they defied the European Union over the rule of law, has frozen over since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The rift risks weakening Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the champion of “illiberal democracy” who has waged a bitter fight with EU leaders over a bloc-wide ...

  Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he will show his majority in parliament next week but the task for President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s appointee to form a government is looking fraught with the opposition and others saying they won’t take any cabinet roles. The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya party has said it won’t join a so-called ...

Bloomberg North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles from an area near Pyongyang toward waters off its east coast, South Korea said, the latest in a series of volleys ahead of a planned visit to the region next week by US President Joe Biden. Launched at 6:29 pm local time on Thursday, the missiles flew about 360 kilometres (224 miles) ...

Bloomberg The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, is pushing member states to boost the amount of Ukrainian military aid the bloc will finance by 500 million euros ($522 million) to 2 billion euros, according to people familiar with the discussions. Member states have yet to agree to the proposal regarding the European Peace Facility, with Germany the main holdout ...