Politics

  Bloomberg Venezuela’s government-controlled National Assembly appointed the justices who’ll comprise a new slimmed down Supreme Court, many of them holdovers from the previous court, in a nod to overhauling a judicial system that’s long been criticised for its lack of independence. The assembly chose 20 magistrates in all, 12 of whom were re-appointed to the court, known as the ...

Bloomberg Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned there’s a “serious” risk of nuclear war over Ukraine, even as he signaled the Kremlin is willing to talk to the US to try to resolve the confrontation. “The danger is serious, real. It can’t be underestimated,” Lavrov said in a state TV interview broadcast. Invoking the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when ...

  Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the cabinet are putting in motion plans to reduce his wide-ranging powers as opponents gained momentum in their push to oust his family over mismanagement of the economy. The cabinet approved a proposal by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa — the president’s brother — to return to the 19th amendment of the constitution ...

Bloomberg North Korea appears to have held a military parade as part of celebrations to mark the 90th anniversary of its army founding, an event where it may have displayed its latest weapons to deliver nuclear warheads to the US and its allies. The parade was held in central Pyongyang, NK News and Yonhap News Agency reported, citing unnamed sources. ...

Bloomberg Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told a visiting South Korean delegation that it was necessary to repair ties between the two neighbours and US allies amid threats to the international order. Kishida reiterated his call for greater strategic cooperation while receiving envoys from President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, according to a statement from Japan’s Foreign Ministry. It wasn’t immediately clear ...

Bloomberg Australia would open a defense school to train its Pacific Island neighbours, increase foreign aid and support climate mitigation projects across the region, under an election policy announced by the opposition Labor Party that aims to boost the country’s soft power. Labor has been critical of a new security pact between China and the Solomon Islands, accusing Prime Minister ...

Bloomberg The US announced additional military aid for Ukraine as Defense Secretary said that Washington wants to see Russian forces ground down so they can’t attempt a repeat of the war. Speaking to reporters in Kyiv during the highest-level US visit to Ukraine since Russia invaded two months ago, Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken committed a total of ...

Bloomberg Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the Solomon Islands would be a “red line” for his government, while fellow US ally Japan became the latest to dispatch an envoy to the country over the issue. Morrison is attempting to deflect criticism he did not move quickly enough to avoid a security agreement between Honiara ...

Bloomberg Emmanuel Macron won another crack at convincing the French public that his pro-business, pro-European vision can work for them, after beating nationalist rival Marine Le Pen in the election. While voters rallied around to give the 44-year-old centrist a second term, many backed him to keep Le Pen out rather than because of their enthusiasm for his project. His ...

Bloomberg French voters headed to the polls for the second time in two weeks to conclude a presidential election in which incumbent centrist Emmanuel Macron has the advantage in surveys over nationalist Marine Le Pen. The candidates’ plans are diametrically opposed. At home, Macron, is sticking to his credo of pro-business overhauls — including an increase in the retirement age ...