Politics

Bloomberg The remaining defenders of Mariupol are encircled by Russian forces but have not surrendered the strategically important port city, Ukrainian officials said, as a deadly strike was reported in Lviv near the Polish border. Ukrainian troops in besieged Mariupol still held out at the giant Azovstal steelworks, one of the largest metallurgical plants in Europe. Air raid sirens were ...

  Bloomberg When Sri Lankan officials arrive in Washington to meet with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amid an economic and political crisis, the main question they’ll need to answer is how the country plans to manage its billions in debt. Sri Lanka is seeking up to $4 billion this year to help it import essentials and pay creditors. To ...

  Bloomberg The Hong Kong government confirmed that John Lee was only candidate nominated for chief executive, clearing the way for him to take power after an uncontested leadership election next month. Lee, 64, a former chief secretary for administration and police official, received 786 valid nominations from the roughly 1,500-member Election Committee that picks the city’s leader, the government ...

Bloomberg Billionaire Roman Abramovich has travelled to Kyiv in a bid to restart peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, which stalled after evidence emerged of Russian atrocities against civilians. Abramovich met with Ukrainian negotiators to discuss ways of reviving the negotiations, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The Russian billionaire, who has longtime ties to President Vladimir Putin, ...

  Bloomberg Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said there are concerns about a “lack of transparency” in relation to the draft security agreement between the Solomon Islands and China. Speaking in a local television interview, Payne said the matter is “something that should be discussed in the broader Pacific Island forum context itself” and that the “Pacific family” ...

  Bloomberg Sri Lanka’s army denied speculation it is planning to crack down on protesters seeking the ouster of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. In a statement, it termed as “sinister” allegations that troops are training to assault the demonstrators. Soldiers will step in only if the police call on them for assistance, the army said. “Troops as everyone witnessed in the ...

  Bloomberg South Korea’s President-Elect Yoon Suk Yeol plans to send a group of delegates to Japan next week, Yonhap News reported, a sign that the two nations could work toward mending relations amid mounting North Korean provocations. The seven-member delegation led by People Power Party’s lawmaker Chung Jinsuk will visit Japan’s foreign ministry officials during their visit from April ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden will host leaders of ASEAN countries on May 12-13 in Washington, signaling US efforts to engage with the group in the competition with China for regional influence. A White House statement announcing the special summit with the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations said the US administration shares a “commitment to advance an Indo-Pacific that is ...

Bloomberg The UK government’s push to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda may not deter enough migrants to make the effort cost effective, the Home Office official charged with assessing the plan said. Migrants who cross the English Channel on small boats risk being relocated to the African state with a one-way ticket, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in presenting ...

Bloomberg A group of senior US senators delivered a message of support for Taiwan during a visit, a move that China answered with a display of military force. Members of the delegation, including Republican Lindsey Graham, told Beijing that the US will start making China account for bullying Taiwan and supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “Here is ...