Politics

Bloomberg The US continues to observe activity at North Korean nuclear sites that is “inconsistent with full denuclearisation,” the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said in a report issued. The conclusion, based on observations at the Yongbyon nuclear site and elsewhere, echoes assessments delivered to former President Donald Trump by US intelligence agencies, despite Trump’s efforts to engage in direct summit ...

Bloomberg Russia said one of its warships intercepted a US destroyer in the Sea of Japan that was encroaching on its territorial waters, claiming the vessels came within 60 metres (200 feet) of each other during the confrontation. The US Pacific Fleet rejected Russia’s characterisation of the incident hours later. The Russian Defense Ministry posted a video of the Admiral ...

Bloomberg The US will likely reinstate a Trump-era policy by mid-November requiring asylum seekers who cross the southern border to return to Mexico, the Biden administration told a federal judge. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made “substantial progress” towards restarting the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), which force asylum seekers from Central and South America to wait in Mexico ...

Bloomberg Emmanuel Macron is leading in the run-up to the first round of French presidential elections in April with 25% to 27% support and will likely face a far-right candidate in a decisive runoff vote, according to a poll by Ifop-Fiducial for Le Figaro newspaper. The survey of voting intentions published on Saturday shows National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen ...

Bloomberg UK Home Secretary Priti Patel ordered a review of police security for members of Parliament after Conservative MP David Amess was fatally stabbed at a meeting in his constituency. The attack revives questions about the safety of lawmakers meeting face-to-face with residents in their districts, usually with little security. A 25-year-old UK national was arrested on suspicion of murder, ...

Bloomberg Taiwan’s top military leadership warned China that the closer its aircraft and ships get to the island the harder Taipei will respond, raising the stakes for further escalation with Beijing. Taiwan will take tougher measures to fend off Chinese military sorties should they get too close to the Taiwanese mainland, according to a report by the island’s defense ministry ...

Bloomberg The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected Kenya’s territorial claims in a maritime border dispute with Somalia, in a ruling that may inflame tensions between the nations eyeing the area’s oil and gas reserves. The ruling read by Judge Joan Donoghue was largely in favour of Somalia, with the Hague-based court saying that there isn’t a boundary agreement between ...

Bloomberg If Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov thought winning the Nobel Peace Prize may protect him against a sweeping Kremlin crackdown on media it considers “foreign agents,” then President Vladimir Putin offered a sobering warning on Wednesday. “If he doesn’t violate Russian law, and if he doesn’t give a reason to be declared a foreign agent, then he won’t be,” Putin ...

Bloomberg The European Union will offer a new package of concessions to the UK that would ease trade barriers in Northern Ireland, as the two sides prepare for a new round of contentious Brexit negotiations. Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, was expected to offer to cut as much as 50% of the customs checks in Northern Ireland and ...

Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed the EU’s stalled investment accord with China, human rights and other issues in a “farewell” bilateral talk. Preparation for the G-20 summit, fighting climate change and grappling with the global pandemic were also discussed in the video conference on Wednesday, Martina Fietz, Merkel’s deputy spokeswoman, said in a statement ...