Politics

BLOOMBERG North Korea test-launched two short-range ballistic missiles, adding to its barrage in recent weeks as Pyongyang protests joint military exercises by the US and South Korea. The missiles were fired starting about 7:47 am local time from the Chunghwa area just south of Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a text message. The missiles were launched ...

BLOOMBERG Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida received a much-sought rise in his support rate after a trip to Ukraine met with broad approval from the public ahead of a series of local and special elections. A survey by the Nikkei newspaper and TV Tokyo conducted March 24-26 found 48% of respondents said they supported Kishida’s cabinet, up five percentage points ...

BLOOMBERG Nigeria’s ruling party looks set to retain its dominance of the country’s political offices after elections held in recent weeks. Besides winning the presidency, the All Progressives Congress (APC) kept majorities in the Senate and among state governors. The party also secured the most seats in the House of Representatives. While the runners-up in the presidential race — Atiku ...

BLOOMBERG Marine Le Pen’s far-right party is biggest beneficiary of French discontent over President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to push through an increase in the retirement age, according to a survey by pollster Ifop for Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper. If legislative elections were to take place on April 2, 26% of the 1,094 adults interviewed via the Internet March 20-21 ...

BLOOMBERG President Vladimir Putin said Russia is preparing to station tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus, escalating a confrontation with the US and its allies over the war in Ukraine. Moscow isn’t handing control of the weapons to Belarus, and won’t be in breach of its non-proliferation obligations under an agreement with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin said in comments ...

BLOOMBERG Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi said he will keep questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s close ties with tycoon Gautam Adani even after being disqualified as a member of parliament. “I am here defending the democratic voice of the Indian people. I will continue to do that,” Gandhi said at a press conference in New Delhi. “I have been disqualified ...

BLOOMBERG India’s parliament secretariat removed Rahul Gandhi as a lawmaker after a local court convicted him of defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a huge blow to the opposition ahead of national elections next year. The disqualification makes Gandhi, a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi political dynasty, less viable as a leader of any opposition coalition before elections that may be held ...

BLOOMBERG South Africa’s government is taking legal advice on how to handle an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin in the event the Russian leader attends a Brics summit in August. The ICC issued the warrant against Putin for war crimes related to the alleged abduction of children from Ukraine. South Africa is a signatory to ...

BLOOMBERG China’s top diplomat Wang Yi urged Europe to play a role in supporting peace talks for Russia’s war in Ukraine, though the US has warned Beijing’s proposals would effectively freeze the Kremlin’s territorial gains. “China looks forward to France and other European countries to also play their due role,” Wang told Emmanuel Bonne, a diplomatic advisor to the French ...

Bloomberg North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw tests of weapons designed to deliver nuclear strikes against the US and its allies, including one his regime billed as a new underwater drone that can create a “radioactive tsunami.” The tests also included cruise missiles that were affixed with mock nuclear warheads, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday. The ...