Politics

Bloomberg European leaders struggled to mask their frustration with President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw the last US soldiers from Afghanistan and sought to distance themselves from the dramatic scenes unfolding across the war-torn country. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters that the Nato mission in Afghanistan was “fundamentally dependent” on the US while French President Emmanuel Macron stressed that ...

Bloomberg China announced naval and aerial live-fire military exercises in areas south of Taiwan on Tuesday, without saying how close to the democratically ruled island the drills were. Combat ships, anti-submarine aircrafts and fighter jets were among the forces that joined the exercises “to test integrated operational capability” in territory southwest and southeast of Taiwan, Shi Yi, spokesperson of the ...

Bloomberg Taiwan’s premier defended the island’s ability to withstand a Chinese attack after the US’s exit from Afghanistan raised questions about American commitment to security issues in Asia. Premier Su Tseng-chang rejected comparisons between US pledges to help the democratically elected government in Taipei defend itself and Washington’s support for the regime in Kabul. Taiwan could avoid being “swallowed up” ...

Bloomberg Malaysia’s lawmakers must submit their choice of a new prime minister to the palace by 4 pm local time on Wednesday, as the nation’s king begins the search for a successor to Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned on Monday. Lawmakers were reminded to keep the contents of their declaration letters a secret until the king decides which MP commands the ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong’s leader said the city will cut ties with any group that gets involved in politics, as authorities in the Asian financial hub ramp up pressure on civil society organisations critical of the government. Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at a regular press briefing on Tuesday that she supported the existence of a “pluralistic society” but that several ...

Bloomberg Desperate scenes played out at Kabul’s international airport on Monday as thousands rushed to exit Afghanistan after Taliban fighters took control of the capital, with Reuters reporting at least five people were killed as people tried to forcibly enter planes leaving the country. Citing witnesses, Reuters said it wasn’t clear whether the victims died of gunshots or in a ...

Bloomberg Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his cabinet resigned after more than 17 months in power, fuelling a crisis of leadership in a country beset by a weakened economy and a surge in coronavirus cases. Muhyiddin, 74, will stay on as a caretaker prime minister until a successor is named, the palace said in a statement on Monday after ...

Bloomberg Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro released Freddy Guevara, an opposition leader who had been jailed for more than a month, so that he can act as a negotiator in political talks set to start next month. A top ally of Juan Guaido, Guevara was freed from the Caracas headquarters of the police intelligence unit known as Sebin. In video posted ...

Bloomberg Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha will face a no-confidence vote in parliament as the opposition parties and pro-democracy groups ratchet up pressure on his government as it struggles to contain one of the worst Covid-19 outbreaks in the region. The opposition parties submitted a motion for censure debates and no-confidence votes on Monday against Prayuth and five other ministers, ...

Bloomberg Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party bloc declined for a second consecutive week in a poll that suggests the Social Democrats are gaining ground ahead of Germany’s election in six weeks’ time. The Social Democratic Party, (SDP) which hasn’t held the chancellor’s office since 2005, pulled ahead of the Greens for the first time in a year in the weekly Insa poll, ...