Politics

Bloomberg President Joe Biden’s promise to help vulnerable Afghans flee their country in the face of a Taliban onslaught is running up against his reluctance to budge from an August 31 deadline to withdraw all US forces. Refugee groups and former officials says he can’t sustain both. Biden said he was essentially putting Afghan allies of US and Nato forces ...

Bloomberg Ismail Sabri Yaakob was sworn in as Malaysia’s third prime minister in 18 months, heralding the return of a pro-Malay party that has dominated politics for decades and as the focus on reviving a pandemic-ridden economy becomes more urgent. The monarch presided over the swearing-in ceremony for Ismail, 61, the deputy leader of the previous government and a longtime ...

Bloomberg President Joe Biden’s rapid pullout from Afghanistan has left thousands of Afghans who worked as translators and guides for the US military in a desperate race to escape the country to avoid being targeted by the Taliban. Amid the chaotic US withdrawal, Afghan allies are having to navigate complicated logistics and an overburdened bureaucracy to get visa paperwork in ...

Bloomberg The US has said it remains committed to Taiwan and other allies, pushing back at concerns about its resolve after its departure from Afghanistan led to the Taliban taking over Kabul. “We believe that our commitments to our allies and partners are sacrosanct and always have been,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during a press conference in Washington. ...

Bloomberg Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional alliance has chosen former deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the bloc’s choice for prime minister, Ahmad Maslan, secretary general of the United Malays National Organisation said in a tweet. “Only one name as prime minister candidate was sent by UMNO/BN MPs on 17/8/21 which is Ismail Sabri, MP for Bera,” he wrote on Wednesday. ...

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 ...