Politics

Blinken cites Xinjiang abuses in report on global atrocities

Bloomberg The US State Department cited the Chinese government’s crackdown on ethnic Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region as one of six places in the world that are witnessing or are at risk of atrocities and crimes against humanity, as the US explores new ways to try to prevent such violence. “The crimes against humanity include imprisonment, torture, enforced sterilisation and ...

Read More »

Japan for first time mentions Taiwan stability in defence paper

Bloomberg Japan for the first time referred to the importance of stability around Taiwan in its annual defense report, ratcheting up its concerns over the island that has been a flashpoint in tensions between China and the US The wording in the “Defense of Japan” white paper released on Tuesday increased friction between the two biggest economies in Asia. A ...

Read More »

Rioting forces South Africa to halt vaccines

Bloomberg South Africa’s Covid-19 vaccination program has been partially halted as violent protests following the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma rage in two key provinces. State-administered inoculations have been suspended in KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng, the economic hub, said Nicholas Crisp, a consultant to the National Health Department who is helping oversee the program. “We are clearly not ...

Read More »

Johnson faces binding UK vote on foreign aid cuts

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson faces a rebellion in Parliament from his own Conservatives to force his government to abandon plans to slash its foreign aid budget by about $5.6 billion. Though he enjoys a significant majority in the House of Commons, there are some Tory members of Parliament who believe they have the numbers to defeat Johnson and ...

Read More »

Pro-Zuma protests spread to S Africa’s economic hub

Bloomberg Violent protests in South Africa linked to the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma have spread to the nation’s economic hub in Johannesburg with another major road shuttered. That follows the closure of a key trade route in the country’s KwaZulu-Natal Province after trucks were torched before the weekend. Parts of the N3 Toll Route, which links the port ...

Read More »

US has no plans to send troops to Haiti: Official

Bloomberg President Joe Biden’s administration doesn’t currently plan to send military assistance to Haiti despite a request by the government for US troops following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, a senior administration official said. Moise’s assassination has further destabilised the already fragile political structure in Haiti, where gang violence, natural disasters and the coronavirus have all taken their toll ...

Read More »

Pop star vies to upend Bulgarian politics in do-over election

Bloomberg A late-night talk-show host and performer of the Balkan analog of gangster rap is itching to end the run of one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders in a Bulgarian election do-over. Stanislav Trifonov, a pop-folk singer known as “Slavi,” has been railing against inequality and corruption even before Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007. He’s tapping into discontent among ...

Read More »

Merkel bloc widens lead in German election poll

Bloomberg Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative bloc widened its lead in a weekly poll ahead of Germany’s election as support for the Green party fell for a third consecutive week. With Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc steady at 28% in the Insa poll, the opposition Greens declined 1 percentage point to 17%, leaving them level with the Social Democrats, Merkel’s junior coalition ...

Read More »

French minister rules out new lockdown as Delta spreads

Bloomberg France must “live with the virus” rather than count on a new lockdown to contain the spread of a new variant of Covid-19, a key ally of President Emmanuel Macron said ahead of a presidential address. The country could reintroduce limits on the number of people allowed in restaurants and other venues, and extend the use of the so-called ...

Read More »

People in UK ‘expected’ to wear masks indoor after coronavirus curbs lifted

Bloomberg The UK government is set to issue guidance that people are “expected to” continue wearing masks in indoor, enclosed spaces after coronavirus restrictions are lifted in England on July 19. Although face coverings will no longer be mandatory in any setting, there will be an expectation for people “to wear masks indoors, in crowded places, on public transport,” Vaccines ...

Read More »
Send this to a friend