Politics

Bloomberg As President Joe Biden seeks to address racial inequities across the US, he’s turned to former congressman Cedric Richmond to help keep a promise to end discriminatory practices ranging from housing to voting rights — a task complicated by the risk of alienating Republicans whose support is needed on key legislative priorities. Richmond, a Louisiana lawmaker who led the ...

Bloomberg Myanmar’s military amended an existing law on privacy and security rights, giving it more power to detain people for longer and tap on their communications. The junta, led by Min Aung Hlaing, signed a law that would allow it to make arrests or search private premises without warrants, according to the office of the commander-in-chief of defense services. It ...

Bloomberg Former European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi stressed the need for unity after being sworn in as Italy’s prime minister, ending weeks of political gridlock and avoiding an election during the pandemic. Draghi was sworn in by President Sergio Mattarella at Rome’s Quirinale palace, with limited attendance because of social distancing rules. After the ceremony Draghi held his ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong plans to expand scrutiny on capital flows and transactions by Chinese officials, according to a recent consultation paper on anti-money laundering. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau is proposing to implement enhanced due diligence on “politically exposed persons” from anywhere outside Hong Kong instead of outside the People’s Republic of China, according to the paper. The ...

Bloomberg Former European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi was sworn in as Italy’s prime minister, ending weeks of political gridlock and avoiding an election during the pandemic. Draghi was sworn in by President Sergio Mattarella at Rome’s Quirinale palace, with only a few ministers in attendance because of social distancing rules. He unveiled his long-awaited government line-up, nominating the ...

Bloomberg A suicide car bomb exploded near the presidential palace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, killing at least seven and injuring 10, according to a police official. The car’s driver detonated the device while being chased by security forces, Mohamed Abdishakur, a Somali police official said. Most of the dead were passersby who were walking along the road when ...

Bloomberg The Biden administration plans to close the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay by the end of the president’s time in office, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. “That certainly is our goal and our intention,” Psaki told reporters. The facility in Cuba, used to house terror suspects after the September 11 2001, attacks became a flashpoint in ...

Bloomberg Hundreds of thousands of farmers are swelling protests along arterial roads into the capital and other cities across India. The police and paramilitary forces have deployed up to 50,000 personnel, as well as barricades, barbed wire and riot-control vehicles. The United Nations is urging restraint. And each day, more farmers and tractors arrive to join the disgruntled ranks. Prime ...

Bloomberg Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he wants the US to pay to keep a two-decade-old pact that facilitates joint military exercises, an agreement which he sought to scrap last year. “Well, they have to pay. It’s a shared responsibility, but your share of responsibility does not come free,” Duterte said about the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the US. “Because ...

Bloomberg Thai pro-democracy groups have vowed to intensify their protests calling for monarchy reform and a new constitution, a day after a Bangkok court sent four of their leaders into pretrial detention on royal defamation charges. Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Wednesday in central Bangkok for a second day to demand the immediate release of leaders, and to protest the ...