Politics

Bloomberg Seen as a test of Malaysia’s anti-corruption credentials, the guilty verdict against former prime minister Najib Razak in the first of the 1MDB trials could strengthen the new government’s hand after months of political turmoil. The High Court on Tuesday sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail after finding him guilty of all seven charges in the case involving ...

Bloomberg When Richard Grenell left his post as US ambassador to Germany in February, government officials in Berlin were relieved. But Donald Trump’s pick for the position, retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, has them wondering if the new envoy will be just as combative as his predecessor. “It is indeed striking that Trump is sending a proven military strategist ...

Bloomberg New Zealand suspended its extradition agreement with Hong Kong, falling into step with its Western allies after China passed a national security law for the financial hub. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said in a statement on Tuesday that New Zealand could “no longer trust that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from China.” The statement drew ...

Bloomberg The Hong Kong government is considering postponing legislative elections amid a recent surge in coronavirus cases, media reports say, prompting criticism from pro-democracy candidates hoping to triumph in the September vote. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s advisory Executive Council was expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss postponing the September 6 legislative elections, the Hong Kong Economic Times ...

Bloomberg As other countries face renewed outbreaks, Sweden’s latest Covid-19 figures suggest it’s rapidly bringing the virus under control. “That Sweden has come down to these levels is very promising,” state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said. Since hitting a peak in late June, Sweden’s infection rate has fallen sharply, according to the Health Agency of Sweden. That’s amid an increase in ...

Bloomberg A Chinese researcher in US custody on charges of visa fraud was ordered detained until August 10, when she’ll have a fight on her hands if she asks to be released on bail. Juan Tang appeared before US Magistrate Judge Deborah Barnes in Sacramento, California. She took shelter at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco after federal agents interviewed ...

Bloomberg Chinese authorities have taken over the US consulate in Chengdu following its closure, the latest historic milestone marking the deterioration in relations between Washington and Beijing. The US lowered its flag over the American consulate in the southwest Chinese city on Monday, less than three days after the US government forced their Chinese counterparts out of their mission in ...

Bloomberg The former British spy who wrote the so-called Steele Dossier told a British court that US President Donald Trump may have posed a serious risk to UK national security. The information recorded in a pre-election memo into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election produced by his firm, Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd, “had important national security implications for ...

Bloomberg Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu is set to return home to take part in presidential elections, three years after surviving an assassination attempt. The 52-year-old human-rights lawyer plans to run against John Magufuli, who’s seeking a second term after five years in power that critics say has been marred by a crackdown on civil liberties and political dissent. The ...

Bloomberg President Rodrigo Duterte pushed for corporate tax cuts and targeted support for pandemic-hit industries as part of a recovery plan, and told lawmakers on Monday he’d asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to help the Philippines get priority access to a Covid-19 vaccine. In his annual congressional address, Duterte also attacked the elite, while asking banks and property companies to ...