Politics

Bloomberg Minutes after reports broke that China passed a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong, Carrie Lam stood in front of a backdrop of the city’s iconic skyline for a weekly press briefing. With legions of reporters clamouring to hear details of the law that could reshape the financial hub’s future, it quickly became clear that Hong Kong’s leader ...

Bloomberg Taiwan is strengthening ties with the government of Somaliland in a bid to bolster its dwindling number of allies. While the move falls short of full diplomatic recognition, the last time Taiwan managed to persuade a country to establish ties with it rather than China was with the Caribbean island of St Lucia in 2007. China claims Taiwan as ...

Bloomberg Sweden’s government has initiated a commission to investigate its controversial approach to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sweden has taken a different path compared to most European countries by keeping much of society open and by recommending social distancing and self-isolation rather than imposing a blanket lockdown. That strategy has resulted in a much higher death rate than in neighboring countries, ...

Bloomberg China’s top legislative body approved a landmark national security law for Hong Kong, a sweeping attempt to quell dissent that drew fresh US retaliation and could endanger the city’s appeal as a financial hub. The National People’s Congress Standing Committee voted unanimously to approve the law on the former British colony as a three-day meeting began to wrap up ...

Bloomberg Joe Biden is set to sharply criticise Donald Trump’s stewardship of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, saying the president is dismissing the threat of the virus as cases surge. More than six months after the first reported Covid-19 case in the US, Biden on Tuesday will deliver a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, outlining what he will call a ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump has publicly shrugged off allegations that Russia offered bounties to kill American troops in Afghanistan, reigniting concerns that he’s more interested in preserving ties with the Kremlin than defending US interests. Trump has yet to demand an investigation or threaten Russia with any consequences if the allegations are confirmed — even as lawmakers from both parties ...

Bloomberg Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s estranged brother won’t stand in the July 10 election, removing a potential obstacle for the ruling party as it seeks to retain its 55-year grip on power. “I have chosen not to stand for political office because I believe Singapore does not need another Lee,” Lee Hsien Yang said in a Facebook post ...

Bloomberg Tokyo is set to revise how it monitors the state of coronavirus infections in the city, as daily new cases in the Japanese capital rise after a state of emergency was lifted and businesses resumed operations. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government will not reimpose restrictions on businesses based solely on numerical guidelines, according to domestic media reports citing the government. ...

Bloomberg Brazil’s government was expected to announce on Tuesday the extension of an aid to informal workers for a few more months, seen as crucial to poorest people amid pandemic impacts on the economy. Country’s unemployment rose in May to 12.9% from 12.6% in April, according to the national statistic agency. Primary deficit hit 131.4 billion reais in May from ...

Bloomberg Russia dismissed US intelligence findings reported by American media that it paid bounties for the Taliban to kill American and allied soldiers in Afghanistan as “fake news.” The intelligence assessments are part of the domestic political battle in the US ahead of November presidential elections, said Zamir Kabulov, President Vladimir Putin’s envoy to Afghanistan. “It’s hard to explain otherwise ...