Politics

Bloomberg Boris Johnson’s government said any changes to the UK lockdown will be limited when the prime minister addresses the nation on Sunday, with the rate of coronavirus infections ruling out a major kickstart of economic activity. “There will be no grand reopening of the economy,” Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick told the BBC. Instead, the government is adopting a more ...

Bloomberg South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has won such praise for his handling of the coronavirus crisis that he’s being touted as a possible successor to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Advised by a panel of top scientists, Mkhize has crisscrossed the country assessing the health system’s ability to cope with an anticipated surge in cases. A medical doctor, he’s made ...

Bloomberg For the authoritarian president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, a deadly global pandemic is no reason to cancel the country’s military parade marking victory in World War II. Defying warnings about the risks of letting the coronavirus spread, Lukashenko has summoned troops to the capital, Minsk, for the parade that’s expected to attract thousands of spectators, even after neighbouring states ...

Bloomberg North Korea has constructed several new intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), according to South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo. US authorities have detected the assembly and completion of ICBMs at an automobile plant in South Pyongan province, where North Korea launched ballistic missiles in 2017, the newspaper reported, citing an unidentified US government official. They also observed the presence of “transporter ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump declared he’s in no hurry for Congress to pass more stimulus measures to help the economy, hours after the Labor Department announced an unprecedented 20 million jobs were lost in April. “We’re in no rush,” Trump said while meeting with about two dozen House Republicans, who spent an hour taking turns complimenting and congratulating the president ...

Bloomberg Venezuelan lawmakers close to opposition leader Juan Guaido are calling on him to fire some of his aides following a botched raid on the country earlier this week. Lawmakers from the main opposition parties want him to dismiss Juan Jose Rendon, the commissioner for general strategy, and Sergio Vergara, the commissioner for crisis management, six people familiar with the ...

Bloomberg The drugmaker behind one of China’s most promising coronavirus vaccine candidates is in talks to conduct late-stage trials globally as the race for immunisation against Covid-19 intensifies. Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd is in discussion with regulators in other countries, and the World Health Organization (WHO), to launch phase III clinical trials in regions where the novel coronavirus is still ...

Bloomberg The US government tightened visa rules for Chinese journalists in the latest retaliatory measure in an ongoing spat between the two countries over media access. The regulation will limit visas for Chinese journalists to a 90-day period, while allowing them to apply for extensions, according to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security. Previously, the reporters were permitted ...

Bloomberg The US delayed an annual report to Congress assessing Hong Kong’s autonomy, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said, amid signals that China’s top agency in the city could take a more hands-on role. The postponement will “allow us to account for any additional actions that Beijing may be contemplating in the run-up to the National People’s Congress that would ...

Bloomberg An overnight gas leak at an LG Chem Ltd polymer plant in southern India has killed at least 11 people and forced the evacuation of thousands in the city of Visakhapatnam after the company tried to restart operations following the partial easing of the country’s coronavirus lockdown. “The unfortunate event took place past midnight when they tried to restart ...