Politics

Bloomberg Boris Johnson is heading for a clear victory in next week’s UK general election, according to senior officials in both his ruling Conservatives and the main opposition Labour Party. Speaking on condition of anonymity, five senior figures drawn from the two biggest parties said Johnson’s campaign promise to “get Brexit done” is winning ground in Labour heartlands in northern ...

Bloomberg Joe Biden said he would not rule out appointing donors as ambassadors, but wouldn’t make decisions about those roles based on someone’s financial contributions. “Nobody in fact will be appointed by me based on anything they contributed,” he told a group of reporters aboard his “No Malarkey” bus in Decorah, Iowa. “But, for example, you have some of the ...

Bloomberg Iran released the Chinese-American graduate student Xiyue Wang on Saturday as part of a prisoner swap, US officials said. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed that the US freed Iranian scientist Massoud Soleimani. Soleimani was “delivered to Iranian officials in Switzerland,” Iran’s foreign ministry said on its Telegram channel. Zarif later tweeted photos of himself with his countryman. ...

Bloomberg The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation that would impose sanctions on Chinese officials over human rights abuses against Muslim minorities, prompting Beijing to threaten possible retaliation just as the world’s two largest economies seek to close a trade deal. The bill is an amended version of the Senate’s S. 178 to support the Uighurs, a Muslim ethnic ...

Bloomberg At least 132 people have been killed in floods and landslides caused by unusually heavy rainfall in Kenya. Around 17,000 were displaced and 11,000 livestock swept away by strong waters, government’s spokesman Cyrus Oguna said. More than half of the country has been affected, according to Oguna. The rains have helped alleviate the drought conditions across the country that ...

Bloomberg Donald Trump, once the primary critic of NATO, blasted France’s Emmanuel Macron for his “very insulting” comments about the military alliance that’s celebrating its 70th anniversary in London. The full-throttled attack came on Tuesday, hours before the two leaders were scheduled to meet face-to-face in London. The US president, who in the past has expressed admiration for the French ...

Bloomberg Typhoon Kammuri barrelled into the Philippines’ main island, killing at least three people, displacing half a million more and shutting its main airport. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte canceled work in government offices in Metro Manila, while schools were closed as Kammuri battered the capital region on Tuesday. The foreign exchange and stock markets were open. About half a million ...

Bloomberg Iran for the first time acknowledged that its security forces shot and killed protesters last month during one of the most violent crackdowns on dissent since the 1979 Islamic revolution. State television on Tuesday reported that “rioters” had been shot dead in several areas as they joined anti-government protests, including in Tehran, the capital, and Mahshahr in the country’s ...

Bloomberg North Korea said it was preparing a choice of “Christmas” gifts for President Donald Trump, in the country’s latest effort to pressure the US to offer more concessions in nuclear talks before the new year. Top North Korean diplomat Ri Thae Song said in a statement Tuesday that the onus was on the US side to determine how the ...

Bloomberg The US is “likely” to bring additional charges in a case against Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, associates of Rudy Giuliani who are accused of skirting campaign contribution limits as part of a plot to oust the American ambassador to Ukraine, a prosecutor said. The comment was made at an hour-long court hearing in Manhattan. Responding to a question ...