Politics

  Bloomberg The main party in Thailand’s ruling coalition named Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan as its sole premier candidate in general elections slated for May. Prawit, a former army chief and long-time ally of incumbent Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, was the unanimous choice of about 500 party members at a general meeting of the Palang Pracharath Party held in ...

Bloomberg As recently as last week, US officials insisted the M1 Abrams tank was a bad fit for Ukraine. Yet on Wednesday, President Joe Biden reversed course and offered 31 of them, saying the 70-ton vehicle would “enhance Ukraine’s capacity to defend its territory.” The switch shows how, nearly a year into Russia’s war, keeping Nato unified remains paramount among ...

  Bloomberg Indian authorities detained several students in the national capital as they thwarted their plans to organize a screening of a banned BBC documentary about the 2002 Gujarat riots and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in the violence. Police on Wednesday detained about 70 students of Jamia Milia Islamia University who wanted to screen the documentary India: The Modi ...

  Bloomberg China’s foreign ministry accused the top US official in Hong Kong of discrediting the city’s business reputation after he warned of diminishing confidence in its rule of law, the latest sign of frayed relations over the troubled Asian financial hub. Gregory May, who took over as US consul general in September, warned that companies in Hong Kong face ...

Bloomberg Germany pledged to supply Ukraine with more than 100 Leopard 2 battle tanks in a joint effort with allies, providing Kyiv’s forces with a significant upgrade in firepower and earning effusive praise from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In a first step, Germany will make a company of 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks available from stocks held by its armed forces, ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he would consider an invitation extended by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to visit Ukraine, as Japan’s ruling party No. 2 publicly urged the premier to go ahead with the trip. Kishida told lawmakers Wednesday a decision would be based on the circumstances. Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Toshimitsu Motegi told parliament it would be desirable ...

Bloomberg Pakistan’s ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan said he’s confident of returning to power this year, and would back a continued role for the International Monetary Fund to prop up the economy and stave off a growing risk of a debt default. The former cricket star, who was removed from office in a confidence vote last year, said in an ...

  Bloomberg Hungary’s defense minister said an overhaul of senior-level military brass was underway in the NATO member state, which he called necessary to open the way for a new generation of leadership. The timing of the changes — with war raging on in neighboring Ukraine — has sparked criticism from opposition ranks that see it as an attempt to ...

Bloomberg Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s cautious approach to sending Leopard battle tanks – or allowing other countries to export their own stocks of the German-made military vehicles – to Ukraine is confusing allies and creating splits within his own government. Three Baltic states over the weekend called on Germany as Europe’s leading power to quickly change course. An adviser to Ukrainian ...

Bloomberg Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out supporting Sweden’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) after an activist burned Islam’s holy book in Stockholm at the weekend. Turkish parliamentary approval is required for the membership, so Erdogan’s comments suggest Sweden and neighboring Finland’s efforts to join Nato are now a more distant prospect. “If you cannot ...