Politics

BLOOMBERG Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis faced off with dueling events at Iowa’s state fair, taking their fight for the presidential nomination to the traditional political jamboree while avoiding a direct confrontation. Courting thousands of potential Republican voters, the two candidates didn’t cross paths but their appearances had the feel of a showdown in the crucial first-in-the-nation caucus state. But ...

BLOOMBERG New Zealand’s ruling Labour Party said it will exempt fruit and vegetables from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) if it wins a third term at elections in October. Unveiling the party’s tax policy on Sunday in Wellington, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins also pledged to increase benefits for low-income families that he said would deliver an average of NZ$47 ...

BLOOMBERG The death toll from fast-moving wildfires in Maui rose to 89 on Saturday, making them the deadliest in the US in more than 100 years. The number of fatalities, which previously stood at 80, is expected to climb further as authorities continue search and rescue efforts, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said at a press briefing. Just 3% of the ...

BLOOMBERG Malaysia’s ruling coalition held on to three of six states contested in provincial elections, providing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with breathing space nine months into his mandate. The polls resulted in an even split between parties in Anwar’s unity government and his rival, the pro-Malay Perikatan Nasional, with each bloc winning the three states they controlled before the vote, ...

  BLOOMBERG Prime Minister Narendra Modi might address the deadly ethnic violence in northeast India before a no confidence vote brought by the opposition in an attempt to force a debate in a legislature dominated by his allies. Modi won’t lose the parliamentary vote scheduled on Thursday as the coalition led by his Bharatiya Janata Party has a supermajority in ...

BLOOMBERG India’s top court stayed Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in a high-stakes defamation case, enabling the opposition leader to seek his reinstatement as a lawmaker and to contest general elections due next year. In their judgment, a three-person Supreme Court bench said that Gandhi’s conviction impacts not only him, but also “the rights of the electorate who have elected him to ...

BLOOMBERG Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra appeared in Cambodia to celebrate the birthday of the nation’s leader, after delaying a return to his home country amid political turmoil. The 74-year-old, who has lived in self-imposed exile for 15 years, visited the neighbouring nation, ruled by strongman leader Hun Sen, to celebrate the premier’s 71st birthday, according to local news ...

BLOOMBERG Move Forward Party’s unwavering stance to fulfill certain campaign promises made during the Thai general election is the main misstep behind its failure to form a new government, according to an opinion poll. Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat lost his first premier vote after members of the Senate and pro-establishment parties voted against him. They are opposed to his election ...

BLOOMBERG UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told drivers he is “on their side” as he ordered the Department of Transport to review policies that aim reduce traffic in residential areas and cut carbon emissions, the Telegraph reported. In an interview with the paper, Sunak said low-traffic neighbourhoods and related efforts fail to take into account how “families live their lives.” ...

BLOOMBERG A senior Italian minister sent the strongest on-record signal yet that Italy will rescind a controversial investment pact with China. Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, a close ally of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said in an interview with Corriere della Sera that Italy must “get out” of the China pact “without creating a disaster.” Italy is the only Group of ...