Politics

Bloomberg The Spanish parliament will vote July 23 on Pedro Sanchez’s bid to lead a new government as he attempts to break the deadlock caused by the inconclusive result of April’s general election. Sanchez, Spain’s acting prime minister, telephoned Parliament Speaker Meritxell Batet and they agreed to start the investiture debate, she said in a briefing. Should Sanchez fail to ...

Bloomberg Iraq moved to curtail the power of Iran-backed militias by putting them under the formal command of the military, in an apparent attempt to limit the country’s exposure to an escalating showdown between the Islamic Republic and the US. The Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of militias founded to fight IS militants, are now “an inseparable part” of ...

Bloomberg Jeremy Hunt said he would “100% not” suspend parliament to force through a no-deal Brexit, drawing a dividing line with Boris Johnson as the two men entered the last days of campaigning before Tory activists start voting for the UK’s next prime minister. Hunt’s commitment — a direct challenge to Johnson — helped win the backing of former Foreign ...

Bloomberg President Rodrigo Duterte’s eldest child Paolo Duterte said he may join the race to head the Philippines’ House of Representatives. “The House is divided. I might be able to help unite it,” Paolo, first district representative in Davao, said in a statement released on Facebook. The president’s son and former Davao vice mayor is proposing that three lawmakers from ...

Bloomberg Iran has surpassed a limit on its stockpile of enriched uranium and is preparing to scrap some key components of its nuclear deal next week, two state-run news agencies aligned with hardliners said in separate reports. The nation’s stockpile exceeded the 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of 3.67 percent enriched uranium that had been set as a limit as part ...

Bloomberg Israeli war jets struck Syrian military positions from Lebanese airspace in the areas surrounding Damascus and the province of Homs, according to Syrian state media. Syria’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed a number of Israeli missiles, state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (Sana) reported, citing an unidentified military official. The strikes killed at least four civilians, including a baby, near ...

Bloomberg Venezuela’s government said it will investigate the death of a navy captain who was being held on charges of treason and attempted assassination of President Nicolas Maduro. Captain Rafael Acosta Arevalo, 49, was arrested along with three other soldiers and two police officials, joining dozens of people detained since an April 30 uprising against Maduro. Officials said the prisoner ...

Bloomberg Hong Kong police clashed with black-clad protesters in a fresh sign of unrest as the city’s China-backed chief executive promised to be more open and inclusive at the turbulent start of her third year in office. Carrie Lam made the remarks in a ceremony to mark the anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule in 1997, her first ...

Bloomberg North Korean state media released gushing reports of Kim Jong-un’s Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) summit with President Donald Trump, as the regime sought to use another history-making meeting with the US leader to validate its policy decisions. The front page of North Korea‘s ruling party Rodong Sinmun newspaper was dominated by a seven-photo splash of Trump making the first crossing ...

Bloomberg Jeremy Hunt seeks to burnish his Brexit credentials as he sets out his strategy for preparing the UK for a no-deal departure from the European Union The foreign secretary, who campaigned for the “remain” side in 2016’s referendum, will use a speech in London to lay out the plan, which includes preparing for a no-deal budget that will cut ...