Politics

Bloomberg A military-explosives factory east of Moscow blew up, injuring more than 40 people and sending a plume of smoke over parts of the city of Dzerzhinsk. Fifteen of the 43 injured were hospitalised, Interfax reported, citing the Health Care Ministry. A fire at the Kristall plant was brought under control after an administrative building was destroyed by the explosions, ...

Bloomberg China doesn’t seek to surpass the US as the globe’s dominant power but is prepared to “fight to the end” if needed, Defense Minister Wei Fenghe said, as trade friction grows between the world’s biggest economies. “China has no intention, no power, to be the boss of this world, and against the United States to fight for this status,” ...

Bloomberg Poland’s coalition of pro-European opposition parties broke apart when the Peasants Party withdrew after faring badly in European Parliament ballot. The move plays into the hands of the ruling Law & Justice party, which won the European Union ballot with a record 45 percent support, eating into the Peasants’ traditional rural stronghold and taking the driver’s seat for this ...

Bloomberg The leader of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s junior coalition partner stepped down in a surprise move that puts into question the survival of the government itself. Andrea Nahles, head of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), said she will resign as chief and parliamentary caucus leader after losing the rank and file’s backing. The party suffered a devastating defeat in ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump will continue to seek talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as the US looks to defuse tensions following a failed summit in February, according to his administration’s top nuclear envoy. “The United States is convinced that through continued negotiations, we can continue to close the gaps that separate our two countries and make further progress ...

Bloomberg Twelve people are dead, including the shooter, in shooting at a municipal centre in Virginia Beach, the police said. In another such incident on October 1, 2017, about 58 were dead and 869 injured in a mass shooting in Las Vegas. Stephen Paddock opened fire on country music festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel; assailant ...

Bloomberg The US is looking to gather more intelligence in the South Pacific to counter China, which has expanded its influence among small island nations in recent years. Concerns are rising that Beijing’s leaders are seeking to win through coercion the allegiance of islands typically aligned with the US, Admiral Philip Davidson, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, told a ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump’s meetings in the UK with Prime Minister Theresa May next week likely will end the leaders’ relationship the same way it began: with awkward attempts to overcome a lack of personal chemistry. May was the first foreign leader to visit Trump after he was sworn in as president. He’ll become the last foreign leader to visit ...

Bloomberg His party took third place in Thailand’s disputed national elections, now Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a staunch critic of the junta, sees protesters returning to the streets if the military establishment escalates its campaign against the country’s opposition. A tycoon-turned-politician, Thanathorn invigorated millions with his pledge to restore democracy to Thailand after launching the Future Forward party just a year ago. ...

Bloomberg Argentine opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez said he won’t lead the country into default if he wins the presidential election in October, seeking to reassure investors who fear a new government might renege on its borrowings. “What we can guarantee is that we aren’t going to fall into a new default. I received an Argentina in default. I don’t want ...