Politics

Bloomberg Prem Tinsulanonda, one of Thailand’s most powerful figures over the past four decades who was accused of masterminding a 2006 coup against former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, has died, the Bangkok Post reported. He was 98. The former premier died of heart failure in a hospital in Bangkok on Sunday, the paper said, citing media reports. Prem served as army ...

Bloomberg The rush is on to replace UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who resigned after failing to deliver on Brexit. Things got more crowded with cabinet ministers Michael Gove and Matt Hancock and former House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom signalling their intent to run. Gove, the environment secretary and a staunch Brexiteer, is telling colleagues he’s the best person ...

Bloomberg Balkan neighbours Albania and Kosovo need to work on greater unity, a goal that will be easier to achieve than Kosovo’s struggle for independence from Serbia, President Hashim Thaci said during a visit to Albania, the Koha Ditore newspaper reported. “We will live in the near future in a joint Kosovo-Albania state,” Thaci said on his visit to Albania, ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump downplayed a recent missile test by North Korea, a day after his national security adviser called the actions a violation of United Nations resolutions, and took a fresh swing at Democrat Joe Biden, the top 2020 Democratic contender. On Twitter Trump said Pyongyang’s firing of “some small weapons” this month “disturbed some of my people, and ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of about 1,500 additional US troops and military hardware to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran. The troops will serve “mostly in a protective capacity,” Trump said as he departed the White House for Japan. The president’s decision comes after his administration said it had evidence Iran is threatening possible ...

Bloomberg National Security Advisor John Bolton said the US wants to restart talks with North Korea even while calling the regime’s missile launches this month a violation of United Nations resolutions. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo ahead of a trip to Japan by President Donald Trump, Bolton said the launches on May 4 and May 9 were of close-range and ...

Bloomberg If anyone had any doubts about Narendra Modi’s popularity, India’s masses just put them to rest. His Bharatiya Janata Party swept to another single-party majority, a margin that surprised political watchers who expected him to return with a weakened mandate. A combination of economic populism, Hindu nationalism and air strikes against arch-rival Pakistan earlier this year proved unbeatable. “This ...

Bloomberg At 10:11 am on May 24, a devastated Theresa May walked back in through the black door of Number 10 Downing Street, tears in her eyes. For May, 62, it was the end she had dreaded but could no longer avoid. After three years battling the impossible contradictions of Brexit, she was resigning as UK prime minister, defeated at ...

Bloomberg Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in as South Africa’s president on Saturday, marking the official start of his five-year term and setting the stage for the appointment of his new cabinet. Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng administered Ramaphosa’s oath of office before a cheering crowd of about 40,000 at the Loftus Versveld rugby stadium in the capital, Pretoria. The 66-year-old Ramaphosa ...

Bloomberg At least six people were killed and hundreds more injured in clashes between police and supporters of Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto in the worst political violence to hit Jakarta in two decades. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan appealed for public order and urged police to exercise restraint and avoid conflict with the protesters in the capital city. About 200 ...