Politics

Bloomberg China and the US should discuss ways to avoid accidental conflict, Defense Minister Wei Fenghe told his US counterpart, Defense Secretary James Mattis, at a meeting in Washington, after an incident between the two countries’ navies last month. The Chinese and US military forces should “properly manage risks, discuss ways to avoid accidental conflicts and let military relations serve ...

Bloomberg Fanned by hot, dry winds, wildfires north of San Francisco and near Los Angeles have forced the evacuation of more than 215,000 people, including in Malibu, the coastal enclave of the rich and famous. The fires have grown to about 131,000 acres overall and threaten to destroy tens of thousands of structures, according to the California Department of Forestry ...

Bloomberg French President Emmanuel Macron moved to smooth over ruffled relations with Donald Trump after the US president took offense at his proposal Europe create its own continental military force. Macron received Trump at the Elysee Palace on Saturday in Paris ahead of a weekend of commemorations with world leaders to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World ...

Bloomberg Donald Trump, who spent the past two years wielding the powers of the presidency unbound by party or political convention, is now constrained. The Democratic takeover of the House of Representatives cripples his conservative agenda and opens the way for unfettered investigations into his scandal-plagued administration, his presidential campaign and his family’s business empire. His personal tax returns may ...

Bloomberg Italy’s populist government called a vote of confidence in parliament, as proposals to curb immigration and corruption fueled tensions between the coalition’s allies. Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini of the anti-migration League is pushing for restrictions on the rights of asylum-seekers, while several senators of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement are against the measures. The vote of confidence in the ...

Bloomberg Meetings between US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and North Korean officials planned for later this week have been postponed, in a new sign of tension as the regime seeks sanctions relief before taking key disarmament steps. US State Department Spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement that meetings with North Korean official Kim Yong Chol scheduled for Thursday ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Scott Morrison is vowing to put the Pacific islands at the center of Australia’s strategic outlook, amid concerns its influence in the region is waning as China increases its diplomatic and economic presence. The pivot towards the region will see the Australian Defence Force create a Pacific Mobile Training Team to undertake more engagem- ent with other ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing to ask the cabinet to approve a draft Brexit deal potentially within days, if she can overcome new resistance to her strategy from euroskeptic Tories in her team. During a cabinet meeting in London, ministers including the pro-Brexit campaigner Michael Gove demanded to see the full government legal advice underpinning a plan ...

Bloomberg The Kremlin sought to limit damage from another apparent snub after plans fell through for a meeting in Paris between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump. Russian officials have pinned their hopes on personal contacts between the two leaders to help achieve a long-sought warming in relations with the US that plunged to their worst since ...

Bloomberg French authorities probing a planned attack on President Emmanuel Macron made six arrests on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the matter. The planned attack on Macron was not well-defined at this stage, said the person, who asked not to be named as the status of the probe is confidential. A preliminary investigation is being run by Paris ...