Politics

BLOOMBERG Thousands of people rallied in support of Niger’s new military leaders in the capital, Niamey, as West African heads of state met to discuss a response to a coup in a key ally of the global fight against extremists in the region. Supporters marched on the embassy of France — whose continued influence in its ex-colonies in Africa has ...

BLOOMBERG  President Xi Jinping has resisted crossing Washington’s red lines over arming Russia’s war machine in Ukraine. But that hasn’t stopped China edging closer to Moscow’s military in another way: direct engagement. China and the armed forces of Vladimir Putin conducted six joint military exercises together last year, the most in data going back two decades. That accounted for two-thirds ...

BLOOMBERG  At least 35 people have died and 10 are missing in flooding and landslides across storm-battered South Korea, with heavy rainfall forecast to continue, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. Eight bodies were recovered from a tunnel in the central city of Osong, North Chungcheong Province, where about 15 vehicles, including a bus, ...

BLOOMBERG Pita Limjaroenrat, whose political party won the most seats in Thailand’s general election, should get more chances to secure enough votes from lawmakers and become prime minister, according to an opinion poll. He was backed by more than 60% of the 1,310 participants nationwide in the July 11-12 survey by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) to be ...

BLOOMBERG The leader of the UK’s political opposition promised his party would avoid large government spending increases to ensure economic stability. In an article in the Observer newspaper, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer wrote that, if elected, his government would focus on regulatory changes, including reform to the planning system to increase housebuilding. “If we are to turn things around, ...

BLOOMBERG Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is lagging in all opinion polls as he heads into the only televised election debate with his conservative rival, even after he closed some of the gap in recent weeks. With Sanchez and Alberto Nunez Feijoo were expected to face off in a TV debate on Monday at 10 pm in Madrid, five polls ...

BLOOMBERG The Solomon Islands became the latest Pacific island nation to open an embassy in China and upgrade ties with Beijing as Washington also seeks to bolster its presence in the region. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is on a week-long visit to China and met with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. “I am here ...

BLOOMBERG Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that he is leaving politics after his coalition government collapsed amid infighting over migration policy. Addressing Dutch lawmakers in The Hague, Rutte said that he is stepping down as leader of his party after 13 years in power. The country’s longest-serving premier had been facing a vote of no confidence in parliament but ...

BLOOMBERG Germany can’t make good on its Nato commitment to spend at least 2% of economic output on the military in the longer term unless it increases its core defense budget markedly, according to the Ifo Institute. Shifts in some spending out of the regular budget mean Germany will have to use about one-third of its €100 billion special armed ...

BLOOMBERG Joe Biden was expected to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for talks on Ukraine during a brief visit to the UK on Monday, after allies questioned the US decision to send cluster bombs to support Volodymyr Zelenskiy. “Our relationship is rock solid,” the US president said as he met Sunak in Downing Street. “Couldn’t be meeting with a closer ...