Politics

Bloomberg The UK should start planning to delay Brexit and extend negotiations with the European Union or face the disaster of leaving without a deal, according to former Prime Minister Tony Blair. In an impassioned appeal for a change of course, Blair will warn that crashing out of the EU with no agreement will be “devastating” for the UK, as ...

Bloomberg Angela Merkel failed to resolve a clash over migration with her Bavarian sister party, ratcheting up pressure on the German chancellor as she faces a weekend ultimatum to tighten borders. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union is seeking to contain a rebellion by Bavaria’s ruling CSU party, which is taking a hard line on immigration ahead of a regional election in ...

Bloomberg South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar agreed to a permanent cease-fire within 72 hours and signalled they’re prepared for a second attempt at a power-sharing government to end a ruinous four-year civil war. The conflict in the East African nation has claimed tens of thousands of lives, driven about 4 million people from their homes ...

Bloomberg Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s allies led in key provincial races in elections held across the country on June 27, giving him a major boost before the presidential vote next year. Polls were held in 171 regions that collectively hold more than 152 million registered voters across Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. Analysts were particularly watching the results in Java, home ...

Bloomberg Special Counsel Robert Mueller is preparing to accelerate his probe into possible collusion between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russians who sought to interfere in the 2016 election, according to a person familiar with the matter. Mueller and his team of prosecutors and investigators have an eye toward producing conclusions — and possible indictments — related to collusion by ...

Bloomberg Jim Mattis arrived on Tuesday in Beijing on the first China visit by a US defense secretary in four years, as the Trump administration moves to push back against the country’s growing economic and military influence. Mattis, who plans to also visit South Korea and Japan, was expected to press China’s leaders for continued cooperation on North Korea’s nuclear ...

Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s antagonists dialed back a clash over migration, saying they don’t want to blow up the party alliance underpinning her government. Comments by leaders of the Christian Social Union (CSU), a Merkel-allied regional party that governs Bavaria and wants to tighten border security, take some of the sting out of days of attacks on the chancellor. ...

Bloomberg Jordan will not receive new refugees from Syria under any circumstances, PM Omar Razzaz said, as a new Syrian government offensive threatened to send more displaced people fleeing to Jordan’s border. “Jordan cannot receive more refugees,” said Razzaz, who took office earlier this month. “We want a political solution.” Jordan has taken in 1.3 million refugees from neighbouring Syria’s ...

Bloomberg Indonesia’s most populous province is set to go the polls in what’s shaping up as a test of President Joko Widodo’s popularity and a potential springboard for his rivals ahead of next year’s presidential election. More than 30 million people are expected to vote in West Java’s gubernatorial election on Wednesday in a contest between two former generals, the ...

Bloomberg Republic of Macedonia’s president rejected an agreement with Greece on the nation’s new name, a move that may be only a temporary hurdle in the ex-Yugoslav nation’s NATO and EU accession plans. The veto by opposition-backed President Gjorge Ivanov, who said on Tuesday he won’t sign the accord, is expected to be overturned in parliament as early as next ...