Politics

Bloomberg Poland’s biggest opposition group brought 50,000 people to the streets of Warsaw on Saturday to protest what they see as the government’s efforts to restrict democracy and distance the nation from the European Union (EU). Protesters carrying Poland and the EU flags, and signs calling for “freedom, equality and democracy,” thronged the center of the capital city, shouting “constitution” ...

Bloomberg Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad moved swiftly against predecessor Najib Razak just days after his shock election win, banning him from leaving the country and planning to reopen a probe into a multi-billion dollar scandal at a state fund that Najib helped set up. Even as a chastened Najib said he would support a smooth transition of power and ...

Bloomberg Italy’s populist leaders Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini forged ahead with a government plan in marathon talks, while President Sergio Mattarella indicated that he doesn’t intend to rubber stamp whatever they decide. Di Maio of the anti-establishment Five Star, and Salvini, who heads the anti-immigrant League and a broader center-right alliance, were set to hold further discussions in ...

Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal has increased tensions. “We are following the events between Iran and Israel, bearing in mind that Israel’s security” is important to Germany, Merkel said in comments reported by the Ansa newswire. She spoke after receiving the Lamp of Peace of St. Francis award in ...

Bloomberg Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak resigned on Saturday as head of his party and was slapped with a travel ban as he faces the prospect his successor reopens a probe into a multi-billion dollar scandal at a state fund. Najib announced he would step down as president of the United Malays National Organisation, and as chairman of the ...

Bloomberg The US ambassador to Moscow, pushing to build business ties with Russia, is scheduled to join a panel discussion this month at the Kremlin’s premier economic forum with Viktor Vekselberg, an oligarch slapped with American sanctions and linked to payments to Donald Trump’s lawyer. Jon Huntsman, appointed by Trump last year, has been encouraging American business leaders to attend ...

Bloomberg The US Department of Homeland Security, known for raids ending in mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, says it’s helping five “illegal aliens” recover $250,000 in back pay from a California building contractor. Their Hayward-based employer didn’t fare so well. Job Torres Hernandez, 37, was charged with illegal trafficking in a grand jury indictment unsealed and accused of failing to ...

Bloomberg US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo dangled the prospect of a far brighter future for North Korea if leader Kim Jong-un abandons his nation’s nuclear weapons programme after a summit with President Donald Trump in Singapore next month. Speaking alongside South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-Wha at the State Department, Pompeo said he thinks the US and North Korea ...

Bloomberg Italian populist leaders Luigi Di Maio and Matteo Salvini pushed their head-to-head bargaining for a new government into the weekend, leaving the choice of premier unresolved as a court lifted a ban on Silvio Berlusconi running for public office. Di Maio of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and Salvini of the anti-immigrant League expected to meet again on Saturday, ...

Bloomberg Vote counting is underway in Malaysia’s election in a contest that will determine whether Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ruling coalition can extend its 61-year run in power. Poll closed at 5 pm in Kuala Lumpur, and a winner may not be known until late in the evening. Turnout reached 69 percent as of 3 pm local time, according to ...