Politics

Bloomberg Slovakia’s political turmoil worsened as the premier rebuffed a call from the country’s president to hold early elections as a way out a crisis that erupted when the murder of journalist sparked public protests. The conflict increases pressure on Prime Minister Robert Fico, one of Europe’s longest serving leaders who has taken Slovakia into the euro zone but has ...

WASHINGTON / Reuters Guatemala will move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in May, two days after the US embassy makes the same move, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said at a conference in Washington. “I would like to thank President Trump for leading the way. His courageous decision has encouraged us to do what is right,” Morales ...

Bloomberg Foreign travel is the first thing that comes to mind when Malian lettuce farmer Moussa Samake thinks about President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Nicknamed “the carrier pigeon” for his frequent trips abroad, Keita, 73, is expected to seek re-election in July after a five-year term marred by growing insecurity in the landlocked West African nation. His failure to halt a ...

Bloomberg South Korean President Moon Jae-in will send his top national-security adviser as well as his chief spy as special envoys to Pyongyang on Monday in a bid to persuade Kim Jong Un to open talks with Washington, in the latest bid to avoid a potential conflict over the country’s nuclear program. The 10-member group will be led by Chung ...

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia aims to build a defense industry at breakneck speed, and it’s ready to look beyond its traditional Western allies for help. The oil-rich kingdom has long been a favourite customer of arms sellers, especially American ones. President Donald Trump announced $110 billion in deals during his trip there last year. Now, 32 year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin ...

Bloomberg Germany’s Social Democrats voted to join Chancellor Angela Merkel’s next government, clearing the last hurdle to her fourth term and restoring a sense of political stability in Europe’s biggest economy. SPD members approved the coalition pact by a wider-than-expected margin, which may make it easier for the party to effectively govern with Merkel’s Christian Democrat-led bloc. The result, unsealed ...

Bloomberg Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberals will remain in power in Tasmania after claiming victory in state election. “Four years ago you voted for change; today you have voted for no change — to stick with the direction this state is heading and to take our state to the next level,” state Premier Will Hodgman, 48, told supporters, after ...

Bloomberg Pakistan’s ruling party became the largest group in the Senate during a closed-door election, strengthening its hand before national polls in July despite legal setbacks and corruption proceedings against its leader Nawaz Sharif. Final results from the Election Commission show candidates affiliated with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won 15 seats, taking their total to 33 in the 104-strong Senate, ...

Bloomberg US President Donald Trump appeared to praise Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping’s efforts to extend his tenure in a speech to donors, according to a recording released by CNN. “Don’t forget China’s great and Xi is a great gentleman. He’s now president for life,” Trump told Republican backers. The crowd erupted in laughter in response to the remarks made at ...

Bloomberg Italians vote on Sunday in an election that pits several shades of populists against the mainstream and which may only succeed in further clouding the political landscape. The anti-establishment Five Star Movement was on track to be the biggest single party when a polling blackout began on February 17, though only Silvio Berlusconi’s center-right coalition was within reach of ...