Politics

Bloomberg President Donald Trump called Russia and China “rival powers” to the US but said he’ll continue to try to partner with them as he outlined a muscular foreign policy that attempts to turn his “America First” campaign pledge into statecraft. Trump’s first official national security strategy is in some ways little different from those of his predecessors. Its four ...

Bloomberg Saudi Arabia said its air defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen rebels in the capital, Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is leading a military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, and shortly after the missile launch, alliance aircraft struck Houthi positions south of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. Saudi Arabia and Iran already support opposing sides in conflicts across the ...

Bloomberg European Union Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier dug in and stressed a hardline trade position just as UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s key ministers were starting to unite behind a Brexit policy that may soothe rifts in her Cabinet. Barnier used an interview with the Guardian newspaper published to rule out a special carve-out for the UK financial services industry ...

Bloomberg Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a new Cabinet team, seeking to rejuvenate his beleaguered government and capitalise on renewed momentum going into the new year. The revamp will see Attorney-General George Brandis be replaced by Christian Porter, Turnbull told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday. Michaelia Cash became minister for jobs and innovation, while Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce ...

Bloomberg When Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy forced an election in the rebel region of Catalonia, the aim was to halt the political chaos after a declaration of independence by separatists that reverberated across Europe. Instead, more upheaval looks set to emerge. It’s going to be tough to discern any real winner from the vote on Thursday following a campaign ...

Bloomberg It’s Brexit, and not Warsaw’s escalating conflict with the European Union over democratic values, that presents a bigger threat to inflows of the bloc’s assistance to Poland, according to the government official in charge of funds absorption. While the EU’s executive is set to move ahead this week with plans to slap unprecedented political sanctions on Poland, Deputy Development ...

Bloomberg Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Donald Trump for the second time in four days, this time to thank the US president for Central Intelligence Agency information that lead to the breakup of a suspected IS cell. The information helped disrupt a group that had been planning to blow up Kazan Cathedral and other locations around St. Petersburg, according ...

NEW DELHI / Reuters A dozen Arab ambassadors have asked India to clarify its position on the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, diplomatic sources said, after New Delhi’s muted response suggested a shift in support for the Palestinian cause. US President Donald Trump abruptly reversed decades of US policy this month when he recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, ...

Bloomberg Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is seeking to use victory in a weekend special election to kick-start his ailing government and draw a line under a difficult 2017. His ruling Liberal-National coalition reclaimed its one-seat parliamentary majority, lost during this year’s dual-nationality fiasco, after John Alexander won the Sydney-based seat of Bennelong. While the victory is a relief for ...

Bloomberg Billionaire Sebastian Pinera swept to victory in the second round of Chile’s presidential election, putting him back in charge of Latin America’s wealthiest country after four years of anemic growth that drew millions of voters to his pro-business agenda. It was a victory for those who believe fervently in growth first — and equality second — and it was ...