Politics

Bloomberg The European Commission said it’s the UK’s fault that Brexit negotiators are taking a break in the middle of the current round of talks. “The timing of talks depends on the availability of our UK partners and I think that explains where we stand, in terms of presence, who speaks to whom and how these negotiations advance,” European Commission ...

Bloomberg The Catalan government’s determination to break from Spain faces its moment of truth, with the region’s president, Carles Puigdemont, risking immediate arrest if he goes too far down the path of independence. Puigdemont is due to address the Catalan parliament at 6 pm in Barcelona on the outcome of an October 1 referendum ruled illegal by the Constitutional Court. ...

Bloomberg Kenyan opposition presidential candidate Raila Odinga withdrew from a rerun of the country’s annulled presidential election, pushing the East African nation towards a constitutional crisis. Odinga, the leader of the National Super Alliance, said he’s pulling out of the race because the Independent Electoral & Boundaries Commission refuses to discuss proposed changes to its personnel and procedures to ensure ...

Bloomberg Liberians vote on Tuesday to choose a new legislature as well as a president to replace Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from among 20 candidates who include a retired soccer star, a former warlord and a wealthy chicken farmer. Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first elected female president who’s governed the impoverished nation for 12 years, has thrown her ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump demanded that Congress deliver funding for his border wall and make dramatic changes to immigration policy in exchange for letting young people brought illegally to the US as children stay in the country. The administration’s proposal, outlined in a briefing by US officials and sent to lawmakers night, was swiftly rejected by top Democrats in Congress, ...

Bloomberg The UK set out contingency plans for leaving the EU without a new Brexit deal on customs, as PM Theresa May warned that Britain must prepare for the worst. A planned Customs Bill will create a new “standalone” customs regime for the UK, and ensure value-added tax and excise laws continue to function if the country crashes out of ...

Bloomberg A growing diplomatic dispute between the US and Turkey could have a “deep impact” on trade, according to a group that promotes bilateral commerce and that called for both sides to defuse the standoff. The decisions by Washington and Ankara to suspend visa services for each other’s citizens create headaches for US companies with significant business interests in Turkey, ...

Bloomberg Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, leader of Japan’s nascent opposition Party of Hope, said on Monday that she’s unsure whether President Donald Trump’s administration is stable even while affirming the importance of the US-Japan alliance. Koike, 65, told Bloomberg in an interview that Trump’s White House may be unstable because of the many changes in personnel since the president took ...

Bloomberg German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she’ll begin exploratory coalition talks next week with the Greens and the pro-market Free Democrats, the first step toward a possible new government for Europe’s biggest economy. Just over two weeks after winning a fourth term, Merkel plans to start on October 18 with what’s likely to be a complex negotiation with two smaller ...

Bloomberg Spain warned Catalonia it risks economic chaos should the rebel region continue with its pursuit of independence, with the government in Madrid saying it stood ready to intervene and reassert control. As the standoff heads into a critical few days, Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaría said ministers were ready to stop Catalan President Carles Puigdemont. Spanish Energy ...