Politics

Bloomberg A senior official in the Saudi-led alliance said Qatari officials must revise their policies before direct talks to resolve the crisis could begin. While dialog is important, it should be based on a Qatari “review of actions,” United Arab Emirates Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter. “Repeating the same positions deepens the crisis,” he ...

Bloomberg Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte won a Congressional vote on Saturday to extend martial law in the southern island of Mindanao, strengthening his legislative hand in the year ahead. With government troops battling IS-linked militants in Marawi City, the House of Representatives voted 245 to 14 in favour of extending martial law until the end of the year. Senators approved ...

Bloomberg German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government is right to act against what he called unacceptable Turkish policies under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who he said seeks to quench the country’s opposition. “Many who have worked cooperatively with him and his party in the last few years are now being persecuted, are thrown in jail, are being ...

Bloomberg President Emmanuel Macron’s approval rating fell sharply in the past month as French voters were either confused by plans for the tax system, shocked by a dispute with the head of the army or unsettled by upcoming labor laws reform, an Ifop pollster told Journal du Dimanche. The rating for Macron, elected in early May, fell 10 percentage points ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass a budget that provides for higher, stable and predictable funding for the US military. “Call that congressman and call that senator, and make sure you get it,” Trump said on Saturday at the commissioning of the Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. “We must end the defense sequester once and ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump sought to impose order in his White House in the face of a widening Russia probe, ending a tumultuous week by appointing a new lead lawyer, sidelining his old one and hiring a new communications director as two top spokesmen quit in protest. The changes leave Trump with new leaders on his legal and communications teams ...

Bloomberg Confrontations over a contested Jerusalem shrine turned more violent, with three Palestinian protesters killed in clashes with Israeli security forces and three members of a Jewish family stabbed to death in a West Bank settlement by a Palestinian assailant. The diplomatic fallout from new Israeli security measures at a shrine in Jerusalem’s Old City also intensified as the Palestinian ...

Bloomberg A Senate panel said that Donald Trump Jr. and President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort agreed to discuss handing over documents ahead of a possible public hearing. The Senate Judiciary Committee also said it would issue a subpoena to compel the testimony of a third witness, Glenn Simpson, who runs Fusion GPS, after he refused an invitation ...

Bloomberg Republican and Democratic leaders in the House reached a deal to move ahead on a bill that would prevent the Trump administration from acting unilaterally to remove sanctions on Russia. The agreement to fix procedural concerns, add sanctions against North Korea, and modify provisions that would restrict the participation of US energy companies in some international projects, clears the ...

Bloomberg Poland’s parliament defied international allies including the US and approved legislation that gives the ruling political party extensive control over the judiciary. After clearing the lower house, the 100-seat upper chamber passed the bill early Saturday with 55 votes, defeating opposition attempts to delay it. The European Union has warned of possible sanctions and the US has expressed concern. ...