Politics

Bloomberg Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sought to stem a slide in his popularity in a special parliamentary hearing on Monday, reiterating his denials of cronyism, apologizing for disparaging remarks about opponents and vowing to focus on the economy. Approval for Abe’s cabinet slumped again in three media polls conducted over the weekend. His support was at 26 percent, the ...

Bloomberg China’s official Xinhua News Agency confirmed on Monday that Sun Zhengcai, the former Communist Party chief of Chongqing city, is under investigation for serious disciplinary violations. The brief announcement followed news reports a little over a week ago that Sun, 53, was being probed. As the youngest member of the party’s 25-member Politburo, Sun was considered a rising star ...

Bloomberg The Trump administration “supports” the current version of a bill to sanction Russia for its actions during the 2016 elections that could soon land on President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature, the White House press secretary said. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ comments came after Republican and Democratic leaders in the House reached a tentative deal to move ahead this ...

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 ...