Politics

  Bloomberg The Defense Department’s inspector general is investigating whether former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn “failed to obtain required approval” for a speech to a Russia-backed media network, according to an April 11 letter released on Thursday by the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. The Democrat, Elijah Cummings of Maryland, also released an October 2014 letter from ...

  Bloomberg US forces began installing a missile-defense system in South Korea, sparking protests from local residents and complaints from China as tensions mount over North Korea’s nuclear program. South Korea’s defense ministry said the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, known as Thaad, should be operational by the end of the year. American forces were working with Korea to ...

  BLoomberg Russia is still trying to undermine Montenegro’s NATO membership with continued cyber attacks after last year’s failed coup attempt, but no one can stop the tiny Balkan nation from joining as early as next month, the country’s defense minister said. Lawmakers in the Adriatic state of 630,000 people will formally agree to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ...

  BLoomberg German lawmakers laid out a sweeping series of conditions for Brexit talks with the U.K., and demanded a say on the final outcome. A resolution to the lower house of parliament put forward by the governing parties sets out the Bundestag’s terms for future access to the single market once the U.K. leaves the European Union, and imposes ...

  Bloomberg The US and North Korea both showed off their military prowess on Tuesday as nations in the region stepped up diplomatic talks to defuse a brewing crisis over Kim Jong Un’s nuclear program. The nuclear-powered USS Michigan, one of four Ohio-class guided-missile submarines capable of launching cruise missiles, arrived at the South Korean port of Busan, US Naval ...

  Bloomberg Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish militant positions in Iraq and Syria in an operation meant to disrupt the rebels’ supply lines and prevent them from infiltrating Turkey. The airstrikes early Tuesday were Turkey’s first in Syria since it ended a land incursion against Kurdish militants and IS there in March. The military said the attacks centered on Mount Sinjar ...

Bloomberg Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a meeting with Germany’s visiting foreign minister, who insisted on talking with Israeli citizen groups that accuse the army of violating Palestinian human rights. Netanyahu called off the meeting after Sigmar Gabriel refused to skip a discussion with Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem. A meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin went ahead as ...

  Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping called for restraint on North Korea in a phone call with Donald Trump, who also spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the US and Japan began joint naval drills in the region. Xi — in his second confirmed phone conversation with Trump since their summit this month — urged all parties to ...

  Bloomberg Even as the Kremlin called the French presidential election results a matter for the voters, Russian lawmakers and state-run media didn’t hide their disappointment at Emmanuel Macron’s victory. Macron won Sunday’s elections because voters were under pressure from the European Union and Germany, Konstantin Kosachyov, head of the International Affairs Committee in Russia’s upper house of parliament, wrote ...

  Bloomberg Afghanistan’s defense minister and the chief of army staff resigned on Monday, three days after more than 140 soldiers were killed in the Taliban’s deadliest assault in 16 years. As the government and the U.S. struggled to manage the deteriorating security situation, Abdullah Habibi and Qadam Shah Shahim stepped down with “immediate effect” following the attack at an ...