Bloomberg China’s foreign minister compared the drive for Taiwanese independence to a charging rhinoceros that must be stopped in its tracks, and blamed the US for speeding it along. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said legislation under consideration by US lawmakers threatens the foundation of US-China ties. He said voices advocating the independence of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, ...
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Lula’s support puts first-round win back in play, DataFolha says
Bloomberg Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is gaining momentum 10 days before Brazil’s presidential election, nearing the simple majority needed to give him a first-round victory on October 2, a new DataFolha poll shows. Leftist challenger Lula would take 47% of the first-round vote, up from 45% a week ago, with the increase falling inside the poll’s two-point margin ...
Read More »Ukraine frees Putin ally in swap deal for hundreds of troops
Bloomberg Ukraine handed over a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin in exchange for hundreds of prisoners of war including many captured in a landmark battle, a swap that outraged pro-Kremlin propagandists. Viktor Medvedchuk was one of 55 people turned over to Russia in return for 215 prisoners, including 188 who held out for months against Russian assault at ...
Read More »North Korea denies selling arms to Russia, blasts US ‘rumors’
Bloomberg North Korea denied it sold weapons to Russia in an unusually direct statement, and blasted the US over “rumors†that Kim Jong Un’s regime was aiding Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. “We have never exported weapons or ammunition to Russia before and we will not plan to export them,†the state’s official Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday, citing ...
Read More »Putin’s call-up brings reality of war home to many Russians
Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin’s order to call up as many as 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine triggered alarm and scattered demonstrations as Russians were forced to confront the reality of the deadly conflict. Police detained about 1,400 people at protests against the order in 38 cities Wednesday night, according to the OVD-Info monitoring group. Some of the male detainees ...
Read More »South Korea’s Yoon overheard insulting US Congress
Bloomberg South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol was overheard insulting American lawmakers, after briefly meeting President Joe Biden to discuss issues including US electric-vehicle subsidies that South Korea wants to change. “What an embarrassment for Biden, if these idiots refuse to grant it in Congress,†video broadcast on South Korean television showed Yoon telling Foreign Minster Park Jin in New ...
Read More »Imran Khan calls for fresh Pakistan protests
Bloomberg Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan plans to resume his push for snap elections in the South Asian nation even as he faces legal worries that could derail his political career. Khan asked his supporters to prepare for the new protest — the “True Freedom†movement —which would start Saturday. He gave no other details. In the past, ...
Read More »Putin mobilises more troops, wields Ukraine nuclear threat
Bloomberg President Vladimir Putin declared a “partial mobilization,†calling up 300,000 reservists, in a major escalation of his flagging invasion of Ukraine, which he portrayed as a fight to the death with the US and its allies. As Russia moves to annex occupied Ukrainian territory, Putin also renewed his warnings of a nuclear threat. “When the territorial integrity of our ...
Read More »Biden, Democrats push ‘dark-money’ disclosure bill
Bloomberg President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats are making a pre-election push for legislation targeting so-called dark money groups, despite the party’s own heavy reliance on these anonymous donors. The legislation, which would require disclosures of large political donations, is almost certain to fail amid strong GOP opposition. But it gives Democrats a chance to make a political point less ...
Read More »Congo’s leader criticises Rwanda over alleged incursions, rebel support
Bloomberg Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi excoriated Rwanda for alleged incursions by its army and its support for a rebel group in his country’s eastern region in a wide-ranging speech at the United Nations General Assembly. Tshisekedi cited a report by UN experts that accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group, which occupies a small part ...
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