BLOOMBERG The Solomon Islands became the latest Pacific island nation to open an embassy in China and upgrade ties with Beijing as Washington also seeks to bolster its presence in the region. Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare is on a week-long visit to China and met with both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. “I am here …

BLOOMBERG Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced that he is leaving politics after his coalition government collapsed amid infighting over migration policy. Addressing Dutch lawmakers in The Hague, Rutte said that he is stepping down as leader of his party after 13 years in power. The country’s longest-serving premier had been facing a vote of no confidence in parliament but …

BLOOMBERG Germany can’t make good on its Nato commitment to spend at least 2% of economic output on the military in the longer term unless it increases its core defense budget markedly, according to the Ifo Institute. Shifts in some spending out of the regular budget mean Germany will have to use about one-third of its €100 billion special armed …