Bloomberg Russian President Vladimir Putin held a surprise meeting with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, kicking off a diplomatic drive this week to outline the terms of an end to the Middle Eastern country’s bloody civil war. Putin said he’ll speak by phone with US President Donald Trump later. Putin has taken a dominant role in efforts to resolve the ...

Bloomberg US President Donald Trump said he is designating North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, subjecting the regime to additional sanctions and reinforcing its status as an international pariah. Speaking at the start of a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump said the Treasury Department will announce additional measures, describing the move against Kim Jong Un’s regime as ...

Bloomberg It was five minutes before midnight in Berlin. After another long day of political negotiations, Christian Lindner’s hands were shaking. He had a dramatic decision to announce. But people involved in Germany’s coalition talks said they had sensed what was happening hours before the Free Democrats chairman pulled the rug from underneath a tricky deal to construct a government ...