Bloomberg Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy stepped up pressure on Catalonia to halt its drive for independence, taking the first step in a process that could strip the region’s separatist government of its limited autonomy and impose direct control from Madrid. Rajoy, speaking after an emergency session of his ministerial team, said the cabinet had agreed to issue a formal ...

Bloomberg Election officials in Liberia started counting ballots after polling stations closed in presidential and parliamentary elections that regional observers said were conducted peacefully. Liberians chose a president to replace Nobel Peace Price laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf from among 20 candidates who include a retired soccer star, a former warlord and a wealthy chicken farmer. The turnout among the 2.1 ...

Critics have complained about President Trump’s bombast on foreign policy, but some GOP insiders worry about a less visible problem—a hollowed-out bureaucracy that has been slow to develop and implement strategy. Skeptics say that on major issues—Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Russia—the Trump administration hasn’t explained clear, systematic plans for achieving results. Even where there seems to be a coherent diplomatic ...