Bloomberg When hundreds of protesters gathered outside Japan’s embassy in Yangon during the height of nationwide anti-coup protests in February, Ambassador Ichiro Maruyama emerged from the gates with a firm warning for the junta: Release the detained civilian leadership “immediately.” The remarks, delivered in Burmese, drew applause from pro-democracy demonstrators hoping Japan would take concrete action to pressure Myanmar’s military, ...

Bloomberg Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi made a bold call for more economic stimulus in European countries to help bring growth back to pre-pandemic levels. “Protracted uncertainty means that the case for monetary and fiscal expansion remains compelling,” the former European Central Bank (ECB) chief said in speech in Barcelona. “We will not reach this objective without additional effort. So ...

Bloomberg The International Monetary Fund (IMF) privately estimates that a deal allowing Argentina to reschedule payments on $45 billion owed to the lender will be pushed into 2022 as President Alberto Fernandez has little incentive to quickly agree on the basis of a new program. While the IMF has said it’s constructively engaging with Fernandez’s administration, negotiations entailing fiscal austerity ...