Bloomberg The head of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party said he’d prefer to govern with the pro-business Free Democrats, rejecting higher taxes for top earners and criticising the Greens in the buildup to Germany’s election in September. Armin Laschet, Merkel’s would-be heir at the helm of Europe’s biggest economy, told Bild am Sonntag that his Christian Democratic Union is politically closer ...

Bloomberg Peruvian presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori claimed that the June 6 election where she narrowly trails was plagued with irregularities, and accused President Francisco Sagasti of interference. “This is an attempt by the international left to bend popular will,” Fujimori said at a press conference, adding that leftist leaders in the region are determined to declare her competitor Pedro Castillo ...

Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered officials to check for safety risks ahead of the Chinese Communist Party’s 100th anniversary, the state-owned radio broadcaster reported, following a deadly gas explosion in Hubei province. Xi told local authorities to “improve political sensitivity” and thoroughly investigate safety risks throughout the country to “create a good atmosphere” for the Party’s anniversary, according to ...