Bloomberg Irish PM Leo Varadkar set the stage for a general election within weeks, gambling that a strong economy and his success towards shaping a Brexit deal will strengthen his hold on power. Seeking to seize the political moment, Varadkar said he had decided on a date and would reveal it publicly after briefing colleagues. A vote is likely on ...

Bloomberg National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien said the White House has “reached out” to North Korea, seeking the resumption of diplomacy that has been dormant since October, Axios reported, citing an interview with O’Brien. The Trump administration has reached out to North Korea via “various channels,” O’Brien said, adding that there was some optimism that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un ...

Bloomberg In a democracy, two resounding election defeats in a matter of months might prompt some soul searching in the losing camp. In China, however, a snub at the polls in places it claims is more a minor setback rather than a sign of a flawed strategy. President Xi Jinping’s government showed that yet again in the wake of Taiwanese ...