Bloomberg Russia’s increased presence in Belarus, where it’s helping strongman President Alexander Lukashenko retain power amid a wave of demonstrations, is putting nearby countries on alert. One is Estonia, which like its Baltic neighbours has been edgy since Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backed a war on the two former allies’ border. More integration between Belarus ...

Bloomberg Malaysia appeared poised for a new round of political turmoil after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim claimed to have enough support from lawmakers to form a government. Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin denounced the move and challenged Anwar to prove his assertion, while saying his administration remains firmly in control. Key members of his coalition signed a joint statement to reaffirm ...

Bloomberg After years of shifting the Philippines closer to China, President Rodrigo Duterte appears to be leaning back towards the US. The 75-year-old leader gave his most forceful defense yet of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s 2016 ruling in favour of the Philippines that said Beijing’s expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea breached international law. Addressing the United ...

Bloomberg Kenya faces a historic decision to close parliament for failing to enact rules on fair gender representation in public bodies. Chief Justice David Maraga advised President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve the legislature after receiving six petitions on the matter. Lawmakers were supposed to have implemented the legislation by 2015, five years after Kenya adopted a new constitution that includes ...

Bloomberg China eased restrictions on some foreigners’ entry into the country, almost six months after it nearly sealed its borders to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Foreigners holding residence permits for work, personal matters and reunions will be allowed to enter China starting from September 28, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement posted on ...

Bloomberg JPMorgan Chase & Co. is moving about 200 billion euros ($230 billion) from the UK to Frankfurt as a result of Britain’s exit from the European Union, a shift that will make it one of the largest banks in Germany. The US bank plans to finish the migration of the assets to its Frankfurt-based subsidiary by the end of ...

Bloomberg Banks from Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to HSBC Holdings Plc have hit pause on plans to return workers in London after Prime Minister Boris Johnson appealed to Britons to work from home to help tame a resurgent coronavirus. Goldman Sachs is encouraging its London employees to go back to working remotely if possible, though its Plumtree Court office will ...

Bloomberg The Bank of Thailand held its benchmark interest rate unchanged for a third straight meeting to save its limited policy space, allowing fiscal policy to take the lead in reviving an economy headed for its worst annual performance ever. The central bank kept the policy rate unchanged on Wednesday at 0.5% in a unanimous decision, after lowering rates three ...

Bloomberg New Zealand’s central bank said it may launch a new stimulus tool this year to further reduce borrowing costs, a precursor to taking interest rates negative in 2021. The Monetary Policy Committee favours introducing a Funding for Lending Program for banks “before the end of 2020,” the Reserve Bank said on Wednesday in Wellington after holding the official cash ...

Bloomberg India’s central bank will continue to intervene to prevent any sharp appreciation in the rupee, even after signs of leniency towards currency gains in recent weeks, according to ICICI Bank Ltd. The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) forex strategy has been in sharp focus after it stepped away from dogged dollar buying amid large inflows. The perception that the ...