Bloomberg President Donald Trump has ordered the deployment of about 1,500 additional US troops and military hardware to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran. The troops will serve “mostly in a protective capacity,†Trump said as he departed the White House for Japan. The president’s decision comes after his administration said it had evidence Iran is threatening possible ...
Read More »Bolton condemns Kim missile launches, but open to talks
Bloomberg National Security Advisor John Bolton said the US wants to restart talks with North Korea even while calling the regime’s missile launches this month a violation of United Nations resolutions. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo ahead of a trip to Japan by President Donald Trump, Bolton said the launches on May 4 and May 9 were of close-range and ...
Read More »Modi bolsters grip on power, pulls India to further right
Bloomberg If anyone had any doubts about Narendra Modi’s popularity, India’s masses just put them to rest. His Bharatiya Janata Party swept to another single-party majority, a margin that surprised political watchers who expected him to return with a weakened mandate. A combination of economic populism, Hindu nationalism and air strikes against arch-rival Pakistan earlier this year proved unbeatable. “This ...
Read More »Theresa May, the PM broken by Brexit
Bloomberg At 10:11 am on May 24, a devastated Theresa May walked back in through the black door of Number 10 Downing Street, tears in her eyes. For May, 62, it was the end she had dreaded but could no longer avoid. After three years battling the impossible contradictions of Brexit, she was resigning as UK prime minister, defeated at ...
Read More »Ramaphosa sworn in as S African president
Bloomberg Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in as South Africa’s president on Saturday, marking the official start of his five-year term and setting the stage for the appointment of his new cabinet. Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng administered Ramaphosa’s oath of office before a cheering crowd of about 40,000 at the Loftus Versveld rugby stadium in the capital, Pretoria. The 66-year-old Ramaphosa ...
Read More »The logic behind Trump’s trade war with China
A month ago, I declared that President Donald Trump’s trade war against China looked like it might be winding down. I was wrong. Instead of capitulating in exchange for some agricultural purchases and other minor concessions, Trump is doubling down. He’s raising tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports from 10 percent to 25 percent, and imposing new tariffs ...
Read More »India’s vanishing working capital
Ask any small Indian firm how long it takes to get paid by larger companies, what kind of a runaround they’re given, what devilish excuses they encounter on the way, and you’ll wonder how they remain in business. The answer is simple: They raise cash by borrowing against the value of property. Such advances are tailor-made for the entrepreneur. A ...
Read More »Bank stress tests are getting less stressful
Every year, the Federal Reserve conducts a round of stress tests purported to ensure that the banking system can weather a financial crisis. With the latest results coming next month, people are wondering: Will the exercise become less stressful amid President Trump’s deregulatory drive? Judging from the past several years’ results, it already has. The stress tests are far from ...
Read More »What Salvini and Le Pen get wrong about Europe
Right-wing populists like Italy’s Matteo Salvini and France’s Marine Le Pen love to bash the EU as an elitist project that’s out of touch with the general public. Le Pen dreams of abolishing the European Commission, which she considers undemocratic, while Salvini says “bureaucrats and bankers†control Europe. This is all largely grandstanding; both of these leaders have had to ...
Read More »With another massive win, this is Modi’s India now
After a long and arduous election, with months of campaigning and voting spread over seven phases, India’s 879 million voters have spoken. And, if not with one voice, then close to it. The Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been handed another historic mandate. Modi’s 2014 victory was already record-setting — the first time a single party ...
Read More »