Politics

Bloomberg South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has thrown down the gauntlet to detractors in the ruling party who’ve been undermining his efforts to combat graft, as public anger mounts over the misappropriation of funds to tackle the coronavirus outbreak. In an unprecedented seven-page letter circulated to members of the African National Congress (ANC) at the weekend, Ramaphosa warned that the ...

Bloomberg Thailand’s cabinet approved a one-month extension of the state of emergency through September 30 to control the Covid-19 outbreak as the nation seeks to prolong its streak of going three months without a local transmission. The cabinet’s move was in line with the proposal from a panel that handles the nation’s Covid-19 outbreak, according to government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri. ...

Bloomberg Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko moved to crack down on opponents after more demonstrations against his 26-year rule brought tens of thousands of people to the streets of the capital and other cities over the weekend demanding his resignation. Police detained at least four anti-government activists, including organisers of strikes at some of the country’s largest factories and a politician ...

Bloomberg The ceasefire announced by Libyan rivals may finally unlock stalled talks to end a civil war which had shut oil fields and drawn in foreign militaries, according to the United Nations envoy leading peace efforts. Reciprocal calls to stop the fighting and resume oil production were welcomed by nations backing opposing sides in the conflict but there’s still work ...

Bloomberg Donald Trump’s re-nomination for president this week was supposed to be the celebration of what he considers a storybook political career. With a booming US economy at his back, the president would bask in the adulation of thousands of supporters at the Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, as he contemplated a glide path to re-election. But that ...

Bloomberg West African leaders may no longer push for Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to be restored to office after a first phase of talks with the military junta that has taken control of the country, an official said. The softened stance comes after envoys from the Economic Community of West African States met junta leaders at the weekend to ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged parents to send their children back to school when they reopen in England next week, amid growing concern among some teachers and union officials that it’s not safe to do so. “Now is the time to get pupils back into school, give them the chances they need to build the necessary bedrock for ...

Bloomberg Protesters gathered in Minsk as opposition forces try to keep up pressure on Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, while his security apparatus makes a show of force in the country’s capital. Police patrols on main highways leading to Minsk are slowing incoming traffic and making it harder for protesters from other parts of the country to reach the capital. Rainy ...

Bloomberg China’s patrols in the South China Sea are “beyond reproach” and air patrols by the Philippines infringe on its sovereignty, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said. Zhao, at a briefing, defended the China Coast Guard’s activities and urged the Philippines to “immediately stop” what he described as “illegal provocations.” The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs said in a ...

Bloomberg The Philippines said there is no overwhelming call for a revolutionary government, in response to a private group’s push to create one. About 300 people, including supporters who participated online, assembled at the Clark Freeport to support a revolutionary government to be led by President Rodrigo Duterte until the end of his term in 2022, the Philippine Daily Inquirer ...