Politics

Bloomberg Amnesty International criticised the Zimbabwean authorities’ arrest of several human-rights activists who took part in protests against state corruption. “The thwarting of the protest illustrates the Zimbabwean authorities’ total intolerance of criticism,” Muleya Mwananyanda, the human rights organisation’s deputy director for southern Africa, said in an emailed statement. He described the arrests as a “witch hunt.” Several shops and ...

Bloomberg Russia plans to start mass vaccinations against Covid-19 in October, with health workers and teachers first in line to get the inoculation against the disease, Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said. A drug developed by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute and the Russian Direct Investment Fund has completed clinical trials and the authorities are preparing to register it with regulators, Murashko was ...

Bloomberg South African President Cyril Ramaphosa urged citizens to remain careful and adapt to measures necessary to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic as confirmed infections in the country breached 500,000. “We must maintain our vigilance until we have no more coronavirus cases in our country,” Ramaphosa said. “If we do not do so, there is the risk of ...

Bloomberg Seen as a test of Malaysia’s anti-corruption credentials, the guilty verdict against former prime minister Najib Razak in the first of the 1MDB trials could strengthen the new government’s hand after months of political turmoil. The High Court on Tuesday sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail after finding him guilty of all seven charges in the case involving ...

Bloomberg When Richard Grenell left his post as US ambassador to Germany in February, government officials in Berlin were relieved. But Donald Trump’s pick for the position, retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, has them wondering if the new envoy will be just as combative as his predecessor. “It is indeed striking that Trump is sending a proven military strategist ...

Bloomberg New Zealand suspended its extradition agreement with Hong Kong, falling into step with its Western allies after China passed a national security law for the financial hub. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said in a statement on Tuesday that New Zealand could “no longer trust that Hong Kong’s criminal justice system is sufficiently independent from China.” The statement drew ...

Bloomberg The Hong Kong government is considering postponing legislative elections amid a recent surge in coronavirus cases, media reports say, prompting criticism from pro-democracy candidates hoping to triumph in the September vote. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s advisory Executive Council was expected to meet on Tuesday to discuss postponing the September 6 legislative elections, the Hong Kong Economic Times ...

Bloomberg As other countries face renewed outbreaks, Sweden’s latest Covid-19 figures suggest it’s rapidly bringing the virus under control. “That Sweden has come down to these levels is very promising,” state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell said. Since hitting a peak in late June, Sweden’s infection rate has fallen sharply, according to the Health Agency of Sweden. That’s amid an increase in ...

Bloomberg A Chinese researcher in US custody on charges of visa fraud was ordered detained until August 10, when she’ll have a fight on her hands if she asks to be released on bail. Juan Tang appeared before US Magistrate Judge Deborah Barnes in Sacramento, California. She took shelter at the Chinese consulate in San Francisco after federal agents interviewed ...

Bloomberg Chinese authorities have taken over the US consulate in Chengdu following its closure, the latest historic milestone marking the deterioration in relations between Washington and Beijing. The US lowered its flag over the American consulate in the southwest Chinese city on Monday, less than three days after the US government forced their Chinese counterparts out of their mission in ...