Politics

Bloomberg Eastern-based warlord Khalifa Haftar struck Tripoli’s only functioning international airport, drawing a rebuke from the United Nations and escalating an advance on the capital that threatens to spark civil war and convulse oil markets. Mitiga International Airport, Libya’s largest, temporarily suspended flights after the airstrike, which the UN’s secretary-general, Antonio Gutteres, condemned. In a statement, Gutteres urged an immediate ...

Bloomberg Sudan’s military said it rejected any use of violence to quell the protests against embattled President Omar al-Bashir, as security forces tried to storm an anti-government demonstration in the capital. As four months of anti-government unrest intensified, the military said that protesters could only be dispersed through peaceful means, al-Hadath, a pan-Arab satellite channel, reported. The military also reaffirmed ...

Bloomberg Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov defended his country’s military buildup in the Arctic amid US warnings of rising tensions in the remote and energy-rich region. “We don’t threaten anyone. We ensure sufficient defense capabilities given the political and military situation around our borders,” Lavrov said during a panel at the International Arctic Forum in St. Petersburg. “We will always ...

Bloomberg Kazakhstan’s new president called snap presidential elections less than a month after he replaced leader-for-life Nursultan Nazarbayev in a carefully-choreographed transfer of power. “I’ve taken the decision to call early presidential elections” on June 9 after consultations with Nazarbayev, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in a televised address to the nation. While the handover of power took place in a calm ...

Bloomberg Algeria’s parliament on Tuesday named the head of its upper house as interim president, potentially placing the country’s tumultuous transition in the hands of a man widely seen as cut from the same cloth as the outgoing Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Abdelkader Bensalah’s nomination paves the way for the start of a transitional period after Bouteflika was forced to step down ...

Bloomberg Theresa May headed to Berlin as part of her efforts to win a short delay to Britain’s departure from the European Union, while at home some in her Conservative Party try to throw her overboard. EU diplomats are said to be settling on the idea of offering an extension to Britain despite the lack of progress at home. It ...

Bloomberg A Hong Kong court found democracy activist Benny Tai guilty for his role in organising the Occupy protests, the latest step in the China-backed government’s effort to punish leaders of demonstrations that rocked the former British colony almost five years ago. Tai, an associate law professor at the University of Hong Kong, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit ...

Bloomberg The Trump administration issued a stern warning to Libyan militia leader Khalifa Haftar to halt his forces’ advance on Tripoli, and urged all sides to continue with political negotiations. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said in a statement that the US was “deeply concerned” about the warlord’s threat to the internationally recognised capital. He said the military campaign was ...

Bloomberg Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party pledged spend $1.44 trillion on infrastructure to boost the economy and raise living standards, in a bid to match its main rival’s populist promises. The BJP, which is seeking to retain power in elections starting April 11, released its manifesto in New Delhi, reiterating its pledge to double farmers’ income by ...

Bloomberg Donald Trump’s frustration over his inability to fulfill his signature 2016 campaign promise to curb illegal immigration led him to oust his second homeland security chief, as the president eyes his re-election prospects next year. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned at Trump’s request after a meeting with him at the White House residence, according to people familiar with ...