Politics

Bloomberg Prime Minister Theresa May launched a desperate appeal to her Conservative Party lawmakers to unite behind her in driving through a Brexit agreement that might be palatable to EU leaders. In a letter to her MPs, May said she’s planning to return to Brussels for further talks with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker next week and plans to speak ...

Bloomberg Malaysians are losing patience and are starting to criticize the current government over its unfulfilled election promises, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in Kuala Lumpur. While the people wanted to see immediate changes, the present administration is unable to implement quick reforms because of the legacy left behind by the previous government, he said in a keynote address at ...

Bloomberg A nonprofit sued to block President Donald Trump from diverting funds from the federal budget to spend about $8 billion on his promised border wall, hours after he declared a national emergency. Public Citizen, a consumer rights think tank, filed the complaint on behalf of a nature preserve and three landowners in southern Texas who’ve been told the government ...

Bloomberg Brazil was among the first countries to recognize US-backed National Assembly President Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s rightful leader but it’s unlikely to add much more pressure to help oust Nicolas Maduro. President Jair Bolsonaro is no fan of Maduro, yet he’s been constrained by economic interests, a long-held Brazilian tradition of non-intervention in other countries, and a dash of ...

Bloomberg Libya should be ready to hold elections this year, with rival factions on track to hold a national reconciliation conference by the end of March, the United Nations envoy to the oil-rich but chaotic north African state said. “End of the year is a true possibility” for holding parliamentary and presidential elections, UN envoy Ghassan Salame said in an ...

Bloomberg Pro-Brexit members of Theresa May’s Cabinet would be willing keep Britain tied to the European Union’s customs regime for as long as five years in an effort to break the deadlock in divorce talks, people familiar with the matter said. The prime minister is trying to renegotiate the so-called backstop guarantee for avoiding a hard border with Ireland because ...

Bloomberg The last-minute delay of Nigeria’s general elections by a week carries dangers for both President Muhammadu Buhari and his main opponent, Atiku Abubakar. While the electoral commission said the postponement just over five hours before polls were due to open Saturday was for logistical reasons, it reinforces opposition criticisms that state institutions under Buhari aren’t independent and are incompetent. ...

Bloomberg The commander of US forces in South Korea cited a “palpable” decline in tensions amid US-North Korean peace talks but cautioned there’s little evidence that Kim Jong- un is willing to give up his nuclear arsenal. “Today is Day 440 since the last strategic provocation” by North Korea through a missile or nuclear test, Army General Robert Abrams told ...

Bloomberg Fourteen people died in a stampede at Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s election rally in the southern city of Port Harcourt, Punch reported. The accident occurred as supporters of the All Progressives Congress party were leaving the stadium where Buhari, who is seeking re-election, made a speech, the Lagos-based paper said, citing University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital spokesman Kem ...

Bloomberg Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, head of online media company Rappler Inc. that’s been critical of President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested in her office for libel. State investigators escorted Ressa out of the Rappler office and brought her to their headquarters in Manila after serving the warrant at about 5:20 p.m local time on Wednesday, based on the media agency’s ...