Politics

Bloomberg Armed Nigerian security agents temporarily blocked the entrance to the National Assembly in the capital, Abuja, amid heightening political tensions ahead of general elections in February. Legislators, reporters and staff were turned away by secret police officers wearing masks and their standard black uniforms as they tried to enter the complex on Tuesday. After a couple of hours, lawmakers ...

Bloomberg As Zimbabwean opposition leader Nelson Chamisa considers mounting a legal challenge to last week’s election results, he’s also counting the cost of fissures within his alliance and campaign pledges that made him appear out of touch with voters. Emmerson Mnangagwa’s victory in the parliamentary and presidential ballots has left Chamisa’s Movement for Democratic Change without enough seats to prevent ...

Bloomberg South Sudan’s warring parties signed a peace deal granting rebels key positions in a transitional government, the latest bid to end an almost five-year conflict that’s claimed tens of thousands of lives. The accord will restore rebel leader Riek Machar as President Salva Kiir’s deputy, while appointing four other vice presidents and adding new posts for ministers and lawmakers. ...

JEDDAH / WAM The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has suspended diplomatic ties and halted new trade and investment dealings with Canada. The move comes following a statement released by the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the arrest of a women’s rights activist. According to the Saudi Press Agency, SPA, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “disbelief” by ...

Bloomberg The Senate Intelligence Committee’s bipartisan Russia probe is increasingly likely to stretch past the midterm elections, as the panel plans to interview more witnesses for a final report detailing its findings, including on the actions of Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. Panel chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina had wanted to wrap up his probe well before the November congressional ...

Bloomberg Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid is facing a growing challenge as members of his party defect to the opposition and support diminishes in a key region that’s stood by him politically for 15 years: the north. Home to about 40 percent of the West African nation’s voters, Nigeria’s North East and North West regions have long been Buhari’s ...

Bloomberg Imran Khan’s party said it has formed a majority in Pakistan’s parliament after coalition talks with smaller groups and independent lawmakers, paving the way for the former cricket star to take over as prime minister. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Movement for Justice, has 174 members of the national assembly on its side so far, above the 172 needed for ...

Bloomberg Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro escaped unharmed in an attack by explosive-laden drones that wounded officers and sent soldiers fleeing during a military parade in Caracas. The incident, broadcast live on state television, occurred as Maduro spoke, flanked by his wife and defense minister. An explosion was heard and the 55-year-old autocrat was led off stage. Military personnel broke ranks ...

Bloomberg US President Donald Trump repeated that he didn’t know about his son’s meeting with Russians at Trump Tower during the 2016 presidential campaign, while asserting that such meetings are a routine part of politics— “totally legal and done all the time.” Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump Fake News reporting, a complete fabrication, that I am concerned about the meeting my ...

Bloomberg Catalan President Joaquim Torra said his government won’t accept separatist leaders being sent to prison for declaring independence as the region prepared for the one-year anniversary of a tumultuous illegal referendum that plunged Spain into a constitutional crisis. A court decision due in the fall that could see independence leaders imprisoned for up to 30 years will be a ...