Politics

Bloomberg Zimbabwe’s political parties made a last-ditch pitch for votes ahead of July 30 elections as a campaign distinguished by the absence of widespread violence that marred previous contests drew to a close. A credible vote and an accepted result would serve as a foundation for the southern African nation to rebuild its battered economy and relations with the international ...

Bloomberg President Nicolas Maduro is a principal suspect in a US investigation into the embezzlement of more than $1 billion from the South American country’s state-owned oil company, the Miami Herald reported, as the US adds to the pressure on the socialist leader. Maduro, his three stepsons and other Venezuelan government officials are being investigated for links to an international ...

Bloomberg One of the main deals announced between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump at their summit in Helsinki — coordinated steps to help stabilise the situation in Syria — is already running into trouble. Facing a storm of criticism in Washington of their meeting, the two leaders touted the agreement to reduce Iran’s role in ...

Bloomberg US Special Counsel Robert Mueller named 35 potential witnesses who may be called to testify in the tax- and bank-fraud trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, including his right-hand man Rick Gates. The list, filed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, hints at how the first trial stemming from Mueller’s probe into Russian meddling may unfold. The ...

Bloomberg As she departs the sweltering heatwave that’s hit London this summer for a break with her husband, Theresa May is — for now — in a position of relative safety. The UK’s rolling Brexit crisis is temporarily becalmed and the British prime minister can afford to take a holiday. What’s certain, though, is that the peace will not last. ...

Bloomberg Slovak prosecutors indicted far-right leader Marian Kotleba for promoting racism and Nazi ideology, as the European Union member state witnesses a surge in populist, anti-immigrant political forces. Kotleba, a lawmaker and the chairman of the People’s Party, was indicted after sponsoring an event last year during which he gave a charity a check for 1,488 euros, a number that ...

Bloomberg Breaking the dynastic hold on Pakistani politics, former cricket hero Imran Khan won the most seats in an election tarred by widespread allegations of rigging and military interference. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Movement for Justice party, clinched at least 115 national seats, according to results released by the Election Commission of Pakistan. He beat the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz ...

Bloomberg Ireland would back any request by the UK to stay in the European Union after March 2019, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said, the first senior EU official to publicly raise the prospect of Brexit being delayed. The Irish government would “absolutely” support the British government if it sought more time for negotiations with the bloc, Coveney told BBC ...

Bloomberg A week after the scandal of the French president’s bodyguard broke, Emmanuel Macron is finally trying to steady the ship. With surveys showing voters were demanding an explanation from their head of state after Le Monde newspaper released videos of his private bodyguard beating demonstrators at a May Day protest, Macron addressed a private meeting of his lawmakers and ...

Bloomberg The fallout in Congress over President Donald Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin stretched into a second week, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issuing a stern warning to Moscow that more sanctions may be in store. “The Russians better quit messing around in our elections,” McConnell said. “They did it the last time. They better not do ...