Politics

Bloomberg A permanent ceasefire pact reached between South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar has not stopped fighting on the ground, with at least 15 civilians killed in a single incident, an army spokesman said. Rebels attacked government positions in Southern Liech and Northern Liech States in the Greater Upper Nile region between 2 am and 5 ...

Bloomberg Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the State of Palestine, rejected an offer to hold a joint meeting with US presidential adviser Jared Kushner and other Arab leaders, Al Hayat reported, citing diplomatic sources. The president saw the offer as an American maneuver to pressure the Palestinians into accepting a peace plan on Israel’s terms and achieving the “real objective” ...

Bloomberg President Donald Trump left the door open to recognising Russia’s annexation of Crimea, telling reporters that such a move would be up for discussion when he meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin next month. “We’re going to have to see,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One when asked if the US would accept Russia’s claim on the territory ...

Bloomberg Singapore faces its highest terrorism threat level since the time of the September 11 attacks in the US in 2001 and the 2002 Bali bombings, Singapore’s defense minister said. “There are no signs to indicate that this will abate within even the next decade,” Ng Eng Hen said. “This is a long-term problem, and we have to deal with ...

Bloomberg Tensions over Britain’s divorce from the European Union ratcheted higher as PM Theresa May’s approach was described as “alarming” by one of her peers, and leaders said time was running out to avoid a catastrophic breakup. One EU premier, who heard May’s address on Brexit during the EU summit in Brussels, said he was shocked by the tone and ...

Bloomberg Russian President Vladimir Putin and US National Security Adviser John Bolton expressed hope they could reverse the downward spiral in relations, meeting in the Kremlin ahead of a possible summit with President Donald Trump. “Your visit to Moscow gives us hope that we can make at least the first steps towards restoring full-scale relations between our countries,” Putin told ...

Bloomberg A divided US Supreme Court upheld President Donald Trump’s travel ban, rejecting contentions that he targeted Muslims and giving him a legal and political victory on a controversy that helped define his presidency. The 5-4 ruling ends a legal saga that dates to the beginning of the Trump presidency and helped establish his assertive, divisive leadership style. The decision ...

Bloomberg The UK should start planning to delay Brexit and extend negotiations with the European Union or face the disaster of leaving without a deal, according to former Prime Minister Tony Blair. In an impassioned appeal for a change of course, Blair will warn that crashing out of the EU with no agreement will be “devastating” for the UK, as ...

Bloomberg Angela Merkel failed to resolve a clash over migration with her Bavarian sister party, ratcheting up pressure on the German chancellor as she faces a weekend ultimatum to tighten borders. Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union is seeking to contain a rebellion by Bavaria’s ruling CSU party, which is taking a hard line on immigration ahead of a regional election in ...

Bloomberg South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar agreed to a permanent cease-fire within 72 hours and signalled they’re prepared for a second attempt at a power-sharing government to end a ruinous four-year civil war. The conflict in the East African nation has claimed tens of thousands of lives, driven about 4 million people from their homes ...