Politics

Bloomberg The Kremlin has decided to delay Vladimir Putin’s annual state-of-the-nation speech to closer to the March 18 vote, giving him a key platform for him to lay out priorities for his next presidential term, according to three officials familiar with the plans. The landmark event on Russia’s political calendar is expected to take place in late February or early ...

Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Theresa May arrived in China seeking to balance her desire to build a powerful post-Brexit trade relationship with a clutch of political concerns. At the start of a three-day trade mission to the country, May said she would raise the sensitive topics of China’s human rights record and Hong Kong democracy in talks with President Xi ...

Bloomberg Two years into his rule, Tanzanian President John Magufuli has some unexpected new fans: his political opponents. His chief rival in the 2015 vote, Edward Lowassa, has praised his reforms and urged others to support them. Another challenger became one of his regional commissioners, while two opposition lawmakers recently defected to the ruling party and will run as candidates ...

WASHINGTON / Reuters The Taliban are openly active in 70 percent of Afghanistan’s districts, fully controlling 4 percent of the country and demonstrating an open physical presence in another 66 percent, according to a BBC study published. The BBC estimate, which it said was based on conversations with more than 1,200 individual local sources in all districts of the South ...

Bloomberg Mali will deploy additional troops to its central region in a bid to halt an escalation of extremist attacks as pressure mounts to stabilise the West African nation before elections later this year. “Our biggest concern is the security of central Mali,” Security Minister Salif Traore said in an interview in the capital, Bamako. “We are under time constraints ...

Bloomberg With diminished odds that Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will run for the presidency after an appeals court upheld his corruption conviction, a host of left-wing candidates are already trying to move in on his patch. At least half a dozen leftist parties with representatives in Congress are ready to jump into the race as Lula’s candidacy looks ...

Bloomberg Russia is hosting a Syria peace summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, with its hopes for securing an internationally-backed plan dashed as the opposition boycotts the initiative. More than two years since Russia’s military intervention in the war-torn country, it’s succeeded in decisively shoring up ally Bashar al-Assad. But even as the Syrian leader closes in on ...

WASHINGTON / Reuters The United States will resume admissions for refugees from 11 countries identified as presenting a high security risk, but with extra vetting for these mostly Middle Eastern and African nations, senior US officials said on Monday. The changes came after a 90-day review of refugee admissions from Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Mali, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, ...

Bloomberg The US identified 210 Russian billionaires and top officials in a sweeping list required under last summer’s sanctions law, but underlined that those named aren’t being targeted for new restrictions. The highly anticipated document, mandated by Congress over White House objections to punish Russia for alleged meddling in the 2016 election, had fuelled alarm in Moscow and threatened to ...

Bloomberg Mariano Rajoy is rallying his troops for a political fightback. But his troops aren’t so sure. The Spanish prime minister is encouraging some senior officials to run in regional elections next year as he looks to shore up his People’s Party’s power base, according to people familiar with his thinking who asked not to be named discussing party strategy. ...