Politics

BEIRUT / Reuters Most of an IS evacuation convoy stuck in east Syria has crossed out of government territory and is no longer the responsibility of the Syrian government or its ally Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi’ite group said. A US-led coalition fighting IS has been using warplanes to prevent the convoy from entering territory held by the extremists in east ...

Bloomberg Kenya faces an extended period of political and economic uncertainty after the Supreme Court tossed out the results of last month’s presidential election in a stunning decision that’s unprecedented in Africa. The judges ordered a new vote to be held within 60 days, opening an intense campaign at risk of being marred by violence. The news sparked celebrations in ...

UNITED NATIONS / Reuters US President Donald Trump, a frequent critic of the United Nations, will seek to gather global support for reforming the world body when he hosts an event at UN headquarters in New York on September 18, a day before he formally addresses the 193-member organization. Countries will be invited to attend Trump’s function if they sign ...

Bloomberg ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ Shortly after the US detected the launch of a North Korean missile that soared over Japan, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley joined national security aides on calls to craft an urgent response. Coming less than a week after Trump said Kim Jong Un was “starting to respect” the US, the test-firing was ...

Bloomberg Death threats and court challenges mark an intensifying battle for control of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress as factions fight it out in the nation’s provinces before the party elects a new leader to replace Jacob Zuma. In the region with the most ANC members, KwaZulu-Natal, the high court is expected to rule next month on an application ...

Bloomberg The Scottish Labour Party will seek a fourth leader in less than three years after the incumbent quit following a turbulent period for the movement that once dominated politics in Scotland. Kezia Dugdale, 36, said she’s stepping down to allow someone else to drive Labour toward elections to the Scottish Parliament in 2021. She was elected leader in August ...

KIRKUK / Reuters Iraq’s oil-producing region of Kirkuk will vote in a referendum on Kurdish independence on Sept. 25, its provisional council decided, a move that could increase tension with Arab and Turkmen residents. The ethnically mixed region is claimed by both the central government in Baghdad and the autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq. The vote is ...

BAGHDAD / Reuters Iraqi forces backed by Shi’ite paramilitaries began fighting house-by-house in the one town left to take from IS before they can declare complete victory over the group’s former stronghold of Tal Afar, military commanders said. Hundreds of battle-hardened IS militants are defending al-Ayadiya, a small town outside Tal Afar which itself is about 80 km (50 miles) ...

Bloomberg ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ US President Donald Trump said that “all options” are under consideration in response to North Korea firing an unidentified ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday as Kim Jong Un’s latest provocation rattled markets. “The world has received North Korea’s latest message loud and clear: this regime has signaled its contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the ...

Bloomberg It keeps getting deeper for Houston, the epicenter of the US oil industry. As floods inundated the nation’s fourth-largest city on Monday, with more than a foot of rain likely still to come through Friday, predictions of damage ranged as high as $100 billion. Wall Street and Washington braced for the repercussions of the costliest US natural disaster since ...