Politics

Bloomberg Donald Trump’s encounter with Russian leader Vladimir Putin is raising concerns among veteran American diplomats and analysts about a mismatch between a US president new to global affairs and a wily former Soviet spymaster experienced in the long game of strategy and statecraft. Their highly anticipated meeting this week at the Group of 20 summit promises to set the ...

Bloomberg The five countries working together in the investigation of the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in 2014 have picked the Netherlands as the country where suspects will be prosecuted. The choice for the Dutch legal system is an “important step” in the prosecution process as Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine are continuing their investigation, the ...

Bloomberg Opposing factions in South Africa’s ruling party battled to reach consensus on contentious policy proposals, including land seizures and mine ownership, at a six-day meeting that ended on Wednesday. They will continue sparring ahead of a December conference, where it will finalize its policies and elect new leaders. The African National Congress’s branches will continue debating whether legislation needs ...

Reuters­­­­ / Bloomberg United Arab Emirates foreign minister His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Tuesday that Arab countries boycotting Qatar over its support for terrorism were still awaiting a response to their demands via mediator Kuwait. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt are pressing Qatar to shut its Al Jazeera news TV station and scale ...

Bloomberg Chinese President Xi Jinping called for closer cooperation with Germany in shaping the global order, marking out Chancellor Angela Merkel as an ally on free trade at this week’s Group of 20 summit. “The strategic character of Chinese-German relations is steadily gaining in importance,” Xi said in an op-ed article published on Tuesday in German newspaper Die Welt, citing ...

NEW YORK ­­­­ / WAM Movements by sea from Libya to Europe, despite being the most dangerous route for reaching the continent, have increased and there are indications that it will likely continue to do so, a new study by the United Nations refugee agency has revealed. According to ‘Mixed Migration Trends in Libya: Changing Dynamics and Protection Challenges’, a ...

Bloomberg North Korea said on Tuesday it successfully test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, a claim that brings the isolated state closer to its aim of building a device capable of hitting the continental U.S. with a nuclear warhead. The missile was a newly-developed ICBM that reached an altitude of 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles) and was fired at its highest angle, ...

Bloomberg If Serbia is forced to choose between closer ties with Russia and joining the European Union, it will side with the latter, the country’s new prime minister said. Ana Brnabic said she’d continue a path started by her predecessor, President Aleksandar Vucic, to make the country ready for EU membership by the time her term ends in 2020. Eastern ...

Bloomberg Qatar delivered its official response to the 13 demands made by the Saudi-led coalition that cut diplomatic and transport links with the country, Al Arabiya news channel reported, as President Donald Trump and Kuwait’s emir stepped up efforts to resolve the month-long crisis. Al Arabiya gave no details of the reply. The coalition, which also includes the UAE, Bahrain ...

BAGHDAD / Reuters A suicide bomber dressed as a veiled woman killed 14 people and wounded 13 others in a displacement camp west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, security sources said in a statement. IS extremists, who have been facing mounting US-backed offensives in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, claimed responsibility for the assault. The camp known as ‘kilo 60’ houses ...