Bloomberg South Africa jettisoned a plan that would have forced about 200,000 Zimbabweans to return home, to the satisfaction of critics who said it would have caused a humanitarian crisis. The Department of Home Affairs gave no reason for withdrawing its directive to end the Zimbabwean Exemption Permit. The cabinet’s decision to end the permits drew a chorus of ...

  Bloomberg The son of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top domestic policy adviser was appointed the head of the country’s biggest social network after Gazprom PJSC-linked companies bought a controlling interest in it. Vladimir Kirienko, 38, who was previously a first vice-president at state-owned Rostelecom, has been named chief executive officer at VK, the company said in a statement. He ...

  Bloomberg The Economic Community of West African States threatened over the weekend to impose new sanctions on Mali to compel the country’s military leaders to set a timetable for February 27 elections that would restore democratic rule. Ecowas, as the regional economic bloc is known, is considering “economic and financial sanctions” from January 1, according to a statement issued ...