The violent battle for control of Sudan: Weekend Reads

Sudan’s army and a rival paramilitary group declared a cease-fire in their week-long battle for control of the North African nation that has [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Sudan’s army and a rival paramilitary group declared a cease-fire in their [week-long battle]( for control of the North African nation that has killed hundreds of people, though there were reports of sporadic fighting.  The violence is prompting a surge in refugees to neighboring countries and foreign governments to prepare for the [evacuation]( of their citizens. It’s probably the worst-kept secret in Washington. US President Joe Biden may launch his reelection campaign as early as next week with an official announcement, setting up a [potential rematch]( with Donald Trump. UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab [resigned]( after an independent investigation criticized his “abrasive” treatment of civil servants. Delve into these and more of our top stories in this edition of Weekend Reads. — [Karl Maier]( Smoke rises from Khartoum International Airport amid fighting on Thursday. Source: AFP/Getty Images Check out this week’s most[compelling political images](, and if you are enjoying this newsletter, sign up [here](. Coming Soon: Understand power in Washington through the lens of business, government and the economy. [Sign up now]( for the new Bloomberg Washington Edition newsletter delivered weekdays. These Are the Key Foreign Power Brokers in the Sudan Conflict Any escalation in the conflict would [reverberate across]( northeast Africa and further afield given that Sudan borders on seven other countries and the Red Sea, and has drawn a number of foreign companies intent on tapping its abundant mineral and oil reserves. [Michael Cohen]( and [Simon Marks]( provide a sketch of the key international power brokers. - Listen to this [Next Africa podcast]( on the conflict. Taiwan Quietly Urges US to Calm Rhetoric on China Chip Risk Taiwanese officials are [quietly urging]( their US counterparts to tone down their rhetoric about the dangers of relying on supplies from the nation’s industry-leading producer of high-end chips. [Debby Wu]( and [Jenny Leonard]( write that Taipei is getting nervous American warnings about the risk of a Chinese attack could hurt the island’s business environment. - Biden aims to sign an [executive order]( in the coming weeks that will limit American investment in key parts of China’s economy, sources say. Russian Memo Said War Leaves Moscow Too Reliant on Chinese Tech Is Russia becoming too dependent on Chinese technologies? It’s a concern [raised privately]( by some senior officials in Moscow after sanctions by the US and the European Union shut off access to alternative suppliers, [Alberto Nardelli]( reports. - Russia sentenced a prominent critic, Vladimir Kara-Murza, to 25 years in prison in the [harshest judgment]( yet handed down to an opposition activist. Kara-Murza in Moscow on Sunday. Photographer: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images Italy Rethinks Its Close China Ties as US Backs Stronger Break Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is getting dragged into the [escalating tensions]( between Washington and Beijing as she tries to disentangle Italy from its close relationship with China. [Chiara Albanese]( reports that Rome may pull out of an agreement to join China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative.  Ukraine Allies Consider Near-Total Ban on Exports to Russia Key Ukrainian allies including the US are considering moving toward [banning most exports]( to Russia, tightening economic pressure on President Vladimir Putin over his war. Group of Seven officials are discussing the idea ahead of a summit in Japan in May, sources say. The aim would be to include EU member states in the crackdown. Billionaires Who Love DeSantis Demur as He Turns Florida Redder The main US Republican challenger to Trump’s reelection bid is trying to outmaneuver him by [pushing the party]( further to the right. [Anna Jean Kaiser]( and [Marvin G Perez]( explain that Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida’s GOP-controlled legislature have banned abortion after six weeks, eased already relaxed gun laws and helped shield insurance companies from lawsuits. But some Republicans worry they’ve gone too far. - The Supreme Court blocked a Texas [judge’s restrictions]( on a widely used abortion pill from taking effect, keeping the drug fully available while a legal fight goes forward. - Biden spoke Monday with Ralph Yarl, the Black teenager [who was shot]( last week by an 84-year-old White Kansas City homeowner after ringing the wrong doorbell. Ralph Yarl. Source: Attorney Ben Crump Law via Family Best of Bloomberg Opinion This Week - [Dream of Replacing Humans in Finance May Come True: Aaron Brown]( - [Sudan Needs More Than Just a Cease-Fire: Bobby Ghosh]( - [Ukraine’s Big Offensive May Put Biden in a Bind: Hal Brands]( - [Russia’s Warmongers Are Scorpions in a Bottle: Leonid Bershidsky]( - [DeSantis’s Disney Fight Won’t Help Him Beat Trump: Joshua Green]( Fox’s $787.5 Million Settlement Doesn’t End Its 2020 Liability Fox News agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle a voting machine maker’s [defamation lawsuit]( over the network’s 2020 election broadcasts. [Erik Larson]( and [Jef Feeley]( write how [its liability]( doesn’t end there. Exit of Sunak’s No. 2 Only Deepens Battle Within UK Government Raab’s resignation marks an escalation and not the end of a bullying scandal that [threatens to destabilize]( a government Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said would bear no resemblance to his predecessors’, [Alex Wickham]( reports. - Major UK companies have resigned from the Confederation of British Industry as the lobby group fights for survival following a number of allegations of [sexual assault]( among its staff. Pentagon Sounds Alarm Over Biden Plan for Offshore Wind The Pentagon [says]( Biden administration plans for offshore wind projects along the central Atlantic US coast are “highly problematic.” [Jennifer A Dlouhy]( reports that the concerns have spooked renewable power developers and coastal states hoping to meet clean energy and climate goals. Nord Stream Mystery Brings Infrastructure Fears to Surface Theories abound surrounding the underwater detonations that caused gas to bubble up from the Baltic seabed, turning the surface into a gurgling cauldron. As [Willem Marx]( reports, seven months on, the [mystery]( of who was behind the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 natural gas pipelines from Russia to Europe remains unsolved. Best of Bloomberg Explainers This Week - [What India Being World’s Most-Populous Nation Means]( - [How Sinn Fein’s Rise Is Shaking Up Ireland’s Politics]( - [Clarence Thomas and the Case of Supreme Court Ethics]( - [What’s at Stake as Ecuador’s Leader Faces Impeachment]( - [Meet the Guptas, Symbols of South African Corruption]( Heat Is Surging in India, Risking Blackouts and Even Deaths Soaring temperatures across India this week are [increasing the risk]( of blackouts and potentially exposing millions of people to exhaustion and deadly heat stroke. As [Pratik Parija]( and [Rajesh Kumar Singh]( write, India suffers from the most pronounced heat-related labor losses in the world. - India’s Supreme Court began hearing arguments for granting legal recognition to [same-sex marriages](. Deepening Drought Forces Europe to Accelerate Climate Adaptation The record heat and drought hurting European farmers, power utilities and insurers [foreshadow]( even faster change to the continent’s climate. As [Jonathan Tirone]( reports, scientists warn that feedback loops from a drying Earth likely will lead to dangerously high temperatures again this year. [​​​​​​​](And finally … A top American lawyer, a couple of fraudsters and a pariah government joined forces to sue the world’s largest commodities trading firms over allegations the auctions Venezuela uses to sell its oil had been [systematically rigged]( for a decade or more. [Liam Vaughan]( and [Lucia Kassai]( report that while the evidence is explosive, so far the bungled lawsuit has come to nothing. A dilapidated PDVSA oil tank on Lake Maracaibo in Cabimas, Venezuela, in 2021. Photographer: Gaby Oraa/Bloomberg Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? 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