Clashes in Pakistan, Ukraine makes Bakhmut gains: Weekend Reads

This week we look at the outbreak of violence in Pakistan, Ukraine's coming counteroffensive, and more [View in browser]( [Bloomberg]( Pakistan’s former premier, Imran Khan, was granted two weeks bail in a corruption case by the Islamabad High Court, the latest twist in a political drama that’s fueled [violent clashes]( across the country. Ukrainian forces [pushed Russian troops back]( to regain territory in the embattled eastern city of Bakhmut, officials in Kyiv said, as Russia’s Defense Ministry acknowledged a flurry of attacks along the frontline. The main opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sunday’s elections accused an unidentified Russian group of [meddling in the vote]( that’s set to be the NATO member’s tightest race in decades. Moscow denied the accusation. Former US President Donald Trump refused to concede his 2020 electoral loss and mocked the woman he was [found liable for sexually assaulting]( by a Manhattan federal jury this week in a CNN interview that underscored the polarized political arena before next year’s election. Delve into these and more of our top stories in this edition of Weekend Reads. — [Michael Winfrey]( Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party activists and supporters of Khan block a road during a protest against his arrest in Hyderabad on Tuesday Photographer: Akram Shahid/AFP/Getty Images Click [here]( for this week’s most compelling political images, and if you are enjoying this newsletter, sign up [here](. Check out where the US [debt ceiling talks]( are headed in the Washington Edition newsletter. [Sign up now]( to get it in your inbox every weekday. Imran Khan Arrest in Graft Case Sparks Violence in Pakistan Protesters [clashed with authorities]( in several cities across Pakistan, including attacks directed at the powerful military, after Khan was arrested as part of a graft probe. [Faseeh Mangi]( reports on the the cash-strapped country’s escalating political crisis. Ukraine Needs More Than a $30 Billion Arsenal for Counterstrike Armed with an arsenal freshly supplied by its allies, Ukraine is [gearing up for a counteroffensive]( that may push Russia closer to ending its war, or show that neither side has enough firepower to seize the advantage. [Marc Champion]( looks into whether the $30 billion in new weapons is enough. European Spies Piece Together Strategy Behind Russian AbusesRussia is trying to ensure that Ukraine can [never take back territory]( captured by Moscow’s troops. [Alex Wickham](, [Daryna Krasnolutska]( and [Natalia Drozdiak]( report how Russia is engineering cultural and demographic shifts through violence, economic coercion and replacing local populations in occupied territories. Biden’s Pleas for Migration Help Are Tough Sell in Latin America The US president wants to share the burden of an [increase in migration]( with other nations along the path to the US in the Americas. [Michael D. McDonald]( looks into the clear response from Colombia to Mexico: This is a problem that requires US policies and dollars to fix. Migrants walks along the border fence before surrendering to US Border Patrol agents, in Yuma, Arizona, on May 10. Photographer: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg Trump Found Liable for Sexual Abuse in E. Jean Carroll Suit A New York jury found Trump liable for sexually [assaulting and defaming]( writer E. Jean Carroll, ordering the former president to pay her $5 million in damages. As [Erik Larson]( and [Patricia Hurtado]( explain, the jury returned the verdict after deliberating for less than three hours. America’s wheat fields have become so plagued by drought that farmers are now poised to abandon crops at the highest rate in [more than a century](. Producers are expected to harvest about 67% of their planted acres, the US Department of Agriculture said, which would would be the lowest harvest ratio since 1917. Erdogan Teeters Before Turkey Vote That’s Got the World Watching Turkey’s president is seeking [re-election tomorrow]( after changing everything from how the $900 billion economy is run to its posture in a new Cold War. The result of the neck-and-neck ballot has major implications for the entire world, [Onur Ant]( and [Selva Bahar Baziki]( write. - Erdogan said he will [accept the outcome]( of the elections, addressing criticism from his rival that members of the government might be unwilling to transfer power peacefully. Scholz Tested by Migration Influx and Mass Worker Shortage Turks have long been the biggest minority group in Germany, having first come to the country as guest workers in the 1950s. But they are nowadays just one small part of an enormous inflow of migrants that have strained social systems and [reignited longstanding debates]( over integration. Europe’s Drier Future Means More Battles Over Scarce Water The combination of an unprecedented lack of rainfall and record-high temperatures gripping southwestern Europe for the second straight year had been [projected by scientists]( – for 2043. But as [Alonso Soto]( and [Laura Millan]( explain, the climate change they warned about is already here. Best of Bloomberg Opinion - [Stop Hyping Up Ukraine’s Spring Offensive: Andreas Kluth]( - [Carroll Prevails Over Trump in a Win for Women: Timothy O'Brien]( - [Rishi Sunak Flunks His First Electoral Test as PM: Martin Ivens]( - [The Arab League Had to Readmit Syria’s Tyrant: Hussein Ibish]( - [Let the Debt-Ceiling Game of Chicken Begin: John Authers]( China the Target of New G-7 Push Against ‘Economic Coercion’ Group of Seven nations aim to send a signal to China this month by announcing a joint effort to [counter “economic coercion.”]( But officials are struggling to agree on tangible measures and are still wrangling over how tough to be in their messaging to Beijing, sources say. Sunak’s Climbdown on EU Laws Triggers Angry UK Tory Backlash UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s [retreat from a pledge]( to scrap all European Union Law sparked a backlash in the ruling Conservative Party. As [Kitty Donaldson]( writes, he was compared to the Borgias — a Renaissance Italian family that became a byword for lust for power. City Stunned by War Learns to Live Alongside a Feared Militia Sudan has been gripped by violence for decades, but Khartoum residents lived largely peacefully in the capital. [Simon Marks]( and [Mohammed Alamin]( report how [that all changed]( when a militia that once drew international condemnation started a battle for the city. Explainers You Can Use - What Trump’s Many Legal Perils Mean for His 2024 Bid]( - [Erdogan Archfoes Will Play Kingmaker Long After Election Is Over]( - How Imran Khan’s Power Struggle Fuels Pakistan Crisis: QuickTake]( - [What’s the Debt Ceiling, and Will the US Raise It?]( - [How Extreme Heat and Humidity Test Survival Limits]( Eskom Is Fighting Corruption at Every Step of Its Supply Chain [Hundreds of armed robberies](, thefts, sabotage and corruption at South Africa’s state-owned electricity utility are increasing the risk of a complete power outage that could devastate the country. [Paul Burkhardt]( reports how Africa’s most industrialized nation is paying a heavy toll. And finally … In the early 2000s, people in northern Venezuela say, a man tried to grow coral for decorating aquariums. But the pinkish-white species turned into an [ecological disaster](, colonizing 1.2 million square miles of the sea floor in the Caribbean, where it’s wreaking havoc on marine habitats and other coral species. Unomia stolonifera is proliferating and threatening other coral species in Aragua state, Venezuela. Photographer: Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Politics newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](