Crypto News: 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 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

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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

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.

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.