This undated photo shows the national flags of the BRICS countries member – (from left) Brazil, India, Russia, China and South Africa. (PHOTO / AFP) CAPE TOWN – BRICS countries kicked off its foreign ministers meeting on Thursday in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa. "At today's discussion, we will focus on opportunities […]
Category: Latest News
Ukraine’s grain, oilseeds exports may fall by third this year
This picture taken on March 29, 2023 shows a farmer revealing a cover protecting unsold corn near the city of Rousse. Bulgarian farming minister on April 19, 2023 said that the government had "passed a decision that temporarily bans… a range of products originating from Ukraine". (PHOTO / AFP) KIEV – Ukraine's combined grain and […]
Moldova to progress EU accession ahead of European summit
Moldovan President Maia Sandu (right) and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen (left) deliver a press conference at the Moldovan Presidency headquarters in Chisinau, on May 31, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) CHISINAU – The upcoming second European Political Community (EPC) summit will be an opportunity to showcase Moldova's readiness toward the European […]
Russia temporarily bans export of cartridges, cartridge cases
ST. PETERSBURG – Russia has imposed a temporary ban on the export of firearms cartridges and cartridge cases, the cabinet said on its website on Wednesday. According to a decree signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, a temporary ban on the export of cartridges for civilian and service rifles, as well as cartridge cases […]
UN chief calls for effective governance of outer space
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres addresses the media during a visit to the UN office in the capital Nairobi, Kenya, on May 3, 2023. (PHOTO / AP) UNITED NATIONS – Effective governance of outer space is necessary for the benefit of all humankind, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a new policy brief published on Wednesday. […]
Sudanese army suspends ceasefire talks
Smoke billows in southern Khartoum, Sudan, on May 29, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) KHARTOUM – Sudan's army suspended talks with a rival paramilitary force on Wednesday over a ceasefire and aid access. The armed forces said in a statement it halted talks in the Saudi city of Jeddah, accusing the other side of a lack […]
Rising costs force schools to shut in UK
In this March 13, 2020 photo, high school students leave Beal Secondary School in London. (PHOTO / AFP) The rising cost of house prices and child care causing young families to relocate out of urban areas, together with falling birthrates, would mean that nearly 100 primary schools across England could be forced to shut, according […]
US debt ceiling bill passes House with bipartisan support
Speaker of the US House Kevin McCarthy walks to the House chamber at the Capitol in Washington, May 31, 2023, as the House moves toward passage of the debt limit bill. (PHOTO / AP) WASHINGTON – A divided US House of Representatives passed a bill to suspend the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling on Wednesday, with […]
German government to shut down 4 Russian consulates
An entrance of the Russian embassy is closed in Berlin, Germany, May 31, 2023. (PHOTO / AP) BERLIN – The German government would close four out of the five Russian consulates in the country by revoking their licenses after Moscow limited the number of German officials in Russia, according to the German Federal Foreign Office. […]
Edgars Rinkevics elected Latvia’s new president
Newly elected President of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics looks on at a press conference at the Parliament of Latvia (Saeima), on May 31, 2023, in Riga, Latvia. (PHOTO / AFP) RIGA – Latvian lawmakers at an extraordinary parliament session on Wednesday elected Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics the new president of the country. Three candidates were running […]
Zimbabwean president sets Aug 23 for next elections
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa speaks during a handover ceremony where he received medical emergency and police helicopters from Sergey Chemezov the Director General of the Russian State Corporation "Rostec" at the Robert Mugabe International Airport in Harare on May 18, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) HARARE — Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa announced August 23 for the […]
Dutch lawmaker urges Twitter to prevent threats on platform
The Twitter application is seen on a digital device April 25, 2022, in San Diego. (PHOTO / AP) AMSTERDAM – The chairwoman of the Dutch parliament on Wednesday called on Twitter to act to stop threats being broadcast on the social media platform against the country's lawmakers. Vera Bergkamp made public a letter she sent […]
South American leaders reach consensus on integration
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks to the press after a summit of South American leaders, at Itamaraty Palace in Brasilia on May 30, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) BRASILIA – Leaders of the South American countries reached the Brasilia Consensus on Tuesday at the regional summit in Brasilia convened by Brazilian President Luiz […]
US private astronauts conclude mission to space station
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon capsule and a crew of four private astronauts, lifts off from pad 39A, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, May 21, 2023. (PHOTO / AP) LOS ANGELES – SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft carrying Axiom Space's four private astronauts safely splashed down off the coast of […]
Putin: Drone attack on Moscow clear sign of terrorist activity
This photo taken on May 30, 2023 shows a damaged building at the site of a drone attack in Moscow, Russia. (PHOTO / XINHUA) MOSCOW – The drone attack against civilian infrastructure here is "a clear sign of terrorist activity," Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday. According to a press release issued by the Kremlin, […]
Danish govt proposes historic boost for defense spending
This file photo shows Danish Acting Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen drinking a cup of tea in New Delhi on February 20, 2009. (PHOTO / AFP) COPENHAGEN – The Danish government on Tuesday proposed a defense settlement worth 143 billion Danish kroner ($21.7 billion) over the next 10 years, in an unprecedented strategic move. […]
Zelensky, Scholz discuss strengthening Ukraine’s defense
This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on May 14, 2023, shows German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (center) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (right) visiting a military base in Aachen, western Germany, where Ukrainian servicemen are being trained. (HANDOUT / UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP) KIEV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr […]
US House poised to vote on urgent debt ceiling suspension
US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (left) looks on as US President Joe Biden speaks during a meeting on the debt ceiling, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 22, 2023. The deal reached between the two has passed an important hurdle late on May 30, 2023, advancing to the […]
IAEA: Situation at Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant fragile
A general view of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine on March 29, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) UNITED NATIONS – The nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine remains extremely fragile and dangerous, said the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday. "Military […]
1 killed, 13 injured in Kiev drone attacks
Communal workers evacuate damaged cars covered with dust and rubble at the bottom of a partially destroyed building after an overnight drone attack in Kiev on May 30, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) KIEV — Ukraine said at least one person was killed and 13 people injured here and in nearby areas due to Russia's drone […]