UN voices concern over Black Sea grain shipments slowdown

A vessel in the second caravan of ships transporting grain from Ukraine passes through the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Türkiye, Aug 7, 2022. (PHOTO / XINHUA) UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations on Thursday voiced concern about the slowdown of grain shipments under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allows the export of Ukrainian grain […]

NATO chief to visit Türkiye to push Sweden’s accession

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to journalists as he arrives for a Foreign Affairs Council at the EU headquarters in Brussels on May 23, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) OSLO – Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said on Thursday that he is working hard to ensure Sweden's accession to […]

US Senate set to pass debt limit bill before default date

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (right) speaks to reporters after a policy luncheon, May 31, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (PHOTO / AP) WASHINGTON – The US Senate is on track to pass a bill to lift the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling late on Thursday, Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced, adding, "We […]

BRICS foreign ministers meeting opens in South Africa

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]