Johannesburg, May 4 (IANS) As Africa Month commemorations begin across the continent, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has renewed calls for slavery reparations. Centuries of exploitation and the systematic looting of African resources continue to inflict lasting economic damage on African nations, Ramaphosa said in a newsletter released on Monday.Reparations must go beyond financial compensation to include “increased foreign direct investment and market access for the African countries a…
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Colombo, May 4 (IANS) Sri Lanka and the Maldives signed seven memoranda of understanding during Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s State Visit to Colombo, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said on Monday.The agreements cover cooperation in tourism, education, higher education, health, sports, youth development, archives and defence, the PMD said.Muizzu arrived in Sri Lanka on Monday for a three-day State Visit at the invitation of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The visit mar…
Samarkand, May 4 (IANS) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said it will commit up to 70 billion USD by 2035 to two initiatives to integrate power grids, expand cross-border electricity trade, and strengthen broadband access across the Asia-Pacific region.ADB President Masato Kanda launched the Pan-Asia Power Grid Initiative and the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway at the bank’s 59th annual meeting in Samarkand, Uzbekistan’s second-largest city, Xinhua news agency reported.”Energy and digital access wi…
Kabul, May 3 (IANS) Afghan counter-narcotics forces have seized a substantial quantity of narcotics and drug-processing materials during ongoing operations in southern Helmand province, the state-run Bakhtar News Agency reported on Sunday. According to the report, authorities confiscated approximately 8,170 kg of heroin, along with materials used in the processing and production of illegal drugs. The seizure is part of continued efforts to combat drug trafficking and dismantle criminal networks …
Tokyo, May 3 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi once again signalled pursuing a revision of the country’s 1947 Constitution, local media reported on Sunday. Takaichi expressed her intent in a video message to a gathering of revision proponents on Constitution Memorial Day, which falls on May 3, the report by Kyodo News agency said.She said that the ruling Democratic Party would “advance discussions in the Diet aimed at reaching decisions while securing the cooperation of other parties…
Tehran, May 3 (IANS) Iran’s army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said that the country’s armed forces are controlling the Strait of Hormuz, and no friendly or hostile vessel can transit the waterway without their permission.Controlling the Strait of Hormuz is “an inherent right” of Iran, of which the country had not made use for years, Akraminia said, according to footage of his remarks carried by Iranian media.”At present, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps in the west and the country’s army in…
Moscow, May 2 (IANS) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi, exchanging views on freedom of navigation and issues surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The two sides continued a thorough exchange of views on the prospects for a full cessation of hostilities, stabilising the military and political situation in the Middle East, the ministry said in a news release on Friday (loca…
New York, May 2 (IANS) US President Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding sanctions on the Cuban government.Trump ordered that all property and interests in property that are in and coming within the United States, or are in or coming within the possession or control of US persons of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in, Xinhua news agency reported.The “following persons” include those who operate in or have ope…
Bangkok, May 1 (IANS) Facing unprecedented geopolitical pressures and rapid technological disruption, Thailand’s government marked National Labour Day on Friday by announcing a major structural overhaul of its workforce strategy. In his remarks, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Yodchanan Wongsawat highlighted a dual threat to the national workforce: external economic pressures from the Middle East conflict and supply chain volatility, coupled with internal transitions driven by artificial intelligence…
Baku, May 1 (IANS) Azerbaijan’s parliament, known as Milli Majlis, voted on Friday to suspend all cooperation with the European Parliament.The decision was made by Baku in response to the “anti-Azerbaijani activities” by the European bloc’s legislature.The parliament in Baku passed a resolution to stop cooperation across all tracks and end its participation in the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee.At the opening of the spring session, Milli Majlis Speaker Sahiba Gafarova announ…