Blinken to take part in Berlin Food Conference on June 24
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will take part in the international conference on food security in Berlin on June 24, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Monday.
"I am happy that some of my colleagues, other ministers of foreign affairs, including the head of the US State Department, will participate in the conference on food security, which will be another important topic at this meeting," Baerbock said upon her arrival at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on Monday.
The EU foreign ministers meeting will be devoted to discussing current affairs concerning the developments in the Horn of Africa, EU relations with Egypt, as well as the Russian operation in Ukraine.
(Source: Sputnik News)
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China makes significant contributions to WTO waiver of Covid-19 vaccine patents
China has played a constructive role in the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations to facilitate a major decision on the waiver of intellectual property rights for Covid-19 vaccines, an official with the Ministry of Commerce said Monday.
Due to the exceptional circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, developing members will be authorized to produce Covid-19 vaccines without the consent of the right holder for five years, according to the decision made at the WTO's Ministerial Conference Twelfth Session (MC12) from June 12 to 17 in Geneva, Switzerland.
(Source: Xinhua News Agency)
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Russia accuses G20 members of politicizing health talks after criticism over Ukraine
Russia on Monday accused some members of the Group of 20 major economies of politicizing a meeting on global health, as it faced criticism over how its invasion of Ukraine in February had plunged its healthcare system into chaos.
The war in Ukraine has overshadowed G20 meetings this year, with current chair Indonesia struggling to keep the group united and resisting pressure from Western members to exclude Russia.
"We are asking our colleagues not to politicize G20 health platform and stay within our mandate and discuss healthcare," Russian health ministry official Oleg Salagay told a G20 health ministers' meeting in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta.
Representatives of the United States, Britain, Australia and Canada urged Russia to ends its aggression.
(Source: Reuters News)
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UN nature summit set for Montreal as Covid-hit China steps aside
UN negotiations to seal a global pact to protect nature — already delayed several times due to the Covid-19 pandemic — are set to be moved to Canada in December after an agreement was made with host nation China, environmentalists said on Monday.
About 195 nations are tasked with finalising a new accord to halt and reverse harm to plants, animals and ecosystems at the United Nations summit, known as COP15, which was due to be held in the third quarter of 2022 in the Chinese city of Kunming.
But with China's borders closed because of its zero-Covid strategy, the host nation last month proposed postponing the talks, already delayed four times, yet again until 2023 — a move widely rejected by other countries keen to land a deal.
(Source: Reuters News)
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WATCH: World Refugee Day - UK asylum candidates to be tagged electronically
With more than 100 million people displaced from around the world due to conflict, violence, and in search of safety, here are some of the stories and events from around the world.
According to the BBC, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said asylum claimants who arrive in the UK would be electronically tagged to “make sure asylum seekers can’t just vanish into the rest of the country”.
Seeking asylum is a human right. It's non-negotiable. #WorldRefugeeDay pic.twitter.com/s6Su4lEV8y
— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) June 19, 2022
Read more here.
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NATO warns of long Ukraine war as Russian assaults follow EU boost for Kyiv
The war in Ukraine could last for years, the head of NATO said on Sunday, as Russia stepped up its assaults after the European Union recommended that Kyiv become a candidate to join the bloc.
Jens Stoltenberg said the supply of state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukrainian troops would boost the chance of freeing its eastern region of Donbas from Russian control, Germany's Bild am Sonntag newspaper said.
Read more here.
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Gustavo Petro wins Colombia's presidency
Gustavo Petro was elected president of Colombia on Sunday after defeating independent candidate Rodolfo Hernandez in the second round of elections in a very close race, the state-run National Civil Registry reported.
With 99.99% of polling stations having reported, Petro, candidate of the leftist Historic Pact for Colombia coalition, obtained 11,280,694 votes, or 50.44%, while Hernandez gained 10,579,803 votes, or 47.31%.
Emocionante esto 🇨🇴🇨🇴🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/PmpA8I6Td9
— Ariel Ávila (@ArielAnaliza) June 20, 2022
(Source: Asian News International)
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Duterte's daughter sworn in as Philippines' vice president
Sara Duterte-Carpio was sworn into office as the 15th vice president of the Philippines on Sunday in her hometown in Davao City in the southern Philippines.
Wearing an emerald green chiffon Filipiniana gown, Duterte-Carpio took her oath of office as her mother, Elizabeth, and her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, standing next to her, watched, Xinhua news agency reported.
“We should not, as we could not afford to squander the future of our children. The days ahead may be full of challenges that call for us to be more united as a nation,“ said Duterte-Carpio, popularly known by her nickname Inday.
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'Compelling evidence Donald Trump has committed crimes'
As the January 6 hearings continue, some experts believe there is 'compelling evidence' Donald Trump did in-fact commit crimes
Speaking to the Guardian, ex-justice department lawyers say the hearings could lead to charges against the former president, including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding or defrauding the United States.