Russia

The only country that can ensure the renewal of the agreement on the Black Sea Grain Corridor is Turkey.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said this during his speech at the 14th Conference of Ambassadors, Trend reported on Monday, citing TurkicWorld.

He said that contacts with all countries will continue in connection with the restoration of the grain corridor, which is essential for the world during the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

The coup d'état in Niger, where General Abdourahmane Tiani seized power on July 26, has taken place against a backdrop of renewed political instability on the African continent - particularly in the Sahel region. After a period of relative calm between 2013 and 2020, 13 attempted coups have been carried out in Africa, including in Sudan, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mali.

In an event that was as shocking in the speed of its escalation as it was in the abruptness of its ending, Wagner's mutiny, or 'march for justice' as it was described as by the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, threw Vladimir Putin's government and Ukraine war effort into crisis mode.

Over the course of the country's invasion of Ukraine, beliefs about who is a friend and who is a foe of Russia have consolidated among its population. There is one surprising exception, however - Ukraine itself.

Today marks 60 years since the first woman launched into space. On June 16, 1963, the 26-year-old Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova set off on the Soviet Union's Vostok 6 expedition. Some 20 years later, the U.S. followed suit with Sally Ride launching off on June 18.

Released today, the latest figures from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reveal an annual increase in the global number of stockpiled nuclear warheads. As this infographic shows, China is at the forefront of this upwards tick, adding an estimated 60 weapons to its collection of deployed or stored nukes between January 2022 and January 2023.

The Russian-Iranian military cooperation and the aid to Ukraine were discussed at a meeting in Washington between US President National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, his Israeli counterpart Tzachi Hanegbi and Israeli Strategic Planning Minister Ron Dermer, the White House reports.

Sullivan has expressed concern about deepening military ties between Russia and Iran and has also stressed the importance of supporting Ukraine.

The ambassador of the CAR in Moscow, Leon Dodonou-Pounagaza, said that the country is interested in deploying a Russian military base on its territory, where 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers will be stationed. This is reported by the edition "Izvestia" (https://iz.ru/1519991/2023-05-29/posol-tcar-rasskazal-o-zhelanii-razmestit-v-strane-voennuiu-bazu-rf ).

On residential and administrative buildings in the Armenian capital, including on Republic Square in the center of Yerevan, leaflets depicting the burning of Ukrainian, Israeli and Azerbaijani flags have been pasted, the Ukrainian publication Censor.net has warned. The inscriptions above and below the illustration are in Armenian and Persian, and read: "We have common enemies."

The meeting of the foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Türkiye, and Syria has been postponed to early May, Russian Ambassador to Damascus Alexander Efimov said in an interview with the Al Watan newspaper. 

"The meeting, which was scheduled for Monday, has been rescheduled for early May. Contacts and consultations continue between the parties to achieve positive results on this issue," he said.