The price of coal soared in 2023, reaching almost $300 a ton in parts of Europe. And it fell back just as fast to half that, and less in some regions. There’s always a spike in demand over the northern winter when homes and factories need heating, but last year was special. You see, Russia accounts for around 17% of the world’s coal, and sanctions panicked the market, until it became clear that Moscow is selling as much coal as…

The Fifth Review Conference of the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention (Ottawa Convention) will take place in Siem Reap Angkor, Cambodia, on November 25, 2024. This conference comes at a crucial time, as countries like Angola and Cambodia continue to suffer from the devastating consequences of landmines. Despite decades of demining efforts, both nations remain among the most heavily mined countries in the world, and the urgency for international support is as strong as ever. The Ottawa Convention, signed in 1997,…

The media upheaval emerged in the aftermath of Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Initiative, sounding the alarm on the looming food crisis, especially in vulnerable regions like Africa. But, was Africa merely a public relations (PR) pawn in the West’s strategy to corner Russia and sustain the initiative? Russia’s exit from the Black Sea Initiative, intended to facilitate grain and fertilizer exports to impoverished nations, sparked widespread criticism. The programme’s execution and impact were flawed, with Africa – a…

MOSCOW/KIEV, May 21 (Xinhua) — Russia said on Saturday that its forces had taken full control of the hotly contested city of Bakhmut, also known as Artyomovsk, while the Ukrainian side said the situation there was critical. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner private military group, said in a video message posted on his Telegram channel that Wagner will begin to withdraw its units on May 25 for rest and retraining, and its fighters will create “the necessary lines of…

HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 22 (Xinhua) — “Re-enacting the Cold War would be foolish,” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Sunday, calling for settling the Ukraine crisis under a framework of the United Nations. Lula made the remarks at the just-concluded Group of Seven (G7) summit working session as an invited state leader. The Ukraine crisis should be discussed under a framework of the United Nations rather than the G7, he noted at a press conference on Monday, criticizing the…

The Russian Embassy in South Africa has broken its silence on claims that it received weapons from South Africa, labelling the allegations an old tactic by the United States of America to push false narratives aimed at starting wars with foreign countries. In a statement released today, Russia accused Reuben Brigety, the US Ambassador to South Africa, of “fabricating weapons story” in a bid to sway the country’s foreign policy.  It said his unsubstantiated allegations were part of a plot…

MOSCOW, May 12 (Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed global food security and the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis during a telephone conversation on Friday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Russian side confirmed its readiness to supply needy African countries with substantial amounts of grain and fertiliser, including no-cost deliveries, the Kremlin said. Putin welcomed Ramaphosa’s proposition with regard to the participation of a group of African leaders in potential discussions on the prospects for a resolution…

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON, May 4 (Xinhua) — Russia has evidence showing that the United States and Ukraine were behind the recent drone attack on the Kremlin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. “We have this data. The data that was received by our special service,” Peskov said about an attempted drone attack Wednesday on the Kremlin. Peskov noted that the United States must understand that Russia is aware of its participation in the terrorist attack, saying that it’s important for Washington…

In an overnight turn of events, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office has made a U-turn on his statement that the ANC had taken a decision for South Africa to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying he had erred. This came after Ramaphosa reiterated the ANC’s statement that it had decided to pull out of the ICC over its double standards and unfair treatment of certain countries and individuals, especially African leaders.  This statement followed the ICC’s international warrant of…