Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia has been embroiled in a severe crisis this past month marked by political instability and increased militant activity. During this period, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) reported over 205 incidents of political violence, resulting in at least 539 fatalities.

Vasily Nebenzya stressed that insurers conclude on their own that the «explosion at the gas pipelines was made using an explosive devices, willfully and due to political motives,» thereby confirming its terroristic nature

The North Korean ambassador Sin Hong Chol praised the «sincere and excellent friendly relations» between Russian President Vladimir Putin and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un

A Port Gentil, le Parti pour le développement et la solidarité sociale a magnifié la femme gabonaise à l'occasion de la journée du 17 avril , dédiée à la gente féminine depuis 1998. La conseillère politique du président du parti, Colette Madoungou Mbourou a rassemblé les soeurs autour d'un repas Gabonews/ A la veille du 17 avril dernier, journée nationale dédiée à la Gabonaise, vous avez rendu visite aux Portgentillaises en détresses, la solidarité est l'ADN du PDS. Quel est l'objectif (...) - POLITIQUE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

According to Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya, the Russian draft was «very balanced»

According to the diplomat, Russia is engaged in «fierce battles on this issue in different committees of the General Assembly»

Ingrida Simonyte called for getting ready for such a turn of events right away, and not just watch and wait

Ivan Zhelokhovtsev said that the agreements that were reached during the DPRK leader's visit to Russia represent «evidence of the mutual desire of the sides to consistently implement and expand the rich heritage» that was passed down from previous generations

«Lithium is a great opportunity for Bolivia and the whole world to produce clean energy. We would like to become an ally of Russia in this area,» Bolivian Foreign Minister Celinda Sosa said

Nine businesses in Seychelles are among those that have registered their products for copyrights and showed their products in an exhibition at the National Museum in Victoria on Friday. The exhibition, held by the Department of Trade, is part of activities to mark World Intellectual Property Day, which is celebrated on April 26 annually. Intellectual property (IP) covers creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names and images used in commerce. Patents, copyright and trademarks protect such property. A senior trade officer in the Department of Trade, Aissata Dia, told reporters that this year her department «wanted to do something different and show what talents exist in Seychelles, what new creations there are as well as the new designs. We wanted to show that things are happening in the country and that people are registering their work.» Over the years, they mainly held workshops aimed at educating people about the subject. «Over the past three years we have seen an increased interest in registering through the number of people who have reached out asking for more information to protect themselves,» she said. Dia said, «We also realise that in Seychelles registration is mainly dominated by copyrights and trademarks,» and added that this might be because having a patent tends to be a bit more difficult and costly to obtain. She revealed that following last year's workshop and requests from the participants, «the government is assisting them with their applications to protect their intellectual properties, especially when making a break-through on international markets.» The Trade Department is finalising a scheme that will allow Seychellois businesses to use a fund to register their intellectual properties overseas. This is expected to be in the form of a loan. Among the businesses displaying their products is Beach Shack - a beach bar in Beau Vallon, a northern Mahe district. Beach Shack owner, Jill Laporte, at the exhibition. (Seychelles News Agency) Photo License: CC-BY The Beach Shack owner, Jill Laporte, told SNA, «For two years now, we have been registered as a trademark, it cannot be copied, and if we are, we can take legal actions. All our ideas and the drinks we have created have also been trademarked.» She added that this has pushed the establishment to try to keep the standard that having a trademark demands and that protecting the brand has helped in overseas marketing. Although at the moment the bar, which is well frequented by Seychellois and visitors alike, does not have too many marketing products, apart from some memorabilia like T-shirts and baseball caps bearing its logo. A local artist, Justin Reddy has trademarked his work on Country and Western artists «because when you look at our culture there is a lot of country and Western music influences in the Seychellois music.» He said his next project will show reggae music artists, as he has  seen a heavy influence from the genre on the local music scene.

The European Union on Friday added Chinese-founded online retailer Shein to its list of digital companies that are big enough to come under stricter safety curbs. The company joins Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube and others on a list of «very large online platforms» which have more than 45 million monthly active users in the European Union. From the end of August -- four months after the designation -- Shein will have to abide by tougher rules set out in the Digital Services Act (DSA), one of the EU's landmark laws against online platforms. They include implementing measures to «protect consumers from purchasing unsafe or illegal goods, with particular focus on preventing the sale and distribution of products that could be harmful to minors,» the European Commission said. Shein, which is headquartered in Singapore, has said it has around 108 million monthly active users in the 27-nation EU. Reacting to the announcement, Shein said it would comply with the rules. «We share the commission's ambition to ensure consumers in the EU can shop online with peace of mind, and we are committed to playing our part,» said Leonard Lin, global head of public affairs at Shein. Beyond the EU, Shein has faced criticism over alleged exploitation of low-paid factory workers and arguments it promotes hyperconsumerism and causes damage to the environment. - EU probes - Brussels has flexed its legal muscle against the world's biggest digital platforms, launching investigations against TikTok, X and Chinese retailer AliExpress. Another Chinese shopping app, Temu, is expected to be added to the EU's list after announcing in April that it has around 75 million monthly active users after entering the EU market a year ago. Under the DSA, the platforms must assess the specific risks posed to Europeans' rights and safety by the content they publish -- or the products on sale in the case of online marketplaces like Amazon and Shein -- and submit a report to regulators. They must also provide an external audit once a year to verify compliance. The largest platforms are also subject to increased transparency requirements, with the obligation to provide access to their data to researchers approved by Brussels. The EU has taken tougher action against China-linked companies in recent months. Popular video sharing app TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, has faced intense scrutiny in the EU -- and beyond. While it faces a ban in the United States, TikTok is the subject of two investigations by the European Commission over alleged harm to minors. On Wednesday, TikTok suspended its reward programme on its spinoff Lite app after the commission started a probe into its possible addictive features. © Agence France-Presse

India's six-week-long election resumed Friday with millions of people lining up outside polling stations in parts of the country hit by a scorching heatwave. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely expected to win a third term in the election, which concludes in early June. But turnout in the first round of voting last week dropped nearly four points to 66 percent from the previous election in 2019, with speculation in Indian media outlets that higher-than-average temperatures were to blame. Modi took to social media shortly before polls re-opened to urge those voting to turn out in «record numbers» despite the heat. «A high voter turnout strengthens our democracy,» he wrote on social media platform X. «Your vote is your voice!» The second round of the poll -- conducted in phases to ease the immense logistical burden of staging an election in the world's most populous country -- includes districts that have this week seen temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). India's weather bureau said Thursday that severe heatwave conditions would continue in several states through the weekend. That includes parts of the eastern state of Bihar, where five districts are voting Friday and where temperatures more than 5.1C above the seasonal average were recorded this week. Karnataka state in the south and parts of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state and heartland of the Hindu faith, are also scheduled to vote while facing heatwave conditions. Voter turnout was «less than what we would normally expect», polling officer Shyam Sundar Bharti told AFP in Mathura, a city not far from the Taj Mahal where temperatures were expected to hit 41C (106F). «The heat is the reason,» he said. Booths in Mathura saw a late flurry before they closed from voters who had spent the day trying to avoid venturing outdoors. «I waited for the sun to lower,» Sajid Khan, 35, told AFP. «It was too hot to step out in the afternoon.» Analysts have long expected Modi to triumph convincingly in this year's vote, an assessment outwardly shared by his ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Political analyst and Modi biographer Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay said that perceptions of the vote as a foregone conclusion may have dampened voter enthusiasm. «There is some disinterest among some BJP voters,» he told AFP, «because when they hear the leadership say 'we will get 400 seats' they think, why slug it out in the heat?» - 'No major concern' - India's election commission said this week it had formed a task force to review the impact of heatwaves and humidity before each round of voting. The commission said in a statement on Monday it had «no major concern» about the impact of hot temperatures on Friday's vote. But it added that it had been closely monitoring weather reports and would ensure «the comfort and well-being of voters along with polling personnel». A wave of exceptionally hot weather has blasted South and Southeast Asia, prompting thousands of schools across the Philippines and Bangladesh to suspend in-person classes. The heat disrupted campaigning in India on Wednesday when roads minister Nitin Gadkari fainted at a rally for Modi's party in Maharashtra state. Footage of the speech showed Gadkari falling unconscious and being carried off the stage by handlers. He later blamed the incident on discomfort «due to the heat». Years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense. - 'Soldier of the constitution' - Friday will also see voting in the constituency of India's most prominent opposition leader -- Rahul Gandhi of the once-dominant Congress party. The 53-year-old is fighting to retain his seat in the southern state of Kerala. «It is the duty of every citizen to become a soldier of the constitution, step out of their homes today and vote to protect democracy,» he wrote on X. Gandhi is the son, grandson and great-grandson of former prime ministers but his Congress party has suffered two landslide defeats against Modi in the past two general elections. He has been hamstrung by several criminal cases lodged against him by BJP members, including a conviction for criminal libel that saw him briefly disqualified from parliament last year. The opposition alliance has accused Modi's government of using law enforcement agencies to selectively target its leaders and undermine its campaign. More than 968 million people are eligible to take part in India's election, with the final round of voting on June 1 and results expected three days later. © Agence France-Presse

Moscow should keep in mind that it would lose in a war with the West, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has said Read Full Article at RT.com

Student groups organizing pro-Palestinian tent cities at US universities have reportedly received money from George Soros’s foundations Read Full Article at RT.com

[New Times] No Genocide happens without a plan, preparation, and without state involvement, the High Commissioner of Rwanda to the UK, Johnston Busingye, noted on April 25 during an event marking the 30th Commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in London.

[New Times] The Supreme Court on Friday, April 26 dismissed a petition brought by a feminist organisation challenging the country's public indecency laws.

[RFI] A British law to send unwanted migrants to Rwanda, which passed this week after months of wrangling, has generated fierce criticism at home and abroad. In Rwanda, opponents of the longtime president say the country is unfit to host asylum seekers - while accusing the UK of outsourcing its responsibilities.

Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).

Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.

A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.

A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.

The federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations is calling on Air Canada to 'make things right' with the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who said her headdress was removed from an airplane cabin during a flight this week.

Athens reveals stance on Patriots and S-300s for Ukraine, PM Mitsotakis saying it just can’t part with them as they are a crucial deterrent Read Full Article at RT.com

The confiscation of Russian assets won’t shake the country’s financial stability, central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina says Read Full Article at RT.com

French authorities have reportedly asked to borrow an air defense system from Greece for the Paris Olympics Read Full Article at RT.com

The Jamaica Deposit Insurance Corporation (JDIC) will be pursuing the establishment of newer protection schemes to minimise the potential occurrence and impact of financial crises during fiscal year 2024/25. Implementation of these and other...

After being on the run for almost three years, 45-year-old Waterford, Portmore, St Catherine photographer Darian Clarke has been charged in connection with a 2021 gun attack in the municipality that left two men injured. Clarke turn himself in to...

The gang gorged themselves on curry, chips and naan bread with chutneys before washing it down with fizzy pop and beers in the Indian restaurant, Tamarind bay in Exeter

ALULA: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar provided the big winners on Day 2 of the second annual AlUla Camel Cup. Held in unseasonably hot conditions, Thursday’s competition consisted of two 5 km categories, the Hagayeg and the Lagaya, with two races run in each. Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif won the first Hagayeg race, much to the delight of spectators.

RIYADH: The Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Nature Reserve Development Authority has announced the birth of three endangered red-necked ostrich chicks. The birds have been considered extinct in the northern region of the Kingdom for a century and have now returned thanks to the efforts of the ITBA, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

ALULA: “Our dream, as athletes, is to be able to represent our country; and for me to live my dream for my country — in my country — is the ultimate triumph,” Rima Al-Harbi told Arab News after making history this week as the first Saudi woman to win at the AlUla Camel Cup. At last year’s inaugural competition, Al-Harbi was the only woman to compete in a field full of male riders. This year, the event included a women’s category. Al-Harbi returned. And this time she won.