Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with International Red Cross Committee President Mirjana Spoljaric in Moscow

Ukraine reportedly requires €136 bln for defense this year, allegedly being able cover €53 bln on its own

The launch was executed using the Amurets launching pontoon, produced by the shipbuilders as part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation’s dock program

«This work will continue for as long as civilians continue to be under pressure,» Mirjana Spoljaric said

Mnatsakan Safaryan said that Armenia will engage in contacts soon

The Bank of England has warned that autonomous AI could trigger market meltdowns as human oversight becomes impractical Read Full Article at RT.com

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has ordered Canada's three largest telecoms to justify their contentious fees and explain why they shouldn't face fines for apparent federal violations.

When popular villains in cartoon shows and movies speak in foreign-accented English, the young children watching the conniving depictions also seem to pick up language biases, Canadian researchers say.

NATO has agreed on a €70 billion Ukraine pledge for 2026 but Italy is blocking a matching commitment for 2027, FAZ has reported Read Full Article at RT.com

Nigeria has received 18 looted cultural items from Switzerland as part of a wider push to repatriate colonial-era artifacts Read Full Article at RT.com

A fiery open letter posted on Facebook has accused senior officials in the Ministry of Lands of illegally allocating more than 30 hectares of prime city‑centre land in Lilongwe to a single investor, Nyasa Manufacturing Ltd, sparking fresh questions over governance and political influence in one of Malawi’s most sensitive ministries. The author, Joana Moyo, […] The post Malawi land storm erupts as whistleblower claims 30‑hectare ‘giveaway’ to single investor appeared first on Malawi News | Breaking News, Politics, Business & Sports | Nyasa Times.

[allAfrica] Senegal Trims Presidential Powers in Controversial Vote

[allAfrica] The parliament has approved controversial constitutional reforms that expand lawmakers' powers while limiting those of the president, deepening a growing rift between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and parliamentary Speaker Ousmane Sonko.

A 51-year-old man who damaged a crow cage on Havelock Road in March and let four birds escape was on Monday (June 29) handed a 24-day jail term.Mohd Yusrin Mohd Yusof pleaded guilty to one charge of mischief for disrupting a public agency's duty and function.At the time of the offence, Yusrin was out on bail, having been earlier charged with theft of a beer bottle.The court heard that on March 2, at about 12.30am, Yusrin used a rock to break the lock of an NParks crow cage outside Havelock View Coffeeshop, which had been installed to control the bird population. As a result, three birds escaped.Later that day, at about 11pm, Yusrin returned to the same spot at Block 51 Havelock Road. This time, he lifted and toppled the bird trap with his hands, causing $3,150 in damages and letting another bird free.The prosecutor pointed out that Yusrin's actions obstructed the work of a government agency, reported Lianhe Zaobao.In mitigation, Yusrin pleaded for leniency, saying he empathised with the birds and felt sorry for them.

A cordon has been set up in Ongar as Essex Police said they were called to the scene at 12.30pm to reports of a crash involving a small aircraft in a field at Mill Lane.

The singer was one of the founding members of the legendary band, and provided one of the iconic voices of their hit YMCA.

Value-for-money Romanian carmaker Dacia has cut £4k off the price tag of its Spring EV, making it the cheapest new electric car in the UK. It undercuts the Leapmotor T03, igniting a price war.

Gemma, not her real name, was assaulted by the disgraced multi-millionaire fashion boss inside her home after he got into her taxi following work drinks in May 2022.

A Deputy Minister has allegedly crossed a significant constitutional line by secretly recommending to the appointing authority that his own line minister be removed from office, according to claims circulating on social media gossip platforms. Highly placed sources within government confirm that the extraordinary move has sent shockwaves through Cabinet, laying bare deep and growing […] The post Deputy minister ‘plotted to sack his own boss’ appeared first on Malawi News | Breaking News, Politics, Business & Sports | Nyasa Times.

This Briefing critically analyses the new EU Anti-Racism Strategy 2026-2030 (the Strategy) which was launched by the European Commission in January 2026. The Briefing situates the Strategy within the landscape of the existing EU anti-racism infrastructure including the primary and secondary legislation, case law, and other policy initiatives and efforts to combat racism, including the Strategy’s precursor, the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020-2025 (the Plan). The Briefing shows that the EU’s anti-racism infrastructure, especially the Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of racial or ethnic origin, commonly known as the ‘Racial Equality Directive’, is robust in principle. Yet, it is underutilised and ultimately ineffective. The low rates of litigation under the Racial Equality Directive at the CJEU are evidence of its underutilisation. The high rates of existing levels of racism across EU Member States, such as recorded in successive FRA reports, evidence its ineffectiveness. It is against this backdrop that the Strategy, and previously the Plan, were adopted. The Plan was meant to be a ‘step up’ in the EU’s fight against racism. The immediate impetus for the adoption of the Plan came from the global Black Lives Matter protests following George Floyd’s death in the US. The Plan sought to address racism comprehensively and at all levels including individual, structural, and the EU’s internal – institutional – level. While the Plan covered much ground, it prioritised coverage and scale over precision and ambition. That is, the Plan lacked a precise normative framework of both racism and anti-racism; and at the same time lacked ambition by failing to identify benchmarks for improvement against which the impact of anti-racism measures could be tested. The Strategy which succeeds the Plan marks not only a semantic, but a more deliberate and determined, shift in the Commission’s approach to anti-racism. In particular, the Strategy is defined by three normative shifts: the adoption of an economic rationale for anti-racism; the shift in focus towards structural racism; and the centring of participation and partnerships in the fight against racism. These shifts are accompanied by a range of measures reinforcing the need to strengthen monitoring, enforcement, and implementation of law and policy against racism in the EU. Together, both the normative and operational aspects of the Strategy may be considered more ambitious than the Plan. Yet, the Strategy leaves significant gaps, both normatively and operationally. The success of the Strategy will depend not on how well it is executed but whether it is able to surmount the challenges posed by these gaps. These include: (i) the development of a working definition of structural racism which exceeds belief, ideology, and animus; (ii) the coordination of EU anti-racism measures across all forms of racism, all forms of discrimination, and all other issues facing the EU; (iii) the development of a common approach to intersectionality which defines and operationalises the concept at the same time; (iv) the development of a legal framework for addressing the alarming rise of xenophobia and xenophobic discrimination; (v) the prioritisation of the voices of racially disadvantaged individuals and groups; (vi) the adoption of the Horizontal Equal Treatment Directive; and (vii) the formulation of more ambitious and comprehensive programmatic approach to positive action measures for addressing racial disadvantage. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU as of 1 July 2026, following Cyprus and preceding Lithuania. Ireland’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, at 99.8 thousand PPS, represents 237 % of the EU’s total GDP per capita, while its gross national income (GNI), at 67 thousand PPS, is just two thirds of GDP. Ireland’s GDP decreased by 12.1 % in first quarter 2026. Ireland’s trade in services with the world is much more significant than its trade in goods. Ireland is in the top five EU Member States on research and innovation. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Ireland is a parliamentary democracy with a bicameral parliament known as the Oireachtas. The Irish Parliament consists of the President of Ireland (Head of State) and two Houses: Dáil Éireann (House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann (the Senate). The President is directly elected but mainly has a ceremonial role. They can convene a meeting of either House of the Oireachtas in order to solve a dispute or address a national emergency, and can dissolve the Dáil to facilitate a general election (on the advice of the head of government who must have a majority in the Dáil). They can also refer a bill to the Supreme Court for a judgment on its compliance with the Constitution. This briefing is part of an EPRS series on national parliaments and EU affairs. It offers an overview of the way the EU Member States' national parliaments are structured and how they process, scrutinise and engage with EU legislation. It also refers to relevant publications by national parliaments. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

This document provides background information for the Members participating in the mission to the 19th session of the Conference of States Parties to the CRPD, New York, from 9 to 11 June 2026. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Ireland assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 July, and will stay in office until 31 December 2026. The country took over from Cyprus and will hand the baton to Lithuania. Ireland is the first member of a new presidency trio, along with Lithuania and Greece. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Humphrey Smith, one of the most controversial figures in the British pub trade, is reported to have died aged 81.

NBS Bank has rebranded its SME Banking division to Business Banking, a move the institution says is aimed at widening access to finance for Malawi’s micro, small and medium‑sized enterprises. Speaking at the launch on Tuesday,  chief executive Temwani Simwaka said the revamped unit will introduce a suite of products designed to ease financing constraints […] The post NBS Bank rebrands SME unit as ‘Business Banking’ in push to expand appeared first on Malawi News | Breaking News, Politics, Business & Sports | Nyasa Times.

Sunbird Tourism plc has posted another year of robust earnings, reporting profit after tax of K12.5 billion for the year ending 31 December 2025 — a 17% rise from K10.6 billion in 2024. The Malawi Stock Exchange‑listed hospitality group also delivered strong top‑line growth, with revenue up 31% to K71.7 billion, despite operating in an environment marked by […] The post Sunbird posts K12.5bn profit as revenue jumps 31% appeared first on Malawi News | Breaking News, Politics, Business & Sports | Nyasa Times.

A bus carrying Malawians from KwaZulu‑Natal to Musina in South Africa’s Limpopo Province has been involved in a serious accident after the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation, the bus driver died at the scene, while 11 passengers were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. Large […] The post Malawians injured in South Africa bus crash appeared first on Malawi News | Breaking News, Politics, Business & Sports | Nyasa Times.