TOP NEWS

The North Korea-Russia relationship
The US and South Korea warn of Putin's visit to North Korea

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to travel to North Korea shortly, which worries the US and South Korea. The countries' deputy foreign ministers, Kim Hong-kyun and Kurt Campbell, have recently spoken to each other over the phone, Reuters reports. Among other things, the leaders are said to have talked about concerns over deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

The US and South Korea agreed to respond through "close cooperation against North Korea's provocations against South Korea and actions that escalate tensions in the region," according to a statement from South Korea's foreign ministry.

South Korea stated earlier this week that Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea "in the coming days". Kurt Campbell stated on Wednesday that the dictator Kim Jong-Un helped Russia during the war in Ukraine. He said, among other things, that the collaboration had "a significant impact on the battlefield".

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Political situation in South Africa
ANC expected to form government with arch rival – Zuma out

South Africa's ruling party ANC has managed to reach an agreement with several other parties to form a coalition government, AFP reports.

ANC party secretary Fikile Mbalula was tight-lipped on the details but noted that four parties, apart from the ANC, are part of the coalition. Including the arch-rival Democratic alliance (DA).

The settlement means that former president and ANC defector Jacob Zuma's new party uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) is kept out of government. In response, MK has threatened to boycott the opening of parliament.

The ANC won 40 percent of the vote in the election at the end of May, a result described as a fiasco as it means the ANC lost its absolute majority in parliament.

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The G7 meeting in Italy
Abortion is not mentioned in the draft G7 statement

The right to safe abortion - which countries called for after the informal forum meeting in Hiroshima last year - is not mentioned in the G7 statement this year, according to a draft seen by Reuters.

The fact that the abortion issue is not in the statement drew criticism from several of the G7 countries, including France.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that "the controversy surrounding the presence or absence of the word abortion in the conclusions is completely unjustified", writes the Italian news agency Ansa according to AFP.

According to her, this year's statement will be reminiscent of the Hiroshima text "where we already last year approved the need to guarantee that abortion is 'safe and legal'".

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New left alliance nailed - the leader: "Can't hand over France to Le Pen"

After four days of intense negotiations, the French left has formed the new alliance Nouveau Front populaire (New People's Front), AFP reports.

The alliance includes the Socialist Party, the left-wing party Unoccupied France, the green Ecologists and the French Communist Party.

Among other things, the parties promise to "break completely" with President Emmanuel Macron if they emerge victorious from the new elections this summer. The joint election manifesto also includes promises to scrap Macron's migration and pension reforms, as well as a proposal to send peacekeepers to protect nuclear power plants in Ukraine.

- We cannot hand over France to the Le Pen family, says the Socialist Party's top name in the EU elections Raphaël Glucksmann to the French Inter.

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Political situation in Brazil
Abortion is equated with murder - harsher punishment than rape

A new bill in Brazil means that all abortions after week 22 will be equated with murder. Thousands have gathered in Brazilian cities to protest the proposal, writes TT.

An evangelical Christian group is behind the proposal, which equates abortion with murder. It should be punishable by up to 20 years in prison - twice as long as the penalty for rape.

Today, abortions are allowed in Brazil if the pregnancy was caused by rape, if the woman's life is in danger or if the fetus has brain damage. Otherwise, abortion is punishable by up to four years in prison.

The law is feared to hit girls and young rape victims who discover their pregnancy late or do not dare to tell about abuse they have been subjected to.
Today, abortions are allowed