Latest news

The situation in North Korea
Xi has landed in North Korea for an unusual state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping has now landed in North Korea where he will meet, among other things, dictator Kim Jong-Un. The state visit is described as unusual and, according to the AP, is aimed at strengthening China's influence over North Korea.

It is Xi's first trip to North Korea in seven years and the president is in place for two days. He and Kim Jong-Un last met in September, when the two leaders together with Russian President Vladimir Putin watched a military parade in Beijing.

Russian invasion  The negotiations
After the meeting - sets five conditions for peace talks

The leaders of Ukraine, Britain, France and Germany held a meeting in London this weekend. Now they have set five conditions to reach a "fair and lasting" agreement for peace with Russia, reports the BBC.

This includes an end to all hostilities and providing Ukraine with “robust” security guarantees.

The leaders also discussed the “urgent need” to expand Ukraine’s air defenses and the ability to launch strikes deep into Russian territory.

The climate threat  Global challenges
UN: Oceans in deep crisis – approaching a tipping point

The oceans are in deep crisis, a new report from the UN states. Bloomberg reports.

Climate change, pollution, overfishing and loss of biodiversity are threatening marine ecosystems that are vital to human survival.

“The coming decade is crucial. Without rapid, coordinated global action, the health of the oceans will continue to deteriorate,” writes one of the report’s authors, Ian Butler, in a commentary.

But with measures such as the UN Treaty on the High Seas, which has been signed by 145 countries, Ian Butler believes that it is possible to reverse the trend and restore the health of the oceans. 

Change of power in Hungary
Hungarian MPs cut their own salaries

The members of the Hungarian parliament have unanimously voted to cut their own salaries by 40 percent, AFP reports.

The new salary ends up at just over 40,000 kronor a month. That is almost double the average salary in Hungary. Under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, MPs earned about three times as much.

Orbán's critics say the prime minister set the MPs' salaries unreasonably high, hoping to appease the opposition.