Meeting between Pompeo, and China’s top diplomat Yang under way: official
A meeting in Hawaii between the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi began shortly after 9 a.m. local time (3 p.m. EST), a senior State Department official said on Wednesday.
Sudan extends lockdown in Khartoum state to June 29
Sudan has extended a lockdown in the state of Khartoum to June 29 as it tries to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, its Security and Defence Council said on Wednesday.
Honduran president hospitalized for COVID-19, treated for pneumonia
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, is undergoing treatment in hospital for pneumonia after he tested positive for COVID-19 this week, the government said on Wednesday.
West African ministers propose phased re-opening of borders
West African government ministers have proposed re-opening borders between their countries in the first half of July and allowing in travellers from other countries with low or controlled levels of coronavirus spread by the end of July.
Steroid should be kept for serious coronavirus cases, WHO says
A cheap steroid that can help save the lives of patients with severe COVID-19 should be reserved for serious cases in which it has been shown to provide benefits, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
G7 foreign ministers urge China not impose security law on Hong Kong
The G7 foreign ministers issued a joint statement on Wednesday calling on China not to follow through with plans to impose national security legislation on Hong Kong.
Colombia’s potential cocaine output up 1.5% in 2019, says U.N. drug agency
Potential production of pure cocaine hydrochloride in Colombia was up by 1.5% last year to 1,137 metric tonnes, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Wednesday, even as the areas planted with primary ingredient coca decreased.
Trump to meet with Poland’s Duda at White House next week
U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Washington next week, the first visit by a foreign leader to the White House since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Azeris stuck at Russian border clash with riot police, witnesses say
(This June 18th story corrects to show that Derbent district is in Russia, not in Azerbaijan)
New French coronavirus deaths under 30 again
The number of people who died from coronavirus infection in France rose by 28 to 29,575 on Wednesday, down sharply versus Tuesday when the weekly data for nursing homes were included.




