SOUTH Africa will not take sides in a contest between global powers, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said as he hit out at critics accusing his country of siding with Russia in the war with Ukraine. Ramaphosa was writing in his weekly letter, days after the United States envoy in South Africa accused the African National Congress-led government of arming Russia. “Since the advent of democracy nearly 30 years, South Africa has pursued an independent foreign policy.” Ramaphosa said. He noted…

Left-wing political party, the EFF, has once again condemned the British monarchy’s continuous public display of the diamond taken from South Africa in 1907, said to be worth R6 billion, that adorns the royal crown. The party was responding to the display of the world’s biggest diamond, known as the Star of Africa, at the coronation of British monarch King Charles III in London on Saturday. The diamond was discovered in South Africa and handed over to the British Monarchy…

LONDON, May 5 (Xinhua) — Britain’s ruling Conservative party has lost over 1,000 seats in local elections across England, latest election results showed on Friday. Senior Conservatives had predicted ahead of the elections that major losses were to be expected after 13 years in power. By Friday evening, 222 out of 230 councils had already declared their results, with the Conservatives losing control of 45 city halls and the party’s 1,040 councilors lost their jobs in the process. However, the…

VLADIVOSTOK, May 5 (Xinhua) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned on Thursday that Russia and the United States are on the verge of an open armed conflict over Ukraine, but Moscow is trying to prevent this. Ryabkov said that Moscow knew that Kiev was acting under Washington’s instructions when it chose to attack targets in Russia, including a drone strike on the Kremlin, adding that both Ukraine and the United States looked ridiculous when they denied their involvement…

UNITED NATIONS, May 5 (Xinhua) — The world body is working toward the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and asks all parties concerned to engage constructively, said a UN spokesman on Friday. The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) has not reached agreement to authorize new vessels to participate in the initiative, which allows the export of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products from Black Sea ports. The JCC continues its daily inspection work on the previously authorized vessels, said…

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON, May 4 (Xinhua) — Russia has evidence showing that the United States and Ukraine were behind the recent drone attack on the Kremlin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. “We have this data. The data that was received by our special service,” Peskov said about an attempted drone attack Wednesday on the Kremlin. Peskov noted that the United States must understand that Russia is aware of its participation in the terrorist attack, saying that it’s important for Washington…