HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 19 (Xinhua) — Amid waves of protests, the Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ annual summit got underway on Friday in Japan’s western city of Hiroshima. Hundreds of protesters from all over the country, even abroad, gathered in Hiroshima’s Funairi Daiichi Park, not far from the summit’s venue, to decry the finger-pointing bloc that advertises its own version of world order. Seen on-site were huge banners and placards that read “Junk G7,” “No Build-up to War” and “No…

ACCRA, May 17 (Xinhua) — The International Monetary Fund (IMF) executive board on Wednesday approved a 3-billion-U.S. dollar Extended Credit Facility for Ghana to help the country address its current economic crisis. In a statement, the IMF said the decision would enable an immediate disbursement of about 600 million dollars to Ghana, adding that the facility would support “a comprehensive reform program” by the Ghanaian government to tackle the deep economic crisis brought on by a combination of large external…

THE murder of seven people after militants attacked a convoy of the United States (US) Consulate in Nigeria on Tuesday has sent shockwaves across both countries. Unknown assailants attacked a convoy of two US government vehicles in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of the southeastern Anambra state. The convoy was carrying nine Nigerian nationals, comprising five employees of the US Mission to Nigeria and four members of the Nigeria Police Force. They were travelling in advance of a planned visit…

The Russian Embassy in South Africa has broken its silence on claims that it received weapons from South Africa, labelling the allegations an old tactic by the United States of America to push false narratives aimed at starting wars with foreign countries. In a statement released today, Russia accused Reuben Brigety, the US Ambassador to South Africa, of “fabricating weapons story” in a bid to sway the country’s foreign policy.  It said his unsubstantiated allegations were part of a plot…

EFF leader Julius Malema has added his voice to those who have publicly raised concerns about the government’s handling of US Ambassador Reuben Brigety’s claims that South Africa armed Russia, saying he should have been expelled from the country and his credentials withdrawn.   Addressing a media briefing in Johannesburg yesterday, Malema poured cold water on Brigety’s allegations, insisting that the South African government had no capacity to produce any ammunition for the Russian government, even though he wished they did. …

BEIJING, May 15 (Xinhua) — The recent U.S. Census Bureau data suggest that the U.S. merchandise trade deficit with China was larger in 2022 than when Donald Trump was president, said an article on the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace website. Adding that America’s overall trade deficit hit an all-time high of 1.18 trillion U.S. dollars, Carnegie noted that this fortifies the view that “tariffs would not reduce U.S. trade deficits and the costs would be paid largely by Americans.” Similarly,…

SOUTH Africans have denounced attempts by Western sponsored media and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for orchestrating a smear campaign to influence South Africa to support Ukraine and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the conflict with Russia. Western sponsored media alongside the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) have been pushing this agenda. This came about after some pro-Ukraine local media with their American counterparts criticised Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of ex-president Jacob Zuma when she expressed her support of Russia’s military operation…

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…

AN economist has dismissed claims China’s increased maize imports from South Africa are a “political posture” by the Asian powerhouse to replace the United States. Some media have made the claims after China bought 108 104 tonnes of maize from South Africa in the last week of March and the first fewweeks of April 2023. State-owned trader, COFCO, brought the grain. Some Chinese buyers reportedly cancelled 562 800 tonnes of US corn orders in the last week of April. Wandile…

THE United States of America’s claims that South Africa is supplying Russia with weapons are part of a fightback strategy against the BRICS’ growing influence, the escalating de-dollarisation campaign and the changing geopolitics, a former SA diplomat said.  Botsang Moiloa, an independent foreign policy analyst, believes US Ambassador Reuben Brigety’s allegations are a strategy to bully and use SA as an example to other developing nations that they would face the music should they dump the US dollar as their…