27 March 2024; MEMO: The Brussels City Council has passed a motion to halt the public procurement of products from Israeli settlements, Anadolu Agency reports.

The motion, brought by Benoit Hellings, a Councillor in the capital of Brussels, was adopted unanimously in a vote late Monday.

RIO DE JANEIRO, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Brazil launched the "Tonelero" submarine on Wednesday, the third one it has built through a partnership with France under the Submarine Development Program (ProSub).

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and French President Emmanuel Macron attended the launching ceremony held at the Itaguai port on the Rio de Janeiro coast.

New Delhi, Mar 28 (PTI) Amid a lingering border row in eastern Ladakh, top diplomats of India and China held a fresh round of talks and both sides agreed to "maintain regular contact" through diplomatic and military channels, with no indication of any breakthrough.

New Delhi, Mar 28 (PTI) The government's fiscal deficit at Rs 15 lakh crore touched 86.5 per cent of the revised annual target at the end of February, according to official data released on Thursday.

In the corresponding period last year, the fiscal deficit or gap between the expenditure and revenue was 82.8 per cent of Revised Estimates (RE) of the Union Budget 2022-23.

For 2023-24, the government's fiscal deficit is estimated at Rs 17.35 lakh crore or 5.8 per cent of the GDP.

28 March 2024; MEMO: Saudi Arabia has condemned Israel’s decision to seize 800 hectares of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, joining the growing list of nations opposing the move, which violates international law.

Last week, the Israeli authorities seized more land in the Jordan Valley area of the occupied West Bank, in a move overseen by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for the purpose of enabling the construction of more illegal settlements for Jewish settlers.

LONDON, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Simon Harris is set to become Ireland's new prime minister, or Taoiseach, after he was confirmed on Sunday as the new leader of the governing Fine Gael party.

He is to replace Leo Varadkar, who unexpectedly announced his resignation Wednesday as party leader and Taoiseach, citing "both personal and political" reasons.

"It's the absolute honor of my life... to accept the leadership of this great party," Harris said in his first speech as the party leader, according to Sky News.

MOSCOW, March 25 (Xinhua) -- The four individuals directly involved in the Moscow concert hall attack have been charged with terrorism, local media reported on Monday.

A Moscow district court sent all the four suspects, identified as citizens of Tajikistan, to pre-trial detention. They will remain in custody until May 22, Russia's TASS news agency reported.

Beijing, Mar 25 (PTI) China on Monday continued to claim that Arunachal Pradesh is part of its territory, notwithstanding India dismissing Beijing’s claim as “absurd” and “ludicrous”.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian reiterated China’s claim reacting to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's assertions on Saturday, dismissing China's repeated claims on Arunachal Pradesh as "ludicrous" and that the frontier state was a "natural part of India".

24 March 2024; MEMO: The EU on Sunday condemned the Israeli seizure of 800 hectares of land in the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank, Anadolu Agency reports.

“The European Union firmly condemns the announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that over 800 hectares of land in the occupied Palestinian territory have been declared as ‘state lands’,” the EU said in a statement.

ALGIERS, March 24 (Xinhua) -- The Algerian Red Crescent on Sunday began the loading of 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid bound for the Gaza Strip which teeters on the brink of a mass famine.

The aid, carried by eight military aircraft, will depart from Boufarik Military Airport, some 30 km southwest of the capital Algiers, the Red Crescent said in a statement.

The aid is expected to arrive at the Al Arish airport in Egypt before being transported to Rafah in southern Gaza.

BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, will lead a delegation of young people from Taiwan to visit the mainland from April 1 to 11, a mainland spokesperson said on Monday.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the delegation will visit Guangdong and Shaanxi provinces as well as Beijing to attend a ceremony honoring China's legendary ancestor Huangdi, or the Yellow Emperor, as well as other events.

24 March 2024; MEMO: The Arab countries condemned the terror attack targeting a concert hall in the Moscow area, which resulted in the deaths of over 133 people, Anadolu Agency reports.