Forms of government

Three more ships have left Ukrainian ports under the Istanbul grain export deal, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Aug. 27. 

Shipments from Ukrainian ports are continuing, said ministry a statement, adding: "Three more ships loaded with grain departed from Ukrainian ports this morning."

Two more ships have left Ukrainian ports under the Istanbul grain export deal, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said on Aug. 22.

"The shipment of grain at Ukrainian ports continues as planned under the control of the Joint Coordination Center," the ministry said in its statement.

China says it will try to protect its grain harvest from record-setting drought by using chemicals to generate rain, while factories in the southwest waited Sunday to see whether they would be shut down for another week due to shortages of water to generate hydropower.

As long as the Sino-CEE relationship was ruled by pragmatism, relations continued to develop during regular negotiations. Washington was sceptical and the EU was just an observer in the process, while some Western European diplomats expressed concern about a potential Chinese Trojan horse emerging in the region, but this has not materialised.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared victory over the coronavirus in his country, world agencies reported, citing official media.

Kim "solemnly declared victory in the highly extraordinary anti-epidemic campaign to eradicate the new coronavirus," the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

North Korea's Kim Jong Un declared a "shining victory" over Covid-19 as his sister revealed he had fallen ill during the outbreak, which she blamed on Seoul, state media said Thursday.

Addressing a meeting of health workers and scientists, Kim announced a "victory... in the war against the malignant pandemic disease", according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

It's only been a month since North Korea acknowledged having a COVID-19 outbreak, after steadfastly denying any cases for more than two years. But already it may be preparing to declare victory.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his top deputies have pushed for a crackdown on officials who abuse their power and commit other "unsound and non-revolutionary acts," state media reported Monday, as Kim seeks greater internal unity to overcome a COVID-19 outbreak and economic difficulties.

North Korea on Thursday fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea in its sixth round of weapons launches this month, South Korea's military said.

The launch, its third round of weapons firings this month, came only three days after North Korea repeated its offer for conditional talks with South Korea