World news briefs: US current account deficit hits all-time high

Ukraine escalates efforts to clear landmines

Kyiv — Ukraine has intensified efforts to clear landmines and has cut the affected area to about 137,000km² , a 20% reduction from the end of 2022, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Tuesday.

Most of the remaining mined areas are farmland, Shmyhal added.

Ukraine is a global major grain grower but it reduced harvests sharply after Russia’s 2022 invasion left large areas occupied and mined.

Military analysts said Ukraine needs at least 10 years to demine all territories. Reuters

German court lifts ban on far-right magazine

Berlin — A German court has overturned a ban on far-right magazine Compact that was accused of inciting hatred against Jews and foreigners, with a judge deciding on Tuesday that the publication was not extreme enough to justify it.

The Federal Administrative Court’s ruling dealt a blow to attempts to contain the nativist Alternative for Germany party, the second-largest in parliament after February’s election, and its range of online and print outriders.

Former interior minister Nancy Faeser banned the magazine, which had a circulation of 40,000 and a deep social media footprint, last July, labelling it a “mouthpiece of the right-wing extremist scene”.

In his ruling, however, judge Ingo Kraft said that though Compact contained many extreme statements, including voicing support for expelling German citizens of migrant background, they did not amount to proof that the organisation behind the magazine was “intrinsically” unconstitutional. Reuters

US current account deficit hits all-time high

Washington — The US current account deficit widened to a record high in the first quarter as businesses front-loaded imports to avoid President Donald Trump’s hefty tariffs on imported goods.

The commerce department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said on Tuesday the current account deficit, which measures the flow of goods, services and investments into and out of the country, jumped $138.2bn, or 44.3%, to an all-time high of $450.2bn. Data for the fourth quarter was revised to show the gap at $312bn instead of $303.9bn as previously reported.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the current account deficit increasing to $443.3bn last quarter.

The deficit represented 6.0% of GDP, the highest since the third quarter of 2006 when it peaked at 6.3%. That was up from 4.2% in the October-December quarter. Reuters

Uganda’s Museveni to seek re-election next year

Moscow — Russia signed agreements to bolster trade and economic ties with Mali on Monday and President Vladimir Putin told the visiting leader of the West African country’s military junta that there were specific areas where co-operation could be ramped up.

Putin received Colonel Assimi Goita in the Kremlin, where the two spoke for two hours, Russian state media said.

Putin said relations with Mali had a “good upward trend” even if bilateral trade was currently “modest”, according to a Kremlin readout.

“There are good areas for future co-operation: these are geological exploration, natural resource development, energy, logistics and the humanitarian fields,” Putin said.

One of the deals Putin and Goita signed concerned co-operation in nuclear energy, the Kremlin said. Reuters

Funding crisis halts DRC war crimes investigation

Geneva — A UN-mandated commission investigating suspected human rights violations and war crimes in Democratic Republic of Congo cannot proceed due to a funding crisis in the UN human rights office (OHCHR), according to a letter seen by Reuters.

The OHCHR is facing a major cash crunch caused by some countries failing to fully pay their contributions, compounded by major cuts in foreign aid by the US under President Donald Trump.

In February, a special session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva agreed to set up a fact-finding mission and a formal Commission of Inquiry to investigate rights violations, including massacres and sexual violence in North and South Kivu in the east of the DRC, including the cities of Goma and Bukavu after they were seized by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.

Rwanda has denied supporting the M23.

Less than six months later, the Commission of Inquiry cannot deliver results “until and unless funding is made available”, according to the appendix of the letter sent by the UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk.

Europe ‘finally awakened’ to defending itself

The Hague — The Europe of defence has finally awakened as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday, adding Europe now had to keep up its efforts in terms of innovation and financing.

“All of Europe is facing a changing international landscape as we've just heard, rightly so.

“The security architecture that we relied on for decades can no longer be taken for granted. It is a once-in-a-generation tectonic shift. But in recent months, Europe has taken action, action that seemed unthinkable just a year ago,” she told reporters ahead of a two-day summit of the alliance in The Hague.

“The Europe of defence has finally awakened. Tomorrow, the summit will indeed set historic new spending targets for Nato allies,” said Von der Leyen. Reuters

UK’s low-income homes hit by grocery price inflation

London — British grocery price inflation rose to 4.7% for the four weeks to June 15, its highest level since February last year, dealing another blow for low-income households, data from market researcher Kantar showed on Tuesday.

The figure, which compared to 4.1% in last month’s report, was driven by price rises in products such as chocolate, butter and meat, Kantar said.

Market leader Tesco said earlier this month that new employer taxes and regulatory costs were adding to inflationary pressure at a time when commodity prices were rising.

Industry researcher the Institute of Grocery Distribution has forecast that food inflation could hit nearly 5% this year. Reuters

Norway allocates another $642m for Ukraine drones

Copenhagen — Norway said on Tuesday it will provide 6.5-billion crowns ($641.9m) to Ukraine for the procurement of drones and drone technology from Ukrainian and other European manufacturers.

“Drones play a vital part in Ukraine's fight to defend itself. They are important both to protect critical infrastructure and for use on the front line,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a statement.

Norway has allocated 85 billion crowns for military and civilian support for Ukraine in 2025. Reuters

Kampala — Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni will seek re-election for another term in polls due early next year to extend his nearly four-decade rule, according to a senior official from the ruling party.

Though he was widely expected to run for office again, it is the first confirmation from his National Resistance Movement (NRM) party.

Uganda will hold its general election in January, in which voters will also elect legislators.

Museveni, 80, has been in power since 1986 and is Africa's fourth longest-ruling leader. The ruling party has changed the constitution twice in the past to allow him to extend his rule. Reuters

Russia signs trade, economic deals with Mali