By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

MOSCOW (AP) — For Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offers a chance to raise Moscow’s clout in the region and gain more leverage with Washington.

While Russia’s ability to influence Kim’s position is limited compared to that of China, a dialogue with Kim could allow Putin to emerge as an essential player in the North Korean nuclear standoff.

by Jens Thurau

19 Apr 2019; DW: At first glance, one might be confused why hard-line nationalists from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party are so chummy with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After all, the far-right populist AfD tends to blame everything bad on foreigners.

BEIJING, April 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. State Department touted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's recent visit to Latin America as an opportunity to "deepen U.S. partnerships in the Western Hemisphere." Instead, it was an attempt to drive a wedge between China and Latin America through groundless accusations.

Washington's agenda to turn several Latin American countries against China came as no surprise, and Pompeo's "utterly irresponsible and unreasonable" remarks -- in the words of Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang -- would not be the last.

12 Apr 2019; DW: It actually happened. Ecuadorian authorities let British police arrest Julian Assange in Ecuador's Embassy in London.

by Tan Jingjing

LOS ANGELES, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China has been committed to a sustainable development path and has taken the lead in global ecological civilization efforts, said U.S. ecological philosopher John Cobb, Jr. in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"No other country has adopted a goal of ecological civilization like China did, and no other country has taken a similar kind of effect," said Cobb, a 93-year-old member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

"That's tremendous leadership in itself," he said.

by Peter Philipp

8 Apr 2019; DW: Pundits in Israel agree: Never before has the outcome of an election been so difficult to predict.

by Michaela Küfner

8 Apr 2019; DW: It was under the German chairmanship of the United Nations Security Council that a joint statement against the advance of Libyan National Army commander Khalifa Haftar towards Tripoli failed. Russia, like so many times before, stood in the way.

MOSCOW, April 4. /TASS/. Ankara’s tough position on the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile systems proves that Turkey refuses to be dictated, Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Konstantin Kosachev told TASS on Thursday. However, in his view, Turkey is unlikely to be expelled from NATO over its stance.

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) turns 70 on Thursday. As one of the longest-lived military alliances in modern history, perhaps it's a good time for NATO to pause and ponder on its path.

When it was first established back in 1949, NATO performed as a collective defense alliance to counter the Soviet Union and its satellite countries then. Following the end of the Cold War, it continues to function as a transatlantic security bloc.

Tehran, April 3, IRNA/Global Times - In recent years, the US government has stepped up its attacks on Chinese technology giant Huawei, trying to force countries around the world to ban it from their 5G rollout projects.

by Dr. Tarek Cherkaoui

2 Apr 2019; AA: Apart from protecting Israel from criticism, the smear campaign directed against Omar is merely an attempt to stifle this new wave of youthful political activism, which paved the way for greater representation of minority groups and women in the U.S.

by Prof. Abdullahil Ahsan

Ankara; 11 Mar 2019; AA: India not only has huge stakes in the oil-rich OIC countries, but the more than eight million Indians working in these countries have been significantly contributing to the Indian economy. Some affiliation with the OIC will thus benefit India