MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the settlement of the Ukraine conflict in a telephone conversation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.
"It was emphasized that the achievement of a just long-term peace is possible only with full and unconditional consideration of the legitimate interests of the Russian Federation," the Kremlin said in an official statement. (Russia-Ukraine-Stance)
- - - -
KAMPALA -- One person was killed and 25 others rescued after a building under construction at a church collapsed Monday in Uganda's central district of Wakiso, police said Tuesday.
Rachael Kawala, spokesperson for the Kampala Metropolitan Police, told Xinhua that one body had been retrieved from the rubble of the collapsed structure, an extension of the main church building in Bwerenga, Katabi Town Council. (Uganda-Church Building-Collapse)
- - - -
GENEVA -- Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other major greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reached unprecedented highs in 2025, locking in more long-term temperature increases for the planet, according to a bulletin from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released on Tuesday.
The global average surface concentration of CO2 in 2025 was 53 percent above the 1750 pre-industrial baseline, the WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin showed. Concentrations of methane and nitrous oxide -- the second and third most important long-lived greenhouse gases related to human activities -- also rose to a new record, with respective increases of 167 percent and 26 percent. (UN-Climate)
- - - -
CAIRO -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi discussed regional developments and de-escalation efforts in a phone call on Tuesday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.
The two ministers discussed possible ways to address the latest regional developments, while Abdelatty stressed the importance of all parties playing their part in easing tensions amid increasingly alarming signs. (Egypt-Iran-Phone Call) ■
