Mali, military coups, health and development were among the issues discussed by MEPs and their counterparts from 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, during the 25th session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels on 17-19 June. We asked the Assembly's co-presidents Louis Michel, a Belgian member of the ALDE group, and Dr Joyce Laboso, deputy speaker of the Kenya´s national assembly, about the partnership and if it was being affected by the crisis.

On May, 2013 explosions hit Scientific Research Center in Jamraya caused by an Israeli rocket attack

With just over sixteen months to go before the Scottish referendum there are still significant gaps in the Scottish Government's proposed foreign policy, according to a report published today by the Foreign Affairs Committee of UK Parliament. There is an urgent need for clarity and candour on the international challenges an independent Scotland would face.

Americans are largely against military intervention in North Korea and Syria – according to a survey published for CBS News and the "New York Times". Not the foreign policy, but economy and employment require immediate action – they say.

Lithuania is increasing its contribution to the European Union-led operations by deploying an Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD) to the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation ATALANTA off the Somali coast as of the second semester of 2013. The Lithuanian AVPD will be protecting a World Food Program (WFP) chartered ship delivering humanitarian aid to various ports in Somalia.

President Obama in his weekly video address said that because Republicans in Congress allowed a series of harmful, automatic budget cuts—called the sequester—to take effect, important programs like Head Start are now forced to reduce their services.

New rules to ensure that chemicals used in industrial processes, such as manufacturing plastics, textiles, aspirin, flu and allergy remedies, dyes and perfumes, are not diverted to the illegal production of heroin, speed or crack were adopted by the Civil Liberties Committee on Wednesday and by the International Trade Committee on Thursday.