UPDATE 1-China says it has never deliberately pursued trade surplus...

"It is for us today to push our governments, our institutions, our people to move towards a federation because we believe that only the federation can be the global and definitive solution for Africa," said Souleymane Diouf Diallo, spokesperson for the group, calling itself "The walkers for African unity".



It identifies inflation as primarily responsible for this figure. 7 shows that exports to China increased by $2.4 billion on the year to hit a "record high" of $153.8 billion in 2022, that is an "empty statement", according to a new report from the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE).

"Today, we will sign the respective documents," he told reporters, adding Germany would also open its national framework contracts with the defense industry to other partners as speed was of the essence in supplying Kyiv.

BRUSSELS, March 20 (Reuters) - European Union member states have reached an agreement on the joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on the sidelines of a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels on Monday.

The brief from the Caribbean governments, which was joined by a network of non-governmental organizations, follows a summit among regional leaders last month held in the Bahamas, where arms trafficking was a key topic.

The states filing the brief were California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

And images from the  on Saturday show that fans can still buy the new strips with the Argentina international's name and No 7 on the back for £76.95. Alternatively supporters can buy a nameless home jersey for £60.

Holding the flags of both countries and the African Union, the group of about a dozen men and women walked in single file last week on the side of a road near Hounde, in western Burkina Faso, as they neared the finish line of a trek of more than 860 km (535 miles).







BEIJING, March 23 (Reuters) - China has never deliberately pursued a trade surplus with the United States, Shu Jueting, a commerce ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday, despite signs that China is continuing to reduce its reliance on American exports.

A nearly two-minute preview video, made available before the campaign rollout in early March, featured soldiers jumping out of airplanes, working on helicopters, climbing obstacle courses and diving underwater. The 'Be All You Can Be' slogan dominated its recruiting ads for two decades starting in 1981.



HOUNDE, Burkina Faso, March 21 (Reuters) - A small group of activists have been walking from Mali's capital Bamako to Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou to express their support for a federation between the two West African states.