Briefly

RUSSIA

Free grain exports to Africa to start in 'weeks'

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow is just weeks away from supplying free grain to six African countries after scrapping a deal allowing Ukrainian food exports through the Black Sea. His comments were made during a news conference with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi. Erdogan told Putin that Turkiye and the United Nations had prepared new proposals aimed at addressing Russia's problems with the deal, adding he hoped to reach a workable solution "soon".

BAHRAIN

Israel opens new embassy in Manama

Israel opened its new embassy in Bahrain's capital Manama on Monday, days ahead of the three-year anniversary of a United States-brokered deal in which the kingdom agreed to normalize relations with Israel, Bahrain News Agency reported. The embassy was officially inaugurated in the presence of visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, the news agency quoted Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani as saying.

Agencies - Xinhua