VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

FILE PHOTO: A man selling vegetables waits for customers at his makeshift stall at the Empress Market in Karachi, Pakistan April 2, 2018. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro - 

Pakistan's CPI inflation rose to a two-year high of 13.37 per cent in April compared to the same month last year, the statistics bureau said on Sunday.

Inflation accelerated from 12.7 per cent year-on-year in March, marking a 1.61 per cent month-on-month rise in April//CNA

Men move bags of goods for export in front of a trading centre that houses shops and offices with Russian goods and services, in Beijing, China Apr 1, 2022. (File photo: Reuters/Tingshu Wang) - 

Russia said on Saturday (Apr 30) it expected commodity flows with China to grow and trade with Beijing to reach US$200 billion by 2024, as Moscow faces mounting isolation from the West.

China has refused to condemn Russia's actions in Ukraine and has criticised the unprecedented Western sanctions on Moscow. The two countries have bolstered ties in recent years, including announcing a "no limits" partnership in February.

"We are focused on achieving the goal set by the heads of state to bring bilateral trade turnover to US$200 billion by 2024," Georgiy Zinoviev, head of the Russian foreign ministry's first Asia department, told the Interfax news agency.

"Moreover, we suggest that reaching this ambitious figure earlier than planned is quite possible."

With Russian trade buffeted by sanctions, Zinoviev said time was needed to adapt. He said China's struggle with COVID-19 in recent weeks was also a factor that could complicate efforts.

"Chinese business remains interested in expanding its presence in Russia, for whom additional opportunities are opening up given the departure of some Western companies," Zinoviev said.

He acknowledged the risk of secondary action that Chinese companies could face if they help Russia circumvent sanctions, but said that a significant increase in cooperation was likely nonetheless.

"It is clear that in the current situation many Chinese economic operators have to exercise caution, given the likelihood of secondary sanctions," said Zinoviev.

"I am convinced our partners and us will be able to use the current situation to our common interests and fully unlock the potential for a significant increase in cooperation in all areas."//CNA

American actress Angelina Jolie, a UNHCR special envoy, poses for a picture with children in Lviv on Apr 30, 2022, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues. (Photo: Reuters/Press Service of the Lviv Regional State Administration handout) - 

Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie visited the Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday (Apr 30), popping into a bakery and going to the railway station to meet some of the people displaced by the war with Russia.

Jolie, 46, is a special envoy for the United Nations' refugee agency, which says that more than 12.7 million people have fled their homes in the past two months, which represents around 30 per cent of Ukraine's pre-war population.

During the visit to the station, Jolie met volunteers working with the displaced, who told her that each of the psychiatrists on duty spoke to about 15 people a day. Many of those in the station are children aged between two and 10, according to volunteers.

"They must be in shock ... I know how trauma affects children, I know just having somebody show how much they matter, how much their voices matter, I know how healing that is for them," she said in reply.

At one point during her visit to the station, she tickled a small girl dressed in red, who laughed out in delight. She also posed for photos with the volunteers and some of the children.

Last month, in her role as special envoy, Jolie visited Yemen, where millions of people have been displaced by war//CNA

FILE PHOTO: People use ATM's inside the Bank of China head office building in Beijing, China March 30, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/File Photo - 

Bank of China Ltd (BoC), the country's fourth largest bank by assets, posted on Saturday a rise of 7 per cent in first-quarter net profit as the economy recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.

BoC, which has the largest global network among Chinese lenders, said net profit for the first three months of 2021 grew to 57.8 billion yuan ($8.75 billion) from 54 billion a year earlier//CNA