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The PACE Standing Committee, meeting in Tallinn on May 27, called on member states to foster city-to-city co-operation in the field of culture, so as to re-energise democracy, increase the stability of regions and restore confidence in Europe. The parliamentarians also pointed out that these initiatives included economic activities, as the more direct trading and financial dealings urban centres have, the more likely it is that both culture and the quality of life will improve.

Based on current assessment, cancelling or changing the location of the 2016 Olympics will not significantly alter the international spread of Zika virus. Brazil is 1 of almost 60 countries and territories which to date report continuing transmission of Zika by mosquitoes. People continue to travel between these countries and territories for a variety of reasons. The best way to reduce risk of disease is to follow public health travel advice.

New initiatives emerged in East Asia this month, largely through the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with consequences that have greatly damaged the ongoing Anglo-American war drive, while opening up the potential for the integration of all East Asia into a “zone of peace,” defined by the economic development perspective of the New Silk Road and China’s “One Road, One Belt” policy.

Participants at the Midterm Review of the Istanbul Programme of Action, in Antalya, Turkey. 27 May 2016.

During the visit, Philip Hammond will meet leaders in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Doha, the United Arab Emirates and Oman to discuss a wide range of regional and international issues, including the vital role that the Gulf countries have in countering Daesh and working to overcome regional challenges such as the situations in Syria, Iraq, and Libya.

On 27 May 2016, the Council adopted additional restrictive measures against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). These measures complement and reinforce the sanctions regime imposed by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

As detailed in its statement released on May 27, the U.S. Air Force is moving its formal production decision on the KC-46 tanker program—known as Milestone C—from June 2016 to August 2016 to allow additional time to implement the solution to a refueling boom loads issue identified during flight testing earlier this year.

For the third time this year, humanitarian partners delivered aid to 71,000 people in Houla, rural Homs in Syria.

The Security Council unanimously adopts resolution 2288 (2016), lifting sanctions on Liberia.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the heads of UNICEF, UNHCR, WHO, OCHA, WFP, FAO, UNFPA and UNDP, with the endorsement of the World Bank and the International Organization for Migration, launched on Tuesday 24 May a “Commitment to Action” in which they agreed to put in place a new way of working in crises that will aim to not only meet humanitarian needs but also reduce them over time.