5 countries assume responsibilities as UN Security Council non-permanent members

Bahrain, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Latvia and Liberia on Friday began to assume responsibilities as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Their two-year term officially started on January 1, but Friday is the first working day of the council for 2026 after the Christmas and New Year break.

A flag installation ceremony was held to mark the start of their responsibilities.

The five countries replaced Algeria, Guyana, the Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia.

The 15-member Security Council has five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the UN General Assembly. Five non-permanent members are replaced every year.

5 countries assume responsibilities as UN Security Council non-permanent members

5 countries assume responsibilities as UN Security Council non-permanent members

5 countries assume responsibilities as UN Security Council non-permanent members

5 countries assume responsibilities as UN Security Council non-permanent members

China's consumer goods industry maintained steady growth momentum in the first four months of 2026, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Thursday.

In the first four months, value added in the consumer goods industry increased by 4.3 percent year on year, accounting for 27 percent of the total industrial value added by all industrial enterprises above designated size -- those with primary business revenue reaching 20 million yuan (around 3 million U.S. dollars).

During the period, consumer goods firms above the designated size achieved a total business revenue of about 10.3 trillion yuan (about 1.52 trillion U.S. dollars), an increase of 2.7 percent over the same period last year.

Additionally, these companies accounted for roughly 30 percent of employment, total profits and export delivery generated by all large-scale industrial enterprises in China.

So far, the country has a total of 230 million varieties of consumer goods. More than 100 categories, including home appliances, furniture, stationery items and sports accessories, clothing and home textiles, rank among the world's top in terms of production volume.

In addition, the supply of innovative products such as smart home devices, smart wearables, humanoid robots, and drones has been steadily increasing.

China's consumer goods industry maintains steady growth momentum in January-April