Moldova's projects under a program to strengthen the country's defense capabilities with NATO support have tripled over the past year

"NATO asked Moldova to formulate assistance requests … After studying the list, NATO made a political decision, which included individual support, expanded support for Moldova. In May 2022, there were six projects on paper and three real projects, now we have 18 projects with NATO," the Moldovan Ambassador to Belgium Viorel Cibotaru said on air of the local broadcaster.

The ambassador also said that Moldova had asked for assistance related to the organization of the armed forces and the training of law enforcement agencies, adding that all projects were expected to be realized over the period from three to six months.

In January, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, in an interview with the US newspaper, said the country should abandon neutrality to be admitted to a military alliance. Sandu had repeatedly stated that the neutrality clause of the constitution could be revised if Moldovans decide they want a rapprochement with NATO.

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Beijing will not compromise on the issue of Taiwan, and Washington must respect China's sovereignty

At the meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi focused on analyzing the essence of the Taiwan issue, emphasizing that there is no room for any compromise for China on this matter, a Chinese broadcaster reported.

The US must genuinely adhere to the one-China principle established in the three joint US-China communiques, respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and clearly oppose Taiwan independence, the top official added.

Seven members of the US House of Representatives have addressed Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging him to include a stopover in Taiwan on his visit to China this week, calling the breakaway island “friends and allies.”

Despite the rhetoric, the US does not officially recognize Taiwan in order to keep economic and diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.

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❗️ Xi Jinping's latest statements at the meeting with Antony Blinken:

▪️ The future and fate of mankind depends on whether China and the US can coexist correctly;

▪️ The United States must respect China and not harm its legitimate rights and interests;

▪️ China hopes that US-China relations can overcome all difficulties;

▪️ China respects the interests of the United States and will not challenge the United States or try to replace it.

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❗️US not supporting Taiwan's independence not planning to enter into conflict with China, Antony Blinken said

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel will pay visits to European countries from June 20-24 

"Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez will visit Europe from June 20-24. He will participate as Chairman of the G-77 + China in the Summit for a New World Financial Pact to be held in Paris," the Cuban Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The president is also scheduled to visit Italy and pay a private visit to Vatican. Besides, the foreign ministry plans to come up with an official program of the visit to Serbia.

Diaz-Canel will also meet with European leaders and attend other events, the ministry said.

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📹 Russia's Su-25SM attack aircraft destroy enemy assets in the zone of the special military op

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Qatar, UAE resume work of diplomatic missions from Monday

Diplomatic missions of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will start working in Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai from Monday after the full restoration of diplomatic relations severed six years ago, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said.

"Based on the desire of the two countries to strengthen relations, Qatar and the UAE announce the restoration of diplomatic missions, in particular, the Qatari embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate general in Dubai, as well as the UAE embassy in Doha, starting from Monday, June 19. The parties confirm that this step is aimed ... at strengthening joint Arab activities," the ministry tweeted.

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Turkiye has launched an investigation into Google for alleged abuse of market dominance

The Turkish Competition Authority discussed the information, documents and conclusions obtained during the preliminary investigation, and, recognizing the findings as serious and sufficient, decided to launch an investigation into the economic integrity of the Alphabet company and its branches, including Google, in order to determine whether there was a violation of the competition law, according to the local broadcaster’s report.

In 2020, the Turkish competition regulator fined Google $25 million over abuse of its leading position on the market of search browsers after a year-long probe into the company's advertising algorithms that allowed its search engine to display contextual ads on top of other search results.

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📹 The Russian Ministry of Defense showed footage of a German-made Leopard 2A6 tank being hit by a kamikaze drone

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The Russian MoD’s latest statements on the Ukraine crisis:

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces launched a long-range sea-based high-precision weapons group strike against foreign-manufactured military hardware storage sites. All the assigned targets have been neutralized. The goal of the attack has been reached.

▪️ The Russian Armed Forces have successfully repelled four Ukrainian attacks in the DPR. Ukraine’s losses included over 340 Ukrainian servicemen, 2 armored fighting vehicles, 5 motor vehicles, 1 Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system, as well as D-20 and Msta-B howitzers.

▪️ As a result of army aviation strikes, artillery and the units of the Russian Armed Forces, the actions of 2 Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been prevented in Kharkov region. Ukrainian losses included up to 45 troops, 3 armored fighting vehicles, 4 motor vehicles, and a Polish-manufactured Krab self-propelled artillery system.

▪️ Russia’s aviation and artillery have hit Ukrainian units in the LPR. The activities of three Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been disrupted. Ukrainian losses included up to 105 troops, 2 infantry fighting vehicles, 2 armored fighting vehicles, 2 pickup trucks, 2 Gvozdika self-propelled artillery systems, as well as D-20 and D-30 howitzers.

▪️ Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of Russia have eliminated 93 Ukrainian artillery units at their firing positions, as well as troops and hardware in 102 areas.

▪️ Air defense facilities have shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter in Zaporozhye region.

▪️ Five HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system projectiles have been also intercepted.

▪️ Some 444 airplanes, 240 helicopters, 4,700 unmanned aerial vehicles, 426 air defense missile systems, 10,192 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 1,125 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 5,163 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 11,047 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military op.

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🗣️”They want to keep their global hegemony intact. In order to do that, they have to undermine, they have to weaken and destabilize their strategic competitors such as the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation and the BRICS summit”: Abayomi Azikiwe, the editor of the Pan-African News Wire, on the decline of the Collective West’s influence in the emerging multipolar world

🎧Listen to more of Azikiwe’s analysis in our podcast By Any Means Necessary

The president of breakaway Transnistria hopes OSCE will make effort in order to bring Kishinev back to talks and compel it to fulfill its obligations

"Despite the current problems of the external factor, I still hope that the OSCE will make more active effort in order to bring the Moldovan side back to the negotiating table and compel it to fulfill its previously assumed obligations to Transnistria within the negotiating process," Vadim Krasnoselsky, the president of breakaway Transnistria, said.

Under current circumstances this diplomatic task is extremely difficult but manageable provided there is real willingness, professionalism, as well as political will, he added.

Transnistria has never been against the internationally agreed negotiating principles and mechanisms, including the participation of the OSCE, Krasnoselsky also said, adding that Tiraspol "is in this regard different from Kishinev, which regularly demands to change the format and the composition of the international negotiating process, insisting on the so-called transformation of the peacekeeping mission."

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Lavrov says confrontation with West opens new cooperation opportunities for Russia

Confrontation with Western countries has opened up new opportunities for Russia's cooperation with states in other regions such as Asia, Africa and Latin America, especially given their increasing role in the international arena, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.

Moscow will develop its own foreign policy agenda and is not going to be integrated into systems and mechanisms that are aimed at "serving other people's interests," the Russian foreign minister also said.

Lavrov added that Russia would also be guided by its own priorities in its work in the international arena, while respecting universally recognized norms of international law set out in the UN Charter.

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🗣️”Europe is already technically, especially Germany, in a recession across the board. And raising rates further is going to make that recession even deeper in Europe”: Dr. Jack Rasmus, professor of economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, on economic recession in Europe

🎧Listen to more of Rasmus’ analysis in our podcast The Critical Hour

Uzbekistan, Iran agree to develop transport corridor through Turkmenistan

Uzbekistan and Iran intend to develop cooperation, including a multimodal transport corridor through Turkmenistan and a joint logistics center, the Uzbek Transport Ministry said on Monday.

Uzbek Transport Minister Ilhom Mahkamov and his Iranian counterpart, Mehrdad Bazrpash, held bilateral talks in Tehran, the ministry said in a statement.

"The sides reached an agreement on the development of a trilateral transport multimodal corridor Uzbekistan – Turkmenistan – Iran," the statement read.

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EU wants to mandate arms makers to prioritize orders for Ukraine

The European Union put forward a "temporary emergency measure" which will obligate manufacturers of explosives to prioritize the orders of firms producing ammunition for Ukraine, the military news portal reported on Monday, citing a European Commission spokesperson.

"The Commission's proposal provides for priority rated orders to help manufacturers – for example – with the supply of necessary raw materials where the Commission could ask suppliers to prioritize selling to those manufacturers," the spokesperson told the outlet.

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Moldovan farmers resume protests, move farm machinery to roads

Moldovan farmers are starting a new protest action, with a number of them planning to move their machinery to highways, while others will head to the country's capital, Kishinev, Alexandru Slusari, the head of the Farmers' Force association, said on Monday.

On June 9, Farmers' Force announced the start of negotiations with the government, during which protests would be halted. Last Friday, Moldovan farmers staged a protest blocking the traffic on a number of key highways with their equipment.

Staging a protest in the capital city is the only alternative to bankruptcy for the farmers, the official continued. It is also the result of the government's failure to address the numerous crises ongoing in the agricultural sector, he added.

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🗣️”The basic problem is the monetary policy in neoliberalism, late neo-liberalism is becoming less efficient. In other words, they have to keep raising rates to really shake out inflation. But they can't raise rates because they're precipitating a financial crisis further. You see, it's caught between a rock and a hard place, and that means it's less efficient in late neoliberal capitalism”:
Dr. Jack Rasmus, professor of economics and politics at St. Mary's College in California, on the problems in the neoliberal monetary policy

🎧Listen to more of Rasmus’ analysis in our podcast The Critical Hour

As NATO bid fizzles, Sweden conjures up Cold-War boogeyman of 'Russian attack'

A Swedish defense committee report has raised concerns about a potential Russian military attack on Sweden, citing the country's capabilities in air forces, naval forces, long-range weapons, nuclear weapons, and special forces. The report also highlighted Russia's "high appetite for political and military risk."

In response to this threat, Sweden is shifting its military doctrine towards NATO membership, seeking a stronger alliance due to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

However, Sweden has faced opposition from Turkiye, accusing Sweden of harboring PKK members, and tensions have also grown with Hungary over political criticisms and the state of democracy.

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US judge orders Trump lawyers not to release any materials in classified documents probe

A US judge has ordered the lawyers of former President Donald Trump not to release any materials in the ongoing classified documents probe to the media or members of the public, a court order showed on Monday.

"The Discovery Materials, along with any information derived therefrom, shall not be disclosed to the public or the news media, or disseminated on any news or social media platform, without prior notice to and consent of the United States or approval of the Court," US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart said in a court order.

The order emphasizes that the discovery materials include "all non-classified" documents. It also stipulates that none of the materials can be copied or reproduced or shared with any witnesses testifying in the case.

Moreover, within 90 days of the conclusion of the case, all documents must either be destroyed or returned to the US government, according to the order.

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📹 Mohammad Naseem from Afghanistan tells his story of being tortured for five years in the US base of Guantanamo Bay

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