Joe Biden threatens to throw a reporter's phone with his “good arm” before (slowly) responding to a query about Israel.

“I trust you as far as I throw your phone. I have a good arm, man. I can throw it a long way,” Biden threatened, calling the journalist a "typical press guy." Aides motioned the reporter away as the president struggled to answer a question about the United States' support for Israel's Gaza campaign.

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Participants at the conference on Ukraine in Switzerland believe achieving peace requires dialogue between all sides of the conflict, Reuters reported, citing a draft of a joint communiqué.

"We believe that reaching peace requires the involvement of and dialogue between all parties. We, therefore, decided to undertake concrete steps in the future in the above-mentioned areas with further engagement of the representatives of all parties,” the draft reads.

Russia was not invited to the conference and dismissed it as “meaningless”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the summit is clearly not result-oriented, as it is impossible to have effective talks on Ukraine without Russia's participation.

Moscow has repeatedly signaled readiness for negotiations, yet Ukraine has legislatively imposed a ban on them. The West calls on Russia for talks, to which Moscow shows willingness, but Western countries overlook Kiev's consistent refusal for dialog.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 14 made yet another proposal to settle the Ukrainian conflict, signaling that Moscow is ready to negotiate a peace agreement if the Kiev regime pulls out from the Donbass, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, which joined Russia as a result of referendums, and revokes its NATO membership bid.

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🇨🇴 Colombian President Gustavo Petro said that he had changed his mind about participating in a Swiss-hosted summit on Ukraine because it is not a "free forum" for seeking peace between Moscow and Kiev.

"The scenario of the forum in Switzerland is not a scenario of a free forum for discussing ways to find peace between Russia and Ukraine. Its conclusions are already predetermined … I am stopping my trip to the meeting in Switzerland and asking Europe to discuss ways to end the war, not prolong it," Petro said on X.

The president also stressed that dialogue between Russia and Ukraine is the basis for achieving peace in the region. The Colombian president added that most Latin American countries are against prolonging the conflict.

Switzerland did not invite Russia to the summit. The Kremlin stated that seeking solutions to the Ukrainian conflict without Russia’s involvement was illogical and futile.

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Russia should be included in peace talks with Ukraine, said Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena at the conference on Ukraine in Switzerland.

"The head of the Mexican Foreign Ministry spoke with Swiss President Viola Amherd about the importance of including Russia in peace talks in accordance with the UN Charter," the Mexican Foreign Ministry said on X.

Russia was not invited to the conference. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the summit is clearly not result-oriented, as it is impossible to have effective talks on Ukraine without Russia's participation.

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French court bans Israeli companies from participating in military expo in Paris - reports

A French court ordered Coges, the organizer of the Eurosatory military exhibition, to ban Israeli companies and anyone who could act as their intermediaries from participating in the exhibition, which starts on Monday, Le Parisien newspaper reported.

The report said that the French Defense Ministry also approached Coges to ban the participation of Israeli military companies due to suspicions of their involvement in committing war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Coges responded that the Israeli stand, which was expected to host 74 military enterprises, was removed.

However, the Palestine solidarity association considered the organizers' measures insufficient and went to court, noting that the absence of a stand does not guarantee that Israeli defense companies will not be present at the exhibition, the report read.

The Eurosatory exhibition, which takes place every two years, will be held from June 17-21.

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The Ukrainian-owned cargo ship Verbena which was attacked by the Houthis on June 13 sank in the Gulf of Aden, Yemen's Ansar Allah movement said in a statement.

"The Verbena ship sank in the Gulf of Aden after being attacked by several missiles," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced.

On Thursday, the Houthis said that they attacked three vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas in the past 24 hours using ballistic missiles and drones. Verbena caught fire after the strike.

The spokesman also added that the Tutor ship, which was attacked by the Houthis in the Red Sea, could begin to sink in the coming hours.

The US Central Command said that the crew of Verbena was evacuated from the ship due to fire and inability to extinguish it.

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Russian team continues to lead medal count at BRICS Games after third day of competition

On Saturday, Russian athletes won 38 gold, 28 silver, and 16 bronze medals. In total, the Russian national team has won 78 gold, 52 silver, and 30 bronze medals.

The Belarusian athletes are in second place, with 13 gold, 26 silver, and 28 bronze medals.

Meanwhile, the Chinese team is in third place, having 11 gold, 9 silver, and 6 bronze medals.

The fifth BRICS Games, which began earlier this week in Kazan, will run until June 24. The event brings together some 5,000 athletes from over 90 countries to compete for 387 medals.

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💬 Trump promised he would deal with the “never-ending” multi-billion dollar payments to Ukraine if he wins the election:

"I think Zelensky is maybe the greatest salesman of any politician that's ever lived. Every time he comes to our country, he walks away with $60 billion... It never ends. I will have that settled prior to taking the White House as president-elect," he said.

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US tried to provoke China into attacking Taiwan, Xi reportedly told von der Leyen

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about attempts by Washington to provoke Beijing into attacking Taiwan, the Financial Times reported.

China’s president delivered the cautionary message in April 2023 both to von der Leyen and to officials in his own country, according to insiders.

The gist of Xi’s warning was reportedly that the Biden administration was trying to goad the People's Republic of China (PRC) into invading Taiwan, but the Chinese leader would not be taken in that easily.

The FT report comes amid heightened US-China tensions. Beijing has referred to the Taiwan issue as a "red line" that must not be crossed in its relations with Washington. China has also urged the US not to send wrong signals to Taiwanese separatists.

However, while White House officials make public claims about continuing to support the one China policy, in effect they have been stoking tensions by embarking upon massive joint drills in the region and funneling weapons packages to Taiwan.

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◾️ Ex-CIA analyst weighs in on who in Ukraine could negotiate with Russia

◾️ Why did Colombia’s president refuse to participate in the Swiss-hosted summit on Ukraine?

◾️ US tried to provoke China into attacking Taiwan, Xi reportedly warned von der Leyen

◾️ Ukrainian ship hit by Houthis sinks in the Gulf of Aden

◾️ Anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv lit a fire on a street, urging Israel to strike a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas.

More stories

◾️ British Army delays provision of new badges due to paranoia over ‘Chinese spying’

◾️ Why were Israeli companies banned from participating in military expo in Paris?

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News.ru war photojournalist Nikita Tsitsagi was killed in an attack by Ukrainian forces near Ugledar, the outlet reports:

"Our correspondent Nikita Tsitsagi died in a drone attack by Ukrainian forces. It happened in the area of the St. Nicholas Monastery near Ugledar, where Nikita was planning to make a report," the statement says.

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❗️ Prisoners in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don take two employees hostage

◾️ A group of prisoners in a pre-trial detention center in Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, who were previously accused of terrorist charges, have taken two employees hostage.

◾️ Representatives of law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office have arrived at the pre-trial detention center to carry out negotiations and free the hostages, a source told Sputnik.

◾️ The number of inmates involved in the hostage-taking incident is believed to be six or seven, the source said.

◾️ The prisoners are armed with fire axes and rubber batons, the source added.

◾️ Traffic has been restricted near the pre-trial detention center, while the facility itself is functioning normally and the situation is under control, a spokesperson for the center said.

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Strong police presence near the pre-trial detention facility in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don where two employees were taken hostage

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Muted mikes and no live audience: what to expect from first Biden-Trump 2024 campaign debate

White House incumbent Joe Biden and ex-POTUS Donald Trump are scheduled to have their first in-person debate of the 2024 presidential campaign on June 27.

Here’s what to know about the first Biden-Trump face off:

◾️ The June 27 live debate will be hosted by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash at CNN’s studio in Atlanta; the September event will be broadcast by ABC.

◾️ Unlike previous election debates, there won’t be a live audience present, ostensibly to avoid disruptions. Reports claim the request for an empty TV studio came from the Biden team.

◾️ Trump and Biden will stand at lecterns on stage, with their positions determined by a coin flip. All they can take with them is a pen, a notepad, and a bottle of water.

◾️ Don’t expect any opening statements from the candidates – only a two-minute closing statement from each one.

◾️ After being asked a question, each candidate will have two minutes to reply. One-minute rebuttals and responses to the rebuttals will follow. Another minute can be used at the discretion of the moderators.

◾️ Red lights will flash to remind the candidates that they have five seconds left to respond. When the time has run out, the lights will turn solid red.

◾️ The candidates’ microphones will be muted during the debate except for when it is their turn to speak. The mikes can be cut off if they speak out of turn.

◾️ In a new feature, two commercial breaks from corporate sponsors will be injected into the 90 minutes of debate time. Campaign staff will not be allowed to interact with their candidate during the breaks.

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