G20 leaders adopt Rio de Janeiro Summit Declaration

The #G20 leaders adopted the outcome declaration of the highest-level summit in Rio de Janeiro. "We, the Leaders of the G20, met in #Rio de Janeiro on 18-19 November 2024 to address major global challenges and crises and promote strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth," the document reads.

The declaration does not contain any remarks that the statement was not approved by all countries. Earlier on Monday, the press office of Argentine President Javier Milei said that the president agreed to sign the G20 statement, but he would state his disagreement with a number of points - in particular the ones dealing with taxes, "legal inequality" and "restrictions for the freedom of expression on social media.".

Russia to open embassies in several African countries, reports MFA

#Moscow will open embassies in an array of countries in #Africa, with Equatorial Guinea and Sierra Leone among them, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, who also serves as special presidential envoy for the Middle East and Africa, told TASS in an interview following the First Ministerial Conference Russia-Africa. "Embassies [will be opened], of course. An embassy in Burkina Faso was just opened. An embassy in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, is about to be opened," he said, adding that there is also "a list of countries where [embassies] have been closed." "Moreover, [Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey V. Lavrov has said that Sierra Leone is next in line, in Freetown," Bogdanov added.

In some African states, such as South Sudan, for example, the Russian side reached an agreement at some point to open an embassy, though "it has not been done for a variety of reasons," he noted. "Now I hope that it is also planned, to open [an embassy] in Juba, South Sudan," the official said.

Russia may achieve all its goals in Ukraine in 2025
Russia may achieve all its goals in Ukraine next year, if the situation remains that "grim" for Ukrainian servicemen, The Washington Post said.

According to the newspaper, the Ukrainian troops "are desperately trying to hold the line in the country’s east but are losing ground." - "Visions of an absolute victory are fading. Western support is also sagging," the Washington Post emphasized. In this regard, "the prospect of Ukraine settling for a compromise with Russia <…> is getting easier to envision," the newspaper pointed out.

On June 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry set out the country’s conditions for settling the situation in Ukraine. Among them are the withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces from Donbass and Novorossiya and Kiev’s refusal to join NATO. In addition, Russia wants all Western sanctions against it lifted and demands that Ukraine commit to a non-aligned and nuclear-free status.

What may Israel do with Sinwars body?
Israel still hasn’t decided what to do with #Sinwar’s body and may use it as a bargaining chip in talks with #Hamas.
Sources indicate Israel will agree to hand over the# body as part of a deal to free Israeli #captives.

CENTCOM: 'We attacked 15 Houthi sites in Yemen'
U.S. Central Command (#CENTCOM) carried out airstrikes targeting #Houthi positions in #Yemen.

This operation was part of a broader effort to counter Houthi attacks on maritime vessels in the Red Sea. The strikes were aimed at neutralizing Houthi military capabilities, particularly in response to their continued aggression against commercial and military ships.
CENTCOM reported that 15 Houthi targets were hit, with the goal of enhancing maritime security and protecting freedom of navigation in the region.

The Houthis had escalated their attacks on international shipping, including recent missile and unmanned vessel strikes on oil tankers in the Red Sea. These actions have posed a significant threat to vessels linked to the U.S., the UK, and other coalition partners.

Now the Houthis are afraid and with good reason

Among the leadership of the #Houthis there is a fear that they will be a target for assassinations by #Israel.
With the exception of the organization's leader, Abdelmalek al-Houthi, whose secret hiding place is reportedly in one of the caves in the mountainous areas, the rest of the senior political and military leadership used to move freely in the areas under the organization's control until recently.

These leaders - according to sources close to the Houthis - until recently used mobile phones freely without fear, but the situation is now completely different after the elimination of most of the leadership of the Lebanese #Hezbollah.
The Houthis do not rule out the possibility that Israel will try to eliminate the senior members of the organization. What worries them is that those who established the Houthis' military, operational and communications infrastructure were none other than experts from the Lebanese Hezbollah.

US attacks missile launchers in Houthi base; Casualties

Sky News report in Arabic: Dead and injured in an American attack against missile launch systems at a #Houthi base in central #Yemen
CENTCOM:" It was determined these systems presented an imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels."

Exit polls in EU elections - Right wing parties take top spots all across the EU
Right-wing has grown stronger in all of #Europe, according to the European Parliament election models.

Marie Le Pen's party in France wins 31.5% while current leading Macron's party wins only 15.2%
Le Pen's party may be the largest in the European Parliament

In #Germany, the Afd, the far-right party in Germany, wins second place in the German elections while the leading socialists are far behind in third place.

In #Austria the Freedom Party is leading

Right-wing parties also won in #Cyprus, #Greece and the #Netherlands. To summarize: the center-right bloc in the European Parliament will be the largest by a significant margin over second place

French President #Macron announced snap parliamentary elections on June 30. Second round on July 7.

Iran detains MSC Aries ship over allegedly 'violation of maritime law'

#Iran has decided to detain The MSC Aries ship bound for Israel due to its violation of maritime law, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanani has said. "Iran is constantly working to ensure the safety of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf. However, the aforementioned vessel was sent to Iran's territorial waters due to its violation of maritime law and for ignoring the requests of the Iranian authorities," he told a news conference broadcast by Iran's SNN TV channel.

As Kanani noted, Iran monitors "all ships in the strategic strait" and prevents violations of the country's sovereignty. Tehran favors "the freedom of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with international norms and will always act in this vein," the Foreign Ministry spokesman added.

Philippe de Gaulle, only son of former French leader Charles de Gaulle, dies at age 102
Rest in Heaven Admiral! Fair Winds and Following Seas! We 've the Watch!

French navy admiral and senator Philippe de Gaulle, who was the eldest child and only son of former French President Charles de Gaulle, has died at the age of 102, Agence France-Presse reports.
According to the AFP, Philippe de Gaulle "died in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday at the [old soldiers’ home at Paris’ iconic] Hotel des Invalides, where he had resided for the past two years."

General Charles de Gaulle and his wife Yvonne had three children, with the couple’s two daughters, Elisabeth and Anne, both dying earlier than their only son, Philippe. Charles de Gaulle’s younger daughter, Anne, died in 1948 at age 20.

Philippe de Gaulle was born on December 28, 1921. During World War II, he was close to his famous father, who led the Free French Forces and later served as president of France (1959-1969). As an officer in the Free French Naval Forces, Philippe de Gaulle was injured six times in battles for the liberation of France from Nazi Germany.

In 1966, Philippe accompanied his father on an official visit to Moscow, during which a number of agreements reinforcing the bilateral cooperation between France and the Soviet Union were signed.