EU awards Ukraine and Moldova candidate status.

Ukraine and Moldova have both been granted EU candidate status, President of the European Council Charles Michel has announced.

Ukraine applied days after the Russian invasion in February, and the process moved at a record speed.

The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, former boxer Vitali Klitschko, paid an emotional tribute to his fellow citizens resisting the invasion.

Candidate status is the first official step towards EU membership. But it can take many years to join and there's no guarantee of success.

Source: www.bbc.com

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US Supreme Court ends constitutional right to abortion.

Millions of women in the US will lose the constitutional right to abortion, after the Supreme Court overturned its 50-year-old Roe v Wade decision.

The judgement paves the way for individual states to ban the procedure.

Half are expected to introduce new restrictions or bans. Thirteen have already passed so-called trigger laws to automatically outlaw abortion.

President Joe Biden described it as "a tragic error" and urged states to enact laws to allow the procedure.

After the Supreme Court ruling, abortion access is expected to be cut off for about 36 million women of reproductive age, according to research from Planned Parenthood, a healthcare organisation that provides abortions.

Source: www.bbc.com

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Dhammika Perera sworn in as a minister.

Business magnate Dhammika Perera, who recently became a Member of Parliament, was sworn in as the Minister of Investment Promotion today (June 24).

He took oaths before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa this evening.

Perera’s name was proposed to the Election Commission to fill the National List parliamentary seat vacated by the resignation of former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

Accordingly, the election body gazetted his name on June 10, as a Member of Parliament from Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP).

Dhammika Perera also obtained the membership of SLPP from the party’s general secretary after officially submitting his consent to accept parliamentary membership.

He has stepped down from the board memberships of all his companies ahead of taking oaths as a Member of Parliament.

Source: www.adaderana.lk

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South Korea launches first satellite with homegrown rocket.

South Korea conducted its first successful satellite launch using a domestically developed rocket on Tuesday 21 June 2022, officials said, boosting its growing aerospace ambitions and demonstrating it has key technologies needed to launch spy satellites and build larger missiles amid tensions with rival North Korea.

The three-stage Nuri rocket placed a functioning “performance verification” satellite at a target altitude of 435 miles after its liftoff from South Korea’s space launch center on a southern island, the Science Ministry said.

The satellite transmitted signals about its status to an unmanned South Korean station in Antarctica. It is carrying four smaller satellites that will be released in coming days for Earth observation and other missions, ministry officials said.

In a video conference with scientists and others involved in the launch, President Yoon Suk Yeol congratulated them for their achievement and vowed to keep his campaign promise to establish a state aerospace agency, according to his office.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

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Indian President Ram Nath Kovind to retire on 24th July.

The term of Ram Nath Kovind ends on July 24, new President to be sworn in by July 25.

The process to elect the 16th President of India began recently after the Election Commission announced the schedule for the presidential election 2022. The term of the sitting President, Mr Ram Nath Kovind, ends on July 24, 2022, and the process of election for the new President must be complete before that so that the new President can be sworn in by July 25.

Source: www.deccanchronicle.com

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The Multinational Peacekeeping Exercise “Ex Khaan Quest -2022”.

The Multinational Peacekeeping Exercise “Ex Khaan Quest -2022” culminated on 20th June at the Peace Support Operations Training Centre in Ulaanbaatar at Mongolia.

The exercise conducted from 06 June to 20 June 2022 provided a platform for mutual learning and sharing best practices amongst the armies from 16 Nations.

A number of training activities were organised during the course of the exercise, which included mock tactical operations as per United Nations (UN) mandate, combat discussions, training of staff & command appointments; as part of a combined UN brigade, in order to enhance multinational interoperability.

The bonhomie, espirit-de-corps and goodwill generated during the exercise will go a long way in future strengthening of bonds between the Armies of participating Nations.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

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Japan to attend NATO summit for first time.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he will attend this month’s NATO summit in Madrid, becoming the country’s first leader to join a top meeting of the transatlantic group.

The announcement comes ahead of a June 28-30 gathering of the military alliance that is seen as a crunch moment for its 30 members, four months into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Sweden and Finland, which have applied to join NATO, are sending delegations to the summit, and South Korea’s new President Yoon Suk-yeol will also be the first leader from his country to attend.

Japan, a key United States ally and not a NATO member, has delivered defensive supplies to Ukraine and imposed tough sanctions on Russia in tandem with the other Group of Seven (G7) countries.

Source: www.aljazeera.com

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China launches third Aircraft Carrier.

China launched its third aircraft carrier on Friday, as the United States wrapped up its Valiant Shield 2022 exercise.

On Friday morning, China launched its third aircraft carrier, named Fujian (18), carrying hull number 18, at Jiangnan Shipyard of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation in Shanghai, reported the People’s Liberation Army’s official media channel, China Military Online.

The 80,000-ton carrier is China’s first flat deck carrier and uses Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS)-powered catapults to launch its aircraft, in contrast to the ski jump of its other two carriers. The EMALS system can launch heavier aircraft, such as the J-35 fighter and airborne early warning aircraft, to operate off its flight deck.

Fujian is named after the closest Chinese province to Taiwan, which lies east of the province and is separated by the Taiwan Strait. China has been steadily building its carrier capabilities, with carrier CNS Liaoning (16) conducting an extensive training period in May that lasted more than two weeks in the Pacific Ocean. Fujian, once fully operational, with its greater capacity and capabilities, will further enhance the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) power capabilities and allow the PLAN to field a total of three carrier strike groups, matching the normal two to three U.S. CSG presence in the Asia Pacific. The PLAN is expected to build additional carriers for service as well.

Source: https://news.usni.org

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Former guerrilla Gustavo Petro wins Colombian election.

Colombia has elected a former guerrilla fighter Gustavo Petro as president, making him the South American country’s first leftist head of state.

Petro beat Rodolfo Hernández, a gaffe-prone former mayor of Bucaramanga and business mogul, with 50.47% of the vote in a runoff election on Sunday 19 June and will take office in July amid a host of challenges, not least of which is the deepening discontent over inequality and rising costs of living. Hernández had 47.27%, with almost all ballots counted, according to results released by election authorities.

Petro’s election marks a tidal shift for Colombia, a country that has never before had a leftist president, and follows similar victories for the left in Peru, Chile and Honduras.

Source: www.theguardian.com

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Leaders of US, Israel, UAE and India scheduled to attend I2U2 virtual summit.

The White House said on Tuesday 14th June that US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi,Israeli Prime Minister Neftali Bennett and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan would attend a first-of-its-kind virtual summit called I2U2 next month for discussions of the food security crisis and other areas of cooperation,

The virtual summit of the four countries, termed I2U2, would take place during Biden’s trip to the Middle East region from July 13 to 16, a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call.

President Biden looks forward to this unique engagement with Prime Minister Bennett of Israel, Prime Minister Modi of India and President Mohammed bin Zayed of the UAE, the official said.

Biden will visit the Middle East region from July 13 to July 16 with stops in Israel, the West Bank and Saudi Arabia, and engagements with nearly a dozen counterparts from across the region and beyond..

Source: www.outlookindia.com

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Eighth IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.

On 15 and 16 June, some 200 young parliamentarians from 60 countries convened in Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt for the Eight IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians.

The conference was jointly organized by the IPU and the Parliament of Egypt. This year’s theme is Young MPs for Climate Action in the lead-up to COP27 also taking place in Sharm-el-Sheikh later this year.

About the Conference:

The 8th Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians provides a platform for young MPs from across the world to exchange learn and define common and innovative strategies to advance youth empowerment.

This year in Egypt, around 200 young MPs, from 60 countries are participating to discuss strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change and ensure that global warming does not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius in line with the Paris Agreement.

According to official information shared by IPU, there are 35,177 Parliamentary seats globally but just 2.66 per cent of these are held by young MPs.

Source: www.ipu.org

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President Hassan Sheikh appoints Hamza Abdi Barre as Prime Minister of Somalia.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has appointed Hamza Abdi Barre as the Prime Minister of the Federal Government of Somalia.

The President wishes the new Prime Minister utmost success as he leads the government’s ambitious reform agenda and calls on Somali people to render him their unwavering support.

Incumbent Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire congratulated the new Prime Minister Hamse Abdi Barre on his appointment and wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavors.

Source: www.fanabc.com

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US military ground raid in Syria captures top ISIS leader.

A rare U.S. military ground raid in northwestern Syria has captured a top ISIS leader, according to the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition.

A U.S. defense official said there were no injuries to U.S. military personnel and no damage to aircraft involved in the raid.

A U.S. official told ABC News the name of the ISIS leader captured in the raid is Hani Ahmed al-Kurdi and described him as actively planning ISIS operations.

Source: https://abcnews.go.com

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Twelfth WTO Ministerial Conference - 2022

The WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) will take place on 12-15 June 2022 at WTO headquarters in Geneva. Ministers from across the world will have the opportunity to review the functioning of the multilateral trading system, to make general statements and to take action on the future work of the WTO. The Conference will be co-hosted by Kazakhstan and chaired by Mr Timur Suleimenov, Deputy Chief of Staff of Kazakhstan's President. Kazakhstan was originally scheduled to host MC12 in June 2020 but the conference was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: www.wto.org

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New York state passes world’s first right-to-repair bill.

In a world's first, the New York state legislature has passed the "right to repair" bill that will require digital electronics manufacturers to make parts, tools, information, and software available to consumers and independent repair shops.

The "Fair Repair Act" comes after federal pressure to enforce consumers' rights to repair and refurbish their purchased goods.

For independent repair shops, this news is huge as they will finally be able to compete with manufacturers, resisting the repair market consolidation manufacturers have created by restricting access to parts and tools.

In a recent survey, 59 per cent of independent repair shops said they might have to close their doors without the passage of 'Right to Repair'.

Source: www.electropages.com

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Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland elected to U.N. Security Council.

The United Nations General Assembly elected Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland to the U.N. Security Council as non permanent members on Thursday 09 June 2022 for two-year term starting on Jan. 1, 2023.

All five countries ran unopposed for a spot on the 15-member body, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security. They will replace India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico and Norway.

To ensure geographical representation, seats are allocated to regional groups. But even if candidates are running unopposed in their group, they still need to win the support of more than two-thirds of the General Assembly.

Ecuador received 190 votes, Japan 184, Malta 185, Mozambique 192 and Switzerland 187.

The Security Council is the only U.N. body that can make legally binding decisions like imposing sanctions and authorizing use of force. It has five permanent veto-wielding members: the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.

Source: www.euronews.com

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UN Secretary-General Appoints Amandeep Singh Gill of India Envoy on Technology.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today (10 June) announced the appointment of Amandeep Singh Gill of India as his Envoy on Technology.  The Secretary-General wishes to extend his appreciation and gratitude to the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, for her dedication and commitment as Acting Envoy on Technology.

Mr. Gill is the Chief Executive Officer of the International Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence Research Collaborative project, based at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva.

Previously, he was the Executive Director and Co-Lead of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Digital Cooperation (2018-2019).  In addition to delivering the report of the High-Level Panel, Mr. Gill helped secure high-impact international consensus recommendations on regulating artificial intelligence in lethal autonomous weapon systems in 2017 and 2018, the draft artificial intelligence ethics recommendation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2020, and a new international platform on digital health and artificial intelligence.

Mr. Gill was India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva (2016-2018).  He joined his country’s diplomatic service in 1992 and served in various capacities in disarmament and strategic technologies and international security affairs, with postings in Tehran and Colombo.  He was also a visiting scholar at Stanford University.

Mr. Gill holds a PhD in nuclear learning in multilateral forums from King’s College, London, a Bachelor of Technology in electronics and electrical communications from Panjab University, Chandigarh, and an Advanced Diploma in French history and language from Geneva University.  He is fluent in English, French, Hindi and Punjabi.

Source: www.un.org

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Queen Elizabeth II becomes second-longest serving monarch.

The Queen has become the second-longest serving monarch in history.

As of Monday, she has been on the throne for 70 years and 127 days, second only to Louis XIV of France who became king at the age of four.

She overtakes Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in 2016, having equalled his reign on Sunday.

Last weekend, the 96-year-old's Platinum Jubilee was marked with four days of celebrations across the UK.

She had officially reached 70 years of rule on 6 February, with the extended bank holiday weekend chosen for the Jubilee events.

Many of the events - including a pageant, Trooping the Colour and a star-studded concert at Buckingham Palace - involved an outdoor element more suited to summer months.

Source: www.bbc.com

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Bolivian Former President Jeanine Áñez sentenced over 'coup'.

Former Bolivian President Jeanine Áñez has been sentenced to 10 years in jail over what prosecutors say was a coup to oust her predecessor Evo Morales.

A court found Áñez, who was in office in 2019-20, guilty of making "decisions contrary to the constitution".

Áñez has repeatedly said she is the victim of a political vendetta.

Mr Morales quit and fled Bolivia after the chief of the army urged him to step down amid protests over allegations of vote rigging.

Áñez, 54, was convicted by the court in La Paz on Friday. The court said she would serve her term in a women's prison in the city.

The former president has denounced what she describes as political persecution by Mr Morales' Mas Socialist party.

Source: www.bbc.com

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Sri Lanka business tycoon Dhammika Perera appointed ruling party MP.

With an extraordinary gazette declaring his appointment published Friday (10) evening, Sri Lankan business tycoon Dhammika Perera is now officially a lawmaker in the country’s ninth parliament, pending swearing in.

Perera takes up the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) national list seat left vacant by former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa who resigned from parliament on Thursday (09).

The gazette notifying his appointment was issued by the Election Commission Friday evening. Earlier on Friday, Perera tendered his resignation from the boards of directors of several public limited companies of which he holds shares.

A Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) filing showed that the businessman had resigned from the boards of directors of Hayleys PLC (of which he directly and indirectly holds 51.01 percent of shares), Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC, Hayleys Fabric PLC, Hayleys Leisure PLC, Haycarb PLC, and The Kingsbury PLC.

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