Thousands of veterans rallied on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on June 6, the 81st anniversary of the D-Day landings that began the end to World War II. The ongoing actions of the so-called DOGE committee and proposed spending cuts being considered by Congress have already hit many current military veterans hard, and the rally was a call to action to stop further cuts to hard fought benefits.
The IAM Veterans Services Department and the IAM Human Rights Rapid Responseteams showed up to support the rally.
Current proposals call for 83,000 job cuts at the Veterans Administration.
“The math just doesn’t math,” said IAM Veterans Services Coordinator Rich Evans. “Taking away healthcare workers, taking away our claim examiners – it doesn’t make any sense. The VA since the beginning of this year has opened up 10 new clinics, so how are we going to cut 80,000 people?”
Congressional estimates say that more than 6,000 veterans have already lost their jobs due to the job cuts by the DOGE committee. The job cuts plainly ignored laws under the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA) and the Servicesmen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly referred to as the GI Bill.
The currently proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by the House, will require spending impoundments if signed into law. 1.6 million veterans receive healthcare through Medicaid. Estimates are that 14 million Medicaid recipients will lose coverage if the OBBB becomes law, including at least 300,000 veterans under age 65, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 1.2 million veterans receive some form of food assistance through SNAP, commonly referred to as “Food Stamps”, but includes programs like “meals on wheels” for home bound disabled people.
Unite 4 Veterans rally organizers called attention back to “The Bonus Army” of 1932. At the height of the Great Depression, World War I veterans demanded immediate payment of the “tombstone bonus” that many veterans were desperately waiting on, which would amount to $11,400 in today’s U.S. dollars.
In the summer of 1932, 40,000 veterans and their families occupied the National Mall and surrounding areas in tents demanding that President Hoover give the bonus but he refused. In July of 1932, General Douglas McArthur and the U.S. Army used tear gas and tanks to evict the bonus army from the mall and Washington, D.C. That ignited the modern efforts for veterans benefits legislation.
Bonuses to U.S. service members date back to 1776 when the original Continental Congress offered half-pay for life for any servicemember disabled in the Revolutionary War. In 1781, Congress reneged on that offer, but started war pensions in 1788.
Veteran U.S. Army assault helicopter pilot Tammy Duckworth, who lost both of her legs to an RPG strike in Iraq, and who is now a U.S. Senator from Illinois, was the featured speaker at the rally.
“Our mission today is not too different from what it was when we were in uniform,” said Duckworth. “To defend the Constitution, to protect this democracy, to defend freedoms, and to keep our Nation as strong as she should be. I need you to think of today as not just a singular moment, but the start of our new collective mission.”
A mission as old as the ink on the U.S. Constitution itself.
The post IAM Union Stays in Fight Against Cuts to Military Veterans’ Care, Benefits appeared first on IAM Union.
CAMDEN, N.J. – A Nevada woman was sentenced to 120 months in prison for orchestrating a $7 million advance fee Ponzi scheme and obstructing the government’s investigation, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.
Anna Kline, formerly Jordana Weber, 35, of Sparks, Nevada, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn in Camden federal court to two counts of an Indictment charging her with wire fraud. Judge O’Hearn imposed the sentence in Camden federal Court. Kline was also ordered to serve three years’ supervised release and pay $3,403,000 in restitution.
According to the Indictment and documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
The Fraud Scheme
Between April 2017 and July 2019, Kline owned and operated several shell companies that falsely purported to offer lending services to customers, typically small business owners seeking high value loans, often in excess of $100 million. As part of the scheme, Kline required the victim borrowers to pay up to 5% of a potential total loan amount as a “fee” prior to the loan being funded.
After the victim’s “fee” was paid, Kline purported to conduct due diligence on the loans. During this period, Kline frequently gave victims bogus explanations for why the funding of their loan was delayed. It was also common for the victims to be provided with falsified or fraudulent documents, including bank statements that purported to show that the shell companies had sufficient money to fund the loan.
Throughout the scheme, Kline and her significant other, Jason Torres, used the “fees” paid by the victims for their daily living expenses, as well as for numerous lavish purchases, which included several luxury vehicles, high priced artwork, and vacations. The “fees” were also used to pay back previous victims of the fraud, in the manner of a traditional Ponzi scheme.
At least six victims transferred a total of approximately $7 million being transferred to bank accounts controlled by the Kline as a result of the scheme.
Kline’s Obstruction
Kline was arrested on charges related to the fraudulent advance fee scheme in July 2019. While released on bail on those charges, Kline, through her then-attorney, Attorney-1, provided the Government with a .pdf document that purported to be a portion of a Cellebrite report showing iMessages between Kline and Torres that appeared to show Torres making threats toward Kline and insinuating that Torres was primarily responsible for the fraudulent advance fee scheme.
A forensic review of the .pdf document Kline provided to the Government revealed that it had been falsified. Further investigation revealed that Kline presented the fake Cellebrite report to a Family Court in California as part of a custody dispute between Kline and Torres. During that hearing, Kline represented that the report had been generated by a forensic examiner named “Drew Andrews.” Investigation revealed that “Andrews” did not exist but was actually an alter-ego of Kline’s that Kline used to deceive the California Family Court, Attorney-1, and a forensic expert into believing that the fraudulent Cellebrite Report was legitimate.
In addition to the fraudulent Cellebrite report, Kline also provided the Government a computer that she claimed contained an iTunes backup that included the alleged text messages from Torres. A forensic review of the computer revealed that data on the computer, including the iTunes backup, had been manipulated. Specifically, certain time stamps on the computer had been changed to make it appear as if the iTunes backup and other files stored on the computer were created in April 2020, when the fictional “Andrews” purportedly ran the fraudulent Cellebrite Report.
U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, with the investigation leading to the sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Cybercrime Unit in Newark.
TEL AVIV, Israel, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Noma Security, the enterprise AI security and governance platform, today announced a strategic investment from Silicon Valley CISOs Investments (SVCI), a syndicate of leading Chief Information Security Officers from companies including Adobe, Chime, Ross Stores, ICE/NYSE, and Booking.com, just to name a few. Noma Security becomes the 18th cybersecurity company to be added to the SVCI portfolio, and the investment comes six months after Noma Security launched from stealth with a $32M series A funding round.
The SVCI investment, as directed by leading CISOs, validates the unique Noma Security approach to provide end-to-end AI security including AI discovery and governance, proactive security risk management, and runtime protection.
“As enterprise organizations increasingly rely on AI for efficiency and competitive advantage, AI security becomes not just an imperative, but a business necessity,” said Al Ghous, Notable Capital CISO and SVCI co-founder. “Noma Security stood out with its world-class team and deep understanding of the AI threat landscape. They applied this knowledge to build a mature, end-to-end AI security platform that addresses the full spectrum of AI security challenges, from supply chain vulnerabilities and infrastructure misconfigurations, to prompt attacks, data leaks, and privacy violations.”
Noma Security addresses substantial enterprise demand for secure AI to accompany rapid enterprise AI development and adoption. As AI decentralizes and evolves to autonomous, agentic architectures, organizations face a growing set of AI threats. Blind spots, a dynamic risk surface, and compliance and governance pressures, all combine to create challenges for the CISO’s organization. AI risks are difficult to detect and nearly impossible to secure using traditional cybersecurity tools.
Noma Security provides the following capabilities to address critical challenges across all enterprise AI resources and transactions, including AI agents:
Comprehensive AI Discovery and Governance: Eliminate blind spots through continuous discovery and inventory of all AI resources including code, pipelines, models, runtime applications and 3rd party agents. AI BOM and shadow asset detection helps security teams visualize what they’re securing.
Proactive AI Security Risk Management: Improve your AI security posture by continuously scanning for infrastructure misconfigurations, supply chain vulnerabilities, model risks, and compliance gaps, including those in third-party agent platforms. Conduct automated red teaming to continuously test for hidden risks and provide guided remediation so teams can proactively reduce risk before AI reaches production.
AI Runtime Protection: Real-time monitoring and control for autonomous AI systems to detect and block prompt attacks, harmful content, sensitive data leaks, privacy violations and rogue AI agent actions as they occur.
AI Compliance Simplified: Align enterprise AI security with leading security and compliance frameworks including the OWASP Top 10 for LLMs, MITRE ATLAS and emerging AI regulations such as the EU AI Act.
“The Noma Security approach is unique in its ability to provide a holistic view of AI security and governance, enabling security teams to gain control over the entire AI lifecycle,” said Niv Braun, CEO and co-founder of Noma Security. “We are thrilled to have the support and direction of the SVCI CISO team. They immediately saw the value and differentiation of Noma Security to solve the challenge of AI security at scale. Providing real-word product guidance and feedback, SVCI is helping Noma Security maintain competitive differentiation by delivering end-to-end AI security solutions and deliver responsible AI across the enterprise to meet substantial demand.”
About Noma Security Noma Security is the AI security and governance platform giving enterprise organizations the confidence to rapidly build and deploy AI at scale. Noma Security uniquely provides cybersecurity teams with control of AI risk through continuous discovery and inventory, supply chain security, red teaming, and runtime protection to ensure compliance and risk mitigation. Backed by Ballistic Ventures, Glilot Capital, Cyber Club London, Databricks Ventures and SVCI, Noma Security is widely adopted by Fortune 500 customers and has been recognized by Gartner and Latio as a leader in AI security trust, risk and security management (TRiSM). For more information visit https://noma.security
About Silicon Valley CISOs Investments (SVCI) SVCI is an invite-only community of more than 60 Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) that operate as an angel investor syndicate. With a vast representation of industries and 1000 years of cumulative cybersecurity expertise, the organization’s mission is to fuel the next generation of cybersecurity innovation by identifying promising early-stage startups, investing in them, and using its unmatched industry expertise to help them thrive. For more information visit www.svci.io
HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received on Thursday a written message from HE President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, pertaining to bilateral relations and ways to support and develop them.
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi received the message during his meeting on Thursday with HE Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Qatar Adish Mammadov.
HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani received a written message from HE Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain Dr Pedro Sanchez, pertaining to bilateral relations and ways to support and develop them.
HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi received the message during his meeting on Thursday with HE Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain to the State of Qatar Alvaro Renedo Zalba.
A Cambodian woman who grew up amid landmines now clears them as a UN peacekeeper in Lebanon. A Sudanese civil society leader rallies displaced women to reclaim their voices in peacebuilding. Young activists from the divided communities of Cyprus foster dialogue and understanding in a deeply complex and long-standing conflict. These are just a few of the extraordinary stories captured in Through Her Lens: Women Rising for Peace, a striking photo exhibition that premiered on 7 June 2025 at Brooklyn Bridge Park as part of the Photoville Festival.
“Too often, women in conflict are portrayed only as victims,” said Natasha Lamoreux of UN Women. “But these photographs tell a different story. They show women as peacekeepers, negotiators, human rights defenders — leaders actively shaping peace.”
From Sudan to Cyprus, Haiti to Lebanon, the UN collaborated with local women photographers who not only document the lives of women but also share in their struggles, striving to build peace in their communities, which creates an intimate and powerful perspective.
“This exhibit is the culmination of months of partnership between the four organizing entities as well as between headquarters and field-based colleagues,” said Shatha Hussein from the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. “We worked on very difficult contexts and turbulent situations that are changing by the day. So working with women on the ground to amplify their efforts through this initiative was not easy in any of the contexts featured, but their commitment, despite the odds, made this possible.”
Preparing this exhibit has been a profound challenge — one that mirrors the obstacles women face daily in conflict zones. Intense fighting spiked early this year in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan as the photoshoots were being planned.
“These images are more than art — they are a collective story of resilience, acts of resistance, and transformation,” said Sophie Boudre of the UN Department of Peace Operations. “They declare that women’s rights must be protected, their leadership recognized, and their voices heard wherever peace is made.”
Rooted in the Women, Peace and Security agenda launched by UN Security Council Resolution 1325, the exhibit underscores both the critical roles women play in peacebuilding and the persistent challenges they face — including a rising global backlash against gender equality.
The Through Her Lens exhibit is on view through 22 June 2025 at Pier 1 of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. It will also be shown at UN Headquarters in time for a Security Council open debate on Women, Peace and Security at the end of October. Importantly, the exhibit will travel to the regions featured in the photographs — bringing these powerful stories full circle.
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (www.AfDB.org) has approved a financing package of up to $184.1 million to support the development of the Obelisk 1-gigawatt solar photovoltaic project and 200MWh battery energy storage system in Egypt, which will be Africa’s largest solar power plant.
Located in Qena Governorate in southern Egypt, the project entails the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a photovoltaic power plant with an integrated battery energy storage system. The Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company will be the sole off-taker under a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement.
The project’s total cost is estimated at more than $590 million. The Bank Group’s financing package includes $125.5 million of ordinary resources, as well as concessional funding from Bank Group-managed Special Funds the Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) worth $20 million, and the Canada-African Development Bank Climate Fund ($18.6 million), a partnership of the Bank Group and the Government of Canada. A further $20 million will come from the Climate Investment Funds’ Clean Technology Fund, with additional financing to be mobilized from a consortium of development finance institutions.
Under Egypt’s Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy (NWFE) platform, Obelisk has been granted a Golden License by the government, which recognizes it as a strategic initiative that will contribute to addressing Egypt’s energy constraints and advancing its energy transition.
Dr. Rania Al-Mashat, Egypt’s Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, said “the Obelisk solar project is another important milestone for Egypt under the energy pillar of the NWFE program which has since its launch in November 2022 at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh delivered 4.2 GW of privately financed renewable energy investments, worth about $4 billion, with the support of partners such as the Africa Development Bank. The goal of NWFE’s energy pillar is to add 10 GW of renewable energy capacity with investments of approximately $10 billion, and phase out 5 GW of fossil fuel power generation by 2030.”
The project, expected to be fully operational by the third quarter of 2026, will generate an estimated 2,772 gigawatt-hours of clean, reliable, and affordable energy annually to the national grid. The battery energy storage system will help meet peak evening demand with renewable power while also mitigating the variability of solar power generation. The project is expected to reduce annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by approximately one million tons and create about 4,000 jobs during construction and 50 permanent jobs during operation, with a special focus on women and youth employment.
“Obelisk is another landmark development under NWFE that leverages on Egypt’s and the African Development Bank’s leadership as well as commitment to harnessing the country’s renewable energy to enhance the resilience of the country’s energy supply to meet its fast-growing energy demand sustainably,” said Kevin Kariuki, African Development Bank Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate, and Green Growth. “This project also contributes to Egypt’s ambition of producing 42 percent of its power generation capacity from renewable energy sources by 2030 while spurring economic growth and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,”
Ambassador of Canada to the Arab Republic of Egypt Ulric Shannon said: “Canada is proud to support solar energy development in Egypt. This initiative is a meaningful step toward enhancing energy security and stability, with direct benefits for the Egyptian people. We are pleased to collaborate with the African Development Bank and other partners in supporting Egypt’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.”
The Obelisk Solar Project aligns with the African Development Bank’s Ten-Year Strategy, its New Deal on Energy for Africa, and its Country Strategy Paper for Egypt as well as SEFA’s strategic framework which aims to accelerate African countries energy transition by increasing the share of renewables and catalyzing commercial capital mobilization in the power sector. The project also advances Egypt’s commitment to achieve 42 percent generation capacity from renewable energy sources by 2030.
“This project exploits the abundant renewable energy potential in Africa and demonstrates how strong partnerships and innovative solutions contribute to balancing three core objectives in the energy sector, namely energy security, affordability, and sustainable economic development,” said Wale Shonibare, Director of Energy Financial Solutions, Policy, and Regulation at the African Development Bank. “It has high potential for replicability across the continent.”
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Media Contact: Olufemi Terry Communication and External Relations Department o.terry@afdb.org
Technical Contact: James Otto Senior Investment Officer Energy Financial Solution and Policy Regulations Department j.otto@afdb.org
About the African Development Bank Group: The African Development Bank Group is Africa’s premier development finance institution. It comprises three distinct entities: the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF). On the ground in 41 African countries with an external office in Japan, the Bank contributes to the economic development and the social progress of its 54 regional member states. For more information: www.AfDB.org
WASHINGTON, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As a cross-border payment giant Ripple announced a strategic cooperation with MoneyGram, Saudi Arabia’s Alrajhi Bank and other institutions to promote the expansion of XRP payment channels by 300%. After the news was released, the number of active addresses on the XRP chain soared by 18% in a single week, and short-term speculative funds poured in more than US$800 million. Faced with the historic opportunity of the payment ecosystem explosion, PFM CRYPTO launched the world’s first 24-hour XRP ultra-short-term cloud mining contract, and the computing power subscription volume on the first day of launch exceeded US$12 million.
What Is PFMCrypto XRP Lightning Mining?
PFMCrypto XRP Lightning mining is a remote cryptocurrency mining solution that supports a range of digital assets, including XRP. Users leverage the mining company’s computational power to earn profits without investing in hardware or handling technical maintenance. Through access to high-powered mining farms, PFMCrypto enables users to benefit from ongoing crypto mining rewards as complex blockchain problems are solved in real time.
PFM CRYPTO’s three core advantages of “XRP Lightning Mining”
Instant participation in the trend
The implementation of Ripple payment scenarios will quickly detonate the transaction volume on the XRP chain. PFM CRYPTO cloud computing power can be used after registration, without the need for a waiting period for mining machine debugging, professional knowledge and expensive equipment.
Hedge against potential XRP price fluctuations
When the market fluctuates violently due to Ripple, PFM CRYPTO’s AI cloud mining system supports multi-currency profit optimization and automatically switches to high-potential currencies, effectively avoiding potential Dogecoin market volatility risks.
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PFM CRYPTO uses a self-developed income calculation engine to monitor XRP computing power changes and price fluctuations in real time, automatically adjust income distribution strategies, and daily settlement of income without any hidden fees.
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In order to meet the potential surge in demand, PFM CRYPTO has completed three XRP mining service upgrades:
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Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
The genocide is almost complete. When it is concluded it will have exposed the moral bankruptcy of Western civilisation, writes Chris Hedges.
ANALYSIS: By Chris Hedges
This is the end. The final blood-soaked chapter of the genocide.
It will be over soon. Weeks. At most.
Two million people are camped out amongst the rubble or in the open air. Dozens are killed and wounded daily from Israeli shells, missiles, drones, bombs and bullets.
They lack clean water, medicine and food. They have reached a point of collapse. Sick. Injured. Terrified. Humiliated. Abandoned. Destitute. Starving. Hopeless.
In the last pages of this horror story, Israel is sadistically baiting starving Palestinians with promises of food, luring them to the narrow and congested nine-mile ribbon of land that borders Egypt. Israel and its cynically named Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), allegedly funded by Israel’s Ministry of Defense and the Mossad, is weaponising starvation.
It is enticing Palestinians to southern Gaza the way the Nazis enticed starving Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto to board trains to the death camps. The goal is not to feed the Palestinians. No one seriously argues there is enough food or aid hubs. The goal is to cram Palestinians into heavily guarded compounds and deport them.
What comes next? I long ago stopped trying to predict the future. Fate has a way of surprising us. But there will be a final humanitarian explosion in Gaza’s human slaughterhouse. We see it with the surging crowds of Palestinians fighting to get a food parcel, which has resulted in Israeli and US private contractors shooting dead at least 130 and wounding over seven hundred others in the first eight days of aid distribution.
We see it with Benjamin Netanyahu’s armingISIS-linked gangs in Gaza that loot food supplies. Israel, which has eliminated hundreds of employees with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), doctors, journalists, civil servants and police in targeted assassinations, has orchestrated the implosion of civil society.
I suspect Israel will facilitate a breach in the fence along the Egyptian border. Desperate Palestinians will stampede into the Egyptian Sinai. Maybe it will end some other way. But it will end soon. There is not much more Palestinians can take.
We — full participants in this genocide — will have achieved our demented goal of emptying Gaza and expanding Greater Israel. We will bring down the curtain on the live-streamed genocide. We will have mocked the ubiquitous university programmes of Holocaust studies, designed, it turns out, not to equip us to end genocides, but deify Israel as an eternal victim licensed to carry out mass slaughter.
The mantra of never again is a joke. The understanding that when we have the capacity to halt genocide and we do not, we are culpable, does not apply to us. Genocide is public policy. Endorsed and sustained by our two ruling parties.
There is nothing left to say. Maybe that is the point. To render us speechless. Who does not feel paralyzed? And maybe, that too, is the point. To paralyse us. Who is not traumatised? And maybe that too was planned. Nothing we do, it seems, can halt the killing. We feel defenceless. We feel helpless. Genocide as spectacle.
I have stopped looking at the images. The rows of little shrouded bodies. The decapitated men and women. Families burned alive in their tents. The children who have lost limbs or are paralyzed. The chalky death masks of those pulled from under the rubble. The wails of grief. The emaciated faces. I can’t.
This genocide will haunt us. It will echo down history with the force of a tsunami. It will divide us forever. There is no going back.
Palestinians under the rubble in 2023 after Israeli airstrike of homes in the Gaza Strip. Image: Ashraf Amra /United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East/ Wikimedia Commons /CC BY-SA 4.0
And how will we remember? By not remembering.
Once it is over, all those who supported it, all those who ignored it, all those who did nothing, will rewrite history, including their personal history. It was hard to find anyone who admitted to being a Nazi in post-war Germany, or a member of the Klu Klux Klan once segregation in the southern United States ended.
A nation of innocents. Victims even. It will be the same. We like to think we would have saved Anne Frank. The truth is different. The truth is, crippled by fear, nearly all of us will only save ourselves, even at the expense of others. But that is a truth that is hard to face. That is the real lesson of the Holocaust. Better it be erased.
“Should a drone vaporize some nameless soul on the other side of the planet, who among us wants to make a fuss? What if it turns out they were a terrorist?
“What if the default accusation proves true, and we by implication be labeled terrorist sympathisers, ostracised, yelled at? It is generally the case that people are most zealously motivated by the worst plausible thing that could happen to them.
“For some, the worst plausible thing might be the ending of their bloodline in a missile strike. Their entire lives turned to rubble and all of it preemptively justified in the name of fighting terrorists who are terrorists by default on account of having been killed. For others, the worst plausible thing is being yelled at.”
You cannot decimate a people, carry out saturation bombing over 20 months to obliterate their homes, villages and cities, massacre tens of thousands of innocent people, set up a siege to ensure mass starvation, drive them from land where they have lived for centuries and not expect blowback.
The genocide will end. The response to the reign of state terror will begin. If you think it won’t you know nothing about human nature or history. The killing of two Israeli diplomats in Washington and the attack against supporters of Israel at a protest in Boulder, Colorado, are only the start.
Chaim Engel, who took part in the uprising at the Nazis’ Sobibor death camp in Poland, described how, armed with a knife, he attacked a guard in the camp.
“It’s not a decision,” Engel explained years later. “You just react, instinctively you react to that, and I figured, ‘Let us to do, and go and do it.’ And I went.
“I went with the man in the office and we killed this German. With every jab, I said, ‘That is for my father, for my mother, for all these people, all the Jews you killed.’”
The Sobibor extermination camp gate in the spring of 1943. The pine branches, braided into the fence to make it difficult to see in from the outside. Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
Does anyone expect Palestinians to act differently? How are they to react when Europe and the United States, who hold themselves up as the vanguards of civilisation, backed a genocide that butchered their parents, their children, their communities, occupied their land and blasted their cities and homes into rubble? How can they not hate those who did this to them?
What message has this genocide imparted not only to Palestinians, but to all in the Global South?
It is unequivocal. You do not matter. Humanitarian law does not apply to you. We do not care about your suffering, the murder of your children. You are vermin. You are worthless. You deserve to be killed, starved and dispossessed. You should be erased from the face of the earth.
“To preserve the values of the civilised world, it is necessary to set fire to a library,” El Akkad writes:
“To blow up a mosque. To incinerate olive trees. To dress up in the lingerie of women who fled and then take pictures.
“To level universities. To loot jewelry, art, food. Banks. To arrest children for picking vegetables. To shoot children for throwing stones.
“To parade the captured in their underwear. To break a man’s teeth and shove a toilet brush in his mouth. To let combat dogs loose on a man with Down syndrome and then leave him to die. “Otherwise, the uncivilised world might win.”
There are people I have known for years who I will never speak to again. They know what is happening. Who does not know? They will not risk alienating their colleagues, being smeared as an antisemite, jeopardising their status, being reprimanded or losing their jobs.
They do not risk death, the way Palestinians do. They risk tarnishing the pathetic monuments of status and wealth they spent their lives constructing. Idols.
They bow down before these idols. They worship these idols. They are enslaved by them.
At the feet of these idols lie tens of thousands of murdered Palestinians.
Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist who was a foreign correspondent for 15 years for The New York Times, where he served as the Middle East bureau chief and Balkan bureau chief for the paper. He previously worked overseas for The Dallas Morning News, The Christian Science Monitor and NPR. He is the host of show The Chris Hedges Report.This article was first published in Scheerpost.
Omer, Israel, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Odysight.ai Inc. (Nasdaq: ODYS), a leading provider of visual based predictive maintenance (PdM) and condition-based monitoring (CBM) solutions, today announced it will participate in the 15th Annual ROTH London Conference taking place June 25–26, 2025, in London, U.K.
Einav Brenner, Chief Financial Officer, will be available for one-on-one investor meetings on site both days. To schedule a meeting, please contact your ROTH representative.
About the ROTH London Conference
The ROTH London Conference provides a unique platform for institutional investors to connect with executive leadership from approximately 70 growth-oriented companies across a range of sectors. Hosted in the heart of one of the world’s leading financial hubs, the event features a highly focused format designed to encourage insightful dialogue through one-on-one and small group meetings. Investors will have the opportunity to gain deeper insight into business strategies, explore sector trends, and evaluate potential investment opportunities.
ROTH is a relationship-driven investment bank dedicated to supporting growth companies and their investors. Its full-service platform offers capital raising, in-depth equity research, macroeconomic insights, sales and trading, technical analysis, derivatives strategies, M&A advisory, and comprehensive corporate access. ROTH aims to deliver innovative, actionable, and proprietary content while supporting clients throughout every stage of their growth journey.
About Odysight.ai
Odysight.ai is pioneering the Predictive Maintenance (PdM) and Condition Based Monitoring (CBM) markets with its visualization and AI platform. Providing video sensor-based solutions for critical systems in the aviation, transportation, and energy industries, Odysight.ai leverages proven visual technologies and products from the medical industry. Odysight.ai’s unique video-based sensors, embedded software, and AI algorithms are being deployed in hard-to-reach locations and harsh environments across a variety of PdM and CBM use cases.Odysight.ai’s platform allows maintenance and operations teams visibility into areas which are inaccessible under normal operation, or where the operating ambience is not suitable for continuous real-time monitoring.
VICTORIA, Seychelles, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitget, the leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company, has now enabled onboarding of Syrian citizens on the platform. This comes following the recent suspension of OFAC sanctions. Syrian citizens and residents can now register on the platform, complete identity verification, and access the full suite of services—ranging from P2P and spot trading to futures and yield-generating products.
This update holds particular significance for a country that has faced prolonged conflict, economic isolation, and limited access to reliable financial systems. In the absence of stable banking infrastructure, crypto has strong real-life use cases, as a tool for survival, growth, and connectivity to the broader world. The adoption of crypto in Syria shows a deeper truth about the role of crypto in places where traditional systems have failed or aren’t accessible either.
With this, Syrian users now have access to all major Bitget features, including peer-to-peer (P2P) trading with local currency support, spot and futures markets, copy trading, and Bitget Earn products that enable passive income on crypto holdings. The mobile app and web platform also offer multi-language support and 24/7 security monitoring to ensure safe transactions. Educational content, trading tools, and customer assistance are readily available to guide new users at every step.
Bitget’s decision to welcome Syrian users stems from a focused strategy to support real use cases in regions where crypto is vital. The inclusion of Syria signals intent to enable access where it is most urgently needed.
“At Bitget, the priority is clear—reach those who need crypto the most. Our platform is built to serve individuals navigating unstable economies, restricted banking, or political uncertainty. Extending access to Syrian users is part of a larger effort to deliver impactful financial tools where they make the greatest difference,” said Gracy Chen, CEO at Bitget.
Bitget remains focused on expanding access in regions where crypto plays a critical role in everyday life. For Syrian users, Bitget will play an important role in actively maintaining safe, efficient, and user-friendly channels for participation in crypto. Resources will be allocated to support regional engagement, improve accessibility, and ensure users in Syria are equipped to navigate the cryptospace with industry-leading products and best-in-class tools.
Effective immediately, Syrian users can now begin their journey with full platform functionality.
Established in 2018, Bitget is the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3 company. Serving over 120 million users in 150+ countries and regions, the Bitget exchange is committed to helping users trade smarter with its pioneering copy trading feature and other trading solutions, while offering real-time access to Bitcoin price, Ethereum price, and other cryptocurrency prices. Formerly known as BitKeep, Bitget Wallet is a leading non-custodial crypto wallet supporting 130+ blockchains and millions of tokens. It offers multi-chain trading, staking, payments, and direct access to 20,000+ DApps, with advanced swaps and market insights built into a single platform. Bitget is at the forefront of driving crypto adoption through strategic partnerships, such as its role as the Official Crypto Partner of the World’s Top Football League, LALIGA, in EASTERN, SEA and LATAM markets, as well as a global partner of Turkish National athletes Buse Tosun Çavuşoğlu (Wrestling world champion), Samet Gümüş (Boxing gold medalist) and İlkin Aydın (Volleyball national team), to inspire the global community to embrace the future of cryptocurrency.
Risk Warning:Digital asset prices are subject to fluctuation and may experience significant volatility. Investors are advised to only allocate funds they can afford to lose. The value of any investment may be impacted, and there is a possibility that financial objectives may not be met, nor the principal investment recovered. Independent financial advice should always be sought, and personal financial experience and standing carefully considered. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Bitget accepts no liability for any potential losses incurred. Nothing contained herein should be construed as financial advice. For further information, please refer to ourTerms of Use.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
Speech
NPT Safeguards Agreement with Iran: Quad statement on resolution adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors, June 2025
France, Germany, the UK and United States (the Quad) welcome adoption of the resolution on Iran’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Safeguards Agreement at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board meeting
Chair,
On behalf of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, we welcome the Board’s adoption of this important resolution on Iran’s implementation of safeguards. The Board’s collective action upholds the integrity of the IAEA safeguards system and the broader nuclear nonproliferation regime: states will be held to account if they do not live up to their obligations.
The action creates an opportunity Iran should seize. Iran still has a chance to finally fulfill its obligations, in full candor, and answer the IAEA’s crucial, longstanding questions on undeclared nuclear material and activities.
We sincerely hope that when the Board reports this matter to the United Nations Security Council, as required by the Statute, it can describe how Iran has changed its course and finally chosen the path of compliance. We look forward to further reporting from the Director General in the months ahead, and we commend him and his team for their continued, professional, and impartial efforts to verify Iran’s implementation of its safeguards agreement.
Oslo, 12 June 2025 – DNO ASA, the Norwegian oil and gas operator, today announced the completion of the acquisition of Sval Energi Group AS from HitecVision for a cash consideration of USD 450 million based on an enterprise value of USD 1.6 billion.
The acquired portfolio comprises 16 producing fields in Norway, quadrupling DNO’s North Sea production to 80,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd). The Company’s North Sea proven and probable (2P) reserves swell to 189 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe), also a fourfold increase. Contingent resources (2C) total 316 MMboe.
Following the acquisition, Norway and the United Kingdom represent nearly 60 percent of the Company’s global production and about 45 percent of its global reserves, with the balance predominantly in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
“The Sval Energi assets provided a rare opportunity to significantly upsize DNO’s North Sea operations and, of course, DNO itself,” said DNO’s Executive Chairman Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani. “And we moved quickly to seal the deal,” he added.
Halvor Engebretsen, Sval Energi’s Chief Executive Officer, will lead the enlarged North Sea business as Managing Director, DNO Norge AS.
Supported by ongoing field development projects with multiple discoveries currently being matured for project sanction, DNO is well placed to grow North Sea production organically in the years ahead. The combined North Sea 2P reserves and 2C resources equal 15 years of production at the current run rate.
In addition to ferreting out other acquisition targets, the Company is focused like a laser on breaking from the pack and accelerating development and monetization of its numerous discoveries in Norway.
“It takes most Norwegian oil companies a ridiculously long eight to ten years to bring a discovery to first production, even with simple subsea tiebacks to existing platforms,” said Mr. Mossavar-Rahmani. “Compare that to the two to three years, if that, to execute this task in other established basins,” he continued.
DNO last week raised USD 400 million in hybrid bonds towards the acquisition.
Outside of the North Sea, DNO continues to deliver solid operations. In Kurdistan, DNO has maintained production from its flagship Tawke license (75 percent and operator) at about 80,000 boepd (60,000 boepd net working interest) with minimal new investment. Its Côte d’Ivoire gas assets steadily produce over 3,000 boepd net to DNO. Four development wells and one exploration well are planned in 2025-26.
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For further information, please contact: Media: media@dno.no Investors: investor.relations@dno.no
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DNO ASA is a leading Norwegian oil and gas operator active in the Middle East, the North Sea and West Africa. Founded in 1971 and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the Company holds stakes in onshore and offshore licenses at various stages of exploration, development and production in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Norway, the United Kingdom, Côte d’Ivoire and Yemen. More information is available at www.dno.no.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Speech by FS at Reception in Celebration of 127th Anniversary of Proclamation of Philippine Independence (English only) Good evening. It is a great pleasure to join you tonight in celebrating the 127th anniversary of the Republic of the Philippines’ proclamation of independence.
Let me take this opportunity to extend a formal and warm welcome to Consul General Israel, who assumed his new post in Hong Kong this April. With your extensive diplomatic career in the Philippines and abroad, I am confident that your experience and insight will further help strengthen the close ties between Hong Kong and the Philippines. Tourism is a shining example. Last year, we welcomed nearly 1.2 million visitors from the Philippines, a remarkable increase of over 55 per cent compared to 2023. This positive momentum has continued, with over 550 000 Filipino visitors arriving in the first five months of this year, representing a 27 per cent year-on-year growth.
Our trade relationship remains robust. Hong Kong plays a vital role as a gateway for China’s exports to the Philippines. Hong Kong is the Philippines’ fifth largest trading partner. Last year, our value of merchandise trade grew to HK$108 billion. Hong Kong handled around 13 per cent of the total merchandise trade between China and the Philippines.
Besides, I am pleased to note that we have started negotiations on a Comprehensive Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement. I trust such an agreement will further simulate our bilateral trade and investments.
All these encouraging developments point to a future of even closer business ties and new opportunities for collaboration.
The Philippines stands out as one of the fastest-growing economies in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). I am pleased to learn that your Government is making proactive efforts to implement pro-business reforms to simplify company formation process, lower entry barriers and attract foreign businesses. These measures will facilitate trade and investments with your economic and trade partners. Meanwhile, more infrastructure flagship projects will bolster the economy, improve connectivity and make your country more attractive to businesses from abroad.
In an era marked by rising protectionism and increasing geopolitical uncertainty, globalisation is facing backlashes. Countries are seeking to diversify their export markets and development drivers. In this context, enhancing intra-regional trade and collaboration will be key to achieving sustainable growth. In this connection, we greatly appreciate the Philippines’ continued support for our accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Under the “one country, two systems” arrangement, Hong Kong is a “super connector” and “super value-adder” between the Chinese Mainland and the rest of the world. We steadfastly uphold our free port status, with the free movement of goods, capital, information and talent. Our world-class transport and logistics infrastructure provides a perfect springboard for your country’s products and services to reach the Mainland, across North Asia, and beyond.
Now, given the policy uncertainties in the US and shifting global investment landscape, Hong Kong has emerged as a safe harbour for international capital. This is reflected by capital inflows and investors’ optimism. Our stock market has performed exceptionally well, rising by 20 per cent so far this year, on top of the 18 per cent increase last year. It is one of the top-performing markets globally.
With deep liquidity and a comprehensive suite of funding options, Hong Kong offers an ideal platform for Filipino enterprises to raise funds to support their business development. They can consider listing on our Stock Exchange, or connecting with angel investors, venture capital and private equity for collaboration.
For sure, Hong Kong has more to offer. You will find Hong Kong an ideal location to raise funds for quality infrastructure and green transition projects. Beyond traditional means, such as bond issuance, there are innovative financing models such as infrastructure loan securitisation, or catastrophe bonds, which are designed to share natural disaster risks with investors. Hong Kong has already issued seven catastrophe bonds, covering events from earthquakes to storms across Asia and the Americas.
In short, the potential for deeper co-operation between our two economies is vast and far-reaching.
Before I conclude, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the more than 220 000 Filipino nationals in Hong Kong. They are an integral part of our community and have made invaluable contributions to the economic and social fabric of this city.
On behalf of the Hong Kong SAR Government, I extend my warmest congratulations to the people of the Philippines on your Independence Day. May the friendship between Hong Kong and the Philippines continue to flourish and prosper for years to come.
I wish you all a most enjoyable evening. Thank you very much. Issued at HKT 19:30
Training soldiers who participate in the atrocities in Gaza is a betrayal of every principle of human rights and international law.
More in External Affairs
The Scottish Greens have condemned the UK Government after it was revealed through a parliamentary question that Israeli Defence Forces personnel are currently being trained on UK military bases.
The shocking revelation comes as Israel continues its relentless assault on Gaza. More than 55,000 Palestinians have already been murdered, the majority of whom are women, children and the elderly.
The further destruction of homes, hospitals, schools, and critical infrastructure has led to the situation in Palestine to be described as “worse than hell on earth” by the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Human rights organisations, UN officials and legal scholars around the world have described Israel’s actions as war crimes and acts of genocide.
The UK Government has already faced widespread criticism for continuing to supply arms to Israel despite overwhelming evidence that they are being used in clear violation of international law. The news that UK forces are also providing military training takes that complicity to a far more serious level of active participation.
Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie MSP said:
“The UK is actively training members of the Israeli military while they carry out a brutal assault on Gaza. This is nothing short of disgraceful. This goes beyond complicity – it is direct, active participation in the genocide of the Palestinian people. Every bomb dropped, every home destroyed, every child killed is a crime that the UK Government is now tied to.
“The Scottish Greens have been clear from the start, what we are witnessing in Gaza is a genocide. Tens of thousands of people, most of them women, children and the elderly, have been killed and entire communities have been wiped out. Hospitals, schools, and refugee camps have been targeted. This is not self-defence – it is the destruction of a people through murder and forced displacement.”
“It is appalling that instead of taking action to end the violence, this Labour UK Government are training the Israeli war machine that is committing these crimes. Training soldiers who are part of these atrocities is a betrayal of every principle of human rights and international law. It must stop now.
“We repeat our calls for an immediate ceasefire, an end to UK participation in genocide, and full accountability for war crimes. Scotland must stand on the side of peace and justice – not with those who commit and support these horrific acts. All those who are participating in these atrocities must be brought to justice.”
Only 8% of organizations use AI-based protection solutions
Just 6% of respondents have full documentation for all their APIs
Half of respondents don’t know what third-party code is being used by their apps
Only 29% of security staff are fully trained to handle API business logic attacks
MAHWAH, N.J., June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Radware® (NASDAQ: RDWR), a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments, today released its new report, 2025 Cyber Survey: Application Security at a Breaking Point. The survey reveals threat areas of rapidly growing concern as organizations’ cyber defenses lag well behind. This includes a major lack of protection against AI threats, as well as API and business logic attacks, among others.
“The weaponization of AI by malicious actors is intensifying cybersecurity threats and drawing even more attention to areas where companies are simply ill-protected,” said Shira Sagiv, Radware’s vice president of product portfolio. “Internal alarms should be sounding. Companies openly admit to major concerns about gaps in cyber protection and lack of readiness, especially around web applications and APIs; yet their usage continues to climb creating even more risk and exposure.”
KEY FINDINGS
The scramble is on to catch up with AI According to the report, the use of AI to improve and intensify hacking tradecraft is of greatest concern. Organizations have significant concerns about threat actors using AI to generate new attacks at a faster cadence, bypassing existing defenses and compromising areas that were previously too difficult to attack.
Top concerns: The following percentage of respondents are highly or extremely concerned about hackers using AI:
To create/improve hacking tools – 70%.
To generate a larger volume of cyberattacks – 67%.
To launch new zero-day attack vectors – 66%.
Large readiness gap: Despite the concerns about hackers embracing AI, only 8% of organizations are currently using AI-based solutions for defenses.
AI adoption: Four out of five organizations plan to implement AI-based cybersecurity solutions within the next 12 months.
Security fails to keep up with sprawling API ecosystems APIs are in a constant state of fluctuation. Organizations are increasing their use of APIs even while they remain ill-protected.
Surge in API usage and updates: In 2025, API usage is up 42% compared to the highest rate of usage in 2023, with multiple daily updates to APIs surging 6X during the same time frame.
Widespread third-party usage: On average, organizations are using 19 third-party APIs per application, which introduces new types of threats around data compromise that cannot be mitigated at a coding level.
Poor business logic attack mitigation: Business logic attacks, a common form of API attacks, represent a threat area of rapidly growing concern. While 81% of respondents say it is very or extremely important to have real-time protection measures in place:
Just half have deployed runtime business logic protections.
Only 29% have security staff fully trained to detect and mitigate these attacks.
Lack of preparedness:
On average, only 6% of respondents have full documentation for all their APIs.
Half of respondents don’t know what third-party code is being used by their web applications, which data is being leaked to third-party services, and when malicious scripts and services are introduced.
Risks to resilience continue to rise Survey respondents expressed a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of their defensive posture against growing threats.
Third-party breaches: Only 16% of respondents are confident in their current protection against data breach attempts of third-party services code running on their web applications.
Costly DDoS disruptions: Downtime caused by an application DDoS attack averages $6,100 per minute or $366,000 per hour.
Highcompliancepressures: An average of 54% of respondents express high or extreme concern about a range of regulations, including NIS2, HIPAA, SEC, PCI DSS 4, GDPR, DORA, and SOX.
Methodology The survey, which was conducted with Osterman Research, includes responses from compliance, chief risk, and data privacy officers; vice presidents of research and development; senior network security administrators; senior DevOps and DevSecOps administrators; cloud security; API architects; among other titles. The survey was conducted in nine countries across North America, EMEA, APAC, and LATAM.
Radware’s complete 2025 Cyber Survey: Application Security at a Breaking Point can be downloaded here.
About Radware Radware® (NASDAQ: RDWR) is a global leader in application security and delivery solutions for multi-cloud environments. The company’s cloud application, infrastructure, and API security solutions use AI-driven algorithms for precise, hands-free, real-time protection from the most sophisticated web, application, and DDoS attacks, API abuse, and bad bots. Enterprises and carriers worldwide rely on Radware’s solutions to address evolving cybersecurity challenges and protect their brands and business operations while reducing costs. For more information, please visit the Radware website.
THIS PRESS RELEASE AND THE 2025 CYBER SURVEY: APPLICATION SECURITY AT A BREAKING POINT ARE PROVIDED FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THESE MATERIALS ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE AN INDICATOR OF RADWARE’S BUSINESS PERFORMANCE OR OPERATING RESULTS FOR ANY PRIOR, CURRENT, OR FUTURE PERIOD.
Radware believes the information in this document is accurate in all material respects as of its publication date. However, the information is provided without any express, statutory, or implied warranties and is subject to change without notice.
The contents of any website or hyperlinks mentioned in this press release are for informational purposes and the contents thereof are not part of this press release.
Safe Harbor Statement This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements made herein that are not statements of historical fact, including statements about Radware’s plans, outlook, beliefs, or opinions, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans,” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may,” and “could.” For example, when we say in this press release that the weaponization of AI by malicious actors is intensifying cybersecurity threats and drawing even more attention to areas where companies are simply ill-protected and that their usage continues to climb creating even more risk and exposure, we are using forward-looking statements. Because such statements deal with future events, they are subject to various risks and uncertainties, and actual results, expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, could differ materially from Radware’s current forecasts and estimates. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the impact of global economic conditions, including as a result of the state of war declared in Israel in October 2023 and instability in the Middle East, the war in Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan, financial and credit market fluctuations (including elevated interest rates), impacts from tariffs or other trade restrictions, inflation, and the potential for regional or global recessions; our dependence on independent distributors to sell our products; our ability to manage our anticipated growth effectively; our business may be affected by sanctions, export controls, and similar measures, targeting Russia and other countries and territories, as well as other responses to Russia’s military conflict in Ukraine, including indefinite suspension of operations in Russia and dealings with Russian entities by many multi-national businesses across a variety of industries; the ability of vendors to provide our hardware platforms and components for the manufacture of our products; our ability to attract, train, and retain highly qualified personnel; intense competition in the market for cybersecurity and application delivery solutions and in our industry in general, and changes in the competitive landscape; our ability to develop new solutions and enhance existing solutions; the impact to our reputation and business in the event of real or perceived shortcomings, defects, or vulnerabilities in our solutions, if our end-users experience security breaches, or if our information technology systems and data, or those of our service providers and other contractors, are compromised by cyber-attackers or other malicious actors or by a critical system failure; our use of AI technologies that present regulatory, litigation, and reputational risks; risks related to the fact that our products must interoperate with operating systems, software applications and hardware that are developed by others; outages, interruptions, or delays in hosting services; the risks associated with our global operations, such as difficulties and costs of staffing and managing foreign operations, compliance costs arising from host country laws or regulations, partial or total expropriation, export duties and quotas, local tax exposure, economic or political instability, including as a result of insurrection, war, natural disasters, and major environmental, climate, or public health concerns; our net losses in the past and the possibility that we may incur losses in the future; a slowdown in the growth of the cybersecurity and application delivery solutions market or in the development of the market for our cloud-based solutions; long sales cycles for our solutions; risks and uncertainties relating to acquisitions or other investments; risks associated with doing business in countries with a history of corruption or with foreign governments; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; risks associated with undetected defects or errors in our products; our ability to protect our proprietary technology; intellectual property infringement claims made by third parties; laws, regulations, and industry standards affecting our business; compliance with open source and third-party licenses; complications with the design or implementation of our new enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system; our reliance on information technology systems; our ESG disclosures and initiatives; and other factors and risks over which we may have little or no control. This list is intended to identify only certain of the principal factors that could cause actual results to differ. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties affecting Radware, refer to Radware’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the other risk factors discussed from time to time by Radware in reports filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and, except as required by applicable law, Radware undertakes no commitment to revise or update any forward-looking statement in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date any such statement is made. Radware’s public filings are available from the SEC’s website atwww.sec.govor may be obtained on Radware’s website atwww.radware.com.
The South African Government has expressed its “deep concern” at the decision of the United States to sanction four judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
This is after the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced sanctions against four ICC judges for alleged “illegitimate transgressions against the United States and Israel”.
According to reports, the sanctions are in response to the ICC issuing arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and its investigation into alleged United States war crimes in Afghanistan.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) believes that this move represents a direct affront to the principles of international justice and the rule of law.
“Such punitive actions against judicial officers performing their mandated duties are regrettable and they undermine the independence of the ICC, and threaten the integrity of international legal institutions.
“They furthermore hinder the Court and its personnel in the exercise of their independent judicial functions.”
The department said South Africa, as a founding member of the ICC, views these sanctions and previous threats as an attempt to intimidate and obstruct the Court’s efforts to hold accountable perpetrators of the most serious crimes.
“The ICC operates under the Rome Statute, to which 125 States are parties, and its mandate is to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression when national jurisdictions are unwilling or unable to do so.”
DIRCO is of the view that these sanctions on ICC judges sets a dangerous precedent that could embolden those who seek to evade accountability for egregious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
“It also poses a significant challenge to the global fight against impunity and the enforcement of international norms.”
South Africa has since reaffirmed its commitment to the principles enshrined in the Rome Statute and will continue to work with like-minded nations to safeguard the integrity of international legal institutions.
“In this regard, we highlight our participation in the Hague Group, a coalition of countries dedicated to defending the rulings and authority of the ICC and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“The pursuit of justice for victims of the gravest crimes must not be compromised by political considerations. Upholding the rule of law and ensuring accountability are essential for the maintenance of international peace and security, as well as a rules-based international order based on international law,” DIRCO said. – SAnews.gov.za
The EU is fully committed to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, within the United Nations (UN) agreed framework, in accordance with all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the principles on which the EU is founded and the acquis. It remains crucial that Türkiye commits and actively contributes to such a peaceful settlement, including its external aspects.
As per the conclusions of the Special European Council of 17-18 April 2024, the EU attaches particular importance to resumption of and progress in the Cyprus settlement talks in further enhancing EU-Türkiye cooperation[1].
As per latest Council conclusions on Enlargement, welcoming the recent steps taken by the UN Secretary-General towards a resumption of settlement talks, the EU remains ready to play an active role in supporting all stages of the UN-led process, with all appropriate means at its disposal[2]. These messages are continuously communicated to Turkish authorities.
The EU remains committed to continue cooperation in areas of common interest on the basis of an equal commitment on Türkiye’s side to advance on a path of cooperation and de-escalation.
Concerning restrictive measures, under Article 29 of the Treaty on European Union[3], it is strictly the prerogative of the Council, through its Member States, to take, with unanimity, decisions to adopt, renew or lift sanctions regimes.
The EU will continue to call on Türkiye to comply with its international obligations, and with the EU values, as a candidate country for EU accession.
It should be recalled that accession negotiations with the country remain at a standstill since 2018, in line with the decision of the Council[4].
[4] ‘35. The Council notes that Turkey has been moving further away from the European Union. Turkey’s accession negotiations have therefore effectively come to a standstill and no further chapters can be considered for opening or closing and no further work towards the modernisation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union is foreseen’, Brussels, 26 June 2018 (OR. en) 10555/1.
The EU is fully committed to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, within the United Nations (UN) agreed framework, in accordance with all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the principles on which the EU is founded and the acquis.
It remains crucial that Türkiye commits and actively contributes to such a peaceful settlement, including its external aspects. As per the conclusions of the Special European Council of 17-18 April 2024, the EU attaches particular importance to resumption of and progress in the Cyprus settlement talks in further enhancing EU-Türkiye cooperation[1].
As per the Council conclusions on Enlargement of 2024, welcoming the recent steps taken by the UN Secretary-General towards a resumption of settlement talks, the EU remains ready to play an active role in supporting all stages of the UN-led process, with all appropriate means at its disposal[2]. These messages are continuously communicated to the Turkish authorities.
Concerning restrictive measures, under Article 29 of the Treaty on European Union, it is strictly the prerogative of the Council of the EU, through its Member States, to take, with unanimity, decisions to adopt, renew or lift sanctions regimes.
The EU will continue to call on Türkiye to comply with its international obligations, and with the EU values, as a candidate country for EU accession.
On 17 March 2025, the EU hosted the ninth Brussels Conference ‘Standing with Syria: Meeting the Needs for a Successful Transition’.
The Syrian Interim Foreign Minister was invited and attended the conference, alongside international and regional partners and Syrian civil society.
This invitation reflected the EU’s engagement in supporting an inclusive and peaceful transition guided by the respect of international law, human rights, pluralism and non-discrimination, and addressing Syria’s humanitarian and economic needs.
Gravely alarmed by the violence in Syria’s coastal region on 6 March 2025, on 11 March 2025, the High Representative/Vice-President issued a statement[1] on behalf of the EU, strongly condemning the horrific crimes committed against civilians.
The EU welcomed the transitional authorities’ establishment of an investigative committee, and called for a swift, transparent and impartial investigation to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice and to prevent any such crimes from happening again.
It further called on the transitional authorities to allow the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic to investigate all violations.
The EU continues to be a staunch supporter of accountability mechanisms in Syria, including the Impartial and Independent Mechanism and the Independent Institution on Missing Persons.
The EU continues to call for an end of violence across Syria, urges all parties to protect all Syrians without any form of discrimination, notably on the basis of ethnic and religious background, and advocates an inclusive, peaceful, Syrian-owned and Syrian-led transition built on the respect of international law and human rights.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TEHRAN, June 12 (Xinhua) — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media on Wednesday that an agreement with the United States to ensure “the continued peaceful nature” of Tehran’s nuclear program is “within reach.”
Let us recall that the sixth round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States on the nuclear issue is scheduled to take place on Sunday in the Omani capital Muscat.
“President /US Donald/ Trump took office saying that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. In fact, this is in line with our own doctrine and could be the main basis for the deal,” A. Araghchi said.
“It is clear that an agreement that can ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program is within reach and can be reached quickly,” he added.
The minister, however, stressed that a “mutually beneficial outcome” depends on two conditions: “the continuation of Iran’s uranium enrichment program under the full control of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the effective end of sanctions /by the United States/.”
Since April, Iran and the United States have held five rounds of Oman-brokered proximity talks — three in Muscat and two in Rome. The United States has repeatedly pressed Iran to completely halt uranium enrichment, but Tehran has steadfastly refused. –0–
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
Speech
NPT Safeguards Agreement with Iran: Resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors, June 2025
France, Germany, the UK and United States (the Quad) delivered a joint statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board meeting introducing a resolution on Iran’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Safeguards Agreement.
Thank you, Chair.
On behalf of France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States, we express our sincere gratitude to Director General Grossi and to his team for their patient and exhaustive efforts to verify Iran’s implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement required under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and to clarify the critical safeguards issues that have been outstanding for more than six years. Unfortunately, as a result of Iran’s long-time failure to cooperate in resolving these issues, the Agency is not able to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful.
Since 2019, Iran has had every opportunity to provide the required, technically credible explanations in response to the IAEA’s questions, which relate to Iran’s core legal obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Regrettably, though, Iran has again refused to engage constructively with the IAEA to provide such explanations, despite multiple requests by the Board to do so since 2020.
Now, at this Board’s request, Director General Grossi has produced a comprehensive and updated assessment of the possible presence or use of undeclared nuclear material in connection with past and present outstanding issues regarding Iran’s nuclear program, addressing the Agency’s ability to verify Iran’s implementation of its safeguards obligations.
The Director General’s report speaks for itself in describing the full extent of the outstanding safeguards issues in Iran, their connection with Iran’s past nuclear activities, and Iran’s extensive record of obstruction, concealment, deception, and obfuscation in its approach to the work of the IAEA and the implementation of its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement.
The report makes clear that:
Iran has refused to declare nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three undeclared locations in Iran.
Until the early 2000s, those locations and possibly others formed part of Iran’s undeclared structured nuclear program.
Iran retained, at Turquzabad, up until 2018, unknown nuclear material and/or heavily contaminated equipment and other assets arising from various locations, the whereabouts of which remain unknown to the Agency.
These locations, as well as several others, were sanitized through various means, including the wholesale demolition of buildings, at key times in the IAEA’s investigation and despite direct requests by the Agency to preserve them.
In addition, the Director General’s report underscores that:
Iran is the only country that is not meeting its obligations related to the implementation of the modified Code 3.1, which it accepted in 2003, even as Iran talks openly about constructing new nuclear facilities. As the Agency has recalled multiple times, the modified Code 3.1 is a legal obligation for Iran under the Subsidiary Arrangements to its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Iran cannot unilaterally modify or suspend implementation of these Subsidiary Arrangements.
Iran is the only State in the world without nuclear weapons that is producing and accumulating uranium enriched to 60%, which has potential proliferation implications.
There have been repeated statements by former high-level officials in Iran related to Iran having the capability to manufacture nuclear weapons, which continue to provide concerns.
The report’s overall assessment is alarming: as a result of Iran’s failure to cooperate with the IAEA, the Director General cannot rule out that nuclear material remains unaccounted for and outside of safeguards in Iran today and he cannot provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful. These serious findings should give all of us pause.
Chair,
Given the issues reported by the Director General and Iran’s ongoing failure to cooperate with the IAEA, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and United States are bringing forward a resolution for the Board’s consideration finding Iran in noncompliance with its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. Our resolution contains the following main points:
First, it expresses continued, strong support for the Agency’s professional and impartial efforts in carrying out its mandate to verify the implementation of Iran’s safeguards obligations.
Second, it deeply regrets that Iran has failed to co-operate fully with the Agency, as required by its safeguards agreement.
Third, it finds Iran in non-compliance with its obligations under its Safeguards Agreement with the Agency in the context of Article XII.C of the Agency’s Statute.
Fourth, it also finds that the Director General’s inability to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful gives rise to questions that are within the competence of the United Nations Security Council, as the organ bearing the main responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, consistent with Article III.B.4 of the Agency’s Statute.
Fifth, it calls upon Iran to urgently remedy its non-compliance with its Safeguards Agreement by taking all steps deemed necessary by the Agency and the Board, and reaffirms its decision that Iran must urgently act to ensure verification of the non-diversion of nuclear material and abide by its legal obligation to implement modified Code 3.1.
Chair,
The resolution defers the timing and content of the report that the Board is required to take pursuant to the IAEA Statute. We hope that Iran takes this final opportunity to provide full and immediate cooperation with the IAEA so that the Director General can report that these matters have been clarified and resolved, and so that the Board can swiftly consider action to find that Iran’s non-compliance has been remedied.
We do not take this step lightly. The Board of Governors has given Iran every opportunity over the past six years to resolve questions related to undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran. We firmly believe that all IAEA Member States must work together to uphold the integrity of the IAEA safeguards system and the broader nuclear nonproliferation regime, and this shared responsibility includes holding states accountable to their obligations under their NPT-required safeguards agreements. Simply put: the facts are clear, the legal basis is ironclad, and the action is long overdue. That is why we strongly urge all Board members to support this important resolution.
We understand there are questions about how this resolution may impact separate, ongoing diplomatic efforts with Iran. The IAEA Statute is clear on the Board’s authority to act and find non-compliance when a state is not complying with its obligations under its safeguards agreement. Iran’s legally binding obligation to implement its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement cannot be subject to separate political considerations. This resolution will not undermine diplomatic efforts with Iran – it will only strengthen them. It underscores the importance of Iran’s full cooperation with the IAEA, and its full implementation of its legal safeguards obligations, as the necessary foundation for any enduring agreement that addresses international concerns related to Iran’s nuclear activities. The Director General’s comprehensive report echoes this essential point.
We also regret that Iran, instead of providing the full cooperation required by its safeguards agreement, has continued to threaten escalation and confrontation. However, let us be clear: this resolution is not an act of escalation by the Board; it is an acknowledgement of the legal and factual reality of Iran’s noncompliance with its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement after many years of concerted effort by the Director General and the Secretariat to resolve fundamental questions related to undeclared nuclear materials and activities in Iran. It is not the Board that is forcing this step on Iran, but Iran who is forcing this step on the Board.
Chair,
The Board cannot be intimidated into inaction by Iran’s threats. A failure to act would only embolden Iran’s continued non-cooperation and escalation. Iran has an opportunity it can and should seize – an opportunity to cooperate meaningfully with the IAEA to finally answer the serious and longstanding questions raised by the Director General.
With these thoughts, we encourage all members of this Board to join us today in upholding the nonproliferation regime.
The European Commission and six EU countries, Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia, have today submitted their ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty at the United Nations headquarters. Despite repeated promises to sign the Treaty into UK law, the UK government is failing to get onboard.
Greenpeace is warning that, while the progress from other European countries is welcome, it is nowhere near enough to ensure the treaty enters into force in 2025, and in time to meet the goal of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030 – agreed by all governments in 2022[1].
The UK was among the first countries to sign the Global Ocean Treaty on 20 September 2023, indicating its intention to pass the Treaty into UK law. The current Labour government has repeatedly said it intends to ratify the Treaty, but has so far failed to introduce the necessary primary legislation to do so or to commit to a timeline. This has prompted calls from the International Development Committee and environmental groups to begin the legislative process urgently. Responsibility for this process lies with Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Chris Thorne, Greenpeace UK senior ocean campaigner, said:
“David Lammy wants the UK to be a leader on climate and nature, so he can’t afford to miss the boat on signing the Global Ocean Treaty into UK law. The Treaty can help to protect a third of our blue planet from threats like industrial fishing. As international action on ocean protection accelerates, the UK risks turning up empty handed at a key UN conference next month. Lammy must stop failing the ocean which all life on Earth depends on, prioritise ocean protection and urgently secure parliamentary time for the UK to join other European countries in signing the Treaty into law. We hear legislation has been drafted and is ready to go, it just needs pushing over the line.”
The Global Ocean Treaty requires ratification by 60 states to enter into force. Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia have joined the 22 other states that have already deposited their ratification at the UN, making a total of 28 so far, nearly half of the 60 required. Governments had aimed to ratify the Treaty by June’s UN Ocean Conference to ensure that it enters into force quickly enough to protect 30% of the oceans by 2030. This Treaty is the only legal tool which can deliver this target on the high seas[2].
Lukas Meus, Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe ocean campaigner, said: “It gives us hope to see such a large group of European countries ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty, but it’s still not enough. Governments had targeted the UN Ocean Conference as their deadline to ratify the Treaty, but even with this group of countries, that target is set to be missed. More countries must ratify the Treaty at the UN Ocean Conference, and should also confirm their support for a global moratorium on deep sea mining. Only then could we call this conference a success.”
The UN Ocean Conference is the first high-level meeting after a deep sea mining company submitted the first-ever application to mine the deep sea to the US Government, bypassing the International Seabed Authority (ISA), the regulatory body set up by the United Nations to protect the deep sea as the common heritage of humankind and decide whether deep sea mining can start in the international seabed[3].
With this new looming threat of exploitation, countries must make it clear that deep sea mining must not be allowed to start in 2025 and actively work towards securing a moratorium at the upcoming meeting of the International Seabed Authority in July, just weeks after the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC).
Greenpeace UK is calling on the UK government to:
Prioritise ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty by making time in the parliamentary schedule ahead of UNOC
Speak out in favour of a global moratorium on deep sea mining and use diplomatic influence to build support for this and the multilateral system
Implement a full ban on all forms of destructive fishing, including bottom trawling, in all UK marine protected areas
Work with the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda and other nations to champion one of the world’s first high seas sanctuaries in the Sargasso Sea. This stunning ecosystem supports a plethora of iconic wildlife including humpback whales, dolphins and sea turtles
[1] Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia have joined Palau, Chile, Belize, Seychelles, Monaco, Mauritius, Federated States of Micronesia, Cuba, Maldives, Singapore, Bangladesh, Barbados, Timor Leste, Panama, St. Lucia, Spain, France, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, Republic of Korea and Costa Rica.
[2] In 2022, during the UN Biodiversity COP15, states agreed on a target of protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, a figure supported by scientists for several years. 2.7% of the global ocean is currently fully or highly protected from human activities, and the figure is just 0.9% for areas of the high seas, which are beyond national jurisdiction. Greenpeace calculates that at the current rate of protection, the 30% target will not be reached until 2107.
[3] In a media statement, the European Commission has said that it “deeply regrets” the US president’s Executive Order that “circumvents” the negotiations in the ISA, and that “it is crucial to recall that its provisions reflect customary international law and are thus binding on all states irrespective of whether they have acceded to the Convention or not.”
Greenpeace calls upon the international community to urgently uphold international law and ensure the immediate release of the Freedom Flotilla humanitarian vessel the Madleen along with its crew.
The ship was illegally seized in international waters by Israeli forces off the coast of Gaza as it attempted to break the long standing blockade preventing the delivery of life saving aid and food by sea.
The Israeli Government continues to enforce a full blockade by land and sea of aid and food from international organisations, compounding an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Blocking aid and targeting those who deliver it are grave violations of international humanitarian law.
While the people of Gaza continue to suffer from the devastating acts of collective punishment, the international community has utterly failed to respond with the necessary moral urgency and integrity. Their inaction is not neutrality. It is complicity.
The ongoing weaponisation of aid has placed over two million on the precipice of famine with most being considered to exist in either a state of emergency or catastrophic food deprivation and malnourishment.
The death toll of bullets and bombs will be lost in the shadows when compared to the innocent lives taken as a consequence withholding bread and medicine! Only by immediately ending the siege and releasing all UN aid convoys amassed on the border can famine be averted.
Greenpeace demands:
An immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire to halt the assault on civilians and the environment.
The release by Hamas of all hostages.
The release by Israel of all illegally detained Palestinians.
The imposition of targeted sanctions and a comprehensive arms embargo, enforced by the international community.
The unhindered delivery of aid by the UN and other humanitarian organisations.
An end to the illegal occupation of Palestine.
Greenpeace supports a future in which Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace, within recognised borders, consistent with international law and relevant UN resolutions.
If the international community continues to stand-by without taking concrete action as ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity mount, it will have to answer for aiding and abetting a genocide. The time to act is now!
The 2025 BAL Finals (https://BAL.NBA.com) are officially set. Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya) will face Petro de Luanda (Angola) on Saturday, June 14 at 4 p.m. CAT at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, marking the culmination of the league’s milestone fifth season.
In last night’s first semifinal, Al Ahli Tripoli defeated APR (Rwanda) 84–71. Fabian White Jr. led the way with 23 points and 7 rebounds, while Caleb Agada added 17 points. Al Ahli’s sharp shooting from beyond the arc (41.4%) proved decisive, as APR struggled from three, going just 4-for-18. Nuni Omot led APR with 22 points, while Obadiah Noel, Chasson Randle, and Aliou Diarra each contributed 13 points.
In the second semifinal, the defending champion Petro de Luanda cruised to a 96–74 win over Al Ittihad (Egypt) as they continue their pursuit of back-to-back BAL titles. Kendrick Ray led all scorers with 21 points, while Aboubacar Gakou added 17. Petro shot 40.7% from three and made 85% of their free throws. For Al Ittihad, Lual Acuil scored a team-high 16 points, but the team struggled from deep, hitting 5 of 26 attempts.
Al Ittihad will face APR in the third-place game on Friday, June 13 at 7 p.m. CAT.
PRESS CONFERENCE
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).
The United States has begun evacuating non-essential personnel from its diplomatic missions and military bases in the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran and stalled nuclear negotiations, the State Department and the Department of Defense confirmed on Wednesday.
The US Embassy in Baghdad is at the center of the drawdown, with the State Department authorizing the departure of staff not deemed critical to ongoing operations. In parallel, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has permitted the departure of military dependents stationed across the region. Personnel in US embassies in Bahrain and Kuwait are reportedly on standby for relocation, according to US and Iraqi sources.
President Donald Trump, addressing reporters, said the decision was taken due to security concerns. “They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place,” he said. “We’ve given notice to move out and we’ll see what happens. Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon. Very simply, they can’t have a nuclear weapon, we’re not going to allow that.”
The US move follows an apparent deadlock in nuclear talks with Tehran, raising fears of possible conflict. Iranian Defence Minister officials have warned that US military assets in the region would be targeted if the nuclear negotiations fail and a confrontation ensues.
US intelligence assessments reportedly indicate that Israel has been preparing for a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, adding further uncertainty to an already volatile situation. President Trump has urged Israel to refrain from any preemptive military action as Washington continues efforts to revive the nuclear deal.
Reuters reported that the partial evacuation and accompanying security measures have already had economic ripple effects, with global oil prices rising by more than four percent on the news. A US official confirmed that voluntary departures had been authorized for American diplomatic missions in Bahrain and Kuwait.
On Wednesday evening, the State Department updated its global travel advisory to reflect the changes, stating: “On June 11, the Department of State ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel due to heightened regional tensions.”The developments mark a sharp escalation in US-Iran relations, with regional actors bracing for potential fallout if diplomacy fails to yield results.
For the first time in memory, an Australian prime minister is approaching a prospective meeting with a US president with a distinct feeling of wariness.
Of course Anthony Albanese would deny it.
But it’s undeniable the government is relieved that Albanese’s coming trip (for which he leaves Friday) won’t feature a visit to Washington with a meeting in the Oval Office. Having seen what happened publicly to some other leaders in such encounters, Albanese has at least avoided any such risk. Instead, Albanese and President Donald Trump are expected to meet on the sidelines of the G7 in Canada.
Think about this. Normally, an Australian prime minister heading to North America would be deeply disappointed at not receiving an invitation to Washington, especially when he had not yet met the president face to face (although Albanese and Trump have had phone calls).
The non-Washington encounter, expected on the sidelines of the G7, is less hazardous but still highly unpredictable for Albanese.
It could go swimmingly. But that will depend on Trump’s mood on the day and what briefings he has had. And who can make sound predictions about any of that? Australian officials find the White House difficult to deal with or read.
Now, on the cusp of Albanese’s trip, a US review of AUKUS has become public.
The story appeared in the Financial Times, which quoted a Pentagon spokesperson saying the departmental review was to ensure “this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the president’s ‘America First’ agenda”. The spokesperson noted US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had “made clear his intent to ensure the [defence] department is focused on the Indo-Pacific region first and foremost”.
The review is to be led by the undersecretary of defence for policy, Elbridge Colby, who months ago flagged the US wanted Australia to be spending some 3% of GDP on defence. This was upped to 3.5% in a recent meeting between Defence Minister Richard Marles and Hegseth.
The Australian government is playing down the AUKUS review as being more or less routine. Marles said he has known about it for some time. He told Sky, “I am comfortable about it and I think it’s a pretty natural step for an incoming government to take and we’ll have an opportunity to engage with it”.
Nevertheless, the fact of the review and the timing of the report about it will turn the screws on Albanese over defence spending.
The prime minister makes two points on this – that Australia takes its own decisions, and that defence spending should be set on the basis of the capability needed rather than determined by a set percentage.
But there is a general view among experts that Australia will need to boost substantially its spending. Albanese won’t want to capitulate on the issue, but he will need some diplomatic lines. He could point out Australia has its next Strategic Defence Review in 2026. This is more an update on delivery than a fundamental review but could give an opportunity for a rethink.
On AUKUS, Albanese will want to reinforce its mutual benefits and importance. He canvassed AUKUS in his first call with Trump, after the presidential election.
The president may or may not be briefed on the latest attacks on the pact by two former prime ministers, triggered by the review.
Paul Keating, an unrelenting critic of the agreement, said in a statement the AUKUS review “might very well be the moment Washington saves Australia from itself”.
Malcolm Turnbull said in a social media post that the United Kingdom and the United States are conducting reviews of AUKUS but “Australia, which has the most at stake, has no review”.
The Trump–Albanese conversation could be complicated by the Australian government’s imposition this week of sanctions on two hardline Israeli ministers for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.
This action, in concert with the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway, was immediately condemned by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called for the sanctions to be withdrawn.
All this before we even get to the issue of tariffs, and Australia offering a deal on critical minerals to try to get some concessions.
There is a lot of scripting prepared before such meetings. Albanese will have his talking points down pat. But with Trump being an “off-script” man, it is not an occasion for which the PM can be confident ahead of time that he is fully prepared.
But Albanese has one safeguard, in domestic political terms. If things went pear-shaped Australians – who have scant regard for Trump – could be expected to blame the president rather than the prime minister.
Michelle Grattan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
HOUSTON, June 12 (Xinhua) — Nonessential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and their families have been ordered to leave Iraq due to unspecified security risks, U.S. State Department sources said Wednesday.
“Based on our most recent review, we have decided to reduce our mission’s presence in Iraq,” the State Department said in a statement. “We continually evaluate the necessary personnel levels at all of our embassies.”
Also on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave permission for the voluntary departure of family members of American service members from facilities in the Middle East.
The security risks that led to the order to leave Iraq are not yet clear. Iran has recently threatened to attack US bases in the region if talks on Iran’s nuclear program fail, according to media reports.
US President Donald Trump said in a podcast on Wednesday that he is becoming less and less confident about the possibility of a nuclear deal with Iran.
Later Wednesday, when asked why American military families were allowed to leave the Middle East, Trump said: “You’ll see.”
US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff is expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this weekend for a sixth round of nuclear talks. –0–
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
UNITED NATIONS, June 12 (Xinhua) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over U.S. sanctions against four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges, his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Wednesday.
“The Secretary-General expresses grave concern that four judges of the International Criminal Court have been targeted for sanctions pursuant to an executive order by the US President,” he said.
While the UN and the ICC are separate organizations with separate and distinct mandates, the UN considers the ICC a key pillar of international criminal justice and the secretary-general respects its work, Haq said at a daily briefing.
A. Guterres also stressed the importance of the basic principle of independence of the judiciary, he said.
Last week, Washington imposed sanctions on four International Criminal Court judges for their involvement in ICC actions against the United States or Israel, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. –0–
Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 60 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday, most of them near an aid site operated by the U.S- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the enclave, local health officials said.
Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals said at least 25 people were killed and dozens wounded as they approached a food distribution centre near the former Jewish settlement of Netzarim before dawn.
Israel’s military, which has been at war with Hamas militants since October 2023, said its forces fired warning shots overnight towards a group of suspects as they posed a threat to troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor.
“This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured; the details are under review,” it said.
Later on Wednesday, health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip said at least 14 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached another GHF site in Rafah.
The GHF late on Wednesday accused Hamas of killing at least five people in an attack on a bus carrying two dozen Palestinians working with the aid organization to one of its distribution sites.
“We will continue our mission to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza,” it said in a statement.
The foundation earlier said it was unaware of Wednesday’s incidents involving civilians but added that it was working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it was essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions.
“Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population,” it said by email in response to Reuters questions.
“There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment.”
GHF said it distributed 2.5 million meals on Wednesday, the largest single-day delivery since it began operations, bringing to more than 16 million the number of meals provided since its operations started in late May.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says that since then, 163 Palestinians had been killed and over 1,000 wounded trying to obtain the food boxes.
The United Nations has condemned the killings and has refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards.
Elsewhere in Gaza on Wednesday, its health ministry said at least 11 other people were killed by separate Israeli gunfire and strikes across the coastal enclave.
The war erupted 20 months ago after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, on October 7, 2023, Israel’s single deadliest day.
Israel’s military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people. Most of the population is displaced and malnutrition is widespread.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been “significant progress” in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was “too soon” to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.
Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any breakthrough in negotiations.