The Russian president will travel to Pyongyang later this week after receiving a personal invitation from Kim Jong-un Read Full Article at RT.com

Seven Serbs and one UK citizen have been detained after a violent clash ahead of the Serbia-England match at Euro 2024 Read Full Article at RT.com

Marine Le Pen says she would not seek the immediate ouster of Macron if her party wins the upcoming snap election Read Full Article at RT.com

A Ukrainian man has claimed he committed a robbery so that he would be convicted and avoid mobilization Read Full Article at RT.com

The EU has established an Audit Board to investigate the potential corruption of aid allocated to Ukraine Read Full Article at RT.com

The Japan Training Squadron, JS Kashima and JS Shimakaze of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) arrived in Seychelles' Port Victoria on Monday for a friendly port call. Onboard the two ships are approximately 570 officers and crew members, including 200 newly commissioned officers who recently graduated from the Maritime Officer Candidate School. The visit is part of an almost six-month training cruise, where they expect to visit 13 ports around the world. The purpose of the Overseas Training Cruise is to develop the seamanship of the newly commissioned officers through various trainings at sea, as they foster their international perspectives, while at the same time promoting friendly relationships with port of call countries. At the arrival of the ships were representatives of the Seychelles Defence Forces, the Embassy of Japan, the Seychelles Japan Alumni Association as well as the School for the Deaf in Seychelles.   The Seychelles Japan Alumni Association is a group of people from the island nation who have studied in Japan.  The Chief of Staff of the Seychelles Defence Forces, Jean Attala, greeted the officers from the squadron. (Embassy of Japan in Seychelles) Photo License: All Rights Reserved   Speaking to SNA, the Chief of Staff of the Seychelles Defence Forces (SDF), Jean Attala said, «These courtesy visits are an opportune moment to exchange best practices on both sides. This is especially helpful during the times when several countries are participating in certain operations and everyone is aware of how each side usually operates.» He added that during their visit to Seychelles, the cadets from the Japanese Training Squadron will also be participating in this kind of exchange. «There will be visits organised for the cadets on board in which they will have the opportunity to observe different facilities such as the Coast Guard at Perseverance and the Airforce base at Pointe Larue. There will, of course, be interactions between the senior officers on board and high officials from Seychelles,» said Attala. As part of the activities during their visit, there will be an open day on Tuesday, June 18, the day on which Seychelles celebrates its Constitution Day, for an hour and a half starting from 10 am. Members of the public will be able to visit the ships. As a special treat, on Monday morning, the group welcoming the ship into port got a chance to go aboard.  Part of the group, Dolores Savy, the secretary of the Seychelles Japan Alumni Association said, «This visit is nice, the boat was very interesting.»

The African Union on Monday condemned «massacres» in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo that killed 150 people in June. African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat said he had learned with «dismay of the increasing massacres of innocent civilians» by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), in Beni and Lubero in North Kivu province. «The Chairman of the Commission strongly condemns these attacks, which have claimed the lives of 150 people since the beginning of June,» the statement said. Mahamat encouraged «Congolese authorities, in collaboration with the countries of the region, to intensify their efforts to curb the spread of the terrorist threat in the Great Lakes region». He also reiterated the African Union's «ongoing commitment to the countries of the Great Lakes region in their fight against terrorism». The attacks are attributed to the ADF, which originated in neighbouring Uganda. The group has operated in eastern DR Congo for decades and in 2019 it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, which portrays the ADF as its central African branch. Since the end of 2021, the Congolese and Ugandan armies have conducted joint operations against the ADF in North Kivu and neighbouring Ituri province, but have so far failed to stop the deadly attacks on civilians. The east of the country has been plagued by violence from armed groups for decades. © Agence France-Presse

Israel struck Gaza on Monday and witnesses reported blasts in the besieged territory's south, but fighting has largely subsided after a day of relative calm and as Muslims marked Eid al-Adha. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved his war cabinet, a government spokesman said, reflecting fractures at the top of the country's politics. David Mencer, spokesman for the prime minister's office, said the body had been disbanded following the resignation earlier this month of centrist leader Benny Gantz, who had required a war cabinet's formation in order to join a unity government. «So with Mr Gantz leaving government, there is no need for the cabinet,» whose duties Mencer said will be taken over by the pre-existing security cabinet. The security cabinet had finalised decisions proposed by the war cabinet. Israeli media said the move, which was not expected to trigger any major policy shift, was meant to counter pressure from far-right politicians seeking a greater say in decision-making. A daytime «pause» for aid deliveries around a southern Gaza route, announced at the weekend by Israel's military, appeared to be holding on Monday. But witnesses told AFP they could hear blasts in the centre and west of the southernmost city of Rafah on Monday morning. Elsewhere in the Palestinian territory an AFP correspondent said strikes and shelling have decreased. In Gaza City, medics at Al-Ahli hospital said at least five people were killed in two separate air strikes, and witnesses reported tank shelling in the southern neighbourhood of Zeitun. At least one strike hit Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, residents said. Palestinian officials in Rafah reported tank shelling early on Monday, before the start of the daily «local, tactical pause of military activity» announced by the army. It said the pause «for humanitarian purposes will take place from 8:00 am (0500 GMT) until 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) every day until further notice along the road that leads from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Salah al-Din road and then northwards». Earlier, an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP «there was no change» in the military's policy and stressed fighting «continues as planned». - 'Catastrophic hunger' - An army spokesperson told AFP the pause was in effect on Monday, and the military in a statement said troops were still operating in Rafah and central Gaza, reporting «close-quarters combat» that killed several militants. A map released by the army showed the declared humanitarian route extending up to Rafah's European Hospital, about 10 kilometres (six miles) from Kerem Shalom. Mahmud Basal, spokesman for the civil defence agency in the Hamas-ruled territory, said that apart from the deadly Gaza City strikes overnight, «the other areas of the Gaza Strip are somewhat calm». He reported military movements and gunfire in parts of Rafah as well as Bureij camp in central Gaza. On Sunday, the first day of Eid al-Adha, or the Muslim feast of the sacrifice, the spokesman said «calm has prevailed across all of Gaza». The Gaza health ministry said on Monday it had recorded 10 deaths over the past 24 hours, in one of the lowest daily tolls since the war began. The United Nations welcomed the Israeli announcement of the pause, although «this has yet to translate into more aid reaching people in need», said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA. He called for «further concrete measures by Israel to address longstanding issues» on humanitarian needs. Gazans «urgently need food, water, sanitation, shelter, and health care, with many living near piles of solid waste, heightening health risks,» Laerke said. Dire shortages of food and other essentials in the Gaza Strip have been exacerbated by overland access restrictions and the closure of the key Rafah crossing with Egypt since Israeli forces seized its Palestinian side in early May. After discussion with US President Joe Biden that month, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi agreed to temporarily divert aid from Rafah by sending it into Gaza via Israel's nearby Kerem Shalom crossing. Israel's military said the pause was in effect as part of efforts to «increase the volumes of humanitarian aid» following discussions with the United Nations and other organisations. The head of the World Health Organization said last week that much of Gaza's population faces «catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions.» - 'End the war' - The pause was announced a day after eight Israeli soldiers were killed in a blast near Rafah and three more troops died elsewhere, in one of the heaviest losses for the army in more than eight months of war against Hamas Palestinian militants. The war was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. The militants also seized 251 hostages. Of these, 116 remain in Gaza, although the army says 41 are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive aimed at eliminating Hamas has killed at least 37,347 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory's health ministry. In an Eid message late Sunday, US President Joe Biden called for the implementation of a ceasefire plan he outlined last month, saying it was «the best way to end the violence in Gaza» and to help civilians suffering «the horrors of the war between Hamas and Israel». Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators have been pushing for a new Gaza truce, so far without success. Biden's truce plan would bring an initial six-week pause to fighting. «I strongly believe that the three-phase ceasefire proposal Israel has made to Hamas and that the UN Security Council has endorsed is the best way to end the violence in Gaza and ultimately end the war,» the US president said. Hamas has insisted on the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire -- demands Israel has repeatedly rejected. © Agence France-Presse

Vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes for those trying to quit - but it's not necessarily safe itself. Here are ten potential health risks associated with the devices used by 4.5m Britons.

The Reds and Scotland legend Hansen was hospitalised last week, prompting a number of supportive messages from club and country

The roles of the EU institutions in negotiating and concluding international agreements, and the procedural steps, are set out in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The European Parliament's role corresponds to its law-making competences under the Treaties. If an international agreement falls exclusively within common and foreign security policy (CFSP), Parliament has no active role, but must still be informed at all stages by the Council, the European Commission or the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. If an international agreement does not fall exclusively within the CFSP, Parliament's specific powers depend on whether the agreement's substantive legal basis corresponds to an area of competence covered by the ordinary legislative procedure or special legislative procedure (SLP) with consent; if so, Parliament has the power to give or refuse consent to the conclusion of the agreement. If the agreement falls within the scope of an SLP where Parliament does not need to give consent, its role is limited to giving an opinion. Parliament is also entitled to call on the Court of Justice to verify ex ante whether an envisaged agreement is compatible with the EU Treaties. The 2010 framework agreement on relations between the European Parliament and the European Commission was a key step in developing Parliament's role in the negotiation and conclusion of international agreements. The agreement provides for Parliament to be informed from an early stage of negotiations on an international agreement, and for Members of Parliament to participate as observers in negotiations. The Commission undertook to keep Parliament informed on the entire negotiation process, with particular emphasis on agreements that fall within Parliament's power of consent. Parliament's Rules of Procedure lay down detailed procedural arrangements for the exercise of Parliament's competences in concluding international agreements, in particular for verification of the legal basis of an envisaged agreement that impacts Parliament's powers. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

At the constituent plenary sitting of the new parliamentary term (16-19 July 2024), the European Parliament will elect its 32nd President, to hold office for the first half of the 10th parliamentary term, until January 2026. The President has an important and increasingly visible function in the EU institutional and international setting, mirroring Parliament's influential role as shaper of EU policies and as co-legislator. This further updates an 'at a glance' note of January 2022. Source : © European Union, 2024 - EP

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says Moscow will at some point demand compensation from the West for sanctions-related damage Read Full Article at RT.com

At least nine people have died following a train crash in India’s West Bengal state on Monday Read Full Article at RT.com

Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has dismissed Kiev’s claim that Russia will attend the next ‘peace summit’ to sign a truce Read Full Article at RT.com

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party is predicted to suffer its worst defeat in more than a century Read Full Article at RT.com

An ammo explosion at a military area in the Czech Republic has left one dead and eight injured, army officials say Read Full Article at RT.com

[ISS] With all eyes on pirates and politics in the Gulf of Guinea and the Indian Ocean, who is keeping an eye on Africa's South Atlantic?

Four people travelling on two motorcycles with no registration plates died in a three-vehicle crash in Westmoreland yesterday. Their identities have not yet been ascertained. One hundred and ninety people have died in motor vehicle crashes since...

The Government has exceeded its target for registrants of the Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, which is being held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St James. Minister of Foreign and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, has indicated...

“It took courage and unwavering faith in the prospects of the Icelandic nation to fight for the sovereignty and the establishment of a republic.”

La situation que nous décrivons tous depuis quelques jours au sujet de la dette du Gabon et de son impact sur le pays est complexe et mérite une analyse approfondie. En effet, une dette publique élevée peut avoir des conséquences importantes sur l'économie d'un pays, surtout si elle n'est pas gérée de manière adéquate. Il est vrai que le changement de pouvoir au Gabon, avec l'avènement du CTRI, peut avoir un impact sur la gestion de la dette et sur les politiques économiques du pays. (...) - LIBRE PROPOS / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Dans un geste de solidarité exemplaire, l'Association Ossimane a récemment apporté un soutien considérable à l'Association L'Tass lors de leur sortie officielle le week end dernier à Mouila, capitale provinciale de la Ngounié. Cette collaboration entre les deux entités a eu un impact significatif sur la communauté locale, démontrant ainsi la puissance de l'entraide et de la coopération dans le domaine associatif . L'Association Ossimane, reconnue pour son engagement aux cotés des (...) - POLITIQUE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Nombreux sont ceux qui avaient souhaité que le pays soit épargné d'une situation post électorale brutale comme celle de 2016 quand le QG de Jean Ping, alors véritable vainqueur de la présidentielle, avait été pris d'assaut dans la nuit par la Garde Républicaine menée par Ali Bongo, le président déchu. N'en déplaise aux laudateurs invétérés du putsch du 30 août 2023, une grande majorité des Gabonais auraient sans doute oublié le rôle joué par cette Garde Républicaine dans les tueries (...) - LIBRE PROPOS / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

A new year, a new list, and yet Mumbai remains at the top spot as the most expensive city in India for expats. In a recent survey published by consultancy firm Mercer, Mumbai has in fact climbed up 11 spots to be ranked 136th globally. Delhi also featured in the top 200 and climbed up 4 spots from last year to 164th place.

The Congress demands suspension of all clearances for the «Mega Infra Project» in Great Nicobar, citing severe threats to tribal communities and ecological damage. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticizes the project's forest land diversion and its environmental impact, highlighting risks in an earthquake-prone area post-tsunami. Allegations include inadequate consultation with tribal councils and legal bodies, underscoring violations of constitutional and environmental norms, amid global expert warnings.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says work is progressing simultaneously on five issues identified in the city's feeder main last week and residents are being asked for continued patience with water conservation measures.

MINA: Hajj pilgrims began the ritual stoning of the devil, throwing pebbles at the Jamarat, three stone pillars, on the first day of Tashreeq, which also coincides with the second day of Eid Al-Adha. The ritual stoning began with Jamarat Al-Oula (the small pillar), continuing with Jamarat Al-Wusta (the middle pillar) and finally Jamarat Al-Aqaba (the large pillar), following in the Prophet Muhammad’s footsteps, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

MAKKAH: The Saudi Health Ministry reported record high temperatures at holy sites during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage. Temperatures soared to 51.8 degrees Celsius in the shade at the central area of the Grand Mosque, the ministry said, with Arafat reaching 48 degrees Celsius and Mina and Muzdalifah 46 degrees Celsius. In response to the extreme heat, the ministry urged pilgrims to minimize sun exposure to avoid heat-related illnesses. The ministry recommended staying hydrated and staying in shaded areas whenever possible.

MINA: Saudi authorities are carrying out helicopter surveillance flights around the clock to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims during Hajj. Under the Hajj Security Forces, the Security Aviation Command, operating under the Presidency of State Security, in collaboration with the Royal Saudi Air Force, this Hajj season is witnessing the deployment of advanced aircraft to oversee the movements of pilgrims in Makkah and its surrounding holy sites.

RIYADH: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi left Jeddah on Monday after performing Hajj, Saudi Press Agency reported. El-Sisi arrived in the Kingdom on Thursday and prayed in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah before performing his Hajj rituals.