I’ve already printed out my copy. Watch the show he co-hosted this week with China Writers’ Group member Billy Bob (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003511545399),

Blowback: Exposing Imperial Decline

https://www.youtube.com/@BlowbackExposingImperial-hh8ig

Outline

TOPICAL

ELENSKY MAKES FRIENDS – Insults Biden, Trump, and now China, rude to Marcos. Pretty amazing ‘diplomacy’ on his part!

CHINA WON’T BACK DOWN – Shangri-La produces the strongest responses so far, including the Elensky-lesson, and crushing.

PISS SUMMIT – Nobody cares.

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BATTLEGROUND 404

404 DAUNTING REALITY

– 404: Power facilities damaged in five regions – Donetsk, Zaporozhia, Dnipro, Kirovgrad, Ivano-Frankivsk – Ukroenergo ( AP )

– 404: Emergency energy shutdowns hit Ukraine – in all but three regions – affecting industry and households – Ukroenergo ( AP )

– 404: Ukraine reaches preliminary agreement with IMF on $2.2b loan – chunk of four-year loan – outlook uncertain ( Bloomberg )

– 404: Basic training in Ukraine is barely covering the basics, most new troops arrive with poor training – Commanders ( WaPo )

– 404: Kharkov no longer has its own power generation capability – Mayor Ihor Terekhov told Estonian ERR ( Ukraine Today )

– 404: US Abrams tanks failing in Ukraine – Russia mocks as ’empty tin cans’ – weak armor, no defense, ailing ( Telegraph UK )

– 404: Ukraine is running short of people – concern for business – conscription, exodus > workforce shrank by 1/4 ( Bloomberg )

– 404: Ukraine planning ‘record electricity imports‘ from Europe after energy infrastructure damage – Ministry ( Guardian UK )

– 404: Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dymitro Kuleba was dismissed from his post ( Ukro Pravda, later taken down! We’ll see )

404 COPIOUS COPIUM

– 404: In Crimea, Ukraine is beating Russia – The peninsula is becoming a death trap for the Kremlin‘s forces ( Economist UK )

– 404: Russia has suffered ‘highest monthly losses‘ since the war began – 508,000 in total – Ukraine MOD ( Newsweek )

– 404: Russia ‘loses 1,200 troops in 24 hours’ – 14 tanks, 22 APCs, 47 artillery – Ukraine General Staff ( Telegraph UK )

– 404: Ukraine‘s MOD claims ‘nine Russian jets’ downed in a month – even Newsweek put it in quotes ( Newsweek )

– 404: Russia has ‘heavily overestimated’ Ukraine gains amide ‘offensive push’ – ISW report claims ( Newsweek )

– 404: Ukraine signs bilateral security agreements with 3 Nordic states – Norway, Sweden, Iceland ( Kyiv Post )

404 THE GREEN GOBLIN

– 404 ( Archive ) Last week Elensky criticized Biden for not attending the Piss Summit – saying Putin will applaud

– 404: ‘The West lacks speed‘ – Elensky said that ‘little help has been received from the US‘ in Guardian interview ( Ukro Pravda )

– 404: Meloni confirmed that Elensky will be at the June G-7 Summit in Italy – will ask for longer range weapons ( ANSA It )

– 404: Elensky is invited to Normandy for 80th D-Day commemoration by Macron, Biden will also attend ( AP )

– 404: Elensky – Trump risks being a ‘loser president‘ if he imposes bad deal on Ukraine ( Guardian UK )

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– 404: Elensky arrived in Singapore to take part in the Shangri-La Dialogue – yet another ‘unscheduled‘ appearance ( Reuters )

– 404: Elensky met Singapore‘s president, thanked him for ‘clear stance’ on Ukraine, discussed relations ( Kyiv ‘Independent’ )

– 404: Elensky said that China ‘is working for countries not to come to the piss summit‘ – did not meet delegation ( Reuters )

– 404: Elensky ‘dominated‘ Asia security forum – asking for support and participation at his Swiss Piss Summit ( Reuters )

– 404: Elensky accused China of helping Russia ‘sabotage‘ the Piss Summit, by ‘threatening‘ countries ( Politico EU )

– 404: Elensky comes to Asia – meets Indonesia, Singapore, US, but not Dong Jun – and ‘scolds China‘ ( WaPo )

– 404: Elesnky said Ukraine will ‘do everything to make Israel stop‘ – concerns over crisis in Gaza ( RT RU )

– 404: Elensky said China is ‘helping Russia‘ by staying away from his Swiss Piss Summit ( FT UK )

– 404: Elensky asked for further easing of US restrictions on ATACMS to hit Russia ( Ukro Pravda )

– 404: Elensky accused Russia and China of undermining his Swiss Piss Summit ( BBC UK )

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– 404: Elensky backs Swiss Ukraine Piss Summit in another ‘surprise visit‘ to the Philippines – He thanked Marcos ( Euronews )

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– USC: Vice President Kamala Harris will represent the US at a Swiss ‘piss summit’ for Ukraine – Sullivan will go too ( ABC )

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– WEA: China, Saudi Arabia both declare they will not attend Swiss Ukraine piss summit ( BNE Intellinews DE )

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– ASO: Shorten to tell world Australia stands with Ukraine – Bil is Disabilities minister > Piss Summit ( Sydney Morning Herald )

– ASO: Pakistan will likely skip Swiss Piss Summit in effort to maintain neutral – sources told ( Pakistan Today )

– ASO: India is yet to decide on level of participation at the Swiss Ukraine Piss Summit ( Hindustan Times )

MORE AT SHANGRI-LA

– USC: ‘America can only be secure if Asia is secure‘ – Austin declared support for Taiwan, Philippines ( Global Times CN )

– USC: ‘NATO expansion is not to blame‘ for Ukraine conflict, ‘Putin is to blame‘ – Lloyd Austin said at presser ( RT RU )

– USC: US SecDef Austin arrived in Cambodia – meeting aimed at reversing Beijing’s gains incl. Naval base ( Reuters )

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– EUK: NATO admiral Rob Bauer met Chinese JCOS Chief Jing Jianfeng, talked NATO / China ‘points of concern‘ ( official X )

– EUK: The EU has no evidence of Chinese weapons supply to Russia – Borrell told Singapore Shangri-La forum ( Tass RU )

– EUK: Ukraine can strike Russian targets with Dutch F-16s – unlike Belgian policy – DM Kajsa Ollongern ( Politico EU )

– EUK: NATO can now declare war – invoke article 5 – over a ‘cyber attack‘ Admiral Rob Bauer said at presser ( NATO )

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– RUC: China hit Elensky back – ‘has never fanned fire of fuelled the flames on Russia–Ukraine‘ – Mao Ning ( Global Times CN )

– RUC: PLA is ready, together with the Russian Army to defend justice in the world – MOD official Wu Quian ( Global Times CN )

– RUC: China never supplied weapons systems either parties in Ukraine – DM Dong Jun said at a press conference ( Tass RU )

– RUC: ‘Whoever dares to split Taiwan from China will be crushed to pieces and suffer self destruction‘ – Dong Jun ( GT CN )

– RUC: Chinese DM Dong Jun stressed redlines on core issues with Austin – first meeting since 2022 ( Global Times CN )

– RUC: Joint statement by China, Arab states calls for immediate Gaza ceasefire, UN implementation ( Global Times CN )

– RUC: China will not allow anyone to bring any war – hot or cold – into the region, DM Dong Jun told SOD Austin ( AP )

– RUC: Elensky attends Shangri-La Dialogue – Asian states should ‘avoid similar confrontation trap‘ ( Global Times CN )

– RUC: China will not allow ‘invited wolves into the house‘ – Lt General He Lei told Marcos Jr. ( Global Times CN )

– RUC: ‘Taiwan Independence’ means war – Lt. Gen. Jing Jianfeng told a press conference ( Global Times CN )

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BATTLEGROUND EURASIA

THE ACTUAL WAR MOVES

– USC: US escalation in Ukraine needs a plan – the move won’t end the war –  only prolong it – RAND/ECFR authors ( WaPo 💬 )

– USC: Biden rules out NATO membership for Ukraine in major intervention – in interview to TIME magazine ( Telegraph UK )

– USC: In Israel and Ukraine, Biden navigates two of America’s most difficult allies – Ukraine has nothing left to lose ( NYT )

– USC: Now is not the time to negotiate with Putin – Ukraine must do so from a position of strength – Rajan Menon ( FP 💬 )

– USC: Biden ‘does not want to be responsible for starting WW3 – not looking for a conflict with Russia‘ – Kirby ( RT RU )

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– EUK: UK military chief doubts WW3 over Ukraine – Admiral Tony Radakin confident in NATO’s strength – he told Sky ( RT RU )

– EUK: Sweden and Finland are ‘assets for NATO in the arctic‘ – Sophie Arts, a German Marshall fund officer said ( Euronews )

– EUK: UK has never limited Kiev‘s use of long-range ( Storm Shadow ) missiles, Stoltenberg told EU FMs in Prague ( RT RU )

– EUK: EU strategy to contain Russia must be holistic – Czech FM Lipavský cals for comprehensive NATO strategy ( Euractiv )

– EUK: NATO land corridors could rush US troops to front line in event of European war ( Telegraph UK ☆ )

– EUK: Germany admits Ukraine may use Patriots vs aircraft over Russia – ‘their responsibility‘ – MG Freuding ( Ukro Pravda )

– EUK: Scholz expects continued threats from Russia – needs position of strength, deploys a brigade to Baltics ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: Poland considers forming unit of ‘draft aged Ukainians‘ living there, FM Sikorski said in Prague ( Kyiv ‘Independent’ )

– EUK: We have no Plan B if Ukraine falls – Kaja Kallas pledged 1% GDP – if everybody paid, Ukraine would win ( BBC UK )

– EUK: Stoltenberg proposed doubling his €100b weapons fund for Ukraine – €40n / year – payment not yet clear ( Euractiv )

– EUK: Mega rumor about top job for Baerbock – power broker ‘behind the scenes’ says she may succeed Ursula ( Bild DE )

– EUK: US, Kiev and NATO representatives attend closed-doors Bilberberg meeting in Madrid to discuss Russia ( RT RU )

– EUK: French ‘instructors’ are already on their way to Ukraine, MP Aleksiy Goncharenko‘s sources told him ( official X )

– EUK: First Greek air force pilot ‘instructor’ has arrived in Kiev, Ukraine, Defence-Point exclusive report claims ( RT RU )

– EUK: The Czech Republic has launched a pilot project for voluntary return to Ukraine ( Radio Prague International )

– EUK: German MP Strack-Zimmerman urged the military to ‘activate the 900,000 reservists we have’ ( DPA DE )

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– RUC: Russia warns US against ‘making mistakes that may have fatal consequences‘ – Deputy FM Ryabkov ( Tass RU )

– RUC: The EU has turned from a peaceful economic project into a militarist association – Maria Zakharova ( Tass RU )

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– ASO: DPRK will stop sending rubbish balloons – after sending 15 tons on 3,500 balloons – resume if leaflets resume ( Reuters )

– ASO: Australian DM Richard Marles offered China ‘the chance to prosper‘ if it helps defeat Russia ( Financial Review AU )

– ASO: South Korea vows it will soon take ‘unbearable‘ retaliatory steps against North – NatSec director Chang Ho-Jin ( AP )

– ASO: South Korea plans to suspend 2018 military agreement with the North – presidential office – vote Tuesday ( Reuters )

– ASO: DPRK sent 600 more rubbish-filled balloons across the border – about 20-50 an hour – Seoul JCS ( Guardian UK )

THE INFORMATION WAR

– USC: Pentagon seeks books on Russian, Chinese military strategy – by Samuel Ramani and Ofer Fridman by June ( RT RU )

– USC: The Clooney foundation seeks criminal prosecution of Russian ‘propagandists’ in Europe – Anna Neistat ( VOA / CIA )

– USC: Blinken seeks $1.5m vs ‘newly discovered’ RT disinformation efforts – influence nations ‘particularly in Africa‘ ( RT RU )

– USC: US State Department seized the passport of former Marine and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter at airport ( RT RU )

– USC: George Clooney said his foundation ‘made a mistake‘ talking about plans to persecute Russian journalists ( Tass RU )

– USC: After ‘crackdown’ in Hong Kong ( 7 ppl ) ‘overseas communities’ carry the torch, keep Tiananmen memory alive ( AP )

– USC: China is ‘prepositioning‘ for future cyberattacks – new US NSA chief General Timothy Haugh is concerned ( WSJ )

– USC: Trump’s attacks on US justice system after guilty verdict could be useful to autocrats like Putin ( AP )

– USC: This year’s election interference could make 2016 ‘look cute’ – first big ‘AI crisis‘ ( WaPo 💬 )

– USC: US State Department seizes Scott Ritter’s passport, pulls him off the plane ( RT RU )

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– EUK: Putin’s next conquests are already in his sights – Moldova–Balt–Balkan ‘hybrid war’ – Ivana Stradner ( Telegraph UK 💬 )

– EUK: Russia‘s nuclear threats are losing their power – West intensifies previously unthinkable – Gideon Rachman ( FT UK 💬 )

– EUK: UK ranked second most powerful country in ‘soft power‘ – Global SP index between US, Germany ( UK Defence Journal )

– EUK: With Ukraine’s resources, Putin would be unstoppable – economic chaos – Liliane Bivings in Kiev ( Telegraph UK 💬 )

– EUK: If Putin wins, expect the worst genocide since Holocaust – rape, mass executions – Karolina Hird ( Telegraph UK 💬 )

– EUK: ‘War will end when Ukraine wins it‘ – Bundeswehr Major General Christian Freuding – RND interview ( Ukro Pravda )

– EUK: If Ukraine joins NATO, even without some territory than that’s a victory – Kaja Kallas told a BBC journalist ( RT RU )

– EUK: British Ministers warn MI5 chiefs of increased ‘espionage challenges‘ from Moscow and Beijing ( Telegraph UK )

– EUK: ‘The postwar era is over’ and a ‘new age of insecurity has begun‘ – Keir Starmer made a speech ( Guardian UK )

– EUK: Russia co-opts ‘far-right’ politicians in Europe with cash – via Czech Voice of Europe – ‘officials say’ ( WaPo )

– EUK: Putin is testing NATO borders for weak spots – Baltic and Finnish security chiefs warn ( Telegraph UK )

– EUK: British DM releases video claiming promise not to expand NATO never actually happened ( official X )

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– RUC: ‘Garry‘ Kasparov – who fled a decade ago – to face criminal charges under Russian foreign agents law ( Tass RU )

– RUC: China accuses MI6 of coercing married couple to spy for Britain – using money and deceit ( Times UK )

THE ECONOMIC WAR

– USC: We need to ‘put sand in the gears‘ of the Russian war machine – private sector must play part – DST Adeyemo ( FT UK )

– USC: G7 to target Banks ‘helping’ Russia evade sanctions – ‘Russian SWIFT’ SPFS – 20 countries/500+ banks ( Bloomberg )

– USC: Trump‘s plan to supercharge inflation – voters don’t, but economists ‘think’ he will mishandle economy ( The Atlantic )

– USC: How America ‘inadvertently‘ created an ‘axis of evasion‘ led by China – shadow RU-CN-IR-VEN economies ( WSJ )

– USC: Biden and Trump share a faith in import tariffs, despite inflation risks – economists warn of higher prices ( WaPo )

– USC: Key engines of US consumer spending are losing steam all at once – credit, disposable income ( Bloomberg )

– USC: Two Japanese F-35 fighter jets make emergency landings after one has a ‘mechanical problem’ ( AP )

– USC: Boeing Starliner crewed mission postponed indefinitely – again minutes before launch ( Reuters )

– USC: Abnormally dry Canada ( low hydropower ) taps US energy, reversing usual flow ( NYT )

– USC: Boeing, NASA target June 5 for Staliner’s debut crewed flight – again ( Reuters )

——————————————————

– EUK: EU sanctions Iranian DM, Quds cmdr. six people over ‘drone transfers to Russia‘ – Iran MFA condemns ( Al Monitor UK )

– EUK: German rise in unemployment three times worse than expected – 25,000 vs 7,000 Bloombeg expected ( Bloomberg )

– EUK: Estonia enacts law allowing the use of Russian assets for Ukraine – first to do so, holds only $38 million ( DPA DE )

– EUK: Germany, France, Netherlands called on EUC to sanction third country ‘fraudulent biofuels’ from China ( Euractiv )

– EUK: European gas price jumps 13% after Norwegian processing plant outage – looks like dependency to me? ( FT UK )

– EUK: Sanctioning Russian nuclear sector would hurt the EU – IAEA Rafael Grossi – up to 40% dependent ( RT RU )

– EUK: Eurozone inflation up ‘more than expected’ before ECB meeting – set to cut rates next week ( Bloomberg )

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– WEA: Türkish FM Hakan Fidan visited Beijing, expressed desire to join BRICS ‘why would we not?‘ ( Telegraph UK )

– WEA: OPEC+ tentatively agreed to extending all production curbs through the end of 2025 ( WSJ Exclusive )

– WEA: Reserve Bank of India repatriated 100 tons of gold from the UK – more may be on its way ( CNBC )

——————————————————

– RUC: China ready for mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia on P.O.Siberia-2 pipeline – Mao Ming ( Guardian UK )

– RUC: Russia overtook Japan back in 2021 on PPP basis – new World Bank data – is now number four ( WorldBank )

– RUC: Russian oil finds new site for cargo switching – Nador, Morocco – raising alarm in EU capitals ( Bloomberg )

– RUC: China‘s factory activity – PMI – rises at fastest pace in about 2 years on robust global demand ( Reuters )

– RUC: China lands on moon’s far side in historic sample-retrieval mission – Space Agency said ( Euractiv )

– RUC: China‘s Chang’e-6 lunar probe could return with answer to origins of the solar system ( Reuters )

– RUC: China unfurls flag on dark side of the Moon as probe heads back to Earth ( Telegraph UK )

– RUC: Russia supplied foods to more than 160 countries in 2023 – PM Mishustin ( Tass RU )

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– ASO: Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda apologizes for massive cheating on certification tests, suspends production of 3 cars ( AP )

– ASO: Japan‘s automakers in safety certification scandal – Toyota, Suzuki, Honda, Mazda, Yamaha pause shipments ( Reuters )

– ASO: Thailand to become first SE Asian BRICS member eyeing development – Cabinet fully approves bid ( Global Times CN )

– ASO: Chinese investment in Thailand looks expected to maintain record high in 2024 – largest investor ( Global Times CN )

– ASO: India‘s leader faces a reckoning with its poor – 821 million Indians are poor enough for food programmes ( Reuters )

– ASO: Kazakh president Tokayev favors expansion of bilateral partnership with Russia – meeting with Volodin ( Tass RU )

– ASO: India‘s Modi plans post-election ‘business-friendly‘ reforms to ‘rival Chinese manufacturing‘ ( Reuters )

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– AFR: Kenya hears ‘heartbreaking’ claims of UK soldiers’ abuse in inquiry, DM Duale said will seek prosecution ( BBC UK )

– AFR: Russia is said to seek French-held Uranium assets in Niger – Rosatom said to have contacts ( Bloomberg ☆ )

– AFR: Russian FM Sergei Lavrov arrived in Guinea – first trip since 2013 – as part of African tour ( Tass RU )

– AFR: Russian FM Sergei Lavrov arrived in Republic of Congo – 60th anniversary of relations ( Tass RU )

– AFR: Russia and Sudan close to signing 25-year military cooperation deal ( Telegraph UK  )

THE DISSENTERS

– EUK: Hungary undecided on piss summit participation due to Russia‘s absence, Hungarian FM > Belorussian TV ( Tass RU )

– EUK: Putin would obliterate Britain‘s ’embarrassingly small’ tank fleet in two weeks – top ex-army Lt Col Crawford ( Sun UK )

– EUK: Belgian EU presidency urges governments to move toward muzzling Hungary – deprive it of voting rights ( Politico EU )

– EUK: ‘Not everything was bad’ – The Eastern Mercedes and a Communist Past – nostalgia festival in East Germany ( NYT )

– EUK: The EU strategy on Ukraine has failed – politicians can’t admit it – want to avoid responsibility – Szijjártó ( DDGeo )

– EUK: Orbán: Hungary will to prevent Europe from entering war with Russia, which would lead to its demise ( Tass RU )

– EUK: Bulgarian nostalgia for Communism feeds anti-EU ‘propaganda‘ – ‘glorious era‘ – ‘don’t know the past‘ ( Euractiv )

– EUK: Gagauzia leader Gutsul says Moldovan authorities are trying to oust her with trumped-up charges ( Tass RU )

– EUK: Orbán: ‘We do not want to shed blood for Ukraine, we will not go to war’ – Peace March ( BudapestTimes HU )

– EUK: Hungary’s foreign minister Szijjártó visited Belarus despite EU sanctions, talked about expanding ties ( AP )

– EUK: Hungary’s Orbán: Refusal of peace means death for Ukraine – speech at Peace March ( Rybar RU )

——————————————————

– WEA: US is behind two failed ‘color revolutions’ in Georgia – Tbilisi will reconsider US ties – PM Irakli Kobakidze said ( RT RU )

– WEA: ‘It feels like there’s no future’ – Georgia’s clash with West leaves people on brink – cuts economic lifeline ( Politico EU )

– WEA: Speaker of Georgian Parliament – Shalva Paauashvili – has signed ‘foreign agents’ bill into law ( RT RU )

DO WE CARE? EUROPE

– EUK: S&P downgrades France as debt soars more than expected, putting it on par with Czech and Estonian ratings ( Fortune )

– EUK: Macron wants France to ‘dive head first into war with Russia’ – France in ‘staggering danger‘ – Le Pen speech ( RT RU )

– EUK: Don’t expect policy change – PM Attal says after credit downgrade – ‘already too much tax in France‘ ( Reuters )

– EUK: France‘s ‘far right’ may win big in EU elections – that’s worrying for migrants, Macron and Ukraine ( AP )

– EUK: S&P, after Fitch, cut France‘s credit rating citing sovereign debt ‘overshoot’ ( Euractiv )

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– EUK: UK care agencies accused of exploiting foreign workers caught in debt traps – trafficking / modern slavery ( Guardian UK )

– EUK: Unemployed Britons to do migrant jobs under Labour – curb ‘reliance on foreign labor’ – Sha-HS Cooper ( Telegraph UK )

– EUK: £7bn wiped off GlaxoSmithKline as it faces 70,000 lawsuits – on heartburn medicine Zantac > cancer ( Telegraph UK )

– EUK: ‘Keir Starmer : Will labor stop arming Israel‘ banner appeared hung over the side of the Westminster bridge ( photos )

– EUK: Cancer cases rising twice as fast among under-50 Britons since 1990s – landmark British research ( Times UK )

– EUK: Starmer pledges to cut net migration if Labor wins general elections – no numbers, timelines ( Guardian UK )

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– USC: Presiden Biden asked Belgium to urge Palestinians to negotiate – De Croo in White House ( Brussels Times )

– USC: Belgium rules out use of its F-16s jets by Ukraine against targets in Russia – at DC presser ( Brussels Times )

– USC: President De Croo paid tribute to victims of WW2 at Arlington Cemetery in the US ( Brussels Times )

– USC: Belgian PM met with Biden to discuss Ukraine, and the frozen Russian assets ( Ukro Pravda )

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BATTLEGROUND WEST ASIA

WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?

– USC: Blinken urged Israel and Hamas to take ceasefire deal – in call to war cabinet – as fresh strikes hit Rafah ( Guardian UK )

– USC: Biden urged Hamas to accept 3-phase hostage deal ‘proposed by Israel‘ – ceasefire, hostage release, reconstruct. ( AP )

– USC: John Kirby says if Hamas agrees to deal, he ‘expects Israel to accept it too‘ – despite early rejection ( ABC interview )

– USC: Obama endorses Biden’s ‘clear, realistic and just’ hostage release and Gaza ceasefire proposal ( Times of Israel )

– USC: US state department falsified report absolving Israel on Gaza aid – Stacy Gilbert quit and leaked ( Guardian UK )

– USC: US seeks UN Security Council backing for proposed Gaza ceasefire deal – circulates draft resolution ( Reuters )

– USC: Israel has ‘accomplished most of their goals in Gaza‘– John Kirby told Stephanopolous – take the win ( ABC )

– USC: Trudeau endorses proposal outlined by Biden to wind down Israel–Hamas war ( Canadian Press )

– USC: Michael Douglas suggests anti-Israel campus protesters ‘must be brainwashed’ ( Euronews )

– USC: Biden says it’s ‘time for this war to end‘ as he lays out Israeli ceasefire proposal ( CNN )

——————————————————

– EUK: G-7 Leaders fully endorse and will stand behind the comprehensive deal outlined by President Biden ( G7 statement )

– EUK: German FM Baerbock mulled participation in possible ‘international protection force‘ in post-war Gaza ( Euractiv )

– EUK: European Union supports ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza – war must end now – Borrell ( Euronews )

——————————————————

– UN: Guterres welcomes US president Biden‘s Gaza cease-fire proposal – urges all sides to seize opportunity ( Analou TR )

——————————————————

– ISR: Biden‘s Gaza plan ‘not a good deal‘ but Israel accepts it – ‘needs much more work’ – Netanyahu aide Ophir Falk ( Reuters )

– ISR: Netanyahu doubles down after govt. meeting – will only agree to a ceasefire deal which if Hamas eliminated ( Times UK )

– ISR: Israel pushes back against Gaza ceasefire Biden has outlined – will pause hostility, not end it – Netanyahu ( Bloomberg )

– ISR: ‘We know where Nasrallah is, we can destroy him at any moment‘ – ex Mossad head Yossi Cohen ( Al Mayadeen LB )

– ISR: Ben-Gvir and Smotrich threatened to quit if Netanyhu agreed to US truce deal – ‘victory for terrorism‘ ( Guardian UK )

– ISR: Israel seeks a ‘governing alternative‘ to Hamas in Gaza – but no challengers named – Defense Minister Gallant ( AP )

– ISR: Netanyahu may face a choice between truce and his government’s survival – put ‘on the spot’ by Biden ( NYT )

– ISR: Netanyahu accepted invitation to speak at US congress, despite growing tensions, ‘blowback’ ( Politico US )

– ISR: Netanyahu called Biden ceasefire a ‘non-starter‘ without Hamas completely destroyed ( Times of Israel )

– ISR: Israel ‘retooled‘ Rafah offensive to avoid US red-lines, shelved the original plan ( WSJ )

THE GENOCIDE

– PAL: Children die of malnutrition as Rafah operation shifts threat of famine in Gaza – 30 last week – UNICEF ( Guardian UK )

– PAL: Gaza offensive has killed at least 36,379 Palestinians, wounded 82,777 since it began – Gaza Health ( Guardian UK )

– PAL: About 55% of all structures in the Gaza strip have been destroyed or damaged – UN satellite analysis ( UNOSAT )

– PAL: Hamas still strong in areas ‘cleared’ by Israel in northern Gaza – Defence experts, incl. Israelis ( Guardian UK )

– PAL: ‘Massive destruction’ – IDF destroyed UN shelters in Jabalia, Gaza – EuroMed Monitor ( Al Jazeera QT )

– PAL: Arrival of Israeli troops have choked aid supplies, deepening hunger crisis – UNICEF ( Guardian UK )

– PAL: 36 shelters in Rafah ‘are now empty‘ after at least a million people fled the city – UNRWA ( Reuters )

– PAL: Latest Israeli strikes in central Gaza kill at least 11 people – Palestinian Health Authority ( AP )

WAR SPREADS, CONSEQUENCES

– WEA: Iran‘s ‘hardline’ former President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad registers for June 28 Election ( Times of Israel )

– WEA: IDF operation in Rafah risks upsetting a delicate peace with Egypt – pillar of national security for decades ( NYT )

– WEA: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Israel is on a path to its own destruction – AFP ( Guardian UK )

– WEA: Israeli airstrikes near Northern Syrian city of Aleppo kill several people – SANA ( AP )

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– ISR: Fires rage overnight across North Israel after Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks ( Times of Israel )

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– ASO: The Maldives imposes ban on Israeli passport holders – in solidarity with Palestine ( RT RU )

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– RUC: Russia condemns Israeli strikes on Syria that may lead to large-scale escalation – MFA ( Tass RU )

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– UN: Chile joined ‘developing nations’ rallying behind ICJ genocide case –  President Gabrial Boric told lawmakers ( AP )

– UN: A group of UN experts called for all countries to recognise Palestinian statehood and ensure peace ( Guardian UK )

DO WE CARE? MEXICO

– LAT: She is also Mexico’s first Jewish president, although she has played down her heritage on the campaign trail ( NYT )

– LAT: Claudia Sheinbaum elected as Mexico‘s first female president – fmr Mexico City mayor, climate scientist ( Times UK )

– LAT: The first woman elected to lead Mexico faces ‘pressing gender-related issues‘ ( AP )

– LAT: How Mexico, bastion of machismo, got a female president before the US ( WaPo )

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APPENDICES

APPENDIX : Posts

– Haley God blessed Israel : https://x.com/NikkiHaley/status/1797357073220473324

– Browder is proud of Kasparov: https://x.com/Billbrowder/status/1797685020188127287

– Browder is proud of Yolanda: https://x.com/Billbrowder/status/1797684483178832190

APPENDIX : Videoclips

– British MOD NATO history : https://x.com/DefenceHQ/status/1796572644722036918

– Elensky threatens Philippines : https://x.com/ivan_8848/status/1797609455971942847

– Elensky China tool : https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1797194738036023754

– Elensky meets Austin : https://x.com/Zlatti_71/status/1797159119457071478

– Elensky war end: https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1797251158571971067

APPENDIX : Legend

💬 = Opinion piece

 ☆  = Exclusive piece

USC = United States + Canada

RUC = Russia + China

EUK = Europe + United Kingdom | 404 = Ukraine

WEA = West Asia, formerly Middle East | ISR = Israel | PAL = Palestine

ASO = Australia + Oceania

AFR = Africa

LAT = Latin America