News

June 1, Vice Minister of National Defence Greta Monika Tučkutė and Director of the National Cyber Security Centre (Lith. NKSC) under the MoD Liudas Ališauskas reviewed the current cybersecurity situation in Lithuania nad presented the main achievements this year.

The European Union and Australia held a Counter-Terrorism Dialogue on 2 June in Brussels.

COVID-19 has continued to be the most reported infectious disease in Beijing for five consecutive weeks, media reported Friday citing latest weekly report of Beijing municipal health authority, as sporadic reports of COVID-19 reinfections have kept increasing in some Chinese cities recently, causing public concern over whether there will be a new wave of the virus.

Cambodia’s main opposition Candlelight Party has delayed plans for a demonstration following a public threat from Prime Minister Hun Sen to jail the party’s vice president and other members.

No description

No description

No description

Protesters have again gathered in front of municipal buildings in several cities in northern Kosovo as Western diplomats ratchet up pressure on Pristina to hold fresh elections to defuse tensions over the installation of ethnic Albanian mayors that sparked clashes between ethnic Serbs and NATO peacekeepers earlier this week.

The Kremlin is "weaponizing information" to divide U.S. allies in the Balkans, and media outlets in the region should increase efforts to detect Russian disinformation and distinguish it from the truth, a top U.S. diplomat said on June 1 in an interview with RFE/RL.

No description

Sudan’s warring parties have clashed in the capital overnight and into Friday morning after the failure to maintain a ceasefire and ease the humanitarian crisis, which was worsened by the US sanctions.

No description

On Friday, President Gitanas Nausėda addressed a high-level meeting of the speakers of the parliaments of NATO member countries in Vilnius and called for continued full support for Ukraine and strengthening of the Alliance’s defense capabilities.

No description

The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) – consisting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden, and the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy – met for its 20th Session in Wismar on 2 June 2023 at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany.

The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the Netherlands of MK 41 Vertical Launching Systems (VLS) Baseline (B/L) VII Strike Length Launcher Modules (either system or standalone) and related equipment for an estimated cost of $110 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale today.

Intrepid Maven 23.3 concluded in the United Arab Emirates on May 22. The exercise included more than 100 U.S. Marines and Sailors, alongside partnering elements of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces, who conducted infantry-based close-quarters combat training, live-fire close-air support exercises, and expeditionary airfield operations at several training locations throughout the country.

At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia and in support of the Somali National Army engagements against al Shabaab, U.S. Africa Command conducted a collective self-defense strike in the vicinity of Wayanta, Somalia on June 1.

No description

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) strongly condemns the looting of one of the agency’s logistics hubs in south-central Sudan. The attack on WFP’s warehouses in El Obeid puts food assistance for 4.4 million conflict-affected people at risk.

Opposition and rights groups in Zimbabwe are bemoaning this week’s passing of a so-called "Patriotic Bill" by the lower house of parliament, which they say curtails several fundamental freedoms enshrined in the country’s constitution.

Nine people were killed in clashes in Senegal on Thursday, after protests erupted following the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

A prominent traditional leader in Cameroon’s troubled Northwest region has been freed after 18 months of being held captive by separatists. Government officials say Cameroon’s military rescued Fon Kevin Shumitang in battles with separatist fighters, but the fighters insist that they set the traditional ruler free.

A top Chinese defense official has spoken with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, potentially signaling a thaw in relations after Beijing rejected multiple U.S. requests for discussions.

U.S Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Saturday that dialogue between the United States and China is essential to avoiding miscalculations that could lead to conflict, adding he was deeply concerned by Beijing’s unwillingness to engage in crisis management between the two militaries.

The forward-deployed Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) departed Sendai, Japan after a port visit, June 1.

The United Nations on Friday appealed for sustainable funding for its agency that supports Palestine refugees, UNRWA, which is on the brink of financial collapse.

As the crisis in Sudan enters its second month, UN agencies and partners warned on Friday that the conflict between rival military groups since mid-April is fuelling an increasingly "desperate" situation for civilians, especially in the nation’s capital.

A multinational exercise at the MOD Hebrides Range in Scotland last month saw 4,000 service personnel from 13 nations hone their skills and connect with allies.

Explanation of vote by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on Sudan.

No description

No description

No description

No description

"Today, I am announcing the designation of Laurent Salvador Lamothe, former Haitian Prime Minister and Minister of Planning and External Cooperation, for his involvement in significant corruption."

Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen has authorised the Defence Forces to procure armoured 6×6 personnel carriers from Patria. A total of 91 armoured personnel carriers with equipment will be procured for the Army. In addition to the vehicles, user and maintenance training are included in the procurement, which also includes a provision to procure more vehicles, at the most 70.

The Finnish Defense Ministry said on Friday it will purchase 91 armored personnel carriers for the army under the international Common Armored Vehicle System (CAVS) project from Finnish manufacturer Patria.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is keen to develop future cooperation with the BRICS group to achieve collective prosperity, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, said Friday.

A court in Minsk has sentenced union activist and genetics scientist Alyaksandr Kandratsyuk to 42 months in prison for allegedly insulting authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent and civil society in Belarus.

Tehran needs new Russia-made Su fighter jets, but the date of their supply to the Iranian squadron depends on the authorities’ decision, Commander of the Iranian air force Brig. Gen. Hamid Vahedi said on Friday.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said that Iran’s objectives are in alignment with those of the BRICS and Tehran — along with other like-minded countries — could be a "reliable partner" for the group of emerging economies. along with other like-minded countries — could be a "reliable partner" for the group of emerging economies. could be a "reliable partner" for the group of emerging

A group of citizens in the western Iranian city of Abdanan, took to the streets chanting anti-government slogans on June 1 to protest the suspicious death of 21-year-old student Bamshad Suleimankhani. Several protesters were injured when security forces opened fire on them, local sources reported.

Amnesty International says Iran’s prisons have turned into "killing fields" with the number of people executed on drug-related charges almost triple this year compared with 2022, calling it a "shameless rate" that exposes the regime’s "lack of humanity."

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating the Iran-based technology company known as "Arvan Cloud," two senior employees of Arvan Cloud, and an affiliated company based in the United Arab Emirates for their roles in facilitating the Iranian regime’s censorship of the Internet in Iran.

Today, the United States is announcing additional sanctions in our effort to support the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the Iranian people, including the freedom of expression both online and offline including the freedom to access information via the Internet.

The United States has announced new sanctions against Iran, targeting tech firms and two of their senior employees for their alleged role in "censorship or other activities" on the Internet.

The United States has issued fresh sanctions targeting Iranian technology company Arvan Cloud, two employees of the company, and an affiliated firm for their roles in helping Tehran censor the Internet in the country, the Treasury Department said.

European governments confirmed on June 2 that one Danish and two Austrian-Iranian citizens have been released by Iran after mediation efforts by Oman and Belgium.

Iran has freed a Danish prisoner as well as two Iranians on humanitarian grounds, according to a senior judiciary official.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has said that The Islamic Republic of Iran, along with other like-minded and interested countries, can be a reliable partner for BRICS in future.