Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• UN envoy sees dire situation in Afghanistan People's Daily 23 Jun 2021 -- The UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan warned on Tuesday that the situation on the ground in the country is dire.
• Taliban Encircles Northern Afghan City, Captures More Districts RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Jun 2021 -- The Taliban has maintained control of Afghanistan's main border crossing with Tajikistan as the group added to recent gains and pressed an offensive to the outskirts of the northern city of Kunduz.
• Russian Defence Minister Believes Civil War in Afghanistan is Possible After NATO Withdrawal Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- In April, the NATO allies took the decision to start withdrawing their forces from Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, that has been in place since 2015.
• Turkey Not Planning to Send Additional Troops to Afghanistan Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- Turkey is not planning to send additional troops to Afghanistan to guard the Kabul airport, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said on Wednesday.
• Tajikistan's Border Guard on High Alert Amid Crisis in Afghanistan's Kunduz, Official Says Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- Tajikistan has boosted border security with Afghanistan in the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous region, with its forces staying on high alert amid the deteriorating situation across the border, the region's governor, Yodgor Fayzov, said on Wednesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Defense Secretary Supports Removing Sexual Assault Prosecutions from Chain of Command VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday he would work with Congress to shift prosecution of sexual assaults away from military commanders.
• African Lion 21 concludes after honing multinational operations on land, in air and over sea AFRICOM 23 Jun 2021 -- African Lion, U.S. Africa Command's premier joint annual exercise, successfully wrapped up its 17th iteration in Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal on June 18. Military leaders from the U.S., Africa, Europe and NATO partners attended the closing ceremony in Tan Tan, Morocco, one of the exercise training locations.
• Chief of The National Guard Bureau Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson Holds a Press Briefing DoD 23 Jun 2021 -- Army General Daniel R. Hokanson, Chief, National Guard Bureau
• Centcom Commander Describes Regional Threats to Stability DoD News 23 Jun 2021 -- Sustainable states throughout the Middle East and Central Asia are important for regional peace, stability and prosperity, the commander of U.S. Central Command said.
• Milley: Budget Request Is Down Payment on Investments of the Future DoD News 23 Jun 2021 -- The U.S. military is a critical component of national power, and the combination of the nation's diplomatic efforts, economic strength, overriding hope of the American message and military capability will deter its adversaries and preserve great power peace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley said today.
• Full Spectrum: Marine Raiders certified for deployment through RAVEN exercise USMC News 23 Jun 2021 -- Marine Raiders with Marine Forces Special Operations Command recently completed RAVEN unit readiness exercises alongside Marines from across the Fleet Marine Force as well as U.S. Army Special Forces, April 24-June 1.
• 9th AS Pelicans fly southwest for joint training US Air Force 23 Jun 2021 -- Airmen from the 9th Airlift Squadron at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, joined forces with Air Education and Training Command's 49th Wing and Air Force Materiel Command's 635th Materiel Maintenance Group for a Major Command Service Tail Trainer exercise at Holloman AFB, June 1-10.
• USS Thomas Hudner Conducts Port Visit in Kiel Following Joint Maritime Exercise with NATO Allies and Partner Nations US Navy 23 Jun 2021 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) conducted a four-day port visit in Kiel, Germany, June 22, 2021, after participating in the 50th iteration of Exercise BALTOPS, a joint, maritime-focused exercise to increase interoperability and enhance flexibility between NATO allies and partners.
• NAVCENT Commander Meets with Egyptian Naval Leaders, Speaks of Bright Future with Egyptian Naval Midshipmen US Navy 23 Jun 2021 -- Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT), U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) visited Egypt June 19-21, to meet with the Egyptian Chief of Navy and speak to Cadets at the Egyptian Naval Academy.
• U.S. Navy Assumes Command of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 US Navy 23 Jun 2021 -- For the first time, the U.S. Navy assumed command of Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group One (SNMCMG1) during a change of command ceremony held onboard USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) and via video teleconference on June 19, 2021.
• COMSTRIKFORNATO, U.S. Sixth Fleet Visits Baltic Nations US Navy 23 Jun 2021 -- Vice Adm. Gene Black, commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO, completed a 5-day visit to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania during exercise Baltic Operations, 12-16 June, 2021.
• US Has Created 400,000 Troop-Strong Force in Asia-Pacific, Russian Military Intelligence Warns Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- The Biden administration dramatically increased so-called "freedom of navigation" operations in the East and South China Seas, and on the diplomatic front has worked to create a major new alliance to "contain" China. Beijing has blasted these efforts, accusing the US of trying to create global chaos.
• US Scrambled Fighters Twice This Month Over Russian Military Drill Near Hawaii, Reports Suggest Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- The United States has launched fighter jets twice this month in Hawaii in response to Russia conducting a massive drill off the coast of the archipelago, ABC News reported on Wednesday, citing a defense official.
• Aboard Commercial Rocket, Space Defense Agency Sends Up Satellites for First Time DoD News 23 Jun 2021 -- The Space Development Agency — charged with building the National Defense Space Architecture — will, for the first time, put satellites into orbit aboard SpaceX's Transporter 2 commercial rocket when it launches Friday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
• Leaders Discuss Space-Based Sensors That Can Track Missiles DoD News 23 Jun 2021 -- The Space Development Agency and the Missile Defense Agency are collaborating on new space-related activities, including missile tracking and targeting.
• Russian Fighter Intercepts US Reconnaissance Plane Over Sea of Okhotsk, Defence Ministry Says Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- Russia's Su-30SM fighter intercepted on Wednesday a US reconnaissance aircraft over the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the Russian Defenсe Ministry said.
• Putin Says NATO Keeps Building Up Military Near Russia's Borders and Continues to Reject Dialogue Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- In an interview to NBC last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin described NATO as a relic of the Cold War-era, adding that he was not sure why it still existed.
• Russia Reserves Right to Use Nuclear Weapons in Response to Aggression, General Staff Says Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons in response to the use of weapons of mass destruction or regular weapons against it if the very existence of the country is threatened, Russian General Staff chief Valery Gerasimov said on Wednesday.
• China explores water ingestion trial methods for warplanes, enhances all-weather combat capability Global Times 23 Jun 2021 -- China is reportedly exploring water ingestion trial methods for warplanes, as its aviation industry recently conducted such test for the first time.
• Indian Navy, Air Force Conduct War Games With US Aircraft Carrier In Indian Ocean - Photos Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- In March this year, India and the US launched exercises in the eastern Indian Ocean region which witnessed participation by the Indian Air Force for the first time. The exercise came only a week after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited India as part of his first foreign tour since being appointed to his new post.
• Turkey Announces Navy Drills in Aegean Sea in Tit-for-Tat Response to Greece Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- Turkey has issued a notification via the international automated system Navtex to declare drills in the Aegean Sea in response to a similar move by Greece, a Turkish military source told Sputnik.
• Britain Denies Russia Fired Warning Shots At Warship In Black Sea RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- The United Kingdom has denied reports that a Russian vessel fired warning shots at a British Navy ship in the Black Sea, attributing the incident to a preannounced military exercise.
• Warning Shots Fired at British Destroyer in Black Sea, Russia Says VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- Russian forces said they fired warning shots Wednesday at a British Royal Navy destroyer taking part in a U.S.-led naval exercise in the Black Sea near Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
• UK signs agreement to support enhancement of Ukrainian naval capabilities UK MOD 23 Jun 2021 -- In a trilateral agreement signed onboard HMS Defender, which was in Odesa as part of the Carrier Strike Group deployment, the UK, Ukraine and industry will collaborate to boost Ukraine's naval capabilities.
• Briefing with Senior State Department Officials US Dept. of State 23 Jun 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas at a Joint Press Availability US Dept. of State 23 Jun 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken and German Chancellor Angela Merkel Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 23 Jun 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with German Chancellor Merkel US Dept. of State 23 Jun 2021
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, June 23, 2021 The White House 23 Jun 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For June 23, 2021
• Babcock signs tripartite agreement to support enhancement of Ukrainian naval capabilities Babcock 23 Jun 2021 -- Babcock International Group (Babcock) has signed a tripartite Memorandum of Implementation (MoI) in Odesa with the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and the UK Government. Building on the agreement signed in October 2020, the two nations will now push forward a major programme of Ukrainian naval projects, with Babcock as their designated prime industrial partner.

Other Conflicts

• 23 June 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 23 Jun 2021
• China's Flash Points in Asia Persist Despite Network of Crisis Hotlines VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- A growing network of crisis-defusing telephone hotlines between China and other Asian countries shows Beijing's intent to strengthen those relations but does not resolve the wider disputes that could spark conflict, analysts believe.
• UN officials appeal for extension of lifesaving cross-border aid operations into Syria UN News 23 Jun 2021 -- Humanitarian convoys from Turkey that bring lifesaving aid into northwest Syria must continue, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council on Wednesday.
• Russia, China Question Need for Aid Operations from Turkey to Northwest Syria VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- The U.N. secretary-general personally appealed to the Security Council on Wednesday to extend vital cross-border aid from Turkey into northwest Syria for another year, saying not to do so "would have devastating consequences."
• Secretary-General underlines UN commitment to Libya UN News 23 Jun 2021 -- Full implementation of a historic ceasefire agreement and the withdrawal of foreign forces are critical for consolidating peace in Libya, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday in remarks to a major international meeting aimed at shoring up the country after a decade of civil conflict.
• Blinken Arrives in Berlin for Libya Conference VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Berlin for talks Tuesday with German leaders and to take part in a conference on Libya's political future.
• Libya Conference Focuses on Elections, Security VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Berlin for peace talks on Libya, said Wednesday the talks present an opportunity to help bring lasting peace to the North African country.
• Casualties Reported As Police Clash With Protesters In Northwestern Pakistan RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Jun 2021 -- A violent clash has erupted in northwestern Pakistan between police and residents protesting the authorities' failure to arrest the killers of a local tribal elder.
• China's military deployment at border with India a normal defense arrangement: Chinese FM Global Times 23 Jun 2021 -- China's military deployment along the western section of the China-India border is a normal defense arrangement aiming at preventing and responding to encroachment and threats on China's territory，Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday.
• Israel Approves First New West Bank Construction of Bennett Admin as Settler Protests Continue Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- While the Arab Ra'am party won concessions making it harder for the Israeli government to demolish Palestinian homes when it joined Yair Lapid's coalition, the central issue of settlement foundation and expansion was never touched on, leaving Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to pursue an annexationist agenda unimpeded.
• Over 50 People Killed, More Than 100 Injured in Airstrike in Ethiopia's Tigray, Reports Say Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- More than 50 people were killed, over 100 were injured in an airstrike in the Tigray region of Ethiopia, at least 33 are reported missing, the Associated Press reported, citing doctors.
• Air Strike on Village Market in Tigray US Dept. of State 23 Jun 2021 -- The United States is gravely concerned by reports that dozens of civilians were killed or injured during a bombing of a village market in northern Tigray on June 22.
• Health Officials: Blast Kills Dozens in Tigray Market VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- A bomb blast killed dozens of people Tuesday at a market in Ethiopia's Tigray region, as new fighting flared up in areas outside the regional capital, Mekelle.
• Addressing the fragile security and political situation in the Central African Republic UK FCDO 23 Jun 2021 -- Statement by Ambassador James Roscoe, UK Acting Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the Security Council briefing on MINUSCA
• UN Envoy Accuses Russian Mercenaries Of Human Rights Abuses In C.A.R. RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- The UN envoy to the Central African Republic (C.A.R.), as well as diplomats from the United States and France, has accused the national security forces and their Russian paramilitary allies of wide-ranging human rights abuses.
• Central African Republic entrenched in 'unprecedented humanitarian crisis' UN News 23 Jun 2021 -- Defense forces, soldiers from nearby countries and other security personnel have been fighting an "asymmetric war" against armed groups, sparking an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis", the top UN official in the country told the Security Council on Wednesday.
• After Cameroon Government Ban from Western Regions, MSF Says Thousands Lack Healthcare VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders says tens of thousands of people in Cameroon's western regions have been deprived of lifesaving healthcare since December, when authorities stopped their services. Cameroon accused the aid group of being too close to anglophone separatists, which the group denies.

News Reports

• Defense Department Linguist Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Transmitting Highly Sensitive Classified National Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government US Dept. of Justice 23 Jun 2021 -- Mariam Taha Thompson, 62, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was sentenced today to 23 years in prison for delivering classified national defense information to aid a foreign government. As part of her March 26 guilty plea, Thompson admitted that she believed that the classified national defense information that she was passing to a Lebanese national would be provided to Lebanese Hezbollah, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
• US Linguist Gets 23 Year Sentence For Giving Hezbollah Names of US Agents After Soleimani Was Killed Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- A linguist for the US military who gave the Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah names of human intelligence sources following the January 2020 US strike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani received a 23-year prison term for her efforts, the Justice Department said on Wednesday.
• NASA Head Seeks New Funding for Annual Moon Landings 'Over a Dozen Years' VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- The U.S. space agency NASA aspires to land humans on the moon every year for 12 consecutive years, Administrator Bill Nelson testified to a congressional committee Wednesday in support of a request to boost the agency's fiscal 2022 budget.
• US Capitol Rioter Pleads Guilty, Agrees to Cooperate With Investigators VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- A man involved in the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol has pleaded guilty to two charges as part of a plea deal to cooperate with investigators probing the riot.
• Jailed Russian Activist Fined Over 'Foreign Agent' Law RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- The jailed former executive director of the pro-democracy Open Russia movement has been fined for failing to provide details of a group he established in 2017 that was added to the "foreign agents" registry.
• 'An Attack On Young People': Russia's Decision To Ban U.S. Bard College Baffles Observers RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- "This is very bad news," wrote historian and instructor at the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences Daniil Kotsyubinsky when he learned that the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office had moved to name his faculty's U.S. partner, Bard College, an "undesirable" foreign organization.
• Nine Million Russians 'Deprived Of Right To Be Elected' RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- The independent monitoring group Golos says legal restrictions enacted by the government have deprived at least 9 million Russians, about 8 percent of the eligible population, of their right to be elected as September parliamentary elections near.
• Greetings by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov to the participants of the Asia and Pacific High-level Conference on Belt and Road Cooperation Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23 Jun 2021
• Statement by the Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for International Cooperation in the Field of Information Security, Director of the Department of International Information Security of the MFA of Russia, Ambassador Andrey Krutskikh, at the 3rd Inter-Regional Conference on Cyber/ICT-Security (VTC, 22-23 June 2021) Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23 Jun 2021
• Meeting with Government members President of Russia 23 Jun 2021 -- Vladimir Putin held a meeting with members of the Russian Federation Government via videoconference.
• Telephone conversation with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev President of Russia 23 Jun 2021 -- Vladimir Putin has a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, at the initiative of the Azerbaijani side.
• Working meeting with Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov President of Russia 23 Jun 2021 -- The President held, via videoconference, a working meeting with Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov to discuss the social and economic situation in the republic.
• Navalny Team Calls Russian 'Extremist' Ruling 'New Level' Of Lawlessness RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- The team for jailed opposition leader Aleksei Navalny says a court ruling labeling his political network as "extremist" fails to show any evidence of wrongdoing -- a sign of a "truly new level" of lawlessness in the country.
• Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, June 23, 2021 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 23 Jun 2021
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on June 23, 2021 PRC MofA 23 Jun 2021
• Canada sheds crocodile's tears for its indigenous people; not qualified to criticize China: FM Global Times 23 Jun 2021 -- Canada is unqualified to criticize China. They have to reflect on their own misdeeds on human rights, Zhao Lijian, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told a press conference on Wednesday, responding to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's remarks over topics of China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
• To improve bilateral ties, the ball is in Australia's court: Chinese FM Global Times 23 Jun 2021 -- To improve China-Australia relations, the ball is in Australia's court,a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday.
• China and New Zealand should hammer down specific cooperation on BRI and expand bilateral collaboration: Chinese FM Global Times 23 Jun 2021 -- China and New Zealand should use their upgraded free trade agreement to speed up hammering down specific cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and push forward bilateral collaboration, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, said during a video conference with his New Zealand counterpart on Tuesday.
• Chinese president calls for building closer Belt and Road partnership PLA Daily 23 Jun 2021 -- China stands ready to work with all parties to build a closer Belt and Road partnership, President Xi Jinping said Wednesday in a written message to the Asia and Pacific High-level Conference on Belt and Road Cooperation.
• BRI vigorous in jointly fighting pandemic, green recovery Global Times 23 Jun 2021 -- China stands ready to work with all parties to build a closer Belt and Road partnership, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
• Asian Countries Welcome G7's Answer to China's One Belt, One Road Program Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2021 -- Bangladesh and nations in Southeast Asia are welcoming the Group of Seven's new answer to China's One Belt, One Road initiative, saying it will be another source for financing their burgeoning infrastructure needs.
• Taiwan VP urges Beijing to stop oppressing Hong Kong's press CNA 23 Jun 2021 -- Taiwan Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Wednesday called on Beijing to stop oppressing the media in Hong Kong, where the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily is facing a shutdown after a crackdown by police.
• Closure of Apple Daily in Hong Kong: Foreign Secretary's statement UK FCDO 23 Jun 2021 -- Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab comments on the closure of the Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong.
• Hong Kong's Pro-Democracy Newspaper Apple Daily to Cease Operations This Week VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- The parent company of Hong Kong pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper announced Wednesday that it will shut down the publication this week.
• Hong Kong's Apple Daily to Print Last Edition on Thursday Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2021 -- Hong Kong's Apple Daily newspaper said on Wednesday it will be shutting down operations following a raid on its headquarters by national security police and the arrests of several executives for "collusion with foreign powers."
• HK secessionist tabloid Apple Daily to end its edition on Thursday Global Times 23 Jun 2021 -- After the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) arrested another staff member of Apple Daily on suspicion of violating the national security law, the pro-secessionist tabloid announced on Wednesday that it will issue its last edition on Thursday amid mounting financial pressure.
• First Trial Under Beijing-Imposed National Security Law Begins in Hong Kong VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- A 24-year-old Hong Kong man Wednesday became the first defendant to be tried under the city's nearly one-year-old national security law.
• Defendant pleads not guilty in HK's 1st national security law trial Global Times 23 Jun 2021 -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) started its first trial under the national security for Hong Kong on Wednesday. Observers noted that the trial could be a test for future national security cases.
• Hong Kong Begins Trial of First National Security Law Defendant Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2021 -- Motorcyclist Tong Ying-kit stands accused of "terrorism" and "inciting secession" after he flew a banned slogan while riding down a street on July 1, 2020.
• China Mounts Massive Security Operation in Beijing Ahead of Centenary Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2021 -- Authorities in the Chinese capital have stepped up security measures ahead of the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s centenary celebration on July 1, while rights activists and dissidents are being forced to leave town by state security police, RFA has learned.
• U.S. navy makes sixth transit through Taiwan Strait under Biden CNA 23 Jun 2021 -- A United States Navy destroyer sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, making it the sixth transit by an American warship through the waterway in five months.
• PLA on alert during US warship's latest Taiwan Straits provocation Global Times 23 Jun 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Eastern Theater Command tracked and monitored a US warship as it sailed through the Taiwan Straits with the aim of stirring up trouble in the region on Tuesday, the command's spokesperson said on Wednesday.
• Chinese military denounces US destroyer's provocation in Taiwan Strait PLA Daily 23 Jun 2021 -- The USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) sailed through the Taiwan Strait and hyped it publicly on June 22. Air Force Senior Colonel Zhang Chunhui, spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Eastern Theater Command (ETC), denounced the US provocative move in a written statement on Wednesday.
• Beijing Blames 'One Power' for Global Chaos, Says it Won't Let Taiwan Be 'Torn Away' From China Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- Chinese officials have been fighting a war of words with their US counterparts in the Biden administration in recent months amid the latest escalations of China-US tensions over Taiwan. Beijing considers the island to be an integral part of China and has threatened to take action against both its "separatist" politicians and their foreign backers.
• Beijing Decries US Warship's Passage Via Taiwan Strait as Threat to Regional Peace Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- China has expressed protest in connection with the latest passage of a US Navy destroyer through the Taiwan Strait, Air Force Senior Colonel Zhang Chunhui, the spokesman for the Chinese army's Eastern Theater Command, said on Wednesday.
• Press Statement by Ri Son Gwon, Minister of Foreign Affairs of DPRK KCNA 23 Jun 2021 -- Ri Son Gwon, minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, released the following press statement on June 23:
• North Korea to Replace 10,000 Workers Dispatched to China Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2021 -- North Korea is planning to repatriate 10,000 workers dispatched to earn foreign currency in China but were stranded by the coronavirus pandemic, replacing them with younger recruits, sources in China told RFA.
• Iran reacts to US blocking Iranian websites IRNA 23 Jun 2021 -- An Iranian official at the United Nations said that Washington's seizing Iranian websites is illegal and stressed that the issue will be pursued through legal channels.
• Iran to follow up US seizure of domains of IRIB websites through legal channels ISNA 23 Jun 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed on Wednesday that the US seizure of the domains of IRIB websites is an example of US systematic effort to disrupt freedom of expression and make silent the independent voices in media space.
• U.S. Blocks Dozens Of Iran-Affiliated Websites Linked To Disinformation RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- The United States has seized more than three dozen Iranian state-linked news website domains it accused of spreading disinformation.
• 'Sabotage Attempt' on Building of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Foiled, Reports Say Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran is a government agency responsible for the country's nuclear power operations.
• Iran Voices Optimism Nuclear Deal Can Be Revived RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- Outgoing Iranian President Hassan Rohani says the main issues between Tehran and world powers to revive the 2015 nuclear deal have been resolved, although Germany and France caution that hurdles remain.
• Myanmar Junta Chief Visit to Moscow Seen as Shoring of Support Amid Condemnation For Coup Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2021 -- A visit by Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to Russia this week is likely part of a bid to secure recognition and military equipment from Moscow amid widespread international condemnation of his overthrow of the democratically elected government, analysts said Wednesday.
• Interview: 'You Will Hear About More Action From Us' Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2021 -- After open fighting between troops loyal to Myanmar's junta and members of the Mandalay People's Defense Force (PDF) militia, the militia had to abandon an office in Chanmya Tharzi township of the country's second-largest city. Mandalay PDF combat team leader Bo Zeegwat spoke to RFA's Myanmar Service about the first clashes in the city of more than 1.7 million people since the military overthrew the government on Feb. 1.
• Belarus Opposition Leader Says Lukashenka Regime Is 'Frightened' RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya says Belarus's forced diversion of a passenger flight to Minsk last month was "a mistake" that has galvanized the West against authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
• UN General Assembly calls for US to end Cuba embargo for 29th consecutive year UN News 23 Jun 2021 -- A total of 184 countries on Wednesday voted in favour of a resolution to demand the end of the US economic blockade on Cuba, for the 29th year in a row, with the United States and Israel voting against.
• Turkey's Kurds Say Killing of Party Member Part of Government Crackdown VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- Last week, a radical Turkish nationalist entered an office for Turkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) and fatally shot a woman inside.
• UK Post-Brexit Difficulties 'Killed Off' Other Countries' Willingness to Leave EU, Expert Says Sputnik 23 Jun 2021 -- The challenging relationship between the UK and the European Union since Brexit have "killed off" the desire of many countries to leave the European Union, Vicky Pryce, chief economic adviser at the Centre for Economics and Business Research think tank, said on Wednesday.
• U.S Lawmakers Pressure White House On Extradition Of Ukrainian Tycoon Firtash RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- Congressional lawmakers are ratcheting up the pressure on the White House, demanding more be done to force the extradition of a powerful Ukrainian tycoon from Austria to the United States.
• Three People Killed, Scores Wounded In Lahore Bomb Blast RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Jun 2021 -- Pakistani officials say a powerful bomb blast has killed three people and wounded 14 others in the eastern city of Lahore.
• Montenegro Getting European Help To Refinance Its Massive China Debt RFE/RL 23 Jun 2021 -- A European financial institution is prepared to help refinance Montenegro's $1 billion debt to China, which the Balkan country incurred over a controversial highway project.
• Ruling Party Candidate for Cambodia's Top Election Post Tied to Corruption Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2021 -- A former Cambodian provincial governor now named as a candidate for the country's top election post is unfit for that office, critics say, pointing to his lack of experience in election work and accusations of corruption made against him.
• Wanted Chinese Kingpin Owns Casino With Cambodian Senator's Son-in-Law Radio Free Asia 23 Jun 2021 -- Political connections in Cambodia have allowed a major Chinese fugitive to elude jail while building a business empire, an investigation by RFA has found.
• Growing Repression in Nicaragua Threatens Elections, UN Human Rights Chief Says VOA 23 Jun 2021 -- U.N. Human Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet warns increasingly repressive measures by the Nicaraguan government against its political opponents are undermining prospects for free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections in November. Bachelet's warning came as she submitted her report to the U.N. Human Rights Council.