EU increases sanctions against Russia, France considers buying 1,000 Mistral missiles, and the US makes its first attempt to do so with Sweden.

The World & Vietnam newspaper highlights some noteworthy world news this morning, June 22nd.

Asia

CNA. Singapore-based ride-hailing company Grab will lay off more than 10,000 employees , or about 11% of its workforce – Grab's largest round of layoffs since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Grab CEO Anthony Tan affirmed that the main goal of this decision is to strategically reorganize the company, enabling it to move faster, work smarter, and rebalance its portfolio resources. (Source: AFP)

ANTARA. Indonesian President Joko Widodo affirmed that the decision to temporarily suspend the visa-free policy for 159 countries was made based on the results of a benefit assessment.

YONHAP. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol proposed the establishment of an international body to set rules ensuring digital order in an increasingly connected world.

KYODO. More than 60% of the 1,380 Japanese companies participating in the Teikoku Data Bank survey expressed a positive attitude towards using artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations.

JAPAN TIMES. Japan ranked 125th out of 146 countries in the 2023 gender inequality ranking, according to a report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on June 21.

KOREA TIMES. YouTube will launch its official shopping channel for live commerce in South Korea later this month, marking the platform's first official shopping channel globally.

SRI LANKA MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry will visit China from June 24-30 at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

ONA. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Oman and met with senior Omani official Sultan bin Mohammed al Numani to discuss relations between the two countries.

Europe

CNN. EU member states' governments have agreed to impose an 11th package of sanctions on Russia related to the conflict in Ukraine, with the aim of preventing third countries and businesses from circumventing current EU sanctions.

REUTERS. The French Ministry of Defence has revealed the possibility of ordering 1,000 Mistral air defense missiles worth approximately 500 million euros (over 545 million USD) as part of a joint procurement campaign with four other European countries.

RANCE 24. Meeting in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni praised their close relationship and pledged greater cooperation in the future, marking a thaw in relations.

REUTERS. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia's new generation of Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles , capable of carrying 10 or more nuclear warheads, will soon be deployed for combat missions.

AFP. Nine suspects accused of crimes related to the sinking of a migrant boat in the Mediterranean nearly a week ago appeared before Greek prosecutors to answer questions about charges including manslaughter, forming a criminal organization, human trafficking, and causing the shipwreck.

REUTERS. The Belarusian armed forces have begun their annual 10-day mobilization exercise to assess the readiness of state agencies in mobilizing reserve forces.

ASF. The US is deploying two B-1B Lancers bombers to Sweden to participate in exercises in the NATO guest nation.

The US military announcement stated that this was the first time in modern history that American bombers had visited Sweden. (Source: SAF)

America

PTI. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold talks with US President Joe Biden, speak at a joint session of the US Congress, meet with the Indian-American community and many top CEOs during his visit to the US starting June 20.

CNBC reports that US President Joe Biden convened a meeting with eight technology experts from academic institutions and advocacy groups to discuss the potential and risks of AI technology.

GUARDIAN. On the sidelines of a conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine in London, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the new Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to discuss the NATO summit next month.

CNN. Federal judge Aileen Cannon has set August 14th as the start date for the trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump on charges of intentionally withholding classified government documents and obstructing justice.

AFP. At least 41 people were killed in riots between rival gangs at a women's prison in Tamara, 25 km north of Honduras' capital Tegucigalpa.

Africa

DAILY MAVERICK. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, along with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, launched a $1 billion green hydrogen fund to kickstart an industry in the fight against climate change.

Leaders attend a business forum themed "Green Energy Transition and Green Hydrogen Partnerships for Impact" in Pretoria, South Africa. (Source: GCIS)

ZAWYA. Inflation in South Africa fell from 6.8% in April to 6.3% in May, the lowest inflation rate the African nation has recorded since April 2022.

TIMES OF ISRAEL. Morocco has decided to cancel plans to hold the second meeting of the Negev Forum in July in response to Israel's moves to expand settlements in the West Bank.

AFRICA NEWS. The African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has begun reducing its troop numbers in preparation for handing over full security responsibilities to the Somali National Army (SNA).

The UN has allocated $20 million for an emergency nutrition and food security campaign in northeastern Nigeria, an area ravaged by famine.

SABC NEWS. Ugandan troops rescued three of the six students abducted by Islamist militants in last week's attack on a school in the southwest of the country, which left dozens dead.

ARAB NEWS. Two people were killed and 34 others injured when a passenger train derailed and overturned near the town of Msaken, about 150km from Tunisia's capital Tunis.

Oceania

ABC. French renewable energy company Neoen has been granted permission to begin construction on a battery storage plant worth approximately AUD 2 billion (USD 1.36 billion) in the town of Collie, south of Perth, Western Australia.

This is Neoen's first large-scale battery storage plant project in Western Australia and the company's sixth largest battery project across Australia. (Source: Neoen)

THE AUSTRALIAN. The Australian government faces its first legislative defeat as the Social and Affordable Housing Bill – a key policy of the Labor Party – has been delayed by the Green Party and the Liberal Party for another four months (until October 2023).

BLOOMBERG. Rex Airlines, Australia's largest domestic and regional airline, forecasts a loss of AUD 35 million (over USD 23.7 million) for this financial year – a surprising move after the airline had predicted profitability.

Source