Italian Prime Minister visits France, Sweden "determined" to join NATO, the first international treaty on protecting the high seas

The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, June 20.

Asia

ANTARA. Indonesian President Joko Widodo affirmed that the visit of Emperor Hironomiya Naruhito and Empress Masako will help further strengthen the foundation of friendship between the people of the two countries.

President Joko Widodo speaks at a press conference with Japanese Emperor Hironomiya Naruhito at the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java on June 19. (Source: Antara)

BALI TIMES. Indonesia has decided to suspend its visa-free policy for 159 countries due to concerns about “disruption of public order and the risk of disease transmission”.

MANILA TIMES. The Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said at least 628 people suffered health problems after being evacuated to shelters due to the eruption of Mayon volcano.

KYODO. Japan has agreed with Ukraine to set up a communication system to help Kiev rebuild areas heavily damaged in the conflict with Russia, according to a memorandum of understanding between Japanese Reconstruction Minister Hiromichi Watanabe and Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine's deputy prime minister in charge of reconstruction.

Xinhua News Agency. In Beijing, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with President Xi Jinping, Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Wang Yi, and State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

According to Mr. Wang Yi, Secretary of State Blinken's two-day visit to China comes at a crucial time in China-US relations and requires a choice between dialogue and confrontation, cooperation and conflict.

MINT. Heavy rains over the past several days have caused floods and landslides in the state of Assam, affecting tens of thousands of people in the northeastern Indian state.

ARAB NEWS. Qatar and the UAE have agreed to restore diplomatic representation in each other's countries after six years, since a series of Gulf states boycotted Qatar over allegations of supporting terrorism, while Doha denied the accusation.

JORDAN TIMES. The World Bank (WB) has approved a $250 million financing package for Jordan to improve the efficiency of water supply services in the Middle Eastern country.

Europe

AFP. French President Emmanuel Macron will host Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the Elysee Palace today, June 20, to discuss the war in Ukraine, bilateral issues and NATO.

REUTERS. Sweden is “determined” to join NATO when the military alliance holds a summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, Defence Minister Pal Jonson said.

REUTERS. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that the alliance will not grant membership to Ukraine at the Vilnius Summit (Lithuania) in mid-July.

UKRINFORM. Ukraine is raising up to $40 billion in financing to launch the first stage of its economic reconstruction.

EURO NEWS. The European Commission (EC) will announce measures to protect highly valued EU technologies and prevent them from being used for military purposes by rivals.

BLOOMBERG. US chipmaker Intel has announced plans to invest more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in Germany as part of its efforts to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in Europe.

TASS. Russia hopes that the agreement on a free trade area (FTA) between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Iran will be signed before the end of this year, according to Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk.

America

NBC. President Joe Biden is expected to announce more than $600 million in investments to support coastal communities across the country in the fight against climate change.

AP. A shooting occurred at a school in the city of Cambe, Parana state, Brazil, leaving at least one student dead and another injured. The perpetrator was a former student at the school and wanted to get his records.

AFP. The world's first international treaty to protect the high seas, adopted on June 19 at the United Nations, is a historic environmental agreement designed to protect remote ecosystems vital to humanity.

Africa

ALARABIYA. Tunisia's Interior Ministry said a sharp object attack outside the Brazilian Embassy in the capital Tunis left a local security officer dead and the suspect has been arrested.

Police guard the area near the Brazilian Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia. (Source: Reuters)

AFP. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed concern about violence against ethnic minorities in Sudan's West Darfur region, warning that targeted attacks on civilians "could amount to crimes against humanity".

FRANCE 24. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced that Paris will provide Tunisia with 25.8 million euros to help Tunis stop boats carrying migrants across the Mediterranean.

AFRICA NEWS. Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat has condemned the terrorist attack on a school in western Uganda that left dozens of students dead.

UNFPA. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in collaboration with the King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Assistance Centre (KS Relief), launched a project to improve the reproductive health of vulnerable and displaced women and girls in Somalia.

Oceania

HERALD SUN. The National Electric Vehicle Council of Australia announced that people will be able to own electric cars for just over 30,000 AUD (20,600 USD) in the near future, making this technology more accessible to more people.

ABC. Junk food ads could disappear from children's entertainment across all devices in Australia - in an effort to tackle the Oceania nation's childhood obesity epidemic .

THE AUSTRALIAN. According to a recent survey conducted by scientists at Deakin University (Australia), many sports foods in Australia are mislabeled, claiming to be more nutritious than they actually are.

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