https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/israel-purposefully-neglecting-prisoners-demands:-ppc

'Israel' purposefully neglecting prisoners demands: PPC

Palestinian prisoners are hunger-striking to protest the Israeli occupation's administrative detention, the longest of which being 111 days by prisoner Khalil Awawdeh and 76 days by Raed Rayan.

The prisoners are in critical health conditions while the Israeli occupation's prisons authorities are refusing to respond to their demands for liberation.

The Palestinian Prisoners Club said Awawdeh's case should clear up by June 26, which is the date his current administrative detention ends. However, it would not be out of the ordinary if the Israeli occupation chooses to arbitrarily extend his sentence.

The PPC later reported that prisoner Awawdeh suspended his hunger strike on the 111th day after the Israeli occupation pledged to end his arbitrary detention.

Prisoner Rayan, on the other hand, is still on hunger strike, starting his 76th day today. He is still detained in the Ramlah prison clinic after the occupation transferred him there from Ofer prison on May 23. Nothing is clear about his case so far.

The PPC underlined that the Israeli occupation was neglecting the prisoners' demands on purpose in a bid to have them reach a highly critical health condition with grave repercussions in the long run.

The head of the Palestinian Prisoners and Ex-prisoners Affairs Commission, Qadri Abu Bakr, revealed on Wednesday that the Israeli occupation threatened prisoners to deny them any access to medical treatment if they do not end their open-ended hunger strike.

Palestinian prisoners Khalil Awawdeh, 40, from the town of Idna in Al-Khalil, and Raed Rayan, 27, from the village of Beit Duqu north of Al-Quds, have been hunger-striking for months, demanding their freedom robbed by the Israeli occupation.

Rayan has been suffering from headaches and joint, flank, and knee pain, as well as difficulty in walking. He has not been examined by a doctor and has not undergone any medical examinations since the beginning of his hunger strike, while Awawdeh is suffering from severe joint pain, headaches, vertigo, and blurred vision. He is also unable to move and is wheelchair-bound.

Palestinian prisoner Zakaria Al-Zubaidi, one of the prisoners behind Operation Freedom Tunnel, which saw six brave prisoners liberating themselves from the unjust prisons of the Israeli occupation, is on the 17th day of his hunger strike launched in solidarity with the hunger-striking prisoners.

This comes as 640 administrative detainees are still boycotting the Israeli occupation courts in protest of the policy of administrative detention.

There are 682 administrative detainees in the Israeli occupation's prisons out of some 4,600 prisoners. Reports show that there have been more than 54,000 administrative detention orders since 1967.

Among the administrative detainees are two female prisoners and a child, most of whom are in the prisons of Ofer (233), Al-Naqab (259), and Megiddo (89).

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/germany-says-russian-gas-cut-is-an-attack

Germany says Russian gas cut is an "attack"

Germany's Economy Minister, Robert Habeck, said that Gazprom's slashing of gas supplies amount to an "attack" by Moscow.

"The reduction of gas deliveries via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is an attack on us, an economic attack on us," Habeck said in a speech to a German industry conference.

Last week, Gazprom said on Wednesday that it will be able to deliver no more than 67 million cubic meters of gas per day via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline starting from Thursday. Deliveries of gas through Nord Stream will be cut by almost a third following Gazprom's decision.

Gazprom cited delayed repairs as the cause behind the cut, while Germany called the decision "political".

Germany, Austria, and the Netherland were forced to reactivate some abandoned coal power plants to reduce gas consumption while Berlin also mandated that its gas reserves, which are now just under 60% full, be filled to 90% ahead of the European winter to avoid a further reduction in its supply.

"When we go into the winter with half full gas stores and the taps are turned off then we are talking about a difficult economic crisis in Germany," Habeck said, calling for the diversification of suppliers of raw materials and energy.

According to Habeck, Germany had a "system rivalry" with Russia and China. The latter, according to the economy minister is a "big market" but urged the industry to use trade to promote "our values".

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/technology/israeli-military-being-spied-on-via-strava-fitness-app

Israeli military being spied on via Strava fitness app

Unidentified agents have been spying on Israeli military personnel using the fitness monitoring software Strava, following their movements throughout secret facilities across the country and perhaps seeing them while they travel on official trips.

The operation – the affiliation of which has not been revealed – was able to maintain tabs on persons who were exercising on the grounds by installing phony running "segments" inside military bases, even those who had applied the strongest possible account privacy settings.

In one case, a user running on a top-secret site suspected of having connections to "Israel's" nuclear program could be followed across other military locations and to a foreign nation, according to The Guardian.

FakeReporter, an Israeli intelligence group, revealed that it alerted Strava as soon as they became aware of the spying activity.

Strava's tracking features are intended to enable anybody to create and compete over "segments", which are brief areas of a run or bike ride that may be raced over on a regular basis, such as a long uphill climb on a popular cycling route or a single circle of a park. After uploading a segment through the Strava app, users may define it, but they can also submit GPS records from other products or services.

An anonymous user with the location "Boston, Massachusetts" has put up a series of phony segments spanning a variety of Israeli military institutions, including outposts of intelligence organizations and highly protected locations assumed to be linked with the Israeli nuclear program.

Executive director of Fakereporter, Achiya Schatz, expressed fear over the revelation. Schatz claims that by being able to upload engineered files, "revealing the details of users anywhere in the world, hostile elements have taken one alarming step closer to exploiting a popular app in order to harm the security of citizens and countries alike."

Strava addressed the breach and stated it provides information on its privacy controls but advised that military users simply opt out of its visualization.

>> Gee! I wonder who has the ability to spy on the Israeli military. kek!

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/west-beginning-to-show-fatigue-on-ukraine-war—global-times

West beginning to show fatigue on Ukraine war - Global Times

In an interview published on Sunday with German newspaper Bild, NATO's Secretary-General warned that the Ukraine war could last for years and that the West must prepare for it.

Jent Stoltenberg urged Western countries, despite the high costs of the war on Ukraine, not to cease support for Kiev.

Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times that it is not the war that could last for years, but the state of confrontation between Russia and Ukraine.

"Such a state can stall Russia and will eventually weaken Russia, just as NATO and the US have anticipated," Song said, adding that the matter of the duration of the war depends on the quantity of the military aid the West can provide Kiev, because even Ukraine's forces cannot be engaged in a long military conflict.

Moreover, the expert said there is no way NATO can form a joint effort to prepare for a protracted war with Russia, as most members in the alliance supporting Ukraine are already feeling tired and frustrated.

Similarly, in an article published in The Sunday Times, Johnson said that "time is now the vital factor; everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its ability to defend its soil faster than Russia can renew its capacity to attack. Our task is to enlist time on Ukraine’s side."

Johnson foresaw a protracted war in Ukraine and outlined a four-point strategy to ensure Ukraine has the "strategic endurance to survive and eventually prevail." Johnson also said on Saturday that some "Ukraine fatigue" is starting to touch the world.

Fatigue setting in

According to the Global Times, a recent survey conducted in 10 countries in Europe showed that despite support for Ukraine remaining strong, people's concerns have shifted to the impact the conflict has had, with many being worried over the higher cost of living as a result of the war.

One prime example is the US, as even in the country that has invested the most in the Ukraine-Russia crisis, inflation and rising living costs "have eroded public support for the war," according to an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times entitled: War in Ukraine is a battle of wills and economic pain - and the West is showing fatigue.

Also, a poll conducted by AP in April showed that the majority of US voters called back then for tougher sanctions against Russia, regardless of the economic woes the US might have to endure.

A month later, the voters' priority lay in limiting damage to the US economy.

To push for a years-long war in Ukraine is to cause even greater suffering in economic and societal terms for the West.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/turkey-extends-military-intervention-in-libya-for-18-months

Turkey extends military intervention in Libya for 18 months

Ankara on Tuesday approved a motion to extend Turkey's military intervention in Libya for an additional 18 months as of July 2.

The Turkish Presidency submitted the request in light of a request for "military assistance" by the Libyan government on June 13.

"Turkey continues its strong support for the protection of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political unity of Libya, the establishment of a permanent cease-fire in the country, and the efforts of political dialogue that will ensure national reconciliation," the motion said.

Akara also explained that the political uncertainty that came to life after Tripoli failed to hold the elections set for December of last year in Libya jeopardized the country's tranquility, posing "a serious obstacle" to achieving long-lasting stability.

The motion also came with assertions that there were threats emanating from Libya for the entire region, including Turkey. It also noted that Ankara's interests in the Mediterranean basin and North Africa would be affected by attacks on the Libyan government.

The Turkish parliament had allowed for the deployment of troops in Libya for a one-year period in January 2020, but Akara extended the mandate by 18 months until July 2022.

Turkey and The Tripoly government in Libya had signed a pact on military cooperation in late 2019, among other agreements that included the demarcation of maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Libya is a resource-rich country, but the people have been robbed of their right to enjoy their country's resources after NATO launched a military attack on the country in 2011.

NATO's international war was concocted by Brussels and Washington, subsequently leading to the collapse of Libya as a whole.

The presidential and parliamentary elections in Libya, which were originally set for December 2021, were supposed to be the result of the UN-sponsored peace process after the last round of violence shook the country from 2019 to 2020. The vote never took place because of deep disagreements between factions.

However, rival sides in the conflict in Libya concluded their latest round of talks on Monday without reaching a deal on the rules of the elections, according to the UN Secretary General's Special Advisor.

Since the 2011 war, Libya has been divided by two rival powers, the first of which is in eastern Libya and led by military commander Khalifa Haftar, and the second is the Government of National Accord in Tripoli.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/us-in-talks-with-allies-to-cap-russian-oil-price:-treasury-s

US in talks with allies to cap Russian oil price: Treasury Secretary

The United States is in talks with allies to further restrict Russia's oil revenues by ceiling the price it would get for its crude, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said during a visit to Canada on Monday.

"We are continuing to have productive conversations with our partners and allies around the world on how to further restrict energy revenues to Russia, while preventing spillover effects to the global economy," Yellen told a news conference in Toronto.

"We are talking about price caps or a price exception that would enhance and strengthen recent and proposed energy restrictions (imposed by the US and allies)… that would push down the price of Russian oil and depress Putin's revenues while allowing more oil supply to reach the global market," she explained.

The US Treasury Secretary indicated that a price limit would "prevent spillover effects to low income and developing countries that are struggling with high costs of food and energy."

It is noteworthy that the US, Canada, Britain, and other countries have banned imports of Russian oil, however, the EU remains highly dependent on Russian crude.

Yellen was in Canada to strategize with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on how the two countries will continue to address the Ukraine crisis, tackling soaring inflation, firming up global supply chains, and securing critical minerals.

Both agreed it was largely up to central banks to manage inflation, but left open the possibility of targeted measures by their respective governments to ease the pinch on Americans and Canadians struggling with higher gasoline and grocery bills.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/denmark-declares-early-warning-over-russia-gas-supply-worrie

Denmark declares 'early warning' over Russia gas supply worries

Denmark's energy agency declared a first-level "early warning" alert over worries about its gas supply, due to uncertainty on energy imports from Russia because of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The European Union has established a system to allow member states to flag up impending energy supply difficulties using three ascending levels of alerts - beginning with "early warning", followed by "alert", then "emergency".

The system allows for mutual assistance from other EU countries, but could also mean a start to rationing supplies.

On Monday, the deputy director of the Danish Energy Agency, Martin Hansen, issued the first level warning.

"This is a serious situation we are facing and it has been exacerbated by the reduction in supplies," Hansen underlined in a statement.

Currently, Denmark's gas stocks are about 75% full, "and gas has been added in recent days," the agency indicated in a statement.

The declaration comes after Danish energy company Orsted announced at the end of May that delivery of Russian gas to the Scandinavian country would be suspended from June 1, after Orsted refused to settle the payment in rubles.

Gas represents 18% of the energy consumed each year in Denmark. Domestic production accounted for three-quarters of the gas consumed in 2019.

It is noteworthy that Russia is one of the main sources of natural gas imports, according to the Danish Energy Agency.

The Netherlands also announced Monday it will lift restrictions on coal-fired power generation, a day after Germany and Austria took similar steps to alleviate their reliance on Russian gas supplies.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/macron-hosts-le-pen-french-party-leaders-to-break-impasse

Macron hosts Le Pen, French party leaders to break impasse

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit far-right leader Marine Le Pen and other political party leaders on Tuesday to break the impasse of his coalition's inability to secure a parliamentary majority.

The meetings, which will also involve discussions with right-wing, Socialist, and Communist party leaders, are Macron's first attempts to extricate himself from a predicament that threatens to derail his second-term "reform plans".

Macron is scheduled to begin Tuesday's flurry of talks with Christian Jacob, the chairman of the traditional right-wing Republicans (LR), a party on the decline in recent months but which the President may now seek to give him a majority.

Members of the NUPES left-wing alliance, Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure and Communist Party chief Fabien Roussel, will also visit Macron, though hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon is not planned to do so.

Macron allies with rivals

In an unusual meeting, Macron will receive Marine Le Pen, his presidential competitor and head of the far-right National Rally, at 17:30 Paris time (1530 GMT) (RN).

The goal is to "create solutions to serve the French" at a time when there is no "alternative majority" to Macron's ruling alliance, according to a presidential official who requested anonymity.

Representatives of the parliamentary parties will be received separately and sequentially at the Elysee Palace. The outcome of the legislative elections dealt a devastating blow to the President and his "reform plan", threatening a political impasse.

While Macron's Ensemble (Together) alliance is the largest party in the National Assembly following Sunday's elections, it fell dozens of seats short of maintaining the absolute majority it has held for the last five years. Melenchon and Le Pen won significant wins, establishing them as key participants in the upcoming parliament.

Resurgent opposition

The results were seen as a "slap in the face" for Macron by the left-leaning Liberation daily, while the conservative Figaro claimed he was now "fronted with an ungovernable France."

Macron's Together alliance won 245 seats, falling shy of the 289 required for an overall majority, in a low-turnout vote with a 53.77% abstention percentage.

According to Interior Ministry data, NUPES and its allies won 137 seats in the election, making them the strongest opposition group.

However, it looks improbable that the combination of Socialists, Communists, Greens, and France Unbowed will be able to maintain a single cause in the assembly.

Vulnerable premier

Meanwhile, Le Pen's far-right party achieved its best-ever parliamentary victory, becoming the strongest single opposition party with 89 seats, up from eight in the previous house.

A confident Le Pen claimed that her party would demand to chair the National Assembly's vital finance commission, as is normal for the main opposition party.

"The country is not ungovernable, but it's not going to be governed the way Emmanuel Macron wanted," Le Pen told reporters Monday.

Melenchon said he would launch a no-confidence motion against Borne in early July when she is scheduled to lay out her policy priorities for the next five years.

Borne may now be vulnerable as Macron faces a big cabinet reshuffle as a result of the resignations of several of his closest allies.

His health and environment ministers were beaten and had no choice but to resign, as did the house speaker and the head of Macron's parliament group.

Macron's April presidential election triumph, in which he defeated Le Pen and became the first French president to win a second term in nearly two decades, was harmed by the outcome.

What are the possible outcomes?

Macron's choices include attempting to establish a new coalition alliance, implementing legislation based on ad hoc agreements, or even calling new elections.

One possibility is an alliance with the Republicans, who have 61 MPs. However, LR President Jacob has stated that his party aims to "remain in opposition."

Macron had wanted to begin his second term with an ambitious tax-cutting, welfare-reform, and retirement-age increase agenda. All of that is now in doubt.

In a rare piece of good news for the president, Europe Minister Clement Beaune and Public Service Minister Stanislas Guerini, both young cornerstones of his party, won tight parliamentary skirmishes.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/kremlin:-americans-captured-in-ukraine-committed-crimes

Kremlin: Americans captured in Ukraine committed crimes

Two Americans apprehended in Ukraine while fighting alongside Kiev's troops were "endangering" Russian servicemen and should be "held accountable for those crimes," Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told NBC News on Monday.

According to NBC, the interview is the first time the Kremlin has spoken on the cases of Alexander Drueke and Andy Huynh, both US military veterans.

"They're soldiers of fortune and they were involved in illegal activities on the territory of Ukraine. They were involved in firing and shelling our military personnel. They were endangering their lives," Peskov told the news outlet.

"They should be held responsible for those crimes that they have committed," he added. "Those crimes have to be investigated."

When asked about the crimes committed by the Americans, Peskov refused to comment, asserting that they would not be protected by the Geneva rules on prisoners of war.

"They are not (in the) Ukrainian army, so they are not subject to the Geneva Conventions," he explained.

Drueke and Huynh's social media recordings were shown by a Russian state TV program last week.

The circumstances behind the two men's detention were unclear, as was who was detaining them. Peskov would only state that "authorities" were holding them.

"It depends on the investigation," Peskov said of whether they may face the death sentence.

US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he had no idea where Drueke and Huynh were. They are thought to have joined other foreigners in serving alongside Ukrainian forces.

On Saturday, a US State Department official acknowledged that American authorities had viewed images and recordings of the two US nationals who had been "reportedly captured by Russia's military forces in Ukraine."

"We are closely monitoring the situation and our hearts go out to their families during this difficult time," a spokesperson told AFP.

Regarding Brittney Griner, who is being held in Russia over drug charges, Peskov denied she was being held hostage.

"We cannot call her a hostage. Why should we call her a hostage? She violated Russian law and now she is being prosecuted," the Kremlin Spokesperson said.

She was detained at Moscow airport in February on charges of carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil in her luggage, which has a possible 10-year sentence in prison.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/un-says-myanmar-executions-could-mount-to-war-crimes

UN says Myanmar executions could mount to 'war crimes'

A UN official said Monday that the Myanmar junta's intentions to murder political opponents might amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.

On June 3, the junta announced the execution of a former legislator from Aung San Suu Kyi's party and a notable democracy campaigner, both convicted of terrorism, in the country's first judicial executions since 1990.

According to a local monitoring group, more than 1,700 people have been killed and over 13,000 have been detained in a crackdown on opposition since the coup.

Four prisoners, including former MP Phyo Zeya Thaw and democracy campaigner Ko Jimmy, "who were sentenced to death will be hanged according to prison procedures", junta spokesperson Zaw Min Tun told AFP at the time.

The head of the UN's Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, Nicholas Koumjian, said he was keeping a careful eye on the situation.

"The available information strongly suggests that under international law, fundamental rights of the convicted persons were blatantly violated in these proceedings," Koumjian said of the trials, which were unavailable to the public.

He added that "imposing a death sentence, or even a period of detention, on the basis of proceedings that do not satisfy the basic requirements of a fair trial may constitute one or more crimes against humanity or war crimes."

After seizing power last year, the military executed dozens of anti-coup activists as part of its crackdown on dissent, despite the fact that Myanmar has not carried out an execution in decades.

To be considered fair, a trial, according to Koumjian, must be held in public to the greatest extent possible.

"Exceptions based on national security or other considerations must be limited to the extent that they are strictly justified," he stressed.

However, "it appears that there were no public proceedings nor are the judgments publicly available" in these cases.

This prompted concerns about the tribunal's impartiality and independence, he noted.

The UN human rights council established the Myanmar mechanism in 2018. Its mission is to collect and document evidence of international crimes and human rights breaches in former Burma in order to facilitate judicial procedures.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/iaea-claims-iran-escalating-uranium-enrichment-at-fordow-pla

IAEA claims Iran escalating uranium enrichment at Fordow plant

The United Nations nuclear watchdog said Tuesday in a recently issued report that Tehran is preparing to use advanced IR-6 centrifuges at its underground Fordow site.

In its report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) claimed that "Iran is escalating its uranium enrichment further by preparing to use advanced IR-6 centrifuges at its underground Fordow site that can more easily switch between enrichment levels."

Reuters cited the IAEA as saying that Iran informed it on Monday that passivation of the cascade - a process that precedes enrichment and involves feeding UF6 (Uranium Hexafluoride) into the machines - had begun on Sunday.

The new IAEA report claimed that Tehran has not informed the UN nuclear watchdog what purity the cascade will enrich after passivation.

However, Iran had previously informed the IAEA that the two IR-6 cascades could be used to enrich to 5% or 20% purity.

"The Agency has yet to receive clarification from Iran as to which mode of production it intends to implement for the aforementioned cascade, following the completion of passivation," the IAEA report indicated.

This comes after the IAEA's Board of Governors adopted on June 8 a draft resolution submitted by the US, France, UK, and Germany, criticizing Iran for what they claim were incomplete answers provided to the IAEA on uranium traces at "undeclared sites".

These claims were quickly refuted by the Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, who said that Iran has neither secret or unwritten nuclear activities nor unreported nuclear sites.

Iran ceases all commitments beyond nuclear safeguard accords

In the same context, Iran has abandoned all commitments beyond the Safeguards Agreement in response to the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors' adoption of an anti-Iran resolution, an Iranian lawmaker said on Saturday.

Iranian MP and member of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Security and Foreign Policy Commission Abolfazl Amoee condemned the resolution passed by the UN nuclear watchdog.

Iran's delegate to the IAEA had also denounced the decision the agency's Board of Governors took, which was the adoption of a resolution drafted by the United States and the E3. The decision came despite Russia's representative to the IAEA warning that such a decision would push success out of reach in the Vienna talks.

Before the release of the IAEA report that later led to the US and E3 submitting the draft, IAEA head Rafael Grossi visited "Israel", which raised questions regarding the nature of the visit ahead of the Body of Governors meeting and led to suspicions regarding the IAEA's impartiality.

Warning that if the IAEA continues to embark on the same path of issuing politically-motivated reports against Iran, Tehran would be required to respond via "proportionally harsher" actions.