https://english.almayadeen.net/news/economics/russia-case-shows-need-to-keep-gold-reserves-inside:-serbian
Russia case shows need to keep gold reserves inside: Serbian President
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday that the case of Russia - whose foreign reserves worth about $300 billion were frozen by Western countries as part of sanctions - has shown that assets better be stored inside.
Western countries have imposed several rounds of anti-Russian sanctions, including freezing its foreign assets, over the war in Ukraine.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov estimated that about half of Russia's gold and foreign currency reserves, worth over $300 billion, were frozen.
At the opening of a sports airfield near the city of Krusevac, Vucic indicated, "We made a smart move when we took our gold from abroad. You saw what they did to the Russians, all the money they had abroad, 300 billion, taken away in one day."
"We have decided and returned our gold to our country, we have it under our control. The gold and currency reserves are growing," he pointed out.
According to the data of the National Bank of Serbia, the country has 37.3 tonnes of gold reserve worth about $1.9 billion, all of which was returned to Serbia in 2021.
Blinken: Gold ban would deprive Russia of $19Bln in annual revenue
In the same context, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that the ban on Russian gold imports, expected to be announced at the summit of the Group of Seven advanced economies, will deprive Moscow of $19 billion worth of annual revenue.
"Well, first, let's take gold. The thing that we're just announcing that is the second most lucrative export that Russia has after energy, it's about $19 billion a year. And most of that is within the G7 countries so cutting that off, dying access to about $19 billion of revenues a year, that's significant," Blinken told CNN.
The US, UK, Japan, and Canada are set on banning Russian gold imports in a new bid to force Moscow into fully absorbing the repercussions of the sanctions imposed on the country in light of the Ukraine war by stopping it from buying the metal to avoid the brunt of the restrictive measures, the UK said Sunday.
It is noteworthy that gold is one of Russia's key exports, and the precious metal is worth some $15.5 billion to the Russian economy in 2021. Gold is commonly used in times of turmoil by countries and civilians to avoid the repercussions of currency devaluation.
Gold shall destroy the Fed
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/nato-members-have-declined-kievs-aspirations:-zelenskys-offi
NATO members have declined Kiev's aspirations: Zelensky's office
Ukraine is not planning to do anything in terms of its NATO membership in the near future, Ihor Zhovka, the Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, told the Financial Times.
"Nato members have declined our aspirations. We will not do anything else in this regard," Zhovkva said.
Despite the impasse on Kiev's cooperation with the West within the framework of NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's diplomatic advisor said Kiev wanted Brussels to remove any mentions of Russia as a partner from the military alliance's strategic concept.
Zhovkva said Kiev expected there to be more strict and severe warnings to Moscow within NATO's strategic concept. "Don't be shy - that's my appeal to NATO members - in formulating the provisions vis-a-vis Russia."
He further underlined that if the NATO member states do not "reveal" what is going on in Europe and Ukraine, then Brussels' outline of its policies and priorities for the next decade would be a mere document, "absolutely irrelevant".
NATO is set to hold a summit in Madrid, Spain, next week (June 28-30) where it is expected to adopt a new strategic concept outlining its policies and priorities for the next decade.
Kiev has been voicing its desire to join NATO for months now, and these calls for accession raised security concerns in Russia and prompted Moscow to launch what it called a special military operation in Ukraine.
The operation came with several objectives, such as curbing the spread of neo-Nazism within Ukraine, protecting the people of the Donbass republics from Ukrainian aggression, and preventing Kiev's accession to NATO.
Ukraine, however, has been backtracking on its calls for accession, with Zelensky saying in March that he did not want to be the president of a "country which is begging something on its knees".
Russia sees NATO expansion as a threat, especially since over the years, the Cold War-era alliance expanded eastward, jeopardizing Russian interests.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/haifa-industrial-complex-catches-fire-explosions-erupt:-isra
Haifa industrial complex catches fire, explosions erupt: Israeli media
A large fire broke out on Sunday eve at an industrial complex in Haifa, occupied Palestine, which houses hazardous materials and is located near residential buildings, the Israeli "Israel" Hayom newspaper reported Sunday morning, noting that there were no casualties.
"Firefighters from the Haifa fire station as well as teams from other brigades are working on controlling the blaze," the newspaper said. "There are reports about explosions amid the fire, and three people have been rescued after they did not wake up from the blaze."
Israeli media is yet to be able to confirm what exactly was stored in the complex's buildings, but some explosions erupted with light-colored flames, which suggests the presence of chemicals that could potentially be highly dangerous.
Israeli media reported on June 11 the mysterious outbreak of fire in 18 buses at a central station in the city of Safed in Al-Jalil, northern occupied Palestine.
Media outlets reported that firefighters put out the fire with no reported injuries, without any further detail on the incident.
Some outlets pointed out that the occupation suspected that the fire was premeditated and that the reasons were under examination, while the Safed Municipality stated that "the matter is related to a criminal act."
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/biden-to-meet-with-netanyahu-during-israel-trip
Biden to meet with Netanyahu during "Israel" trip
According to Israeli media, US President Joe Biden plans to meet with Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu during his upcoming visit to "Israel".
The meeting was not originally planned, but it has been added to Biden's itinerary in response to Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's decision to dissolve the Knesset, forcing "Israel" to hold early elections.
The Knesset voted unanimously to dissolve in a preliminary reading of a law anticipated to be approved this week, after which Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will lead an interim government in place of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the US wants to avoid the image that it is meddling with elections
Lapid will meet Biden at Ben Gurion Airport on July 13 and will have additional meetings with him throughout the trip, according to a US official. Bennett will also meet with Biden, with whom he has developed a "friendship" over the past year.
Lapid and Biden are said to have met only once previously, in 2013, when Lapid was finance minister and Biden was vice president.
Biden and Netanyahu have a long history together, although with occasional political disagreements. Netanyahu clashed with former US President Barack Obama, who appointed Biden as Vice President.
Biden is expected to visit "Israel" on July 14-15 and Saudi Arabia on July 15-16. His visit to the latter will include a meeting with the Kingdom's de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
After announcing his visit, Biden stated that his visit is primarily to address "Israel's security issues."
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https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/indonesia-president-to-meet-with-putin-zelensky-to-urge-peac
Indonesia President to meet with Putin, Zelensky to urge peace talks
Indonesian President and G20 chairman Joko Widodo took off on Sunday to Europe with plans on visiting Russia and Ukraine to meet with the countries' leaders to push for peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
Widodo is set to visit Germany from June 26 to 27 as a guest for the G7 summit, and he will then go to Ukraine to visit President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"The mission is to ask… President Zelensky to open a dialogue forum for peace - to build peace because the war has to be stopped," he told a press conference in Jakarta before leaving for Berlin.
The G7 countries had held their last meeting in Germany last month, where they discussed the Ukraine war, China, and the situation in the Indo-Pacific region, Afghanistan, Africa, and West Asia.
Widodo said he will also discuss with Zelensky the food supply chain that "needs to be reactivated soon." Upon finishing his visit to Kiev, Widodo is scheduled to head for Moscow and meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Indonesian authorities said earlier that Widodo's visit to Moscow is planned for June 30.
"With the same mission, I will ask President Putin to open a dialogue, to immediately have a ceasefire, and to stop the war," he said. Widodo announced in April that he had called Zelensky and invited him to join world leaders at the November G20 Summit in Bali as a guest.
Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the G20 this year, and it is under mounting pressure from the West, mainly the United States, to exclude Russia from the meeting in a bid by Washington to further undermine Moscow's significant role in the international arena.
Jakarta, however, has tried to maintain a neutral position regarding Russia and Ukraine, calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict that has been unfolding for months now.
Despite Indonesia's position, Widodo refused to send weapons to Ukraine in response to requests from Zelensky, instead offering humanitarian aid to Kiev.
President Widodo's trip will see him going to Berlin, Kiev, and Moscow, in that order. He will then visit the United Arab Emirates before going back home to Indonesia.
Zelensky has asked almost every country in the world to send arms to his country, and though many, like Germany, France, the United States, and the United Kingdom were happy to grant him his wishes, numerous states have adhered to their neutrality on the war, only sending humanitarian aid and calling for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/liberation-victory-imminent-unlike-what-traitors-believe:-ha
Liberation, victory imminent unlike what traitors believe: Haniyeh
The peoples of West Asia are today in the age of victories and major shifts in power that the people and resistance of Palestine, Lebanon, and the region are creating, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday during a festival in Sidon, Lebanon.
"The normalizers and those who betrayed the Palestinian cause see that victory and liberation are far-fetched, and we see it as imminent," Haniyeh said. "The blockaded Gaza that underwent wars and battles is preparing, with its people and resistance, for a strategic battle with the enemy."
In the case of any Israeli aggression on Gaza or occupied Palestine, Haniyeh said, 150 rockets will strike the Israeli occupation within five minutes.
"From the Lebanon of resistance, we will crush your dreams. You have no place in Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa; Al-Quds belongs to our Arab and Islamic Ummah," he told the Israelis.
Seif Al-Quds made a shift in the struggle
Haniyeh hailed Lebanon, its resistance, and its people, which he said have embraced the Palestinian people and accompanied them through pain and hope. "The normalizers and traitors see that Al-Aqsa is far away, and we see it as close."
"Following years of security cooperation and conspiracies from those far and near, Jenin is once again uprising and raising the banner of resistance," Haniyeh added in reference to the occupied West Bank. "Gaza, which is embargoed by land, sea, and air, has been in battles and wars, and it raised the sword of Al-Quds in the face of the occupation. Through its resistance and people, it is preparing for a strategic battle with ['Tel Aviv']."
"The battle of Seif Al-Quds caused a shift in the struggle against the Zionist enemy […] the occupation, armed with all sorts of weapons, has the rockets of Al-Qassam [Brigades] and the resistance from Gaza falling over its head," Haniyeh stressed.
Al-Quds and the West Bank, he added, have fallen under the pressure of depriving the Palestinian people of their right to resistance and their land. "The people of the [West] Bank and Al-Quds have foiled the [Israeli] plans to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque."
The strategic choice for liberation is comprehensive military resistance
In his speech to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Haniyeh said: "Prepare yourselves; the return [to Palestine] is so close."
On the Lebanese energy resources, Haniyeh expressed "full solidarity with Lebanon against the Israeli attacks on its wealth" and stressed that "the enemy has no right whatsoever in Lebanon's water resources and wealth, just as it has no right in Palestine and its land," pledging "not to abandon the gas of Gaza, as it belongs to the people of Gaza."
The Hamas chief continued to say, "We never interfere in the affairs of Arab countries, and Lebanon will always be in the right place," stressing the need for "Lebanon's security and stability, as they are part of Palestine's."
The head of Hamas' Political Bureau pointed out that the movement "adheres to joint action with all national and Islamic forces here in Lebanon and is open to all options," adding that "the right to return is sacred and will never be waived, neither for resettlement nor for an alternative homeland." Haniyeh stressed that "this right is the most prominent one in our struggle with the enemy."
Haniyeh stressed that the most strategic choice for liberation is comprehensive resistance, especially armed resistance, stressing that "there is no alternative for Palestine but Palestine, and when we demand our brothers in Lebanon to improve the conditions of the people of the [refugee] camps, it comes in the form of a fraternal human right demand."
He concluded by saying, "We know that Lebanon never failed and will never fail the Palestinian refugees in its camps, especially that there are US attempts to place a spoke in UNRWA's wheels," noting that the UN organization bears witness that the Palestinian people do indeed want to return to their homeland.
>> Israel for last.