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European commercial banks should put together 10-year plans on how to deal with shocks to their bottom lines arising from climate-change related developments, including natural disasters or sudden depreciation of assets, the European Banking Authority in Paris said Wednesday. Investors also needed more transparency on banks' green credentials, as well as on potential risks arising from social-responsibility or corporate governance-linked problems, the European regulator said, Reuters reports.

French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Angela Merkel have proposed holding an EU summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin for the first time since he invaded Ukraine in 2014, according to diplomats speaking to Reuters. "Merkel has mentioned before that not only the US should talk with Russia on the highest level. Russia is a neighbour," one diplomat said, amid concern the move could anger Baltic states and Poland.

"Flexibility" measures in a new EU policy on shipping emissions means liquid gas and biofuels will remain the cheapest ways to comply with European rules for at least 20 years, according to a leaked draft seen by The Guardian. "There's still time to kick out fossil fuels and stop the European Green Deal turning shipping's transition into an ecological disaster," NGO Transport & Environment said, favouring ammonia and hydrogen instead.

The Japanese government has unveiled its annual economic policy guidelines, which include new recommendations that companies permit their staff to opt to work four days a week instead of the typical five, Deutsche Welle writes. Political leaders hope to convince management that flexible working hours and remote working, which became the 'new normal' during Covid-19 lockdowns, can remain in place after the end of the health crisis.

European Union leaders will on Thursday (24 June) consider whether to seek a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a new strategy to manage relations with Moscow that the EU says are in a "negative spiral".

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline undermines Ukraine's security, since it would curtail gas exports through the country, depriving Kyiv of lucrative transit fees, Reuters reported. "Our goal remains to ensure that Russia cannot use energy as a coercive tool as a weapon against Ukraine, or anyone else in Europe," Blinken said. Germany, meanwhile, wants to see the pipeline completed.

The European Commission unveiled its plans to build a new task force to respond to an increasing number of cyberattacks on the bloc - coordinating existing operations between EU institutions, agencies and national authorities.

Politicians use clever framing of issues to convince voters to support laws that harm their own interests. Viktor Orban's new hate law vilifies people for who they love. But its opponents may have unwittingly helped by repeating its framing.

Under Benjamin Netanyahu, the EU-Israel Association Council meetings, supposed to be held at regular intervals and set the tone for progress on political and economic issues, have not convened since 2013.

Die frühere kolumbianische Präsidentschaftskandidatin und langjährige Geisel der linken Farc-Rebellen Íngrid Betancourt hat ihre einstigen Peiniger zur Reue aufgerufen.

In den Frostnächten im vergangenen April sind im Wallis noch mehr Aprikosen vernichtet worden als zunächst angenommen worden war. Rund 85 Prozent der Ernte dürften verloren sein.

Fernando Santos, a címvédő portugál labdarúgó-válogatott szövetségi kapitánya szerint tanítványai végig a győzelemre játszottak a világbajnok franciák ellen 2-2-re végződött Európa-bajnoki csoportmérkőzésen, a budapesti Puskás Arénában.

GA Drilling CEO talks to Ursula von der Leyen about geothermal The decision of the President of the European Commission to personally deliver the Commission’s assessment of the national recovery and resilience plans to all EU Member States is more...

Nach der AHV nimmt das Parlament nun auch die Reform der Pensionskassen in Angriff. Einmal mehr wird die Kompensation der Übergangsgeneration zum Knackpunkt.

Seit Inkrafttreten der neuen kartellrechtlichen Vorschriften für Digitalkonzerne (GWB-Novelle) im Januar gehen die deutschen Wettbewerbshüter vehement gegen Digitalkonzerne vor.

Auf dem jährlichen Kongress des Deutschen Bauernverbandes hat CDU-Spitzenkandidat Armin Laschet davor gewarnt, Landwirt:innen übermäßig zu belasten. Grünen-Chef Robert Habeck übte scharfe Kritik an der Bundesregierung.

The foreign ministers of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine are together in Brussels on Thursday (24 June) for their first joint visit to the EU since the three countries formalised the format of ‘Associated Trio’ last May. This exclusive opinion by David Zalkaliani, Aureliu Ciocoim and Dmytro Kuleba highlights their countries’ higher EU ambition.

Oroszország agresszív és provokatív politikája a Fekete- és az Azovi-tengeren, a Krím félsziget megszállása és militarizálása állandó veszélyt jelent Ukrajnára és szövetségeseire – jelentette ki Dmitro Kuleba ukrán külügyminiszter.

A kijevi diplomácia vezetője hangsúlyozta, hogy ezért minőségileg új együttműködésre van szükség a NATO és Ukrajna között a Fekete-tengeren.

Kuleba arra reagált, hogy az orosz védelmi minisztérium közlése alapján egy orosz őrhajó figyelmeztető lövéseket adott le egy brit romboló felé a Fekete-tengeren, az Oroszország által 2014-ben Ukrajnától önkényesen elcsatolt Krím félsziget partjai közelében. Az orosz fél szerint a brit romboló megsértette Oroszország határait. Egy SzU-24M típusú repülőgép később figyelmeztető bombavetést is végrehajtott a romboló útvonalán, amely ezt követően elhagyta Oroszország területi vizeit – közölte az orosz védelmi tárca.

Az Ukrajinszka Pravda hírportál hozzáfűzte, hogy a “HMS Defender” elnevezésű brit romboló Ukrajna, Nagy-Britannia és az Egyesült Államok különleges erőinek egy közös tengeri hadgyakorlatában vett részt. A jövő héten kezdődik a “Sea Breeze-2021” elnevezésű ukrán-amerikai hadgyakorlat a Fekete-tengeren, amelyen idén rekordszámú, 32 ország vesz részt mintegy ötezer katonával, 32 hadihajóval és 40 repülőgéppel. Az Egyesült Államok haditengerészetének hatodik flottája kedden erősítette meg hivatalosan, hogy részt vesz a hadgyakorlaton. Szerdán Oroszország washingtoni nagykövetsége a Twitteren arra szólította fel az Egyesült Államokat, hogy mondjon le idén a “Sea Breeze” hadgyakorlatról, mert az még inkább fokozza Kijev “militarista érzelmeit”.

The post Kijev szerint Oroszország állandó veszélyt jelent a Fekete-tengeren appeared first on .

Americas

The Pentagon launched Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Acceleration (ADA) initiative, goal of which is to rapidly advance data and AI dependent concepts, like joint all-domain command and control. Speaking virtually to the opening of the Defense Department’s Artificial Intelligence Symposium and Tech Exchange, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks said DOD’s operators must come to trust the outputs of AI systems; its commanders must come to trust the legal, ethical and moral foundations of explainable AI; and the American people must come to trust the values DOD has integrated into each of its applications.

Northrop Grumman has successfully flight demonstrated its new Terracotta sensor. The sensor is a digital open mission systems (OMS)-compliant wideband active electronically scanned array (AESA). Terracotta’s nearly 200 wideband digital channels can be molded cooperatively or segmented for unique purposes, including electronic warfare, airborne early warning radar, active and passive sensing, and communications. This most recent flight verified Terracotta’s ability to simultaneously perform active and passive radio frequency capabilities. The flight test was a follow-on to successful ground and flight demonstrations of Terracotta conducted last fall.

Middle East & Africa

Nordic Monitor has obtained and published a technical agreement document between Qatar and Turkey. While the agreement is to permit Qatar to send up to 36 military aircraft and not more than 250 personnel to Turkey for training. The agreement also allows Qatar to transport Turkish military equipment, material, dangerous goods, ammunition, personnel or humanitarian aid materials inside and outside of Turkey. Under point 10, “in case of a support requirement of (Turkey), (Qatar) is to avail of its other type of aircraft in (Qatar’s) inventory for transportation of (Turkey’s) military equipment, material, dangerous goods, ammunition, personnel or humanitarian aid materials, if it is deemed suitable by competent authority of Qatar.”

Europe

Boeing won a $580.6 million delivery order for 14 Chinook H-47 extended range rotary wing aircraft that satisfy the United Kingdom’s requirement for heavy assault, rotary wing aircraft. This modification exercises an option that was awarded on an existing delivery order. Foreign Military Sales funding from the United Kingdom in the amount of $580.6 is being obligated at the time of award. The United Kingdom will be the first international operator of a Block II Chinook. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2026. The Block II variant was officially launched in 2017. Block II Chinook improvements are applicable to “regular” CH-47Fs, and Boeing began flying a Block II CH-47F trials aircraft on March 28, 2019, albeit initially lacking the new rotors. Work will take place in Pennsylvania. Expected completion will be by July 2026.

Damen Naval and German ship classification society DNV, signed a contract for the comprehensive classification and verification of the new F126 frigates that a Damen-led team is building  for the German Navy. Following the signing of the contract on June 7 at the DNV Maritime headquarters at its German office, DNV will carry out extensive work and conduct in-depth ship verifications and surveys in Hamburg, Wolgast and Kiel throughout the duration of the project.

Asia-Pacific

Malaysia published the tender for the supply of eighteen Fighter Lead In Trainer-Light Combat Aircraft for the Royal Malaysian Air Force on June 22. Closing date for the tender is September 22. Currently, the tender website is offline.

Today’s Video

Watch: Here Comes the New MH-47G Chinook Helicopter