Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the research delegation would visit the Kurils in late June. Japanese media confirmed later in the month that a group of about 70 people would be led by Abe’s adviser Eiichi Hasegawa. The group is expected to visit the facilities that have been recognized as prospective for development of joint Russian-Japanese economic activity on the Kuril Islands. Source Sputnik
Forty-nine rescued refugees and migrants, including 12 minors, remained stranded at sea on Tuesday on board a nonprofit rescue ship as Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Salvini barred them from disembarking in Italy. Source: Al Jazeera
US Ambassador Richard Grenell is in new trouble: because Donald Trump confidante is interfering in German budget planning, Wolfgang Kubicki, vice-president of the Bundestag, sharply criticises him. There is also discontent within the Union. Federal Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) must declare US Ambassador Richard Grenell “immediately” as a persona non grata, FDP Vice-Chairman Wolfgang Kubicki said. Kubicki reacted to the ambassador’s interference in the German budget debate with this drastic demand. Source: Die Welt
Turkey and Iran carried out a joint operation against the PKK terrorists, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said Monday. “We started staging a joint operation with Iran against the PKK on our eastern border as of 08:00 p.m. (0500 GMT) this morning,” Soylu said. Soylu noted that the government will announce the results soon. Source: Daily Sabah
