20 June 2023; MEMO: Qatar is set to secure a second large gas supply deal with a Chinese state-controlled company in less than a year, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and QatarEnergy are expected to sign a 27-year agreement on Tuesday, under which China will purchase 4 million metric tons of LNG a year from the Gulf state, the report said, citing people briefed on the matter.

WASHINGTON, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Hunter Biden, the son of U.S. President Joe Biden, has agreed to plead guilty to two federal criminal tax charges and admit to illegally possessing a firearm, according to a court filing on Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Justice said in the court filing that Hunter Biden will plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay his 2017 and 2018 taxes on time. He has been under federal investigation by a federal grand jury in Delaware since 2018.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. envoy for South Sudan warned the Security Council Tuesday not to take its eyes off the world’s newest nation, saying the conflict in neighboring Sudan shows “how quickly hard-won peace gains can unravel.”

NEW YORK, June 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. dollar edged higher against a basket of currencies on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank's fight to lower inflation "has a long way to go".

The dollar index , which measures the currency against six rivals, was 0.15% higher on the day at 102.66, after the release of Powell's testimony prepared for delivery to the House Financial Services Committee at 10:00 a.m. ET (1400 GMT).

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday called comments by President Joe Biden describing Chinese leader Xi Jinping as a dictator “extremely absurd and irresponsible.”

The new clash of words comes just over a day after Secretary of State Antony Blinken concluded a visit to Beijing that sought to break the ice in a relationship that has hit a historical low.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Biden’s comments at a fundraiser in California “go totally against facts and seriously violate diplomatic protocol, and severely infringe on China’s political dignity.”

BRUSSELS, June 21 (Reuters) - European Union governments agreed on Wednesday to an 11th package of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at stopping other countries and companies from circumventing existing measures.

The new package, tweeted by Sweden as EU president, forbids transit via Russia of an expanded list of goods and technology which might aid Russia's military or security sector.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An independent expert working with the United Nations on the issue of human rights in Myanmar urged the international community on Wednesday to find a different approach to resolve the crisis in the Southeast Asian country, saying the current course of action is not working.

Tom Andrews, a special rapporteur working with the U.N. human rights office, told a news conference in Jakarta the world is looking to Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for leadership on the situation in Myanmar.

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union countries on Wednesday agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia for its war against Ukraine.

Sweden, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said that the package includes measures aimed at countering sanctions circumvention and individual listings.

Details of the measures will be unveiled later this week when the sanctions are officially adopted by written procedure.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Criminal defendants are routinely advised to avoid commenting on pending charges against them. But Donald Trump, the former president and current White House hopeful, is no ordinary defendant.

21 June 2023; MEMO: Pakistan is undergoing negotiations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to hand over operational management of the port terminals of the city of Karachi, as Islamabad continues to seek emergency funds to pay off its debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

21 June 2023; MEMO: France has expressed its "deep concern" about Israel killing Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp this week. Five Palestinians were killed during an Israeli military offensive in the refugee camp, and 91 others were wounded, 23 of them critically. Two of the wounded have since died in hospital, including 15-year-old Sadeel Ghassan Turkman, whose death was announced this morning.

LONDON (AP) — Ukraine’s allies pledged several billion dollars in non-military aid on Wednesday to rebuild its war-ravaged infrastructure, fight corruption and help pave the country’s road to membership in the European Union.

Stressing the vast scale of the task, diplomats and political leaders at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in London urged private-sector companies to invest and revive an economy battered by almost a year and a half of war.