18 June 2023; MEMO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday his government will move ahead with its plans for a judicial overhaul this week, according to local media, reports Anadolu Agency.

Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said his government will convene later this week to start "practical steps" towards implementing the judicial reform plans.

18 June 2023; MEMO: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said that the enemies of Muslims, above all Israel, are opposed to the growing relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, reported state media.

19 June 2023; MEMO: Israel's High Court of Justice issued an interim injunction on Sunday against the proposed law which would expand the power of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over the police, local media have reported. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Israeli government has 90 days to explain why the law is necessary and should not be cancelled.

LONDON (AP) — Multinational companies including Amazon, Marriott and Hilton pledged Monday to hire more than 13,000 refugees, including Ukrainian women who have fled the war with Russia, over the next three years in Europe.

Just ahead of World Refugee Day on Tuesday, more than 40 corporations say they will hire, connect to work or train a total of 250,000 refugees, with 13,680 of them getting jobs directly in those companies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden ramps up his reelection effort this week with four fundraisers in the San Francisco area, as his campaign builds up its coffers and lays strategic foundations for 2024.

In the back half of June, Biden’s campaign will have over 20 fundraisers involving the president, Vice President Kamala Harris, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, according to a person involved in Biden’s travel plans who insisted on anonymity to discuss the schedule.

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at 4:30 p.m. Monday, the State Department said, as America’s top diplomat wrapped up a two-day visit to Beijing aimed at easing soaring tensions.

A Blinken-Xi meeting had been expected, but neither side had confirmed it would happen until just an hour before the talks, which are seen as key to the success of the trip. A snub by the Chinese leader would have been a major setback to the effort restore and maintain communications at senior levels.

18 June 2023; MEMO: Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is to embark on an official visit to Turkiye following an invitation by his Turkish counterpart and recently re-elected President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

News of Sisi's visit was disclosed by Ambassador Salih Mutlu Sen, who currently serves as Ankara's charge d'affaires in Cairo, Daily Sabah reported on Friday.

Willowbrook, Ill (AP) —A spate of weekend mass shootings and violence across the U.S. killed at least six people, including a Pennsylvania state trooper, and left dozens injured.

The shootings follow a surge in homicides and other violence over the past several years that experts say accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic. They happened in suburban Chicago, Washington state, central Pennsylvania, St. Louis, Southern California and Baltimore.

18 June 2023; MEMO: Turkish Customs officials seized 76 tarantulas in a cargo sent from Poland to Marmaris, southwestern Turkey, Ministry of Commerce reported on Sunday, reports Anadolu Agency.

Security teams found large and hairy spiders after examining the cargo, a statement by the ministry said.

Declared as "aquarium plant" in documents, the cargo was found "suspicious" and subjected to examination.

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli helicopter gunships struck targets Monday in the occupied West Bank as a gunbattle raged in the city of Jenin between Israeli troops and militants, killing three Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy, officials said.

The violence marked a rare use of Israeli airpower in the territory. During the clashes, Palestinian militants detonated a roadside bomb next to an Israeli military vehicle. At least 29 Palestinians were wounded, six seriously, and Israeli media said a number of Israeli soldiers were hurt.

DETROIT (AP) — Americans across the country this weekend celebrated Juneteenth, marking the relatively new national holiday with cookouts, parades and other gatherings as they commemorated the end of slavery after the Civil War.

TALUQAN, Afghanistan, June 19 (Xinhua) -- At least three commuters were killed and two others injured in two different road crashes in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province, traffic police official Mohammad Nadir said Monday.

In the first accident, a car overturned due to reckless driving in Cha Ab district of Takhar province on Sunday evening, leaving two dead on the spot and two others injured, while minutes later a car collided with another vehicle coming from the opposite direction in the same area, killing one on the spot, the official added.