Hundreds dead across Europe as heatwave shatters records

"A scorching heatwave has killed hundreds of people across Europe this week, with Spain reporting the highest death toll as temperatures surged past 40C (104F) and records were shattered across the continent.

Spanish authorities have linked more than 200 deaths to the extreme heat, according to the country’s mortality monitoring system. Germany has reported more than 20 deaths, many of them drownings as people sought relief in rivers, lakes, and pools. France has confirmed several heat-related fatalities, including children, while Italy has also reported multiple deaths as hospitals treated growing numbers of patients suffering from heatstroke and dehydration.
The heatwave has engulfed much of Western and Southern Europe, with Paris recording its hottest June day on record at 40.9C and Britain registering its highest June temperature ever at 36.4C. Switzerland also set a new June record, while authorities across the region issued red alerts, closed schools, canceled train services and urged residents to stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day." RT

Trump Threatens To Assassinate IRGC Officials In Switzerland - IR Iran In Meltdown

"President Trump has once again trapped the Islamic Republic. The tables have turned the IRGC's main officials have stormed out of the building in Switzerland on day one of the negotiations, allowing the junior interns to have some technical talks.

And why? because President Trump threatened to assassinate them before they returned to Iran.
The narrative was the United States is trying to tell Israel to behave in southern Lebanon when it comes to defending themselves against Hezbollah terrorists. Well, today it's switched.
It's now the pressure from the United States on the IRGC and Hezbollah in Lebanon while the Israelis remain in the southern parts of the country.

If this deal fails, President Trump is going to take the Straight of Hormuz over by force. The United States will scontrol the Straight of Hormuz." TousiTV

Western companies miss deadline to exit Russia’s main drone production site

"Manufacturers from Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France, and the U.S. continue operating in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, where Russia produces thousands of Shahed drones capable of reaching the EU.

A huge industrial site in Tatarstan, a region in central Russia, has gained notoriety for its outsized role in Russia's war against Ukraine.
The site, known as the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ), is Russia's main facility for producing Shaheds, its primary long-range attack drones used in the war against Ukraine.
Launched after the Kremlin invaded Ukraine in 2022, the drone plant has produced tens of thousands of Shaheds, known in Russia by the domestic name Geran." KI

5 injured as avalanche derails passenger train near Goppenstein, Switzerland

"An avalanche derailed a passenger train near Goppenstein in the canton of Valais, Switzerland, injuring five of the 29 people on board." W

Swiss Authorities Freeze Assets Linked To Venezuela's Maduro After US Capture

"Switzerland said on Jan. 5 that it has frozen all assets held in the country by deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his associates." ZH

Trump hits Ukraine with 10% tariffs, spares Russia and Belarus

"U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited package of "Liberation Day" tariffs on imported goods, speaking in the Rose Garden of the White House on the evening of April 2.

The U.S. imposed a basic 10% reciprocal tax on imports from all nations and higher tariff rates on dozens of America's largest trading partners, hitting Cambodia particularly hard with a 49% tariff, Vietnam (46%), Thailand (36%), and 34% on Chinese goods.
A 20% tariff on all goods from European Union countries and 31% on Switzerland.
Ukraine and the United Kingdom get off comparatively lightly with a 10% tariff.
Trump accused other nations of "looting, pillaging, raping and plundering" the US. The tariffs are expected to shave billions off global economic growth.
No tariffs were imposed on Russia and Belarus because, according to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, no goods from those countries enter the American market." NV

Switzerland willing to organize Trump-Putin meeting, awaiting agreement from both sides

"Switzerland is ready to organize a meeting between U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin if both sides agree, Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nicolas Bideau said. The arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Putin would not be an obstacle to organizing such negotiations, as the Swiss government has the right to make exceptions for peace talks. President-elect Donald Trump stated that Putin wants to meet with him and that the organization of the talks has already begun." NV

Zelensky cancels November ‘peace summit’

"Ukraine is no longer planning to hold a second peace conference on ending hostilities with Russia, a senior aide to Vladimir Zelensky has said. The meeting had been scheduled for

November.
Zelensky held an ambitiously-named ‘peace summit’ in June at the Swiss resort of Luzerne, where he sought support for his ‘peace formula’ – a ten-point wishlist that Moscow had rejected as delusional. The event, to which Russia was not invited, was widely seen as a failure.
”The Second Peace Summit will not take place in November,” senior presidential aide Darya Zarivna told the media." RT

Russia attacks Swiss humanitarian organization clearing mines in Kharkiv region

"Russians attacked the office of the humanitarian organization FSD, the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action, with a ballistic missile. The missile was targeting the territory of the Kharkiv region, according to the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniehubov." MS

Putin Names Two Conditions For Ending The War 'This Very Minute'

"Russian President Vladimir Putin in a Friday speech addressed the West's efforts to host a major Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland this weekend. Though scores of world leaders will be there, Russia has not been invited, and China has snubbed the event citing that it's pointless without Moscow's representation given it is a party to one side of the war.

Putin outlined his "conditions" for peace. He said for the military operation to be halted Ukrainian forces would have to withdraw from the four regions annexed by the Russian Federation. "Ukrainian troops must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions," Putin said in a televised address. Putin also stipulated a second main condition for ending the war: Ukraine must reject ambitions to join the NATO alliance." ZeroHedge

Biden currently not scheduled to attend Zelensky’s ‘peace conference’

"A Swiss-hosted conference on the Ukraine conflict, set for next month, is not on US

President Joe Biden’s event schedule, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby has told reporters.
More than 160 countries have been invited to take part in the summit, which is set to take place on June 15-16 at the Burgenstock Resort near Lucerne. Russia, however, isn’t among them.
“I don’t have anything on his schedule to speak to in that regard,” Kirby said during a press briefing on Friday, when asked whether Biden plans to attend the event, which is expected to revolve around Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s proposed roadmap for ending the conflict with Russia." RT

Russia Won't Accept Any Ultimatums on Ukraine - Putin

"Russia wants to understand whom it can trust before engaging with partners on the Ukrainian conflict, President Vladimir Putin said during a trip to China on Friday.

"We must understand with whom and how we can engage and whom and to what degree we can trust. We are of course analyzing everything that is going on," Putin told a press conference in Harbin.
The president pointed to China as a stakeholder that was sincerely trying to put an end to the conflict in Ukraine. "We believe that China is sincere about its efforts to solve this problem. It has suggested different options and has been very flexible about it," Putin said.
Commenting on the Swiss initiative on Ukrainian peace, the Russian president stressed that Moscow would not accept ultimatums.
"It is clear what this event is all about: bringing together as many countries as possible to claim that they have everything agreed on and then giving Russia an ultimatum," Putin said, adding he would not have it.
Russia is keeping tabs on the preparations for the Swiss conference on Ukraine, which is due on June 15-16, the president said." RT

Ukraine ranks third in Eurovision Song Contest 2024

"The Swedish city of Malmö hosted the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 on 11 May. The crystal microphone trophy was presented to the artist Nemo from Switzerland....Ukraine secured third place. Ukraine was represented by alyona alyona & Jerry Heil, who were the second artists to perform." Pravada

Pope says Ukraine should have ‘courage of the white flag’ of negotiations

"Pope Francis has said in an interview that Ukraine should have what he called the courage of

the “white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia that followed Moscow’s full-scale invasion two years ago and that has killed tens of thousands.
Francis made his comments in an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, well before Friday’s latest offer by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to host a summit between Ukraine and Russia to end the war." MichaelSavage.com

Antisemitism Motive Investigated After Jewish Man Stabbed by Teen in Zurich

"A teenager has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing and critically wounding an Orthodox Jewish man on the streets of Zurich, Swiss police said.

Zurich police said in a statement that they suspect antisemitism as the motive in the stabbing attack." Breitbart

Ukrainian man pleads guilty in cyberattack that temporarily disrupted major Vermont hospital

"A Ukrainian man has pleaded guilty to involvement in two separate malware schemes including a cyberattack at the University of Vermont Medical Center in 2020 that temporarily shut down some of its vital services and cost it tens of millions of dollars,

according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Vyacheslav Igoravich Andreev, 37, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Nebraska to one count of conspiracy to break U.S. anti-racketeering law and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Penchukov was accused of helping lead a racketeering enterprise and conspiracy that infected thousands of business computers with malicious software starting in May 2009, and later leading a conspiracy that infected computers with new malware from at least November 2018 through February 2021, according to federal prosecutors.
That allowed other suspicious software, like ransonware, to access infected computers, which is what happened at the University of Vermont Medical Center in October 2020, the Justice Department said.
A hospital official said in 2021 that the attack cost it an estimated $50 million, mostly in lost revenue, while the Department of Justice pegged the losses at $30 million.
The attack “left the medical center unable to provide many critical patient services for over two weeks, creating a risk of death or serious bodily injury to patients,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
According to prosecutors, the cybercriminals also used malicious software to get account details, passwords, personal identification numbers and other information needed to log into online banking accounts.
They then falsely represented to banks that they were employees of the victims and authorized transfers from the accounts, resulting in millions of dollars in losses, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Penchukov was a fugitive on the FBI's cyber most-wanted list before he was arrested in Switzerland in 2022 and extradicted to the United States the following year.
He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count when he sentenced May 9." MS

Zelensky Headlines at Davos

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is headlining a frenzied first full day of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, where top officials from the United States, the European Union, China, the Middle East and beyond also will be prominent Tuesday." Breibart

Ukraine Rejects Ceasefire with Russia at Davos ‘Peace’ Summit Ahead of World Economic Forum Meeting

"Ukrainian officials vowed to continue the war against Russia until Moscow returns all of the occupied territory during a so-called peace summit in Davos, Switzerland ahead of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum." Breirbart

Switzerland to investigate reports of Swiss ammunition being supplied to Ukraine

"The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs has confirmed that it is investigating media reports about the alleged supply of Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine by a Polish company, UMO SP.....such exports violate Swiss policy, which prohibits the re-export of military equipment and goods to countries where active hostilities are taking place." Pravada

Norway Joins List of Nations Ready to Pay Ukrainian Refugees to Go Home

"Oslo has introduced a scheme designed to get some of the roughly 51,000+ Ukrainian

refugees living in Norway to go home, offering cash payments of nearly €1,500 to Ukrainian nationals willing to leave the Kingdom.
Norway is the latest country in Europe to offer Ukrainian nationals a cash incentive to leave, with Swiss media reporting on a similar scheme by the government earlier this month, and Ireland’s authorities exploring the use of social welfare funds to “encourage” Ukrainians to go home earlier this year." Sputnik