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Chinese President Xi Jinping travelled to Pyongyang to meet Kim Jong Un, seeking to reassert Beijing's influence over North Korea amid its deepening military cooperation with Russia.

This comes as Armenia's pro-EU party leads parliamentary voting, Pakistan pushes diplomatic efforts to resolve the escalating U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, and the Pentagon raised its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to critical levels.

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1️⃣ 🇨🇳🇰🇵 Xi visits North Korea for first time in seven years: Chinese President Xi Jinping travelled to Pyongyang to meet Kim Jong Un, seeking to reassert Beijing's influence over North Korea amid its deepening military cooperation with Russia. Xi is expected to offer economic aid while avoiding pressure on denuclearization, strengthening China's leverage in its broader rivalry with the U.S.

2️⃣ 🇦🇲 Armenia's pro-EU party leads parliamentary vote: PM Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party is ahead with 56.7 percent of the vote according to exit polls, amid concerns of Russian interference and alleged vote-buying linked to the main opposition. The election is widely seen as a referendum on Armenia's western pivot after Moscow failed to intervene when Azerbaijan seized Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023.

3️⃣ 🇮🇷🇺🇸 Pakistan pushes diplomacy as Iran war hits 100 days: Pakistan's Interior Minister travelled to Tehran to deliver a letter to Iran's Supreme Leader as part of ongoing mediation efforts to end the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. Negotiations remain deadlocked over frozen Iranian assets, sanctions relief, and control of the Strait of Hormuz, as fears of full-scale conflict resuming continue to grow.

4️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇷 U.S. eyes Iranian assets for Gulf reconstruction: Washington is considering redirecting frozen Iranian assets to Gulf states to cover damage caused by Iranian strikes, a move that could further complicate stalled peace talks. Clashes continued over the weekend, with U.S. forces striking Iranian radar sites in the Strait of Hormuz while Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles targeting U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.

5️⃣ 🇺🇸🇮🇱 Pentagon raises Israel espionage threat to critical: The Defense Intelligence Agency elevated its counterintelligence threat assessment for Israel to its highest level, citing concerns that Israeli spying on senior U.S. officials has grown more aggressive amid disagreements over the Iran war. The move reflects deepening friction between Trump and Netanyahu over whether to resume strikes on Iran or pursue a diplomatic settlement.

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A single evening only brought in $1 billion at auction one other time, Paul Allen’s estate in 2022.

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• Pollock: $181.2M, nearly 3x his previous record

• Brancusi: $107.6M, second highest sculpture price ever

• Rothko: $98.4M, a new record for the artist

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Major Story

🇮🇷🇮🇱 Israel retaliates after Iranian missile strikes

Iran launched multiple waves of missiles at northern Israel on Sunday, marking the first direct Iranian attack since the April ceasefire, with most projectiles reportedly intercepted.

The Iranian government characterized the strikes as a response to repeated ceasefire violations, specifically citing U.S. attacks on Iranian ships and Israeli operations in Lebanon earlier that day. 

Israel subsequently struck military targets in western and central Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, and Karaj, though damage assessments remain unclear.

President Trump urged Israeli leadership to refrain from further retaliation, expressing concern that escalation could undermine ongoing negotiations between the three parties. 

The exchange has intensified regional tensions despite a fragile ceasefire framework that has been repeatedly tested since April, with oil prices rising on energy market concerns.

Other News

1️⃣ 🇺🇦 Zelenskyy meets European allies in London amid escalating Russian strikes: Leaders from the UK, France and Germany gathered with Zelenskyy to discuss scaling up air defences and deep-strike capabilities after Russia fired hypersonic weapons and struck a nuclear fuel storage facility near Chornobyl. The group called on Putin to agree to an immediate ceasefire and will push for further military support at the G7 summit on June 15 and the NATO summit in July.

2️⃣ 🇺🇦🇬🇷 Ukraine apologizes to Greece over stray naval drone: Kyiv issued a formal apology to Athens after a naval drone was discovered by fishermen on the shores of Lefkada, following a Greek diplomatic protest warning the vessel posed a threat to maritime traffic and could have caused civilian casualties. Ukraine attributed the incident to circumstances arising from Russian aggression, reaffirming its commitment to international law and maritime safety.

3️⃣ 🇽🇰 Kosovo holds third election in 18 months: PM Albin Kurti's party led with 42 percent but fell short of a governing majority, pointing to further difficult coalition negotiations in a country mired in political deadlock. Voter turnout dropped to under 37 percent as frustration mounts over repeated elections and the country's stalled EU and NATO membership ambitions.

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