TV News LIES

• The US has lifted a ban on providing weapons and training to Ukraine’s Azov Brigade, which had far-right roots but proved key to the defence of the major port city of Mariupol. Azov was absorbed into Ukraine’s national guard as the 12th Special Forces Brigade and current members reject accusations of extremism and ties with far-right movements. The Russian government has seized on Azov’s origins in its efforts to cast Russia’s invasion as a battle against Nazi influence, though Vladimir Putin’s regime has not substantiated such claims.

• US law prohibits providing equipment and training to foreign military units or individuals suspected of committing gross human rights violations. The state department said on Tuesday that it found “no evidence” of such violations by Azov. “This is a new page in our unit’s history,” the Azov Brigade said in a statement. “Obtaining western weapons and training from the United States will not only increase the combat ability of Azov, but most importantly, contribute to the preservation of the lives and the health of personnel.”

Hamas on Wednesday said its "positive" response to a U.S. ceasefire plan for the eight-month-old war in the Gaza Strip opened a "wide pathway" to reach an agreement, but the outlook was uncertain as neither the Palestinian group nor Israel publicly committed to a deal.

Hamas submitted its formal response on Tuesday to a proposal outlined by U.S. President Joe Biden on May 31. Israel said the response was tantamount to a rejection while a Hamas official said the Palestinian group merely reiterated longstanding demands not met by the current plan.

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has said she is still “not doing great” but will continue to work, in her first interview since she was assaulted in a Copenhagen square last week.

Frederiksen, 46, suffered minor whiplash in the attack last Friday, which is not thought to have been politically motivated. A 39-year-old Polish man was detained on suspicion of assault.

“I’m not doing great, and I’m not really myself yet,” Frederiksen told the Danish broadcaster DR in an interview broadcast on Tuesday.

Frederiksen gave no details of the attack, but said “it was very intimidating when someone crosses the last physical limit you have. There is some shock and surprise in that”.

More...

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad presented their response to proposal for a cease-fire and release of hostages in Gaza, Egyptian and Qatari mediators said Tuesday, a day after the U.N. Security Council endorsed a U.S.-drafted resolution seeking to end the Israel-Hamas war.

The militant groups expressed in a joint statement their “readiness to positively” reach an agreement, Reuters reported.

"The Hamas response reaffirmed the group's stance any agreement must end the Zionist aggression on our people, get the Israeli forces out, reconstruct Gaza and achieve a serious prisoners swap deal," a Hamas official told Reuters, which did not name him.

A three-phase proposal put forth with Israeli input by the Biden administration − which said Tuesday it's evaluating the Hamas response − would achieve those goals: an immediate truce, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, an exchange of Palestinian prisoners for hostages and a pathway to a permanent end to the war.

TVNL Comment: We'll believe it when Bibi oprnly agrees.

More...