World News in Brief: June 22

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday (June 21) urged the United States and Iran to avoid further escalation of the situation, said his spokesman.

* General secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president Xi Jinping on Friday wrapped up his widely-watched state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the first of its kind in 14 years, bringing bilateral ties to a new height in history and reaffirming China's commitment to a political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue.

* Cuba continues to attract foreign investment despite increased US financial sanctions and travel restrictions, Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment Rodrigo Malmierca said on Friday.

* President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Friday, ordering Russian airlines to indefinitely suspend passenger flights from Russia to Georgia starting July 8 as tensions flared up between the two countries.

* Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday extended the state of emergency by a further one month considering the security situation in the country.

* Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday summoned Swiss ambassador to Tehran to deliver a note of protest over the "violation" of Iran's airspace by a US drone on Thursday. Swiss embassy in Tehran represents US interests in Iran.

* US President Donald Trump on Friday spoke over phone with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud on Iran.

* The 27 European Union (EU) members decided to maintain a united front on the issue of Brexit and look forward to working together with the next British Prime Minister, President of the European Council Donald Tusk told a press conference Friday.

* Slovakia handed over the presidency of the Visegrad Four (V4) to the Czech Republic on the sideline of the European Council meeting in Brussels Friday, the Czech government said in a statement. The 7th Czech V4 presidency will run from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020.

* Hundreds of Jordanians took to the street on Friday voicing rejection of upcoming Bahrain workshop and the new US Mideast peace plan known as the Deal of the Century.

* The International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced Friday that 137 illegal immigrants were voluntarily deported from Libya to Nigeria.

* The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has started a partial suspension of food assistance operation in areas of Yemen under the control of the Shiite Houthi rebels.

* At least 81 Palestinians were injured on Friday afternoon during clashes between Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli soldiers in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel, medics said.

* Georgian Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze resigned on Friday amid mass protests in the capital of Tbilisi, Secretary General of the ruling Georgia Dream party Kakha Kaladze said.

* Forces of Libya's UN-backed government on Friday said it launched 10 airstrikes on positions of the eastern-based army in south of the capital Tripoli.

Xinhua