Asia

ASIA TODAY Putin in North Korea after 24 years. He is also expected in Vietnam

Today’s news: Tension on the border between the two Koreas, some North Korean soldiers have crossed the border by 20 meters. Chinese officials “hide” Cheng Lei, a journalist already imprisoned by Beijing, during the meeting between Li Quiang and Albanese in Canberra. Malaysia wants to join the BRICS economic grouping. The Arakan Army warns Maungdaw’s 20,000 civilians of an impending battle.

RUSSIA – NORTH KOREA – VIETNAM

President Vladimir Putin plans to visit North Korea on June 18 and 19 at the invitation of Kim Yong-Sun – for the first time since his visit in 2000 – and then travel to Vietnam to meet with the secretary of the Communist Party, Nguyễn Phú Trọng , and other authorities in the country, meetings that have been scheduled since the beginning of the year. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that “Russia has every right to develop these relations.”

NORTH KOREA – SOUTH KOREA

Tensions on the border between the two Koreas. South Korean army fired warning shots after some North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line near the border this morning, according to the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). About 20-30 soldiers crossed the 20-meter line inside the demilitarized zone and quickly returned north after the warning shots were fired, according to a JCS official.

ISRAEL

The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved his war cabinet of six members, a widely expected decision that comes after the resignations of the centrist opposition leader, Benny Gantz, and his ally, Gadi Eisenkot. Since Gantz resigned eight days ago over the lack of a war strategy, far-right ministers have called for him to take his place. A spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that as far as he is concerned, this will not affect the chain of command.

MYANMAR

All roads were blocked outside the key town of Maungdaw in western Myanmar, where the Arakan Army warned the remaining 20,000 civilians of an impending battle with military junta troops, residents told Radio Free Asia. But many residents were unable to leave the town near the border with Bangladesh because junta troops had already set up barricades, a Rohingya man who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals told RFA. “The death toll could increase due to the battle,” he said.

CHINA – AUSTRALIA

Chinese officials They prevented journalist Cheng Lei from appearing before the cameras during a meeting between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra. Cheng, who has already been imprisoned for three years, stated that she was prevented from “saying” or “doing something” that officials said would “give a bad impression.” Li’s visit – the first by a Chinese prime minister since 2017 – was seen as another step towards thawing tensions between the two nations.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia is preparing to join the BRICS group of emerging economies, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in an interview with the Chinese media Guancha. The BRICS group of nations originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, which gave it its acronym. Last year it began to expand its membership to challenge a world order dominated by Western economies, with the accession of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, Argentina and the United Arab Emirates.

INDIA

Priyanka Gandhi, sister of Congress leader and main Indian opposition, Rahul Gandhi, will soon participate in its first elections, as announced by the party. Priyanka Gandhi is a descendant of the Nehru-Gandhi family, India’s most famous political dynasty. The 52-year-old candidate will run in the by-elections in the seat of Wayanad, in the state of Kerala, in southern India, which will be vacated by her brother, winner in two different constituencies. A victory for him would mean the presence of the three members of the Gandhi family in the Indian Parliament, after her mother Sonia and Rahul.

ARMENIA – AZERBAIJAN

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pašinyan proposed to Azerbaijan to form a bilateral mechanism to investigate violations of the ceasefire regime on the borders, so as not to regularly end in mutual accusations for any skirmish as in recent days, and to establish common standards to “restore discipline.”



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