suicides are the new enemy of Kim Jong-un

Other news today: record rise in university fees in China. Australia’s most decorated soldier in the midst of a scandal over abuses and murders committed in Afghanistan. Venezuelan President Maduro traveled to Saudi Arabia. The Rublev Trinity icon was transferred to the Moscow Church of the Most Holy Savior.

NORTH KOREA

According to sources of Radio Free Asia, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a secret order to local authorities to prevent suicides due to data showing an increase in the number of people taking their own lives this year. At the end of May, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reported that suicides had increased by about 40% compared to last year.

CHINA

Chinese universities are drastically increasing college tuition fees this year due to the reduction of the national budget for tertiary education and the financial restrictions of local governments. The Shanghai-based East China University of Science and Technology, for example, increased its tuition fees by 54%, to 7,700 yuan ($1,082) per year, for some first-year students majoring in science, engineering, and physical education, and 30% for the liberal arts.

AUSTRALIA-AFGHANISTAN

The verdict in an important defamation trial in Australia ruled that the most decorated living serviceman, Ben Roberts-Smith, 44, lied to cover up his misconduct and threatened witnesses. The court also found him “complicit and responsible” for the killing of four Afghans between 2009 and 2013.

SAUDI ARABIA

The President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro arrived in Saudi Arabia yesterday, on his first visit to the country since 2015. He has meetings scheduled with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The aim of the visit is to consolidate Riyadh’s ties with the South American country, South America’s largest oil producer, despite opposition from Washington.

RUSSIA-MYANMAR-INDIA

It is suspected that Russia has returned to buy tank and missile parts previously shipped to Myanmar and India, according to a Nikkei analysis of official customs documents. Due to trade sanctions, Moscow is having difficulty acquiring the necessary components and could re-import the parts to upgrade weapons for the war in Ukraine.

RUSSIA

The icon of the Rublev Trinity was finally transferred to the Cathedral of the Holy Savior in Moscow and placed in the central capsule of the church, under the surveillance of the Ministry of Culture, which assured that “it has not suffered damage.” The icon will remain on display for devotion until June 18 thanks to the agreement signed by the patriarchate with the restorers of the Tretyakov Gallery, although the patriarch Kirill intends to leave it there for a year.

ARMENIA-Türkiye

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Pasinián, traveled to Ankara to attend the inauguration of Erdogan’s new presidential term, a historic decision that sparked criticism but also enthusiastic support in his country, as a sign of reconciliation between peoples who have always been hostile. No Armenian leader had ever been to Turkey for these kinds of reasons.