The attack on the Yemeni port is taking a toll on civilian lives and France calls Italy out for being irresponsible.
The war in Yemen has intensified
A Saudi-led alliance of Arab states launched an attack on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah Wednesday, in what is being called the biggest battle of the civil war yet.
The aim of the attack is “to bring the ruling Houthi movement to its knees at the risk of worsening the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis”, reports Reuters.
According to UN figures, 8.4 million Yemenis are on the verge of famine. The ports are the only way for the country to receive food supplies.
Italy and France in a row over migrant rescue boat
French President Emmanuel Macron has criticised Italy’s “cynicism and irresponsibility” for refusing to allow a migrant rescue ship to enter the country. In response, Italy has summoned the French ambassador, reports The Guardian.
The decision by Matteo Salvini, Italy’s new interior minister, to block the ship, ‘Aquarius’, from docking at its ports has prompted an international outcry. The ship is carrying 629 people.
‘American media has strayed from the point’: Chinese media
“American media’s debate on US gains and losses after the Kim-Trump summit has strayed from the point. Instead, they should focus on whether the summit helps facilitate the complete denuclearisation of North Korea, and does so with minimum cost,” The Global Times writes.
“However, all they care about is whether Trump made concessions and if North Korea and China benefited as a direct result. If the two Asian countries do benefit, the US media will be upset to the greatest extent,” it adds.
The Chinese paper asks how the US can “lose” when the talks have had so many achievements — like the suspension of nuclear and missile tests, and the promise of eventual denuclearisation.
Australia PM Turnbull to issue formal apology to child sexual abuse survivors
“Australia’s Prime Minister said Wednesday that he will issue a formal apology to thousands of survivors of child sexual abuse that went on for decades at schools, religious organisations and other institutions,” reports The New York Times.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Malcolm Turnbull has declared that the safety of children takes priority over the Catholic church. He will issue the national apology on 22 October.
Nepal’s Prime Minister to visit China
Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Oli is set for an official visit to China next week, China’s People’s Daily tweeted Wednesday, quoting the country’s foreign ministry.
Nepal's Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli will pay an official visit to #China from June 19 to 24 at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Wednesday. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/7E6mxBogPz
— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) June 13, 2018
“PM Oli is expected to discuss feasibility study of Kathmandu-Rasuwagadi-Kerung railway line during his six-day visit. The two countries are also expected to sign on the protocol agreement on transit treaty,” reports the Nepali newspaper Setopati.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by three countries
For the first time in history, a combined bid from the United States, Mexico and Canada won the hosting rights for the football World Cup in 2026.
“The 2026 tournament will be one of firsts. It will be the first time the World Cup is hosted by three countries, the first time it has a 48-team format, up from 32 teams, and it was the first time the vote was decided by FIFA’s entire membership,” reports The New York Times.
The majority of the matches, including the final, will be held in the United States.
How does South Korea feel about the Trump-Kim summit?
“South Koreans are trying to decide how they feel about once-unimaginable changes, among them the apparent halt of U.S.-South Korean military exercises and the direct line to the White House that Kim (Jong-un) now possibly enjoys,” reports The Washington Post, seeking to detail South Korea’s reaction to the Trump-Kim summit.
Those who support President Moon Jae-in are in favour of South Korea’s engagement with the North. The opposition is against any engagement with a regime that “does not offer anything in return”.
Some pro-military South Koreans reportedly feel betrayed by Trump’s announcement that all joint military exercises would be suspended. The country is also left to wonder if reunification could drain the South’s treasury. Moon’s government, on the other hand, has welcomed the summit as a “historic event”.
China might take the biggest piece of cake from Trump-Kim meeting
The outcome of the Kim-Trump summit may hold more for China than the other two parties, writes Sandeep Gopalan, the pro vice-chancellor of Australia’s Deakin University, for Al Jazeera.
Stating that the North Korean leader will seek guidance from China if the Chinese model is adopted to integrate North Korea into the world economy, Gopalan writes,”Once North Korea opens up and sanctions are lifted, Chinese enterprises will seize the opportunity to secure highly lucrative deals — from building infrastructure to supplying weapons to exploiting North Korea’s cheap labour for its own purposes. This will not advance US interests.”
If Trump succeeds in opening the door, his biggest challenge will be to stop China from coming in to take major benefits out of the Kim-Trump deal.