Your daily roundup of news from across the world.
PM Modi to make first visit to Indonesia Tuesday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will make his first-ever official visit to Indonesia Tuesday in a bid to enhance bilateral cooperation in a broad range of areas, including maritime, trade and investment reports The Straits Times.
The meeting is part of an Indo-Pacific strategy that describes an emerging alliance between the United States, India, Australia and Japan, which, in some quarters, is seen as a bid to contain China.
Other issues expected to be discussed include defence, and people-to-people connectivity. India is Indonesia’s largest trading partner in South Asia and fourth biggest trading partner in the world. According to the Jakarta Post the visit is being seen as India’s attempt at deepening the ties it shares with ASEAN members in accordance with New Delhi’s Act East policy.
China says Trump indecision is beneficial for some
Lambasting US President Donald Trump for first calling off a 12 June summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then going back on his decision two days later, China’s Global Times has claimed that his inconsistent stance is beneficial to China as it strengthens its sway over the Korean peninsula.
“Although the US-North Korea summit will likely be held, the twist has largely dampened the enthusiasm of the international community, including North Korea’s anticipation,” it writes.
Trump’s decision, it adds, was mere posturing to force the North to accept US’ denuclearisation plan and has backfired as it gave Pyongyang a moral high ground.
Meanwhile, President Trump appears to be making attempts to salvage the situation with tweets announcing the arrival of a US team in North Korea and lauding the North for its “brilliant potential”.
Our United States team has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the Summit between Kim Jong Un and myself. I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and financial Nation one day. Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2018
All-weather combat capability in China
China’s first operational aircraft carrier, Liaoning, has completed successful night-time take-off and landing exercises, signalling that it has all-weather combat capabilities.
According to The Global Times, this is a key step towards the formation of practical capabilities for combat.
“State television broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) released a video clip showing a Chinese carrier-borne aircraft taking off and landing at night on 24 May. This is the first time that state media has confirmed that the carrier has the ability to take off and land at night.”
Previously, only the US, Russia, France and the UK had mastered night-time carrier-based aircraft take-offs and landings.
Italy’s fresh political crisis deepens as ‘Mr Scissorhands’ takes charge
Italian President Sergio Mattarella Monday named senior economist Carlo Cottarelli as the new Prime Minister-designate, reports Xinhua. The move comes after the resignation of Italy’s newly appointed Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
Cottarelli, 64, a former International Monetary Fund senior official known as “Mr Scissors” for making cuts to public spending, would lead a technocratic government. But, according to reports by Politico, he faces an uphill task in getting the necessary support.
Italy is currently mired in fresh political turmoil, with the President facing impeachment calls after he vetoed the appointment of the anti-euro finance minister Paolo Savona, reports the BBC. “There is now a real argument between the President and the populists about Italy’s position in the EU,” the report adds.
The country has been without a government for some 13 weeks now, after general elections held on 4 March provided inconclusive results. It took weeks of negotiations for a populist coalition to take shape, but the President has controversially vetoed it, so Italy is now back to square one, with fresh elections looking increasingly likely.
Russian planes ‘intercept’ Israeli jets over Lebanon
In an aggressive show of power, Russian fighter jets intercepted Israeli warplanes over Lebanese airspace early Monday morning, according to the Middle East Eye. However, officials from both countries have not confirmed these reports.
According to the Israeli newspaper Hadashot, the Russian jets may have been participating in a “routine training exercise” before intercepting the Israeli warplanes.
In recent weeks, Israel has conducted airstrikes on military bases in Syria thought to contain Iranian troops or fighters belonging to the Lebanese group Hezbollah. Occasionally, missiles used in such strikes are fired by Israeli jets from Lebanese airspace.
Israeli jets also often fly over Lebanon to conduct reconnaissance missions. However, Lebanon, which considers Israel an enemy state, often complains about its southern neighbour violating its airspace, with the two countries viewing these moves as tactical warnings from the other sides.
‘Ivan the Terrible’ damaged
One of Russia’s most famous paintings, ‘Ivan the Terrible’, was badly damaged after a drunk man attacked it with a metal pole, The New York Times reported.
The painting, which depicts the 16th-century Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible cradling his dying son, was on display at Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery. It was painted in 1885 by the famous Russian realist, Ilya Repin.
The gallery owners told police that the man managed to get past a group of employees just before closing time, picked up one of the metal security poles used to keep the public back, and struck its protective glass cover several times.
While the painting was seriously damaged due to the shattering of the glass, the most precious elements in the painting — the faces of the father and son and their hands — did not sustain any damage.
Accordingto the Russian news agency Tass, the 37-year-old attacked the painting because he believed it was historically inaccurate. He has since been arrested.
Compiled by Divya Narayanan and Yashasvini Mathur