Xi Jinpng and Kim Jong-un meet a week after Trump-Kim summit and Yemen’s Hodeidah airport under attack.
The United States has withdrawn from the United Nations Human Rights Council
The Trump administration withdrew from the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday, making good on a pledge to leave a body it accused of hypocrisy and bias against Israel, reports Bloomberg.
“UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who has sought major changes on the council throughout her tenure, issued a blistering critique of the panel, saying it had grown more callous over the past year and become a ‘protector of human rights abusers, and a cesspool of political bias’,” reports Washington Post.
The move came amidst growing criticism against Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents at the Mexico border.
Activists said the US move could hurt efforts to monitor and address human rights abuses around the world. The UN human rights commissioner, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, called the US withdrawal “disappointing, if not really surprising, news”, reports BBC.
"Disappointing, if not really surprising, news. Given the state of #HumanRights in today's world, the US should be stepping up, not stepping back" — UN Human Rights Chief #Zeid following USA decision to withdraw from U.N. Human Rights Council.#StandUp4HumanRights
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) June 19, 2018
Republican senators try to vote against the family separation crisis
Republican senators are trying to “defuse a political crisis by seeking passage of legislation that would swiftly bring an end to President Trump’s practice of separating children from their parents when families cross into the United States illegally”, reported The New York Times.
Mitch McConnell, the majority leader in the Senate, said that “all of the members of the Republican conference support a plan that keeps families together”. He endorsed an approach that would allow detaining parents and children together.
“But Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, immediately shot down the Republican approach, saying that Mr Trump could — and should — use his executive authority, not legislation, to quickly end the family separations,” the report added.
North Korea and China hold talks in Beijing
China President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have met in Beijing for their third face-to-face interaction since March. The meeting comes a week after Kim’s summit with US President Donald Trump.
“The two leaders had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on the current development of China-DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) relations and the situation on the Korean Peninsula,” reported Global Times.
Both leaders released a statement on safeguarding China-North Korea relations, and “pushing forward the sound momentum of peace and stability”.
Turkey, Russia and Iran in Geneva for talks on Syria’s new constitution
Representatives from Turkey, Russia and Iran met in Geneva Tuesday to discuss the formation of a committee that will draft a new constitution for Syria.
“Members of the Syrian opposition have also arrived in the Swiss city where officials of the three nations acting as guarantors of a ceasefire in the war-torn country are meeting under the auspices of the United Nations,” reported Al Jazeera.
The meeting in Geneva is taking place after the agreement signed at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, which took place in Sochi in January. The final statement of the agreement called for “the creation of a constitutional commission comprising government, opposition and Syrian civil society members”.
Saudi-led coalition troops have stormed Yemen’s Hodeidah airport
Saudi-led coalition troops seized the airport in the besieged port city of Hodeidah Tuesday, and captured large areas of the compound after battles with Houthi rebels.
“Wresting the airport from the Houthis would be a significant step to a takeover of Hodeidah by coalition-backed forces. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have pledged a swift assault to avoid disrupting aid deliveries to Yemen through the port,” reported Reuters.
Tuesday’s battle has spread panic among local residents, the report said, adding, “UN officials estimate that 600,000 people live in and around Hodeidah and that in a worst-case scenario the battles could cost up to 250,000 lives.”
Merkel and Macron support the euro zone budget reform
“The leaders of Germany and France agreed Tuesday to create a budget for the euro zone and hailed a ‘new chapter’ for the currency union,” reported Reuters.
However, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron haven’t yet worked out the details with other EU members.
Their meeting Tuesday was in preparation for the EU summit on 28-29 June. The two leaders agreed that the new budget will be charged with increasing the EU’s economic competitiveness. “Macron said it would be operational by 2021, but their plans lacked further detail,” the report added.
‘China may catch up with US in venture capital investment’
China might catch up with field leader US in venture capital investment, entrepreneurs attending a forum in Beijing said Monday, reports Global Times.
“At the ‘China’s Innovation Revolution’ forum, they gave examples of ride-sharing conglomerate Didi Chuxing and electronic device provider Xiaomi, both of which have attracted billions of US dollars in equity financing,” the report added.
Hans Tung, managing partner of venture capital firm GGV Capital, added that over the decade, the Chinese e-commerce sector had become a leader domestically and globally.
The forum was aimed at exploring investment opportunities in China and the US.
A grandmother’s blessing
I’m 100% convinced my grandma was the reason Mexico won pic.twitter.com/9jBRF5wFPE
— . (@M749WVca7PH3A8a) June 17, 2018
A video of a Mexican grandmother blessing the country’s football team on TV ahead of their World Cup match against defending champions Germany has gone viral on Twitter. Mexico won against Germany 1-0 Sunday.