New Delhi: The United States and South Korea have raised the alarm about an impending potential visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to North Korea.
In an emergency phone call, South Korea’s vice foreign minister, Kim Hong-kyun, and the US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell have decided to “closely monitor new developments”, and shared their commitment for “airtight cooperation” in response to North Korea’s provocations.
According to a statement released by South Korea’s foreign ministry Friday, the two leaders discussed the importance of ensuring that Putin’s visit does not lead to increased military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow, which would violate UN (United Nations) resolutions.
Putin’s visit is expected to deepen military ties between Russia and North Korea. Russia has been accused of using North Korean weaponry — short-range ballistic missiles — in its war against Ukraine, a claim that it has denied. Ties between the two countries have reportedly strengthened since the beginning of the war. Congratulating Russia on the occasion of Russia Day Wednesday, Kim hailed its growing ties with the country.
Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that the country will withdraw from the Kremlin’s Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) — a bloc of six former Soviet countries aimed at countering NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) in the region.
Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported that the visit might include discussions on bringing in migrant workers from North Korea to address Russia’s labour shortage, exacerbated by the large numbers of men either fighting in the war or fleeing abroad to avoid mobilisation. The paper was the first to report that Putin is scheduled to visit North Korea and Vietnam in the coming days.
The exact dates of the visit, however, have neither been announced by the Kremlin nor revealed by the Russian media.
Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong had warned South Korea against criticising the North with loudspeaker blasts and leaflets amid growing tensions. In a series of balloon exchanges, South Korean activists had sent balloons across the border with leaflets about the human rights violations in the North. North Korea launched over 1,000 trash-filled balloons in a ‘tit-for-tat’ response.
South Africa decides to form a ‘unity’ govt
The African National Congress (ANC) has successfully struck a deal with its opponents to re-elect Cyril Ramaphosa as president of South Africa, just in time to meet the deadline to form a government. This landmark agreement ushers in the first multi-party coalition or a ‘national unity government’, which involves ANC’s traditional rivals, the Democratic Alliance (DA), and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP).
South Africa’s National Assembly convened Friday for the first time after the elections held 29 May to arrive at the decision.
First Sitting of the National Assembly https://t.co/5Bnpi2XRr9
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) June 14, 2024
In last month’s landmark election, ANC had lost its majority for the first time, securing only 159 of the 400 seats in Parliament, representing 40 percent of the vote. This loss necessitated the coalition with DA and IFP to ensure stable governance. The DA, a broadly centrist and pro-business party, has long been ANC’s principal opposition, with the two often clashing over economic policies and governance.
“Today marks the beginning of a new era where we put our differences aside and unite for the betterment of all South Africans,” wrote Sihle Zikalala of the ANC’s governing body in a post on X.
Today marks the beginning of a new era where we put our differences aside and unite for the betterment of all South Africans.
We remain humble and continue to serve in the 7th administration, selflessly.
#7thParliament #ANCinParliament #LetsDoMoreTogether pic.twitter.com/uE5lLU6ofv
— Sihle Zikalala (@sziks) June 14, 2024
A former anti-apartheid activist and businessman, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa has been president of South Africa since 2018. The 71-year-old saw a drop in popularity over issues, such as unemployment, crime, major power cuts, and scandals surrounding ANC and Ramaphosa himself, including claims of misconduct in the 2022 ‘Farmgate’ scandal.
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Three Spanish football fans sentenced for racist abuse
A court in Spain’s Valencia has sentenced three men to eight months in jail for hurling racist slurs at Real Madrid star player Vinícius Júnior during a league match in May last year. Additionally, the three individuals face a two-year ban on entering stadiums for all Spanish football matches.
The initial sentence of a 12-month prison term and a three-year stadium ban was reduced after the fans expressed regret and apologised in writing to Vinícius.
However, the three may not have to serve jail time. In Spain, prison sentences of less than two years for non-violent crimes rarely require first-time offenders to be incarcerated, meaning that they will likely remain free unless they commit further offences. The case was brought to court by LaLiga, Spanish football league system’s top division.
Vinícius, a 23-year-old Brazilian footballer, has been the target of around 16 incidents of racist abuse, as reported by LaLiga to the prosecution. In March, he had publicly expressed his distress at a press conference, stating that he was losing his “desire to keep playing” due to the incidents.
This case marks the first instance of sentencing for racist abuse in Spanish football, but such incidents are not uncommon.
Earlier this month, the Chinese embassy in Spain had lodged a protest with football club Real Madrid, following an incident where a blogger had reportedly been subjected to racist and sexist remarks during a postgame street interview. In January, FIFA President Gianni Infantino had called for “an automatic forfeit of games for football teams whose fans commit racist abuse”.
In the UK, a 50-year-old Nottingham Forest fan has received a banning order after he shouted racist remarks at a match.
Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China: Key takeaways
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is back from his maiden visit to China between 4 and 8 June, the first one since he took office in February this year.
While Pakistan had called the relationship between the two countries “iron-clad” and expected the launch of the second phase of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC-II), there was no mention of any new projects.
The joint statement by the two countries, however, did mention the commitment to “an upgraded version of the CPEC”. It also emphasised that the two countries would “actively explore advancing” the ML-1 project in a “phased manner” and “start working on financing modalities”. The affirmation came as Pakistan encouraged Chinese investments and identified 13 priority sectors for the same.
It is important to note that Pakistan already faces significant debt obligations to China, totaling over $7.5 billion from CPEC power plant projects. The country is grappling with a severe economic crisis, prompting the government to seek new loans to repay existing debts.
A debate on the state budget is scheduled for next week. Tax hikes are anticipated as the country hopes for a new loan from the International Monetary Fund. Pakistan is in talks with the IMF for a loan of $6 billion to $8 billion, as it seeks to avert a default for an economy growing at the slowest pace in the region, Reuters reported.
During his visit, Sharif held discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, and engaged with China’s business community at the Pakistan-China Business Forum 2024 in Shenzhen.
Talks spanned various sectors, such as agriculture, IT, industry, science and technology, and mining. The talks also touched upon military cooperation and regional security, with China highlighting the importance of safety measures following a terrorist attack on a Chinese convoy in Dasu in March this year.
Sharif said Tuesday that a ‘high powered delegation’ from its ‘all-weather ally’ China would visit Pakistan soon.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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