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President Donald Trump became the first sitting president to set foot in North Korea, sharing a symbolic handshake with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the demilitarised zone. “With no time for the all-important backroom diplomacy, it is expected to be largely a photo opportunity”, and this handshake follows two prior meetings in Singapore and Vietnam which did not result in any deal. Continue reading
In Asia, the imperial succession in Japan was marked by its first abdication in more than two centuries, while in Thailand a three-day coronation – after the king married the deputy head of his personal security detail – included a procession and a public holiday. And in Africa: Protestors in Algeria were worried about the persistence of the old ruling elite and the influence of the military despite the departure of former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the conclusion of controversial parliamentary elections in Benin led to the deployment of soldiers against hundreds of protestors, and protestors in Sudan join in a sit-in outside the country’s defence ministry. Continue reading
In the same week China organised the second Belt and Road Forum, the sentencing of four Occupy leaders in Hong Kong marked the end of years of prosecutions and tens of thousands protested against a government plan to allow extraditions to mainland China. In China: A lift crash left 11 people dead, the government formally arrested the former head of Interpol Meng Hongwei, and the Belt and Road Forum drew representatives from over 150 countries. And in Hong Kong, four of nine Occupy leaders were sentenced up to 16 months for their involvement in the 2014 Umbrella Movement, and an extradition proposal sparked one of the biggest protests in recent years. Continue reading
guanyinmiao's musings (Archived: July 2009 to July 2019) 