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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
Hong Kong protestors gathered in multiple demonstrations to oppose a controversial extradition bill to China, leading to its indefinite suspension, while there were advances to same-sex rights in Botswana and Ecuador. In Hong Kong, a protest of one million protestors was followed by an additional one, leading Chief Executive Carrie Lam to announce an indefinite suspension of the proposed extradition bill. In Botswana, the high court overturned a colonial-era law criminalising same-sex relations, and in Ecuador the highest court approved same-sex marriage in a five-to-four vote. This comes in the same week that the supreme court of Brazil voted to criminalise homophobia, and a week after Bhutan decriminalised homosexuality, by voting to repeal provisions saying that “unnatural sex” is illegal. Continue reading
In Panama, centre-left candidate Laurentino Cortizo beat his centre-right rival by two percentage points, in South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to retain power, albeit in his party’s worst electoral showing in 25 years, and in Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is likely to retain his position with a slim majority. The results in Panama and Thailand have also been contested respectively for reports of voting irregularities and for a controversial formula for apportioning parliamentary seats. Continue reading
guanyinmiao's musings (Archived: July 2009 to July 2019) 