India: Modi premier for the third time

Today's news: The US approved the sale of F-16 spare parts to Taiwan;  A first Cuban delegation will visit South Korea next week; Police officers in the Philippines arrested for kidnapping tourists; Malaysia bans Israeli ships from docking but PM Anwar is accused of double-dealing; Russian propaganda also passes through the film industry.

INDIA

The National Democratic Alliance unanimously chose Prime Minister Narendra Modi as coalition leader, who will be reappointed for a third term in two days' time. In the last elections, the BJP, the party from which the premier comes, did not obtain the majority to govern alone: the alliance's two main regional parties, the Janata Dal (United) of Bihar and the Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh, which are less interested in Hindu ultranationalism, will play a crucial role in the formation of the government, according to experts.

TAIWAN

The US State Department has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jet spare parts to Taiwan for an estimated value of USD 80 million, the Pentagon has announced. The decision will serve to ‘enhance security’ on the island and ‘help maintain political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region’, the memo said. China has repeatedly asked the US, Taiwan's largest arms supplier, to stop selling arms to the island, which Beijing claims as part of its territory.

CUBA - SOUTH KOREA

A Cuban delegation will visit South Korea next week to attend the annual forum on cooperation between Korea, Latin America and the Caribbean to be held in Seoul for two days, the Korean Foreign Ministry said. This is the first official visit by Cuban officials since the two countries made a surprise announcement in February that they had established diplomatic relations. Havana has always maintained ‘fraternal’ ties with North Korea.

PHILIPPINES

The Philippine authorities arrested a group of police officers who were kidnapping tourists and demanding ransom money. Interior Minister Benhur Abalos said the gang was responsible for the kidnapping of three Chinese tourists and a Malaysian on 2 June in the capital Manila. The suspects were identified through security cameras and victims' testimonies.

MALAYSIA - ISRAEL

Malaysian customs banned the entry of a truck from Thailand carrying a container from the Israeli shipping company Zim. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim banned all Zim-owned ships, along with any Israeli-flagged vessels, from docking and unloading cargo at Malaysian ports in protest against Israel's war in Gaza, but his administration was also accused of maintaining links with arms manufacturers and investment companies that support Israeli military actions against the Palestinians.

RUSSIA

As documented by Agenstvo.Novosti, since the start of the special operation in Ukraine, the Russian state has increased the funding of films about the war and the conflict with the West by more than three times, with funding from the Ministry of Culture and the Film Fund. The ‘war-patriotic’ subsidies in 2021 were 640 million roubles, in 2022-23 2.5 billion.

ARMENIA - TURKEY

Armenia's Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan, spoke in parliament, describing the current dialogue with Turkey as ‘very healthy and positive’, with many proposals that have yet to be implemented, including the re-establishment of diplomatic relations and the reopening of the borders closed since 1993, although goods transport has been allowed since last year.

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