THE NEW

The Trump-Kim 'Historic' Encounter " The joint statement of United States(US) President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un at their Singapore Summit on 12 June 2018 characterises the meeting as “historic,” as has the media, repeatedly. But considering that this was the first face-to-face encounter between a US president and a North Korean top leader, the laconic joint statement issued at the end of it left a lot of questions unanswered. The essence of the statement was that Trump committed to provide “security guarantees” to North Korea, and Kim “reaffirmed” his responsibility to “complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.” Yes, “reaffirmed,” for Kim did the same—committed to bringing about a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons—at his summit meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in April 2018. The last clause of the third article of the Panmunjom Declaration of 27 April 2018 issued by the leaders of the two Koreas, “confirmed the...

India joins global anti-Trump front ( Economic Times Editorial) |   India’s plan to raise additional import duty, worth $240 million, on a variety of imports from the US in retaliation against US tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium imposed on national security grounds. The retaliatory tariffs on 30 products—motorcycles with engine capacity over 800cc, certain iron and steel goods, lentils, almonds, apple—show that India has joined the anti-US trade coalition that is gathering force to resist unilateralism in trade. New Delhi’s action would be noticed, principally because it comes alongside retaliatory tariffs on US imports by China, the European Union and the US’s North American Free Trade Agreement partners, Canada and Mexico. However, the amount ($240 million) that India expects to collect is tiny in relation to US exports of over $1.5 trillion. China’s additional tariffs total $50 billion. It will levy a 25% additional tariff on 545 product categories including ma...

The Guardian view on Albert Einstein: free thinking and hidebound attitudes Editorial Albert Einstein’s humanitarian reputation almost matches his scientific stature. From the 1930s onwards he vigorously denounced racism, “a disease of white people”, once observing that “being a Jew myself, perhaps I can understand and empathise with how black people feel as victims of discrimination”. So it is especially shocking to learn of racist and misogynist comments that he made while travelling in Asia in the 1920s. In his newly published diaries from the period, he describes the Chinese as “industrious, filthy, obtuse” and “a peculiar herd-like nation”. Though he praises their modesty and gentleness, he also echoes contemporary warnings that they posed a demographic threat: “It would be a pity if these Chinese supplant all other races. For the likes of us the mere thought is unspeakably dreary.” How could a figure renowned for his empathy and wisdom have written such passages? The answer ...

The Guardian view on Trump in Singapore: a huge win – for North Korea (THE GUARDIAN'S EDITORIAL) A confident leader strode into the Singapore summit and won. Kim Jong-un went with a plan, gave little and left with plenty: bolstered status and diplomatic leverage, lavish praise from the US president, the promise of an end to US-South Korean military drills – and, surely, a growing confidence that North Korea is doing well at this game. A meeting supposed to effect a breakthrough on denuclearisation looked “more like a big welcome party to the nuclear-armed club”, in the acid but accurate words of one observer. Better than war, for sure. But since it was Donald Trump who raised that spectre, giving him credit for dispelling it would be like calling a man a life-saver when second thoughts stay his hand from murder. The US president handed over gift after gift in exchange for the inflation of his ego. He does not know or does not care that his country went home poorer than it came...

Jordan crisis: Why Gulf States are rushing to step in Fearing a second Arab Spring at their doorstep, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States are eager to help Jordan's economy. Saudi Arabia will host a regional summit to discuss the ongoing economic crisis in Jordan, where a proposed income tax law recently prompted some of the largest protests in years. The meeting in Mecca on Sunday will be attended by Saudi King Salman, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. King Abdallah II hopes the summit will provide Jordan with an immediate cash infusion to help it offset the current budget deficit, which amounts to about $700m, sources in Jordan's royal court told to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity. The king will also push his Gulf allies to renew their previous financial grant agreement, which injected $1.25bn a year into Jordan's coffers from 2011 until 2017...