Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit North Korea today for the first time in 24 years, a rare trip that underscores Moscow’s deepening partnership with the nuclear-armed state. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un extended the invitation to Putin during a visit to Russia’s Far East last September. “At the invitation of the Chairman of State Affairs of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin will pay a friendly state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on June 18-19,” the Kremlin announced. After his North Korea trip, Putin will travel to Vietnam on June 19 and 20, the Kremlin added. Putin’s last visit to Pyongyang was in July 2000.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address farmers nationwide in Varanasi on June 18, marking his first public rally since beginning his third term in office. During the event, Modi plans to appoint 30,000 trained women farm guides and distribute the 17th installment of PM Kisan, a cash-transfer initiative for farmers, as announced by Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday. Chouhan informed reporters that nearly 20 million farmers from various states will participate either in person or virtually. Invitations have been extended to all state chief ministers for this significant occasion.
The Supreme Court will hold a hearing today on Punjab AAP MLA Jaswant Singh Gajjan Majra’s petition challenging his arrest and remand by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering investigation tied to a bank fraud case. The vacation bench, comprising Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Augustine George Masih, had deferred the proceedings to today, citing the absence of a rejoinder from the AAP MLA in the case.
The 56th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council will convene at the Palais des Nations in Geneva from June 18 to July 12, 2024. During this session, the Council is expected to discuss the prevailing conditions in Israel-Palestine, focusing on underlying factors such as colonial-apartheid practices and Israel’s alleged actions of forcibly displacing and relocating Palestinians. This discussion will take place in the context of findings from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.
Outgoing Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun is scheduled to appear before a US Senate panel today. This testimony comes in the wake of several incidents that have raised significant concerns regarding safety and quality, prompting regulators to limit production of Boeing’s popular 737 MAX aircraft. US Senator Richard Blumenthal, chair of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, announced that Calhoun will address a range of issues during his testimony.
