June 20 update

Vladimir Putin, Russia’s leader, touched down in Vietnam ahead of talks with the country’s top brass. The visit follows Mr Putin’s trip to North Korea, where he cemented his dangerous bromance with Kim Jong Un. Vietnam has hosted Joe Biden, Xi Jinping and now Mr Putin in the past nine months. The country’s leaders say they pursue “bamboo diplomacy”, a foreign policy not unlike the flexible branches of the plant. Vietnam has not condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, a stance Mr Putin recently praised as “balanced”.

America approved the sale of drones and missiles worth around $360m to Taiwan. The sale includes loitering munitions such as the 720 Switchblade, which hovers near its target before attacking. Taiwan’s president, William Lai Ching-te, thanked America for approving the deal. Since his inauguration in May, China has increased its military activities near the self-governing territory.

Ilya Sutskever, the co-founder of OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, said that he would launch a rival artificial-intelligence company. Safe Superintelligence will focus on growing its AI model “while making sure…safety always remains ahead”, he said. Mr Sutskever left OpenAI earlier this year, seven months after unsuccessfully trying to oust Sam Altman, its chief executive.

The leader of Hizbullah, the Iran-backed militia that controls Lebanon, warned that the group would fight “without rules and without limits” in any war against Israel. Both sides have exchanged fire since Israel invaded Gaza, but have so far shied away from all-out war. The Hizbullah leader also threatened Cyprus, accusing the country of allowing Israel to use its airports for military exercises.

Gordon Black, a sergeant serving in the American army, was sentenced to nearly four years in prison in Russia. Mr Black is accused of stealing money from his Russian girlfriend and threatening to murder her while staying in Vladivostok, a city in Siberia. Prosecutions for domestic violence, which was partially decriminalised in 2017, are rare in Russia.

Louisiana passed a law requiring that classrooms in public schools—from nurseries to universities—display the Ten Commandments. From next year each will have a poster with a specific version of the religious imperatives, printed in “large, easily readable font”. It is the first such law to be passed, and will probably face legal challenges for violating the constitutionally mandated separation of church and state.

Two climate protesters were arrested for spraying Stonehenge, an ancient monument in the south of England, with orange paint. Just Stop Oil, a campaign group, said that the paint was cornflour-based and would wash away. Visitors to the UNESCO world heritage site were aghast; some tried to stop the protesters. Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, weighed in despite his busy election schedule, calling it a “disgraceful act of vandalism”.

Figure of the day: 11,000, the number of containers filled with arms that North Korea has shipped to Russia since September, according to American officials. Read the full story.

In the run-up to America’s presidential election, we’ve launched The US in brief—a daily update to help you keep on top of the political stories that matter. Sign up here to receive it as a newsletter, each weekday, in your inbox.

 

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photo: sandra navarro

Malaysia and China strengthen ties

On Thursday Li Qiang, China’s prime minister, wraps up a three-day visit to Malaysia. The countries are marking the 50th anniversary of their establishing diplomatic relations. Today ties between them are strong. On Wednesday Mr Li met Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia’s prime minister, who earlier this week described Xi Jinping, China’s ruler, as an “outstanding leader”. Mr Anwar also announced that Malaysia would like to join the BRICS, a bloc of ten economies that includes China.

Investment is why Malaysia wants to be close. China is its largest trading partner. On Wednesday China agreed to buy Malaysia’s fresh durian, a pungent fruit adored by Chinese consumers. China wants other things, too, including influence in South-East Asia. Through its Belt and Road Initiative, China has ploughed money into Malaysian infrastructure. Mr Li visited the East Coast Rail Link, a China-funded venture, during his trip. Such projects are, however, becoming less popular. Malaysia increasingly courts Chinese financing for new priorities, such as e-commerce.

photo: epa

No rate cuts before Britain’s election

Rate-setters at the Bank of England will meet on Thursday, a day after the welcome news that the headline annual inflation rate in Britain has returned to its 2% target. Nonetheless, the majority of the Monetary Policy Committee is unlikely to vote for a cut in the bank’s benchmark interest rate, currently 5.25%, quite yet.

The reason for this reticence is that much of the decline in headline inflation stems from a sharp decline in energy prices. That probably won’t happen again. Other gauges of inflationary pressure are falling more slowly. Annual core inflation—which excludes volatile food and energy prices—remains well above target, at 3.5%. Wage growth and services inflation, which the MPC watches closely, are also high.

Still, cuts should be on the way soon. Unemployment is up to 4.4%, a post-pandemic high, and labour-market surveys suggest further weakening is ahead.

photo: ap

Colombia attempts to reform

Thursday marks the end of a legislative session in Colombia, after which any bills that have not progressed are thrown out. The country’s first left-wing government, which came to power in August 2022, is racing to pass reforms intended to reduce inequality in one of the world’s most unequal countries.

On Friday the lower house approved a pension bill, the biggest change to Colombia’s social-security system since 1993. It will expand pension coverage to almost everyone of retirement age, from a quarter of them now. On June 11th legislators began the long process of debating a labour-reform bill; they have since approved the majority of its articles.

But it isn’t all smooth sailing. The pension reform could face opposition in court. A new education law which seeks to improve access to schools and universities looks sunk. It enraged the largest teachers’ union, which said a proposed change would have funnelled public money to private schools.

photo: alamy

Solar season

On Thursday the northern hemisphere will enjoy its summer solstice, the moment in the year when it can expect most sunlight. Since the vast majority of the world’s solar power capacity is in the northern hemisphere—almost half of it in China—this makes it, in principle, the technology’s best week of the year.

To mark this midsummer abundance The Economist is this week looking at all manner of matters solar. An essay makes the case that the technology’s exponential rise is far from over. A piece in the Middle East and Africa section considers the dramatic effects the technology is having in easing South Africa’s brownouts. In the Business section we look at the troubled state of the Chinese solar industry, which has produced a booming technology without booming profits. And elsewhere we contemplate the way the sun has inspired artistic recognition from the stone age on.

photo: getty images/prime video

Revisiting Federer’s swansong

If you were to make a documentary about Roger Federer, you might start at the beginning, showing his days as a ball boy, years as a junior champion and almost two decades competing at the highest echelons of tennis. You might look at how he developed his signature, graceful style, or his sweeping one-handed backhand.

Yet “Federer: Twelve Final Days”, released on Prime Video on Thursday, takes a different approach. The film focuses on the period up to and including Mr Federer’s last-ever game of high-level tennis at the Laver Cup in 2022. It takes his brilliance as given and does not analyse his technique; instead, the prospect of retirement prompts Mr Federer to reflect on the rewards and challenges of a life lived for sport. Mr Federer won plenty of silverware—including 20 grand slams—during his career. But the documentary suggests that his bond with Rafael Nadal, his longtime rival on the court, was as cherished a prize.