Airbus Defence and Space signed a separate declaration of intent with Vietnam on satellites

International news via Reuters:

France and Vietnam signed a deal on Monday for 20 Airbus planes, as well as defence and space pacts, as President Emmanuel Macron visited Hanoi seeking to boost France’s influence in its former colony, grappling with threats of crippling U.S. tariffs.

Macron’s first formal visit to Vietnam, the first by a French president in nearly a decade, follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats on Friday to impose 50% duties on European Union goods from June 1, fuelling tensions with the 27-country bloc, though he later delayed that deadline to July 9. 

Export-dependent Vietnam, under pressure from Washington to buy more American goods, has made pledges in trade talks to try to avert 46% tariffs that could impair its growth, fanning European concerns about deals at the region’s expense.

Deals signed during Macron’s visit covered the plane purchase, cooperation on nuclear energy, defence, rail and maritime transport, Airbus earth-observation satellites and Sanofi vaccines, a list of documents seen by Reuters showed, confirming an earlier report. 

In total 14 deals were signed, which would be short of the dozens that the French presidential palace had said were in preparation before the visit, but more agreements were expected to be announced on Tuesday, an official said.

In statements to the press with no questions allowed, Macron reiterated France’s support of freedom of navigation, an issue dear to Vietnam as it often clashes with Beijing over contested boundaries in the South China Sea.

Macron added the partnership with Vietnam “entails a reinforced defence cooperation”, citing the signing of multiple projects on defence and space.

Vietnam’s President Luong Cuong said the defence partnership involved “sharing of information on strategic matters” and stronger cooperation in the defence industry, cybersecurity and anti-terrorism.

France ruled the Southeast Asian country for about 70 years until it was forced out in 1954 after a major defeat at Dien Bien Phu in northern Vietnam. Ties have improved in recent decades, being upgraded last year to Vietnam’s highest level.

On his trip, the first leg of a Southeast Asian tour that includes Indonesia and Singapore, Macron met Vietnamese leaders and will visit a university in Hanoi on Tuesday, before flying to Jakarta, the Indonesian capital.

On arriving in Hanoi on Sunday night, Macron’s wife Brigitte appeared to push him in the face when they were still on the plane, a video showed, in an incident that the Elysee played down as “a moment of closeness”.

PLANES, SATELLITES

The deal with European planemaker Airbus for Vietnam’s low-cost airline VietJet to buy 20 A330neo wide-body aircraft follows last year’s agreement for 20 of the jets.

The companies did not announce the price or delivery schedule for the planes. 

The signing followed urging by European officials in recent weeks for Vietnam to be careful in concessions made to the White House, two officials based in Vietnam with knowledge of the discussions had told Reuters, referring to concerns on Airbus. 

Airbus is the main supplier of jets to Vietnam, but with an economy heavily dependent on U.S. exports, Vietnamese officials have signalled the possible purchase of at least 250 Boeing planes by flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and rival VietJet in moves meant to help cut the country’s huge trade surplus with the United States and possibly appease Trump.

Airbus Defence and Space signed a separate declaration of intent with Vietnam on satellites.

The company has long been in talks with Hanoi for the replacement of Vietnam’s earth-observation satellite, built by Airbus’ predecessor EADS and launched in 2013. The new pact involves “exploring a future programme”, Airbus said in a statement.

During the visit, French transport company CMA CGM said it signed a deal with Saigon Newport to build a deepwater container terminal in north Vietnam by 2028 for a joint investment worth $600 million. 

Reporting by Francesco Guarascio, Phuong Nguyen, Thinh Nguyen and Khanh Vu in Hanoi; Additional reporting by Tim Hepher, Lisa Barrington, Elizabeth Pineau and Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Clarence Fernandez, Michael Perry and Mark Potter

The EU already delayed its launch by a year following complaints from trading partners

International news via Reuters:

The European Union is facing further pressure from member countries to delay and weaken its upcoming law to restrict deforestation, with 11 governments demanding changes, a document seen by Reuters showed.

The world-first policy aims to end the 10% of global deforestation fuelled by EU consumption of imported soy, beef, palm oil and other products, but has become a politically contested part of Europe’s green agenda.

The EU already delayed its launch by a year to Dec. 2025, following complaints from trading partners including Brazil and the U.S., and cut back reporting rules after industry criticism. Last week, the Commission said it would spare the vast majority of countries the strictest checks. 

A group of 11 countries, led by Austria and Luxembourg, has demanded the European Commission simplify the rules further, and urged delaying its application date again.

“The requirements imposed on farmers and foresters remain high, if not impossible to implement. They are disproportionate to the regulation’s objective,” the countries said in a paper, which EU agriculture ministers will discuss in Brussels on Monday.

Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia also signed the paper.

From December, the EU policy would require operators placing soy, beef, palm oil, cocoa, coffee and other goods onto the EU market, to provide due diligence statements proving the commodities did not fuel deforestation. 

Due diligence requirements would also apply to EU exports, making countries worried about the impact on their own industries.

Companies could face penalties of up to 4% of their EU turnover for non-compliance.

The governments proposed amendments including creating a new class of countries deemed to have very low risk of deforestation, which would be exempt from customs checks and tracking the origin of goods.

A Commission spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reporting by Kate Abnett; Editing by Aidan Lewis

Civilians who defied the weekly stay-at-home order were murdered

International news via Reuters:

A sit-at-home order by banned separatist group Indigenous People of Biafra in Nigeria’s southeast has led to the death of over 700 people in the region over the past four years, an intelligence consultancy said in a new report.

The IPOB, campaigning for the secession of the southeast that is predominantly inhabited by the Igbo ethnic group, has been labelled a terrorist organisation by Nigerian authorities.

SBM Intelligence reported that the fatalities resulted from the killing of civilians who defied the weekly stay-at-home order every Monday and on other specific days, as well as from clashes between the IPOB and Nigerian security forces.

“IPOB’s enforcement tactics, including arson, looting and targeted assassinations, have created a climate of fear,” the SBM report said. 

“While there was a high rate of compliance with sit-at-home orders in 2021 (82.61%), surveys reveal that actual support is much lower (29%) now, with many complying under duress.”

An IPOB spokesperson denied the group was responsible for the deaths.

“Those causing the killings are the kidnappers and criminals recruited by government to blackmail and demonize IPOB,” the spokesperson said.

The government did not respond to a request for comment.

The IPOB launched the sit-at-home protest in August 2021 across the five states of Nigeria’s southeast, using it as leverage to demand the release of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, who is facing trial in the capital Abuja on terrorism charges.

The group suspended the weekly protest days later, citing a “direct order” from Kanu, who has been in custody since 2021, and reinstated it only on days the IPOB leader would be appearing in court. 

However, other armed groups claiming allegiance to IPOB and factions within the group have persisted in enforcing the weekly protest, launching attacks on government facilities and perceived pro-government individuals.

Despite IPOB’s attempts to disassociate itself from the region’s violence, the police have accused the group of involvement in several incidents, including a 2021 attack on a prison and the murder of over 30 travellers earlier this month.

The IPOB denied responsibility for those two attacks.

The SBM report added that beyond the deaths, the sit-at-home order, which suspends economic activities in the southeast every Monday and on days when Kanu appears in court, has resulted in economic losses surpassing 7.6 trillion naira ($4.79 billion).

Civil war engulfed the restive Biafra region in the late 1960s, killing more than 1 million people.

($1 = 1,598.5100 naira)

Reporting by Ben Ezeamalu; editing by Mark Heinrich

The election was called after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached

International news via Reuters:

South Korea’s political crisis has ignited bipartisan calls for constitutional amendments to reshape the power of the president, an issue hotly debated ahead of the June 3 snap election.

The election was called after former President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and removed from office over his shock martial law decree in December, and contenders from the major parties have vowed to pursue constitutional reforms.

“Chances to succeed in a constitutional amendment are higher than ever,” said Chae Jin-won, a professor at Kyunghee University’s Institute of Public Governance.

The constitution was last revised in 1987 to introduce direct presidential elections and a single, five-year term. Changes have long been debated but never implemented. 

Frontrunner Lee Jae-myung, of the liberal Democratic Party, has proposed four years in office and two consecutive terms for presidents who would take office from 2030 and onwards, a run-off system for presidential elections and parliamentary nomination on the prime minister.

“The responsibility of the president should be strengthened and powers should be decentralised,” he said on May 18. 

Kim Moon-soo, presidential nominee from the conservative People Power Party, has also unveiled a reform proposal including a four-year, two-term presidential system for future presidents. 

He promised to cut his own term down to three years if he is elected as the next leader so presidential and general elections could happen in the same year from 2028. He also pledged to strike down presidential immunity.

Yoon was a member of the PPP until he resigned from the party on May 17.

In recent years, presidential candidates from across the political spectrum have supported revisions including giving presidents two four-year terms, but there have been few concrete steps after new leaders were chosen.

A Gallup Korea opinion survey last month found 67% of respondents supported revising the constitution to fix the presidential system, with 21% saying it is unnecessary.

In April, Lee rejected a proposal by Woo Won-shik, the speaker of the parliament, to hold a referendum on constitutional reform on the June 3 presidential election day.

At the time Lee said ending the political turmoil was the top priority. 

The next president should begin to gather public consensus based on election pledges for the constitutional amendment and move forward with bipartisan support, he told reporters on Sunday.

Kim and his party criticised Lee for not pledging to reduce the term for the next presidency, but Lee said stable governance and economic recovery would be more important for the next leader than spending much of the term only on the constitutional revision.    

Professor Chae said while Lee and Kim shared similar goals, the two contenders were driven by differing motivations.

“I think candidate Kim put forward the idea of a transitional government to revise the constitution as a way to apologise for the martial law,” he said. 

“Candidate Lee initially didn’t want to jump to it, not to divert attention toward him, but now he is saying it to bring in more moderate voters.”

Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Josh Smith and Saad Sayeed