Play The Diplomat’s Quiz: April 30, 2017 Edition

The Indian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has concluded a near $2 billion deal with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for an advanced medium-range surface-to-air (MRSAM) missile system, according to an April 6 IAI press statement.

“In a mega-contract worth over $1.6 billion, considered to be the largest defense contract in Israel’s Defense Industries’ history, IAI will provide an advanced MRSAM air & missile defense systems to the Indian Army,” the statement reads. “The company will also supply additional LRSAM air & missile defense systems for the first build in India Indian aircraft carrier.”

On April 12, Radio Free Asia cited local government sources as confirming that Lao government orders to shut down environmentally destructive Chinese-owned banana farms, first reported in Bokeo province in January, are in fact also in force in six other provinces in the Southeast Asian state. New revelations of the China banana ban are yet another testament to the reality that Beijing’s economic influence is a mixed blessing for other Asian governments, and that has resulted in growing scrutiny about Chinese influence that can lead to policy change.

On May 2, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith visited Singapore at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Though both sides discussed matters across several realms important to the advancement of their bilateral relationship, economic issues dominated the trip.

Singapore and Laos established diplomatic ties over four decades ago, and both are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). But though Singapore is already among the biggest investors in Laos and has also been a significant contributor through other means like capacity-building, both sides have been trying to strengthen the economic dimension of the relationship even further in recent years.

See: Every North Korean Missile Launch Since 1984 Visualized

In the end, it wasn’t even close. The much anticipated second round election for Jakarta’s governorship was a dud, with challenger Anies Baswedan easily outperforming pre-election polls and soundly defeating incumbent Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama by 16 points. The result has sent shockwaves across Indonesia and the world, with many comparing the result to the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency.

“Mainstream political elites [used] religious and ethnic appeals to de-legitimize a candidate, to… crush an opponent. This is new to Indonesia,” said Douglas Ramage, a political analyst and the Managing Director of the consultancy BowerGroupAsia in Indonesia.

Stunningly, it seems that most of those who voted for the third-place finisher in the first round, Agus Yudhoyono, swung to Anies. Ahok’s strong debate performances, his record as governor, and the support, albeit not as forthcoming as might have been hoped, from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo were not enough when facing the power of a force few had considered potent until today: conservative Islam.

During Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s recent official visit to India, beyond his meetings with his Indian counterpart and other dignitaries, he conducted a meeting that involved a subject that has been of great controversy in Australia for the past few years. In New Delhi, Turnbull met with Indian billionaire, Gautam Adani, to reassure him of his government’s support for Adani’s plans to build a AUD $21.7 billion (US $16.4 billion) coal mine in central Queensland.

Adani’s proposed Carmichael mine will be the largest coal mine in Australia upon its completion, and one of the largest in the world. It will include six open-cut pits and five underground mines, and is projected to provide 2.3 billion tonnes of coal over a 60-year period. The project has the capacity to create thousands of jobs for the region, and a large amount of taxes and royalties for both the Queensland and Federal governments. Construction is set to begin in August, with the first exports to begin in 2020.

The Australian government is keen to develop the country’s underpopulated northern regions, and sees the Carmichael mine as a key investment in northern Australia’s untapped potential. Due to this, Adani is currently waiting on approval for a AUD $900 million (USD $682 million) loan from the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility to construct the 400 kilometer rail line needed to transport coal to a shipping terminal on the Queensland coast.

North Korea hasn’t talked about that specific missile, but today, it appears that the U.S. government has gone public about what it might be. On Monday, U.S. officials told Fox News that the missile North Korea tested on Sunday — the day after the military parade — was something called the KN-17. That represents a brand-new KN missile designation by the United States, which just weeks ago unveiled that it would be calling the Pukkuksong-2 the KN-15. The KN-17, according to a U.S. official that spoke to Fox, is a single-stage, liquid-fueled missile that — critically — could be used to target ships.