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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017878

U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on Sunday criticized President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, saying it rewarded a dictatorship and should have never taken place given its leader’s involvement in murdering a journalist.

Biden greeted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who U.S. intelligence agencies believe ordered the killing in 2018 of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, with a fist bump shortly after his arrival on the visit.

“No, I don’t think so,” Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos when asked by host Martha Raddatz if Biden should have made the visit.

“You have a leader of the country who was involved in the murder of a Washington Post journalist. I don’t think that type of government should be rewarded with a visit by the president of the United States,” Sanders said.

The killing of Khashoggi, a Saudi insider turned critic who had been living in self-imposed exile in Virginia, is a major point of contention between the two countries. Bin Salman, the de facto Saudi ruler, denies ordering it.

Biden on Friday (July 15) said he told the prince that he held him responsible for Khashoggi’s murder. A Saudi official present at the meeting said the exchange was not as Biden described.

The trip was intended to reset relations with Saudi Arabia, which Biden had said he’d isolate internationally. His struggle to reduce record-high gasoline prices this year has complicated the situation as the United States urges oil-producing nations to boost production to offset Russian losses following Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

As a presidential candidate, Biden had said that the kingdom should be made a “pariah” on the world stage because of Khashoggi’s murder. Sanders ran against Biden in the Democratic Party presidential primary.

Sanders said the United States should impose a windfall profit tax on oil companies instead of cosying up with Saudi Arabia.

“Look, you got a family that is worth $100 billion, which questions democracy, which treats women as third-class citizens, which murderers and imprisons its opponents,” he said of the Saudi royal family.

“If this country believes in anything, we believe in human rights, we believe in democracy, and I just don’t believe that we should be maintaining a warm relationship with a dictatorship like that,” Sanders said.

Published : July 18, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017852

The five Conservative contenders still vying to be Britain’s next prime minister clashed during a televised debate on Sunday, each trying to prove why they should take over leadership of the country.

With no clear candidate to succeed Boris Johnson, who is stepping down after a series of scandals, the battle to be the next leader remains unpredictable and increasingly fractious, exposing rifts in the ruling Conservative Party.

Former Equalities Minister and leadership contender, Kemi Badenoch, stressed that “serving in government is not easy,” while accusing rival Tom Tugendhat of a lack of experience in this area.

“It’s very easy for him (Tugendhat) to criticise what we’ve been doing. But we have been out there on the frontline,” Badenoch said.

Tugendhat responded by saying that he had served on the frontline in Afghanistan, and Iraq, as well as arguing that we were on the frontline “of the argument against Putin, and against China.” 

Ex-finance minister Rishi Sunak has emerged as the favourite among the 358 Conservative lawmakers, who will hold further votes this week to whittle down the field of contenders to a final two.

Sunak, who is married to Akshata Murty, addressed criticism over his wife’s family wealth, saying that he was “incredibly” proud of what her family have built. 

“My father-in-law, came from absolutely nothing, and just had a dream and a couple of hundred pounds that my mother-in-law’s savings provided him,” he said. 

“It’s an incredibly conservative story.”

Whoever gets the job will take on rocketing inflation and low economic growth, as well as the public’s lack of confidence in politics after Johnson’s scandal-ridden time in power.

Opinion polls also suggest the Conservatives are falling significantly behind the opposition Labour Party.

One candidate will be knocked out every day in the next three days, leaving a final two to face the verdict of Conservative Party members. They will vote for the winner who will be announced on Sept. 5.

Published : July 18, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017850

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday abruptly fired the head of Ukraine’s powerful domestic security agency, the SBU, and the state prosecutor general, citing dozens of cases of collaboration with Russia by officials in their agencies.

The sackings of SBU chief Ivan Bakanov, a childhood friend of Zelenskiy, and Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova, who has played a key role in the prosecution of Russian war crimes, were announced in executive orders on the president’s website.

The firings are easily the biggest political sackings since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, forcing the entire Ukrainian state machine to focus on the war effort.

Zelenskiy said he had fired the top officials because it had come to light that many members of their agencies had collaborated with Russia, a problem he said had touched other agencies as well.

He said 651 cases of alleged treason and collaboration had been opened against prosecutorial and law enforcement officials, and that more than 60 officials from Bakanov and Venediktova’s agencies were now working against Ukraine in Russian-occupied territories.

The sheer number of treason cases lays bare the huge challenge of Russian infiltration faced by Ukraine as it battles Moscow in what it says is a fight for survival.

“Such an array of crimes against the foundations of the national security of the state … pose very serious questions to the relevant leaders,” Zelenskiy said.

“Each of these questions will receive a proper answer,” he said.

Russian troops have captured swathes of Ukraine’s south and east during an invasion that has killed thousands, displaced millions and destroyed cities.

It remains unclear how the southern, Russian-occupied region of Kherson fell so quickly, in contrast to the fierce resistance around Kyiv that forced Russia eventually to withdraw to focus on capturing the industrial Donbas heartland in the east.

In his nightly speech to the nation, Zelenskiy noted the recent arrest on suspicion of treason of the SBU’s former head overseeing the region of Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014 that Kyiv and the West still view as Ukrainian land.

Zelenskiy said he had fired the top security official at the start of the invasion, a decision he said had now been shown to be justified.

Bakanov was appointed to head the SBU in 2019, one of an array of new faces who rose to prominence after Zelenskiy, a former comedian, won election earlier that year.

Zelenskiy appointed Oleksiy Symonenko as the new prosecutor general in a separate executive order that was also published on the president’s site.

Published : July 18, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017843

A Ukrainian cargo plane carrying munitions from Serbia to Bangladesh crashed near the city of Kavala in northern Greece late on Saturday, Serbian authorities said on Sunday.

Drone images from the scene showed debris from the bulking Antonov An-12 aircraft strewn in fields. Greek authorities said there were eight crew members on board.

Serbia’s defence minister said the plane, operated by a Ukrainian company, was carrying 11.5 tonnes of products made by its defence industry and the buyer was Bangladesh defence ministry. He said the crew members were killed.

Greek authorities could not provide information on the aircraft’s cargo but the special disaster response unit and army experts were been dispatched to investigate the scene.

Serbia’s defence minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said the cargo included illuminating mortar shells and training shells. It had taken off at 1840 GMT from Nis and had permission to fly to Amman, Riyadh, Ahmedabad in India before arriving in Dhaka.

“The plane carried 11.5 tonnes of products made by our defence industry. The buyer was the Bangladesh defence ministry,“ Stefanovic said.

He added that the plane’s cargo was owned by Serbian company Valir, a trading company registered to perform foreign trade activities of armament military equipment and other defence products.

A senior source at Jordan’s civil aviation regulatory commission (CARC) denied initial reports that the plane was headed to Jordan. The source said that its flight itinerary included a stopover in Jordan’s Queen Alia international airport at 9:30 pm (0630 GMT), to refuel, state news agency Petra reported on Sunday.

The wider area in Greece where the aircraft crashed has been cordoned off since Saturday night. Residents nearby have been advised to keep windows and doors shut and avoid the area of the incident.

Published : July 17, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017829

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Saturday he was not aware of any discussions on a Gulf-Israeli defence alliance and that the kingdom was not involved in such talks.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told reporters after a U.S.-Arab summit that Riyadh’s decision to open its airspace to all air carriers had nothing to do with establishing diplomatic ties with Israel and was not a precursor to further steps.

Speaking at a news conference, Al Saudi also said that they did not discuss oil and that Opec+ would continue to assess market conditions and do what is necessary.

“There were no talks of military or technical cooperation with Israel…neither during the summit nor before.” Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud told a news conference.

U.S. officials said President Joe Biden would discuss energy security with leaders of Gulf oil producers during his visit and hoped to see more action by Opec+ to boost output, but there was unlikely to be any bilateral announcements from the talks.

The United States is eager to see Saudi Arabia and its Opec partners pump more oil to help tame crude prices. Opec+, which also includes Russia, meets next on Aug. 3.

Published : July 17, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017828

Iran said on Saturday it had imposed sanctions on 61 more Americans, including former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, for backing an Iranian dissident group, as months of talks to revive a 2015 nuclear deal are at an impasse.

Others blacklisted by Iran’s Foreign Ministry for voicing support for the exiled dissident group Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) included former President Donald Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani and former White House national security adviser John Bolton, Iranian state media reported.

The sanctions, issued against dozens of Americans in the past on various grounds, let Iranian authorities seize any assets they hold in Iran, but the apparent absence of such assets means the steps will likely be symbolic.

Giuliani, Pompeo and Bolton have been widely reported to have taken part in MEK events and voiced support for the group.

In January Iran imposed sanctions on 51 Americans, and it blacklisted 24 more Americans in April in its latest sanctions moves.

Iran’s indirect talks with the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear pact began in November in Vienna and continued in Qatar in June. But the negotiations have faced a months-long impasse.

In 2018, then-U.S. President Trump abandoned the deal, calling it too soft on Iran, and reimposed harsh U.S. sanctions, spurring Tehran to breach nuclear limits in the pact.

Published : July 17, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017825

‘Penny Farthing’ bicycle enthusiasts from all over the world zipped through the streets of historic Frederick, Maryland on Saturday, as the city’s annual High Wheel race resumed for the first time since 2018.

Over 40 riders mounted the distinctive high-wheel bicycles that have a large front wheel and much smaller back wheel, which were all the rage way back in the 1870s and 80s.

But it was Swedish phenom Per-Olof Kippel who took home the trophy in the championship race, after finishing first back-to-back in 2017 and 2018.

The National Clustered Spires High Wheel Race first got underway in 2012, bringing Penny Farthing enthusiasts together in Frederick, which is known for its skyline of historic churches.

“The primary appeal to this, to me for this race is just the group of people that it brings together. I can’t imagine any other event that brings this group of people together,” said 2022 participant Steven Wetdles.

While some of the bikes are original models dating back to the 19th century, others are replicas or new designs.

The penny farthing was given its nickname because of its unique design, with the larger British penny representing the front wheel and the smaller farthing coin representing the back.

The high wheel was the result of attempts to improve on early bicycle designs. The large front wheel made for a faster, smoother ride over rough terrain, but also for a perilous fall should the rider lose their balance.

Swedish champion Kippel managed to stay in his saddle all the way to the finish line, however.

“It’s a fantastic atmosphere. And just a great, great experience. It’s worth the travel from Sweden,” he said.

The penny farthing was eventually made redundant by modern bicycles, but for the diehards who took part in Saturday’s race, there is no substitute for an old-fashioned high wheel.

Published : July 17, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017824

Wildfires raged in Spain on Saturday, forcing thousands of people to be evacuated from their homes as blistering summer temperatures put authorities on alert across Europe.

Firefighters were battling a series of blazes on Saturday after days of unusually high temperatures that reached up to 45.7 degrees Celsius (114 Fahrenheit).

The nearly week-long heatwave has caused 360 heat-related deaths, according to figures from the Carlos III Health Institute.

More than 3,000 people have now been evacuated from homes due to a large wildfire near Mijas, a town in the province of Malaga that is popular with northern European tourists, the region’s emergency services said in a tweet early on Saturday.

Many were taken to shelter in a provincial sports centre.

Elsewhere in Spain, fires burned in parts of the Extremadura region, close to the Portuguese border, where members of Spain’s Military Emergency Unit were deployed to help tackle the flames.

Thick black plumes of smoke rose into the air near Casas de Miravete as helicopters dumped water on flames that have scorched 3,000 hectares, forced the evacuation of two villages and threatened to reach the Monfrague national park.

Fires were also burning in the central region of Castille and Leon, Galicia in the north and Malaga province in the south.

A wildfire spreading in Spain’s Alhaurin el Grande raged late into the night on Saturday, threatening local residents as thousands were evacuated from their homes.

Trees were ablaze and smoke could be seen billowing in the skyline in the province of Malaga, as blistering summer temperatures put authorities on alert in parts of Europe.

A sports centre in the town was turned into a shelter, with rows of beds filling the hall. Food packages were prepared for locals who were rushed out of their homes as the wildfire spread.

Ellen McCurdy, a pensioner who owns a house in the area, said she and her husband only grabbed a few essentials before running out onto the street.

“By that stage, everybody along the street, the ´calle´, was on the move, cars and on the main street there were a lot of ambulances and fire engines and movement and well everyone seemed to be evacuating really,” she told Reuters.

“I didn’t take it too seriously. I thought they had it under control and I was quite surprised when it seemed to be moving in our direction and then we were told to go. So we have left a lot of stuff behind,” added her husband, William.

Local councillor Mari Carmen Molina said the wildfire was a threat to the houses of many locals.

The United Kingdom is preparing for extreme heat in the coming days, Britain’s Health Secretary Steve Barclay said on Saturday.

Barclay said the government and ambulance trusts were putting in extra measures to deal with any increased demand caused by possibly unprecedented temperatures.

Britain’s weather forecaster last week issued its first red “extreme heat” warning for parts of England on Monday and Tuesday.

Officials are worried about the effects on people’s health and on a healthcare system already challenged by the Covid-19 pandemic as searing heat sweeps the country.

Barclay said Covid is an “additional pressure” but the government is making sure all the hospitals maximise their capacities to ensure that people are not waiting longer than they need.

The highest recorded temperature in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F) recorded in Cambridge on July 25, 2019.

Published : July 17, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017775

Kyoto University and a Tokyo-based construction firm have launched a joint research project to develop human habitats on the moon and Mars with Earth-like gravity.

Due to the significant technical challenges involved, a livable habitat is unlikely to be realised until the latter half of the 21st century, they said. The university’s Human Spaceology Centre is collaborating with Kajima Corp.

Gravity on the moon is about one-sixth that on Earth, and Mars’ gravity is about a third of that on our planet. Spending long periods in a low-gravity environment can have adverse physical effects on humans, so the project aims to develop a habitat with artificially created gravity similar to that on Earth.

The envisioned habitat being developed will be a giant glass-like structure about 200 metres in diameter and 200 to 400 metres in height. According to the project team, rotating the structure three times a minute will generate a centrifugal force that creates gravity similar to that on Earth.

The project team envisages creating an Earth-like ecosystem with forests and oceans, transporting animals and plants from Earth.

The researchers also plan to develop a transportation system that will enable people to travel from Earth to the habitats on the moon and Mars.

The Japan News

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Published : July 15, 2022

By : The Japan News

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The 41-km priority Smokovac-Matesevo section of Montenegro’s Bar-Boljare Highway built by a Chinese company was opened Wednesday.

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, Charge d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Montenegro Hua Yafang and representatives of the China Road and Bridge Corporation attended the opening ceremony.

“This investment will undoubtedly open up new directions of development and give the strongest impetus to the domestic economy … The highway is the beginning of the permanent connection of Montenegro with the world. The hills of the Montenegrin karst will unite with the fertile plain, the capital city with the northern region, Montenegro with Europe,” Abazovic said.

Hua said that the highway is a fruit of China-Montenegro cooperation, thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative and the China and Central and Eastern European Countries cooperation mechanism.

The highway will effectively increase the movability of production factors between the north and south of the country, enable more balanced economic opportunities in Montenegro and thus become a “highway of development,” she said.

At the same time, as a symbol of successful cooperation between Montenegro and China, it will become a “highway of friendship,” Hua added.

Ervin Ibrahimovic, deputy prime minister of Montenegro, said that this is the “biggest, most important and most valuable infrastructure project in Montenegro’s history,” which will undoubtedly boost the country’s development.

The highway section, financed by the Export-Import Bank of China, stretches across mountains with 20 bridges and 16 tunnels.

Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, Deputy Prime Minister Ervin Ibrahimovic, and Charge dAffaires of the Chinese Embassy in Montenegro Hua Yafang (L to R front) attend the opening ceremony of the Chinese-built highway section in Podgorica

Representatives of the China Road and Bridge Corporation attend the opening ceremony of the Chinese-built highway section in Podgorica.

Published : July 15, 2022

By : Xinhua