#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017549

Fire blazed and clouds of smoke rose from Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s private home in an affluent Colombo neighbourhood on Saturday.

His office said that protesters had started the fire.

People watched from a nearby street and fire trucks were at the scene.

Local TV broadcast drone footage of huge crowds of protesters filling the streets of Colombo around the Presidential Secretariat building.

Sri Lanka’s parliamentary speaker announced on Saturday that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa plans to step down, bowing to intense pressure after a violent day of protests in which demonstrators also stormed the president’s official residence.

Neither Rajapaksa nor Wickremesinghe were in their residences when the buildings were attacked.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said in a video statement that Rajapaksa had informed him that he would step down from his post next Wednesday.

Wickremesinghe also said he was willing to resign to make way for an all-party government, his office said in a statement on Saturday evening.

Throughout the day, soldiers and police were unable to hold back a crowd of chanting protesters demanding Rajapaksa’s resignation and blaming him for the country’s worst economic crisis in seven decades.

At least 39 people, including two police officers, were injured and hospitalised during the protests, hospital sources told Reuters.

The country is struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine, plunging it into the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.

Published : July 10, 2022

By : Reuters

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017545

Tesla CEO Elon Musk decided on Friday to terminate his 44 billion U.S. dollars deal to buy Twitter, blaming the company for withholding information on its number of spam and fake accounts.

Musk’s lawyer claimed that Twitter failed to comply with its obligations in the merger agreement and was “in material breach of multiple provisions” of the agreement signed in April.
 

Twitter’s Board Chair Bret Taylor said the company is committed to closing the deal on the price and terms agreed upon with Musk, and plans to pursue legal action to enforce the merger agreement.

“We are confident we will prevail in the Delaware Court of Chancery,” tweeted Taylor, who is also co-CEO of Salesforce.

In April, Elon Musk announced the 44 billion-dollar acquisition of Twitter. Later in May, he said the deal was temporarily on hold as he asked for details on the number of the social platform’s spam and fake accounts.

Published : July 09, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017521

Foreign ministers and top diplomats of the Group of 20, or G20, gathered in Bali, Indonesia, for a ministerial meeting on Friday with the theme of “Building a more peaceful, stable, and prosperous world together”.

Among those present are Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting is divided into two sessions.

The first session on strengthening multilateralism discusses joint steps to strengthen global collaboration and build mutual trust among countries, which will become an enabling environment for world stability, peace, and development.

The second session on food and energy security discusses strategic steps to overcome the food crisis, fertilizers shortage, and rising global commodity prices.

Due to the ongoing Ukraine crisis, issues related to food security will be widely discussed at the meeting.

Rising commodity prices and disruption of global supply chains have caused major impacts on developing countries. For this reason, the G20, as an economic forum representing various regions of the world, discusses these issues comprehensively to find sustainable socio-economic solutions.

The G20, a strategic multilateral platform that connects the world’s 20 major economies, plays a strategic role in securing the future of global economic growth and prosperity.

Holding the 2022 G20 Presidency, Indonesia prioritizes cooperation in strengthening the global health architecture, digital transformation, and energy transition.

Published : July 08, 2022

By : Reuters

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017518

Liberal Democratic party ( LDP ) sources say former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has died. He was shot during a speech on Friday in the city of Nara, near Kyoto.

Japan’s former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo reportedly has no vital signs after being shot on the streets of the western prefecture of Nara. Police arrested a man for attempted murder.

The incident happened Friday morning in Nara City. An NHK reporter was at the scene. She heard two gunshots at around 11:30 local time, shortly after Abe began to speak. She filmed footage which appears to show security guards at the event apprehending someone.

Sources with the investigation tell NHK a gun seized at the scene appeared to be handmade.

Abe was rushed by medevac to a hospital in Kashihara City in the prefecture.

Rescue officials say Abe was wounded and bleeding on the right side of his neck. They say he also has internal bleeding in his left chest and has no vital signs.

Yamagami Tetsuya is under arrest for attempted murder. The 41-year-old suspect lives in Nara City. Defense Ministry officials say he worked for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force for three years until around 2005.

Police say the suspect told investigators that he was dissatisfied with the former prime minister and intended to kill him. But he also reportedly said that he doesn’t have a grudge against Abe’s political beliefs.

Abe was in the city to support a candidate in this weekend’s Upper House election. The local Liberal Democratic Party office says Abe’s appearance was decided Thursday afternoon and those details were later released to supporters.

Abe, 67, served two terms as prime minister to become Japan’s longest-serving premier before stepping down in 2020 citing ill health.

But he has remained a dominant presence over the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) party, controlling one of its major factions.

His protege, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, faces an upper house election on Sunday in which analysts say he hopes to emerge from Abe’s shadow and define his premiership.

Abe has been best known for his signature “Abenomics” policy featured bold monetary easing and fiscal spending.

He also bolstered defence spending after years of declines and expanded the military’s ability to project power abroad.

In a historic shift in 2014, his government reinterpreted the postwar, pacifist constitution to allow troops to fight overseas for the first time since World War Two.

Japan has some of the world’s toughest gun-control laws, and annual deaths from firearms in the country of 125 million people are regularly in single figures.

Published : July 08, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017512

Former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, 67, is in “grave condition” after being shot while campaigning for votes in Nara City in the west of Japan.

Struggling to keep his emotions in check, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio told reporters that the assault was an unacceptable attack on the foundation of Japan’s democracy.

“Doctors are doing everything they can at this moment. I’m hoping and praying that former prime minister Abe will survive,” Kishida told the press.

Condemning the act as despicable and unacceptable, Kishida said the government will take all necessary measures to prevent such situations from happening again.

NHK reported that the suspect, identified as 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, is believed to be a former member of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defence. Police recovered a handmade gun from the scene and quoted Yamagami as saying he was dissatisfied with Abe and wanted to kill him.

Published : July 08, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017500

Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe has been taken to hospital bleeding after collapsing while delivering a speech in the city of Nara in western Japan, public broadcaster NHK reported on Friday.

Shots were heard and a white puff of smoke was seen as Abe made a campaign stump speech outside a train station.

An NHK reporter on the scene said they could hear two consecutive bangs during Abe’s speech.

“He was giving a speech and a man came from behind,” a young woman at the scene told NHK. “The first shot sounded like a toy. He didn’t fall and there was a large bang. The second shot was more visible, you could see the spark and smoke,” she added. “After the second shot, people surrounded him and gave him cardiac massage.”

National broadcaster NHK said a man in his 40s had been arrested for attempted murder and a gun had been confiscated from him, citing police sources.

Police identified the suspected shooter as Tetsuya Yamagami, a resident of Nara. He’s a former member of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force. Police say the gunman admitted he tried to kill Abe because he was ‘dissatisfied’ with him.

Abe, 67, appeared to be in a state of cardiac arrest, the network said and Kyodo news agency. 

He remains in hospital without vital signs after being shot.

Abe served two terms as prime minister to become Japan’s longest-serving premier before stepping down in 2020 citing ill health.

But he has remained a dominant presence over the ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) party, controlling one of its major factions.

His protege, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, faces an upper house election on Sunday in which analysts say he hopes to emerge from Abe’s shadow and define his premiership.

Abe has been best known for his signature “Abenomics” policy featured bold monetary easing and fiscal spending.

He also bolstered defence spending after years of declines and expanded the military’s ability to project power abroad.

In a historic shift in 2014, his government reinterpreted the postwar, pacifist constitution to allow troops to fight overseas for the first time since World War Two.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed deep concern over Abe’s condition.

“Our thoughts, our prayers are with him, with his family, with the people of Japan,” Blinken said on the sidelines of a G20 meeting on the Indonesian island of Bali. “This is a very, very sad moment. And we’re awaiting news from Japan.”

The United States is Japan’s most important ally.

Japan has some of the world’s toughest gun-control laws, and annual deaths from firearms in the country of 125 million people are regularly in single figures.

Published : July 08, 2022

By : Reuters

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017497

U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to a drugs charge in a Russian court on Thursday but denied she had intentionally broken the law.

Griner was speaking at the second hearing of her trial on the narcotics charge that could see her sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, days after she urged U.S. President Joe Biden to secure her release.

“I’d like to plead guilty, your honour. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” Griner said, speaking quietly in English which was then translated into Russian for the court.

“I’d like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare,” she added.

The next court hearing was scheduled for July 14.

Griner’s lawyer Alexander Boykov told reporters they were hoping for the most lenient sentencing possible.

The two-time Olympic gold medallist was detained in February at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport with vape cartridges containing hashish oil, which is illegal in Russia and has been kept in custody since.

In a handwritten note, she appealed to Biden directly earlier this week to step up U.S. efforts to bring her home.

“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees…” Griner wrote. “Please do all you can to bring us home.”

Biden spoke to Griner’s wife on Wednesday, telling her he was working to have her released “as soon as possible”, the White House said.

U.S. officials and many athletes have called for the release of Griner – or “BG” as she is known to basketball fans – whom they say has been wrongfully detained.

Her case has also prompted concerns that Moscow could use it as leverage to negotiate the release of a high-profile Russian citizen in U.S. custody.

Russian authorities say there is no basis to consider Griner’s detention illegal and that the case against her is not political despite Moscow’s fraught relations with United States over the Russian military intervention in Ukraine.

Moscow’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday that it was difficult to exchange prisoners with the United States and suggested Washington stop talking about the fate of Griner.

Griner, a centre for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women’s National Basketball Association, had played for UMMC Ekaterinburg in the Russian Women’s Basketball Premier League to boost her income during the WNBA off-season, like several other U.S. players.

The Russian foreign ministry has said Griner could appeal her sentence or apply for clemency once a verdict has been delivered.

A guilty plea by Griner will not impact negotiations to bring her home from Russia, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Thursday.

Published : July 08, 2022

By : Reuters

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017489

The 19th China-ASEAN Expo, slated to be held from Sept. 16 to 19 in Nanning, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, will establish an exhibition area for participants of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Companies and agencies from RCEP member states such as the Republic of Korea and Japan have confirmed their participation in the expo, according to Shi Zuyao, deputy secretary-general of the expo secretariat.

ASEAN members such as Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei have begun arranging their booths.

The total exhibition area for domestic participants is 82,000 square meters, which will be divided into separate exhibition areas, including electronic information, new land-sea passages, cross-border e-commerce and new retail, environmental protection cooperation and new energy vehicles. 

Published : July 07, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017488

Palestinian markets witness sales stagnation ahead of Eid al-Adha which starts on July 9 in Palestine, as a result of the rocketing prices of goods.

For the second year in a row, Ibrahim Sabaaneh, a Ramallah-based man, was unable to buy a sheep for the feast.

“In the past, I used to buy the sheep for 200 U.S. dollars, but now it requires about 350 dollars, which is a heavy burden for me,” the 47-year-old father of four complained.
 

The celebration of Eid al-Adha is not limited to sacrifice. There are other essential things, such as new clothes, sweets, and decorations that must be provided for the festival.

“At the current deteriorating condition, I can only provide some food and sweets to prepare my family to celebrate the festival,” he explained.

Mohammed Hijawi, a Ramallah-based owner of a livestock farm, owns about 600 sheep and 150 calves.

However, he complained about the deterioration in the purchasing power of clients this year, noting that he was able to sell only 20 percent of the livestock stockpile on his farm.

In fact, the prices of sacrifices rose significantly in the West Bank, due to the high costs of fodder resulting from the Russia-Ukraine crisis, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The West Bank markets seemed empty of customers, while merchants were busy checking their goods crowded in the shops, while street vendors were trying to attract passers-by to buy from them.

Sumaia Juma’a, a Bethlehem-based woman, was only able to buy the basic needs for her family and small quantities of sweets and cakes.

The 39-year-old mother of three complained that the high prices prevented her from buying the sheep for Eid as she used to do in the past.

A Palestinian seller waits for customers at a livestock market ahead of the Eid al-Adha, in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, on July 2, 2022. (Photo by Khaled OmarXinhua)

“Year by year, the rate of demand for sacrifices is decreasing due to the difficult economic situation as well as high prices,” Mohammed Qazaat, a livestock trader told Xinhua.

About 10 years ago, he recalled that he used to import more than 1,000 calves and more than 1,500 sheep before Eid al-Adha, but now he hardly imports 150 calves and less than 50 sheep for fear of incurring heavy losses.

“Unfortunately, most of the people do not have enough money to go to the markets to buy basic needs, and this is reflected in the livestock market,” he said, adding that “the deteriorating situation affects everyone, whether he is a merchant or a customer.”

A Palestinian woman shops at a market ahead of the Eid al-Adha festival in Gaza City, July 5, 2022. (Photo by Rizek AbdeljawadXinhua)

The Palestinian market needs about 210,000 head of cattle for sacrifice during Eid in the West Bank and Gaza, according to the Palestinian Agriculture Ministry. 

Published : July 07, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017487

Around 50,000 candidates in Shanghai sat for the college entrance exam, or gaokao, on Thursday, one month later than their peers in other parts of China due to a local COVID-19 resurgence this spring.

The annual national exam normally kicks off on June 7, but Shanghai announced the decision to postpone it to July 7-9 in May, as the city was battling local COVID-19 flareups.
 

All candidates had been tested for COVID-19 twice over the past three days. Those who are currently under quarantine, or are found with a fever before entering the examination centers, among other unusual circumstances, shall take the exam in prearranged isolated rooms, according to the municipal education authorities.

Candidates are required to take the nucleic acid test on Thursday and Friday at the exam site, and they shall undergo another round of testing on Saturday back in their residential community after the exam is over.

Shanghai reported 32 confirmed locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 22 local asymptomatic carriers on Wednesday, the municipal health commission said Thursday.

Published : July 07, 2022

By : Xinhua