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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015547

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication,” according to a Pentagon statement.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke over the phone on Friday, marking the first call between the two since Russia launched the special military operation in Ukraine.

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said in a brief statement following the call that Austin “urged an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of maintaining lines of communication.”

Kirby said the last time Austin and Shoigu spoke to each other was on Feb. 18.

U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley is expected to reach out to his Russian counterpart, Valery Gerasimov, to request a phone call, according to a CNN report citing a U.S. defense official. The two last spoke on Feb. 11.

In a brief statement issued on Friday, the Russian Defense Ministry said Shoigu and Austin discussed topical issues of international security, including the situation in Ukraine. 

Published : May 14, 2022

By : Xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015544

United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has died, state news agency WAM reported on Friday (May 13). He was also the ruler of  Abu Dhabi emirate.

Under the constitution, vice-president and premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, will act as president until the federal council which groups the rulers of the seven emirates meets within 30 days to elect a new president.

Khalifa, who was born in 1948, came to power in 2004 in the richest emirate Abu Dhabi and became the head of state. He is expected to be succeeded as ruler of Abu Dhabi by his half-brother Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

Mohammed bin Zayed has been the de facto ruler of the U.S.-allied UAE, particularly after Khalifa suffered a stroke in 2014, following which he has rarely been seen in public.

Published : May 13, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015543

Cryptocurrencies nursed large losses on Friday (May 13), with Bitcoin back above $30,000 but still set for a record losing streak after the collapse of TerraUSD, a so-called stablecoin, rippled through cryptocurrency markets.

Crypto assets have also been swept up in the broad selling of risky investments on worries about high inflation and rising interest rates.

The sentiment is particularly fragile, as tokens supposed to be pegged to the dollar have faltered.

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by total market value, managed to bounce in the Asia session and traded at around $30,500 at 1140 GMT.

It has staged something of a recovery from a 16-month low of around $25,400 reached on Thursday (May 12).

But it remains far below week-ago levels of around $40,000 and, unless there is a rebound in weekend trade, is headed for a record seventh consecutive weekly loss.

Crypto-related stocks have taken a pounding, with shares in broker Coinbase steadying overnight but still down by half in little more than a week.

In Asia, Hong Kong-listed Huobi Technology and BC Technology Group, which operate trading platforms and other crypto services, eyed weekly drops of more than 20%.

But broader financial markets have so far seen little knock-on effect from the cryptocurrency crash.

Selling has roughly halved the global market value of cryptocurrencies since November, but the drawdown has turned to panic in recent sessions with the squeeze on stablecoins.

Stablecoins are tokens pegged to the value of traditional assets, often the U.S. dollar, and are the main medium for moving money between cryptocurrencies or converting balances to fiat cash.

Cryptocurrency markets were rocked this week by the collapse of TerraUSD (UST), which broke its 1:1 peg to the dollar.

The coin’s complex stability mechanism, which involved balancing with a free-floating cryptocurrency called Luna, stopped working when Luna came under selling pressure.

TerraUSD last traded around 9 cents, while Luna plunged close to zero.

Tether, the biggest stablecoin and one whose developers say is backed by dollar assets, has also come under pressure and fell to 95 cents on Thursday, according to CoinMarketCap data, but was back at $1 on Friday.

Tether’s operating company says it has the necessary assets in Treasuries, cash, corporate bonds and other money-market products.

But Tether is likely to face further tests if traders keep selling, and analysts are concerned that stress could spill over into money markets if pressure forces more and more liquidation.

Rating agency Fitch said in a note on Thursday that there could be “significant negative repercussions” for cryptocurrencies and digital finance if investors lose confidence in stablecoins.

However, Fitch said that weak links between crypto markets and regulated financial markets will limit the potential of crypto market volatility to cause wider financial instability.

Published : May 13, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015525

Astronomers have unveiled the first image of a supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy.

The first image of Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A*, was captured on Thursday by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).

The discovery will help astronomers understand more about black holes and the birth of our galaxy. Only the second black hole to be captured by telescopes, it also helps confirm Albert Einstein’s theory of General Relativity.

The first hint of Sgr A* came in 1933 when a powerful radio signal was detected streaming towards Earth from the constellation known as Sagittarius. The mysterious signal became known as Sagittarius A before finally being unveiled as a supermassive black hole on Thursday.

The reason that it took 89 years to confirm the presence of Sagittarius A* is due to its mass and distance from our own planet. The supermassive black hole is located 27,000 light-years away from Earth. And though it has a mass 4 million times larger than the Sun, it is only 31 times bigger.

In order to detect Sgr A*, scientists built the EHT, which links together eight existing radio observatories across the planet to form a single “Earth-sized” virtual telescope.

The EHT observed the black hole for multiple nights and collected data for many hours in a row, similar to using a long exposure on a camera.

For updates on Sgr A*, visit the EHT website at https://bit.ly/3NdbPyM.

Published : May 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015523

US President Joe Biden met with executives of infant formula manufacturers and retailers, including Target, Walmart and Nestle’s Gerber, on Thursday to push them to beef up tight supplies and do everything possible to get families access.

The White House also outlined measures his administration is taking.

“That includes increasing imports. It also includes ensuring we’re working with retailers, as the president did during his calls, to make sure that shelves are stocked,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) will announce new steps in the coming days regarding importing certain infant formula products from abroad, the White House said, and Biden has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to probe reports of predatory conduct such as price gouging.

During his meeting with the executives, Biden discussed efforts to increase production and urged companies to “do more to help families purchase infant formula”, Psaki said.

“What we are seeing, which is an enormous problem, is hoarding. That is also something we’re focused on.”

Supplies of formula dwindled further after Abbott Laboratories in February recalled Similac and other baby formula made at its Michigan plant following consumer complaints of bacterial contamination. The FDA later cited five bacterial infections reported in babies given the company’s formula, including two deaths.

Abbott, the biggest US supplier of milk formula, said tests showed one bacteria strain found in the facility was not linked to any known infant illnesses, although it was updating its cleaning and related protocols.

The plant’s closure exacerbated pandemic-related supply chain issues causing formula shortages that the FDA has said it is working to address.

Psaki also said the administration is considering using the Defence Production Act to make up the gap in supply.

Published : May 13, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015521

US President Joe Biden opened a gathering of Southeast Asian leaders with a promise to spend US$150 million on their infrastructure, security, pandemic preparedness, and other efforts aimed at countering the influence of rival China on Thursday.

Biden started the two-day summit in Washington with a dinner for the Asean leaders at the White House ahead of talks at the State Department on Friday.

The leaders gathered at the South Lawn of the White House to take a group photograph with a broadly smiling Biden before they trooped in for dinner.

While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is on the agenda, Biden said he hopes the efforts will show Asean countries that Washington remains focused on the Indo-Pacific and the long-term challenge of China, which the US views as its main competitor.

In November alone, China pledged $1.5 billion in development assistance to Asean countries over three years to fight Covid and fuel economic recovery.

Published : May 13, 2022

By : Reuters

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https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40015520

At least one person confirmed to have Covid-19 has reportedly died in North Korea, while hundreds of thousands have developed a fever, state media said on Friday, offering hints at the potentially dire scale of the country’s first confirmed outbreak.

At least six of the 350,000 treated for fever have died, one of whom was confirmed to have contracted the Omicron variant of the virus, the official KCNA news agency reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the anti-virus command centre on Thursday to check the situation before declaring a “gravest state of emergency” and ordering a national lockdown.

The outbreak reportedly began in the capital of Pyongyang in April, though the state media did not provide details on the cause of the surge in infections. However, the city hosted several massive public events on April 15 and 25, including a military parade and large gatherings where most people did not wear masks.

Published : May 13, 2022

By : Reuters