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Thailand Dissolves Parliament Ahead Of May 7thThai Elections

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BANGKOK — A government decree on Monday resulted in the dissolution of Thailand’s Parliament, paving the way for a general election in May that offers the chance to reduce the political sway of the military.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha called for the dissolution just days before the House of Representatives four-year tenure ended. Chan-ocha is running for re-election in the election that is anticipated to take place on May 7 or 14. The time will be revealed the following week.

In the election, groups supporting the conservative establishment and those with strong ties to the military will square off against the well-liked opposition Pheu Thai party, which billionaire populist Thaksin Shinawatra backs.

Most seats have been won by parties backed and headed by Thaksin in every election since 2001; they have been suppressed by military coups, negative decisions by the conservative judiciary, and election laws biased toward the army.

Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, is the front-runner in the Pheu Thai race and is rated well in public opinion surveys.

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Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, is the front-runner in the Pheu Thai race

She would become the fourth member of the Shinawatra family to hold the position of prime minister in the previous 20 years if elected. Her father and Thaksin’s sister Yingluck Shinawatra served as prime minister between 2011 and 2014. Coups led to the overthrow of both of them. Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin’s brother-in-law, held the position briefly in 2008 until being ousted due to a court order dissolving Thaksin’s political party at the time, the People’s Power Party.

Of the nation’s nearly 66 million residents, more than 52 million are eligible to vote in 400 seats. First-past-the-post contests will decide the winners of 400 seats in each constituency. The other 100 members of the House of Representatives will be chosen from national party lists using a separate party preference ballot. The 250-seat Senate, a conservative chamber with appointed members, and the freshly elected lower house meet to vote on the prime minister.

Yingluck’s elected administration was overthrown in 2014 by a military coup led by army commander Prayuth, who will turn 69 on Tuesday. Though he chose not to participate in the 2019 elections, the Palang Pracharath party, supported by the army, formed a coalition government, and the parliament chose him to be prime minister.

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Prayuth joined the newly established United Thai Nation party in January

His longstanding ally and deputy prime minister, 77-year-old Prawit Wongsuwan, who has been appointed the new Palang Pracharath candidate for prime minister, will challenge him this year.

Even though a court determined that he could only serve two more years in office under the constitution, Prayuth joined the newly established United Thai Nation party in January to run for its nomination. Due to the party’s inexperience, it is still being determined if it can secure 25 seats in the lower house to designate Prayuth as prime minister.

Prayuth and Prawit have received dismal ratings.

Before a few years ago, it was nearly unimaginable for a politician with military ties to say he would be open to creating a coalition government with Pheu Thai.

The stronger runners-up in the 2019 elections will also play a significant role in any coalition administration. The largest number of seats in the lower house are held by the well-funded Bhumjaithai party, which has its roots in the populous northeast.

Anutin Charnvirakul, the leader of the Bhumjaithai Party and a former businessman in the construction industry before entering politics, is Prayuth’s government’s deputy prime minister and health minister, giving him a prominent position during the coronavirus outbreak.

The de facto legalization of marijuana and other cannabis products, a policy that favors the predominantly agrarian northeast, is what he and his party are most famous for.

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SOURCE – (AP)

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The Presidents Of France And Brazil Meet And Announce A $1.1 Billion Investment Plan For The Amazon

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SAO PAULO — The Brazilian and French presidents announced plans on Tuesday to invest 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in the Amazon, including rainforest areas in neighboring French Guiana.

According to a joint statement by the two governments, the funds will be distributed over the following four years to conserve the rainforest. It will collaborate with state-owned Brazilian banks and France’s investment agencies. Brazil and France both stated that private resources would be welcomed.

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The Presidents Of France And Brazil Meet And Announce A $1.1 Billion Investment Plan For The Amazon

French President Emmanuel Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva are meeting this week to rekindle bilateral relations after years of tensions with former President Jair Bolsonaro, deepen cooperation to protect the rainforest, and boost trade.

Macron began his three-day tour of the country in the Amazon city of Belem, where he met with longtime ally Lula. The French president then boarded a boat to Combu Island to meet with Indigenous leaders.

Macron and Lula witnessed a Greenpeace demonstration with placards reading “No Oil in the Amazon.” Brazil’s government has considered authorizing oil exploration in a location near Belem, located in Para state.

Lula stated during his speech that Macron’s visit is part of a worldwide effort to strengthen rainforest safeguards.

“We want to convince those who have already deforested that they must make significant contributions to countries that still have forests in order to keep them standing,” Lula stated in a speech beside the French president.

Before the trip, Macron’s administration stated that a potential European trade pact with the South American body Mercosur would not be on the table. The French president opposed such an agreement as long as South American growers did not adhere to the same environmental and health requirements as Europeans after farmer concerns were highlighted during protests in France and Europe.

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The Presidents Of France And Brazil Meet And Announce A $1.1 Billion Investment Plan For The Amazon

The French president awarded Indigenous leader Raoni Metuktire the prestigious Legion of Honor medal for her work to preserve the rainforest.

“You were in Europe, and I promised to come here to your forest and be with your people in this forest that is coveted,” Macron told the Indigenous leader, according to French radio RFI. “President Lula and I have a common cause for one of our friends in this land that belongs to you.”

According to Macron’s office, Lula and Macron will strive to “set a common course” to combat climate change and poverty as Brazil prepares to host the G20 conference in Rio de Janeiro in November and UN climate negotiations in Belem the following year.

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The Presidents Of France And Brazil Meet And Announce A $1.1 Billion Investment Plan For The Amazon

On Wednesday, Macron and Lula will debut a diesel-powered submarine built in Brazil using French technology at the Itaguai shipyard near Rio de Janeiro. The French president will then travel to São Paulo to meet with Brazilian investors. On Thursday, the French president will travel to Brasilia for another meeting with Lula.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Israel And Hamas Dig In As Pressure Builds For A Cease-Fire In Gaza

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JERUSALEM — On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a Gaza cease-fire that his country’s main partner, the United States, chose not to reject. He said the resolution empowered Hamas and pledged to continue the fight.

As the war enters its sixth month, both Israel and Hamas have rejected cease-fire proposals, both maintaining that their version of triumph is within grasp. The passing of the U.N. resolution has further heightened tensions between the United States and Israel during the course of the conflict.

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Israel And Hamas Dig In As Pressure Builds For A Cease-Fire In Gaza

Netanyahu has stated that Israel can only achieve its goals of eliminating Hamas and releasing dozens of captives if it pushes its military offensive to the southern city of Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population has sought refuge, many in overcrowded tent camps. The United States has stated that a massive assault on Rafah would be a mistake.

Hamas has stated that it will hold the captives until Israel agrees to a more permanent cease-fire, withdraws its soldiers from Gaza, and releases hundreds of Palestinian inmates, including prominent terrorists. It said late Monday that it had rejected a recent plan that fell short of those objectives and, if implemented, would allow it to claim an enormously costly triumph.

In a statement, Netanyahu noted that the declaration “proved clearly that Hamas is not interested in continuing negotiations toward a deal and served as unfortunate testimony to the damage of the Security Council decision.”

“Israel will not surrender to Hamas’ delusional demands and will continue to act to achieve all the goals of the war: releasing all the hostages, destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and ensuring that Gaza will never again be a threat to Israel.”

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israel has killed around 32,000 Palestinians, with almost two-thirds of them being women and children. The ministry’s total does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. The war has destroyed much of the Gaza Strip, uprooted the majority of its citizens, and pushed one-third of its 2.3 million population to the verge of hunger.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that Marwan Issa, the deputy chief of Hamas’ armed branch in Gaza, was killed in an airstrike earlier this month. Issa helped orchestrate the October 7 attack. Issa is the highest-ranking Hamas leader murdered in Gaza since the war began. According to military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Issa was killed when fighter jets targeted an underground complex in central Gaza on March 9-10.

An Israeli strike late Monday on a residential structure in Rafah where three displaced families were sheltering killed at least 16 individuals, including nine children and four women, according to hospital records and family members. An Associated Press reporter witnessed the dead arriving at a hospital.

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Israel And Hamas Dig In As Pressure Builds For A Cease-Fire In Gaza

In response to Hamas’ requests for a more permanent cease-fire, Netanyahu has pledged to resume Israel’s offensive following any hostage release and continue fighting until the militant group is annihilated. However, he provided little ideas about what would happen after such a triumph and rejected the United States’ postwar vision.

That policy has led him into increasingly open conflict with President Joe Biden’s administration, which has expressed growing concern over civilian losses yet continuing to provide Israel with critical military help and supporting Israel’s goal of eradicating Hamas.

The approval of Monday’s resolution by the United Nations Security Council widened the tensions. The resolution asked for the release of all hostages held in Gaza but did not make the cease-fire conditional on it. The Biden administration, which has previously vetoed U.N. resolutions calling for a cease-fire, abstained from Monday’s vote, letting it succeed.

In reaction, Netanyahu canceled Israeli officials’ scheduled visit to Washington, during which the U.S. was expected to provide options for a ground assault in Rafah.

The action sparked accusations in Israeli media that Netanyahu was undermining Israel’s most vital partnership to appease hardliners in his ruling coalition.

“He is willing to compromise Israel’s relations with the United States for a brief political-media coup. “He has completely lost it,” commented Ben Caspit, a famous commentator for Israel’s Maariv daily.

He claimed that Netanyahu has tested U.S. patience by delaying the delivery of more humanitarian goods to Gaza and the development of postwar plans. “Now, instead of doing everything to placate them, he is flailing about like a baby throwing a tantrum.”

On a separate trip to Washington, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other key U.S. defense officials on Tuesday.

Before the meeting, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin characterized civilian casualties in Gaza as “far too high” and relief deliveries as “far too low.” But he also reiterated his position that Israel has the right to defend itself and that the United States will always be there to assist.

Gallant stated that he informed Blinken that Israel would not end operations in Gaza until all captives were returned. Only a decisive victory can put an end to this war.

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’ top political leader, said the U.N. vote demonstrated that Israel faced “an unprecedented (level of) political isolation” and is “losing its political cover” at the Security Council. He spoke at a news conference in Tehran after meeting with officials from Iran, a key Hamas backer.

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Israel And Hamas Dig In As Pressure Builds For A Cease-Fire In Gaza

The battle began on October 7, when Hamas-led terrorists poured across the border and attacked communities in southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people, the majority of them were civilians, and kidnapping approximately 250 others. It is still thought to be keeping approximately 100 hostages and the remains of 35 others after the majority of the remainder were released in November in exchange for the release of Palestinian captives.

The United States, Qatar, and Egypt have spent many weeks attempting to arrange another cease-fire and hostage release, but their efforts appear to have stalled.

Majed al-Ansari, a spokesperson for Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, which is presently holding the discussions, informed reporters that the negotiations were ongoing but did not provide any information.

Hamas has previously proposed a phased process in which it would release all remaining hostages in exchange for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza, the opening of its borders for aid and reconstruction, and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including top militants serving life sentences.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Death Toll In Moscow Concert Hall Attack Rises To 140 After Another Victim Dies In Hospital

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MOSCOW — The death toll from last week’s music hall attack in Moscow increased to 140 on Wednesday, with another victim dying in a hospital, according to Russian officials.

That victim was one of five who remained hospitalized in “extremely grave condition,” and physicians “did everything they could” to rescue them, according to Russia’s Health Minister, Mikhail Murashko.

According to the official, 80 individuals were hurt in the attack and are hospitalized, while 205 others sought outpatient medical care.

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Death Toll In Moscow Concert Hall Attack Rises To 140 After Another Victim Dies In Hospital

The Friday night shooting at Crocus City Hall, a huge shopping and entertainment complex on the northwestern outskirts of Moscow, was the bloodiest terrorist act on Russian soil in nearly two decades. Four attackers with automatic rifles targeted thousands of concertgoers and set fire to the arena.

An Islamic State affiliate claimed credit for the violence, while US intelligence confirmed the group’s involvement. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France has intelligence pointing to “an IS entity” as responsible for the attack.

The day following the attack, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the arrest of 11 people, including four alleged gunmen. The four guys, all Tajik nationals, appeared in court in Moscow on Sunday on terrorist accusations and appeared to have been severely beaten. One person appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing.

Russian officials, meanwhile, have asserted that Ukraine and the West played a role, which Kyiv categorically rejects. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of attempting to incite frenzy as his forces fight in Ukraine.

Alexander Bortnikov, the FSB chief, also said that Western intelligence services may have been involved. “We believe that radical Islamists planned the action, while Western special services assisted it, and Ukrainian special services had a direct role in it,” Bortnikov added without providing further information.

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Death Toll In Moscow Concert Hall Attack Rises To 140 After Another Victim Dies In Hospital

He echoed Putin’s claim that the four gunmen were attempting to flee to Ukraine when they were apprehended, citing it as evidence of Kyiv’s claimed involvement.

However, Belarus’ autocratic President Alexander Lukashenko, who stated on Tuesday that the suspects were on their way to Ukraine because they were concerned about tight border controls, called this allegation into question.

The Islamic State organization, which lost much of its territory after Russia’s military intervention in Syria in 2015, has long targeted Russia. In October 2015, IS bombed a Russian airplane over the Sinai desert, killing all 224 persons on board, the majority of them were Russian vacationers returning from Egypt.

The group, which primarily works in Syria and Iraq but also Afghanistan and Africa, has claimed multiple strikes in Russia’s dangerous Caucasus and other areas in recent years. It has recruited fighters from Russia and other former Soviet republics.

On Monday, Putin warned that similar strikes could occur, citing probable Western participation. He made no mention of the United States classified warning to Moscow about a probable imminent terrorist strike two weeks before the raid.

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Death Toll In Moscow Concert Hall Attack Rises To 140 After Another Victim Dies In Hospital

Three days before the incident, Putin condemned the US Embassy’s March 7 notification urging Americans to avoid crowds in Moscow, particularly concerts, as an attempt to intimidate Russians and “blackmail” the Kremlin ahead of the presidential election.

Bortnikov said Russia appreciated the warning, but it was quite vague.

SOURCE – (AP)

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