WORLD BRIEFING: August 8, 2024
A Thai court has ordered the dissolution of the reformist party which won the most seats and votes in last year’s election - but was blocked from forming a government. The ruling also banned Move Forward's charismatic, young former leader Pita Limjaroenrat and 10 other senior figures from politics for 10 years. The verdict from the Constitutional Court was expected, after its ruling in January that Move Forward’s campaign promise to change royal defamation laws was unconstitutional. The court had said changes to the notoriously harsh lese majeste law was tantamount to calling for the destruction of the constitutional monarchy. Wednesday's verdict again serves as a stark reminder of how far unelected institutions are willing to go to preserve the power and status of the monarchy. - BBC
Vice President Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, held two high-energy rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan that showed the euphoria inside a once-despairing Democratic Party for its two new candidates. The Democratic nominee borrowed a trick from Trump’s playbook, performing a dramatic arrival scene aboard Air Force Two in Michigan that mirrored his past use of the bigger presidential jet before a packed airport rally. For the second day in a row, Harris appeared before thousands of excited supporters who spelled out a collective warning sign for Trump — who is known to obsess over crowd sizes. She appeared to be quickly settling into her novel role as her party’s official candidate, displaying flashes of charisma and increasing confidence as her political honeymoon showed no signs of ending. - CNN
Dmitry Medvedev, the former president who is now deputy chief of Russia's Security Council, has called for Russian troops to press deeper into Ukraine as Moscow claims to have intercepted Ukrainian drones and missiles targeting the Kursk region. Kursk's acting regional governor, Aleksei Smirnov, on August 7 declared a state of emergency as a Ukrainian ground offensive continued that Russia says is supported by tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery. On August 8, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have downed six drones and five missiles over the Kursk region and 14 drones in the Belgorod region. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier accused Kyiv of firing rockets at civilian and residential targets in the region amid reports by Russian pro-war bloggers that a number of villages have been captured by Ukrainian forces as they advance into Russian territory. Speaking during the broadcast of a government meeting on August 7, Putin called the military operation "another large-scale provocation." Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on August 7 said the White House had reached out to Ukraine to "get a little better understanding" of the situation in the Kursk region. - RFE/RL
Washington has warned Turkey that there will be “consequences” if the country does not curtail its exports to Russia of US military-linked hardware that is vital to Moscow’s war machine. Matthew Axelrod, assistant commerce secretary, recently told Turkish officials in Ankara they must work harder to curb trade in American-origin chips and other parts that are pivotal for Moscow’s war in Ukraine. “We need Turkey to help us stop the illicit flow of US technology to Russia,” Axelrod said in a statement to the Financial Times. “We need to see progress, and quickly, by Turkish authorities and industry or we will have no choice but to impose consequences on those that evade our export controls,” he added. Washington’s warning is the latest sign of how Turkey’s decision to retain strong trade ties with Russia has tarnished relations between the two Nato allies. The US is particularly worried that Turkey has become a key hub through which western-made electronics, including processors, memory cards and amplifiers, are making their way to Russian missiles and drones in contravention of export controls. Machine tools are another significant area of concern. - FT
Nigeria has arrested seven Polish nationals for raising Russian flags during anti-government protests this week. Hundreds of thousands of Nigerians have been protesting since Aug. 1 against President Bola Tinubu's economic reforms. The protests which turned deadly in at least six northern states have seen 22 people killed so far during demonstrations, Amnesty International said. Some protesters waved Russian flags during protests in northern states, underscoring concerns about increased Russian activity in western Africa. Security services detained some of the tailors they said had made the banners. Nigeria's Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has called the brandishing of a foreign flag during anti-government protests as a "treasonable offence". In the northern states of the country, protesters were seen waving hundreds of Russian flags, with some calling for a military takeover. - Reuters (Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter that it’s in contact with the families concerned).
A truck with almost fifty men which tried to cross the border illegally was stopped in Odesa, Ukraine. According to border guards, the cost of the trip was UAH 150,000 (about US$3600) for each. The organizers, who weren’t immediately identified, tried to take 48 men of draft age to Moldova through the separatist region of Transnistria. All passengers were detained, and the truck was seized - RFE/RL
Temperatures are likely to exceed 40C in southern Italy as this weekend is forecast to be the hottest the country has seen so far this year. Peaks of up to 43C are expected with the southern mainland, as well as the two major islands Sardinia and Sicily the worst affected regions. From 10 to 11 August, temperatures are also expected to climb to between 39 and 40C across central and northern Italy. Northern cities including Bolzano, Ferrara and Bologna won’t be spared from the intense heat. Forecasters say that the heatwave will also be accompanied by high humidity for many, increasing the chance of physical discomfort and the risk for vulnerable groups like the elderly and children. A bulletin from the Ministry of Health has issued orange warnings for Campobasso, Frosinone, Latina, Perugia and Rome on 7 August. - Euronews
Paris Olympics news
WHO: At least 40 Olympic athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses as of Aug 6. COVID-19 infections are surging worldwide
French prosecutors have detained a member of the Australian field hockey team at the Paris Olympics on allegations of trying to score cocaine. Authorities say police interrupted a drug transaction outside a building in the capital's 9th arrondissement in the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.
