TOKYO, May 25 -- Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering visiting Iran in June for talks with its leadership to help ease escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran, government sources said. Abe is expected to make a final decision after consulting with U.S. President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to arrive in Japan as a state guest on Saturday. Abe would be the first sitting Japanese prime minister to visit Iran since Takeo Fukuda in 1978. As Japan has traditionally maintained amicable ties with Iran, Abe hopes to encourage Tehran to keep its commitments under a 2015 international nuclear deal, according to the sources. Abe expressed concern about the U.S.-Iran standoff but offered to work with Tehran during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tokyo last week. The Japanese government weighed the possibility of Abe visiting Iran last summer but gave up on the idea out of consideration for Washington. On Friday, Abe met with U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton at the prime minister's office and discussed the situation surrounding Iran, a Japanese government source said. Iran said earlier this month it plans to produce more low-enriched uranium than allowed under the nuclear deal initially sealed with the United States, France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China. Tehran has set a 60-day deadline to negotiate new terms. The announcement came as the Trump administration has been hardening its stance on Tehran, pulling out of the nuclear deal and reinstating crippling sanctions. Washington has sent an aircraft carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf, ratcheting up tensions. Tokyo, a longtime U.S. security ally, has been put in a difficult position. The United States has ended its sanctions waivers granted to Japan and other buyers of Iranian oil. Iran has traditionally been one of the major oil exporters to resource-poor Japan.
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กรุงเทพฯ, 25 พฤษภาคม - สภาผู้แทนราษฎรของประเทศไทยในวันเสาร์ที่ลงคะแนนคัดค้านการเคลื่อนไหวที่เสนอโดยพรรครัฐบาลเพื่อเลื่อนการเลือกตั้งชุดของลำโพงในระหว่างการประชุมครั้งแรกของสภาผู้แทนราษฎร ในบรรดาสมาชิกสภาผู้แทนราษฎรที่เข้าร่วม 496 คน 248 คนตอบว่าไม่เคลื่อนไหวและอีก 246 คนตอบว่าใช่การเคลื่อนไหวนั้นล้มเหลว สมาชิกสภาผู้แทนราษฎรห้าคนส่วนใหญ่มาจากพรรคพลังอาชีพพรรคพลังประชารัฐ แต่ไม่ได้กล่าว พวกเขาสังเกตเห็นในนาทีสุดท้ายเพื่อเปลี่ยนท่าทาง แต่ถูกปฏิเสธ สภาผู้แทนราษฎรจึงเริ่มหัวข้อการเลือกตั้งผู้พูด พรรคพลังพรรคประชาธิปัตย์ได้รับการเสนอชื่อเป็นสมาชิกพรรคประชาธิปัตย์อดีตนายกรัฐมนตรีชวนหลีกภัยในขณะที่พรรคประชาธิปัตย์ได้เสนอชื่อสมาชิกพรรคเพื่อไทยอดีตนายกรัฐมนตรีสมพงษ์อมรวิวัฒน์ สภาผู้แทนราษฎรจะออกเสียงผู้พูดออกมาในไม่ช้า ตามรัฐธรรมนูญของไทยประธานของสภาผู้แทนราษฎรจะเป็นประธานสมัชชาแห่งชาติที่จะเรียกประชุมสภาผู้แทนราษฎรและวุฒิสภาเพื่อร่วมกันเลือกนายกรัฐมนตรีคนใหม่
warned on a tour of the region in April that “predatory” lending practices and other “malign or nefarious” behaviour by Beijing had injected “corrosive capital into the economic bloodstream, giving life to corruption and eroding good governance”. As the Americans see it, Chinese companies are harming Latin America by investing mostly in the extraction and transportation of its precious raw materials. This, they say, has led to a greater dependence on commodities as opposed to US companies which focus on manufacturing and services. Many in Latin America share these concerns, but for others the difference between the long-standing American influence and the growing Chinese role is not so black and white. The Middle Kingdom may be seen as a 21st century coloniser, but it has also presented alternative investment options. The main problem, some argue, is that local governments across the continent have not been able to take full advantage. Latin America has for centuries grappled with different forms of foreign influence. The grievances and wounds created by hundreds of years of Spanish and Portuguese rule are today still present in the collective psyche, despite formal foreign control ending more than a century ago. The US then quickly became the hegemonic power, but its strategic control has been hard to sustain over the past two decades, partly because of China, whose growing economy has driven up demand for commodities. Trade between China and Latin America has surged, from US$12 billion in 2000 to almost US$306 billion last year, and China has become a major investor. The value of its loans – mostly for energy and infrastructure projects – has surpassed financing from the World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank. But America and international financial institutions say transparency is lacking and the recipients of these loans face growing debt traps. Others bristle at what they see as attempts by China to leverage its newfound economic power for geopolitical gain. In recent years several nations, including Panama and the Dominican Republic, have severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which Beijing views as a renegade province.
LOCAL BACKLASH The importance of the region was acknowledged last year when Beijing invited Latin American and Caribbean countries to join its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative – a global trade strategy that aims to expand economic links through ports, roads, airports, pipelines and other infrastructure projects. China’s foothold can also be seen on the streets of cities across the region. In Ecuador, a country of more than 16 million which some say has been a laboratory for Sino-Latin American investment, Chinese characters can be found sewn into the white covers on seat headrests inside new long-distance buses. In the capital, Quito, Chinese-made CCTV cameras are perched on street corners and inside buildings. The devices have been installed across the country since 2011, when Ecuador introduced a monitoring system to public spaces that includes facial recognition technology. According to the local authorities, the system has proved a powerful tool in combating crime, but experts suggest the images captured have also been used for surveillance and intelligence gathering. The adoption of Chinese technology elsewhere on the continent has given rise to similar human rights concerns:
Despite many of these projects having been met with opposition from locals, Chinese interest in the region shows no sign of slowing. “We have found most projects in Latin America have faced a local backlash because of environmental concerns about pollution and harm to residents and livelihoods,” Argentinian scholar Ariel Armony and Mexico-based researcher Enrique Dussel Peters wrote in an essay published last year. The pair, along with Shoujun Cui – director of the Research Centre for Latin American Studies at Beijing’s Renmin University – produced the book Building Development for a New Era: China’s Infrastructure Projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. “For example, there have been concerns about the environmental impact of Sinopec’s oil refineries in Moín, Costa Rica. The national secretary of the environment objected to the first evaluation for serious omissions,” Armony and Peters wrote, referring to China’s state-owned oil and gas enterprise. “The beginning of construction for the Condor Cliff and La Barrancosa hydroelectric dams in Santa Cruz, Argentina, without an environmental impact assessment, led to the Argentine Supreme Court ordering the suspension of the projects.” MONACO, May 25 -- Formula 1 has confirmed its planned tributes to Niki Lauda ahead of this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix. Three-time F1 world champion Lauda died at the age of 70 earlier this week, sparking an outpouring of tributes and emotions from the paddock following the loss of one of the sport's biggest icons. A number of teams have already confirmed they will run with tributes to Lauda on their cars in Monaco, with Mercedes turning its Halo red for the weekend. F1 has now formally confirmed its own tribute plans, with a minute's silence set to be held as part of the pre-race build up. The 20 drivers standing at the front of the grid will be joined by the regular dignitaries, but also by figures "who played a special role in Lauda's career - his contemporaries and his peers", who will be holding red caps similar to the one Lauda was famous for wearing. "Formula 1, the FIA, the Automobile Club de Monaco and all ten teams want to invite all fans attending the race in the Monaco grandstands to pay their own tribute to the driver who won here in the Principality in 1975 and 1976, during the in-lap of this the 90th edition of the race," the announcement from F1 adds. "They can either wear a red cap, display a message on a banner, or simply applaud, while those watching from the yachts in the harbour can sound their klaxons, anything appropriate to honour the memory of one of the sport’s true heroes." CARACAS, May 24 -- The Venezuelan opposition did not hold direct talks with representatives of the President Nicolas Maduro's government in Norway, opposition leader Juan Guaido. "The regime used the word 'dialogue' to sow confusion, to win some time," Guaido told VPItv. "I have already said that we will not take part in fake dialogues," he added. The opposition leader expressed concern over "the humanitarian crisis" in Venezuela and noted that the opposition will organize the work of "committees of assistance and freedom." Venezuelan National Assembly member Stalin Gonzalez earlier said that there were no direct contacts between representatives of the government and the opposition at talks in Oslo. Gonzalez noted that Norwegians held separate meetings with representatives of the Venezuelan government and the country's opposition, and no agreements were reached at the talks. On January 23 Venezuelan National Assembly Speaker Juan Guaido proclaimed himself as the country's acting president. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has described it as a coup attempt and announced severing diplomatic relations with the United States. On January 28 the US imposed sancitons on Venezuela's state-owned PDVSA oil company. Guaido was recognized as interim president by the Lima Group countries (except for Mexico), as well as by Albania, Georgia, the United States, and the Organization of American States. Several EU countries came forward with support for the Venezuelan parliament and expressed hope for new elections to resolve the crisis. Maduro was supported by Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey. Belarus and China called for resolving all issues by peaceful means and spoke against any interference from the outside. The UN secretary general called for dialogue to resolve the crisis. LONDON, May 24 -- Theresa May's turbulent leadership of the Conservative Party will end on June 7, paving the way for a new prime minister to lead the Brexit process. Watched by husband Philip and her closest aides, an emotional Mrs May said it was in the "best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort". Announcing her departure from a job she loved, Mrs May said: "I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party on Friday 7th June so that a successor can be chosen." Concluding her resignation statement, Mrs May broke down as she said it had been "the honour of my life" to serve "the country that I love". Earlier, in a sign that the leadership race to replace Mrs May is already under way, Helen Grant quit as Conservative vice chair for communities to "actively and openly" support Dominic Raab. She quit her Tory party role to avoid any "perception of a conflict" between Mr Raab's campaign and Conservative HQ". Ms Grant said the former Brexit secretary "has an inspiring vision for a fairer Britain and I think he is undoubtedly the best person to unite the Conservative Party and our country". Az-Zahra Hussein, his daughter, said in a Facebook post her father will be released "with precautionary measures", and will soon be transferred to a police station from the prison. Gamal Eid, the executive director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, said under Egyptian law Hussein must be freed within 24 hours. "This is a final court ruling but the problem is that security forces tend to delay releases when they do not like those freed," said Eid, adding in some previous cases the execution of the release order took several months. The journalist has been in custody since 2016 without formal charges, trial or conviction. Hussein was accused of "incitement against state institutions and broadcasting false news with the aim of spreading chaos", allegations he and Al Jazeera Media Network deny. Nasr told Anadolu news agency the Cairo Criminal Court rejected the prosecutors' appeal on Thursday. "This case shows the misuse of pre-trial detention as a form of punishment in Egypt," said Eid. He said there are at least 20,000 people currently in detention without charge in Egypt for political reasons. Hundreds of them have already exceeded the legal two-year pre-trial term, he added. Since the overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi in 2013, Al Jazeera Media Network has been portrayed as Egypt's national enemy for its coverage of the group. Many of its reporters have been arrested on grounds of spreading lies and supporting "terrorists" - a reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood organisation.
'Arbitrary detention' Hussein's detention was in violation of both Egyptian and international laws, with the former setting 24 months as the maximum period for pre-trial detention. Egyptian authorities have repeatedly renewed his two-year detention. He was arrested on December 20, 2016, by Egyptian authorities upon his arrival in Cairo to visit his family. In February, the United Nations called Hussein's jailing "arbitrary detention", saying the "appropriate remedy would be to release Mr Hussein immediately". In 2013, Egypt also arrested and later imprisoned Al Jazeera's Abdullah Elshamy, Baher Mohamed, Mohamed Fahmy and Peter Greste on charges of spreading "false news" - cases that were widely condemned by international media outlets and many politicians. All have since been freed. Ibrahim Helal, former editor-in-chief of Al Jazeera Arabic, was sentenced to death in absentia for purportedly endangering national security. Several other colleagues have also been charged in absentia, such as journalists Sue Turton and Dominic Kane. ROTTERDAM, May 24 -- Pro-European parties in the Netherlands are predicted to win most of the country's European Parliament seats, exit polls show. Dutch voters were among the first to take part in four days of voting across the continent. Dutch pro-EU parties were on track for a surprise win in the European Parliament election, according to an exit poll Thursday that suggested that populist Euroskeptics had failed to make previously forecasted gains. The Labor party of European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans looked set to win five out of the 26 seats allocated for the Netherlands, according to the Ipsos poll for the Dutch public broadcaster NOS. "There is a clear majority of people in the Netherlands, if you count them altogether, who want the European Union to continue playing a role in tackling problems that need to be solved," said Timmermans, who is the lead candidate for the European Parliament's social democratic grouping. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's Liberal party was set to win four seats, as was its coalition party, the Christian-conservative Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA). Euroskeptic parties were predicted to fall well short of expectations. Official Dutch results were, however, not due to be released until after Europe's polling as a whole wraps up on Sunday. Drift from Wilders to Baudet? In the Dutch projections, Thierry Baudet's right-wing populist Forum for Democracy (FvD), standing for the first time, looked set to win three seats. However, these appeared to be at the expense of the anti-Islam Party for Freedom (PVV), led by populist lawmaker Geert Wilders, which lost three of seats. The two parties had previously been expected to gain five seats apiece — at the expense of mainstream parties. Dutch elections generally see a large number of parties vying for shares of the vote. Seat numbers are generally low for each party, with 13 different groups represented in the 150-seat national parliament. Exit polls for the United Kingdom, the only other country taking part in Thursday's segment of the four-day European elections, were not available due to British election law. However, reports surfaced that a significant number of non-British EU citizens living in the UK had been denied a vote. The UK's Electoral Commission claimed that the government's decision to postpone Brexit — and thus take part in the election at "very short notice" — had caused the chaotic situation. Britain's stalemated crisis over Brexit mirrors deep divisions across the continent, whererising populist and far-right forcesare seeking to make gains in the European polling. More than 400 million European voters are eligible to take part in elections for the 751-strong European Parliament. First results are expected late on Sunday, once voting in the 28 member states has finished. MONACO, May 23 -- Full results from second practice for the Monaco Grand Prix at the Circuit de Monaco, round six of the 2019 Formula 1 season. Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix - Free Practice 2 Results 1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 1m11.118s 2. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport + 0.081s 3. Sebastian Vettel GER Scuderia Ferrari + 0.763s 4. Pierre Gasly FRA Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 0.820s 5. Alexander Albon THA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 0.913s 6. Max Verstappen NED Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 0.934s 7. Kevin Magnussen DEN Rich Energy Haas F1 Team + 1.056s 8. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing + 1.121s 9. Kimi Raikkonen ITA Alfa Romeo Racing + 1.224s 10. Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari + 1.232s 11. Romain Grosjean FRA Rich Energy Haas F1 Team + 1.274s 12. Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team + 1.275s 13. Carlos Sainz ESP McLaren F1 Team + 1.301s 14. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 1.459s 15. Sergio Perez MEX SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team + 1.634s 16. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault F1 Team + 1.754s 17. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Renault F1 Team + 1.770s 18. Lance Stroll CAN SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team + 3.440s 19. George Russell GBR ROKiT Williams Racing + 3.934s 20. Robert Kubica POL ROKiT Williams Racing + 4.028s MONACO, May 23 -- Full results from opening practice for the Monaco Grand Prix at the Circuit de Monaco, round six of the 2019 Formula 1 season. Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix - Free Practice 1 Results 1. Lewis Hamilton GBR Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport 1m12.106s 2. Max Verstappen NED Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 0.059s 3. Valtteri Bottas FIN Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport + 0.072s 4. Charles Leclerc MON Scuderia Ferrari + 0.361s 5. Sebastian Vettel GER Scuderia Ferrari + 0.717s 6. Pierre Gasly FRA Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Honda + 1.083s 7. Nico Hulkenberg GER Renault F1 Team + 1.121s 8. Kevin Magnussen DEN Rich Energy Haas F1 Team + 1.126s 9. Kimi Raikkonen ITA Alfa Romeo Racing + 1.257s 10. Romain Grosjean FRA Rich Energy Haas F1 Team + 1.273s 11. Daniel Ricciardo AUS Renault F1 Team + 1.307s 12. Antonio Giovinazzi ITA Alfa Romeo Racing + 1.331s 13. Daniil Kvyat RUS Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 1.625s 14. Alexander Albon THA Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda + 1.721s 15. Lando Norris GBR McLaren F1 Team + 2.172s 16. Sergio Perez MEX SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team + 2.460s 17. George Russell GBR ROKiT Williams Racing + 3.009s 18. Robert Kubica POL ROKiT Williams Racing + 3.408s 19. Lance Stroll CAN SportPesa Racing Point F1 Team + 4.029s 20. Carlos Sainz ESP McLaren F1 Team no time MONACO, May 23 -- Mercedes will pay tribute to the late Niki Lauda with two design tweaks to its car design this weekend in Monaco. Mercedes has confirmed it will run with two tributes to Niki Lauda on its Formula 1 cars at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. Three-time F1 world champion and Mercedes non-executive chairman Lauda died at the age of 70 on Monday night, with tributes pouring in from across motorsport over the last two days. Mercedes revealed two minor tweaks to its car livery on Wednesday evening in Monaco, with the tributes being added ahead of practice on Thursday. Both Mercedes W10 cars will race with a ‘Danke Niki’ message on the nose, accompanied by the Austrian’s signature. One of the stars on the engine cover of the car has also been turned red in tribute to Lauda, who was known for wearing a red cap. “There will be further elements to come during the weekend, but this branding can be seen on the cars from tomorrow morning,” a Mercedes spokesman said. All Mercedes team personnel will be wearing black armbands from Thursday onwards in Monaco in mourning of Lauda. Toro Rosso has also confirmed it will run with its own 'Danke Niki' tribute on the bargeboards of its STR14 cars in Monaco. WASHINGTON, May 23 -- U.S. President Donald Trump will not focus heavily on trade during his four-day state visit to Japan beginning Saturday, a senior administration official said Wednesday, suggesting the two governments are unlikely to reach an agreement during the trip. In a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe last month in Washington, Trump said the two sides may strike a trade deal by the time of his visit to Japan in May for a meeting with new Emperor Naruhito. "I don't think that the purpose of this trip is to focus on trade. It's really to be state guests of their majesties," the administration official told reporters, in reference to the emperor and Empress Masako. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remarks a day after Japanese and U.S. trade officials were at odds over tariff cuts on industrial goods, including automobiles, and agricultural products during working-level talks in Washington. While maintaining hefty levies on steel and aluminum imports from Japan, the Trump administration has also threatened Tokyo with a potential 25 percent automobile tariff in an apparent bid to pressure them into making concessions. "The president intends to promote bilateral, free and fair trade. It's something he's been doing consistently in his meetings with the Japanese," the official said. ROTTERDAM, May 23 -- The Netherlands and the UK, which remains an EU member state for the time being thanks to the unresolved Brexit process, kicked off the 2019 European Parliament elections on Thursday, May 23, 2019. The elections in all 28 EU member states will last through Sunday, May 26, 2019, with some 427 million voters going to the polls in the world’s second largest exercise of direct electoral democracy after the elections in India. While the UK’s fate as an EU member state remains uncertain, the EU 27 have granted it an extension on Brexit until October 31, 2019 – although British leader Theresa May’s hopes are to get Britain out of the EU before the summer. After the Netherlands and the UK vote on May 23, on May 24, they will be followed by Ireland on Friday, 24 May. Latvia, Malta and Slovakia will vote on Saturday, May 25. The remaining 22 EU member states will all vote on Sunday, May 26: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and Spain. The first official results of the elections in the entire EU, however, will not be released until the last polling stations are closed – they will be made public after 11 pm CET, on Sunday, May 26, when the polling stations will be closed down in Italy. Results from exit polls and surveys, however, will be published earlier by the European Parliament, at 6 pm on May 26. A total of 751 MEP seats will be filled with representatives from across the EU for the next 5 years. The first projection for the composition of the new European Parliament (2019 – 2024) will be based on the existing political groups meaning that any newcomers such as French President Emmanuel Macron’s “Renaissance” list in France, the Spanish far-right party Vox, or other likely far-right and populist parties will be listed as “Others”. Forming a parliamentary group requires at least 25 MEP seats and representatives from at least 7 EU member states. The news conferences after the announcing of the results at the European Parliament venue in Brussels will be covered by more than 1,000 journalists, twice as many as in 2014. The new European Parliament will convene in Strasburg, France, on July 2, 2019, and based on the results and the negotiations among the party families, it will have the opportunity to elect the next President of the European Commission, the EU executive. The new European Commission should begin operating on November 1, 2019. Other top EU appointments depending on the debates of the new Parliament include the Presidents of the Parliament itself as well the European Council, and the European Central Bank. The leaders of the EU 28 member states will convene in Brussels for a European Council summit on May 28, 2019, to address the results from the elections and also begin negotiations on the new appointments to the Union’s top jobs. |
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