International
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Jun- 2023 -6 June
Pence enters race for White House – and will face off against Trump for nomination
Former vice-president Mike Pence has declared himself a candidate in the 2024 Republican race for the White House – pitting himself against Donald Trump. Mr Pence‘s campaign filed a declaration of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. He will formally launch his campaign with a video and a speech in the early nominating state of Iowa on Wednesday, three sources familiar with the situation told Reuters, which is his 64th birthday. The 48th vice-president of the United States will challenge his former boss just two years after their White House tenure ended with the Capitol riots – which saw Mr Pence, who was in the building with his family, flee for safety. Mr Trump is currently leading the early fight for the nomination,…
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6 June
Headache for legal team as Harry skips first day of phone-hacking trial
Prince Harry’s no-show at the high court on Monday caused a headache for his legal team, who were left to explain he had chosen to stay in Los Angeles for his daughter’s second birthday party. He was originally scheduled to give evidence in his phone-hacking trial against Mirror Group Newspapers on Tuesday. But the judge, Mr Justice Fancourt, had asked for him to be in court and ready to give evidence on Monday, in case lawyers finished their opening legal arguments earlier than expected. When the Mirror’s legal team indicated they would speed through their opening arguments, Harry’s team admitted their client would not be ready in time – to the obvious annoyance of the judge, who said he was…
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5 June
Bangladesh power cuts may last two more weeks
Rising temperatures cause a fuel shortfall for generation plants, says power minister A worker climbs an under construction power transmission tower in Munshiganj, outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh could face power cuts for two more weeks, its power minister said late on Sunday, as higher electricity consumption because of rising temperatures has caused a fuel shortfall for generation plants. Bangladesh has suffered under severe power shortages since April as a searing heatwave spiked demand for electricity and then a deadly cyclone cut off supplies of natural gas to fuel plants. The country has also curtailed imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), its main power generation fuel, after record high prices in the second half of 2022 made the fuel too…
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5 June
Russia claims to have thwarted ‘large-scale’ Ukraine attack
Claim comes as Ukraine prepares for a major counteroffensive to retake territory occupied by Russia. Ukraine has been preparing to launch a new counter-offensive to retake territory Russia has occupied [File: Dimitar Dilkoff] Russia has said its forces thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, killing 250 Ukrainian troops and destroying tanks and armoured vehicles. “On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction,” the Russian defence ministry said on its Telegram channel early on Monday. There was no update from Ukraine on the alleged offensive. In its evening update on June 4, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Moscow…
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5 June
New Zealand pilot kidnapping exposes Indonesia’s Papua ‘hotspot’
The incident in a remote highlands region has drawn renewed attention to one of the world’s least-known conflicts. A Papuan student with face painted in the colours of the banned ‘Morning Star’ flag [File:Tatan Syuflana] When Phillip Mehrtens landed his single-propeller Pilatus plane on the runway in Paro in the highlands of Papua, it was supposed to be a quick turnaround. He would drop off his five passengers – all Indigenous Papuans – collect a group of health workers from a nearby clinic and fly back to the booming town of Timika closer to the southern coast. But as the small plane sat on the runway at the end of February, a group of independence fighters sensed an opportunity. They grabbed…
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5 June
US, UK navies say responded to call from ship in Strait of Hormuz
US Navy said the merchant ship was being ‘harassed’ by boats from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The US Navy released a surveillance image showing smaller boats around the commercial vessel [US Navy ] The United States Navy has said its sailors and the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy came to the aid of a ship in the crucial Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard allegedly “harassed” it. Three fast-attack Guard vessels with armed troops on board approached the merchant ship at a close distance on Sunday afternoon, the US Navy said in a statement. It shared black-and-white images, which showed three small ships close to the commercial vessel, taken by a US Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon that was flying overhead. The…
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5 June
Business and Economy
Bye Singapore, hello Malaysia: expats chase cheaper living costs Lower living costs in cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh are attracting some expats away from Singapore. Singapore’s rents have soared over the last year [File: Caroline Chia] Singapore – For marketing professional Benedikt Becker, living and working in Singapore had always been “the dream”. Becker, who landed a job with a marketing agency in Singapore in 2020, thrived on the city-state’s vibrancy as a business hub and enjoyed its efficiency, “impressive” skyline, verdant greenery and architecture. For 2,800 Singapore dollars ($2,072) a month, the German national rented a boutique one-bedroom condo apartment in the east of Singapore, which allowed him to take daily morning walks to the beach.…
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5 June
Saudi Arabia to cut oil output by 1 million barrels a day in July
The rest of the OPEC+ oil producers agreed to extend earlier cuts in supply through the end of 2024. OPEC, which is responsible for about 80 percent of the world’s oil supply, is to reduce output [File: Asaad Niazi] Saudi Arabia has said it will reduce how much oil it sends to the global economy by one million barrels per day (bpd), as the OPEC+ alliance of major oil-producing countries faces flagging oil prices and a looming supply glut. The kingdom said on Sunday that it would make these production cuts in July to support the sagging cost of crude after two earlier production cuts by OPEC+ members failed to push prices higher. OPEC+, which groups the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting…
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5 June
Dozens arrested in Hong Kong on Tiananmen crackdown anniversary
Woman carrying bouquet of flowers, man holding a candle among dozens arrested as Hong Kong cracks down on Tiananmen commemorations. Hong Kong police arrest demonstrators on Tiananmen anniversary Police in Hong Kong have detained dozens of people on charges of “breaching public peace”, including a woman carrying a bouquet of flowers and a man who held a candle, during a crackdown on commemorations of the anniversary of the bloodshed in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Restrictions in Hong Kong have stifled what were once the largest vigils marking the anniversary of the bloody crackdown by Chinese troops on pro-democracy demonstrators, leaving cities like Taipei, London, New York and Berlin to keep the memory of June 4, 1989, alive. Near Victoria Park on Sunday…
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5 June
Freedom of the Press
Journalist Bao Choy wins appeal at Hong Kong’s top court Court of Final Appeal overturns conviction saying a ‘substantial and grave injustice’ had been done. Journalist Bao Choy speaks outside court after she was cleared Documentary journalist Bao Choy has won her appeal at Hong Kong’s top court over a conviction for accessing vehicle registration records. Choy, who was working for public broadcaster RTHK as a freelancer, aimed to use the records to find out who was involved in a violent assault on protesters and train travellers at the Yuen Long station during the 2019 mass protests. She was convicted in April 2021, on two counts of making false statements to obtain information and fined 6,000 Hong Kong dollars ($764). The appeal…
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