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CNN —A series of powerful earthquakes struck western Afghanistan on Saturday killing at least 100 people and wounding more than 500 others, according to the UN’s humanitarian office, as the nation reels from another natural disaster at a time of deep economic crisis. The 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Herat city in the western Herat province – the third largest in Afghanistan. The initial quake was also felt in neighboring provinces of Badghis and Farah and was followed by multiple aftershocks. A deadly quake in March struck northeastern Afghanistan, sending residents fleeing from their homes as it brought down entire buildings and triggered devastating landslides. And a 5.6 magnitude earthquake on January 17, 2022 struck Badghis, another western province near Herat bordering Turkmenistan, killed more than 20 people and reduced hundreds of brick homes to rubble.
Persons: Farah, , OCHA, Mohsen Karimi Organizations: CNN, UN Office, Humanitarian Affairs, UN, Getty, Bank Locations: Afghanistan, Herat, Herat province –, Badghis, Herat City, AFP, United States, freefall, New Delhi, Khost, Pakistan, Turkmenistan
[1/2] Arnon Nampa, a prominent activist and former human rights lawyer, speaks to media ahead of a Thai criminal court's verdict in a case of allegedly having insulted the monarchy, at the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand, September 26, 2023. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Sept 30 (Reuters) - A Thai court denied bail on Saturday for an activist lawyer sentenced to four years in prison for royal insults, his lawyer said, in one of the Southeast Asian country's highest-profile lese-majeste cases. Human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa, 39, is widely known for a speech during pro-democracy protests in 2020 when he broke taboos by calling for public debate on the role of Thailand's powerful king. The Appeal Court read out an order on Saturday rejecting Arnon's bail request due to concerns that "if bail was given he would escape", said his lawyer, Krisadang Nutcharus. Krisadang said he would consult with Arnon on whether to make another bail request or appeal the order to the Supreme Court.
Persons: Arnon, Athit, Arnon Nampa, Krisadang, Thailand's, Prayuth Chan, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Orathai Sriring, William Mallard Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Supreme, Thomson Locations: Arnon Nampa, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK
REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Sept 26 (Reuters) - A prominent activist and lawyer made famous for his open calls for reform of Thailand's powerful monarchy was on Tuesday sentenced to four years in prison for royal insults, a judge and his lawyer said. Human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa is widely known for his taboo-breaking speech during pro-democracy protests in 2020 during which he called for public debate on the role of Thailand's powerful king. Thailand's lese-majeste law shields the palace from criticism and carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years for each perceived insult of the monarchy, a punishment widely condemned by international human rights groups. He was a leader in the youth-led pro-democracy movement that swept the capital Bangkok in 2020, drawing hundreds of thousands into the streets. As of last month, at least 257 people have been charged with 112 since 2020, according legal aide group, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.
Persons: Arnon, Athit, Arnon Nampa, Thailand's, Krisadang Nutcharus, Prayuth Chan, ocha, Martin Petty Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Arnon Nampa, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK
CAIRO (AP) — Outbreaks of cholera and dengue fever have been reported in eastern Sudan, where thousands of people are sheltering in crowded camps amid deadly fighting between the country's military and a rival paramilitary force, the U.N. health agency said on Tuesday. Political Cartoons View All 1179 ImagesIn Ethiopia, a cholera outbreak that started in August 2022 has sickened at least 20,000 people and caused more than 270 deaths, according to WHO. WHO said more than 500 suspected cases of dengue were reported across Sudan, most of them in urban centers in Qadarif. Dengue is caused by the dengue virus transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes. The World Health Organization reported last month that while poverty and conflict remain enduring drivers for cholera around the world, more power storms and flooding from climate change are also fueling outbreaks.
Persons: OCHA Organizations: World Health Organization, WHO, Teaching, Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations Locations: CAIRO, Sudan, Qadarif, Ethiopia, Khartoum, Sudan’s
Authorities try to contain anger in aftermath of Libya floods
  + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +5 min
A week after a flood wiped out much of the centre of the city, furious Derna residents demonstrated on the streets and torched the home of the mayor overnight. They accuse the authorities of failing to maintain the dams that protected the city, and failing to evacuate residents before the storm. "Haftar's forces are under pressure to show they have control of the situation, and that they can handle the fallout. A spokesperson for the state-owned Libyan Telecommunications Holding Company, Mohamed Albdairi, told Libya Alahrar television that the communications had gone down in the area because some fiber optic cables had been severed. [1/6]Volunteers carry victims of a powerful storm and heavy rainfall that hit Libya to bury them at a cemetery in Derna, Libya September 19, 2023.
Persons: Derna, Khalifa Haftar, Tim Eaton, Mohamed Albdairi, Hichem Abu Chkiouat, Zohra, Antonio Guterres, Abdulmenam, Muammar Gaddafi, Mansour, Peter Graff, Tom Perry, Alexandra Hudson, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Communications, The United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Libyan Telecommunications Holding Company, Engineers, Reuters, Volunteers, REUTERS, World Health Organization, General Assembly, Libyan National Army, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Derna, Benghazi, Libya's, Libya, York, U.N, Islamic State, al Qaeda
In Saturday’s initial report, OCHA said at least 11,300 people are dead in Derna, Libya, due to devastating flooding. The Libyan Red Crescent Society told CNN earlier on Sunday that it never released the high death figure tolls to the UN from flooding in Derna. People walk through rubble and debris left by flooding in Derna, Libya, on Sunday, September 17. Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters An aerial view of the devastation after flooding caused by Storm Daniel on September 15. Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters People carry some of their belongings as they walk along a muddy street on September 14.
Persons: OCHA, “ We’re, ” Farhan Haq, Haq, ” Haq, Esam Omran, Zohra Bensemra, Amr Alfiky, Ayman Al, Yousef Murad, Storm Daniel, Muhammad J, Abdullah Doma, Ahmed Elumami, Jamal Alkomaty, Abdullah Mohammed Bonja, Omar Jarhman, Ali Al, Saadi, Derna Organizations: CNN, UN, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, World Health Organization, WHO, Crescent, Sunday, Libyan Red Crescent Society, Reuters, United Arab Emirates, Reuters Volunteers, Elalwany, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Reuters Workers, Planet Labs PBC, AP, AFP Locations: Libya, Derna, Libyan, AFP, Shahhat, Storm
[1/5] An aerial view shows rescue teams searching for dead bodies at a beach, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 17, 2023. Hamad Awad sat on a blanket on an empty street with a bottle of water and bedding alongside him. "I am staying in our area trying to clean it and trying to verify who is missing," he said. Entire districts of Derna, with an estimated population of at least 120,000, were swept away or buried in brown mud. Civil protection workers from Algeria combed through the rubble of multistorey buildings with a dog to help detect any survivors.
Persons: Ayman Al, Hamad Awad, Storm Daniel, spokespeople, Osama Al, OCHA, al, Mohammad Shaheen, Abdulnabi, Muammar Gaddafi, Abdulhamid, Mohammed, Menfi, Abdelaziz Boumzar, Ayman Sahly, Adam Makary, Thomas Perry, Maya Gebeily, Philippa Fletcher, Susan Fenton Organizations: REUTERS, Volunteers, United Nations, Sunrise, Humanitarian Affairs, Crescent, Libyan Red Crescent, Reuters, NATO, Thomson Locations: Derna, Libya, DERNA, Libyan, Algeria, al Badya, Ajaylat, Tripoli
CNN —The death toll from devastating flooding in Libya’s eastern coastal city of Derna has risen to at least 11,300, according to a UN report released Saturday, as search efforts continue. The city of Derna was split into two after floodwaters swept through entire neighborhoods. Derna, the epicenter of the disaster, was split into two after flood waters swept entire neighborhoods. At least 30,000 people have been displaced in Derna alone, the UN said. Almost 300,000 children who were exposed to the flooding due to Storm Daniel face increased risk of cholera, malnutrition, diarrhea, and dehydration.
Persons: Sarah Sirgany, Storm Daniel, ” OCHA Organizations: CNN, UN, United Nations Office, Humanitarian Affairs, Storm, Ordnance Locations: Derna, Libya
Libya floods: what caused them and why are they so bad?
  + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +4 min
Aerial view of Derna city, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 14, 2023. After pummelling other Mediterranean countries, the powerful Storm Daniel swept into Libya at the weekend, unleashing record amounts of rain as it made landfall. The rain dumped by the storm filled a normally dry riverbed, or wadi, in the hills south of Derna. The pressure was too much for two dams built to protect the city from floods. He cited five floods since 1942, and called for immediate steps to ensure regular maintenance of the dams.
Persons: Ayman Al, Storm Daniel, hydrologist, Omar Al, Mukhtar, Abdulmenam Ghaithi, Hichem Abu Chkiouat, OCHA, Ghaithi, Muammar Gaddafi, Derna, Tom Perry, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, World Meteorological Organization, Mukhtar University, Infrastructure, Humanitarian Affairs, Reuters, International Federation of, Red Crescent Societies, United Arab, Rescuers, Derna, Thomson Locations: Derna, Libya, Libyan, Egypt, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Qatar, Tripoli
Libyans Come Together for Flood Aid Effort Despite Conflict
  + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com   time to read: +5 min
Ministers from the Tripoli-based government visited the eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday. A humanitarian source involved in the relief effort said eastern authorities had barred foreign aid flowing to Derna through the internationally recognised Tripoli government, whose legitimacy the eastern administration rejects. A source in the eastern administration denied this, saying it had not rejected aid being channelled via Tripoli. Relief operations in Derna have been directed by Haftar's LNA, the military coalition that controls eastern Libya and was for years in open conflict with western factions. Turkey, long the main supporter of the Tripoli government, rapidly sent an aid team to Derna through Benghazi, the LNA-controlled capital of eastern regions.
Persons: Ahmed Elumami, Ayman al, DERNA, Elias al, Biltrees, Tim Eaton, Khalifa Haftar, FAULTLINES, Eaton, OCHA, Haftar's LNA, Haftar, Emma Farge, Angelo Amante, Tom Perry, Angus McDowall, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Reuters, Chatham House, United Nations, Brigade Locations: Libya, Misrata, Tripoli, Benghazi, Zawiya, Derna, NATO, Chatham, Libya's, Turkey, Geneva, Rome, Beirut
Climate change adds workplace costs and hazards
  + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Mark John | ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +6 min
The 57-year-old's death in hospital was announced in late August - just as his trade union was ratifying a deal with UPS on improved heat protections. In a statement to local media, UPS (UPS.N) said it was cooperating with the authorities as they investigated the cause of death. "We train our people to recognize the symptoms of heat stress, and we respond immediately to any request for help," it said. Many European and other usually temperate countries still have no laws establishing maximum work temperatures. "Climate change is such a paradigm shift that all of us need to rethink these legacy economic assumptions," said NELP's Christman.
Persons: patchily, Chris Begley, Halshka Graczyk, Graczyk, Chaya, Anastasia Christman, Owen Tudor, Tudor, Jerome Volle, NELP's, David Stanway, Catherine Evans Organizations: UPS, Teamsters, International Labour Organization, Chiang Mai University, . Occupational Health, Safety Authority, Employment Law, International Trade Union Confederation, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Texas, Paris, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Singapore
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is expected to be arrested upon his return as he ends almost two decades of self-imposed exile, waves at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Thailand August 22, 2023. Thaksin, Thailand's most famous politician, made a dramatic homecoming last week after 15 years abroad where he lived in self-exile to avoid prison. A representative of the 74-year-old Thaksin declined to comment when asked by Reuters about his pardon request. A request for royal pardon must be submitted through the corrections department to the justice minister. If a royal pardon is not granted, Thaksin will have to wait two years to submit another request.
Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Athit, Wissanu Krea, ngam, Thaksin, Thailand's, Srettha, Prayuth Cha, Wissanu, Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat, Panu, Martin Petty, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Thai, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Don Mueang, Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK
As the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia and an ally of the United States, Thailand was once a powerful player in the region. More recently it has suffered from a period of prolonged economic stagnation, brought about by nine years of military rule under Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the general who seized power in a coup in 2014. For the first time, disaffected young Thais questioned publicly the relevance of the country’s powerful monarchy, a topic previously considered taboo. Move Forward capitalized on this anti-royalist, anti-military sentiment, which became the bedrock of the party’s progressive platform. It announced more than 300 policy proposals, including shrinking the military budget and breaking up big business.
Persons: Prayuth Chan, Prayuth, Thais, , It’s, Organizations: University of Sydney Locations: Southeast Asia, United States, Thailand, Australia
[1/4] Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin meets with caretaker former Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand August 24, 2023. Government House/Handouts via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBANGKOK, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin discussed overcoming political divisions with predecessor Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday, in his first meeting as premier as he prepares to form a cabinet from a crowded 11-party alliance that includes fierce rivals. Srettha sailed through a parliamentary vote to become premier on Tuesday and will head a tricky coalition that includes parties backed by the military, which has repeatedly manoeuvred to topple governments led by his Pheu Thai Party. Thursday's meeting underscores a fragile detente in Thai politics, with Prayuth the architect of a 2014 coup against the last Pheu Thai government as chief of the ultra-royalist army. He and Pheu Thai have denied the existence of a deal with their rivals in the military and conservative establishment.
Persons: Srettha Thavisin, Prayuth Chan, ocha, Srettha, Prayuth, Pheu, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Chayut Setboonsarng, Martin Petty Organizations: Government, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Thai, Thai Party, Pheu, Media, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Thai
[1/4] Thailand's new Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin meets with caretaker former Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha at the government house in Bangkok, Thailand August 24, 2023. Srettha sailed through a parliamentary vote to become premier on Tuesday and will head a tricky coalition that includes parties backed by a royalist military that has repeatedly manoeuvred against his Pheu Thai Party. His meeting with the outgoing premier and former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha underscores a fragile detente in Thai politics, with Prayuth the architect of a 2014 coup against the last Pheu Thai government. Thaksin and Pheu Thai have denied the existence of a deal with their rivals in the military and conservative establishment. Prayuth, who has a testy relationship with the Shinawatra family, told Srettha healing rifts was important.
Persons: Srettha Thavisin, Prayuth Chan, Srettha, Prayuth, Pheu, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Chayut Setboonsarng, Martin Petty, William Maclean Organizations: Government, REUTERS Acquire, Thai, Pheu Thai Party, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, BANGKOK, Thai
The Pheu Thai Party's Srettha Thavisin will become Thailand's prime minister after clinching parliamentary support in a Tuesday vote. Srettha, a real estate mogul who entered the Thai political landscape mere months ago under the Pheu Thai's mantle, required 375 votes to become premier and set up Bangkok's next government. He won 482, his party said in a Google-translated Facebook post on Tuesday. Thailand has been administered by a caretaker government since March, with its parliament in deadlock. Pheu Thai initially supported the party, but progressed with its own bid for power after Move Forward's failure to gain support.
Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Prayuth Chan, Pheu Organizations: National Economic, Social Development, Assembly Locations: Thailand
Pheu Thai gain backing from rival party to form government
  + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
BANGKOK, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Thailand's Pheu Thai Party on Thursday gained support from a rival military-backed party, potentially boosting it in its bid to form a government ahead of a prime ministerial vote in parliament next week. The United Thai Nation Party or UTN, the party that fielded former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha as its prime ministerial candidate in the May election, said on Thursday that it will help Pheu Thai form a government. "United Thai Party will join the government with Pheu Thai," UTN spokesman Akaradej Wongpitakroj told reporters on Thursday. Move Forward's former ally, the second-placed Pheu Thai party, earlier this month took over efforts to form a government. Previous Pheu Thai governments, backed by the billionaire Shinawatra family, were ousted by military coups in 2006 and 2014, when the party's interests clashed with the country's powerful old money elites and royalist military.
Persons: Prayuth Chan, Prayuth, Akaradej Wongpitakroj, Srettha Thavisin, Panu, Toby Chopra, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Thai Party, United Thai Nation Party, United Thai Party, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Thai, Thailand
Khartoum’s morgues have reached “breaking point,” international aid group Save The Children said Tuesday. Bodies in the morgues are also decomposing as prolonged power outages have left them without refrigeration, the group said. Most of the hospitals in the capital and other states are out of service, Save the Children added. Residents of Omdurman, north of Khartoum, told CNN that fighting had intensified on Tuesday, saying they heard heavy artillery and bombardment overnight. The fighting has left Khartoum in ruins.
Persons: morgues, Abdallah Attiya, , Bashir Kamal Eldin Hamid, Abdel Fattah al, Burhan, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Omar al, Bashir, RSF, Organizations: CNN, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, Humanitarian Affairs, Federal Ministry of Health, UNICEF, UN, Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, Al, Health, Nutrition, Sudanese, International Organization for Migration, Integrated Food Locations: Sudan, Khartoum, Al Arabiya, morgues, Omdurman, , United States, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah
The United Nations has not used the Bab al-Hawa crossing since the Security Council authorization expired on Monday. "The United Nations and its implementing partners must continue to engage with relevant state and non-state parties as operationally necessary." "The United Nations will need to engage to clarify any additional modalities for the delivery of humanitarian aid in north-west Syria," OCHA wrote. "Any such modalities must not infringe on the impartiality (based on needs alone), neutrality, and independence of the United Nations' humanitarian operations," it said. "We had pre-positioned a lot of material in the area (northwest Syria) before the deadline.
Persons: Bab, OCHA, Cross, Bashar al, U.N, Stephane Dujarric, Assad, Michelle Nichols, Josie Kao, Diane Craft Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, United, Security, Security Council, Reuters, Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations, Syria Government, International Committee, ICRC, Syrian Government, Thomson Locations: United Nations, Syria, Turkey, United, Syrian, Damascus, Russia, Moscow, Washington
CNN —Nearly 2.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes amid an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation in war torn Sudan. The toll on civilians continues to grow, according to the latest report from the UN’s Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) which states that 414,625 individuals comprising 483,672 households, have been displaced, an increase of 183,102 individuals compared to last week. The number of refugees fleeing to neighboring countries, mainly Egypt, Chad and South Sudan, is also increasing with an estimated 750,000 civilians leaving Sudan entirely. So, you just see many women, many children,” WFP Chad Country Director Pierre Honnorat said, describing desperate scenes from the Zabout refugee camp in Goz Beida in a call with journalists. In addition to clashes between RSF and SAF, OCHA’s report also notes increased RSF and militia presence reports emerging from other Darfur states, as well as fighting in North and South Kordofan, in an increasingly complex fighting landscape across Sudan.
Persons: , Pierre Honnorat, ” Honorat, ” Martin Griffiths, it’s, Organizations: CNN, Sudanese Armed Forces, SAF, Rapid Support Forces, Humanitarian Affairs, Food Programme, Chad Country, WFP, UN Locations: Sudan, Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, Goz Beida, Darfur, RSF, North, South Kordofan
[1/3] Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha leaves after a cabinet meeting before end of his term in next week at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand, March 14, 2023. REUTERS/Athit PerawongmethaBANGKOK, July 11 (Reuters) - Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha announced on Tuesday his retirement from politics, nine years after he took power in a military coup, and promised to stay in charge only temporarily. The former army chief, a staunch royalist, led a junta until an election in 2019 and was chosen by parliament to remain prime minister for four more years, an outcome his opponents insist was pre-determined. "I as prime minister have worked hard to protect the nation, religion, monarchy for the benefit of the beloved people. His announcement comes as the new parliament prepares to convene on Thursday to hold a vote on who will be the next prime minister, an outcome far from certain.
Persons: Prayuth Chan, ocha, Prayuth, Panu, Martin Petty, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Government, REUTERS, Thailand's, United Thai Nation, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, BANGKOK
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha speaks with members of the press after casting his vote in the Thai General Election on May 14, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday said he will retire from politics, nine years after the former general seized power in a military coup. His announcement comes ahead of a much-anticipated vote for Thailand's new prime minister this Thursday. Chan-ocha said he would stay in a caretaker role until a new prime minister is elected. This backing nevertheless falls short of the 376 votes that party leader Pita Limjaroenrat to stake his claim as Thailand's next prime minister.
Persons: Prayuth Chan, Chan, ocha, Pita Limjaroenrat, Limjaroenrat Organizations: Thai, United Thai Nation, Thai Sang Chart Party, Facebook Locations: Thai, Bangkok, Thailand
The military has for decades invoked its duty to defend the monarchy to justify intervention in politics, and used the lese majeste law to stifle dissent, critics say. Much depends on whether Move Forward's main ally, second-place winner Pheu Thai, sticks with it or seeks other coalition partners if Pita's bid looks doomed. King Vajiralongkorn, 70, who has no role in choosing a government, has remained silent on the lese majeste issue since the election. In the last election in 2019, no party would have dared suggest amending the lese majeste law. Pheu Thai, which has 141 seats to Move Forward's 151, could nominate its prime ministerial candidate with the eight-party alliance intact.
Persons: Maha Vajiralongkorn, Suthida, Pita Limjaroenrat, Pita, Seri Suwanpanon, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Prayuth Chan, Pheu, King Vajiralongkorn, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Thaksin Shinawatra, Titipol Phakdeewanich, Amarat Chokepamitkul, Panu, Kay Johnson, Robert Birsel Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Royal News, Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, Senate, Ubon Ratchathani University, Royal Household Bureau, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, Thai, Handout, BANGKOK, Pheu
BANGKOK, July 9 (Reuters) - Hundreds of supporters of Thailand's leading prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat rallied in the capital on Sunday ahead of a parliamentary vote for a new prime minister next week. He now needs to secure support from an unelected Senate to become the premier to replace incumbent Prayuth Chan-ocha in the vote set for July 13. Pita said talks with senators were being held and that they should not vote against the will of the people. "We're asking them to vote for democracy, for the majority, and to return normalcy to Thai politics, so we can finally move forward," he told orange-clad supporters on Sunday. Reporting by Juarawee Kittisilpa; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons: Thailand's, Pita Limjaroenrat, Pita, Thais, Prayuth Chan, Jaturong Soisri, Juarawee Kittisilpa, Orathai Sriring, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Party, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK
The Thai reports, published on Tuesday, said Washington would announce new sanctions on Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank and Myanmar Investment and Commercial Bank as early as Wednesday. A spokesman for Myanmar's military junta said it was not worried about any new sanctions. Zaw Min Tun told the state media channel MWD on Tuesday evening that the country has experienced sanctions before and they will not face losses if there are new sanctions on Myanmar state-owned banks. He said the United States was "just doing this to cause difficulties in economics and politics". One of the Thai media reports, by Bangkok Business News, cited Thai sources as saying the sanctions would impact Thailand and other countries in the region financially because of connections with local banks.
Persons: Washington, Aung, Kyi, Min Tun, Critics, Prayuth Chan, Panu, Poppy McPherson, Kay Johnson, Raju Gopalakrishnan, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: United, Myanmar Foreign Trade Bank, Myanmar Investment, Commercial Bank, Reuters, Embassy, Bangkok Business, Thai, Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, United States, U.S, Thailand, States, Myanmar, Bangkok, Pattaya, ASEAN
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