Russian border province in state of emergency, signal from Iran, Thai Prime Minister dismissed, Donald Trump demands compensation

Tensions in Russia's border areas due to Ukraine's attack, the situation in the Middle East, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin being dismissed, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will resign in September, Mr. Donald Trump demands $100 million in compensation... are some of the outstanding international news of the day.

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin accepted the Constitutional Court's dismissal ruling on August 14. (Getty Images)

Europe

* Russia's Belgorod province declares state of emergency: On August 14, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov declared a state of emergency across the entire border province, citing the ongoing attacks by Ukrainian forces as making the situation in the Belgorod region extremely difficult and tense. (TASS)

* Moscow-Kiev peace talks have been suspended “for a long time” due to Ukraine’s offensive in the Kursk province of western Russia, according to Russian Foreign Ministry special envoy Rodion Miroshnik.

Meanwhile, on August 14, Ukraine continued to use missiles and drones to attack Kursk province. Acting Governor of Kursk province Alexei Smirnov said that the entire Kursk region was put on alert throughout the night of August 13.

Earlier, Kiev said it had taken control of 74 settlements in Kursk. US President Joe Biden said Washington was in constant contact with Kiev about the operation, although the White House said it was not involved in planning or preparing for Ukraine's offensive. (TASS, Reuters)

* Belarus petitions the UN Security Council regarding the Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) incursion into Belarusian territory.

According to the press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry , Minsk has sent a petition to the President of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to request Kiev to stop provocative actions that threaten to drag Belarus into armed conflict and spread the war to other countries in the region.

Belarus also conveyed its views to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), affirming that it will continuously draw the attention of international organizations to the developing situation. (TASS)

* Germany-Czech Republic implements “circular swap” initiative to supply tanks to Ukraine: German defense industry group Rheinmetall has won an important contract to supply the Czech Republic with 14 Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks and 1 Buffalo mine-resistant armored vehicle.

This is seen as part of an ongoing “circular swap” initiative, under which Prague will donate Soviet-era battle tanks to Kiev.

The “circular swap” initiative is a strategic approach developed by the German government in coordination with its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies to support Ukraine.

By facilitating the exchange of Soviet-era heavy equipment with Western military systems, the initiative ensures that Ukraine can continue to defend its sovereignty with modern and effective weapons. (Defense Express)

* A German military base near Cologne airport has been placed on lockdown and thousands of soldiers working there have been advised not to drink tap water.

Tap water at the base, which houses 4,300 soldiers and 1,200 civilians, may have been contaminated after someone broke into the grounds adjacent to Cologne airport, according to a source. Police, military police and military intelligence are investigating the incident.

The base in Cologne-Wahn is home to the military aircraft fleet that transports Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other German cabinet ministers.

The German Defense Ministry and MAD have not yet responded to requests for comment. Police in Cologne have also made similar moves. (Spiegel)

Middle East

* Iran will abandon plans to retaliate against Israel if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza, three senior Iranian officials said on August 13.

The US-led ceasefire and hostage talks are set to begin on August 15, but Hamas has refused to participate. If successful, the deal could prevent Iran from directly attacking Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July.

One of the sources said Iran, along with allies such as Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, would launch a direct attack if ceasefire and hostage-release talks between Israel and Hamas failed or if they perceived Israel was dragging its feet on negotiations.

Meanwhile, Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations announced that Tehran will not participate in indirect negotiations on a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip. (Reuters)

* Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Russia and held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on August 13. During the talks, Mr. Abbas appreciated the long-term cooperation between the two countries, saying that Palestine has benefited from Russia's support policy for decades.

The Palestinian president cited last month's International Court of Justice ruling that declared Israel's occupation of Palestinian land "illegal," calling on Israel to end its violations of international law.

The leader also condemned the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, affirming that the Palestinian people remain steadfast in their struggle, patiently endure hardships and rely on humanitarian assistance.

For his part, President Putin said that although Moscow is busy with a special military operation in Ukraine, it is still paying attention to developments in the Palestinian territories.

According to him, Russia values ​​and has a long-standing and solid relationship with the Arab world in general and Palestine in particular. In particular, Russia always supports a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Moscow's stance on this issue remains unchanged, "to bring lasting, reliable and stable peace in the region, it is necessary to implement all UN decisions and, first of all, establish a full-fledged Palestinian state." (Global Times, TASS)

* The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting due to escalating tensions in the Middle East at the request of Algeria on August 13. At the meeting, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary Di Carlo as well as representatives of member states expressed concern about the increasing tensions in the Middle East.

The Security Council called on all parties to the conflict in Gaza to refrain from statements and actions that could escalate the situation, and welcomed the initiative by Egypt, Qatar and the United States to bring both sides towards a ceasefire, release hostages and facilitate humanitarian access. (UN)

* International outrage over Israeli officials' ban on Al-Aqsa Mosque: On August 13, Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir joined thousands of Israelis in praying at Al-Aqsa Mosque, going against the Israeli government's policy of restricting Jewish worshippers from praying at the hot spot.

In response to this move, the State Department and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for maintaining the historical status quo regarding holy sites in Jerusalem, and for refraining from similar “provocative” and “unacceptable” unilateral actions.

The United Nations also declared its opposition to any attempt to change the status quo inside sacred sites.

Countries such as France, Turkey, Egypt and Qatar also issued statements opposing Mr. Ben Gvir's visit. (AFP)

Asia-Pacific

* Thai Prime Minister dismissed, ruling accepted: On the afternoon of August 14, the Thai Constitutional Court issued a ruling to dismiss Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin for violating the Constitution in appointing cabinet personnel. The court also stated that Mr. Srettha violated ethical rules.

After the verdict, Mr. Srettha Thavisin said he was saddened by the accusation but accepted the decision.

According to Mr. Srettha, the caretaker prime minister is on his way back to Thailand from abroad. The cabinet will also have to resign, but will continue to hold office until a new cabinet is formed. (Bangkok Post)

* Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will not seek re-election as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the vote next September, meaning that when the party chooses a new leader, Mr. Kishida will step down to make way for a new person to replace him.

Following the announcement, former Japanese Defense Minister Ishiba Shigeru reaffirmed his intention to run for the LDP leadership. Ishiba is the public's favorite candidate to be the next prime minister. (Kyodo)

* The US and South Korea will conduct a joint live-fire and combined maneuver exercise from August 9-15 at the Seungjin Fire Training Field in Pocheon, about 30 km south of the inter-Korean border.

The exercise involved about 320 soldiers. (Yonhap)

* India affirms to continue cooperation with the US regardless of the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election, according to Foreign Minister of the country of a billion people Subrahmanyam Jaishanka.

According to Mr. Jaishankar, India does not want to comment on the US presidential election and hopes to be treated the same way on issues related to this Asian country. (PTI)

America

* Mr. Donald Trump demanded the Department of Justice pay $100 million in compensation for the search of his private residence and resort, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida.

This is the latest development in a series of lawsuits related to the recovery of top secret documents from Mr. Trump's private residence after leaving office.

Former President Trump's Florida home was searched on August 8, 2022, after the government repeatedly demanded that he hand over top secret documents hidden in his home, but he refused to comply. Investigators found more than 300 files marked top secret during the search of the home.

Mr. Trump repeatedly and unsuccessfully appealed the search warrant for his residence, which was issued by a federal judge in Florida in 2022. (The Hill)

* US-Brunei strengthen defense cooperation: On August 13, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin held talks with his Brunei counterpart II Pehin Halbi at the Pentagon, discussing bilateral defense relations, including security cooperation, maritime domain awareness and information sharing.

The two sides welcomed the signing of the Cross-Procurement Services Agreement and the Section 505 Agreement to enhance bilateral logistics cooperation and security assistance.

The United States and Brunei agreed to continue to advance their defense relationship in support of their shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (Defense.gov)

* The United States has approved new arms sales to Israel worth more than $20 billion, including an $18.82 billion deal to sell 50 F-15 fighter jets to Israel. Israel will also buy nearly 33,000 tank shells, up to 50,000 mortar shells and new military transport vehicles. (Reuters)

Africa

* Sudan ceasefire talks began in Switzerland on August 14, mediated by the United States. The talks, which could last up to 10 days, are co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and Switzerland. The African Union, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United Nations are observers.

While the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) quickly accepted the US invitation, the Sudanese government has voiced concerns about Washington's approach and has not confirmed whether it will participate. (AFP)

* The Libyan parliament voted to end the term of the national unity government headed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh based in the capital Tripoli, and declared the Libyan National Stability Government (GNS) led by Prime Minister Osama Hamad as the legitimate government until a unity government is elected.

The Libyan parliament also elected Speaker of the parliament Aguila Saleh as Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan army according to the constitutional declaration and related resolutions. (Anadolu)

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