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Sweden shuts Lebanon embassy amid fears of escalation

Sweden shuts Lebanon embassy amid fears of escalation
Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom says the ministry has instructed its staff to leave Beirut and travel to Cyprus. (File/AFP)
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Updated 03 August 2024

Sweden shuts Lebanon embassy amid fears of escalation

Sweden shuts Lebanon embassy amid fears of escalation
  • The killing of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders this week, blamed on Israel, have heightened regional tensions amid the Gaza war

STOCKHOLM: Sweden said Saturday it was shutting its embassy in Beirut amid fears the war in Gaza could escalate into a region-wide conflict, after urging thousands of its citizens to leave Lebanon.
The killing of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders this week, blamed on Israel, have heightened regional tensions amid the Gaza war.
“The foreign ministry has instructed its staff to leave Beirut and travel to Cyprus, and the foreign ministry is planning a temporary relocation of its embassy,” Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told Swedish Radio.
The decision had been taken “initially for the month of August but may be extended depending on the security situation.”
“The ministry is monitoring developments closely,” he said.
According to the foreign ministry, as many as 10,000 Swedish nationals may have traveled to Lebanon this summer, defying a travel warning in place for the country since October 2023.
“I urge Swedes in Lebanon to leave the country by whichever means possible, while they still can,” he said.


Over 130,000 people displaced as deadly Thailand-Cambodia clashes enter 2nd day

Over 130,000 people displaced as deadly Thailand-Cambodia clashes enter 2nd day
Updated 7 sec ago

Over 130,000 people displaced as deadly Thailand-Cambodia clashes enter 2nd day

Over 130,000 people displaced as deadly Thailand-Cambodia clashes enter 2nd day
  • Both sides accused each other of opening fire on Thursday morning 
  • At least 16 people were killed, some 50 others injured in clashes so far

BANGKOK/PHNOM PENH: Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire along their disputed border for a second day on Friday, as their worst fighting in years killed at least 15 people and displaced more than 130,000. 

The fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors is the latest in a history of disputes that dates back more than a century, to when Cambodia’s former colonial ruler France first mapped the 800-km shared land border. 

Both countries have blamed each other for starting a clash on Thursday near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, an ancient temple claimed by both nations. It quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling, with hostilities spreading to various locations along the border, marking a shift from usually brief confrontations that only rarely involved the use of weapons. 

At least 14 people were killed, 46 others injured and more than 138,000 displaced in Thailand, the Thai military said. In Cambodia, around 2,400 families have been evacuated after the fighting killed one person and injured five others in Oddar Meanchey province, Meth Meas Pheakday, spokeswoman for the provincial administration, said on Friday. 

Acting Thai PM Phumtham Wechayachai said Thailand has “exercised utmost restraint” against provocations and chose “peaceful means” in its responses. 

“Our beloved Thailand is currently facing a severe threat from Cambodia … It is profoundly disappointing that the Cambodian side chose to initiate military force. Their actions blatantly violate international law and humanitarian principles through indiscriminate attacks on hospitals and civilian residential areas, extending more than 20 kilometers beyond the border … We consider these acts to be severe war crimes,” he said in a statement on Friday.

“I must emphasize that this incident is not a conflict between the peoples of our two nations, nor is it a declaration of war. It is a border clash undertaken to protect our sovereignty and respond to aggression.”

Thailand has also responded to the alleged attacks by sending F-16 jets to strike targets in Cambodia. 

On Friday, Thailand had fired at seven sites in Cambodia, according to Maly Socheata, a spokeswoman for the Cambodian Ministry of National Defense. 

The clashes this week followed months of tension along the border, which began when troops exchanged fire in contested territory in May, killing a Cambodian soldier. 

Ties deteriorated further after Cambodia’s powerful former leader Hun Sen leaked a private phone call with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra about the border tensions, sparking public anger that led to her suspension from duties earlier this month. 

The crisis further escalated on Wednesday, when five Thai soldiers were injured by a land mine explosion near Prasat Ta Muen Thom, prompting both sides to recall their ambassadors. 

“This tense situation cannot be ended swiftly with armed clashes; it needs diplomatic mechanisms and international law,” Vann Bunna, a Cambodian geopolitical expert, told Arab News. 

“Since as of now there’s no signal of negotiations, it’s prompting the worst situation, leading to devastation of both human life and infrastructure. This not only provokes insecurity in both countries but also affects the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) security region geopolitically.” 

The last time that Cambodia and Thailand fired on each other’s territories was during a three-year border conflict that ended in 2011 and killed 20 people on both sides of the border.

The root of this week’s border violence can be traced back to the “discord between Thaksin and Hun Sen,” according to Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Japan’s Kyoto University

Thaksin Shinawatra, Paetongtarn’s father and the former prime minister of Thailand, had a decades-long personal relationship with the Cambodian strongman. 

“The border has come many times in the past, but Hun Sen’s decision to leak a personal conversation with Paetongtarn, which led to her suspension from serving as prime minister, was a clear betrayal of personal relationships,” Chachavalpongpun said in a statement. 

“When the personal relationship between the leaders of both countries is broken, it (becomes) harder … to find a way out.” 


Hong Kong issues bounties for 19 overseas activists on subversion charges

Hong Kong issues bounties for 19 overseas activists on subversion charges
Updated 4 min 6 sec ago

Hong Kong issues bounties for 19 overseas activists on subversion charges

Hong Kong issues bounties for 19 overseas activists on subversion charges
  • Police said the 19 activists were involved in what they called a “subversive organization“
  • The investigation into the organization is ongoing, the police said, warning that they “will offer bounties to hunt down more suspects in the case if necessary“

HONG KONG: Hong Kong police announced bounties Friday for information leading to the arrest of 19 overseas activists, accusing them of national security crimes.

Political dissent in Hong Kong has been quashed since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 after huge, sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before.

Many opposition figures have fled abroad, while others have been arrested and sentenced to years in jail.

Police said the 19 activists were involved in what they called a “subversive organization,” Hong Kong Parliament — a pro-democracy NGO established in Canada.

On July 1, Hong Kong Parliament said on social media that it was holding an unofficial poll online to form a “legislature,” aimed at “opposing one-party dictatorship and tyranny and pursuing Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong.”

In a statement on Friday, police accused the group of seeking to “unlawfully overthrow and undermine the fundamental system” of the Chinese and Hong Kong authorities.

The investigation into the organization is ongoing, the police said, warning that they “will offer bounties to hunt down more suspects in the case if necessary.”

They also called on the accused to “return to Hong Kong and turn themselves in, rather than make further mistakes.”

A reward of HK$200,000 ($25,500) each was offered for 15 of the activists, while the four others were already wanted for HK$1 million, the statement said.

The bounties are seen as largely symbolic given that they affect people living abroad in nations unlikely to extradite political activists to Hong Kong or China.

Friday’s announcement is the fourth time the financial hub’s authorities have offered rewards for help capturing those alleged to have violated the city’s national security laws.

“The Hong Kong government is deepening repression in Hong Kong, extending its long arm abroad and seeking to silence the diasporas,” Human Rights Watch’s Maya Wang said in a statement to AFP.

According to the Hong Kong police’s website, as of Friday there are now 34 people wanted for national security offenses, including secession, subversion, or foreign collusion.

Previous rounds of bounties were met with intense criticism from Western countries, with Hong Kong and China in turn railing against foreign “interference.”

Hong Kong has also previously canceled the passports of other pro-democracy activists on its wanted list, under its second homegrown national security law enacted in 2024.

As of July 1, authorities had arrested 333 people for alleged national security crimes, with 165 convicted in Hong Kong.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong police arrested four people, including a 15-year-old, who were allegedly part of a group in Taiwan that called for the overthrow of the Chinese Communist Party.

This week police said they had arrested an 18-year-old for writing “seditious words” on a toilet wall in a commercial building.


UK teen Jay Slater died accidentally in Spain, coroner concludes

UK teen Jay Slater died accidentally in Spain, coroner concludes
Updated 13 min 7 sec ago

UK teen Jay Slater died accidentally in Spain, coroner concludes

UK teen Jay Slater died accidentally in Spain, coroner concludes
  • Slater, who was 19, went missing in June last year after partying with friends
  • Coroner James Adeley concluded that Slater “died an accidental death“

LONDON: British teenager Jay Slater, who was found dead on the Spanish island of Tenerife last year, died accidentally from a fall, a coroner concluded on Friday.

Slater, who was 19, went missing in June last year after partying with friends and attempting a long walk back to his accommodation, before falling to his death in a remote national park on the Canary Islands archipelago.

His body was found the following month, with Spanish authorities saying the injuries Slater sustained were consistent with an accidental fall.

After an inquest at Preston Coroner’s Court, the coroner James Adeley concluded that Slater “died an accidental death.”

“Whilst attempting to descend the ravine, Jay Slater fell at a particularly dangerous area of difficult terrain and loose rock,” Adeley said.

“Jay Slater fell approximately 20 to 25 meters (66 to 82 feet), resulting in skull fractures, brain trauma and from which he would have died instantly. There was no third-party involvement in Jay Slater’s death.”


Ukraine says Starlink’s global outage hit its military communications

Ukraine says Starlink’s global outage hit its military communications
Updated 25 July 2025

Ukraine says Starlink’s global outage hit its military communications

Ukraine says Starlink’s global outage hit its military communications
  • Ukraine’s forces are heavily reliant on thousands of SpaceX’s Starlink terminals for battlefield communications
  • “Combat missions were performed without a (video) feed, battlefield reconnaissance was done with strike (drones),” Brovdi wrote

KYIV: Starlink systems used by Ukrainian military units were down for two and a half hours overnight, a senior commander said, part of a global issue that disrupted the satellite Internet provider.

Ukraine’s forces are heavily reliant on thousands of SpaceX’s Starlink terminals for battlefield communications and some drone operations, as they have proved resistant to espionage and signal jamming throughout the three and a half years of fighting Russia’s invasion.

Starlink experienced one of its biggest international outages on Thursday when an internal software failure knocked tens of thousands of users offline.

“Starlink is down across the entire front,” Robert Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, wrote on Telegram at 10:41 p.m. (1941 GMT) on Thursday.

Starlink, which has more than 6 million users across roughly 140 countries and territories, later acknowledged the global outage on its X account and said “we are actively implementing a solution.”

Brovdi updated his post later to say that by about 1:05 a.m. on Friday the issue had been resolved. He said the incident had highlighted the risk of reliance on the systems, and called for communication and connectivity methods to be diversified.

“Combat missions were performed without a (video) feed, battlefield reconnaissance was done with strike (drones),” Brovdi wrote.

A Ukrainian drone commander, speaking anonymously to discuss sensitive matters, told Reuters his unit had to postpone several combat operations as a result of the outage.

Oleksandr Dmitriev, the founder of OCHI, a Ukrainian system that centralizes feeds from thousands of drone crews across the frontline, told Reuters the outage showed that relying on cloud services to command units and relay battlefield drone reconnaissance was a “huge risk.”

“If connection to the Internet is lost ... the ability to conduct combat operations is practically gone,” he said, calling for a move toward local communication systems that are not reliant on the Internet.

Reuters reported on Friday that Starlink owner Elon Musk issued an order in 2022 to cut Starlink coverage in certain areas of Ukraine as Ukrainian forces were waging a counter-offensive to take back occupied land from Russia.

As of April 2025, according to Ukrainian government social media posts, Kyiv has received more than 50,000 Starlink terminals.

Although Starlink does not operate in Russia, Ukrainian officials have said that Moscow’s troops are also widely using the systems on the frontlines in Ukraine.

“The outage was due to failure of key internal software services that operate the core network,” Starlink vice president Michael Nicolls wrote on X, apologizing for the disruption and vowing to find its root cause.


Britain and Australia to sign 50-year nuclear submarine treaty

Britain and Australia to sign 50-year nuclear submarine treaty
Updated 25 July 2025

Britain and Australia to sign 50-year nuclear submarine treaty

Britain and Australia to sign 50-year nuclear submarine treaty
  • The three-way alliance was announced in 2021 to contend with growing Chinese military might in the Asia-Pacific region
  • It would deliver Australia at least eight submarines including three to five second-hand US Virginia-class submarines

MELBOURNE: Britain and Australia announced they will sign a cooperation treaty to build Australian nuclear-powered submarines and welcomed a review by President Donald Trump’s administration of the United States’ role in the trilateral defense deal.

Britain’s Defense Secretary John Healey and Foreign Secretary David Lammy met Friday with their Australian counterparts Richard Marles and Penny Wong in Sydney for an annual bilateral meeting.

Marles said he and Healey will sign a 50-year treaty Saturday that will underpin bilateral cooperation on building an Australian fleet of submarines powered by US nuclear technology.

“It is as significant a treaty as has been signed between our two countries since federation,” Marles said, referring to the unification of several British colonies to form the Australian government in 1901.

The three-way alliance was announced in 2021 to contend with growing Chinese military might in the Asia-Pacific region. It would deliver Australia at least eight submarines including three to five second-hand US Virginia-class submarines. Britain and Australia would cooperate to build their own SSN-AUKUS submarines.

US reviewing AUKUS trilateral submarine deal

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is reviewing the pact, known by the acronym AUKUS, that was entered into by US President Joe Biden’s administration. There are concerns that the US won’t provide Australia with its first Virginia-class submarine by the early 2030s as planned because US submarine-building was behind schedule.

Marles and Healey declined to speculate on whether Britain and Australia would continue with jointly building submarines if the US pulled out when questioned at a press conference.

“Australia and the UK welcome the review because we see this as a chance for a new administration to renew their commitment to AUKUS. And that’s what we expect,” Healey said.

“Any sort of hypotheticals that you suggest simply aren’t part of the picture,” Healey added, referring to the prospect of Britain and Australia proceeding without the US

The Australian government confirmed this week it had paid the US a second $500 million installment on the AUKUS deal. The first $500 million was paid in February.

The submarines are expected cost Australia up to $245 billion.

The meeting comes as 3,000 British military personnel take part in the largest military exercise ever conducted in Australia.

British aircraft carrier joins Australian war games

More than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations are taking part in Exercise Talisman Sabre, which began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the US and Australia.

Marles and Healey will inspect the British aircraft HMS Prince of Wales at the northern port of Darwin on Sunday. The carrier is in Australia to take part in the war games.

Lammy said the carrier’s arrival in Darwin was meant to send a clear signal to the world.

“With our carrier strike group docking in Darwin, I think we’re sending a clear signal, a signal of the UK’s commitment to this region of the world. Our determination to keep the Indo-Pacific free and open, and that we stand together,” he said.