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Timeline: Key events since Thailand's last general election

Thailand will hold its first general election Sunday since the military ousted the elected government in a coup nearly five years ago.

Thailand has a long history of cycling through elected governments that are then ousted by the army, which in time allows fresh elections.

Here's a look the key political events since Thailand's last general election.

_____

July 3, 2011: The Pheu Thai Party led by Yingluck Shinawatra, the sister of fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, wins a landslide majority in the general election. Thaksin was ousted by a 2006 military coup and fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid serving a prison term for a conflict of interest conviction.

Aug. 5, 2011: The House of Representatives elects Yingluck to become Thailand's first female prime minister.

_____

June 2012: Yingluck's ruling party pushes legislation to promote national reconciliation with the stated goal of ending the sometimes violent political conflict that has roiled the country since the 2006 coup. Critics charge it is meant to help Thaksin escape justice and return to Thailand as a free man.

_____

April 2013: The Constitutional Court rules that Yingluck's government cannot make amendments to the 2007 constitution, which was enacted by an interim government that had been installed by the 2006 coup.

Nov. 1, 2013: Mass rally held against bill proposing amnesty for political offenses committed since 2006. The protesters claim its main purpose is to vacate the conflict of interest conviction against Thaksin.

Nov. 24, 2013: As many as 100,000 anti-government protesters rally in Bangkok, demanding that Yingluck's government step down.

Nov. 29, 2014: Veteran Democrat Party politician Suthep Thaugsuban forms the People's Democratic Reform Committee to demand the dissolution of Yingluck's government and the establishment of an unelected "people's council" to reform the country.

Nov. 30, 2013-Jan. 31, 2014: The anti-government protests become increasingly violent, with pitched street battles against the police and forced occupations of government offices and installations that practically immobilized government functions. The army, which used armed force in 2010 to quash aggressive protests by supporters of Thaksin, does not intervene to defend the government.

Dec. 9, 2013: Yingluck dissolves the House of Representatives and calls early elections for Feb. 2, 2014.

Dec. 21, 2013: The opposition Democrat Party announces it will boycott the elections so that reforms of the sort demanded by the protesters can first be enacted.

_____

Feb. 2, 2014: A general election is held but disrupted by anti-government protesters who prevent polling from being held in all areas.

March 21, 2014: The Constitutional Court rules the February election invalid because voting did not take place on the same day nationwide in violation of a constitutional clause. There had been fresh balloting in March in several provinces where protesters had prevented voting on the original election date.

May 7, 2014: The Constitutional Court removes Yingluck and several ministers of her caretaker government for abuse of power in connection with the 2011 transfer of a high-ranking civil servant.

May 8, 2014: National Anti-Corruption Commission finds Yingluck guilty of criminal negligence for implementing a state rice-buying subsidy scheme.

May 22, 2014: Army Commander Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha stages a coup, ousting the government, abrogating the constitution and outlawing political gatherings. He later becomes prime minister in addition to heading the ruling junta.

_____

Aug 7, 2016: A national referendum approves a new constitution drafted under the auspices of the ruling junta, along with new rules governing how the prime minister is chosen. Campaigning against the proposed charter had been banned.

Oct. 13, 2016: King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies at the age of 88, and a year-long mourning period is declared. He is succeeded by his son, who becomes King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

_____

April. 6, 2017: The new constitution takes effect.

Oct. 26, 2017: Cremation rites are held for the late king.

_____

Jan. 23, 2019: The Election Commission announces the general election will be held on March 24, after several earlier target dates had been pushed back.

Feb. 8, 2019: The Thaksin-affiliated Thai Raksa Chart Party registers the king's elder sister, Princess Ubolratana Mahidol, as its candidate for prime minister, breaking with the idea that members of the royal family are above politics. That same day, the king issues a royal order calling her registration inappropriate and contrary to the constitution.

March 8, 2019: The Constitutional Court dissolves the Thai Raksa Chart Party for registering the princess as its candidate for prime minister.

March 24, 2019: Thailand is scheduled to hold general election.

Source: Fox News World

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Pelicans’ Davis in limbo until GM hired

FILE PHOTO: NBA: Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans
FILE PHOTO: Apr 9, 2019; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis sits on the bench during the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

April 10, 2019

Anthony Davis acknowledged Wednesday that despite his desire to leave New Orleans, he could begin the 2019-20 season with the Pelicans.

“I’m under contract still,” Davis said during an informal end-of-year news conference. “I have a year left. Obviously it’s a possibility it could happen. I don’t have ill will toward anybody. I know that it’s a possibility that next year I could be here as well. So I can’t be mad if I’m here next year.”

Davis said his next step will be to see who emerges as the general manager for the Pelicans. Dell Demps was fired in February after his handling of the Davis situation, and Danny Ferry has been the interim general manager.

“Seeing what happens,” Davis said. “Seeing who the Pelicans make their GM and having a conversation with that person about the future. My time here has always been great. I love playing here. It’s something that I will definitely hold in my heart forever, but the next step is waiting on the Pelicans [to fill] that GM job.”

But Davis didn’t say that means he will rescind his trade request or re-sign with the Pelicans, nor is he sorry for the way things played out this season. He becomes a free agent in July 2020, and the Pelicans can offer him the most money with a supermax contract.

Davis’ agent announced in January that Davis wanted a trade and would not re-sign in New Orleans. His agent, Rich Paul, also represents LeBron James, and many viewed Davis and Paul as forcing a trade to the Lakers. He didn’t say whether team president Magic Johnson’s abrupt resignation on Tuesday would have any effect on potentially playing in Los Angeles.

“I have no idea what’s going on over there,” Davis said. “What’s going on with the Lakers — I got a lot of other stuff to worry about.”

Davis, 26, was an All-Star in six of his seven seasons with New Orleans. In 56 games this year, the center averaged 25.9 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists.

–Field Level Media

Source: OANN

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Why did Mueller wait to answer collusion question, Bush AG Michael Mukasey asks

We know what Special Counsel Robert Mueller knew when it comes to the question of Trump-Russia collusion, but the great unknown is when he knew it -- and why he kept his knowledge secret.

That’s according to Michael B. Mukasey, a former federal judge, and President George W. Bush’s attorney general.

Speaking to Fox News host Bill Hemmer on the latest episode of the “Hemmer Time” podcast, Mukasey asked why Mueller did not reveal the most important piece of information he uncovered until submitting his report to Attorney General William Barr.

“When did Bob Mueller know, or when did the people who worked with him know, that there was no coordination, which is what they were looking for?” the ex-AG said to Hemmer.

ARI FLEISCHER: TRUMP SHOULD MOVE ON FROM RUSSIA, LET DEMS 'WALK THAT IMPEACHMENT PLANK'

“When did they realize that and whenever they realized that shouldn't they have told the rest of us?”

After two years of suspense, Mueller’s report was released Thursday showing investigators did not find evidence of collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia – as Attorney General Bill Barr declared last month – but revealing an array of controversial actions by the president that were examined as part of the investigation’s obstruction inquiry.

Hemmer asked Mukasey if he felt Mueller coming forward with that information would’ve been beneficial, and if he should have pre-empted the official announcement to do so.

“I don’t know about preempted the announcement but certainly should have told us about it beforehand. It would have taken the speculation the edge and the speculation off,” he said, Mukasey said, before critiquing the media’s coverage of the investigation.

“You remember the exercise that was engaged in… The number of television broadcasts that would have involved people sitting around conference tables inhaling their own and other people's exhaust and getting high on it?

TRUMP DECLARES VICTORY AS MUELLER REPORT DROPS: 'NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION'

“People talking about this indictment having this significance or that indictment signaling that the walls were closing in on the White House may have. If that was not true and known to be not true at the time then somebody should have said something.”

During the rest of the podcast, which can be downloaded here, the former attorney general continued to discuss Russian meddling, stating it is a long-established goal for the country.

“Look, the Russians have been messing with the West generally and with the United States specifically since the Communist Revolution,” Mukasey told Hemmer.

CHRIS WALLACE: BARR'S DECISION TO MAKE A CONCLUSION ON OBSTRUCTION IS 'TROUBLING' AND 'POLITICALLY CHARGED'

This is of a piece with that. It's more advanced obviously, they didn't have the internet in 1917, and they're going to have it in the next election. That’s not to minimize the seriousness of it in the sense that it's something we ought to combat.

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“But let's have a sense of proportion here. It's of a piece with what's gone on before. It's not something brand new nor was it something that appears to have been particularly effective.”

Listen to the full interview on the latest episode of "Hemmer Time" here, and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Source: Fox News Politics

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China says U.S. hyping threat to justify own rising defense spending

U.S. President Trump salutes U.S. Army soldier as he observes military demonstration with Major General Piatt at Fort Drum, New York
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump salutes a U.S. Army soldier as he observes a military demonstration with U.S. Army Major General Walter “Walt” Piatt, the Commanding General of the Army's 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, U.S., August 13, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

March 22, 2019

BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Defence Ministry on Friday accused its United States counterpart of deliberately seeking to hype up the threat from China and other nations to justify its own military expenditure, calling the move short-sighted and dangerous.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s $750-billion defense spending request to Congress is the largest ever in dollar terms, though not after being adjusted for inflation, and is meant to counter the growing strength of the Chinese and Russian militaries.

By comparison, China this month unveiled a hike of 7.5 percent in defense spending for the year, to 1.19 trillion yuan ($177 billion), though many experts and diplomats say the real figure is probably far higher. China denies that.

In a statement, China’s Defence Ministry reiterated its standard line about being committed to a peaceful path, and said the United States loved to talk up the “China threat theory”.

“We have noted that when the U.S. Defense Department is fighting for military spending, it always likes petty niggling, trying to get even more benefit for itself by exaggerating the threat posed by other countries,” it said.

“This is short-sighted and extremely dangerous,” it added.

It urged the United States to cast aside Cold War thinking, and take steps to promote the healthy and stable development of two-way ties between the two militaries.

The two countries frequently say they are committed to a sound military-to-military relationship, but their armed forces have seen some tense stand-offs in recent years, particularly in the disputed South China Sea, where the U.S. Navy conducts freedom of navigation patrols.

China is also deeply opposed to U.S. arms sales to self-ruled and democratic Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its sacred territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary.

Responding to reports the Trump administration has approved the sales of more F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman on Friday said the government had already lodged “stern representations” with the United States.

“We urge the U.S. side to fully acknowledge the extreme sensitivity of the relevant issue, and extreme harmfulness of it,” he added.

The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will stop over in Hawaii next week at the end of a tour of the Pacific, to China’s anger.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Source: OANN

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Exclusive: Sri Lanka warned of threat hours before suicide attacks – sources

A woman reacts during a mass burial of victims, two days after a string of suicide bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels across the island on Easter Sunday, in Colombo
A woman reacts during a mass burial of victims, two days after a string of suicide bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels across the island on Easter Sunday, in Colombo, Sri Lanka April 23, 2019. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte

April 23, 2019

By Shihar Aneez, Ranga Sirilal, Joe Brock and Sanjeev Miglani

COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lankan intelligence officials were tipped off about an imminent attack by Islamist militants hours before a series of suicide bombings killed more than 300 people on Easter Sunday, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Three churches and four hotels were hit by suicide bombers on Sunday morning, killing 321 people and wounding 500, sending shockwaves through an island state that has been relatively peaceful since a civil war ended a decade ago.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks on Tuesday, without providing evidence of its involvement.

Indian intelligence officers contacted their Sri Lankan counterparts two hours before the first attack to warn of a specific threat on churches, one Sri Lankan defense source and an Indian government source said.

Another Sri Lankan defense source said a warning came “hours before” the first strike.

One of the Sri Lankan sources said a warning was also sent by the Indians on Saturday night. The Indian government source said similar messages had been given to Sri Lankan intelligence agents on April 4 and April 20.

Sri Lanka’s presidency and the Indian foreign ministry both did not respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Shihar Aneez, Ranga Sirilal, Joe Brock and Sanjeev Miglani; Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Source: OANN

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Deputy AG Rosenstein to Step Down in March – Official

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Source: InfoWars

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3 children among 4 found dead after west Michigan shooting

Authorities say three children and a woman were found dead of apparent gunshot wounds at a home in western Michigan.

Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young says authorities responded Monday to a property near Cedar Springs, a community about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Grand Rapids. She says someone discovered the bodies and called 911.

LaJoye-Young said the three children were elementary school-aged and younger but declined to provide further information about the victims' relationships to one another. She said authorities were still confirming the victims' identities.

LaJoye-Young called the scene "a horrific thing to be called to" and said "my heart goes out to the families involved here and the community."

Authorities don't believe there is a shooter at large. An investigation is ongoing.

___

Information from: WOOD-TV, http://www.woodtv.com

Source: Fox News National

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Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza talks to the media during a news conference in Caracas
Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza talks to the media during a news conference in Caracas, Venezuela April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero

April 26, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on Venezuela’s foreign minister and a Venezuelan judge, according to a statement on the department’s website.

Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza and a judge, Carol Padilla, were targeted over the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, the Treasury Department said, the latest in a list of officials blacklisted by U.S. authorities for their role in President Nicolas Maduro’s government.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Makini Brice and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of
Avengers fans gather at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood to attend the opening screening of “Avengers: Endgame” in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Blake

April 26, 2019

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Marvel Studios superhero spectacle “Avengers: Endgame” hauled in a record $60 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices during its Thursday night debut, distributor Walt Disney Co said.

Global ticket sales for the film about Iron Man, Hulk and other popular characters reached $305 million for the first two days, Disney said.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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Funeral of journalist Lyra McKee in Belfast
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn attends the funeral service for murdered journalist Lyra McKee at St Anne’s Cathedral in Belfast, Northern Ireland April 24, 2019. Brian Lawless/Pool via REUTERS

April 26, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said on Friday he had turned down an invitation to a state dinner which will be part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Britain in June.

“Theresa May should not be rolling out the red carpet for a state visit to honor a president who rips up vital international treaties, backs climate change denial and uses racist and misogynist rhetoric,” Corbyn said in a statement.

He said maintaining the relationship with the United States did not require “the pomp and ceremony of a state visit” and he said he would welcome a meeting with Trump “to discuss all matters of interest.”

(Reporting by Andy Bruce; Writing by William Schomberg)

Source: OANN

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A bedridden 67-year-old woman and more than a dozen animals were rescued Thursday after a welfare check found that they were living in a home filled with trash, urine, and feces, Florida police said.

Pinellas County sheriff’s deputies said when they arrived at the home in Dunedin around 7:20 p.m. Thursday, they could smell the odor of rotting trash and animal feces as they walked up to the driveway.

“Inside the residence, the odor of feces and urine was so overwhelming that deputies had to don masks,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

FLORIDA SHERIFF ON BORDER CRISIS AFTER MAJOR DRUG BUST: ‘IT MAKES ME ABSOLUTELY CRAZY’

Walking throughout the residence, the deputies found 10 emaciated dogs and puppies living in bins filled with their own feces, five large Macaw birds flying freely, rats, bugs and overall squalor.

Puppies discovered living in their own feces inside a Florida home that was filled with trash, urine, and feces.

Puppies discovered living in their own feces inside a Florida home that was filled with trash, urine, and feces. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

Deputies said due to the large amounts of trash in the home, they had to clear a path to reach the victim’s bedroom.

“None of the home’s toilets were working and all were found to be overflowing with feces,” deputies said. “The only working sink was located on the opposite end of the house from the victim’s bedroom.”

They said there was no food or water for the victim or the animals.

FLORIDA MAN IN EASTER BUNNY COSTUME CAUGHT IN VIRAL BRAWL IS WANTED IN NEW JERSEY, HAS HISTORY OF ARRESTS

The victim was transported to a local hospital for injuries that were non-life threatening, while the animals were transported to shelters.

The woman’s caretaker, Richard Lawrence Goodwin, 65, was arrested and charged with abuse and neglect of an elderly person, disabled person, and cruelty to animals.

Richard Goodwin, 69, was arrested for abuse and neglect of an elderly and disabled person after deputies found she was living in deplorable conditions.

Richard Goodwin, 69, was arrested for abuse and neglect of an elderly and disabled person after deputies found she was living in deplorable conditions. (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office)

The sheriff’s department said this was Goodwin’s second arrest for abuse and neglect of the same victim. He was previously arrested in May 2018.

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Neighbor Victoria Muenzerbeer told FOX 13 that Goodwin and the victim were hoarders and the conditions inside the home were horrible years ago when she visited once.

“I went in and it was absolutely, a human being couldn’t live there,” she said. “The kitchen wasn’t usable and part of the wall was falling in.”

Source: Fox News National

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Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli
Libyan Minister of Economy Ali Abdulaziz Issawi speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tripoli, Libya April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara

April 26, 2019

By Ulf Laessing

TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s U.N.-recognized government has budgeted up to 2 billion dinars ($1.43 billion) to cover costs of a three-week-old war for control of the capital, such as treatment for the wounded, to be funded without new borrowing, the economy minister said.

Ali Abdulaziz Issawi suggested the government hoped for business to continue more or less as usual despite the assault on Tripoli, in the country’s northwest, by forces tied to a parallel administration based in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Once Africa’s third largest producer of oil, Libya has been riven by factional conflict since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with the country now broadly split between eastern-based forces under Khalifa Haftar and the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, in the west, under Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.

Still, with Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces unable so far to pierce defenses in Tripoli’s southern suburbs, normal life and business activities continue in much of the capital and western coastal towns.

Issawi, in an interview with Reuters in his Tripoli office, also said Libya’s commercial ports and wheat imports were still functioning normally, although some roads have been blocked.

He said the Serraj government estimates it will spend up to 2 billion dinars extra on medical treatment for wounded, aid for displaced people and other “emergency” war costs.

He said this was not military spending but analysts believe that the sum will also cover expenditures such as pay for allied armed groups or food for fighters.

“We could actually spend less,” he added, in comments that gave the first insight into the economic impact of the fighting.

Issawi said the Tripoli government, which controls little territory beyond the greater capital region, would not incur new debt to fund the war costs, sticking to a plan to post a 2019 budget without a deficit.

Tripoli derives revenue largely from oil and natural gas production, interest-free loans from local banks to the central bank, and a 183 percent surcharge on foreign exchange transactions conducted at official rates.

But with centralized tax collection greatly diminished, public debt has piled up – to 68 billion dinars in the west, including unpaid state obligations such as social insurance.

Some analysts expect Serraj’s government will be forced to raise new debt if the war for control of Tripoli drags on.

With much of Libya dominated by armed factions that also act as security forces, the public wage bill for both the western and eastern administrations has soared as fighters have been made public employees in efforts to buy their loyalty.

The east has sold bonds worth 35 billion dinars outside the official financial system as the Tripoli central bank does not fund the parallel government apart from some wages.

Despite its limited reach, the Tripoli government still runs an annual budget of around 46.8 billion dinars, mainly for public salaries and fuel subsidies.

“This year we cannot finance via debt…we will not borrow (by agreement with the central bank),” Issawi said.

According to International Monetary Fund data, Libya’s central government debt-to-GDP ratio is 143 percent, making it one of the most heavily indebted in the world on that measure.

Issawi declined to say what parts of the budget would be trimmed to support the extra outlay for war costs.

However, with some 70 percent of the budget allocated to public wages, fuel subsidies and other welfare benefits, a portion devoted to infrastructure is most likely to be axed.

Widespread lawlessness has meant there have been no major infrastructural projects since 2011, when a NATO-backed uprising overthrew dictator Muammar Gaddafi, leaving schools, hospitals and roads in acute need of restoration.

FOREX SURCHARGE

Issawi said the government planned to raise as much as 30 billion dinars by the end of 2019 from hard currency deals after imposing in September a 183 percent surcharge on commercial and private transactions done on the official rate of 1.4 to the U.S. dollar. That fee has effectively devalued the official rate to 3.9, much closer to the black market equivalent.

Some 17 billion dinars have been raised since then, with hard currency allocated for import credit letters now issued without delays, Issawi said. The forex fee has helped the government forecast a budget in the black for 2019.

Despite the narrowing spread between the two rates, the black market continues to thrive. Dozens of traders remained at their favorite spot behind the central bank headquarters in Tripoli when Reuters reporters visited it last week.

But traders said it could take time for the Serraj government to register the extra forex receipts as official banking channels were taking up to six months to approve import financing, keeping the black market in play for dealers.

Issawi said authorities planned to lower the forex fee from 183 percent, without saying when. The black market rate has dropped from 6 to around 4.1 since September but it has hardly moved of late as demand for black market cash remains high.

The Tripoli government has stopped subsidizing food and bread, which used to be cheaper than drinking water in Libya. Wheat imports are now being arranged by private traders and there are surplus stocks of flour at the moment, Issawi said.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing in Tripoli with additional reporting by Karin Strohecker in London; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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