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Bangkok, Jul 30 (AP) Top diplomats from the Asia-Pacific region started gathering Tuesday in the Thai capital to discuss issues of concern to the area, including security on the Korean peninsula and China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The meetings in Bangkok are hosted by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, chaired this year by Thailand.

30 July 2019; MEMO: The US Senate on Monday failed to override President Donald Trump’s vetoes of legislation passed by Congress that would have blocked the sales of certain weapons to Saudi Arabia, Reuters reports.

In the first of three separate efforts to overturn the Republican president’s vetoes, supporters failed by a vote of 45-40, well short of the two-thirds needed. Five of the chamber’s 53 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to override Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate failed Monday in a bid to override a trio of vetoes issued by President Donald Trump, allowing the administration to move forward with plans to sell billions of dollars of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump’s decision to sell the weapons in a way that would have bypassed congressional review infuriated lawmakers from both parties. In a bipartisan pushback, Democrats and Republicans banded together to pass resolutions blocking the $8.1 billion weapons sales to the U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf.

29 July 2019; MEMO: Kuwait’s National Assembly is currently discussing a bill recently submitted by several parliamentarians on “dropping all the citizens’ personal loans,” local media reported yesterday.

29 July 2019; MEMO: The UAE has proposed that it hosts the second “deal of the century” meeting, Al-Khaleej Online reported yesterday.

Citing Arab sources, the site said Abu Dhabi sent a message to US President Donald Trump through his son-in-law Jared Kushner that it is ready to host the second meeting of its peace plan the deal of the century.

29 July 2019; MEMO: A second UK navy vessel arrived in the Persian Gulf to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz after a British oil tanker was seized by Tehran last week, London announced on Sunday, Anadolu reports.

The UK’s National Defense Ministry said in a statement that the HMS Duncan joined the HMS Montrose to “support the safe passage of British-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz.”

ISTANBUL, July 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says he plans to promote collaboration with Turkish companies in the production of a ‘super car” in order to further enhance the capability of the nation’s automotive industry. 

The prime minister said he had long been aware of Turkish companies’ capability but only now could he see it first-hand.

“I was aware of their capability. But there was no follow-up at the time as I was not the prime minister then, so making progress would have been difficult.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (NNN-Bernama) — “When two elephants fight, the grass gets stomped” is the least repercussion that the world wants to see from the ongoing US-China trade war, which started on March 22, 2018. 

Since then, the cloud has been gloomy for the global economy and it has taken a toll not only on capital markets but also companies, whereby income is affected, forecast reviewed, output cut while jobs are on the line.

PARIS, July 28 (NNN-AGENCIES) – French President Emmanuel Macron said he will host his Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin for talks at the Bregancon fort off the Mediterranean coast on August 19, just days before a summit of the G7 leaders of industrialized nations.

Macron, who arrived this week for his summer vacation at the medieval French fort on an islet near Bormes-les-Mimosas, announced Putin’s visit to reporters during a visit to the local town on Saturday evening, French news agency AFP reported.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 28 (NNN-ANADOLU) -The United States has approved $125 million for Pakistan to provide technical support to its fleet of F-16 aircraft, official media said on Saturday. 

The announcement came just four days after Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first official visit to Washington.

“The U.S. State Department has approved $125 million to provide technical assistance to Pakistan for its F-16 aircraft,” a state-run PTV News reported.