Rory McIlroy said on Thursday that he would rather retire than compete on the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour even if it “was the last place on Earth to play golf.”

Four-time major winner McIlroy has been a vocal opponent of the breakaway golf tour ever since it came into existence a few years ago, threatening the very foundations of the sport.

June’s shocking announcement of the merger between LIV and the PGA Tour appeared to end hostilities between golf’s two factions, but McIlroy still isn’t afraid of hiding his feelings towards the new tour.

“If LIV Golf was the last place to play golf on Earth, I would retire. That’s how I feel about it,” said McIlroy, who was reportedly speaking to the written press after his first round at the Scottish Open on Thursday. “I’d play the majors, but I’d be pretty comfortable.”

The revelation was made in a 276-page report released by the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations on Tuesday. The subcommittee – part of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee – is looking into the deal, and the involvement of the Saudi government, between the two entities.

Earlier this week, witnesses – including PGA Tour Chief Operating Officer Ron Price and Jimmy Dunne, a company board member who helped broker the deal – faced scrutiny from committee members over the deal.

“Today’s hearing is about much more than the game of golf. It’s about how a brutal, repressive regime can buy influence, and indeed even take over a cherished American institution to cleanse its public image,” said Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat.

But both Price and Dunne said that the framework of the planned merger was the best chance to allow the PGA Tour to keep some measure of control over the sport.

“I really understand Sen. Blumenthal’s concern about having them take over,” Dunne said in comments before the committee.

“They have an unlimited horizon and an unlimited amount of money. It isn’t like the product is better. It’s just that there’s a lot more money that will make people [players] move [from the PGA to LIV]. I’m concerned with what the senator is worried about. But I’m concerned if we do nothing we’re going to end up there, they’re going to end up owning golf. They can do it.”

A day before, former AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson had resigned from his post on the policy board of the PGA Tour in protest to the proposed merger, saying that he had “serious concerns.”

A US intelligence report named Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, as responsible for approving the operation that led to the 2018 murder of journalist Khashoggi – something bin Salman denies.

McIlroy said that he only caught glimpses of the Senate hearing. “As long as I get to play golf, I’m happy. Quite a bit of apathy towards everything at the minute,’’ McIlroy said.

“There wasn’t a lot of new information in there for me. There was going to be some new information for other people. As I said, I’ve almost been too close the last year and a bit. So nice to be able to try to distance myself a bit.’’

At the RBC Canadian Open last month and shortly after the news of the merger broke, McIlroy said it didn’t change his opinions of LIV.

“I still hate LIV. Like, I hate LIV. Like, I hope it goes away. And I would fully expect that it does. And I think that’s where the distinction here is.”

The 34-year-old added: “It’s hard for me to not sit up here and feel somewhat like a sacrificial lamb and feeling like I’ve put myself out there and this is what happens.

“Again, removing myself from the situation, I see how this is better for the game of golf. There’s no denying that. But for me as an individual, there’s just going to have to be conversations that are had.”

Markéta Vondroušová reached her first Wimbledon final after a scintillating performance against Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, winning 6-3 6-3 in just an hour and 14 minutes.

The 24-year-old Czech star is the first unseeded woman in the Open Era to reach the Wimbledon final and her exquisitely varied game was too much for Svitolina to handle.

Vondroušová will face world No. 6 Ons Jabeur in the final after the Tunisian outlasted No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-7(5) 6-4 6-3.

It was an inspired performance from Vondroušová, who rose to the occasion on Centre Court and got the better of her opponent with a potent mix of speed, spin and power to reach the second grand slam final of her career.

There was to be no fairytale ending to Svitolina’s dream run in SW19, but the Ukrainian will undoubtedly leave with her head held high after inspiring her compatriots all over the world.

“I cannot believe it, I’m just very happy that I made the final against Elina, she’s such a fighter and also such a great person and it was a tough match,” Vondroušová said in her on-court interview. “I’m very happy.

“I was crazy nervous, I was nervous the whole match. I was leading 4-0 [in the second set] and she came back and broke me twice, so I had to stay focused and try to fight for every game and I’m thankful for you guys and your amazing support.

“I didn’t play for six months last year. You never know if you can be at that level again, so I’m grateful to be here and healthy. I was watching quallies with a cast on last year, so it’s a change but I’m very grateful.”

After reaching the French Open final in 2019 as a 20-year-old, Vondroušová looked set to become a force at the top of the women’s game. However, injuries stalled her progress and surgery in 2022 forced her to miss three of the year’s four grand slams as her ranking slipped out of the world’s top 120.

One of Vondroušová’s many tattoos – she told the Czech media she’s lost count of how many she has – says “No rain, no flowers” and the world No. 42 has endured her fair share of dark skies.

Remarkably, Vondroušová doesn’t even have an official clothing sponsor – that is likely to change before the end of the week.

After trailing 4-0 in the second set, Svitolina showed all the resiliency and grit that has been on display during her incredible run in SW19 to break Vondroušová back twice and make it 4-3.

Svitolina, who began her fortnight with a straight sets win over Venus Williams in the first round, only returned to the tour three months ago after giving birth to her daughter, Skaï Monfils, in October.

Currently ranked world No. 76, she was was given a wildcard to compete at this year’s Wimbledon and her incredible run included wins over four grand slam champions – Venus Williams, Sofia Kenin, Victoria Azarenka and Iga Świątek.

Svitolina’s run at The All England Lawn Tennis Club equals her career best performance in a grand slam, matching her semifinal appearances at Wimbledon and the US Open in 2019, but she was unable to go one better and reach her first major final as Vondroušová found her nerve once again to break her opponent and then serve for the match.

The presence of four Asia-Pacific leaders at the NATO summit this week suggests that Ukraine is not the only major security issue on the agenda of the European-North American defense alliance.

The war in Ukraine has brought members of the US-led alliance closer than at any time since the Cold War, and on Monday NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg summed up their collective concerns that what is happening in Ukraine today could occur in Asia tomorrow.

“The Chinese government’s increasingly coercive behavior abroad and repressive policies at home challenge NATO’s security, values, and interests,” Stoltenberg wrote on the Foreign Affairs website.

Autocratic nations, including China, were looking at Russia’s actions in Ukraine, and weighing the costs and benefits of offensive action, he said.

On Tuesday the US-led alliance underscored these concerns, making several references to China in a strongly worded communique issued midway into the two-day summit, in which it said Beijing’s stated ambitions posed “systemic challenges” to “Euro-Atlantic security.”

While noting the alliance remained “open to constructive engagement” with China, it singled out what it said was the “deepening strategic partnership” between Beijing and Moscow and their “mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut the rules-based international order.”

And in language that closely mirrored Stoltenberg’s earlier remarks, the leaders’ communique condemned China’s confrontational rhetoric and disinformation.

China employs a “broad range of political, economic, and military tools to increase its global footprint and project power, while remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions and military build-up,” noted the communique, which called on Beijing “to abstain from supporting Russia’s war effort in any way.”

While neither Stoltenberg nor the joint communique named the island of Taiwan, the self-governing democracy is the most obvious point of comparison with recent events in Europe, given China’s ruling Communist Party remains committed to unifying it with the mainland – by force if necessary.

“When I visited Japan and South Korea at the start of this year, their leaders were clearly concerned that what is happening in Europe today could happen in Asia tomorrow,” Stoltenberg said Monday.

For its part, China says Taiwan is an internal matter and it sees no role for countries in the region, let alone NATO members, to be interfering.

“We will not allow anyone or any force to meddle in China’s own affairs under the disguise of seeking peace,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press briefing in May. 

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry noted high numbers of Chinese military aircraft in the skies around the island on Wednesday after the NATO communique was issued.

In the hours after 7 a.m. local time, it said 30 People’s Liberation Army aircraft were detected, including 23 that either crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered the southeastern and southwestern sections of its air defense identification zone.

That activity followed 32 Chinese warplanes making similar flights as of 6 a.m. local time.

The highest number of Chinese planes Taiwan has noted crossing the median line was 56 in October 2021.

Four leaders with united aim

The Asia-Pacific contingent at the NATO talks includes Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

All four nations have expressed views that what has happened in Ukraine cannot happen in the Pacific.

Mirna Galic, senior policy analyst at the US Institute of Peace, said the presence of the four Pacific leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania, “is a testament to … [NATO’s] interest in the Indo-Pacific and the focus on the challenges that China poses for the alliance.”

On that point, Stoltenberg looks to be in lockstep with US President Joe Biden, with the two pledging to strengthen NATO ties to the Pacific when they met at the White House last month.

And the leaders of the four Pacific nations also seem to be striving for a united approach.

Kim Sun-hye, senior secretary to the South Korean President, said Yoon will preside over a side meeting of four Pacific countries to strengthen common awareness, solidarity, and cooperation on emerging security threats.

Conflicting views on NATO in Asia

There may be a push for greater involvement from Asia-Pacific leaders in the alliance, but there’s no consensus on the role NATO should take in the Pacific.

While Stoltenberg and others would like to see NATO open a liaison office in Japan to enable smoother communications with its Pacific partners, French President Emmanuel Macron is against such a plan, and has informed the secretary general of Paris’ opposition, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

The French stance is reportedly that NATO is a North American and European alliance, not a global one.

France can effectively veto any Tokyo office plan as establishing it would require unanimous approval of the 31 NATO nations, NHK reported.

The idea of not letting NATO’s focus drift outside of the “North Atlantic” in its name is backed up by Article 5 of the NATO treaty, its mutual defense clause, which stipulates an armed attack on one alliance member is to be treated like an attack on all.

However, the article explicitly limits the response to attacks that occur in Europe and North America.

So military actions against US forces stationed in Japan or South Korea, or even the US Pacific territory of Guam, do not fall under NATO’s collective self-defense remit.

But outside of NATO, its members have been increasing their military visibility in the Pacific.

British forces have been training in Japan; a Canadian warship was accompanying a US destroyer when the American vessel was involved in a near collision with a Chinese warship in June; and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced at the Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit last month that Berlin will send two naval vessels to the Pacific next year.

France, despite its opposition to a liaison office in Tokyo, is a frequent military visitor to the Pacific, with 10 fighter jets participating in exercises with the US in the Pacific islands even as the NATO summit is about to start in Lithuania.

And those deployments display what Stoltenberg, the secretary general, said in his op-ed.

“NATO is a regional alliance of Europe and North America, but the challenges we face are global,” he wrote, noting the summit invitations for the Pacific leaders.

“We must have a common understanding of the security risks we face and work together to strengthen the resilience of our societies, economies, and democracies.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that Brussels should clear the path for Ankara’s accession to the European Union, before his country approves Sweden’s bid for NATO membership.

Erdogan’s statement, which surprised diplomats, came on the eve of a NATO summit in Lithuania, where Sweden’s membership is on the agenda.

“First, let’s clear Turkey’s way in the European Union, then let’s clear the way for Sweden, just as we paved the way for Finland,” Erdogan said at a news conference.

Erdogan said it was time to act on Turkey’s long-stalled bid to join the EU. “Turkey has been waiting at the gate of the European Union for over 50 years now,” he said, and “almost all NATO member countries are European member countries.”

Turkey claims that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate in Sweden, most notably the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). It also alleges that the Swedish government has been complicit in far-right anti-Islam protests.

NATO had been aiming to admit Sweden to the alliance before this week’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania – but Turkey blocked Sweden’s accession due to long-running disagreements between the two countries.

In June – just a couple of weeks before the scheduled NATO summit – Swedish authorities approved a small Quran-burning demonstration outside a mosque in Stockholm which coincided with the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Adha, one of the most significant in the Islamic calendar.

The decision to permit the protest, made in accordance with the right of freedom of speech, angered Ankara further. Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan condemned the decision, saying “to turn a blind eye to such heinous acts is to be complicit in them.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that it is “still possible to have a positive decision on Swedish membership” at the Vilnius summit, despite Erdogan’s latest announcement.

“We don’t have any certainty, we don’t have any guarantees, but of course now we have the momentum of the summit with the leaders here and we will use that momentum to ensure as much progress as possible,” he said at a press conference in Lithuania.

“But the wording was vague,” she added. Erdogan said he wanted Brussels to “open the door to the EU” for Turkey, without specifying what that entails. “That could mean anything – from upgrading the free trade agreement to just political statements of support,” Aydintasbas said.

Critics of Erdogan said his new demands meant he had drastically shifted the goalposts so close to NATO’s stated deadline.

But, for Aydintasbas, “he is simply negotiating – and this is how Erdogan negotiates.”

“Erdogan knows that Vilnius is when he can extract maximum concessions from Western partners.”

A Jerusalem court acquitted an Israeli border police officer of “involuntary reckless manslaughter” in the fatal shooting of Eyad al-Hallaq, an unarmed Palestinian man.

The defendant was granted anonymity by the court following a request from the Israeli Border Police, according to Khaled Zabarqa, one of the lawyers for the al-Hallaq family.

On Thursday the court determined the officer had acted in what he believed was “self-defense” and accepted his defense that he made an “honest mistake” as a result of a “misunderstanding” of the situation at that time, court documents say.

Zabarqa said al-Hallaq had a “special needs” document issued by Israeli National Insurance, a government entity.

An Israeli police statement on the day of al-Hallaq’s death said “police units on patrol spotted a suspect with a suspicious object that looked like a pistol. They called upon him to stop and began to chase after him on foot, during the chase officers also opened fire at the suspect, who was neutralized.”

The ruling judge, Chana Miriam Lomp, said she believed the police officer who said he thought he was facing an “armed terrorist”, and did not realize al-Hallaq was “an innocent man with special needs”, according to the court transcript of the ruling.

‘Unjust and unfair’

The verdict was read in the presence of al-Hallaq’s parents, family, and their lawyers.

“We were shocked by the ruling, we had a slight hope the court would find the officer guilty, so we could get justice for the killing of our son,” al-Hallaq said.

Eyad was 32 years old at the time of his death.

“I welcome the acquittal,” Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s far right Minister of National Security, was quoted as saying in a statement released by his Jewish Power party.

“Our heroic fighters who go out to defend us and the entire State of Israel, will receive a hug and full support from me and the Israeli government”, the statement continued.

The acquitted officer will return to active duty, and participate in a “commander’s course,” according to a Border Police statement released Thursday. The course allows for a future promotion.

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “strongly” condemned the acquittal in a Thursday statement, calling it “evidence of the Israeli judicial system’s complicity in the occupation.”

It’s a “second killing of Eyad al-Hallaq and disregard for Palestinian blood,” Zabarqa said.

“This ruling gives legitimacy to the killing of Palestinians by Israel,” he added.

The al-Hallaq family and their legal representatives intend to appeal the ruling, all the way to Israel’s supreme court, if needed, the mother and Zabarqa said.

“I will fight even in my grave for the justice of my son,” adding, “Whatever it takes to get justice, I will fight for it.”

When NATO leaders meet in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on Tuesday, they do so with two clouds hanging over a crucial summit for the alliance.

First, this is the week that NATO had hoped to welcome Sweden as its 32nd member, following the country’s joint application with Finland shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. Finland was approved earlier this year.

Second, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last week that a key aim of the summit was to strengthen the alliance’s security and political ties with Ukraine, while also committing to a smooth path into NATO for the country.

But attention has been diverted from both these key issues ahead of the meeting by comments from the presidents of two key alliance members.

On Monday morning, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters that Sweden’s membership of NATO should be linked to Turkey’s membership of the European Union.

“First, let’s clear Turkey’s way in the European Union, then let’s clear the way for Sweden, just as we paved the way for Finland,” Erdogan said.

Erdogan also emphasized that “Turkey has been waiting at the gate of the European Union for over 50 years now,” and “almost all NATO member countries are European member countries.”

Turkey’s EU membership bid has been on hold since 2016, when an attempted coup failed to remove Erdogan from power. Erdogan has since tightened his grip on power through constitutional reforms that have prompted concerns from the EU on human rights and legal grounds. The official position in Brussels now is that Turkey would not meet the official criteria to join the bloc.

Stoltenberg later said Turkey had agreed to support Sweden’s membership bid. But few Western diplomats were surprised at Erdogan using this moment to kick up a stink.

Turkey has resisted Sweden’s bid to join NATO for a long time. Ankara has given multiple reasons, including accusations that Swedish officials have been complicit in Islamophobic demonstrations, including the burning of the Quran.

More importantly, Turkey claims that Sweden allows members of recognized Kurdish terror groups to operate, most notably the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Sweden changed its terrorism laws earlier this year, making it a crime to be part of these groups, though this has not yet been enough for Turkey.

The Turkish president has been on the West’s naughty step for a number of years. His relationship with Putin has been a problem for many Western allies, whether it be his cooperation with Russia in Syria or painting himself as the key negotiator between the West and the Kremlin on Ukraine.

He has been punished through sanctions and restrictions on military equipment that Turkey can buy from NATO allies, including the US. Both of these things have affected Turkey economically and geopolitically.

Sweden provides Erdogan with some rare leverage. And the Turkish president, officials are aware, is very good at using any leverage he has to extract things he wants from his Western allies.

The most often-cited example is how he struck a deal with the EU that saw it hand Turkey €6 billion ($6.58 billion), among other perks, in exchange for Turkey hosting Syrian refugees who were en route to Europe. Erdogan, European officials have repeatedly said, knew that he had Brussels over a barrel as he could effectively “flood” Europe with refugees at will.

It is therefore a headache, but not a huge shock, that Erdogan played his best and on the eve of a key international summit. Swedish officials remained confident the deal would be done – confidence that was well placed, it would appear given Stoltenberg’s later statement.

“No one is seriously talking about Ukraine joining us right now. We are talking about laying out a clear path and also how best we can practically help them now. This isn’t a change in position from the US or NATO,” one official said.

Both of these issues might be distractions from the main parts of the summit, but Western officials know that distractions that can be spun to make the West look disunited will be welcomed in Russia at the moment.

And that is the real reason that officials heading to Vilnius are so annoyed.

NATO, remarkably, has remained united for most of the war and has gone beyond what most expected was possible.

Both dramas – created by Erdogan and Biden – have the potential to generate headlines out of the summit that set up a false premise and could ultimately make the meeting look in some respects like a failure. And that only helps the man observing from a distance in the Kremlin.

A Guatemalan court has suspended the party of one of the candidates in next month’s presidential run-off election, raising questions over the vote.

In a video posted on the Twitter account of the Guatemalan Public Ministry, Rafael Curruchich, the head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity (FECI) said they are investigating Movimiento Semilla for allegedly falsifying citizens signatures.

Movimiento Semilla is the party of opposition candidate Bernardo Arévalo. He came second behind former first lady Sandra Torres in last month’s vote, preliminary results showed. The two are due to face off in a run-off election on August 20.

A host of other candidates were blocked from running ahead of the first round of voting, sparking accusations of political meddling against the country’s electoral court and concern from the United States and other Western powers.

The FECI investigation established at least 12 deceased people registered by Movimiento Semilla, according to Curruchich.

He said in the video message that the party paid a total of approximately US$22,000 in exchange for 5,000 signatures with the aim of reaching the minimum necessary to become a political party and participate in elections.

“In no way will we obey a spurious and illegal decision like the one that has been issued by that court thanks to the action of a prosecutor who has been deeply committed to corruption and is an operator of these corrupt political elites,” he said.

“And it’s evident that it does not have any legal support.”

Guatemala has struggled with corruption and poor governance. It has the largest economy in Central America yet is the second-highest source country for migrants encountered at the US border, US figures show.

The sole nominee to be the next prime minister of Thailand failed to secure enough parliamentary votes to form a government Thursday, a set back for the future of democracy in the country following nearly a decade of turbulent military-backed rule.

The vote was seen as a critical moment for Thailand, in which members of the bicameral National Assembly declared their pick for prime minister, and was expected to reveal whether the ruling establishment would accept the choice of the people who overwhelmingly voted for progressive, opposition parties in a May election.

In a shock election result, newcomer party Move Forward won the most seats and the largest share of the popular vote, capitalizing on years of rising anger over the kingdom’s governance.

Move Forward’s leader Pita Limjaroenrat received just 324 votes out of the 376 needed for a majority in both the upper and lower houses. The House Speaker will now call for another round of voting scheduled for a later date.

The party had pledged deep structural reforms to how the Southeast Asian country of more than 70 million people is run: changes to the military, the economy, the decentralization of power and even reforms to the previously untouchable monarchy.

Following the vote, Pita told reporters outside parliament that he accepts the result “but won’t give up.”

“We will not change our policies, we have to keep our promise given to the people,” he said, in reference to his party’s radical campaign pledge to amend Thailand’s strict lese majeste law despite the taboo surrounding any discussion of the royal family in Thailand.

Monarchy looms over the vote

Section 112 of the Criminal Code criminalizes criticism of the King, Queen or heir-apparent and lese majeste convictions carry long prison terms of up to 15 years. Currently, anyone can bring a case, even if they aren’t connected to the alleged crime.

The subject of royal reform is so sensitive that several senators and conservative parties ruled out voting for Pita for this reason.

“The tendency of the senators, they will protect Section 112 and won’t vote for an ineligible person.”

Outside parliament Thursday morning, Senator Kittisak Rattanawaraha said he wouldn’t vote for Pita, “because they are behind attempts to meddle with independent agencies, military, police and Section 112.”

But Move Forward’s policies won huge support among the country’s youth who have long felt disaffected by years of authoritarian politics and frustrated with the stuttering economy and tough job market.

The May election, which saw a record turnout, also delivered a powerful rebuke to the military-backed establishment that has ruled Thailand since 2014, when then-army chief Prayut Chan-o-cha seized power in a coup.

Thailand has witnessed a dozen successful coups since 1932, including two in the past 17 years.

Prayut was elected prime minister in 2019, a win largely credited to a military-drafted constitution that entrenched the military’s power in politics.

On Tuesday, Prayut announced his retirement, adding he would remain as prime minister until the new government is formed.

Regardless, he was not expected to gain enough support in the lower house to win another term as prime minister, as his party only won 36 seats in the May election.

Roadblocks to the progressive movement

Pita’s supporters say a victory for the 42-year-old Harvard alumni in Thursday’s parliamentary vote would usher in a progressive and democratic new era for Thai politics.

Despite a clear win at the polls for Pita, it remains far from certain who will be Thailand’s next leader.

In Thailand, a party or coalition needs to win a majority of 376 seats in both lower and upper houses of parliament – 750 seats – to elect a prime minister and form a government.

Move Forward’s majority was not big enough to form a government outright, even with a coalition of seven other opposition parties.

To secure victory, the coalition will need support from the unelected 250-member Senate – which was appointed by the military under a post-coup constitution and has previously voted for a pro-military candidate.

That proved to be major roadblock in Pita’s path to prime minister.

Thailand’s powerful conservative establishment – a nexus of the military, monarchy and influential elites – has a history of blocking fundamental changes to the status quo.

That includes getting rid of mandatory conscription, reducing the military budget, making the military more transparent and accountable, and reducing the number of generals.

In another major setback on the eve of the vote, Thailand’s Constitutional Court Wednesday accepted two complaints against the Move Forward Party and its leader Pita.

The case is set to be reviewed next week and if it moves to trial, Pita will be suspended from political duty. That outcome will likely add fuel to the fire of his young support base, with the potential for mass street protests.

One of the complaints, forwarded to the court by the Election Commission, accuses Pita of violating election law for allegedly holding shares in a media company and requested he be disqualified. Pita has denied he broke election rules and a statement from Move Forward accused the Election Commission of rushing the case to court.

In recent weeks, Pita has been rallying supporters across the country, with thousands of people gathering in Bangkok on Sunday, despite heavy rain.

He has previously been confident of securing enough parliamentary votes, but on Sunday warned senators not to vote against the will of the people.

“The voting is not for Pita, not for MFP, but it is for Thailand to move forward into normalcy of democratic system, just like any democratic countries in this world,” he said on Twitter.

If Pita is not elected on Thursday, the Speaker of the House has announced two more rounds of voting – on July 19 and 20 – for a result to be declared.

After that, coalitions may start to crumble and a political deadlock could derail the progressive movement’s election success, potentially sparking protests.

Move Forward encouraged citizens to show their support at parliament on Thursday and a prominent Thai protest leader Wednesday called for demonstrations if the senators refused to vote in line with the election results.

His nerves may have got the better of him at the French Open last month, but Carlos Alcaraz seems to have found a way to relax his body and mind at Wimbledon.

The top seed reached his first semifinal at the grass court grand slam on Wednesday thanks to a 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 6-4 victory against Denmark’s Holger Rune.

The turning point in the tight encounter appeared to come at the end of a tense first set, when Alcaraz roared in relief after triumphing in the tiebreak.

“The first set, it was really tough for me. A lot of nerves,” the 20-year-old told reporters after the match. “I couldn’t control it at all. I was able to win the first set – the key to turning around a little bit my emotions.

“It helped me a lot, that huge scream after the first set to put out all the nerves and start to enjoy the moment, to enjoy the match. Smiling for me, as I said a few times, is the key of everything.”

In a battle between two players who grew up playing with and against each other – Rune is just a week older than Alcaraz – it was the Spaniard who was able to deploy his all-court game as the match wore on, combining his vicious forehand with deft touches at the net.

He broke Rune in the penultimate game of the second set and moved further ahead with a break at 2-2 in the third before going on to wrap up the contest.

While a 36-year-old Novak Djokovic continues to dominate men’s tennis, this Wimbledon encounter perhaps provided a glimpse into the future.

It was the first time that two players under the age of 21 have contested a quarterfinal at the tournament in the Open Era, while Alcaraz, the defending US Open champion, is the youngest man to reach a Wimbledon semifinal since Djokovic in 2007.

“It’s a dream for me to be able to play a semifinal here in Wimbledon,” said Alcaraz. “It’s a really amazing feeling right now.”

Next up for Alcaraz is Russian third seed Daniil Medvedev, who ended the dream run of American Christopher Eubanks on Wednesday.

Medvedev knocked Alcaraz out of Wimbledon in straight sets two years ago, but it was the Spaniardwho won their last meeting in the final of Indian Wells in March.

“He’s playing great here on grass. He’s having a great, great year as well,” said Alcaraz of his next opponent.

“I lost the first match we played here on grass, so I have to learn about it. But I’m going to enjoy the semifinal. I think I’m playing great, [I have] a lot of confidence right now. So it’s going to be a really good match I think.”

The winner of that match will face either seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic or first-time semifinalist Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final.

The Serbian star became the topic of conversation on Wednesday when it transpired that Alcaraz’s father had been filming Djokovic’s practice sessions at Wimbledon. But the world No. 1 rejected the idea that it gave him a competitive advantage.

“My father is a huge fan of tennis. He doesn’t only watch my matches. I think he gets into the club at 11 a.m., gets out at 10 p.m., watching matches, watching practice from everyone,” Alcaraz said.

“To be able to watch Djokovic in real life – yeah, probably it is true he’s filming the sessions … I have a lot of videos from Djokovic on every platform. I think it’s not an advantage for me.”

Organizers of the ‘F1 in Schools’ competition say the Netflix ‘Drive to Survive’ effect is reaching the classroom with a record number of teams entered in this year’s finals in Singapore in September.

The global not-for-profit program, which aims to encourage students into science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects, offers university scholarships and future work opportunities with F1 teams.

“‘Drive to Survive’ has definitely helped the whole sport,” the program’s founder Andrew Denford told Reuters, referencing the docu-series credited with a rapid rise in the sport’s popularity.

“At the primary final, I asked the kids, ‘Who likes Formula One?’ and all their hands went up, when four, five, six years ago, maybe only half of them (did).”

The school teams must raise sponsorship, draw up a business plan, design and make tiny model cars and hold presentations before going racing.

The finals held in the run-up to the Singapore Grand Prix weekend will have 68 entries from 60 countries compared to a previous best of 55 teams.

“There’s 68% girls in Saudi doing it and three (Saudi) teams coming with a majority of girls,” said Denford.

All will get garage and paddock tours and meet the drivers, with every Formula One team and tire supplier Pirelli providing a trophy of sorts.

The program launched in Britain in 2000 with eight schools in Wakefield and now has more than 28,000 educational institutions involved worldwide.

At the youngest level, kids start at the age of nine with paper cars powered by bicycle pumps. In the top 11-19 age bracket, the cars are carved from a block of balsa wood and powered by a gas canister.

“We’ve got townships in Soweto… favela schools in Brazil. There’s no level of entry,” said Denford of the program’s reach.