LONDON: Britain’s diplomatic boycott of the World Cup in Russia over a nerve agent attack in southwest England is back in the spotlight after a new case of exposure to the same poison in the same area.
Even as the team advances in the competition and ahead of the quarter-final showdown against Sweden on Saturday, the VIP stands have lacked the usual smattering of royals and ministers.
Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this year announced the boycott after blaming Russia for the attempted assassination of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury — an accusation that has been strongly denied by the Kremlin.
London reiterated the stance this week as it demanded answers from Russia over how two Britons were exposed to the same Soviet-made Novichok toxin.
“The World Cup is not about politics and political leaders,” security minister Ben Wallace said on Thursday when asked how events in Salisbury might impact on the World Cup.
He added the England team was “being looked after by many kind Russian members of the public” while its fans were “getting good support” in Russia.
“That should not detract from the issue that we believe Russian state carried out this attempted murder back in March.”
Moscow has reiterated its innocence and shot back that Britain owed it an apology.
The Salisbury poisoning — the first use of chemical weapons in western Europe since World War II — overshadowed the build-up to the biggest sporting event Russia has hosted since the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics.
Amid a flurry of diplomatic expulsions between Britain and its allies on one side and Russia on the other, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson even appeared to suggest a possible boycott of the tournament by the England team.
Officials soon clarifed that this would only impact officials and dignitaries attending the tournament — not the squad.
The Kremlin reacted furiously, however, after Johnson agreed with a suggestion from a lawmaker that President Vladimir Putin would exploit the event as Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler did the 1936 Berlin Games.
When May announced Britain’s diplomatic boycott a limited number of countries, including Iceland, Poland, Sweden and Denmark, said they would follow suit — to differing degrees.
Icelandic leaders skipped the tournament altogether, after indefinitely postponing all bilateral meetings with Russia.
High-level officials from Sweden and Denmark boycotted the June 14 opening ceremony, but ministers have since attended games.
Moscow has done little to hide its pleasure at the effective failure of a bigger diplomatic boycott of the event.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov correctly predicted a “heavy traffic of guests at the highest level” coming to matches.
Numerous European countries whose teams made the finals have sent dignitaries or royalty.
Belgium’s King Philippe took his two sons to Russia to watch his country play Tunisia, while Spain’s King Felipe VI jetted over to see his nation get knocked out by hosts Russia.
Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to travel if France make next week’s semifinals.
Britain’s boycott has meant Prince William, the president of the Football Association (FA) and a regular VIP spectator at England’s recent World Cups, has not gone to Russia.
But he has made clear he is still cheering on the side, making a rare appearance on social media Tuesday after England beat Colombia — commandeering Kensington Palace’s official Twitter account to send a congratulatory message.
With the team’s advancement to the July 15 final a realistic possibility, the prince will be “completely gutted” to be missing out, according to royal expert Penny Junor.
“William is a genuine football fan,” she told AFP.
“He knows a lot of the team personally. And if they were to reach the finals.... He will not be a happy man right now!“
Commentators have pointed out that England and Russia could even meet for a politically fraught semifinal if both teams go through.
The Russian Embassy in London, meanwhile, said the decision to skip the tournament was made unilaterally by London — and the latest war of words would not stand in the way of a last-minute World Cup detente.
“If UK dignitaries decide to come, they’ll encounter the same hospitality as the England players and supporters,” it said in a statement.
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UK sticks to World Cup boycott amid new nerve agent storm
UK sticks to World Cup boycott amid new nerve agent storm
Thai villagers stay behind to guard empty homes as border clashes force mass evacuations
SURIN: Fighting that has flared along the Thai-Cambodian border has sent hundreds of thousands of Thai villagers fleeing from their homes close to the frontier since Monday. Their once-bustling communities have fallen largely silent except for the distant rumble of firing across the fields.
Yet in several of these villages, where normally a few hundred people live, a few dozen residents have chosen to stay behind despite the constant sounds of danger.
In a village in Buriram province, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the border, Somjai Kraiprakon and roughly 20 of her neighbors gathered around a roadside house, keeping watch over nearby homes. Appointed by the local administration as Village Security Volunteers, they guarded the empty homes after many residents were forced to flee and with fewer security officials stationed nearby than usual.
The latest large-scale fighting derailed a ceasefire pushed by US President Donald Trump, which halted five days of clashes in July triggered by longstanding territorial disputes. As of Saturday, around two dozen people had been reported killed in the renewed violence.
At a house on the village’s main intersection, now a meeting point, kitchen and sleeping area, explosions were a regular backdrop, with the constant risk of stray ammunition landing nearby. Somjai rarely flinched, but when the blasts came too close, she would sprint to a makeshift bunker beside the house, built on an empty plot from large precast concrete drainage pipes reinforced with dirt, sandbags and car tires.
She volunteered shortly after the July fighting. The 52-year-old completed a three-day training course with the district administration that included gun training and patrol techniques before she was appointed in November. The volunteer village guards are permitted to carry firearms provided by relevant authorities.
The army has emphasized the importance of volunteers like Somjai in this new phase of fighting, saying they help “provide the highest possible confidence and safety for the public.”
According to the army, volunteers “conduct patrols, establish checkpoints, stand guard inside villages, protect the property of local people, and monitor suspicious individuals who may attempt to infiltrate the area to gather intelligence.”
Somjai said the volunteer team performs all these duties, keeping close watch on strangers and patrolling at night to discourage thieves from entering abandoned homes. Her main responsibility, however, is not monitoring threats but caring for about 70 dogs left behind in the community.
“This is my priority. The other things I let the men take care of them. I’m not good at going out patrolling at night. Fortunately I’m good with dogs,” she said, adding that she first fed a few using her own money, but as donations began coming in, she was able to expand her feeding efforts.
In a nearby village, chief Praden Prajuabsook sat with about a dozen members of his village security team along a roadside in front of a local school. Around there, most shops were already closed and few cars could be seen passing once in a while.
Wearing navy blue uniforms and striped purple and blue scarves, the men and women chatted casually while keeping shotguns close and watching strangers carefully. Praden said the team stationed at different spots during the day, then started patrolling when night fell.
He noted that their guard duty is around the clock, and it comes with no compensation and relies entirely on volunteers. “We do it with our own will, for the brothers and sisters in our village,” he said.
Beyond guarding empty homes, Praden’s team, like Somjai, also ensures pets, cattle and other animals are fed. During the day, some members ride motorbikes from house to house to feed pigs, chickens and dogs left behind by their owners.
Although his village is close to the battlegrounds, Praden said he is not afraid of the sounds of fighting.
“We want our people to be safe… we are willing to safeguard the village for the people who have evacuated,” he said.
Yet in several of these villages, where normally a few hundred people live, a few dozen residents have chosen to stay behind despite the constant sounds of danger.
In a village in Buriram province, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) from the border, Somjai Kraiprakon and roughly 20 of her neighbors gathered around a roadside house, keeping watch over nearby homes. Appointed by the local administration as Village Security Volunteers, they guarded the empty homes after many residents were forced to flee and with fewer security officials stationed nearby than usual.
The latest large-scale fighting derailed a ceasefire pushed by US President Donald Trump, which halted five days of clashes in July triggered by longstanding territorial disputes. As of Saturday, around two dozen people had been reported killed in the renewed violence.
At a house on the village’s main intersection, now a meeting point, kitchen and sleeping area, explosions were a regular backdrop, with the constant risk of stray ammunition landing nearby. Somjai rarely flinched, but when the blasts came too close, she would sprint to a makeshift bunker beside the house, built on an empty plot from large precast concrete drainage pipes reinforced with dirt, sandbags and car tires.
She volunteered shortly after the July fighting. The 52-year-old completed a three-day training course with the district administration that included gun training and patrol techniques before she was appointed in November. The volunteer village guards are permitted to carry firearms provided by relevant authorities.
The army has emphasized the importance of volunteers like Somjai in this new phase of fighting, saying they help “provide the highest possible confidence and safety for the public.”
According to the army, volunteers “conduct patrols, establish checkpoints, stand guard inside villages, protect the property of local people, and monitor suspicious individuals who may attempt to infiltrate the area to gather intelligence.”
Somjai said the volunteer team performs all these duties, keeping close watch on strangers and patrolling at night to discourage thieves from entering abandoned homes. Her main responsibility, however, is not monitoring threats but caring for about 70 dogs left behind in the community.
“This is my priority. The other things I let the men take care of them. I’m not good at going out patrolling at night. Fortunately I’m good with dogs,” she said, adding that she first fed a few using her own money, but as donations began coming in, she was able to expand her feeding efforts.
In a nearby village, chief Praden Prajuabsook sat with about a dozen members of his village security team along a roadside in front of a local school. Around there, most shops were already closed and few cars could be seen passing once in a while.
Wearing navy blue uniforms and striped purple and blue scarves, the men and women chatted casually while keeping shotguns close and watching strangers carefully. Praden said the team stationed at different spots during the day, then started patrolling when night fell.
He noted that their guard duty is around the clock, and it comes with no compensation and relies entirely on volunteers. “We do it with our own will, for the brothers and sisters in our village,” he said.
Beyond guarding empty homes, Praden’s team, like Somjai, also ensures pets, cattle and other animals are fed. During the day, some members ride motorbikes from house to house to feed pigs, chickens and dogs left behind by their owners.
Although his village is close to the battlegrounds, Praden said he is not afraid of the sounds of fighting.
“We want our people to be safe… we are willing to safeguard the village for the people who have evacuated,” he said.
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