Thailand will select a new PM

  The Straits Times,  Thailand’s Parliament will convene on Aug 16 for a special meeting to choose a new prime minister, the legislature announced on its website, following the court’s dismissal of Mr Srettha Thavisin as premier.

According to parliamentary rules, a candidate nominated for prime minister must win support of more than half of the Lower House, which currently has 493 members.

The vote will take place at 11am Singapore time on Aug 16, with the ruling coalition due to meet to choose its candidate on Aug 15, reported AFP.

 Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Aug 14 dismissed Prime Minister Srettha for “grossly” violating ethics by appointing a minister who had served jail time, raising the spectre of political upheaval and a shake-up in the governing alliance.

Real estate tycoon Srettha became the fourth Thai premier in 16 years to be removed by verdicts by the court, after its judges ruled 5-4 in favour of dismissing him for failing to perform his duty with integrity.

Century after ancestors’ sacrifice, descendants become Korean citizens

The Korea Herald,

 On Monday, ahead of the 79th anniversary of National Liberation Day celebrated on Aug. 15, a special ceremony took place at the National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government, which opened in 2022 to commemorate the China-based Korean government in exile during Japanese colonization from 1910-45.

A total of 27 descendants of 14 independence activists — 14 from Russia, 11 from China, one from Kazakhstan and one from Cuba — became Korean nationals upon receiving citizenship certificates issued by the minister of justice.

Netizens frustrated as internet remains throttled in Pakistan

The News, Pakistan, (15 August)Internet users in Pakistan continue to grapple with limited connectivity and partial outages with no official word available from the concerned authorities.

Customers are having trouble accessing internet services due to limited connectivity, particularly while using mobile data in some regions.

 The government blocked access to the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, around February’s election, citing national security concerns, but users still cannot open the website without using a VPN (virtual private network).

The internet disruption is not only affecting citizens’ rights but also causing financial losses to the national exchequer, as several online businesses, including e-commerce and ride-hailing services, are bearing the brunt of the restricted connectivity.