Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha faces an uphill battle to retain power in Sunday’s general election, with opposition parties including Pheu Thai and Move Forward surging in popularity, according to opinion polls. Thailand has about 52 million eligible voters, including 3.3 million aged 18 to 22 who can vote for the first time, with pro-military, royalist conservatives and the populist opposition vying for their endorsement. The polls suggest that their ballots could end nearly a decade of governments either led or backed by a military and conservative forces. On the back of a bright red car, Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Srettha Thavisin…
Author: Mike Harrison
Chi Pu (L) and Jenny Zhang rehearse for their performance of the hit Vietnamese pop song “See Tinh.” Photo from Zhang’s Weibo account Singer Chi Pu sang with Chinese singer-actress Jenny Zhang on Thursday in preparation for their performance of the Vietnamese song “See Tinh” on Chinese reality series “Sisters Who Make Waves.” Zhang, 36, updated her Weibo account with photos of her and Chi, 30, rehearsing for their performance. According to Mango TV, the two artists practiced performing the Vietnamese song “See Tinh” by Vietnamese singer Hoang Thuy Linh with instructions from Chinese coaches. Chi and Zhang reportedly get…
Thousands of people remained in Mexico hoping to enter the United States, as it was not yet clear how the stringent new rules for people crossing the border illegally would be enforced.In the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, some 200 migrants were blocked by US troops from accessing Gate 42, the entry point to El Paso, Texas, where hundreds crossed on Thursday.In Brownsville, Texas, migrants who crossed before Friday were being taken to detention centers for processing, with many hoping to register their names and be released into the country.Agustin Sortomi said he, his wife and two children had…
Lori Vallow was on trial in the northwestern US state of Idaho over the deaths of her 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan and adopted seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow.Vallow, who has reportedly claimed to be a goddess charged with preparing humanity for the second coming of Christ, faces up to life in prison without parole.Her fifth husband Chad Daybell — the self-published author of several apocalyptic novels — will soon go on trial separately over similar charges, which also include the murder of his first wife, Tammy.The couple’s “religious beliefs” were cited by prosecutors as a factor in the murders, and…
The 2023 Miss International Queen Vietnam, founded by Miss International Queen winner Nguyen Huong Giang, admitted it hosted without permissions from authorities. Nguyen Huong Giang, 32, founder of the Miss International Queen Vietnam. Photo by Milor Tran On Thursday, a contest organizer said that after working with the HCMC Department of Culture and Sports, they were aware of their violations in hosting the pageant, and Huong Giang had paid the fine.”After this case, we have gained more experience in order to better prepare for other contests in the future,” the contest’s spokesperson said.”In the upcoming years, we will bring the…
In an interview with NgoiSao published Thursday, Ngan, 29, said she had just flown to the US to be with the wealthy older businessman after successfully getting her visa last month.”Recently I spend most of my time playing with Wynn’s German Shepherd,” she said. “We also watch television, cook and wander around very often. A lot of people said it would be hard for us to stay together after being apart for three years, but I’m not experiencing that. We are still good.”The Vietnamese model was eager to led the world know more about their flourishing May-September relationship and how…
By Reuters  May 12, 2023 | 02:16pm GMT+7 People are seen at an empty beach in Phuket, Thailand, March 31, 2021. Photo by Reuters Thailand’s economy likely picked up speed in the first quarter aided by a strong recovery in the tourism sector and a rebound in private consumption, but a weakening global economy poses the biggest risk to the outlook, a Reuters poll found. The tourism-reliant economy’s recovery has lagged its regional peers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but turned a corner with the return of Chinese tourists in recent months boosting employment and domestic demand.Thailand’s economy grew 2.3%…
She always transfers money to her boyfriend’s bank account after calculating how much he spent buying things for her.”Women are working and having income, just like men. So why do we need to rely on our boyfriends?” Ha asked rhetorically.Her boyfriend, Tuan Hung, responded to her with another question: “Is it that hard to let me buy you a cup of bubble tea or a meal as your boyfriend?”Hung’s perspective is different from Ha’s.He believes men should be responsible for paying every time a couple hangs out. He says he understands that Ha simply wants to share the financial responsibility…
On a chilly spring evening, dozens of young women in a packed basement bar crowded around music producer Fan as she stood at the mixer, demonstrating how to transition between tracks.The 30-year-old advertising professional is the co-founder of a label called “Scandal” that champions women producers and runs workshops teaching electronic dance music fundamentals.She and her team are part of a small number of women working to make China’s nightlife safer and more welcoming.In doing so, they are actively resisting conservative social norms — and, sometimes inadvertently, pushing up against a backdrop where anything seen as feminist is increasingly considered…
After a week of talks in the Saudi port of Jeddah, Sudan’s army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) signed a declaration that they would work towards a short-term ceasefire in further discussions, they said.”The two sides are quite far apart,” a senior US State Department official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.A text of the declaration released after the talks said the two factions “commit to prioritizing discussions to achieve a short-term ceasefire to facilitate the delivery of emergency humanitarian assistance and restoration of essential services.”Negotiators working with Saudi and US mediators will next discuss specific security measures…