YEMEN
Council sacks PM
The nation’s internationally recognized presidential council on Monday sacked the prime minister in an unexpected move that comes at a time when a US-led coalition has been striking targets of the government’s rivals, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. A decree from the council appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak the new prime minister. Bin Mubarak, who is close to Saudi Arabia, replaced Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed, who was the prime minister since 2018. The council did not give a reason behind the reshuffle.
UNITED STATES
Haley requests protection
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley has requested secret service protection after receiving a growing number of threats during her presidential campaign, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Haley told the paper while campaigning in South Carolina that she had made the request. “We’ve had multiple issues,” she said. “It’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to do.” Neither Haley’s campaign nor the Secret Service responded to requests for comment. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump receive Secret Service protection. The Secret Service is also authorized to provide protection to major party presidential candidates. Haley is the last major challenger to Trump in the Republican primary race.
THAILAND
Thaksin charged with insult
Police have charged former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra with lese majeste over comments he made almost a decade ago, officials said yesterday. The nation has some of the world’s strictest royal defamation laws protecting King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his close family, with each charge bringing a potential 15-year prison sentence. Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, returned from self-exile in August last year and was immediately jailed on old graft and abuse-of-power charges. Prayuth Pecharakun, spokesman for the attorney general’s office, told reporters police filed lese majeste charges late last month against Thaksin, over comments he made in Seoul in 2015. Prosecutors will wait for police to complete their investigation before deciding whether to proceed with the case against Thaksin, Prayuth said, adding that Thaksin denies the charge and has written to the attorney general asking for fair treatment.
THAILAND
‘Elephant pants’ under eye
The government yesterday ordered its ports to keep a close watch out for rogue “elephant pants” being imported to the kingdom, as Bangkok trumpeted its copyright claim to the popular print. The thin cotton trousers have long been a staple of European backpackers traveling through Southeast Asia. In recent months, they have become an unexpected hit with young Thais, but a jumbo influx of cheap Chinese-made pants has sparked concern over foreign imports edging out local manufacturers, and caught officials’ attention. “We have ordered the surveillance of elephant pants in all ports,” Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters. Phumtham, who is also commerce minister, said the elephant design that stomps across the ubiquitous trousers was copyrighted. “If we allow foreign producers to produce it, it might impact the local Thai products,” he said, warning of the inferior quality of some imports. “Thai products are standardized. Some [imported] products are easily torn after using them a couple of times,” he said.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
‘DISCRIMINATION’: The US Office of Personnel Management ordered that public DEI-focused Web pages be taken down, while training and contracts were canceled US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and called to restore “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by former US president Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It is using one of the
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