Thailand has concluded its first election since the military coup of 2014, with the pro-junta Palang Pracharath emerging as the largest party. Talks will now begin on the formation of a coalition government. The Election Commission, the army and the junta have been accused of trying to manipulate the result to ensure the retention of military control. The results have revealed deep political divisions in Thailand, with young, urban voters tending to support pro-democracy parties, while older, rural voters backed conservative candidates. Almost 70% of Thais voted, the largest turnout since 1997.
The Canadian government's decision to eliminate historical imagery from its new passport, replacing it instead with pages featuring images such as a man raking leaves and a squirrel, has been criticised as disrespectful to Canada's heritage. Citizenship Minister Sean Fraser suggested that consultations with Indigenous communities and other government departments had shifted the passport's focus. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre accused Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of being out-of-touch and egotistical, claiming he could not "imagine there are any Canadian stories bigger than him". The Vimy Ridge Memorial, dedicated to fallen Commonwealth soldiers, is among those images no longer included on the travel document.
Libya's eastern-based parliament has voted to suspend its appointed Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha, and assign his finance minister Osama Hamada to his duties. Bashagha has been a rival to the prime minister of the UN-recognised Government of National Unity, Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, and has proven unable to enter the capital Tripoli or take over from al-Dbeibah. The standoff between al-Dbeibah and Bashagha has gone on for months, with Libya's powerful eastern faction lined up behind Bashagha, who is supported by renegade military commander Khalifa Haftar. Libya has been split between rival administrations based in the east and the west of the country since 2014, each backed by an array of militias and several regional powers.
China and Japan have opened a military hot line between their defence authorities to avoid unwanted military incidents. The Maritime and Aerial Communication Mechanism was launched as long ago as 2018, but the global pandemic and a territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands prevented its operation. The uninhabited islands are controlled by Japan but claimed by China. The hot line will operate as a bellwether of trust between the two regional powers and will hopefully avoid any unnecessary confrontations.
US President Joe Biden will visit Australia next week, amid uncertainty over negotiations to lift the debt ceiling in his country. The president will attend the first Quad security dialogue leaders’ summit in Australia, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also present. The leaders will discuss joint measures against issues such as illegal fishing vessels, a supply chain for critical minerals, and the climate crisis. Biden will speak to the Australian parliament and hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. This trip marks the first visit of a US president to the country since 2014.
Libya's eastern-based parliament has suspended Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha and given his duties to Finance Minister Osama Hamada. Bashagha was appointed last year but has been unable to take over from Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, who rejected his appointment.
A former Scottish Minister of Justice, Kenny MacAskill, has called for an inquiry into why the police had to wait two weeks before they were allowed to conduct a search at Nicola Sturgeon’s home. The search warrant, which was eventually approved by a sheriff on 3 April, was required by the police in order to investigate the SNP’s finances. Questions have now been raised as to whether “political considerations” were responsible for the delay, as key leadership contests and appointments may have been affected by the raid. An official investigation into the matter has yet to be approved by senior officials in Scotland.
An extra 10,000 seasonal fruit pickers are to be granted visas to enter the UK over and above the 45,000 already allocated to the agricultural sector, Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed at a farming summit. The move came after Home Secretary Suella Braverman said Britain should train its own fruit pickers, and pledged to cut migration. Sunak said 45,000 visas would be available next year, with capacity for a further 10,000 if necessary. He added that the additional visas were aimed at the needs of farmers. Boris Johnson had previously promised greater trade protections for farmers.
Adam Price has delivered an emotional speech on his final day as leader of the Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru. The address, which he delivered in Welsh and English, came during First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd on Tuesday afternoon. It follows his resignation as leader last week, days after a damning report found a “toxic culture” within the party and a failure of leaders to deal with complaints of bullying, misogyny and sexual harassment.
Andrew Wilson, an SNP politician and former MSP, has called for a cap on the number of Scottish places at Scottish universities to be lifted so that people can be accepted on the basis of ability, rather than their origin. Wilson, the architect of the party’s economic plans for independence, did not suggest ending free tuition, but his comments mark a potential shift for the SNP, since until now members have treated changes to the funding system as a prime campaigning issue. However Humza Yousaf, Minister for Higher Education, said he is “very proud” of the SNP’s contingent opposition to tuition fees.
The Justice Minister in Canada, David Lametti, has introduced new legislation aimed at reforming the country's bail system. The update will create new reverse-onus bail conditions for people who are charged with serious violent offenses gone involving a weapon and were convicted within the last five years of a similar crime. The bill will also expand reverse-onus provisions for offenses involving intimate partner violence. The proposed changes to the Criminal Code come amid pressure to reduce the number of repeat violent offenders given bail in the country.
Canada and the United States are joining forces to construct an electric vehicle (EV) corridor of charging stations to promote EV adoption. The corridor will have charging infrastructure every 80 kilometres from Quebec City to Kalamazoo, Michigan, covering 1,400 kilometres. The 215 charging stations will fuel one of the busiest passenger and trade routes between the two countries. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed on a cross-border EV charging network in March. The move will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which the Canadian government says accounts for 23% of Canada's total emissions.
A hippopotamus attacked a canoe on the Shire River in southern Malawi, killing a one-year-old child and leaving 23 people missing and presumed dead. Thirty-seven people were aboard the canoe when the incident occurred. Thirteen were rescued by police and World Food Programme personnel working nearby. Malawi's president, Lazarus Chakwera, sent a minister to the scene and locals are calling for authorities to relocate some of the area's hippos. Boat accidents are common in Malawi due to the lack of regular water transport. Last month, at least five people died when an overcrowded boat sank in the country's central district of Mchinji.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called for reform of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to prevent future illegal migrant deportations being blocked “arbitrarily” in last-minute injunctions. Sunak met Siofra O’Leary, the court’s president, in Reykjavik to appeal for alterations to the court’s rules to prevent a repeat of the “opaque” rule 39 procedures, which in June 2020 saw a judge block the first deportation flight to Rwanda by the UK government at the eleventh hour. Sunak said that the UK had a record of “leading and being at the heart of these conversations” on ECHR change.
A one-year-old child has died and 23 people are feared dead after a hippotamus capsized a canoe along the Shire River in southern Malawi. The long wooden canoe was carrying 37 people who were travelling to Mozambique. Thirteen people were rescued but the search and rescue operation is still ongoing. Hippos are known to cause problems in the area and locals are calling for authorities to relocate some of the animals.
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has said more seasonal fruit pickers will be permitted into the country if need be. Speaking at a Downing Street farming summit, Sunak confirmed 45,000 visas would be issued for seasonal workers in 2022, and a potential extra 10,000 if required. The Home Secretary Suella Braverman had earlier said Britain would need to train its own fruit pickers rather than simply importing workers from abroad. The need for increased seasonal workers comes amid a wider labour shortage and worldwide supply chain disruption. CEO of Delta Agrar Igor Mirovic said he was hopeful these changes would ease recent food price hikes and shortages, adding that the actions are "welcomed and accepted with gratitude". UK supermarkets have seen Brexit-related labour shortages, with up to 25% of employees leaving and remaining staff facing increased workload. It is hoped the extra visas will ease the strain on the industry.
The UK's Labour Party has said local authorities and residents should have more power to build on green belt land to meet local housing needs. The party's leader, Keir Starmer, said the Conservative party had "killed the dream of home-owning for a whole generation". He said a discussion was needed over whether green belt land could be used, but this could not be "reduced to a simple discussion of will you or will you not build on the green belt". The Conservative government agreed in December 2020 to drop mandatory housebuilding targets.
MP Michael Chong says Canada needs to 'catch up' to allies on national security threats
CBC
23-05-16 23:44
Conservative politician Michael Chong has told a committee of fellow Canadian parliamentarians that the country must “catch up” with foreign interference prevention efforts made by peer nations such as the UK and US. Chong’s comments followed a top-secret document released earlier this month revealing that Canadian MPs were being targeted by Chinese espionage. Chong claimed that interference would “likely not have happened” if Canada had similar policies in place to those of other nations. After the reports arose, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the SITE task force would be established to provide “enhanced monitoring” during Canada’s upcoming byelections.
A baby has died and 23 people are missing after a canoe containing 37 people collided with a hippopotamus on the 400-km Shire River in Malawi. The boat, which capsized, was traversing the river, Malawi's largest, which is notorious for hippopotami. Thirteen people were rescued while one body was recovered by the army and local fishing boats. Reports suggest the people were travelling from Nsanje to the district of Chikwawa for a funeral. Boat accidents are fairly common on Malawi’s rivers and lakes, partly due to the lack of regulations around boat travel.
Ontario water, air quality a growing concern, auditor general says in new report
CBC
23-05-16 22:04
Ontario's auditor general, Bonnie Lysyk, has warned that deforestation, contaminated air, and the loss of wetlands are a growing concern, while a loss of transparency and accountability by the Doug Ford government is further exacerbating the situation. While some environmental areas have in fact improved over the past several decades, including air quality, a number of environmental declines have been witnessed, including rising levels of microplastics in lakes, an increasing number of weather-related disasters, and up to 60% of monitored rivers and streams in poor to very poor biological health.
