Court removes Thai PM Shinawatra

May 8, 2014

Thai_PM_ShinawatraBangkok, May 8: Thailand's Constitutional Court has dismissed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and several of her ministers for abuse of power, a ruling that threatens to unleash a new wave of political unrest.

The cabinet swiftly appointed a deputy premier - Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan - as her replacement, as the ruling party struggled to regain its footing after the judicial blow.

The court, which has played a key role in deposing Shinawatra-linked governments in recent turbulent years, ruled unanimously that Yingluck acted illegally by transferring a top security official in 2011.

'Therefore her prime minister status has ended... Yingluck can no longer stay in her position acting as caretaker prime minister,' presiding judge Charoon Intachan said in a televised ruling.

Nine cabinet ministers who endorsed the decision to transfer Thawil Pliensri were also stripped of their status.

But Niwattumrong, who is also commerce minister, was quickly promoted to the role of caretaker premier, said Phongthep Thepkanjana, another deputy prime minister.

Ruling party officials vowed to press ahead with a planned July 20 election to establish a new government. But that poll date has yet to be endorsed by a royal decree.

The court ruling plunges Thailand deeper into a prolonged political crisis. Anti-government protesters are still on Bangkok's streets and Yingluck's 'Red Shirt' supporters also threaten to rally to defend her, raising fears of clashes.

Jubilant anti-government demonstrators blew whistles outside the court to mark her removal - a key demand of their movement, which is seeking to curb the influence of Yingluck's billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin lives overseas to avoid jail for corruption convictions, but is accused of running the country by proxy through his sister.

'I am happy even though the whole cabinet has not been removed. People who do not respect the law should be thrown out,' protester Linjong Thummathorn said.

The kingdom has been bedevilled by a bitter political schism since 2006 when an army coup deposed former telecommunications magnate Thaksin as prime minister.

He is reviled by the Bangkok elite, middle class and royalist southerners who say he has sponsored nepotism and widespread corruption and who perceive him as a threat to the monarchy.

But he is loved in the poorer north and north-eastern regions and among the urban working class for recognising their burgeoning political and economic aspirations.

They have returned Shinawatra-led or linked governments to power in every election since 2001.

Six months of street protests have left 25 people dead and hundreds wounded in gun and grenade attacks, kindling fears of wider clashes between rival political sides.

Officials of the Puea Thai ruling party stressed the election slated for July remains the only way out of the turmoil and urged pro-government supporters to take to the streets.

'Puea Thai is calling for people who love democracy... to unite against conspiracies (to overthrow the government) by using their right and freedom to rally,' Bhokin Bhalakula, a party legal expert, told reporters.

But anti-government demonstrators in Bangkok are likely to reject the poll. They want an appointed premier to enact loosely-defined 'reforms' to curb the influence of the Shinawatras before elections.

A poll called by Yingluck in February to shore up her battered government was disrupted by protesters and boycotted by the main opposition party.

It was later annulled by the Constitutional Court, enraging Red Shirts who said the judges effectively stole their vote.

- See more at: http://www.skynews.com.au/news/politics/world/2014/05/08/court-removes-thai-pm-shinawatra.html#sthash.gQuJx9gM.dpuf

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News Network
April 22,2020

London, Apr 22: The toll from coronavirus in the United Kingdom has jumped above 18,000 after 759 more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, the Department of Health and Social Care announced in a statistical bulletin on Wednesday.

In total, 18,100 people have died in the UK hospitals after contracting COVID-19 as of 16:00 GMT on Tuesday.

A further 4,451 new cases of the disease were reported over the preceding 24 hours up to 08:00 GMT on Wednesday, the ministry said. The total number of cases reported since the start of the outbreak now stands at 1,33,495.

On Tuesday, the Office of National Statistics published a report stating that the coronavirus disease death toll as of April 10, when accounting for deaths in care homes and private residences, was 41 per cent higher than the government's figures.

In parliament on Wednesday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock stated that the United Kingdom has reached the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak, praising the social distancing measures enforced in the country.

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News Network
April 30,2020

Los Angeles, Apr 30: Los Angeles will begin offering coronavirus">coronavirus testing for free to all citizens regardless of whether they have symptoms, Mayor Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday, adding that LA is the first major US city to take such an initiative.

During the press conference, Garcetti announced that all county residents can now get free coronavirus">coronavirus testing. 

He said the announcement will only apply to city residents for now, but that a similar plan is in development for Los Angeles County,
Garcetti also took to Twitter to announce the same. "Announcing that L.A. is now the first major city in America to offer free COVID-19 testing to all residents. 

While priority will still be given to those with symptoms, individuals without symptoms can also be tested. Sign up at Coronavirus.LACity.org/Testing," he said
Under the new guidelines, priority for the same- or next-day testing will still be given to people with symptoms, such as a fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The free testing will also be prioritized for certain critical frontline workers who interact with the public.

Until now, only residents with symptoms as well as essential workers and those in institutional settings like nursing homes could be tested.

On Wednesday, the LA County reported 1,541 new cases, bringing the total to 22,485 - a seven per cent increase since yesterday.

This includes a backlog of cases that were processed. In the city, there were 683 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to 10,380 -- a 7 percent increase since yesterday.

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News Network
May 28,2020

May 28: Boeing is cutting more than 12,000 jobs through layoffs and buyouts as the coronavirus pandemic seizes the travel industry, and more cuts are coming.

One of the nation's biggest manufacturers will lay off 6,770 U.S. employees this week, and another 5,520 workers are taking buyout offers to leave voluntarily in the coming wee

Air travel within the U.S. tumbled 96% by mid-April, to fewer than 100,000 people on some days. It has recovered slightly. The Transportation Security Administration said it screened 264,843 people at airports on Tuesday, a drop of 89% compared with the same Tuesday a year ago.

Boeing had said it would cut 10% of a work force that numbered about 160,000. A Boeing spokesperson said Wednesday's actions represent the largest number of job cuts, but several thousand additional jobs will be eliminated in the next few months.

The layoffs are expected to be concentrated in the Seattle area, home to Boeing's commercial-airplanes business. The defense and space division is stable and will help blunt the impact of the decline in air travel and demand for passenger jets, the company said.

Boeing said additional job cuts will be made in international locations, but it did not specify numbers.

"The COVID-19 pandemic's devastating impact on the airline industry means a deep cut in the number of commercial jets and services our customers will need over the next few years, which in turn means fewer jobs on our lines and in our offices," CEO David Calhoun said Wednesday in a memo to employees.

Calhoun said the company faces the challenges of keeping employees safe and working with suppliers and airlines "to assure the traveling public that it can fly safe from infection."

Calhoun warned that Boeing will have to adjust business plans constantly because the pandemic makes it hard to predict the impact on the company's business.

Boeing's crisis began with two crashes of its 737 Max, which led regulators around the world to ground the jetliner last year. The company's problems have deepened with the coronavirus, which has cut global air traffic by up to 90% and caused airlines to postpone or cancel orders and deliveries for new planes.

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