Thailand's Cabinet withdraws a controversial bill to legalize casinos
BANGKOK (AP) -- Thailand's Cabinet on Tuesday withdrew a controversial bill that aims to legalize casinos, moving after the prime minister was suspended last week over an ethics investigation.
Deputy Minister of Finance Julapun Amornvivat said the government only wants to delay the bill and will reintroduce it at an appropriate time. He cited the current political situation and the Cabinet reshuffle as factors in the decision.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
8 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
'Restrainers' propose slashing US troop numbers in South Korea, Okinawa
The U.S. stations some 28,500 soldiers in South Korea but a new report by two analysts who advocate a more restrained presence is proposing deep cuts. © AP KEN MORIYASU WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military should shrink its global footprint, including by slashing the scale of American forces in South Korea by more than 60%, a report by two prominent analysts from the so-called restrainer camp proposed on Wednesday. The report recommended that the number of U.S. forces deployed to South Korea be around 10,000, not the 28,500 of today. The analysts envision turning primary responsibility for the country's defense back to Seoul.
Nikkei Asia
11 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Indian workers go on nationwide strike against Modi reforms
NEW DELHI (AP) -- Hundreds of thousands of workers across India went on a nationwide strike on Wednesday in opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's efforts to privatize state-run companies and other economic reforms, partially disrupting public services and manufacturing. A coalition of 10 major trade unions that represent laborers and several other groups that speak for farmers and rural workers called for the one-day industrial action, dubbing it "Bharat Bandh," Hindi for "Shut Down India." The strikes pose fresh challenges for Modi's efforts to attract foreign companies by easing labor laws to streamline business operations and boost productivity. Unions that helped organize the strikes say that coal mining operations were halted in several states while some trains came to a grinding halt as protestors blocked the network, and that banks, insurance companies and supermarkets were disrupted. An Associated Press photographer in the eastern city of Kolkata saw protestors walking in a rally at a local railway station, some shouting slogans against the government and burning an effigy of Modi. Another, in the financial capital Mumbai, witnessed bank employees shouting slogans against the privatization of state-run banks. The Press Trust of India reported traffic in eastern India's Odisha state was halted in some areas, while in the southern state of Kerala, shops, offices and schools remained closed, with roads looking deserted. The government hasn't formally commented on the workers' strike. It usually dismisses assertions made by these unions. The workers' demands include higher wages, halting privatization of state-run companies, withdrawal of new labor laws and filling vacancies in the government sector. The farmers' groups also want the government to increase the minimum purchase price for crops such as wheat and rice. Modi's government has opened some sectors of the Indian economy to foreign direct investments and offered billions of dollars in financial incentives to attract local manufacturing. It has also aimed to bridge the budget deficit with a drive to privatize loss-making state-run companies and unveiled new labor laws that promise workers higher statutory minimum wages, social security and health care. However, the trade unions aren't convinced and want the new laws to be scrapped. "The government intends to suppress workers in the name of ease of doing business through labor reforms," said Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress, a prominent union taking part in the strike. Tapan Sen, general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, or CITU, which is aligned with a communist party and a key trade union that is part of the group that called for the strike, said he got reports of protesting workers blocking several national highways and rail routes. "Coal mining operations in most states have come to a halt. Services in banking, insurance, manufacturing and petroleum refineries are impacted too," said Sen. A. Soundararajan, a prominent trade union leader in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, said the police detained around 30,000 protesting workers on Wednesday. Manufacturing activities at several companies have also been hit, he said.
Nikkei Asia
13 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
China protests Modi's birthday greetings to Dalai Lama
Just days before his 90th birthday on July 6, the Dalai Lama defied China by declaring that his office had "the sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation" -- or to name his successor after his death. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by AP) KIRAN SHARMA NEW DELHI -- Ties between neighboring Asian giants India and China seem to be under fresh strains over the Dalai Lama, with Beijing lodging a protest with New Delhi in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greetings to the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader on his 90th birthday and the presence of Indian officials at celebrations marking the occasion. Just days before his milestone birthday on Sunday, the Dalai Lama defied China by declaring that his office had "the sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation" -- or to name his successor after his death. The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born to a farming family in a small hamlet in northeastern Tibet. At the age of 2, he was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.
