He made the statement when hundreds of protesters were gathering in Bangkok to demand the vote to be held in November.About 200 protestors took to the streets in the capital city in a march held by the opposition party to mark the fourth anniversary of a coup in 2014 that toppled then Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and led to the establishment of a junta government.Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha (Photo: AFP/VNA)They planned to march from Thammasat University to the Government House early in the day but were blocked by rows of police.On May 21st, Thai police declared Bangkok’s Government House and surrounding streets a no-go zone for the planned opposition march and warned the protesters not to defy the junta ban on public gatherings. The police expected around 1,000 protesters to gather on May 22nd.The military government initially promised to hold a general election in 2015 but has pushed back the date several times.Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha on May 1st … [Read more...] about Thai PM reiterates holding election in early 2019
Early voting georgia
‘Cải lương is my life’: veteran actress Mỹ Châu
Viet Nam News by Thu Anh A biography on the 50-year-long career of meritorious cải lương (reformed opera) actress Mỹ Châu, who now lives in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, was recently released in HCM City. Châu, Chút Tạ Tình Tri Âm (Châu, an Appreciation of Life), written by Thanh Thủy and published by Saigon Books in co-operation with the Culture & Arts Publishing House, features the development of cải lương, a genre of traditional theatre in the south between the 1960s and 1990s. The book includes 268 pages and dozens of black-and-white and colour photographs of Châu and her colleagues by well-known artists living in Sài Gòn before and after 1975. The book features Châu’s memories of famous performers, including People’s Artist Phùng Há, a guru of cải lương, Minh Phụng, Thanh Nga, Hồng Nga and Minh Cảnh, who played an … [Read more...] about ‘Cải lương is my life’: veteran actress Mỹ Châu
Timor Leste’s citizens cast votes in general election
A woman in Timor-Leste casts her vote at a polling station during the election in Dili on May 12 (Photo: EPA-EFE) Hanoi (VNA) – Voters in Timor Leste went to the polls on May 12 to cast their ballots in the second general election in less than one year of the Southeast Asian nation. Some 784,000 people have registered to vote across 13 municipalities and voters turned out early to cast their ballot. The voting stations opened at 7.00 (local time) and was to close at 15:00 the same day. Results of the election will be announced next week. Experts have showed concern about security of the election as clashes occurred during election campaigns between supporters of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor, better known as Fretilin, and those of the National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction (CNRT). The Fretilin won the last election held in July 2017 by a narrow margin, forcing it to join with a smaller party to form a minority government. The country had … [Read more...] about Timor Leste’s citizens cast votes in general election
Malaysia election: Police, armed forces cast ballots early
Early voting began for nearly 279,000 Royal Malaysian Police, Armed Forces and Special Task Force personnel and their spouses. The process was conducted at contingent police headquarters, district police headquarters and army camps by 6,376 election workers. The polling stations will be closed in stage between 17:00 and 19:00 while some will close earlier between 13:00 and 15:00. The votes are not counted on May 5 and the ballot boxes will be kept safely in the police station lockups. A total of 14,940,624 voters are expected to cast their ballots in the 14th general election, which will pit current Prime Minister Najib Razak against former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. If winning the election, Mahathir Mohamad, 92 years old, will become the oldest Prime Minister in the Malaysian history. More than 64,000 policemen will be arranged to ensure security for the general election.-VNA Tags: Malaysia general election … [Read more...] about Malaysia election: Police, armed forces cast ballots early
Test for PM as England votes in local elections
Viet Nam News LONDON — Ballots were being counted Friday from local elections in England seen as the first key electoral test for Prime Minster Theresa May since she lost her parliamentary majority last year. Polls closed at 10pm (2100 GMT) on Thursday to elect local councilors and early results were due to be announced overnight, but a clear overall picture is not expected until later Friday morning. May’s Conservative party is braced for defeats in London, where all 32 local councils are up for grabs, and which is a traditional stronghold of the opposition Labour party. But the elections took place across England, including in cities such as Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle, with a total of more than 4,300 seats being contested. In London, where last year’s Grenfell Tower fire disaster in which 71 people were killed is still a fresh memory, some residents said they were using the vote as a proxy poll on Conservative leaders on both local and national levels. … [Read more...] about Test for PM as England votes in local elections
Thai PM reassures holding election in early 2019
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha. (Photo: AFP/VNA) Bangkok (VNA) – Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha on May 1 reassured that the general election will be definitely held in early 2019. The statement was made amid the anti-junta activists’ warning to stage a large-scale demonstration in May. It was not the first time the chief of the Thai military government promised that the election would take place no later than February 2019. The PM said the election has been postponed several times due to legal process and the international community would understand it. Opposing groups have urged the government to hold the general election this year. Hundreds of people have flocked to the streets to protest Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and his government for the vote’s delay, most of whom were from a group called the Democracy Restoration Group (DRG). The demonstrations have been strictly monitored by security forces and anti-riot police. In late April, the DRG … [Read more...] about Thai PM reassures holding election in early 2019
Palestinian leaders call for suspension of recognition of Israel
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian leaders voted on Monday (Jan 15) to call for the suspension of recognition of Israel in a move with potentially deep implications as they met in response to US President Donald Trump's declaration of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.While withdrawing the Palestine Liberation Organisation's recognition of Israel could spark international backlash, it was unclear whether the vote was binding.A previous vote by the same Palestinian Central Council, a high-ranking arm of the PLO, in 2015 to suspend security coordination with Israel was never implemented. That vote was also reaffirmed on Monday.However, even if the move goes no further, the vote was another expression of Palestinian fury over Trump's Jerusalem declaration and what they see as the White House's attack on their long bid for statehood.On Sunday as he opened the meeting, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who voted in favour of the suspension, called Trump's peace efforts the … [Read more...] about Palestinian leaders call for suspension of recognition of Israel
Hanoi’s 10 tourism titles honored by international media in 2017
Updated at Friday, 05 Jan 2018, 07:20 The Hanoitimes - 2017 is considered a successful year for Hanoi tourism sector, Vietnam’s capital honored by many travel website and international newspaper. Airbnb: Hanoi – one of two Vietnamese cities among world’s top destinations in 2018 Hanoi Old Quarter New Airbnb data released earlier this month put two major cities of Vietnam – Hanoi, and Da Nang – among the world’s top 10 intriguing travel destinations in 2018. Based on booking data in the first half of 2018, Airbnb announced a list of the world’s top 10 destinations for the coming year, in which Danang ranks fifth in booking surges of up to 255 percent against the same period this year while Hanoi comes 9th in the list, with a 212 percent year-on-year increase. In the annual Top City Destinations Ranking report issued early last month at the World Travel Market event in London, Hanoi, the 1,000-year-old city, ranks 52nd among the … [Read more...] about Hanoi’s 10 tourism titles honored by international media in 2017
Power restored to Atlanta airport after outage led to partial shutdown
The early afternoon outage paralyzed operations at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport through Sunday evening. Even though power was finally restored at close to midnight Sunday, the incident continued to wreak havoc on holiday travel plans for thousands of people hit by airline cancellations extending into Monday.Delta said it was cancelling about 300 flights on Monday, on top of the 900 Sunday cancellations as a result of the Atlanta outage. United Air Lines also warned on social media that travel on Monday may be affected.The incident led the Federal Aviation Administration to ground flights bound for Atlanta. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines were also among the major carriers that suspended operations at the airport on Sunday. Southwest canceled 70 departures on Sunday.All passengers had safely disembarked from aircraft by approximately 10pm, or nine hours after the outage began, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said on Twitter. On Twitter, some passengers reported … [Read more...] about Power restored to Atlanta airport after outage led to partial shutdown
Transport minister and Government Inspector General end terms early
The dismissal of Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia and Government Inspector General Phan Van Sau have been brought up at the first meeting of 14th National Assembly's fourth session on October 23. Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia and Government Inspector General Phan Van Sau (left to right) Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will submit the proposal to dismiss Minister of Transport Truong Quang Nghia and Government Inspector General Phan Van Sau on October 24 and the deputies will vote on October 25. The list of the candidates will also be revealed on October 25 and the deputies will vote on the next day.Despite being dismissed before their terms end, both officials are still considered to have done a good job over the past two years. The dismissal was a required procedure as Nghia was assigned as the new party secretary of Danang City while Sau submitted a letter of resignation.Both officials had to deal with many hot issues in recent years. The Ministry of Transport … [Read more...] about Transport minister and Government Inspector General end terms early