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Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Arrives in Thailand After 15 Years

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made a brief appearance in front of the private jet terminal at Don Mueang airport on Tuesday morning, after 15 years in self-exile.

His private plane arrived at Don Mueang airport at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, as planned. Thousands of supporters and major political personalities, largely from the Pheu Thai Party, greeted him outside the MJETs private aircraft terminal at Bangkok International Airport.

At 9.25 a.m., Thaksin strolled out of the private aircraft terminal with his three children, dressed in a dark blue suit and a pink necktie. He paid his respects to a portrait of His Majesty the King positioned near the entrance ahead of his arrival.

Then he made a Wai with his hands and waved to supporters while smiling calmly and looked at ease. He walked to greet major political figures, largely from the Pheu Thai Party, who were smilingly waiting outside the terminal’s entrance.

Thaksin and his children stood in front of the terminal for three minutes before returning inside. It had previously been stated that he would be transported to the Supreme Court near the Grand Palace to face penalty processes.

Thaksin Thailand

Thaksin had lived in self-imposed exile since his removal by a military coup on September 19, 2006, with the exception of a brief visit to the country in 2008. During his absence, the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions convicted him in four separate cases to a total of 12 years in prison.

Thaksin was found guilty of misuse of authority in the purchase of state-owned land in Ratchadaphisek by his then-wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra at a price below market value, resulting in a two-year prison sentence. The court ruling’s 10-year statute of limitations expired in October 2018.

The former prime minister received a two-year prison sentence in the second instance for wrongdoing in connection with the two- and three-digit lottery issue.

In the third case, Thaksin received a three-year prison sentence for misusing his power by authorising 4 billion baht in loans to Myanmar through the Export-Import (Exim) Bank of Thailand. The money was used to buy equipment from a telecom company owned by his family.

The fourth case resulted in a five-year prison sentence for him, since the court found him guilty of using nominees to hold shares in Shin Corp, a telecommunications business, which is illegal for any political office holder. The statutes of limitations for the second, third, and fourth instances have not expired.

Thaksin Shinawatra Arrives in Thailand

Meanwhile, an academic believes that Shinawatra’s return to Thailand in order to persuade senators to support Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidate in parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

Thaksin will come home on Tuesday, according to Thanaporn Sriyankul, director of the Institute of Politics and Policy Analysis, now that he is convinced Pheu Thai will form a government.

Thaksin, who was deposed in a military coup in 2006, is largely regarded as the de facto leader of Pheu Thai.

Mr Thanaporn stated that Thaksin will have to go to jail and spend time as a “political hostage” in order to reassure pro-military parties such as the United Thai Nation (UTN) Party and the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) that Pheu Thai is willing to work with them.

Pheu Thai and eleven other parties, including the UTN and PPRP, declared a potential ruling coalition with 314 House seats on Monday.

Mr Thanaporn went on to explain that the Supreme Court will rule on a case involving former protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who is accused of corruption in a project to build police stations and residential quarters while he was deputy prime minister more than a decade ago.

Mr Thanaporn stated that if the court deems Mr Suthep guilty, he will go to jail. And if a reprieve or amnesty is eventually provided to Thaksin, Mr Suthep may obtain it as well, he added, adding that this will bring an end to a decade-long political war between political rivals.

According to Yutthaporn Issarachai, a political science instructor at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, it is unclear whether Thaksin will arrive Tuesday morning because the outcome of the PM vote is likely in the afternoon.

The political scenario will remain uncertain until the election, and even though Pheu Thai may now form a coalition with 314 House seats, numerous senators continue to dispute the qualifications of its PM candidate, Srettha Thavisin, according to Mr Yutthaporn.

Thaksin will return from self-imposed exile on Tuesday, the same day parliament will convene to elect the country’s 30th prime minister.

Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra, his daughter and a Pheu Thai PM contender, said on social media that her father arrived at Don Mueang Airport on Tuesday at 9 a.m. aboard his private plane.

He will be presented his arrest warrants before being led to the Police Club on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, where he would be taken to the Supreme Court.

Thaksin Shinawatra Arrives

About Thaksin Shinawatra

Thaksin is a well-known Thai politician and businessman who was born in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on July 26, 1949. He is a divisive figure in Thai politics, well known for his populist policies as Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006. His political career has been defined by overwhelming support from rural and working-class citizens, as well as fierce resistance from urban elites, the military, and the judiciary.

Thaksin’s rise to power began in 1998, with the formation of the Thai Rak Thai (“Thais Love Thais”) party. He portrayed himself as a wealthy businessman who could bring economic growth and development to Thailand, leveraging his past as a telecoms entrepreneur. His measures, like as low-cost healthcare and village-level economic projects, earned him widespread support in rural areas.

During his presidency, Thaksin introduced a number of programmes aimed at reducing poverty, improving infrastructure, and boosting economic growth. However, his government was also accused of corruption, misuse of authority, and breaches of human rights. His anti-drug campaign in 2003, which resulted in thousands of extrajudicial murders, was one of his most contentious measures.

Thaksin’s approach to politics and governance, which emphasised his own charisma and leadership, polarized Thai society. His administration was criticised for concentrating power and marginalizing traditional elites such as the monarchy and the military. This sparked mounting opposition from many elements of society, culminating in huge protests and a military coup in 2006, while he was in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.

Following the coup, Thaksin went into self-imposed exile in order to avoid criminal accusations for corruption and abuse of power. Despite his absence, his political party (renamed the Pheu Thai Party) managed to win elections and maintain a large degree of support from his rural and working-class supporters.

Thaksin’s legacy continues to divide Thais. His admirers see him as a protector of the underprivileged and a proponent of progressive measures, while his detractors accuse him of authoritarianism and alleged corruption. Thailand’s ongoing political conflict between populist movements and conservative elites is frequently characterised in terms of Thaksin’s impact on the country’s political environment.

 

Keywords: why was Thaksin ousted, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Shinawatra family, Yingluck Shinawatra husband, Yingluck Shinawatra where is she now

 

 

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Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding, But Still Accounting 48% Search Revenue

Google

Google is so closely associated with its key product that its name is a verb that signifies “search.” However, Google’s dominance in that sector is dwindling.

According to eMarketer, Google will lose control of the US search industry for the first time in decades next year.

Google will remain the dominant search player, accounting for 48% of American search advertising revenue. And, remarkably, Google is still increasing its sales in the field, despite being the dominating player in search since the early days of the George W. Bush administration. However, Amazon is growing at a quicker rate.

google

Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding

Amazon will hold over a quarter of US search ad dollars next year, rising to 27% by 2026, while Google will fall even more, according to eMarketer.

The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the forecast.

Lest you think you’ll have to switch to Bing or Yahoo, this isn’t the end of Google or anything really near.

Google is the fourth-most valued public firm in the world. Its market worth is $2.1 trillion, trailing just Apple, Microsoft, and the AI chip darling Nvidia. It also maintains its dominance in other industries, such as display advertisements, where it dominates alongside Facebook’s parent firm Meta, and video ads on YouTube.

To put those “other” firms in context, each is worth more than Delta Air Lines’ total market value. So, yeah, Google is not going anywhere.

Nonetheless, Google faces numerous dangers to its operations, particularly from antitrust regulators.

On Monday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Google must open up its Google Play Store to competitors, dealing a significant blow to the firm in its long-running battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games. Google announced that it would appeal the verdict.

In August, a federal judge ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly on search. That verdict could lead to the dissolution of the company’s search operation. Another antitrust lawsuit filed last month accuses Google of abusing its dominance in the online advertising business.

Meanwhile, European regulators have compelled Google to follow tough new standards, which have resulted in multiple $1 billion-plus fines.

google

Pixa Bay

Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding

On top of that, the marketplace is becoming more difficult on its own.

TikTok, the fastest-growing social network, is expanding into the search market. And Amazon has accomplished something few other digital titans have done to date: it has established a habit.

When you want to buy anything, you usually go to Amazon, not Google. Amazon then buys adverts to push companies’ products to the top of your search results, increasing sales and earning Amazon a greater portion of the revenue. According to eMarketer, it is expected to generate $27.8 billion in search revenue in the United States next year, trailing only Google’s $62.9 billion total.

And then there’s AI, the technology that (supposedly) will change everything.

Why search in stilted language for “kendall jenner why bad bunny breakup” or “police moving violation driver rights no stop sign” when you can just ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT, “What’s going on with Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny?” in “I need help fighting a moving violation involving a stop sign that wasn’t visible.” Google is working on exactly this technology with its Gemini product, but its success is far from guaranteed, especially with Apple collaborating with OpenAI and other businesses rapidly joining the market.

A Google spokeswoman referred to a blog post from last week in which the company unveiled ads in its AI overviews (the AI-generated text that appears at the top of search results). It’s Google’s way of expressing its ability to profit on a changing marketplace while retaining its business, even as its consumers steadily transition to ask-and-answer AI and away from search.

google

Google has long used a single catchphrase to defend itself against opponents who claim it is a monopoly abusing its power: competition is only a click away. Until recently, that seemed comically obtuse. Really? We are going to switch to Bing? Or Duck Duck Go? Give me a break.

But today, it feels more like reality.

Google is in no danger of disappearing. However, every highly dominating company faces some type of reckoning over time. GE, a Dow mainstay for more than a century, was broken up last year and is now a shell of its previous dominance. Sears declared bankruptcy in 2022 and is virtually out of business. US Steel, long the foundation of American manufacturing, is attempting to sell itself to a Japanese corporation.

Could we remember Google in the same way that we remember Yahoo or Ask Jeeves in decades? These next few years could be significant.

SOURCE | CNN

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2024 | Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case

trump

Washington — Trump Media,  The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not hear an appeal from social media platform X about a search warrant acquired by prosecutors in the election meddling case against former President Donald Trump.

The justices did not explain their rationale, and there were no recorded dissents.

The firm, which was known as Twitter before being purchased by billionaire Elon Musk, claims a nondisclosure order that prevented it from informing Trump about the warrant obtained by special counsel Jack Smith’s team violated its First Amendment rights.

The business also claims Trump should have had an opportunity to exercise executive privilege. If not reined in, the government may employ similar tactics to intercept additional privileged communications, their lawyers contended.

trump

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case

Two neutral electronic privacy groups also joined in, urging the high court to hear the case on First Amendment grounds.

Prosecutors, however, claim that the corporation never shown that Trump utilized the account for official purposes, therefore executive privilege is not a problem. A lower court also determined that informing Trump could have compromised the current probe.

trump

Trump utilized his Twitter account in the weeks preceding up to his supporters’ attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to spread false assertions about the election, which prosecutors claim were intended to create doubt in the democratic process.

The indictment describes how Trump used his Twitter account to encourage his followers to travel to Washington on Jan. 6, pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to reject the certification, and falsely claiming that the Capitol crowd, which battered police officers and destroyed glass, was peaceful.

musk trump

Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case

That case is now moving forward following the Supreme Court’s verdict in July, which granted Trump full immunity from criminal prosecution as a former president.

The warrant arrived at Twitter amid quick changes implemented by Musk, who bought the company in 2022 and has since cut off most of its workforce, including those dedicated to combating disinformation and hate speech.

He also welcomed back a vast list of previously banned users, including Trump, and endorsed him for the 2024 presidential election.

SOURCE | AP

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The Supreme Court Turns Down Biden’s Government Appeal in a Texas Emergency Abortion Matter.

Supreme Court

(VOR News) – A ruling that prohibits emergency abortions that contravene the Supreme Court law in the state of Texas, which has one of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the country, has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States Supreme Court upheld this decision.

The justices did not provide any specifics regarding the underlying reasons for their decision to uphold an order from a lower court that declared hospitals cannot be legally obligated to administer abortions if doing so would violate the law in the state of Texas.

Institutions are not required to perform abortions, as stipulated in the decree. The common populace did not investigate any opposing viewpoints. The decision was made just weeks before a presidential election that brought abortion to the forefront of the political agenda.

This decision follows the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that ended abortion nationwide.

In response to a request from the administration of Vice President Joe Biden to overturn the lower court’s decision, the justices expressed their disapproval.

The government contends that hospitals are obligated to perform abortions in compliance with federal legislation when the health or life of an expectant patient is in an exceedingly precarious condition.

This is the case in regions where the procedure is prohibited. The difficulty hospitals in Texas and other states are experiencing in determining whether or not routine care could be in violation of stringent state laws that prohibit abortion has resulted in an increase in the number of complaints concerning pregnant women who are experiencing medical distress being turned away from emergency rooms.

The administration cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case that bore a striking resemblance to the one that was presented to it in Idaho at the beginning of the year. The justices took a limited decision in that case to allow the continuation of emergency abortions without interruption while a lawsuit was still being heard.

In contrast, Texas has been a vocal proponent of the injunction’s continued enforcement. Texas has argued that its circumstances are distinct from those of Idaho, as the state does have an exemption for situations that pose a significant hazard to the health of an expectant patient.

According to the state, the discrepancy is the result of this exemption. The state of Idaho had a provision that safeguarded a woman’s life when the issue was first broached; however, it did not include protection for her health.

Certified medical practitioners are not obligated to wait until a woman’s life is in imminent peril before they are legally permitted to perform an abortion, as determined by the state supreme court.

The state of Texas highlighted this to the Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, medical professionals have criticized the Texas statute as being perilously ambiguous, and a medical board has declined to provide a list of all the disorders that are eligible for an exception. Furthermore, the statute has been criticized for its hazardous ambiguity.

For an extended period, termination of pregnancies has been a standard procedure in medical treatment for individuals who have been experiencing significant issues. It is implemented in this manner to prevent catastrophic outcomes, such as sepsis, organ failure, and other severe scenarios.

Nevertheless, medical professionals and hospitals in Texas and other states with strict abortion laws have noted that it is uncertain whether or not these terminations could be in violation of abortion prohibitions that include the possibility of a prison sentence. This is the case in regions where abortion prohibitions are exceedingly restrictive.

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which resulted in restrictions on the rights of women to have abortions in several Republican-ruled states, the Texas case was revisited in 2022.

As per the orders that were disclosed by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden, hospitals are still required to provide abortions in cases that are classified as dire emergency.

As stipulated in a piece of health care legislation, the majority of hospitals are obligated to provide medical assistance to patients who are experiencing medical distress. This is in accordance with the law.

The state of Texas maintained that hospitals should not be obligated to provide abortions throughout the litigation, as doing so would violate the state’s constitutional prohibition on abortions. In its January judgment, the 5th United States Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the state and acknowledged that the administration had exceeded its authority.

SOURCE: AP

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Scientists Awarded MicroRNA The Nobel Prize in Medicine.

US Inflation will Comfort a Fed Focused on Labor Markets.

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