Thailand’s Constitutional Court has suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who has come under mounting pressure to resign over her leaked phone conversation with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.

The clip, in which Paetongtarn called him “uncle” and criticised a Thai military commander, sparked public anger and a petition for her dismissal, which the court is now considering.

That could make Paetongtarn the third politician in the powerful Shinawatra clan – which has dominated Thai politics for the past two decades – to lose power before completing their term.

Her ruling coalition is already teetering with a slim majority after a key conservative ally abandoned it two weeks ago.

The Constitutional Court voted 7-2 to suspend her while they consider the case for her dismissal and she has 15 days to present her defence.

In the meantime the deputy PM will serve as the country’s acting leader. Paetongtarn, however, will remain in the cabinet as culture minister, a new appointment following a cabinet reshuffle that was endorsed hours before she was suspended.

On Tuesday, Paetongtarn apologised again, adding that the purpose of her phone call with Hun Sen was “more than 100%… for the country”.

The call was about the border dispute between the two countries – although it’s decades old, tensions have risen again since late May when a Cambodian soldier was killed.

The leaked audio especially angered conservative lawmakers who accused her of appeasing Hun Sen and undermining Thailand’s military.

But she defended herself on Tuesday, saying, “I had no intent to do it for my own interest. I only thought about how to avoid chaos, avoid fighting and to avoid loss of lives.

“If you listened to it carefully, you’d understand that I didn’t have ill intentions. This is what I’ll focus and spend time on explaining thoroughly.”

If she is eventually dismissed, Paetongtarn will be the second prime minister from the Pheu Thai party to be removed from premiership since August last year.

At that time, her predecessor Srettha Thavisin was dismissed, also by the constitutional court, for appointing to his cabinet a former lawyer who was once jailed.

Days later, Paetongtarn – whose father is Thailand’s deposed leader Thaksin Shinawatra – was sworn in as prime minister.

Tuesday’s decision once again underscores the constitutional court’s power to unmake governments, which critics say can be weaponised to target political opponents.

This court has dissolved 34 parties since 2006, including the reformist Move Forward, which won the most seats and votes in the 2023 election but was blocked from forming the government.

“This has become a pattern in Thai politics… a part of the Thai political culture, which is not what a true political process is supposed to be,” said Titipol Phakdeewanich, a political science lecturer at Ubon Ratchathani University.

“The suspension by court order shouldn’t have happened but most people could see its legitimacy because the leaked conversation really made people question if the PM was genuinely defending the interest of the country.”

Paetongtarn, 38, remains the country’s youngest leader and only the second woman to be PM after her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra.

Already struggling to revive a weak economy, Paetongtarn saw her approval rating fall to 9.2% last weekend, down from 30.9% in March.

The court’s decision comes on the same day as Paetongtarn’s father, who was seen as the driving force behind her government, battles his own political troubles.

Thaksin is fighting charges of insulting the monarchy over an interview he gave to a South Korean newspaper nine years ago. His trial started on Tuesday.

The controversial political leader, who returned to Thailand in 2023 after 15 years in exile, is the most high-profile figure to face charges under the country’s notorious lese majeste law.

Thaksin’s return was part of a grand compromise between Pheu Thai and its former conservative foes.

They include the military, which deposed two Shinawatra governments in coups, and groups close to the monarchy.

(BBC)

At least 34 people have been killed in a massive fire at a pharmaceuticals factory in the southern Indian state of Telangana, according to news agencies.

The blast took place during work hours on Monday at a unit of Sigachi Industries, leaving several injured and in critical condition.

“As many as 31 bodies have been extricated from the debris while three died in hospital while undergoing treatment,” senior district police official Paritosh Pankaj told the Press Trust of India.

Police have registered a case against the management of Sigachi Industries, based on a complaint by the son of a victim.

The company has said it is halting operations at the facility for 90 days, because of damage to equipment and structures within the plant.

“The incident has unfortunately resulted in loss of human life, and there may have been individuals who sustained injuries,” Sigachi Industries said in a statement, adding that it was ascertaining the number who are injured.

Authorities say approximately 60 people were in the building when the blast took place, leading to a complete collapse of the building.

Many of the workers were migrants from states like Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in the north and east of the country.

The unit manufactured microcrystalline cellulose, a binding agent often used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food industries.

“Pressure seems to have built up when the workers were operating the spray dryer,” a senior rescue official told the Indian Express newspaper. “Fine dust chemical particles too accelerated the blast and the subsequent fire.”

At least 25 victims were rushed to nearby hospitals with varying degrees of burns and injuries, rescue officials told the newspaper. Many had reportedly inhaled poisonous fumes.

Rescue workers are still clearing the debris at the blast site and have told ANI news agency that they are unsure how many people were still trapped.

“Once we are all done with the clearing, only then we will be able to assess if any other body is still remaining under the debris or if it is all clear,” GV Narayana Rao, director of Telangana fire disaster response emergency, told Reuters.

Officials say DNA testing is being used to identify bodies that were charred beyond recognition.

The ruling Congress government in the state expressed “deep shock over the massive fire accident” and said compensation will be given to the families of the deceased and injured.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed condolences and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,336; £1,699) for each for the families of the deceased and 50,000 rupees for the injured.

(BBC News)

Officials from India will extend their Washington visit to try to reach agreement on a trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration and address lingering concerns on both sides, two Indian government sources said on Monday.

Trade talks between India and the U.S. have hit roadblocks over disagreements on import duties for auto components, steel, and farm goods, ahead of Trump’s July 9 deadline to impose reciprocal tariffs.

The Indian delegation had been expected to conclude discussions by last Friday, but was staying on until at least Monday evening to iron out differences and move towards an agreement, officials said, declining to be named as the discussions are private.

“There are certain disagreements over opening up the agriculture and dairy sectors, though India has offered tariff concessions on 90% of tariff lines. A final call will be taken by the political leadership of the two countries,” one of the government sources said.

“The Indian delegation could stay for another one to two days if discussions continue,” the second source said.

India’s commerce ministry and the U.S. Trade Representative Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Agriculture and dairy are “big red lines” for India in its ongoing trade negotiations with the U.S., Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told the Financial Express newspaper in an interview published on Monday.

“Yes, I’d love to have an agreement, a big, good, beautiful one; why not?” Sitharaman said, adding that an early conclusion of the trade deal would serve India better.

Trump said last week that America was going to have a “very big” trade deal with India, but gave no details.

(Reuters)