BANGKOK — Thailand’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra formally completed all his obligations related to a prison sentence on Wednesday, when a royal pardon ended his four-month probation early. The 76-year-old billionaire populist, who was a dominant force in Thai politics for more than two decades, was released from a Bangkok prison last month to … Read more
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A court in the Turks and Caicos Islands has sentenced former Premier Michael Misick to just over four years in prison after he was convicted in a landmark corruption case that had dragged on for years. Misick was arrested in December 2012 in Brazil, after his application for political asylum … Read more
MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine anti-graft court ordered the arrest of a prominent senator on Friday over allegations he pocketed a kickback of millions of dollars in a flood-control project, in the latest crisis to entangle the Senate. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada surrendered and posted bail before the Sandiganbayan court, allowing him to remain free while … Read more
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s parliament on Thursday voted to approve the government program and part of the Cabinet lineup of Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi but hit an impasse over some of the ministerial appointments. The 270 lawmakers in attendance voted to confirm 14 ministers in the 23-member Cabinet. Most were newcomers to the government, but foreign … Read more
BANGKOK — BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand ’s former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose 21st-century political odyssey sharply divided Thai society for decades, was released from a Bangkok prison on Monday after serving eight months of a one-year sentence for a corruption-related charge. A crowd of about 300 supporters and political allies gathered outside the Klong … Read more
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Péter Magyar, arrived Saturday at the Parliament building to be sworn into office, ending Viktor Orbán ‘s autocratic 16-year rule. Magyar’s center-right Tisza party defeated Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz in a stunning blow last month, gaining more votes and seats in Parliament than any other party in Hungary’s post-Communist … Read more
MEXICO CITY — MEXICO CITY (AP) — Salvadoran investigative outlet El Faro announced Thursday that two of its members’ assets, including a bank account and property, were frozen, in what it denounced as an escalation of political persecution for its work exposing corruption in the government of President Nayib Bukele. “It’s another level of attack … Read more
SEOUL, South Korea — An appeals court has raised to four years the sentence for the wife of South Korea’s ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol for corruption, about two months after her husband was sentenced to life in prison for rebellion. In January, ex-first lady Kim Keon Hee was sentenced to 20 months in prison … Read more
BAGHDAD — BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s dominant parliamentary bloc on Monday nominated Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman and political newcomer, to be the country’s prime minister. The announcement by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties allied with Iran, followed a meeting at the government palace. It came after weeks of internal debate among its … Read more
South Africa’s top police official, Fannie Masemola, has been suspended by the president after being charged with breaking finance laws JOHANNESBURG — JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa’s top police official was suspended by the president on Thursday after he was charged with breaking finance laws related to an allegedly corrupt police contract. Fannie Masemola appeared … Read more