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2025.09.05 09:54 GMT+8

Asia News Wrap: Thailand to get new prime minister, and more

Updated 2025.09.05 09:54 GMT+8
Danny Geevarghese

Here are a few stories from around Asia you may have missed this week.

Thailand to choose new PM after court ruling

Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, signs an agreement with the People's Party during a news conference at the Thai Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, September 3, 2025. /CFP

The Thai parliament will vote for a new prime minister on Friday. The country has been under a caretaker government since last week, after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was removed by a constitutional court.

The ruling party had planned to dissolve parliament and call a snap election. However, that plan was not approved by the King's Council, which reportedly allowed the current House of Representatives to select a new prime minister.

On Thursday, the ruling Pheu Thai Party said it would nominate Chaikasem Nitisiri, a veteran lawyer, to compete against opposition party nominee and Bhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul for the premiership.

Pheu Thai, the populist ruling party led by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has won five of the past six elections.

China unveils new defense equipment at V-Day parade

DF-61 missiles take part in a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War in Beijing, September 3, 2025. /CFP

China unveiled a series of new defense equipment during the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. These included an intercontinental ballistic missile, the DF-5C, and a new road-mobile long-range missile, the DF-61. Newly introduced unmanned underwater vehicles, unmanned ships and unmanned mine-laying systems were all shown for the first time.

Rivers breach banks in northern India, at least five dead

Rising waters of the Yamuna River flood houses in Jaitpur, Vishwakarma Colony, New Delhi, India, September 3, 2025. /CFP

Flooding across northern India killed at least five people on Wednesday, officials said, with local media reporting that 10,000 people have been evacuated from riverbanks in Delhi. The Central Water Commission stated that the swollen Yamuna River breached its danger level on Tuesday in Delhi.

This year's monsoon season in India has been especially intense, resulting in at least 130 deaths in August alone in northern India, destroying villages and infrastructure. Nearly 10,000 people have been evacuated to relief camps set up by the government along major highways as a precaution for residents in low-lying areas.

ROK suspends military radio broadcasts to DPRK

Republic of Korea soldiers dismantle loudspeakers used to broadcast propaganda toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea near the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, August 4, 2025. /CFP

The Republic of Korea (ROK) has suspended a military radio broadcast that transmits to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as part of efforts to reduce tensions with Pyongyang, Seoul's Defense Ministry announced Monday.

It is the first time the ROK has stopped the broadcast in 15 years since it resumed following the DPRK's sinking of an ROK warship, according to media reports.

The radio broadcast, called "Voice of Freedom," aired content such as news about the DPRK, the ROK's economic development, and K-pop culture. It has been used as one of the ROK's tools for psychological warfare against the DPRK.

Philippines: Up to 70% of flood-control budget lost to corruption

Residents trek along flooded roads in Manila, Philippines, August 22, 2025. /CFP

The Philippines loses up to 70 percent of government funds for flood-control projects to corruption, with losses amounting to as much as $2 billion, hindering economic growth over the past two years, a top official said.

Average economic losses from corruption in flood-control projects under the Public Works Department have ranged from about 42.3 billion pesos ($735.42 million) to 118.5 billion pesos from 2023 to 2025, Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said at a Senate budget hearing on Tuesday.

The estimate was based on anecdotal reports that 25 percent to 70 percent of total project costs were lost to corruption, according to the finance chief's presentation.

Cover: A view of a House of Representatives meeting at Parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, September 3, 2025. /CFP

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