News in Brief (2024-01-25)

Thai court clears former PM hopeful

of violating election law

BANGKOK, Jan 24: A Thai court on Wednesday ruled former prime ministerial hopeful Pita Limjaroenrat had not violated election law and could remain a lawmaker, surviving the first of two cases targeting the anti-establishment opposition Move Forward Party. The Harvard-educated Pita, 43, whose bid to become premier was thwarted by lawmakers allied with the royalist military, was cleared of wrongdoing as the court deemed the company he owned shares in had no broadcast concession and should not be considered a mass media organisation. — Reuters

Ukrainian-born model winning Miss Japan

re-ignites identity debate

Tokyo, Jan 24: "There have been racial barriers, and it has been challenging to be accepted as Japanese." That's what a tearful Carolina Shiino said in impeccable Japanese after she was crowned Miss Japan on Monday. The 26-year-old model, who was born in Ukraine, moved to Japan at the age of five and was raised in Nagoya. She is the first naturalised Japanese citizen to win the pageant, but her victory has re-ignited a debate on what it means to be Japanese. While some recognised her victory as a "sign of the times", others have said she does not look like what a "Miss Japan" should. —BBC

Turkey okays Sweden's NATO membership

ANKARA, Jan 24: Turkish legislators on Tuesday endorsed Sweden's membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country's entry into the military alliance. Lawmakers ratified Sweden's accession protocol 287 to 55, with ruling party members saying the Nordic country's tougher stance on Kurdish militants was key to winning approval. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also previously has linked the ratification to Turkey's desire to buy fighter jets from the U.S. The ratification comes into effect after its publication in the Official Gazette, which was expected to be swift. —AP