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Thailand appointed its second interim prime minister this week, after Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended by the Constitutional Court after a controversial phone talk with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen.

Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, 71, was appointed on Thursday as interim prime minister, just two days after Paetongtarn’s suspension. He took over from Suriya Jungrungreangkit, who held the position for only one day, following approval at a cabinet meeting endorsed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, according to Al Jazeera.

Paetongtarn’s suspension stems from a leaked June phone call in which she referred to Hun Sen as “Uncle” and criticized a Thai army commander. The Constitutional Court, acting on a petition by 36 senators, is investigating possible breaches of ministerial ethics.

Meanwhile, her father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, faces a separate royal defamation case. A court review this month of his previous hospital detention may determine whether he returns to jail, Al Jazeera reported.

Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, 28, died in a fiery car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain with his brother, Spanish state-owned TV station said on Thursday, citing local firefighters, AFP reported.

The Spanish civil guard confirmed to The Associated Press that Jota and his brother Andre Silva, 25, were found dead after their car went off a road. Police were investigating the causes. They said there were no other vehicles involved.

The regional fire department of Castille-Leon, where Zamora is located, said on its website a car crashed shortly after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames, with two men, aged 28 and 25, found dead.

Jota, who got married on June 28, helped Liverpool win the Premier League last season and also won the FA Cup and League Cup with the Merseyside outfit, according to AFP.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who is currently in Spain, interacted with officials and representatives of the Overseas Nepali Forum, Spain.

The Prime Minister, who departed for Spain last Saturday (June 28) to attend the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) organized by the United Nations in Seville from June 30 to July 3, met with the Nepali community last night following the official events of the conference.

The meeting took place at the residence of Nepali Ambassador Shanil Nepal where the Prime Minister urged members of the Nepali Diaspora to return home and utilize the skills, experience, and capital they have acquired in Spain for the development of the nation.

Prime Minister Oli, who leads a coalition government comprising the Nepali Congress (NC) and the CPN-UML, announced that he would hand over power to NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba a few weeks earlier than the timeline agreed upon in their previous deal.

He also took the opportunity to dismiss rumours of internal disputes within the coalition and his party. "We have no issues or disputes," he clarified.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 10.98 points to close at 2,705.81 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 2.74 points to close at 465. 02 points.

A total of 24,976,366-unit shares of 311 companies were traded for Rs 9. 64 billion.

Meanwhile, Nepal Finance Ltd. (NFS) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 9. 98 percent. Likewise, Saptakoshi Development Bank Ltd (SAPDBL) was the top loser as its price fell by 10.00 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 50 trillion.

Road expansion on the Sanga-Dhulikhel road section along the Araniko Highway has been halted due to the monsoon.

The road widening drive would resume once the monsoon exits from the country, the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel, Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bardibas Road Project informed

However, road expansion has been obstructed at Poolbazaar area on the road section for the past four months due to protest from locals.

The road expansion drive has not progressed in the area around 200 meters with some reservation of locals.

Project engineer Bishnu Prasad Khanal said though discussions were frequently held with stakeholders, including people's representatives of the municipality and local residents, concrete results have not been yielded yet.  

With the obstruction of the locals, various activities such as removing houses and huts along with high-tension electric poles, and erecting other electricity poles have come to a standstill.

Meanwhile, expansion of a six-lane road from Suryabinayak, Bhaktapur to Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchowk along the Araniko Highway is not going to be completed on time. Roughly around six months is left for the termination of the deadline.

A target was set to complete the 16-kilometer road within 36 months. The road expansion task started on January 8, 2023.

The bidding was solicited by dividing the 16-kilometer road – from Suryabinayak to Sanga and Sanga to Dhulikhel as part of the expansion drive.

According to the project sources, only around 50 percent construction works have been completed so far.

Project's senior divisional engineer and Information Officer, Sajana Adhikari informed that around 65 percent physical progress would be attained till the stipulated deadline.

The widening drive has been delayed due to several reasons, including local aggression.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that it remained unclear whether Seoul and Washington could conclude their tariff negotiations by the deadline set by President Donald Trump for next week, noting Thursday that both nations were still working to clarify their positions and identify areas of agreement, Associated Press reported.

Speaking at his first news conference since taking office last month, Lee also reiterated his intentions to improve badly frayed ties with North Korea, though he acknowledged that mutual distrust between the Koreas is too deep to heal anytime soon.

Trump’s tariff hikes and other “America First” policies are major challenges for Lee’s month-old government, as are North Korea’s advancing nuclear program and domestic economic woes. Lee, a liberal, came to power after winning a snap presidential election caused by the ouster of conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol over his ill-fated imposition of martial law in December, according to Associated Press.

At least 73 Palestinians, including 33 aid seekers, were killed in Gaza on Wednesday, with witnesses reporting unprovoked gunfire at Israeli and US-backed aid sites. Over 300 people have been killed in the last 48 hours, with Gaza’s media office accusing Israel of 26 mass killings during that time, according to Al Jazeera.

Hamas says it is reviewing a new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, after US President Donald Trump announced Israel’s agreement. The ongoing war has killed over 57,000 in Gaza and 1,139 in Israel since the October 7 attacks.

A fast-moving wildfire whipped by gale-force winds burned through the night and into Thursday on Greece’s southern island of Crete, prompting the evacuation of more than 1,500 people from hotels and homes, Associated Press reported.

The fire department said 230 firefighters backed up by 10 water-dropping aircraft were battling the flames, which have burned through forest and farmland in Crete’s Ierapetra area on the island’s southern coast. Two people were evacuated by boat overnight, while six private boats were on standby in case further evacuations by sea became necessary, the coast guard said.

Homes were reported damaged as flames swept through hillside forests, fanned by strong winds, according to Associated Press.