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A five-storey building collapsed in Pakistan on Friday, killing at least seven people and injuring eight, officials said, with rescuers searching through the rubble for trapped victims.The incident happened shortly after 10 am (0500 GMT) in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan.Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said around 20 families were living inside. “I got a call from my wife saying the building was cracking and I told her to get out immediately,” he told AFP at the scene.”She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her ‘this building will stand for at least 10 more years’. Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.”Rescuers retrieved seven bodies from the rubble, and rescued eight injured people, an official leading the operations, Abid Jalaluddin Shaikh, told AFP.Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab confirmed the death toll to reporters as he visited the site.Up to 100 people had been living in the building, senior police officer Arif Aziz told AFP. Saad Edhi, of the Edhi welfare foundation that is part of the rescue operation, told AFP there could be “at least eight to 10 more people still trapped”, describing it as a “worn-out building”.Nearby residents rushed to save their neighbours before rescuers took over to remove the rubble, along with at least five excavators.The heavy machinery struggled to access the narrow alleys, and police baton-charged residents to clear the way.All six family members of 70-year-old Jumho Maheshwari were at his flat on the first floor when he left for work early in the morning.”Nothing is left for me now — my family is all trapped and all I can do is pray for their safe recovery,” he told AFP.Another resident, Maya Sham Jee, said her brother’s family was also trapped under the rubble.”It’s a tragedy for us. The world has been changed for our family,” she told AFP.”We are helpless and just looking at the rescue workers to bring our loved ones back safely.”In June 2020, at least 18 people were killed when a residential building housing about 40 apartments collapsed in the same area of the city.Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.But Karachi, home to more than 20 million, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.

A five-storey building collapse in Pakistan on Friday killed at least six people and left six injured, police said, with rescuers searching through the rubble for trapped victims.The incident happened shortly after 10 am (0500 GMT) in the impoverished Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi, which was once plagued by gang violence and considered one of the most dangerous areas in Pakistan.Shankar Kamho, 30, a resident of the building who was out at the time, said there were around 20 families living inside. “I got a call from my wife saying the building was cracking and I told her to get out immediately,” he told AFP at the scene. “She went to warn the neighbours, but one woman told her ‘this building will stand for at least 10 more years’. Still, my wife took our daughter and left. About 20 minutes later, the building collapsed.” A senior local police official, Arif Aziz, told AFP that six dead bodies have been retrieved and six wounded people rescued. Up to 100 people had been living in the building, he added. Saad Edhi, of the Edhi welfare foundation that is part of the rescue operation, told AFP there could be “at least eight to 10 more people still trapped”, describing it as a “worn out building”.He also put the death toll at six.Nearby residents rushed to save their neighbours before rescuers took over to remove the rubble, along with at least five excavators.The heavy machinery struggled to access the narrow alleys, and police baton-charged residents to clear the way.In June 2020, at least 18 people were killed when a residential building housing about 40 apartments collapsed in the same area of the city.Roof and building collapses are common across Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and shoddy construction materials in the South Asian country of more than 240 million people.But Karachi, home to more than 20 million, is especially notorious for poor construction, illegal extensions, ageing infrastructure, overcrowding, and lax enforcement of building regulations.

Afghanistan’s government said on Thursday that Russia had become the first country to officially recognise its rule, calling it a “brave decision”.The Taliban swept back to power in 2021 after ousting the foreign-backed government and have imposed an austere version of Islamic law. They have keenly sought official international recognition and investment, as the country recovers from four decades of war, including the Soviet invasion from 1979 to 1989.The announcement was made after Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met with Russia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Dmitry Zhirnov, in Kabul on Thursday.”This brave decision will be an example for others… Now that the process of recognition has started, Russia was ahead of everyone,” Muttaqi said in a video of the meeting on X. “Russia is the first country which has officially recognised the Islamic Emirate,” Taliban foreign ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal told AFP, using the government’s name for their administration. Muttaqi said it was “a new phase of positive relations, mutual respect, and constructive engagement”, the foreign ministry posted on X. Russia’s foreign ministry added on Telegram: “We believe that the act of official recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will boost the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in several areas.” It highlighted potential “commercial and economic” cooperation in “energy, transportation, agriculture and infrastructure”. The ministry said that Moscow hoped to continue helping Kabul “reinforce regional security and fight against the threats of terrorism and drug-trafficking”.Russia has taken recent steps to normalise relations with the Taliban authorities, removing them from a list of “terrorist organisations” in April and accepting a Taliban ambassador in Moscow.In July 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Taliban “allies in the fight against terrorism”.Russia was the first country to open a business representative office in Kabul after the Taliban takeover, and has announced plans to use Afghanistan as a transit hub for gas heading to Southeast Asia. – ‘Allies’ -Only Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates recognised the Taliban during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001. This time, multiple other states, including China and Pakistan, have accepted Taliban ambassadors in their capitals, but have not officially recognised the Islamic Emirate since the end of the then-insurgency’s two-decade war with US-led NATO troops. There has been limited but growing engagement with the Taliban authorities, particularly from regional neighbours, but also major global players China and Russia.China on Friday said it welcomed Russia’s decision.”As a traditional friendly neighbour of Afghanistan, the Chinese side has always believed that Afghanistan should not be excluded from the international community,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.However, restrictions on women and girls, barring them from education and squeezing them from public life, have been key sticking points for Western nations. Multiple Afghan women activists were quick to condemn Russia’s recognition. The move “legitimizes a regime that bans girls from education, enforces public floggings, and shelters UN-sanctioned terrorists”, said Mariam Solaimankhil, former member of Afghanistan’s parliament. “The move signals that strategic interests will always outweigh human rights and international law.”Senior Taliban figures remain under international sanctions, including by the United Nations. Another former MP in Kabul, Fawzia Koofi, said any recognition of the Taliban “will not bring peace it will legitimize impunity” and “risk endangering not just the people of Afghanistan, but global security”.

India captain Shubman Gill scored a superb maiden Test double-century before stand-in fast bowler Akash Deep reduced England to 13-2 at Edgbaston on Thursday with two wickets in consecutive balls.Gill’s 269 was the cornerstone of India’s first-innings 587 all out on the second day of the second Test, with England 77-3 at stumps — a huge deficit of 510 runs. Deep was only featuring after India rested the outstanding Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler but only due to play in three games of this five-match series to minimise the effects of a back injury.The 28-year-old Deep conceded 12 runs in his first over, with Zak Crawley hitting two fours.But Deep’s second over was a very different story, the paceman’s double-wicket maiden leaving England in dire straits at 13-2.He had Ben Duckett, fresh from a superb 149 in England’s five-wicket win in the first Test at Headingley, edging to third slip where Gill capped an already brilliant day for himself by holding a fine catch.Next ball Ollie Pope fell for a golden duck when, closing the face of the bat, he nicked Deep to second slip, with KL Rahul clinging on at the second attempt.Joe Root survived the hat-trick delivery.But India, made to pay for dropping several catches in the cordon at Headingley, then held another when Mohammed Siraj had Crawley edging to Karun Nair at first slip, with England now 25-3.Root (18 not out) and Yorkshire team-mate Harry Brook (30 not out) prevented further collapse with an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 52. But the day belonged to India, bidding for just their fourth series win in England after triumphs in 1971, 1986 and 2007.      – Majestic Gill -Earlier, the 25-year-old Gill, in just his second Test as captain, set a new record for the highest score by an India batsman in a Test in England, surpassing the great Sunil Gavaskar’s 221 at the Oval back in 1979.Gill also received excellent support from spin-bowling all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja (89) and Washington Sundar in partnerships of 203 and 144 for the sixth and seventh wickets, respectively.   Already a Test-best 168 not out at lunch, Gill continued to bat in near flawless fashion in the afternoon.He was especially severe on Shoaib Bashir, cover-driving the off-spinner for four and lofting him for six, with the bowler largely unthreatening against frontline batsmen in a return of 3-167 in 45 overs.A hooked single off fast bowler Josh Tongue, whose two wickets cost 119 runs, took Gill to 200, with the elated skipper bowing to a capacity crowd in celebration.England brought on part-time medium-pacer Brook in a desperate bid to ‘buy’ a wicket but Gill struck him for three successive fours — the best a straight drive. But it was occasional off-spinner Root, however, who bowled the recalled Sundar with a delivery that turned and bounced.By that stage Gill had bettered his Test-best score for the second match in a row after making 147 at Headingley.His marathon Edgbaston innings of some eight-and-a-half hours finally ended with a rare false shot when a tired pull off Tongue found Pope at square leg, with India now 574-8.Several England players shook Gill’s hand after he had faced 387 balls, including 30 fours and three sixes.India, again sent into bat by England captain Ben Stokes, resumed on 310-5, with Gill 114 not out and Jadeja 41 not out in a stand worth 99 at Wednesday’s close after Yashasvi Jaiswal’s entertaining 87. Gill had already become just the seventh player to score a century in each of his first two (or more) Tests as captain.His was also, statistically at least, the most secure Test hundred on record in England since analysts Cricviz began keeping such records in 2006.On Wednesday, Gill’s false shot percentage was just 3.5 percent. The average when making a hundred in England is 12 percent.But India, batting in ideal sunny conditions on Thursday, now wanted even more runs from Gill and Jadeja after collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 cost them dear at Headingley — and they got them.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday outlined plans for deeper ties between his country and Africa, as New Delhi increasingly vies for a stronger economic presence on the continent along with China and Russia.In a speech to Ghana’s parliament, Modi highlighted a major rail project that opened in the west African nation last year, financed by the India Export-Import Bank.He also underlined his country’s expanding diplomatic development and business footprint in Africa.”Over 200 projects across the continent enhance connectivity, infrastructure and Industrial capacity,” Modi said. On the political front he welcomed “the establishment of Ghana-India Parliamentary Friendship Society in your parliament”.Modi’s visit is the first to Ghana by an Indian leader in three decades.But India’s rival China remains the most important backer of infrastructure across the continent, a position only strengthened as the United States and other Western powers slash aid programmes.In a meeting Wednesday, Modi and Ghanaian President John Mahama agreed to deepen security and mining ties.In November 2024, the Indian prime minister visited Nigeria, discussing trade and security at a time when Indian companies had expressed interest in investing in Nigerian industries including steel.The Indian prime minister also on Thursday called for a greater global diplomatic role for both his country and Africa, warning that “the world order created after the Second World War is changing fast”.- Global South’s voice -Modi noted that the African Union had been admitted as a permanent member to the G20 while India held the rotating presidency of the bloc.Progress on worldwide challenges including climate change, diplomacy, “terrorism” and pandemics “cannot come without giving voice to the Global South”, he added.India, the world’s most populous country and a nuclear-armed power, has close ties with Russia but is often in rivalry with China.Resource-rich Ghana is Modi’s first stop in a tour that will take the Indian premier to four other countries in Africa, the Caribbean and South America.The visit to Accra came as he made his way to Brazil for a summit of the BRICS group of emerging economies on Sunday and Monday.Highlighting his own country’s economic development aspirations to become a “developed nation by 2047,” Modi said “India remains a committed partner in Africa’s development journey.”

Hindus began a vast month-long pilgrimage in contested Indian Kashmir on Thursday, with many of the faithful starting from near the site where a deadly April attack triggered conflict with Pakistan.Last year, half a million devotees took part in the Amarnath pilgrimage to a sacred ice pillar located in a cave in the forested Himalayan hills above the town of Pahalgam.Pahalgam is the site where gunmen on April 22 killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists.New Delhi said the gunmen were backed by Pakistan, claims Islamabad rejected — triggering a series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that escalated into a four-day conflict.It was the worst standoff by the nuclear-armed nations since 1999, with more than 70 people killed in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides, before a May 10 ceasefire.But pilgrim Muneshwar Das Shashtri, who travelled from Uttar Pradesh state, told AFP “there is no fear of any kind”.”Our army is standing guard everywhere. No one can raise a finger towards us,” he said.India has ramped up security for the event, deploying 45,000 troops with high-tech surveillance tools overseeing the gruelling trek to reach the high-altitude cave, dedicated to the Hindu deity of destruction Shiva.”We have multi-layered and in-depth security arrangements so that we can make the pilgrimage safe and smooth for the devotees,” said VK Birdi, police chief for the Muslim-majority territory.- ‘Not afraid’ -At Pahalgam, soldiers have turned a tented base camp into a fortress encircled by razor wire.Troops in newly deployed armoured cars, or from gun positions behind sandbags, keep a close watch — efforts boosted by facial recognition cameras.”High-quality surveillance cameras have been installed at all major points along the route,” said Manoj Sinha, the Indian-appointed top administrator for Jammu and Kashmir.All pilgrims must be registered and travel in guarded vehicle convoys, until they start out to walk.Camouflaged bunkers have been erected in the forests along the route, where dozens of makeshift kitchens provide free food.Electronic radio cards pinpoint their location.Pilgrims can take several days to reach the cave, perched at 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) high, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) uphill from the last easily motorable track.”Whatever the attack that was carried out here, I am not afraid. I have come to get a glimpse of baba (the ice formation)” said Ujwal Yadav, 29, from India’s Uttar Pradesh state, undertaking his first pilgrimage to the shrine.”Such are the security arrangements here that no one can be hurt.”Sinha has said that “public confidence is returning”, but admits that pilgrim registration had dipped by 10 percent this year.Once a modest, little-known ritual, attended by only a few thousand mainly local devotees, the pilgrimage has grown since an armed insurgency erupted in 1989.India’s government has since heavily promoted the annual event, which runs until August 9.Rebels fighting against India’s control of Kashmir have said the pilgrimage is not a target, but have warned they would act if it was used to assert Hindu dominance.In 2017, suspected rebels attacked a pilgrim bus, killing 11 people.The gunmen who carried out the April 22 killings remain at large, despite the manhunt by security forces in Kashmir where India has half a million soldiers permanently deployed.On June 22, India’s National Investigation Agency said two men had been arrested from the Pahalgam area who they said had “provided food, shelter and logistical support” to the gunmen.Indian police have issued wanted notices for three of the gunmen, two of whom they said were Pakistani citizens.

Shubman Gill led from the front once more with a second hundred in as many matches as India captain to keep England at bay at Edgbaston on Wednesday.Gill’s 114 not out was the cornerstone of India’s 310-5 at stumps on the first day of the second Test, with Yashasvi Jaiswal contributing a typically entertaining 87.India lost two wickets in quick succession to be 211-5 but all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (41 not out) helped Gill avoid a further collapse in an unbroken stand of 99.Gill, however, knows better than anyone that individual milestones are no guarantee of team success.In the first Test at Headingley, India posted five individual hundreds, including Gill’s 147, and still lost — the first time this had happened in more than 60,000 games of first-class cricket.Batting collapses of 7-41 and 6-31 cost India dear before England, making light of a seemingly stiff target of 371, won by five wickets to go 1-0 up in a five-match series.England captain Ben Stokes, as he did in Leeds, again opted to field after winning the toss, with England having achieved their all-time record fourth innings victory chase of 378 at Edgbaston, against India, three years ago. KL Rahul, fresh from a hundred at Headingley, rarely looked comfortable as he laboured for a 26-ball two that ended when he played on to Chris Woakes. Both Woakes (2-59 in 21 overs) and new-ball partner Brydon Carse (1-49 in 16) kept things tight. But the pressure England had exerted in a first hour where India were held to 37-1 off 13 overs was released by Josh Tongue, whose 13 wicketless overs cost 66 runs. England, however, would have been in a stronger position had a couple of close lbw reviews not gone against them on umpire’s call, with batsmen spared by the fact the on-field officials had initially ruled in their favour.”A couple of decisions go our way early doors and then all of a sudden they’re 30-3 and we’re looking at a completely different day ahead,” Woakes told Sky Sports.The all-rounder added: “A couple of wickets early in that last session, which we felt like we could have kicked on and got into the tail, but they played well.” Left-hander Jaiswal completed a 59-ball fifty, where 40 of his runs came in fours, with consecutive boundaries off fast bowler Tongue, a hook followed by a rasping cut.- Jaiswal denied century -Jaiswal, 62 not out at lunch, look destined for another hundred after his 101 at Headingley until caught behind flat-footedly edging a cut off a loose Stokes delivery, with India then 161-3.New batsman Rishabh Pant, who in Leeds became only the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score two hundreds in a match, was relatively restrained in taking 23 balls to score his first boundary — a six off Shoaib Bashir.The off-spinner, however, had his revenge when Pant (25) holed out to long-on.India’s 208-4 became 211-5 when the recalled Nitesh Kumar Reddy was bowled playing no shot to a Woakes delivery that nipped back off the seam.But the 25-year-old Gill pulled the lively Stokes in front of square and drove Carse for commanding fours. Gill though required several minutes of on-field treatment when on 86 for what appeared to be cramp – a delay that led to boos from a capacity crowd at a sun-drenched Edgbaston. But the jeers turned to cheers when, in the over before England took the new ball, Gill swept part-time off-spinner Joe Root for consecutive fours to complete a watchful 199-ball hundred, including 11 boundaries. India made three changes, notably resting Jasprit Bumrah after it was announced before the series the outstanding fast bowler would only feature in three of the five Tests in order to protect his fitness following a back injury.The third Test at Lord’s starts just four days after the scheduled end of the game in Birmingham. Akash Deep was given the unenviable task of replacing Bumrah, the world’s number one-ranked Test bowler.Both teams and the umpires wore black armbands on Wednesday in memory of former England batsman Wayne Larkins, who died aged 71 last weekend.

England captain Ben Stokes again proved his worth as a Test-match partnership-breaker at Edgbaston on Wednesday by denying India dangerman Yashasvi Jaiswal his second hundred of the series.India were 182-3 at tea on the first day of the second Test after Jaiswal had fallen for 87, with the tourists looking to level the five-match series at 1-1 after last week’s five-wicket loss at Headingley. India captain Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, who between them scored three of the team’s five hundreds at Headingley — something no other losing side had achieved in more than 60,000 games of first-class cricket — were 42 and 14 not out respectively. Jaiswal was closing in on a century after another dazzling display of stroke-play when the left-handed opener cut flat-footedly at a short and wide ball from all-rounder Stokes, bowling from around the wicket, only to edge a poor delivery straight to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.It was a tame end and meant Jaiswal was unable to match his excellent 101 at Headingley — a game England won as they made light of chasing 371 for victory.The 23-year-old’s exit also saw the end of a third wicket partnership of 66 with India captain Shubman Gill that had taken the tourists to 161-3.New batsman Pant, fresh from becoming just the second wicketkeeper in Test history to score hundreds in both innings of a match with 134 and 118 in Leeds, waited a relatively restrained 23 balls until he scored his first boundary Wednesday — a six over midwicket against off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.  Earlier Stokes, as he had done at Headingley, opted to field after winning the toss, with England having achieved their all-time record fourth innings victory chase of 378 at Edgbaston, against India three years ago. KL Rahul, fresh from a second-innings hundred at Headingley, rarely looked comfortable Wednesday as he took 26 balls to score two in an innings that ended when he played on to Chris Woakes, on his Warwickshire home ground.Brydon Carse kept things tight at the other end as India were held to 37-1 off 13 overs in the first hour of play.But there was a release of pressure when he was replaced by Tongue.Jaiswal went to his fifty with consecutive boundaries off Tongue, a hook followed by a rasping cut. It took him a mere 59 balls to reach the landmark, with 40 of his runs coming in fours.But shortly before lunch, Karun Nair (31) was undone by a lifting ball from the admirable Carse that lobbed gently to second slip.The most eye-catching of the three changes made by India saw Jasprit Bumrah rested after it was announced before the series he would only feature in three of the five Tests in order to protect his fitness following a back injury.The third Test at Lord’s starts just four days after the scheduled end of the game in Birmingham. Akash Deep was given the unenviable task of replacing Bumrah, the world’s number one-ranked Test bowler.India have yet to win a Test at Edgbaston following seven defeats and a draw at the Birmingham ground.They are also bidding for just a fourth series win in England following triumphs in 1971, 1986 and 2007.    

The Dalai Lama said Wednesday that the 600-year-old Tibetan spiritual institution would continue after his death, reassuring Buddhist followers around the globe and saying his office “exclusively” would name his successor, even as China insisted it would.Followers of the Dalai Lama laud his tireless campaign for greater autonomy for Tibet, a vast high-altitude plateau in China about the size of South Africa.It is a landmark decision for Tibetans, many of whom had feared a future without a leader, as well as for global supporters who see the Dalai Lama as a symbol of non-violence, compassion and the enduring struggle for Tibetan cultural identity under Chinese rule.According to Tibetans, Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.He and thousands of other Tibetans have lived in exile in India since Chinese troops crushed an uprising in the Tibetan capital Lhasa in 1959.The charismatic Nobel Peace Prize-winning Buddhist had previously said the institution of Dalai Lama would continue only if there was popular demand.He said Wednesday he had received multiple appeals over the past 14 years from the Tibetan diaspora, Buddhists from across the Himalayan region, Mongolia and parts of Russia and China, “earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue”.”In particular, I have received messages through various channels from Tibetans in Tibet making the same appeal,” he said in a video broadcast at the start of a meeting of religious leaders in the Indian Himalayan town where he has lived for decades.”In accordance with all these requests, I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” he added, according to an official translation.The announcement was made ahead of his 90th birthday on July 6.- ‘Historic’ -While China condemns him as a rebel and separatist, the internationally recognised Dalai Lama describes himself as a “simple Buddhist monk”.Many exiled Tibetans fear China will name its own successor to bolster control over a territory it poured troops into in 1950.But the Dalai Lama said Wednesday that responsibility for identifying the 15th Dalai Lama “will rest exclusively” with the India-based Gaden Phodrang Trust, the office of the Dalai Lama.Samdhong Rinpoche, a senior Tibetan leader from the Gaden Phodrang Trust, told reporters that the Dalai Lama was “in excellent health” and that, at this time, there were “no further instructions for succession”.However, Rinpoche said the next Dalai Lama could be of “any nationality”, and would come from a place where there is “access to freedom”.China said on Wednesday that the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama “must be approved by the central government” in Beijing, and that it would be carried out “by drawing lots from a golden urn”, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.That urn is held by Beijing, and the Dalai Lama has already warned that, when used dishonestly, it lacks “any spiritual quality”.The Dalai Lama handed over political authority in 2011 to an exiled government chosen democratically by 130,000 Tibetans globally.At the same time, he warned that the future of his spiritual post faced an “obvious risk of vested political interests misusing the reincarnation system”.In 1995, Beijing selected a Panchen Lama, another influential Tibetan religious figure, and detained a Dalai Lama-recognised six-year-old, described by rights groups as the world’s youngest political prisoner.The Dalai Lama’s announcement about the continuation of the role was welcomed with relief by Tibetans, including by Jigme Taydeh, a civil servant with the India-based Tibetan government.”Whilst we rejoice at this confirmation of its continuation, we stringently object to China’s interference and plans to install a puppet Dalai Lama”, he said. “Neither the Tibetans nor the world would recognise such mischief.”burs-pjm/lb

Thailand’s acting prime minister is set to helm the country for only one full day Wednesday, standing in for suspended premier Paetongtarn Shinawatra before being replaced himself in a cabinet reshuffle.Transport minister and deputy prime minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit began his engagements by attending a ceremony in Bangkok celebrating the longevity of the prime minister’s office.The event marked the 93rd anniversary of an institution Suriya is set to command for far fewer than 93 hours as Thailand reels from the suspension of Paetongtarn, heiress of the country’s dominant political dynasty.During a brief ceremony open to media Suriya declined to respond to queries asking how he felt about his ephemeral leadership, which caps a decades-long political career.He said his most urgent business had been to “sign a paper” ensuring a smooth transition to his successor on Thursday.The Constitutional Court said Tuesday there was “sufficient cause to suspect” Paetongtarn breached ministerial ethics in a diplomatic spat with Cambodia, suspending her pending a probe that may last months.- ‘I don’t know the guy’ -The 38-year-old Paetongtarn is the daughter of political heavyweight Thaksin Shinawatra, whose family and party have been jousting with Thailand’s conservative establishment since the early 2000s.Power immediately passed to 70-year-old Suriya, a veteran operator with a reputation in Thai media as a political weathervane for always aligning himself with the government of the day.”I don’t really know the guy, but I don’t care anymore who becomes prime minister,” 54-year-old motorbike taxi driver Paitoon Kaewdee told AFP.”I’ve lost hope in Thai politics. I used to care a lot about politics and the Shinawatra family but now, it’s all the same.”Suriya’s time as acting premier is due to end with a cabinet reshuffle already scheduled before Tuesday’s court bombshell.It takes effect in an oath-swearing ceremony scheduled on Thursday, when he is set to be superseded by incoming interior minister Phumtham Wechayachai.The ruling Pheu Thai party said late Tuesday that Phumtham will take over after the cabinet reshuffle because he will receive a deputy prime minister title that is higher in the order of succession than Suriya.The “power vacuum at the top” may threaten Thailand’s bid for a US trade deal to avert President Donald Trump’s threat of a 36 percent tariff, said Capital Economics senior Asia economist Gareth Leather.”I want a new election,” complained 40-year-old Bangkok office worker Chatchai Summabut. “This country needs stability.”- Waning influence -Paetongtarn — who became prime minister only last August — assigned herself the culture minister position in the new cabinet before she was suspended, meaning she is set to keep a perch in the upper echelons of power.She, Suriya and Phumtham are all members of Pheu Thai, which came second in the 2023 election but secured power by forming an unsteady coalition with its former enemies in pro-military parties.But analysts say Paetongtarn’s pause from office represents a dramatic waning of the Shinawatras’ influence, even though the acting prime ministers are still considered their loyal lieutenants.Tuesday also saw the second day of Thaksin’s criminal trial for royal defamation, in which he faces a possible 15-year sentence if convicted.Paetongtarn has been hobbled over a longstanding territorial dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, which boiled over into cross-border clashes in May, killing one Cambodian soldier.When she made a diplomatic call to Cambodian ex-leader Hun Sen she called him “uncle” and referred to a Thai military commander as her “opponent”, according to a leaked recording causing widespread backlash.A conservative party abandoned her ruling coalition — sparking the cabinet reshuffle — while her approval rating plunged and thousands mustered to protest over the weekend.Conservative lawmakers accused her of kowtowing to Cambodia and undermining the military, entering a case with the Constitutional Court alleging she breached the constitution’s ministerial ethics code.