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Bangkok — Thai courts will convene on a trio of politically charged cases next week, including one that could potentially lead to the prime minister's dismissal, increasing the prospect of more government instability in the Southeast Asian country.  In a statement on Wednesday, the Constitutional Court said it would hear a case against Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on June 18. It stems from a complaint by 40 military appointed senators in May, who alleged that he breached the constitution by making a cabinet appointment. The court also said it would hold a hearing next Tuesday in a case brought by the country's election commission that is seeking to disband the opposition Move Forward Party. The party was the surprise winner of last year's general election, but failed to form a government after it was blocked by the conservative-royalist establishment. The court has yet to set a date for the verdicts in both cases. Meanwhile, influential former premier Thaksin Shinawatra - who returned to Thailand last August after 15 years of self-imposed exile is scheduled to be formally indicted in a criminal court for allegedly insulting the royalty and computer crime on Tuesday. The court cases have ramped up political uncertainty in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy and roiled its markets. Srettha, Thaksin and the Move Forward Party deny any wrongdoing. A government spokesperson declined to comment on the court proceedings.  Decades-long struggle Thailand's politics has been defined for decades by a struggle between the powerful conservative, royalist camp and their rivals, which initially centered around Thaksin and his political parties but now also includes Move Forward. A real estate tycoon, Srettha entered politics with the Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai party and has struggled to implement election promises, including firing up the country's laggard economy and a cash handout scheme for 50 million Thais. Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters on Tuesday that Srettha was continuing to work in "full capacity." "There is no problem at all," he said. The main opposition Move Forward party is also under scrutiny from the same court that is considering Srettha's case for a campaign to reform the country's royal insult - or lese majeste - law. The law, which protects the monarchy from insult and defamation, carries a punishment of up to 15 years jail for each perceived offense. It has been applied to prosecute over 270 people since 2020, according to a legal aid group. Move Forward won massive youth support with its lively progressive agenda that was amplified by a sophisticated social media campaign, brushing aside military-backed parties in the 2023 polls and securing 30% of the seats in the lower house. If it is found in breach of the constitution, the party could be dissolved and its executives banned from politics for a decade. A party spokesman did not respond to a call seeking comment. In January, the Constitutional Court ruled in an earlier case that Move Forward's plan to amend lese majeste laws was a hidden effort to undermine the monarchy. The court ordered the party to stop its campaign, which Move Forward did. In 2020, the Move Forward's predecessor party, Future Forward, was dissolved over a campaign funding violation. Future Forward's dissolution was among the factors that triggered massive anti-government street protests in 2020, calling for the removal of then Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and reform of the monarchy.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Seoul — Jin, the oldest member of K-pop phenomenon BTS, was discharged from South Korea's army on Wednesday after 18 months of duty, the first member of the group to wrap up the mandatory national service that put their music careers on hold. Jin, 31, wearing uniform and a black beret, appeared emotional as he hugged his colleagues at a military base in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi province, television footage showed. "I cried during the ceremony," Jin said later during a livestream which racked up over 3 million views on the Weverse fandom platform. "But it was so fun for the last year and six months. It's such a relief I met so many amazing people," he added, sending regards to his colleagues at the military base. Shares of HYBE, the label which houses BTS, jumped 1.01% in early trade while the benchmark KOSPI index rose 0.35%. South Korean media reported several other members of the septet who are currently serving in the military applied for leave to celebrate the occasion. Among them was rapper RM, who greeted Jin with a saxophone to play the group's hit single "Dynamite." Jin became the first member of the group to enlist in the military in December 2022. The final four members of the group began their service in December 2023, with the band expected to reunite in 2025 after they all complete their duty. Jin plans to celebrate his discharge with an event in Seoul on Thursday where he will greet fans and stage a performance. The group debuted on June 13, 2013, and has since become the face of K-pop, one of South Korea's largest cultural exports. South Korea requires all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 28 to serve between 18 to 21 months in the military or social service, but it revised the law in 2020 to let globally recognized K-pop stars delay signing up until age 30.

The Hague — A Dutch court will on Wednesday hand down a long-awaited verdict over the 2021 assassination of high-profile crime journalist Peter R. de Vries, a killing that shocked the country. De Vries was gunned down in broad daylight on a busy Amsterdam street in July 2021, sparking an outpouring of grief and spotlighting the country's drug gang underworld. Authorities believe gunmen targeted De Vries, 64, due to his role as advisor to a key witness in the case of drug kingpin Ridouan Taghi.  Police arrested two suspects, identified only as Dutchman Delano G. and Kamil E. from Poland, shortly after the shooting. Prosecutors have called for a life sentence. Prosecutors believe Delano G. pulled the trigger and Kamil E. drove the getaway car and carried out surveillance prior to the shooting. Seven men suspected of organizing and facilitating the killing have been added to the trial. All nine suspects either denied the charges or invoked their right to silence. Hearings have taken place in an extra high security "bunker" at the court in Amsterdam. A video showing De Vries seriously injured circulated after the attack. Partly because of this, prosecutors charged the suspects with "murder with terrorist intent." Thousands of mourners filed past his coffin in Amsterdam following his death, paying respect to a journalist described as a "national hero."  'Narco-state' De Vries first shot to prominence as an intrepid crime reporter for the daily newspaper De Telegraaf -- writing a best-selling book about the 1980s kidnapping of beer millionaire Freddy Heineken. The book was later turned into a 2015 movie "Kidnapping Freddy Heineken", starring Anthony Hopkins in the title role. The celebrity journalist then moved into television, where he ran his own crime program called "Peter R. de Vries, Crime Reporter." De Vries won international renown in 2008 after winning an Emmy Award for his coverage of the disappearance of US citizen Natalee Holloway on the Caribbean island of Aruba. From 2020, he was an advisor and confidant of Nabil B., the main prosecution witness in the case against Taghi, described as the country's most wanted criminal. De Vries revealed in 2019 that authorities had informed him he was on a hit-list drawn up by Taghi, who in February received a life sentence over a series of murders committed by his gang. Nabil B.'s brother Reduan was killed in 2018, and his lawyer Derk Wiersum was shot dead in 2019. Together with the assassination of De Vries, the three killings together sparked warnings that the country was becoming a "narco-state." The threat touched the top levels of Dutch society. Crown Princess Amalia, the daughter of King Willem-Alexander, was forced to move to Spain for her studies due to fears of an attack from an organized crime group. Both the royal and Prime Minister Mark Rutte were mentioned in messages by organized crime groups, raising fears of plans to kidnap or attack them.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

The United States says it is providing additional humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the surrounding region in response to dire humanitarian conditions. The aid package came hours before Hamas responded to a U.N. cease-fire resolution. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has more. (Produced by: Bakhtiyar Zamanov)

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

A 12-member jury in Wilmington, Delaware, federal court found Hunter Biden guilty on all three counts against him, making him the first child of a sitting U.S. president to be convicted of a crime. Hamas' response to a proposed Gaza cease-fire deal. The Humboldt penguin population has dramatically decreased in areas along the central coast of Chile, making them one of the most vulnerable of the world's 18 penguin species. And a private club in Los Angeles – where the dogs are the members, and the humans are the guests.

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

Seoul, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his country is an "invincible comrade-in-arms" with Russia in a message to President Vladimir Putin, state media KCNA said on Wednesday, amid speculation over Putin's impending visit to North Korea. Marking Russia's National Day, Kim said his meeting with Putin at a Russian space launch facility last year elevated the ties of their "century-old strategic relationship." The message came after Russia's Vedomosti newspaper on Monday reported Putin would visit North Korea and Vietnam in the coming weeks. An official in Vietnam told Reuters the Vietnam trip was planned for June 19 and 20 but has not yet been confirmed. The Kremlin has said Russia wants to foster cooperation with North Korea "in all areas" but has not confirmed the date of the visit. Kim traveled to Russia's Far East last September, touring the Vostochny Cosmodrome space launch center, where Putin promised to help him build satellites. Kim also lauded Russia for achieving results from its efforts to build a strong country by "suppressing and crushing all the challenges and sanctions and pressures of hostile forces." Pyongyang and Moscow have increasingly stepped up diplomatic and security relations, hosting government, parliamentary and other delegations in recent months. A group of North Korean officials in charge of public security was set to visit Russia this week. Officials in Washington and Seoul have accused North Korea of shipping weapons to Russia to support its war against Ukraine in exchange for technological aid with its own nuclear and missile programs. 

Give us 5 minutes, and we'll give you the world. Around the clock, Voice of America keeps you in touch with the latest news. We bring you reports from our correspondents and interviews with newsmakers from across the world.

washington — Military experts are warning of an increased risk of war with China following recent announcements by Beijing providing for more aggressive enforcement of its claims to disputed regions of the South China Sea.   Late last month, China announced its coast guard will be empowered to investigate and detain for up to 60 days "foreigners who endanger China's national security and interests" in the disputed waters. The policy will take effect on June 15.     And on June 8, it announced it would permit the Philippines to deliver supplies and evacuate personnel from an outpost on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal, which has been determined by an international tribunal to lie within Philippine waters, only if it first notifies Beijing.     The Philippine National Security Council replied that the country will continue to maintain and supply its outposts in the South China Sea without seeking permission from any other country.     In a formal statement under the council's letterhead, national security adviser Eduardo Ano dismissed the suggestion as"absurd, ridiculous and unacceptable." According to a June 10 report in the South China Morning Post, a survey released by independent polling agency OCTA Research showed that 73% of Filipinos support further military action to safeguard the Philippines' territorial rights, including expanded naval patrols and the dispatch of additional troops.    Philippine media believe the new procedures will empower the Chinese coast guard to "arbitrarily" arrest Filipinos in their own waters. China's claims to almost the entire sea reach into the internationally recognized economic zones of several Southeast Asian countries.     Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called the new rules "totally unacceptable" and said he will take all necessary measures to "protect citizens" and continue to"defend the country's territory."   In his keynote speech at the Shangri-La Security Dialogue in Singapore on May 31, the president pointed out that if a Filipino was killed in a South China Sea conflict with China, it would"almost certainly" cross a red line and come "very close" to what the Philippines defines as an act of war.   John C. Aquilino, former head of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, testified before the U.S. Congress last month that Manila could invoke the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty in such a case.   Bob Savic, head of international trade at the Global Policy Institute in London, said last week that this could bring the United States and China into a direct conflict.   "The trigger for the First World War occurred on June 28, 1914, with the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand in a country in Southeast Europe. This time, the trigger could be the death of a Filipino sailor in the tropical waters of Southeast Asia," he wrote in an article published in the Asia Times.   He believes if Manila is forced to request U.S. assistance under the Mutual Defense Treaty, it is conceivable that China Coast Guard ships would quickly confront U.S. warships maintaining freedom of navigation in the region. \"The U.S. and China must ensure they don't sleepwalk into a repeat of the 1914 tragedy in the second half of June 2024 or, indeed, at any point in the future," Savic wrote.   'It might trigger escalation' Andrea Chloe Wong, a nonresident research fellow at the Institute for Indo-Pacific Affairs, told VOA at a June 6 seminar hosted by the National Bureau of Asian Research that if the Mutual Defense Treaty is invoked, "it might trigger escalation or conflict between the Philippines and China."   The safety of Filipino personnel has become the focus of recent rounds of South China Sea disputes. On June 7, the Philippines accused a Chinese coast guard ship of ramming a Philippine ship, deterring the evacuation of a sick soldier from a grounded warship which serves as a Philippine military outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal.  Romeo Brawner, chief of staff of the armed forces of the Philippines, told reporters June 4 that Chinese coast guard officers had seized some food that a plane dropped for Philippine naval personnel aboard the aging warship. He also released video of the incident, AP reported.    Despite the rising tension, Oriana Skylar Mastro, a Center Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, told VOA that the possibility of World War III breaking out in the South China Sea is not high.   She believes that China will not choose to fight a war in the South China Sea at this time because they know they would lose.   "They can't project power across those kinds of distances yet. When I talk to the PLA [People's Liberation Army, China's principal military force], they say the only reason they haven't declared internal waters in the Spratly [chain] is because there's no way they can enforce that."   US promises assets, say reports The United States Coast Guard has promised to send assets to the South China Sea to help Manila uphold sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone, ABS-CBN News said Tuesday, citing the Philippine Coast Guard.  In a statement, the Philippine Coast Guard said the U.S. Coast Guard will deploy its North Pacific Coast Guard following a proposal by Philippine Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan. Gavan called for a "greater deployment" in the high seas "to address the forthcoming threat" posed by China's threat to arrest foreigners inside what it claims as its maritime boundaries.   In a research report released last month by the National Bureau of Asian Research, Michael Shoebridge of the Strategic Analysis Australia pointed out that collective action by the Philippines and its allies could effectively reduce risks in the South China Sea.   "The risk of such collective action escalating into conflict is real. However, it could be mitigated by the militaries clearly acting within international law and coordinating a united political response to demonstrate and communicate this,” he wrote. "That would counter Chinese efforts"to intimidate others and cast such lawful action as aggression."   Shoebridge, who also attended the National Bureau of Asian Research's June 6 seminar, said at the meeting that "unless we cause Chinese policy and action to fail, we are leaving all the leverage with Beijing, and we are waiting for our servicemen and women to be killed by the PLA. And that's not the future that I want."   Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.