Briefly

CAMBODIA

20 soldiers killed in ammunition blast

An ammunition explosion at a base in southwestern Cambodia on Saturday killed 20 soldiers and wounded several others, Prime Minister Hun Manet said. He said in a Facebook post that he was "deeply shocked" when he received the news of the blast at the base in Kampong Speu Province. It was not immediately clear what caused it. Pictures of the scene showed several badly damaged buildings still smoldering, at least one with its roof blown off, and soldiers receiving treatment in a hospital. Other photos showed houses with holes in their roofs.

HAITI

Transitional govt to vote for president

Haiti's transition council on Saturday said it will vote for the country's next president on Tuesday as part of efforts to bring the Caribbean country under control amid rampant gang violence. The transition council took power in a ceremony on Thursday, formalizing the resignation of Ariel Henry as the prime minister. The transitional government's mandate runs until February 2026. The council's installation is seen as a key step toward the deployment of a multinational security mission Henry requested in 2022 and the United Nations approved more than six months ago.

THAILAND

King approves reshuffle of cabinet

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has approved a reshuffle of several cabinet members in the government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, a royal decree said on Sunday. According to the Thai government gazette, former chairman of the Thailand stock exchange Pichai Chunhavajira has been appointed the finance minister, taking over the role from Srettha. In the first cabinet reshuffle since Srettha's government took office, six new members have been appointed to the lineup and four ministers have been removed from the cabinet.

UNITED KINGDOM

Border Force staff strike at Heathrow

Border Force staff at Britain's busiest airport, Heathrow, will go on strike for four days from Monday, in protest over changes to their working conditions. The Public and Commercial Services union said more than 300 members of staff would stop working early on Monday in terminals 2, 3, 4 and 5. A separate union, Unite, has said its workers will go on strike at Heathrow from May 7 to May 13 over plans to outsource hundreds of jobs. Surging inflation and a cost of living crisis have led to repeated bouts of strike action in Britain in recent years.

Agencies - Xinhua