Briefly

THAILAND

Pheu Thai party picks PM candidate

Thailand's Pheu Thai party has chosen 37-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra, daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, as its candidate for prime minister, it said on Thursday, a day after a court dismissed incumbent Srettha Thavisin in an ethics case. "We decide to nominate Paetongtarn Shinawatra," the party's Secretary-General Sorawong Thienthong told a news conference in Bangkok. Lawmakers will vote on Friday in parliament — where Pheu Thai heads a governing coalition — on whether to approve Paetongtarn as prime minister.

UNITED STATES

Stranded astronauts' route home in limbo

NASA said on Wednesday it is still deciding whether to keep two astronauts at the International Space Station until early next year and send their troubled capsule back empty. Rather than flying Boeing's Starliner back to Earth, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams would catch a ride on SpaceX's next flight. That option would keep them at the space station until February. The pilots blasted off on June 5 for what was meant to be an eight-day stay. But their return has been delayed by thruster malfunctions. NASA said it is analyzing more data before making a decision by the end of this month.

DPRK

Country to reopen to intl tourists: Operator

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea will reopen to foreign tourism in December after nearly five years of pandemic-triggered closure, two tour operators said on Wednesday. "We have received confirmation from our local partner that tourism to Samjiyon and potentially the rest of the country will officially resume in December," Beijing-based Koryo Tours said on its website. KTG Tours, also based in China, said on Facebook it had been told tourists will be able to go to Samjiyon this winter.

Agencies Via Xinhua