FILE - Tom Wilkinson arrives at the "Denial" premiere on day 4 of the Toronto International Film Festival at the Princess of Wales Theatre on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2016, in Toronto. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, file)
LONDON (AP) — Tom Wilkinson, the Oscar-nominated British actor known for his roles in “The Full Monty,” “Michael Clayton” and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” has died, his family said. He was 75.
A statement shared by his agent on behalf of the family said Wilkinson died suddenly at home on Saturday. It didn’t provide further details.
Wilkinson was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for his work in 2001’s family drama “In The Bedroom” and in the best supporting actor category for his role in “Michael Clayton,” a 2007 legal thriller that starred George Clooney.
He is remembered by many in Britain and beyond for playing former steel mill foreman Gerald Cooper in the 1997 comedy “The Full Monty,” about a group of unemployed steel workers who formed an unlikely male stripping act.
Wilkinson was born in Yorkshire in northern England in 1948 and spent part of his childhood in Canada. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in the 1970s.
He starred in dozens of other TV dramas and movies, from “Rush Hour” and “Batman Begins” to “Shakespeare in Love,” “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “Valkyrie.”
He most recently reunited with his “Full Monty” co-stars, Robert Carlyle and Mark Addy in a Disney+ series of the same name.
“He’ll be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of working with him,” Carlyle said in a statement. “Such a huge performer, a real titan of an actor, one of the greats of not only his, but of any generation.”
Wilkinson was recognized for his services to drama in 2005 when he was appointed a member of the Order of the British Empire.
He also won a 2009 Golden Globe and 2008 Emmy for his role as Benjamin Franklin in the HBO series “John Adams.”
Wilkinson married actress Diana Hardcastle in 1988. The couple had two daughters.
In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a year-end plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party, which was held between Dec. 26, and Dec. 30, 2023, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to launch three additional military spy satellites, produce more nuclear materials and introduce modern attack drones in 2024, as he called for “overwhelming” war readiness to cope with U.S.-led confrontational moves, state media reported Sunday.
Kim’s comments, made during a key ruling Workers’ Party meeting to set state goals for next year, suggest he’ll intensify a run of weapons tests ahead of the U.S. presidential elections in November. Observers say Kim believes a boosted nuclear capability would give him another chance to launch high-stakes summit diplomacy with the U.S. to win sanctions relief if former President Donald Trump returns to the White House.
During the five-day meeting that ended Saturday, Kim said moves by the United States and its followers against North Korea have been unprecedented this year, pushing the Korean Peninsula to the brink of a nuclear war, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
A year-end plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party, is held between Dec. 26, and Dec. 30, 2023, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
“The grave situation requires us to accelerate works to acquire overwhelming war response capabilities and thorough and perfect military readiness to suppress any types of provocations by the enemies at a stroke,” Kim said, according to KCNA.
Kim set forth plans to launch three more military spy satellites next year in addition to the country’s first reconnaissance satellite launched in November. He underscored the need to establish “a reliable foundation” to increase North Korea’s number of nuclear weapons, an apparent reference to facilities to produce fissile materials like weapons-grade plutonium and highly enriched uranium.
Kim also ordered authorities to enhance submarine capabilities and develop various types of modern unmanned combat equipment such as armed drones, according to KCNA.
“Pyongyang might be waiting out the U.S. presidential election to see what its provocations can buy it with the next administration,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
Kim has been focusing on modernizing his nuclear arsenal since his diplomacy with Trump, then the U.S. president, broke down in 2019 due to wrangling over how much sanctions relief the North could be given for a partial surrender of its nuclear program. Experts say Kim likely thinks that Trump, if elected for a second term, could make concessions as the U.S. is preoccupied with the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas fighting.
Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Korea University in South Korea, said if President Joe Biden is reelected, North Korea won’t get what it wants. But he said a Trump win could revive summit diplomacy between the two countries, as Trump will likely say during his campaign that he can convince North Korea to suspend intimidating weapons tests.
“North Korea will act under its timetable for provocation until the U.S. election day,” Nam said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, attends a year-end plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party, which was held between Dec. 26, and Dec. 30, 2023, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
He said Kim’s vow to ramp up production of plutonium and uranium is meant to add to his negotiating cards in potential diplomacy with the Americans. Nam said North Korea will also test-launch more intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the continental U.S. this year.
The U.N. atomic agency and foreign experts recently said North Korea appears to have started operating a light-water reactor at its main nuclear complex in a possible attempt to secure a new source for weapons-grade plutonium. South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik said last week that the reactor appears to be in a trial operation stage and is expected to be formally operational by next summer.
“The Kim regime has closed the political door on denuclearization negotiations but could offer rhetorical restraint and a testing freeze in exchange for sanctions relief,” Easley said. “Although North Korea has no intention of giving up nuclear weapons, it might try to extract payment for acting like a so-called responsible nuclear power.”
Since last year, North Korea has test-fired more than 100 ballistic missiles, many of them nuclear-capable weapons targeting the mainland U.S. and South Korea, in violation of U.N. bans. The United States and South Korea responded by expanding their military exercises and deploying U.S. strategic assets such as bombers, aircraft carriers and a nuclear-armored submarine in South Korea. North Korea calls the moves U.S.-led invasion rehearsals.
South Korea’s spy agency said last week that North Korea will likely launch military provocations and cyberattacks ahead of South Korean parliamentary elections in April and the U.S. presidential election in November.
During his speech at the party meeting, Kim used bellicose, derisive rhetoric against South Korea, calling it “a half-paralyzed, deformed U.S. colony” with “Yankee culture.” He said South Korea must not be considered as a partner for reconciliation or unification. He ordered the military to use all available capabilities including nuclear to conquer South Korea in the event of a potential conflict.
Some analysts have predicted that limited armed clashes between the Koreas along their tense land and sea border could happen in the coming year.
Kim also maintained that North Korea must solidify cooperation with “anti-imperialist, independent” countries that he said oppose U.S.-led Western hegemony.
Kim didn’t mention those countries by name. But North Korea has been seeking to beef up its cooperation with Russia and China, which have repeatedly blocked the U.S. and others’ attempts to toughen U.N. sanctions on the North over its banned missile tests. The U.S. and South Korea accuse North Korea of supplying conventional arms like artillery and ammunition to Russia in return for high-tech Russian technologies to boost its own military programs.
Julianne Smith, U.S. permanent representative to NATO, said earlier this month the U.S. assessed that the suspected Russian technologies North Korea seeks are related to fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials of that kind. Smith said U.S. intelligence indicates that North Korea has provided Russia with more than 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions.
South Korean officials said Russian support likely enabled North Korea to put its spy satellite into orbit for the first time on Nov. 21. Many foreign experts are skeptical about the satellite’s ability to take militarily meaningful high-resolution images. But Shin, the South Korean defense chief, said in November that Russia could help North Korea produce higher-resolution satellite photos.
FILE - Bollywood actors Deepika Padukone, left, and Shah Rukh Khan, right, dance at an event to celebrate the success of their movie "Jawan" in Mumbai, India, on Sep. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File)
Bollywood celebrates rocking year, riding high on action flicks, unbridled masculinity and misogyny
NEW DELHI (AP) — Bollywood has made a financial comeback this year worthy of one of its traditional singing-on-top-of-the-hills moments.
India’s Hindi language movie industry made an impressive recovery after a pandemic-driven slowdown, audience fatigue with big studio productions and Bollywood megastars, and streaming platforms taking away a large chunk of viewership.
According to consultancy firm Ormax Media, the cumulative box office in 2023 pulled in $1.3 billion, making it one of the best-grossing years of all time.
Indian moviegoers — both the masses and niche film lovers — are back in theaters and the massive commercial success of big-ticket Bollywood films has set at ease fears that Mumbai’s glitzy dream factory was losing its shine.
As one of the largest film producers in the world, India rolls out more than 1,500 movies yearly, its diverse storytelling traditions reflected in its prolific cinematic entertainers.
The films that made the cut this year were a mixed bag of visual delights. Some portrayed the classic Bollywood larger-than-life spectacles, others were action-filled spy thrillers with top-billing movie stars. Many included stylized special effects, slickly choreographed romantic songs filmed in stunning locales, and pulsating music that had fans cheering and dancing in cinema halls.
More than anything, the year belonged to India’s beloved superstar, Shah Rukh Khan, whose son was jailed amid controversy in a narcotics case in 2021 and subsequently cleared of the charges. Khan’s global fandom welcomed him back like never before, with his movies pumping the box office numbers.
The year began with his movie “Pathaan,” which made more than $100 million worldwide, according to The Numbers website. Then came “Jawan,” which raked in nearly $136 million worldwide. And the year is ending with yet another, titled “Dunki.”
“Very grateful to all the people around the world who have given me soooo much love as an entertainer,” Khan recently posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
“This year Shah Rukh Khan has almost single-handedly revived cinema, very similar to what Tom Cruise did in Hollywood with his ‘ Top Gun ‘” last year, said Nikhil Taneja, co-founder of the youth-centered media organization Yuvaa and host of the popular YouTube show, “Be A Man, Yaar.”
FILE – Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan acknowledges the crowd after his team Kolkata Knight Riders’ won the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Kolkata, India, on April 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Bikas Das, File)
Other blockbusters of the year include the heavily criticized “Animal” featuring actor Ranbir Kapoor, “Gadar 2” with actor Sunny Deol, and Salman Khan’s “Tiger 3.”
It was also a year when hyper-masculinity overwhelmed Bollywood, often wrapped in misogyny and aggressive nationalism.
Angry young men have always been a staple of Indian movies but the excessive, fantasized screen violence this year took it to another level. Almost all 2023 Bollywood hits were filled with anger and violence, and led by alpha male protagonists with rippling muscles and blazing guns brandished on screen as they went on a bone-crunching rampage to vanquish their enemies.
Even Shah Rukh Khan, known as the king of romance, embraced the gun and gore while playing a spy fighting a militant outfit in “Pathaan” and a vigilante battling institutional injustices in “Jawan.”
While Khan’s soft machismo remained nurturing and women-friendly even in his action flicks, many critics slammed the superhit movie “Animal” directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga for glorifying the toxic masculinity and misogyny of its twisted leading man. The film is moving toward a $100-million run at box offices worldwide, its production company, Bhadrakali Pictures, said.
“Violent men do exist in the real world and a violent man can certainly be the central character in a film — the issue here, as always, is the manner of the portrayal, the script’s indulgence towards him, the humour and coolth written into his fictional character, and the various means used to give him an allure despite his violent ways,” film critic and author Anna MM Vetticad wrote in a blog post.
FILE – Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan lies on the floor as he posses with others during a press conference after success of their movie ‘Jawan’ in Mumbai, India, on Sept. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade, File)
India has the world’s largest young population, who also make up the majority of movie watchers. In a country where movie stars have a cult-like following, and movies reflect as well as shape mass behavior, making dehumanizing violence and casual sexism aspirational can be damaging, observers said.
The country’s National Crime Records Bureau reported more than 445,000 cases of crimes against women in 2022, an increase of 4%. “Cruelty by Husband or Relatives” accounted for more than 31% of such crimes, the report said.
“Today what we see is the detachment of violence from emotional purpose,” in the movies, wrote social commentator Santosh Desai in the Times of India newspaper. “Given that politically, there is great comfort with maintaining more traditional gender roles, this emphatic assertion of masculinity might take us back in time.”
Taneja, the Yuvaa organization co-founder, has been holding roadshows to reach out to young Indians about what he calls “positive masculinity.” He said some films “feed into every single bias” of the viewer, whether it was misogyny or a villain of a different religion.
“When they see such films, they can relate to what they see in their homes where their fathers are misogynistic. They are patriarchal to their mothers. They see a certain kind of gender imbalance and they start believing it,” he said.
In this photo provided by the youth-centred media organization “Yuvaa,” host Nikhil Taneja, right, speaks with the Bollywood actor Vicky Kaushal on the sets of the chat show ‘Be A Man, Yaar’ in Mumbai, India, on June 18, 2023. (Yuvaa via AP)
However, other successful films this year showcased a less angry, more accommodative masculinity, said Taneja.
Karan Johar’s “Rocky aur Rani kii Prem Kahaani,” or “Rocky and Rani’s love story,” won praise from most critics for its gender politics and for challenging male stereotypes and prejudices. The film went on to make nearly $45 million at box offices worldwide, according to the Bollywood Hungama website.
The answer lies in steering the public discourse away from movies that “aim to provoke only for the act of triggering,” toward those that espouse other versions of modern Indian masculinity, Taneja said. “We need to have more conversations about the alternates — positive, empathetic and gentle masculinity — and push them more.”
The officers had to use more than ten people to grab the injured Chinese man.
PATTAYA – An injured Chinese tourist who soaked in blood within Soi Khao Talo, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, refused to be rescued by officials on Friday night.
More than ten officials, including Pattaya tourist police officers, Nong Prue Police Station officers, and volunteer rescuers, had to apprehend him and transport him to the hospital.
Mr. Lo, 25, was discovered approximately 500 metres distant from the house where the incident occurred. Many locals gathered in fear to witness the occurrence. They noticed that the Chinese man had a knife wound in the right side of his neck, two significant wounds, and blood all over his body.
The incident happened in Soi Khao Talo, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province.
His friends and authorities tried to persuade him to go to the hospital for treatment, but he refused. He began to feel dizzy after more than 20 minutes, lost a lot of blood, and staggered until he fell. The officers responded quickly, but he showed no signs of settling down. He stood up and resisted once again.
Mr.Lo is physically strong and has muscles from exercising, so the full team of officers had to use more than ten people to grab and carry him onto the patient moving board, then use clothes to tie his hands and legs before rushing him to the hospital.
Mr. Watcharachai Saengchanloi, 34, works as a security guard in the area where the event took place. He learned that Mr. Lo injured himself with a knife, then climbed the wall and jumped out of the house. The security crew trailed him down the road until he took a hideout at the edge of the wooded areas. As a result, he promptly called the officials to assist.
A group of the Chinese man’s friends reported to the police, using a translation app, that Mr. Lo was suffering from depression. Everyone was stunned at the time of the incident. When they recovered consciousness, they quickly sought assistance.
Police Lieutenant Narongwat is detained at a rental room in Don Mueang District, Bangkok, on December 30, 2023.
BANGKOK – A police lieutenant was detained at the Wang Thonglang Police Station. after being charged with murder for shooting a 30-year-old businessman to death on the Chalong Rat motorway in Bangkok on December 30.
Eyewitnesses from the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) told investigators that around midnight on Saturday, they witnessed a Hyundai van lose control and crash onto the side of a motorway bridge. As a result, they stopped to assist.
There were two individuals yelling and fighting close to the vehicle at the time. One person was assaulted and was laying on the road, while the other sat astride him and held a handgun. They then took a step back, terrified by the violence.
They later heard two gunshots and witnessed the shooter get into the van and depart. As a result, they raced to assist the injured man. But after a while, the van reappeared, and the shooter appeared with the pistol, forcing them to flee once more. The gunman shot the victim many times until he died.
At 5:20 a.m., Metropolitan Police officers tracked and arrested the gunman, a police officer stationed at Hua Mak Station named Police Lieutenant Narongwat, aged 25, at a rental room in Don Mueang District.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Thananthorn Rattana Sittipak, Commander of Metropolitan Police Division 4, announced at 12:20 p.m. that Pol. Lt. Narongwat had confessed to all charges. The incident began with a quarrel with Mr. Kris, the businessman. The two had known each other for five months, ever since the businessman reported the incident in another case to the Hua Mak Police Station.
A 30-year-old businessman was shot to death on the Chalong Rat motorway on December 30, 2023.
Following that, Pol. Lt. Narongwat spent time after work driving the businessman, who promised to help him settle a two million baht debt from a failed business. However, Pol. Lt. Narongwat did not receive the promised help. He was enraged that he had been taken advantage of. They quarrelled on the motorway.
Pol. Lt. Narongwat claimed that after shooting Mr.Kris and returning to the accident scene, he wanted to seize the phone that had been fallen. He shot Mr. Kris again when he realised he wasn’t dead.
He was charged with “intentionally killing another person and taking weapons into the city, community, or public way openly or without necessity and urgency appropriate to the circumstances and shooting dynamite-using guns without reason in cities, villages, or crowded places.”
On December 31, he will appear in criminal court. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Division 4 will proceed with his dismissal from service.
Mr. Stephane, who was dressed just in shorts, sat inside the Thai-style pavilion inside the house.
CHONBURI – One day after the Sattahip police officer in Chonburi Province hurried to rescue the Frenchman, 51, who had harmed himself inside the house until he regained consciousness and calmed down, he used the knife on himself again on Friday.
On December 29, around 1:30 p.m., a Thai wife of a Frenchman requested assistance from a Sattahip Police Officer, stating that her husband, Stephan, couldn’t control himself and injured himself again after she and their son went outside.
The Frenchman tried to harm himself in two consecutive days.
The police then went to the house, which is located in Village No. 9, Bang Saray Subdistrict, Sattahip District, along with Chonburi Immigration Police officers, officials from the Klet Kaew Subdistrict Municipality’s disaster prevention and relief work, and staff from the Sawangrojanathammasathan Foundation Rescue Unit.
They discovered that the house door was locked, so they had to cut the key in order to get entry. Mr. Stephane, who was dressed just in shorts, sat inside the Thai-style pavilion inside the house, a sharp knife slammed into his own chest. He yelled at the cops not to come in.
The police officers and rescuers had to cut the key in order to get into the house of the Frenchman.
The officers then attempted to speak with him for two hours, but he refused to give up the knife. Even the Frenchman’s wife and son rushed back from a business trip to assist with the conversation, but it was unsuccessful.
Later, some officers withdrew since they did not dare approach the Frenchman while the other officers kept a tight eye on him. They waited for him to calm down before taking him to a psychiatrist for a mental health checkup and treatment.
The Frenchman’s wife stated earlier that her husband was stressed since the family’s money was insufficient.
BANGKOK – Following the release of a viral video showing a group of Indian tourists fighting with a group of Thais on Thursday, Pol. Col. Navin Teerawit, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station, said on December 29 that officers questioned three of the seven people in the video.
Officials also questioned all of the Thai individuals in the video and filed their criminal records before freeing them.
The incident occurred on Thursday morning at Pattaya Beach Soi 13, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province, according to witnesses.
According to witnesses, a group of Thai men and women sat drinking alcohol as a group of Indian tourists strolled down the beachfront sidewalk. An Indian woman stepped in and slapped a Thai woman. She also called out to her friends to come over and help her.
Two groups of individuals are seen chasing each other in the centre of the road in the clip. They attacked each other with sticks over a metre long, belts, glass bottles, and iron ladles, causing passing cars to stop, and no one dared to stop them because they were scared he might be injured as well.
According to the police officer, the inquiry indicated that the stories from both sides were contradictory. The Indians said that a Thai woman first splashed them with beer. The Thai woman claimed she had been drinking when the Indians walked in and asked to buy her services by speaking insultingly, so she splashed beer. Then an Indian rushed up behind her and attacked her. As a result, a brawl broke out.
Officials are still waiting for the results of both sides’ physical examinations before proceeding with the charge.
MR.Ryan Hill, MD Partnership Markets, Asia of CAMPARI GROUP (3rd from left) and MR.Robert F. Maurer Loeffler, Vice President Operations & General Manager – Centara Grand At CentralWorld (Middle) together launched “CAMPARI SUNSET OPENING NIGHT”. CAMPARI, Italy’s iconic red apéritif, and Centara Grand at CentralWorld launched a new spot to sip and savour Italian-inspired and classic drinks while enjoying the stunning sunset above the city at Sunset Lounge, located on the 56th floor at Red Sky Bar.
From Left:
Carla Porter
Nishsha Boonyagorn
MR.Ryan Hill, MD Partnership Markets, Asia of CAMPARI GROUP
MR.Robert F. Maurer Loeffler, Vice President Operations & General Manager – Centara Grand At CentralWorld
Katreeya English
MR.Unnop Kaewputtal, EAM, Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld
Italian-inspired drinks, timeless classics and creative signature concoctions, and more while soaking up the scenery as the skies change the colour from one of Bangkok’s best spots.
Don’t miss the new and elevated Italian cocktail experience above the Bangkok skyline at Sunset Lounge. It is open daily from 17.00 – 01.00 hrs. Reservation is highly recommended at 02 100 6255.For more information, please visit https://www.bangkokredsky.com/
ABOUT CAMPARI Campari, the iconic, unforgettable Italian red spirit sitting at the heart of some of the world’s most famous cocktails. Campari was founded in Milan in 1860 by Gaspare Campari, and pioneered by his son, Davide, who created something so distinctive and revolutionary that its secret recipe has not been altered since. Vibrant red in colour, Campari’s unique and multi-layered taste is the result of the infusion of herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water.
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The Group’s growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses. Headquartered in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy, Campari Group owns 23 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 25 countries. The Group employs approximately 4,300 people. The shares of the parent company, Davide Campari-Milano N.V. (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM), have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. For more information: www.camparigroup.com
ABOUT RED SKY BAR Reach for the stars at Red Sky Bar, the Centara Grand at CentralWorld every day. Fifty-six floors above the city it offers a stunning 360-degree vista of the skyline as far as the eye can see. Above you are only dark, star-studded skies, below you are the hustle and bustle of the busy city. Recline on comfy lounge beds and sofas as you partake of our exceptional compilation of liquors, fine wines, signature cocktails, and cigars.
Relax as the resident DJ swings through an eclectic playlist of rhythm. Daily and glorious sunsets are served complimentary most days. Enjoy the high life daily only at Red Sky Bar.
People look up at Christmas lights as crowds stroll around downtown Lisbon's Chiado neighborhood, Saturday evening, Dec. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and on New Year’s Day it will stand at more than 8 billion people, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.
The worldwide growth rate in the past year was just under 1%. At the start of 2024, 4.3 births and two deaths are expected worldwide every second, according to the Census Bureau figures.
The growth rate for the United States in the past year was 0.53%, about half the worldwide figure. The U.S. added 1.7 million people and will have a population on New Year’s Day of 335.8 million people.
If the current pace continues through the end of the decade, the 2020s could be the slowest-growing decade in U.S. history, yielding a growth rate of less than 4% over the 10-year-period from 2020 to 2030, said William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution.
The slowest-growing decade currently was in the aftermath of the Great Depression in the 1930s, when the growth rate was 7.3%.
“Of course growth may tick up a bit as we leave the pandemic years. But it would still be difficult to get to 7.3%,” Frey said.
At the start of 2024, the United States is expected to experience one birth every nine seconds and one death every 9.5 seconds. However, immigration will keep the population from dropping. Net international migration is expected to add one person to the U.S. population every 28.3 seconds. This combination of births, deaths and net international migration will increase the U.S. population by one person every 24.2 seconds.
PM Srettha Thavisin talked with the reporters in the media room in the Government House on Tuesday, December 27, 2023.
BANGKOK – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, a Liverpool Football Club fan, spoke with media about English Premier League football ahead of Arsenal’s game against West Ham United on Thursday night, predicting that the Gunners would win West Ham and surpass Liverpool at the top of the standings.
However, he made another error in his prediction when Arsenal lost 0-2. He had previously predicted that Liverpool would win 5-0 against Manchester United, but the result was a 0-0 draw.
PM Srettha shared his opinion after speaking with reporters and learning that many of them were Manchester United football fans: “Manchester United has only heart but not much skill.”
In the game that Manchester United overcame to win against Aston Villa after being 0-2 by a goal, he woke up to go to the bathroom between 3 and 4 a.m. and still saw the score at 1-2, but at the end of the game it turned out to be a 3-2 win, which could be overcome by fighting with the heart.
“Why does the Manchester United team need a defensive midfielder to score goals? That is not possible. Manchester United is a team valued hundreds of billions of dollars, but who is the striker’s name? Who can say? “No one knows,” he explained. When the reporter mentioned Hojlund’s name, the PM joked that Hojlund, who scored, was so thrilled that he cried.
Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund celebrates scoring their side’s third goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Aston Villa at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
When asked if he would go to cheer on football at the Anfield stadium of Liverpool Football Club in England at the end of the season, PM Srettha answered it would not be proper if he went in the position of Prime Minister.
Before coming to politics, Srettha once spent £10,000 for a UEFA VIP package card, which includes accommodation at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, to watch Liverpool play Real Madrid in the 2018 final, which Real Madrid won.
