US and Asian nations launch ‘Cobra Gold’ military exercises

Business tycoon Srettha Thavisin has been voted in after a monthslong deadlock since the May election. Srettha's Pheu Thai party is part of a multi-party coalition, including allies with the military.

Thaksin Shinawatra, an ethnic Chinese billionaire, has been a dominant figure in Thai politics for over two decades. Thailand has been sharply divided between those who love him and those who loathe him.

Property mogul-turned-politician Srettha Thavisin will lead a coalition government of former archrivals, while the winner of the election will remain in opposition.

The Nigerian Army has buried not fewer than 22 officers and soldiers who were killed in action by terrorists in Niger State a few weeks ago. The military had last week revealed that 36 personnel were slain during an ambush by the terrorists at Zungeru-Tegina road and the subsequent jet crash that happened in Chukuba area of Shiroro, all in Niger State.

The pact allows Mali and Burkina Faso to provide military assistance to Niger in the event of military intervention against the putschists there.

Voters in Bangkok told DW about what they expect for Thailand's political future after the progressive election winner was blocked from forming a government.

A group of senior Gabonese military officers appeared on national television in the early hours of Wednesday and said they had taken power, minutes after the state election body announced President Ali Bongo had won a third term.

Military officers in oil-producing Gabon said they had seized power on Wednesday, placing President Ali Bongo under house arrest and naming a new leader after the Central African state's election body announced Bongo had won a third term.

Thaksin Shinawatra is serving an 8-year jail term following his return home after 15 years in self-exile. The country's newly-appointed prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, represents the party Thaksin once founded.

Gabonese hope for jobs, eventual civilian rule following military coup

The regional bloc CCAS, and the country's opposition coalition, have urged international partners to push for a rapid return to civilian rule. Also in this edition: In Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 48 protesters are reported to have been killed in the eastern city of Goma. And finally: In South Africa, the death toll rises to 76 after the devastating Johannesburg fire at an abandoned apartment block that housed dozens of homeless people and squatters.

Military coups are resurging in Africa. A phenomenon that once plagued the continent. There have been over 70 coups in Africa since countries on the continent gained independence from colonial rule. Here are the African countries currently being led by military juntas.