News
Thai Parliament Overwhelmingly Approved the Same-Sex Marriage Bill

(CTN News) – On March 27th, Thailand’s parliament passed the second and third readings of the marriage equality law, marking the tenth anniversary of legal same-sex marriage in the UK.
Mark Gooding, the British Ambassador to Thailand, and his husband, Dr. Christopher McCormick, used this opportunity to reflect on the UK’s progress toward gender equality and LGBT+ rights while expressing hope for Thailand to become the first Southeast Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage.
“It is the 10th anniversary of the first same-sex marriage in the UK, but I think it also marks decades of progress in the UK on LGBTQ+ rights, including the decriminalization of homosexuality in the 1960s, gay adoption, equalization of the age of consent and the Civil Partnership Act, which took effect in 2005 in the UK,” Mark said.
The same-sex marriage law in England and Wales was enacted in July 2013 but became effective on March 13, 2014. The first same-sex wedding occurred on March 29, 2014.
Scotland enacted the same law in February of the same year, which went into force in December 2014. Northern Ireland became the final portion of the UK to legalize same-sex marriage in July 2019, taking effect on January 13th, 2020.
Positive Experience of Same-Sex Couple in Thailand Amid Marriage Equality Progress
Mark and Chris were among the first couples in the UK to register their civil partnership.
Despite having been posted to multiple countries, including Sri Lanka, China, and Cambodia, the couple reports no difficulty living as a gay couple outside the UK. They’ve been enthusiastically received, particularly in Thailand.
“I have to say that Chris and I have had a very positive experience here in Thailand,” Mark said. We’ve been visiting Thailand for years for vacation and business and have always received a warm welcome. Thailand is a society that values inclusivity and diversity.
“I think the fact that we have been so warmly welcomed really speaks very highly to the inclusive nature of Thai society,” Chris added. “We have had a positive experience here and in other postings. We have met people from diverse cultures and identities.” “Exploring how people express their identities around the world has been a valuable educational opportunity for us.”
Since same-sex marriage became legal in the UK, there has been a dramatic shift in the perception of equal marriage. According to poll statistics, before same-sex marriage became legal, only 40% of British people supported equal marriage. Since then, the number has risen to 80% by 2023, demonstrating a widespread acceptance of the shift.
“Social views have moved very, very quickly, and you see the same happening in many countries,” Mark remarked. “I believe that’s a wonderful thing. “It has the potential to make the UK more inclusive, diverse, and happier.”
Despite legislation to protect LGBT rights in the UK, such as an equality act that prohibits discrimination, the British Ambassador to Thailand acknowledged ongoing issues. The most serious issues are bullying, discrimination, gender-based violence, and LGBT people’s access to healthcare.
“Even with the best legislation in the world, you can still have discrimination,” he argues. The current problem is raising awareness across all industries.
Raising awareness about the value of inclusion and diversity can be challenging, but studies show that allowing individuals to be themselves at work leads to increased effectiveness, happiness, and innovation. Protecting and promoting LGBT+ rights, diversity, and inclusion benefits society.
Aside from increasing awareness, the Ambassador feels that taking action to address gender discrimination and other difficulties facing the LGBT community is the key to achieving gender equality.
Despite Thailand’s reputation for inclusivity and diversity, the British Ambassador believes that more action is needed to protect the rights of the LGBT community, including through legislation and education. He believes society should create a safe area for people to express their concerns.
“It’s crucial to create a safe forum for LGBT individuals and groups to express their experiences and concerns. This allows for a better understanding of the problems. Once you know, you can address the issues.
The British Ambassador believes gender representation in decision-making positions promotes inclusivity and diversity, particularly in policymaking.
Compared to Thailand, the UK has a larger proportion of LGBT and female MPs in parliament. In the UK, there are no LGBT CEOs in “top” companies, and there are few female CEOs. However, Thailand has a high ratio of female CEOs in the business sector.
“So, we still have challenges as well, but I think, if people see ambassadors, politicians or film stars, [the LGBT people] can see them as a role model and they can become more confident in themselves that they can also occupy these jobs in the future,” he went on to say.
He supports LGBT rights and acknowledges the UK government’s efforts to promote gender equality and diversity internationally.
“New funding was announced last year to address violence against LGBT+ populations, prejudice, and increase healthcare access globally. We are committed to working with the Thai government and civil society groups to protect LGBTQ+ rights.
Despite the underlying social problems, the British Ambassador believes that the Thai government, led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, can effectively fight for marriage equality shortly. The current Thai leader has expressed “very clear” support for equal marriage.

REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
“I am very positive,” he stated. “Thailand is known for being a very inclusive and diverse society. The key is for the UK and Thailand to be frank about and open to addressing the challenges.” In Thailand, individuals I speak with support gender diversity and LGBT+ rights.
Meanwhile, his husband, Chris, sees a bright future for Thailand. “I believe the future is bright. “I believe there are numerous opportunities, and it’s important to recognize the challenges faced by various sectors, as Mark has mentioned, and work towards bringing them together through legislation.”
Thailand aims to host World Pride in 2028 and achieve marriage equality.
The Ambassador believes that promoting gender diversity and protecting LGBT rights will strengthen Thailand’s excellent reputation, particularly among foreigners.
“If you’re a tourist from Europe who is LGBT+ and wants to visit Southeast Asia for a honeymoon or holiday, which nation will you choose? Thailand’s tolerant and diverse society safeguards LGBT+ rights through equal marriage and non-discrimination legislation, making it a desirable destination for many. “I believe it sends a positive global signal about Thailand,” stated the Ambassador.

News
Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding, But Still Accounting 48% Search Revenue

Google is so closely associated with its key product that its name is a verb that signifies “search.” However, Google’s dominance in that sector is dwindling.
According to eMarketer, Google will lose control of the US search industry for the first time in decades next year.
Google will remain the dominant search player, accounting for 48% of American search advertising revenue. And, remarkably, Google is still increasing its sales in the field, despite being the dominating player in search since the early days of the George W. Bush administration. However, Amazon is growing at a quicker rate.
Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding
Amazon will hold over a quarter of US search ad dollars next year, rising to 27% by 2026, while Google will fall even more, according to eMarketer.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the forecast.
Lest you think you’ll have to switch to Bing or Yahoo, this isn’t the end of Google or anything really near.
Google is the fourth-most valued public firm in the world. Its market worth is $2.1 trillion, trailing just Apple, Microsoft, and the AI chip darling Nvidia. It also maintains its dominance in other industries, such as display advertisements, where it dominates alongside Facebook’s parent firm Meta, and video ads on YouTube.
To put those “other” firms in context, each is worth more than Delta Air Lines’ total market value. So, yeah, Google is not going anywhere.
Nonetheless, Google faces numerous dangers to its operations, particularly from antitrust regulators.
On Monday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Google must open up its Google Play Store to competitors, dealing a significant blow to the firm in its long-running battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games. Google announced that it would appeal the verdict.
In August, a federal judge ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly on search. That verdict could lead to the dissolution of the company’s search operation. Another antitrust lawsuit filed last month accuses Google of abusing its dominance in the online advertising business.
Meanwhile, European regulators have compelled Google to follow tough new standards, which have resulted in multiple $1 billion-plus fines.

Pixa Bay
Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding
On top of that, the marketplace is becoming more difficult on its own.
TikTok, the fastest-growing social network, is expanding into the search market. And Amazon has accomplished something few other digital titans have done to date: it has established a habit.
When you want to buy anything, you usually go to Amazon, not Google. Amazon then buys adverts to push companies’ products to the top of your search results, increasing sales and earning Amazon a greater portion of the revenue. According to eMarketer, it is expected to generate $27.8 billion in search revenue in the United States next year, trailing only Google’s $62.9 billion total.
And then there’s AI, the technology that (supposedly) will change everything.
Why search in stilted language for “kendall jenner why bad bunny breakup” or “police moving violation driver rights no stop sign” when you can just ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT, “What’s going on with Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny?” in “I need help fighting a moving violation involving a stop sign that wasn’t visible.” Google is working on exactly this technology with its Gemini product, but its success is far from guaranteed, especially with Apple collaborating with OpenAI and other businesses rapidly joining the market.
A Google spokeswoman referred to a blog post from last week in which the company unveiled ads in its AI overviews (the AI-generated text that appears at the top of search results). It’s Google’s way of expressing its ability to profit on a changing marketplace while retaining its business, even as its consumers steadily transition to ask-and-answer AI and away from search.
Google has long used a single catchphrase to defend itself against opponents who claim it is a monopoly abusing its power: competition is only a click away. Until recently, that seemed comically obtuse. Really? We are going to switch to Bing? Or Duck Duck Go? Give me a break.
But today, it feels more like reality.
Google is in no danger of disappearing. However, every highly dominating company faces some type of reckoning over time. GE, a Dow mainstay for more than a century, was broken up last year and is now a shell of its previous dominance. Sears declared bankruptcy in 2022 and is virtually out of business. US Steel, long the foundation of American manufacturing, is attempting to sell itself to a Japanese corporation.
SOURCE | CNN
News
2024 | Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case

Washington — Trump Media, The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will not hear an appeal from social media platform X about a search warrant acquired by prosecutors in the election meddling case against former President Donald Trump.
The justices did not explain their rationale, and there were no recorded dissents.
The firm, which was known as Twitter before being purchased by billionaire Elon Musk, claims a nondisclosure order that prevented it from informing Trump about the warrant obtained by special counsel Jack Smith’s team violated its First Amendment rights.
The business also claims Trump should have had an opportunity to exercise executive privilege. If not reined in, the government may employ similar tactics to intercept additional privileged communications, their lawyers contended.
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case
Two neutral electronic privacy groups also joined in, urging the high court to hear the case on First Amendment grounds.
Prosecutors, however, claim that the corporation never shown that Trump utilized the account for official purposes, therefore executive privilege is not a problem. A lower court also determined that informing Trump could have compromised the current probe.
Trump utilized his Twitter account in the weeks preceding up to his supporters’ attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, to spread false assertions about the election, which prosecutors claim were intended to create doubt in the democratic process.
The indictment describes how Trump used his Twitter account to encourage his followers to travel to Washington on Jan. 6, pressuring Vice President Mike Pence to reject the certification, and falsely claiming that the Capitol crowd, which battered police officers and destroyed glass, was peaceful.
Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal From Elon Musk’s X Platform Over Warrant In Trump Case
That case is now moving forward following the Supreme Court’s verdict in July, which granted Trump full immunity from criminal prosecution as a former president.
The warrant arrived at Twitter amid quick changes implemented by Musk, who bought the company in 2022 and has since cut off most of its workforce, including those dedicated to combating disinformation and hate speech.
SOURCE | AP
News
The Supreme Court Turns Down Biden’s Government Appeal in a Texas Emergency Abortion Matter.

(VOR News) – A ruling that prohibits emergency abortions that contravene the Supreme Court law in the state of Texas, which has one of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the country, has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States Supreme Court upheld this decision.
The justices did not provide any specifics regarding the underlying reasons for their decision to uphold an order from a lower court that declared hospitals cannot be legally obligated to administer abortions if doing so would violate the law in the state of Texas.
Institutions are not required to perform abortions, as stipulated in the decree. The common populace did not investigate any opposing viewpoints. The decision was made just weeks before a presidential election that brought abortion to the forefront of the political agenda.
This decision follows the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that ended abortion nationwide.
In response to a request from the administration of Vice President Joe Biden to overturn the lower court’s decision, the justices expressed their disapproval.
The government contends that hospitals are obligated to perform abortions in compliance with federal legislation when the health or life of an expectant patient is in an exceedingly precarious condition.
This is the case in regions where the procedure is prohibited. The difficulty hospitals in Texas and other states are experiencing in determining whether or not routine care could be in violation of stringent state laws that prohibit abortion has resulted in an increase in the number of complaints concerning pregnant women who are experiencing medical distress being turned away from emergency rooms.
The administration cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case that bore a striking resemblance to the one that was presented to it in Idaho at the beginning of the year. The justices took a limited decision in that case to allow the continuation of emergency abortions without interruption while a lawsuit was still being heard.
In contrast, Texas has been a vocal proponent of the injunction’s continued enforcement. Texas has argued that its circumstances are distinct from those of Idaho, as the state does have an exemption for situations that pose a significant hazard to the health of an expectant patient.
According to the state, the discrepancy is the result of this exemption. The state of Idaho had a provision that safeguarded a woman’s life when the issue was first broached; however, it did not include protection for her health.
Certified medical practitioners are not obligated to wait until a woman’s life is in imminent peril before they are legally permitted to perform an abortion, as determined by the state supreme court.
The state of Texas highlighted this to the Supreme Court.
Nevertheless, medical professionals have criticized the Texas statute as being perilously ambiguous, and a medical board has declined to provide a list of all the disorders that are eligible for an exception. Furthermore, the statute has been criticized for its hazardous ambiguity.
For an extended period, termination of pregnancies has been a standard procedure in medical treatment for individuals who have been experiencing significant issues. It is implemented in this manner to prevent catastrophic outcomes, such as sepsis, organ failure, and other severe scenarios.
Nevertheless, medical professionals and hospitals in Texas and other states with strict abortion laws have noted that it is uncertain whether or not these terminations could be in violation of abortion prohibitions that include the possibility of a prison sentence. This is the case in regions where abortion prohibitions are exceedingly restrictive.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which resulted in restrictions on the rights of women to have abortions in several Republican-ruled states, the Texas case was revisited in 2022.
As per the orders that were disclosed by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden, hospitals are still required to provide abortions in cases that are classified as dire emergency.
As stipulated in a piece of health care legislation, the majority of hospitals are obligated to provide medical assistance to patients who are experiencing medical distress. This is in accordance with the law.
The state of Texas maintained that hospitals should not be obligated to provide abortions throughout the litigation, as doing so would violate the state’s constitutional prohibition on abortions. In its January judgment, the 5th United States Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the state and acknowledged that the administration had exceeded its authority.
SOURCE: AP
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