May 2, Monday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1.Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio held talks on Monday with his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha in Bangkok. At the outset of the talks, Kishida said that together with Prayut, he wants to further strengthen friendship with Thailand, a strategic partner of Japan.
2.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has expressed hope that civilian evacuations from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol will continue on Monday. Zelenskyy said in a video message on Sunday that the evacuation corridor had finally started working, and more than a hundred civilians had already been evacuated.
3.Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the eldest son of a former Philippine president, is maintaining his lead in the latest opinion poll, one week before the country’s presidential election. Filipinos will vote on May 9 to choose a successor to Rodrigo Duterte, as presidents are limited to serving a single six-year term. Ten candidates are vying for the country’s top office. Major campaign issues include Duterte’s authoritarian rule, and how to deal with China.