Showing 61 - 70 of 3,840
We can always live in a dollhouse
Roger Crutchley, Published on 07/07/2024
» Thai tourism authorities are always quick to make the most of any new fad, which might explain the appearance of a life-sized Labubu doll on the front page of the Bangkok Post this week. Apparently, the mascot is part of a promotion to attract Chinese tourists. I confess to not knowing anything about the Labubu craze although the Post's doll correspondent informs me the designer doll is a "kind-hearted monster with pointed ears and serrated teeth". Hmmm.
Fascism rising in France, but don't panic…
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 06/07/2024
» Nothing else in France looks like the 1930s, so why should fascism? There really is a fascist movement in France, although it avoids torch-lit marches and jackboots. It has even stopped the Holocaust denial (mostly).
Labour's win gives Britain a chance
News, Published on 06/07/2024
» Ever since Rishi Sunak's rain-sodden announcement to call a general election on July 4, one question has hung over British politics: Will Labour win by a landslide or just a regular majority?
Thailand's era of economic stagnation
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 05/07/2024
» After two decades of political instability and turmoil, it was a matter of time before the Thai economy would exhibit signs of distress and desperation. For decades, the Thai economy has proved resilient with an uncanny knack for bouncing back. But Teflon Thailand may have become a thing of the past. Headlines on the Thai economy have been heading south precipitously. Unless fundamental political reforms take place, Thailand will likely enter a period of low and plateaued growth with risks of grinding stagnation.
Steep learning curves -- election heat for bonds
News, Published on 05/07/2024
» Some might wonder why it took so long, but the risk that this year's key elections exaggerate rather than rein in bloated public debt is finally seeing long-term sovereign bonds rear up.
Local voters deserve better
Oped, Editorial, Published on 05/07/2024
» The latest Provincial Administrative Organisation chairman election in Pathum Thani was not just another local poll. In fact, it was a barometer of whether the Pheu Thai Party -- which has recently seen its popularity diminish -- is still a force to reckon with in Thai politics.
What makes a country really remarkable?
Oped, Published on 03/07/2024
» Great cities. That's a lesson the United Kingdom once knew well. Britain reached its imperial heights in the late 19th century in part because its municipalities were the world's most productive cities.
Nato meet faces shadow of Trump, Ukraine divisions
News, Peter Apps, Published on 03/07/2024
» As Nato officials prepared in June for the alliance's July 9-12 summit in Washington, outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg embarked on the traditional pre-meeting shuttle diplomacy aimed at avoiding unexpected disruptions.
Cues from Iran on who to vote for
News, Marc Champion, Published on 03/07/2024
» The opposition just won a first round of elections, forcing a runoff in which everything depends on where third-party votes go. No, not in France -- in Iran. You could be forgiven for missing it amid all the excitement over the advance of the French hard right, President Joe Biden's car crash debate in the US and the coming immolation of the UK's Conservative Party. Yet Iran's experience is worth attention, not least as a reminder of what to vote for and why. Iran, to recap, is having a snap contest to replace President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash. Raisi was also being groomed to succeed the 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as supreme leader, the unelected post that -- as the title suggests -- matters most in the Islamic Republic.
Old guard prevails in Senate elections
Oped, Chairith Yonpiam, Published on 29/06/2024
» For those wishing for a wind of change in Thai politics, the Wednesday Senate election was a disappointment. Old power factions made substantial gains, dominating some 70% of the seats for the 200-member Upper House, while those representing the pro-democracy force grabbed just a few.