Showing 1 - 10 of 47
It's the economic history, stupid
Oped, Iker Saitua, Published on 14/01/2026
» Every year, I walk into a first-year lecture hall in Bilbao at the University of the Basque Country (EHU) and watch shoulders slump. The title of the course I'm teaching -- "Economic History" -- draws a similarly dejected reaction from my students: "Meh." "Boooring." "What's this even for?" Some call it "the history class", as if it belonged to another century.
Banned bets
Oped, Postbag, Published on 24/10/2025
» Re: "Anutin bans poker, sports gambling nationwide", (BP, Oct 23). So, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has banned gambling again. The prohibition specifically aims at poker and other similar sports-themed card games. The Ministry of Tourism and Sport earlier classified poker only as a sport? Well, it's not, is it -- it's a card game that is invariably played for money, unlike many others, such as bridge, which are not.
The time I really put my foot in it
Oped, Roger Crutchley, Published on 19/10/2025
» A half-hearted spring-cleaning session at home during the week came to a welcome halt when I unearthed a couple of my father's wartime RAF books under a pile of disintegrating paperbacks. The Air Ministry books, published more than 80 years ago, always serve as a reminder of when as a kid I made a faux pas of embarrassing proportions.
Patronage at work
Oped, Editorial, Published on 29/09/2025
» The appointment of Pol Capt Atitaya Benjapak, better known as "Captain Cat" as deputy district chief officer in Si Sa Ket has sparked an uproar, not only because of her meteoric rise through the civil service but also because of what her case reveals about the chronic flaws in the bureaucratic system.
Big job awaits PM
Oped, Editorial, Published on 08/09/2025
» Thailand has a new prime minister. Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, has assumed the premiership, the country's third in less than three years since the 2023 general election.
Gulf spectacle masks strategic shift in US policy
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 22/05/2025
» With the showmanship of a Cecil B De Mille saga, President Donald Trump's state visit to three Arab kingdoms was uniquely paired with pomp and joint business incentives that focused on transforming the narrative from conflict to commerce and cooperation. The visits were set to the spectacular backdrop of casts of thousands, Arabian stallions, and camel cohorts marking the fanfare of the president's four-day trip to the region.
Trade talks to-do list
Oped, Editorial, Published on 17/05/2025
» Finally, the government has laid its cards on the table, giving details of the trade proposal it will submit to the US Trade Representative (USTR). Yet some offers will raise doubts about their enforceability and impact.
Trump trade détente chance?
Oped, Stephen Jen, Published on 26/03/2025
» Many investors went into 2025 assuming Donald Trump would use tariffs as a negotiating tool, but this belief has been shaken in recent weeks, generating significant market angst. But Mr Trump's fiscal strategy may yet lead to a benign outcome for the global economy.
PM must pull plug on scams
Oped, Editorial, Published on 04/02/2025
» The visit by Vice Minister for Public Security Liu Zhongyi last week speaks volumes about how seriously China takes the problem of scam operations or call centres in Myanmar's Myawaddy border township.
Protectionism hurts climate effort
Oped, Ma Jun, Published on 04/02/2025
» US President Donald Trump's policy to raise tariffs on imports from Canada, China and Mexico has the world bracing for major trade disruptions. While protectionism has come back into vogue, and countries like the United States are cultivating critical sectors at home to bolster their economic security, the reversal of free trade will accelerate under Mr Trump, with far-reaching consequences -- not least for the fight against climate change.