Showing 1 - 10 of 253
Hedgehoppers in search of good news
Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/02/2026
» Being the very first day of February it would have been nice if there was some good news worth celebrating, but unfortunately nothing immediately springs to mind. Cheerful news is an increasingly rare commodity these days. It all seems to be gloom and doom and hardly portends a joyful 2026. It can get a bit wearying grappling with news reports featuring contradictions, cover-ups and cock-ups, often accompanied by half-truths, prevarications and porky pies. But this is the world we now live in.
Moderate global growth masks regional strains
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 14/01/2026
» Global economic growth still continues, but at a moderate pace. That's the verdict from the UN's World Economic Situation and Prospects 2026, which predicts that global economic output will grow by 2.7% this year, or slightly below the 2.8% estimated for 2025, but less than the pre-pandemic average of 3.2%.
Jimmy Lai, the HK tycoon who stood up to China
News, James Pomfret & Jessie Pang, Published on 17/12/2025
» Jimmy Lai, the Hong Kong media mogul and China critic, was found guilty on Monday on two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces and one count of sedition under a China-imposed national security law that could see him jailed for life.
The battle over truth, reputation
News, Thasanai Chaiyakwaeng, Published on 17/12/2025
» In today's hyper-connected world, information travels at lightning speed -- often outpacing the truth. This rush to premature judgement, fuelled by viral posts and incomplete narratives, can devastate reputations overnight. Individuals, corporations, and even government agencies have found themselves tried in the court of public opinion long before any judicial verdict.
Ethics failures plague Senate
Oped, Editorial, Published on 27/11/2025
» A recent court ruling against Senator Thanakorn Thavornchinachote for stealing from victims of a fatal car accident in Chachoengsao is a disgrace not only for the Upper House but also for the Election Commission (EC).
Court lifts veil on army's IO ops
Editorial, Published on 09/11/2025
» The army insisted in court that the information operations (IO) orders against dissenters were fake. The court decided they were real. However, the army has faced no legal consequences.
Wall Street risks shorting freedom in HK
Oped, Mark L Clifford, Published on 31/10/2025
» In early November, Wall Street's big guns will head to Hong Kong for a global financial summit, dining at the Palace Museum (featuring Chinese imperial works on loan from Beijing) before meeting at the nearby Rosewood Hotel -- one of the city's swankiest. There, the top brass from Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan and another 100 financial firms will enjoy delicious food and breathtaking views as Hong Kong's leaders pitch them on the profits to be made in the former British colony.
No more pardons
Postbag, Published on 04/10/2025
» Re: "Legal eagles voice worries over Thaksin's pardon bid", (BP, Oct 1).
Southeast Asia amid the US-China rift
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 03/10/2025
» The rivalry between the United States and China has become the defining contest of the 21st century. Barely two decades ago, Washington and Beijing were partners in prosperity. America's support for China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 epitomised the high-water mark of engagement, reflecting the belief that economic integration would lead to greater political cooperation. Today, that partnership has morphed into suspicion and confrontation. Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated so swiftly that many observers now describe them as locked in a "new Cold War". The more pressing question, however, is not whether this analogy holds, but whether confrontation can be managed short of outright conflict.
Jail stay could be short
Oped, Editorial, Published on 11/09/2025
» As the public welcomed the Supreme Court ruling against Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday for violating the terms of his incarceration, the question remains as to whether the spiritual leader of the ruling Pheu Thai Party would benefit from a home detention programme that could see his one-year prison term cut short.