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☆ Opinion | The Real Royal Scandal Is on Us
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Pamela Paul | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Americans have always loved a royal scandal, even a smidgen more than British royalists do themselves. Lately, however, the British royals have been given the same reality-star treatment every microcelebrity in America attracts. Prince Andrew’s close ties with the since convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his own accusations of sexual abuse. And a massively popular Netflix series swanned in, dramatizing these and other ignoble ordeals, ready to sully the gleam before watchful eyes. In January, Catherine, Princess of Wales, as she is officially known, stepped back from royal duties with a dissatisfyingly vague and brief announcement from Kensington Palace.

Persons: Duke, Windsor’s, Prince Charles’s, Diana’s, Prince Andrew’s, Jeffrey Epstein, sully, Kate Middleton’s, Catherine , Princess of Locations: British, America, Catherine , Princess of Wales, Kensington Palace

☆ The US risks joining a long list of powers that tried and failed to stop the Houthis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. But while the US enjoys overwhelming military superiority over the Houthis, defeating this tribal movement would be a nightmare. Case in point: Egypt tried to suppress the Houthis in the 1960s. Today's Houthis are attacking ships in the Red Sea – and hurling ballistic missiles at Israel – ostensibly in response to Israel's military operations in Gaza. Indeed the rebellion eased Israel's lightning victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, a fact that the Houthis have chosen not to publicize.

Persons: —, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Jesse Ferris, Nasser's Gamble, Nasser, quagmire, Islam –, Yemen —, Ferris, Mohammed Hamoud, Israel –, Israel, Lawrence Organizations: Service, Business, Broadway, Israel Democracy Institute, Palestine, US, Royalists, British, Yemeni Locations: Yemen, Egypt, Vietnam, British, Zaidi, Islam, Arab, Soviet, Russia, America, Afghanistan, Gaza, Saudi, Britain, Israel, Iran

☆ Thai Court Rules That Opposition Party Proposal Violated the Constitution
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But on Wednesday the Move Forward Party and its push for change were dealt a severe blow. Thailand’s Constitutional Court ruled that the party’s proposal to scale back the royal defamation law violated the Constitution because it was an attempt to overthrow the monarchy. The verdict, in effect, lays out explicitly that the royal defamation law is sacrosanct for Thailand’s conservative establishment, a nexus of royalists, military officials and wealthy elites. Wednesday’s ruling leaves Move Forward vulnerable to more legal challenges, which could pave the way for its eventual disbandment. It could also set the stage for a showdown between Thailand’s progressive opposition and the establishment.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat Organizations: Party Locations: Thailand

Thailand has been under a caretaker government since March and its new parliament has been deadlocked for weeks after anti-establishment election winners Move Forward were blocked by conservative lawmakers, leaving populist heavyweight Pheu Thai to lead a new effort. Srettha said on Monday Pheu Thai had failed to secure the outright majority it had targeted, so its only chance of governing was in partnership with some rivals it had vowed not to work with. Still, he seems determined and confident to follow through this time, however, with widespread speculation that Pheu Thai's alliance with its enemies is part of a behind-the-scenes deal Thaksin may have struck to allow his return. Pheu Thai has denied Thaksin's involvement in its bid to form a government and the former leader has for months denied conspiring with the generals who led coups against him and sister Yingluck Shinawatra in 2006 and 2014. "Tomorrow, at 9 a.m., I want permission to come back to live on Thai soil and breathe the air with other Thai people," Thaksin said on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Persons: Srettha Thavisin, Athit, Pheu, Thaksin, Thaksin Shinawatra, Srettha, Thai, upstarts, Yingluck Shinawatra, Martin Petty, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Ex, Thai Party, English Premier League football, Thaksin, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, BANGKOK

[1/2] People walk outside the parliament, after Thailand's constitution court ordered the temporary suspension of the Move Forward Party's leader Pita Limjaroenrat from the parliament, in Bangkok, Thailand, July 19, 2023. REUTERS/Chalinee ThirasupaBANGKOK, July 20 (Reuters) - Thailand's parliament will hold another vote for a prime minister next week which cannot include the leader of election winners Move Forward, a deputy speaker said on Thursday, after rivals derailed his bid by blocking his re-nomination. "A candidate can only be nominated once in each parliamentary session," Deputy House Speaker Pichet Chuamuangphan told Reuters on Thursday. It is widely expected that real estate tycoon and political newcomer Srettha Thavisin from Move Forward's alliance partner Pheu Thai will be nominated for premier for the July 27 vote. "The eight parties are together, if there is a resolution for Pheu Thai to lead, then the party has to choose who to nominate," Srettha told reporters.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Parliament's, Pichet Chuamuangphan, Pita, Srettha, Pheu, Jetn Sirathranont, Thitinan, manoeuvred, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Chayut, Orathai, Panu, Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Constitutional, Senate, Chulalongkorn University, Thomson Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, BANGKOK

☆ Thailand's royalists foiled Harvard grad Pita Limjaroenrat's first attempt at becoming prime minister. Here's what happens now
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Clement Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Thailand's Pita Limjaroenrat may get another shot at the country's prime minister job next week. But his path to potential power remains unclear, especially if the leader of the country's Move Forward Party does not budge from his election pledge to amend a law that prohibits criticism of the monarchy. Limjaroenrat fell 51 votes short of the majority he needed from the 749 members of Thailand's bicameral National Assembly for the top job in a first parliamentary vote on Thursday. Forty-two-year-old Pita, who attended Harvard Kennedy School, will be able to stand for prime minister if nominated again by his eight-party alliance. Otherwise, Pheu Thai — the second-largest party in the eight-party coalition with Move Forward — may also put forward its own candidate from among the three candidates the party had earlier surfaced.

Persons: Thailand's Pita Limjaroenrat, Limjaroenrat, Grace Lim, Pita, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin Shinawatra, Srettha Thavisin, Chaikasem Nitisiri Organizations: National Assembly, Senate, Moody's Investors, Harvard Kennedy School Locations: Southeast Asia's

☆ Bans, betrayals and stalemates: How Thailand's old guard could respond to election results
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Nyshka Chandran | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party (center), at a rally in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 18 2023. The vote for PM is expected in August after the Election Commission certifies election results. A Pheu Thai betrayalLed by the daughter of ex-prime minister Thaksin, Pheu Thai is an opposition party that is more careful about its messaging on the monarchy. "Pheu Thai will run the risk of being punished electorally by the pro-democracy voters, who are the key supporters of Pheu Thai in the future," warned Waitoolkiat. When the Future Forward Party was dissolved in 2020, it set off mass youth-led protests.

Persons: Pita Limjaroenrat, Valeria Mongelli, —, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, There's, Pita, Napisa, Susannah Patton Lowy, Thaksin, Susannah Patton, Patton, Pongsudhirak —, electorally, Waitoolkiat, there's Organizations: Party, Bloomberg, Getty, Chulalongkorn University, Chulalongkorn University's Faculty, Political Science, of Security, International Studies, Foreign Relations, Constitutional Court, National, Corruption, Electoral Commission, Constitutional, Human Rights, Center for Strategic, Naresuan University . Conservative, Senate, CSIS, Southeast Asia, Lowy Institute, Conservative, CFR, Pheu, Forward Party Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, parliament's, Pheu Thai

"Move Forward chooses an uncompromising mode of change while Pheu Thai choose a compromising mode of change," Prajak said. Pheu Thai has been far more measured in its messaging on the monarchy - and that could leave it with more options. "Pheu Thai is holding its cards close to its chest," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. "I think Pheu Thai will stick with Move Forward," he said, adding abandoning its ally would make Pheu Thai look as if it was betraying the will of the people. "I still think that a conservative coalition ... with Senate backing is far more likely to emerge than a pro-democracy led coalition," Abuza said.

☆ Deals to be done as Thai opposition parties look to form government
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Chayut Setboonsarng | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Sunday's election showcased an extraordinary surge by the progressive Move Forward party that almost had a clean sweep of the capital Bangkok, followed closely by the populist Pheu Thai party, which had been the dominant force in every Thai election this century. Between them the two opposition parties decimated parties with ties to the royalist army but it is far from certain the opposition will form the next government, with parliamentary rules drafted by the military after a 2014 coup skewed in favour of its allies. To govern, agreements may need to be struck with multiple camps, including rival parties and members of a junta-appointed Senate with a record of favouring conservative parties led by generals. [1/2] Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate, Pita Limjaroenrat, looks up at the crowd during the general election in Bangkok, Thailand, May 14, 2023. Pita said on Sunday he was ready to partner with Pheu Thai but Paetongtarn Shinawatra, one of her party's prime ministerial candidates, said it was too soon to discuss.

☆ A Crucial Question in Thailand’s Election: Can You Criticize the King?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Thais go to the polls on Sunday, they will be voting in a closely fought election that is seen, in part, as a referendum on whether it is illegal to criticize the Thai monarchy. Thailand has one of the world’s strictest laws against defaming or insulting the king and other members of the royal family. The protests represented two sides of an impassioned struggle to determine the role of the crown in modern Thailand. The election could determine whether the Southeast Asian nation of 72 million will revive its once-vibrant democracy or slide further toward authoritarian rule, with royalists firmly in power. He and his supporters argue that amending the law could lead to abolishing the monarchy altogether, and have vowed to defend the royal family.

☆ Crowds gather in London for moment in history as King Charles is crowned
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Well-wishers gather along the path that Britain's King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will travel during the procession marking their coronation along the main streets of London, Britain, May 5, 2023. His second wife Camilla, 75, will be crowned queen during the two-hour ceremony which, while rooted in history, will attempt to present a forward-looking monarchy. People, royalists and royal fans gather along The Mall in preparation for the Coronation of King Charles III on 5th May 2023 in London, United Kingdom. Much of the ceremony will feature elements that Charles' forebears right back to King Edgar in 973 would recognize, officials said. People, royalists and royal fans shelter under umbrellas and waterproofs as torrential rain arrives as people gather along The Mall in preparation for the Coronation of King Charles III on 5th May 2023 in London, United Kingdom.

☆ Opinion: We want a choice instead of Charles
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Opinion Graham Smith | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —When King Charles rumbles up the road from Buckingham Palace in his horse drawn carriage on May 6, off to his coronation, I will be nearby, protesting for the abolition of the British monarchy. According to a recent Savanta poll, support for abolition – that is, Britain having an elected head of state – is close to a third. Protesters hold signs reading "Not My King" behind well wishers gathered for the arrival of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla at the Liverpool Central Library on April 26, 2023. So, when we shout “Not My King!” at Charles, it is a proud statement of democratic principle – that we recognise no person’s claim to be above us because of birth. On May 6 it’s about saying very clearly, we want an election instead of a coronation, and a choice instead of Charles.

☆ Nepal’s Dahal set to face parliamentary confidence vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KATHMANDU, March 20 (Reuters) - Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal was set to face a vote of confidence in parliament on Monday after his old coalition allies pulled out of the government over the choice of a new president, one of his aides said. Paudel has since been elected as the third president of the republic of 30 million people nestled between China and India. It is mandatory for the prime minister to face a vote of confidence in parliament after any ally withdraws support. Manahari Timilsina, an aide to Dahal, said the leader had the support of 10 groups and was expected to win the vote in the 275-member parliament. Nepal has had 11 governments since it abolished its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008 and became a republic.

☆ Harry and Meghan's Netflix series wraps up - but what is the effect on the royals?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

"It's like living through a soap opera where everybody else views you as entertainment," Harry said in one of the final episodes released on Thursday. "It looked cold, but it also felt cold," Harry said of his family's feelings towards him at their last official engagement. "The departure of Meghan and Harry from royal ranks has been far more damaging to the monarchy than the coverage that vilifies them understands or accepts," she told Reuters. But it bounced back to become more popular than ever, with Harry and his brother William to the fore. "Personally, I don't think that it will do lasting damage to the monarchy," royal biographer Claudia Joseph said of the Netflix (NFLX.O) documentary.

☆ Eldest daughter of Thai king hospitalised with heart problem - palace
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha greets her royalists as she leaves a religious ceremony to commemorate the death of King Chulalongkorn, known as King Rama V, at The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, October 23, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File PhotoBANGKOK, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The eldest child of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been hospitalised due to a heart problem and her condition has stabilised to a certain level, the royal palace said on Thursday. She was flown by helicopter to Bangkok after her condition stabilised at a certain level, the palace said in a statement, without elaborating. The princess is one of three children of King Vajiralongkorn who have formal titles, making her eligible for the throne under a 1924 Palace Law of Succession and the country's constitution. King Vajiralongkorn has yet to formally designate an heir since becoming king in 2016 and there has been no official discussion on the prospect of the princess taking the throne.

☆ Nepal’s Oli vows balanced ties with China, India if returned to power
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Gopal Sharma | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

KATHMANDU, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Nepal's main communist opposition party will balance the Himalayan nation's ties with neighbours China and India for mutual benefit if it is returned to power in a general election this month, its leader said. India, Nepal’s biggest trade and economic partner, sees it as a natural ally and has invested billions of dollars in its infrastructure. Sharma Oli, a two-time former prime minister and president of opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), or UML, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. Our foreign policy will be based on mutual benefits and mutual respect,” Oli said as he sat in his office. "The high interest rates are not helpful to businesses and industries," Oli said, vowing to cut rates if returned to power.

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