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This time, Pheu Thai is polling strongly along with the progressive, youth-oriented, Move Forward party. 'LOOKING FOR A DEAL'But bringing her father home may ultimately be the deciding factor for Pheu Thai, and that would force it into a deal with the establishment. "Post election, Pheu Thai will be biding its time and looking for a deal. That's why I think the likelihood of Pheu Thai going with Move Forward is very slim." He said he could envision a deal that allowed Thaksin to return in exchange for minimal jail time and a promise not to run for office.

☆ Thailand election: Campaign freebies may be a 'band-aid solution' with fiscal risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Nyshka Chandran | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

A Thai protester with a sign calling for equal workers' rights and a fair election at a Labor Day rally in Bangkok in 2023. Experts widely agree that pro-democracy groups are expected to perform strongly in light of deep-seated discontent with the current military-affiliated administration. Contenders can be divided into two categories: parties that support the pro-military establishment and a pro-democracy camp of opposition factions. Few details have been provided about funding, worrying economists who say those policies would weigh on already stretched public finances after significant fiscal support during the pandemic. Only the Move Forward party has campaigned on changing the defamation law, while Pheu Thai previously said it will consider discussing it in Parliament.

☆ EU in Israel cancels Europe Day event over far-right minister's participation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, May 8 (Reuters) - The European Union delegation in Israel on Monday cancelled its Europe Day diplomatic reception over the planned participation of far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who criticised the decision as a form of "undiplomatic silencing". Brussels marks May 9 as "Europe Day", honouring a 1950 French declaration that led to the founding of the body that became the EU. National Security Minister Ben-Gvir was set to represent the Israeli government at this year's event. "It is a shame that the European Union, which claims to represent the values of democracy and multiculturalism, is engaging in undiplomatic silencing," Ben-Gvir said in a statement. (This story has been refiled to say 'undiplomatic silencing,' not 'undemocratic silencing,' in paragraph 1)Writing by Henriette Chacar; Editing by Ari RabinovitchOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canadian PM Justin Trudeau to attend King Charles' coronation in London
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OTTAWA, May 3 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will travel to Britain to attend the Coronation of King Charles at London's Westminster Abbey on Saturday, the prime minister's office said in a statement on Wednesday. Trudeau will be joined by Governor General Mary Simon, the monarch's representative in Canada, and several other dignitaries, including Indigenous leaders and astronauts. Canada will also host an official ceremony in Ottawa on Saturday, according to the statement. Canada, which remained in the British Empire until 1982, is a member of the Commonwealth of former empire countries and among those that kept the British monarch as their head of state. Reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to visit South Korea for summit with President Yoon Suk Yeol, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (R) hold a joint press conference after their meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan on March 16, 2023. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected to visit South Korea in coming weeks and meet with President Yoon Suk Yeol, officials said, reciprocating a Tokyo visit by the South Korean leader last month. Japan's Kyodo news agency said on Saturday the two will meet around May 7 or 8, citing multiple unnamed Japanese and South Korean diplomatic sources. Asked about reports of the bilateral summit, Kishida said in remarks broadcast by public network NHK that nothing concrete had been decided. Ties between Japan and South Korea, long strained by issues including war time compensation and trade, have been improving in recent months in the face of North Korea's frequent missile launches and China's more muscular role on the global stage.

Even gaining qualifications in Italy didn't help Abhishek, a 26-year-old migrant from India who got a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Turin's Polytechnic University last year. Italy, which is also contending with an exodus of skilled nationals to stronger economies, needs qualified immigrants to fill growing skilled labour shortages, many economists say. In 2023, work permits will be granted to around 83,000 non-EU migrants, according to government data, less than a third of the 277,000 who applied for them. Barbera at Turin University said the lack of migrants in skilled professions has become entrenched and hard to reverse. "Migrants in Italy have virtually no access to the middle class," he said.

☆ U.S. negotiator says Biden would be warmly welcomed in Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - The United States needs to accelerate diplomatic "catch up" with the Pacific island region in the face of Chinese competition, a U.S. diplomat said on Friday, adding that he was sure President Joe Biden would be warmly welcomed there if he decided to visit. "Obviously for the Pacific, I am sure they would welcome President Biden, if he were to go there," Yun told the Hudson Institute. A Pacific islands source told Reuters that Biden was also expected to meet with more than a dozen Pacific islands leaders, but the White House National Security Council has not responded to request for comment on the plans. Yun said the level of Chinese coercion in the region that is crucial to U.S. national security, but that had been neglected by the United States, is concerning. "So now we're playing ... a little bit of catch up, I would say, and but you know, we need to accelerate our catch up."

☆ Britain hands Northern Ireland 'difficult decisions' in budget
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERSLONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - Britain set out a budget for Northern Ireland on Thursday that gave the region two years to repay an overspend from the last 12 months but warned "difficult decisions" will be needed with funding set to remain flat year-on-year. Northern Ireland has been without a power-sharing government for over a year due to a dispute about post-Brexit trade rules, leaving Britain's minister for the region to set a budget and civil servants to make the subsequent spending decisions. "This will provide some protection to front line public services in Northern Ireland from having to take the most severe reductions. However, difficult decisions remain in order to live within the funding available," he said in a statement. "Any idea that putting in a punishing budget to Northern Ireland is going to bully the DUP to get back sooner is for the birds, absolute nonsense," DUP lawmaker Emma Little-Pengelly told national broadcaster RTE.

☆ Biden to make historic visit to Papua New Guinea next month - PNG officials
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, April 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will briefly visit Papua New Guinea (PNG) on May 22, officials from the Pacific island nation said on Thursday, as Washington seeks to counter growing Chinese influence in the strategically important region. A Pacific islands source told Reuters that Biden was also expected to meet with more than a dozen Pacific islands leaders during his May visit. Modi arrives in PNG on May 21 for a two-day visit en-route to Australia, the island nation's government has previously announced. The U.S. embassy in Canberra referred questions to the White House. The White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

☆ DeSantis praises 'strong Japan' military build-up in PM Kishida meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shakes hands with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as he pays a courtesy call to Kishida at the latter's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, 24 April 2023. KIMIMASA MAYAMA/Pool via REUTERSTOKYO, April 24 (Reuters) - Potential U.S. presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Monday met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and lauded bilateral ties, especially the idea of a "strong Japan". "We really appreciate what a great ally Japan has been to the U.S. for many, many decades," DeSantis told Kishida at the start of their meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo. We understand it's a tough neighbourhood out here ... and we really believe that a strong Japan is good for America, and a strong America is good for Japan," he said. DeSantis, who is set to meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi later on Monday, will head to South Korea, Israel and Britain after leaving Japan.

☆ UK parliament's standards watchdog expands PM Sunak investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 24 (Reuters) - The British parliament's standards commissioner has expanded his investigation into Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, according to the latest list of open inquiries published on the parliament website on Monday. The investigation, over whether Sunak properly declared his wife's shareholding in a childcare company which stands to benefit from new government policy, was first opened on April 13. The commissioner is responsible for the House of Commons code of conduct and investigates any alleged breaches. At the time the investigation was made public, the prime minister's spokesperson confirmed it was linked to the childcare firm and said Sunak's wife's shareholding in Koru Kids had been transparently declared. "I am not going to speculate on what the commissioner is or isn't looking into," Sunak's spokesman said on Monday when asked about the extension to the investigation.

☆ Australia prime minister to attend NATO summit in July
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, April 21 (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attend the NATO summit in July, his office said on Friday, days after his New Zealand counterpart, Chris Hipkins, confirmed his attendance. Australia and New Zealand are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but have a decades-long relationship with the Western alliance. Albanese's office said in a statement that Australia shared with NATO members "a commitment to supporting democracy, peace, and security and upholding the rule of law" as the group looks to expand and strengthen ties. Finland became its 31st member this month in a historic policy shift, roughly doubling the length of the border NATO shares with Russia. Albanese had previously said he was still considering whether to travel to the summit.

☆ British government publishes PM Sunak and other ministers' interests
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, April 19 (Reuters) - Britain's government on Wednesday published an updated list of ministers' interests, including an outline of the affairs of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is under investigation over whether he properly declared his wife's shareholdings. The prime minister's spokesperson said on Monday that Sunak's wife's shareholding in Koru Kids had been transparently declared, and opposition parties called for Sunak to publish an updated list of ministerial interests to improve transparency. The list of ministerial interests said that Sunak's own financial interests were handled through a "blind trust/blind management arrangement." Sunak and Murthy are the richest ever occupants of 10 Downing Street. She subsequently gave up the status and said she would pay British tax on her global income.

☆ China's defense minister applauds Putin for 'promoting world peace' amid Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's defense minister applauded Putin for "promoting world peace" as they met in Moscow. Beijing and Moscow have maintained warm ties in spite of Russia's brutal war in Ukraine. The war in Ukraine — the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II — has left Ukrainian cities in ruins and wreaked havoc on the global economy. As Europe curtails Russian energy imports in response to the war in Ukraine, China remains a major buyer. Meanwhile, China in February unveiled a peace plan for the Ukraine war, which was met with major skepticism in Washington.

☆ Take a look back at 24 Sussex Drive, the iconic residency of the Canadian PM now abandoned and overrun with rodents
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of the Canadian prime minister, is in total disrepair. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien meets with Premiers and Territorial leaders Chretien's residence in Ottawa, February 4, 2003. Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin (L) holds a First Ministers' meeting at his official residence in Ottawa, January 30, 2004. Conservative leader and Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper reacts in between songs while practicing with his band "Herringbone" at 24 Sussex Drive, Harper's official residence, in Ottawa April 22, 2011. Since taking his post as head of state, prime minister Trudeau has opted to live in Rideau Cottage, just less than a mile away from 24 Sussex Drive.

☆ Japanese PM unhurt after blast during campaign event
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated from the port in Wakayama after a blast was heard, but he was unharmed in the incident, local media reported on April 15. TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unharmed Saturday after someone threw an explosive device at a campaign event in a western port city, officials said. Police wrestled a suspect to the ground as screaming bystanders scrambled to get away and smoke filled the air. In Abe's assassination, the former prime minister was shot with a homemade gun during a campaign speech. Abe's alleged assassin told investigators that he killed Abe, one of Japan's most influential and divisive politicians, because of the former prime minister's apparent links to a religious group that he hated.

OTTAWA, April 11 (Reuters) - Canada on Tuesday imposed new sanctions over Russia's invasion in Ukraine and pledged fresh military support for Kyiv after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Toronto. Trudeau said Canada was also imposing sanctions on nine entities tied to the Belarusian financial sector to further pressure Russia's "enablers in Belarus." Russia calls its actions Ukraine a "special military operation" to combat what it describes as a security threat from Ukraine's ties to the West. "We will continue to support Ukraine with everything needed for as long as necessary," Trudeau said. The two discussed a range of subjects including further military support and reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, before signing a joint declaration to modernize trade between the two countries.

☆ China criticises Indian minister's visit to Arunachal Pradesh
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] India's Home Minister Amit Shah greets the media upon his arrival at the home ministry in New Delhi, India, June 1, 2019. REUTERS/Altaf HussainBEIJING, April 10 (Reuters) - China firmly opposes a visit by India's home minister to Arunachal Pradesh and views his activities in the area as violating Beijing's territorial sovereignty, a foreign ministry spokesperson told a news briefing on Monday. China has renamed some places in what India regards as its eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as part of its territory. "Zangnan is China's territory," spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in response to a question on the visit by Indian Home Minister Amit Shah. "The Indian official's visit to Zangnan violates China's territorial sovereignty, and is not conducive to the peace and tranquility of the border situation."

☆ Pakistan fin min: canceled trip to Washington on prime minister's orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

KARACHI, Pakistan, April 8 (Reuters) - Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday said he had canceled his trip to Washington for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank on the orders of the prime minister due to the political situation in the country. Dar said he would attend important attend bilateral and multilateral meetings virtually and a Pakistani delegation would be present in Washington. The minister played down reports of the canceled trip being linked to a holdup in Pakistan's IMF bailout programme. Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Top lawmakers invite South Korean president to address Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Megan Lebowitz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (not pictured) at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on March 16, 2023. Congressional leaders on Thursday invited South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to address a joint meeting of Congress on April 27. A bipartisan delegation arrived in Taiwan on Thursday, a day after McCarthy defied Beijing by meeting with the president of the self-ruling island. It was the delegation's third overseas trip following visits to U.S. allies in Japan and South Korea. During that trip, Biden and his South Korean and Japanese counterparts vowed to stand together in coordinating a response to North Korea's nuclear programs.

☆ Trudeau and Biden call on Russia to release WSJ reporter
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada called on Wednesday for the immediate release of a Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Russia on spying charges. Russia's Federal Security Service said reporter Evan Gershkovich, a U.S. citizen, was arrested last week because he was "suspected of spying in the interests of the American government". The Wall Street Journal denied Gershkovich was spying. "The prime minister and the president spoke about Russia’s illegal detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and called for his immediate release," Trudeau's office said in a statement following a telephone call between the leaders. In their telephone call, Trudeau and Biden also spoke about migration and implementation of a Safe Third Country Agreement, Trudeau's office said.

[1/2] New Zealands' Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses the 77th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 23, 2022. REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs/File PhotoApril 5 (Reuters) - All New Zealanders should feel politics can be a home for them, former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Wednesday, in a final address to parliament after leading the nation through the COVID-19 pandemic and a terror attack in Christchurch. Ardern, who thanked her family, her political party and her supporters, had stepped down as prime minister in January saying she had "no more in the tank" to lead the country. Ardern said she had found herself involved in people's lives "during their most grief-stricken or traumatic moments" in that series of events. New Zealand faced some of the strictest measures globally but also had one of the lowest death tolls.

☆ Israel's Netanyahu, dissenting defence minister to visit troops together
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM, April 3 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit troops with Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, an aide said on Monday, as Israel's public broadcaster reported he had decided to delay the dismissal of the minister announced more than a week ago. Netanyahu announced he was firing Gallant on March 26, following his defence chief's public call to halt a highly contested judicial overhaul. With tensions running high during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year coincides with the Jewish Passover, public broadcaster Kan reported on Monday that Netanyahu had decided to hold off on firing the minister. "Due to the evolving security situation, Netanyahu will attend to the matter of the defence minister down the line," the broadcaster cited a political source as saying. Two Israeli officials who requested anonymity said Gallant and Netanyahu would on Monday evening visit two military bases to toast troops for the Passover holiday.

[1/2] Ethernet cables are seen in front of Rogers and Shaw Communications logos in this illustration taken, July 8, 2022. Rogers' deal for Shaw was politically sensitive due to the sky-high wireless bills Canadians pay, which are among the highest in the world. Yet, the competition bureau failed to block the merger, losing their protracted battle when a federal court dismissed the case. Now, dealmakers worry the government could intervene in other politically sensitive M&A. "There are not a lot of things people in competition law disagree on.

☆ Israel approves 'national guard' sought by far-right security minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

It was not immediately clear who would have direct authority over the national guard. Having moderated some of his positions, he wields an expanded law-and-order portfolio in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist governing coalition. Ben Gvir has described the planned national guard in media interviews as an update of the previous government's initiative. "Why does the State of Israel - which has an army, police, military intelligence, the Shin Bet, Mossad, National Security Council, Prisons Service, riot police, a SWAT team - need another national guard?" He said that the national guard would take months to get off the ground and that he was trying to fill police posts in parallel.

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