A coalition of pro-democracy parties are expected to form a government in Thailand following a coalition led by Pita Limjaroenrat's Move Forward Party victory in Sunday's national election. However, the winning party's candidate is not automatically elected as prime minister, with a vote by the 500-member lower house and the 250 military-appointed representatives of the senate deciding the nation's new leader in July. Move Forward will need 376 votes to win, and Pita has formed an alliance of eight parties, including Pheu Thai, with a combined 313 seats in the lower house, leaving him 63 seats short of a majority.
Thailand's pro-democracy parties face obstacles to forming a government. Although Pita Limjaroenrat's Move Forward party won Sunday's election, Bhumjaithai, the party that came third in the election, said it won't back Pita to become prime minister because of his quest to change Article 112. The Senate, dominated by Thailand's royalists, is likely to follow suit. The potential for a conservative backlash is hitting shares, with foreign investors net sellers of Thai bonds on Wednesday; they also sold net $183m of equities for the three days through Wednesday.
The Cannes screening of Black Flies, the new film from Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, has confirmed that Sean Penn, in the role of an experienced paramedic, has produced his best performance in some time. Co-star Tye Sheridan is no less impressive as a nervous rookie alongside Penn, though together they face down the "raging urban stress and cramped horizons" of their duty with occasional displays of black humour. Despite formulaic components, the film's central theme of everyday realities serve the story well in a gritty, often uncomfortably tense and sometimes violent movie.
A recent article in Sydney Morning Herald extols the pleasures and vitality of stews and notes that they are coming back into vogue as people search for dishes that connect them to their grandmothers and the past. With more time available these days to cook hearty dishes, stews have been rediscovered as an essential part of the household culinary mix. Stews are also seen as a way to use less expensive cuts of meat. The article recalled the writer's recent trip through some of Europe's most charming smaller cities where she researched the local stews, including the carbonnade in Brussels cooked in the local beer and the waterzooi in Ghent, which comprises a chicken stew studded with carrots, leeks and potatoes in a creamy sauce thickened with egg yolks. At a time of year when cold and flu risk is heightened, stews are seen as a valuable addition to the menu, with their reputation as an immune-boosting comfort food.
A 15-year-old girl has been released in Thailand after being detained for 50 days for allegedly insulting the monarchy during a rally in Bangkok in October 2020. Thanalop “Yok” Phalanchai had been accused of violating Thailand’s lese-majeste law. Despite protests from human rights groups, at least 242 government critics have been charged with violating the law while protesting since 2020.
Donations from readers of the Toronto Star newspaper are being sought to help its Fresh Air Fund, which gives underprivileged and special needs children meaningful camping experience, like the trip enjoyed by a young Roveena Jassal with her family in the summer of 2011. The trip and subsequent camping have brought back special memories and strengthened the family unit. The Fresh Air Fund is now in its 123rd year and offers memories that last a lifetime, but it needs the public's support to continue to operate. It has a goal of raising CAD650,000 ($494,000).
Phuket is expected to welcome one million Russians in 2017, making Russians the largest group of foreign visitors, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. While the Thai island depends on tourism for 90% of its economy, the rise of Russian visitors has led to complaints of "bad behavior", including drunkenness, violence and traffic accidents, according to hospital nurses and provincial police reports in local media. Russians have frequently been arrested in Phuket for crimes including theft, recklessness causing death and drug smuggling, and some local residents complain they are being squeezed out of jobs while local schools are filled to capacity with Russian children. Wealthier Russians are reportedly acquiring elite visas enabling them to stay for between five and 20 years for $25,000 or more and almost all condo sales are to Russians, according to reports, and many are purchasing hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and tourism-related businesses.
Mindfulness is growing in popularity in executive education training, with schools using self-awareness and live-in-the-moment techniques to help business leaders adopt more reflective, analytical and collaborative managerial styles. This follows a trend towards encouraging reflection in executive education programmes that is not new. More than 25 years ago, Canadian academic Henry Mintzberg helped launch the International Masters Program for Managers, which focuses on five mindsets, one of which is the "reflective mindset", and emphasises the sharing of other people's management and decision-making styles. As we reported earlier this year, employers in the US are also being more proactive with mindfulness programmes, with more than half of all US employers offering some form of mindfulness training to workers. However, while studies have shown that mindfulness can improve self-esteem and reduce anxiety, some psychologists have warned that people who practice mindfulness may have the opposite effect, becoming anxious or leading to them having panic attacks.
Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam are keeping an eye on China's durian farmers to see whether they could become a major competitor. Although Malaysia's durian exports have not been significantly affected by Chinese farmers growing their own produce, countries in Southeast Asia could be impacted if Chinese fruit production continues to flourish. China imported more than 824,000 tonnes of fresh durians worth more than $4bn last year, about four times the volume in 2017. Some experts have said it is unrealistic to expect China to buy all domestically grown durians. With China's farming methods speeding up the growth cycle from 10 to three years, analysts have speculated that Chinese durians could eventually be exported to Southeast Asia. Companies have had to automate water and fertiliser management in China's durian farms because of the volume of land being used.
Eight political parties, led by Thailand's Move Forward Party, signed a 23-point agreement on Monday outlining a joint platform to form a coalition government in July. Move Forward captured 152 seats in last week's elections on the promise of change after nine years of conservative rule. However, it sidestepped a contentious issue, amending a law banning criticism of the monarchy, to preserve its agreement. The monarchy enjoys significant national identity support and conservatives oppose any changes to associated laws that can result in 15 years imprisonment. Monday's agreement will require fine-tuning by the eight-party coalition that holds a 313-seat strong majority.
