Opinion
Does religious freedom trump animal welfare?
Last month, the European Court of Human Rights decided a case, The Executive Committee of Muslims of Belgium and Others v. Belgium, that required balancing religious freedom and animal welfare.
Wild jumbos not the issue
To mark National Elephant Day -- which is celebrated every year on March 13 -- the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has rolled out a conservation plan to protect elephants. The highlight of this year's celebrations was a scheme by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to develop "training centres" to tame "angry elephants", according to Attapon Charoenchansa, director-general...
Buddhism is always oddly political
This year, His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua is turning 72. Following the sexagenary cycle, the Thai government organised a month-long royal procession of the Buddha's relics from Feb 24 to this coming Monday including tours of four major Thai cities -- Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani and Krabi.
Justice for Chaiyaphum
Just days before the relatives and friends of slain human rights activist Chaiyaphum Pasae mark the seventh anniversary of his death in Chiang Mai, they have learnt that prosecutors have decided not to press murder charges against the soldier who gunned him down.
The Thaksin factor in Thai politics
Thai politics in the near term will likely be dominated by the fate of the two largest vote winners from the general election in May 2023, the Move Forward (MFP) and Pheu Thai parties. While the MFP is at risk of another dissolution, the same as its predecessor Future Forward Party suffered in 2020, Pheu Thai's political future appears to hinge on Thaksin Shinawatra and his return from exile in...
UN condemns Iran's treatment of girls, women
The Iranian regime has been firmly condemned by a UN fact-finding mission investigating the unprovoked killing of Mahsa Amini two years ago, in an incident that set off nationwide protests. Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old student, according to a UN fact-finding mission, died in police custody after violating the Islamic Republic's strict "morality rules" requiring women to wear the headscarf.
Boeing needs organisational shift to end crisis
Boeing's mounting crises are beginning to resemble an aviation thriller cooked up in Hollywood. In addition to a piece of fuselage falling off midair during a recent commercial passenger flight, there was the nail-biting discovery of mis-drilled holes in undelivered planes and revelations that an inspector had found an "excessive amount of defects" in a supplier's operations.
A free and fair Senate
With the election of a new set of senators on the horizon, curiosity is growing to see if past blunders can be avoided so as not to stigmatise the Upper House.
More affordable climate finance
Emerging-market and developing economies (EMDEs) will need an estimated US$2.4 trillion (86 trillion baht) in climate investment annually to meet climate goals, according to the Independent High-Level Expert Group on Climate Finance, with $1 trillion coming from external sources. Achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will require even more financing: an increase of $3.5...
What 'Barbie' can really teach working-class men
Economists spend a lot of time talking about jobs. Work is not only how people support themselves financially, it can also be the way in which they contribute to society, create unique identities and find meaning in the world. When work disappears or shifts, people can feel as unmoored and confused as Ken in Greta Gerwig's Barbie, who had one last moment in the spotlight at this week's Academy...