Paetongtarn Shinawatra

Bangkok : Thailand’s Parliament elected Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of the divisive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, as the country’s new prime minister Friday.

Paetongtarn becomes Thailand’s third leader from the Shinawatra family, after her father, who was ousted by coup before returning from exile last year, and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra, who lives in exile. Paetongtarn also became Thailand’s second female prime minister after her aunt and the country’s youngest leader at 37.

She is the leader of the ruling Pheu Thai party but was not an elected lawmaker, which was not required for her to be a candidate for prime minister. Paetongtarn was the sole nominee and got a majority of the votes in Parliament with the voting ongoing.

The last prime minister had been removed by the Constitutional Court two days ago over an ethics violation.

Thaksin is one of Thailand’s most popular but divisive political figures and was ousted by a military coup in 2006. He is widely seen as a de facto leader of Pheu Thai, the latest in a string of parties linked to him. His residual popularity and influence is a factor behind the political support for Paetongtarn.

Her public entry into politics came in 2021 when the Pheu Thai party announced she would lead an inclusion advisory committee. She was appointed as leader of Pheu Thai last year, after she was named one of its three prime ministerial candidates ahead of the polls.

When Paetongtarn was on the campaign trail for Pheu Thai, she acknowledged her family ties but insisted she was not just her father’s proxy.

“It’s not the shadow of my dad. I am my dad’s daughter, always and forever, but I have my own decisions,” she told a reporter.

However, her father’s shadow is too big to be dismissed and her work will not be easy with him continuing to call political shots for Pheu Thai, said Petra Alderman, a political research fellow at England’s University of Birmingham.

“Thaksin was a political force to reckon with, but he was also a liability,” she said, “He has a tendency to overplay his political hand, so serving in his shadow has never been easy.”

Paetongtarn’s nomination followed the removal of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Wednesday after less than a year in office. The Constitutional Court found him guilty of a serious ethical breach regarding his appointment of a Cabinet member who was jailed in connection with an alleged bribery attempt.

It was the second major ruling in a week to shake Thai politics. The same court last week dissolved the progressive Move Forward party, which won last year’s general election but was blocked from taking power. The party has already regrouped as the People’s Party.

Pheu Thai and its predecessors had won all national elections since 2001, with core populist policies pledging to solve economic problems and bridge income equality, until it lost to the reformist Move Forward in 2023. It, however, was given a chance to form a government after Move Forward was blocked from taking power by the previous Senate, a military-appointed body.

Move Forward was excluded from the coalition by Pheu Thai, which went on to join hands with parties affiliated with the military government that ousted it in a coup. The move drew criticism from some of its supporters but party officials say it was necessary to break the deadlock and start reconciliation after decades of deep political divisions.

Thaksin returned to Thailand last year after years in exile in what was interpreted as part of a political bargain between Pheu Thai and their longstanding rivals in the conservative establishment to stop Move Forward Party from forming a government.

The former senators were given special power to veto a prime ministerial candidate by the constitution adopted in 2017 under a military government. However, that power expired when their term ended in May. New members of the Senate, selected in a convoluted process last month, do not retain the veto.

A candidate now needs just a majority from the lower house, or at least 247 votes. The current 11 party-coalition led by Pheu Thai now has 314 lawmakers in the lower house, and they have declared their unanimous support for Paetongtarn.

The coalition under the leadership of Paetongtarn could strengthen their unity because Paetongtarn possesses something that Srettha does not — a direct line to her powerful father who has the final say — said Napon Jatusripitak, a political science researcher at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

“In a strange way, it creates a clear chain of command and curbs factionalism,” he said. “Paetongtarn will be given clear jurisdictions on where she can exercise her own agency and where it is a matter between her father and the coalition members.”

With Move Forward dissolved and the party’s only prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat banned from political activities, Napon believes it’s the time that the rest of major political parties resume a “game of musical chairs” of the premiership race that has been put on hold “with an agreement to share power, regardless of who becomes the prime minister.”

“Most importantly, the overarching goal remains the same: to keep the music playing and exclude the reformists from power,” he said.

Joe Biden U.S President

The Biden Administration looks forward to expanding its “critical and critically important” partnership with India and creating a more prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific, the White House has said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre made the remarks on Monday while responding to questions on the priorities of US President Joe Biden in the remaining six months of his administration.

“We look forward to continuing to expand our critical and critically important partnership and how it’s going to benefit the American people,” she said while addressing her daily news conference.

“We want to create a more prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific and the world. That is going to continue to be our focus as we move forward,” she said.

“The president (Joe Biden) views our relationship — the United States’ relationship with India — as one of the most consequential in the world. We work closely with India on our most vital priorities, including through the Quad and the US-India initiative on — Critical and Emerging Technology,” Jean-Pierre said.

Earlier in the day, India’s Ambassador-designate to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, arrived in the American Capital.

Kwatra, who previously served as Minister of Commerce in the Indian Embassy here, is expected to present his credentials to President Biden shortly.

The top Indian diplomat, who is well known in the US diplomatic circles, arrives in the US in the middle of an intense presidential election campaign, fast-moving developments in Bangladesh and two wars in which the US is currently engaged.

Over the next 90 days, India and the US are expected to have some high-level diplomatic engagements, including visits of cabinet-level officials on either side.

The overall ties between India and the US have witnessed a major upswing following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic state visit to Washington in June last year, followed by Biden’s trip to India last September for the G20 summit.

Wellington: A man died after an unauthorised helicopter flight in Queensland, Australia ended in a crash on a hotel roof early Monday morning, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people from the building as flames engulfed the aircraft.

Authorities in the city of Cairns said that they had not confirmed the identity of the pilot, his reason for making the flight or how the tourist helicopter was able to take off from Cairns Airport.A couple staying at the hotel was hospitalised suffering from smoke inhalation and have now been discharged, Queensland Police Service Acting Chief Superintendent Shane Holmes told reporters. No one else on the ground was hurt.

Holmes said it was not known if the man flying the helicopter held a pilot’s license or if he worked for the company that owned the craft, Nautilus Aviation.

“There is no further threat to the community, and we believe this is an isolated incident,” Holmes said.

Nautilus Aviation said in an unattributed written statement that the flight was “unauthorised” but would not supply any further details.

Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker said initial findings of a review Monday showed “no compromise of the airport security program or processes.”

About 400 people were evacuated from the hotel after the crash, which happened in the early hours of the morning in a busy tourist district of Cairns — a tropical city of 150,000 people in far north Queesland — where it is peak season for holidaymakers. Witnesses told local news outlets the crash sounded like a bomb exploding.

Smoke and flames billowed from the roof of the Doubletree Hilton and one of the helicopter’s rotor blades landed in the hotel pool, the Australian broadcaster ABC reported.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus

Dhaka : People in Bangladesh have welcomed the new interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, hoping it would restore order, end repression and hold a fair election to facilitate a democratic transition of power.

Yunus, 84, on Thursday took oath as the head of an interim government, replacing Sheikh Hasina who abruptly resigned and fled to India leaving the country in turmoil following deadly protests against her government over a controversial quota system in jobs.

He was sworn in as the chief advisor – a position equivalent to prime minister.

Women’s rights activist Farida Akhtar, right-wing party Hefazat-e-Islam’s deputy chief AFM Khalid Hossain, Grameen Telecom trustee Nurjahan Begum, freedom fighter Sharmeen Murshid, chairman of Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board Supradip Chakma, Prof Bidhan Ranjan Roy and former foreign secretary Touhid Hossain are among the advisory council members.

Dhaka University Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury said that one of the duties of the interim government would be to restore order, which has been disrupted over the last few days following the fall of Hasina.

“The other task is to ensure the safety of citizens,” The Daily Star newspaper quoted Choudhury as saying after the oath-taking of the interim government.

The government would also need to eliminate all forms of oppression and the culture of fear prevailing across the country, he said.

However, the main responsibility of the government, he emphasised, would be to hold a fair and acceptable election to facilitate a democratic transition of power.

Eminent jurist Kamal Hossain said, “The change that has happened was welcomed by everyone. There has been an extraordinary turnout at the event. Everyone feels that change has come.

“We hope they [members of the advisory council] will be able to address the new crises. People will expect a meaningful change — let this be that change,” he said.

Barrister Sara Hossain said: “My main expectation from this government is that it will enable substantial reforms to institutions in Bangladesh and clear the path for truth-telling about what has happened not only in the immediate past or the past few weeks but even over the last 14 years and before that.”

The students’ anti-discrimination movement was for reforms and against repression and these should be the interim government’s main themes, she told the newspaper. “What I perhaps am a bit troubled by is that, unlike previous years, there is no balance of political background and police. We obviously have no representation from (Hasina-led) Awami League. This absence of balance could cause a problem,” she said,

Bangladesh has a secular Constitution, history and tradition, which has not denied any faith but encouraged pluralism, but the swearing-in today did not reflect that, she said, expressing hope that “it is not a sign of things to come.”

The inclusion of students is of course unprecedented, she said, adding, “But I think it can only add energy to the whole process … I believe they can be a part of keeping the interim government in the right direction and keep it within the demands of the students and general people. We need to remember that even post-Liberation in 1971, we had many young leaders.”

Samina Luthfa, associate professor at Dhaka University, said, “While I welcome the interim government, it is to be noted that many of them are from non-government organisations and require a specific kind of skill set. However, there is much work to be done to reform the nation, whether they have the skills for that remains a question. I think including the students [leaders of the anti-discrimination student movement] in the government brings hope.”

Asked whether minority and women representation were enough, she said, “I believe those could be higher. Many other women and actors from religious minority backgrounds are skilled and have been supporting the movement, they too could have been included. More people from these segments of society could have ensured a higher possibility of a ‘discrimination-free’ country.”

She added that since the Jamaat-e-Islami was banned, the Hefazat Ameer may have been included to balance out participation from all religious backgrounds.

“We are in an extraordinary situation and of course, we cannot expect everything to be perfect already, it will all take time.

“However, at this moment, the first thing the interim government must look after is the safety of all citizens, justice, the economy, and restoring law and order.”

Dhaka: In a remarkable display of solidarity, protesting Muslim students are guarding the Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka. These students are monitoring the temple premises to ensure its safety and security.

Similarly, the Kali Temple in Sunamganj is under the protective watch of the district president and secretary of the local Shibir group, who are leading efforts to safeguard the site.

Numerous images circulating on social media show Muslim students, including madrasa students, standing guard at temples across Bangladesh.

An Indian news outlet named Republic also misrepresented videos of Muslim students protecting Hindu temples, falsely suggesting that they were ordinary students guarding against protesting Muslims. This has sparked widespread anger among Bangladeshis, who accuse Indian mainstream media of biased reporting and attempting to spread fear.

There were also claims circulating on social media that protestors had set fire to the house of Bangladeshi cricketer Liton Das due to his Hindu faith. These posts suggested that the incident was an example of targeted violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh. Despite the false claims circulating on social media, an investigation has revealed that the images showing a house being set on fire do not depict the home of Bangladeshi cricketer Liton Das. Instead, they show the residence of Mashrafe Mortaza, former cricketer and Member of Parliament representing Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, being vandalized and set ablaze.

Canadian MP Chandra Arya

Ottawa: A prominent Canadian MP of Indian origin on Wednesday said the country was being “polluted” by Khalistani extremists who were “abusing” the freedoms guaranteed under the Charter of Rights, days after a Hindu temple was vandalised in Edmonton.

Amidst rising Hinduphobia in Canada, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir was vandalised with alleged hateful and anti-India graffiti on Monday morning in Edmonton in Alberta state, about 3,400 km west-northwest of here.

Chandra Arya, a Member of Parliament from Nepean in the House of Commons, said in a post on his X account that separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice released a video demanding that Arya and his Hindu-Canadian friends go back to India after he (Arya) condemned the vandalism of the Hindu temple and other acts of hate and violence by Khalistan supporters in Canada.

“We Hindus have come to our wonderful country Canada from all parts of the world. From every country in South Asia, many countries in Africa and Caribbean, and many other parts of the world, we have come here and Canada is our land,” Arya, a member of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, wrote.

“We have made and continue to make immense positive and productive contributions to the socio-economic development of Canada. With our long history of Hindu culture and heritage, we have enriched the multicultural fabric of Canada,” he said.

“Our land is being polluted by Khalistani extremists abusing our freedoms guaranteed by our Canadian Charter of Rights,” Arya added.

Arya’s statement comes against the backdrop of severe strain in India-Canada ties over the killing of Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia, in June last year.

The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

India has repeatedly conveyed its “deep concerns” to Canada and New Delhi expects Ottawa to take strong action against those elements.

Meanwhile, the vandalism at the BAPS temple was criticised by other local elected representatives too.

The Consulate General of India in Vancouver had said in a post on X on Tuesday: “We condemn the defacing of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in #Edmonton with anti-India graffiti. We have requested the Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action against the perpetrators.”

However, there has been no reaction as yet from the BAPS – the Bochasanwasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, the organisation that runs the temple.

Kamala Harris and US President Joe Biden

Washington: US President Joe Biden has said his decision to step aside from the 2024 presidential race and endorse Kamala Harris as the Democratic Presidential nominee was an act aimed at unifying the nation and passing “the torch to a new generation.”

The prime-time speech marked the first time Biden had spoken directly to the American people on-camera since his announcement three days ago that he was stepping away from the campaign trail.

“I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That’s the best way to unite our nation. I there is a time and a place for long years of experience in public life, but there’s also a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices, and that time and place is now,” an emotional Biden said in the rare Oval Office address on Wednesday.

Biden, 81, said he revered the President’s Office but he loved his country more.

“It’s been the honour of my life to serve as president but in the defense of democracy, which is at stake, I think it’s more important than any title,” he said.

“I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America’s future all merited a second term,” Biden said.

“But nothing, nothing can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition, so I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation.”

On Vice President Harris, Biden said she is “experienced, she’s tough, she’s capable” and called her an “incredible partner” during their three-and-a-half years together.

“I’ve made my choice. I’ve made my views known … Now, the choice is up to you, the American people,” he said.

Biden continued to emphasise what he believes is at risk this election, which he’s repeatedly cast as an “inflection point” to save the nation’s founding principles.

“I ran for president four years ago because I believed, and still do, that the soul of America was at stake, the very nature of who we are was at stake,” he said. “And that’s still the case.”

“I’ve made it clear that I believe America is at an inflection point, one of those rare moments in history when the decisions we make now will determine the fate of our nation and the world for decades to come,” he said.

Harris, 59, who is of Indian and African origin, has now emerged as the presumptive presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.

He was surrounded by First Lady Jill Biden, his son Hunter Biden and several family members. Toward the end of remarks, Ashley Biden reached for the hand of her mother, Jill Biden, who was seated next to her.

After the president concluded his remarks, Jill Biden walked to the Resolute Desk and stood next to her husband.

Harris watched Biden’s Address to the Nation from Houston, where she is spending the night after visiting the city’s Emergency Operations Center to receive a briefing on the ongoing recovery efforts following Hurricane Beryl.

Biden in his remarks said that America is going to have to choose between moving forward or backward, between hope and hate, between unity and division.

“We have to decide, do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy. In this moment, we can see those we disagree with not as enemies, but as fellow Americans,” he said.

Biden also looked ahead to what he still hopes to do in these final six months. He zeroed in on the need to address gun violence, and climate change, continuing to improve the economy and reforming the US Supreme Court.

“That means I’ll continue to lower costs for hard-working families, grow our economy, and I’ll keep defending our personal freedoms and our civil rights from the right to vote to the right to choose. I’ll keep calling out hate and extremism, and make it clear there is no place, no place in America for political violence or any violence ever, period. I’m going to keep speaking out to protect our kids from gun violence, our planet from climate crisis, is the existential threat,” he said.

Biden said he was the first president in this century to report to the American people that the United States is not at war anywhere in the world.

“We’ll keep rallying a coalition of proud nations to stop Putin from taking over Ukraine and doing more damage. We’ll keep NATO stronger, and I’ll make it more powerful and more united than at any time in all of our history,” he said.

“I’ll keep doing the same for allies in the Pacific. When I came to office, the conventional wisdom was that China would inevitably surpass the United States. That’s not the case anymore. I’m going to keep working to end the war in Gaza, bring home all the hostages and bring peace and security to the Middle East and end this war,” said the president.

Biden said in just a few months, the American people will choose the course of America’s future.

Biden, who initially resisted calls to step aside and insisted he was the best person to take on Donald Trump, said he now believes a new path is necessary.

The president did not address ongoing Republican criticisms about his fitness to serve. The White House earlier Wednesday had said his health had “nothing” to do with his decision.