Word: primed
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...mates back in newcastle, where he was born, and at Eton, where he was schooled, knew him as Mark, a soccer fanatic who later scored first-class honors at Oxford. Today, Thailand's urbane Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, says he dreamed of leading his Southeast Asian nation ever since he was a little boy, but he still seems more comfortable roaming the corridors of international diplomacy than engaging in the rough-and-tumble politics of his homeland. Just days ago, the 45-year-old economist headed to New York City to hobnob with world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly...
...even as the international community fetes the fresh-faced Prime Minister, Abhisit is being accused back home of an increasing disconnect with Thais living outside the air-conditioned comfort of Bangkok. Despite a brightening economic outlook that his technocrat-filled administration is quick to take credit for, there's no doubt Thailand is fraying at the edges. On Sept. 19, two days before the PM jetted off to the U.N., more than 20,000 antigovernment demonstrators bedecked in their signature red shirts flooded the Thai capital from rural areas to mark the third anniversary of a military coup against their...
...Prime Minister Brian Cowen said he was delighted by the "decisive" vote. "Today we have done the right thing for our own future and the future of our children," he said. Cowen's relief was echoed across the whole of the E.U., where leaders had been watching the result as closely as the Irish. (The Union operates by consensus, meaning major policy questions have to be approved by all 27 member states.) "I am really glad with the result," said European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. "The Irish people have spoken. They have said a resounding yes to Europe...
...meantime, work will begin on filling the new posts created by Lisbon. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is the front-runner to become the E.U.'s first full-time president, and could be named within weeks. Other positions include a stronger foreign policy chief, known as the High Representative for Foreign Affairs. The E.U. will also work on creating an E.U. diplomatic corps, or European External Action Service...
...surprisingly, the pressure on Israeli politicians to rescue Shalit has been intense. Before he left office in March, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attempted a last-minute push to gain Shalit's freedom by offering to release Palestinian prisoners in return for the soldier, but negotiations between the two sides failed. When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came into power, he appointed a new chief negotiator and brought in German mediators to help the Egyptians already on the case...