Thaksin's sister appointed PM

Thailand's parliament has elected the businesswoman Yingluck Shinawatra as the country's first female Prime Minister, setting the stage for the 44-year-old political novice to take charge of a volatile nation deeply divided since her older brother Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006.

Ms Yingluck's Pheu Thai party swept the elections on 3 July, winning an absolute majority of 265 seats in the 500-seat lower house.

Pheu Thai has since consolidated those gains, building alliances with smaller parties to form a 300-seat coalition.