Court accepts case against EC membersListen to this articleThe Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases has accepted a lawsuit filed against seven members of the Election Commission (EC) and its secretary-general over alleged abuse of power and collusion in connection with the controversial way in which the previous Senate election was processed. The court ordered the defendants to submit written statements within 30 days. He also insisted there was no need to wait for pending EC deliberations on 138 senators, saying any wrongdoing must ultimately be examined by the court. Mr Akkharawat expressed hope that the case would restore faith in the system and demonstrate that Thailand still has a judicial process people can rely on. The EC said it had evidence confirming a 10,000-baht cash payment was offered in exchange for voting in line with predetermined candidate numbers.

On December 11th, at the National Gallery of Thailand, the Gallery and the Mexican Embassy launched the #BuscandoMéxico art exhibition to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Mexico-Thailand bilateral relationship while strengthening the ties between two countries through arts. The exhibition showcased the work of Diego Rodarte Planter, the Mexican artist whose his works focus on visual practice through various technical mediums, with a notable emphasis on exploring painting. Furthermore, his works question the veracity of images on the internet, casting doubt on the authenticity of the works he came across. He believes that art does not affirm anything; rather, it seeks to make the viewer question something, for instance, "How real is what I find on the social media? The exhibition will be arranged at the the Temporary Exhibition Room of Thailand National Gallery from December 3-26, 2025 at 9 am - 4pm.

(Photo: Myanmar ITV)In August 2024, Myanmar’s ruling military junta was losing ground fast. It hopes the phased elections that begin on Sunday will give it a veneer of legitimacy and help it return to the global stage. After years of US-led condemnation, Trump has refrained from criticising the junta or denouncing the elections, despite bipartisan pressure. China provided key military and diplomatic backing when the junta risked losing control to rebels last year. Within months, captured territory was being returned to a Myanmar military, which was boosted by mandatory conscription, allowing the junta to lift a nationwide state of emergency that had been in place since the coup.

Trophies over tears -- the high price children pay for adults’ ambitionsListen to this articleKids race in a balance bike competition in Bangkok early this year. At its core lies a troubling question: when victory becomes the goal, what happens to a child's right to be a child? In that moment, society was left to wonder whether a child’s tears are considered less valuable than an object called a trophy. Once the child outgrows the toddler stage, there is no professional league or future career for balance bikes. Cultivating a child's potential is not wrong, but parents should realise that a child’s readiness and happiness must come before trophies.

Listen to this articleYod-IQ reacts after being told he has earned aUS$100,000 ONE Championship contractYod-IQ Or Pimolsri says the public criticism from ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong helped fuel the performance that finally earned him a full-time US$100,000 contract. “I actually did not expect the contract today,” Yod-IQ told the Bangkok Post backstage at Lumpinee Stadium. Yod-IQ, still processing the biggest moment of his career, went to see his teammate in hospital over the weekend. I did not expect this surprise.”As for what comes next, Yod-IQ is keeping his focus simple. Right now I just got the contract – and I don’t want to lose to anyone ever again.”

Three collections: Messi x Stanley 1913 GOAT Black, Stanley 1913 x Arsenal. This is Homage and Stanley 1913 x Paris Saint-Germain; embody the identity, passion and legacy of their collaborators. Stanley 1913 x Paris Saint-Germain CollectionInspired by the remarkable journey of Paris Saint-Germain; Paris’ oldest, most successful and most popular football club. The Stanley 1913 x Paris Saint-Germain Collection reflects the shared momentum of players and fans moving forward together towards triumph. This landmark collaboration between Stanley 1913, football legend Lionel Messi, and the two world-renowned football clubs seamlessly merges lifestyle products with football culture.

Japan eyes capping foreign workers at 426,000Listen to this articlePedestrians cross a street in Tokyo, Japan, on Dec 15, 2025. A combined 1.23 million foreign workers would be accepted under the existing and new programmes, according to the draft. The new training programme covers 17 areas, including agriculture and construction, compared with 19 sectors covered in the existing specified skilled worker programme. The first group consists of foreign nationals who work in jobs that require "considerable knowledge or experience," whereas the second group represents foreign nationals with more advanced "proficient skills," according to the government. Only foreign nationals with the status of Specified Skilled Workers I are subject to the planned cap in principle.

Listen to this articleHeavy redactions including many entirely blacked-out pages in the Epstein documents have stoked scepticism over whether their disclosure will silence conspiracy theories of a high-level cover-up. The DOJ posted around 11,000 links to new documents online, but some of them appeared to lead nowhere. The Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), passed nearly unanimously by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, mandated the complete release of the Epstein files by Friday of last week. “Instead of transparency, the Trump administration released a tiny fraction of the files and blacked out massive portions of what little they provided,” Schumer said in a statement. “We are not redacting information around President Trump,” Blanche, a former personal lawyer to the president, told NBC’s Meet the Press.

CPN invests B1.2bn in Chiang Mai upgradeListen to this articleDiners enjoy their meals at the 'Kad Luang' indoor local market at Central Chiangmai Airport. SET-listed Central Pattana (CPN) has invested 1.2 billion baht to transform the shopping mall Central Chiangmai Airport into a new mixed-use landmark, strengthening the city's allure. Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana, chief marketing officer at CPN, said Central Chiangmai Airport has been part of the city for more than 30 years. Located near the city centre, major hospitals, and over 150 residential communities, it is a three-minute drive from Chiang Mai airport. He said the province is entering a new growth cycle, as Chiang Mai airport plans to expand its passenger terminal and upgrade existing facilities.

(Photo: Reuters)The cabinet has approved an additional 5-billion-baht contingency budget to support the armed forces amid border tensions with Cambodia. The 5.05 billion baht will be allocated by the Ministry of Defence to the Royal Thai Armed Forces, Royal Thai Army, navy and air force. Separately, the cabinet approved an additional 206 million baht in contingency funding for the army to procure military equipment to enhance operational capability. Last week, the cabinet approved a contingency budget of 2.44 billion baht for the Ministry of Defence, requested by the army and navy, to support operations along the border in the 2026 fiscal year. The government said the funds would be used to maintain troop morale and readiness to respond to external threats in emergency situations.

Woman accused of leaving 12-year-old daughter at Tokyo massage parlour now in custody in BangkokListen to this articlePolice officers bring a woman accused of forcing her preteen daughter into prostitution to the Central Investigation Bureau in Bangkok on Tuesday, shortly after her extradition to Thailand from Taiwan. (Police photo)Police on Tuesday arrested a Thai woman accused of forcing her 12-year-old daughter into prostitution in Japan, after she was extradited from Taiwan. The 29-year-old woman, identified only as Luck, was taken into custody after she arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport in Samut Prakan on a flight from Taiwan at 5pm on Tuesday. She had been apprehended in Taiwan, where authorities arranged for her to be returned to Thailand. The woman was detained in Taiwan after it was learned that she had left her 12-year-old daughter in Tokyo with a massage parlour owner who forced her into prostitution before fleeing to the island in September.

Listen to this articlePeople cast their votes in a polling unit set up inside Ban Bang Kapi School in Bangkok for the last general election on May 14, 2023. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)The cabinet has approved a budget of nearly 9 billion baht for the Election Commission (EC) to stage the 2026 general election and a referendum on whether to draft a new constitution on Feb 8. Of the total allocation, 6.75 billion baht has been earmarked for the general election, 525 million for the referendum, and 1.7 billion baht for personnel and operational expenses, for a total of 8.978 billion baht. EC chairman Narong Klanwarin held a meeting on Tuesday with commissioners, secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee, his deputies and other staff to oversee preparations for the election and referendum. Key agenda items included candidate registration procedures, election management and dissemination of referendum guidelines.

The comment followed discussions among Asean foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur, where Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro joined counterparts at Malaysia’s invitation to review the deteriorating border situation. Thailand, however, rejected the proposal, reaffirming that bilateral mechanisms remain the most appropriate format and insisting that the GBC meeting would be held in Ban Laem district of a meeting of Chanthaburi. The GBC (General Border Committee) is a forum for border security issues chaired by the defence ministers of the two countries. The JBC (Joint Boundary Commission) focuses on legal and technical land demarcation and is led by foreign ministry officials, while the RBC (Regional Border Committee) handles regional border management and cooperation, involving regional military commanders. “I have not seen any country condemning Cambodia and asking why they are laying landmines on Thai territory.

Central bank says ‘huge’ gold trade volumes beyond fundamentals are pushing up bahtListen to this article(Illustration: World Gold Council)Thailand’s ‌finance ​ministry plans to study the possible imposition of a tax ‌on online gold trading ⁠and will look at measures to limit gold ‌trading ‍volumes, permanent secretary ​Lavaron Sangsnit said on Tuesday. The BoT last week ordered tighter scrutiny of foreign exchange transactions linked to gold trading and instructed commercial banks to closely monitor foreign currency inflows. Gold trading in Thailand currently involves a 15% withholding tax on capital gains for 99.99% purity gold bar forward contracts on the Thailand Futures Exchange. While physical gold sales are generally exempt from value-added tax (VAT), excise tax of 10% may apply to jewellery. Gold traders have voiced opposition to a tax on physical gold and online transactions, saying such efforts to rein in baht appreciation would cause the country to lose its status as a gold trading hub.

Cambodian shelling continues ahead of bilateral truce talksListen to this articleDefence Ministry photos show burning communities that were hit by Cambodian rockets in Sa Kaeo province on Monday. The graphic on the left indicates 51 civilian areas in Sa Kaeo hit by Cambodian rockets in the period Dec 8-23. (Screenshots)Cambodia continued its attacks on Thai territory on Tuesday, even though both countries expect bilateral truce talks to begin on Wednesday. About 4pm on Monday, Cambodia fired BM-21 rockets that hit houses in Khok Sung district, Sa Kaeo. Nearly 200 rockets hit their areas and people were injured,” he said.