12 gold marriage certificates up for grabs as couples rush to registerA couple show off their marriage certificates at the Bang Rak district office in Bangkok on Saturday. Authorities were offering 12 coveted gold marriage certificates as part of the annual Valentine’s Day celebration in the “District of Love”. (Photos: Bang Rak district office)Hundreds of couples flocked to register their marriages in Bang Rak district of Bangkok on Saturday, hoping to receive one of 12 coveted gold marriage certificates in a Valentine’s Day celebration. The atmosphere was lively at the Jewellery Trade Center (JTC) on Silom Road, where the Bang Rak district office and various agencies jointly hosted the “Rak Na Bang Rak – Rak (Love) @ Bangrak” event. The Bang Rak district office opened online reservations for Valentine’s Day marriage registration between Jan 7 and Feb 9, during which 1,259 couples secured appointments.

A wide range of recent examples, particularly China's technological rise, shows that rather than introducing technologies, some countries are better at embracing, adapting or hacking them. Spanning sculpture, videos and virtual reality, their works examine challenges and possibilities, especially when they play out in places outside their origin. Creative hacking reverberates across Asia -- shanzai and chabuduo in China, chindogu in Japan, jugaad in India, diskarte in the Philippines, menggodam in Malaysia and akalakalaan in Indonesia. (Photo: Gunalan Nadarajan)Collective memoryFounded by Vignesh Sundaresan, a blockchain architect and art collector, Padimai Art & Tech Studio continued the investigation of art and digital technology at Tanjong Pagar Distripark. It debuted with Olafur Eliasson's virtual-reality artwork Your View Matters, which is on view until the end of March.

Export sales rising steadily but new business lines also needed as smoking declinesThe Tobacco Authority of Thailand aims to boost exports this year, aiming to raise its cigarette export revenue to 1.2 billion baht, up from 800 million baht in 2025. Mr Poomjit said the domestic cigarette market has contracted due to the economic slowdown and increasing competition from imported cigarettes. Last year revenue from domestic cigarette sales accounted for 85% of the total, while overseas markets and non-cigarette businesses accounted for 15%. This year cigarette sales are forecast to reach 11.2 billion cigarettes, generating revenue of 6 billion baht. Over the past several years, the Tobacco Authority has faced intense competition, said Mr Poomjit.

The American phenom, considered virtually untouchable and a near-certain gold medallist, unravelled in stunning fashion in the men’s free programme at the Milano Cortina Olympics. “Going into my starting pose, all the traumatic moments of my life really ‌just started flooding my head. On Friday, his planned quad Axel — a jump only ⁠he has ever landed in competition — turned into a single, prompting gasps from the crowd. “It’s not like any other competition, it’s the Olympics… it was really just ​something ‌that overwhelmed me,” he said. People don’t realise the pressure and nerves that happen from the inside at the Olympics.

Inmate at Thonburi prison suspected of having mpoxA single dose of smallpox and mpox vaccine. (Photo: supplied/Panumate Tanraksa)A newly admitted inmate at Thonburi Remand Prison in Bangkok is suspected of having mpox, the Department of Corrections reported on Saturday. The inmate developed a high fever and necrosis in the foot shortly after he entered the prison in Bang Bon district on Jan 20. The prison has taken measures to prevent further spread, including isolating new inmates, taking medical histories and monitoring for mpox symptoms. The prison department and the Department of Disease Control at the Ministry of Public Health are working closely to monitor and prevent further transmission.

Myanmar man dies of rabiesThe Department of Disease Control (DDC) has confirmed the first rabies-related death this year after a Myanmar national, 36, died in Rayong province. DDC Director-General Montien Kanasawat said the man was bitten on the right hand by a puppy in December but failed to clean the wound or seek vaccination. All victims failed to seek medical treatment after animal bites, and more than half were infected by pets. Health officials urged the public to immediately wash wounds with soap and water and seek medical care after any animal bite. Rabies is a zoonotic disease transmitted through the saliva of infected mammals via bites, scratches or contact with open wounds.

A leading theory gaining traction among analysts is that Klatham’s surge came, in significant part, at the expense of its closest ideological ally: the Pheu Thai Party. In many constituencies, Klatham and Pheu Thai were effectively fishing in the same voter pool. In constituencies where Pheu Thai had been expected to win comfortably, Klatham edged ahead by margins ranging from narrow to wide. While Pheu Thai leaned on national messaging and marquee figures, Klatham focused heavily on constituency-level engagement. This group of supporters points to unresolved legal and ethical controversies surrounding potential coalition partners — Bhumjaithai, Pheu Thai and Klatham.

Ukrainian loses appeal against Olympics disqualificationUkrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych holds his helmet, which depicts victims of his country's war with Russia. (Photo: AFP)MILAN - Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych on Friday lost his appeal against his disqualification from the Winter Olympics for wearing a helmet adorned with pictures of the Ukrainian war dead. Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milan-Cortina Games on Thursday after refusing to ditch the helmet that features pictures of Ukrainian sportsmen and women killed since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022. Gestures of a political nature during competition are forbidden under the Olympic charter and the IOC said Heraskevych had failed “to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines”. The Court of Arbitration for Sport said it had “denied an application by Skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych (Ukraine) against the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC)”.

Gulf Development Plc, controlled by billionaire Sarath Ratanavadi, has doubled its stake in Kasikornbank Plc to become the Thai commercial lender’s largest shareholder. The power producer and telecommunications conglomerate had ranked fourth with a 4.53% stake as of Sept 11, when Kbank last updated its major shareholders’ list. The total stake is worth around 46 billion baht ($1.5 billion). Mr Sarath, who has built Gulf into Thailand’s largest power producer, gained control of Intouch by gradually accumulating a 47% stake. Gulf shares have jumped 42% this year.

SET rides wave of post-poll optimismThe Stock Exchange of Thailand closed the first month of 2026 with high hopes for an election-themed rally. The SET closed the month at 1,325.62 points, an increase of 5.2% from December, with average daily turnover rising 48.4% to 46.2 billion baht. The day after the election, the SET jumped 3.5% or 46.88 points to close at 1,400.89, with turnover of 102 billion baht. Except for special rebalancing days, we haven't seen 100 billion baht in daily turnover for almost three years. We also believe TRUE will be able to increase its dividend payout ratio from 50% to almost 100%.

This week, I started thinking about the definition of an echo chamber. This is the thing about echo chambers -- we gravitate to our own flock, in which our views mirror each other. This is where the echo chamber comes in. The echo chamber can deepen polarisation whilst creating larger divides among voters. This is your algorithmic echo chamber, where your losses are amplified and your feed feels like a loss.

Consumers are unlikely to benefit directly, except through a broader choice of merchants and logistics service providers over the long term. KEX Express (Thailand) Plc, formerly known as Kerry Express, reported an accumulated loss of roughly 12.9 billion baht between 2022 and 2024. Global Jet Express (Thailand) posted profit of 819 million baht on 25.4 billion baht in revenue in 2024. The Flash Group has a business valuation of more than 70 billion baht, and Flash Express Thailand employs 40,000 staff. Some merchants complained that e-commerce platforms require sellers to use designated logistics providers or in-house delivery services, limiting their ability to choose preferred shipping options.

The Thai Polo Team captured the championship at the Princess's Cup B.Grimm Thai Polo Open 2026, following a thrilling final at B.Grimm Country Club, known as the Thai Polo and Equestrian Club Pattaya in Chon Buri province. The tournament marked the 20th year of one of Asia's most established charity polo events, contested for the royal trophy graciously presented by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. In the championship match, the host team Thai Polo (Thailand) defeated Duc de Praslin (Belgium) to secure the title, while 22BR (Hong Kong) finished third overall. Organised by B.Grimm, the annual event is widely regarded as the opening fixture of the polo season in Thailand. (Caption to come by K. Larn)Marking two decades of continuity, the Princess's Cup B.Grimm Thai Polo Open has served as a key fundraising platform supporting education and workforce development through the Chitralada Technology Institute.

Canada PM to mourn with grieving town, new details on shooter emergeA memorial for the victims the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo: AFP)TUMBLER RIDGE, Briotish Columbia - A grief-stricken community in western Canada will mourn with Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday, who headed to the remote town of Tumbler Ridge to honour victims of a mass shooting. In the days since Tuesday’s killings at the Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, more information has emerged about both the victims and the shooter, an 18-year-old transgender woman named Jesse Van Rootselaar. Vigil at town hallCarney is expected to lead a vigil for the victims outside the town hall in Tumbler Ridge, which was built 45 years ago, 1,180 kilometres northeast of Vancouver. The town was quiet early Friday and residents have voiced weariness over the influx of media attention following the tragedy.

US waives Venezuela oil sanctions as Trump plans visitTrump has praised Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodriguez for her cooperation since the toppling of her former boss, Nicolas Maduro. (Photo: AFP)WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said Friday he planned to visit Venezuela and reiterated satisfaction with its interim leader, as his administration authorized five major oil companies to operate in the country. "I'm going to make a visit to Venezuela," Trump told reporters Friday, while adding that the date had not been decided. Trump and top appointees like Energy Secretary Chris Wright have been blunt in characterizing Washington as a party controlling Venezuela's oil resources for the foreseeable future. Wright said Wednesday that the US oil embargo on Venezuela, in place since 2019, was "essentially over."