Listen to this articlePeople's Party leader Natthaphong RuengpanyawutThe People's Party (PP) says it is ready to serve as the opposition after the election if the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) wins the poll. Speaking on Matichon TV on Friday, PP leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut said the election will be a race between the PP and BJT, adding "there is work being done to prevent the PP from forming a government". Asked whether the BJT could join a PP-led coalition if the PP wins, Mr Natthaphong said it would depend on how many seats each party secures. "The more seats we win, the more influence we have to assert control over other parties," he said. Meanwhile, PP members told voters yesterday the party hopes to win at least 250 seats.

EC allows charter referendum on election dayListen to this articleThe Election Commission (EC) on Saturday issued a regulation allowing a referendum on the rewriting of the constitution to be held on the same day as the general election. Issued under the Referendum Act 2021 and its amendments, the regulation authorises the prime minister and the EC to jointly set a referendum date to coincide with a general election. Under the new rule, if an election is classified as a general election and held within an appropriate timeframe, any national referendum may be scheduled for the same day. Meanwhile, preparations for the 2026 general election are under way, with registration for advance voting now open until Jan 5. The EC has urged voters to register early to ensure their participation in advance voting and on election day.

DSI to summon ex-minister over Singapore MoU with MauerbergerListen to this articlePrasert JantararuangtongThe Department of Special Investigation (DSI) will summon former Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong over his role in the signing of an MoU in Singapore during which alleged money launderer Ben Smith was also present. The MoU was signed with the Singapore-based Prime Opportunity Fund VCC while Mr Prasert was a cabinet minister. Benjamin Mauerberger, alias "Ben Smith", appears in signing ceremony photos, along with Capt Thamanat Prompow, then Minister of Agriculture under the Srettha Thavisin administration. Images from the event show Mr Prasert posing for photographs, alongside Capt Thamanat and Narumon Pinyosinwat, Thailand's trade representative at the time. Investigators said Mr Wisit's statement could be grounds to summon Mr Prasert and his secretary-general at the time of the signing to provide explanations.

Listen to this articlePolice show SIM boxes seized from scam suspects, at the Crime Suppression Division in Bangkok in October. Pol Lt Gen Yingyos Thepjamnong, the assistant commissioner-general and RTP spokesman, said on Saturday Pol Gen Kittharath Punpetch, the chief of police, has ordered crackdowns on online fraud, dismantling criminal networks and cutting off financial routes. Scammers typically begin by exploiting leaked personal data, such as names and former workplaces, to appear credible, Pol Lt Gen Yingyos said. They are then able to lure victims into installing fake government apps that allow criminals to take control of victims' phones. A key tactic, Pol Lt Gen Yingyos said, involves convincing victims to switch their mobile banking app from their language to English, making it easier for scammers to initiate unauthorised transfers.

Bhumjaithai PartyPolitics is entering a phase in which the Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) has become the main focal point of political momentum. He said this explains the recent influx of influential political families into the BJT. But the race for the winner's post is really between the BJT and the PP," he said. On the party-list system, he said the BJT is likely to secure around 9–10%, possibly rising to 15% in favourable circumstances. He also warned the strategy could backfire if political opponents portray BJT patriarch Newin Chidchob as seeking to dominate the political system.

(Photo: Reuters)LAHORE, Pakistan - A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison each in a corruption case involving the under-priced purchase of luxury state gifts, the court and Khan’s lawyers said. Khan’s party plans protestsThe case is separate from an earlier state gifts prosecution linked to Khan’s August 2023 arrest. Earlier sentences of 14 years for Khan and seven years for Bushra Bibi were later suspended on appeal. Following the court ruling, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced plans for protests across Punjab on Sunday. Khan’s party also says routine family and legal visits have been blocked in recent weeks despite court orders.

Anthony Joshua knocks out Jake Paul in sixth roundListen to this articleMIAMI — Former heavyweight champion Anthony ‌Joshua ​delivered a dose of reality to social-media-star-turned prizefighter Jake ‌Paul on Friday with a sixth-round knockout ‌in Miami, Florida. Paul, 28, was effective in evading the ⁠heavily favoured Joshua, 36, through the lacklustre first four rounds before the two-time world champion knocked the YouTuber and influencer down twice in ‌an action-packed ‍fifth round and finished him ‌off ​with a series of punishing blows in the sixth. The bout was carried ⁠live to ​Netflix's approximately 300 million subscribers. In November last year, Paul beat boxing legend Mike Tyson by unanimous decision to win an intergenerational heavyweight battle in Texas, the United States.

Blaze destroys 20 shops but no injuries reported at big border market in AranyaprathetListen to this articleFire trucks and firefighters are deployed to combat a blaze that broke out at the Rong Kluea border market in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo in the early hours of Saturday. (Photo: Sa Kaeo public relations office)A fire at the Rong Kluea border market in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo province in the early hours of Saturday damaged about 20 shops but caused no injuries. The market has been largely closed since fighting along the border flared up again this month. The Rong Kluea market is a huge border trade hub covering 170 rai (66 acres), featuring about 2,000 shops and vendors over five zones. (Story continues below)A forensic officer takes photos of evidence at the fire-gutted Rong Kluea market in Sa Kaeo.

D'AngeloR&B and soul singer D'Angelo died in New York City on Oct 14, aged 51, after a private battle with pancreatic cancer. Giorgio ArmaniLegendary Italian designer Giorgio Armani, who founded his eponymous brand in 1975, died this year, aged 91. Kim Sae-ronSouth Korean child model and actress Kim Sae-ron died by suicide on Feb 16 at her home in Seoul, South Korea. Sophie KinsellaBritish author Sophie Kinsella, who created the Confessions of a Shopaholic series, died aged 55 on Dec 10. David LynchThe American filmmaker and painter whose works include cult classic films and shows like Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive and Eraserhead died aged 78 on Jan 15.

Listen to this articleBrazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (centre) warned about spiralling tensions between Washington and Caracas as he opens a summit of the Mercosur bloc on Saturday. (Photo: AFP)FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that US military action in Venezuela would spark a “humanitarian catastrophe”, as he opened a summit of the South American trading bloc Mercosur. Lula’s comments come amid spiralling tensions between Washington and Caracas — and after US President Donald Trump left open the possibility of war against the government of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. “An armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian catastrophe for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world,” he said. Trump has also announced a blockade on oil tankers under sanctions that are leaving or arriving in Venezuela.

Instead, he lay expressionless, staring toward his corner, seemingly aware the fight – and possibly much more – was over. Liu Mengyang leaps in the air with Tawanchai laying stricken on the canvas at ONE Friday Fights 137ONE Championship has not confirmed the extent of the injury. Thai media have reported the featherweight champion suffered a broken leg – an injury that could sideline him for close to a year. Already delayed once from September due to injury, Tawanchai entered the fight as a heavy favourite despite Liu insisting all week he would score a knockout. All we can do now is support him.”Whether Tawanchai is forced to vacate the belt remains unclear.

(Photo: Takraw Association of Thailand)Golden last hurrahThailand’s women’s sepak takraw team delivered the final gold medal of the 33rd SEA Games, just hours before the closing ceremony. As SEA Games winners, Thailand booked a place at the 2026 Asian Volleyball Championship. “This is my second SEA Games singles gold, 10 years after the first in Singapore. Performers dazzle the crowd at Rajamangala National Stadium during the SEA Games closing ceremony on Saturday night. The women’s side had earlier made history, beating Philippines 13-4 to win the first-ever SEA Games gold in the sport.

(Photo: Pattanapong Sripiachai)BUENG KAN - Recent water quality tests have confirmed the Mekong River is safe, with arsenic levels within acceptable limits, according to a senior local environmental official. The tests in November were undertaken after the regional environmental office in Udon Thani found arsenic levels at one monitoring point in Bueng Kan had reached 0.019 mg/L in August. A subsequent test in September showed arsenic levels had fallen below the standard. He said Bueng Kan has no industrial plants or mining concessions that use arsenic in their production processes. However, there are no arsenic test results from the Lao stretch of the Mekong, making it difficult to verify or determine the origin of the contamination.

Listen to this articleMuch of the Jeffrey Epstein document trove released by the US Justice Department has been blacked out. Even so, the files shed some light on the disgraced financier's intimate ties to the rich, famous and powerful -- Trump among them. But Democrats voiced frustration that the release fell far short of what was mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the government's entire case file by Friday, constrained only by legal and victim privacy concerns. "Simply releasing a mountain of blacked-out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law. Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting underage girls for Epstein, whose death was ruled a suicide.

Heavy fire at key Thai-Cambodian border flashpointsListen to this articleLt Gen Weerayuth Raksilp, the 2nd Army Area Commander, on Saturday supervises operations at Hill 350, a strategically crucial area near Prasat Ta Kwai in Phanom Dong Rak district of Surin province. (Photo: 2nd Army Area)Fighting along the Thai-Cambodian border, particularly in parts of Si Sa Ket province, remains intense, the army said on Saturday. Numerous unmanned aerial vehicles, including FPV attack drones, were also reported over Thai positions throughout Friday night, among the heaviest drone deployments seen so far, it said. The 2nd Army Area also released what it said was evidence showing Cambodian troops violating international humanitarian law over the past 13 days of conflict. The army said earlier that “indiscriminate” firing by Cambodian troops had severely impacted civilians’ homes, hospitals and schools — all non-military targets.