Spot gold jumped 1.1% to $5,243.58 per ounce, as ‌of 0314 GMT, after scaling a record high of $5,247.21 earlier, up more than 20% since the start of the year. The buying and selling prices were 76,850 and 76,950 baht for bullion, and 75,314.88 and 77,750 baht for gold ornaments. A shop employee carefully examines a necklace with a magnifying glass at a gold shop in Bangkok's Chinatown, Yaowarat, on Monday. United States dollar banknotes are seen at the Museum of American Finance in New York on Oct 15, 2010. Spot silver was up 1.9% at $115.11 an ounce, after hitting a record high of $117.69 on Monday.

One-note criticListen to this articleRe: "Chilling forecast" & "Greenland, blue states and international red lines", (Editorial cartoon, Jan 26 & 25). Obsessed with Trump, 100% negativity around Mr Trump, allows Mr Trump to live rent-free and ever-present in his head, and clearly is unwilling and/or unable to offer any cartoon about anything else. In a previously related article, Mr Burin even thanked Pol Gen Surachate when the latter alleged that he would expose the wrongdoing of other corrupt officers. And with a long list of misconduct allegations against the general lining up like a toilet roll, Mr Burin should be patient and let justice run its course. One should reflect upon the words of Danish leader Mette Fredericksson: "If the US decides to militarily attack another Nato country, then everything would stop ... That includes Nato and post World War II security."

Listen to this articleFlames rise from a paddy field in Pak Phli district of Nakhon Nayok on Tuesday. (Screenshot from a video by Nakhon Nayok public relations office)Authorities in Nakhon Nayok are hunting for the culprits who burned about 10,000 rai (16 square kilometres) of paddy fields, worsening the already serious air pollution in the province north of Bangkok. Nakhon Nayok authorities had banned field burning from Dec 15 to March 31 to reduce smog during the cold season when air circulation is poor. Nakhon Nayok deputy governor Santhiti Thammajai said thick smoke was causing respiratory problems for many residents including young children, senior citizens and patients. Nakhon Nayok was among many provinces blanketed with red levels of ultrafine dust, or PM2.5, on Wednesday morning.

Listen to this articleA herd of wild elephants moves through a forest in Trat province in eastern Thailand. (Photo: Thailand Wildlife Conservation Office via AFP)Thailand has given a contraceptive vaccine to wild elephants for the first time in an effort to control their ballooning population, a conservation official said on Wednesday. Veterinarians and officials administered the vaccines using a dart gun without anaesthesia, the conservation office said in a statement. Wild elephant numbers in Thailand rose from 334 in 2015 to almost 800 last year, with thousands more in captivity. The shots, which do not alter the elephants’ behaviour or physical features, only regulate their hormone levels to keep them from conceiving.

American siblings thank Thai man for Vietnam War kindnessListen to this articleThe three siblings reunited with Uncle Poon. "He invited me to have meals with his family," Uncle Poon said. An Unexpected ReturnFor 53 years, the Butland siblings never forgot the man who protected them. Mark considers Uncle Poon like his father's older brother, the driving force behind their search despite the odds that Uncle Poon might have already passed. They did not even know Uncle Poon now goes by "Kwang" instead of "Poon" but praised the unchanged Thai hospitality.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (January 27) said Alex Pretti, the man fatally shot by a federal agent during a confrontation in Minneapolis, should not have been carrying a gun or fully loaded magazines, comments that put him at odds with gun rights groups and some Republicans.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists set the clock to 85 seconds before midnight, the theoretical point of annihilation. The Chicago-based nonprofit created the clock in 1947 during the Cold War tensions that followed World War Two to warn the public about how close humankind was to destroying the world. "No matter the government, a shift towards neo-imperialism and an Orwellian approach to governance will only serve to push the clock toward midnight." It was the third time in the past four years that the scientists moved the clock closer to midnight. "In terms of nuclear risks, nothing in 2025 trended in the right direction," Bell said.

French ex-senator found guilty of drugging lawmakerListen to this articleThe accused ex-senator Joel Guerriau arrives in court for his trial. (Photo: AFP)PARIS — A French court Tuesday found a former senator guilty of drugging a woman lawmaker with ecstasy with intent to sexually assault her, and sentenced him to four years in prison, of which 18 months must be behind bars. French prosecutors had sought a four-year prison sentence for the former senator, who described the drugging of his friend of 10 years as an accident and called himself an "idiot". Josso described soon feeling unwell with a racing heart rate, and she left hurriedly before going to hospital. But he also said that Guerriau had no criminal record and had "devoted part of his life to the functioning of French democracy".

Some Japanese officials have been discreetly urging fisherman and local politician Hitoshi Nakama, and his peers, to steer clear of the remote island outcrops known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China to avoid escalating a diplomatic clash with Beijing, according to Nakama and three other people with knowledge of the requests.

Japan's Olympic ice icons inspire new skating generationListen to this articleYuzuru Hanyu won Olympic men's singles gold twice and attracted a devoted following of fans. Japan's first Olympic figure skating medal came when Midori Ito won silver at the Albertville Games. Her coach, Machiko Yamada, said Ito proved to Japanese skaters that international success was possible. Ice PrinceIto was the first in what became a long line of Japanese skating stars, but two in particular transcended the sport. Sakamoto, a three-time world champion who will retire after this season, says such fierce competition keeps Japanese skaters on their toes.

2 tourists killed in separate traffic accidentsListen to this articlePolice are at the scene of the Pattaya accident. (Photo: Amporn Sangkaew)PATTAYA/PHUKET — Chinese and Turkish nationals were killed in separate traffic accidents in the tourist destinations early Wednesday morning. In Pattaya, Li Borui, 40, was crushed to death by a Mitsubishi Pajero driven by his friend, Tian Hangyu, 36, at about 5am. In Phuket, 23-year-old Turkish national Yunus Acar was killed when his motorcycle collided with a van on Patak Road in Muang district at 12.35am. Wit, the 58-year-old van driver, said the victim rode straight onto the road from his hotel and turned right before the collision.

Yet paradoxically, the health system is experiencing a growing shortage of doctors -- particularly in public and community hospitals. The core issue is not how many doctors Thailand trains, but how the system treats them once they enter practice. This strain is most visible in public hospitals, particularly at the community level. The result is a vicious cycle: fewer doctors lead to heavier workloads, which in turn drive more doctors to withdraw or leave. Public and teaching hospitals shoulder the cost of training doctors, exposing them to complex cases, long hours, and steep learning curves.

Amid Ukraine war fallout, fearful Chechen women seek escape routeListen to this articleThe Muslim-majority region in the North Caucasus mountains is one of the most conservative and closed places in Russia. He has sent thousands of men to fight on the front in Ukraine -- a war that rights groups say has worsened condition for women in Chechnya. "The reasons for everything are the 'sheitan'," Asil told Agence France-Presse (AFP), referring to the Arabic word for devil. Asil told AFP the level of fear in Chechnya has intensified with people worrying about being reported for comments about the invasion. But Asil still believes there are "good Chechen families" and hopes that one day -- after the war and Kadyrov rule -- women will have more rights.

Thai Oil maintains flagship projectListen to this articleAn aerial view of the oil refinery complex operated by Thai Oil in Chon Buri's Si Racha district. Thai Oil Plc, the country's largest oil refinery by capacity, is pressing forward with its flagship Clean Fuel Project (CFP) despite a significant delay that has pushed the commercial operation date to the third quarter of 2028. In April 2025, Thai Oil terminated its contract with a joint venture of international firms after they failed to pay subcontractors despite receiving full payment. Thai Oil hired Foster Wheeler, a global engineering and construction firm, to complete the remaining work, which was roughly 97% complete as of June last year, according to Bandhit Thamprajamchit, chief executive and president of Thai Oil. Thai Oil will also conduct a feasibility study on the application of naphtha, a byproduct from CFP, in the non-oil business, said Mr Bandhit.

Public given chance to delay electricity bill paymentsListen to this articleA tangle of overhead telecom and broadcast cables close to a pedestrian bridge in the Rangsit area of Pathum Thani province. Normally bills must be settled within a month to avoid suspension, but under the new scheme payments can be postponed. The project, branded "People's Happiness: Extended Electricity Bill Payment", applies to meter readings taken between Dec 14, 2025 and April 13, 2026. As of November 2024, the MEA reported 4.37 million electricity users, with nearly 3.96 million households making up the majority. In a separate development, the MEA announced plans to tackle Bangkok's notorious tangle of overhead telecom and electricity cables.