Speakers from across the political spectrum expressed broad agreement on the need for constitutional reform, tougher action against corruption and online scam networks, and a peace-oriented approach to resolving the long-running conflict in the deep South. For the deep South, he urged a transition toward negotiations to reduce violence and proposed the establishment of an economic and social development council for the southern border provinces. Romtham Khumnurak, a Bhumjaithai Party party-list candidate, backed constitutional reform excluding Chapters 1 and 2. He highlighted his party's crackdown on scam operations and pledged to balance border security enforcement with dialogue and economic development. Najmuddin Uma of the Klatham Party said the development of the deep South should be made a national priority, calling for decentralisation, amendments to key security laws and greater local representation at the ministerial level.

TikTok Election Center aims to combat misinformationListen to this articleTikTok's Thailand Election Center works with partners to provide users with access to reliable information for the upcoming general election. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)TikTok, the global short-form video platform, has launched its 2026 Thailand Election Center to protect platform integrity, elevate authoritative information and combat harmful misinformation. Chanida Klyphun, director of public policy for Southeast Asia at TikTok, said its Election Center can be accessed through in-app search prompts, providing users with links to authoritative sources. We remain focused on keeping our community safe while protecting the integrity of the platform," Ms Chanida said. Supinya Klangnarong, co-founder of Cofact, said the project aims to help Thais navigate the digital landscape safely, offering verified information.

Survey: Thai firms concerned about graftListen to this articleMost Thai businesses are deeply worried about corruption, with a new survey revealing 97% of companies believe graft has become a critical threat to the country's economy and requires urgent solutions, according to the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB). The nationwide poll surveyed 1,771 companies and 3,043 individuals, revealing widespread concern across both the private sector and the public. "Corruption undermines the country's development and long-term competitiveness," said Poj Aramwattananont, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and head of the JSCCIB. The survey also found 71% of businesses believe corruption is tied to transnational crime, posing risks to national security. The initiative is part of the "Zero Corruption: JSCCIB and Allies Will Not Tolerate It" campaign, aimed at restoring investor confidence and building a transparent, competitive economy.

Listen to this articleWhile executives believe the US Supreme Court could strike down Trump's tariffs, the president has likely prepared contingency plans, potentially including new tariffs. Markets predict a high likelihood of Trump losing the case, but caution that such a judgement would not necessarily reduce uncertainty. The comments came as the Supreme Court on Wednesday did not deliver a verdict in the critical case. "This would create continued volatility across the global economic and investment system." Poonyawat Sreesing, senior economist at Siam Commercial Bank's Economic Intelligence Center, warned of prolonged uncertainty as long as the Supreme Court is deliberating.

Musk-owned AI platform says new restrictions will apply to all users, free and paidListen to this articlexAI has faced global backlash over the proliferation of sexualised deepfake images. (Photo: AFP)SAN FRANCISCO - The social media platform X has announced measures to prevent its AI chatbot Grok from undressing images of real people, following global backlash over its generation of sexualised photos of women and children. X said it will “geoblock the ability” of all Grok and X users to create images of people in “bikinis, underwear and similar attire” in those jurisdictions where such actions are deemed illegal. The European Commission, which acts as the EU’s digital watchdog, earlier said it had taken note of “additional measures X is taking to ban Grok from generating sexualised images of women and children”. Britain’s Ofcom media regulator said Monday it was opening a probe into whether X failed to comply with UK law over the sexual images.

Thai woman arrested in Japan for brokering in Thai girl sex work caseListen to this articlePassersby walk at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo, Japan, on July 8, 2025. (File photo: Reuters)KYODO — A Thai woman has been arrested in connection with a high-profile Tokyo case alleging that she arranged for a then 12-year-old Thai girl to engage in sex work, police said. Police believe she acted as a broker, introducing Thai women to a private-room massage parlour that she used to manage. The suspect, Ms Punsiripanya, is believed to have worked with Masayuki Hosono, a 52-year-old Japanese man who ran the shop, to force the girl into sex work around June 30. He was recently served a fresh arrest warrant for violating immigration laws by forcing the girl and another Thai woman with overstayed visas to work.

The verbs describing life-taking actions with a gun can also describe reloading film, framing a shot, and operating a camera. Dead to Rights (2025), a fictional retelling of the Nanjing massacre, draws a horrendous parallel between guns and cameras as instruments of war. (Photo: WarnerBrosTH)Beautiful, emotional and sometimes overly dramaticDead to Rights is depicted from the perspective of a civilian trapped in the city, immersing us in the horror. The camera serves as a tool as important as any weapon in warfare, capturing moments of Japanese conquest to rally citizens at home while reminding the Chinese of their defeat. The film even cuts between reloading a gun and reloading camera film in parallel, drawing a direct comparison between both instruments.

PM ends Italian-Thai contracts after deadly crane collapsesListen to this articlePrime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul holds an urgent meeting with relevant agencies on construction safety at Government House, Bangkok, on Thursday following two fatal crane collapses. (Photo: Government House)Caretaker Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered the Ministry of Transport to terminate two contracts with Italian-Thai Development Plc (ITD) following crane collapse incidents that resulted in over 30 deaths. Speaking at Government House after an urgent meeting on construction safety, Mr Anutin said that the incidents had caused public alarm and posed serious risks to lives and property. He confirmed that the contract must be terminated, and a new contractor will be appointed to finish the remaining work, emphasising that public safety is the top priority. On Wednesday morning, 32 people were killed and 64 injured when a construction crane fell onto a moving train in Sikhio.

Listen to this articleVenezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado plans to visit the White House and discuss her country’s future. (Photo: AFP)WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet on Thursday with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, whose pro-democracy movement he has sidelined since toppling her country’s leader, and whose Nobel Peace Prize he openly covets. Nobel sharingMachado, 58, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for her activism in pursuit of democracy in Venezuela, despite threats of imprisonment by Maduro’s government. She appaeared in Oslo, Norway last month to collect her Nobel prize after a daring escape by boat, and has not yet returned to her home country. Machado has offered to share her award with Trump, and the president indicated she might give it to him when they meet.

4 new releases that hit cinemas in Thailand this week. In post-war Japan's economic boom, gangster family-born Kikuo Tachibana finds himself adopted by a kabuki actor. Premieres on Jan 16Happy Patel: Khatarnak JasoosDirected by Vir Das and Kavi Shastri. A bumbling British spy, Happy Patel, uncovers his secret Indian heritage just before being sent to India on a crucial mission. His objective: rescue a high-profile scientist from the clutches of Goa's notorious crime lord and thwart the deadly "MamaReal Project" that threatens India.

Applicants will learn results of first random draw on Feb 5, says FifaListen to this articleMetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, shown above during the opening ceremony for the Fifa Club World Cup final on July 13 last year, will also be the venue for the World Cup final on July 19, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Andrea Hanks via Wikimedia Commons)The random selection draw phase for 2026 World Cup tickets has concluded, with more than half a billion requests ‌submitted, Fifa announced on Wednesday. During the ​phase, which began on Dec 11, people could apply for tickets using their credit card. “Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than ‌demand — it’s a ‍global statement,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino said in the statement. The match that received the most applications was Colombia vs Portugal, a Group ⁠K contest scheduled for June 27 in Miami.

(Photo: Reuters)WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump told Reuters that ​Ukraine — not Russia — is holding up a potential peace deal, rhetoric that stands in marked contrast to that of European allies, who have consistently argued Moscow has little interest in ending its war in Ukraine. In an exclusive interview in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to wrap up his ‌nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. “I think he’s ready to make a deal,” Trump said of the Russian president. “I think Ukraine is less ready to make a deal.”Asked why US-led ‌negotiations had not yet resolved Europe’s largest land conflict since World War Two, Trump responded: “Zelensky”. Asked if he would meet Zelensky at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland ​next week, Trump said he would but implied no plans were set.

Sergeant jailed for assaultListen to this articleAn army sergeant has been sentenced to 45 days' detention in a military prison and stripped of his gratuity after being found guilty of assaulting a conscript. The incident occurred on Oct 7, 2025, at the Army Reserve Centre in Prachuap Khiri Khan. One of them -- who was personally acquainted with Sgt Pitpiboon Wiang-in -- later reported the dispute to the sergeant, according to an army statement released on Tuesday. When Sgt Pitpiboon attempted to question both men and mediate the situation, tensions escalated. An internal investigation by the Army Reserve Centre found Sgt Pitpiboon guilty of breaching military discipline by assaulting a subordinate, in violation of the Soldier Discipline Act.

Listen to this articleBorder patrol police display 480kg of crystal methamphetamine seized in Nakhon Phanom late Tuesday. (Photo: Border Patrol Company 236 Facebook)NAKHON PHANOM - Four suspects have been arrested and 480 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine seized in this northeastern province after an expanded investigation into a transnational drug trafficking syndicate. (Photo: Border Patrol Company 236 Facebook)After continuous surveillance, authorities learned that the group planned to smuggle drugs into Thailand from Laos on the night of Jan 12–13. Officers were deployed along the Mekong River in Ban Cha-ngom, Ban Kut Khao Pun and Ban Kham Thao. All of the seized evidence as well as the suspects were taken to the Border Patrol Police Company 236 in Muang district for further interrogation and expansion of the investigation into the network.

Greenlanders torn between anxiety and relief after US talksListen to this articleRed and white Greenlandic flags fly in the window of a shop in Nuuk, in a show of national unity during the talks in Washington. “It’s very frightening because it’s such a big thing,” said Vera Stidsen, 51, a teacher in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. Red and white Greenlandic flags flew in shop windows, on apartment balconies, and on cars and buses, in a show of national unity during the talks. In one shop in Nuuk, T-shirts with the slogan “Greenland is not for sale” were almost sold out, according to an AFP reporter. “They didn’t manage to make an agreement but I have my hopes because I want to live in peace,” he said.