Foreign tourist arrivals down 7.25%Listen to this articleTourists observe the Angkor Wat replica and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha Temple within the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok in July 2025. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)‍Thailand's foreign tourist arrivals from ‌Jan ​1 to Dec 21, 2025, fell 7.25% from the same period a ‌year earlier, the Tourism and Sports Ministry said on ‌Tuesday. There were 31.76 million foreign visitors over ⁠the period, the ministry said in a statement. Malaysia was the largest source market with 4.38 million visitors, followed ‌by ‍China with 4.36 million. Last week, the Bank ‌of ​Thailand (BoT) maintained its forecast for foreign tourist arrivals this year at 33 million.

Spain's traditional Christmas lottery draw kicked off on Monday (December 22) at the Royal Theater in Madrid where the children of San Ildefonso school began calling out the winning numbers that will spread nearly $3.1 billion (2.7 billion euros) across Spain.

Unsafe levels of smog cover Bangkok, 26 provincesListen to this articleUltra-fine dust reached unsafe levels in Bangkok and 26 provinces, primarily in the Central Plains, on Tuesday morning, according to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda). Very good air quality was detected in 11 southern provinces, with PM2.5 levels between 9.5 and 14.6 µg/m³. The provinces included Phuket, Narathiwat, Pattani, Mae Hong Son, Yala, Trang, Satun, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung and Krabi. Other provinces experienced either good or moderate air quality. The Meteorological Department attributed the smog accumulation to stagnant air, which is expected to persist until Wednesday.

The US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) meanwhile said they had "issued directives to our forces to cease responding to attacks". Syria's interior ministry said Kurdish forces attacked government personnel at joint checkpoints in the two Kurdish-majority neighbourhoods. The defence ministry denied attacking SDF positions, while the Kurdish-led force denied targeting Aleppo neighbourhoods. In October, Syria announced a comprehensive ceasefire with Kurdish forces following deadly clashes in the districts. Shaibani said authorities had received an SDF response to a Syrian defence ministry proposal on integrating the Kurdish-led forces.

Starving lions, bears found caged in abandoned Cambodian border casinoListen to this articleOne of the two lions found in cages inside the now-abandoned Cambodian casino opposite the Thai Trat border. (Photo: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation)Five emaciated animals, two lions and three bears, were found abandoned in cages when Thai marines inspected a captured casino building immediately across the border from Trat province. There were a pair of lions, two asiatic black bears and one sun bear. (continues below)Two of the bears found caged inside the deserted Cambodian casino, just across the border from Thailand's Trat province. (Photo: Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation)The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation sent a veterinary team to the site on Monday to assess the animals’ condition and arrange for their immediate relocation to better quarters.

Gunman murders motorist on Bangkok expresswayListen to this articlePolice at the murder scene on a Bangkok expressway in Bang Sue district early Tuesday morning. (Photo supplied)A gunman in the passenger seat of a luxury van shot dead another motorist on a Bangkok expressway near Pracha Chuen toll plaza in Bang Sue district on Tuesday morning. The killer struck about 200 metres from the toll plaza about 4.50am. As they approached Pracha Chuen toll plaza, a white Toyota Alphard van cut in front of them to enter a toll booth. After they passed through the toll plaza she saw the van slowing down.

Thai woman arrested in Taiwan returns to face child prostitution chargesListen to this articleRelatives of the girl, shown second and third from the right, file their complaint at the Royal Thai Police Office in Bangkok in November 2025. (Photo supplied)Authorities anticipate the return of a Thai woman on Tuesday, who is accused of forcing her 12-year-old daughter into prostitution at a massage parlour in Japan this year. According to a police source, the 29-year-old mother, whose name was withheld, was arrested in Taiwan and will be flown back to Thailand on Thai Airways flight TG633, arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport at 5pm. The woman faces serious charges, including procuring her minor child for prostitution and human trafficking, which can result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years and a fine of up to 2 million baht. An arrest warrant was issued last month after she allegedly compelled her daughter to work at a massage parlour in central Tokyo earlier this year before fleeing to Taiwan.

Winter unveils the world’s snow destinations. After a day on the snow, evenings segue into refined dining at Le Grand Hall, lively après-ski and the hotel’s storied winter atmosphere.­Hotel Seehof DavosPerched above the historic town of Davos, Hotel Seehof in Graubunden, Switzerland, offers an intimate winter escape in the heart of Graubunden. Risonare Tomamu and Tomamu The TowerHokkaido in Japan is the powder paradise for many skiers, especially Thais and other Asians. The 3.2-hectare Ice Village will be open until mid-March and includes an ice bar, ice chapel and an ice hotel, which may close in February. Until March 27, the hotel offers a “Oirase Mountain Stream Bus Tour” to guests who want to see these breathtaking formations up close.

Spotify has unveiled a new "Prompted Playlist" feature, leveraging artificial intelligence to allow users to generate highly personalised music collections through simple text commands. A standout capability of the Prompted Playlist feature is its "auto-refresh" functionality. The feature is currently being rolled out as a beta test for Spotify Premium subscribers. At present, the AI tool only supports English language commands. Spotify has not yet confirmed a timeline for a wider global rollout or support for additional languages.

Dib leans into a global perspective, a truly international interpretation of modern art, and not just a creative space that is based in Bangkok. The museum is also celebrating internationally recognized Thai artists, including Pinaree Sanpitak, the late Montien Boonma, and Thaiwijit Puengkasemsomboon. Does that mean Bangkok is now taking contemporary art more seriously? Dib offers a different experience to other prominent art spaces in Bangkok, namely MOCA and established independent galleries. This is how you know when a city’s art scene is evolving: there can be a handful of everything, and we can enjoy the privilege of having more than one contemporary art museum.

Guru By Bangkok Post is making sure that even if you blink, you don’t miss out on the new taste tinglers that are worth mentioning, in Bangkok and beyond. Authenticity takes a back seat to creativity, humour and individuality, a half-breed interpretation of Thai flavours shaped by expat experiences. At the heart of its revival is chef Phatchara "Pom" Pirapak, whose is known for her precise craftsmanship and understanding of Thai flavours. The menu reflects the enduring identity of Thai cuisine, celebrating aromatic herbs, distinctive cooking techniques and the subtle interplay of sour, salty, and sweet. Chef de cuisine Kamil Kuczynski blends global cooking techniques, premium meats, local Thai produce and the distinctive character of traditional fire-based preparation.

This creates a subtle but persistent pressure - not to spend extravagantly, but to appear capable of spending steadily. To keep up with a rhythm that looks modest on screen, but demands repetition in real life. Spending still happens, but approached in a more careful manner, filtered through questions that are rarely discussed online. In a city that is visually dense and socially dynamic, this quieter relationship with money feels less like retreat and more like calibration. What it is learning now is how to do so under constant visual pressure, without mistaking appearance for affordability, or repetition for ease.

A group of five artists present a journey of self-exploration that traverses both time and space during "The Wayfarer In Motion", which is running at Tang Contemporary Art, until Jan 11. Zhao Yu has long researched the "Sun God" as a core symbol carrying the cultural evolution of both East and West. While Sun worship represents humanity's most primal impulse to journey to pursue inner desire, its outward exploration ultimately returns to the self. Tang Contemporary ArtBoth Verapat and Duairak's works present natural landscapes brimming with joy and vitality. Tang Contemporary Art is located at Room 201-206 of River City Bangkok, Charoen Krung 24, and opens daily from 11am to 7pm, except Monday.

Listen to this articleA closer look at the demand and supply of commodities offers a clearer picture of the market, but may not always shed light on the complexity of the economy. Looking beyond economic factors, analysts and business leaders often use a political lens to grasp the meaning of a range of issues such as the Thai-Cambodian border clashes to years-long unsettled disputes between the US and China. Geopolitical conflicts were under the spotlight throughout 2025 and this trend is likely to continue in 2026. Several political quarrels are expected to set political-economic themes for 2026 in sectors ranging from trade and tourism to mining in far-flung areas.

Border trade marred in 2026 by conflictListen to this articleCambodian workers return to their home country via a checkpoint in Sa Kaeo province amid ongoing border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. The ongoing border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia is expected to continue to hamper trade in 2026. In September, the Department of Foreign Trade projected total border trade for 2026 would align with 2025 estimates, ranging from 1.81-1.85 trillion baht. Jiraphant Asvatanakul, vice-chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the Border Trade and Cross-Border Trade Strategic Committee, forecasts a negative outlook for border trade revenue this year due to tension and closures along the Cambodian border, as well as weak consumer purchasing power in Myanmar and Laos. In 2026, Mr Jiraphant does not expect significant economic changes for neighbouring countries, though Vietnam is an exception.