There have probably been better yearsWell we've just about scraped through the Year of the Ox. Anyway, it is customary at this time of the year to take a not-too-serious look back on the last 12 months. There are only a couple of Covid-influenced items as I reckon we've all had enough of reading about that. One suspects that the kingdom might have more urgent matters to tackle than embarking on a space odyssey. Happiness is a warm Finn: Finland once again ranked first in the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report.

Cummins takes three to leave England reeling in 3rd Ashes TestPat Cummins took two early wickets for Australia agaunst EnglandMELBOURNE - A relentless Pat Cummins snared three wickets as England's openers flopped again Sunday, leaving captain Joe Root to steer his team to 61 for three at lunch on day one of the third Ashes Test. After heavy defeats in the first two Tests, at Brisbane and Adelaide, England must win to keep the series alive, with Australia only needing a draw to retain the urn as holders. Wearing black armbands to mourn former England captain Ray Illingworth, who died aged 89, Crawley confidently drove Cummins for three in his opening over. But the ever-dangerous Australian skipper, back after missing the second Adelaide Test because he was in Covid isolation, struck three balls later with Haseeb Hameed's torrid tour continuing, out for a duck after nicking to wicketkeeper Alex Carey. But disaster hit once more for England just before the break when Malan got an edge off Cummins that carried to David Warner at slip.

(Nasa Photo via AFP)The world’s most powerful space telescope on Saturday blasted off into orbit, headed to an outpost 1.5 million kilometres from Earth, after years of delays caused by technical hitches. (Story continues below)An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket, with the James Webb Space Telescope onboard, launches from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana on Saturday. Once James Webb reaches its final position, the challenge will be to fully deploy the mirror and a tennis-court-sized sun shield. Astronomical operation of the telescope, to be managed from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, is expected to begin in June 2022, following about six months of alignment and calibration of the mirrors and instruments. The telescope is an international collaboration led by Nasa in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies.

Mr Uttama was the finance minister while Mr Sontirat was the energy minister when Mr Somkid was a deputy prime minister in charge of the economy. “Our policy is to fight poverty and help people and we’ll nominate Mr Somkid as the PM candidate,” he told Matichon Online. Mr Uttama and Mr Sontirat were part of a group of four young technocrats loyal to Mr Somkid, dubbed the “Four Lads” by the Thai media. A few days later, the four men also resigned from the cabinet along with Mr Somkid, forcing a major reshuffle and ending a phase of cooperation between Mr Somkid and Gen Prayut. The initiative was viewed by some as testing the waters before the group set up a new party to back Mr Somkid as prime minister.

US became 'arrogant' after fall of Soviet Union: GorbachevGorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991, days after the leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine said the USSR no longer existedMOSCOW - The United States grew "arrogant and self-confident" after the collapse of the Soviet Union, leading to the expansion of the NATO military alliance, former leader Mikhail Gorbachev said on Friday. Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union on December 25, 1991, days after the leaders of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine said the USSR no longer existed. He said there was a "triumphant mood in the West, especially in the United States" after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. "Gorbachev destroyed the Soviet Union and the drunkard Yeltsin helped," said the 84-year-old. "I was born and grew up in the Soviet Union and I liked living then.

The Bank of Thailand said on Friday it expects to test its retail central bank digital currency (CBDC) for the public in late 2022, later than planned, as an alternative payment option. The retail CBDC is not to compete with cryptocurrency or stable coins but aimed at reducing financial costs, he added. A retail CBDC is a digital form of money issued by a central bank comparable to physical banknotes. It can be used in financial transactions both online and offline. The central bank, however, has said it does not support use of digital assets, such as bitcoin and ether, as payment for goods and services due to risks.

Cambodia's ruling party endorses PM Hun Sen's son as future leaderThen arrmy chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong and Cambodian army chief Gen Hun Manet review the honour guards during the welcome ceremony at the Royal Thai Army headquarters on April 2, 2019. Prime Minister Hun Sen's son was endorsed by the Cambodia People's Party on Friday to be a future prime ministerial candidate. (Reuters photo)PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's longtime ruling party voted to endorse Prime Minister Hun Sen's eldest son as "future prime minister", local media reported on Friday, but did not specify a time frame for when he might succeed his father, who has been in power for 36 years. The Central Committee of the Cambodia People's Party unanimously voted Hun Munet, 44, to be a future prime ministerial candidate, local outlet Freshnews reported.

Sarana expected to be named new chairman of NBTCDr Sarana: Tipped for prized postSarana Boonbaichaiyapruck, a medical specialist and former member of the defunct National Legislative Assembly (NLA), is expected to be chosen as chairman of the new National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) board. Somchai PoomlardHe is among five candidates approved as NBTC board members by Senate voting on Monday. A source at the existing NBTC board who requested anonymity said Dr Sarana is most likely to be voted by the five to become the board chairman. The vote for the chairman is expected to be held during the first meeting of the new NBTC board, which will happen after the new commissioners receive royal endorsement. The six existing board members are not expected to make any policy decisions during this period, stepping down as soon as the new members have been royally endorsed.

SET to launch digital asset exchangeAn investor explores investment options with the SET. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is launching Thai Digital Exchange (TDX), its own bourse for digital assets, in the third quarter of next year with asset-backed investment tokens as the first product. The SET is applying for a digital exchange licence from the Securities and Exchange Commission. He said the SET is not the first traditional stock exchange to be interested in launching its own digital assets. Many global exchanges have begun experimenting with the same model, such as the Swiss bourse that won regulatory approval to launch SIX Digital Exchange (SDX) in September.

New firm registration to rise 14%The Commerce Ministry is upbeat about new business registrations this year, driven by e-commerce, herbal businesses, delivery services, and businesses related to computers as consumers change their behaviour and more people work from home. Sorada Lertharpachit, deputy director-general of the Business Development Department, said new business registrations this year are expected to grow by 13.7% to 72,000, outstripping the 63,340 last year and the department target of 65,000 to 70,000 for this year. The department reported yesterday new business registrations rose 15% year-on-year in the first 11 months this year to 69,253, with combined registered capital worth 212 billion baht, up by 2%. Some 13,617 firms ceased operation, down by 9% year-on-year, with a combined registered capital of 362 billion baht, up 382%. In November, new business registration rose 26% year-on-year to 5,642, with registered capital worth 17 billion baht, up 9%.

Virus beats weak systemThe latest news about the police frantically searching for a tourist who evaded Covid-19 regulations is deeply worrying, but hardly a surprise. What is unsettling is the system our authorities depend on to track and trace groups that pose a high risk of having or spreading Covid. More worrying still is whether the authority has any plan or system to trace high-risk groups at all. The system is handled by the ministry so that medical officials can keep track of people's movements across Thailand. It is shocking that after two years of living with Covid, the government has still not established a well-tested system to trace and track high-risk Covid groups.

GDP growth of 4% still possible next year despite Omicron - FinMinThailand's economy should still be able to achieve growth of 4% next year, despite uncertainty over the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the finance minister said on Thursday. We'll have to wait and see," Mr Arkhom told reporters later on Thursday, adding the government was still supporting economic activity. The economy remains in the recovery phase, and growth of "4% is still possible" in 2022, also helped by investment in an eastern economic zone and increased exports, he said. "It's not yet known whether the Omicron impact will be as severe as expected by the central bank," Arkhom said. On Wednesday, the Bank of Thailand cut its 2022 economic growth forecast to 3.4% from 3.9%, citing Omicron as a key risk to the growth outlook.

China cements rare-earths dominance with new global giantReutersNEW YORK: China has approved a merger of key rare-earths companies, creating a behemoth that will strengthen its control over the global sector it has dominated for decades. The entity will be formed through merging rare-earth units of government-owned companies including China Minmetals Corp, Aluminum Corp of China and Ganzhou Rare Earth Group Co, according to a stock exchange filing from China Minmetals Rare Earth Co. The government also controls production, granting annual quotas to the firms. Rare earth prices have surged this year as demand outpaced supply, while a power shortage exacerbated disruptions and a broad rally in commodity prices increased production costs. Neodymium and praseodymium -- two elements used in permanent magnets -- have surged to the highest in a decade.

'High heels mob' wants wage relief from stateA group of night entertainment workers led by the Empower Foundation protest outside Government House on Wednesday. The workers, led by the Empower Foundation, said their sector has suffered from lockdown measures, but no relief measures have been provided. Further, they said they were not included in any government Covid-19 relief measures, even after they pleaded for help. "However, there are no government relief measures, as most of the workers are not insured under the social security scheme," Ms Thanta said. Those who are eligible for funds have to be Thai nationals working in nightspots who are already insured under the Social Security Act.

Entry via the Phuket airport through the sandbox programme is another option, requiring at least a seven-day stay on the island. Of those numbers, 156,807 were approved via Test & Go applications, while sandbox and quarantine travellers were 21,646 and 4,125, respectively. The CCSA decision to allow Phuket to continue as a sandbox destination delighted tourism operators in the province as they can have direct flights as usual. He said tourism operators acknowledged the recent CCSA measures are necessary, even though they might receive fewer travellers. Tourism operators also agreed to follow government advice, particularly regarding New Year events, as more people are concerned about the new variant.