Blast was second fatal incident at factory in Muang districtSmoke pours from a fireworks factory in Muang district of Suphan Buri following an explosion that claimed at least 17 lives on Wednesday afternoon. (Photo: Suphan Buri Highway Rescue Association)At least 22 people were killed on Wednesday in an explosion at a Suphan Buri fireworks factory where a blast a year ago left one person dead and three injured. Local residents said that about 20 workers had arrived to work at the factory in the morning and that they saw nobody come out after the explosion. There were reports that an explosion at the same factory in November 2022 killed one person. (Photo: Suphan Buri Highway Rescue Association)

SET set to rebound as stimulus kicks inMr Pichai, left, and Mr Sukit at a press conference. The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index has the opportunity to rebound significantly, approaching 1,700 points this year as global interest rates stabilise and the government stimulates the domestic economy, says InnovestX Securities. Asian stock markets are more intriguing than leading markets such as the US and Europe due to their sustained high growth rates. Chief commercial officer Pichai Lertsupongkit said that when interest rates peak, bonds and gold tend to provide favourable returns, while stocks continue to exhibit volatility. Senior analyst Sutthichai Kumworachai said that in 2024 central banks worldwide, apart from Japan, are expected to start lowering interest rates.

Authorities in China were scaling up rescue and relief efforts on Tuesday (January 16) after around 1,000 tourists remain stranded in a remote holiday village following avalanches which hit China's northwestern Xinjiang region.

Man arrested with over 1,400 illegally registered mobile SIM cardsA man has been arrested with over 1,400 illegally registered mobile phone SIM cards, which the police believed are linked to online gambling operations. He was found in possession of 1,456 SIM cards, which he said were obtained online. The arrest followed a police investigation into the Facebook account "Yotzar Mbk", which was selling mobile phone SIM cards with various networks. Chaiyot admitted the SIM cards were registered under other people's names. He has since been charged with procuring and selling mobile telephone services that were registered under other people's names.

Thailand's "uneven" economic recovery cannot be fixed only by adjusting interest rates, the central bank said on Monday, hitting back at the government's calls to ease monetary policy to help revive sluggish activity. "The fact that the economy has not recovered comprehensively, these are all things that monetary policy cannot easily solve as a quick fix because many things require treatment that matches the root of the problem," Mr Piti said. His comments came after Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin last week met with central bank officials to urge them to cut the policy rate, which is at a decade-high of 2.50%. The central bank left its policy rate unchanged in November after raising it by 200 basis points since August 2022 to curb inflation. On Monday, Mr Piti said falling prices do not indicate deflation and that negative inflation is being driven by government subsidies.

Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupted on Sunday, with ash rising 4,300 feet (1,300 meters) from the peak six weeks after a fatal eruption, according to the country's geological agency.

Govt planning Muay Thai visa for foreignersThe government plans to introduce a special visa for foreign tourists who want to visit Thailand to practise Muay Thai. Pimol Srivikorn, an adviser to the prime minister and chairman of the government's subcommittee for driving sports-related activities, said members decided at a meeting on Friday to promote Muay Thai as one of the country's so-called soft powers. With a tourist visa, a foreigner can stay in Thailand for up to 60 days but with a special visa for learning Muay Thai, they could stay for 90 days, he said. The government will set a standard level to be attained at the classes and also certification for Muay Thai teachers so the national fighting art can be accurately disseminated around the world, he said. In addition, the government will promote Muay Thai through the Now Muay Thai (www.nowmuaythai.com) website, a platform for foreigners interested in the sport, to choose courses around Thailand.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin opened a Ministry of Education activity to mark Children's Day on Saturday. It was based on the concept of active learning anywhere, anytime. (Video by Jetjaras Na Ranong)

Democracy riddleRe: "Déjà vu as charter court weighs MFP ban", (Opinion, Jan 12). In his article, Thitinan Pongsudhirak always questions whether the sovereignty of the country really belongs to Thais. After so many elections, dissolutions of parties, jailing of opposition leaders, activists, and military coups, the answer should be clear. To an outsider, all Thai institutions follow a well-orchestrated hierarchical tradition or a ritual of becoming subservient to the new masters. Hence, we should not waste time understanding Thai democracy.

Six missing as authorities pledge to launch more safety checksAn excavator loads coal onto a train in Pingdingshan in Henan province of central China. (Reuters File Photo)SHANGHAI - At least 10 people have died and six are missing after a coal mine accident in the city of Pingdingshan in central China, the local emergency management agency said on Saturday. A safety inspection campaign in coal-rich Pingdingshan, in Henan province, could disrupt coal production there and strain coal supplies. Last November, coal prices in China jumped after the country’s cabinet vowed to ramp up safety checks as deaths from accidents in Shanxi, the top coal producing region, had risen sharply. The Pingdingshan emergency management bureau said in a statement that the accident occurred around 2.55pm local time on Friday due to a coal and gas outburst at a mine owned by Pingdingshan Tianan Coal Mining.

The TAT has launched the 'Thais Always Care' campaign under the concept 'Land of Care' to strengthen tourist confidence and promote tourism in the kingdom throughout 2024.

Intestinal length: The length of the human intestines is much more like that of herbivorous animals than that of carnivores. Humans tend to have intestines that are 10 to 11 times their body length. How did humans end up eating meat? Scientists believe that it was climate change that originally caused the shift towards meat eating. Even once our early ancestors began eating meat, they primarily scavenged the leftovers of larger predators instead of hunting for themselves.

Re: “No delay to digital wallet plan”, (BP, Jan 10). There has never been so much double talk on the legitimacy of the government’s proposed digital wallet plan in the media. An example of a critical problem was when Thailand was facing financial bankruptcy in 1997 and had to borrow from the IMF. Unfortunately, it is impossible for the council to define in a clear-cut way what is a critical problem. The alternative is to drop the plan, which is politically suicidal, after drumming up great hopes.

Innobic sells entire AMOLH stakeBuranin Rattanasombat, chairman of Innobic (Asia)Innobic (Asia) Co, the life sciences arm of national oil and gas conglomerate PTT Plc, has sold its entire stake in its pharmaceutical firm to restructure, aiming to refocus in the segment. Innobic holds shares in AMOLH through its subsidiary Alvogen Emerging Markets Holdings. It holds a 37% share in Lotus Pharmaceutical. Up to 85% of the earnings came from Lotus Pharmaceutical. Innobic is preparing to build a 1.3-billion-baht production facility of active pharmaceutical ingredients, which contain active ingredients able to relieve illnesses.

Hitoshi Imaoka, a fellow with IT and network technologies company NEC, has unveiled a new system that combines AI with facial recognition technology to take vital signs in elderly individuals, winning a CES 2024 Innovation Award in Artificial Intelligence.