(Photo: Somchai Poomlard)The South Korean Embassy in Thailand has rejected claims that Thai travellers have been unfairly denied entry, while outbound tour operators say they knew of few such cases last year. These incidents led to frequently negative portrayals of South Korean immigration officials, and unnecessary concerns among Thai tourists who want to visit the country, the embassy said. Overall, sentiment among Thai tourists towards South Korean immigration has improved significantly improved over previous years. During the first 11 months of 2025, South Korea welcomed 294,810 Thai tourists, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Mr Chotechuang said South Korea continues to attract repeat visitors, as well as business travellers and luxury incentive groups seeking convenient travel and a refined retreat experience.

Strasbourg face pitfalls of multi-club system as Chelsea take RoseniorListen to this articleStrasbourg supporters were left enraged after their promising young coach Liam Rosenior moved to fellow BlueCo club Chelsea. (Photo: AFP)PARIS — The departure of Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior to take over as Chelsea manager has exposed the harsh realities of multi-club ownership, which is gaining ground across the world but causing discord between supporters and teams. Manchester City, who sit at the top of City Football Group, and Manchester United (Ineos) are some of the other big names. A clear hierarchy exists within such a structure and not being at the top of an ownership group can mean being reduced to the role of feeder club. "Today, players change clubs a lot, as do coaches, and now there are more and more changes in ownership."

Listen to this articleA woman takes a photo with Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva during a campaign stop in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Wednesday. Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva led a campaign team at the Thewada Fresh Market in Si Chon district, in support of Charnwatthana Itsarawattana, the local constituency candidate. Mr Abhisit also said vote-buying in the South was becoming more serious and concerned him. Meanwhile, in Bangkok, Ongart Khlampaiboon, a list-MP candidate, led canvassing in the Lat Phrao area in support of Phanupong Laksanawisit, the local constituency candidate. Mr Ongart said the Democrat Party has received positive feedback in the capital since Mr Abhisit’s comeback, which has helped the party gain better opinion poll ratings.

UK Technology Secretary Liz Kendall led the charge, warning that the spread of AI-generated pornography on the X platform is "unacceptable in a civilised society". Since the beginning of the year, a number of X users — women —have reported that fake accounts are using the tool to create and distribute "deepfake" images of them without their consent. They are demanding a crackdown on what they describe as "manifestly sexist and illegal content" originating from Grok and the X platform. Under the UK’s Online Safety Act, sharing intimate images without consent is a criminal offence, even if the images are AI-generated. The legal pressure is also building in the US.

(Photo: Marinetraffic.com)The United States seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker that was being shadowed by a Russian submarine ​on Wednesday, after a two-week-long pursuit across the Atlantic as part of a US blockade of Venezuelan oil exports, two US officials told Reuters. “The blockade of sanctioned and illicit Venezuelan oil remains in FULL EFFECT — anywhere in the world,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in reply to that post. The officials said Russian military vessels were in the general vicinity of the operation, including a Russian submarine. The US Coast Guard first attempted to intercept the vessel last month, but it refused to be boarded. $2-billion oil ‘deal’Top Venezuelan officials have called Maduro’s capture a kidnapping and have accused the US of trying ‌to ​steal the country’s vast oil reserves, estimated to be the largest in the world.

(Photo: AFP)PARIS - American and Ukrainian teams were preparing on Wednesday to tackle the ”most difficult issues” related to Ukraine peace talks, including territory, following a breakthrough in European-led negotiations, Ukraine’s leader said. US envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner represented Washington in the talks amid efforts to end nearly four years of war in Ukraine sparked by Russia’s invasion. And this depends on the partners — on whether they ensure Russia’s real readiness to end the war,” he said. A European diplomatic source said that representatives of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom were involved in fresh Paris talks on Wednesday, as well as some from Italy and Turkey. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said he does not want to see NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the Belgium-based organiser confirmed its partnership with the TAT to host the first Tomorrowland event in Asia at Wisdom Valley, a 560-acre site with six stages, just west of Pattaya City. The three-day festival is scheduled for Dec 11-13 and is expected to attract 50,000 attendees, 60% of them foreigners. However, tourism operators have pointed out that traffic management will need to be improved in order to accommodate the visitors. “Pattaya already experiences heavy traffic during peak periods, so authorities should plan ahead to provide convenient transport for attendees,” he said. “There was a significant drop in the Chinese market of 30-35%, and the South Korean market of 30%, he said.

Listen to this articleA total of 32 banners attacking an unnamed political party believed to be the People’s Party are removed from streets in Constituency 1 of Phitsanulok on Wednesday. Most of the posters were found along major roads in Constituency 1, particularly within Phitsanulok municipality and tambon Bueng Phra. A candidate from the People’s Party said the posters appeared to be politically motivated slander, which could result in legal action. The party asked the Phitsanulok provincial election committee to investigate and it has dispatched officials to investigate the origin of the posters. Mr Natthaphong said he had no information on who was behind the mysterious posters found in Phitsanulok — whether a political party, a political group or other individuals.

(Photo: Padang Besar Municipality office)A new 30-million-baht sports complex in Songkhla province has drawn sharp public criticism for a sharply angled running track that is not safe or practical for use. Complaints mounted after pictures of the completed sports complex were posted on the Facebook page of the Padang Besar municipality. The track was built with sharp angles, which is not standard for running due to safety concerns. Due to the limited land space, it was impossible to build a standard running track after that, he said. “The track is only a bonus, and as for the pitch, it meets all international standards,” Mr Dech-it said.

Fire destroys 22 speedboats in PhuketListen to this articleSpeedboats on fire at Chalong pier in Phuket on Wednesday morning. (Photo supplied)PHUKET - Fire destroyed 22 fully refuelled speedboats at Chalong Pier in this southern tourist island on Wednesday morning. Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthithaworn said 22 speedboats belonging to 13 different operators had all been refuelled and readied to serve tourists in the morning. Otherwise, the blaze could have spread to more than 1,000 other fully fuelled tourist boats docked in the Chalong bay. The quick response was carried out despite challenging conditions resulting from strong winds and a high tide on Wednesday morning, Mr Nirat added.

Thailand’s exports are projected to contract this year. “We are concerned about an economic recession,” said Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries and a member of the JSCCIB. Poj Aramwattananont, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and another JSCCIB member, urged the government to monitor gold trading, which can influence foreign exchange rates. In the second quarter of 2025, Thailand’s household debt-to-GDP ratio tallied 86.8%, limiting borrowers’ ability to access new credit and prompting banks to tighten lending criteria. Payong Srivanich, chairman of the Thai Bankers’ Association and a JSCCIB member, said the military strikes in Latin America have raised concerns about global investment flows.

Listen to this articleCrude oil drips from a valve at an oil well operated by the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, in the Orinoco belt, near Morichal in Monagas state. (Reuters File Photo)Caracas and Washington have reached a deal ​to export up to $2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude oil to the United States, President Donald Trump said on Tuesday, which would divert supplies from China while helping Venezuela avoid deeper oil production cuts. Trump has said he wants interim President Delcy Rodriguez to give the US and private companies “total access” to Venezuela’s oil industry. “Trump wants this to happen early so he can say it is a big win,” an oil industry source said. Venezuelan government officials and PDVSA, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company, did not provide comment.

Merkle sees room for crypto recovery in second halfListen to this articleCrypto assets recorded a negative annual return in 2025. "This shift reflects a structural change in crypto markets," said Mr Thanalop. According to Merkle, crypto assets closed 2025 with negative annual returns, compounded by a major liquidation event on Oct 10 that drained liquidity from the system. Historically, crypto markets have shown a positive correlation with small caps, suggesting they could benefit indirectly from this rotation, noted Merkle. "We expect a gradual shift away from short-term, momentum-driven digital asset speculation towards projects with clearer fundamentals.

Bethell’s maiden century gives England hope in final Ashes TestListen to this articleEngland’s Jacob Bethell celebrates reaching his first Test century on day four of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday. (Photo: AFP)SYDNEY - Rock-solid Jacob Bethell plundered a chanceless maiden Test century Wednesday as England reeled in Australia then built a tenuous 119-run lead to leave the fifth and final Ashes Test on a knife edge. Remarkably, it was not just Bethell’s maiden Test ton but the only one he has scored in red-ball cricket, with his previous best 96 against New Zealand. Stokes edged Webster to Smith in the slips with Brydon Carse doing the same off Boland on 16. But the Australia skipper did not last long, nicking a fuller length delivery from Josh Tongue to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.

(Photo: AFP)TOKYO — For a decade, Vietnamese worker Minh did tough jobs like sandblasting ships and welding steel, helping address rapidly ageing Japan's dire labour needs. Of the roughly 450,000 technical interns in Japan as of June, just under half were from Vietnam and worked across agriculture, construction and food processing. "Without foreign workers like us, there is no way Japan's economy can function," the 30-year-old said. That, along with dwindling salaries in real termsand higher living costs, has seen resentment towards foreign workers swell. Yoshimizu said that "some technical interns are stuck in conditions that they just have to flee".