NCWT honours Thai trailblazers
To mark International Women's Day 2026, the National Council of Women of Thailand (NCWT) recently organised a special event to promote the roles, potential, and advancement of women. The event featured an international forum held in collaboration with the United Nations and a prestigious ceremony for the NCWT Women of Excellence Award 2026. The ceremony was presided over by Palakorn Suwanrath, privy councillor, who presented awards to Thai women with outstanding achievements at both national and international levels. The NCWT Women of Excellence Award 2026 was established to honour Thai women with outstanding national and international achievements. The event was attended by representatives from government agencies, the private sector, international organisations, diplomatic corps, women's networks and member organisations.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 13:15 UTC
Fire destroys 8 fishing boats in Nakhon Si Thammarat
Fire destroys 8 fishing boats in Nakhon Si ThammaratFire engulfs fishing boats moored at a pier in Khanom canal of Nakhon Si Thammarat province in the early hours of Friday. On arrival, authorities found flames raging through a row of older fishing boats moored at the Chok Anavil raft in Khanom canal. Preliminary inspections showed eight fishing boats were completely destroyed and initial damage was estimated at least 10 million baht. There were reports that the damaged boats belong to the family of an unsuccessful MP candidate, Charnwatana Issarawatana of the Democrat Party in Nakhon Si Thammarat's Constituency 9. The fleet was said to be the largest in this southern province and consisted mainly of large single-trawl fishing boats.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 13:14 UTC
Thai women among most favourite for Koreans to tie the knot
Women from Thailand have emerged as one of the top foreigners getting married to South Koreans. Data released by South Korea's Ministry of Data and Statistics on Thursday showed the number of marriages between South Koreans and foreigners last year was 21,000 cases, a 0.3% dip from 2024. Among them 16,000 cases were between South Korean men and foreign women. Women from Thailand were the third largest number of foreign wives in South Korea getting married last year, accounting for 12.5% of the cases, with the Vietnamese and Chinese wives ahead of them at 30.5% and 16.1%, respectively, the ministry said.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 12:57 UTC
Fifa planning for World Cup to 'go ahead as scheduled' amid Iran uncertainty
Fifa planning for World Cup to 'go ahead as scheduled' amid Iran uncertaintyFifa president Gianni Infantino at an online FIFA Council meeting on Thursday. (Photo: AFP)PARIS — Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa) president Gianni Infantino on Thursday underlined the body's commitment to making sure the World Cup goes ahead "as scheduled" with "all teams" taking part amid doubts about Iran's presence at the tournament. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed and we want the World Cup to go ahead as scheduled." "We will be preparing for the World Cup. We will boycott the United States but not the World Cup," Taj said in the video released on Wednesday.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 12:33 UTC
Four nabbed over child abuse clips
Officers also seized a large volume of illegal child abuse material and other digital evidence. At the first location, a house in Bangkok's Lat Krabang district, officers arrested a 37-year-old man accused of administering a Telegram group called "What The F**k". At the second location, a condominium in Samut Prakan, officers arrested a 30-year-old man identified as the owner of an X account named "ta_rittv2". At the third location, in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri, officers arrested a 30-year-old man linked to a Telegram account named "Peter O0zet". At the fourth location, in Bang Pa-in district of Ayutthaya, police arrested a 23-year-old man after seizing a mobile phone which contained a large quantity of child sexual abuse material, including identifiable images of a 14-year-old girl.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 12:29 UTC
Oil declines as US, Israel seek to ease concerns over Iran war
Oil declines as US, Israel seek to ease concerns over Iran warGas prices are displayed at a gas station on Capitol Hill, amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, in Washington on Thursday. (Photo: Reuters)Oil dropped from its highest close since July 2022, as the leaders of the United States and Israel sought to reassure investors rattled by damage to major Persian Gulf energy facilities. “WTI could be choppier and more capped because any spike invites US policy response or direct interventions in the oil markets.”On Thursday, Trump tried to downplay the recent spikes in oil prices during an appearance with Japan’s prime minister. In other energy markets, European natural gas futures surged to almost double their pre-war level. Offering temporary relief for markets, the International Energy Agency issued details on emergency crude oil commitments by member nations.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:44 UTC
Faces behind the names
Life offers an insight into the chefs behind the big names and why they were chosen for the culinary brands. Chef Gaggan Anand, right, with chef Vix Rathour at Gaggan at Louis Vuitton. But at the back of my mind, I am always thinking, 'Is chef Gaggan going to like this?'. His 8½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong is the only Italian restaurant to be awarded three Michelin stars outside of Italy. We share the same values when it comes to Italian cuisine: respect for tradition, purity of flavour and discipline in technique.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:44 UTC
India to tackle global obesity with cheap fat-loss jabs
India to tackle global obesity with cheap fat-loss jabsIndia's weight-loss drug sales are projected to soar to over half a billion by 2030. (Photo: AFP)MUMBAI — A deluge of weight‑loss drugs is set to transform the global fight against obesity as India prepares to unleash low‑cost generic versions of injections like Ozempic after a key patent expired Friday. By the end of 2026, core patents on semaglutide will have expired in 10 countries that represent 48% of the global obesity burden, according to a study published earlier this month by researchers. At least four major firms have already prepared generic semaglutide injections, regulatory filings and compliance documents viewed by AFP show. India's weight‑loss drug sales have grown tenfold in five years to US$153 million as of 2026, and are projected to soar to over half a billion by 2030.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:43 UTC
Royal command appoints Anutin as Thailand's prime minister
Royal command appoints Anutin as Thailand's prime ministerBhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul pays respect to the portrait of His Majesty the King to receive a royal command appointing him as Thailand's prime minister. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua has appointed Anutin Charnvirakul as prime minister, according to an announcement published in the Royal Gazette on Friday. Under Section 158 of the constitution, His Majesty has granted royal endorsement appointing Mr Anutin as prime minister, effective from this date. On Friday afternoon, Siroj Phaetphan, secretary-general of the House of Representatives, formally delivered the royal command appointing the prime minister at the Bhumjaithai Party headquarters on Phahon Yothin Road in Bangkok. Mr Anutin, 59, secured 293 votes in a special House sitting on Thursday, winning a second term as Thailand’s 32nd prime minister.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:33 UTC
Somaliland centre saves cheetahs from trafficking to Gulf palaces
Somaliland centre saves cheetahs from trafficking to Gulf palacesThe long, slender, spotted felines yawn, stretch and purr loudly as the staff approach the vast, highly protected complex run by Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) in the Geed-Deeble savannah of Somaliland. HARGEISA - The 127 cheetahs living in a Somaliland sanctuary were all torn away from their mothers to be kept as pets in the Gulf, survivors of a trade that threatens the very survival of the species. Cheetahs are considered "critically endangered" across Africa, except in its southern region where they are most abundant, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They were part of a group of 11 cubs rescued last year by Somaliland authorities from a smuggling boat. "But I'm seeing new cheetahs popping up on Facebook accounts and posts," animal trafficking expert Daniel Stiles told AFP.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:25 UTC
US-backed airstrikes leave Ecuador border communities in fear
US-backed airstrikes leave Ecuador border communities in fearFarmer Jose Pena looks for belongings amid rubble after a bomb dropped by the Ecuadoran army in the Lago Agrio region of Ecuador on the border with Colombia. LAGO AGRIO (ECUADOR) - A US-backed crackdown on drug cartels along the Ecuador-Colombia border has sparked accusations that security forces bombed farms, burned homes and detained and abused villagers. Ecuador's interior minister told AFP the March 6 strike was months in the making, and it targeted a camp run by Border Commandos guerrillas. - Shots fired -AFP visited the remote border zone and saw three buildings reduced to rubble, their scorched zinc roofing twisted among the debris. The operation has angered Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who recently alleged an unguided bomb fell into Colombia from Ecuador.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:22 UTC
Italy, Germany and France offer help with Hormuz only after ceasefire
Italy, Germany and France offer help with Hormuz only after ceasefireBritain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands say they are ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz" post-ceasefire. Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the Netherlands said on Thursday they were ready "to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz". But Italy, Germany and France made clear later Thursday that they were not talking about any immediate military help, but rather a potential multilateral initiative after a ceasefire. The situation has left around 20,000 seafarers stranded on approximately 3,200 vessels west of the strait, according to the International Maritime Organization. Not a 'war mission'US President Donald Trump has urged other world powers, and Nato, to help reopen the Hormuz Strait to commercial shipping.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:22 UTC
New Fifa ruling boosts prospects for women coaches
New Fifa ruling boosts prospects for women coachesEngland's Sarina Wiegman was one of just 12 female head coaches at the 2023 World Cup. The change applies to all youth and senior tournaments, national team competitions and club competitions, and will debut at the Under-20 women’s World Cup in Poland in September. It will also be in use at the second edition of the women's Champions Cup, the 2027 World Cup in Brazil and the inaugural women's Club World Cup in two years' time. "There are simply not enough women in coaching today," said Jill Ellis, Fifa’s chief football officer and former United States national team head coach. The new rules will also mandate at least two female staff on the bench, which can include the mandatory coach.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:22 UTC
BMW faces flat sales amid rising oil prices
BMW faces flat sales amid rising oil pricesMs Joo (second right) with BMW Group Thailand executives. The company is concerned about the impact of the Middle East conflict on domestic car sales. Rising crude oil price volatility, fuelled by escalating tensions between the US and Iran, is threatening to stall Thailand's automotive recovery, with luxury car sales projected to remain flat this year, according to BMW Group Thailand. Kris Joo, president and chief executive of BMW Group Thailand, said the industry is facing growing concerns that surging oil prices could further weaken consumer confidence, putting more pressure on the currently sluggish economy. "We have to closely monitor the war in the Middle East and update how it impacts the economy and business," he said.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:09 UTC
2 injured, southern human rights MP unharmed in ambush
2 injured, southern human rights MP unharmed in ambushBullets shattered the van of Prachachat MP Kamonsak Leewamoh during an attack by gunmen on Friday morning. The lawmaker was unscathed by the assault but his driver and a police escort were seriously injured, according to authorities. Mr Kamonsak is a well-known human rights attorney active in the southernmost region. he said in an interview with the Bangkok Post in 2024, when he sat on the House committee on law, justice and human rights. Mr Sukarno remarked that political conflicts or the southern unrest could have been the motives behind the shooting due to Mr Kamonsak’s dual roles.
Source:Bangkok Post
March 20, 2026 11:06 UTC