In April 2024, it was about time to introduce the Grand Lady Kalla, not only as a wristwatch, but a versatile four-in-one high jewไงนะคะ ellery. Notably, the four elements of the Grand Lady Kalla echo the Art Deco style that flourished in this decade. Grand Lady Kalla Ruby with swappable elements. The Grand Lady Kalla Emerald is in platinum with the case fully paved with diamonds and green gems. Grand Lady Kalla Emerald wristwatch in platinum.
(Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)Concerns about transparency and efficiency of Social Security Fund (SSF) spending have surfaced after Rukchanok Srinork, a People's Party MP candidate, highlighted cases of SSF money being used for "questionable projects". The "Progressive Social Security" Facebook page in a post pointed to another issue: an 800‑million‑baht investment in the TU Dome project at Thammasat University's Rangsit campus in Pathum Thani province. These included endorsement by the Social Security Committee, scrutiny by budgetary and auditing agencies and authorisation from the Treasury Department for the use of state property, it said. "Every baht and satang in the Social Security Fund comes from deductions from workers' wages each month. It belongs to the insured, not the Social Security Office.
Tops bullish on Chinese New YearListen to this articleMr Chakkit said deeply rooted beliefs and cultural traditions in Thai society continue to play an important role in emotional support, motivating consumer expenditure. Tops, a food business under Central Retail, is optimistic about spending during the Chinese New Year despite concerns about a sluggish economy. Younger generations such as Gen Y (39.5%) and Gen X (37.7%) emerged as significant contributors, collectively representing more than 77% of festive expenditure. According to insight surveys conducted via Tops Thailand Line official platform and the Personal Shopper channel, Gen X and Gen Y were the key decision-makers in terms of beliefs and spending. Tops plans to use data to re-engage inactive shoppers through hyper- personalised incentives, said Mr Chakkit.
Venezuela looks to petrodollars to bring down pricesListen to this articleVenezuela has more proven oil reserves than any other nation on Earth. The dollars were injected into the domestic foreign exchange market to narrow a growing gap between the formal and informal rates, blamed for fast-rising inflation. -Venezuela decriminalized the use of the dollar and lifted controls to combat a hyperinflationary cycle that lasted from 2017 to 2022. Since then, the government, under the economic leadership of Maduro's then–Vice President Rodriguez, began injecting petrodollars into the market whenever they were available. This became more difficult under a blockade of Venezuelan oil by the United States, which in recent months seized several tankers transporting crude from the South American nation.
Thailand also celebrated a one-two finish in the women's shot put F37 final, an event where all top-four finishers surpassed the previous Games record. Thai fencers also shone, producing three gold medals. Duean Nakprasit overwhelmed compatriot Arrirat Saisin 15-1 in the women's individual epee A final, while Chintanakon Seepak edged Panadda Srithong 15-14 in the epee B decider. Chitiphat Charoenta followed with a 15-1 victory over teammate Anwar Wae in the men's individual foil B final. Wongkot Jaempreecha triumphed in the men's individual B7 lawn bowls competition, a demonstration event at the Games.
Mr Kannavee described the Movement Party as a "party of practitioners" guided by the principles of social democracy and focused on solving real-world problems. The Movement Party instead proposes "diplomatic constructive intervention", proactive engagement aimed at addressing root causes through cooperation rather than coercion. Informal workers at the coreDomestically, the Movement Party places strong emphasis on informal workers, including online platform workers, farmers, street vendors, motorcycle taxi drivers and night-economy workers. Human rights agendaA long-time human rights advocate, Mr Kannavee was recently involved in opposing the deportation of Uyghur detainees to China. He also highlighted limited freedom of association among informal workers, stressing the need for effective unions to strengthen bargaining power.
(Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)The Election Commission (EC) has ordered five political parties to provide further clarification by submitting additional supporting documents about campaign policies involving budget expenditures. Mr Sawaeng said the EC is expediting its review of campaign policies that involve budget expenditures, aiming to complete the process before Feb 4. Of these, 51 submitted policies that involve budgetary spending and are therefore required to notify the EC, while nine parties submitted platforms that do not involve state expenditure. "The committee resolved that five political parties must provide further clarification by submitting additional supporting documents," he said. The next EC meeting will review the policies of the remaining 28 parties, with the intention of submitting them to the EC for consideration on Feb 3.
UTN won't back charter rejigListen to this articlePirapan Salirathavibhaga, leader of the UTN Party, tests rice milling as part of the 'Northern Region Must Be Better' campaign. Mr Pirapan said the UTN does not agree that the country should adopt a completely new constitution, arguing that the referendum question lacks a clear framework for how a new charter would be drafted or by whom. Mr Pirapan said. Asked how the party would educate voters, Mr Pirapan said the statements reflected the party's position only, stressing the UTN would not seek to influence the public's decision. UTN deputy leader Atthawit Suwannapakdi said the constitution can be amended but should not be discarded.
When repressive states choose terror over deathListen to this articleFyodor Dostoevsky -- one of the few writers to survive state terror and return with a psychology sharp enough to indict it. This is why The Idiot dwells on the minute before death rather than death itself. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is not imprisoned because she plotted violence. At nearly 80 years old, Aung San Suu Kyi endures conditions calibrated to erode rather than execute. Like Dostoevsky before the firing squad, Aung San Suu Kyi lives inside a sentence that has not yet concluded.
Philanthropy must dive deeperListen to this articleA marine scientist checks the condition of coral reefs in Moo Koh Similan Marine National Park, Phangnga province, on Wednesday. To unlock meaningful progress, philanthropic contributions must align with shared priorities and reinforce one another, rather than operate in isolation. By funding feasibility studies, regulatory groundwork, and initial project preparation, philanthropy acts as risk capital, reducing uncertainty and attracting public and private investment. The real opportunity for philanthropy lies in turning shared objectives into coordinated action through platforms that help clarify priorities and develop investment-ready opportunities. My own organisation, the Philanthropy Asia Alliance, aims to achieve this through our annual Philanthropy Asia Summit and the Blue Oceans Community initiative, which bring funders and partners together to mobilise co-investment for Asia-focused solutions.
This America First agenda has now culminated in and been codified into the United States' National Security Strategy, launched in November 2025 (NSS 2025). To understand where Mr Trump is going with his America First project, it is necessary to digest and take the NSS 2025 seriously. Doing so requires putting aside Mr Trump's blustery self-absorption while focusing on the nativist and nationalistic movement behind him. Figuring out Mr Trump's mindset and manoeuvres requires analysing underpinnings, drivers, and trends the way they are, rather than the way we want them to be. Mr Trump's nativist camp erected barriers to keep out near-abroad migrants and secured borders in a fortress-like fashion.
Board games at SSFListen to this articleAn ongoing public hearing by the Social Security Fund (SSF) board suggests a change of the rules governing how employees' representatives are elected may be on the cards, switching from one vote for seven candidates to one vote per candidate. The SSF board has 20 members. Due to this enormous funding, power struggles are only to be expected between those representing employees and the bureaucrats and employers, making the SSF board of crucial importance. More importantly, the online hearing system is designed in such a way that respondents can submit more than one vote. The board must waste no time in fixing the online public hearing process by limiting it so that respondents can only deliver a single vote.
Pitchamon stuns Miyazaki, Panitchaphon dumps LeeListen to this articleThai star Pitchamon Opatniputh. (Photo supplied)Pitchamon Opatniputh and Panitchaphon Teeraratsakul moved into the quarter-finals of the BWF Indonesia Masters on Thursday. The 19-year-old Pitchamon, ranked 36th in the world, stunned fourth seed and world No.9 Tomoka Miyazaki of Japan 21-10, 21-13 to reach her first Super 500 quarter-final. Lee fought hard to push world No.44 Panitchaphon early on but fell short in the deciding third game in their first meeting. Earlier, women's doubles pair Hathaithip Mijad and Napapakorn Tungkasatan lost to Amallia Cahaya Pratiwi and Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanti of Indonesia 21-17, 21-14.
Thai travellers warned over rise of visa scamsListen to this articlePassengers make their way through a section of Suvarnabhumi airport. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)Travellers are advised to be alert to visa application scams, such as false appointment letters or requests for additional payment for fast-track visa guarantees, as outbound travel grows. According to VFS Global, a common fraud effort in the region is the promise of fast-track visa processing in exchange for extra fees. VFS Global does not sell visa appointments. In Thailand, VFS Global serves 26 governments, including Germany, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, through 38 visa application centres in three cities: Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket.
Gulf Edge Co Ltd, the digital infrastructure arm of Gulf Group, and Google Cloud announced an artificial intelligence (AI) collaboration yesterday. Under the partnership, Gulf Edge leads the effort to transform Gulf Group and its affiliates, including Advanced Info Service (AIS), into an AI-native leader with advanced cloud and AI from Google Cloud. According to Gulf Edge, the collaboration calls for AIS to serve as a model for enterprise-wide AI transformation that can be replicated at scale across organisations and partners. Centre of ExcellenceThis expanded collaboration also establishes Gulf Edge as a strategic go-to market partner driving end-to-end access and adoption of Google Cloud's enterprise-grade agentic AI and sovereign cloud technologies. "AI presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform how we work, run our businesses and what we build for our customers," said Karthik Narain, chief product and business officer at Google Cloud.
