The Latest Breaking News from Thailand

Authorities are on high alert for rapidly intensifying Typhoon Noru which is expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm before reaching Thailand's Northeast on Thursday and exacerbate woes in already flooded areas that lie in its path.

The cabinet yesterday approved extending the Smart Visa scheme to cover a total of 18 targeted industries, up from the existing 13, aiming to entice skilled workers, investors, executives and entrepreneurs to work or invest in Thailand.

Thailand's economy is expected to grow 3.1% this year, higher than a forecast in June of 2.9%, supported by private consumption and exports, the World Bank said on Tuesday.

The government on Monday announced its readiness to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Economic Leaders' Meeting and other related gatherings on Nov 18-19.

Fresh from their stunning victory over world No.6 Turkey in their opening game, Thailand are looking to continue their winning ways at the FIVB Women's World Championship when they take on co-hosts Poland on Tuesday.

The government has set up a "war room" to closely monitor the impact of Typhoon Noru, which is expected to hit the northeastern provinces as a tropical storm on Thursday.

An interest rate hike of at least 0.5% by the Bank of Thailand's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) tomorrow would be enough to shore up the baht, which has depreciated by 11.5% against the greenback this year to date, analysts said.

Thailand's digital services market is expected to be worth more than the hardware sector by the end of this year, with a value of 690 billion baht by 2024, according to a survey by the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) and research and technology training provider IMC Institute.

To raise awareness and encourage manufacturers to reduce salt and sodium in food products, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (Thai Health) organised a forum titled "Reducing Salt/Sodium Consumption In Thailand" at the Thai Health office. At the forum, Dr Chantana Ungchusak, chairman of the board of healthy food planning, said…