Thailand has lifted a 53-year-old ban on the afternoon retail sale of alcoholic drinks. The ban originally enacted in 1972 prohibited sales from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Thailand has temporarily lifted a decades-old ban on the sale of alcoholic drinks in the afternoons as it seeks to boost tourism. Liquor stores and other accredited establishments can now sell beer, wine and spirits from 14:00 to 17:00 as part of a six-month trial.

Thailand’s consumer prices fell for the eighth straight month, heightening pressure on the central bank to cut its policy rate for a fourth time this year.

Thailand has seized assets worth more than US$300 million (S$388 million), including shares in a major regional energy company, and issued arrest warrants for 42 people in a high-profile push against regional scam networks,

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for Songkhla province, which includes southern Thailand’s biggest city, Hat Yai, citing the “unprecedented severity” of the flooding that has caused widespread damage.

Thailand’s government on Monday announced new relief measures for victims of one of the country’s worst floods in decades, weeks before an anticipated call for snap elections.

More than 1.2 million households and 3.6 million people have been affected by floods triggered by heavy rains in 12 southern provinces, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said.

Thai pageant executive Nawat Itsaragrisil has filed a criminal complaint in Thailand against Miss Universe 2025 winner Fátima Bosch Fernández of Mexico, adding a new layer to the mountain of scandals surrounding the beauty contest this year.

By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Chayut Setboonsarng BANGKOK, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is facing mounting criticism over his government’s slow response to deadly floods in the south,