(Photo: Reuters)WASHINGTON — One of the top counterterrorism officials in the United States announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing his opposition to the Iran war and what he said was Israel’s influence over the Trump administration’s policies. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war in Iran,” Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote in a social media post. In the letter, Kent wrote about what he saw as a “misinformation campaign” by high-ranking Israeli officials and the news media, which he said had undermined Trump’s “America First platform and sowed pro-war sentiments to encourage a war with Iran”. A veteran of the Iraq War, Kent said that the arguments in support of attacking Iran, and promises of a swift victory, echoed the debate over going to war against Iraq in 2003. Kent also referred to his late wife Shannon, a military cryptologist killed in Syria.

The Thai Oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Si Racha district of Chon Buri province. By comparison, net energy imports in Singapore and South Korea are about 4% of GDP, said KKP chief economist Pipat Luengnaruemitchai. A spike in global oil prices would also push up inflation, as energy has a relatively high weighting in Thailand’s consumer basket, he said. Under the baseline scenario, the Middle East conflict is expected to be brief, with oil prices likely to fall back to between $60 and $70 per barrel relatively quickly, said the think-tank. KKP Research assesses higher oil prices would affect the Thai economy through the country’s three core growth engines: tourism, exports and domestic consumption.

Thailand has six oil refineries that can refine 175 million litres of fuel daily, including 32-33 million litres of benzine, 75-80 million litres of diesel, 25 million litres of jet fuel, 13 million litres of heavy fuel oil, and 6-7 million kilogrammes of LPG. Refineries sell most of their products to major distributors and sometimes to middlemen, also known as jobbers, Mr Sarawut said. The major distributors mostly deliver to their own branded service stations. As a result, many independent service stations ran short of fuel and everyone converged at branded stations, resulting in long queues. Authorities subsequently asked refiners to increase their capacity, while major distributors were told to supply more fuel to jobbers.

Sweden's prisons prepare to house young teensRosersberg is one of eight prisons preparing to house young offenders starting July 1SIGTUNA (SWEDEN) - North of Stockholm, the Rosersberg prison is making preparations to house children as young as 13 in response to a much-criticised juvenile judicial reform expected to take effect in July. The legislation still needs to pass parliament, but Rosersberg is one of eight prisons preparing to house young offenders starting July 1. Each young person will be placed in a 10-square-metre (108-square-feet) single cell, previously shared by two adults. "It's not something we thought about every day in our previous work," he added, noting that younger inmates will have different needs and rights. Incarcerating someone that young "is harmful to the child's development" and increases the risk of reoffending, according to Hogberg.

Emirates planes sit on the tarmac of Dubai International Airport after two drones came down in the vicinity of the airport on March 11, 2026. On Monday, Emirates suspended operations for more than seven hours following a fuel-tank fire at Dubai International Airport caused by a drone incident. Emirates is the largest carrier in the region and has ramped up operations from Dubai since the war started at a faster pace than competitors. At the same time, some Emirates aircraft remain out of position in Europe and China. The airline has provided updates of its services online, and Emirates now runs daily flights along corridors that are considered safe.

Thailand offers Iran food for plastic pellets, fertiliserCholathee Noomnoo, a durian grower in Trat province, checks his stock of fertilizer on Tuesday, saying he is running short and finding it difficult to buy more. “The present source of plastic pellets is the Middle East. The present stock of plastic pellets in Thailand will run out by the end of April,” she said. Exports could include processed food and some raw materials that Thailand has contracted to sell to the Middle East. Such deals should be discussed with not only Iran but also other countries in the Middle East, the commerce minister said.

Belgian court decides on holding trial over 1961 Congo leader murderPatrice Lumumba became Congolese leader when the country gained independence but was assassinated a short while later. (Photo: AFP)BRUSSELS — A Brussels court is to decide Tuesday whether a 93-year-old former Belgian diplomat should stand trial over the 1961 killing of Congolese independence icon Patrice Lumumba. A fiery critic of Belgium's colonial rule, Lumumba became his country's first prime minister after it gained independence in 1960. After entering the diplomatic service in 1959, Davignon rose through the ranks after his early involvement in Congolese independence talks. During the handover, then Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo reiterated the government's "apologies" for its "moral responsibility" in Lumumba's disappearance.

Lack of fuel halts garbage collection(Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)KANCHANABURI - Lack of diesel brought garbage collection to a halt in Kanchanaburi municipality on Tuesday morning, with the trucks not beginning their rounds until fuel was available in the afternoonThe municipal office announced in a Facebook post on Monday there would be no trash collection on Tuesday morning, there was no diesel for the trucks. The office warned it would probably be able to collect the garbage in some areas, and not in others, and may even have to temporarily halt the service. It blamed the problem on the disruption of fuel deliveries in the province. Twenty-four hours later, the office posted another announcement saying its fleet of rubbish trucks would begin returnig to the city's streets on Tuesday afternoon, but warned residents there could be further disruptions. "Garbage collection could still be delayed as the fuel situation has not returned to normal," it said.

(Photo: Army Military Force Facebook)Thailand will start building fences along a portion of its border with Cambodia next month to boost security after deadly clashes between the countries erupted last year following longstanding tensions. “The construction of this border fence is not just about building a physical wall, but also about providing peace of mind to the people living along the border,” Maj Gen Vithai said in a statement. The territory has been cleared of landmines and a paved road has been constructed on the Thai side of the border, Maj Gen Vithai said. Details of the fence project were released late last year after the first of two border clashes. The princess gave the Thai military 121 million baht in December to fund its first phase.

(Photo: AFP)TEHRAN - Israel said on Tuesday that it had killed Iran’s powerful national security chief, Ali Larijani, in what would be a huge blow to the Islamic republic as fresh strikes rocked the Middle East from Tehran to Baghdad. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Larijani was “eliminated last night”, although this has not been confirmed by Iran. Earlier on Tuesday, Israel’s military said Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij paramilitary force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was killed Monday in a strike on Tehran. Hundreds of people have been killed and millions have been displaced because of the war, notably in Lebanon and Iran. A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisers, security officials said.

Logistics costs surging as some operators must buy unsubsidised fuel direct from refinersTrucks will be deployed at Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri on Wednesday as eastern transport operators want the government to address surging logistics costs. (Bangkok Post file photo)Eastern transport operators plan to stage a truck rally at Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri on Wednesday, calling on the government to address surging logistics costs driven by rising fuel prices and supply shortages. The rally is scheduled to begin at 9am at Laem Chabang port, where representatives of the truck operators plan to submit three key demands, said Mr Viroj. First, they are calling for an adjustment of fuel prices at oil depots or refineries. Third, they are calling for improved traffic management within Laem Chabang Port.

Thai e-sports cheats sentenced to detentionNaphat "Tokyogurl" Warasin (left) and Chaiyo, alias Cheerio, walk into the Pathumwan Kwaeng Court building on Tuesday. (Photo: Wassayos Ngamkham)A former Thai national team e-sports player and a gamer who conspired to cheat during the SEA Games in Thailand last year were both sentenced to three-months detention by the Pathumwan Kwaeng Court on Tuesday, avoiding a prison term. The court found them in breach of the Computer Crime Act in damaging the credibility of e-sports and the country's image. The Thai team later withdrew from the competition which involved Laos, East Timor and Vietnam and Tokyogurl was banned from the sport for life. Public prosecutors arraigned them in the Pathumwan Kwaeng Court after an investigation by the Crime Suppression Division led to their arrest and charges being laid against them.

Thailand looking to buy oil from Russia, other producersForeign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow delivers his speech at the Global Fraud Summit at the Vienna International Centre in Austria on Tuesday. (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)Russia had expressed its readiness to sell crude oil to Thailand, and the government was also in discussions with other producers, Foreign Affairs Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said on Tuesday. The minister said Thailand was accelerating talks with oil-producing countries outside the war-torn Middle East, including Brazil, Nigeria and Kazakhstan. Mr Sihasak said Thailand had already approached Russia, which had expressed its willingness to supply oil. According to Mr Sihsasak, the Iranian foreign minister expressed condolences over the incident and described the situation as one in which maritime travel should have halted.

In South Asia, Bangladesh is increasing coal-fired power generation ​and coal-fired power imports in March, daily government ⁠data shows. In Southeast Asia, the Philippines is ramping up coal-fired power and slashing LNG-fired output, while EVN in Vietnam told Reuters last week it was negotiating coal supply. Coal still accounts for about 13% of the fuel used in power generation in Thailand, compared with 58% for natural gas. The rest is made up of electricity imports from Laos (14%), remewables (12%), and Hydropower (3%)South Korea plans to remove ceilings on coal-fired output and increase ⁠nuclear generation, while Japan’s top utility JERA told Reuters last week it will keep coal-fired power generation at high utilisation rates. And because renewables cannot yet fill the gap, many countries including Thailand have delayed the decommissioning of heavily polluting coal-fired power plants.

Faces and clothes were smeared with coloured powder as revellers took part in the Holi festival on Central Pattaya Beach, Chon Buri province. Organised by Pattaya City and the Thai‑Indian Business Association and held between March 13 and 15, the seaside celebration featured traditional colour‑throwing, live concerts by Indian artists, influencer‑led activities and a wide variety of food and drink, drawing tourists and locals alike.