Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto competes in the team event, in which Japan took silver behind the US, at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The short programme takes place at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Tuesday, with the free skate to follow on Thursday. “This is really the last time,” said Sakamoto, who won singles bronze at the 2022 Beijing Games and has two silvers in the team event. US-born Gu picked up two gold medals and a silver in Beijing, and came to Italy seeking a clean sweep. The silver, her second of the Games, made her the most-decorated woman Olympic freeski athlete, with five medals in total.

Ten species flagged as birdstrike threat to flights in ThailandPainted storks at Suvarnabhumi airport, on the outskirts of Bangkok. (Photo: Bangkok Post)Ten species of bird have been flagged as a growing threat to aviation safety in Thailand, with 6,118 birdstrikes reported nationwide over the past five years, causing damage worth hundreds of millions of baht. Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAT) has sounded the alarm over the mounting menace birdstrike poses to flight safety. CAAT said bird strikes often put aircraft out of service, disrupt flight schedules and trigger additional costs for passenger care and compensation. Against this backdrop, the aviation regulator has compiled detailed information on 10 bird species most commonly linked to risky encounters with aircraft.

Missing pet Husky found severely burnedMolly, a two-year-old Siberian Husky, receives treatment for level-5 burns at the animal hospital at Prince of Songkla University. (Photo: Facebook user TN Boonya)Pet lovers were up in arms on Tuesday, outraged after a Siberian Husky missing from its home for several days was found with severe burns over most of its body. According to media reports, the dog's owner, Somchai, 52, had three canines. Two of them went missing from his home in tambon Phawong of Muang district on the morning of Feb 12. Two days later, Mr Somchai found Messie after receiving a call that the dog had killed four of a neighbour’s ducks.

Police also looking into foetus graveyard on temple groundsPol Maj Gen Jruykiat Pankaeo, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, listens to women who have filed molestation complaints against an Ang Thong undertaker, at CIB headquarters on Tuesday. The women said they suffered the injuries at the hands of a man known as “Uncle Sanom” during “cleansing” rites at Wat Sing in Wiset Chai Chan district of Ang Thong. Pol Maj Gen Jruykiat Pankaeo, the CIB deputy commissioner, said investigators were compiling information from the women to verify the allegations. “A few women filed complaints earlier and police invited more women who were too reluctant to show up,” he said. Bodies may be exhumed for DNA checks,” Pol Maj Gen Jruykiat said.

Thai banks’ non-performing loans ​stood at 2.84% ‌of outstanding credit at the end of December, down from 2.94% at the end of September, the central bank said on Tuesday. Bank lending ​dropped ⁠1.1% in the fourth quarter of 2025 from a year earlier, after a decline of 1% in the ‌previous quarter. Despite the fall-off in lending, which has reached six consecutive quarters, the central bank said the banking system remained strong, with high capital, reserves and liquidity. The total amount of household ​debt ‌stood at 16.3 trillion baht. The debt ratio is expected to have ⁠dropped in the fourth quarter due to stronger GDP growth, BoT assistant governor Somchai ⁠Lertlarpwasin said.

He said he had noticed that People’s Party executives, party-list candidates and MPs seemed to make an unusually high number of appearances on television and various media platforms. A number of politicians have been disqualified under the law, including Future Forward founder Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit because he held shares in a defunct travel magazine. People’s Party representatives explained that Spectre C was established in early 2020 because of concerns that the Future Forward Party, the first iteration of the People’s Party, was going to be dissolved. Parit Wacharasindhu, the People’s Party spokesman, also denied Ms Tisana’s allegations, saying the party had never hired any company or conducted any IO activities. The company produced electronic media for the Move Forward Party during its 2023 election campaign.

Abandoned at birth, baby monkey melts hearts worldwideBaby Punch (Photo X: @meguxiang)A seven-month-old baby monkey named Punch has captured hearts around the world after photographs and videos showed him clutching a stuffed orangutan toy for comfort at Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan. Punch was born in July 2025 and reportedly abandoned by his mother shortly after birth. Footage shared on X shows the young monkey holding the toy tightly while sleeping and, at times, using it as a shield or comforter when rejected and pushed away by other monkeys. Photos and videos of Punch began circulating widely online this week, drawing an outpouring of sympathy from people across the globe. Many said they were moved by the young monkey’s vulnerability and the visible loneliness reflected in his attachment to the toy.

Slovakia revamps bunkers with Ukraine war uncomfortably closeBubinak enters one of the Nitra bunkers which are being brought back into service. Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and opposes sending military aid to Ukraine, insists Slovaks have nothing to fear from Russia. But with the war uncomfortably close to home, his government has vowed to double the capacity of the shelters. "The war is in Ukraine, not here," the 51-year-old told Agence France-Presse (AFP), echoing Fico's reassuring pro-Kremlin rhetoric. Designed as airtight retreats able to withstand chemical and biological attacks, many of Nitra shelters have "obsolete ventilation and electrical wiring", civil protection officer Dalibor Bubinak told AFP.

This is not the first, and far from the only, time that YouTubers have turned to filmmaking. David F. Sandberg — The short-film master turned versatile directorLights Out (2016)Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg began by uploading "no-budget" horror shorts to his YouTube channel, ponysmasher. He moved to Los Angeles to direct the feature-length Lights Out, which turned a $4.9 million budget into $148 million. They followed up in May 2025 with Bring Her Back, a visceral "psycho-biddy" horror film starring Sally Hawkins. The project made history as the highest-funded horror film on Kickstarter, raising over $1.3 million from fans.

Murray Hunter taught at Universiti Malaysia in Perlis state until 2015, and has written for a number of Malaysian news sites and regional publications. (Photo: Thai Lawyers for Human Rights)Malaysia has withdrawn a criminal defamation complaint lodged in Thailand against an Australian journalist, his lawyer said on Tuesday, after he agreed to apologise and take down articles deemed defamatory. The charge of criminal defamation carried a maximum prison sentence of two years and a fine of up to 200,000 baht. The settlement included an agreement for Mr Hunter to apologise and take down articles deemed defamatory, according to Akarachai Chaimaneekarakate of Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, who handled his case. The group said it opposed the “use of criminal defamation and strategic lawsuits to silence writers and journalists”, urging governments not to use defamation laws to “suppress public interest expression or enable cross-border repression”.

Tarique Rahman to lead first elected government since 2024 overthrow of Sheikh HasinaBangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairman Tarique Rahman waves after addressing a press conference in Dhaka on Feb 14, 2026. (Photo: AFP)DHAKA - Bangladesh’s prime minister-to-be Tarique Rahman and lawmakers were sworn into parliament on Tuesday, becoming the first elected representatives since a deadly 2024 uprising. The lawmakers, who promised loyalty to Bangladesh, were sworn in by the Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin. Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawmakers are expected to formally elect Rahman as their leader, with President Mohammed Shahabuddin then to administer the oath of office to the prime minister and his ministers later on Tuesday afternoon. Four members of minority communities won seats, including two Hindus — a population that makes up roughly seven percent in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Drugs worth B200m found under cargo of garlicPolice question drug smuggling suspect Theerawat, 42, (right, with face blurred by police), after speed pills and crystal meth worth about 200 million baht was found under a cargo of garlic, in Muang district of Saraburi on Monday. (Photo: Central Investigation Bureau)Highway police seized 2.1 million methamphetaine pills and 26 kilogrammes of crystal meth found concealed beneath a load of garlic, and arrested the pickup driver, in Saraburi province. Police said 2.19 million meth pills and 26kg of crystal meth were found hidden under a pile of garlic on the back of the vehicle. The stop-and-search followed a tip-off that a vehicle carrying illegal drugs would be passing through tambon U Taphao in Manorom district, and an approximate time. The driver, Mr Theerawat, appeared nervous, prompting a closer inspection of the cargo.

Japan hails ‘new chapter’ with first Olympic pairs skating goldRiku Miura and Ryuchi Kihara celebrate after winning Japan’s first Olympic figure skating pairs gold at the Milan-Cortina Games in Italy. (Photo: AFP)Japan hailed a “new chapter” in the country’s figure skating on Tuesday after Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara pulled off a stunning comeback to claim pairs gold at the Milan-Cortina Olympics. Miura and Kihara won Japan’s first Olympic pairs gold with the performance of their careers, coming from fifth overnight to land the title with personal best scores. It was the first time Japan had won an Olympic figure skating pairs medal of any colour. Miura and Kihara, popularly known collectively in Japan as “Rikuryu”, went into the free skate trailing after errors in their short programme.

France's Macron eyes fighter jet deal in IndiaFrance's President French President Emmanuel Macron, centre right, and his wife Brigitte Macron, left, are welcomed by India's officials upon their arrival in Mumbai. (Photo: AFP)MUMBAI — French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai on Tuesday, as he begins a three-day visit to India focused on artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation and a potential multibillion dollar fighter jet deal. France is seeking to expand its military partnership with New Delhi, with discussions expected on a possible contract for 114 additional French Dassault Rafale fighter jets. Modi, who will meet Macron later on Tuesday afternoon, said he was "confident that our discussions will further strengthen cooperation". "Through this visit, we seek to further strengthen cooperation" with India, and to "diversify" France's economic and trade partnerships, Macron's office said.

American slain trying to resume love affairCole Heath's blood-stained ID document. (Police photo)Four Myanmar men surrendered to police after an American tourist was beaten to death in Bangkok while trying to resume his relationship with a Myanmar woman. The American was unhappy about this and had tried repeatedly to renew the relationship, and had argued with the suspects. On Monday evening, the American man had returned, armed with a knife, and had confronted them at a nearby scrap yard where they worked. Seeing the knife, they had grabbed their own weapons, a knife and iron pipe, and they had brawled.