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.

Woman faces additional charges over Thai girl sex work case in TokyoKYODO — A Thai woman has been served with a fresh arrest warrant in connection with the case of a Thai girl who was found engaging in sex work in Tokyo when she was 12, Japanese police said on Tuesday. She had already been arrested in January for allegedly acting against the child welfare law and was subsequently indicted. Police believe Punsiripanya acted as a broker, introducing Thai women to the private-room massage parlour. She allegedly conspired with Masayuki Hosono, a 52-year-old Japanese man who operated the parlour, to force the girl into sex work around June 30 last year. In December, Thai police arrested the girl's 29-year-old mother on suspicion of human trafficking and other offences.

Foreign arrivals down 7.6% so far this yearDespite the prevalence of tourists in Bangkok's Yaowarat area, known as Chinatown, foreign visitor numbers are down this year. (Photo: Bangkok Post)⁠Thailand's foreign ​tourist arrivals dropped 7.59% year-on-year ​in ‌the period Jan 1 to Feb 15, to ⁠about 5.07 million people, the Tourism Ministry said ‌on Tuesday. China was the biggest source market ⁠with 770,427 visitors, followed by Malaysia with 461,742, the ministry said in a statement. ​Thailand's state planning agency expects foreign ​visitors to rise ‌to 35 million this year. There ​were ⁠about 33 million foreign tourists ⁠last year, versus the pre-pandemic record of nearly 40 million in ⁠2019

People's Party leader vows to fight libel casePeople’s Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut, centre, and MPs Woraphop Viriyaroj, right, and Supachot Chaiyasat, said they are facing lawsuits from energy conglomerate Gulf Development, at parliament in August last year. (Photo: Thai Parliament)People's Party leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut on Monday denied all allegations in a defamation case filed against him by Gulf Development, as the court ordered witness hearings to begin in October. Speaking after submitting a written statement and evidence to the Criminal Court on Monday, Mr Natthaphong insisted on his innocence and pledged to fight the allegations. Mr Natthaphong, accompanied by his legal team, arrived at the Criminal Court at about 9am. He was accompanied by fellow People's Party MPs-elect Supachot Chaiyasat and Woraphop Viriyaroj.

People flock to trade gold at a gold shop on Yaowarat Road, Samphanthawong district, Bangkok. (Photo: Nutthawat Wichieanbut)LONDON — Gold slipped further below US$5,000 an ounce in thin trading, with much of Asia closed for the Lunar New Year and after a US holiday on Monday. Gold products on display for sale at a store near the Shuibei Gold Trading Center in Shenzhen, China, on Feb 5, 2026. (Photo: Bloomberg)Spot gold fell 0.5% to $4,967.82 an ounce as of 10.25am in Singapore. In Thailand, the derivatives market plans to introduce smaller-sized gold futures contracts within the next few months, aiming to broaden retail participation as gold prices continue their historic rally.

St Peter's Basilica gets terrace cafe, translated mass for 400th birthdayReports of a cafe on the terrace had sparked anger about the potential commercialisation of a sacred place. (Photo: AFP)VATICAN CITY — Visitors to St Peter's Basilica will be able to follow mass in 60 languages and enjoy a coffee on a newly opened terrace as part of plans unveiled Monday by the Vatican. Currently access to the terrace of the basilica, the centre of global Catholicism located in Vatican City, is strictly limited. Opening up space on the terrace should help reduce crowds in the basilica "and foster greater contemplation inside", Gambetti said. Conducted with oil company Eni, it will allow real-time monitoring of even the tiniest movements in the building or its foundations.

U.S. President Donald Trump is committed to the success of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban because his leadership and rapport with Trump are crucial to U.S. interests, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday (February 16), offering a robust endorsement of the nationalist leader as he faces a tough election in April.

Moscow, Kyiv set for Geneva peace talks amid Russian attacksUkraine and Russia have held multiple rounds of fruitless talks since the Kremlin launched its invasion four years ago. (Photo: AFP)GENEVA - Russian and Ukrainian delegations are set for another round of talks on Tuesday in Geneva as part of the latest fraught push by the United States to end the four-year war. Ukraine says Russia is unwilling to compromise on its sweeping territorial and political demands, and wants to keep fighting. "Even on the eve of the trilateral meetings in Geneva, the Russian army has no orders other than to continue striking Ukraine. For the talks in Geneva, the Kremlin has reinstated nationalist hawk and former culture minister Vladimir Medinsky as its lead negotiator.

Elephant forced to mate attacks his ownerThe bull elephant goes on a rampage, attacking its owner and two parked vehicles, while being encouraged to mate, outside an elephant village in Buri Ram on Monday. (Photo supplied)BURI RAM - An upset bull elephant attacked its owner and damaged two vehicles while being forced to mate in a field outside an elephant village in the north of Buri Ram province. The owner of the cow elephant had hired the bull to service his animal. They used low-dose tranquiliser darts to calm the bull elephant. The owner's vehicle after it was attacked by the bull elephant.

The Department of Energy Business (DOEB) has moved to establish national standards for electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen fuel infrastructure, aiming to streamline investment and ensure safety as Thailand accelerates its transition to clean energy. In January, the DOEB announced new standards for installing EV charging stations at petrol stations will take effect in April. Hydrogen fuel is also being regulated. Currently in a sandbox phase led by private investors, hydrogen infrastructure is expected to be incorporated into the Fuel Control Act, covering storage depots and transport systems. Despite challenges such as high production costs and infrastructure demands, the DOEB sees hydrogen as a key component of Thailand's green energy strategy.

GULF has raised its KBank stake to 10%, signalling a strategic liquidity play and long-term partnership potential, analysts say. Assuming GULF maintains a 10% stake, dividend income from KBank could rise to around 3.2 billion baht this year from an estimated 1.2 billion baht in 2025. After deducting financing costs, the net incremental benefit could reach 2 billion baht annually, equivalent to roughly 6.6% of GULF's projected 2026 net profit. However, most analysts expect GULF to keep its stake within the 9–10% range to minimise regulatory complexity and maintain strategic flexibility. Tris Rating expects GULF to continue to deliver a satisfactory performance, with annual total operating revenue ranging between 140-160 billion baht.

France loosens rules on allowing farmers to shoot wolvesWolves have been killing more livestock in France, with 12,000 animals lost last year. Once hunted to extinction in France, wolves began crossing over from Italy after gaining protected status under the 1979 Bern Convention. But they have been killing more livestock, too, with 12,000 farm animals lost last year, according to preliminary figures. Under current rules, farmers can only shoot wolves if they attack animals inside a protected enclosure -- a restriction centrist President Emmanuel Macron's government said would now be relaxed. Wolf protections are getting a downgrade across the European Union, after EU lawmakers last year approved reducing wolves' status from "strictly protected" to "protected".

Robber splashes petrol over bank managerThe suspect after his arrest, having failed to rob a bank branch inside a shopping mall in Samut Prakan on Monday night. (Photo supplied)SAMUT PRAKAN — A man splashed petrol over a female bank manager at a shopping centre and demanded 5 million baht in cash before being overpowered by witnesses on Monday. He allegedly carried a bottle of petrol into a bank branch at the mall in tambon Bang Phli Yai of Muang district about 3.40pm and splashed the fluid on the manager. The robber allegedly told police he was jobless and drove from Chon Buri to the shopping mall in Samut Prakan to rob the bank branch there. Photo suppliedPolice at the scene of the failed holdup of a bank branch at the mall on Monday night.

But to the scientist, using this substance to poison Navalny is "quite unsettling". - Russian 'calling card' -For many experts, the use of poison bears a Russian signature. In the 1920s, Lenin created a poison laboratory called 'Kamera' ('chamber' in Russian), Lab X. It was this laboratory that produced Novichok," said Andrei Kozovoi, professor of Russian history at the University of Lille. Even if a poisoning can fail -- some targets survived, such as Yushchenko and Skripal -- it also serves to send a message, and acted as "a calling card" left by the Russian services, according to Kozovoi.