China, Taiwan welcome new govt following pollsChina and Taiwan say they are looking forward to working with the new government following the general election. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lin Jian said on Tuesday that China "supports Thailand in following a development path suited to its own national conditions and maintaining stability and development." Also on Tuesday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted congratulatory messages to Thailand on the successful completion of the general election. He said Taiwan and Thailand are important partners that have long enjoyed close exchanges in areas such as the economy, trade, investment, tourism, culture and education. In recent years, under Taiwan's New Southbound Policy, bilateral cooperation has continued to deepen, while people-to-people exchanges have increased, producing some fruitful outcomes.

New system boosts forecastsCaretaker Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaichanok Chidchob on Wednesday inspected a pilot satellite platform developed by Tomorrow.io, aimed at improving high-precision weather forecasting and disaster warning systems. He said the cabinet had approved the three-month pilot project to upgrade Thailand's weather forecasting and disaster warning systems by integrating Tomorrow.io's satellite platform with the TMD's existing system. The system can deliver near-real-time data updates within one hour, provide a flood index tailored to specific areas at the tambon level, and produce weather forecasts up to seven days in advance. These features would upgrade the real-time warning system and significantly strengthen Thailand's disaster preparedness. Beyond weather forecasting and disaster alerts, several agencies expressed interest in broader applications of the platform.

Protest over failed elephant relocationActivists rally to demand the resignation of Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation chief over the death of a wild elephant called Seedor Hu Pub during a failed relocation attempt. Pornprom SatrabhayaA group of wildlife activists gathered on Wednesday at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), demanding its chief resign after the sudden death of a wild elephant during a failed relocation attempt by the department. Seedor Hu Pub was pronounced dead on Feb 3. The elephant also sustained injuries while being pursued by the raiding team, comprised of about 200 staff, ahead of the relocation. Ms Duantem said Seedor Hu Pub became violent only in self-defence when confronted by people who were trying to keep him out of their properties.

EU leaders push rival fixes to reverse bloc's 'decline'Emmanuel Macron said that Europe needed to be an 'independent power'ANTWERP (BELGIUM) - EU leaders told industry executives on Wednesday they were committed to transforming the bloc's lagging economy into a global powerhouse able to confront US and Chinese competition. But he was lukewarm on Macron's "Buy European" push and avoided the topic of joint debt altogether -- setting his sights instead on the need to slash EU "red tape". Addressing EU lawmakers in Strasbourg earlier Wednesday, von der Leyen outlined key steps to bridging the gap with China and the United States. To tackle this, Plan A would be to advance together as 27 states, but von der Leyen said some member states could go ahead in a smaller group. "I want it by 27 but if it is necessary to speed up the whole process, we will go by enhanced cooperation," von der Leyen said.

Colombia election favorite vows US-backed strikes on narco campsAbelardo de la Espriella vowed to launch a 'shock plan' against drug-producing armed groups in Colombia if elected presidentBOGOTá - Colombia's right-wing presidential frontrunner told AFP on Wednesday that he would seek US support for a bombing campaign to rout cocaine-producing armed groups during his first 90 days in office. Sporadic ceasefires have helped quell violence, but the power of many armed groups has grown. Polls show De la Espriella running slightly ahead of leftist rival Ivan Cepeda. De la Espriella said his 90‑day emergency plan would "take back territory through a strategic alliance with the United States and Israel." "This cannot be done without a strategic alliance with the United States and the State of Israel, with US aircraft."

Suspects believed to have fled crackdown on scam centres in CambodiaThai police detain 17 Chinese nationals who had entered the country illegally at a hotel in Lat Krabang, Bangkok, on Tuesday. (Photo: supplied/ Wassayos Ngamkham)Seventeen Chinese nationals were arrested at a Bangkok hotel on Tuesday after entering Thailand illegally from Cambodia, having fled the neighbouring country after scam centres were reportedly shut down. A Cambodian senior government official said his country has closed almost 200 scam centres in recent weeks, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The Chinese suspects, including key figure Kui Ming Zhao, 31, were apprehended at a hotel in Lat Krabang district during a raid on Tuesday night. Late last month, a special marine task force arrested seven Chinese illegally crossing the border into Chanthaburi, with dozens of mobile phones and Cambodian SIM cards seized.

Police officers handcuff an 18-year-old gunman following a shooting and hostage-taking incident at Phatong Prathan Keeriwat School in Hat Yai on Wednesday evening. (Photo: Central Investigation Bureau)Police have arrested a gunman who seriously wounded a school director and injured two students before taking hostages in Hat Yai district of Songkhla on Wednesday afternoon. The 18-year-old assailant was shot and wounded to bring an end to the hostage drama that followed his initial assault on Phatong Prathan Keeriwat School, according to the Central Investigation Bureau. Note: An earlier version of this story erroneously reported that the school director shot by the gunman had died. Police are deployed to Phatong Prathan Keeriwat School in Hat Yai where a gunman had stormed a classroom on Wednesday.

Acting deputy prime minister Suchart Chomklin arrives at the Bhumjaithai Party office in Chon Buri on Feb 9 to thank voters for their encouragement and support in Sunday’s election. (Photo: Suchart Chomklin Facebook)Suchart Chomklin, the Bhumjaithai Party candidate in Constituency 1 of Chon Buri, has responded to calls for a vote recount, saying he is willing to have the ballots re-examined to dispel doubts over alleged irregularities. (Story continues below)Suchart Chomklin addresses the media at the Bhumjaithai Party office in Chon Buri on Feb 9. (Photo: Suchart Chomklin Facebook)Outsiders suspectedOn Wednesday he repeated his allegations that outside agitators had descended on Chon Buri to sow confusion and doubt among the public. He cited an incident in which a power outage in Nonthaburi was incorrectly reported by some outlets as occurring in Chon Buri.

An Election Commission statement compares images from a controversial video and media reports with images of the actual vote-counting venue, where two lightbulbs are marked, causing the video to look dim. (Screenshot from EC statement)The Election Commission (EC) has debunked widely shared online claims that officials in Chon Buri switched off the lights during the vote count while an electric fan in the room kept running — raising suspicions about irregularities. Additional light from nearby houses provided enough visibility for officials to conduct the count normally, Mr Nattapong said. The EC said the ballot count at the Nonthaburi station proceeded without interruption or objections. The commission concluded that “there was no issue of fraud or any improper conduct” by staff at the 18th poll unit.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has moved to overhaul the design of its Red Line suburban railway extension, proposing to relocate and rename the planned Ratchawithi Station to create a direct link with Ramathibodi Hospital, in a bid to improve passenger convenience and urban connectivity. The proposal, unveiled at a public hearing on Tuesday, calls to shift the location about 100 metres south of its original site, rename it "Ramathibodi Station" and build an elevated skywalk connecting directly with hospital buildings. As part of this effort, the SRT is revising key elements of the Light Red Line (Bang Sue–Phaya Thai–Makkasan–Hua Mak) and the Dark Red Line (Bang Sue–Hua Lamphong), particularly the design of Ratchawithi Station under the missing link project. The station's new name is meant to reflect its function as a key transport hub facilitating the use of Ramathibodi Hospital. A skywalk will also be built linking the station with a future hospital transit centre, allowing passengers to access medical facilities without having to navigate busy roads.

(Photo: Reuters)The Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia X on Wednesday announced plans to resume flights from Kuala Lumpur to London via a new hub in Bahrain, using the extended range of narrow-body jets to stitch fresh routes alongside ​established carriers. The service, due to ⁠start in June, would make Bahrain AirAsia X’s first hub outside Asia, placing it within reach of busy markets in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It also marks a return to the British capital more than ‌a decade after the airline suspended non-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur and retired its Airbus A340 jets. AirAsia ​plans ⁠to redeploy its larger A330s to longer routes while building up the Bahrain hub, with possible African destinations including the Maghreb region, Egypt, Morocco, Tanzania and Kenya. Fernandes played down direct competition with Gulf carriers such as Emirates and Qatar Airways, positioning AirAsia X as a budget option aimed at a different market.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva votes in Watthana district of Bangkok on Sunday. Mr Abhisit said the EC must urgently adopt transparency to restore public confidence. “If any irregularities are found, the EC must urgently exercise its authority, whether by recounting the votes or holding a new election where necessary,” Mr Abhisit said. The EC said ​that as ‌of Wednesday, it had received 113 formal complaints, all of which were being investigated. The People’s Party (PP), which finished second in the election, has separately filed for recounts in 18 constituencies across several provinces.

(Photo: Somchai Poomlard)The Royal Thai Police have reaffirmed that the “warning before fine” policy remains in effect until March 31, as part of a public relations campaign to encourage road users to respect traffic laws and promote safer driving habits. Under the measure, offenders caught committing traffic violations will receive one warning without a fine. The policy applies to traffic violations committed in the presence of an officer, excluding those with outstanding unpaid tickets. The warning will apply only to offenders who do not have outstanding unpaid traffic tickets. Offenders who have already received a warning and subsequently commit another traffic violation — whether the same offence or a different one — will be fined as usual.

Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut (left) addresses a press conference in Bangkok after he was named leader of the People’s Party on Aug 9, 2024. Looking on are party secretary-general Sarayut Jailak (second from left), deputy leader Sirakanya Tansakun and spokesman Parit Wacharasindhu, right. Mr Parit — a nephew of Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva — is the most likely choice to assume the party leadership if a change is needed, Mr Sarayut said. According to unofficial vote results, the People’s Party came second with 87 constituency MPs and the incumbent Bhumjaithai was likely to have 174 constituency MPs. However, the People’s Party won the party list election with 9.8 million votes while Bhumjaithai came second with 5.9 million, giving them a total of 118 and 193 seats, respectively.

Australia charges two Chinese nationals with foreign interferenceA general view of the Chinese embassy building in Canberra. CANBERRA - Australian police said on Wednesday they have charged two Chinese nationals with foreign interference, accusing them of spying on a Buddhist group at the behest of police in China. The pair -- a 25-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman -- have each been charged with one count of "reckless foreign interference", which carries a maximum penalty of 15 years' imprisonment. "Australia is not immune to foreign interference, and we should not expect this arrest will prevent further attempts to target our diaspora communities," police counter terrorism and special investigations assistant commissioner Stephen Nutt said. "Members of our culturally and linguistically diverse communities are more likely to be victims of foreign interference or transnational repression than to be offenders," he added.