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.

Driver wants '10 more jobs like this' after adorable deliveryThe adorable long-coat Chihuahua passenger. (Photo: Selling Palm Oil)A ride-hailing driver posted a touching experience on the "Grab Car Driver Club Thailand" Facebook group, declaring: "I want 10 more jobs like this". The second revealed the adorable passenger: what appeared to be a long-coat Chihuahua. One driver recounted: "I once picked up a passenger with a Chihuahua (the customer notified me beforehand). But if the driver accepts the risk, that's up to them," one commented.

Series of small quakes recorded in Surat ThaniFour small earthquakes were reported in Ban Ta Khun district of Surat Thani on Wednesday morning, with no reports of damage or injuries. The Earthquake Observation Division said the first tremor occurred at 8.58am at a depth of 1km. The strongest quake followed at 9.12am, registering a magnitude of 2.9 at the same depth. It runs through Surat Thani, Krabi, Phangnga and Phuket. The division said any additional important information will be announced immediately and urged residents who feel shaking or experience damage to contact it at 02‑399‑4547.

2.3m speed pills seized on Mekong river bank, smugglers fleeNavy officers and local police inspect speed pills seized from fleeing smugglers on the banks of the Mekong River in Nong Khai province in the early hours of Wednesday. (Photo: RTN spokesperson team)A navy patrol seized about 2.3 million speed pills abandoned by fleeing smugglers on the banks of the Mekong River in Muang district of Nong Khai in the early hours of Wednesday. Officers then identified themselves and moved in, the suspects fled under the cover of darkness, taking advantage of their familiarity with the area. A subsequent search led to the seizure of seven sacks of speed pills, totalling about 2.37 million tablets. According to the navy, the seizure highlighted the continued attempts by cross border criminal syndicates to smuggle narcotics into Thailand.

Public warned of stray hazardous containers after cargo ship sinking in PhuketOne of the containers is seen floating in the sea after a Panama-flagged cargo ship sank off Phuket's coastline. (Photo: Pollution Control Department)The public are warned not to approach any stray containers spotted in the sea or on the beach, particularly in Phuket, after the Panama-flagged Sealloyd Arc cargo ship sank near the island with more than 200 containers, including those containing hazardous materials. The Pollution Control Department issued the warning on Wednesday. The 4,339-tonned Sealloyd Arc carried 297 containers, and all went down with the ship. Anyone spotting the containers is cautioned not to open them or touch anything spilled from them and should be 50 metres away.

A room set up to imitate a Brazilian police station is seen inside a scam compound in O’Smach, Cambodia, just across the border from Surin province in Thailand. The centre was bombed and occupied by the Thai military in December during clashes in the disputed border area. (Photo: Reuters)KAMPOT, Cambodia - Cambodia has closed almost 200 scam ​centres in a crackdown on transnational fraud ‌in recent weeks, a senior government official said, with authorities providing rare access to one centre in a bid to show they are tackling the sophisticated operations targeting people across the globe. Since then, thousands ⁠of scam workers, some of them trafficking victims confined in brutal conditions, have fled compounds in recent weeks seeking to return home, in what Amnesty International has called a “humanitarian crisis”. Cambodia long played down the existence of scam compounds in the country, and ‌previous crackdowns have done ⁠little to stop their spread.

Three killed as public health van crashes into truckThe scene of the accident on Tuesday on Highway 1 in Nakhon Sawan, where three people were killed after a van crashed into a parked truck. (Photo: supplied/ Chalit Poomrueng)NAKHON SAWAN – Two medical personnel and a driver were killed and seven injured on Tuesday when their van crashed into the rear of a truck parked on a highway for a median’s tree-trimming job. They and five other people, who were also injured, were travelling in a van of the Uthai Thani Provincial Public Health Office. The truck driver from Ban Daen highway office said his team had been hired to trim the trees along the road’s median. A witness told police that the van had been following another vehicle, which veered off before the van hit the truck.

Britain’s canal network “is facing pressure it has never faced before,” said Charlie Norman, director of campaigns at the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), an independent charity advocating for the upkeep of the UK’s canals and rivers. “The entire canal network is vulnerable,” Norman added, pointing to the “increased effects of climate change” such as drought in the summer and heavy rain in the winter. Britain’s 200-year-old canal network was once the backbone of the country’s economic transformation during the Industrial Revolution, but is now crumbling, experts say. ‘Tough decisions’“There’s no disguising the fact that we do need more money to look after our canal network,” she told AFP. Now more than 35,000 boats are registered with the Canal & River Trust, plying the network to transport goods or just for pleasure.

Police pose with suspect Phorathep Damrongkittikul and weapons seized from his home in Samut Prakan. (Photo: Samut Prakan Police Facebook page)A man who broke into the residence of the most prominent political family in Samut Prakan and fired four shots into the air claimed he was possessed by a deity, police said on Wednesday. Police received a report of a break-in at the Asavahame family compound on Tuesday at 10am, said Pol Col Chakrit Srirojanakul, superintendent of the Samut Prakan city police station. Chonsawat Asavahame was a prominent political figure in Samut Prakan who died in 2023 at age 54. Police later tracked the suspect using CCTV footage and arrested him at his home, also in Samut Prakan.

Another decisive factor, Mr Olarn said, was the surge of nationalist sentiment, particularly in response to tensions along the Thai–Cambodian border. "In the BJT, Mr Anutin may not dominate the spotlight, but you never see Newin Chidchob [the BJT patriarch] stepping forward either. Mr Olarn admitted he personally wanted Mr Natthaphong to become prime minister -- but not under the shadow of Mr Thanathorn. On coalition prospects, Mr Olarn predicted Mr Anutin would not rush into forming a government. Many voters, Mr Wanwichit said, viewed Cambodia and the Hun family as threats and believed a BJT-led government would take a tougher stance.

Tourism has dipped 10.8% so far this yearMore tourists are visiting the large rain tree at Mae Ngat Somboonchon Dam in Chiang Mai. The number of foreign visitors is expected to increase during the Chinese New Year. (Photo courtesy of Department of National Parks)With Chinese New Year approaching next week, Pattaya tourism operators expect similar conditions as last year, though Chiang Mai predicts a surge from Chinese‑speaking markets. He said Chinese tourists are expected to visit the city, though not in such large numbers as in the past as many shift to other destinations or travel within China. For the domestic market, Thai-Chinese tourists are expected to stay in Pattaya for a few nights between Feb 15-17, said Mr Thanet.

The cabinet has approved a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) notification to expand the range of underlying assets allowed in the derivatives market. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said this will add carbon credits, greenhouse gas emission allowances, and digital assets as eligible references for trading on the Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX). First, carbon credits will be upgraded from a mere reference variable to a "deliverable underlying asset," enabling trading through both physical delivery and cash settlement. Third, digital assets -- including cryptocurrencies and digital tokens -- will be recognised as underlying assets, expanding regulatory coverage and supporting both domestic and international investment in line with the rapid growth of digital asset markets. Many countries, he said, already trade carbon credits, emission allowances, clean energy certificates and digital assets in futures markets.

Araya Land develops rental logistics hub in Bang Na areaAn artist's rendition of the Araya Industrial and Logistics Hub within the Araya The Eastern Gateway industrial township on Bang Na–Trat Road at kilometre 23. Managing director Kamonkarn Kongkathong said demand for rental logistics space in the Bang Na area remains robust, with the market occupancy rate in the Bang Na-Bang Phli area of Samut Prakan exceeding 90%. "We are launching the rental logistics hub to meet continued demand, as most users in this location require large spaces, particularly third-party logistics providers and fast-moving consumer goods businesses," she said. The company is in talks with 2-3 clients seeking to expand their existing logistics space or relocate from other locations. The project, named Araya Industrial and Logistics Hub, is to occupy 60 rai at the front of Araya The Eastern Gateway, the company's 4,631-rai industrial township on Bang Na-Trat Road KM 32.

In the 90s, the art exhibition "Contemporary Art In Asia: Traditions/Tensions", curated by guest curator, Apinan Poshyananda, displayed artworks created by many artists from Asia, including Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea, Indonesia and India. "I liked Chatchai's work even before I started studying at Silpakorn University. He is not interested in the promise of fame because in the ideal world, chasing the moon requires constant searching. The sculpture features legs crossed together (without a body) which is a frequent pose in many of Chatchai's art pieces. Chatchai's painting style contains messages and evokes a powerful feeling.

9 killed in Canada mass shooting that targeted school, residence: policeMass shootings are extremely rare in Canada. TORONTO (CANADA) - A mass shooting in a remote part of western Canada killed nine people on Tuesday, including seven who were shot at a secondary school, before the suspect took their own life. Police said an alert was issued about an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon. In a statement, the municipality of Tumbler Ridge said: "There are no words sufficient for the heartbreak our community is experiencing tonight." Tumbler Ridge, a quiet town with roughly 2,400 residents, is more than 1,100km north of Vancouver, British Columbia's largest city.