Anutin votes, hopes for end to inter-party feudingBhumjaithai Party leader Anutin Charnvirakul checks the candidates in his constituency before voting at a polling station in Muang district in Buri Ram province on Sunday. (Photo: Bhumjaithai Party)Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul expressed the hope all parties would cease the political feuding that characterised their campaigning after the polls close on Sunday. Mr Anutin, who is caretaker prime minister, said all parties should reset anew after Sunday and put to an end the conflict and quarrelling that marked their election campaigns. The Bhumjaithai leader said all parties should let go of their anger after Sunday, when voters will have made their political decisions through with their ballots. He was speaking after voting, along with Bhumjaithai founder Newin Chidchob, at a polling station in Muang district in Buri Ram.

Thailand general election vote countsAfter polls closed at 5pm in the 2026 general election in Thailand, election officials began opening ballot boxes on‑site and counting votes in full public view to ensure transparency. Real‑time results were streamed through the Election Commission’s reporting system. Early numbers typically reveal district‑level trends quickly - covering constituency MPs, party‑list votes and the national referendum held the same day - but official certification of results may take weeks.

Iran defies US threats, insists on right to enrich uraniumA US naval battle group led by the aircraft carrier USS Abrahem Lincoln is in waters near Iran. "Why do we insist so much on enrichment and refuse to give it up, even if a war is imposed on us? The United States and Iran reopened negotiations on Friday, for the first time in years, in Oman. - 'Peace through strength' -Araghchi's comments came after US lead negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited the aircraft carrier on Saturday, signalling the persistent threat of US military action against Iran. In a social media post, Witkoff said the aircraft carrier and its strike group was "keeping us safe and upholding President Trump's message of peace through strength".

Light rain in Greater Bangkok on polling dayAn official watches a man dropping his referendum ballot in the box at a polling station in Dusit district of Bangkok on Sunday. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)Light rain was reported in several districts in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces on Sunday afternoon as people went to the polls, with falls expected to last for an hour or more, weathermen said. The Meteorological Department report light rain in eight districts in the capital - Nong Chok, Min Buri, Bang Sue, Dusit, Bang Phlad, Thon Buri, Bangkok Yai and Phasi Charoen - and in some areas in Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Nakhon Pathom provinces around 1pm. Taling Chan district could expect a light shower later in the day. “Don’t forget to take an umbrella with you to the polling station, especially this afternoon, due to an increasing chance of rain,” the weather agency said.

Malaysia draws first data centre protest over pollution, waterProspects look at a model of the development at the Country Gardens' Forest City showroom in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Feb 21, 2017. Johor has been the biggest beneficiary of Malaysia’s data centre boom since 2022, approving 164.45 billion ringgit (US$41.7 billion) in data centre investments as of mid-2025. Next to it sits a 68-acre parcel that the same company sold to Japan’s NTT Data Group Corp for another data centre. It hosts several facilities across China, and Malaysia is its only overseas data centre location. “In response to global environmental issues, Malaysian data centres are committed to sustainable development,” according to its website.

Bai Yingcang, far left, was one of the core members of the Bai crime family to be executed in China over a range of illegal activity in Myanmar. Bai Yingcang was one of the Myanmar citizens executed earlier this month. Other Myanmar executed included Ming Guoping, the second-in-command of the Ming family syndicate, and Xu family crime boss Xu Laofa. However, China's criminal law says China can prosecute severe crimes committed by foreigners abroad if the crime targets China or its citizens. Drug lord Naw Kham, a Myanmar national, was later extradited to China and executed by lethal injection in 2013.

Voters queue to receive their ballot forms, passing through a board displaying candidates' information, at a polling station in Las Si district, Bangkok, on Sunday. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)People going to vote at a polling station at Bang Bua housing flats in Lak Si district, Bangkok, on Sunday voiced loud complaints after the Election Commission (EC) moved it to another location without advance notice. The new location was about 100 metres from the original polling station. As of 2pm, there were 283 reports of irregularities encountered by voters at 273 polling stations, with Bangkok reporting the highest number of problems. The most commonly reported issue was polling stations failing to display all candidates’ information, followed by voters being unable to find their names for candidate and constitutional referendum ballots, and polling station locations not matching those shown on the Department of Administration’s website.

Sports tourism booms with Super Bowl driving demand for experiencesThe Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots logos projected on the Ferry Building. Sports tourism has become the ​fastest-growing segment of the global tourism industry as travellers increasingly seek Instagram-worthy experiences over material possessions. Premium Super Bowl ticket packages offer everything from meet-and-greets with NFL legends to post-game field access. Perks aplentyThis year's Super Bowl, featuring the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, will be played on Sunday in Santa Clara, California. On Location's ‌Super Bowl packages, all of which include hospitality and experiences, started at $6,500 (205,000 baht) per person.

Party leaders could face legal action over disqualified candidatesThe Election Commission (EC) has warned that party leaders may also face legal consequences after the Supreme Court disqualified 59 election candidates ahead of Sunday’s polls, depending on the circumstances. EC secretary-general Sawaeng Boonmee said on Sunday that the law governing political parties allows action not only against candidates who fail to meet eligibility rules but also against party leaders who sign off on their nomination approvals. Mr Sawaeng was responding to reporters’ questions about the accountability of party leaders who field candidates whose qualifications were subsequently found to fail the EC’s criteria. It depended on the facts and also on whether party leaders deliberately certified ineligible individuals and had done anything deemed “undermining the fairness of the election”. “If it is the candidate’s own wrongdoing, or they already had a court ruling against them, the party leader may not have known.

AutoFlight unveils world's largest flying carAutoFlight describes eVTOL aircraft Matrix as the largest of its kind in the world. Autoflight joins peers including Ehang, Xpeng's flying car unit Aridge and Geely's Aerofugia as China's major players in commercial eVTOL applications. (Photo: Handout)Founded in 2017, AutoFlight was currently focused on cargo transport, but saw strong potential in passenger flights, said Xie Jia, senior vice-president of AutoFlight, in an interview. AutoFlight has begun taking orders for future delivery of its passenger aircraft while awaiting full certification. "For cargo transport, demand is greater overseas because many countries have less-developed infrastructure," he said, citing island nations and mountainous regions as examples.

Vonn crashes out of Winter Olympics, ending medal dreamA giant screen shows Lindsey Vonn crashing in the Winter Olympics women's downhillCORTINA D'AMPEZZO (ITALY) - Lindsey Vonn crashed out of the Winter Olympics downhill on Sunday, ending the American skiing great's improbable dream of winning a medal despite competing with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. The 41-year-old's cries of pain could be heard on the microphones as medical staff attended to the stricken skier on the piste. Thousands of spectators at the bottom of the run fell silent and Vonn's watching sister was ashen-faced. In a press conference at the Olympics, she admitted she had ruptured her ACL in the crash, but insisted she could still compete. "But I know there's still a chance, and as long as there's a chance I will try."

An election official at the 38th polling unit in Bangkok’s constituency 7, Dusit district, observes a woman casting her ballot on Sunday. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)Voting went smoothly in Bangkok with no reports of major issues at polling stations across the city, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Sunday afternoon. He acknowledged localised traffic congestion around some polling stations, travel difficulties for the elderly and vulnerable voters, and confusion among some residents over a relocated polling unit. Mr Chadchart said City Hall's real-time election monitoring centre was monitoring the election and logging issues from polling units throughout the day, working closely with the Election Commission (EC). Bangkok was seen as the most valuable battleground for political parties under Thailand’s population-based seat allocation, with 33 constituency MPs representing around 5.4 million residents.

Two of three recent opinion surveys indicated the governing Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) may win Sunday's general election, while the third saw the People’s Party (PP) as the potential winner. Surveys by King Prajadhipok’s Institute (KPI), which is the parliament’s democracy promotion organisation, and the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida) concluded that BJT could well win the election, with PP the runner-up and the Pheu Thai Party (PT) third. According to KPI, BJT should win 134-151 House seats, followed by PP with 128-143 seats and PT with 100-115 seats. It found that PP could win the election with 165 House seats, followed by BJT with 130 seats and PT with 115 seats. The Nida poll showed that most respondents (54.68%) wanted a new constitution, while 31.54% did not and 13.78% had no opinion.

Oil spill cleanup underway after cargo ship sinks near PhuketThe Panama-flagged SEALLOYD ARC cargo ship is seen sinking in the Andaman Sea near Phuket's coastline on Saturday evening. (Photo: supplied/ Achadthaya Chuenniran)PHUKET - Marine authorities are rushing to remove the oil spill from the Andaman Sea after the sinking of the Panama‑flagged cargo ship about 3 miles off Laem Phromthep on Saturday while en route from Malaysia to Bangladesh. Sixteen crew members of SEALLOYD ARC were rescued and brought to safety in the evening when the ship took on water and sank as it passed south of the island's viewing spot. SEALLOYD ARC was carrying 297 containers, 14 of them containing hazardous materials, according to the Thai Maritime Enforcement Command Centre (Thai-MECC) Region 3. An aerial survey detected an oil spill stretching westward, about 4.5 miles long and one mile wide, but there was no oil slick reported along Phuket's coastline so far, the centre said.

Voters young and old, including those with disabilities, cast their ballots at polling stations across Bangkok on Sunday. Polling opened at 8am and will close at 5pm for about 53 million eligible voters in the election for 500 members of the House of Representatives — 400 elected from constituencies and 100 from party-list nominations as well as a concurrent referendum on a new constitution.