Google has commenced public testing of "Project Genie", a breakthrough feature allowing users to generate immersive virtual environments through simple text prompts and a significant leap in generative world-building technology. Photo: Screenshot from Google's videoThe system enables users to construct entire digital realms by describing their desired surroundings. At the heart of this innovation is Genie 3, a foundational world model designed to enhance an AI’s understanding of physical laws and environmental logic. Google stated that increased user interaction with Genie 3 provides invaluable data for its "world model" research. The feature is currently being rolled out exclusively to Google AI Ultra subscribers.

Listen to this articleRepresentatives from government and private agencies, foreign military attaches and retired veterans attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Victory Monument on Thai Veterans Day on Tuesday. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)Acting Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul pledged to ensure proper full-time employment and improved welfare for disabled soldiers after their recovery during a solemn ceremony marking Thai Veterans Day at Victory Monument. The ceremony was held to commemorate Veterans Day, observed annually on Feb 3, and attended by senior officials, representatives of the War Veterans Organisation of Thailand and families of the fallen. Mr Anutin noted that many struggle to survive on a monthly veterans’ allowance of just 600 baht. The remains were enshrined in the memorial hall at Victory Monument, joining those of more than 800 other service members who died in past conflicts.

Bencic, Svitolina make history as mothers inside tennis top 10Listen to this articleUkraine's Elina Svitolina joins Belinda Bencic as mothers ranked inside the WTA Top 10. afpMELBOURNE - Belinda Bencic and Elina Svitolina have made history as the first mothers ranked inside the WTA Tour's top 10 at the same time, with the governing body hailing it as "an incredible moment for women's sport". In the latest rankings released Monday she was joined by Svitolina, mother of Skai, after the Ukrainian's run to the semi-finals at the Australian Open last week. "Two mothers ranked inside the WTA's Top 10 rankings for the first time is an incredible moment for tennis and for women's sport," said WTA chief executive Portia Archer. Bencic and Svitolina both took advantage of the Special Ranking Rule for returning mothers. "Coming back to the WTA Top 10 one year after returning to competition after maternity leave is something I am incredibly proud of," said Bencic, ranked nine.

‘Study in India Expo’ — Top Indian schools & universities in Bangkok for Thai & Thai-Indian studentsAFAIRS Exhibitions & Media Pvt Ltd (India) proudly announces the return of the Study in India Expo and Indian Boarding Schools Expo to Bangkok, marking its 16th consecutive year in Thailand. Recognised as one of the most trusted international education platforms for Thai and Thai-Indian families, the expo offers direct access to India’s top boarding schools and universities—bringing together globally recognised curricula, multicultural learning environments and cost-effective education under one roof. Meet the experts and explore diverse academic pathwaysThai and Thai-Indian parents and students will have the opportunity to interact face-to-face with school heads, principals and admissions teams from India’s finest boarding and international schools. “The growing number of Thai students choosing India reflects the strong confidence parents have in the Indian education system,” said Vivek Shukla, Director & CEO, AFAIRS Exhibitions & Media. “India offers high-quality English-medium education, globally recognised qualifications and exceptional value—often more cost-effective and academically competitive than options in the UK, US or even Thailand.”Exceptional boarding schools and universities under one roof!

Listen to this articleDebris from a bomb explosion is seen inside a house in Muang district of Yala, where one man died of injuries sustained in the blast. Authorities believe three or four accomplices fled into nearby forested areas following the blast. The woman said her partner detained the suspect after noticing suspicious behaviour while they were at a Chon Buri service station. Wildfires gut 950 rai of forestPHETCHABURI - Wildfires in Phetchaburi have damaged an estimated 950 rai of forest, triggering heavy smoke and air pollution affecting nearby communities and the tourist town of Cha-am. Preliminary assessments indicate cumulative forest damage of around 950 rai.

(Photo: AFP)Iran’s president confirmed on Tuesday that he had ordered the start of talks with the United States, provided they were free of threats, after his counterpart Donald Trump suggested “bad things” would happen without a deal. Trump has maintained he is hopeful that Washington will “work something out” with Tehran, but also warned that “bad things would happen” if a deal was not agreed. On Tuesday, Qatar’s foreign ministry said diplomacy with Iran was “continuing very intensively”, in “tandem with all our neighbours”. Nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington were abandoned last year after Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran in June, triggering a 12-day war. The Israeli strikes hit nuclear and military facilities, as well as residential areas, killing military commanders, nuclear scientists and hundreds of others.

(Photo: Reuters)CHONG CHOM, ‍Thailand/ODDAR MEANCHEY, Cambodia — The Thai military said on Monday it had recovered a trove ‌of evidence of transnational fraud from ​a Cambodian scam compound seized during clashes last year between the two countries along their disputed border. Soldiers later showed reporters around one of several buildings in the complex that were bombed and occupied by the Thai military ‌late last year. Touch Sokhak, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s interior ministry, told Reuters that Thailand had ‌used ‍scam centres as a pretext for military attacks. (Photo: Reuters)During the clashes the Thai military struck several casino complexes it alleged were scam compounds, saying they were also used to store weapons and launch attacks. Among the items seized at O’Smach were 871 SIM cards enabling anonymous international communication, dozens of smartphones, counterfeit police insignia and ​police uniforms, the Thai military said.

(Photo: AFP)SAN FRANCISCO - Elon Musk has announced that his rocket company SpaceX will take over his artificial intelligence outfit xAI, as he seeks to raise billions of dollars for his science fiction-worthy outer space projects. Musk wrote on the SpaceX website on Monday that the merger further entwining his business interests would create “the most ambitious, vertically-integrated innovation engine on (and off) Earth”. Space data centresBehind the science fiction language is a plan to use SpaceX’s rockets to launch solar powered, satellite-based data centres to develop and run future AI models. “Global electricity demand for AI simply cannot be met with terrestrial solutions… The only logical solution therefore is to transport these resource-intensive efforts to a location with vast power and space,” Musk wrote. Musk had previously opposed an IPO for SpaceX because he had not enjoyed the required scrutiny of publicly traded carmaker Tesla.

HAS Design and Research has unveiled a zero-waste thematic pavilion for Bangkok Design Week 2026. Located at Bangkok City Hall's Lan Khon Mueang Townsquare, High Line Bangkok is a rainbow-like installation that provides shade at day and extends light across the plaza at night. High Line Bangkok, a zero-waste thematic pavilion by HAS Design and Research. Last year, HAS Design and Research won the International Architecture Award for its thematic pavilion project, titled Aluminum Grotto And Public Ground. High Line Bangkok is featured in the 9th edition of Bangkok Design Week.

Four city-centre shopping destinations under Siam Piwat Group -- Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Siam Discovery and Iconsiam -- have been transformed into platforms for art, design and sustainability as part of Bangkok Design Week 2026, until Sunday. Presented under the concept of "Sustainable Art & Design", the initiative delivers extraordinary art experiences that connect creativity with everyday life, while driving Bangkok towards becoming a hub of creative economy. More than 20 activities that promote artworks and designs as well as markets are presented across the four shopping centres. Siam Center features "Sabai Siam", an art community market featuring works by Thai artists at Atrium 1, ground floor, and "Lucky With Everything" pop-up store at Absolute Siam Store, 1st floor. Among the highlighted showcases at Iconsiam are "Khlongsan Experience – Lost & Found" at the walkway on M floor; "Iconcraft x Pattern.ers Choke-Larb" at Iconcraft, 4th floor; "Sign Of Siam" at Iconsiam Park, 2nd floor; and "The Loudest Silence: Deaf Art Exhibition 2026" at Icon Art & Culture Space, 8th floor.

As chairman of the Rural Doctors Society, Dr Supat in 2020 criticised the government’s procurement of Covid vaccines and ATKs. He has denied that the case against Dr Supat was political. Dr Supat is currently running as a candidate for the People’s Party in Constituency 2 of Songkhla in the Feb 8 election. The Civil Service Commission has said serious doubts remain over the fairness and completeness of the disciplinary process that led to his removal from public service. The petition was backed by the People’s Health Promotion Movement, the “Friends of Dr Supat” network and a group representing families who lost relatives to Covid-19.

With limited additions, office rents have begun to edge up as vacancy rates declined in 2025, although overall demand growth remains gradual rather than accelerating sharply. CBD-LED PIPELINEAccording to Cushman, Bangkok saw only two new office buildings open in 2025, adding a combined 101,000 square metres of leasable space, down 84% from 615,000 sq m delivered across 12 buildings in 2024. As a result, total Grade A office space in the CBD has increased to 2.53 million sq m, while Bangkok's total office stock stood at about 8.99 million sq m at the end of 2025. Between 2026 and 2030, Bangkok is projected to see about 591,800 sq m of new office space, of which roughly 262,400 sq m, or 44.3%, will be located in CBD areas. CERTIFICATION GAP WIDENSAs of 2025, around 3.3 million sq m, or 30% of Bangkok's office stock, has obtained building certification.

Fact-finding probe into suicide of 'over-worked' teacherListen to this articleA farewell image of Sarinya "Kru Por" Tayot posted on Jan 28 by Sankamphaeng School in Chiang Mai, where she worked as an English-language teacher. The official action followed a Facebook post on Monday by her boyfriend "Ton", who is a police officer. Kru Por committed suicide on Jan 26. Ton told TV Channel 3 it began as a typical working day, and they both went to work in the morning. In his Facebook post, Ton said they had been together for over 10 years and Kru Por was a positive, lively and well-loved woman.

Although Mr Anutin is the public face of Bhumjaithai, Mr Newin remains its chief decision maker behind the scenes. Mr Newin is still spotted occasionally using the now-deceased tycoon’s Pullman Bangkok King Power luxury hotel for political meetings. Unlike Thaksin, who regularly appeared in front of the cameras, Mr Newin is rarely seen outside Buri Ram. Most of that is tied to K. Motorsport Co Ltd, the Buri Ram football club and its affiliated hotel and e-sports units. In Buri Ram, support for Mr Newin and the Chidchob family runs deep.

Son of Norway crown princess stands trial for multiple rapesListen to this articleAccused: Marius Borg Hoiby, son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, pictured in 2022. (Photo: AFP)OSLO — The son of Norway's crown princess goes on trial Tuesday accused of raping four women and assaulting several ex-girlfriends in a scandal that has tarnished the royal family's image. Marius Borg Hoiby, Crown Princess Mette-Marit's 29-year-old son from a relationship prior to her marriage to Crown Prince Haakon, is facing 38 charges, some dating back to 2018. Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit will not attend the trial, nor will the king and queen. The verdict against Marius Borg Hoiby is expected several weeks after the end of the trial.