Poll pledges 'not sustainable'Listen to this articleThe Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) said the campaign pledges reported to the Election Commission by five major political parties taking part in the election on Sunday could place an unsustainable burden on the country's finances. TDRI researchers, led by economist Somkiat Tangkitvanich, reached the conclusion after assessing the estimated cost, sources of funding and implementation risks of the pledges, using the information provided to the EC by the parties. In addition, the TDRI study said several parties appear to have underestimated the true costs of their proposals. Such approaches, the TDRI warned, still create fiscal liabilities and are often not properly accounted for under existing fiscal discipline laws. The study warned that large-scale campaign spending could heighten fiscal risks, potentially leading to credit rating downgrades and limiting the country's ability to address long-term challenges such as its ageing population and climate change.

Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio's career is barely a decade old, but it's marked by historic milestones that have broken barriers for Latin and Spanish-language music. Bad Bunny was the first -- and remains the only -- Spanish-language artist to ever receive an Album of the Year Grammy nod. That set foreshadowed the history lesson in Puerto Rican music Bad Bunny would soon give with "Debi Tirar Mas Fotos," which he promoted with a hometown concert residency. But more recently, he has joined Puerto Rican protests and spoken out against US President Donald Trump's policies. And all those sociopolitical layers come packaged in eminently danceable form: it's hard to attend a Bad Bunny show and resist the urge to twerk.

Trade with Cambodia, Myanmar plungesTrade with Cambodia accounted for 92 billion baht, leading the drop with a 47.3% fall, followed by a 7.4% dip in trade with Myanmar, which totalled 193 billion baht. Thai trade with Malaysia increased 2.8% to 315 billion baht, while bilateral trade with Laos rose 2.4% to 293 billion baht. Transit trade flourishesThe department said total transit trade last year reached a record 1.04 trillion baht, a 24.4% surge from 2024. Transit trade with China was 608 billion baht, a 26.7% jump, and topped transit trade by value, followed by Singapore and Vietnam. Fresh durians led all Thai exports in transit trade, followed by hard disk drives (HDD).

Snapchat blocks 415,000 underage accounts in AustraliaListen to this articleSnapchat says teens may be skirting a social media ban in Australia. (Photo: AFP)SYDNEY — Snapchat has blocked 415,000 accounts under Australia's social media ban for under-16s, the company said Monday, but warned some youngsters may be bypassing age verification technology. Platforms including Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and YouTube must stop underage users from holding accounts under the legislation, which came into effect on Dec 10, 2025. Australia's eSafety online regulator reported last month that tech giants had already blocked 4.7 million accounts, delivering "significant outcomes". As of the end of January, Snapchat said it had blocked or disabled 415,000 Snapchat accounts in Australia belonging to under-16s.

Tough-talking right-winger elected Costa Rica presidentListen to this articleCosta Rica's presidential candidate of the Sovereign People party, Laura Fernandez, shows a ballot before voting at the Julian Volio Llorente school polling station during the presidential election. afpSAN JOSÉ - Right-wing political scientist Laura Fernandez won Costa Rica's presidential election on Sunday by a landslide, after promising to crack down hard on rising violence linked to the cocaine trade. With 81.24 percent of polling stations counted, the political heir of outgoing President Rodrigo Chaves had 48.94 percent of the vote compared to 33.02 percent for Ramos. She added that she would "fight tirelessly" to ensure Costa Rica "continues on the path of economic growth, freedom, and above all, the progress of our people." Fernandez insists that she is committed to upholding Costa Rica's democratic tradition.

OpenAI has unveiled Prism, a new artificial intelligence tool designed to support scientists and researchers by streamlining research workflow and scientific writing, allowing users to spend more time developing new ideas and less time on technical hurdles. Prism is a cloud-based workspace platform focused on research writing and collaborative scientific work. Its core strength lies in the direct integration of ChatGPT’s GPT-5.2 model, which offers advanced mathematical and scientific reasoning, into a document-editing environment built specifically for research tasks. As a result, Prism is positioned not as a conventional chatbot, but as an intelligent editor capable of understanding the complex structure and logic of academic research papers. Photo: OpenAI.comPrism also offers context-aware reasoning through GPT-5.2 Thinking, enabling the AI to understand an entire research paper, including complex equations and references to previous experimental results.

Arsenal scoop $2m prize for winning Fifa Women's Champions CupListen to this articleArsenal won the first ever Women's Champions Cup on Sunday. (Photo: AFP)LONDON - Arsenal scooped the biggest financial prize in women's club football history by beating Corinthians 3-2 after extra time to win the inaugural Fifa Women's Champions Cup on Sunday. The European champions edged out the challenge of the Brazilian underdogs thanks to Caitlin Foord's winner to collect a $2.3 million payout. That is nearly four times the 500,000 euros ($590,000) Arsenal received for winning last season's Champions League. However, Corinthians shocked US champions Gotham FC in Wednesday's semi-finals and pushed Arsenal all the way in front of over 25,000 at the Emirates Stadium.

Iguanas fall from trees in Florida as icy weather bites southern USListen to this articleA cold-stunned green iguana lies on the ground on Sunday in Miami Beach, Florida. (Photo: AFP)WASHINGTON - Iguanas stunned by cold temperatures dropped from trees in usually balmy Florida on Sunday as icy conditions blasted southern US states, dumping nearly a half-meter of snow in some areas and whipping up high winds that caused traffic chaos. The heaviest snows were reported in North Carolina -- a state that rarely sees snow other than in its highest elevations. Videos posted on social media showed the stunned creatures on sidewalks after falling from trees in southern parts of the state. About 158,000 customers remained without power Sunday, mostly in the south, according to poweroutage.us, with Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida and Louisiana hardest hit.

Central Park’s Global Design Talks Bring World-Class Vision to Bangkok Design Week 2026Uncover nine behind-the-scenes design stories from world-class architects and designers, tracing the creative journey from master plan to real-life useBangkok – Central Pattana invites the public to Central Park for “Design Talk: Designing the Future of Bangkok,” a design dialogue gathering the project developers, master planners, architects, and global designers behind Dusit Central Park to share perspectives on future-ready urban development. Design Talk will be held on Saturday 31 January 2026 from 13:00 hrs to 15:30 hrs at At Work, 6th floor, Central Park. Speaker snapshot:The stage brings together the full spectrum of minds behind Dusit Central Park, from Central Pattana and Dusit Thani teams sharing their city-making philosophy under the concept “Here for Bangkok,” to master planners shaping a multi-use urban-scale development. Central Pattana, in collaboration with Bangkok Design Week 2026, invites the public to experience urban design that connects people, ideas, and everyday living at Central Park and centralwOrld-inspiring change towards a more sustainable Bangkok. More information, please visit: Facebook fan page: Central Pattana, Central Park Bangkok and centralwOrld#CPNxBangkokDesignWeek2026 #CentralPattana #Imaginingbetterfuturesforall #centralwOrld #CentralParkBangkok #เซ็นทรัลพัฒนา #เซ็นทรัลเวิลด์ #เซ็นทรัลพาร์ค

The Grammy Awards returned for their 68th year, once again taking over the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for the annual telecast. Here is a roundup of the major moments from the 2026 Grammy Awards. Gesaffelstein (Photo: Reuters)Gesaffelstein’s Red Carpet LookGesaffelstein delivered what may go down as the shortest acceptance speech in Grammy history. Steven Spielberg (Photo: Reuters)Steven Spielberg Achieves EGOT StatusSteven Spielberg officially entered elite territory this Sunday, completing the coveted EGOT. With his Grammy win for Best Music Film for Music by John Williams, the legendary filmmaker became one of only 21 artists in history to earn an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award.

Japan, Thai police to discuss measures against human traffickingListen to this articleRelatives of the girl (second and third from the right) file their complaint at the Royal Thai Police office in Bangkok in November 2025. (Photo supplied)Japanese police plan to dispatch senior officials to Thailand to discuss measures against human trafficking after a then 12-year-old Thai girl was forced to engage in sex work in Tokyo, Japanese police officials said on Monday. In November, a man running a massage parlour in Tokyo was arrested for allegedly illegally employing the girl. A Thai woman who used to manage the private-room massage parlour was also arrested in January for allegedly acting as a broker. Thai police arrested the girl's mother in December on suspicion of human trafficking and other offenses, and the girl has returned to Thailand after she was taken into protective custody in Japan.

11 of 19 held over gold heist are young and have clean records, say policeListen to this articleArmed robbers ransack showcases as they steal gold from a shop in the Big C mall in Sungai Kolok district, Narathiwat, on the night of Oct 5, 2025. (security camera screenshot)NARATHIWAT — Eight of 19 suspects in last year’s high‑profile armed robbery of a gold shop have prior security‑related offences and are also linked to the bombing of a PTT petrol station in Chanae district last month. Earlier this month, a special investigative team announced progress in the investigation after extensive forensic and intelligence work. Police said subsequent background checks on the 19 suspects showed 11 are young with no criminal records, while eight have extensive records tied to security offences. Some of those eight are also implicated in the petrol‑station bombing on Jan 11.

LOS ANGELES — The Dalai Lama on Sunday won a Grammy award for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording, triggering backlash from China, which views him as a separatist seeking to split Tibet from the country. The 90-year-old Tibetan Buddhist leader, who lives in exile in India, said in a statement he accepts the Grammy recognition for his audio book "Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama" with "gratitude and humility." "I'm grateful that this Grammy recognition can help spread these messages more widely." In the 59-minute audio book, which was released last August, the religious leader speaks about his thoughts in English on such topics as harmony, health and peace. Born in 1935, he assumed the position of Tibetan Buddhist leader in 1940.

LONDON — British platform OnlyFans, known best for its adult content, is in talks to sell a 60% stake to an investment firm in a deal that would value the company at about US$3.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter. The talks are at an early stage, could take months to conclude and may not result in a deal, the person added. Architect Capital did not immediately return a request for comment. Little-known Architect Capital was founded in 2020 by James Sagan, who previously worked for a multifamily office and co-founded early-stage credit fund Arc Labs. Architect Capital has previously invested in North and South America, in areas like consumer financing and e-commerce.

Airports of Thailand pushes increase in passenger service chargeListen to this articleAirports of Thailand plans to raise its passenger service charge (PSC) on outbound international flights at six main airports by 53%, and believes it will not affect passenger numbers. AOT president Paweena Jariyathitipong said the service charge would rise from 730 baht to 1,120 baht. Thailand is one of only a handful of countries with a PSC only on outbound flights. Most countries charge outbound, inbound and transit travellers, according to Ms Paweena. The Civil Aviation Board has approved the service charge increase in principle but it has yet to receive final approval from the transport minister, who is ex-officio board chairman.