The PP, he added, was prepared to push forward an amendment bill to establish a mechanism for drafting a new charter. "The People's Party thanks the 21,621,638 citizens who voted in favour of a new constitution," he said. "The result fulfils the requirements of the Referendum Act and represents a public consensus that goes beyond supporters of any particular political party." Further referendums would ultimately be required -- one on the amendment enabling the drafting process and another on the final draft. But drafting a new charter cannot start without first amending the existing version, notably Section 256, in line with Constitutional Court rulings.

In Cambodia, Thailand and Bangladesh, older adults now experience severe limitations during one-quarter to one-third of the year, the study found. Compared with the 1950s, older adults now experience an additional 686 hours in Cambodia, 568 hours in Thailand and 390 hours in Bangladesh. In Qatar, for instance, heat now makes it risky for older adults to engage in routine activities for a third of the year. Even 18-to-40-year-olds in that country must curb daily tasks for more than 800 hours a year or 10% of their time. In the southern US, “we’re looking at many hundreds of hours of livability limitations for older adults every year”, said Parsons.

Mr Shah's biggest triumph over former prime minister KP Sharma Oli took place in his own constituency, Jhapa-5. Mr Shah received 68,348 votes, far surpassing Mr Oli, who garnered 18,734 votes, according to the results released by the Election Commission of Nepal. After years of seeing Nepal's politics being dominated by a triumvirate of parties, voters have finally rung the bell for change. A former mayor, Mr Shah earned his reputation by bringing down commercial and residential buildings that were built without proper permits. Still, Nepali voters have rung the bells for change as they look for change and stability.

Cabinet extends renewal period for labourers' work permitsA shop that processes labour registration documentation for migrant workers in Bangkok’s Kannayao district. The cabinet has agreed to extend the period of work permit renewal for about 370,000 workers from Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam until the end of this month. (Photo: Pattanapong Hirunard)The cabinet has agreed to extend the period allowed for the renewal of work permits for about 370,000 workers from Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam until the end of this month, to help stabilise the economic sector. The work permit renewal period ended on Feb 24. It reached an initial conclusion that it would follow the cabinet’s resolution of Sept 24, 2024, allowing Cambodians a work permit extension until March 31, 2026.

Officials from the Department of Health Service Support talk to the team at the clinic in Pathum Wan district in Bangkok on Monday. (Photo: Department of Health Service Support)A severe reaction to anaesthetics has been cited as the reason a man did not regain consciousness for days after undergoing cosmetic surgery at a Bangkok clinic. The clinic team suspected an allergic reaction to anaesthesia or malignant hyperthermia, a condition occurring in about one in 100,000 cases. He can now sit up unaided for short periods, an important sign after severe muscle breakdown. The Department of Health Service Support is gathering details and will forward them to relevant agencies for further proceedings, Dr Arkom said.

Geopolitical tensions could intensify ahead of the US midterm election cycle, says Mr Boontham, suggesting a conflict window may last 3-4 months before easing. A closure could trigger a severe oil supply shock, affecting both energy prices and supply," said Mr Boontham. OUTLOOK FOR EQUITIESSuwat Wattanapornprom, head of research at Krungsri Securities (KSS), said the Thai stock market has partially priced in geopolitical risks, with the index falling 12.6%, compared with the typical 8-9% decline seen during wars. Energy producers and refiners stand to benefit from higher oil prices, particularly PTT Exploration and Production, while petrochemical producers relying on domestic gas feedstock, such as PTT Global Chemical, could remain relatively resilient. Investors should monitor developments between Iran and Israel as geopolitical tensions continue to shape global financial markets, he said.

Chat commerce takes off on LineLine Thailand is seeing rapid uptake of "chat commerce" among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as businesses seek to diversify sales channels and reduce reliance on e-marketplaces as they raise commission fees. He said chat commerce thrives in Thailand because consumers highly value the "human touch" and close communication. The company sees food and beverage, beauty and health, and fashion as among the top sectors to use the chat commerce channel. Although sellers are interested in using chat commerce, they still want the traffic on e-marketplaces and live commerce, resulting in all sales channels growing together, he said. Jirapat Dejdanoo, product marketing strategy team lead for Line Thailand, said the chat commerce trend is growing at an average of 12% per year and is projected to reach US$23 billion by 2031.

Panasonic has announced it will end television production in Japan, partnering with Chinese electronics maker Skyworth in a strategic move that effectively closes the chapter on domestic TV manufacturing by the Japanese brand. Under the agreement, Skyworth will take over manufacturing, sales, marketing and logistics for Panasonic-branded televisions in Europe and North America starting April 1, 2026. The arrangement will allow Skyworth to produce and distribute TVs under the Panasonic brand across those regions. Panasonic returned to the US market in 2024 with OLED and Mini LED TVs, promoting their Japanese design heritage as a key selling point. Skyworth is one of the major players in the global TV market and ranked among the top five brands by revenue in the first quarter of 2025.

Deportation of Ukrainian children, recruitment of ‘cannon fodder’ from other countries citedAccording to Kyiv, nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly removed since Russia’s invasion began in 2022. Moscow insists it moved some Ukrainian children from their homes or orphanages to protect them from hostilities. In 2023, the International Criminal Court issued a war crimes arrest warrant against Putin, accusing him of “unlawfully deporting” Ukrainian children. According to Kyiv, nearly 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly removed since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Russia insists it has moved some Ukrainian children from their homes or orphanages to protect them from hostilities.

Thai customs authorities have confiscated 284 tonnes of electronic waste at Laem Chabang Port in Chon Buri, and are preparing to send the illegal shipment back to the United States where it originated. “Authorities have been checking the remaining containers — there are 21 in all — and we expect to find more illegal electronic waste. Thailand ratified the Basel Convention in March 2023. According to the convention, any illegal hazardous waste shipment must be returned to the country of origin, often as the exporter’s expense. Thailand banned the import of electronic waste in 2020, and strengthened the regulations in 2025 to cover 463 types of e-waste, including circuit boards, batteries, and used phones.

The referendum vote on Feb 8 showed 58.6% of voters support a new charter, while 30.5% favour keeping the existing constitution and 8.3% abstained. The People’s Party, he added, was prepared to push forward an amendment bill to establish a mechanism for drafting a new charter. “The People’s Party thanks the 21,621,638 citizens who voted in favour of a new constitution,” he said. Further referendums would ultimately be required — one on the amendment enabling the drafting process and another on the final draft. But drafting a new charter cannot start without first amending the existing document, notably Section 256, in line with Constitutional Court rulings.

Finance ministry says it can guarantee loans if Oil Fuel Fund needs more funds to cap pricesThe Oil Fuel Fund has a borrowing capacity of 20 billion baht, which is expected to support price stabilisation efforts for some time, says a finance ministry official. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)The government is in good fiscal condition, with a buffer of 300 billion baht if it needs to guarantee loans for the Oil Fuel Fund for subsidies, according to the Ministry of Finance. The government crafted a deficit budget for fiscal 2026, with 860 billion baht in borrowing planned to finance the shortfall. In the past, when the fund intervened to support domestic retail fuel prices, its deficit reached a peak of 120 billion baht. “The Oil Fuel Fund was designed to allow ‘positive-negative’ management, enabling it to stabilise domestic energy prices.

(Photo: AFP)SEOUL - A concrete barrier blamed for the deadly South Korean jet crash that killed 179 people in December 2024 had been built to cut costs, the state auditor said on Tuesday. A government-commissioned simulation released earlier this year found that all passengers would have survived had the concrete structure supporting the localisers — a navigation antenna system that helps aircraft during landing — not been present. The Board of Audit and Inspection said in a report that the concrete structure had been built by the transport ministry as it “sought to reduce costs”. The report said the terrain where the runway and runway-end safety area were constructed at Muan airport was sloping. Instead of flattening the area — which would have required significant earthworks and higher expenditure — officials chose to install the localiser on a concrete structure elevated above the runway, the audit report said.

Israeli Ambassador to Thailand Alona Fisher-Kamm says that around 50,000 Thai workers are employed in Israel, and they are entitled to the same security protections as Israeli citizens. “Thai workers, of course, are entitled to all the protection provided by the Israeli government,” she said. Her remarks came after the Thai Ministry of Labour decided to temporarily suspend the deployment of Thai workers to the Middle East because of ongoing regional tensions. She also said that, so far, no Thai workers have expressed interest in leaving Israel. “But Thai workers understand Israel is doing its utmost to protect them.”

(Photo: Somchai Poomlard)Thailand does not face a fuel crisis as a consequence of the Mideast war, Energy Minister Atthapol Rerkpiboon said on Tuesday. With the war now in its third week, PTT and Bangchak have announced pump price changes. (continues below)An official examines a fuel pump during checks to prevent stockpiling of fuel. At a PT pump in the Ruam Chok area, reporters also found shortages after people rushed to fill containers and stockpile fuel, depleting supplies at both the fuel outlet and the PT fuel depot in Chiang Mai. Energy Minister Atthapol said there is no need to panic-buy or stockpile fuel, while noting that sales had doubled in some areas due to public concern.