Several TPC members reside on the island. TPC members spent an average of 1.04 million baht a year, generating an economic impact of more than 50 billion baht. India has a huge population but still relatively few TPC members. In the long run, TPC plans to generate more revenue from sources other than membership sales, such as hospitality services, said Mr Manatase. Phuket remains a popular residential location, with about 2,000 TPC members, following Bangkok and Chon Buri in terms of member numbers.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN (13 Jan, 2026) – EVA Air ranks eighth among AirlineRatings.com’s “Top 25 Safest Full-Service Airlines for 2026”. This marks the airline’s 13th consecutive year of earning a place among the website’s global ratings for the safest airlines. EVA Air is also the only carrier from Taiwan to be selected among the world’s top ten safest airlines, highlighting its long-term commitment and outstanding achievements in flight safety. Since its founding in 1989, EVA Air has maintained an outstanding safety record with no major accidents. “Flight safety is the most important and non-negotiable core value of EVA Air,” said EVA President Clay Sun.

Canada's Carney hails 'strategic partnership' in talks with XiListen to this articleCanada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, centre, arrives for meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (Photo: AFP)BEIJING — Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a "new strategic partnership" with Beijing as he held talks President Xi Jinping on Friday, the first visit by a Canadian leader to China in eight years. Engagement and cooperation would be "the foundation of our new strategic partnership", he said. Welcoming Carney, Xi said China-Canada relations reached a turning point at their last meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in October 2025. Officials from both countries have been in talks to lower tariffs and boost bilateral trade, though an agreement has yet to be reached.

Phuket police bust Belarusian-run illegal car rental businessListen to this articlePolice say the car-rental business was linked to a number of accidents involving foreigners driving without licences. (Photo: Achadthaya Chuenniran)PHUKET - Police have arrested two Belarusian nationals for operating an unlicensed car rental business using Thai nominees, following a series of traffic accidents involving foreigners driving without valid licences. An investigation also traced multiple accidents to the car rental shop on Saiyuan Road in tambon Rawai of Muang district, they said. Investigators on Wednesday raided the rental shop and an accounting firm in tambon Chalong to collect evidence. Using Thai citizens as nominee shareholders to evade these restrictions constitutes a criminal offence.

US lawmakers visit Denmark to support GreenlandListen to this articleSenator Dick Durbin arrives with a US Congressional Delegation at Industriens Hus in Copenhagen, on Jan 16, 2026. (Photo: AFP)COPENHAGEN - A bipartisan US Congress delegation began a visit to Copenhagen on Friday to voice support for Denmark and Greenland after US President Donald Trump threatened to take over the Arctic island, an autonomous Danish territory. The two-day visit comes alongside a European show of support in the form of a military reconnaissance mission to Greenland. The US president has pursued that argument, despite strategically located Greenland — as part of Denmark — being covered by NATO’s security umbrella. Large demonstrations are planned across Denmark and Greenland on Saturday to protest against Trump’s territorial ambitions.

(Photo: Prasit Tangprasert)NAKHON RATCHASIMA - Three people reported missing in the crane collapse that struck a passenger train in this northeastern province have been located. Two sustained injuries and remain in hospital, while the third was not on board the train, provincial authorities said on Friday. The Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Public Health Office on Friday reported that 13 dead victims have been formally identified, while 19 others were still awaiting identification. Forensic teams from the Region 3 Office of Forensic Science arrived at the mortuary of Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital on Friday to assist with additional post-mortem examinations. The Hook 31 Foundation in Nakhon Ratchasima deployed vehicles and personnel to assist families with transporting the bodies.

'Hobbit houses' that might just save a Moldovan villageListen to this articleLocal women in traditional dress sing carols outside a 'basca' hobbit house in Rogojeni, Moldova. (Photo: AFP)ROGOJENI — They call Rogojeni the "hobbit village", and its little half-buried houses, built to resist Moldova's cold winters and hot summers, do look like something from "The Lord of the Rings". The traditional dugout houses have put the shrinking settlement on the tourist map and locals hope they may also help to save it. "My goal is to develop this locality, build roads, repair where possible the houses that can be preserved and develop tourism," he told Agence France-Presse (AFP). A South Korean student was visiting when AFP went to the village two hours north of the capital Chisinau earlier this month.

Listen to this articleHundreds of people fled a suspected Cambodian cyberfraud centre, after the country's most wanted alleged scam kingpin was arrested and deported. Similar scenes played out at alleged scam compounds across Cambodia this week as the government said it was cracking down on the multibillion-dollar industry. AFP journalists visited several alleged internet scam sites in Sihanoukville, in the wake of the high-profile arrest in Cambodia and extradition to China of internationally sanctioned accused scam boss Chen Zhi. Cambodia’s anti-scam commission says it has raided 118 scam locations and arrested around 5,000 people in the last six months. A tuk-tuk driver in Sihanoukville told AFP hundreds of Chinese people left one compound this week before police arrived.

Zelensky told reporters — including from AFP — that Ukrainian negotiators were on their way to the United States for more talks. Air defences depletedZelensky also conceded problems with Ukrainian air defence systems at a critical moment in the war. Zelensky has repeatedly called on allies to beef up Ukraine’s air defence systems to shield vital civilian infrastructure facilities from daily Russian bombardments. Ukraine relies on its Western partners for several vital advanced air defence systems — including US-made Patriot batteries. Russia advances along front lineAfter nearly four years of fighting, Russian forces are both pummelling Ukrainian cities and steadily advancing across the sprawling front line.

Nato chief's tactic on Trump's Greenland threats? Change topicListen to this articleNato Secretary General Mark Rutte faces a tough balancing act over US claims on Greenland. (Photo: AFP)BRUSSELS (BELGIUM) — US President Donald Trump's demands to take over North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) ally Denmark's territory Greenland have thrust alliance chief Mark Rutte into an uncomfortable position. "Rutte knows that if he fails now he could get burnt and lose his capital with Trump," a senior Nato diplomat told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "Rutte still has a responsibility, which is to decide when he thinks it is most appropriate to chip in," said Camille Grand, another former senior Nato official.

Both incidents were caused by the collapse of cranes used on Italian-Thai projects. The halt to the 14 projects would allow expert teams to conduct detailed inspections to ensure safety standards were being met, said Chirapong Theppithuck, deputy permanent secretary ⁠of the transport ministry. ‘Danger to the public’This week’s crane collapses were the latest in a series of fatal accidents at construction projects in Thailand, several involving ITD, including the collapse of the nearly completed State Audit Office (SAO) tower in Bangkok last March following a 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar. The collapse of the 30-storey SAO building killed at least 96 people and led to charges of negligence ‌against 23 people including ITD president Premchai Karnasuta. ITD secured seven state construction contracts worth more than 26 billion baht in 2025, according to data from the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

(Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)Thailand is ready to pick up the pace as it moves toward a low-carbon economy following cabinet approval of the Climate Change Bill, according to acting Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas. The bill is expected to be enacted after the formation of a new government following the Feb 8 election. Mr Ekniti said that investments in clean energy are expected following the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and similar rules by other countries. The most critical requirement, he said, is investment in clean energy infrastructure, which will require significant funding. Mr Kongkrapan said the company is among the country’s largest greenhouse gas emitters and is preparing and constructing an underground carbon storage facility as a pilot project.

(Photo: Surachai Piragsa)Excessive workloads, long teaching hours and a worsening work-life balance are raising concerns about teachers’ wellbeing and the quality of education, especially at Thailand’s small schools, a new study finds. The Equitable Education Research Institute (EEFI) warned of a growing crisis following the release on Friday of a nationwide survey covering teachers in public and local authority schools, private institutions and those under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The survey found that teachers in small schools teach an average of 27.3 hours per week, exceeding the Ministry of Education’s standard by 37.6%. These schools often depend on a limited number of teachers to handle both teaching and administrative duties, reinforcing inequality and restricting opportunities for disadvantaged students. The EEFI has proposed reforms ranging from cutting unnecessary paperwork and redistributing workloads to reducing teaching hours, providing mental health support and pursuing long-term bureaucratic reform through digitisation and mentoring systems.

High tide warnings issued for Bangkok area from Jan 18-22Listen to this articleHigh tides cause water to flow across roads in Phra Samut Chedi district of Samut Prakan on the morning of Dec 6. (Photo: Nittaya Nattayai)Residents of Bangkok and six surrounding provinces have been alerted to brace for unusually high tides between Jan 18 and 22, raising the risk of river overflow and flooding in low-lying areas along rivers. The alert covers Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram and Samut Prakan as well as Bangkok, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) said on Friday. The highest tide levels are forecast between 7am and 10am, which could lead to water overflowing riverbanks and water levels in rivers and canals increasing. Mr Teerapat said water may spill into low-lying areas, including communities outside permanent flood-protection embankments or temporary barriers.

Listen to this articlePol Lt Gen Achayon Kraithong, Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) commissioner, second from right, leads a team of officers to arrest a Taiwanese suspect, left, at a condominium room in Bangkok on Thursday. (Photo: NSB)A Taiwanese man suspected of being the mastermind behind a transnational drug-trafficking network has been arrested during a police raid on a Bangkok condominium. Investigators said that the suspect was the “brain” of the syndicate and had expertise in sophisticated drug concealment methods. Pol Lt Gen Achayon Kraithong, NSB commissioner, said that the arrest marked a success in disrupting a complex transnational narcotics network. NSB officers are coordinating closely with relevant agencies and Taiwanese authorities to pursue legal proceedings against Mr Chiang.