Cold snap deepens as Hong Kong temperatures plunge to 2°CListen to this articleTemperatures in many areas of Hong Kong dropped to single digits on Friday morning. (Photo: South China Morning Post)Temperatures in many areas of Hong Kong dropped to single digits on Friday morning, with some reaching 2°C to 3°C, according to the city's weather forecaster. The Hong Kong Observatory said that at 7am (6am Thailand time), Ta Kwu Ling in the New Territories recorded a low of 2°C, while Tai Lung near Sheung Shui registered 3.8°C. A cold weather alert issued at 6am was cancelled at 11am, while a red fire danger warning remains in force, indicating an extreme fire risk. Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr Edwin Tsui Lok-kin also warned that the winter flu season was approaching amid the cold weather, urging residents to get vaccinated if they had not done so already.

International Space Station crew to return early after astronaut medical issueListen to this articleCrew-11 mission astronauts departed the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Aug 1, 2025. WASHINGTON (UNITED STATES) - Nasa crewmembers at the International Space Station (ISS) will return to Earth within days after an astronaut suffered a health issue, the US space agency said on Thursday, the first such medical evacuation in the orbital lab's history. Nasa chief medical officer James Polk said "lingering risk" and a "lingering question as to what that diagnosis is" led to the decision to return early. Once the situation on the station stabilised, careful deliberations led us to the decision to return Crew 11... while ensuring minimal operational impact to ongoing work aboard." Such journeys generally last approximately six months, and this crew was already due to return in the coming weeks.

(Photo: AFP)PARIS - France has the right to say “no” to its historical ally the United States when it acts in a way deemed unacceptable, the foreign minister said on Friday, warning that the European political order was “in danger”. In his annual address to France’s ambassadors, Jean-Noel Barrot warned that the European Union was threatened by adversaries from the outside, and also hit back at US claims Europe faced “civilisational erasure”. “Let’s be clear: nothing guarantees today that we will still be living within the European Union as we know it in 10 years,” he warned. “No, European civilisation will not fade away,” Barrot said. The New START treaty is the last bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia.

'Hectic' bushfires threaten rural towns in Australian heatwaveListen to this articleFirefighters warned millions of Australians of "catastrophic" bushfire dangers as they battled multiple blazes stoked by a heatwave blanketing the country. (Photo: AFP)SYDNEY - Bushfires threatened dozens of rural towns in southeast Australia on Friday, firefighters said as hot winds fanned "hectic" conditions in the tinder-dry countryside. Dozens of rural hamlets in the state of Victoria were urged to evacuate while they still could. The worst bushfires have so far hit sparsely populated rural areas where towns might number a few hundred people at the most. Another bushfire near the small town of Walwa crackled with lightning as it radiated enough heat to form a localised thunder storm, fire authorities said.

Denoting Future Trends AheadIn the pursuit of defining 2026’s future trends, FutureSkill opens the floor to guide readers in staying ahead through its latest book. Entering its third year, the Future Trends Ahead book series has released its 2026 edition, alongside the upcoming Future Trends Ahead Summit 2026, set to take place next month. The Future Trends Ahead 2026 book, endorsed by FutureSkill, is the result of a collaboration among 16 leading organisations, each contributing expert insights and strategic recommendations within their respective fields. From page to stage, the Future Trends Ahead Summit 2026 will be held on Feb 10, 2026, from 9am to 6pm at Siam Paragon Hall, Bangkok. Future Trends Ahead 2026 is available for free download through this link:https://page.futuretrend.co/FTAheadEbook

LAS VEGAS - Exoskeletons are shedding their bulky, sci-fi image to become lightweight, AI-powered consumer devices that manufacturers hope will become as commonplace as smartwatches, targeting everyone from hikers to seniors seeking to stay active. By contrast, several models presented in Las Vegas weigh less than two kilograms (4.4 pounds) without batteries. "We're working hard to make exoskeletons commonplace so people don't feel that social anxiety of wearing something like this," said Toby Knisely, communications manager at Hypershell, which says it has already sold 20,000 units. One of the obstacles to overcome is the idea that exoskeletons reduce physical effort and diminish the health benefits of exercise. When these machines become more common on the streets, "social anxiety, or the embarrassment associated with wearing an exoskeleton" will fade, said Knisely.

The measures were discussed at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, which also weighed tightening reporting requirements for physical gold trading. Authorities are also working to improve and co-ordinate financial data gathering as part of the campaign to curb grey capital and money laundering, Mr Anutin said. Total gold trading was estimated at around 10 trillion baht ($318 billion) last year, doubling from 2024, according to Kritcharat Hirunyasiri, chairman of MTS Gold Group. For online gold trading platforms — where no physical delivery of gold takes place — the Ministry of Finance has been asked to revise regulations governing foreign-exchange controls. Money laundering through gold transactions and digital assets in Thailand has intensified since 2024–25, with particular concern raised over an abnormally sharp rise in gold exports to Cambodia.

AIA Thailand is reinforcing its position as the leading life and health insurance company by starting the new year with the launch of a new AIA FA, “FA 4.0: The Ultimate Success”. This initiative drives its strategy to build high-quality financial advisors (FA) and set a new benchmark for the Thai life insurance industry. “For the past 16 years, AIA has continuously developed the AIA FA programme with strong importance in expanding FA Centers to cover major cities nationwide, with 19 locations currently in operation,” said Alisa Simaroj, chief agency officer at AIA Thailand. “Another key initiative driving long-term FA career growth is the Career Achievement Bonus [CAB] — a reward for success for our financial advisors. To date, AIA has paid the 5-year CAB bonus of 5 million baht to over 172 FAs, totalling more than 860 million baht, now entering its fourth year.

Absolutely nothing will come in between Nico and that belt on February 14.”Carrillo’s first attempt at becoming a world champion came in January 2025, when he was originally booked to challenge Superlek for the undisputed bantamweight Muay Thai title at ONE 170 in Bangkok. After Superlek withdrew injured, ONE created an interim belt and matched Carrillo with the surging Nabil Anane. Coach JP Gallacher speaks to Nico Carrillo before the second round of his clash with Sitthichai at ONE Fight Night 30What followed was a quiet reset. Carrillo stepped away from the spotlight, married longtime partner Aimee McElhinney, and temporarily relocated from Scotland to Phuket, where he sharpened his game at Bangtao Muay Thai & MMA while waiting for another opportunity. Now, one year after his bantamweight collapse, Carrillo finds himself fighting for an interim belt once again – this time against Shadow, who enters the bout on a six-fight Muay Thai winning streak.

New Zealand's rare flightless parrot breeds againListen to this articleNew Zealand's critically endangered kakapo only breeds every few years. WELLINGTON - New Zealand's critically endangered flightless parrot, the kakapo, started breeding last week for the first time in four years, the government conservation department said. Only 236 of the rotund and regal-looking green parrots remain in three breeding populations on some of New Zealand's most remote southern islands. "This means with each successful breeding season we're aiming to reduce the level of intensive, hands-on management to return to a more natural state." Tane Davis, a Ngai Tahi representative on the recovery programme, said it was hoped kakapo would one day thrive throughout New Zealand's South Island.

KLM scraps 80 flights in Amsterdam on Friday as snow returnsListen to this articleSnow outside the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on Tuesday, as snowfall causes disruptions to air, rail and road traffic. (Photo: Reuters)AMSTERDAM - ‍Airline KLM will cancel 80 flights ‌to ​and from Amsterdam Schiphol airport on Friday as snowfall is expected to ‌return to the Netherlands, the Dutch arm of ‌airline group Air France KLM said on Thursday. KLM managed ⁠to operate almost a]l of its around 700 planned flights at its Amsterdam hub on Thursday, after snow and ‌ice ‍had forced it to scrap hundreds of flights ‌every ​day from last Friday through Wednesday. Heavy snowfall is expected for the north of the Netherlands from ⁠early on ​Friday, and will likely reach the Amsterdam region towards the ​evening.

Listen to this articleInvestors in NocNoc were reluctant to absorb losses for long stretches, according to Pawoot Pongvitayapanu, a local e-commerce expert. This convergence of online and offline channels should bolster their competitive edge against dominant foreign e‑marketplaces, said Mr Thanawat. “This model is similar to Taobao in China, where delivery can take less than one hour,” said Mr Thanawat. Kulthirath Pakawachkrilers, president of the Thai eCommerce Association, said NocNoc had not broken even once in the six years it had been operating. The company’s accumulated revenue from 2015 to 2024 was 3.26 billion baht, posting an accumulated loss of 4.52 billion baht.

Thai central bank to expand authority to scrutinise online gold tradingListen to this articleBank of Thailand Governor Vitai Ratanakorn. (Photo: Bank of Thailand)Thailand will expand the authority of its ‌central bank ​in order to better supervise online gold trading, Bank of Thailand (BoT) Governor Vitai Ratanakorn said on Friday. The BoT has blamed gold traders for driving up the baht, which soared more than ‌10% against the dollar in 2025. Mr Vitai told reporters that gold trading apps in ⁠Thailand have been linked increasingly to grey capital and abnormal baht fluctuations. Limits will also be ​set on individual baht trading in order to reduce the volatility of the currency, he ​said.

Russian fugitive arrested in Koh SamuiListen to this articleA Russian man was arrested at a luxury resort in Bo Phut, Koh Samui on Thursday. (Photo: Surat Thani Immigration Office)SURAT THANI - Immigration officials have arrested a Russian man wanted for extorting more than 1 million roubles from an automotive company CEO in Russia, using biometric tracking to locate him at a luxury hotel in Koh Samui. Pol Col Naruwat Phuttawiro, commander of Surat Thani Immigration Office, said on Friday that authorities received a request from the Russian Embassy to apprehend Sibgatullin Airat, 40, who had fled to Thailand to evade prosecution. Russian federal police issued arrest warrants for the gang and coordinated with the Thai authorities after discovering Airat had fled to Thailand. The public can report information about foreign nationals committing crimes by calling the 1178 hotline or the Surat Thani Immigration Office at 077-423440.

US to provide $45 million to help implement Cambodian-Thai accordsListen to this articleA woman looks out from inside her tent at a temporary shelter amid deadly clashes between Thailand and Cambodia along a disputed border area, in Surin province, on Dec 11, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)The United States ‍will ‍provide $45 million (1.4 billion baht) in assistance to Cambodia and Thailand, the senior US diplomat for East Asia said on Friday ‌during a visit to the region, ​to help solidify President Donald Trump's peace-making efforts between the two. DeSombre said the US, which has slashed its global foreign assistance programmes under Trump, would provide $15 million for border stabilisation to help communities recover and to support people displaced by the recent conflict, and $10 million for demining and clearing of unexploded ordnance. The US would also provide $20 million for initiatives that will help Cambodia and Thailand combat scam operations and drug trafficking, and ‌other ‍programs, DeSombre said. Thailand is a long-time US ally, while the US has sought to improve relations with Cambodia to try ‍to woo it away from strategic rival China.