Australian airline Qantas' shares fall more than 10% on US-Iran conflictA fisherman sits on the beach as a Qantas Dreamliner taxis along a runway at Sydney Airport on the day they announced their half-year results, in Sydney, Australia, February 26, 2026. REUTERSShares of Australia's ‌flag carrier Qantas Airways slumped more than 10% to their lowest level in 10 months on Monday after the U.S. and ​Israel ⁠launched large-scale strikes on Iran over the weekend, sending oil prices surging. The firm's shares fell as ‌much as 10.4% to A$8.92 each when the Australian market opened on Monday, the lowest level ⁠since May 2, 2025, before paring some losses to trade down 5.8% by 2345 GMT. 2 airline, slipped as much as ⁠3.5% on Monday to A$3.03 per share to hit their lowest in nearly a month, before recouping losses to ⁠gain around 1.9%. Shares of Air ​New Zealand fell as much as 0.5% to NZ$0.553 each, slipping to their lowest level since April 7, 2025, ‌before paring ⁠losses to trade ​flat.

Nikkei falls 2% as investors assess impact of Middle East conflictPedestrians walk in front of a stock quotation board displaying the Nikkei share average and the yen-dollar conversion rate outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan, March 2, 2026. REUTERSTOKYO: Japan's ⁠Nikkei share ​average fell as investors ​assessed ‌the impact of a military conflict in the Middle East, which sent oil prices ​surging, ⁠potentially affecting the nation's economy. The Nikkei was down ‌1.9% at 57,702 as of 0013 GMT, while the broader Topix ⁠slipped 2.1% to 3,854.52. Conflict in the Middle East intensified as ​military ‌action by the United States and Israel against ​Iran ⁠continued, with Iran retaliating with missile strikes ⁠across the region, raising fears of broader regional instability. Energy shares rose, ⁠with the energy explorers ​index jumping 9%, while Inpex leapt 7% to become the Nikkei's top ‌percentage ⁠gainer.

Aberdeen predicts banner year for emerging marketsEmerging markets (EM) are set to deliver a standout performance this year, supported by accelerating earnings growth, compelling valuations and a renewed global capital expenditure cycle that is channelling investment into developing economies. After outperforming expectations in 2025, when the MSCI Emerging Markets Index rose 34% in US dollar terms and beat developed markets for the first time since 2020, momentum is expected to continue, said Pruksa Iamthongthong, head of equities for Asia-Pacific at Aberdeen Investment. "Emerging markets today offer superior earnings growth at clearly cheaper valuations than US equities," she said. The next phase of global growth is forming in emerging markets." "With earnings visibility improving and valuations still compelling, emerging markets appear well-positioned to capture the next leg of global growth in 2026," Ms Pruksa noted.

Secure e-mail platform links inmates with their familiesThailand Post introduces the DOC Prompt Post service. Thailand Post has expanded its electronic mailbox system to facilitate correspondence between inmates and their relatives through collaboration with the Department of Corrections (DOC). Both organisations recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide the DOC Prompt Post service, based on Thailand Post's Prompt Post digital mailbox platform. The move makes correspondence more convenient and faster, while being fully compliant with prison procedures, said Dhanant Subhadrabandhu, president of Thailand Post. The service is expected to establish new standards that enhance inmates' quality of life by strengthening ties between inmates and their families, said Pol Lt Col Prawut.

SET pushes liquidity reforms as market revivesPhoto: 123RFThailand's capital market is preparing for a potential wave of foreign fund inflows, with the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) signalling plans to engage relevant authorities to revise foreign ownership limits and expand free float requirements to enhance market liquidity. President Asadej Kongsiri said the exchange wants to ensure the Thai market is structurally prepared to accommodate greater foreign participation. "Liquidity is critical," Mr Asadej said, adding global investors, particularly those tracking MSCI indices, rely heavily on liquidity metrics and free float levels when allocating capital. According to Mr Asadej, the bourse is exploring whether adjustments could help increase tradable shares without disrupting corporate control structures. Exchange officials and stakeholders are seeking a "formula" to retain such firms within Thailand's capital market, Mr Asadej said.

Time for new approach on environmentA woman walks in Benjakitti Park in downtown Bangkok onFeb 25. AFPThe Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is the United Nations' Environment Programme's (UNEP) flagship environmental assessment. The report highlights the growing severity of four environmental problems, as well as the current and future impact of development on the environment under a business-as-usual pathway. Addressing environmental challenges must not be done in silo approach; it must be done across multiple systems. Environmental transition won't succeed without environmental and social justice.

When stronger IP protection hurts innovationAdvanced technology has become a key theatre of global competition, and homegrown innovations are increasingly viewed as critical to national sovereignty and security. The conventional economic wisdom is that intellectual-property (IP) rights play a critical role in stimulating innovation, and that policymakers would be wise to focus on vigorous enforcement. These experiences have contributed to a shift in the conventional economic-policy prescription, with even international organisations recommending a more flexible approach to IP rights for developing economies. Patents are the most common form of IP protection in industrial innovation, but there are also utility models, which provide second-tier protection for minor inventions (though they do not cover innovative processes or methods of production). Alternative forms of IP protection, and a weaker overall regime, can enable latecomers to build their capabilities through imitation and minor innovation before reaching the point at which they can produce high-level patentable inventions.

Tusks' return builds trustAfter eight years in district custody, the sacred ivory tusks of Letongku have been returned to the Karen village that worships them. Now, the tusks have been handed back and have arrived in the village. For the Letongku community, this is not just the return of carved ivory, but the return of their spiritual centre. By deciding to return them, Tak authorities have shown religious sensitivity and respect for local belief. The Letongku villagers felt that loss for eight years.

The Customs Department plans to ban imported agricultural products from qualifying for the 40% local content import duty exemption for domestic sale based on any processing in Thailand. The Customs Department looks set to amend regulations on local content to prevent imported goods from exploiting tax privileges to compete with domestic producers. When it enters a free zone, it is repackaged and frozen, which allows it to be classified as having 40% local content. It should not be a matter of adding profit and carrying out simple processes to qualify for local content privileges," said Mr Phantong. Abolishing rewards for all officials requires amendments to the 1926 Customs Department Act.

Thais score well in new digital skills: BDEThais have decent digital literacy skills, with youngsters and civil servants among the most highly ranked groups, says a survey by the National Board of Digital Economy and Society Office (BDE). The survey found Thais scored well in media and information literacy (MIL), with an overall score of 74.8. Thais also scored well in digital literacy, with an overall score of 76. Health-related digital literacy scores 81.5, and digital communication scores 68.2. The survey found that, by gender, females tended to score a little higher in digital literacy, while males scored higher in MIL.

Most voters reject four-party coalitionMost voters oppose the idea of four major parties forming a coalition government led by the Bhumjaithai Party, says the latest poll by the National Institute of Development Administration (Nida). ", was conducted by phone on Feb 23 and 24 among 1,310 people aged 18 and over nationwide. Respondents were asked for their views on whether four parties -- Klatham, Democrat, People's Party and Pheu Thai -- should join Bhumjaithai in forming a new administration. The People's Party faced the highest level of opposition, with 71.14% of respondents saying it should not join a Bhumjaithai-led government. Nida said the results reflect broad public sentiment on potential coalition formations, adding that it will continue to monitor public opinion as the political landscape evolves.

AP ventures into new provinces in 2026Apitown Hua Hin is a new provincial project AP plans for this year. Despite launching fewer projects, AP is targeting a 4.6% increase in presales to 49 billion baht in 2026. Last year, AP launched 44 projects worth 59.6 billion baht, including only two provincial projects valued at 2.3 billion baht. The company expects total revenue of 49 billion baht in 2026, including joint ventures, up 6.5%. Low-rise housing revenue is projected at 36 billion baht, condos 11.9 billion baht, and service income 1.1 billion.

He said global tech giants are likely to gravitate towards jurisdictions or domains perceived as borderless or weakly regulated. The impact could be more severe than the entry of over-the-top platforms, where telecom broadcasting technology convergence outpaces regulatory development, said AM Thanapant. Aviation and space legal policy present profound challenges, given the complexity of both law and technology -- particularly in outer space, which is borderless, while technology is evolving quickly, he said. These innovations raise questions about the applicability of Thailand's 1955 Radio Communications Act, which remains the legal basis for regulating frequency-using equipment, AM Thanapant said. "We must jointly formulate a legal policy for establishing internationally aligned standards and enabling sustainable innovation in Thailand," AM Thanapant said.

Visa, Omise combat credit card fraud with token securityOver the past several years, many Thai cardholders have fallen victim to credit card number theft, with fraudsters siphoning funds using stolen card details. Credit card fraud in Thailand is expected to decline following the rollout of Visa Network Token technology. Over the past several years, many Thai cardholders have fallen victim to credit card number theft, with fraudsters siphoning funds using stolen card details. In 2024, the technology helped reduce global Visa credit card fraud by an average of 34% compared with the previous security model, based on the primary account number (PAN). After adopting the token technology, Coway improved card payment success rates by 8.5-15% compared with its previous card data system.

A grace period of one year is expected for a potential sodium tax to allow manufacturers sufficient time to adjust product formulations. Pornchai Thiraveja, director-general of the department, said the proposal for a sodium tax is being considered by the agency. A sodium tax is meant to regulate salt levels in snack foods that are popular with Thais, but contain sodium levels above the prescribed standards. The Excise Department introduced a sugar tax on beverages in 2017, implementing it in phases to allow producers to gradually reduce sugar content. On April 1, 2025, the sugar tax entered its fourth phase.